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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.
1stones, as in one lump, or as on a heap. Concerning which, Moses writeth thus: Am Anfang schuff Gott Himmel unb Erden. In the beginning created GOD heaven and earth. 53. These words must be considered exactly, what they are. For the word (Am) conceiveth itself in the heart, and goeth forth to the lips, but there is captivated and goeth back again sounding, till it cometh to the place from whence it went forth. 54. This signifieth now, that the sound [voice of God] went forth from the heart of God, and encompassed the whole place or extent of this world; but when it [the place] was found to be evil, then the sound returned again into its own place. 55. The word or syllable (An) thrusteth itself out from the heart, and presseth forth at the mouth, and hath an afterpressure [or murmuring sound]; * but when it is spoken forth, then it closeth itself up in the nidst or centre of its seat with the upper gums [palate], and is half without and half within. * "afterpressure," that is, a lingering emphasis. St M. aptly renders this, " une longue trace," " a long track or trail." 56. This signifieth that the heart of God had a loathing against the corruption, and so thrust away the corrupted being from himself, but laid hold on it again in the midst or centre at the heart. 57. As the tongue breaketh off or divideth the word or syllable, and keeps it half without and half within, so the heart of God would not wholly reject the kindled Salitter, but the malignity, malice and impulse of the devil; and the other part should be reedified or built again after this time.
258. The word or syllable (fang) goeth swiftly from the heart out at the mouth, and is stayed also by the hinder part of the tongue and the gums: and when it is let loose, it maketh another swift pressure from the heart, out at the mouth. 59. This signifieth the sudden rejection at the riddance and thrusting out of the devils, together with the corrupted Salitter; for the strong and swift spirit thrusteth the breath strongly away from it, and retaineth the true tone of the word or expression with it at the hindermost gum, and that is the true spirit of the word or syllable. 60. This signifieth that the corrupted fierceness is thrust out eternally from the light of God, but the inward spirit, which is loaded therewith against its will, shall be set again in its first house. 61. The last afterpressure (ang) signifieth that the innermost spirits in the corruption are not altogether pure, and therefore they need a sweeping away, purging or consuming of the wrath in the fire, which will be done at the end of this time. 62. The word (Schuff) conceiveth itself above and under the tongue, and shutteth the teeth in the upper and lower gums, and so presseth itself close together, and being held together, and spoken forth again, then it openeth the mouth again swiftly, like a flash. 63. This signifieth the astringent spirit's strong driving together of the corrupted Salitter, as a lump on a heap. 64. For the teeth retain the word, letting the spirit go forth leisurely between the teeth. This signifieth that the astringent quality holdeth the
3earth and stones firmly and fast together; and yet, for all that, letteth the spirits of the earth spring up, grow and bear blossoms out of the astringent spirit; which signifieth the regeneration or restitution of the spirits of the earth. 65. But that the mouth is swiftly opened again after the word is ended, it signifieth, concerning the deep above the earth, that God the Lord will nevertheless dwell there, and reserve his regimen for himself, and hold the devil as a prisoner in the wrathfire. 66. The word (Gott) conceiveth itself in the midst or centre, upon the tongue, and is thrust thither out of the heart, and leaveth the mouth open, and stayeth sitting on its royal seat, and soundeth without and within; but when it is spoken forth, then it maketh another pressure between the upper teeth and the tongue. 67. This signifieth that when God created heaven and earth, and all the creatures, he nevertheless remained in his divine, eternal, almighty seat, and never went away from it at all, and that HE alone is ALL. The last pressure signifieth the sharpness of his spirit, whereby in a moment he effecteth all in his whole body. 68. The word (Himmel) conceiveth itself in the heart, and is thrust forth to the lips, there it is shut up, and the syllable (mel) setteth the lips open again, and is held on the middle of the tongue, and so the spirit goeth forth on both sides of the tongue out of the mouth. 69. This signifieth that the innermost birth is become shut up from the outermost by the horrible sins, and is incomprehensible to the outward corrupted birth or geniture.
