In the 16th century, Naples was known to many Europeans primarily as the city in which the great specialist in occult philosophy, astrologer, alchemist, mathematician, optician, meteorologist, in a word, a person who knows everything in the world, Giambattista della Porta, lives.
The attention of kings and high clergymen was riveted to him. They expected that not today, so tomorrow the philosopher's stone will be in his hands.
In 1612, della Porta wrote to Cardinal Borromeo that his Science of Miracles was the result of 77 years of work. At that time he was just 77 years old.
This strange statement prompted some researchers to question the correctness of the date of birth of della Porta and offer various options based on conjecture and cunning calculations. He couldn't have started work on the first day of his birth!
Meanwhile, in the middle of the 20th century, it was clearly established that della Porta was born on November 15, 1535 in Vico Equins, a small settlement located 12 miles south of Naples, in which wealthy and noble people built their villas for a long time.
Della Porta loved hoaxes. He constantly had to fear the intrigues of his ill-wishers. This made him surround life with an atmosphere of mystery. Della Porta might have been joking. He was not only a famous scientist, but also a playwright proud of his comedies.
Giovanni (Giambattista) Battista della Porta was the third son of Nardo Antonio della Porta, who owned extensive estates and ships. His mother came from the Spadafora family, which belonged to the highest aristocracy of Naples. Nardo Antonio, who had been in the service of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V since 1541, loved science. Philosophers and mathematicians, poets and musicians gathered in his house.
Giambattista della Porta never studied at the university, but he received an excellent education. He studied ancient philosophy and poetry, alchemy and astrology, mathematics and medicine (it is possible that the famous Italian physician and occultist Girolamo Cardano gave him lessons).
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At fifteen, della Porta wrote his first comedy (it was first published in 1589) and the book "Natural Magic" (published in 1553). There is nothing surprising in the fact that della Porta composed a play at the age of 15.
It is amazing that at the same age he wrote a book that brought him fame. It has been translated from Latin into many languages, including Italian, French, Spanish, Arabic. She was admired by the greatest scientists in Europe, but she brought the author a reputation as a sorcerer and a lot of trouble.
The first edition was in four parts. Then their number increased to 20. They talked about the causes of miracles, how a woman can become more beautiful and attractive, about perfumes and aromatic waters, the transformation of metals, the properties and use of magnets, the creation of new species of animals and plants, fishing and hunting, cooking, demonology, and more.
It is unlikely that della Porta drew all the information contained in Natural Magic from his teachers and from the reading of ancient authors. It seems that he had sources of knowledge about which he preferred to remain silent.
About the same time that Natural Magic was published, that is, around 1558, della Porta organized a secret academy, whose members gathered in his house. Each applicant for entry into the academy had to discover some secret of nature, the secret of which has not yet been solved by anyone.
Della Porta continued to collect the secrets of nature during his trips to France and Spain. He met with scientists, visited libraries, but most importantly, he looked for and bought rare books. In Spain, he presented to King Philip II, a person extremely suspicious and carried away by occult secrets, his essay on cryptography (secret writing). He dedicated the third edition of Natural Magic to Philip II. The favorable attitude of the Spanish king to him subsequently helped della Porto more than once. Naples was then subject to Spain.
Not everyone accepted della Porto with open arms. The largest French jurist Jean Boden (1530-1596), in his famous Demonomania of Magic, attacked della Porto as a sorcerer. And according to Boden, sorcerers and those who justify them should have been tortured and executed. Della Porta escaped this, although he and his academy were closely monitored by agents of the Inquisition. He explained Boden's attacks by the fact that he was a Huguenot and hated true Catholics.
In the first book of Natural Magic, della Porta explained that there are two kinds of magic. One, deservedly notorious, is based on intercourse with evil spirits.
An educated and decent person hates such magic, because with its help it is impossible to reveal the secrets of nature. After all, she deals with fleeting images that only confuse consciousness. These were the Egyptian mysteries.
There is another magic. This is the practical part of the philosophy of nature. She was appreciated by Pythagoras, Democritus, Plato and all people who value science. She deals with the wonders of nature, explains the movement of sea waters, the color of the rainbow, how metals turn into gold, the causes of earthquakes, the appearance of comets, as well as how celestial bodies affect earthly objects and creatures. There is nothing wrong with such magic. The Inquisition was of a different opinion.
