To the Readers.

I do not believe anyone, in their right mind, would consider gold—which is accepted as the price of all things in the world, as long as the world has existed and shall exist, and which is often used for the healing of many human diseases—to be useless, most harmful, and detestable. No one would denounce or accuse it merely because they do not possess as much of it as they might wish, or because it does not remove all the afflictions, diseases, and desires of men, or because it is the alluring cause of many evils, such as theft, robbery, homicide, adultery, and almost all vices; unless, of course, that person wishes to live entirely outside the world and appear as a Cynic a member of a school of ancient Greek philosophers who advocated for a life of virtue in agreement with nature, often rejecting wealth and social norms. Let the same judgment be applied to Medicine: if medicine results from gold, or if gold results from medicine, who but the most insane would detest that medicine? A child in this world thinks that everything everywhere is exactly as it is in his own home, city, or region where he was raised. A man who is twice a child is one who, though mature in age, thinks that no one ever has existed, or currently exists, who has seen, known, or understood more of the nature of things than he himself can grasp. No one of sound judgment will deny the truth of Chemistry alchemy; the study of the transmutation of substances merely because he does not see, know, or understand it. For it would be a mark of the most impudent disposition to accept all things known to oneself, while wishing to banish from the universality of things those that are unknown. It would be, I say, a mark of an envious and dog-like nature, rather than a human one, to disparage in the world that which one himself does not happen to utilize. But lest anyone complain that I, while bringing forth such a writing, profess a knowledge of this subject, let them grasp the rationale of my studies: I have practiced Galenic medicine referring to the traditional medical system based on the teachings of the ancient Greek physician Galen until now, and I have not ceased to investigate other, most arcane matters within the chemical arts. For I have considered it the characteristic of a liberally educated man to be like a bird; just as a bird is born to fly, so a man seems born to reason. We see that for birds, not just one part of the air, but the entire expanse is open. Why should the same not be true for men in their reasoning? Therefore, let no one take offense if, beyond common knowledge, I also know of arcane and rare matters, provided they have a foundation in nature and are proven by reason and experience. This is what Aristotle demonstrates in his Metaphysics the philosophical study of the nature of being and the universe as being the property of an intelligent soul. In that state of mind, I have visited foreign lands where I was born, and thus, in this kingdom, I have