Penny Dreadfuls, 1602 · page 372 of 400
Penny Dreadful Cover — page 372: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a prefatory page of prose addressed "To the Reader." The author explains that he has observed clergy and parsons becoming entangled in lengthy, digressive historical chronicles of England, making them difficult to follow. To remedy this, he claims to have created a shortened, accessible passage through the entire "Legend of the maine, State-Occurrants" that can be read in one or two hours uninterrupted. He invites future authors to amend or add epitomes of histories of Ireland, Pict-Land, the Isle of Man, Wales, and other territories under England's monarchy, which he would gladly praise. The page is signed by W. Warner, appearing to be an introductory dedication rather than part of the main narrative text.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
: > Ften Bl I obits fede ‘even 1 Pat: NE & fons, largely read in our Chroni- hs . cles ofthis Land, tohaue beenin- — pptricated’ onely in pafling a long “i their natural Channels : Nomar- £ —_ oo me Gale ucll then(thecommon Currants. being alfo choked with fomany impertinent digref- fions, and fome meere nugations ) that the moft of vs, leffe literate, hold not at all any dire& Courfe in fo anincombred, contufe, & crooked a Mzander. Tohelpe Herel re thefelatters I haue, as yee fhall now heare,opened to them fo fhort and facileaPaf- | fage,that whofoeuer, in one or two howers, may cut _ thorough, vninterrupted, the whole Legend of the maine, State-Occurrants hapning howfoeuer, and whenfoeuer in England. Ifany {hal hereafter either amend this, or adde new Epitomes of the Hiftories © of Ireland, Pi&-Land,the I fle of Man and of Wales (fometimes alfo Ancient Kingdomes, whofe Terri- tories are prefently vnder Englands Monarchie ) gladly fhall I applaufe that Penne : confefling in mine a Pouertie of Arte, worthy no better than the an{werable patronizing of fome my former thanks- ‘ftarued dedications. Yours in aught erred to be ewe ae 7 NER 1