I was fortunate to have had much help in coping with the crisis in which I suddenly found myself. I have been blessed with the encouragement and assistance of many colleagues at Yale who listened patiently when I tried out on them some of the ideas that I developed in the lectures and later in this book. Another colleague, Mercedes Carreras, who is also a Spanish lawyer, gave me valuable advice on legal issues. Fellow pilot and Elizabethan scholar Lawrence Manley, from our English department, also attended quite a few and offered valuable comments.
My longtime friend Cathy L. The lectures and the book would not have been possible without the assistance of Anke Birkenmaier, student, research assistant, interlocutor, critic, editor, and stern advisor. She carefully read the entire manuscript and also taught a section of undergraduates attending the DeVane Lectures for credit.
Eagle-eyed Charlotte Rogers had the last look at the proofs. The graduate students who took the lectures as a course and with whom I had a seminar session at the end were essential to the realization of my project in their attentive reception.
Everyone registered produced a superb paper. I also would like to thank my wife, Isabel, who came to all the lectures and endured my moods and odd behavior while preparing them.
Finally, I would like to express my appreciation to the people who attended the lectures, many every single one of them.
