ABSTRACT
It is neither to amuse the reader with superfluous talk nor to follow the fashion of those who wish to present themselves falsely as authors that I attach this Preface to the present book. The vain fancy of having it admired is even further from my intentions. Its sole purpose is to apologise for any mistakes that I believe are inevitable in such a work. I have had to rely on the accounts of others and to the operations of an engraver who often required more time than I could give. Those whom the author has the privilege of being acquainted with know that I undertook the work out of a kind of amusement at a time when the victorious armies of his Imperial Majesty [Emperor Charles VI] left little place for concerns related to civil architecture. As far as the others are concerned, if they are among those who are disinterested judges whom the reputation of others does not upset, they will see that I have attempted to supply art lovers with samples of architectures of all kinds and architects with sources for new inventions rather than to instruct the learned . . .
