Dedication 1, no date (1568), Gerhard Dorn to Karl II., Markgraf von Baden-Durlach (BP109)
| Author: | Gerhard Dorn |
| Recipient: | Karl II., Markgraf von Baden-Durlach |
| Type: | Dedication |
| Date: | no date [1568] |
| Pages: | 7 |
| Language: | Latin |
| Quote as: | https://www.theatrum-paracelsicum.com/index.php?curid=1901 |
| Editor: | Edited by Julian Paulus |
| Source: | Paracelsus, Philosophiae magnae collectanea quaedam, ed. Gerhard Dorn, Basel: Pietro Perna no date [1568/69], sig. )(2r–)(5r [BP109]
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| CP: | Not in Kühlmann/Telle, Corpus Paracelsisticum |
| Translation: | Raw translation see below |
| Back to Paratexts Back to Texts by Gerhard Dorn |
[sig. )(2r] Illvstrissimo principi Carolo Marchioni Badensi et Hachbergensi, Landtgrauio in Susenberg, Domino in Retel, Badenvuiler, &c. Salus.
Maxime deplorandum, Illustrißime Princpes, Christianorum scripturis veris gentilicia pluris fieri dogmata, vanis tamen pro maiori parte fundamentis innixa. Certum est plurima quæ hactenus per Philosophiam tradita sunt in scholis, ex S[ancta] Scriptura nullo modo probari, sed reprobari. Patet ab Apostolo, quum inanem philosophiam illa nominat, ac vti scaturiginem sentinamq́ue malorum omnium & hæresium detestatur. At radicem ita fixerunt, vt vix euelli queant. Imò si quis ea quandoque re- [sig. )(2v] formare conetur, inimicitias ac insidias ab his qui mundanam hausere sapientiam, parari sibi maximas experitur. Quod Apostolis, necnon alijs pijs, sincerisq́ue viris ob veritatis in Scriptura S[ancta] pari modo, quo in Philosophia cæterisq́ue facultatibus oppressæ mendis, releuationem euenisse palàm est. Eam non quòd ipsi vindicare potuerint, sed Christus ipse per illos, tanquam per organa media, quibus ad hoc suum opus vti voluit. Sic & verè Theophrastum Paracelsum Philosophiæ Medicinæq́ue vindicem electum à Deo fuisse credendum est. Nam vt Christus ait: Ab operibus eorum & signis, veri, vel pseudodoctores cognoscendi sunt. Verumenimuero parum aut nihil ex Gentilium doctrina boni frugíue fieri potest. Porrò quicunque magis ea sunt imbuti, minus operum aut signorum edunt. Libenter sanè videremus istorum aliquem [sig. )(3r] ex tanta literarum suarum, sententiarum, figmentorum & poematum copia, mathematicis nonnullis exceptis, tantillum efficere posse, quod præter verba foret in vtilitatem Reipublicæ, quodq́ue cerneretur oculis, aut manu tangeretur. Experti loquimur: postquam ex scholis vnà cum cæteris iam laureati gentilesq́ue Philosophi prodiremus, aliud nihil præ cæteris præstare potuimus, quàm de lana caprina pertinaciter argumentari. Si tandem eorum vel minimus, qui sacris & abditis naturæ mysterijs operam dant, experientiaq́ue sensuali Philosophiam veram exercent, opere quopiam nos aggrederetur certandi gratia: mox è Philosophis reddebamur asini literati saltem. Quo percepto præ verecundia quidem à scholasticis ad spagirica libenter defecimus, & Paracelso duce, luce clarius edocti sumus, ætatem, sumptus & labores no- [sig. )(3v] stros, quos antea literis impenderamus, frustra fuisse omnia. Nec tamen dicimus artes & facultates, quæ prælectæ sunt hactenus, omnes fore nullas: at pro maiori parte corruptißimas, deprauatas, & aliàs