Diotimos Library · Esotericism & Spirituality Collection · Bilingual Edition
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English Page · Branch 37 of 204
Treatise VI · Passage 2
Source reference
- Latin witness
- 1606 pp. 110–111
Latin
Semen minerale vel metallorum creat natura in visceribus terrae, propterea non creditur tale semen esse in rerum natura, quia invisibile est: at non est mirum, quod ignari dubitent, siquidem id, quod prae oculis est, non percipiatur ab illis, multo minus istud, quod invisibiliter absconditum est: sed verissimum est, quod superius non est, nisi ut istud quod est inferius et vice versa: id quod nascitur supra nascitur ex eodem fonte, sicuti illud quod infra in terrae visceribus: et quam praerogativam vegetabilia prae metallis habent, ut Deus illis semen inderet, et haec immerito excluderet? Nonne eiusdem dignitatis metalla apud Deum, cuius et arbores? Hoc pro certo statuatur, nihil sine semine crescere, ubi enim nullum est semen, res est mortua: necesse est ergo, ut vel quatuor elementa creent semen metallorum, vel ea producant sine semine: si absque semine producuntur, tunc perfecta fieri non possunt, siquidem res omnis sine semine imperfecta est, ratione compositi: qui huic indubitatae veritati fidem non adhibet, non est dignus, ut naturae secreta scrutetur, nil enim in orbe nascitur, quod semine destituatur. Semen metallorum vere et realiter ipsis est inditum. Generatio autem eius ita fit.
English
Nature creates mineral or metallic seed in the earth’s interior. Because it is invisible, people do not believe such seed exists in nature. It is hardly surprising that the ignorant doubt it: they do not perceive even what is before their eyes, much less what lies invisibly concealed. Yet it is most true that what is above is only like what is below, and conversely. What is born above comes from the same spring as what is below in the earth’s interior. What privilege do plants possess over metals that God should implant seed in them while unjustly excluding metals? Are metals not of the same dignity before God as trees? Let this be established as certain: nothing grows without seed. Where there is no seed, the thing is dead. Either the four elements create the seed of metals, therefore, or they produce metals without seed. If metals are produced without seed, they cannot be made perfect, since every thing without seed is imperfect in respect of its composition. Whoever does not believe this indubitable truth is unworthy to investigate nature’s secrets, for nothing is born in the world that lacks seed. The seed of metals has truly and really been implanted in them. Its generation occurs as follows.
Socrates
Reading A New Light of Alchemy · Treatise VI · Treatise VI · 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.
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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.