Centrum Naturae Concentratum

A Note on the English Printing of 1696

The London printing for J. Harris is a later English witness to the main treatise. Its title states that Low Dutch publication preceded it in 1694. The comparison here establishes its structure and selected textual boundaries; it is not a claim to an exhaustive collation of every English sentence. Its English wording has not served as the reading text of this new translation.

Selected verified differences between the German and English books

Feature: Title judgement German 1682: Commonly and properly called the Philosophers’ Stone English 1696: For the most part improperly called the Philosopher’s Stone

Feature: Introductions German 1682: Helbig’s preface dated 12 September 1682 English 1696: Addresses signed E. Brice and H. C. K.; preface of the Belgic interpreter

Feature: Main work German 1682: Printed pages 5–38 English 1696: Printed pages 29–90

Feature: Companions German 1682: Delle, J. J. F., short preparation and testament follow English 1696: Publisher advertisements follow the main work

Feature: Closing German 1682: Final thanksgiving ends Amen English 1696: Additional eight-line devotional verse after Amen

The English translator’s address occupies printed pages 3–7 and is signed E. Brice. The address at 9–26 is signed H. C. K.; the Preface of the Belgic Interpreter follows at 27–28. The main work begins at 29, ends at 90, and is followed by advertisements at 91–94. These introductions cannot simply be treated as a translation of Helbig’s four-page preface.

The proper/improper difference changes a judgement, not merely spelling. The fresh translation therefore preserves German eigendlich as “properly” and reports the later English title separately. The additional closing verse likewise belongs to the later book’s reception. It has not been inserted under the name of the German speaker.

The different scope is especially important for this edition. The Delle narrative, J. J. F. discourse, short preparation and testament are available in the linked German collection. Their absence from the 1696 book is not evidence that they are missing from the German source. It is a difference between two historical book arrangements. See the 1696 facsimile and the bibliographic transcription.