0.1letters.preface.0.1 0.2letters.preface.0.2 0.3letters.preface.0.3 1letters.preface.1 2letters.preface.2 3letters.preface.3 4letters.preface.4 5letters.preface.5 6letters.preface.6 7letters.preface.7 8letters.preface.8 9letters.preface.9 10letters.preface.10 11letters.preface.11 12letters.preface.12 13letters.preface.13 14letters.preface.14 15letters.preface.15 16letters.preface.16 17letters.preface.17 18letters.preface.18 19letters.preface.19 20letters.preface.20 21letters.preface.21 22letters.preface.22 23letters.preface.23 24letters.preface.24 25letters.preface.25 26letters.preface.26 27letters.preface.27 28letters.preface.28 29letters.preface.29 30letters.preface.30 31letters.preface.31 32letters.preface.32 33letters.preface.33 34letters.preface.34 35letters.preface.35 36letters.preface.36 37letters.preface.37 38letters.preface.38 39letters.preface.39 40letters.preface.40 41letters.preface.41 42letters.preface.42 43letters.preface.43 44letters.preface.44 45letters.preface.45 46letters.preface.46 47letters.preface.47
¶ TO THE CVRTEOVSCURTEOUS Buyer, by a VVelwillerWelwiller of the tvvotwo Authours.
CVrteous Curteous Buyer,Buyer (for I write not to the enuiousenvious Carper)), it was my good happe, as I interpreate it, nowe lately at the fourthe or fifte hande, to bee made acquainted wyth the three Letters following, by meanes of a faithfull friende, who with muchemuchc entreaty had procured the copying of them oute, at Immeritos handes. And I praye you, interprete it for your good happe,sohappe, so soone after to come so easilye by them, throughe my meanes, who am onely to crauecrave these twoo things at your handes, to thinke friendely of my friendly meaning, and to take them of me wyth this Presumption, In exiguo quandoque cespite latet lepus: and many pretious stones, thoughe in quantitie small, yet in qualitie and valewe are esteemed for great. The first, for a good familiar and sensible Letter, sure liketh me verye well, and gyuethgyveth some hope of good mettall in the Author, in whome I knowe myselfe to be very good partes otherwise. But shewe me, or Immerito, two Englyshe Letters in Printe, in all pointes equall to the other twoo, both for the matter it selfe, and also for the manner of handling, and saye, wee neuernever sawe good Englishe Letter in our liueslives. And yet I am credibly certified by the foresaide faithfull and honest friende, that himselfe hathe written manye of the same stampe bothe to Courtiers and others, and some of them discoursing vpponuppon matter of great waight and importance, wherein he is said, to be fully as sufficient and hable, as in these schollerly pointes of Learning. The whiche Letters and Discourses I would very gladly see in Writing, but more gladly in Printe, if it might be obtayned. And at this time to speake my conscience in a worde of these two following, I esteeme them for twoo of the rarest, and finest Treaties, as wel for ingenious deuisingdevising, as also for significant vtteringuttering, &and cleanly conueyingconveying of his matter, that euerever I read in this Tongue: and I hartily thanke God for bestowing vpponuppon vsus some such proper and hable men with their penne, as I hartily thanke the Author himselfe, for vsingusing his pleasaunte, and witty Talente, with so muche discretion, and with so little harme, contrarye to the veine of moste, whych hauehave thys singular conceyted grace in writing. If they had bene of their owne setting forth, I graunt you they might hauehave beene more curious, but beeyng so well, and so sufficiently done, as they are, in my simple iudgementjudgement, and hauinghaving so many notable things in them, togither with so greate varietie of Learning, worth the reading, to pleasure you, and to helpe to garnish our Tongue, I feare their displeasurediſpleaſnre the lesse. And yet, if they thinke I hauehave made them a faulte, in not making them priuyprivy to the Publication: I shall be alwayes readye to make them the beste amendes I can, any other friendly waye. Surely, I wishe them bothe hartilye wel in the Lord, and betake you and them to his mercifull gouernementegovernemente, hoping, that he will at his pleasure conuerteconverte suche good and diuinedivine gifts as these, to the setting out of his own glory, and the benefite of his Churche. This XIX. of IuneJune. 1580.
Your, and their vnfaynedunfayned friend, in the Lorde.
1. Carper: critic
2. happe: fortune
2. nowe lately: quite recently
7. am onely to craue: seek [in response] only
8. friendely: in a friendly way
12. liketh: pleaseth
13. mettall: aptitude, mettle
14. partes: abilities, capacities
18. certified: assured, made certain
19. stampe: character, type
21. hable: capable
25. rarest: most distinguished
26. Treaties: treatises
26. deuising: conception
27. vttering: expression
32. conceyted: clever, witty
37. garnish: embellish, enhance
38. their displeasure: the displeasure of the two authors
39. made . . . faulte: done them a disservice
40. priuy to: aware of
42. betake: commend
4.muche] muchc 1580
38.displeasure] diſpleaſnre 1580
0.2 Welwiller: See See the use of the term on the t.p. and comment. n above.
4 a faithfull friende: The friend has not been identified.
5 copying . . . handes: The Wellwiller here claims to have received the letters, which had passed from hand to hand four or five times, in a copy written out by Immerito himself at the behest of the ‘faithfull friende’. Spenser first adopts the pseudonym, Immerito, as the signature for his envoy to SC To His Booke.
9–10 In exiguo quandoque cespite latet lepus: ‘Sometimes a hare hides in the short grass’; i.e., one sometimes finds good things right under one’s nose. Not a common proverb, though adduced in Letter 105 of Book I of Marsilio Ficino’s Letters (1957: 157).
14–17 But shewe me . . . liues.: Implying that it will be difficult to come up with comparable letters, the Wellwiller alleges that if the reader can find only two such letters, then the reader may justly say that Immerito and the Wellwiller have effectively no experience of English epistolary achievement.
15 the other twoo: I.e., the two letters by Harvey in the first of the two collections of letters.
18 himselfe: I.e., Harvey.
20 matter . . . importance: Political matters, presumably, as opposed to the prosodic and geological concerns of Harvey’s letters here.
23 in Writing: I.e., in manuscript.
25 these two following: Again, Harvey’s two letters in the first of the two collections.
28 in this Tongue: The Wellwiller maintains a focus on a central theme of the letters, as of The Shepheardes Calender, the defense of the vernacular. While the letters assert that literary achievement in English can rival that in other European vernaculars and, indeed, in Latin, the Wellwiller argues that these letters instance the literary excellence of which English is capable.
30 Talente: Among the earliest uses of the term to mean ‘native skill’, as opposed to the sort of divine endowment, which latter, more reverent sense derives from the Parable of the Talents (Matt 25:14-30).
31 so little harme: Although Harvey would later develop a reputation for splenetic expression, his letters are here singled out for what is characterized as an unusually mild and non-polemic manner.
32–33 whych . . . writing: The clause is restrictive.
33–34 If they . . . curious: I.e., if the correspondence had been composed especially for print publication, the letters would have been more elaborately or beautifully wrought.
Close
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Introduction

