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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.
1i6. Mais la colère du serpent a amené les choses au point qu'Adam est tombé dans l'attracl,et néanmoins le plan de Dieu doit également subsister. Car, au dernier jour , Adam doit ressusciter sans altération dans sa première image , tel qu'il a été créé. Mais enfin le serpent et le démon ont également ame« né les choses au point, qu'il en est résulté dans Adam cette sorte de déchirure. £n eifet , l'esprit nous montre deux choses : la première, qu'il ue pouvoit arriver aucun bien au ver, ou à l?esprit de l'ame, à moins que la pure vierge ne vînt et n'allât dans la mort , dans le ver, dans l'abîme de l'esprit de l'ame, qui, dans sa profondeur, atteint les portes de l'enfer et de l'âpre colère de Dieu, et sans qu'elle n'engendrât-<^c?am de nouveau en une nouvelle créature dans la première image : ce qui est arrivé duns le fils de la vierge terrestre , dans le Christ. 17. La seconde , c'est que la côte d'Adam et son côté creux dans lequel elle étoil , ne pouvoient être rétablis dans leur perfection, à moiusquc le second homme ne se laissât blesser dans cette même place , afinqueson sang virtuel vînt au secours du premier Adam , et rebâtît de nouveau son côté brisé. Nous le disons d'après notre précieuse counoissance ; et quand nous écrirons sur les souffrances et la mort du Christ, fils delà yïcrge terrestre, nous éclaircirons Cw. i5. ( 225 ) ceci de manière à ce que l'ame qui a soif, puisse trouver une fontaine-source qui ne sera pas très profitable au démon. Continuation sur la femme.
218. La raison dit : Si Eve a été tout uniment créée d'une côte d'Adam , elle doit être de beaucoup inîi férieure à Adam. Ma chère raison , cela n'est pas. Le FIAT, comme un rude attirement , a pris de toutes les essences et propriétés d'Adam, ou de chaque puissance ; mais if ne lui a pas pris , en outre, les membres en substance. Car, dans le limbus .Vimsi^ç, devoil être un homme selon le mode humain , mais non pas cependant avec cette défectuosité. Entendez bien ceci dans le principe. Il devoir être, et étoit aussi un homme , et il avoil un cœur virginal , enfièrement chaste dans la matrice. 19. Mais c'est a cause de cela que certainement Eve a été créée de toutes les essences d'Adam , et qu'ainsi Adam a reçu une grande déchirure ; et toutefois cependant , la femme arriva à sa ple'ine perfection d'image de Dieu. Cela me confirme en^ core une fois le grand mystère par lequel la vierge SOPHIE témoigne très précieusement que dans la ré^ génération, le fils de la vierge terrestre, s'est nonseulement laissé percer le côté, et a répandu son sang de son saint côté , mais a laissé aussi transpercer ses mains et sqs pieds , et enfoncer une couronne d'épines sur sa tête, et a laissé flageller son corps, de façon que le sang a coulé de par-tout. Ainsi le fils- *• i5 vierge s'est prolondëment abaissé pour aider Adam XDalade et brisé , et son Eve foible el imparfaite à se rétablir , et pour les reporter de nouveau dans leur première souveraineté.
320. C'est pourquoi lu dois admettre pour certain qu'Eve a été formée de toutes les essenc<>s d'Adam. Mais qu'il n'y ait pour cela ni c^es, ni membres rompus dans Adam , [ Passage retiré par l’éditeur. ] qu'il doit venir au secours de sa foiblesse , el la chérir comme sa propre essence. C'est aussi pour cela que la femme doit mettre ses essen^s et sa volonté dans celle de l'homme, être jo^reuse devant son époux, pour que l'homme ait un allract pour son essence dans la femme , et afin qu'ils soient deux dans une seule volonté ; car ils sont une chair, un os , un cœur , el ils engendrent en une volonté , des enfans qui ne sont pas de l'homme , ni de la lemme , mais de tous les deux , comme s'ils éloient d'un seul corps. C'est pourquoi est venu le sévère commandement de Dieu aux enfans , d'honorer leur père et mère avec sincérité el soumission, sous peine de punition temporelle et éiernelle , etc. jce dont j'écrirai lors des tables de Moïse. De la propagation de Taine. La noble porte.
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.
1i6. But the anger of the serpent has brought things to the point that Adam is fallen into the attract, and nevertheless the plan of God must equally subsist. For, at the last day, Adam must rise again without alteration in his first image, such as he was created. But at last the serpent and the demon have equally brought things to the point, that there resulted in Adam this sort of rending. In effect, the spirit shows us two things: the first, that no good could come to the worm, or to the spirit of the soul, unless the pure virgin came and went into the death, into the worm, into the abyss of the spirit of the soul, which, in its profundity, reaches the gates of hell and of the harsh anger of God, and unless she begot Adam anew into a new creature in the first image: which happened in the son of the terrestrial virgin, in the Christ. 17. The second, is that the rib of Adam and his hollow side in which it was, could not be re-established in their perfection, unless the second man let himself be wounded in that same place, so that his virtual blood might come to the succour of the first Adam, and rebuild anew his broken side. We say it according to our precious knowledge; and when we shall write upon the sufferings and the death of the Christ, son of the terrestrial virgin, we shall clear up Cw. i5. ( 225 ) this in such manner that the soul which thirsts, may find a fountain-source which will not be very profitable to the demon. Continuation upon the woman.
218. Reason says: If Eve has been quite simply created of a rib of Adam, she must be by much inferior to Adam. My dear reason, that is not so. The FIAT, as a rude attraction, has taken of all the essences and properties of Adam, or of each power; but it has not taken from him, besides, the members in substance. For, in the limbus the image was to be a man according to the human mode, but not nevertheless with this defectiveness. Understand this well in the principle. He was to be, and was also a man, and he had a virginal heart, entirely chaste in the matrix. 19. But it is because of that that certainly Eve has been created of all the essences of Adam, and that thus Adam received a great rending; and nevertheless notwithstanding, the woman arrived at her full perfection of image of God. This confirms to me once again the great mystery by which the virgin SOPHIA testifies very preciously that in the regeneration, the son of the terrestrial virgin, has not only let his side be pierced, and shed his blood from his holy side, but has let also his hands and his feet be transpierced, and a crown of thorns be driven upon his head, and has let his body be scourged, so that the blood ran from everywhere. Thus the virgin- *• i5 son has profoundly abased himself to help Adam sick and broken, and his Eve feeble and imperfect to re-establish themselves, and to carry them back anew into their first sovereignty.
320. That is why thou must admit for certain that Eve has been formed of all the essences of Adam. But that there be not for that either ribs, or members broken in Adam, [ Passage withheld by the editor. ] that he must come to the succour of her feebleness, and cherish her as his own essence. It is also for that that the woman must put her essences and her will into that of the man, be joyous before her spouse, so that the man may have an attract for his essence in the woman, and so that they be two in one single will; for they are one flesh, one bone, one heart, and they beget in one will, children who are not of the man, nor of the woman, but of both, as if they were of one single body. That is why is come the severe commandment of God to children, to honour their father and mother with sincerity and submission, under pain of temporal and eternal punishment, etc.; whereof I shall write at the tables of Moses. Of the propagation of the soul. The noble gate.
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.