Turba Philosophorum
The Assembly of the Sages · La asamblea de los filósofos
Se presenta como escrita originalmente en hebreo o árabe, conservada en latín «Turba Philosophorum, trad. inglés 1896 · p. 9». Su dispositivo es la asamblea: Pitágoras preside como maestro supremo y designa a Iximidrus como primer orador «Turba Philosophorum, trad. inglés 1896 · p. 14», y de ahí en adelante la obra avanza por *dicta* numerados en boca de decenas de filósofos, con fórmulas de aprobación entre oradores — «Thou hast spoken well, O Diomedes!» «Turba Philosophorum, trad. inglés 1896 · p. 109» — y un corolario final en boca de Agmon «Turba Philosophorum, trad. inglés 1896 · p. 218». La cosmología abre con los cuatro elementos y sus enemistades «Turba Philosophorum, trad. inglés 1896 · p. 17» y desemboca en la doctrina operativa del «nuestro cobre» «Turba Philosophorum, trad. inglés 1896 · p. 40».
La investigación adjudica su fábrica: el material procede de Hipólito y de Olimpiodoro — el marco de sabios griegos reescribe fuentes griegas efectivamente leídas «Principe — The Secrets of Alchemy (2013) · p. 56» —, y von Franz la señala como «probablemente la principal fuente del autor de la Aurora consurgens para su visión divina» «Aurora consurgens, ed. latín e inglés 1966 · p. 214».
559 afirmaciones · 2 fuentes · 2 atribuciones
Atribución
se consigna, jamás se afirma«Turba Philosophorum, trad. inglés 1896 · p. 13»
«Principe — The Secrets of Alchemy (2013) · p. 56»
Cadena de la obra
el testimonio procesado, en esmeraldaAfirmaciones
559 entradas — la voz de la obra, con su pasaje«I testify that the beginning of all things is a Certain Nature, which is perpetual, coequalling all things» — el arranque doctrinal: una Naturaleza cierta y perpetua como principio de todo.
«fire and water are enemies between which there is no consanguinity» — la enemistad elemental que estructura la cosmología de la asamblea.
«I make known that the beginning of all those things which God hath created is weight and proportion,* for weight rules all things, and the weight and spissitude of the earth is manifest in proportion ; but weight is not found except in body.» — Anaxágoras, en el Tercer Dicho; el asterisco es llamada de nota del impreso.
«Fire is the most rare among all,» — la escala de rareza elemental: el aire menos raro que el fuego, el agua menos rara que el aire, la tierra fría y seca la menos rara de todas.
«An egg is an illustration, for therein four things are conjoined;» — la alegoría del huevo: cáscara↔tierra, clara↔agua, yema↔fuego, y el fino córtex interno↔aire separador. En la misma página vive la única imagen que el digest describe en toda la obra: el diagrama del huevo.
«I affirm that God existed before all things, and with Him was nothing, as He was at first.»
«Hence the angels are more lucid than the sun, moon, and stars, because they are created from one substance, which is less dense» — «than two», al otro lado del renglón—
«The angels, therefore, are not created out of thick fire, but out of the thinnest of very thin fire» — la distinción entre el fuego finísimo (materia angélica, que no consume) y el fuego grueso.
«The definition of death is the disjunction of the composite, but there is no disjunction of that which is simple, for it is one. Death consists in the separation of the soul from the body, because anything formed out of two, three, or four components must disintegrate, and this is death.» — la muerte como disyunción del compuesto, no solo del hombre.
«But out of four elements our father Adam and his sons were created» — el hombre, de los cuatro; la enumeración fuego, aire, agua y tierra se completa al otro lado de la plana.
«Beasts are created out of fire, air, and earth ; flying things out of fire, air, and water, because flying things, and all among vegetables which have a spirit, are created out of water, while all brute animals are from earth, air, and fire. Yet in vegetables there is no fire, for they are created out of earth, water, and air.» — las bestias, los voladores y las plantas, de tres elementos cada uno.
«two of them are perceptible to the sense of touch and vision, and of these the operation and virtue are well known. These are earth and water. But there are two other elements which are neither visible nor tangible, which yield naught, whereof the place is never seen, nor are their operations and force known, save in the former elements, namely, earth and water» — dos elementos perceptibles y dos que solo se conocen por los primeros.
«that no true tincture is made except from our copper» — el «nuestro cobre» como única materia de la tintura verdadera.
«Know ye also that gold is not turned into redness save by Permanent Water, because Nature rejoices in Nature.» — lo que el texto dice del oro en esa plana es esto: la rojez viene del Agua Permanente.
«The key of this work is the art of Coins.»
«Nature rejoices in Nature.» — la máxima clásica, aquí en boca de la asamblea.
«you shall take the quicksilver from the male, and shall either impose upon iron, tin, or governed copper, and it will be whitened»
«The Flower of White Salt is Ethel from Ethelia.»
«I will repeat my words in Tyrian dye.» — Acsubofen, Catorceavo Dictum.
«FRICTES saith : O all ye seekers after Wisdom, know that the foundation of this Art, on account of which many have perished, is one only.» — el Decimoquinto Dicho; la fórmula de una naturaleza, una materia y un camino que la ficha traía es de la nota, no del dicho.
«Know, therefore, that the first virtue is vinegar» — lo que sigue en el troceo es la nota de la segunda recensión, no el texto— — Sócrates, Decimosexto Dictum: el plomo necesario en toda tintura.
El azufre incombustible se prepara de sulfuro puro, orina prepuberal y salmuera; el vinagre filosófico es la «vinagre aguda» que convierte el cuerpo en espíritu.
«The male receives a tingeing spirit from the female.» — Zimon, Decimoséptimo Dictum. En la misma página el digest reparte los principios: el plomo como masculino y el oropimente como femenino — inversión de la convención difundida, consignada como la trae la obra, sin armonizar.
«Whiten, therefore, the red, and redden the white!»
«Know, also, that the year is divided into four seasons ; the first season is of a frigid complexion, and this is Winter ; the second is of the complexion of air, and this is Spring ; then follows the third, which is summer, and is of the complexion of fire ; lastly, there is the fourth, wherein fruits are matured, which is Autumn. In this manner, therefore, ye are to rule your natures, namely, to dissolve in winter, to cook in spring, to coagulate in summer, and to gather and tinge the fruit in autumn. Having, therefore, given this example, rule the tingeing natures, but if ye err, blame no one save yourselves.» — el régimen estacional.
«Mundus» — , en el Decimoctavo Dictum, identifica la goma con el agua permanente.
«which is known to everyone, which has many names and has no name, I refer to aphroselinon» — Belus, Vigésimo Dictum: la piedra despreciada que todos conocen.
«you will find it with me and with Agathodaimon.»
«He who has tinged the venom of the wise out of the Sun and its shadow has arrived at the highest Arcanum.» — Theopilus, Vigésimo Segundo Dictum.
«until it shall have absorbed both, and do this seven times.» — la imbibición séptuple.
«Take quicksilver mixed with the male.» — Cerus, Vigésimo Tercer Dictum, sobre la afinidad del cobre con el agua permanente.
«Join the male and the female, and you will find that which is sought;»
«the tinctures which I have signified unto you are the condensed and the humid,* but the condensed is a conjoined vapour, and the humid is the water of sulphur, for sulphurs are contained by sulphurs, and rightly by these things Nature rejoices in Nature, and overcomes, and constrains.» — las dos tinturas.
«then is the Ixir composed out of the humid and the dry, and then it tinges with an invariable tincture. Know also that it is called a body wherein there is gold.» — el Ixir.
«When ye see it thus, repeatedly cook and imbue it until it assume the aforesaid colour, and it shall become hidden gold.»
«A true son is begotten.» — el «hijo verdadero» del proceso.
«Thou hast spoken well, O Diomedes!» — la fórmula de aprobación entre oradores, mecanismo del dispositivo dialógico (también «Excel-lently hast thou described the air, and given account of what thou knowest to be therein.», p. 19).
«Take the regal Corsufle, which is like to the redness of copper, and pound in the urine of a calf.»
«The whole work is in the vapour and the sublimation of water.» — Victimerus.
«The dealbation doth not take place save by decoction.» — Los tres grados por color: primero negro, segundo blanco, tercero rojo.
«Whosoever bends his back over the study of our books, devoting his leisure thereto,» — el elogio del estudioso.
«I notify to posterity that the rotundum turns into four elements, and is derived out of one thing.» — Zimon, sobre el rotundum.
«The first matter of bodies is not the mercury of the vulgar, but is an unctuous and humid vapour» — la materia prima como vapor untuoso y húmedo, no el mercurio vulgar.
«Quick silver is fiery» — el mercurio quema los cuerpos más que el propio fuego.
«Sulphurs are souls which are hidden in four bodies, and, extracted by themselves, do contain one another.» — Moyses, Forty-Fourth Dictum.
«MOYSES saith : This one thing of which thou hast told us, O Dardaris, the Philosophers have called by many names, sometimes by two and sometimes by three names» — Moyses, en el Cuadragésimo Cuarto Dicho.
«Venom is not a body, because subtle spirits have made it into a tenuous spirit.»
«Mix, O Belus, that which strives with the fire with that which does not strive» — el vocativo confirma a Belus como interlocutor nombrado.
«being ruled by its regimen (for ten is the perfection of all things), its white nature appears, nor is there any shadow therein.» — el diez como perfección, dentro del régimen.
«Pythagoras hath treated concerning the water, which the envious have called by all names.» — Zenón, Quincuagésimo Quinto Dictum: Pitágoras como autoridad citada dentro de la propia asamblea, no solo su presidente.
«I signify to posterity that I make philosophy near to the Sun and Moon.» — Acratus.
«The Spume of Luna tinges nothing except our copper.» — Bonites.
«woman is full of weapons and venom.» — Bonellus, Sixtieth Dictum.
«Know ye that without heat nothing is ever generated, and that the bath causes the matter to perish by means of intense heat.» — Moses; en la página anterior, la analogía fisiológica: el esperma se genera de sangre y deseo.
«there is one Tyrian tincture of the Philosophers to which they have given names at will, and having abolished the proper name, they have called it black, because it has been extracted from our sea.» — una sola tintura tiria, con los nombres puestos a voluntad; las tres virtudes —tintura, penetración y fijación— están en la nota de esa misma plana, no en el dicho.
«Know ye, also, that the death and life of the elements proceed from fire, and that the composite germinates itself, and produces that which ye desire, God favouring. But when the colours begin ye shall behold the miracles» — la conversión de los elementos, con el God favouring del propio texto.
«spirit burns one thing and destroys one thing» — Su reverso: «the liquefied, which is the lead, becomes not-liquefied,* the humid becomes dry».
«Burn the copper, burn the silver, burn the gold.» — Hermiganus.
«whiteness has been hidden in the belly of that blackness. Then it behoves you to extract that whiteness most subtly from that blackness, for ye know how to discern between them. But in the second decoction let that whiteness be placed in a vessel with its instruments, and let it be cooked gently until it become completely white. But when, O all ye seekers after this Art, ye shall perceive that whiteness appear and flowing over all, be certain that redness is hid in that whiteness ! However, it does not behove you to extract it,* but rather to cook it until the whole become a most deep red, with which nothing can compare.» — la blancura oculta en la negrura, y el rojo escondido en la blancura; la nota advierte que la segunda recensión dice lo contrario sobre extraerlo.
«Make the earth black; separate the soul and the water thereof, afterwards whiten;» — Agmon, el corolario final: el cierre operativo de toda la obra.
«begotten of Pythagoras, a disciple of the disciples by the grace of thrice great Hermes, learning from the seat of knowledge, unto all who come after wisheth health and mercy.» — Arisleo, en la epístola que encabeza el libro: se presenta como engendrado de Pitágoras y discípulo de los discípulos por gracia de Hermes tres veces grande, y dirige el escrito a la posteridad.
«the Italian, master of the wise and chief of the Prophets, had a greater gift of God and of Wisdom than was granted to any one after Hermes.» — Arisleo sobre Pitágoras: lo dice italiano, maestro de los sabios y jefe de los profetas, con un don de Dios y de sabiduría mayor que el de nadie después de Hermes.
«Therefore he had a mind to assemble his disciples, who were now greatly increased, and had been constituted the chief persons throughout all regions for the discussion of this most precious Art, that their words might be a foundation for posterity.» — Arisleo da el motivo de la asamblea: reunir a los discípulos, ya muy crecidos y constituidos jefes en todas las regiones, para que sus palabras queden de fundamento a los que vengan.
«He then commanded Iximidrus, of highest council, to be the first speaker, who said» — el turno de palabra lo reparte Pitágoras: Iximidrus, del consejo más alto, habla primero.
«Now, I instruct you that the stars are igneous, and are kept within bounds by the air.» — Iximidrus, Primer Dicho: las estrellas son ígneas y el aire las mantiene dentro de sus límites.
«But God has provided the separating air, lest that which He has created should be burnt up.» — Iximidrus: el aire está interpuesto por providencia, para que lo creado no arda.
«But the Sun is kept in check by the air, which thus conquers because it unites the heat of the Sun to its own heat, and the humidity of water to its own humidity.» — Iximidrus explica cómo el aire refrena al Sol: uniendo a lo suyo el calor solar y la humedad del agua.
«The air, which is warm and moist, joins these together by its concording medium ; between the humidity of water and the heat of fire the air is thus placed to establish peace.» — Iximidrus: el aire, cálido y húmedo, media entre los dos enemigos para poner paz entre ellos.
«For the heat of the Sun extracts something tenuous out of the air, which also becomes spirit and life to all creatures.» — Iximidrus: del aire, por el calor del Sol, sale algo tenue que se vuelve espíritu y vida de todas las criaturas.
«I do magnify the air according to the mighty speech of Iximidrus, for the work is improved thereby. The air is inspissated, and it is also made thin ; it grows warm and becomes cold.» — Exumdrus, Segundo Dicho: se suma al elogio del aire y le atribuye espesarse y adelgazarse, calentarse y enfriarse.
«It is comparable with the complexion of Spring,* in the distinction of time, which is neither warm nor cold.» — Exumdrus compara el aire con la complexión de la primavera; el asterisco es llamada de nota del impreso.
«And know, all ye Turba, that the spissitude of the four elements reposes in the earth ;» — Anaxágoras, Tercer Dicho: el espesor de los cuatro elementos acaba reposando en la tierra por una cascada, el del fuego en el aire, el del aire en el agua y el del agua en la tierra.
«Have you not observed how the spissitude of the four elements is conjoined in earth ? The same, therefore, is more inspissated than all.» — Anaxágoras cierra el argumento: la tierra es la más espesada de las cuatro, y la Turba se lo concede.
«But air is less rare than fire, because it is warm and moist, while fire is warm and dry ; now that which is warm and dry is more rare than the warm and moist.» — Anaxágoras deriva la escala de rareza de las cualidades, no de la sustancia: seco y cálido es más raro que húmedo y cálido.
«Well have ye provided, O Sons of the Doctrine, the description of these four natures,* out of which God hath created all things.» — Pitágoras aprueba lo dicho sobre los cuatro y llama Hijos de la Doctrina a la asamblea; el asterisco es llamada de nota del impreso.
«posterity that air is a tenuous matter of water, and that it is not separated from it. It remains above the dry earth, to wit, the air hidden in the water, which is under the earth.» — Pandolfus, Cuarto Dicho: el aire como materia tenue del agua, escondido en el agua que está bajo la tierra y nunca separado de ella.
«The province of the air is, therefore, to fill up and to make separation between diverse things, that is to say, water and earth, and it is constituted a peacemaker between hostile things, namely, water and fire, dividing these, lest they destroy one another.» — Pandolfus: el oficio del aire es llenar, separar y pacificar entre los hostiles.
«the visible cortex or shell represents the earth, and the albumen, or white part, is the water.» — Pandolfus desglosa la alegoría del huevo: la cáscara es la tierra y la clara el agua.
«But the lower air is thicker than the upper air, and the upper air is more rare and subtle, being nearer to the fire than the lower air» — Pandolfus distingue dos aires por su distancia al fuego, y sostiene a la vez que son uno mismo.
«But the point of the Sun, these four excepted, is in the centre of the yolk, and this is the chicken.» — Pandolfus añade un quinto término a la alegoría: el punto del Sol en el centro de la yema, que es el pollo.
«Consequently, all philosophers in this most excellent art have described the egg as an example, which same thing they have set over their work.» — Pandolfus da el huevo por emblema común de los filósofos del arte, puesto por encima de su obra.
«Know that the earth is a hill and not a plain, for which reason the Sun does not ascend over all the zones of the earth in a single hour ;» — Arisleo, Quinto Dicho: la tierra es un montículo y no un llano, y de ahí que el Sol no salga a la vez sobre todas sus zonas.
«Yet I testify that God is one, having never engendered or been begotten, and that the head of all things after Him is earth and fire, because fire is tenuous and light, and it rules all things on earth, but the earth, being ponderous and gross, sustains all things which are ruled by fire.» — Arisleo, respondiendo a Parménides: Dios uno que ni engendró ni fue engendrado, y tras Él la tierra y el fuego como cabeza de todo.
«Now, I testify unto you that all things which God hath created are from these four natures, and the things which have been created out of them return into them. In these living creatures are generated and die, and all things take place as God hath predestinated.» — Lucas, Sexto Dicho: todo sale de las cuatro naturalezas y vuelve a ellas, y todo ocurre según lo predestinado por Dios.
«Albeit Democritus received from me the science of natural things, that knowledge was derived from the philosophers of the Indies and from the Babylonians ; I think he surpasses those of his own age in this learning.» — Lucas defiende a Demócrito de la objeción de Arisleo y remite su propia ciencia a los filósofos de las Indias y a los babilonios.
«When he attains to that age* he will give no small satisfaction, but being in his youth he should keep silence.» — la Turba impone silencio a Demócrito por su juventud; el asterisco es llamada de nota.
«It is that which is not known, because in this world it is discerned by reason without the clients thereof, which are sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch.» — Locusta, Séptimo Dicho: lo que no se conoce por los cinco sentidos y solo la razón discierne.
«Know that the creature which is cognised in none of these five ways is a sublime creature, and, as such, is neither seen nor felt, but is perceived by reason alone, of which reason Nature confesses that God is a partaker.» — Locusta define la criatura sublime por la vía negativa de los sentidos, y hace a Dios partícipe de esa razón.
«Know that this creature, that is to say, the world, hath a light, which is the Sun, and the same is more subtle than all other natures, which light is so ordered that living beings may attain to vision.» — Locusta identifica la criatura con el mundo y el Sol con su luz, la más sutil de las naturalezas.
«And know that the sublime creature before mentioned has no need of the light of this Sun, because the Sun is beneath that creature, which is more subtle and more lucid. This light, which is more lucid than the light of the Sun, they have taken from the light of God, which is more subtle than their light.» — Locusta escalona las luces: la de la criatura sublime está por encima de la del Sol, y las dos vienen de la luz de Dios.
«But know, all ye Philosophers, that I declare this in order that I may fortify your opinion concerning these four elements and arcana, as well as in the sciences thereof, at which no one can arrive save by the will of God.» — Pitágoras, Octavo Dicho: da la cosmogonía como fortalecimiento de la opinión sobre los elementos y los arcanos, a los que nadie llega sino por voluntad de Dios.
«created all others, both the sublime and the inferior, because He predestinated from the beginning that all creatures extracted from water should multiply and increase, that they might dwell in the world and perform His judgments therein.» — Pitágoras: las criaturas salen del agua y se multiplican por predestinación, para ejecutar los juicios de Dios en el mundo.
«Consequently, before all, He created the four elements, out of which He afterwards created what He willed» — Pitágoras ordena la creación: primero los cuatro, después todo lo demás a partir de ellos.
«They are the angels, whom He created out of fire.» — Pitágoras responde a la Turba cuáles son las criaturas hechas de un solo elemento.
«God created the Heaven out of water and air, whence this is also composed of two, namely, the second of the rarer things, which is air, and the second of the denser things, which is water.» — Pitágoras compone el cielo de dos elementos, el segundo de los raros y el segundo de los densos.
«I notify to you that God hath further made creatures out of three and out of four ; out of three are created flying things, beasts, and vegetables ; some of these are created out of water, air, and earth, some out of fire, air, and earth.» — Pitágoras escalona las criaturas por el número de elementos que las componen.
«Let us assume that a fire, with your reverence's pardon, does reside in vegetables. And he : Ye have spoken the truth, and I affirm that they contain fire.» — la Turba objeta a Pitágoras que sí hay fuego en los vegetales, y él acepta la objeción tras haberlo negado dos renglones antes.
«Out of the heat of the air which is concealed therein ; for I have signified that a thin fire is present in the air, but the elementary fire concerning which you were in doubt is not produced, except in things which have spirit and soul.» — Pitágoras resuelve la objeción distinguiendo el fuego tenue del aire del fuego elemental, que solo se da en lo que tiene espíritu y alma.
«Understand, all ye that are wise, how everything which God hath created out of one essence dies not until the Day of Judgment.» — Pitágoras: lo hecho de una sola esencia no muere hasta el Día del Juicio.
«Understand, further, that no complex substance which lacks fire eats, drinks, or sleeps, because in all things which have a spirit fire is that which eats.» — Pitágoras hace del fuego el agente que come en todo lo que tiene espíritu.
«How is it, Master, that the angels, being created of fire, do not eat, seeing thou assertest that fire is that which eats» — la Turba le devuelve la contradicción a Pitágoras: si el fuego es lo que come, los ángeles ígneos deberían comer.
«Hence ye doubt, each having his opinion, and ye are become opponents, but if ye truly knew the elements, ye would not deny these things. I agree with all whose judgment it is that simple fire eats not, but thick fire.» — Pitágoras nombra el desacuerdo de la asamblea como tal y lo resuelve por la distinción entre fuego simple y fuego grueso.
«Seeing that thou hast gathered us together for the advantage of posterity, I think that no explanations will be more useful than definitions of those four elements which thou hast taught us to attain.» — Arisleo pide definiciones de los cuatro elementos como lo más útil para la posteridad.
«I will place it where it will not be recognised by the foolish,! nor ignored by the Sons of the Doctrine, for it is the key, the perfection and the end.» — Pitágoras declara el criterio de ocultación: colocar la clave donde el necio no la reconozca y el Hijo de la Doctrina no la pase por alto; el signo tras *foolish* es llamada de nota del impreso.
«God hath created all things by his word, having said unto them : Be, and they were made, with the four other elements, earth, water, air, and fire, which He coagulated, and things contrary were commingled» — Eximenus, Noveno Dicho: la creación por la palabra, y la coagulación de los cuatro elementos con la mezcla de los contrarios.
«Yet God hath united them peacefully, so that they love one another.» — Eximenus: los elementos hostiles quedan unidos en paz y amor por obra de Dios.
«Had they been created out of one element, they would have been agreeing natures. But diverse elements being here mingled, they lose their own natures» — Eximenus deriva la diversidad de las criaturas de la mezcla, y la pérdida de la naturaleza propia de cada elemento en ella.
«thence proceed creatures which never attain to perfection, except they be left by night to putrefy and become visibly corrupt.» — Eximenus: la putrefacción nocturna como condición de que la criatura llegue a perfección.
«God further completed his creation by means of increase, food, life, and government.» — Eximenus enumera los cuatro modos con que Dios remata la creación.
«now when the four elements are not commingled, no desire of men is accomplished. But being mixed, departing from their own natures, they become another thing.» — Eximenus: sin mezcla no hay obra, y la mezcla exige que cada elemento abandone su propia naturaleza.
«Do not therefore, exhaust your brains and your money, lest ye fill your hearts with sorrow.» — la advertencia contra el gasto inútil, en el mismo dicho que restringe la tintura al cobre propio.
«Burn therefore the copper, break it up, deprive it of its blackness by cooking, imbuing, and washing, until the same becomes white. Then rule it.» — la secuencia operativa del cobre: quemar, romper, quitarle la negrura y regirlo.
