A History of Magic and Experimental Science, Volume 1 (of 2) During the First Thirteen Centuries of Our Era

I. Its Place in the History of Science 42 II. Its Experimental Tendency 53 III. Pliny’s Account of Magic 58 IV. The Science of the Magi 64 V. Pliny’s Magical Science 72

This work has been long in preparation—ever since in 1902-1903 Professor James Harvey Robinson, when my mind was still in the making, suggested the study of magic in medieval un...

Aim of this book—Period covered—How to study the history of thought—Definition of magic—Magic of primitive man; does civilization originate in magic?—Divination in early China—M...

A trio of great names, Pliny, Galen, and Ptolemy, stand out above all others in the history of science under the Roman Empire. In the use or criticism which they make of earlier...

Its importance in our investigation—As a collection of miscellaneous information—As a repository of ancient natural science—As a source for magic—Pliny’s career—His writings—His...

Seneca’s _Natural Questions_—Nature study as an ethical substitute for existing religion—Limited field of Seneca’s work—Marvels accepted, questioned, or denied—Belief in natural...

Recent ignorance of Galen—His voluminous works—The manuscript tradition of his works—His vivid personality—Birth and parentage—Education in philosophy and medicine—First visit t...

The sources—Vitruvius depicts architecture as free from magic—But himself believes in occult virtues and perfect numbers—Also in astrology—Divergence between theory and practice...

Themes of ensuing chapters—Life of Plutarch—Superstition in Plutarch’s _Lives_—His _Morals_ or _Essays_—Question of their authenticity—Magic in Plutarch—_Essay on Superstition_—...

Powers claimed for magic—Its actual performances—Its limitations—The crimes of witches—Male magicians—Magic as an art and discipline—Materials employed—Incantations and rites—Qu...

Compared with Apuleius—Philostratus’s sources—Time and space covered—Philostratus’s audience—Object of the _Life_—Apollonius charged with magic—A confusion of terms—The _Magi_ a...

Authors to be considered—Their standpoint—_De divinatione_; argument of Quintus—Cicero attacks past authority—Divination distinct from natural science—Unreasonable in method—Req...

Mystic works of revelation—The Hermetic books—_Poimandres_ and the Hermetic _Corpus_—Astrological treatises ascribed to Hermes—Hermetic works of alchemy—Nechepso and Petosiris—M...

Neo-Platonism and the occult—Plotinus on magic—The life of reason is alone free from magic—Plotinus unharmed by magic—Invoking the demon of Plotinus—Rite of strangling birds—Plo...

Aelian _On the Nature of Animals_—General character of the work—Its hodge-podge of unclassified detail—Solinus in the middle ages—His date—General character of his work; its rel...

” 14. Philo Judaeus. ” 15. The Gnostics. ” 16. The Christian Apocrypha. ” 17. The Recognitions of Clement and Simon Magus. ” 18. The Confession of Cyprian and some similar stori...

We now turn back chronologically to the point from which we started in our survey of classical science and magic in order to trace the development of Christian thought in regard...

Enoch’s reputation as an astrologer in the middle ages—Date and influence of the literature ascribed to Enoch—Angels governing the universe; stars and angels—The fallen angels t...

Bibliographical note—Philo the mediator between Hellenistic and Jewish-Christian thought—His influence upon the middle ages was indirect—Good and bad magic—Stars not gods nor fi...

Difficulty in defining Gnosticism—Magic and astrology in Gnosticism—Simon Magus as a Gnostic—Simon’s Helen—The number thirty and the moon—Ophites and Sethians—A magical diagram—...

Magic in the Bible—Apocryphal Gospels of the Infancy—Question of their date—Their medieval influence—Resemblances to Apuleius and Apollonius in the Arabic _Gospel of the Infancy...

The Pseudo-Clementines—Was Rufinus the sole medieval version?—Previous Greek versions—Date of the original version—Internal evidence—Resemblances to Apuleius and Philostratus—Sc...

The _Confession_ of Cyprian—His initiation into mysteries—His thorough study of nature, divination, and magic—The lore of Egypt—And of Chaldea—Cyprian’s practice of magic at Ant...

Celsus’ charges of magic against Christianity—Hebrew magic as depicted by Celsus—Various recriminations of magic—Origen’s distinction between miracles and magic—Origen frees Jew...

Plan of this chapter—Tertullian on magic—Astrology attacked—Resemblance to Minucius Felix—Lactantius—Hippolytus on magic and astrology—Frauds of magicians in answering questions...

Lactantius not a fair example—Commentaries on the Biblical account of creation—Date and delivery of Basil’s _Hexaemeron_—The _Hexaemeron_ of Ambrose—Basil’s medieval influence—S...

Date and influence of Augustine—Christianity and magic—Censure of magic and theurgy as well as _Goetia_—Magic due to demons—Marvels wrought by magic—Cannot be equalled by most C...

Need of qualifying the patristic attitude—Plan of this chapter—Julius Firmicus Maternus—Date of the _Mathesis_—Are the attitudes in Firmicus’ two works incompatible?—_De errore_...

The _Pseudo-Callisthenes_—Its unhistoric character—Julius Valerius—Oriental versions—Medieval epitomes of Julius Valerius—Letters of Alexander—Leo’s _Historia de praeliis_—Medie...

Three representatives of post-classical medicine—Bibliographical note—Medical compendiums: Oribasius and Paul of Aegina—Aëtius of Amida—How superstitious are Aëtius and Alexande...

General character—_Medicine of Pliny_—_Herbarium of Apuleius_—Specimens of its occult science—A “Precantation of all herbs”—Other treatises accompanying the _Herbarium_—_Cosmogr...

Aridity of early medieval learning—Historic importance of _The Consolation of Philosophy_—Medieval reading—Influence of the works of Boethius—His relation to antiquity and middl...

Plan of the chapter—Works of Alkindi—_On Stellar Rays_, or _The Theory of the Magic Art_—Radiation of occult force from the stars—Magic power of words—Problem of prayer—Figures,...

Astrology in Gaul before the twelfth century—Figures of astrological medicine—The divine quaternities of Raoul Glaber—Celestial portents and other marvels—An eleventh century ca...

Arabic influence in early manuscripts—A preface and twenty-one chapters on the astrolabe—Are they parts of one work?—Their relation to Gerbert and the Arabic—Hermann’s _De mensu...

Plan of this chapter—Instances of early medieval additions to ancient medicine—_Leech-Book of Bald and Cild_—Magical procedure and incantations—A superstitious compound—Summary—...

Reputation and influence—His studies in the Orient—His later life in Italy—His works were mainly translations—_Pantegni_—_Viaticum_—Other translations—_The book of degrees_—_On...

Latin treatises on the arts and colors—Progress of the arts even during the early middle ages—Scantiness of the sources—Character of Arabic alchemy—Different character of our La...

Of medieval Latin Lapidaries the earliest and what also seems to have been the classic on the subject of the marvelous properties of stones is the _Liber lapidum seu de gemmis_...