To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
THis trea∣tice gentile reader, is not wrytten for the Curattes & preachers, for many of them haue so muche knowledge in holy scrip∣ture (thankes be to God) that they be alreadye sufficiently instructed in these matters: But it is written
for the behoue of the yong childrē, whiche muste be brought vp with playne and shorte lessons. For wee see daylye by experience, that who so euer wyll teache children, must vse muche discretion & wyse∣dome, not to geue them to much at one time, (lest he dull and oppresse their wittes) and yet that which he gyueth theim, he muste often and many times reherse and repete vn∣to them agayne, as nere as he can after one manner of wise, and with the same wordes. For if thei teache them now this, now that, now with these wordes, now with other, then the childrē learne litle or nothing, thei kepe almost nothing in memo∣rye, & beside that, they waxe wea∣rie of learnyng, & conceaue a loth∣somnes therto, and be more sloth∣full and vnapte to learne. Foras∣much therfore as it was to be fea∣red,
that euery pastor woulde not take the paynes to drawe out such a shorte forme of teachynge to the children, nor we thought good to burden euery one with so great la¦bours, and also yf euery pastor se∣uerally should deuise a forme for his parishe, it myght chaunce that there should be as many soundrye formes, as there be pastors, which diuersitie myght engender muche diuision and controuercie, and be also much hinderaunce to the chil∣dren, yf in one place thei learne one forme, and in an other place an o∣ther forme. For to exchewe the said inconueniences, we haue thoughte good to deuise this shorte manner and forme tynstructe children and yong men, wherby they maye both shortlie and easely learne the chief pryncipilles and begynnynge of Christē religion and doctrine, and
learne aswell howe they oughte to lyue, as also what they should be∣leue. And whan they haue learned this in their tender age, they shal not onely vnderstande godlye ser∣mons and al other godly doctrine and bookes ye better, but also they shall become godly men, and wise, louers of true religion and godly¦nes, and to al states and orders of lyfe, aswell ecclesiasticall as ciuill be more apte and towarde, vnto whiche godly purpose, all fathers and mothers, Curattes and prea∣chers and al christē Magestrates and officers, should with all theyr mynde and endeuore gyue their ayde and helpe. Wherunto God of his grace graunt hys fauour and assistaunce. Amen.