Magiusiah, Madschusie, signified the office and knowledg of the Priest, who was called Mag, Magius, Magiusi, and afterwards, Magi and Magician. Brucker maintains (His toria philos. crit. t. i. p. 160), that the primitive meaning o this word is "Fire-worshipper"-" worship of the light," t which erroneous opinion he has been led by the Mohammeda dictionaries; neither is Magic to be derived directly from th Magi; which was an error on the part of the Romans. Th word Mag was used by Jeremias to indicate a Babylonia priest. In the modern Persian, the word is Mog, an Mogbed signifies High Priest. The high priest of th Parsees at Surat, even at the present day, is called Mobe Others derived the word from "Megh;" Meh-ab signifyin something which is great and noble, and Zoroaster's disciple were called Meghestom. (Kleuker, Wachsmuth.) Amon the Parsees, the Medes, and Egyptians, a higher knowledg of nature was understood by the term Magic, with whic religion, and particularly astronomy, were associated. initiated and their disciples were called Magicians--that the Wise—which was also the case among the Greeks. is thus that Plato praises the Stoσéßɛia; Lucian calls the

TH

and the neighbouring countries, there the secret teachings of philosophy and were only communicated to priests, wh mediators between God and man, and a count of their knowledge, were highly easily to be imagined that, as the subtle and the movements of the heavenly bo unknown by the people, the idea of mag connected with astrology, should be rea

The Magi are to be met with in the ditions of the Old World. India, Persia, were the cradles of the oldest magic. the Brahmins, the Chaldean sages, and t were the primitive possessors of its se and sacrificial functions, healing of the vation of secret wisdom, were the objects were either princes_themselves, or su their counsellors. Justice, truth, and sacrifice, were the great qualities with these must be endowed. The neglect virtues was punished in the most cruel for instance, commanded the execution allowed himself to be bribed, and had over the chair in which his son and judicial capacity. That magic was very medicine is shewn by Pliny (Hist. Nat even traces its origin to that science: medicina nemo dubitat magiam." Hov not always connected with it. Plato un nothing less than a worship of the Divi and Apuleius says that "Magus means, guage, a Priest,"-"nam si, quod ego Persarum lingua magus est, qui nostra more vulgari eum proprie magum exist nione loquendi cum diis immortalibus ac polleat." The common belief, however, cluded all occult science under the nam under this title, was understood enchar

ho were regarded a as such, and on a ly respected. It e workings of natr odies, were perfect gic, which was alwa adily formed.

e most ancient tr , Chaldea, and Egy Zoroaster, Ostal the Egyptian priest crets. The priest sick, and the prese s of their life. Th rrounded princes: the power of se which each one of any one of the nanner. Cambyse of a priest who ha his skin stretch

uccessor sat in E arly associated wi lib. xxx. c. 1), wi "natam primum. ever, this idea w erstood by wisdo ity, Jɛражɛía dɛ n the Persian la pud plurimos leg sacerdos; sin ve nant, qui comm: omnia, quæ vel Is that which f magic. Late

ent and any e

into animals.

Magic has often been erroneously considered as exclusivel of Persian origin, which error Plato appears to have orig nated. He says, "When the boy is fourteen years of ag those take charge of him who are called Royal instructor These are four of the oldest and most distinguished men one the wisest, the second the most just, the third the mos moderate, and the fourth the bravest. One of these instruct him in the magic of Zoroaster, the son of Oromazes, whic is the service of the Gods." It is certain that Plato di not understand by this the present acceptation of the term for he could not include, among the services of the god the power of changing men into animals or demons. Thi meaning was only given to it by the New Platonic theory which, with the Cabbalah, became the principal source fro which the theosophic and theurgic teachings, as well as th later belief in magic, have sprung. So says Hierocles (i Aur. Carm. p. 306, ed. Lond. 1742.) "The customs o religion are means to obtain the telestian virtues, by whic men became demons." The theories of spiritual apparitions and the transition of demons into the human body, tak their rise in the philosophy of Heraclitus; according t whom, demons are attracted by matter. It was thus that later, the commonly received idea of magic arose ; the pos

session of supernatural powers, such as belong to the highe spirits, and which they occasionally impart to men, unde

certain circumstances.

