Tap the page, move to the top or bottom edge, swipe down, or press Tab to reveal reading controls. Use the arrow keys or swipe sideways to turn pages.
Labor Sophiæ
Elements principles and the natural world · A Chymical Dictionary
At a Glance
The word. A phrase directed towards paradise or another world.
In the book. Microcosmus explicitly names man as a little world, while Mysterium magnum names universal first matter.
A place to read. The historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 29; facsimile PDF page 357.
Historical Definition
Labor Sophiæ is paradise, or another world.
Meaning
The Latin phrase names a labour of wisdom, but the dictionary’s actual equivalent is a place or condition: paradise, alternatively another world. It gives neither a manual operation nor a material recipe. The two equivalents leave the expression’s precise application dependent on the passage in which it occurs.
Use in the Book
Microcosmus explicitly names man as a little world, while Mysterium magnum names universal first matter. These show different uses of world-language. Their proximity of theme does not authorise substituting either definition for Labor Sophiæ.
Places to Read
Microcosmus. The human being named as a little world.
Mysterium magnum. A universal first matter, rather than one particular prepared subject.
Historical source: 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 29; facsimile PDF page 357 — Facsimile
Sources. A Chymical Dictionary 1650, 1650 dictionary, facsimile PDF page 357, Labor Sophiæ
See also. Microcosmus; Mysterium magnum