sets the stage for the author's exploration of England's noble families, outlining his methodology and the limitations he imposed on his investigation. Shirley discusses the criteria for inclusion, emphasizing the importance of direct male descent and the historical ties to the land. He acknowledges the challenges of genealogy, such as distinguishing between ancient and more recent claims to lineages. The introduction also references various sources from county histories and manuscripts, indicating a rigorous approach to documenting the legacy of aristocratic families. These early details lay a foundation for the detailed genealogies that will follow in the subsequent chapters. (This is an automatically generated summary.)