Diotimos Library · Esotericism & Spirituality Collection · Bilingual Edition
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Facing Pages · Branch 185 of 204
John French to the Reader · 1650 · Passage 2
Source reference
- Historical English witness
- 1650 PDF image 18
Historical English · 1650
If I cannot understand by reason how every thing is, yet I wil see some reason that a thing is so, before I beleeve it to be so. I will ground my beleeving of the Scripture upon reason, I will improve my reason by Philosophy. How shall we convince gain-sayers of the truth of the Scriptures, but by principles of Reason? When God made Man after his own image, How was that? But by making him a rational creature? Men therfore that lay aside Reason in the reading of sacred mysteries, do but un-man themselves, and become further involved in a Labyrinth of errors. Hence it is that their Religion is degenerated into irrationall notions.
Modernised English
If I cannot understand through reason how everything is, I shall at least see some reason that a thing is so before I believe it. I shall ground my belief in Scripture upon reason and improve my reason through philosophy. How can we convince opponents of Scripture’s truth except through principles of reason? When God made humanity in his own image, how did he do it except by making human beings rational creatures? People who set reason aside when reading sacred mysteries strip themselves of their humanity and become further entangled in a labyrinth of errors. This is how their religion degenerates into irrational notions.
Socrates
Reading A New Light of Alchemy · John French to the Reader · 1650 · John French to the Reader · 1650 · 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.