I Knowe not how I may againe adventure an Epistle to the reader, so are these times, or readers in these times, most part sicke of the sul­lens, and peeuish in their sicknes, and conceited in their peeuishnes. So should I feare the fire, that haue felt the flame so lately, and flie from the sea, that haue yet a vow to pay for escaping my last ship­wracke. Then what will the world say for ventring againe? A suo danno, will one say. Et a torto si lamenta del mare, chi due volte ci vuol tornare, will another say. Good counsell indeede, but who followeth it? Doe we not daily see the contrarie in practise? Who loues to be more on the sea, then they that haue bin most on it? Whither for change if they haue kept at a stay: or for amends if they haue lost: or for increase if they haue gotten. Of these there are ynow, and wise-ynough to excuse me. Therefore I haue put forward at auenture: But before I recount vnto thee (gentle reader) the purpose of my new voyage: giue me leaue a little to please my selfe, and refresh thee with the discourse of my olde danger. Which because in some respect it is a common danger, the discouerie thereof may happily profit other men, as much as please my selfe. And here might I begin with those notable Pirates in this our paper-sea, those sea-dogs, or lande-Critikes, monsters of men, if not beastes rather then men; whose teeth are Canibals, their toongs adder-forkes, their lips aspes-poyson, their eies basiliskes, their breath the breath of a graue, their wordes like swordes of Turkes, that striue which shall diue deepest into a Christian lying bound before them. But for these barking and biting dogs, they are as well knowne as Scylla and Charybdis.

There is another sort of leering curs, that rather snarle then bite, whereof I coulde instance in one, who lighting vpon a good sonnet of a gentlemans, a friend of mine, that loued better to be a Poet, then to be counted so, called the auctor a rymer, notwithstanding he had more skill in good Poetrie, then my slie gentleman seemed to haue in good manners or humanitie. But my quarrell is to a tooth-lesse dog, that hateth where he cannot hurt, and would faine bite, when he hath no teeth. His name is H. S. Doe not take it for the Romane H S. for he is not of so much worth, vnlesse it be as H S is twice as much and a halfe as halfe an As. But value him how you will, I am sure he highly valueth himselfe. This fellow, this H. S. reading (for I would you should knowe he is a reader and a writer too) vnder my last epistle to the reader I. F. made as familiar a word of F. as if I had bin his brother. Now Recte sit oculis magister tuis, said an ancient writer to a much-like reading grāmarian­pedante: God saue your eie-sight, sir, or at least your in-sight. And might not a man, that can do as much as you (that is, reade) finde as much matter out of H. S. as you did out of I. F? As for example H. S. why may it not stand as well for Haeres Stultitiae, as for Homo Sim­plex? or for Hara Suillina, as for Hostis Studiosorum? or for Hircus Satiricus, as well as for any of them? And this in Latine, besides Hedera Seguace, Harpia Subata, Humore Superbo, Hipocrito Simulatore in Italian. And in English world without end. Huffe Snuffe, Horse Stealer, Hob Sowter, Hugh Sot, Humfrey Swineshead, Hodge Sowgelder. Now Master H. S. if this doe gaule you, forbeare kicking hereafter, and in the meane time you may make you a plaister of your dride Marioram. I haue seene in my daies an inscription, harder to finde out the meaning, and yet easier for a man to picke a better [Page] meaning out of it, if he be not a man of H. S. condition. There is a most excellent preface to the excellently translated booke signed A. B. which when I sawe, I [...]ft soones conceiued, could I in perusing the whole ABC omit the needelesse, and well order the requisite le [...] ­ters, I should finde some such thing as Admitabilis Bonitas, or Amantum Beatissimus. But how long thinke you would H. S. haue bin rooting and grunting ere he could haue found as he is Hominum Simplicissimus; or would haue pickt out as he is Himdo Sa [...] ­guisuga, so honest a meaning? Trust me I cannot but maruell at the disposition of these men, who are so malicious as they will not spare to stab others, though it be thorough their owne bodies, and wrong other men with their owne double harme. Such mens worder a wise man compares to boltes shot right-vp against heauen, that come not neare heauen, but downe againe vpon their pates that shot them: or a man may compare them to durt flung at another man, which besides it defiles his handes that flings it, possibly it is blowne backe againe vpon his owne face: or to monie put out to vsurie, that returnes with increase, so they deliuered with hatred, are repaide with much more: or to the blasting Sereno in hot countries, rising from puddles, dunghils, carions, putrified dampes, poysoned lakes, that being detestable it selfe, makes that much more detested from whence it comes. On the other side a good word is a deaw from heauen to earth, that soakes into the roote, and sends forth fruite from earth to heauen: It is a precious balme, that hath sweetenesse in the boxe, whence it comes, sweetenesse and vertue in the bodie, whereto it comes: it is a golden chaine, that linkes the toongs, and eares, and harts of writers and readers, each to other. They hurt not God (saith Seneca) but their owne soules, that ouerthrowe his altars: Nor harme they good men, but themselues, that turne their sacrifice of praises into blasphemie. They that raue, and rage, and raile against heauen, I say not (saith he) they are guiltie of sacrilege, but at least they loose their labour. Let Aristophanes and his comedians make plaies, and scowre their mouthes on Socrates; those very mouthes they make to vilifie, shall be the meanes to amplifie his vertue. And as it was not easie for Cato to speake euill, so was it not vsuall for him to heare euill: It may be Socrates would not kicke againe, if an asse did kicke at him, yet some that cannot be so wise, and will not be so patient as Socrates, will for such iadish tricks giue the asse his due burthen of bestonadas. Let H. S. hisse, and his complices quarrell, and all breake their gals, I haue a great faction of good writers to bandie with me.

