Text.Alchemica.1625-01.A3r/Translation

To the Illustrious, Noble-born Prince and Lord, Lord Christian the Elder, Prince of Anhalt, Count of Ascania, Lord of Zerbst and Bernburg, &c., My Gracious Prince and Lord,

We read in Cornelius Tacitus and other historians, Illustrious, Noble-born, Gracious Prince and Lord, that in ancient times our beloved homeland, when it first became known, as well as for many years thereafter, was a very harsh, rugged, and inhospitable land, inhabited by rough air and crude, barbaric peoples. However, if we consider our times a few years ago before this current miserable and sorrowful state, when foreign nations with the help and support of our own countrymen gladly wanted to restore it to its former condition, we find quite the opposite. It was not only comparable to Greece and Italy (which were the most flourishing countries at the time) but also surpassed many other countries in various aspects. Look at the agriculture and viticulture; hasn't it been brought to a point through the diligent care and labor of the inhabitants to produce all kinds of splendid fruits for bodily nourishment and necessity? Consider the fine and healthy wines, the abundance of beautiful fruits, the surplus of provisions. If one were to think about the governance and administration, one would find that the common good has been managed in such a way that even the Roman Empire has remained with us Germans to this day. As for the talents of this people, they are not as crude and barbaric as Tacitus describes. Do we not have our poets, philosophers, orators, politicians, jurists, physicians, theologians, physicists, astronomers, mathematicians, etc., as well and as competently as any nation that ever existed? I believe they can even be considered superior to others. There is also the magnificent and globally beneficial invention of printing and gunnery, among others, and not only these, but our lands have also produced more philosophers who have been initiated into the mysteries of mystical philosophy and have obtained the Philosopher's Stone or Universal Medicine than perhaps any other nation, and we can proudly say that we have ten or more such individuals compared to any other nation. Was not Albertus, called the Great for his high gifts with which he was graced by the Almighty, a magnificent and excellent philosopher? Is not the work of Johannes Isaac Hollandus and his son Isaac Hollandus, and their remarkable contributions to their art and knowledge, known to every researcher in this field? Who is unfamiliar with the beautiful writings of the philosopher Alan of the Isle from Flanders, Jodocus Greverus the Priest, and the author of the great Rosary? In summary, the numerous precious writings by German philosophers, both in their mother tongue and in Latin, are invaluable. Just look at the wonderful little books left by Bernard, Count of Treviso (his homeland, not Treviso as some mistakenly believe). Consider the excellent writings of Theophrastus Paracelsus; ponder the valuable legacy of Friar Basil Valentine, a Benedictine monk. Do we not find in their works foundations, knowledge, and secrets revealed as never before by any nation's writers on nature? I believe they offer a different foundation for natural philosophy than what they found with their teachers. And even though they have often attempted to overturn the achievements of these wise men with their sophistries, which are full of uncertain foundations, the cornerstone is laid so firmly and well that all such storms must deflect, leaving the structure unshaken. Indeed, the bright light of experience shines so clearly before their eyes and convinces them that they eventually must seek the "I had not thought of that" and be ashamed of their folly.

Since all this is so, and I have recently received two beautiful treatises from two German philosophers, who currently enjoy God's great gift, namely the Philosopher's Stone, in godliness and utmost secrecy, with a request that I should publish them to show the enemies of truth that God's clock strikes every hour, and His generous hand is now, and until the end of the world, as rich and willing as before; and also that the true seekers may see themselves in this and be assured in their foundations, and the true philosophers may become known to their peers. Therefore, I have deemed it good to also include two Middle Ages philosophers, namely the remaining writings of Basil Valentine and the booklet of Lambspring with its figures, as well as two treatises of philosophers of higher and more ancient age, all written in German, to compile under Your Princely Grace's gracious protection and patronage, to prepare for printing, to submit to Your Princely Grace's most discerning judgment, and to dedicate and inscribe with all due respect. Humbly requesting that my Gracious Prince and Lord accept this well-intended effort in grace, and find these treatises to your gracious liking. With this, I commend myself to divine protection and humbly to Your Grace's favor. Given in Frankfurt am Main, the 1st of May, the year 1624.

Your Princely Grace's Humble and Ever Willing Servant, Doctor Hermannus Condeesyanus.