An ornate engraving of a coat of arms. A central shield features a crowned snake or serpent. The shield is supported by two winged putti; the one on the left holds a wreath, and the one on the right holds an oval mirror. The entire heraldic achievement is set against a masonry wall background.

TO THE MOST ILLUSTRIOUS MAN, LORD JEAN-BAPTISTE COLBERT

MEMBER OF THE KING’S PRIVY COUNCIL original: "Regi ab intimis consiliis"

And of his Private Commands, Controller-General of the Treasury,

Superintendent of Royal Buildings,

Treasurer of the Royal Orders, etc.

CARLO CESARE MALVASIA WISHES HAPPINESS.

An engraving of a tree with a long scroll intertwined through its branches. The scroll bears the motto: "ANOTHER IS NOT LACKING" original Latin: "Non deficit alter." This is a quote from Virgil's Aeneid, referring to the Golden Bough; when one is plucked, another grows in its place. Here, it likely signifies the enduring nature of the dedicatee's family or the author's academic efforts..

As I myself was about to hatch this "egg"—my own commentary original: "Ovum... commentum" on the enigmatic epitaph of AELIA LAELIA CRISPIS Malvasia uses the word "egg" (ovum) as a metaphor for his scholarly work, likely playing on the alchemical interpretations of the Aelia Laelia riddle, which often compared the mystery to a philosopher's egg.—I did not have to search long for a name under which it should be published.