The zodiake of life written by the godly and zealous poet Marcellus Pallingenius stellatus, wherein are conteyned twelue bookes disclosing the haynous crymes [and] wicked vices of our corrupt nature: and plainlye declaring the pleasaunt and perfit pathway vnto eternall lyfe, besides a numbre of digressions both pleasaunt [and] profitable, ; newly translated into Englishe verse by Barnabæ Googe.

¶ To the vertuous and frendely Reader.

WHat pleasure and profite the dilligent reading of vertu∣ous Poets doth minister to the Godly and Christian minde, so euidently and playnely hath alwayes ap∣peared, that I neede not to bestowe any time about the declaring hereof. Neither was the statety style of Heroicall verse, only had in price and estimation with the learned Greekes and ••l••quent Romains (wyth whome Poets were alwayes este∣med and carefully prouided for,) but also it seemeth there was no little accoumpte made, of the pleasant agreement of ••u••••ly measured wordes, among those sacred Prophetes that dire••ted the whole course and trade of their life, to the pray••ng and pleasing of the almighty Lorde. For as S. Hierome testi••eth, the deuine and no∣table Prophecies of Esay, the Lamenta∣tion of Jeremie, the Songs & Ballades of Salomen, the Psalter of Dauid, and

the boke of Hiob, were written by y^e first auctours in perfect and pleasaunt Hexa∣meter verses. So that the deuine and ca∣nonicall volumes were garnished and set forth with the sweete according tunes, & heauenly soundes of pleasaunt metre. Yet wyll not the gracelesse company of our pernicious Hipocrites allow that the Psalmes of Dauid (a moste comfortable booke) should be translated into Englishe metre. And why? Marry (saye they) by∣cause they were only receiued to be chaū∣ted in the Church, and not to be song in euery Coblers shop. O monstrous & ma∣licious infidels, doe you so much disclose your cancred stomacks towardes the de∣uine Maiestie, that you ab horre to heare his glory and prayse sounding in y^e mouth of a poore Christian artificer? May none of your sacred secretes passe any farther than your solemne sinagogs? What say you to Chrisostome who exhorted his au∣dience in this sorte?

Dicat vir aliqua eorum quae nunc hic sunt * 1.1 dicta, audiat autē Mulier, discant Pueri, dis∣cant & Familiares, fiat{que} Domus Ecclesia, vt

••ffugetur Diabolus, in fugam vertatur malus ille Daemon inimicus salutis nostrae.

Let the goodman (saith he) tell to his fa∣milie some of these matters, whereof I haue here entreated. Let the wife giue care, let the children learne, let the resi∣dewe be instructed, and let the house be made a Church, that the Diuell may be put to flight, that the wicked spirite and enimie of our saluation may be chased a∣way. If you had lyued in these dayes Mayster Doctor, for your so saying you should haue bene counted an Heritike, as a good Scholler alledging of late dayes to Sir John lacklattin of the countrey, the auctority of sain••t Paule: wilt thou haue it (sayth the Parson) S. Paule was an Heretike and so art thou. I assure you y^t Diuell hath a fayth and so haue you. To retourne to thee, louing and frendly rea∣der: Seing that wyth these auncient fa∣thers and holy Prophetes, this kinde of wryting in verse was so highly esteemed, that the Godly instructions of the Scrip∣ture, and the comfortable prophecies of our mercifull redeemer, were in this sorte

of wryting vttered, yea & since there was suche a grace giuen vnto it that the Holy Ghoste did therein prophecy of Christe by the mouthes of sinfull Pagans, as it ap∣peareth by the prophecy of Uirgill.

Vltima Cumaei iam venit carminis aetas Magnus ab integro seclorum nascitur ordo. Iam redit & Virgo, redeunt Saturnia regnae * 1.2 Iam noua progenies caelo demittitur alto.

Since this (I saye) appeareth, be not so straight of iudgement as I know a num∣ber to be that can not abyde to reade anye¦thing written in Englishe verse, which nowe is so plenteously enriched wyth a numbre of eloquent writers, that in my fansy it is lyttle inferiour to the pleasaunt verses of the auncient Romaines. For since the time of our excellente countrey∣man sir Geffray Chaucer who liueth in like estimation with vs as did olde Ennius wyth the Latines. There hath flourished in England so fine and filed phrases, and so good & pleasant Poets as may counter∣••ayle the doings of Virgill, Ouid, Horace, Iuuenall, Martiall, Lucan, Perseus, Tibullus, Catullus, Seneca, and Propertius. Amongst

whome (as most inferiour to them all) I haue for thy cōmoditie brought into En∣glish verse this vertuous Poet Palingen••. And though I haue not so eloquētly En∣glished it as a nūber that may better thā I would haue done, & as the worthynesse of the autour seemes to require, yet haue I faythfully & truly translated it: giuing in some places verse for verse, & word for worde: in other places (where I haue not precisely obserued so strick••e an order) yet haue I no whit swarued from the perfect minde of the au••oure, to the entente that with these sundry kinds of translations I might please euery head. And if it so hap∣pen to fall out that I satisfy not thine ex∣pectation, yet accept good Reader my good wyll therein, which onely meaneth to please and profite thee. For which I ac∣coumpt my trauayles recōpenced, if so be they shall be thankfully receyued of thee. And for the other sorte, I saye vnto them wyth Martiall.

Qui ducis vultus, & non legis ista libenter Omnibus inuidias, liuide, ne••o ti••i.

Fare thou vvell most heartyly in Christ.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Homy. 2. in 1. Cap. Gen.
• * 1.2

  Eglog. 4.