Among the supernatural powers was reckoned that of pro dicting the future, and that of acting directly upon other even at a distance; and on this account magic may be sepa rated into seeing and acting. The original, and the highe description of magic was, in fact, grounded on this aphorism "Man may become, by the assistance and co-operation spiritual powers, and the capacities of his higher divin origin, capable of a higher sphere of activity, as well with out as within himself, which gives him dominion over h own, and over surrounding nature." Taken in this sens

sibly have been its most fruitful and co this sense, Pythagoras and his discipl period, considered as teachers of good o lower, or black magic, however, originate and man, becoming conscious of his u without knowing their boundaries, wa ascribe them to foreign and supernat demons; and, according to his nature, h for good or evil purposes, either decei magician, deceiving others. Everything sidered as wonderful,-as the incompreh natural powers in the magnet, or the any surprising action, was considered, magic, and particularly as black magic, o

We will now regard ancient magic that from historical sources; afterwards branches, particularly visions, soothsay through the mind, through words (verb by means of amulets.

That magic descended by tradition fro shown everywhere by the primitive rec race. It is so intimately connected with that we can only feel surprised that t doubt it, and think it requisite to asc Mythos; as if tradition had no deeper o Thus it was that Eberhart maintained schrift, 1787) that he had discovered the art, and its theory, in the Platonic Mytho that no tradition reaches any higher. the germ of the New Platonic theory, o Theosophy and Magic, even down to th and his adherents, may be discovered in Eberhart, a fiction is a myth, "which is a of its supernatural teachings, or its antiq therefore regarded as an undisputed fac origin is far beyond the perception, or those who believe in it." By such a cour would not be difficult to understand ever

or wise magic. Th ted in the early time unusual powers, a as easily inclined: atural influenceshe would use the eived himself, or, as gwhich could be cor hensible workings e divinatory wand, at a later period, or the black art. more closely, an = its more importar ving, and influen um mirificum), ar

-m the early ages, : ords of the huma the nature of ma he learned shouk ribe everything t firmer foundation (Berliner Mona sources of magics s of Timæus, and According to hir the Cabbalah, d time of Mesme t. According t epted on accou ty, and which because its re rcle of vision, of reasoning,i ing, and eve

the greatest ease, so does another writer extend its bounds till it includes that which never had any connection with it. According to Tiedemann (Disputatio de quæstione, qua fuerit artium magicarum origo, Marb. 1787, p. 7), "The powers of magic are expressly these:-to cure sickness with very little medicine, or without any; to know future and hidden things; to find buried treasure of gold and silver; in short, to understand all nature, and to do everything that is great and magnificent. It is easy to see, from this, how magic may be divided; wherever a boundary is reached, and wherever a new fact is met with, there will also be a new class of magic: the most important, however, are the various kinds of soothsaying, the power of causing and curing diseases, of exorcising spirits, and understanding alchemy."

Although we do not associate with magic the gipsy ar of reading the hand, and the science of making gold, or discovering the philosopher's stone, yet it comprises much more than that which the reason of a sensible person might allow to pass unquestioned, or reject as pure nonsense and absurdity; and this is that wonderful power of the human mind, to look into the future, or influence others without material means. This natural power of man is, however, not frequently met with, and is not of that kind which every mind is able to appreciate according to its value and power. The knowledge of such rare phenomena, and their causes. could, therefore, in remote tines, only be known to the highest sages and rulers, who preserved it among their secret learning, and transmitted it to their children under that cloak of religion with which all their secrets were covered. As we have original, though meagre, records of the mythological belief of the oldest nations of Asia, it will be necessary to see where and of what kind they are.

The Grecian mythology is a later and certainly mixed source, and if we received it as contained in the Platonic Mythos, we should be far from the light of truth. Plato, in his Philosophical Dialogues,-as, for instance, in that on the