In Natural Magick, della Porta described an optical tube he designed to make far things appear as though they were near. The field of optics was often associated with magical tricks and illusions, and for that reason sometimes held suspect among non-mathematicians. But della Porta’s magic was “natural,” that is, an inquiry into causes that were natural even if they were hidden. This inquiry was personified by the keen eyesight of the lynx, which adorned della Porta’s 1589 title page.