TO THE RENOWNED KING

MAXIMILIAN'S

MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY,

A small decorative woodcut ornament, a fleur-de-lis, centered on the page.

Large decorative woodcut drop-cap initial 'Q' featuring foliage and scrollwork.THERE are two reasons that can embolden a man of my station to present so great a KING with so small a gift; both have now driven me to do so. These are, surely, my profound goodwill toward your Majesty, and the great rarity and undeniable quality of the gift itself, however small it may be. Your admirable virtues have stirred and secured my eternal goodwill toward you. These virtues are so great that those who have not witnessed them with their own eyes might scarcely believe others who describe them—even when they tell the rarest truths. But those who have carefully and diligently contemplated your virtues in person will admit that they suffer from a great poverty of speech and expression as soon as they desire to expand eloquently upon the full breadth of your greatness. I myself became an eyewitness to the reasons for this this past September, while staying for a time in PosoniumThe Latin name for modern-day Bratislava, which was the capital of the Kingdom of Hungary at the time. in your Hungarian Kingdom; there, I recognized these reasons most clearly through various experiences.

As for what I might say regarding the rarity of this gift (which is indeed small in its physical bulk), it occurred to me, through the total effort of my mind's investigation, that Huma-
The text cuts off here at the word "Huma-", which the catchword indicates will complete the phrase "Human life" on the following page.