Diotimos Library · Esotericism & Spirituality Collection · Bilingual Edition
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Latin Page · Branch 131 of 204
Sulphur · Fire · Passage 7
Source reference
- Latin witness
- 1616 · sequence pages 29–30
Latin
Sed ne nobis hic tractatus excrescat, ad propositum accedamus. Diximus supra, Ignis Elementum quietissimum esse, quod motu excitatur, quam excitationem noverunt viri sapientes. Omnem generationem et eiusdem corruptionem Philosopho necesse est scire, cui non solum Creatio caeli manifesta est, sed etiam omnium rerum compositio et commixtio. Sed licet omnia sciunt, non tamen omnia possunt. Scimus quidem compositionem hominis in omnibus qualitatibus, animam tamen infundere non possumus, quoniam hoc mysterium est solius Dei, et eiusmodi infinitis mysteriis superat omnia, cum ista sunt extra naturam, ista non sunt adhuc in dispositione naturae: natura non prius operatur, nisi quando illi materia porrigitur. Prima materia a Creatore, secunda a Philosopho. In operatione vero Philosophi natura habet excitare ignem, qui a Creatore occulte in centrum cuiuslibet rei inclusus est; talis ignis excitatio fit per velle naturae, aliquando per velle sagacis artificis naturam disponentis; naturaliter enim omnes impuritates et pollutiones rerum purgantur igne. Omne compositum solvitur igne: sicut aqua lavat et purgat omnes res imperfectas quae non sunt fixae; sic ignis purgat omnes res fixas et per ignem perficiuntur. Sicut aqua omne solutum coniungit, ita ignis omne coniunctum separat, et quod suae naturae et proprietatis est, optime purgat et augmentat, non quidem in quantitate sed in virtute agit hoc Elementum miris modis occulte in alia Elementa ac in omnes res; sicut enim anima est ex illo purissimo, ita vegetabilis est ex Elementali quod a natura gubernatur.
English
But lest this treatise grow too long, let us return to our purpose. I said above that the element fire is most still and is stirred by motion. Wise men have known this awakening. A philosopher must know every generation and its corruption. Not only the creation of heaven but the composition and mixture of all things is manifest to him. Yet although philosophers know all things, they cannot do all things. We indeed know the composition of a human being in all its qualities, but cannot infuse a soul. That mystery belongs to God alone. Through infinitely many such mysteries he surpasses everything, since these things are outside nature and do not yet lie within nature's disposition. Nature does not begin to work until matter is supplied to her: first matter by the Creator, second matter by the philosopher. In the philosopher's operation, nature must awaken the fire which the Creator secretly enclosed in the centre of each thing. Such awakening occurs through nature's will, or sometimes through the will of an ingenious artist who disposes nature. For all impurities and defilements of things are naturally purged by fire. Every compound is dissolved by fire. As water washes and purges all imperfect, unfixed things, so fire purges all fixed things, which are perfected through it. As water joins everything dissolved, so fire separates everything joined. It best purges and augments what belongs to its own nature and property, not in quantity but in power.
This element works secretly in wonderful ways upon the other elements and upon all things. As the soul comes from its purest portion, so the vegetative power comes from the elemental fire governed by nature.
Socrates
Reading A New Light of Alchemy · Sulphur · Fire · Sulphur · Fire · Passage 7
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Socrates will begin with this book and its sources.About This Reading Edition
The complete supplied Latin–English edition of the Twelve Treatises, Epilogue, Enigma, Parable, Dialogue of Mercury and Treatise of Sulphur, with original preliminaries, John French’s historical English address and its separately labelled modernisation, 101 annotations and the complete study apparatus.
Historical Text and Translation
The Twelve Treatises and their concluding texts follow the selected 1606 Herzog August Bibliothek witness. The Dialogue uses the 1607 Cologne printing; the author’s preface and Alsted epigram use Frankfurt 1611. Sulphur uses the 1616 Munich and Rome witnesses. John French’s 1650 address is separately identified as historical English reception.
About Diotimos Editions
This historical edition credits Diotimos Editions as its English translator.
Rights
The historical Latin texts and John French’s 1650 English address are in the public domain. The new translation, modernisation and editorial apparatus were prepared with AI assistance for Diotimos Editions in 2026 and are published with the site owner’s authorization.