Natural Magic

...is less ambitious. In these matters, not only is the mind nourished by understanding, but all the senses of the body are also enticed and refreshed by the practical effects. This Magic, therefore, excels all other sciences (though I exclude divine Philosophy), so that all other arts and faculties seem to serve her as if she were their queen. Cicero writes: No one among the Persians was accustomed to obtain the kingdom who had not first mastered Magic. And Plato in the Alcibiades: The sons of the Persian Kings are so instructed, that they might learn to administer and organize their own Commonwealth according to the model of the worldly Commonwealth original: "mundana Reipubl." This refers to the Stoic and Platonic idea of the "Cosmopolis," or the universe as a divinely ordered state. By learning Magic, the king learns how the universe is governed, allowing him to rule his kingdom in harmony with nature.. Why should I mention Pythagoras, Empedocles, Apollonius of Tyana, and Plato—the most famous men in nearly the whole world—who burned with such a desire for it that they traveled the globe to learn it? They undertook journeys that were more like exiles than voyages, and having returned, they preached it and held it among their secrets arcanis original: "arcanis." In the context of the Renaissance, "arcana" were "secrets of nature"—hidden knowledge not meant for the uninitiated.. Why mention the Magi Kings coming to adore Christ, and the many others illustrious in this art, with whose names the monuments of the ancients are filled? But who will fairly weigh my labors, my sleepless nights, and the expenses I poured into adorning this daughter of mine, so that she might finally seem worthy of you? I did this so she would not waste away with envy for her sister while trying to emulate such noble works. The point is, since she is not inferior to her sister, she disdains to marry an inferior man. For you Della Porta is likely referring to Iunio and a relative (perhaps his father Andrea or a brother) to whom the previous edition was dedicated, or simply comparing Iunio to the highest standards of his family. are born of the same blood, adorned with the same gifts of Nature and Fortune, and possess the same character of mind, countenance, and excellence. If in one there is the magnificence of Alexander, in the other there is the magnificence of Caesar. If in one there is the strength of the Fabii, in the other the strength of the Scipiones The Fabii and Scipiones were among the most powerful and storied families of Ancient Rome.: one is no less wise than the other is prudent, and finally—to say it in a single word—such is the integrity of your character, and your incredi-