Dedication, 1581-09-01, Gerhard Dorn to Reichard, Pfalzgraf bei Rhein, Herzog von Pfalz-Simmern

From Theatrum Paracelsicum
Author: Gerhard Dorn
Recipient: Reichard, Pfalzgraf bei Rhein, Herzog von Pfalz-Simmern
Type: Dedication
Date: 1 September 1581
Place: Frankfurt am Main
Pages: 4
Language: Latin
Quote as: https://www.theatrum-paracelsicum.com/index.php?curid=2025
Editor: Edited by Julian Paulus
Source:
Gerhard Dorn, Fasciculus Paracelsicae medicinae veteris et non novae, Frankfurt am Main: Johann Spieß for Sigmund Feyerabend 1581, sig. (*)2r–(*)3v [BP185]
CP: Not in Kühlmann/Telle, Corpus Paracelsisticum
Translation: Raw translation see below
Abstract: The author believes that Paracelsus' teachings have been poorly understood and disordered, and that his writings have been corrupted by his opponents. He has compiled the essence of Paracelsian secrets from scattered sources into a small volume, divided into four parts. He hopes that this will help those interested in the subject, especially the sick. The author laments the state of medicine in his day, which he believes is focused on external appearance rather than internal qualities. He also believes that true medicine will only flourish when a Samaritan arises as the hundredth professor of the subject. The collection is dedicated to a prince who the author believes is a promoter of noble arts and asks that he protects and defends the work from injustice. (generated by Chat-GPT)
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[sig. (*)2r] Illvstrissimo et generosissimo principi ac domino, domino Richardo Dei gratia, Comiti Palatino Rheni, Duci Bauariæ superioris & inferioris, Comiti in Spanheim, &c.

