To the Reader.

...extraordinary, for I thought that [evil] must be defeated by Virtue original: Virtute alone; but that true and living Virtue cannot be taught, but must be drawn through Faith original: Fidem in God from the living God and His living Oracles original: Oraculis; here referring to the Holy Scriptures or divine revelations.. For there must be an underlying Divine sense original: Divinum sensum; he who possesses and nurtures this, and does not knowingly and willingly violate or wound it, will at last easily judge for himself what is honorable original: honestum or shameful original: turpe in any matter, as if by his own accord. But he who is destitute of this sense, however well-instructed he may be in all kinds of Distributions and Definitions of Virtues original: Virtutum Distributionibus & Definitionibus; likely referring to the scholastic or academic categorizations of ethics used in universities at the time., will never arrive at true Virtue, nor—as he has not yet stripped off his [selfish] self—will he know what true Virtue is; perhaps he will not even believe that it is anything more than an empty name. With this kind of monster—alas!—nearly every place is filled in this age.

The second reason [for my hesitation] was that I had recently devoted my time and mind to certain most pleasant studies, from which I was very reluctant to be torn away so suddenly; especially since, after my strength had been shaken and dried up by certain recent labors—labors a little more intense than usual—I was being refreshed by the gentle and dewy breeze of these new speculations original: speculationum; in this context, theoretical or philosophical contemplations that the author found more enjoyable than the hard work of moral philosophy....