Most worthily honoured,

Of all the oversights for which I suffer none repents me so much as that our unhappy book

was   presented without your lordship’s allowance, for which we can plead nothing by way

of pardon, but your person so far removed from our required attendance, our play so much

importuned, and our clear opinions that nothing it contained could worthily be held offensive. 5

And had Your good Lordship vouchsafed this addition of grace to your late free bounties, to

have heard our reasons for our well-weighed opinions, and the words truly related on which

both they and our enemies’ complaints were grounded, I make no question but your impartial

justice would have stood much further from their clamour than from our acquittal; which

indifferent favour, if yet your no less than princely respect of virtue shall please to bestow 10

on her poor   observant, and command my appearance, I doubt not but the tempest that hath

driven me into this wrackful harbour will clear with my innocence; and withal, the most

sorrow-inflicting wrath of His excellent Majesty, which to my most humble and zealous

affection   is so much the more stormy, by how much some of my obscured labours have strived

to aspire instead thereof his illustrate favour. And shall not be   the least honour to his most 15

royal virtues.