Therefore beware (gentle Reader) you catch not the hicket with laughing. Imprinted at a Place, not farre from a Place, by the Assignes of Signior Some-body, and are to be sold at his shoppe in Trouble-knaue Street, at the signe of the Standish. TO THAT MOST Comicall and conceited Caualeire _Monsieur du Kempe, Iestmonger and_ Vice-gerent generall to the Ghost of Dicke Tarlton. _His louing brother Cutbert Curry-knaue sendeth Greeting._ Brother Kempe, as many alhailes to thy person as there be haicocks in Iuly at Pancredge: So it is, that what for old acquaintance, and some other respectes of my pleasure, I haue thought good to offer here certaine spare stuffe to your protection, which if your sublimitie accept in good part, or vouchsafe to shadow with the curtaine of your countenance, I am yours till fatall destiny two yeares after doomes day. Many write bookes to knights and men of great place, and haue thankes, with promise of a further reward for their paines: others come of with a long Epistle to some rufling Courtier, that sweares swoundes and bloud as soone as euer their backe is turnd, a man can not goe in the streetes for these impudent beggers. To auoide therefore as well the worthlesse attendance on the one, as the vsuall scorne of the other, I haue made choise of thy amorous selfe to be the pleasant patron of my papers. If thou wilt not accept of it in regard of the enuy of some Citizens, that can not away with argument, Ile preferre it to the soule of Dick Tarlton, who I know will entertaine it with thankes, imitating herein that merry man Rablays, who dedicated most of his workes to the soule of the old Queene of Nauarre many yeares after her death, for that she was a maintainer of mirth in her life. Marry God send vs more of her making, and then some of vs should not liue so discontēted as we do: for now a dayes, a man can not haue a bout with a Balletter, or write _Midas habet aures asininas_ in great Romaine letters, but hee shall bee in daunger of a further displeasure. Well, come on it what will, Martin and I will allow of no such doinges, wee can cracke halfe a score blades in a backe-lane though a Constable come not to part vs. Neither must you thinke his worship is to pure to be such a swasher, for as Scipio was called Africanus, not for relieuing and restoring, but for subuerting and destroying of Africa: so he and his companions are called Puritans, not for aduancing or supporting of puritie, by their vnspotted integritie, but of their vndermining and supplanting it by their manifold heresies. And in deed therein he doth but apply himselfe to that hope which his holinesse the Pope and other confederate forriners, haue conceiued of his towardnesse. For comming from Venice the last Summer, and taking Bergamo in my waye homeward to England, it was my happe soiourning