  Noble Sir. The good assurance of your native worth, and thrice generous disposition, as also the continuall manifestation of your bounteous favour, and love towards my selfe in particular, hath so bound my thankfull acknowledgement, that I count it the least part of my service to present the first fruites of my farre-fetcht experience, to the kinde acceptance of your charitable hands: well knowing that though this my worke, owne not worth enough to deserve your patronage, yet such is your benigne humanity, that I am confident you will daigne it your protection, under which it willingly shrowdes it selfe. And as it is reported of that man whose name was Alexander, being a cowardly milke-sop by nature, yet hearing of the valiant courage of that magnificent Hero, Alexander the Great, whose name hee bore, he thenceforth became stout and valorous; and as he was animated by having the very name of puissant Alexander; so shall these my weake and feble labours, receive life and courage by the patronage of your much esteemed selfe; whereby they shall bee able to out-face the keenest fanges of a blacke mouth'd Momus. For from hence the world may conclude, that either there was some worth in the booke, that caused so wise a person to looke upon it, and to vouchsafe to owne it, or else if they suppose that in charity he fosterd it, as being a poore helpelesse brat, they may thence learne to do so likewise. If here I should take upon me the usuall straine of a soothing Epistolizer, I should (though upon better grounds than many) sound forth a full mouth'd encomiasticke of your incomparable worth: but though your deserts may justly challenge it, yet I know your vertuous modesty would not thanke me for it; and indeed your owne actions are the best Heralds of your owne praise, which in spite of envy it selfe must speake you Wise, and truly Noble: and I for my part, if I may but present any thing, which either for its profit or delight may obtaine your favourable approbation, I have already reaped the harvest of my expectation; onely I must desire you to pardon my bold presumption, as thus to make your well deserving name, the frontispeece to so rude and ill deserving frame. Thus wishing a confluence of all blessings both of the throne, and foot-stoole, to be multiplied upon your selfe, and your vertuous Consort, my very good Lady, together with all the Stemmes of your Noble family, I take my leave and rest, Your Worships to serve and be commanded, W. W. To the Reader. Courteous Reader, Though I will promise thee no such voluminous discourse, as many have made upon a scanter subject, (though they have travailed no further than the smoake of their owne native chimnies) yet dare I presume to present thee with the true, and faithfull relation of some few yeares travels and experience, wherein I would be loath to broach any thing which may puzzle thy beleefe, and so justly draw upon my selfe, that unjust aspersion commonly laid on travailers; of whom many say, They may lye by authority, because none can controule them; which Proverbe had surely his originall from the sleepy beleefe of many a home-bred Dormouse, who comprehends not either the raritie or possibility of those things he sees not, to whom the most classicke relations seeme riddles, and paradoxes: of whom it may be said as once of Diogenes, that because he circled himselfe in the circumference of a tubbe, he therefore contemned the Port and Pallace of Alexander, which he knew not. So there is many a tub-brain'd Cynicke, who because any thing stranger than ordinary, is too large for the straite hoopes of his apprehension, he peremptorily concludes it is a lye: But I decline this sort of thicke-witted readers, and dedicate the mite of my endeavours to my more credulous, ingenious, and lesse censorious Country-men, for whose sake I undertooke this worke; and I did it the rather, because there hath some relations heretofore past the Presse, which have beene very imperfect; as also because there hath beene many scandalous and false reports past upon the Country, even from the sulphurious breath of every base ballad-monger: wherefore to perfect the one, and take off the other, I have laid downe the nature of the Country, without any partiall respect unto it, as being my dwelling place where I have lived these foure yeares, and intend God willing to returne shortly againe; but my conscience is to me a thousand witnesses, that what I speake is the very truth, and this will informe thee almost as fully concerning it, as if thou wentest over to see it. Now whereas I have written the latter part of this relation concerning the Indians, in a more light and facetious stile, than the former; because their carriage and behaviour hath afforded more matter of mirth, and laughter, than gravity and wisedome; and therefore I have inserted many passages of mirth concerning them, to spice the rest of my more serious discourse, and to make it more pleasant. Thus thou mayest in two or three houres travaile over a few leaves, see and know that, which cost him that writ it, yeares and travaile, over Sea and Land before he knew it; and therefore I hope thou wilt accept it; which shall be my full reward, as it was my whole ambition, and so I rest, Thine bound in what I may, W. W. To the Author, his singular good Friend, Mr. William Wood. Thanks to thy travell, and thy selfe, who hast Much knowledge in so small roome, comptly plac't, And thine experience thus a Mount do'st make, From whence we may New Englands Prospect take, Though many thousands distant: wherefore thou Thy selfe shalt sit upon mount Praise her brow. For if the man that shall the short cut find Vnto the Indies, shall for that be shrin'd; Sure thou deservest then no small prayse, who, So short cut to New England here dost show; And if then this small thankes, thou getst no more, Of thankes I then will say the world's growne poore. S. W. |
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