# Don Alexis to the Reader

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From *The Secretes of the Reuerende Maister Alexis of Piemount*, part 1, trans. William Ward (London: John Kingstone for Nicolas Inglande, 1558). The same preface, in the edition of 1595, is [Don Alexis unto the Reader](/stable/ph63y).

Text from the [Text Creation Partnership's keyboarded edition](https://github.com/textcreationpartnership/A16068) (EEBO-TCP A16068), converted with `scripts/tcp-to-articles.php`. Spelling, u/v and i/j as printed; long s printed as s; line-end hyphens rejoined; italics mark words set in roman or italic type within the black letter. • marks a letter and 〈◊〉 a word or more that TCP could not read. Each page begins at its folio number in square brackets, which links to that page of the [microfilm scan](https://archive.org/details/bim_early-english-books-1475-1640_the-secretes-of-the-reve_ruscelli-girolamo_1558) on the Internet Archive. Not yet checked against the scans.
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[[scan 11](https://archive.org/details/bim_early-english-books-1475-1640_the-secretes-of-the-reve_ruscelli-girolamo_1558/page/n10)] THey that haue knowen me in time past, or to speake plaine, haue vsed me familierly all my lyfe time, can peraduenture, tel how God by his great goodnes, hath made me to be borne of a noble house and bloude (accordinge to the commune, I will not saye vayne, perswasion of them, that stablish nobilitie more in the merites of another man, than in our own) and that besides this I haue alwaies had my pleasures, and great plentie of richesse, yea farre passing the smalnes of my desertes. I wil say yet more (not to boast or to auaunce my self, but to the ende to refourme the gentill reader, and to geue thankes vnto God) that there be many whiche knowe, how I being geuen euen from my first youth vnto study, haue gotten, not onely the knowledge of the Latin, Greke, Ebrue, Caldei, and Arabic tonge, and also of diuers other nations and countreis: But aboue al thinge hauinge by a natural inclination, taken a singuler pleasure in Philosophy, and in the secretes of nature, haue wandered and trauailed abroad in the worlde the space of .xxvii. yeares, to the intent to acquainte my self with all sortes of learned and discrete men. By the which diligence and curiositie, I haue learned many goodlye secretes, not alonely of men of great knowledge and profound learning, and noble men, but also of poore w•mē artificers, peysantes, and all sortes of men. Moreouer I haue ben thre times in Leuant, and sondry times haue traua•led almost all other partes of the world, without resting or seiourning at any time in one place aboue .v. moneths. Now this my study and desire of knowledge, as well of the vniuersall sciences, as of particuler secretes, and althoughe it was geuen vnto me by nature, as to the most part of men (for euery man by an instincte of nature desyreth to knowe thinges) yet haue I alwayes [[scan 12](https://archive.org/details/bim_early-english-books-1475-1640_the-secretes-of-the-reve_ruscelli-girolamo_1558/page/n11)] been noseled vp by a certain ambition and vainglorie, to knowe that, whiche an other should bee ignoraunte of: whiche thyng hath grafted in me, a continuall niggardnesse or sparing, to distribute or communicate any of my secretes, yea vnto my moste singuler frendes that I had: saiyng, that if the secretes were knowen of euery man, thei should no more bee called secretes, but publike and common.

Now, it chaunced these fewe daies past, being in Milan: in the fowerskore and twoo yere, and seuen monethes of myne age, that a poore artificer was maruelously tourmented with the stone, and had been twoo daies without making his vrine. The Cyrurgen that dressed hym, knowyng well that I had many secretes, and singulerly for the stone, came to me, and requested me that I would teache hym the receipte, or at the least to giue hym the medecine, composed and ready made, for the health of the patiente. But I perceiuyng that he would vse other mennes thinges, for his owne profite and honour, refused to giue it hym, but willed hym to bryng me vnto the sicke man, and that I my self would minister the medecine vnto him *gratis.* The Phisition, either fearyng blame if it should bee knowen, that he had recourse to the aide of an other man, hauyng peraduenture, bosted that he had the secrete hymself, or els in the meane tyme, still to make his profite in dissembling the matter, and differryng it yet twoo daies more, with diuerse excuses and colours, vntill he brought me to the patiente, whom at my commyng I founde so nigh his ende, that after he had a little lifted vp his iyes, castyng them pitiously towarde me, he passed from this into a better life: not hauyng any neede, neither of my secrete nor any other receipt to recouer his health. With this cace I was moued to soche a compassion and sorowe, that not onely I wisshed my self euill, but also I desired to die: seyng my ambition and vain glorie, to haue been the cause that this poore man was not succoured with the remedy, and gifte that God the father, and Lorde of [[scan 13](https://archive.org/details/bim_early-english-books-1475-1640_the-secretes-of-the-reve_ruscelli-girolamo_1558/page/n12)] vs all had giuen me. Wherefore, so greate was the remorse of conscience in me, that, desiryng to sequestrate my self frō the worlde, and not findyng my self of soche a disposition of mynde, that I could liue in a Monasterie emong religious menne, better edified then I, I was at the laste fully resolued with my self, to choose a place separate from any Toune, where I haue a little lande, some bookes, and a studie, for to auoide idlenes. Here I liue a life, whiche I call a Monkes life, with one seruaunte, whiche goeth to the toune, not to begge, but to buie my prouision, and other thynges necessarie: for to sustaine his poore life and myne, as long as it shall please God.

But yet not hauyng the power to put out of my fantasie, but that I was a verie homicide and murtherer, for refusing to giue the Phisition the receipt and remedie, for the healyng of this poore manne, I haue determined to publishe and communicate to the worlde, all that I haue, beyng assured that fewe other menne haue so many as I. And mindyng to set forth none, but soche as bee moste true and proued, I haue these daies paste (taken partly out of my Bookes, and partly out of my memorie, all those that came to hand) made a collection of soche as I am certaine bee veritable, true, and erperimented, not caryng if some of theim be written, or printed in any other Bookes then this. For of this my collection the reader, as touchyng those, maie at the least take this vtilitee and profite, that whereas before he mought haue doubted, whether soche remedies sette foorthe by an other manne, were true or not, he shall bee now assured, vnder the affirmaunce of my faithe: For truely, I would not sette my selfe (beeyng in the age, and disposition, bothe of bodie and mynde, that I am nowe in) to write fables or lies, that should continue alwaies. But of one poyncte I wille aduertise the reader, and that is, that he dooe the thynges with good diligence, and that in medecines concernynge [[scan 14](https://archive.org/details/bim_early-english-books-1475-1640_the-secretes-of-the-reve_ruscelli-girolamo_1558/page/n13)] mannes body, he vse the ayde and helpe of phisitions: Although in dede many of theim, moued with a certaine rustick, and euyll grounded enuie, with a passion of Ialousy, are wont to blame and contempne thinges that come not of them selues. Wherefore, as wel in this, as in euerye other pointe, if he that will vse these, should perchaunce finde, that the thing would not take effecte according to his contentation, lette him beware that he abuse not him self in the confection of them, and to beginne againe with more diligence. Assuringe him selfe, that (as I haue sayd) there is nothing in this boke but is true and experimented. And geuing alwayes glory and praise vnto god onely for all, haue a good hope, that, by meane of his diuine grace, I will consequentlye make you a present of the rest of all that I haue gotten in so manye trauayles, voyages, costes, and diligente studye.

*Fare well.*