Diotimos Library · Esotericism & Spirituality Collection · Bilingual Edition
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Facing Pages · Branch 180 of 204
Sulphur · Conclusion · Passage 4
Source reference
- Latin witness
- 1616 · printed p. 83
Latin
Cur autem aurum inter dentes demortui inventum vel generatum est, haec est ratio, quod in vita demortui per aliquem Medicum Mercurius in corpus illud infirmum introductus est, vel per unctionem, vel per turbit, vel per alium modum, ut moris et usus est, et natura Mercurii est ad os patientis ascendere, et per vulnera oris cum phlegmate evacuari. Si igitur in eiusmodi cura infirmus obiit, is Mercurius non habens egressum, in ore intra dentes remansit, et factum est caviticulum illud in vas naturale Mercurii, sic per longum tempus occlusus, sulphure proprio in aurum coagulatus est calore naturali putrefactionis a phlegmate corrosivo Corporis humani purificatus; sed si ibi Mercurius mineralis introductus non esset, nunquam aurum produceretur.
English
The reason gold was found or generated between the dead man's teeth is this. During his life some physician introduced mercury into that sick body, whether by anointing, turbith or another method, as is customary practice. It is mercury's nature to rise towards the patient's mouth and be evacuated with phlegm through sores in the mouth. If the patient died during such treatment, the mercury, having no outlet, remained in the mouth between the teeth. That cavity thus became a natural vessel for mercury. Shut in for a long time, it was coagulated into gold by its own sulphur, through the natural heat of putrefaction, purified by the human body's corrosive phlegm. But if mineral mercury had not been introduced, gold would never have been produced.
Socrates
Reading A New Light of Alchemy · Sulphur · Conclusion · Sulphur · Conclusion · Passage 4
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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.