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 · Canon 37

Swipe or use the arrow keys.

Facing Pages · Branch 59 of 244

The 138 Canons · Canon 37

Book Mode

Latin

Ut Mercurium suum philosophi tenebris altius immergerent, multiplicem eum fecerunt, & in qualibet operis parte ac regimine suum Mercurium, diversum tamen, statuerunt; neque perfectam eius notitiam consequetur, qui aliquam operis partem ignorabit.

English

To plunge their mercury more deeply into darkness, philosophers made it manifold and established a mercury of their own in every part and governance of the work, yet a different one in each. Whoever is ignorant of any part of the work will not attain a complete knowledge of it.

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.