Against Popery, Dedication 2
To the Chriſtian readers, eſpecially to my VVorſhipfull and other louing friends in Kent, London, Eſſex, Suffolke, and elſwhere.
BEloved I am not ignorant, howe dangerous a thing it is to write bookes in theſe daies, partly in reſpect of the greate varietie of all learning in many, vvhichwhich thereby are able more eaſilie to finde a fault in any man his vvritings, then the author (for the most part) himſelfe, and partly of the great curioſity of other vvhichwhich are readie to reprehend the best, and to finde a knot in a ruſh; yea not onelyonly to carpe at that vvhichwhich deſerueth no blame, but oftentimes to condemne that vvhichwhich they ought rather to commend, or vvhichwhich at the leaſt they cannot amende. The conſideration of this, did at the firſt make me for a long time to vviſh this labour that I hauehave novve taken, to hauehave beene ſet vponupon by ſome other, more able to hauehave gone (as we ſay) through-ſtitch therewith then my ſelfe, before I durſt once beginne to ſet my penne to paper for the writing my meditations thereof. After alſo that I had begun ana finiſhed this treatiſe, in ſuch ſort as novv it commeth forth (ſome ſmale things onelyonly excepted) I ſtaied the publiſhing thereof, to ſee if any other vvould hauehave preuented me in this argument, that ſo I might not hauehave laide my ſelfe open to thoſe reprehenſions and cenſures, vvhichwhich nowe perhaps I may incurre and ſuſtaine. At the laſt ſeeing none other to deale therein, and thinking it to be a thing very profitable, yea beeing perſvvaded of the profit thereof by ſome other, whome I deſired to read the ſame written; (as vvhoſe iudgements I did much better truſt vntounto then to my ovvne) I laid aſide all ſuch feare: and reſpecting the cō mon good of many, more then mine owne priuate credit and eſtimation vvith a few, I hauehave boldly committed it (as ye ſee) vntounto the print, and doe novve exhibite it vntounto your reading. Although therefore it may be, that it ſhall paſſe through the fierie and ſharpe purgatorie of many ſuch quicke heads & nimble tongues, as to vvhichwhich almost nothing will be welcome: yet I hope that it ſhall alſo finde courteous and fauurable entertainment with many, which will make ſuch profitable vſe thereof, as I hauehave commended in the ende, and in regard whereof, I regard not all the obloquie of the other. I craue alſo yea and truſt, that what faultes ſoeuer hauehave eſcaped me herein, they may be the more fauourably interpteted, and the more eſilie pardoned, becauſe this treatiſe is not onelyonly the firſt fruites of my labours thus publiſhed, but alſo ſuch an argument, as wherein I doe not remember any other profeſſedly to hauehave taken the like paines. If hereafter any man of great learning generally and particularly of much reading and deepe iudgement in diuinitie, ſhall thinke this worke to be inſufficient in this kinde, and ſhall therefore take the ſame theame in hand, and handle it more ſubſtantially and ſufficiently: I ſhall not onelyonly not enuy the ſame or be grieued therevvith, but I will alſo vvillingly accept it, reuerently eſteemē it, and be hartely glad of it. In the meane time I entreat all Christian readers of this booke, thankfully to looke, and charitably to peruſe the ſame, euen as they would hauehave others to accept the like trauell of themſelues. Neither let them be offended vvith my plaine manner of handling theſe arguments, but rather let them ſeriouſly vvaie the matter and ſubſtance it ſelfe. For it is not fineneſſe of vvordes but pith of matter that must edifie to the vvorking, confirming, or increaſing of true faith and godlines. Good and whole ſome meate is not the vvorſe to be liked, for beeing ſerued to the table in a earthen or wodden veſſell. If alſo one argument pleaſe not, yet let no man be diſcouraged, but let him proceede to the next, and ſo to them that followe. Where there is varietie of diſhes, there men not liking of one vvill taſt of an other. The like fauour I entreat in the reading of theſe arguments, hoping that the further men proceede in reading this treatiſe, the better ſauour they will finde therein. Nowe as I entreat all Chriſtian readers generally to accept courteouſly of my paines in this booke, ſo more specially I pray the ſame of ſuch, as are my friends dwelling in the places before mentioned, or elſwhere. For beeing ſpecially bound vntounto them, either by kindnes or by kinred, and beeing not able to doe that good to theſe that nature it ſelfe requireth, I was the more willing to publiſh this treatiſe, as a teſtimonie of my thankefulnes to the one, and of my welwiſhing mind vntounto the other. As therefore in this speciall respect, I doe offer this generall treatiſe vntounto them both, that they may make the more ſpeciall vſe thereof vntounto themſelues, ſo I doe deſire them eſpecially to accept it.
Touching the addition of the dainties of poperie annexed to the treatiſe, partly to ſhew the vnlearned learning of their popiſh great clarks in diuinitie, when poperie it ſelfe was at her top and top gallant; and partly to diſcouer the abominable blaſphemies, and blaſphemous abominations of their religion: (vvhichwhich to many perhaps were before ſecret and altogether vnknowne) touching this addition (I ſay) of the ſe things I doe alſo deſire that it may find the like courteous entertainment. And leaſt any man ſhould thinke that theſe things thus added, were gathered out of ſuch authors as were of no account in their church, (as likewiſe many ſlender things might be collected out of the bookes of ſome ſimple writers amongst vsus, that are of no reputation in our church) leaſt alſo touching thoſe things that I hauehave gathered out of their ſeruice bookes, any ſhould imagine them to be ſuch, as they themſelues ſhould now diſclaime, I hauehave ſufficiently preuented theſe obiections in the addition it ſelfe, ſhewing that the authors by me here tra…uced, had great allowance from the Popes owne vnholines, and were of high eſtimation in their churches, and likewiſe proouing their ancient ſeruice books in the things here expreſſed, not to differ frō their new books newly reformed by the coūcil of Trēt, neither yet to be any whit in a manner now reuoked. Much other the like popiſh traſh I might hauehave noted out of other the like popiſh bookes, but to avoid tediouſnes vntounto other, I did the more willingly ſpare my owne paines. Thus committing your ſelues with the ſucceſſe of theſe my labours vntounto the Lord (who worke both in you and in me more perfect hatred of popery and all other errours, and more vnfained louelove of his truth, that we may the better continue therein, and be the more plentiful in all the fruits thereof,) I do louingly take my leaue of you, frō Billerim in Eſſex the ſeuenth of March in the yeere of our Lord according to the cōputation of the church of England 1597. almost nowe ended.
Yours in the Lord vnfainedly Thomas Stoughton.