The common places of the most famous and renowmed diuine Doctor Peter Martyr diuided into foure principall parts: with a large addition of manie theologicall and necessarie discourses, some neuer extant before. Translated and partlie gathered by Anthonie Marten, one of the sewers of hir Maiesties most honourable chamber.

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To hir Maiestie.

WHen I had now, by the speciall goodnesse of almightie GOD, brought to a perfect end the foure Parts of M. D. Peter Martyrs Common places, and perceiued that in certeine new editions of the Latin copie prin∣ted both in England and in Ger∣manie, were put, by waie of addition, manie other works of his latelie found out, and not before imprinted: and hauing also found, by the helpe of my freends, other things woorthie the bringing into light, which before this time were neuer printed in anie toong: I likewise thought it necessarie (though my labour therby should be increa∣sed, the quantitie of this booke inlarged, and the longer before it could be published) to translate these things also into English, and to publish the same. That seeing Mai∣ster P. Martyr is that reuerend man, whose profound and sincere iudgement (as all godlie and learned men con∣fesse) is not onelie equall in each respect, but in some de∣gree beyond all the Diuines of our time: and in plainesse of stile, and agreeablenesse of doctrine, more certeine and correspondent both to the truth, & to himselfe, than ma∣nie

of the ancient fathers: and further, seeing in these ad∣ditions dooth appeere the forme of his preaching, the vni∣formitie of his doctrine, his sharpenesse in disputing, and soundnesse in answering, his vehement and sweet moti∣ons to vertue and holinesse, his sundrie graue & well writ∣ten Epistles in matters of moment, with diuerse other points right woorthie the reading, and not particularlie mentioned in the bodie of the foresaid booke. For these (I saie) and the like reasons, I haue presumed, with your Maiesties fauour, to impart the same to your godlie and well disposed subiects: that they may euen as it were ga∣ther all the honie out of those flowers, which he hath planted in the garden of the Lord, and so ioifullie carrie the same into the hiues of their hart, that in time to come they may be found profitable bees vnto the Lord their Sauiour, and reape of him an incomparable reward in the kingdome of heauen, where he reigneth with the Father and the holie Ghost, three per∣sons and one immortall God for euer and euer:

So be it.

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