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.
1stones, as in one lump, or as on a heap. Concerning which, Moses writeth thus: Am Anfang schuff Gott Himmel unb Erden. In the beginning created GOD heaven and earth. 53. These words must be considered exactly, what they are. For the word (Am) conceiveth itself in the heart, and goeth forth to the lips, but there is captivated and goeth back again sounding, till it cometh to the place from whence it went forth. 54. This signifieth now, that the sound [voice of God] went forth from the heart of God, and encompassed the whole place or extent of this world; but when it [the place] was found to be evil, then the sound returned again into its own place. 55. The word or syllable (An) thrusteth itself out from the heart, and presseth forth at the mouth, and hath an afterpressure [or murmuring sound]; * but when it is spoken forth, then it closeth itself up in the nidst or centre of its seat with the upper gums [palate], and is half without and half within. * "afterpressure," that is, a lingering emphasis. St M. aptly renders this, " une longue trace," " a long track or trail." 56. This signifieth that the heart of God had a loathing against the corruption, and so thrust away the corrupted being from himself, but laid hold on it again in the midst or centre at the heart. 57. As the tongue breaketh off or divideth the word or syllable, and keeps it half without and half within, so the heart of God would not wholly reject the kindled Salitter, but the malignity, malice and impulse of the devil; and the other part should be reedified or built again after this time.
258. The word or syllable (fang) goeth swiftly from the heart out at the mouth, and is stayed also by the hinder part of the tongue and the gums: and when it is let loose, it maketh another swift pressure from the heart, out at the mouth. 59. This signifieth the sudden rejection at the riddance and thrusting out of the devils, together with the corrupted Salitter; for the strong and swift spirit thrusteth the breath strongly away from it, and retaineth the true tone of the word or expression with it at the hindermost gum, and that is the true spirit of the word or syllable. 60. This signifieth that the corrupted fierceness is thrust out eternally from the light of God, but the inward spirit, which is loaded therewith against its will, shall be set again in its first house. 61. The last afterpressure (ang) signifieth that the innermost spirits in the corruption are not altogether pure, and therefore they need a sweeping away, purging or consuming of the wrath in the fire, which will be done at the end of this time. 62. The word (Schuff) conceiveth itself above and under the tongue, and shutteth the teeth in the upper and lower gums, and so presseth itself close together, and being held together, and spoken forth again, then it openeth the mouth again swiftly, like a flash. 63. This signifieth the astringent spirit's strong driving together of the corrupted Salitter, as a lump on a heap. 64. For the teeth retain the word, letting the spirit go forth leisurely between the teeth. This signifieth that the astringent quality holdeth the
3earth and stones firmly and fast together; and yet, for all that, letteth the spirits of the earth spring up, grow and bear blossoms out of the astringent spirit; which signifieth the regeneration or restitution of the spirits of the earth. 65. But that the mouth is swiftly opened again after the word is ended, it signifieth, concerning the deep above the earth, that God the Lord will nevertheless dwell there, and reserve his regimen for himself, and hold the devil as a prisoner in the wrathfire. 66. The word (Gott) conceiveth itself in the midst or centre, upon the tongue, and is thrust thither out of the heart, and leaveth the mouth open, and stayeth sitting on its royal seat, and soundeth without and within; but when it is spoken forth, then it maketh another pressure between the upper teeth and the tongue. 67. This signifieth that when God created heaven and earth, and all the creatures, he nevertheless remained in his divine, eternal, almighty seat, and never went away from it at all, and that HE alone is ALL. The last pressure signifieth the sharpness of his spirit, whereby in a moment he effecteth all in his whole body. 68. The word (Himmel) conceiveth itself in the heart, and is thrust forth to the lips, there it is shut up, and the syllable (mel) setteth the lips open again, and is held on the middle of the tongue, and so the spirit goeth forth on both sides of the tongue out of the mouth. 69. This signifieth that the innermost birth is become shut up from the outermost by the horrible sins, and is incomprehensible to the outward corrupted birth or geniture.
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.
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