PREFACE

Iohan. Baptista Porta & Hieronymus Rubeus.

Paræus & Matthiolus.

Geberus

Lullius

Vlstadius.

Albertus.

Gesnerus.

Crato.

Zvingerus.

Guintherius.

Euchion.

Penetus.

Dornæus.

Turneisserus.

If you are agreeable, you can be informed, but restricted by the laws of the art. Many have labored in the destillatoria distillatory art. John Baptista Porta is very diligent, as is Hieronymus Rubeus. Paræus and Matthiolus provide something, along with a great abundance of the moderns. Among the ancients is Geber, and others to whom, on account of the memory of Paracelsus, I add Lullius on the quintessence, Vlstadius, Albertus, and their contemporaries. In various parts of the art, the industry of Gesner, Crato, Zvinger, Guinther, Euchion, and Geber is eminent, to whom may be added one who wrote recently, Penetus, and, if by chance you also desire other Paracelsians, Dornæus, Turneisser, and the like, although you will hardly draw light from darkness. If you seek practice, approach those great Republics, Nuremberg, Brunswick, Augsburg, and others. A refuge of great hope is in the Ranzovian family and the castle of Uraniborg. Other cities and principalities also have excellent practices, from which use of the art may come. I will be occupied with this, so that I may collect what has been found and judged best by reason and experience, and reduce them to natural and artistic principles, with the notes of the parachymic pseudo-chemical/smoke-blowing [practitioners] added, and scientific information. But if in the meantime there is someone who can laudably expedite these things, I would want him to be asked to do this; so far am I from thinking anything preempted, or from envying him. For that labor is also necessary. For we are not compelled,