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.
134. Mais l'esprit ne met-il pas cela sous tes jeux toi, impudique? Vois comme tu as brisé le mariage et ouvert une porte à la prostitution , en sorte qu'on ne la regarde pas comme un péché. Tu ne te reposois que sur ton autorité , lorsque chacun t'a regardé et a suivi tes traces. Peut-être même ne te trouves-lu pas encore assez puissant ? crois -tu que nous disions ceci en vain? Le jugement est sur toil'épée est engendrée. Elle va dévorer; sors de Babel ' alors tu vivras. Quoique nous voyons un feu dan» Babel , et que Babel brûle 5 cependant , celui qui en sort ne sera pas brûlé. n. 24 (370) II Et: CHAPITRE VINGT-SEPTIEME. Du dernier jugement ; de la résurrection des morts 5 et de la vie éternelle. La très effroyable porte des impies^ et aussi la joyeuse porte des saints, I. IM o u s savons lo. que le Christ nous a enseigné qu'il doit y avoir un jugement , non-seulement pour la punition des détracteurs de Dieu , et pour la récompense des bons , mais aussi à cause de la créature et de la nature , pour qu'elles soient enfin délivrées de la vanité. Nous savons 20. que l'être de ce monde doit passer avec sa source. Il faut que le soleil , la lune et les étoiles , aussi bien que les quatre élémens périssent dans cette source , et que tout soit de nouveau rétabli ; là alors la vie croîtra au travers de la mort, et la figure de toutes choses restera éternellement devant Dieu, ce qui est la fin pour laquelle elles sont créées. Nous savons 30. que nos nmes sont immortelles , créées de l'éternelle alliance ; mais lorsque ce monde passera , ses substances passeront aussi comme étant venues de lui : toutefois la teinture restera en esprit. 2. C'est pourquoi , ô ! homme , pense à toi ici.
2dansce monde, dans lequel lu es dans l'engendre- -en.. Tu „s se.é un pe.i, g,,,, . «. i, ,oufZtl .0. «„ arbre : cependan, considère, n.a.nrenan, dans quel champ „ es, afin que ,u puissesTre' de D,en dans son amour, et non pas comme un l.o.spourun marche-pied que l'on fouleaux pieds oucequ.es, pire, que l'on me. au feu: iut res.e que les cendres , e, cela devi.n, une .erre , Z de la poussière, ' 3. On l'a di. que le Jo/. de Ion ame brûlera dans le dermer feu ; que ,«n ame demeurera une cend e dans le feu , e. que ,o„ corps paroî.ra une suie no,re. Pourquoi veu.-,u donc res.er dans un dése " ou sur un rocher où il n^ a poin. d'eau ? commenl donc ton arbre croilra-.-il? '"ment 4. Ah! quelle grande misère que nous ne sachons pas dans quel champ „„us croissons .et quelles essences nous al.ironssur nous ? Cependant uotre fruu sera examin,^ e. goû.é , e. celui L sera d une bonne quali.é . sera mis sur la table de Dieu • les autres seront je.és au. pourceaux du démon! C es. pourquoi me.s-.oi en n.ouvemen, , e. veille à ce que lu croisses dans le champ du Chri-t et a ce que tu pories des fruits qui puissent ê.re mis sur la table de Dieu ; qui ne puissent jamais se corrompre , mais ç(u.i sourcene .oujours ; et qui , plus on en mange , plus ils paroissen, agréables. Combien tu te réjouiras dans le seigneur ! S. Le dernier jugement est préparé pour cette desimalion , et comme nous savons que ,ou,ei ( 372 ) CH. 27.
3choses ont pris un commencement , elles ont aussi leur fin. Car avant l'existence du monde il n*y avoit rien que l'éternelle alliance , qui s'opéroit ellemême , et dans l'alliance l'esprit dans Dieu , qui est le plus haut bien ; qui a été sans cesse dans l'éternité > et n'a jamais reçu de commencement ; mais ce monde a eu un commencement de l'éternelle alliance dans le tems. 6. Car ce monde fait un tems; c'est pourquoi il doit passer , et comme il étoit un rien , ainsi il deviendra de nouveau un rien : en effet l'esprit se mouvoit dans l'Ëther, et dans cet Ëther fut engendré le limhus qui est passager , duquel toutes choses procèdent , et où], cependant , il n'y avoit aucun artiste que l'esprit ou le volcan dans les essences ; il n'y avoit là , non plus, aucune essence; elles furent engendrées dans la volonté de l'esprit dans lequel est l'artiste qui a extrait toutes choses de rien, excepté seulement de la volonté. Ainsi donc puisque cela est extrait et engendré de l'éternelle volonté , cela est éternel , non pas en être , mais en volonté ; et après la brisure des substances, ce monde restera entièrement dans la volonté,comme une figure pour les merveilles de Dieu. 7. Or , nous savons que , où il y a une volonté , elle doit se comprendre ou se comjxicler elle-même ^ comme étant une volonté. Cette compaction fait un attract. Ce qui est al tiré est dans la volonté , et est plus substantiel ou plus opaque que la volonté. Ce sont, les ténèbres de la volonté ; et il s'opère un bouillonnement daus le ténèbres : car la volonté CH. 27. ( 373 )
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.
