The history of magick by way of apology, for all the wise men who have unjustly been reputed magicians, from the Creation, to the present age. / Written in French, by G. Naudæus late library-keeper to Cardinal Mazarin. Englished by J. Davies.

The AUTHOR'S motive and designe in the present Work.

ABout four or five years since, there came abroad a little Book in French, intituled, Nouueau Jugement, &c. New Refle∣ctions on what hath been said and writ∣ten as well for, as against the Book of the curious Doctrine of the Great Witts of these times. At the end of this Book the Authour inserted two In∣vectives, very short indeed, against Homer and Virgil; to what end or upon what ground it is not much material here to dispute; but in that of Virgil, he represents him as a most eminent Conjurer, and one that had done abundance of strange and incredi∣ble things by the assistance of Magick. This he pre∣sently remembred was taken verbatim out of the last Book publish'd by de Lancre against Witchcraft; whereupon reflecting on what he had read, and calling to mind that not only Virgil but in a manner all great persons were in like manner charg'd with Magick, he imagin'd the charge might be unjust and ground∣lesse. This put him upon search of the truth, think∣ing it an act of piety to right the memory of those great men▪and an obligation put upon the world, to endeavour their satisfaction, who want either time or couveniences to informe themselves, and so he re∣solv'd to communicate, what he had found, in this APOLOGIE: whereof take this short ac∣count.

In the first place he assignes certain conditions or qualifications necessarily requisite in him, that would judge of Authors, especially Historians and Dae∣monographers, who are the chief Architects of this Labyrinth of erroneous opinions, which who is once gotten into cannot well get out without this Clue. Then he divides Magick into severall species, so to confront the charge and the Answer, which consists in the distinction of Magick into Diabolicall and Naturall. That done, he comes to certain generall causes whence the suspicion hath been deriv'd, viz. Politicks, extraordinary Learning, Mathematicks, Supposititious Books, superstitious Observations, Heresy, Malice, Emulation, Ignorance, Credu∣lity in Readers, and want of circumspection and Judgment in Writers. This is fully dispatch'd in five Chapters, which are as it were a preludinm to XIV more, spent in the particular vindication of Zoroastes, Orpheus, Pythagoras, Democritus, and others, not proceeding so much according to the times wherein they flourish'd as their severall quali∣ties and employments. So that having run through the severall vindications of Philosophers, Phy∣sicians, Religious men, Bishops, Popes, all to be done was to close up the treatise with a Chapter dis∣covering the means whereby these Errours are main∣tained, and what will be the consequences of them if not suppressed.

So much, as to the Authors designe in this work. That dispatch'd, he thought fit to say something to those who might haply quarrell with him for his chec∣quering it so much with sentences and Authorities out of Latine Authors. There are indeed a many and those the most refin'd Writers, who cannot, without a certain scorn and indignation, look on the writings

of such, as, like them, will not employ themselves so trivially as to compose Love Stories and Romances for the entertainment of women and Children. For those his answer is, that as he quarrels not with them for using a Style proportionable to their capacities to whom they direct their Labours; so does he expect they should be as favourable to him, for not translat∣ing those Latine passages as such as are not particu∣larly calculated for the meridian of the Populace, but some of a higher elevation, who measure not truth, by the credit of Historians and Demonogra∣phers, that have almost besotted the multitude with their extravagances. These indeed are a sort of peo∣ple so much oblig'd one to another, that should we imitate them in the Labours we intend for posterity, we must do as the Rhodians did, who only chang'd the heads of ancients Statues to make them serve for new representations, such a strange art have they of disguising and disme••bring one ano∣thers workes that, strictly examined, there's nothing new but the Titles. For Citaions, he thought they only avoided them who never expected to be cited themselves▪ and that it were too great a presumption in any one to think himself so well furnisht with concepti∣ons as tosatisfie so great a diversity of Readers without borrowing any. But if ever there were any such, they were certainly Plutarch, Seneca, and Montagne, who yet have not blush'd to derive from others what∣ever they thought contributed to the embellishment of their discourses. To prove this we need only mention the Greek and Latine verses cited almost in every line of their workes, and particularly that of Con∣solation▪ consisting but of seven or eight Leaves sent by the former to Apollonius, wherein there are above 150. verses out of Homer, and near as many out

of Hesiod, Pindar, Sophocles, and Euripides.

Nor is he ignorant what these regulators of wri∣ting might oppose against this, viz. the authority of Epicurus, who in 300 Volumes left behind him, had not so much as one Citation; but this would make against them, by reason of the contrary consequences of these two different procedures, for the workes of Plutarch, Seneca and Montagne, are daily read, sold, and reprinted, whereas of those of Epicurus, Laertius can hardly furnish us with a Catalogue. Yet would he not have this so understood as to approve their course who conceale the treasures of their own abilities to beg and borrow of others, never appearing but as people at false Musters, and, without any ha∣zard to themselves, carrying other mens Arms. Tedious and fruitlesse discourses are like Forrests of Cypresse trees, fair and flourishing to the eye, but bearing no fruit suitable thereto.

The surest way therefore were to keep the mean be∣tween these extremities, which is for a man to make a certaine allyance between his own conceptions and those of the ancient, when the subject will bear it. For as it belongs only to such elevated and transcen∣dent Souls as have something above the ordinary rate of men, to transmit their conceptions to us pure and naked, without any other convoy than that of Truth, and that it is the indicium of a low & reptile mind to undertake nothing of it self; so is it the proper chara∣cter of a person unacquainted with vain glory and ar∣riv'd to a considerable knowledge and experience of things to follow the track which the most learned & best esteemed Authors have gone before him, and not so much endeavour to tickle the ears of his Readers, as to neglect what might satisfie their understanding.

And this method hath our Author observ'd in this

APOLOGIE: which whoever shall examine without prejudice or passion, must certainly conclude it no small performance, especially if he consider the difficulty of the undertaking, the many Authors con∣sulted, the particularities he hath been forc'd to quote, and the novelty of the Subject, which, were there no∣thing else, were enough to oblige the more ingenious, to countenance and encourage

In nova surgentem, majoraq{que} viribus ausum, Nec per inaccessos metuentem vadere saltus.