<p type="main"><s><emph type="italics"/>With all I conceived it very proper to expre&longs;s the&longs;e conceits by way of Dialogue, which, as not being
<lb/> bound up to the riggid ob&longs;ervance of Mathematical Laws, gives place al&longs;o to Digre&longs;sions that are
<lb/> &longs;ometimes no le&longs;s curious than the principal Argument.<emph.end type="italics"/></s></p>
<p type="main"><s><emph type="italics"/>I chanced to be &longs;everal years &longs;ince, at &longs;everal times, in the Stupendious Citty of<emph.end type="italics"/> Venice, <emph type="italics"/>where I
<lb/> conver&longs;ed with<emph.end type="italics"/> Signore Giovan France&longs;co Sagredo <emph type="italics"/>of a Noble Extraction, and piercing wit. </s><s>There
<lb/> came thither from<emph.end type="italics"/> Florence <emph type="italics"/>at the &longs;ame time<emph.end type="italics"/> Signore Filippo Salviati, <emph type="italics"/>who&longs;e lea&longs;t glory was the Emi­
<lb/> nence of his Blood, and Magnificence of his E&longs;tate: a &longs;ublime Wit that fed not more hungerly upon
<lb/> any plea&longs;ure than on elevated Speculations. </s><s>In the company of the&longs;e two I often di&longs;cour&longs;ed of the&longs;e
<lb/> matters before a certain Peripatetick Philo&longs;opher who &longs;eemed to have no geater ob&longs;tacle in under&longs;tand­
<lb/> ing of the Truth, than the Fame he had acquired by Ari&longs;totelical Interpretations.<emph.end type="italics"/></s></p>
<p type="main"><s><emph type="italics"/>Now, &longs;eeing that inexorable Death hath deprived<emph.end type="italics"/> Venice <emph type="italics"/>and<emph.end type="italics"/> Florence <emph type="italics"/>of tho&longs;e two great Lights in
<lb/> the very Meridian of their years, I did re&longs;olve, as far as my poor ability would permit, to perpetuate
<lb/> their lives to their honour in the&longs;e leaves, bringing them in as Interlocutors in the pre&longs;ent Controver&longs;y.
<lb/> </s><s>Nor &longs;hall the Honest Peripatetick want his place, to whom for his exce&longs;sive affection to wards the Com­
<lb/> mentaries of<emph.end type="italics"/> Simplicius, <emph type="italics"/>I thought fit, without mentioning his own Name, to leave that of the Author
<lb/> he &longs;o much re&longs;pected. </s><s>Let tho&longs;e two great Souls, ever venerable to my heart, plea&longs;e to accept this pu­
<lb/> blick Monument of my never dying Love; and let the remembr ance of their Eloquence a&longs;si&longs;t me in
<lb/> delivering to Po&longs;terity the Con&longs;ider ations that I have promi&longs;ed.<emph.end type="italics"/></s></p>
<p type="main"><s><emph type="italics"/>There ca&longs;ually happened (as was u&longs;uall) &longs;everal di&longs;cour&longs;es at times between the&longs;e Gentlemen, the
<lb/> which had rather inflamed than &longs;atisfied in their wits the thir&longs;t they had to be learning; whereupon
<lb/> they took a di&longs;creet re&longs;olution to meet together for certain dayes, in which all other bu&longs;ine&longs;s &longs;et a&longs;ide,
<lb/> they might betake them&longs;elves more methodically to contemplate the Wonders of God in Heaven, and in
<lb/> the Earth: the place appointed for their meeting being in the Palace of the Noble<emph.end type="italics"/> Sagredo, <emph type="italics"/>after the
<lb/> due, but very &longs;hort complements<emph.end type="italics"/>; Signore Salviati <emph type="italics"/>began in this manner.<emph.end type="italics"/></s></p>