«Take, therefore, the body which I have shewn to you and reduce it to thin tablets. Next immerse the said tablets in the Water of our Sea,t which is permanent Water,! and, after it is covered, set it over a gentle fire until the tablets are melted and become waters or Etheliae,» — Arisleo, Décimo Dicho: la receta de las tabletas delgadas sumergidas en el Agua de nuestro Mar; los signos sueltos son llamadas de nota del impreso.
«Then stir in its water of Etheliae until it be coagulated, and the coins become variegated, which we call the Flower of Salt.» — Arisleo nombra Flor de Sal al resultado de coagular las monedas hasta que se abigarran.
«This, then, is Burnt Copper,* which is the Leaven of Gold and the Flower thereof.» — Arisleo identifica el Cobre Quemado con el fermento y la flor del oro.
«Ye must know that envious men have dealt voluminously with several waters, brodiums, stones, and metals, seeking to deceive all you who aspire after knowledge.» — Parménides, Undécimo Dicho: los envidiosos multiplicaron nombres de aguas, caldos, piedras y metales para engañar al que busca.
«Know ye, further, that unless ye rule the Nature of Truth, and harmonize well together its complexions and compositions, the consanguineous with the consanguineous, and the first with the first, ye act improperly and effect nothing, because natures will meet their natures, follow them, and rejoice.» — Parménides pone la regla de la consanguinidad: lo semejante con lo semejante y lo primero con lo primero.
«Therefore look in books, that ye may know the Nature of Truth, what putrefies it and what renews» — Parménides manda al libro, no al laboratorio, para conocer qué pudre y qué renueva la naturaleza.
«If indeed, ye know not the Natures of Truth, do not approach the work, since there will follow nothing but harm, disaster, and sadness.» — Parménides prohíbe la obra a quien no conoce las naturalezas.
«Consider, therefore, the teaching of the Wise, how they have declared the whole work in this saying : Nature rejoices in Nature, and Nature contains Nature.» — Parménides da la máxima doble por resumen entero de la obra.
«coagulate in the body of Magnesia,f in Kuhul, or in Sulphur which does not burn ; make the same nature white, and place it upon our Copper, when it becomes white.» — Parménides: el mercurio coagulado en Magnesia, en Kuhul o en azufre que no arde, puesto sobre el cobre propio; los signos sueltos son llamadas de nota.
«And if ye cook still more, it becomes red, when ifye proceed to coction, it becomes gold. I tell you that it turns the sea itself into red and the colour of gold.» — Parménides gradúa por cocción: blanco, rojo y oro; el OCR imprime *ifye* por *if ye*.
«seven times imbue the same with water, cooking, imbuing, and washing, until it become red.» — Parménides fija en siete el número de imbibiciones hasta el rojo.
«This, therefore, is that special and spiritual nature to which the God thereof can give what fire cannot.» — Parménides pone un límite al fuego: hay algo que solo Dios da a esa naturaleza.
«Know also, that if the vapours have whitened the surfaces, they will certainly whiten the interiors.» — Parménides infiere el interior por la superficie: lo que blanquea fuera blanquea dentro.
«Know further, all ye seekers after Wisdom, that one matter overcomes four, and our Sulphur* alone consumes all things.» — Parménides: una sola materia vence a las cuatro, y el azufre propio lo consume todo.
«O Parmenides, but thou hast not demonstrated the disposition of the smoke to posterity, nor how the same is whitened» — la Turba aprueba a Parménides y en el mismo aliento le reprocha lo que dejó sin decir: el humo y su blanqueo.
«Know, therefore, all ye seekers after Wisdom, that this treatise is not from the beginning of the ruling» — Lucas, Duodécimo Dicho: declara que la enseñanza no arranca por el principio del régimen; el signo tras *ruling* es llamada de nota.
«Take quicksilver, t which is from the male, and coagulate according to custom.» — Lucas asigna el mercurio al principio masculino y manda coagularlo según costumbre.
«White Magnesia is made in the same way, and the male is converted with it. But forasmuch as there is a certain affinity between the magnet and the iron, therefore our nature rejoices.» — Lucas apoya la conversión del masculino en la afinidad del imán con el hierro.
«Take, then, the vapour which the Ancients commanded you to take, and cook the same with its own body until tin is produced.» — Lucas: el vapor de los antiguos cocido con su propio cuerpo hasta dar estaño.
«Magnesia, Water of Alum, Water of Nitre, Water of the Sea, and Water of Iron ; whiten with smoke.» — la lista de aguas blanqueadoras de Lucas, cerrada con el humo.
«Mix, therefore, the said smoke with its faeces until it be coagulated and become excessively white.» — Lucas: el humo blanquea porque él mismo es blanco, y se coagula con sus propias heces.
«Roast this white copper till it germinates of itself, since the Magnesia when whitened does not suffer the spirits to escape, or the shadow of coppert to appear, because Nature contains Nature.» — Lucas: la Magnesia blanqueada retiene los espíritus e impide que asome la sombra del cobre.
«The same must be boiled for seven days, till it shall become like gleaming marble, for when it has reached this condition it is a very great Arcanum» — Lucas fija el término del hervor en la semejanza con el mármol reluciente.
«seeing that Sulphur is mixed with Sulphur, whence an excellent work is accomplished, by reason of the affinity between them, because natures rejoice in meeting their own natures.» — Lucas repite la regla de la afinidad aplicada al azufre con azufre.
«Take, therefore, Mardek and whiten the same with Gadenbe,* that is, wine and vinegar, and Permanent Water.» — Lucas nombra dos sustancias que la propia obra glosa, Mardek y Gadenbe, y esta última como vino, vinagre y Agua Permanente.
«Know that when it is coagulated we call it the Soul, and it is more quickly converted from nature into nature.» — Lucas llama Alma a lo coagulado.
«This, therefore, is sufficient for those .who deal with the Art of Coins, because one thing makes it but many operate therein. For ye need not a number of things, but one thing only, which in each and every grade of your work is changed into another nature.» — Lucas reduce el arte a una sola cosa que cambia de naturaleza en cada grado, contra la multiplicación de materias.
«Master, if you speak as the Wise have spoken, and that briefly, they will follow you who do not wish to be wholly shut in with darkness.» — la Turba le pide brevedad a Lucas, no oscuridad.
«And know, all ye seekers after this Science and Wisdom, that whatsoever the envious may have enjoined in their books concerning the composition of natures which agree together,* in savour there is only one, albeit to sight they are as diverse as possible.» — Pitágoras, Decimotercer Dicho: al gusto hay una sola cosa aunque a la vista sean diversísimas.
«Know, also, that the thing which they have described in so many ways follows and attains its companion without fire, even as the magnet follows the iron» — Pitágoras: la cosa llega a su compañera sin fuego, como el imán al hierro, y se compara también a la semilla y a la matriz.
«the said one thing enters into every regimen, and is found everywhere, being a stone, and also not a stone ; common and precious ; hidden and concealed,» — Pitágoras enuncia la serie de contrarios de la cosa única.
«yet known by everyone ; of one name and of many names, which is the Spume of the Moon.» — el cierre de la serie, con el nombre Espuma de la Luna.
«This stone, therefore, is not a stone, because it is more precious ; without it Nature never operates anything; its name is one, yet we have called it by many names on account of the excellence of its nature.» — Pitágoras explica la multiplicación de nombres por la excelencia de la naturaleza nombrada, no por afán de ocultar.
«It is called White Ethelia, White Copper, and that which flies from the fire and alone whitens copper.» — Pitágoras cede tres de esos nombres a petición de la Turba.
«This, therefore, is the stone which we call by all names, which assimilates the work and drinks it, and is the stone out of which also all colours appear.» — Pitágoras: la piedra que bebe la obra y de la que salen todos los colores.
«Know, moreover, that if you take white quicksilver, or the Spume of Luna, and do as ye are bidden, breaking up with a gentle fire, the same is coagulated, and becomes a stone.» — Pitágoras cierra el procedimiento en la piedra coagulada a fuego suave.
«Ye must know, O Assembly of the Wise, that sulphurs are contained in sulphurs, and humidity in humidity.» — Acsubofen, Decimocuarto Dicho, tras agradecer a Pitágoras que haya hablado sin envidia.
«The envious, O Acsubofen, have uttered something like unto this» — la Turba le objeta a Acsubofen que eso mismo lo dijeron los envidiosos, y le exige decir qué es esa humedad.
«tinges it with an invariable colour, and in no wise permits the soul to be separated from the body, because it is equal thereto.» — Acsubofen, Decimocuarto Dicho: la humedad es veneno, y al penetrar el cuerpo lo tiñe con color invariable e impide que el alma se le separe.
«When one flies and the other pursues, then one seizes upon the other, and afterwards they no longer flee, because Nature has laid hold of its equal, after the manner of an enemy, and they destroy one another.» — Acsubofen cita a los envidiosos: la fórmula del que huye y el que persigue, que él acepta aunque venga de ellos.
«For this reason, out of the sulphureous mixed sulphur is produced a most precious colour, which varies not, nor flees from the fire, when the soul enters into the interior of the body and holds the body together and tinges it.» — Acsubofen: el color que no huye del fuego sale del alma entrada en el cuerpo, no de la superficie.
«since all its water is a Tyrian colour, and rule the same with a gentle fire, as is customary, until it shall become earth, in which there will be a little colour.» — Acsubofen manda tomar el animal llamado Kenckel y regirlo a fuego suave hasta que se haga tierra.
«But if you wish to obtain the Tyrian tincture, take the humidity which that thing has ejected, and place it therewith gradually in a vessel, adding that tincture whereof the colour was disagreeable to you.» — Acsubofen: la humedad expulsada se le devuelve a la materia junto con la tintura desechada.
«Then leave it for several days in its own vessel, until the most precious Tyrian colour shall come out from it to the surface.» — Acsubofen: el color tirio sale solo a la superficie tras varios días de reposo.
«water of the sea, and with permanent clean water, so that it may be tinged, and decoct with a gentle fire, until the blackness altogether shall depart from it, and it be easily pounded.» — Acsubofen completa el régimen empezado con orina de muchachos: agua de mar y Agua Permanente limpia hasta que se va la negrura.
«Decoct, therefore, in its own humour until it clothe itself with a red colour.» — Acsubofen: la materia se viste de rojo cociéndola en su propio humor.
«I tell you that a colour will thence appear to you the like of which the Tyrians have never made.» — Acsubofen mide su tintura contra la de los tirios y la declara superior.
«But know that ye do not tinge the purple colour except by cold.» — Acsubofen: la púrpura se tiñe en frío, no al fuego.
«Know also that the Philosophers have called the force which proceeds from that water the Flower.» — Acsubofen nombra Flor a la fuerza que sale del agua fría.
«one thing which is stronger than all natures, and more sublime in the opinion of philosophers, whereas with fools it is more common than anything.» — Frictes, Decimoquinto Dicho: la cosa única es a la vez la más sublime para el filósofo y la más común para el necio.
«I swear to you that if kings were familiar with it, none of us would ever attain this thing.» — Frictes explica la ignorancia general como condición de acceso: si los reyes lo supieran, nadie más lo alcanzaría.
«O how this nature changeth body into spirit ! O how admirable is Nature, how she presides over all, and overcomes all» — Frictes, en una de las exclamaciones en O que recorren los dichos.
«Name this Nature, O Frictes ! And he : It is a very sharp vinegar,» — Pitágoras le exige el nombre y Frictes contesta que es un vinagre agudísimo.
«gold into sheer spirit, without which vinegar, neither whiteness, nor blackness, nor redness, nor rust can be made.» — Frictes: sin ese vinagre no hay ninguno de los colores de la obra.
«it turns the same into a spirit, and tinges with a spiritual and invariable tincture, which is indelible.» — Frictes: mezclado con el cuerpo se hace uno con él y lo vuelve espíritu.
«And know, further, that the first humour is cold. Be careful, therefore, of the fire, which is inimical to cold. Accordingly, the Wise have said : Rule gently until the sulphur becomes incombustible.» — Frictes deriva la regla del fuego suave de que el primer humor sea frío.
«is, that a little of this sulphur burns a strong body.» — Frictes da esto por el mejor punto del arte de los sabios.
«For this vinegar burns the body, converts it into a cinder, and also whitens the body, which, if ye cook well and deprive of blackness, is changed into a stone, so that it becomes a coin of most intense whiteness.» — Frictes: el mismo vinagre quema y blanquea, y lleva el cuerpo hasta moneda blanquísima.
«Know also, that the beginning of the whole work is the whitening, to which succeeds the redness, finally the perfection of the work» — Frictes ordena la obra en blanco, rojo y perfección, y añade que la perfección completa llega después por el vinagre y por la voluntad de Dios.
«I swear to you by God that I have searched for a long time in books so that I might arrive at the knowledge of this one thing, while I prayed also to God that he would teach me what it is. My prayer was heard, He shewed me clean water, whereby I knew pure vinegar, and the more I did read books, the more was I illuminated.» — Frictes cuenta cómo llegó a la cosa única: libros y oración a la vez, no una en lugar de la otra.
«Know, O crowd of those that still remain of the Sons of the Doctrine, that no tincture can be produced without Lead, which possesses the required virtue.» — Sócrates, Decimosexto Dicho: no hay tintura sin plomo.
«Have ye not seen how thrice-great Hermes infused the red into the body, and it was changed into an invariable colour» — Sócrates invoca a Hermes tres veces grande como precedente de la infusión del rojo.
«and the second is the Lead" of which the Wise have spoken, which if it be infused into all bodies, renders all unchangeable, and tinges them with an invariable colour.» — Sócrates ordena las virtudes: primero el vinagre, segundo el plomo; el signo tras *Lead* es llamada de nota del impreso, leída por el OCR como comilla.
«Take, therefore, Lead which is made out of the stone called Kuhul ; t let it be of the best quality, and let it be cooked till it becomes black.» — Sócrates hace el plomo de la piedra Kuhul y lo cuece hasta el negro.
«But know that when it becomes dry it drinks up what remains of its humour swiftly, because it is burnt lead. Take care, however, lest it be burnt.» — Sócrates advierte contra el exceso: el plomo quemado bebe rápido su humedad y puede pasarse.
«call it incombustible sulphur. Pound the same with the sharpest vinegar, and cook till it becomes thick, taking care lest the vinegar be changed into smoke and perish ; continue this coction for 150 days.» — Sócrates fija en ciento cincuenta días la cocción del azufre incombustible con vinagre agudísimo.
«Now, therefore, I have demonstrated the disposition of the white lead, all which afterwards follows being no more than women's work and child's play.» — Sócrates da por dicho lo difícil con la fórmula del trabajo de mujeres y juego de niños.
«Know, also, that the arcanum of the work of gold proceeds out of the male and the female, but I have shewn you the male in the lead, while, in like manner, I have discovered for you the female in orpiment.» — Sócrates reparte los principios al revés de la convención difundida: masculino el plomo, femenino el oropimente.
«Mix, therefore, the orpiment with the lead, for the female rejoices in receiving the strength of the male, because she is assisted by the male.» — Sócrates describe el intercambio: la hembra recibe la fuerza del macho y el macho un espíritu tiñente de ella.
«Now, therefore, I have notified to you the power of orpiment, which is the woman by whom is accomplished the most great arcanum. Do not shew these unto the evil, for they will laugh.» — Sócrates cierra con la reserva: el arcano se calla ante los malos, que se reirían.
«It is the Ethelia of vinegar which is placed in the preparation, by which things God perfects the work, whereby also spirits take possession of bodies, and they become spiritual.» — Sócrates atribuye a Dios el remate de la obra, y a la Ethelia del vinagre que los espíritus tomen posesión de los cuerpos.
«O Turba of Philosophers and disciples, now hast thou spoken about making into white, but it yet remains to treat concerning the reddening» — Zimon, Decimoséptimo Dicho, reclama a la asamblea lo que le falta: el enrojecimiento.
«that unless ye whiten, ye cannot make red, because the two natures are nothing other than red and white.» — Zimon ordena las dos operaciones: no hay rojo sin blanco previo.
«I will speak of making lead red.* Take the copper which the Master ordered you to take at the beginning of his book, combine lead therewith, and cook it until it becomes thick» — Zimon retoma el cobre del comienzo del libro y lo combina con plomo.
«Here certainly is the Red Lead of which the wise spake ; copper and lead become a precious stone» — Zimon nombra el Plomo Rojo y hace de cobre y plomo una piedra preciosa.
«So when the male and the female are conjoined there is not produced a volatile wife, but a spiritual composite. From the composite turned into a red spirit is produced the beginning of the world.» — Zimon: de la conjunción no sale una esposa volátil sino un compuesto espiritual, y de él el principio del mundo.
«Behold this is the lead which we have called Red Lead, which is of our work, and without which nothing is effected» — Zimon cierra su dicho sobre el Plomo Rojo.
«The seekers after this Art must know that the Philosophers in their books have described gum in many ways, but it is none other than permanent water, out of which our precious stone is generated.» — Mundus, Decimoctavo Dicho: la goma de los libros no es más que el Agua Permanente.
«O how many are the seekers after this gum, and how few there are who find it ! Know that this gum is not ameliorated except by gold alone.» — Mundus: la goma solo se mejora con oro.
«Know ye that our gum is stronger than gold, and all those who know it do hold it more honourable than gold, yet gold we also honour, for without it the gum cannot be improved.» — Mundus pone la goma por encima del oro sin despreciarlo: el oro sigue haciendo falta.
«Consequently, the Philosophers, when committing these things to writing that the same might not perish, have not set forth in their books the manifest disposition, lest every one should become acquainted therewith, and having become familiar to fools, the same would not sell it at a small price.» — Mundus explica la oscuridad de los libros como precaución deliberada de los filósofos al escribir.
«one part of the urine of a white calf; one part of the gall of a fish ; and one part of the body of gum, without which it cannot be improved ; mix these portions and cook for forty days.» — la receta de Mundus, en partes iguales y cuarenta días de cocción.
«Then mix it with milk of the fig, and cock it till that moisture be dried up in the composite, which afterwards mix with milk of the root of grass» — Mundus encadena leches vegetales, de higuera y de raíz de hierba; el OCR imprime *cock* por *cook*.
«Then dismiss for forty days. Let it remain in that trituration or decocting until the spirit penetrate the body. For by this regimen the spirit is made corporeal, and the body is changed into a spirit.» — Mundus: el régimen intercambia los estados, el espíritu se hace cuerpo y el cuerpo espíritu.
«It is common knowledge that the Masters* before us have described Permanent Water.» — Dardaris, Decimonoveno Dicho; el asterisco es llamada de la nota que aclara quiénes son esos Maestros.
«He, therefore, who does not understand Permanent Water, and its indispensable regimen, may not enter into this Art, because nothing is effected without the Permanent Water.» — Dardaris pone el Agua Permanente como condición de entrada al arte.
«The force thereof is a spiritual blood, whence the Philosophers have called it Permanent Water» — Dardaris llama sangre espiritual a la fuerza del Agua Permanente, dentro del dicho y no solo en el aparato.
«For these, being mixed together and reduced to one, transform each other ; the body incorporates the spirit, and the spirit incorporates the body into tinged spirit, like blood. And know ye, that whatsoever hath spirit the same hath blood also as well.» — Dardaris: la transformación es recíproca, y todo lo que tiene espíritu tiene sangre.
«Seeing that they are philosophers, O Belus, why hast thou called them disciples» — Pitágoras corrige a Belus el tratamiento, y Belus responde que lo hizo por honrar al Maestro.
«Those who, in conjunction with us, have composed this book which is called the Turba, ought not to be termed disciples.» — Pitágoras nombra el libro dentro del libro y llama coautores a los oradores.
«A report has gone abroad that the Hidden Glory of the Philosophers is a stone and not a stone, and that it is called by many names, lest the foolish should recognise it.» — Belus, Vigésimo Dicho: la multiplicación de nombres se explica aquí como defensa contra el necio, no como excelencia.
«Certain wise men have designated it after one fashion, namely, according to the place where it is generated ; others have adopted another, founded upon its colour, some of whom have termed it the Green Stone» — Belus clasifica los nombres por su motivo: unos por el lugar de generación, otros por el color.
«because it is sold for coins by lapidaries who are called saven ; some have named it Spume of Luna» — Belus sigue la lista de nombres, con los lapidarios llamados saven.
«it has already received a thousand titles, of which the best is : " That which is produced out of metals.» — Belus escoge entre mil títulos el que le parece mejor.
«So also others have called it the Heart of the Sun, and yet others have declared it to be that which is brought forth out of quicksilver with the milk of volatile things.» — Belus cierra la lista con el Corazón del Sol.
«Howsoever, I teach posterity that this despised stone is a permanent water, and know, all ye seekers after Wisdom, that permanent water is water of mundane life,t because, verily, Philosophers have stated that Nature rejoices in Nature, Nature contains Nature, and Nature overcomes Nature.» — Pandolfus, Vigésimo Primer Dicho, tras reprochar a Belus que no dejó nada por decir: la piedra despreciada es Agua Permanente, y ésta agua de vida mundana.
«The Philosophers have constituted this short dictum the principle of the work for reasonable persons.» — Pandolfus da la triple fórmula sobre la naturaleza por principio de la obra.
«He, therefore, who attempts to make the venom of the Philosophers without these, already errs, and has fallen into that pit wherein his sadness remains.» — Pandolfus: sin el Sol y su sombra no se hace el veneno de los filósofos.
«Know also that our coin when it becomes red, is called gold ; he, therefore, who knows the hidden Cambart of the Philosophers, to him is the Arcanum already revealed.» — Pandolfus condiciona el arcano al conocimiento del Cambar oculto; el signo tras el término es llamada de nota.
«described this stone, yet thou hast not narrated its regimen nor its composition. Return, therefore, to the description.» — la Turba reconoce lo dicho por Pandolfus y le exige el régimen y la composición que faltan.
«I direct you to take an occult and honourable arcanum, which is White Magnesia,* and the same is mixed and pounded with wine» — Pandolfus vuelve al régimen con la Magnesia Blanca molida con vino.
«finally place it in its vessel, and pray God that He may grant you the sight of this very great stone.» — Pandolfus intercala la oración dentro de la receta, como paso del procedimiento.
«Pound the same, therefore, with its confections, which are the said flower of copper, gold of the Indies whose root is one, and a certain extract of an unguent, that is, of a crocus, that is, fixed exalted alum, or T? ;* cook the four, therefore, permanently for 40 or 42 days.» — Pandolfus da las cuatro confecciones y el plazo de cuarenta a cuarenta y dos días; el signo *T?* es lo que el OCR deja de un símbolo que Waite discute en nota.
«After these days God will show you the principle (or beginning) of this stone, which is the stone Atitos, of which favoured sight of God there are many accounts.» — Pandolfus nombra Atitos a la piedra y remite su visión al favor de Dios.
«And know ye that so often as ye imbue the cinder, so often must it be desiccated and again humectated, until its colour turns into that which ye desire.» — Pandolfus: la imbibición y la desecación se alternan tantas veces como haga falta hasta el color buscado.
«Know also that the perfection of the work of this precious stone is to rule it with the residue of the third part of the medicine, and to preserve the two other parts for imbuing and cooking alternately till the required colour appears.» — Pandolfus reparte la medicina en tres partes, una para regir y dos de reserva.
«Blessed are ye if ye understand» — Pandolfus, antes de repetir por segunda vez la perfección de la obra para quien no entendió.
«For that which ye seek of it by the favour of God, will appear to you, which is the stone of Tyrian colour.» — Pandolfus cierra en la piedra de color tirio.
«so do I conjure you by God and your sure Master, that you show not this great arcanum, and beware of the wicked» — Pandolfus remata con el juramento de secreto exigido a los oyentes.
«knows what the Philosophers have narrated in their books without frequent reading, experiments, and questionings of the Wise.» — Teófilo, Vigésimo Segundo Dicho: el arcano del oro y el arte de la moneda son vestidura oscura, y hacen falta lectura repetida, experimentos y preguntas a los sabios.
