show that my opinion on this subject is conformable to the
Scripture, and founded on the tradition of the fathers. Now, then, let
us speak of modern magicians.

II. If there is any reality in this art, to which so many wonders are
ascribed, it must be the effect of a knowledge acquired by study, or
of the impiety of some one who renounces what he owes to God to give
himself up to the demon, and invokes him. It seems, in fact, that they
would sometimes attribute it to acquired knowledge, since in the book
I am combating the author often speaks "of the true mysteries of the
magic art;" and he asserts that few "are perfectly instructed in the
secret and difficult principles of this science;" which is not
surprising, he says, since "the life of man would hardly suffice" to
read all the works which have treated of it. He calls it sometimes the
"magical science," or "magical philosophy;" he carries back the origin
of it to the philosopher Pythagoras; he regards "ignorance of the
magic art as one of the reasons why we see so few magicians in our
days." He speaks only of the mysterious scale enclosed by Orpheus in
unity, in the numbers of two and twelve; of the harmony of nature,
composed of proportionable parts, which are the octave, or the
double, and the fifth, or one and a half; of strange and barbarous
names which mean nothing, and to which he attributes supernatural
virtues; of the concert or the agreement of the inferior and superior
parts of this universe, when understood; makes us, by means of certain
words or certain stones, hold intercourse with invisible substances;
of numbers and signs, which answer to the spirits which preside over
different days, or different parts of the body; of circles, triangles,
and pentagons, which have power to bind spirits; and of several other
secrets of the same kind, very ridiculous, to tell the truth, but very
fit to impose on those who admire everything which they do not
understand.

III. But however thick may be the darkness with which nature is hidden
from us, and although we may know but very imperfectly the essential
principles and properties of things, who does not see, nevertheless,
that there can be no proportion, no connection, between circles and
triangles which we trace, or the long words which signify nothing, and
immaterial spirits? Can people not conceive that it is a folly to
believe that by means of a few herbs, certain stones, and certain
signs or characters, we can