For the sacred lavv of the land. By Francis Whyte.

To the Reader.

I Have spoke a little in some of the leafes be∣neath, of the fulnesse of cur Saxon English Tongue, of its goodnesse and worth; I will shew here, (that I may not seem to talk only) how easily we may utter our thoughts and wills, the drift of our minds, without borrow∣ing of our neighbours, and without going about, nay, and often without waking the sleepie grave, and brea∣thing life again into words hundreds of yeers agone dead and forgotten. We need not delue for buried gold, nor look back for words frightfully old (as they may goe at the first sight) such as would be dreadfull in their rising: Were we but ready in the speeches of the sundry Shires, Towns, Boroughs, and Thorps of our Land,

of the West and North, (from whose broad mouthes (as they are thought) we may gather enough, though what we gather thus is wronged in them every day more then other;) if all these were brought into one heap, and rightly laid together, we should finde our selves rich within our selves, without taking up on trust. The most learned of the wise men heretofore, * 1.1 tels us, that he that is not like those who begot him, like one or other of his house before him, is to be wonde∣red at as a thing against the kind. There are those froward ones now, who, as if the blood of their Fore∣fathers were more foule then the sin of our birth, and its guilt, hate no∣thing more then them; not their outside onely, but their goodnesse (which never any breasts were fuller off) is loathed by them, as are loa∣thed, not onely their speech, under∣standing, and lives, but their lawes and beliefe; sleighting all things be∣fore themselves, as if nothing were

well laid hitherto, but we were to be∣gin the world from the bottome, upon another groundworke: like some sonnes of another adders teeth, or of our mother earth, lately sprung up, sons of the warmer Sunne, and slime, risen but yesterday. As to the Laws of our Saxon English, that I may deale within my own reach onely, (For from those as from springs of wholsome waters, the streames of our later Laws spread;) Whoso will read them ore with a stedfast eye, will not meet the work or hands of high∣landers, but all things as far other∣wise, as Heaven and Hell are asun∣der. When he shall looke on the strength and height of the walls, the smoothnesse of the walks, the good∣nesse of the whole building, he must see God has been there, or men of heavenly off-spring, the sonnes of God. A worshipfull Bishop amongst our greatest for all kinds of know∣ledge, but no friend to the Halle, be∣wailes us in this- That of the com∣ming

in of the Saxons hither, of their first workmanship, of the setting up and frame of their Kingdoms, the wisdom which upheld them, of their deeds of the field, and their home Laws, worthy to be everlastingly kept in mind, to outlive the day, so little is now in being to be found. It cannot be withsaid, that through the retch∣lesnesse of men (to say no worse) in the great earthquake of King Henry the eighth, stones did not fall alone, many of our English Writers were overwhelmed in the breaches, hid in their dust, and the mists and dark∣nesse must be the thicker after. This is true, and we cannot be enough sorry for it; yet besides the hoords of books now left, those which have not seen the light, (and likely never shall) and which have, and are in every mans hands, can teach us, not spa∣ringly, no small deale of that which is bewailed as lost forever. And if there were lesse (which I hope shall not be) the skill of a cunning

hand may be seen by the shortest stroke. But blesse me, I am got abroad in open sight, and must make a stand; The Readers leave (this cannot be helped) must be asked to goe on. I am told this is looked for from men unknown and untrusted (how ever from such as come out alone, such as want their throngs of wits, making room before them, and be∣speaking heartily the meinies smiles, who must be taught how to like, and whom.) I aske my leave then: but come ont what can, I will not buy it too dearly; I will not sell my free∣dom for it; I wish the good will of all men, and that this child of mine might have a faire welcome into the World; but I will not throw my selfe at any mans feet, nor licke up his spittle for the kindnesse. He whose end is nothing else but the good of others, should not feare himselfe, he ought to stand upright above this lownesse, as indeed he is; yet am I not so idle to thinke my selfe some

merry Knight of the Booke, and that my over loving Witch by her mighty spels has kept these fields for my won∣ders, that this inthralled Queen can∣not be freed but by my arme, and that I was born for the hit. If some great undertaker, such as the World would freely and willingly follow, had fallen on here, (which every Englishman is bound to, how learned soever) I had not stirred, I had stood still some∣what more in the shade. Now all that I shall get by this light, will be the loo∣sing of other mens tongues upon me, if I come off with a few short blowes of dulnesse, heavinesse, or weaknesse, I am well; the best of men, such as the wildest Heathens would stick a∣mongst the Stars, are stung by some; what is the most unmanly unthank∣fulnesse, the hallowed ashes of the dead are cursed and torne up, of the dead who living held the Heavens up with their shoulders, made the Sunne shine, and the clouds raine: so farre is this bitternesse from being ill

thought of; backbiting is the token of a good man: he that would not be ill spoken of, must fly from men. He alone who hides himself, never shou∣ed up and down in the streets, is wise. But we live not onely for our selves, something we owe to man∣kind, more to our own blood, to our mother England. And as many other men easily outgoe me, so there may be those who may make but slow∣ly up, who may be left behind; in so many houses of flesh there may be undersoules to mine. It is not any overweening which has thrust me thus farre: The undertaking fairly to heal the unbeliefe of some weak ones (for I am not so brainlesse to think that those who side, and hate for their own sakes will be shaken with words, that such a stubborn∣nesse can be ore come) who without any ill within, any unsoundnesse of their own are led blindfolded by o∣thers, whom they (it may be) have trusted too unwisely, who would drive

on to the utmost that hatred) is not heady boldnesse to be chidden by any. I would shew these forlorne ones, how sadly they lose themselves, how good and even the old rode is, how dark and uneven their own by-paths; how in the first they may finde the holy footsteps of their forefathers, and the wary steadinesse of their treading: in the last nothing but winding and giddinesse, nothing but everlasting wearynesse; where, as is said of the old Ghosts below, they shall wander for ever, more flitting then smoke, and sparks of fire, which however hindred by the winds, striking them down, climbe upward on wings un∣seen, and at last are swallowed up, and taken in to their own home. If these be as willing to heare others, as they are empty themselves, he who sayes least may win them; and so be, that they will bow at all, they may meet with stronger leaders, of the highest worthinesse, such as it will be no shame to them were they more,

and better then they are, to yeeld to, if yeelding it selfe be not a shame) (where we run heedlesly upon things forbidden, which we should shun, where we scorn to own, and as it behoves us forsake our oversights) which now with too many it is. If nothing else will take here, this may; I bring a mind free from love or hatred, I am sworn to no mans words, I am bound to no man; I may say it, and belie∣ved; there is not the least tie upon me which might sway me fowly from the truth, if I stood not so fast as I should doe. So then, as I am not worth the sin (nor any man else) I am not bought, I have no wicked, no unrigh∣teous score to be wiped out; Nothing but dearest truth has drawn me forth, and that without the trimming or gilding of any mans hand or wit, has its kindly lovelinesse; like Heaven above, it shines bright from its own beames.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Aristot. de gener. ani∣mal. l. 4.