"Hosius" in his episcopal robes, having in his right hand an hatchet, in his left a book, "De Origine Heresium:" in the centre a tree having been twice cut by the bishop, the root "rayling," the body "rebellion," branches "bloodshed," leaves " lyes," and apples atheisme," other trees in the distance; two shields in the corners; the one with our Saviour on the cross," insigne veritatis;" the other, an ape and a cock "in signe falsitatis." On the following page, more ingeniously explained, by

"The Translatoure upon the figure before going. "Who planted this tree, which there is set oute?

Sathan, the sower of syn, withoute doute.
The rote is rayling: but can you tell why?

Take away rayling and heretykes dy.
The body is rebellion: wherefore can you tell?*
For a cap they be redy their Prince to expell.
The braunces is blodshed: knowe you the cause?
Thei wold kil (if thei could) al without lawes.
But why with lyes arre so loden the leaves?

Ah, heresie with lyes all the woride deceaves.

The apples be atheisme; what doth that meane?

Heresie removeth religion cleane.

Wherefore dothe Sathan so sowrely loke?

Oh, he is angry at Hosius' boke.

What meaneth the crosse, which here you do carve?
The badge of truth, which never doth swarve.
What meaneth the cock which here I do fynde?
The badge of heretykes, which wave with the wynde.
But what doth the ape under the cock?

Signifieth heretykes, which holy thinges mock."

The Epistle Dedicatory of the translator is "To the moste excellent and gratious Pryncesse Elyzabeth by

"Samson, Humfiey, Cole, with others."

the

the grace of God, Quene of England, Fraunce, and Irelande, defendoure of the faythe: your moste hum ble and obedient subject, Richard Schacklock, hartily wysheth all grace and peace from God, with long reigne, honour, helth, and prosperitie."

The translator commences his dedication with assigning the reason for performing the task.— "Althoughe my faythefull and obedient hart towarde your Royal Maiesty (most sovereigne and gracyouse Lady) be so well knowen to God and all good men', that it may seme neadeles to declare any outwarde testimonial of it, yet because (as St. Chrysostome sayth) God wolde never have made the mouthe, if it had bene inough in hart to thynck well, I could not at thys tyme content my conscience, onles I dyd gyve an open and evident signification of my secret fidelitie, loyaltie, and humble obedience toward your most excellent Maiesty.

"The which, because I was not able to wytnesse unto the world, ether by famouse feates of armes, for lacke of experience; ether in brynging golden gyftes, for lack of abilitie; either in writyng workes of nue invention, for fault peradventure of learnyng and knowledge; I thought, I myght declare no small token of a true subjectes harte towarde your gracyouse hyghenes, in travaylyng to translate some godly worke of some worthy wryter; and when I had translated it, to dedicate it to youre excellent Maiestie: * specyally seing your Hyghnes even from your tender age, hath bene trayned up in the treasure howse of learnyng, not so muche bewtyfyed with byllementes and precyouse

"The education of our noble Quene."

pearles,

pearles, as garnyshed with marvaylouse gyftes of grace and godlynes, and even with the increase of yeares, hathe had an increasyng desyre of true science and knowledge in so much, that I here it reported credi bly, and beleve it verily, that every nyght callyng your selfe to an accompt, according to Pythagoras councell, howe you have spent the day, if by reason of consulting and caryng for youre common wealth, any day scape withoute learnyng of one lesson oute of some godly authour, you be wont to saye unto them, which be aboute your noble grace, Frendes, this day have I loste, for I have learned never a lesson.'* O sentence

worthy to be pronounced of so excellent a Prynce! O saying worthie to be translated in to all languages and to be written in letters of golde!"

The translator afterwards assigns the cause of translating and presenting his work, "Not that I dyd thynk any such lack of Latten to be in your grace, that your grace could not understand it in the tongue in the which the fyrst author dyd wryte it, for God hathe made youre grace as it were hys treasure howse. of tounges; youre fame florysheth for the Frenche, your renome spreadeth farre for the Italian, your glory glystreth for the Greke, and many other laudable languages;" but that men when told matter of impor tance had rather have the same in their mother tongue : and who is more worthy to have bokes dedicated to them of veritie, which is lykened to syncere and pure virginitie, then youre grace, a most cleare, bryght, and unspotted virgin? who is more mete to receave that precyouse juel which was presented to the wyse, wer

"A golden sentence of our excellent Quene." But was not this golden sentence borrowed from the Emperor Vespasian? Editor.

tuouse

tuouse and catholyke Kyng of Poole, then you, one of the best learned, graciouse, victoriouse, mereyfull, Prynces under the Pole," &c. This dedication occupies ten pages, Roman type, and concludes "I desyre God to be youre grace's buckler in hattayle, youre pillar in peace, youre leader in all the slyppery wayes of this lyff, and your crowner in the blessed kyngdome which is to come Amen. Your grace's faythfull

and obedient subject,

RICHARD SHACKLOCK."

Then follow three stanzas of seven lines each, "The Translatoure upon the holy writer Hosius."

The author's Epistle Dedicatory is "To the moste redoubted and moste Christian Prince, his renomed Lorde, Lorde Sigismund, by the grace of God, Kyng of Poole, great Duke of Luten, Lorde and Heyre of Russia, Prussia, Masovia, Samogitia, &c. his gratiouse Lorde; Stanislaus Hosius, Byshop of Wormes, profereth his lowly service." By which the work appears an answer to "a certayne booke compyled by Ihon 'Brentius, whiche Petrus Paulus Vergeri feared not to dedicate unto youre grace." This was called the golden book, but of more harm than the gold of Tolosa; "a proverbe which had this begynnyng-when Quintus Cepio toke bi assaulte the citie of Tolosa in Italy, there was founde in the temples greate plentie of golde, which being taken away, all that had any parte thereof, dyed myserably; whereof happened this proverbe, when anye man fynished his lyfe miserablie, men wolde say that he had gold of Tolosa." Subscribed oute of my Castell of Heilsbergh, in the Ides of Octobre, M. D.LVII." 15 pages in Italic characters.

"Michael

"Michael Scrius Dantis canos Prussia, Lectori.

"Volve Stanislai, Lector studiose, libellum,
Nobilis eloquio Præsulis atque fide.
Detegit hic primos errores temporis hujus,
Et tua ab hæreticis pectora tuta facit."

"The Translatoure his paraphrase upon those verses.
"With markyng minde peruse this booke
Of holy Hosius here,

To whome, thoughe very farre thou looke,
Thou scant shalt fynde a pere:

In learnyng and in lyfe

For golden wordes to sounde,

In heaven the lyke perchaunse be ryffe,
But few in yearthe be founde.

Of heresies he doth detect

The rootes here and the sprynges:

To hartes with heresies infect,

A sovereigne salve he brynges.

R. S."

After this introductory matter comes "A Treatise of the beginnyng of Heresies in oure tyme." For running title "The Hatchet of Heresies," 95 folios of black letter. Then, "Oratio R. Shacklocki pro Regina, Regno, et toto Christianismo," 29 lines, the table faults escaped, and concludes with

"An Admonition to the fault-fynder. "If mo faultes in this boke thou fynde, Yet think not the correctoure blynde; If Argos here hym selfe had bene, He sholde perchaunce not all have sene: Al wordes awry mend without stryffe, And, wordes amended, redresse thy lyfe.

RYCHARD SHACKLOCK."