DEDICATION

...I will also explain the philology original: "philologiam." In this context, Gesner refers to the study of the names, etymologies, and historical descriptions of these objects in classical literature. at length, should it ever be granted to me to add that study to this work or to publish it separately, as I have determined to do.

In this book, however—which displays the figures of fossil objects original: "rerum fossilium." In the 16th century, a "fossil" was anything "dug up" from the earth, encompassing minerals, metals, and gems, not just the prehistoric remains we associate with the word today., and especially of metals and stones—I have taken delight in considering the similarities and images which Mother Nature herself has expressed, as if by painting, in such varied things. Consequently, I wished to follow the very steps and orders of Nature herself. That is, to begin the Work from the simple principles of dimensions and the first outlines, and from there to proceed first to the simple bodies themselves, such as the heavens and the elements. From these, I turn again to those things composed of them: Meteors original: "Meteora." In Renaissance science, this category included all atmospheric phenomena, including rain, wind, and lightning, as well as "stony" objects believed to fall from the sky., Plants, and Animals.

I have chosen to list the fossil objects within each category that are named after these things or bear some resemblance to them. Thus, I descend gradually from the sky and celestial bodies to the earth and the bodies which are nourished, live, or thrive upon it. This is the task of the natural philosophers original: "physicorum," those who study "physica" or the natural world., who examine Nature with all reason and inner sense. Yet for theologians—indeed, for all pious men—there is a better understanding, which we call the mind and the spirit, so that in this descent the soul...