Diotimos Library · Esotericism & Spirituality Collection · Bilingual Edition
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English Page · Branch 173 of 204
On Sulphur · Passage 19
Source reference
- Latin witness
- 1616 · sequence pages 75–76
Latin
Acceperunt itaque sulphur illud quod Alchymista invenit, et fecerunt sicut voluit Alchymista, coeperuntque laborare miris modis illud sulphur, tractare in fornaculis mirabilibus, quas plures Alchymista habuit: sed semper in fine ex quolibet labore evenerunt illis candelulae, quas vetulae ad accendendum ignem vulgo vendunt. De novo inceperunt, et sulphur sublimarunt, calcinarunt, sicut Alchymistae placuit; sed utcunque fecerunt, illis semper in fine ut prius evenit: nam quicquid ex illo sulphure Alchymista voluit, semper candelula fuit, et ait ad Saturnum, vere Domine, video quod iuxta meam phantasiam non vult succedere, rogo te fac tu solus sicut scis.
English
They therefore took the sulphur the alchemist had found and did as he wished. They began to work it in wonderful ways, treating it in marvellous little furnaces, of which the alchemist had many. But at the end of every labour they always obtained the little sulphur matches that old women commonly sell for lighting fires. They began again, subliming and calcining sulphur as the alchemist pleased. Whatever they did, the result was always the same. Whatever the alchemist wanted from that sulphur, it was always a little match. He said to Saturn: Truly, sir, I see it will not succeed according to my fancy. Please work alone as you know how.
Socrates
Reading A New Light of Alchemy · On Sulphur · On Sulphur · Passage 19
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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.
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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.