Ow difficult a thing it is to produce forme, out of things shapelesse and deformed, and to prescribe limits to things confused, there is none but may easily perceive, if hee shall take but a sleight view of the Chaos-like contemperation of things not onely divers but repugnant in nature, hitherto concorporated in the generous profession of Heraldry: as the formes of the pure Cælestiall bodies, mixt with grosse Terrestrials; Earthly Animals, with Watery; Savage beasts, with Tame; Whole-footed beasts, with Divided; Reptiles, with things Gressible; Fowles of prey, with Home-bred; these againe with River fowles; Aery Insecta, with Earthly; also things Naturall, with Artificiall; Arts Liberall, with Mechanicall; Military, with Rusticall; and Rusticke with Civil. Which confused mixture hath not a little discouraged many persons, (otherwise well affected to the study of Armory) and impaired the estimation of the profession. For redresse whereof, my selfe, (though unablest of many) have done my best, in this my Display of Heraldry, to dissolve this deformed lumpe, distributing and digesting each particular thereof into his peculiar rancke; wherein, albeit the issue of my enterprise be not answerable to the height of my desires, yet doe I assure myselfe, my labour heerein will not be altogether fruitlesse, forasmuch as heereby I have broken the Ice, and made way to some after-commers of greater gifts and riper judgement, that may give a fairer body to this my delineated rough draught or shaddow of a new framed method. For if men of greatest skill have failed to give absolute forme to their works, notwithstanding their best endeauours, with little reason may such perfection be expected from mee, whose Talent is so small, as that I am forced to build wholy upon other mens foundations : and therefore may be thought to have undertaken an idle taske, in writing of things formerly handled, and published by persons of more sufficiency and greater judgement. Notwithstanding, who knoweth not, that as every man hath his proper conceit and invention, so hath he his severall drift and purpose, so as divers men writing of one selfe Argument, doe handle the same diversly? Which being so, what letteth that every of us, writing in a divers kind, may not without offence to other, use our uttermost endeavours to give unto this erst unshapely disproportionable profession of Heraldry, a true Symmetria and proportionable correspondence of each part to other? In as much (if I be not deceived) both they and my selfe doe al aime at one mark, which is, so to adorne and beautifie this science, as that it being purged from her wonted deformities may become more plausible to many, and be favourably entertained of all; which could not be otherwise better effected, then by dissolving of this Chaos-like or confused Lump, and dissevering of each particular thereof from other, and disposing them under their peculiar heads, which is the full scope of these my Travels. Now to the end I might the better accomplish this Taske after I had carefully collected the chiefe Grounds, Principles, Rules and Observations, that Ger.Leigh, Boswell, Ferne, Bara, Cassaneus, and other best approved Authors in their severall Works have written touching the rudiments and first principles of Armory; then did I seriously bethinke my selfe for the orderly distribution of those their dispersed Notes and Observations so by me collected, and digesting of them into some forme of Method, or at the least into some Methodicall resemblance, wherein I hope I have in some sort accomplished my desire, and have for thy better understanding and apprehension (gentle Reader) first distributed this Worke into Sections, and those into Chapters, briefly shewing their severall substances and orderly connexions; and throughout the whole I have begunne with the Genus of each kind, and severed them into their Species, which also are subdivided into Individuaes, annexing particular rules to each severall sort. Moreover I have added Definitions, Divisions, and Etymologies of the Artificiall termes, peculiarly pertaining to this Art, bestowed the chiefe grounds, Principles, Rules, and Observations under their proper heads, and manifested their use by examples of speciall choice, whereby they receive not onely warrant, but also lively sense and vigor, in default whereof they would become destitute of all force : According to that saying of Aretius : Præcepta quantumius bona & concinn amortua sunt nisi ipse auditor variis exemplis ea repræsentat. Finally to the end that nothing should be wanting that might give thee full contentment, I have prefixed before every Section an Analogicall Table, briefly comprehending the substance of each subsequent Section, and that with such coherence that each of the said Tables answereth in a Relative respect of the one of them to the other; so as all of them doe Jumpe together in an universall coherence, as by their particular references doth manifestly appeare, whereby I have brought to passe (though with long and difficult labour) that in this my Display of Heraldry, thou maiest easily finde (bestowed according to order) whatsoever thou desirest concerning the Principles of this Profession : So that thou in short time and with much ease maiest reape not onely a profitable gleaning, but a plentifull Harvest of this my long and painefull Lucubrations.