P R O O E M I U M.

The reason for humans is most perfect. This is proven as follows: because man is the noblest creature, which is evident from the intention of the Philosopher referring to Aristotle in many places, and especially in the second book of On the Soul, because the more operations a thing has, the nobler it is. Man, however, is separated from the number of living things by rational intellect, as is evident in the same place. This is also the intention of all philosophers, especially Boethius in the second book of The Consolation of Philosophy, where he says that men are similar to God in mind. This is evident in these things, O Philosopher, because motion receives its nature and species from the end toward which it moves; and therefore, since the human nature exists in Socrates or Plato, or in any other particular existing man, the motion that is called generation becomes the most perfect among the generation of all animals. Furthermore, generation is a motion from non-being to being. Being, however, is most desired, and especially by humans, because here it is excellent in mobility among all motions. And understand this regarding the motion varying something over which it moves, through which the first motion is excluded, which is the cause of others.

Here he proves that animals cannot remain the same in number, but they can indeed remain the same in species, especially humans. It is doubted whether the same corrupted individual can be regenerated in number. And it seems that it can, because after thirty-seven thousand years, the constellation of the heavens will be the same throughout, just as it is now according to Plato, and