Preface, no date (1569), Johannes Gregorius Macer to the Reader (BP108)
| Author: | Johannes Gregorius Macer |
| Recipient: | Reader |
| Type: | Preface |
| Date: | no date [1569] |
| Pages: | 6 |
| Language: | Latin |
| Quote as: | https://www.theatrum-paracelsicum.com/index.php?curid=2059 |
| Editor: | Edited by Julian Paulus |
| Source: | Paracelsus, Archidoxae Libri X., ed. Adam Schröter, Krakau: Maciej Wirzbięta [1569], sig. a2r-a4v [BP108]
|
| CP: | Not in Kühlmann/Telle, Corpus Paracelsisticum |
| Translation: | Raw translation see below |
| Abstract: | The author defends the publication of the Mysteries of Nature, a work that shares the teachings of medicine, the science of preparations, and the communication of philosophy and medicine by Theophrastus. The author praises Adam Schröter for offering this treasure to the world with fidelity and diligence. The work was written for the author and his own kind scattered throughout the world so that they may be widely collected and entered into Theophrastus's secrets. The author rebukes those who maliciously hindered the publication of this edition and presents their objections. The author defends the timing of the publication and provides reasons for it. The author urges the reader to receive the work with a kind heart and a more benign disposition, and to read it faithfully and with great judgment, for it will bring the reader closer to the honor of God, the author of mysteries, and the usefulness of their neighbor through the consideration of nature by experience. (generated by Chat-GPT) |
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[sig. A2r] Candido lectori Ioannes Gregorivs Macer Philosophus & Medicus, Spiritum Pietatis, Synceritatis, Intellectus, & Solertis laboris, eum Salute, precatur.
Admiraberis Lector amice, fortassis autem etiam damnaueris editionem hanc Mysteriorum Naturæ, Magnalium Dei, Magisteriorum Medicinæ, Scientiæ operationum Præparatiuarum, Lucis deniq́ue ipsius totius Philosophiæ et Medicinæ Theophrasticæ communicationem. Quis enim non admiretur, potuisse aliquando Adamum Schröterum eò adduci rationibus hominum magnorum, et amicorum petitionibus, ac persuasionibus plurium adhortationum, vt tantum Dei et Naturæ Mysteriorum, Magnalium atq́ue Secretorum thesaurum, non solum Teutonicæ nationi, amplissimæq́ue Germaniæ, qua videlicet lingua ab ipso Authore Theophrasto scriptus est, exhiberet: sed, quod maximum est, omniq́ue laude dignum, purè ac summa fide et diligentia, latine redditum toti propemodum mundo communicaret? Magna certè laus est, tanta erga Deum ac proximum duci pietate, vt neq́ue Dei Maiestati in suis Magnalibus, dum publican- [sig. A2v] tur, detrahatur quicquam, neqúe proximi bonis, quæ vel occultando supprimi, vel sinistrè interpretando impediri, aut certè negligenter edendo perturbari potuissent, vlla in parte inuideatur. Legent itaq́ue iam hæc, et quidem alacri vultu, in extremis Gadibus Hispani, Legent Galli, Legent Itali, Legent à Mari mediterraneo ad Polum vsq́ue et Mare glaciale, vltra Oceanum longè lateq́ue extenti Germani, Sueui, Dani, Liuones, Vandali, Gotthi, Legemus et nos Vngari, Poloni, Dalmatæ, omnes deniq́ue oræ ac regiones ad quas vel Latinus sermo aliquando peruenit, vel morbus vnquam difficilior accessit, vel vbi salubris vita hominibus chara est, vel vbicunq́ue metuitur informitas. Habes itaq́ue amice Lector quod admireris in Adamo nostro, habes quod in eo ames ac probes, deniq́ue cuius gratia nonnihil ei gratitudinis debeas: quod autem iurè ac recta cum ratione in eo damnes, aut reprehendas, nondum sanè ego quidem perspicio. Quanquam scio et expertus sum ipse, dum hæc ederentur, fuisse, quosdam adeo nasutos, adeo veteratores, adeoq́ue caninos omni humanitate exutos Cynicos, vt et tum, quacunq́ue ratione poterant editionem impedirent, et nunc plurimum obloquentes latrare non desistant. Verùm cùm eorum latratus præter rationem insanire vi- [sig. A3r] deam, non} modò