at shall we say of magic? what almost all the world says
of it--that it is mere knavery." Arnobius calls it, "the sports of the
magic art;" and on these words of Minutius Felix, "all the marvels
which they seem to work by their _jugglery_," his commentator remarks
that the word _badinage_ is in this place the proper term. This manner
of expressing himself shows what was then the common opinion of all
wise persons. "Let the farmer," says Columella, "frequent with neither
soothsayers nor witches, because by their foolish superstitions they
all cause the ignorant to spend much money, and thence they lead them
to be criminal." We learn from Suidas, "that those were called
magicians who filled their heads with vain imaginations." Thus, when
speaking of one of these imposters, Dante was right when he said[677]
"he knew all the trickery and knavery of the magic art." Thus, then,
it is not true that a general belief in the art of magic has ever
prevailed; and if, in our days, any one would gather the voice and
opinion of men of letters, and the most celebrated academies, I am
persuaded that hardly would one or two in ten be found who were
convinced of its existence. It would not be, at least, one of the
learned friends of the author of the book in question, who having been
consulted by the latter on this matter, answers him in these
terms--"Magic is a ridiculous art, which has no reality but in the
head of a madman, who fancies that he is able to lead the devil to
satisfy all his wishes." I have read in some catalogues which come
from Germany, that they are preparing to give the public a "Magic
Library:" _oder grundliche nagrichen_, &c. It is a vast collection of
different writings, all tending to prove the uselessness and
insufficiency of magic. I must remark that the poets have greatly
contributed to set all these imaginations in vogue. Without this
fruitful source, what becomes of the most ingenious fictions of Homer?
We may say as much of Ariosto and of our modern poets. For the rest,
what I have before remarked concerning Pliny must not be
forgotten--that in the ancient authors, the word magic is often
equivocal. For in certain countries, they gave the name of magi, or
magicians, to those who applied as a particular profession to the
study of astronomy, philosophy, or medicine; in others, philosophers
of a certain sect were thus called: for this, the preface of Diogenes
Laertius can be consulted. Plato writes that in Persia