[Dedication to Brian’s English translation]

| ¶ Unto the right noble | William Marques of North= | hamton, Earle of E∫∫ex & lorde | Par, your a∫∫ured louyng frēd | Fraunces Briant knight, one | of the kynges mo∫t honora= | ble preuy Chamber, de∫i= | reth to you perpetuall | health and honor. | It is not | lõg agone | (my verye | ∫ynguler | good lord) | that I foũd | you loking | in a lytell | boke called in the Frenche lan= | guage Me∫pri∫e de la court, et | lalouãge de la vie ru∫tique, whi= | che is to ∫aye in Engli∫he, the | Di∫prai∫e of the Courte, & the | laude | laude of the ru∫ticall life. | … | And at our nexte metyng toge= | ther, partly at your reque∫t I | promi∫ed to turne the∫ame out | of Frenche into our materrnall | tong… | … | … hauyng re∫pecte to your | mo∫t noble ∫i∫ter, my mo∫t good | and gracious lady the Queene, | I thynke me fortunate to em= | ploy my poore engyn to that y^t | to her highnes or to your good | lord∫hip ∫hould ∫eme either ac= | ceptable or agreable… | … if that | ye thynke I haue erred in the | tran∫lacion, not to impute it to | bee ∫o dooen for lacke of good | wyll and louyng heart that I | owe vnto you, but for lacke of | knowlage of the ∫tories, which | I do profe∫∫e is hard for to vn | der∫tand for one of no greatter | litterature then I profe∫∫e me | to be. … |

[Dedication to French translation]

| To the right reuerende | and worthy Prelate my lorde | Willyam de Prat bi∫hop of | Cleremoũt, Antony Alay= | gre ∫endeth gretyng. | … | … a certaine | frende of myne ∫ent vnto me a | worke in the Ca∫tilian tong of | the lorde Antony of Gueuera | bi∫hop of Mondouent, & Chro= | nicler of the Emperour: in rea= | dyng whereof I founde great | plea∫ure and profite. The title | of the boke is the Di∫prai∫yng | of the Court, and the Prai∫e of | the | the life ru∫ticall, dedicate vnto | the kyng of Portingal… | … I em= | ployed certaine houres after | ∫upper to trã∫late the∫ame into | Frenche, not thinkyng among | mine other ∫imple workes euer | to put it abrode, but after that | I had cõmunicat y^e ∫ame with | ∫ome of my frendes that haue | knowledge of the Spani∫he | tong, to leaue it in a corner to | make it meate for Rattes and | Mi∫e… | I thought it better to pre∫ente | to the eyes of all men this euil | tran∫lated, then to suffre lenger | tho∫e euil exemplers ∫o corrup= | ted to my blame in y^e hãdes of | tho∫e that haue no right iudge= | ment, to know from whom the | faute came… | From your cytie of Clere= | monte this fir∫t day | of Maye. | Anno. M. D. xlii. |