Dedicatory.
blessed saviour, Saint Paule, and all the Writers since his time (both auncient and latter) have made profession of this part of Divinity; so that he was an unskilfull Devine and not apt to teach, which could not at his fingers end speake of these things: for (saith our Saviour) If I tell you earthly things and ye beleeve not, how shall ye beleeve when I tell you heavenly things?
Salomon, as it is witnessed in holy Scripture, wrote of Plants, of Birds, of Fishes, and Beasts, and even then when he stood in good favour with God, therefore it is an exercise of the highest Wisdome to travell in, and the Noblest mindes to study in: for in it as I wil shew you (with your good patience for I have no other Præface) there is both the knowledge of god and man. If any man object Multa multi de musca de apicula de vermiculo, pauca de Deo, I will answer with the words of Theodorus Gaza: Permulta enim de Deo is tractat, qui doctrina rerum conditarum exquisitissima, conditorem ipsum declarat, neque musca, neque vermiculus omittendus est ubi de mire solertia agitur. Wherunto Saint Austen agreeth when he saith, Maiestatem divinam æque in formicæ membris atque magno inuento tranante fluuium. And for the knowledge of man, many and most excellent rules for publicke and private affaires, both for preserving a good Conscience and avoiding an evill danger, are gathered from Beasts: It were to long to run over all, let me (I beseech you) be bold to reckon a few which discend from nature our common parent, and therefore are neither strained, counterfait, inconstant, or deceitfull; but free, full of power to perswade, true, having the seale of the highest for their evidence; constant and never altered in any age: faithfull, such as have beene tryed at fire and Touch-Stone.
Were not this a good perswasion against murder, to see all beasts so to maintaine their natures, that they kill not their owne kind. Who is so unnaturall and unthankfull to his parents, but by reading how the young Storkes and Wood-peckers do in their parents olde age feed and nourish them, will not repent, amend his folly, and bee more naturall? What man is so void of compassion, that hearing the bounty of the Bone-breaker-Birde to the young Eagles, will not become more liberall? Where is there such a sluggard and drone, that considereth the labours, paines, and travels of the Emmet, Little-bee, Field-mouse, Squirrell, and such other that will not learne for shame to be more industrious, and let his fingers to worke? Why should any man living fall to do evill against his Conscience, or at the temptation of the Devill, seeing a Lyon will never yeeld: Mori scit unici nescit; and seeing the little Wren doth fight with an Eagle, contending for Soveraignty? Woulde it no make all men to reverence a good King set over them by God? Seeing the Bees seeke out their King if he loose himselfe, and by a most sagacious smelling-sence, never cease till he be found out, and then beare him upon their bodies if he be not able to fly, but if he die they all forsake him. And what King is not invited to clemency, and dehorted from tyranny, seeing the king of Bees hath a sting, but never useth the same?
How great is the love and faithfulnesse of Dogges, the meeknesse of Elephants, the modestly of shamefastnesse of the adulterous Lyonesse, the neatnesse and politure of the Cat and Peacocke, the justice of the Bee which gathereth from all flowers that which serveth their turne, and yet destroyeth not the flower. The care of the Nightingale to make her voice plesant, the chastity of a Turtle, the Canonicall voice and watchfulnesse of a Coeke, and to conclude the utility of a Sheepe: All these and ten thousand more I could recite, to shew what the knowledge of the nature of brutish creatures doth worke or teach the minds of men, but I will conclude this part with the words of S. Jerom against Jovinian. Ad Herodem dicitur propter malitiam. Ite & dicite vulpibuic. Luke 13. ad Scribus & Pharisæos genimina viperatum Mat. 23. ad libidinosos equi hinmetes inproximoru foeminas. Jer. 5. de voluptuoso nolite mittere margaritas vestras ante porcos. De impudientibus, neque sanctum date canibus Mat, 7. de infidelibus Ephesi cum bestijs, pugnavi in similitudine hominum, And thus farre S. Jerom: whereby we may boldly averre by way of induction, that wherein the knowledge of God, the knowledge of man, the precepts of Vertue, the meanes to avoid evill are to be learned, that Science is Divine and ought of all men to be inquired and sought after: and such have I manifested in this history following.
Now againe the necessity of this History is to be preferred before the Chronicles and re-
