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 294 of 642
Book 7 · Transmutations · Passage 1
Source reference
- Latin witness
- 1605 p. 228
Latin
Liber VII. De transmutationibus rerum naturalium.
Si nobis de transmutatione omnium rerum naturalium scribendum est, aequum & necessarium est, ut ante omnia ostendamus primum quid sit transmutatio: secundo qui sint gradus ad illam: tertio per quae media & quomodo ea fiat. Est igitur transmutatio cum res suam formam amittit, & ita alteratur, ut prorsus priori substantiae & formae suae non sit similis, sed aliam formam assumat, aliam essentiam, alium colorem, aliam virtutem, aliam naturam vel proprietatem, ut si metallum fiat vitrum vel lapis: si lapis fiat carbo: si lignum fiat carbo: argilla lapis fiat & later: pellis gluten: pannus papyrus & talia multa similia. Haec omnia sunt transmutationes rerum naturalium. Post hoc summopere quoque necessarium est scire gradus ad transmutationem, quotnam sint. Sunt autem non plures quam septem. Nam quamvis aliqui plures numerent, plures tamen quam septem praecipui non sunt, reliqui vero, qui etiam inter gradus recenseri possunt, sub istis septem comprehenduntur: sunt autem isti: Calcinatio, Sublimatio, Solutio, Putrefactio, Distillatio, Coagulatio, Tinctura. Si quis iam istam scalam ascendat, is in tam mirabilem locum perveniet, ut multa secreta videat & experiatur in transmutatione rerum naturalium.
English
Book 7 On the Transmutations of Natural Things
Latin witness: Frankfurt 1605, printed pp. 228–236, SUB Göttingen PPN578052199. Source facsimile: https://gdz.sub.uni-goettingen.de/id/PPN578052199?tify=%7B%22pages%22%3A%5B212%5D%7D
To write about the transmutation of all natural things, it is fitting and necessary first to show what transmutation is, second what its stages are, and third through what means and in what way it occurs. Transmutation occurs when a thing loses its form and is so altered that it is wholly unlike its former substance and form, assuming another form, essence, colour, virtue, nature or property: when metal becomes glass or stone; stone becomes coal; wood becomes coal; clay becomes stone and brick; skin becomes glue; cloth becomes paper, and many similar things. All these are transmutations of natural things. Next it is absolutely necessary to know how many stages there are toward transmutation. There are no more than seven. Though some count more, there are no more than seven principal stages; the others which can be counted as stages are included under these seven: Calcination, Sublimation, Solution, Putrefaction, Distillation, Coagulation and Tincture. Whoever climbs this ladder will reach so marvellous a place as to see and experience many secrets in the transmutation of natural things.
Socrates
Reading Nine Books on the Nature of Things · Book 7 · Transmutations · Book 7 · Transmutations · Passage 1
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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.