TO REGINALD POLE

THE MOST ILLUSTRIOUS CARDINAL, and Legate of the Holy Roman Church in England,

from Gentian Hervet Gentian Hervet (1499–1584) was a prominent French humanist, scholar, and translator who served in the household of Cardinal Pole.

Since all history is, for many and most just reasons, primarily necessary for human life, most excellent Prelate original: "Antistes," a classical term for a high-ranking priest or bishop., certainly none can be more beneficial to Christian men than the history of those who, having pledged their name to Christ, lived their lives with integrity, innocence, and holiness, and which recounts their characters, institutions, and noble deeds.

For since there ought to be one single goal original: "scopus," referring to a target or mark in archery. for a Christian, toward which he directs all his counsels and actions—so that, following Christ as his Leader, he may possess eternal life—which indeed no one shall ever attain who, by obeying His precepts and aided by His grace, has not overcome all difficulties with a brave heart: it cannot be said how much incentive and assistance are brought to this matter by the examples of good men set before us for imitation. For who is there who, reading of the things so admirably performed by them, and considering that they were not composed of different elements than the rest of us, nor relied on any other protections than those which will by no means be lacking to us if we so desire, would not blush if, while they achieved such great things, he himself does not perform even mediocre ones? And indeed, there have not been lacking among all kinds and ranks of men those who, through Christ, who