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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.
144. El après que celle haule-souveraine-angélîque créalnre eut t'ié figurée soudaiuenicnt,de la parole et de l'esprit saiiil dans le saint élément, en une créature subslanlielle avec le complément de la vie et de la lumière , dans le verbe ; elle prit également ^ au même insl-ant , d'après le plan de Dieu , les quatre élémcus avec le régime astral du soleil , dans la teinture du sang, aussi bien que le sang dans toutes les essences bumaines , qui éloient dans lo corps de la vierge Marie , dans sa matrice ; le tout fut reçu dans l'élémeut pur de la créature aiigélique , et cela en propriété et comme ne faisant qu'une seule créature, et non pas deux. 45. Le saint élémeat du ciel qui renferme la divinité, est devenu , pour celle créature , le limhua ou la semence masculine ; et l'esprit saint , avec le sain! FIAT dans la sophie ou la sagesse divine, est devenu Tarchilecte , le formateur et le premier commenceur ou fondateur , et cbaque régime a bâti \k dans son centre , ce qui. est sien. 46. L'esprit saint a, dans la sagesse ou la sofhir , dans rélément , dans son centre céleste , construit la divine créature [ que l'auteur appelle tel ] la 1res précieuse , souveraine et angélique formation ; et le régime des étoiles et des élémens de ce monde a formé l'bomme extérieur , complètement , avec toutes les esseaces de notre corps bumain , avec ua en. 18. C 73 ) corps et ure ame iialnrels, en une seule personne et tout-à-fait semblable à nous.
247. Et cependant cbaque forme a son rang, son coup d'œil , sa source et sa perception , et la divinité ne s'est pas ainsi mélangée jusqu'à s'amoindrir. Mais elle est restée ce qu'elle éioit. Ce qu'elle ii'étoit pas, elle l'est devenue, sans séparation de l'essence divine : la parole est restée dans le père ; la créature du saint élément , devant le père ; et l'humanité naturelle de ce monde, dans le sein de la vierge Marie. Des (rois régions de l'bomification. La formation du seigneur Jésus-Christ, 48. La formation de cette très précieuse personne est diverse: 10. C'est la parole, ou Ja divinité qui a eu sa formation de toute éternité dans le père, et aussi n'en a pris aucune autre en soi dans Vhomifi^ cation^ mais est demeurée dans le père, telle qu'elle éloit dans sou siège , de toute éternité. 49. La seconde formation est arrivée naturellement au moment de la salutation de l'ange Gabriel , lorsque la vierge Marie dit à l'ange : Qu'il me soit fait selon votre parole, A la terminaison de cette parole, arriva la formation dans l'élément, laquelle est semblable au premier Adam avant la chute. Il devoit engendrer de soi une semblable créature angélique ; toute la reproduction des hommes angéliques eût été ainsi; et c'est ce qu'il ne pouvoit pas faire ici bas , puisqu'il étoit entré w\ 'ii (^ ^4 ) es. i8» dans Tesprit de ce monde. C*est pourquoi une semblable créature virginale devoit être engendrée dans la vierge terrestre , et amener de nouveau par ellemême , de la terreslréité dans l'élément devant Dieu,la vierge terres tre,avec ses frères et ses sœurs. Or celte formalion est arrivée à l'instant , toute complète, sans aucun déficii , et il ne lui est arrivé rien de plus , avec la longueur du tems.