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Textual Changes

The vagaries of early modern printing often required that lines or words be broken. Toggling Modern Lineation on will reunite divided words and set errant words in their lines.

Off: That a large share it hewd out of the rest, (blest.And glauncing downe his shield, from blame him fairely (FQ I.ii.18.8-9)On: That a large share it hewd out of the rest,And glauncing downe his shield, from blame him fairely blest.

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Off: Sweet slõbring deaw, the which to sleep them biddes:(FQ I.i.36.4)On: Sweet slombring deaw, the which to sleep them biddes:

Toggling Modern Characters on will convert u, v, i, y, and vv to v, u, j, i, and w. (N.B. the editors have silently replaced ſ with s, expanded most ligatures, and adjusted spacing according contemporary norms.)

Off: And all the world in their subiection held,Till that infernall feend with foule vprore(FQ I.i.5.6-7)On: And all the world in their subjection held,Till that infernall feend with foule uprore

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Off: But wander too and fro in waies vnknowne(FQ I.i.10.5)On: But wander to and fro in waies vnknowne.

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Most lothsom, filthie, foule, and full of vile disdaine(FQ I.i.14.9)14.9. Most lothsom] this edn.;Mostlothsom 1590

(The text of 1590 reads Mostlothsom, while the editors’ emendation reads Most lothsom.)

Apparatus

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And shall thee well rewarde to shew the place,(FQ I.i.31.5)5. thee] 1590; you 1596, 1609

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To my long approoved and singular good frende, Master G.H.(Letters I.1)1. long aprooved: tried and true,found trustworthy over along period
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