134. But does not the spirit put that under thy eyes, thou, unchaste one? See how thou hast broken the marriage and opened a gate to the prostitution, so that one regards it not as a sin. Thou reposedst only upon thy authority, when each regarded thee and followed thy traces. Perhaps even thou findest thyself not yet powerful enough? believest thou that we say this in vain? The judgment is upon thee; the sword is begotten. It shall devour; go out of Babel, then thou shalt live. Although we see a fire in Babel, and that Babel burns 5 nevertheless, he who goes out of it shall not be burnt. n. 24 (370) II Et: CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVENTH. Of the last judgment; of the resurrection of the dead 5 and of the eternal life. The very frightful gate of the impious, and also the joyous gate of the saints, I. We know lo. that the Christ has taught us that there must be a judgment, not only for the punishment of the detractors of God, and for the recompense of the good, but also because of the creature and of the nature, that they may be finally delivered from the vanity. We know 20. that the being of this world must pass with its source. It is needful that the sun, the moon and the stars, as well as the four elements perish in this source, and that all be anew re-established; there then the life shall grow through the death, and the figure of all things shall remain eternally before God, which is the end for which they are created. We know 30. that our souls are immortal, created of the eternal alliance; but when this world shall pass, its substances shall pass also as having come from it: however the tincture shall remain in spirit. 2. It is why, O! man, think upon thyself here.
2in this world, in which thou art in the begetting -en.. Thou hast sown a small g,,,, . «. i, ,oufZtl .0. «„ tree: however consider now in what field thou art, in order that thou mayest be of God in his love, and not as a wood for a footstool that one treads under foot or what is worse, that one puts in the fire: there remains but the ashes, and that becomes an earth, Z of the dust, ' 3. It has been said that the Jo/. of thy soul shall burn in the last fire; that thy soul shall remain an ash in the fire, and that thy body shall appear a black soot. Why then wilt thou remain in a desert or upon a rock where there is no water? how then shall thy tree grow? '"ment 4. Ah! what great misery that we know not in what field we grow, and what essences we attract upon us? However our fruit shall be examined and tasted, and that which shall be of a good quality, shall be put upon the table of God; the others shall be cast to the swine of the demon! It is why put thyself in movement, and watch that thou grow in the field of the Christ and that thou bear fruits which may be put upon the table of God; which may never corrupt themselves, but which source always; and which, the more one eats of them, the more they appear agreeable. How thou shalt rejoice in the lord! S. The last judgment is prepared for this destination, and as we know that all ( 372 ) CH. 27.
3things have taken a beginning, they have also their end. For before the existence of the world there was nothing but the eternal alliance, which operated itself, and in the alliance the spirit in God, who is the highest good; who has been without ceasing in the eternity, and has never received a beginning; but this world has had a beginning of the eternal alliance in the time. 6. For this world makes a time; it is why it must pass, and as it was a nothing, so it shall become anew a nothing: in effect the spirit moved itself in the Ether, and in this Ether was begotten the limbus which is transitory, from which all things proceed, and where, however, there was no artist but the spirit or the volcano in the essences; there was there, no more, any essence; they were begotten in the will of the spirit in which is the artist who has extracted all things out of nothing, except only out of the will. Thus then since that is extracted and begotten of the eternal will, that is eternal, not in being, but in will; and after the breaking of the substances, this world shall remain entirely in the will, as a figure for the marvels of God. 7. Now, we know that, where there is a will, it must comprehend itself or compact itself, as being a will. This compaction makes an attract. What is attracted is in the will, and is more substantial or more opaque than the will. These are, the darknesses of the will; and there operates a boiling in the darknesses: for the will CH. 27. ( 373 )
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.