Heronis Alexandrini spiritalium liber

The Book of Pneumatics by Heron of Alexandria.

A decorative initial 'C' containing a woodcut illustration of a putto or young boy holding a staff and standing in a landscape with trees and a small building in the background.

Since the study of pneumatics original: "spiritalis tractatio" has been deemed worthy of the greatest study by the ancients, both philosophers and mechanics—the former treating the force and faculty of it by reason, the latter by the actual action of sensible things—we have judged it necessary to organize what has been handed down by the ancients and to explain what we ourselves have discovered. For in this way, it will come about that those who wish hereafter to occupy themselves with mathematics will be greatly aided by these things. Furthermore, since we thought it consistent that this treatment should cohere with that which is handed down in four books concerning water-clocks, to write about this itself...