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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Facing Pages · Branch 596 of 642
Book 9 · Signature · Passage 61
Source reference
- Latin witness
- 1605 p. 267
Latin
Hoc modo multae etiam herbae radicesque, &c. sua nomina adeptae sunt. Sic Euphrasia seu Ocularis herba ita dicitur, quod aegris & offensis oculis medeatur. Sic radix sanguinaria ita appellatur, quod prae ceteris radicibus sanguinem sistat. Sic scrophularia (chelidonium minus) ita vocatur, quod prae ceteris herbis mariscas sanet. Idem censendum etiam de aliis quamplurimis herbis, quarum classem ingentem recensere possem, quae universae a virtute & facultate sua ita appellatae & indigetatae fuerunt: sicut in nostro Herbario latius traditur. Praeterea multae herbae ac radices, non a sola virtute & facultate congenita, sed etiam a sua figura, forma & imagine, denominatae sunt, ut Morsus Diaboli, Pentaphyllum, Cynoglossum, Ophioglossum, Hippuris, Hepatica, Buglossum, Dentaria, Calcarippa (consolida regalis) Perforata, Satyrion vel Orchis, Victorialis, Syderica, Perfoliata, Prunella, Heliotropium, & aliae plures, non hic, sed seorsim in Herbario recensendae.
English
In this way many herbs and roots have also acquired their names. Euphrasia, or eyebright, is so called because it heals sick and injured eyes; sanguinaria, the blood-root, because it stops blood better than other roots; and scrophularia, lesser celandine, because it heals haemorrhoids better than other herbs. The same should be understood of many other herbs, an immense class of which I could recount, all named and designated from their virtue and faculty, as is taught more fully in our Herbarius. Many herbs and roots are named not only from their inborn virtue and faculty but also from their figure, form and image, such as devil’s-bit, cinquefoil, hound’s-tongue, adder’s-tongue, horsetail, liverwort, bugloss, toothwort, calcarippa or royal comfrey, perforata, satyrion or orchis, victorialis, syderica, perfoliata, prunella, heliotrope and many others, to be listed separately in the Herbarius rather than here.
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Reading Nine Books on the Nature of Things · Book 9 · Signature · Book 9 · Signature · Passage 61
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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.