Magia Adamica

Name: Magia Adamica
Author: Thomas Vaughan

The Antiquity of Magic · With the Complete Coelum Terrae

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Magia AdamicaThe Fall and the First Instruction · Page 14 · Passage A

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The Fall and the First Instruction · Page 14 · Passage A

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Original English

First, The Curse it self, and next the Latitude of it. To manifest the Nature of the Curse, and what it was, you must know, that Good essentially is Light, and Evill is Darknes. The Evill properly is a Corruption that immediatly takes place upon the Removall of that which is Good. Thus God having removed his Candlestick and Light from the Elements, presently the Darknes and Cold of the Matter praevailed, so that the Earth was neerer her first Deformitie, and by Consequence lesse fruitfull and Vitall. Heaven and Hell, that is Light and Darknes, are the two Extremes which Consummat Good and Evill. But there are some mean Blessings which are but, in ordine, or disposing to Heaven, which is their last perfection, and such were these Blessings, which God recalled upon the Transgression of the first Man. Againe there are some Evills, which are but 'Degrees conducing to their last Extremitie, or Hell, and such was this Curse or Evill, which succeeded the Transgression. Thus our Saviour under these Notions of Blessed and Cursed comprehends the Inhabitants of Light and Darknes: Come you Blessed, and Goe you Cursed. In a word then, The Curse was Nothing else but an Act repealed, or a Restraint of those Blessings which God of his meer Goodnes, had formerly communicated to

Modern English

first, the curse itself, and then its extent. To show the nature of the curse and what it was, you must know that good is essentially light, and evil darkness. Evil, properly speaking, is a corruption that immediately takes place upon the removal of good. Thus, when God removed his candlestick and light from the elements, matter’s darkness and cold at once prevailed. The earth approached its first deformity and consequently became less fruitful and alive. Heaven and hell—that is, light and darkness—are the two extremes that consummate good and evil. But some intermediate blessings merely lead towards or prepare for heaven, their final perfection. Such were the blessings God recalled upon the first man’s transgression. Again, some evils are merely degrees leading towards their final extreme, or hell. Such was the curse or evil that followed the transgression. Thus our Saviour comprehends the inhabitants of light and darkness under these ideas of blessed and cursed: “Come, you blessed,” and “Go, you cursed.” In a word, the curse was simply the repeal of an act, or a withholding of blessings that God, from his sheer goodness, had previously communicated to

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.