Diotimos Library · Esotericism & Spirituality Collection · Bilingual Edition
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Facing Pages · Branch 34 of 204
Treatise V · Passage 2
Source reference
- Latin witness
- 1606 pp. 106–107
Latin
Sunt et alii lapides pretiosi, ut Adamas, Rubinus, Smaragdus, et reliquae gemmae generantur omnes hoc modo: quando vapor naturae per se sublimatur, sine accessu pinguedinis sulphuris, et venit ad locum aquae purae salis, fiunt Adamantes, et hoc in locis frigidissimis, ad quae non potest pervenire pinguedo illa, quia pinguedo non permitteret ista. Sciendum enim est, quod spiritus aquae facillime sublimatur calore facili, sed oleum seu pinguedo, non nisi magno elevatur calore, et in loca calida: etiamsi enim ex centro progrediatur, levi congelatur frigore et sic subsistit: vapor vero ad loca debita ascendit, et congelatur in aqua pura in lapides granulatim.
English
There are also precious stones, such as diamond, ruby, emerald, and the other gems. They are all generated in this way: when nature’s vapour sublimes by itself, without the addition of sulphurous fatness, and reaches a place of pure salt-water, diamonds are formed. This occurs in very cold places that the fatness cannot reach, since the fatness would not permit such things. Know that the spirit of water sublimes very readily with gentle heat; oil or fatness, however, is raised only by great heat and into hot places. Even if it moves out from the centre, slight cold congeals it, and it stops there. The vapour ascends to the appropriate places and congeals, grain by grain, into stones in pure water.
Socrates
Reading A New Light of Alchemy · Treatise V · Treatise V · 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.
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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.