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

Relation of scholastic theology to our theme--Character of Abelard’s learning--Incorrect statements of his views--The nature of the stars--Prediction of natural and contingent e...

Other early MSS, however, include the passage on magic in the _Didascalicon_, and end the sixth book with the closing words of the account of magic, “Hydromancy first came from...

Place in medieval learning--Some dates in his career--Mathematical treatises--Adelard and alchemy--Importance of the _Natural Questions_--Occasion of writing--Arabic versus Gall...

His relation to his time--Early life--Writings--_Philosophia_: general character--Contemporary education--Good and bad demons--Astronomy and astrology--Extent of the influence o...

Importance of medieval translations--Plan of this chapter--Transmission of Arabic astrology--Walcher, prior of Malvern--Pedro Alfonso--His letter to the Peripatetics--Experiment...

Problem of his identity--His works--Their influence--Disregard of Christian theology--The divine stars--Orders of spirits--The stars rule nature and reveal the future--Plot of t...

[309] Sloane 3554, fol. 1-; Digby 46, fols. 3r-5v, and fol. 90r. But in both MSS it precedes the prologue of the _Experimentarius_. Macray was probably induced to regard everyth...

Was Hildegard influenced by Bernard Silvester?--(Bibliographical note)--Her personality and reputation--Dates of her works--Question of their genuineness--Question of her knowle...

His picture of the learned world--Chief events of his life--General character of the _Polycraticus_--Magic, _maleficia_, and _mathematica_--Use of Isidore on magic--Relation of...

Daniel’s education--(Bibliographical note)--Defense of Arabian learning--A moderate treatment of moot points between science and religion--The four elements and fifth essence--S...

Birth and childhood--Education--The state of learning in his time--Popular science and mechanical arts--His works--_De naturis rerum_--Neckam’s citations--His knowledge of Arist...

His life--His works in the west--His works in Latin--Attitude to science and religion--Attitude to magic--Towards empiricism--Abuse of divine names--Occult virtue and empirical...

Prince Khalid ibn Jazid and _The Book of Morienus_--Robert of Chester’s preface--The story of Morienus and Calid--The secret of the philosopher’s stone--Later medieval works of...

The virtues, especially medicinal, of plants and animals comprise the contents of a work in Latin of uncertain date and authorship, usually called the _Kiranides_ of Kiranus, Ki...

Medieval notions of the marvels of India--India’s real contribution to knowledge--The legend of Prester John--Miracles of the Apostle Thomas--Otto of Freising on Prester John--P...

Alexander and Aristotle--Spurious writings ascribed to Aristotle--Aristotle and experiment--Aristotle and alchemy: _Meteorology_ and _On colors_--Works of alchemy ascribed to Ar...

[841] Ed. Robert Steele, EETS, LXVI, London, 1894. Volume LXXIV contains three earlier English versions. There are numerous MSS of it in Italian in the Riccardian and Palatini c...

Solomon as a magician--Magic books ascribed to Solomon--Manuscripts of them--Notory art of Solomon and Apollonius--Other works ascribed to Solomon and Apollonius--_Liber sacratu...

how to know all things, past, present, or future. It was perhaps these chapters that William of Auvergne had in mind when, in censuring works on divination by inspection of mirr...

day. Next spirits are further considered, those of air and those of fire, their names and their superior spirits, their powers, virtues, and seals. Attention is then given to th...

_Oneirocritica_ of Artemidorus--Astrampsychos and Nicephorus--Achmet translated by Leo Tuscus--Byzantine and oriental divinations by Daniel--Latin _Dream-Books of Daniel_--_Somp...

a Latin translation by Cornarius appeared at Basel, 1539; it was published in both Latin and Greek by N. Rigaltius at Paris, 1603; the modern edition is by R. Hercher, Leipzig,...

In our preceding book on the twelfth century we included some writers, like Alexander Neckam, who lived on a few years into the following century but whose works were probably w...

Bibliographical note--Michael Scot and Frederick II--Some dates in Michael’s career--Michael Scot and the papacy--Prominent position in the world of learning--Relation to the in...

