LLEWELLYN'S SOURCEBOOK SERIES

ThRee Books of
Occulr Philosophy
wRirren by HenRY CORnelius
AgRippa of Nerresheim
Comp1ere1y Annorared, wirh
mOdeRn CommenraRY

The Foundarion BooK

of WesreRn Occulrism

TRanslat:cd by Jamcs FRcaKc

edit:cd and Annot:at:cd by

Donald Tyson

1995
Llewellyn Publications
St. Paul, MN 55164-0383, U.s.A.
Three Books of Occult Philosophy Written by Henry Cornelius Agrippa of Nettesheim.
Copyright © 1993 by Donald Tyson. All rights reserved. Printed in the United
States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner
whatsoever without written permission from Llewellyn Publications except in the
case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

FIRST EomON
Second Printing, 1995

Design and layout by David Godwin

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Agrippa von Nettesheim, Heinrich Cornelius, 1486?-1535
[De occulta philosophia. English]
Three books of occult philosophy / by Henry Cornelius Agrippa of Nettesheim, completely
annotated with modem commentary; translated by James Freake ; edited and annotated by
Donald Tyson.
p. cm. - (Llewellyn's sourcebook series)
"The found a tion book of western occultism."
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
ISBN 0-87542-832-0 : $29.95
1. Magic-Early works to 1800. 2. Occultism-Early works to 1800.
I. Tyson, Donald, 1954- . II. Freake, James. III. Title. IV. Series.
BF1600.A3613 1992
133-dc20 92-33147
CIP

Llewellyn Publications
A Division of Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd.
P.O. Box 64383, St. Paul, MN 55164-0383
 Llewellyn S SouRcebook SeRies

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OcheR BOOKS by Donald Tyson

The New Magus, 1988

Rune Magic, 1988
The Truth About Ritual Magic, 1989
The Truth About Runes, 1989
How to Make and Use a Magic Mirror, 1990
Ritual Magic, 1991
The Messenger, 1993

CaRds and Kics

Rune Magic Deck, 1988

Power of the Runes, 1989
Dedicarion
To my mother,
lda Tyson
for her unfailing support.
 Acknowkdgemen'Cs

I wish to sincerely thank all those authors and publishers who have allowed me to use quotations
from works still under copyright. These have made the notes far more lively and useful than would
otherwise have been the case. Acknowledgement is due for extracts from:

The Odyssey of Homer translated by Richmond Lattimore. Copyright ©1965 by Richmond Latti-
more. Reprinted by permission of Harper Collins Publishers Inc.

The Iliad of Homer translated by Richmond Lattimore. Copyright ©1951 by The University of
Chicago. Reprinted by permission of the University of Chicago Press.

Kabbalah by Gershom Scholem. Copyright ©1974 by Keter Publishing House Jerusalem Ltd.
Reprinted by permission of Keter Publi shing House.

The White Goddess by Robert Graves . Copyright ©1948 and renewal copyright ©1975 by Robert
Graves. Reprinted by permission of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Inc.

Pharsalia by Lucan, translated by Robert Graves. Copyright ©1961 by Robert Graves. Reprinted by
permission of A. P. Watt Ltd. on behalf of the Executors of the Estate of Robert Graves.

Ptolemy: Tetrabiblos translated by F. E. Robbins. Reprinted by permission of The Loeb Classical

Library, Harvard University Press, 1940.

Mathematics Useful for Understanding Plato by Theon of Smyrna, translated by Robert and Debo-
rah Lawlor. Copyright ©1978 by Wizards Bookshelf. Reprinted by permi ss ion of Wizards
Bookshelf.

Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstacy by Mircea Eliade, translated by Willard R. Trask.

Bollingen Series LXXVI. Copyright ©1964 by Princeton University Press. Reprinted by per-
mission of Princeton University Press.

Eleusis and the Eleusinian Mysteries by George E. Mylonas. Copyright ©1961 by Princeton Univer-
sity Press. Reprinted by permission of Princeton University Press.

The Survival of the Pagan Gods: The Mythological Tradition and Its Place in Renaissance Human-
ism and Art by Jean Seznec, translated by Barbara F. Sessions. Bollingen Series XXXVIII.
Copyright ©1953 by Princeton University Press. Reprinted by permi ssion of Princeton Univer-
sity Press.
Ancient Astrology Theory and Practice by Finnicus Maternus, translated by Jean Rhys Bram. Copy-
right ©1975 by Jean Rhys Bram. Reprinted by pennission of Noyes Press.

The Letters of the Younger Pliny translated by Betty Radice. Copyright ©1963 by Betty Radice.
Reprinted by pennission of Penguin Books Ltd.

The Early History of Rome by Livy, translated by Aubrey de Selincourt. Copyright ©1960 by the
Estate of Aubrey de Selincourt. Reprinted by pennission of Penguin Books Ltd.

Guide to Greece by Pausanius, translated by Peter Levi. Two volumes. Copyright ©1971 by Peter
Levi. Reprinted by penn iss ion of Penguin Books Ltd.

The Voyage of Argo by Apollonius of Rhodes, translated by E. V. Rieu. Copyright ©1959, 1971 by
E. V. Rieu. Reprinted by pennission of Penguin Books Ltd.

The Conquest of Gaul by Caesar, translated by S. A. Handford. Copyright ©1951 by the Estate of S.
A. Handford. Reprinted by pennission of Penguin Books Ltd.

Hesiod and Theognis, translated by Dorothea Wender. Copyright ©1973 by Dorothea Wender.
Reprinted by pennission of Penguin Books Ltd.

The History of Magic and Experimental Science by Lynn Thorndike. Eight volumes. Volumes I-IV
copyright ©1934; volumes V-VI copyright ©1941; volumes VII-VIII copyright ©1958. Reprint-
ed by pennission of Columbia University Press.
 Conrenrs
To the Reader, by Donald Tyson xiii
Life of Agrippa xv
On the Occult Philosophy XXXIX

Note on the Text xliii

Three Books of Occult Philosophy xlv
An Encomium on the Three Books of Cornelius
Agrippa, Knight, by Eugenius Philalethes xlvii
The Life of Henry Cornelius Agrippa, Knight xlix
To the Reader, by Henry Cornelius Agrippa Ii
To R.P.D. John Trithemius liii
John Trithemius, Abbot of Saint James ...
to His Henry Cornelius Agrippa lvii
To the Reverend Father in Christ ... Hermannus,
Earl ofWyda lix
Judicious Reader! by James Freake Ixi
To ... Robert Childe, Doctor of Physic, by James Freake lxiii
An Index of All the Chapters Which are Contained
in This Work lxv
BOOK I
To the ... Most Illustrious Prince, Hermannus of Wyda 229
BOOK 11 231
To the Most Renowned and Illustrious Prince, Hermannus of Wyda 435
BOOK III 439
To the Reverend Father ... Aurelius de Aquapendente 679
Unto the Same Man 681
Henry Cornelius Agrippa sendeth greeting to a certain
friend of the King's Court 683
Of Magic in General 689
Of Natural Magic 690
Of Mathematical Magic 692
Of Enchanting Magic 693
Of Goetia and Necromancy 695
Of Theurgia 699
OfCabalie 700
Of Juggling and Legerdemain 705
Appendix I-Emerald Tablet 709
Appendix II-The Soul of the World 713
Appendix III~The Elements 719
Appendix IV-The Humors 729
Appendix V-Magic Squares 733
Appendix VI-The Sephiroth 752
Appendix VII-Practical Kabbalah 762
Appendix VIII--Geomancy 773
Biographical Dictionary 785
Geographical Dictionary 837
Bibliography 851
Index of Biblical Texts 865
General Index 875
 To the Reader
by Donald Tyson

modern works that contribute some useful bit of

E
diting and annotating the Three Books
of Occult Philosophy was a monu- information.
mental task. It was necessary to To the best of my ability I have tracked
reconstruct and redraw, or at least down and given exact page references to those
amend, everyone of the tables and illustrations, works quoted or alluded to in the text. Where
often with no guide, since the errors in the Eng- Agrippa's quotations are obscure or incomplete,
lish edition were transcribed from their Latin I have quoted the same work in the notes for
model. Modern works such as The Magus of purposes of comparison. It was my goal to put
Barrett were no help-these works simply car- before the reader in this volume as much of the
ried on the same errors. Fortunately by examin- source material Agrippa drew upon as could be
ing the interior logic of the structures it was compressed into so small a space, and to refer
possible to correct them, perhaps the first time accurately to those sources that could not, or
this has been done anywhere in the 500-year need not, be quoted in the notes. My purpose in
history of the work. including such copious notes is that the serious
All the names of pharmacological herbs, reader may be able to consider the text in the
magical stones, obscure or forgotten places and context of its classical allusions without the
long dead authorities were traced down and ver- vexing and time-consuming labor of research-
ified, wherever this was possible. Some names ing the references.
are hopelessly corr~pt , or found in works exist- Inevitably there have been omissions. It was
ing only in manuscript or in rare Latin or Greek not possible in the time and with the resources
copies. Sometimes there is not sufficient infor- available to me to track down and verify every
mation given to determine which authority one of Agrippa 's hundreds of sources. The read-
Agrippa means. Occasionally Agrippa refers to . er may rest assured that it was not for lack of try-
works that no longer exist, although it is difficult ing, and where a question arises in his mind, it
to be sure of these, as there are many manu- probably arose beforehand in the mind of the
scripts in European libraries virtually unknown editor, who foun.d it impossible to answer.
even to scholars. There are so many classical, semimythical
In compiling the notes I have first tried to and historical figures referred to, it was deemed
quote the actual sources Agrippa himself had useful to collect them at the back of the book
before him as he was writing; then I have and give a short biography for each. I have tried
favored classical works that were probably in these biographical sketches to touch upon the
available to him; then works contemporary with matter for which Agrippa brings up their names.
Agrippa that give the flavor of his age; and last Likewise the many references to obscure places

XIII
xiv / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

in the ancient world have been identified, exam- mention, but I have tried to point out the more
ined with regard to Agrippa's mention, and significant ones in the notes.
located on the map-something the editor The editor makes no pretense of omni-
believes the reader will only appreciate if he science. On many occasions I have keenly felt
tried to locate them himself using the so-called my lack of Latin , Greek and Hebrew. Some of
authoritative geographical atlases. my astrological analysis is conjectural since I
The appendices have been included to illu- am by no means an expert on ancient astrology.
minate important topics Agrippa may only have It is highly unlikely the information provided in
touched upon, such as the Soul of the World, the notes and appendices is error free. I ask for-
the elements, the humors, geomancy, the eso- giveness for any mistakes that may have crept
teric Hebrew doctrine of emanations, and so on. in, mistakes which I regret at least as much as
In Appendix V the magic squares and seals, the reader.
along with the related sigils of their spirits, have Despite the great labor of this work, I have
been explained and accurately represented, valued every hour of it, because it has given me
again perhaps for the first time anywhere. The what I hope it will give the serious reader-the
use of these sigils is virtually universal in mod- equivalent to a graduate degree in Renaissance
ern occultism, but always the errors were sim- magic. This, I suspect, was Agrippa's intention.
ply copied, because those who use and transmit He leads the reader from one subject to anoth-
them do not know what they mean or how to er, through one classical authority after anoth-
make them. This single appendix will justify er, until a fund of knowledge is accumulated
many times over the purchase of this book for that encompasses the entire scope of neoclassi-
those seriously interested in Western magic. cal and Hebraic occultism, both theoretical and
Indeed , so many errors that have been practical, as it was understood during the latter
handed down in the Western occult tradition for Middle Ages. Agrippa knew he could never
centuries are here corrected for the first time, no compress the entire literature of magic into a
true student of the Art can afford not to possess single volume, so he pointed the way. The
this book. I make no boast in saying this-it is a reader will derive inestimable profit in follow-
simple fact. These corrections are too many to ing his direction.
 The Life of Agrippa

enricus Corne lius Agrippa von Agrippina, was born here , and in the year 51

H Nettesheim was born on September

14, 1486, in the German city of
Cologne. Hi s family, the von
Nettesheims, were minor nobility who had
served the royal house of Austria for genera-
caused a Roman colony to be established in the
town , which was named Colonia Agrippina, or
Agrippinesis, in her honor. The inhabitants
were called Agrippinenses. Nettesheim , or Net-
tersheim , was a small hamlet about 25 miles
tions. When Agrippa was born hi s father was southwest of Cologne, but it was Cologne that
engaged in this service, and Agrippa himse lf served as residence for the family von
mentions in his letters (epistle 18, bk . 6; epistle Nettesheim when they were not actually present
21 , bk. 7)* that as a boy he aspired to nothing at the imperial court. Since it was the custom
higher than to ass ist the new German emperor for names to indicate place of origin, Agrippa
Maximilian I, who had succeeded hi s father may have been given to stand for Cologne, the
Emperor Frederick III in 1493, when Agrippa true family home.
was seven. Agrippa dropped the first and last parts of
The name Agrippa was uncommon in those his name-I am almost inclined to say the Ger-
times. There are two possible explanations for it. man half-and in his writings refers to himself
Aulus Gellius (Nocfes Afficae 16. 16) says that the only as Cornelius Agrippa.
word "agrippa" was coined by the Romans to sig- As a boy Agrippa showed a precocious
nify a child born feet first and the difficulty expe- intellect and became the talk of the town when
rienced by the mother at such a birth. It was used he refused to speak anything but Latin. His tal-
this way by the Romans, and there is evidence ent for languages was assisted by an unusually
that this usage was adopted in later times by retentive memory. It is likely that the studies of
European scholars and nobility who were anxious this son of a noble family destined for the impe-
to display their classical learning. The name may rial court were supervised, at least indirectly, by
have been given to the infant von Nettesheim to the Archbishop of Cologne.
commemorate the manner of his birth. He himself confides in a letter (epistle 23,
The other possi bility involves the city of bk. I ) that at a very early age he was possessed
Cologne , which arose on the site of the chief by curiosity concerning the mysteries. Thi s
town of the Ubii called Oppidum (or Civitas interest in secret things may have been romanti-
Ubiorum ). The wife of the Emperor Claudius, cally heightened by the historical shadow of the
great occult scholar and reputed master magi-
*All letter references are to volume 2 of the Latin cian, Albertus Magnus (1193-1280), who
Opera published at Lyons. taught philosophy, and was buried, at Cologne.

xv
xvi / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

He writes to Theodoricus , Bishop of Cyrene, Agrippa wrote to a friend at court, who

that one of the first books on magic he ever heartily encouraged the intrigue (epistle 4, bk.
studied was Albertus' Speculum. I) , but it is not clear whether the emperor him-
It would have been easy for a bold and self knew of it. The heart of the scheme was a
wealthy youth to gain possession of the forbid- bold plan to seize the impregnable Black Fort
den grimoires of magic in such a great trading (Fuerto Negro) which stood on a height over-
and scholastic center. looking the town of Tarragon. This was to be
On July 22, 1499, he enrolled in the faculty held until reinforcements arrived to quell the
of Arts at the University of Cologne under local Catalonian uprising. The fort could not be
Petrus Capitis de Dunnen, and on March 14, taken by a direct assault, but was to be seized
1502, received his licentiate in Arts. His other through subterfuge by a small band led by
formal degrees are regarded as uncertain but Agrippa and others. Agrippa was the master-
seem not improbable. Agrippa claimed to pos- mind and central mover of thi s entire affair.
sess doctorates in canon and civil law, as well as lust before the attempt, which took place in
medicine, but the exact times and places these the summer of 1508, Agrippa had serious
were earned remains a matter for speculation. doubts about the worthiness of his fellow con-
Agrippa writes (epistle 21, bk. 7) that he spirators and the loyalty of the courtiers of
served the Emperor Maximilian first as a secre- Maximilian, who where all too ready to throw
tary, then as a soldier. The events of the early one of their own to the wolves of fortune at the
period in his court life are obscure. He was the least sign of weakness. More distressing per-
kind of youth likely to appeal to the intellectual haps to a young man of spotless honor were the
and physically bold Maximilian. At the age of methods to be employed: " But with a profligate
20 he appears at the University of Paris, ostensi- conscience to wish to continue in such cruel
bly as a student, but perhaps in reality as a diplo- devices , which after all have more in them of
matic spy and instrument for the ever continuing crime than of high daring, and for the sake of
intrigues of the Emperor. Agrippa 's language the rage of one ill-advised prince to expose our-
skills, his quick wit, and his undoubted loyalty selves to universal hatred, would be utterly
made him a perfect choice for such a mission. impious and mad" (epistle 5, bk. I).
While at Paris, Agrippa gathered around How did Agrippa and hi s small band of
him, as he was often to do later in life, a group of conspirators seize this impregnable fortress,
scholars pursuing studies into the occult myster- erected in the misty past by the Celts? It is
ies. It was among this band that the incredible tempting to speculate that magic was involved,
scheme was hatched which was so influential to since this was so much the center of Agrippa's
his later life. One of his fellow students, the intellectual life at the time. The taking of the
Spaniard luanetin de Gerona (or in the Latinized fort probably shared at least one element in
form, Ianotus Bascus de Charona) had been dri - common with a stage illusion--once the trick is
ven out of the district of Terragon by a local known, the onlooker tends to hold it in con-
peasant revolt. It was decided that he would be tempt for its simplicity. Kidnapping, bribery ,
returned to power in Terragon, and would out of lies-it is impossible to know the actions of the
gratitude ally himself with Maximilian I against plan. Somehow Agrippa and his men gained
his own king, Ferdinand of Spain, in effect complete command of Fuerto Negro.
becoming a traitor. The full details of the plot Having captured the fort, it is not clear the
cannot be known, and only with difficulty imag- conspirators had any idea of what to do with it.
ined-the politics of the period were unbeliev- Agrippa was sent with a small force to garrison
ably convoluted. The following account of the the house of Gerona at Villarodona, a small
adventure from Morley's Life of Agrippa is con - town in the province of Tarragon. Gerona him-
jectural, and no later biographer has been able to self left for Barcelona to gain assistance, but on
fix the geography of the affair with certainty. the road was captured by the rebels. After many
 The Life of Agrippa / xvii

days waiting anxiously without word for his He traveled first to Barcelona, then to
return, Agrippa was informed of his capture, Valantia where he met with the astrologer Cam-
and told that the house would soon be laid under paratus Saracen us, a disciple of Zacutus. Selling
siege. It was impossible to defend the house his horses, he sailed to Italy, stopping at the
with so small a band against a large determined Balearic Islands and Sardinia, then Naples.
force. Agrippa prudently decided to abandon it, From Naples he took ship to France. All the way
and moved to an old stone tower three miles he continued to write letters and make inquiries
away which was almost completely surrounded about the fate of the members of hi s Paris circle.
by water, and much easier to fortify. At A vignon he was forced to pause for a time to
Hardly was he well settled within the earn money , hi s travels having exhausted his
walls when the peasant army attacked it. But financial resources. In a letter he expressed his
Agrippa had chosen well. The peasants settled wish to draw once again hi s companions from
doggedly in for a long siege, determined to Paris around him: " Nothing now remains but
capture " the German," as they called Agrippa, that, after so many dangers, we insist upon a
blaming hi s black arts for the massacre of the meeting of out brother combatants, and absolve
garrison of Fuerto Negro. Weeks passed. It ourselves from the oaths of our confederacy, that
was necessary to get a message out in order to we may recover our old state of fellowship and
make an escape across the marsh and lake that have it unmolested" (epistle 9, bk. I).
lay behind the tower, but this was impossible There can be little doubt that the Paris cir-
by ordinary means. cle was more than just a political marriage of
Agrippa hit upon the device of disguising convenience. It was an occult brotherhood of
the son of the keeper of the tower as a leper, and young men drawn around Agrippa by his
so effective was thi s ruse, the boy was able to knowledge of, and enthusiasm for, the myster-
leave the tower and return with an answer from ies of magic and religion. Although the term
the Archbishop of Tarragon, who was opposed "Rosicrucianism" has no meaning before its
to the rebel cause, without once being chal- appearance in a pamphlet published in Cassel,
lenged. In the dark of night the beleaguered Germany in 1614, Agrippa 's group of aspirants
band descended the tower in the rear and waited might be looked upon as a prototype for this
until the morning of August 14, 1508, when at 9 movement. Magic for Agrippa was the highest
o'clock two fishing boats carried them to safety and most sacred of disciplines, capable of trans-
across the lake. forming the soul. He would certainly have com-
To the peasants this escape, so daring and municated thi s belief to his followers, and
unexpected, must have appeared more than nat- would never have tolerated anything less than
ural. It nurtured the legend of Agrippa's unholy reverence toward the study of the magical arts.
power, which at that time was only beginning to Thi s was a time of intense debate and study
take root. of the mysteries for Agrippa. Even when his
A demorali zed Agrippa seems to have friends could not be with him, they referred oth-
washed hi s hands once and for all both of the ers with a similar interest as potential members
still unresolved intrigue in Tarragon, and all of the brotherhood: "The bearer of these let-
political machinations in general. After a stay of ters ," writes one friend to Agrippa, " is a Ger-
nine or ten days in the safety of the abbey, on man , native of Nuremberg, but dwelling at
August 24, 1508, he set out to travel and see Lyons; and he is a curious inquirer after hidden
more of the world, while at the same time seek- mysteries, a free man , restrained by no fetters,
ing news of his scattered associates. He was in who, impelled by I know not what rumour con-
no hurry to return to the court of Maximilian. cerning you, desires to sound your depths"
Indeed, hi s opinion of court service never (epistle 11 , bk. 1).
recovered from the di sillusioning effect of the When he was financially able Agrippa rode
Tarragon enterprise. to Lyons, where his friends awaited him, and
xviii / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

continued his studies, which at this time proba- in idleness, and as if destitute of capacity
bly centered on the learning of Hebrew and the for higher occupations, is permitted to con-
ceive of nothing beyond needle and thread.
Kabbalah from the works of Johannes Reuchlin: Then when she has attained years of
De verbo mirifico, published in Germany in puberty she is delivered over to the jealous
1494, and Reuchlin's Hebrew grammar and dic- empire of a man, or shut up for ever in a
tionary, published in 1506. Reuchlin had an shop of vestals. The law also forbids her to
enormous influence at that time on such minds fill public offices . No prudence entitles her
to plead in open court. (Quoted by Morley
as Erasmus and Luther. His writings set the 1856, I : 109)
philosophical tone of the Reformation.
At the age of 23 Agrippa was reveling in the Also in 1509 and early 1510 Agrippa wrote
first golden flush of his intellectual maturity. He the first draft of his Three Books of Occult Phi-
had already gathered the notes for his Occult losophy , which he sent off to be read and criti-
Philosophy. Filled to overflowing with the wis- cized by the Abbot Johannes Trithemius, then
dom of Reuchlin, he decided to give a series of abbot of Saint James at Wurtzburg. Formerly
lectures on the Mirific Word in the summer of abbot of the Benedictine monastery of Saint
1509 at the University of Dole. The lectures Martin at Sponheim (or Spannheim), in October
were delivered free of charge to the general pub- of 1506 he had become head of the abbey of
lic in honor of Princess Margaret, the daughter Saint James at Wurtzburg . According to Henry
of the emperor Maximilian I. She was then 29 Morley, Agrippa became acquainted with
years old, and had been appointed by her father Trithemius there upon hi's return from Spain
governor over the Netherlands, Burgundy and (Morley 1:214).
the Charolais, making her mistress of Dole. The Of the Occult Philosophy Frances A. Yates
princess was renowned for her patronage of writes: "It was dedicated to Trithemius, who was
learning, and more importantly from Agrippa's undoubtedly an important influence on
point of view, for her generosity towards the arts Agrippa's studies." (Yates 1983,38). Although I
and letters. Agrippa found it prudent to open the have no way of proving it based on the informa-
lectures with a panegyric on Margaret herself. A tion I have been able to collect concerning the
friend made certain that a copy of the tribute life of Agrippa, I believe this is an understate-
found its way to Margaret' s court. ment. The tone of the letters between the abbot
Although Agrippa could not have known it, and Agrippa, the nature of Trithemius ' own
this was the most promising and perhaps the hap- writings, the fact that he left some of those writ-
piest time of his life. His lectures met with uni- ings to Agrippa after he died, the harmony that
versal acclaim. The university conferred upon existed between the minds of the two men, all
him a professorship of theology and voted him a lead me to believe that Trithemius was
stipend. Men traveled from distant places merely Agrippa's mystical master and teacher, particu-
to converse with him about arcane subjects. larly in the branch of magic dealing with spirit
To cement the favor of Princess Margaret, evocation. It would not surprise me to learn that
Agrippa wrote in 1509 De nobilitate et p1'a:cel- the two had corresponded, and even met, long
lentiafa:minei sexus (The nobility of the female before 1508, perhaps even when Agrippa was a
sex and the superiority of women over men). youth living in Cologne. When hi s early interest
This contains sentiments that would endear in magic began to quicken it would have been
Agrippa to the feminists of the present century: natural for him to seek out the acknowledged
master of his art at Spanheim. It must be stressed
.. . the tyranny of men prevailing over that all this is only conjecture on my part.
divine right and the laws of nature, slays by It was about this time that Agrippa's for-
law the liberty of women, abolishes it by
use and custom, extinguishes it by educa- tunes were to take a serious tum for the worse.
tion. For the woman, as soon as she is born, Had he been less honest and noble of mind he
is from her earliest years detained at home might have anticipated it. The chief of the Fran-
 The Li fe of Agrippa / xix

ciscan monks in Burgundy, named John Cati- him , Agrippa began to reassess the teachings of
linet, was chosen to deliver the Lenten sermons Chri st. The passion of hi s nature provoked, at
of 1510 before Princess Margaret at Ghent. He least for a short time, a revul sion against the
took as his subject the lectures on Reuchlin pagan beliefs he had not long before regarded as
delivered at Dole, and attacked both the ideas the most sacred. Thi s ambivalence between
expressed and their enthusiastic young expo- Christian and pagan teachings persisted
nent as impious. Margaret was strongly Christ- throughout the rest of hi s life.
ian. Whatever good opinion she may have During thi s visit to England he must have
formed at a distance about Agrippa was poi- traveled to Stonehenge, or some other neolithic
soned. In that century it was always dangerous site, as he mentions " heaps of stones, which I
to champion the Jews before the conservative saw in England put together by an incredible
Church, which still blamed them for the cruci- art." (Occult Philosophy, 2.1). At the house of
fixion of Christ. Dean Colet he wrote an Expostulation on the
Whether Margaret had read the panegyric condemnation of hi s Exposition on the Mirific
to her is uncertai n- it was sent to her court, but Word. addressing it to John Catilinet, presum-
this does not mean she saw it. She had not yet ably to little effect. It was not likely to engender
read Agrippa's treatise On the Pre-eminence of by its tone a forgiving frame of mind in the
Women, which would not be publi shed until Franci scan monk, as thi s brief extract shows:
1532. Its publication was delayed so long
because of the unfavo rable opinion created in But you to whom I was utterl y unknown ,
who were never present at one lecture, and
Margaret's mind toward Agrippa by the Fran- never heard me elsewhere speaking pri-
ciscan monk. Had she been able to read it, the vately about these things-who never, so
bold ideas it contained mi ght have softened her far as I know, have seen me-yet have
hostility , but thi s was not to be. Agrippa had dared to utter against me an unjust opinion,
lost, at leas t for the present, the one patron he that had better been omitted, and might
have been, and ought to have been, not
had earnestly sought above all others. only because it is most false, but also
Unwillingly he was compelled to turn away because it is not fit that a religious man
from the path of a scholar and return once again should disseminate among most serious
to that of a diplomat in the court of Maximilian. and sacred Christian congregations such
calumnies and contumelies, and they alto-
Late in the summer or early in the autumn of
gether misbecome the divine office of a
1510 he was sent as ambassador to the court of preacher. (Quoted by Morley 1:244)
Henry VIII in London . Agrippa lodged in the
town of Stepney, near London, at the house of There is some reason to believe that
Dean Colet, Dean of Saint Paul 's. Here, when Agrippa was on a secret mi ssion while in Eng-
not distrac ted by court duties-which seem to land. He speaks of his " most secret purpose"
have consisted of masquing, tournament dis- (Opera 2.596). This is not unlikely given the
plays, wrestling, and other amusements-he constant intrigues of Maximilian. Morley specu-
found a congenial spirit and engaged in a seri- lates that it was Agrippa ' s task to sow the seeds
ous study of the Epistles of Saint Paul under the of di strust in the mind of King Henry against
guidance of the good Dean. Pope Julius II (Morley I :229), but it seems to
It was during this period , I believe, that me that Max imilian was not so naive as to
Agrippa began to temper his enthusiasm for believe that Henry could be swayed by the
magic and occult studies with a growing fervor words of a young German diplomat in so serious
for the truths of Chri stianity . He had never been a matter-unless Maximilian expected Agrippa
lacking in piety, but the g lamour of magic had to use black arts to move the mind of the king.
made the virtues of his own faith seem pale by In 1511 Agrippa returned to Cologne. He
comparison. Now , with the example of a gen- delivered a series of lectures called Quodlibetal
uine Chri stian , Dean Co let, constantly before on various subjects of divinity at Cologne Uni-
xx / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

versity, indicating that his heart was still bent on the Council, he risked excommunication. He
scholastic pursuits. About this time the fury of took advantage of the occasion to lecture on
orthodox theologians against Reuchlin and the Plato at the University of Pisa. When the Coun-
Jews was reaching its fanatical peak in Cologne. cil was moved to Milan , Agrippa returned to
Jewish books were being gathered up and military service, not much discomfited by the
burned in wholesale lots. Agrippa would cer- order of excommunication declared against him
tainly have found much matter for lively debate. and his fellow Council members.
It is therefore surprising that in the spring The fortunes of Pope Julius brightened
or early summer of 1511 he enters military ser- toward the end of 1511, and Maximilian found
vice. It may be that honor compelled him to it expedient to abandon Louis and to throw in
offer his sword. Or perhaps he had some other with Henry VIII, who was at the time preparing
plan-he writes to a friend (epistle 30, bk. I) to invade France. Agrippa refused to leave the
about the possibility of securing for them both soldiers who had fought beside him so many
professorships at the Italian University of Pavia. months. He stayed in Italy with a small force of
For the present this remained an idle dream. It German soldiers and battled with the French
was Captain Agrippa's immediate task to con- against the Swiss and Venetian armies of the
vey 1000 gold pieces from Trent to the military Pope at Pavia, waiting for a specific command
camp of Maximilian at Verona. This he accom- from the emperor that he quit Italy before aban-
plished without incident. doning them. There was nothing traitorous in
Of his other military service in the Italian this decision. It was Maximilian who injured his
wars little is certain, save that Agrippa was a honor, not Agrippa.
very unhappy soldier. He writes: "I was for sev- Around the first of July, 1512, Agrippa was
eral years by the Emperor's command, and by taken prisoner near Pavia by the Swiss, along
my calling, a soldier. I followed the camp of the with a force of about 300 German soldiers. He
Emperor and the [French] King: in many con- obtained his freedom, perhaps with the help of
flicts gave no sluggish help: before my face his new patron, William Palaeologus, the Mar-
went death, and I followed, the minstrel of quis of Monferrat. At the end of November he
death, my right hand soaked in blood, my left formally attached himself to the service of the
dividing spoil: my belly was filled with prey, marquis, which he could do since the goals of
and the way of my feet was over corpses of the the marquis were then in harmony with those of
slain: so I was made forgetful of my innermost Emperor Maximilian, and settled in Monferrat's
honour, and wrapped round fifteenfold in chief town of Casale.
Tartarean shade" (epistle 19, bk. 2). In February 1513, when the aged Julius II
In 1511, or perhaps the year following, he died, the new pope , Leo X, sent a letter to
received his knighthood in the field. It is not Agrippa through his secretary revoking his
known what service or feat of arms drew this excommunication. Military demands upon
reward. Agrippa were sporadic. He had been made cap-
Wars at that time were seasonal affairs. In tain of a troop of soldiers under Maximilian
late summer of 1511 Agrippa was chosen to act Sforza, the new Duke of Milan, but there was
as theologist at the Council of Pisa, convened by little fighting. For the next two years he served
King Louis XII of France and Emperor Maxim- his masters more in the capacity of diplomat
ilian I of Germany, ostensibly to reform ecclesi - than soldier.
astical abuses, but really to defy the authority of In the summer of IS 15, with the blessing of
Pope Julius II. Agrippa was a natural choice to his patron Monferrat, Agrippa delivered a series
represent Germany since he was in Italy (not a of lectures on the Pymander of Hermes Tris-
popular travel destination for the German bish- megistus at the University of Pavia, of which
ops in that war year) and well known as a skilled the introductory oration alone has survived.
orator. Along with all the others who attended According to Morley, these met with such
 The Life of Agrippa / xxi

applause that the university conferred upon him French. Agrippa found that he could no longer
doctorates of divinity, law and medicine. lecture at the university. His military pay ceased.
During this time in Pavia, Agrippa seems The state of Agrippa's mind is clearly
to have married his first wife, a native of the demonstrated by this letter:
town . Morley, who confuses the first with the
second wife of Agrippa, says that she was a Either for our impiety, or through the usual
influence of the celestial bodies, or by the
native of Geneva wed by Agrippa on his jour-
providence of God, who governs all, so
ney from Italy to France in 1509, but Nauert, great a plague of arms, or pestilence of sol-
who presumably is in a position to know better, diers, is everywhere raging, that one can
confidently states that the first wife of Agrippa, scarcely live secure even in hollows of the
whom he does not name, was of a noble family mountains. Whither, I ask, in these sus-
pected times, shall 1 betake myself with my
of Pavia, and that the earliest mention of the
wife and son and family , when home and
marriage occurs in a letter dated November 24, household goods are gone from us at Pavia,
1515 (see epistle 48, bk. I). Although not much and we have been despoiled of nearly all
is said of her, it is apparent that Agrippa loved that we possess, except a few things that
her deeply. were rescued. My spirit is sore, and my
heart is disturbed within me, because the
His happiness at this stage in his life can enemy has persecuted my soul , and hum-
only be imagined. Secure in a faithful patron, bled my life to the dust. 1 have thought
performing the work that he most loved, blessed over my lost substance, the money spent,
with a loving wife and two children, a boy and a the stipend lost, our no income, the dear-
ness of everything, and the future threaten-
girl, with no immediate prospect of military ser-
ing worse evils than the present; and 1 have
vice, it was a golden time, bittersweet in its praised the dead rather than the living, nor
briefness. Years later Agrippa would write of have I found one to console me. But turn-
his wife: ing back upon myself I have reflected that
wisdom is stronger than all, and have said,
1 give innumerable thanks to the omnipo- Lord what am I that thou shouldst be mind-
tent God, who has joined me to a wife after ful of me, or that thou shouldst visit me
my heart; a maiden noble and well-man- with mercy? (Epistle 49, bk. I)
nered, young, beautiful, who lives so much
in harmony with all my habits, that never To repay the Marquis of Monferrat for his
has a · word of scolding dropped between continuing support during these dangerous shift-
us, and wherein 1 count myself happiest of
ing political times, Agrippa dedicated to him
all, however our affairs change, in prosper-
ity and adversity always alike kind to me, two works, the Dialogue on Man and the Triple
alike affable, constant; most just in mind Way of Knowing God. The first has not survived.
and sound in counsel, always self-pos- During 1516 he lived with his family at
sessed. (Epistle 19, bk. 2) Casale under the patronage of the marquis while
his friends made strenuous efforts on his behalf
Some men seem destined never to secure a to find him a place and an income. To occupy
lasting peace and security. In the same year his time he gave lectures in theology at the uni-
Agrippa was winning fame for his Pavia lec- versity of Turin. They may have centered on the
tures, Louis XII of France died. His successor, epistles of Saint Paul, to which Agrippa devoted
Francis I, invaded Milan. Once more Agrippa so much study during his stay in England.
was forced against his will to put on the mantle Finally in the summer of 1517 ,,(grippa joined
of a soldier in defense of his new master, Maxi- the court of the Duke of Savoy, Charles III,
milian Sforza. At the battle of Marignano, which called the Gentle, who was half-brother to
took place September 14, 1515, the Swiss and Philibert, the late husband of Margaret of Aus-
Italian forces of Maximilian, Agrippa with them, tria. Although he had no training or experience
were routed by the French and the Venetian in practical medicine, he served as court physi-
reinforcements. Power in Pavia passed to the cian. Monferrat had close blood ties with the
xxii / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

ducal house of Savoy. At this time Germany not touch the back pay for his months of service
and France were at peace. that was rightfully his.
One cannot help thinking that given the Fortunately an opening had been found for
crude state of medicine in the period, Agrippa him as orator and advocate in the German town of
with his practical German mind and vast knowl- Metz. Fortified by this good news, Agrippa was at
edge of natural magic would have made a better last able to reconcile his pride and his shame, and
physician than many trained up in the profession returned to Cologne with his family to assure his
from childhood. In some respects he resembles parents that he was prospering. To his surprise he
his contemporary, Paracelsus. Impatient with discovered that they had been mourning his death
accepted platitudes, he sought to wrest living at the hands of the French at Pavia.
truth from the past with ancient texts, and the After visiting with hi s family for several
future through experiment. But Agrippa had no months he went with his wife and son to take up
love for leechcraft. It was necessity that drove his official duties at Metz. Hi s daughter, who
him to represent himself as a healer. would have been only an infant, is not men-
One of his friends took a dim view of his tioned, but certainly accompanied them. Upon
new appointment and wrote to express his mis- arrival Agrippa presented himself before the
givings in terms that proved all too prophetic. Of magistrates of Metz. His brief speech to them,
Agrippa's position in the court of Savoy he says: which extols the town of Metz and explains his
own background, has been preserved. Also
I do not praise it; you will be offered little extant are three orations he later wrote while in
pay, and get it at the day of judgement. I
have sent repeated letters to the governor his official position. These are workmanlike but
of Grenoble, by the hand of his own prosaic documents.
nephew, and am hoping soon to get an No doubt Agrippa had more pleasure in writ-
answer; after which, if you permit me, I ing a treatise On Original Sin, which he com-
will arrange and settle everything. In the pleted a few months after settling in Metz in
mean time, so manage with the Duke of
Savoy as not to close your way to richer 1518. He probably also wrote his short work Of
fortune. (Epistle 5, bk. 2) Geomancy during his stay at Metz-at least, it
was among his papers there. Around this time a
Why did Agrippa not send word of his sit- friend, Theodoric, Bishop of Cyrene, wrote ask-
uation to his father, or return with his family to ing Agrippa to suggest a prescription against the
Cologne? Pride kept him from writing. Having plague. He responded with the brief tract Securest
gone to Italy to make his fortune, he could not Antidotes Against the Plague. It shows that he
bear to return a beaten man begging for char- would have made a good physician. The best pro-
ity. His friends and relatives at Cologne heard tection, he says, is to leave the city until the
nothing from him during this time, and natu- plague is over. If you cannot leave, your residence
rally assumed that he had been killed in the and clothing should be purified with the heat and
Italian wars. smoke of a blazing fire. It is good to wash the
Although Agrippa labored as physician for hands and face often in vinegar and rosewater,
the Duke of Savoy through the summer and into and to suffumigate the house with rue beaten in
the fall of 1517, he was not paid anything. The vinegar, inhaling the vapor and allowing it to pass
Duke had yet to fix upon an appropriate wage. over the whole body and clothes. Many of the
It may be assumed that Agrippa gained his other remedies he gives would be worthless, but
bread by treating patients on the side, and per- these few, at least, make some sense.
forming the work of a scholar, writing letters, Agrippa traveled from Metz to Cologne in
drawing up legal documents, and so on. Toward 1518, probably to be at the bedside of his ailing
the end of November the duke at last set a figure father. When he returned to Metz he received a
on Agrippa's services. It was so low, Agrippa letter from his mother informing him of his
not only declined to accept the office, but would father's death. He was deeply moved:
 The Li fe of Agrippa / xxiii

[ grieve most vehemently, and find but a heart to embrace the early ideas of reformation!
single solice for this grief, that we must A reaction was inevitable.
yield to the divine ordinance; for [ know
A letter to Agrippa from his disciple Father
that God bestows upon men gifts, not
indeed always pleasant, very often even of Claudius reveals the clouds that were gathering:
adversity, yet always to assist us here, or in
the heavenly fatherland. For God acts in Your conclusions [ have copied with my
accordance with His own nature, His own own hand in stolen hours (for I am too
essence, which is wholly goodness; there- much occupied, and get almost no leisure),
fore He ordains nothing but what is good nor have [ ventured to depute this task to
and salutary. Neverthe less such is my anybody, because our brothers are louti sh
human nature, that [ vehemently grieve, and idiotic, persec uting enviously all who
and the depths are stirred within me. (Epis- love good literature. They decry not a little
tle 19, bk. 2) Master Jacques Faber, also you and me; so
that some of them have attacked me with
no trifling insults. Therefore [ have thought
The death of his father, the most personal it best to hide your conclusions, lest their
of deaths, may have impelled Agrippa down the hatred bCcome wilder. (Epistle 24, bk. 2)
path he had begun to follow while at the house
of Dean Colet in England: the serious, single- The prior of the Celestine monastery,
minded study of theology . The subject occurs Claudius Salini, after interrogating Father
more frequently in his letters. In 1519 he began Claudius Deodatus on his frequent and lengthy
to take pleasure in dining with his friend Father visits to Agrippa's house, became convinced that
Claudius Deodatus (Nauert gives the name as Agrippa was teaching heresy and forbade the
Claude Dieudonne) at the Celestine monastery, monk from seeing him. Agrippa was a notable
where he would enter into involved talks on the city official. There was little Salini could do
state of man before the Fall , the fall of angels, against him directly. But the rumor mill was turn-
and like marvelous topics. He made no effort to ing and blowing a foul breeze. It must be men-
conceal hi s admiration for Martin Luther, who tioned that Metz was not a reform-minded city. It
was just then beginning to attract notice to hi s had persecuted the Jews with great cruelty, and
stand against Church corruption. Father resisted the ideas of Luther with equal ferocity.
Claudius frequently met with him to study the Agrippa had the poor judgment to get into a
works of Erasmus and Faber d ' Etaples. debate with one of the deacons of the town, Nico-
For all his boldness, intelligence and elo- las Roscius, concerning the views of Faber d'Eta-
quence, Agrippa had the innocence of a child. pies. Faber, a monk at that time 83 years old, had
He seems to have had no suspicion that the put forward the seemingly innocuous opinion that
threads he had been spinning all his life were the legend about Saint Anne, mother of the Virgin
conspiring together to knot a noose around his Mary, which said that she had married three hus-
neck. Because he loved truth, he believed all bands., and borne three daughters named Mary,
other men would welcome it. Because he was was untrue. His work Upon Three and One was
honorable he expected honor from others. the subject of the debate. Agrippa compounded
Because hi s own thoughts soared freely wher- his imprudence by agreeing offhandedly that their
ever they willed, he actually believed other men casual argument should be submitted to indepen-
would thank him for revealing to them their dent umpires to be judged.
intellectual servitude and ignorance. Called away from Metz on business, when
All the subjects that had captivated he returned Agrippa discovered that three priests
Agrippa 's soul from boyhood were forbidden had constituted themselves umpires in the dis-
by the Church. Magic, Greek philosophy, the pute, which had taken on a life of its own, and
Kabbalah of the Jews, Hermes Trismegistus- were denouncing him from the pulpit in the most
these were purest poison to the pope and his violent manner. Agrippa describes the antics of
bishops. Now Agrippa opened his truth-seeking Prior Claudius Salini , who preached against him
xxiv / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

"with mad barkings and marvelous gesticula- ters, an event occurred that was to prove pivotal
tions, with outstretched fingers, with hands cast in his life. A peasant woman of the village of
forward and suddenly snatched back again, with Vuoypy (Nauert spells it Woippy), to the north-
grinding of the teeth, foaming, spitting, stamp- west of Metz, whose mother had been burned as
ing, leaping, cuffing up and down, with tearing at a witch, was herself accused of witchcraft. A
the scalp and gnawing at the nails" (from the group of peasants broke into her house, took her
prefatory letter to Agrippa's defense of Faber out by force, and locked her up in a crude prison.
d'Etaples' work, quoted by Morley 2:45). Eight accusers took her to Metz for trial. Here
It was at this stage that Agrippa ceased to they were advised by the Inquisitor of Metz,
see Metz as the city of his future and began to Nicolas Savin, while the case was postponed for
wish fervently it was already the city of his past. two days. To win the favor of the Inquisitor they
Nothing came directly from the invective of the gave him eggs, butter and cakes; the judge who
priests, but the seeds had been planted. When in was to hear the case received gold pieces.
September of 1519 Agrippa wrote to Faber Agrippa was horrified at the unorthodox
d'Etaples praising his work, and sent him his nature of these proceedings. He came forward
defense of the doctrines of the elderly monk, to defend the woman's legal rights but was
Faber wrote back with the excellent advice: "In accused by Savin of favoring a heretic (as yet
my opinion, he is happier who does not contend no judgement had been passed) and turned out
than he who does. Act, therefore, if possible, so of the courtroom. Behind his back Savin caused
prudently as neither to offend God nor your the accusers to return the woman to the jail at
neighbour" (perhaps epistle 29, bk. 2- Morley Vuoypy. Here the judge, John Leonard, heard
is not clear in his references). In another letter the case in concert with the Inquisitor, even
Faber cautions Agrippa not to invite the same though it was beyond his jurisdiction and such
censure that has crashed about the ears of double trials were illegal. The husband of the
Reuchlin. But it was too late for Agrippa. accused was prevented from seeing her for fear
The philosophical climate of Metz may be that he might raise an objection or appeal.
gathered from scattered references in the letters. Using the infamous Malleus Maleficarum
When a friend of Agrippa's came into conflict of Heinrich Kramer and James Sprenger, first
with the Church and left the city suddenly, published around 1486, as his guide, Savin
Agrippa wrote: "I know, and do you firmly supervised the torture of the woman in an effort
believe, that it is well with you if you are safe to extract a confession. So horrified were the
and free away from here. What else I wish you magistrates and those appointed as questioners,
to know I doubt whether I can commit safely to they fled the scene, leaving the woman alone
a letter" (epistle 36, bk. 2). Agrippa asks his with the Inquisitor and the executioner. The tor-
friend to procure for him a copy of Martin ture was redoubled without witnesses. The
Luther's works. In another letter he writes: "I accused was then beaten, deprived of food and
cleave to this town, fastened by I know not what water, and cast into a dungeon described as
nail: but so cleaving, that I cannot determine "filthy" even by the modest standards of the day.
how to go or stay. I never was in any place from It seemed certain she was doomed . Then a
which I could depart more willingly than (with very strange thing happened that was almost
submission to you) from this city of Metz, the supernatural. The corrupt judge Leonard fell
stepmother of all good scholarship and virtue" sick, and on his deathbed his conscience was
(epistle 33, bk. 2). He cautions a friend : "When haunted by the torments of the innocent woman.
I am gone', when they have me no longer at He pleaded for her release and wrote to Savin
Metz to worry, they will worry you instead, my his conviction that she was wholly innocent.
friend" (epistle 44, bk. 2). Savin refused to give her up. Because the judge
At this critical time when Agrippa was had bothered to appeal to him at all, he took it as
under suspicion and attack from all official quar- proof that the case was within his jurisdiction.
 The Life of Agrippa / xxv

Agrippa was determined that the woman that" (he said), "commonly, or often, their
should not be executed. In this he merely infants are the result of intercourse with
incubi. Thus it happens that in their off-
upheld his office and duty, even though he
spring, as with an hereditary taint, the evil
knew it would lead to his own downfall. But the sticks." 0 egregious sophism! Is it thus that
driving force behind his defense was his rever- in these days we theologise? Do figments
ence for truth. It was intolerable to him that a like these move us to the torturing of harm-
beast in human form such as Savin could make less women? Is there no grace in baptism,
no efficacy in the priests bidding: " Depart,
a mockery of all law, justice and legal process
unclean spirit, and give place to the Holy
without retribution. Ghost," if, because an impious parent has
To the judge appointed to oversee the trial been sacrificed, the offspring must be given
as a replacement for the deceased John to the devil? Let anyone who will , believe
Leonard, Agrippa sent this letter, which in this opinion, that incubi can produce off-
deserves to be reprinted here in full: spring in the flesh . What is the fruit of this
impossible position, if it be admitted,
unless, according to the heresy of the Faus-
You have seen lately, most honourable tinians and Donatists, we get a greater evil
man, from the acts themselves, those impi- as result? But to speak as one of the faith-
ous articles of a most iniquitous informa- ful , what matters it if one is the child of an
tion by virtue of which brother Nicolas incubus, what hurt is it to have been
Savin, of the Dominican convent, Inquisitor devoted as an infant to the devil? Are we
of heretics, has fraudulently dragged into not all from the nature of our humanity
his slaughterhouse thi s innocent woman, born one mass of sin, malediction, and eter-
contrary to Christian conscience, brotherly nal perdition, children of the devil, children
kindness, contrary to sacerdotal custom, the of the Divine wrath, and heirs of damna-
profession of his rule, the form of laws and tion, until by the grace of baptism Satan is
canons: and has also, as a wicked man, cast out, and we are made new creatures in
wickedly and wrongfully exposed her to Jesus Christ, from whom none can be sepa-
atrocious and enormous tonnents: whereby rated, except by his own offence. You see
he has earned for himself a name of cruelty now the worth of this position as a plea for
that will not die, as the lord official John judgement, at enmity with law, perilous to
Leonard, your predecessor now departed, receive, scandalous to propound. Farewell,
himself testified upon his death-bed: and and either avoid or banish, this blasphem-
the lords of the chapter themselves know it ing brotherkin. Written this morning in the
with abhorrence. Among those articles of city of Metz. (Epistle 39, bk. 2)
accusation one and the first is, that the
mother of the said woman was burnt for
witchcraft. I have excepted against this man So persistent, and so lucid, was Agrippa
as impertinent , intrusive, and incompetent that the Inquisitor fell into discredit and was
to exercise in this case the judicial function; removed from the case. The accused woman
but lest you be led astray by false prophets received absolution from the vicar of the church
who claim to be Christ, and are Antichrist, I
of Metz. Her accusers were fined 100 franks for
pray your reverence to bear with a word of
help. and only pay attention to a conversa- unjust accusation.
tion lately held with me upon the position This was the end of Agrippa 's career at
of this article, by the before-named blood- Metz and he knew it. Bad enough that he had
thirsty brother. For he asserted supercil- espoused positions considered heretical and
iously that the fact was in the highest ·
defied the will of the Dominicans. Now he had
degree decisive. and enough to warrant tor-
ture; and not unreasonably he asserted it made a mockery of their Inquisitor and shaken,
according to the knowledge of his sect, if only for a brief time, his absolute authority
which he produced presently out of the that was based on terror. People avoided
depths of the " Malleus Maleficarum" and Agrippa in the streets, afraid to be seen in his
the principles of peripatetic Theology, say-
company. Bowing to the inevitable, he resigned
ing: "It must be so, because it is. the custom
with witches, from the very first, to sacri- his office. Toward the end of January 1520, he
fice their infants to the demons, and besides returned with his wife and young son-his
xxvi / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

daughter had died and been buried at Metz-to Metz by the curate of the church, Agrippa's
Cologne, virtually driven from Metz by the friend lehan Rogier Brennonius.
wolves snapping at his heels. With this tie broken , Agrippa took his son
Once more Agrippa enjoyed the relative to Geneva to earn his living as a physician. Here
security of his hereditary home, which his family he remained for several years . Geneva was a
shared with his mother and sister. The University city where he could speak his thoughts openly.
of Cologne was not receptive to his opinions, but He followed with great interest the progress of
there were many in the city of a like mind. Martin Luther. On September 20, 1522, he
Echoes continued to reach him from Metz. A wrote to ask a friend to procure for him a copy
friend, lehan Rogier, whom Agrippa usually of the attack upon Luther written by Henry VIII
refers to as Brennonius, wrote that the Inquisitor of England, along with another work, saying:
Savin had succeeded in having an old woman "whatever may be their price, I will pay
burned as a witch and had incited a full-blown promptly to their bearer." This suggests both
witch craze. All over Metz and surrounding the fervor of his interest, and that he was at least
regions women were being rounded up. Eventu- not destitute.
ally common sense prevailed and the women All this while Agrippa continued to seek a
were set free. The peasant woman whose life position at the court of the Duke of Savoy, the
Agrippa had saved, at the cost of his career, knew door to which had once more been held open in
that Brennon was a friend of Agrippa's and con- invitation. He could not know that he was chas-
tinued to bring him frequent gifts of butter and ing a shadow. While waiting at Geneva he took
eggs merely for this reason (epistle 53, bk. 2). a second wife, a 19-year-old Swiss girl of noble
Brennon was to have visited Agrippa at family but no wealth named lana Loysa Tytia.
Cologne around Easter of 1520, bringing with Finally when Agrippa could no longer endure
him a manuscript he had secured with the title hanging in the air in Geneva waiting for a firm
De variis admirandisque animae humanae decision from the Duke of Savoy , he accepted
naturis (On the various and admirable nature of the job of physician to the town of Friburg in
the human soul) by the unidentified author October of 1522.
Marcus Damascenus. The visit was deferred, Aymon, his infant son by his second wife,
and it is not clear if Brennon ever went to he left with the Abbot Bonmont at Geneva, and
Cologne, but he sent Agrippa the manuscript, journeyed with his wife to the Swiss town of
which as late as 1523 Agrippa was still plan- Friburg early in 1523. Bonmont was godfather
ning to edit. It is from this document that he to Aymon, and supervised the early education
makes reference to Damascenus in the Occult of the boy. He also had ties to Friburg and
Philosophy (bk. I, chs. 58 and 65). At this helped make Agrippa's initial welcome a warm
same time a portion of the writings of the one. Bonmont wrote to Agrippa shortly after his
Abbot Trithemius, who had recently died, came arrival at Friburg : "As for our little son Aymon,
into Agrippa's hands, and he looked forward to I wish you to be under no anxiety about him, for
discussing them with Brennon. he is to me as my own son, and no help or
Early in 1521 Agrippa's wife died after labour of mine shall be wanting to train the boy
suffering a lingering, painful illness. He was in the right way and make a man of him" (epis-
just at this time returning to Metz to clear up tle 39, bk. 3).
business that remained unfinished after his Agrippa found happiness at Friburg. Here
hasty departure from that city. Whether his wife he was treated with respect as a scholar and pro-
accompanied him on this journey and died on gressive thinker, as he was generally throughout
the way, or whether Agrippa carried her corpse Switzerland. His duties consisted not only of
to Metz to be buried beside the body of their medicine, but as an aid to the magistrates of the
infant daughter, is unclear. In either case she town, and he was often employed on political
was laid to rest in the Church of Saint Cross at business.
 The Life of Agrippa / xxvii

As is so often the case in life, when he had to his first wife. In it he advocates marriage for
no need of employment, offers began to come love, and as an eternal bond:
in. He turned down a place with the Duke of
Bourbon; but when it was proposed to him that Whoever has taken to himself an only wife,
let him cherish her with love inviolate and
he become court physician to the Queen
constant mindfulness to the last moment of
Mother of France, Louise of Savoy, he suc- life ; let father, mother, children, brothers
cumbed to temptation. The pay at Friburg was and sisters, give place to her: let the whole
meager-what the good Swiss burgers lacked concourse of friends give place to the
in coin they made up for in respect. But good-will established between man and
Agrippa could not ensure the future of his new wife. Truly, so should they; for father,
mother, children, brothers, sisters, rela-
family on compliments. He was now 38 years tions, and friends, are gifts of nature and of
old. His wife had borne him two children and fortune; man and wife are a mystery of
was pregnant with a third. Perhaps he had God. (quoted by Morley 2:89)
reached the pragmatic age when he could no
longer turn aside from the prospect of financial Perhaps hoping for some favor, Agrippa
security. In March or April of 1524 he reluc- dedicated his treatise on marriage to the French
tantly left Friburg and traveled to Lyons , king 's sister, Margaret of Valois, who would
France. By early May he was settled in Lyons soon be better known by her married name,
with his second wife and two children. Margaret of Navarre. She is remembered as the
The Queen Mother was a narrow-minded author of a collection of ribald tales called the
Catholic utterly opposed to the reforms of Mar- Heptameron, which is still read today-a rare
tin Luther. She was also parsimonious and accomplishment for a French noblewoman of
avaricious to the point of criminality. Just four the 16th century. Anyone who has read the
years earlier she had embezzled 400,000 Heptameron will appreciate at once that its
crowns intended to pay Swiss mercenaries, con- loose morality was completely at odds with
tributing to the expulsion of the French from Agrippa 's strict precepts on marriage. She was
Italy. Neither was she a woman to forgive a more likely to regard his gift as an indirect cen-
slight easily. All this Agrippa learned to his sor- sure of her way of life. In acknowledgement of
row. But in the first months of his residency at the dedication she sent Agrippa the sum of 20
Lyons he had hope before him. gold pieces , but never received him into her
Around this time he probably wrote his inner circle.
Commentary on the Ars Brevis of Raymond Years later the sentiments expressed in the
Lully. He was studying Lully, the Kabbalah treatise would induce the Queen of England,
and astrology, and soon drew a circle of literary Catherine of Aragon , to ask Agrippa to come to
friends around him while he waited at Lyons. England and defend her against the divorce
At the end of July 1525 , Agrippa's wife being forced upon her by Henry VIII. However
gave birth to a third son, Agrippa's fourth. His at this late time in his life Agrippa had given up
only daughter by his second wife had already putting his trust in queens, and had no desire to
died in infancy. King Francis had been defeated antagonize yet another king- he would decline
by the Duke of Bourbon and imprisoned in her request.
Spain, making Louise the regent of France in Waiting at Lyons began to stretch his meager
his absence. Toward the end of August she trav- resources to their breaking point. He had been
eled to Spain to visit her son, leaving Agrippa promised money, but could not wring it out of the
still at Lyons, grasping at the slippery promises Queen Mother's treasurer, Barguyn. A letter writ-
of her courtiers. ten to John Chapelain, one of the French king's
Having time on his hands, he produced the physicians, asking that he plead Agrippa's case
treatise De Sacramento Matrimonii Dec/amatio , before Louise, reveals Agrippa's state of mind:
which was probably written as a private tribute "Go to her, fasten on her, seize her, ask her, con-
xxviii / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

jure her, compel her, torment her: add prayers, remain at this place or quit it; here, there-
entreaties, complaints, sighs, tears and whatever fore , I live with my large family as a pil-
grim in a caravansary, and that the most
else there is by which people are stirred" (epistle
expensive of all towns, under a load of
6, bk. 4). He is laughing at his distress, but there is charges, subject to no little loss. You write
a hysterical note to his laughter. that the Queen will some day comply with
A more serious letter lays out clearly how my request; but that she is always slow-
unfortunate his position had become: slow also in your affairs. What if in the
mean time I perish? Truly, so slow a for-
Your letter, written on the twenty-ninth of tune cannot save me, mighty goddess as she
is. Perhaps you will say I should propitiat.e
June, my dearest Chapelain, I received on
her with some sacrifice-a ram, or a bull,
the seventh of July , and learn from it that
and those of the fattest-that her wings
our friend Barguyn has referred the pay-
may grow, and she may fly to me the faster;
ment of my salary to one Antony Bullion,
but so extreme is my want of everything,
of Lyons. If Barguyn wished me well, as
you write that he does, and desired my that I could not find her a cake or a pinch of
frankincense. (Epistle 25, bk. 4)
money to be paid to me, he would not have
referred me to that Antony whom he knew
to be absent from here, but either to Martin Agrippa did what odd labor he could come
of Troyes, as was arranged, or to some by to feed his family , while running up debts. A
other, either resident here or passing courtier asked him for an astrological predic-
through the town. On the day that I received
your letter I went with M. Aimar de Beau-
tion. This he sent, but left no doubt as to his
jolois, a judge, a polished man, and one of own opinion of those who let the courses of the
my best friends here, and had some trouble stars determine their actions:
in meeting with Thomas Bullion, the
brother of Antony; he did not altogether Why do we trouble ourselves to know
deny that he had orders to pay me, but said whether man's life and fortune depend on
he was ordered to pay in these words: if he the stars? To God, who made them and the
found that he could,-ifthere remained any heavens, and who cannot err, neither do
money with him. At last he said he would wrong, may we not leave these things,-
refer again to his instructions, and that I content, since we are men, to attain what is
should have an answer from him the next within our compass, that is to say, hum an
morning. On the next day, therefore, when knowledge? But since we are also Christ-
we anxiously called many times upon the ian and believe in Christ, let us trust to God
man, he hiding at home, feigned _absence, our Father hours and moments which are in
until at a late hour of the night we departed, His hand . And if these things depend not
having made a very close acquaintance on the stars, astrologers, indeed, run a vain
with his door. On the next day, however, course, But the race of man, so timorous, is
the before-mentioned judge meets him, readier to hear fables of ghosts and believe
questions him on my behalf, and presses in things that are not, than in things that
him: he replies that he will come over are, Therefore, too eager in their blindness,
shortly to my house and settle with me they hurry to learn secrets of the future,
about the stipend; and, with that falsehood, and that which is least possible (as the
securing an escape, in the same hour he return of the deluge) they believe the most;
mounted his horse and rode away, as it was so, also, what is least likely they believe
said, to join the court. You see how we are most readily of the astrologers, as that the
played with! Think of me fought against on destinies of things are to be changed by
every side by sorrows-by griefs, indeed, planning from the judgements of astrol-
greater and more incessant than I care to ogy-a faith that, beyond doubt , serves to
write. There is no friend here to help me; all keep those practitioners from hunger.
comfort me with empty words; and the (Epistle 8, bk. 4)
court title, which should have brought me
honour and profit, aggravates my hurt, by
adding against me envy to contempt. Held In the summer of 1526 the Queen Mother
in suspense by this continual hope, to this herself requested an astrological prediction con-
hour no messenger has told me whether to cerning the outcome of a war between her son,
 The Life of Agrippa / xxix

Francis I, and the forces of Bourbon and would become more specific. The French chron-
Emperor Charles Y, who had succeeded Maxim- icler Claude Bellievre wrote that in May of 1527
ilian in 1520. Agrippa could scarcely contain his Agrippa forecast from the heavens the death of
disgust and self-loathing. Having swallowed his Francis I within six months.
great pride and allowed the lackeys of the Queen What Agrippa did not know was that for
to keep him lingering about on promises like a some time Louise had been intercepting and
dog for two years without the least payment, reading his letters to members of her court, let-
Louise was now showing her true opinion of his ters that frequently contained none too flattering
worth. He was to be court astrologer. This was remarks about herself. He may have begun to
intolerable. suspect what would have been plain to a man of
He wrote to his friend Chapelain: a less innocent mind, that the Queen Mother and
her court were laughing at his predicament, and
I am in the right way to become a prophet, had no intention of ever fulfilling their promises.
and obey my mistress; I wish I may predict In September Agrippa's wife suffered an
her something pleasant, but what pleasant
prophecies are you to get out of the furies attack of double tertian fever. She was pregnant
and Hecate? All the mad prophets of antiq- at the time. Under this load of cares Agrippa
uity foresaw nothing but murder, slaughter, completed his Uncertainty and Vanity of Sci-
war, and havoc, and I know not how mad ences. He was also at work on a treatise about
people can foresee other than the works of a war engines called Pyromachy, as this extract
madman. I fear, then, that I shall prophesy
from a letter shows:
in this way, unless some good Apollo, chas-
ing off the furies , visit me with his light in
beams of gold. But I will mount the tripod, I have been writing in these last days a vol-
prophesy, or guess, and send the result ere ume of some size, which I have entitled "On
long to the Princess, using those astrologi- the Uncertainty and Vanity of Sciences, and
cal superstitions by which the Queen shows on the Excellence of the Word of God." If
herself so greedy to be helped-using them, ever you see it, I think you will praise the
as you know, unwillingly, and compelled plan, admire the treatment, and consider it
by her violent prayers. I have written, how- not unworthy of his majesty [Francis I, King
ever, to the Seneschal that he should of France]: but I do not mean to dedicate it
admonish her no longer to abuse my talent to that king, for the work has found one who
by condemning it to such unworthy craft, is most desirous to become its patron, and
nor force me any more to stumble through most worthy so to be. But I am writing now
this idle work, when I am able to be helpful on Pyromachy, and not so much writing as
to her with more profitable studies. (Epistle experimenting, and I have now at my house
29, bk.4) buildings and models of machines of war,
invented by me, and constructed at no little
cost; they are both useful and deadly, such
Agrippa's anger was understandable. He as (I know) this age has not yet seen .... "
was ip the maturity of his intellectual develop- (Epistle 41 , bk. 4)
ment, schooled in many arts and sciences, with a
broad understanding of men and the world. Had The construction of siege engines shows
Louise chosen to make him her advisor on affairs that Agrippa was still chasing the chimerical
of state, she could hardly have found a more able favor of kings and princes. The Uncertainty and
counselor. Instead she wanted him to play the Vanity of Sciences was eventually dedicated to a
court fool and tell her exactly what she wished to friend, Augustine Furnario, a citizen of Genoa.
hear, disregarding his own true judgment. Not Whether this is the person intended in the letter
only was Agrippa imprudent enough to let it be is not certain, but likely. Pyromachy was
known that he considered the stars favorable to intended as a gift for King Francis when, and if,
the cause of Bourbon, but he was even prognos- he ever came to Lyons.
ticating, privately if not publicly, the demise of While out walking in Saint James Church
Louise ' s son. The following year his prediction on October 7, 1526, he fell into casual conver-
xxx / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

sation with a stranger and told the man his The Queen Mother was not through laugh-
expectation daily of payment from the royal ing at her German physician and astrologer. It
treasurer. The man replied: "I serve in the was December 6 before Agrippa was finally
office of Barguyn the treasurer, and as a friend able to leave Lyons. He traveled to Paris, on
I warn you not to be misled by any false sug- route to Antwerp, but was delayed in Paris for
gestion, but to take thought for some better six months seeking the necessary papers to
way of prospering. A very little while ago I leave France. At least he had one hope to cher-
saw your name struck off the pension-list" ish. There was a prospect of obtaining the
(epistle 5, bk. 4) . patronage of Margaret of Austria, which he had
This revelation shook Agrippa like a bolt of sought in vain so many years earlier.
lightning. At once he saw his own folly. He When his household goods were detained
sheds his bitterness on Chapelain, the physician at Antwerp, Agrippa was forced to cross the
of King Francis: border alone to gain their release , leaving his
wife and family in Pari s. Hi s wife, preg nant yet
Hear what rules I have prescribed for again , fell sick. There was no money to procure
myself if ever I am tempted to return to the
court service: to make myself a proper medical help. A relation wrote Agrippa at
courtier, I will flatter egregiously, be spar- Antwerp informing him of this latest trouble.
ing of faith, profuse of speech, ambiguous Agrippa was at wit' s end:
in counsel , like the oracles of old; but I
will pursue gain, and prefer my own Alas! What do you announce, my dearest
advantage above all things: I will cultivate cousin? My dearest wife labouring under
no friendship save for money 's sake; I will so perilous a disease, and she with child .
be wise to myself, praise no man except and I absent , who had scarce ly been able
through cunning, decry any man you at great ri sk of my life to depart alone,
please. I will thrust forth whom I can, that that at last I might find means to bring
I may take what he is forced to leave, will into safety her who is to me my only soul,
place myself on half a dozen seats, and my spirit, my wit , my sa lvation, my life?
despise everyone who offers me his hos- Ah me , how wretchedly this die has
pitality but not his money, as a barren tree. fallen! I am here now in wretched agony.
I will have faith in no man 's word, in no My wife is at Pari s. mi serably perishing.
man 's friendship; I will take all things ill and I cannot come near her with any
and brood on vengeance; the Prince only I solice; my children are in tears, the whole
will watch and worship, but him I will flat-
family mourn , and thi s sword passes
ter, I will agree with, I will infest, only
through her soul. Oh that I only could
through fear or greed of my own gain ."
bear the hurt and she be safe! What shall I
(Epistle 53 , bk. 4)
do? Whither shall I turn ? Whom shall I
implore? Except yo urself I have no one.
Early in May, 1527, Agrippa' s wife gave (Epistle 55 , bk. 5)
birth to a fourth son, Agrippa's fifth . He finally
asked permission to leave France with his fam - This was the low point of the present cycle.
ily in July. He had given up all hope of receiv- His wife recovered. On November 5, 1528, hi s
ing anything from Louise: family was able to make their way to Mechlin,
where Agrippa joined them . They proceeded to
Take care never to address to me again as
Antwerp.
Counsellor, or Queen 's Physician. I detest
thi s title. I condemn all hope it ever raised Antwerp was a happier climate than Lyons.
in me. I renounce all fealty that I ever Agrippa found friends there and was received
swor~ to her. She never more shall be mis- into honorable families. He began to practice his
tress of mine (for already she has ceased to trade of medicine, quickly gaining a renown that
be so), but I have resolved to think of her
spread beyond the confines of the city. The royal
as some atrocious and perfidious Jezebel, if
she thus heeds rather dishonest words than court took notice. Margaret of Austria, favorably
honest deeds. (Epistle 62 , bk. 4) impressed by both Agrippa 's skill and hi s wife's
 The Life of Agrippa / xxxi

charms, appointed Agrippa to the post of Indi- house, against the days that were coming to
ciary Councillor, or Councillor in the matter of us, when on the last St. Law rence's day a
violent pestilential fever attacked her, with
the Archives, and Historiographer to the
abscess of the groi n ... woe is me, no
Emperor, in January of 1529. At the same time remedies availed, and on the seventh day,
Agrippa obtained license to print and retain the which was the seve nth of August, at about
copyright in hi s own works for six years. nine in the morning, with great difficulty,
The long delayed printing of the treati se but a clear intellect, a soul firm towards
God and an innocent conscience, while we
On the Nohility and Pre-eminence oJ Women at stood round she rendered up her spirit, the
last occurred along with some other minor plague pouring itself through the entire
works. Agrippa's wife gave birth to yet another body in large blotches. (Epistle 81, bk. 5)
son on March 13, her fifth son and Agrippa 's
sixth-but the family consisted of five boys, The plague raged through ' the city of
one son, probably the eldest by hi s first wife, Antwerp. Agrippa remained to treat the sick
having died while in France. Pupil s were sent to while the more timid local physicians fled to the
Agrippa for instruction , so largely had his fame countryside. After the pestilence began to abate
spread. One was Johann Wierus, citizen of the physicians of the city accused Agrippa of
Gravelines, who in hi s De prfRs tigiis dfRmonum practicing medicine without the proper creden-
was later to give a biographical sketch of tial s and forced him to desist, depriving him of
Agrippa. It is significant that Wier, like most his main source of income. They were moti-
men who knew Agrippa intimately, spoke of vated, one suspects, more by shame at their own
him only in terms of highest respect and refuted cowardice and jealousy of Agrippa's methods
the lies told against him . of treatment than concern for his patients.
In July 1529, Agrippa had both the lei sure The publication of Agrippa's works, so
and the money to take up the practice of long in manuscript, began in ernest in 1530. In
alchemy. He writes concerning a slow di stilla- September he publi shed hi s Uncertainty and
tion th at must be watched carefully in hi s labo- Vanity oj Sciences . He had previously printed,
ratory (epi stle 73, bk. 5). Thi s interest was not in accordance with hi s official position as hi sto-
new . In 1526 the curate of Saint Cross at Metz, riographer, the Historieffe oj the Recent Douhle
Jehan Rogier Brennonius, had written concern- Coronation oJthe Emperor at Bologna hy Pope
ing the doings of an alchemist he calls "our Clement VII. His patron , Margaret of Austria,
Tyrius," a clockmaker by profession, who "has died at the end of 1530, at age 52, and Agrippa
di scovered a sweet water in which every metal composed her funeral oration.
is easily dissolved by the heat of the sun" (epis- In February of 153 1 the first edition of the
tle 27 , bk. 4). It is only in Antwerp that Agrippa Occult Philosophy issued from the press of John
was able to seriously study this fascinating sub- Graphreus of Antwerp, paid for, there is every
ject. Thi s may have been when he attempted the reason to believe, out of Agrippa's own pocket.
manufacture of gold, with only middling suc- Although it bears the title Agrippa's Three
cess (see Occult Philosophy. bk. I, ch. 14). Books oj Occult Philosophy . and carries the
Hi s happiness was shattered by the death of index to the entire work , it ends at the close of
his second wife from plague on August 7, 1529. the first book. The work is dedicated to Her-
Thi s struck him , if possible, even more deeply mann, Archbishop of Cologne, who had earlier
than the loss of his first wife: shown some kindness to Agrippa. .
With the death of Margaret of Austria he
Ah. she is lost to me. and dead, but eternal was sorely in need of a patron. The publication
glory covers her. She had been well for of the Uncertainty and Van ity oj Sciences had
nearly a whole month. was in all things
stirred the ire of courtiers, priests, and other
prosperous and joyous, fortune smi ling on
us from all sides, and a lready we were high officials, all of whom it satirizes unmerci-
engaged in furnishing a new and larger fully. The further issuing of the Occult Philoso-
xxxii / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

phy laid Agrippa open to accusations that he says not a word about her. The reason is not dif-
was a sorcerer. Before there had been suspi- ficult to di scover. She was unfaithful. The
cions-now there was, so his enemies believed, French satiri st Rabelais, with a ston y Gallic
printed proof. heart, mocks Agrippa for hi s blindness to his
It will perhaps come as no surprise to those young bride 's infamy:
who have read this hi story down to thi s point
that Agrippa's promised salary as official histo- Hard by here, in the Brown-w heat-Island ,
dwelleth Her Trippa; yo u know how by the
riographer, along with the expenses he incurred
Arts of Astrology, Geomancy, C hi ro -
fulfilling hi s duties, was never paid. No wonder mancy, Metopomancy, and others ora like
princes were wealthy, since they never paid stuff and nature, he foretelleth all things to
their bill s! Although Margaret had ordered the come: Let us talk a little, and confe r wi th
treasurers to pay, they had delayed, and now she him about yo ur Business. Of that
(answered Panurge) I know nothing : But of
was dead. Agrippa petitioned the Emperor
this much conce rning him I am ass ured,
Charles V with such tenacity over the monies that one day, and that not long since, whilst
owed him, the emperor was on the point of hav- he was prating to the Great King, of Creles-
ing him executed to be rid of his nui sance. Two tial , Sublime, and Transce nden t Things,
cardinals, pleading Agrippa 's case, were able to the Lackqueys and Footboys of the Court,
upon the upper Steps of Stairs betwee n two
sooth his royal irritation for the moment. The
Doors, jumbled, one after another. as ofte n
priests had been very active against Agrippa, as they listed, his Wife: who is passable
something he only at thi s late date began to fair, and a pretty snug Hussie. Thus he who
appreciate fully. seemed very clearly to see a ll Heaven ly
He had been living on borrowed money in and Terrestri al Things without Spectacles,
who di scoursed boldly of Adventures past.
expectation of his salary . Now that there was no
with great confidence opened up present
salary, hi s creditors closed in around him. Most Cases and Accidents, and stoutl y professed
of hi s closest friends were far removed. In vain the presaging of all future Events and Con-
he asked the privy council of the Emperor either tingenc ies, and was not able with all the
to give enough of the monies due him to pay off Skill and Cunning th at he had, to perceive
the Bumbas ting of his Wife, whom he
hi s creditors, or grant him an order of liberty so
reputed to be very chas t: and hath not till
that he could eam money to pay them off by hi s thi s Hour, got Notice of any thin g to the
own exertions. The council referred him to the contrary (Gargan /ua. 3:25).
emperor. For seven months he dogged the heels
.of Charles begg ing for money to maintain hi s Three short years later he would divorce
family. "The Emperor had been made deaf to thi s woman at Bonn.
him, stood as a statue to his supplications; cared Forced to leave Mechlin because of an
no more, he says, for hi s incessant cry than for unfair tax from which the Emperor would not
the croaking of a thirsty frog" (Morley 2:272-3). grant him exemption, he traveled in spring 1532
In June of 1531 Agrippa was thrown into to Poppelsdoft at the invitation of the Archbishop
jail in Brussels by one of his creditors. Hi s of Cologne, who kindl y requested that Agrippa
friends soon secured his release, but it must have stay for a time at hi s residence. At least Agrippa
been a humiliating blow to the feelings of so had chosen one dedication of his works wisely.
proud a man. Some solace came with a written The archbishop was pleased with the Occult Phi-
guarantee, affixed with the emperor's seal, of a losophy. Most in need of a patron, Agrippa had a
small salary. Alas, this too was only a promise. single one remaining in the world who would not
Agrippa retired to a small house in Mechlin in desert him. Meanwhile in Cologne the printing of
December, 1531 , which he could just barely the first edition of the complete three books of
afford on the promi sed, but not given, pension. the Occult Philosophy was under way.
At Mechlin he took to wife a native of the The publication of hi s writings had the
town , says Johann Wierus. Agrippa himself same effect on hi s critics as a stick thrust up a
 The Life of Agrippa / xxxiii

nest of wasps. Attempts were made to prohibit When he applied for his pension , guaran-
the sale and reading of the Uncertainty and Van- teed by the royal seal, he was mocked. The offi-
ity of Sciences. Agrippa himself was accused of cials of the Duke of Brabant said that since he
impiety, which was at the time a capital crime, had left his residence at Mechlin he had in
punishable by death. The Emperor Charles V effect given up hi s office, and was entitled to no
demanded that he recant all the impeached opin- money. It did no good for Agrippa to argue that
ions found by the monks of Louvain in his writ- he still maintained a house in the town, and that
ings. Having received the accusations made he was historiographer to Charles V, not the
against him, he prepared a defense in late Janu- Duke of Brabant or the Count of Flanders. It did
ary 1532 and delivered it to the Head of the Sen- no good. The petty officials who controlled the
ate at Mechlin. Ten months passed and still his purse knew well enough the emperor would not
name had not been cleared. He declined the intercede on Agrippa's behalf.
demand of the emperor that he publicly recant, In 1532 he moved both his family and his
saying: "For the Emperor cannot condemn one library to Bonn. There were still battles to be
whom the law hath not judged ... " His defense, fought. The Dominican monks held up the
the Apology, was printed in 1533. release of the complete edition of the Occult
Having weathered all manner of storms in Philosophy . One of their number, Conrad Colyn
his life, the scholar was philosophical about this of Ulm, the Inquisitor of Cologne, denounced
latest assault: the books in the strongest terms. Happily the
Archbishop of Cologne , to whom the books
[ am condemned-unheard-of tyranny- were dedicated, had power within hi s own
before defense is heard, and to this tyranny sphere. Agrippa delivered a spirited defen se of
the Emperor is provoked by superstitious
monks and sophists. [ have carried my the work before the magi strates of Cologne,
mind written on my face, and wish the making the point that the books had been
Emperor to know that [ can sell him neither approved by the whole council of the emperor,
smoke nor oil. But I have lived honestly, and were to appear under imperial privilege.
hav ing no reason to blush for my own The books duly were printed in 1533 .
deeds, and little to blame in fortune, except
that [ was born into the serv ice of ungrate- It is worth considering briefly the circum-
ful kings. My folly and impiety have been, stances that allowed the Occult Philosophy to
[ own, worthy of condemnation, in that, appear before the world . The books were dedi-
against the warning of the Scriptures, [have cated to Hermannus, Archbishop of Cologne,
put my trust in princes. [ wished to live as a who had a firm friendship for their author and
philosopher in courts where art and litera-
ture are unhonoured, unrewarded. If [ am an admiration for the work itself. Hermann ,
not wise, surely it is herein that I am most Agrippa's last patron on earth, happened to be a
foolish, that [ have trusted my well-being reformer, at odds with the Church establish-
into the power of another, and, anxious and ment. The work was publi shed in Cologne
uncertain of my future, rested hope on those under his power, and Cologne was also the
whose deeds I find unequal to their
promises. Truly I am ashamed now of my hereditary city of Agrippa 's family, allowing
lack of wisdom. (Querela super cailimnia. Agrippa to draw support from a variety of
as quoted by Morley 2:30 I) sources. Finally , Agrippa had the good fortune
to possess imperial approval of the work,
These thoughts, the summary of a turbulent obtained under the favor of Margaret of Austria.
life, appear in the last work ever written by In the same year Agrippa's Commentary on
Agrippa, hi s Complaint Against the Calumny of the Ars Brevis of Raymond Lully was also
the Monks and Schoolmen . It was printed printed at Cologne, along with the Disputation
together with the Apology in 1533. Much of the Touching the Monogamy of Anne, Agrippa's
fire is spent, the virulence softened, replaced by defense of the views of Faber d'Etaples, written
a clarity of vision and a quiet sadness. in 1519.
xxxiv / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

The life of our wandering scholar was title of The FOllrlh Boo/.: of Ihe OCCIIII Phi-
winding to a close. The summer of 1533 he losophy. or of Magical Ceremonies. which
pretends likewise to be a Key to the three
spent in holiday with Hermannus at Wisbaden.
former books of the OCCIIII Philosophy.
The following year he was a resident at Bonn. In and all kinds of magical operations." (De
spring of 1535 he divorced his third wife at prIRsligiis c/IRmOllllm)
Bonn. The small amount of money given him by
the archbishop enabled him to feed and clothe Concerning the Lyons edition , Henry Mor-
his boys, but little more. All the while the wrath ley says that the Uncertainty and Vanity of Sci-
of his enemies continued to beat against him ences was extensively cut to appease the
unabated. Emperor Charles V, at the urging of censors (Morley 2:317).
the Dominicans, had sentenced him to death as a The preceding account of the life of
heretic. Agrippa was able to flee in time into Agrippa is drawn mainly from the two-volume
France, where the emperor, without renouncing biography by Henry Morley, The Life of Henry
the death sentence, condemned him to exile. Cornelius Agrippa. published by Chapman and
As soon as he crossed into France, King Hall, London, 1856. Morley, in turn, has
Francis caused him to be cast into prison. derived almost all of his biographical material
Agrippa's friends were able to procure his from a close reading of Agrippa's letters as they
release. He wandered for a few months, trying to appear in the Latin Opera of Lyons. It is indeed
make his way to Lyons where he could publish fortunate that these letters have survived. Had
his letters, along with his collected works. No they not, we would today know as little about
doubt he was still battling vainly to salvage his Agrippa as we know about Shakespeare.
wrecked reputation, and wanted to lay the story There is a second, scattered and unofficial
of his life before the world. Before he reached account of Agrippa's life made up of the fables
Lyons he fell sick. He was received into the and slanders penned by credulous monks. For
house of a M. Vachon, the Receiver-General of example, when Agrippa mentions in one of his
the Province of Dauphine, which stood in the letters (epistle 9, bk. I) that he must stop at Avi-
Rue des Clercs in Grenoble. There, alone among gnon for a time in order to make some money
strangers in a hostile land, beset on all sides by before he can continue his journey to Lyons,
his enemies , at the untimely age of 49, he died. this was interpreted to mean that he set up his
His corpse was laid to rest within a convent of alchemical apparatus and manufactured gold. It
Dominicans, his most hated enemies. is true that Agrippa dabbled in alchemy. But he
He must have known that his end was near was probably more concerned with finding use-
and made arrangements for his manuscripts to be ful medicinal extracts than the philosopher's
carried to Lyons and given into the hands of his stone. He says himself in the Occult Philosophy
publisher. Shortly after his death his collected (I: 14) on the making of gold: "And we know
works along with his letters were published at how to do that, and have seen it done: but we
Lyons. These formed the first edition of the Latin could make no more gold, than the weight of it
Opera which is most often consulted today. was, out of which we extracted the Spirit." This
A spurious Fourth Book of Occult Philoso- is hardly a prescription for getting rich.
phy was added after the original three, but It was also said by Martin Del Rio (in his
Agrippa's faithful pupil, Johann Wierus, Disquisitionum magicarum lihri sex. first edi-
denounced it as an imposture: tion, Louvain, 1599-1600) and others that
Agrippa paid his inn bills with bits of horn,
To these may very justly be added, a work casting a glamour over them so that they
lately published [1567], and ascribed to my
appeared to those who received them to be
late honoured host and preceptor. Henry
Cornelius Agrippa, who has been dead coins until Agrippa was safely away, at which
more than forty years; whence I conclude it time they changed back to their true appear-
is unjustly ascribed to his manes. under the ance. But this fable is told of a number of magi-
 The Life of Ag"rippa / xxxv

cians such as Faust and Simon Magus. with him in the form of a black female dog.
The most famous story is a variation on the This familiar traveled far and wide in the twin-
tale of the sorcerer's apprentice. It was probably kling of an eye and brought Agrippanews of all
inspired, as Lynn Thorndike notes (History of the happenings around the world, informing
Magic, 5:8: 136, n. 35) by a remark of Wierus, him of wars, plagues, floods and other signifi-
who says that once as a young pupil of Agrippa cant events. This story, like the other, is
he had copied several pages of his master's man- founded upon a kernel of truth. Agrippa was
uscript edition of the Steganographia of inordinately fond of dogs and kept them with
Trithemius without Agrippa's knowledge (De him wherever he went. Wierus says that when
prf£stigiis df£monum, 2:6). Del Rio, using this he knew Agrippa, his master had two dogs, a
germ to inspire his fancy , relates these events: black male named Monsieur and a bitch named
Mamselle. Agrippa was very affectionate
This happened to Cornelius Agrippa at Lou- towards Monsieur and used to pet and fondle
vain. He had a boarder who was too curious,
him excessively, allowed the dog to remain
and Agrippa having gone somewhere, had
given the keys of his muse um to the wife beside his chair when he ate and even took the
whom he afterwards divorced, forbidding dog onto his bed at night. This was in the period
her to allow anyone to enter. This thought- after Agrippa had divorced his third wife in
less youth did not omit"in season and out of 1535. Probably he was very lonely.
season, to entreat the woman to give him the
means of entering, until he gained his Wierus writes: " And when Agrippa and I
prayer. Having entered the museum, he fell were eating or studying together, thi s dog
upon a book of conjurations-read it. Hark! always lay between us" (De prf£stigiis
there is knocking at the door; he is dis- df£monum , 2:5). Bodin, in hi s Demonomanie,
turbed; but he goes on with his reading;
twists this innocent remark, inferring that
some one knocks again; and the unmannerly
youth answering nothing to this, a demon Agrippa and Wierus were homosexual lovers
enters, asks why is he called? What is it and that the dog, which he assumes wrongly to
commanded him to do? Fear stifles the have been a bitch, lay between them in their bed
youth's voice, the demon his mouth, and so (De /a Demonomanie des Sorciers, 1580 edi-
he pays the price of his unholy curiosity. In
tion, 219-20). From the E/ogia of Joviu s we
the mean time the chief magician returns
home, sees the devil s dancing over him, learn that the collar of the dog was insc ribed
uses the accustomed arts, they come when with magical characters.
called, explain how the thing happened, he The explanation for Agrippa 's wide and
orders the homicide spirit to enter the timely knowledge of world events is obvious to
corpse, and to walk now and then in the
market-place (where other students were
anyone who examines the Opera , He was an
accustomed frequently to meet), at length to incurable letter writer, corresponding with a
quit the body. He walks three or four times, wide range of educated and prominent men
then falls; the demon that had stirred the throughout Europe. There was hardly a better
dead limbs taking flight. It was long thought way to keep abreast of events in the early 16th
that thi s youth had been seized with sudden
death , but signs of suffocation first begot century, when travel was slow and communica-
suspicion, afterwards time divulged all. tions uncertain, than by writing letters.
His death was glossed by his enemies with
Morley, who quotes thi s tale (2:314-5), the same scandalous lies. A priest named
says that Del Rio lifted it whole from an earlier Thevet wrote:
work publi shed in Latin, Italian, French and
Spanish, which bore the title in French of The- At last, having betaken himself to Lyons,
very wretched, and deprived of his faculties.
atre de /a Nature, in Italian of Stroze Cicogna ,
he tried all the means that he could to live,
and in Spanish of Va/derama. waving, as dexterously as he could, the end
Another fable that enjoyed wide commerce of his stick, and yet gained so little, that he
was that Agrippa kept a familiar demon always died in a miserable inn, disgraced and
xxxvi / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

abhorred before all the world, which weight in intellectual history nor is his book
detested him as an accursed and execrable on occult philosophy so important a work
magician, because he always carried about in the history of magic and experimental
with him as his companion a devil in the fig- science as one might think at first sight. He
ure of a dog, from whose neck, when he felt was not a person of solid learning, regular
death approaching, he removed the collar, academic standing, and fixed position, but
figured all over with magical characters, and rather one of those wayward geniuses and
afte rwards, being in a half-mad state, he intellectual vagabonds so common in the
drove it from him with these words: "Go, late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries.
vile beast, by whom I am brought utterly to (His(ory of Magic. 5:8: 127)
perdition." And afterwards this dog, which
had been so familiar with him, and been his Hi s chief objections to Agrippa appear to
ass iduous companion in his travels, was no
be that he was not a prominent faculty member
more seen; because, after the command
Agrippa gave him, he began to run towards of a major university , and that he prac ticed
the Saone, where he leapt in , and never medicine without a license . How it is possible
came out thence, for which reason it is to say he lacked learning, when his mind was so
judged that he was drowned there. (Por- far advanced above the stultified academic stan-
(rai(s e( Vies des Hommes lIIus(res. Paris
dards of his day, is difficult to understand . He
edition of 1584, 2:543)
may have lacked the dogmati sm and cant
acquired by a formal Church education, but he
The same ma n gives Agrippa this churlish
was hardly unlearned. Erasmus, with whom
epitaph, which is more of a condemnation of its
Agrippa corresponded, called him a "fiery
composer than of its subject:
genius" (Erasmus, Epistles. bk. 27). He criti-
This tomb, scarcely the graces keep, but the cized Agrippa for his lack of di scretion in hi s
black daughters of hell ; not the muses, but choice of subjects and hi s "disturbed" style, but
the furies with snakes spread abroad . Alecto thi s is not a slur against his learning, which is
collects the ashes, mixes them with aconite. not the same thing as education. Agrippa
and gives the welcome offering to be learned most of what he knew himse lf, from
devoured by the Stygian dog, who now cru-
elly pursues through the paths ofOrcus, and books, not teachers.
snatches at that of which when alive he was Regarding hi s lack of univers ity tenure,
the companion, and he leaps up at him. And Agrippa would have liked nothing better than to
he salutes the furies because he had known have remained permanently at Pavia. Political
them all , and he addressed each by her own events rendered thi s absolutely impossible, to
name. 0 wretched Arts, which afford only
hi s great sorrow . As for his lack of a medical
this convenience-that as a known guest he
can approach the Stygian waters. degree, what did such things mean at the begin-
ning of the 16th century? The fact that people
Long -winded and fooli sh though it is, the sought him out for remedies and advice sug-
sentiments expressed in thi s epitaph sum up the gests that he was at least as good a physician as
public memory of Cornelius Agrippa. Which, the quacks who killed according to ancient pre-
then , is stronger-truth, or the lies of malicious scription. During the plague at Antwerp he
fools? It is sad that despite the fact s of his life stayed in side the city healing those afflicted
being pl ain to a ll who seek them, thi s honorable while his better accredited colleagues fled . Had
and courageous man is still denigrated. he been less honest he might have grown rich in
The brief biographical sketch given by medicine , for which he obviously possessed a
Lynn Thorndike in his History of Magic great natural talent.
deserves special mention because of its surpris- What, then, can be said in memory of Cor-
ing malignity. He opens it: nelius Agrippa? He was a genius whose wide-
ranging mind refused to be bound by dogma.
Neither is Henry Cornelius Agrippa of All his life he courted Truth as a lover. and even
Nettesheim himself to be reckoned of much in his darkest days he never ceased to worship
 The Life of Agrippa / xxxvii

her. His courage, both physical and intellectual, sometimes outraced its discipline; and an inno-
was steadfast in times of trial. Always he cence of heart that caused him to take the word
behaved with honor. If he had faults, these were of other men as it was given. At hi s death he
a mind impatient with empty rules and mean- had no reason for shame. He left after him a
ingless forms, whose quickness and boldness book that has endured 500 years.
 On the Occult Philosophy

he first cohesive edition of the Three little book not to be scorned. and to be not

T Books of Occult Philosophy , or of

Magic , was written by Agrippa in the
latter part of 1509 and the beginning of
1510. While the ink was barely dry he sent it off
to the Abbot Trithemius for his approval. He had
wholly unwelcome to the learned. he will
edit also the other two. At present receive
this, and embrace with good will the most
occult mysteries and secrets of the divinest
things that are contained in it.
Fairwell.
visited Trithemius at his monastery of Saint
James at Wurtzburg in the spring of 1509 and the The work is prefixed with a copy of the
long discussions the two had held on occult mat- imperial privilege, dated January 7, 1529, grant-
ters were still fresh in his mind. The manuscript ing Agrippa six years copyright of the Occult
version read by Trithemius still exists Philosophy and other writings. It is dedicated to
(WUrzburg, Universitiitsbibliotek, MS. ch. q. 30). the Reverend Father in Christ, and most Illustri-
The first published edition appeared at ous Prince Hermann, Count of Wied, Archbish-
Antwerp (the work was also sold at Paris) from op of Cologne.
the press of John Graphreus in the month of The first complete edition was published at
February 1531, to be sold by him under the sign Cologne in July 1533 without the name of its
of the Lime Tree in the street Lombardenveste. place or printer. The printer was Soter and Het-
It is unnumbered, paged only by the lettering of orpius, but it was not considered necessary to
the sheets from A to V. The title is Agrippa's draw attention to this fact, because the book had
Three Books of Occult Philosophy. Although it encountered considerable resistance from the
contains the index to the complete three books, Inquisitor of Cologne, Conrad Colyn of Ulm.
it breaks off abruptly at the end of Book One This battle to publish is detailed by Henry Mor-
with this notice: ley in his Life of Agrippa, 2:305-10.
The English edition that is the text of the
To the Reader
present work bears the title Three Books of
Candid reader, the author of this most Occult Philosophy, Written by Cornelius Agrip-
divine work intended to bring to light also
the second and third book, which are pa of Nettesheim , Counsellor to Charles the
indeed promised to readers at the begin- Fifth, Emperor of Germany and Judge of the
ning of the work, but suddenly almost. and Prerogative Court, translated by J. F., London,
unexpectedly, the death of the sainted Mar- 1651. Morley calls it "the best of the English
garet. as well as other cares. changed his
translations," but adds that it "is not very com-
course. and compelled him to desist from
what he had begun. But it is not to be plete, and contains numerous blunders" (Mor-
doubted that when he has understood this ley I: 114-5, footnote). That it contains errors is

XXXIX
xl/THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

undeniable, but then, most of them are also con- literary pirate L. W. de Laurence from the 1897
tained in the edition included in the Latin Opera edition prepared by Wallis F. Whitehead, pub-
published at Lyons shortly after Agrippa's lished by E. Loomis and Co. It consists of the
death, which seems to be the source used in the first of the three books of the Occult Philosophy
translation. As for being incomplete, it corre- with a very brief and incomplete life of Agrippa
sponds more or less with the text of the version drawn from Morley. The text has modernized
in the Opera-I cannot speak for the edition of spelling and some punctuation modifications,
1533, which I have not seen. but is otherwise unchanged from the Freake
"J. F." are the initials of James Freake, text. It also contains a few (very few) footnotes,
according to the "List of Books Quoted" in the and a hodgepodge of occult trash appended to
Oxford English Dictionary, Compact Edition, the end from a variety of sources. I mention it
2:4101 (old edition). His first name is men- only because it was reprinted by University
tioned, not in the list, but in entries under vari- Books in 1974, and is the one text of the Occult
ous words-because of the many obscure words Philosophy, incomplete though it is, which was
in the Occult Philosophy, it is frequently cited relatively easy to obtain.
by the OED. Despite my efforts, and much to Agrippa had a clear, well-ordered mind.
my vexation, I have been able to locate no The structure of the Occult Philosophy is quite
information concerning James Freake in other logical, despite its tendency to jump from one
reference works. topic to another, and to treat single subjects in
After preparing this edition for the press, I several places. The larger structure follows the
ran across the assertion that the letters J.F. stand threefold division of the world established in
for James French (see the bibliography of Lay- the first sentence of the first chapter:
cock's Enochian Dictionary). According to the
OED' s "List of Books Quoted," John (not James) Seeing there is a threefold World, Elemen-
French is responsble for two alchemical works, tary, Celestial, and Intellectual, and every
inferior is governed by its superior, and
published in 1650 and 1651-which at least
receiveth the influence of the virtues there-
makes him a reasonable candidate for authorship of, so that the very original, and chief
of the 1651 English Occult Philosophy. Worker of all doth by angels, the heavens,
It is this English translation (I have seen no stars, elements, animals, plants, metals,
others) that formed the text of Francis Barrett' s and stones convey from himself the virtues
The Magus, or Celestial lntelligencer, pub- of his omnipotency upon us, for whose ser-
vice he made, and created all these things:
lished at London, 1801. Barrett' s book is made wise men conceive it no way irrational that
up of large blocks of plagiarized material from it should be possible for us to ascend by the
the Occult Philosophy, and the spurious Fourth same degrees through each World, to the
Book of Occult Philosophy. It contains nothing same very original World itself, the Maker
original. In no place does Barrett acknowledge of all things, the First Cause, from whence
all things are, and proceed; and also to
that his book was written by Cornelius Agrippa. enjoy not only these virtues, which are
Anyone coming upon The Magus, as I did already in the more excellent kind of
years ago, without a knowledge of the Occult things, but also besides these, to draw new
Philosophy, would be struck by the excellent virtues from above.
things in it. All its excellencies are Agrippa' s,
although the plates of the Occult Philosophy Book one concerns magic in the Natural or
have been elegantly redrawn, complete with Elementary World of stones, herbs, trees, met-
their original errors. Barrett himself deserves als, and so on; book two examines the Celestial
nothing but contempt. or Mathematical World, the influence of the
The Freake translation was also the basis heavens and numbers (the planets and stars,
for The Philosophy of Natural Magic, reprinted because they move according to strict mathe-
in Chicago, 1913, by the occult publisher and matical and geometrical relationships, are con-
 On the Occult Philosophy / xli

sidered part of mathematical magic); book three so freshly unearthed and vital, can transcend the
looks at the Intellectual World of pagan gods, arid cant and dogmatism of the Catholic school-
spirits, angels, devils, and the methods of cere- men. Yates comments: "Agrippa's occult phi-
monial magic used to interact with these beings, losophy is intended to be a very white magic. In
as well as with God. fact it is really a religion , claiming access to the
Agrippa 's system of magic is an amalgam highest powers, and Christian since it accepts
of Greek and Roman occultism drawn from the name of Jesus as the chief of the wonder-
classical sources such as Pliny the Elder, Ovid, working names" (ibid.).
Virgil, Apuleius, and of course Hermes Tris- The Occult Philosophy had an enormous
megistus, as well as later writers such as Ficino; influence on those seeking a mystical perception
and the medieval Jewish Kabbalah, derived of truth through the Art of magic. It was the fore-
from the writings of Reuchlin and Pico della most repository of practical knowledge, giving a
Mirandola. Agrippa was perhaps the first to host of names, associations and uses of spirits,
thoroughly blend and integrate these two occult occult characters and alphabets, sigils, herbs,
streams, which until that time were separate stones, symbols, colors, fumes, numbers,
(Neoplatonism had some influence on Jewish prayers, stars, beasts and other elements
Kabbalists, ·but the Kabbalah none at all on the employed magically. The major occult theses of
descendants of Neoplatonism). the classical world were set clearly forth, where
Frances A. Yates asserts that Agrippa often before they were only implied by exam-
regarded himself as a Christian Kabbalist after ples. The methods of the mysterious Kabbalah of
the model of Pico della Mirandola, who was the the Hebrews were explained in detail, all its
first to introduce the Kabbalah to non-Jewish secrets laid bare. In effect Agrippa had produced
western scholars. Maintaining the supremacy of the magical encyclopedia of the Renaissance, the
Christ, he follows Mirandola in substituting the handy one-volume reference source to all ques-
name of Jesus (lHSh VH) as the supreme name tions of a practical nature concerning magic.
of power, displacing the name Jehovah (IHVH) It would be difficult to exaggerate the
of the Jewish Kabbalists. influence the book has exerted down to the pre-
About the purpose behind the Occult Phi- sent day within the occult world. Those who
losophy she writes: "In fact, I believe Agrippa's denigrate it-Lynn Thorndike, for example,
aim is precisely that of providing the technical who calls it a "disappointing book"-are those
procedures for acquiring the more powerful and who have neither respect for, nor knowledge of,
'wonder-making' philosophy which Reuchlin the readers for whom it was written. The Occult
had called for, a philosophy ostensibly Neopla- Philosophy is a book about magic written for
tonic but including a mystical Hermetic-Cabal- magicians. It is a comprehensive textbook of
ist core" (Yates 1985,5: 46). the Art. Among European occultists it has
It is thus not accident or carelessness that served as the single most important guide for
causes elements of the Kabbalah to be scattered the past five centuries.
through all three of the books, but a deliberate Anyone who seriously looks at the methods
effort to energize with practical formulae and of modem magic, at least as it is worked in Eng-
procedures the classical philosophy, just then lish-speaking countries, will acknowledge that
re-emerging into the light of the Renaissance; they are foremostly based upon the teachings of
and also, as Yates perceives, to sanctify the the Golden Dawn, a Victorian magical society,
mysticism of the pagans. The Kabbalah was to and the writings of the magician Aleister Crow-
Agrippa the magic of God. ley. Crowley was a member of the Golden
There was a common s~ying in Agrippa's Dawn as a young man , and his magical system
time: "Learn Greek and tum heretic." This insu- is based upon Golden Dawn teachings with sur-
larity and bigotry he seeks to overcome, firm in prisingly few innovations. The Golden Dawn,
the faith that the wonders of the ancient world, in tum, used as its prirriary source for names of
xlii I THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

spirits, sigils, magic squares, and Kabbalistic single thread joins the ceremonial magic of the
methods the Occult Philosophy, or more prop- present day, which is being worked by many
erly speaking, Barrett's Magus, which is the thousands of people, with this magical
Occult Philosophy in a butchered form. Thus a encyclopedia of the Renaissance.
 Note on the Text

A
n effort was made to preserve the Reluctantly I have dispensed with the hap-
texture and quality of the Freake hazard capitalization and italics that pepper the
translation wherever this did not Freake edition. Although personally I find them
interfere with the clarity of Agrip- charming, they make a comprehension of the
pa's meaning. subject matter more difficult, and in some chap-
The spelling has been modernized, but ters this is difficult enough in itself. An excep-
where there was a choice between a modem tion has been made in the case of personal
form and an older form sti ll recognized in dic- names, which retain their italics in the body of
tionaries, the older form has been favored. The the text, though not in the quotations. Because
spelling of names and places, when modified by there are so many names, the italics are really
peculiarities of the period or typographical quite useful as a reference aid when scanning to
errors, has been corrected; but when there is locate a particular author quoted.
some doubt as to what person, place or thing is The greatest departure from the original text
intended, or where an older but accepted form of the translation has been the inclusion of para-
for a name is used, the original has generally graph breaks. Agrippa uses no paragraphing.
been retained, and reference made to it in the Freake paragraphs rarely-for example, chapter
notes at the end of the chapter. X of book II is more than nine pages long and
The antique punctuation has largely been consists of two paragraphs, the first less than a
left intact. It has its own logic which will page, the second more than eight pages. Even
become familiar to the reader with use . Emen- when Freake does break the text, he often does
dations were made where the system of punctu- so with no regard to the subject. Wherever pos-
ation established locally in a particular chapter sible I have retained the paragraphing of the
was arbitrarily violated, where obvious mis- original. The need to further break the text to
takes . or printing errors were committed, and rest the eye has made it possible to illuminate
where the punctuation actively interfered with Agrippa 's meaning through the logical and sys-
the sense of the text. tematic grouping of categories and ideas.

xliii
Heinricus Cornelius Agrippa \'on Nettesheim
 ThRee Books of
Occulr Philosophy
wRirren by
HenRY CORnelius AgRippa
of
Nerresheim

CounsellOR "CO ChaRles "Che Fif"Ch,

empeROR of CJeRmany:
AND
Judge of "Che PReRoga"Cive COURt:".

TRansla"Ced ou"C of "Che La"Cin in"Co "Che

english Tongue by J. FReake

Edited and Annotated by

Donald Tyson
 An encomium on rhe ThRee Books
of CORnelius AgRippa, Knighr
by
eugenius Phila1e-ches '

r:reat, glorious Pen-man! whom I

~ should not """,e,
The Ashes, and the Fire itself disclose,
But in his Emerald4 still he doth appear;
They are but Grave-clothes which he scatters
here.
Lest I might Seem to measure Thee by Fame. Who sees this Fire without his Mask, His Eye
Nature's Apostle, and her Choice High Priest, Must needs be swallowed by the Light, and die.
Her Mystical, and bright Evangelist.
How am I rapt when I contemplate Thee, These are the Mysteries for which I wept,
And wind myself above All that I see! Glorious Agrippa, where thy Language slept,
The Spirits of thy Lines infuse a Fire Where thy dark Texture made me wander far,
Like the World's Soul? which makes me thus Whiles through that pathless Night, I traced the
aspire: star,
I am unbodied by thy Books, and Thee, But I have found those Mysteries for which
And in thy Papers find my Ecstasy. Thy Book was more than thrice-piled o'er with
Or if I please but to descend a strain, Pitch.
Thy Elements 3 do screen my Soul again. Now a new East beyond the stars I see
I can undress my Self by thy bright Glass, Where breaks the Day of thy Divinity:
And then resume the Inclosure, as I was. Heaven states a Commerce here with Man, had
Now I am Earth, and now a Star, and then He
A Spirit; now a Star, and Earth again; But grateful Hands to take, and Eyes to see.
Or if I will but ramass all that be,
In the least moment I engross all Three. Hence you fond Schoolmen, that high truths
I span the Heaven and Earth, and things above, deride,
And which is more, join Natures with their And with no Arguments but Noise, and Pride;
Jove. You that damn all but what yourselves invent,
He Crowns my Soul with Fire, and there doth And yet find nothing by Experiment:
shine Your Fate is written by an Unseen Hand,
But like the Rainbow in a Cloud of mine. But his Three Books with the Three worlds 5
Yet there 's a Law by which I discompose shall stand.

xlvii
xlviii / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

NOLes-encomium

I. Eugenius Philalethes-The pen name of Thomas 2. World's Soul-see Appendix II.

Vaughan (see biographical note). This poem occurs in
his mystical alchemical work Anthroposophia Theo- 3. Thy Elements-see Appendix III.
magica (1650). Above the poem Vaughan says: "But
shall I not be counted a conjurer, seeing I follow the 4. his Emerald-see Appendix I.
principles of Cornelius Agrippa, that grand Archima-
gus, as the antichristian Jesuits call him? He indeed is 5. Three worlds-the natural, celestial, and intelli-
my author, and next to God lowe all that I have unto gible.
him" (Magical Writings o/Thomas Vaughan , ed. A.
E. Waite [London: George Redway, 1888], 33).
 The Life of HenRY
CORnelius AgRippa, Knighr

enry Cornelius Agrippa , descended the praise of love; the second on Hermes Tris-

H from a noble family of Nettesheim in

Belgia, Doctor of the Laws and
Physic, Master of the Rolls, and
Judge of the Spiritual Court, from his youth he
megistus, and of the power and wisdom of God;
the third for one who was to receive his degree
of Doctor; the fourth for the Lords of Metz,
when he was chosen their advocate, syndic and
applied his mind to learning, and by his happy orator; the fifth to the senate of Luxemburg, for
wit obtained great knowledge of all arts and sci- the Lords of Metz; the sixth to salute the Prince
ences; afterwards also he followed the army of and Bishop thereof, written for the Lords of
the princes, and for his valor was created knight Metz; the seventh to salute a noble man, written
in the field . likewise for the Lords of Metz; the eight for a
And when he was by these means famous certain kinsman of his, a Carmelite, made Bach-
for learning and arms about 1530, he gave his elor of Divinity, when he received his regency
mind to writing, and composed Three Books of at Paris; the ninth for the son of Christian , King
Occult Philosophy; afterward an invective or of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, delivered at
cynical declamation of the Uncertainty and the coming of the Emperor; the tenth at the
Vanity of All Things in which he teacheth that funeral of the Lady Margaret, Princess of Aus-
there is no certainty in anything, but in the solid tria and Burgundy.
words of God, and that, to lie hid in the eminen- He wrote also a Dialogue Concerning Man,
cy of God's word. He also wrote an History of and a Declamation of a Disputable Opinion
the Double Coronation of the Emperor Charles, Concerning Original Sin to the Bishop of
and also of the Excellency of the Feminine Sex, Cyrene; an Epistle to Michael de Aranda , bish-
and of the Apparitions of Spirits; but seeing that op of Saint Paul; a Complaint Upon a Calumny
he published commentaries on the Ars Brevis of Not Proved, printed at Strasborg 1539.
Raymundus Lully, and was very much addicted And therefore by these monuments pub-
to occult philosophy and astrology, there were lished, the name of Cornelius for his variety of
those who thought that he enjoyed commerce learning was famous, not only amongst the Ger-
with devils, whom notwithstanding he confuted mans, but also other nations; for Momus himself
in his published Apology, and showed, that he carpeth at all amongst the gods; amongst the
kept himself within the bounds of art. heros Hercules hunteth after monsters ; amongst
In 1538 he wrote many learned orations, the devils Pluto the king ofhell is angry with all
which manifest all the excellency of all wit; but the ghosts; amongst philosophers Democritus
especially ten : the first on Plato's Banquet, laugheth at all things, on the contrary Heraclitus
uttered in the Academy of Tricina containing weepeth at all things; Pirrhias is ignorant of all

xlix
1/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

things, and Aristotle thinketh he knoweth all is ignorant, weeps, laughs, is angry, pursueth,
things; Diogenes condemneth all things; this carps at all things being himself a philosopher,
Agrippa spareth none, he condemneth, knows, demon, an hero, a god, and all things.
 To rhe ReadeR

do not doubt but the title of our book, Of full of poison; the gate of Acheron 4 is in this

1 Occult Philosophy, Or Of Magic, may by

the rarity of it allure many to read it,
amongst which, some of a crazy I judge-
ment, and some that are perverse will come to
book; it speaks stones, let them take heed that it
beat not out their brains.
But you that come without prejudice to
read it, if you have so much discretion of pru-
hear what I can say, who by their rash ignorance dence as bees have in gathering honey, read
may take the name of magic in the worse sense, securely, and believe that you shall receive no
and though scarce having seen the title, cry out little profit, and much pleasure; but if you shall
that I teach forbidden arts, sow the seed of here- find any things that may not please you, let
sies, offend pious ears, and scandalize excellent them alone, and make no use of them; for I do
wits; that I am a sorcerer, and superstitious, and not approve of them, but declare them to you;
devilish, who indeed am a magician. but do not refuse other things, for they that look
To whom I answer that a magician doth not into the books of physicians, do together with
amongst learned men signify a sorcerer, or one antidotes and medicines, read also poisons. I
that is superstitious, or devilish; but a wise man, confess that magic itself teacheth many super-
a priest, a prophet; and that the sybils were fluous things, and curious prodigies for ostenta-
magicianesses, and therefore prophesied most tion; leave them as empty things, yet be not
clearly of Christ;2 and that magicians, as wise- ignorant of their causes. But those things which
men,3 by the wonderful secrets the world, knew are for the profit of man, for the turning away of
Christ the author of the world to be born, and evil events, for the destroying of sorceries, for
came first of all to worship him; and that the the curing of diseases, for the exterminating of
name of magic was received by philosophers, phantasms, for the preserving of life, honour,
commended by divines, and not unacceptable to fortune, may be done without offense to God, or
the Gospel. injury to religion, because they are, as prof-
I believe that the supercilious censors will itable, so necessary.
object against the sybils, holy magicians, and But I have admonished you, that I have
the Gospel itself sooner than receive the name writ many things, rather narratively than affir-
of magic into favour; so conscientious are they, matively; for so it seemed needful that we
that neither Apollo , nor all the Muses, nor an should pass over fewer things following the
angel from heaven can redeem me from their judgements of Platonists, and other gentile
curse. Whom therefore r advise, that they read philosophers when they did suggest an argu-
not our writings, nor understand them, nor ment of writing to our purpose; therefore if any
remember them. For they are pernicious, and error have been committed, or anything hath

Ii
Iii / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

been spoken more freely, pardon my youth; for and some men, whether more impatiently, or
I wrote this being scarce a young man, that I imprudently, I know not, would have put it thus
may excuse myself, and say, whilst I was a imperfect to the press, with which mischief I
child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, being affected, determined to set it forth myself,
but being become a man, I retracted those thinking that there might be less danger if these
things which I did being a boy, and in my book books came out of my hands with some amend-
Of the Vanity and Uncertainty of Sciences 5 I ments, than to come forth tom, and in fragments
did for the most part retract this book. out of other men's hands. Moreover I thought it
But here haply you may blame me again, no crime if I should not suffer the testimony of
saying, behold thou being a youth didst write my youth to perish.
and now being old hast retracted it; what there- Also we added some chapters, and we
fore hast thou set forth? I confess whilst I was inserted many things, which did seem unfit to
very young, I set upon the writing of these pass by, which the curious reader shall be able
Books, but hoping that I should set them forth to understand by the inequality of the very
with corrections and enlargements, and for that phrase; for we were unwilling to begin the work
cause I gave them to Tritemius a Neapolitanian anew, and to unravel all that we had done, but to
abbot, formerly a Spanhemensian, a man very correct it, and put some flourish upon it.
industrious after secret things. But it happened Wherefore now I pray thee, courteous read-
afterwards, that the work being intercepted, er, again, weigh not these things according to
before I finished it, was carried about imperfect, the present time of setting them forth, but par-
and impolished, and did fly abroad in Italy, in don my curious youth, if thou shalt find any-
France, in Germany through many men's hands, thing in them that may displease thee.

NOLes-To Lhe ReadeR

I. crazy-Flawed. derived from the River Acheron said to flow through
the Underworld. The Etruscans worshiped Acheron
2. prophesied . .. of Christ-See note 15, book I, and sacrificed to this god in order to deify the souls
chapter LX. of their dead.

3. wisemen-Matthew 2: 1-2. 5. Uncertainty of Sciences-De incertitudine et van-

itate scientiarum, etc., Antwerp, 1531.
4. of Acheron-a name of the land of the dead,
 To R.P.D. John TRil:cmius,
an abbo-c of Sain-c James in -che SUbURbs of HeRbipolis,
HenRY CORnelius AgRippa of Nerresheym
sendet:h gReet:ing I

hen I was of late (most reverend Hence it is that this name of magic, former-

W Father) for a while coversant

with you in your Monastery of
Herbipolis, we conferred togeth-
er of divers things concerning chemistry, magic,
ly honorable, is now in these days become most
odious to good and honest men, and acounted a
capital crime, if anyone dare profess himself to
be a magician, either in doctrine or works, unless
and Cabalie, and of other things, which as yet haply some certain old doting woman, dwelling
lie hid in secret sciences, and arts ; and then in the country, would be believed to be skillful,
there was one great question amongst the rest, and have a divine power, that (as saith Apuleiusy2
why magic, whereas it was accounted by all she can throw down the heaven, lift up the earth,
ancient phlosophers the chiefest science, and by harden fountains, wash away mountains, raise up
the ancient wise men, and priests was always ghosts, cast down gods, extinguish the stars, illu-
held in great veneration, came at last after the minate hell, or as Virgil sings,3
beginning of the Catholic Church to be always
odious to, and suspected by the holy Fathers, She'll promise by her charms to cast
great cares,
and then exploded by divines, and condemned Or ease the minds of men, and make the
by sacred canons, and moreover by all laws and stars
ordinances forbidden. For to go back; and rivers to stand still,
Now the cause, as I conceive is no other And raise the nightly ghosts even at her
will,
than this, viz. because by a certain fatal depra-
To make the earth to groan, and trees to
vation of times, and men, many false philoso- fall
phers crept in, and these under the name of From the mountains--
magicians, heaping together through various
sorts of errors and factions of false religions, Hence those things, which Lucan relates of
many <:ursed superstitions and dangerous rites, Thessala 4 that magicianess, and Home~ of the
and many wicked sacrileges, out of orthodox omnipotency of Circe, whereof many I confess
religion, even to the persecution of nature, and are as well of a fallacious opinion, as supersti-
destruction of men, and injury of God, set forth tious diligence, and pernicious labor, as when
very many wicked. and unlawful books. such as they cannot come under a wicked art, yet they
we see carried about in these days, to which presume they may be able to cloak themselves
they have by stealth prefixed the most honest under that venerable title of magic.
name, and title of magic. They therefore by this Since then these things are so, I wondered
sacred title of magic, hoped to gain credit to much, and was not less angry, that as yet there
their cursed and detestable fooleries. hath been no man, who did challenge this sub-

liii
Iiv / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

lime and sacred discipline with the crime of There selecting the opinions of philoso-
impiety, or had delivered it purely, and sincerely phers of known credit, and purging the intro-
to us, since I have seen of our modem writers duction of the wicked (who dissembling, with a
Roger Bacon, Robert an English man,6 Peter counterfeited knowledge did teach, that tradi-
Apponus,7 Albertus the Teutonich,8 Arnoldas de tions of magicians must be learned from very
villa Nova, Anselme the Parmensian,9 Picatrix reprobate books of darkness, as from institu-
the Spaniard, Cicclus Asculus lO of Florence, and tions of wonderful operations) and removing all
many others, but writers of an obscure name, darkness, have at last composed three compen-
when they promised to treat of magic, to do . dious books of magic, and titled them Of Occult
nothing but irrational toys, and superstitions Philosophy, being a title less offensive, which
unworthy of honest men. books I submit (you excelling in the knowledge
Hence my spirit was moved, and by reason of these things) to your correction and censure,
partly of admiration, and partly of indignation, that if I have wrote anything which may tend
I was willing to play the philosopher, suppos- either to the contumely of nature, offending
ing that I should do no discommendable work, God, or injury of religion, you may condemn
who have been always from my youth a curi- the error; but if the scandal of impiety be dis-
ous, and undaunted searcher of wonderful solved and purged, you may defend the tradi-
effects, and operations full of mysteries; if I tion of truth; and that you would do so with
should recover that ancient magic the discipline these books, and magic itself, that nothing may
of all wise men from the errors of impiety, be concealed which may be profitable, and
purify and adorn it with its proper luster, and nothing approved of which cannot but do hurt,
vindicate it from the injuries of its calumnia- by which means these three books having
tors; which thing though I long deliberated of it passed your examination with approbation, may
in my mind, yet never durst as yet undertake, at length be thought worthy to come forth with
but after some conference betwixt us of these good success in public, and may not be afraid to
things at Herbipolis, your transcending knowl- come under the censure of posterity.
edge, and learning, and your ardent adhortation Farewell, and pardon these my bold
put courage, and boldness into me. undertakings.

NOLes-To R. P. D. John TRiLemius

I. sendeth greeting-This letter also appears as letter 3. Virgil sings-This quotation is from the Aeneid,
23 , bk. I, in the Epistolarum of the Latin Opera of bk. 4, lines 487-91. It reminds me of this description
Agrippa' s works (circa 1600), reprinted in facsimile in Ovid, spoken by Hypsipyle, the lover of the hero
in two volumes by Georg Olms Verlag, Hildesheim Jason, about her rival the witch Medea:
and New York, 1970,11:620-3.
but by her incantations has she influenced
thee; and with her enchanted sickle does she
2. as saith Apuleius-Socrates describes the witch
reap the dreadful plants. She endeavours to
Meroe to Apuleius:
draw down the struggling Moon from her
Verily shee is a Magitian, which hath power chariot, and to envelope the horses of the
to rule the heavens, to bring downe the sky, Sun in darkness. She bridles the waves, and
to beare up the earth, to tume the waters stops the winding rivers: she moves the
into hills, and the hills into running waters, woods and the firm rocks from their spot.
to lift up the terrestrial spirits into the aire, Amid the tombs does she wander without
and to pull the gods out of the heavens, to her girdle, her locks all dishevelled, and cer-
extinguish the planets, and to lighten the tain bones does she collect from the warm
deepe darkenesse of hell. (Apuleius, The piles. (Epistle VI: "Hypsipyle to Jason." [n
Golden Asse ch. 4, trans. W. Adlington The Heroides , trans. H. T. Riley [London:
[1566] [London, ed. of 1639]) George Bell and Sons, 1883],56-7)
 To R.P.D. John Tritemius / Iv

There is a remarkable similarity in the descriptions of 6. Robert an ·English man-Robertus Anglicus.

the powers of witchcraft in Virgil, Apuleius, Ovid
and Lucan-it may be presumed the latter three have 7. Peter Apponus-Petrus de Apono.
drawn from Virgil.
8. Albertus the Teutonich-Albertus Magnus.
4. Thessala-That is, Erichtho, a most potent witch
of Thessaly. See Lucan's Pharsalia 6, c. line506. 9. Anselme the Parmensian--Georgio Anselmi.

5. Homer-see the Odyssey 10. 10. Cice/us Asculus--Cecco d' Ascoli.

Johannes Trithemius
John TRil:cmius, abbor of Sainr James of HeRbipolis,
fORmeRly of Spanhemia, ro his HcnRY CORnclius
AgRippa of Nerresheym, healrh and love. I

our work (nost renowned Agrippa) whereas no man, to the judgement of the wise,

U entitled Of Occult Philosophy, which

you have sent by this bearer, to me to
be examined, with how much plea-
sure I received it, no mortal tongue can ever
express, nor the pen of any write; I wondered at
can be truly learned, who is sworn to the rudi-
ments of one only faculty; but you hath God
gifted with a large, and sublime wit, not that
you should imitate oxen, but birds; neither think
it sufficient that you stay about particulars, but
your more than vulgar learning, that you being bend your mind confidently to universals; for
so young should penetrate into such secrets as by so much the more learned anyone is thought,
have been hid from most learned men, and not by how much fewer things he is ignorant of.
only clearly, and truly, but also properly, and Moreover your wit is fuHy apt to all things, and
elegantly set them forth. Whence first I give to be rationaHy employed, not in a few, or low
you thanks for your good will to me, and if I things, but many, and sublimer.
shaH ever be able, I shaH return you thanks to Yet this one rule I advise you to observe,
the utmost of my power; your work, which no that you communicate vulgar secrets to vulgar
learned man can sufficiently commend, I friends, but higher and secret to higher, and
approve of. secret friends only. Give hay to an ox, sugar to
Now that you may proceed toward higher a parrot only; understand my meaning, lest you
things, as you have begun, and not suffer such be trod under the oxen's feet, as oftentimes it
excellent parts of wit to be idle, I do with as falls out.
much earnestness as I can advise, entreat, and Farewell my happy friend, and if it lie in
beseech you, that you would exercise yourself my power to serve you, command me, and
in laboring after better things, and demonstrate according to your pleasure it shall without delay
the light of true wisdom to the ignorant, accord- be done; also let our friendship increase daily;
ing as you yourself are divinely enlightened; write often to me, and send me some of your
neither let the consideration of idle vain fellows labors I earnestly pray you. Again farewell.
withdraw you from your purpose; I say of them, From our Monastery at Peapolis, the 8. day
of whom it said, the wearied ox treads hard, of April, An. MDX.

Nm:-e-John TRit:emius t:o his HenRY CORnelius AgRippa

1. health and love-This letter appears as letter 24, pa's works, 2:623-4.
bk. I, the Epistolarum of the Latin Opera of Agrip-

Ivii
 To Lhe ReveRend faLheR in ChRisL, and mOSL illusrnious
pRince, HCRmannus, eaRl of Wyda, by Lhe gRace of CiQd
ARchbishop of Lhe holy ChURCh of Colonia, PRince
elecLoR of Lhe Holy Roman empiRe, and Chief
ChancelloR ThRough lLaly, Duke of W eSLphali a, and
AngaRia, and descended of Lhe legaLe of Lhe holy ChURCh
of Rome, one of Lhe VicaR CieneRafs COURL, HcnRY
CORnclius AgRippa of Nerres-Heym, sendeLh gReeLing. 1
uch is the greatness of your renowned Now being thoughtful, and looking about

S fame (most reverend and illustrious

Prince), such is the greatness of your
virtues, and splendor of learning, and
frequent exercise of the best learning, and grave
in my study to see what present I should bestow
upon such an illustrious prince, behold!
amongst such things as were closely laid up, the
books Of Occult Philosophy, Or Of Magic,
oration, with solid prudence, and elegant readi- presently offered themselves, such as I attempt-
ness of speaking, knowledge of many things, ed to write whilst I was very young, and now
constant religion, and commendable conditions, many years being past, as it were forgetting
with which you are endowed beyond the com- them, have neglected to perfect them; I present-
mon custom of others; I say nothing of those ly made haste, as it were to pay my vows, to
ancient monuments to your eminent nobility, present them to your honor to complete them.
the treasures of your riches, both old, and new, Truly I was persuaded that I could give nothing
the largeness of your dominion, the ornaments more acceptable to you, than a new work of
of the sacred dignities, with the excellency most ancient and abstruse learning; I say a work
whereof you excel, together with the comely of my curious youth, but a doctrine of antiquity,
form, and strength of the body. by none I dare say hitherto attempted to be
Though all these things be very great, yet I restored.
esteem you far greater than all these, for those Yet my works are not wrote to you,
your heroic, and super-illustrious virtues, by because they are worthy of you, but that they
which you truly have caused, that by how much might make a way open for me to gain your
the more anyone is learned, and loves virtue, so favor. I beseech you, if it may be, let them be
much the more he may desire to insinuate himself excused by you. I shall be devotedly yours, if
into your favor, whence I also am resolved that these studies of my youth shall by the authority
your favor shall be obtained by me, but after the of your greatness come into knowledge, envy
manner of the people of Parthia, i.e. not without a being chased away by the power of your wor-
present, which custom of saluting princes, is thiness, there remain the memory of them to
indeed derived from the ages of the ancients, unto me, as the fruit of a good conscience, seeing
these very times, and still we see it observed. And many things in them seemed to me, being older,
when I see certain other very learned men to fur- as most profitable, so most necessary to be
nish you with fair, and great presents of their known .
learning, lest I only should be a neglecter of your You have therefore the work, not only of
worship and reverence, I durst not apply myself my youth, but of my present age, for I have cor-
with empty hands to your greatness. rected many errata of the work of my youth, I

lix
Ix / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

have inserted many things in many places, and all my life be devoted to your pleasure.
have added many things to many chapters, Farewell most happy prince of happy Colonia.
which may easily be perceived by the inequali- From Mechlinia Anno M.D.XXXI. In the
ty of .the style; and so shall you know that I shall month of January.

No'Cc-To HCRmannus, eaRl of Wyda

I. sendeth greeting-This letter also appears as letter
13, bk. 6 of the Epistolarum of the Latin Opera,
2:952--4.
 Judicious ReadeRl

here is the outside, and the inside of know anything, but what is vulgar, nay they

T philosophy; but the former without

the latter is but an empty flourish; yet
with this alone most are satisfied. To
have a bare notion of a Deity, to apprehend
think, that beyond this there is scarce anything
knowable; when as indeed there are profound
mysteries in all beings, even from God in the
highest heavens, to the devils in the lowest hell;
some motions of the celestials, together with the yea in very numbers, names, letters, characters,
common operations thereof, and to conceive of gestures, time, place, and such like, all which
some terrestrial productions, is but what is are by this learned author profoundly discussed.
superficial, and vulgar; but this is true, this is I cannot deny but in this his .work there is
sublime, but occult philosophy; to understand much superstition, and vanity. But remember
the mysterious influences of the intellectual that the best gold must have the greatest
world upon the celestial, and of both upon the allowance; consider the time of darkness, and of
terrestrial; to know how to dispose, and fit our- his youth, when, the place where, and the things
selves so, as to be capable of receiving those which he hath discovered and wrote, and thou
superior operations, whereby we may be wilt rather admire his solidity, than condemn
enabled to operate wonderful things, which his vanity. Gold hath much blackness adhering
indeed seem impossible, or at least unlawful, to it as soon as it is taken out of the earth. Mys-
when as indeed they may be effected by a nat- terious truths do not presently shine like rays of
ural power, and without either offence to God, the Sun as soon as they are recovered from a
or violation of religion. long darkness, but are clouded with obscurity.
To defend kingdoms, to discover the secret Nay I will not say but this Agrippa might
counsels of men, to overcome enemies, to obscure these mysteries like an Hermetical
redeem captives, to increase riches, to procure philosopher, on purpose, that only the sons of
the favor of men, to expel diseases, to preserve art might understand them. He perhaps might
health, to prolong life, to renew youth, to fore- mix chaff with his wheat, that quick sighted
tell future events, to see and know things done birds only might find it out, and not swine tram-
many miles off, and such like as these, by virtue ple it underfoot.
of superior influences, may seem things incred- From saying much as touching the excus-
ible; yet read but the ensuing treatise, and thou ing, or commending this author, I am already
shalt see the possibility thereof confirmed both prevented; for at the beginning and ending of
by reason, and example. this book there are several epistles of his own
I speak now to the judicious, for as for the and others, wherein he excuseth what may be
others, they neither know, nor believe, nor will expected against him; and of others to him suf-

lxi
Ixii / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

ficiently commending what is praiseworthy in mistakes in this my translation. Yet notwith-

him; to which may be added that honorable tes- standing, I hope I have, though without much
timony given to him by the author l of that most elegancy (which indeed the matter would not
witty, and sublime the Anthroposophia Theo- bear) put it into as intelligible an English phrase
magica, lately set forth. All that I shall say to as the original would afford. As for the terms of
persuade thee to read this book, is but to desire art, which are many, divers of them would not
thee to cast thine eye upon the index of the bear any English expression, therefore I have
chapters contained therein, which is at the end expressed them in Latinisms or Grecisms,
thereoe and thou shalt therein see such variety according as I have found them. I hope an artist
of wonderful subjects, that at the sight thereof will be able to understand them; as for the erra-
thou wilt be impatient til thou hast read them. ta, as I cursorily read over the book, I observe
I shall crave leave now to speak one word these as you see mentioned. If thou shalt meet
for myself. If this my translation shall neither with any more, as it is possible thou mayst, be
answer the worth of the author, or expectation thou candid, and impute them to the printer's
of the reader; consider that the uncouthness of mistake; for which, as also for taking in the best
the author's style in many places, the manifold sense, what here I present thee withal, thou shalt
errata, as well literal, as those in respect of gra- forever oblige thy friend,
mati cal construction, may haply occasion some J F.

Nores-Judicious ReadeR
I. the author-Thomas Vaughan. front end, since this is the location of the index in
both the English and Latin versions.
2. the end thereof-Presumably Freake refers to the
 To OJy mose HonoRable, and no less leaRned
fRiend, Ro6cRL Childc, DOCeOR of Physic.

ir! Great men decline, mighty men may left no stone unturned. that the turning thereof

S fall, but an honest philosopher keeps his

station forever. To yourself therefore I
crave leave to present, what I know you
are able to protect; not with the sword, but by
might conduce to the discovery of what was
occult, and worthy to be known.
It is part of my ambition to let the world
know that I honor such as yourself, and my
reason; and not that only, but what by your learned friend, and your experienced fellow
acceptance you are able to give a lustre to. I see traveler, Doctor Charlet, who have, like true
it is not in vain that you have compassed sea philosophers neglected your worldly advan-
and land, for thereby you have made a prose- tages to become masters of that which hath now
lyte, not of another, but of yourself. by being rendered you both truly honorable. If I had as
converted from the vulgar. and irrational many languages as yourselves, the rhetorical
incredulities to the rational embracing of the and pathetical expressions thereof would fail to
sublime, hermetical, and theomagical truths. signify my estimation of. and affections towards
You are skilled in the one as if Hermes had you both.
been your tutor; have insight in the other. as if Now sir! as in reference to this my transla-
Agrippa your master. tion, if your judgement shall find a deficiency
Many transmarine philosophers, which we therein, let your candor make a supply thereof.
only read. you have conversed with: many Let this treatise Of Occult Philosophy coming
countries, rarities, and antiquities. which we as a stranger amongst the English, be patronized
have only heard of, and admire, you have seen. by you, remembering that you yourself was
Nay you have not only heard of, but seen, not in once a stranger in the country of its nativity.
maps, but in Rome itself the manners of Rome. This stranger I have dressed in an English garb;
There you have seen much ceremony. and little but if it be not according to the fashion, and
religion; and in the wilderness of New England, therefore ungrateful to any, let your approbation
you have seen amongst some. much religion. make it the mode; you know strangers most
and little ceremony; and amongst others, I mean commonly induce a fashion, especially if any
the natives thereof, neither ceremony, nor reli- once begin to approve of their habit. Your
gion, but what nature dictates to them. In this approbation is that which it will stand in need
there is no small variety. and your observation of, and which will render me.
not little. In your passage thither by sea, you
have seen the wonders of God in the deep; and SIR,
by land, you have seen the astonishing works of Most Obligedly yours,
God in the unaccessible mountains. You have J.F.

lxiii
Ixiv / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

Pragmatic schoolmen, men made up of pride, To touch these books who with the world shall
And railing arguments, who truth deride, stand;
And scorn all else but what yourselves devise, They are indeed mysterious, rare and rich,
And think these high-learned tracts to be but And far transcend the ordinary pitch.
lies,
Do not presume, unless with hallowed hand, 10. Booker
 An indc}: of all rhc chaprcRs
which aRC conraincd in rhis wORk.

Book 1 Chapter 9. page 29

Of the virtues of things natural,
Chapter 1. page 3 depending immediately upon ele-
How magicians collect virtues from ments.
the threefold world, is declared In Chapter 10. page 32
these three books. Of the occult virtues of things.
Chapter 2. page 5 Chapter 11. page 35
What magic is, what are the parts How occult virtues are infused into the
thereof, and how the professors there- several kinds of things by Ideas,
of must be qualified. through the help of the Soul of the
Chapter 3. page 8 World, and rays of the stars: and what
Of the four elements, their qualities, things abound most with this virtue.
and mutual mixtions. Chapter 12. page 37
Chapter 4. page 10 How it is that particular virtues are
Of a threefold consideration of the ele- infused into particular individuals,
ments. even of the same species.
Chapter 5. page 13 Chapter 13. page 38
Of the wonderful natures of Fire, and Whence the occult virtues of things
Earth. proceed.
Chapter 6. page 16 Chapter 14. page 44
Of the wonderful natures of Water, Of the Spirit of the World, what it is,
Air, and winds. and how by way of media it unites
Chapter 7. page 23 occult virtues to their subjects.
Of the kinds of compounds, what rela- Chapter 15. page 46
tion they stand in to the elements, and How we must find out, and examine
what relation there is betwixt the ele- the virtues of things by way of simili-
ments themselves and the soul, senses, tude.
and dispositions of men. Chapter 16. page 50
Chapter 8. page 26 How the operations of several virtues
How the elements are in the heavens, pass from one thing into another, and
in stars, in devils, in angels, and lastly are communicated one to the other.
in God himself.

lxv
Ixvi / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

Chapter 17. page 52 Chapter 30. page 96

How by enmity and friendship the That the whole sublunary world, and
virtues of things are to be tried, and those things which are in it, are distrib-
found out. uted to planets.
Chapter 18. page 58 Chapter 31. page 97
Of the inclinations of enmities. How provinces, and kingdoms are dis-
Chapter 19. page 64 tributed to planets.
How the virtues of things are to be Chapter 32. page 98
tried and found out, which are in them What things are under the signs, the
specifically, or anyone individual by fixed stars, and their images.
way of special gift. Chapter 33 . page 102
Chapter 20. page 65 Of the seals, and characters of natural
That natural virtues are in some things things.
throughout their whole substance, and Chapter 34. page 105
in other things in certain parts, and How by natural things, and their
members. virtues we may draw forth and attract
Chapter 21. page 69 the influences, and virtues of celestial
Of the virtues of things which are in bodies.
them only in their lifetime, and such as Chapter 35. page 106
remain even after their death. Of the mixtions of natural things one
Chapter 22. page 72 with another, and their benefit.
How inferior things are subjected to Chapter 36. page 108
superior bodies, and how the bodies, Of the union of mixed things, and the
the actions, and dispositions of men introduction of a more noble form, and
are ascribed to stars, and signs. the senses of life.
Chapter 23. page 75 Chapter 37. page 110
How we shall know what stars natural How by some certain natural, and arti-
things are under, and what things are ficial preparations we may attract
under the Sun, which are called celestial, and vital gifts.
solary. Chapter 38. page 112
Chapter 24. page 80 How we may draw not only celestial,
What things are lunary, or under the and vital, but also certain intellectual,
power of the Moon. and divine gifts from above.
Chapter 25. page 83 Chapter 39. page 114
What things are saturnine, or under the That we may by some certain matters
power of Saturn. of the world stir up the gods of the
Chapter 26. page 86 world, and their ministering spirits.
What things are under the power of Chapter 40. page 119
Jupiter, and are called jovial. Of bindings, what sort they are of, and
Chapter 27. page 89 in what ways they are wont to be done.
What things are under the power of Chapter 41. page 121
Mars, and are called martial. Of sorceries, and their power.
Chapter 28. page 91 Chapter 42. page 123
What things are under the power of Of the wonderful virtues of some
Venus, and are called venereal. kinds of sorceries.
Chapter 29. page 94 Chapter 43. page 129
What things are under the power of Of perfumes, or suffumigations, their
Mercury, and are called mercurial. manner, and power.
 An Index of All the Chapters Which Are Contained in This Work / lxvii

Chapter 44. page 132 Chapter 58. page 181

The composition of some fumes Of reviving of the dead, and of sleep-
appropriated to the planets. ing, and wanting victuals many years
Chapter 45. page 134 together.
Of collyries, unctions, love medicines, Chapter 59. page 186
and their virtues. Of divination by dreams.
Chapter 46. page 138 Chapter 60. page 188
Of natural alligations, and suspen- Of madness, and di vinations which .are
sions. made when men are awake, and of the
Chapter 47. page 140 power of a melancholy humour, by
Of rings, and their compositions. which spirits are sometimes induced
Chapter 48. page 143 into men's bodies.
Of the virtue of places, and what Chapter 61. page 193
places are suitable to every star. Of the forming of man of the external
Chapter 49. page 145 senses, and also the inward, and the
Of light, colours, candles, and lamps, mind: of the threefold appetite of the
and to what stars, houses, and ele- soul, and passions of the will.
ments several colours are ascribed. Chapter 62. page 197
Chapter 50. page 148 Of the passions of the mind, their orig-
Of fascination, and the art thereof. inal, difference, and kinds.
Chapter 51. page 150 Chapter 63. page 199
Of certain observations producing How the passions of the mind change
wonderful virtues. the proper body, by changing the acci-
Chapter 52. page 154 dents, and moving the spirit.
Of the countenance, and gesture, the Chapter 64. page 201
habit, and figure of the body, and what How the passions of the mind change
stars any of these do answer; whence the body by way of imitation from
physiognomy, metoposcopy, and chi- some resemblance; also of the trans-
romancy, arts of divination, have their forming, and translating of men, and
ground. what force the imaginative power hath
Chapter 53. page 157 not only over the body, but the soul.
Of divination, and its kinds. Chapter 65. page 204
Chapter 54. page 160 How the passions of the mind can
Of divers certain animals, and other work out of themselves upon another's
things which have a signification in body.
augurias. Chapter 66. page 206
Chapter 55. page 169 That the passions of the mind are
How auspicias are verified by the light helped by a celestial season, and how
of-natural instinct, and of some rules of necessary the constancy of the mind is
finding of it out. in every work.
Chapter 56. page 175 Chapter 67. page 208
Of the soothsayings of flashes, and How man's mind may be joined with
lightnings, and how monstrous and the mind and intelligences of the celes-
prodigious things are to be interpreted. tials, and together with them impress
Chapter 57. page 178 certain wonderful virtues upon inferior
Of geomancy, hydromancy, aeroman- things.
cy, pyromancy, four divinations of ele-
ments.
lxviii I THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

Chapter 68. page 210 Chapter 8. page 262

How our mind can change, and bind Of the number five, and the scale
inferior things to that which it desires. thereof.
Chapter 69. page 211 Chapter 9. page 265
Of speech, and the virtue of words. Of the number six, and the scale thereof.
Chapter 70. page 213 Chapter 10. page 268
Of the virtue of proper names. Of the number seven, and the scale
Chapter 71. page 216 thereof.
Of many words joined together, as in Chapter 11. page 281
sentences, and verses, and of the Of the number eight, and the scale
virtues, and astrictions of charms. thereof.
Chapter 72. page 218 Chapter 12. page 284
Of the wonderful power of enchant- Of the number nine, and the scale
ments. thereof.
Chapter 73. page 221 Chapter 13. page 287
Of the virtue of writing, and of making Of the number ten, and the scale there-
imprecations, and inscriptions. of.
Chapter 74. page 223 Chapter 14. page 292
Of the proportion, correspondency, Of the number eleven, and the number
reduction of letters to the celestial twelve; with a double scale of the
signs, and planets, according to vari- number twelve Cabalistical, and
ous tongues, with a table showing this. Orphical.
Chapter 15. page 299
Of the numbers which are above
Book n twelve, and of their powers, and
Chapter 1. page 233 virtues.
Of the necessity of mathematical Chapter 16. page 303
learning, and of the many wonderful Of the notes of numbers, placed in cer-
works which are done by mathemati- tain gesturings.
cal arts only. Chapter 17. page 306
Chapter 2. page 237 Of the various notes of numbers
Of numbers, and of their power, and observed amongst the Romans.
virtue. Chapter 18. page 308
Chapter 3. page 239 Of the notes and figures of the Gre-
How great virtues numbers have, as cians.
well in natural things, as in supernatural. Chapter 19. page 310
Chapter 4. page 241 Of the notes of the Hebrews, and
Of unity, and the scale thereof. Chaldeans, and certain other notes of
Chapter 5. page 245 magicians.
Of the number two, and the scale Chapter 20. page 312
thereof. What numbers are attributed to letters;
Chapter 6. page 249 and of divining by the same.
Of the number three, and the scale Chapter 21. page 315
thereof. What numbers are consecrated to the
Chapter 7. page 254 gods, and which are ascribed, and to
Of the number four, and the scale what elements.
thereof.
 An Index of All the Chapters Which Are Contained in This Work / lxix

Chapter 22. page 318 Chapter 35. page 373

Of the tables of the planets, their How some artificial things, as images,
virtues, fonns, and what divine names, seals, and such like, may obtain some
inte\1igences, and spirits are ·set over virtue from the celestial bodies.
them. Chapter 36. page 375
Chapter 23. page 330 Of the images of the Zodiac, what
Of geometrical figures and bodies, by virtues, they being engraven, receive
what virtue they are powerful in from the stars.
magic, and which are agreeable to Chapter 37. page 377
each element, and the heaven. Of the images of the faces, and of
Chapter 24. page 333 those images, which are without the
Of musical hannony, of the force and Zodiac.
power thereof. Chapter 38. page 381
Chapter 25 . page 336 Of the images of Saturn.
Of sound and hannony, and whence Chapter 39. page 383
their wonderfulness in operation. Of the images of Jupiter.
Chapter 26. page 339 Chapter 40. page 385
Concerning the agreement of them Of the images of Mars.
with the celestial bodies, and what har- Chapter 41. page 386
mony and sound is correspondent to Of the images of the Sun.
every star. Chapter 42. page 387
Chapter 27. page 345 Of the images of Venus.
Of the proportion, measure, and har- Chapter 43. page 388
mony of man's body. Of the images of Mercury.
Chapter 28. page 355 Chapter 44. page 389
Of the composition and harmony of Of the images of the Moon.
the human soul. Chapter 45. page 390
Chapter 29. page 357 Of the images of the Head and Tail of
Of the observation of celestials, neces- the Dragon of the Moon.
sary in every magical work. Chapter 46. page 392
Chapter 30. page 359 Of the images of the Mansions of the
When pianets are of most powerful Moon.
influence. Chapter 47. page 395
Chapter 31. page 362 Of the images of the fixed Behenian
Of the observation of the fixed stars, stars.
and of their natures. Chapter 48. page 397
Chapter 32. page 365 Of geomantical figures, which are the
Of the Sun, and Moon, and their magi- middle betwixt images and characters.
cal considerations. Chapter 49. page 400
Chapter 33 . page 368 Of images, the figure whereof is not
Of the twenty-eight Mansions of the after the likeness of any celestial fig-
Moon, and their virtues. ure, but after the likeness of that which
Chapter 34. page 371 the mind of the worker desires.
Of the true motion of the heavenly Chapter 50. page 402
bodies to be observed in the eighth Of certain celestial observations, and
sphere, and of the ground of planetary the practice of some images.
hours.
lxx / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

Chapter 51. page 406 Chapter 2. page 443

Of characters which are made after the Of concealing of those things which
rule and imitation of celestials, and are secret in religion.
how with the table thereof they are Chapter 3. page 448
deduced out of geomantical figures. What dignification is required, that
Chapter 52. page 409 one may be a true magician and a
Of characters which are drawn from worker of miracles.
things themselves by a certain like- Chapter 4. page 450
ness. Of the two helps of ceremonial magic,
Chapter 53. page 412 religion and superstition.
That no divination without astrology is Chapter 5. page 453
perfect. Of the three guides of religion, which
Chapter 54. page 415 bring us to the path of truth.
Of lottery, when, and whence the Chapter 6. page 455
virtue of divining is incident to it. How by these guides the soul of man
Chapter 55. page 417 ascends up into the divine nature, and
Of the Soul of the World, and of the is made a worker of miracles.
celestials, according to the traditions Chapter 7. page 457
of the poets, and philosophers. That the knowledge of the true God is
Chapter 56. page 419 necessary for a magician, and what the
The same is confirmed by reason. old magicians and philosophers have
Chapter 57. page 421 thought concerning God.
That the Soul of the World, and the Chapter 8. page 460
celestial souls are rational, and partake What the ancient philosophers have
of divine understanding. thought concerning the divine trinity.
Chapter 58. page 423 Chapter 9. page 465
Of the names of the celestials, and What the true and most orthodox faith
their rule over this inferior world, viz. is concerning God and the most holy
man. trinity.
Chapter 59. page 426 Chapter 10. page 467
Of the seven governors of the world, Of divine emenations, which the
the planets, and of their various names Hebrews call numerations, others
serving to magical speeches. attributes; the gentiles gods and
Chapter 60. page 430 deities; and of the ten Sephiroths and
That human imprecations do naturally ten most sacred names of God which
impress their powers upon external do rule them, and the interpretation of
things, and how man's mind through them.
each degree of dependencies ascends Chapter 11. page 474
into the intelligible world, and Of the divine names, and their power
becomes like to the more sublime spir- and virtue.
its, and intelligences. Chapter 12. page 484
Of the influence of the divine names
through all the middle causes into
Book 111 these inferior things.
Chapter 13. page 487
Chapter 1. page 441 Of the members of God, and of their
Of the necessity, power, and profit of influence on our members.
religion.
 An Index of All the Chapters Which Are Contained in This Work / lxxi

Chapter 14. page 490 Chapter 26. . page 547

Of the gods of the gentiles, and souls Of finding out of the names of spirits,
of the celestial bodies, and what places and geniuses from the disposition of
were consecrated in times past, and to celestial bodies.
what deities. Chapter 27. page 549
Chapter 15. page 496 Of the calculating art of such names by
What our theologians think concerning the tradition of Cabalists.
the celestial souls. Chapter 28. page 553
Chapter 16. page 499 How sometimes names of spirits are
Of intelligences and spirits, and of the taken from those things over which
threefold kind of them, and of their they are set.
divine names, and of infernal and sub- Chapter 29. page 558
terraneal spirits. Of the characters and seals of spirits.
Chapter 17. page 505 Chapter 30. page 560
Of these according to the opinion of Another manner of making characters,
theologians. delivered by Cabalists.
Chapter 18. page 509 Chapter 31. page 564
Of the orders of evil spirits, and of There is yet another fashion of charac-
their fall , and divers natures. ters, and concerning marks of spirits
Chapter I 9. page 518 which are received only by revelation.
Of the bodies of the devils. Chapter 32. page 566
Chapter 20. page 521 How good spirits may be called up by
Of the annoyance of evil spirits, and us, and how evil spirits may be over-
the preservation we have by good spir- come by us.
its. Chapter 33. page 571
Chapter 21. page 524 Of the bonds of spirits, and of their
Of obeying a proper genius, and of the adjurations, and castings out.
searching out the nature thereof. Chapter 34. page 573
Chapter 22. page 527 Of the Animastical Order, and the
That there is a threefold keeper of heros.
man, and from whence each of them Chapter 35. page 576
proceed. Of the mortal and terrestrial gods.
Chapter 23. page 530 Chapter 36. page 579
Of the tongue of angels, and of their Of man, how he was created after the
speaking amongst themse lves, and image of God.
with us. Chapter 37. page 585
Chapter 24. page 532 Of man's soul, and through what
Of the names of spirits, and their vari- means it is joined to the body.
ous imposition; and of the spirits that Chapter 38. page 587
are set over the stars, signs, comers of What divine gifts man receiveth from
the heaven, and the elements. above, from the several orders of the
Chapter 25. page 538 Intelligences and the heavens.
How the Hebrew Mecubals draw forth Chapter 39. page 589
the sacred names of angels out of the How the superior influences, seeing
sacred writ, and of the seventy-two they are good by nature, are depraved
angels, which bear the name of God, in these inferior things, and are made
with the table of Ziruph, and the com- causes of evil.
mutations of letters and numbers.
lxxii / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

Chapter 40. . page 591 Chapter 55. page 643

That on every man a divine character Of abstinence, fastings, chastity, soli-
is imprinted, by the virtue of which tariness, the tranquility and ascent of
man can attain the working of mira- the mind.
cles. Chapter 56. page 647
Chapter 41. page 593 Of penitency, and alms.
What concerning man after death, Chapter 57. page 649
divers opinions. Of those things which being outwardly
Chapter 42. page 605 administered conduce to expiations.
By what ways the magicians and Chapter 58. page 652
necromancers do think they can call Of adorations, and vows.
forth the souls of the dead. Chapter 59. page 655
Chapter 43. page 609 Of sacrifices and oblations, and their
Of the power of man's soul, in the kinds and manners.
mind, reason and imagination. Chapter 60 page 662
Chapter 44. page 613 What imprecations and rites the
Of the degrees of souls, and their ancients were wont to use in sacrifices,
destruction, or immortality. and oblations.
Chapter 45. page 616 Chapter 61. page 663
Of soothsaying and phrensy. How these things must be performed,
Chapter 46. page 618 as to God, so to inferior deities.
Of the first kind of phrensy from the Chapter 62. page 665
Muses. 'Of consecrations, and their manner.
Chapter 47. page 621 Chapter 63 . page 668
Of the second kind from Dionysus. What things may be called holy, what
Chapter 48. page 623 consecrated, and how these become so
Of the third kind of phrensy from betwixt us and the deities; and of
Apollo. sacred times.
Chapter 49. page 627 Chapter 64. page 672
Of the fourth kind of phrensy, from Of certain religious observations, cere-
Venus. monies, and rites of perfumings, unc-
Chapter 50. page 629 tions, and such like.
Of rapture, and ecstasy, and soothsay- Chapter 65. page 677
ings, which happen to them which are The conclusion of the whole work.
taken with the falling sickness, or with
a swoon, or to them in an agony.
Chapter 51. page 633
Of prophetical dreams.
Chapter 52. page 636
Of lots and marks possessing the sure
power of oracles.
Chapter 53. page 638
How he that will receive oracles must
dispose himself.
Chapter 54. page 641
Of cleanness, and how to be observed.
ThRee BooKs of Occulr Philosophy,
OR of magic;
wRirren by rhar Famous man
HenRY CORnelius i\.gRippa, Knight:"
And DOCL"OR of bOL"h Laws, CounsellOR L"O
CaesaR's SacRed Q)ajeSL"y, and Judge of L"he
PReRogaL"ive COURL.

BOOK 1
 CHAPTeR 1

How magicians collecr viRrues fRom rhe

rhReefold wORld, is declaRed in rhese rhRee books.

eeing there is a threefold world, I elemen- mixtions of natural things, then of the celestial

S tary, celestial, and intellectual, and every

inferior is governed by its superior, and
receiveth the influence of the virtues
thereof, so that the very original, and chief Work-
world in the rays, and influences thereof, accord-
ing to the rules of astrologers, and the doctrines
of mathematicians, joining the celestial vertues
to the fonner: moreover, they ratify and confinn
er of all doth by angels, the heavens, stars, ele- all these with the powers of divers intelligencies,
ments, animals, plants, metals, and stones convey through the sacred ceremonies of religion.
from himself the virtues of his omnipotency The order and process of all these I shall
upon us, for whose service he made, and created endeavor to deliver in these three books: where-
all these things: wise men conceive it no way of the first contains natural magic, the second
irrational that it should be possible for us to celestial, and the third ceremonial. But I know
ascend by the same degrees through each world, not whether it be an unpardonable presumption
to the same very original world itself, the Maker in me, that I, a man of so little judgement and
of all things, and First Cause, from whence all learning should in my very youth so confidently
things are, and proceed; and also to enjoy not set upon a business so difficult, so hard, and
only these virtues, which are already in the more intricate as this is. Wherefore, whatsoever things
excellent kind of things, but also besides these, to have here already, and shall afterwards be said
draw new virtues from above. by me, I would not have anyone assent to them,
Hence it is that they seek after the virtues of nor shall I myself, any farther than they shall be
the elementary world, through the help of approved of by the universal Church, and the
physic, and natural philosophy in the various congregation of the faithful.2

Nor-es-Chapr-eR 1
I. threefold world-Agrippa divides the universe both sides together and merge them into
into the terrestrial , astrological and spiritual regions, one great whole. They form the medium of
each of which gives rise to its own branch of magic. the prophetic arts, of the priestly rites of
This division echoes the threefold division of Plato: sacrifice, initiation, and incantation, or
They [spirits] are the envoys and inter- divination and of sorcery, for the divine
preters that ply between heaven and earth, will not mingle directly with the human,
flyin g upward with our worship and our and it is only through the mediation of the
prayers, and descending with the heavenly spirit world that man can have any inter-
answers and commandments, and since course, whether waking or sleeping, with
they are between the two estates they weld the gods. And the man who is versed in

3
4/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCUL T PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

such matters is said to have spiritual pow- aether dwell stars, over whom rules that
ers, as opposed to the mechanical powers great luminary, the Sun; in the air dwell
of the man who is expert in the more mun- souls, over whom rules the Moon; and
dane arts. (Symposium, trans. M. Joyce. In upon earth dwell men, over whom rules he
Collected Dialogues, ed. Edith Hamilton who is king for the time being; for the
and Huntington Cairns [Princeton Univer- gods, my son, cause to be born at the right
sity Press, 1973], 555) time a man that is worthy to govern upon
earth. ("Aphrodite" excerpt 24. In Hermet-
Hermes Trismegistus divides the highest region, and
ica, trans. W. Scott [Boston: Shambhala,
separates the spirits into gods and souls, thereby
1985],1:495,497.)
arriving at a universe of four parts:
There are in the universe four regions, 2. of the faithful-Agrippa knew he was walking a
which are subject to law that cannot be fine line between philosophy and witchcraft so far as
transgressed, and to kingly presidency; the learned opinion of his day was concerned, and
namely heaven, the aether, the air, and the very much subject to the whim of the Church. See the
earth. Above, my son, in heaven, dwell guarded warning to this effect at the end of the letter
gods, over whom, as over all else likewise, from Trithemius to Agrippa, p. Ivii.
rules the Maker of the universe; in the
 CHAPTeR 11

Whar magic is, whar aRe rhe paRrs rheReof,

and how rhe pRofessoRs rheReof musr be qualified.

agic is a faculty of wonderful To send forth lightnings, and a thundering

OJ virtue, full of most high mys-

teries, containing the most pro-
found contemplation of most
secret things, together with the nature, power,
crack;
What doth the nightly flames , and comets
make;
What makes the Earth to swell, and then to
quake:
quality, substance, and virtues thereof, as also What is the seed of metals, and of gold
the knowledge of w.hole nature, and i,t doth What virtues, wealth, doth Nature 's coffer
hold.'
instruct us concerning the differing, and agree-
ment of things amongst themselves, whence it
All these things doth natural philosophy,
produceth its wonderful effects, by uniting the the viewer of nature contain, teaching us
virtues of things through the application of them according to Virgil's muse:
one to the other, arid to their inferior suitable
subjects, joining and knitting them together thor- ----whence all things flow,
oughly by the powers, and .virtues of the superi- Whence mankind, beast, whence fire,
or bodies. whence rain, and snow,
Whence earthquakes are, why the whole
This is the most perfect, and chief science, ocean beats
that sacred, and sublimer kind of philosophy, Over his banks, and then again retreats:
and lastly the most absolute perfection of all Whence strength of herbs, whence courage,
most excellent philosophy. For seeing that all rage of brutes,
regulative philosophy is divided into natural, All kinds of stone, of creeping things, and
fruits .2
mathematical, and theological: (Natural philos-
ophy teacheth the nature of those things which But mathematical philosophy teacheth us to
are in the world, searching and enquiring into know the quantity of natural bodies, as extended
their causes, effects, times, places, fashions, into three dimensions, as also to conceive of the
events, their whole, and parts, also: motion, and course of celestial bodies:

The number and the nature of those things, - - - as in great haste,

Called elements, what Fire, Earth, Air forth What makes the golden stars to march so
brings: fast;
From whence the heavens their beginnings What makes the Moon sometimes to mask
had; her face ,
Whence tide, whence rainbow in gay The Sun also, as if in some disgrace.3
colours clad.
What makes the clouds that gathered are, And as Virgil sings:
and black,

5
6/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

How the Sun doth rule with twelve Zodiac sage authors, and most famou s writers;
signs, amongst which principally Zamolxis and
The orb that' s meas ured round about with Zoroaster were so famous, that many believed
lines, they were the inventors of thi s science. Their
It doth the heaven 's starry way make known, track Abbaris the Hyperborean, Charmondas,
And strange eclipses of the Sun, and Moon,
Damigeron , Eudoxus, Hermippus followed:
Arcturus also, and the Stars of Rain,
The Seven Stars likewise, and Charles his there were also other eminent, choice men, as
Wain, Mercurius Tresmegistus, Porphyrius , lambli-
Why winter Suns make towards the west cus , Plotinus , Proclus, Dardanus, Orpheus the
so fast; Thracian, Gog the Grec ian , Germa the Baby-
What makes the nights so long ere they be lonian, Apollonius of Tyana. Osthanes also
past?4 wrote excellently in this art; whose books being
as it were lost, Democritus of Abdera 6 recov-
All which is understood by mathematical ered, and set forth with hi s own commentaries.
philosophy. Besides Pythagoras, Empedocles, Democritus,
Plato , and many other renowned philosophers
- --hence by the heavens we may traveled far by sea to learn this art: and being
foreknow returned , publi shed it with wonderful devout-
the seasons all; times for to reap and sow, ness, esteeming of it as a great secret. Also it is
And when ' tis fit to launch into the deep,
well known that Pythagoras, and Plato went to
And when to war, and when in peace to
sleep, the prophets of Memphi s7 to learn it, and trav-
And when to dig up ,trees, and them again eled through almost all Syria, Egy pt, Judea,
To set; that so they may bring forth amain.s and the school s of the Chaldeans, that the y
might not be ignorant of the most sacred
Now theological philosophy , or divinity, memorial s, and records of magic , as also that
teacheth what God is, what the mind, what an they might be furni shed with divine things.
intelligence, what an angel, what a devil, what Whosoever therefore is desirous to study in
the soul, what religion , what sacred institu- this faculty , if he be not skilled in natural phi-
tions, rites, temples, observations, and sacred losophy, wherein are discovered the qualities of
mysteries are : it instructs us al so concerning things, and in which are found the occult prop-
faith , miracles, the virtues of words and fig- erties of every being , and if he be not skillful in
ures, the secret operations and mysteries of the mathematics, and in the aspects, and figures
seals, and as Apuleius saith, it teacheth us right- of the stars, upon which depends the sublime
ly to understand , and to be skilled in the cere- virtue, and property of everything; and if he be
monial laws, the equity of hol y things, and rule not learned in theology , wherein are manifested
of religions. But to recollect myself) these three those immaterial substances,8 which di spense,
principal faculties magic comprehends, unites, and mini ster all things, he cannot be possibly
and actuates; deservedly therefore was it by the able to understand the rationality of magic. For
ancients esteemed as the highest, and most there is no work that is done by mere magic, nor
sacred philosophy. any work that is merely magical , that doth not
It was, as we find, brought to light by most comprehend these three faculties.

Not:es-Chapt:eR 11
I. coffer hold-Thi s quote is not from Virgil, but I 4. they be past- A composite of Georgics I, lines
have been unable to locate its source. 231-2; Georgics 2., lines 477-8; and the Aeneid I,
lines 744--6.
2. and f ruits-The second and .third lines of this
quote are from the Georgics 2, lines 479- 80. The 5. f orth amain-Georgics I, lines 252-6.
others I cannot identify.
6. Democritus ofAhdera-That is, pseudo-Democritus
3. some disgrace-Not Virgil, but again I cannot the alchemist. See the biographical note on Ostanes.
place it.
 What Magic Is I 7

7. prophets of Memphis- men, and they also by him, imitated their

symbolical and mysterious way of talking,
This is also confinned by the most learned
obscuring his sentiments with dark riddles.
of the Greeks (such as Solon, Thales, Plato,
(Plutarch Isis and Osiris 10, trans. William
Eudoxus, Pythagoras, and as some say,
Baxter. In Plutarch's Essays and Miscella-
even Lycurgus) going to Egypt and con-
nies, ed. William W. Goodwin [London:
versing with the priests; of whom they say
Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent and
Eudoxus was a hearer of Chonuphus of
Co. , 1874-8],4:72)
Memphis, Solon of Sonchis of Sais, and
Pythagoras of Oenuphis of Heliopolis.
8. . i'."material substances-Specifically the aerial
Whereof the last named, being (as is prob-
spmts referred to by Hennes, Augustine, Plato, and
able) more than ordinarily admired by the
others.
 CHAPTeR III

Of rhe fOUR e1emenrs,

rheiR qualiries, and murual mi)Crions.

here are four elements, I and original Moreover, the elements are upon another

T grounds of all corporeal things, Fire,

Earth, Water, Air, of which all elemen-
tated inferior bodies are compounded;
not by way of heaping them up together, but by
account opposite one to the other: for some are
heavy, as Earth and Water, and others are light,
as Air and Fire. Wherefore the Stoics called the
former passives, but the latter actives.
transmutation, and union; and when they are And yet once again Plato distinguisheth
destroyed, they are resolved into elements. For them after another manner,4 and assigns to every
there is none of the sensible elements that is pure,
one of them three qualities, viz. to the Fire
but they are more or less mixed, and apt to be
changed one into the other: even as Earth becom- brightness, thinness, and motion, but to the Earth
ing dirty, and being dissolved, becomes Water, darkness, thickness, and quietness. And accord-
and the same being made thick and hard, becomes ing to these qualities the elements of Fire and
Earth again; but being evaporated through heat, Earth are contrary. But the other elements bor-
passeth into Air, and that being kindled, passeth row their qualities from these, so that the Air
into Fire, and this being extinguished, returns receives two qualities of the Fire, thinness and
back again into Air, but being cooled again after motion; and one of the Earth, viz. darkness. In
its burning, becomes Earth, or stone, or sulphur, like manner Water receives two qualities of the
and this is manifested by lightning.2 Earth, darkness and thickness, and one of Fire,
Plato also was of that opinion, that Earth viz. motion. But Fire is twice more thin than Air,
was wholly changeable, and that the rest of the thrice more moveable, and four times more
elements are changed, as into this, so into one bright: and the Air is twice more bright, thrice
another successively.3 But it is the opinion of more thin, and four times more moveable than
the subtiler sort of philosophers, that Earth is Water. Wherefore Water is twice more bright
not changed, but relented and mixed with other than Earth, thrice more thin, and four times more
elements, which do not dissolve it, and that it moveable. As therefore the Fire is to the Air, so
returns back into itself again. Air to the Water, and Water to the Earth; and
Now everyone of the elements hath two again, as the Earth is to the Water, so the Water
special qualities, the fOfl11er whereof it retains to the Air, and the Air to the Fire.
as proper to itself, in the other, as a mean, it And this is the root and foundation of all
agrees with that which comes next after it. For bodies, natures, virtues , and wonderful works;
Fire is hot and dry, Earth dry and cold, the and he which shall know these qualities of the
Water cold and moist, the Air moist and hot. elements, and their mixtions, shall easily bring
And so after this manner the elements, accord- to pass such things that are wonderful, and
ing to two contrary qualities, are contrary one to astonishing, and shall be perfect in magic.
the other, as Fire to Water, and Earth to Air.

