Original spellings and punctuations have not been altered, except to distinguish between vowels and consonants at a time when u and v, and i and j, were often used interchangeably. Scribal abbreviations in manuscripts have been expanded for clarity, designated in the text with brackets. Dates are given in the Old Style (the Julian calendar), with the year adjusted to begin on 1 January. Unless otherwise stated, early modern books were printed in London.