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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.
170. But seeing it is a word with a twofold syllable, and that the second syllable (mel) openeth the mouth again, it signifieth that the gates of the Deity have been opened again. 71. But that by the word or syllable (mel) it is conceived again upon the tongue, and held fast with the upper gums, and that in the meanwhile the spirit goeth out on both sides of the tongue. 72. This signifieth that God would again give to this corrupted kingdom or place in God, a King or great Prince, who would open again the innermost birth or geniture of the clear and bright Deity, and thereby the Holy Ghost would go forth on both sides, that is, out of the innermost depth of the Father and of the Son, and would go forth again into this world, and would new regenerate this world again through the New King. 73. The word (und) conceiveth itself in the heart, and is stayed and compacted, or incorporated by the tongue on the upper gums; but when it is let loose, it maketh another pressure from the heart, out at the mouth. 74. Now this signifieth the difference or distinction between the holy birth or geniture and the earthly. This syllable cometh indeed from the heart, but is stayed by the tongue on the upper gums, so that one cannot yet perceive what kind of word it is; and this signifieth that the earthly and corrupt birth or geniture cannot lay hold on, or apprehend the innermost birth or geniture, but is foolish and silly [a foolish or silly virgin]. 75. The last pressure from the heart signifieth that it [the earthly birth] will indeed qualify, mix or unite with
2the innermost birth or geniture in its sensibility, perception or thoughts, but cannot apprehend it in its reason; therefore this syllable or word alone by itself is dumb, and hath no signification or understanding in itself alone, but is used only for distinction's sake, with some other word. 76. The word (Erden) is thrust forth from the heart, and is conceived on the hinder part upon the tongue, at the hinder gums, and trembleth; the tongue is used about the first syllable (Er), yet not steadily, but the tongue recoils [or staggers] inwards at the nether gums, and croucheth as it were before an enemy, trembling. 77. The other syllable (den) is conceived by the tongue and upper gums, and leaveth the mouth open, and the spirit of formation goeth forth at the nostrils, and will not go forth together in this word out at the mouth; and though it carrieth forth somewhat indeed along with it, yet the true tone or noise of the true spirit goeth forth only through or at the nostrils, or organ of smelling. This is a great Mystery. 78. The word or syllable (Er) signifieth the kindled astringent and bitter quality, the earnest severe wrath of God, which trembleth at the hinder part of the gums, before which the tongue is as it were afraid, and croucheth at the nether gums, and flieth as it were from an enemy. 79. The word or syllable (den) conceiveth itself on the tongue again, and the spirit attracteth the power and virtue out of the word, and therewith goeth forth another way at the nostrils, and so goeth therewith up into or towards the brain before the royal seat. This signifieth that the
3outermost Salitter of the earth is eternally rejected from God's light and holiness. 80. But that the spirit layeth hold on the power and virtue of the word, and goeth another way through the nostrils into the brain before the throne of the senses or thoughts, signifieth that God will extract the heart of the earth from the wrath of wickedness; and use it to his eternal royal praise. Observe: 81. He will extract from the earth the kernel, and the best or the good spirit, and will regenerate it anew, to his honour and glory. 82. Here, O man, consider thyself well, and mind what manner of seed thou sowest into the earth, the very same will spring up, and bear blossoms and fruit for ever, either in the love or in the wrath. 83. But when the good shall be separated from the evil, then thou wilt live in that part which thou hast laboured for here, be it either in heaven, or in hellfire. 84. In whatsoever [whether a good or evil thing] thou endeavourest, labourest and actest here, into that thy soul goeth when thou diest. 85. Or dost thou think that this which I have set down here my spirit hath sucked out of the corrupted earth, or out of an old felt hat? 86. Truly no, for the spirit at this time of my description and setting it down did unite and qualify or mix with the deepest birth or geniture of God. In that I have received my knowledge, and from thence it is sucked; not in great earthly
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.
