P R E F A C E.

...concerning those entities which are the matter of nature matter of nature: the fundamental substance or "prime matter" that alchemists believed formed the basis of all physical things, which have been and are discovered through dissolutions original: "dissolutiones"; the chemical process of breaking a solid down into its constituent liquid or elemental parts, and which do not allow themselves to be seen in ordinary ways. And for this reason, because this doctrine of dissolution thoroughly pants, sighs, and desires the end, seeking to arrive at the point of completion, may You, eternal and supreme Power, be willing to enlighten Christians and those who believe in You, so that they may see and know the truth fashioned by the ancients original: "antiquos"; likely referring to legendary figures like Hermes Trismegistus or early Greek alchemists. Without this truth, this science—which is better than even the noblest part of philosophy—cannot be made whole. It is now time for us to be introduced to it, because the moment has come when we ought to