48

Introduction to the True Way

Having been earnestly requested for the sake of many friends—among whom are some of the great luminaries of Germany—I have written of these difficult matters in a humble style.

Finally, to all of you, Most Noble Men, and specifically to these most famous members of the Curious AcademyThe Academia Naturae Curiosorum, known today as the Leopoldina, dedicated to the study of the natural world.: Mr. Dr. Volkamer, primary physician of the Republic of Nuremberg; Mr. Dr. Franck, Professor at Heidelberg, my dearest friends; and Mr. Dr. Wedel, Professor at Jena and Chief Physician to the most serene Dukes of Saxe-Gotha and Saxe-Weimar, my kinsman. Extending to you my most kind greetings, I shall conclude with the following saying: Just as I do not consider it insulting to disagree with any author, however great or ancient, I will just as readily disagree with my own self if someone brings forward a more correct view—even if the person who teaches it is a layperson original: idiota; here meaning someone without formal academic training rather than the modern derogatory sense.

From the study in
Batavia, on the East Indian
island of Greater Java,
in the last month
of the year 1678.

A Devotee of your
most celebrated Academy,

HELBIG