The Elemental figure was devised and included in this Art so that through it the intellect might see into the operations of nature and their secrets, by understanding the beginning, middle and end of nature. Once it has seen these, the intellect is able to investigate particular things in nature by using the propositions and questions of the elemental figure in this book. And since the elements are a mirror of S. (for just as there is a natural order of elements, so there is also a natural order of the powers of S.) and S. is a mirror of A., the Elemental figure is included in this Art so that S. can metaphorically see itself in A. and so that S. can likewise see itself in this figure, in accordance with the way that the elements produce substantial beings and likenesses, so that they might know themselves through these likenesses. And with these things in mind, the propositions of the Elemental figure contained in this book were devised for investigating particular things in nature and for signifying the principles of the other figures through metaphor.