TO THE READER.

Book on those things which are carried in water.

On inventors.

Elements of Geometry.

Mathematics.

A large, ornate decorative drop cap initial letter 'V' begins the text. The letter is set within a square border and is surrounded by scrolling foliate designs and floral motifs in a woodcut style.

What moving cause Archimedes had to write that which he left us in the Book of the things which are carried in water original: "de iis quae vehuntur in aqua", where he began to hit upon nature gloriously, I do not know, but I do know this: that he was mine, and I gladly acknowledge it, in bringing such material into the form we have given it. I confess also, in addition, that I had a better helping cause for it than Archimedes: namely, the language, which was Duytsch Dutch, while his was only Greek. For you must know that the goodness of a language is not only useful to learn the Consten arts/sciences aptly through it, but also for the *inventors in their searching. To speak of that with reason, note that just as in the *Elements of Geometry original: "Beginselen der Meetconst", the point must be taken without length, the line without breadth, the *plane without thickness, so it is necessary in the Elements of Waterwicht Hydrostatics to treat matters Wisconstlick mathematically, to set containers without physical magnitude and without weight. Such we call, according to their form (for new arts bring new words), Vlacvat plane-container, since its material consists of planes, as will be said in the following 1st definition. And for similar reasons we had to speak of Stoffwaerheyt material-heaviness, Stoflichtheyt material-lightness, Euestofwaer equally-material-heavy, and the like, of which the following is full. These words the Greeks, as short and as understandable to their common man, and also as characteristically signifying their foundation, could never say, cannot now, and, as is clear enough, will never be able to in eternity. For that which is not within cannot come out of—