From the book
Heinrich Khunrath’s Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum
Heinrich Khunrath · Diotimos Editions · 2026
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At a Glance
- The wordAmadis is a literary comparator for claims that deserve little belief because they lack grounds.
- In KhunrathAt the end of page 36, after the demand to know things through causes, Khunrath says that mere supposition will receive about as much credit as the trifles of Amadis from France.
- In this editionThe edition translates Nugis as 'Trifles', preserving the contempt of the comparison.
- A reading distinctionNo title beyond the character-name and its French association is specified in the primary sentence.
Meaning
Amadis is a literary comparator for claims that deserve little belief because they lack grounds. He is not presented as a natural philosopher.
Use in the book
At the end of page 36, after the demand to know things through causes, Khunrath says that mere supposition will receive about as much credit as the trifles of Amadis from France. The sudden move from learned causal authorities to romance sharpens the rebuke: a confident tone cannot turn a story into knowledge.
The comparison is local. It does not prove that Khunrath rejects every fiction or that he consulted a particular French edition. Nor does the word 'France' establish a precise bibliographical origin for the romance tradition. What matters here is the contrast between a warrantable account and an unsupported tale.
Places to read
- 1599 p. 36Amadis supplies the dismissive comparison immediately after the causal-knowledge requirement.
Translation in this edition
The edition translates Nugis as 'Trifles', preserving the contempt of the comparison. A neutral label such as 'narratives' would weaken its polemical force.
Source note
No title beyond the character-name and its French association is specified in the primary sentence.