nihili faciendos esse ipse censeo: Verum etiam (quum inter alios meas quoq́ue adhortationes, vt derentur, adibuerim, proq́ue ea quæ mihi cum Adamo est amicitiæ coniunction, laborum editionis socius fuerim, et maioris perspicuitatis, commoditatisq́ue gratia, marginales inscriptiones, cum Indice apposuerim, ac proinde calumniatorum latratus etiam me petere videam,) vt ab alijs bonis ac pijs Lectoribus quoq́ue nihili faciendi iudicentur, hoc loco proferendos et detegendos duxi, vt cuiq́ue constet, quam tabidus sit quorundam seipsos amantium liuor. Obijciunt itaq́ue illud Euangelij, Nolite Margaritas proijcere porcis. Item illud Authoris. "Non tamen hæc in communde omnibus, sed nobis solis, nostrisq́ue scribimus, à communi autem plebe, muro forti, seraq́ue firma secludimus." Postremò nondum venisse tempus quo ista publicari debuerant. Huiusmodi itaq́ue latratus, amice Lector, vide quæso quid rationis habeant. Nam quod ex Euangelio proferunt, id in eum sensum trahunt, ac si soli ipsi homines essent, soliq́ue digni sint hæc preciosissima Dei dona, ac verè margaritas, habere, omnes autem alij porci sint, et his bonis indigni: nos verò qui hæc edimus, latrones ac fures simus, et dissipatores bonorum. Sed audi quæso quid huic latratui dicam: Nimirum omnes quidem, [sig. A3v] qui amore Dei et Charitate proximi accensi, gaudent et desiderant mysteriorum archanorumq́ue cognitionem adipisci, quorum in numero te quoq́ue Lector collocamus, Homines esse: nos verò qui hæc, huiusmodi viris desideriorum communicamus, dispensatores fideles mysteriorum Dei: illos autem ipsos, qui hæc proximis inuident, et in cænum suæ ipsorum inuidiæ conculcant, porcos esse atq́ue sues Beoticas, quòd more porcorum etiam meliores quosq́ue frutus auidissimè et inuidissimè stercoribus misceant et deuorent. Sed quid illud est quòd ex Authore citant? proptereané edi non oportuit, quia Author non in commune, sed sibi, suisq́ue scripserit? ac obiecto muro et sera firma alios, tanquam non suos excluserit? Imò verò quia suis sibiq́ue scripsit, ideo edendi fuerunt, vt sui, qui per vniuersum orbem dispersi sunt, hac ratione passim colligantur, et turmatim ingrediantur hortum hunc Secretorum Theophrasti, ipsis solis ab Authore præparatum, et hac claue apertum. Nonné Aristotelis Alexandro Macedonum Regi Magno, se sua physica ita edidisse respondit, ac si non essent edita? igiturné non imprimentur Aristotelici libri? Absit. Quid Arabs ille philosophus et Rex solertissimus Geber? An nón ita scritum reliquit, Nobis solis, artem per nossolos inuestigatam edidimus, et non alijs, etc. [sig. A4r] An ergo propterea Gebri scripta non fuerant prælo subdenda? Imò ideo hæc et similia in publicum emittenda sunt, vt quia obscurè ad omnium vtilitatem scripta sunt, omnium ingenijs maiori diligentia dum exquiruntur, maiorem veritatis lucem consequantur, maioremq́ue etiam hominibus vtilitatem afferant. Audiant igitur blateratores isti, et Notent sibi, "Neq́ue in philosophia, neq́ue in Spagyrica, neq́ue in Medicina, esse eos porcos aut indignos, aut extra Theophrastum Ipsi non suos quicunque hæc intellexerint, et opere laboris manuum suarum complere sciuerint. Verba enim edi possunt et imprimi: at manualis operationis industria, in cuiusq́ue experientia sita est, neq́ue typis imprimi potest, imò vix ore tenus tradit, nisi per manus." Ridiculum verò est, quod de tempore ab istis Semideis et pseudotemporistis obijcitur, quibus cùm non sit datum nosse tempora et momenta, neq́ue venerit ipsis hora publicandi: nesciunt nobis venisse nostram, Ipsis igitur nondum venit tempus, at nobis certè aduenit, eas secum ducens publicandi causas quæ omnino immutari non potuerunt, neq́ue refelli. Quarum quidem vna est, ipse finis, ad quem à Deo creati sumus, vt cignoscamus sc[ilicet] opera Christi, per Theologiam, et opera naturæ, per philosophiam, quæ nusquam rectius vniuersæ natræ Anatomiam tradit, quam in his per Theophrastum libris Archidoxes.
