desirous and studious of these artes, and seeking for them as much as they can, sparing no paines, and yet frustrate of their intent, by no meanes attaining to that which they seeke: I haue for their sakes, with some charge & great trauaile, faithfully translated into our vulgare toũge, & set abroad in Print, this booke of _Euclide_. Whereunto I haue added easie and plaine declarations and examples by figures, of the definitions. In which booke also ye shall in due place finde manifolde additions, Scholies, Annotations, and Inuentions: which I haue gathered out of many of the most famous & chiefe Mathematiciẽs, both of old time, and in our age: as by diligent reading it in course, ye shall well perceaue. The fruite and gaine which I require for these my paines and trauaile, shall be nothing els, but onely that thou gentle reader, will gratefully accept the same: and that thou mayest thereby receaue some profite: and moreouer to excite and stirre vp others learned, to do the like, & to take paines in that behalfe. By meanes wherof, our Englishe tounge shall no lesse be enriched with good Authors, then are other straunge tounges: as the Dutch, French, Italian, and Spanishe: in which are red all good authors in a maner, found amongest the Grekes or Latines. Which is the chiefest cause, that amongest thẽ do florishe so many cunning and skilfull men, in the inuentions of straunge and wonderfull thinges, as in these our daies we see there do. Which fruite and gaine if I attaine vnto, it shall encourage me hereafter, in such like sort to translate, and set abroad some other good authors, both pertaining to religion (as partly I haue already done) and also pertaining to the Mathematicall Artes. Thus gentle reader farewell._ (?¿) [Decoration] ❧ TO THE VNFAINED LOVERS of truthe, and constant Studentes of Noble _Sciences, _IOHN DEE_ of London, hartily_ wisheth grace from heauen, and most prosperous _successe in all their honest attemptes and_ exercises.