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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.
1devoit plus désormais paroître que comme une histoire, et il n'y eut plus que des chrétiens historiques. Tant que les apôtres ont vécu,et leurs vrais disciples, ils surveillèrent, et réprouvèrent en effet ces choses; lis enseignèrent la vraie voie, mais lorsqu'ils ne furent plus, alors les prêtres historiens élevèrent des erreurs , comme cela est aisé à voir chez les £phésiensk 22. Ainsi le royaume du Christ iie croîssoît plus uniquement dans la puissance , mais la plus grande partie étoit réduite à l'historique. Les saints engendrés en Christ confirmoient souvent le rt)jau.' me du Christ par de grandes merveilles , et ensuite les prêtres historiens de Baal bâtissoieni toujours là-dessus , tantôt quelque chose de bon pour les bonnes mœurs et les vertus , tantôt seulement des ronces et des épines , pour la guerre et les combats , tantôt pour de grands honneurs , des dignités et la domination que l'on accorderait à l'église du Christ et à ses ministres, ainsi qu'on peut voir aisé^ ment dans VhUtoire des papes , de quelle source toutes ces choses provenoient. Cela a été poussé s\ loin , que particulièrement on y a mêlé les cérémonies juives , comme renfermant la justification des pauvres pécheurs , puisque c'est une loi divine j c'est à ce sujet que les apôtres ont tenu le premier concile à Jérusalem où toutefois l'esprit saiutcon. dut que l'on ne devoit s'attacher qu'au Christ dans un vrai amour , les uns pour les autres 5 que c'étoit là la seule justification devant Dieu. «3. Mais cela ne servit de rien , l'ot^ueil vouloit ( 364 ) C"» ^^•
2bâtir ses écoles , et s'établir au-dessus de JésusChrist. Le démon vouloit être Dieu , et faisoit des gloses pour favoriser ses desseins , ce que le simple ne remarquoit pas. Alors la clef de Saint-Pierre devoit être le grand gouverneur , et avec cette clef ils s'approprièrent l'autorité divine 5 ils ne montrèrent plus la puissance divine dans les merveilles et dans les œuvres : car ils vouloient être riches et bien nourris sur la terre , et non pas pauvres avec le Christ qui, dans ce monde ( comme il l'annonce lui-même), n'avoit pas où reposer sa tête. Ils ne vouloient pas être de ces chrétiens eu vertus et en prodiges. C*est ainsi qu'Adam ne voulut pas vivre dans la puissance , mais dans les masses palpables qu'il avoit rassemblées , ou ( dans la turba magna , la grande tourbe ) , [ o« te colère de JDieu déployée ] ; et on voit ici notre grande misère dans laquelle Adam nous a conduits, et qui consiste à ce que nos essences s'accrochent toujours à l'esprit de ce monde , et ne voudroient se remplir que de ces grands amas coagulés,d'oii est venu à Adam , et à nous tous , ce corps grossier et lourd , plein de maladies et d'antipathies continuelles. 24. Alors le christianisme historique a poussé à coté des vrais chrétiens j ainsi le sceptre resta toujours parmi les docteurs qui s'élevèrent , et se rendirent puissans. Le simple se soumit à toutes leurs ordonnances. Mais néanmoins il se trouvoit un désir dans les hommes pour le royaume de Dieu, ou pour la noble parole de Dieu qui s'étoit représentée dans la promesse, dans la lumière de la vie > et
3qui s'étoit mue par le Christ. Cette parole les pressoit , en effet, et les porloit à la crainte de Dieu. Alors on bâtit de grandes maisons de pierres et chacun y fil son appel et dit que l'esprit saint étoit tout puissant là , et qu'on devoit aller en ce lieu. Ils dirent bien encore aussi , tandis qu'ils étoient reconnus médians et faux, que le saint-esprit étoit puissant dans la bouche de l'impie. 25. Mais toi, hypocrite , tu mens 5 si tu es impie , tu ne peux ressusciter aucuns morts , tu ne peux convertir aucun de ceux qui , par l'esprit de ce monde', sont plongés dans les péchés. Tu peux bien par ta voix remuer le cœur du croyant que l'espjit travaille , mais tu n'en engendres aucun de la mort, c'est une chose impossible. Car si tu veux convertir le pauvre pécheur qui est plongé dans le péché et lié dans la colère , il faut que l'esprit saint soït dans ta bouche, que tes essences soient saisies par celles du pécheur ; alors ta lumière brillera en lui , et tu l'éveilleras de la mort du péché -, tu le saisiras par ton amour dans ta teinture ; ainsi il viendra à toi avec un soupir cordial , et le désir du royaume du ciel : car dès lors tu es sou confesseur; tu as là clef de Saint-Pierre, et si tu es hors de ceci , tu n'as aucune clef 26. Telle qu'est la confession , telle est aussi l'absolution. Si le patient n'est que dans l'historique, lé médecin y est aussi 5 et dans l'un et l'auire ce ne sont que les discours de l'hypocrisie. Mais si le patient est virtuel, alors sa voix souffle aussi de cette puissance 3 non pas de la puissance du 1/ ( 366 ) en. 16.
