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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.
11. Of the original of the faculties of the soul, out of the eternal nature; and how God dwelleth merely in himself 12 1. How the soul desireth to press out from the band of nature into God 14 1. No nature felt in the divine life: The soul is fire in the eternal nature: The soul is a spirit, having seven forms, wherein heaven and hell consist. The author here understandeth the eternal birth . 19 1. How the soul cometh to see, and to be able to speak of its native country 21 2. Of the light of the soul; also of its fall, and how it must enter into the light again .... 49 2. How it is with the soul that attaineth not the light of God; and how it is regenerated anew . . 55 3. The condition of the soul, when Adam was gone out from the Word, it was in the seven seals of the Father. . . 56 5. How the soul loseth the Majesty of God, and is called a castaway devil 95 5. How Adam's soul was captivated by the anger of God 146 6. The difference between the soul and the Word . . 86 6. How the Word and the soul stand not as two persons 87 CHAP. Soul Souls. VERSE 6. An earthly similitude of the iron and fire, shewing how the soul dwelleth in the Deity, and the Deity in the soul 88 6. How the soul trembleth at the prison of this flesh; . and why God became man 95 6. How our soul getteth incomprehensible flesh . . 96 7. What resolution the soul must take against the striving mind and the devil 8
28. The soul beneath is in hell, and above is in God in . heaven . 10 8. Of the fainting of the devil before the earnest soul . 12 8. How the soul is a fire that receiveth the property of its food ... 20 8. How the soul standeth between two Principles: Also of the desire of the body 21 8. How the soul must watch; how it must forsake its own power 23 8. How the soul desireth to be out of this earthly mother, and desireth the eternal rest 60 8. How the poor soul lieth captive in the spirit and tincture of this world 61 8. How the soul hath not its own tincture, but lieth in impotency 62 8. How the soul of Adam is gone out from the lustre of God into the spirit of this world .... 63 8. The miserable condition of the soul after the fall of Adam: The closing of the seven seals ... 64 8. How the centre of the soul cannot help itself . . 65 8. How the kingdom of hell would have triumphed over this fair creature, the soul 66 8. How the soul came again into its first mother . . 69 9. How the poor soul is between heaven and hell . . 22 9. The soul must not dispute with the devil ... 37 11. The soul standeth a degree deeper than the sun . . 17 11. Out of what the soul is roused and awakened: The soul is God's child: Also, of the food of the soul . 18 11. A description of the soul, how it is whilst it is in the seed 32 11. How the soul hath a hard combat against the evil innate properties 36
311. How the soul must be, that it may be acknowledged for a child of God 49 11. The soul is the devil's most beloved lodging . . 59 12. What is most profitable for man to do: Also what the soul taketh with it when it departeth from the body 1 CHAP. Soul Souls. VERSE 14. Not in the Host only, but in the Verbum Domini, the soul eateth at the table of God: Also where the soul with the spirit of the soul dwelleth . . 12 14. How the soul is freed from the devil's assaults, which the soul hath a hard task of 13 14. How the soul must fight against the devil, and overcome him 15 14. Of the great danger a soul is in, in this life: What the centre of the soul i s: What the tincture i s: Also of the true name SOUL .... 26 14. In the eternal water the soul is an angel: Also concerning the Father's standing still. ... 28 15. How all committed abominations shall flow up in the soul 14 16. A similitude of the fear and disquietness of our soul i n this body .4 16. How the spirit of this world (in flesh and blood) overwhelmeth the soul 6 16. How the poor soul receiveth heavenly refreshment . 8 16. Of the great humility of the redeemed soul . . 9 17. Where the soul dwelleth 9 18. How the soul is that departeth from the body without conversion 23 18. How the sorrow and lamentation of the soul goeth on; and how the soul giveth up itself .... 24 18. A similitude of the state of the soul after its departure 25
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.
11. Of the original of the faculties of the soul, out of the eternal nature; and how God dwelleth merely in himself 12 1. How the soul desireth to press out from the band of nature into God 14 1. No nature felt in the divine life: The soul is fire in the eternal nature: The soul is a spirit, having seven forms, wherein heaven and hell consist. The author here understandeth the eternal birth . 19 1. How the soul cometh to see, and to be able to speak of its native country 21 2. Of the light of the soul; also of its fall, and how it must enter into the light again .... 49 2. How it is with the soul that attaineth not the light of God; and how it is regenerated anew . . 55 3. The condition of the soul, when Adam was gone out from the Word, it was in the seven seals of the Father. . . 56 5. How the soul loseth the Majesty of God, and is called a castaway devil 95 5. How Adam's soul was captivated by the anger of God 146 6. The difference between the soul and the Word . . 86 6. How the Word and the soul stand not as two persons 87 CHAP. Soul Souls. VERSE 6. An earthly similitude of the iron and fire, shewing how the soul dwelleth in the Deity, and the Deity in the soul 88 6. How the soul trembleth at the prison of this flesh; . and why God became man 95 6. How our soul getteth incomprehensible flesh . . 96 7. What resolution the soul must take against the striving mind and the devil 8
28. The soul beneath is in hell, and above is in God in . heaven . 10 8. Of the fainting of the devil before the earnest soul . 12 8. How the soul is a fire that receiveth the property of its food ... 20 8. How the soul standeth between two Principles: Also of the desire of the body 21 8. How the soul must watch; how it must forsake its own power 23 8. How the soul desireth to be out of this earthly mother, and desireth the eternal rest 60 8. How the poor soul lieth captive in the spirit and tincture of this world 61 8. How the soul hath not its own tincture, but lieth in impotency 62 8. How the soul of Adam is gone out from the lustre of God into the spirit of this world .... 63 8. The miserable condition of the soul after the fall of Adam: The closing of the seven seals ... 64 8. How the centre of the soul cannot help itself . . 65 8. How the kingdom of hell would have triumphed over this fair creature, the soul 66 8. How the soul came again into its first mother . . 69 9. How the poor soul is between heaven and hell . . 22 9. The soul must not dispute with the devil ... 37 11. The soul standeth a degree deeper than the sun . . 17 11. Out of what the soul is roused and awakened: The soul is God's child: Also, of the food of the soul . 18 11. A description of the soul, how it is whilst it is in the seed 32 11. How the soul hath a hard combat against the evil innate properties 36
311. How the soul must be, that it may be acknowledged for a child of God 49 11. The soul is the devil's most beloved lodging . . 59 12. What is most profitable for man to do: Also what the soul taketh with it when it departeth from the body 1 CHAP. Soul Souls. VERSE 14. Not in the Host only, but in the Verbum Domini, the soul eateth at the table of God: Also where the soul with the spirit of the soul dwelleth . . 12 14. How the soul is freed from the devil's assaults, which the soul hath a hard task of 13 14. How the soul must fight against the devil, and overcome him 15 14. Of the great danger a soul is in, in this life: What the centre of the soul i s: What the tincture i s: Also of the true name SOUL .... 26 14. In the eternal water the soul is an angel: Also concerning the Father's standing still. ... 28 15. How all committed abominations shall flow up in the soul 14 16. A similitude of the fear and disquietness of our soul i n this body .4 16. How the spirit of this world (in flesh and blood) overwhelmeth the soul 6 16. How the poor soul receiveth heavenly refreshment . 8 16. Of the great humility of the redeemed soul . . 9 17. Where the soul dwelleth 9 18. How the soul is that departeth from the body without conversion 23 18. How the sorrow and lamentation of the soul goeth on; and how the soul giveth up itself .... 24 18. A similitude of the state of the soul after its departure 25
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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