An elaborate allegorical engraving featuring several figures. In the center, a circular medallion or shield is held aloft, bearing the English inscription "The Reward of Warlike Virtue" original Latin: "BELLICÆ VIRTUTIS PRÆMIUM" surrounding a central emblem. Above the shield, a figure in Roman military attire (possibly Mars, the god of war, or a personification of War) holds a spear. To the left, a winged figure of Fame blows a trumpet, and a seated female figure in armor (possibly Minerva, goddess of wisdom and strategic war, or Bellona) holds a spear. Various other figures, including cherubs and soldiers, are arranged around the central motif amidst clouds and trophies of war. The engraving is signed "F. A. Aveline f." The "f." stands for "fecit," Latin for "made this." at the bottom left.

TO MY LORD

THE COUNT

D'ARGENSON,

MINISTER AND SECRETARY OF STATE

FOR WAR.

MY LORD,

THE protection with which you have honored the first Part of Hydraulic Architecture This refers to the science of moving, managing, and utilizing water, essential for both civil engineering and military fortifications. was a fortunate omen of the ac- The word is cut off and continues on the next page as "accueil," meaning the reception or acceptance the work received.

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