A decorative woodcut headpiece consists of three rows of repeating stylized floral patterns, possibly acanthus leaves or thistles.

LEOPOLD, by the favor of Divine mercy,

elected Emperor of the Romans, always August, and King of Germany, Hungary, Bohemia, Dalmatia, Croatia, Slavonia, etc. Archduke of Austria, Duke of Burgundy, Styria, Carinthia, Carniola & Württemberg, Count of Tyrol, etc. We acknowledge and make known to all by the contents of this document;

Since our beloved and faithful servant of the Holy Empire, PAUL FÜRST, Citizen and Bookseller of Nuremberg, has most humbly explained to Us that with great labor and heavy expense, for the common benefit of all, especially students of Mathematics, he has undertaken to commit to his press and bring forth into public certain works written partly in the Latin and partly in the German language.

These include: The New Curious Architecture of Georg Andreas Böckler; also the Geometric works of Archimedes translated into German; also Tables for the Measurement of triangles from the Rule of Sines, calculated by Sebastian Curtius, Mathematician; also Jakob Bartsch’s Starred Planisphere, or the path of the Celestial globe drawn on a plane; also the works of Andreas Goldmayer, Mathematician; and finally Habrecht’s celestial and terrestrial globe. Isaac Habrecht (1589–1633) was a noted clockmaker and astronomer from Strasbourg.

However, he fears that after these same works have been published, others might rashly imitate them for the sake of profit, causing him no small loss. Therefore, he has humbly petitioned Us that We might deign to protect him against such danger with Our Imperial Privilege. An Imperial Privilege acted as an early form of copyright, granting a publisher exclusive rights to a text within the Holy Roman Empire.

Because We judge those who, by their own labor and expense, ensure that the best authors are published as accurately as possible to be worthy of Our favor and grace, We have graciously heard the most just prayers of this Paul Fürst. By the contents of this document, We forbid and prohibit all and every Printer, Bookseller, and any others exercising the book trade, that no one presume to print the aforementioned works to be published by the said Fürst, for a period of ten years to be counted from the first day of publication, throughout the whole Roman Empire and Our hereditary Kingdoms and Provinces, whether in similar or any other typeface or form, either in whole or in part, without the express written permission obtained from the same Paul Fürst.

Nor shall anyone presume to bring in or sell them, publicly or secretly, if printed elsewhere, under the penalty of ten marks of pure gold to be paid without fail to Our Imperial Treasury, the punisher of fraud. This is in addition to the loss of the books, which Paul Fürst himself, wherever they may be found, shall have the right to claim for himself and take into his possession, either by his own efforts or with the help of the local magistrates. This is provided, however, that all the aforementioned books contain nothing shameful or contrary to the laws, and of this...