habitation, whether he stands condemned for murder, sodomy, rape,
sacrilege, incest, treason, blasphemy, &c., for which this shall be
your sufficient warrant. And it you fail hereof, G--d--mn you and
yours to all eternity. And so we bid you heartily farewell. Your
most humble man's man,

"EMPEROR PETER."


The wretches trusting to this lost their lives and money too.

I desire of those whom the learned among posterity will appoint for
commentators upon this elaborate treatise, that they will proceed
with great caution upon certain dark points, wherein all who are not
vere adepti may be in danger to form rash and hasty conclusions,
especially in some mysterious paragraphs, where certain arcana are
joined for brevity sake, which in the operation must be divided.
And I am certain that future sons of art will return large thanks to
my memory for so grateful, so useful an inmuendo.

It will be no difficult part to persuade the reader that so many
worthy discoveries met with great success in the world; though I may
justly assure him that I have related much the smallest number; my
design having been only to single out such as will be of most
benefit for public imitation, or which best served to give some idea
of the reach and wit of the inventor. And therefore it need not be
wondered if by this time Lord Peter was become exceeding rich. But
alas! he had kept his brain so long and so violently upon the rack,
that at last it shook itself, and began to turn round for a little
ease. In short, what with pride, projects, and knavery, poor Peter