SOURCE: "Albertus Magnus," in A History of Magic and Experimental Science during the First Thirteen Centuries of Our Era, Vol. II, The Macmillan Company, 1929, pp. 517-92.

In the following excerpt, Thorndike examines Albert's representative thoughts on magic and natural science, his influence on his students, and his reputation among various critics and biographers.

It may be well at the start to indicate the scope and character of Albert's works in the field of science. In general they follow the plan of the natural philosophy of Aristotle and parallel the titles of the works then attributed, in some cases incorrectly, to Aristotle. We have eight books of physics, psychological treatises such as the De an'ima and De somno et vigilia, both in three books, and works dealing with celestial phenomena, such as the De meteoris and De coelo et mundo in four books each, and with the universe and...