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.
1^it en toi que de la dissimulatîoh et de Phypocnsie. £n outre y ^Ue dit: J'ai été aussi dans cette voie^ et je tiens cependant également à ma méchanceté , et je fais ce que vraiment je voudrois ne pas faire î je suia également remuée par la colère , la eupidité et la hatne. Comment peut-il donc arriver que l'homme n'agisse pas selon ce que sa volonté a résolu; mais qu'il fasse en effet ce qu'il ré{)rouve luimême , et ce qu'il sait n'être pas bien ? 39. Ici l'arbre de la perle est caché. Vois , ma chère raison , Tarbre de la perle n'est point semé dans rhomme extérieur , qui n'en est pas digne , qui appartient à la terre ^ et dans qui est l'iiomme de péché. C'est là où souvent le démort établit son siège. Il y accumule la colère et la méchanceté , et par-là il conduit souveht la pauvre ame ddns des crimes qu'elle n'aime point , en sorte que le corps s'accroche à ce à quoi l'ame est contraire. 40. Et lorgne cela arrive ainsi , ce n'est pas toujours l'ame qui le ftiit , mais l'esprit des étoile^ et 4es démens dans l'homme. L'ame dit: Cela n'est pas bien. Alors le corps répond : Il faut que nous ayons ceci \iomt que nous puissions vivre et avoir notre suffisance. C*est ainsi que l'on va d'une chose à l'autre , et un vrai chrétien ne se connoît pas : comment pourroif - il donc être connu des autres ? Le démon sait bien le cacher pour qu'il ne soil pas connu. Et c'est son èôup de maître quand il peut mener un vrai chrétien dans des vices , pour qu'il tombe dans le péché , en soiie qu'à l'extérieur >-'jI ( 3q2 ) CH. 24/ on ne connoîsse rîen ^ufre cboâc de lui , sinon qu'il çondarane les péchés des auties , et qu'il pèche cependant lui-même publiquement.
241. Et quand il pèche ainsi , il ne pèche point dans le nouvel hdrarae ; mais c'est :1e vieil homme dans le pècbé qui e$t-Soumis au péché et qui est dans la colère de Di^, C'est celui là que la colère pousse , en sorte qu'Un^iait jamais le bien , et s'il fait quelque chosc,fis bien., il ne le fait pas de sa volonté et par sa puissance,, mais le nouvel homme le pousse h cela pour qu'il le fasse ; car le vieil homme est périssable, mai$ l'ame est indestructible. C'est pourquoi la pauvre pme est toujours en combat, et est entre la pprle et les gonds, et doit se voir ainsi froisser. „ 42. Nous ne disons pas que pour cela le péché dans le vieil homme , ne porte du préjudice. Quoiqu'il ne puisse pas toujours dominer le nouvel homme, il lui apporte pourtant du. scandale, ev nous devous aimer Dieu par notre nouvel homme. Quoiqu'il ne soit pas possible d'êiro parfaits dans ce monde , encore devons-nous toujours tendre à le devenir , et le nouvel homme est dans lin champ , où le terrein est îvoïà , aigre, cplérique , et dans Tengourdissenient, . 43. De même que la plante croit de la terre, par l'agréable éclat du soleil -, dcnjiême aussi çp Christ, notre nouvel homme croît du vieil homme colérique , froid , rude , 01* de notre chair et de notre sang terrestres. Telle est la vraie lumière de la perU CH. 24. ( 3o3 ) ( quand nous la saisissons véritablement dans la counoissance , dans le nouvel homme ) 5 c'est là l'épée avec laquelle nous pouvons combattre Je démon ; d'ailleurs ne devons - nous pas prendre dans la main l'épée de la mort du Christ , laquelle épée coupe si bien , que le démon est obligé de fuir? ^*i^^^i^*iii»i^»^i^i»«^^.. {3«4) CHAPITRE VINGTCINQUIEME.