8
 Of the Four Elements / 9

NOLcs-ChapLCR III

l.four elements-See Appendix III. obscurely said. There was an error in imag-
ining that all the four elements might be
2. manifested /ightning-"Lightning and thunder are generated by and into one another; this, I
attended with a strong smell of sulphur, and the light say, was an erroneous supposition, for
produced by them is of a sulphureous complexion" there are generated from the triangles
(Pliny Natural History 35:50, trans. John Bostock and which we have selected four kinds-three
H. T. Riley [London: Henry G. Bohn, 1857),6:293). [fire, air and water) from the one which has
the sides unequal, the fourth alone [earth)
3. one another successively-Agrippa seems not to
framed out of the isosceles triangle. Hence
have read his Plato carefully:
they cannot all be resolved into one anoth-
In the first place, we see that what we just er, a great number of small bodies being
now called water, by condensation, I sup- combined into a few large ones, or the con-
pose, becomes stone and earth, and this verse. But three of them can be thus
same element, when melted and dispersed, resolved and compounded, for they all
passes into vapor and air. Air, again, when spring from one. (ibid. 54c)
inflamed becomes fire, and, again, fire,
And farther on Plato is more specific:
when condensed and extinguished, pro-
duces cloud and mist-and from these, Earth, when meeting with fire and dis-
when still more compressed, comes flowing solved by its sharpness, whether the disso-
water, and from water comes earth and lution takes place in the fire itself or
stones ollce more-and thus generation perhaps in some mass of air or water, is
appears to be transmitted from one to the born hither and thither until its parts, meet-
other in a circle. (Timaeus 49c, trans. B. ing together and mutually harmonizing,
Jowett [Hamilton and Cairns)) again become earth, for they can never take
any other form. (ibid. 56d)
But Plato goes on to say:
4. after another manner-See Appendix III.
Now it is time to explain what was before
 CHAPTeR lV

Of a 'thReefold consideRarion of rhe elemenrs.

here are then , as we have said, four ments , but are twice compounded, various, and

T elements, without the perfect knowl-

edge whereof we can effect nothing
in magic. Now each of them is
threefold, I that so the number of four may
changeable one into the other. They are the
infallible medium, and therefore are called the
middle nature, or soul of the middle nature:
very few there are that understand the deep
make up the number of twelve; and by pass ing mysteries thereof. In them is, by means of cer-
by the number of seven into the number of tain numbers, degrees, and orders, the perfec-
ten , there may be a progress to the supreme tion of every effect in what thing soever,
Unity , upon which all virtue and wonderful whether natural , celestial, or superce lestial;
operation depends. 2 they are full of wonders, and mysteries, and are
Of the first order3 are the pure elements, operative, as in magic natural , so divine: for
which are neither compounded nor changed, from these, through them, proceed the bind-
nor admit of mixtion, but are incorruptible, and ings, loosings, and transmutations of all things,
not of which , but through which the virtues of the knowing and foretelling of things to come,
all natural things are brought forth into act. No also the driving forth of evil, and the gaining of
man is able to declare their virtues, because good spirits.
they can do all things upon all things. He which Let no man therefore, without these three
is ignorant of these, shall never be able to bring sorts of elements, and the knowledge thereof,
to pass any wonderful matter. be confident that he is able to work anything
Of the second order4 are elements that are in the occult sciences of magic , and nature.
compounded, changeable, and impure, yet But whosoever shall know how to reduce
such as may by art be reduced to their pure those of one order, into those of another,
simplicity, whose virtue, when they are thus impure into pure, compounded into simple,
reduced to their simplicity, doth above all and shall know how to understand di stinctly
things perfect all occult, and common opera- the nature, virtue , and power of them in num-
tions of nature: and these are the foundation of ber, degrees, and order, without dividing the
the whole natural magic. substance, he shall easily attain to the knowl-
Of the third order5 are those elements, edge, and perfect operation of all natural
which originally and of themselves are not ele- things, and celestial secrets.6

10
 Of a Threefold Consideration of the Elements / 11

NOLcs-ChapLCR lV

1. threefold-Perhaps this refers to the Cardinal, courses of the stars, with their virtues, pow-
Fixed, and Mutable qualities displayed in the signs of ers, operations, and properties, did they
the Zodiac. keenly and clearly understand their types,
signets, sigils, and their most secret things
2. ·depends- These numbers would seem to refer to whatsoever, no performance of marvels
the seven planets, twelve Zodiac signs and ten Sephi- could possibly follow these operations with-
roth. They may be manipulated in this way : out the knowledge of this principle which
7+ 12= 19= 1 +9= 10= I +0= 1 cometh out of a principle, and retumeth into
a principle; whence all, without exception,
3. first order-Perhaps the prime single-digit num- which I have found experimenting in natur-
bers are implied; i.e., 2, 3, 5 and 7. al magic have either attained nothing or,
after long and unproductive operations,
4. second order-Perhaps the compound single-digit have been driven into vain, trifling, and
numbers; i.e., 4, 6, 8 and 9. superstitious pursuits. Now the second prin-
ciple, which is separated from the first in
5. third order-Perhaps numbers of more than one order and not in dignity, which alone exist-
digit, which can be reduced to a single digit by mag- ing doth create the Triad, is that which
ical, or Kabbalistic, addition. For example 12 = 1+2 works wonders by the Duad. For in the one
= 3. They are in this way reducible into one or the is the one and there is not the one; it is sim-
other of the first two sets, or into unity. It is upon the ple, yet in the Tetrad it is compounded,
manipulation of Hebrew letters through their numer- which being purified by fire cometh forth
ical values that much of magic is based. pure water, and reduced to its simplicity
shall reveal unto the performer of arcane
6. celestial secrets-This chapter has the distinction mysteries the completion of his labours.
of being the most obscure in the entire book. Thomas Here lieth the centre of all natural magic,
Vaughan, who virtually worshiped Agrippa ("hear whose circumference united unto itself doth
the oracle of magick, the great and solemn Agrip- display a circle, a vast line in the infinite. Its
pa"), quotes it verbatim from the English edition, virtue is above all things purified, and it is
albeit with a couple of minor errors, in his own less simple than all things, composed on the
Anima Magica Abscondita . Vaughan goes on to scale of the Tetrad. But the Pythagoric
quote a parallel passage from the writings of the Tetrad supported by the Triad, the pure and
Abbot Trithemius, which, although quite long, I feel purified in one, can, if order and grade be
compelled to give here because of the darkness of the observed, most assuredly perform marvels
question: and secrets of nature in respect of the Duad
"The first principle doth consist in that one within the Triad. This is the Tetrad within
substance through which, rather than from the capacity whereof the Triad joined to the
whom , is every potentiality of natural mar- Duad, maketh all things one, and which
vels developed into the actual. We have said worketh wonderfully. The Triad reduced to
'through which,' because the Absolute unity contains all things, per aspectum. in
which proceedeth out of unity is not com- itself, and it doeth whatsoever it will. The
pounded, neither hath it any vicissitude. third principle is by itself no principle, but
Thereunto from the Triad, and from the between this and the Duad is the end of all
Tetrad is an arcane progression to the science and mystic art, and the infallible
Monad for the completion of the Decad, centre of the mediating principle. It is no
because thereby is the regression of number easier to blunder in the one than in the other
into unity, and, in like manner, the descent for few flourish on earth who fundamental-
unto the Tetrad and the ascent unto the ly comprehend its mysteries, both progress-
Monad. By this only can the Duad be com- ing by an eight-fold multiplication through
pleted. With joy and triumph is the Monad the septenary into the triad, and remaining
converted into the Triad . None who are fixed. Therein is the consummation of the
ignorant of this principle which is after the scale and series of Number. By this hath
principle of the Monad can attain unto the every philosopher, and every true Scrutator
Triad, nor approach the most sacred Tetrad. of natural secrets, attained unto admirable
Had they mastered all the books of the wise, results; by this, reduced in the Triad unto a
were they perfectly conversant with the simple element, they suddenly performed
12/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

miraculous cures of diseases, and of all possible for them to accomplish anything in
kinds of sickness in a purely natural manner, the secret · services of Nature." Thus far
and the operations of natural and supernat- Trithemius, where for the better understand-
ural Magick attained results through the ing of him, I must inform thee there is a
direction of the Tetrad. By this prediction of two-fold Binarius, one of light and confu-
future events was truthfully performed, and sion; but peruse Agrippa seriously "Of the
no otherwise was the narrow entrance unto Scales of numbers," and thou mayst appre-
things kept secret wrested from Nature. By hend all, for our abbot borrowed this lan-
this only Medium was the secret of Nature guage fro~ him, t!le perusal of whose books
laid bare unto Alchemists; without it no he had before he published anything in this
comprehension of the art can be acquired, nature ()f his own. (Vaughan Anima Magica
nor the end of experiment discovered. Abscondita. In The Magical Writings of
Believe me, they do err, they do all err, who Thomas Vaughan, eq. A. E. Waite [Lon-
devoid of these three principles dream it don: George Redway, 1888],58-60)
 CHAPTeR v

Of rhe wondeRful narURes of FiRe, and eaRrh.

here are two things (saith Hermes)' viz. in the mid way it partakes of both. Fire there-

T Fire and Earth, which are sufficient for

the operation of all wonderful things:
the former is active, the latter passive.
Fire (as saith Dionysiusp in all things, and
fore in itself is one, but in that which receives it,
manifold, and in differing subjects it is distrib-
uted in a different manner, as Cleanthes witnes-
seth in Cicero. That fire then which we use is
through all things, comes and goes away bright, fetched out of other things. It is in stones, and is
it is in all things bright, and at the same time fetched out by the stroke of the steel: it is in
occult, and unknown; when it is by itself (no earth, and makes that, after digging up, to
other matter coming to it, in which it should smoke: it is in water, and heats springs, and
manifest its proper action) it is boundless, and wells: it is in the depth of the sea, and makes
invisible, of itself sufficient for every action that that, being tossed with winds, warm: it is in the
is proper to it, moveable, yielding itself after a air, and makes it (as we oftentimes see) to burn.
manner to all things that come next to it, renew- And all animals, and living things whatsoever,
ing, guarding nature, enlightening, not compre- and also all vegetables are preserved by heat:
hended by lights that are veiled over, clear, and everything that lives, lives by reason of the
parted, leaping back, bending upwards, quick in enclosed heat.
motion, high, always raising motions, compre- The properties of the Fire that is above, are
hending another, not comprehended itself, not heat, making all things fruitful, and light, giving
standing in need of another, secretly increasing life to all things. The properties of the infernal
of itself, and manifesting its greatness to things Fire are a parched heat, consuming all things,
that receive it. Active, powerful, invisibly present and darkness, making all things barren. The
in all things at once; it will not be affronted or celestial, and bright Fire drives away spirits of
opposed, but as it were in a way of revenge, it darkness; also this our fire made with wood dri-
will reduce on a sudden things into obedience to ves away the same, in as much as it hath an
itself, incomprehensible, impalpable, not less- analogy with, and is the vehiculum of that supe-
ened, most rich in all dispensations of itself. Fire rior light; as also of Him, who saith, I am the
(as saith Pliny) is the boundless, and mischievous light of the world, 3 which is true Fire, the Father
part of the nature of things, it being a question of Lights, from whom every good thing that is
whether it destroys, or produceth most things. given comes; sending forth the light of his Fire,
Fire itself is one, and penetrates through all and communicating it first to the Sun, and the
things (as say the Pythagorians) also spread rest of the celestial bodies, and by these, as by
abroad in the heavens, and shining: but in the mediating instruments conveying that light into
infernal place straitened, dark, and tormenting, our fire.

13
14/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

As therefore the spmts of darkness are Now the basis, and foundation of all the ele-
stronger in the dark: so good spirits, which are ments, is the Earth, for that is the object, subject,
angels of light, are augmented, not only by that and receptacle of all celestial rays, and influ-
light, which is divine, of the Sun, and celestial, ences; in it are contained the seeds, and seminal
but also by the light of our common fire. Hence virtues of all things; and therefore it is said to be
it was that the first, and most wise institutors of animal, vegetable, and mineral. It being made
religions, and ceremonies ordained, that prayers, fruitful by the other elements, and the heavens,
singings, and all manner of divine worships brings forth all things of itself; it receives the
whatsoever should not be performed without abundance of all things, and is, as it were the
lighted candles, or torches. (Hence also was that ftrst fountain, from whence all things spring; it is
significant saying of Pythagoras: do not speak the center, foundation, and mother of all things.
of God without a light.)4 And they commanded Take as much of it as you please, separated,
that for the driving away of wicked spirits, lights washed, depurated, subtilized, if you let it lie in
and fires should be kindled by the corpses of the the open air a little while, it will, being full, and
dead, and that they should not be removed, until abounding with heavenly virtues, of itself bring
the expiations were after a holy manner per- forth plants, worms, and other living things, also
formed, and they buried. And the great Jehovah stones, and bright sparks of metals. 6 In it are
himself in the old Law commanded that all hi s great secrets, if at any time it shall be purified by
sacrifices should be offered with fire, and that the help of Fire, and reduced unto its simplicity
fire should always be burning upon the altar,S by a convenient washing. It is the first matter of
which custom the priests of the altar did always our creation, and the truest medicine that can
observe, and keep amongst the Romans. restore, and preserve us.?

NO'Les-Chap'LeR V
I. saith Hermes- 5. the altar-Leviticus 6: 12-3.
Separate the Earth from the Fire, the subtle
6. sparks of metals-The belief that some plants and
from the gross, gently and with care.
animals, especially insects, were generated spon ta-
Ascend from Earth to Heaven, and
neously in the earth without prior sex ual union was
descend again to Earth, to unite the power
universal in ancient times:
of higher and lower things; thus you will
obtain the glory of the whole World, and Of these, all which are produced by union
the shadows will leave you. (Emerald of animals of the same kind generate also
Tablet of Hermes Trismegistus) See after their kind, but all of which are not
Appendix I. produced by animals, but from decay ing
matter, generate indeed but produce
2. saith Dionysius-Dionysius the Areopagite, in the another kind, and the offspring is neither
15th chapter of his work, Concerning the Celestial male nor female ; such are some of the
Hierarchy, where fire is discussed at length . insects. " (Aristotle On the Generation of
Animals 1.1.715b, trans. A. Platt. In The
3. the world-John 8: 12. Basic Works, ed. Richard McKeon [New
York: Random House, 1941]. 666)
4. without a /ight-"S peak not about Pythagoric con-
Pliny repeats much of what Aristotle has to say:
cerns without light" (Iamblichus Life of Pythagoras
ch. 18, trans. Thomas Taylor [1818] [London: John Many insects, however, are engendered in a
M. Watkins, 1926], 45). The same expression also different manner; and some more especially
occurs in ch. 23, p. 57. It is included in a list of things from dew .... In the same manner, also,
which should or should not be done that was spoken some animals are generated in the earth from
to initiates into the school of Pythagoras. Taylor rain, and some, again, in wood . ... Then, too,
mentions in a note that he has interpolated the words in dead carrion there are certain animals pro-
"Pythagoric concerns," which are not in the original. duced, and in the hair, too, of living men ....
 Of the Wonderful Natures of Fire, and Earth /15

Other insects, again, are engendered from Thomas Nelson, 1849,97)

filth, acted upon by the rays of the sun-
Of course, he was no authority. Doctor Johnson once
these fleas are called "petauristae," from the
said of Goldsmith, "If he can tell a horse from a cow,
activity which they display in their hind legs.
that is the extent of his knowledge of zoology."
Others, again, are produced with wings, from
In addition to plants and animals, metals were
the moist dust that is found lying in holes and
believed to grow in the ground, in exactly the same
comers. (Pliny 11.37-9 [Bostock and Riley,
way that crystals actually do grow. Rock crystal, on
3:39-40])
the other hand, was thought to be ice formed under
Belief in spontaneous generation was remarkably extremely cold temperatures that had caused it to
persistent. Although Redi proved in 1668 that mag- petrify.
gots did not arise from rotten meat, the question was
still up in the air when Goldsmith wrote his Animated 7. preserve us-The first matter, or materia prima, is
Nature (1774): an alchemical concept. Only when base materials are
reduced to their original, pure state, prior to the cor-
But later discoveries have taught us to be
ruption of impressions and passions, are they fit to
more cautious in making general conclu-
receive the pattern of the divine spirit, which infuses
sions, and have even induced many to
them--or rather, it, since there is only one prime
doubt whether animal life may not be pro-
material-with healing virtue.
duced merely from putrefaction. (London:
 CHAPTeR Vl

Of rhe wondeRful narURes

of WareR, A.iR, and winds.

he other two elements, viz. Water, divers are the uses thereof, as being that by

T and Air are not less efficacious than

. the former; neither is Nature wanting
to work wonderful things in them.
There is so great a necessity of water, that
virtue of which all things subsist, are generated,
nourished, and increased.
Thence it was that Thales of Miletus, and
Hesiod concluded that Water was the beginning
without it no living thing can live. No herb, nor of all things, and said it was the first of all the
plant whatsoever, without the moistening of elements, and the most potent, and that because
water can branch forth. In it is the seminary it hath the mastery over all the rest. 5 For, as
virtue of all things, especially of animals, whose Pliny saith, waters swallow up the earth, extin-
seed is manifestly waterish. The seeds also of guish flames, ascend on high , and by the
trees, and plants, although they are earthy, must stretching forth of the clouds, challenge the
notwithstanding of necessity be rotted in water, heaven for their own: the same falling down
before they can be fruitful ; whether they be become the cause of all things that grow in the
imbibed with the moisture of the earth, or with earth.6 Very many are the wonders that are done
dew, or rain , or any other water that is on pur- by waters, according to the writings of Pliny,
pose put to them. Solinus, and many other historians, of the won-
For Moses writes, that only Earth, and derful virtue whereof, Ovid also makes mention
Water bring forth a living souL' But he ascribes in these verses: 7
a twofold production of things to Water, viz. of
things swimming in the waters, and of things ---homed Hammon' s waters at high
noon
flying in the air above the earth. 2 And that those
Are cold; hot at sunrise, and setting Sun.
productions that are made in, and upon the earth, Wood, put in bubbling Athemas is fired ,
are partly attributed to the very water, the same The Moon then farthest from the Sun retired,
scripture testifies, where it saith that the plants, Ciconian streams congeal his guts to stone
and herbs did not grow because God had not That thereof drinks; and what therein is
thrown.
caused it to rain upon the earth.3 Crathis, and Sybaris (from the mountains
Such is the efficacy of this element of rolled)
Water, that spiritual regeneration cannot be Color the hair like amber, or pure gold.
done without it, as Christ himself testified to Some fountains, of a more prodigious kind,
Nicodemus.4 Very great also is the virtue of it in Not only change the body, but the mind.
Who hath not heard of obscene Salmacis?
the religious worship of God, in expiations, and Of the Aethiopian lake? for who of this
purifications; yea, the necessity of it is no less But only taste, their wits no longer keep,
than that of Fire. Infinite are the benefits, and Or forthward fall into a deadly sleep.

16
 Of the Wonderful Natures of Water, Air, and Winds / 17

Who at Clitorius' fountain thirst remove, concerning the wonders of waters, which, for
Loath wine, and abstinent, mere water love. aught I know, are found in no other author.
With streams opposed to these Lincestus
flows:
It remains that I speak of the Air. This is a
They reel, as drunk, who drink too much of vital spirit, passing through all beings, giving
those. life, and subsistence to all things, binding, mov-
A lake in fair Arcadia stands, of old ing, and filling all things. Hence it is that the
Called Pheneus; suspected, as twofold: Hebrew doctors reckon it not amongst the ele-
Fear, and forebear to drink thereof by night:
By night unwholesome, wholesome by
ments, but count it as a medium or glue, joining
daylight. things together, and as the resounding spirit of
the world's instrument. 12 It immediately receives
Josephus also makes relation of the won- into itself the influences of all celestial bodies,
derful nature of a certain river betwixt Arcea and then communicates them to the other ele-
and Raphanea, cities of Syria: which runs with a ments, as also to all mixed bodies. Also it
full channel all the sabbath day, and then on a receives into itself, as if it were a divine looking
sudden ceaseth, as if the springs were stopped, glass, the species of all things, as well natural, as
and all the six days you may pass over it artificial, as also of all manner of speeches, and
dryshod: but again on the seventh day (no man retains them; and carrying them with it, and
knowing the reason of it) the waters return entering into the bodies of men, and other ani-
again in abundance, as before. Wherefore the mals, through their pores, makes an impression
inhabitants thereabout called it the Sabbath Day upon them, as well when they sleep, as when
River, because of the seventh day, which was they be awake, and affords matter for divers
holy to the Jews. 8 strange dreams and divinations.
The gospel also testifies of a sheep-pool, Hence they say it is, that a man passing by
into which whosoever stepped first, after the a place where a man was slain, or the carcass
water was troubled by the angel, was made newly hid, is moved with fear and dread;
whole of whatsoever disease he had. 9 The same because the air in that place being full of the
virtue, and efficacy we read was in a spring of dreadful species of manslaughter, doth, being
the Ionian nymphs, which was in the territories breathed in, move and trouble the spirit of the
belonging to the town of Elis, at a village called man with the like species, whence it is that he
Heraclea, near the river Citheron: which whoso- comes to be afraid. For everything that makes a
ever stepped into, being diseased, came forth sudden impression, astonisheth nature.
whole, and cured of all his diseases. 10 Whence it is, that many philosophers were
Pausanias also reports, that in Lyceus, a of opinion that Air is the cause of dreams, and
mountain of Arcadia, there was a spring called of many other impressions of the mind, through
Agria, to which, as often as the dryness of the the prolonging of images, or similitudes, or
region threatened the destruction of fruits, species (which are fallen from things, and
Jupiter's priest of Lyceus went, and after the speeches, multiplying in the very air) until they
offering of sacrifices, devoutly praying to the come to the senses, and then to the phantasy,
waters of the spring, holding a bough of an oak and soul of him that receives them, which being
in his hand, put it down to the bottom of the hal- freed from cares, and no way hindered, expect-
lowed spring; then the waters being troubled, a ing to meet such kind of species, is informed by
vapour ascending from thence into the air was them. For the species of things, although of
blown into clouds, with which being joined their own proper nature, they are carried to the
together, the whole heaven was overspread: senses of men, and other animals in general,
which being a little after dissolved into rain, may notwithstanding get some impression from
watered all the country most wholesomely. I I the heaven, whilst they be in the Air, by reason
Moreover Ruffus a physician of Ephesus, of which, together with the aptness and disposi-
besides many other authors, wrote strange things tion of him that receives them, they may be car-
18/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

ried to the sense of one, rather than another. out life. And it is well known, if in a dark place
And hence it is possible naturally, and far where there is no light but by the coming in of a
from all manner of superstition, no other spirit beam of the Sun somewhere through a little
coming between, that a man should be able in a hole, a white paper, or plain looking glass be set
very little time to signify his mind unto another up against the light, that there may be seen upon
man, abiding at a very long and unknown dis- them, whatsoever things are done without, being
tance from him, although he cannot precisely shined upon by the Sun.
give an estimate of the time when it is, yet of And there is another slight, or trick yet
necessity it must be within 24 hours; and I more wonderful. If anyone shall take images
myself know how to do it, and have often done artificially painted, or written letters, and in a
it. The same also in time past did the Abbot clear night set them against the beams of the full
Tritenius both know and dO. 13 Moon, whose resemblances being multiplied in
Also, when certain appearances, not only the Air, and caught upward, and reflected back
spiritual, but also natural do flow forth from together with the beams of the Moon, any other
things, that is to say, by a certain kind of flow- man that is privy to the thing, at a long distance
ings forth of bodies from bodies, and do gather sees, reads, and knows them in the very com-
strength in the Air, they offer, and show them- pass, and circle of the Moon, which art of
selves to us as well through light as motion, as declaring secrets is indeed very profitable for
well to the sight as to other senses, and some- towns, and cities that are besieged, being a thing
times work wonderful things upon us, as Ploti- which Pythagoras long since did often do, and
nus proves and teacheth. And we see how by which is not unknown to some in these days, I
the south wind the air is condensed into thin will not except myself.
clouds, in which, as in a looking glass are And all these, and many more, and greater
reflected representations at a great distance of than these are grounded in the very nature of the
castles, mountains, horses, and men, and other Air, and have their reasons, and causes declared
things, which when the clouds are gone, in mathematics, and optics. And as these resem-
presently vanish. blances are reflected back to the sight, so also
And Aristotle in his Meteors 14 shows, that a sometimes to the hearing, as is manifest in the
rainbow is conceived in a cloud of the air, as in echo. But there are more secret arts than these,
a looking glass. And Albertus saith, that the and such whereby anyone may at a very remote
effigies of bodies may by the strength of nature, distance hear, and understand what another
in a moist air be easily represented, in the same speaks, or whispers softly.
manner as the representations of things are in There are also from the airy element winds .
things. And Aristotle tells of a man, to whom it For they are nothing else, but air moved, and
happened by reason of the weakness of his stirred up. Of these there are four that are prin-
sight, that the air that was near to him, became cipal, blowing from the four corners of the
as it were a looking glass to him, and the optic heaven, viz. Notus from the south, Boreas from
beam did reflect back upon himself, and could the north, Zephyrus from the west, Eurus from
not penetrate the air, so that whithersoever he the east, which Pontanus comprehending in
went, he thought he saw his own image, with these verses, saith,
his face towards him, go before him.
Cold Boreas from the top of ' Iympus blows,
In like manner, by the artificialness of some
And from the bottom cloudy Notus flows .
certain looking glasses, may be produced at a From setting Phoebus fruitful Zeph ' rus flies,
distance in the air, beside the looking glasses, And barren Eurus from the Sun 's uprise. IS
what images we please; which when ignorant
men see, they think they see the appearances of Notus is the southern wind, cloudy, moist,
spirits, or souls; when indeed they are nothing warm, and sickly, which Hieronimus calls the
else but semblances kin to themselves, and with- butler of the rains. Ovid describes it thus: 16
 Of the Wonderful Natures of Water, Air, and Winds / 19

Out flies South Wind, with dropping And force her in her hollow caves, I make
wings, who shrouds The ghosts to tremble, and the ground to
His fe arful aspect in the pitchy clouds; quake.
His white hair streams, his beard big-
swollen with showers;
And Zephyrus, which is the western wind ,
Mists bind his brows; rain from his bosom
pours. is most soft, blowing from the west with a
pleasant gale, it is cold and moist, removing the
But Boreas is contrary to Notus, and is the effects of winter, bringing forth branches, and
northern wind, fierce, and roaring, and dis- flowers . To this Eurus is contrary, which is the
cussing clouds, makes the air serene, and binds eastern wind, and is called Apeliotes, it is
the water with frost. Him doth Ovid thus bring waterish , cloudy, and ravenous. Of these two
in speaking of himself: 17 Ovid sings thus : 18

Force me befits: with this thick clouds I To Persis, and Sabea, Eurus flies;
drive; Whose gums perfume the blushing mom 's
Toss the blue billows, knotty oaks up-rive; uprise:
Congeal soft snow, and beat the Earth with Next to the evening, and the coast that glows
hail : With setting Phoebus, flowery Zeph'rus
When I my brethren in the air assail, blows:
(For that' s our field) we meet with such a In Scythia horrid Boreas holds hi s rain,
shock, Beneath Boites, and the frozen Wain :
That thundering skies with our encounters The land to this opposed doth Auster l9
rock , steep
And cloud-struck lightning flashes from on With fruitful showers, and clouds which
high, ever weep.
When through the crannies of the Earth I fly,

Not"cs-Chapt"CR Vl
I . living soul-Genesis 1:2 1, 24. 6. in the earth-
It is water that swallows up dry land, that
2. ahove the Earth-Genesis 1:20.
extinguishes flame, that ascends aloft, and
challenges possession of the very heavens:
3. upon (he Ear(h-Genesis 2:5 .
it is water that, spreading clouds as it does,
far and wide, intercepts the vital air we
4. (0 Nicodemus-John 3:5. breathe; and, through their collision, gives
rise to thunders and lightnings, as the ele-
5. all (he rest- ments of the universe meet in conflict. What
They [Egyptian priests] believe also that can there be more marvellous than waters
the sun and moon do not go in chariots, but suspended aloft in the heavens? And yet, as
sail about the world perpetually in certain though it were not enough to reach so high
boats; hinting hereby at their feeding upon an elevation as this, they sweep along with
and springing first out of moisture. They them whole shoals of fishes, and often
are likewise of the opinion that Homer (as stones as well, thus lading themselves with
well as Thales) had been instructed by the ponderous masses which belong to other
Egyptians, which made him affirm water to elements, and bearing them on high. Falling
upon the earth, these waters become the
be the spring and first origin of things; for
prime cause of all that is there produced ...
that Oceanus is the same with Osiris, and
(Pliny 31.1 [Bostock and Riley, 5.471])
Tethys with Isis, so named from Ti Tell, a
nurse, because she is the mother and nurse For Pliny ' s discussion of the properties and uses of
of all things. (Plutarch Isis and Osiris 34 water, see the Natural History 2.65-68, 99-106,
[Goodwin, 4:94-5]) and 31.1-30.
20/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

7. these verses-Metamorphoses 15.3, c. line 308. makes the rain drop on Arkadian land.
(ibid. 8.38.3-4 [Levi 2:467])
8. to the Jews-
12. world's instrument-"Water is silent, Fire is sibi-
He [Titus Caesar] then saw a river as he
lant and Air derived from the Spirit is as the tongue
went along, of such a nature as deserves to
of a balance standing between these contraries which
be recorded in history; it runs in the middle
are in equilibrium, reconciling and mediating
between Arcea, belonging to Agrippa's
between them" (Sepher Yetzirah 2. 1, trans. W. West-
kingdom, and Raphanea. It hath somewhat
cott [1887] [New York: Weiser, 1980] 18).
very peculiar in it; for when it runs, its cur-
rent is strong, and has plenty of water; after And the spark subsisted, and waited, until
which its springs fail for six days all the pure air went forth which involved ii
together, and leave its channel dry, as any around; and an ultimate extension having
one may see; after which days it runs on been made, He produced a certain hard
the seventh day as it did before, and as skull [of Microprosopus] on four sides.
though it had undergone no change at all: it And in that pure subtle air was the spark
hath also been observed to keep this order absorbed and comprehended and included
perpetually and exactly; whence it is that therein. Dost thou not think therein? Truly
they call it the Sabbatic River, -that name it is hidden therein . And therefore is that
being taken from the sacred seventh day skull expanded in its sides; and that air is
among the Jews. (Josephus Wars of the the most concealed attribute of the Ancient
Je ws 7.5. 1. In The Works of Flavius Jose- of Days. (Von Rosenroth Kabbalah
phus, trans. W. Whiston [London: George Unveiled ch. 27, sec. 538-41 , trans. Mac-
Routledge and Sons, n.d.], 665) Gregor Mathers [1887] [London: Rout-
ledge and Kegan Paul, 1962], 178).
9. disease he had-John 5:2-4. Thomas Vaughan, who had read Agrippa carefully,
says of air:
10. all his diseases-
This is no element, but a certain mirac u-
The Elean village of Herakleia is six miles lous Hermaphrodite, the cement of two
or so from Olympia on the banks of the worlds, and a medley of extremes. It is
river Kytheros; there is a water-spring that Nature 's common place, her index, where
runs into the river with a sanctuary of the you may finde all that ever she did, or
nymphs at the spring. These nymphs have intends to do. This is the world's pane-
the personal names of Kalliphaeia and gyrick, the excursions of both globes meet
Synallasis and Pegaia and Iasis, and their here, and I may call it the rendezvous. In
general title is the Ionides. If you wash in this are innumerable magicall forms of
the spring you can be cured of all kinds of men and beasts, fish and fowls, trees,
aches and pains; they say the nymphs are herbs, and all creeping things. (Anthro-
named after Ion son of Gargettos, who posophia Theomagica . Waite 18)
migrated here from Athens. (Pausanias
Guide to Greece 6.22.7, trans. P. Levi 13. know and do-Along with several similar casual
[Middlesex: Penguin, 1971] 2:354-5) references elsewhere in the text, this gives clear evi-
dence that Agrippa's knowledge of magic was prac-
II. most wholesomely- tical as well as theoretical and that Trithemius was at
Hagno's water-spring on Mount Lykaion least his fellow student, if not his master, in the Art.
has the same quality as the Danube of
always producing the same volume of 14 Meteors-On Meteorology.
water in summer and winter alike. If a
drought lasts a long time and the trees and 15. Sun's uprise-A remarkably similar passage
the seeds in the ground are withering, then occurs in Ovid:
the priest of Lykaian Zeus prays to this For at one moment, Eurus gathers strength
water and sacrifices according to the holy from the glowing East, at another instant
law, dipping an oak-branch on to the sur- comes Zephyrus, sent from the evening
face but not into the depths of the spring; West. At one time, the icy Boreas comes
when he stirs the water, a vapour rises like raging from the dry North; at another, the
a mist, and a little way off the mist South wind wages battle with adverse
becomes a cloud, collects other clouds, and front. (Tristia 1.2.27-30, trans. Henry T.
 Of the Wonderful Natures of Water, Air, and Winds / 21

Riley [London: George Bell and Sons, 18. sings thus-Ovid MetamOlphoses 1.2, c. line 60.
1881],253.
19. Auster-A name for one of the south winds,
16. itthus-Ovid Metamorphoses 1.8, c. line 262. which is now called Sirocco.

17. of himself-Ovid MetamOlphoses 6.7, c. line 690.

Salamander

from Scrutinium Chymicum (Frankfurt, 1687)

 CHAPTeR Vll

Of rhe Kinds of compounds, whar Re1arion

rhey srand in ro rhe e1emenrs, and whar Re1arion
rheRe is berwi}:r rhe e1emenrs rhemse1ves,
and rhe soul, senses, and disposirions of men.

ext after the four simple elements fol- water, and are spongious, as the stones of a

N lows the four kinds of perfect bodies

compounded of them, and they are
stones, metals, plants, and animals:
and although unto the generation of each of
sponge,5 the pumish stone,6 and the stone
sophus: 7 and they are called fiery, out of which
fire is extracted, or which are resolved into fire,
or which are produced of fire: as thunderbolts,8
these all the elements meet together in the com- firestones,9 and the stone asbestos. lo Also
position, yet everyone of them follows, and amongst metals, lead and silver are earthy:
resembles one of the elements, which is most quicksilver is waterish: copper, and tin are airy:
predominant. and gold, and iron are fiery.
For all stones are earthy, for they are natu- In plants also, the roots resemble the Earth,
rally heavy, and descend, and so hardened with by reason of their thickness: and the leaves,
dryness, that they cannot be melted. But metals Water, because of their juice: flowers, the Air,
are waterish, and may be melted, which natural- because of their subtilty, and the seeds the Fire,
ists confess, and chemists find to be true, viz. by reason of their mUltiplying spirit. Besides,
that they are generated of a viscous water, or they are called some hot, some cold, some
waterish argent vive. I Plants have such an affin- moist, some dry, borrowing their names from
ity with the Air, that unless they be abroad in the qualities of the elements.
the open air, they do neither bud, nor increase. Amongst animals also, some are in com-
So also all animals: parison of others earthy, and dwell in the bow-
els of the Earth, as worms and moles, and many
Have in their natures a most fiery force, other small creeping vermin: others are watery,
And also spring from a celestial source. as fishes: others airy, which cannot live out of
the air: others also are fiery, living in the fire, as
And Fire is so natural to them, that that being salamanders, II and crickets,12 such as are of a
extinguished they presently die. fiery heat, as pigeons,13 ostriches,14 lions, and
And again everyone of those kinds is dis- such as the wise man calls beasts breathing
tinguished within itself by reason of degrees of fire. 15 Besides, in animals the bones resemble
the elements. For amongst the stones they espe- the Earth, flesh the Air, the vital spirit the Fire,
cially are called earthy that are dark, and more and the humours the Water. And these humours
heavy; and those waterish, which are transpar- also partake of the elements, for yellow choler
ent, and are compacted of water, as crystal,2 is instead of Fire, blood instead of Air, phlegm
beryl,3 and pearls4 in the shells of fishes: and instead of Water, and black choler, or melan-
they are called airy, which swim upon the choly instead of Earth. 16

23
24/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

And lastly, in the soul itself, according to The actions also, and the operations of man
Austin,17 the understanding resembles Fire, rea- are governed by the elements. The Earth signi-
son the Air, imagination the Water, and the fies a slow, and firm motion: the Water signifies
senses the Earth. And these senses also are fearfulness, and sluggishness, and remissness in
divided amongst themselves by reason of the working: Air signifies cheerfulness, and an ami-
elements, for the sight is fiery; neither can it able disposition: but Fire a fierce , quick, and
perceive without Fire, and light: the hearing is angry disposition.
airy, for a sound is made by the striking of the The elements therefore are the first of all
Air: the smell, and taste resemble the Water, things, and, all things are of, and according to
without the moisture of which there is neither them, and they are in all things, and diffuse their
smell, nor taste: and lastly the feeling is wholly virtues through all things.
earthy, and takes gross bodies for its object.

Nores-ChapreR Vll
I. argent vive-Latin: argentum vivum. Quicksilver, were prone to petrification. "The Spunge-Stone is
mercury. made of the Matter of Spunges petrified." J. Pomet,
Complete HistOlY of Drugs, trans. John Hill [Lon-
2. Cly stal-Rock crystal, a variety of quartz, was don, 1712], bk. I, p. lOa. Chambers' Cyclopedia
thought in ancient times to be petrified ice. Supplement of 1753 describes the sponge-stone as a
"tartarous incrustation." Elyot's Dictionary (1552
It is a diametrically opposite cause to this
edition, enriched by T. Cooper) refers to "Crysti-
[heat] that produces crystal, a substance
which assumes a concrete form from
olithi, certayne stones, whiche growe in spunges,
excessive congelation. At all events, crys- hoi some against diseases of the bladder" (quoted in
tal is only to be found in places where the Oxford English Dictionary [hereafter cited as OED],
winter snow freezes with the greatest s.v. "sponge" [def. 3]). Actually sponges are colonies
intensity; and it is from the certainty that it of tiny animals, not plants, with skeletons usually
is a kind of ice, that it has received the (but not in all cases) made up in part by mineral
name [KpUUTUAAOS- means both "rock crys- material-silica, or carbonate of lime.
tal" and "jce"] which it bears in Greek.
(Pliny 37.9 [Bostock and Riley, 6:394]) 6. pumish stone-Pumice stone, a porous form of
volcanic lava, usually obsidian, puffed like a sponge
3. beryl-See note 3, chapter XXIV, book I. by steam and hot gasses. The Englishman John Eve-
lyn scaled Vesuvius on February 7, 1645, and
4. pearls- described the stones thrown up on the mountainside:
"-some like pitch, others full of perfect brimstone,
The origin and production of the shell-fish
others metallic interspaced with innumerable
is not very different from that of the shell of
pumices" (John Evelyn's Diary [abridged] [London:
the oyster. When the genial [breeding] sea-
Folio Society, 1963], 64). Walter MacFarlane wrote
son of the year exercises its influence on the
animal , itis said that, yawning, as it were, it in 1648 : "In this town ther ar aboundance of pumick
opens its shell, and so receives a kind of stonis floating upon the water" (Geographical Col-
dew, by means of which it becomes impreg- lections Relating to Scotland [Scottish History Soci-
nated; and that at length it gives birth, after ety, 1906--08] , cited in OED).
many struggles, to the burden of its shell, in
the shape of pearls, which vary according to 7. sophus-Tophus, a general name for porous
the quality of the dew. If this has been in a stones produced as sediments or incrustations, par-
perfectly pure state when it flowed into the ticularly a stony substance deposited by calcareous
shell, then the pearl produced is white and springs. See Pliny 36.48.
brilliant, but if it was turbid, then the pearl is
of a clouded colour also ... (Pliny 9.54 8. thunderbolts-This name is applied to several
[Bostock and Riley, 2.431]) mineral substances supposed to have been formed or
left by lightning strikes, including prehistoric stone
5. sponge-Lapis Spongiae, or sponge-stone. In implements, nodules of iron pyrites found in chalk,
ancient times sponges were thought to be plants that and meteorites. But Agrippa probably refers to
 Of the Kinds of Compounds / 25

belemnite, the fossilized bone of a cephalopod simi- from the whole of the body .... As to what
lar to the cuttle-fish. It is found in fossel beds, and is the magicians say, that it is proof against
a smooth, blue stone cylinder several inches long that fire, being, as they tell us, the only animal
tapers to a sharp point. Also called thunder-stone and that has the property of extinguishing fire,
elf-bolt. In fact, lightning actually can form a conical if it had been true, it would have been
stone when it strikes and fuses fine sand into glass, made trial of at Rome long before this.
called ceraunia ("thunder-stone"): see Pliny 37.51. (Pliny 29.23 [Bostock and Riley, 5:397-8)
As a natural extension of the fable of its deadly fire
9. fire-stones-Stones for striking sparks to make
quenching cold, the salamander was said to live and
fire. This name was applied to iron pyrites and flint-
breed in the heart of the hottest flames. In the folklore
probably Agrippa means the latter.
of the Middle Ages it was described as manlike in
appearance. Paracelsus (1493-1541) was probably
10. asbestos-See note 19, ch. IX, bk. I.
the first to ascribe the name to the class of elemental
fire spirits, in his Libel' de nymphis, sylphis, pygmfRis
II. salamanders-Pliny describes the salamander as:
et salamandris et de cfRteris spiritibus (Book of
... an animal like a lizard in shape, and nymphs, sylphs, pygmies, and salamanders and kin-
with a body starred all over, never comes dred beings).
out except during heavy showers, and dis-
appears the moment it becomes fine. This 12. crickets-Specifically Acheta domestica , the
animal is so intensely cold as to extinguish house cricket. In medieval times the cricket was con-
fire by its contact, in the same way as ice fused with the salamander, probably due to its fond-
does. It spits forth a milky matter from its ness for hearths and the heat of stoves and ovens: "The
mouth; and whatever part of the human Crekette hyght Salamandra: for thys beest quenchyth
body is touched with this, all the hair falls fyre and Iyueth in brennynge fyre" (John de Trevisa,
off, and the part assumes the appearance of Bartholomeus [de Glanvillal de proprietatibus rerum ,
leprosy. (Pliny 10.86 [Bostock and Riley, trans. 1398, cited in OED s.v. "cricket").
2:545--6])
13 . pigeons-It was an old medical practice to apply
Elsewhere he expands on its poisonous powers:
living pigeons to the soles of the feet of those gravely
But of all venomous animals it is the sala- ill with fever. Samuel Pepys mentions this treatment
mander that is by far the most dangerous; given to Catherine of Braganza, wife of King Charles
for while other reptiles attack individuals II, when she had spotted fever: "It seems she was so
only, and never kill many persons at a time ill as to be shaved, and pidgeons put to her feet, and
... the salamander is able to destroy whole to have the extreme unction given her by the priests,
nations at once, unless they take the proper who were so long about it that the doctors were
precautions against it. For if this reptile angry" (Diary of Samuel Pepys October 19, 1663
happens to crawl up a tree, it infects all the (London: Everyman Library, 1906), 1:415.
fruit with its poison, and kills those who
eat thereof by the chilling properties of its 14. ostriches---Ostriches were thought able to live
venom, which in its effects is in no way without water and to digest iron. See Goldsmith's
different from aconite. Nay, even more Animated Nature, History of Birds , bk. I, ch. IV
than this, if it only touches with its foot the (London: Nelson, 1849),369.
wood upon which bread is baked, or if it
happens to fall into a well, the same fatal 15. breathing fire-Dragons .
effects will be sure to ensue. The saliva,
too, of this reptile, if it comes in contact 16. of earth-See Appendix IV.
with any part of the body, the sole of the
foot even, will cause the hair to fall off 17. Austin-Saint Augustine.
 CHA.PTeR Vlll

How rhe elemenrs aRe in rhe heavens, in sraRS,

in devils, in angels, and lasrly in yod himself.

t is the unanimous consent of all Platonists, Leo the progress, and increase, and Sagittarius

1 that as in the original, and exemplary

world, all things are in all; so also in this
corporeal world, all things are in all: I so
also the elements are not only in these inferior
the end. Taurus the beginning of. the Earth,
Virgo the progress, Capricorn the end. Gemini
the beginning of the Air, Libra the progress,
Aquarius the end. Cancer the beginning of
bodies, but also in the heavens, in stars, in dev- Water, Scorpius the middle, and Pisces the
ils, in angels, and lastly in God, the maker, and end. 3 Of the mixtions therefore of these planets,
original example of all things. Now in these and signs, together with the elements are all
inferior bodies, the elements are accompanied bodies made.
with much gross matter; but in the heavens the Moreover devils also are upon this account
elements are with their natures, and virtues, distinguished the one from the other, so that
viz. after a celestial, and more excellent man- some are called fiery, some earthy, some airy,
ner, than in sublunary things. For the firmness and some watery. Hence also those four infernal
of the celestial Earth is there without the gross- rivers, fiery Phlegethon, airy Cocytus, watery
ness of Water: and the agility of the Air with- Styx, earthy Acheron.4 Also in the Gospel we
out running over its bounds; the heat of Fire read of hellfire,5 and eternal fire, into which the
without burning, only shining, and giving life cursed shall be commanded to go:6 and in the
to all things by its heat. Revelation we read of a lake of fire, 7 and Isaiah
Amongst the stars also, some are fiery, as speaks of the damned, that the Lord will smite
Mars and Sol: airy, as Jupiter, and Venus: them with corrupt air.8 And in Job, they shall
watery, as Saturn, and Mercury: and earthy, skip from the waters of the snow to extremity of
such as inhabit the eighth orb,2 and the Moon heat,9 and in the same we read, that the Earth is
(which notwithstanding by many is accounted dark, and covered with the darkness of death,
watery) seeing, as if it were Earth, it attracts to and miserable darkness. 10
itself the celestial waters, with which being Moreover also these elements are placed in
imbibed, it doth by reason of its nearness to us the angels in heaven , and the blessed intelli-
power out, and communicate to us. There are gences; there is in them a stability of their
also amongst the signs, some fiery, some essence, which is an earthy virtue, in which is the
earthy, some airy, some watery: the elements steadfast seat of God; also their mercy, and piety
rule them also in the heavens, distributing to is a watery cleansing virtue. Hence by the
them these four threefold considerations of Psalmist they are called Waters, where he speak-
every element, viz. the beginning, middle, and ing of the heavens, saith, who rulest the Waters
end: so Aries possesseth the beginning of Fire, that are higher than the heavens; II also in them

26
 How the Elements Are in the Heavens / 27

their subtle breath is Air, and their love is shining same Spirit breathing the breath of life: and the
Fire: hence they are called in scripture the Wings same according to Moses' ,16 and Paul'sl? testi-
of the Wind; 12 and in another place the Psalmist mony, a consuming Fire?
speaks of them: who makest angels thy spirits, That elements therefore are to be found
and thy ministers a flaming fire. 13 Also according everywhere, and in all things after their manner,
to orders of angels some are fiery, as Seraphim, no man can deny. First in these inferior bodies
and Authorities, and Powers: earthy as Cheru- feculent, and gross, and in celestials more pure,
bim: watery as Thrones, and Archangels: airy as and clear; but in supercelestials living, and in all
Dominions, and Principalities. respects blessed. Elements therefore in the
Do we not also read of the original maker exemplary world are Ideas of things to be pro-
of all things, that the Earth shall be opened and duced, in intelligences are distributed powers,
bring forth a Saviour?14 Is it not spoken of the in heavens are virtues, and in inferior bodies
same, that he shall be a fountain of living gross forms.
Water, cleansing, and regenerating? 15 Is not the

Not"es-Chapt"eR Vlll
I. all things are in all-"Now , si nce there is nothing of a high waterfall near Nonacris in Arcadia (see
else besides the others and the one, and they must be Pausanias Guide to Greece 8.17.6). In the Odyssey
in something, it follows at once that they must be in all four rivers are placed firmly in hell: "There
each other-the others in the one and the one in the Pyriphlegethon and Kokytos, which is an off-break
others-or be nowhere at all" (Plato Parmenides from the water of the Styx, flow into Acheron"
ISla, trans. F. M. Cornford [Hamilton and Cairns, (Odyssey 10.513-4, trans. Richmond Lattimore
943]). [New York: Harper and Row, 1977], 165). Milton
"God contains all things, and there is nothing presents the meanings of the Greek names of the
which is not in God, and nothing in which God is rivers in his description of them :
not. Nay, I would rather say, not that God contains
Of four infernal Rivers that disgorge
all things, but that, to speak the full truth, God is all
Into the burning Lake thir baleful streams;
things" (CO/pus Hermeticum 9.9 [Scott, I: 185]).
Abhorred Styx the flood of deadly hate,
Sad Acheron of sorrow, black and deep;
2. eighth orb-Probably refers to the Earth in this
Cocytus nam'd of lamentation loud
context, which is the eighth globular body, counting
Heard on the rueful stream; fierce Phlegeton
down from Saturn. Ordinarily the eighth sphere
Whose waves of torrent fire inflame with
refers to the sphere of the Zodiac, eighth in order
rage.
counting up from the Moon.
(Paradise Lost 2.575-81. In Milton: Com-
plete Poems and Major Prose [Indianapo-
3. the end-This is somewhat misleading. Although
lis: Odyssey, 1975], 245-6.
the elemental trines of the zodiac are often written in
this order, it does not display their parallel structure. Dante mentions the four rivers together (Inferno
This arrangement is more revealing: canto 14, c. line 115). Spenser refers to them sever-
ally in the Faerie Queene (Acheron-bk. I, canto 5,
6.
Beginning (Cardinal): rr verse 33; Phlegeton-bk. 2, canto 6, v. 50; Cocytus-
bk. 2, canto 7, v. 56; Styx-bk. 2, canto 8, v. 20).
Middle (Fixed): 61
End (Mutable): ;>?' II 5. hellfire-Matthew 5:22.
4. earthy Acheron-Homer mentions only the Styx
6. commanded to--Matthew 25:41.
in the Iliad, calling it the "fearful oath-river" (2.755,
trans. Richmond Lattimore [University of Chicago
7. lake offire-Revelation 20: I O.
Press, 1976], 96) because it was the ancient Greek
custom to swear by its waters, and later the "steep-
8. corrupt air-Perhaps Isaiah II :4.
dripping Stygian water" (ibid. 8.369 [Lattimore,
192]), perhaps because the mythological Styx was
9. of heat-Job 6: 15-7.
linked with an actual stream that flowed in the form
28/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

10. darkness-Perhaps Job 24: 16-7. Spirits (London, 1659), p. 100.

II. the heavens-Psalms 148:4. 13.flamingfire-Psalms 104:4.

12. Wings of the Wind-Psalms 18: 10. This order of 14. a Saviour-Isaiah 45:8.
angels figures prominently in the second of the 48
evocations (known variously as Aethers, Airs, Calls 15. regenerating-John 4: 14. See also Revelation
and Keys) dictated by the Enochian spirits to the 7:17.
Elizabethan magician John Dee through his seer
Edward Kelley during a seance that took place on the 16. Moses'-Deuteronomy 4:24.
morning of April 25, 1584, in Cracow. See Meric .
Casaubon's True & Faithful Relation of What passed 17. Paul's-Hebrews 12:29.
for many Yeas Between Dr. John Dee ... and Some
 CHAPTeR 17\.

Of r:he viRr:ues of r:hings nar:uRal,

depending immediar:e1y upon e1emenr:s.

f the natural virtues of things, some Many things also there are artificially made,

O are elementary, as to heat, to cool, to

moisten, to dry; and they are called
operations, or first qualities, and the
second act: for these qualities only do wholly
which men much wonder at; as is fire, which
burns water, which they call the Greek Fire, 15 of
which Aristotle teacheth many compositions in
his particular treatise of this subject. 16 In like
change the whole substance, which none of the manner there is made a fire that is extinguished
other qualities can do. I with oil, and is kindled with cold water, when it
And some are in things compounded of ele- is sprinkled upon it; 17 and a fire which is kindled
ments, and these are more than first qualities, and either with rain, wind, or the Sun; and there is
such are those that are maturating,2 digesting,3 made a fire, which is called burning water, 18 the
resolving,4 mollifying,5 hardening, restringing,6 confection whereof is well known, and it con-
absterging,7 corroding,8 burning, opening, evap- sumes nothing but itself: and also there are made
orating, strengthening, mitigating, conglutinat- fires that cannot be quenched, and incombustible
ing,9 obstructing, expelling, retaining, attracting, oils, and perpetual lamps, which can be extin-
repercussing,IO stupifying, II bestowing,12 lubri- guished neither with wind, nor water, nor any
other way; which seems utterly incredible, but
fying,13 and many more. Elementary qualities do
that there had been such a most famous lamp,
many things in a mixed body, which they cannot
which once did shine in the temple of Venus, in
do in the elements themselves. And these opera-
which the stone asbestos did burn, which being
tions are called secondary qualities, because they
once fired can never be extinguished. 19
follow the nature, and proportion of the mixtion
Also on the contrary, wood, or any other
of the first virtues, as largely it is treated of in
combustible matter may be so ordered, that it
physic books. As maturation, which is the' opera- can receive no harm from the fire; and there are
tion of natural heat, according to a certain pro- made certain confections, with which the hands
portion in the substance of the matter. Induration being anointed, we may carry red hot iron in
is the operation of cold; so also is congelation, them, or put them into melted metal, or go with
and so of the rest. our whole bodies, being first anointed therewith,
And these operations sometimes act upon a into the fire without any manner of harm, and
certain member, as such which provoke urine, such like things as these may be done. 2o There is
milk, the menstrua,14 and they are called third also a kind of flax, which Pliny calls asbestum,21
qualities, which follow the second, as the sec- the Greeks d(J~EC;-OV, which is not consumed by
ond do the first. According therefore to these fire, of which Anaxilaus saith, that a tree com-
first, second, and third qualities many diseases passed about with it, may be cut down with
are both cured, and caused. insensible blows, that cannot be heard. 22

29
30 I THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

Not:cs-Chapt:CR 17\.

1. can do-See Aristotle On Generation and Corrup- 16. this subject-This treatise is mentioned in Aristo-
tion 2.2. tle' s Problems: ''This subject has been dealt with
more clearly in dealing with Fire " (bk. 30, problem 1,
2. maturating-Natural ripening through the opera- sec. 954a), trans. E. S. Forster [Oxford: Clarendon
tion of heat and motion. Press, 1927), vol. 7. This lost work on Fire is
unknown. The best known work on the subject of
3. digesting-Maturing with gentle heat. Greek Fire was the Liber ignius (Book of fires) of
Marcus Grrecus, with recipes dating from the begin-
4. resolving-Reducing into component elements, ning of the 13th century. .
especially by decay.
17 . sprinkled it-''Take Lime which water hath not
5. mollifying-Softening, tenderizing. touched and put it with a weight equal to it of wax,
and the half of it of the oil of Balm [Cemmiphora
6. restringing-Constipating, stopping, binding. opobalsamum} and Naphtha citrina, with equal to it
of Brimstone, and make a wick of it, and drop the
7. absterging-Cleansing, purging. water down like dew upon it and it shall be kindled,
and drop down oil upon it, and it shall be put out"
8. corroding-Gnawing away.
(Albertus Magnus [attrib.] " Marvels of the World"
sec. 64. In Book of Secrets [Best and Brightman, 104]
9. conglutinating-Cohering, especially healing
[hereafter cited as "Marvels of the World" D.
together.

10. repercussing-Beating back, reflecting. 18 . burning water-''Take black, thick, mighty and
old wine, and in one quart of it thou shalt temper a
11 . stupifying-Numbing, deadening. little quick Lime and Brimstone, beaten into powder
very small, and lees of good wine and common salt,
12. bestowing-Storing up, depositing. white and gross; after thou shalt put it in a gourd,
well clayed, and de super posito alembico. thou shalt
13. lubrifying-Lubricating. distil burning water, which thou should keep in a
glass" (ibid., sec. 76, 110). From this formula, burn-
14. the menstrua-Menstrual blood. ing water would seem to have been simple alcohol.

15. Greek Fire-Greek Fire was a compound sub- 19. be extinguished-"The Arcadian asbestos, being
stance used in naval warfare to burn the ships of the once inflamed, will never be quenched" (Augustine
enemy, and in siege warfare-Lucan writes of City of God 21.5, trans. John Healey [1610] [London:
"Greek fire from a siege catapult . . ." (Pharsalia 6, c. 1. M. Dent and Sons, 1957],2:324). "If these be cred-
line 195, trans. Robert Graves [London: Cassell, ible, then believe you also if you will (for one man
1961], 109), which he elsewhere describes as "fire has related both this and those), that there was a tem-
fixed to unctuous torches, and alive, beneath a cover- ple of Venus wherein there burned a lamp, which no
ing of sulphur . .. " (Pharsalia 3, c. line 681, trans. H. wind or water could ever quench. so that it was called
T. Riley [London: Henry G. Bohn, 1853], 123). It the inextinguishable lamp" (ibid., 6.325).
had the property of only burning more fiercely when
doused with water, making it very difficult to extin- 20. may be done-"A marvellous experience, which
guish. The Book of Secrets gives a recipe: maketh men to go into the fire without hurt; or to
Take quick Brimstone, lees of wine, Sarco- bear fire or red hot Iron in their hand without hurt.-
collam [a Persian gum-resin], Piculam [a Take the juice of Bismalva [hollyhock] and the white
little pitch], sodden salt, oil of stone [petro- of an egg, and the seed of an herb called Psyllium
leum], and common oil, make them seethe [Plantago .afra}. also Pulicaria herba. and break it
well, and if any thing be put in it, it is kin- into powder. and make a confection, and mix the
dled, whether it be Tree or Iron, and is not juice of Radish with the white of the egg. Anoint thy
put out but by piss, vinegar or sand (Alber- body or hand with this confection, and let it be dried,
tus Magnus [attrib.] The Book of Secrets of and after anoint it again. After that thou may suffer
Albertus Magnus, ed. Michael R. Best and boldly the fire without hurt" ("Marvels of the World"
Frank H. Brightman [New York: Oxford 75 [Best and Brightman, 109]). See also ibid. sec. 72,
University Press, 1974], 110 [hereafter 107: "If thou wilt bear fire in thy hand, that it may
cited as Book of Secrets]). not hurt thee."
 Of the Virtues of Things Natural, Depending Immediately Upon Elements / 31

21. ashesllim-Asheslinon: cia~EaTlvov . Asbestos is a body from those of the pile. This substance
mineral that readily separates into hairlike fibers grows in the deserts of India, scorched by
immune from the effects of common flame. For this the burning rays of the sun: here, where no
reason it was called salamander's wool, down, hair, rain is ever known to fall, and amid multi-
and when woven, salamander cloth. It makes an excel- tudes of deadly serpents, it becomes habit-
lent lamp wick for a "perpetual" lamp--one constant- uated to resist the action of fire. Rarely to
ly replenished with oil so that it does not go out-since be found, it presents considerable difficul-
such a wick does not need to be replaced, an operation ties in weaving it into a tissue, in conse-
necessitating the extinguishing of the lamp. quence of its shortness; its colour is
naturally red, and it only becomes white
22. cannol he heard- through the agency of fire. By those who
find it, it is sold at prices equal to those
There has been invented also a kind of given for the finest pearls; by the Greeks it
linen which is incombustible by flame. It is is called "asbestinon," a name which indi-
generally known as " live" linen, and I have cates its peculiar properties. Anaxilaus
seen, before now, napkins that were made makes a statement to the effect that if a tree
of it thrown into a blazing fire, in the room is surrounded with linen made of this sub-
where the guests were at table, and after stance, the noise of the blows given by the
the stains were burnt out, come forth from axe will be deadened thereby, and that the
the flames whiter and cleaner than they tree may be cut down without their being
could possibly have been rendered by the heard. For these qualities it is that this linen
aid of water. It is from this material that the occupies the very highest rank among all
corpse-cloths of monarchs are made, to the kinds that are known. (Pliny 19.4
ensure the separation of the ashes of the [Bostock and Riley, 4: 136-7])
 CHAPTeR A.

Of rhe occulr viRrues of rhings.

here are also other virtues in things, Called by the Assyrians Phoenix,who the

T which are not from any element, as to

expel poison, to drive away the nox-
ious vapours of minerals, to attract
iron , or anything else; and this virtue is a sequel
wain
Of age, repairs, and sows herself again.

And in another place:

of the species, and form of this or that thing;
Aegyptus came to see this wondrous sight:
whence al so it being little in quantity , is of great And this rare bird is welcomed with
efficacy; which is not granted to any elementary delight.
quality. For these virtues having much form,
and little matter, can do very much; but an ele- Long since Metreas brought a very great
mentary virtue, because it hath more materiali- wonderment upon the Greeks, and Romans con-
ty, requires much matter for its acting. cerning himself. He said that he nourished, and
And they are called occult qualities, bred a beast that did devour itself. Hence many
because their causes lie hid, and man 's intellect to this day are solicitous what this beast of
cannot in any way reach, and find them out. Matreas should be. Who would not wonder that
Wherefore philosophers have attained to the fishes should be digged out of the earth, of
greatest part of them by long experience, rather which Aristotle , Theophrastus, and Polybius the
than by the search of reason: for as in the stom- historian makes mention?2 And these things
ach the meat is digested by heat, which we which Pausanias wrote concerning the singing
know; so it is changed by a certain hidden virtue stones?3 All these are effects of occult virtues.
which we know not: for truly it is not changed So the ostrich 4 concocts cold, and most
by heat, because it should rather be changed by hard iron, and digests it into nourishment for his
the fireside, than in the stomach. body; whose stomach they also report, cannot
So there are in things, besides the elemen- be hurt with red hot iron. So that little fish
tary qualities which we know, other certain called echeneis5 doth so curb the violence of the
inbred virtues created by nature, which we winds, and appease the rage of the sea, that, let
admire, and are amazed at, being such as we the tempests be never so imperious, and raging,
know not, and indeed seldom or never have the sai ls also bearing a full gale, it doth notwith-
seen. As we read in Ovid of the phoenix, one standing by its mere touch stay the ships, and
only bird, which renews herself: I makes them stand still, that by no means they
can be moved. So salamanders,6 and crickets 7
All birds from others do derive their birth, live in the fire; although they seem sometimes
But yet one fowl there is in all the Earth, to bum, yet they are not hurt. The like is said of

32
 Of the Occult Virtues of Things / 33

a kind of bitumen, with which the weapons of are known by experience. Amongst which antiq-
the Amazons 8 were said to be smeared over, by uity makes mention of satyrs, 10 which were ani-
which means they could be spoiled neither with mals, in shape half men, and half brutes, yet
sword nor fire; with which also the Gates of capable of speech, and reason; one whereof S.
Caspia,9 made of brass, are reported to be Hierome reporteth, spake once unto holy Anto-
smeared over by Alexander the Great. We read nius the Hermit, and condemned the error of the
also that Noah 's ark was joined together with gentiles, in worshipping such poor creatures as
this bitumen, and that endured some thousands they were, and desired him that he would pray
of years upon the mountains of Armenia. unto the true God for him; II also he affirms that
There are many such kind of wonderful there was one of them showed openly alive, and
things, scarce credible, which notwithstanding afterwards sent to Constantine the Emperor.

Nores-ChapreR l\.
1. renews herself-Ovid Metamorphoses 15.3, c. remora), was supposed to have the power of retard-
line 390. ing, and even stopping, the progress of ships.

2. makes mention- There is a very small fish that is in the

habit of living among the rocks, and is
He [Theophrastusl says also, that in the
known as the echeneis. It is believed that
vicinity of Heraclea and Cromna, and
when this has attached itself to the keel of
about the river Lycus, as well as in many
a ship its progress is impeded, and that it is
parts of the Euxine, there is one kind of
from this circumstance that it takes its
fish which frequents the waters near the
name. For this reason, also, it has a dis-
banks of the rivers, and makes holes for
graceful repute, as being employed in love
itself,.in which it lives, even when the
philters, and for the purpose of retarding
water retires and the bed of the river is dry;
judgements and legal proceedings--evil
for which reason these fishes have to be
properties, which are only compensated by
dug out of the ground, and only show by
a single merit that it possesses-it is good
the movement of the body that they are
for staying fluxes of the womb in pregnant
still alive . .. (Pliny 9.83 [Bostock and
women, and preserves the foetus up to
Riley, 2:471])
birth ... (Pliny 9.41 [Bostock and Riley,
2:412-3]).
3. singing stones-
Lucan speaks of "the sucking fish, that holds back the
Near this hearth is a stone on which they
ship in the midst of the waves, while the eastern
say Apollo put his harp ... and if you hit
breeze stretches the rigging .. . " (Pharsalia 6, line 674
this stone with a pebble it twangs like a
[Riley, 240]). Ovid says: "There is, too, the little suck-
struck harp-string. I was amazed by this,
ing-fish, wonderous to tell! a vast obstruction to ships"
but still more amazed by the colossus of
(Halieuticon, line 99. In The Fasti, Tristia, Pontic
Egypt. In Egyptian Thebes, where you
Epistles, Ibis , and Halieuticon o/Ovid, trans. Henry T.
cross the Nile to the Reeds, as they call it,
Riley [London: George Bell and Sons, 1881]).
I saw a sounding statue of a seated figure.
Most people call him Memnon ... Kam-
6. salamanders-See note II, ch. VII, bk. I.
byses cut it in half; the upper half from the
head to the middle has been thrown away,
7. crickets-See note 12, ch. VII, bk. I.
but the rest is still en throw ned and cries
out every day as the sun rises: the sound is
8. Amazons-A nation of warrior women in Africa
very like the twang of a broken lyre-string
who burned off their right breasts to better draw the
or a broken harp-string." (Pausanias 1.42.
bow . The name was said by the Greeks to mean
1-2 [Levi, 1:116-7])
"deprived of a pap." There were no men in the nation.
When a boy was born he was either killed or sent to
4. ostrich-See note 14, ch. VII, bk. I.
live with his father in a neighboring state. Herodotus
gives a long and entertaining description of Amazons
5. echeneis-The remora, or sucking fish (Echeneis
transplanted by the Greeks to Scythia (History bk. 4).
34/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

Homer mentions them twice in the Iliad, calling them on the western side of the Caspian Sea south of Der-
"men 's equals" (3.189 [Lattimore, 105]), who "fight bent in the southernmost extremity of the Caucasian
men in battle" (ibid. 6. 186 [Lattimore, 158]). This is wall, otherwise known as Alexander's Wall. It also
echoed by Virgil : had gates of iron, and was fortified .

Penthesilea [queen of the Amazons] raging 1O. satyrs-The Satyri are the woodland spirits, half
in the fight leads the bands of Amazons beast and half man, of Greek mythology. They were
armed with crescent shields, glowing with represented as hairy and solid of frame, with flat
courage in the midst of thousands; her breast noses, pointed ears and small horns growing from
is exposed, she is girt with a golden belt, a their foreheads, and were given the tail of either a
female warrior, a maiden who dares to goat or horse. They find no mention in Homer, but
engage in battle with men. (Aeneid I, c. line Hesiod calls them "the race of worthless Satyrs,
490. In Works of Virgil , trans. Lonsdale and unfit for work." Sensual by nature, they lusted after
Lee [London: Macmillan, 1885], 92) woodland nymphs and loved wine, dancing and
music. The Romans identified satyrs with their own
9. Gates of Caspia----Caspiae Pylae or Caspiae Por- indigenous mythological fauni, and under the
tae , called the Iron Gates, stood at an unofficial Romans satyrs acquired larger horns and goat' s feet.
dividing line between western and eastern Asia in the The references to satyrs in the King James Bible
principal pass from Media into Parthia and Hyrcania (Isaiah 13:21 and 34: 14) are translations of the
through the Caspian 'mountains. This pass was so nar- Hebrew "hairy ones," and probably refer to a kind of
row only a single wagon could traverse it. Walls of Arabic demon.
stone overhung on either side and dripped salt water
on the heads of those who filed through. At the nar- II. for him-This refers to the meeting of Saint
rowest point the Persians built iron gates (which per- Antony with a satyr while on his journey to find Paul
haps were of bronze with iron bolts) and a guard the Hermit. The satyr told the saint that he had been
house. The pass stood near the ancient city of Rhagae sent by his fellow satyrs to entreat his prayers and
(present-day Teheran). There was another famous learn from him something about the saviour of the
pass often called Caspiae Portae , but more correctly world. The story is related by Saint Jerome in his Life
Caucasiae Portae or Albaniae Portae, which stood of Paul, the First Hermit of Egypt.
 CHAPTeR ,,1

How occulr viRrues aRe infused inro rhe seveRal

Kinds of rhings by ldeas, rhRough rhe help of rhe
Soul of rhe WORld, and Rays of rhe sraRS: and whar
rhings abound mosr wirh rhis viRrue.

latonists say that all inferior bodies are

P
all these some properties; on these stars there-
exemplified by the superior Ideas. Now fore, shapes, and properties, all virtues of infe-
they define an Idea to be a form, above rior species, as also their properties do depend;
bodies, souls, minds, and to be but one, so that every species hath its celestial shape, or
simple, pure, immutable, indivisible, incorpo- figure that is suitable to it, from which also pro-
real, and eternal: and that the nature of all Ideas ceeds a wonderful power of operating, which
is the same. I proper gift it receives from its own Idea, through
Now they place Ideas in the first place in the seminal forms of the Soul of the World.
very goodness itself i.e. God, by way of cause;2 For Ideas are not only essential causes of
and that they are distinguished amongst them- every species, but are also the causes of every
selves by some relative considerations only, virtue, which is in the species: and this is that
lest whatsoever is in the world, should be but which many philosophers say, that the proper-
one thing without any variety, and that they ties, which are in the nature of things (which
agree in essence, lest God should be a com- virtues indeed are the operations of the Ideas)
pound substance. are moved by certain virtues, viz. such as have a
In the second place, they place them in the certain, and sure foundation, not fortuitous, nor
very intelligible itself i.e. in the Soul of the casual, but effacious, powerful, and sufficient,
World,3 differing the one from the other by doing nothing in vain.
absolute forms, so that all the Ideas in God Now these virtues do not err in their act-
indeed are but one form: but in the Soul of the ings, but by accident, viz. by reason of the
World they are many. They are placed in the impurity, or inequality of the matter: for upon
minds of all other things, whether they be this account there are found things of the same
joined to the body, or separated from the body, species, more, or less powerful, according to the
by a certain participation, and now by degrees purity, or indisposition of the matter; for all
are distinguished more, and more. They place celestial influences may be hindered by the
them in nature, as certain small seed of forms indisposition, and insufficiency of the matter.
infused by the Ideas, and lastly they place them Whence it was a proverb amongst the Platon-
ists, that celestial virtues were infused accord-
in matter, as shadows.
ing to the desert of the matter: which also Virgil
Hereunto may be added, that in the Soul of
makes mention of, when he sings:
the World there be as many seminal forms of
things, as Ideas in the mind of God, by which Their natures fiery are, and from above,
forms she did in the heavens above the stars And from gross bodies freed, divinely
frame to herself shapes also, and stamped upon move.

35
36/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

Wherefore those things, in which there is being like to the operation of a separated Idea.
less of the Idea of the matter i.e. such things We see then that the situation, and figure of
which have a greater resemblance of things sep- celestials is the cause of all those excellent
arated, have more powerful virtues in operation, virtues, that are in inferior species.

Not:cs-Chapt:CR 1\1
I. is the same- 2. way of cause-
"Does that absolute reality which we This reality, then, that gives their truth to
define in our discussions remain always the objects of knowledge and the power of
constant and invariable, or not? Does knowing to the knower, you must say is the
absolute equality or beauty or any other idea of good, and you must conceive it as
independent entity which really exists ever being the cause of knowledge, and of truth
admit to change of any kind? Or does each in so far as known. Yet fair as they both
one of these uniform and independent enti- are, knowledge and truth, in supposing it to
ties remain always constant and invariable, be something fairer still than these you will
never admitting any alteration in any think rightly of it. But as for knowledge
respect or in any sense?" and truth, even as in our illustration it is
"They must be constant and invariable, right to deem light and vision sunlike, but
Socrates," said Cebes. never to think that they are the sun, so here
"Well, what about the concrete it is right to consider these two their coun-
instances of beauty- such as men, horses, terparts, as being like the good or boniform,
clothes, and so on--or of equality, or of but to think that either of them is the good
any other members of a class correspond- is not right. Still higher honour belongs to
ing to an absolute entity? Are they con- the possession and habit of the good. (Plato
stant, or are they, on the contrary, scarcely Republic 6.S0Sd-S09a, trans. P. Shorey
ever in the same relation in any sense [Hamilton and Cairns, 744])
either to themselves or to one another?"
"With them, Socrates, it is just the 3. Soul of the World-See Appendix II.
opposite; they are never free from varia-
tion." (Phaedo 7Sd-e. trans. H. Tredennick
[Hamilton and Cairns, 61-2] . See also the
Republic 7.514-9b.)
 CHAPTeR All

How ir is rhar paRriculaR viRrues aRe infused inro

paRriculaR individuals, even of rhe same species.

here are also in many individuals, or not only things natural, but also sometimes artifi-

T particular things, peculiar gifts, as

wonderful as in the species, and these
also are from the figure, an.d situation
of celestial stars. For every individual, when it
cial, and this especially if the soul of the operator
be inclined towards the same. Whence Avicen 2
saith, that whatsoever things are done here, must
have been before in the motions, and conceptions
begins to be under a determined horoscope, and of the stars, and orbs.
celestial constellation, contracts together with its So in things, various effects, inclinations,
essence a certain wonderful virtue both of doing, and dispositions are occasioned not only from
and suffering something that is remarkable, even the matter variously disposed, as many suppose,
besides that which it receives from its species, but from a various influence, and divers form;
and this it doth partly by the influence of the not truly with a specifical difference, but partic-
heaven, and partly through that obedientialness ular, and proper. And the degrees of these are
of the matter of things to be generated, to the variously distributed by the first cause of all
Soul of the World, which obedientialness indeed things, God himself, who being unchangeable,
is such as that of our bodies to our souls. distributes to everyone as he pleaseth, with
For we perceive that there is this in us, that whom notwithstanding second causes, angeli-
according to our conceptions of things, our bod- cal, and celestial cooperate, disposing of the
ies are moved, and that cheerfully,1 as when we corporeal matter, and other things that are com-
are afraid of, or fly from anything. So many mitted to them. All virtues therefore are infused
times when the celestial souls conceive several by God, through the Soul of the World, yet bya
things, then the matter is moved obedientially to particular power of resemblances, and intelli-
it: also in nature there appear divers prodigies, by gences over ruling them, and concourse of the
reason of the imagination of superior motions. So rays, and aspects of the stars in a certain pecu-
also they conceive, and imagine divers virtues, liar harmonious consent.

Nores-ChapreR All
I. chwfully-Quickly.
2. Avicen-A vicenna.

37
 CHAPTeR Alll

Whence rhe occulr V1Rrues of rhlngs pRoceed ..

t is well known to all, that there is a certain Apuleius saith, that he was taught by an oracle

1 virtue in the loadstone, by which it attracts

iron, I and that the diamond doth by its pres-
ence take away2 that virtue of the loadstone:
so also amber,3 and jet4 rubbed, and warmed
that there were many kinds of herbs, and stones,
with which men might prolong their lives for-
ever, but that it was not lawful for men to
understand the knowledge of those things.
draw a straw to them, and the stone asbestos because, whereas they have but a short time to
being once fired is never, or scarce extin- live, they study mischief with all their might,
guished: 5 a carbuncle shines in the dark,6 the and attempt all manner of wickedness; if they
stone aetites put above the young fruit of should be sure of a very long time, they would
women, or plants, strengthens them, but being not spare the gods themselves.
put under, causeth abortion;7 the jasper But from whence these virtues are, none of
stancheth blood;8 the little fish echeneis 9 stops all these have showed, who have set forth huge
the ships; rhubarb expels choller; 10 the liver of volumes of the properties of things, not Hermes.
the camel ion burnt, I I raiseth showers, and thun- not Bochus. not Aaron. not Orpheus. not
ders. The stone heliotrophium l2 dazzles the Theophrastus. not Thebith , not Zenothemis. not
sight, and makes him that wears it to be invisi- Zoroaster , not Evax, not Dioscorides, not
ble, the stone Iyncurius 13 takes away delusions Isaaick the Jew, not Zacharias the Babylonian,
from before the eyes, the perfume of the stone not Albertus, not Arnoldus; and yet all these
Iypparis 14 calls forth all the beasts, the stone have confessed the same, that Zacharias wrote
synochitis 15 brings up infernal ghosts, the stone to Mithridites, that great power, and human des-
anachitis l6 makes the images of the gods tinies are couched in the virtues of stones, and
appear. The ennectis put under them that dream, herbs. But to know from whence these come, a
causeth oracles. higher speculation is required.
There is a herb in Ethiopia, with which Alexander the Peripatetic not going any
they report ponds, and lakes are dried up, and farther than his senses, and qualities , is of the
all things that are shut, to be opened; and we opinion that these proceed from elements, and
read of an herb called latace which the Persian their qualities, which haply might be supposed
kings give to their ambassadors, that whither to be true, if those were of the same species;
soever they shall come, they shall abound with but many of the operations of the stones agree
plenty of all things. There is also a Scythian neither in genre , nor specie. Therefore Plato,
herb,17 with which being tasted. or at least held and his scholars attribute these virtues to Ideas,
in the mouth, they report the Scythians will the formers of things . But A vicen reduceth
endure twelve days hunger, and thirst; and these kinds of operations to intelligences, Her-

38
 Whence the Occult Virtues of Things Proceed / 39

mes to the stars, Albertus to the specifical always praising the highest Maker of all things,
forms of things . as by the three children in the fiery furnace were
And although these authors seem to thwart all things called upon to praise God with
one the other, yet none of them, if they be singings: bless ye the Lord all things that grow
rightly understood, goes beside the truth: since upon the Earth, and all things which move in
all their sayings are the same in effect in most the waters, all fowls of the heavens, beasts, and
things. For God in the first place is the end, and cattle, together with the sons of men. 19
beginning of all virtues, he gives the seal of the There is therefore no other cause of the
Ideas to his servants the intelligences; who as necessity of effects, than the connection of all
faithful officers sign all things entrusted to them things with the First Cause, and their correspon-
with an ideal virtue, the heavens, and stars, as dency with those divine patterns, and eternal
instruments, disposing the matter in the mean- Ideas, whence everything hath its determinate,
while for the receiving of those forms which and particular place in the exemplary world,
reside in Divine Majesty (as saith Plato in from whence it lives, and receives its original
Timreus)ls and to be conveyed by stars; and the being; and every virtue of herbs, stones, metals,
Giver of Forms distributes them by the ministry animals, words and speeches, and all things that
of his intelligences, which he hath set as rulers, are of God, is placed there.
and controllers over his works, to whom such a Now the First Cause, which is God,
power is entrusted in things committed to them, although he doth by intelligences, and the heav-
that so all virtue of stones, herbs, metals, and all ens work upon these inferior things, doth some-
other things may come from the intelligences, times (these mediums being laid asid!! , or their
the governors. officiating being suspended) work those things
The form therefore, and virtue of things immediately by himself, which works then are
comes first from the Ideas , then from the ruling, called miracles: but whereas secondary causes,
and governing intelligences, then from the which Plato, and others call handmaids,2o do by
aspects of the heavens disposing , and lastly the command, and appointment of the First
from the tempers of the elements disposed, Cause, necessarily act, and are necessitated to
answering the influences of the heavens, by produce their effects, if God shall notwithstand-
which the elements themselves are ordered, or ing according to his pleasure so discharge, and
disposed . These kinds of operations therefore suspend them, that they shall wholly desist from
are performed in these inferior things by the necessity of that command, and appoint-
express forms, and in the heavens by disposing ment; then they are called the greatest miracles
virtues, in intelligences by mediating rules, in of God.
the original cause by Ideas, and exemplary So the fire in the Chaldeans furnace did not
forms , all which must of necessity agree in the burn the children; so also the Sun at the com-
execution of the effect, and virtue of everything. mand of loshua 21 went back from its course the
There is therefore a wonderful virtue, and space of one whole day; so also at the prayer of
operation in every herb, and stone, but greater Hezekiah 22 it went back ten degrees, or hours. So
in a star, beyond which , even from the govern- when Christ was crucified the Sun was dark-
ing intelligences everything receiveth, and ened,23 though at full Moon: and the reasons of
obtains many things for itself, especially from these operations can by no rational discourse, no
the Supreme Cause, with whom all things do magic, or occult, or profound science whatsoever
mutually, and exactly correspond, agreeing in be found out, or understood, but are to be
an harmonious consent, as it were in hymns, learned, and inquired into by divine oracles only.
40/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

NOL"cs-ChapL"CR 7\.m
I. attracts iron-Loadstone is naturally magnetic. trans. F. E. Robbins [Cambridge : Harvard University
Press, 1980], 27). All this lore is also to be found in
Upon quitting the marbles to pass on to the
the Moralia of Plutarch, Piatonicae quaestiones 7.5.
other more remarkable stones, who can for
Needless to say, neither diamond nor garlic has the
a moment doubt that the magnet will be the
least effect on the loadstone.
first to suggest itself? For what, in fact, is
there endowed with more marvellous prop-
erties than this? or in which of her depart- 3. arnber-A golden, translucent fossil resin that
ments has Nature displayed a greater bums with a pleasant odor, and sometimes contains
degree of waywardness? .. . Nature has insects . When rubbed it attracts straw and other such
here endowed stone with both sense and bits through static electricity. Pliny gives all the
hands. What is there more stubborn than Greek lore of amber, saying that it was variously
hard iron? Nature has, in this instance, believed to have been formed from tears shed by
bestowed upon it both feet and intelli- trees or by birds or from the urine of lynxes, that it
gence. It allows itself, in fact, to be flows from the earth, that it is solidified brine, that it
attracted by the magnet, and, itself a metal is the dew of sunbeams and that it exudes from warm
which subdues all other elements, it precip- mud, before he gives his own opinion:
itates itself toward the source of an influ- Amber is produced from a marrow dis-
ence at once mysterious and unseen. The charged by trees belonging to the pine genus,
moment the metal comes near it, it springs like gum from the cherry, and resin from the
toward ·the magnet, and, as it clasps it, is ordinary pine. It is a liquid at first, which
held fast in the magnet's embraces. (Pliny issues forth in considerable quantities, and is
36.25, [Bostock and Riley, 6:355]) gradually hardened by heat or cold, or else
Lucretius elaborates on the notion that the loadstone by the action of the sea, when the rise of the
works by creating a vacuum: tide carries off the fragments from the shores
of these islands [in the Northern Ocean]. At
In the first place, many atoms, or effluvia, all events, it is thrown up upon the coasts, in
must necessarily fly from off the stone, so light and voluble a form that in the shal-
which, by their impact, disperse the air that lows it has all the appearance of hanging
is situated betwixt the stone and the iron. suspended in the water. (Pliny 37.11
When this space is emptied, and a large [Bostock and Riley, 6:401])
void is made betwixt them, atoms of the
iron, immediately darting forward , rush in 4. jet-Also called gagates. A hard, black form of
a body into the vacuum; and the whole coal capable of accepting a high polish. It was called
[iron] ring of necessity follows, and passes black amber and often confused with amber ("It is of
onward with its whole body. For no sub- double colour; black, and of the colour of saffron"
stance coheres and combines more (Book of Secrets [Best and Brightman, 45]) because it
c1osely,-having its primary-elements inti- shares with amber the power of attracting bits of
mately involved,-than the cold and rough straw when rubbed-a property mentioned by
consistence of stout iron. (On the Nature of Albertus Magnus. Pliny says:
Things 6.998, trans. J S. Watson [London:
George Bell and Sons, 1901], 287) It is black, smooth, light, and porous, dif-
fers but little from wood in appearance, is
2. take away-"So great is the antipathy borne by of a brittle texture, and emits a disagree-
this stone [diamond] to the magnet, that when placed able odour when rubbed. Marks made upon
near, it will not allow of its attracting iron; or if the pottery with this stone cannot be effaced.
magnet has already attracted the iron, it will seize the When burnt, it gives out a sulphureous
metal and drag it away from the other" (Pliny 37.15 smell; and it is a singular fact, that the
[Bostock and Riley, 6:408]). " I have read furthermore application of water ignites it, while that of
of this stone [loadstone], that if you lay but a dia- oil quenches it. The fumes of it, burnt, keep
mond near it, it will not draw iron at all, but puts it serpents at a distance, and dispel hysterical
from it as soon as ever the diamond comes to touch affections: they detect a tendency also to
it" (Augustine City of God 21.4 [Healey, 2:324]). epilepsy, and act as a test of virginity . A
This same power was ascribed to, of all things, gar- decoction of this stone in wine is curative
lic: "nor will the lodestone attract the iron if it is of tooth-ache; and, in combination with
rubbed with garlic " (Ptolemy Tetrabiblos 1.3.13 , wax, it is good for scrofula. The magicians,
 Whence the Occult Virtues of Things Proceed /41

it is said, make use of gagates in the prac- [glow worms and fireflies] , and put them
tice of what they call axinomancy [divina- beaten small in a bottle of glass, and close
tion by placing jet on the red-hot blade of it, and bury it in hot Horses ' dung, and let
an ax]; and they assure us that it will be it tarry fifteen day s. Afterward thou shalt
sure not to bum, if the thing is about to distil water of them per alembicum , which
happen as the party desires. (Pliny 36.34 thou shalt put in a vessel of crystal or glass.
[Bostock and Riley, 6:361-2]) It giveth so great clearness, that every man
may read and write in a dark place, where
5. scarce extinguished- it is. ("Marvels of the World" 79 [Best and
Brightman, I I I])
If thou wilt make a fire continually unable
to be quenched or put out-Take the stone 7. causeth abortion-The aetites, or eaglestone, is a
which is called Asbestos, and it is of the hollow concretion containing crystals, or pebbles, or
colour of Iron, and there is found very pellets of earth, that rattle when the geode is shaken.
much of it in Arabia. If this stone be kin- Pliny says that eagles build this stone into their nests.
dled or inflamed, it may never be put out, "This stone has the quality also, in a manner, of being
or quenched, because it hath the nature of pregnant, for when shaken, another stone is heard to
the first feathers of the Salamander, by rea- rattle within, just as though it were enclosed in its
son of moisty fatness, which nourisheth the womb; it has no medical properties, however, except
fire kindled in it. (Book of Secrets 2.10 immediately after it has been taken from the nest"
[Best and Brightman, 30-1])
(Pliny 10.4 [Bostock and Riley, 2:484]). Elsewhere
Albertus Magnus calls asbestos "salamander's he says:
down" (Meteora 4.3.17). See note II , ch. VII, bk. I.
Attached to pregnant women or to cattle, in
the skins of animals that have been sacri-
6. in the dark-The carbuncles of the ancient world
ficed, these stones act as a preventive of
were generally rubies and red garnets. Speaking of
abortion, care being taken not to remove
these "fiery red gemstones" Pliny says:
them till the moment of parturition; for oth-
In the first rank among these [brilliant] erwise procidence of the uterus is the
stones is carbunculus, so called from its result. If, on the other hand, they are not
resemblance to fire; though in reality it is removed at the moment when parturition is
proof against the action of that element: about to ensue, that operation of Nature
hence it is that some persons call these cannot be effected. (Pliny 36.39 [Bostock
stones "acaustoi" [incombustible] ... . In and Riley, 6:365])
addition to this, each kind is subdivided
into the male carbunculus and the female, The Book of Secrets says of the aetites : " It is prof-
the former of which is of a more striking itable to women great with child; it letteth [stops]
brilliancy, the brightness of the latter being untimely birth" (2.4 1, p. 46). This is drawn from
not so strong. In the male varieties too, we Albertus Magnus, who says of this stone that it mit-
see some in which the fire is clearer than in igates the perils of childbirth. Lucan refers to " the
others; while some, again, are of a darker stones that resound [explode] beneath the brooding
hue, or else have their brilliancy more bird" (Pharsalia 6, line 676 [Riley, 240]). Perhaps
deeply seated, and shine with a more pow- when cast into the fire, air and moisture in the hol-
erfullustre than others when viewed in the low stone caused it to crack open, a kind of hatching,
sun . .. . According to Callistratus, the reful- or birth.
gence of this stone should be of a whitish
hue, and, when placed upon a table, it 8. stancheth blood-Jasper is an opaque quartz th at
should heighten by its lustre other stones may be red, yellow, brown or green. When red flecks
placed near it that are clouded at the edge. of iron oxide occur in green jasper it is called blood-
(Pliny 37.25 [Bostock and Riley, 6:420-1]) stone. It should not be confused with heliotrope,
which is a translucent green chalcedony with crimson
From these references to its brilliance, the carbuncle
spots. It is easy to distinguish between them because
became proverbial as a light-emitting stone. In the
jasper is always completely opaque. In ancient times
Book of Secrets directions are given for making an
the two stones were confounded together. In ancient
artificial carbuncle:
Egypt red jasper was associated with the menstrual
If thou wilt make a Carbuncle stone, or a blood of Isis, and was "supposed to increase the milk
thing shining in the night-Take very in women who were suckling children, and to help
many of the little beasts shining by night pregnant women" (Budge 1968, 316). According to
42/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

medieval legend bloodstone was created at the cruci- then repeated over it, it will render the per-
fixion of Christ, when spatterings from his side, son invisible who carries it about him .
where he was pierced by the spear of the Roman sol- (Pliny 37.60 [Bostock and Riley, 6:450])
dier, fell upon the ground.
13. Iyncurius-Lyncurium , or lynx water, a stone
From-this time onwards the stone seems to
thought to be formed from the urine of lynxes mixed
have been endowed with magical and
with a particular kind of earth.
divine powers in arresting hemorrhage
from wounds, and was worn by Roman They assert, too, that it is a product of the
soldiers for this reason; among the natives urine of the lynx and of a kind of earth, the
of India it is customary to place the Blood- animal covering up the urine the moment it
stone itself upon wounds and injuries after has voided it, from a jealousy that man
dipping it in cold water. (Thomas and should gain possession of it; a combination
Pavitt 1970 [1914], 138) which hardens into stone. The colour of it,
they inform us, like that of some kinds of
9. echeneis-See note 5,·th. X, bk. I. amber, is of a fiery hue, and it admits, they
say, of being engraved. They assert, too, that
10. expels choler-The dried root of the genus Rheum this substance attracts to itself not only
was extensively used in medicine in the time of leaves or straws, but thin plates of copper
Agrippa, the best variety being imported overland from even or of iron; a story which Theophrastus
Tibet and China. It was called Turkey Rhubarb. Gerard even believes, on the faith of a certain Dio-
says: "The purgation which is made with Rubarb is c1es. For my own part, I look upon the
profitable and fit for all such as be troubled with whole of these statements as untrue, and I
choler," adding " it purgeth forth cholericke and do not believe that in our time there has ever
naughty humors" (John Gerard, The Herbal [1633] , bk. been a precious stone seen with such a name
2, ch. 83, sec. E, G [New York: Dover, 1975],395). as this. I regard, too, the assertions that have
been made as to its medicinal properties, as
II. chameleon burnt-The chameleon was the magical equally false; to the effect that, taken in
beast of the air, as the salamander was of the fire, drink, it disperses urinary calculi, and that,
because it was supposed to live on air. "It always holds taken in wine, or only looked at, it is cura-
the head upright and the mouth open, and is the only tive of jaundice. (Pliny 37.13 [Bostock and
animal which receives nourishment neither by meat nor Riley, 6:404-5])
drink, nor anything else, but from the air alone" (Pliny
The Book 0/ Secrets, citing Isidore of Seville, says it
8.51 [Bostock and Riley, 2:303]). "Democritus asserts
is a stone taken from the head of the lynx, of a white
that if the head and neck of a chamaeleon are burnt in a
colour: "A lso it taketh away a white spot or pearl
fire made with logs of oak, it will be productive of a
[cataract] in the eye" (Book o/Secrets 2.49 [Best and
storm attended with rain and thunder; a result equally
Brightman, 48-9]) . It has been conjectured that Iyn-
produced by burning the liver upon the tiles of a house"
curium is brown tourmaline, which has electrical
(Pliny 28.29 [Bostock and Riley, 5:3 16]).
properties similar to those described.
12. heliotrophium-See note 8 above.
14. Iypparis-Liparea. " ... all that we find said about
Heliotropium is found in Aethiopia, Africa, liparea ['fat stone'] is, that employed in the form of a
and Cyprus: it is of a leek-green colour, fumigation, it allures all kinds of wild beasts" (Pliny
streaked with blood-red veins. It has been 37.62 [Bostock and Riley, 6:453]). "This stone is
thus named, from the circumstance that, if found in Libya, and all beasts run to it, as to their
placed in a vessel of water and exposed to defender. It letteth that neither dogs nor hunters may
the full light of the sun, it changes to a hurt them" (Book o/Secrets 2.33 [Best and Brightman,
reflected colour like that of blood; this 42]). This is conjectured to be sulfur from the Lipari
being the case with the stone of Aethiopia Islands, a group of volcanic islands north of Sicily.
more particularly. Out of the water, too, it
reflects the figure of the sun like a mirror, 15. synochitis-"Anancitis ['stone of necessity'] is
and it discovers eclipses of that luminary used in hydromancy , they say, for summoning the
by showing the moon passing over its disk. gods to make their appearance; and synochitis
In the use of this stone, also, we have a ['retaining stone' ], for detaining the shades from
most glaring illustration of the impudent below when they have appeared" (Pliny 37.73
effrontery of the adepts in magic, for they [Bostock and Riley, 6:461 D. The stones are men-
say that, if it is combined with the plant tioned by St. Isidore, Bishop of Seville, in his Ety-
heliotropium and certain incantations are mologiae 16.15-see Evans 1976 [1922] , 31.
 Whence the Occult Virtues of Things Proceed /43

16. anachitis-See note above. no one should suffer a disadvantage at his

hands. (Plato Timaeus 41 d, trans. B. Jowett
17. Scythian herb- [Hamilton and Cairns, 1170])
Entire nations, too, have been the discover- He who lived well during his appointed
ers of certain plants. The Scythae were the time was to return and dwell in his native
first to discover the plant known as "scyth- star, and there he would have a blessed and
ice," which grows in the vicinity of the congenial existence. But if he failed in
Palus Maeotis. Among other properties, attaining this, at the second birth he would
this plant is remarkably sweet, and pass into a woman, and if, when in that
extremely useful for the affection known as state of being, he did not desist from evil ,
"asthma." It is also possessed of another he would continually be changed into some
great recommendation-so long as a per- brute .. . (ibid., 42b, 1171 )
son keeps it in his mouth, he will never
Now of the divine, he himself was the cre-
experience hunger or thirst.
ator, but the creation of the mortal he com-
The hippace, another plant that grows
mitted to his offspring [the Intelligences].
in Scythia, is possessed of similar proper-
And they, imitating him, received from
ties: it owes its name to the circumstance
him the immortal principle of the soul, and
that it produces the like effect upon horses.
around this they proceeded to fashion a
By the aid of these two plants, the Scythae,
mortal body, and made it to be the vehicle
they say, are enabled to endure hunger and
of the soul, and constructed within the
thirst, so long as twelve days even. (Pliny
body a soul of another nature which was
25.43-4 [Bostock and Riley, 5:110-1])
mortal , subject to terrible and irresistible
Agrippa also mentions this herb in ch. LVIII, bk. I, affections ... these they mingled with irra-
where he calls it "herb of Sparta," perhaps because tional sense and with all-daring love
the Spartans were proverbial for their endurance. according to necessary laws, and so framed
Riley conjectures that it is licorice. Hippace appears man. (ibid., 69c, -d, 1193)
to have been a cheese made from mare's milk men-
tioned by Hippocrates (Airs, Waters , Places ch. 18), 19. sons of men-The Apocryphal Song of the Three
which Pliny mistook for a plant. Holy Children, verses 54-60.

18 . in Timaeus- 20. handmaids-See the Timaeus 46c-e (Hamilton

and Cairns, 1174).
After having made it he divided the whole
mixture [of elements] into souls equal in
21. command of Joshua-Joshua 10: 12-3.
number to the stars and assigned each soul
to a star, and having there placed them as
22. prayer of Hezekiah-II Kings 20:9-11.
in a chariot he showed them the nature of
the universe and declared to them the laws
23. Sun was darkened-Luke 23:44-5. A solar
of destiny, according to which their first
eclipse occurs only at the new moon and is not possi-
birth would be one and the same for all-
ble at full moon.
 CHAPTeR XlV

Of rhe SpiRir of rhe WORld,

whar ir is, and how by way of medium
ir unires occulr viRrues ro rheiR subjecrs.

emocritus, and Orpheus, and many Now they conceive such a medium to be the

D Pythagoreans having most diligently

searched into the virtues of celestial
things, and natures of inferior things,
said, that all things are full of God, I and not
Spirit of the World, viz. that which we call the
quintessence: 3 because it is not from the four
elements, but a certain fifth thing, hav ing its
being above, and besides them.
without cause: for there is nothing of such tran- There is therefore such a kind of Spirit
scendi ng virtues, which being destitute of required to be, as it were the medium, whereby
divine assistance, is content with the nature of celestial souls are joined to gross bodies, and
itself. Also they called those divine powers bestow upon them wonderful gifts. Thi s Spirit
which are diffused in things, gods: which is after the same manner in the body of the
Zoroaster called divine allurements, Synesius world, as ours is in the body of man. For as the
symbolical inticements, others called them powers of our soul are communicated to the
lives, and some also souls; sayi ng, that the members of the body by the spirit, so also the
virtues of things did depend upon these; virtue of the Soul of the World 4 is diffused
because it is the property of the soul to be from through all things by the quintessence: for there
one matter extended into divers things , about is nothing found in the whole world, that hath
which it operates: so is a man , who extends his not a spark of the virtue thereof. Yet it is more,
intellect unto intelligible things, and hi s imagi- nay most of all infused into those things which
nation unto imaginable things; and this is that have received , or taken in most of this Spirit:
which they understood, when they said, viz. that now this Spirit is received or taken in by the
the soul of one thing went out, and went into rays of the stars, so far forth as things render
another thing, altering it, and hindering the themselves conformable to them . By this Spirit
operations of it: as a diamond hinders 2 the oper- therefore every occult property is conveyed into
ation of the loadstone, that it cannot attract iron. herbs, stones, metals, and animals, through the
Now seeing the soul is the first thing that is Sun, Moon, planets, and through stars higher
moveable , and as they say, is moved of itself; than the planets.
but the body, or the matter is of itself unable, Now this Spirit may be more advantageous
and unfit for motion, and doth much degenerate to us, if anyone knew how to separate it from the
from the soul, therefore they say there is need of elements: or at least to use those things chiefly,
a more excellent medium, viz. such a one that which do most abound with this Spirit. For these
may be as it were no body , but as it were a soul, things, in which thi s Spirit is less drowned in a
or as it were no soul , but as it were a body, viz. body, and less checked by matter, do more pow-
by which the soul may be joined to the body. erfuHy, and perfectly act, and also more readily

44
 Of the Spirit of the World /45

generate their like: for in it are all generative, know how to do that, and have seen it done: but
and seminary virtues. For which cause the we could make no more gold, than the weight of
alchemists endeavour to separate this Spirit from that was, out of which we extracted the Spirit.
gold, and silver; which being rightly separated, For seeing that is an extense form, and not
and extracted, if thou shalt afterward project intense, it cannot beyond its own bounds change
upon any matter of the same kind i.e. any metal, an imperfect body into a perfect: which I deny
presently will tum it into gold, or silver. And we not, but may be done by another way.5

Not:cs-Chapt:CR 7\.lV
I. full of God-"Certain thinkers say that soul is For in the whole range of time past, so far
intermingled in the whole universe, and it is perhaps as our inherited records reach, no change
for this reason that Thales came to the opinion that appears to have taken place either in the
all things are full of gods" (Aristotle On rhe Soul whole scheme of the outermost heaven or
1.5.4lla. In Basic Works, trans. J. A. Smith [New in any of its proper parts. The common
York: Random House, 1941], 553). name, too, which has been handed down
from our distant ancestors even to our own
Of all the planets, of the moon, of years
day, seems to show that they conceived of
and months and all seasons, what other
it in the fashion which we have been
story shall we have to tell than just this
expressing. The same ideas, one must
same, that since soul, or souls, and those
believe, recur in men 's minds not once or
souls good with perfect goodness, have
twice but again and again. And so, imply-
proved to be the cause of all, these souls
ing that the primary body is something else
we hold to be gods, whether they direct the
beyond earth, fire, air, and water, they
universe by inhibiting bodies, like ani-
gave the highest place a name of its own,
mated beings, or whatever their manner of
airher, derived from the fact that it "runs
their action? Will any man who shares this
always" for an eternity of time. (Aristotle
belief bear to hear it said that all things are
On rhe Heavens 1.3.270b, trans. J. L.
not "full of gods?" (Plato Laws bk. 10, sec.
Stocks [McKeon, 403))
899b, trans. A. E. Taylor [Hamilton and
Cairns, 1455])
4. Soul of rhe World-See Appendix II.
2. diamond hinders-See note 2, ch. XIII, bk. I.
5. by anorher way-This is the Philosopher's Stone
and Powder of Projection of alchemy. Edward Kelley
3. quinressence-The quinta essen ria , or fifth
is said to have purchased two small caskets in Wales
essence, also known as 'aether, originated in Western
from an innkeeper who had derived them from the
philosophy with the Pythagoreans, who character-
rifled sepulchre of a bishop. In one was the White
ized it as more subtile and pure than fire and pos-
Powder, used for turning base metal into silver, and
sessed of a circular motion. Supposedly it flew
in the other shattered casket a small amount of the
upward at creation, and from it the stars were
Red Powder, for turning base metal to gold. Accord-
formed, as Milton explains:
ing to one account, he and John Dee made trial of the
Swift to thir several Quarters hasted then Red Powder and found that it could convert 272,230
The cumbrous Elements, Earth, Flood, times its own weight into gold. But '''they lost much
. Air, Fire, gold in experiments before they knew the extent of
And this Ethereal quintessence of Heav ' n its power'" (The Alchemical Wrirings of Edward
Flew upward, spirited with various forms, Kelly , ed. A. E. Waite [1893] [New York: Weiser,
That roll'd orbicular, and tum'd to Stars 1976], p. xxii of the "Biographical Preface"). Waite
(Paradise Losr bk. 3, II. 714-8) is quoting Louis Figuier, L' Alchimie er les Alchim-
isres , Paris, 1860,232 et seq.
 CHAPTeRAV

How we musr find our, and e"X:amine

rhe viRrues of rhings by way of similirude.

t is now manifest that the occult properties also it is said, that the right eye of a frog helps

1 in things are not from the nature of the ele-

ments, but infused from above, hid from our
senses, and scarce at last known by our rea-
son, which indeed come from the life, and the
the soreness of a man's right eye, and the left
eye thereof, helps the soreness of his left eye, if
they be hanged about his neck in a cloth of its
natural colour: the like is reported of the eyes of
Spirit of the World, I through the rays of the a crab. 5 So the foot of a tortoise helps them that
stars: and can no otherwise but by experience, have the gout in their being applied thus, as foot
and conjecture be inquired into by us. to foot, hand to hand, right to right, left to left.
Wherefore, he that desires to enter upon this After this manner they say, that any animal
study, must consider, that everything moves, and that is barren causeth another to be barren;6 and
turns itself to its like, and inclines that to itself of the animal, especially the testicles, matrix, or
with all its might, as well in property, viz. occult urine. So they report that a woman shall not
virtue, as in quality, viz. elementary virtue. conceive, if she drink every month of the urine
Sometimes also in substance itself, as we see in of a mule,7 or anything steeped in it. If therefore
salt, for whatsoever hath long stood with salt, we would obtain any property or virtue, let us
becomes salt: 2 for every agent, when it hath seek for such animals, or such other things
begun to act, doth not attempt to make a thing whatsoever, in which such a property is in a
inferior to itself, but as much as may be, like, more eminent manner than in any other thing,
and suitable to itself. Which also we manifestly and in these let us take that part in which such a
see in sensible animals, in which the nutritive property, or virtue is most vigorous: as if at any
virtue doth not change the meat into an herb, or time we would promote love, let us seek some
a plant, but turns it into sensible flesh. animal which is most loving, of which kind are
In what things therefore there is an excess pigeons, turtles,8 sparrows, swallows, wagtails:
of any quality, or property, as heat, cold, bold- and in these let us take those members, or parts,
ness, fear, sadness, anger, love, hatred, or any in which the venereal appetite is most vigorous,
other passion, or virtue; whether it be in them by and such are the heart, testicles, matrix,9 yard, 10
nature, or sometimes also by art, or chance, as sperm, and menstrues. II And it must be done at
boldness in a harlot;3 these things do very much that time when these animals have their affec-
move, and provoke to such a quality, passion, or tion most intense: 12 for then they do much pro-
virtue. So Fire moves to Fire, and Water moves voke, and draw love.
to Water, and he that is bold moves to boldness. 4 In like manner to increase boldness, let us
And it is well known amongst physicians that look for a lion, or a cock, and of these let us take
brain helps the brain, and lungs, the lungs. So the heart, eyes, or forehead. And so we must

46
 How We Must Find Out, and Examine the Virtues of Things /47

understand that which Psellus the Platonist Upon the same account do animals that are
saith, viz. that dogs, crows, and cocks conduce long lived, conduce to long life; and whatsoever
much to watchfulness: also the nightingale, and things have a power in themselves, to renew
bat, and hom owl, and in these the heart, head, themselves, conduce to the renovation of our
and eyes especially. Therefore it is said, if any body, and restoring of youth, which physicians
shall carry the heart of a crow, or a bat about have often professed they know to be true; as is
him, he shall not sleep till he cast it away from manifest of the viper, and snake. 16 And it is
him. The same doth the head of a bat l3 dried, known that harts renew their old age by the eat-
and bound to the right arm of him that is awake, ing of snakes. 17 After the same manner the
for if it be put upon him when he is asleep, it is phoenix 18 is renewed by a fire which she makes
said that he shall not be awakened till it be taken for herself; and the like virtue there is in a peli-
off from him. can, whose right foot being put Linder warm
After the same manner doth a frog, and an dung, after three months there is of that gener-
owl make one talkative, and of these specially ated a pelican. 19 Therefore some physicians by
the tongue, and heart; so the tongue of a water some certain confections made of vipers, and
frogl4 laid under the head, makes a man speak hellebor, and the flesh of some such kind of ani-
in his sleep, and the heart of a screech owl 15 1aid mals do restore youth, and indeed do sometimes
upon the left breast of a woman that is asleep is restore it so, as Medea restored old Pileas. 2o It
said to make her utter all her secrets. The same is also believed that the blood of a bear, if it be
also the heart of the hom owl is said to do, also sucked out of her wound, doth increase the
the suet of a hare laid upon the breast of one that strength of the body, because that animal is the
is asleep. strongest creature. 21

NOLcs-ChapLCR 7\.V
I. Spirit of the World-That is, the quintessence. See sign Cancer, the stone of that sign, the emerald,
note 3, ch. XIV, bk. I. which was known in ancient times as a preserver of
eyesight, down to the chalky contents in the stomach
2. hecomes salt-"Also Avicenna said, when a thing of crayfish.
standeth long in salt, it is salt, and if any thing stand
in a stinking place, it is made stinking. And if any 6. to he harren-" And therefore Philosophers have
thing standeth with a bold man, it is made bold; if it written that the Mule, forasmuch as he is utterly bar-
standeth with a fearful man, it is made fearful" ("Mar- ren of his property, and whosoever it be, maketh men
vels of the World" 2 [Best and Brightman, 74]). and women barren, when some part of him is associ-
ated to women" ("Marvels of the World" IS [Best
3. in a harlot-" . .. either after the whole kind, as and Brightman, 81]).
boldness and victory is natural to a Lion, or secun-
dum individuum , as boldness in a harlot, not by 7. urine of a mule-Surely one of the more noxious
Man's kind, but per individuum" (ibid., sec. 3, 75). methods of birth control.

4. moves to holdness-"Likewise in an harlot bold- 8. turfles-Turtledoves.

ness is extreme. And therefore Philosophers say if any
man put on a common harlot's smock, or look in the 9. matrix-Womb.
glass (or have it with him) in which she beholdeth her-
self, he goeth bold and unfearful" (ibid., sec. 14, 80). 10. yard-Penis.

5. eyes of a crah-the salve Oculi Cancrorum, or II . menstrues-Menstrual blood.

Crab 's Eye Ointment, was used to heal ulcerous
sores. Crab's Eye was the name for a concreation of 12. most intense-
carbonate of lime found in the stomachs of lobsters
Likewise they which will move love look
and crayfish. There seems to be a magical thread run-
what beast loveth most greatly, and spe-
ning from the eye of the crab through the zodiacal
481 THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

cially in that hour in which it is most This bird, when it has completed the five
stirred up in love, because there is then ages of its life, with its talons and its
greater strength in it in moving to love; crooked beak constructs for itself a nest in
they take a part of the beast, in which car- the branches of a holm-oak {Quercus ilex],
nal appetite is stronger, as are the heart, the or on the top of a quivering palm {Phoenix
stones, and the mother or matrix. dactylifera]. As soon as it has strewed in
And because the Swallow loveth this cassia and ears of sweet spikenard and
greatly, as Philosophers saith, therefore bruised cinnemon with yellow myrrh, it
they choose her greatly to stir up love. lays itself down on it, and finishes its life in
Likewise the Dove and the Sparrow are the midst of odours. They say that thence,
holden to be of this kind, specially when from the body of its parent, is reproduced II
they are delighted in love, or carnal little Phoenix, which is destined to live as
appetite, for then they provoke and bring in many years. When time has given it
love without resistance. ("Marvels of the strength, and it is able to bear the weight, it
World" 15-7 [Best and Brightman, 81]). lightens the branches of the lofty tree of the
burden of the nest, and dutifully carries
13. head of a bat-The inversion of the magical both its own cradle and the sepulchre of its
virtue of things when applied to opposite conditions parent; and having reached the city of
is very common. "And Philosophers have invented Hyperion [Heliopolis in Egypt] through the
that if any woman is barren, when there is put to her yielding air, it lays it down before the
a thing that maketh a woman barren, that woman is sacred doors in the temple of Hyperion
not barren, but fruitful, and contrariwise" (ibid., sec. [Helios, the Sun] . (Ovid Metamorphoses
30, 87). 15.3, trans. H. T. Riley [London: George
Bell and Sons, 1884),532)
14. tongue of a water frog-"Take a water Frog quick
The body of the dead bird, wrapped in embalming
[alive], and take away her tongue, and put it again into
spices, is then cremated on the altar. Its return to
the water, and put the tongue unto a part of the heart
Egypt is heralded as a great and favorable omen.
of the woman sleeping, which when she is asked, she
Almost certainly this bird is referred to in Psalms
shall say the truth" (ibid., sec. 56, 99-100). This charm
103:5 under the name of the eagle. There are two
is taken directly out of the Kiranides: "If he will know
main variations in the story of the regeneration of the
the secrets of woman, then must he cut the tongue out
phoenix. One states that the bird combusts itself by
of the Frog alive, and turn the Frog away again, mak-
flapping its wings on the altar, and rises from its own
ing certain characters upon the Frog's tongue, and so
ashes; the other less attractive variation is that the new
lay the same upon the panting of a woman's heart,
phoenix first emerges from the decaying corpse of the
and let him ask her what questions he will, she shall
old as a small white worm. For descriptions of the
answer unto him all the truth, and reveal all the secret
phoenix, see Herodotus History bk. 2; Pliny 10.2;
faults that ever she had committed" (ibid., 99, n. 56).
Tacitus Annals 6.28; the beautiful poem of Claudius
Claudianus, 'The Phoenix"; and the short descriptive
15 . heart of a screech owl-"There be. marvellous
piece The Phoenix, attributed to Lactantius (Edin-
virtues of this fowl, for if the heart and right foot of
burgh: Ante-Nicene Christian Library, 1871 , vol. 22).
it be put upon a man sleeping, he shall say anon to
thee whatsoever thou shalt ask of him" (ibid., bk. 3,
19. pelican-"And the right foot of it [a pelican]
sec. 4, 52).
under an hot thing, after three months shall be engen-
dered quick, and shall move itself, of the humour and
16. viper, and snake-Snakes shed their skin several
heat which the bird hath" (Book of Secrets 3 .14 [Best
times a year. The old dry skin makes them appear old,
and Brightman, 57]).
while the smooth new skin gives them a youthful look.
20. old Pileas-Agrippa errs. Medea tricked the
17. eating of snakes-'That deer are destructive to
daughters of Pelias into murdering their father with
those reptiles [snakes] no one is ignorant; as also of
the false hope that he would be made young. It was
the fact that they drag them from their holes when
Aeson, the aged father of the hero Jason, whom the
they find them, and so devour them" (Pliny 28.42
sorceress restored to youth by infusing into his veins
[Bostock and Riley, 5:329]).
a potion:
18 . phoenix-A fabulous bird in appearance like an There she boils roots cut up in the Hremon-
eagle with gold and crimson plumage and a star on its ian vallies, and seeds and flowers and acrid
brow. The only one of its race, it lives for 500 years juices. She adds stones fetched from the
on rare spices, then renews itself : most distant East, and sand, which the
 How We Must Find Out, and Examine the Virtues of Things /49

ebbing tide of the ocean has washed. She Then she took the sick man upon her
adds, too, hoar frost gathered at night by shoulder and carried him into the garden,
the light of the moon, and the ill-boding where she placed him upon an enormous
wings of a screech owl, together with its bear which appeared there. Then the bear
flesh ; and the entrails of an ambiguous kept carrying him up and down and to and
wolf, that was wont to change its appear- fro , all the time groaning as if it were being
ance of a wild beast into that of a man. Nor weighed down by too great a burden; but in
is there wanting there the thin scaly slough reality it was the voice of the Demon, com-
of the Cinyphian water-snake, and the liver plaining because he was being forced
of the long-lived stag; to which, besides against his nature to use his power for
she adds the bill and head of a crow that granting the man the great benefit of the
had sustained an existence of nine ages. restoration of his health. (Remy Demono-
(Ovid Metamorphoses 7.2, c. line 260 latry 3.3, trans. E. A. Ashwin [London:
[Riley , 234-5]) John Rodker, 1930], 149)

21. strongest creafure-The proverbial strength of Remy adds : "It is in connection with this that we see
the bear is no doubt responsible for its employment tumblers and strolling jugglers always leading bears
by the witch Pariseta of Neuville, who in 1586 used it with them, upon which, for a fee, they place children
to heal Stephan Noach of an illness she had been in order, forsooth, that they may thereafter be more
accused of causing in him: secure from the fear of hobgoblins and spectres"
(ibid., 152).
 CHAPTeR X.Vl

How rhe opeRarions of seveRal viRrues

pass fRom one rhing inro anorheR,
and aRe communi cared one ro rhe orheR.

hou must know, that so great is the confident, impudent, and wanton. 4 In like man-

T power of natural things, that they not

only work upon all things that are near
them, by their virtue, but also besides
this, they infuse into them a like power, through
ner they say, that a cloth that was about a dead
corpse hath received from thence the property
of sadness, and melancholy: and that the halterS
wherewith a man was hanged hath certain won-
which by the same virtue they also work upon derful properties.
other things, as we see in the loadstone, which The like story tells Pliny, if any shall put a
stone indeed doth not only draw iron rings, but green lizard made blind,6 together with iron, or
also infuseth a virtue into the rings themselves, I gold rings into a glass vessel, putting under
whereby they can do the same, which Austin,2 them some earth, and then shutting the vessel,
and Alhertus 3 say they saw. and when it appears that the lizard hath received
After this manner it is, as they say, that a his sight, shall put him out of the glass, that
common harlot, grounded in boldness, and those rings shall help sore eyes. The same may
impudence doth infect all that are near her, by be done with rings, and a weasel,? whose eyes
this property, whereby they are made like her- after they are wi th any kind of prick put out, it is
self. Therefore they say that if anyone shall put certain are restored to sight again. Upon the
on the inward garment of an harlot, or shall same account rings are put for a certain time in
have about him that looking glass, which she the nest of sparrows, or swallows, which after-
daily looks into, he shall thereby become bold, wards are used to procure love, and favor.

Not:es-Chapt:eR AVl
I. rings themselves- Riley, 6:209])
We shall speak of the loadstone in its This stone does not simply attract the iron
proper place, and of the sympathy which rings, just by themselves; it also imparts
it has with iron. This is the only metal that to the rings a force enabling them to do
acquires the properties of that stone, the same thing as the stone itself, that is,
retaining them for a length of time, and to attract another ring, so that sometimes
attracting other iron, so that we may a chain is formed, quite a long one, of
sometimes see a whole chain formed of iron rings, suspended from one another.
these rings. The lower cl asses, in their For all of them, however, their power
ignorance, call this "live iron," and the depends upon the loadstone. (Plato Ion
wounds that are made by it are much 533d, trans. L. Cooper [Hamilton and
more severe. (Pliny 34.42 [Bostock and Cairns, 220]

50
 How the Operations of Several Virtues Pass from One Thing into Another / 51

2. Austin- that should put it in the oven, should put it

in, he shall not be able to put it in, but it
We know that the loadstone draws iron
shall leap out. (" Marvels of the World" 50
strangely: and surely when I observed it at
[Best and Brightman, 97])
fi rst, it made me much aghast. For I beheld
the stone draw up an iron ring, and then as
6. lizard made blind-
if it had given its own power to the ring,
the ring drew up another and made it hang Lizards, al so, are emproyed in numerou s
fast by it, as it hung by the stone. So did a ways as a remedy for diseases of the eyes.
third by that, and a fourth by the third, and Some persons enclose a green lizard in a
so until there was hung, as it were, a chain new earthen vessel, together with nine of
of rings which merely touched one another, the small stones known as "c inaedia,"
without any interlinking. (Augustine City which are usually attached to the body for
of God 2 1.4 [Healey, 2:323]) tumours in the groin. Upon each of these
stones they make nine marks, and remove
3. Albertus-Perhaps a reference to this passage in one from the vessel daily, taking care,
the Book of Secrets: "For although we know not a when the ninth day is come, to let the
manifest reason wherefore the Loadstone draweth to lizard go, the stones being kept as a rem-
it Iron , notwithstanding experience doth manifest it edy for affections of the eyes. Others,
so, that no man may deny it" (" Marvels of the again, blind a green lizard, and after
World" 20 [Best and Brightman, 82]). putting some earth beneath it, enclose it
in a glass vessel, with some small rings of
4. and wanton-See notes 3 and 4, ch. XV, bk. I. solid iron or gold. When they find, by
looking through the glass, that the lizard
5. halter- has recovered its sight, they set it at lib-
erty, and keep the rings as a prese rvative
And it is said, if a rope be taken, with
against ophthalmia. (Pliny 29.38 [Bostock
which a thief is or hath been hanged up,
and Riley, 5:414-5])
and a little chaff, which a whirlwind lifted
up in the air, and let them be put in a pot,
7. weasel-"They say, too, that if the eyes of a
and set among other pots, that pot shall
weasel are extracted with a pointed instrument, its
break all the other pots.
sight will return; the same use being made of it as of
Also take thou a little of the aforesaid
the lizards and rings above mentioned" (ibid., 415).
rope, and put it on the instrument with
which the bread is put in the oven; when he
 CHAPTeR X.Vll

How by enmiry and fRiendship rhe

viRrues of rhings aRe ro be rRied, and found our.

n the next place it is requisite that we con- of Jupiter with the Moon, of Mars with Saturn,

1 sider that all things have a friendliness, and

enmity! amongst themselves, and every-
thing hath something that it fears and
dreads, that is an enemy, and destructive to it;
of the Sun with Mars, of Venus with Jupiter, of
the Moon with Venus.
And of what sort the friendships, and enmi-
ties of the superiors be, such are the inclinations
and on the contrary something that it rejoiceth, of things subjected to them in these inferior.
and delighteth in, and is strengthened by. So in These dispositions therefore of friendship, and
the elements, Fire is an enemy to Water, and Air enmity are nothing else but certain inclinations
to Earth, but yet they agree amongst them- of things of the one to another, desiring such ,
selves. 2 and such a thing if it be absent, and to move
And again, in celestial bodies, Mercury, toward it, unless it be hindered, and to acqui-
Jupiter, the Sun, and Moon are friends to Sat- esce in it when it is obtained, shunning the con-
urn; Mars, and Venus enemies to him: all the trary, and dreading the approach of it, and not
planets besides Mars are friends to Jupiter, also resting in, or being contented with it. Heraclitus
all besides Venus hate Mars: Jupiter, and Venus therefore being guided by this opinion, pro-
love the Sun; Mars, Mercury , and the Moon are fessed that all things were made by enmity and
enemies to him: all besides Saturn love Venus: friendship .6
Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn are friends to Mer- Now the inclinations of friendship are such
cury; the Sun, Moon, and Mars his enemies: in vegetables and minerals, as is that attractive
Jupiter, Venus, Saturn are friends to the Moon; inclination, which the loadstone hath upon iron,
Mars and Mercury her enemies. and the emerald upon riches, and favour; the
There is another kind of enmity amongst jasper upon the birth of anything, and the stone
the stars, viz. when they have opposite houses;3 achates 7 upon eloquence; in like manner there is
as Saturn to the Sun and Moon , Jupiter to Mer- a kind of bituminous clay that draws fire,8 and
cury, Mars to Venus. And their enmity is leaps into it, wheresoever it sees it: even so doth
stronger, whose exaltations4 are opposite: as of the root of the herb aproxis 9 draw fire from afar
Saturn, and the Sun; of Jupiter, and Mars; of off. Also the same inclination there is betwixt
Venus, and Mercury. But their friendship is the the male palm, and female: whereof when the
strongest, who agree in nature, quality, sub- bough of one shall touch the bough of the other,
stance, and power; as Mars with the Sun, and they fold themselves into mutual embraces, nei-
Venus with the Moon, as Jupiter with Venus, as ther doth the female bring forth fruit without the
also their friendship whose exaltation is in the male. lo And the almond tree, when she is alone
house of another,S as that of Saturn with Venus, is less fruitful.The vines love the elm, and the

52
 How by Enmity and Friendship the Virtues of Things Are to Be Tried / 53

olive tree, and myrtle love one the other: also escapes the danger of the poison.
the olive tree, and fig tree. So men have learned many excellent reme-
Now in animals there is amity betwixt the dies of diseases, and virtues of things from
blackbird, and thrush, betwixt the crow, and brutes; so swallows have showed us that sail en-
heron, betwixt peacocks, and pigeons, turtles, dine 21 is very medicinable for the sight, with
and parrots. I I Whence Sappho writes to which they cure the eyes of their young, and the
Phaon: 12 pye when she is sick, puts a bay22 leaf into her
nest, and is recovered. In like manner, cranes,
To birds unlike ofttimes joined are white daws, partriges, blackbirds purge their nauseous
doves;
stomachs 23 with the same, with which also
Also the bird that's green, black turtle loves.
crows allay the poison of the chameleon; and
Again, the whale, and the little fish l3 his guide the lion, if he be feverish, is recovered by eating
are friendly. of an ape. 24 The lapwing being surfeited with
Neither is this amity in animals only eating of grapes, cures himself with southern-
amongst themselves, but also with other things, wood;25 so the harts have taught us that the herb
as with metals, stones, and vegetables. So the di tany26 is very good to draw out darts; for they
cat delights in the herb nip,I4 by rubbing herself being wounded with an arrow, cast it out by eat-
upon which she is said to conceive without a ing of this herb: the same do goats in Candy.
male; and there be mares in Cappadocia, I5 that So hinds, a little before they bring forth,
expose themselves to the blast of the wind, and purge themselves with a certain herb called
by the attraction thereof conceive. So frogs, mountain osier.27 Also they that are hurt with
toads, snakes, and all manner of creeping poiso- spiders, seek a remedy by eating of crabs: 28
nous things delight in the plant called pas- swine also being hurt by snakes cure themselves
flower,I6 of whom, as the physicians say, if by eating of them; and crows when they per-
anyone eat, he shall die with laughing. ceive they are poisoned with a kind of French
The tortoise also when he is hunted by the poison, seek for cure in the oak; elephants,
adder, eats origanum,I7 and is thereby strength- when they have swallowed a chamelion 29 help
ened: and the stork, when he hath ate snakes,I8 themselves with the wild olive. Bears being hurt
seeks for a remedy in origanum: and the with mandrakes, escape the danger by eating of
weasel,I9 when he goes to fight with the basilisk, pismires. 3D Geese, ducks, and such like watery
eats rue, whence we come to know that organum, fowl, cure themselves with the herb called wall-
and rue2D are effectual against poison. So in some sage. Pigeons, turtles, hens, with the herb called
animals there is an inbred skill, and medicinal pellitory of the wall. Cranes with bulrushes. 31
art; for when the toad is wounded with a bite or Leopards cure themselves, being hurt with the
poison of another animal, he is wont to go to rue, herb called wolfsbane,32 by man's dung: 33 boars
or sage, and rub the place wounded, and so with ivy, hinds with the herb called cinnara. 34

NOLcs-ChapLCR 7\.Vll
I. enmity- the World" 5 [Best and Brightman, 75-6]).
Now it is verified and put in all men ' s
2. amongst themselves-Fire agrees with air, without
minds, that every natural kind, and that
which it could not burn; earth with water, without
every particular or general nature, hath
which it would not cohere. See Appendix III.
natural amity and enmity to some other.
And every kind hath some horrible enemy,
3. opposite houses-Planets are assigned certain
and destroying thing to be feared; likewise
zodiac signs, which they are said to rule. Each planet
something rejoicing exceedingly, making
has two signs, while the Sun and Moon have one each:
glad, and agreeing by nature. ("Marvels of
54/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

5. house of another-Since Saturn is exalted in

Libra, which is one of the signs ruled by Venus,
these planets are friend ly to each other; and so of
the rest.

6. enmity and Jriendship-

As for the Grecians, their opinIOns are
obvious and well known to everyone; to
wit, that they make the good part of the
world to appertain to Jupiter Olympius,
that they fab le Harmonia to have been
begotten by Venus and Mars, the one
whereof is rough and quarrelsome, and the
other sweet and generative. In the next
place consider we the great agreement of
the philosophers wi th these people. For
Heraclitus doth in plain and naked terms
call war the father, the king, and the lord of
all things; and saith that Homer, when he
For a lucid explanation as to how this assign- fi rst prayed,
ment arose, see Ptolemy Tetrabiblos 1.17. Each sign
has its own house, comprising an arc of 30 degrees of Discord be damned from Gods and
the heavens. Thus when a planet is in its own sign, it human race ... [Iliad 18 .107] ,
may be spoken of as residing in the house that it rules. little thought he was then cursing the origi-
When a planet is in a sign opposite its own, located nation of all things, they owing their rise to
1800 away around the heavens, it is said to be in detri- aversation and quarrel. (Plutarch Isis and
ment. When a planet is in the sign it rules, its opera- Osiris 48 [Goodwin, 4: 108])
tion is strong and pure; when it is in the opposite sign,
its operation is obstructed and troubled. 7. achates- Agate, specifically ribbon agate, or
Planet Rulership Detriment banded chalcedony. "Take the stone which is called
Sun Leo Aquarius Achates, and it is black, and hath white veins" (Book of
Moon Cancer Capricorn Secrets 2.12 [Best and Brightman, 32]). However
Mercury Virgo Pisces there are many kinds of agate known to the ancients
Gemini Sagittarius (see Pliny 37.54; ribbon agate is treated under "onyx"
Venus Aries in ch. 24). The agate was not much esteemed by the
Libra
Scorpio Romans as jewelry, but was in high demand among
Taurus
the Persians and orientals, by whom "it was univer-
Mars Scorpio Taurus
sally believed to confer eloquence" (Thomas and
Aries Libra
Pavitt [1914]1970, 171).
Jupiter Sagittarius Gemini
Pisces Virgo
8. draws fire-Naphtha, a natural liquid product of
Saturn Capricorn Cancer
the earth that gives off a highly flammable invisible
Aquarius Leo
gas. "This naphtha, in other respects resembling bitu-
men, is so subject to take fire, that before it touches
4. exaltations-Each planet has a sign in which its
the flame it will kindle at the very light that sur-
action is most potent, called its exaltation, and a sign
rounds it, and often inflame the intermediate air also"
in which its action is weakest, opposite its exaltation,
(Plutarch " Life of Alexander." In Lives, trans. J.
called its fall.
Dryden [New York: Modem Library, n.d.], 827). See
Planet Exaltation Fall immediately fo llowing this quotation for a descrip-
Saturn Libra Aries tion of Alexander's unfortunate experiment with
Jupiter Cancer Capricorn naphtha, in which he set one of his Greek soldiers on
Mars Capricorn Cancer fire and very nearly killed him.
Sun Aries Libra
Venus Pisces Virgo 9. aproxis-"Pythagoras makes mention, too, of a
Mercury Virgo Pisces plant called aproxis, the root of which takes fire at a
Moon Taurus Scorpio distance, like naphtha ... " (Pliny 24.101 [Bostock
and Riley, 5:63]). hi s speculated that this may be
white dittany (Dictamnus albus).
 How by Enmity and Friendship the Virtues of Things Are to Be Tried / 55

10. without the male- branches and leaves very greedily" (Gerard [1633]
1975, bk. 2, ch. 226, 683).
In addition to the above particulars, it is
asserted that in a forest of natural growth
15 . mares in Cappadocia-
the female trees will become barren if they
are deprived of the males, and that many Love leads mares beyond Gargarus, and
female trees may be seen surrounding a across the roaring Ascanius [in Cappado-
single male with downcast heads and a cia] ; they pass the ridges of mountains,
foliage that seems to be bowing caressingly they swim across streams. And as soon as
towards it; while the male tree, on the other ever their kindled hearts have caught
hand, with leaves all bristling and erect, by flame, in spring chiefly, for in spring
its exhalations, and even the very sight of it warmth returns to the limbs, they all stand
and the dust from off it, fecundates the oth- on high rocks with their faces turned to
ers: if the male tree, too, should happen to catch the Zephyr, and snuff the light
be cut down , the female trees, thus reduced breezes, and often without wedlock are
to a state of widowhood, will at once impregnated by the wind. (Virgil Georgics
become barren and unproductive. So well , 3, c. line 270. In Works of Virgil, trans.
indeed, is this sexual union between them Lonsdale and Lee [London: Macmillan,
understood, that it has been imagined even 1885],59)
that fecundation may be ensured through _
the agency of man, by means of the blos- 16. pas-flower-Pass flower, called by Gerard pasque
soms and the down [pollen] gathered from flower (Anemone pulsatilla) : "They floure for the
off the male trees, and, indeed, sometimes most part about Easter, which hath mooved mee to
by only sprinkling the dust from off them name it Pasque Flow'e, or Easter floure :" (Gerard
on the female trees . (Pliny 13.7 [Bostock [1633]1975, bk. 2, ch. 79, 385). The purple anemone,
and Riley, 3: 172]) a narcotic, acrid, poisonous plant with wide, bell-
See also Book of Secrets (Best and Brightman, 83). shaped, blue-purple flowers. Not to be confused with
the passion flower (Passij1ora ccprulea).
II . turtles and parrots-"On the other hand, there is
a strict friendship existing between the peacock and 17. origanum-Wild marjoram (Origanum vulgare):
the pigeon, the turtle-dove and the parrot, the black- "Organy given in wine is a remedy against the bitings,
bird and the turtle, the crow and the heron, all of and stingings of venomous beasts" (Gerard [1633]
which join in a common enmity against the fox. The 1975, bk. 2, ch. 218, 667). " And they said that when
harpe also, and the kite, unite against the triorchis" the Snail is poisoned, it eateth the herb called Orig-
(Pliny 10.96 [Bostock and Riley, 2:552]). anum, and is healed, and therefore they know that the
herb called Origanum hath lain under poison" ("Mar-
12. to Phaon--Ovid Heroides epistle 15: "Sappho to vels of the World" 29 [Best and Brightman, 87]).
Phaon," towards the beginning. Sappho was a poet-
ess of Lesbos; Phaon was .a beautiful youth with 18. ate snakes-"[It] is said of the Stork when she
whom she was in love. When he "deserted her and has eaten Snakes, she seeks for the same Herb Orig-
sailed to Sicily, she threw herself into the sea from inum, and finds a Remedy" (Thomas Tryon, The Way
Leucate, a promontory of Acarnania, in Epirus. to Health (1691), 562, quoted from OED . S.v. "orig-
anum").
13. little fish-The pilot fish (Naucrates ductor) is
about 12 inches long and was well known in ancient 19. weasel-"Also it is said when the Weasel is poi-
times for supposedly guiding ships into port. It also soned of a Serpent it eateth Rue, and they know by
accompanies sharks and was thought to guide the this that Rue is contrary to the venom of Serpents"
shark to its food. The shark was often confused with (Albertus Magnus [attrib.] "Marvels of the World"
the whale: "The shark so much resembles the whale sec. 29. In Book of Secrets [Best and Brightman, 87])
in size, that some have injudiciously ranked it in the This is from Pliny: "Employed in a similar manner, it
class ofcetaceous fishes:" (Goldsmith 1849 [1774], is good for the stings of serpents; so much so, in fact,
bk. 2, ch. 2, 497). that weasels, when about to attack them, take the pre-
caution first of protecting themselves by eating rue"
14. herh nip-Catnip or catmint (Nepeta cataria), a (Pliny 20.51 [Bostock and Riley, 4:252]).
type of mint. Also called nep. Gerard says of it: "Cats
are very much delighted herewith; for the smel of it is 20. rue-Ruta graveolens, a perennial evergreen
so pleasant to them, that they rub themselves upon it, shrub with bitter, strong-scented leaves. Called " herb
and wallow or tumble in it, and also feed on the of grace" because it was used for sprinkling holy
56 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

water. "Rue bitter, a worthy gres, Mekyl of myth & 24. eating of an ape-'The only malady to which the
vertu is" Extracts from a Stockholm Medical MS. (c. lion is subject, is loss of appetite; this, however, is
1400), quoted from OED. s.v. "rue." cured by putting insults upon him, by means of the
pranks of monkeys placed about him, a thing which
Dioscorides writeth, that a twelve penny
rouses his anger; immediately he tastes their blood,
weight of the seed drunke in wine is a
he is relieved" (Pliny 8.19 [Bostock and Riley,
counterpoyson against deadly medicines or
2:269]). "When they would denote a feverish man
the poyson of Wolfs-bane, Ixia . Mush-
who cures himself, they depict a lion devouring an
roms, or Tode stooles, the biting of Ser-
ape; for if, when in a fever, he devours an ape, he
pents, stinging of Scorpions, spiders, bees,
recovers." (Horapollo Hieroglyphics 2.76, trans. A. T.
hornets, and wasps; and it is reported, that
Cory [1840] [London: Chthonios Books, 1987], 133).
if a man be anointed with the iuyce of Rue
these will not hurt him; and that the Ser-
25 . southern wood-Artemisia abrotanum. a decidu-
pent is driven away at the smell thereof
ous shrub.
when it is burned, insomuch that when the
Weese II is to fight with the Serpent, she
26. ditany-Dittany of Crete (Origanum dictamnus.
armeth her selfe by eating Rue against the
or Dictamnus creticus). a hot sharp herb with cottony
might of the Serpent" (Gerard [1633] 1975,
leaves and small red-purple flowers, long famed for
bk. 2,ch. 531,1257).
its power of expelling darts. "Venus, distracted by
her son's unmerited agony, plucks from Cretan Ida a
21 . sallendine-Greater celandine, or swallow-wort
stalk of dittany with downy leaves and feathery pur-
(Chelidonium majus). "The swallow has shown us
ple bloom; well-known is the plant to the wild goats,
that the chelidonia is very serviceable to the sight, by
when winged arrows chance to fix deep in their
the fact of its employing it for the cure of its young,
body" (Virgil Aeneid 12, c. line 460 [Lonsdale and
when their eyes are affected" (Pliny 8.41 [Bostock
Lee, 269]). Borrowing shamelessly from Virgil,
and Riley, 2:292]). "It is by the aid of this plant that
Tasso writes:
the swallow restores the sight of the young birds in
the nest, and even, as some persons will have it, But the angel pure, that kept him, went and
when the eyes have been plucked out" (Pliny 25.50 sought
[Bostock and Riley, 5: 114]). This belief arises from Divine dictamnum, out of Ida wood,
Dioscorides, who says that blindness in swallows is This herb is rough, and bears a purple
cured this way. The herb chelidonia was confused flower,
with the stone chelidonia, or swallow-stone, so called And in his budding leaves lies all his
because it is "swallow-coloured." See Pliny 37.56 power.
(Bostock and Riley, 6:446).
Kind nature first upon the craggy clift
Bewrayed this herb unto the mountain
Seeking with eager eyes that wonderous
goat,
stone, which the swallow
That when her sides a cruel shaft hath rift,
Brings from the shore of the sea to restore
With it she shakes the reed out of her coat;
the sight of its fledglings;
(Jerusalem Delivered bk. II, st. 72-3,
(Longfellow, Evangeline. 1.1)
trans. Edward Fairfax [1600] [New York:
Collier anq Son, 190 I], 236)
22. bay-Bay tree (Law'us nobilis). It was into this
tree that Da,phne was changed by her father, the river "It is reported likewise that the wilde Goats and
Peneus, to escape the lust of Apollo (see Ovid Meta- Deere in Candie when they be wounded with
mO/phoses bk. I, fable 12, c. line 548). The leaves of arrowes, do shake them out by eating of this plant,
the bay are much used as a catalyst for other magical and heale their wounds" (Gerard [1633] 1975, bk. 2,
objects, about which they were wrapped : "If the foot ch. 281-D, 796). See also Pliny 8.41.
of it [mole] be wrapped in the leaf of a Laurel tree,
and be put in the mouth of a Horse, he will flee for 27. mountain osier-Water-willow (Salix \liminalis).
fear" (Book of Secrets 3.18 [Best and Brightman, used for basket weaving.
59-60]). The bay and the laurel are the same.
28. eating of crabs-'The same animals [stags], too,
23. nauseous stomachs-"Wood-pigeons, jackdaws, when they happen to have been wounded by the pha-
blackbirds, and partridges, purge themselves once a langium, a species of spider, or any insect of a simi-
year by eating bay leaves ... " (Pliny 8.41 [Bostock lar nature, cure themselves by eating crabs" (Pliny
and Riley, 2:294]). 8.41 [Bostock and Riley, 2:292)).
 How by Enmity and Friendship the Virtues of Things Are to Be Tried / 57

29. swallowed a chamelion-"When an elephant has (1983) who devotes an entire chapter to the lore of
happened to devour a chameleon, which is of the monkshood.
same colour with the herbage, it counteracts this poi-
son by means of the wild olive" (Pliny 8.41 [Bostock 33. man's dung-
and Riley, 2:294]).
The barbarous nations go to hunt the pan-
ther, provided with meat that has been
30. eating of pismires-Pismires are ants. "Bears,
rubbed with aconite, which is a poison.
when they have eaten of the fruit of the mandrake
Immediately on eating it, compression of
lick up numbers of ants" (ibid). '
the throat overtakes them, from which cir-
cumstance it is, that the plant has received
31. with bulrushes-" ... pigeons, turtle-doves, and
the name pardalianches ["pard-strangle"].
poultry [purge themselves], with wall-pellitory, or
The animal, however, has found an anti-
helxme; ducks, geese, and other aquatic birds, with the
dote against this poison in human excre-
plant sideritis or vervain; cranes, and birds of a similar
ments; besides which, it is so eager to get
nat~re, with the bulrush" (ibid). Wall-sage is a species
at them, that the shepherds purposely sus-
of lronwort (Sideritis) said by Turner (The Names of
pend them in a vessel, placed so high, that
Herbs , 1548) to be the Sideritis prima of Dioscorides.
the animal cannot reach them even by leap-
Pellitory of the wall (Parietaria officinalis) is a low,
ing, when it endeavours to get at them;
bushy plant with small leaves and greenish flowers
accordingly, it continues to leap until it has
that grows upon, or at the foot of, walls.
quite exhausted itself, and at last expires:
otherwis~ , it is so tenacious of life, that it
32 wolf.~bane-From the Greek for "wolf-slayer,"
will continue to fight long after its
plant~ of the genus Aconitum. Turner distinguishes
intestines have been dragged out of its
two kmds : (I) Yellow wolfsbane-a tall, handsome
body. (Pliny 8.41 [Bostock and Riley,
plant with large shining green leaves and beautiful
2:293-4])
yellow flowers in the shape of an enclosed bell
(Aconitum lycoctonum) ; (2) Blue wolfsbane-better
34. cinnara-Garden artichoke (Cynara scolymus),
known as monkshood, a handsome plant with a tall
so called, according to Gerard (bk. 2, ch. 479, 1154)
stalk and large blue flowers in the shape of a hel-
because it grows well when planted in ashes: cinis =
met, for which reason it was also called helmet-
ashes. "The stag counteracts the effect of poisonous
flower (Aconitum napellus). Probably the latter is
plants by eating the artichoke" (Pliny 8.41 [Bostock
intended. Both are deadly poisons. See Hansen
and Riley, 2:294]).
 CHAPTeR 7\Vlll

Of rhe lncllnarlons of enmlrles.

n the contrary there are inclinations deadly thing: and that which is more wonderful,

O of enmities, and they are as it were

the odium, and anger: indignation,
and a certain kind of obstinate con-
trarity of nature, so that anything shuns its con-
nature hath pictured the sign of this death in the
livers of sheep, in which the very figure of frog-
parsley being described, doth naturally appear;
so goats do so hate garden basil,14 as if there
trary, and drives it away out of its presence. were nothing more pernicious.
Such kind of inclinations hath rhubarb against And again, amongst animals, mice, and
choler, I treacle against poison,2 the sapphire weasels l5 do disagree; whence it is said that
stone3 against hot biles and feverish heats, and mice will not touch cheese, if the brains of a
diseases of the eyes; the amethyst" against weasel be put into the rennet, 16 and besides that
drunkenness, the jasperS against flux of blood, the cheese will not corrupt with age. So a lizard
and offensive imaginations, the emerald,6 and is so contrary to scorpions, that it makes them
agnus castus 7 against lust, achates 8 against poi- afraid with its very sight, as also it puts them
son, peonl against the falling sickness, corallo into a cold sweat, therefore they are killed with
against the ebullition of black choler, and pains the oil of them, which oil also cures wounds
of the stomach. The topaz" against spiritual made by scorpions. There is also an enmity
heats, such as are covetousness, lust, and all betwixt scorpions, and mice; 17 wherefore if a
manner of excesses of love. mouse be applied to a prick or wound made by
The like inclination is there also of pismires a scorpion, it cures it, as it is reported. There is
against the herb origanus, 12 and the wing of a bat, also an enmity betwixt ~corpions, and stalabors,
and the heart of a lapwing, from the presence of asps, and wasps.
which they fly. Also origanum is contrary to a It is reported also that nothing is so much
certain poisonous fly, which cannot endure the an enemy to snakes as crabs, and that if swine
Sun, and resists salamanders, and loaths cabbage be hurt therewith they eat them, and are cured.
with such a deadly hatred, that they destroy one The Sun also being in Cancer,18 serpents are
the other: so cucumbers hate oil, and will run tormented. Also the scorpion, and crocodile l9
themselves into a ring lest they should touch it. kill one the other; and if the bird ibis 20 doth but
And it is said that the gall of a crow makes touch a crocodile with one of his feathers, he
men afraid, and drives them away from where it makes him immovable; the bird called bustard 21
is, as also certain other things; so a diamond flies away at the sight of a horse; and a hart runs
doth disagree with the loadstone, that being set away at the sight of a ram,22 as also of a viper. 23
by it, it will not suffer iron to be drawn to it; and An elephant trembles at the hearing of the
sheep fly from frog-parsley l3 as from some grunting of a hog,24 so doth a lion at the sight of

58
 Of the Inclinations of Enmities / 59

a cock: 25 and panthers will not touch them that And Pliny makes mention of a bird called
are anointed all over with the broth of a hen, marlin, that breaks crows' eggs; whose young
especially if garlic hath been boiled in it. are annoyed by the fox that she also will pinch,
There is also enmity betwixt foxes, and and pull the fox's whelps, and the fox herself
swans, bulls, and daws. Amongst birds also also: which when the crows see, they help the
some are at a perpetual strife one with another, fox against her, as against a common enemy.35
as also with other animals, as daws, and owls, The little bird called a linnet living in thistles,
the kite, and crows, the turtle,26 and ringtail,27 hates asses, because they eat the flowers of this-
egepis,28 and eagles, harts, and dragons. Also tles. Also there is such a bitter enmity betwixt
amongst water animals there is an enmity, as the little bird called esalon, and the ass, that
betwixt dolphins, and whirlpools,29 mullets, their blood will not mix together, and that at the
and pikes, lampreys,3D and congers:31 also the braying of the ass both the eggs and young of
fish called pourcontrel 32 makes the lobster so the esalon perish. 36 There is also such a dis-
much afraid, that the lobster seeing the other but agreement betwixt the olive tree and a harlot,
near him, is struck dead. The lobster, and con- that if she plant it, it will either be always
ger tear one the other. unfruitful, or altogether wither. 37
The civet cat is said to stand so in awe of A lion fears nothing so much as fired
the panther, that he hath no power to resist him, torches,38 and will be tamed by nothing so
or touch his skin: and they say that if the skins much as by these: and the wolf fears neither
of both of them be hanged up one against the sword, nor spear, but a stone, by the throwing of
other, the hairs of the panther's skin fall off. 33 which a wound being made, worms breed39 in
And Orus Apollo saith 34 in his Hieroglyphics, if the wolf. A horse fears a camel, so that he can-
anyone be girt about with the skin of the civet not endure to see so much as his picture. An ele-
cat, that he may pass safely through the middle phant when he rageth, is quieted by seeing of a
of his enemies, and not at all be afraid. Also the cock. A snake is afraid of a man that is naked,
lamb is very much afraid of the wolf, and flies but pursues a man that is clothed. A mad bull is
from him. And they say that if the tail, or skin, tamed by being tied to a fig tree. Amber draws
or head of a wolf be hanged upon the sheepcote, all things to it besides garden basil, and those
the sheep are much troubled, and cannot eat things, which are smeared with oil, betwixt
their meat for fear. which there is a kind of a natural antipathy.

NOLcs-ChapLCR AVlll
I. rhubarb against choler-See note 10, ch. XIlI, bk. I. In later times snake fat gave way by a process of mag-
ical displacement to snake root.
2. treacle against poison-Treacle was a medicinal
salve said to be an antidote to serpent bites and other 3. sapphire stone-In ancient times this was the name
poisons. applied generally to blue stones, and particularly to
lapis lazuli, the stone described under this name by
I should remark, however, that this prepa- Pliny (37.38-39). The Book of Secrets says: " It
maketh peace and concord; it maketh the mind pure
ration, it would appear, can only be made
and devout toward God; it strengtheneth the mind in
from the viper. Some persons, after clean-
good things, and maketh a man to cool from inward
ing the viper in the manner above
heat" (Albertus Magnus [attrib.] Book of Secrets bk.
described, boil down the fat, with one sex- 2, sec. 45 [Best and Brightman, 48]). In the Middle
tarius [pint] of olive oil, to one half. Of this Ages it was said to preserve the eyes from damage by
preparation, when needed, three drops are smallpox if rubbed on them, and there was in the
added to some oil, with which mixture the church of Old Saint Paul in London a sapphire given
body is rubbed, to repel the approach of all by Richard de Preston "'for the cure of infirmities in
kinds of noxious animals. (Pliny 29.21 the eyes, of those thus afflicted who might resort to
[Bostock and Riley, 5:396]) it'" (Thomas and Pavitt [1914]1970, 156).
60/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

4. amethyst-A transparent purple variety of quartz. chaste, for it withstandeth all uncleanness,
The name is from the Greek, meaning "without or desire to the flesh, consuming and dry-
intoxication," and its most prevalent use was as an ing up the seed of generation, in what sort
antidote to drunkenness, probably because its color soever it be taken, whether in pouder
matches that of the grape. onely, or the decoction drunke, or whether
the leaves be carried about the body ; for
The falsehoods of the magicians would
which cause it was called Castus; that is to
persuade us that these stones are preventive
say, chaste, cleane, and pure." (Gerard
of inebriety, and that it is from this that
[1633] 1975, bk. 3, ch. 54-A, 1388)
they have derived their name. They tell us
also, that if we inscribe the names of .the 8. aehates-See note 7, ch. XVII, bk. I.
sun and moon upon this stone, and then
wear it suspended from the neck, with In addition to the Moss or Tree Agate, the
some hair of the cynocephalus [baboon] Greeks and Romans had great faith in the
and feathers of the swallow, it will act as a talismanic virtues of all other Agates,
preservative against all noxious spells. It is wearing them to avert sickness, regarding
said too, that worn in any manner, this them particularly as an antidote to the bite
stone will ensure access to the presence of of an Asp, if taken powdered in wine, or as
kings; and that it will avert hail and the an infallible cure for the sting of a Scorpion
attacks of locusts, if a certain prayer is also if tied over the wound. (Thomas and Pavitt
repeated which they mention. (Pliny 37.40 [1914]1970, 170)
[Bostock and Riley, 6:434])
9. peonY-Pf£onia o./ficinalis, a tall plant with large
5. jasper-See note 8, ch. XIII, bk. I. round red or white flowers. The name derives from
Paeon, physician to the gods of Olympus. Gerard
6. emerald-Transparent green gemstone called by says it is called "of some, Lunaris . or Lunaria Pf£O-
Pliny smaragdus, along with other green stones. It nia: because it cureth those that have the falling sick-
was held to promote constancy and domestic felicity, nesse, whom some men call Lunaticos. or Lunaticke"
and in the presence of an unfaithful lover was (Gerard [1633]1975, bk. 2, ch. 380,983).
believed to tum a brown color. (See Thomas and
Pavitt [1914]1970,181-2.) 10. eoral-Coral was much favored in the treatment
of children's diseases . It was worn or carried as a
7. agnus castus-Vitex agnus eastus. Called chaste charm against whooping cough, teething problems,
tree and Abraham's balm. The name means "chaste
fits and cholic, and was powdered and drunk in water
lamb." Pliny says it is not very different from the wil-
for stomach cramps. Gerard treats coral as a plant:
low, but has a more pleasant smell.
Burned Corrall drieth more than when it is
The Greeks call it "Iygos," or "agnos," from
unburned, and being given to drinke in
the fact that the matrons of Athens, during
water, it helpeth the grippings of the belly,
the Thesmophoria [festival honoring Deme-
. .. if the patient have an ague, then it is with
ter] , a period when the strictest chastity is
better successe ministered in water, for the
observed, are in the habit of strewing their
Corrall cooleth, and the water moistneth the
beds with the leaves of this tree .... From
body, by reason whereof it restraineth the
both [larger and smaller] trees also a lini-
burning heate in agues. (Gerard [1633]
ment is prepared for the bites of spiders, but
1975, bk. 3, ch. I 66-C, -D, 1578)
it is quite sufficient to rub the wounds with
the leaves; and if a fumigation is made from
II. topaz-In modem times a golden transparent
them, or if they are spread beneath the bed,
stone, Pliny uses this name for peridot, a soft green-
they will repel the attacks of all venomous
ish-yellow transparent stone mined in ancient times
creatures. They act also as an antaphro-
from St. John's Island, which lies 35 miles southeast
disiac, and it is by this tendency in particular
of Ras Benas, Egypt.
that they neutralize the venom of the pha-
langium [spider], the bite of which has an Juba says that there is an island in the Red
exciting effect upon the generative organs. Sea called "Topazos," at a distance of three
(Pliny 24.38 [Bostock and Riley, 5:26--7) hundred stadia from the main land; that it
is surrounded by fogs, and is often sought
Gerard says:
by navigators in consequence; and that,
Agnus Castus is a singular medicine and owing to this, it received its present name,
remedie for such as would willingly live the word "topazin" meaning "to seek," in
 Of the, Inclinations of Enmities / 61

the language of the Troglodytae. (Pliny 16. rennet-The mass of curdled milk taken from the
37.32 [Bostock and Riley, 6:427]) stomach of a sucking calf or other animal, used to
cause milk to curdle in the making of cheese.
The belief that this stone has a moderating virtue
seems to have arisen from an error in copying by
17 . Scorpions, and mice-"And a mouse, put under
Marbodus, who renders Pliny 's limam sentit ("feels
the pricking of Scorpions, delivereth a man because
the file"; i.e., is relatively soft) into lunam sentire
she is contrary and feareth not him" ("Marvels of the
putatur ("is thought to feel the Moon"). Hence in The
World" 30 [Best and Brightman, 87]).
Book of Secrets: "It [topaz] is good also against . ..
lunatic passion or grief' (Book of Secrets 2 [Best and Maupertuis put three scorpions and a
Brightman, 29]). mouse into the same vessel together, and
they soon stung the little animal in differ-
12. origanus--See note 16, ch. XVII, bk. I. "Ants, too, ent places. The mouse, thus assaulted,
are killed by the odours of origanum, lime, or sulphur" stood for some time upon the defensive,
(Pliny 10.90 [Bostock and Riley, 2:548]). "When they and at last killed them all, one after
would sym bolise the departure of ants, they engrave another. He tried this experiment, in order
origanum. For if this plant be laid down over the spot to see whether the mouse, after it had
from whence the ants issue forth, it causes them to killed, would eat the scorpions; but the lit-
desert it" (Horapollo 2.34 [Cory, 108]). tle quadruped seemed entirely satisfied
with the victory, and even survived the
13. frog -parsley-This plant is not known. The severity of the wounds it had received.
Olford English Dictionary speculates that it may be (Goldsmith [1774]1849, bk. I , ch. 9, 599)
the same as fool's parsley (Aethusa cynapium) , a
European garden weed very like parsley in appear- 18. in Cancer-The summer solstice, the longest day
ance with the poisonous qualities of hemlock. Or of the year when the Sun is highest in the sky, occurs
perhaps marsh parsley (Apium graveolens) , an old while the Sun is in Cancer.
name for smallage or wild celery, is intended. There
was a kind of parsley called sheep's parsley, but 19 . scorpion , and crocodile-"When they would
unfortunately this also is unknown. symbolise one enemy engaging with another equal
to himself, they depict a scorpion and a crocodile.
14. garden hasil-Ocymum hasilicum, also called For these kill one another" (Horapollo 2.35 [Cory ,
sweet bas il. 109]).
Chrysippus has exclaimed as strongly, too,
against ocimum as he has against parsley, 20. ihis-The sacred, or Egyptian, ibi s (Ihis reli-
declaring that it is prejudicial to the stom- giosa), a bird about two and a half feet in length
ach and the free discharge of the urine, and with white and black plumage and a long curved
is injurious to the sight; that it provokes beak. The Egyptians held that it was the bird of
insanity, too, and lethargy, as well as dis- Thoth, whom the Greeks called Hermes Trismegis-
eases of the liver; and that' it is for this rea- tus, and venerated it as the destroyer of serpents. Its
son that goats refuse to touch it. Hence he plumage symbolized the light and dark faces of the
comes to the conclusion, that the use of it Moon, with which the bird was linked (see Budge
ought to be avoided by man .... Succeeding [1904] 1969, vol. 2, ch . 20, 375). Thoth was the
ages, again, have warmly defended this Moon god in his capacity as regulator (ibid .
plant; it has been maintained, for instance, I :412-3), responsible for the creation of the Moon
that goats do eat it, that the mind of no one (ibid. I :370). Since the crocodile was the beast of
who has eaten of it is at all affected, and, Set (ibid. 2:345), arch-foe of Isis and her protector,
that· mixed with wine, with the addition of a Thoth, it is not surpri sing the myth that ibis feath-
little vinegar, it is a cure for the stings of ers frightened or killed crocodiles grew up. In this
land scorpions, and the venom of those context, see the account given by Herodotus of the
found in the sea. (Pliny 20.48 [Bostock and antagonism between ibises and flying serpents (The
Riley , 4:249]) History 2, trans. George Rawlinson [1858] [New
York: Tudor Publishing, 1947], 106). Agrippa' s
15 . mice, and weasels--Of the weasel, Goldsmith reference comes from Horapollo: "When they
says: " It makes war upon the rats and mice, with still would denote a rapacious and inactive man, they
greater success than the cat; for being more active portray a crocodile with the wing of an Ibis on his
and slender, it pursues them into their holes, and after head; for if you touch him with the wing of an Ibis
a short resistance, destroys them" (Goldsmith [1774] you will find him motionless" (Horapollo 2.81
1849, bk. 4, ch. 3, 263). [Cory, 136]).
62/ THE THREE BOOKS qF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

21. hustard-Bird of the genus Otis , particularly the riors ... (Proclus De sacrificio et magia. a
great bustard (Otis tarda) , the largest European fragment preserved in the Latin translation
bird, weighing up to 30 pounds. It prefers running to of Ficinus [Venice, 1497), given in full by
flying, and feeds on frogs, mice, worms, turnip tops Thomas Taylor in his Life of Pythagoras
and other vegetation. " When they would symbolise [London: John M. Watkins, 1926), 72n,
a man that is weak and persec uted by a stronger, 214. See also Marvels of the World 14, 41
they delineate a bustard and a horse; for this bird [Best and Brightman, 80, 92])
flies away whenever it sees a horse" (ibid. 2.50
[Cory , 117]). 26. turtle-turtle dove (Turrur communis).

22. of a ram-"When they would symbolise a king 27 . ringtail-Ringtail hawk, which is the female of
that fl ees from folly and intemperance, they delineate the hen-harrier (Circus cyaneus) or blue hawk. It was
an elephant and a ram; for he flies at the sight of a thought to be a separate species until the beginning of
ram" (ibid . 2.85 [Cory 138]). "An elephant" has been the last century.
rendered "a stag" by Trebatius in his Latin translation
of 1515 . 28. egepis-Ege py , a kind of vulture.

23. of a viper-"When they would symbolise a man 29. whirlpools-Or thirlepoll , an old name for a kind
that is quick in his movements, but who moves with- .of whale. Perhaps the kill er whale, which will eat
out prudence and consideration , they portray a stag other sea mammals when it can catch them.
and a viper; for she fl ees at the sight of the viper"
(ibid. 2.87 [Cory, 139]). 30. lampreys-Pteromyzon marinus . a scaleless fish
a little over a foot long shaped like an eel with a
24. grunting of a hog-"When they would symbolise round mouth . It attaches itse lf by suction to a large
a king that flees from a trifler, they depict an elephant fish, rasps a hole in its side, and lives on fluid and
with a hog; for he flees upon hearing the voice of the blood until its host dies.
hog" (ibid. 2.86 [Cory, 138-9]).
31. conge;'s-Conger eel (Conge r I'ulgaris), which
25 . sight of a cock- grows from six to ten feet in length . It is powerful
and voracious.
In the next place, there are many solar ani-
mals, such as lions and cocks, which partic-
32. pourcontrel-Octopu s.
ipate according to their nature, of a certain
solar divinity; whence it is wonderful how
33. skin fall off-See note 15, ch. XXI, bk. I. "When
much inferiors yield to superiors in the
they [ancient Egyptians) would symbolize a man
same order, though they do not yield in
overcome by his inferiors , they depict two skin s, one
magnitude and power. Hence it is said, that
of an hyrena, and the other of a panther; for if these
a cock is very much feared , and, as it were,
two skin s be placed together, the panther's shoots its
reverenced by a lion; the reason of which
hair, but the other does not" (Horapollo 2.70 [Cory,
we cannot assign from matter or sense, but
129)). The hyena and the civet were sometimes con-
from the contemplation alone of a supernal
fused together by writers of the Middle Ages.
order. For thus we shall find that the pres-
ence of the solar virtue accords more with a
34. Orus Apollo saith-"When they would denote a
cock than with a lion. This will be evident
man who passes fearlessly through the evils which
from considering that the cock, as it were,
assail him, even until death, they delineate the skin of
with certain hymns, applauds and calls to
an hyrena; for if a man g ird thi s skin about himself,
the rising sun, when he bends his course to
and pass through any of hi s enemies, he shall be
us from the antipodes; and that solar angels
injured by none of them, but pass through fearlessly "
sometimes appear in fonns of this kind,
(ibid. 2.72 [Cory, 130-1]).
who, though they are without shape, yet
present themselves to us, who are con-
35 . common enemy-
nected with shape, in some sensible fonn.
Sometimes, too, there are daemons with a Aesalon is the name given to a small bird
leonine front, who when a cock is placed that breaks the eggs of the raven, and the
before them, unless they are of a solar young of which are anxiously sought by the
order, suddenly disappear; and this because fox; while in its tum it will peck at the
those natures which have an inferior rank in young of the fox , and even the parent itself.
the same order always reverence their supe- As soon as the ravens espy this, they come
 Of the Inclinations of Enmities / 63

to its assistance, as though against a com- confused form . The aesalon is the marsh harrier (Cir-
mon enemy. The acanthis [gold-finch), too, cus aeruginosus), also called the rustkite or moor buz-
lives among the brambles; hence it is that it zard, said to be the smallest type of buzzard. The name
also has an antipathy to the ass, because it was also applied to the merlin (Falco aesalon), one of
devours the bramble blossoms. The ae- the smallest, yet boldest, species of European falcon.
githus [titmouse) and the anthus [yellow
wagtail) , too, are at such mortal enmity 37 altogether whither-The olive was sacred among
with each other, that it is the common belief the Greeks to Pallas Athene, and was regarded as an
that their blood will not mingle; and it is for emblem of chastity.
this reason that they have the bad reputation
of being employed in many magical incan- 38. fired torches-
tations. (Pliny 10.95 [Bostock and Riley,
When they would denote a man calmed by
2:551-2))
fire even during anger, they portray lions
and torches; for the lion dreads nothing so
36. esalon perish-
much as lighted torches and is tamed by
... the aegithus, so small a bird as it is, has nothing so readily as by them. (Horapollo
an antipathy to the ass; for the latter, when 2.75 [Cory, 132-3))
scratching itself, rubs its body against the
brambles, and so crushes the bird's nest; a 39. worms hreed-
thing of which it stands in such dread, that
When they would denote a man who is
if it only hears the voice of the ass when it
fearful lest accidents should happen unex-
brays, it will throw its eggs out of the nest,
pectedly to himself, they depict a wolf and
and the young ones themselves will some-
a stone; for it fears neither iron, nor a stick,
times fall to the ground in their fright;
but a stone only; and indeed, if anyone
hence it is that it will fly at the ass, and
throw a stone at him he will find him terri-
peck at its sores with its beak. (ibid., 551)
fied : and wherever a wolf is struck by a
From the above two quotations it can be seen that stone maggots are engendered from the
Agrippa has derived his material from Pliny, but in a bruise. (ibid. 2.74 [Cory, 132))
 CHAPTeR AlA

How rhe viRrues of rhings aRe ro be rRied

and found our, which aRe in rhem specifically,.
OR anyone individual by way of special gifL.

m oreover thou must consider

that the virtues of things are in
some things according to the
species, as boldness, and
courage in a lion, and COCk,l fearfulness in a
hare, or lamb, ravenousness in a wolf, treach-
tells of a man that lived in his time, whom all
poisonous things did shun, all of them dying,
which did by chance bite him, he himself not
being hurt; and Albertus reports that in a city of
the Ubians he saw a wench which would catch
spiders to eat them, and being much pleased
ery, and deceitfulness in a fox , flattery in a dog, with such a kind of meat, was wonderfully
covetousness in a crow, and daw , pride in a nourished therewith. So is boldness in a harlot,
horse, anger in a tiger, and boar, sadness, and fearfulness in a thief.
melancholy in a cat, lust in a sparrow,2 and so And upon this account it is that philosophers
of the rest. For the greatest part of natural say, that any particular thing that never was sick,4
virtues doth follow the species. is good against any manner of sickness: therefore
Yet some are in things individually; as they say that a bone of a dead man, which never
there be some men which do so wonderfully had a fever, being laid upon the patient, frees him
abhor the sight of a cat,3 that they cannot look of his quartan. There are also many singular
upon her without quaking; which fear it is man- virtues infused into particular things by celestial
ifest is not in them as they are men. And A vicen bodies, as we have showed before.

NOLes-ChapLeR l\.ll\.
1. lion. andcock-"As the Lion is a beast unfearful, ets has been translated from the Latin of the exces-
and hath a natural boldness, chiefly in his forehead sively prudish A. T. Cory.
and heart. ... Likewise there is great boldness in a
Cock, in so much that Philosophers say that the Lion 3. sight of a cat-Agrippa was apparently familiar
is astonished when he seeth him" ("Marvels of the with phobias-in this particular case, ailouropho-
World" 14 [Best and Brightman, 80]). bia-although the word "phobia" was not actually
used until 1801.
2. lust in a sparrow-"When they would symbolise a
prolific man, they depict the house-sparrow , [for 4. never was sick-"And Philosophers say that some
when the sparrow is driven to distraction by desire kind or singular, which never had sickness, is prof-
and an excess of seed, it mates with the female seven itable to every sickness; and he that had never pain,
times in an hour, ejaculating all its seed at once]" helpeth and healeth a man from it" ("Marvels of the
(Horapollo 2.115 [Cory, 156]). The passage in brack- World" 45 [Best and Brightman, 94]).

