The Wonderful Workmanship of the World, Title page – Dedication 2
THE WONDERFVLL VVOORKMANSHIP OF THE WORLD:
wherin is conteined an excellent diſcourſe of Chriſtian naturall Philoſophie, concernyng the fourme, knowledge, and vſe of all thinges created: ſpecially gathered out of the Fountaines of holy Scripture, by Lambertus Danaeus: and now Engliſhed, by T. T.
❧Imprinted at London for Andrew Maunſell, in Paules Church-yard at the ſigne of the Parret. 1578.
To the right honorable Syr Francis walſingham Knight, one of the principall Secretaries to the Queenes Maieſtie, and of her moſt honourable priuie Counſell.
I HaueHave bin deſirous, Right honorable, and that of long tyme, vvith many other to vvhom your moſt godly diſpoſition hath bin often reported, not only to congratulate, but alſo to honor the ſame vvith ſome poore teſtimonie of myne vnfeined good vvill And novv occaſion ſumdeale fauourably grauntyng vntounto my requeſt, hope hath alſo pricked mee forevvarde to myne attempt, that no ſtudie or traueill vvherby the true knovvledge & feare of God is to bee learned, can come vnvvelcome, or ſeeme diſhonorable vntounto your honour. If noneother examples, yet the vndoubted vvord of life vvorthily Engliſhed and ſet foorth vnderunder your Right Honorable protection, doth ſufficiently prooue: beeſides your moſt feruent zeale in embracing true Religion, and aduauncing the ſyncere vvorſhipping of Almightie God, by meanes vvhereof your fame is ſpread far among forreine nations. Thus am I not diſcouraged, but rather hartened, ſemblably vvith duetie to offer this my ſimple trauell vntounto your honour, beeing the vvoorthy vvoorke of the learned Diuine M. Lambert Danaeus of Geneua, concerning Christian Naturall Philoſophie, & the vvonderfull vvoorkemanſhip of this vvorld. A vvoorke doubtleſſe of great auaill, to the knovvledge of God in his creatures. A vvorke of vvonderfull efficacie, to ſet foorth the honour and glorie of God the Creator. A vvoorke of merueilous force to ſtirre vp mens mindes to the contemplation of true knovvledge and learning, vvhiche is gathered out of the holy Scriptures only. A vvoork of rare effect to declare the prayſe of God the vvoorkman, and to establiſhe aſſured fayth, and true religion. To bee ſhort, a vvoorke ſo farre ſurpaſſing all other vvoorkes of like argument, vvriten either by Chriſtian or Heathen Philoſophers, as the proofes and auctorities vſed by them both bee differing: the one beeyng founded vppon the aſſured ground of Gods vvoord and holy Scriptures, the other eſtabliſhed vponupon the fickle foundation of mans reaſon & iudgement. This vvoorke therefore, Right Honorable, ſo profitable, ſo pleaſant, ſo neceſſarie, ſo full of varietie of Godly matter, ſo ſubſtancially grounded by vvarrant of Scriptures, ſo ſurely confirmed by auctoritie of Doctours and Fathers, in moſt humble and duetifull maner I preſent vntounto your honor. Hoping, that as in the Latine it hath bin generally liked of the learned, ſo likevviſe you vvill not miſlike that it novv go abroad in the Engliſhe tōgue vnderunder the protection of your Right Honorable name, by him vvho reſteth your honours moſt hūble at cōmaundement:
Thomas Twyne.
To the right honourable, the Lord Friderike of Nachod, Lorde of Danouiz and of Beſke, &c. his verie good Lorde and Patrone.
AVncient and noble is the queſtion concernyng the originall of the worlde, and firſte beeginning of all things, Right honorable Baron, which hath not only long tyme and much troubled the wittes of the Philoſophers, but alſo of Chriſtians, & in the end by reaſon of the diuerſe iudgements of men hath reſted ſo doubtfull, that many graue writers coulde not tell what to determine therin. For amōg the Chriſtiās, Origen, in his bookes of the beginnings (which bookes aboue the reſidue moſt men do iudge to bee his woorthy woork) and they which after him wrote the Examera, are ſo diuided in opinions, that nothing may ſeeme certeinly to bee gathered out of their writinges. But among the Philoſophers, men ignorant of God and his trueth, there is farre more diuerſitie of opinions, ſo that concernyng this matter a man may better gheaſſe than vnderſtand by their doctrine what hee hath to follow. Now touchyng theſe Philoſophers, perhaps there is no ſuch cauſe to wonder at their blindnes in ſo great a matter, and that thei were ſo deepely drowned in darknes, foraſmuch as they were deſtitute of Gods woord, that is to ſay, the true light of knowledge. But among Chriſtians ſuche diſoorde and diſagreement cannot with like vprightnes bee excuſed, for that there is but one way of the trueth, wherof they might hauehave found moſt aſſured groundes in the woord of God, if they had had regard therto. What was thā the cauſe of ſo greate diſagreement among the Chriſtians concernyng this matter? Forſooth it was the Heathen Philoſophie, with the preceptes wherof they were not onelyonly then inſtructed and infected, but many alſo of them beeing ſtuffed, bee witched and deceiued therwith, (in reſpect that they aſcribed moſtvnto this art) would graunt and admit nothyng whiche they ſuppoſed to bee repugnant to the principles thereof. And this miſcheif did not onelyonly continue in the tyme of our forefathers, and the firſte age of the Churche, whiche many hauing learned in the ſchooles of the Philoſophers euen in their tender yeeres, and afterward beeing conuerted to the faith of Chriſt, could not eaſily lay doune and chaunge thoſe opinions whiche they had receiued beefore, and of long tyme