<376 HENRY SOTHERAN & CO., 140, STRAND, W.C, and 43, PICCADILLY, W. 



13515 PORTA (Giovanni Battista della ; Napoletano) Delia Celeste Fisonomia Libri Sei 

 [tradotta da Salvatore Scarano] ; with engraved arms on title, portrait cet. 76, and numerous 

 other woodcuts, sm. 4to. old limp vellum {some II. browned as usual, otherwise a sound and very 

 large copy), lis &d Napoli, L. Scorriggio, 1614 



13516 Nova Edizione [in fine tituli :] nei qiiali ributtata la Vanita dell' Astrologia 



GlUDiClARiA, si d^ Maniera di essattamente conoscere per Via delle Cause Naturali tutto 

 quello, che I'Aspetto, la Presenza, e le Fattezze de gl' Huomini possono fisicaraente sigaificare, e 

 proraettere ; with woodcut on title, and the numerous woodcuts re-engraved on an enlarged scale, 

 4to. sound and clean copy in old hf. calf, 15* Padova, P. P. Tozzi, 1616 



' II s'y prononce centre certaines aberrations de I'astrologie judiciaire, niais en accordant aux astres une influence tres- 

 active.'— Bio</r, Gen. 



13517 Magije Naturalis, sive de Miraculis Rerum Naturalium Libri IIII, editio 



princeps ; with curious woodcut initials, folio, old Italian vellum {last I. vMnting, and some II. 

 water -stained, otherwise a CLEAN AND SOUND COPY) ; excessively rare, £3. 105 



Neapoli, apud Matthiam Cancer, 1558 

 The first edition of this work in its original and more popular form in four books is of excessive rarity, Riccardi, who 

 apparently could trace no copy of it( 'rarissinia edizione '), being unable to give a collation, while other bibliographers 

 state that it only contained 3 books. 



The Magia Naturalis in four books is quite a difterent work from that in twenty, and contains far more occult and 

 superstitious matter than the latter, which made it however only tho more acceptable to the contemporary reader. The 

 author mentions therein the camera ohscura without the lens, the discovery of which is generally ascribed to Leonardo da 

 Vinci, but was really first mentioned by Levi ben Gerson in a work translated in a.d. 1.342 under the title ' De Sinibus et 

 Cordis.' The camera with the lens was first described in the work rewritten in 20 books. Porta also mentions that the 

 declination of the magnetic needle varies with the longitude, which lie assumed erroneously could be ascertained by the 

 magnetic variation. The work was written at the age of 15, and is dedicated to Philip II. of Spain, The work as above 

 -contains the ' Experimentorum Omnium Magite Naturalis Index ' (pp. 10), which is absent in the second edition of Antwerp, 

 1564, and other reprints. 



' De tons les ecrits de Porta ce fut celui qui eutle plusde succes ; dfes sa premiere apparition, on le traduisit en plusieurs 

 langues, et I'empressement du public fut tel, ce livre fut lu avec tant d'avidite, il passa par tant de mains, que cet usage 

 continuel a detruit les premieres editions, et que Ten connait plus que des reimpressions .... Ces apparitions 

 prodigieuses, ces miracles, etaient le roman de I'epotiue : et c'est ci vrai que lorsque, apres des longs travaux, i'auteur le 

 tit imprimerde nouveau avec de si notables additions, en le purgeant d'un grand nombre de prodiges imaginaires, ce livre 

 perdit considerablement de sa vogue, et fut bientAt relegue parmi d'autres ouvrages du mgme genre.' — G. Libri. 



13518 MAGI.E Naturalis Libri XX, ab ipso Authore expurgati, et superancti, in quibus 



Scientiarum Naturalium Diuiti« et Delitiae demonstrantur. I. De mirabilium Rerum Causis. 

