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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.
1il le soigne , et l'a rendu héritier de tous ses biens. Dans cette contemplation, germe la divine connoissance , et Tamour de Thomme pour Dieu, comme celui des enfans envers leurs parens, en sorte que Tliomme chérit Dieu son père , puisqu'il reconnoîl qu'il est son auteur, dans lequel il vit, se meut et existe , qui le soigne et qui le nourrit. Car c'est ainsi que parle le Christ notre frère qui nous a été engendré du père pour notre salut , et a été envoyé dans cp monde : la vie éternelle consiste à vous connoître, vous qui êtes le seul vrai Dieu, et Jésus-Christ que vous avez envoyé. (Jean. 17 : 5. ) 5. S'il est donc vrai que nous reconnoissions nous-mêmes , que nous avons été créés de l'être de Dieu , comme image , essence et propriété de Dieu, il est bien juste que nous vivions dans son obéissance , et que nous le suivions, puisqu'il nous conduit comme un père conduit ses enfans. Aussi avons- nous la promesse que si nous le suivons , nous aurons la lumière de l'éternelle vie. ( Jean 8. ) Sans cette considération , nous sommes tous des aveugles, et nous n'avons aucune vraie connoissance de Dieu : mais nous cheminons comme des animaux muets , et nous nous reD E l'a U T E U R. xj
2gardons , nous - mêmes , aussi bien que la création de Dieu avec un ébahissement stupide j nous nous opposons à Dieu et à sa volonté , et nous vivons ainsi dans la rébellion , au préjudice du corps et de l'ame , et des nobles créatures de Dieu. Nous tombons dans ces cruelles et effroyables ténèbres , parce que nous ne voulons point apprendre à nous connoître nous-mêmes ; ce que nous sommes ; de quelle essence ; ce que nous deviendrons ; si nous sommes éternels , ou périssables avec notre corps ; en outre , si nous devons rendre compte de nos œuvres et de notre être , puisque nous avons été établis maîtres de toute la création et des créatures ; que nous les avons toutes en notre puissance^ et que nous les gouvernons. 6. Or , puisque nous voyons , savons , et trouvons incontestablement que Dieu demandera compte de toutes nos oeuvres , comment nous nous serons conduits envers ses productions, et que si nous nous éloignons de lui et de ses commandemens , il nous en punit terriblement , comme nous en avons d'effroyables exemples dès ce monde, dans les Juifs, les Payens et les Chrétiens , particulièrement celui du déluge , de Sodome , de Gomorrhe , ainsi Xj: PRÉFACE que celoi de Pharaon et du peuple d'Israël dans le désert et depuis lors continuellcn.ent jusqu'à ce jour ; il est donc de la plus haute importance que nous étudions la sagesse ; que nous apprenions à nous connoîlrc nous-mêmes; quels vices énormes nous portons en nous ; quels loups effroyahles sont parmi nous pour s'opposer à Dieu et à sa volonté.
37 Car personne ne peut se disculi^er sur son ignorance , puisque la volonté de Dieu est écrite dans notre base affective . afin que nous connoissions bien ce que nous devons faire. Toutes les créatures servent aussi a nous en convaincre. En outre , nous avons la loi et les ordonnances de Dieu , en soile que nous n avons aucune excuse, si ce n'est noire soporeuse et nonchalanlc paresse ; aussi serons - nous jugés comme étant des serviteurs négligens et inutiles i la vigne du seigneur. 8. Enfin , il nous est essentiellement nécessaire d'apprendre à nous connoître , puisque le démon demeure prés de nous dans ce monde; qu'il est l'ennemi de Dieu et le notre ; qn il nous égare et nous trompe journellement pour nous séparer de Dieu notre père , comn.o ,1 y est parvenu avec noire premier père , voulant par-li étendre son règne , et nous pnvci ...5 l> E l'a U t e V r. xii; notre salut éternel, comme cela est écrit, ^ 1 . Pierre 5 : v. 8 ) : Notre adversaire le démon tourne autour de nous , comme un lion runissant , cherchant qui il pourra dévorer.
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.
1he tends him, and has made him heir of all his goods. In that contemplation germinates the divine knowledge, and the love of man for God, like that of children towards their parents, so that man cherishes God his father, since he recognises that he is his author, in whom he lives, moves and exists, who tends him and who nourishes him. For it is thus that speaks the Christ our brother, who was begotten of the father for our salvation, and was sent into this world: eternal life consists in knowing you, you who are the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. (John. 17 : 5. ) 5. If it is then true that we ourselves recognise that we have been created of the being of God, as image, essence and property of God, it is quite just that we live in his obedience, and that we follow him, since he conducts us as a father conducts his children. Also have we the promise that if we follow him, we shall have the light of eternal life. ( John 8. ) Without that consideration, we are all blind, and we have no true knowledge of God: but we walk like dumb animals, and we reOF THE AUTHOR. xj
2gard ourselves, as well as the creation of God, with a stupid amazement; we oppose ourselves to God and to his will, and we live thus in rebellion, to the prejudice of the body and of the soul, and of the noble creatures of God. We fall into those cruel and frightful darknesses, because we will not learn to know ourselves; what we are; of what essence; what we shall become; whether we are eternal, or perishable with our body; moreover, whether we must render account of our works and of our being, since we have been established masters of all the creation and of the creatures; since we have them all in our power, and since we govern them. 6. Now, since we see, know, and find incontestably that God will demand account of all our works, how we shall have conducted ourselves towards his productions, and that if we remove from him and from his commandments he punishes us terribly for it, as we have frightful examples of it from this world, in the Jews, the Pagans and the Christians, particularly that of the deluge, of Sodom, of Gomorrah, as well Xj: PREFACE as that of Pharaoh and of the people of Israel in the desert, and since then continually to this day; it is then of the highest importance that we study wisdom; that we learn to know ourselves; what enormous vices we bear in us; what frightful wolves are among us to oppose themselves to God and to his will.
37 For no one can exculpate himself upon his ignorance, since the will of God is written in our affective base, in order that we may know well what we ought to do. All the creatures serve also to convince us of it. Moreover, we have the law and the ordinances of God, so that we have no excuse, if it be not our soporous and nonchalant sloth; also shall we be judged as being negligent and useless servants in the vineyard of the lord. 8. Finally, it is essentially necessary for us to learn to know ourselves, since the demon dwells near us in this world; since he is the enemy of God and ours; since he leads us astray and deceives us daily to separate us from God our father, as he attained to it with our1 first father, wishing thereby to extend his reign, and to deprive us ...5 OF THE AUTHOR. xii; of our eternal salvation, as it is written, ( 1 . Peter 5 : v. 8 ) : Our adversary the demon turns about us, like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
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.