Magiae Naturalis (in English, Natural Magic) is a work of popular science by Giambattista della Porta first published in Naples in 1558. Its popularity ensured it was republished in five Latin editions within ten years, with translations in Italian (1560) French (1565) and Dutch (1566) printed. Natural Magic was revised and considerably expanded throughout the author's lifetime; its twenty books (Naples 1589) include observations upon geology, optics, medicines, poisons, cooking, metallurgy and magnetism as well as cosmetics, perfumes, gunpowder and invisible writing.
Natural Magic is a fine example of pre-Baconian science. Its sources include the ancient world learning of Pliny and Theophrastus as well as numerous scientific observations made by Della Porta. Natural Magic was translated and published in the English language in 1658.
Magiae Naturalis (in English, NaturalMagic) is a work of popular science by Giambattista della Porta first published in Naples in 1558.
NaturalMagic was revised and considerably expanded throughout the author's lifetime; its twenty books (Naples 1589) include observations upon geology, optics, medicines, poisons, cooking, metallurgy and magnetism as well as cosmetics, perfumes, gunpowder and invisible writing.
NaturalMagic was translated and published in the English language in 1658.
In the present scheme, that is, of naturalmagic, the planets and the operator are not supposed to act directly on anything higher than the spirit, which is the vehicle of the imagination.
Magical practices involving music, such as Ficino's, had therefore recourse to the A vis musices, which, through the text of the song or hymn, was combined with the A and B vis verborum.
Ficinian magic, in terms of this scheme, uses the vis imaginativa combined with the vires imaginum B, verborum A and B, musices A, and rerum B. The effects it aims at are psychological and subjective.
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