PREFACE

)( )( 2

...of tradition, which flourished among this nation original: in hac gente; referring to the Hebrew people mentioned on the previous page, having proceeded from the wisest men, these monuments have preserved for us. From these, moreover, we learn this above all: that true and genuine wisdom commends itself most of all through its simplicity original: simplicitate; in this context, "simplicity" refers to a direct, unadorned approach to truth, as opposed to the "subtleties" of Scholasticism. In divine matters, this wisdom conducts itself soberly, not indulging in subtleties and vain speculations, much less loosening the reins to an untimely curiosity. For those who lend an ear to its warnings do not doubt that God is worshipped by the will and by sincere love rather than by the intellect; and that, in turn, His divine power, virtue, sweetness, and beauty are perceived in the same way.

In the consideration of created things, this wisdom commands us to attend to the virtues, properties, and operations of each thing, rather than to approve of those subtle and never-ending disputes concerning their structure and causes The author is advocating for a practical, observational study of nature—close to early experimental science—rather than purely theoretical physics. Furthermore, to one who is about to form their own character original: mores, it shows that the knowledge of oneself—the very source of all vices, all evils, and all calamities—is to be sought in the innermost recesses of our own minds. It teaches that all other things are to be handled just as the condition of human life demands, neither forbidding what is necessary, nor approving what is superfluous or harmful. This is that [simplicity] of philosophy and true wisdom...

Vocabulary: wisdom, simplicity, God, philosophy, virtue, character