A horizontal decorative woodcut border features repeating symmetrical floral and leaf patterns known as scrollwork, a common artistic flourish in early 17th-century book printing.

TO MONSIEUR DE CAUS

ACROSTIC original: "ANACROTICHE," a variation of "acrostiche" ON HIS NAME.

S if names possess within them some force and power
A long with wisdom, this name was bestowed upon you,
L earning that is true renders it so, for which immortal renown
O ffers to the best authors the honor of your birth: This suggests that De Caus’s natural talent surpasses even that of established writers.
M ayhap the spirit of the dead enters into another substance,
O r slides invisibly along with our reason,
N ow we shall think we see that of Solomon Referring to the biblical King Solomon, the ultimate symbol of wisdom and architectural patronage.
D elivered from his body, taking residence in yours
E xisting in your April A poetic reference to youth or the prime of one’s life., so wise and learned
C onjoining science together with modesty,
A chieving a mature spirit in the springtime of your life,
V ital sweetness joined to virtue,
S o that the great God has clothed you in ornament.

I. L. M.

ANOTHER.

Should my verses equal your excellent merits,
Along with the truth, your beautiful, glorious name,
Light would be seen shining in the vault of the heavens,
On which your rare virtues would be described at length,
Moreover, neither my little wit, nor even the Graces original: "charites"; in Greek mythology, the goddesses of charm, beauty, and creativity.,
Offer to touch this name, full of such great renown,
Never having fully grasped all your great merits,
Daring too much myself, wishing to praise this name,
Even in these ill-sounding verses, to praise Solomon,
Certainly it is a learned name, and just as learned are you,
Already having for a long time proved your virtue,
Vitruvius, Archimedes, and the subtle Hero Hero of Alexandria, an ancient Greek engineer and mathematician whose work on pneumatics heavily influenced De Caus.,
Surpassed here by the wise Solomon.

P. L. N.

Salomon de Caus The author (1576–1626), a French Huguenot engineer and architect.
Acrostic A poem in which the first letter of each line spells out a word or name; here, "SALOMON DE CAUS".
Vitruvius A Roman architect and engineer whose "De Architectura" was the foundational text for Renaissance engineering.
Archimedes The famous Greek mathematician and inventor of mechanical devices.