OF all bookes extant in all kinds , Homer is the first and best . No one All bookes of humane wisedome . before his ( Iosephus affirmes , ) nor before him ( saith Velleius Paterculus ) was there any whom he imitated : nor after him , any that could imitate him . And that Poesie may be no ca●…se of detraction from al the eminence we giue him ; Spondanus ( preferring it to all Arts and sciences ) vnanswerably argues and proues . For to the glory of God , and the singing of his glories , ( no man dares deny ) man was chiefly made . And what art performes this chiefe end of man , with so much excitation , and expression as Poesie ? Moses , Dauid , Salomon , Iob , Esay , Ieremy , &c. chiefly vsing that to the end abouesaid . And since the excellence of it cannot be obtained by the labor and art of man ( as all easily confesse it , ) it must needs be acknowledged , a diuine infusion . To proue which in a word , this distich , ( in my estimation ) serues something nearely :

For out of him ( according to our most graue and iudicial Plutarch ) are all Arts deduced , confirmed , or illustrated . It is not therfore the worlds vilifying of it , that can make it vile : for so we might argue , & blaspheme the most incomparably sacred . It is not of the world indeed : but ( like Truth ) hides it selfe frōit . Nor is there any such reality of wisdomes truth in all humane excellence , as in Poets fictions . That most vulgar & foolish receipt of Poeticall licence , being of all knowing men to be exploded ; ( accepting it , as if Poets had a tale-telling priuiledge aboue others , ) no Artist being so strictly , and inextricably confined to all the lawes of learning , wisedome , and truth , as a Poet. For were not his fictions composed of the sinewes and soules of all those ; how could they differ farre from , and be combined with eternitie ? To all sciences therefore , I must still ( with our learned and ingenious Spondanus ) preferre it ; as hauing a perpetuall commerce with the diuine Maiesty ; embracing and illustrating al his most holy precepts ; and enioying continuall discourse with his thrice perfect , and most comfortable spirit . And as the contemplatiue life is most worthily & diuinely preferred by Plato , to the actiue ; as much as the head to the foote ; the eye to the hand ; reason to sence ; the soule to the bodie : the end it selfe , to all things directed to the end : quiet to motion ; and Eternitie to Time ; so much preferre I diuine Poesie to all worldly wisedome . To the onely shadow of whose worth yet , I entitle n●…t the bold rimes of euerie Apish and impudent Braggart , ( though he dares assume any thing ) such I turne ouer to the weauing of Cobwebs ; and shall but chatter on molehels ( farre vnder the hill of the Muses ) when their fortunat'st selfloue and ambition hath aduanced them highest . Poesie is the flower of the Sunne , & disdains to open to the eye of a candle . So kings ●…ide their treasures , & counsels from the vulgar ; ne euilescant ( saith our Spond . ) we haue example sacred enough ; that true Poesies humility , pouerty & contempt , are badges of diuinity ; not vanity . Bray then , and barke against it ye Wolf-fac't worldlings ; that nothing but honours , riches , and magistracie , nescio quos , turgidè spiratis ( that I may vse the words of our friend still , ) Qui solas leges Iustinianas crepatis ; paragraphum vnum aut alterum , pluris quàm vos ipsos facitis , &c. I ( for my part ) shall euer esteeme it much more manly and sacred , in this