In 1665 an anonymous treatise on magic, by magicians, was added to a book skeptical of witchcraft, "The Discoverie of Witchcraft". The "Magitians Discovered" series examines that anonymous material. This volume contains texts that are foundational for understanding that material, plus texts that are related to the arguments about the material made in the first volume. These texts include selections from Henry Cornelius Agrippa's "Three Books of Occult Philosophy", about the theory and practice of magic; selections from his "Fourth Book"; selections from Olaus Magnus' "Description of the Northern Peoples" about pagan customs, giants, standing stones, witches, and related topics; selections from Robert Burton's "Anatomy of Melancholy" that deal with magic; selections from Isaac La Peyrère's "Prae-Adamitae" which deal with magic and hermeticism; selections from John Dee's writings from "A True and Faithful Relation" that deal with the nature of the aerial spirits; selections from Robert Kirk's "Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns, and Fairies", and more.
Author Biography:
Olaus Magnus (October 1490 - 1 August 1557) was a Swedish writer, cartographer, and Catholic clergyman. Magnus compiled his "Historia de Gentibus Septentrionalibus ", "Observation of the Northern Peoples", and his "Carta Marina", an illustrated map of Scandinavia, from a wealth of mythological and historical sources, many of which are extremely obscure today. He lived much of his life in exile, being expelled from Sweden when it embraced the Reformation, and was named a titular Catholic Bishop of Sweden while in exile. Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim (14 September 1486 - 18 February 1535) was a German knight and Occultist. Born into a noble family, he compiled his "Three Books of Occult Philosophy" from a variety of sources, and authored several of the pieces included in the posthumously published "Fourth Book". Agrippa's work remained a foundational statement on magic and the magical and hermetic worldviews for many years. Besides magic, the books deal with hermeticism and the kabbalah. Agrippa later renounced his occultism, writing "The Vanity of the Arts and Sciences", and also wrote on women's issues. John Dee (13 July 1527 - 1608 or 1609) was an English occultist, mathematician, and diplomat. The first translator of Euclid's "Elements" in English, Dee served many roles at the British court, including advocating for technical and scientific education. Dee is best known today for his conversations with angels, done with the assistance of Edward Kelley, which were subsequently published by Meric Casaubon as "A true and faithful relation of what passed for many years between Dr. John Dee and some spirits." This work presented an entire system of occultism and magic to the world. Robert Kirk (9 December 1644 - 14 May 1692), A Scottish clergyman, is best known today for his "Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns, and Fairies", which gathered together accounts of these spirits from contemporary sources. It remains the largest collection of primary sources on the subject from pre-modern times, when the belief in these beings was much stronger than it is now. John Madziarczyk is a long time student of medieval philosophy and the history of religion, as well as occultism in the early modern era. He has a long standing involvement with occultism.
