Chemical Library

and I discover more every day, so that I hope I shall shortly give you a second part of this Library, and in better order, namely chronologically, with brief biographies of the principal authors, for I shall always collect authors for the future. Therefore, I beg all curious people who are applying their hand to this work, that they deign to communicate to me what is missing in my book, for they shall appear under their own name, if they so wish, for the sake of honor.

The use of this work, however, is manifold, although I have already heard some grumbling that it will be useless, thereby doing an injustice to C. Gesner, Lycosthenes, Simler, Draudius, Verderius, Vignier, Antonius Vanderlinden, Chesne, Paschalius, and countless other compilers of similar libraries.

First, it will be useful for those studious of the Chimicæ chemical art, for exquisite researchers should let nothing escape them, and what is diminished in one book is complete in another, and thus they will see the consensus of all authors. Moreover, they cannot usually request an author from booksellers if his name is unknown. And since Trevisanus once asserted that he arrived at his desired work only late, due to a scarcity of books, the seekers of that art will no longer be able to complain about this matter.

Second, when someone wishes to know thoroughly the authors who have discussed a certain mineral or other chemical argument professionally,