[sig. A4v] Altera est plurimorum bonorum, deq́ue republica literaria benè meritorum adhortationes assiduæ. Tertia vt redderetur lumen Theophrasticæ Phi[losophi]æ ac Medicinæ, Ars scilicet et Magisterium præparationum, ob cuius defectum et imperitiam, optimi authoris, optima et planè. Angelica philosophia, passim iam malè audire cepit. Quarta quòd cum intellexerimus quosdam alios, (qui furto acquisitum,) non modo priuatim mendosè communicare, sed etiam palam edere velle: maluimus ita syncere ac clarè bonis omnibus impertiri, vti fideliter ad nostras manus per mille pericula, et infinitos labores nostros, peruenit. Quinta et vltima est (vt communem tam languentium, quam benè valentium vtilitatem taceamus) Autor ipse qui scripsit. Si enim scripsit, cur nolit promulgari? aut si noluit vt aliquando edantur, cur scripsit? Sed nolo amplius sermonem extendere. Tu amice Lector benigno animo editum benigniore suscipito, fideliter et magno cum Iudicio lege, relege, labora, operare, reitera, Et proculdubio tantorum Secretorum particeps in Honorem Dei Authoris Mysteriorum, et vtilitatem proximi per Experientiam Considerationis Naturæ efficieris. Vale.
English Raw Translation
Generated by ChatGPT. Attention: This translation is a machine translation by artificial intelligence. The translation has not been checked and should not be cited without additional human verification.
To the reader, Johannes Gregorius Macer, a philosopher and physician, seeks the health of your spirit, piety, sincerity, intellect, and diligent work.
Dear reader, you may admire or even condemn this edition of the Mysteries of Nature, the Magnalia of God, the teachings of medicine, the science of preparations, and the communication of the light of philosophy and medicine of Theophrastus. Who would not admire the fact that Adam Schröter was persuaded by the arguments of great men, the requests of his friends, and the exhortations of many to offer the treasure of the mysteries, magnalia, and secrets of God and nature not only to the German nation in which the author Theophrastus wrote but to the whole world in Latin with utmost fidelity and diligence?
It is a great praise to have such devotion to God and one's fellow human beings that nothing is detracted from God's majesty in His magnalia while publishing them, nor is anything of the benefits of our fellow humans suppressed or distorted by malicious interpretation or negligence. Therefore, these writings will be read with eagerness not only in the furthest reaches of Spain but also by the French, Italians, and by those stretching far and wide across the German, Swedish, Danish, Slavic, and Gothic lands. They will be read by us Hungarians, Poles, Dalmatians, and by all those in regions where the Latin language has ever reached or where difficult diseases have appeared, or where healthy life is dear to people, or wherever ignorance is feared.
Dear reader, you have something to admire in our Adam, something to love and approve of, and ultimately something for which to show gratitude. As for what you may rightfully condemn or criticize in him with reason and justice, I do not yet fully perceive. Nevertheless, I myself have experienced some people who are so stubborn, so antiquated, and so cynical as to be devoid of all humanity, that they used any means they could to hinder the publication of this edition, and even now they continue to bark and complain excessively.
