Philosophical Scrutiny of the True Elixir of Life

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Most Noble, Most Excellent, and Most Learned Lord Doctor, patron, and most revered Friend!

I have perused your labors spent with great industry in this Philosophical Scrutiny, and I found the subject matter robustly established by the authorities of not only modern, but also ancient philosophers. It was also a pleasure for me to read those pathognomica diagnostic signs of disease by which you have skillfully delineated the volatile state of the pseudo-alchemists and taught how to discern them from the true children of the art. Indeed, I willingly confess that such ciniflones ash-blowers/pretenders often produce not gold from gold, but rather non-gold from gold, through an action utterly contrary to divine Creation. They are rather to be called aurifures gold-thieves than aurifices goldsmiths. Truly, since no mortal rejects wheat because of the weeds mixed in, I do not see why the most noble art of Alchemy should be blamed, even if there are some such artists who, because of this lapis Benedictus Blessed Stone, squander all their belongings in a thoroughly cursed manner. Furthermore, your uncommon labors, which you attempted to spend with great industry in elucidating the enigmatic allegories of the ancients, have pleased me. Proceed, therefore, most excellent man, and communicate your learned offspring of genius to the curious world through type—useful both for avoiding the frauds of pseudo-alchemists and for understanding the texts of the philosophers—and enjoy most sweetly the reward of honor resulting therefrom, about to attain even greater glory for your name if readers also...