DELLA PORTA

della porta, giovanni battista (c. 1538-1615), italian natural philosopher, was born of a noble and ancient family at naples about the year 1538. he travelled extensively not only in italy but also in france and spain, and he was still a youth when he published _magia naturalis, sive de miraculis rerum naturalium lib. iv._ (1558), the first draft of his _magia naturalis_, in twenty books, published in 1589. he founded in naples the academia secretorum naturae, otherwise known as the accademia dei oziosi; and in 1610 he became a member of the accademia dei lincei at rome. he died at naples on the 4th of february 1615. the following is a list of his principal writings:--_de miraculis rerum naturalium_, in four books (1558); _de furtivis litterarum notis_, in five books (1563, and frequently afterwards, entitling him to high rank among the early writers on cryptography); _phytognomonica_ (1583, a bulky treatise on the physiology of plants as then understood); _magia naturalis_ (1589, and often reprinted); _de humana physiognomonia_, in six books (1591); _villa_, in twelve books (1592, an interesting practical treatise on farming, gardening and arboriculture, based upon his own observations at his country-seat near naples); _de refractione, optices parte_, in nine books (1593); _pneumatica_, in three books (1601); _de coelesti physiognomonia_, in six books (1601); _elementa curvilinea_ (1601); _de distillatione_, in nine books (1604); _de munitione_, in three books (1608); and _de aeris transmutationibus_, in four books (1609). he also wrote several italian comedies _olimpia_ (1589); _la fantesca_ (1592); _la trappolaria_ (1597); _i' due fratelli rivali_ (1601); _la sorella_ (1607); _la chiappinaria_ (1609); _la carbonaria_ (1628); _la cintia_ (1628). among all the above-mentioned works the chief interest attaches to the _magia naturalis_, in which a strange medley of subjects is discussed, including the reproduction of animals, the transmutation of metals, pyrotechny, domestic economy, statics, hunting, the preparation of perfumes. in book xvii. he describes a number of optical experiments, including a description of the camera obscura (q.v.).