ab his qui docent ac interpretantur eas, perperam intellectas: minoriq́ue scholas reformatione non indigere, quàm religionem ipsam nostram. Quod quidem Paracelsi libris facile posset fieri, si tamen omnia quibusuis extarent eius Opera non mutilata. Verùm quòd ad literatorum præter opinionem Autoris manus peruenerint, factum est, vt optima retenta sint ab his qui Reipublicæ literariæ tantum thesaurum, quem è muro suffurati sunt, inuident, aliaq́ue non edunt præter illa quæ solam Theoricam docent, Practica sibi solis retenta: sine qua præmissa nullius vtilitatis esse constat Lectoribus. Et quod peßi- [sig. )(4r] mum est, hæ Opera per frustra, membratimq́ue disiungunt, & quæ rem apertißimè docent, sibi seruant: obscuriora tantùm & manca proferunt in lucem. Hinc maxima librorum Paracelsi difficultas extantium ortum habet: à qua tandem sequitur contemptus eorum. Sicuti videre licet ex his fragmentis, quæ de ducentis atque triginta libris integris in Philosophia conscriptis ab Autore, nescio quo fato Germanicè (tanquam de mensa micæ diuitum) de manibus eorum qui detinere minimè debent, exciderunt, ipsis inscijs. Præterea nobis Theophrastiam, Opus in tres partitum libros inuident: videlicet Archidoxicum, Parasarchum, & Carboantes: item librum de Quinto esse, quibus mens Autoris apertißimè patet. Summatim si prodirent in lucem omnes, quos in quouis artium, scientiarum ac facultatum genere conscripsit, [sig. )(4v] numerum trecenum sexagenum & vnum excerent. Et quamuis pauca suæ doctrinæ fragmenta hactenus extent, nihilominus inimicorum eius nullus potuit vnquam vel minimo verbo contradicere veris fundatisq́ue rationibus, aut argumentis: at calumnijs & conuitijs tantùm: quæ quidem in propria conuitiatorum huiusmodi capita redundant, vti patebit ex Apologia quam infrà posuimus. Ipsemet Princeps illustrißime quòd legens optimum de his facere iudicium vales, rem ipsam non vrgebo latius. Hoc solùm T[uae] C[elsitudini] obnixè precor, vt veritatis in hoc Opusculo contentæ patrocinium suscipere dignetur, & Paracelsi Doctoris omnium excellentißimi, Præceptoris nostri: cuius quòd vita functus, minimeq́ue famam tueri suam vlterius valeat, causam agere meritò cogimur, & sub alis Principum, qui veritatem viribus totis [sig. )(5r] vindicare soliti sunt, adferre. Quos inter illustrißime Princeps, T[ua] C[elsitudo] à Deo nobis, quæ iustum & æquum ab inimicis defendere semper in præclaris habuit, oblata est. Ad eam itaque refugimus, vt saltem eius iudicio veritas ipsa vindicetur à suis inimicis, omneq́ue mendacium eorum fictum & Perperam excogitatum in Præceptorem nostrum, ipsa coràm, operibus ad oculum demonstratis, non verbis inutilibus in aerem sparsis, vti mos aduersantium veritati fore solet, condemnetur. Et si nos operibus vincere potuerint, rei simus. Ter itaque beatus, quaterq́ue sanus, quod animo corporeq́ue dicitur. Princeps illustriß[ime] plurimos in annos viue valeq́ue.
Tuæ Celsit[udinis]
Infimus seruulus
Gerardus Dorn.
English Raw Translation
Generated by ChatGPT on 10 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 His Most Illustrious Highness, Charles, Margrave of Baden and Hachberg, Landgrave of Susenberg, Lord of Retel, Badenvuiler, etc. Greetings.
