THE

PUBLISHER

TO THE

READER.

Reader,

I believe you will wonder at the backwards original: "preposterous" order of my publishing these two dialogues before the first three have seen the light of day. Indeed, you may wonder most of all why I am publishing them at all. If this were a matter of ordinary, understandable political interest, or the solution to some algebra problem, or the discovery of some clever original: "quaint" experiment to perfect science original: "Natural Philosophy", or the decision on some notable point in argumentative theology original: "Polemical Divinity", it would be reasonable for us to accept your work and have the patience to read it.

But to stretch out a long, tiresome story of the Kingdom of God and the fate of the Church through countless dark symbols Types; symbolic representations or foreshadowing in the Bible and obscure, mysterious prophecies—where we can find no certain footing in anything—"Who will read these things?" original: "Quis leget hæc?" The indifferent people original: "the Gallio's"; a reference to the biblical figure Gallio who "cared for none of those things." of this age care for no such matters.

Well, even if we admit the case is as you suggest, Reader, this still should not be an obstacle to either the writing or the publishing of these—