To the Reader.

 Judicious¹ Reader,

T

here is abundance of knowledge, yet but little truth known. The generality of our knowledg is but as Castles in the aire, or groundlesse fancies. I know but two ways that are ordained² for the getting of wisdome, viz. the book of God, and of Nature; and these also, but as they are read with reason. Many look upon the former as a thing below them, upon the latter as a ground of Atheisme, and therefore neglect both. It is my judgement, that as to search the Scriptures⁴ is most necessary, so without reason it is impossible. Faith without reason is but implicite. If I cannot understand by reason how every thing is, yet I wil see some reason that a thing is so, before I beleeve it to be so. I will ground my beleeving of the Scripture³ upon reason, I will improve my reason by Philosophy. How shall we convince gain-sayers of the truth of the Scriptures, but by principles of Reason? When God made Man after his own image, How was that? But by making him a rational creature? Men therfore that lay aside Reason in the reading of sacred mysteries, do but un-man themselves, and become further involved in a Labyrinth⁵ of errors. Hence it is that their Religion is degenerated⁶ into irrationall notions. Now to say, that pure Philosophy is true Divinity, will haply bee a paradox⁷, yet if any one should affirm it, he would not be heterodox. When Job had been a long time justifying⁸ himselfe against God, which I conceive was by reason of his ignorance of God, and himselfe; God undertakes to convince him of his errour by the principles of Nature, and to bring him to the knowledge of both: as you may see at large, Job 38. Can any deny that Hermes, Plato, Aristotle (though pure Naturalists) were not most deep Divines? Doe not all grant that the two first cha. of Gen. are true Divinity? I dare also affirm that they are the most deep and the truest Philosophy. Yea, they are the ground, and sum of all Divinity, and Philosophy: and if rightly understood, will teach thee more knowledge of God, and thy selfe, then all the books in the world besides. Now for the better understanding of them, make use of most profound Sandivogius the author of the first of the ensuing Treatises¹⁰, as the best Expositor of them: in that treatise⁹ of his thou shalt see the mystery of the Deity¹¹, & Nature unfolded, even to admiration¹²: as to see what that light, and fire is which is the throne of Gods Majesty¹³. How he is in the heaven most gloriously, & in the creatures providentially. How he is the life of that universall Spirit which is diffused¹⁴ through the whole world. What that Spirit of his is that moved upon the Waters. What those Waters are which are above the Firmament¹⁵, and which are under the Firmament. What that Sperm¹⁶ and Seed was which God put into all creatures by which they should be multiplyed. The true manner of Mans Creation, and his degenerating¹⁷ into Mortality. The true nature of the Garden of Eden, or Paradise. Also the reason why Gold, which had a Seed put into it, as well as other creatures, whereby it should be multiplyed, doth not multiply. What the obstruction¹⁸ is, and how it may bee removed, that so it may be digested into the highest purity, and become the true Elixir¹⁹, or Philosophers stone; the possibility whereof is so plainly illustrated²¹ in this book of Sandivogius, that let any judicious man read it over without all partiality and prejudice, but three or four times, and he shall nolens volens be convinced of the truth of it, and not only of this, but of many other mysteries as incredible as this. So that if any one should ask me, What one book did most conduce to the knowledge of God and the Creature, and the mysteries thereof; I should speake contrary to my judgment²², if I should not, next to the sacred Writ²³, say Sandivogius. All this I speak for thy encouragement, that thou shouldst lay aside other frivolous²⁴ bookes, and buy this, and read it over, & thou wilt²⁵ (I question not) thank mee for my advice.

And as this booke doth in generall, so the second of these Treatises doth in particular illustrate²⁰ the possibility of Nature, and the mysteries thereof, as also the nature and manner of the Generation, Growth, Conservation, Life, Death, Renewing, Transmutations, Separations, and Signatures of all naturall things, in the explication of which many rare experiments and excellent mysteries are discovered and found out.

