Fetching
One moment.
Eleven books by a shoemaker of Görlitz who wrote, by his own account, because he could not help it. Ten of them stand here in the seventeenth-century English of John Sparrow, who translated Boehme within a generation of his death and whose prose is itself now four hundred years old; where that English has drifted out of reach, the facing pane carries a modern register — the same text with archaic inflection and spelling normalised by rule, never paraphrased. Nothing is reworded, and where no register appears beside a passage it is because the rules found nothing to change.
The eleventh book is not in English at all, and it is the reason this note exists.
Des trois principes de l'essence divine, printed at Paris in 1802, is the same work as Concerning the Three Principles of the Divine Essence, which stands here as the second book — the same twenty-seven chapters in the same order, opening `Du premier principe de l'essence divine` against Sparrow's `Of the first Principle of the Divine Essence`. Its translator was Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin, who gave the last years of his life to putting Boehme into French, and who has a shelf of his own in this Lycaeum.
That makes a closed circuit inside this archive, and it is worth naming plainly. Saint-Martin translates Boehme. La Iniciación, printed in Montevideo a hundred and forty years later, traces its own descent through Saint-Martin. A reader can therefore follow one thread from a German mystic of 1619, through the French philosopher who carried him into another language, to a Spanish-language monthly of the 1940s that claimed them both — and read every step of it in the original.
The two are shelved as one work rather than two because that is what they are. They are not set as facing panes: an English translation of 1619 and a French translation of 1802 are two independent readings of a lost German original, and pairing them line by line would assert a correspondence neither translator ever claimed.
19. Car , l'astriugence est awssi dure qu'une pierre, et l'amertume tempête et se tourmente ^ans l'astringence comme une roue brisante qui divise l'astringence , et souffle le feu , de façon que tout devient une éruption ignée , effrayante, qui sélance et dissippe l'astringence 9 ce dont la ténébreuse astringence s'effraie ; elle se précipite au-dessous de soi en reculant 3 elle devient comme si elle étoit tuée ou morte ; elle se détend , elle s'atténue et se laisse soumettre. Mais quand le Jaillissement colérique ou Péruption du feu retourne en arrière et se montre de nouveau danft l'astringence, qu'il se mêle avec elle, et la trouve ainsi atténuée et soumise , il s'effraie bien da** vantage ; car c'est comme si on jetoit de l'eau âans le feu , ce qui , comme Von sait , produit un pétillement. Mais comme ce jaillissement arrive alors dans l'astringence atténuée et soumise il acquiert une antre source. Et de colérique il devient un pétillement d'une grande )oie ; il s'avance dans le colérique comme une lumière allumée. Car, lur-le-champ, l'éruption devient blanche , claire et lumineuse , attendu que Venflammement de la lumière arrive dès l'instant que la lumière, ou le nouveau pétillement du feu se mêle avec l'astringence. Alors l'astringence s'enflamme et s'étonne de la grande lumière qui, dans l'instant, vient en elle, comme si elle se réveilloit de la mort. Elle devient douce , vivante , joyeuse j elle perd 4». 8^ ( î5 ) aussitôt sa* puissance ténébreuse, dure et froide; «Ile s'élève dans le ravissement ; elle se réjouit dans la lumière , et son aiguillon, qui est l'amertume, triomphe, avec un grand contentement, dans ia roue tournante.
210. Hemarquee ceci. Le jaillissenient ou i*éruplion du feu se manifeste en esprit de souffre dans iadure ast^ingenco. Alors l'explosion s'élève triomphante , et l'esprit de souffre , angoisseux , dur , devient atténué et doux par la lumière. Car de même que par le jaillissement igné dans l'astringence soumise , la lumière ou l'éclair devient brillante , et perd son titre colérique ; de même l'astringence perd son droit par la lumière impr^- nante ; et par la lumière développée et blanche , elle devient atténuée et douce 5 car, dans l'origine^ l'astringence étoit entièrement ténébreuse et angoisseuse , à cause de son dur nttirement ; maintenant elle est toute replendissante : c'est pourquoi elle perd sa première qualité. De colérique et astringente elle devient une essence qui est liante et pénétrante; et la lumière en adoucit et enémousse entièrement la pointe aiguë. La porte de Dieu. IT. Maintenant voyez. Quand l'amertume oh Taiguillon amer qui, dans l'origine, étoit ainsi aigre, tempêtant et déchirant , en prenant naissance dans l'astringence, obtient en soi cette claire lumière^, tt goûte la douceur dans l'astringence qui est sa >• iu ( 16 ) «H. «.
