VNTILL
The time that it was Last conquered:
Wherein the sundrie alterations
of the state
vnder Forren people is declared;
and other Manifold observations
remembred:
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BY RAPHAEL HOLINSHED
* * * * *
Now NEWLIE read Over, and DILIGENTLIE digested into bookes and chapters, with their seuerall arguments prefixed, CONTEINING an abridgement of the whole historie, for the helpe of the readers iudgement and memorie:
With two Tables of particulars,
The one serving the description, the other the historie:
BY ABRAHAM FLEMING.
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LAUS HISTORIAE ex I. LELANDO.
Quod Sol AETHEREO PRAESTAT PULCHERRIMUS
ORDI,
HISTORIA HUMANIS VBIBUS hoc TRIBUIT.
TO
The readers studious in histories.
* * * * *
The order obserued in the description of Britaine, by reason of the necessarie diuision thereof into bookes and chapters growing out of the varietie of matters therein conteined, seemed (in my iudgement) so conuenient a course deuised by the writer, as I was easilie induced thereby to digest the historie of England immediatlie following into the like method: so that as in the one, so likewise in the other, by summarie contents foregoing euerie chapter, as also by certeine materiall titles added at the head of euerie page of the said historie, it is a thing of no difficultie to comprehend what is discoursed and discussed in the same.
Wherein (sith histories are said to be the registers of memorie and the monuments of veritie) all louers of knowlege, speciallie historicall, are aduisedlie to marke (among other points) the seuerall and successiue alterations of regiments in this land: whereof it was my meaning to haue [Sidenote: Pag. 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 26, 27, 28, 49, 50, 51, of the description: and pag. 765, 766, of the historie of England.] made an abstract, but that the same is sufficientlie handled in the first booke and fourth chapter of the description of Britaine; whereto if the seuenth chapter of the same booke be also annexed, there is litle or no defect at all in that case wherof iustlie to make complaint.