DEDICATION.

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To the most noble and victorious Prince, EDWARD Duke of SOMERSET, Earl of Hertford, Viscount Beauchamp, Lord Seymour, Governor of the per son of the King's Majesty, and Protector of all his realms, his Lieutenant-general of all his armies, both by land and by sea, Treasurer and Earl Marshal.of England, Governor of the Isles, of Guernsey and Jersey, and Knight of the most noble order of the Garter: John Hooper wisheth grace and peace with long and gracious life in the living God, through Christ Jesus, our only Saviour.

The godly pretence and consideration of your warfare of late into Scotland, most gracious and victorious Prince, and the just occasion given by your enemies to use the force of your most mighty and virtuous army, the Lord hath so magnified with prosperous and victorious success, that it seemeth not only a victory, most noble and worthy of perpetual memory; but also to be esteemed as a singular favour and merciful benediction of God, given from heaven, who accustometh many times unto such a godly pretenced purpose, to annex and add an external sign and testimony of his good will; that the world should not only acknowledge him to be the God of battle, and say, "This thing is done by the Lord, and is wonderful in our eyes;" but also remember that thus the Lord useth to bless such, as fear his name, both in war and in peace.

And as every godly and good man doth praise the divine Majesty of God for his inestimable favour and grace in this heavenly victory: so he is to be called upon always hereafter to follow your Grace with like aid and consolation, that the thing, godly begun,

amity and friendship be restored, that God by the creation of the world appointed to be in that one realm and island, divided from all the world by the imparking of the sea, by natural descent of parentage and blood, one in language and speech, in form and proportion of personage one, one in manner and condition of living, and the occasion of all discord and hatred be banished, that the good Scottish-Englishman may confess and do the same at home, that he doth in foreign and strange countries; calling an Englishman always his countryman, and studious to do him pleasure before any other nation of the world. The breach of this divine and natural friendship is the very work of the devil by his wicked members, that have not taught Scotland only disobedience unto her natural and lawful Prince and superior power, the King's Majesty of England; but also the contempt of Christ and his most holy word. Through all the world their iniquity and malice is fulfilled, and God's mercy sufficiently declared. For seeing they will not repent, he revengeth their injustice with his most dreadful ire, not only extenuating their force and diminishing their strength; but also he infatuateth and turneth into foolishness their most prudent and circumspect counsels. As it appeared in this battle, where God used your Grace as a means to your immortal renown, to obtain a glorious and celestial victory against his enemies and yours, that were not only match and equal in force with your army, but also treble, or at the least double in number, as strangers report, at the first onset. A gracious and good beginning at the first brunt of your Grace's godly vocation unto so high honour, not only to defend the King's Majesty's most noble person and the realm, but also to better and perfect the crown, if God will, in reconciling the unnatural and ungodly hatred between

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members of one body, which of right and office should be as the right hand and the left, in peace. and amity, to resist and withstand the force of all strange and foreign assault and violence.

And as this victory and triumph is to be rejoiced at, so then, why God gave it, is most diligently to be considered, who giveth the upper hand in the world to godly princes, because his afflicted church should have some place to rest itself in, and the kingdom of God to be amplified in truth and verity. The effect thereof must be followed, that as well the ministry of the church be enriched with the word of God, as the civil kingdom with worldly honour; as I am assured your most noble Grace right well knoweth. Notwithstanding, because the right of every just and lawful heir is half lost and more, when his title and claim are unknown, I have written this little book, containing what Christ is, and what his office is; that every godly man may put to his helping hand to restore him again unto his kingdom, and I have dedicated the same unto your noble Grace, unto whom God hath not only committed the defence of a politic and civil realm, but also the defence of his dear Son's right, Jesus Christ, in the church, who hath sustained open and manifest wrong these many years, as it appeareth by his evidence and writings, the Gospel sealed with his precious blood.

And whereas I cannot make his cause and right as plain as it meriteth, nor as it is decent for him, that would offer and prefer any matter to so prudent and mighty a Prince; my good-will and diligence is accepted of God in Christ, I doubt not, though it be very little that I can do; and trust likewise that for the merits of this simple and manifest verity your Grace will pardon my bold enterprise, and accept

it shall appear, that your most noble puissance is conjoined with like clemency and mercy, the which virtue of all others causeth man most to resemble the Almighty God, that made not only all things for his mercy's sake, but likewise with mercy overcame himself and his rigorous justice also, that the defaults of mortal man might find solace in Jesus Christ, his only Son, who preserve the King's Highness, your most noble Grace, with all the council and the whole realm, to the glory of God. Amen.

Your Grace's most humble orator,