However, since I see that their barking is beyond reason, I not only consider them of no importance, but also (since I have personally urged others to publish this work and have been a co-worker in its production with Adam due to our friendship, and have added marginal notes with an index for greater clarity and convenience, and therefore see that the barking of detractors is also directed at me) I decided to present and expose their arguments here, so that everyone can see how malicious some people are towards those who love themselves. They object to the saying of the Gospel, "Do not cast pearls before swine," and to the author's words, "We do not write these things for the common people, but for ourselves and our own kind. We shut them off with a strong wall and a firm lock." Lastly, they claim that it is not yet the time for these works to be published.
Dear reader, please consider the reasoning behind such barking. They take the Gospel quote to mean that only they themselves are deserving of these precious gifts of God and true pearls, while all others are swine and unworthy of these blessings, and that we who publish these works are thieves and squanderers of good things. However, we who share these desires and communicate these mysteries to those who are filled with the love of God and charity for their fellow humans, and count you among their number, are indeed human beings. We are faithful stewards of God's mysteries, sharing them with those who seek them, while those who envy and trample upon them are the swine and the Beotian pigs, who greedily and enviously mix even the best fruits with their own filth and devour them.
As for their objection to the author's words about writing only for oneself and one's own kind, and excluding others with a wall and a lock, the truth is that these works were published precisely because they were written for the author and his own kind who are scattered throughout the world, so that they may be widely collected and entered into this garden of Theophrastus's secrets, prepared by the author himself and opened with this key. Did not Aristotle reply to Alexander the Great that he had written his physics for himself alone, as if they had not been written at all? Should Aristotle's works not be printed then? Certainly not. What about that wise philosopher and king of the Arabs, Geber? Did he not leave a written record that his art had been discovered only by himself and not by others? Were Geber's works not therefore worthy of publication? On the contrary, these and similar works are to be made public so that, since they are written obscurely for the benefit of all, they may be diligently sought by all minds and bring greater light of truth and usefulness to humanity.
Therefore, let these babbles be heard and let them take note of this: "Neither in philosophy, nor in spagyrics, nor in medicine are they pigs or unworthy, nor are they outside of Theophrastus, whoever understands these things and knows how to complete the work of their own hands through practical experience. For words can be published and printed, but the manual skill that is essential to these fields, in which experience is paramount, cannot be printed with type; in fact, it can barely be transmitted orally, except through hands."
It is ridiculous, however, that these demigods and pseudo-temporalists object to the timing, as if they are not given to know the times and moments, nor has the hour come for them to publish. They do not know that our time has come, even if it has not yet come for them, for the reasons for publication that we carry with us cannot be changed or refuted.
One of these reasons is the ultimate end for which we were created by God, namely, to recognize the works of Christ through theology and the works of nature through philosophy, which nowhere teaches the anatomy of the entire universe better than in these books of Archidoxes by Theophrastus.
The second reason is the constant exhortations of many good and well-deserving people in the literary community.
The third is to restore the light of Theophrastic philosophy and medicine, the art and mastery of preparations, which due to its lack and incompetence has already begun to be poorly regarded, even though it is truly the angelic philosophy.
The fourth reason is that when we learned that some others (who had acquired it by theft) not only communicated it privately but also wanted to publish it openly, we preferred to impart it honestly and clearly to all good people, faithfully reaching our hands through a thousand dangers and countless labors.
The fifth and final reason (not to mention the common utility of both the weak and the strong) is the author himself who wrote it. For if he wrote it, why not publish it? Or if he did not want it to be published someday, why did he write it? But I do not want to extend the conversation any further.
Dear reader, receive this work with a kind heart and a more benign disposition. Read it faithfully and with great judgment, reread it, work on it, repeat it, and undoubtedly you will become a participant in the honor of God, the author of mysteries, and in the usefulness of your neighbor through the consideration of nature by experience. Farewell.
