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A decorative headpiece consisting of three rows of repeating woodcut floral ornaments.

Preface

To the Highly Inclined Reader.

This exceedingly rare Script original: Scriptum is being shared with the curious world and those inquisitive minds searching for the truth in both natural and supernatural things. This work would likely never—or at least not so soon—have come to the light of day, had it not fallen into the hands of a Person of Noble Rank through a singular stroke of fate. It happened a few years ago that a stranger came to a famous Royal Residence city to view the city itself, as well as the court and surrounding pleasure-houses Historical term for summer villas or recreational estates of the nobility. He took up lodging there with a merchant. Because the stranger noticed some Chemical In this period, "Chymical" (Chymische) referred to both chemistry and alchemy, which were not yet distinct fields. books at this merchant’s, he entered into a discussion original: Discours with him about Chemistry. From this, the merchant could perceive the stranger’s great knowledge in such matters. Therefore, curiosity original: Curiosité drove the merchant to open the room where the stranger was staying with the master key during his absence. There, he immediately caught sight of this Manuscript. Upon opening it and seeing that it dealt with Chemical matters, he showed it to a friend who lived in a Laboratory original: Laboratorio. This friend, in turn, shared it with a Person of Noble Rank. Since the aforementioned Person of Rank was currently unwell and forced to spend a sleepless night, they wished to leaf through this Manuscript original: Manuscriptum and return it to the merchant the following day, so it could be delivered back to the stranger, who was staying that night outside the city at a pleasure-house.

Now, when the aforementioned Person of Rank—who was exceedingly experienced in Mathematics original: Mathesi and the science of nature—encountered entirely singular and extraordinary things, the likes of which they had not yet found in any books of such kind, they resolved not to let the Manuscript out of their hands until it was copied original: abcopiret and well collated original: collationiret; to compare the new copy against the original to ensure accuracy with the original. In that original, much that the Author original: Auctor had deemed superfluous or far too clear had been struck out. Whether now the