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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 30 of 318

Dedication to Thomas Henshaw · Original

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Original English

him; What doth hee doe but move from Bed to Boord, and provide for the Circumstances of those two Scenes? To day hee eates and drinkes, then sleeps, that hee may doe the like to morrow. A great Happinesse! to live by cloying Repetitions, and such as have more of Necessity, than of a free pleasure. This is Idem per Idem, and what is held for Absurditie in Reason, can not by the same reason be the true perfection of Life. I deny not but Temporall blessings conduce to a Temporall Life, and by Consequence are pleasing to the Body, but if we consider the Soule, shee is all this while upon the

Modern English

him. What does he do but move from bed to table and provide for the circumstances of those two scenes? Today he eats and drinks, then sleeps so that he may do the same tomorrow. A great happiness indeed: to live by cloying repetitions which contain more necessity than freely chosen pleasure! This is “the same thing by the same thing”; and what is considered absurd in reasoning cannot, by that same reasoning, be the true perfection of life. I do not deny that temporal blessings support a temporal life and therefore please the body; but if we consider the soul, all this time she is on the

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.