Meditations Upon Eight Psalms, Title page – To the reader
Chriſtian meditations vponupon eight Pſalmes of the Prophet Dauid. Made and newly ſet forth by Theodore Beza.
Tranſlated out of Frenche, for the common benefite, into the vulgare tongue by I. S.
¶ Imprinted at London in Bacon houſe, by Chriſtopher Barker, printer to the Queenes moſt excellent Maieſtie.
To eueryevery Chriſtian Reader, and namely to the Lady Anne Bacon, now wife to Sir Nicolas Bacon Knight.
I Truſt (Madame) the alone names of Dauid and Beza, which is the honourable title of this litle booke, will not alone procure it a reuerende welcome into your hands, but withall againſt all men will both warrant and defend the tranſlators price to be woorth his labour, as that which will recompence his fewe ſpent houres, with the much profite and pleaſure of many. For, beſides the cō mon helpe it brings to all, for more cleare underſtanding and expounding thoſe eight pſalmes: it is ſingularly medicinable to wounded and caſt downe conſciences, who after their labor ſome combate with ſinne, …nd profitable humiliation there through, nay againe by theſe ſweete Meditations …riſe with ioy, finding happie iſſue of their troubles. And this, as it was my ſimple iudgement vponupon firſt reading, euen ſo is it my comfortable experience vponupon reading and reading againe. Which was one thing that made me, among others, to thinke of you, good Madame, as to whoſe tender conſcience it might be welcomly applyed. But what neede that holy Prophet, and this reuerend Paſtor, this my worde of poore credite? It is as if the leaſt Pleiade would affoord ſome poore helpe of light to Sunne and Moone: I muſt learne therefore to come downe, and know mine owne place, acknowledging my ſelfe to borrowe or begge both light and credite from them, if I may be vouchſafed but the fauour of a ſtammering trucheman to ſo worthy an Hebrew, and to ſuch a Frenchman. VponUpon both whoſe warrantiſe (as it were) a double voucher, I wholy relye and reſt ſecure for ſufficient approofe of the matter of my tranſlation. Nowe a worde or two for this dedication, wherein my choiſe was not ſo much to content my ſelfe, but to goe rather as neere as poſſible to the continuance of the Authours own verie meaning. He firſt purpoſed it to a Ladie, preuented by her death, gaue it yet to a Ladie, & that to a Ladie Anne Bacon, wife to that Lorde late of great honour, & for euer of Chriſtian fame, Sir Nicholas Bacon Knight, father to Sir Nicholas Bacon Knight, huſband to this Ladie Anne Bacon. Being therfore by this meanes ſtill continued in the ſelfe ſame …ne of the Ladie Anne Bacon, wife alſo to Sir Nicholas Bacon, and that in the ſame houſe, ſo néere, as from fathers wife to ſonnes wife: I halfe preſume vponupon, and yet humbly crane leaue of that learned Ladie Anne Bacon, to whom the Authour did firſt appropriate it, that as ſhee was once one with the father, and by him hath déere pledges: So ſhée will not thinke this any impropriation, but in her good affection to all that houſe, ſuffer them to receiue by her the honour of ſome particular intereſt with her in ſo ſweete a labour of the Authour: who in his Epiſtle makes moſt honourable memorie of her huſbande, and giues teſtimonie of good reputation to her ſonne. Although therefore, I confeſſe my ſelfe of verie duty to louelove al that good Brotherhoode, firſt for their louelove to the trueth, with other agreeable vertues of wiſedome and true honeſtie, and then for that louelove which it pleaſeth eueryevery one of thē (I wote not howe without my merit) kindly to beare me: yet in giuing this to their eldeſt brothers wife, and ſo to them all, I neither giuegive them nor pay them ought, but yéeld them their owne, and which I might not hauehave giuen to any other, vnleſſe beyond the right of a tranſlator, I would hauehave taken vponupon me to tranſlate that into a ſtrange familie, which ſeemes as a very heirloome properly belonging to Bacon houſe.
So wiſhing you (good Madame) moſt happie going forward in a ſimple hearted profeſſion of Gods Eoſpell to the good enſample of your owne houſhold, and a ſhining light among your neighbours: I the leaſt of them, beſeech the Lorde Ieſus to bleſſe you and Sir Nicholas, together with his meaſe of religious brethren, ſo as growing in faith and louelove, they may be a faſt holding bundle of brethren in Chriſt, who keepe you all euer his, and one anothers. From Th. 31. May. 1582.
Yours verie faithfull to command, I. S. S.