Brief Treatise on Proverbs 11:22, Colophon – To the reader
Printed at London by Felix Kingston for Richard Boyle, and ƲƲilliam Ihones. 1613.
Faults escaped through the imperfection of the Copie.
PAge 63. line 18. for first, read (fift.) pa. 66. l. the last put out (great). p. 73. l. the last put out (they.) pa. 105. l. 5. in the margent for Ier. 27. read (17.) pa. 131. line. 1. for feare, read (food.) p. 155. line 18. for and read (an.)
As these faults are not many nor great, so the rest (as the omitting, misplacing, or mistaking of a section, comma, colon, semicolon, or period and sometimes of a letter) as they cannot but besomewhat harsh to the iudicious, so they will not (I hope) hinder the ingenuous Reader.
TO THE CHRISTIan Reader.
BEing the last sommer sauing one, solitarie in the Country, I was much refreshed by the weekelie letters of one M. Iohn Withyman, a learned and godly yong man, who (if pouerty had not compelled him to spend that time in attending vponupon the presse, which hee should and most gladly would hauehave bestowed vponupon his study) might hauehave proued (in mine opinion) if God had prolonged his daies and blessed his labors, a man in all learning (especially diuine, whereunto hee was deuoted, being a minister and preacher of the word) inferiour to few that I know in this age. This good yong man, being my kind neighbour, and hauing beene sometime my seruant and scholler in the Citie; and after (by my meanes) placed in the vniuersitie, (where for the time his profiting was not ordinary) did in one or two of his letters request mee, that if I had any thing lying by me, that I thought might be of vse for Gods people, and a benefit to him, I would send it to him, because now he had good leisure to perfect and publish it, faithfully promising that he would vse such liberty in adding and detracting, & altring both the phrase and matter, as that it might bee trulie counted his owne. VponUpon this condition I sent him this little Somewhat which here you see, not doubting, but that (according to his promise) hee would hauehave put a better coate and shape vponupon it; but beeing preuented by the stroake of God, which at that time was to him so vnexpected (but for which he was at no time vnprepared) it returned (after some space of time) to mee againe as it went from mee, whereupon I entered into some doubtfull deliberation what to doe with it, inclining rather to bury it in silence, then to suffer it to see the light, in this censorious and learned age, yet in fine (being incouraged by some friends) I gaue way to the publishing of it; trusting by the mercy of God, that it may be profitable to some, and hoping that it wil neither be offensiue nor hurtfull to any; for which I pray, and desire thee therein to ioyne with me. Thus hauing plainly and truely shewed thee the occasion of this bolde aduenture. I commend vsus all to the grace of God in Iesus Christ this 18. of December. 1612.
Thine in the Lord S. E.
End of the text · Stephen Egerton, Brief Treatise on Proverbs 11:22 (1613)