The Prologe.

THe firste treatyce of this prese~t boke is taken out
of the newe Legende of the sayntys of Englande
Irelande / Scotlande / and Wales for theym that
vnderstande not the Laten tonge / that they atte
theyr pleasure may be occupyed therwith / and be therby ye
more apte to lerne the resydue when they shall here the hole
Legende / And it is to vnderstande yt nat oonly those sayntes
that were borne in theyse Countreys be in the sayde Legende
and i~ this lytell treatyse / But also dyuerse other blessyd
sayntes that were borne beyonde the see / and that came
into any of theyse countreys Englande / Irelande / Scotla~de /
and Wales doynge there any notable thynge to the honour
of god / and to the profyte of the people as to preche to
theym the Faythe of oure Lorde / and to sette the people in
good ordre / Or that haue lyued a blessyd lyfe i~ any of theyse
Countreys to gyue the people example of good lyuynge /
Be also in the sayde Legende and in this present treatyse &
be accompted to be of that countrey that they so came into /
As seynt Augustyne the appostell of Englande whom blessyd
seynt Gregorye then beynge pope sent fro Rome with
seynt Paulyn / seynt Laurence the confessoure and dyuerse
other in his company to preche the faythe of oure Lorde to
the people of this Realme then beynge Idolatroures and
clerely alyenatyd fro trueth wherupon Seynt Augustyne
Faythfully accomplysshynge his Auctoryte with his company
conuertyd Seynt Ethelbert then kynge of kent and
all his people to the fayth of our lorde / And after seynt Paulyne
conuerted seynt Edwyn then kynge of Northamhumbre
and all his people / in whiche countreys Churches were
buylded Temples of Idollys destroyed or turned into
Churches / bysshoppes & preestes ordeyned in all the countrey /
And the fayth gladly resceyued with great deuocyon
and after ye deth of seynt Augustyne and of kyng Ethelbert
kynge Edbalde yt was sone to kynge Ethelbert fell to Idolatrye
forsakynge the cristen fayth / wherby the faythe there
was lyke to haue holly perysshed / whom ye sayd seynt Laure~ce
which was busshop of Cau~terbury next after seynt Augustyne
by especyall myracle of seynt Peter reduced agayne
to the faythe / as in the lyfe of seynt Laurence apperyth / &
longe after theyr tyme other holy men / seynt Adryan / seynt
Honorye / seynt Felyx / seynt Beryn / and dyuers other cam
fro beyonde the see and moche edefyed the people i~ this Realme
of Englande and establysshed greatly that fayth whiche
seynt Augustyne / seynt Paulyne / seynt Laurence and
theyr company had begon / & also dyuerse countreys in Englande
whiche were nat holly conuerted in seynt Augustynes
dayes / & some that after his dayes fell agayne to Idolatrye
the~ they reduced to the fayth of our lord. And neuerthelesse
ryght fewe of this Realme of Englande specyally of ye
Co~men people haue harde of any suche men in soo moche yt
ye oonly herynge of theyr names wyll be a lernynge to most
men / and so it wyll be of dyuerse other blessyd men and women
that were borne i~ this Realme / which haue done many
notable thynges for the comen welthe of the people therof
as well profytable for this lyfe as for ye lyfe to come / as seynt
Dunstane / seynt Deus dedit / seynt Wylfryde / Seynt Oswalde /
seynt Cedd / and seynt Chadde bysshoppes / Seynt
Ethelbert / seynt Edwyn / seynt Edgare / and seynt Oswalde
kyngys / seynt Serburgh / & seynt Ermenylde quenes /
seynt Wallen / seynt Gylbert / seynt Wulryke / and dyuerse
other holy men and women / as in the sayd Legende / and also
in this treatyse apperyth / by which gloryouse sayntys wt
other borne in other Countreys as before apperyth the fayth
