Preface.

an appendix added to the end of this little work, all true lovers of nature-conforming transmutatory Alchemy original: "Alchimiæ transmutatoriæ" are faithfully reminded that because of the knavish maneuvers of the deceitful Arg-Chemists original: "Arg-Chimisten"; a derogatory term Khunrath used to describe fraudulent or malicious alchemists (as he calls them), great vigilance is necessary.

Since he recognized it as his duty to serve others with the gift that the LORD had imparted to him, to the best of his ability and in all sorts of ways, he also undertook to accomplish this through his pen and composed several writings. Namely:

I. The present treatise under the title: On the Hyleal HylealFrom the Greek "hyle," meaning wood or matter. In alchemy, it refers to the fundamental substance or "prime matter" of the universe before it takes specific form, that is, Primaterial, Universal original: "Catholischen"; in this context, the word means "universal" or "general" rather than referring to the Catholic Church, or General CHAOS etc. Magdeburg 1597, in Octavo indicated by the "8." in the text, a standard book size of the era.

II. The well-known Amphitheater of the Only True Eternal Wisdom, Christian-Cabbalistic, as well as Physico-Chemical, Thrice-Triune and Universal original: "Amphitheatrum Sapientiæ æternæ solius veræ Christiano-Cabbalisticum, nec non Physico-chimicum, ter trinunum catholicum": of which he writes that he composed it with the expenditure of great cost, travel, time, and effort.

III. The Physico-Medical Symbol original: "Symbolum Physico-Medicum", which [was published] at Magdeburg in 1599, Octavo (as Mollerus has indicated in the place cited above).

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