3mèi'e ; alors il est tout satisfait ^ et ne peut pas s'élever davautage. Mais il tressaille et se rejouit dans sa mère qui là engendré. Il triomphe dans rûngendrtmenty comme en circulant joyeusementj et dans ce triomphe V engendrement obtient la cinquième forme , et sort de la cinquième source , ou du gracieux amour. Quand l'esprit amer goûto J*eau suave , il se rejouit dans sa mère , se rafraîchit , se fortifie et fait que sa mère s'agite dans un grand contentement. Alors une douce et gracieuse source sort en esprit d'eau suave ; car l'esprit de feu, qui est la racine de la lumière; qui, dans le principe, étoit une éruption colérique^ «'élève maintenant avec une douce joie. 12. Alors ce n'est plus que caresses et amour; l'époux embrasse sa tendre épouse ; ce n'est rien moins que comme une vie aimable naissant dans l'âpre mort \ et c'est ainsi qu'e«t V engendrement de la vie dans toute créature. Par cette agitation, ce mouvement , ou ce tournoiement de l'amer« tume dans l'essence de l'astringence de l'esprit d'eau , la génération ou V engendrement atteint la sixième forme , c'est-à-dire le ton , et cette sixième forme s'appelle avec raison mercnrius; car il prend sa forme , sa puissance et son commencement dans l'astringence angoisseuse , par le tempétement de l'amertume , attendu qu'en s'élevant l'amertume obtient la puissance de sa mère , qui est l'essence de la douce astringence , et la porte dans l'éclair de feu , d'où la lumière s'allume ; alors vient l'essai pu l'épreuve , CQ qui fait qu'une puissance voi|
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
19. For, the astringency is as hard as a stone, and the bitterness storms and torments itself in the astringency like a breaking wheel which divides the astringency, and blows the fire, so that all becomes an igneous eruption, frightful, which darts forth and dissipates the astringency 9 whereat the tenebrous astringency is affrighted; it precipitates itself beneath itself in recoiling 3 it becomes as if it were killed or dead; it relaxes, it attenuates itself and lets itself be subdued. But when the choleric springing forth or the eruption of the fire returns backward and shows itself anew in the astringency, when it mingles with it, and finds it thus attenuated and subdued, it is affrighted much more; for it is as if one threw water into the fire, which, as one knows, produces a crackling. But as that springing forth arrives then in the attenuated and subdued astringency, it acquires another source. And from choleric it becomes a crackling of a great joy; it advances into the choleric like a kindled light. For, on the instant, the eruption becomes white, clear and luminous, seeing that the inflaming of the light arrives from the instant that the light, or the new crackling of the fire mingles with the astringency. Then the astringency inflames itself and is astonished at the great light which, in the instant, comes into it, as if it awoke from death. It becomes sweet, living, joyous; it loses 4». 8^ ( î5 ) at once its tenebrous, hard and cold power; it rises in ravishment; it rejoices in the light, and its sting, which is the bitterness, triumphs, with a great contentment, in the turning wheel.
210. Remark this. The springing forth or the eruption of the fire manifests itself in spirit of sulphur in the hard astringency. Then the explosion rises triumphant, and the spirit of sulphur, anguishing, hard, becomes attenuated and sweet by the light. For even as by the igneous springing forth in the subdued astringency the light or the flash becomes brilliant, and loses its choleric title; even so the astringency loses its right by the impregnating light; and by the light developed and white, it becomes attenuated and sweet 5 for, in the origin, the astringency was entirely tenebrous and anguishing, because of its hard attraction; now it is all resplendent: it is why it loses its first quality. From choleric and astringent it becomes an essence which is binding and penetrating; and the light softens and entirely blunts the sharp point of it. The gate of God. IT. Now see. When the bitterness or the bitter sting which, in the origin, was thus sour, storming and tearing, in taking birth in the astringency, obtains in itself that clear light, and tastes the sweetness in the astringency which is its >• iu ( 16 ) «H. «.
