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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 cross, and through two circles; which signifieth the outward world, which ariseth as an 1 effluence out of the inward essence of the outward circle, and bringeth its wonders into the Mystery, first into the second Principle into the first two circles; for it should not go with its essence through the third circle at the right hand, into the liberty, but in the Principle pass into the Mystery, and be 2 tried in the Principle, viz. in the fire; for there is the limit of separation. 1 Or outbirth. 2 Or refined, or purified. The Soul's Joy Un Ternario Sancto; Number 58. 230. Above, at the second circle on the right hand, Number 45, standeth Son, who is the Judge and 2 Arbitrator; and below, at the same circle, standeth Soul's Joy in Ternario Sancto; signifying, that the soul shall have joy in its works, which it hath brought into the inward Mystery in the angelical world, and which it hath wrought in the four elements to the praise of God; for the four elements stand with their root in the great Mystery. 231. And were not the 3 earth come into such a corrupt state and condition, and if the poison of the devil and his kindling had not procured it, it had been one essence in the other three elements, as in the heavenly essence it now is. Spiritual Body's Habitation; Number 59.
2232. Adam hath swallowed this morsel, and thereby lost his angelical form: For the four elements should be hidden in him, and he should live but in the one element *in divine power, and know nothing of evil, as at the right hand in the liberty, Number 59, there standeth f the Spiritual Body's Habitation; and there should the body of the image (that is, the body of the soul) dwell, but it was hindered, it must go under the earth, and be shut up in the earth. 1 in the Holy Ternary, or Trinity. 2 Or Separator. 3 angelical earth. * "in divine power" (in Gottes Kraft), lit., "in the power [or virtue] of God," i.e. in virtue of the divine power. St Martin uses the word puissance. f "the Spiritual Body's Habitation" (des geistlichen Menschen Wohnung), lit., "the spiritual man's dwelling, or habitation." Earth; Number 60. 233. Under the words four elements, standeth Earth, Number 60, signifying that earth is wholly slipped out, or fallen off from the inward world; for the word Earth toucheth neither the left nor the right circle; it is, as it were, dead; but the cross goeth through it, signifying its Restoration; that the human earth is regenerated on the cross, and that the heavenly divine essence shall be separated from the essence of the dark world by the divine fire, where then there shall be new earth in a
3heavenly source, form, essence and property; and that which is in the earth hidden, shall spring up again in the heavenly part: and here the resurrection of man is to be considered; and further it is to be considered, that the earth is placed thus in the abyss, for it reacheth no Principle, therefore it must vanish. Earthly Man; Number 61. 234. Under the word Earth, standeth Number 61, Earthly Man, there the cross is between the words, which signify the fallen earthly man; that is, fallen under, and into the earth; that is, he is fallen 1 to be the earth's; and the cross parteth the words Earthly and Man, for man shall be separated from the earth again, and enter into his eternal part, whether it be into the light or dark world. 1 Or to the earth as to his own home, or to be subject to it. Wonder; Number 62. 235. Under the line of the cross, standeth Number 62, Wonder; which signifieth, that the evil wonders, and also the evil part of the earth, shall, 1 at the Judgment of God (when God shall make separation), fall 2 home to the abyss of darkness, and be the earth for all devils and 3 wicked people to dwell together upon; for the abyss standeth under it, Number 1. Babel; Number 63. 236. Next to that word Wonder, standeth Number 63, Babel, signifying that Babel is only a wonder of the abyss, and she worketh only wonders in the abyss. 4 Own Reason in Babel; Number 64.
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 cross, and through two circles; which signifieth the outward world, which ariseth as an 1 effluence out of the inward essence of the outward circle, and bringeth its wonders into the Mystery, first into the second Principle into the first two circles; for it should not go with its essence through the third circle at the right hand, into the liberty, but in the Principle pass into the Mystery, and be 2 tried in the Principle, viz. in the fire; for there is the limit of separation. 1 Or outbirth. 2 Or refined, or purified. The Soul's Joy Un Ternario Sancto; Number 58. 230. Above, at the second circle on the right hand, Number 45, standeth Son, who is the Judge and 2 Arbitrator; and below, at the same circle, standeth Soul's Joy in Ternario Sancto; signifying, that the soul shall have joy in its works, which it hath brought into the inward Mystery in the angelical world, and which it hath wrought in the four elements to the praise of God; for the four elements stand with their root in the great Mystery. 231. And were not the 3 earth come into such a corrupt state and condition, and if the poison of the devil and his kindling had not procured it, it had been one essence in the other three elements, as in the heavenly essence it now is. Spiritual Body's Habitation; Number 59.
2232. Adam hath swallowed this morsel, and thereby lost his angelical form: For the four elements should be hidden in him, and he should live but in the one element *in divine power, and know nothing of evil, as at the right hand in the liberty, Number 59, there standeth f the Spiritual Body's Habitation; and there should the body of the image (that is, the body of the soul) dwell, but it was hindered, it must go under the earth, and be shut up in the earth. 1 in the Holy Ternary, or Trinity. 2 Or Separator. 3 angelical earth. * "in divine power" (in Gottes Kraft), lit., "in the power [or virtue] of God," i.e. in virtue of the divine power. St Martin uses the word puissance. f "the Spiritual Body's Habitation" (des geistlichen Menschen Wohnung), lit., "the spiritual man's dwelling, or habitation." Earth; Number 60. 233. Under the words four elements, standeth Earth, Number 60, signifying that earth is wholly slipped out, or fallen off from the inward world; for the word Earth toucheth neither the left nor the right circle; it is, as it were, dead; but the cross goeth through it, signifying its Restoration; that the human earth is regenerated on the cross, and that the heavenly divine essence shall be separated from the essence of the dark world by the divine fire, where then there shall be new earth in a
3heavenly source, form, essence and property; and that which is in the earth hidden, shall spring up again in the heavenly part: and here the resurrection of man is to be considered; and further it is to be considered, that the earth is placed thus in the abyss, for it reacheth no Principle, therefore it must vanish. Earthly Man; Number 61. 234. Under the word Earth, standeth Number 61, Earthly Man, there the cross is between the words, which signify the fallen earthly man; that is, fallen under, and into the earth; that is, he is fallen 1 to be the earth's; and the cross parteth the words Earthly and Man, for man shall be separated from the earth again, and enter into his eternal part, whether it be into the light or dark world. 1 Or to the earth as to his own home, or to be subject to it. Wonder; Number 62. 235. Under the line of the cross, standeth Number 62, Wonder; which signifieth, that the evil wonders, and also the evil part of the earth, shall, 1 at the Judgment of God (when God shall make separation), fall 2 home to the abyss of darkness, and be the earth for all devils and 3 wicked people to dwell together upon; for the abyss standeth under it, Number 1. Babel; Number 63. 236. Next to that word Wonder, standeth Number 63, Babel, signifying that Babel is only a wonder of the abyss, and she worketh only wonders in the abyss. 4 Own Reason in Babel; Number 64.
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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