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By the Grace of God, King of, and, Defender of the Faith, &c.

The Tranlators of the Bible wih Grace, Mercy, and Peace, through Jeus Chrit our Lord.

and manifold were the bleings, mot dread Sovereign, which Almighty God, the Father of all mercies, betowed upon us the people of England, ''when firt he ent Your Majety's Royal Peron to rule and reign over us. For whereas it was the expectation of many, who wihed not well unto our Sion, that upon the etting of that bright Occidental Star, Queen Elizabeth of mot happy memory, ome thick and palpable clouds of darknes would o have overhadowed this Land, that men hould have been in doubt which way they were to walk; and that it hould hardly be known, who was to direct the unettled State; the appearance of Your Majety, as of the Sun in his trength, intantly dipelled thoe uppoed and urmied mits, and gave unto all that were well affected exceeding caue of comfort; epecially when we beheld the Government etablihed in Your Highnes, and Your hopeful Seed, by an undoubted Title, and this alo accompanied with peace and tranquillity at home and abroad''.

But among all our joys, there was no one that more filled our hearts, than the bleed continuance of the preaching of God's acred word among us; which is that inetimable treaure, which excelleth all the riches of the earth; becaue the fruit thereof extendeth itelf, not only to the time pent in this tranitory world, but directeth and dipoeth men unto that eternal happines which is above in Heaven.

''Then not to uffer this to fall to the ground, but rather to take it up, and to continue it in that tate, wherein the famous Predeceor of Your Highnes did leave it: nay, to go forward with the confidence and reolution of a Man in maintaining the truth of Chrit, and propagating it far and near, is that which hath o bound and firmly knit the hearts of all Your Majety's loyal and religious people unto you, that your very name is precious among them: their eye doth behold You with comfort, and they bles You in their hearts, as that anctified Peron, who, under God, is the immediate Author of their true happines. And this their contentment doth not diminih or decay, but every day increaeth and taketh trength, when they oberve, that the zeal of Your Majety toward the houe of God doth not lack or go backward, but is more and more kindled, manifeting itelf abroad in the farthet parts of Chritendom, by writing in defence of the Truth, (which hath given uch a blow unto that man of in, as will not be healed,) and every day at home, by religious and learned dicoure, by frequenting the houe of God, by hearing the Word preached, by cherihing the Teachers thereof, by caring for the Church, as a mot tender and loving nuring Father''.

There are infinite arguments of this right chritian and religious affection in Your Majesty; ''but none is more forcible to declare it to others than the vehement and perpetuated deire of accomplihing and publihing of this work, which now with all humility we preent unto Your Majety. For when Your Highnes had once out of deep judgment apprehended how convenient it was, that out of the Original Sacred Tongues, together with comparing of the labours, both in our own, and other foreign Languages, of many worthy men who went before us, there hould be one more exact Tranlation of the holy Scriptures into the Englih Tongue; Your Majety did never deit to urge and to excite thoe to whom it was commended, that the work might be hatened, and that the buines might be expedited in o decent a manner, as a matter of uch importance might jutly require''.

And now at lat, by the mercy of God, and the continuance of our labours, it being brought unto uch a concluion, as that we have great hopes that the Church of England hall reap good fruit thereby; ''we hold it our duty to offer it to Your Majety, not only as to our King and Sovereign, but as to the principal Mover and Author of the work: humbly craving of Your mot Sacred Majety, that ince things of this quality have ever been ubject to the cenures of illmeaning and dicontented perons, it may receive approbation and patronage from o learned and judicious a Prince as Your Highnes is, whoe allowance and acceptance of our labours hall more honour and encourage us, than all the calumniations and hard interpretations of other men hall dimay us. So that if, on the one ide, we hall be traduced by Popih Perons at home or abroad, who therefore will malign us, becaue we are poor intruments to make God's holy Truth to be yet more and more known unto the people, whom they deire till to keep in ignorance and darknes; or if, on the other ide, we hall be maligned by elfconceited Brethren, who run their own ways, and give liking unto nothing, but what is framed by themelves, and hammered on their anvil; we may ret ecure, upported within by the truth and innocency of a good concience, having walked the ways of implicity and integrity, as before the Lord; and ustained without by the powerful protection of Your Majety's grace and favour, which will ever give countenance to honet and chritian endeavours againt bitter cenures and uncharitable imputations.''

The Lord of heaven and earth bles Your Majety with many and happy days, that, as his heavenly hand hath enriched Your Highnes with many ingular and extraordinary graces, o you may be the wonder of the world in this latter age for happines and true felicity, to the honour of that great, and the good of his Church, through Jeus Chrit our Lord and only Saviour.