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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.
179. For the spirit of God does form and imprint into the word of the mouth (when as the sensual tongue takes it) righteousness, truth, faith, love and patience, viz. divine power and virtue; but the Antichristian child does coform in the conception of the word out of the Serpent's ens, lies, falsehood, tales, unfaithfulness; pride, covetousness, bitter stinging envy, anger, backbitings, revilings, and all whatsoever is against God, and makes the formed word of the letter to a beast and wicked bastard, which is rejected from the face of God, upon which the judgement passes. 80. The like is also to be understood concerning the external wisdom and art. If the divine wisdom works therein, then the understanding and the art is very good, and grounded in the divine wisdom; but if it be otherwise, it stands in mere Antichristian false image [and fancy], to the judgement of God. 81. Therefore let a man prove and try himself what falls in and suggests itself into the sensual tongue in the formation of his words; if it be truth, righteousness, faith in hope, love in patience, an earnest, full, unfeigned desire to speak and do the truth, and that for God's sake, in hope of eternal life, then it is well with him; let him continue steadfast in such exercise, and work more and more effectually and powerfully therein; and his precious pearl-tree stands in its growth and increase.
282. But if the contrary be found in him, that when he will speak, that then lying, a proud look, great words for pomp and ostentation, also envious bitterness, false speaking against his neighbour, falsehood, anger, a revenging desire, false and evil interpretings, and wrong harsh censurings do fall in and imprint themselves into the formings and fancy of his words; then he may certainly and really know, that he has the Antichristian Babylonical whore, together with the false wicked dragon-beast, sitting in his heart; which does introduce and insinuate and imprint such will and desire in his words, for the forming and building up of the hellish images; for these false insinuations and suggestions are all brought to substance in the formation of the sensual tongue. 83. Therefore know, O man! (and prove yourself) that you are the image of God according to the divine Word and understanding: if you speak, will and do righteously, then you are that same image of God) wherein God dwells, speaks, wills and works; but if otherwise, and the contrary is found in you, then you are the apostate rebellious Lucifer, in his generation and train; and do, will and desire even that which he wills and does. 84. And though you desire not hell-fire; Lucifer also did not desire it; but there is no other reward for the false image, seeing it forms itself out of the abyss, it must verily enter into its father's country.
385. For the speech and understanding of man does not befall him from the stars and elements; for then other creatures could also speak and understand: Man has the same, originally, from the incorporated formed Word of God; it is the name of God, which he must not abuse, upon pain of eternal punishment. This incorporated Word man has, out of all the three Principles, in himself; and has a free-ownpeculiar-will to form a substance out of which Principle he will; and thereupon also follows the separation, and reaping in, of every thing into its receptable [or appointed place]. The Thirty-Seventh Chapter Of Abraham, and his Seed, and of the Line of the Covenant in its Propagation; and also of the Heathenish Gods 1. IF we look upon the history of the acts of the ancient holy patriarchs, with right eyes of understanding, then we see therein mere wonders; for the lines [or races] of the children of God are like unto a tree, which grows into boughs and branches, until it bears fruit. Thus also the line of Christ grew in the stem of the promised Word in the Covenant, from branch to branch, even into the height of the twigs, unto its right age; until the power of the tree, that is, the Word in the Covenant, put forth itself with the glorious sovereign fair blossom.
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.
179. For the spirit of God does form and imprint into the word of the mouth (when as the sensual tongue takes it) righteousness, truth, faith, love and patience, viz. divine power and virtue; but the Antichristian child does coform in the conception of the word out of the Serpent's ens, lies, falsehood, tales, unfaithfulness; pride, covetousness, bitter stinging envy, anger, backbitings, revilings, and all whatsoever is against God, and makes the formed word of the letter to a beast and wicked bastard, which is rejected from the face of God, upon which the judgement passes. 80. The like is also to be understood concerning the external wisdom and art. If the divine wisdom works therein, then the understanding and the art is very good, and grounded in the divine wisdom; but if it be otherwise, it stands in mere Antichristian false image [and fancy], to the judgement of God. 81. Therefore let a man prove and try himself what falls in and suggests itself into the sensual tongue in the formation of his words; if it be truth, righteousness, faith in hope, love in patience, an earnest, full, unfeigned desire to speak and do the truth, and that for God's sake, in hope of eternal life, then it is well with him; let him continue steadfast in such exercise, and work more and more effectually and powerfully therein; and his precious pearl-tree stands in its growth and increase.
282. But if the contrary be found in him, that when he will speak, that then lying, a proud look, great words for pomp and ostentation, also envious bitterness, false speaking against his neighbour, falsehood, anger, a revenging desire, false and evil interpretings, and wrong harsh censurings do fall in and imprint themselves into the formings and fancy of his words; then he may certainly and really know, that he has the Antichristian Babylonical whore, together with the false wicked dragon-beast, sitting in his heart; which does introduce and insinuate and imprint such will and desire in his words, for the forming and building up of the hellish images; for these false insinuations and suggestions are all brought to substance in the formation of the sensual tongue. 83. Therefore know, O man! (and prove yourself) that you are the image of God according to the divine Word and understanding: if you speak, will and do righteously, then you are that same image of God) wherein God dwells, speaks, wills and works; but if otherwise, and the contrary is found in you, then you are the apostate rebellious Lucifer, in his generation and train; and do, will and desire even that which he wills and does. 84. And though you desire not hell-fire; Lucifer also did not desire it; but there is no other reward for the false image, seeing it forms itself out of the abyss, it must verily enter into its father's country.
385. For the speech and understanding of man does not befall him from the stars and elements; for then other creatures could also speak and understand: Man has the same, originally, from the incorporated formed Word of God; it is the name of God, which he must not abuse, upon pain of eternal punishment. This incorporated Word man has, out of all the three Principles, in himself; and has a free-ownpeculiar-will to form a substance out of which Principle he will; and thereupon also follows the separation, and reaping in, of every thing into its receptable [or appointed place]. The Thirty-Seventh Chapter Of Abraham, and his Seed, and of the Line of the Covenant in its Propagation; and also of the Heathenish Gods 1. IF we look upon the history of the acts of the ancient holy patriarchs, with right eyes of understanding, then we see therein mere wonders; for the lines [or races] of the children of God are like unto a tree, which grows into boughs and branches, until it bears fruit. Thus also the line of Christ grew in the stem of the promised Word in the Covenant, from branch to branch, even into the height of the twigs, unto its right age; until the power of the tree, that is, the Word in the Covenant, put forth itself with the glorious sovereign fair blossom.
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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