TO THE READER

Kind Reader, we have published this short work for your sake, which was written a few years ago by an English Countess, a woman learned beyond her sex, most skilled in Greek and Latin literature, and especially well versed in every sort of philosophy. As soon as she was taught the principles of Descartes, having seen their faults, she later discovered so many things from reading certain writings of genuine ancient philosophy that she wrote these few chapters for her own use, but in a very small and faint handwriting. When these were found after her death, part of them were transcribed (because the rest were hardly legible) and translated into Latin, so that the whole world might derive some profit from them. These are now public property, so that anyone may admire the author and recognize true philosophy and more easily avoid these errors, which are now, alas, all too common. Enjoy these writings and farewell.