Yet had not H. S. so causelesly, so witlesly prouoked me, I coulde not haue bin hired, or induced against my nature, against my manner thus far to haue vrged him; though happily heareafter I shall rather contemne him, then farther pursue him. He is to blame (saith Martiall, and further he brandes him with a knauish name) that will be wittie in another mans booke. How then will scoffing readers scape this marke of a maledizant? whose wits haue no other worke, nor better worth then to flout, and fall out? It is a foule blemish that Paterculus findes in the face of the Gracchi, They had good wits, but vsed them ill. But a fouler blot then a Iewes letter is it in the foreheads of [Page] Caelius and Curio, that he sets, Ingeniose nequan [...], they were wittily wicked. Pitie it is but euermore wit should be vertuous, vertue gentle, gentrie st [...]dious, students gracious. Let follie be dishonest, dishonestie vnnoble▪ ignobilitie scandalous, and scandall slanderous. Who then are they that mispend all their leisure, [...]e a take this cheefe pleasure in back [...] ting well-deseruers? I see and am sorie to see a sort of men, whose fifth element is male­diction, whose life is infamie, whose death damnation, whose dates are surfe [...]ting, whose nights lecherie, yea such as Nanna could neuer teach Pippa, nor Comare and Balia dis­course of and whose couches are Spintrie; whose thrift is vsurie, meales gluttonie, exercise cousenage, whose valour bragardrie, Astolpheidas, or Rodomontadas, or if it come to action, crueltie: whose communication is Atheisme, contention detraction, or pillardise most of lewdnes, seld of vertue, neuer of charitis; whose spare-time is vanitis or villanie: yet will I not deale by them, as they doe by others. I like not reproofe where it pertaines not to me: But if they like to see their owne pictures in liuely colours of their ornaments habillements, attendants, obseruances, studies, amours, religions, games, trauels imploy­ments, furnitures, let them as gentlemen (for so I construe Nobiles, and more they be not, if they be no lesse) goe to the Painters shop, or looking-glasse of Ammianus Marcellinus, an vnpartiall historian, in his 28. booke about the middle, and blush, and amend, and thinke, that thence, and out of themselues I might well drawe a long declamation: they that vnderstand him, wil agnise this; they that doe not let them learne: let both conceiue, how they conforme, and both reforme their deformities; or if they will not, at least let them for beare to blur others, bicause they are blacke themselues, least it be saide to them, as Seneca saide to one not vnfitly. Te fera scabies depascitur, ut naeuos rides pulchrio­rum? this let them construe, and take to them the meaning for their labour. And though I more then feare much detracting: for I haue already tasted some, and that extraordi­narie though in an ordinarie place, where my childe was beaten ere it was borne: some diuining of his imperfectnes for his English part; some fore-speaking his generall weake­nes, and very gently seeming to pitie his fathers. And one auerring he could be get a better of his owne, which like ynough he can, and hath done many a one, God forgiue him. But the best is, my sonne with all his faultes shall approoue himselfe no misse-begotten. And for those exceptions knowing from whom they come, I were very weake minded if they coulde any thing mooue me. And that husbandman might be counted very simple, that for the ominous shreekes of an vnluckie, hoarce-voist, dead-deuouring night-rauen or two, or for feare of the malice of his worst conditioned neighbors, would neglect either to till and sowe his ground, or after in due time to reape and thresh out his haruest, that might bene­fite so many others with that, which both their want might desire, and their thankfulnes would deserue. So did I intend my first seede so doe I my haruest. The first fruites onely re­serued to my Honorable Patrones, the rest to euery woorthie Ladie and gentleman that pleases to come and buy; and though I doubt not but rauens and crowes both, will haue a graine or two now and then in spite of my teeth, especially H. S. who is so many graines too light: yet I am well content to repay good for euill, thinking it not impossible that by the taste of the corne those very foules may in time haue their mouthes stopt for speaking euill against the husbandman. And let this comparison of a labouring man by the way put you in minde (gentle