Instruction on Natural Magic and its Medical Use

devoted themselves to devilish divinations, malicious enchantments, and the bringing about of wonderful effects through the counsel and help of Satan, (d) began to become ill-famed.

Hence it happened that the word Magia was also taken in an evil sense and denotes a science of sorcery; whereas otherwise magic did not lack praise, as it teaches, as Plato admits, the help of the gods.

§. III.

(d) Balthasar Becker in The World Bewitched original: "die bezauberte Welt", Lib. 3. c. 13, denies that there is such a thing as devilish magic and sorcerers who must use the devil to perform miracles through a pact, and that in Holy Scripture the Magos are everywhere understood as philosophers who studied the secrets of nature and only pretended to have dealings with evil spirits so that they might give their deeds a greater appearance of authority. But although one cannot deny that the philosophers or those experienced in natural secrets are called Magi here and there by spiritual and secular writers, it is also known and manifest that many of the ancient Magis held this as a special part of wisdom, that one could have dealings with spirits and bring them into one's obedience. It is also known of the Egyptian Magis that they performed such things at the time of Moses that no human could ever perform by his own strength, through knowledge of natural effects or secrets of nature.