«For that which they have concealed is more sublime and obscure than it is possible to make known in words, and albeit some have dealt with it intelligibly and well, certain others have treated it obscurely ; thus some are more lucid than others.» — Teófilo gradúa a los propios filósofos por claridad, sin igualarlos.
«I announce to posterity that between boritis and copper there is an affinity, because the boritis of the Wise liquefies the copper, and it changes as a fluxible water.» — Teófilo: la afinidad de boritis y cobre licúa el metal.
«finally, open the vessel, and ye shall find copper turned into quicksilver; wash the same by cooking until it be deprived of its blackness, and become as copper without a shadow.» — Teófilo cierra su régimen de cuarenta y dos días en el cobre sin sombra.
«Accordingly, the Philosophers have called this stone Boritis;* cook, therefore, that coagulated stone until it becomes a matter like mucra.» — Teófilo nombra Boritis a la piedra coagulada.
«the very great putrefaction which extracts (or contains in itself) the very great arcanum.» — Teófilo pone la putrefacción como lo que saca el arcano; el paréntesis es del traductor, que da las dos lecturas.
«It is to be known that the same affinity which exists between the magnet and iron, also exists assuredly between copper and permanent water.» — Teófilo traslada la afinidad del imán y el hierro al cobre y el Agua Permanente.
«Take white Magnesia and quicksilver,* mix with the male, and pound strongly by cooking, not with the hands, until the water become thin.» — Teófilo excluye la mano del procedimiento: se muele cociendo.
«in the one part of the water cook it for eleven, otherwise, forty days, until there be a white flower, as the flower of salt in its splendour and coruscation» — Teófilo da dos plazos alternativos, once o cuarenta días, hasta la flor blanca.
«wash the same with water, that is to say, the other part which I counselled you to preserve, until there appear a crocus, and leave in its own vessel.» — Teófilo emplea la segunda mitad del agua reservada hasta que aparece el croco.
«imbue it, therefore, and cook, until the weight of the humidity shall fail, and the colour which the Philosophers have magnified shall truly appear.» — Teófilo cierra en el color que los filósofos engrandecieron.
«iron, by the alliance of composites existing between the magnet and the iron, while the copper is fitly ruled for one hundred days :* what statement can be more useful to you than that there is no affinity between tin» — Cerus, Vigésimo Tercer Dicho, añade cien días de régimen y una negativa: no hay afinidad entre el estaño y el mercurio.
«Thou hast ill spoken, having disparaged the true disposition. And he : I testify that I say nothing but what is true ; why are you incensed against me ? Fear the Lord, all ye Turba, that your Master may believe you» — la asamblea acusa a Cerus de hablar mal y él se defiende; el desacuerdo queda sin resolver en el texto.
«Say what you will. And he : I direct you to take quicksilver, in which is the male potency or strength» — la Turba le concede la palabra a Cerus sin retirarle la objeción.
«Then take the water which you had divided into two parts, of which one is for liquefying and cooking the body, but the second is for cleansing that which is already burnt» — Cerus reparte el agua en dos oficios, licuar y limpiar.
«Know also that in the time of forty-two days the whole is changed into earth» — Cerus fija el plazo de la conversión en tierra.
«that is to say, the stone which is out of two things.» — Cerus define el arcano grandísimo como la piedra hecha de dos cosas.
«Know also that unto water desiccated with its companion we have given the name of crocus.» — Cerus define el croco por el procedimiento, no por el color.
«Thou hast spoken well, O Belus, and therefore I follow thy steps ! He answereth : As it may please you, but do not become envious, for that is not the part of the Wise.» — Bocascus, Vigésimo Cuarto Dicho, llama Belus al orador que la recensión larga nombra Cerus; la envidia vuelve como la falta propia del oficio.
«Take lead, and, as the Philosophers have ordained, imbue, liquefy, and afterwards congeal, until a stone is produced ; then rule the stone with gluten of gold and syrup of pomegranates until it be broken up.» — Bocascus rige la piedra con gluten de oro y jarabe de granadas.
«Thou hast done nothing but pile up ambiguous words. Return, therefore, to the subject.» — la Turba le reprocha a Bocascus la ambigüedad y lo devuelve al asunto.
«Ye who wish to coagulate quicksilver,t must mix it with its equal.» — Bocascus responde a la reconvención con la regla del igual con el igual.
«But let this be desiccated with its own equal vapour, because ye have found the whole quicksilver to be coagulated by itself.» — Bocascus: el mercurio se coagula por sí mismo.
«May God reward thee for the regimen, since thou speakest the truth ! For thou hast illuminated thy words.» — Menabdus, Vigésimo Quinto Dicho, abre alabando al anterior; la asamblea le pide que no se quede por debajo de él.
«I know that I can utter nothing but that which he hath uttered ; however, I counsel posterity to make bodies not bodies,» — Menabdus admite no tener nada propio que añadir y aun así da su consejo.
«With these bodies accordingly join quicksilver and the body of Magnesia,t the woman also with the man, and by means of this there is extracted our secret Ethelia, through which bodies are coloured» — Menabdus empareja mercurio y cuerpo de Magnesia como mujer y hombre, y de ahí saca la Ethelia secreta.
«assuredly, if I understand this regimen, bodies become not bodies, and incorporeal things become bodies.» — Menabdus enuncia el doble tránsito con una reserva sobre su propia comprensión.
«And know ye that quicksilver is a fire burning the bodies, mortifying and breaking up, with one regimen, and the more it is mixed and pounded with the body, the more the body is disintegrated, while the quicksilver is attenuated and becomes living.» — Menabdus: el mercurio quema y mortifica los cuerpos, y al hacerlo se atenúa y se hace vivo.
«For this reason it does not colour things unless it be coloured, and being coloured it colours.» — Menabdus condiciona la coloración a que el agente esté coloreado antes.
«And know that no body can tinge itself unless its spirit be extracted from the secret belly thereof» — Menabdus: la tintura exige extraer antes el espíritu del vientre secreto del cuerpo.
«seeing that a dense thing does not tinge a tenuous, but a tenuous nature colours that which enters into a body.» — Menabdus: solo lo tenue tiñe, y por eso hay que extraer del cobre lo más tenue.
«Hence has the wise man said, that copper does not tinge unless first it be tinged.» — Menabdus cita la sentencia sobre el cobre que no tiñe sin haber sido teñido.
«I perceive that you, O crowd of the Wise, have conjoined two bodies, which your Master by no means ordered you to do» — Zenón, Vigésimo Sexto Dicho, abre acusando a la asamblea de haber hecho lo que el Maestro no mandó.
«Know, O Sons of the Doctrine, that it behoves you to allow the composition to putrefy for forty days» — Zenón fija cuarenta días de putrefacción antes de sublimar cinco veces.
«On the first day black citrine, on the second black red, on the third like unto a dry crocus,* finally, the purple colour will appear to you» — Zenón da la sucesión de colores día por día hasta la púrpura.
«But when ye are composing the Ixir, beware lest you extract the same hastily, for it lingers.» — Zenón advierte contra la prisa: el Ixir se demora.
«For this venom is, as it were, birth and life, because it is a soul extracted out of many things, and imposed upon coins» — Zenón llama al veneno nacimiento y vida, y alma sacada de muchas cosas.
«is life to those things with which it is joined, from which it removes evil, but it is death to the bodies from which it is extracted.» — Zenón: la misma tintura es vida para lo que se le une y muerte para aquello de donde se extrajo.
«Accordingly, the Masters have said that between them there exists the same desire as between male and female» — Zenón cierra con el deseo entre los dos, en boca de los Maestros.
«it is to be observed that the envious have called the venerable stone Efflucidinus,t and they have ordered it to be ruled until it coruscates like marble in its splendour.» — Gregorio, Vigésimo Séptimo Dicho, atribuye a los envidiosos el nombre Efflucidinus.
«you must know that the copper is commingled with vinegar, and ruled until it becomes water. Finally, let it be congealed, and it remains a coruscating stone with a brilliancy like marble» — Gregorio explica qué hay detrás del nombre: cobre con vinagre hasta agua, y de ahí la piedra como mármol.
«Then repeat the process, when it will become gold of a Tyrian colour.» — Gregorio: repetido el proceso, el oro escondido pasa a oro de color tirio.
«Know also that if ye rule it ignorantly, ye shall see nothing of those colours.» — Gregorio condiciona la aparición de los colores al saber del que rige.
«I knew a certain person who commenced this work, and operated the natures of truth, who, when the redness was somewhat slow in appearing, imagined that he had made a mistake, and so relinquished the work.» — Gregorio cuenta un caso: abandonó por creerse equivocado cuando solo se tardaba el rojo.
«for the punic dye,* having embraced his spouse, passes swiftly into her body, liquefies, congeals, breaks up, and disintegrates the same.» — Gregorio describe la conjunción en términos conyugales; la nota da *el macho* como lectura de la otra recensión.
«and if ye effect it without the weight, death will take place, whereupon it will be thought to be bad. Hence, I order that the fire should be gentle in liquefaction, but when it is turned to earth make the same intense,» — Gregorio: sin el peso sobreviene la muerte, y el fuego cambia de grado según la fase.
«I am surprised, O all ye Turba ! at the very great force and nature of this water, for when it has entered into the said body, it turns it first into earth, and next into powder, to test the perfection of which take in the hand, and if ye find it impalpable as water, it is then most excellent» — Gustos, Vigésimo Octavo Dicho: la prueba del polvo es táctil, impalpable como agua.
«And know that if ye use any substance other than our copper, and rule with our water, it will profit you nothing.» — Gustos restringe la materia al cobre propio regido con el agua propia.
«Father, the envious* created no little obscurity when they commanded us to take lead and white quicksilver, and to rule the same with dew and the sun till it becomes a coin-like stone.» — la Turba se queja ante Gustos de la oscuridad de los envidiosos.
«They meant our copper and our permanent water, when they thus directed you to cook in a gentle fire» — Gustos traduce el lenguaje de los envidiosos a los términos propios de la obra.
«Therefore, the nature of these two is one, for between them there is a mixed affinity, without which they would not so swiftly unite, and be held together so that they may become one.» — Gustos hace una sola naturaleza del cobre y el Agua Permanente.
«Why do the envious direct us to take the copper which we have now made, and roasted until it has become gold» — la Turba cierra el dicho con una pregunta que el texto deja sin responder.
«Thou hast spoken already, O Moses*, in an ungrudging manner, as became thee» — Diamedes, Vigésimo Noveno Dicho, se dirige a Moisés donde el dicho anterior es de Gustos; el asterisco es llamada de la nota que registra la discordancia.
«Know, O ye seekers after this doctrine, that man does not proceed except from a man ; that only which is like unto themselves is begotten from brute animals ; and so also with flying creatures.» — Diamedes funda la regla de la generación por lo semejante en la observación de hombres, bestias y aves.
«for Nature is truly not improved by Nature, save with her own nature, seeing that thou thyself art not improved except in thy son, that is to say, man in man.» — Diamedes lleva la regla al operador mismo: uno no se mejora sino en su hijo.
«Join, therefore, that male, who is son to the red slave,* in marriage with his fragrant wife, which having been done, Art is produced between them ; add no foreign matter unto these things, neither powder nor anything else ; that conception is sufficient for us, for it is near, yet the son is nearer still.» — Diamedes casa al varón hijo del esclavo rojo con su esposa fragante y prohíbe añadir materia ajena.
«that red slave, without which the regimen cannot endure» — Diamedes hace del esclavo rojo condición del régimen entero.
«Diomedes, thou hast publicly revealed this disposition ! He answereth : 1 will even shed more light upon it. Woe unto you who fear not God, for He may deprive you of this art ! Why, therefore, are you envious towards your brethren ? They answer : We do not flee except from fools» — Bacsen acusa a Diamedes de revelar en público y él responde prometiendo aclarar todavía más; la asamblea alega que solo se esconde de los necios.
«Place Citrine with his wife after the conjunction into the bath ; do not kindle the bath excessively, lest they be deprived of sense and motion ; cause them to remain in the bath until their body, and the colour thereof, shall become a certain unity, whereupon restore unto it the sweat thereof; again suffer it to die ; then give it rest, and beware lest ye evaporate them by burning them in too strong a fire. Venerate the king and his wife,» — Diamedes describe el baño de los esposos con vocabulario de cuerpo vivo: sentido, movimiento, sudor y muerte.
«Cook them, therefore, until they become black, then white, afterwards red, and finally until a tingeing venom is produced.» — Diamedes ordena la serie de colores del rey y su esposa hasta el veneno tiñente.
«if ye remain ignorant, it is God who hath concealed the truth from you ! Blame not, therefore, the Wise, but yourselves, for if God knew that ye possessed a faithful mind, most certainly he would reveal unto you the truth.» — Diamedes traslada a Dios la responsabilidad de la ignorancia del lector, y exime a los sabios.
«thou hast demonstrated the disposition of Corsufle* to posterity ! Of this same Corsufle the envious have spoken in many ways, and have confused it with all manner of names.» — Bacsen, Trigésimo Dicho, señala lo que falta: el Corsufle, confundido por los envidiosos con toda clase de nombres.
«I swear by thy father that this is the head of the work,t for the true beginning hereof cometh after the completion,» — Diamedes invierte el orden: el verdadero comienzo viene después del acabamiento.
«seven times, because when it arrives at perfection it tinges the whole body.» — Bacsen fija en siete los asados del Corsufle.
«How does the discourse of Bacsen appear to you, since he has omitted to name the substance by its artificial names» — Pitágoras, Trigésimo Primer Dicho, somete a la asamblea la falta de Bacsen.
«Corsufle being its composition, they have applied to it all the names of bodies in the world, as, for example, those of coin, copper, tin, gold, iron, and also the name of lead, until it be deprived of that colour and become Ixir.» — Pitágoras explica por qué la sustancia lleva todos los nombres de los cuerpos del mundo.
«by the will of God, because that nature from which the humidity is removed, that nature which is left by nights, does indeed seem like unto something that is dead ; it is then turned and (again) left for certain nights, as a man is left in his tomb, when it becomes a powder.» — Bonellus, Trigésimo Segundo Dicho, compara la materia secada y dejada de noche con el hombre en su tumba; el paréntesis es del traductor.
«These things being done, God will restore unto it both the soul and the spirit thereof, and the weakness being taken away, that matter will be made strong, and after corruption will be improved, even as a man becomes stronger after resurrection and younger than he was in this world.» — Bonellus lleva la analogía hasta la resurrección: la materia sale de la corrupción más fuerte, como el hombre resucitado.
«to consume that matter with fire boldly until it shall become a cinder» — Bonellus manda quemar sin miedo hasta la ceniza, que es la que recibe el espíritu.
«that artists are unable to paint with their own tinctures until they convert them into a powder ; similarly, the philosophers cannot combine medicines for the sick slaves until they also turn them into powder» — Bonellus argumenta con los pintores y los médicos: nada tiñe ni cura sin pasar antes a polvo.
«It is thus because copper like man, has a body and a soul, for the inspiration of men cometh from the air, which after God is their life, and similarly the copper is inspired by the humour» — Bonellus hace del cobre un viviente con cuerpo y alma, inspirado por el humor como el hombre por el aire.
«Hence, the philosophers add, that when copper is consumed with fire and iterated several times, it becomes better than it was.» — Bonellus: la repetición del fuego mejora el cobre.
«it is because it is augmented and multiplied, and because God extracts many things out of one thing, since He hath created nothing which wants its own regimen, and those qualities by which its healing must be effected.» — Bonellus responde a la Turba: nada fue creado sin su propio régimen y sin las cualidades con que sanarlo.
«our copper, when it is first cooked, becomes water ; then the more it is cooked, the more is it thickened until it becomes a stone, as the envious have termed it, but it is really an egg tending to become a metal.» — Bonellus corrige el nombre de los envidiosos: no es piedra sino huevo que tiende a metal.
«Do you not see that sperm is not produced from the blood unless it be diligently cooked in the liver till it has acquired an intense red colour, after which no change takes place in that sperm» — Bonellus toma la fisiología del semen como prueba de que sin cocción no hay color.
«But if ye arrive at the conclusion of this regimen, and so obtain your purpose, ye shall be princes among the people of your time.» — Bonellus cierra con la promesa social, no con la espiritual.
«Now ye have made this arcanum public.» — Nicarus, Trigésimo Tercer Dicho, abre con el reproche, y la Turba responde que así lo ordenó el Maestro.
«I counsel posterity to take the gold which they wish to multiply and renovate, then to divide the water into two parts.» — Nicarus da el consejo tras admitir que el Maestro no mandó publicarlo todo.
«For the said copper, dissolved in that water, is called the ferment of Gold» — Nicarus nombra fermento del Oro al cobre disuelto.
«But then it behoves you to imbue seven times with the residual water, until they absorb all the water, and, all the moisture being dried up, they are turned into dry earth ; then kindle a fire and place therein for forty days until the whole shall putrefy, and its colours appear.» — Nicarus: siete imbibiciones y cuarenta días de putrefacción hasta que salgan los colores.
«On account of thy dicta the Philosophers said beware.» — Bacsen, Trigésimo Cuarto Dicho; la lectura es oscura y la nota da la variante de la otra recensión.
«for the true nature has been hidden in the belly of the Corsufle.» — Bacsen: la naturaleza verdadera está escondida en el vientre del Corsufle.
«A tingeing spirit which it hath from permanent water, which is coinlike, and coruscates.» — Bacsen contesta a la Turba qué es esa naturaleza.
«It is pounded, and water is poured upon it seven times until it absorbs the whole humour, and receives a force which is equal to the hostility of the fire; then it is called rust.» — Bacsen: la materia recibe por las siete imbibiciones una fuerza igual a la hostilidad del fuego, y entonces se llama herrumbre.
«Putrefy the same diligently until it becomes a spiritual powder, of a colour like burnt blood, which the fire overcoming hath introduced into the receptive belly of Nature, and hath coloured with an indelible colour. This, therefore, have kings sought, but not found, save only to whom God has granted it.» — Bacsen: el polvo espiritual color de sangre quemada, que los reyes buscaron sin hallarlo.
«I direct them to whiten copper with white water, by which also they make red. Be careful not to introduce any foreign matter.» — Bacsen cierra con la prohibición de materia ajena.
«Well hast thou spoken, O Bacsen, and Nictimerus also has spoken well» — la Turba aprueba a los dos; Nictimerus reaparece más adelante como Victimerus, sin que el texto lo aclare.
«Hast thou left anything to be said by another ? And the TURBA : Since the words of Nicarus and Bacsen are of little good to those who seek after this Art, tell us, therefore, what thou knowest, according as we have said.» — Zimon, Trigésimo Quinto Dicho: la asamblea desestima de plano lo dicho por Nicarus y Bacsen, a quienes acababa de aprobar.
«Nothing else has led you into error but the sayings of the envious,» — Zimon achaca el extravío a los envidiosos; la nota registra que la otra recensión dice los egipcios.
«ye seek is sold at the smallest possible price.* If men knew this, and how great was the thing they held in their hands, they would in no wise sell it.» — Zimon: la materia se vende barata porque nadie sabe lo que tiene en la mano.
«certain envious persons have said : It is a stone and not a stone, but a gum of Ascotia, consequently, the Philosophers have concealed the power thereof.» — Zimon atribuye a los envidiosos la fórmula de la piedra que no es piedra.
«For this spirit which ye seek, that ye may tinge therewith, is concealed in the body, and hidden away from sight, even as the soul in the human body.» — Zimon compara el espíritu escondido en el cuerpo con el alma en el cuerpo humano.
«Wherefore the Philosophers have said : Except ye turn bodies into not-bodies, and incorporeal things into bodies, ye have not yet discovered the rule of operation.» — Zimon repite la fórmula del doble tránsito como regla de la operación.
«They are pounded with fire and Ethelia till they become a powder.» — Zimon responde cómo se vuelven no-cuerpos los cuerpos.
«And know that this does not take place except by an exceedingly strong decoction, and continuous contrition, performed with a moderate fire,t not with hands,» — Zimon excluye la mano de la trituración y pide fuego moderado.
«The envious caused the vulgar to err in this Art when they stated that the thing is common in its nature and is sold at a small price. They further said that the nature was more precious than all natures, wherefore they deceived those who had recourse to their books. At the same time they spoke the truth, and therefore doubt not these things.» — Zimon sostiene las dos cosas a la vez: los envidiosos engañaron y dijeron verdad, y por eso no hay que dudar de lo dicho.
«I testify to you that Art requires two natures, for the precious is not produced without the common» — Zimon: el arte exige lo precioso y lo común, y ninguno sin el otro.
«It behoves you, therefore, O all ye investigators of this Art, to follow the sayings of Victimerus,* when he said to his disciples : Nothing else helps you save to sublimate water and vapour.» — Zimon cita a Victimerus como autoridad dentro de la propia asamblea.
«When ye shall perceive that the natures have become water by reason of the heat of the fire, and that they have been purified, and that the whole body of Magnesia is liquefied as water; then all things have been made vapour» — Zimon da la señal del vapor: cuando todo se ha licuado.
«Thus our stag finds no path to escape, although flight be essential to» — Zimon introduce el ciervo que quiere huir y no puede; la frase se completa en la plana siguiente.
«The one keeps back the other, so that it has no opportunity to fly, and it finds no place to escape ; hence all are made permanent» — Zimon: cada uno retiene al otro, y así todo se hace permanente.
«But the blackness and redness appear, and it falls into sickness, and dies by rust and putrefaction ; properly speaking, then, it has not a flight, although it is desirous to escape servitude ; then when it is free it follows its spouse» — Zimon describe la fuga frustrada como enfermedad y muerte, y la libertad como seguir a la esposa.
«For this reason, therefore, the Philosophers have called the spirit and the soul vapour.» — Zimon explica por qué el vapor nombra a la vez al espíritu y al alma.
«I say that the work is out of two ; the envious have called it composed out of two, because these two become four, wherein are dryness and humidity, spirit and vapour.» — Zimon cuenta dos que se hacen cuatro.
«I notify to you all, O ye investigators of this Art, that unless ye sublime the substances at the commencement by cooking, without contrition of hands, until the whole become water, ye have not yet found the work.» — Afflontus, Trigésimo Sexto Dicho, repite la exclusión de la mano.
«And know ye, that the copper was formerly called sand, but by others stone, and, indeed, the names vary in every regimen.» — Afflontus: los nombres cambian con cada régimen, no con la sustancia.
«Now this is the contrition of the Philosophers, namely, that which is not sublimated sinks down, but that which becomes a spiritual powder rises to the top of the vessel, and this is the contrition of decoction, not of hands.» — Afflontus define la trituración de los filósofos por lo que sube y lo que baja en el vaso.
«Cook the copper until it become a gentle and impalpable body, and impose in its own vessel ; then sublimate the same six or seven times until the water shall descend.» — Agadaimon, citado dentro de la asamblea, sobre las sublimaciones del cobre.
«And know that when the water has become powder then has it been ground diligently.» — Agadaimon da la señal de la molienda cumplida.
«It is to be stated, therefore, that unless ye turn the thing mentioned into water,* ye shall not attain to the work.» — Agadaimon pone la conversión en agua como condición de toda la obra.
«But fools, hearing of water, think that this is water of the clouds. Had they read our books they would know that it is permanent water, which cannot become permanent without its companion, wherewith it is made one.» — Agadaimon corrige la lectura literal del agua y hace depender su permanencia de la compañera.
«But this is the water which the Philosophers have called Water of Gold, the Igneous, Good Venom, and that Sand of Many Names which Hermes ordered to be washed frequently, so that the blackness of the Sun might be removed» — Agadaimon enumera los nombres del agua y remite el lavado a Hermes.
«dismiss the multitude of obscure names, for the nature is one water» — Agadaimon manda descartar los nombres oscuros porque la naturaleza es una sola agua.
«Therefore, keep this one nature, but dismiss what is foreign.» — cierre del dicho: quedarse con la naturaleza única y echar fuera lo ajeno.
