Lusus Serius
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Lusus Serius or Serious Pastime is a book written by Michael Maier and published in Oppenheim in 1616. It tells the story of eight representatives from the animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms, competing to prove that they are the most useful to mankind.
A calf, sheep, goose, oyster, bee, silkworm, flax, and Mercury participate in the contest judged by man. Each of the book's chapters is a dialog in which a representative pleads his case to the judge. The last, and longest case is made by Mercury. In the final chapter, the judge crowns Mercury "king of all worldly things being under the command of man".[1][2][3]