Re: dating

Taking the earliest printed date may be "safe", whatever that means, but it is often far from sensible. The earliest printed date only ever gives you the latest "earliest" data - you can always say "at least as early as ...".

I have frequently seen statements like "it can't be by ... because the ealiest date (i.e. printed date) is 60 years later. There can be other evidence for dating!

Cheers!
Ian