The Frenche chirurgerye, or all the manualle operations of chirurgerye , vvith divers, & sundrye figures, and amongst the rest, certayne nuefovvnde instrumentes, verye necessarye to all the operationes of chirurgerye. Through Iaques Guillemeau, of Orleans ordinarye chirurgiane to the Kinge, and sworen in the citye of Paris. And novv truelye translated out of Dutch into Englishe by A.M.

To the gentle, & curtiouse Reader.

SOmetimes vvith my selfe cōsideringe, & in the ballance of my cogitations vvei∣ghinge, hovv perrillous, & daungerouse an attempte it is (most benevolence, be∣nigne, & curtiouse Reader) in these times, and ages, I omit ether to vvrite, or di∣vulgate anye vvorcke, but to translate it out of one language into an other. Yet I vvoulde not, nor indeede coulde not partely to satisfye the greate importunitye of certayne vvellvvillers of the Englishe natione, and poeple, but especiallye of my reverente master, vvhoe althoughe noe Englishe man, yet I assure thee one vvho throughe certayne acqvayntance of English Captaynes in these Lovvcountryes, doth affect all Englishe men, & vvoulde heerby shevv himselfe gratefull not onlye vnto them, but to the vvhole society of our Maiestyes subiectes, by incitatinge, & as it vveare compellinge me his poore servant heere vnto, obiectinge vnto me my inconstant levitye, vvhoe havinge receavede so manye, & so greate benefites of the poeple, & studentes in Englande vvoulde not imparte this excellente, exquisite, and perpolite peece of vvorcke vnto them, seinge that also the Printer, vvas so vvillinge to inci∣tate me heere vnto, heere by alsoe expressinge his affectionated goode vvill both to our most re∣noumnede Maiestye (vvhome God longe praeserve) and her subiectes. I standinge in a dumpe, & beinge vvith these obiections mute, Nesciens quid agerem, aut quo me verterem, not knovving vvher to hide my selfe, at the last as one beinge erectede, and suscitatede out of a svvound, I feeblely ma∣de this ansvver, that it fitted not nether vvas agreinge to my harshe, rude, and illiterate stile to be∣ginne such a peece, of vvorcke, and I being noe Englishe man borne might chaunce (as vvithout doubt I have) to take Sissiphus his laboure on me, in not vvritinge goode Englishe. And vvhich is more, least I shoulde attribute any occasion of offence to my most reverent brother vvho be∣inge a Doctour of Physicke, & I but an illiterate, & ignorāt youth applying my minde vnto Chy∣rurgerye, might suppose me to be so pratchante, & highminded that I sought to aequall my selfe vvith him vvho through his affectione he beareth to Englande hath also translatede an excellent booke of Physicke. But at the last I being fully resolved of my doubtes, & of thē persuaded, that it vvould of all men be taken, & construede to a goode end, I coulde not any longer resist their im∣portunate assaultes on the imbicille vvalles of my ansvvers, but they havinge therin made a bre∣ach I vvas constrayned to yeelde my selfe a captive, & acknovvledge them victors in consentinge to their requestes, by takinge this laboure of Atlas on my shoulders. Therfore I vvoulde not vvillingelye, have that this light inconstancye shoulde be obiected agaynste me, for not im∣partinge vnto thee (most gentle Reader) these my obliterate lines of this experte, excellente, and perpolite Chyrurgiane Iaqves Gvillaemeau, vvhome for his excellentie of his manuale operations I assure thee such a one hath never in Englishe binne trāslated: Behould novv therfore to shevv my selfe greatefulle for those benefites vvhich vvhilome I have receavede in this florishinge, & blessed countrye of Englande, both in the Vniversitye, and in the other Cityes therof, I heere humblelye praesent vnto thee this my firste attempte, vvho althoughe indeede no Englisheman borne, yet bearinge a true English mans harte vnto our Maiestye endevouringe continuallye to shevv my selfe gratefull vnto her, & her subiectes. And althoughe it be more grosse, & impolite, then decent, & convenient, to ansvver the fine, & scoffing heades, & vvittes of these times vvhoe allmost can doe nothinge els then scoffe, mocke, & floute, at other mens industryes, and labours, yet I pray the (gentle Reader) not to eesteeme them all vayne, indecent, and invtile, for Non cuivis homini contingit adire Corinthum, everye man can not have a nose like a shooing horne, that is eve∣rye one hath not such a fertile vvitte as they have for I acknovvledge my selfe to have but a bar∣rane, & vnfrictefulle grovvnde & that ther doth nothinge then Filix innascere agris meis, and hovv is it possible then to reape goode Fruictes therof? And knovve (curtiouse Reader that I take it to be a godly thinge to publishe such a peece of vvorcke for the ayde, & succoure of all yonge Chy∣rurgians to operate, & vvorcke on mās bodye, for vvhat more praeciouse thinge is there on earth then man: and if then vve endevour to praeserve, the health of our bodyes it is then necessarye to have such boockes out of vvhich vve may learne the meanes vvherby vve might doe it, & I have the more vvillinglye translatede the same into the vulgare & Englishe tunge because everye one hath not the gift of langvages, & although it be not soe exqvisitelye done as it vveare convenient it shoulde, tamen est laudanda voluntas, I have done my best indevoure thervnto, for ther vvher abi∣litye lacketh, my goodvvill notvvithstandinge is to be receavede, and not to be repugnede, & re∣iected. Nether shalt thou heere (gentle Reader) have any exquisite methode, nor the flovving stile of Demostlenes, and eloquence of Cicero, but a playn common, and vulgare stile for it vvas not of the Aucthor composed in the firste for such mē as are experte in these operations, but for the commonaltye, and yonger Chyrurgians, that they heerbye might learne the true operations of

