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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 AdamicaTo the Reader · Unnumbered Preliminary 22 · Passage A

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Facing Pages · Branch 49 of 318

To the Reader · Unnumbered Preliminary 22 · Passage A

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Original English

because it is the proprietie of their Nature, to Know. Thus wee see that a Philosopher being taken at a fault in his Discourse, will blush, as if he had committed something unworthy of himself, and truly the very Sense of this Disgrace prevailes so farre with some, they had rather persist in their Error, and defend it against the Truth, than acknowledge their Infirmities; in which respect I make no Question but many Peripatetics are perversly ignorant. It may bee they will scarcely hear, what I speak, or if they hear, they will not understand: howsoever I advise them not wilfully to prevent, and hinder that glorious end and perfection, for which the very Author, and Father of Nature created them. It is a terrible thing to praefer Aristotel to AEelohim, and condemn the Truth of God, to justifie the Opinions of Man. Now for my part I dare not be so irreligious, as to think God so vain, and improvident in his

Modern English

because knowing is a property of their nature. Thus we see a philosopher blush when caught at fault in a discourse, as though he had done something unworthy of himself. Indeed, the feeling of disgrace prevails so far with some that they would rather persist in error and defend it against truth than acknowledge their weaknesses. In this respect I have no doubt that many Peripatetics are perversely ignorant. Perhaps they will scarcely hear what I say, or, hearing, will not understand. Nevertheless, I advise them not wilfully to obstruct and prevent that glorious end and perfection for which the very author and father of Nature created them. It is a terrible thing to prefer Aristotle to Elohim, and condemn God’s truth in order to justify human opinions. For my part, I dare not be so irreligious as to think God so vain and improvident in his

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.