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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.
1for, as an herb is sprung up and grown, so it remaineth, and so it relisheth, and is afterwards desired for food only of those that are of the same essences [or quality]; but those that have not the same essences, desire it not for food; neither do they gather it into their barns. 54. Therefore, let every soul try and examine itself, and consider what kind of fruit it is: It is good converting while we are here in this life, and to prune off [the evil] branch, and to send forth a better from its root: But when the Great Reaper cometh, he cutteth off all, one and other; and then the weeds and evil branches are bound in bundles, and cast into the fire; but the good herbs are set upon God's table. 55. We have very faithfully opened this according to our gifts, and whosoever is hungry let him eat, and whosoever thirsteth let him drink; they may have it without money, that our joy in God may be full, and that we also may have to eat in the other world [the world to come] . Hallelujah. Amen. THE END OF THE BOOK OF THE THREEFOLD LIFE (next: alphabetical list of terms) AN ALPHABETICAL TABLE OF THE MATERIAL CONTENTS OF THE SEVERAL VERSES OF THIS BOOK OF THE THREEFOLD LIFE OF MAN CHAP. Abyss. VERSE 5. Wherein the abyss of the anger of God consisteth . 109 5. Admonition to the seekers that suppose the abyss where the devils dwell, to be far off . . Ill
25. The abyss upon which the four elements stand, is the anger of God, and the habitation of the devils . 141 6. The abyss of hell is in this world .... 67 9. How the abyss mixeth its wonders among the wonders of God 11 14. Whence the great covetousness (which is the first root of the abyss) ariseth, which affordeth nothing to any willingly 32 14. Of the envy in the word of the soul, the second root of the abyss, from whence liars and slanderers arise. The author lamenteth the great misery ... 33 14. The third root of the abyss, which is the seat of the devil, viz. the anguish: Of the wonderful working of the devil in this property 34 14. The working of the devil in the fourth root or form of the abyss, viz. the flash, the springing up of the light in the understanding 35 Adam. 5. How Adam was in paradise before his sleep . .135 5. How Adam is become bestial and earthly . . . 136 5. Out of what Adam is created 137 CHAP. Adam. Verse 5. How Adam would be like God, and how Eve was misled . . 138 5. How Adam was created in the beginning . . 144 5. How Adam should have remained for ever . . 145 6. Out of what it was that God spake to Adam . . 1 6. A lamentation that Adam and his generation hath not continued to be children of God in paradise . . 14 6. How the perished soul of Adam was again set in the eternal humanity 85 6. The Fall of Adam is likened to the quenching of a flaming piece of iron 90
36. The Deity was not extinguished in the Fall of Adam. The condition of Adam, if his will had continued in God .. 91 6. How Adam was captivated by the world, by death, by the devil, and hell 92 6. What the Fall of Adam was 93 6. How the poor soul of Adam was ashamed; and what his clothing was before the Fall .... 94 7. From Adam to Christ, the tree of pearl grew hidden under the veil of Moses 12 7. The power and condition of Adam before his Fall 26, 27 7. The will of Adam before his Fall was in God, and God in him, and he in paradise .... 28 7. Why the commandment not to eat of the forbidden fruit came: Also how long Adam was in paradise before he fell asleep 29 7. How Adam in his sleep became male or man, and so Eve was formed into a woman .... 30 7. The miserable condition of Adam after the Fall, and of ours also 31 7. How we are shut up in the anger with Adam . . 43 8. Adam was in paradise in the divine body, and now is between heaven and hell 9 11. Reason should open both eyes. The creation of Adam explained: Also the cause why God did not at first create Adam an Angel 11 12. A speech to all that are proceeded from Adam . . 12 18. How Adam was before his Eve 15 Air. 7. Of the instability and wrestling of the air. . . 76 7. Of the spirit of the air in the creatures, and its transitoriuess 78 Almighty. CHAP. All. All things. Almightiness. VERSE 3. Men should search their own property. All is full of God 33
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.
