The Second Part of the Mineral Work

profit from compiling this book. Rather, it is with this aim and regard: that I, having written about metallic matters before, and especially having made mention of this treatise on their rise and birth, might at least bring clarity to my earlier writings and render them easier to understand. For I would bear it most bitterly if even one thing from my writings were to lead someone into pathless terrain; indeed, I trust that light will arise for many, under the guidance of which they will treat these subjects more cautiously than has been done before. May the kind and merciful God, the Father of us all, whose miracles the Heaven and Earth are full of, give to his poor and needy little children that which may redound to the glory of his most holy name and our salvation. Amen.

A decorative woodcut tailpiece consisting of intricate floral scrollwork and acanthus leaves. In the center is a grotesque face with a wide, open mouth. Two tasseled banners or flags extend symmetrically from the upper corners of the ornamentation.