TO THE READER

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...learned Reader, who glows with any vein of philosophy, will rightly discern, and properly extract gold from the dung of the Sophists original: "Sophistarum." In an alchemical context, "sophists" or "puffers" were charlatans who sought only to make gold through trickery, as opposed to the "true philosophers" seeking natural and spiritual secrets..

Finally, I wish it to be known to the Reader that, having so far expended and contributed our efforts to those things which concern metallurgy original: "rem metallicam." This refers to the science of mining and refining metals, a field Zetzner published in extensively, including works by Agricola., a Chemicomedical Theater shall hereafter also issue from our workshop, God willing. It will be furnished with a collection of the most excellent remedies, of which we wish to advise you.

And meanwhile, we bid you farewell with these words, and urge you to apply yourself with all your strength to those Philosophers The "Philosophers" here refers to the ancient alchemical authorities who were believed to have hidden the secrets of nature in their writings. who are never accustomed to lie. We command you to insist firmly on their footsteps in the universal work original: "opere universali." A reference to the "Magnum Opus" or Great Work—the process of creating the Philosopher's Stone. (outside of which there is nothing but labor and sorrow). Farewell. Strasbourg, in the year of human salvation, 1613.