De magia naturali

Record summary

Giambattista della Porta’s Magia naturalis explains marvels through optics, substances, medicine, mechanics, agriculture, and hidden properties, while retaining the vocabulary of natural magic. Its importance lies in the unstable boundary it illustrates between occult correspondence and emerging experimental natural philosophy. The work became widely printed and translated, with substantial changes across editions. Researchers should identify the edition and language consulted, and should not project modern scientific categories backward onto every experiment or claim. The text is best treated as a historical compilation of demonstrations and learned assertions.