Diotimos Library · Esotericism & Spirituality Collection · Bilingual Edition
The Secret Work of the Hermetic Philosophy
A Fresh English Translation from the Complete 1623 Latin Arcanum
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Facing Pages · Branch 191 of 244
The 138 Canons · Canon 130
Latin
Perfectio Elixiris in strictâ sicci & humidi vnione & indissolubili matrimonio consistit, ita vt nusquam separentur, sed siccum modico calore fluat in humidum ad omnem ignis pressuram permanens. Signum perfectionis est, si tantillum illius supra laminam ferream aut æneam candentem iniectum sine fumo illicò fluat.
English
The perfection of the Elixir consists in the close union and indissoluble marriage of dry and wet, so that they are never separated. Instead, with a moderate heat the dry flows into the moist, enduring every pressure of fire. The sign of perfection is that a very small amount of it, cast onto a glowing iron or bronze plate, flows at once without smoke.
Socrates
Reading The Secret Work of the Hermetic Philosophy · The 138 Canons · Canon 130
Ask about a concept, passage, contradiction, or connection.
Socrates will begin with this book and its sources.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.
- Governing historical Latin witnessGoogle Books: governing 1623 witness
- Historical reception diagram witnessInternet Archive: 1650 collection and Signifer
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