Cvm id imprimis pessimè habere plurimos animaduerterem, & conqueri nullum in scriptis Paracelsi hactenus ordinem seruatum esse, alioquin eius doctrinæ satis addictos, Illustrissime Princeps. E re ipsorum atque totius R[ei] P[ublicæ] studiosorum vtilitatis, & præsertim ægrorum esse putaui, si quomodo ea quæ sparsim distracta dissutaq́ue membratim erant, & non integra, neque seriata compage qua fuerant olim ab autore conscripta, resarcirentur. Neminem, vt opinor, latere puto ipsum ante mortem admodum paucos edidisse libros, infinitos autem reliquisse, partim propria manu, partim & pro maiori parte amanuensium ex eius ore descriptos, non editos, varijs locis & muris conclusos. Fortasse quòd euenturum præuideret, vt eius aduersarij (quos Atheniensis, istorum puta discipulos, vocat) efficerent quocunque modo, ne à suis vbique locorum Typographiarum positis censoribus admitterentur, aut aliàs interciperentur, ac ad hunc aliúmve modum deperirent. Ex aduerso speraret, si tantisper latitassent, futurum vt ab aliquibus probis inuenti viris, vna dierum post eius mortem, cessante per obliuionem inimicorum liuore, fato quopiam ederentur absque molestia. Haud secus accidit ex parte quàm existimârat, in aliquorum enim Principum manus & potestatem inciderunt, at maximo omnium malo intercessit, vt post illorum obitum in idiotarum tyrannidem delapsi miserrimè dilaniati sint. Quorum non- [sig. (*)2v] nulli suppresso nomine proprij autoris, sibi labores alienos adscripserunt, intersertis etiam (quod pessimum est) infinitis aliorum scribentum, & præsertim aduersariorum autoris, ne agnoscerentur, nugis, at frustra. Nam diu latere non potuit idiotica nimiùm hæc ambitio, quin facilimè detegeretur à discipulis Paracelsi magis ac magis indies. Plærique alij surrepticiè clamq́ue descriptos à famulis, dominis tamen inscijs, parua pecunia corraserunt, qui postmodum ab indoctissimis hominibus rursum descriptos plus vigesies magno pretio, toties tamq́ue diuersis personis vendiderunt exemplaria priusquam ederentur, etiam ab aduersarijs, non antea quàm suo modo proq́ue arbitrio corrupissent ac deprauassent, quò famam boni viri post mortem denigrarent: omissa in plurimis negatiua particula, vel adiecta in alijs, vt haberent ansam arguendi falsò de contradictionibus. His necdum contenti, singula sunt perperam interpretati contorquentes in sinistram partem iniquissimè. Verùm enimuerò huiusmodi Sophistarum technæ plusquàm manifestæ sunt, quibus tamen haudquaquam excusabuntur, nec effugient iudicium publicum, quin ad lydium lapidem quandoque turpiter impingant. Sed in præsentia vindicias iniuriarum non suscepi, nec nisi summam arcanorum Paracelsicorum hoc libello, ex dispersis colligere, ac tanquam in formam compendij redigere, quò quisque mox ad manum, quicquid ex eiusmodi thesauris optabit, habeat vbiuis locorum existat, vtq́ue ex hoc vnico admodum exiguo tantùm emolumenti reportare queat, quantùm ex ingenti voluminum copia, de quibus ista deprompta sunt. Partitus est in quatuor partes, quarum prima narrat vires atque virtutes rerum naturalium in genere, vitam, mortem, & resuscitationem: secunda medicamentorum præparationes simplices & compositas: tertia morborum internorum & externorum curas: quarta verò vocum obscuriorum in arte passim vsui venientium, ac ab autore impositarum elucidationes habet. Nihil adhuc omnino desideratur, præ- [sig. (*)3r] terquam verus physicus, industrius chimista, operator impiger, & non ambitiosus philosophus, qui si forte fortuna quandoque conueniant in vnum, rara mundo nascetur auis & medica phœnix. Verùm hac tempestate nihil agitur (proh dolor) de cognoscenda in occulto Physica, de manifesto solùm Schola disserit, non de cœlestibus viribus in elementis & elementatis delitescentibus, è carceribus quibus detinentur eruendis, ac ad liberas operationes prouehendis, non de viuorum Anatomia, neque de charitate in fratrem. Atqui mox atque titulus bullatus adeptus est, abiecto sanguineo pileo, de holosericeo sollicitatur anxiè, de talari veste, de gemmatis annulis, & id genus alijs. Tandem exercetur Physica pharmacaria vix per superficialem cognitionem, solæ virtutes reuolutorum receptorum operanmtur, Anatomia cadauerum immani crudelitate sæuit aduersus mortuos, & loculorum maximè repletio curatur, æger verò si modò possit conualeat, saltem ditescat medicus. Quid mirum? hac de causa multos annos in Academijs consumpsit, in quibus didicit Medicinam auaris opes affatim polliceri ac dare. Quid igitur medico commune est cum miseris carbonarijs & ciniflonibus nil nisi sulphur vaporesq́ue noxios redolentibus, hinc procul à nobis (inquiunt) Vulcani teterrimi sodales. Apollinis satellites decet serena facies, blandaq́ue manus palpatrix pulssum, ac vestis ambram, Zibetam, atque muscum spirans, animus præterea ad stipem magis quàm ad sanitatem propensus. Horum enim vel admiratione sola conualescit æger, spem sibi salutis faciens, ac melioris vitæ, dum similes angelos ad se venire de suo cœlo delapsos intuetur. Contrà verò si veniat mortis ille nuncius ater carbonum hospes, ægris terrorem incutiens, si non mori vacet, eius tamen conspectu solo, sit opus. Hæc & similia mundus à colorum apparentijs iudicat. Verùm si consideret æger quid sibi præsagit externus ornatus medici, quid internus alio neglecto, statim ob oculos versabitur sepulchrum hoc dealbatum & ornatum forinsecus, & intus scatens [sig. (*)3v] ossibus mortuorum atque vermibus, de quo Matth[æo] 23. ab vna parte, & ex aduersa Samaritani paratus asellus, de quo Lucæ 10. Porrò tum primùm & non priùs Medicina florebit, quum ex professorum eius centesimo numero Samaritanus vnus exurget. Eò potissimum tendit, Illustrissime Princeps, Paracelsicæ Medicinæ Fasciculus, vt ex congerie Paracelsicæ Chemiæ tanquam ex sua coniuge hunc vnicum aliquando producat in lucem. Vterque libellus Illustrissimæ tuæ Celsitati dicandus ergo venit maximè, quòd arcanorum naturæ perfectissimam habeat noticiam, bonarumq́ue sit artium promotor excellentissimus atque Mecœnas. In gratiam igitur malè habentium, clientuli hac in parte pios conatus ab iniurijs protegere dignetur atqtue tueri, quam etiam D[eus] O[ptimus] M[aximus] optimè valere faxit in omnibus, precor. Datum Francofurti ad Mœnum, Anno à Christo nato 1581. Calendis Septembris.

Illustrissimæ Cel[sitatis] T[uæ]

Seruulus humilimus

Gerardus Dorn.

English Raw Translation

Generated by ChatGPT on 31 March 2023. Attention: This translation is a machine translation by artificial intelligence. The translation has not been checked and should not be cited without additional human verification.

To the most illustrious and generous prince and lord, Lord Richard, by the grace of God, Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duke of Upper and Lower Bavaria, Count in Spanheim, etc.

