quaint and charming of all the early Dictionaries.' In his 'Prefatory
Address to the Reader' the author tells, in fine Elizabethan prose,
both how his book came into existence, and why he gave it its curious
name:--

'About eighteene yeeres agone, hauing pupils at Cambridge
studious of the Latine tongue, I vsed them often to write
Epistles and Theames together, and dailie to translate
some peece of English into Latine, for the more speedie
attaining of the same. And after we had a little begun,
perceiuing what great trouble it was to come running to
me for euerie worde they missed, knowing then of no other
Dictionarie to helpe vs, but Sir Thomas Eliots Librarie,
which was come out a little before; I appointed them
certaine leaues of the same booke euerie daie to write
the english before the Latin, & likewise to gather a
number of fine phrases out of Cicero, Terence, Cæsar,
Liuie, &c. & to set them vnder seuerall titles, for the
more readie finding them againe at their neede. Thus,
within a yeere or two, they had gathered together a great
volume, which (for the apt similitude betweene the good
Scholers and diligent Bees in gathering their waxe and
honie into their Hiue) I called then their _Aluearie_,
both for a memoriall by whom it was made, and also by
this name to incourage other to the like diligence, for
that they should not see their worthie praise for the
same, vnworthilie drowned in obliuion. Not long after,
diuers of our friends borrowing this our worke which we
had thus contriued & wrought onelie for our owne priuate
vse, often and many waies moued me to put it in print for