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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 26 · Passage A

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To the Reader · Unnumbered Preliminary 26 · Passage A

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Original English

Christian should desire. Look up then to Heaven, and when thou seest the Coelestiall fires move in their swift and glorious Circles, think also there are here below some cold Natures, which they over-look, and about which they move incessantly to heat, and concoct them. Consider again, that the Middle spirit, I mean the Ayre, is interpos'd as a Refrigeratorie, to temper and qualifie that Heat, which otherwise might be too violent. If thou doest descend lower, and fix thy Thoughts where thy feet are, that thy wings may be like those of Mercurie, at thy Heeles; thou wilt find the Earth surrounded with the Water, and that Water heated, and stirr'd by the Sun and his starrs, abstracts from the Earth the pure, subtil, saltish parts, by which means the water is thickened, and coagulated as with a Rennet: out of these two Nature generates all things. Gold and Silver, Pearles and Diamonds are nothing els but water, and salt of

Modern English

Christian should desire. Look up to heaven. When you see the celestial fires moving in their swift and glorious circles, consider also that here below are certain cold natures which they oversee, moving ceaselessly about them to heat and digest them. Consider, too, that the middle spirit—I mean air—is interposed as a cooler to temper and moderate a heat which might otherwise be too violent. If you descend lower and fix your thoughts where your feet are, so that, like Mercury, you may have wings at your heels, you will find earth surrounded by water. Heated and stirred by the sun and stars, this water draws from earth its pure, subtle, salt-like parts, becoming thickened and coagulated as though with rennet. From these two Nature generates all things. Gold, silver, pearls and diamonds are nothing but water and the salt of

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.