Payne's Quadrilles, viz, Le Pantalon, L'Ete, La Poulle, La Trenise, et La Finale, with their proper figures in French & English, & Directions to each Dance as performed at Almacks & the Nobility's Assemblies. To which is added The Stop Waltz, arranged for the Piano Forte, Harp or Violin.This is the c.1815 first edition of Edward Payne's influential First Set of Quadrilles. Payne (who died in early 1819) claimed to have been the first person to publish Quadrille Sets in Britain, and in a sense that claim was probably true. It's likely that he was the first to issue the Quadrilles in this specific form. This copy is printed on paper watermarked for 1815, I suspect it probably was printed in 1815 though an early 1816 publication date remains entirely possible.The concept of a Quadrille was not new in 1815, even if the term was relatively unfamiliar; various publications were issued in London throughout the early 19th century with contents identified as Cotillions or French Country Dances, such dances were often Quadrille dances in all but name. An example published by F.J. Klose is available here. The figure sequences known by such names as Pantalon, L'Ete, etc., were already known in London before Payne printed them. Payne may however have been the first to combine the individual dances together into the sequence that became known as the First Set, and to then publish them as a Set.Other publishers were not lagging far behind; the similarly named James Paine published his own First Set (probably in 1816) with essentially the same figures, Paine claimed on the cover of his publication that they were as danced at the Carleton House Fete. The referenced Fete was probably held in 1816; it's likely that the Prince Regent's championing of this set of Quadrilles was significant to their early popularity. It's perhaps notable that the cover of this first edition publication indicates that the Quadrilles were already being danced at Almack's Assembly Rooms in London, thereby hinting that they were in the public sphere prior to initial publication.Payne published at least three editions of his First Set. The cover of each such edition varied slightly, but the content was largely the same. There were a few small differences to the published figures for L'Ete and La Poulle, and the music and plates for La Finale were entirely changed between the 1st and 3rd editions. These differences, small as they are, indicate that Payne was not in control of how his quadrilles were danced - he had to react to the evolving situation.Payne's figures included precise timing instructions, this leaves the reader in no doubt about how to fit the figures to the music. Payne's opinions on the choreography did evolve over time however. He offered an amplified description and discussion of the figures (and steps) in his 1818 Quadrille Dancer publication, they differ from this, the first edition, in several small but important ways. Other authorities writing on the figures of the Quadrilles were similarly conflicted at around the same date, most notably the dancing master Thomas Wilson, he considered Payne's original figures to be more 'English' than the other arrangements that went on to become more popular. You can read more about Payne's figures (and contemporary variations) here: https://www.regencydances.org/paper021.php .Payne's text is particularly interesting for its relatively detailed references to steps. The subsequent publications of James Paine are a little more vague on the subject, potentially leaving the modern interpreter in some doubt over what was intended. Payne was first and foremost a dancing master, his figures and steps reflect that.A suggested arrangement of Payne's First Set using the tunes and figures from the third edition (as amplified in Payne's 1818 Quadrille Dancer) are available here:Pantalon - https://regencydances.org/index.php?wL=724L'Ete - https://regencydances.org/index.php?wL=725La Poule - https://regencydances.org/index.php?wL=726La Trenis - https://regencydances.org/index.php?wL=727La Finale - https://regencydances.org/index.php?wL=728The First Set of Quadrilles evolved over time. This first edition of Payne's First Set capture how the quadrilles were initially taught by the first dancing master to seriously promote the dance form in London, but by 1818 they had evolved a little, and they would continue to do so. You can read more about the life and works of Edward Payne here: https://www.regencydances.org/paper009.php . You can read more about dancing Payne's First Set of Quadrilles here: https://www.regencydances.org/paper021.php . An arrangement of the figures and timing from this, the first edition of Payne's First Set, can be found to the music of Payne's 1816 Second Set here. A copy of the Third Edition can be found here: https://archive.org/details/paynes-1st-set-3rd-ed .