Mirror for Magistrates

English book published in 1559 consisting of 19 tragic stories written in verse written by various authors. The stories are told by figures from English history – such as Richard III and Edward VI – who describe their rise to power and subsequent downfall. The book became very popular (enlarged editions appeared in 1563, 1578, and 1610) and influenced Shakespeare's history plays.

Written by William Baldwin, George Ferrers, and others, the stories were a continuation of John Lydgate's long poem Fall of Princes, which was itself a version of a book by Boccaccio.