_To the right worshipfull, my singular good frend, M. Gabriell Harvey, Doctor of the Lawes._ Harvey, the happy above happiest men I read**; that, sitting like a looker-on Of this worldes stage, doest note with critique pen The sharpe dislikes of each condition: And, as one carelesse of suspition, Ne fawnest for the favour of the great, Ne fearest foolish reprehension Of faulty men, which daunger to thee threat: But freely doest of what thee list entreat,@ Like a great lord of peerelesse liberty, Lifting the good up to high Honours seat, And the evill damning evermore to dy: For life and death is in thy doomeful writing; So thy renowme lives ever by endighting. Dublin, this xviij. of July, 1586. Your devoted friend, during life, EDMUND SPENCER. [* From “Foure Letters and certaine Sonnets especially touching Robert Greene, and other parties by him abused,” &c. London, 1592. TODD.] [** _Read_, consider.] [@ _Entreat_, treat.] II*. Whoso wil seeke, by right deserts, t’attaine Unto the type of true nobility, And not by painted shewes, and titles vaine, Derived farre from famous auncestrie, Behold them both in their right visnomy** Here truly pourtray’d as they ought to be, And striving both for termes of dignitie, To be advanced highest in degree. And when thou doost with equall insight see The ods twist both, of both then deem aright, And chuse the better of them both to thee; But thanks to him that it deserves behight@: To Nenna first, that first this worke created, And next to Iones, that truely it translated. ED. SPENSER. [* Prefixed to “Nennio, or A Treatise of Nobility, &c. Written in Italian by that famous Doctor and worthy Knight, Sir John Baptista Nenna of Bari. Done into English by William Iones, Gent.” 1595. TODD.] [** _Visnomy_, features.] [@ _Behight_, accord.] III*. _Upon the Historie of George Castriot, alias Scanderbeg, King of the Epirots, translated into English._ Wherefore doth vaine Antiquitie so vaunt Her ancient monuments of mightie peeres, And old heröes, which their world did daunt With their great deedes and fild their childrens eares? Who, rapt with wonder of their famous praise, Admire their statues, their colossoes great, Their rich triumphall arcks which they did raise, Their huge pyrámids, which do heaven threat. Lo! one, whom later age hath brought to light, Matchable to the greatest of those great; Great both by name, and great in power and might, And meriting a meere** triumphant seate. The scourge of Turkes, and plague of infidels, Thy acts, O Scanderbeg, this volume tels. ED. SPENSER. [* Prefixed to the “Historie of George Castriot, alias Scanderbeg, King of Albanie: Containing his famous actes, &c. Newly translated out of French into English by Z.I. Gentleman.” 1596. TODD.] [** _Meere_, absolute, decided.] IV*.