and MrtueS of o n ms. 3

And therefore presuming that you willsuppose with me in this Diseourse somefew particulars, that, I think, I haveelsewhere made probable, and mightperhaps do so from some of thenotaena mentioned in this Writing it self,I would immediately address my self tothe subject of it, if I did not think aprevious Admonition very requisite.

For, I must at the very entrance ofthis Discourse dtlire you to take notice,that when I propose my Conjecturesabout the Virtues of Gex»s s I do notsoppose the truth of all, or so much asthe tenth part of those wonderful pro-perties, that Men have been pleased toascribe to them. For not only some ofthe Writers of Natural Magick, bucmen of note, who should be more cau-tious and sober, have delivered in theirWritings many things concerning Geats ywhich are so unsit to be credited , andsome of them perhaps so impossible tobe true, that I hope the Believers ofthem will among the Votaries to philo-sophy be as great rarities, as Gems them-selves are among stones. And thoseB 3 that