A decorative horizontal headpiece features repeating floral ornaments and fleur-de-lis motifs.

Part One,

Comprising the most essential pieces required for the well-formed composition of sweetly-flowing epistles, alongside observations worthy of note concerning them.

Chapter I.

Concerning an epistle, its invention, its incumbent office, and its wonderfully noble utility.

An epistle is a written messenger of the mind, conveying the settled opinion of the heart to one who is far away.

The epistle, together with its highly useful practice, was invented through the noble ingenuity of the glory-worthy ancients. Through it, the nature of many things is discovered, the will of the absent person is heard, counsel is settled, matters of concern are addressed, and, primarily, the mind of both parties is recognized. Hence, it is not unreasonable to call it imago, vel animi speculum an image, or mirror of the mind: just as a painted portrait shows the outer figure and form of the body, so the letter shows the inner nature