MOST Noble and Illustrious Drinkers , and you thrice precious Pock●fied blades ; ( for to you , and none else do I dedicate my writings ) Alcibiades , in that Dialogue of Plato's , which is entituled ▪ The Banquet , whil'st he was setting forth the praises of his Schoolmaster Socrates ( without all question the Prince of Philosophers ) amongst other discourses to that purpose said , that he resembled the Silenes . Silenes of old were little boxes , like those we now may see in the shops of Apothecaries , painted on the outside with wanton toyish figures , as Harpyes , Satyrs , bridled Geese , horned Hares , saddled Ducks , flying Goats , Thiller Harts , and other such like counterfeted pictures at discretion , to excite people unto laughter , as Silenus himself , who was the foster-father of good Bacchus , was wont to do ; but within those capricious caskets were carefully preserved and kept many rich jewels , and fine drugs , such us Balme , Ambergreece , Amamon , Musk , Civet , with several kindes of precious stones , and other things of great price . Iust such another thing was Socrates , for to have eyed his outside , and esteemed of him by his exterior appearance , you would not have given the peel of an Oinion for him , so deformed he was in body , and ridiculous in his gesture : he had a sharp pointed nose , with the look of a Bull , and countenance of a foole : he was in his carriage simple , boorish in his apparel , in fortune poore , unhappy in his wives , unfit for all offices in the Common-wealth , alwayes laughing , tipling , and merrily carousing to every one , with continual gybes and jeeres , the better by those meanes to conceale his divine knowledge : now opening this boxe you would have found within it a heavenly and inestimable drug , a more then humane understanding , an admirable vertue , matchlesse learning , invincible courage , unimitable sobriety , certaine contentment of minde , perfect assurance , and an incredible misregard of all that , for which men commonly do so much watch , run , saile , fight , travel , toyle and turmoile themselves .

Whereunto ( in your opinion ) doth this little flourish of a preamble tend ? For so much as you , my good disciples , and some other jolly fooles of ease and leasure , reading the pleasant titles of some books of our invention , as Gargantua , Fessepinet Pantagruel , Whippot , the dignity of Cod-peeces , of Pease and Bacon with a Commentary , &c. are too ready to judge , that there is nothing in them but jests , mockeries , lascivious discourse , and recreative lies ; because the outside ( which is the Title ) is usually ( without any farther enquiry ) entertained with scoffing and derision : but truly it is very unbeseeming to make so slight account of the works of men , seeing your selves avouch that it is not the habit makes the Monk , many being Monasterially accoutred , who inwardly are nothing lesse then monachal , and that there are of those that weare Spanish caps , who have but little of the valour of Spaniards in them . Therefore is it , that you must open the book , and seriously consider of the matter treated in it , then shall you finde that it containeth things of farre higher value then the boxe did promise ; that is to say , that the subject thereof is not so foolish , as by the Title at the first sight it would appear to be .

And put the case that in the literal sense , you meet with purposes merry and solacious enough , and consequently very correspondent to their inscriptions , yet must not you stop there as at the melody of the charming Syrens , but endeavour to interpret that in a sublimer sense , which possibly you intended to have spoken in the jollitie of your heart ; did you ever pick the lock of a cupboard to steale a bottle of wine out of it ? Tell me truly , and if you did call to minde the countenance which then you had ? or did you ever see a Dog with a marrow-bone in his mouth ( the beast of all other , saies Plato , lib. 2. de Republica , the most Philosophical ) if you have seene him , you might have remarked with what devotion and circumspectnesse he wards and watcheth it ; with what care he keeps it : how fervently he holds it : how prudently he gobbets it : with what affection he breaks it : and with what diligence he sucks it : to what end all this ? what moveth him to take all these paines ? what are the hopes of his labour ? what doth he expect to reap thereby ? nothing but a little marrow : True it is , that this little is more savoury and delicious then the great quantities of other sorts of meat , because the marrow ( as Galen testifieth , 5. facult. nat. & 11. de usu partium ) is a nourishment most perfectly elaboured by nature .

In imitation of this Dog , it becomes you to be wise , to smell , feele and have in estimation these faire goodly books , stuffed with high conceptions , which though seemingly easie in the pursuit , are in the cope and encounter somewhat difficult ; and then like him you must , by a sedulous Lecture , and frequent meditation , break the bone , and suck out the marrow ; that is , my allegorical sense , or the things I to my self propose to be signified by these Pythagorical Symbols , with assured hope , that in so doing , you will at last attaine to be both well-advised and valiant by the reading of them ; for in the perusal of this Treatise , you shall finde another kinde of taste , and a doctrine of a more profound and abstruse consideration , which will disclose unto you the most glorious Sacraments , and dreadful mysteries , as well in what concerneth your Religion , as matters of the publike State , and Life oeconomical .

Do you beleeve upon your conscience , that Homer whil'st he was a couching his Iliads and Odysses , had any thought upon those Allegories , which Plutarch , Heraclides , Ponticus , Fristatius , Cornutus squeesed out of him , and which Politian filched againe from them : if you trust it , with neither hand nor foot do you come neare to my opinion , which judgeth them to have beene as little dreamed of by Homer , Frere lubin croque lardon . as the Gospel-sacraments were by Ovid in his Metamorphosis , though a certaine gulligut Fryer and true bacon-picker , would have undertaken to prove it , if perhaps he had met with as very fools as himself ( and as the Proverb saies ) a lid worthy of such a kettle ; if you give no credit thereto , why do not you the same in these jovial new chronicles of mine ; albeit when I did dictate them , I thought upon no more then you , who possibly were drinking ( the whil'st ) as I was ; for in the composing of this lordly book , I never lost nor bestowed any more , nor any other time then what was appointed to serve me for taking of my bodily refection , that is , whil'st I was eating and drinking . And indeed that is the fittest , and most proper hour , wherein to write these high matters and deep Sciences : as Homer knew very well , the Paragon of all Philologues , and Ennius , the father of the Latine Poets ( as Horace calls him ) although a certain sneaking jobernol alledged that his Verses smelled more of the wine then oile .

So saith a Turlupin or a new start-up grub of my books , but a turd for him . The fragrant odour of the wine ; O how much more dainty , pleasant , laughing , * * Riant , priant , friand . celestial and delicious it is , then that smell of oile ! and I will glory as much when it is said of me , that I have spent more on wine then oile , as did Demosthenes , when it was told him , that his expense on oile was greater then on wine ; I truly held it for an honour and praise to be called and reputed a frolick Gualter , and a Robin goodfellow ; for under this name am I welcome in all choise companies of Pantagruelists : it was upbraided to Demosthenes by an envious surly knave , that his Orations did smell like the sarpler or wrapper of a foul and filthy oile-vessel ; for this cause interpret you all my deeds & sayings in the perfectest sense ; reverence the cheese-like brain that feeds you with these faire billevezees , and trifling jollities , and do what lies in you to keep me alwayes merry . Be frolick now my lads , cheer up your hearts , and joyfully read the rest , with all the ease of your body and profit of your reines ; but hearken joltheads , you viedazes , or dickens take ye , remember to drink a health to me for the like favour again , and I will pledge you instantly , Tout ares metys .