Diotimos Library · Esotericism & Spirituality Collection · Bilingual Edition
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English Page · Branch 163 of 204
On Sulphur · Passage 9
Source reference
- Latin witness
- 1616 · sequence pages 66–67
Latin
Alchimista: Et quid dicis, mi Domine, potestne herba absque Herbario cognosci?
Vox: Veteres illi Philosophi ex ipsomet Naturae fonte sua recepta conscripserunt.
Alchimista: Quomodo, mi Domine?
Vox: Scito, quod omnes res in terra et super terram ex tribus Principiis generantur et producuntur: aliquando duobus, quibus tamen tertium adhaeret: qui igitur novit tria Principia, et pondus illorum, ut illa Natura coniungit, facile ex decoctione gradum ignis in subiecto, an bene aut male vel mediocriter coctum, idque secundum maius vel minus, intelligere poterit: nam cuncta vegetabilia ab his, qui tria Principia noverunt, cognoscuntur.
Alchimista: Et hoc quomodo?
Vox: Ex visu, ex gustu, et odore; in his tribus sensibus concluduntur etiam tria Principia rerum, et gradus eorum decoctionis.
English
Alchemist: What are you saying, sir? Can a plant be known without a herbal?
Voice: Those ancient philosophers wrote their prescriptions from nature's very fountain.
Alchemist: How, sir?
Voice: Know that all things in and upon earth are generated and produced from three principles, sometimes from two, to which the third nevertheless adheres. Whoever knows the three principles and their weights as nature joins them can readily understand from the cooking the degree of fire in a subject: whether it has been cooked well, badly or moderately, and to a greater or lesser extent. All plants are known by those who know the three principles.
Alchemist: How is that?
Voice: By sight, taste and smell. In these three senses are also contained the three principles of things and their degrees of cooking.
Socrates
Reading A New Light of Alchemy · On Sulphur · On Sulphur · Passage 9
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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.