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 161

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Early New High German

p. 161

Natur vnuerstendigen Leuten, vnd auch krim kratzend zusamen scharrendē Geldwürmen. Nun! ein jeder stehe sein ebentenr^†. Alleine seyt vermanet / wañ der Tingirer seine Probam thuen sol vnd wil / das jhr ja vleissig achtung gebet auff seine geschwinde Handgriffe / vnd jhme dieselben / neben den instrumentē / auch allen andern Werckgezeuge / so er darzu brauchet / recht absehet. Hierzu kan euch gute nachrichtung geben die Trewhertzige Warnungs vermanung / so zu ende Meiner Teutschen CONFESSION von Hylealischen Allgemeinem CHAO der Philosophen / mit hinbey gesetzt vnd angetrucket ist. Warner ist noch kein böser Man.

Es können auch / aus bishero gesagten allen / die jenigen / so da sprechen / Ich hette mein Schreiben von MAGNESIA einstellen

Heinrich Khunrath’s Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum: Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum

p. 161

people undiscerning in Nature, and also among money-worms that claw and scrape together. Now then! let each man stand his own hazard^†. Only be admonished: when the Tinging-man is to make and means to make his Proof, that you give diligent heed to his quick Hand-grips, and look them rightly off him, together with the instruments and all the other Work-tackle he uses thereto. Good instruction herein can be given you by the True-hearted Warning-admonition which is set and printed alongside, at the end of My German CONFESSION of the Hylealic Universal CHAOS of the Philosophers. A warner is no bad man yet.

Those too can now, out of all that has been said hitherto, who say that I ought to have left off my writing upon MAGNESIA

222.No marginal gloss stands on this page. — krim kratzend: krim is not an independent word, and belongs to krimmen, to claw or scratch with the nails, so that the phrase doubles two verbs of scratching; the English keeps the doubling rather than resolving it. The reading of the sorts is secure; the derivation is offered as the likeliest and not as certain. Geldwürmen, money-worms, is Khunrath’s. — ^†ebentenr is printed thus: the sorts give e-b-e-n-t-e, then a letter with the shoulder of n, then r. The word wanted is ebenteur, adventure or hazard — ein jeder stehe sein ebenteur, let each man stand his own risk — and an n stands where u should. Printed as set and marked. — Probam is Fraktur here, where p. 157 sets it Antiqua. — The Teutsche CONFESSION von Hylealischen Allgemeinem CHAO is Khunrath’s own Confessio de Chao Physico-Chemicorum Catholico, Magdeburg 1597, cited before at pp. 77, 89 and 146; the Trewhertzige Warnungs vermanung is, he says here, printed with it at its end. — Warner ist noch kein böser Man is proverbial.

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