Diotimos Library · Esotericism & Spirituality Collection · Bilingual Edition
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Facing Pages · Branch 153 of 204
Sulphur · The Three Principles · Passage 14
Source reference
- Latin witness
- 1616 · sequence pages 55–56
Latin
Sunt tamen multi qui gloriantur se posse facere lunam fixam, sed melius facerent ut plumbum vel stannum fixarent, cum meo iudicio idem labor est, quia ista non resistunt examini ignis, donec in sua natura sunt; luna autem in sua natura satis fixa est, nec opus habet fixatione Sophistica. At cum quot capita tot sensus, nos relinquimus cuilibet suam opinionem; qui non vult sequi nostrum consilium et naturam imitari, maneat in suo errore. Bene quidem particularia fieri possunt habita arbore, cuius surculi variis arboribus inseri possunt, sicut habita una aqua variae sortis carnes decoqui possunt in ea, et secundum carnium diversitatem iusculum saporem habebit; sed hoc ex eodem fundamento.
English
Many boast that they can make fixed silver. They would do better to fix lead or tin, since in my judgment the labour is the same. While those remain in their own nature, they do not withstand the test of fire; silver, however, is fixed enough in its own nature and needs no sophistical fixation. But as there are as many opinions as heads, I leave everyone his own. Whoever will not follow my advice and imitate nature may remain in his error.
Particular works can indeed be made once the tree is possessed. Its shoots can be grafted into different trees. Likewise, with one water different sorts of meat can be cooked, and the broth will take its flavour from the different meats. Yet it all proceeds from the same foundation.
Socrates
Reading A New Light of Alchemy · Sulphur · The Three Principles · Sulphur · The Three Principles · Passage 14
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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.