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.
12. C'est pourquoi nous voulons donner à celui qui lira le second livre de nos écrits, quelque chose de plus fondamental pour qu'il ne s'attache pas ainsi à la lettre nue, et qu'il ne fasse pas de notre ouvrage, une chose historique, mais pour qu'il remarque quel en est le sens et l'esprit ; et ce que rfsprit indique quand il parie de la vie divine , sani IL a5 ( 386) employer les mêmes paroles et les mêmes noms ,' tandis qu'en effet trois ou même quatre noms differens ne signifient souvent que la même propre vie divine. 3. Car si nous regardons dans la création de Dieu, nous trouvons de très merveilleuses choses qui , cependant au commencement, sont prévenues d'une seule source. Nous y trouvons le bien et le mal , la vie et la mort , la joie et la souffrance , l'amour et la haine, la tristesse et le contentement, et nous trouvons que tout cela s'originise d'une seule substance. 4. En effet, on voit cela constamment dans toute* les créatures, principalement dans l'homme qui çjl l'image de Dieu , comme Moïse en parle , et comme la lumière de la nature nous en convainc. 5. C'est pourquoi il nous faut hautement considérer la triple vie dans l'homme , laqnellese trouve aussi dans la porte de Dieu le père.
26. Lors donc que nous en considérons l'altération ; comment la base affective est si variable , et la joie changée aussitôt en souffrance , et la souffrance en joie , alors nous devons observer quelle a pu en être la cause. Car nous trouvons que tout consiste dans une seule ame. Mais si une forme s'élève et bouillonne au-dessus des autres, ce dont aussitôt il suit une substance , de façon que la base affectiue rassemble à la fois toutes ses pensées , et les livre aux membres du corps, en sorte que les pieds, les mains, la bouche et tous enfin les saisissent , et fassent une œuvre canformémeut au désir de la base aff«c-. ( 38? ) tîve , alors nous disons que cette même forme ftsi impétueuse ou prédominante ; c'est-à-dire , ingua^ hfiame et opérante au-dessus de toutes les autres formes, quoiqu'à la vérité toutes les autres formes de la nature existent aussi dans l'intérieur, mais cachées et se trouvent subordonnées à cette seule forme. Et cependant l'ame est une chose si prodigieuse, qu'aussitôt , de cette même forme , qui ,out à 1 heure étoil impétueuse, ou prédominante, ou m- ^aUfianu au-dessus de toutes les autres , une autre forme s avance et s'élève , et éteint la première forme allumée , en sorte qu^elIe la fait devenir comme nulle, ^insi qu'on le voit à la joie et à la souffrance.
37. Or, quand nous observons d'où tout cela résulte, nous trouvons principalement trois formes dans 1 ame : 10. Nous ne parlons pas seulement de 1 esprit de ce monde ; car nous trouvons que notre ame a aussi un attrait pour une autre base affective, et s angoisse pour elle , ce que lesj^eux du corps ne voent point, ce que le palais ne goûte point , ce que e tact du corps terrestre ne saisit point, ce que l'ouie terrestre n'entend point, et ce que le nez non plus ne sent point ; mais la noble W afecti.e le peut voir , goûter , sentir , saisir et entendre , si la .;aie forme divine est prédominante en elle , ou in,ua^ fiante au-dessus des deux autres formes. Car alors les deux autres formes sont aussitôt comme mortes , ou subjuguées, et la forme divine s'éJève seuL et est dès lors en Dieu. ^ * Ô. Et 20. nous voirons aussi alprs , comment l'ame- ( 38ft ) élève bienlôt une autre forme et la rend prédominante 3, eu sorte que la forme divine est précipitée en bas.Cette au ire forme est Tesprit de ce monde pour la cupidité et l'orgueil , pour opprimer Ws malheureux, et s'élever seul, et attijfer tout à soi. Sur cela aussitôt la tifoisième forme, savoir : la fausseté , l'envie , la colère et la haine , jailUt de l'élernelJe alliance ; et ainsi l'image de Dieu est comme dans la mort ou subjuguée. Là alors rame est aussi dans la colère de Dieu , dans la mçwt, dans le gouffre infernal. C'est ce dont Tenfer dans la colère de Dieu se réjouit : car sa gueule est toute grande ouverte, et il est inqmlifiant ou en activité. Mais quand la forme divine reprend le dessus, le royaume d« l'enfer est subjugué, il est comme mort , et le royaume du ciel redevient prédominant et inqualifiant , ou en action.
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.
12. It is why we will give to him who shall read the second book of our writings, something more fundamental that he attach not himself thus to the naked letter, and that he make not of our work, an historical thing, but that he remark what its sense and its spirit is; and what the spirit indicates when it speaks of the divine life, without IL a5 ( 386) employing the same words and the same names, whilst in effect three or even four different names often signify but the same proper divine life. 3. For if we look into the creation of God, we find very marvellous things which, however at the beginning, are come of one single source. We find there the good and the evil, the life and the death, the joy and the suffering, the love and the hatred, the sadness and the contentment, and we find that all that originises itself of one single substance. 4. In effect, one sees that constantly in all the creatures, principally in the man who is the image of God, as Moses speaks of it, and as the light of the nature convinces us of it. 5. It is why we must highly consider the triple life in man, which is found also in the gate of God the father.
26. When then we consider the alteration of it; how the affective base is so variable, and the joy changed at once into suffering, and the suffering into joy, then we must observe what may have been the cause of it. For we find that all consists in one single soul. But if one form rises and boils above the others, whereof at once there follows a substance, so that the affective base gathers at once all its thoughts, and delivers them to the members of the body, so that the feet, the hands, the mouth and all finally seize them, and make a work conformably to the desire of the affec- ( 38? ) tive base, then we say that this same form is impetuous or predominant; that is to say, inqualifying and operating above all the other forms, although in truth all the other forms of the nature exist also in the interior, but hidden and are found subordinated to this single form. And nevertheless the soul is a thing so prodigious, that at once, of this same form, which just at 1 the hour was impetuous, or predominant, or inqualifying above all the others, another form advances and rises, and extinguishes the first kindled form, so that it makes it become as nothing, as one sees it in the joy and in the suffering.
37. Now, when we observe whence all that results, we find principally three forms in 1 the soul: 10. We speak not only of 1 the spirit of this world; for we find that our soul has also an attract for another affective base, and is in anguish for it, which the eyes of the body see not, which the palate tastes not, which the touch of the terrestrial body seizes not, which the terrestrial hearing hears not, and which the nose either smells not; but the noble affective base can see it, taste it, smell it, seize it and hear it, if the true divine form is predominant in it, or inqualifying above the two other forms. For then the two other forms are at once as dead, or subjugated, and the divine form rises alone and is from thenceforth in God. ^ * Ô. And 20. we shall see also then, how the soul- ( 38ft ) raises soon another form and renders it predominant 3, so that the divine form is precipitated below. This other form is the spirit of this world for the covetousness and the pride, to oppress the unhappy, and to raise itself alone, and attract all to itself. Upon that at once the third form, to wit: the falsehood, the envy, the anger and the hatred, springs from the eternal alliance; and thus the image of God is as in the death or subjugated. There then the soul is also in the anger of God, in the death, in the infernal gulf. It is whereof hell in the anger of God rejoices: for its maw is wide open, and it is inqualifying or in activity. But when the divine form takes the upper hand again, the kingdom of hell is subjugated, it is as dead, and the kingdom of heaven becomes predominant again and inqualifying, or in action.
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.