Dedication, no date (1570), Gerhard Dorn to August, Kurfürst von Sachsen (BP124)
| Author: | Gerhard Dorn |
| Type: | Dedication |
| Date: | no date [1570] |
| Pages: | 5 |
| Language: | Latin |
| Quote as: | https://www.theatrum-paracelsicum.com/index.php?curid=1984 |
| Editor: | Edited by |
| Source: | Paracelsus, Chirurgia minor quam alias Bertheoneam intitulauit, ed. Gerhard Dorn, Basel: Pietro Perna 1570, sig. unsigned 2r – unsigned 4r [BP124]
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| CP: | Not in Kühlmann/Telle, Corpus Paracelsisticum |
| Translation: | Raw translation see below |
| Abstract: | The author expresses his gratitude towards the Most Illustrious Prince for his support towards letters and liberal arts, which has allowed him to translate some surgical treatises of Theophrastus Paracelsus from German into Latin, and publish them under his patronage. He notes that the writings of Paracelsus are greatly desired by almost the entire world, except for those who leave aside what is valuable and longstanding, either due to modesty or the fear of losing profit. The author argues that the world is plagued with the vice of preferring what is corrupted to what is good, and being hostile to the truth, even when expressed in subtle or manifest ways. He defends Paracelsus against critics who attack him through calumny, and argues that they should first learn his mind before unjustly correcting him. The author concludes by expressing his wish to publish Paracelsus's writings in a common and vulgar language for foreign nations, and prays that the Most Illustrious Prince continues to be a protector of the truth. (generated by Chat-GPT) |
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[sig. unsigned 2r] Illvstrissimo Principi Avgvsto Saxoniæ Dvvi, Lantgrauio Turingiæ, Marchioni Misniæ, Burggrauio Magdeburgensi, Principi Electori, &c. Salus.
Nisi literarum & bonarum artium omni generi Tua celsitudo ita fauisset hactenus, & Medicinæ præsertim, vt etiam huius suæ virtutis alias innumeras inter, quibus illustratur, longè latèque rumor & gloriosa fama fesonaret: nequaquam ausus fuissem hoc rudi nimiùm stylo meo in conspectum eius prodire. Verumenimuero benigna consuetudinis eius illa humanitas, qua cunctos excipit altos atque humiles, dedit animum: quo reassumpto libellos aliquot chirurgicos Theophrasti Paracelsi, quos è Germanico sermone latinè ver- [sig. unsigned 2v] teram, sub eius patrocinio vt exteris nationibus etiam innotescerent, quæ Germanicæ linguæ sunt expertes, emittere non distuli. Maximè quòd sciam istius viri scripta fore toti mundo ferè desideratißima: exceptis illis qui relingquere grauiter assuetum & inueteratum ferunt, etsi perquàmoptimè sciant iniustum & falsum existere: tamen, vel ob verecundiam (quæ maximè laudi foret eis ac honori potiùs adscribenda, quòd viliora pro potioribus commutassent) aut propter ingentis lucri diminutionem, quam timent, cùm ex æquo plus quàm ex falso reportare queant. Nihilominus id mundus ab initio vitij concepit, vt ex sui corruptione, quod corruptum est, bono semper in finem vsque sui præferat veroq́ue infensus sit quacunque via tecta vel manifesta fiat, obliqua[c1] vel alia: recta siquidem quòd progredi Caluminator nesciat. Eo factum est vt Sophisticam artem suam, hominibus per serpentem, & postmodum Christianis per Et- [sig. unsigned 3r] nicos atque Gentiles scriptis inspirarit, eaq́ue hac tempestate pluris fiat ipsa veritate.
