[Thus endeth the secrete of secretes of Arystotle]

¶The prologue of a doctour named Phyly•• that translated this bo∣ke in to latyn. d.

PHyly•• that translated this boke in ••o latyn was a chylde of Parys / & was a veray wyse interp̄tour & vn¦derstander of languages / & he sayd ••hus. I haue not knowē nor seen ty¦••e that the phylosophers haue ho••••ē / or haue ben acustomed to helpe or to make all weckes or all secretes but that I haue sought / nor haue knowē by no mā by whome I kne∣we that he had knowlegyng of y^e scryptures of Phy¦losophers / but I haue vysited hym vnto y^• tyme y^• I came to y^e knowlege of councell / y^t whiche was Estu¦lapideus / & a man solytary & of grete abstynēce•• and veray wyse in phylosophy / to whom I meked me dy¦lygently / requyrynge hym that he wolde shewe to me the scryptures of the knowlege of the sonne / the whiche he gaue vnto me / with a ryght good wy••••

And surely I foūde as moche as I desyred / & all that I had ben about a hole yere / & wherfore I had longe tyme trauayled. And I thus hauynge my desyre re∣torned home with grete ioye / yeldyng thākes to god my creatour. ¶And than at the request of the moost noble kynge with grete study & labour I translated this boke out of Greke lāguage into Caldees tongue & syth in to the speche of Araby. The which boke the moost wyseman Arystotle made / whiche answered alwayes to all the requestes of kynge Alexandre / as more playnly appereth in this present boke.