35o. Dans ce même moment de la formation , la troisième formalion est aussi arrivée également à la fois en un instant , de l'élément /)ar , <;omme si oa semoit une semence terrestre , de laquelle provient un enfant complet qui a pris son commencement naturellement ; or , la nouvelle créature dans la perfection de l'élément, a été la semence masculine, de l'homme terrestre que la matrice terrestre de la vierge a conçue dans le sein de la vierge Marie. Cependant la lerreetréité n'a pas souillé le lirnbuê de la nouvelle créature dans le saiut élément. Car la parole de Dieu , qui étoit la limite, en empêchoit. 5i. >£t de ce Umbua de l'élément , l'image extérieure est devenue naturellement chair et sang, avec toutes les régions naturelles des membres , encadremens et «figurations de tous les trois principes, €o>mme pour tous les enfans des hommes-, elle a reçti à l'issue du troisième mois, son ame' naturelle, feomme tous les enfans d'Adam , laquelle tire sa source du troisième principe ; et a élevé son trône él son siège jusqu'à l'élément de Dieu , jusqu'à TbabitatiOB dans laquelle elle siégea dans la créaCR. i8. ( ^5 j lion en Adato. Alors elle a atteint , de nouveau devant Dieu dans le royaume du ciel , son trônl principal dont elle étoit sortie en Adam , par le péché. '^
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.
144. And after this high-sovereign-angelic creature had been figured suddenly, from the word and from the holy spirit in the holy element, into a substantial creature with the complement of life and of light, in the word; it took equally, at the same instant, according to the plan of God, the four elements with the astral régime of the sun, in the tincture of the blood, as well as the blood in all the human essences, which were in the body of the virgin Mary, in her matrix; the whole was received into the pure element of the angelic creature, and that in property and as making but one single creature, and not two. 45. The holy element of heaven which encloses the divinity, has become, for this creature, the limbus or the masculine seed; and the holy spirit, with the holy FIAT in the sophia or the divine wisdom, has become the architect, the former and the first beginner or founder, and each régime has built there in its centre, that which is its own. 46. The holy spirit has, in the wisdom or the sophia, in the element, in its celestial centre, constructed the divine creature [ which the author so calls ] the 1res precious, sovereign and angelic formation; and the régime of the stars and of the elements of this world has formed the exterior man, completely, with all the essences of our human body, with a en. 18. C 73 ) body and a natural soul, in one single person and quite like unto us.
247. And nevertheless each form has its rank, its glance, its source and its perception, and the divinity has not thus mingled itself so as to be diminished. But it has remained what it was. What it was not, it has become, without separation of the divine essence: the word has remained in the father; the creature of the holy element, before the father; and the natural humanity of this world, in the bosom of the virgin Mary. Of the three regions of the homification. The formation of the lord Jesus-Christ, 48. The formation of this very precious person is diverse: 10. It is the word, or the divinity which has had its formation from all eternity in the father, and also has taken no other into itself in the homification, but has remained in the father, such as it was in its seat, from all eternity. 49. The second formation came to pass naturally at the moment of the salutation of the angel Gabriel, when the virgin Mary said to the angel: Be it done unto me according to your word. At the termination of this word, came to pass the formation in the element, which is like the first Adam before the fall. He was to beget of himself a like angelic creature; the whole reproduction of angelic men would have been thus; and it is that which he could not do here below, since he had entered w\ 'ii (^ ^4 ) es. i8» into the spirit of this world. That is why a like virginal creature was to be begotten in the terrestrial virgin, and to bring back anew by itself, from terrestreity into the element before God, the terrestrial virgin, with her brothers and her sisters. Now this formation came to pass in the instant, quite complete, without any deficit, and nothing more has come to it, with the length of time.
35o. In this same moment of the formation, the third formation came to pass also equally at once in an instant, from the pure element, as if one sowed a terrestrial seed, from which comes a complete child which has taken its beginning naturally; now, the new creature in the perfection of the element, has been the masculine seed, of the terrestrial man that the terrestrial matrix of the virgin conceived in the bosom of the virgin Mary. Nevertheless the terrestreity has not soiled the limbus of the new creature in the holy element. For the word of God, which was the limit, prevented it. 5i. And from this limbus of the element, the exterior image has become naturally flesh and blood, with all the natural regions of the members, framings and figurations of all the three principles, as for all the children of men; it received at the issue of the third month, its natural soul, as all the children of Adam, which draws its source from the third principle; and has raised its throne and its seat unto the element of God, unto the habitation in which it sat in the creaCR. i8. ( ^5 j tion in Adam. Then it has attained, anew before God in the kingdom of heaven, its principal throne from which it had gone out in Adam, by sin. '^
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.