64
 CHAPTeR AA

Thar naruRal viRrues aRe in some rhings

rhRoughour rheiR whole subsrance, and in
orheR rhi~gs in ceRrain paRrs, and membeRS.

gain thou must consider, that the any man, were said to slay him. Also we read of

A virtues of things are in some things in

the whole i.e. the whole substance of
them, or in all their parts, as that little
fish echeneis, which is said to stop a ship by its
a certain people of Rhodes, called Telchines,7
who corrupted all things with their sight, where-
fore Jupiter drowned them. Therefore witches,
when they would after this manners work by
mere touch, this it doth not do according to any witchcraft, use the eyes of such kind of animals
particular part, but according to the whole sub- in their waters for the eyes,9 for the like effects.
stance. So the civet cat hath this in its whole In like manner do pismires fly from the
substance, that dogs by the very touch of his heart of a lapwing, not from the head, foot, or
shadow hold their peace. I So salendine is good eyes. So the gall of lizards being bruised in
for the sight, not according to anyone, but all its water is said to gather weasels together, not the
parts, not more in the root than in the leaves, tailor the head of it; and the gall of goats put
and seeds; and so of the rest. into the earth in a brazen vessel, gathers frogs
But some virtues are in things according to together; and a goat liver is "an enemy to butter-
some parts of it, viz. only in the tongue, or eyes, flies and all maggots, and dogs shun them that
or some other members, and parts; so in the have the heart of a dog lO about them, and foxes
eyes of a basilisk,2 is a most violent power to will not touch those poultry that have eaten of
kill men, as soon as they see them: the like the liver of a fox .
power is there in the eyes of the civet cat, 3 So divers things have divers virtues dis-
which makes any animal that it hath looked persed variously through several parts, as they
upon, to stand still, to be amazed, and not able are from above infused into them according to
to move itself. The like virtue is there in the the diversity of things to be received; as in a
eyes of some wolves,4 which if they see a man man's body the bones receive nothing but life,
first, make him amazed, and so hoarse, that if he the eyes sight, the ears hearing. And there is in
would cry out, he hath not the use of his voice. man's body a certain little bone, II which the
Of this Virgil makes mention,S when he sings: Hebrews call LVZ, of the bigness of a pulse l2
that is husked, which is subject to no corruption,
Moeris is dumb, hath lost his voice, and
why? neither is it overcome with fire, but is always
The wolf on Moeris first hath cast his eye. preserved unhurt, out of which, as they say, as a
plant out of the seed, our animal bodies shall in
So also there were some certain women in the resurrection of the dead spring up. And
Scythia,6 and amongst the IIIyrians, and Tribal- these virtues are not cleared by reason, but by
lians, who as often as they looked angrily upon experience. ,

65
661 THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

Not:cs-Chapt:CR M

I. hold their peace-For some reason that is not dieth. And every beast that eateth of it
obvious, Freake has translated the Latin hyaena, the being dead, dieth also. ("Marvels of the
virtues of which Agrippa has correctly taken from World" 24 [Best and Brightman, 84-5])
Pliny, into the English "civet cat." Pliny says: "It is
If there is a distinction to be made between the
said also, that on coming in contact with its [the
hyena's] shadow, dogs will lose their voice, and that, basilisk and the cocatrice, which are always confused
by certain magical influences, it can render any ani- together by medieval writers, it is that the basilisk is
mal immoveable, round which it has walked three a small serpent with a crown, or comb, on its head,
times" (Pliny 8.44 [Bostock and Riley, 2:296]). whereas the cocatrice is a cock with the tail of a
snake, hatched from a cock's egg by a serpent.
2. basilisk-
3. eyes of the civet cat-See note I, above.
There is the same power also in the serpent
called the basilisk. It is produced in the 4. eyes of some wolves-"In Italy also it is believed
province of Cyrene, being not more than that there is a noxious influence in the eye of a wolf;
twelve fingers in length. It has a white spot it is supposed that it will instantly take away the voice
on the head, strongly resembling a sort of of a man, if it is the first to see him" (Pliny 8.34
diadem. When it hisses, all the other ser- [Bostock and Riley, 2:282-3]). Plato alludes to this
pents fly from it: and it does not advance its ancient belief in the Republic, referring to the savage
body, like the others, by a succession of outburst of Thrasymachus: "And I, when I heard him,
folds, but moves along upright and erect was dismayed, and looking upon him was filled with
upon the middle. It destroys all shrubs, not fear, and I believe that if I had not looked at him
only by its contact, but those even that it before he did at me I should have lost my voice"
has breathed upon; it burns up all the grass (Republic 1.336-d [Hamilton and Cairns, 586]). The-
too, and breaks the stones, so tremendous is ocritus makes a similar reference in his 14th Idyll
its noxious influence. It was formerly a regarding the silence of Cynisca: "Yet She said noth-
general belief that if a man on horseback ing, though I was there; how think you I like that?
killed one of these animals with a spear, the 'Won't you call a toast? You have seen the wolf!' said
poison would run up the weapon and kill, some one in jest, 'as the proverb goes,'" (Theocritus
not only the rider, but the horse as well. Theocritus, Bion and Moschus, trans. A. Lang [Lon-
(pliny 8.33 [Bostock and Riley, 2:282]) don: Macmillan, 1907], 72). Because of this belief the
Horapollo says of the ancient Egyptians: eye of the wolf was thought to possess magical poten-
cy: "And it is said, if the Wolf see a man and the man
But when they would represent Eternity see him not, the man is astonished and feareth, and is
differently, they delineate a serpent with its hoarse. And therefore if any man beareth the eye of a
tail covered by the rest of its body: the Wolf, it helpeth to victory, to boldness, vanquishing,
Egyptians call this Ouraius [from the Cop- and fear in his adversary" ("Marvels of the World" 43
tic for "king"], which in the Greek lan- [Best and Brightman, 93]).
guage signifies Basilisk. (Horapollo l.l
[Cory, 5-6]) 5. Virgil makes mention-Eclogue 9, lines 53-4.
It is clear that the basilisk is the king cobra, which
raises the upper half of its body into the air, which 6. women in Scythia-
has white markings on its hooded head, which hiss- Isogonus adds, that there are among the
es, which can shoot its venom some distance through Triballi and the IIlyrii, some persons of this
the air by ejection and in this way blind its foes, and description, who also have the power of
which was credited with the powers of fascination. fascination with the eyes, and can even kill
In the Middle Ages the basilisk was even more those on whom they fix their gaze for any
mythologized: length of time, more especially if their
And in the book De Tyriaca of Galen, it is look denotes anger; the age of puberty is
said that the Serpent which is called Regu- said to be particularly obnoxious to the
lus in Latin, a Cocatrice in English, is malign influence of such persons.
somewhat white, upon whose head there be A still more remarkable circumstance
three hairs, and when any man seeth them is, the fact that these persons have two
he dieth soon. And when any ~an or any pupils in each eye. Apollonides says, that
other living thing heareth his whistling, he there are certain females of this description
 That Natural Virtues Are in Some Things Throughout Their Whole Substance / 67

~ ,~~
. ~~~;;
~~,,~\: - ,. ~-...
.. ..,.......~~ -...
..::::-,--
-. ~ . '~-
~ ...

Hycena
from The History of Fou r-footed Beasts and Serpen ts by Edward Topsell (London, 1658)

Wolf
from The History of FOllr-footed Beasts and Serpents by Edward Topsell (London, 1658)
68/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

in Scythia, who are known as Bythiae, and she plied him with images of death. (Apol-
Phylarchus states that a tribe of the Thibii lonius Rhodius The Voyage of Argo. trans.
in Pontus, and many other persons as well, E. V. Rieu [1959] [Harmondsworth: Pen-
have a double pupil in one eye, and in the guin Books, 1985], 192)
other the figure of a horse. He also
remarks, that the bodies of these persons Francis Bacon writes: "We see, likewise, the Scrip-
will not sink in water, even though ture calleth envy an evil eye ... [Proverbs 23 :6,
weighed down by their garments. (Pliny 28:22] so that still there seemeth to be acknowledged,
7.2 [Bostock and Riley ,2: 126--7]) in the act of envy, an ejaculation or irradiation of the
eye" (Bacon Essays 9 [1597J [Philadelphia: Henry
7. Telchines-Ovid refers to this people as "the Altemus Company, n.d.]. There was more power of
lalysian Telchines, whose eyes corrupting all things malice in the gaze when it was delivered from the
by the very looking upon them, Jupiter utterly hating, corner of the eye ("That hoary cripple, with mal i-
thrust beneath the waves of his brother [Neptune)" cious eye/Askance .. . " [Browning Childe Roland.
(Ovid MetamOlphoses 7.3 , c. line 365 [Riley, 239]). lines 2-3]), and when the victim was luxuriating in a
lalysus was one of the three most ancient cities on the glow of self-importance and well-being ("at such
island of Rhodes. The Telchines were supposed to time, the spirits of the person envied do come forth
have migrated there from Crete. They were artistic most into the outward parts, and so meet the blow"
and skillful in metalworking, to which Strabo attrib- [Bacon Essays 9, "Of Envy"]).
utes their reputation as magicians.
9. waters for the eyes--Collyriums, or eye washes.
8. after this manner-By the evil eye, to which Witches were said to make a paste or lotion from the
Horace alludes: "No one there files down my enjoy- eyes of "eye-biting" animals to anoint their own
ments with eye askance, nor poisons them with secret eyes, and so increase their power of malice.
hate and venomous bite:" (Horace Epistles I: 14. In
Complete Works [New York: Translation Publishing, 10. heart of a dog-"If any man bear a Dog ' s heart
1961], 405-6). Apollonius of Rhodes describes the on his left side, all the Dogs shall hold their peace,
use of the evil eye by Medea to slay the bronze giant and not bark at him" (Book of Secrets 3:22 [Best and
TaJos: Brightman, 61]).
Medea went up on the deck. She covered
II. little bone-This belief derives from the Zohar.
both her cheeks with a fold of her purple
the principal text of the Kabbalah. A. E Waite says:
mantle, and Jason led her by the hand as
"Each man who is born into the world is provided
she passed across the benches. Then, with
with an imperishable bone in his present physical
incantations, she invoked the Spirits of
body, and it is from or on this that his organization
Death, the swift hounds of Hades who feed
will be built up anew at the time of the resurrection-
on souls and haunt the lower air to pounce
it is like the rib taken from the side of Adam. The
on living men. She sank to her knees and
bone in question will be to the risen body that which
called upon them, three times in song,
the leaven is to the dough" (Waite 1975, 335).
three times with · spoken prayers. She
steeled herself with their malignity and
12. pulse-Seed of a leguminous plant, in this case
bewitched the eyes of Talos with the evil in
probably the lentil, the "least of all pulses" (R.
her own. She flung at him the full force of
Brown, The Complete Farmer. 1759, 86; quoted
her malevolence, and in an ecstasy of rage
from OED. S.v. "pulse").
 CHAPTeR 7\7\1

Of rhe viRrues of rhings which aRe

in rhem only in 't"heiR liferime, and such
as Remain in rhem even afreR rheiR dearh.

oreover we must know that answer truly whatsoever you ask her. Also they

Q) there are some properties in

things only whilst they live,
and some that remain after
say, that if the eyes of a frog be before Sun ris-
ing bound to the sick party , and the frog be let
go again blind into the water, they will drive
their death. So the little fish echeneis stops the away a tertian ague; as also that they will,
ships, and the basil isk, and catablepa J kill with being bound with the fle sh of a nightingale in
their sight, when they are alive, but when they the skin of a hart, keep one always watchful
are dead do no such thing. So they say that in without sleep.
the colic, if a live duck be applied to the belly, it Also the ray of the fork fish 9 being bound
takes away the pain , and herself dies: 2 like to to the navel , is said to make a woman have an
this is that which Archytas says. If you take a easier travail ,1O if it be taken from it alive, and
heart newly taken out of an animal, and whilst it that put into the sea again. So they say the right
is yet warm, and hang it upon one that hath a eye of a serpent being applied, doth help the
quartan fever,3 it drives it away. So if anyone watering of the eyes, if the serpent be let go
swallow the heart of a lapwing,4 or a swallow,s alive. And there is a certain fish , or great ser-
or a weasel,6 or a mole 7 whilst it is yet warm pent called myrus , J J whose eye, if it be pulled
with natural heat, it shall be helpful to him for out and bound to the forehead of the patient, is
remembering, understanding, and foretelling. said to cure the inflammation of the eyes, and
Hence is this general rule, viz. that whatso- that the eye of the fish grows again, and that he
ever things are taken out of animals, whether is taken blind that did not let the fish go.
they be stones, any member, excrements, as Also the teeth of all serpents, being taken
hair, dung, nail s, they must be taken from those out whilst they are alive, and hanged about the
animals, whilst they be yet living; and if it be patient, are said to cure the quartan. So doth the
poss ible, that so they may be alive afterwards. tooth of a mole taken out whilst she is alive,
Whence they say, when you take the tongue of being afterwards let go, cure the toothache: and
a frog, you must put the frog into the water dogs will not bark at those that have the tail of a
again, and if you take the tooth of a wolf,8 you weasel that is escaped. And Democritus relates
must not kill the wolf; and so of the rest. that the tongue of a chamelion, if it be taken
So writes Democritus. if anyone take out from her alive, doth conduce to a good success
the tongue of a water frog, yet living, no other in trials, and is profitable for women that are in
part of the body sticking to it, and she be let go travail if it be about the outside of the house, for
into the water again , and lay it upon the place you must take heed that it be not brought into the
where the heart beats, of a woman, she shall house, because that would be most dangerous.

69
70/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

Moreover there be some properties that skins: and the skin of the civet cat 14 destroys the
remain after death: and of these the Platonists skin of the panther: and the skin of a wolf cor-
say , that they are things in which the Idea 12 of rodes the skin of a lamb: and some of these do
the matter is less swallowed up; in these, even not do it by way of a corporeal contract, but also
after death that which is immortal in them, doth sometimes by their very sound. So a drum made
not cease to work wonderful things. So in the of the skin of a wolf, makes a drum made of a
herbs, and plants pulled asunder, and dried, that lambskin not to sound. 15 Also a drum made of
virtue is quick, and operative which was infused the skin of the fish called rotchet, 16 drives away
at first into them by the Idea. all creeping things, at what distance soever the
Thence it is , that as the eagle all her life- sound of it is heard: and the strings of an instru-
time doth overcome all other birds: so also her ment made of the guts of a wolf, and being
feathers after her death destroy , and consume strained upon a harp, or lute with strings made
the feathers l3 of all other birds. Upon the same of sheep's guts, will make no harmony.
account doth a lion's skin destroy all other

No'Ces-Chap'CeR AAl
I . catahlepa- 5. swallow-This same eloquence is conferred by the
swallowstone, said to be "drawn out of the belly of
Near this fountain [the spring Nigris in west-
Swallows" (Book of Secrets 2.23 [Best and Bright-
ern Ethiopia], there is found a wild beast,
man, 37-8). " Evax saith that this stone [the red stone,
which is called the catoblepas; an animal of
as opposed to the black stone] maketh a man elo-
moderate size, and in other respects sluggish
in the movement of the rest of its limbs; its quent, acceptable and pleasant" (ibid., 38).
head is remarkably heavy, and it only carries
it with the greatest difficulty, being always 6. weasel-"lf the heart of this beast be eaten yet
bent down towards the earth. Were it not for quaking it maketh a man to know things to come"
this circumstance it would prove the destruc- (ibid. 3.12 [Best and Brightman, 56]).
tion of the human race; for all who behold its
eyes, fall dead upon the spot. (Pliny 8.32 7. mole-"If any man shall have this herb [swallow-
[Bostock and Riley, 2:281-2]) wort], with the heart of a Mole, he shall overcome all
his enemies, and all matters in suit, and shall put
Perhaps the gnu is intended. away all debate" (ibid. 1.6 [Best and Brightman, 7]).
Pliny says of the mole:
2. herself dies-"Another prescription mentioned for
griping pains in the bowels is of a very marvellous There is no animal in the entrails of which
nature: if a duck, they say, is applied to the abdomen, they [the Magi] put such implicit faith, no
the malady will pass into the bird, and it will die" animal, they think, better suited for the
(Pliny 30.20 [Bostock and Riley, 5:442-3]). rites of religion; so much so, indeed, that if
a person swallows the heart of a mole,
3. quartan fever-The tertian and quartan agues are fresh from the body and still palpitating, he
fevers characterized by violent shivering fits such as will receive the gift of divination , they
those of malaria. In quartan ague the paroxysm assure us, and a foreknowledge of future
occurs every fourth day; in tertian ague, every third events. (Pliny 30.7 [Bostock and Riley,
day. The first day of the cycle is counted the day of 5:429])
the previous attack-in quartan, one day sick, two
days well , the next sick again; in tertian, one day 8. tooth of a wolf-A wolf tooth charm is mentioned
sick , the next well , the next sick . in The Book of Secrets 1.3 (Best and Brightman, 4),
but not the method of extracting the tooth-no doubt
4. lapwing- "And if the heart, eye or brain of a Lap- a tricky business.
wing or Black Plover be hanged upon a man's neck,
it is profitable against forgetfulness, and sharpeth 9. fork fish- Thomback; the common ray, or skate
man' s understanding" ("Marvels of the World" 46 (Raia clavata), distinguished by short, sharp spines
[Best and Brightman, 94]) . on the back and tail. The ray is the tail.
 Of the Virtues of Things Which Are in Them Only in Their Lifetime / 71

10. travail-Labor. feathers" ("Marvels of the World" 38 [Best and

Brightman, 90-1).
II. myrus-Pliny says this is the male moray eel:
"Aristotle calls the male, which impregnates the 14. civet cat-This should be the hyena.
female, by the name of "zmyrus;" and says that there
is a difference between them , the muraena being 15. not to sound-That the enmity between beasts
spotted and weakly, while the zmyrus is all of one continued after death was widely believed. "As the
colour and hardy, and has teeth which project beyond Sheep doth fear the Wolf, and it knoweth not only
the mouth" (Pliny 9.39 [Bostock and RileY' ,2:41O]). him alive, but also dead; .. . For a skin of a Sheep is
consumed of the skin of the Wolf; and a timbrel,
12. Idea-The ideal form, or archetype, eternal and tabor or drumslade made of the skin of a Wolf
perfect, upon which a class of derivative, imperfect causeth [that] which is made of a Sheep's skin not to
things is based . be heard, and so is it in all others" (ibid. 5 [Best and
Brightman, 76])
13. consume the feathers-"And Philosophers said
that when the feathers of Eagles be put with the 16. ratchet-Rochet; the red gurnard (Trigla cuculus
feathers of other fowls they bum and mortify them; or pini) , a rose-colored edible fish about 16 inches in
for as he overcometh in his life all birds, and ruleth length with a large bony head and spines.
over them, so the feathers of Eagles are deadly to all
 CHAPTeR X.X.ll

How infeRioR 'Chings aRe subjec'Ced 'Co supeRioR

bodies, and how 'Che bodies, 'Che ac'Cions, and
disposi'Cions of men aRe ascRibed 'Co s'CaRS, and signs.

t is manifest that all things inferior are sub- der, womb, and right ear, as also the faculty of

1 ject to the superior, and after a manner (as

saith Proclus) , they are one in the other, viz.
in inferior are superior, and in superior are
inferior: so in the heaven are things terrestrial,
the common sense. That Saturn rules over the
liver, and fleshy part of the stomach. That
Jupiter over the belly, and navel, whence it is
written by the ancients, that the effigy of a navel
but as in their cause, and in a celestial manner; was laid up in the temple of Jupiter Hammon .s
and in the Earth are things celestial, but after a Also some attribute to him the ribs, breast,
terrestrial manner, as in an effect. bowels, blood, arms, and the right hand, and left
So we say that there be here certain things ear, and the powers natural. And some set Mars
which are solary, and certain which are lunary, over the blood, and veins , and kidneys , the bag
in which the Sun, and Moon make a strong of the gall, the buttocks, the back, and motion of
impression of their virtue. Whence it is that the sperm, and the irascible power. Again they
these kind of things receive more operations, set Venus over the kidneys , the testicles, the
and properties, like to those of the stars, and privities, the womb, the seed, and concupisible
signs which they are under: so we know that power; as also the flesh , fat, belly, breast, navel,
solary things respect the heart, and head, by rea- and all such parts as serve to venereal acts, also
son that Leo is the house of the Sun, and Aries the ossacrum,6 the backbone, and loins; as also
the exaltation of the Sun: 2 so things under Mars the head, mouth, with which they give a kiss, as
are good for the head, and testicles, by reason of a token of love. No~ the Moon, although she
Aries, and Scorpio. 3 Hence they whose senses may challenge the whole body, and every mem-
fail, and heads ache by reason of drunkenness, ber thereof according to the variety 'of the signs:
if they put their testicles into cold water,4 or yet more particularly they ascribe to her the
wash them with vinegar, find present help. brain, lungs, marrow of the backbone, the stom-
But in reference to these it is necessary to ach, the menstrues, and all other excrements,
know how man's body is distributed to planets, and the left eye, as also the power of increas-
and signs. Know therefore that according to the ing. 7 But Hermes saith, that there are seven
doctrine of the Arabians, the Sun rules over the holes 8 in the head of an animal, distributed to
brain, heart, the thigh, the marrow , the right eye, the seven planets, viz. the right ear to Saturn,
and the spirit; also the tongue, the mouth, and the left to Jupiter, the right nostril to Mars, the
the rest of the organs of the senses, as well left to Venus, the right eye to the Sun, the left to
internal as external; also the hands , feet, legs, the Moon , and the mouth to Mercury.
nerves, and the power of imagination. That The several signs also of the Zodiac take
Mercury rules over the spleen, stomach, blad- care of their members. So Aries governs the

72
 How Inferior Things Are Subjected to Superior Bodies / 73

head, and face, Taurus the neck, Gemini the fron,18 lignum aloes,19 frankincense,20 amber,
anns, and shoulders, Cancer the breast, lungs, musk,21 and myrrh22 help the head, and heart;
stomach, and anns, Leo heart, stomach, liver, by reason of Sol, Aries, and Leo: so doth rib-
and back, Virgo the bowels, and bottom of the wort,23 the herb of Mars, help the head, and tes-
stomach, Libra the kidneys, thighs, and buttocks, ticles by reason of Aries, and Scorpio: and so of
Scorpius the genitals, the privaties, and womb, the rest.
Sagittarius the thigh, and groins, Capricorn us the Also all things under Saturn conduce to
knees, Aquarius the legs and shins, Pisces the sadness, and melancholy; those under Jupiter to
feet. And as the triplicities9 of these signs answer mirth, and honour; those under Mars to bold-
one the other, and agree in celestials, so also they ness, contention, and anger; those under the Sun
agree in the members, which is sufficiently man- to glory, victory, and courage; those under
ifest by experience, because with the coldhess of Venus to love, lust, and concupiscence; those
the feet, the belly, and breast are affected, which under Mercury to eloquence; those under the
members answer the same triplicity; whence it is, Moon to a common life.
if a medicine be applied to the one, it helps the Also all the actions, and dispositions of
other, as by the wanning of the feet, the pain of men are distributed according to the planets.
the belly ceaseth. For Saturn governs of men, monks, melancholy
Remember therefore this order, and know, men, and hid treasures, and those things which
that things which are under anyone of the plan- are obtained with long journeys, and difficulty;
ets, have a certain particular aspect, or inclina- but Jupiter, those that are religious, prelates,
tion to those members that are attributed to that kings, and dukes, and such kind of gains that are
planet, and especially to the houses, and exalta- got lawfully: Mars rules over barbers, surgeons,
tions thereof. For the rest of the dignities,IO as physicians, sergeants, executioners, butchers,
those triplicities, and marks, II and face 12 are of all that make fires, bakers, soldiers, who are
little account in this; upon this account therefore every where called martial men. Also do the
peony, balmY glove-gilliflowers,14 citron other stars signify their office, as they are
peels,15 sweet marjoram,16 cinnamon,17 saf- described in the books of astrologers.

NOLcs-ChapLCR 7\.7\.11
I. saith Proclus-"Thus they [ancient priests] recog- ram, or a human figure with the head or horns of a
nized things supreme in such as are subordinate, and ram, suggesting that he was at first a protector of the
the subordinate in the supreme: in the celestial flocks. The Romans called him Jupiter Ammon, the
regions, terrene properties subsisting in a causal and Greeks Zeus Ammon, and the Hebrews simply
celestial manner; and in earth celestial properties, but Ammon. His main seats of worship were Meroe,
according to a terrene condition" (Proclus De sacri- Thebes, and the oasis of Siwah in the Libyan desert.
fido et magia. frag. preserved in Latin translation of
Marsilius Ficinus [Venice, 1497]. In Iamblichus On 6. ossacrum-Bone in the lower back near the
the Mysteries . trans. Thomas Taylor [1821] [London: pelvis.
Stuart and Watkins, 1968],344).
7. power of increasing-There is some overlap in
2. the Sun-Leo rules the heart; Aries rules the head. these planetary attributions, which were probably
compiled from several sources. For ancient systems,
3. and Scorpio-Scorpio rules the organs of gener- see "A Short Discourse of the Nature, and Qualities
ation. of the Seven Planets" in The Book of Secrets (Best
and Brightman, 65-73); the Tetrabiblos of Ptolemy
4. cold water-Scorpio is a Water sign. (3.12 [Robbins, 319, 321]); de Givry [1929] 1973,
bk. 2, ch. 3, 242-3, which gives the assignments of
5. Jupiter Hammon-Jupiter Ammon. Ammon was Fludd, Gichtel and Belot; and Nasr 1978, pI. I, ch. 4,
originally an Ethiopian or Libyan god, who was 100-1, for the system of the Arabian encyclopedia,
adopted by the Egyptians. He was represented as Ii the Rasa'il.
74/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

8. seven holes---Correspondence between the orifices 17 . cinnamon-The inner bark of the East Indian tree
of the head and the planets also occurs in the Sepher Cinnamomum zeylanicum dried in the form of aro-
Yetzirah: matic yellow-brown rolls.
So now, behold the Stars of our World, the
18. saffron-Orange-red powder made of the dried
Planets which are seven; the Sun, Venus,
stigmas of the common crocus (Crocus sativus).
Mercury, Moon, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars.
The Seven are also the Seven Days of Cre-
19. lignum aloes-Lignaloes, literally the "wood of
ation; and the Seven Gateways of the Soul
the aloe," the fragrant wood, or resin, that is derived
of Man-the two eyes, the two ears, the
from two East Indian trees, genera Aloexylon and
mouth, and the two nostrils." (Sepher Yet-
Aquilaria. It was also called agila wood, eagle wood,
zirah 4.4, trans. W. Westcott [1887] [New
and agallochum. Not to be confused with the nause-
York: Samuel Weiser, 1980),23)
ating, bitter purgative of the same name, derived
from the juice of plants of the genus Aloe.
9. triplicities-The zodiac is divided into four groups
of three signs, each group associated with one of the
20.frankincense-Olibanum. An aromatic gum-resin
four elements:
of the trees, genus Boswellia, burnt as incense. The
Fire Air Water Earth name means "of high quality."
Aries Libra Cancer Capricorn
Leo Aquarius Scorpio Taurus 21. musk-Reddish-brown secretion of the musk
Sagittarius Gemini Pisces Virgo deer (Moschus moschatus) used in perfume making
because of its strong smell.
10. dignities-Situations of planets in which their
influence is heightened, either by their places in the 22. myrrh-Gum-resin of the tree Balsamodendron
zodiac or their aspects to other planets. myrrha used in perfume and incense. It occurs in tears,
grains, or lumps of yellow, red, or reddish-brown.
11. marks-A mark is one degree of the zodiac.
23 . ribwort-Narrow-Ieaved plantain, or ribgrass
12. face-Division of five degrees of the zodiac. (Plantago lanceolata). In The Book of Secrets it is
Ptolemy says: "The planets are said to be in their called arnoglossus (i.e. Iamb' s tongue), because it
'proper face' when an individual planet keeps to the was often planted in soil-poor meadows as fodder
sun or moon the same aspect which its house has to for sheep.
their houses;" Tetrabiblos 1.23 [Robbins, Ill]).
The root of this herb is marvellous good
against the pain of the head, because the
13 . balm-Balsam, a fragrant resinous product (resin
sign of the Ram is supposed to be the
mixed with oils) exuded naturally from trees of the
house of the planet Mars, which is the head
genus Balsamodendron.
of the whole world. It is good also against '
evil customs of man's stones, and rotten
14 glove-gilliflowers---Clove gillyflower, or clove pink
and filthy boils, because his house is the
(Dianthus caryophyllus), a clove-scented pink flower.
sign Scorpio, [and] because a part of it
holdeth Sperma, that is the seed, which
15. citron peels-Lemon peel.
cometh from the stones, whereof all living
things be engendered, and formed. (Book
16. sweet marjoram-Origanum majorana, also
of Secrets 1.24 [Best and Brightman, 20])
called marjoram gentle, English marjoram, fine mar-
joram, and knotted marjoram.
 CHAPTeR ""m

How we shall Know whar sraRS

naruRal rhings aRe undeR, and whar rhings
aRe undeR rhe Sun, which aRe called solaRY.

' ow it is very hard to know, what star, iris,S which is like crystal in colour, being often

N or sign everything is under: yet it is

known through the imitation of their
rays, or motion, or figure of the supe-
riors. Also some of them are known by their
found with six comers, when under some roof
part of it is held against the rays of the Sun, and
the other part is held in shadow, it gathers the
rays of the Sun into itself, which, whilst it sends
colours and odours, also some by the effects of them forth, by way of reflection, makes a rain-
their operations, answering to some stars. bow appear on the opposite wall.
So then solary things, or things under the Also the stone heliotropion,6 green like the
power of the Sun are, amongst elements, the jasper, or emerald, beset with red specks, makes
lucid flame; in the humours, the purer blood, a man constant, renowned and famous, also it
and spirit of life; amongst tastes, that which is conduceth to long life; and the virtue of it
quick, mixed with sweetness. Amongst metals, indeed is most wonderful upon the beams of the
gold by reason of its splendor, and its receiving Sun, which it is said to tum into blood i.e. to
that from the Sun which makes it cordial. appear of the colour of blood, as if the Sun were
And amongst stones, they which resemble eclipsed, viz. when it is joined to the juice of an
the rays of the Sun by their golden sparklings, herb of the same name, and be put into a vessel
as doth the glittering stone I aetites which hath full of water: there is also another virtue of it
power against the falling sickness, and poi- more wonderful, and that is upon the eyes of
sons: 2 so also the stone, which is called the eye men, whose sight it doth so dim, and dazzle,
of the Sun,3 being of a figure like to the apple of that it doth not suffer him that carries it to see it,
the eye, from the middle whereof shines forth a and this it doth not do without the help of the
ray; it comforts the brain, and strengthens the herb of the said name, which also is called
sight: so the carbuncle which shines by night, heliotropium ,7 i.e. following the Sun. These
hath a-virtue against all airy, and vaporous poi- virtues doth Albertus Magnus. and William of
son: so the chrysolite4 stone is of a light green Paris confirm in their writings.
colour, in which, when it is held against the The hyacinth 8 also hath a virtue from the
Sun, there shines forth a golden star; and this Sun against poisons, and pestiferous vapours; it
comforts those parts that serve for breathing, makes him that carries it to be safe, and accept-
and helps those that be asthmatical, and if it be able; it conduceth also to riches, and wit, it
bored through, and the hole filled with the mane strengthens the heart; being held in the mouth, it
of an ass, and bound to the left arm, it drives doth wonderfully cheer up the mind. Also there
away idle imaginations, and melancholy fears, is the stone pyrophylus,9 of a red mixture,
and puts away foolishness: so the stone called which Albertus Magnus saith, Aesculapius

75
76/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

makes mention of in one of his epistles unto Orpheus calls the sweet perfume of the Sun.
Octavius Augustus, saying, that there is a cer- Amongst animals those are solary which
tain poison so wonderful cold, which preserves are magnanimous, courageous, ambitious of
the heart of man being taken out from burning, victory, and renown: as the lion, king of beasts,
so that if for any time it be put into the fire , it is the crocodile, the spotted wolf,23 the ram, the
turned into a stone, and this is that stone which boar, the bull, king of the herd, which was by
is called pyrophylus, from the fire. It hath a the Egyptians at Heliopoli s dedicated to the
wonderful virtue against poison, and it makes Sun, which they call Verites;24 and an ox was
him that carries it, to be renowned and dreadful consecrated to Apis in Memphi ,25 and in Her-
to his enemies. minthus a bull by the name of Pathis. 26 The
But above all, that stone is most solary, wolf also was consecrated to Apollo, and
which Apollonius is reported to have found, and Latona. Also the beast called baboon is solary,
is called pantaura,1O which draws other stones to which twelve times in a day, viz. every hour
it, as the loadstone doth iron, most powerful barks, and in time of equinoctium pisseth
against all poisons; it is called by some pan- twelve times every hour: the same also it doth in
therus, because it is spotted like the beast called the night, whence the Egyptians did engrave
the panther. It is therefore also called pan- him upon their fountains. 27
tochras, I I because it contains all colours. Aaron Also amongst birds these are solary , the
calls it evanthum. There are also other solary phoenix, being but one of that kind, and the
stones, as the topazius,12 chrysopassus,13 the eagle, the queen of birds, also the vulture, the
rubine,14 and balagius. So also is auripigmen- swan, and those which sing at the rising Sun,
tum, 15 and things of a golden colour, and very and as it were calling upon it to rise, as the cock,
lucid. crow, also the hawk,28 which because in the
Amongst plants also and trees, those are divinity of the Egyptians it is an emblem of the
solary, which tum towards the Sun, as the spirit, and light, is by Porphyrius reckoned
marigold, and those which fold in their leaves amongst the solary birds.
when the Sun is near upon setting, but when it Moreover, all such things as have some
riseth unfold their leaves by little and little. The resemblance of the works of the Sun, as
lote-tree 16 also is solary, as is manifest by the worms 29 shining in the night, and the beetle,3D
figure of the fruit and leaves. So also peony, sal- which is a creature that lies under cow dung ,
lendine, balm, ginger, gentian,17 dittany, and also according to Appious' 31 interpretation,
vervain,18 which is of use in prophesying, and such whose eyes are changed according to the
expiations, as also driving away evil spirits. The course of the Sun, are accounted solary, and
bay tree also is consecrated to Phoebus , so is those things which come of them.
the cedar, the palm tree, the ash, the ivy, the And amongst fish, the sea calf32 is chiefly
vine, and whatsoever repel poisons, and light- solary, who doth resist lightning, also shellfish,
nings, and those things which never fear the and the fish called pulmo,33 both which shine in
extremities of the winter. Solary also are mint, the night, and the fish called stella34 for his
mastic,19 zedoary,20 saffron, balsam, amber, parching heat, and the fish called strombi,35 that
musk, yellow honey, lignum aloes, cloves, cin- follow their king, and margari,36 which also
namon, calamus aromaticus,21 pepper, frankin- have a king, and being dried, are hardened into
cense, sweet marjoram, and Iibanotis,22 which a stone of a golden colour.
 What Things Are Under the Sun / 77

No-ccs-Chap-CCR 7\.7\.1ll

I. glittering-"Rattling" would be a better descrip- and thus solar, stone due to an error on the part of the
tion-see note 7, ch. XIII, bk. I. Latin copyist, who changed the blavus (blue) of
Albertus Magnus into f/a vus (yellow). "And it is
2. and poisons-"And as the men of Chaldea say, if written of this, in lectures of Philosophers, that it
poison be put in thy meat, if the aforesaid stone being borne on the finger, or neck, maketh strangers
[aetites] be put in: it letteth that the meat may be sure, and acceptable to their guests" (B ook of Secrets
swallowed down" (Book of Secrets 2.41 [Best and 2.43 [Best and Brightman, 47]).
Brightman, 46]).
9. pyrophylus-
3. eye of the Sun-"Thu s the sun-stone, by its golden
rays, imitates those of the sun; but the stone called It is asserted that the heart cannot be burnt
the eye of heaven, or of the sun, has a figure similar of those persons who die of the cardiac dis-
to the pupil of an eye, and a ray shines from the mid- ease; and the same is said of those who die
dle of the pupil" (Proc1us De sacrijicio et magia by poison. At all events, there is still in
[Taylor, 345]). The first stone of Proclus would seem existence an oration pronounced by Vitel-
to be the " Solis gemma" of Pliny : " Solis Gemma is lius, in which he accuses Piso of this crime,
white, and like the luminary from which it takes its and employs this alleged fact as one of his
name, emits brilliant rays in a circular form" (Pliny proofs, only asserting that the heart of Ger-
37.67 [Bostock and Riley, 6:456]). The second stone, manicus Caesar could not be burnt at the
refe rred to by Agrippa, sounds like tigereye, or per- funeral pile, in consequence of his having
haps a pale fo rm of star sapphire, which Pliny seems been poisoned. (Pliny 11.71 [Bostock and
to describe: Riley, 3:66-7])

Nex t among the white stones is "asteria," a 10. pantaura-Iarchus, master of the Brahmans, tells
gem which holds its high rank on account Apollonius:
of a certain pec uli arity in its nature, it hav-
ing a light enclosed within, in the pupil of As to the gem which attracts other stones to
an eye as it were. This light, which has all itself and holds them, there is no question
the appearance of moving within the stone, about that, for you may examine it, and test
it transmits according to the angle of incli- all its wonderful properties. The largest of
nation at which it is held; now in one direc- such gems is of the size of my thumb nail,
tion, and now in another. When held facing and it is formed in cavities four cubits deep
the sun, it emits white rays like those of a in the ground. It generates so much gas in
star, and to this, in fact, it owes its name. forming that the ground swells up, and
(Pliny 37.47 [Bostock and Riley, 6:437]) often cracks open. No one can find it by
looking for it, for it conceals itself, if it is
4. chly solite-Pale-green form of olivine. It is also not scientifically extracted; and we Sages
called peridot. Chryso means "golden." are the only ones who can successfully
mine for the pantarbe, as it is called, and
5. iris-A form of hexagonal quartz that can be we do it by using both charms and spells. It
used as a pri sm to split light into its spectrum . Iris is turns night into day like a flame, for it is
Greek fo r rainbow. " It takes its name ' iris' from the fiery and refulgent, and if looked at by day-
properti es which it possesses; for, when struck by light, it dazzles the eyes with ten thousand
the rays of the sun in a covered spot, it projects scintillations. Its light is due to an unspeak-
upon (he nearest walls the form and diversified ably powerful emanation, and it attracts
colours of the rainbow; continually changing its everything in its vicinity. But why say, in
tints, and exciting admiration by the great variety of its vicinity? For you may sink in rivers or
colours whic h it presents" (Pliny 37.52 [Bostock the sea as large stones as you like, not close
and Riley, 6:439]). together but scattered far and wide at ran-
dom, and if that gem be let down to them it
6. heliotropion-See note 12, ch. XIII, bk. I. will collect them all together by its inherent
force, so that they will hang from it in a
7. heliotrophium- The herb Heliotropium europreum. cluster like a swarm of bees. (Philostratus
Life and Times of Apollonius ofTyana 3.46,
8. hyacinth- For Pliny, hyacinthus is the blue sap- trans. Charles P. Eells [Stanford University
phire. In The Book of Secrets it has become a yellow, Press, 1923], 87-8.
781 THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

II. pantochras-"Panchrus ['of all colours'] is a botane). When official declaration of war was made
stone which displays nearly every colour" (Pliny vervain was pulled from the soil of Rome and carried
37.66 [Bostock and Riley, 6:455]). Perhaps the opal. roots a~d earth to the land of the foe by a bearer, and
when disasters such as plague struck the city, vervain
12. topazius-Topaz, a golden yellow gemstone. was used in the lectisternium ceremony to restore the
favor of the gods. It was also used by the Romans to
13. c~rysoprassus-Chrysoprase, a light-green quartz, cleanse the feast table of Jupiter and to purify their
a vanety of chalcedony. !louses.
The people in the Gallic provinces make
14. rubine-Ruby.
use of them both for soothsaying purposes,
and for the prediction of future events· but
15. auripigmentum---Orpiment, yellow arsenic or
it is the magicians more particularly' that
king's yellow, a bright yellow sulfide of arsenic ~sed
give utterance to such ridiculous follies in
as artist's pigment. "There is also one other method
~eference to this plant. Persons, they tell us,
Of. procuring gold; by making it from orpiment, a
If they rub themselves with it will be sure
mmeral dug from the surface of the earth in Syria,
to gain the object of their desires; and they
and much used by painters. It is just the colour of
assure us that it keeps away fevers, concil-
gold, but brittle, like mirror-stone {lapis specularis]
iates friendship, and is a cure for every
in fact." (Pliny 33.22 [Bostock and Riley,6: 104]):
possible disease; they say, too, that it must
From what he says elsewhere (36.45) Pliny's "mir-
be gathered about the rising of the Dog-
ror-stone" appears to be a type of mica.
star-but so as not to be shone upon by sun
or moon-and that honey-combs and
16. lote-tree-The fabled lotus tree, upon which
honey must be first presented to the earth
flowe~s and fruits of the lotus were supposed to grow.
by way of expiation. They tell us also that
Iambhchus says that the leaves and fruit, being
a circle must first be traced around it with
round, represent "the motion of the intellect." One
iron; after which it must be taken up with
was seen by Mohammed in the seventh heaven on
the left hand, and raised aloft, care being
the right hand of the throne of God, marking' the
taken to dry the leaves, stem, and root, sep-
boundary beyond which none dare pass. Under it
arately in the shade. (Pliny 25.59 [Bostock
worship the entire host of angels: "He also saw him
and Riley, 5:121-2])
another time, by the lote-tree beyond which there is
no passing: near it is the garden of eternal abode.
19. mastic-The gum-resin of an evergreen shrub
When the lote-tree covered that which it covered his
(Pistachia lentiscus) that grows in the region of the
eyesight turned not aside, neither did it wander: 'and
eastern Mediterranean. The gum is tasteless and
he really beheld some of the greatest signs of his
comes in the form of transparent yellow-green tears.
Lord" (Koran 53, trans. Frederick Warne [London,
1887],390).
20. zedoary-Long zedoary, an aromatic East Indian
root similar to ginger that comes from the Curcuma
17. gen~ian-G.reat felwort (Gentiana lutea), a large
zerumbet. Yellow zedoary, or cassumunar, is from
plant With starhke yellow flowers set in rings or gar-
the Zingiber casumunar; round zedoary is from Cur-
lands at intervals on its upper stalk, which is of the
cuma zedoaria.
thickness of a man's thumb. The root has a bitter
taste and was used in medicine. "The root of Gentian
21. calamus aromaticus-Sweet calamus, an aromat-
given in pouder the quantitie of a dramme, with a lit-
!c reed ~r g~ass. "Scented calamus also, which grows
~Ie pepper and herbe Grace mixed therewith, is prof-
III Arabia, IS common to both India and Syria, that
Itable for them that are bitten or stung with any
which grows in the last country being superior to all
manner of venomous beast or mad dog: or for any
the rest" (Pliny 12.48 [Bostock and Riley, 3: 144]).
that hath taken poison" (Gerard [1633] 1975, bk. 2,
The calamus of Pliny is not known with certainty, but
ch. 105,434).
may have been of the genus Andropogon. Agrippa
probably refers to Acorus calamus, or sweet garden
18. vervain-{Verbena officinalis). There are two
flag, which was early on substituted for the ancient
kin?s: upright vervain, called by Pliny the "male,"
herb (see Gerard [1633] 1975, bk. I, ch. 45, 63).
which grows about a foot high, has leaves like oak
but more deeply indented, and small blue or white
~2 . l!banotis-Probably rosemary (Rosmarinus offic-
flowers; creeping vervain, called by Pliny the
malls), a shrub that smells like frankincense.
"female," which lies upon the ground, has more
leaves than the other, and small blue or purple flow- Libanotis grows in a thin, crumbly soil,
ers. The Romans called it the "sacred plant" (hiera and is generally sown in spots exposed to
 What Things Are Under the Sun / 79

the falling dews; the root, which is just like cians for the cure of the eyes use the herb
that of olusatrum, has a smell in no way hawkweed: hence also it is, that under the
differing from that of frankincense; when a form of a Hawk they sometimes depict the
year old, it is extremely wholesome for the sun as lord of vision. And they use it to
stomach; some persons give it the name of denote height, because other birds, when
rosmarinum [rosemary]. (Pliny 19.62 they would soar on high, move themselves
[Bostock and Riley, 4:203]) from side to side, being incapable of
ascending vertically; but the hawk alone
23 . spotted wolf-Lynx (see Pliny 8.28). soars directly upward. (Horapollo 1.6
[Cory, 13-4])
24. Verites-The bull worshiped at Heliopolis was
called Mnevis by the Greeks. 29. worrns-Glow-worms (Larnpyris noctiluca). The
female of this insect species is wingless and emits a
25 . in Mernphi-A bull, not an ox, was worshiped at faint green light from her abdomen. The winged male
Memphis. does not glow.

26. Path is-A black bull was worshiped at Hermon- 30. beetle-The scarabreus, which lives on dung,
this, called by Macrobius "Bacchis" (or Bacis, or specifically the first of three types described by
Basis, or Pacis). Horapollo:
Moreover there are three species of
27. their fountains-
scarabrei, the first like a cat, and irradiated,
Again, to signify the two Equinoxes they which species they have consecrated to the
depict a sitting Cynocephalus, for at the sun from this similarity: for they say that
two equinoxes of the year it makes water the male cat changes the shape of the
twelve times in the day, once in each hour, pupils of his eyes according to the course
and it does the same also during the two of the sun: for in the morning at the rising
nights; wherefore not without reason do the of the god, they are dilated, and in the mid-
Egyptians sculpture a sitting Cynocephalus .die of the day become round, and about
on their Hydrologia (or waterclocks); and sunset appear less brilliant: whence, also,
they cause the water to run from its mem- the statue of the god in the city of the sun
ber, because, as I said before, the animal [Heliopolis] is of the form of a cat.
thus indicates the twelve hours of the (Horapollo I. 10 [Cory, 21-2])
equinox. ... They also use this symbol,
because it is the only animal that at the 31. Appious' -Apion.
equinoxes utters its cries twelve times in
the day, once in each hour." (Horapollo 32. sea calf-Seal.
1.16 [Cory, 36-8])
33. pulrno-Jellyfish.
28. hawk-
34. stella-Starfish.
They symbolise by it [the hawk] God,
because the bird is prolific and long-lived,
35. strornbi-Mollusk with a spiral shell.
or perhaps iather because it seems to be an
image of the sun, being capable of looking
36. rnargari-Pearl-fish, or oyster (Meleagrina rna/"-
more intently towards his rays than all
garitijera).
other winged creatures: and hence physi-
 CHAPTeR ""lV

Whar rhings aRe lunaRY.

OR undeR rhe poweR of rhe moon.

hese things are lunary, amongst the in love, or hatred, as all kinds of dogs: the

T elements, viz. the Earth, then the

Water, as well that of the sea, as of the
rivers, and all moist things, as the
moisture of trees, and animals, especially they
chameleon also is lunary, which always
assumes a colour according to the variety of the
colour of the object: as the Moon changeth her
nature according to the variety of the sign which
which are white, as the whites of eggs, fat, it is found in. Lunary also are swine, hinds,
sweat, phlegm, and the superfluities of bodies. goats, and all animals whatsoever, that observe,
Amongst tastes, salt, and insipid: amongst met- and imitate the motion of the Moon: as the
als, silver; amongst stones, crystal, the silver baboon,6 and panther,7 which is said to have a
marcasite, I and all those stones that are white, spot upon her shoulder like the Moon, increas-
and green. Also the stone selenites 2 i.e. lunary, ing into a roundness, and having horns that
shining from a white body, with a yellow bright- bend inwards. Cats also are lunary, whose eyes
ness, imitating the motion of the Moon, having become greater or less, according to the course
in it the figure of the Moon which daily of the Moon: and those things which are of like
increaseth, or decreaseth as doth the Moon. Also nature, as menstruous blood, of which are made
pearls, which are generated in shells of fishes wonderful strange things by magicians; the
from the droppings of water, also the beryL3 civet cat8 also changing her sex, being obnox-
Amongst plants and trees, these are lunary, ious to divers sorceries, and all animals that live
as the selenotropion, which turns towards the in water as well as on land: as otters, and such
Moon, as doth the heliotrophion towards the Sun, as prey upon fish. Also all mqnstrous beasts,
and the palm tree sends forth a bough at every such as without any manifest seed are equivo-
rising of the Moon; hyssop4 also, and rosemary, cally generated, as mice; which sometimes are
agnus castus, and the olive tree, are lunary. Also generated by coition, sometimes of the putre-
the herb chinosta,5 which increaseth, and faction of the earth.
decreaseth with the Moon, viz. in substance, and Amongst fowl, geese, ducks, didappers,9
number of leaves, not only in sap, and virtue, and all kind of watery fowl as prey upon fish, as
which indeed is in some sort common to all the heron; and those that are equivocally pro-
plants, except onions, which are under the influ- duced, as wasps of the carcasses of horses, 10
ence of Mars, which have contrary properties; as bees of the putrefaction of cows, small flies of
amongst flying things the saturnine bird, called a putrefied wine, and beetles of the flesh of asses;
quail, is a great enemy to the Moon and Sun. but most lunary of all is the two-horned bee-
Lunary animals are such as delight to be in tle, II horned after the manner of a bull: which
man's company, and such as do naturally excel digs under cow dung, and there remains for the

80
 What Things Are Lunary / 81

space of twenty-eight days, in which time the Amongst fish these are lunary, aelurus,12
Moon measures the whole Zodiac, and in the whose eyes are changed according to the course
twenty-ninth day, when it thinks there will be a of the Moon, and whatsoever observe the
conjunction of their brightness, it opens the motion of the Moon, as the tortoise, the ech-
dung and casts it into water, from whence then eneis, the crab, oysters, cockles, 13 and frogs.
come beetles.

NOLcs-ChapLCR 7\.7\.lV
I. silver marcasite-Iron pyrites, or fool's gold, a becomes unilluminated, then the male
very shiny cubic crystal used for jewelry and in Cynocephalus neither sees, nor eats, but is
ancient times the making of mirrors. The pale variety bowed down to the earth with grief, as if
is called marcasite. lamenting the ravishment of the moon: and
the female also, in addition to its being
2. selenites-From the Greek <JEAT]vll. moon. A form unable to see, and being afflicted in the
of gypsum, it is soft with a pearly luster. same manner as the male, [emits blood
from her genitals): hence even to this day
Selenitis [moonstone) is white and trans-
cynocephali are brought up on the temples,
parent, with a reflected colour like that of
in order that from them may be ascertained
honey. It has a figure within it like that of
. the exact instant of the conjunction of the
the moon, and reflects the face of that
sun and moon. (Horapollo 1.14 [Cory,
luminary, if what we are told is true,
31-2))
according to its phases, day by day,
whether on the wane or whether on the
7. panther-"It is said by some, that the panther has,
increase .. . (Pliny 37.67 [Bostock and
on the shoulder, a spot which bears the form of the
Riley, 6:456)).
moon; and that, like it, it regularly increases to full,
and then diminishes to a crescent" (Pliny 8.23
3. beryl-
[Bostock and Riley, 2:274)).
Beryls, it is thought, are of the same nature
as the smaragdus [emerald], or at least 8. civet cat-It is the hyena Pliny reports fabled to
closely analogous .... The most esteemed change its sex : " It is the vulgar notion, that the hyae-
beryl s are those which in colour resemble na possesses in itself both sexes, being a male during
the pure green of the sea; the chrysoberyl one year, and a female the next, and that it becomes
being next in value, a stone of a somewhat pregnant without the co-operation of the male; Aris-
paler colour, but approaching a golden tint. totle, however [Historia animalium 6.32, Genera-
(Pliny 37.20 [Bostock and Riley , 6:414)) tione animalium 3.6), denies this" (Pliny 8.44
[Bostock and Riley, 2:296)).
Beryls include emeralds, aquamarines, and gems of a
clear or golden color. If the door-posts are touched with this blood,
the various arts of the magicians will be ren-
4. hyssop-A small bushy aromatic herb (Hyssopum dered of no effect; they will neither be able
ojficinalis). Not the biblical hyssop used by the Jews to summon the gods into their presence nor
as an aspergillum, which is conjectured to have been to converse with them, whatever the method
the thorny caper (Capparis spinosa). Gerard says the to which they have recourse, whether lamps
hyssop of tbe Greeks was "neerer to Origanum" or basin, water or globe, or any other
(Gerard [1633)1975 , bk. 2, ch. 177,580). method .. .. The excrements or bones which
have been voided by the animal at the
5. chinosta-? moment when killed, are looked upon as
counter-charms to magic spells. [Pliny 28.27
6.bahoon- [Bostock and Riley, 5:313))
And they symbolise the moon by it, This long and remarkable chapter is entirely devoted
because the animal has a kind of sympathy to the virtues of the hyena.
with it at its conjunction with the god. For
at the exact instant of the conjunction of 9. didappers-Podiceps minor. Also called the
the moon with the sun, when the moon dabchick; a small diving water fowl.
82/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

10. carcasses of horses-"When they would denote through the twelve signs of the zodiac). By
wasps, they depict a dead horse; for many wasps are thus remaining under the moon, the race of
generated from him when dead" (Horapollo 2.44 scarabaei is endued with life; and upon the
[Cory, 114]). nine and twentieth day after having opened
the ball, it casts it into water, for it is aware
II. two-horned beetle-"The second species is the that upon that day the conjunction of the
two homed and bull formed, which is consecrated to moon and sun takes place, as well as the
the moon; whence the children of the Egyptians say, generation of the world . From the ball thus
that the bull in the heavens is the exaltation of this opened in the water, the animals, that is the
goddess" (Horapollo 1.10 [Cory, 22]). Of the scarabaei, issue forth . (Horapollo 1.1 0
scarabreus in general, Horapollo says: [Cory, 20-1])
And they symbolize by this an only begot-
12. aelurus-Sea-catfish, or seacat (Aelurichthys
ten, because the scarabaeus is a creature
marinus).
self-produced, being unconceived by a
female; for the propagation of it is unique
13. oysters, cockles-
after this manner:-when the male is
desirous of procreating, he takes dung of It is certain that the bodies of oysters and of
an ox, and shapes it into a spherical form whelks, and of shell-fish generally, are
like the world; he then rolls it from the hin- increased in size and again diminished by
der parts from east to west, looking himself the influence of the moon. Certain accurate
towards the east, that he may impart to it observers have found out, that the entrails
the figure of the world, (for that is borne of the field-mouse correspond in number to
from east to west, while the course of the the moon's age, and that the very small
stars is from west to east): then, having dug animal, the ant, feels the power of this
a hole, the scarabaeus deposits this ball in luminary, always resting from her labours
the earth for the space of twenty-eight at the change of the moon. (Pliny 2.41
days, (for in so many days the moon passes [Bostock and Riley, 1:68])
 CHAPTeR AAV

Whar rhings aRe saruRnine,

OR undeR rhe poweR of SaruRn.

aturnine things, amongst elements, them, wherefore it was lawful to make their

S are Earth, and also Water: amongst

humours, black choler that is moist, as
well natural, as adventitious, adust I
choler is excepted. Amongst tastes, sour, tart,
garlands at feasts with all herbs , and flowers
besides pas-flower, because it was mournful,
and not conducing to mirth.
Also all creeping animals, living apart, and
and dead. Amongst metals, lead, and gold, by solitary, nightly , sad, contemplative, dull, cov-
reason of its weight, and the golden marcasite.2 ' etous, fearful, melancholy, that take much
Amongst stones, the onyx,3 the ziazaa,4 the pains, slow, that feed grossly, and such as eat
camonius,5 the sapphire, the brown jasper, the their young. Of these kinds therefore are the
chalcedon,6 the loadstone, and all dark, mole, the asses, the wolf, the hare, the mule, the
weighty, earthy things. cat, the camel , the bear, the hog, the ape, the
Amongst plants, and trees the daffodil,? dragon, the basilisk, the toad, all serpents, and
dragonwort,8 rue, cummin,9 hellebor,lo the tree creeping things, scorpions, pismires, and such
from whence benzoine ll comes, mandrake, 12 things as proceed from putrefaction in the earth,
opium, and those things which stupefy, and in water, or in the ruins of houses, as mice, and
those things which are never sown, and never many sorts of vermin.
bear fruit, and those which bring forth berries Amongst birds those are saturnine, which
of a dark colour, and black fruit, as the black have long necks, and harsh voices, as cranes,
fig tree, the pine tree , the cypress tree,1 3 and a ostriches, and peacocks, which are dedicated to
certain tree 14 used at burials, which never Saturn, and Juno. Also the screech owl, the
springs afresh with berries, rough, of a bitter horn owl, the bat, the lapwing, the crow, the
taste, of a strong smell, of a black shadow, quail, which is the most envious bird of all.
yielding a most sharp pitch, bearing a most Amongst fishes, the eel, IS living apart from
unprofitable fruit, never dies with age, deadly, all other fish; the lamprey, the dogfish, 16 which
dedicated to Pluto, as is the herb pas-flower, devours her young , also the tortoise, oysters,
with which they were wont anciently to strew cockles, to which may be added sea sponges,
the graves before they put the dead bodies into and all such things as come of them .

NOLes-ChapLeR 7\.7\.V
I. adust-Dry, burning. 3. onyx-Black onyx, a form of chalcedony, an
opaque black or dark brown stone, usually with a
2. golden marcasite- Iron pyrites, or fool 's gold. white line running across it. Sometimes the line forms

83
84/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

Male mandrake Female mandrake

from Hortus Sanitatis by Johannes de Cuba (Paris 1498)

a circle, and the stone is then called lynx-eye onyx. 9. cummin--Cummin cyminum. also called common,
Connected astrologically with Capricorn and Saturn, garden, or Roman cumin, a plant similar in appear-
it was used in rosaries and to avert the evil eye. "And ance to fennel.
it cometh from India, unto Araby, and if it be hanged
upon the neck, or finger, it stirreth up anon sorrow or 10. hellebor-Plants of the genus Helleborus or Ver-
heaviness in a man, and terrors, and also debate" atrum. used in ancient times as a specific against
(Book o/Secrets 2.4 [Best and Brightman, 27]). madness. There are several kinds with various uses:
(I) black hellebor (Helleborus officinalis), a species
4. ziazaa-"A black and white stone; it renders its growing only in Greece; (2) green hellebor (H.
possessor litigious, and causes terrible visions" viridis), also called bastard, or wild hellebor; (3)
(Spence [1920] 1968, 439). stinking hellebor (H.fetidus). also called fetid helle-
bor; (4) white hellebor (Veratrum album); (5) winter
5. camonius-In the Latin Opera, camoinus. hellebor (Eranthis hyemalis) , also called winter
aconite. Used without qualification, black hellebor,
6. chalcedon-Chalcedony, a form of silica. "Take or Christmas rose (Helleborus niger) , is probably
the stone which is called Chalcedonius, and it is pale, intended. Since H. officinalis was restricted to
brown of colour, and somewhat dark" (Book 0/ Greece, medieval and Renaissance writers substi-
Secrets 2.22 [Best and Brightman, 36]). tuted for it H. niger. Hellebor is poisonous. Pliny
describes the gathering of black hellebor:
7. daJfodil-Affodill, or asphodel (Asphodelus) , the
This last plant, too, is gathered with more
white daffodil , as opposed to yellow daffodil (Nar-
numerous ceremonies than the other: a cir-
cissus pseudo-Narcissus) .
cle is first traced around it with a sword,
after which, the person about to cut it turns
8. dragonwort-Or dragons (Dracunculus vulgaris);
toward the East, and offers up a prayer,
the leaves and root protect against serpents.
 What Things Are Saturnine / 85

entreating permission of the gods to do so. tether, and the dog sacrificed in its extraction. It was
At the same time he observes whether an said of a sleepy man that he had eaten of mandrake ,
eagle is in sight-for mostly while the and mandrake was also called love apple, because of
plant is being gathered that bird is near at its supposed aphrodisiac qualities.
hand-and if one should chance to fly
close at hand, it is looked upon as a presage 13. cyprus-Common cyprus (Cupressus semper-
that he will die within the year. (Pliny virens) , a small evergreen said to be a funeral tree
25 .21 [Bostock and Riley, 5:97]) and dedicated to Pluto "because when once cut down
it never grows again" (Brewer, 206, "cyprus").
II. hellzoille-A dry brittle aromatic resin extracted
from the tree Styrax henzoin. which grows in Suma- 14. certain tree-Perhaps the hemlock, which is a
tra, Java, and surrounding countries. It was used as an soporific and a poison; or possibly the yew, which
incense and suffumation. has rough bark, is very long-lived and grows in
graveyards.
12. malldrake-Malldragora officinalis. Drake means
dragon. Short, fleshy plant with lance-shaped leaves, 15 . eel-"When they would symbolise a man that is
said to imitate the human form because of its often hostile to, and secluded from, all men, they depict an
forked root. Narcotic, emetic, and poisonous. It was eel; for it is found associated with no other fishes"
thought to promote fertility in women (see Genesis (Horapollo 2.103 [Cory, 149]).
30: 14-6). According to legend, when pulled from the
earth the plant shrieks, and anyone hearing it dies, for 16. dogfish-Large spotted dogfish (S cyllium cGlu-
which reason the plant is to be tied to a dog by a Ius) , a species of small shark, very ravenous.
 CHAPTeR 7\.7\.Vl

Whar rhings aRe undeR rhe

poweR of JupireR, and aRe called jovial.

hings under) Jupiter, amongst ele- such things whose sweetness is manifest, and

T ments, are the Air: amongst humors,

blood, and the spirit of life, also all
things which respect the increase,
nourishment, and vegetation of the life.
subtle, partaking somewhat of an astringent, and
sharp taste, as are nuts, almonds, pineapples, fil-
berts, pistake l4 nuts, roots of peony, mirabolaus, 15
rhubarb, and manna, 16 Orpheus adds storax. 17
Amongst tastes such as are sweet, and pleasant. Amongst animals, such as have some state-
Amongst metals, tin, silver, and gold, by reason liness, and wisdom in them, and those which are
of their temperateness: I amongst stones, the mild, well trained up, and of good dispositions,
hyacinth,2 beryl, sapphire, the emerald, green as the hart, elephant, and those which are gen-
jasper, and airy colours. tle, as the sheep, and lambs.
Amongst plants and trees, sea-green,3 garden Amongst birds, those that are of a temper-
basil,4 bugloss,S mace,6 spike,7 mints, mastic, eli- ate complexion, as hens, together with the yolk
campane,8 the violet, darnel,9 henbane,l o the of their eggs. Also the partridge, the pheasant,
poplar tree, and those which are called lucky the swallow,18 the pelican,19 the cuckoo,20 the
trees, as the oak, the tree aesculus, II which is like stork,2 1 birds given to a kind of devotion which
an oak, but much bigger, the holm tree,12 the are emblems of gratitude. The eagle 22 is dedi-
beech tree, the hazel tree, the service tree, the cated to Jupiter, she is the ensign of emperors,
white fig tree, the pear tree, the apple tree, the and an emblem of justice, and clemency.
vine, the plum tree, the ash, the dog tree, 13 and the Amongst fi sh; the dolphin , the fish called
olive tree, and also oil. Also all manner of com, as anchia,23 the sheath fish,24 by reason of his
barley, wheat, also raisins, licorice, sugar, and all devoutness.

NOLes-ChapLeR AAVl
I. temperateness-The ease with which they may be 4. hasil-See note 14, ch. XVIII, bk . I.
worked.
5. hug loss-In Pliny, Ita lian alkanet (Anchusa ital-
2. hyacinth-See note 8, ch. XXIII, bk. I. ica): "To an account of the plantago may be annexed
that of the buglosses, the leaf of which resembles an
3. sea-green-Or sengreen, the house leek (Semper- ox tongue. The main pec uli arity of this plant is, that
vivum tectorum) , a herb with thick, succulent leaves if put into wine, it promotes mirth and hil arity,
and stem and pink flowers that grows on the tops of whence it has obtained the additional name of
houses, and was often deliberate ly placed there to 'euphrosynum ' [plant that cheers]" (Pliny 25.40
ward off lightning. [Bostock and Riley, 5: 109]). Likely used by Agrippa

86
 What Things Are Under the Power of Jupiter /87

to signify viper's bugloss (Echium I'ulgare) . a very 16. manna-A sweet pale yellow or white granulated
similar herb with long hairy leaves. "The root drunke sap that drips from incisions made in the manna-ash
with wine is good for those that be bitten with Ser- tree (Fraxinus ornus), which grows in Sicily.
pents, and it keepeth such from being stung as have
drunk of it before: the leaves and seeds do the same, 17. storax-Fragrant gum-resin, yellow or reddish-
as Dioscorides writes" (Gerard [1633] 1975, bk. 2, brown in color, extracted from the tree Storax offici-
ch. 285-A, 803). nalis; it also came in the form of clear, white tears,
and was used for embalming in ancient times. In the
6. mace-The husk of nutmeg, used as a spice. Orphic hymn to Jupiter (14) and in the hymn to
Thundering Jove (18), the direction reads: "The
7. spike-French lavender (Lal'andula spica), from fumigation from storax" (Hymns of Orpheus, trans.
which a sweet-smelling oil is extracted. Thomas Taylor [1787] . In Thomas Taylor the Platon-
ist: Selected Writings [Princeton University Press,
8. elicampane-Horseheal (Inula heleniuro). a herb 1969], 230, 234).
with large yellow flowers and bitter aromatic leaves
and root, used as a tonic and stimulant. Good against 18. swallow- "When they would signify that the
cholic. It was burned as a fragrant incense. whole of a parent's substance has been left to the
sons, they depict a swallow. For she rolls herself in
9. darnel-A kind of grass (Lolium temulentum) that the mud, and builds a nest for her young, when she is
grows as a weed among com. herself about to die" (Horapollo 2.31 [Cory 107]).

10. henhane-Narcotic plant (Hyoscyamus niger) 19. pelican-The pelican was supposed to be able to
used to deaden pain. It has dull yellow flowers that revive her dead chicks with warm blood from her
are streaked with purple and carry an unpleasant own breast. This myth appears in the bestiary of
smell. The Book of Secrets calls it "the herb of the Physiologus (2nd-5th century AD), and is repeated in
planet Jupiter," good against gout because "it work- The Book of Secrets (3. 14 [Best and Brightman 56]).
eth by virtue of those signs which have feet, and
look upon the feet"-i.e., Pisces, which is ruled by 20. cuckoo--
Jupiter; also, "it is profitable against the griefs of
the liver, and all his passions , because Jupiter hold- To represent gratitude, they delineate a
eth the liver" (Book of Secrets 1.26 [Best and cucupha, because this is the only one of
Brightman 21]) . dumb animals, which, after it has been
brought up by its parents, repays their
II. aesculus-The chestnut oak (Quercus sessil- kindness to them when they are old. For it
if/ora). sacred to Jupiter (see Pliny 12.2 [Bostock makes them a nest in the place where it
and Riley, 3: 102]). was brought up by them, and trims their
wings, and brings them food, till the par-
12. holm tree-The holly (/lex aquifolium). It is very ents acquire a new plumage, and are able to
possible Agrippa intends the holm oak (Quercus ilix) , assist themselves : whence it is that the
an evergreen oak native to southern Europe the Cucupha is honoured by being placed as an
foliage of which resembles that of the holly. ornament upon the sceptres of the gods.
(Horapollo 1.55 [Cory 75-6])
13 . dog tree-Dogwood, or wild cornel (Conus san-
guinea). 21 . stork-
When they would denote a man fond of his
14. pistake-Pistachio. father, they depict a stork; for after he has
been brought up by his parents he departs
15. miraholaus-Astringent, plum-like fruits of trees not from them, but remains with them to the
of the genus Terminalia. said to be sweet before they
end of their life, taking upon himself the
are ripe. They include belleric, from the Terminalia
care of them." (Horapollo 2.58 [Cory 122])
hellerica of India; chebule, from the T. chehula of
Central Asia; also emblic, from Emblica officinalis.
22. eagle-
Gerard mentions six kinds that he calls " Indian
plums" (Gerard [1633] 1975, bk. 3, ch. 128, 1500). Caius Marius, in his second consulship,
They are not to be confused with the behen-nut tree assigned the eagle exclusively to the
(Moringa oleifera). a source of scented oil called Roman legions. Before that period it had
"ben," described by Pliny (12.46 [Bostock and only held the· first rank, there being four
Riley, 3: 142]). others as well, the wolf, the minotaur, the
88 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

horse, and the wild boar, each of which pre- 23. anchia-Perhaps the anthias?
ceded a single division. Some few years These anthiae, it is said, when they see one
before his time it had begun to be the cus- of their number taken with a hook, cut the
tom to carry the eagle only into battle, the line with the serrated spines which they
other standards being left behind in camp; have on the back, the one that is held fast
Marius, however, abolished the rest of them stretching it out as much as it can, to enable
entirely. 'Since then, it has been remarked them to cut it. (Pliny 9.85 [Bostock and
that hardly ever has a Roman legion Riley, 2:474])
encamped for the winter, without a pair of
eagles making their appearance at the spot. 24. sheath fish-A large freshwater fish (Silurus gla-
(Pliny 10.5 [Bostock and Riley, 2:485]) nis) found in the rivers of eastern Europe.
See also Pliny 10.6.
 CHAPTeR ""Vll

Whar rhings aRe undeR rhe

poweR of maRS, and aRe called maRriaI.

hese things are martial, amongst ele- and the dog tree, which is dedicated to Mars.

T ments, Fire, together with all adust,

and sharp things: amongst humors,
choler; also bitter tastes, tart, and
burning the tongue, and causing tears:
And all such animals as are warlike, raven-
ous, bold, and of clear fancy, as the horse, mule,
goat, kid, wolf, libard,I2 the wild ass; serpents
also, and dragons full of displeasure, and poi-
amongst metals, iron, and red brass; I and all son; also all such as are offensive to men, as
fiery, red, and sulphurous things: amongst gnats, flies, baboon, by reason of his anger.
stones the diamond, loadstone, the blood- All birds that are ravenous, devour flesh,
stone,2 the jasper, the stone that consists of break bones, as the eagle, the falcon, the hawk,
divers kinds,3 the amethyst the vulture; and those which are called the fatal
Amongst plants, and trees, hellebore, garlic, birds, as the horn owl, the screech owl,
euphorbium,4 cartabana,5 armoniac,6 radish, the kestrels,I3 kites, and such as are hungry, and
laurel, wolfsbane,7 scammony,8 and all such as ravenous, and such as make a noise in their
are poisonous, by reason of too much heat, and swallowing, as crows, daws, and pie,I4 which
those which are beset round about with prickles, above all the rest is dedicated to Mars.
or by touching the skin, bum it, prick it, or make And amongst fishes, the pike, the barbel,I5
it swell, as cardis,9 the nettle, crowfoot,lO and the forkfish, the fish that hath horns like a
such as being eaten cause tears, as onions, ascolo- ram,I6 the sturgeon, the glaucus,I7 all which are
nia, II leeks, mustard seed, and all thorny trees, great devourers, and ravenous.

Not:cs-Chapt:CR MVll
1. red brass-As opposed to more common yellow spotted. Perhaps a kind of agate; or perhaps opal.
brass. Red brass has a copper color.
4. euphorbium-Gum-resin of the herb euphorbia,
2. bloodstone-The heliotrope. also called spurge (Euphorbia officinarum).
Extremely acrid, it was used as an emetic and purge.
3. divers kinds-This is the stone described in The The powdered resin causes violent and prolonged
Book of Secrets under the name gagatronica: " ... and sneezing.
it is of divers colours. The ancient Philosophers say
that it hath been proved in the prince Alcides [Her- 5. cartabana-?
cules], which how long he did bear it, he had always
victory. And it is a stone of divers colours, like the 6. armoniac-Gum-resin, called the "gum of
skin of a Kid" (Book of Secrets 2.24 [Best and Bright- Ammon" because it was obtained from a plant grow-
man, 38]). "Like the skin of a Kid" means mottled or ing in Libya near the shrine of Jupiter Ammon. It has

89
90/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

a strong smell and bitter taste, and was used in emet- shalt be there, climb up the tree, and bind
ics. The ammoniac of the ancients was probably about the hole of it wheresoever thou wilt.
obtained from the Ferula tingitana of North Africa. For when she seeth thee, she goeth for a
In more modern times the more potent Dorema certain herb, which she will put to the bind-
ammoniacum went under this name. ing, and it is broken anon and that herb fal-
leth to the ground upon the cloth, which
7. wolfshane-Poisonous plant (Aconitum Iycoc- thou shouldst have put under the tree, and
tonum) of the mountainous regions of western be thou present and take it. ("Marvels of
Europe, which bears a dull yellow flower. It contains the World" 55 [Best and Brightman, 99])
the poison aconite and was closely linked with
witches as an ingredient in their flying ointment. 15. harhel-Large freshwater fish (Barhus vul-
garis) with fleshy filaments, or barbs, hanging from
8. scam';'ony-Gum-resin extracted from the roots of its mouth.
the plant Convolvulus scammonia , which grows in
Syria and Asia Minor. Used as a purgative. 16. like a ram-This is the aries or "sea ram" of
Pliny:
9. cQ/'dis-Cardoon, or thistle.
The sea-ram commits its ravages just like
a wary robber; at one time it will lurk in
10. cl'Owfoot-A name applied to several species of
the shadow of some large vessel that is
Ranunculus or buttercup, said to raise blisters.
lying out at sea, and wait for anyone who
may be tempted to swim; while at another,
II. ascolonia-The scallion, or Welsh onion (Allium
it will raise its head from the surface of
fistulosum). a bulbless variety much cultivated in
the water, survey the fisherman's boats,
Germany, the leafy tops of which are used in salads.
and then slily swim towards them and
sink them . (Pliny 9.67 [Bostock and
12. lihard-Leopard.
Riley, 2:453))
13. kestrels-A small hawk (Falco tinnunculus) , also Elsewhere he describes monsters left upon the shore
called the stannel and windhover, the last because of during the reign of Tiberius (14-37 AD), among them
its remarkable powers of sustaining itself motionless "rams, which last, however, had only a white spot to
in the air. represent horns" (Pliny 9.4 [Bostock and Riley,
2:364]). The most likely candidate seems to be the
14. pie-Magpie (Pica caudata), a noisy, aggressive grampus, or killer whale (Orca gladiator).
bird that surrounds the opening of its nest with thorns
and defends it forcefully . It was credited with the 17. glaucus--Or sea-stickling, a kind of fish that is
power of loosing bonds by means of a magic herb, said to swallow its young when they are threatened,
perhaps mistletoe: then when the danger is past, release them. Pliny
mentions the glaucus (9.25 and 32.54), but it is not
Go into the wood, and look where the Pie
known with certainty which species he intends.
hath her nest with her birds, and when thou
 CHAPTeR i\i\Vlll

Whar rhings aRe undeR rhe

poweR of Venus, and aRe called veneReal.

hese things are under Venus, amongst say that he couples after the seventh dayl5 of his

T elements, Air, and Water; amongst

humours, phlegm, with blood, spirit,
and seed; amongst tastes, those which
are sweet, unctuous, and delectable; amongst
being brought forth; also the bull for his dis-
dain,16 and the calf for his wantonness.
Amongst birds the swan,17 the wagtail,18
the swallow, the pelican, the burgander,19
metals, silver, and brass, both yellow, and red; which are very loving to their young. Also the
amongst stones, the beryl, chrysolite, emerald, crow, the pigeon,20 which is dedicated to
sapphire, green jasper, the corneola, I the stone Venus, and the turtle,21 one whereof was com-
aetites, the lazul 2 stone, coral, and all of a fair, manded to be offered at the purification, after
various, white, and green colour. bringing forth. 22 The sparrow also was dedi-
Amongst plants and trees the vervain, vio- cated to Venus, which was commanded in the
let,3 maidenhair,4 valerian,5 which by the Arabian Law to be used in the purification, after the lep-
is called phu; also thyme,6 the gum ladanum,7 rosy,23 a martial disease, than which nothing
ambergris,8 musk, sanders,9 coriander,lo and all was of more force to resist it. Also the Egyp-
sweet perfumes, and delightful, and sweet fruits, tians called the eagle Venus, because she is
as sweet pears, figs, pomegranates, II which the prone to venery, for after she hath been trod
poets say was, in Cyprus, first sown by Venus. thirteen times in a day, if the male call her, she
Also the rose of Lucifer was dedicated to her, also runs to him again. 24
the myrtle tree of Hesperus. 12 Amongst fishes , these are venereal, the
Moreover all luxurious, delicious animals, lustful pilchards, the lecherous gilthead,25 the
and of a strong love, as dogs, conies,13 stinking l4 whiting 26 for her love to her young, the crab
sheep, and goats, both female, and male, which fighting for his mate, and tithymallus 27 for its
generates sooner than any other animal, for they fragrant, and sweet smell.

NOLcs-ChapLCR X-X-Vlll
I. corneola-Cornelian, a variety of chalcedony that or blue-green, often with golden flecks (iron pyrites).
might be red, yellow or blue in color, frequently with The unspotted stone is more highly valued.
two or more colors combined in one stone. Pliny
extols it as a seal because when engraved as a signet, 3. violet-Viola odO/·ata. flower of innocence. "I
sealing wax would not stick to its surface (Pliny would give you some violets, but they withered all
37.23 [Bostock and Riley, 6:418]). when my father died" (Hamlet. act 4, sc. 5, lines
183-4).
2. lazul-Lapis lazuli , an opaque stone of deep blue

91
92/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

4. maidenhair-A fern (Adiantum capillus-veneris). 15 . the seventh day-"To denote the member of a
at one time called Venus-hair. It has hairlike stalks prolific man, they depict a goat, and not a bull: [for
and very fine fronds. the bull cannot serve a cow before he is a year old,
but the goat mounts the female seven days after birth,
5. valerian-A plant (Valeriana officinalis) with ejaculating a sterile and empty sperm. Yet neverthe-
small flesh-colored flowers and a fleshy root from less it matures before all other animals.]" (Horapollo
which is extracted a mild narcotic. It has intoxicating 1.48 [Cory, 68-9]). Again, for reasons of misplaced
power over cats. delicacy, the translator chose to give the passage in
brackets in Latin.
6. thyme-Wild thyme (Thymus) has purple flow-
ers and was used as a stimulant and for its pleasing l6.for his disdain-"And the bull is always assumed
fragrance . as a symbol of .temperance, because it never
approaches the cow after conception" (Horapollo
7. ladanum--Gum-resin extracted from the cistus, or 2.78 [Cory, 134]).
rock rose (Cistaceae). a flowering plant. It was used
as a stimulant and in perfumes. 17. swan-The mother swan swims with her
unfledged young on her back.
8. ambergris-Literally "gray amber"; the vomit of
the sperm whale, used in perfume making because its 18. wagtail-A small bird of the genus Motacilla, so
smell, though unpleasant, is extremely powerful. It called because it constantly wags its tail.
was found floating on the surface of the sea.
19. burgander-The cheldrake, or burrow duck
9. sanders-Sandalwood, the sweet-smelling wood (Tadorna vulpanser), a bird like a goose that lives in
of the sandalwood tree (Santalum album). It was holes by the seashore.
sawn into dust and burned in temples as incense.
20. pigeon-
10. coriander-Coriandrum sativum. The round,
ripe fruit of this small branching plant has an agree- Next to the partridge, it is the pigeon that
able smell. similar [maternal] tendencies are to be seen
in the same respect: but then, chastity is
II. pomegranates-Fruit of a small tree (Punica especially observed by it, and promiscuous
granatum). It is the size of an orange and has a tough intercourse is a thing quite unknown.
golden rind, inside of which are many seeds covered Although inhabiting a domicile in common
in sweet red pulp, like a cluster of red berries. When with others, they will none of them violate
Adonis was killed by a wild boar, Venus created a the laws of conjugal fidelity: not one will
flower in memory of her lover: desert its nest, unless it is either widower or
widow .... They both of them manifest an
... she sprinkles his blood with odoriferous equal degree of affection for their offspring;
nectar, which, touched by it, effervesces, indeed, it is not unfrequently that this is a
just as the transparent bubbles are wont to ground for correction, in consequence of
rise in rainy weather. Nor was there a pause the female being too slow in going to her
longer than a full hour, when a flower young. When the female is sitting, the male
sprang up from the blood, of the same renders her every attention that can in any
colour with it, such as the pomegranates are way tend to her solace and comfort. (Pliny
wont to bear, which conceal their seeds 10.52 [Bostock and Riley, 2:517-8]).
beneath their tough rind. (Ovid Metamor-
phoses 10. 10, c. line 732 [Riley, 376-7]). 21 . turtle-Turtledove.
12. Hesperus-The plants sacred to Venus were the 22. after bringing forth-Leviticus 12:6.
rose and the myrtle. The planet Venus, depending on
its position relative to the Sun, can be both a morning 23 . after the leprosy-Leviticus 14:4-7.
and evening star. When it follows the Sun and is an
evening star in the western sky, it is called Hesperus 24. runs to him again-The number of matings is 30,
(of the west); when it precedes the Sun and appears not 13: " For this reason they have consecrated the
before sunrise in the east, it is called Lucifer (light hawk to the sun; for, like the sun, it completes the
bringing). number thirty in its conjunctions with the female
(HorapoIlo 1.8 [Cory, 17]).
13 . conies-Rabbits.
25. gilthead-This name now refers to the genus
14. stinking-Perhaps in rut. Chrysophrys, but once meant the dolphin: " ... it is by
 What Things Are Under the Power of Venus / 93

sailors called the dolphin, and gives chase to the flying amorous look.
fish" (Goldsmith [1774)1849, bk. 3, sec. 1-3, 510).
27 . tithymallus-Name used in Pliny to refer to sea
26. whiting-A small fish (Mer/angus) with pearly spurge (Euphorbia po/ygonifo/ia). Spurge has a
white flesh. In England "whiting mop" was a term of milky white juice with poisonous or narcotic quali-
endearment for a girl , and "whiting's eye" meant an ties. It was used as a purgative and to remove warts.
 CHAPTeR 7\.7\.17\.

WhaL Lhings aRe undeR Lhe poweR

of Q)eRcuRY, and aRe called meRcuRial.

hings under Mercury are these ; Animals also, that are of quick sense, inge-

T amongst elements, Water, although it

moves all things indistinctly;
amongst humours, those especially
which are mixed, as also the animal spirit;
nious, strong, inconstant, swift, and such as
become easily acquainted with men, as dogs,
apes, foxes, weasels, the hart, and mule ; and all
animals that are of both sexes, and those which
amongst tastes those that are various, strange, can change their sex, as the hare, civet cat, and
and mixed; amongst metals, quicksilver, tin, such like.
the silver marcasite; amongst stones, the emer- Amongst birds, those which are naturally
ald, achates, red marble, topaz, and those which witty, melodious, and inconstant, as the linnet,
are of divers colours, and various figures natu- nightingale, blackbird, thrush, lark , the gnat-
rally, and those that are artificial, as glass, and sapper,s the bird calandra,6 the parrot, the pie,
those which have a colour mixed with yellow, the bird ibis, the bird porphyrio,? the black bee-
and green. tle with one hom .8
Amongst plants, and trees, the hazel , five- And amongst fish, the fish called trochius,9
leaved grass, I the herb mercury, 2 fumatory, 3 which goes into himself, also pourcontrel for
pimpemel,4 marjoram , parsley, and such as deceitfulness, and changeableness,10 and the
have shorter and less leaves, being compounded forkfish for its industry; the mullet also that
of mixed natures, and divers colours. shakes off the bait on the hook with hi s tail.

Not:es-Chapt:eR 7\.7\.17\.
I. five-leaved grass--Cinquefoil, or pentaphyllon 5. gnat-sapper-Gnat-snapper; probably rringa
(Potentilla reptans). It was used to repel witches. canutus. a kind of sandpiper.

2. herh mercury--Dog' s mercury, or wild mercury, a 6. calandra-Calander (Alanda calandra), a kind of

poisonous plant (Mercurialis perennis) , historically lark.
confused with allgood, good henry, or false merc ury
(Chenopodium honus-henricus) , a pot herb. 7. porphyrio-A kind of water hen (Porphyrio
caeruleus) with deep blue plumage and scarl et bill
3. fumatory-Medicinal herb (Fuma ria officinalis) and legs.
that grows as a weed.
8. heetle with one horn-" .. . the third species [of
4. pimpernel-Burnet sax ifrage (Pimpinella sax- scarabreusJ is the one homed and Ibis formed, which
ifraga) . The powder of this plant was said to close they regard as consecrated to Hermes in like manner
wounds, for which reason it was called se lfheal. as the bird Ibis" (Horapollo 1.10 [Cory, 22]). The

94
 What Things Are Under the Power of Mercury /95

hom of the beetle resembles the long. curved beak of 10. changeableness-The octopus is able to change
the ibis. its color to blend in with its surroundings.

9. trochius-Trochus a gastropod mollusk with a

conical shell.
 CHAPTeR A.A.A.

Thar rhe whole sublunaRY wORld, and rhose

rhings which aRe in ir, aRe disrRibured ro planers.

oreover whatsoever is found things is ascribed to Saturn.

OJ in the whole world is made

according to the governments
of the planets, and accordingly
receives its virtue. So in Fire the enlivening
Also amongst vegetables, everything that
bears fruit is from Jupiter, and everything that
bears flowers is from Venus, all seed, and bark
is from Mercury, and all roots from Saturn, and
light thereof is under the government of the all wood from Mars, and leaves from the Moon.
Sun, the heat of it under Mars; in the Earth, the Wherefore all that bring forth fruit, and not
various superficies thereof under the Moon, and flowers, are of Saturn and Jupiter, but they that
Mercury, and the starry heaven , I the whole bring forth flowers, and seed, and not fruit, are
mass of it under Saturn; but in the middle ele- of Venus, and Mercury; these which are
ments? Air is under Jupiter, and Water the brought forth of their own accord without seed,
Moon , but being mixed are under Mercury, and are of the Moon, and Saturn; all beauty is from
Venus. Venus, all strength from Mars, and every planet
In like manner natural active causes rules, and disposeth that which is like to it.
observe the Sun, the matter the Moon, the fruit- Also in stones, their weight, clamminess,
fulnes s of active causes Jupiter, the fruitfulness sliptickness 3 is of Saturn, their use, and tem-
of the matter, Venus, the sudden effecting of perament of Jupiter, their hardness from Mars ,
anything, Mars, and Mercury , that for his vehe- their life from the Sun, their beauty and fairness
mency , this for his dexterity, and manifold from Venus, their occult virtue from Mercury,
virtue: but the permanent continuation of all their common use from the Moon.

Nm:cs-ChapL"CR A.A.A.
I. sta rry heaven- The surface of the earth is ruled 2. middle elements-The order of the elements is
by the sphere of the fix ed stars, or zodiac, through Fire, Air, Water and Earth, making Air and Water the
the angles of the rays made by planets, s igns and middle elements. See Appendix Ill.
houses with specific places on the earth.
3. sliptickness-Slipperiness.

96
 CHAPTeR XX"l

How pRovinces, and

kingdoms aRe disrRibuced ro planers.

m oreover the whole orb of the

Earth is distributed by king-
doms and provinces 1 to the
planets, and signs: for Mace-
donia, Thracia, Illyria, India, Arriana, Gordiana
(many of which countries are in the lesser Asia)
Parthia, Media, Persia: but with Libra she com-
mands the people of the island Bractia, of
Cas pia, of Seres, of Thebais, of Oasis, and of
Troglodys.
Mercury with Gemini, rules Hircania,
Armenia, Mantiana, Cyrenaica, Marmarica, and
are under Saturn with Capricorn; but with the Lower Egypt: but with Virgo, Greece,
Aquarius, under him are the Sauromatian coun- Achaia, Creta, Babylon, Mesopotamia, Assyria,
try, Oxiana, Sogdiana, Arabia, Phazania, and Ela, whence they of that place are in Scrip-
Media, Ethiopia, which countries for the most ture called Elamites.
part belong to the more inward Asia. The Moon with Cancer governs Bithivia,
Under Jupiter with Sagittarius are Tuscana, Phrygia, Co1chica, Numidia, Africa, Carthage,
Celtica, Spain, and Happy Arabia: under him and all Carchedonia.
with Pisces are Lycia, Lydia, Cilicia, Pham- These we have in this manner gathered
phylia, Paphlagonia, Nasamonia, and Libya. from Ptolemy's opinion,2 to which according to
Mars with Aries governs Britany, France, the writings of other astrologers many more
Germany, Bastarnia, the lower parts of Syria, may be added. But he which knows how to
Idumea, and Judea: with Scorpio, he rules compare these divisions of provinces according
Syria, Comagena, Cappadocia, Metagonium, to the divisions of the stars, with the ministry of
Mauritania, and Getulia. the ruling intelligences, and blessings 3 of the
The Sun with Leo governs Italy, Apulia, tribes of Israel, the lots 4 of the apostles, and typ-
Sicilia, Phenicia, Chaldea, and the Orchenians. ical seals of the sacred Scripture, shall be able to
Venus with Taurus governs the Isles obtain great and prophetical oracles concerning
Cyclades, the seas of Little Asia, Cyprus, every religion, of things to come.

Nor-cs-Chapr-CR AM1
I. kingdoms and provinces-For notes on individual 3. blessings-Genesis 49. See also Joshua 21.
geographical entities, see the Geographical Dictio-
nary, pp. 837-850. 4. lots-Perhaps refers to the selection by lot of
Matthias (Acts I :26), but more likely to some divi-
2. Ptolemy' s opinion-The foregoing list has been sion of nations under the apostles.
taken from Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos 2.3.

97
 CHAPTeR AAAll

Whac chings aRe undeR che signs,

che fip:ed ScaRS, and cheiR images.

he like consideration is be be had in asparagus, and garden basil rubbed betwixt two

T all things concerning the figures of

the fixed stars: so they will have the
terrestrial ram to be under the rule of
the celestial Aries: and the terrestrial bull, and
stones, produceth scorpions.
Moreover I will according to the doctrine
of Hermes, and Thebit reckon up some of the
more eminent stars, whereof the first is called
ox to be under the celestial Taurus. So also that the Head of Algol,21 and amongst stones rules
Cancer should rule over crabs, and Leo over over the diamond, amongst plants, black helle-
lions, Virg0 over virgins, and Scorpio over bore, and mugwort.
scorpions, Capricorn over goats, Sagittarius The second are the Pleiades,22 or Seven
over horses, and Pisces over fishes. Also the Stars, which amongst stones, rule over crystal,
celestial Ursa l over bears, Hydra 2 over serpents, and the stone diodocus;23 amongst plants, the
and the Dogstar3 over dogs, and so of the rest. herb diacedon,24 and frankincense, and fennil;25
Now Apuleius distributes certain and pecu- and amongst metals, quicksilver.
liar herbs to the signs, and planets, viz. to Aries The third is the star Aldeboran,26 which
the herb sange,4 to Taurus vervain that grows hath under it, amongst stones, the carbuncle,
straight, to Gemini vervain that grows bending, and ruby; amongst plants, the milky thistle,27
to Cancer comfrey,5 to Leo sowbread,6 to Virgo and matry-silva. 28
calamint,7 to Libra mugwort,8 to Scorpio scor- The fourth is called the Goat Star,29
pion grass,9 to Sagittarius pimpernel, to Capri- which rules, amongst stones, the sapphire;
corn the dock,1O to Aquarius dragon wort, II to amongst plants, horehound,3o mint, mugwort,
Pisces hartwort. 12 And to the planets these, viz. and mandrake.
to Saturn sengreen,13 to Jupiter agrimony,14 to The fifth is called the Great Dog Star, which
Mars sulphurwort,15 to the Sun marigold, to amongst stones, rules over the beryl; amongst
Venus woundwort,16 to Mercury mullein,17 to plants, savin,31 mugwort, and dragonwort; and
the Moon peony. amongst animals the tongue of a snake.
But Hermes, whom Albertus follows, dis- The sixth is called the Lesser Dog Star,32
tributes to the planets these, viz. to Saturn the and amongst stones, rules over achates;
daffodil, 18 to Jupiter henbane, to Mars ribwort, amongst plants the flowers of marigold, and
to the Sun knotgrass,19 to Venus vervain, to pennyroyal. 33
Mercury cinquefoil, to the Moon goosefoot. 2o The seventh is called the Heart of the
We also know by experience that asparagus is Lion,34 which amongst stones, rules over the
under Aries, and garden basil under Scorpio; for granite;35 amongst plants, sallendine, mugwort,
of the shavings of ramshorn sowed, comes forth and mastic.

98
 What Things Are Under the Signs /99

The eighth is the Tail of the Lesser Bear,36 Moreover this we must know, that every
which amongst stones, rules over the loadstone; stone, or plant, or animal, or any other thing is
amongst herbs, succory,37 whose leaves, and not governed by one star alone, but many of them
flowers turn towards the north, also mugwort, receive influence, not separated, but conjoined,
and the flowers of periwinkle;38 and amongst from many stars. So amongst stones, the chal-
animals the tooth of a wolf. cedony is under Saturn, and Mercury, together
The ninth is called the Wing of the Crow,39 with the Tail of Scorpion,53 and Capricorn. The
under which, amongst stones, are such stones as sapphire under Jupiter, Saturn, and the star Alha-
are of the colour of the black onyx stone; joth;54 tutia55 is under Jupiter, and the Sun, and
amongst plants the burr,4o quadraginus,41 hen- Moon; the emerald under Jupiter, Venus, and
bane, and comfrey; and amongst animals the Mercury, and the star Spica. The amethyst, as
tongue of a frog. saith Hermes, is under Mars, Jupiter, and the
The tenth is called Spica,42 which hath Heart of the Scorpion. The jasper which is of
under it, amongst stones, the emerald; amongst divers kinds is under Mars, Jupiter, and the star
plants, sage,43 trifoil,44 periwinkle, mugwort, Alchamech; the chrysolite is under the Sun,
and mandrake. Venus, and Mercury, as also under the star which
The eleventh is called Alchamech,45 which is called the Falling Vulture; the topaz under the
amongst stones, rules over the jasper; amongst Sun, and the star Elpheia; the diamond under
plants the plantain. 46 Mars, and the Head of Algol.
The twelfth is called Elpheia,47 under this, In like manner amongst vegetables the herb
amongst stones, is the topaz; amongst plants, dragon is under Saturn, and the celestial Drag-
rosemary, trifoil, and ivy. on;56 mastic, and mints, are under Jupiter, and
The thirteenth is called the Heart of the the Sun; but mastic is also under the Heart of
Scorpion,48 under which, amongst stones, is the the Lion, and mint under the Goat Star; helle-
sardonius,49 and amethyst; amongst plants long bore is dedicated to Mars, and the Head of
aristolochy,50 and saffron. Algol; moss, and sanders, to the Sun, and
The fourteenth is the Falling Vulture,51 Venus; coriander to Venus, and Saturn.
under which, amongst stones, is the chrysolite; Amongst animals, the sea calf is under the
amongst plants succory, and fumitory. Sun, and Jupiter; the fox, and ape under Saturn,
The fifteenth is the Tail of Capricorn,52 and Mercury; and domestical dogs under Mer-
under which, amongst stones, is the chalcedon; cury, and the Moon.
amongst plants, marjoram, mugwort, and nip, And thus we have showed more things in
and the root of mandrake. these inferiors, by their superiors.

Nor-cs-Chapr-CR 7\.7\.7\.11
1. Ursa-The northern constellation Ursa Major, the 6. sowbread--Cyclamen europaeum, the root of
Great Bear, better known today as the Big Dipper. which was used as a purge.

2. Hydra-The southern constellation Hydra, the 7. calamint-An aromatic herb (Calamintha offici-
Water Serpent. nalis) said to be good against snakebite.
3. Dogstar-Sirius, in the southern constellation 8. mugwort-Artemisia vulgaris, also called mother-
Canis Major. It is the brightest star in the heavens. wort because it was used as an aid in childbirth.

4. sange-Sanguinaria, or blood root (Sanguinaria 9. scorpion grass-Of the genus Myosotis; forget-
canadensis) , a bright red root supposed by the me-not or mouse-ear.
ancients to staunch blood.
10. dock-A large plant (Rumex obtusifolius) often
5. comfrey-A wound-herb (Symphytum officinale) mistaken for rhubarb. Its juice was said to counteract
with white or purple bell-shaped flowers. stinging nettle.
100/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

II. dragon wort-See note 8, ch. XXV, bk. l. 24. diaeedon-Perhaps diaxylon, or camel's thorn
(Alhagi maurorum), a thorny perfume-scented plant
12. hartwort-Heartwort (Aristoloehia c/emantitis) , that is supposed to smell indescribably sweet when a
also called birth wort. rainbow forms over it. See Pliny 12.52 (Bostock and
Riley, 3: 146), also 24.69 (Bostock and Riley, 5:45).
13. sengreen-See note 3, ch. XXVI, bk. l.
25.fennil-A plant (Faenieulum vulgare) with yel-
14. agrimony-Agrimonia eupatoria, also called liv- low flowers that grows three to four feet high, and is
erwort. allied to dill.

15 . sulphurwort-Peueedanum officinale, also called 26. Aldeboran-Aldebaran, the name for the Sun in
hog's fennel. Arabian mythology . A bright red star in the constel-
lation Taurus, called the Bull 's Eye.
16. woundwort-In the Latin Opera, "Veneri panaee
siue eallitriehu." Of English, or common, maidenhair 27. milky thistle-Milk thistle (Carduus marianus), a
(Asplenium triehomanes) , Gerard says, "Apuleius in European plant that grows four to six feet tall and has
his 51 chapter maketh it all one with Callitriehon :" milky veins running through its leaves. It is also
(Gerard [1633] 1975, bk. 2, ch. 474, 1146). Wound- called lady 's thistle.
wort was a general name for herbs that healed
wounds. In ancient times three main types of wound- 28. matry-silva-Mother of the wood, or woodruff
wort, or panaees, were recognized, each named after (Asperula odorata).
its mythical discoverer. Conjecturally identified, these
are: Hercules' woundwort (Origanum hera- 29. Goat Star---Capella, in the northern constellation
eleotieum), Asclepius' woundwort (Femia galbani- Auriga.
j7ua) and Chiron's wound wort (Inula helenium). See
Pliny 25.11-3 (Bostock and Riley, 5:89-90). 30. horehound---Common, or white, hoarhound
(Marrubium vulgare), a bitter herb used in treating
17. mullein---Common, or great torch, mullein (Ver- cough, the womb and the liver. It derives its name
baseum thapsus) , a tall plant with woolly leaves and from the white cottony down that covers its stem and
yellow flowers . leaves, resembling hoarfrost.

18. daffodil-White daffodil, or affodill. See note 7, 31. savin-A small, bushy evergreen shrub (Junipe -
ch. XXV, bk. I. rus sabina) with purple berries. It is poisonous. The
dried tops of the herb were used to procure abortions,
19. knotgrass-Polygonum avieulare. "This herb kill intestinal worms, and relieve asthma. Also
taketh the name of the Sun, for it engendereth spelled savine.
greatly, and so this herb worketh many ways. Other
hath called this herb Alehone , which is the house of 32. Lesser Dog Star-Procyon, in the southern con-
the Sun" (Book of Secrets 1.22 [Best and Bright- stellation Canis Minor.
man, 19]).
33. pennyroyal-A species of mint (Mentha
20. goosefoot-Of the genus Chenopodium, so called pulegium).
because of the shape of the leaves.
34. Heart of the Lion-Cor Leonis, or Regulus, a star
21 . Head of Algol-Algol means literally " the in the northern constellation Leo.
ghoul," a bright, variable star in the northern constel-
lation Perseus. It has the reputation of being the most 35 . granite-Garnet, meaning "seed," from the
evil of all the stars. See note 3, ch. XXXI, bk. II. resemblance of this gem to the seeds of pomegranate.
A silicate that comes in a variety of colors, the most
22. Pleiades-Group of seven stars in the northern prized being a deep transparent red.
constellation Taurus, said to represent the seven
daughters of Atlas and Pleione. Only six stars are 36. Tail of the Lesser Bear-Polaris, the North Star,
now visible, and the seventh is called the " lost which marks the tail of Ursa Minor.
Pleiad." See note 4, ch. XXXI, bk. II.
37. sueeory-A plant (Ciehorium intybus) with blue
23 . diodoeus-"Diadochos ['substitute ' ] is a stone flowers , a carrot-like root and milky juice that grows
that resembles beryl" (Pliny 37.57 [Bostock and from two to five feet tall. The juice poured into the
Riley, 6:447]). ear or nostril on the opposite side of the head is sup-
 What Things Are Under the Signs /101

posed to cure the pain of toothache. Pounded and 48 . Heart of the SCOIpion-Antares in the southern
placed in a poultice under the left nipple, it suppos- constellation Scorpio. The name means "like Ares
edly eased heartache. Also called chicory . (Mars)," after the red color of this star.

38. periwinkle-There are two kinds: greater peri- 49. sardonius-Sardonyx, a variety of onyx, or
winkle (Vinca major) and lesser periwinkle (Vinca layered chalcedony. The most prized have a white
minor). An evergreen trailing sub-shrub with blue, or opaque layer of chalcedony on a flesh-colored trans-
in V. minor sometimes white, flowers . It Italy it was parent layer of sard (Greek: "flesh"). Cameos were
calledfiore di morte (flower of death) because those cut in the white layer with the pink for a ground and
about to be executed were garlanded with it; and it were much prized by the Romans. It was generally a
was wrapped around dead infants. But Culpeper says lucky stone, diminishing pain, giving self-control,
the herbs are under Venus, and that "the leaves eaten conjugal happiness and success in legal affairs.
by man and wife together cause love between them."
50. long aristolochy-Long aristolochia (Aris-
39. Wing of the Crow-Gienah, from the Arabic AI tolochia longa) , not to be confused with round aris-
Janah al Ghurab al Aiman, "the Right Wing of the tolochia (A. rotunda) . Both are native to southern
Raven"; however this star is marked on modern Europe and are often treated together. A herbaceous
charts in the left wing of the southern constellation shrub used as an aid in childbirth. The name comes
Corvus. The star in the right wing is called Algorab. from the Greek for "well born."

40. burr-Probably refers to the flowerhead of bur- 51. Falling Vulture-The star Vega in the northern
dock (Arctium lappa). constellation Lyra. In ancient times the constellation
itself was called the Swooping or Falling Vulture.
41. quadraginus-Perhaps the lent-lily, or yellow
daffodil (Narcissus pseudo-narcissus). 52. Tail of Capricorn-Deneb Algedi, from the Ara-
bic Al Dhanab al Jady , "the Tail of the Goat." The
42. Spica-Latin for "ear of grain," a bright star in star Delta Capricorni in the southern constellation
the constellation Virgo, which straddles the equator. Capricorn. It is also sometimes called Scheddi.

43 . sage-A semi-shrub (Salvia officinalis) that 53. Tail of Scorpion-Shaula (Lambda Scorpii),
grows about two feet high with oblong whitish-gray from the Arabic AI Shaulah, "the Sting"; but accord-
leaves and purple flowers . In ancient times it was ing to AI Biruni, from Mushalah, "raised"; i.e., the
said to help the memory. sting raised to strike. It was, not surprisingly, regard-
ed as an unlucky star. Located in the southern con-
44. trifoil-Trefoil, or clover (Trifolium), a name stellation Scorpio.
applied to small cultivated plants with triple leaves.
Red clover (T. pratense) was reputed to repel witch- 54. Alhajoth-From the Arabic AI Ayyuk. Capella,
es, and was worn for this purpose as a charm. the Goat.

45. Alchamech-Arcturus, in the northern constella- 55. tutia-Tutty, an oxide of zinc that forms in
tion Bootes. The name given by Agrippa is a corrup- flakes, or flowers, on the inside of the furnace flues
tion of the Arabic AI Simak al Ramih, "the Lofty where brass is smelted. It was made into an astringent
Lance-bearer. " ointment or lotion for treating wounds and clearing
the eyes of rheum. The whiter oxide was distin-
46. plantain-Greater plantaini, or waybread (Plan- guished by the name pomphorlyx, while the grayer
tago major). was called tutty.

47. Elpheia-Alphecca, from the Arabic AI Fakkah, 56. celestial Dragon-The northern constellation
"the Dish," a star in the northern constellation Coro- Draco.
na Borealis.
 CHAPTeR X.X.X.lll

Of rhe seals, and chaRacreRS of naruRal rhings.

II stars have their peculiar natures, marigold are solary plants, and in their roots,

A properties, and conditions, the seals

and characters whereof they produce
through their rays even in these inferi-
or things, viz. in elements, in stones, in plants,
and knots being cut off, show the characters of
the Sun, so also in the bone, and shoulder blades
in animals: whence there arose a spatulary kind
of divining i.e. by the shoulder blades; and in
in animals, and their members, whence every- stones, and stony things the characters, and
thing receives from an harmonious disposition, images of celestial things are often found.
and from its star shining upon it, some particu- But seeing that in so great a diversity of
lar seal, or character stamped upon it, which is things there is not a traditional knowledge, only
the significator of that star, or harmony, con- in a few things, which human understanding is
taining in it a peculiar virtue differing from able to reach: therefore leaving those things
other virtues of the same matter, both generical- which are to be found out in plants, and stones,
ly, specifically, and numerically. and other things, as also, in the members of
Everything therefore hath its character divers animals, we shall limit ourselves to
pressed upon it by its star for some peculiar man's nature only, which seeing it is the com-
effect, especially by that star which doth princi- pletest image of the whole universe, containing
pally govern it: and these characters contain, in itself the whole heavenly harmony, will with-
and retain in them the peculiar natures, virtues, out all doubt abundantly afford us the seals, and
and roots of their stars, and produce the like characters of all the stars, and celestial influ-
operations upon other things, on which they are ences, and those as the more efficacious, which
reflected, and stir up, and help the influences of are less differing from the celestial nature.
their stars, whether they be planets, or fixed But as the number of the stars is known to
stars, and figures, and celestial signs, viz. as oft God alone, so also their effects, and seals upon
as they shall be made in a fit matter, and in their these inferior things: wherefore no human intel-
due, and accustomed times. lect is able to attain to the knowledge of them.
Which ancient wise men considering, such Whence very few of those things became
as laboured much in the finding out of the known to us, which the ancient philosophers,
occult properties of figures, seals, marks, char- and chiromancers l attained to, partly by reason,
acters, such as Nature herself did describe by and partly by experience, and there be many
the rays of the stars, in these inferior bodies, things yet lie hid in the treasury of nature.
some in stones, some in plants, and joints, and We shall here in this place note some few
knots of boughs, and some in divers members seals, and characters of the planets, such as the
of animals. For the bay tree, the lote-tree, the ancient chiromancers knew in the hands of

102
 Of the Seals and Characters of Natural Things / 103

THERE FOLLOW THE FIGURES OF DIVINE LEITERS.

The letters, or characters of Saturn:

The letters, or characters of Jupiter:

~Ll 0 :c Nf'-* Xt '0. D/'v\:J

The letters, or characters of Mars:

The letters, or characters of the Sun:

The letters, or characters of Venus:

The letters, or characters of Mercury:

The letters, or characters of the Moon:

104 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

men. 2 These doth Julian call sacred, and divine afterwards many more, as by the ancient, so by
letters, seeing that by them according to the latter chiromancers. And they that would know
holy Scripture is the life of men writ in their them must have recourse to their volumes. It is
hands. 3 And there are in all nations, and lan- sufficient here to show from whence the charac-
guages, always the same, and like to them, and ters of nature have their original, and in what
permanent; to which were added, and found out things they are to be inquired after.

NOLes-ChapLeR AAAlll
I. chiromancers-From the Greek for "hand divina- compiled, although, as with most received lore, they
tion"; those who divine by reading the lines and other show little variation. Special mention might be made
features of the hand. Chiromancy dates back to at of Die Kunst Ciromantia , published at Augsburg in
least 3000 Be, when it was practiced in China. The 1470, which may have been known by Agrippa.
most ancient classical writers refer to it-several allu-
sions are made to palm reading by Homer, for exam- 2. hands of men-The lines in the palm may be bro-
ple. Early writers on the subject include Melampus of ken down into a small number of basic elements, of
Alexandria, Palemon, Adamantius, Aristotle, Hip- which the Comte de Saint-Germain, in his Practice
pocrates, Galen and Paulus fEgineta. A list of 98 of Palmistry (1897), gives 16, as shown below .
works on this subject written before 1700 has been 3. in their hands-Proverbs 3: 16. See also Job 37:7.

~
.
• • • • 0 00 ~~1l
~

~
DOTS OR SPOTS CIRCLES ISLANDS SQUARES

V L /\ Ll ~~ Xx X i;jj·ii/If
1/' "
~'<

ANGLES TRIANGLES CROSSES GRILLS

)f.
, >f*

STARS
4 Q 8
SIGN OF
JUPITER
SIGN OF
SATURN
SIGN OF
THE SUN

~
SIGN OF
cJ J)
SIGN OF SIGN OF
<?
SIGN OF
MERCURY MARS THE MOON VENUS

Table of 16 Signs
 CHAPTeR 7\7\7\lV

How by naruRal rhjngs, and rheiR

viRrues we may dRaw fORrh, and arrRacr
rhe influences, and ViRrues of ce1esrial bodies.

Ow if thou desirest to receive virtue not be read, that were writ with the juice of an

N from any part of the world, or from any

star, thou shalt (those things being used
which belong to this star) come under
its peculiar influence, as wood is fit to receive
onion or milk: I and letters wrote upon a stone
with the fat of a goat, aod altogether unperceived,
when the stone is put into vinegar, appear and
show themselves. And as a blow with a stick stirs
flame, by reason of sulphur, pitch, and oil. Nev- up the madness of a dog, which before lay
ertheless when thou dost to anyone species of asleep, so doth the celestial harmony disclose
things, or individual, rightly apply many things, virtues lying in the water, stirs them up, strength-
which are things of the same subject scattered eneth them, and makes them manifest, and as I
amongst themselves, conformable to the same may so say, produceth that into act, which before
Idea, and star, presently by this matter so oppor- was only in power, when things are rightly
tunely fitted, a singular gift is infused by the Idea, exposed to it in a celestial season.
by means of the Soul of the World. As for example; if thou dost desire to
I say opportunely fitted, viz. under a har- attract virtue from the Sun, and to seek those
mony like to the harmony, which did infuse a things that are solary, amongst vegetables,
certain virtue into the matter. For although things plants, metals, stones, and animals, these things
have some virtues, such as we speak of, yet those are to be used, and taken chiefly, which in a
virtues do so lie hid that there is seldom any solary order are higher. For these are more
effect produced by them: but as in a grain of available: so thou shalt draw a singular gift
mustard seed bruised, the sharpness which lay from the Sun through the beams thereof, being
hid is stirred up: and as the heat of the fire doth seasonably received together, and through the
make letters apparently seen, which before could Spirit of the World.

Not:es-Chapt:eR ?\.?\.?\.lV
I. onion or milk-Milk is one of the oldest and sim- of a Snail or milk of a Sow, and put it to the fire , or
plest kinds of invisible ink. A fonnula containing it is with water of a wonn shining late" ("Marvels of the
given in The Book of Secrets : "To write letters or World" 49 [Best and Brightman, 96]). The "worm
bills, which be not read but in the night. Take the gall shining late" is the glowwonn (Lampyris noctiluca).

105
 CHAPTeR x.x.x.v

Of rhe mljX:rlons of naruRal

rhlngs one wlrh anorheR, and rhdR benefic

t is most evident, that in the inferior nature is gathered out of the juice of innumerable flow-

1 all the powers of superior bodies are not

found comprehended in anyone thing, but
are dispersed through many kinds of things
amongst us: as there are many solary things,
ers, and brought into one form, contains the
virtue of all, by a kind of divine, and admirable
art of the bees. Yet this is not to be less won-
dered at which Eudoxus Giudius reports of an
whereof everyone doth not contain all the artificial kind of honey, which a certain nation
virtues of the Sun: but some have some proper- of giants in Libya 2 knew how to make out of
ties from the Sun, and others othersome. flowers, and that very good, and not far inferior
Wherefore it is sometimes necessary that there to that of the bees.
be mixtions in operations, that if a hundred or a For every mixtion, which consists of many
thousand virtues of the Sun were dispersed several things, is then most perfect, when it is so
through so many plants, animals, and the like, firmly compacted on all parts, that it becomes
we may gather all these together, and bring one, is everywhere firm to itself, and can hardly
them into one form, in which we shall see all be dissipated: as we sometimes see stones, and
the said virtues, being united, contained. I divers bodies to be by a certain natural power
Now there is a twofold virtue in commix- conglutinated, and united, that they seem to be
tion, one, viz. which was first planted in its wholly one thing: as we see two trees by grafting
parts, and is celestial, the other is obtained by a to become one, also oysters with stones by a cer-
certain, and artificial mixtion of things mixed tain occult virtue of nature, and there have been
amongst themselves, and of the mixtions of seen some animals which have been turned into
them according to certain proportions, such as stones,3 and so united with the substance of the
agree with the heaven under a certain constella- stone, that they seem to make one body, and that
tion; and this virtue descends by a certain like- also homogeneous. So the tree ebony4 is one
ness, and aptness that is in things amongst while wood, and another while stone.
themselves towards their superiors, and as When therefore anyone makes a mixtion of
much as the following do by degrees corre- many matters under the celestial influences, then
spond with them that go before, where the the variety of celestial actions on one hand, and
patient is fitly applied to its agent. of natural powers on the other hand, being
So from a certain composition of herbs, joined together doth indeed cause wonderful
vapours, and such like, made according to nat- things, by ointments, by collyries, by fumes, and
ural philosophy, and astronomy, there results a such like, which viz. are read in the book of Chi-
certain common form, endowed with many gifts ramis, Archyta, Democritus, and Hermes , who is
of the stars: as in the honey of bees, that which named Alchorat,5 and of many others.

106
 Of the Mixtions of Natural Things One with Another / 107

Noccs-ChapcCR 7\.7\.7\.V

I. being united, contained-Agri ppa's contemporary Antaeus in the Phlegraen fields. By this
Paracelsus (1493-1541), the German mystical privilege as well did the Earth redouble the
philosopher and physician, was less enthusiastic strength so vast of her offspring, in that,
about the virtue of mixtures: when they touched their parent, the limbs
now exhausted were vigorous again with
The art of prescribing medicine lies in
renewed strength. This cavern was his
nature, which compounds them herself. If
abode; they report that under the lofty rock
she has put into gold what belongs to gold,
he lay concealed, and had caught lions for
she has done likewise with violets .. .
his food . For his sleep no skins of wild
Therefore understand me correctly: the
beasts were wont to afford a bed, no wood
virtue that is inherent in each thing is
a couch, and lying on the bare earth he
homogeneous and simple, it is not split into
recovered his strength. (Lucan Pha/'salia 4,
two, three, four, or five, but is an undivided
c. line 593 ff. [Riley, 154])
whole .. . The art of prescribing medicines
consists in extracting and not in com-
3. turned into stones-Fossils.
pounding, it consists in the discovery of
that which is concealed in things, and not
4. ebony-Ebony (Diospyros ebenum) is the heart-
in compounding various things and piecing
wood of a large tree native to Sri Lanka, very dense
them together. (Paracelsus Selected Writ-
and hard, the best being a uniform black. Ebony is so
ings, trans. N. Guterman [Princeton Uni-
hard, in fact, that it has many of the qualities of a
versity Press, 1973], 90)
mineral.
2. giants in Libya-Libya is supposed to have 'been
5. Alchorat-The Book of Alchorath , a collection of
the birthplace of Antaeus, the giant who wrestled
wonders, is attributed to Hermes in The Book of
Hercules:
Secrets, where reference is made to "the book of
Earth, not as yet barren, after the Giants Alchorath, of Mercury" (Best and Brightman, 54)
being born, conceived a dreadful offspring and "Hermes in the book of Alchorath" (ibid., 57).
in the Libyan caves. Nor to the Earth was A1chorat = Arpocrationis, i.e. Harpocration, or per-
Typhon so just a ground of pride, or Tityus haps Hippocrates (see Book of Secrets [Best and
and the fierce Briareus; and she spared the Brightman, introduction, xli]).
heavens, in that she did not bring forth
 CHAPTeR AAAVl

Of rhe union of mi;:ed rhings, and rhe inrRoducrion

of a mORe noble fORm, and rhe senses of 11fe.

m oreover we must know, that by

how much the more noble the
form of anything is, by so much
the more prone, and apt it is to
receive, and powerful to act. Then the virtues of
things do then become wonderful, viz. when they
of a crab, his legs being taken off, and he buried
in the ground, a scorpion; of a duck dried into
powder, and put into water, are generated frogs,
but if it be baked in a pie, and cut into pieces,
and put into a moist place under the ground,
toads are generated of it; of the herb garden
are put to matters that are mixed, and prepared in basil bruised betwixt two stones, are generated
fit seasons, to make them alive, by procuring life scorpions; and of the hairs of a menstruous
for them from the stars, as also a sensible soul, as woman put under dung, are bred serpents; and
a more noble form. For there is so great a power the hair of a horse tail put into water, receiveth
in prepared matters which we see do then receive life, and is turned into a pernicious worm. And
life, when a perfect mixtion of qualities seems to there is an art wherewith by a hen sitting upon
break the former contrarity. For so much the more eggs may be generated a fonn like to a man, I
perfect life things receive, by how much their which I have seen and know how to make,
temper is more remote from contrarity. which magicians say hath in it wonderful
Now the heaven, as a prevalent cause doth virtues , and this they call the true mandrake.
from the beginning of everything to be gener- You must therefore know which, and what
ated by the concoction, and perfect digestion of kind of matters are either of nature, or art,
the matter, together with life, bestows celestial begun, or perfected, or compounded of more
influences, and wonderful gifts, according to things, and what celestial influences they are
the capacity that is in that life, and sensible soul able to receive. For a congruity of natural things
to receive more noble, and sublime virtues. For is sufficient for the receiving of influence from
the celestial virtue doth otherwise lie asleep, as celestial; because when nothing doth hinder the
sulphur kept from flame, but in living bodies it celestials to send forth their lights upon inferi-
doth always bum, as kindled sulphur, then by its ors, they suffer no matter to be destitute of their
vapour it fills all the places that are next to it; so virtue. Wherefore as much matter as is perfect,
certain wonderful works are wrought, such as and pure, is not unfit to receive the celestial
are read in the book of Nemith, which is titled a influence. For that is the binding and continuity
Book of the Laws of Pluto, because such kind of the matter to the Soul of the World, which
of monstrous generations are not produced doth daily flow in upon things natural , and all
according to the laws of nature. things which nature hath prepared, that it is
For we know that of worms are generated impossible that a prepared matter should not
gnats; of a horse wasps ; of a calf, and ox bees; receive life, or a more noble form.

108
 Of the Union of Mixed Things /109

Homunculus

NOL"cs-ChapL"CR 7\..7\..7\..Vl

I./orrn like a rnan-A homunculus, or "little man." thing living will stir inside the glass, like a man but
This magical being is most closely associated with transparent and without a body. He is fed each day on
Paracelsus, who expounded on its manufacture. Cer- the arcanum of human blood for a span of 40 weeks
tain "spagyric" (a word coined by him, meaning her- while remaining in the womb of the dunghill. A per-
metic, or alchemic) substances are shut in a glass fectly proportioned living child emerges, smaller
vessel, then placed in the gentle warmth of horse than one conceived in the normal way, and requiring
manure for 40 days, at the end of which period some- greater care in the bringing up.
 CHAPTeR /QQ\Yll

How by some ceRrain naruRal,

and aRrificial pRepaRarions we may
arrRacr ceRrain ce1esrial, and viral gifrs.

latonists, together with Hermes, say, and

P
of superiors with inferiors, the Grecians called
larchus Brachmanus and the mecubals l aU~TTaeEta:2 so the Earth agrees with cold
of the Hebrews confess, that all sublunary Water, the Water with moist Air, the Air with
things are subject to generation, and cor- Fire, the Fire with the Water in heaven; neither
ruption, and that also there are the same things in is Fire mixed with Water, but by Air, nor the
the celestial world, but after a celestial manner, Air with the Earth, but by Water. 3 So neither is
as also in the intellectual world, but in a far more the soul united to the body, but by the spirit, nor
perfect, and better fashion, and manner, but in the the understanding to the spirit but by the soul.
most perfect manner of all in the exemplary. And So we see when Nature hath framed the
after this course, that every inferior should in its body of the infant, by this very preparative she
kind answer its superior, and through this the presently fetcheth the spirit from the universe.
Supreme itself, and receive from heaven that This spirit is the instrument to obtain of God the
celestial power that they call the quintessence, or understanding, and mind in the soul, and body,
the Spirit of the World, or the middle nature, and as in wood the dryness is fitted to receive oil,
from the intellectual world a spiritual and and the oil being imbibed is food for the fire,
enlivening virtue transcending all qualities what- the fire is the vehiculum of light.
soever, and lastly from the exemplary or original By these examples you see how by some
world, through the mediation of the other, certain natural, and artificial preparations, we
according to their degree receive the original are in a capacity to receive certain celestial gifts
power of the whole perfection. from above. For stones, and metals have a cor-
Hence everything may be aptly reduced respondency with herbs, herbs with animals,
from these inferiors to the stars, from the stars animals with the heavens, the heavens with
to their intelligences, and from thence to the intelligences, and those with divine properties,
First Cause itself; from the series, and order and attributes, and with God himself, after
whereof whole magic, and all occult philosophy whose image, and likeness all things are cre-
flows: for every day some natural thing is ated.
drawn by art, and some divine thing drawn by Now the first image of God is the world; of
nature, which the Egyptians seeing, called the world, man; of man, beasts; of beasts, the
Nature a magicianess, i.e. the very magical zeophyton 4 i.e. half animal, and half plant; of
power itself, in the attracting of like by like, and zeophyton, plants; of plants, metals; of metals,
of suitable things by suitable. stones. And again in things spiritual, the plant
Now such kind of attractions by the mutual agrees with a brute in vegetation,S a brute with a
correspondency of things amongst themselves, man in sense, man with an angel in understand-

110
 How ... We May Attract Certain Celestial, and Vital Gifts / III

ing, an angel with God in immortality. Divinity the very Supreme of all. For so inferiors are
is annexed to the mind, the mind to the intellect, successively joined to their superiors, that there
the intellect to the intention, the intention to the proceeds an influence from their head, the First
imagination, the imagination to the senses, the Cause, as a certain string stretched out, to the
senses at last to things. lowermost things of all, of which string if one
For this is the band, and continuity of end be touched, the whole doth presently shake,
nature, that all superior virtue doth flow through and such a touch doth sound to the other end,
every inferior with a long, and continued series, and at the motion of the inferior, the superior
dispersing its rays even to the very last things; also is moved, to which the other doth answer,
and inferiors through their superiors, come to as strings in a lute well tuned.

NOLcs-ChapLCR X.X.X.Vll
I. mecuhals-Mecubalists, those versed in Jewish 3. but by Water-See Appendix III.
tradition.
4. zeophyton-Zoophytes.
2. (Ju~J.TTa8Ela-Sympatheia: sympathy.
5. vegetation-Growth.
 CHAPTeR 7\.A.7\Vlll

How we may dRaw nor only ce1esrial, and viral, bur

also ceRrain inrellecrual and divine gifrs fRom above.

m agicians teach that celestial

gifts may through inferiors
being conformable to superiors
be drawn down by opportune
influences of the heaven; and so also by these
celestial, the celestial angels, as they are servants
which, besides corporeal qualities, there is a
kind of reason, sense, and harmony, and incor-
poreal, and divine measures, and orders.
So we read that the ancients were wont
often to receive some divine, and wonderful
thing by certain natural things: so the stone that
of the stars, may be procured and conveyed to is bred in the apple of the eye of a civet3 cat,
us. Jamblichus , Proc/us, and Synesius , with the held under the tongue of a man, is said to make
whole school of Platonists confirm, that not only him to divine, or prophesy: the same is selen-
celestial, and vital, but also certain intellectual, ites, the Moon stone reported to do: so they say
angelical, and divine gifts may be received from that the images of gods may be called up by the
above by some certain matters, having a natural stone called anchitis, and that the ghosts of the
power of divinity i.e. which have a natural cor- dead may be, being called up, kept up by the
respondency with the superiors, being rightly stone synochitis.
received, and opportunely gathered together The like doth the herb aglauphotis4 do,
according to the rules of natural philosophy, and which is called marmorites, growing upon the
astronomy: and Mercurius Trismegistus writes, I . marbles of Arabia, as saith Pliny, and the which
that an image rightly made of certain proper magicians use. Also there is a herb called rhean-
things, appropriated to anyone certain angel, gelida, 5 which magicians drinking of, can
will presently be animated by that angel. Of the prophesy. Moreover there are some herbs by
same also Austin makes mention 2 in his eighth which the dead are raised to life; whence Xan-
book De Civitate Dei. thus the historian tells, that with a certain herb
For this is the harmony of the world, that called balus,6 a young dragon being killed, was
things supercelestial be drawn down by the made alive again, also that by the same a certain
celestial, and supernatural by natural , because man of Tillum, whom a dragon killed, was
there is one operative virtue that is diffused restored to life: and Juba reports,7 that in Arabia
through all kinds of things; by which virtue a certain man was by a certain herb restored to
indeed, as manifest things are produced out of life. But whether or no any such things can be
occult causes, so a magician doth make use of done indeed upon man by the virtue of herbs, or
things manifest, to draw forth things that are any other natural thing, we shall discourse in
occult, viz. through the rays of the stars, the following chapter.
through fumes, lights, sounds, and natural Now it is certain, and manifest that such
things, which are agreeable to celestial: In things can be done upon other animals. So if

112
 How We May Draw . .. Certain Intellectual and Divine Gifts from Above /113

flies, that are drowned, be put into wann ashes, them, will all of them in a few days recover life.
they revive. And bees being drowned, do in like They say that if the fish echeneis be cut into
manner recover life in the juice of the herb nip; pieces, and cast into the sea, the parts will
and eels being dead for want of water, if with within a little time come together, and live. Also
their whole bodies they be put under mud in we know that the pelican doth restore her young
vinegar, and the blood of a vulture being put to to life, being killed, with her own blood.

NOL"cs-ChapL"CR 7\),\7\.Vlll
I . Mercurius rrismegistus writes- 3. of a civet-Again, it is the hyena, not the civet, to
which this virtue is asc ribed by Pliny: "Hyaenia
Our ancestors went far astray from the truth
[hyena stone] is derived from the eyes of the hyena,
about the gods; they had no belief in them,
it is said, the animal being hunted to obtain it;
and gave no heed to worship and religion.
pleaced beneath the tongue, if we believe the story, it
But afterwards, they invented the art of
will enable a person to prophesy the future" (Pliny
making gods out of some material sub-
37.60 [Bostock and Riley, 6:451]).
stance suited for the purpose. And to this
invention they added a supernatural force
4. aglauphotis-
whereby the images might have power to
work good or hurt, and combined it with According to him [Democritus], the plant
the material substance; that is to say, being aglaophotis ["bright light"], which owes its
unable to make souls, they invoked the name to the admiration in which its beau-
souls of daemons, and implanted them in teous tints are held by man, is found grow-
the statues by means of certain holy and ing among the marble quarries of Arabia,
sacred words . . .. They are induced [into the on the side of Persia, a circumstance which
statues], Asc\epius, by means of herbs and has given it tn~ additional name of "mar-
stones and scents which have in them maritis." By means of this plant, he says,
something divine. And would you know the Mag i can summon the deities into their
why frequent sacrifices are offered to do presence when they please. (Pliny 24. 102
them pleasure, with hymns and praises and [Bostock and Riley, 5:64])
concord of sweet sounds that imitate
It has been conjectured that this herb is peony (Paeo-
heaven's harmony? These things are done
nia officinalis) .
to the end that, gladdened by oft-repeated
worship, the heavenly beings who have
5. rheangelida-Theangelida. "The theangelis, he
been enticed into the images may continue
[Democritus] says, grows upon Mount Lebanus in
through long ages to acquiesce in the com-
Syria, upon the chain of mountai ns called Dicte in
panionship of men. (Asclepius 1/1 37, 38a.
Crete, and at Babylon and Susa in Persia. An infu-
In Scott [1924] 1985, 1:359, 361)
sion of it in drink, imparts powers of divination to the
Magi" (ibid., 65-6). This herb is unknown. The
2. Austin makes mention-
name means "messenger from god."
But Tri smegistus says that the high God
6. balus-Bali s. "Xanthus, the author of some histor-
made some gods, and men made others.
ical works, tells us, in the first of them, that a young
These words, as I write them, might be
dragon was restored to life by its parent through the
understood of images, because they are the
agency of a plant to which he gives the name of ' bal-
works of men. But he calls visible and pal-
lis,' and that one Tylon, who had been killed by a
pable images the bodies of the gods,
dragon, was restored to life and health by similar
wherein are spirits that have power to hurt
means" (Pliny 25.5 [Bostock and Riley, 5:82]). Balis
or please such as give them divine hon-
is conjectured to be squirting cucumber (Momordica
ours. So then, to combine such an invisible
elaterium).
spirit by art with a visible image of some
certain substance, which it must use as the
7. Juba reports- "Juba too assures us that in Arabia a
soul does the body, this is to make a god,
man was resuscitated by the agency of a certain
says he, and this wonderful power of mak-
plant" (ibid.).
ing gods is in the hands of man. (Augus-
tine City of God 8.23 [Healey , 2:245-6])
 CHAPTeR AAA1A

Thur we may by some ceRraln

marreRS of rhe WORld srlR up rhe gods
of rhe wORld, and rheiR mlnlsreRlng splRlrs.

o man is ignorant that evil spirits, by him.

N evil, and prophane arts may be raised

up, as Psellus saith sorcerers are wont
to do, whom most detestable, and
abominable filthiness did follow, and accom-
Again, on the contrary side, no man is
ignorant that supercelestial angels or spirits may
be gained by us through good works, a pure
mind, secret prayers, devout humiliation, and
pany, such as were in times past in the sacrifices the like. Lei no man therefore doubt that in like
of Priapus, I and in the worship of the idol manner by some certain matters of the world,
which was called Panor, to whom they did sac- the gods of the world may be raised by us, or at
rifice with their privy members uncovered. Nei- least the ministering spirits, or servants of these
ther to these is that unlike (if it be true, and not gods, and as Mercurius saith, the airy spirits,4
a fable) which is read concerning the detestable not supercelestial, much less higher.
heresy of old Church-men,2 and like to these are So we read that the ancient priests made
manifest in witches and mischievous women,3 statues, and images, foretelling things to come,
which wickedness the foolish dotage of women and infused into them the spirits of the stars,
is subject to fall into. By these, and such as which were not kept there by constraint in some
these evil spirits are raised. As a wicked spirit certain matters, but rejoicing in them, viz. as
spake once to John , of one Cynops a sorcerer; acknowledging such kinds of matter to be suit-
all the power, saith he, of Satan dwells there, able to them, they do always, and willingly
and he is entered into a confederacy with all the abide in them, and speak, and do wonderful
principalities together, and likewise we, with things by them: no otherwise than evil spirits are
him, and Cynops obeys us, and we again obey wont to do, when they possess men's bodies.

NOLes-ChapLeR AAXJA
I . Pr;apus-The ugly son of Dionysus and 2. old Church-men-The Knights Templars, whose
Aphrodite, he was the god of fertility in crops and secret order was founded by the Burgundian Hugues
domestic animals. Credited with prophetic powers, de Payns, and the French knight Godeffroi de St.
he was worshiped with the sacrifice of first fruits of Orner, for the purpose of guarding pilgrims on the
gardens, vineyards, and fields, and with milk, honey road to the Holy Land. Baldwin I, King of Jerusalem,
and cakes, rams, asses, and fishes. Ovid calls him gave them a portion of his palace next to the mosque
"ruddy Priapus, the deity and guardian ofthe gardens that was reputed to have been part of the temple of
... " (Fast; I, line 415, trans. Henry T. Riley [Lon- Solomon . The Order quickly grew in wealth and
don: George Bell and Sons, 1881], 28). influence. By the middle of the 12th century it had
groups all over Europe. Because of its unique posi-

114
 That We May ... Stir up the Gods / 115

Priapus

tion it was able to amass an immense fortune trading became as a result fabulously rich. The Order was
between East and West. This attracted the avarice of suppressed everywhere, though not with the same
Philip IV of France, and when his supporter Pope severity as in France, and ceased to exist, at least
Clement V gained the papacy, the Templars were officially.
denounced as heretics. A man named Esquian de
Horian was brought forward to reveal the horrible 3. mischievous women-Witches were widely
secrets of the Order, which supposedly included spit- reported to keep demon lovers, and even to cohabit
ting and trampling on the cross, eating roast babies with Satan himself. On this matter the Malleus Mali-
(an old favorite with denouncers), and worshiping a fi ca rum asserts:
graven image named Baphomet. God was renounced
All witchcraft comes from carnal lust,
thrice with the words Je reney Deu. No doubt some
which is in women insatiable. See Proverbs
part of some of the stories was true. A strange cross
XXX: There are three things that are never
fertilization had taken place between East and West
satisfied, yea, a forth thing which says not,
in the sealed vaults of the Templars, resulting in the
It is enough; that is, the mouth of the
res urrection of some modified form of gnosticism.
womb. Wherefore for the sake of fulfilling
One theory is that God was renounced in a mystery
their lusts they consort even with devils.
play, in which the initiate played a sinner soon to be
(Kramer and ' Sprenger Malleus Malifi-
converted to Christianity. But the real motives for the
carum 1.6, trans. M. Summers [1928]
persecution were fear and greed. Public proceedings
[New York : Dover, 1971], 47)
were begun at Pari s in the spring of 13 16. Philip
seized the treasure of the French Templars and Women were supposed not only to be driven by
 Witch with Demon Lover
from Von den Un holden oder Hexen by Ulrich Molitor (Constanz, 1489)
 Baphomet
from Dogme et RitlieLde La Haute Magie by Eliphas Levi (Paris, 1855-6)
118/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

uncontrollable lust, but also to be inherently mali- The Malleus is one of the few truly evil books that
cious, and to have the minds of children: have ever been written. Agrippa was thoroughly
familiar with this German work, published in 1486,
Others again have propounded other rea-
and fought against it when he defended the accused
sons why there are more superstitious
witch at Metz.
women found than men. And the first is,
that they are more credulous [ibid. 43] . .. .
4. airy spirits-"I say that there are daemons who
The second reason is, that women are natu-
dwell with us here on earth, and others who dwell
rally more impressionable, and more ready
above us in the lower air, and others again, whose
to receive the influences of a disembodied
abode is in the purest part of the air, where no mist or
spirit; [ibid. 44] .. . . The third reason is that
cloud can be, and where no disturbance is caused by
they have slippery tongues, ... Terence
the motion of any of the heavenly bodies" (Asc/epius
says: Women are intellectually like chil-
33b [Scott, 1:369,371)).
dren . ... But the natural reason is that she is
more carnal than a man [ibid. 45], .. .
Women have also weak memories [ibid.
46]. .. . et al. ad nauseam.
 CHAPTeR7'ZL

Of bindings, whar SORr rhey aRe of,

and in whar ways rhey aRe wonr ro be done.

e have spoken concerning the binding of fire, that though it be never so strong,

W virtues, and wonderful efficacy

of natural things. It remains now
that we understand a thing of
great wonderment: and it is a binding of men
can bum no combustible thing that is put to it.
Also the bindings of lightnings, and tempests,
that they shall do no hurt. Also the binding of
dogs, that they cannot bark. Also the binding of
into love, or hatred, sickness or health, and such birds, and wild beasts, that they shall not be able
like. Also the binding of thieves, and robbers, to fly, or run away. And such like as these,
that they cannot steal' in any place; the binding which are scarce credible; yet often known by
of merchants, that they cannot buy, or sell in experience.
any place; the binding of an army, that they can- Now . there are such kind of bindings as
not pass over any bound; the binding of ships, these made by sorceries, collyries, unguents,
that no winds, though never so strong, shall be love potions, by binding to, and hanging up of
able to carry them out of the haven . Also the things, by rings, by charms, by strong imagina-
binding of a mill, that it can by no force what- tions, and passions, by images, and characters,
soever be turned round: the binding of a cistern, by enchantments, and imprecations, by lights,
or fountain , that the water cannot be drawn up by sound, by numbers, by words, and names,
out of them: the binding of the ground, that it invocations, sacrifices, by swearing, conjuring,
cannot bring forth fruit: the binding of any consecrations, devotions, and by divers super-
place, that nothing can be built upon it: the stitions, and observations, and such like.

Nores-ChapreR XL
I. cannot steal-Thieves can be bound not to steal by It was far more common for bindings to be
anointing the threshold of the door and other points of made in support of theft than in restraint of it.
possible entrance to a house with an unguent made There are five charms in The Book of Secrets (Best
from the gall of a black cat, grease from a white fowl and Brightman, 9, 52, 54, 56, 61) to prevent the
and the blood of a screech owl, concocted during the barking of dogs. It is difficult to imagine any other
dog days of summer-that period when the Greater use for such bindings than to aid in housebreaking
Dog Star, Sirius, rises and sets with the Sun. Its cal- at night.
culation has varied greatly through history, but in Along the same lines is the Hand of Glory, a
more modem times it is figured as the 40 days magical device formed of the severed hand of a gib-
between July 3 and August II . That guardian of the beted felon . The best description of its powers occurs
threshold, the dog, was said to be strongly affected in the once popular, but now almost forgotten,
during this period, and often to run mad. Ingoldsby Legends:

119
120/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

Now open lock To the Dead Man's knock!

Fly bolt, and bar, and band!-
Nor move, nor swerve Joint, muscle, or
nerve,
At the spell of the Dead Man' s hand!
Sleep all who sleep!- Wake all who
wake!-
But be as the Dead for the Dead Man's sake!
In the Petit A/hert there are detailed instructions for
making the Hand. Either the left or ri ght will do, but
it must be from a gibbeted criminal, and wrapped
about in a portion of his, or her, winding sheet, in
which it is pressed to force out all the blood. Then the
hand is pickled in an earthen pot for 15 days and
heated, either by the Sun or in a furnace, to extract
the fat, which is mixed with virgin wax and sesame
(!) to make a candle. This taper is fixed in the grasp,
or atop the fingers, of the hand; or in an alternate ver-
sion, five candles are made and one is set on the tip
of each extended finger. All this must be done during
the dog days, under the influence of Sirius. When the
candle (or candles) is lighted, a house can be robbed
in relative security. See Wai te (1911) 1961,310-3.

Hand of Glory
from Secrets merveilleux de la magie naturelle et
cabalistique du Petit Albert (Cologne, 1722)
 CHAPTeR All

Of sORceRies, and rheiR poweR.

he force of sorceries is reported to be Guts of the lynx; hyena' s knot inbred;

T so great, that they are believed to be

able to subvert, consume, and change
all inferior things, according to Vir-
gil's muse: I
The marrow of a hart with serpents fed
Were not wanting; no not the sea lamprey
Which stops the ships; nor yet the dragon's
eye.

Moeris for me these herbs in Pontus chose, And such as Apuleius tells 6 of concerning
And curious drugs, for there great plenty Pamphila, that sorceress, endeavouring to pro-
grows; cure love; to whom F otis a certain maid brought
I many times, with these, have Moeris spied the hairs of a goat (cut off from a bag or bottle
Changed to a wolf, and in the woods to hide:
From sepulchres would souls departed made with the skin thereot) instead of Baeotius
charm, a young man 's hairs: now she (saith he) being
And com bear standing from another's farm. out of her wits for the young man, goeth up to
the tiled roof, and in the upper part thereof
Also in another place,2 concerning the makes a great hole open to all the oriental, and
companions of Ulysses, whom: other aspects, and most fit for these her arts, and
there privately worships, having before fur-
The cruel goddess Circe there invests
With fierce aspects, and changed to' savage nished her mournful house with suitable furni-
beasts. ture, with all kinds of spices, with plates of iron
with strange words engraved upon them, with
And a little after: 3 stems of ships that were cast away, and much
lamented, and with divers members of buried
When love from Pic us Circe could not gain carcasses cast abroad: here noses, and fingers,
Him with her charming wand, and hellish
bane there the fleshy nails of those that were hanged,
Changed to a bird, and spots his speckled and in another place the blood of them that were
wings murdered, and their skulls mangled with the
With sundry colours- teeth of wild beasts; then she offers sacrifices
(their enchanted entrails lying panting) and
Now there are some kind of these sorceries sprinkles them with divers kinds of liquors;
mentioned by Lucan concerning that sorceress sometimes with fountain water, sometimes with
Thessala,4 calling up ghosts, where he saith: 5
cow's milk, sometimes with mountain honey,
Here all nature' s products unfortunate; and mead: then she ties those hairs into knots,
Foam of mad dogs, which waters fear and and lays them on the fire, with divers odours to
hate; be burnt, then presently with an irresistible

121
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power of magic, and blind force of the gods, the Austin also reports, that he heard of some
bodies of those whose hairs did smoke, and women sorceresses, that were so versed in
crash, assume the spirit of a man, and feel, and these kinds of arts, that by giving cheese to
hear, and walk, and come whither the stink of men they could presently turn them into work-
their hair led them, and instead of Baeotius the ing cattle,? and the work being done, restore
young man, come skipping, and leaping with them into men again.
joy, and love into the house.

NOLes-ChapLeR l\.L1
I. Virgil's muse-Virgil Eclogues 8, lines 95-9. monstrous generation, nature has pro-
duced. Not the foam of dogs to which
2. another place- water is an object of dread, not the entrails
of the lynx, not the excrescence of the dire-
Here was distinctly heard the angry roars
ful hyaena is wanting, and the marrow of
of lions, as they struggled against their
the stag that has fed upon serpents; not the
bounds, and moaned in the depth of the
sucking fish, that holds back the ship in the
night, and bristly boars and bears were
midst of the waves, while the eastern
ramping in their cages, and the forms of
breeze stretches the rigging; the eyes of
huge wolves were howling: all these trans-
dragons, too, and the stones that resound,
formed from human shape the cruel god-
warmed beneath the brooding bird; not the
dess had, by magic herbs, clothed with the
winged serpent of the Arabians, and the
faces and bodies of wild beasts. (Aeneid 7,
viper produced in the Red Sea, the
c. line 18 [Lonsdale and Lee, 178])
guardian of the precious shell; or the
There is no mention here of the crew of Ulysses, but slough of the horned serpent, of Libya that
they are referred to in Eclogue 8: "Circe by song still survives; or the ashes of the Phoenix,
transformed Ulysses' crew ... " (Eclogues 8, c. line laid upon the eastern altar.
69 [Lonsdale and Lee, 26]). See also Homer Odyssey With this, after she has mingled abom-
bk. IO. inations, vile, and possessing no names,
she added 'leaves steeped in accursed
3. little after-The Aeneid 7, line 189-91. Scorned spells, and herbs upon which, when shoot-
by Picus, Circe turned him into a woodpecker. Ovid ing up, her direful mouth had spat, and
has described this scene: whatever poisons she herself gave unto the
world . .. (Lucan Pharsalia 6, c. line 668
Then twice did she turn herself to the
ff. [Riley, 239-40])
West, and twice to the East; thrice did she
touch the youth with her wand; three See a remarkably similar passage in Ovid 's Meta -
charms did she repeat. He fled; wondering mOJphoses 7, line 270.
that he sped more swiftly than usual, he
beheld wings on his body; and indignant 6. Apuleius tells-The Golden Ass 15.
that he was added suddenly as a strange
bird to the Latian woods, he struck the 7. working cattle-
wild oaks with his hard beak, and in his
For when I was in Italy, I heard such a
anger, inflicted wounds on the long
report there, how certain women of one
branches. (MetamOJphoses 14, c. line 386
place there would but give one a little drug
[Riley, 497-8])
in cheese, and presently he became an ass,
and so they made him carry their neces-
4. Thessala-That is, the Thessalian witch Erichtho.
saries whither they would; and having
done, they restored him to his proper
5. where he saith-
shape; yet had he his human reason still, as
Then in the first place does she fill his Apuleius had while he was an ass, as him-
breast, opened by fresh wounds, with reek- self writes in his book of The Golden Ass;
ing blood, and she bathes his marrow with be it a lie or a truth that he writes. (Augus-
gore, and plentifully supplies venom from tine City of God 18. 18 [Healey, 2: 192])
the moon. Here is mingled whatever, by a
 CHAPTeR 7\Ul

Of rhe wondeRful viRrues of some Kinds of SORceRies.

I will show you what some of the a silver bracelet, as also if the soles of the

N
OW
sorceries are, that by the example of patients' feet be anointed therewith, and espe-
these there may be a way opened for cially if it be done by the woman herself, the
the consideration of the whole subject patients not knowing of it; moreover it cures the
of them. fits of the falling sickness. But most especially
Of these therefore the first is menstruous it cures them that are afraid of water, or drink,
blood, which, how much power it hath in sor- after they are bitten with a mad dog, if only a
cery, we will now consider; for, as they say, if it menstruous cloth be put under the cup. II
comes over new wine, it makes it sour, and if it Besides, they report, that if menstruous women
doth but touch the vine it spoils it forever, and shall walk naked about the standing com, they
by its very touch it makes all plants, and trees make all cankers, worms, beetles, flies , and all
barren, and they that be newly set, to die; it hurtful things fall off from the corn: but they
bums up all the herbs in the garden, and makes must take heed that they do it before Sun rising,
fruit fall off from the trees, I it darkens the or else they will make the com to wither. 12 Also
brightness of a looking glass? dulls the edges of they say that they are able to expel hail, tem-
knives, and razors, dims the beauty of ivory, and pests, and lightnings,l3 more of which Pliny
it makes iron presently rusty, it makes brass rust, makes mention of.
and smell very strong: 3 it makes dogs mad, if Know this, that they are a greater poison if
they do but taste of it, and if they being thus mad they happen in the decrease of the Moon, and
shall bite anyone, ' that wound is incurable: 4 it yet much greater, if they happen betwixt the
kills whole hives of bees, and drives them from decrease, and change of the Moon: but if they
the hives that are but touched with it: 5 it makes happen in the eclipse of the Moon or Sun, they
linen black that are boiled: 6 it makes mares cast are an incurable poison. 14 But they are of great-
their foal? if they do but touch it, and makes est force of all, when they happen in the first
women miscarry if they be but smeared with it: years, even in the years of virginity, 15 for if they
it makes asses barren as long as they eat of the do but touch the posts of the house l6 there can
com that hath been touched with it. no mischief take effect in it.
The ashes of menstruous clothes, if they be Also they say that the threads of any gar-
cast upon purple garments that are to be ment touched therewith cannot be burnt, and if
washed, change the colour of them, and takes they be cast into the fire, it will spread no far-
away colours from flowers . lo They say that it ther. l ? Also it is said that the root of peony being
drives away tertian and quartan agues, if it be given with castor, and smeared over with a men-
put into the wool of a black ram, and tied up in struous cloth, cureth the falling sickness. More-

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over if the stomach of a hart be burnt or roasted, he, if anyone shall after he hath performed his
and to it be put a perfuming made with a men- devotion to Proserpina,24 smear over his body,
struous cloth, it will make crossbows useless for he cannot be hurt either with sword, or fire. Also
the killing of any game. The hairs of a menstru- Saxo Grammaticus writes, that there was a cer-
ous women put under dung breed serpents: and if tain man called Froton, who had a garment,
they be burnt, will drive away serpents 18 with which when he had put on he could not be hurt
their smell. So great a poisonous force is in them, with the point or edge of any weapon.
that they are poison to poisonous creatures. The civet cat also abounds with sorceries:
There is also hippomanes,19 which amongst for, as Pliny reports,25 the posts of a door being
sorceries is not the least taken notice of, and it is touched with her blood, the arts of jugglers, and
a little venomous piece of flesh as big as a fig, sorcerers are so invalid, that the gods cannot be
and black, which is in the forehead of a colt called up, and will by no means be persuaded to
newly foaled, which unless the mare herself talk with them . Also that they that are anointed
doth presently eat, she will never after love her with the ashes of the ankle bone of her left foot,
foal, or let it suck. And for this cause they say being decocted with the blood of a weasel, shall
there is a most wonderful power in it to procure become odious to all. The same also is done
love, if it be powdered, and drank in a cup with with the eye, being decocted. Also it is said that
the blood of him that is in love. There is also the straight gut is administered against the
another sorcery, which is called by the same injustice, and corruption of princes, and great
name, viz. hippomanes, viz. a venomous men in power, and for success of petitions, and
humour,2o issuing out of the share of a mare to conduce to ending of suits, and controversies,
what time she desires a horse, of which Virgil if anyone hath never so little of it about him;
makes mention,21 when he sings: and that if it be bound unto the left arm, it is
such a present charm, that if any man do but
Hence comes that poison which the shep- look upon a woman, it will make her follow him
herds call presently; and that the skin of her forehead doth
Hippomanes, and from mares' groins doth
fall, withstand bewitchings.
The woeful bane of cruel stepdames use They say also that the blood of a basilisk,26
And with a charm 'mongst powerful drugs which they call the blood of Saturn, hath such
infuse. great force in sorcery, that it procures for him
that carries it about him, good success of his
Of this doth JuvenaP2 the satirist make petitions, from great men in power, and of his
mention: prayers from God, and also remedies of dis-
eases, and grant of any privilege.
Hippomanes, poisons that boiled are, and
They say also that a tick,27 if it be pulled
charms
Are given to sons-in-law, with such like out of the left ear of a dog, and if be it altogeth-
harms. er black, hath great virtue in the prognostic of
life, for if the sick party shall answer him that
Apollonius also in his Argonantics makes brought it in, and who standing at his feet, shall
mention of the herb of Prometheus,23 which he ask of him concerning his disease, there is cer-
saith groweth from corrupt blood dropping upon tain hope of life, and that he shall die, if he
the earth. whilst the vulture was gnawing upon make no answer. They say also, that a stone that
the liver of Prometheus upon the hill Caucasus. is bit with a mad dog28 hath power to cause dis-
The flower of this herb, he saith, is like saffron, cord, if it be put in drink, and that he shall not
having a double stalk hanging out, one farther be barked at by dogs, that puts the tongue of a
than another the length of a cubit; the root under dog29 in his shoe under his great toe, especially
the earth, as flesh newly cut, sends forth a black- if the herb of the same name, viz. houndstongue
ish juice as it were of a beech, with which, saith be joined with it. And that a membrane of the
 Of the Wonderful Virtues of Some Kinds of Sorceries / 125

secondines of a dog 30 doth the same; and that for if the snaffle of the bridle, or spurs be made
dogs will shun him that hath a dog's heart. of it, they say that with these any horse, though
And Pliny reports that there is a red toad 31 never so wild, may be tamed, and gentled: and
that lives in briars, and brambles, and is full of that if a horse should be shod with shoes made
sorceries, and doth wonderful things: for the lit- with it, he would be most swift and fleet, and
tle bone which is in his left side, being cast into never, though never so hard rode, tire. But yet
cold water, makes it presently very hot, by they will that some characters, and names
which also the rage of dogs is restrained, and should be written upon it. They say also, if any
their love is procured, if it be put in drink; and if man shall dip a sword, wherewith men were
it be bound to anyone, it stirreth up lust. On the beheaded, in wine; and the sick drink thereof,
contrary, the little bone which is on the right he shall be cured of his quartan.
side, makes hot water cold, and that it can never They say also that a cup of liquor being
be hot again, unless that be taken out, also it is made with the brains of a bear,32 and drank out
said to cure quartans if it be bound to the sick in of the skull, shall make him that drinks of it, be
a snake's skin, as also all other fevers, and as fierce, and as raging as a bear, and think him-
restrain love, and lust. And that the spleen, and self to be changed into a bear, and judge all
heart is an effectual remedy against the poisons things he sees to be bears, and so continue in
of the said toad. Thus much Pliny writes. that madness, until the force of that draught
Also it is said that the sword, with which a shall be dissolved, no other distemper being all
man is slain, hath wonderful power in sorceries: the while perceived in him.

NOLes-ChapLeR 7\.Lll
I. /rom the trees- 4. wound is incurable-" ... dogs which have tasted
of the matter so discharged are seized with madness,
It would indeed be a difficult matter to find
and their bite is venomous and incurable" (Pliny 7 .13
anything which is productive of more mar-
[Bostock and Riley, 2: 152]).
vellous effects than the menstrual dis-
charge. On the approach of a woman in 5. touched with it-" ... bees, it is a well known fact,
this state, must [new wine] will become will forsake their hives if touched by a menstruous
sour, seeds which are touched by her woman ... " (Pliny 28.23 [Bostock and Riley, 5:305]).
become sterile, grafts wither away, garden
plants are parched up, and the fruit will fall 6. are boiled-" .. . linen boiled in the cauldron will
from the tree beneath which she sits. (Pliny turn black ... on coming in contact with her" (ibid.).
7. 13 [Bostock and Riley, 2: 151]) Linen was boiled for cleaning.

2. looking glass-"Her very look, even, will dim the 7. cast their foal-
brightness of mirrors ... " (ibid.). "Bithus of
Dyrrhachium informs us that a mirror, which has A mare big with foal, if touched by a
been tarnished by the gaze of a menstruous female, woman in this state, will be sure to miscar-
will recover its brightness if the same woman looks ry; nay, even more than this, at the very
steadily . upon the back of it ... " (Pliny 28.23 sight of a woman, though seen at a dis-
[Bostock and Riley, 5:306]). tance even, should she happen to be men-
struating for the first time after the loss of
3. smell strong-"Her very look, even, will ... blunt her virginity, or for the first time, while in
the edge of steel , and take away the polish from a state of virginity" (ibid.).
ivory . ... brass and iron will instantly become rusty,
and emit an offensive odour" (Pliny 7.13 [Bostock 8. makes women miscarry-"Indeed so pernicious
and Riley, 2: 151-2]). "I have to state, in addition ... are its properties, that women themselves, the source
that the edge of a razor will become blunted, and that from which it is derived, are far from being proof
copper vessels will contract a fetid smell and become against its effects; a pregnant woman, for instance, if
covered in verdigrease, on coming in contact with touched with it, or indeed if she so much as steps
her" (Pliny 28.23 [Bostock· and Riley, 5:305]). over it, will be liable to miscarry" (ibid.).
126/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

9. makes asses barren- 12. corn to wither-

Lais and Elephantis have given statements At any other time, also, if a woman strips
quite at variance, on the subject of herself naked while she is menstruating,
abortives; they mention the efficacy for and walks round a field of wheat, the cater-
that purpose of charcoal of cabbage root, pillars, worms, beetles and other vermin,
myrtle root, or tamarisk root, quenched in will fall from off the ears of com.
the menstrual discharge; they say that she- Metrodorus of Scepsos tells us that this dis-
asses will be barren for as many years as covery was first made in Cappadocia; and
they have eaten barley-com steeped in this that, in consequence of such multitudes of
fluid; and they have enumerated various cantharides [Spanish fly] being found to
other monstrous and irreconcilable proper- breed there, it is the practice for women to
ties, the one telling us, for instance, that walk through the middle of the fields with
fruitfulness may be ensured by the very their garments tucked up above the thighs.
same methods, which, according to the In other places, again, it is the usage for
statement of the other, are productive of women to go barefoot, with the hair
barrenness; to all which stories it is the best dishevelled and the girdle loose; due pre-
plan to refuse credit altogether. (Pliny caution must be taken, however, that this is
28.23 [Bostock and Riley, 5:305-6]) not done at sun-rise, for if so, the crop will
wither and dry up. Young vines, too, it is
10. colours from flowers-"At this period also, the said, are injured irremediably by the touch
lustre of purple is tarnished by the touch of a of a woman in this state; and both rue and
woman: so much more baneful is her influence at ivy, plants possessed of highly medicinal
this time than at any other" (ibid., 304). The time virtues, will die instantly upon being
referred to is menstruation during eclipse or con- touched by her. (ibid., 304-5)
junction of the Sun and Moon. See the second quo-
tation in note 17 below. 13 . tempests, and lightnings-
For, in the first place, hailstorms, they say,
II . under the cup-
whirlwinds, and lightning even will be
According to Lais and Salpe, the bite of a scared by a woman uncovering her body
mad dog, as well as tertian and quartan while her monthly courses are upon her.
fevers, may be cured by putting some men- The same, too, with all other kinds of tem-
struous blood in the wool of a black ram pestuous weather; and out at sea, a storm
and enclosing it in a silver bracelet; and we may be lulled by a woman uncovering her
learn from Diotimus of Thebes that the body merely, even though not menstruat-
smallest portion will suffice of any kind of ing at the time. (ibid., 304)
cloth that has been stained therewith, a
thread even, if inserted and worn as a 14. incurable poison-"If the menstrual discharge
bracelet. The midwife Sotira informs us coincides with an eclipse of the moon or sun, the
that the most effective cure for tertian and evils resulting from it are irremediable; and no less
quartan fevers is to rub the soles of the so, when it happens while the moon is in conjunc-
patient 's feet therewith, the result being tion with the sun; the congress with a woman at
still more successful if the operation is per- such a period being noxious, and attended with fatal
formed by the woman herself, without the effects to the man" (ibid., 304).
patient being aware of it; she says, too, that
this is an excellent method for reviving 15. years of virginity-u ... the nature of the discharge
persons when attacked with epilepsy. is most virulent in females whose virginity has been
Icatidas the physician pledges his word destroyed solely by the lapse of time" (ibid., 307).
that quartan fever may be cured by sexual
intercourse, provided the woman is just 16. posts of the house-"Another thing universally
beginning to menstruate. It is universally acknowledged and one which I am ready to believe
agreed, too, that when a person has been with the greatest pleasure, is the fact, that if the door-
bitten by a dog and manifests a dread of posts are only touched with the menstruous fluid all
water and of all kinds of drink, it will be spells of the magicians will be neutralized" (ibid.).
quite sufficient to put under his cup a strip
of cloth that has been dipped in this fluid ; 17. spread no farther-This refers to two rather
the result being that the hydrophobia will obscure passages in Pliny that have been translated
immediately disappear. (ibid., 306--7) by Riley:
 Of the Wonderful Virtues of Some Kinds of Sorceries / 127

In addition to this, the bitumen which is juices from the forehead of the mother [horse] about
found at certain periods of the year, float- to show her affection" (Lucan Pharsalia 6, line 454
ing on the lake of Judaea, known as [Riley, 230] .
Asphaltites, a substance which is peculiar-
ly tenacious, and adheres to everything that 20. venomous humour-"The hippomanes has been
it touches, can on ly be divided into sepa- distinguished under two species; the one a liquor dis-
rate pieces by means of a thread which has tilling from a mare, during the time of her heat"
been dipped in this virulent matter." (Pliny (Gentleman 's Magazine 26: 170, 1756, quoted from
7.13 [Bostock and Riley, 2: 152]) OED, "hippomanes."

And also: 21. Virgil makes mention-"Hence at last a slimy

The bitumen that is found in Judaea, will substance distills from their sides, which the shep-
yield to nothing but the menstrual dis- herds call by a true name Hippomanes, gathered
charge; its tenacity being overcome, as often by malicious step-mothers, who mix with it
already stated, by the agency of a thread herbs and baneful charms" (Georgics 3, c. line 282
from a garment which has been brought in [Lonsdale and Lee, 59)).
contact with this fluid . Fire itself even, an
element which triumphs over every other 22 .. 1uvenal-"Shall I speak of the love-philters,
substance, is unable to conquer this; for if the incantations, the poison mingled with the food
reduced to ashes and then sprinkled upon and given to the step-son?" (Satires 6.8 , trans. L.
garments when about to be scoured, it will Evans [New York: Hinds, Noble and Eldridge,
change their purple tint, and tarnish the n.d.], 44). A little after this passage Juvenal says:
brightness of the colours. (Pliny 28.23 " Yet even this [love potion from Thessaly] is
[Bostock and Riley, 5:305]) endurable, if you do not go running mad as well ,
Pliny means that a thread from a cloth stained with like that uncle of Nero for whom his Caesonia
menstrual blood can be used to cut bitumen without infused the whole forehead of a foal new dropped"
sticking to it. The same fable appears in Tacitus (His- (ibid. 6.39 [Evans, 64]). He is referring to Caligula,
tory 5.6), who calls it "the account of old authors." about whom Suetonius makes more explicit refer-
Agrippa seems to interpret these passages to mean ence: " It is for certain thought that poisoned he was
that burning pitch, which is very difficult to extin- with a potion given unto him by his wife Caesonia,
guish, can be put out by a menstruous thread. He which indeed was a love medicine, but such a one
seems to have attached the words "Fire itself even, an as cracked his wits and enraged him" ("Gaius Cae-
element which triumphs over every other substance, sar Caligula" 50. In History of the Twelve Caesars,
is unable to conquer this" ·to the preceding sentence. trans. P. Holland [1606] [London : George Rout-
ledge, n.d.], 215).
18. drive away serpents-"The smell of a woman's
hair, burnt, will drive away serpents . .. " (Pliny 28.20 23 . herb of Prometheus-
[Bostock and Riley, 5:302]).
This salve was named after Prometheus. A
19. hippomanes- man had only to smear it on his body, after
propitiating the only begotten Maiden with
The horse is born with a poisonous sub- a midnight offering, to become invulnerable
stance on its forehead , known as hippo- by sword or fire and for that day to surpass
manes, and used in love philtres; it is the himself in strength and daring. It first
size of a fig, and of a black colour; the appeared in a plant that sprang from the
mother devours it immediately on the birth blood-like ichor of Prometheus in his tor-
of the foal, and until she has done so, she ment, which the flesh-eating eagle had
wilf not suckle it. When this substance can dropped on the spurs of Caucasus. The
be rescued from the mother, it has the flowers, which grew on twin stalks a cubit
property of rendering the animal quite fran- high, were of the colour of Corycian saffron,
tic by the smell. (Pliny 8.66 [Bostock and while the root looked like flesh that had just
Riley, 2:321)) been cut, and the juice like the dark sap of a
" ... the love-charm is sought for that is tom away mountain oak. (Apollonius of Rhodes Voy -
from the forehead of a colt at its birth, and seized age of Argo 3, c. line 845 [Rieu, 132-3))
before the dam can take it" (Virgil Aeneid 4, c. line
516 [Londale and Lee, 138]). 24. Proserpina-The Roman form of the Greek
"And not only do noxious potions avail; or when Persephone, goddess of the underworld and spouse of
they [witches] withdraw the pledges swelling with its Pluto (Greek: Hades).
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25. Pliny reports-All these things are related of the 29. tongue of a dog-" Dogs will fly from anyone
hyena, not the civet, in Pliny 28.27 [Bostock and who has a dog's heart about him , and they will
Riley, 5:309-14). never bark at a person who carries a dog's tongue
in his shoe, beneath the great toe .. . " (ibid., 405).
26. blood of a basilisk- This same charm occurs in The Book of Secrets , but
the tongue of a dog has been magically transmuted
As to the basilisk, a creature which the
into hound's tongue (Cynoglossum officinale):
very serpents fly from, which kills by its
"And if thou shalt have the aforenamed herb under
odour even, and which proves fatal to man
thy foremost toe; all the Dogs shall keep silence,
by only looking upon him, its blood has
and shall not have power to bark" (Book of Secrets
been marvellously extolled by the magi-
1.9 [Best and Brightman , 9]) . Agrippa has com-
cians. This blood is thick and adhesive, like
bined the two. .
pitch, which it resembles also in colour:
dissolved in water, they say, it becomes of
30. secondines of a dog-"A dog will not bark at a
a brighter red than that of cinnabar. They
person who has any part of the secondines [after-
attribute to it also the property of ensuring
birth] of a bitch about him .. ." (Pliny 30.53 [Bostock
success to petitions preferred to potentates,
and Riley, 5:469]).
and to prayers even offered to the gods;
and they regard it as a remedy for various
31. red toad-For all these wonders of the creature
diseases, and as an amulet preservative
Pliny calls a "bramble-toad," see Pliny 32.18
against all noxious spells. Some give it the
[Bostock and Riley, 6:22-3).
name of "Saturn's blood." (Pliny 29.19
[Bostock and Riley, 5:394])
32. brains of a bear-"The people of Spain have a
It seems to me that this was a dried ink used to draft belief, that there is some kind of magical poison in
petitions and write charms. Perhaps bloods in gener- the brain of the bear, and therefore bum the heads of
al were used magically in this way. those that have been killed in their public games; for
it is averred, that the brain, when mixed with drink,
27 . tick- produces in man the rage of the bear" (Pliny 8.54
[Bostock and Riley, 2:307]). This appears to be the
According to these authorities [the Magi], a
vestige of some bear cult similar to that of northern
tick from a dog's left ear, worn as an amulet,
Europe, where warriors believed they could trans-
will allay all kinds of pains. They presage,
form themselves into bears. They were called
too, from it on matters of life and death; for
berserkir, dressed in bear skins, and were subject to
if the patient, they say, gives an answer to a
fits of violent rage. These might be voluntary or
person who has a tick about him, and, stand-
involuntary.
ing at the foot of the bed, asks how he is, it
is an infallible sign that he will survive; No sword would wound them, no fire could
while, on the other hand, if he makes no bum them, a club alone could destroy them,
answer, he will be sure to die. They add, by breaking their bones, or crushing in their
also, theat the dog from whose left ear the skulls. Their eyes glared as though a flame
tick is taken, must be entirely black. (Pliny burned in the sockets, they ground their
30.24 [Bostock and Riley, 5:449]) teeth, and frothed at the mouth; they
gnawed at their shield rims, and are said to
28. mad-Perhaps this superstition has its origin in have sometimes bitten them through, and as
this passage from Pliny: "These marvellous properties they rushed into conflict they yelped as
of the poison will occasion the less surprise, when we dogs or howled as wolves. (Baring-Gould
remember that, 'a stone bitten by a dog' has become a [1865] 1973,40). Baring-Gould is drawing
proverbial expression for discord and variance" (Pliny from Saxo Grammaticus, bk. 7.
29.32 [Bostock and Riley, 5:406]).
 CHAPTeR 7\.Ull

Of peRfumes, OR suffumlgarlons,
rhelR manneR, and poweR.

ome suffumigations also, or perfumings, spirits forthwith appear in the air, or elsewhere.

