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Show Tbe Epiftle to the Reader. fotne Private {brine, or Library: But now, for that, through the ioofe keeping, of his LordjhipJ Paper J, whilefi he lived, divers Surreptitiou.t CopieJ have l.'een. taken · which have fince t.lnployed the frej[e, wtth iun-dry C' orrupt, and Man'g led, EditionJ; whereby Not h·" t ~g hath been more difficult, than to find the Lt~rd Satnt Alban, in the Lord Saint Alban; And 1vvhich have prefenced, (fome of thetn,) rather a Fardle of Neu-Jcn.[e, then any true Exprefiions, of his LordjhipJ Happ J Van; I thought tny felt~ in a fort, tied, to vindicate t~1 efe In- ~ juries, and wrongs, done to rhe ~1onumentJ} of hts LordJbips Pemze; And at once, by fetttng forth, the tru~, and Genuine, _wricings thcmfelves ::> to prevent rh.e like In- 1 valions for the rime to come. And the rather,tn regard, I of rht: Difiance, of the time, fincc his Lordfl.,ips Daycs; whereby, I £hall not tread too near, upon the Hec!J of Trutb; Or of the Palfages, and.Pc.rfons; then coFlcerned, I was induced hereunto. Which, confidering the Lubricity of Life; And for that, I account my felf, to be; Not now in VergentihttJ, but in Pr£cipitatttibus AnniJ, I was defirous to hafien. \ \'herein, I fuall crave leave, to open, my Counft.:ls, and Purpofes, as concerning this prefent Edition, in thefe five ParticularJ. Firfi, I have ranked the fev'- rall Tra ... ci..tteJ; Either, according to the Dignity, of the Tf/orJt; as [)emofthe1tes, or Cicero'J, Oration1, do precede De- 111£ljlhe1US, or Cicer/ J Epijiles ;. Or elfe, acc~rding to the Series of the TivJeJ, wheretn they were wnttcn; or /to which, they refer. By which Means, they may give 1 the better Lig ht; the one Part, to the other. j Secondly, I t~1o~ght: it ~rting, t_? i?timate; ~hat I th.e Difcourfe, ~~t.cl~tn c~ntatned ~ Entttuled, A .( olle& l:zon, of the FeluztzeJ, of ~een Elizabeth; was \Vntten, by his Lordjhip, in Latine onely: whereof, tbough his Lordjhip bad hi8 particular Ends, then ; yet, in regard , - - .""""'·r--- that I held it a Duty, That her own Nation, over wh~ch {h~ fo happily reigned, for tnany yean; iliould be I ___ . . The Epifil~ to the ~eader· __ ~ [ _ _ _ ·be acqu;unted, and polfeffed, wtth the Vertues, of that excellent ~ecn, as well as F orrein !:•lations ; 1 was in~ uced, many years agoe, to put the fame, ituo the Eng- , lijh Tongue; Nor, Ad Verbum; For that had been but FIat, and Injudicious; Bur, (as far, as my flender Ability could reach,)according to the Expr~ffio;u, which, I .co"ceived ; his Lordjhip would have rendrcd it in, if he had written the fame in Englifh: Yet ever acknowledging, that ZeuxiJ, or Apel!eJ, Pencil!, could not be attained, but by ZeuxiJ, or Ape/leJ, Himfdf. l "his if/or/z; in the Latine, his Lordjhip fo much affeCted; That He had ordained , by his !aft Will, and Teftament , to have had it publiilied, many years fince : But that fingular PerfO!t, entrufied therewith,foon after deceafc:d. And therefore, it mufi now, expect a Time, to come forth, afllongfi his LordfoipJ, other Latiu Wor~. Thirdly, 'in the C olleElion of l..,ctter J ; which is; as the Fourth 1'11rt, of~this Volume; there are inferted fo1nc few, which were written, by other r~une!, and not by his LordfoipJ own : Like as we find; in the Epiflolar AuthourJ; Cicero~ Plinilu fecund~J, and the refi: which be .. cau[e I found ttletn immixed; amongfi hits Lorc!fhipJ P~:pcrJ; And that they are written, \vith fotne l!miJitude of Stile; l was loath_, they fhould be lefc, to a Grave, at that time, when his LordfoipJ own CotzctptionJ, were brought to life. · · Fourthly, fort hat Treat~[e, .of his LordjhipJ, ~nfcribed, AConfejfionoftheFaith ~ Ihaveranked that, 1n t~e Clofe, of this whole Volume : 'fhereby, to demonfirate to the 1Yorld; That he was a Mtifier, in Ditz~inity, as well as in Philofophy, or PoliticbJ; A:nd that he was Verfed, no leife, in the Jatz~ing Kn&wledge; Than,in the Vniver{ all, and Adorning, KnowledgeJ. For though, he conlpofed the fatne, many years, before his Death; yet I thought that, to be the flttefl: place ; As the moll: acceptable Incenfe unto God, of the Faith, wherein he refigned his Breath; The Crowning, of all his other Per- (b) fections, · |