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.
1sigmTie, (ouvre les yeux). C'est ainsi que, dans ron« giual , l*eâu est une cause et un commencement de la vie ; que dans i'eau , le soufre est le premier engeudré par la teinture ; que, dans lui , la vie devient mouvante ; et que la teinture engendre de nouveau le soufre et Peau , dans lesquels ensuite cela devient sang dans la teinture. Or , tel qu'est le commencement de la vie, tel doit être Tordre dans là. régénération, de façon que la pauvre ame reçoive d*abord l'eau de l'éternelle vie j ety soit trempée : alors Dieu lui donne le grain de sénevé ou de la perle, pour que, si elle le reçoit, elle devienne une nouvelle plante en Dieu. 36. C'est pourquoi il a envoyé son ange devant )ui , afin qu'il baptisât avec l'eau de l'éternelle vie. Car c'est ainsi qu'est provenu l'éternel corps danâ lequel l'ame devoit entrer , et être engendrée de nouveau , dans sa teinture , dans son sang , et être transplantée dans le corps du Christ. Il faudroit beaucoup de marge pour écrire sur ceci ; mais je le terminerai brièvement, et je l'exposerai danft un autre livre. Pour le moment, je traiterai l'ubjet de la célébration du baptême ; car le simple né peut presque pas le comprendre. Ainsi nous vou* Ions agir en enfant avec lui , pour qu'il puisse devenir voyant , et trouver la perle. En effet on ne saisira pas tout ce que nous avons trouvé dans l'amour de Dieu , quoique nous désirassions que tout le monde en jouît. Hélas ! il y a un grand intenta lie entre ; savoir : le royaume de ce monde gonflé , par le démon ^ qui se défend comme un animal hargneux, quoique l'odeur du lys le rende impuissant. Ainsi nous allons parler maintenant en enfant.
237 Le ministre dansl'oflBce fraternel et chrétien de lalhance et des testamens du Christ, prend eau , et sur l'ordonnance du Christ dans sort al. Iiance et dans son testament , il la verse sur la tête du baptisé , au nom de l'alliance et au nom de la trimté sainte j du père +, du fils -^ et de l'esprit ?r.i^' ' 't^ ^'^ '' ^'-mmandement du Christ; testament qu'il a ensuite confirmé par sa mort; c'est aussi ce que nous devons pratiquer , et ne le pas déaisser. II n'est pas à la disposition du clirétien de 1 employer ou de le laisser ; mais si nous voulons être chrétiens , nous devons en faire usage , ou bien nous méprisons le testament du Christ , et nous ne trouions point aller à lui. 38. Car, le testateur estdans l'alliance, et dit : re^ ^«. Ainsi celui qui Deviendra point,n>entrera point en lui 5 c est pourquoi , cela ne tient pointa nos Hautes connoissances et à nos sciences ; car il est dans son alliance, et l'enfaut nouveau né lui est aussi cher que le vieil homme pécheur , qui se couvertit et marche dans son alliance. En effet, cela ne vient point de nous qu'il soit devenu homme , et qn 11 nous ait pris dans son amour; maisc./a tient k son amour dans sa miséricorde : car nous ne savions rien de lui , ui si nous serions guéris ; c'est lui qui nous a choisis ; c'est lui qui est venu à nous par grâce dans notre humanité , et qui a pris en lui ( 272 ) cif. 23. ce qui étoit à nous. Ainsi ralîlance de sa promesse éloit une alliance d'amour ef de grâce , et non pas le fruit de notre participation , ni de nos mérites. C'est pourquoi , celui qui enseigne autrement , est une Babel , et allère l'alliance du Christ.
339. Eu effet, le Christ dit aussi: Laissez venir à moi ces enfans ; car le royaume de Dieu est pour ceux qui leur ressemblent. Il ne dit pas : A quoi sert le baptême à un enfant qui ne le comprend point ? Aussi cela ne tient pas à notre entendement; nous sommes tous ignorans sur le règne de Dieu. Si l'enfant qui est ta branche , a poussé dans ton arbre , et que lu sois dans l'alliance, pourquoi ne portestu pas aussi la branche dans l'alliance ? Ta foi est sa foi, et la confiance en Dieu dans l'alliance , est sa confiance. Ce sont réellement tes essences engendrées de ton ame. Si tu os un vrai chrétien dans l'alliance de Jésus-Christ , lu dois sûrement savoir qu'un enfant , dans renfiammement de sa vie 5 marche aussi dans l'alliance du Christ ; et que s'il meurt dans le corps de sa mère , il sera trouvé dans l'alliance du Christ ^ car la divinité est dans le centre de la lumière de la vie. Or , si l'arbre est dans l'alliance , il est juste que les branches y soient aussi. 40. Ne crois pas toutefois pour cela que tu doives négliger le baptême 5 car quand l'enfant est engendré dans le monde , alors il est séparé de son arbre, et il est dans ce monde. Là, il faut qu'il marche luimême dans l'alliance 5 et lu dois le représenter par ta foi , et le donner à Dieu dans son alliance ^ par en. 23. ( 278 ) ta prière ; il ne faut pour cela aucune pompd qui ne fait que déshonorer l'alliance. Ceci est très important.