S that are proper to the stars, are of great

force for the opportune receiving of
celestial gifts under the rays of the stars,
in as much as they do strongly work upon the
So they say, that if of coriander, smallage, hen-
bane, and hemlock4 be made a fume, that spirits
will presently come together; hence they are
called the spirits' herbs. Also it is said that a
Air, and breath. For our breath is very much fume made of the root of the reedy herb
changed by such kind of vapours, if both vapours sagapen,5 with the juice of hemlock, and hen-
be of another like: the Air also being through the bane, and the herb tapus barbatus,6 red sanders'?
said vapours easily moved, or affected with the and black poppy,8 makes spirits and strange
qualities of inferiors, or celestials, daily, and shapes appear: and if smallage be added to them,
quickly penetrating our breast, and vitals, doth chaseth away spirits from any place, and destroys
wonderfully reduce us to the like qualities; their visions. In like manner a fume made of
wherefore suffumigations are wont to be used by calamint, peony, mints, and palma christi,9 drives
them that are about to soothsay, for to affect their away all evil spirits, and vain imaginations.
fancy, which indeed being appropriated to any Moreover it is said that by certain fumes
certain deities, do fit us to receive divine inspira- certain animals are gathered together, and put to
tion: so they say that fumes made with linseed, 1 flight, as Pliny mentions concerning the stone
and fleabane seed, 2 and roots of violets, and pars- Iiparis,lo that with the fume thereof all beasts
ley, doth make one to foresee things to come, and are called out; so the bones in the upper part of
doth conduce to prophesying. the throat of a hart, being burnt, gather all the
Let no man wonder how great things suffu- serpents together, but the hom of the hart 11
migations can do in the Air, especially when he being burnt doth with its fume chase them all
shall with Porphyrius consider, that by certain away. The same doth a fume of the feathers of
vapours exhaling from proper suffumigations, peacocks. Also the lungs of an ass being burnt,
airy spirits are presently raised, as also thunder- puts all poisonous things to flight; the fume of
ings, and lightnings, and such like things. As the burnt hoof of a horse drives away mice, the
the liver of a chamelion3 being burnt on the top same doth the hoof of a mule, with which also if
of the house, doth, as it is manifest, raise show- it be the hoof of the left foot, flies are driven
ers, and lightnings. In like manner the head, and away; and they say, if a house, or any place be
throat, if they be burnt with oaken wood, cause smoked with the gall of a cuttlefish, 12 made into
storms, and lightnings. a confection with red storax,13 roses, and
There are also suffumigations under oppor- lignum-aloes, and if then there be some sea
tune influences of stars, that make the images of water, or blood cast into that place, the whole

129
130/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

house will seem to be full of water, or blood; them, and shall fall into a phrensy. And Hermes
and if some earth of plowed ground be cast saith, that there is nothing like the fume of sper-
there, the Earth will seem to quake. maceti 14 for the raising of spirits: wherefore if a
Now such kinds of vapours we must con- fume be made of that, and lignum-aloes, pep-
ceive do infect any body, and infuse a virtue perwort,15 musk, saffron, red storax, tempered
into it which doth continue long, even as any together, with the blood of a lapwing, it will
contagious, or poisonous vapour of the pesti- quickly gather airy spirits together, and if it be
lence, being kept for two years in the wall of a used about the graves of the dead, it gathers
house, infects the inhabitants, and as the conta- together spirits, and the ghosts of the dead.
gion of pestilence, or leprosy lying hid in a gar- So, as often as we direct any work to the
ment, doth long after infect him that wears it. Sun, we must make suffumigations with solary
Therefore were certain suffumigations used to things, if to the Moon, with lunary things, and
images, rings, and such like instruments of so of the rest. And we must know, that as there
magic, and hid treasures, and as Porphyrius is a contrarity and enmity in stars, and spirits, so
saith, very effectually. also in suffumigations unto the same. So there
So they say, if anyone shall hide gold, or is a contrarity betwixt lignum-aloes, and sul-
silver, or any other precious thing, the Moon phur, frankincense, and quicksilver, and spirits
being in conjunction with the Sun, and shall that are raised by the fume of lignum-aloes, are
fume the place with coriander, saffron, henbane, allayed by the burning of sulphur. As Proclus l 6
smallage, and black poppy, of each a like quan- gives an example in a spirit, which was wont to
tity, bruised together, and tempered with the appear in the form of a lion, but by the setting of
juice of hemlock, that which is so hid shall a cock before it, vanished away, because there
never be found, or taken away, and that spirits is a contrarity betwixt a cock, and a lion; and so
shall continually keep it: and if anyone shall the like consideration, and practice is to be
endeavour to take it away, he shall be hurt by observed concerning such like things.

No<:cs-Chap<:CR 7\.1l1l
1. linseed-Seed of flax (Linum usitatissimum) used Medieval monks and nuns may have used it to
to make linseed oil. reduce sexual desire by smearing its juice on their
genitals.
2. fleabane seed-Fleabane (Pulicaria dysenterica)
is a plant growing in wet places, just over a foot high, 5. sagapen-Sagapenum, or giant fennel (Ferula
with yellow flowers that smell of soap. It was said to persica), a plant native to southern Europe. The gum
repel fleas and was used to treat dysentery. The Latin resin, called gum sagapenum, came in fine tears,
Opera gives "psyllii," or psyllium, which is a differ- transparent with a yellow exterior, and was used to
ent plant (Plantago afra) with a similar power over treat head cold.
fleas. The Book of Secrets treats the two as one
("Marvels of the World" 75 [Best and Brightman, 6. tapus barbatus-Tapsus barbatus, the great
109]), but Turner distinguishes them and calls the mullein (Verbascum thapsus). The poet Lucan men-
latter herb fleawort. tions this herb in a fumigation against serpents:
And these [Psylli) , then following the
3 liver of a chamelion-See note II, ch. XIII, bk. I. Roman standards, as soon as the general
[Cato) ordered the tents to be pitched, in
4. hemlock-Common hemlock (Conium macula- the first place, purged the sands which the
tum), a large plant from two to seven feet tall with compass of the trenches enclosed, with
small white flowers, finely divided leaves, and a charms and words that put the snakes to
smooth stem spotted with purple. A powerful poison, flight. A fire made with drugs surrounds
it was reputedly used in the execution of the Greek the extremity of the camp. Here does wall-
philosopher Socrates. It was sacred to Hecate and an wort crackle, and foreign galbanum steam,
ingredient in the flying ointment of witches. and tamarisk rejoicing in no foliage, and
 Of Perfumes, or Suffumigations / 131

eastern costus, and pungent all-heal, and stated [8.50]; but the bones, it is said, of the upper
Thessalian centaury; and sulphur-wort part of a stag 's throat, if burnt upon a fire, will bring
resounds in the flames, and the thapsus of those reptiles together" (Pliny 28.42 [Bostock and
Eryx. Larch-trees, too, they bum, and the Riley, 5:329]). The magical rationale of this last, is
southern-wood, with its smoke stifling to that since the hart eats snakes (though of course it
serpents, and the horns of stags bred afar. does not), the bones of its throat is where they will
(Pharsalia 9, c. line 911 [Riley, 375]) naturally accrue.
Eryx is an island just off Sicily.
12. cuttlefish-A sea mollusk (Sepia officinalis)
about two feet long, similar to the squid, with ten
7. red sanders-Red sandalwood, or rubywood (Pte-
arms. It ejects black ink when in danger, and has a
rocarpus santalinus), used in dying cloth and as an
hard inner shell that was used by goldsmiths for cast-
astringent and tonic. It is a tree about 60 feet tall that
ing precious metals and as a polishing powder. The
grows in India and Sri Lanka. The heartwood is deep
powdered bone was also taken internally for excess
red, veined, and so heavy that it sinks in water, but
stomach acid. Also called the ink fish.
has no appreciable scent.
13. red storax-Name applied to storax-in-the-Iump,
8. black poppy-A variety of the opium poppy
as opposed to storax-in-the-tear.
(Papa ver somniferum) distinguished by its purple
flowers and dark seeds, which when pressed yield an
14. spermaceti-A fatty white substance found in the
edible oil (Oleum papaveris). The milky juice is
head of the sperm whale, once commonly applied to
strongly narcotic, the source of opium.
treat bruises.
9. palma christi-Also called palmchrist, because its
15 . pepperwort-Species of cress (Lepidium lati-
leaves are like the human hand: the castor oil plant
folium) . sometimes called dittany, although Turner
(Ricinus communis).
says this is an error. It is almost like pepper in taste,
and grows in wet places near the sea.
1O.liparis-See note 14, ch. XIII, bk. I.
16. Proc/us-See note 25 , ch. XVIII, bk. I.
I I. horn of the hart-'The fumes of their horns,
while burning, will drive away serpents, as already
 CHAPTeR ALlV

The composirions of some

fumes appRopRiared ro rhe planers.

e make a suffumigation for the For Mercury take mastic, frankincense,

W Sun in this manner, viz. of saf-

fron, ambergris, musk, lignum-
aloes, lignum-balsam,1 the fruit
of the laurel,2 cloves, myrrh, and frankincense,
cloves, and the herb cinquefoil, and the stone
achates, and incorporate them all with the brain
of a fox , or weasel, and the blood of a pie.
Besides, to Saturn are appropriated for
all which being bruised, and mixed in such a fumes all odoriferous roots, as pepperwort root,
proportion as may make a sweet odour, must be etc. and the frankincense tree: 9 to Jupiter odor-
incorporated with the brain of an eagle, or the iferous fruits, as nutmegs, cloves: to Mars all
blood of a white cock, after the manner of pills, odoriferous wood, as sanders, cypress, lignum-
or trochisks. 3 balsam, and lignum-aloes: to the Sun, all gums,
For the Moon we make a suffumigation of frankincense, mastic, benjamin, storax, lau-
the head of a frog dried, the eyes of a bull, the danum,lo ambergris, and musk: to Venus flow-
seed of white poppy,4 frankincense, and cam- ers, as roses, violets, saffron, and such like: to
phor,5 which must be incorporated with men- Mercury all the peels of wood and fruit , as cin-
struous blood, or the blood of a goose. namon, lignum-cassia, II mace, citron peel, and
For Saturn take the seed of black poppy, of bayberries, and whatsoever seeds are odorifer-
henbane, the root of mandrake, the loadstone, ous: to the Moon the leaves of all vegetables, as
and myrrh, and make them up with the brain of the leaf Indum, 12 the leaves of the myrtle, 13 and
a cat, or the blood of a bat. bay tree.
For Jupiter take the seed of ash,6 lignum- Know also, that according to the opinion of
aloes, storax, the gum benjamin,7 the lazule the magicians, in every good matter, as love,
stone, the tops of the feathers of a peacock, and goodwill, and the like, there must I;>e a good
incorporate them with the blood of a stork, or a fume, odoriferous, and precious; and in every
swallow, or the brain of a hart. evil matter, as hatred, anger, misery, and the
For Mars take euphorbium, bdellium,8 gum like, there must be a stinking fume, that is of no
armoniac, the roots of both hellebores, the load- worth.
stone, and a little sulphur, and incorporate them The twelve signs also of the Zodiac have
all with the brain of a hart, the blood of a man, their proper fumes, as Aries hath myrrh; Taurus,
and the blood of a black cat. pepperwort; Gemini, mastic; Cancer, camphor;
For Venus take musk, ambergris, lignum- Leo, frankincense; Virgo, sanders; Libra, gal-
aloes, red roses, and red coral, and make them banum; 14 Scorpio, opoponax; 15 Sagittarius,
up with the brain of sparrows, and the blood of lignum-aloes; Capricorn us, benjamin; Aquar-
pigeons. ius, euphorbium; Pisces, red storax.

132
 The Compositions of Some Fumes Appropriated to the Planets / 133

But Hermes describes the most powerful pepperwort, from Jupiter, nutmeg, from Mars,
fume to be, viz. that which is compounded of lignum-aloes, from the Sun, mastic, from
the seven aromatics, according to the powers of Venus, saffron, from Mercury, cinnamon, and
the seven planets, for it receives from Saturn, from the Moon, the myrtle.

NOLes-ChapLeR AL1V
I. lignum-balsam-probably the wood of Liquad- and bytter" (Trevisa Bartholomeus de Proprietatibus
ambar orientalis, which grows in the eastern Rerum [1398], quoted from OED , "bdellium").
Mediterranean, from which liquid storax is supposed
to have been extracted. But perhaps the wood of the 9. frankincense tree-The frankincense of the
tree from which the balm of Gilead was extracted, Hebrews, Greeks and Romans is believed .to be
thought to be Balsamodendron gileadense, a small olibanum, of the tree Boswellia serrata, a large tim-
tree growing in Arabia and Abyssinia; or by some, ber tree with pinnate leaves and small pink flowers
the tree Commiphora opobalsamum. that grows in India.

2. fruit of the laurel-The sweet bay tree (Law'us 10. laudanum-Gum laudanum is not to be confused
nobilis) bears a bluish-black oval berry half an inch with the laudanum of Paracelsus, which was a med-
long that is bitter and astringent, but agreeably aro- ical preparation containing, among other things,
matic. opium . The name now refers to the alcoholic tincture
of opium, but this was unknown in Agrippa's time.
3. trochisks-A medicated lozenge or tablet.
II. Lignum-cassia--Cassia bark, or China cinna-
4. white poppy-Variety of the opium poppy with mon, an inferior kind of cinnamon that is thicker,
light-colored seeds, as opposed to the black poppy, coarser and less delicate in flavor than true cinna-
the seeds of which are dark. There is no narcotic in mon. It comes from the Cinnamomum cassia , a tree
the seeds, which are harvested and pressed for their native to China.
edible oil.
12. leaf Indum-Indian leaf, an aromatic leaf of the
5. camphor-A white, solid, strong-smelling essen- species Cinnamomum malabathrum of the East
tial oil extract of the camphor laurel (Camphora Indies. Also called Malabar leaf.
of!icinarum) , a large tree growing in China, Japan,
and Formosa. Camphor is flammable, burning with a 13 . myrtle-The common myrtle (Myrtus communis)
white smoke, lighter than water, and highly noxious is a shrub native to southern Europe with shiny ever-
to insects. It was thought to diminish sexual desire. green leaves and sweet-scented flowers . It was
sacred to Venus and an emblem of love.
6. seed of ash-Seed of the Fraxinus excelsior, called
an "ash key" because of its peculiar winged shape. 14. galbanum-Gum resin of the Ferula galbaniflua
of Iran. It occurs in irregular lumps of light brown,
7. gum benjamin-Gum benzoin, extracted from the yellowish, or greenish yellow, and occasionally
benjamin tree (Styrax benzoin) . Called the "frankin- tears, and has a musky odor and bitter taste. Moses
cense of Jawa" (i.e., Sumatra) by Ibn Batuta around mentions it (Exodus 30:34) as a sweet spice used for
1350. A dry, brittle resinous substance with a fra- perfume for the tabernacle, employing the word chel-
grant odor and aromatic taste. benah, translated "galbanum" in the English Bible.

8. bdellium-Gum resin similar to myrrh, but weaker 15. opoponax-Fetid gum resin from the root of
and more acrid, with a pungent taste and agreeable Opoponax chironium , a plant like a parsnip with yel-
odor. It was extracted from the Balsamodendron rox- low flowers, native to southern Europe. Obtained by
burghii in India and the B. africanum in Senegal. pricking the root, the gum is yellow outside and
Egyptian bdellium comes from the doom palm white within. It was held in high regard as an anti-
(Hyphaene thebaica). "Bidellium is ... a blacke tre spasmodic by the ancients, and was described by
moost lyke to the Oliue and the gumme therof is bryght Hippocrates, Theophrastus and Dioscorides.
 CHAPTeR ALV

Of collYRies, unccions,
love medicines, and 'LhelR viR'Lues.

m oreover collyries, I and un-

guents2 conveying the virtues of
things natural, and celestial to
our spirit, can multiply, trans-
mute, transfigure, and transform it accordingly, as
also transpose those virtues which are in them
fastening in us the marks of things more acutely,
and deeply, doth most of all, and before others
agree with the phantastic spirit, as is apparent in
dreams, when things seen do more often present
themselves to us than things heard, or any thing
coming under the other senses.
into it, that so it cannot act only upon its own Therefore when collyries transform visual
body, but also upon that which is near it, and spirits, that spirit doth easily affect the imagina-
affect that by visible rays, charms, and by touch- tion, which indeed being affected with divers
ing it, with some like quality. For because our species, and forms , transmits the same by the
spirit is the subtle, pure, lucid, airy, and unctuous same spirit unto the outward sense of sight, by
vapour of the blood; it is therefore fit to make col- which occasion there is caused in it a perception
Iyries of the like vapours, which are more suitable of such species, and forms in that manner; as if
to our spirit in substance, for then by reason of it were moved by external objects, that there
their likeness, they do the more stir up, attract, seem to be seen terrible images, and spirits, and
and transform the spirit. The like virtues have cer- such like: so there are made collyries,4 making
tain ointments, and other confections. us forthwith to see the images of spirits in the
Hence by the touch sometimes sickness, air, or elsewhere, as I know how to make of the
poisonings , and love is induced; some things, as gall of a man, and the eyes of a black cat, and of
the hands, or garments being annointed: also by some other things. The like is made also of the
kisses, some things being held in the mouth, blood of a lapwing, of a bat, and of a goat, and
love is induced, as in Virgil we read that Venus they say, if a smooth shining piece of steelS be
prays Cupid:3 smeared over with the juice of mugwort, and
made to fume, it will make invocated spirits to
That when glad Dido hugs him in her lap be seen in it.
At royal feasts, crowned with the cheering So also there are some suffumigations, or
grape,
unctions, which make men speak in their sleep,
When she embracing, shall sweet kisses
give, to walk, and to do those things which are done
Inspire hid flame, with deadly bane deceive, by men that are awake, and sometimes to do
Hewould--- those things, which men that are awake cannot,
or dare not do. Some there are that make us to
Now the sight, because it perceives more hear horrid, or delectable sounds, and such like.
purely, and clearly than the other senses, and And this is the cause why maniacal , and melan-

134
 OfCollyries, Unctions, Love Medicines, and Their Virtues /135

choly men believe they see, and hear those transfigured into divers forms, as the poet6 relates
things without, which their imagination doth of Proteus ,7 Periclimenus,8 Achelous,9 and
only fancy within, hence they fear things not to Merra ,lO the daughter of Erisichthon : so also
be feared , and fall into wonderful, and most Circe" changed the companions of Ulysses , and
false suspicions, and fly when none pursueth of old in the sacrifices of Jupiter Lycaeus, '2 the
them, are angry, and contend, nobody being men that tasted of the inwards of the sacrifices,
present, and fear where no fear is. were turned into wolves, which Pliny saith, befell
Such like passions also can magical con- a certain man called Demarchus.'3 The same
fections induce, by suffumigations, by collyries, opinion was Austin of: for he saith, whilst he was
by unguents, by potions, by poisons, by lamps, in Italy, he hel).fd of some women that by giving
and lights, by looking glasses, by images, sorceries in cheese to travelers, turned them into
enchantments, charms, sounds, and music. Also working cattle, and when they had ·done such
by divers rites, observations, ceremonies, reli- work as they would have them, turned them into
gions, and superstitions; all which shall be han- men again, and that this befell a certain Father
dled in their places. called Prestantius.'4 The Scriptures themselves
And not only by these kind of arts, passions, testify that Pharaoh 's sorcerers turned their rods
apparitions, and images are induced, but also into serpents,'S and water into blood,'6 and did
things themselves, which are really changed, and such like things.

NOLes-ChapLeR XLV
I. col/yries-Salve , drops, or other treatment applied 7. Proteus-
to the eyes.
There are some whose privilege it is to
pass into many shapes, as thou, Proteus,
2. unguents-Ointment rubbed on the body.
inhabitant of the sea that embraces the
earth. The people have seen thee one while
3. Venus prays Cupid-Following the request of his
a young man, and again a lion; at one time
mother, Venus , Cupid puts on the appearance of
thou wast a furious boar, at another a ser-
Ascanius, the son of Aeneas, to cause Queen Dido
pent, which they dreaded to touch; and
to fall in love with Aeneas. He " breathes secret
sometimes, horns rendered thee a bull. Oft-
fire" filled with " love 's poi so n" into her when they
times thou mightest be seen as a stone;
kiss, but there is no suggestion that he is holding
often, too, as a tree. Sometimes imitating
anything in his mouth at the time . See the Aeneid I ,
the appearance of flowing water, thou wast
c. line 695.
a river; sometimes fire, the very contrary
of water. (Ovid Metamorphoses 8.6, c. line
4. are made col/yries-Such a collyrium is described
730 [Riley, 292-3])
in The Book of Secrets: " If thou wilt see that other
men can not. Take of the gall of a male Cat, and the
8. Periclimenus-
fat of a Hen all white, and mix them together, and
anoint thy eyes, and thou shalt see it that others can .. . but the death ofPericlymenus is wonder-
not see" ("Marvels of the World" 53 [Best and ful ; to whom Neptune, . .. had granted to be
Brightman, 98]). able to assume whatever shapes he might
choose, and again, when assumed, to lay
5. piece of stee/-Agrippa does not say, but this them aside. He, after he had in vain been
would likely be the blade of a sword, anointed and turned into all other shapes, was turned into
heated in an open flame , acting as a magic mirror to the form of the bird that is wont to carry the
reflect the spirits which are present, but invisible to lightnings in his crooked talons [eagle] ...
the naked eye. Evil spirits like to conceal themselves The Tirynthian hero [Hercules] aims at him
from their evocator so that when he or she steps out his bow, too unerringly, and hits him
of the magic circle, they can work mischief. (ibid. 12.5, c. line 554 [Riley, 435])

6. the Poet-Applied to Ovid. 9. Ache/ous-He wrestled with Hercules, first in his

own form, then as a serpent, and lastly as a bull,
136/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

Werewolf
from Die Emeis by Johann Geiler von Kaysersberg (Strassburg, 1517)

whereupon Hercules tore out one of his horns and today still call oatmeals, but Lykaon
defeated him (ibid. 9.1, c. line 20 [Riley 301-3]). brought a human child to the altar of Lyka-
ian Zeus, slaughtered it and poured its
10. Merra-As punishment for cutting down a blood on the altar, and they say at that sac-
sacred oak, her father, Erisicthon, is cursed with insa- rifice he was suddenly turned into a wolf.
tiable hunger, to appease which he sells his daughter (Pausanias Guide to Greece 8.2.3 [Levi,
into slavery. She appeals to Neptune, who gives her 2:372])
the power to transform herself, and so escapes in the
form of a man. Her father sells her again and again, For example, they say that after Lykaon
but each time she escapes, "sometimes as a mare, someone was always turned into a wolf at
sometimes as a bird, now as a cow, now as a stag ... " the sacrifice of Lykaian Zeus, but not for
(ibid. 8.7, c. line 870 [Riley, 298]). his whole life, because if he kept off
human meat when he was a wolf he turned
II. Circe-Ibid. 14.5, c. line 276 [Riley, 493]). back into a man after nine years, though if
he tasted man he stayed a wild beast for
12. Jupiter Lycaeus-For the sacrilege of attempting ever. (ibid. sec. 6 [Levi, 2:373])
to trick Jupiter into consuming human flesh, Lycaon,
king of Arcadia, is transformed into a wolf: "His gar- 13. Demarchus-
ments are changed into hair, his arms into legs; he Euanthes [or Evanthes], a Grecian author
becomes a wolf, and he still retains vestiges of his of no mean reputation, informs us that the
ancient form. His hoariness is still the same, the same Arcadians assert that a member of the fam-
violence appears in his features; his eyes are bright as ily of one Anthus is chosen by lot, and then
before; he is still the same image of ferocity." (ibid. taken to a certain lake in that district,
1.7, c. line 234 [Riley, 17]). where, after suspending his clothes on an
Kekrops first named Zeus the Supreme, oak, he swims across the water and goes
and decided to offer him no slaughtered away into the desert, where he is changed
sacrifices but to incinerate on the altar into a wolf and associates with other ani-
those local honey-cakes the Athenians mals of the same species for a space of
 Of Collyries, Unctions, Love Medicines, and Their Virtues / 137

nine years. If he has kept himself from dwell in Scythia say, that every Neurian
beholding a man during the whole of that once a year becomes a wolf for a few days,
time, he returns to the same lake, and, after at the end of which time he is restored to
swimming across it, resumes his original his proper shape. (History bk. 4 [Rawlin-
form, only with the addition of nine years son, 236])
in age to his former appearance. To this
Fabius adds, that he takes his former 14. Prestantius-
clothes as well. ... So too, Agriopas [or
For one Prestantius told me that his father
Apollas], who wrote the OIympionics
took that drug in cheese at his own house,
[Olympic victors], informs us that
whereupon he lay in such a sleep that no
Demaenetus, the Parrhesian, during a sacri-
man could awake him: and after a few days
fice of human victims, which the Arcadi-
he awoke of himself and told all he had
ans were offering up to the Lucaean
suffered in his dreams in the meanwhile;
Jupiter, tasted the entrails of a boy who had
how he had been turned into a horse and
been slaughtered; upon which he was
carried the soldier's victuals about in a
turned into a wolf, but, ten years after-
sack. This had truly happened as he
wards, was restored to his original shape
recorded it, yet seemed it but a dream unto
and his calling of an athlete, and returned
him. (Augustine City of God 18.18 [Healey
victorious in the pugilistic contests at the
2: 192])
Olympic games. (Pliny 8.34 [Bostock and
Riley, 2:283--4])
IS. rods into serpents-Exodus 7:12 .
Such transformations were not confined to Arcadia.
Of werewolves Herodotus writes: 16. water into blood-Exodus 7:22 .
It seems that those people are conjurers; for
both the Scythians and the Greeks who
 CHAPTeR 7\.LVl

Of naruRal alllgarions, and suspensions.

hen the Soul of the World, by its off with a long pole, doth presently stupify the

W virtue doth make all things that are

naturally generated, or artificially
made, fruitful, by infusing into
them celestial properties for the working of some
hand of him that toucheth it. And if any shall
touch the sea hareS with his hand or stick, doth
presently run out of his wits. Also if the fish
called stella, as they say, be fastened with the
wonderful effects, then things themselves not blood of a fox and a brass nail to a gate, evil
only applied by suffumigations, or collyries, or medicines can do no hurt. Also it is said, that if
ointments, or potions, or any other such like way, a woman take a needle and beray it with dung,
but also when they being conveniently wrapped and then wrap it up in earth, in which the car-
up, are bound to, or hanged about the neck, or cass of a man was buried, and shall carry it
any other way applied, although by never so easy about her in a cloth which was used at the
a contact, do impress their virtue upon us. funeral, that no man shall be able to lie with
By these alligations I therefore, suspen- her6 as long as she hath it about her. Now by
sions,2 wrappings up, applications, and contacts these examples we see, how by certain alliga-
the accidents 3 of the body, and mind are tions of certain things, as also suspensions, or
changed into sickness, health, boldness, fear, by a simple contact, or the continuation of any
sadness, and joy, and the like: they render them thread, we may be able to receive some virtues
that carry them gracious or terrible, acceptable, thereby.
or rejected, honoured and beloved, or hateful It is necessary that we know the certain rule
and abominable. of alligation, and suspension, and the manner
Now these kind of passions are conceived which the Art requires, viz. that they be done
to be by the abovesaid, infused no otherwise, under a certain, and suitable constellation, and
than is manifest in the grafting of trees, where that they be done with wire, or silken threads ,
the vital virtue is sent, and communicated from with hair, or sinews of certain animals. 7 And
the trunk to the twig grafted into it, by way of things that are to be wrapped up must be done
contact and alligation; so in the female palm in the leaves of herbs, or the skins of animals, or
tree, when she comes near to the male, her fine cloths, and the like, according to the suit-
boughs bend to the male, and are bowed: which ableness of things: as if you would procure the
the gardeners seeing, bind ropes from the male solary virtue of anything, this being wrapped up
to the female, which becomes straight again, as in bay leaves, or the skin of a lion, hang it about
if it had by this continuation of the rope thy neck with a golden thread, or a silken thread
received the virtue of the male. In like manner of a yellow colour, whilst the Sun rules in the
we see, that the crampfish 4 being touched afar heaven: so thou shalt be endued with the solary

138
 Of Natural Alligations, and Suspensions / 139

virtue of anything. But if thou dost desire the used at a funeral, especially if thou desirest it
virtue of any saturnine thing, thou shalt in like for sadness, and with a black thread hang it
manner take that thing whilst Saturn reigns, and about thy neck. In like manner we must con-
wrap it up in the skin of an ass, or in a cloth ceive of the rest.

NOl:"es-Chapl:"eR l\LVl
I. alligations-Physical conjunction or contact. 5. sea hare-A mollusk (Aplysia depi/ans) with four
tentacles and an oval body. Pliny called this lepus
2. suspensions-Things hung; in this case, on the marinus, probably because of the resemblance of
body. two skinny lobes on the mollusk to the ears of a
hare, and thought it was venomous. This belief has
3. accidents-Causal appearances or effects; phe- no foundation.
nomena.
6. lie with her-Perhaps the smell had more to do
4. crampfish-Electric ray, or torpedo (TOIpedo vul- with the effectiveness of this charm than any occult
garis), a kind of ray that grows up to 100 pounds in virtue.
weight and has the ability to send forth an electrical
shock when touched. It is common to the Mediter- 7. certain animals-These are ail magical conductors.
ranean and is also known as the cramp ray and
numb-fi sh.
 CHAPTeR X.LVll

Of Rings, and rheiR composirions.

ings also, which were always much lonius, of which he wore every day one, distin-

R esteemed of by the ancients, when they

are opportunely made, do in like man-
ner impress their virtue upon us, in as
much as they do affect the spirit of him that car-
guishing them according to the names of the
days, I by the benefit of which he lived above
one hundred and thirty years, as also always
retained the beauty of his youth.
ries them with gladness or sadness, and render In like manner Moses the lawgiver, and
him courteous, or terrible, bold, or fearful, ami- ruler of the Hebrews, being skilled in the Egypt-
able, or hateful; in as much also as they do for- ian magic, is said by Josephus to have made
tify us against sickness, poisons, enemies, evil rings of love and oblivion. There was also, as
spirits, and all manner of hurtful things, or at saith Aristotle, amongst the Cireneans a ring of
least will not suffer us to be kept under them. Battus, which could procure love and honour.
Now the manner of making these kinds of We read also that Eudamus a certain philoso-
rings, is this, viz. when any star ascends fortu- pher made rings against the bites of serpents,
nately, with the fortunate aspect, or conjunction bewitchings, and evil spirits. The same doth
of the Moon, we must take a stone, and herb that Josephus relate of Solomon. 2
is under that star, and make a ring of the metal Also we read in Plato that Gygus,3King of
that is suitable to this star, and in it fasten the Lydia had a ring of wonderful , and strange
stone, putting the herb, or root under it; not virtues, the seal of which, when he turned
omitting the inscriptions of images, names, and toward the palm of his hand, nobody could see
characters, as also the proper suffumigations, but him, but he could see all things: by the oppor-
we shall speak more of these in another place, tunity of which ring he ravished the Queen,
when we shall treat of images, and characters. and slew the King his master, and killed
So we read in Philostratus that Jarchus , a whomsoever he thought stood in his way, and
wise prince of the Indians bestowed seven rings in these villainies nobody could see him, and
made after this manner, marked with the at length by the benefit of this ring he became
virtues, and names of the seven planets to Apol- king of Lydia.

NOLcs-ChapLCR 7\.LVll
I. names of the days-"Damis also says that Iarchus nius used to wear each of them on its own day of the
gave to Apollonius seven rings, engraved respectively week" (Philostratus Life and Times of Apollonius of
with the names of the seven planets, and that Apollo- Tyana 3.41 [Eells, 86]).

140
 Of Rings, and Their Compositions / 141

Gnostic Ring
from Rings for the Finger by George Frederick Kunz (Philadelphia, 1917)

2. of Solomon- 3. Gygus-Gyges.
I have seen a certain man of my own coun- They relate that he was a shepherd in the
try whose name was Eleazar, releasing service of the ruler at that time of Lydia,
people that were demoniacal in the pres- and that after a great deluge of rain and an
ence of Vespasian, and his sons, and his earthquake the ground opened and a chasm
captains, and the whole multitude of his appeared in the place where he was pastur-
soldiers. The manner of the cure was ing, and they say that he saw and wondered
this:-He put a ring that had a root of one and went down into the chasm. And the
of those sorts mentioned by Solomon to the story goes that he beheld other marvels
nostrils of the demoniac, after which he there and a hollow bronze horse with little
drew out the demon through his nostrils; doors, and that he peeped in and saw a
and when the man fell down immediately, corpse within, as it seemed, of more than
he abjured him to return into him no more, mortal stature, and tbat there was nothing
making still mention of Solomon, and else but a gold ring on its hand, which he
reciting the incantations which he com- took off, and so went forth. And when the
posed. And when Eleazar would persuade shepherds held their customary assembly
and demonstrate to the spectators that he to make their monthly report to the king
had such a power, he set a little way off a about the flocks, he also attended, wearing
cup or basin full of water, and commanded the ring. So as he sat there it chanced that
the demon as he went out of the man to he turned the collet of the ring toward him-
overturn it, and thereby to let the spectators self, toward the inner part of his hand, and
know that he had left the man; and when when this took place they say that he
this was done, the skill and wisdom of became invisible to those who sat by him
Solomon was shown very manifestly .. . and they spoke of him as absent, and that
(Josephus Antiquities of the Jews 8.2.5 he was amazed, and again fumbling with
[Whiston, 194)) the ring turned the collet outward and so
142 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

Ring of Gyges

became visible. On noting this he experi- one of the messengers who went up to the
mented with the ring to see if it possessed king, and on coming there he seduced the
this virtue, and he found the result to be king ' s wife and with her aid set upon the
that when he turned the collet inward he king and slew him and possessed his king-
became invisible, and when outward visi- dom. (Plato Republic 2.359d-360b [Hamil-
ble, and becoming aware of this, he imme- ton and Cairns, 607])
diately managed things so that he became
 CHAPTeR 7\.LVlll

Of rhe V1Rrue of places, and

whar places aRe sUlrable ro eveRY sraR.

here be wonderful virtues of places that any herb gathered out of the brooks or

T accompanying them, either from

things there placed, or the influences
of the stars, or any other way. For as
Pliny relates of a cuckoo, I in what place anyone
rivers before Sun rising, that nobody see him
that gathers it, shall cure the tertian, if it be
bound to the left arm, the sick party not know-
ing what is done.
doth first hear him, if his right foot be marked But amongst places that are appropriated to
about, and that footstep digged up, there will no the stars, all stinking places, dark, underground,
fleas be bred in that place where it is scattered. religious, and mournful places, as churchyards,
So they say that the dust of the track of a snake 2 tombs, and houses not inhabited by men, and
being gathered up, and scattered amongst bees, old, tottering, obscure, dreadful houses, and
makes them return to their hives. So also that solitary dens, caves, and pits, also fishponds,
the dust, in which a mule 3 hath rolled himself, standing pools, fens, and such like are appropri-
being cast upon the body, doth mitigate the ated to Saturn.
heats of love, and that the dust wherein a hawk4 Unto Jupiter are ascribed all privileged
hath rolled herself, if it be bound to the body in places, consistories 8 of noble men, tribunals,
a bright red cloth, cures the quartan. chairs, places for exercises, schools, and all
So doth the stone taken out of the nest of a beautiful, and clean places, scattered, or sprin-
swallow,5 as they say, presently relieve those kled with divers odours.
that have the falling sickness, and being bound To Mars, fiery, and bloody places, furnaces,
to the party, continually preserve them, espe- bakehouses, shambles, places of execution, and
cially if it be rolled in the blood, or heart of a places where there have been great battles
swallow. And it is reported, that if anyone hav- fought, and slaughters made, and the like.
ing cut a vein, and being fasting, shall go over a To the Sun, light places, the serene air,
place where anyone lately fell with the fit of a kings ' palaces, and princes' courts, pulpits, the-
falling sickness, that he shall fall into the same aters, thrones, and all kingly, and magnificent
disease. And Pliny reports, that to fasten an iron places.
nail 6 in that place where he that fell with a fit of To Venus, pleasant fountains, green mead-
the falling sickness first pitched his head, will ows, flourishing gardens, garnished beds,
free him from his disease. stews9 (and according to Orpheus) the sea, the
So they say that an herb growing upon the seashore, baths, dancing places, and all places
head 7 of any image, being gathered, and bound belonging to women.
up in some part of one's garment with a red To Mercury, shops, schools, warehouses,
thread, shall presently allay the headache; and an exchange for merchants, and the like.

143
144 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

To the Moon, wildernesses, woods, rocks, this matter. Hence they that are to gather a sat-
hills, mountains, forests, fountains , waters, urnine, martial, or jovial herb, must look
rivers, seas, seashores, ships, groves, highways, towards the east, or south, partly because they
and granaries for com, and such like. desire to be orienta1'° from the Sun, and partly,
Upon this account they that endeavor to because their principal houses, viz. Aquarius,
procure love, are wont to bury for a certain time Scorpius, Sagittarius are southern signs, so also
the instruments of their art, whether they be are Capricornus, and Pisces. But they that will
rings, images, looking glasses, or any other, to gather a venereal, mercurial, or lunary herb,
hide them in a stewhouse, because in that place must look towards the west, because they
they will contract some venereal faculty, no delight to be western, or else they must look
otherwise than things that stand in stinking northward, because their principal houses, viz.
places, become stinking, and those in an aro- Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Virgo are northern
matical place, become aromatical, and of a signs. So in any solary work we must look
sweet savour. toward the east, or south, but rather towards the
The four comers of the Earth also pertain to solary body, and light.

NOLcs-ChapLCR 7\.LVlll
I . of a cuckoo-"There is another marvellous fact 6. iron nail-"To thrust an iron nail into the spot
also mentioned, with reference to the cuckoo: if, where a person's head lay at the moment he was
upon the spot where a person hears this bird for the seized with a fit of epilepsy, is said to have the effect
first time, he traces round the space occupied by his of curing him of that disease" (Pliny 28.17 [Bostock
right foot and then digs up the earth, it will effectu- and Riley, 5:299)).
ally prevent fleas from breeding, wherever it is
thrown" (Pliny 30.25 [Bostock and Riley, 5:450)). 7. upon the head-Cicero mentions this herb as an
evil omen: "Many other signs, at this time, announced
2. track of a snake-"The dust gathered from the to the Spartans the calamities of the battle of Leuctra;
track of a snake, sprinkled among bees, will make for, at Delphi, on the head of the statue of Lysander,
them return to the hive" (Pliny 30.53 [Bostock and who was the most famous of the Lacedaemonians,
Riley, 5:469-70)). there suddenly appeared a garland of wild prickly
herbs" (De divinatione 1.34. In The Treatises ofM. T.
3. a mule-"The dust in which a she-mule has wal- Cicero, trans. C. D. Yonge [London: Bell and Daldy,
lowed, sprinkled upon the body, will allay the flames 1872], 176). He goes on to say that such plants grow
of desire" (ibid., 469). from seeds deposited by birds (2.32).

4. a hawk-" .. . the dust, for instance, in which a 8. consistories-Council chambers.

hawk has bathed itself, tied up in a linen cloth, with
a red thread, and attached to the body [is good 9 stews-Brothels. Ancient bath houses, called
against quartans] ... " (Pliny 30.30 [Bostock and "stews," were often used for prostitution.
Riley, 5:453-4)).
10. oriental-"To be Orientall is no other thing than
5. nest of a swallow-"Nay, even more than this, a to rise before the Sun" (W. Lilly, Christian Astrol-
small stone taken from a swallow's nest will relieve ogy (1647), ch. 19, p. 114, quoted from OED , "ori-
the patient the moment it is applied, they say; worn, ental"). Thus the herb is to be gathered at the
too, as an amulet, it will always act as a preservative moment of sunrise.
against the malady"(Pliny 30.27 [Bostock and Riley,
5:451-2)).
 CHAPTeR ALlA

Of lighL, COlOURS, candles, and

lamps, and LO whaL SLaRS, houses,
and elemenLs seveRal COlOURS aRe ascRibed.

ight also is a quality that partakes much where the beams of it being collected into a nar-

L of form, and is a simple act, and a repre-

sentation of the understanding: it is first
diffused from the mind of God into all
things, but in God the Father, the father of light,
row place, it becomes a dark heat, tormenting,
and scorching, so that all things perceive the
vigour of the light according to their capacity, all
which joining to itself with an enlivening heat,
it is the first true light; then in the Son a beauti- and passing through all things, doth convey its
ful overflowing brightness; and in the Holy qualities, and virtues through all things.
Ghost a burning brightness, exceeding all intel- Therefore magicians forbid the urine of a
ligences, yea, as Dionysius saith, of Seraphims. 1 sick man 3 to be sprinkled in the shadow of a
In angels therefore it is a shining intelli- sick man, or to be uncovered against the Sun or
gence diffused, an abundant joy beyond all the Moon, because the rays of the light pene-
bounds of reason, yet received in divers degrees, trating, bringing suddenly with it the noxious
according to the nature of the intelligence that qualities of the sick bodies, convey them into
receives it. Then it descends into celestial bod- the opposite body, and affect that with a quality
ies, where it becomes a store of life, and an of the same kind. This is the reason why
effectual propagation, even a visible splendor. In enchanters have a care to cover their enchant-
the fire, a certain natural liveliness infused into ments with their shadow. So the civet cat4
it by the heavens. And lastly in men, it is a clear makes all dogs dumb with the very touch of her
discourse of reason, and knowledge of divine shadow.
things, and the whole rational faculty: but this is Also there are made artificially some lights,
manifold, either by reason of the disposition of by lamps, torches, candles, and such like, of
the body, as the Peripatetics will have it, or some certain things, and liquors opportunely
which is more true, by reason of the good plea- chosen, according to the rule of the stars, and
sure 6f him that bestows it, who gives it to composed amongst themselves according to
everyone as he pleaseth. their congruity, which when they be lighted,
From thence it pas seth to the fancy, yet and shine alone, are wont to produce some won-
above the sense, but only imaginable, and thence derful, and celestial effects, which men many
to the sense, but especially to that of the eyes; in times wonder at, as Pliny reports out of Anaxi-
them it becomes a visible clearness, and is laus, of a poison of mares 5 after copulation,
extended to other perspicuous 2 bodies, in which which being lighted in torches, doth mon-
it becomes a colour, and shining beauty, but in strously represent a sight of horse heads: the
dark bodies it is a certain beneficial and genera- like may be done of asses, and flies, which
tive virtue, and penetrates, to the very center, being tempered with wax and lighted, make a

145
146 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY -BOOK I

strange sight of flies: and the skin of a serpent all white, fair, curious, green , ruddy, betwixt
lighted in a lamp, makes serpents appear. saffron, and purple, resemble Venus, Mercury,
And they say when grapes are in their and the Moon.
flower, if anyone shall bind a vial to them full of Moreover amongst the houses of the
oil, and shall let it alone till they be ripe, and heaven,lo the first, and seventh hath white
then the oil be lighted in a lamp, it makes grapes colour: the second, and twelfth green: the third,
to be seen. And so in other fruits. If centory6 be and eleventh saffron: the fourth, and the tenth
mixed with honey, and the blood of a lapwing, red: the fifth, and ninth honey colour: the sixth
and be put in a lamp, they that stand about will and eighth, black.
seem a great deal bigger than they are wont: and The elements II also have their colours, by
if it be lighted in a clear night, the stars will which natural philosophers judge of the com-
seem to be scattered the one from the other. 7 plexion and property of their nature; for an
Such force also is in the ink of the cuttlefish, that earthy colour, caused of coldness, and dryness
it being put into a lamp, makes blackamoors 8 is brown, and black, and manifests black choler,
appear. It is also reported, that a candle made of and a saturnine nature; the blue tending toward
some certain saturnine things, if being lighted, it whiteness, doth denote phlegm: for cold makes
be extinguished in the mouth of a man newly white, moisture and dryness makes black: red-
dead, will afterwards, as oft as it shines alone, dish colour shows blood, but fiery, flaming,
bring great sadness, and fear upon them that burning hot, show choler, which by reason of its
stand about it. Of such like torches, lamps, doth subtilty, and aptness to mix with others, doth
Hermes speak more of, also Plato, and Chyran- cause divers colours more: for if it be mixed
nides, and of the latter writers Albertus in a cer- with blood, and blood be most predominant, it
tain treatise 9 of this particular thing. makes a florid red; if choler predominate, it
Colours also are a kind of lights, which makes a reddish colour; if there be an equal
being mixed with things, are wont to expose mixtion, it makes a sad red. But if adust choler
them to those stars, to which they are agreeable. be mixed with blood, it makes a hempen colour,
And we shall afterwards speak of some colours, and red, if blood predominate, and somewhat
which are the lights of the planets, by which red if choler prevail; but if it be mixed with a
even the natures of fixed stars themselves are melancholy humour, it makes a black colour,
understood, which also may be applied to the but with melancholy, and phlegm together, in
flames of lamps, and candles. But in this place an equal proportion, it makes a hempen colour:
we shall relate how the colours of inferior if phlegm abound, a mud colour, if melancholy,
mixed things are distributed to divers planets. a bluish; but if it be mixed with phlegm alone,
For all colours, black, lucid, earthy, leaden, in an equal proportion, it makes a citrine colour;
brown, have relation to Saturn. Sapphire, and if unequally, a pale, or palish.
airy colours, and those which are always green, Now all colours are more prevalent, when
clear, purple, darkish, golden, mixed with sil- they be in silk, or in metals, or in perspicuous
ver, belong to Jupiter. Red colours, and burning, substances, or precious stones; and in those
fiery , flaming , violet, purple, bloody, and iron things which resemble celestial bodies in
colours, resemble Mars. Golden, saffron, pur- colour, especially in living things.
ple, and bright colours, resemble the Sun. But

Nores-ChapreR XUX
I. Seraphims-The highest of the angelic orders. 3. urine of a sick man-
The adepts in magic expressly forbid a
2. perspicuous-Transparent or translucent. person, when about to make water, to
uncover the body in the face of the sun or
 Of Light, Colours, Candles, and Lamps / 147

moon, or to sprinkle with his urine the World" 63 (Best and Brightman, 103). It does not
shadow of any object whatsoever. Hesiod call for cuttlefish ink, however.
[Works and Days line 727] gives a precept,
recommending persons to make water 9. certain treatise-Probably refers to the "Marvels
against an object standing full before them, of the World," a work appended to The Book of
that no divinity may be offended by their Secrets, which was attributed to Albertus Magnus.
nakedness being uncovered" (Pliny 28. 19
[Bostock and Riley, 5:301]). 10. houses of heaven-The assignment of colors to
the houses of the zodiac shows a bilateral symmetry
4. civet cat-That is, the hyena. around the Aries-Libra axis. This structure is based
on the system of commanding and obeying signs in
5. poison of mares-"Anaxilaus assures us that if the astrology (see note 8, ch. L, bk. II).
liquid which exudes from a mare when covered, is
ignited on the wick of a lamp, it will give out a most 11. elements-These colors refer to skin complex-
marvellous representation of horses' heads; and the ions, based on the direct relationship between the ele-
same with reference to the she-ass" (Pliny 28.49 ments and the bodily humors-see Appendix IV.
[Bostock and Riley, 5:339-40]). This is the second
type of hippomanes-see note 20, ch. XLII, bk. I.
b..Fire: Choler (hot-dry)
A Air: Blood (hot-moist)
V Water: Phlegm (cold-moist)
6. centory-Centaury, named after Chiron the cen-
'9 Earth: Melancholy (cold-dry)
taur, who is said to have discovered its medicinal
properties. The ancients recognized two species, Adust choler seems to be what Burton refers to as a
greater and lesser centaury, thought to be, respec- diseased humor, an aberrant form of choler proper.
tively, yellow centaury (ChLora perfoliata) and com- The attributions have been codified below. "P" indi-
mon centaury (Erythraea centaurea). Probably cates the humor that is predominant.
common centaury is the herb intended by Agrippa.
'9 -brown-black
V -blue-white
7. one from the other-
A --dull red
Witches [i.e. Magi] say this herb hath a b.. -fiery yellow
marvellous virtue, for if it be joined with adust b.. --dull yellow
the blood of a female Lapwing, or Black
Plover, and be put with oil in a lamp, all
b.. + A (P)-florid red
they that compass it about shall believe
b.. (P) + A-reddish
themselves to be witches, so that one shall
b.. + A-sad red
believe of another that his head is in adust b.. + A-hempen
heaven and his feet in the earth. And if the adust b.. + A (P)-red
aforesaid thing be put in the fire when the adust b.. (P) + A-somewhat red
stars shine it shall appear that the !>tars run adust b.. + \7--black
one against another, and fight." (Book of adust b.. + '9+ V-hempen
Secrets 1.13 [Best and Brightman, 13]) adust b.. + '9+ V (P)-mud
adust b.. + '9(P) + V-bluish
8. bLackamoors-A light for causing men to appear adust b.. + V--citrine
to have black faces is given in "Marvels of the adust b.. + V (unequally)-pale, or palish
 CHAPTeR L

Of fascinarlon, and rhe aRr rheReof.

ascination is a binding, which comes rays are joined to rays, and lights to lights, for

F from the spirit of the witch, through the

eyes of him that is bewitched, entering to
his heart.
Now the instrument of fascination is the
then the spirit of the one is joined to the spirit of
the other, and fixeth its sparks: so are strong lig-
ations 3 made, and so most vehement loves are
inflamed with the only rays of the eyes, even
spirit, viz. a certain pure, lucid, subtle vapour, with a certain sudden looking on, as if it were
generated of the purer blood, by the heat of the with a dart, or stroke penetrating the whole
heart. This doth always send forth through the body, whence thell the spirit, and amorous blood
eyes, rays like to itself; those rays being sent being thus wounded, are carried forth upon the
forth, do carry with them a spiritual vapour, and lover, and enchanter, no otherwise than the
that vapour a blood, as it appears in blear, and red blood, and spirit of the vengeance of him that is
eyes, whose rays being sent forth to the eyes of slain, are upon him that slays him. Whence
him that is opposite, and looks upon them, carries Lucretius sang4 concerning those amorous
the vapour of the corrupt blood, together with bewitchings:
itself, by the contagion of which, it doth infect
the eyes of the beholder with the like disease. The body smitten is, but yet the mind
So the eye being opened, and intent upon Is woul1ded with the darts of Cupid blind.
All parts do sympathize in the wound, but
anyone with a strong imagination, doth dart its know
beams, which are the vehiculum of the spirit into The blood appears in that which had the
the eyes of him that is opposite to him, which blow.
tender spirit strikes the eyes of him that is
bewitched, being stirred up from the heart of So great is the power of fascination, espe-
him that strikes, and possesseth the breast of him cially when the vapours of the eyes are sub-
that is stricken, wounds his heart, and infects his servient to the affection. Therefore witches use
spirit. Whence Apuleius saith, I thy eyes sliding collyries, ointments, alligations, and such like,
down through my eyes, into mine inward breast, to affect, and corroborate the spirit this or that
stirs up a most vehement burning in my marrow. manner. To procure love, they use venereal col-
Know therefore that men are then most Iyries, as hyppomanes, the blood of doves, or
bewitched, when with often beholding they sparrows, and such like. To induce fear, they
direct the edge of their sight2 to the edge of their use martial coHyries, as of the eyes of wolves,
sight that bewitch them, and when their eyes are the civet cat, and the like. To procure misery or
reciprocally intent one upon the other, and when sickness, they use saturnine, and so of the rest.

148
 Of Fascination, and the Art Thereof / 149

Not:es-Chapt:eR L

1. Apuleius saith-"I am so stricken and subdued 3. ligations-Bindings.

with thy shining eyes, ruddy cheekes, glittering haire,
sweet cosses, and lilly white paps, that I neither have 4. Lucretius sang-On the Nature of Things bk. 4, c.
minde to goe home, nor to depart hence, but esteeme line 1042 ff. Lucretius is making the analogy that
the pleasure which I shall have with thee this night, even as the blood flows toward the weapon, and the
above all the joyes of the world" (Apuleius The foe, that drew it forth in battle, so does the heart leap
Golden Asse ch. 15 [AdlingtonD toward the individual who wounds it in love.

2. edge of their sight-The comer of the eye.

 CHAPTeR Ll

Of ceRraln obseRvarlons,
pRoducing wondeRful vlRrues.

hey say that certain acts, and observa- a man, a boar, or a bear were at one blow killed.

T tions I have a certain power of natural

things, that they believe diseases may
be expelled, or brought thus, and thus.
So they say that quartans may be driven away if
The same also, as they say, doth a spear that is
pulled out of the body of a man, if it shall not
first touch the ground; also they say that arrows
pulled out of the body of man, if they have not
the parings of the nails of the sick be bound to touched the Earth, and be put under anyone
the neck of a live eel in a linen clout, and she be lying down, will procure love; also they say that
let go into the water. And Pliny saith, that the the falling sickness is cured by meat made of
paring of the sick man's nails 2 of his feet, and the flesh of a wild beast, slain in the same man-
hands being mixed with wax, cure the quartan, ner as a man is slain. 8
tertian, and quotidian ague,3 and if they be Also they say that a man 's eyes that are
before Sun rising fastened to another man's washed three times with the water wherein he
gate, will cure such like diseases. In like manner hath washed his feet,9 shall never be sore or
let all the parings of the nails be put into pis~ blear. It is said that some do cure diseases of the
mires' caves,4 and they say that that which groin with thread taken out of the weaver's
begun to draw the nails first must be taken, and loom, being tied in nine, or seven knots, the
bound to the neck, and by this means will the name of some widow being named at every
disease be removed. knot. 10 Also the spleen of cattle extended upon
They say that by wood stricken with light- pained spleens, cures them, if he that applies it,
ning,S and cast behind the back with one's saith that he is applying a medicine to the spleen
hands, any disease may be cured, and in quar- to cure, and ease it: after this, they say, the
tans a piece of a nail from a gibbet, wrapt up in patient must be shut into a sleeping room, the
wool, and hanged about the neck, cures them; door being sealed up with a ring, and some
also a rope doth the like, that is taken from a verse repeated over nineteen times. II
gallows, and hid under ground, that the Sun The urine of a green lizard 12 cures the same
cannot reach it. 6 Also the throat of him that hath disease, if it be hanged up in a pot before the
a hard swelling, or imposthume, being touched patient's bedchamber, so that he may, as he
with the hand of him that died by an immature comes in and out, touch it with his hand. Also a
death,? is cured thereby. lizard killed 13 in the urine of a calf, as they say,
Also they say, that a woman is presently restrains his lust that put it in: but he that shall put
eased of her hard travail, if anyone shall put into his own urine into a dog's urine,14 is said to be
the bed, where the woman in travail is, a stone, made thereby dull to venerous acts, and to feel a
or dart, with which either of these animals, viz. benumbedness in his loins. They say, that if one's

150
 Of Certain Observations, Producing Wonderful Virtues /151

own urine be dropped upon the foot l5 in the snake was beaten is good against diseases of
morning, it is a remedy against all evil medicines. breeding women. These things Pliny recites.
And a little frog climbing up a tree, if any- It is said also in gathering of roots and
one shall spit in his mouth, and then let him herbs, we must draw three circles round about
escape, is said to cure the cough.16 It is a won- them first with a sword, then dig them up, tak-
derful thing, but easy to experience, what Pliny ing heed in the mean time of a contrary wind.
speaks of, if anyone shall be sorry for any blow Also they say, that if anyone shall measure a
that he hath given another afar off, or nigh at dead man with a rope, first from the elbow to
hand, if he shall presently spit into the middle of the biggest finger, then from the shoulder to the
that hand with which he gave the blow, the same finger, and afterwards from the head to
party that was smitten shall presently be freed the feet, making thrice those mensurations, if
from pain. This hath been approved of in a four- anyone afterward shall be measured with the
footed beast that hath been sorely hurt. Some same rope, in the same manner, he shall not
there are that aggravate the blow before they prosper, but be unfortunate, and fall into misery,
give it. 17 In like manner spittle carried in the and sadness.
hand, or to spit in the shoe of the right foot And Albertus out of Chyrannis saith, that if
before it be put on, is good when anyone pas- any woman hath enchanted thee to love her, take
seth through a dangerous place. 18 the sheet she lies in, and piss through her hood,2o
They say that wolves will not come to a and her right sleeve, out of doors, and the
field, if one of them be taken, and the blood let enchantment will be quitted. And Pliny saith,
by little and little out of his legs, being unbroken, that to sit by women great with child, or when a
with a knife, and sprinkled about the outsides of medicine is given to anyone of them, the fingers
the field, and he himself be buried in that place, being joined together like the teeth of a comb,21
from which he was first drawn. 19 The Metha- is a charm. This was known by experience in
nenses, citizens of Trezenium, accounted it as a Alcumena breeding Hercules : and so much the
present remedy for preserving of vines from the worse, if that be done about one, or both knees.
wrong of the southern wind, having always Also to sit cross-legged,22 is sorcery, there-
found it by most certain experience; if whilst the fore it was forbidden to be done in the counsels
wind blows, a white cock should be pulled to of princes, and rulers, as a thing which hindered
pieces in the middle by two men, both which all acts . And it is said, if anyone standing before
keeping their part, must walk round the vineyard, the door call the man by his name, that is lying
and both meeting in the place from whence they with a woman, and he answer, if then he fasten
began their circuit, must in that place bury the a knife, or needle on the door, and break it, the
pieces of the cock. They say also that if anyone edge being downward, he that is in the bed with
shall hold a viper over a vapour with a staff, he the woman cannot couple with her as long as
shall prophesy, and that the staff wherewith a those things shall be there.

NOLcs-ChapLCR Ll
I. ohserl'Gtions-Observances. the case may be; then stick this wax, before
sunrise, upon the door of another person-
2. sick man's nails- such is the prescription they give for these
I will give an example of one of the most diseases! What deceitful persons they must
reasonable of their prescriptions-Take the be if there is no truth in it! And how crimi-
parings of the toe-nails and finger-nails of a nal, if they really do transfer diseases from
sick person, and mix them up with wax, the one person to another! Some of them,
party saying that he is seeking a remedy for again, whose practices are of a less guilty
the tertian, quartan, or quotidian fever, as nature, recommend that the parings of all
152/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

the finger-nails should be thrown at the epilepsy if the patient eats the flesh of a wild
entrance of ant-holes, the first ant to be beast killed with an iron weapon with which
taken which attempts to draw one into the a human being has been slain. (Pliny 28.6
hole; this, they say, must be attached to the [Bostock and Riley, 5:288])
neck of the patient, and he will experience a
speedy cure. (Pliny 28.23 [Bostock and 9. washed his Jeet-"We are assured, too, that if per-
Riley, 5:307]). sons, when washing their feet, touch the eyes three
times with the water, they will never be subject to
3. quotidian-An ague that recurs daily. ophthalmia or other diseases of the eyes" (Pliny
28. 10 [Bostock and Riley, 5:292]).
4. pismires' caves-Ant hills.
10. every knot-"For the cure of inguinal tumours,
5. wood stricken with lightning-"To bite off a piece some persons take the thrum of an old web, and after
from wood that has been struck by lightning, the tying seven or nine knots in it, mentioning at each
hands held behind the back, and then to apply it to knot the name of some widow woman or other,
the tooth, is a sure remedy; they say, for toothache" attach it to the part affected" (Pliny 28.12 [Bostock
(Pliny 28.11 [Bostock and Riley, 5:293]). and Riley, 5:294]).

6. Sun cannot reach it-"So, too, in cases of quartan II . nineteen times-

fever, they take a fragment of a nail from a cross, or According to the prescriptions given by the
else a piece of a halter that has been used for cruci- magicians, a fresh sheep's milt [spleen] is
fixion , and, after wrapping it in wool , attach it to the the best application for pains in the spleen,
patient's neck; taking care, the moment he has recov- the person who applies it uttering these
ered, to conceal it in some hole to which the light of words: "This I do for the cure of the
the sun cannot penetrate" (ibid.). spleen." This done, it is enjoined that the
milt should be covered up with mortar in
7. immature death- the wall of the patient's sleeping-room, and
Scrofula, imposthumes of the parotid sealed with a ring, a charm being repeated
glands, and throat diseases, they say, may be thrice nine times. (Pliny 30.17 [Bostock
cured by the contact of the hand of a person and Riley, 5:439-40])
who has been carried off by an early death;
Marcus Empiricus says that the charm to be
indeed there are some who assert that any
repeated 27 times is the same one already men-
dead body will produce the same effect, pro-
tioned by Pliny. See also the remedy for the spleen
vided it is of the same sex as the patient, and
involving a calf's spleen (Pliny 28.57 [Bostock and
that the part affected is touched with the
Riley, 5:345]).
back of the left hand. (ibid., 292-3)
12. green lizard-"A green lizard has a remedial
8. man is slain-
effect, suspended alive in an earthen vessel, at the
It is said, that if a person takes a stone or entrance of the sleeping-room of the patient, who,
other missile which has slain three living every time he enters or leaves it, must take care to
creatures, a man, a boar, and a bear, at three touch it with his hand ... " (Pliny 30. 17 [Bostock and
blows, and throws it over the roof of a house Riley, 5:440]). For the same cure against the quartan,
in which there is a pregnant woman, her see Pliny 30.30 [Bostock and Riley, 5:456). This is a
delivery, however difficult, will be instantly transference charm. The touch conveys the disease to
accelerated thereby. In such a case, too, a the lizard, who dies in the pot, supposedly from trou-
successful result will be rendered all the bles of the spleen but in reality from starvation and
more probable, if a light infantry lance is want of water.
used, which has been drawn from a man's
body without touching the earth; indeed, if it 13. lizard killed-"A lizard drowned in a man's
is brought into the house it will be produc- urine has the effect of an antaphrodisiac upon the
tive of a similar result. In the same way, too, person whose urine it is; for this animal is to be reck-
we find it stated in the writings of Orpheus oned among the philtres, the magicians say" (Pliny
and Archelaiis, that arrows, drawn from a 30.49 [Bostock and Riley, 5:467]).
human body without being allowed to touch
the ground, and placed beneath the bed, will 14. dog's urine-"It a man makes water upon a
have all the effect of a philtre; and, what is dog's urine, he will become disinclined to copulate,
even more than this, that it is a cure for they say" (ibid., 468).
 Of Certain Observations, Producing Wonderful Virtues / 153

15 . upon the foot-"Osthanes maintains that every 18. dangerous p/ace-"Among the counter-charms
one who drops some urine upon his foot in the morn- too, are reckoned, the practice of spitting into the
ing will be proof against all noxious medicaments" urine the moment it is voided, of spitting into the
(Pliny 28.19 [Bostock and Riley, 5:301]). shoe of the right foot before putting it on, and of spit-
ting while a person is passing a place in which he has
16. cure the cough-The disease is thus magically incurred any kind of peril" (ibid., 290).
transferred to the frog, who carries it away with him.
Frazer records the actual use of this cure: 19. first drawn-"Wolves will never approach a
field, if, after one has been caught and its legs broken
In Cheshire the ailment known as aphtha or and throat cut, the blood is dropped little by little
thrush, which affects the mouth or throat of along the boundaries of the field, and the body buried
infants, is not uncommonly treated in much on the spot from which it was first dragged" (Pliny
the same manner [as spitting in a frog's 28.81 [Bostock and Riley, 5:367]).
mouth to cure the toothache]. A young frog
is held for a few moments with its head 20. piss through her hood-The book Kiranides,
inside the mouth of the sufferer, whom it is referred to in The Book of Secrets: " ... I myself,
supposed to relieve by taking the malady to Albert, have found the truth in many things, and I
itself. " I assure you," said an old woman suppose the truth to be in some part of the book of
who had often superintended such a cure, Kiranides ... " (Book of Secrets 1.1 (Best and Bright-
"we used to hear the poor frog whooping man, 3). However this charm does not occur in the
and coughing, mortal bad, for days after; it Oxford edition of The Book of Secrets . Perhaps it
would have made your heart ache to hear appears in a different version of the text, or in the
the poor creature coughing as it did about works of Albertus Magnus proper.
the garden." (1. G. Frazer, The Golden
Bough, ch. 55, sec. 4 [New York: Macmil- 21. teeth ora comb-
lan, 1951, abridged edition], 631)
To sit by a pregnant woman, or by a per-
son to whom any remedy is being admin-
17 . they give it-
istered, with the fingers of one hand
What we are going to say is marvellous, but inserted between those of the other, acts
it may easily be tested by experiment: if a as a magic spell; a discovery that was
person repents of a blow given to another, made, it is said, when Alcmena was deliv-
either by hand or with a missile, he has ered of Hercules. If the fingers are thus
nothing to do but to spit at once into the joined, clasping one or both knees, or if
palm of the hand which has inflicted the the ham of one leg is first put upon the
blow, and all feelings of resentment will be knee of the other, and then changed about,
instantly alleviated in the person struck. the omen is of still worse signification.
This, too, is often verified in the case of a Hence it is, that in councils held by gener-
beast of burden, when brought on its als and persons in authority, our ancestors
haunches with blows; for upon this remedy forbade these postures, as being an imped-
being adopted, the animal will immediately iment to all business. (Pliny 28.17
step out and mend its pace. Some persons, [Bostock and Riley, 5:298])
however, before making an effort, spit into
See also Ovid's Metamorphoses , bk. 9, line 299.
the hand in the manner above stated, in
order to make the blow more heavy. (Pliny
22. sit cross-legged-See note above.
28.7 [Bostock and Riley, 5:289])
 CHAPTeR Lll

Of rhe counrenance, and gesruRe, rhe habir, and

figuRe of rhe body, and whar sraRS any of rhese do
answeR; whence physiognomy, and meroposcopy, and
chiRomancy, aRrs of divinarion, have rheiR gRounds.

he countenance, gesture, the motion, of the breast, striking of the head: also such as

T setting, I and figure of the body, being

accidental to us , conduce to the
receiving of celestial gifts, and expose
us to the superior bodies, and produce certain
are religious, as the bowing of the knee, and a
fixed look downward, as of one praying, also
weeping, and such like, as are used by an aus-
tere, and saturnine man, such an one as the
effects in us, no otherwise than in hellebore, Satirist3 describes, saying:
which when thou gatherest, if thou pullest the
With hanged down head, with eyes fixed to
leaf upward, it draws the humours upward, and
the ground,
causeth vomiting; if downward, it causeth purg- His raging words bites in, and muttering
ing, by drawing the humour downward. sound
How much also the countenance, gesture, do He doth express with pouting lips--
affect the sight, imagination, and animal spirit,
no man is ignorant. So they that couple for gen- A cheerful, and honest countenance, a wor-
eration, for the most part are wont to make an shipful gesture, clapping of the hands, as of one
impression on the children that are then begotten, rejoicing, and praising; also the bending of the
of that countenance which they themselves then knee, with the head lifted up, as of one that is
form, or imagine: 2 so a mild, and cheerful coun- worshipping, are ascribed to Jupiter. A sour,
tenance of a prince in the city, makes the people fierce, cruel, angry, rough countenance, and
joyful: but fierce, and sad, terrifies them: so the gesture, are ascribed to Mars. Solary are hon-
gesture, and countenance of anyone lamenting, ourable, and courageous gestures, and counte-
nances: also walking abroad, bending of the
doth easily move to pity: so the shape of an ami-
knee, as of one honouring a king with one knee.
able person, doth easily excite to love.
Venereal, are dances, embraces, laughters, ami-
Thou must know that such like gestures,
able, and cheerful countenances. Mercurial are
and figures, as harmonies of the body do expose inconstant, quick, variable, and such like ges-
it no otherwise to the celestials, than odours, tures, and countenances. Lunary are such as are
and the spirit of a medicine, and internal pas- moveable, poisonful, and childish, and the like.
sions do the soul. For as medicines, and pas- And as we have spoke of gestures, so also
sions of the mind are by certain dispositions of are the shapes of men distinct. For Saturn
the heaven increased, so also the gesture, and bespeaks a man to be of a black, and yellowish
motion of the body do get an efficacy by certain colour, lean, crooked, of a rough skin, great
influences of the heavens. veins, hairy all over his body, little eyes, of a
For there are gestures resembling Saturn, frowning forehead, of a thin beard, great lips,
which are melancholy, and sad, as are beating eyes intent upon the ground, of a heavy gait,

154
 Of the Countenance, and Gesture / ISS

striking his feet together as he walks , crafty, The Moon signifies a man to be in colour
witty, a seducer, and murderous. white, mixed with a little red, of a fair stature,
Jupiter signifies a man to be of a pale colour, round face, with some marks in it, eyes not fully
darkish red, a handsome body, good stature, bold, black, frowning forehead , also kind, gentle,
of great eyes, not black altogether, large pupils, sociable.
short nostrils, not equal,4 great teeth before, The signs also, and faces of signs have their
curled hair, of good disposition, and manners. figures, and shapes, which he that would know,
Mars makes a man red, of a red hair, round must seek them out in books of astrology.
face, yellowish eyes, of a terrible, and sharp Lastly, upon these figures , and gestures, phys-
looks, bold, jocund, proud, crafty. iognomy,7 and metoposcopy,8 arts of divination
The Sun makes a man of a tawny colour, do depend: also chiromancy, foretelling future
betwixt yellow and black, dashed with red, of a events, not as causes, but as signs through like
short stature, yet of a handsome body, without effects, caused by the same cause. 9
much hair, and curled, of yellow eyes, wise, And although these divers kinds of divina-
faithful, desirous of praise. tions may seem to be done by inferior, and
Venus signifies a man to be tending weak signs, yet the judgements of them are not
towards blackness, but more white, with mix- to be slighted, or condemned, when prognosti-
ture of red , of a handsome body, a fair, and cation is made by them, not out of superstition,
round face, fair hair, fair eyes, the blackness but by reason of the harmonical correspondency
whereof is more intense,5 of good manners, and of all the parts of the body. Whosoever there-
honest love, also kind, patient, and jocund. fore doth the more exactly imitate the celestial
Mercury signifies a man not much white, or bodies, either in nature, study, action, motion,
black,6 of a long face, high forehead, fair eyes, not gesture, countenance, passions of the mind, and
black, to have a straight, and long nose, thin opportunity of the season, is so much the more
beard, long fingers, to be ingenious, a subtile like to the heavenly bodies, and can receive
inquisjtor, turncoat, and subject to many fortunes. larger gifts from them.

Norcs-ChaprCR L11
I. setting-Probably the posture. case of the other animals, the mind is
immovable, and just the same in each and
2. or imagine- all individuals of the same species. (Pliny
These strong features of resemblance pro- 7.10 [Bostock and Riley, 2: 146])
ceed, no doubt, from the imagination of the
parents, over which we may reasonably 3. Satirist-Presumably Juvenal, although I cannot
believe that many casual circumstances locate this passage in his writings.
have a very powerful influence; such, for
instance, as the action of the eyes, the ears, 4. not equal-A crooked nose, probably one that is
or the memory, or impressions received at pug or turned up at the end.
the moment of conception. A thought even,
5. more intense-The black of the pupil stands out
momentarily passing through the mind of
the more because of the paleness of the iris.
either of the parents, may be supposed to
produce a resemblance to one of them sep- 6. white , or black-Neither very white of skin, nor
arately, or else to the two combined. Hence
very dark of hair or eyes.
it is that the varieties are much more
numerous in the appearance of man than in 7. physiognomy-Divination by the lines and struc-
that of other animals; seeing that, in the for- ture of the face.
mer, the rapidity of ideas, the quickness of
the perception, and the varied powers of the 8. metoposcopy-Divination by the lines and shape
intellect, tend to impress upon the features of the forehead .
peculiar and diversified marks; while in the
156/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOS OPHY- BOOK I

9. the same cause-T he lines of the hand or face do themselves the result of the same supernal cause that
not cause the foretold events to occur, but reflect the shapes fortune.
circums tances in which those events arise, and are

Metoposcopy
from Metoposcopia by Jerome Cardan (Paris, 1658)
 CHA.PTeR Llll

Of divinarion, and irs Kinds.

here are some other kinds of divina- Michael Scotus makes mention of twelve

T tions depending upon natural causes,

which are known to everyone in his
art, and experience, to be in divers
things; by which physicians, husbandmen,
kinds of augurias, viz. six on the right hand, the
names of which he saith are fernova, fervertus,
confert, emponenthem, sonnasarnova, son-
nasarvetus: and the other six on the left hand, the
shepherds, mariners, and everyone of these out names of which are, confernova, confervetus,
of probable signs do prognosticate. Many of viaram, herrenam, scassamova, scassarvetus.
these kinds Aristotle makes mention of in his Then expounding their names, he saith, fer-
Book of Times. 1 nova is an augurium; when thou goest out of thy
Amongst which auguria,2 and auspicia3 are house for to do any business, and in going thou
the chiefest, which were in former time in such seest a man, or a bird going, or flying, so that
esteem amongst the Romans, that they would either of them set himself before thee upon thy
do nothing that did belong to private or public left hand, that is a good signification, in refer-
business, without the counsel of the augurs: ence to thy business.
Cicero also in his Book of Divinations largely Fervetus is an augurium; when thou shalt go
declares, that the people of Tuscia would do out of thy house for to do any business, and in
nothing without this art.4 going thou findest or seest a bird, or a man rest-
Now there are divers kinds of auspicias: for ing himself before thee on the left side of thee,
some are called pedestria5 i.e. which are taken that is an ill sign in reference to thy business.
from four-footed beasts: some are called Viaram is an augurium; when a man or a
auguria,6 which are taken from birds: some are bird in his journey, or flying pas seth before
celestiaI,7 which are taken from thunderings, thee, coming from the right side of thee, and
and lightnings: some are called caduca8 i.e. bending toward the left, goeth out of thy sight,
when any fell in the temple, or elsewhere: some that is a good sign concerning thy business.
were sacred, which were taken from sacrifices. Confernova is an augurium; when thou
Some of these were called piacula,9 and sad dost first find a man, or a bird going, or flying,
auspicia, as when a sacrifice escaped from the and then he rests himself before thee on thy
altar, or being smitten made a bellowing, or fell right side, thou seeing of it, that is a good sign
upon another part of his body than he should. concerning thy business.
To these is added exauguration, 10 viz. when the Confervetus is an augurium; when first
rod fell out of the hand of the augur, with which thou findest, or seest a man, or a bird bending
it was the custom to view, and take notice of the from thy right side, it is an ill sign concerning
auspicium. thy business.

157
158 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

Scimasarnova is an augurium; when a man, Hartena is an augurium ; if a man or a bird

or a bird comes behind thee, and outgoeth thee, coming from thy right hand, passing behind
but before he comes at thee, he rests, thou seeing thy back to thy left, and thou shalt see him
of him on thy right side, it is to thee a good sign. resting anywhere, this is an evil sign. Thus
Scimasarvetus is an augurium; when thou much ScotuS . 11
seest a man, or a bird behind thee, but before he The ancients did also prognosticate from
comes to thee he rests in that place, thou seeing sneezings, of which Homer l2 in the seventeenth
of it, it is a good sign. book of his Odes, makes mention, because they
Scassarvetus is when thou seest a man, or a thought they proceeded from a sacred . place,
bird passing by thee, and resting in a place on viz. the head, in which the intellect is vigorous,
thy left side, it is an evil sign to thee. and operative. Whence also whatsoever speech
Emponenthem is when a man, or a bird came into the breast, or mind of a man rising in
coming from thy left side, and passing to thy the morning unawares, is said to be some
right, goeth out of thy sight without resting, it is presage, and an augurium.
a good sign.

Not:es-Chapt:eR L111
1. book of times-Perhaps a spurious work attributed augur. auspicium was retained as the scientific term
to Aristotle. I find no mention of it. for the observation of signs. Not only augurs but
chief magistrates of Rome might hold auspices, but
2. auguria-Auguries, a specific kind of divination auguries were the sole province of augurs. Generally
practiced by the College of Augurs at Rome, whose the terms are used interchangably.
duty it was to read the portents relating to public
undertakings. Originally there were three, but by the 4. without this art-This statement seems to derive
time of Julius Caesar their number had swelled to from this passage:
sixteen, and Augustus Caesar was given the power to In the first place, the founder of this city,
elect as many as he pleased. Romulus, is said not only to have founded
There were five official types of augury: (1) ex the city in obedience to the auspices, but
coelo (from the sky) : thunder, lightning, meteors, also to have been himself an augur of the
comets, and other heavenly phenomena; (2) ex highest reputation. After him the other
avibus (from birds), which fell into two classes: (a) kings also had recourse to soothsayers;
alites. the flight of birds, specifically the eagle and and after the kings were driven out, no
vulture; (b) oscines. the voice of birds, specifically public business was ever transacted, either
the owl, crow, raven and hen; (3) ex tripudiis (from at home or in war, without reference to the
feeding of birds): whether or not a bird, usually a auspices. And as there appeared to be
fowl, dropped a kernel while eating, this being a great power and usefulness in the system
favorable omen; (4) ex quadrupedibus (from ani- of the soothsayers (haruspices) . in refer-
mals): the motions and sounds of four-footed beasts ence to the people's succeeding in their
and reptiles; (5) ex diris (from warning~): any chance objects, and consulting the Gods, and
incident that might forebode disaster. arriving at an understanding of the mean-
These five types of augury were divided by the ing of prodigies and averting evil omens,
ancients into two classes: (\) auspicia impetrativa. they introduced the whole of their science
signs asked for as a guide; and (2) auspicia oblativa. from Etruria, to prevent the appearance of
signs occurring of themselves. The duties of the Col- allowing any kind of divination to be
lege of Augurs were chiefly concerned with the first neglected. (Cicero De di vinatione 1.2
class. All official acts were sanctioned by favorable [Yonge, 142-3])
auguries, or delayed until the portents were more
Further, he says:
auspicious.
. . . nor will I be persuaded to think, either
3. auspicia-Auguries were originally called aus- that all Etruria is mad on the subject of the
pices, from auspex (observer of birds). When the entrails of victims, or that the same nation
term auspex fell out of use and was replaced by is all wrong about lightnings, or that it
 On Divination, and Its Kinds /159

interprets prodigies fallaciously .. . " (ibid. 11. Thus much Scotus-These six pairs of auguria are
1.18 [Yonge, 160]) taken directly from Michael Scot's Physiognomia, ch.
57, where, however, only 11 are described, confert
The people of Tuscia, or Etruria, were proverbial
being omitted. Scimasarvetus is the same as son-
for their powers of divination.
nasarvetus, and scimasamova the same as son-
The mode in which the gods were wor- nasamova. The exposition of confert has been left out
shipped was prescribed in certain sacred of both Agrippa's Latin Opera and the English transla-
books, said to have been written by Tages tion. Scassamova appears in the Latin edition, but not
[god of the Etruscans]. These books con- in the English. However, because of the gap caused by
tained the "Etruscan Disciplina" and gave its omission from the English edition, the translator has
minute directions respecting the whole of made an error, and put the exposition that rightly
ceremonial worship. They were studied in belongs to scassamova (which comes directly after sci-
the schools of the Lucumones, to which the masarvetus in the Latin text) with scimasarvetus, while
Romans also were accustomed to send the exposition of scimasarvetus given in the Latin text
some of their noblest youths for instruc- is omitted from the English entirely. I have attempted
tion, since it was from the Etruscans that to give below the definitions of the two terms as they
the Romans borrowed most of their arts of should appear, based on the Opera:
divination. (W. Smith, Classical Dictio-
Scimasarvetus is an augurium; when thou
nary [New York: Harper and Brothers,
seest a man or bird behind thee, resting in a
1862], 292)
place on thy right side, it is an evil sign.
5. pedes tria-Ex quadrupedibus. Scassamova is when thou seest a man, or a
bird behind thee, but before he comes to
6. auguria-Ex avibus. thee he rests in that place, thou seeing of it,
it is a good sign.
7. celestial-Ex coelo. The description of the auguries is taken almost ver-
batim from ch. 57 of Michael Scot's Physiognomia, a
8. caduca-From the Latin caducus (that falls, that popular work that was published at least 19 times
has fallen, etc.), a form of auspicia oblativa. between 1477 and 1669.
9. piacula-Piacularia auspicia is mentioned by 12. Homer-When Apollo seizes the infant Hermes in
Pompei us Festus, a Roman grammarian of the 4th an effort to learn where Hermes has hidden his stolen
century, in his Latin dictionary Sexti Pompeii Festi cattle, Hermes sneezes, causing Apollo to drop him:
de verborum significatione.
Thus then he spake, and Phoebus Apollo
10. exauguration-The staff of the augur was a sym- took up and carried the boy, but then the
bol of his office. Called a lituus, it was free from brave slayer of Argus, taking counsel, as he
knots and crooked at the top. With it the augur was lifted up in his arms, sent forth an
marked out the templum, or consecrated space, upon augury into his hands, a sad report from his
the sky and the Earth, where the augury of the animal belly, an impudent messenger. And
entering was to be read. This was done on the night quickly after it he sneezed. But Apollo
before the event in the presence of a magistrate, at heard it, and cast glorious Mercury from
midnight. Entry of an animal from the east was favor- his hands upon the ground. (Homeric
able, from the west unfavorable. The Roman augurs Hymns 2, "To Hermes" c. line 294. In The
looked to the south, the Greek augurs to the north; Odyssey of Homer, with the Hymns, Epi-
therefore the left was lucky in Rome, the right lucky grams, and Battle of the Frogs and Mice,
in Greece. trans. Theodore Alois Buckley [New York:
Harper and Brothers, 1872],377-8)
 CHAPTeR LlV

Of diveRS ceRcain animals, and orheR

rhings which have a significarion in auguRias.

II the auspicia which first happen in Therefore what the daw 4 declares, harken,

A the beginning of any enterprise are to

be taken notice of: as if in the begin-
ning of thy work thou shalt perceive
that rats have gnawn I thy garments, desist from
and mark, observing her setting as she sits, and
her manner of flying, whether on the right hand,
or left, whether clamorous, or silent, whether
she goes before, or follows after, whether she
thy undertakings; if going forth thou shalt stum- waits for the approach of him that passeth by, or
ble at the threshold,2 on in the way thou shalt flies from him, and which way she goes; all
dash thy foot against anything, forbear thy jour- these things must be diligently observed. Orus
ney; if any ill omen happen in the beginning of Apollo saith 5 in his Hieroglyphics, daws that are
thy business, put off thy undertakings, lest thy twins signify marriage, because this animal
intentions be wholly frustrated, or accomplished brings forth two eggs, out of which male, and
to no purpose; but expect and wait for a fortu- female must be brought forth: but if (which sel-
nate hour for the dispatching of thy affairs with dom happens) two males be generated, or two
a better omen. females , the males will not couple with any
We see that many animals are, by a natural other females, nor females with any other
power inbred in them, prophetical. Doth not the males, but will.always live without a mate; and
cock, by his crowing 3 diligently tell you the solitary. Therefore they that meet a single daw,
hours of the night, and morning, and with his divine thereby that they shall live a single life.
wings spread forth chase away the lion; and The same also doth a black hen pigeon 6 beto-
many birds with their singing, and chattering, ken; for after the death of her mate, she always
and flies by their sharp pricking foretell rain, lives single.
and dolphins by their often leaping above the Thou shalt as carefully observe crows,?
water, forerun tempests? which are as significant as daws, yea, and in
It would be too long to relate all the greater matters. It was Epictetus the Stoic
presages, which the Phrygians, Cilicians, Arabi- philosopher's jUdgement, who was a sage
ans, Umbrians, Tuscians, and other people, author, that if a crow did croak over against
which follow the augurias, learned by birds. anyone, it did betoken some evil, either to his
These they have proved by many experiments, body, fortune, honour, wife, or children. Then
and examples. For in all things the oracles of thou shalt take heed to swans,8 who foreknow
things to come are hid: but those are the chiefest the secrets of the waters, for their cheerfulness
which omenal birds shall foretell. These are doth presage happy events not only for
those which the poets relate were turned from mariners, but all other travelers, unless they be
men into birds. overcome by the coming over of a stronger, as

160
 Of Divers Certain Animals / 161

of an eagle,9 who by the most potent majesty of tude for good tum, also injustice. The bird
her sovereignty makes null the predictions of all origis l6 is most envious, and betokens envy.
other birds, if she speaks to the contrary; for she Amongst the smaller birds, the pie is talka-
flies higher than all other birds, and is of more tive, and foretells guests. The bird albanellus fly-
acute sight, and is never excluded from the ing by anyone, if from the left to the right,
secrets of Jupiter: she portends advancement, betokens cheerfulness of entertainment, if con-
and victory, but by blood; because she drinks no trarywise, betokens the contrary. The screech
water but blood. owl 17 is always unlucky, so also is the hom owl, 18
An eagle flying over the Locrensians, fight- who because she goes to her young by night
ing against the Crotoniensians, gave them vic- unawares, as death comes unawares, is therefore
tory. An eagle setting herself unawares upon the said to foretell death: 19 yet sometimes, because
target lO of Hiero , going forth to the first war, she is not blind in the dark of the night, doth beto-
betokened that he should be king. Two eagles ken diligence,2o and watchfulness, which she
sitting all day upon the house at the birth of made good, when she sat upon the spear of Hiero.
Alexander of Macedonia, did portend to him an Dido? I when she sees the unlucky owl, pitied
omen of two kingdoms, viz. Asia, and Europe. Aeneas, whence the poet sang: 22
An eagle also taking off the hat of Lueias Tar-
quinius Prise us , II son to Demarathus the The owl sitting on top of the house alone,
Corinthian (flying from home by reason of Sends forth her sad complaint with mourn-
ful tone.
some discord, and being come into Hetraria, I2
and going to Rome) and then flying high with it,
and afterward& putting it upon his head again, And in another place: 23
did portend to him the kingdom of the Romans.
The slothful owl by mortals is esteemed
Vultures 13 also signify difficulty, hardness, A fatal omen---
ravenousness, which was verified in the begin-
ning of building of cities. Also they foretell the The same bird sang in the Capitol when the
places of slaughter, coming seven days before Roman affairs were low at Numantia, and when
hand; and because they have most respect to FregeJia was pulled down for a conspiracy
that place where the greatest slaughter shall be, made against the Romans. Almadel saith, that
as if they gaped after the greatest number of the owls, and night-ravens, when they tum aside to
slain; therefore the ancient kings were wont to strange countries, or houses, betoken the death
send out spies to take notice what place the vul- of the men of that country, and those houses; for
tures had most respect to. those birds are delighted with dead carcasses,
The phoenix promiseth singular good suc" and perceive them beforehand. For men that are
cess, which being seen anew, Rome was built
dying have a near affinity with dead carcasses.
very auspiciously. The pelican, because she The hawk also is a foreteller of contention, as
hazards herself for her young, signifies that a Nasa sings: 24
man should out of the zeal of his love undergo
much hardship. The painted bird gave the name We hate the hawk, because that arms
to the city of Pictavia, and foreshowed the amongst
lenity of that people by its colour, and voice. She always lives:----
The heron is an augurium of hard things. The
stork is a bird of concord, and makes concord. Lelius the ambassador of Pompey was slain
Cranes l4 give us notice of the treachery of ene- in Spain amongst the purveyors,25 which mis-
mies. The bird cacupha betokens gratitude, for fortune, a hawk flying over his head, is said to
she alone doth express love to her dam, being foretell. And Almadel saith, that these kind of
spent with old age. On the contrary, hippopota- birds fighting amongst themselves, signify the
mus 15 that kills his dam, doth betoken ingrati- change of a kingdom; but if birds of another
162/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

kind shall fight with them, and are never seen to fightings: whence Anchises seeing of white
come together again, it portends a new condi- horses, cries out in Virgil:33
tion, and state of that country.
Also little birds by their coming to, or War thou bearest, 0 land of our reception,
With war are horses armed, yea threaten
departing from, foreshow that a family shall be
war.
enlarged, or lessened, and their flight, by how
much the more serene it is, by so much the more But when they are joined together in a chariot,
laudable. Whence Melampus the augur conjec- because they draw with an equal yoke, they sig-
tured at the slaughter of the Greeks by the flight nify that peace is to be hoped for.
of little birds, when he saith, thou seest that no An ass is an unprofitable creature, yet did
bird taketh his flight in fair weather. Swallows, Marius good,34 who when he was pronounced
because when they are dying they provide a enemy to his country, saw an ass disdaining
place of safety for their young, do portend a great provender that was offered to him, and running
patrimony, or legacy after the death of friends. to the water, by which augury, he supposing he
A bat 26 meeting anyone running away, sig- saw a way of safety showed to him, entreated
nifies an evasion: for although she have no the aid of his friends, that they would convey
wings, yet she flies. A sparrow is a bad omen to him to the sea; which being granted, he was set
one that runs away, for she flies from the hawk, into it little ship, and so escaped the threats of
and makes haste to the owl,27 where she is in as Sulla the conqueror. If the foal of an ass meet
great danger: yet in love she is fortunate, for anyone going to an augury, he signifies labour,
being stirred up with lust, couples seven times patience, and hinderances.
in an hour. Bees28 are a good omen to kings, for A wolf meeting anyone is a good sign, the
they signify an obsequious people. Flies 29 sig- effect whereof was seen in Hiero of Sicilia,
nify importunity, and impudency, because from whom a wolf snatching away a book
being oftentimes driven away, they do yet con- whilst he was at school, confirmed to him the
tinually return. success of the kingdom: but yet the wolf
Also domestic birds are not without some makes him speechless whom he sees first. A
augurias, for cocks by their crowing promote wolf rent in pieces a watchman of P. Africanus
hope, and the journey of him that is undertaking and C. Fulvius at Minturn, when the Roman
it. Moreover Livia the mother of Tiberius, when army was overtaken by the fugitives in
she was great with him, took a hen egg and Sicilia.35 Also he signifies perfedious men,
hatched it in her bosom ,3D and at length came such as you can give no credit to: which was
forth a cock chick with a great comb, which the known in the progeny of Romans. For the faith
augurs interpreted that the child that should be which they long since sucked from their
born of her should be king. And Cicero writes 31 mother the wolf,36 and kept to themselves from
that at Thebais cocks, by their crowing all night, the beginning, as by a certain law of nature,
did presage that the Baeotians would obtain vic- passed over to their posterity.
tory against the Lacedaemonians, and the rea- To meet a lion , seeing she is amongst ani-
son is according to the augurs' interpretations, mals the strongest, and striking terror into all
because that bird when he is beaten is silent, but the rest, is good. But for a woman to meet a
when he himself hath overcome, crows. lioness, is bad,37 because she hinders concep-
In like manner also omens of events are tion, for a lioness brings forth but once.
taken from beasts. For the meeting of a weasel To meet sheep, and goats is good. It is read
is ominous, also meeting of a hare is an ill omen also in the Ostentarian 38 of the Tuscians, if this
to a traveler, unless she be taken. A mule 32 also animal shall wear any unusual colour, it por-
is bad, because barren. A hog is pernicious, for tends to the emperor plenty of all things,
such is his nature, and therefore signifies perni- together with much happiness. Whence Virgi[39
cious men. A horse betokens quarrelings, and to Pollio sings thus:
 Of Divers Certain Animals / 163

But in the meadows rams shall scarlet bear, he would let the male, or the female escape,
And changing, sometimes golden fleeces either he or his wife would shortly die; he pre-
wear. ferring the life of his wife, killed the male, and
let the female escape, and within a few days he
It is good also to meet oxen treading out died. So a viper4 7 signifies lewd women, and
corn, but better to meet them plowing, which wicked children; and an eel 48 signifies a man
although breaking the way hinder thy journey, displeased with everybody: for she lives apart
yet by the favour of their auspicium will recom- from all other fishes, nor is ever found in the
pence thee again. A dog in a journey is fortu- company of any.
nate, because Cyrus being cast into the woods But amongst all auspicias and omens, there
was nourished by a dog40 till he came to the is none more effectual, and potent than man,
kingdom, which also the angel, companion of none that doth signify the truth more clearly.
Tobit 41 did not scorn as a companion. The cas- Thou shalt therefore diligently note, and observe
tor 42 because he bites off his testicles, and the condition of the man that meeteth thee, his
lea~es them to the hunters, is an ill omen, and age, profession, station, gesture, motion, exer-
portends that a man will injure himself. cise, complexion, habit, name, words, speech,
Also amongst small animals, mice signify and all such like things. For seeing there are in
danger. For the same day that they did gnaw all other animals so many discoveries of
gold in the Capitol, both the consuls 43 were presages, without all question these are more
intercepted by Hannibal by way of ambush near efficacious, and clear, which are infused into
Tarentum. The locust making a stand in any man's soul; which Tully49 himself testifies, say-
place, or burning the place, hinders one from ing, that there is a certain auspicium naturally in
their wishes, and is an ill omen; on the contrary men's souls of their eternity, for the knowing of
the grasshoppers promote a journey, and foretell all the courses, and causes of things.
a good event of things. The spider weaving a In the foundation of the city of Rome the
line downwards, is said to signify hope of head of a man 50 was found with his whole face,
money to come. Also the pismires, because they which did presage the greatness of the Empire,
know how to provide for themselves, and to and gave the name to the mountain of the Capi-
prepare safe nests for themselves, portend secu- tol. The Brutian soldiers51 fighting against
rity, and riches, a great army. Hence, when the Octavius, and M. Antonius, found an Ethiopian in
pismires had devoured a tame dragon 44 of the gate of their castle; whom though they did
Tiberius Caesar, it was advised, that he should slay as a presage of ill success, yet they were
take heed of the tumult of a multitude. unfortunate in the battle, and Brutus, and Cas-
If a snake meet thee, take heed of an ill- sius, both generals, were slain. Meeting of monks
tongued enemy; for this animal hath no other is commonly accounted an ill omen, and so much
power but in his mouth. 45 A snake creeping into the rather, if it be early in the morning, because
Tiberius his palace, portended his fall. Two these kind of men live for the most by the sudden
snakes 46 were found in the bed of Sempronius death of men, as vultures do by slaughters.
Gracchus, wherefore a soothsayer told him, if

NOLes-ChapLeR LlV
I. rats have gnawn-Cicero mocks the portent of the shields at Lanuvium, the soothsayers
mice gnawing: declared it to be a most important prodigy;
We are, however, so silly and inconsider- as if it could make any difference whether
ate, that if mice, which are always at work, mice, who day and night are gnawing
happen to gnaw anything, we immediately something, had gnawed bucklers or sieves.
regard it as a prodigy. So because, a little (Cicero De divinatione 2.27 [Yonge, 224])
before the Marsian war, the mice gnawed
164 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

2. dash foot-"There is something in omens; just 7. crows-The virgin Coronis was transformed into a
now, when she was preparing to go, Nape stopped crow by Minerva to escape the lust of Neptune (ibid.
short, having struck her foot against the threshold" 2.8, c. line 580 [Riley, 69]). Virgil mentions the dire-
(Ovid Amores 1. 12. In The Heroides, The Amours, ful portent of the crow: "Indeed, had not a crow on
The Art of Love, The Remedy of Love, and Minor my left hand warned me from a hollow i1ex-tree by
Works , trans. Henry T. Riley [London: George Bell some means to break off the new-begun dispute, nei-
and Sons, 1883], 291). For other instances of the ther I, your Moeris, nor Menalcas himself would be
same superstition in Ovid, see The Metamorphoses living" (Virgil Eclogues 9, line 14 [Lonsdale and
10.8, c. line 352, and The Heroides 13, line 88. Lee, 27]).

3. by his crowing-"As, then, this animal is so much 8. swans-Venus draws a happy augury from 'swans
inclined to crow of its own accord, what made it to encourage Aeneas:
occur to Callisthenes to assert that the Gods had
given the cocks a signal to crow; since either nature Behold those twelve swans in joyful line,
or chance might have done it?" (Cicero De divina- whom just now Jove 's bird [eagle] stoop-
tione 2.26 [Yonge, 223]) ing from the region of the sky threw into
confusion in the open firmament, but now
4. daw-The jackdaw (Corvus monedula) is a they seem in a long extended row either to
small bird like a crow with a reputation for foolish- be choosing, or having chosen to be gazing
ness and thievery. Arne was transformed into a downwards on their ground. As they
jackdaw because she betrayed her own city to its returning sport with flapping wings, and
enemies for gold . See Ovid Metamorphoses 7.4 , gird the pole with their circling flock, and
line 466 (Riley, 246). give forth their song; even so your ships,
and your youthful comrades either are safe
5. Oms Apollo saith-- in the port, or are just entering its mouth
with full sail. (Virgil Aeneid I, c. line 392
When they would denote Ares and [Lonsdale and Lee, 90])
Aphrodite (Horus and Athor) otherwise,
they depict two crows as a man and a Cycnus, the king of Liguria, was transformed into a
woman; because this bird lays two eggs, swan by his mourning over the death of Phaeton,
from which a male and female ought to killed by the thunderbolt of Zeus. See Ovid Meta-
be produced, and ([except] when it pro- morphoses 2.4, c. line 372 (Riley, 61).
duces two males or two females, which,
however, rarely happens), the males mate 9. eagle-"And they use it [eagle] to denote excel-
with the females, and hold no intercourse lence, because it appears to excel all birds-and for
with any other crow, neither does the blood, because they say that this animal does not drink
female with any other crow, till death; but water, but blood-and for victory, because it shows
those that are widowed pass their lives in itself capable of overcoming every winged creature
solitude. And hence, when men meet with ... " (Horapollo Hieroglyphics 1.6 [Cory, 14]).
a single crow, they look upon it as an
omen, as having met with a widowed 10. target-A small round shield.
creature ... " (Horapollo Hieroglyphics
1.8 [Cory 17-8]) II. Lucias Tarquinius Priscus-
The translation of the name of this bird is not certain. The pair [Tarquinius and his wife] had
"To denote marriage, they again depict two crows, reached Janiculum [a hill then outside of
on account of what has been mentioned" (ibid. 1.9 Rome] and were sitting together in their
[Cory 19]). carriage, when an eagle dropped gently
down and snatched off the cap which
6. black hen pigeon-"When they would symbolise Lucumo [i e. Tarquinius] was wearing. Up
a woman who remains a widow till death, they went the bird with a great clangour of
depict a black dove; for this bird has no connection wings until, a moment later, it swooped
with another mate from the time that it is widowed" down again and, as if it had been sent by
(ibid. 2.32 [Cory 107]). A dove is a type of pigeon. heaven for that very purpose, neatly
The two daughters ' of Anius were changed into replaced the cap on Lucumo' s head, and
doves by Bacchus to free them from Agamemnon, then vanished into the blue." (Livy Early
who forced them to use their magic to feed the History of Rome 1.34, trans. Aubrey de
Greek fleet. See Ovid Metamorphoses 13.5, line 673 Selincourt [1960] [Harmondsworth: Pen-
(Riley, 464). guin Books, 1982], 73 .
 Of Divers Certain Animals / 165

12. Hetraria-Etruria. and they seek the children unprotected by

the nurse, and pollute their bodies, dragged
13. vultures-"Umbricius, the most skillful among from their cradles. With their beaks they
the aruspices of our time, says that the vulture lays are said to tear the entrails of the sucklings,
thirteen eggs, and that with one of these eggs it puri- and they have their maws distended with
fies the others and its nest, and then throws it away: the blood which they have swallowed.
he states also that they hover about for three days, "Stirges," are they called; and the origin of
over the spot where carcasses are about to be found" the name is, the fact, that they are wont to
(Pliny 10.7 [Bostock and Riley, 2:486-7]). screech in the dismal night. (Ovid Fasti 6,
lines 133-40 [Riley, 216])
14. cranes-"When they would symbolise a man that
guards himself from the plots of his enemies, they 18 . horn owl-Horned owl (Asio otus or Otus vul-
depict a crane on the watch; for these birds guard garis). so called because of the long tufts of feathers,
themselves by watching in turns during the whole like horns, on its head.
night" (Horapollo Hieroglyphics 2.94 [Cory, 143]).
19. foretell death-"A night raven signifies death;
15. hippopotamus- for it suddenly pounces upon the young of the crows
by night, as death suddenly overtakes men"
To symbolise an unjust and ungrateful
(Horapollo Hieroglyphics 2.25 [Cory 103-4]). The
man, they depict two claws of an hip-
very soft feathers of the owl allow it to approach its
popotamus turned downwards. For this
prey without alerting it by the rustle of its wings.
animal when arrived at its prime of life
contends in fight against his father, to try
20. betoken diligence-The owl is the symbol of
which is the stronger of the two, and
learning, and of the goddess Athena. This unlikely cor-
should the father give way he assigns him a
respondence is said to have arisen from the abundance
place of residence, permitting him to live,
of owls dwelling in Athens during ancient times, by an
and consorts himself with his own mother;
association of the name of the goddess with the name
but if his father should not permit him to
of the city. Hence the old proverb "to carry owls to
hold intercourse with his mother, he kills
Athens," which has been replaced by one with an iden-
him, being the stronger and more vigorous
tical meaning: "to carry coals to Newcastle"; that is, to
of the two. (ibid. 1.56 [Cory, 76-7]
take something where it already abounds.
16.origis-
21. Dido-Also called Elissa, the reputed founder
To denote impurity, they delineate an oryx and queen of the city of Carthage.
(a species of wild goat), because when the
moon rises, this animal looks intently 22. poet sang-Queen Dido contemplates suicide:
towards the goddess and raises an outcry,
Hence she plainly seemed to hear the solemn
and that, neither to praise nor welcome her;
speech and summons of her lord [i.e. her
and of this the proof is most evident, for it
dead husband] when gloomy night was mis-
scrapes up the' earth with its fore legs, and
tress of the world; and oft she heard the soli-
fixes its eyes in the earth, as if indignant
tary owl on her high station give forth the
and unwilling to behold the rising of the
sad sepulchral strain, and prolong her linger-
goddess. And it acts in the same manner at
ing lamentable cry; and moreover many a
the rising of (the divine star) the sun. (ibid.
prediction of ancient prophets affrights her
1.49 [Cory 69-70])
with its awful warning. (Virgil Aeneid 4, c.
In the editions of the Hieroglyphics of Mercer (1548) line 462 [Lonsdale and Lee, 137])
and Caussin (1631), quail (opTuya) is given instead
For a similar description of the owl, see the Georgics
of oryx (opuya), which accounts for Agrippa calling
1, c. line 402.
this a bird-presumably he used the same manuscript
version as his source.
23 . another place-I do not find this in Virgil, but in
Ovid: "He [Ascalaphus] becomes an obscene bird,
17. screech owl--Strix flammea. also called the
the foreboder of approaching woe, a lazy owl, a dire-
barn owl.
ful omen to mortals" (Ovid Metamorphoses 5.5, c.
Large are their heads, fixed is their gaze, line 549 [Riley, 181]).
for plunder are their beaks adapted; on
their wings is a greyish colour, crooked 24. as Naso sings-"We dislike the hawk, because it
talons are on their claws. By night they fly, is always living in warfare; the wolves too, that are
166 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

wont to rush upon the startled flocks" (Ovid Ars 31. Cicero writes-
Amatoria 2, c. line 148 [Riley, 412]).
And at the same period, at Lebadia, where
divine rites were being perfonned in hon-
25. purveyors-Those who supplied the Roman
our of Trophonius, all the cocks in the
anny with provisions.
neighbourhood began to crow so inces-
santly as never to leave off at all; and the
26. bat-"When they would symbolise a man who is
Boeotian augurs affinned that this was a
weak and audacious, they portray a bat, for she flies
sign of victory to the Thebans, because
though destitute of feathers" (Horapollo Hieroglyph-
these birds crow only on occasions of vic-
ics 2.52 [Cory, 118].
tory, and maintain silence in case of defeat.
(Cicero De divinatione 1.34 [Yonge, 176])
27. haste to the owl-"When they would denote a
man who flees for refuge to his patron, and receives
32. mule-"When they would symbolise a barren
no assistance, they depict a sparrow and an owl; for
woman, they delineate a mule; for this animal is bar-
the sparrow when pursued betakes itself to the owl,
ren, [because its uterus is not straight]" (Horapollo
and being near it is seized" (ibid. 2.51 [Cory, 117]).
Hieroglyphics 2.62 [Cory, 113]). The passage in
I
brackets is given in Latin by Cory lest the sensibili -
28. bees-"To denote a people obedient to their
ties of Victorian maids be offended.
king, they depict a bee, for this is the only one of all
creatures which has a king whom the rest of the tribe
33. in Virgil-"'Tis war, thou stranger-land, that thou
of bees obey, as men serve their king" (ibid. 1.62
dost offer; for war are horses anned, and this herd
[Cory, 82]).
threatens war. And yet. for all that, these steeds at
times will often submit to the chariot, and underneath
29. flies-"To denote impudence, they represent a
the yoke in concord bear the bit. So there is hope of
fly, for this, though perpetually driven away, never-
peace'" (Virgil Aeneid 3, lines 539-42 [Lonsdale and
theless returns"(ibid. 1.51 [Cory, 72]).
Lee, 124). In the Latin Opera lines 539-40 of the pas-
sage above are provided, but in the Freake translation
30. In her bosom-
only line 540 appears. I have supplied the missing
Julia Augusta [i.e. Livia] when pregnant in line to the text.
her early youth of Tiberius Caesar, by
N~ro, was particularly desirous that her 34. did Marius good-
offspring should be a son, and accordingly
When he was brought to Fannia's house, as
employed the following mode of divina-
soon as the gate was opened, an ass came
tion, which was then much in use among
running out to drink at a spring hard by,
young women: she carried an egg in her
and giving a bold and encouraging look,
bosom, taking care, whenever she was
first stood still before him, then brayed
obliged to put it down, to give it to her
aloud and pranced by him. From which
nurse to wann in her own, that there might
Marius drew his conclusion, and said, that
be no interruption in the heat: it is stated
the fates designed his safety, rather by sea
that the result promised by this mode of
than land, because the ass neglected his dry
augury was not falsified. (Pliny 10.76
fodder, and turned from it to the water.
[Bostock and Riley, 2:535-6])
(Plutarch, "Caius Marius." In Lives of the
For Livia whiles she went with child of Noble Grecians and Romans, trans. John
him [Tiberius], among many and sundry Dryden [New York: Modem Library,
experiments which she made, and signs (1864) n.d.], 518-9)
that she observed (and all to know whether
she should bring forth a man-child or no), 35.fugitives in Sicilia-The servile, or slave, revolt of
took closely an egg from under a hen that 134-132 Be was brought about by the vast number of
was sitting, and kept it wann sometime in slaves used in agriculture in Sicily and the cruelty with
her own, otherwhiles in her woman's which they were handled. It was led by Eunus, a native
. hands by turns one after another, so long of Apamea in Syria, who was credited by his followers
until there was hatched a cock-chicken with the power of prophecy and dream interpretation,
with a notable comb upon the head. (Sueto- and the ability to breathe fire. Proclaimed king by the
nius, "Tiberius Nero Caesar" sec. 14. In slaves, he defeated the efforts of the consuls C. Fulvius
HistOlY of Twelve Caesars, trans. Philemon Flaccus and L. Calpurnius Pi so Frugi to crush him, but
Holland [1606] [London: George Rout- was captured by the consul P. Rupilius and thrown
ledge and Sons, n.d.], 141) into prison at Margantia, where he died.
 Of Divers Certain Animals /167

36. mother the woif-Romulus and Remus, the myth- lence of a multitude" (Suetonius, "Tiberi us Nero
ical brothers supposed to have been the founders of Caesar" 72. In History o/Twelve Caesars [Holland,
the city of Rome, as infants were suckled by a wolf in 176-7]). Holland adds the note: HA creeping dragon.
the wilderness. Which implieth that there be others winged, or at
leastwise supposed to fly , in the common opinion of
37. meet a Iioness-"When they would symbolise a men; for the attribute Serpens signifieth creeping.
woman that has brought forth once, they depict a Now, because all of them use most to do, the general
lioness; for she never conceives twice" (Horapollo name of dragons goeth under serpents" (ibid., p. 60
Hieroglyphics 2.82 [Cory, 136]). of the notes). Draco was used to designate the
python. Pliny says, "The dragon is a serpent destitute
38. Ostentarian-Latin ostentum (portent, prodigy, of venom" (Pliny 29.20 [Bostock and Riley, 5:395]).
wonder), the book of auguries used by the people of All of the large constrictor snakes kill by sq ueezing
Etruria, supposedly given to them by Tages. See note their prey so that it cannot breathe and suffocates to
4, ch. LJII, bk. I. death. None have venom. The boa and anaconda are
confined to the New World, but the reticulate python
39. whence Virgil-In the consulship of Pollio (40 of southeast Asia is one of the largest, if not the
Be) a wondrous child is to be born (perhaps the son largest, of all snakes. Specimens have been found
of Octavianus, lately married to Scribania) who will well over 30 feet in length. The African rock python
herald the dawn of a new age of peace: grows up to 25 feet in length.
The soil shall not feel the hoe, nor the vine- 45. in his mouth-"To represent the mouth they
yard the pruninghook; also the stout depict a serpent, because the serpent is powerful in
ploughman shall now unloose his oxen no other of its members except the mouth alone"
from the yoke; the wool shall not learn to (Horapollo Hieroglyphics 1.45 [Cory, 66]).
counterfeit various hues; but of himself the
ram in the meadows shall now begin to 46. two snakes-Cicero recounts this story of the two
change the whiteness of his fleece for snakes and raises the logical point : " But I marvel, if
sweetly-blushing crimson, and for saffron the release of the female snake caused the death of
dye; scarlet of its own accord shall dress Tiberius Gracchus, and that of the male was to be
the browsing lambs." (Virgil Eclogues 4, c. fatal to Cornelia, why he let either of them escape."
line 40 [Lonsdale and Lee, 18-9]) (Cicero De divinatione 2.29 [Yonge, 225]). See also
1.1 8 (Yonge, 160-1 ).
40. nourished by a dog-See the biographical note.
47. a viper-
4 1. Tobit-Apocryphal book of Tobit, 5: 16.
When they would symbolise a woman that
42. castor-"When they would symbolise a man hates her own husband, and designs his
injured by self inflictions, they delineate a beaver; for death, and is complaisant only during inter-
when pursued he tears out his own testicles, and casts course, they delineate a viper; for when in
them as spoil to his pursuers" (Horapollo Hiero- connection with the male, she places his
glyphics 2.65 [Cory, 126]). "The beavers of the Eux- mouth in her mouth, and after they have
ine [Black Sea] , when they are closely pressed by disjoined, she bites the head of the male
danger, themselves cut off the same [sexual] part, as and kills him. (Horapollo Hieroglyphics
they know that it is for this that they are pursued. 2.59 [Cory, 123])
This substance is called castoreum by the physicians" When they would denote children plotting
(Pliny8.47 [Bostock and Riley, 2:297]). against their mothers, they delineate a
viper; for the viper is not brought forth in
43 . both the consuls-The consuls M. Claudius Mar- the [usual manner] , but disengages itself by
cellus V and T. Quinctius (Pennus Capitolinus) gnawing through the belly of its mother.
Crispinus were both defeated by Hannibal near (ibid. 2.60 [Cory, 123-4]).
Venusia in 208 Be, the eleventh year of the Second
Punic War. 48. eel-HWhen they would symbolise a man that is
hostile to, and secluded from, all men, they depict an
44. tame dragon-HAmong other delights he took eel; for it is found associating with no other fishes"
great pleasure in a serpent dragon, which when, (ibid. 2.103 [Cory, 149]).
according to his usual manner, he would have fed
with his own hand and found eaten by pismires 49. which Tully-"For there is a certain power and
[ants] , he was warned thereupon to beware the vio- nature, which, by means of indications which have
168/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

been observed a long time, and also by some constant asservation of the Annals is, that
instinct and divine inspiration, pronounces a judge- the destiny of the Roman empire would
ment on future events" (Cicero De divinatione 1.6 have been assuredly transferred to Etruria,
[Yonge, 147]). had not the deputies, forewarned by the son
of the diviner, made answer-"No, not
SO. head of a man- here exactly, but at Rome, we say, the head
was found." (Pliny 28.4 [Bostock and
While they were digging on the Tarpeian
Riley, 5:280-1])
Hill for the foundations of a temple, a
human head was found; upon which
51 . Brutian soldiers-Soldiers under the command
deputies were sent to Olenus Calenus, the
of Marcus Junius Brutus, who together with those
most celebrated diviner of Etruria. He,
under C. Cassius Longinus opposed the forces of C.
foreseeing the glory and success which
Julius Caesar Octavianus (later known as Augustus)
attached to such a presage as this,
and those of Marcus Antonius in Macedonia in 42
attempted, by putting a question to them, to
Be. There were two engagements. In the first Cassius
transfer the benefit of it to his own nation.
was defeated by Anthony, while Brutus, who com-
First describing, on the [Etrurian] ground
manded the other wing of the army, was victorious
before him, the outline of a temple with his
over Octavius. Thinking Brutus had also lost in the
staff-"Is it so, Romans, as you say?" said
confusion of battle, Cassius had his own freedman
he; "here then must be the temple of
put him to death. In the second engagement Brutus
Jupiter, all good and all powerful; it is here
was defeated. He fell on the sword of his friend,
that we have found the head"-and the
Strato, and so took his own life.
 CHAPTeR LV

How auspicias aRe veRiFied by rhe lighr of naruRal

insrincr, and of some Rules of Finding of ir our.

uspicia and auguria, which foretell By the same instinct also certain hurtful

A things to come by animals, and birds,

Orpheus' the divine himself (as we
read) did teach and show first of all,
which afterwards were had in great esteem with
and terrible things are perceived (the soul of the
men being altogether ignorant of them) whence
terror, and horror seizeth much upon men when
they think nothing of these things. So a thief
all nations. Now they are verified by the light of lying hid in any house, although nobody knows,
natural instinct, as if from this, some lights of or thinks of his being there strikes fear, and ter-
divination may descend upon four-footed ror, and a troublesomeness of mind into the
beasts, winged, and other animals, by which inhabitants of that house, although haply not of
they are able to presage to us of the events of all, because the brightness of this instinct is not
things: which Virgil2 seems to be sensible of, in all men ; yet of some of them. So a harlot
when he sings: being hid in some very large house, is some-
times perceived to be there by some one that is
Nor think I heaven on them such knowl-
altogether ignorant of her being there. It is men-
edge states,
Nor that their prudence is above the fates. tioned in histories that Heraiscus a certain
Egyptian, a man of a divine nature, could dis-
Now this instinct of nature, as saith William cern unclean women, not only by his eyes, but
of Paris. is more sublime than all human appre- by their voice, being heard afar off, and there-
hension, and very near, and most like to upon did fall into a most grievous headache.
prophecy. By this instinct there is a certain William of Paris also makes mention of a
wonderful light of divination in some animals certain woman in his time, that by the same
naturally, as it manifestly appears in some dogs, instinct perceived a man whom she loved, com-
who know by this instinct thieves, and men that ing two miles off.4 Also he relates that in his
are hid, unknown both to themselves, and men, time was a certain stork convicted of unchastity
and find them out, and apprehend them, falling by the smell of the male, who being judged
upon them with a full mouth.3 By the like gUilty by a multitude of storks whom the male
instinct vultures foresee future slaughters in bat- gathered together, discovering to them the fault
tles, and gather together into places where they of his mate, was, her feathers being first pulled
shall be, as if they foresaw the flesh of dead car- off, tom in pieces by them. He also makes men-
casses. By the same instinct partridges know tion of a certain horse,5 who not knowing his
their dam, which they never saw, and leave the dam, and leaping of her, when afterwards he
partridge which stole away her dam's eggs, and understood what he had done, bit off his own
sat upon them. stones by way of revenge upon himself for his

169
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incest. The same doth Varro, Aristotle, and ----Ithis did foreshow
Pliny relate concerning horses. Oft from the hollow holm that ominous
And Pliny makes mention of a certain ser- crow.
pent,6 called the asp, that did such a like thing,
for she coming to a certain man's table in Now the birds that portend future things by
Egypt, was there daily fed, and she having their flying are, viz. buzzards,9 the bone-break-
brought forth some young, by one of which a ers, '0 eagles, vultures, cranes, swans, and the
son of her host's was killed, after she knew of it, like: for they are to be considered in their fly-
killed that young one, and would never return to ing, whether they fly slowly, or swiftly, whether
that house anymore. to the right hand, or to the left, how many fly
Now by these examples you see, how the together: upon this account if cranes" fly apace,
lights of presage may descend upon some ani- they signify a tempest: when slowly, fair
mals, as signs, or marks of things, and are set in weather. Also when two eagles fly together,
their gesture, motion, voice, flying, going, meat, they are said to portend evil, because that is a
colour, and such like. For according to the doc- number of confusion. In like manner thou shalt
trine of the Platonists, there is a certain power enquire into the reason of the rest, as this is
put into inferior things, by which for the most showed of number. Moreover it belongs to an
part they agree with the superiors; whence also artist to observe a similitude in these conjec-
the tacit consents of animals seem to agree with tures, as in Virgil,' 2 Venus dissembling, tea-
divine bodies, and their bodies, and affections cheth her son Aeneas in these verses:
to be affected with their powers, by the name of
- - - , a l l this is not for naught,
which they are ascribed to the deities. Else me in vain my parents augury taught,
We must consider therefore what animals Lo! twice six swans in a glad company
are saturnine, what are jovial, and what martial, Jove's bird pursued through the ethereal sky
and so of the rest, and according to their proper- In heaven's broad tracks : now earth in a
ties to draw forth their presages: so those birds long train
They seem to take, or taken to disdain;
which resemble Saturn, and Mars, are all of As they return with sounding wings, they
them called terrible, and deadly, as the screech sport,
owl, the hawlet,7 and others which we have And heaven surrounding in a long consort.
mentioned before, also the hom owl, because Just so, I say , thy friends and fleet have
she is a saturnal solitary bird, also nightly, and gained
The port, or with full sails the bay obtained.
is reputed to be most unfortunately ominous, of
which the poet saith: Most wonderful is that kind of auguring of
theirs, who hear, and understand the speeches of
The ugly owl which no bird well resents,
Foretells misfortunes, and most sad events. animals, in which as amongst the ancients,
Melampus, and Tiresias, and Thales, and Apol-
But the swan is a delicious bird, venereal, Ion ius the Tyanean, who as we read , excelled,
and dedicated to Phoebus, and is said to be most and whom they report had excellent skill in the
happy in her presages, especially in the auspi- language of birds: of whom Philostratus , and
cias of mariners, because she is never drowned Porphyrius speak, saying, that of old when
in water, whence Ovid sings: Apollonius sat in company amongst his friends ,
seeing sparrows sitting upon a tree, and one
Most happy is the cheerful , singing swan sparrow coming from elsewhere unto them,
In her presage s , - - - making a great chattering and noise, and then
flying away, all the rest following him, he said
There are also some birds that presage with to his companions, that that sparrow told the
their mouth, and singing, as the crow, pie, daw, rest that an ass being burdened with wheat fell
whence Virgil:8 down in a hole near the city, and that the wheat
 How Auspicias Are Verified by the Light of Natural Instinct / 171

was scattered upon the ground: many being Another part is weak, and flagging lies,
much moved with these words, went to see, and Beats, and moves with quick pulse the
so it was, as Apollonius said, 13 at which they arteries.
much wondered.
Also POIphyrius the Platonist in his third Then the bowels being finished, they
book of Sacrifices, 14 saith, that there was a swal- search the heart. Now if there were a sacrifice
low: for it was certain, because every voice of found without an heart, or a head was wanting
any animal is significative of some passion of its in the liver, these were deadly presages, and
soul, as joy, sadness, or anger, or the like, which were called piacularia. 23 Also if a sacrifice fled
voices it is not so wonderful a thing should be from the altar, or being smitten, made a lowing,
understood by men conversant about them. or fell upon any part of his body than he ought
But Democritus himself declared this art, to do, it was the like ominous.
as saith Pliny, 15 by naming the birds, of whose We read that when Julius Caesar upon a day
blood mixed together was produced a serpent, went forth to procession with his purple robe,
of which whosoever did eat, should understand and sitting in a golden chair, and sacrificing,
the voices of birds. And Hermes saith, if anyone there was twice a heart wanting;24 and when C.
shall go forth to catch birds on a certain day of Marius was sacrificing at Utica, there was want-
the Kalends l6 of November, and shall boil the ing a Iiver. 25 Also when Caius the prince, and M.
first bird which he catcheth, with the heart of a Marcel/us, C. Claudius, and L. Petellius Coss
fox, that all that shall eat of this bird, shall were offering sacrifices, that the liver was con-
understand the voices of birds, and all other ani- sumed away suddenly: and not long after, one of
mals. Also the Arabians say, that they can them died of a disease, another was slain by men
understand the meaning of brutes, who shall eat of Lyguria, the entrails foretelling so much:
the heart, and liver of dragons. 17 Proclus also which was thought to be done by the power of
the Platonist believed, and wrote, that the heart the gods, or help of the Devil: hence it was
of a mole conduceth to presages. accounted a thing of great concernment amongst
There were also divinations and auspicias the ancients as oft as anything unusual was found
which were taken from the inwards of sacri- in the inwards: as when Sul/a was sacrificing at
fices, the inventor whereof was Tages ,19 of Laurentum, the figure of a crown appeared 26 in
whom Lucan sang: 20 the head of the liver: which Posthumius the
soothsayer interpreted to portend a victory with a
And if the inwards have no credit gained, kingdom, and therefore advised that Sul/a should
And if this art by Tages was but feigned. eat those entrails himself.
The colour also of the inwards is to be con-
The Roman religion thought that the liver sidered. Of these Lucan made rnention: 27
was the head of the inwards. 21 Hence the sooth-
sayers inquiring after future things in the Struck at the colour prophets were with fear,
inwards , did first look into the liver, in which For with foul spots pale entrails tinged were.
were two heads, whereof the one was called the Both black, and blue, with specks of sprin-
kled blood
head for the city, the other for the enemy; and
They were:---
the head of this, or another part being compared
together, they pronounced victory, as we read in
There was in times past such a venerable
Lucan, that the inwards did signify the slaughter
esteem of these arts, that the most potent, and
of Pompey's men, and the victory of Caesar's,
wise men sought after them, yea the senate, and
according to these verses: 22
kings did nothing without the counsel of the
In the inwards all defects are ominous.
augurs. But all these in these days, partly by the
One part, and branch of the entrails doth negligence of men, and partly by the authority
increase, of the Fathers,28 are abolished.
172 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

Norcs-ChaprCR LV

I. Olpheus-Horace calls Orpheus the interpreter of has taken its surname from it, from the cir-
the gods, and Philostratus says that his head was pre- cumstance of this bird having given a
served after death at Lesbos to give oracles. favourable omen by settling upon the ship
of one of them when he held a command"
2. Virgil- (Pliny 10.9 [Bostock and Riley, 2:487]).
. .. 'tis their [ravens] delight now that the rain
10. hone-hreakers-Osprey (Pandion haliaetus).
is over to revisit their little progeny, and
Pliny in describing the kinds of eagles says: " Some
beloved nestlings; not that I can believe that
writers add to the above a seventh kind, which they
they have from heaven any inspiration, or call the 'bearded' eagle; the Tuscans, however, call it
from fate a further foresight of things to the ossifrage [ossifraga: bone-breaker]" (Pliny 10.3
come; but when the weather and changeful [Bostock and Riley, 2:484]). It is conjectured that the
moisture of the sky alter the course of nature, bird originally referred to was the lammergeyer, or
and the god of the air with the damp winds bearded vulture (Gypaetus harhatus) , which breaks
condenses what just now was rare, and anon bones open by dropping them from a great height,
rarefies what was dense, the images of their but in the late 16th century the name bone-breaker
minds are turned, and their breasts conceive was transferred by English and French writers to the
impulses other than what they felt, while the sea eagle, or osprey.
wind chased the clouds ... (Virgil Georgics
I, c. line 415 [Lonsdale and Lee, 40] II . cranes-Pliny says that when cranes "make for
the interior" or fly inland, it foretells a storm, but
3. full mouth-That is, barking. "Cranes when they fly aloft in silence announce fine
weather ... " (Pliny 18.87 [Bostock and Riley, 4: 124]).
4. two miles off-An early description of what is now
known as an extrasensory monition of approach. 12. in Virgil-See note 8, ch. LIV, bk. I,

5. certain horse-"Another horse, upon the bandage 13 . Apollonius said-

being removed from his eyes, found that he had cov-
ered his mother, upon which he threw himself down a The sparrows were sitting quietly in the trees
precipice, and was killed. We learn, also, that for a roundabout, when another sparrow flew to
similar cause, a groom was tom to pieces, in the terri- them and piped up as if inviting the others to
tory of Reate" (Pliny 8.64 [Bostock and Riley, 2:318]). do something, and as soon as they heard him
all the birds began to chirp, and took wing
6. certain serpent-Pliny relates this story and cred- and flew away. Apollonius knew why they
its it to Phylarchus, a Greek writer. See Pliny 10.96 had flown away, but made no comment on
[Bostock and Riley , 2:552) . it, and went on with his subject; then seeing
his audience all looking after the birds, and
7. hawlet-That is, how let, or owlet, a young or little that some superstitious persons among them
owl. The Oxford English Dictionary does not attach a were drawing presages of evil from the spar-
species to this term, but obviously one is intended- rows leaving, he gave them this explanation:
probably Carine noctua, the little owl represented on "A boy who was carrying grain in a trough
coins and sc ulptures as the bird of Pallas Athene and fell down, and after picking up the spilled
the town of Athens. grain very carelessly, he went away, leaving
a good deal of it scattered in the road. That
8. whence Virgil-See note 7, ch. LIV, bk. I. first sparrow found it, and came to invite
these others to be his guests at that unex-
9. huzzards-The common buzzard (Buteo vulgaris) pected treat." Many of his hearers ran way to
was regarded as an inferior kind of hawk, little val - investigate, while Apollonius went on with
his discourse about community of goods to
ued because its weak beak and talons and lack of
those who remained. (Philostratus Life and
courage made it useless for falconry. Of it Pliny says:
Times of Apollonius ofTyana 4.3 [Eells, 93])
..... the triorchis also, so called from the
number of its testicles, and to which Phe- 14. hook of Sacrifices-De ahstinentia (On absti-
monoe has ass igned the first rank in nence from animal food), one of the few extant works
augury. This last is by the Romans known of Porphyry, which was translated into English by
as the 'buteo; ' indeed there is a family that Thomas Tay lor in 1823.
 How Auspicias Are Verified by the Light of Natural Instinct / 173

15. saith Pliny-" ... as also what Democritus says, two-lobed, liver in a sacrifice: "May the Gods grant a
when he gives the names of certain birds, by the prosperous result to what has been seen, and may
mixture of whose blood a serpent is produced, the there be no truth in the entrails; but rather may Tages,
person who eats of which will be able to understand the founder of the art, have fondly invented all these
the language of birds .. . " (Pliny 10.70 [Bostock and things!" (Lucan Pharsalia I, line 636 [Riley, 42]).
Riley, 2:530)). "Democritus, he has given some
monstrous preparations from snakes, by the aid of 21 . head of the inwards-"The liver is on the right
which the language of birds, he says, may be under- side: in this part is situate what has been called the
stood" (Pliny 29.22 [Bostock and Riley, 5:397)). ' head of the entrails,' and it is subject to considerable
variations" (Pliny 11.73 [Bostock and Riley, 3:67-8)).
16. Kalends-Calends, the first day of any month in
the Roman calendar; therefore November first. 22. these verses-" .. .and, shocking sign! that which
has appeared with impunity in no entrails, lo! he
17. liver of dragons-"Even to this day it is peculiar [Arruns] sees growing upon the head of the entrails
to Arabs that they harken to the voices of birds as [liver] the mass of another head-a part hangs weak
foretelling future events like oracles, and they inter- and flabby, a part throbs and with a rapid pulsation
pret animals, because as some say they eat the liver of incessantly moves the veins" (Lucan Pharsalia I,
dragons, or as others say, the heart" (Philostratus Life line 626 [Riley, 41]).
and Times of Apollonius ofTyana 1.20 [Eells, 21)).
23 . piacularia-See note 9, ch. LIB, bk. I.
18 heart of a mole-"The heart of a mole is sub-
servient to divination" (Proclus De sacrijicio et 24. twice a heart wanting-
magia, frag. preserved by Ficinus and given in its
entirety in Iamblichus Life of Pythagoras , trans. The first day that the Dictator Caesar
Thomas Taylor [1818] [London: John M. Watkins,. appeared in public, clothed in purple, and
1926], 213-8). Taylor also gives this fragment at the sitting on a seat of gold, the heart was
end of his translation of On the Mysteries. See also twice found wanting when he sacrificed.
note 7, ch. XXI, bk. I. From this circumstance has risen a great
question among those who discuss matters
19. Tages- connected with divination-whether it was
possible for the victim to have lived with-
They tell us that as a labourer one day was
out that organ, or whether it had lost it at
ploughing in a field in the territory of Tar-
the very moment of its death. (Pliny 11.71
quinium, and ' his ploughshare made a
[Bostock and Riley, 3:66)).
deeper furrow than usual, all of a sudden
there sprang out of this furrow a certain ... on that very day on which [Caesar] first
Tages, who, as it is recorded in the books sat on the golden throne and went forth
of the Etrurians, possessed the visage of a clad in a purple robe, when he was sacrific-
child, but the prudence of a sage. When the ing, no heart was found in the intestines of
labourer was surprised at seeing him, and the fat ox .... He was himself surprised at
in his astonishment made a great outcry, a the novelty of the phenomenon; on which
number of people assembled round him, Spurinna [soothsayer who cried "Beware
and before long all the Etrurians came the Ides of March"] observed that he had
together at the spot. Tages then discoursed reason to fear that he would lose both sense
in the presence of an immense crowd, who and life, since both of these proceed from
treasured up his words with the greatest the heart. The next day the liver of the vic-
care, and afterwards committed them to tim was found defective in the upper
writing. The information they derived from extremity. (Cicero De divinatione 1.52
this Tages was the foundation of the sci- [Y onge, 193-4)).
ence of the soothsayers, and was subse-
quently improved by the accession of As Caesar was sacrificing, the victim's
many new facts, all of which confirmed the heart was missing, a very bad omen,
same principles. (Cicero De divinatione because no living creature can subsist with-
2.23 [Yonge, 220--1)). out a heart. (Plutarch "Caesar." In Lives
[Dryden, 890))
An Etruscan soothsayer who examined the entrails was
called a haruspex, and the practice itself is haruspicy.
25. wanting a liver-
20. Lucan sang-Spoken by Arruns, the dean of No liver at all was found in a victim which
soothsayers, upon seeing the unhappy double, or was sacrificed by M. Marcellus, about the
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period when he was killed in battle against kept in custody till the battle was over, as willing, if
Hannibal; while in a victim which was they had not speedy and complete success, to suffer
slain on the following day, a double liver the utmost punishment" (ibid. 552).
was found. It was wanting, also, in a victim Cicero makes still another reference to this pair:
sacrificed by C. Marius, at Utica, and in
For when Sylla was in the territory of Nola,
one which was offered by the Emperor
and was sacrificing in front of his tent, a
Gaius [Caligulaj upon the calends of Janu-
serpent suddenly glided out from beneath
ary, on the occasion of his entering the year
the altar; and when, upon this, the sooth-
of the consulship in which he was slain: the
sayer Posthumius exhorted him to give
same thing happened, also, to his succes-
orders for the immediate march on the
sor, Claudius, in the month in which he
army, Sylla obeyed the injunction, ahd
was cut off by poison. (Pliny I 1.73
entirely defeated the Samnites, who lay
[Bostock and Riley, 3:68])
before Nola, and took possession of their
richly-provided camp. (Cicero De divina-
26. crown appeared-Relying on Sulla's own testi-
tione 1.33 [Yonge, 175])
mony in his Memoirs , Plutarch writes: "For when he
was sacrificing at his first landing near Tarentum, the
27. Lucan made mention-"The very colour alarmed
victim's liver showed the figure of a crown of laurel
the prophet; for a pervading lividness streaked with
with two fillets hanging from it" (Plutarch "Sylla." In
spots of blood the pallid vitals, tinted with fo.ul spots
Lives [Dryden, 566]).
and gorged with congealed blood. He perceives the
Posthumius is mentioned by Plutarch in connec-
liver reeking with corruption, and beholds the vems
tion with a sacrifice that took place at Nola (east of
threatening on the enemy 's side" (Lucan Pharsalia I,
modem Naples) some time prior to the one noticed
line 620 [Riley, 41]).
above: "As he [Sullaj was sacrificing, Postumius the
soothsayer, having inspected the entrails, stretched
28. Fathers-The early leaders and writers of the
forth both hands over Sylla, required to be bound and
Christian Church.
 CHAPTeR LVl

Of rhe soorhsayings of flashes, and

lighrnings, and how monsrROUS, and
pRodigious rhings aRe ro be inreRpRered.

Ow the soothsayings of flashes, and when he was sleeping in the cradle, by which

N lightnings, and of wonders, and how

monstrous and prodigious things are to
be interpreted, the prophets, and
priests of Hetruscus I have taught the art. For
was foretold the sweetness of his speech.
Hecuba, when she was bringing forth Paris, saw
a burning torch,6 which should set on fire Troy,
and all Asia. There appeared unto the mother of
they have ordained sixteen regions 2 of the heav- Phalaris7 the image of Mercury pouring forth
ens, and have ascribed gods to everyone of blood upon the earth, with which the whole
them; and besides eleven kinds 3 of lightnings, house was overflowed. The mother of Dionysius8
and nine gods, which should dart them forth, by dreamed she brought forth a satyr, which prodi-
showing rules for the understanding the signifi- gious dreams the event that followed made good.
cation of them. But as often as monstrous, prodi- The wife of Tarquinius Priscus seeing a
gious, and wondrous things happen, they do flame lick the head of Servius Tullius,9 foretold
presage, as is most certain, some great matter. that he should have the kingdom. In like manner
Now their interpreter must be some excel- after Troy was taken, Aeneas disputing with
lent conjecturer of similitudes, as also some Anchises his father concerning a flight, there
curious searcher, and of them who at that time appeared a flame licking the crown of Ascanius
are employed about the affairs of princes, and his head, 10 and doing of him no hurt: which thing,
provinces. For the celestials take such care only seeing it did portend the kingdom to Ascanius,
for princes, peoples, and provinces, that before persuaded him to depart, for monstrous prodigies
the rest they might be prefigured, and admon- did forerun great and imminent destruction.
ished, by stars, by constellations, by wonders, So we read in Pliny, that M . Attilius, and C.
and by prodigies. Now if the same thing, or the Portius being consuls, it rained milk, and
like hath been seen in former ages, we must blood, II which did presage that a very great
consider that very thing, and what happened pestilence should the next year overspread
after that, and according to these, tq)foretell the Rome. Also in Lucania it rained spongious
same, or the like, because the same'signs are for iron,12 and in the year before Marcus Crassus
the same things, and the like for like. was slain in Parthia; with which also all the sol -
So prodigies have come before the birth, and diers of Lucania, being a very numerous army,
death of many eminent men and kings; as Cicero were slain. Also L. Paulus, and C. Marcellus
makes mention of Midas a boy, into whose being consuls, it rained woOl 13 about the castle of
mouth, whilst he was sleeping, the pismire put Corisanum, near which place a year after T.
corns of wheat,4 which was an omen of great Annius was slain by Milus. Also in the wars of
riches. So bees sat upon the mouth of Plato 5 Denmark, the noise of arms,14 and sound of a

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trumpet was heard in the air. And Livy concern- temple of Hercules, the doors that were shut with
ing the Macedonian wars, saith, in the year when bars, opened themselves, and the arms that were
Hannibal died it rained blood for two days. Also hanged on the wall, were found on the ground.
concerning the second Punic war, he saith, that The like events may be prognosticated of
water mixed with blood came down from heaven other like things, as oftentimes in times past
like rain, at that time when Hannibal did spoil something hath been foretold of them. But con-
Italy. A little before the destruction of Leuctra cerning these also, the judgements of the celestial
the Lacedemonians heard a noise of arms in the influences must not be neglected, of which we
temple of Hercules, 15 and at the same time in the shall more largely treat in the following chapters.

Not:es-Chapt:eR LVl
I. Hetruscus-Etruria. 4. corns ofwheat-"When Midas, who became king
of Phrygia, was yet an infant, some ants crammed
2. sixteen regions- some grains of wheat into his mouth while he was
sleeping" (Cicero De divinatione 1.36 [y'onge, 177]).
In relation to this object [lightning] the
Etrurians have divided the heavens into six-
5. mouth of Plato-"While Plato was an infant in his
teen parts. The first great division is from
cradle, a swarm of bees settled on his lips during his
north to east; the second to the south; the
slumbers; and the diviners answered that he would
third to the west; and the fourth occupies
become extremely eloquent .. ." (ibid.).
what remains from west to north. Each of
these has been subdivided into four parts,
6. burning torch-Cicero quotes an unidentified poet:
of which the eight on the east have been
called the left, and those on the west the Queen Hecuba dream ' d-an ominous
right divisions. Those which extend from dream of fate-
the west to the north have been considered That she did bear no human child of flesh ,
the most unpropitious. It becomes therefore But a fierce blazing torch.
very important to ascertain from what quar- (Cicero De divinatione 1.2 1 [Yonge, 163])
ter the thunder proceeds, and in what direc-
tion it falls. It is considered a very 7. mother of Phalaris-
favourable omen when it returns into the
Heraclides of Pontus, an intelligent man,
eastern division. But it prognosticates the
who was one of Plato 's disciples and fol-
greatest felicity when the thunder proceeds
lowers, writes that the mother of Phalaris
from the first-mentioned part of the heav-
fancied that she saw in a dream the statues
ens and falls back into it; it was an omen of
of the gods whom Phalaris had conse-
this kind which, as we have heard, was
crated in his house. Among them ' it
given to Sylla the Dictator. The remaining
appeared to her that Mercury held a cup in
quarters of the heavens are less propitious,
his right hand, from which he poured
and also less to be dreaded. (Pliny 2.55
blood, which as soon as it touched the
[Bostock and Riley, 1:85])
earth gushed forth like a fresh fountain,
See also the story about Attus Navius in Cicero De and filled the house with stream ing gore.
divinatione 1.17. (Cicero De divinatione 1.23 [Yonge, 164])

3. eleven kinds- 8. mother of Dionysius-

The Tuscan books inform us, that there The mother of Dionysi us-of that Diony-
are nine Gods who discharge thunder- sius, I mean, who was the tyrant of Syra-
storms, that there are eleven different cuse, as it is recorded by Philistus, a man
kinds of them, and th at three of them are of learning and diligence, and who was a
darted out by Jupiter. Of these the contemporary of the tyrant-when she was
Romans retain only two, ascribing the pregnant with this very Dionysius, dreamt
diurnal kind of Jupiter, and the nocturnal that she had become the mother of a little
to Summanus ... (Pliny 2.53 [Bostock Satyr. (Cicero De divinatione 1.20 [Yonge,
and Riley, 1:82]) 162])
 Of the Soothsayings of Flashes, and Lightnings / 177

Satyrs are servants of the god Dionysus. 12. spongious iron-

It also rained iron among the Lucanians,
9. head of Servius Tullius-" And all our histories
the year before Crassus was slain by the
relate that the head of Servius Tullius while sleeping
Parthians [53 BC], as well as all the Lucan-
appeared to be on fire, which was a sign of the extra-
ian soldiers, of whom there was a great
ordinary events which followed" (Cicero De divina-
number in this army. The substance which
tione 1.53 [Yonge, 194]).
fell had very much the appearance of
" ... when Servius Tullius, while a child, was
sponge; the augurs warned the people
sleeping, flame darted out from his head ... " (Pliny
against wounds that might come from
2.111 [Bostock and Riley, I: 143]).
above. (ibid., 87-8)
They relate, that the head of a boy, called
Servius Tullius, as he lay fast asleep, 13. rained wool-"In'the consulship of L. Paulus and
blazed with fire in the sight of many per- C. Marcellus it rained wool , round the castle of
sons. That by the very great noise made at Carissanum, near which place, a year after, T. Annius
so miraculous a phenomenon, the royal Milo was killed" (ibid., 88).
family was awakened; and when one of the
servants was bringing water to extinguish 14. noise of arms-"We have heard, that during the
the flame, that he was kept pack by the war with the Cimbri, the rattling of arms and the
queen, and after the confusion was over, sound of trumpets were heard through the sky, and
that she forbad the boy to be disturbed till that the same thing has frequently happened before
he should awake of his own accord. As and since" (Pliny 2.58 [Bostock and Riley, 1:88]).
soon as he awoke the flame disappeared.
(Livy The History of Rome 1.39, trans. D. 15. temple of Hercules-
Spillan and Cyrus Edmonds [New York :
"How many intimations were given to the
Noble and Eidridge, n.d.], 52-3)
Lacedaemonians a short time before the
disaster of Leuctra, when arms rattled in
10. Ascanius his head-" ... a light crest of fire seems
the temple of Hercules, and his statue
to shed a gleam from the crown of the head of Iulus
streamed with profuse sweat! At the same
[i .e. Ascanius], and, with harmless touch, to lick his
time, at Thebes (as Callisthenes relates),
wavy locks and play about his temples" (Virgil
the folding-doors in the temple of Her-
Aeneid 2, c. line 682 '[Lonsdale and Lee, III]).
cules, which were dosed with bars, opened
of their own accord, and the armour which
II. milk, and blood-" Besides these, we learn from
was suspended on the walls was found
certain monuments, that from the lower part of the
fallen to the ground." (Cicero De divina-
atmosphere it rained milk and blood, in the consulship
tione 1.34 [Yonge, 176])
ofM. Acilius and C. Porcius [114 Be], and frequently
at other times" (Pliny 2.57 [Bostock and Riley, 1:87]).
 CHAPTeR LVll

Of geomancy, hydRomancy, aeRomancy,

pyRomancy, fouR divinarions of e1emenrs.

m oreover the elements them-

selves teach us fatal events;
whence those four famous
kinds of divinations, geomancy,
hydromancy, aeromancy, and pyromancy, have
got their names, of which that sorceress in Lucan
water he called up the gods, and learned of them
things to come; which art also Pythagoras, a
long time after Numa practiced.
There was of old a kind of hydromancy,
had in great esteem amongst the Assyrians, and
it was called lecanomancy, from a skin full of
seems to boast herself, when she saith: I water, upon which they put plates of gold, and
silver, and precious stones, written upon with
The earth, the air, the chaos, and the sky, certain images, names, and characters. To this
The seas, the fields, the rocks, and moun-
may be referred that art, by which lead, and wax
tains high
Foretell the truth--- being melted, and cast into the water,5 do
express manifest marks of images, what we
The first therefore is geomancy, which desire to know . There were also in former years
foreshoweth future things by the motions of the fountains that did foretell things to come, as the
Earth, as also the noise, the swelling, the trem- Father's Fountain at Achaia, and that which was
bling, the chops, the pits, and exhalation, and called the Water of Juno in Epidaurus; but of
other impressions, the art of which Almadel the these more in the following chapters, where we
Arabian sets forth. But there is another kind of shall speak of oracIes. 6
geomancy, which divines by points written Hither also may be referred the divination
upon the earth, by a certain power in the fall of of fishes, of which kind there was use made by
it, which is not of present speculation; but of the Lycians in a certain place, which was called
that we sha1l speak hereafter.2 Dina, near the sea, in a wood dedicated to
Now hydromancy doth perform its Apollo, made hollow in the dry sand, into
presages by the impressions of water, their which, he that went to consult of future things,
ebbing and flowing, their increases and depres- let down roasted meat, and presently that place
sions, their tempests, and colours, and the like; was filled with waters, and a great multitude of
to which also are added visions, which are made fish, and of strange shapes, unknown to men,
in the waters. By a kind of divination found by did appear, by the forms of which the prophet
the Persians,3 as Varro reports, a boy saw in the foretold what should come to pass. These things
water the effigies of Mercury, which foretold in doth Atheneus more at large relate out of Poly-
an hundred and fifty verses all the event of charmus, in the history of the Lycians.
Mithridates his war. We read also that Numa After the same manner doth aeromancy
Pompilius practised hydromancy; for in the divine by airy impressions, by the blowing of

178
 Of Geomancy, Hydromancy, Aeromancy, Pyromancy /179

the winds, by rainbows, by circles about the from smoke, because it searcheth into the flame,
Moon and stars, by mists, and clouds, and by and smoke, and thin colours, sounds, and
imaginations in clouds, and visions in the air. motions, when they are carried upright, or on
So also pyromancy divines by fiery impres- one side, or round, which we read in these
sions, and by stars with long tails,? by fiery verses in Statius:
colours, by visions, and imaginations in the fire.
So the wife of Cicero 8 foretold that he would be Let piety be bound, and on the altar laid,
Let us implore the gods for divine aid.
consul the next year, because when a certain She makes acute, red, towering flames ,
man after the sacrifice was ended, would look and bright,
in the ashes, there suddenly broke forth a flame. Increased by the air, the middle being white;
Of this kind are those that Pliny speaks of,9 that And then she makes the flame s without
all bound,
terrene, pale, and buzzing fires presage tem-
For to wind in and out, and to run round,
pests, circles about the snuffs of candles 10 beto- Like to a serpent----
ken rain; if the flame fly turning, and winding, it
portends wind. Also torches when they strike Also in the Aethnean caves, and fields of
the fire before them, and are not kindled: also the nymphs in Apollonia, auguries were taken
when a coal sticks to pots taken off from the from fires, and flames ; joyful, if they did
fire, and when the fire casts off the ashes, and receive what was cast into them, and sad, if they
sparkles, or when ashes are hard grown together did reject them. But of these we shall speak in
on the hearth, and when a coal is very bright. the following chapters, amongst the answers of
To these is added capnomancy, II so called the oracles. 12

No<::es-Chap<::eR LVll
I. when she saith-Erichtho, speaking to Sextus derived from the curious shapes assumed by the
Pompey, says: " But if thou art content to learn the hardened masses.
events beforehand , paths easy and manifold will lie
open to the truth; earth, and sky, and Chaos, and seas, 6. speak of oracles-See notes 14 and IS, ch.
and plains, and the rocks of Rhodope, will converse XLVIII, bk. III.
with us" (Lucan Pharsalia 6, line 615 [Riley, 237]).
7. stars with long tails--Comets, regarding divination
2. speak hereafter-See Appendix VIII. by which Pliny says: "It is thought important to notice
towards what part it darts its beams, or from what star
3. the Persians--Of hydromancy, Augustine says : it receives its influence, what it resembles, and in
"Which kind of divination, says Varro [De cultu deo- what places it shines." (Pliny 2.23 [Bostock and
rum], came from Persia and was used by Numa, and Riley, I :57]). In ancient astrology there was an elab-
afterward s by Pythagoras" (City of God 7.35, orate classification of comets according to their
[Healey 1:224]). shapes, after which they were named; for example,
"long-haired stars" when the tail was up, "bearded
4. NurrIG Pompilius- " So that Numa's taking stars" when the tail was down, "javelin stars" when
nymph Egeria to his wife was (as Varro says) noth- the tail was long and narrow, "dagger stars" when it
ing but his use of water in hydromancy. For so was short and sloped to a point, and so on. For a list-
actions are wont to be spiced with falsehood and ing of some of these, see Pliny 2.22 (Bostock and
turned into fables. So by this hydromancy did this Riley, I :55-6). Ptolemy also mentions them briefly in
curious king learn his religious laws that he gave the the Tetrabiblos 2.9, but more briefly than Pliny. For a
Romans, and which the priests have in their books complete account, consult Hephaestion of Thebes .
. .. " (ibid.).
8. wife of Cicero-Terentia, Cicero' s first wife.
5. cast into the water-Small amounts of molten Cicero was consul in 63 Be. It is curious he makes no
material are quickly dropped into a vessel of water, use of this story in De divinatione (44 BC) . Perhaps
where they solidify almost at once. The divination is his divorce from Terentia in 45 BC, coupled with his
180/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

divorce from Publilia, his second wife, in that same when her husband did heare, he demanded of her by
year, had turned his mind away from domestic remi- what reason she knew it? Mary (quoth shee) the light
niscences. . on the table sheweth the same" (Apuleius The
Golden Asse ch. 10 [Adlington]).
9. Pliny speaks of-
II. ~apnomancy-When the smoke rose lightly in a
Next to these are the prognostics that are
vertical column from the sacrifice on the altar it was
derived from fire kindled upon the earth. If
a good sign, but if the smoke hung low it was bad.
the flames are pallid, and emit a murmur-
Another kind of capnomancy concerned the smoke
ing noise, they are considered to presage
from poppy or jasmine seeds. Smoke of the sacrifice
stormy weather; and fungi upon the burn-
was also inhaled to produce an exalted state.
ing wick of the lamp are a sign of rain. If
the flame is spiral and flickering, it is an
12. of the oracles-All these forms of divination are
indication of wind, and the same is the case
described in a short work which the editors of the
when the lamp goes out of itself, or is
Latin Opera thought fit to afix as a kind of appendix to
lighted with difficulty. So, too, if the snuff
the Occult Philosophy. It bears the title De speciebus
hangs down, and sparks gather upon it, or
magiae ceremonialis , quam goetiam uocant, epitome
if the burning coals adhere to vessels taken
per Georgiu Pictorium Villinganum, doctorem
from off the fire, or if the fire, when cov-
medicum, nuperrime conscripta. Six of the appended
ered up, sends out hot embers or emits
works on magic in the first volume of the Opera were
sparks, or if the cinders gather into a mass
gathered together and translated into English in 1655
upon the hearth, or the coals bum bright
by Robert Turner under the misleading title Agrippa
and glowing. (Pliny 18.84 [Bostock and
HIS Fourt~ ~ook of Occult Philosophrmisleading
Riley, 4: 122])
~cause thiS IS only one of the six tracts, and Agrippa
did not even write it-but the De speciebus seems for
10. snuffs of candles-"And behold when Pamphiles
some reason to have been overlooked.
did see the candle standing on the table, she said,
Verily wee shall have much raine to morrow. Which
 CHAPTeR LVlll

Of rhe Reviving of rhe dead, and of sleeping,

and wanring vicruals many yeaRs rogerheR.

he Arabian philosophers agree, that tammg to the consul, of L. Lamia, Calius

T some men may elevate themselves

above the powers of their body, and
above their sensitive powers; and those
being surmounted, receive into themselves by the
Tubero , COlfidius,4 Gabienus,5 and many oth-
ers. Also we read that Aesop the tale maker,
Tindoreus ,6 Hercules,? and Palicy 8 the sons of
Jupiter and Thalia, being dead, were raised to
perfection of the heavens, and intelligences, a life again; also that many were by physicians,
divine vigour. Seeing therefore all the souls of and magicians raised from death again, as the
men are perpetual, and also all the spirits obey historians relate of Aesculapius;9 and we have
the perfect souls; magicians think that perfect above mentioned out of Juba , and Xanthus, and
men may by the powers of their soul repair their Philostratus concerning Tillo , and a certain
dying bodies with other inferior souls newly sep- Arabian, and ApolloniuslO the Tyanean.
arated, and inspire them again; as a weasel that is Also we read that Glaucus, I I a certain man
killed, is made alive again by the breath, and cry that was dead,whom they say, beyond all expec-
of his dam; and lions make alive their dead tation, the physicians coming to see it, the herb
whelps I by breathing upon them. dragon wort restored to life. Some say that he
And because, as they say, all like things revived by the putting into his body a medicine
being applied to their like, are made of the same made of honey, whence the proverb, Glaucus
natures ; and every patient, and thing that was raised from death by taking in honey into
receives into itself the act of any agent, is his body.
endowed with the nature of that agent, and Apuleius also relating the manner of these
made connatural: hence they think, that to this kinds of restorings to life, saith of Zachla l 2 the
vivication, or making alive, some herbs, and Egyptian prophet: the prophet being thus
magical confections, such as they say are made favourable, lays a certain herb upon the mouth
of the ashes of the phoenix,2 and the cast skin of of the body of a young man being dead, and
a snake do much conduce, which indeed to another upon his breast, then turning towards
many seems fabulous, and to some impossible, the east, or rising of the propitious Sun, praying
unless it could be accounted approved of by an silently (a great assembly of people striving to
historical faith. see it) in the first place heaved up his breast,
For we read of some that have been then makes a beating in his veins, then his body
drowned in water, others cast into the fire, and to be filled with breath, after which the carcass
put upon the fire, others slain in war, others oth- ariseth, and the young man speaks.
erwise tried, and after a few days were alive If these things are true, the dying souls
again , as Pliny testifies 3 of Aviola , a man per- must, sometimes lying hid in their bodies, be

181
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oppressed with vehement ecstasies, and be freed read in some approved historians , that some
from all bodily action: so that the life, sense, men have slept for many years together, and in
motion, forsake the body, but so, that the man is the time of sleep, until they awaked, there was
not yet truly dead, but lies astonied,13 and as it no alteration in them, as to make them seem
were dead for a certain time. And this is often older: the same doth Pliny testify of a certain
found, that in times of pestilence many that are boy, whom he saith, being wearied with heat,
carried for dead to the graves to be buried, and his journey, slept fifty-seven years in a
revive again. The same also hath often befallen cave. We read also that Epimenides Gnosiusl 8
women, by reason of fits of the mother. 14 slept fifty-seven years in a cave. Hence the
And Rabbi Moises l5 out of the book of proverb arose, to outsleep Epimenides. M.
Galen, which Patriarcha translated, makes Damascenis tells, that in his time a certain
mention of a man, who was suffocated for six countryman being wearied in Germany, slept
days, and did neither eat, nor drink, and his for the space of a whole autumn, and the winter
arteries became hard. And it is said in the same following , under a heap of hay, until the sum-
book, that a certain man by being filled with mer, when the hay began to be eaten up, then he
water, lost the pulse of his whole body, so that was found awakened as a man half dead, and
his heart was not perceived to move, and he lay out of his wits.
like a dead man. Also it is said that a man by Ecclesiastical histories confirm this opinion
reason of a fall from an high place, or great concerning the Seven Sleepers,1 9 whom they
noise, or long staying under the water, may fall say slept 196 years. There was in Norvegia 20 a
into a swoon, which may continue forty-eight cave in a high seashore, where, as Paulus Dia-
hours, and so he lie as if he were dead, with his conus, and Methodius the martyr write, seven
face being very green. men lay sleeping a long time without any cor-
And in the same place there is mention ruption, and the people that went in to disturb
made of a man that buried a man that seemed to them were contracted, or drawn together, so that
be dead seventy-two hours after his seeming after a while being forewarned by that punish-
decease, and so killed him, because he buried ment, they durst not hurt them.
him alive, and there are given signs whereby it Now Xenocrates , a man of no mean repute
may be known who are alive; although they seem amongst philosophers was of opinion, that this
to be dead, and indeed will die, unless there be long sleeping was appointed by God as a pun-
some means used to recover them, as phle- ishment for some certain sins. But Marcus
botomy, or some other cure. And these are such Damascenus proves it by many reasons to be
as very seldom happen. This is the manner, by possible, and natural , neither doth he think it
which we understand magicians, and physicians irrational, that some should without meat, and
do raise dead men to life, as they that were tried drink, and voiding excrements, without con-
by the stinging of serpents, were by the nation of suming, or corruption, sleep many months. And
the Marsi, and the Psilli 16 restored to life. this may befall a man by reason of some poiso-
Now we may conceive that such kind of nous potion, or sleepy disease, or such like
ecstasies may continue a long time, although a causes, for certain days, months, or years,
man be not truly dead, as it is in dormice, and according to the intention, or remission of the
crocodiles, and many other serpents,17 which power of the medicine, or of the passions of
sleep all winter, and are in such a dead sleep, their mind.
that they can scarce be awakened with fire. And And physicians say that there are some
I have often seen a dormouse dissected, and antidotes, of which they that take too great a
continue immovable, as if she were dead, until potion, shall be able to endure hunger a long
she was boiled, and then presently in boiling time, as Elias 21 in former time being fed with a
water the dissected members did show life. certain food by an angel, walked, and fasted in
Also, although it be hard to be believed, we the strength of that meat, forty days. And John
 Of the Reviving of the Dead, and of Sleeping / 183

Bocatius makes mention of a man in his time, in who lived twenty years in the wilderness with-
Venice, who would every year fast forty days out meat, till he died. That also is wonderful
without any meat. But that was a greater won- which Theophrastus mentions concerning a cer-
der, that there was a woman in lower Germany tain man, called Philinus. who used no meat, or
at the same time, who took no food till the thir- drink, besides milk. And there are grave authors
teenth year of her age, which to us may seem who describe a certain herb of Sparta, with
incredible, by that he lately confirmed it; as also which they say the Scythians can endure twelve
he tells of a miracle of our age, that of his days hunger, without meat or drink , if they do
brother Nicolaus Stone. an Helvetian by nation, but taste it, or hold it in their mouth.

NOLcs-ChapLCR LVlll
I. dead whelps-Certain animals. notably the lion who had so arranged his own" (ibid., 212).
and the bear, were believed to give birth to small,
shapeless lumps of flesh . "After the birth, these ani- 5. Gahienus-
mals warm their young by licking them, and thereby
In the Sicilian war, Gabienus, the bravest
give them their proper shape" (Pliny 10.83 [Bostock
of all Caesar's naval commanders, was
and Riley, 2:542]). Significantly, in reference to this
taken prisoner by Sextus Pompei us, who
comment about the weasel and the lion by Agrippa,
ordered his throat to be cut; after which,
Pliny says: "Aristotle then informs us ... The young
his head almost severed from his body, he
ones, when first born, are shapeless and extremely
lay the whole of the day upon the seashore.
small in flesh, being no larger than a weasel "
Towards evening, with groans and
(Pliny 8.17 [Bostock and Riley, 2:265-6]).
entreaties, he begged the crowds of people
who had assembled, that they would pre-
2. ashes of the phoenix-
vail upon Pompei us to come to him, or else
... among the very first remedies men- send one of his most confidential friends,
tioned, we find those said to be derived as he had just returned from the shades
from the ashes and nest of the phoenix, as below, and had some important news to
though, forsooth, its existence were a well communicate. Pompeius accordingly sent
ascertained fact, and nOI altogether a fable. several of his friends, to whom Gabienus
And then besides, it would be a mere stated that the good cause and virtuous par-
mockery to describe remedies that can tisans of Pompeius were well pleasing to
only return to us once in a thousand years. the infernal deities, and that the event
(Pliny 29.9 [Bostock and Riley, 5:382]) would shortly prove such as he wished :
that he had been ordered to announce 10
3. Pliny testifies- this effect, and that, as a proof of its truth-
fulness, he himself should expire the very
Aviola, a man of consular rank, came to
moment he had fulfilled his commission;
life again when on the funeral pile; but, by
and his death actually did take place.
reason of the violence of the flames, no
(ibid., 213)
assistance could be rendered him, in con-
sequence of which he was burnt alive.
6. Tindoreus-" ... Aesculapius was struck by light-
The same thing is said to have happened to
ning for presuming to raise Tyndareus to life" (Pliny
L. Lamia, a man of praetorian rank. Mes-
29.1 [Bostock and Riley, 5:370]). Hippolytus was
sala, Rufus, and many other authors,
also raised from the dead by Aesculapius.
inform us, that C. Aelius Tubero, who had
filled the office of praetor, was also res-
7. Hercules-Poisoned by the trick of Nessus the cen-
cued from the funeral pile. (Pliny 7.53
taur, the hero built his funeral pyre and ascended it.
[Bostock and Riley, 2:210]).
And as when a serpent revived, by throw-
4. COIfidius-"Varro informs us .... that Corfidius, ing off old age with his slough, is wont to
who had married his maternal aunt, came to life be instinct with fresh life, and to glisten in
again, after the funeral had been all arranged, and his new-made scales; so, when the Tiryn-
that he afterwards attended the funeral of the person thian hero has put off his mortal limbs, he
184/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

flourishes in his more aethereal part, and died. The soothsayer Polyidus was charged with
begi ns to appear more majestic, and to restoring the boy to life and shut into a vault alone
become venerable in his august dignity. with the corpse. A snake came and he killed it. Soon
(Ovid Metamorphoses 9.2, c. line 266 another snake came and placed an herb on the first
[Riley, 311]) snake, whereupon it came to life. Polyidus covered
the body of Glaucus with the same herb, and the boy
8. Palicy-The Palici, two sons born from the union revived. It may be assumed that the second serpent
of Zeus with the nymph Thalea. Fearing the wrath of was Aesculapius. Ovid refers to the story of Glaucus
Hera, the nymph prayed that she might be swallowed when he relates how Aesculapius restored the life of
up by the Earth. In due time the Earth split apart and Hippolytus, son of Theseus:
sent forth twin boys who were worshipped in Sicily,
Forthwith he brings out the herbs from his
where the event is said to have occurred. Their name
ivory casket; they had formerly benefited
derives-according to ancient writers-from the
the manes of Glaucus: 'twas at that time
Greek for "to come again," that is, to be reborn. Two
when the augur stooped to the examination
sul furous pools, supposedly the places where the
of herbs, and the snake experienced the
twins emerged, were named after them.
benefit of the remedy that was given by a
snake. Thrice did he touch his breast; thrice
9. Aesculapius-The god of healing, son of Apollo did he repeat the healing charms; the other
and Coronis. Ovid says that in a fit of jealous rage the raised from the ground his head, as it lay
god killed his pregnant lover. "Yet ... he did not suf- there. (Ovid Fasti 6, lines 749-54 [Riley,
fer his own offspring to sink into the same ashes; but 243])
he snatched the child from the flam es and from the
womb of his mother, and carried him into the cave of For the story of Glaucus, see Apollodorus 3.3.1
the two-formed Chiron" (Ovid Metamorphoses 2.9, [Cambridge: Harvard University Press], 1:3 11 .
c. line 620 [Riley, 71]). Chi ron the centaur taught the
child Aesculapius the art of medicine. His symbol 12. Zachla-That is, Zachlas.
was the serpent "creeping and sliding on the knotted Whereat this Prophet was mooved, and
staff' (Apuleius The Golden Asse 2), his chief place tooke a certaine herbe and layd it three
of worship Epidaurus in Argolis, from which seat the times upon the mouth of the dead, and he
god was carried in the form of a serpent to save took another and laid it upon his breast in
Rome from a plague in 293 Be, as related by Ovid like sort. Thus when he had done hee
(MetamOlphoses 15.7 [Riley, 544-8]). turned himselfe into the East, and made
certaine Orisons unto the Sunne, which
10. Apollonius- caused all the people to marvell greatl y,
A marriageable maiden had died, to all and to looke for this strange miracle that
appearance, and her betrothed was follow- should happen. Then I pressed in amongst
ing her bier, lamenting their uncompleted them ni gh unto the biere, and got upon a
nuptials, as is the custom, and all the city stone to see this mysterie, and behold
was mourning with him, for the girl was of incontinently the dead body began to
consular family. Apollonius happening receive spirit, his principall veines did
upon this mournful sight, said: "Set down moove, his life came agai n, and he held up
the bier, and I will put an end to your tears his head and spake ... (Apuleius The
for the maiden! " He asked at the same time Golden Asse ch. II [Adlington])
what her name was, and many supposed
that he intended to deliver the customary 13 . astonied-Benumbed , paralyzed.
funeral oration, in order to increase their
grief; but by merely touching the body, and 14. fits of the mother- Hysteria was thought in
murmuring a few words over her, he woke ancient times to arise from the "mother," or womb.
the girl from her seeming death, and she
found her voice at once, and returned to her 15. Rabbi Moises-Maimonides . The reference is to
father's house, like Alcestis when called either his work on Poisons or the Aphorisms, both of
back to life by Hercules. (Philostratus Life which are said to draw heav ily on Galen. Probably the
and Times of Apollonius of Tyana 4.45 Aphorisms, which is filled with marvelous anecdotes.
[Eells, 119])
16. Marsi, and the Psilli-
II . Glaucus--One of the sons of King Minos of Crates of Pergamum relates, that there for-
Crete. When a child, he fell into a barrel of honey and merly existed in the vicinity of Parium, in
 Of the Reviving of the Dead, and of Sleeping / 185

the Hellespont, a race of men whom he he slept for fifty-seven years; and that
calls Ophiogenes, and that by their touch when he awoke, as though it had been the
they were able to cure those who had been following day, he was much astonished at
stung by serpents, extracting the poison by the changes which he saw in the appear-
the mere imposition of the hand. Yarro ance of every thing around him: after this,
tells us, that there are still a few individuals old age, it is said, came upon him in an
in that district, whose saliva effectually equal number of days with the years he had
cures the stings of serpents. The same, too, slept, but his life was prolonged to his hun-
was the case with the tribe of the Psy\li, in dred and fifty-seventh year. (Pliny 7.53
Africa, according to the account of Agath- [Bostock and Riley, 2:211])
archides; there people received tl1eir name
·from Psyllus, one of their kings, whose 19. Seven Sleepers-The legend of the Seven Sleepers
tomb is in existence, in the district of the was first recorded by Gregory of Tours late in the 6th
Greater Syrtes. In the bodies of these peo- century in his work De Gloria Martyrum . He is said to
ple there was by nature a certain kind of have translated it from the Syriac language. As the
poison, which was fatal to serpents, and the story goes, in the time of the persecutions against the
odour of which overpowered them with Christians by the emperor Decius (249-251), seven
torpor: with them it was a custom to young noblemen of Ephesus fled into a cave on Mount
expose children immediately after their Coelian. They were walled in with stones and left to
birth to the fiercest serpents, and in this die. During the reign of Theodosius in the year 447 the
manner to make proof of the fidelity of stones were removed for building material and the
their wives, the serpents not being repelled seven, who had slept al1 this time, awoke. Imagining
by such children as were the offspring of only hours to have passed and feeling hungry, they
adultery ... . The Marsi, in Italy, are still in sent one of their number, Jamblichus, into the city to
possession of the same power, for which, it buy food. When he tried to pay the baker with a coin
is said, they are indebted to their origin two centuries old, he was questioned before a judge
from the son of Circe [Agrius, son of and final1y led the officials of the town to the cave,
Odysseus], from whom they acquired it as where the truth became known. Theodosius himself
a natural quality. (Pliny 7.2 [Bostock and hastened to speak with these prodigies, but as soon as
Riley, 2:125-6]) he had done so, the seven died (or according to another
version, fell back asleep). Their bodies were supposed
17. other serpents-Pliny mentions hibernation in to have been placed in a stone coffin and taken to Mar-
bears (8 .54 [Bostock and Riley, 2:306]), mice (8.55 seilles. According to AI-Biruni's Chronology the bod-
[Bostock and Riley, 2:308]) and snakes (8.59 ies of seven monks were exhibited in a cave in the 9th
[Bostock and Riley, 2:311]). century as the Seven Sleepers. The story is related at
length in Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman
18. Epimenides Gnosius-Agrippa makes two sepa- Empire, ch. 33, and with colorful additions such as a
rate references to a single passage in Pliny: faithful guard dog in the Koran , sura 18.
It is told of Epimenides of Cnossus, that
20. Norvegia-Norway .
when he was a boy, being fatigued by heat
and walking, he fell asleep in a cave, where
21. Elias-Elijah. See I Kings 19:5-8.
 CHAPTeR Ll7\.

