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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.
14. Car , quand même je parlerois et écrirois Ion* guement sur notre première chute , et sur la régénération en Christ , et que je n'en vinsse pas au but , c'est-à-dire , à apercevoir la base d'où la chute est provenue , par où nous sommes devenus morts , ce qui a été la cause que nous sommes un dégoût pour Dieu, et à découvrir comment cela est arrivé, contre l'ordre et la volouté de Dieu , qu'est-ce que je corn- ■f CB. 3; ( ^i ) prendroîs à cette régénération ? Rien ; carconiment pourrois-je éviter ce que je ne connoîtrois pas ? ou comment pourrois-je me porter au nouvel engendre» ment , et m'y abandonner si je ne sais pas comment ,' où , et avec quoi ? 5. Cependant on remplit le monde de livres et de discours sur la chute , et sur la régénération ; mais dans les livres théologiques , pour la plupart | ce n'est qu'une relation historique que cela est arrivé autrefois , et que nous devons nous régénérer en christ. Qu'est-ce j'entends par là ? Rien : sinon l'histoire que cela est arrivé autrefois , que cela arrive et arrivera encore ? 6. Nos théologiens appuient là-dessus par toute sorte de moyens , et de toute leur puissance , y joignant des persécutions et des calomnies , ( disant) qu'on ne doit pas chercher dans le profond abîme , ce qu'est Dieu ^ qu'on ne doit pas creuser et chercher dans la divinité : mais pour en convenir nettement , qu'est - ce que cela ? De la boue et de l'ordure, avec laquelle on couvre le démon, et on cache la vénéneuse méchanceté du démon dans l'homme> afin qu'on ne voie dans l'homme ni le démon , ni la colère de Dieu ,ni la détestable méchante bête.
2• 7. Et c'est pour cela que le démon qui sent ce manège , en prend la défense , pour que son règne ne soit pas connu , et qu'il demeure un grand prince^ autrement l'homme pourroit s'éloigner de lui. Ou noue est-il plus nécessaire de résister , qu'à l'ouverture où l'ennemi pourroit percer ? Il voile le cœur, le sens et la pensée des théologiens 5. il les. porte 4 ♦l 1 24 ) :tH. 3. Tenvie, àPorgueil, et à Pimpucjicité , pour qu'ils s'effraient et ^'épouvantent eux-mêmes de la lumière de Dieu. C'est pourquoi ils se couvrent, car ils sont nuds , et ils dépriment ceux qui voient la lumière, ce qui s'appelle, dan» le fait, être les courtisans du démon. 8. Mais le tems vient , où Taurore dv Jour pointe , où la méchante bête , le méchant enfant doit rester nud, et dans une grande honte, car le jugement de la prostitution de la grande bête s'avance. C'est pourquoi , veillea , vous, enfans de Dieu , et fuyez , pour que vous ne portiez pas ouvertement sur voire front les marques de la grande et méchante bêle ; autrement vous seriez un grand objet de honte et de dérision. Il est tems désormais de se réveiller du sommeil , car l'époux se prépare à venir ehcr^ cher son épouse. Or, il vient avec une lumière bril* lantei ceux qui auront de l'huile dans leurs lampes, les pourront allumer, et ils seront au rang des convives. Mais les lampes de ceux qui n'auront point d'huile resteront ténébreuses | et i\s dormiront , et garderont les marques de la bête jusqu'à ce que le soleil se lève. Alors ils seront terriblement efifrajés , et ils resteront dans une éternelle honte^ car le jugement sera exécuté; les en&ns de Bieu le remarqueront y mais ceux qui seront dans lo som* meil dormiront jusqu'à ce qu'il fasse jour. Continuation sur la génération,
39. L'engendrement de l'éternelle nature est semblable à la pensée , là où une pensée s'engendre ■■■W d'un objet, et ensuite s'étend à Pinfiuf. Ou bien ijl ressemble à l'engendrement de la raeine d'un arbre,* d'où viennent ensuite le tropc et plusieurs branches et rameaux ; et aussi de la même racine pli|fieur$ racines , et plusieurs branches et rameaux^ et le tout vient d'une seulç et première racine. Remar^ quesdonc, ainsi qu'il a été esi^sé ci-dessus, conif xnent la natu re existe en une sextuple forme , ^t que chaque forme particulière engendre de nouveau de soi une forme selon sa propre qualité , qui alors a en soi les qualités et le caractère de toutes les formes. . 10. Mais , faites attention. La première formç parmi le^ six, engendre simplement une source semblable à elle , semblable à cette mên[ie source? esprit, *tnon pas selon l^ première mère ou l'astringence* C'est comme une branche qui dans ujji arbre engendre de soi une autre branche. Car, daii$ chaque source-esprit il n'y a qu'un centre , dans lequel la source de feu s'élève 5 ^t de l'éclair de feu , la lumière ; et dans chaque source sont les sextuples fornoes de la première. 11. Mais remaquez la profondeur dans la similitude. Voici comme je l'établis. Dans l'origine, la source astringente est la mère, d'où sont engendrées les cinq formes ; savoir : l'amer, le feu , l'amour , le ion , l'eau. Dans sa production ce sont les membres ; et sans eux il n'y auroit rien qu'une vallée ténébreuse , angoisseusse , où il n'y auroit aucun mouvement , aucune lumière , aucune vie. Mais la vie est engendrée en eUe par Vmflfimmêmenê iw ^> ^\
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.
