TO THE MOST ILLUSTRIOUS

AND MOST REVEREND

MONSIGNOR, THE LORD

GIULIO FELTRIO

DELLA ROVERE,

MOST MAGNIFICENT CARDINAL,

And of the entire Franciscan Order

Most worthy and

most vigilant Protector.

A decorative woodcut headpiece ornament featuring symmetrical scrolls and floral motifs.

A large historiated woodcut initial 'A'. Inside the frame of the letter, a standing figure appears on the right, and a reclining or kneeling figure with a lion appears on the left, likely depicting Saint Jerome in the desert.

BEFORE I came to petition your Most Illustrious Lordship V. S. Ill.ma (Vostra Signoria Illustrissima): a standard formal honorific for high-ranking nobility and clergy in the 16th century. to receive this little book original: "libretto." Authors often used this modest term when dedicating their work to a powerful patron. under the protection of your name, I ought to provide some reason, as I, who am not even known by name—