To these is added a Chymical Dictionary, explaining hard places, and words met withall in obscure Authors. But this, and the other I speak more sparingly in the commendations of, because if read they will speak more for them selves then I can speak for them: only I was willing for the English nations sake, whose spirits are much drawn²⁶ forth²⁷ after knowledge, to translate them into the English tongue. I did not doe it to multiply books, (for there are too many books already; and the multitude of them is the greatest cause of our ignorance, and in them is a great vanity) but to let thee see the light of Nature, by which thou maist judg of truths, and the better conceive of the God of Nature, of whom all naturall things are full, and whose goings forth in the way of Nature are most wonderfull, even to the conviction of the greatest Atheists.

Courteous²⁸ Reader, thou must excuse me for not affecting elegancies in these Translations, for if I were skilled in them, yet the matter of the books would not bear them. If I have sometimes used uncouth²⁹ words, it was because the sense, to which I kept me close, would not properly bear any other, or at least better came not at the present into my mind. If any Errata’s have passed through the slips of my pen, or the Printers mistake, be thou candid³⁰, and mend them. If thou shalt not approve of what I have done, convince mee of my errour by doing better; for thereby³¹ thou shalt oblige the lovers of truth, and amongst the rest, thy friend

J. F.

 

1 judicious   

adj.明智的，明断的，能作出明智决定的

参考例句：

• We should listen to the judicious opinion of that old man.我们应该听取那位老人明智的意见。
• A judicious parent encourages his children to make their own decisions.贤明的父亲鼓励儿女自作抉择。

2 ordained   

v.任命（某人）为牧师( ordain的过去式和过去分词 )；授予（某人）圣职；（上帝、法律等）命令；判定

参考例句：

• He was ordained in 1984. 他在一九八四年被任命为牧师。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He was ordained priest. 他被任命为牧师。 来自辞典例句

3 scripture   

n.经文，圣书，手稿；Scripture:(常用复数)《圣经》，《圣经》中的一段

参考例句：

• The scripture states that God did not want us to be alone.圣经指出上帝并不是想让我们独身一人生活。
• They invoked Hindu scripture to justify their position.他们援引印度教的经文为他们的立场辩护。

4 scriptures   

经文，圣典( scripture的名词复数 )； 经典

参考例句：

• Here the apostle Peter affirms his belief that the Scriptures are 'inspired'. 使徒彼得在此表达了他相信《圣经》是通过默感写成的。
• You won't find this moral precept in the scriptures. 你在《圣经》中找不到这种道德规范。

5 labyrinth   

n.迷宫；难解的事物；迷路

参考例句：

• He wandered through the labyrinth of the alleyways.他在迷宫似的小巷中闲逛。
• The human mind is a labyrinth.人的心灵是一座迷宫。

6 degenerated   

衰退，堕落，退化( degenerate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The march degenerated into a riot. 示威游行变成了暴动。
• The wide paved road degenerated into a narrow bumpy track. 铺好的宽阔道路渐渐变窄，成了一条崎岖不平的小径。

7 paradox   

n.似乎矛盾却正确的说法；自相矛盾的人(物)

参考例句：

• The story contains many levels of paradox.这个故事存在多重悖论。
• The paradox is that Japan does need serious education reform.矛盾的地方是日本确实需要教育改革。

8 justifying   

证明…有理( justify的现在分词 )； 为…辩护； 对…作出解释； 为…辩解（或辩护）

参考例句：

• He admitted it without justifying it. 他不加辩解地承认这个想法。
• The fellow-travellers'service usually consisted of justifying all the tergiversations of Soviet intenal and foreign policy. 同路人的服务通常包括对苏联国内外政策中一切互相矛盾之处进行辩护。

9 treatise   

n.专著；(专题)论文

参考例句：

• The doctor wrote a treatise on alcoholism.那位医生写了一篇关于酗酒问题的论文。
• This is not a treatise on statistical theory.这不是一篇有关统计理论的论文。

10 treatises   

n.专题著作，专题论文，专著( treatise的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Many treatises in different languages have been published on pigeons. 关于鸽类的著作，用各种文字写的很多。 来自辞典例句
• Many other treatises incorporated the new rigor. 许多其它的专题论文体现了新的严密性。 来自辞典例句

11 deity   

n.神，神性；被奉若神明的人(或物)

