To the most high and most illustrious princess, the Lady Ann, daughter to His Royal Highness.

Madam,

I humbly lay before Your Highness's feet an unhappy favourite, but it is in your power to make him no longer so; not his queen’s repentance, nor her tears could rescue him from the malice of his enemies, nor from the violence of a most unfortunate death; but Your Highness with this unspeakable favour and so divine a condescension in protecting this once pitied hero, will make him live eternally; and those who could scarce behold him on the stage without weeping, when they shall see him thus exalted, will all turn envious of his fortune, which they can never think deplorable while he is graced by Your Highness. For my own part, I tremble to express my thanks in so mean language, but much more when I would pay my tribute of just praises to Your Highness; it is not to be attempted by any pen, heaven has done it to a miracle in your own person, where are written so many admirable characters, such illustrious beauties on a body so divinely framed, that there is none so dull and ignorant, that cannot read them plainly; and when you vouchsafe to cast your eyes on those beneath you, they speak their own excellencies with greater art and eloquence and attract more admiration than ever Virgil did in his divinest Flight of Fancy, than Ovid in speaking of his princess, or Apelles in drawing of his Venus; nor are your virtues, or your royal blood less admirable, sprung from the inestimable fountain of so many illustrious Plantagenets, that I stand amazed at the mightiness of the subject which I have chosen; besides the awful genius of Your Highness bids me beware how I come too near, lest I profane so many incomparable perfections in so sacred a shrine as Your Highness's person, where you ought to be adored,and not seen. For, like the ancient Jews in their religious worship, it is a favour for me to remain on the outward steps and not approach nigh the veil where the crowd never come. This, most illustrious princess, ought to check my hand, least in attempting Your Highness character, my apprehension of the excellence of the subject and the danger of miscarrying, should make my fancy sink beneath so glorious a burden; therefore I will forbear troubling Your Highness any further with the rashness of my zeal, nor dare I be dictated any longer by it, but will conclude, in hopes that, when hereafter I may chance to record the memory of a princess whose beauty, fortune and merits are greater than Homer ever feigned or Tasso copied, I may have leave to draw her pattern from Your Highness and when that is done, the rest of my life shall be employed in prayers for your eternal happiness, which be pleased to interpret as the duty of,

Madam,

Your Highness’s most obedient, most humble and most devoted servant,

John Banks.