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Giambattista della Porta (1535-1615) was a widely traveled courtier, who served at various times Charles V (Holy Roman Emperor) and, for much of his career, was employed by a Cardinal in Rome. Typical of the era, his work was diverse, and he wrote on lenses and optical instruments, cryptography and secret writing, mechanics and some mathematics, geographical distribution of plants, agriculture, architectural design, astrology, and alchemy. His fame derived from the best-selling Magia Naturalis, a book of practical instructions for a wide range of topics. First appearing in a short form in 1558, the expanded version of 1584 became a best-seller, and was translated into several languages, including an English version (1658).
The new “natural magic” followed the form of the popular “books of secrets,” but replaced the arcane codes and symbols of such magic with clear descriptions and recipes for producing practical effects.
It also helped foster empirical investigations and the development of techniques and equipment, especially in chemical manipulation, optics, and machinery.
Some sense of the diversity of topics considered as natural magic — practical arts to manipulate nature — can be seen in the arrangment of his text:
The First Book of Natural Magick “Of the Causes of Wonderful Things”
* Wherein are searched out the causes of things which produce wonderful effects
The Second Book of Natural Magick “Of the Generation of Animals”
* Showing how living creatures of diverse kinds, may be mingled and coupled together, that from them, new and yet profitable kinds of living creatures may be generated.
The Third Book Of Natural Magick “Of the Production of New Plants”
* Which delivers certain precepts of Husbandry, and shows how to intermingle sundry kinds of Plants and how to produce new kinds.
The Fourth Book Of Natural Magick “Of Increasing Household-Stuff”
* Which teaches things belonging to house-keeping; How to prepare domestic necessities with a small cost; And how to keep them when they are procured.
The Fifth Book Of Natural Magick “Of Changing Metals”
* Which treateth of Alchemy, showing how metals may be altered and transformed, one into another
The Sixth Book Of Natural Magick “Of Counterfeiting Glorious Stones”
The Seventh Book Of Natural Magick “Of the Wonders of the Load-Stone”
The Eighth Book Of Natural Magick “Of Physical Experiments”
The Ninth Book Of Natural Magick “Of Beautifiying Women”
The Tenth Book Of Natural Magick “Of Distillation”
The Eleventh Book Of Natural Magick “Of Perfuming”
The Twelveth Book Of Natural Magick “Of Artificial Fire”
The Thirteenth Book Of Natural Magick “Of Tempering Steel”
The Fourteenth Book Of Natural Magick “Of Cookery”
The Fifteenth Book Of Natural Magick “Of Fishing, Fowling, Hunting, etc.”
The Sixteenth Book Of Natural Magick “Of Invisible Writing”
The Seventeenth Book Of Natural Magick “Of Strange Glasse”
The Eighteenth Book Of Natural Magick “Of Static Experiments.”
The Nineteenth Book Of Natural Magick “Of Pneumatic Experiments.”
The Twentyth Book Of Natural Magick “Of the Chaos”
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