PREFACE

Geber, Avicenna, Rhazes, Arnald of Villanova, Geber (Jabir ibn Hayyan), Avicenna (Ibn Sina), and Rhazes (Al-Razi) were foundational Islamic scholars whose works formed the basis of medieval European alchemy. Villanova and Lully were famous European figures associated with the art.
Raymond Lully, and almost infinite others, both
ancient and modern, whose names we
refrain from mentioning now. I also do
not doubt that there are many today,
and have been before, notable impostors;
worthless men, most ignorant of letters
and all good arts and morals, yet most
skilled in every kind of wickedness; men
who, though they know absolutely nothing
except for Ceres and Bacchus original: "Cererem et Bachum". These are the Roman gods of grain/bread and wine. The author is calling these impostors gluttons and drunkards., with
whom they are so familiar that they bear
their marks not only on their bodies, but
even stamped upon their faces and noses,
nevertheless, with magnificent words,
they sell themselves to great lords as if
they were Geber or Raymond, so that
they might drain original: "decoquant". Literally "to boil down" or "to decoct," a pun on alchemical processes used here to mean "bankrupting" or "evaporating" someone's wealth. their purses; yet they
cannot even make burning water original: "aqua ardentem". This refers to distilled alcohol or brandy, which is flammable.
from wine, though they are capable of
draining entire barrels of it every single
day. From these impostors, I say, who
are worthy of the gallows, let noblemen
and princes beware, unless they wish to
make potable gold original: "aurum potabile". A legendary medicinal elixir made of dissolved gold. Here, the author uses the term ironically to suggest the nobles will "liquidate" their wealth into the hands of frauds..