Page:The Magus, or Celestial Intelligencer - Barrett - 1801.djvu/19



N this Work, which we have written chiefly for the information of thoe who are curious and indefatigable in their enquiries into occult knowledge, we have, at a vat labour and expence, both of time and charges, collected whatoever can be deemed curious and rare, in regard to the ubject of our peculations in Natural Magic–––the Cabala–––Celetial and Ceremonial Magic–––Alchymy–––and Magnetim; and have divided it into two Books, ub-divided into Parts; to which we have added a third Book, containing a biographical account of the lives of thoe great men who were famous and renowned for their knowledge; hewing upon whoe authority this Science of Magic is founded, and upon what principles. To which we have annexed a great variety of notes, wherein we have impartially examined the probability of the exitence of Magic, both of the good and bad pecies, in the earlit, as well as in the latter, ages of the world. We have exhibited a vat number of rare experiments in the coure of this Treatie, many of which, delivered in the beginning, are founded upon the imple application of actives to paives; the others are of a higher peculation.

In our hitory of the lives of Philoophers, &c. we have omitted nothing that can be called intereting or atisfactory. We have taken our hitorical characters from thoe authors mot deerving of credit; we have given an outline of the various reports tradition gives of them; to which are annexed notes, drawn from the mot probably appearance of truth, impartially decribing their characters and actions; leaning neither to the ide of thoe who doubt every thing, nor to them whoe credulity takes in every report to be circumtantially true. Rh