14 



yard, at the signe of the Holy Ghost, 1608," 12mo. he thus 

 concludes his address to the studious and well affected 

 reader:" And thus, gentle Reader, hauing acquainted thee 

 with my long, costly, and laborious Collections, not written at 

 adventure, or by an imaginary conceit in a Scholler s priuate 

 Studie, but wrung out of the earth, by the painfull hand of 

 experience : and hauing also giuen thee a touch of Nature, 

 whom no man as yet euer durst send naked into the worlde 

 without her veyle; and expecting, by thy good entertainement 

 of these, some encouragement for higher and deeper discoue- 

 ries heereafter, I leaue thee to the God of Nature, from whom 

 all the true light of Nature proceedeth. Bednall-greene, 

 neere London, this % of July, 1608." 



In his chapter of " An offer of some new, rare, and profit- 

 able Inventions," after speaking of " the most rare and peer- 

 less plant of all the rest, I meane the grape," he mentions the 

 wholesomeness of the wine he then made from his garden at 

 Bednall-greene, neere London: " And if any exception 

 shold be taken against the race and delicacie of them, I am 

 content to submit them to the censure of the best mouthes, 

 that professe any true skill in the iudgement of high country 

 wines: although for their better credit herein, I could bring 

 in the French Embassador, who (now almost two yeeres 

 since, comming to my house of purpose to tast these wines) 

 gaue this sentence vpon them ; that he neuer drank any bet- 

 ter new Wine in France. And Sir Francis Vere, that mar- 

 tiall Mirrour of our times, who is seldom or never without a 

 cup of excellent wine at his table, assured me that he neuer 

 dranke the like vnto mine, but once, and that in France. So 

 that now mee thinks I begin to growe somewhat strong in 

 my supporters ; and therefore I make some doubt, whether I 

 shall need to bring in that renowned Lady Arabella, the 

 Countesse of Cumberland, the Lady Anne Clifford, the Lady 

 Hastings, the Lady Candish, and most of the Maides oi 



