Diotimos Library · Esotericism & Spirituality Collection · Bilingual Edition
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Facing Pages · Branch 42 of 204
Treatise VII · Passage 2
Source reference
- Latin witness
- 1606 pp. 116–118
Latin
In vegetabilibus semina apparent extra, renes digestionis eius est aer calidus: in animalibus semen apparet intus et extra, renes digestionis eius sunt renes viri: aqua in mineralibus semen est in centro cordis eorum et vitae: renes digestionis eius est ignis. Vegetabilis seminis receptaculum est terra: animalis seminis receptaculum est matrix foeminae. Aquae mineralis seminis receptaculum est aer: et ea sunt seminum receptacula, quae sunt congelationis corporum: ea est digestio quae solutio: ea putrefactio quae destructio. Virtus autem cuiusque seminis est, unicuique rei in suo regno se coniungere, quia subtile est, et nihil aliud quam aer, qui pinguedine in aqua congelatur: cognoscitur ita, quia non miscet se extra suum regnum naturaliter alicui rei, non solvitur sed congelatur, quia solutione non indiget, sed congelatione: necesse est ergo, ut pori corporum aperiantur, ut emittatur sperma, in cuius centro semen iacet, quod aer est, illud quando in matricem venit debitam, congelatur et congelat, quod reperit, purum vel impurum puro mixtum.
English
In plants, seeds appear outside; the kidneys of their digestion are warm air. In animals, seed appears within and without; the kidneys of its digestion are the man’s kidneys. In minerals, water is the seed at the centre of their heart and life; the kidneys of its digestion are fire. The receptacle of vegetable seed is earth. The receptacle of animal seed is the female’s womb. The receptacle of the watery mineral seed is air. These are the receptacles of seeds, which serve the congealing of bodies. Digestion is dissolution; putrefaction is destruction. The power of every seed is to join itself to each thing within its own kingdom, because it is subtle and nothing but air, congealed in water through fatness. It is recognised in this way: it does not naturally mix itself with anything outside its kingdom. It is congealed rather than dissolved, because it needs congealing, not dissolution. The pores of bodies must therefore be opened so that sperm may be emitted. At its centre lies the seed, which is air. When this reaches the proper womb, it congeals and congeals whatever it finds, whether pure or impure mixed with pure.
Socrates
Reading A New Light of Alchemy · Treatise VII · Treatise VII · 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.