Diotimos Library · Esotericism & Spirituality Collection · Bilingual Edition
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Facing Pages · Branch 115 of 204
Sulphur · Water · Passage 6
Source reference
- Latin witness
- 1616 · sequence pages 10–11
Latin
sed ignis ille Centralis non cessavit, sed distillando ulterius, aquas etiam alias nimis puriores, in aerem resolvit, qui etiam sub Sphaera ignis, in Sphaeram propriam remansit, et ab ignis Elemento tanquam a fortissimo fundamento circumdatur; et sicut aquae caelorum non possunt transgredi ignem illum supercaelestem, ita ignis elementi non potest transgredi aquas caelorum, nec etiam aer potest transgredi et exaltari super ignis elementum: aqua vero cum terra in unum globum remansit, quoniam non habet locum in aere, excepta illa parte quod ignis in aerem resolvit propter fortificationem quotidianam huius machinae mundi. Si enim fuisset vacuum in aere, tunc aquae omnes distillassent, et in aerem resolverentur: sed quia iam aeris Sphaera plena est, quae semper ex aquis per continuum calorem centralem distillando adimpletur, ita quod caeterae aquae ab aeris compressione circa terram volvuntur, et cum terra mundi centrum tenent.
English
The central fire did not cease. Continuing its distillation, it dissolved other exceedingly pure waters into air, which also remained in its own sphere beneath the sphere of fire, surrounded by the element of fire as by the strongest foundation. As the waters of the heavens cannot pass beyond the supercelestial fire, so the elemental fire cannot pass beyond the waters of the heavens. Nor can air pass and rise above the element of fire. Water and earth remained in a single globe, because water has no place in air except for the portion fire dissolves into air for the daily strengthening of this fabric of the world. Had there been a vacuum in air, all waters would have distilled and dissolved into it. But the sphere of air is already full, continually replenished by waters distilled through central heat. Thus the remaining waters are rolled around earth by air's compression and, together with earth, occupy the world's centre.
Socrates
Reading A New Light of Alchemy · Sulphur · Water · Sulphur · Water · Passage 6
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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.