y natiue Countrie you are so desirous to see, I am
the more willing to make my will yours: _I pete Italiam_, go and seeke
Italie with Aenoas, but bee more true than _Aenoas_, I hope that kinde
wit-cherishing climate will worke no change in so wittie a breast. No
countrie of mine shall it be more, if it conspire with thee, in anie
newe loue agaynst mee. One charge I will giue thee, and let it bee
rather a request than a charge: When thou commest to Florence (the fayre
Citie from whence I fetcht the pride of my birth) by an open challenge
defende my beautie agaynst all commers.

Thou hast that honourable carryage in armes, that it shall bee no
discredite for mee to bequeath all the glorie of my beautie to thy well
gouerned arme. Faine woulde I be knowen where I was borne, fayne woulde
I haue thee knowen where fame sits in her chiefest theater. Farewell,
forget mee not, continued deserts will eternize me vnto thee, thy full
wishes shall bee expired when thy trauell shall be once ended.

Heere dyd teares steppe out before wordes, and intercepted the course
of my kinde concerned speech, euen as winde is allayed with raine: with
heart scalding sighes I confirmed her parting request, and vowed my
selfe hers, while liuing heate allowed mee to bee mine owne, _Hinc illo
lachrimo_ heere hence proceedeth the whole cause of my peregrination.

Not a litle was I delighted with this vnexpected loue story, especially
from a mouth out of which was nought wont to march but sterne precepts
of grauitie and modestie. I sweare vnto you I thought his companie
the better by a thousande crownes, because he had discarded those nice
tearmes of chastitie and continencie. Now I beseech God loue me so well
as I loue a plain dealing man, earth is earth, flesh is flesh, earth
wil to earth, and flesh vnto flesh, fraile earth, fraile flesh, who can
keepe you from the worke of your creation.

Dismissing this fruitlesse annotation _pro et contra_, towards Venice we
progrest, & tooke Roterdam in our waie, that was cleane out of our waie,
there wee met with aged learninges chiefe ornament, that abundant and
superingenious clarke _Erasmus_, as also with merrie sir _Thomas Moore_
our Countrieman, who was come purposely ouer a little before vs, to
visite the sayd graue father _Erasmus_: what talk, what conference we
had then, it were heere superfluous to rehearse, but this I can
assure you, _Erasmus_ in al his speeches seemed so much to mislike the
indiscret