As I have observed that many people have a very poor understanding of it, and that no order has been preserved in the writings of Paracelsus, I thought, Your Highness, that it would be useful for them, as well as for all those who are interested in the subject and especially for the sick, if the scattered and disjointed parts of his doctrine were put back together in their original composition, as the author had written them. It is well known, I believe, that he published very few books before his death, but left countless others, partly written in his own hand, and partly transcribed by his scribes from his oral dictation, not published and confined in various places and walls. Perhaps he foresaw that his adversaries (whom he called Athenians, that is, disciples of his opponents) would do everything in their power to prevent them from being accepted by their censors in all the printing houses, or intercepted and lost in some other way. On the other hand, he hoped that if they remained hidden for a while, they would eventually be discovered by some honest and ingenious men who would publish them without any trouble one day after his death, when the envy of his enemies would have subsided. And this has indeed happened to some extent, as he had foreseen. For some of these writings fell into the hands and power of some princes, which was the greatest evil of all, for after their death, they were wretchedly torn apart by ignorant and foolish people. Some of them falsely attributed the works of others to themselves, suppressing the name of the true author, and inserting (which is the worst) countless writings of others, especially those of his adversaries, so that they would not be recognized as such, with frivolous and vain attempts. For this foolish ambition could not be concealed for long, and was easily discovered by the disciples of Paracelsus more and more each day. Many others clandestinely obtained copies from servants, but without the knowledge of their masters, and then sold them to various people more than twenty times over at a high price before they were published, even to his adversaries, after they had corrupted and distorted them according to their own opinions and whims, in order to tarnish the reputation of the good man after his death. They omitted negative parts in many cases or added them in others to provide an opportunity for false accusations of contradictions. Furthermore, they have not been content to simply misinterpret and twist each individual part unjustly to the left. However, these tactics of sophists are more than evident, and they will not be excused or escape public judgment, and they will eventually be shamefully exposed. But for now, I have not undertaken the task of seeking redress for these wrongs. Instead, I have gathered the essence of Paracelsian secrets from scattered sources and condensed them into this small volume, so that anyone who desires access to such treasures may have them at their fingertips, wherever they may be located. They may derive as much benefit from this single, brief work as from the vast quantity of volumes from which it was drawn. The work is divided into four parts: the first discusses the powers and virtues of natural things in general, life, death, and resurrection; the second covers the preparation of simple and composite medicines; the third deals with the treatment of internal and external diseases; and the fourth contains explanations of obscure terms used throughout the art. Nothing more is needed at this time except a true physician, a diligent chemist, a skilled operator, and a non-ambitious philosopher who, if fortune should ever bring them together, would be a rare bird and a medical phoenix in the world. But in this day and age, alas, nothing is being done to investigate the hidden mysteries of physics; only the manifest school of thought is being discussed. There is no talk of the celestial forces in the elements and their compounds that are lying hidden, waiting to be extracted from their prisons and put to work, no discussion of the anatomy of the living, or of brotherly love. Yet, as soon as one obtains a titled diploma, the blood-red cap is discarded and the silk gown, gem-studded rings, and other such things are eagerly sought after. Finally, pharmacy is practiced through only a superficial understanding of physics, and only the virtues of revolving receptors are employed. The anatomy of cadavers is treated with immense cruelty against the dead, and the primary focus is on filling graves. If the patient can recover, the doctor at least becomes wealthier. What wonder, then, that they spend many years in academia, where they learn to promise and provide medicine for those who can afford it? What do doctors have in common with miserable charcoal burners and sooty chimney sweeps, who exude nothing but the odors of sulfur and noxious vapors? "Keep away from us," they say, "you foul associates of Vulcan." Apollo's followers should have a serene countenance, a gentle hand for palpating pulses, and clothing that exudes the fragrance of amber, civet, and musk. Their minds are inclined more toward wealth than health. Only through their admiration of such things can the patient recover, hoping for salvation and a better life, imagining that similar angels have descended from heaven to attend to them. On the other hand, if the black messenger of death, the guest of charcoal, should arrive, terrifying the sick, even if there is no time to die, it is necessary to be in his presence alone. The world judges by appearances of colors like these and similar things. However, if the sick person considers what external appearance the doctor presents, and what internal qualities are neglected, he will immediately see before his eyes this painted and decorated tomb on the outside, and full of the bones of the dead and worms on the inside, as in Matthew 23, on the one hand, and the prepared donkey of the Samaritan on the other hand, as in Luke 10. Moreover, medicine will flourish for the first time, and not before, when the one hundredth professor of it will arise as a Samaritan. The main aim of this collection of Paracelsian Medicine, Your Highness, is to produce this unique work from the mass of Paracelsian Chemistry, as if from his own spouse, and bring it to light. Therefore, both this collection of Paracelsian Medicine and the previous work are dedicated to Your Highness, since they contain the most perfect knowledge of the secrets of nature and promote excellent and noble arts. Therefore, I ask that Your Highness kindly deign to protect and defend these pious efforts from injustice, especially for the sake of those who hold ill will towards them. May God Almighty grant you strength in all things. Written in Frankfurt on the Main, on the first day of September in the year of our Lord 1581.

To Your Most Illustrious Highness,

Your humble servant,

Gerardus Dorn.