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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Heinrich Khunrath’s Magnesia Catholica PhilosophorumMagnesia Catholica Philosophorum · Printed Page 152

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Early New High German

p. 152

ren Metallen in Silber vnnd Gold / durch Lapidem Philosophorum, ELIXEIRIA vnd TINCTVRAS! Ja / es ist recht: solchen angenehmen Speck aber / haben Sie / gegen GOtt wolverandwortlich / der Weldt müssen auff die falle binden / solten sie andera^† grosse Arbeit (so in Præparatione MAGNESIAE, vnd anderer allerley Materialien, Alchymisch angewendet werden mus) schewende / vnd lieber mit dem Jüdenspieß rennende / oder sonsten zu andern GOtt Mißfelligen Weldlichen Sachen / vor sich vnd die jhrigen / jhr Geld viel lieber anlegende / dann auff tieff verborgene gute Künste etwas wendende / wol vermögene Leute / auch darzu locken vnd anbringen / die vielseltigen wunderbaren geheimnissen GOttes in der Natur / durch Fewer / mit grossen Kosten /

Heinrich Khunrath’s Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum: Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum

p. 152

Metals into Silver and Gold, by the Lapis Philosophorum, ELIXIRS and TINCTURES! Yes: it is true. But such welcome Bacon have They had to bind upon the trap for the World — well-answerable for it before GOD — if they were to lure and bring in thereto well-to-do People: people who shun the great Labour (which must be bestowed Alchemically upon the Preparation of MAGNESIA and of all manner of other Materials), and would rather run with the Jew’s spear, or otherwise lay out their Money, for themselves and for theirs, upon other Worldly matters displeasing to GOd, than turn any of it upon deeply hidden good Arts — to search out the manifold wonderful secrets of GOd in Nature, by Fire, at great Cost,

213.Marginal gloss: ‘It is just as one lures Children into School with sugar, apples and pears.’ — The gloss is the key to the sentence: the promise of transmutation is the bait, and Khunrath allows it, as a schoolmaster allows the sweets. Speck is the bacon on the trap, and the figure is not softened. — mit dem Jüdenspieß rennen, to run with the Jew’s spear, is the period’s proverb for usury and sharp dealing; it is an ugly phrase and it is printed as it stands. — The sentence is one period of twenty-four lines, twenty of them on this page, and its infinitives (zu erforschen, nachzusuchen) do not arrive until p. 153. The English holds the suspension and breaks at the page as the German does, except that it anticipates to search out by four lines, the English object requiring its verb sooner than the German does. — ^†The 1599 sets andera, which is not a word; the sense wants anders, otherwise, or andern. The same slip stands at p. 77. Left as set.

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