Preface.

he successfully completes with the help of his hands and claims for himself. From these two springs, all good arts and inventions, both in practice and in theory, have been discovered; but speech [is that which] explains and communicates what was discovered by the mind and pre-formed by the hands to others orally and in writing, and also records what is worthy of memory and leaves it to posterity. Now, these heartfelt gifts of God, especially the invention of those arts useful to human life which were brought to light through them, did not come into use among all peoples at the same time, but rather some remained for a long time in great barbaric ignorance: as has also happened among others to our beloved fatherland, the German nation, according to the testimony of Cæsar Roman leader, Tacitus Roman historian, and others.

However, after the Romans invaded Germany and attempted to harass these peoples with war, they also began to practice in matters of war and all kinds of armaments, as well as gradually in civil customs and