miscarriage of the unfortunate Mathias Berneggeius who first attempted to turn them into Latine for the benefit of the Learned World.
I shall not presume to Censure the Censure which the Church of Rome past upon this Doctrine and its Assertors. But, on the contrary, my Author having bin indefinite in his discourse, I shall forbear to exasperate, and attempt to reconcile such persons to this Hypothesis as devout esteem for Holy Scripture, and dutifull Respect to Canonical Injunctions hath made to stand off from this Opinion: and therefore for their sakes I have at the end of the Dialogues by way of supplement added an Epistle of Galileo to Her Most Serene Highness Christina Lotharinga the Grand Dutchesse Mother of Tuscany; as also certain Abstracts of John Kepler, Mathematician to two Emperours, and Didacus à Stunica a famous Divine of Salamanca, with an Epistle of Paulo Antonio Foscarini a learned Carmelite of Naples, that shew the Authority of Sacred Scripture in determining of Philosophical and Natural Controversies: hoping that the ingenious & impartial Reader will meet with full satisfaction in the same. And least what I have spoken of the prohibiting of these Pieces by the Inquisition may deterre any scrupulous person from reading of them, I have purposely inserted the Imprimatur by which that Office licenced them. And for a larger account of the Book or Author, I refer you to the Relation of his Life, which shall bring up the Reare in the Second Tome.
What remains of this, is that Excellent Discourse of D. Benedetto Castelli Abbate di San Benedetto Aloysio, concerning the Mensuration of Running Waters, with other Treatises of that Learned Prelate, & of the Superintendent Corsini. Some may alledge, and I doe confess that I promised to publish the Life of Galileo in this place: But the great miscarriages of Letters from some Friends in Italy and else where, to whom I am a Debtor for several Remarques, & from whom I daily expect yet greater Helps concerning the History of that famous Personage: these disappointments, I say, joyned with the undeniable Request of some Friends, who were impatient to see Castelli in English, together with a consideration of the disproportionate Bulk that would otherwise have bin betwixt the two Volumes, perswaded me to this exchange. This deviation from my Promise I hope is Venial, and for the expiating of it I plead Supererrogation: having in each Tome made so large Aditions (though to my great expense) that they make neer a third part more than I stood by promise bound to Publish. That this is so will appear by comparing the Contents I here prefix with the Advertisment I formerly Printed. For not to mention those Epitomes of Kepler and à Stunica, the whole second and following Books of Castelli, were not come to my hands at the time of my penning that Paper; yet knowing how imperfect the Volume would be without them, they being partly a supplement to the Theoremes and Problemes which the Abbot had formerly Printed, and partly experiments that had procured him and his Doctrine a very great Reputation, knowing this I say, I apprehended a necessity of publishing them with the rest: and hope that if you think not the service I have done therein worth your acknowledgement, you will yet at least account the encrease of my expence a sufficient extenuation of the Trespass that those Additions have forced me to commit upon your Patience in point of Time.
As for the second Tome, I have only this to assure the Generous Readers; 1 that I am very confident I shall be much more punctual in publishing that, than (for the reasons above related.) I was able to be in setting forth this: 2 that they shall not be abused in advancing of their moneys, (as hath bin used in the like case) by selling the remaining Copyes at an under rate; and 3 that I have a very great care that no disesteem may by my means arise unto this way of publishing Books, for that it is of excellent use in ushering Great and Costly Volumes into the World.
To say nothing of the disadvantages of Translations in general, this of mine doubtless is not without it's Errours, and oversights: but those of the Printer discounted, I hope the rest may be allowed me upon the score of Human Imbecilitie. The truth is, I have assumed the Liberty to note the Mistakes in the Florid Version of Berneggerus in the Margent, not so much to reproach him, as to convince those who told me that they accounted my pains needless, having his Latine Translation by them. The like they said of the whole two Tomes: but they thereby caused me to question their Understanding or Veracity. For some of the Books were yet never extant: As for instance; the Mechanicks of Monsieur Des Cartes, a Manuscript which I found amongst the many other Rarities that enrich the well-chosen Library of my Learned and Worthy Friend Dr. Charles Scarburgh; the Experiments of Gravity, and the Life of Galileo, both my own: Others were included in Volumes of great price, or so dispersed that they were not to be purchased for any money; as those of Kepler, à Stunica, Archimedes, Tartaglia, and the Mechanicks of Galileo: And the remainder, though easyer to procure, were harder to be understood; as Tartaglia his notes on Archimedes, Torricellio his Doctrine of Projects, Galileo his Epistle to the Dutchesse of Tuscany, and above all his Dialogues de Motu; (never till now done into any Language) which were so intermixt of Latine and Italian, that the difficulty of the Stile, joyned with the intricatnesse of the Subject rendered them Unpleasant, if not wholly Vnintelligible, to such as were not absolute Masters of both the Tongues.
To conclude; according to the entertainment that you please to afford these Collections, I shall be encouraged to proceed with the Publication of a large Body of Hydrography; declaring the History, Art, Lawes, and Apendages of that Princely Study of Navigation, wherein I have omitted nothing of note that can be found either in Dudley, Fournier, Aurigarius, Nonius, Snellus, Marsennus, Baysius, Morisetus, Blondus, Wagoner, abroad, or learnt amongst our Mariners at home, touching the Office of an Admiral, Commander, Pilot, Modellist, Shipwright, Gunner, &c.
But order requiring that I should discharge my first Obligation before I contract a second; I shall detein you no longer in the Portall, but put you into possession of the Premises,
Novemb. 20. 1661.
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