A10192:5
A tragedy of Abraham's sacrifice, written in frenchA tragedie of Abrahams sacrifice, written in french
A tragedy of Abraham's sacrifice, written in french by Theodore Beza, and translated into English, by A.G. Finished at Powles Belchamp in Essex, the xj. of August. 1575A tragedie of Abrahams sacrifice, written in french by Theodore Beza, and translated into Inglish, by A.G. Finished at Povvles Belchamp in Essex, the xj. of August. 1575
London: printed by Thomas Vautroullier, 1577
Title page typeset from the transcription.
To the reader: THEODORE BEZA TO THE READERS, GREEting in the Lord.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
THEODORE BEZA TO THE READERS, GREEting in the Lord.
IT is now a two years, since God granted me the grace to forsake the country where he is persecuted, to serve him according to his holy will. During which time, because that in my adversity many fancies ran in my head, I resorted to Gods word, where I found two things that comforted me marvellously. The one is the infinite number of promises uttered by the mouth of him which is the truth it self, whose sayings are always matched with effect. The other is the multitude of examples, whereof ⟨image 3⟩even the least are able enough, not only to encourage and hearten the weakest & faintest hearted in the world, but also to make them invincible. Which thing we must needs see to have come to pass, if we consider by what means Gods truth hath been maintained to this present time. Howbeit among all them that are set afore us for example in the old testament. I find three persons, in whom (to my seeming) the Lord meant to set forth his greatest wonders: namely, Abraham, Moses, and David: in the lives of whom if men would now a days look upon them selves, they should know them selves better then they do. Therefore as I red those holy stories with wonderful pleasure and singular profit: there came a desire upon me to exercise my self in writing such matters in verse, not only of intent to consider & remember them the better, but also to praise God by all the means I could devise. For I confess, that even of ⟨image 3⟩nature I have delighted in poetry, & I can not yet repent me of it: nevertheless it grieveth me right sore, that the little grace which God gave me in that behalf, was employed by me in such things, as the very remembrance of them irketh me now at the hart. Therefore I gave my self as then to more holy matters, hoping to go forward in them afterward, specially in the translating of the Psalms which I am now in hand with. And would God that the great number of good wits which I know in France, would in stead of busying them selves about unhappy inventions or imitations of vain and unhonest fancies, (for so they be, if a man judge them according to truth) rather set their minds to the magnifying of the great God, of whom they have received those so great gifts, then to the flattering of their Idols, that is to say, of their Lords and Ladies, whom they uphold in their vices by their feignings & flatterings.