reader) of his labours; that hath laboured so much, and so long to saue you a labour, which I doubt not but he may as iustly stand vpon in this toong work, [Page] as in Latin Sir Thomas Eliot, Bishop Cooper, and after them Thomas Thomas, and Iohn Rider haue done amongst vs: and in Greeke and Latin both the Stephans, the father and the sonne, who notwithstanding the helpes each of them had, yet none of them but thought he might challenge speciall thankes for his speciall trauell, to better pur­pose then any before him. And if they did so in those toongs, where they had so many, and so great helpes, and in toongs which vvere helpes to one another; they that vnderstande, vvill easily acknovvledge the difference betvvixt my paines and theirs: yet I desire no preeminence of thankes; but either equall thankes, or equall excuse. And vvell may I make that comparison betvvixt our labours, that Allessandro Cittolini maketh in his Tipocosmia: vve all fared indeede like Sea-faring men (according to my first compa­rison) and lanched foorth into a deepe, and dangerous sea, but they had this aduantage of me, that they vvere many to steere a passage-boate; I was but one to turne and vvinde the sailes, to vse the oare, to sit at sterne, to pricke my carde, to vvatch vpon the vpper decke, boate-svvaine, pilot, mate, and master, all offices in one, and that in a more vnruly, more vnvveildie, and more roome-some vessell, then the biggest hulke on Thames, or burthen-bearing Caracke in Spaine, or slaue tiring Gallie in Turkie, and that in a sea more diuers, more dangerous, more stormie, and more comfortlesse then any Ocean. If any thinke I had great helpes of Alunno, or of Venuti, let him confer, and knovve I haue in tvvo, yea al­most in one of my letters of the Alphabet more vvordes, then they haue in all their tvven­tie; and they are but for a fevv auctors in the Italian toong, mine for most that vvrite well, as may appeere by the Catalog of bookes that I haue read through of purpose for the accomplishing of this Dictionarie. I vvould not meddle vvith their defectes and errors, nor yet amplifie the fulnesse or perfection of my ovvne worke, farther then vpon a iust ground to satisfie his good desire that vvisheth the best helpe. If any man aske vvhether all Italian vvordes be here? I ansvvere him, it may be no: and yet I thinke heere be as many, as he is likely to finde (that askes the question) vvithin the compasse of his reading; and yet he may haue read vvell too. I should thinke that very fevv vvordes could escape those auctors I haue set dovvne, vvhich I haue read of purpose to the absolute accomplishing of this vvorke, being the most principall, choisest, and difficult in the toong; especially vvriting in such varietie not onely of matters, but of dialects: But vvhat if I aske him againe hovv many hundred vvordes he, and possibly his teachers too vvere grauelled in? vvhich he shall finde here explaned? If no other bookes can be so vvell perfected, but still some thing may be added, hovv much lesse a Word-booke? Since daily both nevv vvordes are inuented; and bookes still found, that make a nevv supplie of olde. We see the expe­rience in Latin, a limited toong, that is at his full grovvth: and yet if a man consider the reprinting of Latin Dictionaries, euer vvith addition of nevv store, he vvould thinke it were still increasing. And yet in these Dictionaries as in all other that that is printed still is reputed perfect. And so it is no doubt after the customarie and possible perfection of a Dictionarie, vvhich kinde of perfection if I chalenge to mine (especially conside­ring the yeerely increase, vvhich is as certainly in this, in French, in Spanish, in Dutch &c. as vve finde by experience it is in English; and I thinke I may well saie more in this, then in the rest; yea and in the rest mostly from this) I hope no man that shall expend the woorth of this vvorke in impartiall examination, will thinke I challenge more then is due to it. And for English-gentlemen me thinks it must needs be a pleasure to them, [Page] to see so rich a toong out-vide by their mother-speech, as by the manie-folde Englishes of manie wordes in this is manifest? The vvant vvhereof in England heeretofore, I might iustly say in all Europe, might more endeare the vvoorth. Though vvithout it some knevv much, yet none knevv all Italian, as all may do by this. That well to know Italian is a grace of all graces, vvithout exception, vvhich I euer exemplifie in her