TO THE MOST SERENE

GRAND DUKE.

A decorative horizontal woodcut ornament consisting of a repeating row of sixteen fleur-de-lis or stylized floral motifs.

THE difference that exists between humans and other animals, however great it may be, if one were to say that a similar degree of difference can exist among humans themselves, they might not be speaking without reason. What proportion is there between one and a thousand? And yet, it is a common proverb that a single man may be worth a thousand, where a thousand are not worth a single one. Such a difference depends on the diverse abilities of intellects, which I attribute to being, or not being, a philosopher. For philosophy—as the proper nourishment of those who can feed upon it—effectively separates them from the common state of the masses, to a greater or lesser degree of worthiness, depending on the variety of such nourishment.

He who gazes higher, distinguishes himself more highly; and turning toward the great book of Nature—which is the proper object of philosophy—is the way to raise one’s eyes. In that book, although everything one reads is perfectly proportioned (as it is the work of the Almighty Artificer original: "Artefice Onnipotente"; a common 17th-century reference to God as the divine craftsman or architect of the cosmos.), those parts are nonetheless clearer and more worthy where the labor and artistry appear greatest to our sight. The Constitution of the Universe This refers to the physical structure and arrangement of the heavens and the earth., among things in nature that can be understood, may in my belief be placed in the first rank. For if the universe, as the container of everything, exceeds all others in size, then as the rule and support—

This is a catchword, a common printing practice where the first syllable of the next page is printed at the bottom right to help the binder assemble the pages in the correct order. The full word on the next page is "mantenimento," meaning maintenance or support.