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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Latin Page · Branch 47 of 244
The 138 Canons · Latin
Latin
Liberorum procreatio legitimi coniugii finis est, ut autem robustior & generosior infans nascatur, omni scabie & macula mundetur uterque coniugum, antequam torum nuptialem ambo conscendant, & nihil extranei aut superflui illis inhaereat, quia ex puro semine munda procedit generatio, & ita castum consummabitur Solis & Lunae coniugium, quum thalamum Amoris intraverint, & coniuncti fuerint, illaque à coniuge animam adulando recipiet: ex hac copulâ nascetur Rex potentissimus, cuius pater est Sol, mater verò luna.
English
The end of lawful marriage is the procreation of children. So that a stronger and nobler child may be born, let both spouses be cleansed of every blemish and stain before they climb the marriage bed, and let nothing foreign or superfluous cling to them, since pure generation proceeds from pure seed. In this way the chaste marriage of sun and moon will be consummated when they have entered love's bridal chamber and been joined, and she will receive the soul from her spouse through caresses. From this coupling a most powerful king will be born, whose father is the sun and whose mother is the moon.
Socrates
Reading The Secret Work of the Hermetic Philosophy · The 138 Canons · Canon 27
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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