«O all ye Sons of the Doctrine, when mixing Magnesia, place it in its vessel, the mouth of which close carefully, and cook with a gentle fire until it liquefy, and all become water therein» — Bonellus, Trigésimo Séptimo Dicho, sobre la Magnesia en vaso cerrado.
«When ye see that the said water is about to become black, ye know that the body is already liquefied. Place again in its vessel, and cook for forty days, until it drink up the moisture of the vinegar and honey.» — Bonellus da la negrura por señal de licuefacción y añade la miel al vinagre.
«in either case, the ultimate perfection of pure water appears at the end of forty days» — Bonellus deja libre la frecuencia con que se destapa el vaso, pero no el plazo.
«Hence the envious have said : Wash the Magnesia with soft water, and cook diligently, until it become earth, and the humour perish. Then it is called copper.» — Bonellus traduce la receta de los envidiosos y desemboca en el cobre.
«be divided into two parts, with one of which burn up the body, and with the other putrefy.» — Bonellus reparte el veneno en dos oficios, quemar y pudrir.
«the whole work and regimen does not take place except by water» — Bonellus reduce la obra entera al agua.
«Thou has spoken excellently, O Bonellus ! If it please thee, therefore, finish that which thou art saying ; otherwise repeat it a second time.» — la Turba le pide a Bonellus que acabe o que repita; el OCR imprime *has* por *hast*.
«take our copper ; place with the first part of the water in the vessel; cook for forty days; purify from all uncleanliness» — Bonellus repite el régimen desde el principio, como se le pidió.
«But the envious called this composition when it is turned into blackness that which is sufficiently black» — Bonellus explica los nombres de los envidiosos por el estado del color.
«They called it Ixir satis, by reason of the variation of its colours. In the work, however, there is neither variety, multiplicity, nor opposition of substances ; it is necessary only to make the black copper white and then red.» — Bonellus niega que la variedad de nombres corresponda a variedad de sustancias.
«the truth-speaking Philosophers had no other intention than that of liquefying, pounding, and cooking Ixir until the stone should become like unto marble in its splendour.» — Bonellus separa a los filósofos veraces de los envidiosos por lo que quisieron decir.
«Wherefore, saith Maria, sulphurs are contained in sulphurs, but humour in like humour, and out of sulphur mixed with sulphur, there comes forth a great work.» — Bonellus cita a María dentro del cuerpo de la obra, no en el aparato.
«But I ordain that you rule the same with dew * and the sun, until your purpose appear to you.» — Bonellus manda regir con rocío y sol.
«For I signify unto you that there are two kinds of whitening and of making red, of which one consists in rustt and the other in contrition and decoction.» — Bonellus distingue dos vías para el blanco y el rojo.
«Beware, however, of making a separation from the waters lest the poisons get at you, and the body perish with the other things which are in the vessel.» — Bonellus cierra advirtiendo del peligro de separar las aguas.
«Consider, all ye investigators of this Art, how Hermes, chief of the Philosophers, spoke and demonstrated when he wished to mix the natures.» — Effistus, Trigésimo Octavo Dicho, llama a Hermes jefe de los filósofos.
«Take, he tells us, the stone of gold, combine with humour which is permanent water, set in its vessel, over a gentle fire until liquefaction» — Effistus reproduce la receta de Hermes; la frase se completa en la plana siguiente.
«Then leave it until the water dries, and the sand and water are combined, one with another ; then let the fire be more intense than before, until it again becomes dry, and is made earth.» — Effistus sigue la receta de Hermes hasta la tierra.
«Yet I direct you not to pour on the whole of the water at one time, lest the Ixir be submerged, but pour it in gradually, pound and dessicate, and do this several times until the water be exhausted.» — Effistus manda verter el agua poco a poco, no de una vez; el OCR imprime *dessicate* por *desiccate*.
«By this method of cooking the bodies put on their spirits and spiritual tinctures, and become warm.» — Effistus: por la cocción los cuerpos se visten de sus espíritus.
«Truly art thou cleared from envy ; wherefore, let one of you others speak as he pleases.» — la Turba absuelve a Effistus del cargo de envidia y abre el turno.
«O all ye seekers after this Art, ye can reach no useful result without a patient, laborious,! and solicitous soul, persevering courage, and continuous regimen.» — Bacsen, Trigésimo Noveno Dicho: sin alma paciente y régimen continuo no hay resultado.
«but he who desires to learn over speedily, must not have recourse to our books, for they impose great labour before they are read in their higher sense, once, twice, or thrice.» — Bacsen declara que sus libros piden varias lecturas antes de entregar el sentido alto.
«is not occupied with vain thoughts, but fears God, and shall reign in the Kingdom without fail until he die.» — cierre del elogio del estudioso, con el temor de Dios y el reino como recompensa.
«Now, the regimen is greater than is perceived by reason, except through divine inspiration.» — Bacsen pone el régimen por encima de la razón sin inspiración divina.
«acquainted with the elements as I myself, but when he proceeded to rule this disposition, he attained not to the joy thereof by reason of his sadness and ignorance in ruling, and excessive eagerness, desire, and haste concerning the purpose.» — Bacsen cuenta el caso de quien sabía tanto como él de los elementos y falló por prisa y tristeza.
«For one who plants trees does not look for fruit, save in due season ; he also who sows seeds does not expect to reap, except at harvest time.» — Bacsen argumenta el plazo con el árbol y la siembra.
«But the Philosophers have plainly stated that the truth is not to be discerned except after error, and nothing creates greater pain at heart than error in this Art» — Bacsen hace del error un paso necesario y no un accidente.
«how he divided the work when he said pound, cook, reiterate, and be» — Bacsen resume el dicho del filósofo en tres verbos; la frase se cierra en la plana siguiente.
«Here, therefore, are there many names, and yet there is one regimen. And if men knew that one decoction and one contrition would suffice them, they would not so often repeat their words» — Bacsen explica la repetición de los libros por la ignorancia de que basta un solo régimen.
«Having darkened the matter to you with their words, it suffices me to speak in this manner.» — Bacsen se distancia de los que oscurecieron el asunto.
«until ye perceive that the Ixir is clad in the garment of the Kingdom.» — Bacsen da la vestidura real por señal del término.
«If ye understand my words (and although my words be dead, yet is there life therein for those who understand themselves), they will forthwith explain any ambiguity occurring herein. Read, therefore, repeatedly, for reading is a dead speech, but that which is uttered with the lips the same is living speech.» — Bacsen distingue la palabra leída de la dicha y manda releer justamente porque la escrita está muerta; el paréntesis es del traductor.
«Thou hast left obscure a part of thy discourse, O Bacsen ! And he: Do thou, therefore, Jargus, in thy clemency shew forth the same» — Jargus, Cuadragésimo Dicho, señala el hueco y Bacsen le devuelve el turno.
«The copper of which thou hast before spoken is not copper, nor is it the tin of the vulgar ; it is our true work (or body) which must be combined with the body of Magnesia, that it may be cooked and pounded without wearying until the stone is made.» — Jargus separa el cobre de la obra del cobre y el estaño vulgares; el paréntesis es del traductor.
«it is necessary to have a water by which the more you cook, so much the more you sprinkle,* until the said copper shall put on rust, which is the foundation of our work. Cook, therefore, and pound with Egyptian vinegar.» — Jargus hace de la herrumbre el fundamento de la obra, con vinagre egipcio.
«not see that the whole Turba hath spoken concerning the rotundum.* Then he -. Speak, therefore, thine opinion concerning it, O Zimon» — Zimon, Cuadragésimo Primer Dicho, reclama que nadie trató el rotundum.
«it is necessary to take one part of our copper, but of Permanent Water three parts ; then let them be mixed and cooked until they be thickened and become one stone» — Zimon da la proporción de uno a tres.
«rectified vinegar, mixed with male of earth ; close the vessel, observe what is in it, and cook continuously until it becomes earth.» — Zimon completa la receta que atribuye a los envidiosos.
«Too much talking, O all ye Sons of the Doctrine, leads this subject further into error» — Ascanio, Cuadragésimo Segundo Dicho, abre contra la propia locuacidad de la asamblea.
«But when ye read in the books of the Philosophers that Nature is one only, and that she overcomes all things : Know that they are one thing and one composite.» — Ascanio lee la unidad de la naturaleza como unidad del compuesto.
«Do ye not see that the complexion of a man is formed out of a soul and body ; thus, also, must ye conjoin these, because the Philosophers, when they prepared the matters and conjoined spouses mutually in love with each other, behold there ascended from them a golden water» — Ascanio funda la conjunción en la complexión humana de alma y cuerpo.
«When thou wast treating of the first work, lo ! thou didst turn unto the second ! How ambiguous hast thou made thy book, and how obscure are thy words» — la Turba acusa a Ascanio de saltar de la primera obra a la segunda, y le habla de su libro como de algo escrito.
«Stir up war between copper and quicksilver, until they go to destruction and are corrupted, because when the copper conceives the quicksilver it coagulates it, but when the quicksilver conceives the copper, the copper is congealed into earth» — Ascanio pone la operación en términos de guerra, y la concepción recíproca de los dos.
«stir up, therefore, a fight between them ; destroy the body of the copper until it becomes a powder.» — Ascanio manda destruir el cuerpo del cobre en la pelea.
«It is a natural sulphureous thing* which is called by the names of all bodies.» — Ascanio responde a la Turba qué es ese cuerpo: cosa sulfúrea natural con los nombres de todos los cuerpos.
«Ye have frequently treated of the regimen, and have introduced the conjunction, t yet I proclaim to posterity that they cannot extract the now hidden soul except by Ethelia» — Dardaris, Cuadragésimo Tercer Dicho: solo por la Ethelia se saca el alma escondida.
«and it tinges the copper which the Turba said did not tinge until it is tinged, because that which is tinged tinges.» — Dardaris cita a la propia asamblea como autoridad, dentro del libro.
«Know also that the body of the copper is ruled by Magnesia, and that quicksilver is four bodies, also that the matter has no being except by humidity» — Dardaris: el mercurio es cuatro cuerpos, y sin humedad la materia no tiene ser.
«Know ye also that the four bodies are not tinged but tinge.* And the TURBA : Why dost thou not say like the ancients that when they are tinged, they tinge ? And he : I state that the four coins of the vulgar populace are not tinged, but they tinge copper, and when that copper is tinged, it tinges the coins of the populace,» — la Turba le reprocha a Dardaris apartarse de los antiguos, y él mantiene su versión: los cuatro tiñen sin ser teñidos.
«body composed in it, the three is the water of sulphur, with which also it is washed and ruled until it be perfected.» — Moisés cuenta el uno, el dos y el tres de la cosa única.
«Do ye not see what the Philosopher affirms, that the quicksilver which tinges gold is quicksilver out of Cambar ? DARDARIS answereth : What dost thou mean by this ? For the Philosopher says : sometimes from Cambar and sometimes from Orpiment.» — Moisés y Dardaris discrepan sobre lo que dijo el Filósofo, y la obra deja las dos lecturas.
«Quicksilver of orpiment is Cambar of Magnesia, but quicksilver is sulphur ascending from the mixed» — Moisés resuelve la discrepancia igualando los dos términos.
«being dissolved, to take care lest they be burnt up, as also to wash them with sea water, until all their salt be turned into sweetness» — Platón, Cuadragésimo Quinto Dicho: lavar con agua de mar hasta que la sal se vuelva dulzura.
«Therefore the Wise have said that the gate of flight must not be opened for that which would flee, (or that which does not flee),* by whose flight death is occasioned» — Platón: la puerta de la fuga no se abre; el paréntesis del traductor deja ver que el texto admite las dos lecturas contrarias.
«not volatile made volatile with the volatiles, iterated these to a body like to the non-volatiles, and put them into that from which they could not escape.» — Platón describe la maniobra: volatilizar lo fijo y luego encerrarlo en un cuerpo del que no pueda escapar.
«Know also that one of the humid spirits is cold, but the other is hot, and although the cold humid is not adapted to the warm humid, nevertheless they are made one.» — Platón consigna la unión de dos húmedos que no se avienen.
«we rule the whole work, namely, bodies by not-bodies, until incorporeals become bodies, steadfast in the fire» — Platón resume el régimen entero en regir cuerpos por no-cuerpos.
«For spirits in every wise avoid bodies, but fugitives are restrained by incorporeals. Incorporeals, therefore, similarly flee from bodies ; those, consequently, which do not flee are better and more precious than all bodies.» — Platón: solo lo incorpóreo retiene a lo fugitivo, y lo que no huye vale más que todos los cuerpos.
«convert the earth into water, water into fire, fire into air, and conceal the fire in the depths of the water, but the earth in the belly of the air, mingling the hot with the humid, and the cold with the dry.» — Platón da la rueda de las conversiones elementales y sus escondites cruzados.
«Rubigo, however, is a fictitious and not a true name.» — Attamus, Cuadragésimo Sexto Dicho, declara ficticio el nombre que toda la asamblea venía usando.
«Rubigo is according to the work, because it is from gold alone.» — Attamus da el nombre verdadero por referencia a la obra, no a la sustancia.
«Because water is hidden in sulphureous gold as the leech is in water ; rubigo, therefore, is rubefaction in the second work, but to make rubigo is to whiten in the former work» — Attamus explica la sanguijuela y reparte el rubigo entre las dos obras.
«Thou hast already treated sufficiently of Rubigo, O» — Mundus, Cuadragésimo Séptimo Dicho, corta el asunto y pasa al veneno.
«But the Ancient Philosophers thought that he who turned gold into venom had arrived at the purpose, but he who can do not this profiteth nothing.» — Mundus atribuye a los antiguos el criterio del logro: convertir el oro en veneno.
«This, therefore, is a spirit avoiding the fire and a ponderous smoke,» — Mundus define el veneno como espíritu que rehúye el fuego y humo pesado.
«The Philosophers have all said : Take a black and conjoining spirit ; therewith break up the bodies and torture them till they be altered.» — Mundus cierra con la fórmula del espíritu negro que tortura los cuerpos.
«But I enjoin upon you to make quicksilver constrain the body of Magnesia, or the body Kuhul, or the Spume of Luna, or incombustible sulphur, or roasted calx, or alum which is out of apples, as ye know.» — Pitágoras, Cuadragésimo Octavo Dicho, ofrece la lista como alternativas equivalentes.
«therefore, that sulphur, calx, and alum which is from apples, and Kuhul, are all nothing else but water of sulphur.» — Pitágoras reduce toda la lista a agua de azufre.
«for when it is composed it is called an exceeding strong composition, which is one of the ten regimens established by the Philosophers.» — Pitágoras cuenta diez regímenes establecidos, sin enumerarlos.
«Accordingly, the first congelation is of tin, copper, and lead.» — Pitágoras enumera la primera congelación por sus tres metales.
«Some, however, reading this book, think that the composition can be bought. It must be known for certain that nothing of the work can be bought, and that the science of this Art is nothing else than vapour and the sublimation of water, with the conjunction, also, of quicksilver in the body of Magnesia ;» — Pitágoras sale al paso de quien lee el libro como lista de compras.
«no sulphur is produced without the water of its calx, and of quicksilver, and of sulphur.» — Pitágoras encadena el azufre a su propia agua.
«O all ye Philosophers, ye have not dealt sparingly concerning composition and contact, but composition, contact, and congelation are one thing» — Belus, Cuadragésimo Noveno Dicho, reduce a una sola las tres operaciones que la asamblea trató por separado.
«from the one composition and a part out of ferment of gold,* and on these impose pure water of sulphur. This, then, is the potent (or revealed) arcanum which tinges every body.» — Belus da la receta del arcano potente; el paréntesis es del traductor, que duda entre potente y revelado.
«O Belus, why hast thou called it a potent arcanum, yet hast not shown its work ? And he: In our books, O Master, we have found the same which thou hast received from the ancients ! And PYTHAGORAS : Therefore have I assembled you together, that you might remove any obscurities which are in any books.» — Pitágoras declara aquí el propósito de la asamblea: despejar las oscuridades de los libros.
«It is to be noted that pure water which is from sulphur is not composed of sulphur alone, but is composed of several things, for the one sulphur is made out of several sulphurs.» — Belus deshace la aparente simplicidad del agua de azufre.
«because the warm venoms of the physician are cooked in a gentle, incomburent fire» — Pitágoras razona el fuego suave por analogía con la botica.
«Therefore our Philosophers are made like to the physicians, notwithstanding that the tests of the physicians are more intense than those of the Philosophers.» — Belus empareja filósofos y médicos y a la vez reconoce que las pruebas del médico son más duras.
«I proclaim to future generations that this arcanum proceeds from two compositions, that is to say, sulphur and magnesia. But after it is reduced and conjoined into one, the Philosophers have called it water, spume of Boletus (i.e., a species of fungus), and the thickness of gold.» — Belus da los nombres del arcano ya unificado; la aclaración del hongo es del traductor.
«sulphur for future generations, thou wilt accomplish an excellent thing ! And the TURBA : Do thou show it forth, therefore, O Pandolphus» — Pandolphus, Quincuagésimo Dicho: pide a Belus la sublimación del azufre y la asamblea se la encarga a él.
«The philosophers have ordered that quicksilver should be taken out of Cambar, and albeit they spoke truly, yet in these words there is a little ambiguity, the obscurity of which I will remove.» — Pandolphus reconoce verdad y ambigüedad a la vez en lo que dijeron los filósofos.
«When the same has been sublimed, there proceeds from the Cambar that quicksilver which is called Ethelia, Orpiment, Zendrio, or Sanderich,» — Pandolphus enumera los nombres del mercurio sublimado.
«Then the envious* have called it lead from Ebmich, Magnesia, Marteck, White Copper.» — Pandolphus sigue la lista con los nombres de los envidiosos.
«Accordingly, the wise have said that copper has a soul and a body. Now, its soul is spirit, and its body is thick. Therefore, it behoves you to destroy the thick body until ye extract a tingeing spirit from the same.» — Pandolphus deriva de la doble naturaleza del cobre la necesidad de destruir su cuerpo.
«Thou hast narrated nothing, O Pandolphus, save the last regimen of this body ! Thou hast, therefore, composed an ambiguous description for readers.» — Horfolcos, Quincuagésimo Primer Dicho, le devuelve a Pandolphus el cargo de ambigüedad que él acababa de levantar.
«It behoves you, investigators of this Art, first to burn coppert in a gentle fire, like that required in the hatching of eggs.» — Horfolcos mide el fuego por el de la incubación.
«and let the vessel be closed on all sides, so that its colour [? heat] may be increased» — Horfolcos manda sellar el vaso; el corchete con interrogación es enmienda del traductor sobre un texto dudoso.
«Again, some have said that when all things become one, bodies are made not-bodies, but not-bodies bodies.» — Horfolcos atribuye a otros la fórmula del doble tránsito.
«Blessed then be the name of Him who hath inspired the Wise with the idea of turning a body into a spirit having strength and colour, unalterable and incorruptible» — Horfolcos da la doxología por el hallazgo mismo del arte.
«tinges every body, if only he is patient in spite of the tedium of extracting.» — Horfolcos pone la paciencia ante el tedio como última condición.
«For whatsoever words ye find in any man's book signify quicksilver, which we call water of sulphur,» — Horfolcos da una clave de lectura para toda la literatura del arte.
«You will have treated most excellently, O Horfolcus, concerning the regimen of copper and the humid spirit, provided you proceed therewith.» — Ixumdrus, Quincuagésimo Segundo Dicho, condiciona el elogio a que el otro siga; la grafía del nombre cambia en la misma línea respecto de Horfolcos.
«You must know that this Ethelia* which you have previously mentioned and notified, which also the envious have called by many names, doth whiten, and tinge when it is whitened ; then truly the Philosophers have called it the Flower of Gold, because it is a certain natural thing.» — Ixumdrus identifica la Ethelia con la Flor del Oro.
«But when it is mixed with those ten things which the Philosophers have denominated fermented urines, then have they called all these things Multiplication.» — Ixumdrus nombra la Multiplicación por la mezcla con las diez cosas llamadas orinas fermentadas.
«sophers, and are thought superfluous and vain, are true and yet are fictitious, because they are one thing, one opinion, and one way.» — Ixumdrus sostiene a la vez que los nombres de los libros son verdaderos y ficticios, porque nombran una sola cosa.
«this quicksilver, when it is whitened, becomes a sulphur which contains sulphur, and is a venom that has a brilliance like marble» — Ixumdrus vuelve al mármol como término del blanqueo.
«It is, therefore, a most great arcanum which the Philosophers have thus described, because sulphur alone whitens copper.» — Ixumdrus: solo el azufre blanquea el cobre.
«And know ye also that it is the habit of this sulphur to escape. When, therefore, it flees from its own thick bodies, and is sublimated as a vapour, then it behoves you to retain it otherwise with quicksilver of its own kind, lest it vanish altogether.» — Ixumdrus: el azufre huye por costumbre y solo lo retiene el mercurio de su misma especie.
«what the Philosophers are seeking is the coin of the Philosophers» — Ixumdrus separa la moneda de los filósofos de la del vulgo.
«This is, therefore, the great arcanum, the confection of which is with its own gum ; it is cooked with flowers in a gentle fire and with earth ; it is made red with mucra and with vinegar, salt, and nitre,» — Ixumdrus cierra con la confección del arcano.
«The envious have laid waste the whole Art with the multiplicity of names, but the entire work must be the Art of the Coin.» — Exumenus, Quincuagésimo Tercer Dicho, imputa a los envidiosos la devastación del arte por multiplicar nombres.
«They have named it salting, sublimating, washing, and pounding Ethelias, whitening in the fire, frequently cooking vapour and coagulating, turning into rubigo, the confection of Ethel, the art of the water of sulphur and coagula. By all these names is that operation called which has pounded and whitened copper.» — Exumenus enumera los nombres para mostrar que designan una sola operación.
«And know ye, that quicksilver is white to the sight, but when it is possessed by the smoke of sulphur, it reddens and becomes Cambar.» — Exumenus explica el paso al rojo por el humo del azufre.
«the more they are possessed by the flame of fire, the more they are hidden in the depths of the water» — Exumenus describe el refugio de los espíritus en el agua ante el fuego.
«concerning this Ethelia HERMES saith : Sift the things which ye know ; but another : Liquefy the things.» — Exumenus contrapone dos preceptos, el de Hermes y el de otro, sin decidir entre ellos.
«Know ye that a very great wind of the south, when it is stirred up, sublimates clouds and elevates the vapours of the sea. The TURBA answereth : Thou hast dealt obscurely.» — Exumenus ilustra la sublimación con el viento del sur y la asamblea lo llama oscuro.
«But I order you to congeal fluxible quicksilver out of many things, that two may be made three, and four one, and two one.» — Exumenus da la aritmética de la operación.
«Take the volatile burnt thing which lacks a body, and incorporate it. Then take the ponderous thing, having smoke, and thirsting» — Anaxágoras, Quincuagésimo Cuarto Dicho, abre con dos materias descritas solo por sus propiedades.
«Explain, O Anaxagoras, what is this obscurity which you expound, and beware of being envious» — la Turba le exige a Anaxágoras que no sea envidioso, es decir, que no oculte.
«Then God will accomplish the arcanum ye seek. But I direct you to cook continuously, and not to grow tired of repeating the process.» — Anaxágoras deja el remate a Dios y la repetición al operador.
«He who is able to turn Rubigo into golden venom has already achieved the desired work, but otherwise his labour is vain.» — Anaxágoras cita a todos los filósofos para el criterio del término.
«I am astonished, O all ye Turba, how the envious have in this work discoursed of the perfection rather than the commencement of the same» — Zenón, Quincuagésimo Quinto Dicho, se extraña de que los envidiosos empiecen por el final.
«Why, therefore, have you left it to putrefy ? And he : Thou hast spoken truly ; putrefaction does not take place without the dry and the humid. But the vulgar putrefy with the humid.» — la Turba le objeta a Zenón la putrefacción y él acepta la objeción, distinguiéndose del vulgo.
