The Secret Work of the Hermetic Philosophy

Name: The Secret Work of the Hermetic Philosophy
Author: Attributed to Jean d’Espagnet

A Fresh English Translation from the Complete 1623 Latin Arcanum

Explore the Lexicon

The Secret Work of the Hermetic PhilosophyThe 138 Canons · English

Swipe or use the arrow keys.

English Page · Branch 174 of 244

The 138 Canons · English

Book Mode

Latin

Furnus arcanorum custos Athanor ab igne immortali, quem iugiter custodit, dictus est; continuum enim licèt inæqualem quandoque ignem operi exhibet, quem secundum materiæ quantitatem & furni capacitatem, maiorem aut minorem administrari ratio postulat.

English

The furnace, guardian of secrets, is called Athanor from the immortal fire which it continually preserves. For it supplies the work with continuous fire, though sometimes uneven, which reason requires to be administered in greater or lesser measure according to the quantity of matter and the capacity of the furnace.

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.