参考例句：

• Many animals were seen as the manifestation of a deity.许多动物被看作神的化身。
• The deity was hidden in the deepest recesses of the temple.神藏在庙宇壁龛的最深处。

12 admiration   

n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕

参考例句：

• He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。
• We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。

13 majesty   

n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权

参考例句：

• The king had unspeakable majesty.国王有无法形容的威严。
• Your Majesty must make up your mind quickly!尊贵的陛下，您必须赶快做出决定！

14 diffused   

散布的，普及的，扩散的

参考例句：

• A drop of milk diffused in the water. 一滴牛奶在水中扩散开来。
• Gases and liquids diffused. 气体和液体慢慢混合了。

15 firmament   

n.苍穹；最高层

参考例句：

• There are no stars in the firmament.天空没有一颗星星。
• He was rich,and a rising star in the political firmament.他十分富有，并且是政治高层一颗冉冉升起的新星。

16 sperm   

n.精子，精液

参考例句：

• Only one sperm fertilises an egg.只有一个精子使卵子受精。
• In human reproduction,one female egg is usually fertilized by one sperm.在人体生殖过程中，一个精子使一个卵子受精。

17 degenerating   

衰退，堕落，退化( degenerate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He denied that some young people today were degenerating. 他否认现在某些青年在堕落。
• Young people of today are not degenerating. 今天的青年并没有在变坏。

18 obstruction   

n.阻塞，堵塞；障碍物

参考例句：

• She was charged with obstruction of a police officer in the execution of his duty.她被指控妨碍警察执行任务。
• The road was cleared from obstruction.那条路已被清除了障碍。

19 elixir   

n.长生不老药，万能药

参考例句：

• There is no elixir of life in the world.世界上没有长生不老药。
• Keep your mind awake and active;that's the only youth elixir.保持头脑清醒和灵活便是保持年轻的唯一灵丹妙药。

20 illustrate   

v.举例说明，阐明；图解，加插图

参考例句：

• The company's bank statements illustrate its success.这家公司的银行报表说明了它的成功。
• This diagram will illustrate what I mean.这个图表可说明我的意思。

21 illustrated   

adj. 有插图的，列举的 动词illustrate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• His lecture was illustrated with slides taken during the expedition. 他在讲演中使用了探险时拍摄到的幻灯片。
• The manufacturing Methods: Will be illustrated in the next chapter. 制作方法将在下一章说明。

22 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

23 writ   

n.命令状，书面命令

参考例句：

• This is a copy of a writ I received this morning.这是今早我收到的书面命令副本。
• You shouldn't treat the newspapers as if they were Holy Writ. 你不应该把报上说的话奉若神明。

24 frivolous   

adj.轻薄的；轻率的

参考例句：

• This is a frivolous way of attacking the problem.这是一种轻率敷衍的处理问题的方式。
• He spent a lot of his money on frivolous things.他在一些无聊的事上花了好多钱。

25 wilt   

v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱

参考例句：

• Golden roses do not wilt and will never need to be watered.金色的玫瑰不枯萎绝也不需要浇水。
• Several sleepless nights made him wilt.数个不眠之夜使他憔悴。

26 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

27 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

28 courteous   

adj.彬彬有礼的，客气的

参考例句：

• Although she often disagreed with me,she was always courteous.尽管她常常和我意见不一，但她总是很谦恭有礼。
• He was a kind and courteous man.他为人友善，而且彬彬有礼。

29 uncouth   

adj.无教养的，粗鲁的

参考例句：

• She may embarrass you with her uncouth behavior.她的粗野行为可能会让你尴尬。
• His nephew is an uncouth young man.他的侄子是一个粗野的年轻人。

30 candid   

adj.公正的，正直的；坦率的

参考例句：

• I cannot but hope the candid reader will give some allowance for it.我只有希望公正的读者多少包涵一些。
• He is quite candid with his friends.他对朋友相当坦诚。

31 thereby   

adv.因此，从而

参考例句：

• I have never been to that city,,ereby I don't know much about it.我从未去过那座城市，因此对它不怎么熟悉。
• He became a British citizen,thereby gaining the right to vote.他成了英国公民，因而得到了投票权。