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.
1to appear no more henceforth but as a history, and there were no more but historical christians. So long as the apostles lived, and their true disciples, they watched, and reproved in effect these things; they taught the true way, but when they were no more, then the historical priests raised errors, as that is easy to see among the Ephesians. 22. Thus the kingdom of the Christ grew no more solely in the power, but the greatest part was reduced to the historical. The saints begotten in Christ confirmed often the kingdom of the Christ by great marvels, and afterwards the historical priests of Baal built always thereupon, sometimes something good for the good morals and the virtues, sometimes only brambles and thorns, for the war and the combats, sometimes for great honours, dignities and the domination that one would accord to the church of the Christ and to its ministers, as one may see easily in the history of the popes, from what source all these things came. That has been pushed so far, that particularly one has mixed there the jewish ceremonies, as enclosing the justification of the poor sinners, since it is a divine law; it is on this subject that the apostles held the first council at Jerusalem where however the holy spirit concluded that one must attach oneself only to the Christ in a true love, one for another 5 that that was there the only justification before God. «3. But that served nothing, the pride would ( 364 ) C"» ^^•
2build its schools, and establish itself above Jesus-Christ. The demon would be God, and made glosses to favour his designs, which the simple remarked not. Then the key of Saint-Peter was to be the great governor, and with this key they appropriated to themselves the divine authority 5 they showed no more the divine power in the marvels and in the works: for they would be rich and well nourished upon the earth, and not poor with the Christ who, in this world ( as he announces it himself ), had not where to rest his head. They would not be of these christians in virtues and in prodigies. It is thus that Adam would not live in the power, but in the palpable masses that he had gathered, or ( in the turba magna, the great crowd ), [ or the anger of God displayed ]; and one sees here our great misery into which Adam has led us, and which consists in that our essences cling always to the spirit of this world, and would fill themselves only with these great coagulated heaps, whence has come to Adam, and to us all, this gross and heavy body, full of maladies and of continual antipathies. 24. Then the historical christianism has grown beside the true christians; thus the sceptre remained always among the doctors who raised themselves, and rendered themselves powerful. The simple submitted himself to all their ordinances. But nevertheless there was found a desire in men for the kingdom of God, or for the noble word of God which had represented itself in the promise, in the light of the life, and
3which had moved itself by the Christ. This word pressed them, in effect, and bore them to the fear of God. Then one built great houses of stones and each made there his appeal and said that the holy spirit was all powerful there, and that one must go to this place. They said indeed still also, whilst they were known as wicked and false, that the holy spirit was powerful in the mouth of the impious man. 25. But thou, hypocrite, thou liest 5 if thou art impious, thou canst raise no dead, thou canst convert none of those who, by the spirit of this world, are plunged in the sins. Thou mayest indeed by thy voice move the heart of the believer whom the spirit works, but thou begettest none of them out of the death, that is an impossible thing. For if thou wilt convert the poor sinner who is plunged in the sin and bound in the anger, it is needful that the holy spirit be in thy mouth, that thy essences be seized by those of the sinner; then thy light shall shine in him, and thou shalt awaken him from the death of the sin; thou shalt seize him by thy love in thy tincture; thus he shall come to thee with a cordial sigh, and the desire of the kingdom of heaven: for from thenceforth thou art his confessor; thou hast the key of Saint-Peter, and if thou art out of this, thou hast no key 26. Such as is the confession, such is also the absolution. If the patient is but in the historical, the physician is there also 5 and in the one and the other these are but the discourses of the hypocrisy. But if the patient is virtual, then his voice breathes also of this power 3 not of the power of the 1/ ( 366 ) en. 16.
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.