gra­cious Highnes; vvhose due-deserued-praises to set foorth aright I may rightly say, as a notable Italian vvriter saide earst of hir most-renovvmed father of famous memorie, Che per capir le giuste lodi della quale conuerr [...]bbe o che il cielo s' [...]nalzasse, o ch'il mondo s'allargasse; or as the moderne Italian Homer saide of a Queene far inferiour to hir thrice-sacred Maiestie, Chele glorie altrui si esprimono scriuendo e parlando, quelle di sua Serenissima e sacratissima Maestà si possono solo esptimere marauigli­ando e tacendo. Of vvhose innumerable excellencies, if not the fore-most, yet most famous I haue heard, and often haue had the good hap and comfort to see, that no Embassador or stranger hath audience of hir Maiestie, but in his natiue toong; and none hath ansvvere but in the same; or in the common toongs of Greeke and Latin, by hir sacred lips pronoun­ced. That the best by hir patterne desire to doe as much, I doubt not; but I doubt hovv they can vvithout such helpe, and that such helpe vvas to be had till novv, I denie: yet doe I vnderstand that a gentleman of vvorshipfull account, vvell trauelled, vvell conceited, and well experienced in the Italian, hath in this very kinde taken great paines, and made as great proofes of his inestimable vvorth. Glad vvould I be to see that vvorke abroad: some sight vvhereof gaue me tvventy yeeres since the first light to this. But since he sup­presseth his, for priuate respects, or further perfection, nor he, nor others will (I hope) prize this the lesse. I could here enter into a large discourse of the Italian toong, and of the tea­chers and teaching thereof, and shevv the ease and facilitie of it, vvith setting dovvne some fevv, yea very fevv obseruations vvhereunto the Italian toong may be reduced: vvhich some of good sort and experience haue merrily compared to iugling-tricks, all vvhich afore a man knovve or discouer hovv they are done, one vvould iudge to be very hard and difficult; but after a man hath seene them and knovves them, they are deemed but slight and easie. And I vvas once purposed for the benefite of all learners to haue done it, and to haue shewed why through my Dictionarie I haue in all verbes of the first coniugation onely set downe the Infinitiue moode, except it be of fower irregular verbes, and wherefore in all of the seconde and thirde coniugations I haue noted be­sides the Infinitiue moode, the first person singular of the present-tence of the Indi­catiue moode, the first person singular of the first preterperfect-tence of the Indicatiue, and the participle. And why in the verbes of the fourth coniugation, I haue besides the Infinitiue moode, the participle, the first person singular of the present-tence of the Indi­catiue moode, onely noted the first person singular of the first preterperfect-tence of the Indicatiue moode of some very few, and not of all, and how by those fewe onely one may frame all the persons of all the tences of all the verbes in the Italian toong; without the knowledge of which, and of those few obseruations glanced at before, no man can or shall euer learne to speake or write true Italian in England: But that I vnderstand there be some that are perswaded, yea and affirme, that nothing can be set downe either by me, or any else that they haue not or knowe not before; and I am informed, that some would not be ashamed to protest they knewe as much before: and therefore contrarie to my first reso­lution [Page] I forbeare to doe it, grieuing that for their sakes the gentle reader and learner shall be barred of so necessarie a scale of the Italian toong. If these, or others thinke of this no such paines, little price, or lesse profit then I talke of, I onely wish, they felt but halfe my paines for it; or let them leaue this, and tie themselues to the like taske, and then let the fruites of our labors, and the reapers of the fruites iudge betwixt vs whose paines hath sorted to best perfection: which ere long (if God sende me life, and blesse these labors) I meane to perfect with addition of the French and Latine, and with the wordes of some twenty good Italian auctors, that I could neuer obtaine the sight of, and hope shortly to enioy: And I intend also to publish and annexe vnto this, an Alpha­beticall English Dictionarie, that any man knowing but the English word, shall presently finde the Italian for it. Meane-while I wish to thee, as of me thou shalt deserue, and wish of thee as I knowe of thee I haue deserued.