Diotimos Library · Esotericism & Spirituality Collection · Bilingual Edition
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Facing Pages · Branch 60 of 204
Epilogue · Passage 2
Source reference
- Latin witness
- 1606 pp. 140–141
Latin
Possem hic prolixe et Philosophice disserere de hominis dignitate, creatione eius, et generatione, sed cum eiusmodi non sint huius loci, silentio praetereunda sunt: de vita eius solummodo paucis agam. Creatus homo de terra, ex aere vivit: est enim in aere occultus vitae cibus, quem nos rorem de nocte, de die aquam vocamus rarefactam, cuius spiritus invisibilis congelatus melior est, quam terra universa. O sancta et admirabilis natura, quae filios doctrinae errare non permittis, sicuti in vita humana indies demonstras. Porro in hisce duodecim capitibus tot rationes naturales in medium attuli, ut eo facilius cupiens et Deum timens lector, intelligere possit ea omnia, quae oculis meis Deo benedicente vidi, manibus feci propriis, sine ulla sophisticationis fraude: sine lumine enim et cognitione naturae impossibile est, hanc assequi artem, nisi singulari revelatione divina alicui contingat, vel per secretam amici demonstrationem. Res est vilis et pretiosissima, quam aliquoties descriptam, nunc denuo repeto.
English
I could discuss at length and philosophically the dignity of humanity, its creation and generation. Since such matters do not belong here, however, they must be passed over in silence. I shall speak briefly only about human life. Created from earth, a human being lives from air. Hidden in air is the food of life, which we call dew at night and rarefied water by day. Its invisible spirit, when congealed, is better than the whole earth. O holy and admirable nature, you do not allow the children of learning to go astray, as you show daily in human life! In these twelve chapters I have brought forward so many natural reasons that an eager, God-fearing reader may more easily understand everything I have seen with my own eyes, by God’s blessing, and performed with my own hands, without any fraudulent sophisticating. Without nature’s light and knowledge, it is impossible to attain this art, unless someone receives it through a special divine revelation or a friend’s secret demonstration. The thing is both commonplace and most precious. Having described it several times, I repeat it now.
Socrates
Reading A New Light of Alchemy · Epilogue · Epilogue · 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.