Mr. William Thynne's Epifle dedicatory to King Henry VIII. before Chaucer's Works.

To the Kinges highneffe, my most gracious foveraigne Lord, Henry VIII. by the grace of God King of England and of France, Defenfor of the Faith, and Lord of Ireland,e. AMONGES all other excellencies, most gracious fove raine Lord, wherewith almighty God hath endowed mankind above the refidue of earthly creatures, as an outward declaration of reafon or reasonableneffe wherein confifteth the fimilitude of man unto angels, and the difference between the fame and brute beasts, I verayly fuppofe that fpeech or language is not to be reputed amonges the smallest or inferiours, for thereby is exprefled the conceit of one to another in open and plaine fentence, which in the refidue of lively creatures lacketh, and is not thewed amonges them but by certaine covert and derke fignes, and that in few things, having courfe and operation oncly of nature. This fpeech or language, after the confufion of tongues fent by God's punishment for pride and arrogancie of people, hath been by a certaine inftinct and difpofition naturall devised and invented in fundrie parts of the world, as fellowfhips or companyings of folks one with another chaunced, much to the outward expreffing of the thing in word or found, according to that whereof it had meaning or fignification; but in procefle of time, by diligenca or policie of people, after divers formes, figures, and impreffions, in metall, barks of trees, and other matter ufed for memorie and knowledge of thyngs then prefent or paffed, fundry letters or carectes were first amonges the Pheniées deviled and found, with fuch knittings and joynings of one to another, by a marvellous fubtiltie and craft, as counterveiled was and is equivalent to the fame languages, to as the conceit of man's mind,

which at the beginning was used to be declared by mouth only, came to fuch point that it was as fenfibly and vively expreffed in writing. Hereupon enfued a great occafion and courage unto them that should write to compone and adorne the rudenefle and barbarietie of fpeech, and to forme it to an eloquent and ordinate perfection, whereunto many, and many great poets and oratours, have highly employed their ftudies and courages, leaving thereby notable renoume of themselves, and example perpetuell to their pofteritie.

Amonges other the Greekes in all kinds of fciences feemed foto prevaile, and fo to ornate their tongue, as yet by other of right noble languages cannat be perfitely imitated or followed. The Latines, by example of the Greekes, have gotten or wonneto them no fmall glorieintheforming, order,anduttering, of thattongue; out of the which two, if it be well fearched, that is to fay, Greek and Latin, (though by corruption of fpeech it should feem much otherwife) have been derived the refidue of the languages that be written with the letters or carectes of either of them both. But of all fpeeches those which most approach to the Latine be the Italian and Spanish tongues, of whome the one by the corruption of the Gothes and Longobardes had her beginning, as Latine spoken by strangers of a barbare understanding; the other, being alfo Latine, was by Vandales, Gothes, Moores, Saracens, and other, fo many times blemished, as marveile it is to fee now unto what perfection these two formed out of the Latine and Barbare speeches be reduced. Next unto them in fimilitude to the Latin is the French tongue, which by diligence of people of the fame is in few years paffed fo amended, as well in pronunciation as in writing, that an Englishman, by a small time exercised in that tongue, hath not lacked ground to make a gram

mere or rule ordinarie thereof. Though of trouth (which fome fhall fcarcely believe) the Germanes have fo formed the order of their language, that in the fame is both as much plentie and as nere concordaunce to the phrafe of the Latin as the French tongue hath. And veraily like as all these and the reft have ben thus vigilant and studious to meliorate or amend their languages, fo hath there nat lacked amonges us Englishmen which have right well and notably endevored and emploied themselves to the beautifying and bettering of the English tongue.

Amonges whome, most excellent Prince, my most redoubted and gracious foveraigne Lord, I your most humble vaffal, fubject, and fervaunt, William Thynne, Cheef Clerck of your Kechyn, mooved by a certaine inclination and zeale which I have to heare of any thing founding to the laude and honour of this your noble realme, have taken great delectation, as the tymes and layfers might fuffer, to rede and heare the bokes of that noble and famous clerke Geoffray Chaucer, in whofe Workes is fo manifeft comprobation of his excellent learning in all kindes of doctrines and fciences, fuch fruitfulness in wordes, well accordynge to the matter and purpose, so fwete and plefaunt fentences, fuch perfection in metre, the compofition fo adapted, fuch freshness of invention, compendioufneffe in narration, fuche fenfible and open ftyle, lacking neither majestie ne mediocritie covenable in difpofition, and fuch fharpneffe or quick neffe in conclufyon, that it is much to be marvailed how in hys tyme (when doutleffe all good letters were laide allepe throughout the world, as the thinge whiche either by the difpofition and influence of the bodies above, or by other ordinaunce of God, feemed like and was in daunger to have utterly perished) fueh an ex

btlefe were very remiffe in the fetting forth ancement either of the histories thereof, to the hinderaunce of the renoume of fuch noble prindvaliant conquerours and captaines as have been fame, or alfo of the works of memory of the faand excellent clerks in all kinds of fciencestat burifhed therein (of which both forts it hath ed God as highly to nobilitate this ille as any oregion of Christendome) I thought it in manere rtenaunt unto my dutie, and that of very honeand love to my country fought po leffe to doe, than my helping hand to the reftauration and bringagaine to light of the faid Workes, after the true ies and exemplaries aforefaid; and devifing with felf who of al other were moft worthy, to whom a ag fo excellent and notable fhould be dedicat, which ny conceit femeth for the admiration, noveltie, and aungeneffe, that it might be reputed to be of in the ne of the Authour (in comparifou as a pure and fine ied precious or polished jewel out of a rude or ingeft male or matere) none could to my thinking ccur that fince or in the time of Chaucer was or is 4fficient but only your Majesty roiall, which by difretion and judgement, as moft abfolute in wifedome and all kinds of doctrine, could, and of his innate clemencie and goodneffe would, adde or give any authoritie hereunto.

For this caufe, most excellent, and in al vertues moft preftante Prince, I as humbly proftrate before your kingly eftate, lowly fupplie and befeech the fame that it woll vouchfafe to take in good part my poore ftudic and defirous minde in reducing unto light this fo precious and neceffarie an ornament of the tongue of this your realme, over-pitous to have been in any point Íoft, falfified, or neglected; fo that under the thield of

Volume I.