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❧ To the ryght woorshipfull Syr Wylliam Wynter, Knyght, Maister of the Ordinaunce of the Queenes Maiesties Shippes, and Surueyor of the sayd Shippes. Richarde Eden wysheth health and prosperitie.
IT is nowe about twelue yeeres paste (gentle Maister Wynter) since the curtesie and fauour which long before I founde at your hande, mooued me no lesse for the good wyll that I haue euer borne you and your vertues, to excogitate or deuise somethyng, within the compasse of my poore abilitie, that myght be a witnesse, & as it were a seale, to testifie both that I haue not forgotten your gentlenesse, & also howe desyrous I am to pay the debtes of freendshyp which then I promised you, & also attemp∣ted to perfourme: But beyng at that tyme preuented, by meanes of my sodayne departyng out of Englande, with my good Lorde the Vidame, with whom I re∣mayned for the space of ten yeeres, vntyll the calamities of that miserable coun∣trey, with losse of goods, and danger of lyfe, hath dryuen me home agayne into my natiue countrey: Where fyndyng my selfe at some leysure, and desyrous to passe foorth parte of my tyme in some honest exercise, which myght be profytable to ma∣ny, domagable to none, and a meanes to geat me newe freendes, the olde in my so long absence, in maner vtterly wasted: I chaunced in the meane tyme, to meete with my olde acquayntance and freend, Richard Iugge, Printer to the Queenes Maiestie, who had many yeeres before, printed the Booke of Matten Curtes, of the Art of Nauigation, by me translated out of the Spanyshe tongue. Whereof, ha∣uyng with him some conference, he declared that he woulde prynt that booke a∣gayne, yf I woulde take the paynes to deuise some addition touchyng the same matter, that myght be ioyned thereto. At whiche tyme, hauyng with me in the Latine tongue, these bookes here folowyng printed, whiche I brought with me out of Fraunce, I soone agreed to his honest request, to translate them into Englyshe: Whiche beyng accomplyshed, this onely remayned, accordyng to the common custome, to consecrate and dedicate the same to some worthie personage, whose fame, auchoritie, and dignitie, myght defende them from the euyll tongues of such as are more redie rather to reprooue other mens dooynges, then to doo any good them selues. And therfore (gentle Maister Wynter) knowing your auctho∣ritie and fame in well deseruyng, and honorable seruice vnto your Prince and Countrey, to be suche as all men thynke so well of, and so greatlye esteeme, to whom (rather then vnto you) may I dedicate this booke of Nauigation? In consyderation whereof, and the hope that I haue in your approoued curte∣sie, fauourably to accept this dedication, as proceeyng from one that desyreth no∣thyng more then to doo you seruice, and remayne in your grace, I shall thynke my trauayle wel bestowed, and sufficiently recompenced, yf it shall please you to ac∣cept the same as thankfully, as I wyllyngly offer it vnto you. For yf there be any thyng in me, wherein I maye by good reason please my selfe, it is cheefely this,