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 405 of 642
Book 8 · Separation · Passage 14
Source reference
- Latin witness
- 1605 p. 239
Latin
Nosse insuper etiam debet gradus separationis, ut sunt destillationis, Resolutionis, putrefactionis, extractionis, calcinationis, Reverberationis, Sublimationis, Reductionis, Coagulationis, pulverisationis, lavationis. Per destillationem separatur aqua & oleum de omnibus rebus corporeis. Per Resolutionem separantur metalla a mineralibus, & metallum unum ab altero, & sal ab aliis, & pinguedo, & leve, a graviori. Per putrefactionem separatur pingue a macro, purum ab impuro, putridum a non putrido. Per extractionem separatur purum ab impuro, & spiritus ac essentia Quinta a suo corpore, & margarita a crasso. Per calcinationem separatur Aquea humiditas, pinguedo, naturalis color, odor, & quicquid alias combustile est. Per Reverberationem separatur color, odor, flagrabile, omnis humiditas, aquositas, pinguedo, quicquid denique fluxile & inconstans rei inest, &c. Per sublimationem separantur a se invicem fixum & volatile, spirituale & corporale, purum ab impuro, sulphur a sale, Mercurius a sale &c. Per Reductionem separatur fluxile a solido, metallum a suo minerali, & metallum unum ab altero, metallum a scoria, pingue a non pingui. Per coagulationem separatur mador ab humido, aqua a terra. Per pulverisationem separantur a se invicem pulvis & arena, cinis & calx, minerale a vegetabili & animali. Et pulveres omnes, qui inaequalis ponderis sunt separantur. Iaculatione, velut palea de frumento. Per Lotionem seu Ablutionem separantur cinis & arena, minerale a suo metallo, grave a leviore, vegetabile & animale a parte minerali, sulphur a Mercurio & sale, sal a Mercurio.
English
He must also know the stages of separation: distillation, dissolution, putrefaction, extraction, calcination, reverberation, sublimation, reduction, coagulation, pulverisation and washing. Distillation separates water and oil from all bodily things. Dissolution separates metals from minerals, one metal from another, salt from other things, and fat and the light from the heavier. Putrefaction separates the fat from the lean, the pure from the impure and the putrid from the unputrid. Extraction separates the pure from the impure, spirit and quintessence from their body, and the pearl from the gross. Calcination separates watery moisture, fat, natural colour, smell and anything else combustible. Reverberation separates colour, smell, combustibles, all moisture, wateriness, fat, and finally anything fusible and unstable in a thing. Sublimation separates fixed from volatile, spiritual from bodily, pure from impure, sulphur from salt, mercury from salt, and so forth. Reduction separates the fusible from the solid, metal from its mineral, one metal from another, metal from slag, and fat from what is not fatty. Coagulation separates dampness from the moist and water from earth. Pulverisation separates dust from sand, ash from calx, and mineral from vegetable and animal matter. All powders of unequal weight are also separated by tossing, as chaff is separated from grain. Washing or ablution separates ash from sand, a mineral from its metal, the heavy from the lighter, vegetable and animal from the mineral part, sulphur from mercury and salt, and salt from mercury.
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Reading Nine Books on the Nature of Things · Book 8 · Separation · Book 8 · Separation · Passage 14
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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.