Churchyards challenge

To the worthiest sorte of People, that gently can reade, and iustly can iudge.

GOod Reader, if my presumption were so great that I thought my booke might passe without your fauourable iudgement, mine error were as much as my ouer-weening: and yet to vse perswasions in purchasing your good liking, I should passe the bounds of common reason, and fall into the danger of adulation: for your good wils are rather won with good matter then bare wordes, and say what I can to gaine your affection toward my worke, you will speake what seemeth best in your owne conceites. For among ma∣ny thousands are many of deepe consideration, and some vndoubted∣ly of as shallow iudgement: so that the one or the other cannot nor will not be led and caried away with any deuice of my pen, though all the hye spirits and excellency of Poetry might drop out of the quill I writ withall: wherefore now I must as well abide the hazard of your censure, as I haue boldely vnfolded my selfe to the worlde: there is now no crauing of pardon, nor pleading for your furtherance to en∣crease my good fame: my works must abide waight, they are thrust into the ballance, and I of necessitie must content me with your allow∣ance, and what price pleaseth you to set on my marchandise: but if they proue too light in the skales, I pray you helpe them with some graine of good skill, that they be not condemned as trifles, because they haue cost me great labour and study, and put me to no little charges. I freely offer them to you for three or foure causes, the one to keep the reputation of a writer, the second to pleasure my freendes with the reading of new inuentions, and thirdly to desire my foes to giue me true reporte of those workes I haue made, and last of all to affirme that euery thing in this my booke of Chal∣lenge is mine owne dooing, which iustlye no man can deny.

Not boasting thereof as matter worthy memory, but claiming a better regarde then enuy would giue me, I stand to the praise or dis∣praise of all I haue done, maruelling much that in my life time any one would take from me the honest laudation I deserue. I striue no further in that point, but commit to God and good people the indiffe∣rency and iustnes of my cause, and the best is (which shall beare it selfe) the wise of the worlde and worthiest of knowledge and capaci∣tie, are the only Iudges shall yeeld me my right: the rest are but hea∣rers and lookers on, whose voices may make a great noise, but giues so vncertaine a sound, they can doo no great harme, because of nature and condition they neuer doo no great good. Now my pleading time is past, my booke must appeare in that bare fashion as I haue formed the matter, I hope it shall not walke so nakedly abroade, but shalbe able to abide the coldenes of ill will, and the extreame heate of hate∣full mens disposition. God the giuer of goodnes, guide my verses so well that they neuer happen into their hands that loues me not, and make my prose and plainenes of speech be as welcome to the Reader, as it was well ment of the writer. So with double and treble bles∣sing, Farwell.

FINIS.