170. But seeing it is a word with a twofold syllable, and that the second syllable (mel) openeth the mouth again, it signifieth that the gates of the Deity have been opened again. 71. But that by the word or syllable (mel) it is conceived again upon the tongue, and held fast with the upper gums, and that in the meanwhile the spirit goeth out on both sides of the tongue. 72. This signifieth that God would again give to this corrupted kingdom or place in God, a King or great Prince, who would open again the innermost birth or geniture of the clear and bright Deity, and thereby the Holy Ghost would go forth on both sides, that is, out of the innermost depth of the Father and of the Son, and would go forth again into this world, and would new regenerate this world again through the New King. 73. The word (und) conceiveth itself in the heart, and is stayed and compacted, or incorporated by the tongue on the upper gums; but when it is let loose, it maketh another pressure from the heart, out at the mouth. 74. Now this signifieth the difference or distinction between the holy birth or geniture and the earthly. This syllable cometh indeed from the heart, but is stayed by the tongue on the upper gums, so that one cannot yet perceive what kind of word it is; and this signifieth that the earthly and corrupt birth or geniture cannot lay hold on, or apprehend the innermost birth or geniture, but is foolish and silly [a foolish or silly virgin]. 75. The last pressure from the heart signifieth that it [the earthly birth] will indeed qualify, mix or unite with
2the innermost birth or geniture in its sensibility, perception or thoughts, but cannot apprehend it in its reason; therefore this syllable or word alone by itself is dumb, and hath no signification or understanding in itself alone, but is used only for distinction's sake, with some other word. 76. The word (Erden) is thrust forth from the heart, and is conceived on the hinder part upon the tongue, at the hinder gums, and trembleth; the tongue is used about the first syllable (Er), yet not steadily, but the tongue recoils [or staggers] inwards at the nether gums, and croucheth as it were before an enemy, trembling. 77. The other syllable (den) is conceived by the tongue and upper gums, and leaveth the mouth open, and the spirit of formation goeth forth at the nostrils, and will not go forth together in this word out at the mouth; and though it carrieth forth somewhat indeed along with it, yet the true tone or noise of the true spirit goeth forth only through or at the nostrils, or organ of smelling. This is a great Mystery. 78. The word or syllable (Er) signifieth the kindled astringent and bitter quality, the earnest severe wrath of God, which trembleth at the hinder part of the gums, before which the tongue is as it were afraid, and croucheth at the nether gums, and flieth as it were from an enemy. 79. The word or syllable (den) conceiveth itself on the tongue again, and the spirit attracteth the power and virtue out of the word, and therewith goeth forth another way at the nostrils, and so goeth therewith up into or towards the brain before the royal seat. This signifieth that the
3outermost Salitter of the earth is eternally rejected from God's light and holiness. 80. But that the spirit layeth hold on the power and virtue of the word, and goeth another way through the nostrils into the brain before the throne of the senses or thoughts, signifieth that God will extract the heart of the earth from the wrath of wickedness; and use it to his eternal royal praise. Observe: 81. He will extract from the earth the kernel, and the best or the good spirit, and will regenerate it anew, to his honour and glory. 82. Here, O man, consider thyself well, and mind what manner of seed thou sowest into the earth, the very same will spring up, and bear blossoms and fruit for ever, either in the love or in the wrath. 83. But when the good shall be separated from the evil, then thou wilt live in that part which thou hast laboured for here, be it either in heaven, or in hellfire. 84. In whatsoever [whether a good or evil thing] thou endeavourest, labourest and actest here, into that thy soul goeth when thou diest. 85. Or dost thou think that this which I have set down here my spirit hath sucked out of the corrupted earth, or out of an old felt hat? 86. Truly no, for the spirit at this time of my description and setting it down did unite and qualify or mix with the deepest birth or geniture of God. In that I have received my knowledge, and from thence it is sucked; not in great earthly
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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