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 27 of 204
Treatise III · Passage 1
Source reference
- Latin witness
- 1606 pp. 97–98
Latin
Caput III. De vera prima metallorum materia.
Prima metallorum materia duplex est, sed una sine altera metallum non creat: prima et principalis est humidum aeris caliditate mixtum, hanc Philosophi Mercurium nominarunt, qui radiis solis et lunae gubernatur in mari Philosophico: secunda est terrae caliditas sicca, quam vocarunt sulphur: sed quia omnes veri Philosophi hanc maxime occultaverunt, nos paulo lucidius illam explicabimus, pondus praesertim, quo ignorato, omnia destruuntur: inde fit ut multi ex re bona producant abortus: sunt enim, qui totum corpus pro materia seu semine vel spermate sumunt, alii frustum, et hi omnes a recto declinant tramite. Exempli gratia, si quis viri pedem, et mulieris acciperet manum, et vellet ex hac commixtione creare hominem, non esset possibile. Est enim in quolibet corpore centrum, et locus vel seminis seu spermatis punctum, et semper 8200 pars, etiam in ipso grano tritici: et hoc aliter esse non potest: nam non totum granum vel corpus vertitur in semen, sed tantum est in corpore scintilla aliqua necessaria, quae a suo corpore custoditur, ab omni excessivo calore et frigore, etc.
English
Treatise III The True First Matter of Metals
The first matter of metals is twofold, but neither part creates a metal without the other. The first and principal part is the moisture of air mixed with heat. The philosophers called this Mercury; in the philosophical sea it is governed by the rays of the sun and moon. The second is the earth’s dry heat, which they called sulphur. Since all true philosophers have concealed this so thoroughly, we shall explain it somewhat more clearly, especially its weight: when that is unknown, everything is ruined. This is why many produce failed births from a good thing. Some take an entire body as the matter, seed, or sperm; others take a fragment. All these depart from the right path. For example, if someone took a man’s foot and a woman’s hand and wished to create a human being from this mixture, it would be impossible. In every body there is a centre and a place, or seminal point, always one part in 8,200, even in a grain of wheat itself. It cannot be otherwise: the whole grain or body is not turned into seed. Rather, in the body there is only a certain necessary spark, protected by its own body from every excessive heat and cold, and so on.
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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.