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 226 of 642
Book 5 · Death · Passage 18
Source reference
- Latin witness
- 1605 pp. 221–222
Latin
Mortificationem auri ut redigatur in sua Arcana, ut in tincturam, 5. Essentiam, resinam, crocum, vitriolum & sulphur, & cetera praestantia arcana, quorum quidem praeparationes multiplices sunt: quia maxima ex parte talia arcana in aliis libris iam satis tradidimus, ut extractionem tincturae Solis, 5. ess. Solis, Mercurii Solis, olei Solis, Solis potabilis, resinae Solis, croci Solis, & in Archidoxis & alibi, hic non opus esse censemus repetere. Quae autem arcana illic omissa sunt, hic indicabimus, ut vitriolum Solis, sulphur Solis, quae quidem non sunt minima, & quemlibet medicum summopere exhilarare debent. Ut autem vitriolum ex Sole extrahatur, ita procedendum est: Recipe auri purgati duas vel tres marcas, quas lamina & suspende super urina puerorum mixta cum acinis uvarum, in ampla cucurbita vitrea superius bene sigillata, quam in ferventem cumulum acinorum uvarum, ut ex torculari sumuntur, infodias, ubi stet quatuordecim dies, vel tres septimanas: postea aperi & reperies subtilissimum colorem, qui est vitriolum Solis, adhaerentem laminis Solis, quem pede leporino demes, ut de aliis metallis audivisti, ut de ferri laminis crocum ♂, de cupri laminis vitriolum ♀ & viride aeris, de ♄ laminis cerussam, de ☽ laminis lazurium, &c. sub uno processu comprehensis, sed non tamen uniusmodi praeparatione. Quando igitur satis habes huius vitrioli ☉, coque ipsum bene in aqua pluviali distillata, semper agitando spatula aliqua, tum sulphur auri tollitur in superficie aquae ut oleum, quod cochleari demito. Ita etiam cum alio vitriolo agendum est. Postquam autem iam ablatum est sulphur, aquam illam pluvialem evapora usque ad siccitatem & remanebit vitriolum ☉ in fundo, quod facile per se in marmore in humido resolvere potes. In his duobus Arcanis nempe in vitriolo auri & sulphure auri latet virtus diaphoretica. Virtutes autem eorum hic non describimus, nam in libro de Morbis metallicis, & in aliis libris eas satis indicavimus.
English
We consider it unnecessary to repeat here the mortification of gold into its arcana—tincture, quintessence, resin, crocus, vitriol, sulphur and other outstanding arcana, for which there are many preparations. We have already sufficiently taught most of them in other books: the extraction of the Sun’s tincture, quintessence, Mercury, oil, potable Sun, resin and crocus, in the Archidoxis and elsewhere. We shall describe here arcana omitted there, such as the Sun’s vitriol and sulphur, which are far from insignificant and ought greatly to delight every physician. To extract vitriol from the Sun, take two or three marks of purified gold, beat them into plates and suspend them above boys’ urine mixed with grape berries in a broad glass cucurbit well sealed above. Bury it in a fermenting heap of grape berries as taken from the press, and leave it there fourteen days or three weeks. Then open it: you will find a very subtle colour, the Sun’s vitriol, adhering to the gold plates. Remove it with a hare’s foot, as you heard for other metals: crocus of Mars from iron plates, vitriol of Venus and verdigris from copper plates, ceruse from lead plates, lazurium from silver plates and so forth. These are embraced by one process, though not by an identical preparation. When you have enough of this Gold vitriol, boil it well in distilled rainwater, continually stirring with a spatula. The sulphur of gold then rises to the water’s surface like oil; remove it with a spoon. Proceed likewise with other vitriol. Once the sulphur has been removed, evaporate the rainwater to dryness: Gold vitriol remains at the bottom and can readily be dissolved by itself on marble in a moist place. A diaphoretic virtue lies hidden in these two arcana, vitriol of gold and sulphur of gold. We do not describe their virtues here, for we have sufficiently indicated them in the book On Metallic Diseases and other books.
Socrates
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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.
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This historical edition credits Diotimos Editions as its English translator.
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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.