Diotimos Library · Esotericism & Spirituality Collection · Bilingual Edition
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Facing Pages · Branch 109 of 204
Sulphur · Earth · Passage 2
Source reference
- Latin witness
- 1616 · sequence pages 4–5; 5 printed 4
Latin
Propterea Terra participat cum Igne, et est eius intrinsecum, nec purificatur nisi Igne: et sic quodlibet Elementum suo intrinseco purificatur. Intrinsecum autem Terrae seu Centrum, est summa puritas, mixta Igne, ubi nihil quiescere potest: est enim quasi locus vacuus, in quem alia Elementa suos actus proiiciunt, ut in Libello 12 Tractatuum dictum est: et haec de Elemento Terrae, quam Spongiam esse diximus et aliorum receptaculum, quod ad nostrum propositum sufficit.
English
Earth therefore shares in fire, which is its inward nature, and it is purified only by fire. In the same way every element is purified by its own inward nature. The inward part or centre of earth is the greatest purity mixed with fire, where nothing can rest. It is like an empty place into which the other elements cast their actions, as was said in the little book of Twelve Treatises. That is enough for our purpose about the element earth, which I have called a sponge and the receptacle of the others.
Socrates
Reading A New Light of Alchemy · Sulphur · Earth · Sulphur · Earth · Passage 2
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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.