Of diY-ina'Cion by dReams.

here is also a certain kind of divination assigned to himself the same opinion, passion,

T by dreams, confirmed by the traditions

of philosophers, the authorities of
divines, the examples of histories, and
daily experience. A dream I call here, not vain
fortune, action, event, and as Aristotle saith, the
memory is confirmed by sense, and by keeping
in memory the same thing knowledge is
obtained, as also by the knowledge of many
dreams, or idle imaginations: for those are vain, experiences, by little, and little, arts and sci-
and have no divination in them, but arise from ences are obtained. After the same account you
the remains of watchings, and disturbance of the must conceive of dreams. Whence Synesius
body. For as the mind is taken up about, and commands that everyone should observe hi s
wearied with cares, it suggests itself to him that dreams, and their events, and such like rules,
is asleep. I call that a dream here, which is viz. to commit to memory all things that are
caused by the celestial influences in the phantas- seen, and accidents that befall, as well in sleep,
tic spirit, mind, or body, being all well disposed. as watching, and with a diligent observation
The rule of interpreting this is found consider with himself the rules by which these
amongst astrologers, in that part which is wrote are to be examined, for by this means shall a
concerning questions; but yet that is not suffi- diviner be able by little, and little to interpret his
cient, because these kind of dreams come by dreams, if so be nothing slip out of his memory.
use to divers men after a divers manner, accord- Now dreams are more efficacious, when the
ing to the divers quality, and dispositions of the Moon overruns that sign, which was in the ninth
phantastic spirit: wherefore there cannot be number' of the nativity, or revolution of that
given one common rule to all for the interpreta- year,2 or in the ninth sign from the sign of per-
tion of dreams. fection. 3 For it is a most true, and certain divina-
But according to the opinion of Synesius, tion, neither doth it proceed from nature or
seeing there are the same accidents to things, human arts, but from purified minds, by divine
and like befall like; so he which hath often inspiration. Now we shall discuss, and examine
fallen upon the same visible thing, hath that which belongs to prophesyings, and oracles.

Norcs-ChaprCR LlA
1. ninth number-There are 12 astrological signs in will reveal the ninth sign from the birth sign. For
the zodiac. The sign of nativity, or birth, is the one example, if the nativity occurs on April 2, the birth
through which the Sun is passing at the time of birth. sign is Aries, and the ninth sign following is Capri -
Following the circle of the zodiac counterclockwise corn. Since the Moon makes a circle of the sky in a

186
 Of Divination by Dreams / 187

period of approximately 28 days, it will successively 3. sign of perfection-When the Moon is full she is
pass through each sign every lunar month, taking a said to be perfected, in the sense of having reached
little over two days to do so. maturity. Therefore the sign of perfection would be
the zodiac sign in which the Moon is full that partic-
2. that year-Year of birth. ular lunar cycle. The ninth sign is obtained by count-
ing counterclockwise from this sign.
 CHAPTeR LX

Of madness, and divinarions which aRe

made when men aRe awake, and of rhe
poweR of a melancholy humouR, by which
spiRirs aRe somerimes induced inro men's bodies.

t happens also sometimes, that not only they planets, doth always as he withcall his mind

1 that are asleep, but also they that are watch-

ful do with a kind of instigation of mind,
divine, which divination Aristotle calls rav-
ishment or a kind of madness, and teacheth that
from outward businesses, so also makes it
ascend higher, and bestows upon him the
knowledge, and passages of future things.
And this is Aristotle's meaning 6 in his book
it proceeds from a melancholy humour, saying of Problems. By melancholy, saith he, some
in his treatise Of Di vination: I melancholy men, men are made as it were divine, foretelling
by reason of their earnestness, do far better con- things to come, and some men are made poets.
jecture, and quickly conceive a habit, and most He saith also, that all men that were excellent in
easily receive an impression of the celestials. any science, were for the most part melancholy.
And in his Problems 2 saith, that the sibyls3 and Democritus, 7 and Plato 8 attest the same, saying,
the Bacchides,4 and Niceratus the Syracusan, that there were some melancholy men, that had
and Amon, 5 were by their natural melancholy such excellent wits, that they were thought, and
complexion prophets, and poets. seemed to be rather divine than human.
The cause therefore of this madness, if it be So also there have been many melancholy
anything within the body, is a melancholy men at first rude, ignorant, and untractable, as
humour, not that which they call black choler, they say, Hesiod,9 Ion, lo Tynnichus Calci-
which is so obstinate, and terrible a thing, that nenses, II Homer, and Lucretius I 2 were, who on a
the violence of it is said by physicians, and nat- sudden were taken with a madness, and became
ural philosophers, besides madness, which it poets, and prophesied wonderful, ;md divine
doth induce, also to entice evil spirits to seize things, which they themselves scarce understood.
upon men's bodies. Therefore we understand a Whence divine Plato in Ion saith, many
melancholy humour here, to be a natural, and prophets, after the violence of their madness was
white choler. abated, do not well understand what they wrote,
For this, when it is stirred up, burns, and yet treated accurately of each art in their mad-
stirs up a madness conducing to knowledge, and ness, as all artists by reading of them judge.
divination, especially if it be helped by any So great also they say the power of melan-
celestial influx, especially of Saturn, who see- choly is of, that by its force, celestial spirits also
ing he is cold, and dry, as is a melancholy are sometimes drawn into men's bodies, by
humour, hath his influence upon it, increaseth, whose presence, and instinct, antiquity testifies
and preserveth it. Besides, seeing he is the men have been made drunk, and spake most
author of secret contemplation, and estranged wonderful things. And that they think happens
from all public affairs, and the highest of all the under a threefold difference, according to a

188
 Of Madness, and Divinations Which Are Made When Men Are Awake / 189

threefold apprehension of the soul, viz. imagi- And time's great order now again is born,
native, rational, and mental. The Maid returns, Saturnian realms return.
They say therefore, when the mind is forced
And a little after 17 intimating that original sin
with a melancholy humour, nothing moderating
shall be of no effect, saith:
the power of the body, and passing beyond the
bounds of the members, is wholly carried into If any prints of our old vice remained,
imagination, and doth suddenly become a seat By thee they're void, and fear shall leave
for inferior spirits, by whom it oftentimes the land;
receives wonderful ways, and forms of manual He a god's life shaH take, with gods shall see
Mixed heros, and himself their object be,
arts. So we see that any most ignorant :!lan doth Rule with paternal power the appeased Earth
presently become an excellent painter, or con- He shall.- - - -
triver of buildings, and to become a master in any
such art. But when these kinds of spirits portend Then he adds, 18 that thence the fall of the serpent,
to us future things, then they show those things and the poison of the tree of death, or the knowl-
which belong to the disturbing of the elements, edge of good and evil, shall be nulled, saying:
and changes of times, as rain, tempests, inunda-
tions, earthquakes, great mortality, famine, ----the serpent shall
And the deceitful herb of venom fall.
slaughter, and the like. As we read in Aulus
Gelius, that Cornelius Pala/·us 13 his priest did at Yet he intirnates 19 that some sparks of original
that time, when Caesar, and Pompey were to sin shall remain,when he saith:
fight in Thessalia,14 being taken with a madness,
foretell the time, order, and issue of the battle. Some steps of ancient fraud shall yet be
But when the mind is turned wholly into found.
reason, it becomes a receptacle for middle spir-
And at last with a most great hyperbole cries out
its. Hence it obtains the knowledge, and under-
to this child, as the offspring of God, adoring of
standing of natural, and human things. So we
him in these words: 2o
see that a man sometimes doth on a sudden
become a philosopher, physician, or an excel- Dear race of gods, great stock of Jupiter,
lent orator, and foretells mutations of kingdoms, Behold! the world shakes on its ponder-
and restitutions of ages, and such things as ous axe,
See earth, and heavens immense, and the
belong to them, as the sibyl did to the Romans.
ocean tracts,
But when the mind is wholly elevated into How all things at the approaching age
the understanding, then it becomes a receptacle rejoice!
of sublime spirits, and learns of them the secrets Oh! that my life would last so long, and
of divine things, as the Law of God, the orders voice,
of the angels, and such things as belong to the As would suffice thy actions to rehearse.
knowledge of things eternal, and salvation of
There are also some prognostics, which are
souls. It foretells things which are appointed by
in the middle, betwixt natural, and supernatural
God's special predestination, as future prodi-
divination, as in those who are near to death,
gies, or miracles, the prophet to come, the
and being weakened with old age, so sometimes
changing of the Law. So the sibyls prophesied
foresee things to come, because as saith Plato,21
of Christ 15 a long time before his coming. So
by how much the more men are less hindered
Virgil understanding that Christ was at hand,
by their sense, so much the more accurately
and remembering what the sibyl Cumea 16 had
they understand, and because they are nearer to
said, sang thus to Pollio :
the place whither they must go, and their bonds
Last times are come, Cumaea' s prophecy being as it were a little loosed, seeing they are
Now from high heaven springs a new no more subject to the body, easily perceive the
progeny, light of divine revelation.
190/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

No-ccs-Chap-CCR LX.

1. treatise Of Divination- out: HEvoe, Bacche ! 0 lacche! 10, Bacche! Evoe

sabae!" For this reason Bacchus was sometimes
With regard to the fact that some persons
called Bromius, from the Greek for "to shout." The
who are liable to derangement have this
famous "Evie, Evoe" of the Bacchae is said to derive
foresight, its explanation is that normal
from a saying of Jupiter to Bacchus when Bacchus
mental movements do not impede [the
killed a giant: "Well done, son" (Eu iIlE). See Ovid
alien movements], but are beaten off by the
Metamorphoses 4.1 and footnote 5 (Riley, 119); also
latter. Therefore it is that they have an
the AI's amatoria I [Riley, 400, 94n].
especially keen perception of the alien
movements. (Aristotle De divinatione per
5. Amon-The oracle of Zeus Ammon in Egypt.
somnum [Prophesying by dreams] 2.464a.
In Basic Works, 629)
6. Aristotle's meaning-"Now black bile, which is
Earlier in the same chapter Aristotle says: naturally cold ... when it is overheated, it produces
cheerfulness accompanied by song, and frenzy ... "
. .. the power of foreseeing the future and
(Aristotle Problems 30.1.945a, [Forster, vol. 7]). See
of having vivid dreams is found in persons
note 2, above.
of inferior type, which implies that God
does not send the dreams; but merely that
7. Democritus-
all those whose physical temperment is, as
it were, garrulous and excitable, see sights Hippocrates relates at large in his Epistle
of all descriptions; for, inasmuch as they to Damagetus, wherein he doth express,
experience many movements of every how coming to visit him one day, he found
kind, they just chance to have visions Democritus in his garden at Abdera, in the
resembling objective facts . .. (ibid., 628) suburbs, under a shady bower, with a book ·
on his knees, busy at his study, sometimes
Aristotle thinks that those who become writing, sometimes walking. The subject
ecstatic or furious through some disease, of his book was melancholy and madness;
especially melancholy persons, possess a about him lay the carcasses of many sev-
divine gift of presentiment in their minds. eral beasts, newly by him cut up and anat-
(Cicero De divinatione 1.37 [Yonge, 179]) omized; not that he did contemn God's
creatures, as he told Hippocrates, but to
2. in his Problems- find out the seat of this atra bilis [black
bile], or melancholy, whence it proceeds,
Many too, if this heat approaches the
and how it was engendered in men 's bod-
region of the intellect, are affected by dis-
ies, to the intent he might better cure it in
eases of frenzy and possession; and this is
himself, and by his writings and observa-
the origin of Sibyls and soothsayers and all
tions teach others how to prevent and
inspired persons, when they are affected
avoid it. (Burton Anatomy of Melancholy
not by disease but by natural temperament.
[London: J. M. Dent and Sons, 1961
Maracus, the Syracusan, was actually a
(1621)],1 :19-20)
better poet when he was out of his mind.
(Aristotle Problems 30.1.954a, lines 35-40
8. Plato-
[Forster, vol. 7])
... the epic poets, all the good ones, have
3. Sibyls-Women with the power of prophecy. their excellence, not from art, but are
There were generally considered to be ten, distin- inspired, possessed, and thus they utter all
guished by their places of residence: (1) Cumaean, these admirable poems. So is it also with
(2) Babylonian, (3) Libyan, (4) Delphian (an elder the good lyric poets; as the worshipping
and a younger), (5) Cimmerian, (6) Erythraean (an Corybantes [priests of Cybele in Phrygia]
elder and a younger), (7) Samian, (8) Hellespontian, are not in their senses when they dance, so
(9) Phrygian and (10) Tiburtine. the lyric poets are not in their senses when
they make these lovely lyric poems. No,
4. Bacchides-The priestesses of Bacchus, who with when once they launch into harmony and
wine and dancing worked themselves into a frenzy at rhythm, they are seized with the Bacchic
the festivals of the god. It was these women who tore transport, and are possessed . (Plato Ion
Orpheus into pieces. As they worshiped they cried 534a [Hamilton and Cairns, 220])
 Of Madness, and Divinations Which Are Made When Men Are Awake /191

9. Hesiod-By his own assertion, Hesiod was an of August in the year 48 Be. The outcome was utter
inspired poet without training: defeat for Pompey.
The Muses once taught Hesiod to sing
Sweet songs, while he was shepherding his 15. prophesied of Christ-The Christian version of
lambs the Sibylline prophecies are monkish forgeries. The
On holy Helicon; monks reckoned 12 sibyls: (I) Libyan-'The day
(Hesiod Theogony c. line 20. In Hesiod and shall come when men shall see the King of all living
Theogonis, trans. Dorothea Wender [Har- things." (2) Samian-'The Rich One shall be born of
mondsworth: Penguin Books, 1973],23) a pure virgin." (3) Cumana-"Jesus Christ shall
come from heaven and live and reign in poverty on
10. lon- earth." (4) Cumae-"God shall be born of a pure vir-
gin, and hold converse with sinners." (5) Erythraea-
But the majority are possessed and held by Homer, "Jesus Christ, Son of God, the Saviour." (6)
and, Ion, you are one of these, and are possessed by Persian-"Satan shall be overcome by a true
Homer. And whenever anyone chants the work of .Prophet." (7) Tiburtine-'The Highest shall descend
any other poet, you fall asleep, and haven't a thing to from heaven, and a virgin be shown in the valleys of
say, but when anyone gives tongue to a strain of this the deserts." (8) Delphic-'The Prophet born of the
one, you are awake at once, your spirit dances, and virgin shall be crowned with thorns." (9) Phrygian-
you have much to say, but by dispensation from "Our Lord shall rise again." (10) European-"A vir-
above and by divine possession. (Plato Ion 536b gin and her Son shall flee into Egypt." (II) Agrip-
[Hamilton and Cairns, 222]) pina-"Jesus Christ shall be outraged and scourged."
(12) Hellespontic-"Jesus Christ shall suffer shame
II . Tynnichus Calcinenses-Tynnichus Chalciden- upon the cross." Agrippina perhaps refers to Agrip-
sis, or Tynnichus of Chalcis. pinensis (modem Cologne). See Brewer 1870.
He never composed a single poem worth
recalling, save the song of praise which 16. sibyl Cumea-"Now has come the latest age of
everyone repeats, wellnigh the finest of all the Cumaean hymn; the mighty line of cycles begins
lyrical poems, and absolutely what he its round anew. Now too the maiden Astraea returns,
called it, an "Invention of the Muses." By the reign of Saturn returns .. . " (Virgil Eclogues 4,
this example above all, it seems to me, the lines 4-7 [Lonsdale and Lee, 18]).
god would show us, lest we doubt, that
these lovely poems are not of man or 17. little after-" .. . under your auspices, whatever
human workmanship, but are divine and traces of our nation's guilt remain shall be effaced,
from the gods, and that the poets are noth- and release the earth from everlasting dread. He shall
ing but interpreters of the gods, each one receive the life of the gods, and see heros mingled
possessed by the divinity to whom he is in with gods, and shall himself be seen by them, and
bondage. And to prove this, the deity on with his father' s virtues shall rule a reconciled world"
purpose sang the loveliest of all lyrics (ibid., lines 13-7).
through the most miserable poet. (Plato Ion
534d-e [Hamilton and Cairns, 220-1]) 18. Then he adds-''The serpent too shall perish, and
the treacherous poison-plant shall perish .. ." (ibid.,
12. Lucretius-See biographical note. line 24).

13. Cornelius Patarus- 19. Yet he intimates-"Yet a few traces of ancient

guile shall still be left behind .. ." (ibid., line 31).
An augur [Gaius Cornelius], if there is
implicit credit to be given to those who relate 20. in these words-
it, sitting on the Euganean hill, where the
steaming Aponus arises from the earth, and Begin to assume, I pray, your sovereign hon-
the waters of Timavus of Antenor are dis- ours, (the time will soon arrive,) dear off-
persed in various channels, exclaimed:- spring of the gods, majestic child of Jove!
'The critical day is come, a combat most See the world nodding with its ponderous
momentous is being waged, the impious vault, and lands, and plains of sea, and deep
arms of Pompey and of Caesar are meeting." heaven! See how all things exult in the age
(Lucan Pharsalia 7. line 192 [Riley, 259]) that is to come! 0 may there be left me the
latest portion of a life so long, and breath so
14. fight in Thessalia-Caesar and Pompey met in much, as shall suffice to sing your deeds!
battle in Thessaly on the plains of Pharsalus the 9th (ibid., lines 49-54 [Lonsdale and Lee, 19])
192/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

21 . as saith Plato- as it can in its search for reality . ... We are

in fact convinced that if we are ever to
Surely the soul can best reflect when it is
have pure knowledge of anything, we must
free of all distractions such as hearing or
get rid of the body and contemplate things
sight or pain or pleasure of any kind-that
by themselves with the soul by itself.
is, when it ignores the body and becomes
(Plato Phaedo 65c, 66d [Hamilton and
as fa~ as possible independent, avoiding all
Cairns, 48-9])
physical contacts and associations as much
 CHAPTeR U\'l

Of rhe fORming of man, of rhe e}TeRnal senses, and

also of rhe inwaRd, and rhe mind: of rhe rhReefold
apperire of rhe soul, and passions of rhe will.

t is the opinion of some divines, that God then the organ of tasting, which is grosser and

1 did not immediately create the body of man,

but by the assistance of the heavenly spirits
compounded aM framed him; which opin-
ion Alcinous, and Plato favour; thinking that
most like to the nature of Water: last of all, the
touching is diffused through the whole body,
and is compared to the grossness of Earth.
The more pure senses are those which per-
God is the chief creator of the whole world, of ceive their objects farthest off, as seeing, and
the spirits both good and bad, and therefore hearing, then the smelling, then the taste, which
immortalized them: but that all kinds of mortal doth not perceive but those that are nigh. But the
animals were made at the command of God; I touch perceives both ways, for it perceives bod-
for if he should have created them, they must ies nigh; and as sight discerns by the medium of
have been immortal. the air, so the touch perceives by the medium of
The spirits therefore mixing Earth, Fire, a stock or pole, bodies hard, soft, and moist. Now
Air, and Water2 together, made of them all, put the touch only is common to all animals. For it is
together, one body, which they subjected to the most certain that man hath this sense, and in this,
service of the soul, assigning in it several and tast~ he excels all other animals, but in the
provinces to each power thereof, to the meaner other three he is excelled by some animals, as by
of them, mean and low places: as to anger the a dog, who hears, sees, and smells more accu-
midriff, to lust the womb, but to the more noble rately than man; and the lynx, and eagles see
senses the head,3 as the tower of the whole body, more acutely than all other animals, and man.
and then the manifold organs of speech. They Now the interior senses are, according to
divide the sense into external, and internal. Averrois, divided into four, whereof the first is
The external are divided into five, known called common sense, because it doth first col-
to everyone, to which there are allotted five lect, and perfect all the representations which
organs, or subjects, as it were foundations; are drawn in by the outward senses. The second
being so ordered, that they which are placed in is the imaginative power, whose office is, see-
the more eminent part of the body, have a ing it represents nothing, to retain those repre-
greater degree of purity. For the eyes placed in sentations which are received by the former
the uppermost place, are the most pure, and senses, and to present them to the third faculty
have an affinity with the nature of Fire, and of inward sense, which is the phantasy, or
light: then the ears have the second order of power of judging, whose work is also to per-
place, and purity, and are compared to the Air: ceive, and judge by the representations
the nostrils have the third order, and · have a received, what or what kind of thing that is of
middle nature betwixt the Air, and the Water: which the representations are, and to commit

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those things which are thus discerned, and which discerning by consulting what things are
adjudged, to the memory to be kept. 4 to be done, and what things to be shunned is
For the virtues thereof in general, are dis- wholly taken up in consultation, and action, and
course, dispositions, persecutions, and flights, and is therefore called the active intellect.
stirrings up to action: but in particular, the under- This order of powers therefore nature
standing of intellectuals, virtues, the manner of ordained in man, that by the external senses we
discipline, counsel, election. And this is that which might know corporeal things, by the internal the
shows us future things by dreams: whence the representations of bodies, as also things
fancy is sometimes named the phantastical intel- abstracted by the mind and intellect, which are
lect. s For it is the last impression of the under- neither bodies, nor anything like them.
standing; which, as saith lamblicus, is belonging And according to this threefold order of the
to all the powers of the mind, and forms all fig- powers of the soul, there are three appetites in the
ures, resemblances of species, and operations, and soul: the first is natural, which is an inclination of
things seen, and sends forth the impressions of nature into its end, as of a stone downward,
other powers unto others: and those things which which is in all stones: another is animal, which
appear by sense, it stirs up into an opinion, but the sense follows, and it is divided into irascible,
those things which appear by the intellect, in the and concupiscible: the third is intellective, which
second place it offers to opinion, but of itself it is called the will, differing from the sensitive in
receives images from all, and by its property, doth this, the sensitive is of itself, of these things,
properly assign them, according to their assimila- which may be presented to the senses, desiring
tion, forms all the actions of the soul, and accom- nothing unless in some manner comprehended.
modates the external to the internal, and impresses But the will, although it be of itself, of all things
the body with its impression. that are possible, yet because it is free by its
Now these senses have their organs in the essence, it may be also of things that are impos-
head, for the common sense, and imagination sible, as it was in the Devil, desiring himself to
take up the two former cells of the brain, be equal with God, and therefore is altered and
although Aristotle placeth the organ of the com- depraved with pleasure and continual anguish,
mon sense in the heart,6 but the cogitative whilst it assents to the inferior powers.
power possesseth the highest, and middle part Whence from its depraved appetite there
of the head; and lastly, the memory the hind- arise four passions in it, with which in like man-
most part thereof. ner the body is affected sometimes. Wherefore
Moreover, the organs of voice, and speech the first is called oblectation/ which is a certain
are many, as the inward muscles of the breast quietness or assentation of the mind or will,
betwixt the ribs, the breasts, the lungs, the arter- because it obeys, and not willingly consents to
ies, the windpipe, the bowing of the tongue, and that pleasantness which the senses hold forth;
all those parts and muscles that serve for breath- which is therefore defined to be an inclination
ing. But the proper organ of speech is the of the mind to an effeminate pleasure. The sec-
mouth, in which are framed words, and speech- ond is called effusion, which is a remission of,
es, the tongue, the teeth, the lips, the palate, etc. or dissolution of the power, viz. when beyond
Above the sensible soul, which expresseth the oblectation the whole power of the mind,
its powers by the organs of the body, the incor- and intension of the present good is melted, and
poreal mind posses seth the highest place, and it diffuseth itself to enjoy it. The third in vaunting,
hath a double nature, the one, which inquireth and loftiness, thinking itself to have attained to
into the causes, properties, and progress of those some great good, in the enjoyment of which it
things which are contained in the order of prides itself, and glorieth. The fourth and the
nature, and is content in the contemplation of the last is envy, or a certain kind of pleasure or
truth, which is therefore called the contempla- delight at another man's harm, without any
tive intellect. The other is a power of the mind, advantage to itself. It is said to be without any
 Parts of the Head
from Tomus secundus de supernaturali, naturali, praeternaturali et contranaturali microcosmi historia
by Robert Fludd (Oppenheim, 1619)
 .
196/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

advantage to itself, because if anyone should for plexity itself doth also beget so many contrary
his own profit rejoice at another man's harm, passions, as horror, sadness, fear, and sorrow
this would rather be out of love to himself, than at another's good, without his own hurt, which
out of ill will to another. we call envy, i.e. sadness at another 's prosper-
And these four passions arising from a ity, as pity is a certain kind of sadness at
depraved appetite of pleasure, the grief or per- another's misery.

No"Ces-Chap"CeR LAl
I . command of God- mortal creature, in imitation of their own
creator they borrowed portions of fire and
Gods, children of gods, who are my works
earth and water and air from the world,
and of whom I am the artificer and father,
which were hereafter to be restored-these
my creations are indissoluble, if so I will.
they took and welded them together, not
All that is bound may be undone, but only
with the indissoluble chains by which they
an evil being would wish to undo that which
were themselves bound, but with little
is harmonious and happy. Wherefore, since
pegs too small to be visible, making up out
ye are but creatures, ye are not altogether
of all the four elements each separate
immortal and indissoluble, but ye shall cer-
body, and fastening the courses of the
tainly not be dissolved, nor be liable to the
immortal soul in a body which was in a
fate of death, having in my will a greater
state of perpetual influx and efflux . (ibid .
and mightier bond than those with which ye
42e-43a [Hamilton and Cairns, 1171])
were bound at the time of your birth. And
now listen to my instructions. Three tribes 3. the head-
of mortal beings remain to be created-
without them the universe will be incom- First, then, the gods, imitating the spherical
plete, for it will not contain every kind of shape of the universe, enclosed the two
animal which it ought to contain, if it is to divine courses in a spherical body, that,
be perfect. On the other hand, if they were namely, which we now term the head, being
created by me and received life at my the most divine part of us and the lord of all
hands, they would be on an equality with that is in us; to this the gods, when they put
the gods. In order then that they may be together the body, gave all the other mem-
mortal, and that this universe may be truly bers to be servants, considering that it must
universal, do ye, according to your natures, partake of every sort of motion. (ibid. 44d
betake yourselves to the formation of ani- [Hamilton and Cairns, 1173])
mals, imitating the power which was shown
4. memory to be kept-See Aristotle De anima
by me in creating you. The part of them
3.3-8, on perceiving, discriminating and thinking.
worthy of the name immortal, which is
called divine and is the guiding principle of 5. phantastical intellect-"As sight is the most high-
those who are willing to follow justice and ly developed sense, the name phantasia (imagina-
you--of that divine part I will myself sow tion) has been formed from phaso (light) because it is
the seed, and having made a beginning, I not possible to see without light" (Aristotle De
will hand the work over to you. And do ye anima 3.3 [McKeon, 549]).
then interweave the mortal with the immor-
tal and make and beget living creatures, and 6. in the heart-
give them food and make them grow, and
receive them again in death. (Plato Timaeus Again, as the sensory faculty, the motor fac-
41 [Hamilton and Cairns, 1170) ulty, and the nutritive faculty are all lodged
in one and the same part of the body ... it is
the heart which in sanguineous animals
2. Earth. Fire. Air. and Watel'-
constitutes this central part, and in bloodless
When the creator had made all these ordi- animals it is that which takes the place of a
nances he remained in his own accustomed heart. (Aristotle De partibus animalium
nature, and his children heard and were [Parts of animals] 2.1 .647a [McKeon, 661])
obedient to their father's word, lind receiv-
ing from him the immortal principle of a 7. oblectation-Delight, pleasure, enjoyment.
 CHAPTeR U\'ll

Of rhe passions of rhe mind,

rheiR oRiginal, diffeRence, and Kinds.

he passions of the mind are nothing is divided into concupiscible, and irascible,2

T else bu~ certain motions or inclina-

tions proceeding from the apprehen-
sion of anything, as of good or evil,
convenient or inconvenient. Now these kind of
and both respect good and bad, but under a dif-
ferent notion.
For when the concupiscible power respects
good, and evil absolutely; love or lust, or on the
apprehensions are of three sorts, viz. sensual, contrary, hatred is caused: when it respects
rational, and intellectual. good, as absent, so desire is caused; or evil, as
And according to these three, are three absent, or at hand, and so is caused horror, fly-
sorts of passions in the soul; for when they fol- ing from, or loathing: or if it respect good, as
low the sensitive apprehension, then they present, then there is caused delight, mirth, or
respect a temporal good or evil, under the pleasure; but if evil, as present, then sadness,
notion of profitable, or unprofitable, delightful anxiety, grief.
and offensive, and are called natural, or animal But the irascible power respects good or
passions. When they follow the rational appre- bad, under the notion of some difficulty; to
hension, and so respect good or bad, under the obtain the one, or avoid the other, and this
notions of virtue or vice, praise or disgrace, sometimes with confidence: and so there is
profitable or unprofitable, honest or dishonest, caused hope or boldness; but when with diffi-
they are called rational , or voluntary passions. dency, then despair, and fear. But when that
When they follow the intellectual apprehension, irascible power riseth into revenge, and this be
and respect good or bad, under the notion of just only about some evil past, as it were of injury or
or unjust, true or false , they are called intellec- hurt offered, there is caused anger.
tual passions, or synderesis. 1 And so we find eleven passions 3 in the
Now the subject of the passions of the mind, which are love, hatred; desire, horror; joy,
soul, is the concupitive power of the soul, and grief; hope, despair; boldness, fear; and anger.

Nores-ChapreR U\'ll
I . synderesis-"Sinderesis is a naturall power of the 2. concupiscible, and irascible-"The sensitive
soule sette in the hyghest parte therof, mouynge and appetite is one generic power, and is called sensuality;
sterrynge it to good & abhorrynge euyll" (Saint-Ger- but it is divided into two powers, which are species of
man, Fyrst dyaloge in Englisshe betwyxt a doctoU/·e of the sensitive appetite-the irascible and the concupis-
dyvnyte and a student in the laws of Englande (1531), cible" (Thomas Aquinas Summa theologica 81 .2. In
quoted from OED . An archaic form of the word syn- Introduction to Saint Thomas Aquinas, ed. Anton C.
teresis: prick of conscience that moves right actions. Pegis [New York: Random House, 1948],356).

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3. eleven passions- desire and hope for it. If evil, we absolutely

hate it; if present, it is sorrow; if to come,
Perturbations and passions which trouble
fear. These four passions Uoy, desire; sor-
the phantasy, though they dwell between
row, fear] Bernard compares to the wheels
the confines of sense and reason, yet they
of a chariot, by which we are carried in this
rather follow sense than reason, because
world. All other passions are subordinate
they are drowned in corporeal organs of
unto these four, or six, as some will: love,
sense. They are commonly reduced into
joy, desire, hatred, sorrow, fear; the rest, as
two inclinations, irascible and concupisci-
anger, envy, emulation, pride, jealousy,
ble. The Thomists [disciples of Aquinas]
anxiety, mercy, discontent, despair, ambi-
subdivide them into eleven, six in the cov-
tion, avarice, etc ., are reducible unto the
eting, and five in the invading. Aristotle
first; and if they be immoderate, they con-
reduceth all to pleasure and pain, Plato to
sume the spirits, and melancholy is espe-
love and hatred, Vives to good and bad. If
cially caused by them. (Burton Anatomy of
?ood, it is present, and then we absolutely
Melancholy 1.2.3.3, 1:258)
JOY and love; or to come, and then we
 CHAPTeR LAm

How rhe passions of rhe mind

change rhe pRopeR body, by changing
rhe accidenrs, and moving rhe spiRir.

he phantasy, or imaginative power And this is manifest to all men, that with too

T hath a ruling power over the passions

of the soul, when they follow the sen-
sual apprehension. For this doth of its
own power, according to the diversity of the
much joy, sadness, love, hatred, men many
times die, and are sometimes freed from a dis-
ease. So we read, that Sophocles, and Dionysius
the Sicilian tyrant, did both die suddenly at the
passions, first of all change the proper body news of a tragical victory. So a certain woman
with a sensible transmutation, by changing the seeing her son returning from the Canensian bat-
accidents in the body, and by moving the spirit tle, died suddenly.3 Now what sadness can do, is
upward or downward, inward or outward, and known to all. We know that dogs oftentimes die
by producing divers qualities in the members. with sadness 4 for the death of their masters.
So in joy, the spirits are driven outward, in Sometimes also by reason of these like passions,
fear, drawn back, in bashfulness, are moved to long diseases follow, and are sometimes cured.
the brain. So in joy, the heart is dilated outward, So also some men looking from an high
by little, and little, in sadness, is constringed by place,5 by reason of great fear, tremble, are dim-
little, and little inward. After the same manner sighted, and weakened, and sometimes lose
in anger or fear, but suddenly. Again anger, or their senses. So fears, and falling sickness,
desire of revenge produceth heat, redness, a bit- sometimes follow sobbing. Sometimes wonder-
ter taste, and aloofness. Fear induceth cold, ful effects are produced, as in the son of Croe-
trembling of the heart, speechlessness, and pale- sus, whom his mother brought forth dumb, yet a
ness. Sadness causeth sweat, and a bluish- vehement fear, and ardent affection made him
whiteness. Pity, which is a kind of sadness, doth speak, which naturally he could never do. So
often ill affect the body of him that takes pity, with a sudden fall oftentimes life, sense, motion
that it seems to be the body of another man on a sudden leave the members, and presently
affected. Also it is manifest, that amongst some again are sometimes returned.
lovers ·there is such a strong tie of love, that And how much vehement anger, joined
what the one suffers, the other suffers. Anxiety with great audacity, can do, Alexander the Great
induceth dryness, and blackness. And how great shows, who being circumvented with a battle in
heats love stirs up in the liver, and pulse, physi- India, was seen to send forth from himself light-
cians know, discerning by that kind of judge- ning and fire. 6 The father of Theodoricus7 is said
ment the name of her that is beloved, in an to have sent forth out of his body, sparks of fire;
heroic passion. l So Naustratus knew that Anti- so that sparkling flames did leap out with a
ochus was taken with the love of Stratonica.2 noise. And such like things sometimes appear in
It is also manifest that such like passions, beasts, as in Tiberius his horse, which is said to
when they are most vehement, may cause death. send forth a flame out of his mouth.

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200/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

NOLes-ChapLeR U'\.lll

I. heroic passion-For the physiological effects of 5. an high place-Altophobia.

the passions, see their individual treatment in Bur-
ton's Anatomy of Melancholy 1.2.3.4-14. 6. lightning and fire-
But at a siege of a town of the Mallians,
2. love of Stratonica-Stratonice was wife of the Syr-
who have the repute of being the bravest
ian king Seleucus I (312-280 Be) and stepmother to
people of India, he [Alexander] ran in
his son Antiochus, who conceived a secret passion for
great danger of his life. For having beaten
his father's young bride but from shame kept it hid-
off the defendants with showers of arrows,
den, and. began to pine away with love-sickness. The
he was the first man who mounted the wall
court physician Erasistratus knew from the symptoms
by a scaling-ladder, which, as soon as he
of the disease that love was its cause, and observing
was up,. broke and left him almost alone,
the young man when he was with his stepmother soon
exposed to the darts which the barbarians
divined its object. He convinced Seleucus to give
threw at him in great numbers from below.
Stratonice in wedlock to his son as the only way to
In this distress, turning himself as well as
preserve Antiochus' life, which the old king did out of
he could, he leaped down in the midst of
affection for his child. The story is related in
his enemies, and had the good fortune to
Plutarch' s Life of Demetrius. Julian the Apostate in
land upon his feet. The brightness and
his Misopogon says that Antiochus waited for the
clattering of his armour when he came to
death of his father before marrying Stratonice.
the ground made the barbarians think they
saw rays of light, or some bright phantom
3. died suddenly-
playing before his body, which frightened
Besides Chilo, who has been already men- them so at first that they ran away and dis-
tioned [Pliny 7.32 (Bostock and Riley, persed. (Plutarch " Alexander." In Lives
2: 178-9}], Sophocles and Dionysius the [Dryden, 846])
tyrant of Sicily, both of them, died of joy,
on learning that they had obtained the prize 7. father of Theodoricus-Probably Theudemir,
for tragedy. After the defeat at Cannae, a father of Theodoric the Great, king of the Ostrogoths
mother died of joy, on seeing that her son (?454-526). Many legends grew up around the life
had returned in safety, she having heard a and exploits of Theodoric under the name Dietrich of
false report of his death. (Pliny 7.54 Bern: for example, Theodoric was said to emit flam-
[Bostock and Riley, 2:2 13-4]) ing breath when angry. The Byzantine historians
made the mistake of calling Walamir, who was
4. die with sadness- "Jason, the Lycian, having been Theodoric 's uncle, his father.
slain, his dog refused to take food, and died of
famine" (Pliny 8.61 [Bostock and Riley, 2:312-3]).
 CHAPTeR U,lV

How rhe passions of rhe mind change rhe

body by way of imirarion fRom some Resemblance;
also of rhe rRansfoRming, and rRanslaring
of men, and whar fORce rhe imaginarive
poweR harh nor only oveR rhe body, bur rhe soul.

he foresaid passions sometimes alter a whole night, but in the morning was found

T the body by way of imitation, by rea-

son of the virtue which the likeness of
the thing hath to change it, which
power the vehement imagination moves, as in
horned, no otherwise than by the vegetative
power being stirred up by a vehement imagina-
tion, elevating corniferous4 humours into his
head, and producing horns.
setting the teeth on edge at the sight or hearing For a vehement cogitation, whilst it vehe-
of something, or because we see or imagine mently moves the species, pictures out the figure
another to eat sharp or sour things: so he which of the thing thought on, which they represent in
sees another gape, I gapes also; and some when their blood, and the blood impresseth from itself,
they hear anyone name sour things, their tongue on the members that are nourished by it, as upon
waxeth tart. Also the seeing of any filthy thing those of the same body, so upon those of
causeth nauseousness. Many at the sight of another's. As the imagination of a woman with
man's blood fall into a swoon. Some when they child impresseth the mark of the thing longed for
see bitter meat given to any, perceive a bitter upon her infant, and the imagination of a man bit
spittle in their mouth . And William of Paris with a mad dog, impresseth upon his urine the
saith, that he saw a man, that at the sight of a image of dogs. So men may grow grey on a sud-
medicine,2 went to stool as oft as he pleased; den. And some by the dream of one night, have
when as neither the substance of the medicine, grown up from boys into perfect men. Hitherto
nor the odour, nor the taste of it came to him: may be referred those many scars of King
but only a kind of resemblance was appre- Dagobertus, and marks of Franciscus, which
hended by him. they received, the one whilst he was afraid of
Upon this account some that are in a dream correction, the other whilst he did wonderfully
think they burn, and are in a fire, and are fear- meditate upon the wounds of Christ. 5
fully tormented, as if they did truly burn, whenas So, many are transported from place to
the substance of the fire is not near them, but place, passing over rivers, fires, and unpassable
only a resemblance apprehended by their imagi- places, viz. when the species of any vehement
nation. And sometimes men's bodies are trans- desire, or fear, or boldness are impressed upon
formed, and transfigured, and also transported, their spirits, and being mixed with vapours, do
and this ofttimes when they are in a dream, and move the organ of the touch in their original,
sometimes when they are awake. So Cyprus 3 together with phantasy, which is the original of
after he was chosen king of Italy, did very much local motion. Whence they stir up the members,
wonder at, and meditate upon the fight, and vic- and organs of motion to motion and are moved
tory of bulls, and in the thought thereof did sleep without any mistake unto the imagined place,

201
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not out of sight, but from the interior phantasy. Also Pliny relates by divers examples, that
So great a power is there of the soul upon the women have been turned into men. 6 Pontanus
body, that which way soever that imagines, and testifieth that in his time a certain woman called
dreams that it goes, thither doth it lead the body. Caietava. and another called Aemilia. who,
We read many other examples by which the many years after they were married, were
power of the soul upon the body is wonderfully changed into men.
explained, as is that which A vicen describes of a Now how much imagination can do upon
certain man, who when he pleased could affect the soul, no man is ignorant: for it is nearer to
his body with the palsy. They report of Gallus the substance of the soul than the sense is;
Vibius. that he did fall into madness, not casu- wherefore it acts more upon the soul than the
ally, but on purpose: for whilst he did imitate sense doth. So women by certain strong imagi-
mad men, he assimilated their madness to him- nations, dreams, and suggestions brought in by
self, and became mad indeed. certain magical arts do oftentimes bind them
And Austin makes mention of some men into most strong loving of anyone. So they say
who would move their ears at their pleasure, that Medea only by a dream burnt in love
and some that would move the crown of their towards Jason.?
head to their forehead, and could draw it back So the soul sometimes is by a vehement
again when they pleased: and of another that imagination, or speculation altogether abstracted
could sweat at his pleasure. And it is well from the body,8 as Celsus relates of a certain
known, that some can weep at their pleasure, presbyter, who as oft as he pleased, could make
and pour forth abundance of tears: and that himself senseless, and lie like a dead man, that
there are some that can bring up what they have when anyone pricked, or burned him, he felt no
swallowed, when they please, as out of a bag, pain, but lay without any motion or breathing,
by degrees. And we see that in these days there yet he could, as he said, hear men's voices as it
are many who can so imitate, and express the were afar off, if they cried out aloud. But of
voices of birds, cattle, dogs, and some men, that these abstractions we shall discourse more fully
they can scarce at all be discerned. in the following chapters.

NOL"cs-ChapL"CR L"lV
I. gape-Yawn. Raudusculana (Latin: raudus = brass). This strange
story is told by Valerius Maximus. Pliny considered
2. a medicine-Laxative. it no more than a fable.

3. Cyprus-Genucius Cippus, praetor of Rome, 4. corniferous-Horn producing.

either going out of the city or about to return into it,
discovered horns upon his head. Alarmed by this 5. wounds o/Chris/-
prodigy, he consulted a soothsayer, who predicted For straightaway in the hands and feet of
that if he entered Rome once again, he would surely S. Francis began to appear the marks of the
become king. Cippus had a horror of kings, as did all nails, in such wise as he had seen them in
good Romans, the title being synonymous in their the body of Jesu Christ, the Crucified, the
minds with tyranny. As Ovid says: "He retreated which had shown Himself to him in the
backwards, and turning his stem visage away from likeness of a seraph : and thus his hands
the walk of the City, he exclaimed, 'Far, 0 far away and feet appeared to be pierced through the
may the Gods drive such omens! Much more right- middle with nails, and the heads of them
eously shall I pass my life in exile, than if the Capi- were in the palms of his hands and the
tol were to see me a king'" (Ovid Metamorphoses soles of his feet outside the flesh, and their
15.6, c.line 565 [Riley, 539]). So struck were the cit- points came out on the back of his hands
izens of Rome by his noble sacrifice, they erected a andc feet, so that they seemed bent back and
homed bronze statue over the gate through which he rivetted in such fashion that under the bend
had made his last exit, and named the gate Porta and rivetting, which all stood out above the
 How the Passions of the Mind Change the Body / 203

flesh, might easily be put a finger of the their appearance, upon which he took to
hand, as in a ring: and the heads of the nails himself a wife. He had also seen a boy at
were round and black. Likewise in the right Smyrna, to whom the very same thing had
side appeared an image of a wound made happened. I myself saw in Africa one L.
by a lance, unhealed, and red and bleeding, Cossicius, a citizen of Thysdris, who had
the which afterwards ofttimes dropped been changed into a man the very day on
blood from the sacred breast of S. Francis, which he was married to a husband.
and stained with blood his tunic and his (Pliny 7.3 [Bostock and Riley, 2: 138])
hose. (Anon. Little Flowers of S. Francis of
It is difficult to believe that Pliny would not have
Assisi, trans. T. W. Arnold [London:
guessed that this last was merely a case of sexual
Chatto and Windus, 1908], 186-7)
impersonation discovered in the marriage bed-we
may suspect that the husband's shock was consider-
6. turned into men-
able. Very likely all the cases may be explained in a
The change of females into males is similar way.
undoubtedly no fable. We find it stated in
the Annals, that, in the consulship of P. 7. love toward Jason-When the hero Jason sailed to
Licinius Crassus and C. Cassius Longinus Colchis to obtain the Golden Fleece, the goddess
[171 Be], a girl, who was living at Casinum Hera convinced Aphrodite to send Cupid to Earth, so
with her parents, was changed into a boy; that he might shoot one of his arrows into Medea's
and that, by the command of the Aruspices, heart and cause her to love Jason, thereby insuring
he was conveyed away to a desert island. his safety through the power of her sorcery: "Her
Licinius Muscianus informs us, that he heart smouldered with pain and as he passed from
once saw at Argos a person whose name sight her soul crept out of her, as in a dream, and flut-
was then Arescon, though he had been for- tered in his steps" (Apollonius Rhodius The Voyage
merly called Arescusa: that this person had of Argo 3, c. line 448 [Rieu, 121]).
been married to a man, but that, shortly
after, a beard and marks of virility made 8.from the body-See notes 5, 6 and 7, ch. L, bk. III.
 CHAPTeR LAY

How rhe passions of rhe mind can

wORk our of rhemse1ves upon anorheR's body.

he passions of the soul which follow the Jacob the patriarch, with his speckled rods set

T phantasy, when they are most vehe-

ment, cannot only change their own
body, but also can transcend so, as to
work upon another body, so that some wonderful
in the watering places, did discolour the sheep
of Laban. I So the imaginative powers of pea-
cocks, and other birds, whilst they be coupling,
impress a colour upon their wings. Whence we
impressions are thence produced in elements, and produce white peacocks,2 by hanging round the
extrinsical things, and also can so take away, or places where they couple, with white clothes.
bring some diseases of the mind or body. For the Now by these examples it appears how the
passions of the soul are the chiefest cause of the affection of the phantasy, when it vehemently
temperament of its proper body. So the soul being intends itself, doth not only affect its own
strongly elevated, and inflamed with a strong proper body, but also another's. So also the
imagination, sends forth health or sickness, not desire of witches to hurt,3 doth bewitch men
only in its proper body, but also in other bodies. most pemiciously with steadfast looks. To these
So A vicen is of the opinion, that a camel things Avicen. Aristotle. Algazel. and Galen
may fall by the imagination of anyone. So he assent. For it is manifest that a body may most
which is bitten with a mad dog presently falls easily be affected with the vapour of another's
into a madness, and there appear in his urine the diseased body, which we plainly see in the
shapes of dogs. So the longing of a woman with plague, and leprosy. Again, in the vapours of
child doth act upon another's body, when it signs the eyes there is so great a power, that they can
the infant in the womb with the mark of the thing bewitch and infect any that are near them, as the
longed for. So many monstrous generations pro- cockatrice, or basilisk, killing men with their
ceed from monstrous imaginations of women looks. And certain women in Scythia, amongst
with child, as Marcus Damascenus reports was at the Illyrians, and Triballi, killed whomsoever
Petra Sancta, a town situated upon the territories they looked angry upon.
of Pisa, viz. a wench that was presented to Therefore let no man wonder that the body.
Charles King of Bohemia, who was rough and and soul of one may in like manner be affected
hairy all over her body, like a wild beast, whom with the mind of another, seeing the mind is far
her mother, affected with a religious kind of hor- more powerful, strong, fervent, and more preva-
ror upon the picture of John Baptist. which was lent by its motion than vapours exhaling out of
by her bed in time of conception, afterwards bodies; neither are there wanting mediums, by
brought forth after this fashion. which it should work, neither is another's body
And this we see is not only in men, but also less subjected to another's mind, than to
is done amongst brute creatures. So we read that another's body. Upon this account they say, that

204
 How the Passions of the Mind Can Work .. . Upon Another's Body / 205

a man by his affection, and habit only, may act Now then, if the foresaid passions have so
upon another. great a power in the phantasy, they have cer-
Therefore philosophers advise that the tainly a greater power in the reason, in as much
society of evil, and mischievous men be as the reason is more excellent than the phan-
shunned, for their soul being full of noxious tasy; and lastly, they have much greater power
rays, infects them that are near with a hurtful in the mind; for this, when it is fixed upon God
contagion. On the contrary, they advise that for any good with its whole intention, doth
the society of good, and fortunate men be oftentimes affect another's body as well as its
endeavoured after, because by their nearness own with some divine gift. By this means we
they do us much good. For as the smell of read that many miracles were done by Apollo-
assafetida,4 or musk, so of bad something of nius, Pythagoras, Empedocles, Philolaus , and
bad, of good something of good, is derived many prophets, and holy men of our religion.
upon them that are nigh, and sometimes con- But of these more fully in the following
tinues a long time. chapters, where we shall discourse of religion.

Norcs-ChaprCR LX.V
I . sheep oj Lahan-Genesis 30:37-9. 4. assajetida-Gum resin extruded from the cut root
of the Narthex Jerula. an umbelliferous plant that
2 white peacocks-Pure white peacocks, in which grows in Afghanistan and Iran. It dries into tears but
even the eye spots on the tail are very faint, occa- was more usually sold in the form of lumps, and was
sionally hatch, and these are valued as curiosities. used medicinally as an antispasmodic and stimulant.
Its smell is powerful and unpleasant, pervading the
3. witches to hurt-HAnd there are witches who can body and occurring in the breath, saliva and urine.
bewitch their judges by a mere look or glance from Because it much resembles garlic, it was used to fla-
their eyes" (Kramer and Sprenger Malleus MaleJi- vor food. Some think it is the same as the juice of the
carum 2.12 [Summers, 139]). See also 3.15 (Sum- silphion, mentioned by Discorides and highly
mers,228). esteemed among Greek physicians.
 CHA.PTeR L7\.Vl

Thar rhe passions of rhe mind aRe helped

by a ce1esrial season, and how necessaRY
rhe consrancy of rhe mind is in eveRY wORk.

he passions of the mind are much him that cooperates in anything, and gives

T .
helped, and are helpful, and become
most powerful by virtue of the heaven,
as they agree with the heaven, either
by any natural agreement, or voluntary election.
power to the work which we intend to do. So
that there is made as it were in us the image of
the virtue to be received, and the thing to be
done in us, or by us.
For, as saith Ptolomeus, he which chooseth that We must 'therefore in every work, and
which is the better, seems to differ nothing from application of things, affect vehemently, imag-
him who hath this of nature. It conduceth there- ine, hope, and believe strongly, for that will be a
fore very much for the receiving the benefit of great help. And it is verified amongst physicians
the heavens, in any work, if we shall by the that a strong belief,2 and an undoubted hope, and
heaven make ourselves suitable to it in our love towards the physician, and medicine, con-
thoughts, affections, imaginations, elections, duce much to health, yea more sometimes than
deliberations, contemplations, and the like. the medicine itself. For the same that the effi-
For such like passions do vehemently stir cacy, and virtue of the medicine works, the same
up our spirit to their likeness, and suddenly doth the strong imagination of the physician
expose us, and ours to the superior significators work, being able to change the qualities in the
of such like passions; and also by reason of their body of the sick, especially when the patient
dignity, and nearness to the superiors, do much placeth much confidence in the physician, by
more partake of the celestials, than any material that means disposing himself for the receiving
things. For our mind can through imaginations, the virtue of the physician, and physic.
or reason by a kind of imitation, be so con- Therefore he that works in magic, must be
formed to any star, as suddenly to be filled with of a constant belief, be credulous, and not at all
the virtues of that star, as if it were a proper doubt of the obtaining the effect. For as a firm,
receptacle of the influence thereof. and strong belief doth work wonderful things,
Now the contemplating mind, as it with- although it be in false works, so distrust and
draws itself from all sense, imagination, nature, doubting doth dissipate, and break the virtue of
and deliberation, and calls itself back to things the mind of the worker, which is the medium
separated, unless it exposeth itself to Saturn, I is betwixt both extremes; whence it happens, that
not of present consideration, or inquiry. For our he is frustrated of the desired influence of the
mind doth effect divers things by faith, which is superiors, which could not be joined, and united
a firm adhesion, a fixed intension, and vehe- to our labours without a firm, and solid virtue of
ment application of the worker, or receiver, to our mind.

206
 That the Passions of the Mind Are Helped by a Celestial Season / 207

NOLcs-ChapLCR U,Vl
I. to Saturn-The contemplating mind would be much alters the body and either hinders or
appropriate to draw down the influence of Saturn, but furthers a remedy in its working. As this is
inappropriate for the other planets. Saturn presides c\eare in many diseases, so especially in
over a deep and brooding thoughtfulness. "As if Sat- Hypocondriack Melancholy, called the
urn be predominant in his nativity, and cause melan- shame of Physicians, because rarely cured;
choly in his temperment, then he shall be very wherein the non-effecting of the cure
austere, sullen, churlish, black of colour, profound in depends upon the prejudiced imaginations
his cogitations, full of cares, miseries, and discon- of the Patient, who despairs of help ...
tents, sad and fearful, always silent, solitary ... " (Michael Maier Laws of the Fraternity of
(Burton Anatomy of Melancholy 1.3.1.3, 1:397). the Rosie Crosse [1618, trans. 1656] [Los
Angeles: Philosophical Research Society,
2. strong helief- 1976], 55)
... although another man's imagination
hath little force upon me, yet mine own
 CHAPTeR L7\.Vll

How man's mind may be joined

wirh rhe mind, and inrelligences of rhe
celesrials, and rogerheR wirh rhem impRess
ceRrain wondeRful viRrues upon infeRioR rhings.

he philosophers, especially the Arabi- derful virtues, as from the soul of the operator,

T ans,' say, that man's mind, when it is

most intent upon any work, through
its passion, and effects, is joined with
the mind of the stars, and intelligences, and
in that hour when such a like appetite doth
invade it, so from the opportunity, and celestial
influence, moving the mind in that manner. For
our mind, when it is carried upon the great
being so joined is the cause that some wonder- excess of any passion, or virtue, oftentimes
ful virtue be infused into our works, and things; presently takes of itself a strong, better, and
this, as because there is in it an apprehension, more convenient hour, or opportunity. Which
and power of all things, so because all things Thomas Aquinas4 in his third book Against the
have a natural obedience to it, and of necessity Gentiles, confesseth. So many wonderful
an efficacy, and more to that which desires virtues both cause, and follow certain
them with a strong desire. admirable operations by great affections, in
And according to this is verified the art of those things which the soul doth dictate in that
characters, images, enchantments, and some hour to them.
speeches,2 and many other wonderful experi- But know, that such kind of things 5 confer
ments to everything which the mind affects. By nothing, or very little but to the author of them,
this means whatsoever the mind of him that IS in and to him which is inclined to them, as if he
vehement love affects, hath an efficacy to cause were the author of them. And this is the manner
love, and whatsoever the mind of him that by which their efficacy is found out. And it is a
strongly hates, dictates, hath an efficacy to hurt, general rule in them, that every mind that is
and destroy. The like is in other things, which more excellent in its desire, and affection,
the mind affects with a strong desire. makes such like things more fit for itself, as also
For all those things which the mind acts, efficacious to that which it desires. Everyone
and dictates by characters, figures, words, therefore that is willing to work in magic, must
speeches, gestures, and the like, help the know the virtue, measure, order, and degree of
appetite of the soul,3 and acquire certain won- his own soul, in the power of the universe.

NOL"cs-ChapL"CR U,Vll
I. the Arabians-
choice, not merely by being the occasion
We must observe, however, that Avicenna thereof, but even as a per se cause. For he
also (Metaph. X) holds that the movements holds the heavenly bodies to be animate :
of the heavenly bodies are the causes of our and, since the heaven's movement pro-

208
 How Man's Mind May be Joined With the Mind, and Intelligences of the Celestials / 209

ceeds from its soul, and is the movement of appetite, by proposing its object to it; and
a body, it follows that just as forasmuch as the intellective appetite or will, moves the
it is a body's movement, it must have the sensitive appetites, namely the irascible
power to transform bodies, so forasmuch as and concupiscible, so that we do not obey
it comes from a soul, it must have the the concupiscence, unless the will com-
power to make impressions on our soul; mand; and the sensitive appetite, the will
wherefore the heavenly movement is the consenting, moves the body . Therefore the
cause of our acts of will and choice. The end of the intellect is the end of all human
position of Albumasar would seem to come actions. (ibid. 3.25, 3: I :59)
to the same as expounded in the First Book
of his Introductorium. (Aquinas Summa 4. Thomas Aquinas-
contra gentiles 3.87 [London: Bums, Oats
Since then man, as to his body, is subordi-
and Washboume, 1928], 3:2:16)
nate to the heavenly bodies; as to his intel-
After stating the Arab position, that the soul of the lect, to the angels; and as to his will, to
heavens acts on man's soul through the movement of God: it is possible for something to happen
the heavens, Aquinas goes on to dispute it, arguing beside the intention of man, which is nev-
that the soul of the heavens, if there is one, acting ertheless according to the order of the
through the body of the heavens, has only the power heavenly bodies, or the influence of the
to act upon the human body by stirring passions, but angels or even of God. And although
that the will of man is free to either acquiesce or con- God's action alone has a direct bearing on
tend with these passions as it chooses. However, he man's choice, nevertheless the angel's
admits that those who are able to control their pas- action has a certain bearing on man's
sions are in the minority: choice by way of persuasion; and the
action of a heavenly body by way of dispo-
It is evident, however, and we know by
sition, insomuch as the corporeal impres-
experience, that such occasions whether
sions of heavenly bodies on our bodies
exterior or interior are not necessarily
dispose us to choose in certain ways.
cause of choice: since man can use his rea-
Accordingly when, through the influence
son to reject or obey them. But those who
of higher causes, in the aforesaid manner, a
follow their natural bent are in the major-
man is led to choose such things as tum to
ity, and few, the wise alone to wit, are
his profit without his being aware of the
those who avoid the occasions of ill-doing
utility by his own reason; and besides this,
and who follow not the impulse of nature.
his understanding is enlightened from the
Hence Ptolemy says (Centiloq . 8,7, I) that
light of intellectual substances to the effect
the soul of the wise man assists the work of
of doing those same things; and through
the stars . .." (ibid. 3.85, p. 11)
the divine operation his will is inclined so
as to choose that which is profitable to him,
2. some speeches-Incantations.
without knowing why it is so; he is said to
befortunate . .. " (ibid. 3.92,3:2:26-7)
3. appetite of the soul-The will.
Now of all the parts of man, the intellect is 5. such kind of things-Talismans, seals, amulets,
the highest mover; for it moves the and so on.
 CHAPTeR L"Vlll

How OUR mind can change, and bind

infeRioR rhings ro rhar which ir desiRes.

here is also a certain virtue in the cations of natural things, if he become stronger

T minds of men, of changing, attracting,

hindering, and binding to that which
they desire, and all things obey them,
when they are carried into a great excess of any
in solary virtue, binds and draws the inferior
into admiration, and obedience; in order of the
Moon to servitude or infirmities; in a saturnal
order to quietness or sadness; in order of Jupiter
passion or virtue, so as to exceed those things to worship; in order of Mars to fear, and dis-
which they bind. For the superior binds that cord; in order of Venus to love, and joy; in a
which is inferior, and converts it to itself, and mercurial order to persuasion, and obsequious-
the inferior is by the same reason converted to ness, and the like.
the superior, or is otherwise affected, and Now the ground of such a kind of binding
wrought upon. By this reason, things that is the very vehement, and boundless affection
receive a superior degree of any star, bind, or of the souls, with the concourse of the celestial
attract, or hinder things which have an inferior, order. But the dissolutions, or hinderances of
according as they agree, or disagree amongst such a like binding, are made by a contrary
themselves. I effect, and that more excellent or strong, for as
Whence a lion is afraid of a cock, because the greater excess of the mind binds, so also it
the presence of the solary virtue is more agree- looseth, and hindereth. And lastly, when thou
able to a cock than to lion: 2 so a loadstone fearest Venus, oppose Saturn. When Saturn or
draws iron, because in order it hath a superior Mars, oppose Venus or Jupiter: for astrologers
degree of the Celestial Bear. So the diamond say, that these are most at enmity, and contrary
hinders the loadstone, because in the order of the one to the other i.e. causing contrary effects
Mars it is superior than it. in these inferior bodies; for in the heaven,
In like manner any man when he is oppor- where there is nothing wanting, where all things
tunely exposed to the celestial influences, as by are governed with love, there can in no wise be
the affections of his mind, so by the due appli- hatred, or enmity.

NOL"cs-ChapL"CR LXVlll
I. amongst themselves-All this is based on the frag- 2. a lion-Again, ProcJus. See note 25 , ch. XVIII,
ment from ProcJus called De sacrificio et magia (see bk. 1.
note I, ch. XXII, bk. I). Agrippa draws heavily on
this fragment for his magical theory.

2\0
 CHAPTeR L7\.l7\.

Of speech, and rhe V1Rrue of wORds.

t being showed that there is a great power in and with the speech of his tongue, in which nature

1 the affections of the soul , you must know

moreover, that there is no less virtue in
words, and the names of things, but greatest
of all in speeches, and motions, by which we
hath coupled the corporeal voice, and speech to
the mind, and understanding, making that a
declarer, and interpreter of the conception of our
intellect to the hearers. And of this we now speak.
chiefly differ from brutes, and are called ratio- Words therefore are the fittest medium
nal, not from reason, which is taken for that part betwixt the speaker and the hearer, carrying
of the soul, which contains the affections, which with them not only the conception of the mind,
Galen saith, is also common to brutes, although but also the virtue of the speaker with a certain
in a less degree; but we are called rational from efficacy unto the hearers, and thi s oftentimes
that reason which is according to the voice with so great a power, that oftentimes they
understood in words, and speech, which is change not only the hearers, but also other bod-
called declarative reason,) by which part we do ies,2 and things that have no life. Now those
chiefly excel all other animals. For AOYOS in words are of greater efficacy than others, which
Greek signifies, reason, speech, and a word. represent greater things, as intellectual, celes-
Now a word is twofold, viz. internal, and tial, and supernatural , as more expressly, so
uttered. An internal word is a conception of the more mysteriously. Also those that come from a
mind, and motion of the soul, which is made more worthy tongue, or from any of a more
without a voice. As in dreams we seem to speak, holy order: 3 for these, as it were certain signs,
and dispute with ourselves, and whilst we are and representations , receive a power of celes-
awake we run over a whole speech silently. But tial, and supercelestial things, as from the virtue
an uttered word hath a certain act in the voice, and of things explained, of which they are the vehic-
properties of locution, and is brought forth with ula,4 so from a power put into them by the
the breath of a man, with opening of his mouth, virtue of the speaker.

No'Ces-Chap'CeR LA1A

I. declarative reason-
tinct from perceiving-I mean that in
That perceiving and practical thinking are which we find rightness and wrongness-
not identical is therefore obvious; for the rightness in prudence, knowledge, true
former is universal in the animal world, the opinion, wrongness in their opposites; for
latter is found in only a small division of it. perception of the special objects of sense is
Further, speculative thinking is also dis- always free from error, and is found in all

211
212/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

animals, while it is possible to think falsely 3. more holy order-

as well as truly, and thought is found only
For because the Gods have shown that the
where there is discourse of reason as well
whole dialect of sacred nations, such as
as sensibility. (Aristotle De anima 3.3
those of the Egyptians and Assyrians, is
[McKeon, 586-7])
adapted to sacred concerns; on this account
we ought to think it necessary that our con-
2. other bodies-On the question of the occult power
ference with the Gods should be in a lan-
of words, Pliny writes:
guage allied to them. Because likewise,
Thus, for instance, it is a general belief that such a mode of speech is the first and most
without a certain form of prayer it would be ancient. And especially because those who
useless to immolate a victim, and that, with first learned the names of the Gods, having
such an informality, the gods would be con- mingled them with their own proper
sulted to little purpose. And then besides, tongue, delivered them to us, that we might
there are different forms of address to the always preserve immoveable the sacred
deities, one form for entreating, another law of tradition, in a language peculiar and
form for averting their ire, and another for adapted to them. For if any other thing per-
commendation . .. . At the present day, too, tains to the Gods, it is evident that the eter-
it is a general belief, that our Vestal virgins nal and immutable must be allied to them.
have the power, by uttering a certain prayer, (Iamblichus On the Mysteries 6.4 [Taylor,
to arrest the flight of runaway slaves, and to 293-4])
rivet them to the spot, provided they have
For if names subsisted through compact it
not gone beyond the precincts of the City. If
would be of no consequence whether some
then these opinions be once received as
were used instead of others. But if they are
truth, and if it be admitted that the gods do
suspended from the nature of things, those
listen to certain prayers, or are influenced
names which are more adapted to it will
by set forms of words, we are bound to con-
also be more dear to the Gods. From this,
clude in the affirmative upon the whole
therefore, it is evident that the language of
question. Our ancestors, no doubt, always
sacred nations is very reasonably preferred
entertained such a belief, and have even
to that of other men . (ibid. 6.5 [Taylor,
assured us, a thing by far the most difficult
294])
of all, that it is possible by such means to
bring down lightning from heaven, as
4. vehicula-Vehicles, used here in the sense of
already mentioned [2.54] on a more appro-
media of expression or utterance, and also in the
priate occasion. (Pliny 28.3 [Bostock and
sense of the form in which something spiritual is
Riley, 5:279-80])
embodied or manifested.
 CHAPTeR LAA

Of 'Lhe V1R'LUe of pRopeR names.

hat proper names of things are very names according to their natures, as it is written

T necessary in magical operations,

almost all men testify: for the natural
power of things proceeds first from
the objects to the senses, and then from these to
in Genesis,4 where God brought all things that
he had created before Adam, that he should
name them, and as he named anything, so the
name of it was, which names indeed contain in
the imagination, and from this to the mind, in them wonderful powers of the things signified.
which it is first conceived, and then is expressed Every voice therefore that is significative,
by voices, and words. The Platonists therefore I first of all signifies by the influence of the celes-
say, that in this very voice, or word, or name tial harmony; secondly, by the imposition of
framed, with its articles, that the power of the man, although oftentimes otherwise by this,
thing as it were some kind of life, lies under the than by that. But when both significations meet
form of the signification. First conceived in the in any voice or name, which are put upon them
mind as it were through certain seeds of things, by the said harmony or men, then that name is
then by voices or words, as a birth brought with a double virtue,S viz. natural, and arbitrary,
forth, and lastly kept in writings. made most efficacious to act, as oft as it shall be
Hence magicians say, that proper names of uttered in due place, and time, and seriously
things are certain rays of things, everywhere pre- with an intention exercised upon the matter
sent at all times, keeping the power of things, as rightly disposed, and that can naturally be acted
the essence of the thing signified, rules, and is upon by it.
discerned in them, and know the things by them, So we read in Philostratus, that when a
as by proper, and living images. For as the great maid at Rome died the same day she was mar-
operator doth produce divers species, and partic- ried, and was presented to Apollonius, he
ular things by the influences of the heavens, and accurately inquired into her name, which
by the elements, together with the virtues of plan- being known, he pronounced some occult
ets; so according to the properties of the influ- thing, by which she revived. It was an obser-
ences proper names result to things, and are put vation amongst the Romans in their holy rites,
upon them by him who numbers the multitude of that when they did besiege any city, they did
the stars, calling them all by their names,2 of diligently inquire into the proper, and true
which names Christ in another place speaks, say- name of it, and the name of that god, under
ing, Your names are written in heaven. 3 whose protection it was, which being known,
Adam therefore that gave the first names to they did then with some verse call forth the
things, knowing the influences of the heavens, gods that were the protectors of that city, and
and properties of all things, gave them all did curse the inhabitants of that city, so at

213
214/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

length their gods being absent, did overcome Now the verse with which the gods were
them, as Virgil sings: 6 called out, and the enemies were cursed, when
the city was assaulted round about, let him that
----that kept this realm, our gods would know, find it out in Livy,? and Macro-
Their altars have forsook, and blest abodes. bius;8 but also many of these Serenus Samonicus
in his book of secret things makes mention of.

Norcs-ChaprCR U\'A
I. Platonists therefore-Plato's dialogue Cratylus is 6. Virgil sings-
entirely concerned with the nature of names. In it
"Warriors, hearts in vain most valiant, if
Socrates (Plato's alter ego) puts forward the notion
you have a determined desire to follow one
in the abstract that a name may embody a thing:
of desperate daring, you see what is the
Socrates: Again, is there not an essence of state of our fortunes; the gods by whom
each thing, just as there is a colour, or this realm stood fast, have all departed
sound? And is there not an essence of from it, and left the sanctuaries and
colour and sound as well as of anything shrines; haste to succour a city that is set
else which may be said to have an on fire; let us die, and rush into the thickest
essence? of the fight. To despair of being saved by
Hermogenes: I should think so. any means is the only means of safety for
Socrates: Well, and if anyone could the vanquished." (Virgil Aeneid 2, c. line
express the essence of each thing in letters 350 [Lonsdale and Lee, 104])
and syllables, would he not express the
nature of each thing? 7. in Livy-The Roman dictator Camillus (396 Be) in
(Plato Cratylus 423e [Hamilton and the encampment beneath the walls of besieged Veii
Cairns, 458]) just prior to the Roman assault on that city:
However he goes on to argue that in fallible human "Pythian Apollo," he prayed, "led by you
language names and essences do not necessarily agree. and inspired by your holy breath, I go for-
ward to the destruction of Veii , and I vow
2. their names-This is the view Plato puts into the to you a tenth part of the spoils. Queen
mouth of Cratylus, which is disputed by Socrates: Juno, to you too I pray, that you may leave
Cratylus: I believe, Socrates, the true this town where now you dwell and follow
account of the matter to be that a power our victorious arms into our City of Rome,
more than human gave things their first your future home, which will receive you
names, and that the names which are thus in a temple worthy of your greatness."
given are necessarily their true names. (Livy Early History of Rome 5.20 [de
(ibid . 438c [Hamilton and Cairns, 472]) Selincourt,364])

3. written in heaven-Luke 10:20. 8. Macrobius-Nicolas Remy quotes in full the curse

used by the Romans against their enemies, which
4. written in Genesis-Genesis 2: 19. occurs in the Saturnalia of Macrobius, 3.9:

5. double virtue-Proclus in his Commentary on Pla- "0 Father Dis, 0 Shades of Jupiter, or by
to's Timaeus distinguishes between two kinds of whatever other name it is right to invoke
names, those given by the gods and those contrived you, fill full of panic, fear and terror all that
by men: " For as the knowledge of the Gods is differ- city and army which I have in my mind;
ent from that of partial souls, thus also the names of and whosoever bears arms or weapons
the one are different from those of the other; since against our legions and army, do you con-
divine names unfold the whole essence of the thing found those armies, those enemies, those
named, but those of men only partially come into men and their cities and lands, and all who
contact with them" (Iamblichus On the Mysteries live in the lands and cities of this place and
[Taylor 290-2n]). On this subject see Homer Iliad district: take from them the light of heaven:
14, line 291, and 20, line 74, which lines are dis- curse and execrate the enemy's army, his
cussed by Plato in the Cratylus 392a. cities and his lands with the strongest curse
 Of the Virtue of Proper Names / 215

ever pronounced against an enemy. By the As he invokes the Earth, he touches the
faith of my office I give and consecrate ground with his hands. As he invokes
them to you on behalf of the Roman People Jupiter, he raises his hands to Heaven. And
and our armies and legions. If you will per- as he takes his vow, he places his hands
form this according to my wishes, intention upon his breast. (Remy Demonolatry 2.9,
and understanding, then whosoever accom- trans. E. A. Ashwin [London: John Rod -
plishes this vow, let it be done aright. With ker, 1930 (1595)],124)
three black sheep 1 beseech thee,O Jupiter."
 CHAPTeR L7\.7\.l

Of many WORds joined

rogerheR, as in senrences, and veRses,
and of rhe viRrues, and asrRicrions of chaRms.

esides the virtues of words, and names, courses, and ways in their sphere, by their light,

B there is also a greater virtue found in

sentences, from the truth contained in
them, which hath a very great power of
impressing, changing, binding, and establish-
by the dignity of their kingdom, by the beauty,
and brightness that is in it, by their strong, and
powerful virtues, and by such like as these. As
Psyche in Apu/eius9 prays to Ceres, saying, I
ing, so that being used it doth shine the more, beseech thee by thy fruitful right hand, I intreat
and being resisted is more confirmed, and con- thee by the joyful ceremonies of harvests, by
solidated; which virtue is not in simple words, the quiet si lence of thy chests, by the winged
but in sentences, by which anything is affirmed, chariots of dragons thy servants, by the furrows
or denied, of which sort are verses, enchant- of the Sicilian earth, the devouring wagon, the
ments, I imprecations,2 deprecations,3 orations,4 clammy earth, by the place of going down into
invocations,5 obtestations,6 adjurations,7 conju- cellars at the light nuptials of Proserpina , and
rations,8 and such like. returns at the light inventions of her daughter,
Therefore in composing verses, and ora- and other things which are concealed in her
tions, for the attracting the virtue of any star, or temple in the city Eleusis in Attica.
deity, you must diligently consider what virtues Besides, with the divers sorts of the names
any star contains, as also what effects, and oper- of the stars, they command us to call upon them
ations, and to infer them in verses, by praising, by the names of the intelligences, ruling over
extolling, amplifying, and setting forth those the stars themselves, of which we shall speak
things which such a kind of star is wont to cause more at large in their proper place. They that
by way of its influence, and by vilifying, and desire further examples of these, let them search
dispraising those things which it is wont to into the hymns of Orpheus, than which nothing
destroy, and hinder, and by supplicating, and is more efficacious in natural magic, if they
begging for that which we desire to get, and by together with their circumstances, which wise
condemning, and detesting that which we men know, be used according to a due har-
would have destroyed, and hindered: and after mony, with all attention.
the same manner to make an elegant oration, But to return to our purpose. Such like
and duly distinct by articles, with competent verses being aptly, and duly made according to
numbers, and proportions. the rule of the stars, and being full of significa-
Moreover magicians command that we call tion, and meaning, and opportunely pro-
upon, and pray by the names of the same star, or nounced with vehement affection, as according
name, to them to whom such a verse belongs, to the number, proportion of their articles, so
by their wonderful things, or miracles, by their according to the form resulting from the arti-

216
 Of Many Words Joined Together / 217

des, and by the violence of imagination, do sublime, and efficacious than SpIrIts, and
confer a very great power in the enchanter, and vapours exhaling out of the vegetable life, out
sometimes transfer it upon the thing enchanted, of herbs, roots, gums, aromatical things , and
to bind, and direct it to the same purpose for fumes, and such like. And therefore magicians
which the affections, and speeches of the enchanting things, are wont to blow, and
enchanter are intended. breathe upon II them the words of the verse, or
Now the instrument lO of the enchanters is a to breathe in the virtue with the spirit, that so
most pure harmonical spirit, warm, breathing, the whole virtue of the soul be directed to the
living, bringing with it motion, affection and thing enchanted, being disposed for the receiv-
signification, composed of its parts, endued ing the said virtue.
with sense, and conceived by reason. By the And here it is to be noted, that every ora-
quality therefore of this spirit, and by the celes- tion, writing, and words, as they induce accus-
tial similitude thereof, besides those things tomed motions by their accustomed numbers,
which have already been spoken of, verses also and proportions, and form, so also besides their
from the opportunity of time receive from usual order, being pronounced, or wrote back-
above most excellent virtues, and indeed more wards,12 move unto unusual effects.

NOLcs-ChapLCR U'7\.l
I. enchantments-Incantations; fonnulae of words 9. Psyche in Apuleius-
spoken or sung for a magical effect.
o great and holy Goddesse, I pray thee by
thy plenteous and Iiberall right hand, by the
2. imprecations-Prayers for invoking a deity or
joyfull ceremonies of thy harvest, by the
spirit.
secrets of thy Sacrifice, by the flying chari-
ots of thy dragons, by the tillage of the
3. deprecations-Prayers for averting evil. ground of Sicilie, which thou hast invented,
by the marriage of Proserpin, by the dili-
4. orations-Prayers of supplication to God.
gent inquisition of thy daughter and by the
other secrets which are within the temple of
5. invocations-Callings upon the presence or power
Eleusis in the land of Athens . .. " (Apuleius
of deities or spirits.
The Golden Asse ch. 22 [Adlington])
6. obtestations-Chargings or beseechings by sacred
10. instrument-The articulated breath.
names in which God or other spiritual agencies are
called to witness.
II . breathe-This is why gamblers blow upon dice
for luck, and why shamans chant over the sick in
7. adjurations-Retractions and renouncings of
such a way that their breath touches the patient.
oaths or pacts.
12. wrote backwards-Writing or speaking magical
8. conjurations-Constraining and compelling of
words backwards inverts their effects.
spirits by oaths.
 CHAPTeR LAAll

Of rhe wondeRful poweR of enchanrmenrs.

hey say that the power of enchant- Charms bear com standing from another's

T ments, and verses is so great, that it is

believed they are able to subvert
almost all nature, as saith Apuleius, I
that with a magical whispering, swift rivers are
farm.

And Ovid in his book sine titulo ,? saith:

With charms doth withering Ceres die,

turned back, the slow sea is bound, the winds
Dried are the fountains all,
are breathed out with one accord, the Sun is Acorns from oaks, enchanted grapes,
stopped , the Moon is clarified, the stars are And apples from trees fall.
pulled out, the day is kept back, the night is pro-
longed. And of these sings Lucan :2 If these things were not true, there would
not be such strict penal statutes made against
The courses of all things did cease, the night them, that should enchant fruit. And Tibullus
Prolonged was, ' twas long before ' twas
light; saith 8 of a certain enchantress:
Astonied was the headlong world, all this
Was by the hearing of a verse---- Her with charms drawing stars from
heaven, I
And turning the course of rivers, did espy,
And a little before:3
She parts the earth, and ghosts from sep-
ulchers
Thessalian verse did into his heart so flow , Draws up, and fetcheth bones away from
That it did make a greater heat of love. the fires
And at her pleasure scatters clouds in the air,
And elsewhere: 4 And makes it snow in summer hot, and fair.

No dregs of poison being by him drunk, Of all which that enchantress seems to boast
His wits decayed enchanted----
herself in Ovid,9 when she saith:
Also Virgil in Damon:5 - - - - a t will, I make swift streams retire
To their fountains, whilst their banks
Charms can command the Moon down admire;
from the sky, Seas toss, and smooth; clear clouds, with
Circe's charms changed Ulysses' company. clouds deform,
A cold snake being charmed, burst in the With spells, and charms I break the
meads. viper's jaw,
Cleave solid rocks, oaks from their sea-
And in another place:6 sures draw,

218
 Of the Wonderful Power of Enchantments / 219

Whole woods remove, the airy mountains which as yet are extant in his writings. Also Jose-
shake, ph us testifies lO that Solomon was skilled in those
Earth for to groan, and ghosts from graves
kind of enchantments. Also Celsus Africanus
awake,
And thee 0 Moon I draw---- reports, II according to the Egyptian doctrine, that
man's body, according to the number of the
Moreover all poets sing, and philosophers do faces l2 of the Zodiac signs,was taken care of by
not deny, that by verses many wonderful things so many, viz. thirty-six spirits, whereof each
may be done, as com to be removed, lightnings to undertake, and defend their proper part, whose
be commanded, diseases cured, and such like. For names they call with a peculiar voice, which
Cato himself in Country Affairs used some being called upon, restore to health with their
enchantments against the diseases of beasts, enchantments the diseased parts of the body.

NO'Les-Chap'LeR U\X11
1. saith Apuleius- wrapped as to her direful head in a turbid cloud, she
wanders amid the bodies of the slain, exposed, sepul-
Verily this tale is as true, as if a man would
chres being denied" (ibid., line 624 [Riley, 237]).
say that by sorcery and inchantment the
And later: "The heavens wearing the aspect of light,
floods might be inforced to run against
until they [Erichtho and Sextus Pompey) brought
their course, the seas to be immovable, the
their footsteps safe within the tents, the night, com -
aire to lacke the blowing of windes, the
manded to withhold the day, afforded its dense
Sunne to be restrayned from his naturall
shades." (ibid., line 828 [Riley, 248]).
race, the Moone to purge his skimme upon
herbes and trees to serve for sorceries: the
3. little before-"Through the charms of the Thes-
starres to be pulled from heaven, the day to
sal ian witches a love not induced by the Fates has
be darkned, and the darke night to continue
entered into hardened hearts; and stem old men have
still. (Apuleius The Golden Asse ch. I
burned with illicit flames" (Lucan Pharsalia 6, line
[Adlington])
451 [Riley, 230]).
Lucan adds further light on this practice of purging
the Moon: 4. and elsewhere-"The mind, polluted by no cor-
ruption of imbibed poison, perishes by force of
There, too [in Thessaly), for the first time
spells" (ibid., line 457 [Riley, 230]).
were the stars brought down from the
headlong sky; and serene Phoebe, beset by
5. Virgil in Damon-"Song has even power to draw
the dire influences of their words, grew
the moon from heaven; Circe by song transformed
pale and burned with dusky and earthy
Ulysses' crew; by song the clammy snake is burst
fires, not otherwise than if the earth hin-
asunder in the meadows" (Virgil Eclogues 8, c. line
dered her from the reflection of her
67 [Lonsdale and Lee, 26]). Damon is a singing
brother, and interposed its shade between
shepherd mentioned in this Eclogue, but in fact it is
the celestial flames; and arrested by spells,
the shepherd Alphesiboeus who sings these lines.
she endures labours so great, until, more
nigh, she sends her foam upon the herbs
6. another place-" ... oft have I seen him [Moeris)
situate beneath. (Lucan Pharsalia 6, line
call up spirits from the deep of the grave, and draw
499 [Riley, 232-3])
sown com away to other fields" (ibid., c. line 100).
2. sings Lucan-"The courses of things are stayed,
7. his book sine titulo-Amores 3.7, lines 31-4.
and, retarded by lengthened night, the day stops
short. The sky obeys not the laws of nature; and on
8. Tibullus saith-
hearing the spells the headlong world is benumbed;
Jupiter, too, urging them on, is astounded that the I have seen her draw down the stars from
poles of heaven do not go on, impelled by the rapid heaven; she turns the course of the swift
axles" (ibid., line 461 [Riley, 231]). Concerning the lightning by her incantations; she cleaves
calling of night, Lucan elsewhere writes: " . .. the the earth, brings out the Manes from the
shades of night redoubled by her [Erichtho's) art, sepulchres, and calls down the bones from
220/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

the still smouldering pile. Now she makes 10. Josephus testijies-
the infernal hosts swarm round her with
God also enabled him [Solomon] to learn
her magic screamings, and now she bids
that skill which expels demons, which is a
them be gone, sprinkling them with milk.
science useful and sanative to men. He
When she pleases, she sweeps away the
composed such incantations also by which
clouds from the sombre sky; when she
distempers are alleviated. And he left
pleases, she calls down the snow in sum-
behind him the manner of using exorcisms,
mer by a word from her mouth. She is said
by which they drive away demons, so that
to possess alone all the evil herbs known to
they never return, and this method of cure
Medea, alone to have brought the fierce
is of great force unto this day .. ." (Jose-
dogs of Hecate under subjection. This
phus Antiquities of the Jews 7.2.5 [Whis-
witch has composed for me chants by
ton, 194])
which you may deceive all eyes. (Tibullus
Elegies 1.2. In Poems of Catullus and
II . Celsus Africanus reports-
Tihullus. trans. W. K. Kelly [London:
George Bell and Sons, 1884], III) Celsus goes on to say: "Let anyone inquire
of the Egyptians, and he will find that
9. in Ovid-the speaker is Medea: everything, even to the most insignificant,
is committed to the care of a certain
" 0 Night, most faithful to these my mys-
demon. The body of man is divided into
teries, and ye golden Stars, who with the
thirty-six parts, and as many powers of the
Moon, succeed the fires of the day, and
air are appointed to the care of it, each hav-
thou, three-faced Hecate, who com est con-
ing charge of a different part, although oth-
scious of my design, and ye charms and
ers make the number much larger. All
arts of the enchanters, and thou, too, Earth,
these demons have in the language of that
that does furnish the enchanters with pow-
country distinct names; as Chnoumen,
erful herbs; ye breezes, too, and winds,
Chnachoumen, Cnat, Sicat, Biou, Erou,
mountains, rivers, and lakes, and all ye
Erebiou, Ramanor, Reianoor, and other
Deities of the groves, and all ye Gods of
such Egyptian names. Moreover, they call
night, attend here; through whose aid,
upon them, and are cured of diseases of
whenever I will, the rivers run back from
particular parts of the body." (Origen
their astonished banks to their sources, and
Against Celsus 8.58. In The Ante-Nicene
by my charms I calm the troubled sea, and
Fathers [Buffalo: Christian Literature Pub-
rouse it when calm; I dispense the clouds,
lishing Company, 1885],4:661)
and I bring clouds upon the Earth; I both
allay the winds, and I raise them; and I See Budge 1904, 2: 19, sec . 14, where are given the
break the jaws of serpents with my words Egyptian names of the decans, their images, and their
and my spells; I move, too, the solid rocks, equivalent Greek names. A description of the spirits of
and the oaks tom up with their own native the decans occurs in the grimoire Picatrix. For exam-
earth, and the forests as well; I command ple, the three decans of Aries are "a huge dark man
the mountains, too, to quake, and the Earth with red eyes, holding a sword and clad in a white gar-
to groan, and the ghosts to come forth from ment," "a woman clad in green and lacking one leg"
their tombs. Thee, too, 0 Moon, do I draw and "a man holding a golden sphere and dressed in
down, although the Temesaean brass red" (Mcintosh 1985, 84, quoted from Yates 1964,
relieves thy pangs. By my spells, also, the 53). Agrippa was familiar with the Picatrix.
chariot of my grandsire is rendered pale;
Aurora, too, is pale through my enchant- 12.faces-Decans.
ments." (Ovid Metamorphoses 7.2, c. line
193 [Riley, 231-2])
 CHAPTeR L7Q\.lll

Of rhe viRrue of wRiring, and of

maKing impRecarions, and inscRiprions.

he use of words and speech, is to Albertus also in his book called Speculum,'

T express the inwards of the mind, and

from thence to draw forth the secrets
of the thoughts, and to declare the will
of the speaker. Now writing is the last expres-
doth not disallow, without which all our works
would never be brought into effect; seeing a dis-
position doth not cause an effect, but the act of
the disposition. 2 We find also that the same kind
sion of the mind, and is the number of speech of precepts was in use amongst the ancients, as
and voice, as also the collection, state, end, con- Virgil testifies, when he sings: 3
tinuing, and iteration, making a habit, which is
not perfected with the act of one's voice. And - - - - I walk around
First with these threads, in number which
whatsoever is in the mind, in voice, in word, in three are,
oration, and in speech, the whole, and all of this 'Bout the altars thrice I shall thy image bear.
is in writing also. And as nothing which is con-
ceived in the mind is not expressed by voice, so And a little after: 4
nothing which is expressed is not also written.
And therefore magicians command, that in Knots, Amaryllis, tie! of colours three
every work, there be imprecations, and inscrip- Then say, these bonds I knit, for Venus be.
tions made, by which the operator may express
And in the same place: 5
his affection: that if he gather an herb, or a
stone, he declare for what use he doth it; if he
As with one fire this clay doth harder prove,
make a picture, he say, and write to what end he The wax more soft; so Daphnis with our
maketh it; which imprecations, and inscriptions, love.

NOLcs-ChapLCR L7\.7\.lll
I. Speculum--Speculum astronomiae, a work 3. Virgil testijies-
attributed to Albertus Magnus. For a discussion on
the authenticity of this work, see the article by First these three threads of three hues
Lynn Thorndike in the Speculum 30 (1955), each distinct around you 1 entwine, and
413-33 . thrice around these altars draw your
image; in an unequal number heaven
2. act of the disposition-A very important point in delights. Draw Daphnis from the city
practical magic. It is not the chance conjunction of home, draw Daphnis home, my song.
things that releases power, but their deliberate join- Amaryllis, in three knots three colours
ing by a Willful act. weave; weave them, Amaryllis, pray, and

221
222 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

Tetragrammaton Written in Stars

from Dogme et Ritue/ de la Haute Magie by Eliphas Levi (Paris, 1855--6)

say these words; "Venus' bands I weave." hard. (Virgil Eclogues 8, c. line 70 [Lons-
Draw Daphnis from the city home, draw dale and Lee, 26])
Daphnis home, my song. As this clay
hardens, and as this wax melts in one and 4. little after-See note 3, above.
the self-same fire , even so let Daphnis
melt with love for me, to others ' love be 5. same place-See note 3, above.
 CHAPTeR L""lV

Of rhe pRopoRrion, cORRespondency, Reducrion of

leITeRS ro rhe ce1esrial signs, and planers, accoRding
ro vaRious rongues, wirh a rable showing rhis.

od gave to man a mind, and speech, tops,3 and by the supputation of numbers by the

Y which (as saith Mercurius Trismegis-

tus)' are thought to be a gift of the
same v~rtue, power, and immortality.
The omnipotent God hath by his providence
divided the speech of men into divers lan-
guages; which languages have according to
letters of things signified to explain all things,
how they proceed from the First Cause, and are
again to be reduced into the same. 4
Moreover they divide the letters of their
Hebrew alphabet, viz. into twelve simple, seven
double, and three mothers, which they say sig-
their diversity received divers, and proper char- nify as characters of things, the twelve signs,
acters of writing, consisting in their certain seven planets, and three elements, viz. Fire,
order, number, and figure, not so disposed, and Water, and Earth, for they account Air no ele-
formed by hap, or chance, nor by the weak ment, but as the glue, and spirit of the elements. 5
judgement of man, but from above, whereby To these also they appoint points, and tops: as
they agree with the celestial, and divine bodies, therefore by the aspects of planets, and signs,
and virtues. But before all notes of languages, together with the elements, the working spirit,
the writing of the Hebrews is of all the most and truth all things have been, and are brought
sacred in the figures of characters, points of forth, so by these characters of letters, and
vowels, and tops of accents, as consisting in points, signifying those things that are brought
matter, form , and spirit. forth, the names of all things are appointed, as
The position of the stars being first made in certain signs, and vehicula of things explained
the seat of God, which is heaven, after the fig- carrying with them everywhere their essence,
ure of them 2 (as the masters of the Hebrews tes- and virtues.
tify) are most fully formed the letters of the The profound meanings, and signs are
celestial mysteries, as by their figure, form, and inherent in those characters, and figures of
signification, so by the numbers signified by them, as also numbers, place, order, and revolu-
them, as also by their various harmony of their tion; so that Origenes 6 therefore thought that
conjunction. Whence the more curious those names being translated into another
mecubals of the Hebrews do undertake by the idiom, do not retain their proper virtue. For only
figure of their letters, the forms of characters, original names, which are rightly imposed,
and their signature, simpleness, composition, because they signify naturally, have a natural
separation, crookedness, directness, defect, activity: it is not so with them which signify at
abounding, greatness, littleness, crowning, pleasure, which have no activity, as they are
opening, shutting, order, transmutation, joining signifying, but as they are certain natural things
together, revolution of letters, and of points, and in themselves.

223
224/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

Now if there be any original, whose words same signification of them: for the five vowels
have a natural signification, it is manifest that A E IOU, and J and V consonants, are ascribed
this is the Hebrew, the order of which he that to the seven planets; but the consonants BCD
shall profoundly, and radically observe, and F G L M N P R STare answerable to the
shall know to resolve proportionably the letters twelve signs. The rest, viz. K Q X Z make four
thereof, shall have a rule exactly to find out any elements. H the aspiration represents the Spirit
idiom. There are therefore two and twenty let- of the World. Y because it is a Greek, and not a
ters which are the foundation of the world, and Latin character, and serving only to Greek
of creatures that are, and are named in it, and words, follows the nature of its idiom. 10 .
every saying, and every creature are of them, But this you must not be ignorant of, that it
and by their revolutions receive their name, is observed by all wise men, that the Hebrew let-
being, and virtue. ters are the most efficacious of all, because they
He therefore that will find them out, must by have the greatest similitude with celestials, and
each joining together of the letters so long exam- the world, and that the letters of the other tongues
ine them, until the voice of God is manifest, and have not so great an efficacy, because they are
the framing of the most sacred letters be opened more distant from them. Now the dispositions of
and discovered. For hence voices and words have these, the following table II will explain.
efficacy in magical works: because that in which Also all the letters have double numbers of
nature first exerciseth magical efficacy, is the their order, viz. extended, which simply express
voice of God. But these are of more deep specu- of what number the letters are, according to
lation, than to be handled in this book. their order: and collected, which recollect with
But to return to the division of the letters. themselves the numbers of all the preceding let-
Of these, amongst the Hebrews, are three moth- ters. 12 Also they have integral numbers,13 which
ers/ viz. '.,~, seven double,8 viz. rl1~:J1':::l; result from the names of letters, according to
the other twelve,9 viz. tDP~'!)OJ~,?t;)mil are their various manners of numbering. The
simple. The same rule is amongst the Chal- virtues of which numbers, he that shall know,
deans; and by the imitation of these also the let- shall be able in every tongue to draw forth won-
ters of other tongues are distributed to signs, derful mysteries by their letters, as also to tell
planets, and elements, after their order. what things have been past, and foretell things
For the vowels in the Greek tongue, viz. A to come.
E H lOY Q answer to the seven planets, B r There are also other mysterious joinings
!::. Z K A M N n p ~ T are attributed to the of letters with numbers: but we shall abun-
twelve signs of the Zodiac, the other five e ::: <I> dantly discourse of all these in the following
X IjJ represent the four elements and the Spirit books: wherefore we will now put an end to
of the World. Amongst the Latin there is the this first book.

NOLcs-ChapLCR U\.7\.lV
1. saith Mercurius Trismegistus- guides, and by them he will be brought into
the troop of the gods and the souls that
There are two gifts which God has
bestowed on man alone, and on no other have attained to bliss. (Poimandres 12(i).12
mortal creature. These two are mind and [SCOII, 1:231))
speech; and the gift of mind and speech is
equivalent to that of immortality. If a man 2.figure of them-The shape of the Hebrew letters is
uses these two gifts rightly, he will differ in based on the constellations. See note 2, ch. LI, bk. II.
nothing from the immortals; or rather, he
will differ from them only in this, that he is 3. points. and tops-The Hebrew alphabet contains no
embodied upon earth; and when he quits vowels. The letters are pointed, that is, distinguished
the body, mind and speech will be his by certain small marks, to indicate their pronunciation.
 Of the Proportion, Correspondency, Reduction of Letters / 225

Astrological Hebrew Chiromantic Greek Latin

Signs Letters Signs Letters Letters

T i1 cif B B
0 i '(J r c
n n ~ !::.. D
eg ~ ~ Z F
Q '? ~ K · G
lTV a ~ A L
J'\..
- J \-+ M M
m, 0 .l I'V'\ N N
;! S) ~ IT P
~ ~ ff p R
cJ)
NW
NW P L S I

)( tV T T I
h ~ ~ A
1f , ~ E
A
E
d , c--!J H I
0 ~ en I 0
<1 El <::).. 0 u
9 , y J
consonant
J> n -6 (2 V
consonant
Earth ~ 72 e K
Water i 0 - Q
Air <t> X
Fire ~
0 X Z
Spirit IjJ H
226/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

4. into the same-Mystical meaning is derived from standing between these contraries which
seemingly mundane words by applying certain tech- are in equilibrium, reconciling and mediat-
niques of the practical Kabbalah that are described in ing between them. (Sepher Yetzirah 2.1
Appendix VII. [Westcott, 18])
See also ch. 3 of Sepher Yetzirah.
5. of the elements-
First; the Spirit of the God of the living; 8. seven double-
Blessed and more than blessed by the Liv-
The Seven double letters, Beth, Gimel,
ing God of ages. The Voice, the Spirit, and
Daleth, Kaph, Peh, Resh and Tau have
the Word, these are the Holy Spirit. Sec-
each two sounds associated with them.
ond; from the Spirit He produced Air, and
They are referred to Life, Peace, Wisdom,
formed in it twenty-two sounds-the let-
Riches, Grace, Fertility and Power. The
ters; three are mothers, seven are double,
two sounds of each letter are the hard and
and twelve are simple; but the Spirit is first
the soft-the aspirated and the softened.
and above these. Third; from the Air He
They are called Double, because each letter
formed the Waters, and from the formless
presents a contrast or permutation; thus
and void made mire and clay, and designed
Life and Death; Peace and War; Wisdom
surfaces upon them, and hewed recesses in
and Folly; Riches and Poverty; Grace and
them, and formed the strong material foun-
Indignation; Fertility and Solitude; Power
dation. Fourth; from the Water He formed
and Servitude." (Sepher Yetzirah 4.1
Fire and made for Himself a Throne of
[Westcott, 22])
Glory with Auphanim, Seraphim and
Kerubim, as his ministering angels; and There is much dispute over the correct agreement
with these three he completed his dwelling, between the seven double letters and the planets. If
as it is written, "Who maketh his angels we may assume that the order of planets given in ch.
spirits and his ministers a flaming fire." 4, sec. 4 of the Sepher Yetzirah is parallel to the order
(Sepher Yetzirah I [Westcott, 16--7]) of letters (by no means a safe assumption), this
arrangement results: Beth-Sun; Gimel-Venus;
Perhaps Agrippa has confounded the first emanation
Daleth-Mercury; Kaph-Luna; Peh-Saturn;
of Spirit with the second emanation of Air. The Book
Resh-Jupiter; Tau-Mars. Presumably this was the
of Formation. quoted above, was first published in
reasoning followed by Kircher, who made this
Latin by William Postel in 1552, and it is difficult to
assignment (see note 40 to ch. 4, Sepher Yetzirah
know whether Agrippa had access to a manuscript
[Westcott, 46]). It should be noted that the planets are
copy in Hebrew or Latin.
presented in Sepher Yetzirah in their ancient order
according to apparent speed of motion across the
6. Origenes-
heavens-Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mer-
And while still on the subject of names, we cury, Moon-but that this list is broken into two parts
have to mention that those who are skilled in order to set the Sun at the head. If the original
in the use of incantations, relate that the order of the planets were restored, it is possible a hid-
utterance of the same incantation in its den attribution of the planets to the seven double let-
proper language can accomplish what the ters would emerge: Beth-Moon; Gimel-Mercury;
spell professes to do; but when translated Daleth-Venus; Kaph-Sun; Peh-Mars; Resh-
into any other tongue, it is observed to Jupiter; Tau-Saturn.
become inefficacious and feeble. And thus
it is not the things signified, but the quali- 9. other twelve-The 12 simple, or single, letters of
ties and peculiarities of words, which pos- Agrippa do not agree with those given in the Sepher
sess a certain power for this or that Yetzirah:
purpose. (Origen Against Celsus 1.25. In
The Twelve Simple Letters are Heh, Vau,
The Ante-Nicene Fathers. 4:406--7)
Zain, Cheth, Teth, Yod, Lamed, Nun,
Samech, Oin [Ayin), Tzaddi and Qoph;
7. three mothers-See the table of the Hebrew alpha-
they are the foundations of these twelve
bet in Appendix VII. The three mothers of Agrippa
properties: Sight, Hearing, Smell , Speech,
do not agree with the Sepher Yetzirah:
Taste, Sexual Love, Work, Movement,
The Three Mothers are Aleph, Mem and Anger, Mirth, Imagination and Sleep.
Shin, they are Air, Water and Fire. Water is These Twelve are also allotted to the direc-
silent, Fire is sibilant, and Air derived from tions in space: North-east, South-east, the
the Spirit is as the tongue of a balance East above, the East below, the North
 Of the Proportion, Correspondency, Reduction of Letters / 227

above, the North below, the South-west, rendering the last Latin vowel, given by Agrippa in
the North-west, the West above, the West the form V, into the modern form U; and also
below, the South above, and the South changed the first consonant I, into J.
below; these diverge to infinity, and are as
the arms of the Universe. (Sepher Yetzirah 12. preceding letters-The extended number would
5.1 [Westcott, 25]) seem to be the position of the letter in the alphabet-
for example, Daleth would have the extended number
The assignment of the 12 simple letters to the signs
4; the collected number would seem to be the sum of
of the zodiac is not explicitly given in Sepher Yetzirah,
the extended number of that letter and of the letters
but most authorities have allotted the letters in their
preceding it-for example, Daleth would have the
natural order, beginning with Heh for Aries, Vau for
collected number 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 = 10.
Taurus, and so on. This is the modern practice.
13. integral numbers-Any Hebrew letter can be
10. its idiom-Y is not included in the list of Latin
written out at length. Yod, which has a value of 10,
letters.
can be written Yod-Vau-Daleth for a numerical value
of 10 + 6 + 4 = 20.
I 1. following table-I have corrected the errors in the
table, and to avoid confusion have taken the liberty of
 To t:"he most:" HonoRable LORd, most:"
l11ust:"Rious PRince, HCRmannus of Wyda,
PRince eleCt:"OR, Duke of W est:"phali a, and AngaRia,
LORd and ARch-pRe1at:"e of Colonia, and PadeRboRnia,
his most:" gRacious maSt:"eR, HcnRY CORnclius AgRippa
of Nerres-heym wishet:"h healt:"h.

ehold now (most illustrious Prince, and putting them forth I should seem more offensive

B most honourable Prelate!) the rest of the

books of Occult Philosophy, or Magic,
which I promised your worthiness that I
would put forth when I published the first of
than officious to you, and expose Your High-
ness to the envy of malicious carpers, and
tongues of detractors.
Whilst these things troubled me with a var-
them: but the sudden, and almost unexpected ious desperation, the quickness of your under-
death of holy Margaret of Austria my princess standing, exact discretion, uprightness of
coming upon it, hindered me then from the judgement, religion without superstition, and
endeavoring to put it forth. other most known virtues in you, your authori-
Then the wickedness of some pUlpit syco- ty, and integrity beyond exception, which can
phants, and of some school sophisters incessant- easily check, and bridle the tongues of slander-
ly raging against me for a declamation I put ers, removed my doubting, and enforced me to
forth concerning the Vanity of Things, I and the set upon that again more boldly, which I had
Excellency of the Word of God, and contending almost left off by reason of despair.
against me continually with bitter hatred, envy, Therefore (most illustrious Prince) take in
malice, and calumnies, hindered me from good part this second book of Occult Philoso-
putting it forth; whereof some very proudly, phy, in which we show the mysteries of the
with a full mouth, and loud voice aspersed me celestial magic, all things being opened, and
with impiety in the temple amongst a promiscu- manifested, which experienced antiquity makes
ous people. Others with corner whisperings from relation of, and which came to my knowledge,
house to house, street by street, did fill the ears that the secrets of celestial magic (hitherto
of the ignorant with my infamy: others in public, neglected, and not fully apprehended by men of
and private assemblies did instigate prelates, latter times) may with your protection be by me,
princes, and Caesar himself'l against me. after the showing of natural virtues, proposed to
Hence I began to be at a stand, whether I them that are studious, and curious of these
should put forth the rest of the book or no. secrets: by which let him that shall be profited
Whilst I did doubt that I should by this means and receive benefit, give you the thanks, who
expose myself to greater calumnies, and as it have been the occasion of this edition, and set-
were cast myself out of the smoke into the fire, ting of it at liberty to be seen abroad. 3
a certain rude fear seized upon me, lest by FAREWELL

229
230 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK I

Nores-To HeRmannus of Wyda

I. vanity of things-De incertitudine et vanitate sci- 3. seen abroad-Hennannus ofWyda was in rebellion
entiarum. against the authority of the Church and a Protestant
refonner, the ideal patron to champion Agrippa in the
2. Caesar himself-Emperor Charles V. name of freethinking and protect him from the wrath
of the conservative clergy. See his biographical note.
The Second BooK of
Occulr Philosophy,
OR magic;
wRirren by
HenRY CORnelius AgRippa.

BOOK 11
 CHA.PTeR 1

Of rhe necessiry of marhemarical leaRning,

and of rhe many wondeRful wORks
which aRe done by marhemarical aRrs only.

he doctrines of mathematics are so Of this kind are those miracles of images

T necessary to, and have such an affin-

ity with magic, that they that do pro-
fess it without them, are quite out of
the way, and labour in vain, and shall in no wise
which proceed from geometry, and optics, of
which we made some mention in the first book,
where we spoke of the element of Air.s So there
are made glasses, some concave, others of the
obtain their desired effect. For whatsoever form of a column, making the representations of
things are, and are done in these inferior natural things in the air seem like shadows at a dis-
virtues, are all done, and governed by number, tance: of which sort Apollonius, and Vitellius in
weight, measure, harmony, motion, and light. their books De Perspectiva, and Speculis, taught
And all things which we see in these inferiors, the making, and the use.9
have root, and foundation in them. And we read that Magnus Pompeius
Yet nevertheless without natural virtues, of brought a certain glasslO amongst the spoils
mathematical doctrines only works like to natu- from the East, to Rome, in which were seen
rals can be produced, as Plato saith, I a thing not armies of armed men. And there are made cer-
partaking of truth or divinity, but certain images tain transparent glasses, which being dipped in
kin to them, as bodies going, or speaking, which some certain juices of herbs, and irradiated with
yet want the animal faculty, such as were those an artificial light, fill the whole air round about
which amongst the ancients were called with visions. I I And I know how to make recip-
Dedalus his images,2 and uUTolluTu,3 of which rocal glasses, in which the Sun shining, all
Aristotle makes mention, viz. the three-footed things which were illustrated by the rays thereof
images 4 of Vulcan,5 and Dedalus, moving are apparently seen many miles off.
themselves, which Homer saith6 came out of Hence a magician, expert in natural philos-
their own accord to exercise, and which we ophy, and mathematics, and knowing the mid-
read, moved themselves at the feast of Hiarba dle sciences consisting of both these, arithmatic,
the philosophical exerciser: as also that golden music, geometry, optics, astronomy, and such
statues performed the offices of cup-bearers, sciences that are of weights, measures, propor-
and carvers to the guests. Also we read of the tions, articles, and joints, knowing also mechan-
statues of Mercury, 7 which did speak, and the ical arts resulting from these, may without any
wooden dove of Arthita, which did fly, and the wonder, if he excel other men in art, and wit, do
miracles of Boethius, which Cassiodorus made many wonderful things, which the most pru-
mention of, viz. Diomedes in brass, sounding a dent, and wise men may much admire.
trumpet, and a brazen snake hissing, and pic- Are there not some relics extant of the
tures of birds singing most sweetly. ancients' works, viz. Hercules ',12 and Alexan-

233
234/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

der's pillars, the Gate of Caspia made of brass, The iron white rod bearer flies in the air.
and shut with iron beams, that it could by no
wit or art, be broken? And the pyramis 13 of The like to which we read was done concerning
Julius Caesar erected at Rome near the hill the image of the Sun at Rome, in the temple of
Vaticanus, and mountains built by art 14 in the Serapispl would not such an ignorant man, I
middle of the sea, and towers, and heaps of say, presently say it is the work of the Devil?
stones,15 such as I saw in England put together But if he shall know the virtue of the loadstone
by an incredible art. to the iron, and shall make trial of it, he
And we read in faithful histories that in for- presently ceaseth to wonder, and doth no more
mer times rocks have been cut off, and valleys scruple it to be the work of nature.
made, and mountains made into a plain, rocks But here it is convenient that you know ,
have been digged through, promontories have that as by natural virtues we collect natural
been opened in the sea, the bowels of the Earth virtues, so by abstracted, mathematical, and
made hollow, rivers divided,16 seas joined to celestial, we receive celestial virtues, as motion,
seas,17 the seas restrained, the bottom of the sea life, sense, speech, soothsaying, and divination,
been searched, pools exhausted, fens dried up, even in matter less disposed, as that which is
new islands made,18 and again restored to the not made by nature, but only by art. And so
continent,19 all which, although they may seem images that speak, and foretell things to come,
to be against nature, yet we read have been are said to be made, as William of Paris relates
done, and we see some relics of them remaining of a brazen head22 made under the rising of Sat-
til this day, which the vulgar say were the works um,23 which they say spake with a man's voice.
of the Devil, seeing the arts, and artificers But he that will choose a disposed matter,
thereof have been dead out of all memory, nei- and most fit to receive, and a most powerful
ther are there any that care to understand, or agent, shall undoubtedly produce more power-
search into them. ful effects. For it is a general opinion of the
Therefore they seeing any wonderful sight, Pythagoreans, that as mathematical things are
do impute it to the Devil, as his work, or think it more formal than natural, so also they are more
is a miracle, which indeed is a work of natural, efficacious: as they have less dependence in
or mathematical philosophy. As if anyone their being, so also in their operation. But
should be ignorant of the virtue of the load- amongst all mathematical things, numbers, as
stone, and should see heavy iron drawn they have more of form in them, so also are
upwards, or hanged in the air (as we read the more efficacious, to which not only heathen
iron image of Mercury did long since at philosophers, but also Hebrew, and Christian
Treveris hang up in the middle of the temple by divines do attribute virtue, and efficacy, as well
loadstones,2o this verse attesting the same: to effect what is good, as what is bad.

NOLcs-ChapLCR 1
I. Plato saith-See note 8, ch. LXm, bk. III. Cairns, 180]). And in another place he makes a
similar reference :
2. Dedalus his images-About the wooden statues
Socrates: It is because you have not
scattered throughout ancient Greece, called
observed the statues of Daedalus. Per-
daidala, Plato says: "Your statements, Euthyphro, haps you don't have them in your
look like the work of Daedalus, founder of my line. country .
If I had made them, and they were my positions, no Meno: What makes you say that?
doubt you would poke fun at me, and say that, Socrates: They too, if no one ties them
being in his line, the figures I construct in words down, run away and escape. If tied,
run off, as did his statues, and will not stay where they stay where they are put.
they are put" (Euthyphro lie [Hamilton and (Meno 97d [Hamilton and Cairns, 381])
 Of the Necessity of Mathematical Learning / 235

On the daidala, see the biographical note on 11 . with visions-This sounds very much like a slide
Daedalus. projector, which presumably cast the shadows of sub-
stances clinging to the glass upon the wall.
3. aUT()l1am-Automata: contrivances that move by
themselves. 12. Hercules' -The pillars of Hercules are the two
great rocks that stand on opposite sides of the
4. three-footed images-Tripods, omamental vessels entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. According to
often presented as prizes or votive offerings. They myth, they were once together, but Hercules tore
were taken as plunder in war and served almost as them apart in order to get to Cadiz.
monetary units.
13. pyramis-Pyrame, or obelisk, a large single
5. Vulcan-Roman fire god and artificer, who is block of stone carved in the shape of a four-sided pil-
bound up and confused with the Greek god Hep- lar with a pyramidal top sheathed in reflective metal.
haestos. In classical times they were treated as the The Roman emperors admired those in Egypt and
same deity. He was the son of Zeus and Hera, or of stole many to erect in Rome.
Hera alone, lame in one foot but strong and hardy
with a handsome bearded face and powerful arms. 14. mountains built by art-Perhaps such legends
The homes of the gods and all their magical posses- took their origin from coral atolls, which can be very
sions and beautiful jewelry were made by Hep- symmetrical; or volcanic uprisings, which appear
haestos, who despite his skill was constantly mocked with relative suddenness.
because of his infirmity: "But among the blessed
immortals uncontrollable laughter/went up as they 15. heaps of stones-Stonehenge, or some similar site.
saw Hephaistos bustling about the palace" (Homer
Iliad 1, lines 599-600 [Lattimore, 75]). In Homer the 16. rivers. divided-The prodigies in the preceding
god is characterized both as a cunning craftsman list appear to derive from Plato's description of the
(Odyssey 8, lines 272-81 [Lattimore, 128)] and as the great building works of Atlantis, in his Critias .
lord ofheat and flame (Iliad 21, lines 342-76 [Latti-
17. seas joined to seas-The Egyptians constructed a
more, 427-8]).
canal between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea:
6. Homer saith-Of the 20 serving tripods fashioned Pasammetichus left a son called Necos,
by the smith of the gods, Hephaestos, Homer writes: who succeeded him upon the throne. This
"And he had set golden wheels underneath the base prince was the first to attempt the construc-
of each one/so that of their own motion they could tion of the canal to the Red Sea-a work
wheel into the immortal/gathering, and return to his completed afterwards by Darius the Per-
house: a wonder to look at" (Iliad 18, lines 375-8 sian-the length of which is four day's
[Lattimore, 385]). I:Iomer also writes of the mechan- journey, and the width such as to admit of
ical attendants that helped the lame god to walk: two triremes being rowed along it abreast.
"These are golden, and in appearance like living (Herodotus History 2 [Rawlinson, 137]).
young women./There is intelligence in their hearts,
and there is speech in them/and strength, and from 18. new islands made-Perhaps this refers to the arti-
the immortal gods they have learned how to do ficial Lake of Moeris: "It is manifestly an artificial
things" (ibid., lines 418-20 [Lattimore, 386]). excavation, for nearly in the center there stand two
pyramids, rising to the height of fifty fathoms above
7. statues of Mercury-See note 11, ch. LII, bk. III., the surface of the water, and extending as far
beneath, crowned each of them with a colossal statue
8. element of Air-See ch. VI, bk. I. sitting upon a throne" (ibid., 134).

9. and the use-A method of projecting images with 19. restored to the continent-The island of Pharos
concave and plane mirrors was known from ancient was joined to the Egyptian city of Alexandria by an
times, and is described by Roger Bacon in his De artificial dyke called the Heptastadium.
speculis.
20. temple by loadstones-
10. certain glass-Pompey must have obtained this So then, if human art can effect such rare
mirror in his pursuit of the fleeing army of Mithra- conclusions, that such as know them not
dates in 65 Be, or during the subsequent two-year would think them divine effects-as when
eastern campaign in Syria and Palestine. Or can it an iron image was hung in a certain temple
possibly have been a crude telescope? so strangely that the ignorant would have
236 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

verily believed they had seen a work of the "male counterpart of Isis" (Budge 1904,
God's immediate power, yet it hung so just 2:20:349). Their worship was introduced into Rome
because it was between two loadstones, in the time of Sulla (81-79 Be), and despite resis-
whereof one was placed in the roof of the tance from both the senate, and later the Emperor
temple, and the other in the floor, without Augustus, soon took firm hold.
touching anything at all ... " (Augustine
City of God 21.6 [Healey, 2:326]) 22. brazen head-Tales of oracular heads of brass
were popular. Brewer (1870) enumerates five, the
The architect Timochares began to erect a
most notable being that of Albertus Magnus, which
vaulted roof of loadstone, in the Temple of
took 30 years to make and was shattered by his disci-
Arsinoe [wife and sister of King Ptolemy II
ple, Thomas Aquinas, who is also supposed .to have
of Egypt], at Alexandria, in order that the
smashed his master's automatic doorman. Also
iron statue of that princess might have the
famous is that of Roger Bacon:
appearance of hanging suspended in the
air: his death, however, and that of King With seven years tossing nigromantic
Ptolemaeus, who had ordered this monu- charms,
ment to be erected in honour of his sister, Poring upon dark Hecat's principles,
prevented the completion of the project. I have framed out a monstrous head of brass,
(Pliny 34.42 [Bostock and Riley, 6:209]) That, by the enchanting forces of the devil,
Shall tell out strange and uncouth aphorisms,
It is just as likely that work stopped when Timo-
And girt fair England with a wall of brass.
chares began to realize the enormity of the technical
(Robert Green Friar Bacon and Friar Bun-
difficulties involved in such a feat of engineering,
gay, sc. 11, lines 17-22. In Elizabethan
and that the scale he planned was effectively impos-
Plays, ed. Arthur H. Nethercot, Charles R.
sible. The Latin poet Claudius Claudianus, who lived
Baskervill, and Virgil B. Heitzel [New
in the beginning of the fourth century, mentions a
York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1971])
temple that held a statue of Venus made of loadstone,
and another of Mars, of iron. During marriage cere- According to Lewis Spence, it was revealed in 1818
monies these were allowed to come together. If the that in the imperial museum of Vienna had been dis-
two statues were suspended on wires, and gently covered several heads of Baphomet, the god of the
swung together so that they clung, this is feasible. Knights Templars: 'These heads represent the divinity
of the gnostics, named Mete, or Wisdom. For a long
21. Serapis-The Ptolomaic form of Osiris, said to time there was preserved at Marseilles one of these
be a combination of the names Apis and Osiris: "But gilded heads, seized in a retreat of the Templars when
the greatest part of the priests do say that Osiris and the latter were pursued by the law" (Spence 1920, 203).
Apis are both of them but one complex being, while
they tell us in their sacred commentaries and sermons 23. rising of Saturn-The head of Baphomet was
that we are to look upon the Apis as the beautiful supposed to possess a beard and the horns of a goat,
image of the soul of Osiris" (Plutarch Isis and Osiris or by other accounts to be a goat's head (ibid., 63-4).
29 [Goodwin, 4:90]). Serapis was linked with the Saturn, who is depicted as an ancient bearded man,
Sun, as Isis was with the Moon, and was regarded as rules in the zodiac sign of Capricorn, the Goat.
 CHAPTeR 11

Of numbeRs, and of rheiR poweR, and v1Rrue.

everinus Boethius saith, I that all things bers, and their proportions, and the proportions

S which were first made by the nature of

things in its first age, seem to be formed
by the proportion of numbers, for this
was the principal pattern in the mind of the Cre-
arising from numbers, do by lines, and points
make characters, and figures: and these are
proper to magical operations, the middle which
is betwixt both being appropriated by declining
ator. Hence is borrowed the number of the ele- to the extremes, as in the use of letters. 3
ments, hence the courses of times, hence the And lastly, all species of natural things, and
motion of the stars, and the revolution of the of those things which are above nature, are
heaven, and the state of all things subsist by the joined together by certain numbers: which
uniting together of numbers. Numbers therefore Pythagoras seeing,4 saith, that number is that by
are endowed with great and sublime virtues. which all things consist, and distributes each
For it is no wonder, seeing there are so virtue to each number. And Proclus saith, num-
many, and so great occult virtues in natural ber hath always a being: yet there is one in
things, although of manifest operations, that voice, another in the proportion of them,
there should be in numbers much greater, and another in the soul, and reason, and another in
more occult, and also more wonderful, and effi- divine things. But Themistius, and Boethius,
cacious, for as much as they are more formal, and Averrois the Babylonian, together with
more perfect, and naturally in the celestials, not Plato , do so extol numbers, that they think no
mixed with separated substances; and lastly, man can be a true philosopher without them.
having the greatest, and most simple commix- Now they speak of a rational , and formal
tion with the Ideas in the mind of God, from number, not of a material, sensible, or vocal, the
which they receive their proper, and most effi- number of merchants 5 buying, and selling, of
cacious virtues: wherefore also they are of more which the Pythagoreans, and Platonists, and our
force, and conduce most to the obtaining of Austin make no reckoning, but apply it to the
spiritual, and divine gifts, as in natural things, proportion resulting from it, which number they
elementary qualities are powerful in the trans- call natural, rational, and formal, from which
muting of any elementary thing. great mysteries flow, as well in natural , as
Again, all things that are, and are made, divine, and heavenly things. By it is there a way
subsist by, and receive their virtue from num- made for the searching out, and understanding
bers. For time consists of number, and all of all things knowable. By it the next access to
motion, and action , and all things which are natural prophesying is had: and the Abbot
subject to time, and motion. 2 Harmony also, and Joachim proceeded no other way in his prophe-
voices have their power by, and consist of num- cies, but by formal numbers.

237
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NOL"cs-ChapL"CR 11
I. Boethius saith-See Boethius Consolation of ... since, then, all other things seemed in
Philosophy 3.9, the substance of which comes from their whole nature to be modeled on num-
bers, and numbers seemed to be the first
Plato Timaeus 29-42.
things in the whole of nature, they sup-
posed the elements of numbers to be the
2. time, and motion-"Time is the number of the
motion of the celestial bodies" (Proclus On Motion 2. elements of all things, and the whole
heaven to be a musical scale and a number.
In Taylor [1831]1976, 86).
(ibid. 985b [McKeon, 698])
3. use of letters-Agrippa seems to be saying that let- The two principles of the Pythagoreans were limit
ters derive their efficacy from the numerical harmony and the unlimited, which they identified, respec-
of the voice and the numerical geometry of their writ- tively, with odd and even numbers.
ten symbols.
5. number of merchants-
4. Pythagoras seeing-
It is befitting, then, Glaucon, that this
But the Pythagoreans have said in the same branch of learning should be prescribed by
way that there are two principles, but our law and that we should induce those
added this much, which is peculiar to them, who are to share the highest functions of
that they thought that finitude and infinity state to enter upon the study of calculation
were not attributes of certain other things, and take hold of it, not as amateurs, but to
e.g. of fire or earth or anything else of this follow it up until they attain to the contem-
kind, but that infinity itself and unity itself plation of the nature of number, by pure
were the substance of the things of which thought, not for the purpose of buying and
they are predicated. This is why number selling, as if they were preparing to be mer-
was the substance of all things. (Aristotle chants and hucksters, but for the uses of
Metaphysica 1.5.987a [McKeon, 700]) war and for facilitating the conversion of
the soul itself from the world of generation
Also Aristotle says:
to essence and truth. (Plato Republic
7.525c [Hamilton and Cairns, 757-8])
 CHAPTeR III

How gRear viRrues numbeRs have,

as well in naruRal rhings, as in supeRnaruRa1.

hat there lies wonderful efficacy, and themselves. There is also a wonderful experi-

T virtue in numbers, as wel1 to good as

to bad, not only most eminent philoso-
phers do unanimously teach, but also
Catholic doctors, and especially Hierom, Austin,
ment of the number of seven, that every seventh
male,6 born without a female coming betwixt,
hath power to cure the King's Evil by his touch
alone, or word. Also every seventh daughter
Origen, Ambrose, Gregory of Nazianzen, that is born, is said wonderful1y to help forward
Athanasius, Basilius, Hilarius , Rabanus, Bede, the birth of children: neither is the natural num-
and many more confirm. Hence Hilarius in his ber here considered, but the formal considera-
Commentaries upon the psalms, testifies that the tion that is in the number.
seventy elders,l according to the efficacy of And let that which we spake before, be
numbers, brought the psalms into order. always be kept in mind, viz. that these powers
Rabanus also, a famous doctor, composed an are not in vocal, or numbers of merchants buy-
excellent book of the virtues of numbers. ing, and selling, but in rational, formal, and nat-
But now how great virtues numbers have ural; these are distinct mysteries of God, and
in nature, is manifest in the herb which is nature. But he that knows how to join together
called cinquefoil, i.e. five-leaved grass; for this the vocal numbers, and natural with divine, and
resists poisons by virtue of the number of five; order them into the same harmony, shall be able
also drives away devils, conduceth to expia- to work and know wonderful things by numbers;
tion;2 and one leaf of it taken twice in a day in the Pythagorians profess that they can prognos-
wine, cures the fever of one day: three the tert- ticate many things by the numbers of names,7 in
ian fever: four the quartan.3 In like manner which truly, unless there did lie a great mystery,
four grains of the seed of tumisole 4 being John had not said in the Revelation,S he which
drunk, cures the quartan, but three the tertian. hath understanding, let him compute the number
In like ·manner vervain 5 is said to cure fevers, of the name of the beast, which is the number of
being drunk in wine, if in tertians it be cut a man, and this is the most famous manner of
from the third joint, in quartans from the computing amongst the Hebrews, and Cabalists,
fourth. A serpent, if he be once struck with a as we shall show afterwards.
spear, dieth, if twice, recovers strength. These But this you must know, that simple num-
and many such as these are read, and testified bers signify divine things: numbers of ten;
in divers authors. celestial: numbers of an hundred; terrestrial:
We must know now whence these are numbers of a thousand; those things that shall
done, which certainly have a cause, which is a be in a future age. Besides, seeing the parts of
various proportion of various numbers amongst the mind are according to an arithmetical medi-

239
240/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

ocrity, by reason of the identity, or equality of according to that mediocrity, which is suitable
excess, coupled together: but the, body, whose to harmony: hence it is that numbers do work
parts differ in their greatness, is according to a very much upon the soul, figures upon the body,
geometrical mediocrity, compounded: but an and harmony upon the whole animal.
animal consists of both, viz. soul and body,

Norcs-ChaprCR 111
I . seventy elders-Numbers II: 16. that it do you no good, if you catch 'no
harm by it. Many odde old wives fables are
2. expiation-The averting of evil. written of Vervaine tending to witchcraft
and sorcerie, which you may read else-
3. four the quartan- where, for I am not willing to trouble your
eares with reporting such trifles, as honest
It is reported, that foure branches [of
eares abhorre to heare. (Gerard 1633,
cinquefoil] hereof cureth quartaine agues,
2: 246--C: 7 18-9)
three tertians, and one branch quotidians:
which things are most vaine and frivolous, Mother Bombie is the John Doe of witches. Gerard
as likewise many other such like, which seems to have been a little frightened of the whole
are not only found in Dioscorides. but also subject of magic.
in other Authors, which we willingly with-
stand. (Gerard 1633, 2:382-H:992) 6. seventh male-The power of healing is also said
to reside in the seventh son of a seventh son.
4. turnisole-Small. or female, tumsole (Crozophora
tinctoria). Also called heliotrophium minus accord- 7. numbers of names-
ing to Gerard, not because it turns to face the Sun,
... of the discoveries made by Pythagoras,
but because it flowers at the summer solstice. It is a
one of the most unerring, is the fact, that in
small trailing plant with little gray and yellow flow-
the name given to infants, an odd number
ers irregularly placed. Not to be confused with great
of vowels is portentous of lameness, loss
tumsole (Heliotrophius eurpoaeum).
of eyesight, or similar accidents, on the
right [male] side of the body, and an even
5. vervain-
number of vowels of the like infirmities on
It [vervain] is reported to be of singular the left [female]." (Pliny 28.6 [Bostock
force against the Tertian and Quartane and Riley 5:287-8])
Fevers: but you must observe mother
Bombies rules, to take iust so many knots 8. In the Revelation-Revelation 13:18.
or sprigs, and no more, lest it fall out so
 CHAPTeR lV

Of uniry. and rhe scale rheReof.

OW let us treat particularly of numbers essary that they should put off multitude.

N themselves: and because number is

nothing else but a repetition of unity, let
us first consider unity itself. For unity
doth most simply go through every number, and
One therefore is referred to the high God,
who seeing he is one, and innumerable, yet cre-
ates innumerable things of himself, and contains
them within himself. There is therefore one
is the common measure, fountain, and original of God, one world of the one God, one Sun of the
all numbers, contains every number joined one world, also one phoenix in the world, one
together in itself entirely, the beginner of every king amongst bees,3 one leader amongst flocks
multitude, always the same, and unchangable: of cattle, one ruler amongst herds of beasts, and
whence also being multiplied into itself, pro- cranes follow one,4 and many other animals
duceth nothing but itself: it is indivisible, void of honour unity; amongst the members of the body
all parts: but if it seem at any time to be divided, it there is one principal by which all the rest are
is not cut, but indeed multiplied into unities: yet guided, whether it be the head, or (as some will)
none of these unities is greater or lesser than the
the heart. There is one element overcoming, and
whole unity, as a part is less than the whole: it is
penetrating all things, viz. Fire.
not therefore multiplied into parts, but into itself. I
There is one thing 5 created of God. the sub-
Therefore some called it concord, some
ject of all wondering , which is on Earth, or in
piety, and some friendship, which is so knit, that
heaven; it is actually animal, vegetable, and
it cannot be cut into parts. But Martianus.
mineral, . everywhere found, known by few,
according to the opinion of Aristotle. saith, it is
called by nOl}e by its proper name, but covered
named Cupid? because it is made one alone, and
will always bewail itself, and beyond itself it with figures, and riddles, without which neither
hath nothing, but being void of all haughtiness, alchemy, nor natural magic, can attain to their
or coupling, turns its proper heats into itself. complete end, or perfection.
It is therefore the one beginning, and end of From one man, Adam. all men proceed,
all things, neither hath it any beginning, or end from that one all become mortal, from that one
itself: nothing is before one, nothing is after Jesus Christ they are regenerated: and as saith
one, and beyond it is nothing, and all things Paul.6 one Lord , one faith, one baptism, one
which are, desire that one, because all things God, and Father of all , one mediator betwixt god
proceeded from one, and that all things may be and man, one most high Creator, who is over all,
the same, it is necessary that they partake of that by all, and in us all. For there is one Father, God,
one: and as all things proceeded of one into from whence all, and we in him: one Lord Jesus
many things, so all things endeavour to return to Christ, by whom all , and we by him: one God
that one, from which they proceeded; it is nec- Holy Ghost, into whom all, and we into him.

241
242/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

The Scale of Unky

In the
., One divine essence, the
fountain of all virtues,
Exemplary Yod and power, whose name
World is expressed with one
most simple letter

In the The Soul of One supreme intellect,

Intellectual the World the first creature, the
World fountain of lives

In the The Sun One king of stars,

Celestial the fountain of life
World

In the The One subject, and

Elemental Philosopher's instrument of all virtues,
World Stone natural, and supernatural

In the One first living,

Lesser The Heart and last dying
World

In the One price of rebellion,

Infernal Lucifer of angels, and Darkness
World
 Of Unity, and the Scale Thereof /243

NOL"es-ChapL"eR lV

I. into itself-Anyone thing, divided, produces sev- hive was its king, whereas it is in fact female, and the
eral single things, each one thing in itself. And the queen. See Virgil's description of the warfare between
oneness of a thing cannot be greater or less than the two rival "kings" in his Georgics 4, c. line 67.
oneness of any other thing.
4. cranes follow one-"These birds agree by com-
2. Cupid-The Roman Eros, who according to Hes- mon consent at what moment they shall set out, fly
iod was the third born: aloft to look out afar, select a leader for them to fol-
low, and have sentinels duly posted in the rear, which
Chaos was first of all, but next appeared relieve each other by turns, utter loud cries, and with
Broad-bosomed Earth, sure standing place their voice keep the whole flight in proper array"
for all (Pliny 10.30 [Bostock and Riley, 501]).
The gods who live on snowy Olympus'
peak, 5. one thing-The mysterious Azoth of philoso-
And misty Tartarus, in a recess phers-a word coined by hermetic alchemists from
Of broad-pathed earth, and Love, most the first and last letters of the Latin, Greek and
beautiful Hebrew alphabets to signify the hidden essence that
Of all the deathless gods . He makes men pervades the universe. Paracelsus is represented with
weak, the word-minus the first letter-inscribed on the
He overpowers the clever mind, and tames pommel of his sword in a woodcut from 1567 (see
The spirit in the breasts of men and gods. next page).
(Hesiod Theogony [Wender, 27])
6. saith Paul-I Corinthians 12:4-13.
3. king amongst bees-The ancients entertained the
mistaken notion that the single oversized bee in each
 .svvSESSEPOT£ST.

~
~

§
~

Paracelsus, showing the last four letters of Azoth on the pommel of his sword.
from Astronomica et astrologica opuscula by Theophrastus Paracelsus (Cologne, 1567)
 CHAPTeR v

Of rhe numbeR of rwo, and rhe scale rheReof.

he first number is of two, because it is of the first of which is hatched the male, out of

T the first multitude, it can be measured

by no number besides unity alone, the
common measure of all numbers: it is
not compounded of numbers, but of one unity
the second the female. It is also called the mid-
dle, that is capable, that is good and bad, partak-
ing, and the beginning, of division, of
multitude, and distinction, and signifies matter.
only; neither is it called a number uncom- This is also sometimes the number of dis-
pounded, but more properly not compounded: cord, and confusion, of misfortune, and
the number of three is called the first number uncleanness, whence Saint Hierom against
uncompounded: but the number of two is the lovianus9 saith, that therefore it was not spoken
first branch of unity, and the first procreation. I in the second day of the creation of the world,
Hence it is called generation, and luno,2 and God said, that it was good, because the
and an imaginable corporation,3 the proof of the number of two is evil. 10 Hence also it was that
first motion, the first form of parity: the number God commanded that all unclean animals
of the first equality, extremity, and distance should go into the ark by couples: II because as I
betwixt, and therefore of peculiar equity, and the said, the number of two, is a number of unclean-
proper act thereof, because it consists of two ness, and it is most unhappy in their soothsay-
equally poised: 4 and it is called the number of ings, especially if those things, from whence the
science, and memory, and of light, and the num- soothsaying is taken, be satumal, or martial, for
ber of man, who is called another, and the lesser, these two are accounted by the astrologers
world: 5 it is also called the number of charity, unfortunate. It is also reported, that the number
and mutual love, of marriage, and society, as it is of two doth cause apparitions of ghosts, and
said by the Lord, two shall be one flesh. 6 fearful goblins, and bring mischiefs of evil spir-
And Solomon saith: 7 it is better that two be its to them that travel by night.
together than one, for they have a benefit by Pythagoras (as Eusebius reports)12 said,
their mutual society: if one shall fall, he shall be that unity was God, and a good intellect; and
supported by the other. Woe to him that is that duality was a devil, and an evil intellect, in
alone, because when he falls he hath not another which is a material multitude: wherefore the
to help him: and if two sleep together, they shall Pythagoreans say, that two is not a number, but
warm one the other; how shall one be hot alone? a certain confusion of unities. And Plutarch
And if any prevail against him, two resist him. writes,13 that the Pythagoreans called unity
And it is called the number of wedlock and Apollo, and two, strife, and boldness; and three,
sex; for there are two sexes, masculine and fem- justice, which is the highest perfection, and is
inine: and two doves 8 bring forth two eggs, out not without many mysteries.

245
246/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

Hence there were two tables 14 of the Law in taments, two commands of love,1 8 two first dig-
Sina, two cherubins 15 looking to the propitiatory nities,19 two first people, two kinds of spirits,
in Moses , two olives 16 dropping oil in good and bad, two intellectual creatures, an
Zachariah , two natures in Christ, divine and angel and soul, two great lights,20 two solsticia,21
human; hence Moses saw two appearances of two equinoctiaIs,22 two poles, two elements pro-
God, viz. his face, and backparts, 17 also two tes- ducing a living soul, viz. Earth, and Water. 23

NOL"cs-ChapL"CR V
I. first procreation- 6. one flesh---Genesis 2:24.
Some among the numbers are called
7. Solomon saith-Ecclesiastes 4:8-12.
absolute prime or incomposite numbers; ...
They are the only indivisible numbers; thus
8. two doves-Perhaps a reference to Horapollo 's
none of the numbers other than unity
Hieroglyphics , 1.8, although the birds referred to
(monad) can divide 3 in such a way that 3
here are crows, or ravens, not doves.
could result from their multiplication.
Indeed one times 3 is 3. Likewise, one
9. against lovianus-Adversum lovinianum libri II,
times 5 is 5, one times 7 is 7, and one times
written by Jerome in 393 at Bethlehem to denounce
II is II . . .. Also, only odd numbers can be
the supposed revival of gnostic ideas by Jovinianus.
prime and incomposite. Indeed the even
numbers are not prime or incomposite; it is
10. two is evil---Genesis I :6-8. Concerning the sec-
not only unity which measures them, but
ond day, the great Jewish commentator Rashi writes:
other numbers also. For example, the dyad
measures 4 because 2 times 2 makes 4; 2 And why was the expression "that it was
and 3 measure 6 because 2 times 3 and 3 good" not said on the second day? Because
times 2 make 6. All the other even numbers the work of creating the waters was not
with the exception of 2 are likewise mea- completed until the third day; for He had
sured by numbers greater than the unit. The only begun it on the second; and a thing
number 2 is the only one among the even that is not completed is not at its perfection
numbers which is similar to the odd num- and at its best; on the third day however,
bers in having only unity for its measure. when the work of creating the waters was
Indeed one times two is two. Because of completed and He began and completed
this it is said that the number two has the another work of creation, the expression
nature of the odd numbers because it has " that it was good" was there repeated two
the same property as the odd. (Theon of times. Once for the completion of the work
Smyma Mathematics Useful for Under- of the second day and the other for the
standing Plato 1.6, trans. R. and D. Lawlor completion of the work of that third day.
from 1892 French edition of J. Dupuis [San (The Pentateuch and Rash;' s Commentary
Diego: Wizards Bookshelf, 1979], 15-6) I, Genesis [Brooklyn, NJ: S. S. and R.
[hereafter cited as Theon] Publishing, 1949], 6)

2. luno--The Roman form of Hera, wife of Zeus and II. by couples---Genesis 7:9.
second only to him among the Olympians.
12. Eusebius reports-In Praeparatio evangelica, a
3. corporation-Embodiment. collection of classical quotations and pagan beliefs in
fifteen books.
4. equally poised-"The first increase, the first
change from unity is made by the doubling of unity 13. Plutarch writes-"They likewise called the unit
which becomes 2, in which are seen matter and all Apollo; the number two, contention and audacious-
that is perceptible, the generation of motion, multipli- ness; and the number three, justice, for, wronging
cation and addition, composition and the relationship and being wronged being two extremes caused by
of one thing to another" (ibid. 2.41 [Lawlor, 66]). deficiency and excess, justice came by equality in the
middle" (Plutarch Isis and Osiris 76, trans. William
5. lesser, world-Microcosm. Baxter [Goodwin 4: 133] . The ancients incorrectly
 Of the Number of Two, and the Scale Thereof /247

The Scale of t:he NumbeR of Two

j1" Yah
In the The names of
Exemplary God expressed
World '?~ El
with two Letters

In the Two
Intellectual An Angel The Soul Intelligible
World Substances

In the Two Great

Celestial The Sun The Moon Lights
World

In the Two Elements

Elementary The Earth The Water Producing a
World Living Soul

In the Two Principal

Lesser The Heart The Brain Seats of the
World Soul

Two Chiefs
Behemoth Leviathan
of the Devils
In the
Infernal
Two things which
World Weeping Gnashing
Christ threatens
of Teeth
to the Damned
248/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

derived the name Apollo from a Greek. word meaning 22. two equinoctials-The spring and fall equinoxes.
"one." See Plutarch's The E at Delphi 9 (Goodwin
4:486-7). 23. earth, and water-Genesis 2:6-7. About this pas-
sage Rashi says: "He caused the deep to rise and the
14. two tables-Exodus 31:18. clouds to water and soak the earth and Adam was
created. Like the baker who puts water in the dough,
IS. two cherubins-Exodus 25:18. then kneads the dough, so here 'and He watered' then
'He formed' man" (The Pentateuch and Rashi's
16. two olives-Zechariah 4: 11-2. Commentary 1:20).
In the same vein Thomas Vaughan writes:
17.face, and backparts-Exodus 33:11, 33:23.
I am now to speak of Water. This is ~he
first element we read of in Scripture, the
18. two commands of love-Matthew 5:43-4.
most ancient of principles and the Mother
of all things among visibles. Without the
19. two first dignities-First principles, namely
mediation of this, the Earth can receive
heaven and earth. See Genesis I : 1.
no blessing at all, for moysture is the
proper cause of mixture and fusion.
20. two great lights-Sun and Moon.
(Vaughan Anthroposophia Theomagica .
In Waite 1888, 17)
21 . two solsticia-The summer and winter solstices.
 CHA.PTeR Vl

Of rhe numbeR of rhRee, and rhe scale rheReof.

he number of three is an incom- She spake three words, which caused sweet

T pounded number, I a holy number,2 a

number of perfection, a most power-
ful number. For there are three per-
sons in God, there are three theological
sleep at will,
The troubled sea, the raging waves stand
still.

And in Pliny it was the custom in every

virtues 3 in religion. Hence it is that this num-
medicine to spit9 with three deprecations, and
ber conduceth to the ceremonies' of God, and
hence to be cured.
religion, that by the solemnity of which,
The number of three is perfected with three
prayers, and sacrifices are thrice repeated.
augmentations,1O long, broad, and deep, beyond
Whence Virgil sings: 4
which there is no progression of dimension,
whence the first number I I is called square.
Odd numbers to the god delightful are.
Hence it is said that to a body that hath three
measures, and to a square number, nothing can
And the Pythagoreans use it in their signifi-
be added. Wherefore A ristotle l 2 in the beginning
cations, and purifications, whence in Virgil:5
of his speeches concerning heaven, calls it as it
The same did cleanse, and wash with . were a law, according to which all things are dis-
water pure posed. For corporeal, and spiritual things consist
Thrice his companions.---- of three things, viz. beginning, middle, and end.
By three (as Tresmegistus saith)13 the world is
And it is most fit in bindings, or ligations, perfected: harmony, necessity, and order i.e.
hence that of Virgil:6 concurrence of causes, which many call fate,
and the execution of them to the fruit, or
- - - I walk around increase, and a due distribution of the increase.
Firs~with these threads, which three, and The whole measure of time is concluded in
several are,
'Bout the altar thrice 1 shall thy image bear. three, viz. past, present, to come; all magnitude
is contained in three, line, superficies,14 and
And a little after: 7 body; every body consists of three intervals,
length, breadth, thickness. Harmony contain~
Knots, Amaryllis, tie of colours three, three consents in time, diapason,15 hemiolion,16
Then say, these bonds 1 knit, for Venus be. diatessaron .17 There are three kinds of souls,
vegetative, sensitive, and intellectual. And as
And we read of Medea: 8 saith the .prophet, 18 God orders the world by
number, weight, and measure, and the number

249
250/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

of three is deputed to the ideal fonns thereof, as mind, and will. There are three orders of the
the number two is to the procreating matter, and blessed, viz. of Martyrs, Confessors, and Inno-
unity to God the maker of it. cents. There are three quaternions of celestial
Magicians do constitute three princes of the signs,27 viz. of Fixed, Moveable, and Com-
world, Oromasis,19 Mitris,20 Araminis21 i.e. mon, as also of houses,28 viz. Centers, Suc-
God, the Mind, and the Spirit. By the three ceeding, and Falling. There are also three
square or solid,22 the three numbers of nine of faces and heads 29 in every sign, and three lords
things produced are distributed, viz. of the of each triplicity.3o
supercelestial into nine orders of intelligences: There are three Fortunes31 amongst the
of celestial into nine orbs: of inferiors into nine planets. Three Graces 32 amongst the goddesses.
kinds of generable, and corruptible things. Three Ladies of Destiny33 amongst the infernal
Lastly in this ternal orb,23 viz. twenty-seven, all crew. Three Judges. 34 Three Furies.35 Three-
musical proportions are included, as Plato,24 headed Cerberus .36 We read also of a thrice-
and Proclus , do at large discourse. And the double HecateY Three mouths of the virgin
number of three hath in a hannony of five, the Diana. Three persons in the supersubstantial
grace of the first voice. 25 divinity. Three times, of nature, law, and grace.
Also in intelligences there are three hier- Three theological virtues, faith, hope, and char-
archies 26 of angelical spirits. There are three ity. Jonas was three days in the whale's bel\y;38
powers of intellectual creatures, memory, and so many was Christ in the grave. 39

NOLCs-Chapn:R Vl .
I. incompounded number-Prime number. See note the rapid rivers, sleep creeps upon the eyes
I, ch. V, bk. II. that were strangers to it, and the hero, the
son of Aeson, gains the gold .. . " (Ovid
2. holy number-"This is the third time; I hope good Metamorphoses 7.1, c. line 152 [Riley,
luck lies in odd numbers ... . They say there is divin- 227-8)
ity in odd numbers, either in nativity, chance or
As can be seen from the quotation, it is Jason who
death" (Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor act 5,
speaks thrice and puts the dragon to sleep, not
sc. I, lines 2-5).
Medea. Agrippa has confused this quote with the
description of the same scene in the Argonautica of
3. theological virtues-I Corinthians 13: 13.
Apollonius Rhodius, bk. 4, c. line 156, where it is
indeed Medea who charms the dragon.
4 Virgil sings-See note 3, ch. LXXIII, bk. I.
9. to spit-
5. whence in Virgil-"He [Aeneas] too thrice bore to
his comrades all around clear water, sprinkling them We ask pardon of the gods, for spitting in
with light dew from the branch of a fruitful olive, and the lap, for entertaining some too presump-
purified the warriors, and spoke the farewell words" tuous hope or expectation. On the same
(Virgil Aeneid 6, c. line 230 [Lonsdale and Lee, principle, it is the practice in all cases where
164]). medicine is employed, to spit three times on
the ground, and to conjure the malady as
6. that of Virgil-See note 3, ch. LXXIII, bk. I. often; the object being to aid the operation
of the remedy employed. It is usual, too, to
7. a little after-Ibid. mark a boil, when it first makes its appear-
ance, three times with fasting spittle. (Pliny
'8. read of Medea- 28.7 [Bostock and Riley, 5:289])
After he has sprinkled him [the dragon] The saliva of someone who fasted was considered
with herbs of Lethaean juice, and has more potent.
thrice repeated words that cause placid
slumbers, which would even calm the 10. augmentations-Three dimensions of space:
boisterous ocean, and which would stop length, breadth and height.
 Of the Number of Three, and the Scale Thereof /251

The Scale of t:he NumbeR of ThRee

In the
Original The Father
.,,'"
Shaddai The
The name of
God with
World The Son Holy Ghost three letters

Lowest Three Hierarchies

In the Supreme Middle of all of Angels
Intellectual
World Innocents Martyrs Confessors Three Degrees of
the Blessed

Movable Fixed Common Three Quaternions

of Signs
In the
Celestial Comers Succeeding Falling Three Quaternions
World of Houses

Of the Day Noctournal Partaking Three Lords of

the Triplicities

In the Thrice- Three Degrees

Elementary Simple Compounded Compounded of Elements
World

-
The belly,
The head, The breast, where the
in which where is the faculty of
the intellect heart, the generation Three Parts,
In the grows, seat of life, is, and the answering
Lesser answering answering genital mem- the Three-fold
World to the to the bers, answer- World
Intellectual Celestial ing the
World World Elemental
World

Three
Alecto Megera Ctesiphone Infernal Furies

In the Minos Aeacus Rhadamancus Three

Infernal Infernal Judges
World
Wicked Apostates Infidels Three Degrees
of the Damned
252/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

11. first number-The Pythagoreans considered three 21. Araminis-Corruption of Ahriman (Angra
the first true number: Mainyu), the third of the Zoroastrian trinity, corre-
sponding to Psyche, the mundane soul.
The all-perfect multitude of forms, there-
fore, they obscurely signified through the
22. square or solid-Three square is 3 X 3; three
duad; but they indicated the first formal
solid is 3 X 3 X 3. "The composite numbers which are
principles by the monad and duad, as not
the product of two numbers are called planar, they
being numbers; and also by the first triad
are considered as having two dimensions, length and
and tetrad, as being the first numbers, the
width. Those which are the product of three numbers
one being odd, the other even ... (Thomas
are called solids since they possess the third dimen-
Taylor, Theoretic Arithmetic, as quoted by
sion" (Theon 1.7 [Lawlor, 16]).
him in his translation of Iamblichus' Life of
Pythagoras, 219)
23. ternal orb-Threefold orb; i.e., 3 X 3 X 3.
12. Wherefore Aristotle-
24. as Plato-
A magnitude if divisible one way is a line,
if two ways a surface, and if three a body.
Unity =point
Beyond these there is no other magnitude,

s:~~::
because the three dimensions are all that
there are, and that which is divisible in
three directions is divisible in all. For, as
::::e (2 X 2)1\2
3 9 (3 X 3) =
the Pythagoreans say, the world and all that
is in it is determined by the number three,
Cube =solid
(2 X 2 X 2) 8 27 (3 X 3 X 3)
since beginning and middle and end give
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 8 + 9 =27
the number of an "all," and the number
they give is the triad. And so, having taken The Pythagoreans formed a tetractys based on multi-
these three from nature as (so to speak) plication of odd and even numbers united in unity,
laws of it, we make further use of the num- the sum of which was 27. This, together with the
ber three in the worship of the Gods. Fur- tetractys of addition (1 + 2 + 3 + 4 = 10) symbolized
ther, we use the terms in practice in this the musical, geometric and arithmetic ratios upon
way. Of two things, or men, we say "both," which the universe is based. See Plato's Timaeus
but not "all:" three is the first number to 34-6; also Theon 2.38; also the note to page 80 in
which the term "all" has been appropriated. Thomas Taylor's translation of Iamblichus' Life of
And in this, as we have said, we do but fol- Pythagoras, 235-9.
low the lead which nature gives. (Aristotle
De caelo [On the heavens] 1.1.268a [McK- 25. first voice-According to the Pythagoreans, man
eon, 398]) is a full chord in the greater harmony of the world,
consisting of a fundamental or tonic, its major third,
13. Tresmegistus saith-See Appendix I, lines 12-3 its just fifth and its octave.
of the Emerald Tablet.
26. three hierarchies-The nine choirs of angels are
14. superficies-Surface. divided into three groups of three, as is indicated in
the chart accompanying ch. VII, bk. II.
15. diapason-The interval of an octave in music.
27. celestial signs-
16. hemiolion-The perfect fifth interval.
Common = Aries Cancer Libra Capricorn
(Cardinal)
17. diatessaron-The interval of a fourth.
Fixed = Taurus Leo Scorpio Aquarius
Movable = Gemini Virgo Sagittarius Pisces
18. the Prophet-Isaiah 40:12.
(Mutable)
19. Oromasis-A corruption of Ormazd (Ahura
28. also of houses-
Mazda), the ancient Persian god of creation, corre-
sponding in the Zoroastrian trinity to the Father. Centers (Angular) = I IV VII X
Succeeding (Succedent) = II V VIII XI
20. Mitris-Corruption of Mithra, the second person Falling (Cadent) = III VI IX XII
of the trinity of Zoroaster, the eternal intellect and
architect of the world. 29. heads-In modem astrology, a face is a division
 Of the Number of Three, and the Scale Thereof /253

of five degrees of arc in a zodiac sign. Each sign has Aegina, who had been selected for his post by the
six faces. Agrippa uses the term to signify a decan, or gods, tried Europeans.
division of ten degrees. Each sign has three decans.
By heads he may perhaps refer to the lords of the 35 . three Furies-Alecto, Tisiphone and Megaera,
decans, the 36 spirits that originated with the Egyp- three terrifying goddesses with serpent tresses who
tians and that are described in the Picatrix. punished with their secret stings those who otherwise
escaped justice. Also called the Erinnyes (the angry
30. triplicity-A triplicity is a set of three zodiac ones) and euphemistically the Eumenides (the kindly
signs associated with an element: ones). They sprang from Gaea (Earth) and the drip-
ping blood of castrated Uranus (the sky).
Fire- Aries Leo Sagittarius
Air- Libra Aquarius Gemini
36. Cerberus-Three-headed dog with a serpent tail
Water- Cancer Scorpio Pisces
and a mane of serpents who guards the gate of hell.
Earth- Capricorn Taurus Virgo
37. thrice-double Hecate-The Greeks called Hecate
31. three Fortunes-Sun , Jupiter and Venus.
Triceps and Triformis in her Moon goddess role, giv-
ing her three heads: that of a lion, a dog and a mare.
32. three Graces-Daughters of Zeus and Eurynome
The three goddess-forms of Hecate were Phoebe
(or by some, of Dionysus and Aphrodite),
(Moon) in heaven, Diana on Earth, and Proserpine in
Euphrosyne, Aglaia and Thalia. Their office is to
hell. Robert Graves says:
bestow civility, courtesy, elegance and felicity of
manner. As Goddess of the Underworld she was
concerned with Birth, Procreation and
33. Ladies of Destiny-The Fates were daughters of Death. As Goddess of the Earth she was
Themis (Law) and were figured as three old women concerned with the three seasons of Spring,
present at the birth of every child. Lachesis assigns Summer and Winter: she animated trees
the individual his or her lot; Clotho spins the thread and plants and ruled all living creatures. As
of life; Atropos cuts with her "abhorred shears" that Goddess of the Sky she was the Moon, in
thread. They are equivalent to the Noms of Norse her three phases of New Moon, Full Moon,
mythology, and pop up in such varied places as and Waning Moon. This explains why she
Shakespeare's Macbeth and the fairy tale "Sleeping was so often enlarged to an ennead.
Beauty." (Graves [1948] 1973,386)
Her sacred animal was the dog, her sacred place the
34. three Judges-Aeacus, Minos and Rhadaman-
crossroads, where her statues were erected.
thys, who formed the tribunal of Hades that judged
the souls of the dead. Minos, son of Zeus and Europa,
38. whale's belly-Jonah 1:17.
and former king of Crete, was supreme judge;
Rhadamanthys, his brother, former king of the
39. Christ in the grave-Luke 24:2 1.
Cychides, tried Asians; Aeacus, son of Zeus and
 CHAPTeR Vll

Of rhe numbeR of fOUR, and rhe scale rheReof.

he Pythagoreans call the number of the spirit from both: for He being duplicated,

T four tetractys, I and prefer it before all

the virtues of numbers, because it is
the foundation, and root of all other
numbers; whence also all foundations, as well
terminates both syllables, and the whole name,
but is pronounced Jove , as some will, whence
that Jovis 9 of the heathen, which the ancients
did picture with four ears, whence the number
in artificial things, as natural, and divine, are four is the fountain, and head of the whole
four square,2 as we shall show afterwards: and it divinity.
signifies solidity, which also is demonstrated by And the Pythagoreans call it the perpetual
a four square figure .3 For the number four is the fountain of nature: 10 for there are four degrees
first four square plain, which consists of two in the scale of nature, viz. to be, to live, to be
proportions, whereof the first is of one to two, sensible, to understand. There are four motions
the latter of two to four,4 and it proceeds by a in nature, viz. ascendent, descendent, going for-
double procession and proportion, viz. of one to ward, circular. There are four comers II in the
one, and of two to two, beginning at a unity, and heaven , viz. rising, falling , the middle of the
ending at a quaternity: which proportions differ heaven, and the bottom of it. There are four ele-
in this, that according to arithematic, they are ments under heaven, viz. Fire, Air, Water, and
unequal to one the other: but according to Earth; according to these there are four triplici-
geometry are equaJ.5 ties 12 in heaven: there are four first qualities
Therefore a four square is ascribed to God under the heaven, viz. cold, heat, dryness, and
the Father, and also contains the mystery of the moistness, from these are the four humours,
whole Trinity: for by its single proportion, viz. blood, phlegm, choler, melancholy. Also the
by the first of one to one,6 the unity of the pater- year is divided into four parts, which are spring,
nal substance is signified, from which proceeds summer, autumn, and winter; also the wind is
one Son, equal to him; by the next procession, divided into eastern, western, northern, and
also simple, viz. of two to two,? is signified by southern. There are also four rivers of Par-
the second procession the Holy Ghost from adise, 13 and so many infernal.
both, that the Son be equal to the Father by the Also the number four makes up all knowl-
first procession; and the Holy Ghost be equal to edge: first it fills up every simple progress of
both by the second procession. numbers with four terms, viz. with one, two,
Hence that superexcellent, and great name 8 three, and four, constituting l4 the number ten. It
of the divine trinity of God is written with four fills up every difference of numbers, the first
letters, viz. fad, He, and Vau; He , where it is even, and containing the first odd in it. 15 It hath
the aspiration He, signifies the proceeding of in music diatessaron, the grace of the fourth

254
 Of the Number of Four, and the Scale Thereof /255

voice. Also it contains the instrument of four I with pure mind by the number four do
strings, 16 and a Pythagorean diagram; 17 whereby swear;
That's holy, and the fountain of nature,
are found out first of all musical tunes, and all
Eternal, parent of the mindl---
harmony of music. For double, treble, fourtimes
double, one and half, one and a third part, a con- Also there are four rivers of Paradise; four
cord of all, a double concord of all, of five, of Gospels received from four evangalists l9
four, and all consonancy is limited within the throughout the whole Church. The Hebrews
bounds of the number four. received the chiefest name of God 2o written with
It doth also contain the whole of mathemat- four letters. Also the Egyptians, Arabians, Per-
ics in four terms, viz. point, line, superficies, sians, Magicians, Mahometans, Grecians, Tus-
and profundity. It comprehends all nature in cans, Latins, write the name of God with only
four terms, viz. substance, quality, quantity, and four letters, viz. thus: Thet,21 Alla,22 Sire,23 Orsi,
motion. Also all natural philosophy, in which Abdi, & 0,;,,24 Esar,25 Deus. Hence the Lacede-
are the seminary virtues of nature, the natural monians were wont to paint Jupiter with four
springing, the growing form, and the composi- wings. Hence also in Orpheus his divinity,26 it is
tum. Also metaphysic is comprehended in four said that Neptune's chariots are drawn with four
bounds, viz. being, essence, virtue, and action. horses. 27 There are also four kinds of divine
Moral philosophy is comprehended with four furies,28 proceeding from several deities, viz.
virtues, viz. prudence, justice, fortitude, temper- from the Muses, Dionysus, Apollo, and Venus.
ence. It hath also the power of justice; hence a Also the prophet Ezekiel saw four beasts 29
fourfold law: of providence, from God; fatal , by the river Chobar, and four Cherubims 30 in
from the Soul of the World; of nature, from four wheels. Also in Daniel,31 four great beasts
heaven; of prudence, from man. There are also did ascend from the sea, and four winds did
four judiciary powers in all things being, viz. fight. And in the Revelations four beasts were
the intellect, discipline, opinion, and sense. full of eyes,32 before, and behind, standing
It hath also great power in all mysteries. round about the throne of God: and four
Hence the Pythagoreans did ratify the number angels,33 to whom was given power to hurt the
four with an oath, as if it were the chiefest Earth, and the sea, did stand upon the four cor-
ground whereon their faith was grounded, and ners of the Earth, holding the four winds, that
their belief might be confirmed. Hence it was they should not blow upon the Earth, nor upon
called the Pythagoreans' oath,18 which is the sea, nor upon any tree.
expressed in these verses:

Not:es-Chapt:eR Vll
I. tetractys-Greek word meaning four. The tetrac- the figure at the end of ch. XIII, bk. II for the tetractys
tys is usually represented graphically by a triangular formed from the Tetragrammaton.
arrangement of ten dots:
2.four square-Four is the first square number (2 X 2).
*
** 3.four square figure-That is, the square.
***
**** 4. two to four-I : 2 : 4 is the double proportion
It is formed from the addition I + 2 + 3 + 4 = 10. "The refe~ed to, where 1 stands for the point, 2 for the
importance of the quarternary obtained by addition line, and 4 for the plane.
(that is to say I, + 2, + 3, + 4) is great in music because
all the consonances are found in it. But it is not only 5. geometry are equal-
for this reason that all Pythagoreans hold it in highest
esteem: it is also because it seems to outline the entire In particular, the arithmetic mean is the
nature of the universe" (Theon 2.38 [Lawlor, 62]). See one in which the mean term is greater than
 ..
>
a >
n .....
C ....
•
• p
•
The Tetractys
from Philosophia sacra et vere Christiana Seu Meterorologia Cosmica by Robert Fludd (Frankfurt, 1626)
 Of the Number of Four, and the Scale Thereof /257

The Scale of Lhe NumbeR of FOUR

In the
Original
World,
whence the
Law of
i1ii1" The name of
God with
four letters
Providence

Seraphim Domina- Principal- Innocents Four triplicities

Cherubim tions ities Martyrs of intelligible
Thrones Powers Archangels Confessors hierarchies
Virtues Angels

Four angels
~~J'O ~~E)' ~~,,~~ ~~",~ ruling over
Michael Raphael Gabriel Uriel the comers
of the world

iV'iV,n ~~,,~
~'iV ~"J Four rulers
Seraph Cherub Tharsis Ariel of the
elements
In the
Intellectual Four
World, The lion The eagle Man A calf consecrated
whence the animals
Fatal Law
Dan Judah Manasseh Reuben Four
Asher Issachar Benjamin Simeon triplicities
Naphtali Zebulun Ephraim Gad of the tribes
of Israel

Matthias Simon John Thaddeus Four

Peter Bartholo- Philip Andrew triplicities
Jacob the mew James the Thomas of the
Elder Matthew Younger apostles

Mark John Matthew Luke Four

evangelists
258/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

The Scale of -che NumbeR of FOUR (con-c'd.l

Aries Gemini Cancer Taurus Four

Leo Libra Scorpius Virgo triplicities
Sagittarius Aquarius Pisces Capricomus of signs
In the
Celestial The stars,
World, Mars, and Jupiter, Saturn, The fixed and planets
where is the Sun and Venus and stars, and related to
the Law of Mercury the Moon the elements
Nature
Four qualities
Light Diaphan- Agility Solidity of the celestial
ousness elements

iD~ m1 lJ~a 1EJ,U Four

Fire Air Water Earth elements

Heat Moisture Cold Dryness Four

qualities

Summer Spring Winter Autumn Four

seasons

In the The East The West The North The South Four corners
Elementary of the world
World,
where the Four perfect
Law of Animals Plants Metals Stones kinds of
Generation mixed bodies
and
Corruption Walking Flying Swimming Creeping Four kinds
is of animals

What answer
Seeds Flowers Leaves Roots the elements,
in plants

Gold, and Copper, Quick- Lead,and What, in

Iron and Tin silver Silver metals

Bright, and Light, and Clear, and Heavy, What, in

burning transparent congealed and dark stones
 Of the Number of Four, and the Scale Thereof /259

The Scale of "Che NumbeR of FouR (con"C'dJ

The Mind The Spirit The Soul The Body Four elements
of Man

Intellect Reason Phantasy Sense Four powers

of the soul

Faith Science Opinion Experience Four judiciary

powers

Justice Temperance Prudence Fortitude Four moral

virtues
In the
Lesser The senses
World, viz. Sight Hearing Taste, and Touch answering
Man, from smell to the
whom is elements
the Law of
Prudence Spirit Flesh Humours Bones Four elements
of man's body

Animal Vital Generative Natural A fourfold

spirit

Choler Blood Phlegm Melancholy Four

humours

Violence Nimble- Dullness Slowness Four

ness manners of
complexion

Four Princes
'?Q~O '?i~i~ '?~i's) '?~ii1Q of Devils,
Samael Azazel Azael Mahazael offensive in
In the the elements
Infernal
World, Phlegethon Cocytus Styx Acheron Four infernal
where is rivers
the Law of
Wrath, and Four Princes
Punishment of Spirits,
Oriens Paymon Egyn Amaymon upon the
four angles
of the world
260/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

one extreme and is less than the other by immense and pure, Source of Nature and model of
the same number, as in the proportion 3, 2, the Gods" (Golden Verses of Pythagoras, trans.
I. In fact, the number 2 is greater than I by Fabre d' Olivet [1813] [New York:Weiser, 1975],7
one unit and is less than 3 by one unit .. .. and 112). Theon gives the fonnula: "I swear by the
The geometric mean, also called the pro- one who has bestowed the tetraktys to the coming
portion proper, is the one in which the generations, source of eternal nature, into our souls"
mean tenn is greater than one extreme and (Theon 2.38[Lawlor, 62]). Notice that in these ver-
is less than the other by a multiple or sions, the oath is taken on the bestower of the tetrac-
superpartial ratio (of the first tenn to the tys, whereas in the version of Agrippa, the oath is
second or of the second to the third), as in placed on the tetractys itself. D'Olivet, Theon, and
the proportion I, 2, 4. Four is indeed the indeed Thomas Taylor held the opinion that rhe oath
double of 2, and 2 is the double of the unit, refers to Pythagoras when it speaks of the bestower,
and likewise, the difference 2 - I is I, and but I am not so certain this is so.
the difference 4 - 2 is 2. These numbers,
compared with one another, are thus in 19. four evangelists-Matthew, Mark, Luke and
double ratio. (Theon 2.55-6 [Lawlor, 76]) John.

