PREFACE

...devoted to this task, I interpreted many notes of this kind. When, after searching more diligently for some time, I progressed so far that—having collected as many of these characters characteribus: encoded symbols or shorthand marks as possible—I decided to write a book about them, since the method of interpreting them was multifaceted and proven by the comparison of many writers.

But how that was to be done, I myself did not at first correctly or sufficiently understand. Therefore, in the beginning, I faced no small amount of labor to collect several things suitable for this purpose which would give shape to the book. Finally, I committed to my pen original: "calamo... commisi" certain rules præceptiones: principles or instructions that immediately occurred to my memory, so that I would not have to work too hard in searching for them whenever the need arose. For I did not hope that the work could grow to such a great extent due to the sheer variety of the subject matter.

Indeed, as I devoted myself more intensely to this matter (for what does labor not achieve?), I progressed so much that I was soon interpreting letters brought from everywhere, written in these kinds of notes, for friends who requested my help. Because of this, I excited such wonder in their minds that there were even those unlearned in literature who believed this ability came to me from no other source than the magic art arte magica: occult or supernatural methods and the inspiration of some deity original: "numinis afflatu". However, the logic of the context, drawn from the sources of orthography orthographiæ: the study of spelling or correct writing systems, indicated the truth clearly enough.

But so that they may see by what rules I proceeded in these matters—rules which I had collected through these days while my mind...