To the Right noble Estates/ and to all

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wother of the toune of Cales/ Wiliam Roye desyreth grace and peace/ father/ and from the lorde Iesus Christ.

It is not vnknowne to you all my lordes/ and masters/ and all
wother my singuler gode frendes and bretheren in Christ/
howe that this last yere/ the newe testament of oure saveour/
was delyvered vnto you/ through the faythfull and diligent
stodye/ of one of oure nacion/ a man no doute/ ther vnto
electe and chosen of God/ named William Hitchyns/ vnto
whome I was after the grace geven me of the lorde as healpe
felowe/ and parte taker of his laboures/ that every christen
man/ myght therby heare and vnderstonde/ at home/ and in
his owne housse/ the sprete of God speakynge therin/ and
thorowe his holy apostels. Whiche oure labour and stodye
specialy vnto theym that presume and thyncke theym selves
alonly to be apostolicall men/ and spretuall doctours/ was
most odeous.

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Insomoche that withoute delaye/ in greate
hatered and vennemous barkynge/ openly at paulis crosse/ did
that was in theym/ to disannull/ forbidde/ and blaspheme/ the
moste holyest worde of God/ fode of many a povre soule/
longe fammysshed with the sower dowe/ of their importable
and dissaytfull traditions. Ye and where as they hade no
thynge wheron to grounde theym selves agaynst vs/ they were
nott aschamed faulcely to diffame theym/ whiche longe be
fore that tyme were deed and rotten/ as my father. Thynkinge
that defamynge of hym/ they shulde qwenche and dercken the
cleare and evident light of god. whyche they hate worsse then
other toade or addre/ as a thynge a gaynst their bellies moste
noyous and contrary/ saynge/ his father wolde eate noo porke/
what frute can soche a tre brynge forthe. But knowynge that
the innocency/ bothe of my father/ and also of me/ is not
vnknowne in that behaulfe vnto all the nobles of the realme/
I lytell regarde their heddy vndiscrecion. Yet it is vnto my
herte a coresaye amonge all wother moste grevous/ to se the
pryce of the precious bloudde of Christ so despitfully to be
troden vnder fote/ by soche vncleane swyne. and the moste
holsom

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doctrine therof/ to be forbidden/ thorowe the
howlynge and barkynge of soche cruell/ and infame dogges.
Whose cruell tyranny foxye cavillacion/ and resistence/ have
moare inflammed my hert/ and couraged my mynde/ to
go aboute the translacion of holy scripture. Insomoche that I
have allredy partly translated/ certayne bokes of the olde
testament/ the whiche/ with the healpe of God/ yerr longe
shalbe brought to lyght. Notwithstondynge in the meane
season I castynge in my mynde the meane peoples capacite/
and the greate supersticion/ whiche so longe hathe rayned and
hadde vpperhonde/ thought it very necessary to make some
smale treatous/ wherby somwhat they myght be the better
prepared/ and taught howe to demeane theym selves/ in the
profunde misteries and greate iudgementes of God/ conteyned
in the olde testament/ and prophetes. And whyles I thus
ymagened/ I happened on a smale workce/ whiche after my
iudgement/ is a treatous very excellent/ late turned oute of
douche into latten. Whiche in the redynge of it/ greatly delited
me/ and that nott only because of the due and naturall ordre of
it/ but rather because I se there as I am where this boke is
comenly in vse

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bothe yonge and olde/ practise in
lyvynge/ all those thinges whyche the boke teacheth by
wrytynge. Ye truely soche thynges/ as greate vniversites/
and notable Rabys knowe nott. Ye never shall knowe/ to the
intent that God never knowe theym also. It declareth what is
faythe in God/ and charite towardes mannes neghboure. and
that so evidently all papisticall sophistry and delusion set a
syde that even babes of seven yeare olde playnly perceave
thinges that a while agone men of greate age coulde nott
apprehende as are the power/ goodnes/ and mercy of god/
and the cowrse of his workes. What the anchre of fayth is/
which is eternall predestinacion and aspercion of Christis
bloudde/ wherwith alonly we are clensed from synne. The
vnderstondynge whereof/ Paul calleth the wysdom hydde
vnder the mistery of christis crosse/ vnknowne to the wyse of
the worldde. For oute of it proceadeth/ myldnes of the mynde/
gentle behaveour/ soffraunce of evyls/ softnes/ temperancy/
and all chastnes of lyfe/ whiche all are the frutes of the sprete/
wheare oute/ as oute of an originall sprynge or fountaine/
floweth towardes God/ and amonge men/ peace/ and charite/
which in the realme of Christ/ is a iewell

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most precious.
Nowe therfore/ all wother thinges set a syde/ I have
determened first to present vnto you and so forthe vnto all
wother of my countre and nacion this so singuler a treasure/
nothing doutinge but that it shalbe bothe plesaunt and
acceptable to the elect and chosen of god/ litle regardinge the
vngodly/ which hate nothyng but that that is good/ and that
thynge whyche allwayes and every whear is proffitable. I also
require and exhorte the commen people that they rede not this
boke as they are wont to rede vayne storys or fables/ hastly
rennyge there over. For when they shall end it/ more frute
shall apere/ then the begynning semeth to pretende. For the
worde of God hearde/ and well pondered/ entreth thorowe his
inspyracion into the herte only. Doutles therfore it shulde be
vnto the reders greate frute and proffyt/ yf at certayne howres
there vnto apoynted/ they diligently did discusse somwhat by
ordre therof/ and that among their owne housholde/ and
singlerly wheare as yueth is. and let it not be tedious vnto
theym once or twise/ with prayer/ to repete that they have
alredy redde. For good thynges ten tymes redde agayne please
bothe the reder/ and the hearer also. By the meanes wherof

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the lordes and ruelers of the realme/ shall perceave
and fynde/ those to be bothe meke and mylde/ and to the
temporall power obedient/ whom before as fearce lyons they
feared. God no doute hathe his electe amonge oure people also.
For the worde of God cannot be ydle/ whose frute is greate/
and a sure perswasion of the kyndnes of God towardes hit/
havynge in it silfe aboundant charite/ wherewith above all
wother thynges/ the commen well is knytt togedder. For
asmoche therfore as of all soche thynges the right enformacion
commeth by commeninge/ this treatous is made in maner of a
dyaloge bitwene twayne/ which speake together. That is to
saye a goodde christen man and his sonne/ whom he goeth
aboute to enforme in the knowledge of Christ. Werfore he that
entendeth to socke here out eni swetnes/ first must conceave
in hym silfe the flammes of a christen herte/ whiche of their
owne nature lighten and inflam there neghbour. That when by
redynge he is made ryche/ he shall also be gladde and able to
healpe and sucker wother. Howe can a man warme a nother/
when he him silfe is frosen for colde? Ye knowe I suppose that
one blynde shuld not leade the wother/ least they faule bothe
into the pytt.

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But seynge that we can do nothynge of oure
selves/ I beseche you all/ der bretheren/ to praye vnto the lorde
for me/ that I maye have both mynde and strengthe wother
soche bokes to translate/ and the whole olde testament/
wherby ye of englonde/ maye also knowe and heare the voyce
of youre true shepherde/ walke in his waye/ folowe the trueth/
and fynally obtayne everlastynge lyfe. Amen. Written in the
cite of Argentyn/ the last daye of August/ the yere of oure
lorde a thousande fyve hondred/ and seven and twenty.