6. one to one-I: 2, where 2 is I more than I. 20. chiefest name of God-J11 ii' .

7. two to two-2 : 4, where 4 is 2 more than 2. 21. Thet-Perhaps Tet is intended, a symbol in the
shape of a pillar representing the tree in which the
8. great name-Tetragrammaton, specifically the body of Osiris had been concealed by Isis. The set-
Hebrew written fonn ii'ii'. ting up of the tet as Busiris was a ceremonial recon-
struction of the severed members of Osiris, and in
9. l avis-Jove, the Roman Zeus, father of the gods. Busiris, Osiris was called Tet (Budge 1904, 2: 139).
However, in the Latin Opera the fonn Theut is given,
10. fountain of nature-See the Pythagorean oath, so Theutus, or Thoth, seems more likely ..
note 18 below.
22. Alia-Allah.
I I. four corners-Respectively, the positions of the
sun at sunrise, sunset, noon, and midnight. 23 . Sire-Sire, or Soru, from the Persian kohr, signi-
fying the Sun. The title was assumed by the founder
12. four triplicities-See table at end of chapter. of the Persian empire, Cyrus, whose real name was
Kobad.
13.four rivers of Paradise-Pison, Gihon, Hiddekel,
and Euphrates. See Genesis 2: 10-4. 24. 8€-as--BEOS-: ThEOS.

14. constituting-By addition. See note I above. 25. Esar-Aesar, a collective name for the Etruscan
gods, as it was (Aesir) for the Norse gods.
15. odd in it-See note II , ch. VI, bk. II.
26. Orpheus his divinity-The earliest account of the
16. four strings-The cithara, a kind of simple harp Greek gods is given by Hesiod in his Theogony
originally strung with four strings, to the accompani- around the 8th century Be. From about the 6th cen-
ment of which was sung the "tetrachordal chant," as tury Be to the time of Christ a separate set of myths
Euclid calls it. grew up within the Orphic mystery religion. This was
never as popular as that of Hesiod.
17. Pythagorean diagram-
27. four horses-The horse was sacred to Neptune
Tthe quaternary, 1,2,3,4, includes all the (Poseidon), and horse races were held in his honor. In
consonances, since it contains those of the the Orphic hymn to Neptune mention is made of the
fourth, the fifth, the octave, the octave and horses of the god, but they are not numbered: "Thee I
fifth, and the double octave, which are invoke, whose steeds the foam divide" (Hymns of
sesquitertian, sesquialter, double, triple and Orpheus 16, trans. Thomas Taylor. In Thomas Taylor
quadruple ratios (that is to say, 4/3, 3/2, 2, the Platonist: Selected Writings, ed. Kathleen Raine
3 and 4)" (Theon 2.12a [Lawlor, 39]). and George Mills Harper [Princeton: Princeton Uni-
versity Press, 1969], 232). However, the chariot of
18 . Pythagoreans' oath-"I swear it by the one who the sun is drawn by four horses: "With sounding
in our hearts engraved the sacred Tetrad, symbol whip four fiery steeds you guide . .. " (ibid. 7 [Taylor,
 Of the Number of Four, and the Scale Thereof /261

219]. Also the chariot of Pluto has four steeds: 29.four beasts-Ezekiel I: 10.
"Drawn in a four-yok'd car with loosen'd reins ... "
(ibid. 17 [Taylor, 233]). 30.four Cherubims-Ezekiel 1:21.

28. divine furies-The divine inspired madness of the 31. in Daniel-Daniel 7:2-7.
Muses was various forms of artistic expression; of
Dionysus the murderous fury of the 8acchiadae; of 32. full of eyes-Revelation 4:6-7.
Apollo the power of true prophecy; of Venus unbri-
dled lust. 33.four angels-Revelation 7: 1.
 CHAPTeR Vlll

Of rhe numbeR five, and rhe scale rheReof.

he number five is of no small force, .Also this number hath great power in expi-

T for it consists of the first even, and the

first odd, as of a female, and male: for
an odd number is the male, and the
even the female. Whence arithmeticians call
ations: for in holy things it drives away devils.
In natural things, it expels poisons. It is also
called the number of fortunateness , and favour,
and it is the seal of the Holy Ghost, and a bond
that the Father, and this the Mother. I Therefore that binds all things, and the number of the
the number five is of no small perfection, or cross,7 yea eminent with the principal wounds 8
virtue, which proceeds from the mixtion of of Christ, whereof he vouchsafed to keep the
these numbers: it is also the just middle of the scars in his glorified body. The heathen philoso-
universal number, viz. ten. For if you divide the phers did dedicate it as sacred to Mercury,9
number ten, there will be nine and one, or eight esteeming the virtue of it to be so much more
and two, or seven and three, or six and four, and excellent than the number four, by how much a
every collection makes the number ten, and the living thing is more excellent than a thing with-
exact middle always is the number five, and it's out life. lo
equidistant; and therefore it is called by the For in this number the father Noah found
Pythagoreans the number of wedlock,2 as also
favour with God, and was preserved in the flood
of justice,3 because it divides the number ten in
of waters. II In the virtue of this number Abra-
an even scale.
ham,I 2 being an hundred years old, begat a son
There be five senses in man, sight, hearing,
of Sarah , being ninety years old, and a barren
smelling, tasting, and touching: five powers in the
woman, and past child bearing, and grew up to
soul, vegetative, sensitive, concupiscible, irasci-
be a great people.
ble, rational: five fingers of the hand: five wan-
Hence in time of grace the name of divine
dering planets in the heavens, according to which
omnipotency is called upon with five letters.
there are fivefold terms4 in every sign. In ele-
ments there are five kinds of mixed bodies, viz. For in time of nature the name of God was
stones, metals, plants, plant-animals, animals; and called upon with three letters, '1iD Sadai : 13 in
so many kinds of animals, as men, four-footed time of the Law, the ineffable name of God was
beasts, creeping, swimming, flying. And there are expressed with four letters, il1il' , instead of
five kinds by which all things are made of God, which the Hebrews express 'j1~ Adonai: in
viz. essence, the same,5 another,6 sense, motion. time of grace the ineffable name of God was
The swallow brings forth but five young, with five letters, il'iDil', Ihesu, 14 which is called
which she feeds with equity, beginning with the upon with no less mystery than that of three let-
eldest, and so the rest, according to their age. ters, 'iD'. 15

262
 The Scale of Lhe NumbeR of Five

rr''?~
The names of
Elion God with five
In the lJ"j1,?~ Elohim letters
Exemplary
World The name of
j1"Wj1" Jhesuh Christ with
five letters

In the Spirits of the Spirits of the Spirits of the Souls of Heroes, or Five
Intellectual first hierarchy, second hierarchy, third hierarchy, celestial Blessed Intelligible
World called Gods, or called called Angels bodies Souls Substances
the Sons of God Intelligences which are sent

In the Five wandering

Celestial Saturn Jupiter Mars Venus Mercury stars, lords of o
.....
World the terms ~
Five kinds of
z
c
A mixed 3
In the Water Air Fire Earth body corruptible g..,
Elementary thinlls ::n
<
World Animal Plant Metal Stone Plant-animal Fives kinds of fD
po
mixed bodies :l
0-
S-
In the Lesser Taste Hearing Seeing Touching Smelling Five senses (l)

til
(")
World po
~

In the Deadly Horrible Terrible Unquenchable A piercing Five ;l

(l)

~
Infernal bitterness howling darkness heat stink corporeal sa,
World elements --
tv
0'1
w
264/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

NOLes-ChapLeR Vlll

I. this the Mother-Masculine 3 and feminine 2. has discovered in an ancient manuscript) of terms in
the Tetrabiblos 20 and 21. Terms are not much used
2. number of wedlock-Theon says that 6 is the num- in modem astrology.
ber of wedlock, because it is a perfect number, equal
to the sum of its parts (I + 2 + 3 = 6), explaining: 5. the same-Similarity.
"This is why it is called that of marriage, because the
task of marriage produces children similar to their 6. another-Difference.
parents" (Theon 2.45 [Lawlor, 67-8]). Since 5 is pro-
duced by the addition of 2 and 3, while 6 is produced 7. number of the cross-One for each of the four
by the multiplication of 2 and 3, it se!(ms to me that 5 arms and one for the point of intersection.
might be called the number of love, or union,
whereas 6 is the number of generation, because mul- 8. principal wounds-Principal, because the sixth,
tiplication yields more than the sum of its parts. caused by the thorns of Christ's crown, is not
included.
3. of justice-
9. sacred to Mercury- Meursius in his Denarius
The Pythagoreans call the pentad provi-
Pythagoricus , which is based on the Theological
dence and justice, because it equalizes
Arithmetic of Nicomachus the Pythagorean and other
things unequal, justice being a medium
Platonic philosophers, says that four is the number of
between excess and defect, just as 5 is the
Mercury . See Thomas Taylor's introduction to the
middle of the numbers that are equally dis-
Hymns of Orpheus (Raine and Harper, 202).
tant from it on both sides as far as the
decad, some of which it surpasses, and by
10. thing without life-Four signified the four inert
others is surpassed, as may be seen.in the
elements, therefore the fifth number must be some-
following arrangement:
thing beyond, something spiritual.
I. 4. 7.
2. 5. 8. II. flood of waters-There were five in Noah's fam-
3. 6. 9. ily. See Genesis 7: 13.
For here, as in the middle of the beam of a
12. number Abraham-This may refer to the break-
balance, 5 does not depart from the line of
ing of bread between Abraham, his wife, and the
the equilibrium, while one scale is raised,
three angels of God (Genesis 18:6), or to God's use
and the other is depressed. (Thomas Tay-
of the name EI Shaddi ('itl)?~), a name of five let-
lor, Theoretic Arithmetic, 194, quoted by
ters, to describe himself when he proclaims the com-
Taylor in his note [pp. 240-1] to p. 98 of
ing birth of Isaac (Genesis 17: 1), or to God's
his translation of Iamblichus' Life of
changing of Abram's name (~,~~) to Abraham
Pythagoras)
~i1'~~), increasing it to five letters by the addition
A virtually identical explanation of five as the num- of He (i1), the fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet
ber of justice occurs in Theon 2.44 (Lawlor, 67). (Genesis 17:5).

4. fivefold terms-Astrological terms are unequal 13 . Sadai-Now more commonly rendered Shaddi .
divisions of the 30-degree arc of each sign of the
zodiac into five parts, which are assigned to the plan- 14.lhesu-Usually rendered into English as
ets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn in Yeheshuah.
varying orders. Ptolemy gives the Egyptian, the
Chaldean, and his own system (which he pretends he 15. 7CO'-Jesu.
 CHAPTeR lX

Of rhe numbeR sl}:. and rhe scale rheReof.

ix is the number of perfection, because and the cross, labour, and servitude: hence it is

S it is the most perfect in nature, in the

whole course of numbers, from one to
ten, and it alone is so perfect, that in the
collection of its parts it results the same, neither
commanded in the Law, that in six days the
work 6 is to be done, six days manna 7 is to be
gathered, six years the ground 8 was to be sown,
and that the Hebrew servant9 should serve his
wanting, nor abounding. For if the parts thereof, master six years; six days the glory of the Lord
viz. the middle , the third, and sixth part, which appeared upon Mount Sinai, 10 covering it with a
are three, two, one, be gathered together, they cloud: the Cherubims had six wings; II six circles
perfectly fill up the whole body of six, which in the firmament, arctic, antarctic, two tropics, 12
perfection all other numbers want: I hence by equinoctial,13 and ecliptical; 14 six wandering
the Pythagoreans it is said to be altogether planets, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, Mercury,
applied to generation, and marriage,2 and is the Moon, running through the latitude of the
Zodiac, on both sides of the ecliptic.
called the scale of the world.
There are six substantial qualities in the ele-
For the world is made of the number six,
ments,15 viz. sharpness, thinness, motion, and
neither doth it abound, or is defective. Hence
the contrary to these, dullness, thickness, rest.
that is, because the world was finished by God
There are six differences of position, upwards,
the sixth day. For the sixth day3 God sawall the
downwards, before, behind, on the right side, on
things which he had made, and they were very
the left side. There are six natural offices, with-
good. Therefore the heaven, and the Earth, and
out which nothing can be, viz. magnitude,
all the host thereof were finished. colour, figure, interval, standing, motion. Also a
It is also called the number of man, because solid figure of any foursquare thing hath six
the sixth day man was created: 4 and it is also the superficies. 16 There are six tones of all harmony,
number of our redemption, for the sixth day viz. five tones, and two halftones, which make
Christ ' suffered 5 for our redemption: whence one tone, which is the sixth.
there is a great affinity betwixt the number six

NOLcs-ChapLCR 17\.
I. all other numbers want-"That sacrifices also that remain" (Iamblichus Life of Pythagoras 28
should be made to Venus on the sixth day, because [Taylor, 81 D. Commenting on this dictate of
this number is the first that partakes of every number, Pythagoras, Taylor says:
and, when divided in every possible way, receives
the power of the numbers subtracted and of those Because 6 consists of I, 2 and 3, the two

265
 tv
0..
0..
The Scale of the NumbeR Si)C -l
::r::

In the
Exemplary
,,:J, ~~ EI Gebor Names of
Six Letters
tTl
-l
~
tTl
tTl

tJ"i1'~~
tl:I
World Elohim o
o;:0:::
Vl
In the Six orders of o"Tl
Intelligible Seraphim Cherubim Thrones Dominations Powers Virtues angels, which are o(')
World not sent to (')
c:
inferiors ti
~
Six planets ro
In the wandering through Vl
o"0
Celestial Saturn Jupiter Mars Venus Mercury The Moon the latitude of the ::r::
World Zodiac from the
Ecliptic
f
tl:I
o
o;:0:::
In the
Elemental Rest Thinness Sharpness Dullness Thickness Motion
Six substantifical
qualities of
-
World elements

In the Six degress

Lesser Intellect Memory Sense Motion Life Essence of men
World

In the Six devils,

Infernal Acteus Magalesius Ormenus Lycus Nicon Mimon the authors of all
World calamities
 Of the Number Six, and the Scale Thereof /267

first of which are the principles of all num- 14. eC/iptical-The plane passing through the center
ber, and also because 2 and 3 are the first of the Earth and defined by the apparent orbit of the
even and odd, which are the sources of all Sun. The ecliptic.
the species of numbers; the number 6 may
be said to partake of every number. In what 15. in the elements-See Plato's Timaeus 6Id-63d;
Iamblichus afterwards adds, I suppose he also Appendix III.
alludes to 6 being a perfect number and
therefore equal to all its parts. (ibid., 240) 16. six supelficies-A cube has six sides.

2. and marriage-See note 2, ch. VIII, bk. II. 17. six tones-On the five tones expressed in the
quarternary, see note 17, ch. VII, bk. II. The fourth
3. sixth day-Genesis 1:31 . interval is composed of two tones and an excess, or
remainder (ieimma); the fifth , of three tones and a
4. man was created-Genesis 1:27. leimma. On this remainder Theon writes:
The half-tone is not designated as such
5. Christ suffered-Mark 15:42, Luke 23:54, John
because it is the half of the tone in the way
19:31.
that the half-cubit is the half division of the
cubit as maintained by Aristoxenes; but
6. the work-Exodu s 20:9.
because it is a musical interval less than the
tone, in the same manner that we call cer-
7. manna-Exodus 16:5.
tain letters demi-vowels, not because half
of a sound is indicated, but because it does
8. the ground-Exodus 23 : 10.
not completely compose the sound itself. It
can actually be demonstrated that the tone,
9. Hehrew servant- Exodus 21 :2.
considered in the sesquioctave ratio (9/8),
cannot be divided into two equal parts, any
10. upon Mount Sinai-Exodus 24: 16.
more than can any other sesquipartial,
since 9 is not divisible by 2. (Theon 2.8
II . six wings-Revelation 4:8.
[Lawlor, 36])
12. two tropics-Tropic of Cancer; Tropic of Capri-
For Theon ' s proof, see 2.16, where he adds: "With
com.
regard to the ideal tone, one might conceive that it
could be divided into two equal parts" (Lawlor, 47).
13. equinoctial-The equator.
 CHAPTeR7\.

Of rhe numbeR seven, and rhe scale rheReof.

he number seven is of various, and whether it will live or no: for that which shall

T manifold power, for it consists of one,

and six, or of two, and five, or of
three, and four, and it hath a unity, as
it were the coupling together of two threes:
bear the breath of the air after that hour is con-
ceived will live.
After seven days it casts off the relics of the
navel. After twice seven days its sight begins to
whence if we consider the several parts thereof, move after the light. In the third seventh it turns
and the joining together of them, without doubt its eyes, and whole face freely.
we shall confess that it is as well by the joining After seven months it breeds teeth: 2 after
together of the parts thereof, as by its fullness the second seventh month it sits without fear of
'apart, most full of all majesty. falling: after the third seventh month it begins to
And the Pythagoreans call it the vehiculum speak: after the fourth seventh month it stands
of man's life, which it doth not receive from its strongly, and walks: after the fifth seventh
parts so, as it perfects by its proper right of the month it begins to refrain from sucking its nurse.
whole, for it contains body, and soul, for the After seven years its first teeth fall , and new
body consists of four elements, and is endowed are bred fitter for harder meat, and its speech is
with four qualities: also the number three perfected: after the second seventh year boys
respects the soul, by reason of its threefold wax ripe,3 and then is a beginning of generation:
power, viz. rational, irascible, and concupisci- at the third seventh year they grow to be men in
ble. The number seven therefore, because it stature, and begin to be hairy,4 and become able,
consists of three, and four, joins the soul to the and strong for generation: at the fourth seventh
body, and the virtue of this number relates to year they begin to barnish,5 and cease to grow
the generation of men, and it causeth man to be taller: 6 in the fifth seventh year they attain to the
received, formed, brought forth, nourished, live, perfection of their strength: the sixth seventh
and indeed altogether subsist. year they keep their strength: the seventh sev-
For when the genital seed is received in the enth year they attain to their utmost discretion,
womb of the woman, if it remain there seven and wisdom, and the perfect age of men. But
hours after the effusion of it, it is certain that it when they come to the tenth seventh year, where
will abide there for good: then the first seven the number seven is taken for a complete nUm-
days it is coagulated, and is fit to receive the ber, then they come to the common term of life,
shape of a man: then it produceth mature the prophet saying,7 our age is seventy years.
infants, which are called infants of the seventh The utmost height of man 's body is seven
month, i.e. because they are born the seventh feet. There are also seven degrees in the body,
month. 1 After the birth, the seventh hour tries which complete the dimension of its altitude

268
 Of the Number Seven, and the Scale Thereof /269

from the bottom to the top, viz. marrow, bone, rest, this number dispensing the motion, and light
nerve, vein, artery, flesh, skin. There are seven, thereof. For in twenty-eight days it runs round
which by the Greeks are called black members,8 the compass of the whole Zodiac, which number
the tongue, the heart, the lungs, the liver, the of days, the number seven, with its seven terms,
spleen, and two kidneys. There are also seven viz. from one to seven, doth make, and fill up, as
principal parts of the body, the head, the breast, much as the several numbers, by adding to the
the hands, the feet, and the privy members. antecedents, and makes four times seven days, in
It is manifest concerning breath, and meat, which the Moon runs through, and about all the
that without drawing of the breath the life doth longitude, and latitude of the Zodiac by measur-
not endure above seven hours: and they that are ing, and measuring again: 21 with the like seven of
starved with famine, live not above seven days. 9 days it dispenseth its light, by changing it; for the
The veins also, and arteries (as physicians say) first seven days unto the middle as it were of the
are moved by the seventh number. Also judge- divided world, it increaseth; the second seven
ments in diseases 10 are made with greater man- days it fills its whole orb with light; the third by
ifestation upon the seventh days, which discreasing is again contracted into a divided orb;
physicians call critical, i.e. judicial. but after the fourth seven days, it is renewed with
Also of seven portions God creates the the last diminuation of its light,22 and by the
soul, as divine Plato witnesseth in Timaeus. 11 same seven of days it disposeth the increase, and
The soul also receives the body by seven decrease of the sea, for in the first seven of the
degrees. AlI difference of voices proceeds to the increase of the Moon, it is by little lessened; in
seventh degree, after which there is the same the second by degrees increased: but the third is
revolution . 12 Again, there are seven modula- like the first, and the fourth doth the same as the
tions l3 of the voices, diatonus, semiditonus, second. 23
diatessaron, diapente with a tone, diapente with It is also applied to Saturn, which ascend-
a halftone, and diapason. ing from the lower, is the seventh planet, which
There is also in celestials a most potent betokens rest, to which the seventh day24 is
power of the number seven. For seeing there are ascribed, which signifies the seven thousandth,
four corners of the heaven diametrically looking wherein (as John witnesseth)25 the dragon,
one towards the other, which indeed is which is the Devil, and Satan, being bound,
accounted a most full, and powerful aspect, 14 men shall be quiet, and lead a peaceable life.
and consists of the number seven. For it is made Moreover the Pythagoreans call seven the
from the seventh sign,15 and makes a cross,16 number of virginity, because the first is that
the most powerful figure of all, of which we which is neither generated, or generates,26 nei-
shall speak in its due place. But this you must ther can it be divided into two equal parts, so as
not be ignorant of, that the number seven hath a to be generated of another number repeated, or
great communion with the cross. being doubled to bring forth any other number
By the same radiation, and number the sol- of itself, which is contained within the bounds
stice is distant from winter, and the winter of the number ten, which is manifestly the first
equinoctium from the summer, all which are bound of numbers, and therefore they dedicate
done by seven signs. 17 There are also seven cir- the number seven to Pallas. 27
c1es l8 in the heaven, according to the longitudes It hath also in religion most potent signs of
of the axel tree. 19 There are seven stars about its esteem, and it is called the number of an
the Arctic Pole, greater, and lesser, called oath. Hence amongst the Hebrews to swear is
Charles' Wain,20 also seven stars called the called septenare28 i.e. to protect by seven. So
Pleiades, and seven planets, according to those Abraham, when he made a covenant with Abim-
seven days, constituting a week. elech, appointed seven ewe lambs 29 for a testi-
The Moon is the seventh of the planets and mony. It is also called the number of
next to us, observing this number more than the blessedness, or of rest, whence that:
270/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

o thrice, and four times blessed! Also it is consecrated to the Holy Ghost,
which the prophet Isaiah describes to be seven-
viz. in soul, and body. The seventh day the Cre- fold,46 according to his gifts,viz. the spirit of
ator rested 30 from his work, wherefore this day wisdom, and understanding, the spirit of coun-
was by Moses called the Sabbath 3l i.e. the day sel, and strength, the spirit of knowledge, and
of rest; hence it was that Christ rested the sev- holiness, and the spirit of the fear of the Lord,
enth day in the grave. 32 Also this number hath a which we read in Zechariah to be the seven eyes
great communion with the cross, as is above of God. 47
showed, as also with Christ. For in Christ is all There are also seven angels, spirits stand-
our blessedness, rest, and felicity. ing in the presence of God, as is read in
Besides, it is most convenient in purifica- Tobias,48 and in Revelation;49 seven lamps50 did
tions. Whence Apuleius saith,33 and I put myself bum before the throne of God, and seven
forthwith into the bath of the sea, to be purified, golden candlesticks,5l and in the middle thereof
and put my head seven times under the waves. was one like to the Son of Man, and he had in
And the leprous person that was to be cleansed, his right hand seven stars. 52 Also there were
was sprinkled seven times with the blood of a seven spirits before the throne of God, and
sparrow: 34 and Elisha the prophet, as it is writ- seven angels stood before the throne, and there
ten in the Second Book of the Kings, saith unto were given to them seven trumpets. 53 And he
the leprous person; go and wash thyself seven saw a lamb having seven horns, and seven
times in Jordan, and thy flesh shall be made eyes,54 and he saw the book sealed with seven
whole, and thou shalt be cleansed, and it fol- seals,55 and when the seventh seal was opened,
lows a little after, and he washed himself seven there was made silence in heaven. 56
times in Jordan, according to the prophet's say- Now by all what hath been said, it is appar-
ing, and he was cleansed.35 ent that the number seven, amongst the other
Also it is a number of repentance, and numbers, may deservedly be said to be most full
remission: hence was ordained the seventh of all efficacy. Moreover, the number seven
year's repentance for every sin, according to the hath great conformity with the number twelve;
opinion of the wise man, saying, and upon for as three and four makes seven, so thrice four
every sinner sevenfold: 36 also the seventh year make twelve, which are the numbers of the
there were granted remissions, and after full celestial planets, and signs, resulting from the
seven years there was given a full remission, as same root, and by the number four of the nature
is read in LeviticusY And Christ with seven of inferior things.
petitions38 finished his speech of our satisfac- There is also in sacred writ a very great
tion: hence also it is called the number of lib- observance of this number, before all others,
erty, because the seventh year the Hebrew and many, and very great are the mysteries
servant39 did challenge liberty for himself. It is thereof; many we have decreed to reckon up
also most suitable to divine praises. Whence the here, repeating them out of holy writ, by which
prophet saith, seven times a day do I praise thee, it will easily appear, that the number seven doth
because of thy righteous judgements.4o signify a certain fullness of sacred mysteries.
It is moreover called the number of revenge, For we read in Genesis, that the seventh
as saith the scripture, and Cain shall be revenged was the day of the rest of the Lord;57 and Enoch,
sevenfold. 4l And the psalmist saith, render unto a pious, holy man, was the seventh from
our neighbours sevenfold into their bosom, their Adam,58 and that there was another seventh man
reproach. 42 Hence there are seven wicked- from Adam, a wicked man, by name Lamech,59
nesses,43 as saith Solomon, and seven wickeder that had two wives; and that the sin of Cain 60
spirits44 taken, are read of in the Gospel. It signi- should be abolished the seventh generation: as it
fies also the time of the present circle,45 because is written, Cain shall be punished sevenfold:
it is finished in the space of seven days. and he that shall slay Cain, shall be revenged
 Of the Number Seven, and the Scale Thereof /271

sevenfold, to which the master of the History61 And in Numbers it is read, that the sons of
collects, that there were seven sins of Cain. Israel offered up seven ewe lambs 88 without
Also of all clean beasts seven,62 and seven were spot, and that seven days they did eat unleav-
brought into the ark, as also of fowls: and after ened bread,89 and that sin was expiated with
seven days the Lord rained upon the Earth, and seven lambs and a goat,90 and that the seventh
upon the seventh day the fountains of the deep63 day was celebrated, and holy,91 and the first
were broken up, and the waters covered the day92 of the seventh month was observed, and
Earth. Also Abraham gave to Abimelech seven kept holy, and the seventh month of the feast of
ewe lambs: 64 and Jacob served seven years for tabernacles,93 and seven calves94 were offered
Leah, and seven more for Rachael:65 and seven on the seventh day, and Baalam 95 erected seven
days the people of Israel bewailed the death of altars;95 seven days Mary the sister of Aaron
Jacob. 66 Moreover, we read in the same place, went forth leprous 96 out of the camp; seven days
of seven kine, and seven ears of com, seven he that touched a dead carcass 97 was unclean.
years of plenty, and seven years of scarcity. 67 And in Joshua seven priests carried the
And in Exodus, the sabbath of sabbaths,68 ark of the covenant before the host, and seven
the holy rest to the Lord, is commanded to be days they went round the cities, and seven
on the seventh day. Also on the seventh day trumpets were carried by the seven priests, and
Moses ceased to pray.69 On the seventh day on the seventh day the seven priests sounded
there shall be a solemnity of the Lord: 7o the the trumpets. 98
seventh year the servant shall go out free: 71 And in the book of Judges, Abessa99 reigned
seven days let the calf, and the lamb be without in Israel seven years, Sampson 100 kept his nup-
its dam: 72 the seventh year let the ground that tials seven days and the seventh day he put forth
hath been sown six years, be at rest: 73 the sev- a riddle to his wife, he was bound with seven
enth day shall be a holy sabbath, and a rest: the green withes,101 seven locks of his head were
seventh day, because it is the sabbath, shall be shaved Off,102 seven years were the children of
called holy.74 Israel oppressed by the king of Maden. 103
In Leviticus the seventh day75 also shall And in the books of the Kings, Elias
be more observed, and be more holy: and the prayed seven times, and at the seventh time,
first day of the seventh month shall be a sab- behold a little cloud!: 104 seven days the children
bath of memorial. 76 Seven days shall the sac- of Israel pitched over against the Syrians, and in
rifices be offered to the Lord,77 seven days the seventh day the battle was joined: 105 seven
shall the holy days of the Lord be celebrated, years famine was threatened to David for the
seven days in a year everlastingly in the gen- people's murmuring; 106 and seven times the
erations. 78 In the seventh month you shall cel- child sneezed, that was raised by Elisha ;107 and
ebrate feasts, and shall dwell in the seven men were crucified 108 together in the
tabernacles seven days: 79 seven times he shall days of the first harvest. Naaman was made
sprinkle himself before the Lord, that hath clean with seven washings by Elisha;l09 the
dipped his finger in blood: 8o he that is seventh month Golias was slain. llo
cleansed from the leprosy, shall dip seven And in Hester we read, that the King of
times in the blood of a sparrow: 81 seven days Persia had seven eunuchs: III and in Tobias
shall she be washed with running water, that is seven men were coupled with Sara l12 the
menstruous: 82 seven times he shall dip his fin- daughter of Raguel: and in Daniel Nebuchad-
ger in the blood of a bullock: 83 seven times I nezzar's furnace was heated seven times hot-
will smite you for your sins. 84 ter" 3 than it was used to be, and seven lions" 4
In Deuteronomy seven people possessed were in the den, and the seventh day came Neb-
the land of promise. 85 There is also read of a uchadnezzar.
seventh year of remission,86 and seven candles 87 In the book of Job there is made mention of
set up on the south side of the candlesticks. seven sons of Job, 115 and seven days and nights
272 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK n

Job's friends I 16 sat with him on the earth; and in cast out. Also seven years Christ was fled into
the same place, in seven troubles 117 no evil shall Egypt; 152 and the seventh hour the fever left the
touch thee. governor's son. 153
In Ezra we read of Artaxerxes his seven And in the Canonical Epistles, James
counsellors: 118 and in the same place the trum- describes seven degrees of wisdom,154 and
pet sounded: 119 the seventh month of the feast Peter seven degrees of virtues. 155
of tabernacles were in Ezra's time, 120 whilst the And in the Acts are reckoned seven dea-
children of Israel were in the cities: and on the cons,156 and seven disciples 157 chosen by the
first day of the seventh month Esdras read the apostles.
Law l21 to the people. Also in the Revelations there are many
And in the Psalms David praised the mysteries of this number: for there we read of
Lord l22 seven times in a day: silver is tried seven candlesticks,158 seven stars,159 seven
seven times; 123 and he renders to our neigh- crowns,16O seven churches, 161 seven spirits
bours sevenfold into their bosoms. 124 before the throne,162 seven rivers of Egypt, 163
And Solomon saith, that wisdom hath hewn seven seals,l64 seven marks,165 seven horns,
herself seven pillars; 125 seven men 126 that can seven eyes,l66 seven spirits of GOd,167 seven
render a reason, seven abominations l27 which angels with seven trumpets,168 seven horns of
the Lord abhors, seven abominations in the the dragon,169 seven heads of the dragon, who
heart of an enemy, 128 seven overseers, seven had seven diadems: 170 also seven plagues, 171
eyes beholding. and seven vials,172 which were given to one of
Isaiah numbers up seven gifts of the Holy the seven angels,173 seven heads of the scarlet
Ghost,1 29 and seven women shall take hold on beast, 174 seven mountains, 175 and seven kings 176
a man. 130 sitting upon them, and seven thunders 177 uttered
And in Jeremiah, she that hath born their voices.
seven,13I languisheth, she hath given up the Moreover this number hath much power, as
ghost. in natural, so in sacred, ceremonial, and also in
In Ezekiel, the prophet continued sad for other things: therefore the seven days are
seven days. 132 related hither, also the seven planets, the seven
In Zechariah seven lamps,133 and seven stars called Pleiades, the seven ages of the
pipes to those seven lamps, and seven eyes run- world,178 the seven changes of man,179 the
ning to and fro throughout the whole Earth,134 seven liberal arts,180 and so many mechanic,
and seven eyes upon one stone,135 and the fast and so many forbidden, seven colours,181 seven
of the seven days is turned into joy. 136 metals,182 seven holes in the head of a man,183
And in Micah, seven shepherds l37 are seven pair of nerves, 184 seven mountains l85 in
raised against the Assyrians. the city of Rome, seven Roman kings,1 86 seven
Also in the Gospel we read of seven civil wars, seven wise men in the time of Jere-
blessednesses,138 and seven virtues, 139 to which miah the prophet, and seven wise men of
seven vices l40 are opposed; seven petitions l41 of Greece. 187 Also Rome did bum seven days by
the Lord 's prayer, seven words of Christ l42 Nero. 188 By seven kings were slain ten thousand
upon the cross, seven words of the blessed Vir- martyrs.
gin Mary,143 seven 10aves l44 distributed by the There were Seven Sleepers, seven principal
Lord, seven baskets 145 of fragments, seven churches of Rome, and so many monasteries
brothers l46 having one wife, seven disciples l47 did Gregory build: so many sons Saint Felicity
of the Lord that were fishers, seven waterpots 148 brought forth: there were seven electors of the
in Can a of Galilee, 'seven woes l49 which the Empire l89 appointed, and seven solemn acts in
Lord threatens to the hypocrites, seven devils 150 crowning the Emperor; 190 the laws in the Testa-
cast out of the unclean woman, and seven ment require seven witnesses,191 there are seven
wickeder devils l51 taken in after that which was civil punishments, and seven canonical, and
 Of the Number Seven, and the Scale Thereof /273

seven canonical hours,192 the priest makes Lastly, this number is most potent of all, as
seven obeisances in the mass; seven sacra- in good, so evil; of this Livy, 197 the most ancient
ments, and seven orders of the clergy, 193 and a poet sang:
boy of seven years may be ordained by the
lesser, and may obtain a benefice fine cura. 194 The seventh light is come, and then all
There are seven penitential psalms,195 and things
seven commands of the second table,196 and To absolve the father of all light begins,
The seventh's of all things original,
seven hours were Adam and Eve in Paradis~,
The first seventh, seventh seven we call
and there were seven men foretold by an angel Perfect, with wandering stars the heaven's
before they were born, viz. Ismael , Isaac, ' volved,
Sampson , Jeremiah, John Baptist, James the And with as many circles is round rolled.
brother of the Lord, and Christ Jesus .

NOL"cs-ChapL"CR 7\..
I. seventh month-.. It is also in the seventh month II . in Timaeus-
that the foetus can be born living" (Theon 2.46
And he proceeded to divide after this man-
[Lawlor, 69)).
ner. First of all, he took away one part of
2. breeds teeth-"Children develop teeth starting the whole [I] , and then he separated a sec-
from the seventh month after birth, and fully produce ond part which was double the first [2],
their teeth in seven years ... " (ibid.). See also Pliny and then he took away a third part which
7.15 (Bostock and Riley, 2: 153). was half as much again as the second and
three times as much as the first [3], and
3. boys wax ripe-... .. the semen and puberty make then he t09k a fourth part which was twice
their appearance at the age of fourteen ... " (Theon as much as the second [4], and a fifth part
2.46 [Lawlor, 69)). which was three times the third [9], and a
sixth part which was eight times the first
4. 10 be hairy-..... it is in the third period, i.e. at the [8], and a seventh part which was twenty-
age of twenty-one, that the beard begins to grow. It is seven times the first [27]. (Plato Timaeus
then also that a man acquires his full height ... " (ibid.). 35b [Hamilton and Cairns, 1165)
5. barnish-Burnish: to grow stout.
12. same re volution-In music, every eighth note is
6. cease to grow taller-... .. it is only in the fourth repeated, forming the octave, which is the same tone
period, i.e. at twenty-eight, that he acquires his stout- separated by a ratio 2: I.
ness" (ibid.).
13 . seven modulations-Ditone: major third; semidi-
7. prophet saying-David in Psalms 90: 10. tone : imperfect third; diatessaron : fourth; diapente:
fifth; diapason: octave.
8. black members-"There are seven viscera, the
tongue, the heart, the lungs, the liver, the spleen and 14. powerful aspect-Called in astrology the aspect
the two kidneys" (Theon 2.46 [Lawlor, 69)). of opposition, when two planets or significant points
are 180 degrees apart, resulting in maximum tension
9. above seven-It is perhaps unnecessary to add
that these estimates of endurance are wildly inaccu- and polarization between them.
rate. Seven minutes without air would kill most peo-
ple, and it has, unfortunately, been demonstrated 15 . seventh sign-"From one solstice of the sun to
through experience that man can live more than a the other there are seven months, and the planets
month without food, though not without water, are seven in number. Similarly seven months are
which is required after a week or so. counted from one equinox to the other" (Theon
2.46 [Lawlor, 69]). Bear in mind that the ancients
10. judgements in diseases- "Seven days are needed began to count from the first element in a series,
to diagnose illness, and in all periodic fevers , even in whereas we begin on the second. By modern reck-
three and four-day fevers, the seventh day is always oning there are only six signs between equinoxes
the most serious" (ibid.). and solstices.
 N
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Elementary of the planets
World
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silver of the planets

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of the planets
- - - ~--- - -- - -
 The Scale of Lhe NumbeR Seven konL'd.J

Seven integral
Right foot Head Right hand Heart Privy Left hand Left foot members distributed
In the members to the planets
Lesser
World Seven holes of the
Right ear Left ear Right Right eye Left Mouth Left eye head distributed
nostril nostril to the planets

Seven habitations
In the mi1~' ma'?~~ mniV.iJ1' ni1iV1~:l Fi1t!)'t!) 1'1:l~ ,?,~iV of infernals; which
Infernal Hell The gates The The pit of The clay Perdition The depth Rabbi Joseph of
World 198 of death shadow destruction of death of the Castilia the Cabalist
of death Earth describes in the
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276/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

16. makes a cross-The Grand Cross of astrology is do not create, like 6 which is the product of
formed when four planets or significant points such 2 and 3, but which does not create any of
as the nodes of the Moon are at 90 degrees to each the numbers in the decad. Others create but
other, and is the constellation of maximum tension. are not created, such as 3 and 5 which are
not created by any combination of num-
17. seven signs-Agrippa seems to be echoing bers, but which create: 3 produces 9, and
Theon here (see note 15 above), but the wording is multiplied by 2 produces 6, and 5 multi-
far from clear, and perhaps might better read: "By plied by 2 produces 10.
the same radiation, and number the summer solstice Seven is the only number which, multi-
is distant from the winter, and the autumnal plied by another number, creates none of
equinoctium from the spring, all which are done by the numbers in the decad, and which is not
seven signs." produced by the multiplication of any
number. (Theon 2.46 [Lawlor, 68])
18. seven circles-Since Agrippa speaks of longi-
tude, he is presumably referring to the house circles 27. Pa/las-
of astrology, which define the houses of the zodiac.
There are six of these that go round the Earth north to Another number of the decad, the number
south, intersecting at the poles. It is not clear to me seven, is endowed with a remarkable prop-
how Agrippa gets seven circles, unless it is through erty: it is the only one which does not give
the same system of counting whereby he gets seven birth to any number contained in the decad
signs in 180 degrees (see note 15 above). and which is not born out of any of them,
which fact moved the Pythagoreans to give
19. axel tree-Axis of the Earth, which in ancient it the name Athena, because this goddess
times was considered to be the axis of the universe. was not born out of a mother and gave
birth to none. (ibid.)
20. Charles' Wain-The constellation Ursa Major,
Pallas Athene sprang from the brow of Zeus asexu-
which is formed of seven bright stars.
ally, and remained a virgin.
21. measuring again-l + 2 + 3 +4+ 5 + 6 + 7 =28 .
The Moon crosses the plane of the ecliptic twice 28. septenare-The Hebrew saba, from the root
every revolution about the Earth. These intersections SBAa (,l):liD), "seven," one of two kinds of oath
are called the nodes of the Moon. For 14 days the taken by Jews, the other being the alah (curse),
Moon is above the ecliptic, and for 14 days below it. which invokes the curse of God should the oath be
violated.
22. of its /ight-"The month is composed of four
weeks (four times seven days); in the first week the 29. seven ewe lambs--Genesis 21 :29-31.
moon appears divided in two; in the second it
becomes full, in the third it is again divided, and in 30. Creator rested--Genesis 2:2.
the fourth, it retums to meet the sun in order to begin
31. ca/led the Sabbath-Exodus 20:8-11.
a new month and to increase during the following
week" (Theon 2.46 [Lawlor, 68]). 32. in the grave-Matthew 28 : I .
23. same as the second-The tides are highest during
33. Apuleius saith-" ... I plunged my selfe seven
the full and new Moon because in these phases the
times into the water of the Sea, which number of
Moon and Sun are aligned and their tidal forces com-
seven is conveniable and agreeable to holy and divine
pounded; during the waxing and waning phases, the
things, as the worthy and sage Philosopher Pythago-
Sun and Moon war against each other, and the tidal
ras hath declared" (Apuleius The Golden Asse 47).
effect of the Sun cancels out a portion of the tidal
effect of the Moon. 34. blood of a sparrow-Leviticus 14:7. In the Bible
the type of bird is not specified, but Rashi says:
24. seventh day-Saturday is the Jewish sabbath.
"Since plagues come from evil talk, which is the act
25 . John witnesseth-Revelation 20. of babbling words, consequently there were required
for his purification birds which babble continually
26. generated, or generates- with chirping sounds" (Rashi 1949, 3: 129).

Among the numbers contained in the 35. he was cleansed-2 Kings 5: 10-4.
decad, some create and some are created,
for example 4 multiplied by 2 creates 8, 36. evelY sinner sevenfold-the wiseman is
and is created by 2. Others are created but Solomon. See Proverbs 6:31.
 Of the Number Seven, and the Scale Thereof / 277

37. in Leviticus-Leviticus 25. Full seven years is 66. death of Jacob-Genesis 50: 10.
7 x 7.
67. seven years of scarcity-Genesis 41.
38. seven petitions-Matthew 6:9-13.
68. sabbath of sabbaths-The root of sabbath is
39. Hebrew servant-See note 9, ch. IX, bk. II. SBTh (rl~iD), meaning "rest." Thus "the sabbath of
rest"-Exodus 31:15 and 35:2-where l'n~iD indi-
40. righteous judgements-Psalms 119: 164. cates intensity, a great sabbath or solemn sabbath.

41. revenged sevenfold-Genesis 4:15. 69. Moses ceased to pray-Exodus 24: 16.
42. their reproach-Psalms 79:12. 70. solemnity of the Lord-Exodus 31: 15.
43. seven wickednesses-Proverbs 6:16-9. 71. go out free-See note 9, ch. IX, bk. II.
44. wickeder spirits-Matthew 12:45. 72. without its dam-Exodus 22:30.

45. present circle-Week. 73. be at rest-Exodus 23:11.

46. to be sevenfold-Isaiah 11 :2. Presumably the 74. called holy-See note 68 above.
holiness of the Spirit is indicated in the biblical
phrase "of the Lord." 75. the seventh day-Leviticus 23:8 .

47. seven of God-Zechariah 4: 10. 76. sabbath of memorial-Leviticus 23:24.

48 . in Tobias-Apocryphal book of Tobit 12:15. 77. offered to the Lord-Leviticus 23 :36.

49. in Revelation-Revelation 8:2. 78. in the generations-Leviticus 23:41.

50. seven lamps-Revelation 4:5. 79. tabernacles seven days-Leviticus 23 :42.

51. golden candlesticks-Revelation 1: 12. 80. finger in blood-Leviticus 4:6.

52. seven stars-Revelation 1: 16. 81 . blood of a sparrow-See note 34 above.

53. seven trumpets-See note 49 above. 82. menstruous-Leviticus 15:19, in the context of
15:13.
54. seven eyes-Revelation 5:6.
83. blood of a bullock-See note 80 above.
55 . seven seals-Revelation 5: 1.
84. for your sins-Leviticus 26: 18.
56. silence in heaven-Revelation 8: 1.
85. land of promise-Perhaps Deuteronomy 27:3,
57. rest of the Lord-See note 30 above. with reference to Joshua 18:6.

58 . seventh from Adam-Genesis 5:24. Enoch was 86. year of remission-Deuteronomy 15: 1.
the sixth generation by modern reckoning.
87. seven candles-This would seem to refer to
59. by name Lamech-Genesis 4: 19. Lamech was Numbers 8:2.
descended from Cain.
88. seven ewe lambs-Numbers 28: 11. But there is
60. sin of Cain-Genesis 4:24. no mention here of ewes; in fact, Rashi says the
lambs are male (Rashi 1949, 4:300). Agrippa may
61. master of the History-Perhaps this refers to have been misled by Genesis 21 :29, where the seven
Josephus Antiquities of the Jews 1.2.2. lambs are indeed ewes.

62. clean beasts seven-Genesis 7:2-3. 89. unleavened bread-Numbers 28: 17.

63. fountains of the deep-Genesis 7:10-1. 90. lambs and a goat-Numbers 28:21-2.

64. seven ewe lambs-See note 29 above. 91. celebrated, and holy-Numbers 28:25.

65 . for Rachael-Genesis 29: 18-28. 92. first day-Numbers 29: 1.

278/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK IT

93 . feast of tabernacles-Numbers 29: 12. 120. Ezra's time-Ezra 3:1, 4.

94. seven calves-Numbers 29:32. Young bullocks. 121. read the Law-Nehemiah 13: I.
See 29:17.
122. praised the Lord-See note 40 above.
95. seven altars-Numbers 23: 1.
123. tried seven times-Psalms 12:6.
96. went forth leprous-Miriam, in Numbers 12:14.
124. into their bosoms-Psalms 79: 12.
97. dead carcass-Numbers 19: 11.
125. seven pillars-Proverbs 9: I.
98. sounded the trumpets-Joshua 6:3-4.
126. seven men-Proverbs 26: 16.
99. Abessa-Abiezer, the clan of Gideon, which
drove out Midian after Midian had ruled Israel seven 127. seven abominations-See note 43 above.
years. See Judges 6:1,11,34. Agrippa's reference is
128 . heart of an enemy-Proverbs 26:25.
confused.
129. Holy Ghost-See note 46 above.
100. Sampson-Judges 14: 12, 17.
130. hold on a man-Isaiah 4: I.
101 . seven green withes-A withe is a green, flexible
sapling used for binding or plaiting; willow wands. 131. hath born seven-Jeremiah 15:9.
See Judges 16:8.
132. sadfor seven days-Ezekiel 3:15.
102. shaved off-Judges 16: 19.
133. seven lamps-Zechariah 4:2 .
103. king of Maden-Midian. See note 99 above.
134. whole Earth-See note 47 above.
104. little cloud-I Kings 18:44.
135. one stone-Zechariah 3:9.
105. battle was joined-I Kings 20:29.
136. turned into joy-Zechariah 8: 19.
106. people's murmuring-probably II Kings 8: I.
137. seven shepherds-Micah 5:5.
107. raised by Elisha-II Kings 4:35.
138. seven blessednesses-Matthew 5: 3-11. But I
108. seven men were crucified-II Samuel 21:9. count nine.
109. seven washings by Elisha-II Kings 5:14. 139. seven virtues-Matthew 19: 18-21.
110. Golias was slain-Gedaliah. II Kings 25 :25. 140. seven vices-Matthew 15:19.

III. seven eunuchs-Esther 1: 10. 141. seven petitions-See note 38 above.

112. coupled with Sara-Tobit 3:8 . 142. seven words of Christ-Luke 23:46.
113. seven times hotter-Daniel 3: 19. 143. Virgin Mary-Perhaps John 2:5 .

114. seven lions-Daniel was cast into the den of 144. seven loaves-Matthew 15:36.
lions by Darius (Daniel 6: 16). The reference is to
Daniel 14:31, 39. See the Knox translation-this 145. seven baskets-Matthew 15:37 .
chapter is not included in King James.
146. seven brothers-Matthew 22:25-6.
115. seven sons of Job-Job 1:2.
147. seven disciples-John 21:2.
116. Job'sfriends-Job 2: 13.
148. seven waterpots-John 2:6. The pots were six.
117 . seven troubles-Job 5: 19.
149. seven woes-Matthew 23:13-29.
118. seven counsellors-Ezra 7: 14.
150. seven devils-Luke 8:2.
119. trumpet sounded-Ezra 3: 10; see also
Nehemiah 12:35. 151. seven wickeder devils-See note 44 above.
 Of the Number Seven, and the Scale Thereof /279

I 52.j7ed into Egypt-Matthew 2: 14-5. 8th century, and wrote the Historia Britanum. They
are: (I) Adam to Noah, (2) Noah to Abraham, (3)
153. governor's son-John 4:52. Abraham to David, (4) David to Daniel, (5) Daniel to
John the Baptist, (6) John the Baptist to Judgement
154. seven degrees of wisdom-James 3: 17. Day, (7) Second coming of Christ. On this subject,
155. seven degrees of virtues-II Peter 1:5-7. see Graves [1948] 1973, 266--8.

156. seven decons-Acts 20:4. 179. seven changes of man-

His acts bring seven ages. At first the infant,
157. seven disciples-Perhaps Acts 20:4. Mewling and puking in the nurse's anns.
And then the whining school-boy, with his
158. seven candlesticks-See note 51 above.
satchel,
159. seven stars-See note 52 above. And shining morning face, creeping like
snail
160. seven crowns-Revelation 12:3. Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
161. seven churches-Revelation I: II. Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a
soldier,
162. before the throne-Revelation 1:4. Full of strange oaths, and bearded like a
163. seven rivers of Egypt-Isaiah II: 15, not Reve- pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in
lation.
quarrel,
164. seven seals-See note 55 above. Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the
165. seven marks-Perhaps Revelation 13: 16. justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lin 'd,
166. seven eyes--See note 54 above. With eyes severe, and beard of fonnal cut,
Full of wise saws and modem instances;
167. seven spirits of God-See note 49 above.
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
168. seven trumpets-See note 53 above. Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side,
169. horns of the dragon-Revelation 12:3. But the His youthful hose well sav'd, a world too
horns are ten. Perhaps Agrippa has confused this pas- wide
sage with Revelation 5:6. For his shrunk shank; and his big manly
voice,
170. seven diadems-See note 160 above. Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
171 . seven plagues-Revelation 15: I. That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
172. seven vials-Revelation 15:7.
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans
173. seven angels-Revelation 17: I. everything.
(Shakespeare As You Like It act 2, sc. 7,
174. scarlet beast-Revelation 17:3. lines 143-66)

175. seven mountains-Revelation 17:9. 180. seven liberal arts-Descended from the nine
disciplinae of Yarro, the seven liberal arts were rec-
176. seven kings-Revelation 17:10. ognized by Augustine and Martianus Capella. In the
Middle Ages they were divided into a Trivium of
177. seven thunders-Revelation 10:4.
grammar, logic and rhetoric and a Quadrivium of
178. seven ages of the world-Hesiod gives five music, arithmetic, geometry and astronomy.
ages: (I) golden, (2) silver, (3) bronze, (4) heroic and
181. seven colours-Black, white, red, green, yel-
(5) iron. Ovid omits the fourth age, perhaps because
low, blue, purple.
it offended his sense of poetic symmetry. Lucretius
names three, which are the ones that have come 182. seven metals-See table at end of chapter.
down to modem times: (I) stone, (2) bronze, and (3)
iron. The division of seven ages originated with Nen- 183. head of man-See table at end of chapter.
nius. a Welsh historian who lived at the end of the
280 I THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

184. seven pairs of nerves-The nerves were fixed 191. seven witnesses-Genesis 21 :30.
at seven by Celsus in his De Medicina, written
early in the first century. Actually there are 12 rec- 192. canonical hours-See note 47, ch. XVIII, bk. III.
ognized pairs.
193. orders of the clergy-These were divided into
185. seven mountains-Rome is built on seven hills: Major (bishop, priest and deacon [with subdeacon])
(1) Mons Palatinus, (2) Mons Capitolinus, (3) Mons and Minor (doorkeeper, reader, exorcist and acolyte).
Quirinalis, (4) Mons Caelius, (5) Mons Aventinus, This ordering was established at the beginning of the
(6) Mons Viminalis, (7) Mons Esquilinus. Hence it third century.
was named Urbs Septicollis.
194. fine cura-Literally, "at the end of care." A
186. seven Roman kings-(l) Romulus (753-716 benifice is an ecclesiastical living. This circumstance
Be), (2) Numa Pompilius (716-{)73 Be), (3) Tullus occurred to the Venerable Bede (see biographical note).
Hostilius (673-641 Be), (4) Ancus Marcius (640-616
Be), (5) L. Tarquinius Priscus (616-578 Be), (6) 195. penitential psalms-Psalms 6, 32, 38, 51 , 102,
Survius Tullius (578-534 Be), (7) L. Tarquinius 130 and 143 of the King James version; 6, 31, 37, 50,
Superbus (534-510 Be). 101,129 and 142 of the Vulgate. They are used cere-
monially; for example, in the consecration of altars.
187. wise men of Greece-(I) Solon of Athens, (2)
Chilo of Sparta, (3) Thales of Miletos, (4) Bias of 196. second table-There is a myth that three com-
Priene, (5) Cleobulos of Lindos, (6) Pittacos of Mity- mandments were on one of the stone tablets Moses
lene, (7) Periander of Corinth. brought down from Mount Sinai, and seven on the
other. See the plate at the start of The Sixth and Sev-
188. seven days by Nero-"For six days and seven
enth Books of Moses published by de Laurence,
nights together raged he [Nero] in this wise, making
Chicago.
havoc of all and driving the common people to take
up their inns and shrowd themselves the while about 197. Livy-Livius Andronicus. See biographical note.
the tombs and monuments of the dead" (Suetonius
"Nero Claudius Caesar" 38. In History of the Twelve 198. the infernal world-Many of these Hebrew
Caesars [Holland, 290]). spellings appear to be printer's errors dating back to
the original Latin edition. Since that time, they have
189. electors of the Empire-Seven German princes been faithfully copied by imitators, including Francis
who held the office of electing the German emperor
Barrett in The Magus (1801), who corrupted them
under the authority of the pope from the 13th to 19th
even further. Some effort at restoration was made by
centuries. They possessed considerable power in
either MacGregor Mathers or Aleister Crowley in the
Agrippa's time. When the Holy Roman Empire was
19th century; their version at least has the advantage
dissolved in 1806, the electors ceased to exist.
of being actual Hebrew words:
190. crowning the Emperor-Prior to Maximilian I Valley of Hinnom, Gehenna (Joshua 15:8) C:li1 ':l
(until 1440) the coronation of the German emperor (Hell fire [Matthew 5:22] YEEvva)
was performed at Rome by the pope. The future Gates of death (Psalms 9: 13) mrY'1J)iD
emperor was met at the silver doors of St. Peter' s, Shadow of death (Psalms 23 :4) mD-'?~
where the first prayer was recited. He was then led Pit of destruction (Psalms 55:23) nniD 1~:::l
inside where a second prayer was spoken. He went to
Miry clay (Psalms 40:2) P'i1 t!l't!l
the confessio of St. Peter and was anointed on the
Destruction (Psalms 88: II) 1~':::l~
right arm and between the shoulders. Ascending the
Grave, hell (Psalms 9: 17) ;'~iD
high altar, the pope delivered to him a naked sword,
which he flourished and sheathed. The pope then Most of these expressions 9ccur more than once in the
delivered the scepter. The crown was placed on the Bible, some of them (e.g, "'~iD) many times. Some
emperor's head by the pontiff. The ceremony con- (e.g.,l"i1 t!l't!l) occur only once. I have simply cited
cluded with a coronation mass said by the pope. the first appearance in Psalms, if there is one.
 CHAPTeR ,,1

Of rhe numbeR of eighr, and rhe scale rheReof.

he Pythagoreans call eight the number plate, a coat, a girdle, a miter, a robe, an ephod,

T of justice, and fullness: first, because it

is first of all divided into numbers
equally even, viz. into four, and that
division is by the same reason made into twice
a girdle of the ephod, a golden plate; hither
belongs the number to eternity,8 and the end of
the world, because it follows the number seven,
which is the mystery of time: 9 hence also the
two, viz. by twice two twice; and by reason of this number of blessedness; for Christ teacheth so
equality of division, I it took to itself the name of many degrees of blessedness, as you may see in
Justice, but the other2 received the name, viz. of Matthew: 10 it is also called the number of safety,
Fullness, by reason of the contexture of the cor- and conservation, for there were so many souls
poreal solidity, since the first makes a solid body. of the sons of Jesse ,II from which David was the
Hence the custom of Orpheus , swearing by eighth. Also Zacharias, the father of John ,
eight deities,3 if at any time he would beseech received his speech the eighth day.12
divine justice, whose names are these: Fire, They say this number was dedicated to
Water, Earth, the Heaven, Moon, Sun, Phanes, Dionysus,12 because he was born the eighth
the Night. There are also only eight visible month, in everlasting memory whereof, Naxos
spheres 4 of the heavens: also by it the property the island was dedicated to him, which obtained
of corporeal nature is signified, which Orpheus this prerogative, that only the women of Naxos
comprehends in eight of his sea songs. 5 should safely bring forth in the eighth month,
This is also called the covenant of circumci- and their children should live, whereas the chil-
sion, which was commanded to be done by the dren of the eighth month in other nations die,
Jews the eight day.6 There were also in the old and their mothers then bringing forth are in
Law eight ornaments of the priest,? viz. a breast- manifest danger.

No'Ces-Chap'CeR 7\.1
1. equality of division-2 X 4. "By the creators of things forever immor-
tal: fire and water, earth and heaven, the
2. the other-2 X 2 X 2. moon and the sun, the great torch and the
black night." (Theon 2.47 [Lawlor, 69])
3. eight deities-
See the Hymns of Orpheus: 2, "To Night"; 3, "To
Some people say that there are eight prin- Heaven"; 4, "To Fire"; 5, "To Protogonus" (i.e.
ciple gods in the universe, and this is also Phanes); 7, "To the Sun"; 8, "To the Moon"; 21, "To
found in the oaths of Orpheus: the Sea, or Tethys"; 25 , "To the Earth."

281
282/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

4. eight visible spheres-Seven spheres of the planets 8. number to eternity-Eight on its side forms the
and the eighth of the zodiac. The ninth was God and lemniscate (00), symbol of eternity.
invisible. "Timotheus also relates the proverb 'eight
is all,' because the spheres of the world which tum 9. mystery of time-Because seven neither arises nor
around the earth are eight in number" gives rise to other numbers (see note 26, ch. X, bk.
(Theon 2.47 [Lawlor, 69-70]). II); therefore it neither begins nor ends.

5. his sea songs-In the Orphic hymn "To Ocean" 10. in Matthew-See note 138, ch. X, bk. II.
the sea was venerated as "the greatest purifier of the
gods" and was called by Pythagoras, according to II. sons of Jesse-I Samuel 16: 10--3.
Porphyry, "a tear of Saturn" because, as Thomas
Taylor says, Saturn represents pure intellect (Taylor 12. the eighth day-Luke 1:59-64.
1875, 108). The Orphic hymns most closely con-
nected with the sea are: 16, "To Neptune"; 21, "To 13. to Dionysus-Dionysus was the son of Zeus and
the Sea, or Tethys"; 22, "To Nereus"; 23 , "To the the Theban princess Semele. In love with Semele,
Nereids"; 24, "To Proteus"; 73, "To Leucothea"; 74, Zeus made the intemperate promise that he would do
"To Palaemon"; 82, "To Ocean." Agrippa may be whatever thing she demanded. At the jealous prompt-
referring to other hymns. ing of Hera, Semele asked to see Zeus in all his
splendor. Zeus could not refuse since he had sworn
6. the eight day-Genesis 17:12. an oath by the River Styx, and when he lifted the veil
off his face Semele was consumed by his burning
7. ornaments of the priest-Exodus 28:4, 8, 36. fire, but Zeus snatched the growing fetus out of her
womb and put it safely into his thigh, where he
brought it to term.
 The Scale of L"he NumbeR CighL"

In the The names

Original n.!i" i1"~ Eloha Vedaath of God with
World n.!i" i1,i1" Jehovah Vedaath eight letters

In the Eight
Intelligible Inheritance Incorrup- Power Victory The vision Grace A king Joy rewards of
World tion of God dom the blessed

In the The The The The The The The Eight

Celestial The starry heaven of heaven of heaven heaven of heaven of heaven of heaven of visible
World heaven Saturn Jupiter of Mars the Sun Venus Mercury the Moon heavens

In the The The The The The The The The Eight o
....,
Elementary dryness of coldness moisture heat of heat of moisture dryness coldness particular 50
co
World the earth of the of the air the fire the air of the of the fire of the qualities Z
water water earth '"
g
3
...,
- o....,
That They which
tT'l
In the The o'Q .
hunger are perse- Eight kinds
Lesser peace- and thirst The meek cuted for Pure in Merciful Poor in Mourners of blessed F
§
World makers after right- righteous- heart spirit men 0-

eousness ness' sake ~

Vl
()

In the
'"~
Eight ;l
The wrath Ind.igna- Tribula- co
Infernal Prison Death Judgement Darkness Anguish rewards of @
of God tion tion ....,
o
World the damned
--
IV
ex>
V>
 CHAPTeR All

Of rhe numbeR of nine, and rhe scale rheReof.

he number nine is dedicated to the stones,2 which are the sapphire, emerald, car-

T Muses, by the help of the order of the

celestial spheres, and divine spirits:
hence there are nine movable spheres,
and according to those there are nine Muses, I
buncle, beryl, onyx, chrysolite, jasper, topaz,
sardis: this number hath also a great, and occult
mystery of the cross: for the ninth hour our Lord
Jesus Christ breathed out his spirit. 3 And in nine
viz. Calliope, Urania, Polymnia , Terpsichore , days the ancients buried their dead,4 and in so
Clio, Melpomene , Erato, Euterpe, Thalia, many years they say Minea received laws from
which nine Muses indeed are appropriated to Jupiter in a cave;5 whence this number was most
the nine spheres, so that the first resembles the especially taken notice of by Homer , when laws
supreme sphere, which they call primum were to be given, or answers were to be given, or
mobile, and so descending by degrees, accord- the sword was like to rage. The astrologers also
ing to the written order, unto the last, which take notice of the number nine in the ages of
resembles the sphere of the Moon, so, viz. Cal- men, no otherwise than they do of seven, which
liope is appropriated to the primum mobile, they call climaterical years, which are eminent
Urania to the starry heaven, Polymnia to Sat- for some remarkable change.
urn, Terpsichore to Jupiter, Cleo to Mars, Yet sometimes it signifies imperfectness,
Melpomene to the Sun, Erato to Venus, Euterpe and incompleteness, because it doth not attain
to Mercury, Thalia to the Moon. to the perfection of the number ten, but is less
There are also nine orders of blessed angels, by one, without which it is deficient, as Austin
viz. Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Domina- interprets it out of the ten lepers:6 neither is the
tions, Powers, Virtues, Principalities, Arch- longitude of nine cubits of Og,7 king of Balan,
angels, Angels, which Ezekiel figures out of nine who is a type of the Devil, without a mystery.

Norcs-ChaprCR All
I. nine Muses-Calliope, epic poetry; Urania, 4. buried their dead-Thi s is derived from Homer,
astronomy; Polyhymnia, sacred poetry; Terpsichore, and pertains to the myth of Niobe, whose sons and
choral dance and song; Clio, history; Melpomene, daughters were slain by the gods to punish her for her
tragedy; Erato, love poetry; Euterpe, lyric poetry; pride and vanity: "Nine days long they lay in their
Thalia, comedy. blood; nor was there anyone/to bury them, for the son
of Kronos made stones out of/the people; but the tenth
2. nine stones-Ezekiel 28: 13.
day the Uranian gods buried them" (Iliad 24, lines
3. his spirit-Matthew 27 :46. This exclamation of 610-2 [Lattimore, 491]). The same myth is related
Christ is in the King James Bible nine words. with poetic coloring by Ovid in the MetamOlphosis

284
 The Scale of L"he NumbeR Nine

In the n'~:1~ i1,i1" Jehovah Sabaoth . The names

Original ':Jp'~ i1,i1" Jehovah Zidkenu of God with
World 1:1" ~ Q"i1'?~ Elohim Gibor nine letters

Seraphim Cherubim Thrones Domina- Powers Virtues Principal- Arch- Angels Nine quires
In the tions ities angels of angels
Intelligible
World Nine angels
Metattron Ophaniel9 Zaphkiel Zadkiel Camael Raphael Haniel Michael Gabriel ruling the
heavens

In the Primum Starry Sphere of Sphere of Sphere Sphere Sphere Sphere Sphere Nine
Celestial mobile heaven Saturn Jupiter of Mars of of Venus of of the movable
World the Sun Mercury Moon spheres o
....,
:r
C1>
Nine stones zc::
In the representing 3
Elementary Sapphire Emerald Carbuncle Beryl Onyx Chryso- Jasper Topaz Sardis the nine ..,?f
World lite quires of ....,
o

angels Z
.~ .

In the Nine senses '"S.

Lesser Memory Cogitative Imagina- Common Hearing Seeing Smelling Tasting Touching inward, and :r
C1>
World tive sense outward Vl
(")

together '"(i"
;l
In the False Lying Vessels of Avengers Airy Furies, Sifters, Tempters, Nine C1>
@
Infernal spirits spirits iniquity of wicked- Jugglers powers sowing or or orders of o....,
World ness mischiefs Tryers Ensnarers devils
-
--
tv
00
U\
286/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

6.2. Ovid makes the sons and daughters each seven in 7. nine cubits o/Og-Deuteronomy 3: 11.
number. It seems probable that the nine days echo
some ancient burial custom or mystery of religion. 8. Gibor-Agrippa gives the Hebrew for Gibor as
GIBR (1:::l'J), which disagrees with the modern
5. Jupiter in a cave-Homer speaks of: "Knossos, spelling GBVR (1,:::lJ).
the great city, the place where Minos/was king for
nine-year periods, and conversed with great Zeus" 9. Ophaniel-The name of this angel should proba-
(Odyssey 19, lines 178-9 [Lattimore, 286]). bly be Jophiel. However, it occurs in this form in
both the English and Latin editions.
6. ten lepers-Luke 17:12-9.
 CHAPTeR Alll

Of rhe numbeR ren, and rhe scale rheReof.

he number ten is called every number, sung; nablum, the same as organs; mizmor, on

T or an universal number, complete,

signifying the full course of life: for
beyond that we cannot number, but by
replication; and it either implies all numbers
which the psalms; sit, on which the canticles;
tehila, on which orations; beracha, on which
benedictions; halel, on which praises; hodaia,
on which thanks; asre, on which the felicity of
within itself, or explains them by itself, and its anyone; hallelujah,9 on which the praises of
own, by mUltiplying them: 1 wherefore it is God only, and contemplations. There were also
accounted to be of a manifold religion, and ten singers of psalms, viz. Adam, Abraham,
power, and is applied to the purging of souls. Melchisedech, Moses, Asaph, David, Solomon,
Hence the ancients called ceremonies denary,2 and three sons of Chora;lo there are also ten
because they that were to be expiated, and to commandments; and the tenth dayll after the
offer sacrifices, were to abstain from some cer- ascension of Christ the Holy Ghost came down.
tain things for ten days. Whence amongst the This lastly is the number in which Jacob
Egyptians it was the custom for him that would wrestling with the angel all night overcame, and
sacrifice to 10 ,3 to fast ten days before, which at the rising of the Sun was blessed, and called
Apuleius testifies of himself, saying, it was by the name of Israel. 12 In this number Joshua
commanded that I should for the space of ten overcame thirty-one kings,13 and David over-
days refrain all meat, and be fasting. 4 came Goliath,14 and the Philistines, and Daniel
There are ten sanguine parts of man, the escaped the danger of the lions. 15
menstrues, the sperm, the plasmatic spirit,5 the This number also is as circular as unity,
mass,6 the humours, the organical body, the because being heaped together, 16 returns into a
vegetative part, the sensitive part, reason, and unity, from whence it had its beginning, and it is
the mind. There are also ten simple integral the end, and perfection of all numbers, and the
parts ' constituting man, the bone, cartilage, beginning of tens. As the number ten flows
nerve, fiber, ligament, artery, vein, membrane, back into a unity, from whence it proceeded, so
flesh, skin. There are also ten parts of which a everything that is flowing is returned back to
man consists intrinsically, the spirit, the brain, that from which it had the beginning of its flux.
the lungs, the heart, the liver, the gall, the So water returns to the sea, from whence it had
spleen, the kidneys, the testicles, the matrix. its beginning, the body returns to the earth, from
There were ten curtains in the temple,7 ten whence it was taken; time returns into eternity,
strings in the psaltery,8 ten musical instruments from whence it flowed, the spirit shall return to
with which the psalms were sung, the names of God that gave it; and lastly, every creature
which were: neza, on which their odes were returns to nothing, from whence it was created,

287
288/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

The Scale of

., j1", j1" j1, j1" ~j1 ,~,

The name of Jehovah with ten letters The name of Jehovah of

collected

In the i1'i1~ i11i1' , i11i1' ?~ 1:::l" D'i1?~

Original D'i1?~
World Eheie lod Jehovah Jehovah El Elohim Gibor
Elohim

1n~ i1a~n j1J':::l 10n i111:::l'

Kether Hochmah Binah Hesed Geburah .

Seraphim Cherubim Thrones Dominations Powers

In the
Intelligible
World Haioth ha- Ophanim Aralim Hasmallim Seraphim
Kados

Metattron Jophiel Zaphkiel Zadkiel Camael

Rashith ha- Masloth Sabbathi Zedeck Madim

In the Gallalim
Celestial
World Primum Sphere of Sphere of Sphere of Sphere
mobile the Zodiac Saturn Jupiter of Mars

In the
Elementary Dove Leopard Dragon Eagle Horse
World

In the
Lesser Spirit Brain Spleen Liver Gall
World

In the
Infernal False gods Lying Vessels of Revengers of Jugglers
World spirits iniquity wickedness
 Of the Number Ten, and the Scale Thereof /289

L"he NumbeR Ten

~i1 ".,
ten letters extended
n'~~~ ~"i1?~
The name Elohim Sabaoth
The names
of God with
ten letters
jP,?~ i11i1' Q'i1'?~ "iD l,?a, :J'~
m~:J~ m~:J~ Ten names
Eloha Jehovah Elohim Shaddai Adonai of God
Sabaoth Sabaoth Malekh

n..,~~n n~:J '1i1 '10' m~'?a Ten

Tiphereth Netzach Hod Iesod Malchuth sephiroth

Ten orders of
Virtues Principal- Archangels Angels Blessed the blessed
ities Souls according to
Dionysius

Ten orders of
the blessed
Malachim Elohim Ben Elohim Cherubim Issim according to
the traditions
of men

Raphael Haniel Michael Gabriel The soul of Ten angels

Messiah ruling

Shemes Noga Cochab Levanah Holom

Jesodoth Ten spheres
of the
Sphere of Sphere of Sphere of Sphere of Sphere of world
the Sun Venus Mercury the Moon the Elements

Ten animals
Lion Man Serpent Bull Lamb consecrated
to the Gods

Ten parts
Heart Kidneys Lungs Genitals Matrix intrinsical
of man

Airy Furies, the Sifters, or Tempters, or Wicked souls Ten orders

powers seminaries Tryers Ensnarers bearing rule of the
of evil damned
290/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

neither is it supported but by the word of God, God as his own, 19 together with the first fruits,20
in whom all things are hid; and all things with as the original of things, and beginning of num-
the number ten, and by the number ten, make a bers, and every tenth is as the end given to him,
round, as saith Proclus, taking their beginning who is the beginning, and end of all things.
from God, and ending in him.
God therefore that First Unity, or One
Thing, before he communicated himself to infe-
riors, diffused himself into the first of numbers,
viz. the number three,17 then into the number
ten, as into ten Ideas, and measures of making
all numbers, and all things, which the Hebrews
call ten attributes,18 and account ten divine
names; for which cause there cannot be a fur-
ther number. Hence all tens have some divine
thing in them, and in the Law are required of
'--_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ~21

NOL"es-ChapL"eR Alll
I. multiplying them-"The decad completes the series 10. sons of Chora-Korah rebelled against Moses
of numbers, containing in itself the nature of both even and was killed by God (Numbers 16:32), but his chil-
and odd, of that which is in motion and that which is dren were spared (Numbers 26: II). Their descen-
still, of good and evil" (Theon 2.49 [Lawlor, 70]). dants formed one of the Levite choirs, and are
mentiOried in the titles of almost a dozen psalms (for
2. denary--Of the number ten. example, Psalms 44-9) as the " sons of Korah."

3. la-In Greek mythology, 10 was daughter of II. tenth day-Acts 2:4.

Inachus and Zeus, who changed her into a heifer to
conceal her from jealous Hera. In revenge Hera 12. name of Israel-Genesis 32:24-8. Rashi says
caused 10 to be tormented by a gadfly until she swam that the same number of hours the sun hastened to set
across the Ionian Sea to Egypt and escaped. She was for Jacob's sake at Beersheba (Genesis 28: II) it now
represented as a woman with a cow's head, .a nd con- hastened to shine (Genesis 32:31), but he does not
fused with Hathor. specify the number of hours (Rashi 1949, 1:332-3).
At Beersheba Jacob promised a tenth part of his
4. be fasting-Apuleius was ordered by the high wealth to God (Genesis 28:22).
priest of Isis " to fast by the space of ten continuall
daies, without eating of any beast, or drinking any 13. thirty-one kings-Joshua 4: 19.
wine" (The Golden Asse ch. 48).
14. overcame Goliath-I Samuel 17: 17-8.
5. plasmatic spirit-The spirit that shapes or moulds.

6. the mass-The whole quantity of blood or fluid in 15. the lions-Perhaps the number of hours Daniel
was supposed, by one version of the story, to have
the body.
spent in the lion's den. See Daniel 6:16-9, where,
7. the temple-Exodus 26: I. however, the number of hours is not specified.

8. psaltery-A musical instrument like a dulcimer or 16. heaped together-I + 0 = I; also I + 2 + 3 + 4 +

santir, said to have ten strings. See Psalms 33:2, and =55, and 5 + 5 = 10, and I +
5 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 9 + 10
the Knox translation (Psalms 32:2), where it is more 0=1.
clearly described as "a harp of ten strings."
17 . number three-"The number 2 added to unity
9. hallelujah-Not an instrument, but an exclama- produces 3, which is the first number having a begin-
tion of praise to God: Hebrew halelu n'?'?i1) from ning, a middle and an end. This is why this number is
halal, "to shine," plus yah (i1'), a shortened form of the first to which the name multitude applies, for all
Jehovah. the numbers less than this are not called multitude
 Of the Number Ten, and the Scale Thereof /291

t" '
l' '
l' 4f .,

Name of Jehovah of Ten Letters Collected

From The Magus by Francis Barrett (London, 1801)

(or many) but one or one and other; while three is 20.firstfruits-Exodus 13:2 and 23:19.
called multitude" (Theon 2.42 [Lawlor, 66]). See
notes II and 12, ch. VI, bk. II. 21. illustration-In this diagram the letters of Tetra-
grammaton are written so as to form the tetractys of
18. ten attributes-The Kabbalistic Sephiroth, from Pythagoras. These same letters, written side to side,
Hebrew for "sapphire" (I"ElO), not as is so often make up the name of "Jehovah with ten letters col-
stated, from the Hebrew saphar (lElO), "to number." lected" that appears in the table at the end of the
These are described as spherical vessels which con- chapter. In the Opera this diagram is correctly given;
tain the emanations from the Ain Soph (=-]10 P~), however, in the English edition of 1651 it is so
the Limitless. They are listed in the table at the end of grossly distorted as to be unrecognizable, and repre-
the chapter. See also Appendix VI. sents quite a challenge ·for those who solve it, as I
did, before seeing the corrected version. Francis Bar-
19. as his own-The tithe. See Genesis 28:22 and rett has copied this distorted version from the English
Numbers 18:21. edition and put it into his Magus (1801), apparently
without the least idea of what it signifies.
 CHA.PTeR "IV

Of rhe numbeR eleven, and

rhe numbeR rwelve, wirh a double scale
of rhe numbeR rwelve Cabalisrical, and ORphica1.

he number eleven as it exceeds the body of man, viz. in hands, elbows, shoulders,

T number ten, which is the number of

the commandments, so it falls short of
the number twelve, which is of grace
and perfection, therefore it is called the number
thighs, knees, and vertebrae of the feet.
There is also a great power of the number
twelve in divine mysteries. God chose twelve
families 6 of Israel, and set over them twelve
of sins, and the penitent. Hence in the taberna- princes; 7 so many stones 8 were placed in the
cle there were commanded to be made eleven midst of Jordan, and God commanded that so
coats of hair l which is the habit of those that are many should be set on the breast of the priest;9
penetent, and lament for their sins, whence this twelve lions did bear the brazen sea 10 that was
number hath no communion with divine or made by Solomon: there were so many foun-
celestial things, nor any attraction, or scale tains in Helim, II and so many spies 12 sent to the
tending to things above: neither hath it any land of promise, and so many apostles of
reward; but yet sometimes it receives a gratu- Christ l3 set over the twelve tribes, and twelve
itous favour from God, as he which was called thousand people were set apart and chosen,14
the eleventh hour2 to the vineyard of the lord, the Queen of Heaven crowned with twelve
received the same reward as those who had born stars, 15 and in the Gospel twelve baskets 16 of the
the burden, and heat of the day. fragments were taken up, and twelve angels l7
Now the number twelve is divine, and that are set over the twelve gates of the city, and
whereby the celestials are measured; it is also twelve stones 18 of the heavenly Jerusalem.
the number of the signs in the Zodiac over which In inferior things many breeding things
there are twelve angels 3 as chiefs, supported by proceed after this number; so the hare and
the irrigation of the great name of God. 4 In conyl9 being most fruitful, bring forth twelve
twelve years also Jupiter perfects his course,5 times in the year, and the camel is so many
and the Moon daily runs through twelve months in breeding, and the peacock brings
degrees. There are also twelve chief joints in the forth twelve eggs. 20

Not:cs-Chapt:CR 7\.lV
I. coats of hair-Actually "curtains of goat's hair" 2. eleventh hour-Matthew 20:9.
(Exodus 26:7) . Camel-hair mantles, called 'adderet.
3. twelve angels-See table at end of chapter.
were worn by the prophets as a kind of badge of
office: see Zechariah 13:4. 4. great name of God-The twelve permutations of
Tetragrammaton, which are listed in the table.

292
 Of the Number Eleven, and the Number Twelve / 293

5. his course-The cycle of Jupiter is II years, 315 16. twelve baskets-Matthew 14:20.
days.
17 . twelve angels-Revelation 21: 12.
6. twelvefamilies-Genesis 49:28.
18. heavenly Jerusalem-Revelation 21 : 19-20.
7. twelve princes-Numbers 1:5-16.
19. cony-Rabbit.
8. stones-Joshua 4:5.
20. twelve eggs-'The peahen seldom lays above
9. breast of the priest-Exodus 28: 15-20. five or six eggs in this climate before she sits. Aristo-
tle describes her as laying twelve . .. " (Goldsmith
10. brazen sea-Actually oxen. I Kings 7:25. [1774] 1849,3:3:396).
The pea-hen produces at three years
II.fountains in Helim-Elim. See Numbers 33:9.
[months?] old. In the first year she will lay
one or two eggs, in the next four or five,
12. spies-Numbers 13:4-15.
and in the remaining years twelve, but
never beyond that number. She lays for
13 . apostles of Christ-Matthew 10:2-6.
two or three days at intervals, and will pro-
duce three broods in the year, if care is
14. chosen-Perhaps the 12,000 of each tribe in Rev-
taken to put the eggs under a common hen.
elation 7:5-8.
(Pliny 10.79 [Bostock and Riley, 2:538])
15 . twelve stars-Revelation 12: I.
294/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

The Scale of t:he

~1i1 11'~ tvl'P i1

tv'Pi1 i1'" 1~ ~~
In the
Original
World
i11i1' li1i1' i1i11' 'i1ii1 i1'ii1 i'i1i1

Seraphim Cherubim Thrones Domina- Powers Virtues

tions

Ma1chidiel Asmodel Ambriel Muriel Verchiel Hamelial

In the
Intelligible
World Dan Reuben Judah Manasseh Asher Simeon

Malachi Haggai Zechariah Amos Hosea Micah

Matthias Thaddeus Simon John Peter Andrew

In the Aries Taurus Gemini Cancer Leo Virgo

Celestial
World
March April May June July August

Sage Upright Bending Comfrey Lady's Calamint

In the
Vervain Vervain Seal
Elemental
World Sardonius Cornelian Topaz Ca1cedony Jasper Emerald

In the
Lesser The head The neck The arms The breast The heart The belly
World .
In the Revengers
Lying Vessels of Airy
Infernal False gods of wicked- Jugglers
spirits iniquity powers
World ness
 Of the Number Eleven, and the Number Twelve / 295

NumbeR Twelve

Holy Blessed He The names

of God with
Father, Son, Holy Ghost
twelve letters
The great name
returned back
i1"i1i "i1i1i i1i1"i ii1"i1 i1i"i1 "ii1i1 into twelve
banners 21

Twelve orders
Principal- Arch- Angels Innocents Martyrs Confessors
of the blessed
ities angels
spirits

Twelve angels
Zuriel Barbiel AdnachieJ22 Hanael GabieF3 Barchiel ruling over
the signs

Issachar Benjamin Naphtali Gad Zebulun Ephraim Twelve tribes

Jonah Obadiah Zephaniah Nahum Habakkuk Joel Twelve

prophets

Bartholo- Philip James Thomas Matthew James the Twelve

mew the elder younger apostles

Libra Scorpius Sagittarius Capricorn Aquarius Pisces Twelve signs

of the Zodiac

September October November December January February Twelve months

Scorpion Mugwort Pimpernel Dock Dragon- Aris- Twelve

grass wort tolochy plants

Beryl Amethyst Hyacinth Chryso- Crystal Sapphire Twelve

prasus stones

Twelve
The The The hams The knees The legs The feet principal
kidneys genitals members

Furies, Tempters, Twelve degrees

Sifters,
the sowers or Witches Apostates Infidels of the damned,
or Tryers
of evils Ensnarers and of devils
296/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

The ORphic Scale of the

In the
Intelligible Pallas Venus Phoebus Mercury Jupiter Ceres
World

Aries Taurus Gemini Cancer Leo Virgo

In the
Celestial
World

March April May June July August

Owl Dove Cock Ibis Eagle Sparrow

In the
Elementary She-goat He-goat Bull Dog Hart Sow
World

Olive Myrtle Laurel Hazel Aesculus Apple tree

tree tree

In the
Lesser The head The neck The arms The breast The heart The belly
World
 Of the Number Eleven, and the Number Twelve /297

NumbeR Twelve

Vulcan Mars Diana Vesta Juno Neptune Twelve

deities

Twelve
Libra Scorpius Sagittarius Capricorn Aquarius Pisces signs of
the Zodiac

September October November December January February Twelve

months

Twelve
Goose Pie Daw Heron Peacock Swan consecrated
birds

Twelve
Ass Wolf Hind Lion Sheep Horse consecrated
beasts

Twelve
Box tree Dog tree Palm tree Pine tree Ramthorn Elm tree consecrated
trees

Twelve
members of
The The The hams The knees The legs The feet man distri-
kidneys genitals buted to
the signs
298/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

Not:es-Chapt:eR l\ lV kont:'d.)
21 . twelve banners-In the English edition, this order 12 names, as well as my assignment of them to the
of the names is shown: (I>. il1il" (2) 1ilil" (3) ili11" signs of the Zodiac based upon the elemental trines,
(4) 'i11il, (5) il'1il, (6) 1'ilil, (7) 'ili11*, (8) ilil'1*, see my book The New Magus (1988) I: 17: 169-71.
(9) il'i11* , (10) 1il'il, (11) i11'il , (12) '1ilil. The
Latin Opera gives this order: (1) il1il" (2) 1ilil", (3) 22. Adnachniel-Perhaps this should be Advachiel.
ilil1" (4) 'il1il, (5) il'1il, (6) 1'ilil, (7) il'il1, (8) See note 13, ch. XXIV, bk. III.
ilil'1* , (9) 'ilil1 *, (10) 1il'il, (II) ilril, (12) '1ilil.
Both are obviously incorrect, based on the numerical 23 . Gabiel-The Latin Opera gives Gabriel, but per-
structure of the sequence. I have given the corrected haps should give Cambiel. See note 13, ch. XXIV,
order in the table. For a numerical breakdown of the bk. III.
 CHAPTeRAV

Of rhe numbeRS which aRe above

rwe1ve, and of rheiR poweRs and viRrues.

he other numbers also which are The number eighteen, and twenty , divines

T above twelve, are endowed with

many, and various effects, the virtues
whereof you must understand by their
original, and parts, as they are made of a various
interpret to be unhappy, for in the former, Israel
served Eglon , king of Moab;? and in the other
Jacob served,8 and Joseph was sold. 9 And
lastly, amongst creatures that have many feet,
gathering together of simple numbers, or man- there is none that hath above twenty feet. 10
ner of multiplication. Sometimes as their signi- The twenty-two signifies the fullness of
fications arise from the lessening, or exceeding wisdom, and so many are the characters of the
of another going before, especially more per- Hebrew letters, and so many books doth the Old
fect, so they contain of themselves the signs of Testament contain.
certain divine mysteries. To the number twenty-eight, the favour of
So you see the third number above ten the Moon is designed, for the motion thereofll
shows the mysteries of Christ's appearing to the is distant from the course of other stars, and as it
gentiles, for the thirteenth day after his birth a were alone is completed the twenty-eighth day ,
star was a guide to the wise men. I when it returns to the same point of the Zodiac
The fourteenth day doth typify Christ, who from whence it came: hence twenty-eight man-
the fourteenth day of the first month was sacri- sions of the Moon, having singular virtue, and
ficed for us; upon which day the children of influence, are numbered in the heavens.
Israel were commanded by the Lord to celebrate The number thirty is memorable for many
the passover. 2 This number Matthew doth so mysteries. Our Lord Jesus Christ was baptized 12
carefully observe, that he passed over some the thirtieth year of his age,and began to do mir-
generations, that he might everywhere observe acles, and to teach the kingdom of God. Also
this number in the generations of Christ. 3 John Baptist was thirty years old when he began
The fifteenth number is a token of spiritual to preach in the wildemess,13 and to prepare the
ascensions, therefore the song of degrees is ways of the Lord. Also Ezekiel at the same age
applied to that in fifteen psalms.4 Also fifteen began to prophesy; 14 and Joseph was brought
years were added to the life of King Hezekiah :5 out of prison 15 on the thirtieth year of his age,
and the fifteenth day of the seventh month was and received the government of Egypt from
observed, and kept holy.6 Pharaoh.
The number sixteen, the Pythagoreans call The number thirty-two, the Hebrew doctors
the number of felicity. It also comprehends all ascribe to wisdom, and so many paths of wis-
the prophets of the Old Testament, and the dom are described by Abraham. 16 But the
apostles, and evangelists of the New. Pythagoreans call this the number of justice,

299
300/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

because it is always divisible into two parts, in sixty days brings forth sixty eggs,31 and so
even unto unity. 17 many days sits on them, so she is said also to
The number forty, the ancients did honour live so many years, and to have so many teeth,
with great observation, concerning which they and so many days every year to rest solitary
did celebrate the feast Tessarosten.1 8 It is said without any meat.
that it doth conduce to the account of birth, for in The number seventy hath also its mysteries,
so many days the seed is fitted, and transformed . for so many years the fire of the sacrifice in the
in the womb, until it be by its due, and harmoni- Babylonian captivity lay under the water, and
cal proportions brought unto a perfect organical was alive, so many years Jeremiah foretold the
body, being disposed to receive a rational soul. destruction of the temple,32 and so many years
And so many days they say women be, after they the Babylonian captivity33 endured, and in so
have brought forth, before all things are settled many years the desolation of Jerusalem 34 was
within them, and they are purified, 19 and so many finished. Also there were seventy palms35 in the
days infants refrain from smiling, are infirm, and place where the children of Israel pitched their
live with a great deal of hazard. This also is in tents. The Fathers went down to Egypt with
religion a number of expiation, and penitency, seventy souls. 36 Also seventy kings with their
and signifying great mysteries. For in the time of fingers and toes cut off did gather meat under
the deluge the Lord rained forty days20 and nights the table of Adonibezeck;37 seventy sons came
upon the Earth: the children of Israel lived forty forth of the loins of Joas, seventy men, all sons
years 21 in the wilderness: forty days the destruc- of Jero;38 seventy weights 39 of silver were
tion of Nineveh 22 was put off. The same number given to Abimelech. and so many men Abim-
was accounted as holy in the fasts of the saints: elech slew upon one stone;40 Abdon had seventy
for Moses. 23 Elias,24 and Christ25 fasted forty sons, and nephews, who rode upon seventy
days. Christ was carried forty weeks in the womb foals of asses;41 Solomon had seventy thousand
of a virgin: Christ tarried forty days after his birth men 42 which carried burdens. Seventy sons of
at Bethlehem before he was presented in the tem- King Ahab were beheaded in Samaria; seventy
ple: he preached forty months publicly: he lay years, according to the Psalmist, are the age of
forty hours dead in the sepulchre: the fortieth man. 43 Lamech shall be avenged seventy-seven
day26 after his resurrection he ascended into fold;44 thou shalt forgive thy brother if he
heaven, all which divines say, were not done offend against thee, seventy-seven times. 45
without some occult property, and mystery of Also the number seventy-two was famous
this number. for so many languages, for so many elders of
The number fifty signifies remission of the synagogue,46 for so many interpreters of
sins, of servitudes, and also liberty. According the Old Testament, for so many disciples of
to the Law, on the fiftieth year they did remit Christ: 47 it hath also a great communion with
debts, and everyone did return to his own pos- the number twelve; hence in the heavens,
sessions. Hence by the year of Jubilee,27 and by every sign being divided into six parts,48 there
the psalm of repentance 28 it shows a sign of result seventy~two fives, over which so many
indulgency, and repentance. The Law also, and angels bear rule; and so many are the names of
the Holy Ghost are declared in the same: for the God;49 and every five is set over one idiom
fiftieth day29 after Israel's going forth out of with such efficacy, that the astrologers, and
Egypt, the Law was given to Moses in Mount physiognomists can know from thence from
Sinai: the fiftieth day after the resurrection, the what idiom everyone ariseth. Answerable to
Holy Ghost came 30 down upon the apostles in these are so many manifest joints in man's
Mount Sion; whence also it is called the number body, whereof in every finger and toe there are
of grace, and attributed to the Holy Ghost. three, which together with the twelve principal
The number sixty was holy to the Egyp- reckoned before in the number twelve make up
tians, for it is proper to the crocodile, that as she seventy-two. 50
 Of the Numbers Which Are Above Twelve / 30 I

The number a hundred in which the sheep mutations in cities are foretold: these are the
that was found,5 1 was placed, which also pas- square of twelve, and the foursquare measure
seth from the left hand to the right, is found thereof, viz. the forty-four above a hundred, and
holy: and because it consists of tens it shows a seven hundred twenty-eight above a thousand,
complete perfection. which number is fatal: to which when any city, or
But the complement of all numbers is a commonwealth hath attained, it shall afterward
thousand, which is the foursquare measure 52 of with a complete foursquare measure decline: but
the number ten, signifying a complete, and in squares it undergoeth a change, but for the bet-
absolute perfection. ter, if it be governed with prudent discipline, and
There are also two numbers 53 especially cel- then it shall not with fate, but imprudency fall. 54
ebrated by Plato in his Republic and not disal- And let thus much suffice for numbers in
lowed by Aristotle in his Politics, by which great particular.

No-ces-Chap-ceR XV
I. wise men-Matthew 2:2. Herod asks the wise men 12. Christ was baptized-Luke 3:23 .
what time the star appeared (Matthew 2:7), but the
time is not stated. 13. in the wilderness-John the Baptist was born six
months before Christ. See Luke 1:36.
2. the passover-Symbolically appropriate, as the
14th day of the first Jewish month was the Passover, 14. began to prophesy-Ezekiel I: I.
when the paschal lamb was slaughtered and eaten
(Exodus 12:2-7). The last supper took place a day 15. out of prison-Genesis 41 :46.
earlier so as not to conflict with the rules of the sab-
bath, after the custom of the Pharisees, although it 16. described by Abraham-'The Thirty-two Paths
was the Passover feast. of Wisdom" is a Kabbalistic tract appended to the
Sepher Yetzirah. The paths referred to are the 10
3. generations of Christ-Matthew 1: 17. Sephiroth and the 22 Hebrew letters, usually repre-
sented in a single glyph as a tree with 10 fruit and 22
4. fifteen psalms-Psalms 120-134. branches. Abraham was the reputed author of the
Sepher Yetzirah : "And after that our father Abraham
5. King Hezekiah-ll Kings 20:6. had perceived and understood, and had taken down
and engraved all these things, the Lord most high
6. kept holy-Leviticus 23:34. revealed Himself, and called him His beloved"
(Sepher Yetzirah 6.4 [Westcott, 33]). Westcott says
7. Eglon, king of Moab-Judges 3: 14. in his introduction to this work: "The old title has, as
an addition, the words 'The Letters of our Father
8. Jacob served-Genesis 31 :41. Abraham' or 'ascribed to the patriarch Abraham,'
and it is spoken of as such by many medieval author-
9. Joseph was sold-Genesis 37:28. ities ... " (ibid., 13).

10. above twenty feef- The centipede has 21 pairs of 17. even unto unity-32, 16,8, 4, 2, I.
legs, but the last pair is enlarged and might have been
discounted by Agrippa's source. Presumably he was 18. feast Tessarosten-From the Greek tessarakonta
not aware of the millipede, or did not consider it to (forty).
have feet.
19. they are purified-The period of purification for a
11. motion thereof-The Moon is distinguished from woman following the eighth day circumcision of her
the other planets by the rapidity of its motion and by son was 33 days, after which a sacrifice was offered at
its marked rise and fall across the plane of the ecliptic, the door of the tabernacle. See Leviticus 12:2-6.
which is defined by the apparent revolution of the Sun
around the Earth. The limits of this deviation mark the 20. rained forty days-Genesis 7: 12.
boundaries of the zodiac, a band that extends nine
degrees above and nine degrees below the ecliptic. 21.livedforty years-Deuteronomy 8:2.
302/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

22. destruction of Nineveh-Jonah 3:4. 47. disciples of Christ-Luke lO: I. The disciples are
70 in number.
23. Moses-Exodus 34:28.
48. six parts-In astronomy each five-degree divi-
24. Elias-I Kings 19:8. sion of the zodiacal signs is linked with a specific
physiognomy, making a total of 72 distinct faces, as
25. Christ-Matthew 4:2. they are now called.

26. fortieth day-Acts 1:3. 49. names of God-The Schemhamphoras, a set of

72 names of God formed kabbalistically from Exo-
27. year of Jubilee-Leviticus 25 : lO. dus 14:19-21. See Appendix VII.

28. psalm of repentance-Psalm 50 of the Vulgate, 50. make seventy-two-It need hardly be pointed out
but 51 of King James. that the thumb and big toe have only two joints, leav-
ing Agrippa four joints shy of a pleasing example.
29. fiftieth-Presumably calculated from Exodus
19:1,16. 51. sheep that was found-Luke 15:4.

30. Holy Ghost came-Calculated from Acts 1:3, 12 52. foursquare measure-Ten cubed: 10 X 10 X lO.
and 2:1.
53. two numbers-Twelve squared (12 X 12 = 144)
31. sixty eggs-Aristotle (History ofAnimals 5) says and cubed (12 X 12 X 12 = 1728).
that the crocodile brings forth 60 eggs and sits on
them 60 days. 54. imprudency fa 11-
Hard in truth it is for a state thus constituted
32. destruction of the temple-Jeremiah 7:14. to be shaken and disturbed, but since for
everything that has come into being destruc-
33. Babylonian captivity-Jeremiah 25: 11. tion is appointed, not even such a fabric as
this will abide for all time, but it shall surely
34. desolation of Jerusalem-Jeremiah 25: 18. be dissolved, and this is the manner of its
dissolution. Not only for plants that grow
35. seventy palms-Exodus 15:27. from the earth but also for animals that live
upon it there is a cycle of bearing and bar-
36. seventy souls-Genesis 46:27, which seems to renness for soul and body as often as the rev-
disagree with Acts 7: 14. olutions of their orbs come full circle, in
brief courses for the short-lived and oppo-
37. Adonibezeck-Adoni-bezek. Judges 1:7. sitely for the opposite.. .. Now for divine
begettings there is a period comprehended
38. sons of Jero-Jerubbaal. Judges 9:2. by a perfect number, and for mortal by the
first in which augmentations dominating and
39. seventy weights-judges 9:4. dominated when they have attained to three
distances and four limits of the assimilating
40. upon one stone-Judges 9:5. and the dissimilating, the waxing and the
waning, render all things conversable and
41.foals of asses-Judges 12: 14. commensurable with one another, whereof a
basal four thirds wedded to the pempad
42. seventy thousand men-I Kings 5:15. yields to harmonies at the third augmenta-
tion, the one the product . of equal factors
43 . age of man-See note 7, ch. X, bk. II. taken one hundred times, the other of equal
length one way but oblong~ne dimension
44. avenged seventy-sevenfold-Genesis 4:24. of a hundred numbers determined by ,the
rational diameters of the pempad lacking one
45. seventy-seven times-Matthew 18:22. Actually in each case, or of the irrational lacking two;
Christ says "seventy times seven." the other dimension of a hundred cubes of
the triad. (Plato Republic 8.546 [Hamilton
46. elders of the synagogue-Numbers 11: 16. There and Cairns, 775 ,])
are said to be 70 elders. Pempad is Greek for "a body of five."
 CHAPTeRAVl

Of rhe nores of numbeRs,

placed in ceRrain gesruRings.

have often read in books of magicians, and alone which is called the ring finger, being fixed

1 their works, and experiments, certain won-

derful, and as they seemed to me ridiculous
gesturings, I and I did think they were certain
occult agreements of the devils, by reason of
on the middle of the palm;3 when thou sayest
seven, thou shalt put only thy little finger above
the roor4 of thy palm, the rest in the meantime
being lifted up; and by it when thou sayest eight,
which I did reject them: but after I did more seri- thy ring finger; when thou sayest nine, thou shalt
ously examine the matter, then I did presently set thy middle finger contrary5 to them.
understand that they were not the compacts of When thou sayest ten, thou shall set the nail
devils; but that there lay in them the reason of of thy forefinger on the middle joint of thy
numbers, by which the ancients did by the vari- thumb. When thou sayest twenty, thou shalt put
ous bending forward, and backward, their hands, the top of thy middle finger close betwixt the
and fingers, represent numbers, by whose ges- joints of thy thumb, and forefinger. When thou
turings the magicians did silently signify words sayest thirty, thou shalt join the nail of thy
unknown by sound, various with numbers, yet of thumb, and forefinger lightly together. When
great virtue, by their fingers joined together, and thou sayest forty, thou shalt bring the inside of
sometimes changed, and did with sacred silence thy thumb to the outside of thy forefinger, both
worship the gods that rule over the world. being lifted up. When thou sayest fifty, thou
The rites whereof Martianus also makes shalt bend thy thumb with the outward joint,
mention of in his Arithmetic,2 saying, the fin- like to the Greek gamma,8 to the palm. When
gers of the virgin were moved all manner of thou sayest sixty, compass about thy thumb
ways, who after she went in, did by expressing being bended as before, with thy forefinger
seven hundred and seventeen numbers with her bowed over it. When thou sayest seventy, thou
bended fingers call upon Jupiter. shalt supply thy forefinger being bowed about
But that these things may be better under- as before, with thy thumb stretched at length,
stood, I shall bring something out of the sayings the nail thereof being lifted up beyond the mid-
of Beda who saith, when thou sayest one, bend dle joint of thy forefinger. When thou sayest
in the little finger on thy left hand, and set it in eighty, thou shalt supply thy forefinger bowed
the middle of the palm; when thou sayest two, about as before, with thy thumb stretched forth
place the next finger to the little finger in the at length, the nail thereof being set upon the
same place; when three, the middle finger after middle joint of the forefinger. When thou sayest
the same manner; when four, thou shalt lift up ninety, thou shall set the nail of thy forefinger
thy little finger; when five, the next to it after the bent into the root of thy thumb stretched out.
same manner; when six, the middle, that finger Thus much for the left hand.

303
304 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

Now thou shalt make 100 on thy right with the same, being downwards. When thou
hand, as thou didst ten on thy left; and 200 on sayest 70,000 the same thou shalt put upon thy
thy right, as thou didst twenty on thy left; 2000 thumb upright. 14 When thou sayest 80,000 thou
on thy right, as thou didst two on thy left, and so shalt put the same downward on thy thigh. 15
to 9000. Moreover when thou sayest 10,000 When thou sayest 90,000 thou shalt hold thy
thou shalt put thy left hand upward on thy loins with the same, thy thumb being turned
breast, thy fingers only being lifted towards downwards. 16 But when thou sayest 100,000 or
heaven. 9 When thou sayest 20,000 thou shalt 200,000 and so unto 900,000 thou shalt in the
put the same spread forth 10 upon thy breast. same order as we have spoken, fill them up on
When thou sayest 30,000 thou shalt put thy the right part of thy body. But when thou sayest
thumb on the same hand downwards, lIon the 1,000,000 thou shall join both thy hands
cartilage of the middle of thy breast. When thou together, and clasp thy fingers one within the
sayest 40,000 thou shalt lay the same upright, 12 other.'?
and stretched forth on thy navel. When thou Let these suffice which have been observed
sayest 50,000 thou shalt lay thy thumb of the out of Beda; thou shalt find more of these in
same hand downward on thy navel. 13 When Brother Luke of Saint Sepulchers, in his great
thou sayest 60,000 thou shalt hold thy left thigh Arithmetic. 18

No-ces-Chap-ceR X.Vl
I. ridiculous gesturings-In Eastern occultism rit- 10. spread forth-Spread the thumb away from the
ual gestures are termed mudra, and often focus fingers.
upon the hands as expressing in miniature the pos-
ture of the whole body. These hand gestures are II. downwards-Tuck the thumb out of sight under
numerous in early Christian art. See Ward [1928] the palm.
1969 for many examples.
12. same upright-Lay the palm flat on the navel
2. his Arithmetic-Martianus Minneus Felix Capella, with the thumb separated and pointing upward.
Satyricon bk. 7. See his biographical note.
13. on thy navel-Tuck the thumb under the palm.
3. middle of the palm-That is, lift.up the middle and
set down the ring finger. 14. thumb upright-That is, lay the left hand flat on
the thigh with the thumb separated from the fingers.
4. above the root-Perhaps this means to hold the tip
of the finger in the air over the place where it joins 15. on thy thigh-Tuck the thumb under the palm.
the palm. See the quotation in note 17 below.
16. turned downwards-Probably means to simply
5. contrary-together with (compono). lay the hand over the groin, fingers and thumb
together, since there is no need to distinguish the ges-
6. middle joint-This probably means the inside of ture in this position.
the first joint, as the second joint is occupied in form-
ing 90. "Joint" here may mean segment, as opposed 17. within the other-This fascinating and practical
to the modern meaning, hinge. system of counting on the fingers was also described
by Nicholaus Rhabda of Smyrna in the 8th century:
7. thumb, andforefinger-That is, press the end seg-
ments of the thumb, forefinger and middle finger The left hand was held up flat with the fin-
together. gers together. The units from I to 9 were
expressed by various positions of the third,
8. Greek gamma-r. fourth and fifth fingers alone, one or more
of these being either closed on the palm or
9. towards heaven-Lay the left hand flat on the simply bent at the middle joint, according
breast diagonally with the fingers and thumb to the number meant. The thumb and index
together, pointing upward. finger were thus left free to express the
 Of the Notes of Numbers, Placed in Certain Gesturings / 305

tens by a variety of relative positions, e.g. instead of tens, and the unit signs if per-
for 30 their points were brought together formed on the right hand meant thousands.
and stretched forward; for 50 the thumb (Encyclopredia Britannica 1910, 19:866)
was bent like the Greek r and brought
against the ball of the index. The same set 18. Arithmetic-The Summa de arithmetica geome-
of signs if executed with the thumb and tria proportioni et proportionalita (1494) of Lucas
index of the right hand meant hundreds Paciolus. See biographical note.
 CHAPTeR 7\.Vll

Of rhe vaRlous nores of

numbeRS obseRved amongsr rhe Romans.

he notes of numbers are made divers Five hundred thousand A thousand thousand

T ways in divers nations. The Romans

did figure them by these following
notes, which Valerius Probus describes
concerning the ancient letters, and which are still
OM, '10, D CMO, C'1O, M, S

There are also other notes of numbers

nowadays used amongst arithmeticians, and
in use, I viz: calculators, which according to the order of
numbers are made after this matter: I, 2, 3,4, 5,
One Five Ten Fifty 6, 7, 8, 9, to which is added a note of privation
I V X L signed with the mark 0 which although it sig-
nify no number, yet makes others to signify
A hundred Two hundred Five hundred either tens, or hundreds, or thousands, as is well
C (f), CC 0 known to arithmeticians.
Also there are some that mark the number
A thousand Five thousand ten with a line downward, and another made
M, 8,1, CXO 100,ICC,v cross it; and five by that line which toucheth the
other, but doth not go cross it, and a unity by
Ten thousand that which is put by itself, as you may see in this
CCIOO, CMO, OMC, IMI,x examj>1e: t signifies ten, 1= signifies ten and
five,11 signifies sixteen,1; I ten and seven; and
Fifty thousand the round 0 being put by itself signifies a hun-
1000 , OOO,L dred; but being joined to others, signifies so
many hundreds as the numbers are to which it is
A hundred thousand put, so thus, 00 or thus 110 signifies two hun-
CCCIOOO,A ,iK, CM ,c dred, thus 000 or thus 1110 three hundred,
f
~ five hundred, ten hundred or a thousand.
Two hundred thousand And these notes are commonly seen added in
--
(f), CC magical characters.

NOLcs-ChapLCR 7\.Vll

1. still in use-The Roman system of numerals is not older system of simple symbols. The vertical stroke
based on letters, as is commonly assumed, but on an (I) indicates one. The circle divided horizontally (8 )

306
 Of the Various Notes of Numbers Observed Amongst the Romans I 307

shows one hundred, and when divided vertically multiplier. Thus CJ)equals 200,000. Also, each time a
eCD), one thousand. This is often represented in old C is added, the value of the symbols is increased by a
prints as C I::>, and from this division arose the factor of ten. Thus, I::> or D equals 500, while
Roman D, signifying half the circle, or 500. The I::>::>::> equals 50,000. The standing S suggests the two
Roman L, equaling 50, is half a hundred and at one linked halves of the circle symbol divided vertically,
time was written .1 or..L . Likewise the Roman V, that is a plus D, or 500 plus 500. The qmultiplies the
with a value of five, is half the Roman X, or ten. In value by 1000-1::> or D equals 500, but ~ equals
fact, X is not a true Roman letter. Notice that in the 500,000. Regarding the two curious symbols, each
system described at the end of the chapter, the cross stroke may indicate a factor often (10 X 10 X 10 X 10
also represents ten. The S on its side is formed of two X 10), with the crossbar of the second figure standing
linked Cs, and is equivalent to 200. The horizontal for two separate strokes.
bar signifies 1000, the letter or letters under it, its
 CHAPTeR "Vlll

Of rhe vaRious nores OR figuRes of rhe (JRecians.

he Grecians use the alphabetical let- 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

T ters for their notes of numbers, and

that three ways; first by every element
according to the series of the alphabet
signifying the number of its place. For in the
K A M
100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900
P L T Y ~ X ~ 0 ~
N - 0 n ))

order of which any number doth possess the

Now if to any of these letters there be sub-
place of the alphabet, it represents the number
scribed the stroke of an acute tone,4 then it sig-
thereof, as here you may see:
nifies so many thousands, as in these examples:

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 II 12 1000 10,000 100,000

ABrAEZH8 KAM
IA II IP
13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 After the third manner,5 the Greeks use
N _ 0 n P L T Y ~ X ~ 0 only six letters in signifying their numbers; viz.
I for an unity, IT for the number five, because it
And this is the first order of numbers amongst is the head of the word TTEVTE 6 i.e. five, A for
the Greeks. the number ten, from 8EKa,7 H for a hundred
Secondly, the Greeks divide the whole from ExaTov,8 X for a thousand, from the word
alphabet into three class!!s, whereof the first XiAW,9 M for ten thousand, from j.lUpw.'o From
beginning from alpha, is of unities. The second which six letters joined in number after their
beginning from iota is of tens. The third begin- manner unto four, or to other numbers, they
ning from rho is of hundreds; and this order by make other numbers, besides IT which is not
the latter of the Greeks is instituted after the multiplied, nor joined to itself, but always signi-
imitation of the Hebrews.' Now because their fies the fives of others," as appears in the fol-
alphabet wants by that rule, three letters, it is lowing examples:
necessary to add to them three figures,2 and to
interlace them with the letters, by which, viz. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
they explain the sixth, the ninetieth, and the II III 1111 n TIl TIll TIl II TIl II I
nine hundredth, as is manifest in the following
10 II 12 13 14 15 16 20 21
classes: 3
A Al All Alii AIIiI An ATII AA AAI
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 50 60 100 200 500 1000 5000 10,000 50,000
A B rAE s Z H 8 ~~A H HH fHl X Ix] M 1M]

308
 Of the Notes. or Figures of the Grecians / 309

NOL"cs-ChapL"CR 7\.Vlll
I. imitation of the Hebrews-The first Greek use of 5. third manner-This system is actually older than
this numbering system occurs on coins from the reign the previous one and was called Herodian after the
of Ptolemy II of Egypt in the 3rd century BC, whereas grammarian who described it around 200 AD. It is said
the first use on Jewish coins is from the time of the to date back to the time of Solon (7th century BC).
Hasmoneans in the 2nd century Be. This evidence
contradicts Agrippa' s assertion. 6. TTEvTE-Pente.

2. three figures-Added were two old Phoenician let- 7.8EKo-Deka.

ters not used in writing (<; or f, and «), called
digamma and koppa, and the early form of the letter 8. EKoTov-Hekaton.
San (q), called in modem times sampi.
9. XlALO-Chilia.
3. following classes-I have shown the numbers in
this chapter in Greek print letters, but numbers might 10. llupLO-Myria.
be written with either print or script letters.
II.fives of others-A letter-number placed in pi (TI)
4. acute tone-That is, written with an acute accent is multiplied to five times its value.
mark at the lower left comer.
 CHAPTeR /\1/\

Of rhe nores of rhe HebRews, and

Chaldeans, and ceRrain orheR nores of magicians.

he Hebrew letters also have marks of Now there are some which do not use those

T numbers, but far more excellently

than any other languages, since the
greatest mysteries lie in Hebrew let-
ters, as is handled concerning these in that part
final letters, but instead of them write thus:

1000
~
900
nnp nn
800 700
niD
600
n, np
500

of Cabaly I which they call Notaricon.2

Now the principal Hebrew letters are in And by those simple figures by the joining
number twenty-two, whereof five have divers them together they describe all other com-
other certain figures in the end of a word, which pound numbers, as eleven, twelve, a hundred
therefore they call the five ending letters, which and ten, a hundred and eleven, by adding to the
being added to them aforesaid make twenty- number ten, those which are of unities; and in
seven, which being divided into three degrees? like manner to the rest after their manner; yet
signifies the unities, which are the first degree; they describe the fifteenth number not by ten
tens which are in the second; and hundreds and five, but by nine and six, viz. thus ,~, and
which are in the third degree. Now every one of that out of honour to the divine name i1~ ,4
them if they be marked with a great character, which imports fifteen , lest it should happen

,
signifies so many thousands, as here: that the sacred name should be attributed to
prophane things.
3000 2000 1000 Also the Egyptians, Aethiopians, Chal-

~ deans, and Arabians, have their marks of num-

bers, which al so oftentimes happen amongst
magical characters. He therefore that would
Now the classes of the Hebrew numbers are know them, must seek them, of them that are
these: skillful of these letters. For the Chaldeans
mark the numbers with the letters of their
9
~
8
n
7
i ,
6 5
i1
4
1
3
~
2
:J
I
tI;
alphabet after the manner of the Hebrews. We
have set down their alphabet in the end of the
first book.s
90 80 70 60 50 40 20
a ~
10 Moreover I found in two most ancient
~ E) !.) 0 J ~ ~
books of astrologers, and magicians, certain

,
most elegant marks of numbers, which I
900 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 thought good to set down in this place; now
r ~ 1 t:l l n iD P they were in both volumes such:

310
 Of the Notes of the Hebrews / 311

1000

r rr
23456789 2000 3000 4000 SOOO

r~ ~ r II II J 6000
~
7000
~
8000
~ II
9000
Now by these marks turned to the left hand are
made tens, after this manner:
II J ~ d
And by the composition, and mixture of
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 these marks other mixed and compounded num-

111 ~ II II 1 ~ , bers also are most elegantly made, as you may

perceive by these few :
And by those marks which are turned
downwards on the right hand, are made hun- ISIO ISII 1471 1486 2421
dreds; on the left thousands, viz. thus: ]1 J. '1 I !
100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 According to the example of which we must
proceed in other compound numbers; and so
l ~ ~ ~ II II L~ b much suffice for the marks of numbers.

NOL"cs-ChapL"CR AlA
I . Caba/y-Kabbalah.
4. i7'-Jah, one half of the Tetragrammaton (il1il' ),
usually rendered into English Jehovah.
2. Notaricon-See Appendix VII.
S.first book-See ch. LXXIV, bk. I.
3. three degrees-See the table of the Hebrew alpha-
bet in Appendix VII.
 CHAPTeR AA

Whar numbeRs aRe aITRibured

ro leITeRS; and of divining by rhe same.

he Pythagoreans say (Aristotle, and of unities, the second of tens, the third of hun-

T Ptolemy are of opinion) that the very

elements of letters have some cer-
tain divine numbers, by which col-
lected from proper names of things, we may
dreds. And seeing in the Roman alphabet there
are wanting four to make up the number of
twenty-seven characters, their places are sup-
plied with I, and V, simple consonants, as in
draw conjectures concerning occult things to the names of John, and Valentine, and hi and
come. Whence they call this kind of divina- hu, aspirate consonants, as in Hierom , and
tion arithmancy, I because, viz. it is done by Huilhelme, although the Germans for hu the
numbers, as Terentianus hath made mention asperate use a double vv;6 the true Italians, and
of it in these verses: 2 French in their vulgar speech put G joined with
U instead thereof, writing thus, Vuilhelmus ,
Names are, they say, made of but letters few, and Guilhelmus.
Unfortunate, of many, do foreshow
Success; so Hector did Patroclus slay,
So Hector to Achilles was a prey. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
ABC 0 E F G H
Also Pliny saith,3 that there was added to
what Pythagoras invented, an uneven number 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
of vowels of imposed names, which did betoken K L M N 0 P Q R S
lameness, or want of eyes, and such like misfor-
tunes, if they be assigned to the right side parts; 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900
but an even number of them of the left. And T V X Y Z V HI HV
Alexandrinus4 the philosopher taught, how that
by the number of letters we may find out the But if thou desirest to know the ruling star
ruling stars of anyone that is born, and whether of anyone that is born, compute his name,? and
the husband or wife shall die first, and know the of both his parents, through each lytter accord-
prosperous, or unhappy events of the rest of our ing to the number above written, and divide the
works. His traditions which were not disal- sum of the whole being gathered together by
lowed by Ptolemy5 the astrologer we shall here nine, subtracting it as often as thou canst; and if
add, and put under. there remain a unity, or four, both signify the
But those numbers which are deputed to Sun; if two or seven, both signify the Moon; but
each letter, we have above showed in the three, Jupiter; five, Mercury; six, Venus; eight,
Greek, and Hebrew letters, the alphabet being Saturn; nine, Mars;8 and the reasons thereof are
divided into three classes, whereof the first is showed elsewhere.

312
 What Numbers Are Attributed to Letters / 313

In like manner if thou desirest to know the by few: for the Most High created all things by
horoscope 9 of anyone that is born, compute his number, measure, and weight,12 from whence
name, and of his mother, and father, and divide the truth of letters, and names had its original,
the whole collected together by twelve; if there which were not instituted casually, but by a cer-
remain a unity, it signifies the Lion; if Juno ' s tain rule (although unknown to us). Hence John
deuce, Aquarius; if the Vestal lO three, Capri- in the Revelation saith, let him which hath
corn; if four, Sagittarius; if five, Cancer; if understanding compute the number of the name
Venus ' six, Taurus; if Palladian II seven, Aries; of the beast, which is the number of a man. 13
if Vulcan's eight, Libra; if Mars his nine, Scor- Yet these are not to be understood of those
pio; if ten, Virgo; if eleven, Pisces; if Phoebus' names, which a disagreeing difference of
twelve, they represent Geminos; and the rea- nations, and divers rites of nations according to
sons of them are given elsewhere. the causes of places, or education have put upon
And let no man wonder that by the numbers men; 14 but those which were inspired into every-
of names many things may be prognosticated, one at his birth, by the very heaven with the con-
seeing (the Pythagorean philosophers, and junction of stars, and those which the Hebrew
Hebrew Cabalists testifying the same) in those mecubals, and wise men of Egypt long since
numbers lie certain occult mysteries understood taught to draw from the generation of everyone.

NOL"LS-ChapL"LR AA
1. arithmancy-Numerology. 8. Mars-If nine divides evenly into the sum of the
letter values of the names, it ~ ignifies Mars.
2. these verses -Perhaps Spence has this passage in
mind when he writes: "The Greeks examined the 9. horoscope-The sign on the ascendent.
number and value of the letters in the names of two
combatants, and predicted that he whose name con- 10. Vestal-The word comes from Vesta, the Roman
tained most letters, or letters of the greatest value, form of the Greek Hestia, goddess of fire, whose
would be the victor" (Spence [1920] 1968, 36). sacred flame was tended by virgin priestesses, which
cult Livy says originated in Alba, and was carried to
3. Pliny saith-See note 7, ch. III, bk. II. Rome by Numa: "The priestesses were paid out of
public funds to enable them to devote their whole
4. Alexandrinus-Perhaps Alexander of Aphrodisias. time to the temple service, and were invested with
See biographical note. special sanctity by the imposition of virginity" (Livy
Early History of Rome [de Selincourt, 55]). Vestals
5. Ptolemy-Ptolemy seems to disdain celestial were originally elected by the king from girls
numerology when he writes: "What, however, admits between six and ten years of age who had living par-
of prediction we shall investigate, not by means of ents, were f~ee from physical and mental defects, and
lots and numbers, of which no reasonable explana- were children of freeborn residents in Italy. They
tion can be given, but merely through the science of served a term of 30 years, after which they were free
the aspects of the stars ... " (Tetrabiblos 3.3 [Rob- to marry. At first four, their number was increased to
bins, 237]). But presumably Agrippa is referring to six by either Tarquin I or Servius Tullius, and very
one of the apocryphal works attributed to Ptolemy- late in their history a seventh was added. On the
perhaps On the Apparitions of the Fixed Stars and a Vestals, see Plutarch 's Lives: "Numa Pompilius."
Collection of Prognostics.
II. Palladian-The Palladium was the most sacred
6. double vv-W. of the seven objects guarded by the Vestal Virgins
upon which the security of Rome was thought to
7. compute his name-Agrippa does not specify if depend. It was kept hidden from profane eyes, but
only the given names or the given and family consisted of a crude early statue of Pallas Athene said
names are to be used. However, in modern to have been carried to Rome from fallen Troy by
numerology, both given and family names are cal- Aeneas. It is represented on a coin struck by Antoni-
culated together. nus Pius in honour of his wife, Faustina.
3l4/THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

12. number, measure, and weight-See note 18, ch. This is the traditionally accepted solution. The classi-
VI, bk. II. cal scholar Robert Graves raises the objection that
the Qoph, or Koph (i') should more properly be a
13 . number of a man-See Revelation 13:18. The Kaph (J) = 20, which would reduce the sum to 586.
long accepted theory is that the Beast refers to the He offers an ingenious alternate solution based on the
Roman emperor Nero. Caesar Nero written in Greek acronym D.C.L.X.V.I., Roman numerals which add
is NERON KESAR, which translated into Hebrew up to 666 and which he makes stand for the words
letters yields: Domitius Caesar Legatos Xti Violenter Intelfecit
(Domitius Caesar basely killed the envoys of Christ).
NO) = 50
Domitius was Nero ' s original name. See Graves
R (I) = 200
[1948] 1973,345-6.
0(1) = 6
N CI) = 50
14. put upon men-Those names that have suffered
K (P)= 100
translation from one language to another, or have
S (0) = 60
arisen from the place of residence, or have been con-
R(1)= 200
ferred as honorary titles, are not subject to numerical
666
examination.
 CHAPTeR 7'.7'.1

Whar numbeRs aRe consecRared ro rhe gods,

and which aRe ascRibed, and ro whar e1emenrs.

oreover the Pythagoreans have ens, and distinguisheth seasons: it is also

OJ dedicated to the elements, and

deities of heaven sacred num-
bers; for to the Air, they have
assigned the number eight, and to Fire five, to
ascribed to Cyllenius, because he alone is called
the foursquare god. 7
The number five 8 consisting of the first
even, and the first odd, as of female, and male,
the Earth six, to the Water twelve. both sexes,9 is assigned to Mercury; it is also
Besides, unity I is ascribed to the Sun, attributed to the celestial world, which beyond
which is the only king of the stars, in which the four elements is itself under another form,
God put his tabernacle; and that this also is of the fifth. \0
Jupiter , doth the causative power of his ideal The number SiX,l1 which consists of two
and intellectual species testify, who is the head, threes, as a commixtion 12 of both sexes, is by
and the father of the gods, as unity is the begin- the Pythagoreans ascribed to generation, and
ning, and parent of numbers. marriage, and belongs to Venus, and Juno .
The number tw0 2 is ascribed to the Moon, The number seven 13 is of rest, and belongs
which is the second great light, and figures out to Saturn; the same also doth dispense the
the Soul of the World, and is called Juno, motion, and light of the Moon, and therefore is
because betwixt that and unity there is the first called by the name of Tritonia the Virgin,14
conjunction, and near fellowship; it is also because it begets nothing. It is assigned to Min-
ascribed to Saturn, and Mars, two unfortunate erva,15 because it proceeds of nothing; also to
planets with the astrologers. Pallas the Virago, 16 because it consists of num-
So the number three 3 is ascribed to Jupiter, bers, as of males, and females. This also
the Sun, and Venus, viz. three fortunate planets, Plutarch ascribes 17 to Apollo.
and is deputed to Vesta, Hecate , and Diana; The number eight,18 by reason it contains
hence they say:4 the mystery of justice, is ascribed to Jupiter; it is
also dedicated to Vulcan, for of the first motion,
Threefold is Hecate, three mouths Diana and number two, which is Juno drawn twice
The virgin hathl--- into itself, it consists; it is also attributed to
Cybele l9 the mother of the gods, to whom every
The number three therefore is dedicated to foursquare 20 is attributed. Plutarch assigns it to
this virgin whom they say to be powerful in Bacchus, or Dionysus, who is said to be born
heaven , and in hel1. 5 the eighth month: others, because infants of the
The number four 6 is of the Sun, which by eighth month do not live, have attributed it to
that number constitutes the comers of the heav- Saturn, and the three Ladies of Destiny.

315
3161 THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

The number nine 21 belongs to the Moon, whence begins the second unity; it is also
the utmost receptacle22 of all celestial influ- ascribed to the world.
ences, and virtues, as also it is dedicated to the In like manner the number twelve, because
nine Muses, as also to Mars, from whom is the the Sun going round twelve signs, distributes
end 23 of all things. the year into twelve months, is attributed to the
The number ten 24 is circular,25 and world, the heaven, and the Sun.
belongs to the Sun, after the same manner as The number eleven, because it is semicir-
unity; also it is attributed to Janus,26 because cular,27 is attributed to the Moon, and also
it is the end of the first order, and from deputed to Neptune.

Norcs-ChaprCR Ml
1. unity-The monad was called by the Orphic and Athene was the daughter of Poseidon and Lake Tri-
Pythagorean philosophers the Sun, Jupiter, Love, tonis, for which reason she was called Tritogenia
Proteus and Vesta. (born of Triton). By a Cretan account that attempts to
explain this epithet and reconcile it with the more
2. two-The duad was named Phanes, Nature, Jus- common notion that the goddess sprang from the
tice, Rhea, Diana, Cupid, Venus, Fate and Death. forehead of Zeus, Zeus is said to have struck his head
against a cloud in which Athene lay hidden, knock-
3. three-The triad was called Juno, Latonia, Thetis, ing her out near the stream Triton.
Hecate, Diana, Pluto, Tritogena and Minerva.
15. Minerva-The Roman version of Athene.
4. hence-The same reference occurs in ch. VI, bk. II.
16. Pallas the Virago-A virago is a manlike or
5. heaven, and in hell-See note 37, ch. VI, bk. II. heroic woman, which describes Athene, the warrior
goddess. In this capacity she slew the giant Pallas
6. four-The tetrad was called Hercules, Vulcan, and made from his skin the fabled aegis. Less poeti-
Mercury, Bacchus, Bassarius, Pan, Harmony, Jus- cally, her epithet Pallas is conjectured to derive from
tice, the Two Mothered and the Key Keeper of the Greek for "to strike," or possibly "girl."
Nature.
17. Plutarch ascribes-
7. foursquare-Hermes was born on Mount Cyllene,
hence his designation Cyllenius; he was called It is not meet too eagerly to oppose these
foursquare because his statues, which decorated gar- young men about these things, except by
dens, consisted of an oblong block of stone with a saying that every one of the numbers will
square base surmounted by a carved head, or head afford you, if you desire to praise it, no small
and torso. subject of commendations. And what need
is there to speak of others? For the septener,
8. five-The pentad was named Nature, Pallas, sacred to Apollo, will take up a day's time,
Immortal, Providence, Nemesis, Venus and Justice. before one can in words run through all its
powers. (plutarch, 'The E at Delphi." In
9. both sexes-Female 2 plus male 3. Moralia 17 [IGppax, 4:493])

10. the fifth-Quintessence. 18. eight-The ogdoad was named Rhea, Love, Nep-
tune and Law.
11. six-The hexad was named Venus, Health, the
World, the Far Darting, Persaea, Triform and 19. Cybele-OriginaIIy a Phrygian goddess of cav-
Amphitrite. erns and the Earth, when she became established in
Greece she was merged with Rhea. The Romans
12. commixtion-2 x 3. called her the Great Mother because as wife of
Cronus, she was mother to all the Olympic gods. She
13. seven-The heptad was called Fortune, Minerva wore a square turreted crown in the shape of a city
and Mars. fortification, gaining her the title Mater Turrita.
Another of her symbols was the whip decorated with
14. Tritonia the Virgin-In one story the goddess knuckle bones with which her frenzied worshippers,
 What Numbers Are Consecrated to the Gods / 317

the Corybantes, would lash themselves to the ~ating 22. utmost receptacle-Because the Moon is the
of drums, the piping of flutes and the clashmg of celestial body nearest the Earth, she is the final inter-
cymbals. These were the lunatics Apuleius describes: mediary between God and the Earth.
The day following I saw there a great num-
23. the end-Death, brought by Mars.
ber of persons apparelled in divers colours,
having painted faces, mitres on their heads,
24. ten-The decad was named Heaven, the Sun,
vestiments coloured like saffron, Surp-
Unwearied, Fate, Phanes and Necessity. For all these
lesses of silke, and on their feet yellow
designations of the ten numbers, see the introduction
shooes, who attired the goddesse in a robe
of Thomas Taylor to his translation of the Hymns of
of Purple, and put her upon my backe.
Orpheus , where he draws from the Denarius
Then they went forth with their armes
Pythagoricus of Meursius.
naked to their shoulders, bearing with them
great swords and mightie axes, and danc-
25. circular-Because it returns into unity. See note
ing like mad persons. . .. They made .a
16, ch. XIII, bk. II.
thousand gestures with their feete and theIr
hands, they would bite themselves, finally,
26. lanus--One of the few completely Roman
everyone tooke out his weapon and
deities, this god with two faces presided over d~o~­
wounded his armes in divers places.
ways and ruled comings and goings. He was ongl-
Amongst whom there was one more
nally one of the Numina-the nebulous Powers that
mad then the rest ... therewithall he tooke
were the early deities of Rome-and was called the
a whip, and scourged his owne body, that
god of good beginnings.
the bloud issued out aboundantly, which
thing caused me greatly to feare, to see
27. semicircular-The Greeks knew 1T by the frac -
such wounds and effusion of bloud, least
tion 22/7, which is the ratio-roughly-of the diam-
the same goddesse desiring so much the
eter of a circle to its circumference. Perhaps this is
bloud of men, should likewise desire the
why II (half of 22) is called semicircular: " ... for the
bloud of an Asse. (The Golden Asse 36)
circumference of the circle equals three times the
diameter plus a seventh part of this diameter. If the
20. every foursquare-Every cube number; in this
diameter is seven, the circumference is 22" (Theon
case, 2 x 2 x 2.
3.3 [Lawlor, 85]).
21. nine-the ennead was named Ocean, Prome-
theus, Vulcan, Poean (Apollo), Juno and Proserpine.
 CHAPTeR ",,11

Of rhe rabIes of rhe planers,

rheiR viRrues, fORms, and whar divine
names, inrelligences, and spiRirs aRe ser oveR rhem.

t is affirmed by magicians, that there are gency to what is good, with a spirit to what is

1 certain tables of numbers distributed to the

seven planets, which they call the sacred
tables of the planets, endowed with many,
and very great virtues of the heavens, in as
bad,3 and out of the same numbers is drawn the
seal, or character of Saturn, and of the spirits
thereof, such as we shall beneath ascribe to its
table. They say that this table being with a fortu-
much as they represent that divine order of nate Saturn4 engraven on a plate of lead, doth
celestial numbers, impressed upon celestials by help to bring forth, or birth, and to make a man
the Ideas of the Divine Mind, by means of the safe, and powerful, and to cause success of peti-
Soul of the World, and the sweet harmony of tions with princes, and powers: but if it be done
those celestial rays, signifying according to the with an unfortunate Saturn, that it hinders build-
proportion of effigies, I supercelestial intelligen- ings, plantings, and the like, and casts a man
cies, which can no other way be expressed, than from honours, and dignities, and causes dis-
by the marks of numbers, and characters. cords, and quarrelings, and disperses an army.
For material numbers, and figures can do The second is called the table of Jupiter,
nothing in the mysteries of hid things, but repre- which consists of a quarternian drawn into
sentatively by formal numbers, and figures, ·as itself,5 containing sixteen particular numbers,
they are governed, and informed by intelligences, and in every line, and diameter four, making
and divine numerations, which unite the extremes thirty-four. Now the sum of all is 136. And
of the matter, and spirit to the will of the elevated there are over it divine names with an intelli-
soul, receiving through great affection, by the gence to good, with a spirit to bad, and out of it
celestial power of the operator, a power from is drawn the character of Jupiter, and the spirits
God, applied through the Soul of the Universe, thereof. They say that if it be impressed upon a
and observations of celestial constellations, to a silver plate with Jupiter being powerful, and rul-
matter fit for a form, the mediums being disposed ing, it conduceth to gain and riches, favour and
by the skill, and industry of magicians; but let us love, peace and concord, and to appease ene-
hasten to explain the tables severally. mies, to confirm honours, dignities, and coun-
The first of them is assigned to Saturn, and sels; and dissolve enchantments, if it be
consists of a square of three, containing the par- engraven on a coral.
ticular numbers of nine, and in every line three The third table belongs to Mars, which is
every way, and through each diameter2 making made of a square of five containing twenty-five
fifteen . Now the whole sum of numbers is forty- numbers, and of these in every side and diameter
five. Over this are of divine names set such five, which makes sixty-five, and the sum of all
names as fill up the numbers with an intelli- is 325. And there are over it divine names with

318
 Of the Tables of the Planets / 319

an intelligence to good, with a spirit to bad, and of animals and cattle fruitful; and being put into
out of it is drawn the character of Mars, and of a dove house, causeth an increase of pigeons. It
his spirits. These with Mars being fortunate, conduceth to the cure of all melancholy distem-
being engraven on an iron plate , or sword, pers, and causeth joyfulness; and being carried
makes a man potent in war, and judgements, and about travelers makes them fortunate. But if it
petitions, and terrible to hi s enemies, and victo- be formed upon brass with an unfortunate
rious against them ; and if engraven upon the Venus, it causeth contrary things to all that hath
stone corneola,6 it stops blood, and the mestrues; been above said.
but if it be engraven with Mars being unfortu- The sixth table is of Mercury , resulting
nate, on a plate of red brass it hinders buildings, from the square of eight drawn into itself, con-
casts down the powerful from dignities, hon- taining sixty-four numbers, whereof eight on
ours, and riches, and causeth discord, strife, and every side and by both diameters make 260, and
hatred of men, and beasts, chaseth away bees, the sum of all 2080. And over it are set div ine
pigeons, and fi sh, and hinders mills, and renders names with an intelligency to what is good,
them unfortunate that go forth to hunting, or with a spirit to what is evil, and from it is drawn
fighting, and causeth barrenness in men and a character of Mercury , and of the spirits
women, and other animals, and strikes a terror in thereof; and if it be with Mercury being fortu-
all enemies, and compel s them to submit. nate engraven upon silver, or tin, or yellow
The fourth table is of the Sun, and is made brass, or be writ upon virgin parchment,7 it ren-
of a square of six , and contains thirty-six num- ders the bearer thereof grateful, and fortunate to
bers, whereof six in every side, and diameter do what he pleaseth: it bringeth gain, and pre-
produce I I I, and the sum of all is 666. There vents poverty, conduceth to memory, under-
are over it divine names with an intelligency to standing, and divination, and to the
what is good, and spirit to what is evil, and out understanding of occult things by dreams: and if
of it are drawn characters of the Sun, and of the it be an unfortunate Mercury, doth all things
spirits thereof. Thi s bei ng engraven on a golden contrary to these.
plate with the Sun be ing fortunate, renders him The seventh table is of the Moon, of a
that wears it to be renowned, amiable, accept- square of nine multiplied into itself, having
able, potent in all hi s works, and equals a man eighty-one numbers , in every side and diameter
to kings, and princes, elevating him to high for- nine, producing 369, and the sum of all is 3321.
tunes, enabling to do whatsoever he pleaseth: And there are over it divine names with an intel-
but with an unfortunate Sun, it makes a tyrant, ligency to what is good, and a spirit to what is
and a man to be proud, ambitious, unsati sfiable, bad. And of it are drawn the characters of the
and to have an ill ending. Moon , and of the spirits thereof. This fortunate
The fifth table is of Venus, consisting of a Moon being engraven on silver, renders the
square of seven drawn into itself, viz. of forty- bearer thereof grateful, amiable, pleasant, cheer-
nine numbers, whereof seven on each side and ful , honoured, removing all malice, and ill will. It
diameter make 175 , and the sum of all is 1225. causeth security in a journey, increase of riches,
And there are over it divine names with an intel- and health of body, drives away enemies and
ligency to good, and spirit to evil; and there is other evil things from what place thou pleaseth;
drawn out of it the character of Venus, and of and if it be an unfortunate Moon engraven in a
the spirits thereof. This being engraven on a si l- plate of lead, wherever it shall be buried, it
ver plate, Venus being fortunate, procureth con- makes that place unfortunate, and the inhabitants
cord, endeth strife , procureth the love of thereabouts, as also ships, rivers, fountains , mills,
women, conduceth to conception, is good and it makes every man unfortunate, against
against barrenness, causeth ability for genera- whom it shall be directly done, making him fly
tion, di ssolves enchantments, and causeth peace from his country, and that place of his abode
between men, and women, and maketh all kind where it shall be buried, and it hinders physi-
320/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

cians, and orators, and all men whatsoever in Stars, 8 and

spirits are drawn from these tables, the
their office, against whom it shall be made. wise searcher, and he which shall understand the
Now how the seals, and characters of the verifying of these tables, shall easily find out.9

Divine names answering The Intelligence of the Sun.

to the numbers o/Saturn. 111 Nachiel '1~'::l:l
The Spirit of the Sun.
3 Ab :lt~
666 Sorath
9 Hod ,i1
15 Jah i1' Divine names answering
15 Hod '1i1 to the numbers o/Venus.
45 Jehovah extended ~i1 1~1 ~i1 '1'
The Intelligence of Saturn. 7
45 Agiel '1~',~ The Intelligence of Venus.
The Spirit of Saturn. 49 Hagiel
45 Zazel '1T~T The Spirit of Venus.
175 12 Kedemel '1~rJ'p
Divine names answering The Intelligences of Venus.
to the numbers o/Jupiter. 1225 13 Bne Seraphim O'5:)'~ ':I~
4 Aba 10
Divine names answering
16
to the numbers o/Mercury.
16
34 EIAb 8 Asboga, 14 eight extended. i1'1~T~
The Intelligence of Jupiter.
136 Johphiel '1~'5:)i1'
64
64
Din
Doni :I, l"
The Spirit of Jupiter. The Intelligence of Mercury l..
136 Hismael '1~rJOi1 260 Tiriel l~"'~
The Spirit of Mercury.
Divine names answering 2080 Taphthartharath n,n,n5:)n
to the numbers o/Mars.
Divine names answering
5 He, the letter ofthe holy name. i1 . to the numbers the Moon.
25 'i1'
65 Adonai ':I'~ 9 Hod
The Intelligence of Mars 81 Elim
L
325 Graphiel 7~'5:)~" The Spirit of the Moon.
The Spirit of Mars. 369 Hasmodai '~'1rJ~n
325 Barzabel ll '1~~~,~ The Spirit of the Spirits of the Moon.
3321 Schedbarschemoth
Divine names answering Schartathan 1nn'~ nl'rJi1~'~}~
to the numbers o/the Sun. The Intelligency of
the Intelligence of the Moon.
6 Vau, the letter of the holy name. 1 3321 Malcha betharsithim hed beruah
6 He extended,
schehakim
the letter of the holy name. ~i1
36 Eloh i1'?~ o'pn~ m'~ 'l' o'n'~'n~ ~::l'lrJ
 Of the Tables of the Planets / 321

SATURN

The table of Saturn in his Compass In Hebrew notes

4 9 2
, ~ ::l
3 5 7
, i1 r
8 1 6 n ~ j

The Seals or Characters

Of Saturn

Of the Intelligence of Saturn Of the Spirit of Saturn

322 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY- BOOK II

JUPITER

, ,.,
The table of Jupiter in his Compass In Hebrew notes

4 14 15 1
9 7 6 12 ~ t
,~

,., ~
:J"
n
5 11 10 8
16 2 3 13
i1
,.,
~.,

:J , ,.,
The Seals or Characters

Of Jupiter

Of the Intelligence of Jupiter Of the Spirit of Jupiter

 Of the Tables of the Planets / 323

MARS

The table of Mars in his Compass In Hebrew notes

11 24 7 20 3
,
~" ,~ r ~
,,,,
4 12 25 8 16 :J" i1~ n
17 5 13 21 9 r" i1 '" ~~ ~
,,,
10 18
23 6
1 14 22
19 2 15
" n" ~
,~ , ~" :J
:J~
i1"
The Seals or Characters

Of Mars

Of the Intelligence of Mars Of the Spirit of Mars

324/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

SOL

The table of the Sun in his Compass In Hebrew notes

6 32 3 34 35 1 , , ,,? i1'?
~'? ~

7 11 27 28 8 30 i ~.,
i~ n~ n '?
19 14 16 15 23 24 ~.,
,., ,., i1" ,~ ,~

18 20 22 21 17 13 n" ~ ~~ ~~ i"
,.,
25 29 10 9 26 12 i1~ ~~
., ~ ,~ ~.,

36 5 33 4 2 31 ,,? i1 ,,? , ~ ~'?

The Seals or Characters

Of the Sun

Of the Intelligence of the Sun Of the Spirit of the Sun

 Of the Tables of the Planets / 325

VENUS

The table of Venus in her Compass In Hebrew notes

22 47 16 41 10 35 4 J~ TrJ i" ~rJ ., i1~ 1

5 23 48 17 42 11 29 i1 ,~ nrJ T" JrJ ~~ ~.,

30 6 24 49 18 36 12 ~ i 1~ ~rJ n" i~ J"

13 31 7 25 43 19 37 ~~ T i1~ 'rJ ~" T~
38 14 32 1 26 44 20 '"
n~ 1" J~ ~ i~ 1rJ ~
21 39 8 33
46 15 40 9
2 27
34 3
45
28
~~ ~~ n ,~ J T~ i1rJ
irJ i1" rJ ~ 1~ n~ ,
The Seals or Characters

Of Venus

Of the Intelligence Of the Spirit of Of the Intelligences

of Venus Venus of Venus
326/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

MERCURY

The table of Mercury in his Compass In Hebrew notes

8 58 59 5 4 62 63 1 n m ~:J i1 1 :JO '0 ~

49 15 14 52 53 11 10 56 ~D i1" 1" :J:J ':J ~" " 1:J

41 23 22 44 45 19 18 48 ~D 'J :JJ 1D i1D ~" n" nD

32 34 35 29 28 38 39 25 :J'? 1'? i1'? ~J nJ n'? ~'? i1J

40 26 27 37 36 30 31 33 D 1J iJ i'? 1'? ? ~? ,,?
17 47 46 20 21 43 42 24 i" m 1D J ~J 'D :JD 1J
9 55 54 12 13 51 50 16
64 2 3 61 60 6 7 57 10 :J , '"
~ i1:J 1:J :J" ~:J :J

~O 0 1 i
1"
i:J

The Seals or Characters

Of Mercury

Of the Intelligence of Mercury Of the Spirit of Mercury

 Of the Tables of the Planets / 327

LUNA

The table of the Moon in her Compass In Hebrew notes

37 78 29 70 21 62 13 54 5 r'? nl' ~J l' ~J ~o 1j i1

6 38 79 30 71 22 63 14 46 1 n'? ~l' '? "
~l' ~J '0 l ' 1Q

47 7 39 80 31 72 23 55 15 m r ~'? ~ ~, ~l'
'J i1:J i1'
16 48 8 40 81 32 64 24 56 l' nQ n Q ~~ ~? 10 1J 1j

57 17 49 9 41 73 33 65 25 i:J r' ~Q ~ ~Q 'l' ,,? i10 i1J

26 58 18 50 1 42 74 34 66 1J m n' j ~ ~Q 1l' l ' 10

,
67 27 59 10 51
36 68 19 60 11
2 43 75 35
52 3 44 76
ro rJ ~j
1? no ~' 0 ~' ~j
,
~j ~ 'Q i1l' i1'?

1Q ll'
77 28 69 20 61 12 53 4 45 rl' nJ ~O J ~O ~' ,j 1 i1Q

The Seals or Characters

Of the Moon

Of the Intelligence
Of the Spirit Of the Spirit of of the Intelligences
of the Moon the Spirits of the Moon of the Moon
328/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

NOLcs-ChapLCR 7\.7\.11

I. effigies-Sigils. taken from an Animal which hath not

attained the age of generation, whether it
2. diameter-Diagonal. be ram, or kid, or other animal.
Unborn parchment is taken from an
3. what is bad-Agrippa uses the tenn intelligence to animal which hath been taken before its
denote a benevolent supernatural being, and spirit to time from the uterus of its mother. (The
denote a malevolent supernatural being. Greater Key of Solomon 2. 17, trans. S. L.
MacGregor Mathers [Chicago: De Lau-
4. fortunate Saturn-At the time when Saturn occu- rence Company, 1914 {1889)], 114)
pies a favorable position in the heavens astrologi-
cally, causing its influence to be benign. 8. stars-Planets

5. drawn into itself~ x 4. 9. easily find out-See Appendix V.

6. stone corneola-Cornelian, the stone favored by 10. Aba-This divine name of Jupiter is spelled
Pliny for seal rings, is said to cause concord, to still "Abab" in the English edition and "Abba" in the
angry passions, to drive away evil thoughts, and to Latin Opera.
render hannless witchcrafts and the evil eye. The
description applied to it here belongs with coral, II . Barzab~l-For some inexplicable reason this name
about which Gerard says: "It [coral] is a soveraigne appears as ;~:J~~i:J in both English and Latin edi-
remedy to drie, to stop, and stay all issues of bloud tions. The Aleph (~) in the middle is superfluous.
whatsoever in man or woman" (Gerard 1633,
3: 166: 1578). Since coral is the stone of Mars because 12. J75-Incorrectly given as " 157" in both English
of its red color and power over blood, it is certain that and Latin editions.
an error has been made by Agrippa or one of his early
copyists, and cornel ian should rightly be placed with 13. 1225-Incorrectly given as "1252" in both edi-
Jupiter, while coral should appear with Mars. tions, but strangely enough the divine name accurately
corresponds to this faulty number. See Appendix V for
7. virgin parchment- the numerical breakdown of the name.
Genuine Virgin Parchment is necessary in
14. Asboga-The Hebrew version of this name
many Magical Operations and should be
appears with only five letters in both English and
properly prepared and consecrated. There
Latin editions, whereas it should have six-it is
are two kinds, one called Virgin, the other
explained at the end of Appendix V.
Unborn. Virgin parchment is that which is
 I !

III II'
II I
I I

I'

Talismans

From The Magus by Francis Barrett (London, 1801)

 CHAPTeR )\.)\.111

Of geome'LRical figuRes and bodies, by wha'L

ViR'LUe 'Lhey aRe poweRful in magic, and which .
aRe agReeable 'LO each clemen'L, and 'Lhe heaven.

~
eometrical figures also arising from The Egyptians, and Arabians confirmed
numbers, are conceived to be of no that the figure of the cross hath very great
less power. power, and that is the most firm receptacle of all
Of these first of all, a circle doth celestial powers, and intelligences, because it is
answer to unity, and the number ten; for unity the rightest figure of all, containing four right
is the center, and circumference of all things; angles, and it is the first description of the
and the number ten being heaped together superficies, having longitude and latitude: 8 and
returns into a unity from whence it had its they said it is inspired with the fortitude of the
beginning, being the end, and complement of celestials, because their fortitude results by the
all numbers. A circle is called an infinite line in straightness of angles and rays: and stars are
which there is no terminus a quo nor terminus then most potent when they possess four cor-
ad quem, I whose beginning and end is in every ners in the figure of the heaven, and make a
point, whence also a circular motion is called cross,9 by the projection of their rays mutually.
infinite, not according to time but according to It hath moreover (as we showed before) a very
place; hence a circular being the largest 2 and great correspondency with the numbers 5, 7, 9,
perfectest of all is judged to be most fit for most potent numbers. It was also reckoned by
bindings and conjurations; whence they who the Egyptian priests, from the beginning of reli-
adjure evil spirits are wont to environ them- gion amongst sacred letters, signifying amongst
selves about with a circle. 3 them allegorically the life of future salvation. 10
A pentangle 4 also, as with the virtue of the It was also impressed on the picture of Serapis,
number five hath a very great command over
and was had in great veneration amongst the
evil spirits, so by its lineature, by which it hath
Greeks . But what here belongs to religion we
within five obtuse angles, and without five
shall discuss elsewhere.
acutes,5 five double triangles 6 by which it is sur-
This is to be observed, whatsoever wonder-
rounded. The interior pentangle contains in it
ful thing figures work when we write them in
great mysteries, which also is to be inquired
papers, plates, or images, they do not do it but
after, and understood; of the other figures, viz.
by the virtue acquired from sublimer figures, by
triangle, quadrangle, sexangle, septangle, octan-
a certain affection which natural aptitude or
gle, and the rest, of which many, as they are
resemblance procures, in as much as they are
made of many and divers insections,1 obtain
exactly configured to them, as from an opposite
divers significations and virtues according to
wall the echo is caused, and in a hollow glass II
the divers manner of drawing, and proportions
the collection of the solary rays, which after-
of lines, and numbers.
ward reflecting upon an opposite body, either

330
 Of Geometrical Figures and Bodies / 331

wood, or any combustible thing, doth forthwith and Plato assigned to the elements l3 and heav-
bum it: or as an harp causeth a resounding in ens: for first of all they assigned to the Earth a
another harp, which is no otherwise but because four square, and a square of eight solid angles,
a suitable and like figure is set before it, or as and of twenty-four pianes,I4 and six bases in
two strings on a harp being touched with an form of a dice: to the Fire, a pyramis of four tri-
equal distance of time, and modulated to the angular bases, and of so many solid angles, and
same intention, when one is touched the other of twelve planes: to the Air octahedron, of eight
shakes also: 12 also the figures, of which we triangular bases, and six solid angles, and
have spoken, and what characters soever con- twenty-four planes: and lastly, to Water they
cern the virtues of the celestial figures as they have assigned icosahedron twenty bases, twelve
shall be opportunely impressed upon things, solid angles: to the heaven they have assigned
those ruling, or be rightly framed, as one figure dodecahedron of twelve five-cornered bases,
is of affinity with, and doth express another. and twenty solid angles, and sixty planes.
And as these are spoken of figures, so also they Now he which knows the powers, relations,
are to be understood of geometrical bodies, and properties of these figures and bodies, shall
which are a sphere, a tetrahedron, hexahedron, be able to work many wonderful things in nat-
octahedron, icosahedron, dodecahedron, and ural and mathematical magic, especially in
such like. glasses. And I know how to make by them won-
Neither must we pass over what figures derful things, in which anyone might see what-
Pythagoras and his followers Timaeus, Locrus, soever he pleased at a long distance. 15

Nm:cs-Chapt:-CR 7\.7\.1ll
1. terminus ad quem-Terminus a quo is scholastic 6. double triangles-"Double" is used in the sense of
Latin for "term from which," thus the starting point; correspondence or correlation, and indicates that the
terminus ad quem means "term to which," thus the fi ve surrounding triangles are all alike.
end point.
7. insections-Divisions or indentations.
2. largest-A circle of a given circumference com-
prehends a larger area than any other plane figure 8. longitude and latitude-A plane is described by
with the same perimeter. two dimensions, length and breadth.

3. with a circle-In ritual evocation, where evil or 9. make a cross-See note 16, ch.X, bk. II .
dangerous spirits are called forth into the world, the
magician stands within a protective circle. This acts 10. future salvation-The ankh is an Egyptian hiero-
as a magical barrier and bars the entry of the spirit or glyphic symbol signifying life and resurrection:
its influence.

4. pentangle-Pentagram:

t
-
11. glass-That is, a concave mirror. This method of
starting fires was used by the Vestal virgins to ritually
rekindle the flame of Vesta, as fire brought down
directly from the Sun was considered more primal,
and thus more holy, than fire generated in common
ways. Of the perpetual fire of Vesta, Plutarch writes:
5. five acutes-The five obtuse angles are those .. . it was esteemed an impiety to light it
within the open center of the pentagram; the acute from common sparks or flame, or from
angles are those within the points. anything but the pure and unpolluted rays
332/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

of the sun, which they usually effect by 15. at a distance-This sounds very much like the
concave mirrors, of a figure formed by the telescope. The exact time and place of its invention is
revolution of an isosceles rectangular trian- in considerable dispute. It is evident that Roger
gle, all the lines from the circumference of Bacon, who died at the end of the 13th century, at
which meeting in the centre, by holding it least knew the theory of the telescope:
in the light of the sun they can collect and
concentrate all its rays at this one point of Glasses [mirrors] or diaphanous bodies
convergence; where the air will now [lenses] may be so formed that the most
become rarefied, and any light, dry, com- remote objects may appear just at hand,
bustible matter will kindle a~ soon as and the contrary, so that we may read the
applied, under the effect of the rays, which smallest letters at an incredible distance,
here acquired the substance and active and may number things, though never so
force of fire. (Plutarch "Numa Pompilius." small, and may make the stars [planets]
In Lives [Dryden, 82]) also appear as near as we please. (Bacon
Epistola ad Parisiensem)
12. other shakes also-This phenomenon is called
sympathetic vibration. Giambattista della Porte, writing not long after
Agrippa, says: "If you do but know how to join the
13 . to the elements-See Appendix III. two (vis. the concave and the convex glasses) rightly
together, you will see both remote and near objects
14. twenty-four planes-Twenty-four plane angles. larger than they otherwise appear, and withal very
distinct" (Magia Naturalis , 1558).
 CHAPTeR 7\7\lV

Of musical haRmony,
of rhe fORce and poweR rheReof.

m usical hannony also is not des-

titute of the gifts of the stars;
for it is a most powerful imag-
iner of all things, which whilst
it follows opportunely the celestial bodies, doth
wonderfully allure the celestial influence, and
is struck; so great is the power of music, that it
appeaseth the mind, raiseth the spirit, stirreth up
soldiers to fight, and refresheth the weary, calls
back them that are desperate, refresheth travel-
ers. And the Arabians say, that camels carrying
burdens are refreshed by the singing of their
doth change the affections, intentions, gestures, leaders. In like manner, they that carry great
motions, actions and dispositions of all the hear- burdens, sing, and are thereby strengthened and
ers, and doth quietly allure them to its own refreshed: for singing causeth delight and
properties, as to gladness, lamentation, to bold- strength, pacifieth enemies, moderates the rage
ness, or rest, and the like; also it allures beasts, of madmen, chaseth away vain imaginations. 8
serpents, birds, dolphins to the hearing of its Hence it is that Democritus and Theophras-
pleasant tunes. tus affirm that some diseases of the body, and
So birds are allured with pipes, and harts I mind may thus be cured, or causedY So we read
are caught by the same. Fish in the lake of that Therpander, and Arion of Lesbos cured the
Alexandria 2 are delighted with a noise. Music Lesbians, and Ionians by music; and Ismenia lO
hath caused friendship betwixt men and dol- of Thebes cured divers of very great diseases by
phins. 3 The sound of the harp doth lead up and music; moreover Orpheus, Amphion, David,
down the Hyperborean 4 swans. Melodious Pythagoras, Empedocles,II Asclepiades, Timo-
voices tame the Indian elephants: and the very theus, were wont to do many wonderful things
elements delight in music. The Hulesian foun- by sounds: sometimes they did stir up dull spir-
tain 5 otherwise calm and quiet, if the trumpet its by familiar sounds; sometimes they did
sound, riseth up rejoicing, and swells over its restrain wanton, furious, angry spirits by more
banks. There are in Lydia those which they call grave tones. So David with a harp moderated
the Nymphs' Islands,6 which at the sound of a Saul in a rage. 12 So Pythagoras recalled a luxu-
trumpet forthwith come into the middle of the rious young man from immoderate lust. 13 So
sea, and turning round lead a dance, and then Timotheus stirred up King Alexander to a rage,
are returned to the shores; M. Varro testifies and again repressed him. 14
that he saw them. Saxo the Grammarian, in his History of the
And there are more wonderful things than Danes, tells of a certain musician, who boasted
these. For in the shore of Attica the sea sounds that he could by his music make everyone that
like a harp. A certain stone of Megaris 7 makes a heard it mad; and when he was constrained by
sound like a harp every time the string of a harp the King's command to perform the same, he

333
334 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

endeavoured to work several ways upon the astonished until they heard a certain sound, at
affections; and first, by a tone of musical grav- the hearing of which everyone riseth up and
ity filled the hearers with a kind of sadness and danceth. And it is believed (Gel/ius being wit-
unsensibleness; then by a more lively sound he ness) that they that are pained with the sciat-
made them rejoice, and dance; and lastly, he by ica,16 are eased at the sound of a pipe. Also
a more earnest music, reduced them to fury and Theophrastus reports, that the sound of a flute
madness. cures the biting of spiders, and Democritus him-
We read also, that they in Apulia that were self confesseth that the consort of pipers, hath
touched with a kind of dangerous spider,15 were been a cure for very many diseases.

Nores-ChapreR l\l\ lV
I. harts-Of the musical proclivity of deer, Pliny the motions of those who beat time" (Pliny 2.96
says: "They are soothed by the shepherd's pipe and [Bostock and Riley, I: 123]).
his song ... "(Pliny 8.50 [Bostock and Riley, 2:300]).
7. Megaris-See note 3, ch. X, bk. I.
2. lake of Alexandria-Mareotis, which lay just
behind the city. A canal ran from Eunostos, one of the 8. vain imaginations-
two harbors of Alexandria, into the lake. It may be to
And is it not for this reason, Glaucon, said
this that Pliny refers when he writes "Fish have nei-
I, that education in music is most sover-
ther organs of hearing, nor yet the exterior orifice.
eign, because more than anything else
And yet, it is quite certain that they do hear; for it is a
rhythm and harmony find their way to the
well-known fact, that in some fish-ponds they are in
inmost soul and take strongest hold upon
the habit of being assembled to be fed by the clapping
it, bringing with them and imparting grace,
of the hands" (Pliny 10.89 [Bostock and Riley, 2:547]
if one is rightly trained, and otherwise the
contrary? And further, because omissions
3. dolphins-"The dolphin is an animal not only
and the failure of beauty in things badly
friendly to man, but a lover of music as well; he is
made or grown would be most quickly per-
charmed by melodious concerts, and more especially
ceived by one who was properly educated
by the notes of the water-organ" (Pliny 9.8 [Bostock
in music, and so, feeling distaste rightly,
and Riley, 2:371-2]).
he would praise beautiful things and take
delight in them and receive them into his
4. Hyperborean-Familiarly applied to the most
soul to foster its growth and become him-
northerly of anything. In legend Hyperborea was a
self beautiful and good. (Plato Republic
land "beyond the north wind" inhabited by a blessed
3.401d [Hamilton and Cairns, 646])
people that enjoyed perpetual sunshine, free from
disease, hunger, toil, care and war. The Hyperbore- And harmony, which has motions akin to
ans worshipped Apollo, who had visited them for a the revolutions of our souls, is not regarded
year shortly after his birth, and were a cheerful race by the intelligent votary of the Muses as
delighting in song and dance. At first Hyperborea given by them with a view to irrational
was probably the land of northern Thessaly, but as pleasure, which is deemed to be the pur-
knowledge of geography grew, it was pushed north, pose of it in our day, but as meant to correct
becoming identified with western Europe and the any discord which may have arisen in the
Celtae, and later with the region on the shores of the courses of the soul, and to be our ally in
fabled Hyperboreus Oceanus, beyond the mythical bringing her into harmony and agreement
Grypes and Arimaspi, who were reputed to dwell with herself, and rhythm too was given by
north of the Scythians. them for the same reason, on account of the
irregular and graceless ways which prevail
5. Hulesian-Perhaps located in the Halesian plain among mankind generally, and to help us
in the Troad (land surrounding Troy), which has hot against them. (Plato Timaeus 47d [Hamil-
salt springs. ton and Cairns, 1175])

6. Nymphs' Islands-"There are some small islands 9. cured, or caused-The Cretan musician Thaletas
in the Nymphaeus [in IIIyria], called the Dancers, was invited to Sparta during a pestilence around 620
because, when choruses are sung, they are moved by Be, which he is supposed to have ended.
 Of Musical Harmony / 335

10. Ismenia-Apollo was called Ismenius by virtue night, and persuaded him to change his
of having one of his temples located beside the Phrygian for a spondaic song; through
Ismenus River, which rose in Mount Cithaeron and which the fury of the lad being immedi-
flowed through Thebes. According to legend the boy ately repressed, he returned home in an
Ismenus was struck by an arrow of Apollo and leaped orderly manner, though a little before this,
into the river, giving it his name. he could not be in the least restrained, nor
would in short, bear any admonition; and
II. Empedocles- even stupidly insulted Pythagoras when he
met him. (lamblichus Life of Pythagoras
When a certain youth also rushed with a
25 [Taylor, 60])
drawn sword on Anchitus, the host of
Empedocles, because, being a judge, he
14. repressed him-Timotheus was a flute player of
had publicly condemned his father to
Thebes. Once when he was performing before
death, and would have slain him as a homi-
Alexander the Great an Orthian Nome to Athene,
cide, Empedocles changed the intention of
Alexander leapt from his seat and seized the musi-
the youth, by singing to his lyre that verse
cian by the arms. This was the germ for the well
of Homer,
known poem of Dryden, Alexander's Feast, which is
Nepenthe, without gall, o'er every ill based on a passage in Plutarch's Life of Alexander,
Oblivion spreads; [Odyssey 4, lines 793-4] where, however, Timotheus is not mentioned by
name. Dryden gives the musician a lyre, perhaps con-
and thus snatched his host Anchitus from
fusing him with Timotheus of Miletus (see biograph-
death, and the youth from his crime of
ical note).
homicide. (Iamblichus Life of Pythagoras
25 [Taylor, 60-1])
15 . dangerous spider-The bite of the tarantula
(Lycosa tarantula, formerly called Tarantula apu-
12. Saul in a rage-I Samuel 16:23.
/iae), a large venomous wolf spider that was found in
abundance in the town of Tarentum in the Italian
13. immoderate lust-
region of Apulia, was thought to be the cause of
Among the deeds of Pythagoras likewise, it tarantism, an hysterical malady characterized by a
is said, that once through the spondaic song wild impulse to dance. Tarantism was said to be sim-
of a piper, he extinguished the rage of a ilar to St Vitus' dance, and was epidemic in Apulia
Tauromenian lad, who had been feasting from the 15th to the 17th century. The tarantella, a
by night, and intended to bum the vestibule peasant dance of southern Italy popular since the
of his mistress, in consequence of seeing 15th century, is supposed to cure tarantism if those
her coming from the house of a rival. For bitten by the spider dance it until they drop from
the lad was inflamed and excited [to this exhaustion. It may be that there never was a disease
rash attempt] by a Phrygian song; which as such, and that all the dancing originated as a folk
however Pythagoras most rapidly sup- remedy against the bite of the spider.
pressed. But Pythagoras, as he was astron-
omizing, happened to meet with the 16. sciatica-A disease characterized by neuralgic
Phrygian piper at an unseasonable time of pain in the hip.
 CHAPTeRAAV

Of sound, and haRmony, and

whence 'theiR wondeRfulness in opeRarion.

m oreover we shall not deny, that

there is in sounds a virtue to
receive the heavenly gifts; if
with Pythagoras and Plato we
thought the heavens to consist by an harmonical
composition, and to rule and cause all things by
hogs to be harmonious: neither can the strings
made of sheep's and wolf's guts, be brought to
any agreement, because their foundations are dis-
sonant; but the many and divers voices of men
agree together, because they have one foundation
in the species or kind: so many birds agree,
harmonical tones and motions. I because they have one nigh genius or kind, and a
Singing can do more than the sound of an resemblance from above; also artificial instru-
instrument, in as much as it arising by an har- ments agree with natural voices, because the
monical consent, from the conceit of the mind, similitude that is betwixt them, is either true and
and imperious affection of the phantasy2 and manifest, or hath a certain analogy.
heart, easily penetrateth by motion, with the But every harmony is either of sounds or
refracted and well tempered air, the aerious voices. Sound is a breath, voice is sound and
spirit of the hearer, which is the bond of soul animate breath; speech is a breath pronounced
and body; and transferring the affection and with sound, and a voice signifying something:
mind of the singer with it, it moveth the affec- the spirit of which proceedeth out of the mouth
tion of the hearer by his affection, and the with sound and voice; Chalcidius saith, that a
hearer's phantasy by his phantasy, and mind by voice is sent forth out of the inward cavity of the
his mind, and striketh the mind, and striketh the breast and heart, by the assistance of the spirit.
heart, and pierceth even to the inwards of the By which, together with the tongue, forming,
soul, and by little and little, infuseth even dispo- and striking the narrow passages of the mouth,
sitions: moreover it moveth and stoppeth the and by the other vocal organs, are delivered
members and humours of the body. articulate sounds; the elements of speech, by
From hence in moving the affections har- which interpreter the secret motions of the mind
mony conferreth so much, that not only natural, are laid open: but Lactantius saith,4 that the
but also artificial and vocal harmony doth yield a nature of the voice is very obscure, and cannot
certain power both to the souls and bodies: but it be comprehended how it is made, or what it is.
is necessary that all consorts3 proceed from fit To conclude, all music consisteth in voice,
foundations, both in stringed instruments, in in sound,and hearing: sound without air cannot
pipes, and vocal singings, if you would have them be audible, which though it be necessary for
agree well together: for no man can make the hearing, yet, as air, it is not of itself audible, nor
roaring of lions, the lowing of oxen, the neighing to be perceived by any sense, unless by accident;
of horses, the braying of asses, the grunting of for the sight seeth it not, unless it be coloured,

336
 Of Sound, and Harmony / 337

nor the ears unless sounding, nor the smell pie and higher virtue; but it is meet that the sen-
unless odoriferous, nor the taste unless it be sitive soul should vivify the air joined to it; and
sapid, nor the touch unless it be cold or hot, and in the vivified air, which is joined to the spirit,
so forth : therefore though sound cannot be made perceive the species of objects put forth into act,
without air, yet is not sound of the nature of air, and this is done in the living air, but in a subtile
nor air of the nature of sound, but air is the body and diaphanous the visible species, in an ordi-
of the life of our sensitive spirit, and is not of the nary air the audible, in a more gross air the
nature of any sensible object, but of a more sim- species of other senses are perceived.