The man and his writings--His respect for science--And for experimentation--Influenced by Christian doctrine--Importance of his account of magic--Its main points summarized--Dem...

_De natura rerum_; date, authorship, and relation to similar works--Life of Thomas--Character of the _De natura rerum_--Plan and contents--Chief authorities--Embodiment of long...

Bartholomew on the character of his book--Question of its date--Who are the most recent authors cited in it?--How far are its citations first-hand?--Its medieval currency--Not a...

Chief sources for Robert Grosseteste--Reasons for Roger Bacon’s eulogy--Grosseteste’s scholarly career--His writings: absence of magic--His scientific writings little affected b...

The _Speculum Maius_--Events of his life--Was the _Speculum naturale_ finished in 1250?--Order of the three Mirrors--Chronological relation to Albert and Aquinas--General charac...

Representatives of thirteenth century medicine--Question of Gilbert’s date--Works ascribed to Gilbert--The _Compendium medicinae_--General character of his medicine--An estimate...

Nationality: at Paris--Medical works and later life--Death and character--The _Thesaurus pauperum_--Is it interpolated?--Its essential character is fairly represented even by th...

Albert the leading figure in thirteenth century learning--Albert and Aquinas--Dates of birth and death--Early life--Probable early date of some of his works--Events of his life...

Bibliographical note--Precociousness of Aquinas--Early life according to Thomas of Cantimpré--Is Thomas of Cantimpré reliable?--Ptolemy of Lucca on Aquinas’ early life--Date and...

Birth, family, and early life--The years before 1267--Bacon and the mariner’s compass--The papal mandate--The composition of the three works--The injunction of secrecy--Roger Ba...

Who was its author?--Points in favor of Albert as its author--Testimony of medieval manuscripts and authors--Occasion for writing the _Speculum_--Defense of astronomy--And of ju...

The three treatises--Are the two treatises on magic by Albert?--Manuscripts of the _Experiments_--Manuscripts of the _Marvels_--Evidence of a fourteenth century bibliography--Op...

Books of “Experiments” or “Secrets”--Rasis on pains in the joints--_Medical Experiments_ of Galen or Rasis--Value of such medical experiments--Experimenters of many lands and ci...

The _Liber Vaccae_--Its other titles--Its two prologues--Experiments in magic generation and rain-making--More magic with animals--Other marvelous experiments--Plato as an alche...

Problem of date and authorship--Law of Alfonso the Wise concerning magic and astrology--Picatrix a confused compilation--Its mentions of magic--Magic and science--Its use of nat...

Guido Bonatti and Dante--The _Liber astronomicus_ of Guido Bonatti--Career of Bonatti--Arrangement of the _Liber astronomicus_--Astronomy and astrology--Truth of astrology--Theo...

Recent research into his life--His twofold importance--Narrative of his life--In theological difficulties--Events of 1305--The close of his life--Arnald and the Inquisition--His...

Life and works--Orthodoxy questioned--His natural science not unusual--His Art Universal--Circular figures employed in theology--Figure of a tree used in medicine--Lull and alch...

Plan of this chapter--Birth and family--Travels abroad--At Paris--His Latin version of Abraham Aben Ezra--Conversation with Marco Polo--Translations from the Greek--Did he teach...

[2841] BN 2598, fol. 101v, “fascinatio animalis occupans vires ut sui compos esse non valeat, actum venereum impediens.” It is hard to say if _animalis_ should be translated “an...

Reasons for his celebrity--An astrologer burned by the Inquisition--Works by Cecco to be considered here--Other sources--The sentence by the Inquisition--Villani’s account--The...

[2952] _Sphera Mundi cum tribus Commentis nuper editis videlicet Cicchi Esculani, Francisci Capuani de Manfredonia, Iacobi Fabri Stapulensis.... Impressum Venetiis per Simonem P...

The end of our period--Science not stagnant during it--Nor a mere handmaid of religion--The belief in occult virtue--Dominance of astrology--Definition of magic--Difficulty of r...