Latin — 1533, repaired
Quatuor itaque quae diximus sunt elementa, sine quorum notitia per se nullum in Magia producere possumus effectum. Sunt autem singula triplicia, ut sic quaternarius compleat duodenarium: et per septenarium in denarium progrediens, ad supremam unitatem, unde omnis virtus et mirabilis operatio dependet, fiat progressus. Primo igitur ordine elementa pura sunt, quae nec componuntur, nec mutuantur, nec patiuntur commixtionem, sed incorruptibilia sunt, et non a quibus, sed per quae omnium naturalium rerum virtutes producuntur in effectum. Virtutes illorum a nullo explicari possunt: quia in omnia possunt omnia. Haec qui ignorat, ad nullam mirabilium effectuum operationem pertingere potest. Secundi ordinis elementa composita sunt, multiplicia, et varia, et impura, educibilia tamen per artem ad puram simplicitatem; quibus tunc ad suam simplicitatem reversis, virtus est super omnia, complementum dans omnium operationum occultarum et operationum naturae: sique haec sunt fundamentum totius Magiae naturalis. Tertii ordinis elementa haec primo et per se non sunt elementa, sed decomposita, varia, multiplicia et inter se invicem permutabilia: ipsa sunt infallibile medium, ideoque vocantur media natura, sive anima mediae naturae; paucissimi sunt qui illorum profunda mysteria intelligant. In ipsis per certos numeros, gradus et ordines est consummatio omnis effectus in quacunque re naturali, caelesti et supercaelesti mirandas sunt, et plera mysteriis quae operari possunt in Magia tam naturali quam divina: per ipsa enim omnium rerum ligationes etiam solutiones et transmutationes, et futurorum cognitio et praedictio, etiam malorum daemonum exterminatio et bonorum spirituum conciliatio ab illis descendit. Sine his igitur triplicibus elementis eorundemque cognitione, nemo confidat se in occultis Magiae et naturae scientiis quicquam posse operari. Quicunque autem haec in illa, impura in pura, multiplicia in simplicia reducere noverit, eorundemque naturam, virtutem, potestatem in numero, gradibus et ordine, sine divisione substantiae discernere sciverit: is facile obtinebit omnium naturalium rerum et caelestium secretorum scientiam et operationem perfectam.
Close translation
Four, then, as we have said, are the elements, without knowledge of which we can of ourselves produce no effect in Magic. Each of them, moreover, is threefold, so that in this way the quaternary completes the number twelve; and, advancing through the sevenfold to the tenfold, a progress is made toward the supreme unity on which all power and marvelous operation depends. In the first order, then, the elements are pure — they are neither compounded, nor borrowed one from another, nor do they suffer mixture, but are incorruptible, and are not that from which, but that through which, the powers of all natural things are brought into effect. Their powers can be explained by no one, because in all things they can do all things. Whoever does not know these can attain to no operation of marvelous effects. The elements of the second order are composite, manifold, and various, and impure, yet able to be led back by art to their pure simplicity; and once restored to their simplicity, their power is above all things, giving the completion of every hidden operation and every operation of nature: indeed these are the foundation of the whole of natural Magic. The elements of the third order are not, first and in themselves, elements at all, but are decomposite, various, manifold, and mutually interchangeable among themselves: they are the infallible medium, and are for that reason called the middle nature, or the soul of the middle nature; very few there are who understand their deep mysteries. In them, through certain numbers, degrees, and orders, is the consummation of every effect in whatsoever natural, celestial, and supercelestial thing — they are marvelous, and among the greatest of the mysteries that can be worked in Magic, natural as much as divine: for through them descend the bindings of all things, and likewise their loosings and transmutations, and the knowledge and foretelling of things to come, and even the driving out of evil demons and the conciliation of good spirits. Without these three elements, then, and knowledge of them, let no one trust that he can accomplish anything in the hidden sciences of Magic and of nature. But whoever shall have learned to reduce these to those — the impure to the pure, the manifold to the simple — and to discern their nature, power, and potency in number, degree, and order, without division of substance, will easily obtain the knowledge and the perfect working of all natural things and celestial secrets.
Modern rendering
So there are four elements, as we've said, and without understanding them we can't produce any magical effect on our own. But each one is really threefold — so the basic four multiply out to twelve, and from there, moving through seven and ten, everything advances toward the single highest source that all power and marvelous working ultimately depends on. In the first order, the elements are pure: they aren't compounds, they don't borrow from each other, they can't be mixed, and they don't decay. They aren't the raw material things are made of — they're the channel through which the powers of every natural thing get realized. Nobody can fully explain their powers, because they can do anything in anything. Anyone who doesn't grasp this will never manage to produce a genuinely marvelous effect. The elements of the second order are the composite kind — mixed, varied, and impure — but they can be refined by technique back to pure simplicity; and once they're restored to that simplicity, their power is unmatched: it completes every hidden working and every operation of nature. These, in fact, are the foundation of all of natural Magic. The elements of the third order aren't really elements at all in themselves — they're compounds of compounds, varied, multiple, and able to convert into one another. They are the reliable middle term, which is why they're called the middle nature, or the soul of the middle nature — very few people understand their deeper mysteries. Through specific numbers, degrees, and orders, everything that happens in any natural, celestial, or supercelestial thing reaches its completion in them. They are remarkable, and among the greatest of the mysteries that can be worked in Magic, whether natural or divine: through them come the binding of all things, and equally their unbinding and transformation, the knowledge and prediction of future events, even the banishing of evil demons and securing the favor of good spirits. So without these three levels of the elements, and real knowledge of them, no one should think they can accomplish anything in the hidden sciences of Magic and nature. But whoever has learned to trace the composite back to the simple — the impure to the pure, the manifold to the simple — and can tell apart their nature, power, and capacity by number, degree, and order, without splitting apart the substance itself, will easily gain full knowledge and mastery of the workings of all natural things and celestial secrets.
Editorial flags — draft status
- uncertain: 'et plera mysteriis quae operari possunt' — OCR badly damaged at 'plera'; emended to 'pleraque' (= 'among the greatest of the mysteries') as the most plausible reading, but this is a judgment call, not a high-confidence restoration. Recommend page-image check.
- uncertain: The numerology clause ('quaternarius compleat duodenarium... per septenarium in denarium progrediens ad supremam unitatem') is reconstructed from known Agrippan number-symbolism (4x3=12; 7 and 10 as significant numbers) rather than letter-level OCR recovery; the underlying doctrine is standard but the exact wording is a best-sense reconstruction.