m and to whome what speache passeth for youre credite and estimation
I leaue your selfe to conceiue, hauing alwayes so well conceiued of my
vnfained affection and zeale towardes you. And nowe they haue proclaimed
in their [Greek: hareiophaga] a generall surceasing and silence of balde
rymers, and also of the verie beste to; in steade whereof they haue, by
authoritie of their whole senate, prescribed certaine lawes and rules of
quantities of English sillables for English verse; hauing had thereof
already greate practise, and drawen mee to their faction. Newe bookes I
heare of none, but only of one* [* Stephen Gosson.], that
writing a certaine booke called _The Schoole of Abuse_, and dedicating
it to Maister Sidney, was for hys labor scorned; if, at leaste, it be in
the goodnesse of that nature to scorne. Such follie is it not to regard
aforehande the inclination and qualitie of him to whome wee dedicate
oure bookes. Suche mighte I happily incurre, entituling _My Slomber_,
and the other pamphlets, vnto his honor. I meant them rather to Maister
Dyer. But I am of late more in loue wyth my Englishe versifying than
with ryming: whyche I should haue done long since, if I would then haue
followed your councell. _Sed te solum iam tum suspicabar cum Aschamo
sapere; nunc aulam video egregios alere poetas Anglicos_. Maister E.K.
hartily desireth to be commended vnto your worshippe: of whome what
accompte he maketh youre selfe shall hereafter perceiue by hys paynefull
and dutifull verses of your selfe.

Thus muche was written at Westminster yesternight; but comming this
morning, beeyng the sixteenth of October [1579], to Mystresse Kerkes, to
haue it deliuered to the carrier, I receyued youre letter, sente me the
laste weeke; whereby I perceiue you otherwhiles continue your old
exercise of versifying in English,--whych glorie I had now thought
whoulde haue bene onely ours heere at London and the court.

Truste me, your verses I like passingly well, and enuye your hidden
paines in this kinde, or rather maligne and grudge at your selfe, that
woulde not once imparte so muche to me. But once or twice you make a
breache in Maister Drants rules: _quod tamen condonabimus tanto poetae,
tuaeque ipsius maximae in his rebus autoritati._ You shall see, when we
meete in London, (whiche when it shall be, certifye vs,) howe fast I
haue followed after you in that course: beware, leaste in time I
ouertake you. _Veruntamen te solum sequar, (vt saepenu