Quid inde, metuemus ne, quod nocere nobis minimè potest? absit. Quicunque veritatem amplexi manent in ea, confundi nunquam poterunt. Hæc dicta, quòd sciamus Præceptorem nostrum vera docere, nec non ea de causa tantum impijs inuisum, qui non aliàs contra ipsum agere possunt, quàm calumniosè. Non intelligunt enim Paracelsi minimum principium, quînam possent igitur eum carpere? Discant prius eius mentem, vt rationem rationibus, & non iniuria corrigant. Quid hactenus contra hunc virum ediderunt, quod non sit in eius maximam laudem: quem nihilominus ignominiosè tractaße putauerunt? Dicunt enim ipsum ignarum fuisse linguæ Latinæ: demus, etsi confictum. Quid aliud inde colligere sua Dialectica poterunt, quàm donum Spiritus Sancti fuisse, quo nedum Latinos, verùm etiam Græcos omnes [sig. unsigned 3v] aliosq́ue linguaces doctrina superarit? Item quid inde sequetur, quod inter plebeos potius ac libentius quàm diuites versatum eße dicant, aliud quàm humilitatis eius exemplum? Si hæc sint hominibus vertenda vitio, nec Apostolos hoc ipso reprehendere verebuntur, qui prius idiotæ fuerunt, & accepta gratia postmodum simpliciter locuti sunt absque Rhetorica vel Dialectica, cum publicanis etiam vt præceptor eorum Christus versati sunt, non vt eos imitarentur, sed admonerent potius ad veritatem amplectendam. Optarem sanè pro parte mea, vt alio quouis & vulgari possem idiomate scripta hæc nostri præceptoris exteris nationibus publicare: verùm quòd nullum sit communius omnibus, eo sanè præter delectationem vti cogor: quo fit etiam, vt elegantias eius minimè curem. Grammaticalia non tractamus neque latina, sed res ipsas artium verarum, quæ linguæ huic vel cuiuis alteri magis quàm vulgaribus minimè subij- [sig. unsigned 4r] ciuntur, quamuis eis exprimantur. Qui linguarum elegantijs totam (vt consuetum est) ætatem conterunt, rerum ignari prorsus loquaces euadunt. Faxint isti quod valent, quocunque se vertant, os in hunc virum aliter aperire non possunt, quàm Balaam in populum Israeliticum: & quum de eo maximè dicere malè nituntur, optimè dicunt. Hoc indies magis ac magis experiuntur, nempe quò sæuiunt acrius in doctrinam istam, eò viuacius exurgit, preßáque magis vt palma sursum erigitur. Non est quòd Celsitudini tuæ multa proferam, quæ melius omnibus hac de re iudicium facere potest. Precor igitur Illustrißime princeps, veritatis eße protector, vt fuisti semper hactenus, in istis etiam velis. Vale felix & viue.
Tuæ Celsitudinis Seruulus
Gerardus Dorn.
English Raw Translation
Generated by ChatGPT on 20 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 Prince Augustus, Duke of Saxony, Landgrave of Thuringia, Margrave of Meissen, Burggraf of Magdeburg, Elector Prince, etc. Greetings.
Had Your Highness not hitherto shown such favor to letters and the liberal arts of every kind, especially medicine, such that even among countless other virtues by which he is distinguished, his reputation and glorious fame resound far and wide, I would not have dared to present myself before him with my crude pen. However, his kind habit of receiving all, whether high or lowly, gave me the courage to publish some surgical treatises of Theophrastus Paracelsus, which I had translated from German into Latin, under his patronage so that they might become known even to foreign nations unfamiliar with the German language. Particularly since I know that the writings of this man will be greatly desired by almost the entire world, except for those who are accustomed to leaving aside what is valuable and longstanding, even though they know it to be unjust and false, either due to modesty (which would be most worthy of praise and honor, for having exchanged what is inferior for what is better) or due to the fear of losing great profit, since they can report more from fairness than from falsehood. Nevertheless, the world has always been plagued with this vice from the beginning, that from its own corruption it always prefers what is corrupted to what is good, and is hostile to the truth no matter how it is expressed, whether through subtle or manifest ways, straight or crooked, indeed, so that the Slanderer cannot progress straightforwardly. Thus, it happened that he inspired his sophistical art among humans through the serpent, and later among Christians through the writings of the heathens and Gentiles, and now it is valued more than the truth itself.
What then, do we fear that which cannot harm us? No, far from it. Whoever embraces the truth will always remain steadfast in it and can never be confused. These words are spoken because we know that our Teacher teaches the truth and that the only reason why he is hated by the impious is because they cannot attack him in any other way than through calumny. They do not understand the least principle of Paracelsus, so how can they criticize him? Let them first learn his mind, so that they can reason with reason and not correct him unjustly. What have they published against this man that is not to his greatest praise? Yet they still consider that they have disgraced him. They say that he was ignorant of the Latin language. Let us suppose that it is true. What else can their Dialectic gather from it other than that it was a gift from the Holy Spirit, which not only enabled him to surpass all others in Latin, but also in Greek and other languages? What will they say about the fact that he was more often among the common people than among the wealthy? Will they interpret it as anything other than an example of his humility? If they think that this should be blamed on men, even the apostles who were once ignorant and who spoke simply and without rhetoric or dialectic after receiving grace, will not be afraid to reproach them, for Christ himself had mingled with the tax collectors, not to imitate them but to encourage them to embrace the truth. For my part, I wish that I could publish the writings of our teacher in any common and vulgar language for foreign nations. However, since there is nothing more common to all than their own language, I must use it even though I do not care much about its elegance. We do not deal with grammar or Latin, but with the true arts themselves, which are not subject to any language more than the common language, even if they are expressed in it. Those who spend their entire lives in the elegance of languages are completely ignorant of the things they speak of. Let them do as they please, wherever they turn, they cannot open their mouth against this man except in the same way that Balaam spoke against the Israelite people. And when they try to speak the worst of him, they actually speak the best. They experience this more and more every day, for the more they are fierce against his teachings, the more they flourish and rise up like a palm tree. There is no need for me to say much to Your Highness, who can judge better than anyone in this matter. I pray, therefore, Most Illustrious Prince, that you continue to be a protector of the truth, as you have always been. Farewell, be happy and live.
Your Highness's Servant,
Gerard Dorn.