«Notwithstanding, the envious have divided this work into three parts, asserting that one quickly flees, but the other is fixed and immovable.» — Zenón registra la partición en tres de los envidiosos sin suscribirla.
«What have you to do with the treatises of the envious, for it is necessary that this work should deal with four things» — Constans, Quincuagésimo Sexto Dicho, descarta de un golpe los tratados de los envidiosos.
«Mix, therefore, the dry with the humid, which are earth and water, and cook in the fire and in the air, whence the spirit and the soul are dessicated.» — Constans reparte los cuatro elementos entre las dos operaciones; el OCR imprime *dessicated*.
«Beware, however, O all ye investigators of this art, lest ye multiply things, for the envious have multiplied and destroyed for you» — Constans: multiplicar las cosas es lo que destruyó el arte.
«they have further called it (or have likened it to) the humid with all the humid, and the dry with all the dry, by the name of every stone and metal, gall of animals of the sea, the winged things of heaven and reptiles of the earth.» — Constans describe la extensión de los nombres a todos los reinos; el paréntesis es del traductor.
«In the art of gold is the quicksilver from Cambar, and in coins» — Constans cierra citando lo que el Filósofo dijo al principio de su libro; la frase se completa en la plana siguiente.
«He, therefore, that will attain to the truth let him take the moisture of the Sun and the Spume» — Acratus, Quincuagésimo Séptimo Dicho, manda tomar la humedad del Sol y la espuma de la Luna.
«Why are you made an adversary to your brethren ? And he : I have spoken nothing but the truth. But they : Take what the Turba hath taken.» — la asamblea acusa a Acratus de ponerse en contra de sus hermanos y le impone atenerse a lo que la Turba tomó.
«I direct posterity to take a part of the coins which the Philosophers have ordered» — Acratus cede ante la asamblea y sigue igual con su instrucción.
«and a part of the copper of the Philosophers, to mix the same with the coins, and place all the four bodies in the vessel, the mouth of which must be carefully closed, lest the water escape. Cooking must proceed for seven days, when the copper, already pounded with the coins, is found turned into water.» — Acratus da el plazo de siete días para que el cobre se haga agua.
«Then let the vessel be opened, and a blackness will appear above. Repeat the process, cook continually until the blackness of Kuhul, which is from the blackness of coins, be consumed.» — Acratus manda consumir la negrura del Kuhul.
«Alas, O ye sons of the Doctrine, how precious is that which is produced from it» — Acratus interrumpe la receta con la exclamación por la ceniza preciosa.
«for by this regimen fugitive bodies become not-fugitive, spirits are turned into bodies, bodies into spirits, and both are connected together. Then are spirits made bodies having a tingeing and germinating soul.» — Acratus describe el intercambio completo entre cuerpos y espíritus.
«Now hast thou notified to posterity that Rubigo attaches itself to copper after the blackness is washed off with permanent water.» — la Turba resume lo que Acratus dejó dicho sobre el rubigo.
«Concerning, therefore, the work of the Philosophers, what hast thou delivered to posterity, seeing that thou hast by no means called things by their proper names ? And he : Following your own footsteps, I have discoursed even as have you. BONELLUS answereth : You speak truly, for if you did otherwise we should not order your sayings to be written in our books.» — la asamblea le reprocha a Acratus no llamar a las cosas por su nombre, él contesta que hace lo mismo que ellos, y Bonellus admite que solo por eso mandan escribir sus dichos.
«The whole Turba, O Acratus, has already spoken, as you have seen, but a benefactor sometimes deceives, though his intention is to do good.» — Balgus, Quincuagésimo Octavo Dicho: el que quiere hacer el bien a veces engaña.
«You must know that the envious have described this arcanum in the shade ; in physical reasoning and astronomy, and the art of images ; they have also likened it to trees ; they have ambiguously concealed it by the names of metals, vapours, and reptiles» — Balgus lista los registros en que los envidiosos escondieron el arcano, incluidos la astronomía y el arte de las imágenes.
«I, nevertheless, direct you, investigators of this science, to take iron and draw it into plates ; finally, mix (or sprinkle) it with venom, and place it in its vessel» — Balgus da su receta con láminas de hierro; el paréntesis es del traductor.
«after some days ye shall open it, and there shall ye find the iron plates already liquefied ; while on the lid of the vessel ye shall find globules.» — Balgus describe lo que se encuentra al abrir el vaso.
«And know ye that nothing is more precious or more excellent than the red sand of the sea, for the Sputum of Luna is united with the light of the Sun's rays.» — Balgus pone la arena roja del mar por lo más precioso.
«Luna is perfected by the coming on of night, and by the heat of the Sun the dew is congealed.» — Balgus reparte los oficios de la noche y del Sol sobre el rocío.
«Why, therefore, hast thou omitted to describe that tree, of the fruit whereof whosoever eateth shall hunger nevermore» — Bonites le reclama a Balgus el árbol cuyo fruto quita el hambre para siempre.
«A certain person,* who has followed science, has notified to me after what manner he discovered this same tree, and appropriately operating, did extract the fruit and eat of it.» — Balgus atribuye el hallazgo del árbol a un tercero sin nombre.
«Take that tree, and build a house about it, which shall wholly surround the same, which shall also be circular, dark, encircled by» — Balgus transmite la receta de la casa circular en torno al árbol; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente.
«Then in the time of 180 days send them away to their homes. I say that man shall not cease to eat of the fruit of that tree to the perfection of the number [of the days] until the old man shall become young.» — Balgus fija en ciento ochenta días el rejuvenecimiento; el corchete es del traductor.
«O what marvellous natures, which have transformed the soul of that old man into a juvenile body, and the father is made into the son ! Blessed be thou, O most excellent God» — Balgus cierra la alegoría con el padre vuelto hijo.
«I propose to speak further concerning those things which Bonites hath narrated.» — Teófilo, Quincuagésimo Noveno Dicho, continúa el asunto del otro en vez de abrir el suyo.
«truth in their treatises when they named water of life, for this reason, that whatsoever* is mixed with the said water first dies, then lives and becomes young.» — Teófilo: los filósofos ocultaron y a la vez dijeron verdad al llamarla agua de vida, porque lo que en ella se mezcla muere primero.
«In these days it becomes rusty, but silence is better than this illumination.» — Teófilo se interrumpe declarando preferible el silencio a seguir aclarando.
«O Theophilus, beware of becoming envious, and complete thy speech» — la Turba trata el silencio de Teófilo como envidia y le exige que acabe.
«Certain fruits, which proceed first from that perfect tree, do flourish in the beginning of the summer, and the more they are multiplied the more are they adorned,» — Teófilo vuelve al árbol por sus frutos.
«In the same way that woman,* fleeing from her own children, with whom she lives, although partly angry, yet does not brook being overcome, nor that her husband should possess her beauty, who furiously loves her, and keeps awake contending with her, till he shall have carnal intercourse with her, and God make perfect the foetus» — Teófilo introduce la alegoría conyugal, que Waite señala en nota como probable añadido.
«I also make known to you that the dragon never dies, but the Philosophers have put to death the woman who slays her spouses.» — Teófilo cierra con el dragón que no muere y la mujer que mata a sus esposos.
«Let, therefore, a sepulchre be dug for the dragon, and let that woman be buried with him, who being strongly joined with that woman, the more he clasps her and is entwined with her, the more his body, by the creation of female weapons in the body of the woman, is cut up into parts.» — Teófilo: el dragón enterrado con la mujer, despedazado cuanto más se enlaza con ella.
«But the Philosophers, beholding him turned into blood, leave him in the sun for certain days, until the lenitude is consumed, the blood dries up, and they find that venom which now is manifest. Then the wind is hidden.» — Teófilo cierra: del dragón hecho sangre y secado al sol sale el veneno manifiesto.
«because sperma is generated out of blood and desire. For the man mingling with the woman, the sperm is nourished by the humour of the womb, and by the moistening blood, and by heat, and when forty nights have elapsed the sperm is formed.» — Bonellus, Sexagésimo Dicho, funda la regla del régimen en la fisiología de la generación, con cuarenta noches de plazo.
«But God has constituted that heat and blood for the nourishment of the sperm until the foetus is brought forth» — Bonellus atribuye a disposición divina el calor que nutre.
«If, indeed, it be frigid, it puts to flight and disperses, but if it have been tempered, it is convenient and sweet to the body» — Bonellus gradúa el baño entre el frío que dispersa y el calor intenso que mata.
«Understand, therefore, and in all things which ye attempt to rule, fear God.» — Bonellus cierra su dicho con el temor de Dios.
«It is to be observed that the envious have named lead of copper instruments of formation, simulating, deceiving prosterity,» — Moisés, Sexagésimo Primer Dicho; el pasaje es de los más corrompidos y el OCR imprime *prosterity*.
«there is no more suitable powder, nor one more conjoined to our composition, than the powder of Alociae,t out of which are produced instruments of formation.» — Moisés nombra el polvo de Alociae como el único apto.
«Further, the Philosophers have already said : Take instruments out of the egg. Yet they have not said what the egg is, nor of what bird.» — Moisés señala lo que los filósofos callaron: de qué huevo y de qué ave.
«that the regimen of these things is more difficult than the entire work» — Moisés pone el régimen por encima de la obra en dificultad.
«The moon, therefore, being at the full, take this and place in sand till it be dissolved.» — Moisés fecha la operación en luna llena.
«And know ye that the first, Ixir, commingles, the second burns, while the third liquefies.» — Moisés reparte tres oficios entre las tres cosas separadas.
«It behoves you, O all ye seekers after this Art, to know that whatsoever the Philosophers have narrated or ordained, Kenckel, herbs, geldum, and carmen, are one thing» — Mundus, Sexagésimo Segundo Dicho, reduce a una sola cosa cuatro nombres dispares.
«know that the ancient priests did not condescend to wear artificial garments, whence, for purifying altars, and lest they should introduce into them anything sordid or impure, they tinged Kenckel with a Tyrian colour» — Mundus da un uso cultual del tinte tirio, en los altares de los antiguos sacerdotes.
«And know ye that we have given many names to it, which are all true an example of which, for those that possess understanding, is to be traced in corn that is being ground.» — Mundus defiende la pluralidad de nombres con el símil del grano molido.
«wit, corn, from which many names are distinguished. Thus we call the purple in each grade of its regimen by the name of its own colour.» — Mundus cierra el símil: los nombres cambian con el grado, no con la cosa.
«I notify to posterity that the nature is male and female, wherefore the envious have called it the body of Magnesia, because therein is the most great arcanum» — el orador que el impreso llama solo Philosophus, Sexagésimo Tercer Dicho: la naturaleza es macho y hembra a la vez.
«But, when ye hear of the sea in the books of the envious, know that they signify humour, while by the basket they signify the vessel, and by the medicines they mean Nature, because it germinates» — el mismo orador da tres equivalencias de lectura: mar, cesta y medicinas.
«It is to be noted, O all ye demonstrators of this art, that the things [or the copper] being first mixed and cooked once, ye shall find the prescribed blackness» — Agadimon citado dentro del dicho, sobre la negrura de la primera cocción; el corchete es del traductor.
«This, therefore, is the lead of the Wise, concerning which they have treated very frequently in their books.» — el orador identifica esa negrura con el plomo de los sabios.
«How marvellous is the diversity of the Philosophers in those things which they formerly asserted, and in their coming together [or agreement] , in respect» — Pitágoras, Sexagésimo Cuarto Dicho, nombra a la vez la diversidad de los filósofos y su convergencia sobre una sola cosa; el corchete es del traductor.
«And if the vulgar knew, O all ye investigators of this art, the same small and vile thing, they would deem it a lie ! Yet, if they knew its efficacy, they would not vilify it, but God hath concealed this from the crowd* lest the world should be devastated.» — Pitágoras hace de la ocultación una providencia contra la devastación del mundo.
«You must know, O all ye who love wisdom, that whereas Mundus hath been teaching this Art, and placing before you most lucid syllogisms, he that does not understand what he has said is a brute animal» — Horfolcus, Sexagésimo Quinto Dicho, defiende la claridad de Mundus contra sus lectores.
«may compose the common with that which is dear, and the dear with that which is common.» — Horfolcus vuelve al emparejamiento de lo común con lo precioso.
«Beware of intensifying the fire until the elements are conjoined, for these should follow one another, and be embraced in a complexion, whereby they are gradually burnt, until they be dessicated in the said gentle fire.» — Horfolcus condiciona el aumento del fuego a que los elementos ya estén conjuntos; el OCR imprime *dessicated*.
«But, after the first combustion, it is necessary that it should be washed, cleansed, and dealbated on the fire until all things become one colour» — Horfolcus manda lavar y blanquear tras la primera combustión hasta el color único.
«Whence the Philosopher saith : Convert the elements and thou shalt find what thou seekest. But to convert the elements is to make the moist dry and the fugitive fixed.» — Horfolcus glosa el precepto del Filósofo definiendo qué es convertir los elementos.
«O wonder-working Nature, tingeing other natures ! O heavenly Nature, separating and converting the elements by regimen» — Horfolcus cierra con dos exclamaciones en O a la Naturaleza.
«Thou hast already treated, O Lucas, concerning living and concealed silver, which is Magnesia, as it behoves thee, and thou hast commanded posterity to prove [or to experiment] and to read the books, knowing what the Philosophers have said : Search the latent spirit and disesteem it not, seeing that when it remains it is ta great arcanum and effects many good things.» — Exemiganus, Sexagésimo Sexto Dicho; los corchetes son del traductor y el OCR imprime *ta* por *a*.
«Behold something more dark than ever ! The TURBA answereth : Illumine, therefore, that which is dark.» — Hermiganus le echa en cara a Lucas que su aclaración es más oscura que lo aclarado.
«As to that which he said Burn, burn, burn, the diversity is only in the names, for they are one and the same thing. And they: Woe unto you ! how shortly hast thou dealt with it ! why art thou poisoned with jealousy» — Lucas resuelve el triple mandato como un solo acto, y la asamblea lo acusa de brevedad envidiosa.
«I signify that to whiten is to burn, but to make red is life.» — Lucas cede a la exigencia de claridad con esta equivalencia.
«I testify that the definition of this Art is the liquefaction of the body and the separation of the soul from the body, seeing that copper, like a man, has a soul and a body.» — Lucas da la definición del arte entera en una frase.
«the Philosophers said that the body does not penetrate the body, but that there is a subtle nature, which is the soul, and it is this which tinges and penetrates the body.» — Lucas: lo que tiñe y penetra es el alma, no el cuerpo.
«Despite your desire to explain, you have put forth dark words.» — la Turba no le acepta a Lucas ni la definición.
«the splendour of Saturn does not appear unless it perchance be dark when it ascends in the air, that Mercury is hidden by the rays of the Sun, that quicksilver vivifies the body» — Lucas atribuye a los envidiosos este pasaje, uno de los dos en que la obra roza una correspondencia planetaria; distingue a Mercurio del *quicksilver* en el mismo renglón.
«But Venus, when she becomes oriental, precedes the Sun.» — cierre del mismo pasaje, en registro astronómico.
«Know, O all ye investigators of this Art, that our work, of which ye have been inquiring, is produced by the generation of the sea, by which and with which, after God, the work is completed» — Attamus, Sexagésimo Octavo Dicho, deriva la obra de la generación del mar.
«Take, therefore, Halsut and old sea stones, and boil with coals until they become white.» — Attamus da la materia marina de su receta.
«If 24 ounces thereof have been boiled, let the heat be extinguished with a third part of the vinegar, that is, 8 ounces» — Attamus da pesos, cosa rara en la obra: veinticuatro onzas y su tercera parte.
«But the second work is performed from the tenth day of the month of September to the tenth day» — Attamus fecha la segunda obra por el calendario; la frase se completa en la plana siguiente con el grado de Libra.
«But if the place where it is cooked be humid and dewy it is congealed more quickly, while it it be dry it is congealed more slowly.» — Attamus hace depender la velocidad de la congelación del lugar; el OCR duplica *it*.
«I am thinking of perfecting thy treatise, O Mundus, for thou has not accomplished the disposition of the cooking» — Florus, Sexagésimo Noveno Dicho, se ofrece a completar lo que Mundus dejó a medias; el OCR imprime *has* por *hast*.
«I teach you, O Sons of the Doctrine, that the sign of the goodness of the first decoction is the extraction of its redness» — Florus da la señal de que la primera cocción salió bien.
«Know also that the first blackness is produced out of the nature of Marteck, and that redness is extracted from that blackness, which red has improved the black, and has made peace between the fugitive and the non-fugitive, reducing» — Florus hace del rojo el pacificador entre lo fugitivo y lo fijo.
«Because the cruciated matter when it is submerged in the body, changes it into an unalterable and indelible nature.» — Florus explica el tormento de la materia por su efecto.
«And know ye that the same sulphur cannot be handled, but it cruciates and tinges.» — Florus vuelve a excluir la mano.
«This we have called water of sulphur, which water we have prepared for the red tinctures ; for the rest it does not blacken ; but that which does blacken, and this does not come to pass without blackness, I have testified to be the key of the work.» — Florus pone la negrura por clave de la obra.
«Know, all ye investigators of this Art, that the head is all things, which if it hath not, all that it imposes profits nothing.» — Mundus, Septuagésimo Dicho.
«Do not heed, therefore, the plurality of these compositions, nor those things which the philosophers have enumerated in their books. For the nature of truth is one» — Mundus manda desatender las enumeraciones de los libros, los de la propia asamblea incluidos.
«This arcanum is neither seen nor known except by the Wise.» — Mundus reserva el arcano a los sabios.
«at the same time there are not many or diverse Natures, but one having in itself its own natures and properties, by which it prevails over other things. Do you not see that the Master has begun with one and finished one» — Mundus cierra apelando al propio Pitágoras: empezó con uno y acabó con uno.
«hath described this sulphureous water ! For unless solid bodies are destroyed by a nature wanting a body, until the bodies become not-bodies, and even as a most tenuous spirit, ye cannot [attain] that most tenuous and tingeing soul, which is hidden in the natural belly.» — Bracus, Septuagésimo Primer Dicho, elogia a Mundus y repite la condición de destruir el cuerpo; el corchete es del traductor.
«And know that unless the body be withered up and so destroyed that it dies, and unless ye extract from it its soul, which is a tingeing spirit, ye are unable to tinge a body therewith.» — Bracus: sin muerte del cuerpo no hay alma que extraer ni tintura que dar.
«The first composition, that is, the body of Magnesia, is made out of several things, although they become one, and are called by one name, which the ancients have termed Albar of copper. But when it is ruled it is called by ten names, taken from the colours which appear in the regimen of the body of this Magnesia.» — el Septuagésimo Segundo Dicho, en boca de un orador que el impreso llama solo Philosophus: el Albar del cobre y sus diez nombres por color.
«in the ferment of gold, with sericon,* which is a composition called by ten names.» — el Septuagésimo Segundo Dicho sigue la serie de los diez nombres hasta el sericon.
«But composition is twofold one is humid, the other is dry. When they are cooked prudently they become one, and are called the good thing of several names.» — la composición doble que al cocerse se hace una sola cosa buena de muchos nombres.
«But when it becomes red it is called Flower of Gold, Ferment of Gold, Gold of Coral, f Gold of the Beak.t It is also called redundant red sulphur and red orpiment.» — los nombres de la fase roja, con las llamadas de nota del impreso.
«It behoves me now to exhibit to you the quantity of the fire, and the numbers of its days,* and the diversity of intensity thereof in every grade, so that he who shall possess this book may belong unto himself,i and be freed from poverty» — el orador anuncia lo que falta y promete al lector del libro pertenecerse a sí mismo.
«I have seen, therefore, many kinds of fire. One is made out of straw and cinder, coals and flame, but one without flame.» — la enumeración de los fuegos, con grados intermedios que declara conocidos por experimento.
«And know most assuredly that if a little gold be placed in the composition, there will result a patent and white tincture.» — el efecto de un poco de oro en la composición.
«Inasmuch as the elements are commingled and are turned into lead of copper, coming out of their own former natures, they are turned into a new nature. Then they are called one nature and one genus.» — los elementos mezclados salen de sus naturalezas y forman una nueva.
«Although concerning this elixir we read in the sayings of the philosophers : Take gold, occurring frequently» — el precepto se repite en los libros y basta cumplirlo una vez.
«consider what Democritus* saith, how he begins speaking from bottom to top, then reversing matters he proceeds from top to bottom.» — el orador manda leer a Demócrito en los dos sentidos; el asterisco es llamada de la nota que señala su lugar ambiguo en la asamblea.
«And our copper for coins, lead for gold, gold for gold of coral, and gold of coral for gold of crocus.» — la serie ascendente de Demócrito, de cobre a croco.
«he shews, therefore, by his sayings that only semi-gold is taken.» — la conclusión que el orador saca de leer la serie en los dos sentidos.
«But by these things which the Philosophers have mentioned under various names, they have signified stronger bodies and forces.» — los nombres distintos señalan grados de fuerza, no sustancias distintas.
«For when the said colours appear, it is necessary that each be decocted in forty days» — cuarenta días por cada color.
«Its first grade becomes as a citrine mucra, the second as red, the» — la serie de grados por color; se completa en la plana siguiente con el croco seco.
«Whosoever does not liquefy and coagulate errs greatly.» — Agmon abre el corolario con la regla mínima.
«I say unto you that whoso makes earth black and then dissolves with fire, till it becomes even like unto a naked sword, who also fixes the whole with consuming fire, deserves to be called happy, and shall be exalted above the circle of the world.» — Agmon promete al que cumpla la operación la exaltación sobre el círculo del mundo.
«The strength thereof, shall never become corrupted, but the same, when it is placed in the fire, shall be increased.» — Agmon: la fuerza de la piedra crece en el fuego en vez de corromperse.
«Behold, no one is without it, and yet all do need it ! There are many names given to it, and yet it is called by one only, while, if need be, it is concealed.» — Agmon vuelve a la paradoja de lo que todos tienen y todos necesitan.
«It is also a stone and not a stone, spirit, soul, and body ; it is white, volatile, concave, hairless, cold, and yet no one can apply the tongue with impunity to its surface.» — Agmon acumula predicados contrarios sobre la piedra.
«if you say that it is water, you speak the truth ; if you say that it is not water, you speak falsely.» — Agmon deja la definición en una contradicción declarada.
«Do not then be deceived by the multiplicity of names, but rest assured that it is one thing, unto which nothing alien is added.» — Agmon repite lo que la asamblea sostuvo desde el principio.
«Unless the names were multiplied, so that the vulgar might be deceived, many would deride our wisdom.» — última frase del libro: la multiplicación de nombres se justifica como defensa contra la burla.
Sobre la obra
228 entradas — lo que el aparato y la investigación dicen de ella«Turba Phiksophorum is indisputably the most ancient extant treatise on Alchemy in the Latin tongue» — [«Phiksophorum», del OCR] — la tesis de Waite sobre el lugar de la obra.
«it was not, so far as can be ascertained, originally written in Latin ; the compiler or editor, for in many respects it can scarcely be regarded as an original composition, wrote either in Hebrew or Arabic ; however, the work, not only at the present day, but seemingly during the six or seven centuries when it was quoted as an authority by all the alchemical adepts, has been familiar only in its Latin garb.» — Waite, que firma el prefacio.
«In any case the Turba summarises the author's preceding Geber, and is therefore the most valuable, as it is the most ancient, treatise on Alchemy, which exists in the Latin language.» — la línea del prefacio, citada con su OCR sucio; la restitución propuesta sería «the authors preceding Geber», es decir, los anteriores a Geber, no Geber mismo.
«Monsieur Berthelot's invaluable text and translation of the Byzantine Alchemists has been largely made use of, to illustrate the striking analogies between the Greek Hermetic writers of the fourth century and the Turba. It is to this great scholar and scientist that we owe the discovery of these analogies, some of which are very clearly indicated in a chapter devoted to the subject, and forming part of his " Essai sur la Transmission de la Science Antique au Moyen Age.» — la p. 10 y no la 9.
