THe most excellent and famous lear­ned clearke Eras­mus of Roterodā among so many learned volumes whiche he in hys lyfe tyme wrote, with such excellency, that they yet do and euer shal preserue the name and renowne of so wor­thye [Page] a man, euen for that on­lye thyng woon not the least praise among learned mē, nor deserued least thanke of poste­ritie, that he so well and true­lye translated oute of Greeke into latin twoo tragedies of Euripides, whereof the one is named Hecuba, & the other Iphiginia. For as all men that can iudge of that work, must needes highly commend him that hathe so lernedly done it so muste all studientes of the Greeke tongue needes render him great thākes, that hath opened thē such a gate therto Whē I therfore (most hono­rable Earle) considered wyth [Page] my selfe that suche a man of whome the worlde yet after his deth resowndes, disdaind not sometyme to leaue euen the studye of the diuine scrip­tures to turn his pen a while to the profite and furtherāce of youth, I thought it not re­pugnāt to my duty if I shold also for a time set a side y ^e bo­kes of old Philosophers, Ari­stotle and Plato, and once en­deuour to shew my selfe so lo­uing to my countreye, as to helpe for the small talēt that god hath geuē me, to conduct by som meanes to further vn derstādīg the vnripened schol lers of this realm, to whom I [Page] thought it shoulde be no lesse thankful for me to enterprete som latyn work into this our owne tongue, then for Eraf­mus in Latyn to expounde the Greeke, to them that are already good and perfite lati­nistes. Neither coulde I satis­fie my self, til I had through oute thys whole tragedye of Seneca a graue and wise wri ter so trauailed that I had in englysh geuen verse for verse, (as far as the englysh tongue permitts) and word for word wyth the latyn: whereby I might both make some tryal of my self, and as it were te [...]h the little children to goe that [Page] yet canne but creepe. Whiche thing when I had broughte to passe, & fully finished thys little worke, I thought with my self how gretly it mighte auail me, to haue the authori tie of som noble mā, my shield against the sting of euil tōgs. wherfore when I considered that your honor so gretly fa­uoured lernīg, that ye vouch­safed to sēd vnto the vniuersi tie of oxford, of which I am a mēbre, your derest & eldest son my lord Henry whom I haue there well knowen, and so to trade him in time of tēder ye­res, that hysriper age, might bothe geue your honor cause [Page] to ioy ī him & vs to thāk your honor for him, I haue presu­med vpō hope of pardō formi boldnesse, y ^e rather for his sake to dedicate this simple worke vnto your honour, as well to signifie the poore good wyll of a scholler, as also to render to your honor most hūble thā kes, that it hath plesed so ho­norable an Erle to honor our vniuersitie of Oxforde, with the presēce of such a yōg lord so worthye a Gentlemā. The whiche my attempt I truste your honour wil for this the rather pardō, that although this simple woorke, which I here offer be farre vnworthy [Page] to be of your honor receiued, yet is it a meete gift for me to present: who as I am a schol ler, so cā I geue nothing but a schollers gifte, namelye the practise of my pen, the which beseching your honour none otherwise to accept thē Christ accepted the two mites whi­che the poore womā offred in the tēple, I end with praier to hym, for the prosperous con­tinuance and encrease ofyour lordshippes honorable estate and dignitie.