76To the great Variety of Readers.
77FRom the mo
st able, to him that can but
spell: There
78you are number'd. We had rather you were weighd.
79E
specially, when the fate of all Bookes depends vp-
80on your capacities : and not of your heads alone,
81but of your pur
ses. Well! It is now publique, & you
82wil
stand for your priuiledges wee know : to read,
83and cen
sure. Do
so, but buy it
fir
st. That doth be
st 84commend a Booke, the Stationer
saies. Then, how odde
soeuer your
85braines be, or your wi
sedomes, make your licence the
same, and
spare
86not. Iudge your
sixe-pen'orth, your
shillings worth, your
fiue
shil-
87lings worth at a time, or higher,
so you ri
se to the iu
st rates, and wel-
88come. But, what euer you do, Buy. Cen
sure will not driue a Trade,
89or make the Iacke go. And though you be a Magi
strate of wit, and
sit
90on the Stage at
Black-Friers, or the
Cock-pit, to arraigne Playes dailie,
91know, the
se Playes haue had their triall alreadie, and
stood out all Ap-
92peales; and do now come forth quitted rather by a Decree of Court,
93then any purchas'd Letters of commendation.
94 It had bene a thing, we confe
sse, worthie to haue bene wi
shed, that
95the Author him
selfe had liu'd to haue
set forth, and ouer
seen his owne
96writings; But
since it hath bin ordain'd otherwi
se, and he by death de-
97parted from that right, we pray you do not envie his Friends, the o
ffice
98of their care, and paine, to haue colle
cted & publi
sh'd them; and
so to
99haue publi
sh'd them, as where (before) you were abus'd with diuer
se
100stolne, and
surreptitious copies, maimed, and deformed by the frauds
101and
stealthes of iniurious impo
stors, that expos'd them: euen tho
se,
102are now o
ffer'd to your view cur'd, and perfe
ct of their limbes; and all
103the re
st, ab
solute in their numbers, as he conceiued thẽ. Who, as he was
104a happie imitator of Nature, was a mo
st gentle expre
sser of it. His mind
105and hand went together: And what he thought, he vttered with that
106ea
sine
sse, that wee haue
scar
se receiued from him a blot in his papers.
107But it is not our prouince, who onely gather his works, and giue them
108you, to prai
se him. It is yours that reade him. And there we hope, to
109your diuers capacities, you will
finde enough, both to draw, and hold
110you: for his wit can no more lie hid, then it could be lo
st. Reade him,
111therefore; and againe, and againe: And if then you doe not like him,
112surely you are in
some manife
st danger, not to vnder
stand him. And
so
113we leaue you to other of his Friends, whom if you need, can bee your
114guides: if you neede them not, you can leade your
selues, and others.
115And
such Readers we wi
sh him.
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