great and grievous punishments the Lord laid on Sennacherib* king of Assyria, Nicanor, and others, for blaspheming his name, they would not so rashly do the like. If their forefathers had considered that the word of God is a sea, wherein both the telephant may swim and the lamb may wade, the greatest doctor may daily learn in, and the simplest man may continually have comfort; and that in the same there is a sovereign salve for every sore, they would not (as I think), have forbidden the reading of God's book, and instead thereof, commanded it to be read (yea, and that openly in churches), the legend of lies rather than lives of saints: not unlike in most places, for method and matter, to the monstrous fables of Garagantua, Huon of Bourdeaux, and the like.

Whosoever will (as Isaac), continually meditate on God's book, he shall, as David saith, find it a lanthorn to his feet, and a light to his paths: yea, God's word will be in his mouth sweeter than honey and the honey comb. When I perceived how desirous your worship was to hear and read God's word, it greatly moved me to write this book, persuading myself that it will be to you and all the godly, a recreation, to apply some part of this heavenly history of Christ our Saviour to the tune of one of the Psalms of David, that being (as St. Paul adviseth all men), filled with the spirit of God, you may still be speaking unto yourself in psalms and hymns § and spiritual songs, singing and making melody unto the Lord in your heart, and giving thanks always for all things unto God even the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. The second reason that moved me to take this work in hand (besides the hope that I have thereby to benefit many, and especially such as have delight to be reading and singing of ballads and other English

• 2 Kings xviii. S0. 1 Mac. vii. 43.
+ Ezec. xlvii. 1.
* Gen. xxiv. 63.
j Ephes.

Esai. xxxvii. 1. Levit. xxiv. 11.

v. 18.

metre's, by giving them better matter to read and sing than such commonly do yield unto them), is to signify in some part my gratefulness to God and your worship for the manifold benefits and favors that I and mine have received at your hands to God (I say), first, as the author, and yourself the instrument that he hath used to do me much good. For, if God had not opened your heart as he did the heart of Lydia to hear the preaching of St. Paul, you had not regarded my misery; and therefore with †David I will as long as I live receive the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord; for as nothing pleaseth God more than thankfulness, so nothing can displease God and man more than ungratefulness. But, lest some sycophant should (seeking to deface my good meaning), note or charge me with adulation, I will rather pass over the sundry and daily benefits I have and do receive by your worship's means, with this slight remembrance of them, they give him any such advantage, or the least occasion to carp at the same. But, if any of Momus mates mislike with my doings, either in this or the rest of my book (so that the godly and well-disposed, and of them chiefly your worship, to whom I offer my book and myself to be patronized and defended, do like and allow of it), I esteem not his detractions but as trifles, and his flouts and follies, and therefore let him content himself with this answer, I took not this travel for his sake. And thus desiring your worship to accept in good-part this my humble duty and remembrance of you, as glad by this to impart the effect of my affection towards you, as the widow was by two mites to manifest her good meaning to the treasury, I beseech Almighty God to bless you and all yours with continual and daily encrease of the riches of his graces and gifts, that you may ever go forward from faith to faith, ready with all your endeavours to maintain the quarrel of

=part

門

Christ and his church, until you be summoned to reign with

him in glory without end, Amen.

From Prendergast the first day of August, 1594.

Your worships in all duties,

ROBERT HOLLAND."

KOON

et bin

"To the Godly and Christian Reader.

Gentle Reader, I think my labour well bestowed if the same may benefit any, and my reward sufficient if the godly like and allow of my book. I must confess, and do, that this work would have required one of greater reading and of far deeper judgment than myself to undertake it: neither can I any way make thee amends for my rashness herein unless thou accept of my good will for the recompence.

Many will mislike with it, because it is in metre* (though sundry have done the like in Latin verse), and many with the metre, because it is rudely handled. The first, I hope, will excuse me, if they consider that I seek not herein to set forth myself to the shew, but as much as I may to win if not many, yet some, to know Christ Jesus crucified. Although this history is so brief and plain in the writings of the four Evangelists, as no mortal man may presume to amend it: and that many worthy and famous men, both for their learning and knowledge, have in sundry languages commented at large, and made very godly and profitable expositions upon the same: yet it hath not won all men to such liking thereof that they can afford much time to read the one or the other. If I may any way satisfy such, and hereby draw them to savour of the

Beza Georg. Fabri. hist. de nat. pa. & resur. Christ carmina. Barthol. sacræ lib. 3. de incar. reb. gestis, &c. Christi Wittberg an. Frea. celigod. 159, 1. Cor. ii. 2.

Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ, I shall think my time well spent, and myself not deceived of my desire. Which reckoning of mine, if it be allowed for good payment of my godly hostess, I mean the Christian congregation and church of God, there shall none of the children of Belial, the brood of darkness, drive me to any new accounts. I care not who carp at it, so that Christ may be glorified by it, and the Christian and godly Reader satisfied with it; to whose censure I submit it and myself, humbly desiring the learned with favor to find out all faults, and charitably to amend where I have missed. Farewell.

Thine in the Lord Jesus,
R. HOLLAND."

J

עו

"Hero of love takes deeper sense,

And doth her love more recompence :

Their first night's meeting, where sweet kisses
Are th' only crowns of both their blisses.
He swims to' Abydos and returns :
Cold Neptune with his beauty burns ;
Whose suit he shuns, and doth aspire
Hero's fair Tower, and his desire.

By this, sad Hero, with love unacquainted,
Viewing Leander's face fell down and fainted.
He kist her, and breath'd life into her lips,
Wherewith, as one displeas'd, away she trips;
Yet as she went, full often look'd behind,

And

many poor excuses did she find
To linger by the way, and once she staid,
And would have turn'd again, but was afraid,
In offering parley, to be counted light:

So on she

goes, and, in her idle flight,

Her painted fan of curled plumes let fall,
Thinking to train Leander there-withal.
He, being a novice, knew not what she meant,

But staid, and after her a letter sent;
Which joyful Hero answer'd in such sort,
As he had hope to scale the beauteous fort,