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 26

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Early New High German Page · Branch 33 of 215

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Early New High German

p. 26

gehalten vnd vmbgangen / mißbrauchet) in Deutschlande / vnd anderswo / bey Hohes vnd Niederes Standes Personen / vielmals erwiesen / vnd mit höster verwunderung angesehen: Die Personen vnd Orter könten jetzo namhafftig gemachet werden / wo sie nicht allbereit Landkündig weren / auch an einen andern ört / bis zu seiner zeit / eingestellet würden.

Wer nichts dauon gehöret hat / der frage bey dieser Kunst Ehr- vnd Warheit-liebenden verwandten vmb / Er wird deshalben wol warhafftige nachrichtung vberkommen. Vnd ob schon angedeutes ENS MIRIFICVM von jhr jeden / so solches gehabt / nicht selbst præpariret gewesen^* / so mus dennoch in rerum natura jemand anders jemals zuvor gewesen sein / der dasselbe zubereitet habe: aus der Lufft wirds wol nicht herfür gesprun-

Heinrich Khunrath’s Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum: Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum

p. 26

-kept with it and gone about with it — misused it) in Germany and elsewhere, among Persons of High and of Low estate, and looked upon with the highest astonishment. The Persons and Places could be named here and now, were they not already known throughout the land, or were they not reserved for another place, until their own time.

Whoever has heard nothing of it, let him ask among the kindred of this Art who love Honour and Truth; he will assuredly obtain truthful information about it. And although the aforesaid ENS MIRIFICVM was not itself prepared by each of those who have had it, yet there must nevertheless have been someone else, at some time before, in rerum natura, who did prepare it: it will scarcely have sprung forth out of the air.

56.The parenthesis opened at p. 25 closes here at mißbrauchet: they have kept house with, gone about with, and misused the Ens. The three verbs stand in that order and the concession is deliberate — Khunrath is arguing that the thing exists, and the abuse of it is part of his evidence. — haushalten is domestic: to manage a household’s stores. He does not say they used it, but that they kept house with it.

57.The argument is a plain one and Khunrath leaves it plain: possession without preparation still implies a preparer. ENS MIRIFICVM, the wonder-working Being, is retained throughout; his own marginal gloss at p. 25 gave it as Ens Physico-artificiale MIRIFICVM. ^*The word after præpariret is a solid blot in this copy and cannot be read; gewesen is printed here on the sense, and is a conjecture, not a reading. — aus der Lufft wirds wol nicht herfür gesprungen sein: the flat sarcasm of the closing clause is his, and is kept.

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