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Diotimos Library · Esotericism & Spirituality Collection · Parallel Edition

Thomas Vaughan (Eugenius Philalethes)

Coelum Terrae

The Magician’s Heavenly Chaos · The Complete 1650 Text

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Coelum TerraeThe Natural Fire · Original

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Original English Page · Branch 75 of 136

The Natural Fire · Original

Original English

that eternall, and infinite, cherishing and heating all Things. The truth is Life which is nothing else but Light, and heat proceeded originally from God, and did apply to the Chaos, which is elegantly call'd by Zoroaster, Fons fontium, & fontium cunctorum, Matrix continens cuncta. The Fountain of fountains, and of all fountains The Matrix containing all Things. Wee see by Experience that all Individuals live not onely by their own heat, but they are preserved by the outward universal heat, which is the life of the great world. Even so truly the great world it self lives not altogether by that heat which God hath inclosed in the parts thereof, but it is praeserved by the circumfused influent heat of the Deitie; For above the Heavens God is manifested like an infinite burning world of Light and Fire, so that hee overlooks all that he hath made, and the whole. Fabric stands in his heat and Light, as a man stands here on Earth in the Sun-shine. I say then that the God of Nature employes himself in a perpetuall Coction, and this not onely to generate, but to preserve that which hath been generated: for his spirit and heat coagulat that which is Thin, rarifie that which is too grosse, quicken the dead parts, and cherish the cold. There is indeed one operation of heat, whose method is vitall, and far more mysterious

Modern English

that nature is eternal and infinite, cherishing and warming all things. The truth is that life, which is nothing other than light and heat, originally proceeded from God and applied itself to the chaos, elegantly called by Zoroaster “the fountain of fountains, and of all fountains the womb containing everything.” [Vaughan’s rendering:] “the fountain of fountains, and of all fountains the matrix containing all things.” Experience shows that individuals live not only through their own heat, but are preserved by the external, universal heat which is the life of the great world. In just the same way, the great world itself does not live entirely through the heat which God has enclosed in its parts. It is preserved by the surrounding, inflowing heat of the Deity. For above the heavens God manifests himself like an infinite, burning world of light and fire, overlooking everything he has made; and the whole structure stands in his heat and light as a person here on earth stands in sunshine. I say, then, that the God of Nature engages in perpetual digestion, both to generate and to preserve what has been generated. His Spirit and heat coagulate what is thin, rarefy what is too gross, enliven the dead parts and cherish the cold. There is indeed one operation of heat whose method is vital and far more mysterious

About This Reading Edition

Thomas Vaughan’s complete Coelum Terrae discourse from the 1650 Magia Adamica, with original and modern English, fresh translations of foreign quotations, the complete Hyanthe and closing poems, eight historical marginal notes, the work-specific printed corrections, 91 annotations and the complete supplied Diotimos study apparatus.

Historical Text and Translation

Thomas Vaughan (Eugenius Philalethes), Coelum Terrae, included in Magia Adamica. London: T. W. for H. Blunden, 1650, pp. 78–140 and the work-specific unnumbered errata. Governing textual basis: EEBO-TCP A64768, Wing V151, ESTC R203905, British Library Thomason witness 174:E1299[1]. First-edition image comparison: Getty Research Institute copy 372004, Internet Archive magiaadamicaoran00vaug. The Getty copy lacks the opening page 78 and final errata; these are taken from the TCP/BL witness.

About Diotimos Editions

This historical edition credits Diotimos Editions as its English translator.

Rights

The historical text is public domain; the EEBO-TCP Phase I transcription is released under CC0. The supplied 2026 reading, translations and Diotimos editorial material are published with the site owner’s authorization.