1for, as an herb is sprung up and grown, so it remaineth, and so it relisheth, and is afterwards desired for food only of those that are of the same essences [or quality]; but those that have not the same essences, desire it not for food; neither do they gather it into their barns. 54. Therefore, let every soul try and examine itself, and consider what kind of fruit it is: It is good converting while we are here in this life, and to prune off [the evil] branch, and to send forth a better from its root: But when the Great Reaper cometh, he cutteth off all, one and other; and then the weeds and evil branches are bound in bundles, and cast into the fire; but the good herbs are set upon God's table. 55. We have very faithfully opened this according to our gifts, and whosoever is hungry let him eat, and whosoever thirsteth let him drink; they may have it without money, that our joy in God may be full, and that we also may have to eat in the other world [the world to come] . Hallelujah. Amen. THE END OF THE BOOK OF THE THREEFOLD LIFE (next: alphabetical list of terms) AN ALPHABETICAL TABLE OF THE MATERIAL CONTENTS OF THE SEVERAL VERSES OF THIS BOOK OF THE THREEFOLD LIFE OF MAN CHAP. Abyss. VERSE 5. Wherein the abyss of the anger of God consisteth . 109 5. Admonition to the seekers that suppose the abyss where the devils dwell, to be far off . . Ill
25. The abyss upon which the four elements stand, is the anger of God, and the habitation of the devils . 141 6. The abyss of hell is in this world .... 67 9. How the abyss mixeth its wonders among the wonders of God 11 14. Whence the great covetousness (which is the first root of the abyss) ariseth, which affordeth nothing to any willingly 32 14. Of the envy in the word of the soul, the second root of the abyss, from whence liars and slanderers arise. The author lamenteth the great misery ... 33 14. The third root of the abyss, which is the seat of the devil, viz. the anguish: Of the wonderful working of the devil in this property 34 14. The working of the devil in the fourth root or form of the abyss, viz. the flash, the springing up of the light in the understanding 35 Adam. 5. How Adam was in paradise before his sleep . .135 5. How Adam is become bestial and earthly . . . 136 5. Out of what Adam is created 137 CHAP. Adam. Verse 5. How Adam would be like God, and how Eve was misled . . 138 5. How Adam was created in the beginning . . 144 5. How Adam should have remained for ever . . 145 6. Out of what it was that God spake to Adam . . 1 6. A lamentation that Adam and his generation hath not continued to be children of God in paradise . . 14 6. How the perished soul of Adam was again set in the eternal humanity 85 6. The Fall of Adam is likened to the quenching of a flaming piece of iron 90
36. The Deity was not extinguished in the Fall of Adam. The condition of Adam, if his will had continued in God .. 91 6. How Adam was captivated by the world, by death, by the devil, and hell 92 6. What the Fall of Adam was 93 6. How the poor soul of Adam was ashamed; and what his clothing was before the Fall .... 94 7. From Adam to Christ, the tree of pearl grew hidden under the veil of Moses 12 7. The power and condition of Adam before his Fall 26, 27 7. The will of Adam before his Fall was in God, and God in him, and he in paradise .... 28 7. Why the commandment not to eat of the forbidden fruit came: Also how long Adam was in paradise before he fell asleep 29 7. How Adam in his sleep became male or man, and so Eve was formed into a woman .... 30 7. The miserable condition of Adam after the Fall, and of ours also 31 7. How we are shut up in the anger with Adam . . 43 8. Adam was in paradise in the divine body, and now is between heaven and hell 9 11. Reason should open both eyes. The creation of Adam explained: Also the cause why God did not at first create Adam an Angel 11 12. A speech to all that are proceeded from Adam . . 12 18. How Adam was before his Eve 15 Air. 7. Of the instability and wrestling of the air. . . 76 7. Of the spirit of the air in the creatures, and its transitoriuess 78 Almighty. CHAP. All. All things. Almightiness. VERSE 3. Men should search their own property. All is full of God 33
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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