Boke

Sir Robert Saville writing to Sir Robert Cotton, appointing an interview with the founder of the Bodleian Library, cautions Sir Robert, that “If he held any book so dear as that he would be loath to lose it, he should not let Sir Thomas out of his sight, but set ‘the boke’ aside beforehand.”

Therefore to make complaynt / Of such mysadvysed / Parsons and dysgysed, / Thys boke we have devysed, […]

That is / like as the church doth read yͤ bokes of Iudith / Thobias / and the Machabees / but receaveth them not emonge the canonicall ſcriptures / even ſo let it read theſe two bokes (he meaneth yͤ boke of ſapience and eccleſiaſticus) vnto the edefyinge of the people / and not to confirme the doctrine of the church therbye.

Fyrſt therfore to ſpeake of Spayne, ⁊ by the teſtimonie of oulde autours to declare the commodities therof: Plinie a graue ⁊ faythful autour, in the laſt boke ⁊ laſt chapiture of his natural hiſtory greatly commendynge Italy aboue al other contreys, giueth the ſecond prayſe vnto Spaine, aſwel for al ſuch thynges as in maner the heuen can geue ⁊ the earth brynge furth for the commoditie of this lyfe as alſo for the excellente wittes of men ⁊ Ciuile gouernaunce.