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Facing Pages · Branch 238 of 318
Secrecy and the Divine Source · Page 111 · Passage A
Original English
Nihil eorum quae sunt, & Nihil eorum quae non sunt. It is nothing that was created, or of those things that are: and nothing of that which thou doest call nothing that is of those Things that are not, in thy empty destructive sense. But by your leave, it is the True Thing, of whom wee can affirme nothing: it is that transcendent Essence, whose Theologie is Negative, and was known to the Primitive Church, but is lost in These our Dayes. This is that Nothing of Cornelius Agrippa, and in this nothing, when hee was tyr'd with humane Things, I mean humane Sciences, hee did at last rest: Nihil Scire, (sayd hee) est vita felicissima, to know Nothing is the happiest Life; true indeed, for to know this Nothing, is Life Eternall. Learne then to understand that Magicall Axiom, Ex Invisibili factum est Visibile, for all Visibles came out of the Invisible God, for hee is the Well-spring from whence all things flow, and the Creation was a certain stupendious Metaphysicall Birth, or Deliverie. This fine Virginwater, or Chaos, was the second Nature from God himself, and if I may say so, the Child of the Blessed Trinitie. What Doctor then is hee, whose hands are fit to touch that Subject, upon which God himself when he workes, layes his own Spirit, for verely so we reade, The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the water? And
Modern English
“none of the things that are, and none of the things that are not.” It is nothing that was created, or among the things that exist; and nothing among what you call nothing—that is, among things that do not exist, in your empty, destructive sense. Yet, with your permission, it is the true thing of which we can affirm nothing: that transcendent essence whose theology proceeds by negation. This was known to the early Church, but has been lost in our own day. This is Cornelius Agrippa’s nothing; and in this nothing, when he was tired of human things—I mean human sciences—he finally rested. “To know nothing,” he said, “is the happiest life.” To know nothing is indeed the happiest life, for to know this nothing is eternal life. Learn, then, to understand that magical axiom: “The visible was made from the invisible.” All visible things came from the invisible God, the wellspring from which all things flow; and creation was an astonishing metaphysical birth or delivery. This subtle virgin water, or chaos, was the second nature after God himself and, if I may put it so, the child of the blessed Trinity. What doctor’s hands, then, are fit to touch that subject upon which God himself, when he works, lays his own Spirit? For truly we read: “The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the water.” And
Socrates
Reading Magia Adamica · Secrecy and the Divine Source · Page 111 · Passage A
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Socrates will begin with this book and its sources.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.
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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.
- Governing historical text and transcriptionEEBO-TCP: governing 1650 textual witness
- First-edition image witness with disclosed lacunaeGetty Research Institute: surviving 1650 comparison copy
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