Diotimos Library · Esotericism & Spirituality Collection · Bilingual Edition
Nine Books on the Nature of Things
A fresh translation from the early Latin text with annotations and study apparatus
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English Page · Branch 540 of 642
Book 9 · Signature · Passage 35
Source reference
- Latin witness
- 1605 pp. 257–258
Latin
De Chiromantiae signis tenendum est, ea ex superioribus Astris septem Planetarum oriri, & ex septem Planetis ea omnia cognosci debere ac iudicare. Est autem Chiromantia scientia, quae non saltem manus hominum inspicit, & ex illarum lineis, locustis & rugis iudicium facit: sed insuper etiam omnes herbas, ligna, silices, terras, & flumina, denique quicquid lineas, venas, rugas, &c. habet, considerat. Sed nec haec scientia suis erroribus, quos Astronomi illi oggesserunt, caret. Digitos enim utriusque manus Planetis & praecipuis Astris assignarunt, cum tamen digitorum in una manu tantum quinque, in utrisque decem sint, Planetae tamen septem saltem numerentur. Quomodo ergo haec inter se convenire possint? Quod si digitorum in una manu septem essent: tunc cuilibet Planetae digitum unum assignari, concedi posset. Sed tamen frequenter etiam hoc accidit, ut quidam in utraque manu septem tantum digitos habeant, ceteris casu quodam detruncatis. Ubi cum trunci adhuc supersint, nec illi tales nati sint: res utique illa huc referri nequit. Et siquidem fieret, ut homo cum septenis digitis nasceretur, sive in una sive utraque id manu esset: id tamen monstrum foret, praeter naturae ordinem productum, Astris minime subiectum. Ideoque nec hic ulla comparatio institui potest. Quod si vero quinque omnino digitos in qualibet manu, & Planetas septem esse, ac haec mutuo inter comparari oporteat. Conveniret utique, ut Planetae sortes in urnam mitterent, ad cognoscendum hoc, quinam duo Planetae decedere debeant. Quod tamen cum fieri non possit, Planetaeque nec tesseras, nec sortes in firmamento habeant: iure admiratio subit, ecquis hanc sibi potestatem sumserit, ut Planetarum nomine sortiens, Veneri Pollicem, Iovi indicem, Saturno Verpum, Soli Annularem seu Medicum, Mercurio Auricularem assignarit & contulerit, Martem interim & Lunam quasi ex tribu & libertate sua eliminans. Quae si ita se habent: ecquis iam admiretur, ex indignatione iusta Martem filios suos instigare, ut illi Sortiarium istum occidant, aut alias perpetuas simultates contra ipsum alant? Quis admiretur, cur Luna illi lusori aut cerebrum infirmet, aut rationem omnem elidat? Et hic primus iste error est, quem in Chiromantia committi diximus.
English
Concerning the signs of chiromancy, one must hold that they arise from the upper stars of the seven planets, and all must be known and judged through the seven planets. Chiromancy is a science which not only inspects human hands and judges from their lines, joints and wrinkles, but also considers all herbs, woods, flints, earths and rivers: anything having lines, veins or wrinkles. Yet this science too has its errors, introduced by those astronomers. They assigned the fingers of both hands to the planets and chief stars, although there are only five fingers on one hand and ten on both, while only seven planets are counted. How can these agree? If there were seven fingers on one hand, one might allow a finger to each planet. People sometimes have only seven fingers on both hands because others have been cut off accidentally, but since the stumps remain and they were not born that way, this cannot be brought into the comparison. Even if someone were born with seven fingers on one or both hands, that would be a monster produced outside nature’s order and not subject to the stars, so no comparison could be made there either. If each hand has only five fingers and there are seven planets, and these must be compared, the planets ought to put lots into an urn to determine which two should withdraw. Since that cannot happen, and the planets have neither dice nor lots in the firmament, one rightly wonders who assumed the power to draw lots in their name and assign the thumb to Venus, the index to Jupiter, the middle finger to Saturn, the ring or medical finger to the Sun and the little finger to Mercury, meanwhile excluding Mars and the Moon as though from their tribe and liberty. If that is so, who would wonder that Mars in righteous indignation incites his sons to kill that lot-drawer or maintain perpetual hostility against him? Who would wonder if the Moon weakens that player’s brain or destroys all his reason? This is the first error we said was committed in chiromancy.
Socrates
Reading Nine Books on the Nature of Things · Book 9 · Signature · Book 9 · Signature · Passage 35
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Socrates will begin with this book and its sources.About This Reading Edition
The complete supplied Latin–English edition of the historical title, dedication and all nine books, with 363 separately labelled historical marginal notes, 117 modern annotations and the complete Diotimos study apparatus. The transmitted composite work is traditionally attributed to Paracelsus; individual authorship remains qualified.
Historical Text and Translation
The normalized Latin follows the complete 1605 Frankfurt Palthenian witness, volume six, printed pages 198–271, in SUB Göttingen PPN578052199, historical scans 182–255. Earlier textual tradition is German; the individual translator of the 1605 Latin text is not identified. The dedication’s 1537 date is transmitted text, not an established date for the composite work.
About Diotimos Editions
This historical edition credits Diotimos Editions as its English translator.
Rights
The historical Latin text is in the public domain. The fresh English translation and editorial material were prepared with AI assistance for Diotimos Editions in 2026 and are published with the site owner’s authorization.