Diotimos Library · Esotericism & Spirituality Collection · Bilingual Edition
A New Light of Alchemy
With the Dialogue of Mercury and the Treatise of Sulphur
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Facing Pages · Branch 178 of 204
Sulphur · Conclusion · Passage 2
Source reference
- Latin witness
- 1616 · sequence pages 81–82
Latin
Non propterea tamen tractatum hunc conscripsimus ut antiquos Philosophos redarguere velimus, sed potius eorum scripta confirmaremus, et aliqua quae omiserunt adimpleremus; cum et Philosophi homines sunt, non omnia ita ad amussim possunt, nec unus de omnibus sufficienter potest. Aliquos etiam miracula a via lineari naturae seduxerunt, ut in Alberto Magno viro et Philosopho sagacissimo accidisse legimus, qui scripsit temporibus suis grana aurea inter dentes demortui in sepulcro inventa esse. Huius miraculi rationem certam non potuit investigare, sed hoc vi minerali in homine adiudicavit, et super hanc opinionem cecidit illi confirmatio dicti Morienis, et haec materia Rex a te extrahitur.
English
Yet I did not write this treatise to refute the ancient philosophers, but rather to confirm their writings and supply certain things they omitted. Philosophers too are human: they cannot do everything with such exactness, nor can one person treat everything sufficiently. Wonders have also led some away from nature's straight path. We read that this happened to Albert the Great, a man and philosopher of the greatest insight. He wrote that in his time grains of gold were found between a dead man's teeth in a tomb. Unable to discover a certain reason for this wonder, he attributed it to a mineral power in the human being. His opinion seemed confirmed by Morienus's saying: And this matter, O king, is extracted from you.
Socrates
Reading A New Light of Alchemy · Sulphur · Conclusion · Sulphur · Conclusion · 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.