of our Lorde hath ben perched receyued & greatly prosperyd
in this Realme so that many of oure Auncestours neyghboures
and frendes by the mercye of our lorde be now in ye
Ioyes of heuyn to praye for vs. And for all the people & we
also by the grace & goodnes of our lord be heyrys apparau~te
to the kyngedome of heuyn / And if the lawe of god had
nat ben knowen i~ theyse parties both we & our Au~cestours
myght percase haue lyued in erroures as other do / wherfore
we be moche bou~den to loue theym & honoure them / & in lyke
wyse to do that is in vs to helpe other as they dyd to helpe
vs our Au~cestours and frendys / And veryly if there were
nowe in thyse dayes the hygh Charyte & perfyte loue to almyghty
god & to oure neyghboure yt was in theyse blessyd
seyntes or at leest a desyre therto with loue of Iustyce & zele
of ye comen welthe & lyke desyre to brynge ye people to good
lyfe with hole truste & sure faythe i~ our lord as was i~ theyse
blessyd men & women. It wolde renewe ye face of this worlde
and brynge a newe lyghte amonge the people / as it dyd
in the tyme of ye sayd gloryous seyntys in whom florysshed
& shyned all perfeccyon of vertues as euydently wyll appere
to theym that wyll rede theyr Legende trewe mekenes inuyncyble
pacyence symple obedyence heuenly wysdome perfyght
charyte loue of Iustice with mercye / pyte / & co~passyon
vppon theyr neyghbourys ryches in pouerte / & pouerte
in ryches with other lyke vertues and gracyous gyftes of
god many of them were nedye outwarde but within forthe
they were replenyssed with goostlye swetnes and Comforte /
In the syght of the worlde and in theyr owne syght they
were vyle and abiecte / but in the syght of almyghtye god &
of all seyntes they were precyous & syngulerly elect / Wherfore
the people of Irelande haue seynt Patryke for his blessyd
lyfe and for that he conuerted moche people there to the
faythe in great honour and in theyr necessyties they call vnto
hym for helpe with great deuocyon / And in lyke wyse in
Scotlande the people there haue seynt Nynian co~menlye
called seynt Tronyon in great honoure for the same cause /
And in Wales they haue deuocyon to seynt Dauyd for his
blessyd lyfe / and for confermynge and establysshynge of ye
people in the faythe by his prechynge & good example / but
in this Realme of Englonde what so euer is the occasyon /
fewe people in comparyson of the multytude haue deuocyon
to any of thyse blessyd seyntes that haue laboured for the
welthe of the people in this Realme i~ tyme paste or that haue
theym in honoure as other Countreys haue other seyntes
in lyke case & yet we knowe ryght well that seyntys in
heuyn be i~ suche fauoure with almyghty god yt theyre prayer
is herde for suche persones as they pray for and we maye
not dowte but they be redye to pray for vs if we do worship
theym and call vnto theym by our prayer for helpe. God forbede
that any of vs shulde thynke or saye the contrarye as
thynkynge in his mynde or sayinge in this wyse / Sayntes
be aboue i~ heuen and we be here bynethe and therfore they
haue no mynde vppon vs for to helpe vs or to pray for vs so
to thynke or so to saye is to thynke playnly and to saye that
seyntys haue no charyte & that is not so for if they had charyte
when they were here i~ Erthe moche more they haue it
nowe in heuen But when they were here they hadde great
charyte as it is open by the great labourys that they hadde
for the saluacyon of the people of this Realme and prayed
for theym not callyd vppon so to doo / Thenne what shall
the great charyte do that they haue nowe in heuen / Let vs
beleue as seynt Paule sayth. Charitas nunq~ excidit.
