The Preface.

my House an Academy of curious Men , who for the trying of these Experiments ,chearsully disbursed their Moneys, and employed their utmost Endeavours, in assi-sting me to Compile and Enlarge this Volume, which withsogreat Charge, Labour,and Study,1 had long before provided.

Having made an end thereof, I was somewhat unwilling to suffer it to appear tothe pubhke View of all Alen {I being now old, and trussing up my Fardel) fortbereare many most excellent Things fit for the Worthiest Nobles, which should ignorantmen (that were never bred up in thesicredPrinciples of Philosophy') come to know,they would grow contemptible, and be undervalued', As Plato faith, to Dion y fi-lls, They seem to make Philosophy ridiculous, who endeavour to prosti-tute Her Excellence to prophane and illiterate Men*

Also here are conceived many hurtful and mischievous things, wherewith wickedand untoward men may mischief others ; what then must I do i let Envy be drivenaway, and a desire to benefit Posterity , vanquish all other thoughts: The most Ma-jestic k Wonders of Nature are not to be concealed, that in them we may admire theMighty Power of God, bis wisdom, his Bounty, and therein Reverence and Adorehim. whatsoever these are, I set them before you, that you may discern my diligenceand Benevolence towards you ; Had I withheld these 7 kings from the World , J fearI should have undergone the reproach of a wicked man-, for (Cicero derives thisfrom Plato) we are not born for ourselves alone, but our Gountrey willchallenge a part,our Parents and our Friends require their parts also fromus *wherefore such Things as hitherto lay hid in the Bosome of wondrous Nature,shallcome to light, from the Stdre-hous?s of the most ingenious Men, without fraud , ordeceit.

J Discover thos ? Things that have been long hid, ■either by the Envy or Ignorance ■of others, Nor shall you here finde empty Trifles, or Riddles, or bare .Authoritiesof other men. '

I did not think fit to omit any thing by erring Honefily, or following the best Lea--decs, Butsuh as are Magnificent and most Excellent, I have veil'dby the Artificeof Words , by Transposition and Deprefs’ion of them ; And such Things as are hurt-ful and mischievous, I have written obscurely •,yet.not so , but that an ingeniousReader may unfoldit,and the wit of one that will throughly search may comprehend it.

I have added some things that are Profitable, and rarely Known, because they aremoft true. ■ Sometimes from Things most Known, and meanly esteemed, we ascend toThings most Profitable and High , which the Mindecan scarce reach unto : One'sUnderstanding cannot comprehend High and SublimeThings, unless it stand firmon most true Principles. The Mathematical Sciences, rife from some trivial andcommon Axioms,to most Sublime Demonstrations, wherefore I thought it better toWrite true Things and Profitable, than false Things thai are great. True Things bethey never so small, will give occasions to Disrover greater things-by them. The in-finite multitude of Things is incomprehensible , and wore than a man may be able tocontemplate j. - -

In our Method I shall observe what our Ancestors have said-, Then I shall shewby my own Experience,-whether they be true or false,, and last of all my own Inven-tions, That Learned Men may fee how exceedingly this later Age hath surpassedAntiquity.

Many men have written what they never saw, nor did they know'the Simples thatwere the Ingredients, but they set them down from other mens traditions , by an in-bred and importunate desire to addesomething, so Errors are propagated bysucces-fion, and at last grow infinite, that not so much as the Prints of the former remain.

That