The Pꝛologe.
hath bene hyther to ſo good vnto hys countre as to aduenture oꝛ take the paynes to ſet out any herball. I therfoꝛe darker in name, and farr vnder theſe men in knowledge, foꝛ the loue that I beare vnto my countre, and at the commandemēt of your grace my loꝛd and maiſter, I haue ſet one part of a great herball moꝛe boldly then wyſely and with moꝛe ieopardy of my name then with pꝛofite to my purſe, as I knowe by dyuerſe other bokes, whych I haue ſet out befoꝛe this tyme, both in Engliſh and in Latin. I haue in this boke taught the latine name, the greke, the englyſh name, yͤ duche, and the french name, moſt commōly of euery herbe that I wꝛite of. I declare alſo the vertues of euery herbe, ⁊ ſhew the place where I haue ſene it, leſt it ſhnld ſeme to be one of them which wꝛyte of thynges, whyche they neuer ſaw. I dowt not but many both phyſicyons of the mean ſoꝛte, many ſurgiones and potecaries, and many of the common people, that will wyſely and warely vſe herbes with the counſel of the phiſycyan, ſhall take very great pꝛofit and commodyte. Foꝛ the which they are muche bound to thanke your grace: who fyꝛſt ſet me in hand with this pꝛeſent laboꝛ. Yet be it neuer ſo learned oꝛ pꝛofytable vnto the cōmon welth, there wyll ſome enuyous ydle vnſent foꝛ ouerſeers, homelearned clerkes, ſtert vp and diſprayſe thys my laboures, whych foꝛ lack of learnyng can not do ſo muche their ſelues, oꝛ foꝛ ſhepiſh fear dare not, oꝛ foꝛ enuious vnkindnes, though they can, wyll not. Agaynſt ſuche malycyous perſones, as wyll taſte of all mennis meates, and let noman taſt of theirs (what kind a felow was ſceuola among the Romanes, whych ſupped with all men, and bad noman to ſupper) conſyderyng that I had nede to haue ſome noble ⁊ excellent patrone, ⁊ defendour, foꝛ my boke could, reherſyng many in my mynde, fynd out none ſo mete to be a defendour of thys woꝛke as your grace is. Wherfoꝛe I hane dedicated it vnto your grace, and therfoꝛe gyuen it vnto yow alſo, becauſe your grace hath alwayes boꝛne ſo great fauour, ⁊ good wyll vnto me euē befoꝛe I was called to your graces ſeruyce, I beſeche you to eſteme and way my good wyll ⁊ my mynde that I beare vnto your grace and to all yours, by this my pooꝛe and ſmall gyft. Which though it be but lyttle, yet it is able to declare my mynde thoꝛowly, as yͤ lyones clawe only ſene, be wꝛayeth the hole lyone. But foꝛ all that I haue choſen your grace to be patrone vnto thys booke, yet I reken it no wyſdome to put yow to the payn of defenſyon, vntyll I can defende no longer my ſelf, therefoꝛe ere I make an ende of this pꝛeface, I thynke it mete to anſwer vnto certayn obiectiones, whych maye be layd agaynſt it, Some will ſaye, why is thys fyꝛſt tome ſo lyttle? it is to be ſuppoſed that ye myght haue ſet furth a great volume, and ye wold. Foꝛ thys I haue theſe reaſonable excuſes, Beſydes that I haue moꝛe than iii. yeares bene a dayly wayter and wanted the chefe parte of the day moſt apte to ſtudy, the moꝛnyng, ⁊ haue bene long and ſore vexed with ſycknes, I thought it beſt to differ the ſettynge owt of any moꝛ, vntyll I haue by trauaylyng of diuerſe ſhyres in England, found out the herbes where of I wꝛyte, that I myght ſhew the readers of thys boke, in what place of England euery herbe may be had and found in. Foꝛ theſe thꝛe yeares and an hale, I haue had no moꝛe lyberty but bare. iii. wekes to beſtow vpon yͤ ſekyng of herbes, ⁊ markyng in what places they do grow. They yͭ will not be content with this anſwer, let thē ſet out greater bokes, ⁊ I will therwith be well cōtent. Other will thinkeA.iii.it vn⹀
