Ight courteous Gentlemen, and gentle Readers, your fauourable acceptance
of my first fruits from idlenesse, hath eccited mee further to congratulate
your Musicall endeauours. And in my conceit, I can no way better fit your
good and willing mindes, then in shewing you how you may very soone, and
very perfectly instruct your selues to play (vpon your best beloued
instrument) the Lute, also the Orpharion, Pandora, and
Viol de Gamba, any lesson (if it bee not too too trickified) at the
first sight. But bee it as it may, you shall haue rules of reason, to
ouer-rule vnreasonable odd Cratchets, giueing you to vnderstand, that what
is beyond the true course of Nature, must needes bee without all compasse
of Art; and withall, nothing out-runneth Nature but Follie: so much for
that.Also (for example sake) I haue set some lessons of all sorts: whereof some being old, I was requested to set them new after my fashion, some new out of the fat, some neither very new, nor very old, but yet all mine owne setting, and the most of them, mine owne inuention. But Gentlemen, once more I will make you promise, that if these Masterlike rules, and Scholerlike lessons, doe but any whit content you, I will come forth, With Cracke mee this Nut, (I meane) onely lessons for one, two, and three Lutes, and some with ditties, wherein I will striue either (for euer) to winne your fauours, or starue in the dole of your disgrace. Vale. |
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More for you,than for him-selfe, Thomas Robinson. |