No-ces-Chap-ceR 1\1\V
I. tones and motions- 2. phantasy-Imagination.
But for all this, my most honored friends,
3. consorts-The harmonious combination of voices
methinks you have forgot the chiefest
or instruments.
thing of all, and that which renders music
most majestic. For Pythagoras, Archytas,
4. Lactantius saith-
Plato, and many others of the ancient
philosophers. were of opinion, that there But what account can we give of the
could be no motion of the world or rolling voice? Grammarians, indeed, and philoso-
of the spheres without the assistance of phers, define the voice to be air struck by
music, since the Supreme Deity created all the breath; from which words [verba . pre-
things harmoniously. (Plutarch On Music sumed to be from verbero: to strike] derive
44, trans. John Philips [Goodwin, I: 134]) their name: which is plainly false. For the
voice is not produced outside of the mouth,
And the spindle [of the universe] turned on
but within, and therefore that opinion is
the knees of Necessity, and up above on
more probable, that the breath, being com-
each of the rims of the circles a Siren
pressed, when it has struck against the
stood, borne around in its revolution and
obstacle presented by the throat, forces out
uttering one sound, one note, and from all
the sound of the voice: . .. Now, whether
the eight there was the concord of a single
this is true, God, who is the designer, may
harmony. And there were three others who
see. For the voice appears to arise not from
sat round about at equal intervals, each one
the mouth, but from the innermost breast.
on her throne, the Fates, daughters of
In fine, even when the mouth is closed, a
Necessity, clad in white vestments with fil-
sound such as is possible is emitted from
leted heads, Lachesis, and Clotho, and
the nostrils. Moreover, also, the voice is
Atropos, who sang in unison with the
not affected by the greatest breath with
music of the Sirens, Lachesis singing the
which we gasp, but with a light and not
things that were, Clotho the things that are,
compressed breath, as often as we wish. It
and Atropos the things that are to be.
has not therefore been comprehended in
(Plato Republic IO.617b-c [Hamilton and
what manner it takes place, or what it is
Cairns, 841)
altogether. (Lactantius De opijicio dei sive
''' The seven spheres give the seven sounds of the de formatione hominis [On the workman-
lyre/and produce a harmony (that is to say, an ship of God, or the formation of man] 15.
octave), because of the intervals which separate them In The Writings. trans. William Fletcher, in
from one another'" (Alexander of Aetolia, quoted by Ante-Nicene Christian Library [Edin-
Theon 3.15 [Lawlor, 92]) burgh: T. and T. Clark, 1871], 22:82)
 ' .~
..&
l<.~

, ""...
::t
,~
j~
' e;.
\~
'· 0
\pO
....~

-0 '.
~ \
~.
~ .
.' ""'l ' ....
. 1,\ ".
'",'.. ....
p.,;.,. J' .

.<)
,.'......
'S ' .r
"
.
~>'"
\:s','. .;

3:
... . './
..,:t ::, .. "
,
.t. .:,'
".

. ' i· .,.~/
' .' " .,"

Harmony of the World

From Utriusque cosmi maiO/'is scilicet et minoris metaphysica, physica
atque technica historia
by Robert Fludd (Oppenh e im . 1617)
 CHAPTeR AAVl

ConceRning rhe agReemenr of

rhem wirh rhe ce1esrial bodies, and whar
haRmony and sound is cORRespondenr of eveRY sraR.

ut understand now, that of the seven string, equaled them to the number of the planets.

B planets, Saturn, Mars, and the Moon

have more of the voice than of the har-
mony. Saturn hath sad, hoarse, heavy,
and slow words, and sounds, as it were pressed
Moreover, they that followed the number
of the elements, did affirm, that the four kinds
of music do agree to them, and also to the four
humours, and did think the Dorian music to be
to the center; but Mars, rough, sharp, threaten- consonant to the Water and phlegm, the Phry-
ing, great, and wrathful words; the Moon gian to choler and Fire, the Lydian to blood and
observeth a mean betwixt these two. Air, the mixed-Lydian to melancholy and Earth:
But Jupiter, Sol, Venus and Mercury, do others respecting the number and virtue of the
possess harmonies; yet Jupiter hath grave, con- heavens, have attributed the Dorian to the Sun,
stant, fixed, sweet, merry, and pleasant consorts; the Phrygian to Mars, the Lydian to Jupiter, the
Sol venerable, settled, pure and sweet, with a cer- mixed-Lydian to Saturn, the hypo-Phrygian to
tain grace; but Venus lascivious, luxurious, deli- Mercury, the hypo-Lydian to Venus, the hypo-
cate, voluptuous, dissolute and fluent; Mercury Dorian to the Moon, the hypo-mixed-Lydian to
hath harmonies more remiss, and various, merry the fixed stars. II
and pleasant, with a certain boldness: but the Moreover they refer these modes of music to
tone of particulars, and proportionated consorts the Muses, and the strings to the heavens, but not
obeyeth the nine Muses. Jupiter hath the grace of in that order as we have declared concerning the
the octave, and also the quinte, I viz. the diapa- nine Muses, amongst our numbers and celestial
son 2 with the diapente: 3 Sol obtains the melody souls; for they say Thalia hath no harmony, there-
of the octave voice, viz. diapason; in like manner fore ascribe her to silence, and the Earth; but Cleo
by fifteen tones, a disdiapason:4 Venus keepeth with the Moon move after the hypo-Dorian man-
the grace of the quinte or diapente: Mercury hath ner, the string proslambanomenosl 2 or Air. Cal-
diatessaron;5 viz. the grace of the quarte. 6 liope and Mercury possess the hypo-Phrygian
Moreover the ancients being content with manner, and the chord hypate-hypaton, or B-Mi.
four strings,7 as with the number of elements, Telpsichore with Venus the hypo-Lydian man-
accounted Mercury the author of them, as Nico- ner, and parahypote, hypaton; and for Melpomene
machus reports, and by their bass strings would and the Dorian manner with licanos, hypaton, or
resemble the Earth; by their parhypas8 or middle D-Sol-Re are applied to the Sun. Erato with Mars
the Water; by their note diezeugmenon. or hyper- keep the Phrygian fashion, and the hypatemise, or
boleon9 the Fire; by the paranete lO or synem- E-La-Mi. Eutelpe. and the Lydian music, and
menon , or treble, the Air; but afterwards pachyparemeson agree with Jupiter; Polymnia
Telpander the Lesbian finding out the seventh and Saturn keep the mixed-Lydian manner, and

339
340/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

lichanos meson D-Sol-Re. To Urania and the tion of the motions of Saturn to Jupiter's
fixed stars the hypo-mixed-Lydian music, and the motion, is twofold and an half; of Jupiter to
string mese, or A-Le-Mi-Re are ascribed,13 as we Mars, a sixfold proportion; of Mars to the Sun,
read them expressed in these verses: Venus and Mercury, which in a manner fin-
isheth their course in the same time, is a double
Silent Thalia we to the Earth compare, proportion; their motions to the Moon have a
For she by music never doth ensnare; twelvefold proportion; but Saturn's proportion
After the hypo-Dorian Clio sings,
to the starry sphere is a thousand and two hun-
Persephone likewise doth strike the bass
strings; dred, if it be true which Pt%my saith, viz. that
Calliope also doth chord second touch, the heaven is moved contrary to the primum
Using the Phrygian; Mercury as much: mobile in an hundred years, one degree. 16
Terpsichore strikes the third, and that rare, Therefore the proper motion 17 of the Moon
The Lydian music makes so Venus fair.
being more swift, maketh a more acute sound
Melpomene, and Titan do with a grace
The Dorian music use in the fourth place. than the starry firmament, which is the slowest
The fifth ascribed is to Mars the god of all, and therefore causeth the most base
Of war, and Erato after the rare mode sound; but by the violent motion 18 of the pri-
Of the Phrygians, Euterpe doth also love mum mobile, is the most swift, and acute sound
The Lydian, and sixth string; and so doth of all; but the violent motion of the Moon is
Jove.
Saturn the seventh doth use with Polymny, most slow and heavy, which proportion and
And causeth the mixed-Lydian melody. reciprocation of motions yields a most pleasant
Urania also doth the eighth create, harmony; from hence there are not any songs,
And music hypo-Lydian elevate. sounds, or musical instruments more powerful
in moving man 's affections, or introducing
Moreover there are some who find out the magical impressions, than those which are com-
harmony of the heavens by their distance one posed of numbers, measures, and proportions,
from another. For that space which is betwixt after the example of the heavens.
the Earth and the Moon, viz. an hundred and Also the harmony of the elements is drawn
twenty-six thousand Italian miles,14 maketh the forth from their bases, and angles, 19 of the which
interval of a tone; but from the Moon to Mer- we have spoken before; for betwixt Fire and Air,
cury being half that space, maketh half a tone; there is a double proportion in the bases, and one
and so much from Mercury to Venus maketh and an half in solid angles, again in planes, a
another half tone; but from thence to the Sun, as double; there ariseth hence an harmony of a dou-
it were a threefold tone and a half, and makes ble diapason, and a diapente. Betwixt the Air
diapente; but from the Moon to the Sun, maketh and Water, the proportion in their bases is dou-
a twofold diatessaron with a half; again from ble, and one and an half;2o hence diapason, and
the Sun to Mars is the same space as from the diapente; but in their angles double; hence again
Earth to the Moon, making a tone; from thence diapason. But betwixt Water and Earth the pro-
to Jupiter half of the same making half a tone; portion in the bases is threefold and a third part
so much likewise from Jupiter to Saturn, consti- more; from hence ariseth diapason-diapente,
tuting an half tone; from whence to the starry diatessaron; but in the angles one and an half,
firmaments is also the space of an half tone. 15 again constituting diapente. To conclude,
Therefore there is from the Sun to the fixed betwixt Earth and Fire, in the bases the propor-
stars a diatessaron distance of two tones and an tion is one and an half, making diapente; but in
half, but from the Earth a perfect diapason of the angles, double, causing diapason: but
six perfect tones; moreover also from the pro- betwixt Fire and Water, Air and Earth, there is
portion of the motions of the planets amongst scarce any consonancy, because they have a per-
themselves, and with the eighth sphere, resul- fect contrarity in their qualities, but they are
teth the sweetest harmony of all; for the propor- united by the intermediate element. 21 .
 Concerning the Agreement of Them with the Celestial Bodies / 341

No-ccs-Chap-CCR XXVl

I. quinte-Fifth. and 12th-are never used because they are impracti-

, cal. Agrippa would have been familiar with this sys-
2. diapason-Octave. tem:
Authentic Modes PlagaI Modes
3. diapente-Fifth. 1. Dorian 2. Hypodorian
3. Phrygian 4. Hypophrygian
4. disdiapason-Double octave, or fifteenth. 5. Lydian 6. Hypolydian
7. Mixolydian 8. Hypomixolydian
5. diatessaron-Fourth. 9. Aeolian 10. Hypoaeolian
II . Locrian 12. Hypolocrian
6. quarte-Fourth. 13. Ionian 14. Hypoionian
7. four strings-The cithara originally had four 12. proslambanomenos-The Greek scale consisted
strings. Terpander increased this number to seven, of two octaves made from four tetrachords (derived
and Timotheus to eleven. See their biographical from the four-string cithara). The first and second
notes. tetrachords shared a common string, as did the third
and fourth, resulting in 14 sounds. To complete the
8. parhypas-Parhypate, the lowest note but one in double octave a 15th string, called the proslam-
either of the lowest two tetrachords (see note 12 banomenos, was added to the bottom of the scale,
below); the sound of the string next to the bass string. one tone below the lowest of the hypates:

9. hyperbo{eon-In Greek music the hyperboles were Strings Tetrachord

the highest tones of the scale; the highest string on 1. Nete
the four-string cithara. 2. Paranete or diatone 1st Tetrachord
3. Trite (hyperboles)
10. paranate-Greek: "neighbor of the nete," the 4. Nete of the disjuncts
nete being the highest string; therefore the second 5. Paranete or diatone 2nd Tetrachord
highest string. 6. Trite (disjuncts)
7. Paramese
II . fixed stars-The ancient Greeks used six modes, 8. Mese
which are musical scales of differing pitches corre- 9. Lichanos or diatone 3rd Tetrachord
sponding more or less to the modem keys. There 10. Parhypate (meses)
were the Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, mixo-Lydian, II. Hypate
Ionic and Aeolian. They were assigned moral values 12. Hyperhypatate or diatone
by philosophers. For example, the "soft and convivial 13. Parhypate 4th Tetrachord
14. Hypate (hypates)
modes" are "certain Ionian and also Lydian modes
that are called lax." The "dirgelike modes" which are 15. Proslambanomenos
the "mixed Lydian [mixo-Lydian]" and the "tense or
higher Lydian [hypo-Lydian]" are "useless even to
13. are ascribed-
women who are to make the best of themselves, let Planet Muse String Mode
alone to men. " On the other hand the " Dorian and the Earth Thalia Silence
Phrygian" are those that " would fittingly imitate the Moon Clio Proslarnba- Hypodorian
utterances and the accents of a brave man who is nomenos
engaged in warfare or any enforced business" and Mercury Calliope Hypate- Hypo-
"for such a man engaged in works of peace, not Hypaton phrygian
enforced but voluntary . .." (Plato Republic (8. Mi.)
3.398e-399b [Hamilton and Cairns, 643-4]). Depar- Venus Terpsichore Parahypate- Hypolydian
ture from these established modes was resisted as an Hypaton
anti-intellectual pandering to the mass appetite for Sun Melpomene Licanos- Dorian
pleasure. The names of the Greek modes were pre- Hypaton
served in the system of church music known as plain- (D. Sol. Re.)
song, or plain chant (Gregorian chants), established Mars Erato Hypatemise Phrygian
in the 6th century by Gregory the Great, although (E. La. Mi.)
these differed completely from the Greek. Others Jupiter Euterpe Pachy- Lydian
were added for a total of 14, of which two--the 11th paremeson
342/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

Planet Muse String Mode him there is half a tone to Jupiter, from
Saturn Polymnia Lichanos- Mixo- Jupiter to Saturn also half a tone, and thence
Meson Iydian a tone and a half to the zodiac. Hence there
(D. Sol. Re.) are seven tones, which he tenns the diapa-
Zodiac Urania Mese Hypomixo- son harmony, meaning the whole compass
(A. La. Iydian of the notes. In this, Saturn is said to move
Mi. Re.) in the Doric time, Jupiter in the Phrygian,
and so forth of the rest; but this is a refine-
The strings described are those in the table of note ment rather amusing than useful. (Pliny 2.20
12, from the bottom, comprising the lower two tetra- [Bostock and Riley, 1:52-3])
chords, those of the hypates and the meses. Seven
A trihemitone is three semitones, which is what
syllables, called the solfeggio, designate the seven
Agrippa means by "a threefold tone." Codified, the
notes of the scale: ut (or do), re, mi,fa, sol, la, and si.
arrangement is:
They come from an ancient monkish hymn to John
the Baptist, in which the first syllable of each line Zodiac, giving the nete
was sung one degree higher than the first syllable of Saturn
I halftone
the line that preceded it. The first person to use these Jupiter
I halftone fourth
syllables was Guido of Arezzo in the 11th century. Mars
I halftone
Sun, giving the mese
I tone
14. Italian miles-An Italian mile was almost the Venus
I trihemitone
same as a Roman mile, the Italian mile being I/lOOth Mercury
I halftone fourth
longer. A Roman mile equaled 0.9193 of an English Moon
I halftone
mile. Therefore 126,000 Italian miles would be Earth, giving the hypate
I tone
roughly 116,000 English miles. This is not even close
to the true distance between the Earth and the Moon, 16. one degree-The phenomenon referred to here is
which is around 240,000 miles. the precession of the equinoxes. Because the axis of
the Earth wobbles, the equinoctial points-location
15 . an halftone-This same arrangement is given in of the sun when day and night are equal-move
this verse by Alexander of Aetolia: slowly around the ecliptic from east to west; that is,
contrary to the usual order of the zodiac signs. The
The earth at the center gives the low sound
complete revolution of the equinoxes takes about
of the hypate;
25,000 years. This is called a Platonic Year. To cross
the starry sphere gives the conjunct nete;
each sign takes 2,120 years, a Platonic Month. Since
the sun placed in the middle of the errant
there are 30 degrees in each sign, the actual period of
stars gives the mese;
passage through each degree is roughly 71 years.
the crystal sphere gives the fourth in rela-
tion to it;
17. proper motion-Proper motion is the true motion
Saturn is lower by a half-tone;
of a planet, as opposed to its apparent motion as
Jupiter diverges as much from Saturn as
observed from Earth. The ancient astronomers based
from the terrible Mars;
their opinions on the theory of solid crystal spheres
the sun, joy of mortals, is one tone below;
nestled one inside the other with the Earth at the cen-
Venus differs from the dazzling sun by a
ter. Later there was the elaboration of smaller spheres
trihemitone;
circling larger spheres. Consequently there arose con-
Hennes continues with a half-tone lower
fusion over what was the true motion of a planet and
than Venus;
what was only its seeming motion. Planetary motion
then comes the moon which gives to nature
was divided into: (I) Forward motion-the apparent
such varying hue;
motion of a planet through the zodiac from east to
and finally, the earth at the centre gives the
west; (2) Contrary motion-the apparent motion of a
fifth with respect to the sun .. .
planet through the zodiac from west to east. Plato
(Theon 3.15 [Lawlor, 92])
thought this to be proper, or true, motion, but Adras-
Pythagoras, employing the tenns that are tus believed it a seeming motion; (3) Station-the
used in music, sometimes names the dis- apparent motionlessness of a planet; (4) Retrograde
tance between the Earth and the Moon a motion-the apparent return of a planet from its sta-
tone; from her to Mercury he supposes to be tion in a direction opposite its fonner motion, a back-
half this space, and about the same from him tracking. See Theon 3.17-21 (Lawlor 96).
to Venus. From her to the Sun is a tone and
a half; from the Sun to Mars is a tone, the 18. violent motion-The rapid, or violent, motion of
same as from the Earth to the Moon; from the stars results from the rotation of the Earth on its
 Concerning the Agreement of Them with the Celestial Bodies / 343

axis. The stars complete the apparent revolution Fire and Air 4:8 4:6 12:24
about the Earth in approximately 23 hours, 56 min- Air and Water 8:20 6:12 24:60
utes-a sidereal or stellar day. The planets pursue Water and Earth 20:6 12:8 60:24
this violent motion of stars, but each night lag a little Earth and Fire 6:4 8:4 24:12
farther behind, until eventually they come full circle Fire and Water 4:20 4:12 12:60
against the stellar backdrop. The Moon is the greatest Air and Earth 8:6 6:8 24:24
laggard, completing its circuit in just over 27 days,
Consonances Ratios
which means that it must fall behind the stars approx-
Diatessaron (4th) 4:3 (Sesquitertian)
imately 13 degrees each night.
Diapente (5th) 3:2 (SesquiaIter)
Diapason (octave) 2:1 (Double)
19. hases and angles-
Diapason-diapente 3: I (Triple)
Solid Plane (octave + 5th = 12th)
Elements Solids Bases Angles Angles Disdiapason (double 4: I (Quadruple)
Fire Tetrahedron 4 4 12 octave = 15th)
Earth Hexahedron 6 8 24
Air Octahedron 8 6 24 20. and one and an half-Actually it is double and
Spirit Dodecahedron 12 20 60 one half.
Water Icosahedron 20 12 60
21. intermediary element-Air is between Fire and
Water; Water is between Air and Earth. See Appen-
dix III.
 Harmony of Man
From Tomus secundus de supernaturali, naturaii, praeternaturali et contranaturali microcosmi historia
by Robert Fludd (Oppenheim, 1619)
 CHAPTeR MVll

Of rhe pRopORrion, meaSURe,

and haRmony of man's body.

eeing man is the most beautiful and per- build the ark according to the measure of man's

S fectest work of God, and his image, and

also the lesser world; therefore he by a
more perfect composition, and sweet
harmony, and more sublime dignity doth con-
body, and he made the whole fabric of the
world proportionable to man's body; from
hence it is called the great world, man's body
the less; therefore some who have written of the
tain and maintain in himself all numbers, mea- microcosm, or of man, measure the body by six
sures, weights, motions, elements, and all other feet, a foot by ten degrees, every degree by five
things which are of his composition; and in him minutes; from hence are numbered sixty
as it were in the supreme workmanship, all degrees, which make three hundred minutes, to
things obtain a certain high condition, beyond the which are compared so many geometrical
the ordinary consonancy which they have in cubits, by which Moses describes 4 the ark; for
other compounds. as the body of man is in length three hundred
From hence all the ancients in time past did minutes, in breadth fifty, in height thirty; so the
number by their fingers, I and showed all num- length of the ark was three hundred cubits, the
bers by them; and they seem to prove that from breadth fifty, and the height thirty; that the pro-
the very joints of man's body all numbers, mea- portion of the length to the breadth be sixfold,
sures, proportions, and harmonies were to the height tenfold, and the proportion of the
invented; hence according to this measure of the breadth to the height about two thirds.
body, they framed, and contrived their temples, In like manner the measures of all the
palaces, houses, theaters; also their ships, members are proportionate, and consonant both
engines, and every kind of artifice, and every to the parts of the world, and measures of the
part and member of their edifices, and build- Archetype, and so agreeing, that there is no
ings, as columns, chapiters 2 of pillars, bases, member in man which hath not correspondence
buttresses, feet of pillars, and all of this kind. with some sign, star, intelligence, divine name,
Moreover God himself taught Noah 3 to 'sometimes in God himself the Archetype.

345
346/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

But the whole measure of the

body may be turned, and proceed-
ing from roundness, is known to
tend to it again: 5

Also the four square measure

is the most proportionated body;
for, if a man be placed upright
with his feet together,and his arms
stretched forth, he will make a
quadrature equilateral, whose cen-
ter is in the bottom of his belly:6
 Of the Proportion, Measure, and Harmony of Man 's Body / 347

But if on the same center a cir-

cle be made by the crown of the
head, the arms being let fall so far,
till the end of the fingers touch the
circumference of that circle, and the
feet spread abroad in the same cir-
cumference, as much as the fingers'
ends are distant from the top of the
head; then they divide that circle,
which was drawn from the center of
the lower belly, into five equal
parts, and do constitute a perfect
pentagon; and the heels of the feet
having reference to the navel , make
a triangle of equal sides:?

But if the heels being

unmoved, the feet be stretched forth
on both sides to the right and left,
and the hands lifted up to the line of
the head, then the ends of the fin-
gers and toes do make a square of
equal sides, whose center is on the
navel , in the girdling of the body:8
348/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

But if the hands be thus ele-

vated, and the feet and thighs
extended in this manner, by the
which a man is made shorter by the
fourteenth part of his upright
stature, then the distance of his feet
having reference to the lower belly,
they will make an equilateral trian-
gle; and the center being pla.ced in
his navel, a circle being brought
about, will touch the ends of the
fingers and toes:9

But if the hands be lifted up as

high as can be, above the head,
then the elbow will be equal to the
crown of the head, and if then the
feet being put together, a man stand
thus, he may be put into an equilat-
eral square brought by the extremi-
ties of the hands and feet: the
center of this square is the navel,
which is the middle betwixt the top
of the head and the knees: 10
 Of the Proportion, Measure, and Harmony of Man's Body / 349

Now let us proceed to particular measures. bottom of the hinder part of the head, make the
The compass of a man under the armpits con- fifth part of his whole length; so much also doth
tains the middle of his length, II whose middle is the breadth of the breast.
the bottom of his breast: and from thence Nine face breadths make a square, well set
upward to the middle of his breast betwixt both man, and ten a tall man. The length of man
dugs,12 and from the middle of his breast unto therefore being divided into nine parts, the face
the crown of his head, on every side the fourth from the top of the forehead to the bottom of the
part; also from the bottom of his breast to the chin is one; then from the bottom of the throat,
bottom of the knees, and from thence to the bot- or the top of the breast unto the top of the stom-
tom of the ankles the fourth part of man. The ach is another; from thence to the navel is a
same is the latitude l3 of his shoulder blades third; from thence to the bottom of the thigh, 19 a
from one extreme to the other: the same is the fourth; from thence the hip to the top of the calf
length from the elbow to the end of the longest of the leg, makes two; from thence to the joint of
finger, and therefore this is called a cubit. the.foot the legs make two more; all which are
Hence four cubits make the length of man, and eight parts. Moreover the space from the top of
one cubit the breadth which is in the shoulder the forehead to the crown of the head, and that
blades, but that which is in the compass, one which is from the chin to the top of the breast,
foot; 14 now six handbreadths make a cubit, four and that which is from the joint of the foot to the
a foot, and four fingers' breadths make a hand- sole of the foot, I say these three spaces joined
breadth, and the whole length of man is of together make the ninth part. In breadth the
twenty-four handbreadths, of six foot, of ninety- breast hath two parts, and both arms seven. 20
six fingers' breadths. But that body which ten face breadths make
From the bottom of his breast to the top of is the most exactly proportioned. Therefore the
his breast,15 is the sixth part of his length, from first part of this is from the crown of the head to
the top of his breast to the top of his forehead, the bottom of the nose; from thence to the top of
and lowermost root of his hairs, the seventh part the breast, the second; and then to the top of the
of his length; of a strong, and well set body, a stomach the third; and from thence to the navel,
foot is the sixth part of the length, but of a tall the fourth; from thence to the privy members,
the seventh. Neither can (as Yarra , and Gellius the fifth, where is the middle of the length of
testify) the tallness of man's body exceed seven man; from whence to the soles of his feet are
feet. Lastly the diameter of his compass 16 is the five other parts, which being joined to the for-
same measure as is from the hand, being shut mer, make ten whole, by which every body is
unto the inward bending of the elbow, and as measured by a most proportioned measure.
that which is from the breast to both dugs,17 For the face of a man from the bottom of
upward to the upward lip, or downward to the his chin, to the top of his forehead, and bottom
navel; and as that which is from the ends of the of the hair is the tenth part. The hand of a man
bones 18 of the uppermost part of the breast com- from the shutting,21 to the end of the longest fin-
passing the gullet; and as that which is from the ger is also one part; also betwixt the middle 22 of
sole of the foot to the end of the calf of the leg, both dugs is one part, and from both to the top
and from thence to the middle whirl bone of the of the gullet is an equilateral triangle. The lati-
knee. All these measures are coequal, and make tude of the lower part of the forehead from one
the seventh part of the whole height. ear to the other is another part; the latitude of
The head of a man from the bottom of the the whole breast, viz. from the top of the breast
chin to the crown of his head is the eighth part to the joints of the shoulder blades, is on both
of his length, as also from the elbow to the end sides 23 one part, which makes two.
of the shoulder blade: so great is the diameter of The compass of the head crosswise 24 from
the compass of a tall man. The compass of the the distance of the eyebrows by the top of the
head drawn by the top of the forehead, and the forehead unto the bottom of the hinder part of
350/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

the head, where the hair ends, hath also two commensurations are to one the other. As much
parts; from the shoulders on the outside unto the as the distance is from the chin to the top of the
coupling together of the joints of the hand, and breast, so great is the latitude of the mouth;27 as
on the inside from the armpits unto the begin- much as is the distance betwixt the top of the
ning of the palm of the hand, and of the fin- breast, to the navel , so great is the compass of
gers,25 are three parts. The compass of the head the mouth;28 as much as the distance is from the
by the middle of the forehead hath three parts; chin to the crown of the head, so great is the lat-
the compass of the girdling place hath four parts itude of the girdling place;29 as is the distance
in a well set man, but in a thin body three parts from the top of the nose to the bottom, such is
and a half, or as much as is from the top of the the distance betwixt the chin and the throat.
breast to th~ bottom of the belly. The compass Also the cavity of the eyes from the place
of the breast by the armpit to the back hath five betwixt the eyebrows unto the inward corners,
parts, viz. as much as half the whole length. and the extension of the bottom of the nose, and
From the crown of the head, to the knurls of the the distance from the bottom of the nose to the
gullet 26 is the thirteenth part of the whole alti- end of the upper lip; I say these three are equals
tude. The arms being stretched upward, the amongst themselves; and as much as from the
elbow is even to the crown of the head. top of the nail of the forefinger to the lowermost
But now let us see how equal the other joint30 thereof.

And from thence where t~e hand is joined the forefinger equals the height of the forehead;
to the arm on the outside,31 and in the inside the other two to the top of the nail equal the
from the top of the nail of the middle finger unto nose, from the top to the bottom; the first and
the lowermost joint,32 and from thence to the the greater joint of the middle finger equals the
shutting of the hand;33 I say all these parts are space which is betwixt the end of the nose to the
equal amongst themselves. The greater joint of end of the chin; and the second joint of the mid-
 Of the Proportion, Measure, and Harmony of Man's Body 1351

dIe finger is as much as the distance from the same 35 to the brawn of the arm near the shoul-
bottom of the chin to the top of the lower lip; but der is triple; the greatness of the leg is to that of
the third as from the mouth to the end of the the arm, a proportion half as much again, as of
nose; but the whole hand as much as the whole three to two; and the same proportion is of the
face . The greater joint of the thumb is as much neck to the leg, as of that to the arm.36 The pro-
as the wideness of the mouth, and as the distance portion of the thigh is triple to the arm; the pro-
betwixt the bottom of the chin, and the top of the portion of the whole body to the trunk,37 is eight
lower lip; but the lesser joint is as much as. the and a half; from the trunk or breast to the legs,
distance betwixt the top of the lower lip and the and from thence to the soles of the feet,38 a third
end of the nose; the nails are half as much as and a half; from the neck to the navel, and to the
those joints which they call the nail joints. end of the trunk a double.39 The latitude of
The distance betwixt the middle of the eye- them40 to the latitude of the thigh, is half so
brows to the outward corners of the eyes is as much again; of the head to the neck triple, of the
much as betwixt those corners and the ears. The head to the knee triple, the same to the leg. The
height of the forehead, the length of the nose, length of the forehead betwixt the temples 41 is
and the wideness of the mouth are equal. Also fourfold to the height thereof.
the breadth of the hand, and foot are the same. These are those measures which are every-
The distance betwixt the lower part of the ankle where found;42 by which the members of man's
to the top of the foot is the same as that betwixt body according to length, breadth, height, and
the top of the foot and the end of the nails.34 The circumference thereof agree amongst them-
distance from the top of the forehead to the selves, and also with the celestials themselves:
place betwixt the eyes, and from that to the end all which measures are divided by manifold
of the nose, and from thence to the end of the proportions either upon them that divide, or are
chin is the same. The eyebrows joined together mixed, from whence there results a manifold
are as much as the circle of the eyes, and the harmony. For a double proportion makes thrice
half circle of the ears equals the wideness of the a diapason; four times double, twice a diapason
mouth: whence the circles of the eyes, ears, and and diapente. 43
mouth opened are equal. The breadth of the After the same manner are elements, quali-
nose is as much as the length of the eye; hence ties, complexions, and humours proportioned.
the eyes have two parts of that space which is For these weights of humours and complexions
betwixt both extremities of the eyes; a third part are assigned to a sound and well composed man,
the nose that is betwixt takes up. viz. the eight weights of blood, of phlegm four,
From the crown of the head to the knees the of choler two, of melancholy one, that on both
navel is the middle; from the top of the breast to sides there be by order a double proportion;44
the end of the nose the knurl of the throat makes but of the first to the third, and of the second to
the middle; from the crown of the head to the the fourth, a four times double45 proportion; but
bottom of the chin, the eyes are the middle; of the first to the last an eightfold.46
from the space betwixt the eyes to the bottom of Dioscorides saith, that the heart of a man in
the chin, the end of the nose is the middle; from the first year hath the weight of two drams,47 in
the end of the nose to the bottom of the chin, the the second year four, and so proportionably in
end of the lower lip is the middle; a third part of the fiftieth year to have the weight of a hundred
the same distance is the upper lip. drams, from which time the decreases are again
Moreover all these measures are through reckoned to an equilibrium, which, the course
manifold proportions, and harmonical consents being ended, may return to the same limit, and
consonant one to the other; for the thumb is to not exceed the space of life by the decay of that
the wrist in a circular measure in a double pro- member: by which account of a hundred years,
portion and half; for it contains it twice and a he circumscribed the life of man. And this saith
half, as five is to two; but the proportion of the Pliny48 was the heresy of the Egyptians.
352/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

The motions also of the members of men's worthy to receive it, and endows the most
bodies answer to the celestial motions, and excellent soul with a most beautiful body,
every man hath in himself the motion of his which then the soul knowing its own divinity,
heart, which answers to the motion of the Sun,49 frames and adorns for its own habitation. Hence
and being diffused through the arteries into the the people of Aethiopia, which were governed
whole body, signifies to us by a most sure rule, by the wisdom of Gymnosophists, as Aristotle
years, months, days, hours, and minutes. More- witnesseth, did make them kings not those
over, there is a certain nerve found by the which were most strong, and wealthy, but those
anatomists about the node of the neck, which only which were most proper and beautiful; for
being touched doth so move all the members of they conceived that the gallantry of the mind
the body, that everyone of them move accord- did depend upon the excellency of the body.
ing to its proper motion; by which like touch Which many philosophers, as well ancient
Aristotle thinks the members of the world are as modem, considering, such as searched into
moved by God. And there are two veins in the the secrets of causes hid in the very majesty of
neck, which being held hard presently the nature, were bold to assert, that there was no
man's strength fails, and his senses are taken fault of, and no disproportion in the body,
away until they be loosened. which the vice and intemperance of the mind
Therefore the eternal Maker of the world did not follow, because it is certain that they do
when he was to put the soul into the body, as increase, thrive, and operate by the help one of
into its habitation, first made a fit lodging the other. 5o

Norcs-ChaprCR 7\.7\.Vll
I. by their fingers-See ch. XVI, bk. II. upper solar plexus center. The five planets are
arrayed about the perimeter in order of their quick-
2. chapiters--Capitals. ness of apparent motion clockwise: Mercury, Venus,
Mars, Jupiter, Saturn.
3. Noah-Genesis 6: 14-6.
8. of the body-In the fourth illustration, the symbols
4. Moses describes-Moses was the supposed author around the border are the zodiac signs beginning
of the book of Genesis. with Aries at the head and running counterclockwise.
5. tend to it again-In the first illustration, the cubic
stone indicates the Earth, as does the great circle 9. fingers , and toes-In the fifth illustration, the
itself. On the belly of the figure is a medieval most masculine planets-Sun, Jupiter, Mars-are
builder's tool for finding plumb--a mason's symbol. spread along the axis of the body; the fully feminine
The pentagrams around the hands are pointing down- planets-Moon, Venus-are over the hands, and the
ward, which in the occultism of the 19th century is a somewhat feminine planets-Mercury, Saturn--on
symbol of Satanism; however, Agrippa would not the feet.
have made this distinction between the upright and
inverted pentagram. The cross through the great cir- 10. and the knees-In the sixth illustration, I must
cle suggests the cardinal points. The small circle atop confess that I have not been able to determine the
the head may stand for the Sun. numerological significance of the 16 numbers
around the figure, though I am sure the explanation is
6. of his belly-In the second illustration, the center quite simple.
of the figure is the groin. The cross on the solar
plexus marks the other center used in the preceding
II. middle of his length-The circumference around
illustration. On the border is the serpent and knobbed
the upper chest is half the height.
stick of Aesculapius, god of physicians, and above
the figure, the eye of God.
12. both dugs-Both nipples.
7. of equal sides-In the third illustration, the moon
is set over the lower groin center, the sun over the 13 . latitude-Width.
 Of the Proportion, Measure, and Hannony of Man 's Body / 353

14. the compass, one foot-Perhaps the depth 33. shutting of the hand-Probably the place on the
through the chest at the level of the nipples. heel of the palm where the tips of the fingers touch
when closed.
15. top of his breast-From the solar plexus to the
top of the shoulders. 34. end of the nails-From the heel through the
ankle to the instep, and from the instep to the tip of
16. diameter of his compass-Diameter of the cir- the big toe.
cumference of the breast.
35. of the same-That is, the wrist to the upper ann.
17. breast to both dugs-The distance between the
level of the nipples and the upper lip, and down to 36. to the arm-Perhaps as the middle of the foreann
the navel. is to the middle of the shank, so the middle of the
shank is to the neck.
18. ends of the bones-The distance between the
ends of the collarbones. 37. to the trunk-It is not clear to me what is meant
here; perhaps the distance from the navel to the groin
19. bottom of the thigh-The end of the buttocks. compared with the height of the body.

20. both arms seven-That is, in the ninefold divi- 38. soles of the feet-From the top of the breast to
sion of the distance between the fingertips of the out- groin is one third the entire height; from the groin to
spread anns. the soles of the feet one half.

21. the shutting-The length of the hand from the 39. trunk a double-From the pit of the throat to the
fingertips to the heel. navel is twice from the navel to the groin.

22. betwixt the middle-Distance between the nipples. 40. latitude of them-Distance across, or width, of
the waist.
23. on both sides-The distance from the spine to the
41. betwixt the temples-Measured across.
ends of the shoulders.
42. everywhere found-These measures and propor-
24. head crosswise-That is, the measure from the
tions of the human body are very similar to the list
middle of the eyebrows over the top of the head compiled by the Italian artist and inventer Leonard da
down to the hairline at the nape of the neck. Vinci (see The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, ed.
Edward MacCurdy [New York: George Braziller,
25. of the fingers-From the shoulder to the wrist, or 1955],7:206-14). Since Agrippa spent so much time
from the annpit to the root of the fingers. in Italy between 1511 and 1517, when Leonardo was
in his early 60s and still very active, it is not impossi-
26. knurls of the gullet-The Adam's apple. ble that the two corresponded or even met. However,
the link, if there is one, appears to be the book
27. latitude of the mouth-Width. Summa de arithmetica geometria proportioni et pro-
portionalita by the mathematician Lucas Paciolus
28. compass of the mouth-This must refer to the cir- (see his biographical note), who was a close friend of
cumference of the head at the level of the mouth and da Vinci. Agrippa mentions this work at the end of
hairline. ch. XVI, bk. II, referring to its author as " Brother
Luke of Saint Sepulchers."
29. girdling place-Width of the waist.
43. and diapente-A double proportion (2: I) yields a
30. lowermost joint-Agrippa means the segments of diapason, or octave; four times double (4: I) yields a
the fingers when he speaks of joints; thus, probably disdiapason or double octave.
from the tip of the nail to the middle knuckle of the
forefinger. 44. double proportion-Blood and phlegm (8:4), and
choler and melancholy (2: I).
31. on the outside-From the large knuckle to the
wrist on the back of the hand. 45 . four times double-Blood and choler (8:2), and
phlegm and melancholy (4: I).
32. lowermost joint-The place where the finger
joins the palm. 46. eightfold-Blood and melancholy (8: I).
354 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

47. two drams-A dram is 60 grains, or about 1/8th tians, whose custom it is to embalm the
of an ounce. bodies of the dead, and so preserve them.
(Pliny 11.70 [Bostock and Riley, 3:65-6])
48. saith Pliny-
49 .. motion of the Sun-That is, the heart keeps time
It is said that the heart increases every year
by Its beats even as the sun does by its motion.
In man, and that two drachmae in weight
are added yearly up to the fiftieth year,
50. one of the other-It was this pernicious belief
after which period it decreases yearly in a
that led to so many ugly old women being executed
similar ratio; and that it is for this reason
for witchcraft and, by an opposite logic, necessitated
that men do not live beyond their hun-
the physical perfection of the Vestal Virgins of Rome
dredth year, the heart then failing them:
and the students of the Kabbalah among the Jews.
this is the notion entertained by the Egyp-
 CHAPTeR AAVlll

Of rhe composlrlon and

haRmony of rhe human soul.

s the consonancy of the body consists tending to good; which intellect indeed doth

A of a due measure and proportion of the

members: so the consonancy of the
mind of a due temperment, and pro-
portion of its virtues and operations which are
always show a pathway to the will, as a candle
to the eye; but it moves not itself, but is the mis-
tress of her own operation, whence it is called
free will; and although it always tends to good,
concupiscible, irascible, and reason, which are as an object suitable to itself: yet sometimes
so proportioned together. For reason to concu- being blinded with error, the animal power forc-
piscence hath the proportion diapason; I but to ing it, it chooseth evil, believing it to be good.
anger diatessaron: 2 and irascible to concupisci- Therefore free will is defined to be a faculty of
ble hath the proportion diapente. 3 When there- the intellect, and will whereby good is chosen
fore the best proportioned soul is joined to the by the help of grace; and evil, that not assisting.
best proportioned body, it is manifest that such Grace therefore, which divines call charity, or
a man also hath received a most happy lot in the infused love is in the will, as a first mover;
distribution of gifts, for as much as the soul which being absent, the whole consenr7 falls
agrees with the body in the disposition of natu- into dissonancy.
rals,4 which agreement indeed is most hid, yet Moreover the soul answers to the earth by
after some manner shadowed to us by the wise. sense, to the water by imagination, to the air by
But to hasten to the harmony of the soul, reason, to the heaven by the intellect, 8 and the
we must inquire into it by those mediums by soul goes out into an harmony of them, accord-
which is passeth to us, i.e. by celestial bodies, ing as these are tempered in a mortal body.
and spheres; knowing therefore what are the The wise ancients therefore knowing that
powers of the soul to which the planets answer, the harmonious dispositions of bodies and souls
we shall by those things which have been spo- are divers, according to the diversity of the
ken of before, the more easily know their agree- complexions of men, did not in vain use musi-
ments amongst themselves. For the Moon cal sounds and singings, as to confirm the
governs the powers of increasing and decreas- health of the body, and restore it being lost, so
ing; the phantasy and wits depends on Mercury; to bring the mind to wholesome manners, until
the concupiscible virtue on Venus; the vital on they make a man suitable to the celestial har-
the Sun; the irascible on Mars; the natural on mony, and make him wholly celestial. More-
Jupiter;5 the receptive on Saturn. 6 over, there is nothing more efficacious to drive
But the will as the primum mobile, and the away evil spirits than musical harmony (for
guide of all these powers at pleasure, being they being fallen from that celestial harmony ,
joined with the superior intellect, is always cannot endure any true consent, as being an

355
356 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

enemy to them, but fly from it) as David by his Fathers, who knew these harmonical mysteries,
harp appeased Sau[,9 being troubled with an evil singing and musical sounds were brought into
spirit. Hence by the ancient prophets and sacred services.

Nores-ChapreR X.X.Vlll
I. diapason-2: I. 6. receptive on Saturn-The acquired virtues, and
the ability to learn, depend on Saturn.
2. diatessaron-4 :3.
7. consent-Consonance.
3. diapente-3 :2.
8. the intellect-The moral sphere of the mind,
4. naturals-Human qualities received at birth. which is higher than reason, the logical sphere.

5. natural on Jupiter-The inherent virtues-artistic 9. appeased Saul-See note 12, ch. XXIV, bk. II.
ability, athletic aptitude, personal power-depend
on Jupiter.
 CHAPTeR AA1A

Of rhe obseRvarion of ce1esrials,

necessaRY in eveRY magical wORk.

e very natural virtue doth work things

far more wonderful when it is not only
compounded of a natural proportion,
but also is informed by a choice
observation of the celestials opportune to this
(viz. when the celestial power is most strong to
thy work, observe them all being most power-
ful, and looking upon one the other with a
friendly aspect: I and if thou canst not have such
aspects, it will be convenient at least that thou
take them angular. 2 But thou shalt take the
Moon, either when she looks upon both, or is
that effect which we desire, and also helped by joined to one, and looks upon the other; or when
many celestials) by subjecting inferiors to the she passeth from the conjunction, or aspect of
celestials, as proper females to be made fruitful one to the conjunction, or aspect of the other:
by their males. Also in every work there are to for that I conceive must in no wise be omitted;
be observed the situation, motion, and aspect of also thou shalt in every work observe Mercury;
the stars and planets, in signs and degrees, and for he is a messenger betwixt the higher gods,
how all these stand in reference to the length and and infernal gods; when he goeth to the good he
latitude of the climate; for by this are varied the increaseth their goodness; when to the bad, hath
qualities of the angles, which the rays of celes- influence upon their wickedness.
tial bodies upon the figure of the thing describe, We call it an unfortunate sign, or planet,
according to which celestial virtues are infused. when it is by the aspect of Saturn or Mars, espe-
So when thou art working anything which cially opposite, or quadrant; 3 for these are
belongs to any planet, thou must place it in its aspects of enmity; but a conjunction, or a trine,
dignities, fortunate and powerful, and ruling in or sex tile aspect ar~ of friendship ; betwixt these
the day, hour, and in the figure of the heaven. there is a greater conjunction: but yet if thou
Neither shalt thou expect the signification dost already behold it through a trine, and the
of the work to be powerful, but also thou must planet be received, it is accounted as already
observe the Moon opportunely directed to this; conjoined. Now all planets are afraid of the con-
for thou shalt do nothing without the assistance junction of the Sun, rejoicing in the trine, and
of the Moon: and if thou hast more patterns of sex tile aspect thereof.

Norcs-ChaprCR 7\.7\.17\.
l.friendly aspect-The major aspects of astrology are: Opposition (cP) , when planets are separated by
Conjunction (cO, when planets are together. This 180 degrees of arc. This is the aspect of maximum
causes them to act in unison, though not necessarily tension, tending to a polarization of their powers.
in harmony. Square (0 ),. when planets are separated by 90

357
358/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

degrees. This aspect liberates energy and moves 2. take them angular-The angles, or comers, of the
events. heavens are the ascendent, midheaven (Medium
Semisquare (L), when planets are separated by 45 Coe/i) , descendent, and lower mid heaven (/mmum
degrees. This is the aspect of minor tension. Coe/i) , respectively the eastern horizon, the highest
Trine (~), when planets are separated by 120 point in the sky, the western horizon, and the lowest
degrees. This aspect is of harmonious but non- point on the opposite side of the earth. Historically
dynamic relationships and equal communication. the planets in the angles were considered the
Sextile (*), when planets are separated by 60 strongest. The angular houses (see note 28, ch. VI,
degrees. This aspect conduces to balanced under- bk. II) give power and initiate new actions. House I
standing. affects the individual, House IV the home, House VII
Semisextile (~), when planets are separated by the partner, and House X the worldly life. The angu-
30 degrees. This is an aspect of minor or partially lar signs at the ascendent and midheaven affect the
harmonious relationships. psyche-the first, the awakening self-consciousness,
Conjunction, trine, sex tile and semisextile have or personality; the second, the established self-con-
historically been considered favorable; opposition, sciousness, or ego. The descendent and lower mid-
square and semisquare unfavorable. But the effect of heaven signs complement their opposites.
an aspect may more properly be said to depend upon
the response of the individual. 3. opposite, or quadrant---Opposition, or square. See
above.
 CHAPTeR A.A.A.

When planers aRe of mosr poweRful influence.

oW we shall have the planets powerful any way advantageous to thee; or if in thy revolu-

N when they are ruling in a house, I or in

exaltation,2 or triplicity,3 or term,4 or
face 5 without combustion6 of what is
direct in the figure of the heavens, viz. when
tion or birth, they had the predominancy; for then
they are not at all to be depressed.
Now we shall have the Moon powerful if
she be in her house,17 or exaltation, or triplicity,
they are in angles,7 especially of the rising, or or face, and in degree convenient for the desired
tenth, or in houses presently succeeding,8 or in work, and if it hath a mansion of these twenty
their delights. 9 But we must take heed that they and eight suitable to itself and the work; let her
be not in the bounds or under the dominion of not be in the way burnt Up,18 nor slow in
Saturn or Mars, lest they be in dark degrees, in course; 19 let her not be in the eclipse, or burnt by
pits, or vacuities. 10 the Sun, unless she be in unity with the Sun;20 let
Thou shalt observe that the angles of the her not descend in the southern latitude, when
ascendent, and tenth, and seventh be fortunate, II she goeth out of burning,21 neither let her be
as also the lord of the ascendent l2 and place of the opposite to the Sun,22 nor deprived of light;23 let
Sun and Moon, and the place of part of the For- her not be hindered by Mars or Saturn.
tune,13 and the lord thereof, 14 the lord of the fore- I will not here discourse any longer of
going conjunction and prevention: 15 but that they these, seeing these, and many more necessary
of the malignant planet fall unfortunate,16 unless things are sufficiently handled in the volumes of
haply they be significators of thy work, or can be astrologers.

NOLes-ChapLeR l\.l\.l\.
I. ruling in a house-See note 3, ch. XVII, bk. I. is the governor of these signs by day, while Jupiter,
which rules Sagittarius, is the governor by night.
2. exaltation-See note 4, ch. XVII, bk. I. Mars, which rules Aries, is not used because it is of
the lunar sect, and so discordant with the other
3. triplicity-The rulers of the triplicities are those planets, both of the solar sect. Since there are seven
planets that govern the action of the four elemental planets but eight governors, the final unassigned
trines of the zodiac signs (see note 3, ch . VIII, bk. planet,.Mars, is given to the last trine, Water, both
I) . One planet is assigned to govern the trine by day and night. Venus is appointed co-ruler by day
day and another by night, the planets most in har- and the Moon by night because this watery trine is
mony with the nature of the trine being selected for feminine. The triplicities are given by Ptolemy in
these roles. For example, the Fire triplicity is his Tetrabiblos 1.18 (Robbins, 83-7). For conve-
Aries-Leo-Sagittarius . The Sun, which rules Leo, nience I have tabulated them below:

359
360/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

Triplicity Day Night when within 8 degrees, 30 minutes of the

Fire (Cfl, 61, )1') 0 4 Sun, it was said to be strong when within
Earth (t), rl;?, \8)
Air <II,::C':::,~)
9 » 17 minutes, or in exact conjunction with
12 ~ the Sun-'in cazimi' as the ancients term
Water (§, rn." 70 d ,9 d,» it. (Pearce 1970 [1879] , 436)

4. term-See note 4, ch. VIII, bk. II. 8. succeeding-Ptolemy says planets are most pow-
erful "when they are in mid-heaven or approaching it,
S.face-There are three faces in each sign, each face and second when they are exactly on the horizon or
ten degrees. In ancient times the faces were assigned in the succedent place ... " (Tetrabiblos 1.24 [Rob-
to the planets in their Ptolemaic order: bins, 117]). The succedent is in this case the house
immediately following-the one on the left of the
Face house in question. On the relative power of the
Sign 1st 2nd 3rd houses as given by Ptolemy, see note 5, ch. XXVI,
rr 0' 0 9 bk. III.
t5 ~ )) 12
IT 4 0' 0 9. delights-According to Ptolemy, planets "rejoice"
§ 9 ~ )) when they are contained in a sign of the zodiac which
61 12 4 0' "even though the containing signs have no familiarity
fl1 0 9 ~ with the stars themselves, nevertheless they have it
-"- )) 12 4 with the stars of the same sect ... " (ibid. 1.23 [Rob-
rTLt 0' 0 9 bins, 113]). The sect of the Sun contains, in addition
X- ~ )) 12 to the Sun, the planets Jupiter and Saturn; the sect of
'v5 4 0' 0 the Moon contains the Moon, Venus and Mars. Mer-
~
9 ~ )) cury belongs to both sects according to its position-
1t 12 4 0' when it is seen as a morning star (in the east) it is in
The faces are distinguished by Agrippa from the the sect of the Sun; when seen as an evening star (in
decans, which have a different system by which plan- the west) it belongs to the sect of the Moon. For
ets are assigned to rule them (see note 3, ch. XXXVI, example, Venus would be said to rejoice in Aries,
bk. II). In other respects the decans and faces, as because Aries is ruled by Mars, and Mars is in the
Agrippa uses the term, seem indistinguishable. See sect of the Moon. If planets find themselves in signs
also note 12, ch. XXII, bk. I. under the dominion of planets of the opposite sect, "a
great part of their proper power is paralysed, because
6. combustion-A planet within three degrees of the the temperament which arises from the dissimilarity
Sun's longitude is said to be combust, because the of the signs produces a different and adulterated
power of the Sun overwhelms its operation. nature" (ibid.).

7. in angles-See note 2, ch. XXIX, bk. II. 10. pits, or vacuities-That is, the powers of a planet
should not be used when the planet is in a sign ruled
A planet was said to be essentially digni- by Saturn or Mars, or when the planet falls within the
fied when in its own sign, exaltation, trip- orb, or bounds, of Saturn or Mars--<:onjunction with
licity, term or face: and was said to be these bodies. The orbs of the planets are their circles
accidentally dignified when in the mid- of greatest influence: Saturn-IO degrees; Jupiter-
heaven, ascendant, 7th, 4th, II th, 9th, 2nd 12 degrees; Mars-7 degrees, 30 minutes; Sun-17
or 5th house. A planet is accidentally degrees; Venus-8 degrees; Mercury 7 degrees, 30
strong when swift and direct in motion, minutes; Moon-I 2 degrees, 30 minutes. There is a
and near its greatest distance from the Sun; wide variance of opinion as to the extent of the orbs.
a superior planet (0', 4, 12), when oriental The influence of Saturn and Mars is generally con-
of the Sun; an inferior planet ()), ~, 9), sidered to be malefic. Ptolemy calls them "the two
when occidental. destructive stars." (Tetrabiblos 1.7 [Robbins, 43]
A planet is essentially weak when it is
in fall or detriment. It is accidentally weak II. fortunate-That is, insure that there are fortunate
when in the 12th, 8th or 6th house, retro- planets in a harmonious arrangement in the first
grade or very slow in motion, within 8 (ascendent), tenth (midheaven) and seventh (descen-
degrees, 30 minutes of the Sun: a superior dent) houses of the zodiac.
planet, when occidental of the Sun; an infe-
rior, when oriental. 12. lord of the ascendent-This is the planet ruling
Although a planet was held to be weak the sign on the ascendent. The house which the planet
 When Planets Are of Most Powerful Influence / 361

occupied was held to be very important, particularly if

the house was at one of the angles, or near midheaven. 16. fall unfortunate-That is, Mars and Saturn
should be in a position that minimizes their potency.
13. part of the Fortune-The Part, or Lot, of Fortune
is a hypothetical point the position of which deter- 17. her house-The house of Cancer, the fourth
mines the material acquisitions of an individual or house, named the Lower Midheaven.
other subject of inquiry. "What the subject's material
acquisitions will be is to be gained from the so-called 18 . burnt up-Combust. See note 6 above.
' Lot of Fortune;' .. . For when the planets which gov-
ern the Lot of Fortune are in power, they make the 19. slow in course-On the apparent motion of the
subjects rich, particularly when they chance to have planets generally, Theon comments: "They do not
the proper testimony of the luminaries . .. " (ibid. 4.2 cover the same distance in space in the same amount
[Robbins, 373, 375]). On the method of determining of time; they go faster when they appear larger
this point, Ptolemy says: because of their lesser distance from Earth, and they
go less fast when they appear smaller because of their
Take as the Lot of Fortune always the
greater distance" (Theon 3.12 [Lawlor, 90]).
amount of the number of degrees, both by
About the Moon specifically, Pliny writes: "After
night and by day, which is the distance
remaining for two days in conjunction with the sun,
from the sun to the moon [in the order of
on the thirtieth day she again very slowly emerges to
the following signs], and which extends to
pursue her accustomed course "(Pliny 2.6
an equal d~stance from the horoscope [Le.
[Bostock and Riley, 1:32])
the Ascendant] in the order of the follow-
ing signs, in order that, whatever relation
20. unity with the Sun-See note 7 above.
and aspect the sun bears to the horoscope,
the moon also may bear to the Lot of For-
21. out of burning-Let the Moon not set on the
tune, and that it may be as it were a lunar
western horizon below the plane of the ecliptic while
horoscope. (ibid. 3.10 [Robbins, 275, 277])
under the proximate influence of the Sun.
What the Greeks knew as the " order of the following
signs" is what is today regarded as their natural 22. opposite to the Sun-In opposition, when the
order--counterclockwise from Aries to Taurus to Moon is full.
Gemini, and so on. Pierce describes the calculation of
the Lot of Fortune more concisely: "The Part of For- 23. deprived of light-Perhaps by lunar eclipse,
tune is that point of the heavens in which the Moon when the shadow of the Earth falls upon the face of
would be if the Sun were exactly rising" (Pierce 1970 the Moon and makes it dull red or black; but if the
[1879], 438). eclipse referred to in the text above is a lunar eclipse,
this must refer to the new Moon.
14. Lord thereof-Whatever planet rules the sign on
which the Lot of Fortune falls .
15 . prevention-See note 10 above.
 CHAPTeR AAAl

Of rhe obseRvarion of rhe

fip:ed sraRS, and of rheiR narURes.

here is the like consideration to be had I will tell thee some of these which are

T in all things concerning the fixed

stars. Know this, that all the fixed
stars are of the signification and
nature of the seven planets; but some are of the
more potent to this faculty, as are viz. the Navel
of Andromeda2 in two and twentieth degree of
Aries, of the nature of Venus, and Mercury ;
some call it jovial, and saturnine.
nature of one planet, and some of two: hence as The Head of Algol3 in the eighteenth
often as any planet is joined with any of the degree of Taurus, of the nature of Saturn, and
fixed stars of its own nature, the signification of Jupiter. The Pleiades 4 are also in the two and
that star is made more powerful , and the nature twentieth degree, a lunary star by nature, and by
of the planet augmented: but if it be a star of complexion martial.
two natures, the nature of that which shall be Also in the third degree of Gemini is
the stronger with it shall overcome in significa- Aldeboram,5 of the nature of Mars, and com-
tion; as for example , if it be of the nature of plexion of Venus: but Hermes placeth this in the
Mars and Venus; if Mars shall be the stronger twenty-fifth degree of Aries. The Goat Star6 is
with it, the nature of Mars shall overcome; but in the thirteenth degree of the said Gemini, of
if Venus, the nature of Venus shall overcome. the nature of Jupiter, and Saturn.
Now the natures of fixed stars are discov- The Greater Dog Star7 is in the seventh
ered by their colours, I as they agree with certain degree of Cancer, and Venereal : the Lesser Dog
planets, and are ascribed to them. Now the Star8 is in the seventeenth degree of the same,
colours of the planets are these: of Saturn, blue and is of the nature of Mercury, and complexion
and leaden, and shining with this; of Jupiter, cit- of Mars.
rine near to.a paleness, and clear with this; of The King's Star,9 which is called the Heart
Mars, red and fiery; of the Sun, yellow, and of the Lion, is in the one and twentieth degree
when it riseth red, afterward glittering; of of Leo, and of the nature of Jupiter, and Mars.
Venus, white and shining, white with the morn- The Tail of the Greater Bear lo is in the
ing and reddish in the evening; of Mercury, glit- nineteenth degree of Virgo, and is venereal, and
tering; of the Moon, fair. lunary .
Know also that of the fixed stars by how The star which is called the Right Wing of
much the greater and the brighter and apparent the Crowl I is in the seventh degree of Libra,
they are, so much the greater and stronger is the and in the thirteenth degree of the same is the
signification; such are these stars which are Left Wing 12 of the same, and both of the nature
called by the astrologers of the first, and second of Saturn, and Mars. The star called Spica l3 is
magnitude. in the sixteenth degree of the same, and is

362
 Of the Observation of the Fixed Stars /363

venereal, and mercurial. In the seventeenth The star called the Shoulder of the Horse l9
degree of the same is Alchameth,14 of the is in the third degree of Pisces, of the nature of
nature of Mars, and Jupiter; but of this when Jupiter, and Mars.
the Sun's aspect is full towards it, of that when And it shall be a general rule for thee to
on the contrary. expect the proper gifts of the stars whilst they
Elepheia 15 is in the fourth degree of Scor- rule, to be prevented of them, they being unfor-
pio, of the nature of Venus, and Mars. tunate, and opposite, as is above showed. For
The Heart of the Scorpion 16 is in the third celestial bodies, in as much as they are affected
degree of Sagittarius, of the nature of Mars, and fortunately, or unfortunately, so much do they
Jupiter. affect us, our works, and those things which we
The Falling Vulture l7 is in the seventh use, fortunately, or unhappily. And although
degree of Capricorn, temperate, mercurial, and many effects proceed from the fixed stars, yet
venereal. they are attributed to the planets, as because
The Tail of Capricorn 18 is in the sixteenth being more near to us, and more distinct and
degree of Aquarius, of the nature of Saturn, and known, so because they execute whatsoever the
Mercury. superior stars communicate to them. 2o

Norcs-Chapn::R 7\.Ml
l. their colours- 6. Goat Star-Capella is white, and signified wealth,
civic honor, and military renown. Ptolemy described
Each of the planets has its peculiar colour;
Saturn is white, Jupiter brilliant, Mars it as a red star, perhaps due to a peculiarity in his
fiery, Lucifer [Venus in the east] is glow- color vision.
ing, Vesper [Venus in the west] refulgent,
Mercury sparkling, the Moon mild; the 7. Greater Dog Star-Sirius, the brightest star in the
Sun, when he rises, is blazing, afterwards heavens, is a binary noted in ancient times for its
he becomes radiating. The appearance of scintillation and rapid color changes, ranging from
the stars, which are fixed in the firmament, brilliant blue-white to yellow, and even perhaps to
is also affected by these causes. (Pliny 2.16 red if old accounts are to be believed. It was in earli-
[Bostock and Riley, 1:50]) est ages considered to be an evil star, the bringer of
plagues, fevers, drought, and death, by virtue of its
2. Navel of Andromeda-Mirach, a yellow star said connection with the heat of the dog days of summer,
to be fortunate in honors and matrimony. and was propitiated with sacrifice and worship. In
more recent centuries it was thought to foretell
3. Head of Algol-Algol is a white variable star that wealth and renown.
brightens and dims, making it very conspicuous in
the northern heavens. The Arabs called it the Blink- 8. Lesser Dog Star-Procyon is a binary star yellow-
ing Demon. The Hebrews named it Satan's Head and ish white in color that was said to portend wealth,
Lilith, after the demon lover of Adam. The Chinese fame and good fortune.
called it the Piled-up Corpses. It was everywhere
regarded as violent, dangerous, and highly unlucky. 9. King's Star-Regulus, or Cor Leonis, is flushed
Al Sufi described it as a red star, and this occasional white in color and was said to confer a royal destiny of
redness · was observed by an astronomer named
riches and power upon those born under its influence.
Schmidt at Athens in 1841.

4. Pleiades-This small cluster of stars, called the 10. Tail of the Greater Bear-Alkaid is a brilliant
Seven Sisters, ranges in color from silvery white, to white star reputed to shine down on the fall of
a lucid white tending to violet, to an intense white. It princes and the overthrow of empires.
was connected with rain showers and the time of
planting and was regarded as a portent of blindness II. Right Wing of the Crow-Gienah, the brightest
and accidents to the sight. star of the constellation Corvus, called the Right
Wing, though it is located on modem star charts in
5. Aldeboram-Aldebaran, of a pale rose colour, was the left wing-perhaps it depends on whether one
a fortunate star that foretold wealth and honor. visualizes the Raven from above or below.
364 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

12. Left Wing-Algorab, a pale yellow star located 18. Tail of Capricorn-Deneb Algedi, a star of aver-
on modem charts in the right wing of Corvus-but age brightness (magnitude 3. 1) and few occult asso-
see note above. ciations. See note 52, ch. XXXII,.bk. I.

13. Spica-Of a brilliant flushed white color, this 19. Shoulder of the Horse-Menkib (~Pegasi) , from
star was identified with Virgo and presided over the the Arab Mankib al Faras, an irregular variable star
harvest. with a considerable range of brightness that is of a
deep yellow color. It is more commonly called
14. Alchameth-Arcturus (see note 45 , ch. XXXII, Scheat, from the Arab Al Sa' id, the Upper Part of the
bk. I), a bright golden yellow star said to bring storms Arm, or possibly from Sa'd, Lucky. This name was
upon the Earth, but riches and honors to those born also applied to Markab (a Pegasi), which has richer
under it. Ptolemy describes it as golden red. occult associations, portending danger to I'ife from
cuts, stabs, or fire; however, this is a white star,
IS. Elepheia-Alphecca (see note 47, ch. XXXII, bk. which seems a less appropriate color to the mingled
I), a brilliant white star said by astrologers, along natures of Jupiter and Mars.
with the other stars of the constellation Corona Bore-
alis, to conduce to fertility and a gentle, loving 20. communicate to them-The zodiacal longitudes
nature. of the fixed stars given by Agrippa are eight or nine
degrees behind their present positions, due to the pre-
16. Heart of the SCOlpion-Antares, a bright star of a cession of the equinoxes. The positions were correct
fiery red color closely associated for this reason with some 240 years before the writing of the Occult Phi-
Mars. It was one of the four Royal Stars of the losophy, which strongly suggests that Agrippa made
ancient Persians (3000 Be), who called it the use of the Alphonsine Tables, astrological tables
Guardian of the Heavens. compiled in 1253 in Toledo. See note 12, ch. XXVII,
bk. III. I am indebted to David Godwin for these
17. Falling Vulture-Vega, a bright star of pale sap- astrological calculations.
phire colour, and good omen.
 CHAPTeR MAll

Of rhe Sun, and Q)oon,

and rheiR magical consideRarions.

he Sun, and Moon have obtained the Father, light the Son, heat the Holy Ghost. So

T administration or ruling of the heav-

ens, and all bodies under the heavens.
The Sun is the lord of all elementary
virtues; and the Moon by virtue of the Sun is the
that the Platonists have nothing to hold forth the
Divine Essence more manifestly by, than this.
So great is the consonancy of it to God, that
Plato calls it the conspicuous son of God, and
mistress of generation, increase, or decrease. Iamblicus calls it the divine image of divine
Hence Albumasar saith, that by the Sun and intelligence. And our Dionysius calls it the per-
Moon life is infused into all things, which there- spicuous statue of God.
fore Orpheus calls the enlivening eyes of the It sits as king in the middle of other planets,
heaven. I excelling all in light, greatness, fairness,
The Sun giveth light to all things of itself, enlightening all, distributing virtue to them to
and gives it plentifully to all things not only in dispose inferior bodies, and regulating and dis-
the heaven and air, but Earth and deep: whatso- posing of their motions, so that from thence
ever good we have, as lamblichus saith, we their motions are called daily, or nightly, south-
have it from the Sun alone, or from it through ern, or northern, oriential, or occidental, direct,
other things. Heraclitus calls the Sun the foun- or retrograde;2 and as it doth by its light drive
tain of celestial light; and many of the Platonists away all the darkness of the night, so also all
placed the Soul of the World chiefly in the Sun, powers of darkness, which we read of in Job;3
as that which filling the whole globe of the Sun as soon as morning appears, they think of the
doth send forth its rays on all sides as it were a shadow of death: and the Psalmist4 speaking of
spirit through all things, distributing life, sense the lion's whelps seeking leave of God to
and motion to the very universe. devour, saith, the Sun is risen, and they are
Hence the ancient naturalists called the Sun gathered together, and shall be placed in their
the very heart of heaven; and the Chaldeans put dens; which being put to flight, it follows, man
it as the middle of the planets. The Egyptians shall go forth to his labour.
also placed it in the middle of the world, viz. The Sun therefore as it possesseth the mid-
betwixt the two fives of the world, i.e. above the dle region of the world, and as the heart is in
Sun they place five planets, and under the Sun, animals to the whole body, so the Sun is over
the Moon and four elements. For it is amongst the heaven, and the world, ruling over the whole
the other stars the image and statue of the great universe, and those things which are in it, the
Prince of both worlds, viz. terrestrial, and celes- very author of seasons, from whence day and
tial; the true light, and the most exact image of year, cold and heat, and all other qualities of
God himself; whose essence resembles the seasons;5 and as saith Ptolemy,6 when it comes

365
366/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

unto the place of any star, it stirs up the power tions, which it diversely issueth forth in these
thereof which it hath in the air. So as with Mars, inferiors, according to the divers complexion,
heat; with Saturn, cold; and it disposeth even motion, situation, and different aspects to the
the very spirit and mind of man; from hence it is planets and other stars; and though it receiveth
said by Homer, and approved by Aristotle. that powers from all the stars, yet especially from
there are in the mind such like motions, as the the Sun; as oft as it is in conjunction with the
Sun the prince and moderator of the planets same, it is replenished with vivifying virtue, and
every day bringeth to us. according to the aspect thereof it borroweth its
But the Moon, the nighest to the Earth, the complexion; for in the first quarter, as the Peri-
receptacle of all the heavenly influences, by the patetics deliver, it is hot and moist; in the sec-
swiftness of her course is joined to the Sun, and ond, hot and dry; in the third, cold and dry; in
the other planets and stars, every month, and the fourth, cold and moist. 8
being made as it were the wife of all the stars, is And although it is the lowest of the stars,
the most fruitful of the stars, and receiving the yet it bringeth forth all the conceptions of the
beams and influences of all the other planets superiors; for from it in the heavenly bodies
and stars as a conception, bringing them forth to beginneth that series of things which Plato cal-
the inferior world as being next to itself; for all leth the Golden Chain,9 by the which every
the stars have influence on it, being the last thing and cause being linked one to another, do
receiver,? which afterwards communicateth the depend on the superior, even until it may be
influences of all the superiors to these inferiors, brought to the Supreme Cause of all, from
and pours them forth on the Earth; and it more which all things depend; from hence it is, that
manifestly disposeth these inferiors than the without the Moon intermediating, we cannot at
others, and its motion is more sensible by the any time attract the power of the superiors.
familiarity and propinquity which it hath with Therefore Thebit adviseth us, for the taking
us; and as a medium betwixt both superiors and of the virtue of any star, to take the stone and
inferiors, communicateth them to them all. herb of that planet, when the Moon doth either
Therefore her motion is to be observed fortunately get under, or hath a good aspect on,
before the others, as the parent of all concep- that star.

NOLes-ChapLeR 7\.7\.7\.11
I. of the heaven-In an Orphic hymn to Jove pre- 4. Psalmist-Psalms 104:2 1-3 .
served by Proclus, where the god is described as the
universe, occurs the line: " His eyes, the sun, and 5. qualities of seasons-
moon with borrow 'd ray ... " (Hymns of Orpheus.
The sun is carried along in the midst of
Introduction, in Thomas Tay/or the Platonist:
these [planets), a body of great size and
Selected Writings. 178). In the Orphic hymn "To the
power, the ruler. not only of the seasons
Sun," is written " Hear golden Titan, whose eternal
and of the different climates, but also of the
eye/With broad survey, illumines all the sky .. . "
stars themselves and of the heavens. When
(ibid., hymn 7, p. 218). This echoes Homer, who
we consider his operations, we must regard
refers to the Sun as: .... . a dreaded god,/Helios, who
him as the life, or rather the mind of the
sees all things and listens to all things" (Odyssey 12,
universe, the chief regulator and the God of
lines 322-3, [Lattimore, 193], also bk. II , line 109
nature; he also lends his light to the other
[Lattimore, 171 D.
stars. He is most illustrious and excellent,
beholding all things and hearing all things,
2. direct. or retrograde-See note 17, ch. XXVI,
which, I perceive, is ascribed to him exclu-
bk. II .
sively by the prince of poets, Homer. (Pliny
2.4 [Bostock and Riley, 1:20)
3. in Job-Job 24:17. See also 17:12. There is a per-
vasive darkness motif running throughout the book For the sun, together with the ambient [the
of Job. atmosphere], is always in some way affect-
 Of the Sun and Moon / 367

ing everything on the earth, not only by the moisture; in its passage from first quarter to full, of
changes that accompany the seasons of the heat; from full to last quarter, of dryness, and from
year to bring about the generation of ani- last quarter to occultation, of cold" (ibid. 1.8 [Rob-
mals, the production of plants, the flowing bins, 45]).
of waters, and the changes of bodies, but
also by its daily revolutions, furnishing 9. Golden Chain-This image originates with
heat, moisture, dryness, and cold in regular Homer, who makes Zeus boast:
order and in correspondence with its posi-
Let down out of the sky a cord of gold; lay
tions relative to the zenith. (Ptolemy Tetra-
hold of it
biblos 1.2 [Robbins, 7])
all you who are gods and all who are god-
desses, yet not
6. saith Ptolemy-"Now, mark you, likewise,
even so can you drag down Zeus from the
according to their aspects to the sun, the moon and
sky to the ground, not
three of the planets [Saturn, Jupiter and Mars] expe-
Zeus the high lord of counsel, though you
rience increase and decrease in their own powers"
try until you grow weary.
(ibid. 1.8 [Robbins, 45]). Elsewhere Ptolemy says:
Yet whenever I might strongly be minded
" ... the sun and Mercury, however, they [the
to pull you,
ancients] thought to have both powers [beneficent
I could drag you up, earth and all and sea
and malevolent], because they have a common
and all with you,
nature, and to join their influences with those of the
then fetch the golden rope about the hom
other planets, with whichever of them they are asso-
ofOlympos
ciated" (ibid. 1.5 [Robbins, 39]). The magnifying
and make it fast, so that all once more
power of the sun is most pronounced in the phenom-
should dangle in mid air.
enon of cazimi (see note 7, ch. XXX, bk. II).
(Iliad 8, lines 19-26 [Lattimore, 182-3])
7. last receiver- Probably Agrippa is referring to the "spindle of
Necessity" of Plato, which "extended from above
The moon, too, as the heavenly body nearest
throughout the heaven and the Earth, a straight light
the earth, bestows her effluence most abun-
like a pillar, most nearly resembling a rainbow, but
dantly upon mundane things, for most of
brighter and purer" (Plato Republic 1O.616b [Hamil-
them, animate or inanimate, are sympathetic
ton and Cairns, 840]). Plato's chain is a chain of rein-
to her and change in company with her; the
carnating souls, which, however, he does not
rivers increase and diminish their streams
specifically embody in this metaphor (see Republic
with her light, the seas tum their own tides
10.619-20). He makes a somewhat humorous allu-
with her rising and setting, and plants and
sion to the Golden Chain when he compares the
animals in whole or in some part wax and
chain of poets depending from the Muse to a chain of
wane with her. (ibid. 1.2 [Robbins, 7])
magnetized rings hanging from a loadstone (Ion
See Deuteronomy 33:14. 533d-534a). The Golden Chain inevitably calls to
mind the ladder of Jacob, upon which angels con-
8. cold and moist-"For in its waxing from new stantly ascended and descended (Genesis 28: 12).
moon to first quarter the moon is more productive of
 CHAPTeR 7\7\7\1ll

Of rhe rwenry-eighr
mansions of rhe Q)oon, and rheiR viRrues.

nd seeing the Moon measureth the The fourth mansion is called Aldebaram or

A whole Zodiac in the space of twenty-

eight days; hence it is, that the wise-
men of the Indians I and ancient
astrologians have granted twenty-eight man-
Aldelamen, that is the Eye or Head of Taurus;
his beginning is from the eighth degree of Tau-
rus, thirty-four minutes, and seventeen seconds
of the same Taurus being excluded; it causeth
sions to the Moon,2 which being fixed in the the destruction and hinderances of buildings,
eighth sphere, do enjoy (as Alpharus saith) fountain s, well s, of gold mines, the flight of
divers names and properties from the divers creeping things, and begetteth discord.
signs and stars which are contained in them, The fifth is called Alchatay or Albachay;
through which while the Moon wandereth, it the beginning of it is after the twenty-one
obtaineth other and other powers and virtues; degree of Taurus twenty-five minutes, forty sec-
but everyone of these mansions according to onds; it helpeth to the return from a journey, to
the opinion of Abraham . containeth twelve the instruction of scholars, it confirmeth edi-
degrees, and one and fifty minutes, and almost fices , it giveth health and good will.
twenty-six seconds, whose names and also their The sixth is called Alhanna or Alchaya,
beginnings in the Zodiac 3 of the eighth sphere that is the Little Star of Great Light; hi s begin-
are these. ning is after the fourth degree of Gemini , seven-
The first is called Alnath, that is the Horns teen minutes, and nine seconds; it conduceth to
of Aries; his beginning is from the head of Aries hunting, and besieging of towns, and revenge of
of the eighth sphere; it causeth discords, and princes, it destroyeth harvests and fruits and
journeys. hindereth the operation of the physician.
The second is called Allothaim or The seventh is called Aldimiach or
Albochan, that is the Belly of Aries, and his Alarzach, that is the Arm of Gemini , and begin-
beginning is from the twelfth degree of the neth from the seventeenth degree of Gemini,
same sign, fifty-one minutes, twenty-two sec- eight minutes and thirty-four seconds, and
onds complete; it conduceth to the finding of lasteth even to the end of the sign; it conferreth
treasures, and to the retaining of captives. gain and friend ship, it' s profitable to lovers, it
The third is called Achaomazon or Atho- feareth flies, destroyeth magisteries.
ray , that is, Showering or Pleiades; his begin- And so is one quarter of the heaven com-
ning is from the twenty-five degrees of Aries pleated in these seven mansions; and in the like
complete forty -two minutes, and fifty-one sec- order and number of degrees, minutes and sec-
onds; it is profitable to sailors, huntsmen, and onds, the remaining mansions in every quarter
alchemists. have their several beginnings; namely so, that in

368
 Of the Twenty-Eight Mansions of the Moon / 369

the first sign of this quarter three mansions take and wedlock, harvests and merchandise, it pre-
their beginnings, in the other two signs two vaileth for redemption of captives.
Mansions in each. The seventeenth is called Alchil, that is, the
Therefore the seven following mansions Crown of Scorpio; it bettereth a bad fortune,
begin from Cancer, whose names are Alnaza maketh love durable, strengtheneth buildings,
or Anatrachya, that is Misty or Cloudy, viz. the and helpeth seamen.
eighth Mansion; it causeth love, friendship, The eighteenth is called Alchas or Altob,
and society of fellow travelers, it driveth away that is the Heart of Scorpio; it causeth discord,
mice and afflicteth captives, confirming their sedition, conspiracy against princes and mighty
imprisonment. ones, and revenge from enemies, but it freeth
After this is the ninth called Archaam or captives and helpeth edifices.
Arcaph, that is the Eye of the Lion; it hindereth The nineteenth is called Allathaor Achala,
harvests and travelers, and putteth discord by others Hycula or Axala, that is the Tail of
between men. Scorpio; it helpeth in the besieging of cities and
The tenth is called Algelioche or Albgebh, taking of towns, and in the driving of men from
that is the Neck or Forehead of Leo; it strength- their places, and for the destruction of seamen,
eneth buildings, yieldeth love, benevolence and and perdition of captives.
help against enemies. The twentieth is called Abnahaya, that is a
The eleventh is called Azobra or Arduf, Beam; it helpeth for the taming of wild beasts,
that is the Hair of the Lion's Head; it is good for for the strengthening of prisons, it destroyeth
voyages, and gain by merchandise, and for the wealth of societies, it compelleth a man to
redemption of captives. come to a certain place.
The twelfth is called Alzarpha or Azarpha, The one and twentieth is called Abeda or
that is the Tail of Leo; it giveth prosperity to Albeldach, which is a Defeat; it is good for har-
harvests, and plantations, but hindereth seamen, vests, gain, buildings and travelers, and causeth
but it is good for the bettering of servants, cap- divorce; and in this is the third quarter of
tives and companions. heaven completed.
The thirteenth is named Alhaire, that is There remaineth the seven last Mansions
Dog Stars, or the Wings of Virgo; it is prevalent completing the last quarter of heaven; the first
for benevolence, gain, voyages, harvests, and of which being in order to the two and twenti-
freedom of captives. eth, beginning from the head of Capricorn,
The fourteenth is called Achureth or called Sadahacha or Zodeboluch or Zandeldena,
Arimet, by others Azimeth or Alhumech or that is a Pastor; it promoteth the flight of ser-
Alcheymech, that is the Spike of Virgo, or Fly- vants and captives, that they may escape, and
ing Spike; it causeth the love of married folk, it helpeth in the curing of diseases.
cureth the sick, it's profitable to sailors, but it The three and twentieth is called Zabadola
hindereth journeys by land; and in these the sec- or Zobrach, that is Swallowing; it maketh for
ond quarter of heaven is completed. divorce, liberty of captives and the health of the
The other seven follow, the first of which sick.
beginneth in the head of Libra, viz. the fifteenth The twenty-fourth is called Sadabath or
Mansion, and his name is Agrapha or Algarpha, Chadezoad, that is the Star of Fortune; it is
that is, Covered, or Covered Flying; it's prof- prevalent for the benevolence of married folk,
itable for the extracting of treasures, for digging for the victory of soldiers, it hurteth the execu-
of pits, it helpeth forward divorce, discord, and tion of government, and hindereth that it may
the destruction of houses and enemies, and hin- not be exercised.
dereth travelers. The twenty-fifth is called Sadalabra or
The sixteenth is called Azubene or Ahubene, Sadalachia, that is a Butterfly, or a Spreading
that is, the Horns of Scorpio; it hindereth journeys Forth; it helpeth besieging and revenge, it
370/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

destroyeth enemies, maketh divorce, confirmeth to infer mischiefs on whom you shall please.
prisons and buildings, hasteneth messengers, it The twenty-eighth and last is called
conduceth to spells against copulation, and so Albotham or AIchaIcy, that is Pisces; it
bindeth every member of man, that it cannot increaseth harvests and merchandise, it secureth
perform his duty. travelers through dangerous places, it maketh
The twenty-sixth is called Alpharg or for the joy of married couples, but it strength-
Phragol Mocaden, that is the First Drawing; it eneth prisons, and causeth loss of treasures.
maketh for the union and love of men, for the And in these twenty-eight mansions do lie
health of captives, it destroyeth prisons and hid many secrets of the wisdom of the ancients,
buildings. by the which they wrought wonders 'on all
The twenty-seventh is called Alcharya or things which are under the circle of the Moon;
Alhalgalmoad, that is the Second Drawing; it and they attributed to every mansion his resem-
increaseth harvests , revenues , gain, it healeth blances, images, and seals, and his president
infirmities, but hindereth buildings, prolongeth intelligences, and they did work by the virtue of
prisons, causeth danger to seamen, and helpeth them after diverse manners.

NOL"cs-ChapL"CR AAAlll
1. Indians-The moon is much more prominent in first mansion being silent) and with the essential divi-
Hindu astrology then in the astrology of the West. sions of the universe. The mansions were named after
the bright star that occupied each--or perhaps the
2. Mansions of the Moon-From the Arabic AI Man- stars were named for the mansions.
azil al Kamr (Resting Places of the Moon), manzil
signifying the noonday rest of a camel rider in the 3. beginnings in the Zodiac-When the seven divi-
desert. The mansions are perhaps the most ancient sions of the first quarter of the zodiac are translated
division of the heavens, older even than the zodiac. into seconds of are, it will easily be seen that they are
They are found in India, China, Arabia, Babylonia, by no means regular:
Egypt, Persia, and other sites of early civilization.
1st Mansion: 46,282"
The Indians recognize 27 mansions, the Arabs 28.
2nd 46,289"
This difference of opinion arises because the revolu-
3rd 46,286"
tion of the Moon about the Earth takes 27.3 days.
4th 46,283"
Until the time of Christ the list of mansions began
5th 46,289"
with the Pleiades at the beginning of Taurus, but after
6th 46,285"
this time it was shifted to the stars in the beginning of
7th 46,286"
Aries due to the precession of the equinoxes, these
Total : 324,000" =90 degrees
stars having been associated with the 27th Mansion of
the earlier series. Three of the names from the Chi- The measure that Agrippa gives from Abraham
nese and Arabic series are the same, at least suggest- (\ 2°51 '26", or 46,286") is in fact very close to the
ing the possibility of a common origin lost in time. 28th part of the Zodiac: 360° X 3600" = 1,296,000" -+-
With typical syncretic zeal the Arabs associated the 28 = 46,285.7". And Agrippa says "almost twenty-six
mansions with the letters of the Arabic alphabet (the seconds," indicating that he knew the exact measure.
 CHAPTeR """lV

Of rhe rRue morion of rhe

heavenly bodies ro be obseRved in rhe eighrh
spheRe, and of rhe gRound of planeraRY hOURS.

hosoever will work according to twelve hours of the night, and then distribute

W the celestial opportunity, ought to

observe both or one of them,
namely the motion of the stars, or
their times; I say their motions, when they are in
each of those hours to everyone of the planets
according to the order of their successions, giv-
ing always the first hour of the day to the lord of
that day, then to everyone by order, even to the
their dignities or dejections, either essential or end of twenty-four hours. 3
accidental; I but I caIl their times, days and And in this distribution the magicians agree
hours distributed to their dominions. Concern- with them; but in the partition of the hours some
ing all these, it is abundantly taught in the books do dissent, saying that the space of the rising
of astrologers; but in this place two things espe- and setting is not to be divided into equal parts,
ciaIly are to be considered and observed by us. and that those hours are not therefore called
One, that we observe the motions and unequal because the diurnal are unequal to the
ascensions and windings of stars? even as they nocturnal, but because both the diurnal and noc-
are in truth in the eighth sphere, through the turnal are even unequal amongst themselves. 4
neglect of which it happeneth that many err in Therefore the partition of unequal or plane-
fabricating the celestial images, and are tary hours hath a different reason of their mea-
defrauded of their desired effect. sure observed by magicians, which is of this
The other thing we ought to observe, is sort; for as in artificial hours, which are always
about the times of choosing the planetary hours; equal to themselves, the ascensions of fifteen
for almost all astrologers divide all that space of degrees 5 in the equinoctial 6 constituteth an arti-
time from the Sun rising to setting into twelve ficial hour: so also in planetary hours the ascen-
equal parts, and caIl them the twelve hours of sions of fifteen degrees in the ecliptic
the day; then the time which followeth from the constituteth an unequal or planetary hour, whose
setting to the rising, in like manner being measure we ought to inquire and find out by the
divided into twelve equal parts, they call the tables of the oblique ascensions of every region.

NOLcs-ChapLCR 7\.M1V
1. essential or accidental-See note 7, ch. XXX, paths that wind around the Earth like the windings of
bk. II. a ball of string as the Earth progresses in its orbit.

2. windings of the stars-Because of the tilt of the 3. twenty-four hours-For convenience the planetary
Earth's axis, the stars and the planets seem to describe hours have been tabulated on the following page.

371
372/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

Planct:aRY HOURS

DAY Sun. Mon. lUes. Wed. Thurs. Fri. Sat.

1 0 J) d' ~ 2. 9 12
2 9 12 0 J) d' ~ 2.
3 ~ 2. 9 12 0 J) d'
4 J) d' ~ 2. 9 12 0
5 12 0 J) d' ~ 2. 9
6 2. 9 12 0 J) d' ~
7 d' ~ 2. 9 12 0 J)
8 0 J) d' ~ 2. 9 12
9 9 12 0 J) d' ~ 2.
10 ~ 2. 9 12 0 J) d'
11 J) d' ~ 2. 9 12 0
12 12 0 J) d' ~ 2. 9

NIGHT Sun. Mon. lUes. Wed. Thurs. Fri. Sat.

1 2. 9 12 0 J) d' ~
2 d' ~ 2. 9 12 0 J)
3 0 J) d' ~ 2. 9 12
4 9 12 0 J) d' ~ 2.
5 ~ 2. 9 12 0 J) d'
6 J) d' ~ 2. 9 12 0
7 12 0 J) d' ~ 2. 9
8 2. 9 12 0 J) d' ~
9 d' ~ 2. 9 12 0 J)
10 0 J) d' ~ 2. 9 12
11 9 12 0 J) d' ~ 2.
12 ~ 2. 9 12 0 J) d'

Not:cs-Chapt:cR XXX1V (cont:·d.)

4. unequal amongst themselves-This is due to the reflected in the unequal house systems of Campanus
angle between the plane of the ecliptic and the plane (\ 3th century ), Regiomontanus (\ 5th century) and
of the equator, or equinoctial, which results from Placidus (1 7th century).
the tilt of the axis of the Earth. Half the signs of the
zodiac-Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagit- 5. ftfteen degrees-Because 360° + 24 = 15°.
tarius-take more than two hours to rise. These are
called the signs of long ascension. The other half of 6. equinoctial-The celestial equator. When the sun
the zodiac-Capricorn , Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, is on this circle, or plane, day and night are of exactly
Taurus , Gemini-take less than two hours to equal length . This is termed the equinox, and on
ascend. These signs are called the signs of short these two days of the year the artificial clock hours
ascension . This unequal division of times is are of the same duration as the planetary hours.
 CHAPTeR M?\.Y

How some aRrific1al rhings

as images, seals, and such liKe
may obrain some viRrue fRom rhe ce1esl:ial bodies.

s o great is the extent, power and efficacy

of the celestial bodies, that not only nat-
ural things, but also artificial when they
are rightly exposed to those above, do
presently suffer by that most potent agent, and
obtain a wonderful life, which oftentimes gives
wonderful powers in the images, though their
matter be less capable. 2
Yet they bestow more powerful virtues on
the images, if they be framed not of any, but of
a certain matter, namely wh9se natural, and also
special virtue is agreeable with the work, and
them an admirable celestial virtue; which thing the figure of the image is like to the celestial;
Saint Thomas Aquinas that holy doctor, thus for such an image, both in regard of the matter
confinneth in his book De Fato, when he saith, naturally congruous to the operation and celes-
that even gannents, buildings and other artifi- tial influence, and also for its figure being like
cial works whatsoever, do receive a certain to the heavenly one, is best pre'pared to receive
qualification from the stars. the operations and powers of the celestial bod-
So the magicians affinn that not only by ies and figures, and instantly receiveth the heav-
the mixture and application of natural things, enly gift into itself; then it constantly worketh
but also in images, seals, rings, glasses, I and on another thing, and other things do yield obe-
some other instruments, being opportunely dience to it.
framed under a certain constellation, some Hence saith Ptolemy in Centiloquio,3 that
celestial illustration may be taken, and some inferior things do obey the celestial, and not
wonderful thing may be received; for the beams only them, but also even their images; even as
of the celestial bodies being animated, living, earthly scorpions obey not only the celestial
sensual, and bringing along with them Scorpion, but also his image, if it shall be
admirable gifts, and a most violent power, do, opportunely figured under his ascent and
even in a moment, and at the first touch, imprint dominion.

Norcs-ChaprCR AMY
I. glasses-Magic mirrors, which were used for 2. less capable-Though the matter upon which the
scrying and to communicate with spirits. The most images are formed is less susceptible to influence.
ancient of these is the surface of a liquid such as
water, or oil, or ink. See Pausanias (Guide to Greece 3. Centiloquio--The Centiloquium. a work consisting
7.21.5) for the use of a mirror in divination. of 100 aphorisms on astrology attributed to Ptolemy. It
is also sometimes called the Fructus librorum suO/·um.

373
 I. Aries 2. Taurus 3. Gemini

4. Cancer 5. Leo

• 0•
• 0
",,0
6. Virgo 7. Libra 8. Scorpio

9. Sagittarius 10. Capricomus

~
fBI
~
12. Pisces

Egyptian Zodiac
From The Gods of the Egyptians by E. A. Wallis Budge (London, 1904)
 CHAPTeR lZlZlZVl

Of rhe images of rhe Zodiac, whar viRrues

rhey being eng Raven, Receive fRom rhe sraRS.

ut the celestial images, according to they report that Aquarius especially freeth from

B whose likeness images of this kind are

framed , are very many in the heavens:
some visible and conspicuous, others
only imaginable, conceived and set down by
the quartan.
Also, that Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces,
because they constitute the watery and northern
triplicity, do prevail against hot and dry fevers;
Egyptians, Indians and Chaldeans; and their also against the hectic,S and all choleric pas-
parts are so ordered, that even the figures of sions; but Scorpio, because amongst the mem-
some of them are distinguished from others: for bers it respecteth the privy parts, doth provoke
this reason they place in the Zodiac circle to lust: but these did frame it for this purpose,
twelve general l images, according to the num- his third face ascending, which belongeth to
ber of the signs. Venus; and they made the same against serpents
Of these they constituting Aries, Leo and and scorpions, poisons, and evil spirits, his sec-
Sagittary for the fiery and oriental triplicity, do ond face ascending, which is the face of the
report that it's2 profitable against fevers, palsy, Sun,6 and decanate of Jupiter; and they report
dropsy, gout, and all cold and phlegmatic infir- that it maketh him who carrieth it, wise , of a
mities, and that it makes him who carrieth it to good colour; 7 and they report that the image of
be acceptable, eloquent, ingenious and honor- Cancer is most efficacious against serpents, and
able, because they are the houses of Mars, Sol poisons, when Sol and Luna are in conjunction
and Jupiter. They made also the image of a lion in it, and ascend in the first and third face ; for
against melancholy phantasies, the dropsy, this is the face of Venus, and the decanate of
plague, fevers, and to expel diseases, at the hour Luna; but the second face of Luna, the decanate
of the Sun, the first degree of the sign of Leo of Jupiter: they report also that serpents are tor-
ascending, which is the face and decanate 3 of mented when the Sun is in Cancer.
Jupiter; but against the stone, and diseases of Also, that Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn,
the reins, and against the hurts of beasts, they because they constitute the earthly and south-
made the same image when Sol in the heart of ern triplicity, do cure hot infirmities, and pre-
the Lion obtained the midst of heaven. 4 And vail against the synocal fever;8 it maketh those
again, because Gemini, Libra and Aquarius do that carry it grateful, acceptable, eloquent,
constitute the aerial and occidental triplicity, devout and religious, because they are the
and are the houses of Mercury, Venus and Sat- houses of Venus, Mercury and Saturn: Capri-
urn, they are said to put to flight diseases, to corn also is reported to keep men in safety, and
conduce to friendship and concord, to prevail also places in security, because it is the exalta-
against melancholy, and to cause health; and tion of Mars.

375
376/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

NOLes-ChapLeR l\l\l\Vl

I. general-Universally accepted and recognized. Sign 1st 2nd 3rd

(lJ' ~ '12 <:(
2. it's-That is, the image so constituted. ...r.... <:( '12 ~
rTlt 0' 2. })
3. decanate-The decans are divisions of the signs of
the zodiac into three portions, each comprising ten X' 2. 0' 8
degrees. In this sense they are the same as the faces, \jj '12 <:( ~
as Agrippa uses this term. The first decan in each ~
'12 ~ <:(
sign is strongly of the nature of the sign, and is ruled
by the ruling planet of the sign. The second decan is
~ 2. }) 0'
ruled by the ruling planet of the next sign in the ele- 4. midst of heaven-That is, when the Sun in the mid-
mental triplicity to which the sign belongs. The third dle decan of Leo was in the tenth house, midheaven.
dec an is ruled by the ruling planet of the third sign of
the same elemental triplicity. The following table 5. hectic-Consumptive fever, or tuberculosis . It is
shows the decans and the planets that rule them. characterized by flushed cheeks and a hot, dry skin.
Sign 1st 2nd 3rd 6.face of the Sun-See table, note 5, ch. XXX, bk. II .
rr 0' 8 2.
t5 <:( ~ '12 7. colour-Flushed with health.
II ~ <:( '12
8. synocal fever-A continuing fever accompanied
§ }) 0' 2. by inflammation.
61 8 2. 0'
 CHAPTeR AAAVll

Of rhe images of rhe faces, and of

rhose images which aRe wirhour rhe Zodiac.

here are besides in the Zodiac thirty- the third face, ascendeth a man in whose hand is

T six images, I according to the number

of the faces, of the which (as Por-
phyry saith) Teucer the Babylonian
long since wrote, who was a most ancient math-
a serpent, and a dart, and is the image of neces-
sity and profit, and also of misery and slavery.
In the first face of Gemini ascendeth a man
in whose hand is a rod, and he is, as it were,
ematician, after whom the Arabians also wrote serving another; it granteth wisdom, and the
of these things. knowledge of numbers and arts in which there
Therefore it is said, that in the first face of is no profit: in the second face ascendeth a man
Aries, ascendeth the image of a black man, in whose hand is a pipe, and another being
standing and clothed in a white garment, girdled bowed down, digging the earth; and they sig-
about, of a great body, with reddish eyes, and nify infamous and dishonest agility, as that of
great strength, and like one that is angry; and jesters and jugglers; it also signifies labours and
this image signifieth and causeth boldness, for- painful searchings: in the third, ascendeth a man
titude, loftiness, and shamelessness: in the sec- seeking for arms, and a fool holding in the right
ond face ascendeth a form of a woman, hand a bird, and in his left a pipe; and they are
outwardly clothed with a red garment, and the significations of forgetfulness, wrath, bold-
under it a white, spreading abroad over her feet, ness, jests, scurrilities, and unprofitable words.
and this image causeth nobleness, height of a In the first face of Cancer ascendeth the
kingdom, and greatness of dominion: in the form of a young virgin, adorned with fine
third face ariseth the figure of a white man, clothes, and having a crown on her head; it
pale, with reddish hair, and clothed with a red giveth acuteness of senses, subtilty of wit, and
garment, who carrying on the one hand a golden the love of men: in the second place ascendeth a
bracelet, and holding forth a wooden staff, is man clothed in comely apparel, or a man and
restless,.and like one in wrath, because he can- woman sitting at the table and playing; it
not perform the good he would. This image bestoweth riches, mirth, gladness, and the love
bestoweth wit, meekness, joy and beauty. of women: in the third face ascendeth a man, a
In the first face of Taurus ascendeth a hunter with his lance and horn, bringing out
naked man, an archer, harvester or husband- dogs for to hunt; the signification of this is the
man, and goeth forth to sow, plough, build, peo- contention of men, the pursuing of those who
ple and divide the Earth, according to the rules fly, the hunting and possessing of things by
of geometry: in the second face ascendeth a arms and brawlings.
naked man, holding in his hand a key; it giveth In the first face of Leo ascendeth a man rid-
power, nobility, and dominion over people: in ing on a lion; it signifieth boldness, violence, cru-

377
378/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

elty, wickedness, lust and labours to be sus- before him two dogs biting one another; and
tained: in the second ascendeth an image with their operation is for impudence, deceit, and
hands lifted up, and a man on whose head is a false dealing, and for to send mischief and strife
crown; he hath the appearance of an angry man, amongst men: in the third face ascendeth a man
and one that threateneth, having in his right hand bowed downward upon his knees , and a woman
a sword drawn out of the scabbard, and in his left striking him with a staff; and it is the significa-
a buckler; it hath signification upon hidden con- tion of drunkenness , fornication , wrath, vio-
tentions, and unknown victories, and upon base lence, and strife.
men, and upon the occasions of quarrels and bat- In the first face of Sagittarius ascendeth the
tles: in the third face ascendeth a young man in form of a man armed with a coat of mail, and
whose hand is a whip, and a man very sad, and of holding a naked sword in his hand; the opera-
an ill aspect; they signify love and society, and tion of this is for boldness, malice, and liberty: in
the loss of one's right for avoiding strife. the second face ascendeth a woman weeping,
In the first face of Virgo ascendeth the fig- and covered with clothes; the operation of this is
ure of a good maid, and a man casting seeds; it for sadness and fear of his own body: in the third
signifieth getting of wealth, ordering of diet, face ascendeth a man like in colour to gold, or an
plowing, sowing, and peopling: in the second idle man playing with a staff; and the significa-
face ascendeth a black man clothed with a skin, tion of this is in following our own wills, and
and a man having a bush of hair, holding a bag; obstinacy in them, and in activeness for evil
they signify gain, scraping together of wealth things, contentions, and horrible matters.
and covetousness: in the third face ascendeth a In the first face of Capricorn ascendeth the
white woman and deaf, or an old man leaning form of a woman, and a man carrying full bags;
on a staff; the signification of this is to show and the signification of these is for to go forth
weakness, infirmity, loss of members, destruc- and to rejoice, to gain and to lose with weakness
tion of trees, and depopulation of lands. and baseness: in the second face ascendeth two
In the first face of Libra ascendeth the form women and a man looking towards a bird flying
of an angry man, in whose hand is a pipe, and in the air; and the signification of these is for the
the form of a man reading in a book; the opera- requiring of those things which cannot be done,
tion of this is in justifying and helping the mis- and for the searching after those things which
erable and weak against the powerful and cannot be known: in the third face ascendeth a
wicked: in the second face ascend two men furi- woman chaste in body, and wise in her work, and
ous and wrathful, and a man in a comely gar- a banker gathering his money together on the
ment, sitting in a chair; and the signification of table; the signification of this is to govern in pru-
these is to show indignation against the evil, dence, in covetousness of money, and in avarice.
and quietness and security of life with plenty of In the first face of Aquarius ascendeth the
good things: in the third face ascendeth a vio- form of a prudent man, and of a woman spin-
lent man holding a bow, and before him a naked ning; and the signification of these is in the
man, and also another man holding bread in one thought and labour for gain, in poverty and
hand, and a cup of wine in the other; the signifi- baseness: in the second face ascendeth the form
cation of these is to show wicked lusts, of a man with a long beard; and the signification
singings, sports and gluttony. of this belongeth to the understanding, meek-
In the first face of Scorpio ascendeth a ness, modesty, liberty and good manners: in the
woman of good face and habit, and two men third face ascendeth a black and angry man; and
striking her; the operations of these are for the signification of this is in expressing inso-
comeliness, beauty, and for strifes, treacheries, lence, and impudence.
deceits, detractations, and perditions: in the sec- In the first face of Pisces ascendeth a man
ond face ascendeth a man naked, and a woman carrying burdens on his shoulder, and well
naked, and a man sitting on the earth, and clothed; it hath his signification in journeys,
 Of the Images of the Faces / 379

change of place, and in carefulness of getting even to reconcile adulterers: Cassiopeia5

wealth and clothes: in the second face ascendeth restoreth weak bodies, and strengtheneth the
a woman of a good countenance, and well members: Serpentarius 6 chaseth away poisons,
adorned; and the signification is to desire and and cureth the bitings of venomous beasts: Her-
put one's self on or about high and great mat- cules 7 giveth victory in war: the Dragon 8 with
ters: in the third face ascendeth a man naked, or both the Bears 9 maketh a man crafty, ingenious,
a youth, and nigh him a beautiful maid, whose valiant, acceptable to the gods and men:
head is adorned with flowers; and it hath his HydralO conferreth wisdom and riches, and
signification for rest, idleness, delight, fornica- resisteth poisons: Centaurus II bestoweth health
tion, and for embracing of women. And thus far and long old age: Ara l2 conserveth chastity, and
concerning the images of faces. maketh one acceptable to the gods: Cetus l3
Besides these, there are as yet three hun- maketh one amiable, prudent, happy both by sea
dred and sixty images in the Zodiac, according and land, and helps him to recover his lost
to the number of the degrees, whose forms goods: the Shipl4 affordeth security in the
Petrus de Abano hath described.2 waters: the Hare l5 prevaileth against deceits and
Without the Zodiac there are also general madness: the Dogl6 cureth the dropsy, resisteth
figures, which Hyginius and Aratus describe for the plague, and also preserveth from beasts,
us, and very many particular ones, according to and fierce creatures: Orion l7 granteth victory:
the number of faces and degrees, existing the Eagle l8 giveth new honours, and preserveth
therein, of all which to speak it would be too the old: the Swan l9 freeth from the palsy and
long; but of these the more principal are the quartan: Perseus 20 freeth from envy and
accounted, Pegasus,3 which prevaileth against witchcrafts, and preserveth from lightnings and
the diseases of horses, and preserveth horsemen tempests: the Hart21 preserveth phrenetical and
in battle: then is Andromache,4 which begetteth mad people. And thus much may suffice to have
love betwixt husband and wife, so that it is said been spoken.

Nores-ChapreR A.A.A.Vll
I. thirty-six images-Described in the Picatrix, a raised the ire of Neptune by boasting that she was
popular medieval grimoire. more beautiful than the Nereids . Neptune sent a sea
monster against the kingdom, which could only be
2. Abano hath described-Peter of Abano speaks of appeased by the sacrifice of Andromeda.
the astronomical images of the 360 degrees of the
heavens in his Conciliator, written around 1303. 6. Serpentarius-Serpens, a constellation represent-
Johannes Angelus reprinted Peter's Astrolabium ing a serpent.
planum at Venice in 1488 under the title Opus astro-
labii plani in tabulis: a lohanne Angeli, and included 7. Hercules-Northern constellation representing the
in this work the section from Abano describing the hero on one knee drawing a bow, his foot resting on
360 spirits, leading some to attribute these spirits
the head of Draco.
incorrectly to Johannes Angelus.
8. the Dragon-Northern constellation Draco, which
3. Pegasus-Northern constellation of the winged
horse. wraps around Ursa Minor and terminates near Ursa
Major.
4. Andromache-Northern constellation Androm-
eda, the mythical daughter of Cepheus and Cas- 9. the Bears-Ursa Minor (Little Bear) and Ursa
siopeia, who was bound to a rock as a sacrifice to a Major (Great Bear), better known as the Little and
sea monster but was rescued by the hero Perseus. Big Dippers.

5. Cassiopeia-Northern constellation representing 10. Hydra-An extended southern constellation rep-

the seated figure of the mother of Andromeda. She resenting the sea serpent of Lake Lerna in Argolis
380 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

Constellation Draco
from Theatrum Mundi by Giovanni Paolo Gallucci (Venice, 1588)

that was slain by Hercules as one of his 12 labors. 16. the Dog-Southern constellation Canis Major,
which contains Sirius, the Dog Star.
11. Centaurus-Southem constellation representing
a centaur, a mythical beast half horse and half man. 17. Orion-The hunter, a giant slain by Artemis and
Centaurs were known for their long lifespan. set in the sky.

12. Ara-Small southern constellation representing 18. the Eagle-Northern constellation Aquila.
an altar.
19. the Swan-Northern constellation Cygnus.
13. Cetus-Mostly southern constellation represent-
ing a whale. 20. Perseus-Northern constellation representing the
hero.
14. the Ship-The Argo Navis, the ship in which
Jason sailed after the golden fleece. This southern 21. the Hart-The Deer was an Egyptian constella-
constellation was so large, it has been broken into tion shown by Petosiris, which corresponded roughly
four parts: Carina (the Keel), Puppis (the Stem), Vela to Cassiopeia. It is no longer recognized. It was
(the Sails) and Pyxis (the Mariner's Compass). called Cerva (the Roe) by the German astronomer
Johann Bayer (1572-1625), who described it in his
15. the Hare-Southern constellation Lepus. Uranometria (1603) and placed it north of Pisces.
 CHAPTeR AAAVlll

Of rhe images of SaruRn.

ut now, what images they did attribute face of Aquarius.

B to the planets, although of these things

very large volumes have been written
by the ancient wise men, so that there is
no need to declare them here, notwithstanding I
They made also from the operations of Sat-
urn, an image for the increasing in power, Sat-
urn ascending in Capricorn; the form of which
was an old man leaning on a staff, having in his
will recite a few of them. hand a crooked sickle, and clothed in black. 4
For they made, from the operations of Sat- They also made an image of melted copper,
urn, Saturn ascending, in a stone which is called Saturn ascending in his rising, viz. in the first
the loadstone, the image of a man having the degree of Aries, or which is more true in the
countenance of an hart, and camel's feet and sit- first degree of Capricorn, which image they
ting upon a chair or dragon, I holding in his right affirm to speak with a man's voice. 5
hand a scythe, in his left hand a dart; which They made also out of the operations of
image they did hope would be profitable for Saturn, and also Mercury, an image of cast
prolongation of life; for Albumasar in his book metal, like a beautiful man, which they
Sadar, proveth that Saturn conduceth to the pro- promised would foretell things to come, and
longation of life: where also he telleth that cer- made it on the day of Mercury, on the third hour
tain regions of India being subject to Saturn, of Saturn, the sign of Gemini ascending, being
there men are of a very long life, and die not the house of Mercury, signifying prophets, Sat-
unless by extreme old age. urn and Mercury being in conjunction in Aquar-
They made al so another image of Saturn ius in the ninth place of heaven, which is also
for length of days in a sapphire, at the hour of called God;6 moreover let Saturn have a trine
Saturn, Saturn ascending or fortunately consti- aspect on the ascendent, and the Moon in like
tuted, whose figure was an old man setting upon manner, and the Sun have an aspect on the place
an highchair, having his hands lifted up above of conjunction. Venus obtaining some angle
his head, and in them holding a fish or sickle, may be powerful and occidental; let Mars be
and under his feet a bunch of grapes,2 his head combust by the Sun, but let it not have an aspect
covered with a black or dusky-coloured cloth, on Saturn and Mercury; for they said, that the
and all his garments black or dark coloured: splendour of the powers of these stars was dif-
they also make this same image against the fused upon this image, and it did speak with
stone 3 and diseases of the kidneys, viz. in the men, and declare those things which are prof-
hour of Saturn, Saturn ascending with the third itable for them.

381
382/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

Not:cs-Chapt:CR l\l\l\Vlll

1. chair or dragon-" 'The fonn of Saturn, in the part, he made an incision of about an inch
opinion of the learned Picatrix, is that of a man seated in length through the scrotum. Then he put
on a throne, having a crow's head and the feet of a his forefingers in to get the stone as near
the orifice of the wound as he could and,
cameL'" (Picatrix, quoted by Seznec [1940] 1972, with another instrument like a crane's
1:2:55). neck, he pulled it out with incredible tor-
ture to the patient-especially at his raking
2. bunch of graces- so unmercifully up and down the bladder
The Latin manuscripts of Picatrix contain with a third instrument, in order to find any
variants capable of producing wholly dif- other stones that may possibly be left
ferent images: thus the figure of Saturn behind: the effusion of blood is great.
"according to the learned Mercury," is that (John Evelyn' s Diary , May 3, 1650 [Lon-
of a man having under his feet, as is said in don: Folio Society, 1963],77).
some texts, "similem unius lagori id est Needless to say, any magical way of avoiding the
racam"; in others, "aliquid simile racemo." operation would be sought with great eagerness-
In the first case, a lizard must be placed Evelyn's own brother died rather than allowing him-
beneath Saturn's feet; in the second, a self to be cut.
bunch of grapes. (Seznec [1940] 1972,
2: 1:182) . 4. clothed in black-See illustration 64 in Seznec
([ 1940] 1972), where this image is represented in a
3. the stone-Kidney stone, and perhaps gallstone as manuscript from the Vatican Library.
well. "Cutting for the stone" was one of the least
pleasant aspects of medieval life, as there was no 5. man' s voice-This sounds very much like yet
such thing as anesthetic. John Evelyn describes what another oracular brazen head, which was usually asso-
must have been a typical operation: ciated with Saturn. See notes 22 and 23, ch. I, bk. II.
The manner of its removal was thus: the
sick creature was stripped to his shirt, and 6. called God-The houses of the zodiac bore ancient
bound, anns and thighs, to a high chair. names, which were:
Two men held his shoulders down. Then Horoscope VII Occident
the surgeon probed with a crooked instru- II Gate of Hades VIII Beginning of Death
ment till he hit on the stone. Next, without III Goddess (J» IX God (0)
stirring the probe-which had a small V Lower Midheaven X Midheaven
channel in it for the edge of the lancet to V Good Fortune XI Good Daemon
run in-and without wounding any other VI Bad Fortune XII Bad Daemon
 CHAPTeR 7\.7\.7\.17\.

Of rhe images of )upireR.

rom the operations of Jupiter they made joined together and lifted up, as it were depre-

F for prolongation of life, an image, in the

hour of Jupiter, Jupiter being in his exal-
tation fortunately ascending, in a clear
and white stone, whose figure was a man
cating something, sitting in a four-footed chair,
which is carried by four winged boys;2 and they
affirm that this image increaseth felicity, riches,
honour, and confereth benevolence and prosper-
crowned, clothed with garments of a saffron ity, and freeth from enemies.
colour, riding upon an eagle or dragon, having They made also another image of Jupiter
in his right hand a dart, about as it were to strike for a religious and glorious life, and advance-
it into the head of the same eagle or dragon. I ment of fortune; whose figure was a man having
They made also another image of Jupiter at the head of a lion, or a ram,3 and eagle's feet,
the same convenient season, in a white and clothed in saffron-coloured clothes, and he was
clear stone, especially in crystal, and it was a called the son of Jupiter.
naked man crowned, having both his hands

NOL"cs-ChapL"CR 7\.AXl7\.
1. eagle or dragon-See Seznec 1972 [1940], illus- out that it originated from the figure of Zeus
tration 71, which depicts this Jupiter. described by Pausanias (Guide to Greece 5.11.1-2).

2.four winged-see Seznec 1972 [1940], illustration 3. lion , or a ram-Perhaps derived from Zeus
12. This image is from the Picatrix. Seznec points Ammon, or even from Mithra.

383
 Figures o/the Planets
From Secrets merveilleux de La maRie naturelle et cabalistique de Petit Albert (Cologne, 1722)
 CHAPTeRAL

Of rhe images of maRS.

rom the operations of Mars they made an ryeth it they give him the power of enchant-

F image in the hour of Mars, Mars ascend-

ing in the second face of Aries, in a mar-
tial stone, especially in a diamond; I the
form of which was a man armed, riding upon a
ment, so that he shall terrify men by his looks
when he is angry, and stupify them.
They made another image of Mars for the
obtaining of boldness, courage, and good for-
lion, having in his right hand a naked sword tune in wars, and contentions, the form of which
erected, carrying in his left hand the head of a was a soldier armed and crowned, girt with a
man; they report, that an image of this kind ren- sword, carrying in his right hand a long lance;
dereth a man powerful in good and evil, so that and they made this at the hour of Mars, the first
he shall be feared of all; and whosoever car- face of Scorpio ascending with it.

Nm:e-Chapt:eR 7\.L
1. in a diamond-Diamond was the stone of Mars to carve and drill other stones, but using diamond to
because of its hardness. It is difficult to imagine how carve diamond, even with modern machines, is a
a diamond might be carved in ancient times. The laborious business.
gem makers used scribes tipped with diamond dust

385
 CHAPTeR All

Of rhe images of rhe Sun.

rom the operations of the Sun, they made They made another image of the Sun in a

F an image at the hour of the Sun, the first

face of Leo ascending with the Sun, the
form of which was a king crowned, sit-
ting in a chair, having a raven in his bosom, and
diamond, at the hour of the Sun, it ascending in
his exaltation; the figure of which was a women
crowned with the gesture of one dancing and
laughing, standing in a chariot drawn with four
under his feet a globe; he is clothed in saffron- horses, having in her right hand a looking glass,
coloured clothes; they report that this image or buckler, in the left a staff, leaning on her
rendereth men invincible, and honorable, and breast, carrying a flame of fire on her head; they
helps to bring their businesses to a good end, report that this image rendereth a man fortunate
and to drive away vain dreams; also to be preva- and rich, and beloved of all; and they made this
lent against fevers, and the plague; and they image on a corneol 3 stone at the hour of the
made it in a balanite stone, I or a rubin,2 at the Sun, ascending in the first face of Leo, against
hour of the Sun, when it in his exaltation fortu- lunatic passions which proceed from the com-
nately ascendeth. bustion4 of the Moon.

Not:e-Chapt:eR 7\.Ll
I . balanite- as lapis judaicus, or Jewstone, which in tum is of
two kinds: the fossil spine of a large sea urchin found
Of balanites ["acorn stone"] there are two
in Syria that was used medicinally, particularly
kinds, the one of a greenish hue, and the
against kidney stones, and marcasite, which is iron
other like Corinthian bronze in appear-
pyrites of a silver color.
ance; the fonner comes from Coptos, and
the latter from Troglodytica. They are both
2. rubin-Ruby.
of them intersected by a flame-like vein,
which runs through the middle. (Pliny
3. corneol-Cornelian.
37.55 [Bostock and Riley, 6:443])
The Chambers Cyc/opG!dia Supplement of 1753 4. combustion-See note 6, ch. XXX, bk. II.
offers the conjecture that this stone may be the same

386
 CHAPTeR AUl

Of rhe images of Venus.

rom the operations of Venus they made an with his left hand by the chain, but with his

F image, which was available for favour and

benevolence, at the very hour it ascended
into Pisces, the form of which was the
image of a woman having the head of a bird, and
right hand making up her hair, and they both
look lovingly on one another, and about them is
a little winged boy2 holding a sword or a dart.
They made another image of Venus, the
feet of an eagle, holding a dart in her hand.
first face of Taurus or Libra or Pisces ascending
They made another image of Venus for to
with Venus, the figure of which was a little
get the love of women, in the lapis lazulus, I at
the hour of Venus, Venus ascending in Taurus, maid with her hair spread abroad, clothed in
the figure of which was a naked maid with her long and white garments, holding a laurel, 3
hair spread abroad, having a looking glass in apple,4 or flowers in her right hand, in her left a
her hand, and a chain tied about her neck, and comb. It's reported to make men pleasant,
nigh her a handsome young man, holding her jocund, strong, cheerful, and to give beauty.

Not:cs-Chapt:CR 7\.Ul
1. lapis lazulus-Lapis lazuli. is a symbol of victory, and by extension peace.

2. winged boy-Cupid, son of Venus. 4. apple-Symbol of erotic love, the apple, along
with other red fruits, was once thought to be an
3. laurel-A laurel wreath was given as a crown to aphrodisiac.
the victor in the Pythian games in ancient Greece. It

387
 CHAPTeR 7\Llll

Of rhe images of Q)eRcuRY.

rom the operations of Mercury, they diligence in merchandising and gain; moreover

F made an image at the hour of Mercury,

Mercury ascending in Gemini, the form
of which was an handsome young man,
bearded, having in his left hand a rod in which a
to beget peace and concord, and to cure fevers.
They made another image of Mercury,
Mercury ascending in Virgo, for good will, wit
and memory; the form of which was a man sit-
serpent is tied about, I in his right carrying a ting upon a chair, or riding on a peacock, having
dart,2 having his feet winged; they report that eagle's feet, and on his head a crest, and in his
this image conferreth knowledge, eloquence, left hand holding a cock or fire.

NOLes-ChapLeR 7\.Ull
1. serpent is tied about-The caduceus, which has 2. a dart-Perhaps this should be a flute . See Seznec
become the modem symbol of medicine. [1940] 1972, illustrations 82 and 83.

388
 CHA.PTeR ALlV

Of rhe images of rhe Q)oon.

rom the operations of the Moon, they face of Cancer, the figure of which was a

F made an image for travelers against weari-

ness, at the hour of the Moon, the Moon
ascending in its exaltation; the figure of
which was a man leaning on a staff, having a bird
woman cornuted, I riding on a bull, or a dragon
with seven heads,2 or a crab;3 and she hath in
her right hand a dart, in her left a looking glass,
clothed in white or green, and having on her
on his head, and a flourishing tree before him. head two serpents with horns twined together,
They made another image of the Moon for and to each arm a serpent twined about,4 and to
the increase of the fruits of the Earth, and each foot one in like manner.
against poisons, and infirmities of children, at And thus much spoken concerning the fig-
the hour of the Moon , it ascending in the first ures of the planets, may suffice.

NOLes-ChapLeR ALlV
I. cornuted-Homed . 3. a crab---The moon rules Cancer, the Crab.

2. dragon with seven heads-See Revelation 12:3 4. serpent twined about-A familiar symbol of the
and 17:3. goddess Ishtar, who is closely connected with the
Moon.

389
 CHAPTeRI'ZLV

Of rhe images of
rhe Head and Tail of rhe DRagon of rhe moon.

hey made also the image of the Head other instruments, and also that it often

T and Tail of the Dragon of the Moon, I

namely betwixt an arial and fiery cir-
cle, the likeness of a serpent, with the
head of an hawk tied about
reneweth his age with hi s skin, and becometh
young again. 5
But they made the image of the Tail like as
when the Moon was
them, after the manner of the eclipsed, in the Tail, or ill
great letter Theta,2 and they affected by Saturn or Mars,
made it when Jupiter with and they made it to intro-
the Head obtained the midst3 duce anguish, infirmity and
of heaven, which image they mi sfortune; and they called
affirm to avail much for the it the evil genius. Such an
success of petitions, and image a certain Hebrew had
would signify by this image included in a golden belt
a good and fortunate genius, which they would full of jewels, which Blanche the daughter of
represent by this image of the serpent. the Duke of Bourbon (either willingly or igno-
For the Egyptians and Phenitians4 do extol rantly) bestowed on her husband Peter King of
this creature above all others, and say it is a Spain, the first of that name, with which when
divine creature and hath a divine nature; for in he was girt, he seemed to himse lf to be com-
this is a more acute spirit, and a greater fire than passed about with a serpent; and afterwards
in any other, which thing is manifested both by finding the magical virtue in the girdle, for this
his swift motion without feet, hands or any cause he forsook his wife. 6

Norcs-ChaprCR l\LV
1. dragon a/the Moon-The Moon's nodes are the These points are not fixed, but move in a circle
points in space where the paths of the Moon and about the zodiac, forming different aspec ts wi th the
Sun intersect-not the Moon or Sun at these points, planets and other significant astrological points .
but the places where their circles cross. When the They are always located 180 degrees apart from
Moon is rising from below to above the ecliptic, or each other.
plane of the Sun, the point of intersection is called
the ascending node, or Caput Draconis (Head of the 2. Theta-The Greek print letter: e, as opposed to
Dragon); when the Moon is passing from above to the script letter: e.
below the ecliptic, the point is called the descend-
ing node, or Cauda Draconis (Tail of the Dragon). 3. the midsl-Midheaven .

390
 Of the Images of the Head and Tail of the Dragon of the Moon / 391

4. Phenitians-Phoenicians. variegated scales, devouring its own tail;

by the scales intimating the stars in the uni-
S. becometh young again- ve~se . The animal is also extremely heavy,
as IS the earth, and extremely slippery, like
I am the serpent Sata whose years are infi-
~he water: moreover, it every year puts off
nite. I lie down dead. I am born daily. I am
Its old age with its skin, as in the universe
the serpent Sa-en-ta, the dweller in the utter-
the annual period effects a corresponding
most parts of the earth. I lie down in death. I
change, and becomes renovated. And the
am born, I become new, I renew my youth
making use of its own body for food
every day" (The Book of the Dead 87, "Of
implies, that all things whatsoever, that are
Changing into the Serpent Sata," trans. E.
generated by divine providence in the
A. Wallis Budge [New York: University
world, undergo a corruption into it again.
Books, 1970 (1913}]S44-S).
(Horapollo Hieroglyphics 1.2 [Cory, 7-8])
Horapollo says of the Egyptians:
6. forsook his wife-See biographical note for Peter
When they would represent the universe,
the Cruel.
they delineate a serpent bespeckled with
 CHAPTeR 7\LVl

Of rhe images of rhe mansions of rhe moon.

hey made also images for every man- thing, they sealed in silver the image of a man

T.
sion of the Moon.
In the first for the destruction of
someone, they made in an iron ring
the image of a black man in a garment made of
well clothed, holding up his hands to heaven as
it were praying and supplicating, and perfumed
it with good odours.
In the eighth, for victory in war, they made a
hair, and girdled round, casting a small lance seal of tin, being an image of an eagle having the
with his right hand; they sealed this in black face of a man, and perfumed it with brimstone. 4
wax, and perfumed it with liquid storax, I and In the ninth, to cause infirmities, they made
wished some evil to come. a seal of lead, being the image of a man wanting
In the second, against the wrath of the prince, his privy parts, shutting his eyes with his hands;
and for reconciliation with him, they sealed in and they perfumed it with rosin of the pine.
white wax and mastic, the image of a king In the tenth, to facilitate child-bearing, and
crowned, and perfumed it with lignum aloes. to cure the sick, they made a seal of gold, being
In the third, they made an image in a silver the head of a lion, and perfumed it with amber.
ring, whose table 2 was square, the figure of which In the eleventh, for fear, reverence and
was a woman well clothed, sitting in a chair, her worship, they made a seal of a plate of gold,
right hand being lifted up on her head; they sealed being the image of a man riding on a lion, hold-
it and perfumed it with musk, camphire and cala- ing the ear thereof in his left hand, and in his
mus aromaticus. 3 They affirmed that this giveth right, holding forth a bracelet of gold, and they
happy fortune and every good thing. perfumed it with good odours and saffron.
In the fourth, for revenge, separation, In the twelfth, for the separation of lovers,
enmity and ill will, they sealed in red wax the they made a seal of black lead, being the image
image of a soldier sitting on an horse, holding a of a dragon fighting with a man, and they per-
serpent in his right hand; they perfumed it with fumed it with the hairs of a lion, and assafetida. 5
red myrrh, and storax. In the thirteenth, for the agreement of mar-
In the fifth, for the favour of kings and offi- ried couples, and for the dissolving of the
cers, and good entertainment, they sealed in silver charms against copulation, they made a seal of
the head of a man, and perfumed it with sanders. the images of both, of the man in red wax, of
In the sixth, for to procure love betwixt the woman in white, and caused them to
two, they sealed in white wax two images embrace one another, perfuming it with lignum
embracing one another, and perfumed them aloes and amber.
with lignum aloes and amber. In the fourteenth, for divorce and separa-
In the seventh, for to obtain every good tion of the man from the woman, they made a

392
 Of the Images of the Mansions of the Moon / 393

seal of red copper, being the image of a dog bit- In the three and twentieth, for destruction
ing his tail, and they perfumed it with the hair of and wasting, they made a seal of iron, being the
a black dog, and black cat. image of a cat, having a dog's head, and they per-
In the fifteenth, for to obtain friendship and fumed it with the hairs of a dog's head, and buried
good will, they made the image of a man sitting, it in the place where they did pretend to hurt.
and inditing of letters, and perfumed it with In the four and twentieth, for the multiply-
frankincense and nutmegs. ing of herds of cattle, they took the hom of a
In the sixteenth, for to gain much merchan- ram, bull, or goat, or of that sort of cattle which
dising, they made a seal of silver, being the they would increase, and sealed in it burning
image of a man sitting upon a chair, holding a with an iron seal,13 the image of a woman giv-
balance in his hand, and they perfumed it with ing suck to her son, and they hanged it on the
well smelling spices. neck of that cattle who was the leader of the
In the seventeenth, against thieves and rob- flock, or they sealed it in 14 his hom.
bers, they sealed with an iron seal the image of In the five and twentieth, for the preserva-
an ape, and perfumed it with the hair of an ape. tion of trees and harvests, they sealed in the
In the eighteenth, against fevers and pains wood of a figure , the image of a man planting,
of the belly, they made a seal of copper, being and they perfumed it with the flowers of the fig
the image of a snake holding his tail above his tree, and did hang it on the tree.
head, and they perfumed it with hartshorn ,6 and In the six and twentieth, for love and
reported the same seal to put to flight serpents,7 favour, they sealed in white wax and mastic the
and all venomous creatures from the place image of a woman washing and combing her
where it is buried. hairs,15 and they perfumed it with things
In the nineteenth for facilitating birth and smelling very well.
provoking the menstrues , they made a seal of In the seven and twentieth, for to destroy
copper, being the image of a woman holding fountains, pits,16 medicinal waters and baths,
her hands upon her face; and they perfumed it they made of red earth the image of a man
with liquid storax. winged, holding in his hand an empty vessel,
In the twentieth, for hunting, they made a and perforated, and the image being burnt, they
seal of tin, being the image of Sagittary, half a did put in the vessel assafetida and liquid
man and half an horse, and they perfumed it storax, and they did overwhelm and bury it in
with the head of a wolf. 8 the pond or fountain which they would destroy.
In the twenty-one for the destruction of In the eight and twentieth, for to gather
somebody, they made the image of a man with a fishes together, they made a seal of copper,
double countenance,9 before and behind, and being the image of a fish, and they perfumed it
they perfumed it with brimstone and jet, and did with the skin of a sea fish, and did cast it into
put it in a box of brass, and with it brimstone and the water, wheresoever they would have the fish
jet, and the hair of him whom they would hurt. to gather together.
In the two and twentieth, for the security of Moreover together with the foresaid
runaways, 10 they made a seal of iron, being the images, they did write down also the names of
image of a man with wings on his feet, bearing the spirits and their characters, and did invocate
an helmet on his head, II and they perfumed it and pray for those things which they pretended
with argent vive. 12 to obtain.

NOLcs-ChapLCR l\. LVl

I. liquid sforax-There are two kinds of storax, a says: " ... there floweth from some of these trees a
gum that was stored and sold in hollow reeds, called certain gummie liquor, which never groweth natu-
storax-calamite, and a liquid resin, of which Gerard rally hard, but remaineth alwaies thinne, which is
394/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

called liquid Styrax, or Storax" (Gerard [1633] 1975, 8. head of a wolf-The wolf had power over the
3: 143: 1526. See also note 17, ch. XXVI, bk. I. horse. Pliny says: "Indeed, so powerful is the influ-
ence of this animal, in addition to what we have
2. table-The wider flat part of a ring, called the already stated [8.34], that if a horse only treads in its
bezel. track, it will be struck with torpor in consequence"
(Pliny 28.44 [Bostock and Riley, 5:331-2]).
3. calamus aromaticus-Sweet calamus (Calamus
aromaticus) , also called sweet rush, conjectured to be 9. double countenance-Janus, the Roman god who
the sweet-scented lemon grass (Andropogon presided over comings and goings.
schaenanthus) of Malabar.
10. security of runaways-To secure (catch, or keep)
4. brimstone-Sulphur. runaway slaves.

5. assafetida-Asafoetida. 11. helmet on his head-This is a description of Mer-

cury.
6. hartshorn-The antlers of the Cervus elaphus
were much used in medicinal and other ways, being a 12. argent vive-Quicksilver, or mercury.
prime source of ammonia. It was the custom to rasp
them to powder and treat the powder either by burn- 13. burning with an iron seal-That is, they heated
ing or boiling in water to produce artist's sable black the iron seal and branded its image into the hom.
pigment, hartshorn jelly, salt of hartshorn (smelling
salts), hartshorn tea and hartshorn drops. 14. sealed it in-Burned it into.

7. put to flight serpents-Deer were the proverbial ene- 15. combing her hairs-Venus.
mies of serpents, and the fume of burning hartshorn
was for this reason thought to drive snakes away. 16. pits-Wells.
 CHAPTeR "LVll

Of rhe images of rhe fi~ed Behenian' sraRS.

ut now for the operations of the fixed men; it giveth power against witchcrafts, and

B stars, according to Hermes' opinion.

Under the Head of Algol , they
made an image whose figure was the
head of a man with a bloody neck ; they report
preserveth health.
Under the Heart of Leo,6 they made the
image of a lion or cat, or the figure of an hon-
ourable person sitting in a chair; it rendereth a
that it bestoweth good success to petitions, and man temperate , appeaseth wrath, and giveth
maketh him who carrieth it bold and magnani- favour.
mous, and preserveth the members of the body Under the Tail of Ursa Major7 they made the
sound: also it helpeth against witchcraft, and image of a pensive man, or of a buH, or the figure
reflecteth evil endeavours and wicked incanta- of a calf; it availeth against incantations, and
tions upon our adversaries. maketh him who carrieth it secure in his travels.
Under the constellation of Pleiades, they Under the Wing of Corvus,8 they made the
made the image of a little virgin, or the figure of image of a raven, or snake, or of a black man
a lamp; it's reported to increase the light of the clothed in black;9 this maketh a man choleric,
eyes, to assemble spirits, to raise winds, to bold, courageous, full of thoughts, a backbiter,
reveal secret and hidden things. and causeth naughty dreams; also it giveth the
Under Aldebora,2 they made an image after power of driving away evil spirits, and of gath-
the likeness of God, or of a flying man; it giveth ering them together; it is profitable against the
riches and honour. malice of men, devils and winds.
Under the Goat 3 they made an image, the Under the Spike 10 they made the image of a
figure of which was, as it were, a man willing to bird, or of a man laden with merchandise; it con-
make himself merry with musical instruments; ferreth riches, and maketh one overcome con-
it maketh him who carrieth it acceptable, hon- tentions, it taketh away scarcity and mischief.
oured and exalted before kings and princes; and Under A1chameth II they made the image of
helpeth the pain of the teeth. an horse or wolf, or the figure of a man dancing;
Under the Greater Dog Star,4 they made the it is good against fevers, it astringeth and
image of an hound and a little virgin; it bestoweth retaineth the blood.
honour and good will, and the favour of men, and Under Elphrya,12 they made the image of
aerial spirits, and giveth power to pacify and rec- an hen, or of a man crowned and advanced; it
oncile kings, princes, and other men. bestoweth the good will and love of men, and
Under the Lesser Dog StarS they made the giveth chastity.
image of a cock, or of three little maids; it con- Under the Heart of SCOrpiOl3 they made the
ferreth the favour of the gods, of spirits, and image of a man armed, and with a coat of mail,

395
396 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

•
or the figure of a scorpion; it giveth understand- over devils and beasts.
ing and memory, it maketh a good colour, and Under the Tail of Capricorn 15 they made the
aideth against evil spirits, and driveth them image of an hart, or goat, or of an angry man; it
away, and bindeth them. bestoweth prosperity, and increaseth wrath.
Under the Vulture,14 they made the image These are the images of some of the fixed
of a vulture or hen, or of a traveler; it maketh a stars which they command to be engraven on
man magnanimous and proud, it giveth power their stones under them. 16

Not:cs-Chapt:CR X.LVll
I. Behenian-"Behen" is from the Arabic: oftentimes a black man is a Caucasian with swarthy
bahman-a kind of root. The old herbalists adopted skin, or with black hair and dark eyes, dressed in
it without knowing its attribution (see Gerard [1633] black clothing. This is clear from the excerpts of
1975,679), so its meaning was never clearly fixed. witch trials quoted by Margaret Murray (1921, 2:2),
Agrippa uses the term as a synonym for Arabian. which describe the Lord of the Witches. Black signi-
fied evil and hidden works.
2. Aldebora-Aldebaran.
10. the Spike-Spica.
3. the Goat-Cape\la.
I I. Alchameth-Arcturus.
4. Greater Dog Star-Sirius.
12. Elphrya-Alphecca.
5. Lesser Dog Star-Procyon.
13. Heart of Scorpio-Antares.
6. Heart of Leo-Regulus.
14. the Vulture-Vega.
7. Tail of Ursa Major-Alkaid.
15 . Tail of Capricorn-Deneb Algedi .
8. Wing ofCorvus-Gienah.
16. under them-See ch. XXXII, bk. I, and ch.
9. black man clothed in black-It should not always XXXI, bk. II, for references to the fixed stars.
be assumed that when reference is made to a black
man, a Negro is intended. For medieval Europeans,
 CHAPTeR "LVlll

Of geomanrical figuRes, which aRe rhe

f11iddle berwip:r images and chaRacreRs.

here are moreover certain other figures, their planets and signs, do conceive the virtue

T framed by the number and situation of

the stars, and ascribed both to the ele-
ments, and also to the planets and
signs, which are called geomantical, I because
and power of images; and these figures are as a
middle betwixt images and characters. 3
But whosoever desireth exactly to know
~he natures, qualities, proprieties, conditions,
that geomantical diviners do reduce the points of significations, and nativities of these figures, let
their lots projected, by the excess of parity or him read the volumes of geomancy;4' but they
imparity,2 into those figures; and they also being are in number sixteen, whose names and figures
engraven or imprinted under the dominion of are these [see next page]:

NOLcs-ChapLCR 7\.LVlll
I. geomantical-On geomantic divination, see 4. volumes of geomancy-In Robert Turner's 1655
Appendix VIII. English translation of Agrippa's OfGeomancy there
is bound up a work called Astronomical Geomancy
2. parity or imparity-By whether there is an even or by Gerard Cremonensis, which is one of the magical
odd number of dots. works appended to the Latin Opera.

3. images and characters-Between pictures and

letters.

397
398/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

yeomanric figuRes

Figure Name Element Planet Sign

• Way Water }) 61
•
• Journey
•
• • People Water }) \jj
•• •• Congregation
• •
• • Conjunction Air ~ n;p
•
••• An Assembling
• A Prison Earth 12 }{
•• ••
Bound
•
• • Great Fortune
• • Greater Aid Earth 0
• "'"
"'"
• Safeguard Entering

• Lesser Fortune
• Lesser Aid Fire 0 t5
• •
• • Safeguard Going Out
• •
•
• •
Obtaining Air 2. rr
• Comprehending Within
•
• • Loss Fire 9 ..f\....
-
• Comprehending Without
• •
•• • Joy; Laughing; Air 2. t5
• • Healthy; Bearded
• •
• • Sadness
• • Damned Earth 12 rTLt
••• Cross
•
• • A Girl Water 9 ..f\....
-
• Beautiful
•
•• A Boy
• •
•
Yellow Fire cJ' rr
Beardless
 Of Geomantical Figures / 399

Figure Name Element Planet Sign

•• White Water ~ ~
•• •
Fair
• •
• • Reddish Fire d' IT
•
• • Red
• •
••• The Head
• The Threshold Entering Earth 66 ~
• The Upper Threshold

• The Tail
• The Threshold Going Out Fire «J x
•
• • The Lower Threshold
 CHAPTeR AUA

Of images, rhe figuRe

wheReof is nor afreR rhe likeness
of any ce1esrial figuRe, bur afreR rhe likeness ·
of rhar which rhe mind of rhe wORkeR desiRes.

here remains as yet another manner of effect for which it is made, be used. All of

T images not according to the similitude

of celestial figures, but according to
the similitude of that which the mind
of the worker desires, of whose they are the
which Albertus Magnus in his Specul02 affirms.
Now they use the images being made
diversely according to the virtues thereof:
sometimes they hang them or bind them to the
effigies, and representation: so to procure love body; sometimes they bury them under the
we make images embracing one the other; to earth, or a river; sometimes they hang them in a
discord, striking one the other; to bring misery, chimney over the smoke,3 or upon a tree that
or destruction, as damage to a man, or house, or they be moved by the wind; sometimes with the
city, or anything else, we make images dis- head upward and sometimes downward; some-
torted, broken in members and parts, after the times they put them into hot water, or into the
likeness and figure of that thing which we fire. For they say as the workers of the images
would destroy or damnify. do affect the image itself, so doth it bring the
And magicians advise us that in casting or like passions upon those to whom it was
engraving images we would write upon it the ascribed, as the mind of the operator hath dic-
name of the effect; and this on the back when tated it. As we read that Nectanabus the magi-
evil, as destruction; on the belly when good, as cian made images of ships with wax after that
love. Moreover in the forehead of the image' let manner and art, that when he drowned those
be written the name of the species or indi- images in water, that the ships of his enemies
viduum which the image represents, or for were in like manner drowned in the sea, and
whom or against whom it is made. Also on the hazarded. 4
breast let the name of the sign or face ascend- Now that part of astrology which is writ
ing, and lord thereof be written; also the names concerning elections 5 teacheth us that the con-
and characters of its angels. Moreover in mak- stellations also are to be observed for the mak-
ing the image they advise that prayer for the ing of images, and such like.

NOLcs-ChapLCR 7\.U7\.

I . forehead of the image-See Revelation 7:3 and 3. over the smoke-The practice of sticking magical
13:16. channs up the chimney seems to have been common,
although there was no clear consensus as to why this
2. Speculo-Speculum astronomiae. a work attrib- was done. Elworthy discusses several instances
uted to Albertus Magnus. where animal hearts and other objects were discov-

400
 Of Images, the Figure Whereof Is Not After the Likeness of Any Celestial Figure / 40 I

ered inside chimneys in the south of England:

Some of the old people declared it to have
been a custom when a pig died from the
"overlooking" of a witch to have its heart
stuck full of pins and white thorns, and to
put it up the chimney, in the belief that as
the heart dried and withered so would that
of the malignant person who had "ill
wisht" the pig. As long as that lasted no
witch could have power over the pigs
belonging to that house. (Elworthy (1895)
1971 , ch. 2,n. 79, p.53)
The above gives two reasons, not one, as to why the
charm was put in the chimney, and a third is later
suggested: ". .. to prevent the descent of witches
down the chimney" (ibid., 55). However, charms
were also put up the chimney by witches to work
evil. Elworthy recounts the case of a farm boy with a
pain in his foot, who discovered that his employers
had concealed a poppet in this place to work against
him. '" 'Twas a mommet thing, and he knowd 'twas
a-made vor he.' He saw that the feet of the little fig-
ure were stuck full of pins and thorns!" (ibid., n. 80, Heart of a Pig Stuck
p. 55). Onions found in chimneys are wrapped with with Pins and White Thorns
paper upon which is written the name of the victim,
the paper being held in place by the pins , and in the From The Evil Eye by Frederick Elworthy
chimney of a woman who had borne children to a (London, 1895)
lover who later cast her over was discovered a model
of a man' s erect penis stuck full of pins (ibid.). which straightaway came to his aid. By
their means the figures of the men in wax
4. hazarded- sprang into life and began to fight, and the
If the enemy came against him by sea, ships of wax began to move about like-
instead of sending out his sailors to fight wise; but the figures which represented his
them, he retired into a certain chamber, and own men vanquished those which repre-
having brought forth a bowl which he kept sented the enemy, and as the fi gures of the
for the purpose, he filled it with water, and ships and men of the hostile fleet sank
then, having made wax figures of the ships through the water to the bottom of the
and men of the enemy, and also of his own bowl, even so did the real ships and men
men and ships, he set them upon the water sink through the waves to the bottom of the
in the bowl, his men on one side, and those sea. (Budge [190 I) 1971, ch. 3, 92)
of the enemy on the other. He then came See also the biographical note on Nectanebus.
out, and having put on the cloak of an
Egyptian prophet and taken an ebony rod 5. elections-The choosing of an astrologically suit-
in his hand, he returned into the chamber, able time for any action, such as Christening a child,
and uttering words of power he invoked launching a ship, or opening a public building. Elec-
the gods who help men to work magic, and tions are adhered to even today with fanatical zeal in
the winds, and the subterranean demons, the East.
 CHAPTeR L

Of ceRrain ce1esrial obseRvarions

and rhe pRacrice of some images.

will now show thee the observation of or abide there, let there be an image made under

1 celestial bodies which are required for the

practice of some of these kind of images.
So to make anyone fortunate, we make
an image in which these are fortunate, viz. the
the ascension of that animal, which thou
wouldst chase away, and after the likeness
thereof; as if thou wouldst chase away scorpi-
ons from any place, let an image of the scorpion
significator of the life I thereof, the givers of be made, the sign of Scorpio ascending with the
life,2 the signs, and planets. Moreover let the Moon, and thou shalt make unfortunate the
ascendent, the middle of the heaven, and the ascendent, and lord thereof, and the lord of the
lords thereof be fortunate: also the place of the house of Mars; and thou shall make unfortunate
Sun, and place of the Moon; Part of Fortune, the lord of the ascendent in the eighth house,
and lord of conjunction or prevention 3 made and let them be joined with an aspect malignant,
before their nativity, by depressing the malig- opposite, or quadrant: and let there be writ upon
nant planets. But if we will make an image to the image the name of the ascendent, of the lord
procure misery, we must do contrariwise, and thereof, and of the Moon, and of the lord of the
those which we place here fortunate, must there day, and of the lord of the hour. And let there be
be unfortunate, by raising malignant stars. a pit made in the middle of the place, from
In like manner must we do to make any which thou wouldst drive them; and let there be
place, region, city, or house fortunate. Also for carried into it, some of the earth taken out of the
destroying or prejudicing any of the foresaid, let four comers of the same place, and let the
there be made an image urtder the ascension of image be buried there with the head downward,
that man whom thou wouldst destroy, and preju- with saying, this is the burying of the scorpions,
dice, and thou shall make unfortunate,4 the lord that they may not come into this place, and so of
of the house of his life, the lord of the ascending, the rest.
and the Moon, the lord of the house of the So for gain let there be made an image under
Moon, and the lord of the house of the lord the ascendent of the nativity 6 of the man, or
ascending, and the tenth house, and the lord under the ascension of that place to which thou
thereof. Now for the fitting of any place, place wouldst appoint the gain; and thou shalt make
Fortunes5 in the ascendent thereof; and in the the lord of the second house, which is in the
first, and tenth, and second, and eighth house, house of substance to be joined with the lord of
thou shall make the lord of the ascendent, and the ascendent in the trine or sex tile, and let there
the lord of the house of the Moon fortunate. be a reception amongst them; thou shall make
But to chase away certain animals from fortunate the eleventh and the lord thereof, and
certain places, that they may not be generated, the eighth; and if thou canst, put part of the For-

402
 Of Certain Celestial Observations and the Practice of Some Images /403

tune in the ascendent, or second; and let the that is petitioned to, and begin it under the
image be buried in that place, or carried from that ascendent belonging to him, as if he be a king or
place, to which thou wouldst appoint the gain. a prince, begin it under the ascendent of the
Also for concord, and love, let there be an tenth house from the ascendent of t)1e first
image made in the day of Jupiter under the image; if he be a father under the fourth; if a son
ascendent of the nativity of him whom thou under fifth; and so of the like; and put the signi-
wouldst have be beloved, make fortunate the ficator of the second image, joined with the lord
ascendent, and the tenth, and hide the evil from of the ascendent of the first image, from a trine
the ascendent; and thou must have the lord of the or sextile, and let him receive it, and put them
tenth, and the planets of the eleventh fortune, both strong, and fortunate without any let; make
joined to the lord of the ascendent, from the trine all evil fall from them. Thou shall make fortu-
or sextile with reception;7 then make another nate the tenth, and the fourth if thou canst, or
image for him whom thou wouldst stir up to any of them; and when the second image shall
love; consider if he be a friend, or companion of be perfected, join it with the first, face to face,
him whom thou wouldst have be beloved; and if and wrap them in clean linen , and bury them 'in
so, let there be an image made under the ascen- the middle of his house who is the petitioner
sion of the eleventh house from the ascendent of under a fortunate significator, the Fortune being
the first image; but if the party be a wife, or a strong, and let the face of the first image be
husband, let it be made under the ascension of toward the north, or rather toward that place
the seventh; if a brother, or a sister, or a cousin, where the thing petitioned for doth abide; or if it
let it be made under the ascension of the third, happen that the petitioner goeth forward towards
and so of the like; and put the significator of the him with whom the thing petitioned for is, let
ascendent of the second image, joined to the sig- him bring the images with him as far as he goes.
nificator of the ascendent of the first image; and And let there be made an image of dreams,
let there be betwixt them a reception, and let the which being put under the head of him that
rest be fortunate, as in the first image; afterwards sleeps, makes him dream true dreams concern-
join both images together into a mutual embrac- ing anything that he hath formerly deliberated
ing, or put the face of the second image to the of: and let the figure of that be the figure of a
back of the first image, and let them be wrapped man sleeping in the bosom of an angel, which
up in silk, and cast away or spoiled. thou shall make in the Lion 9 ascending, the Sun
Also for success of petitions, and for the keeping the ninth house in Aries; thou shalt
obtaining of a thing denied, or taken, or pos- write upon the breast of the man the name of the
sessed by another, let there be an image made effect desired, and in the hand of the angel the
under the ascendent of him who petitions for the name of the intelligence of the Sun. Let the
thing; and cause that the lord of the second be same image be made in Virgo ascending, Mer-
joined with the lord of the ascendent from a cury being fortunate in Aries in the ninth
trine, or sextile, and let there be a reception house, 10 or Gemini ascending in Mercury being
betwixt them, and if it can be, let the lord of the fortunate , and keeping the ninth house in
second be in the obeying signs, and the lord of Aquarius; and let it be received from Saturn
the ascendent in the ruling,8 make fortunate the with a fortunate aspect, and let the name of the
ascendent, and the lord thereof, and take heed Spirit of Mercury be writ upon it. Let also the
that the lord of the ascendent be not retrograde same be made in Libra ascending, Venus being
or combust, or falling, or in the house of opposi- received from Mercury in Gemini in the ninth
tion, i.e. in the seventh from his own house; let house, by writing upon it the angel of Venus.
him not be hindered by the malignant, let him be Besides also let the same image be made in
strong, and in an angle; thou shalt make fortu- Aquarius ascending, Saturn fortunately possess-
nate the ascendent, and the lord of the second, ing the ninth house in his exaltation, which is in
and the Moon; and make another image for him Libra, and let there be writ upon it the angel of
404 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

Saturn; moreover let it be made in Cancer that such images work nothing, unless they be
ascending, the Moon being received by Jupiter so vivified that either a natural, or celestial, or
and Venus in Pisces, II and being fortunately heroical,13 or animastical,14 or demoniacal, or
placed in the ninth house, and let there be writ angelical virtue be in them, or assistant to them.
upon it the spirit of the Moon. But who can give a soul to an image, or
There are also made rings of dreams of make a stone to live, or metal, or wood, or wax?
wonderful efficacy; and there are rings of the And who can raise out of stones children unto
Sun, and Saturn, and the constellation of them is Abraham?15 Certainly this arcanum doth not
when the Sun or Saturn ascend in their exalta- enter into an artist of a stiff neck: neither ·can he
tions l2 in the ninth house, and in that sign, give those things which hath them not. Nobody
which was the ninth house of nativity; and let hath them but he who doth (the elements being
there be writ upon the rings the name of the restrained, nature being overcome, the heavens
spirit of the Sun, or Saturn. being overpowered) transcend the progress of
Let this which hath been spoken suffice angels, and comes to the very Archetype itself,
concerning images, for now thou mayst find out of which being then made a cooperator may do
more of this nature of thyself. But know this, all things, as we shall speak afterwards.

Norcs-ChaprCR L
1. significator of the life-The significator is what vented both if they fall within the term of a
Ptolemy calls the prorogator, which the Greeks also beneficent planet. and if one of the benefi-
called the apheta, and which the Persians knew as cent planets projects its ray from quartile,
the hyleg. It is a planet or part of the heavens which trine, or opposition either upon the destruc-
in a nativity becomes the moderator and significator tive degree itself or upon the parts that fol-
of life. According to Ptolemy a life may be likened to low it, in the case of Jupiter not more than
an arc on the wheel of the zodiac which begins from 12°, and in the case of Venus not over 8°
its particular place of departure with more or less ... (ibid., 285)
momentum, depending on its prorogative place and
the stars that rule the prorogation, travels around the 4. make unfortunate-When Agrippa speaks of
zodiac never more than one quarter of the way, and "making fortunate" and "making unfortunate," he
is stopped by various destructive placements of the means the choice of a time to manufacture the image
planets. The number of degrees traversed by this arc, when either a fortunate or unfortunate astrological
converted into degrees of right ascension, gives the arrangement exists with reference to the work at hand
number of years of life. See the Tetrabiblos 3. IO and the place it is accomplished. No one can "make"
(Robbins, 271-307). the planets unfortunate but must wait for them to
become so.
2. givers of life-Of the planets ruling the length of
life in relation to the prorogator, Ptolemy says: "The 5. Fortunes-Jupiter is the Greater Fortune; Venus is
beneficent stars add and the maleficent subtract. the Lesser Fortune. Together they are referred to as
Mercury, again, is reckoned with the group to which the Fortunes.
he bears an aspect. The number of the addition or
subtraction is calculated by means of the location in 6. nativity-When the nativity, or moment and place
degrees in each case" (ibid., 281). The beneficent of birth, is not known, the ascendent must be estab-
planets are the Moon, Jupiter and Venus. Saturn and lished by natural correspondence.
Mars are maleficent. The Sun and Mercury have a
common nature, and join their influence to the plan- 7. reception-When two planets are each in the sign
ets with which they are associated. that the other rules, they are said to be in mutual recep-
tion: for example, Venus in Aries and Mars in Libra.
3. prevention-
8. in the ruling-
However, it must not be thought that these
places always inevitably destroy, but only Similarly the names "commanding" and
when they are afflicted. For they are pre- "obeying" are applied to the divisions of
 Of Certain Celestial Observations and the Practice of Some Images /405

the zodiac which are disposed at an equal II. Venus in Pisces-That is, Jupiter in Cancer and
distance from the same equinoctial sign, the moon in Pisces, with Venus also in Pisces.
whichever it may be, because they ascend
in equal periods of time and are on equal 12. in their exaltations-Perhaps when the sign of
parallels. Of these the ones in the summer exaltation of either the Sun (Aries) or Saturn (Can-
hemisphere are called "commanding" and cer) is in the ascendent with the corresponding planet
those in the winter hemisphere are called in the ninth house.
"obedient" because the sun makes the day
longer than the night when he is in the 13. heroical-Exalted above the ordinary human
summer hemisphere, and shorter in the level, especially applied to men who have achieved a
winter. (Ptolemy Tetrabiblos 1.14 (Rob- semi-godlike status, such as Perseus.
bins, 75, 77).
14. animastical-Having to do with the soul; spiri-
Thus the pairs of commanding and obeying signs are,
tual. Agrippa (ch. 34, bk. III) equates the anamastic-
excluding the equinoctials Aries-Libra:
heroic order with the Ashim (or Ishim) of the
Commanding Obeying Kabbalah, the "Flaming Ones" (see Psalms 104:4).
Taurus Pisces
Gemini Aquarius 15 . children unto Abraham--Genesis 28: 11-8. Per-
Cancer Capricorn haps this is a veiled reference to the golem legend.
Leo Sagittarius The golem was a slave formed out of clay and
Virgo Scorpio infused with spirit by magic to protect the Jews from
their Christian persecutors. Although the golem of
9. the Lion-Leo, ascending in the first house with Rabbi Loew was created too late (1580) to be known
the Sun in Aries in the ninth house. to Agrippa, it had its origin in the Talmud: "Rava cre-
ated a man; he sent him to Rabbi Zera, who spoke to
10. Ninth house-If Virgo were ascending, Taurus him; when he did not reply, Rabbi Zera told him:
would be ih the ninth house. 'You are a creation of magic; return to your
dust"'(Patai 1980, 239).
 CHAPTeR L1

Of chaRacreRS which aRe

made afreR rhe Rule and imirarion of
ce1esrials, and how wirh rhe rable rheReof
rhey aRe deduced our of geomanrical figuRes.

haracters also have their community the wntmg of angels, which amongst the

C from the rays of the celestials cast

together according to a certain number
by a certain peculiar property, which
celestials as in divers strokes of their rays falling
Hebrews is called the writing Malachim, I by
which all things are described and signified in
the heaven 2 for every knowing man to read. But
of these hereafter.
several ways amongst themselves produced But now they make characters of geo-
divers virtues: so also characters being variously mantical figures, binding together the points
protracted, according to the various concourse of of each variously, and attributing them
those rays quickly obtain divers operations, and according to the manner of their figurings, to
also more efficacious many times than the prop- those planets and signs of which they were
erties of natural commixtions. made, the making of which the following
Now the true characters of the heavens is table will show: 3

(Jeomanric ChaRacreRs
The Characters of the Moon

From the Way:

From the People:

The Characters of Mercury

From Conjunction: GJ rn I X $ Jr A (f) 0 Z LX SZ

From White: s: 92 ~ ~
The Characters of Venus

From Loosing:

406
 Of Characters Which Are Made After the Rule and Imitation of Celestials /407

(1eomam:k ChaRac"CeRS (cont' d.)

The Characters of Venus (cont'd.)

From Girl:

The Characters of the Sun

From a Greater Fortune: 9 ~ ~ WW ~ ¥

From a Lesser Fortune: ~ tJ b b 8 0 A
The Characters of Mars

From Red:

From a Boy:

The Characters of Jupiter

From Obtaining: Q y),( ~ ~ ~ ~c to{ <> WQp

From Joyfulness: 8 BB.e6
The Characters of Saturn

From a Prison:

From Sadness:

The Characters of the Dragon

From the Head:

From the Tail:

408 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

Writing in the Stars

from Curiosites innouies by Jacques Gaffarel (1637)

Not:cs-Chapt:CR Ll
I. Malachim-The Malachim are the angelic order of work by Jacopo Gaffarell i, also known as James
the sixth sephirah, Tiphareth. The book of Malachi Gaffarelli and Jacques Gaffarel (?1601-1681) who
was an anonymous work, the title for which was was Cardinal Richelieu's librarian and was sent by
derived from verse 3: I, where the Hebrew for "my him on a book-buying expedition to Venice. He
messenger" was converted into a proper name. In appears to have been a Kabbalist, and wrote two
verse 3:16 it is written: "Then they that feared the works: (I) Unheard-of Curiosities Concerning the
Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord Talismanic Sculpture of the Persians , and Horoscope
harkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance of the Patriarchs , and the Reading of the Stars
was written before him for them that feared the Lord, (1637), written in French, from which this illustration
and that thought upon his name." The Hebrew for is taken, and (2) a quarto volume in Latin defending
maliku signifies "king"-i. e. god. There is reference the Kabbalah. He also appears to have been a plagia-
made to this celestial alphabet in the Greater Key of rist, as he had a new title page printed for a History of
Solomon: "Come ye, then, by the virtue of these the Conquest of Constantinople by Girolamo Gas-
Names by the which we exorcise ye; ANAl, JECHHAD, pare (1532-1600) and made a gift of it to Richeleau,
TRANSIN, EMETH, CHAIA, IONA, PROFA, TITACHE, BEN claiming it as his own.
ANI, BRIAH, THEIT; all which names are written in
Heaven in the characters of Malachim, that is to say, 3. table will show-Many of the geomantic figures
the tongue of the Angels" (Greater Key of Solomon were defective and have been here corrected. The
1.7 [Mathers, 33]). Mathers adds the note: "The Mys- most glaring error, which also occurs in the Latin
tic Alphabet known as the 'writing of Malachim' is Opera, was the depiction of all the characters for
formed from the positions of the Stars in the heavens, Puer upside down. In addition to righting these and
by drawing imaginary lines from one star to another reordering them to parallel the figures for Puella, I
so as to obtain the shapes of the characters of this have righted the third figure for Tristitia, also
Alphabet" (ibid.). inverted in both the English and Latin editions, cor-
rected the second figure of Laetitia and the third fig-
2. in the heaven-The accompanying illustration ure of Albus, defective in both editions, and the third
makes clear exactly what Agrippa means. It is from a figure of Acquisitio, defective only in the English.
 CHAPTeR Lll

Of ChaRaCL"eRS which aRe dRawn

fRom L"hings L"hemse1ves by a ceRL"ain liKeness.

e have spoken above of a certain pound characters of various figures; as of Sat-

W manner of images made not after

the likeness of celestial images,
but according to the emulation of
that which the mind of the operator doth desire.
urn and Jupiter, viz. thus, ZfJ, Zb, or thus !::fh; or
thus of Saturn and Mars, 4, or thus 11; of Jupi-
ter and Mars,2f-7 or thus :if: ;
of Saturn, Jupiter
and Mars, ~ or thus ~. And as these are
In like manner also it is to be understood of exemplified by two and three, so also of the
characters; for such like characters are nothing rest, and of more may they be framed .
else than images ill dearticulated; yet having a After the same manner may the characters
certain probable similitude with the celestial of other celestial images ascending in any face
images, or with that which the mind of the oper- or degree of signs, be compendiously drawn
ator desires, whether that be from the whole after the likeness of the images, as in these
image, or from certain marks thereof expressing which are made according to the way of imita-
the whole image. tion of that which the mind of the operator
As the characters of Aries and Taurus we
desires, as to love, the figures be mixed together
make thus from their horns , 1', (5; of Gemini
embracing and obeying one the other; but to
from embracing, II; of Cancer from a progress
and regress, I eo; of Leo, Scorpio, and Capri-
hatred, on the contrary, turning away the one
from the other, contending, unequal, 100sed.5
corn from their tails, 6), rn." \15; of Virgo from
Spike,2 'Ylf, n;)?; of Libra from a balance,:::C'::; of But now we will here set down those char-
Sagittarius from a dart, X'; of Aquarius from acters which Hermes assigned 6 to the fixed
waters, ~; and of Pisces from fishes , tEo stars, and Behenii, and they are these:
In like manner the character of Saturn is
made from a sickle, n, ;.t:'; of Jupiter from a Characters of the Fixed Stars
scepter, tt, til; of Mars from a bolt, cj'; of the
Sun from roundness and a golden brightness, The Head of Algol
0,~; of Venus from a looking glass,3 9; of
Mercury from a wand, *" Y; of the Moon from
her horns of increasing and decreasing, cr. The Pleiades
Besides, of these, according to the mixtions
of signs and stars, and natures, are made also Aldaboram
mixed characters, as of a fiery triplicity rf\J;
of earthly ~; of airy 11::-; ofwatery~c.
Also according to the hundred and twenty The Goat Star
conjunctions 4 of planets, result so many com-

409
410/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

Characters of the Fixed Stars (cont'd)

)¢-ttt< The Greater Dog Star

f o
AIcameth

W The Les,"" Dog Still X\ Elphei.

~ The Heart of the Lion o i f 1 i 0 The Heart of the Scorpion

>t7- The Tail of the Bear X The Vulture F.lling

)) 0:l The Wing of the Crow )(0---'-'~l The Tail of Capricorn

J( 0 Spica

NOLcs-ChapLCR Lll
I. progress and regress---Cancer has come to be lld' 0~Q 0lld'Q 0ll94Q
symbolized ~, which is usually said to express the ll4 090" 0Jl4Q 0lld'4Q
two claws of a crab, or two opposite swirls. An older llQ 094 0~9d' 0~9d'4
way of representing the sign is '=0 , which suggests ~9 09Q 0~94 0~9d'Q
opposite motions. Thi s is appropriate for a sign that ~d' 00"4 0~9Q 0~94Q
falls on the summer solstice, when the Sun reaches ~4 0d'Q 0~d'4 0~d'4Q
its highest point in the heavens, then begins to ~Q 04Q 0~d'Q 09d'4Q
decline once again . 90" ll~9 0~4Q ll~9d'4
94 ll~d' 090"4 llNd'Q
2. Spike-The star Spica in the constellation Virgo. 9Q ll~4 09d'Q ll~94Q
The resemblance between the symbol for Virgo and 0"4 ll~Q 094Q ll~d'4Q
that for Spica is the cross, present in both. The Latin d'Q ll9d' 0d'4Q ll9d'4Q
word spica means "ear of com," and Virgo is associ- 4Q ])94 ll~9d' ~9d'4 Q
ated with the Greek com goddess Demeter and the ])9Q ll~94
Roman Ceres . lld'4 ll~9Q
lld'Q ll~d'4
3. looking glass-In the English edition this symbol Jl4Q ll~d'Q
is upside down. ~9d' ll~4Q
~94 ll9d'4
4. hundred and twenty conjunctions-These hypo- NQ ll9d'Q
thetical (some will never occur) conjunctions of the ~d'4 ll94Q
planets can be tabulated in this way: ~d'Q lld'4Q
2 1 + 35 + 35 + 2 1 + 7 + 120 ~4Q ~9d'4

0ll 0M 0ll~9 0ll~9d' 0ll~9d'4 0ll~9d'4 Q 90"4 ~9d'Q

0~ 0119 0ll~d' 0ll~94 0ll~9d'Q 9d'Q ~94Q
09 0lld' 0ll~4 0ll~9 Q 0llN4Q 94Q ~d'4Q
00" 0114 0ll~Q 0ll~d'4 0ll~d'4 Q d'4Q 9d'4Q
04 0llQ 0ll9d' 0ll~d'Q 0ll9d'4Q
0Q 0~9 01194 0ll~4Q 0~9d'4Q 5. unequal. loosed-On these principles are formed
ll~ 0~d' 0ll9Q 0ll9d'4 ll~9d'4Q the characters of good and evil spirits given in
ll9 0~4 0lld'4 0ll9d'Q pseudo-Agrippa's Fourth Book o/Occult Philosophy.
 Of Characters Which Are Drawn From Things Themselves / 411

6. Hermes assigned-Although Agrippa assigns

these characters to Hermes, the same set of stars and Alhayhoch
characters occurs in a 15th-century manuscript called (Goat Star)
the Book of Enoch (Bodleian ms. e. Meseo 52, folios
44-7) in the Bodleian Library at Oxford, and also in Canis maior
the early 14th-century British Museum manuscript (Greater Dog Star)
Harley 1612, folios 15-18 v. The manuscripts are in
Latin. A French translation of a similar work is Trin- Canis minor
ity College, Cambridge, 1313, folios 11-25 v. In the (Lesser Dog Star)
Bodleian manuscript the information is arranged in
five columns, which give 15 stars and their related
stones, herbs, characters and virtues. Referring to the Cor Leonis
British Museum manuscript, Joan Evans says: "The (Heart of the Lion)
exactitude of its astrology, the presence of such lin-
guistic forms as Gergonsa and the difference Ala corvi
between this treatise and the usual Western lapidary (Wing of the Crow)
of engraved stones, makes it seem not improbable
that it is derived from a Spanish source" (Evans
[1922] 1976, 109). In a footnote she adds: "It is the Spica
source of the treatise of Abdul Hassan Isabet ben (Spica)
Cora, familiar in Western MSS. as Thebit de Imag-
inibus (e.g. B. M. Royal 12, C. xviii, fol. 10 v)" Arturus
(ibid.). Below are the characters from the Bodleian (Alcameth)
manuscript (see Evans [1922] 1976, Appendix G) for
comparison with those of Agrippa, along with their
names in the manuscript and the names assigned to Cauda urse maioris
them in the English Agrippa. It will be at once appar- (Tail of the Bear)
ent that Agrippa has omitted (perhaps deliberately)
portions of some of the characters. Lucida corone
(Elpheia)
Star Characters from Book of Enoch

Aldebaran Cor Scorpionis

(Aldaboram) (Heart of the Scorpion)

Pliades Vultur cadens

(Pleiades) (Vulture Falling)

Caput algol Cauda capricorni

(Head of Algol) (Tail of Capricorn)
 CHAPTeR un

Thar no d1v1nar1on w1rhour asrRology 1S peRfecr.

e have spoken in the foregoing nations, kingdoms, cities, when these shall

W chapters of the divers kinds of

divinations: but this is to be
noted, that all these require the
use and rules of astrology, as a key most neces-
appear, and upon what place of the celestial fig-
ure these fell ; that by all these at length we may
come to a rational and probable signification of
these things. After the same manner, but with
sary for the knowledge of all secrets; and that less labour, we must proceed in the exposition
all kinds of divinations whatsoever have their of dreams.
root and foundation in astrology, so as that Moreover, they that being distempered4
without it they are of little or no use; yet astro- foretell future things, do it not but as they are
logical divination, in as much as the celestials instigated by the stars, or inferior instruments of
are causes and signs of all those things which these, whence their predictions must at length
are, and are done in these inferiors, doth give be imputed to the celestials, as we read in Lucan
most certain demonstrations by the situation, the old prophet Tuscus: 5
and motion only of celestial bodies, of those
things which are occult or future; I of which we The lightning's motion, and the veins
which are
shall in this place speak no further, since of this
Fibrous, and warm, and motion of a fair
science huge volumes have been wrote by the Plume wandering in the air, being
ancients, and are everywhere extant. taught.- - - -
Therefore whether the physiognomists look
upon the body, or countenance, or forehead, or After the city was viewed,6 the sacrifice slain,
hand, or the soothsayer searcheth by dreams or the inspection into the entrails did at length by
auspicia,2 that the judgement may be right, the the dispositions of the celestial stars pronounce
figure of heaven is also to be inquired into. judgement. 7
From the judgements whereof, together with Also geomancy itself, the most accurate of
conjectures of similitudes and signs, are pro- divinations, which divines by points of the
duced true opinions of the significators. earth,8 or any other superfices, or by a fall,9 or
Also, if any prodigy shall appear, the figure any other power inscribed, doth first reduce
of the heaven is to be erected; also such things them to celestial figures, viz. to those sixteen
are to be inquired after, which have gone before which we above named, making judgement
in the revolutions of years from great conjunc- after an astrological manner, by the properties
tions, and eclipses: then also the nativities, and observations thereof: and hither are referred
beginnings, enthronizations,3 foundations, and all natural divinations by lots whatsoever, the
revolutions, perfections, directions of princes, power whereof can be from nowhere else than

412
 That No Divination Without Astrology Is Perfect / 413

from the heaven, and from the mind of them tetrahedron, hexahedron, octahedron, dodecahe-
that work them. dron, icosahedron, being made by certain num-
For whatsoever is moved, caused or pro- bers, signs and stars at opportune times, under
duced in these inferiors, must of necessity imi- the influences of the celestials, and being
tate the motions, and influences of the inscribed, obtain a wonderful virtue of divining,
superiors, to which, as to its roots, causes, and and foretelling by their castings, such as those
signs it is reduced, the judgement whereof is dice Prenestell had, in which we read the des-
showed by astrological rules. Hence dice,lo tinies of the Romans were contained.