«The chief printed versions of The Turba Philosophorum, are those of the " Theatrum Chemicum," the " Bibliotheca Chemica Curiosa," and that of the smaller collection entitled " Artis Auriferae Tractatus.» — la transmisión impresa, en la p. 11; la Bibliothèque des Philosophes Alchimiques de Salmon se nombra unas líneas después, como versión que representa mal el original.
«There are two codices or recensions of The Turba Philosophorum, which differ considerably from one another. What is called in the following pages the second recension, is appreciably shorter, clearer, and, on the whole, the less corrupt of the two» — las dos recensiones, declaradas en el prefacio.
«This dictum is omitted in the second recension, and that which follows is put into the mouth of Emiganus.» — la omisión del Sexagésimo Sexto Dicho.
«The Turba Philosophorum does not betray anywhere the hand of a Christian compiler, and although the reference to the despised stone suggests the stone which the builders have rejected, the idea is derived from Zosimus, and not from the New Testament» — la nota del editor sobre la piedra despreciada.
Berthelot equipara la Epístola de Arisleus con el «Aristenes» de la segunda recensión.
Berthelot interpreta la «sombra del cobre» como protóxido o verdigrís.
Berthelot data un tratado siríaco comparado en los siglos X–XI — el único anclaje cronológico del digest, y no es de la Turba misma.
«Sulphur, Mercury, and Salt figure in all Hermetic literature as the most indispensable principles of the Magnum Opus.» — nota de Waite.
«It was different in the days of Zosimus, who tells us that in Egypt the divine art of operating on minera belonged to the Kings, and the alchemists of the Nile no more worked in their own interest than theminters of coin. The increase of the King's riches was the only end in view» — Zósimo en la nota del editor; Olimpiodoro es la otra autoridad recurrente sobre los elementos (pp. 21, 33, 42).
«the true metal was reaiiy multiplied by an operation comparable to fermentation» — [«reaiiy» por really, del OCR] — nota sobre la diplosis de los orfebres egipcios del papiro de Leiden.
«But the carnal Adam of Zosimus signifies material humanity in general, and therein is contained the spiritual man, whose name no one knoweth except Nicotheos, and that mysterious personage, the alchemist himself acknowledges to be undiscoverable.» — Zósimo en la nota del editor.
«Zosimus beheld Agathodaimon in a vision» — y Berthelot apunta una divinidad egipcia con nombre equivalente a Agathodaimon.
Von Franz la señala como «tratado árabe, probablemente la principal fuente del autor de la Aurora consurgens para su visión divina».
«by the church father Hippolytus, and upon the writings of Olympiodorus that compare earlier Greek philosophers with later Greco-Egyptian alchemists, but all this Greek material is translated into an Islamic context. Much of the point of the Turba is to demonstrate that the God of Islam is the Creator, that the world is of a uniform nature (monism again), and that all creatures are composed of the four elements» — Principe: el marco de sabios griegos reescribe fuentes griegas efectivamente leídas, y las traslada a contexto islámico.
«The ancient Latin treatise which passes as the work of Morien, says sententiously : " The ferment of gold is gold, even as the ferment of bread is bread." The statement is reproduced literally by the Rosary of the Philosophers.» — lo que el Rosarium reproduce es la sentencia de Morien sobre el fermento del oro, no una afirmación de la Turba sobre el agua de azufre.
«Two [elements] rise up and two fall down. The two ascending elements are fire and air ; the two descending elements are earth and water.» — no es voz de la Turba: está en la nota del editor, que cita a Olimpiodoro, On the Sacred Art.
«The Book ofEl-Habib says that the virtue of eternal water is that of a spiritual blood. It is identified with aeriform water, azure water, and water of sulphur. It is also primal sulphur. When boiled, it transforms the male (arsenic) into silver, and afterwards into gold. It is also said that copper is water of silver, which, after preparation, becomes eternal water.» — no es voz de la Turba: nota del editor, por el Libro de El-Habib.
«Mercury, according to the Greek Epistle of Synesiusi is like wax, which readily assumes any colour that is imparted to it, for Mercury whitens all bodies and attracts their souls; it digests them by coction, and takes complete possession of them.» — no es voz de la Turba: nota del editor, por Sinesio.
«The Magnesia of Alchemy is not common Magnesia, and this remark applies equally to the Greek Alchemists, who are the inspiration of the Turba Philosophorum, to that treatise, and to the later adepts.» — no es voz de la Turba: nota del editor.
«Later alchemists speak much of the Elixir at the White and the Elixir at the Red, yet the second is the first in exaltation, and so also the Elixir of metals is at the same time held to be the medicine of men.» — no es voz de la Turba: nota del editor sobre los grados del Elixir.
«It is not, of course, certain that the original is irretrievably lost, the Arabic and Syriac manuscripts treating of early chemistry are preserved in considerable numbers in the various libraries of Europe, and have only been imperiectly explored.» — el OCR imprime *imperiectly* por *imperfectly*; Waite no da el original por perdido sin remedio: dice que los manuscritos árabes y siríacos de química temprana se conservan en cantidad en las bibliotecas europeas y apenas se han explorado, y que él no tiene ni la ocasión ni las cualificaciones para la tarea.
«The longer recension has been chosen for the text of the following translation, because it seemed desirable to give the work in its entirety. The variations of the second recension are appended usually in foot-notes, but where the reading of the text is so corrupt as to be quite untranslatable, the editor has occasionally substituted that of the alternative version, and has in most cases indicated the course pursued.» — Waite declara su criterio editorial: traduce la recensión larga, manda las variantes de la segunda al pie, y admite haber sustituido el texto por el de la otra versión donde era intraducible, indicándolo casi siempre. Es lo que explica que el aparato se entrevere con el cuerpo en la misma plana.
«It follows from M. Berthelot's researches, that Latin Alchemy, which has always been rightly referred to an Arabian source, connects with the Greek Alchemy which preceded Arabian Science, because the latter was itself derived from Greece.» — Waite deriva de Berthelot el enlace: la alquimia latina remite a fuente árabe, y la árabe a la griega que la precedió.
«we now know that they are Zosimus, the Panopolite, the adepts of the school of Democritus, and the other writers preserved in the Byzantine collection.» — Waite identifica a los sabios antiguos que la literatura latina invoca sin nombrar: Zósimo el panopolitano, los adeptos de la escuela de Demócrito y los demás bizantinos.
«M. Berthelot, however, infers that the Greek influence found in The Turbo, Philosophorum was not a direct influence, but was derived mediately through channels which are now unknown» — Waite recoge la reserva de Berthelot: la influencia griega no sería directa sino mediata, por canales hoy desconocidos.
«There are some translations of the work existing in German and some also in French. Those in the latter language are specially remarkable for the very slender way in which they represent the original. The versions contained in Salmon's " Bibliotheque des Philosophes Alchimiques," and in the " Tro's Anciens Traictes de la Philosophic Naturelle," are instances in point.» — Waite sobre las traducciones vernáculas, con las francesas de Salmon como ejemplo de lo poco que representan al original.
«One English version in manuscript is known to the present editor, and it will be found in the British Museum amongst the treasures of the Sloane collection.» — Waite señala la única versión inglesa manuscrita que conoce, en la colección Sloane del British Museum; añade que está vertida del francés y le resultó inútil. Es el único dato codicológico que da.
«It may be added that the great collections of Alchemy, such as the " Theatrum Chemicum " and Mangetus, contain colloquies, commentaries, and enigmas which pretend to elucidate the mysteries of The Turba Philosophorum. While they are of a considerably later date, they at the same time belong to the early period of Latin Alchemy.» — Waite sobre la literatura derivada: coloquios, comentarios y enigmas posteriores que dicen elucidar la obra, ya dentro del período temprano de la alquimia latina.
«It may be added also that the editor has collected a considerable amount of material concerning this curious work, which the limits of the present volume preclude him from utilising.» — Waite declara material reunido y no usado por límite de espacio.
«An ancient gloss describes Arisleus as the son of Abladus.» — nota de Waite sobre la filiación del epistológrafo, distinta de la que declara la propia epístola.
«Beyond the similarity of the name, and the fact that most names are mutilated in the Turba, there seems no reason to suppose that the compiler intended to connect Pythagoras with alchemical traditions through Aristeus, the sophist of the time of Antoninus.» — Waite consigna que la mayoría de los nombres de la obra están mutilados, y por eso rehúsa identificar a Arisleo con Aristeo el sofista de tiempos de Antonino solo por el parecido.
«The Greek alchemists of the Byzantine Collection make no mention of Pythagoras, and the tradition which describes him as an adept of the Hermetic Mystery must be referred to an Arabian origin, to the treatises of El Habib, the Kitab-al-Firhirst, and the true Geber, where alchemical writings attributed to this sage are freely quoted.» — Waite: el Pitágoras alquimista no está en los griegos bizantinos, así que la tradición vendría de fuente árabe — El Habib, el Kitab-al-Firhirst y el Geber verdadero.
«the chief variation being that instead of " Occult Philosophy " the original reads " the vegetable stone.» — Waite coteja la versión francesa de Salmon contra la segunda recensión y anota la variante.
«The actions and passions thereof are known and understood only by {hose to whom a knowledge of the Sacred Art is given.» — el OCR imprime *{hose* por *those*; Waite trae en nota cómo la segunda recensión cierra el Primer Dicho: el saber reservado a quien recibe el Arte Sagrado.
«A similar comparison is used in the Arabian Book of Crates, where it is enjoined that the operation of the philosophical fire upon the philosophical matter should be regulated after the same manner as Nature regulates the influence of the four seasons ; and the same treatise, moreover, represents still older expositions of alchemical philosophy as using the same illustration.» — Waite coteja el símil estacional del Segundo Dicho con el Libro de Crates árabe.
«that the Turba in its original form antedated the Book of Crates.» — Waite lo da por probable, no por establecido; es su datación relativa más explícita.
«You have been told . . . that the ancients discoursed of four elements. Know that it is by means of these four elements that humid and dry things are constituted, as also things warm and cold, the male and the female. Two [elements] rise up and two fall down. The two ascending elements are fire and air ; the two descending elements are earth and water.» — Olimpiodoro, Sobre el Arte Sagrado, en la nota que Waite pone al pie del Tercer Dicho; es el paralelo griego de los elementos ascendentes y descendentes, y no doctrina de la asamblea.
«The allegory of the philosophical egg can be traced to the Greek alchemists. A short treatise is still extant under this title, and another on the Nomenclature of the Egg, which is described as the Mystery of the Art. It is composed of four elements, because it is the image of the world. It is the stone which is not a stone, the stone of copper, the Armenian stone, &c.» — nota de Waite: rastrea la alegoría del huevo hasta los alquimistas griegos y trae de ahí la fórmula de la piedra que no es piedra.
«Whether the age indicated is that of the Indian and Babylonian adepts does not appear, but the entire episode is remarkable when it is borne in mind what great importance evidently attached to the Democritic school of Greek alchemy.» — Waite subraya lo llamativo del episodio: la asamblea manda callar a Demócrito.
«Democritus, who, accordingly, figures merely as a promising tyro, and, in fact, remains silent throughout the rest of the deliberations.» — Waite concluye que la obra representa una tradición hostil a la de Demócrito, que aquí es solo un aprendiz prometedor y calla el resto del libro.
«Two natures alone are described by Lucas, one of which is neither known nor realised, save by piety and reason ; the other is not seen and is not described, for it is heaven. But there is a third connected nature, which is felt, seen, and known, and this is that which contains whatsoever is in heaven or earth. Now, reason perceives by the help of the five senses, &c. . . . What ensues is substantially the same as the text, till towards the close, which is as follows : As to that nature which is perceived by none of these, the same is sublime ; it is known by reason and piety only, and is God Most High, who made the light which is the Sun.» — Waite reproduce en nota la recensión corta del Séptimo Dicho, donde la criatura sublime se identifica sin rodeos con Dios Altísimo; el cuerpo que él traduce no lo dice así.
«In the Book oj Balances, one of the genuine Arabian works of Geber, there is a passage which has some analogy with this dictum» — Waite coteja el Octavo Dicho con el Libro de las Balanzas, que da por obra árabe genuina de Geber.
«After God had created all things of the four elements . . . He caused the four qualities to issue from the ancient worlds : namely, heat, cold, moisture, and dryness. The combination of these elements produced fire, which contains heat and dryness ; water, which possesses cold and moisture ; air, which has .warmth and humidity ; earth, which is cold and dry. By the help of these elements God created the superior and inferior worlds.» — el pasaje del Libro de las Balanzas que Waite cita al pie; las cualidades preceden a los elementos, al revés que en el dicho.
«terms him virgin earth, igneous earth, carnal earth, and sanguineous earth, making reference to the libraries of Ptolemy. There are similar references in Zosimus, by whom he is identified with death.» — Waite trae de Olimpiodoro, Sobre el Arte Sagrado, los epítetos del Adán hecho de los cuatro elementos.
«The nature of the angels, and the question whether they eat and sleep, does not seem to have been discussed either by Greek, Syriac, or Arabian alchemists.» — Waite marca como sin paralelo la discusión angélica del Octavo Dicho.
«fallen angels; it is to them that the tradition of the art must be referred as to a primary source ; and it was they also who wrote the primeval books of alchemy.» — Waite recoge de Zósimo el origen del arte en los ángeles caídos, y recuerda que la magia salió de las mismas inteligencias.
«In the discourse of Isis to Horus, the Mother of the Gods appears as a prophetess who obtained initiation into the mysteries of alchemy from the great angel Amnael, who desired to possess her.» — Waite añade el paralelo del discurso de Isis a Horus para la revelación angélica del arte.
«The necessity of concealing the Art is one of the chief anxieties of the Greek alchemists. Isis herself is sworn to secrecy by heaven and earth and hell, by the four elements, by the height anl the depth, by Hermes, by Anubis, and by the bowlings of Kerkoros.» — Waite pone el juramento de secreto de los griegos al pie de la ocultación de la clave; el OCR imprime *anl* por *and*.
«The reader will not fail to observe the artless way in which this passage betrays the whole dialogue as a literary composition.» — Waite declara el diálogo entero una composición literaria, no acta de una asamblea; es su juicio más directo sobre el dispositivo de la obra.
«At this point there appears to be a sudden transition from cosmology to alchemy, but it must be remembered that it is one of the Hermetic Methods to describe the processes of the great work in the language ofcosmology, and this not only in the Latin mediaeval writers, but also in the Greek.» — Waite explica el salto del Octavo al Noveno Dicho: la cosmología ES el lenguaje de la obra, no un preámbulo; el OCR junta *ofcosmology*.
«The philosophical copper is a subject of continual reference throughout all alchemy. Among the earliest authorities, the Book of Crates says that copper, like man, has a spirit, soul, and body.» — Waite glosa el cobre propio de la obra remitiéndolo al Libro de Crates y a un sentido simbólico, no al metal.
«M. Berthelot has pointed out that the use of the term nummus by the Latin alchemists is a misconception of the meaning of anterior writers. The reference is to Asem, an alloy of gold and silver.» — Waite corrige por Berthelot el arte de las Monedas: el término latino malinterpreta a los anteriores, que hablaban del asem.
«Numerous preparations for whitening and reddening will be found in the Collection of Ancient Greek Alchemists, as, for example, the Combination of the White Preparation in the Address of Isis to Horus, the recipe in the twentyfirst paragraph of the Natural Questions of Democritus, again in the Book of Synesius, the Philosopher, addressed to Dioscorus, and elsewhere in many places. It is invariably an operation with copper.» — Waite alinea el blanqueo y el enrojecimiento del Noveno Dicho con la colección griega; el OCR junta *twentyfirst*.
«The Greek Lexicon of Chrysopeia distinguishes two species of tincture, that which so permeates and scaks into a substance as to change its nature, and that which produces a superficial colouring.» — Waite trae del léxico griego la distinción entre tintura penetrante y coloración superficial; el OCR imprime *scaks* por *soaks*.
«Pelagus, cited by Olympiodorus in the Treatise on the Sacred Art, quotes Zosimus in definition of the sea as the hermaphrodytic element.» — Waite identifica el Agua de nuestro Mar del Décimo Dicho con el elemento hermafrodita de Zósimo.
«A short excursus On the Diversity of Burnt Copper is preserved among the writings of Zosimus, where it is noted that many persons prepare it by means of sulphur, and a process with sulphurated iron is quoted with high approbation from Democritus. Burnt copper is elsewhere denned by the same author as " the metal rendered bloodcolour (in view of whitening) and tinged within and without.» — Waite empareja el Cobre Quemado del Décimo Dicho con el excurso de Zósimo.
«overcomes nature : Nature contains Nature : Nature is ruled by Nature : are derived literally from the Greek Alchemists.» — Waite: las fórmulas repetidas de la obra sobre la naturaleza son calco literal de los alquimistas griegos.
«These alchemical Grand Antiphons in O are either literally borrowed from the Greek alchemists, or are formed on the model of precisely similar exclamations in those writers : " O, Supreme Wonder ! O, most happy and Sovereign Matter,» — Waite adjudica también a modelo griego las exclamaciones en O que salpican los dichos.
«A further insight into the artificial character of the book is afforded at this point. The meaning which is designed to be conveyed is, that in common with many other alchemical works, the instruction begins in the middle of the process for the more complete confusion of the uninitiated.» — Waite lee la declaración de Lucas como prueba del carácter artificioso del libro: empezar por la mitad es recurso de ocultación, no descuido.
«It should be noted in this connection that the attribution of the seven metals to the seven planets is not found in the Turba. Thus, quicksilver is never spoken of as Mercury, nor gold as Sol, &c.» — Waite consigna la negativa: la obra no empareja los siete metales con los siete planetas ni usa los nombres planetarios de los metales.
«Hermes, as quoted by Olympiodorus, defines smoke as intermediary between the warm and the dry.» — Waite apoya el humo del Duodécimo Dicho en la definición de Hermes que transmite Olimpiodoro.
«The shadow of copper is the flower of copper, i.e., M. Berthelot explains, protoxide, verdegris. The epistle of Democritus to Leucippus explains that a metal without shadow is a brilliant metal. Zosimus says that the act of burning is called the destruction of the shadow. Pelagus defines the shadow of copper as the black tinge which it produces in silver. Democritus also gives a recipe for the removal of the shadow from copper.» — la nota entera de Waite sobre la sombra del cobre, con cuatro lecturas griegas distintas puestas una junto a otra y sin arbitrar entre ellas.
«The second recension in the edition of Mangetus reads Sol throughout for Sal, but it is a printer's error.» — Waite descarta como errata de imprenta una variante que cambiaría la Flor de Sal Blanca por una flor del Sol.
«Though Martinus Rulandus endeavoured honestly to explain all the barbarous terms of Alchemy in his laborious lexicon, and though he was evidently well acquainted with the Turba, he omits both Mardeck and Gadenbe.» — Waite marca el hueco: ni el léxico de Rulandus explica esos dos términos de la obra.
«Zosimus explains that the uncommunicated mystery which no one among the prophets has dared to divulge by word, but has revealed only to the initiates, is a process upon the stone Alabastron by means of vinegar. By the Lexicon of Chrysopeia in the By/antine Collection that earliest dictionary of alchemy, which has remained unknown to all later Hermetic lexicographers Alabastron is defined to be the calx obtained from eggshells, saltpetre, a variety of natron, and common salt. The inquirer after the uncommunicated secret may take his choice among these substances, and it does not follow that the Lexicon is a correct exponent of Zosimus. However this may be, it appears that the stone Alabastron, either before or after the operation with vinegar, is the symbolical encephalous stone which is not a stone, the unknown thing which is known by all, the despised thing which is most precious, the thing given and not given by God. The preparation indicated is the Mythraic Mystery. The perplexities of the Turba at this point are, therefore, a device of the Greek alchemists, and they were fond of recurring to it.» — Waite empareja la piedra que no es piedra del Decimotercer Dicho con el Alabastrón de Zósimo, deja abierta la identificación material y declara la perplejidad un recurso griego heredado; el OCR imprime *By/antine* por *Byzantine*.
«The symbolical use of milk in alchemy is, like so much of the terminology of the Turba, of Greek origin. It will be found in the discourse of Synesius.» — Waite remite también la leche del Decimotercer Dicho a la terminología griega.
«probably a misprint for Scoria. Rulandus identifies philosophical gum with Ferment, Mercury, &c. The term is much used in alchemy, and is found in Zosimus, but without explanatory context. The Turba Philosophorum is not very clear on the subject of the philosophical gum, but it is as clear as the Greek Alchemists, for the Lexicon of Chrysopeia defines gum as the yolk of the egg, speaking philosophically and not literally ; but the treatise on the Nomenclature of the Egg says that the white of egg is gum, among other things, speaking also philosophically, and without regard to the Lexicon.» — Waite deja la goma filosófica sin resolver y muestra a las dos autoridades griegas contradiciéndose entre sí, la yema contra la clara.
«In the second recension the name is Assuberes.» — Waite anota la otra grafía del orador que la recensión larga llama Acsubofen; las dos formas quedan sin cotejo contra el facsímil.
«A Formula of the Greek Alchemists : Sulphurs are mastered by Sulphurs, &c.» — Waite marca como calco griego la fórmula con que abre el Decimocuarto Dicho.
«A Syriac treatise, fixed by M. Berthelot as belonging to the tenth or eleventh century, says that " the elixir resembles a poison , because of its violence and subtlety," and Arabian alchemy contains many references to the venenum ignis. The Greek equivalent is ios, and this is recurring continually in the Byzantine Alchemical collection.» — la datación de Berthelot del tratado siríaco, que el digest situaba en la p. 58 y está en la 59, dentro de la nota de Waite sobre la teriaca y el veneno de la piedra; el elixir como veneno, el venenum ignis árabe y el ios griego.
«This process, worded in the language of the Tyrian dye, may be compared with a similar recipe for the purple tincture» — Waite empareja el régimen tirio de Acsubofen con la receta de la púrpura de las Cuestiones Naturales y Místicas de Demócrito, donde la orina también cuenta.
«The use of sea water is specified in one of the Democritic treatises.» — Waite respalda el agua de mar del mismo dicho con un tratado democríteo.
«The second recension substitutes Luna for Lana, i.e., Moon for wool.» — Waite anota una variante de una letra que cambia la operación entera: mojar lana o mojar Luna.
«The one nature, the one matter, the one way, are all conceptions of Greek Alchemy.» — Waite adjudica a la alquimia griega la fórmula de una naturaleza, una materia y un camino; el Decimoquinto Dicho solo dice que el fundamento es uno.
«furnishes blood to the OTHER, and the ONE engenders the OTHER. Nature rejoices nature ; nature charms nature ; nature triumphs over nature ; nature masters nature ; and this not for one such nature opposed to another such, but for one only and same nature, proceeding by chemical process from itself with pain and great labour." The Serpent Ourobobot.» — el pasaje griego que Waite pone al pie, atribuido a la Serpiente Uroboros; la serie de verbos sobre la naturaleza es la que la obra repite abreviada.
«The Greek Assembly of the Philosophers explains that the philosophical vinegar is obtained by the coction of the Stone.» — Waite remite el vinagre agudísimo de Frictes a una Asamblea de los Filósofos griega, y añade que la explicación no queda clara y que Berthelot supone el Agua Mercurial.
«The Greek Alchemists give the following recipe for the production of incombustible sulphur : Take unburnt Sulphur, diluted in the urine of a person who has not reached puberty ; then taking an equal quantity ot brine, boil till the sulphur rises to the surface, and then it becomes incombustible. Prove it by reasoning and examining (? with fire) until it becomes incombustible, that is to say, until you see that it no longer burns.» — la receta del azufre incombustible es de la nota de Waite, no del Decimoquinto Dicho, que solo manda regir suavemente hasta que el azufre lo sea; el OCR imprime *ot* por *of*.