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.
1signifies, ( open the eyes ). It is thus that, in the original, the water is a cause and a beginning of the life; that in the water, the sulphur is the first begotten by the tincture; that, in it, the life becomes moving; and that the tincture begets anew the sulphur and the water, in which afterwards that becomes blood in the tincture. Now, such as is the beginning of the life, such must be the order in the regeneration, so that the poor soul receive first the water of the eternal life; and be steeped therein: then God gives her the grain of mustard-seed or of the pearl, that, if she receive it, she may become a new plant in God. 36. It is why he sent his angel before him, that he might baptise with the water of the eternal life. For it is thus that the eternal body is come in which the soul was to enter, and be begotten anew, in his tincture, in his blood, and be transplanted into the body of the Christ. There would need much margin to write upon this; but I will terminate it briefly, and I will set it forth in another book. For the moment, I will treat the object of the celebration of the baptism; for the simple can hardly comprehend it. Thus we will act as a child with him, that he may become seeing, and find the pearl. In effect one will not seize all that we have found in the love of God, although we should desire that all the world enjoyed it. Alas! there is a great interval between; to wit: the kingdom of this world swollen, by the demon, which defends itself as a snarling animal, although the odour of the lily renders it impotent. Thus we are going to speak now as a child.
237 The minister in the fraternal and christian office of the alliance and of the testaments of the Christ, takes water, and upon the ordinance of the Christ in his al. liance and in his testament, he pours it upon the head of the baptised, in the name of the alliance and in the name of the holy trinity; of the father +, of the son -^ and of the spirit ?r.i^' ' 't^ ^'^ '' commandment of the Christ; testament which he has afterwards confirmed by his death; it is also what we ought to practise, and not to forsake it. It is not at the disposition of the christian to 1 employ it or to leave it; but if we will be christians, we must make use of it, or else we despise the testament of the Christ, and we will not go to him. 38. For, the testator is in the alliance, and says: re^ ^«. Thus he who will not come, will not enter into him 5 it is why, that holds not to our High knowledge and to our sciences; for he is in his alliance, and the new-born child is as dear to him as the old sinful man, who converts himself and walks in his alliance. In effect, that comes not from us that he became man, and that 11 he has taken us into his love; but that holds to his love in his mercy: for we knew nothing of him, nor if we should be healed; it is he who has chosen us; it is he who came to us by grace in our humanity, and who has taken into him ( 272 ) cif. 23. what was ours. Thus the alliance of his promise was an alliance of love and of grace, and not the fruit of our participation, nor of our merits. It is why, he who teaches otherwise, is a Babel, and alters the alliance of the Christ.
339. In effect, the Christ says also: Let these children come to me; for the kingdom of God is for those who resemble them. He says not: What serves the baptism to a child who comprehends it not? Also that holds not to our understanding; we are all ignorant upon the reign of God. If the child who is thy branch, has grown in thy tree, and if thou art in the alliance, why bearest thou not also the branch into the alliance? Thy faith is his faith, and the confidence in God in the alliance, is his confidence. They are really thy essences begotten of thy soul. If thou art a true christian in the alliance of Jesus-Christ, thou must surely know that a child, in the enkindling of his life 5 walks also in the alliance of the Christ; and that if he die in the body of his mother, he shall be found in the alliance of the Christ, for the divinity is in the centre of the light of the life. Now, if the tree is in the alliance, it is just that the branches be so also. 40. Believe not however for that that thou shouldst neglect the baptism 5 for when the child is begotten into the world, then he is separated from his tree, and he is in this world. There, he must walk himself in the alliance 5 and thou must represent him by thy faith, and give him to God in his alliance, by en. 23. ( 278 ) thy prayer; there needs for that no pomp which does but dishonour the alliance. This is very important.
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.