Preface.

...experienced engineersoriginal: "Machianisten" who focus all their thoughts only on massive machines, and concern themselves with how they might move the earth like ArchimedesA reference to the famous quote attributed to Archimedes: "Give me a place to stand and with a lever I will move the whole world.". My aim is to strip away such deeply rooted, vain, and false ideas, and to warn others so they are not led astray by such "errant spirits" into unnecessary costs and damages. Often, they commission a machine costing several thousand ThalersA silver coin used throughout Europe for centuries; the name is the root of the word "dollar." when they could have had one for a few hundred that would have performed the same, or perhaps even better, service. I have deemed this work all the more necessary because today one finds so many people who, through such "new proposals"—of which they make total secretsoriginal: "Arcana," meaning hidden or esoteric knowledge.—worm their way into all circles. This is especially true at royal courts and in mines that require water-pumping systems. Therefore, I have had to issue these reminders frequently and at length, repeating them wherever the opportunity arose.

One should not imagine, however, that I am targeting one or another specific person by this; no, not at all. Rather, I have done what an honest man should and must do, as required by this subject, my work, and proprietyoriginal: "Billigkeit," referring to a sense of fairness and professional ethics.. No one should take offense except those who deceive and mislead others—and often themselves. For others, who performoriginal: "præstiren," from the Latin praestare, meaning to provide or fulfill a promise. what they have promised, show through their own works that they do not belong to that group.

Thus, my sole purpose is to guide craftsmen, builders, and lovers of mechanics from false principles to the right ones, showing that nature chooses the simplest paths; he who walks upon them travels most securely. I have also explained all of this much more extensively at the end, in a special "Report on Machines." Because my book is written not for scholars, but for craftsmenoriginal: "Künstler", estate managersoriginal: "Haußwirthe," literally "house-fathers" or those responsible for managing a household's economy and infrastructure., gentlemenoriginal: "Cavallier", and similar persons who rarely read a book straight through, they may fail to grasp the connection or what is particularly noteworthy about one machine or another, or what advantage one has over another. Instead, they want to know immediately: "Which is the best machine?" without troubling themselves with the causes and circumstances in comparison to others. Since they may read a passage here or there as it happens to fall into their hands, I have had to repeat and mention various points across many different machines, even if they were already touched upon where necessary.