and grete clerkes haue ben wyth me and desired me to wryte the moste curyous termes that I coude fynde / And thus bytwene playn rude / & curyous I stande abasshed. but in my Iudgemente / the comyn termes that be dayli vsed ben lyghter to be vnderstonde than the olde and aūcyent englys∣she / And for as moche as this present booke is not for a ru¦de vplondyssh man to laboure therin / ne rede it / but onely for a clerke & a noble gentylman that feleth and vnderston¦deth in faytes of armes in loue & in noble chyualrye / Ther∣for in a meane bytwene bothe I haue reduced & translated this sayd booke in to our englysshe not ouer rude ne curyo∣us but in suche termes as shall be vnderstanden by goddys grace accordynge to my copye. And yf ony man wyll enter mete in redyng of hit and fyndeth suche termes that he can not vnderstande late hym goo rede and lerne vyrgyll / or the pystles of ouyde / and ther he shall see and vnderstonde lyght¦ly all / Yf he haue a good redar & enformer / For this booke is not for euery rude dna vnconnynge man to see / but to clerkys and very gentylmen that vnderstande gentylnes and scyence ¶Thenne I praye alle theym that shall rede in this lytyl treatys to holde me for excused for the transla∣tynge of hit. For I knowleche my selfe ignorant of con∣nynge to enpryse on me so hie and noble a werke / But I praye mayster Iohn Skelton late created poete laureate in the vnyuersite of oxenforde to ouersee and correcte this sayd booke. And taddresse and expowne where as shalle be founde faulte to theym that shall requyre it. For hym I knowe for suffycyent to expowne and englysshe euery dyf∣fyculte that is therin / For he hath late translated the epyst¦lys of Tulle / and the boke of dyodorus syculus. and di∣uerse other werkes oute of latyn in to englysshe not in rude 0