moſt ſtudiouſly embraced. Yea now, ſince the name of the Philoſophers is extinguiſhed, it cannot bee plucked out of the minds of many that would bee called Chriſtians: ſo deepely forſooth the admiration and reuerence of this Heathen Philoſophie is imprinted within the mindes of ſome men, and of ſo great a force it is, as the Prouerbe fayeth, in tender youth, and as it were with the Mothers milke, to accuſtome a mans ſelf vntounto errour, as it were vntounto the preceptes of trueth. And therefore I doe not doubt, but that this my woorke concerning Chriſtian Naturall Philoſophie, that is to ſay, how to refourme the opiniōs of the Philoſophers by the woord of God, ſhalbee reprooued of many, and therfore hath need of ſome noble and great perſonage, that is welbecloued among all eſtaſtes, to bee patrone vntounto it, by whoſe auctoritie beeing defended, and fauour cōmended, it may ſafely and acceptably come abroade into mens hands to bee read. You only, right honorable, are hee vntounto whoſe name therefore I dedicate the ſame, how far ſoeuer I bee diſioyned from you by diſtance of place. And as for your honour, there wanteth nothyng in you, that may ſuffice to diſcomfite the force of all enemies, if ſo bee that you can well like of this woork, and doe accept it vntounto your protection. For if it might pleaſe you to oppoſe that ſame your moſte ſingulare and true Chriſtian godlines of minde, againſt the old and ſtubburne crue of heathen men concerning this part of Philoſophie, in reſpect that you do ſyncerely and purely woorſhippe God by direction of his vndoubted woord, weighyng and examinyng eueryevery thing accordyng to that as a moſt certeine rule: there is no man that doubteth but that there is more credite to be giuen vntounto your iudgement, than to all the rabble of thoſe blind Philoſophers. But as touching other, I will obiect your greate honour and auctoritie for a ſhielde beetweene them and mee for my defence, whiche auctoritie of yours beeyng by you purchaſed in the ſight of all men by meanes of infinite benefites by you beeſtowed vponupon the Churches of Boheme and Morauia, is farre and wide renouined in the mouthes of all people, and knowne vntounto thoſe nations that know not your perſon: whiche alſo is eaſily able by the excellencie thereof to put to ſilence the ſlaunderous tongues of certein light perſons. And whereas all men whiche know you, doe graunt and confeſſe, that I doe not falſly attribute theſe prayſes vntounto you, then your moſte noble Sunne, and no leſſe heire to your vertues, than ſucceſſour to your goodes, Iohn George, prooueth and declareth the ſame. VVho both of hys owne naturall inclination, and by the inſtruction and diligence of the right learned and godly man Vuenceſlaus Lauanus his ſcholemaſter, beeyng the expreſſe patterne and image of your vertue, how greate the ſame vertues bee in you, may bee by eueryevery man eaſily perceiued. And truely, all wee that liue heere, profeſſe that wee are mutch beeholden vntounto you for this cauſe, for that you hauehave giuen vsus a pleadge of youre ſingulare louelove towardes vsus, namely your Sunne, at whoſe handes wee expect all good things. And in that you would hauehave this notable teſtimony of the agreement of your Churches with ours in the true and auncient fayth, to bee extant in the ſight of all men: which that it may continually ſo remaine, and neuer bee broken of through any contention amongeſt men, wee ceaſe not to make our prayers to Almightie God. And that ſame deſire whiche is in you to deſerue well of all nations bee they neuer ſo farre of, is not only a ſingulare vertue, but alſo moſt worthy of a Chriſtiā, which aboue all other is moſt familiar and proper vntounto you. And although you doe farre excell in nobilitie of birthe, as deſcendyng from the moſt auncient houſe of the Nachoſij (whom I ſuppoſe to bee the onelyonly remainders of the moſte renoumed ſtock of the Nariſci) and alſo of the moſte ſtout and martiall family of the Moranians (who are ſucceſſours to the people called Marcomanni, that were ſumtyme fearefull enemies to the Romanes, yea when they were in their moſt floriſhyng ſtate) amōg whom you enioye very large poſſeſſions: notwithſtanding your greate humanitie and gentlenes which is vntounto you a peculiare vertue, ſhal farre more excellently aduaunce your name among al ages. And as touchyng my booke, I had rather it were knowne by the effect it ſelfe, than by my report, what and how greate the commoditie thereof is. How beeit this will I ſay in fewe woordes, that therein I hauehave breifly comprehended whatſoeuer I coulde reade to hauehave binne diſputed by the auncient and holy Fathers, either againſt the Philoſophers, or Heretikes: and that I hauehave not intermingled any queſtion which they hauehave not handled beefore: neither hauehave omitted any thing whiche ſeemed might ſtande in ſteede towardes the vnderſtanding of their writinges. Wherein I will plainly confeſſe vntounto you, I hauehave not ſo mutch ſtudied to ſatiſfie the humour of curious perſons, as to aduaunce the commoditie of ſtudious young men. And therfore I hope it will come to paſſe, that your honours moſte noble Sunne the Lord Iohn, with other young Princes, beeyng mooued by your auctoritie, will follow ſutch kindes of ſtudies whiche they ſhall perceiue to bee acceptable, and that woorthily, vntounto ſo greate eſtates. Fare you well.
VVritten the Calendes of December. 1575. Your honours moſt aſſured, and euer readie: Lambert Danaeus, Frenchman.