1the light kmdleth. And here the trial [or ex- the tartness.
perience] beginneth, one virtue beholding the other
in the fire-flash, one [virtue] feeleth the other by
the rising up, by the stirring they one hear another, in the essence they one taste another, and
by the pleasant, lovely [source, spring, or] fountain,
they one smell another, from whence the sweetness
of the light springeth up out of the essence of the
sweet and harsh spirit, which from henceforth is
the water-spirit. And out of these six forms, now
in the birth, or generating, cometh a sixfold selfsubsisting essence, which is inseparable ; where
they one continually generate another, and the
one is not without the other, nor can be, and
without this birth or substance there could be
nothing ; for the six forms have each of them now
the essences of all their sixfold virtue in it, and it
is as it were one only thing, and no more ; only
each form hath its own condition.
18 THE THREE PRINCIPLES [Ch. 2
13. For observe it, although now in the harshness
there be bitterness, fire, sound, water, and that out
of the springing vein of the water there floweth
love (or oil) from whence the light ariseth and
'Orastrin- shineth ; yet the harshness retaineth its first
SSL* property, and the bitterness its property, the fire
2its property, the sound or the stirring its property,
and the overcoming the first harsh or tart anguish
(viz. the returning down back again) or the waterspirit, its property, and the springing fountain,
the pleasant love, which is kindled by the light in
the tart or sour bitterness, (which now is the sweet
[source or] springing vein of water) its property ;
and yet this is no separable essence parted asunder,
but all one whole essence or substance in one
another. And each form or birth taketh its own
form, virtue, working and springing up from all
the forms ; and the whole birth now retaineth
chiefly but these four forms in its generating or
bringing forth ; viz. the rising up, the falling down,
and then through the turning [of the wheel in the
sour, harsh] tart essence, the putting forth on this
side, and on that side, on both sides like a cross ;
or, as I may so say, the going forth from the point
[or centre] towards the east, the west, the north
and the south : For from the stirring, moving, and
ascending of the bitterness in the fire-flash, there
existeth a cross birth. For the fire goeth forth
upward, the water downward, and the essences of
the harshness sideways.
THE THIRD CHAPTER
Of the endless and numberless manifold engendering P generating] or Birth of the eternal J begetting,
hatching,
Nature. bearing,
The Gates of the great Depth. farther' pro1. I) EADER, understand [and consider] my
3writings aright, we have no power or
ability to speak of the birth of God [or the birth of
the Deity], for it never had any beginning from all
eternity ; but we have power to speak of God our
Father, what he is, and how he is, and how the
eternal 2 geniture is. 2 nativity,
... .. birth, or
2. And though it IS not Very gOOd lor US tO generation, or
know the austere, earnest [strong, fierce, severe] and w
original birth, into the knowledge, feeling and
comprehensibility of which our first parents have
brought us, through the 8 infection [instigation] 3 mixture,
........ . poisoning,
and deceit ot the devil, yet we nave very great envenoming,
need of this knowledge, that thereby we may 01
learn to know the devil, who dwelleth in the most
strong [severe or cruel] birth of all, and [that we
may learn to know] our own enemy Self, which
our first parents 4 awakened and purchased for us, • Or roused up.
19
20
THE THREE PRINCIPLES
[Ch. 3
which we carry within us, and which we ourselves
now are.
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.