The Independent has mined what must be the perfect Henry 8 factoid from a newly-published history of Encyclopedias.
Nani Mirabelli’s Polyanthea of 1503, which started life as a dictionary and grew to become a one million-word mini-library, has a walk-on part in the history of England. Henry VIII was an early subscriber, and his copy survives. The book remains largely unmolested, apart from on those pages concerned with three particular topics. The sections concerned with “matrimony”, “law” and “vows” are surrounded by royal scribbles, underlinings and pointing figures.
