Latin — 1533, repaired
Cum triplex sit mundus, elementalis, caelestis et intellectualis, et quisque inferiora superiori regatur, ac suarum virium suscipiat influxum, ita ut ipse archetypus et summus opifex, per angelos, caelos, stellas, elementa, animalia, plantas, metalla, lapides suae omnipotentiae virtutes exinde in nos transfundat, in quorum ministerium haec omnia condidit atque creavit: non irrationabile putant Magi, nos per eosdem gradus, per singulos mundos, ad eundem ipsum archetypum mundum, omnium opificem, et primam causam, a qua sunt omnia, et procedunt omnia, posse conscendere: et non solum his viribus, quae in rebus nobilioribus praeexistunt, frui posse; sed alias praeterea novas desuper posse attrahere.
Hinc elementalis mundi vires, variis rerum naturalium mixtionibus a medicina, et naturali philosophia veniantur: deinde caelestis, mundi radiis et influxibus, iuxta astrologorum regulas, et mathematicorum disciplinas, caelestes virtutes illis conciliant: porro haec omnia intelligentiarum diversarum potestatibus per religionum sacras ceremonias corroborant atque confirmant.
Horum omnium ordinem et processum, tribus his libris nunc tradere conabor: quorum primus contineat Magiam naturalem, alter caelestem, tertius ceremonialem.
Sed nescio an plane venia dignum sit, virum ingenii ac literaturae minoris, tam difficile, tam arduum, iam intricatum negotium, in ipsa mea adolescentia tam libere aggressum esse: quare ob rem quaecunque hic a me dicta sunt, et inferius dicentur, his nolo quenquam plus assentiri, neque ipse ego pluris assentior, nisi quatenus ab ecclesia catholica, fideliumque coetu non fuerit reprobatum.
Close translation
There are three worlds: the elemental, the celestial, and the intellectual. Each lower world is governed by the one above it, and receives the influence of its powers, so that the Archetype himself — the supreme Maker — pours the powers of his omnipotence down into us through angels, the heavens, the stars, the elements, animals, plants, metals, and stones. All of these he founded and created for our service.
Given this, magicians think it not unreasonable that we should be able to climb back up by those same steps, through each world in turn, to that same archetypal world — the Maker of all things, the First Cause, from whom all things come and proceed. And not only to make use of the powers already present in the nobler things, but to draw down new powers from above besides.
So they seek out the powers of the elemental world through medicine and natural philosophy, using the various mixtures of natural things. Then they bind in the celestial powers, through the rays and influences of the celestial world, according to the rules of the astrologers and the disciplines of the mathematicians. And further, they strengthen and confirm all of this with the powers of the various Intelligences, through the sacred ceremonies of the religions.
I will now attempt to hand down the order and procedure of all this in these three books: the first covering natural magic, the second celestial, the third ceremonial.
But I do not know whether it will be thought pardonable that a man of small ability and smaller learning should take on so difficult, so arduous, so tangled a task, and so freely, in his own youth. And so — whatever I have said here, and whatever I say below — I do not want anyone to assent to it more than I myself assent to it, which is only so far as it has not been rejected by the Catholic Church and the assembly of the faithful.
Modern rendering
There are three worlds: the elemental, the celestial, and the intellectual. Each one is governed by the world above it and receives that world's power. So the power flows down from the Archetype — the supreme Maker — through angels, the heavens, the stars, the elements, animals, plants, metals and stones, and finally into us. He made all of it to serve us.
If that is how power comes down, magicians think it reasonable that we can climb back up the same way — step by step, world by world — to the Archetype itself: the Maker of all things, the First Cause, the source everything comes from. And not just to use the powers already sitting in the higher things, but to pull down new ones.
So: they work the elemental world through medicine and natural science, mixing natural substances. They bring in the celestial powers through the rays and influences of the heavens, following the rules of astrology and mathematics. Then they reinforce the whole thing with the powers of the various Intelligences, through religious ceremony.
I'll now try to set out the order and method of all this across these three books: the first on natural magic, the second on celestial magic, the third on ceremonial magic.
I'm not sure I'll be forgiven for this — a man of small ability and less learning, taking on something this hard, this demanding, this tangled, and taking it on so boldly, so young. So: whatever I've said here or say later, don't agree with it any further than I do myself — and I go only as far as the Catholic Church and the community of the faithful have not rejected.