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Diotimos Library · Esotericism & Spirituality Collection · Bilingual Edition

Attributed to Jean d’Espagnet

The Secret Work of the Hermetic Philosophy

A Fresh English Translation from the Complete 1623 Latin Arcanum

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The Secret Work of the Hermetic PhilosophyThe 138 Canons · Latin

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Latin Page · Branch 166 of 244

The 138 Canons · Latin

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Latin

Vas, quo opus suum decoquunt philosophi, duplicis generis est, vnum Naturæ, alterum artis: vas Naturæ, qui etiam vas philosophiæ dicitur, est terra lapidis, siue femella, siue etiam matrix, in quâ semen masculi recipitur, putrefit, & ad generationem præparatur: vas autem artis triplex est; in triplici enim vase coquitur arcanum.

English

The vessel in which the philosophers cook their work is of two kinds, one of Nature and the other of art. The vessel of Nature, also called the vessel of philosophy, is the earth of the stone, or the female, or again the womb, in which the male’s seed is received, putrefies and is prepared for generation. The vessel of art, however, is threefold, for the secret is cooked in a threefold vessel.

About This Reading Edition

The complete anonymous 1623 Arcanum, conventionally attributed to Jean d’Espagnet, with Latin and a fresh English translation, 138 canons, original marginalia and errata, 88 modern annotations, separately identified historical reception documents, and the complete supplied Diotimos study apparatus.

Historical Text and Translation

Anonymous, Arcanum hermeticæ philosophiæ opus. Paris: Nicolas Buon, 1623. Bibliothèque municipale de Lyon copy, digitised by Google Books, uJNr_M9LDGgC. Conventionally attributed to Jean d’Espagnet; the original title page is anonymous.

About Diotimos Editions

This historical edition credits Diotimos Editions as its English translator.

Rights

Historical texts are public-domain works. The supplied 2026 fresh English translation, Latin reading transcription and Diotimos editorial material are published with the site owner’s authorization. The historical Signifer is credited to the Getty Research Institute copy and Internet Archive.