Preface.

A iij

he might successfully produce through the help of his hands and claim for his own use. From these two source-springs original: Brunquellen; Maier refers to the combined power of the mind and the physical hand as the dual origins of all human achievement, all fine arts and inventions have been discovered, both in practice and theory. Speech, however, is that which allows what has been conceived by the mind original: Gemüht; refers to the inner intellect or soul and prepared by the hands to be explained and presented to others, both orally and in writing, as well as allowing noteworthy things to be recorded and left behind for posterity.

These glorious gifts of God—especially the invention of those arts useful to human life that are brought to light through these means—did not come into practice among all peoples at the same time. Rather, some remained for a considerable period in great barbaric ignorance. This is what happened, among others, to our beloved fatherland, the German nation, according to the testimony of Caesar, Tacitus, and others. Maier refers to Roman historians like Julius Caesar and Tacitus, whose works—specifically the Gallic Wars and Germania—were the primary historical sources for the early Germanic tribes, often characterizing them as unrefined or "barbaric" before Roman contact.

However, after the Romans invaded Germany and took it upon themselves to oppress these peoples with war, the Germans also [learned/advanced] in matters of war and all kinds of armaments, and likewise gradually in civil customs and