I have the means of showing what Dr. Percy did with the poems of the
Earl of Surrey, because I have a copy of the work now before me.

It can hardly be said that he "prepared an edition" of those poems,
as supposed by your correspondent "G." on the authority of Watts's
_Bibliotheca Britannica_, but he made an exact reprint of the _Songes
and Sonnettes written by the Right Honorable Lorde Henry Haward,
late Earle of Surrey, and other_, which was printed _Apud Richardum
Tottell. Cum privilegio ad imprimendum solum_. 1557. The Bishop of
Dromere made no attempt at editing the work much beyond what was
necessary to secure an exact reimpression. He prefixed no Life of
Surrey (a point "G." wishes to ascertain); and, in fact, the book was
never completed. It contains considerably more than the reprint of the
poems of Lord Surrey, and was intended to consist of two volumes with
separate pagination; the first volume extending to p. 272., and the
second to p. 342.

As the work is a rarity, owing to an unfortunate accident, some of
your readers may like to see a brief notice of it. Watts (as quoted
by "G." for I have not his portly volumes at hand,) states that the
"whole impression" was "consumed in the fire which took place in Mr.
Nicholls's premises in 1808." This was a mistake, as my extant copy
establishes; and _Restituta_ (iii. 451.) informs us that _four_ were
saved. Of the history of my own impression I know nothing beyond the
fact, that I paid a very high price for it some twenty years since,
at an auction; but the late Mr. Grenville had another copy, which I
had an opportunity of seeing, and which had belonged to T. Park, and
had been sent to him by Dr. Percy for the advantage of his notes and
remarks. This, I presume, is now in the British Museum; whither it
came with the rest of Mr. Grenville's books, four or five years ago.