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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Latin Page · Branch 78 of 642
Book 2 · Growth · Passage 4
Source reference
- Latin witness
- 1605 p. 207
Latin
Possibile etiam est aurum per industriam & solertiam periti Alchymistae eo impelli, ut in cucurbita more arboris crescat, cum multis mirabilibus ramusculis & frondibus, quod quidem iucundum aspectu & valde admirabile est. Proceditur autem sic: Aurum calcinetur per aquam regis, ut fiat calx cretacea, quam impone in cucurbitam, & infunde bonam & recentem aquam regis, & aquam gradationis, ita ut quatuor digitos transversos supermineat, & iterum abstrahe in tertio gradu ignis, donec nihil amplius ascendat. Aquam distillatam, iterum superfunde, & iterum distillando abstrahe ut antea. Hoc tandiu fac, donec videas ☉ surgere in vitro, & crescere in forma arboris habentis multos ramos & frondes: atque ita fit ex ☉ mirabilis & iucundus frutex, quem Alchymistae herbam auream & arborem philosophorum appellant. Ita etiam proceditur cum ☽ & aliis metallis, sic tamen ut calcinatio aliter fiat, & alia aqua fortis accipiatur, quod quidem tuae experientiae relinquo. Si Alchymiae peritus es, recte te in his geres.
English
Through an expert alchemist’s diligence and skill, gold can also be induced to grow like a tree in a cucurbit, with many marvellous little branches and leaves, a delightful and most astonishing sight. Proceed as follows. Calcine gold through aqua regis so that it becomes a chalklike calx. Place this in a cucurbit and pour in good fresh aqua regis and water of gradation until they stand four transverse fingerbreadths above it. Draw them off again at the third degree of fire until nothing more rises. Pour the distilled water on again and draw it off by distillation as before. Continue until you see Gold rise in the glass and grow in the form of a tree with many branches and leaves. Thus a marvellous and delightful shrub is made from Gold, which alchemists call the golden plant and the philosophers’ tree. Proceed likewise with Silver and other metals, but perform the calcination differently and take a different aqua fortis. I leave this to your experience: if you are skilled in alchemy, you will conduct yourself properly in these matters.
Socrates
Reading Nine Books on the Nature of Things · Book 2 · Growth · Book 2 · Growth · Passage 4
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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.