14. For, even though I should speak and write at length upon our first fall, and upon the regeneration in Christ, and did not come to the end, that is to say, to perceiving the base whence the fall proceeded, whereby we became dead, which was the cause that we are a disgust for God, and to discovering how that happened, against the order and the will of God, what should I com- ■f CB. 3; ( ^i ) prehend of that regeneration? Nothing; for how could I avoid what I did not know? or how could I carry myself to the new begetting, and abandon myself to it, if I know not how, where, and with what? 5. Nevertheless one fills the world with books and with discourses upon the fall, and upon the regeneration; but in the theological books, for the most part, it is nothing but an historical relation that that happened formerly, and that we must regenerate ourselves in christ. What do I understand by that? Nothing: unless the history that that happened formerly, that that happens and shall happen again? 6. Our theologians insist upon it by every sort of means, and with all their power, joining to it persecutions and calumnies, ( saying ) that one must not seek in the profound abyss what God is; that one must not dig and seek in the divinity: but to allow it plainly, what is that? Mud and filth, wherewith one covers the demon, and hides the venomous wickedness of the demon in man, in order that one may see in man neither the demon, nor the anger of God, nor the detestable wicked beast.
2• 7. And it is for that that the demon who feels this manoeuvre takes the defence of it, in order that his reign may not be known, and that he may remain a great prince; otherwise man might remove from him. Where is it more necessary for us to resist than at the opening where the enemy might pierce? He veils the heart, the sense and the thought of the theologians 5. he bears them 4 ♦l 1 24 ) :tH. 3. to envy, to pride, and to unchastity, in order that they may affright and terrify themselves at the light of God. It is why they cover themselves, for they are naked, and they depress those who see the light, which is called, in fact, being the courtiers of the demon. 8. But the time comes when the dawn of the day breaks, when the wicked beast, the wicked child must remain naked, and in a great shame, for the judgement of the prostitution of the great beast advances. It is why watch, you, children of God, and flee, in order that you may not bear openly upon your forehead the marks of the great and wicked beast; otherwise you would be a great object of shame and of derision. It is time henceforth to awake from sleep, for the bridegroom prepares himself to come to seek his bride. Now, he comes with a brilliant light: those who shall have oil in their lamps shall be able to kindle them, and they shall be in the rank of the guests. But the lamps of those who shall have no oil shall remain tenebrous, and they shall sleep, and shall keep the marks of the beast until the sun rise. Then they shall be terribly affrighted, and they shall remain in an eternal shame, for the judgement shall be executed; the children of God shall remark it, but those who shall be in sleep shall sleep until it be day. Continuation upon the generation,
39. The begetting of the eternal nature is like thought, there where a thought begets itself ■■■W of an object, and then extends itself to infinity. Or else it resembles the begetting of the root of a tree, whence come then the trunk and several branches and boughs; and also from the same root several roots, and several branches and boughs, and the whole comes of one single and first root. Remark then, as it has been set forth above, how nature exists in a sextuple form, and that each particular form begets anew of itself a form according to its own quality, which then has in itself the qualities and the character of all the forms. 10. But, give attention. The first form among the six begets simply a source like itself, like that same source-spirit, and not according to the first mother or the astringency. It is like a branch which in a tree begets of itself another branch. For, in each source-spirit there is but one centre, wherein the source of fire rises 5 and of the flash of fire, the light; and in each source are the sextuple forms of the first. 11. But remark the depth in the similitude. Here is how I establish it. In the origin, the astringent source is the mother, whence are begotten the five forms; to wit: the bitter, the fire, the love, the tone, the water. In its production these are the members; and without them there would be nothing but a tenebrous, anguishing valley, where there would be no movement, no light, no life. But the life is begotten in it by the inflaming iw ^> ^\
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.