3Des souffrances,, du supplice, de la mort et de la résurrection de Jésus-Christ , fila de Dieu , ainsi que de son ascension et de son siège à la droite de Dieu son père. La porte de notre misère , et aussi la forte porte de la puissance divine dans son amour. 1. S I nous nous considéron» avec une saine raison , et que nous jetions lés yeux sur le royaume de ce monde , dans lequel nous sommes, avec noire chair et notre sang , ainsi qu'avec notre instinct et nos pensées -, alors nous trouvons aisément , en effet, que nous avons en nous la substance de ce même inonde , ainsi que sa même impulsion ou sa même marche ; car nous sommes sa propriété. Tout ce que nous pensons , opérons et projetons maintenant dans l'homme extérieur , c'est l'esprit de ce monde, qui l'opère dans l'homme ; car le corps n'est que son instrument par lequel il fait son œuvre : et [nous ne pouvons le nier ] , de même que tous les autres instrumens qui sont engendrés de l'esprit de ce monde , se corrompent à la fin, se brisent et retournent en poussière ; de même aussi en est-il de notre corps terrestre , dans lequel l'esprit de ce monde n« bouillonne que pendant un lems. 2. C'est pourquoi nul homme ne doit mépriser ceux qui n'out pas le même mode extérieur que lui j «lont les dispositions et les veloutés direrent de» ..ennes,etq„i ne pourroient pas non plus atteindre et saisir ses manières gracieuses et^es mœurs cour^ «oises 5 car le ciel naturel nous constitue tous, selon la (orme qu il offre constamment d.nsses influences. Ams. , chaque créature reçoit de lu, sa manière «^«1.6,58 forme, ainsi que son impulsion et son penchant , e. cela ne s'efface point loul-à-fait dans homme extérieur jusqu'à ce que ce ciel brise sa uesliale production.
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.
1be in thee but dissimulation and hypocrisy. Besides, she says: I have been also in this way, and I hold nevertheless equally to my wickedness, and I do what truly I would not do; I am equally moved by the anger, the covetousness and the hatred. How can it then happen that the man acts not according to what his will has resolved; but that he does in effect what he himself reproves, and what he knows not to be good? 39. Here the tree of the pearl is hidden. See, my dear reason, the tree of the pearl is not sown in the exterior man, who is not worthy of it, who belongs to the earth, and in whom is the man of sin. It is there that the demon often establishes his seat. He accumulates there the anger and the wickedness, and thereby he leads often the poor soul into crimes which she loves not, so that the body clings to that to which the soul is contrary. 40. And when that happens thus, it is not always the soul that does it, but the spirit of the stars and 4of the elements in the man. The soul says: That is not good. Then the body answers: We must have this in order that we may live and have our sufficiency. It is thus that one goes from one thing to another, and a true christian knows not himself: how could he then be known of others? The demon knows well how to hide it that it be not known. And it is his master-stroke when he can lead a true christian into vices, that he may fall into sin, so that exteriorly >-'jI ( 3q2 ) CH. 24/ one knows no other thing of him, if not that he condemns the sins of others, and that he sins however himself publicly.
241. And when he sins thus, he sins not in the new man; but it is th1e old man in the sin who is submitted to the sin and who is in the anger of God. It is that one that the anger pushes, so that he never does the good, and if he does something good, he does it not of his will and by his power, but the new man pushes him to it that he may do it; for the old man is perishable, but the soul is indestructible. It is why the poor soul is always in combat, and is between the gate and the hinges, and must see herself thus bruised. „ 42. We say not that for that the sin in the old man, brings no prejudice. Although it cannot always dominate the new man, it brings him nevertheless scandal, and we must love God by our new man. Although it be not possible to be perfect in this world, still must we always tend to become so, and the new man is in a field, where the ground is cold, sour, choleric, and in the torpor, . 43. Even as the plant grows out of the earth, by the agreeable splendour of the sun; even so also this Christ, our new man grows out of the old choleric, cold, rude man, 01* of our flesh and of our terrestrial blood. Such is the true light of the pearl CH. 24. ( 3o3 ) ( when we truly seize it in the knowledge, in the new man ) 5 it is there the sword with which we can combat the demon; besides must we not take into the hand the sword of the death of the Christ, which sword cuts so well, that the demon is obliged to flee? ^*i^^^i^*iii»i^»^i^i»«^^.. {3«4) CHAPTER TWENTY-FIFTH.
3Of the sufferings,, of the punishment, of the death and of the resurrection of Jesus-Christ, son of God, as well as of his ascension and of his sitting at the right hand of God his father. The gate of our misery, and also the strong gate of the divine power in his love. 1. I F we consider ourselves with a sane reason, and if we cast the eyes upon the kingdom of this world, in which we are, with our flesh and our blood, as well as with our instinct and our thoughts; then we find easily, in effect, that we have in us the substance of this same world, as well as its same impulsion or its same march; for we are its property. All that we think, operate and project now in the exterior man, it is the spirit of this world, which operates it in the man; for the body is but his instrument by which he does his work: and [ we cannot deny it ], even as all the other instruments which are begotten of the spirit of this world, corrupt themselves at the end, break and return into dust; even so also is it of our terrestrial body, in which the spirit of this world boils but during a time. 2. It is why no man must despise those who have not the same exterior mode as himself; whose dispositions and wills differ from his own, and who could not either attain and seize his gracious manners and his courteous morals 5 for the natural heaven constitutes us all, according to the form which it offers constantly in its influences. Thus, each creature receives from it its manner «^«1.6,58 form, as well as its impulsion and its inclination, and that effaces itself not altogether in the exterior man until this heaven break its bestial production.
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.