A History of Magic and Experimental Science, Vol. 2

by Lynn Thorndike

Excerpt from A History of Magic and Experimental Science, During the First Thirteen Centuries of Our Era

Hugh's attitude to history is interesting to note in pass ing. In his classification of the sciences he does not assign it a distinct place as he does to economics and politics, but he shows his inchoate sense of the importance of the histpry of science and of thought by attempting a list of the found ers Of the various arts and sciences.1 In this connection he adopts the theory of the origin of the Etruscans at present in favor with scholars, that they came from Lydia. He regards the study of Biblical or sacred history as the first essential for a theologian, who should learn history from beginning to end before he proceeds to doctrine and alle gory.2 Four essential points to note in studying history in Hugh's opinion are the person, the event, the time, and the place.

Genres: Esoterica, History

1048 pages, Paperback

First published March 15, 1923

About the author

Lynn Thorndike was an American historian of medieval science and alchemy.

He was the brother of the psychologist Edward Lee Thorndike and of scholar Ashley Horace Thorndike.

Reviews

[dragonhelmuk]

Kindled for free: This book is not 7 volumes long, only 2, but it is still fairly weighty. It tells the story of all the greatest individuals and schools of magic that existed from Roman times 'till C13. Mostly it goes a long way towards demonstrating that what we call magic hasn't always been magic, (hence the title magic and experimental science). Even in Christian times, while "magic" has always been seen as evil, astrology, theurgy, numerology, and alchemy were all frequently accepted even by doctors of the church.
Three snippets is far too short for you to get an idea of what this book is about, but here are my favourites:

"… the movements of every thing effect those of every other, and that the birds them- selves, if endowed with sufficient intelligence, would be able to predict the future by observing the movements of human bipeds."

“knowledge should be esoteric ; that its mysteries alchemist. and marvels should be confined to the few fitted to receive them and that they should be expressed in language incomprehensible to the vulgar crowd.”

“To tell whether a pregnant woman will give birth to a boy or a girl he suggests "a chiromantic experiment" which consists simply in asking her to hold out her hand. If she extends the right, the child will be a boy ; if the left, a girl. “