De morbo Gallico·

¶The preface of Thomas Poyne•• cha∣non of Marten abbey, transla∣tour of this boke.

NOt longe agoo, after I had translated into our englysshe tonge the boke called Regi∣men sanítatís Salerni, I hap¦ned being at London to talke with the printer, and to en∣quire of hym, what he thought, and how he lyked the same boke: and he answered, that in his mynde: it was a boke moche necessa∣rye, and very profitable for them that toke good hede to the holsome teachynges, and warely folowed the same. And this moche farther he added therto, that so farforthe as euer he coude here, it is of euery man ve∣ry well accepted and allowed. And I sayd, I pray god it may do good, and that is all that I desyre. And thus in talkynge of one boke and of an other, he came forthe and sayde: that if I wolde take so moche peyne as to translate into Inglysshe the boke that is intitled De medicina guaiací, et morbo gallico wryten by that great clerke of Al∣mayne Vlrich Hutten knyght, I shulde, sayd he, do a verye good dede. For seinge hit is

soth, as this great clerk writeth of this me∣dicine Guaiacū, (For he hym self hath had the verye experience therof) how nedefull and howe beneficiall to the common wel••h were it? For almoste into euerye parte of this realme, this mooste foule and peynfull disease is crepte, and many soore infected therwith. Whan he had sayd thus his fan∣tasye, a••d that I hadde bethoughte me and well aduysed his wordes, I answered: If I thought it wolde do good, I wolde take the peyne with all my verye harte, and hit were moche greatter: and yet (sayde I) I feare me, it be as moche or more than I am able to accomplysshe. For I doubt whether I may come to the clere vnderstonding ther¦of or not: It is in ernest a matter straunge inough to translate, not onely for the names of herbes and other diuers thynges therin conteyned, but also for the phrase and elo∣quent style. But what so euer aunswere I made hym, I finally determyned to tran∣slate the sayd boke, as I haue done in dede, not so well I am sure, so playnly, and so ex∣quisitely as many other coude, if they wold vouchesafe to take the peyn: but yet I trust I haue not moche erred from the true mea∣nynge of the auctour. And I saye not the

contrarye, but somme wordes haue I lefte barely englysshed, and some nat at all, but they be suche, as are by those names in latine vsually knowen to phisitions, with∣out whose counsaylle (specially those that be approued and knowen to be syngularly lerned in physike) I wolde counsaylle noo mā to be to bold either to practise or receiue any medicine.

¶At Marten Abbey. an. dn̄i. 1533.