Leoline and Sydanis A romance of the amorous adventures of princes. Together, with sundry affectionate addresses to his mistresse, under the name of Cynthia. Written by Sir Fr. Kinnaston, knight, late one of the squires of the body to His Majesty.

To the READER.

AN Epistle before a Booke is as ordinary as a Bush before a Ta∣verne, and as unnecessary if either the Wine or the Booke be good: The Author would have written a Dedicatory if he had knowne to whom; For the candid intelligent Buyer, or Reader of his Booke there needs no complement: To the ignorant, or malevolent he cannot descend so low as to use any. He therefore instead of an Epistle prefixes an Apologie for the Buyers of his Book, and not the Readers of Freecost: First, for that he ha∣ving by him many pieces of reall and solid learning ready written for the Presse, he exposes this toy and trifle to the worlds view and censure: Next, that he being old and stricken in yeares, doth write of love

and such idle devices; for the first, he observes that Ballads, and twelve peny Pamphlets, are a more currant commodity than Books of a greater bulk and better note, and like light French stuffes, are sooner bought than cloth of Gold or Tissue, which is not for every ones wearing: For the second, he consider∣ing that many elder men then he, doe weare love-lockes and Fancies, he entring into his second, and worst childhood may of course be excused, if as in his first he was taken with Hobby-horses, Rattles, and Babies: So like old men, who doe but Clariùs in∣epitire, he dote upon women and beauties, and such things, of which they can commonly make little or no use: It is very true, that a Ladies beauty with whom he was scarcely acquainted, begot these lighter Fancies in his head, with whom if he had been real∣ly in love, perhaps he would have written more and better lines; It may be said of him, that Agnoscit veteris vestigia flammae, but those fires are now rak'd up in Embers, his Couure feu Bell being al∣ready rung: since he that writ these lines could have writ worse, these perhaps may please some curteous favourable judgements, to whom only be presents and recommends them.