On the Secrets of Women

man is rendered laudable to God and to men through wisdom.

Since your favorable and gracious association has requested me to manifest more clearly certain things that are hidden and secret regarding the nature and condition of women, having seen your petition, no sloth has drawn me away from the compilation of this brief and compendious tract, in regard to the matter requested. But a meager and youthful mind, which according to its ability and the opportunity of the time is drawn toward other things, nonetheless desiring to satisfy your appetite, I write this present letter to you—in which you will find many things concerning the requested matters—partly in a philosophical style and partly in a medicinal one, as seems appropriate to the subject matter. I have written this, asking for your constancy, so that you may be constant and discreet in this work and business, and that you do not permit any boy, as much in age as in character, to come into its presence; and if you do this, I promise to reveal more of these and other things to you, and to transmit them with the present work and art in a medicinal way, which I will provide more at length, God willing.

Here he shows the cause that might excuse him from the labor of this deed, and the meaning is clear from the text. Note that the author says that his youthful and meager mind drew him away, where he avoids arrogance, because a mind is called "small" which is imbued with small conditions of knowledge. Whence...