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Diotimos Library · Esotericism & Spirituality Collection · Parallel Edition

Thomas Vaughan

Magia Adamica

The Antiquity of Magic · With the Complete Coelum Terrae

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Magia AdamicaNatural Knowledge and the Patriarchs · Original

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Original English Page · Branch 116 of 318

Natural Knowledge and the Patriarchs · Original

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Original English

You have been told formerly, that Cain and Abel were instructed in Matters of Sacrifice by their father Adam, but Cain having murthered his brother Abel, his Priesthood descended to Seth, and this is confirm'd by those Faculties which attended his Posteritie, for Enoch, Lamech, and Noah, were (all of them) Prophets. It troubles you perhaps that I attribute a Priesthood to Abel but I have besides his own practice, Christs Testimonie for it, who accounts [Marginal note: Luke cap. 11. ver. 15 & Math. 23. 35.] the Bloud of Abel amongst that of the persecuted Prophets and Wisemen. Now to conclude that these men had no Knowledge

Modern English

You were told earlier that Cain and Abel were instructed in sacrifice by their father Adam. But when Cain murdered his brother Abel, Abel’s priesthood descended to Seth. The faculties accompanying Seth’s descendants confirm this, since Enoch, Lamech and Noah were all prophets. Perhaps it troubles you that I attribute a priesthood to Abel. Besides his own practice, however, I have Christ’s testimony: he numbers Abel’s blood among that of persecuted prophets and wise men. Now, concluding that these people possessed no knowledge

About This Reading Edition

Thomas Vaughan’s complete 1650 Magia Adamica publication, with all historical preliminaries and the complete appended Coelum Terrae, original and modern English, fresh translations of Latin, Greek and Hebrew, full poems, eight historical marginal notes, the complete recovered printed corrections, 312 annotations and the complete supplied Diotimos study apparatus.

Historical Text and Translation

Thomas Vaughan (Eugenius Philalethes), Magia Adamica: or The Antiquitie of Magic, with Coelum Terrae. London: T. W. for H. Blunden, 1650. Governing transcription: EEBO-TCP A64768.0001.001. The Getty Research Institute copy supplies surviving first-edition page images; the 1656 issue supplies explicitly disclosed missing or defective material. The complete shared 1650 errata are recovered from the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica copy of The Man-Mouse.

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.