“ In 1763 he edited the earl of Surrey's poems with, an essay on early blank verse, translated the Song of Solomon, and published a key to the New Testament. His Northern Antiquities (1770) is a translation from the French of Paul Henri Mallet His reprint of The Household Book of the Earl of Northumberland in 1512 is of the greatest value for the illustrations of domestic life in England at that period. ”

“ This was based on an old manuscript collection of poetry, rescued by Percy in Humphrey Pitt's house at Shifnal, Shropshire, from the hands of the housemaid who was about to light the fire with it. The manuscript was edited in its complete form by J. W. Hales and F. J. Furnivall in 1867-1868.
See A. C C. Gaussen, Percy Prelate and Poet (1908) . The Reliques has been edited by various hands, notably by H. B. Wheatley (1876) The fourth edition was by Percy's nephew, Thomas Percy (1768-1808) , himself a writer of verse. ”