The rule of reason, conteinyng the arte of logique, set forth in Englishe, by Thomas Vuilson

¶To the most excellent Prince, and our most redoubted souereigne Lord Edward the sixt, by the grace of God Kyng of England, Fraunce, and Ireland, Defendour of the faith, and of the Churches of En∣gland, and Irelande, in yearth the su∣preme heade, your moste faithfull and obedient subiect Thomas Vvilson wisheth long life with moste prospe∣rouse Reigne.

IF my power & ha∣bilite were answe∣rable to my good wil, most excellent Prince and soue∣reigne Lord, this token of mine hūble duetie which I now offer vnto your Maiestie, shoulde be as great & preciouse, as by rea∣son of the cōtrarie, it is base and slender. wherefore I most hum∣bly beseche your Maiestie in no

worse parte to accepte this litle offer, thē as the present of a true faithfull subi••cte, which would haue brought better, if his po∣wer had bene therafter. But ••o∣lowing the exāple of poore men in the aunciēt Histories of Plu∣tarche, and other writers muche commended: I offer vnto you•• highnesse parte of suche fruictes as haue growne in a poore stu∣dētes gardin. This f••uict b••ing of a straunge kynde (such as no Englishe grounde hath before this time, and in this sorte by a∣ny tyllage brought forth,) maie perhaps at the first tasting, seme somewhat rough, and harshe in the mouth, because of the straū∣genesse: but after a litle vse, and familiar accustomyng thereun∣to, I doubt not but thesame wil

waxe euery one daie more plea∣saunt then other. But in simple and plaine woordes to declare vnto your Maiestie, wherin my witt and earnest endeuour hath at this season trauailed: I haue assaie•• through my diligence to make Logique as familiar to Thenglishe man, as by diuerse mēnes industries the most parte of the other the liberall Scien∣ces are. For considering the for∣wardenesse of this age, wherein the very multitude are prompte & ripe in al Sciences that haue by any mans diligence bene sett forth vnto them: weighyng also that the capacitie of my country men the Englishnaciō is so pre∣gnaunt and quicke to achiue a∣ny kynde, or Arte•• of knowlege, whereunto wit maie attain, that

they are not inferiour to any o∣th••r: And farther pōdering that diuerse learned mē of other coū∣treis haue heretofore for the fur∣theraunce of knowlege, not suf∣fred any of the Sciences liberal to be hidden in the Greke, or La∣tine tongue, but haue with most earnest trauaile made euery of them familiar to their vulgare people: I thought that Logique among all other beyng an Arte as apte for the English wittes, & as profitable for there know∣lege as any the other Sciences are, myght with as good grace be sette forth in Thenglishe, as the other Artes, heretofore haue bene. And therefore I haue so farre as my slēder practise hath enabled me, enterprised to ioyne an acquaintaunce betwiene Lo∣gique,

and my countrymē, from the whiche they haue bene he∣therto barred, by tongues vnac∣quaynted. Notwithstandyng I must nedes cōfesse, that y^e Prin∣ter hereof your Maiesties ser∣uaunt prouoked me firste here∣unto, vnto whome I haue euer founde my selfe greately behol∣dyng, not onely at my beyng in Cambrige, but also at all times els, when I moste neded helpe. But as touchyng the thyng self though I haue not done it with so good perfectiō as the worthi∣nesse of the Arte requireth, or as some other better learned could do: yet I hope that wheras now it is dedicated vnto your high∣nesse, and so made commune to all: my good will shall want no fauorers in that I haue first la∣bored

to bring so noble a mistre••∣se, both of reason, and iudgemēt, acquainted with so noble a coū∣tre, & here to be made of a straū∣ger a free denisen: wherin I ta∣ke not vpon me so connyngly, & perfectely to haue writen of the said Arte, as though none could do it better: but because no En∣glishman vntill now hath gone through with this enterprise, I haue thought mete to declare y^t it maie be done. And yet herein I professe to be but as a spurre or a whet stone, to sharpe the pē∣nes of someother, that they may polishe, and perfect, that I haue rudely & grossely entered. And albeit I do herein take vpon me no more but to bee as a poore meane man, or simple personne, whose charge were to be a lodes∣man

to conuey some noble prin∣cesse into a straunge land where she was neuer before, leauyng the enterteinyng, the enrichyng and the deckyng of her to suche as were of substaūce and furni∣ture according: yet if this worke maie now at the first enteraunce haue the saufe cōduict and pro∣tection of your moste Royall Maiestie, I trust it shall in pro∣cesse appere, and proue, that I haue not altogether in vain ta∣ken vpon me this straunge la∣bour, but rather to very good purpose and effect attēpted the∣same. I knowe your grace for your owne studie litle nedeth a∣ny helpe of suche an Englishe treatise, beyng so well trauailed both in the Greke & in the Latine for the same purpose, through

the helpe of those right worthie men Sir Ihon Cheke, and Sir Antony Cooke, your Maiesties teachers and Scholemaisters in all good litterature. But to fede & to satisfie the thirste and desire of suche Englishemen as for defaulte of the said tongues could otherwise not come to the knowlege of Logique: I haue iudged it labour worth to geue y^e preceptes and Rules thereof in English, that all men according to the gifte that to euery one is measured, maie be the more pro∣uoked to folowe the examples of your Maiestie aswell in stu∣diousnesse & desier of knowlege, as also in the exercise of all ver∣tue, and pryncely worthinesse, wherinto your grace hath made a goodly entrie. In which most

godly trade if your grace shall continue together with the feare of God, and the moste reuerent obseruacion of his most holy cō∣maundementes, and Gospell, (wherein at this daie al Englād to their incomparable ioye and comforte doth see and find your Maiesties chief delite to be) it cannot be doubted, but that the same shalbe to the wicked a ter∣rour, to the godly a comforte, to this Realme of England, a per∣petuall defence and sauegarde•• and to al Christian Kynges, ei∣ther now liuyng or hereafter to come, an example of Kyngly worthynesse, and a myrroure of Pryncely gouernaunce. And where as to the most noble Kin∣ges of Israel and Iuda, the lord for their sundrie vertues gaue

sundry giftes of his grace (as to Dauid his dearling, puissaunce and might against his enemies•• to Salomon, wisdome and ri∣chesse: to Aza, innocencie of life, and purenesse of Religiō•• to Io∣saphat, prudence of Kyngly re∣giment to sette good ministers, and officers vnder him: to good Kyng Iosias, the aduauncemēt of Godes true seruice, and the rotyng vp of Idolatrie: to Io∣athan, a longe and prosperous Reigne in all godly rest & quie∣tnesse:) all these noble giftes of Regal excellencie, shall the lord your guide & gouernour vou∣chesafe to powre vpō your high∣nes, to endewe you with all, in whome are nowe planted suche graffes of his heauenly grace, as the frute hereafter is moste

like to be incomparable. Which thyng that it maie so bee, your Maiestie hath, and perpetually shall haue, the daily, and inces∣saunte prayers of all vs your most faithfull louing subiectes, for the long and prosperouse Reigne of your highnesse•• to the glorie of God, the honour and Princely dignitie of your selfe, & the welth of your Realmes and do∣minions, long to endure, Amen.