harmelesse and pious stu●…e , to sit till I sinke into my graue , then shine in your vainglorious bubbles , and impieties ; al your poore policies , wisedomes , and their trappings , at no more valuing then a musty Nut. And much lesse I wey the frontlesse detractions of some stupide ignorants ; that no more knowing me , then their owne beastly ends ; and I , euer ( to my knowledge ) blest from their sight ; whisper behind me vilifyings of my translation : out of the French affirming them ; when both in French , and all other languages but his owne , our withall-skill enriched Poet , is so poore and vnpleasing , that no man can discerue from whence flowed his so generally giuen eminence , and admiration . And therfore ( by any reasonable creatures conference , of my sleight comment , and conuersion ) it will easily appeare how I shunne them : and whether the originall be my rule or not . In which , he shall easily see , I vnderstand the vnderstandings of all other interpreters , and commenters in places of his most depth , importance , and rapture . In whose exposition and illustration , if I abhorre from the sence that others wrest , and racke out of him ; let my best detractor examine how the Greeke word warrants me . For my other fresh fry , let them fry in their foolish gals ; nothing so much weighed as the barkings of puppies , or foistinghounds ; too vile to thi●…ke of our sacred Homer , or set their prophane feete within their liues lengths of his thresholds . If I faile in something , let my full performance in other some restore me ; haste spurring me on with other necessities . For as at my conclusion I protest , so here at my entrance , lesse then fifteene weekes was the time , in which all the last twelue books were entirely new translated . No conference had with any one liuing in al the nouelties I presume I haue found . Only some one or two places I haue shewed to my worthy and most learned friend , M. Harriots , for his censure how much mine owne weighed : whose iudgement and knowledge in all kinds , I know to be incomparable , and bottomlesse : yea , to be admired as much , as his most blameles life , and the right sacred expence of his time , is to be honoured and reuerenced . Which affirmation of his cleare vnmatchednesse in all manner of learning ; I make in contempt of that nastie obiection often thrust vpon me ; that he that will iudge , must know more then he of whom he iudgeth ; for so a man should know neither God nor himself . Another right learned , honest , and entirely loued friend of mine , M. Robert Hews , I must needs put into my confest conference touching Homer , though very little more then that I had with M. Harriots . Which two , I protest , are all , and preferred to all . Nor charge I their authorities with any allowance of my generall labour ; but onely of those one or two places , which for instances of my innouation , and ●…ow it shewed to them , I imparted . If any taxe me for too much periphrasis or circumlocution in some places , let them reade Laurentius Valla , and Eobanus Hessus , who either vse such shortnesse as cometh nothing home to Homer ; or where they shun that fault , are ten parts more paraphrastical then I. As for example ; one place I will trouble you ( if you please ) to conferre with the originall , and one interpreter for all . It is in the end of the third booke ; and is Hellens speech to Venus , fetching her to Paris , from seeing his cowardly combat with Menelaus : part of which speech I will here cite :

〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 &c. For auoiding the common readers trouble here , I must referre the more Greekish to the rest of the speech in Homer , whose translation ad verbum by Spondanus , I will here cite ; and then pray you to conferre it with that which followeth of Valla.

Valla thus :

Quoniam victo Paride , Menelaus , me miseram , est reportaturus ad lares , ideo tu , ideo falsa sub imagine venisti , vt me deciperes ob tuam nimiam in Paridem beneuolentiam : eò dum illi ades , dum illi studes , dum pro illo satagis , dum illum obseruas atque custodis , deorum commercium reliquisti , nec ad eos reuersura es ampliùs ; adeò ( quantum suspicor ) aut vxor eius ●…fficieris , aut ancilla , &c.

Wherein note if there be any such thing as most of this in Homer ; yet only to expresse ( as he th●…nkes ) Homers conceipt , for the more pleasure of the reader , he vseth this ouerplus dum illi ades , dum illi studes , dum pro illo satagis , dum illum obseruas , atque custodis , deorum commercium reliquisti . Which ( besides his superfluitie ) is vtterly false . For where he saith , reliquisti deorum commercium , Hellen saith , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , deorum autem abnega , or abnue vias , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , ( vel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as it is vsed poetically ) signifying denegare , or abnuere ; & Hellen ( in contempt of her too much obseruing men ) bids her renounce heauen , and come liue with Paris till he make her his wife or seruant ; scoptically or scornefully speaking it : which both Valla , Eobanus , and all other interpreters ( but these ad verbum ) haue vtterly mist. And this one example I thought necessarie to insert here , to shew my detractors that they haue no reason to vilifie my circumlocution sometimes , when their most approued Grecians , Homers interpreters , generally hold him fit to be so conuerted . Yet how much I differ , and with what authoritie , let my impartiall , and iudiciall reader iudge . Alwaies conceiuing how pedanticall and absurd an affectation it is , in the interpretation of any Author ( much more of Homer ) to turn him word for word ; whe●… ( according to Horace and other best lawgiuers to translators ) it is the part of euery knowing and iudiciall interpreter , not to follow the number and order of words , but the materiall things themselues , and sentences to weigh diligently ; and to clothe and adorne them with words , and such a stile and forme of Oration , as are most apt for the language into which they are conuerted . If I haue not turned him in any place falsly ( as all other his interpreters haue in many , and most of his chiefe places ; ) if I haue not left behind me any of his sentence , elegancie , height , intention , and inuention : if in some few places ( especially in my first edition , being done so long since , & following the common tract ) I be somthing paraphrasticall & faulty ; is it iustice in that poore fault ( if they will needs haue it so ) to drowne all the rest of my labour ? But there is a certaine enuious Windfucker , that houers vp and downe , laboriously engrossing al the aire with his luxurious ambition ; and buzzing into euery eare my detraction ; affirming I turne Homer out of the Latine onely , &c. that sets all his associates , and the whole rabble of my maligners on their wings with him , to beare about my empaire , and poyson my reputation . One that , as he thinkes , whatsoeuer he giues to others , he takes from himselfe ; so whatsoeuer he takes from others , he addes to himselfe . One that in this kinde of robberie , doth like Mercurie , that stole good , and supplied it with counterfeit bad still . One like the two gluttons , Phyloxenus and Gnatho , that would still emptie their noses in the dishes they loued , that no man might eate but themselues . For so this Castrill , with too hote a liuer , and lust after his owne glorie , and to de●…oure all himselfe , discourageth all appetites to the fame of another . I haue striken , single him as you can . Nor note I this , to cast any rubbes , or plasters out of the particular way of mine owne estimation with the world ; for I resolue this with the wilfully obscure :

But to discourage ( if it might be ) the generall detraction of industrious , and well-meaning vertue . I know I cannot too much diminish , and deiect my selfe ; yet that passing little that I am , God onely knowes ; to whose euer-implored respect , and comfort , I onely submit me . If any further edition of these my sillie endeuors shall chance , I will mend what is amisse ( God assisting me ) and amplifie my harsh Comment to Homers farre more right , and mine owne earnest , and ingenious loue of him . Notwithstanding , I know , the curious , and e●…uious , will neuer sit downe satisfied . A man may go ouer and ouer , till he come ouer and ouer ; and his paines be onely his recompence : euery man is so loded with his particular head ; and nothing in all respects perfect , but what is perceiued by few . Homer himselfe hath met with my fortune , in many maligners ; and therefore may my poore-selfe , put vp with motion . And so little I will respect malignitie ; and so much encourage my selfe with mine owne knowne strength , and what I finde within me , of comfort , and confirmance ; ( examining my selfe throughout , with a farre more iealous and seuere eye , then my greatest enemie ; imitating this : Iudex ipse sui totum se explorat ad vnguem , &c. ) That after these Iliads , I will ( God lending me life and any meanest meanes ) with more labour then I haue lost here , and all vncheckt alacritie , diue through his Odysses . Nor can I forget here ( but with all heartie gratitude remember ) my most ancient , learned , and right noble friend M. Richard Stapilton , first most des●…rtfull mouer in the frame of our Homer . For which ( and much other most ingen●…ous and vtterly vndeserued desert ) God make me amply his requiter ; and be his honorable families speedy and full restorer . In the meane space , I intreate my impartiall , and iudiciall Reader ; that all things to the quicke he will not pare ; but humanely and nobly pardon defects ; and if he find any thing perfect , receiue it vnenuied .