To the Most Illustrious /

High-born Prince and Lord / Lord

Albert / Count Palatine of the Rhine / Duke in Upper

and Lower Bavaria etc. my most gracious

Prince and Lord

Patron, original: "Mecænaten" — A reference to Gaius Maecenas, the Roman counselor to Augustus known for his generous patronage of the arts. It was a standard honorific for high-ranking sponsors in the Renaissance.

Large decorative historiated woodcut initial 'B' featuring a classical or biblical figure amidst foliage.Soon after the creation of the world / most illustrious high-born Prince, gracious Lord and Patron, the most cunning beast among all beasts / the serpent, took it upon itself / to bring down the most beautiful and noble creature of God / humanity: and to lead them away from the highest good / their Creator, into all manner of misery: and thus to extinguish the image of GOD / in which humanity was created / within humanity. And so that the serpent might more conveniently accomplish its purpose / it cunningly attacked humanity / where it believed them to be weakest: and not the man, who in his enlightened reason would have remained steadfast / and would not have allowed himself to be turned away so quickly from GOD and His commandment / by the fickle speech of the serpent / but instead addressed the woman / who was easily moved toward external pleasures: and immediately obeyed the serpent's voice: where she / the woman / turned her voice toward pleasure / and allowed herself to be persuaded to eat of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. For although Eve knew / that God Almighty had forbidden /