and (as they say) to reweave the whole web original: "totam telam retexere"; an idiom meaning to start over from scratch or redo the entire work., but rather to slightly correct it, and to infuse it with some splendor. Therefore, now again I ask you, kind Reader, do not judge these things based on the present time of their publication, but grant pardon to a curious youth if you find anything in these writings that perhaps differs from your liking.

To the Reverend Father and Lord, JOHANNES TRI-

THEMIUS, ABBOT OF SAINT

A decorative woodcut drop cap 'C' featuring floral and vine motifs within a square frame.

When I was recently staying with you (reverend father) for some time in your monastery at Würzburg original: "Herbipolis"; the Latin name for the city of Würzburg in Bavaria., we discussed many things together concerning alchemy original: "chimicis", many things concerning magic, many things concerning kabbalistic matters original: "cabalisticis"; referring to Jewish mysticism which Agrippa and other Renaissance humanists integrated into their philosophy., and other secret sciences and arts which still lie hidden in obscurity. A great question arose among others: why is it that Magic itself—which in ancient times held the highest peak of sublimity by the unanimous judgment of all the ancient philosophers, and was always held in the highest veneration by those early wise men and priests—was afterwards, from the beginning of the rising Catholic Church, always hateful and suspected by the holy fathers? Why was it finally exploded by the theologians, condemned by the sacred canons, and furthermore proscribed by the decrees of all laws?

Reflecting on the cause of this, in my judgment it is nothing other than this: that by a certain fatal depravity of times and men, many pseudo-philosophers false philosophers and "magicians" with assumed names crept in. These men, through various sects of errors and factions of false religions, gathered together many truly cursed superstitions and deadly rituals, including many wicked sacrileges taken from orthodox religion, resulting in the persecution of nature, the destruction of men, and injury to God. They published many books of rejected readings—such as we see circulating today—to which they prefixed the most honorable name and title of "Magic" through theft and robbery. These men, there-