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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.
113. But the turba, with the outward kingdom of the outward source, is gone, for 3 it was a glass, and is now become a wonder; it liveth without spirit as a wonder, and shall be put upon the soul in great 4 glory, which it shall have from the light of God; at which the holy souls do exceedingly rejoice, and expect it with great longing. 14. You must know, that every blessed soul trimmeth its lamp, so that it willingly meeteth its bridegroom at the last day: it always reneweth its will, and thinketh how it shall rejoice with all holy men and angels, in its new body in the wonders: there is a continual springing up of joy in them, when they think of that which is to come, each as its virtues are. 1 Or old body. 2 Or works. 3 the first image. 4 clarity, transfiguration, or brightness. 15. And as their works have been different upon earth, so also is their hope: for, a day-labourer, who hath wrought much, rejoiceth at his wages; so also here; there is a friendly essence among them, and in them. 16. All the scorn and disgrace which was put upon them that were innocent, is a great triumphant glory to them, in that they have suffered in innocency, and put on in hope the patience which they, moreover, still have [on]; death cannot take it away, nor put it off, but the soul taketh that with it which it hath 1 conceived.
217. Its many hearty prayers, wishes, and good deeds in love to its neighbour, are its food which it eateth, and joyfully enjoyeth, till its new body shall eat paradisical fruit. 18. But they who have put on the divine body here, they eat at God's table without ceasing; yet the paradisical fruit belongeth to the body of the wonders, which shall arise out of the grave, and which was created in paradise; for it was made out of the beginning, and it bringeth the end with the 2 wonders into the beginning again. 1 Or wrought. 2 Or works. 19. But wonder not, nor think that we understand it so, though we seem to speak of two bodies of the holiest saints; for they are not two, but one: But consider that God's essentiality filleth all, and that is the divine body, which is put upon the 1 holy souls, even in this life. 20. For they cast their will into God's will, and so they receive the divine body which filleth all things: their will dwelleth in the divine body, and eateth of Gods word, of God's fruit, of God's 2 virtue, in the divine body; and Christ is in God; God is become Christ. 21. And so they 3 wear Christ's body in God, and yet wait for their first Adamical holy body, with the 4 wonders, which shall be put upon them with paradisical 5 property.
322. For God's purpose must stand; he created the first body 6 for paradise; it should have continued there eternally, and it must go thither again: and the soul must remain upon the cross of the Ternary, in the mouth of God, whence it came: and yet the whole person continueth with body and soul in one another; but God filleth all in all. 23. 0! that we had but a human pen, and were able to write it in the spirit of your soul, according to our knowledge: 0! how many would then return out of Sodom and Gomorrah, out of Babel, out of the covetous, proud valley of misery, which is but anguish and pain, full of fear, vexation and horror! 24. And here we shall let you know, that you may deeply consider it, what is the lamentable and miserable condition of the damned souls, and what they have to expect, and but briefly, seeing the following Question doth it at large. 1 great holy souls. 2 Or power. 3 Or are clothed with. 4 Viz. the works and deeds which were done by the elementary body, during the whole life. 5 Or quality. 6 Or in. 25. Their expectation is like that of an imprisoned malefactor, who continually listeneth (when anything stirreth) when the executioner should come and execute judgment, and give him his reward: just so do they.
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.
113. But the turba, with the outward kingdom of the outward source, is gone, for 3 it was a glass, and is now become a wonder; it liveth without spirit as a wonder, and shall be put upon the soul in great 4 glory, which it shall have from the light of God; at which the holy souls do exceedingly rejoice, and expect it with great longing. 14. You must know, that every blessed soul trimmeth its lamp, so that it willingly meeteth its bridegroom at the last day: it always reneweth its will, and thinketh how it shall rejoice with all holy men and angels, in its new body in the wonders: there is a continual springing up of joy in them, when they think of that which is to come, each as its virtues are. 1 Or old body. 2 Or works. 3 the first image. 4 clarity, transfiguration, or brightness. 15. And as their works have been different upon earth, so also is their hope: for, a day-labourer, who hath wrought much, rejoiceth at his wages; so also here; there is a friendly essence among them, and in them. 16. All the scorn and disgrace which was put upon them that were innocent, is a great triumphant glory to them, in that they have suffered in innocency, and put on in hope the patience which they, moreover, still have [on]; death cannot take it away, nor put it off, but the soul taketh that with it which it hath 1 conceived.
217. Its many hearty prayers, wishes, and good deeds in love to its neighbour, are its food which it eateth, and joyfully enjoyeth, till its new body shall eat paradisical fruit. 18. But they who have put on the divine body here, they eat at God's table without ceasing; yet the paradisical fruit belongeth to the body of the wonders, which shall arise out of the grave, and which was created in paradise; for it was made out of the beginning, and it bringeth the end with the 2 wonders into the beginning again. 1 Or wrought. 2 Or works. 19. But wonder not, nor think that we understand it so, though we seem to speak of two bodies of the holiest saints; for they are not two, but one: But consider that God's essentiality filleth all, and that is the divine body, which is put upon the 1 holy souls, even in this life. 20. For they cast their will into God's will, and so they receive the divine body which filleth all things: their will dwelleth in the divine body, and eateth of Gods word, of God's fruit, of God's 2 virtue, in the divine body; and Christ is in God; God is become Christ. 21. And so they 3 wear Christ's body in God, and yet wait for their first Adamical holy body, with the 4 wonders, which shall be put upon them with paradisical 5 property.
322. For God's purpose must stand; he created the first body 6 for paradise; it should have continued there eternally, and it must go thither again: and the soul must remain upon the cross of the Ternary, in the mouth of God, whence it came: and yet the whole person continueth with body and soul in one another; but God filleth all in all. 23. 0! that we had but a human pen, and were able to write it in the spirit of your soul, according to our knowledge: 0! how many would then return out of Sodom and Gomorrah, out of Babel, out of the covetous, proud valley of misery, which is but anguish and pain, full of fear, vexation and horror! 24. And here we shall let you know, that you may deeply consider it, what is the lamentable and miserable condition of the damned souls, and what they have to expect, and but briefly, seeing the following Question doth it at large. 1 great holy souls. 2 Or power. 3 Or are clothed with. 4 Viz. the works and deeds which were done by the elementary body, during the whole life. 5 Or quality. 6 Or in. 25. Their expectation is like that of an imprisoned malefactor, who continually listeneth (when anything stirreth) when the executioner should come and execute judgment, and give him his reward: just so do they.
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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