P R E F A C E.

reads or hears them, may very easily be moved to tears because of such a Lord's all-too-great and eternally undeserved grace original: "Holdseligkeit".

Rather, this holy, holy, holy Light, which illuminates all people who come into this world A reference to the Gospel of John 1:9: "The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.", has also from one time to another, among all nations, equipped various people—adorned with joyful, blissful gifts of light—as witness-messengers of His overflowing goodness, and presented them publicly to the world for its service. With this highly prized gift, He has also not left us High and Low Germans Referring to the speakers of both High German (the south) and Low German (the north) dialects. unbestowed.

For to say nothing now of other light-filled German men, such as Albertus Magnus Albertus Magnus|A 13th-century German Dominican friar and polymath, later canonized, who was widely believed in the Renaissance to have mastered alchemy., Tauler Johannes Tauler|A famous 14th-century German mystic whose works emphasized the inner life and the "ground of the soul.", Paracelsus Paracelsus|A revolutionary 16th-century Swiss-German physician and alchemist who sought to combine medicine with chemistry., Basil Valentine Basil Valentine|The name attributed to a legendary 15th-century alchemist, now thought to be a pseudonym for 16th-century authors; he is famous for his work on antimony., etc., and only to remember at present the excellent philosopher JOHANN ISAAC HOLLANDUS.

Thus, without my reminding, this man's name is undoubtedly known throughout all Europe because of his uncommon enlightenment and incomparable experience original: "experientz," often used in this period to denote practical, laboratory-based chemical knowledge. in natural and philosophical philosophical|In this context, 'philosophy' refers specifically to 'natural philosophy' or alchemy, the study of the hidden properties of matter. things, which he possessed through the gracious inspiration of the eternal Light. This is evident from his writings—as many as are currently available—and is recognized not only by our own nation, but also by the modest philosophers of many other nations, in