Della Porta appeared before the tribunals in Naples and Rome and probably did not spend much time in prison. The Pope ordered the dissolution of the academy and demanded that Porte refrain from doing prohibited things, i.e. magic. The Roman tribunal was deeply impressed by della Porte's scholarship, and the higher clergy accepted his explanations condescendingly. The Neapolitan tribunal, half in jest, ordered him to write comedies. Della Porta did just that. But could he give up the occult?
Meanwhile, della Porta has found a powerful patron. Cardinal Luigi d'Este, who was in a strained relationship with the pope, heard rave reviews from his doctor about the "Neapolitan wizard", decided to take him under his wing and in November 1579 invited him to Rome. Della Porta received money and reliable protection from the Inquisition. In Natural Magic, della Porta wrote that one must first become rich, and only then pursue philosophy. Buying rare books and conducting scientific experiments were expensive.
In 1581, della Porta finished Chyrophysiognomy, the reading of the signs of the human palm, and for many years tried unsuccessfully to publish it. It was published only 62 years after the death of its author.
In 1583 he had a new essay "Human Physiognomy" ready, which the censors studied for three years and then allowed to publish. It has become della Porta's most popular book.
Della Porta has always emphasized his loyalty to the Catholic Church. In 1585 he joined the Jesuit Order. And yet, many of his statements seemed dubious to the inquisitors. It was strictly forbidden to engage in predictions and fortune-telling. In Physiognomics, della Porta taught how to recognize a person's character by his appearance.
If the size and shape of the mouth and ears, the color of the hair and eyes determine whether a person is lazy or hardworking, smart or stupid, it turns out that you cannot change yourself. This is contrary to the provision of free will. It is no coincidence that Boden wrote that astrology is allowed if it does not go beyond the boundaries of what is permitted, but physiognomy is prohibited in all forms.
And della Porta did not stop. In 1588 he published "Phytognomics", i.e. physiognomy of plants - the teaching of how to determine its properties by the type of plant.
Plants correspond to various stars, stones and metals, and this correspondence helps to establish their properties. If a plant resembles some organ of an animal, it has similar qualities. The fact that the plant has something in common with the human organ is a hint of what diseases it should be used against.
Plants with similar leaves or scent have the same properties. Yellow plants help purify bile. Black is useful for melancholy. Trees that live for many years are used to prolong human life. The grasses growing in the cracks of rocks are good for breaking stones in human organs. It's the same with animals. If they have large ears, they can be helpful in treating deafness. Beautiful plants and animals contribute to the reproduction of beautiful offspring.
Each part of the world gives rise to the animal and plant world corresponding to it, its earth and sky. Moving to a new place, plants and animals change their character and their characteristics. The healing potential of a plant depends on whether it is wild or cultivated and where it grows: in the water, in the mountains, on the plain, on a hill, in a hollow, in a deep forest or in an open field.
Della Porto was not understood. All his works were based on the doctrine of sympathy and antipathy, according to which the basis of the great unity that exists in the world is that things are in harmony and agreement with each other, since they are all "elements" of one universe. Sympathy manifests itself in the external form and color of bodies, interconnected by mutual relations. The art of drawing up horoscopes and interpreting dreams is based on the study of sympathy and similarity.
Della Porta did not deny free will and did not claim that everything in human life is predetermined. He didn’t believe that the stars govern the behavior of people. He believed that the universe is a huge sign system. Anyone who knows how to decipher the meaning of signs foresees a future that is not completely determined, but only outlined in general terms. A person can always change his destiny.
A person begins to learn to understand the signs "written" on every thing that we encounter from his very birth. This is why the 77-year-old della Porta said one of his books was the result of 77 years of work.
Della Porta firmly believed in the existence of a universal language in which the secrets of nature are recorded, and was absorbed in learning it. He found fault with his books no less than the censors, doubted whether he had the right to disclose what became available to him. Will they understand him correctly?
“But are such things suitable for revealing to people? della Porta asked. - Am I committing an unworthy act? Ah, the feather falls out of my hand. However, my desire to help posterity triumphs, since it is possible that from this collection of facts greater and more remarkable inventions will arise.
Giambattista della Porta died in Naples on February 4, 1615, leaving behind a considerable fortune.