DEDICATION

...to step forth into Your sight. This work is both far unequal to Your merits and clearly does not match the depth of my affection; I hope, however, that it will not be unwelcome to You, if only for the reason that it comes from one who loves, respects, and admires Your virtues. These virtues—which are joined as if in a close fellowship original: "contubernio." Traditionally a term for soldiers sharing a tent, here used metaphorically to show how the President’s virtues work in perfect, inseparable harmony. and shine forth in competition from the sanctuary of Your divine mind—are truly great. Therefore, most illustrious Lord PRESIDENT, I humbly pray and beseech You to receive this small effort original: "opellam." A diminutive form of "opus" (work), used here as a gesture of "affected modesty" common in 17th- and 18th-century academic writing. with a favorable mind, and...