Oration on the merit and usefulness of the art of medicine, held by Doctor Melchior Fend, when the degree of Doctor was awarded to Petrus Sibilenus Torgensis on 7 August 1548

In the beginning, I thank the eternal God, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the maker of humankind, together with His son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, for protecting His Church in violent storms, and picking out the pieces of our shipwreck with wonderful goodness, so that the voice of the Gospel may still ring genuine in public assemblies, and in the prayer of all the faithful in their chambers, and in the education of children at an early age, and that the study of true philosophy be cherished not only with some attendance and diligence, but also without perverse beliefs. And I pray to God, the source of wisdom, that He continue to protect you, and that He grant lasting peace to the study of erudition.

Today the attestation of erudition is to be given to a man learned in the art of medicine, and it is the custom in such assemblies to say something on the same art. Although no one's eloquence is a match for the greatness of this art, it is nevertheless necessary to admonish those who are younger by some kind of oration. Therefore I shall not resolve upon a eulogy, since the art's usefulness is clear for everyone to see, and there is such authority in contemplating nature that it cannot be demonstrated sufficiently by any oration.