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 208 of 642
Book 5 · Death · Passage 11
Source reference
- Latin witness
- 1605 p. 219
Latin
Ut vero cuprum aes ustum fiat, quod & crocus cupri appellatur, tali modo procedendum est: Laminetur cuprum, & ungantur sale, cum optimo aceto in pultem redacto, postea ponatur in magno tigillo, & collocetur in furno venti & per quadrantem horae forti igne uratur, ita tamen ne fluant laminae: hae laminae ita candentes in aceto restinguantur, in quo sal Armoniacum sit resolutum, in libra aceti semper una semiuncia: iterum candefiant laminae, & in aceto restinguantur ut antea: semper autem squamas, quae post restinctionem adhaerent laminis in acetum radito, vel pulsando deiicito, aut ut potes: Hoc tandiu fiat, donec laminae cupri bona ex parte inde absumantur: iam vero destillando abstrahatur acetum, vel aperto vase exhalet, & in durissimum lapidem coaguletur. Ita habes summum crocum cupri, cuius usus est in Alchymia: Multi quidem communiter aes ustum vel crocum Veneris ex ♀ per extractionem alcoolis, vini (alii aceti) ut crocum Martis faciunt: ego vero laudo hunc modum longe magis.
English
To make burnt copper, also called crocus of copper, proceed in this way. Beat copper into plates and anoint them with salt made into a paste with the best vinegar. Place them in a large crucible in a wind furnace and burn them in a strong fire for a quarter of an hour, without allowing the plates to melt. Quench the glowing plates in vinegar containing dissolved sal ammoniac, always half an ounce to a pound of vinegar. Heat them again and quench as before. Always scrape the scales adhering to the plates after quenching into the vinegar, or knock them off, or remove them however you can. Continue until a good part of the copper plates has been consumed. Then draw off the vinegar by distillation, or let it evaporate in an open vessel, and coagulate it into a very hard stone. You thus have the highest crocus of copper for use in alchemy. Many ordinarily make burnt copper or crocus of Venus from Copper by extraction with alcohol of wine—others with vinegar—as they do crocus of Mars. I praise this method much more.
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Reading Nine Books on the Nature of Things · Book 5 · Death · Book 5 · Death · Passage 11
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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.