Diotimos Library · Esotericism & Spirituality Collection · Bilingual Edition
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Facing Pages · Branch 96 of 204
Dialogue of Mercury, the Alchemist and Nature · Passage 13
Source reference
- Latin witness
- 1607, Google scan PA23, PA24, PA25 · image locators
Latin
Mercurius auditis hisce incipit lamentari super Alchymista, vaditque ad matrem Naturam, accusat ingratum laborantem. Natura filio Mercurio credit qui verax est, ira commota ad Alchymistam venit et illum vocat: Heus tu, ubi es? Alch.: Quis est qui me vocat? Natura: Quid tu stulte cum filio meo agis? Cur illi facis tantam iniuriam? Cur illum crucias qui tibi omne bonum facere vult, si tantum intelligere velles? Alch.: Quis Diabolus me increpat, tantum virum et Philosophum? Nat.: O stulte, plenum superbia stercus Philosophorum, novi ego Philosophos et omnes Sapientes quos amo, nam et illi me amant et omnia mihi faciunt ad placitum, et quo ego non possum illi me iuvant. Vos autem Alchymistae, ex quorum ordine tu quoque unus es, absque meo scitu et consensu, imo omnia contraria mihi facitis, propterea vobis etiam contrarium evenit: putatis quod bene filios meos tractetis, sed nihil perficitis: et si recte considerare velitis, non vos illos tractatis, sed illi vos tractant: nam vos nihil ex illis facere potestis neque scitis, illi vero ex vobis quando volunt faciunt stultos. Alch.: Non est verum, ego etiam sum Philosophus et scio laborare bene, fui ego apud Principes non unum et fui apud illos Philosophus, quod et uxor mea scit: etiam iam nunc habeo librum manu scriptum qui erat aliquot centum annis in muro quodam occultus, iam certo sciam facere Lapidem Philosophorum, et etiam hisce diebus revelatum est mihi per somnium. O ego soleo vera somnia habere: uxor, tu scis. Nat.: Facies sicut fecerunt alii tui collegae, qui in principio omnia sciunt et scire se putant, in fine vero nihil.
English
Hearing this, Mercury began complaining about the alchemist. He went to Mother Nature and accused the ungrateful worker. Nature believed her truthful son Mercury. Angered, she came to the alchemist and called, “Hey, you! Where are you?”
Alchemist: Who is calling me?
Nature: Fool, what are you doing to my son? Why do you injure him so badly? Why do you torture someone who wishes to do you every good, if only you would understand?
Alchemist: What devil is rebuking a man and philosopher as great as I am?
Nature: Fool! You philosophers’ dung, full of pride! I know the philosophers and all the wise people I love. They love me too and do everything to please me; where I cannot act, they help me. But you alchemists, whose number includes you, act without my knowledge and consent—indeed, everything you do is contrary to me. That is why your results also turn out contrary to your intentions. You think you treat my children well, yet accomplish nothing. If you would consider it properly, you are not working upon them: they are working upon you. You neither know how nor are able to make anything from them. They, whenever they wish, make fools of you.
Alchemist: That is untrue. I too am a philosopher and know very well how to work. I have served more than one prince and been their philosopher; my wife knows it too. Even now I possess a manuscript book that lay hidden in a wall for several hundred years. Now I shall certainly know how to make the philosophers’ stone. It was also revealed to me in a dream these last few days. I habitually have true dreams—wife, you know that.
Nature: You will do as your colleagues have done. At the beginning they know everything—or think they do. At the end they know nothing.
Socrates
Reading A New Light of Alchemy · Dialogue of Mercury, the Alchemist and Nature · Dialogue of Mercury, the Alchemist and Nature · Passage 13
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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.