The
charyte that any persone hath here & doth contynewe therin
whyle he lyueth seasyth not in Heuen neyther is there dimynysshed
but it is there encreasyd and made more So of
thyse sayntes theyr charyte is more in heuen nowe thenne it
was here wherfore if the great charyte that they had here
made them so redy to pray for the people that callyd not vnto
theym for any helpe or prayer as is aforesayde / shall not
theyr great charyte that they haue now i~ heuen make them
moche more redy to pray specyally for all suche as doth worshyp
them & call for helpe vnto the~ / More ouer if theyr prayer
were harde here byneth in the Erthe where they were so
fer from ye blessyd presence of god / must not then theyr prayer
be herde now aboue i~ heuen where they haue god present face
to face therfore sythen we be sure fyrste of this yt they be redye
to pray for all yt wyll deuotly call vnto them sure also seco~de
of this that theyr prayer shalbe herde lette vs deuoutly
as we can wt all our hartes call vnto them for helpe to pray
for vs & by ye grace of our lorde they shall here our prayer &
shall opteyne for vs yt we desyre or another thynge yt shalbe
more prophytable for vs & where ye people of this Realme
of Englond honour the gloryous martyr seynt George as
theyr chief patrone & defe~der by whose prayer & speciall proteccio~
they haue ben i~ tyme past preseruyd agaynste theyr enemyes
& by ye grace of our lorde i~ tyme to come shalbe yet neuerthelesse
if they also honoure theyse gloryous seyntes yt
haue laboured i~ this Cou~trey for ye helthe of ye people as is
aforesayde they shall therby ryght hyghly please theyr Patron
seynt George / & so they shall do all other sayntes suche
as they haue honoured & had deuocion to i~ tyme past for there
is amonge ye blessyd seyntes in heuen / one wyll / one loue
& one full charyte / where ye honoure to all is honour to one /
& the honoure to one is honoure to them all / & if any thynge
herein be mystaken or nat spoken in co~uenye~t Englysshe or
dewe ordre as it shulde be or if it be ouer shortlye touched or
nat suffycye~tly expressed / wherby any maner of persone myght
be offe~ded or take occasion of excepcio~ / yt it wyll please hym
to take it for ye best / for so it is ment & charytably to refourme
it by ye Legende Where nede shalbe takynge ye pryncypall
inte~t of this treatyse to be as a Kalendre / to shewe ye names
of ye seyntes of theyr cou~trey & where they lye as it shal
do / when it apperyth so ferre in ye Legende as it doth moost
come~ly but not i~ all places / to shewe also some lytell thynge
of theyr vertues & myracles with some parte of theyr storyes
shortlye towched / yt it maye be as a preparatyfe or a begynnynge
to reduce the people of this Realme ye rather to haue
the sayde blessyd seyntes in loue & honoure for there can no
thynge be loued & honoured but it be knowe~ And for asmoche
as it is but of late tyme syth the sayde Legende was gatheryd
to gyther in suche maner as it is nowe / and that euery
thynge in this treatyse is shortly touched more lyke to be
a Kalendre then a Legende co~syderynge also that the most
parte of tho sayntes that be in the sayd legende & in this kalender
were eyther borne in this Realme or were abydynge
therin & that theyse other countreys Irelande / Scotlande
and Wales / of veray ryght owe to be subiecte & obedyent to
this Realme of Englonde as it semyth this lytyll treatyce
maye conuenyentlye be callyd the kalender of the newe Legende
of Englonde.
Moreouer next after ye sayde Kalendre foloweth the lyfe
of seynt Byrget shortlye abrygged a holy and blessyd wydowe /
which lyfe is ryght expedyent for euery maner of persone
to loke vpon moost in especiall for them that lyue i~ matrymony
or in the estate of wydowhod yt they may se what
grace and vertue was in this blessyd woman which lyued
in the same degre as they do / and the rather to be encouraged
to desyre to haue lyke grace and vertue In ye latter ende
of this boke is a lytell draught of Mayster water Hylto~
of the medled lyfe shewynge howe and by whome it shulde
be vsed & though it haue ben Imprynted before this tyme
yet take it charytably / for ye more a good thynge is knowen
the better it is and parcase by this occasyon it may come to
the knowlege of some men that otherwyse shulde neuer haue
harde speke of it.

Explicit Prologus.