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The Living Return to Seed · Original
Original English
and the moysture of it is viscous, and slimie, a water and no water, for such a Sperme ought to bee. Suppose Dr. Coale, I mean some Broyler, had a minde to generat something out of this Egg: Questionlesse he would first distill it, and that with a fire able to roast the Hen that layd it, then would hee calcine the Caput mortuum, and finally produce his Nothing. Here you are to observe that Bodies are nothing els but Sperm coagulated, and he that Destroyes the Body, by consequence destroyes the Sperm. Now to reduce Bodies into Elements of earth and water, as wee have instanc'd in the Egg, is to reduce them into Extremes beyond their Sperm, for Elements are not the Sperm, but the Sperm is a Compound made of the Elements, and containing in it self all that is requisit to the frame of the Body. Wherefore be well advis'd before you distill, and Quarter any particular Bodies, for having once separated their Elements, you may never generat, unless you can make a Sperm of those Elements, but that is impossible for man to doe, it is the Power of God, and Nature. Labour then you that would be accounted wise, to find out our Mercurie, so shall you reduce things to their mean spermaticall Chaos, but avoyd the broyling Destruction. This Doctrine will spare you the vain Task of Distillations, if you will but remember this
Modern English
and its moisture is viscous and slimy: a water and no water, as such a sperm ought to be. Suppose Dr Coal—I mean some broiler—wanted to generate something from this egg. He would undoubtedly distil it first, with a fire strong enough to roast the hen that laid it; then he would calcine the dead residue and finally produce his nothing. Here observe that bodies are nothing but coagulated sperm; consequently, whoever destroys the body destroys the sperm. To reduce bodies to the elements of earth and water, as in our example of the egg, is to reduce them to extremes beyond their sperm. The elements are not the sperm: the sperm is a compound made from the elements, containing everything needed to frame the body. Be well advised, therefore, before distilling and quartering particular bodies. Once you have separated their elements, you can never generate anything unless you can make a sperm from those elements; and that is impossible for humanity. It belongs to the power of God and Nature. Labour, then, you who wish to be considered wise, to discover our Mercury. Through it you will reduce things to their intermediate, spermatic chaos; but avoid the destruction of broiling. This doctrine will spare you the futile task of distillations if you remember this
Socrates
Reading Magia Adamica · The Living Return to Seed · Page 129 · 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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