and adored for gods, require also this purity. Therefore here is great need of caution, as we have lately discoursed at large in our books of Occult Philosophy. But of this Theurgia, or Magick of divine things Porphyrie disputing at large, at length concludes that by Theurgicall consecrations the soul of man may be fitted to receive spirits, and Angels, and to see God; but he altogether denies that we can by this art return to God. Of his School therefore is the Art Almadel, the Notary art, the Pauline Art, the art of Revelations, and many such like superstitions, which are so much the more pernicious, by how much they seem the more divine to the ignorant.
Of Cabalie. Here the words of Pliny come into my mind, who saith the faction of Magick depends upon Moses and Lutopea, being Jews; which words put me in mind of the Cabalie of the Jews, which the Hebrews are of opinion was delivered to Moses by God himself on mount Sinai, and then by degrees of succession without the monuments of letters was untill the times of Esdra delivered to others by word of mouth only: as the Pythagorian opinions were formerly delivered by Archippus, and Lysiaus, who had Schools at Thebes in Greece, in which the Scholers keeping the precepts of their masters in their memorie, did use their wit, and memorie instead of books: So certain Jews despising literature, placed this in memorie, and observations, and vocall traditions, whence Cabalie was by the Hebrews called as it were the reception of any thing from another only by hearing. That art (as it is reported) is very ancient, but the name was known but of late times amongst Christians: They deliver a double science therefore, the one of Bresith, which they call Cosmologie, viz: explaining the powers of things created, naturall, and Celestiall, and expounding the secrets of the Law and Bible by Philosophicall reasons: which truly upon this account differs nothing
