Therfore whatsoeuer sence that tyme I minded to write, I wrate y^e same either in greke or latine. As firste of all certein commentaries vpon certein bokes of William framinghã, maister of art in Cambrige, a man ot great witte, memorie, diligence and learnyng, brought vp in thesame scholes in Englande that I was, euer frõ his beginnyng vntil his death. Of the which bokes, ij. of _cõtinẽtia_ (or cõtinence) wer in prose, y^e reste in metre or verse of diuerse kindes. One a comforte for a blinde mã, entitled _ad Aemilianum cæcum consolatio_, one other _Ecpyrosis, seu incendiũ sodomorũ_, the burnyng of Sodome. The thirde _Laurentius_, expressyng the tormentes of Saincte Laurence. The fourthe, _Idololatria_, Idolatrie, not after the trade and veine of scripture (wherein he was also very well exercised) but conformable to scripture and after the ciuile and humane learnyng, declaryng them to worshippe _Mars_, that warre, or fight: _Venus_, that lyue incontinently: _Pluto_, that folowe riches couetousely; and so forth through all vices vsed in his time. The fiueth boke _Arete_, vertue: the sixth, Epigrãmes, conteined in two bokes, whiche by an epistle of his owne hand before y^e boke yet remainyng, he dedicated vnto me, purposyng to haue done many more prety thynges, but that cruell death preuẽted, and toke him away wher he and I was borne at Norwiche, in the yere of our Lord M.d.xxxvij. the xxix. daie of September, beynge then of the age of xxv. yeres, vij. Monethes, and vj. daies, a greate losse of so notable a yonge man. These workes at his death he willed to comme to my handes, by (6) which occasion after I had viewed thẽ, and perceiued them ful of al kyndes of learnyng, thinkyng thẽ no workes for all mẽ to vnderstande with out helpe, but such as were wel sene in all sortes of authours: I endeuoured my selfe partely for the helpe of others, & partly for mine owne exercise, to declare vpon theim the profite of my studie in ciuile and humane learnynge, and to haue before mine eyes as in a worke (which was alwaies my delyght) how muche I had profited in the same. Thys so done, I ioyned euery of my commentaries to euery of hys saied bokes, faier written by Nicolas Pergate puple to the saied Maister Framyngham, myndyng after the iudgement of learned men had in thesame, to haue set theim furthe in prynte, if it had ben so thought good to theim. For whyche cause, at my departynge into Italie, I put an Epistle before theym dedicatorye to the right Reuerend father in God Thomas Thirlbye, now Bishoppe of Norwiche, because thesame maister Framyngham loued hym aboue others. He after my departure deliuered the bokes to the reuerende father in god Jhõ Skippe, late bishop of Hereforde, then to D. Thirtle, tutor to the sayd maister framynghã, frõ him to syr Richard Morisine, now ambassadoure for y^e kinges maiestie with thẽperour, then to D. Tailour Deane of Lincolne, and syr Thomas Smithe, secretarie after to y^e kynges Maiestie, all great learned men.