name and fame, of one extraordinary studious Ientleman, of this land, within his clawes; that, diuers his mere malitious, and wilfull enemies, do verily hope, that it is impossible, that this Ientleman shall, with this English or Brytish state, either (during his life) be counted a good subiect, or a commendable, (nay scarce a tolerable)* Christian; or, any his acts or trauailes, all ready past; or, other his intended exploits, of great importance, shail be, in this land, acceptable; or, of the people, of this kingdome, receyued: as, by the fauour, light, and ayde of the Blessed Trinitie vndertaken, inuented, compassed, and atchieved: but, rather, by wicked and vngodly arte, to be framed: and, by the help of Sathan, or Beelzebub, to be finished: vnleast, the wise, or the peculiarly chief authorized, will vse due, carefull, and charitable discretion, from henceforth, to repres, or abolish, and vtterly extinguish this very iniurious report, (for these xx. yeres last past, and somewhat longer,) spred and credited, all this realm ouer it is to wete, that the forsaid Ientleman,

* If you will read his digression apologeticall, conteyned in his Mathematical Preface, to the English Euclide, (imprinted A° 1570) you may the better understand this point. of this brief aduertisement.

2

I

is, or was, not onely, a * * Coniurer, or caller of diuels: but*, a great doer therein: yea, the great coniurer: and so, (as some would say) ** the arche coniurer, of this whole kingdom.

Before, that the (mentioned) diuelish cosening was vsed this sklanderous vntruthe was recorded, published, and credited: but, by these new deuised cosening forgeries, the same, may (with some) seeme to be vndoubtedly confirmed. Oh Lord, with how tickle and strong. snares, and with how wily laberinthes, hath the most enuious traytor, to the honor of our God and Christ, bewrapped and daunted many a. thousand of simple and honest mens fantazies : inducing them, to credit this infamous report? To credit it, (I say) in respect to the honorable seat, wherein, it was (very vnaduisedly) set downe. In dede, euen he, who, at the beginning, sayd, Ascendam in cœlum, et similis ero altissimo. euen he, hath settled this intolerable sklander of the vertuous, among the glorious renown of the righteous: to so great hurt, and dammage of the Ientleman (who, to all other men, is harmles) as, neuer to him, by any one mortall man, the iust amends, can duly be

* Oh, a damnable sklaunder, vtterly vntrue, in the whole, and in euery worde and part thereof: as (before the King of kings) will appere at the dreadfull day.

* Esaiæ 14,

made.

made. I would to God, this foresaid sklanđer, and other disgracing reports, to to rashly, and cuen then *recorded, when this courteous Ientleman was also a prisoner himself: (and bedfellow, with one maister Barthelet Greene) had bin, in due tyme espyed and vtterly cancelled, or rázéd out of all records, wherein they were vnduly, and vnaduisedly (first) admitted.

Nerer to pres this matter in particular, it is nedeles. But, by this, and such like foule ouersight of a man, and cruell despite of the hellish enemy, it is come to pas (among many other great inconueniences) that, whereas the said studious Ientleman, hath at God his most mércifull handes: recyued a great talent of knowledge and sciences: (after his long, painfull, and costly trauails, susteyned for the same :) and both by God, being warned, and, of his owne disposition, desirous, not only to enlarge and multiply the same, but also to communicate to other: he findeth himself, (now, at length), partly forced, somewhat to yelde to the wickednes of these tymes, (being not possible to sayf against the windes eye): and partly demeth himself (in Gods judgment,) excusable, not to bestow any more of his talent and carefull tra

A. iiij.

uailes,

uailes, vpon the ingrateful and thankles: nay, vpon the skorners and disdainers of such his faythfull enterprises: vndertaken chiefly, for the aduancement of the wonderfull veritie philosophicall: and also, for the state publik of this BRYTISH MONARCHIE, to become flourishing, in HONOR, WEALTH, and STRENGTH: as much, as any thing in him, mought have bin thereto, (by any means,) found seruisable.

But, who would haue* thought, that they, who are (in dede) of the honester sort, and more charitable: yea, of the wiser, and (by office) mightier (and some of them, taken for his especial great freends) would, so many yeres, haue bin so* careles: or slack, to ayde, and procure the innocent, to be deliuered, from the greuous, and most jniurious spoyles of his good name and fame: and all the inconueniences, depending thereon? or, who would haue thought, that so great and so vncharitable vntruthes, should so vndiscreetly haue bin published: by those men especially, who, otherwise, in woord and life, were very modest, and circumspect.

*Solomon in Ecclesiastes, cap. 4. So I turned me, and considered all the violent wrong, that is done vnder the sunne: and behold, the teares of such as were oppressed, and there was no man to comfort them: or, that would deliuer or de fend them from the violence of their oppressions.

I thought

I thought it good, therefore (my honest freend and cuntriman) to aduertise* thee, of some parte of the cause, of the strange maner, of this treatise comming to thy sight, or reading: as, without the name, of any certain author thereof: and without the name, of the zealous artificer, who first did sollicite, and collect such matter (by dictata, as it were) from this Ientleman. thirdly without my own name: into whose hands, the sayd artificer, hath deliuered all the matter, that he could get of this Brytish Ientleman, to the title of this booke answerable; yea, and other rare instructions, also.

And

For (undowtedly) this BRYTISH PHILOSOPHER, is not only discouraged to labor, or pen any more treatises or bookes himself in ARTIFICIALL METHOD, for his vnkinde, vnthankful, disdainfull and slkanderous cuntrymen, to vse (nay abuse:) but also is loth (and hath great reason so to be) to haue his name any more prefixed, or subscribed, to any treatises, passing from him, either by writing or by speech.

And both these inconueniencies are purposely committed to auoyd, or somewhat to preuent hensforward, the farther grief and offence that might grow to him and his true freends; to perceiue the former sundry sorts of caterpillers, and

The chief occasion of this aduertisement giuing.

great