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Show The frit pretace of Giraldus Cambrenfisvnto his hiftorie ofthe conqueft booke ofbeafts,e9his «vi.Looke ofpretiousftones,and of their vertues;lee him alfo readVale rinse MaximusTrogus Pompeius,Pliniusand Solaus,esin euerseofthefe he{hallfindma- of Ireland, nie things which be may miflike and thinke to be vutruths, €9fo condemne the refidue ofall ¢Orfomuch as in our opographie we haue atlargefetfoorth anddefcribedthefite ofthe landofIreland,the natures offundrie things oN Thefirkt preface. citie ofGod,e/petiallie the xv.and xxt.bookeswhich are fullofftrange prodigies and woonders:let himvead Ifedorus in the whe booke ofbis Etymologiesconcerning woonders,bis XY therein conteined,the woonderous €§ftrange prodigies which are in the fame, and ofthefirst origin ofthat nation , euenfrom thefirst beginning vatillthis our time : it resteth,that at the requeft offundrie men, and of (ome ofgreat eState,we do now in aparticular volumedeclare esfetforth the conquest ofthefame landin the/e our daies, togither with the noble acts €9gests therein doone.Forifwe hawe welldifcoueredthe old ¢6ancient times long before'vs, how much more the writings offo noble and woorthie men.Butlet him be better aduifed,es confider well,how ‘that as S. Ieromefaith, there are manie things conteined sn thefcriptures whichfeeme to be incredible,and to carie m0 truth in them,andyet neuertheleffe are moft true.For whienature dooth not,nor canprewaile again/? the Lord of nature:andtherfore euerte creature ought mot lothbut to reuerenceyand haue ingreat admtration the works of God:esas S. August.faith, Howcanthat be againft nature which ts doone by the will of God?Bicaufe the willof[0great acreator is the nature and begsnningof euerie thing created..Aportent then or amonster is not againft nature,but again(t st whichproceedethfrom nature.Andtherfore as it 18 not tinafuble to Godto ordeine andcreat what natures or things he lifteth;no more 1 it impofii- [bould we doo that which we hauefeene,andfor the mostpart are witne/fes thereof, e6which areyet inourfre{h e6perfect memorie?Our Topograplue difcouereth the things done in times paft andlong agosbut thispresent hiftorie intreateth ofthe thingsprefentlte doone,andin our daies. But me thinketh Ieefome man to[hrinke vp the nofé, and as it were to[auffe,becaufe Thane written all things[0 plainele andeuidentlie; and therfore ingreatfcorne he reacheth the booke to one,¢6with asgreat difdaine cafteth it to another. Butlet himknow this, that ble to him to alter and change into whatforms he listethche things alreadie created.Andyet Fbanenow written this chiefliefor the lase people, andforuchprinces as be not ofgreatest ashaue,es be acquaintedwith thepretious{tones come out of India,do notfoflrangele think or bane admiration of them, as they who neuerfaw them afore.e5yet they hauing hadonce learning, andare therefore defirous to haue things to be vttered in(uch a plaine andfenfible Speech as they may best vnderStandthefame . For whie,moftplaine terms are moft meetto be vfed, when the noble atts ofnoble men esworthie feruitors are to bepublifhed andfetfoorth to the notice andknowledge ofallmen . For this caufé therefore hawe I written this biftorie in asplaine ¢5fenfible maneras 1 can(leauing as much as may bethe darke e§obfcure maner of writing vfedin timespaft. Andforfomuch as euerie age hath bispeculiar manner, Fhave according to the mindofthephilofopher (whofe aduife is that the lines ofthe oldmen , and theplea/ant[peeches ofyoong men{houldbe receinedandfollowed)Fhaue(F[aie)ofpurpo/é written in that order andphrafé of[peech as now 1s moft in vre. Forfith that words are but meffengers of amans mind, andgiuen onelie tothat end be fhouldwithout clofe couering and couching plainelie difclofe his mindand meaning : 7haue purpofélie indeuored my/elfe, that feeing whatothers doo notfee , and knowing what others doo not vaderStand,F might fowrite as F mightofall men be vnderStood, For whie,Seneca(aith:It is better to be dumbe and not to [peake atall,thanfotofpeakeas not to be pnderstood,fothat the [peech beframed infiuch phrajes €9order as are moft meetto be vied2 €9 with the wife andlearned do moft affect. But forfomuchasfome men haue maliciouflie andMlanderoufe depraued my Topogra- phie,Fbane thought good by the waie here to interlace afewwords in defenfé therof.Allmen generallie concerning the beginning ofa good or a learned matter, doo confider and baue reSpekt[peciallie to three thingssthe firft is, the