<Sêmeiôtikê> sive ratio dignoscendarum sedium male affectarum, et affectuum praeter naturam, auctore Jacobo Alberto, medico physico, Vindone.

See then, most humane men, what I desire to be a monument of my respect for you: I am bringing to light this Sêmeiôtikê Semiotics, dedicated to your name. That is, a little book about knowing the affected parts of the human body, their diseases, and the causes of diseases, through external signs. It is a work truly small if you look at the pages, but one whose use will be easily recognized by anyone who is even moderately trained in medicine. Indeed, I have no doubt, however small it is, that it will be most welcome to you, if only for the very reason that I see in you, as in a mirror, the character of that great king to whom, as he was riding on the road, a certain poor man—having nothing else—offered water drawn from a flowing stream with his hands. He accepted it joyfully and smiled, measuring the grace not by the utility of the gift, but by the prompt will of the giver.