 II. De variis Aniraalibus gignendis. III. De novis Plantis producendis. IIII. De augenda 

 Supellectili. V. De Metallorum Transmutatione. VI. De Gemmarum Adulteriis. VII. De Miraculis 

 Magnetis. VIII. De portentosis Medelis. IX. De Mulierum Cosmetice. X. De extrahendis 

 Rerum Essentiis. XL De Myropoeia. XII. De incendiariis Ignibus. XIII. De raris Ferri 

 Temperaturis. XIIIL De miro Conuiuiorum Apparatu. XV. De capiendis Manu Feris. XVI. De 

 inuisibilibus Literarum Notis. XVII. De catoptricis Itnaginibus. XVIII. De staticis Experi- 

 mentis. XIX. De Pneumaticis. XX. Chaos ; editio princeps, with title within ivoodcut border, 

 portrait cet. 50, and numerous other woodcuts and diagrams, folio, old white vellum {some II. browned 

 as itsual, otherwise a sound copy), very rare, £2. 10* 



ibidem, apud Uoratium Salvianum, D.D.LXXXVIIII [recte 1589] 



13519 Another Copy; old white vellum gilt {some II. slightly water-stained, and others 



browned, otherwise a sound and unusually tall copy), £3. 35 



First edition of the complete work in 20 books, and now of great rarity. >Jumerous reprints were published, and it 

 was translated into many foreign languages. 



13520 Editio Nova, nunc vero ab Inlinitis, quibus Editio ilia [princeps] scatebat Mendis, 



optime repurgata : in quibus Scientiarum Naturalium Divitise et Deliciaj demonstrantur, accessit 

 Index copiosissimus ; with ivoodcuts and diagrams, sm. 8vo. contemporary white vellum {fine copy), 

 \2s %d Bothomagi, Jo. Berthelin, 1650 



13521 Editio Altera, cum Indice copiosissimo ; with engraved title, and 7iumerou^ woodcuts 



and diagrams, 12mo. hf. calf {binding damaged), lOs Lugd. Bat., P. Leffen, 1651 



13522 Another Copy, v-hite vellum {engraved title wanting, but a very sound copy), 8s Qd 



a very neatly printed edition. The engraved title is dated 1650. Porta's Magia Naturalis in Twenty Books is quite a 

 difterent work from that in Pour Books, first published in 155S, and is one of the most important works on natural 

 science published during the XVIth Century. Many of the superstitious and even puerile passages of the latter were left 

 out in this work, and sixteen new books were added. It is a great storehouse of fact and fiction, brought together from 

 every available source and fron) private conversations, during the author's extensive travels in Italy, France and Spain. 

 Some of the books were afterwards published in an enlarged and separate form. 



Of great interest is book VI, which shows that the production of artificial gems must have been far advanced in Porta's 

 time. The seventh contains some important observations on the magnet. The most important however is the seven- 

 teenth, which contains Porta's invention of the camera obscura with the lens, and the laterna magica, afterwards 

 improved by Father Kircher. A passage of the tenth chapter has also been quoted to ascribe to him (mistakenly) the 

 invention of the telescope. 



13523 Natural Magick : in Twenty Books, wherein are set forth all the Riches and Delights 



of the Natural Sciences, luith engraved title {including portrait) by E. Gaywood, and numerous 

 woodcuts and diagrams, folio, old calf {binding rubbed and mended) ; rare, £4. 4* 



Thomas Young and Samuel Speed, 1658 



13524 Another Copy, oldhf. calf {wanting printed and engraved titles. Table {SIL), and pp. 



353-4 awe? 359-60) ; a cheap copy, £1. 1* 



This English edition, the only one ever published, has now become very rare, presumably from the constant use this 

 favourite book had to undergo. 



The Natural Magick was the last great storehouse of science with its myriads of ' facts ' without any experimental proof 

 or confirmation. It is interesting as having— perhaps the most typical of its kind— been published on the eve of the 

 beginnings of eKp&rimental physics, started by William Gilbert and Sir Francis Bacon. 



