AS Learning, hath delighted from her Cradle, to hide her selfe from the base and prophane Vulgare, her an­cient Enemy▪ vnder diuers vailes of Hierogl [...]phikes Fables, and the like; So hath she pleased her selfe with no disguise more; then in misteries and allegoricall fictions of Poesie. These haue in that kinde, beene of speciall reputation; as taking place of the rest, both for priority of time, and precedence of vse; being borne in the ould world, long before Hieroglyphicks or Fabels were conceiued: And deliuered from the Fathers to the Sonnes of Art; without any Aucthor but Antiquity. Yet euer held in high Reuerence and Aucthority; as suppo­sed [Page] to conceale, within the vtter barke (as their Eterni­ties approue) some sappe of hidden Truth▪ As either some dimme and obscure prints of diuinity, and the sa­cred history; Of the grounds of naturall▪ or rules of morall Philosophie, for the recommending of some virtue, torturing some vice in general (For howsoeuer Phisitions alledge; that their medicins, respect non Homi­nem, [...]e [...]t Socratem; not euery, but such a speciall body: Yet Poets professe the contrary, that their phisique in­tends non Socratem sed Hominem, not the indiuiduall but the vniuersall) Or else recording some memorable Ex­amples for the vse of policie and state: euer (I say) en­closing within the Rinde, some fruit of knowledge howsoeuer darkened; and (by reason of the obscurity) of ambiguous and different construction. [...] &c. Est enim ipsa Natura [...] Poe [...] anigmatu [...] plena, Pl [...]t. in A [...]b. 2. nec qu [...]is eam dignostit: This Am­biguity in the sence, hath giuen scope to the varietie of expositions; while Poem in al ages (challenging, as their Birth-rights, the vse and application of these fictions) haue euer beene allowed to fashion both, pro & contra, to their owne offencelesse, and iudicious occasions. And borrowing to farre the priuiledg'd licence of their professions; haue enlarged, or [...] the Allegory, with inuentions and dispositions of their owne, to extend it to their present doctrinall and illustrous purposes▪ By which aucthority, my selfe (resoluing amongst others, [Page] to offer vp my poore mite, to the honour of the late Nuptials; betwixt the two most Noble personages, whose honored names renown the front of my Poeme) singled out (as in some parts harmelesly, and gracefully applicable to the occasion) The Nuptials of Perseus and Andromeda, an innocent and spotlesse virgine, rescu'd from the polluted throate of a monster; which I in this place applied to the sauage multitude; peruerting her most lawfully-sought propagation, both of blood and blessing, to their owne most lawlesse and lasciuious in­tentions: from which in all right she was legally and formally deliuered. Nor did I euer imagine till now so farre-fetcht a thought in malice (such was my simplici­tie) That the fiction being as ancient as the first world, was originally intended to the dishonor of any person now liuing: but presum'd, that the application being free I might pro meo iure dispose it (innocenly) to mine owne obiect: if at least, in mine owne wrighting, I might be reasonablie & conscionablie master of mine owne meaning. And to this sense, I confinde the alle­gory throughout my Poeme; as euery word thereof, (concerning that point) doth cleerely and necessa­rilie demonstrate: without the least intendment (I vow to God) against any noble personages free state, or honor. Nor make I any noble (whose meere shadowes heerin, the vulgar perhaps may imitatate) any thought the more mixt with the grosse substance of the vulgar: [Page] but present the vulgare onely in their vnseuerd herde; as euer in antient tradition of all autenticall Aucthours they haue beene resembled: To whom they were ne­uer beholding for any fairer Titles;Caligula. then the base, ig­noble, barbarous, giddie multitude; The Monster with many heads (which the Emperor, in his displea­sure, wisht to haue sprung all from one necke; that all at one blow, he might haue v [...]trunkt them) cui lumen [...]; without an Eye; or, at most, seeing all by one fight (like the Lamiae, who had but one eie to serue all their directions, which, as anie one of them went a­broad, she put on, and put off when she came home) giuing vp their vnderstandings to their affections, and taking vp their affections on other mens credits, [...] neuer examining the causes of their Loues or hates, but (like curres) alwaies ba [...]king at all they know not: whose most honored deseruings (were they knowen to them as to others of neerer and truer obseruation) might im­presse in them as much reuerence as their ignorance doth rudenesse: Euermore baying lowdest at the most eminent Reputations, & with whō as in the kingdom of Frogges) the most lowd Crier, is the loftiest Rule [...] ▪ No reason nor aucthority able to stoope them; though neuer so iudicially & religiously vrdging them: whose impartiall and cleere truth; not their owne bold blind­nesse can denie; vnlesse they will dare to mutter with the Oratour touching the Delphicke Oracles, and say [Page] our Oracles of Truth, [...] did likewise [...] encline to Philip putting no difference betwixt Illusion and Truth, the consciences of learned religious men▪ and the cun­nings of prophane. And then how may my poore en­deauours, in dutie to Truth, and my most deare Consci­ence (for Reputation, since it stands, for the most part, on beasts feete, and Deserts hand is nothing to warrant it, let it goe with the beastly) reforme