TO MY FRIENDS, THE CAMBRO-BRITANS.
TO haue you without difficulty vnderstand, how in this my intended progresse, through these vnited kingdomes of great Britaine, I haue placed your (and I must confesse) my loued Wales, you shall perceiue, that after the three first Songs, beginning with our French Ilands, Iernsey, and Iersey, with the rest; and perfecting in those first three the suruay of these sixe our most Westerne Coun∣tries, Cornwall, Deuon, Dorset, Hamp, Wilt, and Summerset; I then make ouer Seuerne into Wales, not farre from the midst of her Broad side that lieth against Eng∣land. I tearme it her Broad side, because it lieth from Shrewsbury, stil along with Se∣uerne, till she lastly turne sea. And to explain two li•es of mine (which you shall find in the fourth Song of my Poeme; but it is the first of Wales) which are these,
And ere seauen Books haue end, Ile strike so high a string,
Thy Bards shall stand amaz'd with wonder whilst I sing.
Speaking of seauen Books; you shall vnderstand that I continew
Wales through so ma∣ny; beginning in the fourth Song (where the nymphes of
England and
Wales, contend for the Ile of
Lundy) and ending in the tenth; Striuing, as my much loued (the lear∣ned)
Humfrey Floyd, in his description of
Cambria to
Abraham Ortelius, to vp∣hold her auncient bounds,
Seuerne, and
Dee, and therefore haue included the parts of those three English Shiers of
Gloster, Worster, and
Sallop, that lie on the west of
Seuerne, within their ancient mother
Wales: In which if I haue not done her right, the want is in my ability, not in my loue. And beside my naturall inclination to loue Antiquitie (which
Wales may highly boast of) I confesse, the free and gentle companie of that true louer of his Country (as of all ancient and noble things)
M. Iohn Willi∣am•, his Maiesties Gold-smith, my deare and worthy friend, hath made me the more seek into the antiquities of your Country. Thus wishing your fauorable construction of these my faithfull endeuors, I bid you farewell.
