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Generation and Restoration · Page 115 · Passage A
Original English
two Extremes; either to Corruption, as commonly all men doe for they die, and moulder away in their graves: or else to a spirituall, glorified Condition, like Enoch and Elijah, who were translated, and this (say they) is a true Extreme, for after it there is no Alteration. Now the Magicians reasoning with themselves, why the meane Creation should be subject to Corruption, concluded the Cause and Original of this disease to be in the Chaos it self, for even that was corrupted, and cursed upon the Fall of Man. But examining Things further, they found that Nature in her Generations did onely concoct the Chaos with a gentle heat, shee did not separate the parts, and purifie each of them by it self, but the purities and impurities of the Sperme remained together in all her Productions, and this Domestic enemie prevayling at last, occasion'd the Death of the Compound. Hence they wisely gathered, that to minister Vegetables, Animals, or Minerals for Physic, was a meer madness, for even these also had their own Impurities and Diseases, and required some Medicine to cleanse them. Upon this Adviso, they resolved (God without all Question being their Guide) to practise on the Chaos it self, they opened it, purified it, united what they had formerly separated, and fed it with a twofold Fire, Thick, and Thin,
Modern English
two extremes: either towards corruption, as people commonly do, dying and mouldering away in their graves; or towards a spiritual, glorified condition like that of Enoch and Elijah, who were translated. This, they say, is a true extreme, since no alteration follows it. Now, reasoning among themselves why the middle creation should be subject to corruption, the magicians concluded that this disease had its cause and origin in the chaos itself; for even the chaos was corrupted and cursed at humanity’s Fall. Examining matters further, however, they found that Nature, in her acts of generation, only digested the chaos with a gentle heat. She did not separate the parts and purify each by itself; instead, the sperm’s purities and impurities remained together in everything she produced. This domestic enemy eventually prevailed, causing the compound’s death. They therefore wisely concluded that administering plants, animals or minerals as medicine was sheer madness: these, too, had their own impurities and diseases and needed a medicine to cleanse them. Acting on this conclusion, and undoubtedly guided by God, they resolved to work upon the chaos itself. They opened it, purified it, reunited what they had separated, and fed it with a twofold fire, thick and thin,
Socrates
Reading Magia Adamica · Generation and Restoration · Page 115 · 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.
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