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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 AdamicaDedication to Thomas Henshaw · Original

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Original English Page · Branch 29 of 318

Dedication to Thomas Henshaw · Original

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Original English

of Life, it is because you are fit to manage it. I will not advise you to pleasures, to build Houses, and plant Vine-yards: to inlarge your private Possessions, or to multiplie your Gold and Silver. These are old Errors, like Vitriol to the stone; So many false Receipts which Solomon hath tried before you, And behold all was vanitie, and [Marginal note: Cap. 2. ver. 11.] vexation of Spirit. I have sometimes seen Actions as various, as they were great, and my own sullen Fate hath forc'd me to severall Courses of life, but I finde not one hitherto, which ends not in Surfets, or Satietie. Let us fansie a man as fortunate as this world can make

Modern English

of life, it is because you are fit to manage it. I shall not advise you to pleasures, to building houses and planting vineyards, to enlarging your private possessions or multiplying your gold and silver. These are old errors, like vitriol for the Stone: so many false recipes which Solomon tried before you. “And behold, all was vanity and [Marginal reference: Ecclesiastes 2:11.] vexation of spirit.” I have sometimes seen actions as varied as they were great, and my own sullen fate has forced me into several courses of life; yet I have so far found none that does not end in surfeit or satiety. Let us imagine a man as fortunate as this world can make

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.