From the book
Heinrich Khunrath’s Magnesia Catholica Philosophorum
Heinrich Khunrath · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordPhy Diabolo, rendered “Fie upon the Devil,” stands near the end of the p. 187 subscription, immediately before Amen.
- In KhunrathThe phrase follows praise for the assistance through which Khunrath says he has spoken Nature-conformingly and philosophically.
- In this editionRetain the short Latin-form phrase in the index while giving the edition's plain English force.
- A reading distinctionThe expression belongs to the author’s subscription, not to the printer’s colophon or the owl’s motto.
Meaning
Phy Diabolo, rendered “Fie upon the Devil,” stands near the end of the p. 187 subscription, immediately before Amen. The brief dismissal carries the book's antagonistic voice into its final devotional statement.
Use in the book
The phrase follows praise for the assistance through which Khunrath says he has spoken Nature-conformingly and philosophically. It therefore does not replace thanksgiving but interrupts its sequence with a rejection of the adversary. The earlier refusal to be silenced even if the Devil rages on p. 182 prepares its force.
Nothing here sets out an exorcistic operation, names a summoned spirit or instructs the reader to perform a rite. The local function is declarative and polemical: the author gives thanks and disowns the opposition he has repeatedly figured as devilish.
Places to read
- 1599 p. 182The author refuses silence despite the Devil’s anger
- 1599 p. 187Phy Diabolo stands between the triple Hallelujah and Amen
Translation in this edition
Retain the short Latin-form phrase in the index while giving the edition's plain English force. It should not be expanded into an invented ritual formula.
Source note
The expression belongs to the author’s subscription, not to the printer’s colophon or the owl’s motto.