PREFACE

...men, with few exceptions, are bound by this slavery, which even now and in the future robs the greatest part of humanity of their lives. I despair for this temporal life; for those who are said to bring aid lack any true knowledge of it, and they are forced to spend their time in the disputes and disagreements that arise among them—in the hatred and envy with which the aforementioned Doctors This refers to the elite medical establishment mentioned on the previous page. never ceased to struggle. Being few in number, they scurry about day and night, excelling in wealth as they scrape together a massive sum of money from the healthy, the sick, and the dead alike. Thus they have been able to frequent their circles in harmony, which will persist until the end times appear. You shall recognize those times when you see the number of younger Doctors of Medicine and Licentiates Licentiatorum; a degree rank below a full Doctor, granting the right to practice increase so much that they have scarcely enough work to sustain them.

The Elders will be hostile toward the Younger and the newcomers because their daily income will be diminished, and because they will find that these newly arrived juniors—forced to learn more certain methods to earn a living—cure some of those sick patients who would have met their deaths under the care of the elders. At this, the Elders will be envious, wishing in their hearts that all the sick people who might summon the younger doctors would instead perish. Finally, they will revile them publicly before all the People, saying:

"These wicked young men heal with incantations; it is necessary that their practice be forbidden."

With these and similar words, they will labor to subvert them. They will offend God, so that He might give courage to the Younger and to other pious and industrious men to achieve that which they shall propose to the Elders in these words:

"When we invited you to permit us to publicly heal certain sick people from the hospital nosocomio; from the Greek word for an infirmary, establishing a prize brabium; a reward or trophy, often used in the context of a competition or race for the benefit of the poor, and challenging you to do the same—so that whoever failed to produce results would pay a penalty—you refused. You do not seek the needy, but you create them; in this, you act like beggars who loathe those like themselves and do not want their number to increase. For you have secured for yourselves the houses and places of certain rich men, where a more generous handout resulted from your deceitful words and rituals, so that you might leave these arts and houses to your children as a dowry."

This is the very thing you cherish in your hearts, but it shall turn out badly. Because of this public discord, which shall spring from avarice, that long-standing fraud will become known to the World. People will look only to the true Doctors, who shall be judged by their good fruits, and who will follow in the footsteps of the Samaritan A reference to the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25–37), the biblical model of a true healer who helps without regard for status..

When he had finished these words, he felt his life failing him. Therefore, with his eyes turned upward, he added sorrowfully:

"Merciful Lord, shorten the term of human health original: "Salutis humanæ"; this refers to both physical health and spiritual salvation., and change the Doctors' fading doctrine of the flesh into the genuine love of the Spirit, so that the innocent may complete their lives to your glory. I pray you, O my Savior, do not hereafter count my death as a sin against the Doctors; for they know not what they do. But deign to open their sight, so that they may support the truth, and so that the People may proclaim of them what was once said of Saint Paul original: "Divo Paulo"; likely referring to Paul’s transformation from a persecutor of the truth to its greatest advocate.."

When this was finished, he committed himself entirely to the Divine will...