A horizontal ornamental woodcut header featuring a symmetrical, repeating scrollwork pattern with floral and foliage elements.

TO THE READERS

PREFACE.

WHILE I was searching for certain ancient handwritten records original: "manuscripta monumenta" of every kind—seeking to draw out some secret or hidden knowledge (a pursuit toward which my nature has always inclined me)—it happened more than once that I stumbled upon obscure marks and characters characteres: encoded symbols, cyphers, or shorthand. Authors often use these to intentionally hide their work from readers. Because of this, I was frequently forced to set aside the very topics that most sparked my interest.

Yet, such is the human condition: the more difficult it is to achieve what we greatly desire, the more passionately we pursue it. For this reason, I resolved not to give up on my undertaking until I had deciphered all the various marks I had encountered. Fortune favored my wish. As I investigated the meaning of these characters more precisely and put in no small amount of effort, the work proceeded so successfully that soon this inquiry—