Page:Three Books of Occult Philosophy (De Occulta Philosophia) (1651).djvu/32

 thee three principall faculties Magick comprehends, unites, and actuates; deervedly therefore was it by the Ancients eteemed as the highet, and mot acred Philoophy. It was, as we find, brought to light by mot age Authours, and mot famous Writers; amongt which principally Zamolxis and Zoroater were o famous, that many believed they were the inventers of this Science. Their track Abbaris the Hyperborean, Charmondas, Damigeron, Eudoxus, Hermippus followed: there were alo other eminent, choice men, as Mercurius Tremegitus, Porphyrius, Iamblicus, Plotinus, Proclus, Dardanus, Orpheus the Thracian, Gog the Grecian, Germa the Babilonian, Apollonius of Tyana, Othanes alo wrote excellently in this Art; whoe Books being as it were lot, Democritus of Abdera recovered, and et forth with his own Commentaries. Beides Pythagoras, Empedocles, Democritus, Plato, and many other renowned Philoophers travelled far by Sea to learn this Art: and being returned, publihed it with wonderfull devoutnes, eteeming of it as a great ecret. Alo it is well known that Pythagoras, and Plato went to the Prophets of Memphis to learn it, and travelled through almost all Syria, Egypt, Judea, and the Schools of the Caldeans, that they might not be ignorant of the mot acred Memorials, and Records of Magick, as alo that they might be furnihed with Divine things. Whooever therefore is deirous to tudy in this Faculty, if he be not skilled in naturall Philoophy, wherein are dicovered the qualities of things, and in which are found the occult properties of every Being, and if he be not skilfull in the Mathematicks, and in the Apects, and Figures of the Stars, upon which depends the ublime vertue, and property of every thing; and if he be not learned in Theologie, wherein are manifeted thoe immateriall ubtances, which dipence, and miniter all things, he cannot be poibly able to undertand the rationality of Magick. For there is no work that is done by meer Magick, nor any work that is meerly Magicall, that doth not comprehend thee three Faculties.