A.D. THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



1592. 



and spight, or upon malicious and affected ignorance, 

 carpe at others : and, that they may be accompted 

 superiours, sometimes whette their stiles against the 

 person, name and fame of this or that particular man, 

 sometimes inveighing against a whole countrey, and by 

 shamelesse untrueths disgracing innocent nations and 

 people. Againe, others of an ingenuous minde, doe 

 by great industry, search and bring to light things 

 [I. 553.] profitable: namely, they that write of Divinity, Philo- 

 sophy, History and such like : and they who (taking 

 use and experience for their guides) in the said Sciences 

 have brought things obscure to light, things maimed to 

 perfection, and things confused to order : and they that 

 have faithfully commended to everlasting posteritie, the 

 stories of the whole world : that by their infinite labours 

 have advaunced the knowledge of tongues : to be short, 

 that endevour themselves to represse the insolencie, 

 confute the slanders, and withstand the unjust violence 

 of others, against themselves, their Nation or their 

 Countrey : 



And I for my part, having scarce attained the sight of 

 good letters, and being the meanest of all the followers 

 of Minerva (that I may freely acknowledge mine owne 

 wants) can do no lesse then become one of their number, 

 who have applied themselves to ridde their countrey 

 from dishonor, to avouch the trueth, and to shake off 

 the yoke of railers & revilers. My estate enabled me 

 onely to write ; howbeit the excellencie of trueth, and 

 the in-bred affection I beare to my countrey enforceth 

 me to do the best I can: sithens it hath pleased some 

 strangers by false rumours to deface, and by manifolde 

 reproches to injurie my sayd countrey, making it a 

 by-word, and a laughing-stocke to all other nations. 

 To meet with whose insolencie and false accusations, as 

 also to detect the errours of certeine writers concerning 

 this Hand, unto good and well affected men (for the 

 common people will be alwayes like themselves, stub- 

 burnly mainteining that which is false and foolish, neither 



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