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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 AdamicaGeneration and Restoration · Page 114 · Passage A

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Generation and Restoration · Page 114 · Passage A

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Original English

But I have done I will now speak something of Generation, and the wayes of it, that the Process of the Philosophers upon this Matter, may be the better understood. You must know that Nature hath two Extremes, and between them a Middle Substance, which elsewhere wee have call'd the Middle Nature. Example enough wee have in the Creation. The first Extreme was that Cloud or Darkness whereof we have spoken formerly; some call it the Remote Matter, and the Invisible Chaos, but very improperly, for it was not invisible. This is the Jewish Ensoph outwardly, and it is the same with that Orphic Night;

Ὦ Νὺξ μέλαινα χρυσέων ἄστρων τροφέ.

O Night! thou black nurse of the golden stars.

Modern English

But I have finished with that. I shall now say something about generation and its ways, so that the philosophers’ process upon this matter may be better understood. You must know that Nature has two extremes and, between them, a middle substance, which elsewhere we have called the middle nature. Creation gives us sufficient example. The first extreme was that cloud or darkness of which we spoke earlier. Some call it the remote matter and the invisible chaos, very improperly, for it was not invisible. This is the outward aspect of the Jewish Ensoph, and it is the same as that Orphic Night:

“O black Night, nurse of golden stars.”

[Vaughan’s English:] “O Night, you black nurse of the golden stars.”

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.