«M. Berthelot tells us that lead was regarded by the Egyptian alchemists as the generator of the other metals and the first matter of transmutation, which he explains by the appearances it possesses in common with a number of other simple bodies and metallic alloys. Zosimus, the Panopolite, may be cited in confirmation of this point ; he says : All substances were recognised by the Egyptians as produced by lead alone, for it is from lead that the three other bodies are derived, i.e., copper, iron, and tin.» — el plomo como generador de los metales es de Berthelot y de Zósimo en la nota de Waite; el Decimosexto Dicho solo dice que sin plomo no hay tintura.
«The significance of the term Kuhul, or more accurately Kohol, is to be found in Syriac alchemy ; it is the equivalent of alcool and sulphurated antimony in the form of an impalpable powder. Kuhul, or Koheul, is explained by Rulandus to be the Lead of the Philosophers.» — Waite deriva del siríaco el Kuhul del dicho, y recoge la lectura de Rulandus.
«The explanation of all Rosicrucian mysteries has been referred to the dew of the alchemists, and the ros philosophorum certainly plays an important part in the Great Mystery. In the Natural and Mysterious Questions of Democritus, dew is mentioned in connection with a process of whitening, and in the fragment on the Philosophical Egg it is tabulated as a name of the white or philosophical albumen, but here M. Berthelot suspects the additions of a later hand.» — Waite conecta el rocío del Decimosexto Dicho con el ros philosophorum y con la lectura rosacruz, y traslada la reserva de Berthelot sobre la mano tardía.
«M. Berthelot indentifies orpiment with the arsenic of the ancients. The word itself does not occur in the Greek writers, but there is a fifteenth century translation from Latin to Greek of the Semita Recta, ascribed to Albertus Magnus, who reappears as Peter Theoctonicos, in which it is found.» — Waite documenta el oropimente como el arsénico de los antiguos y advierte que el término no está en los griegos.
«Otherwise Zenon, according to the second recension.» — Waite registra la otra grafía del orador del Decimoséptimo Dicho, Zimon o Zenon; ninguna cotejada con el facsímil.
«A commentary introduced into the text of Zosimus on Virtue and Interpretation, observes : If thou dost commence by making white, the yellowing will be perfect, perfect and solid.» — Waite empareja el orden blanco-rojo de Zimon con un comentario interpolado en Zósimo.
«The various substances which alchemists confounded under the names of Minium, Rubric, etc,, are enumerated by M, Berthelot, including, in addition to the sur-oxyde of lead, which is the modern name of minium, not only vermillion, cinnabar, realgar, etc., but some oxydes of iron.» — Waite advierte por Berthelot que bajo el minio se confunden sustancias muy distintas.
«It appears from Zosimus on The Detailed Exposition of the Work, that with the addition of a little [philosophical] gum any species of body may be tinged. And when Mundus identifies Gum with Permanent Water he is in agreement with the same authority, for in the context of the passage just cited we find the following words : That which tinges tinctures and things tinged is Divine water, the great mystery. The gum of gold is mentioned in a fragment attributed to Agathodemon.» — Waite respalda con Zósimo la identificación de goma y Agua Permanente que hace Mundus.
«The reference to the Masters, which occurs twice in this dictum, is to be understood not of previous speakers in the Assembly, but of the older philosophers, namely, the Greek Alchemists.» — Waite adjudica la voz: los Maestros de Dardaris no son oradores de la asamblea sino los alquimistas griegos anteriores.
«The whole of this Dictum recalls a passage in Zosimus, On Virtue and Interpretation» — Waite abre con esto la nota que reproduce la fórmula de la piedra que no es piedra en boca del Demócrito de Zósimo.
«It is for these reasons that my excellent master, Democritus, makes himself the following distinction ; " Take that stone which is not a stone, that precious thing which has no value, that polymorphous object which is without form» — la fórmula de la piedra que no es piedra la trae Waite en nota, en boca del Demócrito que cita Zósimo, no en boca de la asamblea; la nota sigue en la misma plana con el aphroselinon.
«For this stone is not a stone, and while it is exceedingly precious, at the same time it has no money value ; its nature is one, its name one. Nevertheless, many denominations have been given it, I do not say absolutely speaking, but according to its nature, so that whether it is called the being which flees the fire, or white smoke, or white copper, no falsehood is uttered.» — cierre de la misma nota de Waite: los muchos nombres no mienten porque se dan según la naturaleza de la cosa.
«The second recension reads : " Green Lion.» — Waite anota que donde la recensión larga dice Piedra Verde, la corta dice León Verde.
«Sputum Lunse does not seem to be a term which found favour with Latin alchemy» — Waite marca la Espuma de la Luna como término que la alquimia latina no adoptó y que falta en los léxicos.
«It is very curious to note that Rulandus, who quite frequently quotes the Turba, seems seldom to have troubled himself about the significance of its bizarre terms.» — Waite deja constancia del hueco: Rulandus cita la obra y no explica sus términos raros.
«there is a prescription from Hermes concerning " that which falls from the moon when it is waning," and he is referred to as describing where it is to be found, and how it has the quality of resisting the fire. In fact, says Hermes, " you will find it with me and with Agathodaimon.» — la frase sobre Agathodaimon es de Hermes citado por Zósimo dentro de la nota de Waite, no de un orador de la asamblea; Berthelot lee el pasaje como alegoría de la volatilización del mercurio.
«Note also the mythology of Selenite, Lapis Arabicus, Aphroselinum, &c., supposed not only to reflect the likeness of the Moon, but to be " made from dew by the foam of the Moon.» — Waite recoge de Rulandus la mitología de las piedras lunares detrás del aphroselinon.
«Treating, in his dictum on the subject of calx, concerning the uncommunicated mystery of the encephalous stone, the Greek adept calls it the despised thing which is most precious, and so on through a number of contradicting denominations.» — cierre de la nota de Waite sobre la piedra despreciada: la serie de denominaciones contradictorias viene de Zósimo.
«The symbolism of the venom of the philosophers is also found in Zosimus, commenting upon Democritus.» — Waite remite también el veneno de los filósofos a Zósimo.
«signifies, says an annotation of M. Berthelot, the rouille of metals, the specific virtue of bodies, and the venom of serpents. According to Zosimus, it is the spirit separated from the substance of a body.» — Waite da las tres acepciones del término griego del veneno según Berthelot, y la de Zósimo aparte.
«A quotation from Mary (the first) in Zosimus On the Measure of Yellowing runs thus : Copper when burned with sulphur, treated with oil ot natron, and recovered after having undergone the same process several times, becomes an excellent gold without shadow.» — Waite trae a María la primera, citada por Zósimo, para el oro sin sombra; el OCR imprime *ot* por *of*.
«This oriental term is referred to by M. Berthelot in his Essay on the Transmission of Ancient Science without explanation of its significance, and it is not found in any of the Lexicons of Alchemy. In an ancient alchemical treatise, entitled The Code of Truth, it figures as the name of an adept.» — Waite declara sin resolver el Cambar del Vigésimo Primer Dicho, y anota que en el Código de la Verdad es nombre de un adepto.
«The Chemistry of Moses gives the following process for the whitening of Magnesia: " Taking Magnesia and an equal quantity of Cappadocian salt, place in a vessel of burnt clay. Let it stay there from evening till morning. Then, if it be black, let it be cooked till it whitens, but it is far better to cook it in a glass-maker's furnace. Hide this mystery, for it comprises everything which concerns whitening by decoction.» — Waite empareja la Magnesia Blanca de Pandolfus con la receta de la Química de Moisés.
«It does not appear that the conception of the Philosopher's Stone as a medicine of metals and of men was familiar to Greek alchemy.» — Waite marca una negativa: la piedra como medicina de metales y de hombres no está en los griegos.
«The authenticity of this sign is extremely doubtful, and the marginal note which is appended to most printed editions does not help it out. It is no doubt really a misreading of the word Hoc, which is required to make sense of the sentence immediately following. The second recension confirms this view.» — Waite descarta como mala lectura el signo que el texto trae entre las confecciones de Pandolfus.
«The original is untranslatable; the conjectural emendation given in the text has no authority, and is only introduced to provide a meaning.» — Waite declara que ahí lo que se lee en su traducción es enmienda suya sin autoridad, puesta solo para que la frase signifique algo.
«This unintelligible passage is better rendered in the first recension» — Waite marca ininteligible el pasaje del régimen de Teófilo y se apoya en la otra recensión.
«until it shall have absorbed both, and do this seven times." But donee duas ebibat does not agree with the subsequent directions found in each version.» — la imbibición séptuple está en la nota de Waite, que además señala que la lectura latina no concuerda con las instrucciones que siguen en ninguna de las dos recensiones.
«Boritis, according to Rulandus, is the White Stone after the black state, and it reduces earth to water. A late French Lexicon observes that the name was applied by Philosophers to their Mercury when it had reached the extreme black stage. It is the Laton which must be whitened. The word is of Oriental origin.» — Waite reúne dos lecturas del boritis que no coinciden entre sí, la de Rulandus y la del léxico francés.
«The second recension reads : " Take quicksilver mixed with the male.» — la fórmula viene de la nota de Waite con la variante de la recensión corta, no del dicho de Teófilo, que dice tomar Magnesia blanca y mercurio.
«The definition may not be important, but it is, perhaps, as well to state that the Greek Lexiconof Chrysoptia explains that tin alchemically is cinnabar, and that cinnabar is sublimed vapour obtained by coction in cauldrons. Here M. Berthelot observes that the reference is to sublimed mercury or the sulphur thereof.» — Waite glosa el estaño del Vigésimo Tercer Dicho por el léxico griego; el OCR junta *Lexiconof* y deforma *Chrysopeia*.
«things are male and female. Hence Horus says in a certain place : Join the male and the female, and you will find that which is sought ; as a fact, without this process of reunion, nothing can succeed, for Nature charms Nature," &c. Olympiodorus On the Sacred Art.» — la fórmula de unir el macho y la hembra es de Horus citado por Olimpiodoro en la nota de Waite, no de un orador de la asamblea.
«The name in the second recension is Boratis.» — Waite anota la otra grafía del orador del Vigésimo Cuarto Dicho, Bocascus o Boratis; ninguna cotejada con el facsímil.
«The Greek alchemists claim to have accomplished the fixation of Mercury by means of the Body of Magnesia, by which Zosimus understands molybdochalchos. An unassigned fragment of the Byzantine collection has the following poetical reference to the fixation of Mercury : " Mercury is obtained in like manner with artificial cinnabar, a rare substance, that is, one met with rarely. I refer to cinnabar obtained by the dry way and a suitable roasting. It is that above all which is termed dried and easily volatilised, employed in the testing of souls. Having become an etherised spirit, it darts towards the upper hemisphere ; it descends and ascends, avoiding the action of the fire, until, quitting its role of fugitive, it reaches a state of wisdom. Until it has attained this condition, it is difficult to retain, and is mortal." Fabrication of the All.» — el fragmento bizantino sobre la fijación del mercurio que Waite pone al pie del Vigésimo Cuarto Dicho, sin firmante conocido.
«With its body," says the second recension ; it is a printer's choice between compari and corpori.» — Waite deja la variante en manos del cajista: mezclarlo con su igual o con su cuerpo.
«But Mary is quoted by Olympiodorus in terms which correspond literally with the text of the Turba : " Except you convert corporeal substances into incorporeal, and incorporeal substances into corporeal, and unless you make two bodies into one body, no desired result will be achieved." The " divine " Zozimus also quotes Hermes in precisely the same fashion, and he observes elsewhere that to convert and transmute is to impart body to the incorporeal.» — Waite declara correspondencia literal entre el Vigésimo Quinto Dicho y María citada por Olimpiodoro; es su cotejo más fuerte de dependencia griega.
«Zosimus, commenting upon Mary, concludes that the Body of Magnesia is molybdochalchos, or black lead.» — Waite añade la identificación de Zósimo y remite a su propia nota de la p. 82, reconociendo la confusión de la química antigua sobre esa sustancia.
«it holds and colours all spirits, because Ethelia tinges all things when once it has been itself tinged.» — la lectura de la segunda recensión que Waite pone al pie del Vigésimo Quinto Dicho.
«This distinction between the soul and the spirit is recognised by Zosimus, who follows Democritus. The soul is the primitively sulphureous and caustic nature. The purifying influence of fire preserves the spirit when the operation has been conducted according to the rules of Art. The spirit is the useful part, the tingeing element. The Four Metallic Bodies» — Waite apoya en Zósimo la distinción de alma y espíritu que el Vigésimo Quinto Dicho supone sin explicar.
«In his treatise On Virtue and Interpretation, Zosimus cites Democritus to the effect that copper does not tinge, but that copper burnt by means of oil of natron, and having undergone this treatment repeatedly, becomes more beautiful than gold.» — Waite localiza en Zósimo la sentencia sobre el cobre que no tiñe.
«The name in the second recension is Chambar.» — Waite anota la otra grafía del orador del Vigésimo Séptimo Dicho, Gregorius o Chambar; sin cotejo con el facsímil.
«Antimony, in the second recension. The most bizarre terms of the Turba did not find favour with Western Alchemists ; Efflucidinus is a special instance in point. It is difficult to speak with complete authority, but it may be said almost certainly that no later author made use of it. Moreover, no vocabulary mentions it.» — Waite deja Efflucidinus como término muerto: la recensión corta lo resuelve como antimonio y ningún vocabulario lo recoge.
«Mark the Philosopher, seized with a divine transport, on the subject of this white sulphur : If the preparation become like unto marble, then is there a great mystery." And again, having cited Stephanus, he proceeds : " Now, that which tinges tinctures and tinged substances, the same is divine water, the great mystery, which is like unto marble.» — Waite rastrea hasta Zósimo, Demócrito y Estéfano el símil del mármol reluciente.
«A common anecdote of the alchemists, reproduced with many variations, and even in Hermetic poems, such as Norton's Ordinal of Alchemy.» — Waite identifica como tópico del género la anécdota del que abandona la obra por impaciencia.
«The distinction between the Wise and the Envious is a little difficult to follow, nor is it at all certain that the envious had less wisdom than the wise, or the wise less envy than the envious. In either case, they were all Greeks indifferently.» — Waite desarma la oposición que estructura buena parte de los dichos: sabios y envidiosos serían los mismos griegos.
«This reference is omitted from the second recension. Moses may be a misprint for Gustos, or vice versa.» — Waite registra que no puede decidir cuál de los dos nombres es el bueno en el Vigésimo Noveno Dicho.
«When thou hast attained, my child, to the understanding of these things by way of a preliminary, consider creation and generation as a whole, and know that man is able to bring forth man, the lion begets the lion, and the dog procreates the dog. Should it happen that & creature is produced contrary to nature, it is a monster which is engendered, and the same hath no consistence. Nature charms nature, and nature triumphs through nature.» — el paralelo griego que Waite pone al pie del Vigésimo Noveno Dicho, con el león y el perro donde la Turba pone bestias y aves; el OCR imprime *&* por *a*.
«In fact, even as I have previously said that wheat begets wheat, and man sows man, so also gold serves for the increase of gold, and like things generally for the reproduction of their like. Now hath the mystery been revealed." Isis to Horns.» — cierre del paralelo griego de Waite, atribuido al discurso de Isis a Horus; el OCR imprime *Horns* por *Horus*.
«They have defined this Stone by saying that it is running water and permanent water ; burning fire and frozen fire ; dead earth ; hard stone and soft stone. It is the flying slave, the swift and the stable ; the thing which makes and is made,» — Waite cita los Doce Capítulos de Ostanes al pie del esclavo rojo; la serie de contrarios es la misma que la obra usa para la cosa única.
«In the Speculum Majus of Vincent de Beauvais it appears as a synonym of Mercury, which of course is an obvious symbolism. Rulandus attributes it to some treatise ascribed to Hermes. According to other lexicons, the Red Servant is the matter from which the Philosophers extract their Mercury, which must therefore be the marriageable son mentioned in the text above. The fugitive role of Mercury is referred to in the Greek fragment on The Fabrication of the All, as already cited.» — Waite reúne tres lecturas distintas del Siervo Rojo y deduce cuál encaja con el texto, sin cerrar la cuestión.
«The second recension reads : " A true son is begotten.» — la frase del hijo verdadero es la variante de la recensión corta en la nota de Waite, no letra del dicho de Diamedes, que dice que el hijo está más cerca todavía.
«According to Rulandus, the King is the spiritual water which gives moisture to the female, but there are many meanings. This passage is the fountain-head of the whole symbolism of the alchemical marriage, which is» — Waite señala este pasaje como el manantial de todo el simbolismo del matrimonio alquímico.
«always with royal personages. Compare the Sponsus and Sponsa of the Chemical Nuptials of Christian Rosy Cross, and the innumerable pictorial emblems which illustrate Latin Alchemy. It does not appear to be traceable to a Greek source.» — cierre de la misma nota, con dos datos que no van juntos en ningún otro sitio: el enlace con las Bodas Químicas y la negativa de origen griego para el matrimonio alquímico.
«lexicographers of alchemy who followed Rulandus after a long interval, explain that Corsufle, or as they sometimes wrote it, Carsufle, is the Sulphur of the Philosophers fixed at the Red Stage. Under neither form is the term to be found in Rulandus himselt, though he was well acquainted with the Turba. His dictionary, however, includes Cor Fuffla, which might be a mutilated version produced in a German printing office. It signifies the impurity of bodies, a definition which does not correspond either with the text of the Turba, or with the subsequent vocabularies. The origin of the word is obscure, and it is not found in the collections of Arabian or Syrian alchemy published by M. Berthelot.» — Waite deja el Corsufle sin origen: ni Rulandus lo trae, ni aparece en las colecciones árabes o siríacas de Berthelot; el OCR imprime *himselt* por *himself*.
«According to the second recension, Corsufle is the head, i.e., the crown, and not the beginning of the work. The speaker also is different, namely, Nephitus.» — Waite anota que en la otra recensión cambian a la vez el sentido y el orador: Nephitus en lugar de Diamedes.
«The text is corrupt and unintelligible. The second recension reads : " Therefore that nature from which the humidity has been removed, when it has been left for nights, is like to one dead ; and then that nature is wanting in fire until the spirit of that body returns ; and then it becomes dust like unto one dead in his tomb.» — Waite declara corrupto el arranque del Trigésimo Segundo Dicho y da la lectura de la otra recensión.
«development ol the embryo, which is suggested by the above reference, and is, in fact, common to all Latin adepts» — Waite hace del símil embriológico un lugar común de los adeptos latinos; el OCR imprime *ol* por *of*.
«in Comarius, who says that the test of fire nourishes the material as the embryo is nourished in the mother's womb.» — Waite cierra el cotejo del embrión con Comario.
«M. Berthelot traces the original notion of the fermentation of metals to the sophistication called diplosis.» — Waite remite el fermento del Oro a la diplosis, una técnica de adulteración y no de transmutación.
«Recipes designed for the accomplishment of a more profound imitation are also met with, for example, the alliance of gold or silver with a more or less considerable quantity ot some less precious metal ; this was the operation of diplosis» — Waite define la diplosis por Berthelot: aleación con metal menos precioso, es decir imitación; el OCR imprime *ot* por *of*.
«means of the like, in the metallic body to be tinged. As a tact, after the same manner that the leaven of dough, used in a small quantity, ferments a great mass of paste, so also will this little morsel of gold ferment all the dry matter." This notion is repeated in terms essential and literal by innumerable Latin alchemists.» — el símil griego de la levadura que Waite pone al pie del fermento del Oro, y su nota de que los latinos lo repiten al pie de la letra; el OCR imprime *tact* por *fact*.
«For this somewhat bizarre reading the second recension substitutes : " It seems needful to lay stress upon some matters which have been already mentioned.» — Waite marca como extraña la apertura del Trigésimo Cuarto Dicho y da la lectura llana de la otra recensión.
«In the second recension the name is rendered Zeunon.» — Waite anota la otra grafía del orador del Trigésimo Quinto Dicho, Zimon o Zeunon; sin cotejo con el facsímil.
«The second recension has an important variation : " The words of the Egyptians have led us into error.» — Waite destaca la variante: donde el texto que traduce culpa a los envidiosos, la otra recensión culpa a los egipcios.
«This passage recalls many statements to the same effect in the Greek alchemists, as, lor example, that the end is not to be obtained by money, " for the Lord God has delivered the same gratuitously, by reason of the beggars and the despairing." But this passage from the Byzantine Assembly of the Philosophers is in part at least an interpolation.» — Waite empareja el precio ínfimo con una Asamblea de los Filósofos bizantina y a la vez advierte que ese pasaje es en parte interpolado; el OCR imprime *lor* por *for*.
«The counsel of Olympiodorus is similar : " The fire must burn with moderation and gentleness, lest the vapour should escape in smoke and be lost," And, again : " Know that this Art is not practised by means of a fierce fire.» — Waite alinea el fuego moderado del Trigésimo Quinto Dicho con Olimpiodoro.
«Some Latin alchemists say that the Mzgnum Oput is a work of the hands, which others deny, and a very pretty» — apertura de la nota de Waite sobre la disputa de si la obra es manual; el OCR deforma *Magnum Opus*.
«diversity of opinion has risen up among interpreters in consequence. The partisans of the first view, denying the metallic object of the Art, affirm that the mystery of the manual operation was the mystery of animal magnetism. The Turba in the passage above, and in other places, is against the use of the hands, whatever that may have signified, here following Olympiodorus: " Think not thou, as do some, that manual action is of itself and alone sufficient ; there is also required that of Nature, an action superior to man's." On the Sacred Art.» — Waite sitúa a la obra en la disputa de la operación manual, del lado que la niega, y se abstiene sobre qué significaba la mano.
«Of the elders," says the second recension,» — Waite anota que donde el texto nombra a Victimerus, la otra recensión dice los ancianos.
«The second recension substitutes " The Philosophers," a variation which, in its way, is significant.» — Waite marca como significativo que la otra recensión ponga los Filósofos donde ésta pone los envidiosos.
«The name in the second recension is Assotes.» — Waite anota la otra grafía del orador del Trigésimo Sexto Dicho, Afflontus o Assotes; sin cotejo con el facsímil.
«Agathodaimon is included among the makers of gold in one of the earlier sections of the Byzantine collection. He is quoted by Olympiodorus (On the Sacred Art), and a short account of him is given by the same writer. " It is stated by some that he was a man ancient among the most ancient who philosophised in Egypt, by others that he is a mysterious angel, or that he is the good genius of Egypt,» — Waite deja las tres lecturas de Agathodaimon una junto a otra —hombre antiquísimo, ángel misterioso, genio bueno de Egipto— sin decidir.
«There is an exceedingly curious reference to honey in the Discourse of Synesius. The question being what is the difference between the mercury which is obtained from cinnabar, and that which is obtained from arsenic, the Philosopher explains that while all mercury is one, there are still a variety of sorts, and he quotes Hermes: " The ray of honey is white,» — Waite documenta la miel del Trigésimo Séptimo Dicho por el discurso de Sinesio.
«M. Berthelot explains that honey signifies mercury, which in the special connection is of course obvious, but it does not follow that this is the significance which was invariably attached to it by the philosophers. As a fact, in later days the term was used to signify the philosophical dissolvent.» — Waite acepta la lectura de Berthelot para este pasaje y se niega a generalizarla.
«The Virus, according to Pliny, meant certain properties or specific virtues of bodies, such as the odour of copper, ivory, and sandarac ; the medical action of calx of gold ; the magnetic virtue communicated to iron by the magnet." Hence the term signified the power and not the operation, or if the operation, then this in all its phases, whether of healing or hurting. los also signified in a special way the oxyde of metals.» — Waite explica por Plinio y Berthelot que el veneno de la obra nombra una potencia, no una operación; el OCR imprime *los* por *ios*.
«The whole mystery is in the scoriae," says Zosimus, in The Diversity of Burnt Copper, and though the remark has a particular application, it was also with alchemists of the nature of a general axiom. So Olympiodorus : "In fact, the negative body par excellence, that which is called black lead, that which the Egyptian prophets desired to know, that which the oracles of the demons have revealed, all these are the scoria and cinders of Mary.» — Waite empareja las heces del Trigésimo Séptimo Dicho con el axioma griego de las escorias, y con las cenizas de María.
