either because the means of their maintenance by sacrilege and Church-robbery, or symonicall fraud is taken away; or because dumb, or idle and sleeping watchmen do hold their places, without any care to perform their duty, as neither keeping the watch themselves, nor being either able or willing to keep others waking. The which my labours I have made bold to dedicate unto your Honours: To you, my Lord, I confess, not without some presumption, as not being hitherto known unto you, yet herein not unexcusable, in that it proceedeth from a desire to show how much I honour you, for your profession and protection of Gods true and sincere Religion, in that Honourable place unto which God hath called you; your love to Learning, and favour towards the Learned. But to you Noble Lady, in whose notice and undeserved respect, I have been more happy, I have devoted this poor part and mite of my worthless Works, that living in these Paper Monuments, ⟨image 493⟩as it were, in my longest lasting posterity, I may, even after death hath imposed silence, still testify unto the world mine humble love and unfeigned thankfulness, for your manifold and great favours vouchsafed unto me; and how much I honour you for those singular virtues and graces, wherewith God hath enriched you, especially your piety towards him and love of his truth, much approved, as by many other fruits, so especially by your love to his Ministers and Ambassadors. The which were ample matter for a larger discourse, to encourage others of your rank to imitation, did not your modesty and humility attending and adorning all the rest, admonish me that such praises of you, unto you, will be thought unnecessary, if not unpleasing and distasteful. The Lord infinitely rich in all goodness and perfection, more and more multiply, all Christian Virtues and saving Graces in you both; in the light and lustre whereof you shall be ever more truly honourable in the sight of God and all those that fear him, then in the highest dignities and noblest advancements that the world can yield unto you.
either because the meanes of their maintenance by sacriledge and Church-robbery, or symonicall fraud is taken away; or because dumbe, or idle and sleeping watchmen doe hold their places, without any care to performe their duty, as neither keeping the watch themselues, nor being either able or willing to keepe others waking. The which my labours I haue made bold to dedicate vnto your Honors: To you, my Lord, I confesse, not without some presumption, as not being hitherto known vnto you, yet herein not vnexcusable, in that it proceedeth from a desire to shew how much I honor you, for your profession and protection of Gods true and sincere Religion, in that Honourable place vnto which God hath called you; your loue to Learning, and fouour towards the Learned. But to you Noble Ladie, in whose notice and vndeserued respect, I haue beene more happie, I haue deuoted this poore part and mite of my worthlesse Workes, that liuing in these Paper Monuments, ⟨image 493⟩as it were, in my longest lasting posterity, I may, euen after death hath imposed silence, still testifie vnto the world mine humble loue and vnfayned thankefulnesse, for your manifold and great fauours vouchsafed vnto me; and how much I honor you for those singular vertues and graces, wherewith God hath inriched you, especially your piety towards him and loue of his truth, much approoued, as by many other fruits, so especially by your loue to his Ministers and Ambassadors. The which were ample matter for a larger discourse, to incourage others of your ranke to imitation, did not your modesty and humility attending and adorning all the rest, admonish mee that such praises of you, vnto you, will bee thought vnnecessary, if not vnpleasing and distastfull. The Lord infinitely rich in all goodnesse and perfection, more and more multiply, all Christian Vertues and sauing Graces in you both; in the light and lustre whereof you shall be euer more truly honorable in the sight of God and all those that feare him, then in the highest dignities and noblest aduancements that the world can yeeld vnto you.
