Diotimos Library · Esotericism & Spirituality Collection · Bilingual Edition
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German & Latin Page · Branch 222 of 287
The Way of Truth
German & Latin
1619 pp. 252–254 · scans ER256, ER257, ER258So dir nun die Warheit beliebet, mustu die Sophisterey, mit aller ihrer Arbeit, die du biß auff den heutigen Tage gepflogen, verlassen, vnnd allein betrachten, was die Natur thut, auch wie sie ad Essentiam laboriret, so wirstu nicht fehlen noch irren, sondern was du begerest, sehen vnnd keine Mühe haben, Auch wenig Arbeit vnd Geldspendung bedürffen. Dann mit einer subtilen vnnd geringen Kochung wird die gantze Sach vollbracht, also, das durch die Kochung geschicht die Solutio vnd Coagulatio corporum, vnnd die Sublimation sampt der Putrefaction wirdt alle dadurch geendet, davon dann auch die Weisen geschrieben haben. Aber doch haben etliche an statt des wahren schlechten Wesens gar ein ander Wesen auffgerichtet, damit die gantze Welt verblendet, vñ manchen Menschen damit in grossen schaden geführet. Ob es nun recht gethan, stell ich Gott heim, der alles richten wird, dann es were viel besser, daß so viel nicht geschrieben würde, dadurch so mancher Mensch betrübt wirdt, die sich allein auff die Sophistische erdichtete Proceß verlassen, die sie in der Lüg büchlein lernen, vnnd also betrogen werden, dann were von der Alchimy nicht so viel, oder würde noch täglich von der Natur vnverständigen geschrieben, so were viel tausent Menschen heutiges tages, die die warhafftige Kunst gewüst hetten, vnd von sich selbst wolt hetten können begreiffen, da nun in viel Jahren kaum einer an die Warheit kommen kan, dieweil fast alle Liebhaber der Philosophey sich allein auff die Bücher vnnd Sophistische Arbeit verlassen, meinen, die Alten haben es auch also mit solcher grawsamen Arbeit zu wege gebracht, das ich öffentlich straffe, vnnd sage, das dem nicht so sey, denn die wahre Kunst darff der Hümplerey, derer sich die Laboranten heutiges tages gebrauchen, in keinem wege, die alten Weisen habens selbst also nicht gearbeitet, ob sie schon etwas weitleufftiger in jhren Büchern, die vnweisen damit zu verblenden, davon gelehret haben, daran sie dann gar wohl nicht gethan, dann auch die, so etwa auff dem rechten Wege weren, dadurch köndten in Irrthumb geführet werden, wofern sie nicht anders durch vivos Præceptores gelehret würden.
The Sophic Hydrolith: The Way of Truth
1619 pp. 252–254 · scans ER256, ER257, ER258If you love the truth, abandon sophistry and all the operations you have practised until today. Consider only what Nature does and how it works upon the essence. Then you will neither fail nor err, but will see what you desire without difficulty, requiring little labour or expenditure. The whole affair is accomplished by a subtle and slight coction. Through it occur the solution and coagulation of bodies, and through it sublimation and putrefaction are all completed, as the sages have written. Some, however, have set up something entirely different in place of the true, plain being. In this way they have blinded the whole world and brought many people to great harm. Whether they have acted rightly I leave to God, who will judge everything. It would be much better if so much were not written, causing distress to those who rely solely on the sophistical, invented processes they learn in lying little books, and are thus deceived. If so much had not been written about alchemy, or were not still being written daily by those ignorant of Nature, many thousands today would have known the true art and could have understood it by themselves. As matters stand, scarcely one person reaches the truth in many years, because almost all lovers of philosophy rely solely on books and sophistical work. They suppose the ancients achieved it by the same dreadful labour. I openly rebuke this and say that it is false: the true art has no need whatever of the bungling used by workers today. The ancient sages did not work in that way themselves, although they taught about it at greater length in their books to blind the unwise. They did not act well in doing so, for even people who were perhaps on the right path could thereby be led into error unless living teachers instructed them otherwise.
Socrates
Reading The Sophic Hydrolith · The Way of Truth · The Way of Truth · Unit 21
Ask about a concept, passage, contradiction, or connection.
Socrates will begin with this book and its sources.About This Reading Edition
The anonymous Water Stone of the Wise of 1619, with German text, a new English translation, 240 annotations, three companion treatises from the original volume, two separately identified responses of 1661, and the complete supplied study apparatus.
Historical Text and Translation
Anonymous, Wasserstein der Weysen. Frankfurt: Lucas Jennis, 1619. The governing e-rara copy belongs to the Stiftung der Werke von C. G. Jung, Zürich (DOI 10.3931/e-rara-8968). The work is traditionally attributed to Johann Siebmacher; this remains an attribution, not a name printed in the anonymous witness. The separately sourced First and Second Responses use the 1661 Wolfenbüttel witness, qun-642-1s, pp. 200–206.
About Diotimos Editions
This historical edition credits Diotimos Editions as its English translator.
Rights
Historical texts printed in 1619 and 1661 are in the public domain. The supplied 2026 German reading text, new English translation, introduction, notes and complete study apparatus are published with the site owner’s authorization. The original triangle is credited to the Stiftung der Werke von C. G. Jung, Zürich, and e-rara, Public Domain Mark.
- Governing historical witnesse-rara: 1619 witness
- Separately identified later response sourceHerzog August Bibliothek: 1661 responses
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