DiotimosReading Desk

Diotimos Library · Esotericism & Spirituality Collection · Bilingual Edition

Attributed to Abraham the Jew

The Manly Hall Manuscript Collection, Volume I

Book of Hieroglyphic Figures

Explore the Lexicon
The Manly Hall Manuscript Collection, Volume IFables and the Philosophical Work · Manuscript 24r · Scan 67

Swipe or use the arrow keys.

English Page · Branch 60 of 351

Fables and the Philosophical Work · Manuscript 24r · Scan 67

French

Ms. 24r

Mais avant cette victoire non sanglante, il consulte la science et l’art de Médée ; les taureaux furieux qui vomissent feu et flammes qu’il a à dompter, ne sont que des vapeurs élevées dans le troisième œuvre de la corruption, qui doivent être arrêtées par un artiste subtil et ingénieux, c’est-à-dire qu’on doit cuire la matière jusqu’à ce qu’il ne s’élève aucune vapeur dans la tête de l’alambic, qui remplissent tout le vaisseau.

Ce n’est pas sans raison qu’on l’avertit de s’en donner de garde, parce que les philosophes les crient mortelles et pires que le poison.

Ensuite, il faut ouvrir la terre de Mars avec la charrue et le soc des philosophes, et semer les dents du serpent de Cadmus, c’est-à-dire que ce soufre dont nous avons parlé ci-dessus, qui est la terre de Mars, doit être ouverte avec le soc de la charrue philosophique et on doit y semer les dents, c’est-à-dire qu’elle doit être corrompue, ouverte et déchirée par le moyen de l’eau mercurielle qui reste. Nous en avons assez parlé en son lieu ci-dessus ; c’est pourquoi par le soc et les dents du serpent, nous entendrons la vertu dissolutrice de l’eau ;

Ms. 24r

The Manly Hall Manuscript Collection, Volume I: Fables and the Philosophical Work

Ms. 24r

But before this bloodless victory, he consults Medea’s knowledge and art. The furious bulls vomiting fire and flame that he must tame are nothing but vapors rising in the third work of corruption, which must be arrested by a subtle and ingenious practitioner. That is to say, the matter must be cooked until no vapor rises into the alembic’s head to fill the whole vessel.

It is not without reason that he is warned to guard against them, for the philosophers declare them deadly and worse than poison.

Next, the earth of Mars must be opened with the philosophers’ plow and share, and the teeth of Cadmus’s serpent sown. That is, the sulfur spoken of above, which is the earth of Mars, must be opened with the share of the philosophical plow and the teeth sown in it: in other words, it must be corrupted, opened, and torn apart by the mercurial water that remains. We have said enough about this in its place above; therefore by the plowshare and the serpent’s teeth we shall understand the dissolving power of the water;

Ms. 24r

About This Reading Edition

The first manuscript in the Manly Palmer Hall collection at the Getty Research Institute: the Book of Hieroglyphic Figures, presented in French and English with 463 explanatory notes, 13 manuscript plates, 25 source details, an introduction, chapter outline, glossary, bibliography, and register of readings.

Historical Text and Translation

Book of Hieroglyphic Figures (Livre des figures hiéroglyphiques), attributed in the witness to Abraham the Jew. Getty Research Institute, Manly Palmer Hall collection of alchemical manuscripts, accession 950053, Box 1, Hogart manuscript 3; French witness catalogued circa 1800. Manly Palmer Hall is the collector, not the author.

About Diotimos Editions

This historical edition credits Diotimos Editions as its English translator.

Rights

The circa 1800 source manuscript is public domain. The supplied 2026 French reading transcription, English translation, introduction, notes, outline, glossary, register, and editorial arrangement are published with the site owner’s authorization. Source photographs are credited to the Getty Research Institute and Internet Archive in the supplied edition.