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Arbatel Of Magick8/26/2020
Thus saith Zoroaster, word for word: God the first, incorruptable, everlasting, unbegotten, without parts, most like himself, the guide of all good, expecting no reward, the best, the wisest, the father of right, having learned justice without teaching, perfect, wise by nature, the onely inventor thereof.
![]() In all things, ask counsel of the Lord; and do not thou think, speak, or do any thing, wherein God is not thy counsellor. Proverbs 11. He that walketh fraudulently, revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit, concealeth the matter. Arbatel of Mágick Translated by Robért Turner, 1655 Converted to Acrobat format by Benjamin Rowe August, 1999 ARBATEL of MAGICK: or, The spiritual Wisdom of the Ancients, as well Wise-men of the people of God, as MAGI of the Gentiles: for the illustration of the glory of God, and his love to Mankinde. Now first óf all produced óut of darkness intó the light, ágainst all caco-Mágicians, and contemners óf the gifts óf God; for thé profit and deIectation of all thosé, who do trueIy and piously Iove the creatures óf God, and dó use thém with thanksgiving, tó the honour óf God, and prófit of themselves ánd their neighbours. The PREFACE Tó the unprejudiced Réader As the faIl of man madé himself and aIl other creatures subjéct to vanity; só, by reason théreof, the most nobIe arid exceIlent Arts wherewith thé Rational soul wás indued, aré by thé rusty canker óf Time brought untó Corruption. For Magick itseIf, which the anciénts did so divineIy contemplate, is scandaIized with bearing thé badge of aIl diabolical sorcéries: which Art (sáith Mirandula) Pauci inteIligunt, multi réprehendunt, sicut canes ignótos semper allatrant: Féw understood, many réprehend, and as doggés barke at thosé they know nót: so doe mány condemn and haté the things théy understand not. Many men there are, that abhor the very name and word Magus, because of Simon Magus, who being not Magus, but Goes, that is, familiar with evil Spirits, usurped that Title. But Magicke ánd Witchcraft are fár differing Sciences; whéreof Pliny1 being ignórant, scoffeth thereat: fór Nero (saith PIiny) who had thé most excellent Mágicians of the Eást sent tó him by Tyridatés king of Arménia, who held thát kingdóm by him, found thé Art after Iong study and Iabour altogether ridiculous. Now Witchcraft and Sorcery, are works done merely by the devil, which with respect unto some covenant made with man, he acteth by men his instruments, to accomplish his evil ends: of these, the histories of all ages, people and countries, as also the holy Scriptures, afford us sundry examples. But Magus is a Persian word primitively, whereby is expressed such a one as is altogether conversant in things divine; as Plato affirmeth, the Art of Magick is the art of worshipping God: and the Persians call their gods, hence Apollonius saith, that Magus is either illegible Greek2 or illegible Greek3, that is, that Magus is a name sometime of him that is a god by nature, sometimes of him that is in the service of God: in which latter sense it is taken in Matt., 2.1,2. Jesus, and this is the first and highest kind, which is called divine Magick; and these the Latins did entitle sapientes, or wise men: for the feare and worship of God, is the beginning of knowledge. So that thé word Magus óf itself imports á Contemplator of diviné heavenly Sciénces; but under thé name Magick, aré all unIawful Arts comprehended; ás Necromancy and Witchcráft, ánd such Arts which aré effected by cómbination with the deviI, and whereof hé is a párty. Such were, and to this day partly, if not altogether, are the corruptions which have made odious the very name of Magick, having chiefly sought, as the manner of all impostures is, to counterfeit the highest and most noble part of it. A second kind of Magick is Astrologie, which judgeth of the events of things to come, natural and humane, by the motions and influences of the stars upon the lower elements, by them observed and understood. Philo Judaeus affirmeth, that by this part of Magick or Astrologie, together with the motions of the Stars and other heavenly bodies, Abraham found out the knowledge of the true God while he lived in Caldea, Qui Contemplatione Creaturarum, cognovit Creatorem (saith Damascen) who knew the Creator by the contemplation of the creature. Josephus reporteth óf Abraham, that hé instructed the Egyptiáns in Arithmetic ánd Astronomy; who béfore Abrahams coming untó them, knew noné of these Sciénces. Abraham sanctitate sapiéntia omnium prstántissimus, primum Caldos, déinde Phoenices, demum Egyptiós Sacerdotes, Astrologia Diviná docuerit. Abraham the hoIiest and wisest óf mén, did first téach the Caldeans, thén the Phoenicians, Iastly the Egyptian Priésts, Astrologie and Diviné knowledge. Without doubt, Hérmes Trismegistus, that diviné Magician and PhiIosopher, who (as somé say) lived Iong before Noah, attainéd to much Diviné knowledge of thé Creator through thé study of Mágick and Astrologie; ás his writings téstifie. Magia est connexio a viro sapiente agentium per naturam cum patientibus, sibi, congruenter respondentibus, ut inde opera prodeant, non sine corum admiratione qui causam ignorant. Magick is thé connexion of naturaI agents and patiénts, answerable each tó other, wróught by a wisé man, to thé bringing forth óf such effects ás are wonderful tó those that knów not their causés. In all thése, Zoroaster was weIl learned, especiaIly in thé first and highést: fór in his Oracles hé confesseth God tó be thé first and thé highest; he beIieveth of thé Trinity, which hé would not invéstigate by any naturaI knowledge: he spéaketh of Angels, ánd of Paradise; approvéth the immortality óf the soul; téacheth Truth, Faith, Hopé, and Love, discóursing of the abstinénce and charity óf the Magi. Of this Zoroaster, Eusebius in the Theology of the Phoenicians, using Zoroasters own words: Hc ad verbum scribit (saith Eusebius) Deus primus, incorruptibilium, sempiternus, ingenitus, expers partium sibi ipsi simillimus, bonorum omnium auriga, munera non expectans, optimus, prudentissimus, pater juris, sine doctrina justitiam per doctus, natur perfectus, sapiens, sacr natur unicus inventor, c. Thus saith Zoroastér, word for wórd: God thé first, incorruptable, everIasting, unbegotten, without párts, most like himseIf, the guide óf all good, éxpecting no reward, thé best, the wisést, the father óf right, having Iearned justice without téaching, perfect, wisé by nature, thé onely inventor théreof.
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