Seven godly and learned sermons preachedSeuen godly and learned sermons preached

To the most Reverend Father in God, my L. of Canterbury his Grace, Primate of England, and of his Majesties most Honourable privy Counsel.

To the most Reuerend Father in God, my L. of Canturburie his Grace, Primat of England, and of his Maiesties most Honourable priuie Counsell.

I Offer here unto your Grace a kind of present: which if it be valued by the greatness, is but small; if by the goodness either of it self, or of my dutiful affection towards your Grace, is surely great. Certain Sermons are they of that reverend learned Father of so worthy memory B. Ivel; which having received of a friend, and reserved by me some good time in written hand (howbeit faithfully written, as I trust shall after appear) I could no longer, no longer, I say, could I be either so injurious, or so envious to the public good, as not to publish them to the glory of God, and benefit of his Church. And if the renowned Orator ⟨image 3⟩Tully could not endure to have the least & meanest of his painful travels perish or be lost, were it but some familiar Epistle or letter, as is apparent by that he wrote to his friend Varro in the like case: Etsi [Greek or Hebrew] erat illa epistola, Albeit the letter which Caninius caused me to write (but as I take it, had forgotten to call for) were stale and out of season, yet have I sithence delivered it unto him for thee: Quia nolui perire lucubrationē mean, saith he. Nor blame him pardie, for why should so sweet a vein of wit and eloquence flow out in vain? Then what reason were it that these so many, so learned, so godly, so eloquent Sermons of this reverend Father & great Divine; especially treating, not as Tully doth, of matters earthly, but heavenly, not of things temporal, but eternal, not of the Commonwealth of the Romans, but the saving health of all christians: I say, what pity were it that these his so sundry & worthy labours, should either be smothered ⟨image 3⟩up in hugger mugger, or buried in oblivion, or [Greek or Hebrew] wife always impropried, engrossed, & restrained unto any one, & not rather imparted, divulged & made common unto many one, for the general behoof of the present age, & so of future posterity? They are in Philosophy (as your Grace well knoweth) rules both ancient & authentic: Bonum quo communius, quo diuturnius, eo melius, Good things the more they stretch themselves to the benefit of many, & the more durable they are, the better they are. For as Lactantius saith, and saith very well, Nostrae voces &c. Our words once uttered, dissolve & vanish into air: but let them be put in writing, or print, and for the most part they remain unto all succeeding ages.