It is most lamentable, Your Highness, that many dogmas of the Gentiles, though mostly based on vain foundations, are given more weight than the true teachings of the Christians. It is certain that many things that have been taught in schools through philosophy cannot be proven by Holy Scripture but are, in fact, condemned by it. As the Apostle plainly states, he detests empty philosophy and the source of all evils and heresies. However, the root of these false teachings has been so deeply entrenched that they can hardly be uprooted. In fact, anyone who attempts to reform them may face hostility and persecution from those who have imbibed worldly wisdom. It is evident that the Apostles, as well as other pious and sincere men, have found relief through the truth in Holy Scripture, just as they have found errors in philosophy and other faculties. They did not defend the truth themselves, but rather Christ Himself defended it through them, using them as the means by which He desired to accomplish His work.
Thus, it is true that Theophrastus Paracelsus must be considered to have been chosen by God to defend philosophy and medicine. As Christ said, "By their works and signs, true or false teachers can be known." Truly, little or no good can come from the doctrine of the Gentiles. Furthermore, those who are more imbued with such teachings produce less works and signs. We would gladly see someone among them, apart from a few mathematicians, able to accomplish even a little that would be of use to the Republic, or that could be seen with the eyes or touched with the hand, from among the abundance of their letters, opinions, inventions, and poems.
We speak from experience: after having graduated from schools along with others, both laureates and Gentile philosophers, we were able to offer nothing more than obstinate arguments about goat's wool. If, at last, even the least of those who devote themselves to the sacred and hidden mysteries of nature and exercise true philosophy through empirical experience were to challenge us in some task, we would soon be returned as literate donkeys among philosophers. Having realized this, we abandoned the scholastics, not out of shame, but with pleasure, and under the leadership of Paracelsus, we were more clearly enlightened. We realized that all of our age, expenses, and efforts that we had previously devoted to literature were in vain. However, we do not say that all of the arts and faculties that have been taught thus far are worthless; rather, they are mostly corrupted, depraved, and misunderstood by those who teach and interpret them. It is religion itself that needs reformation more than the schools.
Indeed, this could easily be accomplished through Paracelsus' books, if all of his works were not mutilated. However, it has happened that the best works have been retained by those who envy the literary treasure of the Republic, which they have hidden away, and they do not publish anything other than what teaches only theory, keeping the practical aspects to themselves. Without the practical aspects, it is clear that these works are of no use to readers. What is even worse is that these works are scattered and fragmented, and they only present the more obscure and incomplete aspects to the public, keeping the most clear and instructive portions to themselves. This is the main difficulty in obtaining the works of Paracelsus, which ultimately leads to contempt for them. As can be seen from the fragments of the two hundred and thirty complete books on philosophy written by the author, which have fallen out of the hands of those who should not be holding them, as they were unaware. Moreover, they envy us Theophrastia, a work divided into three parts: Archidoxa, Parasarcha, and Carboantes, as well as the book On the Fifth, which clearly reveals the author's mind.
In summary, if all the works that he wrote in any field of art, science, or faculty were to be published, there would be three hundred and sixty-one. And although only a few fragments of his doctrine have survived, his enemies have never been able to contradict him with any well-founded reasons or arguments, but only with slanders and invectives. These are only spouted by his opponents, as will be evident from the Apology which we have included below. Your Highness, since you can make an excellent judgment on this matter, I will not urge it further. I only earnestly implore Your Highness to take up the defense of the truth contained in this work and of Paracelsus, the most excellent Doctor and our teacher. Since he has passed away, he is unable to defend his reputation any longer, and we are compelled to bring this matter before the princes who are accustomed to defending the truth with all their might. Among them, Your Highness has been given to us by God, who always had a distinguished regard for defending what is just and right against our enemies. We therefore turn to you so that at least by your judgment, the truth itself will be vindicated against its enemies, and all their falsehoods and misrepresentations of our teacher, which are usually scattered into the air with useless words, will be condemned in the presence of his works. If they can defeat us with their works, then so be it. May you live and prosper, most illustrious Prince, for many years to come.
Your Highness's lowest servant,
Gerard Dorn.