3mother; then it is all satisfied, and cannot rise further. But it thrills and rejoices in its mother which begot it. It triumphs in the begetting, as in circling joyously; and in that triumph the begetting obtains the fifth form, and issues from the fifth source, or from the gracious love. When the bitter spirit tastes the suave water, it rejoices in its mother, refreshes itself, fortifies itself and makes its mother agitate itself in a great contentment. Then a sweet and gracious source issues in spirit of suave water; for the spirit of fire, which is the root of the light; which, in the principle, was a choleric eruption, rises now with a sweet joy. 12. Then it is nothing more than caresses and love; the bridegroom embraces his tender bride; it is nothing less than like a lovable life being born in the harsh death; and it is thus that is the begetting of life in every creature. By that agitation, that movement, or that whirling of the bitterness in the essence of the astringency of the spirit of water, the generation or the begetting attains the sixth form, that is to say the tone, and that sixth form is called with reason mercurius; for it takes its form, its power and its beginning in the anguishing astringency, by the storming of the bitterness, seeing that in rising the bitterness obtains the power of its mother, which is the essence of the sweet astringency, and bears it into the flash of fire, whence the light kindles itself; then comes the trial or the proof, which makes that one power sees
Our translation, period-faithful. Citable as our translation, never as the source.
Saint-Martin's French rendering of Boehme's 'Von den drei Principien göttlichen Wesens'. The same work stands in this estate in English as boehme:2. The title page also advertises 'L'Aurore naissante, du même Auteur' from the same booksellers — Saint-Martin's translation of the Aurora, whose English counterpart the estate holds as boehme:1. Reading the two versions against each other shows what a Martinist made of a German shoemaker's theosophy.
→ boehme:2
This work carries, in the author's own voice, both a set of hostile comparisons drawn against named peoples and an explicit refusal of any such boundary, and the Press publishes both rather than either alone. At Ch.25 §85 he calls the Jews blind; at Ch.17 §106 he warns of a coming visitation of the Jews and the Turks; and at Ch.26 §32-33, asked whence the Turks are grown, he answers "From thy perverted sense" — laying the rise of Mahomet at the door of christian pride and disputation. Against these stands Ch.25 §72, which opens the grace with no boundary at all: all men are invited to it, of whatever race, "whether Turks, Jews, Pagans, Christians", and no one is excluded. The same chapter that indicts turns the indictment inward at §105-106 — each believes not to dwell in Babel, and the author includes himself — and §33 concludes that God should be as near the one as the other. The contradiction is the author's, it is not resolved by him, and removing either half would misrepresent the work. Operator ruling, 2026-08-29.
This work carries, in the author's own voice, both a set of hostile comparisons drawn against named peoples and an explicit refusal of any such boundary, and the Press publishes both rather than either alone. At Ch.25 §85 he calls the Jews blind; at Ch.17 §106 he warns of a coming visitation of the Jews and the Turks; and at Ch.26 §32-33, asked whence the Turks are grown, he answers "From thy perverted sense" — laying the rise of Mahomet at the door of christian pride and disputation. Against these stands Ch.25 §72, which opens the grace with no boundary at all: all men are invited to it, of whatever race, "whether Turks, Jews, Pagans, Christians", and no one is excluded. The same chapter that indicts turns the indictment inward at §105-106 — each believes not to dwell in Babel, and the author includes himself — and §33 concludes that God should be as near the one as the other. The contradiction is the author's, it is not resolved by him, and removing either half would misrepresent the work. Operator ruling, 2026-08-29.
This work carries, in the author's own voice, both a set of hostile comparisons drawn against named peoples and an explicit refusal of any such boundary, and the Press publishes both rather than either alone. At Ch.25 §85 he calls the Jews blind; at Ch.17 §106 he warns of a coming visitation of the Jews and the Turks; and at Ch.26 §32-33, asked whence the Turks are grown, he answers "From thy perverted sense" — laying the rise of Mahomet at the door of christian pride and disputation. Against these stands Ch.25 §72, which opens the grace with no boundary at all: all men are invited to it, of whatever race, "whether Turks, Jews, Pagans, Christians", and no one is excluded. The same chapter that indicts turns the indictment inward at §105-106 — each believes not to dwell in Babel, and the author includes himself — and §33 concludes that God should be as near the one as the other. The contradiction is the author's, it is not resolved by him, and removing either half would misrepresent the work. Operator ruling, 2026-08-29.