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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.
1to it, and is required for it, a very subtile fire, and it may soon be burnt or made dead or deaf; and it becometh very dim or blind ** if the fire be too cold. ** "very dim or blind." The editions of 1656 and 1730 have, " viel zu blind," " much too blind "; while the editions of 1682 and 1715 have, " viel zu lind," " much too soft." St M. prints, "trop molle," "too soft." Schiebler prints, "viel zu gelind." 98. For it must be a middle or mild fire; to keep the spirit in the heart from rising it must be gently simmering, then it getteth a very sweet and meek ringing sound, and continually rejoiceth, as if it would now be kindled again in the light of God. 99. But if the fire be too hot in the fifth and sixth meltings, then the new life, which hath generated itself in the love in the rising up of the light's power out of the water, is kindled again in the fierceness in the wrathfire, and the mineral ore becomes a burnt scum and dross, and the alchymist hath dirt instead of gold. 100. VII. Now when it is melted the seventh time, then there belongeth to, and is required for, the process, a yet more subtile fire, for therein the life riseth up and rejoiceth in the love, and will shew forth itself in infinity, as it hath done in heaven before the time of the wrath. 101. And in this motion it groweth unctuous or fat, and luscious or luxuriant; it increaseth and spreadeth itself, and the highest depth generateth itself very joyfully out of or from the heart of the spirit, just as if it would begin an angelical triumph, and present or shew forth itself infinitely in divine power and form, according to the right of the Deity: and thereby the body getteth its greatest strength and power, and the body coloureth
2or tinctureth itself with the highest degree, and getteth its true beauty, excellency and virtue. 102. And now, when it is almost made, then it hath its true virtue and colour, and there is nothing wanting except in this, that the spirit cannot elevate itself with its body into the light, but must remain to be a dead stone; and though indeed it be of greater virtue than other stones, yet the body remaineth in death. 103. And this now is the earthly god of blind men, which they love and honour, and leave the living God, who standeth hidden in the centre, sitting in his seat. For the dead flesh comprehendeth only a dead god, and longeth also only after such a dead god. But it is such a god as hath thrown many men headlong into hell. 104. Do not take me for an alchymist, for I write only in the knowledge of the spirit, and not from experience. Though indeed I could here shew something else, viz. in how many days, and in what hours, these things must be prepared; for gold cannot be made in one day, but a whole month is requisite for it. 105. But it is not my purpose to make any trial at all of it, because I know not how to manage the fire; neither do I know the colours or tinctures of the qualifying or fountain spirits in their outermost birth or geniture, which are two great defects; but I know them according to (another or) the regenerate man, which standeth not in the palpability. 106. At the description of the SUN you will find more and deeper things concerning it: My intention is only to describe the whole or total Deity, as far as I am capable in my weakness to
3apprehend [it], viz. how that is, in love and in wrath, and how it doth generate itself now at present in this world. You will find more concerning jewels and precious stones at the description of the seven planets. THE TWENTYTHIRD CHAPTER Of the Deep above the Earth. 1. WHEN man beholdeth the deep above the earth he seeth nothing but stars, and clouds of water, and then he thinketh, Sure there must be another place, where the Deity presenteth or sheweth forth itself, together with the heavenly and angelical government: man will needs have the deep, together with its regimen or dominion, severed from the Deity; for there he seeth nothing but stars; and the regimen or dominion between, is fire, air, and water. 2. Then presently he thinketh, God hath made this thus, out of or from his predestinate purpose, out of nothing: How then can God be in this being? Or, how could that be God himself? He continually imagineth that this is only a house, wherein God dwelleth and ruleth by his spirit. God cannot be such a God, whose being consisteth in the power of this government or dominion. 3. Many will dare to say, What manner of God would that be, whose body, being, and power or virtue, standeth or consisteth in fire, air, water and earth? 4. Behold! thou unapprehensive man, I will shew thee the true ground of the Deity. If this whole or universal being be not God, then
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.