or escape their vnrelenting detractions? The Loues of the right ver­tuous and truly noble, I haue euer as much esteemed, as despised the rest▪ finding euer of the first sort, in all degrees, as worthy as any of my rancke, till (hauing e­nough to doe in mine owne necessary ends, hating to insinuate and labour their confirmation, and encrease of opinion, further then their owne free iudgements would excite and direct them) I still met with vndermi­ning laborers for themselues, who (esteeming all worth their own, which they detract from others) deminisht me much in some changeable estimations (Amicu [...] [...] Animal facile mutabil [...]) whose supplies yet farre better haue still brought me vnfought: and till this most vne­quall impression opprest me, I stood firme vp with ma­ny, now onely, with God and my selfe. For the violent hoobub, setting my song to their owne tunes, haue made it yeeld so harsh and distastefull a sound to my best friends, that my Integritie▪ euen they hold, affected with the shrill eccho thereof, by reflexion receiuing it [Page] from the mouthes of others. And thus (to [...], as strooke dumbe with the disdaine of it, their most vn­manly lie both of my ba [...]ing and wounding, saying▪ Take this for your Andromeda, not being so much as toucht, I witnesse God, nor one sillable suffering) I will descend to a conclusion with this, that in all this my seede time, sowing others honours, [...]super semi [...]auit Zizania &c. Whiles I slept in mine innocencie, the en­uious man hath beene heere, who like a venomous spi­der, drawing this subtle thred out of himselfe, cunning­ly spred it into the eares of the manie (who as they see all with one eye, so heare all with one eare, and that al­waies the left) where multiplying and getting strength it was spred into an Artificiall webbe, to entangle my poore poeticall flie; being otherwise (God knowes) for enough from all venome, saue what hath beene [...]oro'st into her, by her poisonous enemy to sting her to death. But the allusion (you will say) may be extended so farre; but qui nimium emulget elicet sanguinem; a malicious reader by straining the Allegorie past his intentionall limits, may make it giue blood, where it yeeldes naturally milke, and ouercurious wits may discouer a sting in a flie: But as a guiltlesse prisoner at the barre sayd to a Lawyer thundring against his life, Num quia tu disertus es, ego peribo? because malice is witty, must Innocence be condemned? Or if some other, not sufficiently exami­ning what I haue written, shall by mistaking the title, [Page] suppose it carrie such an vnderstanding; doth any Law therfore cast that meaning vpon me? Or doth any rule of reason make it good, that let the writer meane what he list, his writing notwithstanding must be construed in mentem Legentis? to the intendment of the Reader? If then, for the mistaking of an enuious or vnskilfull Rea­der, who commonly being praeiudicia pro iudicijs, I shal be exposed to the hate of the better sort, or taken for­ciblie into any powerfull displeasure, I shall esteeme it an acte as cruell and tyranous, as that of the Emperour, who put a Consul to death for the errour of a publique Crier; misnaming him Emperour in stead of Consul. For my selfe I may iustly say thus much, that if my whole life were layd on the racke, it could neuer accuse me for a Satyrist or Libeller, to play with worthie mens reputations; or if my vaine were so addicted, yet could I so farre be giuen ouer, as without cause or end, to ad­uenture on personages of renownd nobilitie? hauing infallible reason to assure my selfe, that euen those most honoured personages, to whose graces I chiefly inten­ded these labors, might they but in the lest degree haue suspected any such allusion by me purposed, as is now most iniuriously surmised against me, they would haue abhorred me and banisht me their sight. To conclude Hic Rhodus, hic saltus; as I said of my life, so of my lines; heere is the Poeme; let euerie sillable of it be tortured by any how partiall and preiudicate so euer (for as the case [Page] hath beene carried: I can now looke for no difference) and if the least particle thereof, can be brought, neces­sarilie or iustly to confesse, any harmefull intention of mine to the height imagined, hauing already past the test of some of the most Iudiciall and Noble of this Kingdome: if Malice will still make vnanswerably mine, what her selfe hath meerely inuented, and say with Phisitians, that the fault of the first concoction cannot be corrected in the second, (my meat supposed Harpy­like rauisht at first, into her vicious stomacke) And that as Herodotus is vniustly said to praise onlie the Athenians, that all Grecians else he might the more freelie depraue, so Malice will as licentiouslie affirme, that my Poeme hath something honourablie applicable, that the rest might the more safely discouer my malignance: And lastelie, If my Iudges (being preiudicd with my accusa­tion, haue no eare left to heare my defence) will there­fore powerfullie continue their hostilitie both against my life & reputation, then Collū securi, I must endure at how inhumane hands soeuer (at least) my poore cre­dits amputation: humblie retiring my selfe within the Castle of my Innocence, & there in patience possessing my Soule, quietlie abide their vttermost outrage: de­defending my selfe, as I maie, from the better sort, by a cleere conscience, from the baser, by an eternall contempt.

Yet further opposd; admit a little further answer.