Chyrurgerye. If my boulde audacitye, or audaciouse bouldnes shall administer occasione of of∣fence to any man, I recurre to that common refuge, vvhich promiseth remissione to him vvhich giveth his first assaulte. VVherfore if the learned vvill vouchsafe to reade this my first beginning vvithout envye, or malice agaynst me, I shall thincke my industrye verye vvellimployede & not to have bestovved all my labour in vayne: but if through the harshnes of my illeterate & rude sti∣le they are caused to lay it out of theire handes, & sight, yet I humblely requeste them to take him vp agayn not for my sake, but for his ovvne, vvhoe although defilede, & poluted vvith my impo∣litede stile, yet they may gather in the garden of his exqvisite vvorckes, as fragrant gillovvfers of Chyrugicall operations (I dare avouch) as any ever vveare in Englishe. And if ther be anye of Momus his partakers, vvhich doe revile, scoffe, & floute me, vvho are soe scrupulouse, & praeiu∣dicialle, that vvith noe Physicke they can be cured of their criticall dissease, tell them I pray thee (gentle Reader) from me, that it is farre easyer for them to repraehende, then to correct or melio∣rize, and that they dare not for the best cappe they have take such a thing in hande, least they per∣adventure shoulde fall into the pitt vvhich for other they had made, for there is an oulde, and in∣veterate proverbe as I remember in Latine Quod tibi fieri non vis, alterine feceris, let them (I say) re∣ade this proverbe & I trust it vvilbe a purgatiō for them. VVhat shall I say more? for indeed I can say nothinge as the Comicus sayeth quod non fit dictum prius, If therbe anye vvhich vvith their Argus eyes, vvill vue, & so narrovvlye princke, and looke, for faultes in this my labour vvithout doubte they shall finde faultes sufficient, but I vvoulde request them to leave their eyes at home vvith Lamia, vvhē they loock for any faultes heer in, & spitt in a boxe, the spittle of quippes, & quiddi∣tyes, & cast them behinde some chest of oblivione that they never may anye more be spoken of, and let them not dispise this my poore farthing, for it may be heerafter shall finde my selfe doin∣ge vvith some other peece of vvorcke more excellent. If therfor (benevolent Reader) vve finde this vvorcke to be acceptable vnto thee, my master shall thinck his motiō to have binne blessede and happye, the Printer his irritatione commodiouse, and I my labours, and industryes vvell be∣stovvede, and it shall be as it vveare a Calcar vnto me therafter to imploy my selfe vvith the tran∣slatione of some other excellent peece of vvorcke. If not I vvoulde frendly desire such as scoffe heerat, to reade, & dilligentlye consider these tvvo verses vvhich the Aucthor reciteth, and are these.

Candidus imperti meliora, vel vtere nostris: Carpere vel noli nostra, vel ede tua.

Thus beinge loath to interrupte thee anye longer vvith vayne, & illiterate speeches I commit thee to the tuition of God thy Creator, & his sonne Ihesu Christe vvho vvith his effused bloo∣redeemed thee, and of the holye ghoste, vvho inspireth thee vvith his spirite, continuallye vvis∣hinge increace of all virtues, and longe lyfe vnto thee.

Thyn as his owne, or els not worthye of vitall breath. A. M.