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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.
1the being, in its wholeness. 65. And such a house also the whole space or extent of this world came to be, when the Deity, in the seven spirits, had hidden itself from the horrible devils. 66. And the whole space had so continued, if the seven planets and stars had not risen or sprung up from God's spirits, which seven planets opened again and kindled the chambers of death in the dark house of this world, in all places everywhere; from whence existeth the regimen or dominion of the elements. 67. Moreover, thou art to know also, that the regimen or dominion of the seven spirits of God in the house of this world is not on that account exsiccated or dried up in death, that all must needs receive its life and beginning from the planets and stars. 68. No! for the clear Deity standeth everywhere hidden in the circle in the heart of the whole deep; and the seven spirits stand in the body of the deep in anxiety and great longing, and are still kindled by the planets and stars; from whence existeth the mobility, and the birth or geniture in the whole deep. 69. But as long as the heart of the Deity, which [heart] is the corporeity, hideth itself in the body of this world in the outermost birth, the corporeity is a dark house; all standeth in great anguish and needeth a light, which is the sun, to shine in the chamber of darkness, until the heart of God doth move itself again in the seven spirits of God in the house of this world, and kindle the seven spirits. 70. Then the sun and stars will return again to their first place, and will pass away in such a
2form or manner; for the Heart and Light of God will give light and shine again in the corporeity, that is, in the body of this world, and replenish or fill all. 71. Then the anxiety ceaseth; for when the anxiety in the dominion of the geniture or birthregimen tasteth of the sweetness of the light of God, so that the heart of God triumpheth together in the birthregimen, then all is richly full of joy, and the whole body triumpheth. 72. Which at present in this time, in the house of this world, cannot be, because of the fierce, captive devil, who keepeth house in the outermost birth or geniture in the body of this world, till the judgment of God. 73. Now here thou mayest understand how the heart of God hath the fan or castingshovel in its hand, and will one day cleanse his floor: which I herewith earnestly declare to you as in the knowledge in the light of life, where the heart, in the light of life, breaketh through, and proclaimeth the bright, clear day. Of Man and the Stars. 74. Now, as the deep, or the house of this world, is a dark house, where the whole corporeity generateth itself, and is very thick, dark, anxious and half dead, and taketh its moving from the planets and stars which kindle the body in the outermost birth or geniture, from whence existeth the mobility of the elements, as also the figured and creaturely being, so also the human house of flesh is a dark valley, wherein is indeed the anxiety to the birth of life, and it always highly endeavoureth, intending to elevate itself into the light, from whence the life might kindle itself.
375. But seeing the heart of God did hide itself in the centre or kernel, therefore it [this elevation] cannot be; and thereupon [on that account] the anxiety generateth no more but ONE seed. The house of the flesh generateth a seed of its likeness to the propagating of a man again; and the house of the spirit, in the instant or innate state of the seven spirits, generateth in the seed another spirit after its likeness, to the propagating of the spirit of man again. 76. And the house of the hidden heart generateth also such a spirit as standeth hidden, in the body, to the spirit of the house of flesh, as also to the spirit of the astral birth or geniture; just as the heart of God in the seven spirits of God standeth hidden in the spirits in the deep of this world, and doth not kindle them, till after this enumeration or account of time is out. 77. This third spirit is the soul in man, and qualifieth, mixeth or uniteth with the heart of God, as a son or little god in the great, immense or immeasurable God. 78. Now these three distinct dominions or regimens are generated in the seed, which taketh its original in the flesh, as I have mentioned before, within three leaves from this. Now observe this hidden secret hidden Mystery. Ye Naturalists*, observe. The Gate of the great Mystery. * Natural Philosophers, Physicists 79. Out of the anguishing chamber in the body of this world, out of the seven spirits of God, are risen or sprung forth the stars, which kindle the body of this world; and out of or from
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.
1the being, in its wholeness. 65. And such a house also the whole space or extent of this world came to be, when the Deity, in the seven spirits, had hidden itself from the horrible devils. 66. And the whole space had so continued, if the seven planets and stars had not risen or sprung up from God's spirits, which seven planets opened again and kindled the chambers of death in the dark house of this world, in all places everywhere; from whence existeth the regimen or dominion of the elements. 67. Moreover, thou art to know also, that the regimen or dominion of the seven spirits of God in the house of this world is not on that account exsiccated or dried up in death, that all must needs receive its life and beginning from the planets and stars. 68. No! for the clear Deity standeth everywhere hidden in the circle in the heart of the whole deep; and the seven spirits stand in the body of the deep in anxiety and great longing, and are still kindled by the planets and stars; from whence existeth the mobility, and the birth or geniture in the whole deep. 69. But as long as the heart of the Deity, which [heart] is the corporeity, hideth itself in the body of this world in the outermost birth, the corporeity is a dark house; all standeth in great anguish and needeth a light, which is the sun, to shine in the chamber of darkness, until the heart of God doth move itself again in the seven spirits of God in the house of this world, and kindle the seven spirits. 70. Then the sun and stars will return again to their first place, and will pass away in such a
2form or manner; for the Heart and Light of God will give light and shine again in the corporeity, that is, in the body of this world, and replenish or fill all. 71. Then the anxiety ceaseth; for when the anxiety in the dominion of the geniture or birthregimen tasteth of the sweetness of the light of God, so that the heart of God triumpheth together in the birthregimen, then all is richly full of joy, and the whole body triumpheth. 72. Which at present in this time, in the house of this world, cannot be, because of the fierce, captive devil, who keepeth house in the outermost birth or geniture in the body of this world, till the judgment of God. 73. Now here thou mayest understand how the heart of God hath the fan or castingshovel in its hand, and will one day cleanse his floor: which I herewith earnestly declare to you as in the knowledge in the light of life, where the heart, in the light of life, breaketh through, and proclaimeth the bright, clear day. Of Man and the Stars. 74. Now, as the deep, or the house of this world, is a dark house, where the whole corporeity generateth itself, and is very thick, dark, anxious and half dead, and taketh its moving from the planets and stars which kindle the body in the outermost birth or geniture, from whence existeth the mobility of the elements, as also the figured and creaturely being, so also the human house of flesh is a dark valley, wherein is indeed the anxiety to the birth of life, and it always highly endeavoureth, intending to elevate itself into the light, from whence the life might kindle itself.
375. But seeing the heart of God did hide itself in the centre or kernel, therefore it [this elevation] cannot be; and thereupon [on that account] the anxiety generateth no more but ONE seed. The house of the flesh generateth a seed of its likeness to the propagating of a man again; and the house of the spirit, in the instant or innate state of the seven spirits, generateth in the seed another spirit after its likeness, to the propagating of the spirit of man again. 76. And the house of the hidden heart generateth also such a spirit as standeth hidden, in the body, to the spirit of the house of flesh, as also to the spirit of the astral birth or geniture; just as the heart of God in the seven spirits of God standeth hidden in the spirits in the deep of this world, and doth not kindle them, till after this enumeration or account of time is out. 77. This third spirit is the soul in man, and qualifieth, mixeth or uniteth with the heart of God, as a son or little god in the great, immense or immeasurable God. 78. Now these three distinct dominions or regimens are generated in the seed, which taketh its original in the flesh, as I have mentioned before, within three leaves from this. Now observe this hidden secret hidden Mystery. Ye Naturalists*, observe. The Gate of the great Mystery. * Natural Philosophers, Physicists 79. Out of the anguishing chamber in the body of this world, out of the seven spirits of God, are risen or sprung forth the stars, which kindle the body of this world; and out of or from
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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