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.
141. Il j^ a trois témoins pour cette alliance : l'un s'appelle Dieu le père ; le second , Dieu le fils ; et je troisième , Dieu l'esprit saint. Ce sont les maîtres opérans , qui, là exercent l'office , et baptisent ; mais si tu viens bien j^aré , loi , vilain miroir de prostitution j que tu portes la pauvre aine à l'alliance du Chrisl 5 elquetu ne sois laque par oslenlalion , lu n'eulends rien au baptcmc ; et ce n'est pas un notre père y qui l'accomplit en Dieu. Sais-lu comment tu es devant la trinilë sainte , au sujet de cette alliance ? Comme un pourceau devant un miroir. 42. Devrois-je donc me taire ? Non , je dois le dire ; car je le vois. Fais ce que lu voudras 5 ceci est la vérité. Tu portes une ame lavée à neuf par le baptême 5 mais tu es un pourceau souille , /wc« même dans le royaume de tous les démons. Ainsi donc , le bain ou le baptême de la naissance , ne repose point en loi , si lu n'es qu'un pourceau , et si tu es éloigné du royaume de Dieu. Ce bain repose dans l'alliance du Christ. 43. Je vous parle ici , il est vrai , selon ma connoissance , et non point par commandement. Si des parens sont impies et loul-à-fail dans le règne du démon ; s'ils ont ainsi extrait leur fruit de leurs fausses essences; s'ils n'ont aucune foi, ou s'ils n'en ont que la fausse et hypocrite apparence et comme ne voulant être regardés comme chr^ liens, que pav respect humain 3 si, à l'instar du II. 18
2( 27 1 ) Cil. 23Aàmon , qui se transforme sou vent en ange de lumière, ils envoient en cet état leurs enfans avec de faux anges ainsi parés, devant l'alliance du Christ, cela est cxtrememdnt dangereux , et cela se montre aussitôt dans la croissance de Tarbre. L'alliance demeure bien, il est vrai; mais il est très important de se dérober au démon. Il est tr(» possible aussi qu^ j)lusieurs soient baptisés dans la colère de Dieu , seulement parce qu'ils méprisent Falliance , sans compter que souvent ce baptême s'administre par de mauvais prêtres ivres, qui, dans toute leur personne , sont en cfiFet dans le feu infernal. 44. C'est pourquoi l'alliance de grâce est réellement un témoignage contre la congrégation des impies; et ce qu'ils voyent et savent, sans l'accomplir avez zèle , sera leur juge. 45. Maintenant la raison dit : Comment don# s'opère le baptême ? Je n'y vois toutefois que de Feau et des paroles. Ecoute , chère raison , ton corps extérieur n'est aussi que dans ce monde ; ' c'est pourquoi il faut qu'il y ait une tau extérieure. Mais de même que l'homme caché, Chrisi, contient dans son pur élément l'exlra- génération de ce inonde , savoir les quatre élémens , dans lesqiiels est noire corps, et que tout est sien; de même aussi il contient l'eau extérieure : or , il baptise avec Tenu iniérieure de son élément, avec l'eau de réternelle vie, provênnni âe son saint corps; car l'esprit saint , dans l'alliance, baptise avec l'eau iniérieure, et le ministre baptise avec l'eau extéCH. aS. ( 275 ) rieure. Ce qui dst extérieur reçoit Peau extérieure élémentaire, et l'ame reçoU l'eau du bain de la purijication dans la renaissance.
346. L'ame esf lavée dans l'eau sainte , et le verbe est présent devant elle, et elle est dans l'allianceAlors elle peut tendre vers la perle. Quoiqu'elle soit liée en arrière au royaume de ce monde , elle est cependant dans l'alliance ; et si , au moyen de la vraie foi des parens , du prêtre , et des assistans , elle est ainsi lavée dans le bain de la renaissance, et qu'elle marche dans l'alliance le démon ne peut pas la toucher, jusqu'à ce qu'elle sache ce que c'est que le bien et le mal , et lorsqu'elle entrera un jour dans l'un ou dans l'autre, ce sera avec une libre volonté. 47. Mais quaud elle entre dans la méchanceté de ce monde , et qu'elle se laisse attirer par le démon , dès lors elle sort de l'alliance , et elle abandoime Dieu et le royaume du ciel ; car la noble vierge de Dieu, ou la sophïe est là , daus le centre de la lumière de la vie. Aussitôt que l'entrée de la vie est ouverte dans le centre delà lumière de la vie , cetUt noble vierge de la sagesse de Dieu^ ou la SOPHIE, se donne à l'ame comiiic un conducteur, comme un tendre amant, et elle avertit l'ame des voies impies, pour qu'elle s'en écarte, et qu'elle marche de nouveau dans l'alliance. Mais si au contraire elle demeure dans le règne du démon , alors la sophik demeure dans le centre du saint paradis; elle reste une vierge, mais à part soi Or ; l'ame Fa affligée 3 ainsi elles sont séparées, à ( l'jG ) CH. 23. moins que l'ame ne revienne dans la vraie repentanceer pénitence -, alors elle est reçue de sa vierge SOPHIE , avec un grand honneur et une grande joie.
