Heinrich Khunrath’s Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum

Name: Heinrich Khunrath’s Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum
Author: Heinrich Khunrath

The 1599 German text with a new English translation, introduction, glossary, and notes.

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Early New High German Page · Branch 140 of 215

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Early New High German

p. 133

Barbarino, (sciueram nihilominus Artem duobus annis priusquàm elaborassē vel perficissem) hic inter disputandū (cum ex improviso dixissem, me nondum expertum fuisse) conabatur à proposito vero diuertere, quapropter deserui societatem eius. h. e. Als Ich / sagt Er / die Kunst wuste / vberkam Ich kunde vnd gemeinschafft mit funfftzehen guten Mennern / die so wol die kunst des Philosophischen STEINS wusten / sonderlich aber mit einem Barbaro, (Dann ich wuste nichts desto weniger die Kunst zwey Jahre zuuor / ehe dann mit der Hand Arbeit ich Sie verrichtet vnd verfertiget hatte) Derselbe vnterstünde sich vnter vnserm disputiren (Als ich mich vngefehr verlauten lassen / das ich das Werck selber mit der Handt noch nicht gemacht hette) von dem wahren Wege vnd rechtem vorsatze abzuwenden: Darumb ich auch

Heinrich Khunrath’s Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum: Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum

p. 133

Barbarinus (I had nonetheless known the Art two years before I had elaborated or completed it); he, in the midst of our disputing — when I had said unawares that I had not yet made trial of it — tried to turn me aside from the true purpose, wherefore I forsook his company. That is: When I, says He, knew the Art, I came to acquaintance and fellowship with fifteen good Men, who likewise knew the art of the Philosophical STONE, but especially with a certain Barbarus. (For I knew the Art nonetheless two years before I had performed and completed Her with the Labour of the Hand.) The same undertook, in the midst of our disputing — when I had let fall unawares that I had not yet made the Work myself with the Hand — to turn me from the true Way and from the right purpose: wherefore I also

193.Marginal glosses: ‘Note this.’; ‘That, indeed, is spoken plainly enough in German.’; ‘But mark well.’ — The passage comes from one of the tracts that go under Bernard of Treviso’s name — which of them Khunrath had cannot be told from the page — and Khunrath gives the Latin and then his own German, as he habitually does; the German is the freer of the two, and where it differs the note says so. Here it renders quindetim correctly as funfftzehen, and Barbarino — a proper name in the Latin — as einem Barbaro, ‘a certain Barbarus’. — The 1599 drops to a smaller fount at (Dann ich wuste and stays there to the foot of the page; the change is reproduced here. — The middle gloss is Khunrath’s own satisfaction at the German: the point he needs is that Bernard says he knew the Art before he had made it, and the German says so without ambiguity.

About This Reading Edition

Heinrich Khunrath’s Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum argues that alchemy has one universal subject, that this subject cannot be extracted from the metals, and that nothing in the work can begin without recognizing it. This complete reader begins with the supplied seven-part introduction and orientation, then presents every printed page of the 1599 German treatise opposite its new English translation.

Historical Text and Translation

The German reading text is a fresh diplomatic transcription from 600 dpi images of the Magdeburg copy printed by Johann Bötcher in 1599. It preserves Khunrath’s capitalization, word division, authorial marginal keys, glosses, errata, and three unnumbered closing pages: the errata leaf, owl emblem, and colophon.

About Diotimos Editions

Diotimos Editions prepared the new English translation, introduction, notes, glossary, collation, and editorial apparatus. The translation follows Khunrath directly, retaining his technical vocabulary, changes of register, repetitions, rhetorical questions, and distinctions between German, Latin, and coined terms.

Rights

Heinrich Khunrath’s 1599 German work is in the public domain. The 2026 English translation, introduction, notes, glossary, editorial arrangement, and related matter are original to this edition and remain © 2026 Diotimos.

supplied-bilingual-editionSupplied complete German–English scholarly edition