Diotimos Library · Esotericism & Spirituality Collection · Bilingual Edition
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Facing Pages · Branch 129 of 204
Sulphur · Fire · Passage 5
Source reference
- Latin witness
- 1616 · sequence pages 27–28
Latin
Sciat ergo inquisitor huius sanctae Scientiae quod anima in homine mundo minori, Microcosmo, Dei Creatoris sui locum tenens, seu vice Rex est, quae in spiritu vitali in sanguine purissimo locata est. Illa gubernat mentem, mens vero corpus; quando anima aliquid concipit, mens omnia scit, et mentem omnia membra intelligunt, et parent menti ac expectant cum desiderio adimplere voluntatem. Corpus enim nihil scit: quicquid in corpore fortitudinis sive motus est, mens facit ista, corpus tantum est menti sicut instrumenta alicuius artificis. Anima autem qua homo a caeteris animalibus differt, illa operatur in corpore, sed maiorem operationem habet extra corpus, quoniam absolute extra corpus dominatur, et his differt ab animalibus, quae tantum mentem et non animam deitatis habent.
English
Let the seeker of this sacred science therefore know that in the human being, the lesser world or microcosm, the soul holds the place of its creator God: it is his viceroy, placed in the vital spirit in the purest blood. It governs the mind, and the mind governs the body. When the soul conceives something, the mind knows it all. All members understand and obey the mind and eagerly await the fulfilment of its will. The body knows nothing. Whatever strength or movement is in the body is effected by the mind. To the mind the body is merely like an artist's instruments. The soul, however, by which the human being differs from other animals, works within the body but has a greater operation outside it, since outside the body it rules absolutely. In this it differs from animals, which have only mind and not a soul of divinity.
Socrates
Reading A New Light of Alchemy · Sulphur · Fire · Sulphur · Fire · Passage 5
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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.