TO THE

READER.

CER

ERTAINLY that man would be greedy of life, who should defire to live when all the world was at an end; and he must needs be very impatient, who would repine at death in the fociety of all things that fuffer under it. Had not almost every man fuffered by the prefs, or were not the tyranthereof become universal, I had not wanted reafon for complaint : but in times wherein I have lived to behold the highest perversion of that excellent invention, the name of his Majefty defamed, the honour of parliament depraved the writings of both depraved, ly anticipatively, and counterfeit

ny

ly

LETTER

From the AUTHOR

To Sir KENELM DIGBY.

Upon the information of animadver fions to come forth, upon the imperfect and furreptitious copy of Religio Medici, whilst this true one was going to prefs

HONOURED SIROL

IVE your fervant, who hath ever honoured

you,

leave to

take notice of a book at prefent in the prefs, intitled, (as I am inform'd) Animadverfions upon a treatife lately printed under the name of

Re

}

Religio Medici; hereof, I am advertifed, you have condefcended to be the author. Worthy Sir, permit your fervant to affirm there is contained therein nothing that can deferve the reafon of your contradictions, much less the candour of your animadverfions and to certify the truth thereof, that book (whereof I do acknowledge myself the author) was penned many years paft; and (what cannot efcape your apprehenfion) with no intention for the prefs, or the leaft defire to oblige the faith of any man to its affertions. But what hath more especially emboldened my pen unto you at present is, that the fame piece, contrived in my private ftudy, and as an exercife unto myfelf rather than an exercitation for any other, having paft from my

hand

hand under a broken and imperfect copy, by frequent transcription it ftill run forward into corruption, and after the addition of fome things, omiffion of others, and tranfpofition of many, without my affent or privacy, the liberty of thefe times committed it unto the prefs; whence it iffued fo difguifed, that the author without diftinction could not acknowledge it. Having thus mifcarried, within a few weeks I fhall, God willing, deliver unto the prefs the true and intended original, whereof, in the mean time, your worthy felf may command a view; fo that, when ever that copy fhall be extant, it will moft clearly appear how far the text hath been mistaken, and all obfervations, gloffes, or exercitations thereon, will, in a great

1

part,