[1] THus farre (gentle reader) as mine inſtructi|ons directed me, and my leyſure ſerued mee, haue I continued a parcell of the Iriſh hiſtorie, and haue ſtretched it to the raigne of Edwarde the ſixth. Wherevpon I am forced to craue at thyne handes pardon and tollerance: pardon for any errour I ſhal be found to haue committed, which vpon friendly admonition I am ready to reforme: tollerance, for that part of the hiſtorie which is not continued, till time I be ſo furni|ſhed and fraught with matter, as that I may employ my trauaile to ſerue thy contentation. And albeit I might with ſome enquirie, iumble vp theſe latter yeares, and ſo make the booke to beare a ſhewe of a complete Hiſtorie, yet not|withſtanding, I am ſo preciſely ſet vpon ſo tic|kle a taſke, and ſo fickle a grounde, that rather concerneth the liuing, than apperteyneth to the deade, as I woulde be lothe to be taken in anye part thereof, not onely to ſtumble, but alſo once to trippe. For as the Philoſopher reproued the aſtronomer, which was ſo buſie in gazing on the ſkie, as that he tumbled headlong in a pitte that was digged at his feete, ſuppoſing that hee which was ignorant of ſo neare a marke, was not like to prognoſticate future euentes by Pla|nets and Starres, that were ſo farre diſtant of: ſo if a Chronicler ſhoulde miſreport exploytes that were enterpriſed but heſte [...]n day, the reader might probably ſurmiſe, that hee which is rawe in theſe latter yeares, were like to bee verie vn|ripe in rehearſing matters that happened many yeared paſt. Theſe and the like reaſons, re|claymed mee from perfecting at this preſent the Iriſh Hiſtorie, requeſting thee, gentle Reader, friendly to accepte, what is alreadie written, which I craue, as one that wiſheth thee rather pleaſure in the reading, than regardeth hys owne payne in the pennyng of the ſayde Treatiſe.

FINIS. [figure appears here on page 115]