«The Greek alchemists assumed a special virtue in dew, but it was not apparently so much inherent in the moisture itself, as in the rays of the morning sun with which it is chiefly connected. Neither alchemically or otherwise was the night dew ever considered beneficial.» — Waite precisa que para los griegos la virtud no estaba en el rocío sino en el sol de la mañana.
«In the Turba Philotophorum, dew appears under another aspect, as possessing an inherent virtue apart from the vital presence and activity of the solar rays. In Latin alchemy, however, the references to dew are not very frequent, and it does not seem to have played so important a part in the symbolism o* the adepts as Mosheim and others have supposed.» — Waite marca aquí una diferencia entre la obra y sus fuentes griegas, y rebaja de paso el peso que Mosheim daba al rocío en la alquimia latina.
«The Greek equivalent of Decoction identifies the process with that cooking which is so often ordained in all alchemical experiments. In the New Light of Arnoldus de Villa Nova three grades of the operation are described, together with the special furnaces and appliances required. In the first grade, the matter becomes black ; in the second, white ; and in the third, red. The description is accompanied in each case by a citation from the Turba.» — Waite documenta la recepción: Arnaldo de Vilanova describe los tres grados con sus hornos y cita la obra en cada uno.
«The speaker in the second recension is called Admion.» — Waite anota la otra grafía del orador del Trigésimo Noveno Dicho, Bacsen o Admion; sin cotejo con el facsímil.
«The like exhortation is met with everywhere in the literature of the adepts. " Patience and delay are indispensable in our magistery. Haste, indeed, is of the devil's part in this magistery." Rotary of the Philosophers, And again, " It is impossible for this to be known by the seeker unless he learns it from God, or from the instruction of a master. Know also that the way is very long ; therefore are patience and delay needful in this our magistery.» — Waite empareja la exhortación a la paciencia con el Rosario de los Filósofos; el OCR imprime *Rotary* por *Rosary*.
«The fear of God has always been regarded as essential to the success of the true alchemist. The explanation is to be sought in the fact that the operations of nature were a region of awe and wonder to early experiment. The Greek alchemists regarded no operation as possible without the divine concurrence, and Zosimus says : " Abide at thine own fireside acknowledging but one God and one Art; do not deviate in search of another God; for God will come to thee, He who is present everywhere. . . . . Rest thy body, and hush thy passions ; so, governing thyself, thou shall call unto thee the Divine Being, and the Divine Being will come to thee. . . . When thou shalt know thyself, then shalt thou know also the only God existing in thee ; and acting thus thou shalt attain truth and nature, rejecting matter with contempt.» — Waite explica el temor de Dios del Trigésimo Noveno Dicho por la novedad de la experimentación, y trae de Zósimo el pasaje más introspectivo de todo el aparato.
«Latin alchemists made use ot the symbolism of Tyrian dye when describing the Red state of the Magistery. The Kenckel, previously referred to, is apparently an Eastern term designating the Crustacea from the shells of which the dye was anciently obtained.» — Waite resuelve el Kenckel del Decimocuarto Dicho como nombre oriental del molusco de la púrpura; el OCR imprime *ot* por *of*.
«In the second recension the name is Cadmon.» — Waite anota la otra grafía del orador del Cuadragésimo Primer Dicho, Zimon o Cadmon; sin cotejo con el facsímil.
«The term rotundum used in this curious manner is to be understood of the Stone. The Scala Philosophorum speaks of "our perfect tyriac and rotund stone," the four elements being concordantly exalted in the quality of the temperate stone.» — Waite resuelve el rotundum como la Piedra y lo apoya en la Scala Philosophorum.
«The Rosary of the Philotophers observes : " The first matter of bodies is not the mercury of the vulgar, but is an unctuous and humid vapour. The mineral stone is made from the humid, and the metallic body from the unctuous. It is needful that bodies should be converted into such an unctuous vapour, and they are destroyed, brought to nothing, and mortified in the conversion, and this is accomplished by means of our white and red water.» — la definición de la materia prima como vapor untuoso y húmedo es del Rosario de los Filósofos citado por Waite al pie, no de un dicho de la asamblea; el OCR imprime *Philotophers*.
«The second recension reads : " sulphur of nature,' 1 concerning which much is found in later alchemical writers.» — Waite anota la variante *azufre de la naturaleza* y su fortuna posterior.
«According to the second recension : "much has been said of the regimen but of the conjunction little.» — Waite da la lectura contraria de la otra recensión: allí la conjunción es justamente lo poco tratado.
«Some abbreviations in the printed editions obscure the passage.» — Waite achaca a las abreviaturas de los impresos la oscuridad del pasaje de Cambar y oropimente.
«The reading of the second recension is clearer, namely, " Close the door on the volatile, lest it take flight.» — Waite prefiere la lectura de la otra recensión, que deshace la ambigüedad de la puerta de la fuga.
«In the second recension the passage reads thus : " Concerning these the Philosophers also said : They fled not with flying things, and yet were they made flying.» — Waite da la variante del pasaje sobre lo volátil y lo fijo.
«While this term properly signifies the rust or oxide of metals, it was used in many senses by the alchemists, for the redness of rust associated it in their idea with other forms of red matter, and rust philosophical became a part of the Great Mystery.» — Waite explica cómo el rubigo pasó de óxido a término del misterio por el color, y enumera los cuerpos que se confundían bajo ese nombre.
«It is not, perhaps, surprising that what was above all things the mystery of the fire and the furnace, should concern itself considerably with the smoke in which it so often ended, and thus in various stages of its history we have alchemy discoursing of that specially philosophical smoke which is identical with scoriae, and hence on the authority of the Greeks involves the whole art» — Waite abre el inventario de los humos de la alquimia a propósito del humo pesado de la obra.
«with yellow sulphur ; red smoke, which is orpiment; smoke of extreme subtlety, of which the Latin Geber discourses ; and lastly the ponderous smoke of the Turba. Many others might be named, but these varieties are sufficient to show that smoke was as important to the alchemists as to the votaries ot " my Lady Nicotine.» — cierre del inventario, con la broma del tabaco que marca la distancia del editor victoriano respecto de su material; el OCR imprime *ot* por *of*.
«There are other denominations," says Synesius in his letter to Dioscorus. " Thus whitening is a calcination, and yellowing an igneous regeneration ; for some of these (substances) calcine themselves, and (other some) regenerate themselves. But the Philosopher has designated them under several names, and sometimes in the singular, sometimes in the plural person, in order to test us and see whether we are intelligent.» — Waite trae de Sinesio la explicación de la multiplicidad de nombres como prueba deliberada puesta al lector.
«It is nothing but vapour and water, while the regimen is nothing but the sublimation of quicksilver and its union with the body of magnesia.» — la lectura de la otra recensión que Waite pone al pie, más escueta que la del texto que traduce.
«The Greek term which the alchemists of the Byzantine collection made use of as the equivalent of sublimation, signified originally filings, as M. Berthelot informs us, thus expressing the idea of the extreme attenuation of matter. The same idea was attached later on by the Latin adepts to their term alcoolisation, "which signifies reduction to the condition of an impalpable powder. (Collection des Anciens Alchimistes Grecs, Int., 210). Another species of sublimation was called stalagma, which meant distillation by vapourisation or filtration.» — Waite rastrea la sublimación hasta un término griego que significaba limaduras, y de ahí a la alcoolisación latina.
«Sandarac is realgar ; in the Greek MSS. it is confounded under the same sign as arsenic. M. Berthelot also tells us that it was confused anciently with minium and cinnabar, as indeed is quite plain from the Lexicon of Rulandus.» — Waite documenta la confusión antigua del sandáraca con el arsénico, el minio y el cinabrio, y advierte que hoy el nombre designa otra cosa.
«Throughout the second recension, " Philosophers " or " the Wise," are substituted for this term.» — Waite registra que la otra recensión sustituye sistemáticamente a los envidiosos por los Filósofos o los Sabios; la oposición que estructura los dichos no está en las dos versiones.
«In the second recension the name is Morfoleus.» — Waite anota la otra grafía del orador del Quincuagésimo Primer Dicho, Horfolcos o Morfoleus; sin cotejo con el facsímil.
«Water of sulphur occurs among the ingredients of a recipe cited from Mary in one of the treatises of Zosimus, and in the Detailed Exposition of the Work, the following» — Waite abre la nota que documenta el agua de azufre en una receta de María transmitida por Zósimo.
«Water of sulphur obtained by means of calx is manfactured in this manner : Having mixed all the waters in the catalogue (which it is impossible to extricate from its context and place in the compass of a footnote), taking equal parts, add white earths until the compound becomes very white. Place in a mortar, kindle a fire underneath, and receive what distils.» — la receta griega del agua de azufre, con el propio Waite reconociendo entre paréntesis que el catálogo de aguas no le cabe en la nota; el OCR imprime *manfactured*.
«The second recension reads : " Water of Ethelia.» — Waite anota la variante del Quincuagésimo Segundo Dicho.
«That is to say, the Chrysocorallos of the Greek alchemists. The following is from a ricipe of Pseudo-Democritus : " Minera of Silver, i part ; Finest Earth of Chios, or Ochre, 2 parts ; Minium of Pontus, i part ; preparation given previously (it is too complicated for reproduction here), 2 parts : combine with the humour of the Sulphur (another abstruse recipe) ; cook over a fire carefully regulated. You will find a potent substance, having the colour of cinnabar, coral, or minium. This great wonder, this indescribable marvel, is called Chrysocorallos (Coral of Gold)." And Synesius, quoting Democritus, says : " Here is how he expresses himself: The body (metal) of magnesia, alone (produces) Chrysocoral.» — Waite empareja la Goma de Oro del Quincuagésimo Segundo Dicho con el Chrysocorallos griego, y reconoce entre paréntesis que dos pasos de la receta no le caben en la nota; el OCR imprime *ricipe*.
«The reading db hominibus for ab omnibus is substituted by the second recension several times in this Dictum, but there can be no doubt that it is a printer's error.» — Waite descarta como errata una variante que cambiaría *de todas las cosas* por *de los hombres*.
«M. Berthelot explains that the substance referred to under the terms Nitrum and Natron was really Carbonate of Soda, and that Nitre or Saltpetre was scarcely known in antiquity, nor, indeed, till the 6th century.» — Waite corrige por Berthelot la lectura del nitro de la obra: era carbonato de sodio, no salitre.
«For this name the second recension substitutes Obsemeganus.» — Waite anota la otra grafía del orador del Quincuagésimo Tercer Dicho, Exumenus u Obsemeganus; sin cotejo con el facsímil.
«Two meanings are given to this term in the Lexicon of Rulandut. The first is Bloom, Flower, &c., understood metallurgically ; the second is a vessel of baked clay. Paracelsus uses it in an arbitrary fashion of his own to signify the skin of man's body. Compare the red Adamic earth or clay ; it is probably a variation of the same idea.» — Waite deja abierta la testa entre flor metalúrgica y vaso de barro, y anota el uso propio de Paracelso para la piel humana; el OCR imprime *Rulandut*.
«The name in the second recension is Pitheon.» — Waite anota la otra grafía del orador del Quincuagésimo Quinto Dicho, Zenón o Pitheon; sin cotejo con el facsímil.
«The reading of the second recension has been partly substituted in this unintelligible passage.» — Waite declara que ahí su texto es en parte la otra recensión, porque el suyo no se entiende.
«In the second recension the name is Astratus.» — Waite anota la otra grafía del orador del Quincuagésimo Séptimo Dicho, Acratus o Astratus; sin cotejo con el facsímil.
«This one of the two passages which seem to indicate any planetary attribution of the metals, but even here it may be an analogy borrowed from the astronomy of the period without any real attribution. The distinction between mercury and quicksilver in the 6yth Dictum should be noted.» — Waite acota su propia negativa de la p. 49: hay dos pasajes que parecen atribuir metales a planetas, y ni siquiera éstos lo hacen con seguridad; el OCR imprime *6yth* por *67th*.
«In the second recensfon this speech is put into the mouth of Anastratus.» — Waite anota que la otra recensión cambia el orador del Quincuagésimo Octavo Dicho; el OCR imprime *recensfon*.
«Among the Greek technical treatises there is one entitled The Work oj the Four Elements, and this contains a brief section on the Nomenclature of the Divine Vinegar and the Divine Water, which is worth citing in connection with the question of the unity of subjects amidst the multiplicity of names. Here is what the Philosophers say on this subject : "Divine water, divine vinegar, white magnesia, water of calx, virgin's urine, mercury, sea water, virginal milk, milk of the she ass, the bitch, the black cow, alum water, ash of cabbage, of natron, occidental matter, vapour. There is the substance which whitens the body of magnesia, that is, burnt copper, &c.» — Waite trae la nomenclatura griega entera como prueba de que la multiplicidad de nombres cubre un solo sujeto; el OCR imprime *oj* por *of*.
«According to the second recension, the sand is " the spume of the Moon, which is joined to the light of the Sun, and is congealed.» — Waite da la variante que identifica la arena roja con la espuma de la Luna.
«For this nonsensical passage the second recension substitutes : "That which is cooked by the heat of the Sun is congealed.» — Waite califica de disparate el pasaje que traduce y ofrece la lectura sensata de la otra recensión.
«In the second recension this person is referred to as Tulleas.» — Waite anota que la otra recensión nombra Tulleas al descubridor del árbol.
«The compiler of the Turba seems to have introduced this allegory from another source, or it has possibly been interpolated at a later period» — Waite marca la alegoría conyugal del Quincuagésimo Noveno Dicho como ajena a la obra o interpolada; es su juicio más explícito sobre una capa añadida.
«its style, indeed, is that of the epoch of Trevisan ; it is, in any case, quite out of character with the text as a whole, and refers, it will be seen, to something which has not been previously described.» — Waite fecha por el estilo la alegoría conyugal en la época de Trevisan y anota que remite a algo que la obra no describió antes.
«In the second recension the name is Bodillus.» — Waite anota la otra grafía del orador del Sexagésimo Dicho, Bonellus o Bodillus; sin cotejo con el facsímil.
«This absurd confusion is not found in the second recension, which reads : " So long as it is little, it is nourished with milk, and in proportion as the vital heat is maintained, the bones are strengthened.» — Waite llama absurdo el pasaje sobre la crianza del feto en el texto que traduce, y da la lectura llana de la otra recensión.
«This passage is so corrupt as to be almost untranslatable. According to the second recension: "The envious have in many ways described the process of making lead, and have represented that there are a number of instruments,» — Waite declara casi intraducible el arranque del Sexagésimo Primer Dicho.
«The concave stone does not seem to be a term which entered into the nomenclature of later philosophers. We hear much concerning the form of the stone, but that is not to be understood as its configuration, being used in the same sense as Latin theology was accustomed to speak of the form of the soul. So Bernard Trevisan, in his Epistle to Thomas of Bononia : " Our stone does not possess a formal form (forma formabilis) such as vegetative or sensitive, yet, nevertheless, it has a formed form (forma formata), which form is the elements themselves, and this is because it is homogeneous, whereas the human body, or that of other sensitive things, is heterogeneous." For the term concave stone the second recension substitutes gleaming, i.e., Candidas.» — Waite advierte que la forma de la piedra no es su figura sino un término tomado de la teología, y lo apoya en Bernardo Trevisano.
«A severe critic, having failed to trace this term, might suggest a slight emendation, and read Alogia, i.e., " many words and no sense.» — Waite deja el polvo de Alociae sin rastrear y se permite la broma de leerlo como *palabrería*.
«Alchemy does not seem to have generally recognised the existence of three elixirs. Fundamentally, indeed, it holds there is but one elixir, having various degrees of perfection. Zosimus, however, recognises in the true powder of perfection the existence of three powers and three activities proceeding from those powers» — Waite corrige la impresión de que haya tres elixires: hay uno con grados, y lo que Zósimo cuenta son tres potencias.
«tincture, penetration, and fixation, just as a body has mathematically three dimensions. The distinction is a mere subtlety.» — las tres virtudes son de la nota de Waite, no del Sexagésimo Primer Dicho, y él mismo las declara una sutileza.
«In the second recension, this speech is put into the mouth of Rarson.» — Waite anota que el orador que su texto deja sin nombre, llamándolo solo el Filósofo, en la otra recensión es Rarson.
«This dictum is omitted altogether by the second recension.» — Waite consigna que el Sexagésimo Cuarto Dicho falta entero en la otra recensión.
«In the second recension the speaker is called Orfulus.» — Waite anota la otra grafía del orador del Sexagésimo Quinto Dicho, Horfolcus u Orfulus; sin cotejo con el facsímil.
«On the principle of Zosimus : " Be not dissuaded by thine inexperience, and when you perceive that everything has become ash, understand then that all goes well." On the Diversity of Burnt Copper.» — Waite pone el ánimo al principiante de Zósimo al pie del dicho que promete envalentonar al que entra en el arte.
«The following variation occurs in the opening of the second recension : " The books of the Philosophers should be read, for they have not in vain advised that the sucking child should be heeded, for therein is an arcanum, out of which the Wise have operated good things.» — Waite da la apertura enteramente distinta que el Sexagésimo Sexto Dicho tiene en la otra recensión.
«According to the second recension: " To make red is to vivify.» — Waite anota la variante que refuerza el sentido vital del enrojecimiento.
«This is the second of the two passages mentioned in the note on page 168 of this volume as containing traces of a planetary attribution of metals, but, as in the 57th Dictum, the reference may be astronomical and not chemical.» — Waite completa aquí su negativa: los dos únicos pasajes con planetas pueden ser astronomía y no atribución metálica.
«The second recension affirms that it does behove you to extract it.» — Waite anota que sobre extraer el rojo escondido en el blanco las dos recensiones mandan lo contrario.
«It converts that which is non-fugitive into a fugitive nature." Both readings are corrupt and ungrammatical.» — Waite declara corruptas y agramaticales las dos versiones del pasaje, sin escoger.
«The second recension somewhat reverses this, reading : " That which cruciates with harm or corruption does not cruciate with utility and coadunation.» — Waite registra otra inversión de sentido entre las dos recensiones.
«In the second recension the name is Mandinus.» — Waite anota la otra grafía del orador del Septuagésimo Dicho, Mundus o Mandinus; sin cotejo con el facsímil.
«In the second recension this dictum is ascribed to Archelaus.» — Waite anota que el Septuagésimo Primer Dicho cambia de orador entre recensiones: Bracus o Archelaus.
«The second recension refers this dictum to Philotis.» — Waite anota que el Septuagésimo Segundo Dicho, sin orador nombrado en su texto, es de Philotis en la otra recensión.
«Sericon is one of the names of Minium, according to Rulandus, but M. Berthelot explains that it was a combination oi Sandyx and Sinopis.» — Waite pone dos lecturas del sericon una junto a otra, la de Rulandus y la de Berthelot; el OCR imprime *oi* por *of*.
«Later alchemical writers define Gold of Coral as the matter of the Philosophers when it has become fixed a the red stage.» — Waite resuelve el Oro de Coral por los autores posteriores, no por la obra misma; el OCR imprime *a* por *at*.
«The significance of this phrase is, of course, perfectly inscrutable, but is there any reference to the rostrum or rostellum of the alembic» — Waite declara indescifrable el Oro del Pico y aventura una conjetura sobre el pico del alambique.
«Greek, in common with all other alchemists, have recognised the necessity for " a certain lapse of time and a favourable moment." See Olympiodorus On the Sacred Art.» — Waite respalda con Olimpiodoro la cuenta de los días del fuego.
«Compare the motto of Paracelsus : Alterius non sit qui suus esse potest.» — Waite empareja la promesa de pertenecerse a sí mismo con la divisa de Paracelso.
«Democritus at the beginning of the assembly is effectually silenced, and now seems to be quoted as an enemy at the conclusion of a symposium in which he was forbidden to participate.» — Waite señala la incoherencia del dispositivo: al Demócrito silenciado en la plana 26 se le cita al final como adversario.
«It will be well in this place to enumerate the terms, mostly ot oriental origin, occurring in the Turba for which no explanation can at present be found. They are : Absumech, Ebmich, Corsufle, Mucra, Murtal, Geldum, Halsut, Albar, and the curious use of the Latin word Carmen.» — la lista que el propio Waite da de los términos de la obra que no supo explicar; el OCR imprime *ot* por *of*.
«This constitutes the last Dictum in the second recension, and is omitted from the longer version.» — Waite advierte que el corolario de Agmon no está en la recensión larga que traduce: el cierre de la obra viene de la otra versión.
Conceptos tratados
Cuatro elementos (fuego, aire, agua, tierra) — Doctrina elemental con cualidades y oposiciones como base de la obra alquímica.
Naturaleza — «a Certain Nature, which is perpetual, coequalling all things» — principio originario y perpetuo de todas las cosas.
Agua Permanente — Agua eterna, sangre espiritual, agua aeriforme, azufre primitivo; transforma arsénico en plata y luego en oro.
Materia prima — «an unctuous and humid vapour» — vapor untuoso y húmedo, no el mercurio vulgar.
Magnesia — La Magnesia de la obra, distinta del magnesio común; el mercurio como cera que atrae las almas de los cuerpos.
Decknamen (nombres cubiertos) — Los nombres se multiplican por tres motivos que la obra no armoniza: la excelencia de la cosa nombrada, la defensa contra el necio, y el engaño deliberado de los envidiosos.
Secreto (lo que se jura no fijar por escrito) — El arcano se coloca donde el necio no lo reconozca y el Hijo de la Doctrina sí; el juramento de callar se le exige al oyente, y al final la ocultación se justifica como defensa contra la burla del vulgo.
Putrefacción (putrefactio) — Sin putrefacción nocturna nada llega a perfección; el plazo que se repite son cuarenta días, y de ella sale el arcano.
Azufre (principio sulfúreo) — Los azufres son almas escondidas en cuatro cuerpos, se contienen unos a otros, y el azufre huye por costumbre si no lo retiene mercurio de su misma especie.
Nigredo (la obra al negro) — La negrura primera sale de la naturaleza de Marteck y no debe durar más de cuarenta días; en su vientre está escondida la blancura.
Albedo (la obra al blanco) — Blanquear es quemar, y el blanqueo no se hace sino por decocción; su término es el mármol reluciente.
Rubedo (la obra al rojo) — Hacer rojo es vida; el rojo está escondido en la blancura y hace la paz entre lo fugitivo y lo no fugitivo.
Piedra filosofal (lapis philosophorum) — Piedra y no piedra, de un nombre y de muchos nombres, común y preciosa; su fuerza no se corrompe sino que crece en el fuego.
Mercurio de los filósofos (Mercurius) — El mercurio es ígneo y quema los cuerpos más que el propio fuego, se coagula por sí mismo, y el impreso lo distingue del planeta Mercurio en el mismo renglón.
León verde (leo viridis) — Donde la recensión larga dice Piedra Verde, la corta dice León Verde, según la nota de Waite.
Tintura — Una sola tintura tiria con los nombres puestos a voluntad; el léxico griego que Waite cita le reconoce dos especies, la que penetra y cambia la naturaleza y la que solo colorea la superficie.
Fermento — El cobre disuelto en el agua se llama fermento del Oro; Waite lo remite en nota a la diplosis, que es aleación y no transmutación.
Cuerpo y Espiritu — La definición del arte es licuar el cuerpo y separarle el alma, porque el cobre, como el hombre, tiene cuerpo y alma; regir cuerpos por no-cuerpos es el régimen entero.
Arsenico — El oropimente es el principio femenino que se mezcla con el plomo; Berthelot lo identifica con el arsénico de los antiguos y advierte que el término no está en los griegos.
Crítica de fuentes (criterios de inclusión y descarte) — Waite declara el diálogo una composición literaria, marca los pasajes corruptos o intraducibles y las enmiendas sin autoridad, y enumera al cierre los términos que no supo explicar.