author ofthe thing, then the matter itfelfe,and laftlie, the ordering andwell handlingof the thin fo begun. (oncerning thefirft and last of thefe three,the enutows man being afraid to vtter be malice, euen againt his will viues praife €5 commendation to both. But yet as aflaged man can not alwaies diffemble cad cloke him- Sfelfe,fo this man, who to hauehis will ouer me €6 to depraue me, inucigheth againft the fecond point, thinking andmeaning by reproouing me to be a lier therein,tocondemng all the reft; be obiecteth therefore and laieth to my charge the frrange prodigies which I wrote, namelit bow the woolfe (pake andtalked with a rieft; of the man thatinthe hinder parts was like to an ox; of awoman that had a beard like a man; anda manlike an horfesof.a gote @6 a lion, which refortedand accompanied with a woman. But who(0 mifliketh hereof, let him readin the booke of Numbers,ehe{hall find that Balaams aff/pakeand reprooued his maiffer . Let bim examinethe lines ofthe fathers , andheball learne bowthat afatyre in the wilderne/fé did talke with Anthonie the beremite ; and how Paule the heremite was fedin the defert by a ranem. Let him read alfo the workes of Jerome, the Exameron of -Am- broje, andthe dialog ofGregori . Let him likewife readfaint eAuguftine bis booke of the ose Invouldnot that enerie thing by me written,fhouldfoorchwithbe creditedandreceinedws an vndoutedtruth:for whie,I myfelfe donotfofirmlie beleewe ofthem,as ofthings moft certeine and true,fauing of[uch things which by experience Jknow to be true,and which alfo euerte other man may byproofefofindit to be.For asfor all other things , 1fo account ofthem,thar Lneitherdo nor willftand esther in the deniall or affirmation of them. The sewellers es.‘fach experience ofthemsdo the leffe mufe eSwonder at theftrangenes ofthem.Forwhie,the datlie ve taketh awaie allPrangenes ¢6admiration;and euerte thing be it neuerfoflrange € mar- wellous at thefirft,yet by dailie viewing ofthem they wax.to be contemmedandthe loffeestee- med:euen asthe Jndians themfelues do litle value or eSteeme their commodities, which we do [0 much maruell ¢§ wonderat. S. Auguftine therfore ppon thegospell,how the water was turnedinto wine hath the/e words : Maruellousgreatis thepowerof Godin the creationof the heauen €6earth,esofthegoverning ofthefame; e9 asgreatit 1s to(ee how the rainewa-. ter,by the nature ofthe pine is turnedinto wine, and how oflitle and,[mall[feeds great trees and fruits do[pring andgrow ; andyet becaufe we dofee it this date as it were by anaturall courfe,we do leffe eSteeme €Sconfiderof them.Butyet God aboue the common course bath ren fernedto him/felfeome{mall things,eswhichfeemeto be ofno value,to the end thathispower might appeareingreaterthings,and drine vs the more to confiderof them.Wherefore let the malicious 8 enusous be contentedee not to enuie againft the Lord of nature, whoofpurpofé inthe fight of man hath doone maniethings againft the common courfe of nature : becauife it Should beapparant, €9 euerte manfhould wellfee that Godspowerfar exceedeth mans reach rosknowledgeeshis diuinitiefurpaffeth mans vuderftanding. Cafstodorus therforefaith + It i agreat point of knowledgein man to vaderftand eohaue the knowledge, that Godcan and doothfuchgreat and woonderfull things as dofar exceed andpaffe the capacitie €6 vader franding ofmaa.For Goa alyases of purpofe doorh tran[pofe and alterhis great things into Strange forms, that albeit men may1mfome re/pect difcerne thefame 1 yet fullie they can not comprehend the[ame . If then the old and ancient writers baue diligenthe and with goodallowance noted ¢9 regiftred im their writings theftrange prodigies in their times;whie are we doing the like(vnleffe the whole worldbefet in wickedneffémalignedand backbitten?F or if there be anie new and|range thing in our worke, and which heretofore hath not beene heard ofyet let not the malicious °S.pitefull manforthwith, without furtherallowance condemne anddepraueit,but ratherfuffer to remaine as it 18.For asthe poctfaith: Ff our forefathers bad retetted(as we do)all new things,what[huldnow be old? Let him therforeceafe to blame ercarpe at new things becaufe in courfeof time they ceaffe to be new,and waxto be old . He may therfore take his pleafure,anddeprauethefame,@6yet no doubt ourpofteritie willallow thereof. He may do whathe can to hurtityet they will accept and readit. He may da what he canto di[prooue and blame ityet willthey loue it.He may do what he canto reieGE st,yet willthey receine andallow of it. |