CHAPTER IV. Some Antecedents of the Belief in Magic in the Roman Empire

SOME ANTECEDENTS OF THE BELIEF IN MAGIC IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE

Derivative and cosmopolitan character of intellectual life during the imperial period 56 Extent of our discussion of its antecedents 56 Question as to freedom of Greek thought from magic 57 Some evidence to the contrary 57 Doctrines of the Stoics favorable to magic 59 Pythagorean theory of numbers 59 Attitude of Plato towards “magic,” as he understood the word 60 Plato’s fantastic view of nature 60 Aristotle’s acceptance of astrology 61 Aristotle’s History of Animals 62 Cato’s De Re Rustica 63