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TO THE KING
MAn beinge allianced, both with Heaven, and earthe, is throughe his corporall necessityes constrayned, to conterate, and spende the best time of his Life, in Sleepe, & repose: notvvithstanding being resuscitated, & erected out of a profounde, & deepe somniation, through the best parte of himselfe, vvhich is his Soule, he pursueth, only and favoureth verye soberlye, the most vile and abiecte thinges, the concupiscence, and apetite vvherof, he communicateth, and participate the, vvith brute, and irrationalle beastes. For man is not only this maske or vizard, and this figurated and articulated Massa in certayne members, vvhich vvith our eyes vve discover and behoulde, & vvith our fingers vve may touche and sensiblye feele: but is rather, the virtue, and internalle for me, vvhich effectuateth life in him, vigor, agilitye, and temperature, the same beinge as it vveare, a radiant beame a little sparckle, and parcell, of the Divinitye, transmitted, and descended out of the most gloriouse Empire of Heaven, to effectuate, and bringe to passe in this vvretched vvorl∣de, in our bodye, a shorte, and breefe ligatione: For vvho is there vvhich doubteth, that the Sou¦le, remembringe, and callinge to minde her first originalle, vvoulde not addresse, and endevou∣re her selfe to lerne, yea and if it vveare possible to relerne, all those thinges, vvhich be honora∣ble vnto her Creator, & might also be profitable to all other creatures? & for this cause it is, vvhye vve have not our countenances declined tovvardes the earth as the brute beastes, but have them elevated tovvardes Heaven, because through such contemplacione, and by readinge of the true booke of lyfe, vve might dravve therout, and practice on the ordre, and imitate, the constance vvhich the caelestiall corps, doe observe, and one their perpetualle, and profitable agitatione ther¦of. Let vs therfore consider on the Sunne, vvhich is as it vveare a Prince, and moderatoure of all other caelestiall constellations: vvhat doth shee othervvyse effect through her environing roun∣de of the earth, then light vs, calefye, and vvarme vs, vivisye, & administre lyfe vnto vs? but vvhat commoditye, and profite is it vnto vs to searche the sunne on highe have vve not the earth it sel∣fe vvhich vvith our feete vve inculcate, and treade one, and accuse the same to be brute, & insen¦sible, doth shee refuse, to receave, and conceave, and agayne continuallye, and vvithout cessation superfluouslye procreate, and liberally imparte vnto vs, all that vvhich is necessary, vnto our ve∣sture aliment, and nourture? It vveare also indeede great shame, perfidiousnes, and execrable di∣sloyaltye, and treason for vs, vvhom God hath adorned vvith so livelye, vigorouse, and fruictfull a spirite, that as all thinges vvhich are inanimate, doc travayle, and laboure for our proffite, vve shoulde shevve our selves stupidouse, and involuntary to helpe the one the other in all thinges possible and advaunce them: for as the vvise, and sage men heertofore have sayed, that even as all the mundayne, and terrestrialle thinges, are created for man, and his vse, in like sorte also are men created for God, and the one man for the other. This consideratiō most illustriouse, & migh∣tye Kinge, hath vrged, and impelled me, after that I next vnto your maiestye, have discharged my duty, and function, vvhich I vvas ovvinge vnto your Highnes, and that especiallye in curinge of my Lorde, the Earle, of Montpensier and my Lordes of Buhy, & of Montigny, to peruse, & revo∣lve certayne rescriptiones, and memorialles, vvhich I had compiled, and collected together, vvhē I served the disceased Kinge, as vvell touchinge the manuall operations, as also the comparisone, and conference of the aunciente instruments of Chyrurgerye, vvith the nue inventede, because through the discourse & rehearsall of the same, and by the discriptione and defiguratione of the foresayed instrumentes, to demonstrate, vvhat commodity vve might hope, and reape out of the one more then out of the other: All vvhich, havinge accordinge to mye possibillirye, & as much as this pitifull time vvoulde permit & allovve of finished, I have embouldened myselfe, to con∣secrate, and dedicate the same vnto your most renoumned Maiestye: vvhom supliantlye & vvith all humillity I desire, requeste, and intreate, benignly to receave it, as a gifte, or present, vvhich is not disagreeing vnto the present time, nether vvill be discommodiouse to your highnes. For be∣cause this Kingdome of Fraunce, is blinded vvith rage, & error, through the fatalle censure of the most fearfull God, doth ruinate it selfe, into his ovvne spoyle, of vvhat arte I pray (seinge that all other artes doe decrease, vnder this fear of vvarres) might it rather implore cōfort & secourse, thē of Physicke or Chyrurgerye? And vvhat is more Royalle, & more magnificall heer on earth, yea and more divine, then to recreate the afflicted, to relevate, & consorte the depressed, & humbled, and to restore health to all men, vvithout vvhich all dulcor, & pleasantnes of our life is nothinge els then amaritude, and Gaule? VVherfore most magnificent, and renoumned Kinge, permit•• praye and humblye intreate your highnes, that vnder your Heroicall name, this Pamphlet may