Secret of Secrets

reading testifies that it was first turned into Roman, but the most ancient reading [testifies] that it was first turned into Chaldean by Joannes. From Arabic, however, into which Joannes had translated it, it was turned into this Roman speech that we now have by a certain Philip, a clerk of Tripoli, as Philip himself testifies in his preface. Since this preface contains nothing relevant to the matter, except for a most confused index of the chapters of the work, it has been omitted by us so that the reader is not burdened with superfluous study.

This volume of secrets, wherein it differs from that which was printed at Ticinum, and Aristotle’s little treatise on the immortality of the soul is annexed.

We also deem it necessary to forewarn in this place that the book which is inscribed Secret of Secrets of Aristotle, which was printed at Ticinum, is far different from the present one. For that book is divided into three parts, in which three petitions of Alexander are satisfied: in the first, it treats of the immortality of the soul; in the second, of the conservation of health; in the third, however, of the regimen of princes. The two latter parts are excerpted from the present volume, though the order of chapters and some words are changed; nevertheless, there is almost nothing of the arguments in them that was not extracted from the present volume. But the first [part] is not at all in this [edition]. Therefore, so that the eager reader might not miss something from the volume of secrets in this edition, which I can provide, I have decided to place it here, and all the more willingly because it is filled with brevity and the greatest utility. That little treatise is as follows.