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.
141. There are three witnesses for this alliance: the one is called God the father; the second, God the son; and the third, God the holy spirit. They are the operant masters, who, there exercise the office, and baptise; but if thou comest well decked, thou, vile mirror of prostitution; that thou bearest the poor soul to the alliance of the Christ 5 and that thou art there only by ostentation, thou understandest nothing of the baptism; and it is not an our father, which accomplishes it in God. Knowest thou how thou art before the holy trinity, in the matter of this alliance? As a swine before a mirror. 42. Must I then be silent? No, I must say it; for I see it. Do what thou wilt 5 this is the truth. Thou bearest a soul washed anew by the baptism 5 but thou art a soiled swine, /wc« even in the kingdom of all the demons. Thus then, the bath or the baptism of the birth, reposes not in thee, if thou art but a swine, and if thou art far from the kingdom of God. This bath reposes in the alliance of the Christ. 43. I speak to you here, it is true, according to my knowledge, and not by commandment. If parents are impious and altogether in the reign of the demon; if they have thus extracted their fruit from their false essences; if they have no faith, or if they have of it but the false and hypocritical appearance and as willing to be regarded as chr^ istians, only by human respect 3 if, after the manner of the II. 18
2( 27 1 ) Cil. 23Ademon , who transforms himself often into an angel of light, they send in this state their children with false angels thus decked, before the alliance of the Christ, that is extremely dangerous, and that shows itself at once in the growth of the tree. The alliance remains indeed, it is true; but it is very important to withdraw oneself from the demon. It is very possible also that several be baptised in the anger of God, only because they despise the alliance, without counting that often this baptism is administered by bad drunken priests, who, in their whole person, are in effect in the infernal fire. 44. It is why the alliance of grace is really a testimony against the congregation of the impious; and what they see and know, without accomplishing it with zeal, shall be their judge. 45. Now the reason says: How then is the baptism operated? I see there however but water and words. Hear, dear reason, thy exterior body is also but in this world; ' it is why there must be an exterior water. But even as the hidden man, Christ, contains in his pure element the extra-generation of this world, to wit the four elements, in which is our body, and that all is his; even so also he contains the exterior water: now, he baptises with the interior water of his element, with the water of the eternal life, coming from his holy body; for the holy spirit, in the alliance, baptises with the interior water, and the minister baptises with the exteCH. aS. ( 275 ) rior water. What is exterior receives the exterior elementary water, and the soul receives the water of the bath of the purification in the new birth.
346. The soul is washed in the holy water, and the word is present before her, and she is in the allianceThen she may tend toward the pearl. Although she be bound behind to the kingdom of this world, she is nevertheless in the alliance; and if, by means of the true faith of the parents, of the priest, and of the assistants, she is thus washed in the bath of the new birth, and if she walks in the alliance the demon cannot touch her, until she know what good and evil are, and when she shall enter one day into the one or into the other, it shall be with a free will. 47. But when she enters into the wickedness of this world, and lets herself be attracted by the demon, from thenceforth she goes out of the alliance, and she abandons God and the kingdom of heaven; for the noble virgin of God, or the sophia is there, in the centre of the light of the life. As soon as the entry of the life is opened in the centre of the light of the life, this noble virgin of the wisdom of God, or the SOPHIA, gives herself to the soul as a conductor, as a tender lover, and she warns the soul of the impious ways, that she may turn aside from them, and that she may walk anew in the alliance. But if on the contrary she remains in the reign of the demon, then the sophia remains in the centre of the holy paradise; she remains a virgin, but apart by herself. Now; the soul has afflicted her 3 thus they are separated, un- ( l'jG ) CH. 23. less the soul come back into the true repentance and penitence, then she is received by her virgin SOPHIA, with a great honour and a great joy.
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.