1to it, and is required for it, a very subtile fire, and it may soon be burnt or made dead or deaf; and it becometh very dim or blind ** if the fire be too cold. ** "very dim or blind." The editions of 1656 and 1730 have, " viel zu blind," " much too blind "; while the editions of 1682 and 1715 have, " viel zu lind," " much too soft." St M. prints, "trop molle," "too soft." Schiebler prints, "viel zu gelind." 98. For it must be a middle or mild fire; to keep the spirit in the heart from rising it must be gently simmering, then it getteth a very sweet and meek ringing sound, and continually rejoiceth, as if it would now be kindled again in the light of God. 99. But if the fire be too hot in the fifth and sixth meltings, then the new life, which hath generated itself in the love in the rising up of the light's power out of the water, is kindled again in the fierceness in the wrathfire, and the mineral ore becomes a burnt scum and dross, and the alchymist hath dirt instead of gold. 100. VII. Now when it is melted the seventh time, then there belongeth to, and is required for, the process, a yet more subtile fire, for therein the life riseth up and rejoiceth in the love, and will shew forth itself in infinity, as it hath done in heaven before the time of the wrath. 101. And in this motion it groweth unctuous or fat, and luscious or luxuriant; it increaseth and spreadeth itself, and the highest depth generateth itself very joyfully out of or from the heart of the spirit, just as if it would begin an angelical triumph, and present or shew forth itself infinitely in divine power and form, according to the right of the Deity: and thereby the body getteth its greatest strength and power, and the body coloureth
2or tinctureth itself with the highest degree, and getteth its true beauty, excellency and virtue. 102. And now, when it is almost made, then it hath its true virtue and colour, and there is nothing wanting except in this, that the spirit cannot elevate itself with its body into the light, but must remain to be a dead stone; and though indeed it be of greater virtue than other stones, yet the body remaineth in death. 103. And this now is the earthly god of blind men, which they love and honour, and leave the living God, who standeth hidden in the centre, sitting in his seat. For the dead flesh comprehendeth only a dead god, and longeth also only after such a dead god. But it is such a god as hath thrown many men headlong into hell. 104. Do not take me for an alchymist, for I write only in the knowledge of the spirit, and not from experience. Though indeed I could here shew something else, viz. in how many days, and in what hours, these things must be prepared; for gold cannot be made in one day, but a whole month is requisite for it. 105. But it is not my purpose to make any trial at all of it, because I know not how to manage the fire; neither do I know the colours or tinctures of the qualifying or fountain spirits in their outermost birth or geniture, which are two great defects; but I know them according to (another or) the regenerate man, which standeth not in the palpability. 106. At the description of the SUN you will find more and deeper things concerning it: My intention is only to describe the whole or total Deity, as far as I am capable in my weakness to
3apprehend [it], viz. how that is, in love and in wrath, and how it doth generate itself now at present in this world. You will find more concerning jewels and precious stones at the description of the seven planets. THE TWENTYTHIRD CHAPTER Of the Deep above the Earth. 1. WHEN man beholdeth the deep above the earth he seeth nothing but stars, and clouds of water, and then he thinketh, Sure there must be another place, where the Deity presenteth or sheweth forth itself, together with the heavenly and angelical government: man will needs have the deep, together with its regimen or dominion, severed from the Deity; for there he seeth nothing but stars; and the regimen or dominion between, is fire, air, and water. 2. Then presently he thinketh, God hath made this thus, out of or from his predestinate purpose, out of nothing: How then can God be in this being? Or, how could that be God himself? He continually imagineth that this is only a house, wherein God dwelleth and ruleth by his spirit. God cannot be such a God, whose being consisteth in the power of this government or dominion. 3. Many will dare to say, What manner of God would that be, whose body, being, and power or virtue, standeth or consisteth in fire, air, water and earth? 4. Behold! thou unapprehensive man, I will shew thee the true ground of the Deity. If this whole or universal being be not God, then
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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