A horizontal row of seven decorative printer's fleurons with a leafy, floral design at the top of the page.

TO THE READER.

Some time ago, Johannes David Johannes David (1545–1613) was a Belgian Jesuit priest and a prolific author of popular "emblem books" which combined illustrations with moral lessons. His works were major influences on 17th-century devotional art., a man renowned for both his natural talent and deep learning, was the first to run in this race A metaphorical "race" (Latin: "stadio") referring to the competition or field of producing illustrated religious books.. Therefore, although this man—at once cleverly learned and learnedly clever—deserved the highest praise, I believe that if he were alive today, he would have passed the torch original: "lampadem... traditurum." An ancient metaphor from Greek relay races where runners passed a lighted torch; it signifies handing over a duty, knowledge, or a specific field of study to a successor. to others. For it is a glorious thing for the one leading the way to have someone follow behind. But—

Alcinous in the Appendix Vergiliana Alcinous is the name historically associated with certain poems in the Appendix Vergiliana, a collection of poems once attributed to the Roman poet Virgil.

Whoever is second will be far from the first,

—as a certain grammarian sings. It is indeed true; yet my intention was not to boast of such empty glo-