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I Come now to Dr. Dee, and to This Book of his, which hath been the occafion of all the Difcourfe hitherto. As for his Perfon or Parentage, Education and the like, I have but little to fay more then what he faith himfelf in his firft Letter to the Emperor (Rodolphe) of Germany, that being yet very young he was fought unto (ambiverunt me) by two Emperors, Charls the 5th and Ferdinando his Brother and Succeffor in the Empire. Mr. Cambden indeed in the year 1572 makes honourable mention of him, and calls him, Nobilis Mathematicus. He dedicated his Monas Hieroglyphica to Maximilian Succeffor to Ferdinando, firft printed at Antwerp, An. Dom. 1564. and afterwards at Francford, 1591. and what other places I know not. In the year 1595. he did write (and was printed 1599 I am fure, but whether before that or no, I cannot certainly tell) A difcourfe Apologetical, &c. directed to the then Archbishop of Canterbury, wherein he hath a Catalogue of books written by himſelf, printed and unprinted, to the number of 48. in all, and doth alfo mention the books of his Library about 4000 volums in all, whereof 700 ancient Manufcripts, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. There alfo doth he produce a Teftimony of the Univerfity of Cambridg, dated 1548. But this whole Difcourfe of his being but fhort, for the better fatisfaction of the Reader, I thought good to have it here reprinted the next after this Preface. His Mathematical Preface before Euclid, is that I think which of all his writings publifhed hath been moft taken notice of in England, and added much to the worth and commendation of that Edition of Euclid, He was a married man and had divers children, as will appear by this Relation; a great Traveller, and lived to a great age. But as I faid before, I do not pretend to give an account of his life in general, unto others, which my felf am yet a ftranger to. What concerneth this Relation I am to give an account, and I hope there fhall be nothing wanting to that. Four things I propofe to my felf to that end,
First, Somewhat to confirm the truth and fincerity of this whole Relation.
Secondly, To answer fome Objections that may be made againſt fome parts of it.
Thirdly, To give fome light to fome places, and to fatisfie the Reader concerning the perfection and imperfection of the book, as alfo, concerning the Original Copy.
Fourthly, and laftly, To fhew the many good ules that may be made of all by a fober Chriftian.
I. It feems that Dr. Dee began to have the reputation of a Conjurer betimes. He doth very grievously complain of it in that Preface to Euclid but now fpoken of, about the end of it, and yet there doth alfo term himſelf, An old forworn Mathematician. For my part whether he could ever truly be fo called, I yet make fome queftion: But I am very confident, that himfelf did not know or think himſelf fo, but a zealous worshipper of God, and a very free and fincere Chriftian. How this is to be reconciled with the truth of this Relation, fhall be afterwards confidered of. For the truth and fincerity of the Relation, I hopeno