NorLs-ChaprLR LIII
I. occult orfuture- entrails, and the warnings of the wing hov-
ering in the air. (Lucan Pharsalia I, line
But all things come to pass according to
583 [Riley, 37-8])
Providence, and there is no place destitute
of Providence. Now Providence is the sov-
6. city was viewed-Arruns ordered the citizens of
ereign design of the God who rules over
Rome to circumambulate the city in a ceremony of
the heavens; and that sovereign design has
purification (ibid., c. line 592).
under it two subordinate powers, namely,
Necessity and Destiny. Necessity is the 7. pronounce judgement-Agrippa is referring to
firm and unalterable decision of Provi- Lucan's placement of the prediction of the astrologer
dence, and Destiny is subservient to Provi- Nigidius Figulus after the description of the official
dence in accordance with Necessity. And inspection of the entrails by Arruns, implying that it
the stars are subservient to Destiny. For no placed a final seal on the foretellings of disaster that
man can either escape from Destiny, or was to visit Rome:
guard himself from the terribleness of the
stars. For the stars are the instruments of Why have the Constellations forsaken
Destiny; it is in accordance with Destiny their courses, and why in obscurity are
that they bring all things to pass for the they borne along throughout the universe?
world of nature and for men. (Stohaei Her- Why thus intensely shines the side of the
metica, excerpt 12. In Scott [1924] 1985, sword-girt Orion? The frenzy of arms is
1:435) threatening; and the might of the sword
shall confound all right by force ; and for
The original text is very broken. I have taken the lib- many a year shall this madness prevail.
erty of incorporating Scott's footnotes into the body And what avails it to ask an end from the
of the text. Gods of heaven? That peace comes with a
tyrant alone. Prolong, Rome, the continu-
2. auspicia-Specifically, signs or tokens by the ous series of thy woes; protract for a length
flight of birds. See note 3, ch. LIII, bk. I. The term is of time thy calamities, only now free dur-
used here in its broader sense. ing civil war. (ibid., line 663 [Riley, 43])

3. enthronizations-The induction of a king, bishop, It is Figulus who explicitly predicts war from this
pope, duke, and so on, into office; the seating upon a figure of the heavens, whereas Arruns is ambiguous
throne.. and refuses to commit himself on the basis of his
reading of the entrails.
4. distempered-Rapt in ecstasy, or frenzied.
8. points of the earth-Holes poked in the earth. See
5. old prophet Tuscus- Appendix VIII.

By reason of these things it seemed good 9. by a fall-Fall of dice or other lots, or patterns
that, according to the ancient usage, the made by cast pebbles or other objects.
Etrurian prophets should be summoned. Of
whom, Aruns, the one most stricken in 10. dice-Dice have probably been placed at the
years, inhabited the walls of deserted Luca, beginning of this list or regular bodies because there
well-skilled in the movements of light- are commonly two of them-thus, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 20
nings, and the throbbing veins in the (see note 19, ch. XXVI, bk. II). However, since dice
414/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

are cubic, the cube is referred to twice, unless a chest was forthwith made out of this
Agrippa is implying a nonregular hexahedron, one same olive-tree, and therein these lots are
with six equilateral triangles. But this does not seem kept by which the oracles of Fortune are
likely. It is possible that by dice (tesserae) Agrippa still delivered. But how can there be the
means tablets or lots with two faces. This would least degree of sure and certain information
make better sense. in lots like these, which, under Fortune's
direction, are shuffled and drawn by the
II . Preneste- hands of a child? How were the lots con-
veyed to this particular spot, and who cut
We read in the records of the Praenestines,
and carved the oak of which they are com-
that Numerius Suffucius, a man of high
posed? .. . It is only the antiquity and
reputation and rank, had often been com-
beauty of the Temple of Fortune that any
manded by dreams (which at last became
longer preserves the Praenestine lots from
very threatening) to cut a flint-stone in two,
contempt even among the vulgar. For what
at a particular spot. Being extremely
magistrate, or man of any reputation, ever
alarmed at the vision, he began to act in
resorts to them now? And in all other
obedience to it, in spite of the derision of
places they are wholly disregarded. (Cicero
his fellow-citizens; and he had no sooner
De Divinatione 2.41 [Yonge,235-6])
divided the stone, than he found therein
certain lots, engraved in ancient characters The lots were plates of oak upon which words were
on oak . ... At the same time and place in carved. They were taken out of their special case,
which the Temple of Fortune is now situ- shuffled, and drawn by a child, who watched and
ated, they report that honey flowed out of waited for the nodding of the head of the statue of
an olive. Upon this the augurs declared that Fortuna, which was in the form of a woman with two
the lots there instituted would be held in suckling infants held to her breasts. See the geo-
the highest honour; and, at their command, graphical note on Praeneste.
 CHAPTeR LlV

Of 1OL'LeRY , when, and whence

ehe viReue of divining is incidene eO ieo

hatsoever divinations and predic- And this is that ground and foundation of all

W tions of human events are made

by lottery, must of necessity,
besides the lot, have some sublime
occult cause; which indeed shall not be a cause
astrological questions, wherefore the mind being
elevated into the excess of any desire, taketh of
itself an hour and opportunity most convenient
and efficacious, on which the figure of the
by accident, such as Aristotle describes fortune to heaven being made, the astrologer may then
be. I For in the series of causes, seeing according judge in it, and plainly know concerning that
to the Platonists, a cause by accident can never which anyone desires, and is inquisitive to know.
be the prime and sufficient cause, we must look But now because lots are not directed
higher, and find out a cause which may know always by man 's mind, but also, as we said
and intend the effect. 2 Now this we must not before, by the help of other spirits; nor is the
place in corporeal nature, but in immaterial, and mind of a prophet always disposed to that
incorporeal substances which indeed administer excess of passion as we spoke of: hence
the lot, and dispense the signification of the truth, amongst the ancients, it was a custom to
as in men 's souls, or separated spirits, or in celes- premise before the casting of the lot, some
tial intelligences, or in God himself. sacred performances, in which they called upon
Now that there is in man's soul a sufficient divine intelligences and spirits for to direct the
power and virtue to direct such kind of lots, it is lot aright.
hence manifest, because there is in our soul a Whatsoever kind of presage therefore these
divine virtue, and similitude, and apprehension, kind of lots portend, must of necessity not be by
and power of all things; and as we said in the chance or fortune, but from a spiritual cause, by
first book,3 all things have a natural obedience virtue whereof the phantasy,5 or hand of him that
to it, and of necessity have a motion and effi- cast the lot is moved, whether that power pro-
cacy to that which the soul desires with a strong ceed from the soul of the operator through the
desire; and all the virtues and operations of nat- great excess of his affection, or from a celestial
ural and artificial things, obey it when it is car- influence, and opportunity, or from a certain
ried forth into the excess of desire, and then all deity or spirit assisting, or moving from on high,
lots of what kind soever are assisting to the whether these lots are placed in casting of cock-
appetite of such a mind, and acquire to them- als,6 or throwing of dice, or in the meeting of
selves wonderful virtues of presages, as from verses,? such as were formerly the lot of Homer
that, so from the celestial opportunity in that and Virgil, of which, we read in Aetlius of
hour in which the excess of such a like appetite Sparta, Hadrianus long since made inquiry, and
doth most of all exceed4 in it. which we read befell Trajanus the Emperor:8

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What's he far off graced with the olive There are also more, and other kinds of
bough lots, as are human lots, which had no divination
Presenting offerings? His white chin we
in them amongst the ancients, and are observed
know,
A Roman king, whose laws first settled by us in choosing of magistrates,lO to prevent
Rome, envy, of which also Cicero against Verres"
And from small Cures a poor soil, shall makes mention: but they are not of our purpose:
come but those which are divine, and sacred lots,
To great command----
respecting oracles, and religion, of which we
shall discourse in the following book: only thus
By which verses he did not in vain become to far I would advise you, that how much presag-
have hopes of enjoying the Empire. Also ing, divining or soothsaying soever lots are
amongst Hebrews, and even amongst us Chris- found to have, they have them not as they are
tians (some divines not disapproving of it) lots lots, but by reason of a virtue of a higher opera-
are taken out of verses of Psalms. 9 tion joined to them.

Nores-ChapreR LlV
I. fortune to be-See the Metaphysica 5.30, and all is a game in which one player tries to guess the num-
of bk. 6, for Aristotle's examination of chance. ber of fingers displayed by another player.

2. intend the effect- 7. meeting of verses-Rhapsodomancy, where the

book of some poet is opened and a verse read at ran-
The lover of intellect and knowledge ought
dom as an oracle.
to explore causes of intelligent nature first
of all, and, secondly, of those things
8. Trajanus the Emperor-The quote is from Virgil's
which, being moved by others, are com-
Aeneid, bk. 6, c. line 808. It refers to Numa, the sec-
pelled to move others . And this is what we
ond king of Rome. Because Trajan was prematurely
too must do. Both kinds of causes should
gray, he accepted the verse as a personal omen of
be acknowledged by us, but a distinction
greatness. The Cures, or Sabines, mentioned in the
should be made between those which are
quote, were noted for simplicity and austerity.
endowed with mind and are the workers of
things fair and good, and those which are
9. verses of Psalms-There is a fonn of divination
deprived of intelligence and always pro-
known as bibliomancy; however (according to Spence
duce chance effects without order or
1920), it was a way of discovering witches, whereby
design. (Plato Timaeus 46e [Hamilton and
an accused person was weighed against the great
Cairns, 1174])
church Bible. If lighter than the book, he or she was
deemed innocent-a practice that harks back to the
3. in the first book-See ch. LXVII, bk. I.
weighing of the heart of the dead by the Egyptians.
4. exceed-Abound.
10. choosing of magistrates-
5. phantasy-Imagination. Then there is a seventh kind of rule by the
favour of heaven and fortune, as we say.
6. cockals-The astragalus or "knuckle-bone," usu- We bring our men to a casting of lots, and
ally of a sheep, marked on four sides and cast like call it the most equitable of arrangements
dice. The Greeks and Romans had two games: ludus that he who has the chance of the lot
talorum, or cockal; and ludus tessararum , or dice. should rule, and he who misses it retire
"What now is a lot? Much the same as the game of into the ranks of subjects. (Plato Laws
mora, or dice [or knuckle-bones], in which luck and 3.69Oc [Hamilton and Cairns, 1285])
fortune are all in all, and reason and skill avail noth-
ing" (Cicero De Divinatione 2.41 (Yonge, 235]). The II. against Verres-Divinatio in Q. Caecilium in
Latin reads quod talos jacere , quod tesseras, which De Oratore of Cicero. See the biographical note on
is inadequately translated as "dice." Morra, or mora, Verres.
 CHAPTeR LV

Of rhe Soul of rhe WORld,

and of rhe ce1esrials, accoRding ro rhe
rRadirions of rhe poers, and philosopheRs.

t is necessary that the heaven and celestial Into two orbs of motion rounded is

1 bodies, seeing they have a power, influence,

and manifest operation upon these inferiors,
should be animated: seeing an operation
cannot proceed from a mere body.' All famous
Being divided, and for to return
Into itself makes haste----

And VirgiJ6 most full of all philosophy, sings

thus:
poets, and philosophers affirm therefore that the
world and all celestial bodies must have a soul, And first the heaven, Earth, and liquid plain,
and that also intelligent: 2 hence Marcus Manil- The Moon 's bright globe, and stars Titanian
!ius in his Astronomy to Augustus3 sings: A spirit fed within, spread through the whole
And with the huge heap mixed infused a
The great corporeal world, which doth soul;
appear Hence man, and beasts, and birds derive
In divers fOnTIs, of air, earth, sea, and fire, their strain,
A divine soul doth rule, a deity And monsters floating in the marbled main;
Doth wisely govern---- These seeds have fiery vigor, and a birth
Of heavenly race, but clogged with heavy
earth.
Also Lucan :4

The Earth that's weighed in the air's sus- For what do these verses seem to mean,
tained than that the world should not only have a spirit
By great Jove:---- soul, but also to partake of the Divine Mind,
and that the original, virtue, and vigour of all
And Boetius: 5 inferior things do depend on the Soul of the
World? This do all Platonists, Pythagoreans,
Thou dost join to the world a soul, that
Orpheus , Trismegistus, Aristotle, Theophras-
moves
All things of threefold nature, and diffuse tus, Avicen , Algazeles , and all Peripatetics con"
It through the members of the same, and this fess, and confirm.

NOLcs-ChapLCR LV
1. mere body-See Aquinas Summa contra gentiles according to his will, he framed within her
3.87. the corporeal universe, and brought the
two together and united them centre to
2. that also intelligent-
centre. The soul, interfused everywhere
Now when the creator had framed the soul from the centre to the circumference of

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heaven, of which also she is the external 4. also Lucan-"Perhaps a large portion of the entire
envelopment, herself turning in herself, Jove, pervading the earth by him to be swayed, which
began a divine beginning of never-ceasing sustains the globe poised in the empty air, passes
and rational life enduring throughout all forth through the Cirrhaean caves, and is attracted, in
time. (Plato Timaeus 36e [Hamilton and unison with the aethereal Thunderer" (Lucan
Cairns, I 166]) Pharsalia 5, lines 93-6 [Riley, 169-70]). Lucan is
speaking of the vapors arising from the cave at Del-
3. Astronomy to Augustus-Astronomica of Manil- phi which intoxicated the Pythoness.
ius, an astrological poem in five books, now lost. See
biographical note. 5. Boetius-Boetius Consolation of Philosophy 3.9.

6. Virgil-Aeneid 6, c. line724.
 CHAPTeR LVl

The same is confiRmed by Reason.

he world, the heavens, the stars, and seed. Neither could elements generate and nour-

T the elements have a soul, with which

they cause a soul in these inferior and
mixed bodies. They have also as we
said in the former book, I a spirit, which by the
ish such kind of living creatures, if they them-
selves were without life or soul.
But some haply may say, that such kind of
living creatures are not generated by the soul of
mediating of the soul is united to the body: for the earth, or water, but by the influences of
as the world is a certain whole body, the parts celestial souls; these the Platonists answer,4 that
whereof are the bodies of all living creatures, an accident cannot beget a substance, unless
and by how much the whole is more perfect and haply as an instrument it be subjected to the next
noble than the parts, by so much more perfect, substance, because an instrument removed from
and noble is the body of the world than the bod- an artificer is not moved to the effect of the art;
ies of each living thing. so also those celestial influences, seeing they are
It would be absurd, that all imperfect bod- certain accidents being removed far from vital
ies and parts of the world, and every base ani- substances, or from the life itself, cannot gener-
mal, as flies, and worms should be worthy of ate a vital substance in these inferiors.
life, and have a life and soul, and the whole And Mercurius in his book which he calls
entire world a most perfect, whole, and most De Communi, saith, all that is in the world is
noble body, should have neither life, nor soul;2 moved either by increase, or decrease. s Now
it is no less absurd, that heavens, stars, ele- what moves must needs have life; and seeing
ments, which give to all things life, and soul that all things move, even the Earth, especially
most largely, should themselves be without life, with a generative and alterative motion, they
and soul; and that every plant, or tree should be must themselves live. And if any doubt that the
of a more noble condition than the heaven, heavens live, saith Theophrastus , he is not to be
stars, and elements, which are naturally the accounted a philosopher; and he which denies
cause of them. the heaven to be animated, so that the mover
And what living man can deny that earth, thereof is not the form thereof, destroys the
and water live, which of themselves generate, foundation of all philosophy; the world therefore
vivify, nourish, and increase innumerable trees, lives, hath a soul, and sense; for it gives life to
plants, and living creatures? As most manifestly plants, which are not produced of seed; and it
appears in things that breed of their own gives sense to animals, which are not generated
accord,3 and in those which have no corporeal by coition.

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Not:cs-Chapt:CR LVl

I. former book-See ch. XIV, bk. I. 5. increase, or decrease-"For in the case of every-
thing which comes into being, the coming-to-be must
2. soul-The notion that the world is a single living be followed by destruction. For that which comes
being with a soul received a new impetus recently by into being ... increases; and in the case of everything
the admission of science that not only has the Earth which increases, the increase is followed by destruc-
formed life, but life has formed the Earth, adapting tion" (Stobaei Hermetica 20 [Scott 1985 {1924},
the atmosphere and climate to suit its needs. The 1:451). "Dissoluble bodies increase and diminish ... "
world is the way it is not by accident, but because liv- (ibid. II, 431). However in seeming direct contradic-
ing things have made it so. tion to the conclusion Agrippa draws, it is explicitly
stated: "Moreover, the forces work not only in bodies
3. own accord-A reference to spontaneous genera- that have souls in them, but also in soulless bodies,
tion. See note 6, ch. V, bk. I. such as logs and stones and the like, increasing their
bulk and bringing them to maturity, corrupting, dis-
4. Platonists answer-See note 2, ch. LIV, bk. II. solving, rotting and crumbling them, and carrying on
in them all processes of that sort that it is possible for
soulless bodies to undergo" (ibid. 3, 397).
 CHAPTeR LVll

Thar rhe Soul of rhe WORld, and rhe ce1esrial souls

aRe Rarional, and paRraKe of divine undeRsranding.

hat the above named souls have rea- It is necessary therefore, seeing celestial

T son, is apparent hence; for whereas

the universal works of the foresaid
souls do with a certain perpetual order
conspire amongst themselves, it is necessary
bodies are most perfect, that they have also
most perfect minds. They partake therefore of
an intellect, and a mind; which the Platonists
also prove by the perseverance of their order,
that they be governed not by chance but by rea- and tenor, because motion is of its nature free, it
son; by which reason they do direct, and bring may easily swerve, and wander now one way,
all their operations to a certainty. For it is nec- now another, unless it were ruled by an intellect
essary that the earth should have the reason of and a mind, and that also by a perfect mind
terrane things, and water of watery things; and foreseeing from the beginning the best way, and
so in the rest; by which reason each in their chief end. Which perfect mind indeed, because
time, place, and order are generated, and being it is most powerful in the soul, as is the Soul of
hurt are repaired. the World, and as are the souls of celestial bod-
Therefore philosophers do not think the ies, and of elements, without all doubt doth
Soul of the Earth 1 to be as it were the soul of most orderly, and perfectly govern the work
some contemptible body, but to be rational and allotted to it. For bodies do not resist a most
also intelligent, yea and to be a deity . Besides it powerful soul, and a perfect mind doth not
would be absurd, seeing we have reasons of our change its counsel.
works, that celestial souls, and the Soul of the The Soul of the World therefore is a certain
Universe should not have reasons of theirs. But only thing, filling all things, bestowing all
if (as saith Platoj2 the world be made by very things, binding, and knitting together all things,
goodness itself, as well as it could be made, it is that it might make one frame of the world, and
certainly endowed with not only life, sense, and that it might be as it were one instrument making
reason, but also understanding. For the perfec- of many strings, but one sound, sounding from
tion of a body is its soul, and that body is more three kinds of creatures, intellectual, celestial,
perfect which hath a more perfect soul. and incorruptible, with one only breath and life.

Nores-ChapreR LVll
1. Soul afthe Earth-See Appendix II.
this world of generation. He was good, and
the good can never have any jealousy of
2. saith Plato--
anything. And being free from jealousy, he
Let me tell you then why the creator made desired that all things should be as like

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himself as they could be. This is in the taken as a whole could ever be fairer than
truest sense the origin of creation and of the intelligent taken as a whole, and again
the world, as we shall do well in believing that intelligence could not be present in
on the testimony of wise men. God desired anything which was devoid of soul. For
that all things should be good and nothing which reason, when he was forming the
bad, so far as this was attainable. Where- universe, he put intelligence in soul, and
fore also finding the whole visible sphere soul in body, that he might be the creator of
not at rest, but moving in an irregular and a work which was by nature fairest and
disorderly fashion, out of disorder he best. On this wise, using the language of
brought order, considering that this was in probability, we may say that the world
every way better than the other. Now the came into being-a living creature truly
deeds of the best could never be or have endowed with soul and intelligence by the
been other than the fairest, and the creator, providence of God. (Plato Timaeus
reflecting on the things which are by nature 2ge-30b [Hamilton and Cairns, 1162-3])
visible, found that no unintelligent creature
 CHAPTeR LVlll

Of rhe names of rhe ce1esrials, and

rheiR Rule oveR rhis infeRioR wORld, vi~. man.

he names of celestial souls are very But the Soul of the World, or Universe,

T many, and divers according to their

manifold power and virtue upon these
inferior things, from whence they
have received divers names, which the ancients
magicians call the Jupiter of the World; and the
Mind of the World, Apollo; and the Nature of
the World, Minerva . Besides in the fire they put
Vulcan, in the water Neptune, and they did
in their hymns and prayers made use of. name them by divers names.
Concerning which you must observe, that Also in the stars of the Zodiac the
everyone of these souls according to Orpheus' Pythagoreans did put twelve particular gods or
divinity,' is said to have a double virtue; the one souls placed in the hearts of those stars, and
placed in knowing, the other in vivifying, and thence governing the whole star, viz. in the
governing its body. Upon this account in the heart of Aries is placed a particular Pallas, in
celestial spheres, Orpheus calls the former the heart of Taurus a particular Venus, of Gem-
virtue Bacchus, the other a Muse. Hence he is ini a particular Phebus , of Cancer Mercury , of
not inebriated by any Bacchus, who hath not Leo Jupiter, of Virgo Ceres, of Libra Vulcan, of
first been coupled to his Muse. Therefore nine Scorpio Mars, of Sagittarius Diana, of Capri-
Bacchuses are designated about the nine Muses. corn Vesta, of Aquarius a particular Juno, in the
Hence in the ninth sphere Orpheus puts heart of Pisces a particular Neptune . This did
Bacchus Cribonius, and the Muse Calliope; in Manilius sing forth in these verses:
the starry heaven, Picionius, and Urania ; in the
sphere of Saturn, Amphietus, and Polyphymnia; Pallas doth rule the Ram, Venus the Bull,
in the sphere of Jupiter, Sabasius , and Terpsi- Phebus the Twins and Mercury doth rule
chore; in the sphere of Mars, Bassarius, and The Cancer, and the Lion guides doth Jove,
Ceres doth Virgo, Vulcan Libra move.
Clio ; in the sphere of the Sun, Trietericus, and
For Scorpion Mars; for Sagittarius fair
Melpemene; in the sphere of Venus , Lysius, and Diana cares; for Capricorn doth care
Erato; in the sphere of Mercury, Silenus , and Vesta; Aquarius Juno doth protect;
Euterpe; in the sphere of the Moon, Bacchus And Neptune Pisces----
Lyeus, and the Muse Thalia .
Also in the spheres of the elements, he And most ancient Orpheus wntmg to
names the souls after this manner: in the Fire he Museus , reckons up more deities of the heavens
puts the Planet, and the Morning; in the Air, than these, signifying their names, respects, and
Lightning, Jupiter, and Juno; in Water, the duties, calling them all in proper songs. 2 Let no
Ocean, and Thetys; in the Earth, Pluto , and one therefore think that they are the names of
Proserpina. evil deceiving spirits; but of natural, and divine

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virtues, distributed to the world by the true God, Many other things the ancients did observe,
for the service, and profit of man, who knew ascribing every little member and joint to their
how to use them. deities, which if they be rightly understood, and
And antiquity itself hath ascribed to each of the true deities ruling over them known, would
these deities the several members of man; as the not at all swerve from their duty, seeing also
ear to memory, which Virgil also dedicates to sacred writ testifies that all our members are gov-
Phebus, saying, Cynthius pulls my ear,3 and erned by the superior virtues, of which we shall
admonisheth me. So the right hand being a token speak more largely in the following book; and
of fortitude, and by which an oath is made, Numa not members only, but every exercise of men is
Pompilius, as saith Livy, hath dedicated to faith: 4 distributed to its deity, as hunting to Diana, wars
the fingers are under the tuition of Minerva, and to Pallas, husbandry to Ceres, of which thus
the knees given to mercifulness; hence they that speaks Apollo in his Oracles in Porphyry:6
beg pardon bend them. Some dedicate the navel
to Venus as the place of luxury; some who refer Pallas loves wars, woods to Diana fair
all the members to it as the center, say it is dedi- Ascribed are, to Juno humid air,
To Ceres com, and fruits; to Osiris
cated to Jupiter. Hence in the Temple of Jupiter The water, also humours waterish.
Hammon the effigy of a navel is celebrated.5

No-ces-Chap-ceR LVlll
1. Orpheus" divinity-In his Hymns of Orpheus world, the nostic power, Bacchus Eribro-
Thomas Taylor quotes a passage from the Theologia mus, but the animating power Calliope.
Platonica de immortalitate animae by Marsilio From all which the Orphic theologers
Ficino, published around 1482, in which Ficino has infer, that the particular epithets of Bac-
quoted from an unknown Orphic source. Regrettably chus are compared with those of the
Ficino does not bother to identify this source book. Muses, on this account, that we may
Since Agrippa has obviously consulted either Ficino, understand the powers of the Muses as
or his source, in this chapter, it is worth giving the intoxicating with the nectar of divine
quote from Ficino in full as translated by Taylor: knowledge; and may consider the nine
Muses, and nine Bacchuses, as revolving
"Those who profess the Orphic theology
round one Apollo, that is about the splen-
consider a two-fold power in souls and in
dor of one invisible Sun." (Thomas Taylor
the celestial orbs: the one consisting in
the Platonist: Selected Writings [Raine and
knowledge, the other in vivifying and gov-
Harper, 203-4)
erning the orb with which that power is
connected. Thus in the orb of the earth, For a discussion of this passage, see Mead 1965
they call the nostic power Pluto, the other (1896), 92-6. Mead rightly points out that the doctrine
Proserpine. In water, the former power of interdependent male-female pairs of intellect and
Ocean, and the latter Thetis. In air, that power is the Hindu Tantric doctrine of Shiva-Shakti
thundering Jove, and this Juno. In fire, that under another name. Briefly, all power to manifest and
Phanes, and this Aurora. In the soul of the change lies in the female aspect, while the male aspect
lunar sphere, they call the nostic power is pure mind and as such, completely impotent in the
Licniton Bacchus, the other Thalia. In the world. On this subject the books of Sir John
sphere of Mercury, that Bacchus Silenus, Woodroffe (Arthur Avalon) are not merely useful, but
this Euterpe. In the orb of Venus, that are absolutely necessary, particularly his Sakti and
Lysius Bacchus, this Erato. In the sphere Sakta. and his translation of the Principles of Tantra.
of the sun, that Trietericus Bacchus, this These repay a thousandfold a careful reading.
Melpomene. In the orb of Mars, that Bas-
sareus Bacchus, this Clio. In the sphere of 2. proper songs-A reference to the Orphic Hymns.
Jove, that Sebazius, this Terpsichore. In which are addressed by Orpheus to Museus.
the orb of Saturn, that Amphietus, this
Polymnia. In the eighth sphere, that Peri- 3. Cynthius pulls my ear-"When I would sing of
cionius, this Urania. But in the soul of the kings and battles, Phoebus plucked me by the ear,
 Of the Names of the Celestials / 425

and warned me thus: • 'Tis a shepherd's business, nifying that troth must be religiously pre-
Tityrus, to feed fat sheep, to sing a thindrawn lay' " served and that she dwelt inviolable in a
(Virgil Eclogues 6, c. line 3 [Lonsdale and Lee, 21]). man's right hand. (Livy The Early History
Hyacinthus was said to have been a beautiful youth of Rome 1.21 [de Selincourt, 56])
beloved by Apollo who was killed by the god when
his carelessly thrown discus struck the boy in the 5. navel is celebrated-Pausanias describes such a
forehead. In fact he was an older, pre-Greek god "navel" stone of Saturn: "Going on upwards from
whose worship and festival (the Hyakinthia) was this memorial [of Neoptolemos] you come to a stone,
almost completely taken over by Apollo. Pausanias not very large; they pour oil on it every day and at
says: "... the tomb of Hyakinthos is in Amyklia every festival they offer unspun wool. There is an
under Apollo's statue" (Guide to Greece 3.1.3 [Levi, opinion that this stone was given to Kronos instead of
2: 10]). This is a succinct, though unintentional, his- his child, and that Kronos vomited it up again"
tory of the two gods in Greece. (Guide to Greece 10.24.5 [Levi I :468]). The wor-
ship of small, rounded, polished oracular stones is
4. dedicated to faith- very widespread. See Genesis 28: 11-8.
He [Numa] instituted an annual ceremony
6. Oracles in POIphyry- The work referred to is De
dedicated to Troth-keeping, with priests
philosophia ex oraculis haurienda, in which Por-
whose duty was to drive in a covered
phyry defends the oracles of various gods and which
wagon drawn by a pair of horses to the
is preserved in fragments in the Praeparatio evangel-
place of celebration and there perform their
ica of Eusebius.
rites with hands swathed to the fingers, sig-
 CHAPTeR U7\

Of rhe seven goveRnoRs of

rhe wORld, rhe planers, and of rhelR
vaRious names seRving ro magical speeches.

m oreover they did call those

seven governors of the world
(as Hermes calls them) I Sat-
urn, Jupiter, Mars, the Sun,
Venus, Mercury , and the Moon, by many
names, and epithets,2 viz. calling Saturn
of blood; who inflames the hearts of contenders,
and gives them boldness.
The Sun is called Phoebus,s Diespiter,6
Apollo, Titan ,? Pean ,8 Phanes,9 Horus, Osiris,
as it is in that oracle: 10

Coelius,3 scythe-bearer, the father of the gods, The Sun, Osiris, Dionysus gay,
Apollo, Horus, king ruling the day
the lord of the time, the high lord, the great, the
Who changeth times, who giveth winds
wise, the intelligent, ingenious, revolutor of a and rain,
long space, an old man of great profundity, the The king of stars, and the immortal fl ame.
author of secret contemplation, impressing, or
depressing great thoughts in the hearts of men, He is called also Arcitenens,II burning,
destroying and preserving all things, overturning fiery, golden, flaming , radiating, of a fiery hair,
force and power, and constituting a keeper of of a golden hair, the eye of the world, Lucijer,I2
secret things, and a shower of them, causing the seeing all things, ruling all things, the creator of
loss, and finding of the author of life and death. light, the king of stars, the great lord, good, for-
So Jupiter is called as it were a helping tunate, honest, pure, prudent, intelligent, wise,
father, the king of heaven, magnanimous, thun- shining over the whole world, governing, and
dering, lightning, unconquored, high and vivifying all bodies that have a soul, the prince of
mighty, great and mighty, good, fortunate , the world keeping all the stars under himself, the
sweet, mild, of good will, honest, pure, walking light of all the stars, darkening, burning, over-
well, and in honour, the lord of joy and of coming their virtue by his approach, yet by his
judgements, wise, true, the shower of truth, the light and splendour giving light and splendour to
judge of all things, excelling all in goodness, the all things: in the night he is called Dionysus, but
lord of riches, and wisdom. in the day Apollo, 13 as if driving away evil things.
Mars is called Mavors,4 powerful in war, Therefore the Athenians called him Alexicacon,14
bloody, powerful in arms, a sword bearer, mag- and Homer, Vlion, IS i.e. the driver away of evil
nanimous, bold, untamed, generous, lightning, things. He is also called Phoebus from his beauty
of great power and furious haste, against whom and brightness, and Vulcan from his fiery vio-
none can defend himself if he resist him, who lence, because the force thereof consists of many
destroys the strong, and powerful, and deposeth fires. He is also called the Sun, because he con-
kings from their thrones, the lord of heat and tains the light of all the stars: hence he is called
power, the lord of fiery heat, and of the planet by the Assyrians i~i~ , Adad, 16 which signifies

426
 Of the Seven Governors of the World, the Planets / 427

only, and by the Hebrews tD~tD, Schemesch,l1 The Moon is called Phebe,24 Diana,
which signifies proper. Lucina,25 Proserpina, Hecate, menstruous, of a
Venus is caJIed the lady, 18 nourishing, half form, giving light in the night, wandering,
beautiful, white, fair, pleasing, powerful, the silent, having two horns, a preserver, a night-
fruitful lady of love and beauty, the progeny of walker, horn bearer, the queen of heaven, the
ages, the first parent of men, who in the begin- chiefest of the deities, the first of the heavenly
gods and goddesses, the queen of spirits, the
ning of aJI things joined diversity of sexes
mistress of all the elements, whom the stars
together with a growing love, and with an eter-
answer, seasons return, elements serve; at
nal offspring propagates kinds of men and ani-
whose nod lightnings breathe forth, seeds bud,
mals, the queen of aJI delights, the lady of
plants increase, the initial parent of fruit, the sis-
rejoicing, friendly, sociable, pitiful, taking all
ter of Phoebus,26 light and shining, carrying
things in good part, always bountiful to mortals,
light from one planet to another, enlightening
affording the tender affection of a mother to the
all powers by its light, restraining the various
conditions of them in misery, the safeguard of
passings of the stars, dispensing various lights
mankind, letting no moment of time pass with-
by the circuits of the Sun, the lady of great
out doing good, overcoming all things by her
beauty, the mistress of rain and waters, the giver
power, humbling the high to the low, the strong of riches, the nurse of mankind, the governor of
to the weak, the noble to the vile, rectifying, and aJI states, kind, merciful, protecting men by sea
equaling aJI things: and she is caJIed Aphrodite, and land, mitigating aJI tempests of fortune, dis-
because in every sex, she is found to be of every pensing with fate, nourishing aJI things growing
mind: 19 and she is caJIed Lucifera, i.e. bringing on the Earth, wandering into divers woods,
light, bringing the years of the Sun to light; and restraining the rage of goblins,27 shutting the
she is caJIed Hesperus,20 when she foJIows the openings of the Earth, dispensing the light of
Sun, and Phosperus,21 because she leads the heaven, the wholesome rivers of the sea, and
through aJI things though never so hard. the deplored silence of the infernals, by its nods:
Mercury is called the son of Jupiter, the ruling the world, treading heJI under her feet; of
crier of the gods, the interpreter of gods, Stil- whose majesty the birds hasting in the air are
bon,22 the serpent-bearer, the rod-bearer, afraid, the wild beasts straggling in the moun-
winged on his feet, eloquent, bringer of gain, tains, serpents lying hid in the ground, fishes
wise, rational, robust, stout, powerful in good swimming in the sea.
and evil, the notary of the Sun, the messenger of But of these and the like names of stars and
Jupiter, the messenger betwixt the supernal and planets, and their epithets, surnames, and call-
infernal gods, male with males, female with ings upon, he that will know more, and make
females ,23 most fruitful in both sexes; and more curious inquiry, must betake himself to
Lucan caJIs him the arbitrator of the gods. He is the Hymns of Orpheus, which he that truly
also called Hermes, i.e. interpreter, bringing to understands, hath attained to a great under-
light all obscurity, and opening those things standing of natural magic.
which are most secret.

Not:es-Chapt:eR U"
I. Hermes calls them-"And the first Mind-that 2. epithets-The surnames, or epithets, given to the
Mind which is Life and Light,-being bisexual, gave classical gods are very many in number. Their pur-
birth to another Mind, a Maker of things; and this pose was to distinguish particular functions. To take
second Mind made out of fire and air seven Admin- examples from the Hermetic writings:
istrators, who encompass with their orbits the world
perceived by sense; and their administration is called The Ruler of Heaven, or of whatsoever is
Destiny" (Corpus Hermeticum 1.9 [Scott, I: 119]). included under the name "Heaven," is Zeus
428/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

Hypatos [Highest]; for life is given to all to pieces, then boiled and roasted his parts. Smelling
beings by Zeus through the medium of the savour and realizing what had occurred, Zeus
Heaven . .. . The Ruler of the air is the sub- hurled his thunderbolt at the Titans and consumed
ordinate distributor of life; to him belongs them in fire. He gave the parts of Dionysus to Apollo
the region between heaven and earth; we to bury. Dionysus emerged from the earth reconsti-
call him Zeus Neatos [Lowest] .... Earth tuted and restored to life. Commenting on this fable,
and sea are ruled by Zeus Chthonios [Of the Olympiodorus in his commentary on the Phaedo of
Underworld]; he it is that supplies nutriment Plato says:
to all mortal beings that have soul, and to all
For Dionysus or Bacchus because his
trees that bear fruit; and it is by his power
image was formed in a mirror, pursued it,
that the fruits of the earth are produced.
and thus became distributed into every-
And there are other gods beside, whose
thing. But Apollo collected him and
·powers and operations are distributed
brought him up; being a deity of purifica-
through all things that exist. (Asclepius
tion, and the true saviour of Dionysus; and
3.19b, 27c [Scott, 1:325])
on this account he is styled in the sacred
hymns, Dionusites. (Taylor 1875,2: 137)
3. Coelius-Coelius means heavenly, and was a·
name given to Uranus, father of Cronos, or Saturn, On this same subject, see Mead 1965 (1896),
who personified the night sky. 7: 118--20.

4. Mavors-Mars is a contraction of Mavors. 14. Alexicacon-Alexicacus (Averter of Evil), a sur-

name applied particularly to Zeus, Apollo and Her-
5. Phoebus-Phoebus means shining (or bright, or cules.
pure).
15. Vlion-Perhaps Helios "who brings joy to mor-
6. Diespiter-From Diovis pater. or Father of tals" is referred to. See the Odyssey. bk. 12, lines 269,
Heaven, a name applied to Jupiter. 279 (Lattimore, 192).

7. Titan-This name is sometimes applied to the 16. Adad-An Elamite god called In-Shushinak (He
descendants of the Titans, especially Helios (Sun) of Susa), local god of Susa, the chief city of Elam,
and Selene (Moon). but also called the Sovereign of the Gods, the Master
of Heaven and Earth, and the Maker of the Universe.
8. Pean-Paeon , a name for Apollo. He is generally identified with Adad, the Assyro-
Babylonian god of lightning and tempest who con-
9. Phanes-Phanes (the Manifestor) is God as the trolled the rains. Adad also had the power of
ideal cause of things, " Bright Space Son of Dark revealing the future and was known as Lord of Fore-
Space" (Mead [1896] 1965, 7: 108]). About this god, sight. The name of the god occurs as a personal name
Lactantius writes: "Orpheus tells us that Phanes is the in I Kings II : 17.
father of all the Gods, for their sake he created the
heaven with forethought for his children, in order that 17. Schemesch-Hebrew for "sun." The word occurs
they might have a habitation and a common seat- in its masculine and feminine forms in Psalms 104: 19
'he founded for the immortals an imperishable man- and Genesis 15:17.
sion '" (ibid., 110--11).
18. the lady-The Lady of Paphos, because Old
10. that oracle-Quoted by Eusebius in his Praepa- Paphos, on the western coast of Cyprus, was the chief
ratio evangelica. seat of the worship of Aphrodite, who is said to have
landed there after her birth amid the waves of the sea.
II. Arcitenens-From the Latin arcitenent: which See Lucan Pharsalia 8, c. line 457.
bears or shoots with a bow. Apollo is Lord of the Sil-
ver Bow, the Far-Shooting, the Archer. 19. of every mind-It is not clear to me what is meant
by this statement, unless it is intended to indicate that
12. Lucifer-Bringer of Light, or Light-bearer, a title Aphrodite presides over all forms of love. As
usually assigned to Venus as the Morning Star. Aphrodite Urania she is goddess of pure and ideal
love; as Aphrodite Genetrix she is goddess of mar-
13 . in the day Apollo-There is a mystic link ried love; and as Aphrodite Porne she is goddess of
between Dionysus and Apollo that is expressed in prostitution. There was a bearded Aphrodite of
the Orphic myth that while the boy Dionysus was Cyprus called Aphroditos that embodied both male
staring captivated into a mirror, the Titans tore him and female characteristics in one image.
 Of the Seven Governors of the World, the Planets / 429

20. Hesperus-Venus is called Hesperus, Vesperugo, 25 . Lucina-"Goddess that brings to light," the
Vesper, Noctifer or Nocturnus when the planet Roman version of the Greek goddess Ilithyia. She
appears in the western sky after sunset. presides over the birth of children. The name Lucina
is attached as a surname to Juno and Diana.
21. Phosperus-Phosphorus, another name for
Venus as the Morning Star, when it appears in the 26. Phoebus-Mene, another name for Selene, was
eastern sky before sunrise. sister to Helios. See also note 24 above.

22. Stilbon-From the Greek: crTiA~ELV (stilbein), to 27. goblins-A mischievous familiar spirit with a
flash or glitter. Applied to Mercury because the fondness for children, horses, and (according to
planet glitters or twinkles in the sky. Keightley [1880] 1978), young women. The name is
from the medieval Latin cobalus. It first occurs in the
23. female with females-This refers to the sects of Historia ecclesiastica of Orderic Vitalis (1142), who
the Sun (male-day) and the Moon (female-night) in describing the demon that St. Taurin drove from a
described by Ptolemy, who says: " ... the tradition has temple of Diana, says, "Hunc vulgus Gobelinum
consequently been handed down that the moon and appel/at." Keightley says the goblin "is evidently the
Venus are nocturnal, the sun and Jupiter diurnal, and same as the Kobold," a German spirit. (Keightley
Mercury common as before, diurnal when it is a [1880] 1978,476). Freake uses the term "goblins" to
morning star and nocturnal as an evening star" translate the Latin larvae, which were the ghosts of
(Tetrabiblos 1.7 [Robbins, 43]). Saturn and Mars are wicked men risen from the grave to wander at night
contrarily assigned to the sects of the Sun and Moon, and torment the living. Larvae were distinguished by
respectively. the Romans from the lares, who were the ghosts of
good men. This translation of larvae into goblins is
24. Phebe-Artemis Phoebe, goddess of the Moon; misleading-"ghosts" would have been a better
the feminine of Phoebus (Sun). translation.
 CHAPTeR LX.

Thar human impRecarions do naruRally impRess

rheiR poweRs upon e}:reRnal rhings; and how
man's mind rhRough each degRee of dependencies
ascends inro rhe inrelligible wORld, and becomes
liKe ro rhe mORe sublime spiRirs, and inre1ligences.

he celestial souls send forth their Now the words of men are certain natural

T virtues to the celestial bodies, which

then transmit them to this sensible
world. For the virtues of the terrene
orb proceed from no other cause than celestial.
things; and because the parts of the world mutu-
ally draw one the other, therefore a magician
invocating by words, works by powers fitted to
nature, by leading some by the love of one to
Hence the magician that will work by them, the other, or drawing others by reason of the
useth a cunning invocation of the superiors, following of one after the other, or by repelling
with mysterious words, I and a certain kind of by reason of the enmity of one to the other,
ingenious speech, drawing the one to the other, from the contrarity, and difference of things,
yet by a natural force through a certain mutual and multitude of virtues; which although they
agreement betwixt them, whereby things follow are contrary, and different, yet perfect one part;
of their own accord, or sometimes are drawn sometimes also he compels things by way of
unwillingly. authority, by the celestial virtue, because he is
Hence saith Aristotle in the sixth book of not a stranger to the heaven.
his Mystical Philosophy,2 that when anyone by A man therefore, if he receives the impres-
binding or bewitching doth call upon the Sun or sion of any ligation,3 or fascination, doth not
other stars, praying them to be helpful to the receive it according to the rational soul, but sen-
work desired, the Sun and other stars do not sual, and if he suffers in any part, suffers
hear his words, but are moved after a certain according to the animal part. For they cannot
manner by a certain conjunction, and mutual draw a knowing and intelligent man by reason,
series, whereby the parts of the world are mutu- but by receiving that impression and force by
ally subordinate the one to the other, and have a sense, in as much as the animal spirit of man is
mutual consent, by reason of their great union: by the influence of the celestials, and coopera-
as in man's body one member is moved by per- tion of the things of the world, affected beyond
ceiving the motion of another, and in a harp one his former and natural disposition.
string is moved at the motion of another. So As the son moves the father to labour,
when anyone moves any part of the world, other although unwilling, for to keep and maintain
parts are moved by the perceiving the motion of him, although he be wearied; and the desire to
that. The knowledge therefore of the depen- rule is moved to anger and other labours, for to
dency of things following one the other, is the get the dominion; and the indigency of nature,
foundation of all wonderful operation, which is and fear of poverty, moves a man to desire
necessarily required to the exercising the power riches; and the ornaments, and beauty of
of attracting superior virtues. women is an incitement to concupiscence; and

430
 That Human Imprecations Do Naturally Impress Their Powers Upon External Things /431

the harmony of a wise musician moves his hear- exists without the former. For they are depend-
ers with various passions, whereof some do vol- ing amongst themselves, by a kind of ordinate
untarily follow the consonancy of art, others dependency, so that when the latter is corrupted,
conform themselves by gesture,4 although it is returned into that which was next before it,
unwillingly, because their sense is captivated, until it come to the heavens, then unto the uni-
their reason not being intent to these things. versal soul, and lastly unto the acting intellect,
But these kinds of fascinations and liga- by which all other creatures exist, and which it
tions the vulgar doth neither admire, nor detest, self exists in the principal author, which is the
by reason of their usualness: but they admire creating word of God, to which at length all
other natural things, because they are ignorant things are returned.
of them, and are not accustomed to them. Hence Our soul therefore, if it will work any won-
they fall into errors, thinking those things to be derful thing in these inferiors, must have respect
above nature, or contrary to nature, which to their beginning, that it may be strengthened,
indeed are by nature, and according to nature. and illustrated by that, and receive power of act-
We must know therefore that every superior ing through each degree from the very First
moves its next inferior, in its degree, and order, Author. Therefore we must be more diligent in
not only in bodies, but also in spirits. So the uni- contemplating the souls of the stars than their
versal soul moves the particular soul; and the bodies, and the supercelestial, and intellectual
rational acts upon the sensual, and that upon the world, than the celestial corporeal, because that is
vegetable; and every part of the world acts upon more noble, although also this be excellent, and
another, and every part is apt to be moved by the way to that; and without which medium the
another; and every part of this inferior world suf- influence of the superior cannot be attained to.8
fers from the heavens according to their nature, As for example, the Sun is the king of the
and aptitude, as one part of the animal body suf- stars, most full of light, but receives it from the
fers 5 from another. And the superior intellectual intelligible world above all other stars, because
world moves all things below itself, and after a the soul thereof is more capable of intelligible
manner contains all the same beings from the splendour. Wherefore he that desires to attract
first to the last, which are in the inferior world. the influence of the Sun, must contemplate
Celestial bodies therefore move the body of upon the Sun, not only by the speculation of the
the elementary world, compounded, generable, exterior light, but also of the interior. And this
sensible, from the circumference to the center, no man can do unless he return to the soul of the
by superior, perpetual, and spiritual essences, Sun, and become like to it,9 and comprehend the
depending on the primary intellect, which is the intelligible light thereof with an intellectual
acting intellect; but upon the virtue put in by the sight, as the sensible light with a corporeal eye.
word of God,6 which word the wise Chaldeans For this man shall be filled with the light
of Babylon call the cause of causes, because thereof; and the light thereof which is an under-
from it are produced all beings, the acting intel- type impressed by the supernal orb it receives
lect which is the second from it depends; and into itself, with the illustration whereof his
that by reason of the union of this word with the intellect being endowed and truly like to it, and
First Author, from whom all things being are being assisted by it shall at length attain to that
truly produced. The word therefore is the image supreme brightness, and to all forms that par-
of God, the acting intellect the image of the take thereof. And when he hath received the
word; the soul is the image of this intellect; and light of the supreme degree, then his soul shall
our word is the image of the soul, by which it come to perfection, and be made like to the spir-
acts upon natural things naturally, because its of the Sun, and shall attain to the virtues, and
nature is the work thereof. illustrations of the supernatural virtue, and shall
And everyone of those perfects his subse- enjoy the power of them, if he hath obtained
quent, as a father his son, 7 and none of the latter faith in the First Author.
"The Sun is the king of the stars, most full of light . .. "
 That Human Imprecations Do Naturally Impress Their Powers Upon External Things 1433

In the first place therefore we must implore and sincerely, that he would enlighten our mind,
assistance from the First Author, and praying and remove darkness growing upon our souls
not only with mouth but a religious gesture and by reason of our bodies.
supplicant soul, also abundantly, incessantly,

Norcs-ChaprCR LX.
1. mysterious words-The barbarous names of evo- 6. word of God-See John 1: I.
cation that occur in the grimoires of magic. For the
most part they consist of names of gods copied from 7. father his son-
foreign languages so many times that they have
But from the Light there came forth a holy
become hopelessly corrupt. Yet in their very obscu-
Word, . which took its stand upon the
rity lies a curious attraction. Being themselves with-
watery substance; and methought this
out meaning, meaning can be projected into them.
Word was the voice of the Light [see Gen-
See note 6, ch. XI, bk. III. "Change not the barbarous
esis 7:2-3]. ... "That Light," he [Poiman-
Names of Evocation for there are sacred Names in
dres] said, "is I, even Mind, the first God,
every language which are given by God, having in
who was before the watery substance
the Sacred Rites a Power Ineffable" (The Chaldean
which appeared out of the darkness; and
Oracles of Zoroaster, Westcott [1895] 1983, 57).
the Word, which came forth from the Light
The "oracle" quoted comes from a collection made
is son of God." "How so?" said I. "Learn
by Psellus, and was translated by Thomas Taylor. In
my meaning," said he, "by looking at what
the context of this quotation, consider the statement
you yourself have in you; for in you too,
in the prologue to the apocryphal book of Ecclesias-
the word is son, and the mind is father of
ticus: "For the same things uttered in Hebrew, and
the word. They are not separate from one
translated into another tongue, have not the same
the other; for life is the union of word and
force in them: and not only these things, but the law
mind." (Corpus Hermeticum 1.5a-6
itself, and the prophets, and the rest of the books,
[Scott, I: 117])
have no small difference, when they are spoken in
their own language" (Apocrypha, Oxford, 131). See also John I: 14.

2. Mystical Philosophy-One of the many works on 8. attained to-Agrippa is saying not to confuse the
magic wrongly attributed to Aristotle. material stars and planets with the supernatural real-
ities they shadow, but at the same time do not
3. ligation-Binding of the will. despise them, because they are a necessary medium
by which the reality is grasped.
4. conform themselves by gesture-Tap their toe, and
the like. 9. like to it-This is a vital magical truth: to know
anything, you must become that thing; you can know
5. suffers-Is acted upon. nothing beyond yourself, but you are everything.
 To Lhe Q)OSL Renowned and l11usLRious PRince,
HCRmannus of Wyda,
PRince e1ecLoR, Duke of WesLphalia, and AngaRia,
LORd ARch-Bishop of Colonia, and PadeRboRne,
his mOSL gRacious LORd,
HcnRY CORnclius AgRippa of Nerres-heim.

t is a very excellent opinion of the ancient the virtue of our works being drawn from the

1 magicians (most illustrious Prince) that we

ought to labour in nothing more in this life,
than that we degenerate not from the excel-
lency of the mind, by which we come nearest to
Archtype himself, to whom when we ascend, all
creatures necessarily obey us, and all the quire
of heaven do follow us; for (as Homer saith)
none of the gods durst remain in their seats,
God and put on the divine nature: lest at any Jove being moved; and then presently he ruleth
time our mind waxing dull by vain idleness, (as saith Aristophanes) by one of the gods,
should decline to the frailty of our earthly body whose right it is to execute his commands, who
and vices of the flesh: so we should lose it, as it then out of his duty doth manage our petitions
were cast down by the dark precipices of per- according to our desire.
verse lusts. Wherefore we ought so to order our Seeing therefore (most illustrious Prince)
mind, that it by itself being mindful of its own you have a divine and immortal soul given you,
dignity and excellency, should always both which seeing the goodness of the divine provi-
think, do and operate something worthy of itself. dence, a well disposed fate, and the bounty of
But the knowledge of the divine science, nature have in such manner gifted, that by the
doth only and very powerfully perform this for acuteness of your understanding, and perfect-
us. When we by the remembrance of its majesty ness of senses you are able to view, search, con-
being always busied in divine studies do every template, discern and pierce through the
moment contemplate divine things, by a sage pleasant theaters of natural things, the sublime
and diligent inquisition, and by all the degrees of house of the heavens, and the most difficult pas-
the creatures ascending even to the Archtype sages of divine things: I being bound to you by
himself, do draw from him the infallible virtue the band of these your great virtues am so far a
of all things, which those that neglect, trusting debtor as to communicate without envy by the
only to natural and worldly things, are wont true account of all opinions, those mysteries of
often to be confounded by divers errors and fal- divine and ceremonial magic which I have truly
licies, and very oft to be deceived by evil spirits; learned, and not to hide the knowledge of those
but the understanding of divine things purgeth things, whatsoever concerning these matters the
the mind from errors, and rendereth it divine, Isiaci I those old priests of the Egyptians, and
giveth infallible power to our works, and driveth Chaldeans the ancient prophets of the Babyloni-
far the deceits and obstacles of all evil spirits, ans, the Cabalists the divine magicians of the
and together subjects them to our commands. Hebrews, also the Orpheans, Pythagoreans and
Yea, it compels even good angels and all Platonists the profoundest philosophers of
the powers of the world unto our service, viz. Greece, further what the Bragmanni 2 of the

435
436 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK II

Indians, the Gymnosophists2 of Ethiopia, and satisfied our duty, if we shall to the utmost of
the uncorrupted theologians of our religion have our power perform those things we have
delivered, and by what force of words, power of promised to declare concerning the secrets of
seals, by what charms of benedictions and magic, and have freed our conscience from a
imprecations, and by what virtue of observa- due debt.
tions they in old time wrought so stupendous But seeing without doubt, many scoffing
and wonderful prodigies, intimating to you in sophisters will conspire against me, especially
this third book of Occult Philosophy and expos- of those who boast themselves to be allied to
ing to the light those things which have been God, and fully replenished with divinity, and
buried in the dust of antiquity and involved in presume to censure the leaves of the Sibyls,5
the obscurity of oblivion, as in Cymmerian and will undertake to judge and condemn to the
darkness 4 even to this day . fire these our works even before they have read
We present therefore now to you, a com- or rightly understood anything of them (because
plete and perfect work in these Three Books of such lettuce agrees not with their lips, and such
Occult Philosophy Or Magic, which we have sweet ointment with their nose, and also by rea-
perfected with diligent care, and very great son of that spark of hatred long since conceived
labour and pains both of mind and body; and against me, and scarce containing itself under
though it be untrimmed in respect of words, yet the ashes); therefore (most illustrious Prince
it's most elaborate truly in respect of the matter: and wise Prelate) we further submit this work
wherefore I desire this one favour, that you ascribed by me to the merits of your virtue, and
would not expect the grace of an oration, or the now made yours, to your censure, and com-
elegancy of speech in these books, which we mend it to your protection, that, if the base and
long since wrote in our youth when our speech perfidious sophisters 6 would defame it, by the
was as yet rough, and our language rude; and gross madness of their envy and malice, you
now we have respect, not to the style of an ora- would by the perspicacity of your discretion and
tion, but only to the series or order of sentences; candor of judgement, happily protect and
we have studied the less elegancy of speech, defend it.
abundance of matter succeeding in the place Farewell and prosper.
thereof; and we suppose we have sufficiently

Not:cs-To HCRmannus of Wyda

1. lsiaci-Priests of Isis (Latin: isiacus). from the description of Homer (in the eleventh book
of the Odyssey,) which he applies to a remote and
2. Bragmanni-A Bragman, or Brahman, is a mem- fabulous country on the shores of the ocean" (Gib-
ber of the priest cast of India. bon [1776-88]1830, 31 :505, n. Ut").
There lie the community and city of Kim-
3. Gymnosophists-A sect of ancient Hindu ascetic merian people,
philosophers who owned no possessions and went hidden in fog and cloud, nor does Helios,
naked, or nearly naked, in the world. They were first the radiant
described to the Greeks in reports of the companions sun, ever break through the dark, to illumi-
of Alexander the Great on his campaign into India. nate them with his shining,
Later the name became extended to cover similar neither when he climbs up into the starry
sects, such as the one described in the sixth book of heaven,
the Life of Apollonius of Tyana as dwelling at the nor when he wheels to return again from
very confines of Ethiopia along the Nile. It is to this heaven to earth,
latter group that Agrippa refers. but always a glum night is spread over
wretched mortals.
4. Cymmerian darkness-''The proverbial expres- (Homer Odyssey II, lines 14-9 [Latti-
sion of Cimmerian darkness was originally borrowed more, 168])
 To the Most Renowned and Illustrious Prince, Hennannus of Wyda / 437

5. leaves of the Sibyls-According to Varro, the 6. peifidious sophisters-"I tell you then that the
Sibylline prophecies were written in Greek on palm men of after times will be misled by cunning
leaves. sophists, and will be turned away from the pure and
holy teachings of true philosophy" (Asclepius 1.14a
[Scott, 1:311 D.
The ThiRd and Last:" Book of
magic, OR, Occult:" Philosophy;
wRiLrcn by
HenRY CORnelius AgRippa.

BOOK 111
 CHAPTeR 1

Of rhe necessiry, poweR, and pRofir of Religion.

it is time to tum our pen to higher strength of the earth. Whosoever therefore, reli-

N
OW
matters, and to that part of magic gion being laid aside, do confide only in natural
which teacheth us to know and things, are wont very oft to be deceived by evil
presently understand the rules of reli- spirits; but from the knowledge of religion, the
gion, and how we ought to obtain the truth by contempt and cure of vices ariseth, and a safe-
divine religion, and how rightly to prepare our guard against evil spirits.
mind and spirit, by which only we can comprec To conclude, nothing is more pleasant and
hend the truth; for it is a common opinion of the acceptable to God, than a man perfectly pious,
magicians, that unless the mind and spirit be in and truly religious, who so far excelleth other
good case, the body cannot be in good health: men, as he himself is distant from the immortal
but then a man to be truly sound when body and gods; therefore we ought, being first purged, 2 to
soul are so coupled, and agree together, that the offer and commend ourselves to divine piety
firmness of the mind and spirit be not inferior to and religion; and then our senses being asleep,
the powers of the body. with a quiet mind to expect that divine
But a firm and stout mind (saith Hermes)' ambrosian nectar (nectar I say, which Zachary 3
can we not otherwise obtain, than by integrity the prophet calleth wine making maids merry),
of life, by piety, and last of all, by divine reli- praising and adoring that supercelestial Bac-
gion: for holy religion purgeth the mind, and chus, the chiefest ruler of the gods and priests,
maketh it divine, it helpeth nature, and strength- the author of regeneration, whom the old poets
eneth natural powers, as a physician helpeth the sang was twice bom,4 from whom rivers most
health of the body, and a husbandman the divine flow into our hearts.

NOL"cs-ChapL"CR 1
1. saith Hermes- to you may be a good mind. (Corpus Her-
meticum 1O.2l-22a [Scott, 1:203])
But when the mind has entered a pious
soul, it leads that soul to the light of Those souls then of which mind takes
knowledge; and such a soul is never weary command are illuminated by its light, and
of praising and blessing God, and doing all it counteracts their prepossessions; for as a
manner of good to all men by word and good physician inflicts pain on the body,
deed, in imitation of its Father. Therefore, burning or cutting it, when disease has
my son, when you are giving thanks to taken possession of it, even so mind
God, you must pray that the mind assigned inflicts pain on the soul, ridding it of plea-

441
442/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

sure, from which spring all the soul's dis- 4. twice born-Dionysus was born twice, once pre-
eases. (ibid. 12(i).3 [Scott, 1:225]) maturely from his dead mother Semele, who had
dared to gaze upon the full glory of Zeus and had
2. first purged-A ritual cleansing, in which a wash- been consumed by it; and again from the thigh of
ing of the soul is expressed in a washing of the body, Zeus, where his divine father had placed him for
was regarded as absolutely necessary before any safekeeping until he came full term. Thus Dionysus
magical act for a holy purpose. For this reason it is was called Dithyrambus. The OED gives no explana-
explicitly stated in the chapter devoted to ritual tion for the origin of this term, but since di (8l) in
cleansing in the Key of Solomon : "The Bath is neces- Greek means "two," and thyra (eupa) means "door,"
sary for all Magical and Necromantic Arts" (The surely it refers to the issuing from the doors of two
Greater Key of Solomon 2.5 [Mathers, 93]). different wombs, the first belonging to Semele and
the second to Zeus. "Dithyrambus" was ·also the
3. Zachary-Zechariah 9: 17. name of the hymn sung in honour of B'acchus.
 CHAPTeR 11

Of concealing of Lhose
Lhings which aRe seCReL in Religion.

hosoever therefore thou art that Hence also in celebrating the holy myster-

W now desirest to study this science,

keep silent and constantly con-
ceal within the secret closets of
your religious breast, so holy a detennination;
ies of Ceres Eleusine , they only were admitted
to be initiated, the crier6 proclaiming the pro-
phane and vulgar to depart; and in Esdras 7 we
read this precept concerning the Cabalistical
for (as Mercury saith)1 to publish to the knowl- secret of the Hebrews, declared in these verses,
edge of many a speech thoroughly filled with so thou shalt deliver those books to the wise men
great majesty of the deity, is a sign of an irreli- of the people, whose hearts thou knowest can
gious spirit; and divine Plato commanded,2 that comprehend them, and keep those secrets.
holy and secret mysteries should not be Therefore the religious volumes of the
divulged to the people; Pythagoras also,3 and Egyptians and those belonging to the secrets of
POIphyrius consecrated their followers to a reli- their ceremonies, were made of consecrated
gious silence; Orpheus also, with a certain terri-
paper;8 in these they did write down letters
ble authority of religion did exact an oath of
which might not easily be known, which they
silence from those he did initiate to the cere-
call holy. Macrobius , Marcellinus and others
monies of holy things: whence in the verses
say, they were called hieroglyphics,9 lest per-
concerning the holy word he sings: 4
chance the writings of this kind should be
You, that admirers are of virtue, stay, known to the prophane, which also Apuleius
Consider well what I to you shall say. testifies lO in these words, saying, the sacrifice
But you, that sacred laws contemn, pro- being ended, from a secret retired closet he
phane,
Away from hence, return no more again! bringeth forth certain books noted with obscure
But thou 0 Museus whose mind is high, letters, affording compendious words of the
Observe my words, and read them with conceived speech, partly by the figures of beasts
thine eye, of this kind, partly by figures full of knots, and
And them within thy sacred breast repone,
crooked in manner of a wheel and set thick,
And in thy journey, think of God alone
The author of all things, that cannot die, twining about like vine tendrils, the reading
Of whom we shall now treat---- thereby being defended from the curiosity of the
prophane.
So in Virgil we read of the Sibyl:5 Therefore we shall be worthy scholars of
this science, if we be silent, and hide those
The goddess comes, hence, hence, all ye
things which are secret in religion, for the
prophane,
The prophet cries, and from her grove promise of silence (as saith Tertullian) is due to
refrain. religion; but they which do otherwise, are in

443
444/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

very great danger, whence Apuleius saith II con- rible disease of lice.
cerning secrets of holy writs: I would tell it you, Christ also himself, while he lived on Earth,
if it were lawful to tell it; you should know it, if spoke after that manner and fashion that only the
it were lawful to hear it; but both ears and more intimate disciples should understand the
tongue would contract the same gUilt of rash mystery of the word of God, but the other should
curiosity. perceive the parables only: 14 commanding
So we read Theodorus l 2 the tragical poet, moreover that holy things should not be given to
when he would have referred some things of the dogs, nor pearls cast to swine: 15 therefore the
mysteries of the Jews' Scripture to a certain prophet saith, I have hid thy words in my heart,
fable, was deprived of sight. Theopompus also that I might not sin against thee. 16 Therefore it is
who began to translate something out of the not fit that those secrets which are amongst a
divine Law into the Greek tongue, was few wise men, and communicated by mouth
presently troubled in mind and spirit, whence only,1? should be publicly written.
afterwards earnestly desiring God, wherefore Wherefore you will pardon me, if I pass
this had happened to him, received an answer in over in silence many and the chiefest secret
a dream, because he had basely polluted divine mysteries of ceremonial magic. I suppose I
things, by setting them forth in public. One shall do enough, if I open those things which
Numenius also being very curious of hidden are necessary to be known, and you by the
things, incurred the displeasure of the divine reading of this book go not away altogether
powers, because he interpreted the holy myster- empty of these mysteries; but on that condition
ies of the goddess Eleusina and published them, let these things be communicated to you, on
for he dreamed that the goddess of Eleusis stood which Dionysius l8 bound Timothy,I9 that they
in a whore's habit before the brothel house, which perceive these secrets, would not expose
which when he wondered at, they wrathfully them to the unworthy, but gather them together
answered, that they were by him violently amongst wise men, and keep them with that
drawn from their modesty and prostituted reverence that is due to them.
everywhere to all comers, by which he was Furthermore I would also warn you in this
admonished, that the ceremonies of the gods beginning, that even as the divine powers
ought not to be divulged. detest public things and prophane, and love
Therefore it hath always been the great care secrecy: so every magical experiment f1eeth the
of the ancients to wrap up the mysteries of God public, seeks to be hid, is strengthened by
and nature, and hide them with divers enigmas, silence, but is destroyed by publication, nt;ither
which law the Indians, Brachmans, Aethopians, doth any complete effect follow after; all these
Persians, and Egyptians also observed; hence things suffer loss, when they are poured into
Mercurius, Orpheus, and all the ancient poets prating and incredulous minds; therefo're it
and philosophers, Pythagoras , Socrates, Plato, behoveth a magical operator, if he would get
Aristoxenus, Ammonius, kept them inviolably. fruit from this art, to be secret, and to manifest
Hence Plotinus and Origenes and the other dis- to none, neither his work nor place, nor time,
ciples of Ammonius (as Porphyry relates l3 in his neither his desire nor will, unless either to a
book of the education and discipline of Ploti- master, or partner, or companion, who also
nus) swore, never to set forth the decrees of ought to be faithful, believing, silent, and dig-
their master. And because Plotinus brake his nified by nature and education: seeing that even
oath made to Ammonius, and published his the prating of a companion, his incredulity and
mysteries , for the punishment of his transgres- unworthiness hindereth and disturbeth the
sion, he was consumed (as they say) by the hor- effect in every operation.
 Of Concealing of Those Things Which Are Secret in Religion / 445

No"Ccs-Chap"CCR 11
I. Mercury saith-There are five reasons for silence, ing] ; and when the Egyptian words are
or circumspection, concerning holy doctrine given by spoken, the force of the things signified
Hermes. The first, referred to by Agrippa, is that shar- works in them" (Corpus Hermeticum
ing holy matters with profane minds pollutes them: 16.1b-2 [Scott, 1:263 , 265]).
"You may call Ammon; but summon no
2. Plato commanded-
one else, lest a discourse which treats of
the holiest of themes, and breathes the But the best way would be to bury them
deepest reverence, should be prophaned by [the Mysteries] in silence, and if there were
the entrance and presence of a throng of some necessity for relating them, only a
listeners." .. . Then Ammon also entered very small audience should be admitted
the sanctuary; and the place was made holy under pledge of secrecy and after sacrific-
by the pious awe of the four men, and was ing, not a pig, but some huge and
filled with God's presence. And the hearers unprocurable victim, to the end that as few
listened in fitting silence .. . (Asclepius pro- as possible should have heard these tales.
logue I b [Scott, 1:287, 289]) (Plato Republic 2.378a [Hamilton and
The second reason for silence is that profane Cairns, 624-5]).
minds cannot grasp holy doctrine, mock those who
preach it, and are incited by it to a greater evil: 3. Pythagoras also-On this subject Clemens
Alexandrinus writes: "They say that Hipparchus, the
But avoid converse with the many. Not that Pythagorean, being guilty of writing the tenents of
I wish you to grudge a benefit to others; Pythagoras in plain language, was expelled from the
my reason for this warning is rather that school, and a pillar raised for him as if he had been
the many will think you one to be laughed dead" (Stromateis 5.9. In Ante-Nicene Christian
at if you speak to them as I have spoken to Library, vol. 12).
you . Like welcomes like; but men that are Pythagoras enforced not only a silence concerning
unlike are never friends .... Moreover, my the secrets of his fraternity but a period of general
teaching has a certain property which is silence to be endured by all disciples: "Pythagoras
particular to it; it urges on bad men to enjoined young men five years' silence, which he
worse wickedness . ... You must therefore called echemychia, abstinence from all speech, or
beware of talking to them, in order that, holding of the tongue" (plutarch On Curiosity 9, trans.
being in ignorance, they may be less Philemon Holland. In Plutarch's Moralia: Twenty
wicked. (Stobaei Hermetica 11.4-5 [Scott, Essays [London: J. M. Dent and Sons, n.d.], 143).
1:433, 435])
The third reason for silence is that it allows the 4. holy word he sings-This Orphic hymn is quoted
divine enlightenment of the doctrine to occur: "And by Thomas Taylor in the appendix to his Eleusinian
now, my son, speak not, but keep a solemn silence; and Bacchic Mysteries (Taylor 1875, 166). Agrippa
so will the mercy come down on us from God" (Cor- seems to have taken his Latin version of the hymn
pus Hermeticum l3.8a [Scott, 1:245]). from the translation of Marsilio Ficino. (See Charles
G. Nauert' s Agrippa and the Crisis of Renaissance
The fourth reason for silence is simply the futility Thought [University of Illinois Press, 1965], 137, n.
of attempting to express the inexpressible: "For there 72].)
is, my son, a secret doctrine, full of holy wisdom,
concerning Him who alone is lord of all and precon- 5. of the Sibyl-Virgil Aeneid 6, c. line 260.
ceived God, whom to declare is beyond the power of
man" (Fragments 12 [Scott, 1:537]). 6. the crier-One of the officials who conducted the
The fifth reason for silence involves a proscrip- Greater Mysteries of Demeter at Eleusis (as opposed
tion against translation of the doctrines into other lan- to the Lesser Mysteries, held at Agrae) was titled the
guages because the words themselves are holy and Crier, or Keryx (as Xenophon called him), but more
embody power: properly the Hierokeryx, whose duty it was to read
the proclamation, or prorrhesis, at the opening of the
Translation will greatly distort the sense of ceremonies and enforce silence upon the initiates.
the writings, and cause much obscurity.
Expressed in our native language, the Exactly what was stated in the proclama-
teaching conveys its meaning clearly; for tion we cannot know, but its sense can be
the very quality of the sounds [text miss- pieced together from a variety of sources.
446 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

"Everyone who has clean hands and intelli- and language of the Egyptians. and the
gible speech," meaning Greek of course, three kinds of writings, viz. the epistolo-
"he who is pure from all pollution and graphic. the hieroglyphic. and the sym-
whose soul is conscious of no evil and who bolic. the one conveying its meaning
has lived well and justly," the proclamation directly by imitation, the other allegori-
seems to have stated, could proceed with cally, by means of aenigmas. (Porphyry
the initiation; the rest should abstain. The Life of Pythagoras. In Horapollo
(Mylonas 1974,247) Hieroglyphics. appendix [Cory, 171]).
The sources Mylonas has used to reconstruct the
10. Apuleius testifies-"... partly written with
proclamation are cited in footnote 116 on the same
unknown characters, and partly painted with figures
page. See also pp. 224-29 for an interesting discus-
of beasts declaring briefly every sentence, with tops
sion concerning the secrecy of the rites. One of the
and tailes, turning in fashion of a wheele, which were
Homeric hymns refers to the mysteries of Demeter
strange and impossible to be read of the prophane
as: " ... her sacred rites . .. which it is in no wise law-
people" (Apuleius Golden Asse ch. 48 [Adlington]).
ful either to neglect, or to inquire into, or mention, for
a mighty reverence of the gods restrains the voice"
12. Theodorus-
(Homeric Hymns 32, ''To Ceres," c. line 480, trans.
Buckley. In The Odyssey of Homer. with the Hymns. We hear of another man, Theodoras, who
Epigrams. and Battle of the Frogs and Mice [New tried to make fun of a Hierophant [of the
York: Harper & Brothers, 1872],425). Greek Mysteries] by asking him: "Explain
to me. Eurykleides, who are those who are
7. in Esdras-The apocryphal Second Book of impious in the eyes of the gods?" Euryklei-
Esdras 12:37-8. des replied, ''Those who expose the secrets
to the uninitiated." Theodoras countered,
8. consecrated paper-Papyrus, which was not well "You are an impious man, you also, since
known in medieval times. It was even strange to you give explanations to a person who is
Nicholas Flammel (?1330--1417), who by his own not initiated." For this sacrilege Theodoras
account learned the secret of alchemy from an was saved from being brought before the
ancient grimoire that fell into his hands "for the sum Areopagas only through the intervention of
of two florins, a guilded Book, very old and large. It Demetrios of Phaleron. (Mylonas 1974,
was not of Paper, nor of Parchment, as other Books 225-6)
be, but was only made of delicate rinds (as it seemed
According to Amphikrates (Famous Men) Theodoras
unto me) of tender young trees" (Flammel [1624,
was condemned to drink hemlock (ibid., n. 8). The
1889]1980,6).
story referred to by Agrippa is apparently some cor-
ruption of the above.
9. hieroglyphics-
Now those who are instructed by the Egyp- 13. Porphyry relates-
tians, first of all learn that system of Egypt-
Erennius, Origen and Plotinus had made a
ian wntmg, which is called the
compact not to disclose any of the doctrines
Epistolographic [or enchorial]; secondly,
which Ammonius had revealed to them.
the Hieratic, which is used by the sacred
Plotinus kept faith, and in all his intercourse
scribes; thirdly and lastly, the Hiero-
with his associates divulged nothing of
glyphic. Of this [last] one kind expresses
Ammonius' system. But the compact was
its own meaning by the first elements
broken, first by Erennius and then by Ori-
{alphabetically1; but the other kind is sym-
gen, following suit: Origen, it is true, put in
bolical. Of the symbolical, one sort directly
writing nothing but the treatise On the
conveys its meaning by imitation; another
Spirit-Beings, and in Galienus' reign that
sort is written as it were metaphorically;
entitled The King the Sole Creator. Plotinus
while the remaining sort speaks allegori-
himself remained a long time without writ-
cally as it were by means of aenigmas.
ing, but he began to base his Conferences
(Clemens Alexandrinus Stromateis 5. In
on what he had gathered from his studies
Horapollo Hieroglyphics. appendix [Cory,
under Ammonius. (Porphyry On the Life of
169-70]).
Plotinus and the Arrangement of His Work
Pythagoras travelled also among the Egyp- 3, trans. Stephen Mackenna. In Plotinus:
tians; and in Egypt he lived with the The Ethical Treatises [London: Philip Lee
priests, and learned from them the wisdom Warner, 1917], 1:3-4)
 Of Concealing of Those Things Which Are Secret in Religion /447

Porphyry does not link the disease and death of doct~·ine received by oral tradition. The
Plotinus to this betrayal of the agreement of silence. Kabbalah is also called by some Secret
Agrippa has apparently consulted the more highly Wisdom (i11nO i1r:l::Jn), because it was
colored account of the death of Plotinus that appears only handed down by tradition through the
in Firmicus Matemus: initiated, and is indicated in the Hebrew
Scriptures by signs which are hidden and
First his limbs became stiff and his blood
unintelligible to those who have not been
became sluggish and congealed. Little by
instructed in its mysteries. (Ginsburg
little his eyesight lost its sharpness and his
[1863-4]1970,86)
vision failed . Soon after, a malignant infec-
tion under his whole skin burst forth. Pol- Speaking about what he calls "the archaic periods of
luted blood weakened his limbs and his the world's history," Isaac Myer says:
whole body. Every hour and every day
Teacher and pupil, stood more in the rela-
small parts of his inner organs were dis-
tion of father and son, and master and ser-
solved and carried away by the creeping
vant, as in the case to-day between the
sickness. A part of his body might be in
Guru or Brahminical master and his
good condition one moment and the next
scholar. ... Thus the orally traditional in
deformed by the festering disease. (Ancient
religion, philosophy, science and art, the
Astrology Theory and Practice (Matheseos
real, inner, intelligible to the intellect, spir-
libri V/II) 1.7.20, trans. Jean Rhys Bram
ituality of the whole; was taught and faith-
[Park Ridge, NJ: Noyes Press, 1975],23)
fully handed down and preserved, among
the initiates and intellectual workers; and
14. parables only-Matthew 13:10-4.
to all the ignorant and uncultivated, the
higher spirituality remained unaccessible
15. pearls cast to swine-Matthew 7 :6.
and closed. (Myer [1888] 1974, 176-7)
16. sin against thee-Psalms 119: II.
18. Dionysius-Pseudo-Dionysius, author of Con-
cerning the Celestial Hierarchy.
17. by mouth only-Secret doctrine was transmitted
orally from master to disciple, literally whispered in
19. Timothy-Since pseudo-Dionysius was supposed
the ear. On the Kabbalah, Christian Ginsburg says:
to have been the disciple of Paul (Acts 17:34), the
It is for this reason that it is called Kab- Timothy referred to was supposedly the companion
balah (i1":JP from ":JP to receive) which of the apostle named in the First and Second Epistle
primarily denotes reception and then a of Paul to Timothy.
 CHAPTeR 1ll

Whar dignificarion is RequiRed, rhar one may

be a rRue magician and a wORkeR of miRacles ..

bout the beginning of the first book of light, and influence of the celestial bodies and

A this work, we have spoken what man-

ner of person a magician ought to be; I
but now we will declare a mystical
and secret manner, necessary for everyone who
spirits which are conversant in the generation of
everyone, as are those whose Ninth house is
fortunate by Saturn, Sol, and Mercury; Mars
also in the Ninth house commandeth the spirits;
desireth to practice this art, which is both the but concerning these things we have largely
beginning, perfection, and key of all magical treated in the books of the stars: but whoso is
operations, and it is the dignifying2 of men to not such a one, it is necessary that he recom-
this so sublime virtue and power; for this fac- pense the defect of nature by education, and the
ulty requireth in man a wonderful dignification, best ordering and prosperous use of natural
for that the understanding which is in us the things until he become complete in all intrinsi-
highest faculty of the soul, is the only worker of cal and extrinsical perfections.
wonders, which when it is overwhelmed by too Hence so great care is taken in the Law of
much commerce with the flesh, and busied Moses concerning the priest,4 that he be not pol-
about the sensible soul of the body, is not wor- luted by a dead carcass, or by a woman a widow,
thy of the command of divine substances; there- or menstruous, that he be free from leprosy, flux
fore many prosecute3 this art in vain. of blood, burstness,5 and be perfect in all his
Therefore it is meet that we who endeavour members, not blind, nor lame, nor crook-backed,
to attain to so great a height should especially or with an ill-favoured nose. And Apuleius saith
meditate of two things: first, how we should in his Apology,6 that the youth to be initiated to
leave carnal affections, frail sense, and material divination by magic spells,7 ought to be chosen
passions; secondly, by what way and means we sound without sickness, ingenious, comely, per-
may ascend to an intellect pure and conjoined fect in his members, of a quick spirit, eloquent in
with the powers of the gods, without which we speech, that in him the divine power might be
shall never happily ascend to the scrutiny of conversant as in the good houses; that the mind
secret things, and to the power of wonderful of the youth having quickly attained experience,
workings, or miracles: for in these dignification may be restored to its divinity.
consists wholly, which nature, desert, and a cer- But the meritorious dignity is perfected by
tain religious art do make up. two things; namely learning and practice. The
Natural dignity is the best disposition of the end of learning is to know the truth; it is meet
body and its organs, not obscuring the soul with therefore, as is spoken in the beginning of the
any grossness, and being without all distemper, first book, that he be learned and skillful in
and this proceedeth from the situation, motion, those three faculties; then all impediments

448
 What Dignification Is Required, That One May Be a True Magician /449

being removed, wholly to apply his soul to con- the divine virtue and power is stamped on us
templation and to convert itself into itself;8 for which they call the divine consent, by which a
there is even in our own selves the apprehension man supported with the divine nature, and made
and power of all things; but we are prohibited, as it were a companion of the angels beareth the
so as that we little enjoy these things, by pas- ingrafted power of God; and this rite is referred
sions opposing us even from our birth, and vain to the ecclesiastical mysteries.
imaginations and immoderate affections, which If therefore now thou shalt be a man perfect
being expelled, the divine knowledge and in the sacred understanding of religion, and
power presently take place; but the religious piously and most constantly meditatest on it, and
operation obtains no less efficacy which oft- without doubting believest, and art such an one
times of itself alone is sufficiently powerful for on whom the authority of holy rites and nature
us to obtain this deifying virtue, so great is the hath conferred dignity above others, and one,
virtue of holy duties rightly exhibited and per- whom the divine powers contemn not, thou shalt
formed, that though they be not understood, yet be able by praying, consecrating, sacrificing,
piously and perfectly observed, and with a firm invocating, to attract spiritual and celestial pow-
faith believed, that they have no less efficacy ers, and to imprint them on those things thou
than to adorn us with a divine power. 9 pleas est, and by it to vivify every magical work;
But what dignity is acquired by the art of but whosoever beyond the authority of his
religion, is perfected by certain religious cere- office, without the merit of sanctity and learning,
monies, expiations, consecrations, and holy beyond the dignity of nature and education, shall
rites proceeding from him whose spirit the pub- presume to work anything in magic, shall work
lic religion hath consecrated, who hath power of in vain, and deceive both himself and those that
imposition of hands, and of initiating with believe on him, and with danger incur the dis-
sacramental power, 10 by which the character of pleasure of the divine powers.

NOL"cs-ChapL"CR 111
I. magician ought to be-See ch. II, bk. 1. 8. convert itself into itself-Tum inward.

2. dignifying-The word is used in the sense of puri- 9. divine power-This is an important point. The
fying and exalting, with allusion to the astrological action of ritual is to some extent automatic; it need
dignification of a planet, where a planet's power of not be understood to cause an effect upon its practi-
working is increased by its position or aspects. tioner.

3. prosecute-Seek to attain or bring about. 10. sacramental power-Magical initiation is spe-

cific and concrete, designed to accomplish some
4. concerning the priest-Leviticus 21. See also change. It is best exemplified in the Tibetan angkur:
15: 19 and 22:2-8.
The main idea that we attach to initiation is
5. burstness-Rupture, or hernia. See Leviticus the revelation of a secret doctrine, admis-
21 :20. Perhaps inguinal hernia. sion to the knowledge of certain mysteries,
whereas the angkur is, above all, the trans-
6. his Apology-Apologia, also known as De magia mission of a power, a force, by a kind of
liber, the defense against a charge of sorcery psychic process. The object in view is to
Apuleius delivered at Sabrata in 173 AD before communicate to the initiate the capacity to
Claudius Maximus, proconsul of Africa. It is extant. perform some particular act or to practise
certain exercises which tend to develop
7. divination by magic spells-See note 4 to the various physical or intellectual faculties .
chapter "Of Ooetia and Necromancy," which Freake (David-Neel [1931] 1959,43)
has appended to the text. It forms chapter 45 of
Agrippa's De incertitudine et vanitate scientiarum.
 CHAPTeR lV

Of rhe rwo helps of

ceRemonial magic, Religion and supeRsririon.

here are two things, which rule every tures without divine benediction, is supposed

T operation of ceremonial magic,

namely religion and superstition.
This religion is a continual con-
templation of divine things, and by good works
both by God and the Church to have used it as
taken by theft and robbery, of whom it is writ-
ten by Solomon, he that takes away any things
violently from father and mother, is a
an uniting oneself with God and the divine pow- destroyer;3 but God is our Father, and the
ers, by which in a reverent family , a service, Church our Mother, as it is written, is not he thy
and a santification of worship worthy of them is father who posses seth thee?4 And elsewhere,
perfonned, and also the ceremonies of divine hear my son the discipline of thy father, and
worship are rightly exercised; religion therefore despise not the law of thy mother.5
is a certain discipline of external holy things Nothing more displeaseth God, than to be
and ceremonies by the which as it were by cer- neglected and contemned; nothing pleaseth him
tain signs we are admonished of internal and more, than to be renowned and adored. Hence
spiritual things, which is so deeply implanted in he hath pennitted no creature of the world to be
us by nature, that we more differ from other without religion. All do worship God, pray (as
creatures by this than rationality. 1 Proclus saith), frame hymns to the leaders of
Whosoever therefore neglects religion (as their order; but some things truly after a natural,
we have spoken before) and confides only in the others after a sensible, others a rational, others
strength of natural things, are very often an intellectual manner, and all things in their
deceived by the evil spirits; therefore they who manner, according to the Song of the Three
are more religiously and holily instructed, nei- Children,6 bless the Lord: but the rites and cere-
ther set a tree nor plant their vineyard, nor monies of religion, in respect of the diversity of
undertake any mean work without divine invo- times and places, are divers.
cation, as the Doctor of the Nations commands Every religion hath something of good,
in Colossians,2 saying, whatsoever you shall do because it is directed to God his creator: and
in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord although God allows the Christian religion
Jesus Christ giving thanks to him, and to God only, yet other worships which are undertaken
the Father by him. for his sake, he doth not altogether reject, and
Therefore to superadd the powers of reli- leaveth them not unrewarded, if not with an
gion to physical and mathematical virtues is so eternal, yet with a temporal reward, or at least
far from a fault, that not to join them, is an doth punish them less; but he hateth, thundereth
heinous sin: hence in Libro Senatorum saith against and utterly destroys prophane persons
Rabbi Henina, he that enjoyeth any of the crea- and altogether irreligious as his enemies, for

450
 Of the Two Helps of Ceremonial Magic, Religion and Superstition / 451

their impiety is greater than the others who fol- credulity, until it be assimilated to those spirits
Iowa false and erroneous religion: for there is who are the chief leaders of that religion, may
no religion (saith Lactantius) so erroneous, work those things which nature and reason dis-
which hath not somewhat of wisdom in it, by cern not; but incredulity and diffidence doth
which they may obtain pardon, who have kept weaken every work not only in superstition, but
the chiefest duty of man, if not in deed, yet in also in true religion, and enervates the desired
intention: but no man can of himself attain to effect even of the most strong experiments.
the true religion, unless he be taught it of God. But how superstition imitateth religion,
All worship therefore, which is different these examples declare; namely when worms
from the true religion, is superstition; in like and locusts are excommunicated, that they hurt
manner also that which giveth divine worship, not the fruits; when bells and images are bap-
either to whom it ought not, or in that manner tised, and such like.
which it ought not. Therefore we must espe- But because the old magicians and those
cially take heed lest at any time, by some per- who were the authors of this art amongst the
verse worship of superstition, we be envious to ancients, have been Chaldeans, Egyptians,
the Almighty God, and to the holy powers Assyrians, Persians and Arabians, all whose
under him; for this would be not only wicked, religion was perverse and polluted idolatry, we
but an act most unworthy of philosophers; must very much take heed, lest we should per-
superstition therefore although it be far different mit their errors to war against the grounds of the
from the true religion, yet it is not all and Catholic religion; for this was blasphemous,
wholly rejected, because in many things it is and subject to the curse. 7
even tolerated, and observed by the chief rulers And I also should be a blasphemer, if I did
of religion. not admonish you of these things, in this sci-
But I call that superstition especially, which ence; wheresoever therefore you shall find these
is a certain resemblance of religion, which for as things written by us, know that those things are
much as it imitates whatsoever is in religion, as only related out of other authors, and not put
miracles, sacraments, rites, observations and down by us for truth, but for a probable conjec-
such like, from whence it gets no small power, . ture which is allied to truth, and an instruction
and also obtains no less strength by the credulity for imitation in those things which are true. 8
of the operator; for how much a constant Therefore we ought from their errors to col-
credulity can do, we have spoken in the first lect the truth, which work truly requireth a pro-
book, and is manifestly known to the vulgar. found understanding, perfect piety, and painful
Therefore superstition requireth credulity, as and laborious diligence, and also wisdom which
religion faith , seeing constant credulity can do knoweth out of every evil to extract good, and to
so great things, as even to work miracles in opin- fit oblique things unto the right use of those
ions and false operations. things which it governeth, as concerning this
Whosoever therefore in his religion, though Augustine gives us an example of a carpenter to
false, yet believeth most strongly that it is true, whom oblique and complicate things are no less
and elevates his spirit by reason of this his necessary and convenient than the straight.

Not:es-Chapt:eR lV

I. than rationaiity-
own voices by particular marks among
Therefore the chief good of man is in reli- themselves, they seem to converse: they
gion only; for the other things, even those also appear to have a kind of smile, when
which are supposed to be peculiar to man, with soothed ears, and contracted mouth,
are found in the other animals also. For and with eyes relaxed to sportiveness, they
when they discern and distinguish their fawn upon man, or upon their own mates
452/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

and young. Do they not give a greeting 3. is a destroyer-Proverbs 28:24.

which bears some resemblance to natural
love and indulgence? Again, those crea- 4. who possesseth thee-Deuteronomy 32:6.
tures which look forward to the future and
lay up for themselves food, plainly have 5. law of thy mother-Proverbs 1:8.
foresight. Indications of reason are also
found in many of them .... It is therefore 6. Song of the Three Children-The Apocryphal
uncertain whether those things which are Song of the Three Holy Children 29-{j8 .
given to man are common with other living
creatures: they are certainly without reli- 7. subject to the curse--God placed a curse on man
gion. I indeed thus judge, that reason is in the Garden of Eden because Adam ate tbe apple
given to all animals, but to the dumb crea- (Genesis 3: 17). Christ took that curse upon himself
tures only for the protection of life, to man when he was crucified, and redeemed those who fol-
also for its prolongation. And because rea- low him (Galatians 3: 13), but not the rest of mankind
son itself is perfect in man, it is named wis- (Matthew 25:41). Therefore a lapsed Christian reas-
dom, which renders man distinguished in sumes the mantle of original sin.
this respect, that to him alone it is given to
comprehend divine things. (Lactantius 8. things which are true-This paragraph was
Divine Institutions 3.10 [Ante-Nicene included largely to forestall the attacks Agrippa knew
Christian Library 21: 158]) would be launched against him by his orthodox critics.

2. in Colossians-Colossians 3:17. The Doctor of the

Nations is Paul.
 CHAPTeR v

Of rhe rhRee gUides of Rellgion,

which bRing us ro rhe parh of rRurh.

here are three guides which bring us below science: so belief which is a true faith , is

T
and faith.
even to the paths of truth and which
rule all our religion, in which it
wholly consisteth, namely love, hope
supersubstantially above all science and under-
standing, conjoining us immediately to God; for
faith is the root of all miracles, by which alone
(as the Platonists testify) we approach to God,
For love is the chariot of the soul, the most and obtain the divine power and protection.
excellent of all things, descending from the So we read that Danial escaped the mouths
intelli gences above even to the most inferior of the lions, because he believed on his God. 3
things. It congregates and converts our mind So to the woman with the bloody issue saith
into the divine beauty, preserves us also in all Christ, thy faith hath made thee whole;4 and of
our works, gives us events according to our the blind man desiring sight, he required faith,
wishes, administereth power to our supplica- saying, do you believe that I can open your
tions: as we read in Homer, Apollo heard eyes?5 So Pallas in Homer comforteth Achilles
Chrysons' prayers because he was his very with these words, I am come to pacify your
great friend: I and some read of Mary Magda- wrath, if you will believe.6
lene in the Gospel , many sins were forgiven her, Therefore Linus the poet? sings all things
because she loved much.2 are to be believed, because all things are easy to
But hope immoveably hanging on those God; nothing is impossible to him, therefore
things it desireth, when it is certain and not nothing incredible; therefore we believing those
wavering, nourisheth the mind and perfecteth it. things which belong to religion , do obtain the
But faith the superior virtue of all , not virtue of them; but when we shall fail in our
grounded on human fictions, but divine revela- faith, we shall do nothing worthy admiration ,
tions wholly , pierceth all things through the but of punishment; as we have an example of
whole world, for seeing it descends from above this in Luke,8 in these words, therefore certain
from the first light, and remains nearest to it, is of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon
far more noble and excellent than the arts, sci- them to call over them which had evil spirits in
ences and beliefs arising from inferior things: the name of the Lord Jesus , saying, we adjure
this being darted into our intellect by reflection you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth; and the evil
from the first light. spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and
To conclude, by faith man is made some- Paul I know, but who art thou? And the man in
what the same with the superior powers and whom the evil spirit was, leapt on them, and
enjoyeth the same power with them: hence Pro- overcame them, so that they fled out of the
clus saith, as belief which is a credulity, is house naked and wounded.

453
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Not:cs-Chapt:CR V

I . very great friend-Chryses , a priest of Apollo, 2. she loved much-Luke 7:47. Traditionally the sin-
went to Agamemnon to beg for the release of his ful woman who anoints Christ's feet is supposed to
daughter, Chryseis, who had been captured by the be Mary Magdalen. However, she is not named, and
Greeks and given to Agamemnon. Agamemnon there is no evidence as to her identity.
refused. Chryses prayed to his god for vengeance:
3. believed on his God-Daniel 6:23 .
So he spoke in prayer, and Phoibos Apollo
heard him,
4. made thee whole-Matthew 9:22 .
and strode down along the pinnacles of
Olympos angered
5. open your eyes-Matthew 9:28-9.
in his heart, carrying across his shoulders
the bow and the hooded
6. if you will believe--Caught in the torrent of a river,
quiver; and the shafts clashed on the shoul-
Achilles is reassured by the gods ~o sei don and
ders of the god walking
Athene: "Do not be afraid, son of Peleus, nor be so
angrily. He came as night comes down and
anxious,/such are we two of the gods who stand
knelt then
beside you to help you,/by the consent of Zeus,
apart and opposite the ships and let go an
myself and Pallas Athene .... But we also have close
arrow.
counsel to give you, if you will believe us" (Homer
Terrible was the clash that rose from the
Iliad 21, lines 288-93 [Lattimore, 426]).
bow of silver.
First he went after the mules and the cir-
7. Linus the poet-In the time of the grammarians of
cling hounds, then let go
Alexandria, Linus was credited as the author of apoc-
a tearing arrow against the men themselves
ryphal works describing the exploits of Dionysus.
and struck them.
See his biographical note.
The corpse fires burned everywhere and
did not stop burning.
8. in Luke-Actually in the Acts of the Apostles
(Homer Iliad I, lines 43-52 [Lattimore, 60])
19: 13-{). Agrippa may have confused these verses in
his mind with Luke 9:49.
 CHA.PTeR Vl

How by rhese gUides rhe

soul of man ascenderh up inro rhe
divine narURe, and is made a wORkeR of miRacles.

herefore our mind being pure and made obedient; so devout men and those ele-

T divine, inflamed with a religious love,

adorned with hope, directed by faith,
placed in the height and top of the
human soul, doth attract the truth, and suddenly
vated by these theological virtues, command
the elements, drive away fogs, raise the winds,
cause rain, cure diseases, raise the dead, all
which things to have been done amongst
comprehend it, and beholdeth all the stations, I divers nations, poets and historians do sing
grounds, causes and sciences of things both nat- and relate: and that these things may be done,
ural and immortal in the divine truth itself, as it all the famousest philosophers, and theolo-
were in a certain glass 2 of eternity. gians do confirm; so the prophets, apostles,
Hence it comes to pass that we, though nat- and the rest, were famous by the wonderful
ural, know those things which are above nature, power of God.
and understand all things below, and as it were Therefore we must know, that as by the
by divine oracles receive the knowledge not influx of the first agent, is produced oftentimes
only of those things which are, but also of those something without the cooperation of the mid-
that are past and to come, presently, and many dle causes, so also by the work of religion
years hence; moreover not only in sciences, arts alone, may something be done without the
and oracles the understanding challengeth 3 to application of natural and celestial virtues; but
itself this divine virtue, but also receiveth this no man can work by pure religion alone, unless
miraculous power in certain things by command he be made totally intellectual: 5 but whosoever,
to be changed. 4 without the mixture of other powers, worketh
Hence it comes to pass that though we are by religion alone, if he shall persevere long in
framed a natural body, yet we sometimes pre- the work, is swallowed up by the divine power
dominate over nature, and cause such wonder- and cannot live long: but whosoever shall
ful, sudden and difficult operations, as that attempt this and not be purified, doth bring
evil spirits obey us, the stars are disordered, upon himself judgement, and is delivered to the
the heavenly powers compelled, the elements Evil Spirit, to be devoured.

NOLes-ChapLeR Vl

1. stations-Places, or positions, perhaps with allu- 2. glass-Mirror.

sion to the stations of the cross, a series of 14 posi-
tions representing the passion of Christ which were 3. challengeth-Claims, or summons.
used for devotional exercises.

455
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4. to be changed-In other words, the mind not only 5. totally intellectual-Free from attachment, in the
receives understanding, but also the power to act and Buddhist sense; liberated not only from desires of the
cause change. flesh, but from emotional attachn)ents and all other
aspects of karma (action-reaction).
 CHAPTeR V11

Thar rhe Knowledge of rhe rRue CJod is necessaRY

fOR a magician, and whar rhe old magicians
and philosopheRs have rhoughr conceRning CJod.

eeing that the being and operation of all God; for we read that Nicocreonte, a tyrant of

S things, depend on the most high God,

Creator of all things, from thence also on
the other divine powers, to whom also is
granted a power of fashioning and creating, not
Cyprus, long since asking, who was the greatest
god,}he Serapian oracle2 answered him, that he
was to be accounted the greatest god, whose
head was the heavens, the seas his belly, the
principally indeed, but instrumentally by virtue Earth his feet, his ears placed in the sky, his
of the First Creator (for the beginning of every- eyes the light of the glorious Sun. Not much
thing is the First Cause, but what is produced by unlike to this, Orpheus sang3 in these verses:
the second causes, is much more produced by the
First, which is the producer of the second causes, The heaven's Jove's royal palace, he's king,
which therefore we call secondary gods), it is Fountain, virtue and God of everything;
He is omnipotent, and in his breast
necessary therefore that every magician know Earth, water, fire and air do take their rest.
that very God, which is the First Cause, and Cre- Both night and day, true wisdom with
ator of all things; and also the other gods, or sweet love,
divine powers (which we call the second causes), Are all contained in this vast bulk of Jove.
and not to be ignorant, with what adoration, rev- His neck and glorious head if you would see,
Behold the heavens high, and majesty;
erence, holy rites confonnable to the condition of
The glorious rays of stars do represent
everyone, they are to be worshipped. His golden locks, and head's adornment.
Whosoever therefore invocates the gods,
and doth not confer on them their due honour, And elsewhere: 4
nor rightly distribute to them what belongs to
them, shall neither enjoy their presence, nor any Bright Phoebus and the Moon, are the two
successful effect from them. As in hannony, if eyes
one string be broken, the whole music jars, and Of this great Jove by which all things he
spies;
sometimes incurs the hazard of punishment, as
His head which predicts all, is placed in
it is written of the Assyrians, whom Salmanasar the sky,
planted in Samaria, I because they knew not the From which no noise can whisper secretly.
customs of the god of the land, the Lord did It pierceth all; his body vast extends,
send lions amongst them, who slew them, Both far and wide, and knows no bounds
because they were ignorant of the rights of the nor ends.
The spacious air's his breast, his wings the
god of the land. wind,
Now therefore let us see, what the old By which he flies far swifter than the mind.
magicians and philosophers thought concerning His belly is our mother Earth, who swells

457
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Into huge mountains, whom the ocean fills And a little after:?
And circles; his feet are the rocks and stones
Which of this globe are the foundations. He himself is the beginning, middle and end,
This Jove, under the earth conceals all
things,
And from the depth into the light them As the ancient prophets have taught us, to
brings. whom God long since delivered these things in
two tables; and he calleth him in the same verse
Therefore they thought the whole world to the only great Creator, and immortal.
be Jupiter,5 and truly he hath produced the Soul Zoroastes likewise in his Sacred History8
of this world, which containeth the world in of the Persians defineth God thus, God is the
itself. Hence Sophocles saith, in truth there is first of all those things which suffer neither
but one only God, who hath made this heaven decay nor corruption, unbegot, never dying,
and this spacious Earth; and Euripides saith, without parts, and most like himself, the author
behold the Most High, who everywhere and promoter of all good things, the father of
embraceth in his arms, the immensurable all, most bountiful and wise, the sacred light of
heaven and Earth; believe that he is Jupiter , justice, the absolute perfection of nature, the
account him God; and Ennius the poet sings: contriver, and wisdom thereof. 9
Apuleius also describes him to be a king,
Behold this bright sublime shining, whom all the cause, foundation and original beginning of
Call Jove---- all nature, the supreme begetter of spirits, eter-
nal, the preserver of living creatures, a father
Therefore the whole world is Jupiter , as with propagation, not to be comprehended by
Porphyry saith, a creature made of all creatures, time, place or any other circumstance, and
and a God constituted of all gods; but Jupiter is, therefore imaginable to a few, utterable to none.
so far as we can understand, from whence all From hence therefore Euripedes com-
things are produced, creating all things by his manded the highest God to be called Jupiter ,
wisdom. Hence Orpheus sings concerning the through whose head O'pheus sang all things
holy Word: 6 came into this light, but the other powers he sup-
po seth to be subservient, viz. which are without
There is one God, who all things hath
God, and separated from him, and are by the
created,
Preserves, and over all is elevated. philosophers called the ministers or angels of
He only by our mind is comprehended, God, and separated intelligences; therefore they
And to poor mortals he ne'er ill intended. say religious worship to be due to this most high
Besides whom, there no other i s - - - - Jupiter and to him only, but to the other divine
powers not to be due unless for his sake.

Not:es-Chapt:eR Vll
I. in Samaria-Shalmaneser. See II Kings 17:24-5. ian holy men who probably followed the regimen
of the Pythagorean brotherhood-celibacy, vege-
2. Serapian orac/e-The main seat of worship of tarianism, communal property . Serapis first spoke
the god Serapis (Osiris-Apis) was Alexandria in to Ptolemy in a dream, and Cicero mentions a
Egypt, where the original statue of the god had dream oracle of Serapis: "Can Esculapius, or Ser-
been brought by Ptolemy Soter and housed in the apis, by a dream, best proscribe to us the way to
first Serapeum (place where Serapis was wor- obtain a cure for weak health?" (De divinafione
shipped). In Graeco-Roman times the places of 2.59 [Yonge, 252]).
worship of Osiris (i.e. Serapis) were 42, one for
each of the nomes of Egypt, and the cult of the god 3. Orpheus sang-This hymn is given by Thomas
had spread throughout the ancient world. The god Taylor in the introductory Dissertation, sec. 2, of his
was ministered to by a priesthood of ascetic Egypt- Hymns o/Orpheus.
 That the Knowledge of the True God Is Necessary for a Magician /459

4. And elsewhere-See note 3 above. This quote is first he puts a crown on his head and then
from the same hymn. he chants the cult-title of some god in bar-
barous words quite incomprehensible to
5. world to be Jupiter-Proclus in his Commentary any Greek, reading what he chants out of a
on Plato's Parmenides 3.22 writes: scroll, and it is absolutely certain the wood
will take fire and strong, clear flame will
Orpheus says that after swallowing Phanes,
break out. (Guide to Greece 5.27.6 [Levi,
all things were generated in Zeus; for all
2:280])
things were manifested primally and unit-
edly in the former, but secondarily and The 10th century Arabian historian Masudi describes
partibly in the Demiurgus, the cause of the the books:
Mundane Order. For in him are the sun and
Zartusht gave to the Persians the book
the moon, and the heaven itself and the ele-
called A vesta. It consisted of twenty-one
ments, and "All-pleasing Love," and all
parts, each containing 200 leaves. This
things being simply one, "were massed in
book, in the writing which Zartusht
the belly of Zeus."
invented and which the Magi called the
And in the Commentary on Plato's Crarylus , he com- writing of religion, was written on 12,000
ments: cowhides, bound together by golden bands.
Its language was the Old Persian, which
Orpheus hands down the tradition that he
now no one understands. (Encyclopredia
[Zeus] created the whole of the celestial
Britannica, 11th ed., 28:968)
creation, and made the sun and moon and
all the starry gods, and created the ele- The Arda-Viraf-Nama blamed Alexander the Great
ments below the moon. (quoted by Mead for burning these hides at Persepolis.
[1896]1965,133-4)
9. wisdom thereof-
6. the holy Word-
But God is He having the head of the
He is the One, self-proceeding; and from Hawk. The same is the first, incorruptible,
him all things proceed, eternal, unbegotten, indivisible, dissimilar:
And in them he himself exerts his activity; the dispenser of all good; indestructible;
no mortal the best of the good, the Wisest of the wise;
Beholds Him, but he beholds all. He is the Father of Equity and Justice, self-
(Taylor 1875, 166) taught, physical, perfect, and wise-He
who inspires the Sacred Philosophy. (Euse-
7. a little after- bius Praeparatio evangelica 1.10. In West-
cott [1895]1983, 33)
Zeus, the mighty thunderer, is first; Zeus is
last; Of this oracle Westcott comments:
Zeus is the head, Zeus the middle of all
This Oracle does not appear in either of the
things;
ancient collections, nor in the group of ora-
From Zeus were all things produced. (ibid.)
cles given by any of the medieval
occultists. Cory [Isaac Preston Cory,
8. Sacred History-The sacred books of Zoroaster
Ancient Fragments, London, 1828] seems
are collected in the Zend-Avesta, or more properly
to have been the first to discover it in the
Avesta, Zend (interpretation) being the accompany-
voluminous writings of Eusebius, who
ing translation and commentary. The history of these
attributes the authorship to the Persian
books is very long and interesting. Pausanius men-
Zoroaster. (ibid.)
tions them in describing a Persian priest of Lydia:
I cannot help thinking that this must be very close to
A magician comes into the building and
what was chanted by the Persian priest mentioned in
piles up some dry wood on the altar: and
note 8 above.
 CHAPTeR Vlll

Whar rhe ancienr phl1osopheRs have

rhoughr conceRning rhe divine TRiniry.

ustine and Porphyry testify, that the mouth of the Most High, I am the first begot

A Platonists held three persons in God, I

the first of which, they call the Father
of the world; the second they call the
Son an<;l the First Mind, (and so he is named by
before all creatures: Jamblichus testifieth this
Son to be one and the same God with the Father
in essence, namely calling God, both the Father
and Son of himself.
Macrobius); the third, the Spirit or Soul of the Also Mercurius Trismegistus in Asciepius
World, which Virgil also from Plato's opinion mentioneth the Son of God in divers places; for
calleth a spirit, when he sings: 2 he saith my God and Father begat a Mind, a
work divers from himself; and elsewhere, Unity
Within the spirit no uri sheth, the mind
begets Unity, and reflecteth his flagrant love on
Diffused through the whole doth in its kind
The lump both act, and agitate:---- himself; 10 and in Pimander (where he seemeth
to prophesy of the covenant of grace to come,
Plotinus 3 and Philo deliver, that the Son of and of the mystery of regeneration) saith, the
God, viz. the First Mind or divine intellect author of regeneration is the Son of God, II the
floweth from God the Father, even as a word man by the will of the one only God, and also
from the speaker, or as light from light;4 from that God is most replenished with the fruitful-
hence it is that he is called both the Word and ness of both sexes. 12
Speech, and splendour of God the Father; for In like manner the Indian philosophers
the divine mind by itself, with one only and affirm, the world to be an animal,13 partly mas-
uninterrupted act understandeth the chiefest culine, and partly feminine; and Orpheus also
good without any vicissitude, or mediate calleth nature or the Jove of this world, both the
knowledge; he generateth in himself an issue male and female l4 thereof, and that the gods
and Son, who is the full intelligence, complete partake of both sexes. Hence it is, that in his
image of himself, and the perfect pattern of the Hymns he thus salutes Minerva , you are indeed
world, whom our John 5 and Mercurius 6 name both man and woman;15 and Apuleius in his
the Word or Speech; Plato,7 the Son of God the Book of the World,16 out of the divinity of
Father; Orpheus ,8 Pallas born from Jupiter's Orpheus produceth this verse of Jupiter :
brain, that is, Wisdom.
This is the most absolute image of God the Jove is both male and female, immortal.
Father, yet by a certain relation, or some intrin-
sical absolute thing, as it were begot and distin- And Virgil speaking of Venus saith:
guished from the Father, who saith in
Ecciesiasticus,9 I have proceeded from the I descend, and the God guiding,- - - -

460
 What the Ancient Philosophers Have Thought Concerning the Divine Trinity / 461

And elsewhere, understanding Juno or Aleeto, The lot of Jove the heaven is in the air,
he saith: Hesits----

Neither was God absent from her praying. But aether is derived according to the Greek
grammer from aetho, which signifies to burn, and
And Tibullus sings: 17 aer spiritus quasi aethaer, that is, a burning spirit.
And therefore Orpheus calleth the ' heaven
I who prophaned have the deities Pyripnon, that is a fiery breathing place; there-
Of Venus great---- fore the Father, Son, and the aimable Spirit,
which is also fiery , are by the divines called
And it is reported that the people of Cacenia l8 three persons; whom Orpheus also in his adura-
wonderfully adored the god Moon. tions invocateth with these words, heaven I
From this complete intelligence of supreme admire thee, thou wise work of the great God; I
fecundity his love is produced, binding the adjure thee, 0 thou Word of the Father, which
intelligence with the mind. And by so much the he first spake when he established the whole
more, by how much it is infinitely more inti- world by his wisdom. 25
mate to itself, than other offsprings to their par- H esiocf26 also confesseth the same things
ents. This is the third person, viz. the Holy under the names of Jupiter , Minerva and Bule
Spirit. Jambliehus also brings the oracles of the in his Theogony, declaring the twofold birth of
Chaldeans placing a fatherly power in God,19 Jupiter in these words: the first Daughter called
and an emanation of the intellect from the Tritonia with grey eyes, having equal power
Father, and a fiery love proceeding from Father with the Father, and prudent Bule,27 that is
and Son, and the same to be God. Counsel, which Orpheus in the forenamed
Hence we read in Plutarch, that the gentiles verses pronounceth plurally, because of his
described God to be an intellectual and fiery twofold emanation, for he proceedeth both from
spirit, having no form, but transforming himself Jupiter and Minerva.
into whatsoever he pleaseth, equalizing himself And Austin himself in his fourth book28 De
to all things; and we read in Deuteronomy,20 our Civit Dei doth testify that Porphyry the Platon-
God is a consuming fire; of whom also ist placed three persons in God; the first he calls
Zoroastes saith, all things were begot of fire the Father of the universe, the second, the First
alone;21 so also Heraclitus the Ephesian tea- Mind (and Maerobius the Son), the third the
cheth; hence divine Plato hath placed God's Soul of the World, which Virgi[29 according to
habitation in fire,22 namely understanding, the Plato's opinion, calleth a spirit, saying:
unspeakable splendour of God in himself, and
love about himself. The spirit within maintains;----
And we read in Homer?3 the heavens to be
the kingdom of Jupiter, when he sings: Therefore it is God, as Paul saith,30 from
whom, in whom, by whom are all things : for
Jove darkening clouds and reigning in the from the Father as from a fountain flow all
sky, things;3 1 but in the Son as in a pool all things
are placed in their Ideas; and by the Holy Ghost
And the same elsewhere: 24 are all things manifested, and everything dis-
tributed to his proper degrees.
462 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

No"Ccs-Chap"CCR Vlll

1. three persons in God- 4. light from light-On this subject may be quoted
the oracle extracted from Proclus:"When the Monad
For we have said that there are three princi-
is extended, the Dyad is generated" (Chaldean Ora-
ples consequent to each other: viz.,father,
cles of Zoroaster 26 [Westcott, 38]).
power and paternal intellect. But these in
reality are neither one nor three nor one
5. John-John 5:7.
and at the same time three. But it is neces-
sary that we should explain these by names
6. Mercurius-"For I deem it impossible that he who
and conceptions of this kind, through our
is the maker of the universe in all its greatness, the
penury in what is adapted to their nature, or
Father or Master of all things, can be named by a sin-
rather through our desire of expressing
gle name, though it be made up of ever so many oth-
something proper on the occasion. For as
ers; I hold that he is nameless, or rather, that all names
we denominate this triad one, and many,
are names of him" (Asc/epius 3.20a [Scott, 1:333]).
and all, and father, power, and paternal
intellect, and again bound, infinite and
7. Plato-Perhaps this refers to a reference in one of
mixed [after Plato]-so likewise we call it a
the letters: " ... the god who is ruler of all things pre-
monad, and the indefinite duad, and a triad
sent and to come, and is rightful father of the ruling
[after Pythagoras], and a paternal nature
active principle .. . " (Plato, Letter 6.323d [Hamilton
composed from both of these. (Damascius,
and Cairns, 1604).
as quoted by Mead [1896] 1965, 67)
For an exhaustive treatment of the threefold divisions 8. Orpheus-
of deity, see this text, particularly ch. 5.
From thy great father's fount supremely
bright,
2. when he sings-" First the sky, and earth, and
Like fire resounding, leaping into light.
watery plains, and the sun's bright sphere, and Titan's
("Hymn to Minerva." In Taylor 1875,155)
star, a Spirit feeds within; and a Mind, instilled
throughout the limbs, gives energy to the whole mass, About Pallas Athene, Proclus says: "Orpheus says that
and mingles with the mighty body" (Virgil Aeneid 6, Zeus brought her forth from his head-'shining forth
c. line 724 [Lonsdale and Lee, 174]). in full panoply, a brazen flower to see'" (Commentary
on the Timaeus 1.51. In Mead [1896] 1965, 143).
3. Plotinus-
9. Ecclesiasticus-The Apocryphal Ecclesiasticus
Given this immobility in the Supreme, it
24:3,9.
can neither have yielded assent nor uttered
decree nor stirred in any way towards the
10. love on himself-I cannot find exact correspon-
existence of a secondary. What happened
dences to these references in Scott's Asc/epius. How-
then? What are we to conceive as rising in
ever, on this same subject is written:
the neighbourhood of that immobility? It
must be a circumradiation-produced from When the Master, the Maker of all things,
the Supreme but from the Supreme unalter- whom by usage we name God, had made
ing-and may be compared to the brilliant him who is second [Cosmos], a god visible
light encircling the sun and ceaselessly and sensible;-and I call him "sensible,"
generated from the unchanging substance. not because he perceives things by sense,
(Plotinus Enneads 5.1.6, _trans. Stephen .. . but because he can be perceived by
Mackenna [London and Boston: The sense and sight;-when, I say, God had
Medici Society, 1926], 4:8]) made this being, his first and one and only
creation, and when he saw that the being he
The author of the causing principle, of the
had made was beautiful, and wholly filled
divine mind, is to him [Plato] the Good, that
with all things good, he rejoiced in him,
which transcends the Intellectual-Principle
and loved him dearly, as being his own off-
and transcends Being: often too he uses the
spring. (Asclepius 1.8 [Scott, 1:299,301])
term "The Idea" to indicate Being and the
Divine Mind. Thus Plato knows the order of
I I. Son of God-
generation-from the Good, the Intellec-
tual-Principle; from the Intellectual-Princi- Tat : Tell me this too; who is the ministrant
ple, the Soul. (ibid. 5.1.8 [Mackenna, 4: 12]) by whom the consummation of the
 What the Ancient Philosophers Have Thought Concerning the Divine Trinity / 463

Rebirth is brought to pass? fer the penalty due to my impious tongue? Am I

Hermes: Some man who is a son of God, charged with having assailed the abodes of the gods,
working in subordination to God's will. and torn the garlands from their sacred shrines?"
Tat: And what manner of man is he that is (Tibullus Elegies 1.5. trans. Walter K. Kelly [Lon-
brought into being by the Rebirth? don: George Bell and Sons, 1884], 119).
Hermes: He that is born by that birth is
another; he is a god, and son of God. He 18. Cacenia-In the Latin Opera this is spelled
is the All, and is in all; for he has no part Carenus. I do not know which city is intended, but
in corporeal substance; he partakes of might guess either Carana in Armenia Magna (Erzu-
the substance of things intelligible, being rum, Turkey), or Karanis in Egypt, which lay just
wholly composed of Powers of God. northeast of Lake Moeris; probably the latter.
(Corpus Hermeticum 13.2 [Scott, 1:239,
241]) 19 . fatherly power in God-God is frequently
referred to in the Chaldean Oracles of Zoroaster as
12. fruitfulness of both sexes-Agrippa seems to Father, Intellect, and Fire , but there is no explicit
refer to a passage in the Asclepius: " He, filled with mention of the son of God . Some of the titles given
all the fecundity of both sexes in one, and ever teem- to God in translation in the Oracles are: "Mind of
ing with his own goodness, unceasingly brings into the Father" (Westcott, 40), "Paternal Intellect"
being all that he has willed to generate; and all that he (41), "Paternal Principle" (35), "Father of Gods and
wills is good" (Asclepius 3.20b [Scott, 1:333]. Men" (37), "Paternal Fountain" (40), " brilliant
Fire" (37) and "a heat animating all things" (36).
13 . an animal-Plato also describes the world as an The fire of God, otherwise known as the "Father
animal : begotten Light" (44) is linked to the fire of so ul :
But let us suppose the world to be the very "Who first sprang from Mind, clothing the one Fire
image of that whole of which all other ani- with the other Fire, binding them together, that he
mals both individually and in their tribes are might mingle the fountainous craters while pre-
portions. For the original of the universe serving unsullied the brilliance of His own Fire"
contains in itself all intelligible beings, just (Westcott, 37).
as this world comprehends us and all other
visible creatures. For the deity, intending to 20. Deuteronomy-Actually Hebrews 12:29. Agrippa
make this world like the fairest and most per- may be confusing this verse with Deuteronomy
fect of intelligible beings, framed one visible 32:22.
animal comprehending within itself all other
animals of a kindred nature. (Timaeus 3Oc-d 21. offire alone-"All things have issued from that
[Hamilton and Cairns, 1163]). one Fire" (An oracle recorded by Psellus. In
Chaldean Oracles of Zoroaster [Westcott, 36]).
Since the world is solitary, yet gives rise to all liv-
ing things by generation, it follows that it must be 22. habitation in fire-"Of the heavenly and divine
bisexual. [gods], he created the greater part out of fire, that
they might be the brightest of all things and fairest to
14. male and female-"For Zeus were all things pro- behold ... " (Plato Timaeus 40a [Hamilton and
duced. He is male and female ... " (Orphic hymn in Cairns, 1169])
appendix to Taylor 1875, 166).
23. in Homer-From the prayer of Agamemnon:
15. man and woma~ "Zeus, exalted and mightiest, sky-dwelling in the
Shield-bearing goddess, hear, to whom dark mist ... " (Iliad 2, line 412 [Lattimore, 87]).
belong
A manly mind, and power to tame the 24. elsewhere-Perhaps "Zeus son of Kronos who
strong! sits on high, the sky-dwelling ... " (Homer Iliad 4,
(Orphic hymn to Minerva in Tay lor 1875, line 166 [Lattimore, 117]).
155)
25. his wisdom-This does not seem to refer to the
16. Book of the World-De mundo liber, a translation Orphic hymn " To Heaven."
of the Greek work TIEPl Koaflou, which at one time
was wrongly ascribed to Aristotle. 26. Hesiod-"First a girl, Tritogeneia, the grey-
eyed,! Equal in spirit and intelligence/ To Zeus her
17. Tihullus sings-"Have I outraged the divinity of father ... " (THeogony c. line 896 [Wender, 52])
great Venus by any words of mine, and do I now suf-
464 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

27. prudent Bule-Athene was called Boulaia (coun- intellect; but Porphyry, in calling it the
selor-goddess). The Greek B OUAUlO$' means "of or in mean, interposes it between them. (Augus-
the council." tine City of God 10.23 [Healey, 1:296))

28.fourth book-Actually the tenth book: 29. which Virgil-See note 2 above.
For he [Porphyry 1 speaks of God the
30. Paul saith-Romans 11 :36.
Father and God the Son, called in Greek
the Father's intellect: but of the Spirit not a
31 . fountain flow all things-The metaphor of the
word, at least not a plain one, though what
fountain occurs a number of times in the Chaldean
he means by a mean between the two I can-
Oracles: "The Mind of the Father whirled forth in re-
not tell. For if he follow Plotinus in his dis-
echoing roar, comprehending by invincible Will
course of the three prime essences [Ennead
Ideas omniform; which flying forth from that one
5, Tractate I], and would have this third
fountain issued; for the Father alike was the Will and
the soul's nature, he should not have put it
the End" (Chaldean Oracles of Zoroaster 39 [West-
as the mean between the Father and the
cott, 40)).
Son. For Plotinus puts it after the Father's
 CHA.PTeR lA.

Whar rhe rRue and mosr oRrhodo}: fairh

is conceRning ~od and rhe mosr holy lRiniry.

he Catholic doctors and faithful peo- the substance of a virgin, and his name was

T ple of God have decreed, that we

ought thus to believe and profess that
there is one only true God, increate, I
infinite, omnipotent, eternal, Father, Son and
called Jesus, perfect God, perfect man, of a rea-
sonable soul and human flesh, who in all things
was man, sin excepted.
Therefore it is necessary, that we believe,
Holy Ghost, three persons, coeternal and that our Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God, is
coequal, of one most simple essence, substance God and man, one person, two natures; God
and nature. This is the Catholic faith, this is the begot before the world without a mother, man
orthodox religion, this is the Christian truth, that born into the world without a father, from a
we worship one God in trinity, and trinity in pure virgin, both before and after his birth; he
unity, neither confounding the persons, nor suffered on the cross, and died, but on the cross
dividing the substance. 2 restored life, and destroyed death by his death;
he was buried and descended into hell, but
The Father beg at the Son from all eternity
brought forth the souls of the Fathers from hell,
and gave him his substance, and nevertheless
and rose again by his own power; the third day
retained it himself. The Son also by being
he ascended into the heavens, and sent his spirit
begot, received the substance of the Father, but
the comforter, and shall come to judge the quick
assumed not the proper person of the Father; for
and the dead; and at his coming all men shall
the Father translated it not into the Son; for they rise again in their flesh, and shall give an
are both of one and the same substance, but of account of their works.
divers persons. This Son also although he be This is the true faith, concerning which if
coeternal with the Father, and begot of the sub- any man doubt, and not firmly believe, he is far
stance of the Father before the world, yet from the hope of eternal life and salvation. 3
notwHhstanding was born into the world out of

No'Ccs-Chap'CCR 1"
1. increate-Uncreated. our words, that we produce no impious
error by our freedom of speech concerning
2. nor dividing the substance- these matters. Wherefore when we speak of
God, we neither talk of two principles, nor
The philosophers speak freely, never fear- three, any more than we say there are two
ing to offend religious ears in those incom- Gods or three, though when we speak of the
prehensible mysteries; but we must regulate Father, the Son, or the Holy Ghost, we say

465
466/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

that each of these is God. Nor say we with 3. life and salvation-One detects in this very dry
the Sabellian heretics, that He that is the recitation of the points of orthodoxy a veiled irony in
Father is the Son, and He that is the Holy Agrippa. It was necessary for him to make such a
Ghost is the Father and the Son, but the statement of faith in order to insure the survival of his
Father is the Son's Father, and the Son the book. In the social climate of his day, men were
Father's Son, and the Holy Spirit both the afraid not only to write, but even to think freely.
Father's and the Son's, but neither Father
nor Son. (Augustine City of God 10.23
[Healey, 1:296])
 CHAPTeR A

Of divine emanarions, which rhe HebRews call

numeRarions, orheRs arrRibures; rhe genriles
gods and deiries; and of rhe ren SephiRorh
and Len mosr sacRed names of yod which
Rule rhem, and rhe inreRpRerarion of rhem.

od himself, though he be Trinity in hath digested unto more, being mindful of his

Y persons, yet is but one only simple

essence; notwithstanding we doubt
not but that there are in him many
divine powers, which as beams flow from him, 1
which the philosophers of the gentiles call gods,
the Hebrew masters numerations, we name
one frailty, that every man might worship that
portion which he especially wanteth; so those
who had need of faith invocated Jupiter; they
that wanted providence, Apollo; wisdom, Min-
erva; and so as they wanted other things, they
invocated other powers. Hence arose that great
attributes. variety of deities , by reason of the many and
As wisdom which Orpheus calls Pallas; divers distribution of graces; but God is one,
understanding, which he Mercury ; the concep- from whom all things.
tion of the form, which he Saturn; the produc- Therefore Apuleius in his book De
tive power, which he Neptune; the secret nature Mundo,3 to Faustin saith,whereas there is but
of things, which he Juno; love, which he Venus; one God and one power, yet he is named by
pure life, which he the Sun, or Apollo. The mat- divers names, for the multitude of species, by
ter of the whole world, he calleth Pan; the Soul, whose variety he is made of many shapes; and
as it engendereth things below, contemplateth Marcus Varra in his book Of the Worship of
things above, and retracteth itself into itself, he God, saith, as all souls are reduced to the one
honoured with three names, viz. Maris, Neptune Soul of the World, or Universe, so are all the
and Ocean, and more of this kind, of which he gods referred to Jupiter , who is the same God,
sings elsewhere: worshipped under divers names. 4
Therefore it is meet to know the sensible
Pluto and Jupiter, and Phoebus, are one: proprieties, and perfectly to intellectualize them
But why do we speak twice? God 's one by the way of more secret analogy; whosoever
alone.
understandeth truly the Hymns of Orpheus and
the old magicians, shall find that they differ not
And of the same Valerius Soranus sang:
from the Cabalistical secrets and orthodox tradi-
Omnipotent Jove, the god and king of kings, tions; for whom Orpheus calls Curetes5 and
The father of the gods, one, yet all things. unpolluted gods, Dionysius6 names Powers; the
Cabalists appropriate them to the numeration
Therefore the most prudent theologians of Pahad,7 that is to the divine fear: so that which
the gentiles did worship the one God, under is En Sophs in the Cabala, Orpheus calleth
divers names and powers, yea divers sexes; Night;9 and TyphonlO is the same with Orpheus,
whom, as Pliny saith,2 frail and weak mortality as Zamael 11 in the Cabala. 12

467
468 /THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

But the mecubals of the Hebrews, the most attributed to the Holy Spirit,29 and hath his
learned in divine things, have received the ten influence by the order of the Thrones, or which
principal names of God, as certain divine pow- the Hebrews call Aralim , that is Great Angels
ers, or as it were members of God, which by ten Mighty and Strong, and from thence by the
numerations which they call Sephiroth,I3 as it sphere of Saturn administereth form to the
were vestiments, instruments or examplars of unsettled matter, whose particular intelligence
the Archetype, have an influence on all things is Zaphchiel,3o the ruler of Noah,31 and another
created, through the high things, even to the intelligence named lophiel,32 the ruler of Sem .33
lowest, yet by a certain order; for first and And these are three supreme and highest
immediately they have influence on the nine numerations, as it were seats of the divine per-
orders of angels, and quire of Blessed Souls, sons, by whose commands all things are made,
and by them into the celestial spheres, planets but are executed by the other seven, which are
and men, by the which Sephiroth everything therefore called the numerations framing.
then receiveth power and virtue. Therefore the fourth name is EI whose
The first of these is the name Eheia,14 the numeration is Hesed,34 which is Clemency or
name of the divine essence; his numeration is Goodness, and signifieth grace, mercy, piety,
called Cether,I5 which is interpreted a Crown or magnificence, the scepter and the right hand,
Diadem, and signifieth the most simple essence and hath his influx by the order of the Domina-
of the Divinity, and it is called That Which the tions,35 which the Hebrews call Hasmalim ,36
Eye Seeth Not, and is attributed to God the and so through the sphere of Jupiter fashioning
Father, and hath his influence by the order of the images of bodies, bestowing clemency and
Seraphinus,I6 or as the Hebrews call them pacifying justice on all; his particular intelli-
Haioth Hacadosch , 17 that is Creatures of Holi- gence is Zadkie[37 the ruler of Abraham. 38
ness, and then by the primum mobile, bestows The fifth name is Elohim Cibor, that is the
the gift of being to all things, filling the whole Mighty God, punishing the sins of the wicked;
universe both through the circumference and and his numeration is called Geburach,39 which
center, whose particular intelligence is called is to say, Power, Gravity, Fortitude, Security,
Metattron,18 that is, the Prince of Faces, whose Judgement, punishing by slaughter and war;
duty it is to bring others to the face of the and it is applied to the tribunal of God, the gir-
Prince; and by him the Lord spake to Moses. 19 dle, the sword and left hand of God; it is also
The second name is lod or Tetragramma- called Pachad, which is Fear,4o and hath his
ton joined with lod;2o his numeration is influence through the order of Powers, which
Hochma,21 that is Wisdom, and signifies the the Hebrews call Seraphim ,4 1 and from thence
Divinity full of Ideas, and the first begotten, and through the sphere of Mars , to whom belongs
is attributed to the Son, and hath his influence fortitude, war, affliction, it draweth forth the
by the order of Cherubins,22 or that the Hebrews elements; and his particular intelligence is
call Orphanim,23 that is, Forms or Wheels; and Camael,42 the ruler of Samson .
from thence into the starry heaven ,24 where he The sixth name is Eloha ,43 or a name of four
fabricateth so many figures as he hath Ideas in letters, joined with Vaudahat ;44 his numeration
himself, and distinguisheth the very chaos of is Tiphereth, that is Apparel, Beauty, Glory,
the creatures, by a particular intelligence called Pleasure, and signifieth the Tree of Life,45 and
Raziel,25 who was the ruler of Adam.26 hath his influence through the order of Virtues,
The third name is called Tetragrammaton which the Hebrews call Malachim,46 that is
Elohim; his numeration is named Prina,27 viz. Angels, into the sphere of the Sun, giving bright-
Providence and Understanding, and signifies ness and life to it, and from thence producing
remission, quietness, the Jubilee,28 penitential metals; his particular intelligence is Raphael,
conversion, a great trumpet, redemption of the who was the ruler of Isaac and Toby the
world, and the life of the world to come; it is younger,47 and the angel Peliel, ruler of Jacob.
 Of Divine Emanations / 469

The seventh name is Tetragrammaton Omnipotent, satisfying all, and Elhai,54 which is
Sabaoth,48 or Adonai Sabaoth, that is the God of the Living God; his numeration is Iesod,55 that
Hosts; and his numeration is Nezah,49 that is Tri- is Foundation, and signifieth a good under-
umph and Victory; the right column5o is applied standing, a covenant, redemption and rest, and
to it, and it signifies the eternity and justice of a hath his influence through the order of Angels,
revenging God; it hath his influence through the whom the Hebrews name Cherubim, into the
order of Principalities, whom the Hebrews call sphere of the Moon, causing the increase and
Elohim, that is Gods, into the sphere of Venus, decrease of all things, and taketh care of the
gives zeal and love of righteousness, and pro- genii,56 the keepers of men, and distributeth
duceth vegetables; his intelligence is Haniel and them; his intelligence is Gabriel, who was the
the angel Cerviel, the ruler of David. keeper of Joseph, Joshua and Daniel.
The eighth is called also Elohim Sabaoth,51 The tenth name is Adonai Melech,57 that is
which is also interpreted the God of Hosts, not Lord and King; his numeration is Ma1chuth,58
of war and justice, but of piety and agreement; that is Kingdom and Empire, and signifieth a
for this name signifieth both, and precedeth his church, temple of God, and a gate, and hath his
army; the numeration of this is called Hod, influence through the order of Animastic, viz.
which is interpreted both Praise, Confession, of Blessed Souls, which by the Hebrews is
Honour and Famousness; the left column is called /ssim,59 that is Nobles, Lords and
attributed to it; it hath his influence through the Princes; they are inferior to the hierarchies, and
order of the Archangels, which the Hebrews have their influence on the sons of men, and
call Ben Elohim,52 that is the Sons of God, into give knowledge and the wonderful understand-
the sphere of Mercury, and gives elegancy and ing of things, also industry and prophesy; and
consonancy of speech and produceth living the soul of Messiah 60 is president amongst
creatures; his intelligence is Michael, who was them, or (as others say) the Intelligence Metat-
the ruler of Solomon. tron,61 which is called the First Creature, or the
The ninth name is called Sadai,53 that is Soul of the World, and was the ruler of Moses .

No'Ccs-Chap'CCR l\
I. flow jrom him-"And thence a Fiery Whirlwind eases and plagues are deified, in conse-
drawing down the brilliance of the flashing flame, quence of our anxious wish to propitiate
penetrating the abysses of the Universe; for from them. (Pliny 2.5 [Bostock and Riley,
thence downwards do extend their wonderous rays" 1:20-1])
(Chaldean Oracles ojZoroaster 24 [Westcott, 38]).
3. De Mundo-See note 16, ch. VIII, bk. III.
2. Pliny saith-
To believe that there are a number of 4. divers names-
Gods, derived from the virtues and vices of
Our author [Varro] has said that the true
man, as Chastity, Concord, Understanding,
gods are but parts of the world's soul, and
Hope, Honour, Clemency, and Fidelity; or,
the soul itself: ... So Varro says plainly
according to the opinion of Democritus,
that there are only two, Punishment and that God is the world's soul, and this soul
Reward, indicates still greater folly. is God .. . . Therefore if Jove be a god, and
Human nature, weak and frail as it is, the king of gods, they cannot make any but
mindful of its own infirmity, has made him to be the world, because he must reign
these divisions, so that everyone might over the rest, as over his own parts. To this .
have recourse to that which he supposed purpose Varro in his book of the worship
himself to stand more particularly in need of the gods [perhaps De cultu deorum],
of. Hence we find different names which he published separate from these
employed by different nations; the inferior other [Antiquitatium libr;], set down a dis-
deities are arranged in classes, and dis- tich of Valerius Soranus' making: it is this:
470/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY -BOOK III

High Jove, kings ' king, and parent engendered a child by Eve before she lay with Adam.
general One version says this child was Cain. See Waite
To all the gods: God only, and God [1929] 1975, 7:3:286 and n. 5, same page.
all.
12. in the Cabala-
These verses Varro expounds, and calling
the giver of seed the male, and the receiver The names of the gods, of whom Orpheus
the female, accounts Jove the world, that sings, are not the titles of deceiving demons
both gives all seed itself, and receives it but the designations of divine virtues. Just as
unto itself. And therefore Soranus (says he) the Psalms of David are admirably designed
calls Jove progenitor, genetrixque, father for the "work" of the Kabalah, so are the
and mother, "full parent general, to all," Hymns of Orpheus for natural magic. The
etc., and by the same reason is it that he number of the Hymns of Orpheus is the
was called one and all: for the world is one, same as the number by which the three-fold
and all things are in that one. (Augustine deity created the aeon, numerated under the
City of God 7.9 [Healey, 1:204] form of the Pythagorean quarternary. He
who does not know perfectly how to intel-
I have omitted the original Latin of the verse by
lectualize sensible properties by the method
Soranus.
of occult analogy, will never arrive at the
real meaning of the Hymns of Orpheus. The
5. Curetes-
Curetes of Orpheus are the same as the pow-
Plato, following Orpheus, calls the inflexi- ers ofDionysius. The Orphic Typhon is the
ble and undefiled triad of the intellectual same as the Zamael of the Kabalah. The
Gods Curetic, as is evident from what the Night of Orpheus is the En Suph of the
Athenian guest says in the Laws, celebrat- Kabalah ... (Pico della Mirandola. In Mead
ing the armed sports of the Curetes, and [1896] 1965,36)
their rhythmical dance. For Orpheus repre-
Waite calls Mirandola "the first true Christian student
sents the Curetes, who are three, as the
of the Kabbalah" (Waite [1929] 1975, 443).
guards of Jupiter. (Proclus Theology of
Plato 5.3. In Mead [1896] 1965,74)
13. Sephiroth-See note 18, ch. XIII, bk. II .
6. Dionysius-Pseudo-Dionysius. The Powers are
14. Eheia-Eheieh (i1'i1~).
the angels of the fifth sphere of Mars. See table, ch.
XII, bk. II.
15. Cether-Kether nnJ).
7. Pahad-Pachad (in::l), or Fear, one of the names
16. Seraphinus-Seraphim, the highest Christian
of the fifth Sephirah, or Emanation, from the god-
order of angels given by pseudo-Dionysius. See Isa-
head. See Appendix VI.
iah6:1-7.
8. En Soph-Ain Soph (=-]10-r~), the Limitless. See 17. Hai oth Ha cadosch-Chaioth ha-Qade sh
Appendix VI.
(tznpi1 n1'n), Holy Living Creatures.
9. Night- 18. Meta((ron-Metatron qnt:lt:lQ), the highest
Night, parent goddess, source of sweet angel, also called the Angel of the Presence and the
repose, World Prince, who according to the Zohar guarded
From whom at first both Gods and men the temple of Solomon and was the flaming sword
arose, that barred the gates of Eden. It is Metatron who will
(Hymns of Orpheus 2 [Taylor, Selected take charge of souls at the Resurrection.
Writings , 213])
19. spoke to Moses-This refers to Exodus 23:20--3,
10. Typhon-A flaming monster with a hundred heads about which verses Rashi remarks: "And our Rabbis
who rose up from his mother the Earth to challenge the have said: 'This (angel) is Mattatron whose name is
gods. Zeus cast thunderbolts into his heart and turned like the name of his Master,' (i.e.,) Mattatron has the
his strength to ashes, burying him under Mount Aetna, numerical value of the Almighty (314)" (Rashi 1949,
where his rumblings are still occasionally heard. 2:278). Rashi refers to the numerical equivalency of
the sums of the letters in the name of the angel Meta-
II. Zamael-The dark angel Samael , the serpent of tron <11it:lt:lQ = 50 + 6 + 200 + 9 + 9 + 40 = 314)
Genesis, who according to ancient Jewish legend and the name of God Shaddai ( 'jiD = 10 + 4 + 300 =
 Inverted Tree of the Sephirath

From Tomi secundi tractatus secundus: de praenaturali utriusque mundi historia

by Robert Fludd (Frankfurt, 1621)
472 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

314). In the Siphra di zenioutha (Book of conceal- 16, n. 5) that was supposed to have been the precur-
ment), perhaps the oldest book of the Zohar. occurs sor to the Sepher Raziel.
this passage: " .. . the finger of God was the messen-
ger (11.,t!lt!l1:) or guide to Moses, and showed him all 27. Prina-Binah (i1J'J).
the land of Israel" (In Ginsburg [1863], 1970, 109, n.
II). By tradition Metatron was the cloud that covered 28. Jubilee-"And IVBL, Yobel . 'jubilee,' is H, He
the Tabernacle. (the first He of the Tetragrammaton); and He is the
spirit rushing forth over all ... " (Mathers [1887] 1962,
20. joined with lod-See the table at the end of ch. I :5:42: I 07). Jubilee was a time of restitution, remis-
XIII. bk. II. Yod Jehovah (i11i1' ') differs from the sion and release. See Leviticus 25 :9.
names, or combined name, usually associated with
Chokmah in modem occultism, which is Jah or Yah 29. Spirit-The Shekinah, which Waite describes as
( i1') or Jah Jehovah (i11i1' i1'). "the principle of Divine Motherhood-that is, the fem-
inine side of Divinity . .. " (Waite [1929] 1975,
21 . Hochma-Chokmah ( i11:):)n). 8: I :369). It is not clear from the texts of the Kabbalah
whether the Shekinah can be completely identified
22. Cherubins-Cherubim. See table, ch. XII, bk. II. with the Holy Spirit, is completely distinct, or should
be regarded as the exhaler of Holy Spirit in the form of
23. Orphanim-Auphanim (D'Jm~), or Wheels. breath. However, in one place in the Zohar is written:
"The Holy Spirit-this is the Shekinah with which
24. starry heaven-The sphere of the zodiac, or Ester [Ester 5: 1] clothed herself." (Waite [1929]1975,
eighth sphere. The zodiac is a great wheel. 8: I :368). Waite concludes that the Holy Spirit of the
Zohar and the Shekinah of the Zohar are the same, but
25. Raziel-'?~'n , sometimes given as Ratziel. that the Kabbalistic Holy Spirit is not identical with the
Christian Holy Spirit, although there are many similar-
26. ruler of Adam-See Genesis 5: I. Speaking of this ities. See Waite [1929]1975 , 362-9.
biblical verse on the Book of the Generations of
Adam, Waite says: 30. Zaphchiel-Tzaphkiel ( '?~'pE:l~) .

It is supposed by the ZOHAR to signify that 31 . ruler of Noah-In the Zohar the ark of Noah is
there was a Secret and Supreme Book, the Elohim. "It is said that Noah walked with Elohim .. .
source of all, including the Hebrew let- But Elohim is the Celestial Bride, who is Shekinah"
ters-presumably in that form under which (Waite [1929] 1975, 7:4:292-3). Therefore the angel
they are manifested below. It expounded of Elohim and the Shekinah is the angel set over Noah.
the Holy Mystery of Wisdom and the effi-
ciency resident in the Divine Name of sev- 32. lophiel-Jophiel ('?~'E:li1'), is said to be the
enty-two letters. It was sent down from intelligence of the sphere of the zodiac in the table to
heaven by the hands of the angel Raziel ch. XIII, bk. II.
and Adam was entrusted therewith. Raziel
is said to be the angel of the secret regions 33 . Sem-Shem, one of the sons of Noah, who with
and chief of Supreme Mysteries. (Waite his brother Japheth covered his father 's nakedness
[1929]1975,1:1:16) (Genesis 9:23), which had been seen by Ham. In the
Hebrew original of the bible the "God of Shem" is
The Sepher Raziel is a medieval grimoire falsely Elohim (I:ltD 'i1'?~) . See Genesis 9:26.
(according to Waite [1929]1975, 519, n. 2) ascribed
to Eleazer of Worms. 34. Hesed-Chesed nOn).
With its long catalogues of angelic names,
its talismans and philtres, its double seal of 35. Dominations-Dominions.
Solomon, its mystical or occult alphabetical
symbols, its figures for the government of 36. Hasmalim-Chasmalim (I:l''?atDn), or Brilliant
evil spirits, and its conjurations by means of Ones.
Divine Names, this work constitutes one of
the storehouses of Medieval Magic, besides 37. Zadkiel-Tzadkiel ('?~'P1~).
being broadly representative of the Practi-
cal Kabbalah at large. (ibid.) 38. Abraham-The patriarchs are variously assigned
to the ten Sephiroth. Here is the arrangement given
Waite also refers to "a legend of an old MIDRASH by Ginsburg, which does not agree with that of
called the BOOK OF RAZIEL . .. " (Waite [1929]1975 , Agrippa:
 Of Divine Emanations / 473

When thus fulfilling the commandments 52. Ben Elohim-Beni Elohim (C'il?tol: 'J::J) .
the pious not only enjoy a prelibation of
that sublime light which shines in heaven, 53 . Sadai-Shaddai ('itv), the Almighty.
and which will serve them as a garment
when they enter into the other world and 54. Elhai-EI Chai ('n ?tol:), the Mighty Living One.
appear before the Holy Ones (Sohar, ii,
299b), but become on earth already the 55 . lesod-Yesod (i10').
habitation of the Sephiroth, and each saint
has that Sephira incarnate in him which 56. genii-Tutelary spirits presiding over the affairs
corresponds to the virtue he most culti- of individuals or over localities or institutions. They
vates, or to the feature most predominant were spirits of the lower air:
in his character. Among the patriarchs,
therefore, who were the most exalted in I say that there are daemons who dwell
piety , we find that LOVE, the fourth with us here on earth, and others who dwell
Sephira , was incarnate in Abraham; above us in the lower air, and others again
RIGOUR, the fifth Sephira , in Isaac; whose abode is in the purest part of the air,
MILDNESS , the sixth Sephira, in Jacob; where no mist or cloud can be, and where
FIRMNESS, the seventh Sephira , in no disturbance is caused by the motion of
Moses; SPLENDOUR, the eighth Sephira, any of the heavenly bodies. (Asclepius
in Aaron; FOUNDATION, the ninth 3.33b [Scott, 1:369, 371])
Sephira , in Joseph; and KINGDOM, the
The sphere of the Moon was the great divider between
tenth Sephira , was incarnate in David.
heavenly and earthly things: " .. . note how the Moon,
(Ginsburg [1863] 1970, I: 122)
as she goes her round, divides the immortals from the
mortals" (Corpus Hermeticum II (ii).7 [Scott, 213]).
39. Geburach-Geburah (ili1:m, or Severity.
To the Moon was assigned governance of all lower
40. Fear-See note 7 above. Another name for this spirits: " .. . in the air dwell souls, over whom rules the
Sephirah is Din (ri ), or Justice. Moon .. . " (Stobaei Hermetica 24.1 [Scott, 497].

41 . Seraphim-Fiery Serpents. 57 . Adonai Melech-Adonai Melekh (l?1:l 'Jitol:).

42 . Camael-Khamael (?tol:1:l~). 58. Malchuth-Malkuth (rI1~?1:l).

43. Eloha-Aloah (il1?tol:). 59. lssim-Ashim ( C'tvtol:), the Souls of Fire.

44. Vaudahat-va Daath ( r1.1)i1). 60. Messiah-Literally "the anointed one," the sav-
iour of the Jews, promised in the prophetic books.
45 . Tree of Life-Genesis 2:9 and 3:22. For the par- See Daniel 9:25 and Isaiah 9:6.
ticular Kabbalistic meaning of this term, see Appen-
dix VI. 61. Metattron-It is interesting that Metatron is the
angel of the first and the tenth Sephirah. In this con-
46. Malachim-Kings. text it might be worth noting that there are two Meta-
trons-the highest heavenly angel created with , or
47. Toby the younger-See the Apocryphal book of even before, the creation of the world; and the angel
Tobit I: I. that Enoch is transformed into after his ascent into
heaven. The first rivals God in his glory, while the
48. Tetragrammaton Sabaoth-That is, IHVH second is very much a servant, the scribe who records
Tzabaoth (rI1tol:::J~ il1il'). the deeds of men. There are also two ways of writing
the name Metatron, with six (11i~~1:l) and with
49. Nezah-Netzach (n~J). seven (Pi~~'1:l) letters. The seven-letter form is the
oldest, occurring almost always in the earliest manu-
50. right column-The Kabbalistic Tree of Life is scripts. The 'seven-letter Metatron is the supreme
divided into three pillars: the Pillar of Mercy (right emanation of the Shekinah, whereas the six-letter
side), Pillar of Severity (left side), and the Middle Metatron is the transformed Enoch. Often San-
Pillar of Mildness. See Appendix VI. dalphon is given as the angel of Malkuth, but San-
dalphon is more properly the angel who presides over
51. Elohim Sabaoth-Elohim Tzabaoth (C'il?tol: the planet Earth, as opposed to Uriel, the angel of ele-
rI1tol:::J~ ) . mental Earth. See Knight [1965]1980, 1:16:32:199.
 CHAPTeRx.l

Of rhe divine names, and rheiR poweR and viRrue.

od himself though he be only one in name Innon 1'J~, and the name Emeth l8 na~ ,

CJ
essence, yet hath divers names, which which is interpreted Truth, and is the seal of God;
expound not his divers essences or and there are two other names, ZurI91'~, and
. deities, but certain properties flowing Aben20 1:::l~, both of them signify a solid work,
from him, by which names he doth pour down, and one of them express the Father with the Son.
as it were by certain conduits, on us and all his And many more names have we placed
creatures many benefits and divers gifts. above in the scale of numbers; and many names
Ten of these names we have above of God and the angels are extracted out of the
described, which also Hierom reckoneth up to holy Scriptures by the Cabalistical calculation,
Marcella. I Dionysius reckoneth up forty-five Notarian and Gimetrian 21 arts, where many
names of God and Christ. 2 The mecubals of the words retracted by certain of their letters make
Hebrews from a certain text of Exodus,3 derive up one name, or one name dispersed by each of
seventy-two names, both of the angels and of its letters signifieth or rendereth more.
God,4 which they call the name of seventy-two Sometimes they are gathered from the
letters, and Schemhamphores,5 that is, the Expos- heads of words, as the name Ag/a 22 ~'?~~,
itory; but others proceeding further, out of all from this verse of the ~oly Scripture
places of the Scripture do infer so many names of ,~J1~ D'?,.u., 1~:::l~ iln~
God as the number of those names is: but what that is the mighty God forever; in like manner
they signify is altogether unknown to us. the name laia ~~~~, from \his verse
From these therefore, besides those which ;1n~ il'il~ 'J~il?~ i11il~
we have reckoned up before, is the name of the that is God our God is one God; in like manner
divine essence, Eheia 6 il~il~ , which Plato the name lava 23 ~,~~, from this verse
translates wv;? from hence they call God TO ov,8 ;l'~ ~il~' 1'~ ~il~
others owv,9 that is the Being. Hua lo ~'il, is that is let there be light, and there was light; in
another name revealed to Esay, II signifying the like manner the name Ararita24 ~n~1~1~,
abyss of the Godhead, which the Greeks translate from this verse
TaUTOV,12 the Same, the Latins Ipse, Himself. nm~~ iD~1 1n'1n~ iD~1 1n~
Esch l 3 iD~ , is another name received from ;1n~ 1n1,an
Moses, which soundeth Fire, and the name of that is one principle of his unity, one beginning
God Na l4 ~J , is to be invocated in purturbations of his individuality, his vicissitude is one thing;
and troubles. There is also the name lah l 5 il\ and thi s name Hacaba ~:::lPil , is extracted
and the name Elion 16 1'~'?.u , and the name from this verse
Macom l ? cnpa, the name Caphu ,~~, the ,~'il In:::l iD'1Pil

474
 Of the Divine Names / 475

the holy and the blessed one; in like manner this understood and taught in any other language
name lesu 1W", is found in the heads of these except the Hebrew; but seeing the names of
two verses, viz. God (as Plato saith in Cratylus)32 are highly
,1?1m ?W ~.,~., esteemed of the barbarians, who had them from
that is, until the Messiah shall come, and the God, without the which we can by no means
other verse perceive the true words and names by which
,n"1 'law l1j" God is called, therefore concerning these we
that is, his name abides till the end; thus also is can say no more, but those things which God
the name Amen la~, 1xtracted from this verse out of his goodness hath revealed to us; for they
,1a~j l.,a "j'~ are the mysteries and conveyances of God's
that is, the Lord the faithful King. omnipotency, not from men, nor yet from
Sometimes these names are extracted from angels, but instituted and firmly established by
the end of words, as the same name Amen, from the most high God, after a certain manner, with
this verse an immovable number and figure of characters,
,tJ".!)Wiil p ~? and breathe forth the harmony of the Godhead,
that is, the wicked not SO,25 but the letters are being consecrated by the di vine assistance.
transposed; so by the final letters of this verse Therefore the creatures above fear them,
,ila 1aW ila 'I? those below tremble at them, the angels rever-
that is, to me what? or what is his name? is ence, the devils are affrighted, every creature
found the name Tetragrammaton. doth honour, and every religion adore them; the
In all these a letter is put for a word, and a religious observation whereof, and devout invo-
letter extracted from a word, either from the cation with fear and trembling, doth yield us
beginning, end, or where you please; and some- great virtue, and even deifies the union, and
times these names are extracted from all the let- gives a power to work wonderful things above
ters, one by one, even as those seventy-two nature.
names of God are extracted from those three Therefore we may not for any reason what-
verses of Exodus 26 beginning from these three soever change them; therefore Origen com-
words ~"1, ~::l"1, .!)O"l, the first and last mandeth that they be kept without corruption in
verses being written from the right to the left, their own characters;33 and Zoroastes also for-
but the middle contrarywise from the left to the biddeth the changing of barbarous and old
right, as we shall show hereafter. words;34 for as Plato saith in Cratylus, all divine
And so sometimes a word is extracted from words or names have proceeded either from the
a word, or a name from a name, by the transpo- gods first, or from antiquity, whose beginning is
sition of letters, as Mefsia il"Wa, from lsrnah hardly known, or from the barbarians: 35 lambli-
ilaW"; and Michael ,,~~"a, from ,,~~.,a, cus in like manner adviseth, that they may not
Malachi. But sometimes by changing of the be translated out of their own language into
alphabet, which the Cabalists call Ziruph27 another; for, saith he, they keep not the same
1:'l1i"~, so from the name Tetragrammaton force being translated into another tongue. 36
il1il", are drawn forth ~:::l~a, Maz Paz, 28 Therefore these names of God are the most
1n~, Kuzu;29 sometimes also by reason of the fit and powerful means of reconciling and uniting
equality of numbers, names are changed, as man with God, as we read in Exodus,37 in every
Metattron l1i~~a, for Sadai .,'W, for both of place in which mention is made of my name, I
them make th,ree hundred and fourteen;30 so liai will be with thee, and bless thee; and in the book
"~"", and El"~, are equal in number, for both of Numbers,38 the Lord saith, I will put my name
make thirty-one.3l upon the sons of Israel and I will bless them.
And these are the hidden secrets concern- Therefore divine Plato in Cratylus, and in
ing which it is most difficult to judge, and to Philebus39 commandeth to reverence the names
deliver a perfect science; neither can they be of God more than the images or statues of the
476/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

gods: for there is a more express image and Also Sere nus Samonicus delivereth amongst
power of God, reserved in the faculty of the the precepts of physic, that if this name Abra-
mind, especially if it be inspired from above, cadabra 47 be written, as is here expressed, viz.
than in the works of men 's hands. diminishing letter after letter backward, from the
Therefore sacred words have not their last to the first, it will cure the hemitritaean fever
power in magical operations, from themselves, or any other, if the sheet of paper or parchment
as they are words, but from the occult divine be hanged about the neck, and the disease will by
powers working by them in the minds of those little and little decline and pass away:
who by faith adhere to them; by which words
a b r a c a d a b r aJ
the secret power of God as it were through con-
duit pipes, is transmitted into them, who have a b r a c a d a b r
ears purged by faith, and by most pure conver-
a b r a c Ii d a b
sation and invocation of the divine names are
made the habitation of God, and capable of a b r a c a d a
these divine influences. a b r a c a d
Whosoever therefore useth rightly these
words or names of God with that purity of a b r a c a
mind, in that manner and order, as they were a b r a c
delivered, shall both obtain and do many won-
a b r a
derful things, as we read of Medea :40
a b r
Most pleasant sleep she caused, words
thrice she spake,
a b
The seas appeased, and soon their fury a
brake. '--

Which the ancient doctors of the Hebrews But Rabbi Hama in his Book of Specula-
have especially observed, who were wont to do tion delivereth a sacred seal more efficacious
many wonderful things by words; the Pythag- against any diseases of man, or any griefs
oreans also have showed, how to cure very whatsoever, in whose foreside are the four
wonderfully the diseases both of body and squared names of God, so subordinated to one
mind, with certain words;41 we read also, that another in a square, that from the highest to
Orpheus, being one of the Argonauts diverted a the lowest those most holy names or seals of
most fierce storm 42 by certain words; in like the Godhead do arise, whose intention is
manner that Apollonius, by certain words whis- inscribed in the circumferential circle, but on
pered, raised up a dead maid at Rome;43 and the backside is inscribed the seven-lettered
Philostratus reporteth that some did by certain name Araritha, and his interpretation is writ-
words call up Achilles' ghost. 44 ten about, viz. the verse from which it is
And Pausanias relates,45 that in Lydia in extracted, even as you see it here described
the cities of Hero-Cesarea and Hypepis, were [see facing page]:48
two temples consecrated to the goddess whom But all must be done in most pure gold, or
they called Persica ,46 in both of which when virgin parchment, pure, clean and unspotted,
divine service was ended, a certain magician, also with ink made for this purpose, of the
after he had laid dry wood upon the altar, and in smoke49 of consecrated wax lights, or incense,
his native language had sang hymns, and pro- and holy water; the actor must be purified and
nounced certain barbarous words, out of a book cleansed by sacrifice, and have an infallible
which he held in his hand, presently the dry hope, a constant faith, and his mind lifted up to
wood, no fire being put to it, was seen to be kin- the most high God, if he would surely obtain
dled, and burn most clearly. this divine power.
 Of the Divine Names / 477

The fonner part In the fore part

•••••
111l~
In the hinder part

••• • •
;:J'~3
The hinder part
Neither let any distrust or wonder, that
sacred words, applied outwardly can do very
much, seeing by them the Almighty God . made
the heavens and the Earth; and further, by experi-
ence it is found, as saith Rab Costa Ben Luca, that
many things not having physical virtues do very
much; as for example, the finger of an abortive
child hanged on the neck of a woman hindereth
conception, so long as it remaineth there.
Moreover that in divers sacred words and
names of God, there is great and divine power,
which worketh miracles, Zoroastes , Orpheus,
Jamblicus, Synesius, Alchindus, and all the
famous philosophers testify; and Artephius,
both a magician and philosopher, hath written a
peculiar book concerning the virtue of words
and characters. Origen not inferior to the
In like manner against the affrightments famousest philosophers, doth maintain against
and mischief of evil spirits and men , and what Celsus , that there doth lie hid wonderful virtue
dangers soever, either of journey, waters, ene- in certain divine names,51 and in the book of
mies, anns, in the manner as is above said, Judges the Lord saith, my name which is Pele
these characters on the one side ",,~ , and ~'?~ , signifieth with us , a worker of miracles,
these on the backside ,~,~~, which are the or causing wonders. 52
beginnings and ends of the five first verses of But the true name of God is known neither
Genesis, and representation of the creation of to men nor to angels, but to God alone, neither
the world; and by this ligature50 they say that a shall it be manifested (as holy Scriptures testify)
man shall be free from all mischiefs, if so be before the will of God be fulfilled; notwith-
that he finnly believeth in God the creator of standing God hath other names amongst the
all things: angels, others amongst us men; for there is no
478/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

name of God amongst us (as Moses the Egypt- of God, and perhaps of angels.
ian 53 saith) which is not taken from his works, In like manner the angels have their name
and signifieth with participation, besides the amongst themselves, and in their idiom, which
name Tetragrammaton, which is holy, signify- Paul calleth the tongue of angels,55 concerning
ing the substance of the Creator in a pure signi- which we have very little knowledge with us,
fication, in which no other thing is partaker with but all their other names are taken from their
God the Creator; therefore it is called the sepa- offices and operations, which have not so great
rated name, which is written and not read,54 nei- efficacy; and therefore magicians call them by
ther is it expressed by us, but named, and their true names, namely the heavenly ones,
signifieth the second supernal idiom, which is which are contained in the holy Bible.

NOLcs-ChapLCR 7\..1
I. to Marcella-It was at the house of Marcella in real nomen proprium [proper name] , and
Rome between 382 and 385 AD that Saint Jerome must not be considered from any other
instructed a number of wealthy widows and maidens point of view. You must beware of sharing
in the scriptures, teaching them Hebrew and preaching the error of those [Kabbalists] who write
the virtues of monastic life. See his biographical note. amulets (kameot). Whatever you hear from
them, or read in their works, especially in
2. of God and Christ-Pseudo-Dionysius the Are- reference to the names which they form by
opagite, in his work Concerning Divine Names . combination, is utterly senseless; they call
these combinations shemot (names) and
3. text of Exodus-Exodus 14: 19-21 . See Appen- believe that their pronunciation demands
dix VII. sanctification and purification, and that by
using them they are enabled to work mira-
4. angels and of God-The verses can be written in cles. Rational persons ought not to listen to
two ways to produce two sets of 72 names: such men, nor in any way believe their
Now, if these three verses be written at assertions. No other name is called shem
length one above another, the first from right ha-meforash except the Tetragrammaton,
to left, the second from left to right, and the which is written, but is not pronounced
third from right to left (or, as the Greeks according to its letters." (Moses Mai-
would say, boustrophedon) , they will give monides The Guide for the Pelplexed 1.6 1,
72 columns of three letters each. Then each trans. M. Friedlander [New York: Dover
column will be a word of three letters, and as Publications, [1904]1956] , 89, 91)
there are 72 columns, there will be 72 words
Maimonides was an Aristotelian, which explains his
of three letters, each of which will be the 72
antagonistic attitude toward the Kabbalah.
names of the Deity alluded to in the text [of
the Zohar]. And these are called the
Schemahamphorasch, or the divided name. 6. Eheia-Eheieh. See Exodus 3: 14. The full name
By writing the verses all from right to left, Eheieh Asher Eheieh (i1'i1~ -'iLl~ i1'i1~) , trans-
instead of boustrophedon, &c., there will be lated in the Bible "I am that I am," is said by MacGre-
other sets of 72 names obtainable. (Mathers gor Mathers to be better rendered "Existence is
[1887]1962,170n) existence" or "I am He who is" (Mathers [1887]1962,
17). Mathers probably gets this from Maimonides:
5. Schemhamphores- Then God taught Moses how to teach them
It is well known that all the names of God [the Israelites] , and how to establish
occurring in Scripture are derived from amongst them the belief in the existence of
His actions, except one, namely, the Tetra- Himself, namely, by saying Ehyeh asher
grammaton, which consists of the letters Ehyeh, a name derived from the verb
yod, he, vau and he. This name is applied hayah in the sense of "existing," for the
exclusively to God, and is on that account verb hayah denotes "to be," and in Hebrew
called Shem ha-meforasl/ , "The nomen no difference is made between the verbs
proprium." ... Every other name of God is "to be" and " to exist."(Guide for the Per-
a derivative, only the Tetragrammaton is a plexed 1.63 [Friedlander, 94])
 Of the Divine Names / 479

The translators of Rashi's Commentary have ren- figuratively for God 's wrath (Deuteronomy 32:22). It
dered this in a different tense : "I will be what I will also means fire more generally .
be" (Rashi 1949,2:23).
14. Na-Translated in the Bible " I pray thee," or
7. wv--Ov (being). See Plato Crarylus 421a (Hamil- "now," used in the form of a submissive request or
ton and Cairns, 456). entreaty (Genesis 24:2), or by those who deliberate in
their own minds and, in effect, ask their own permis-
8. Toov-"Hence being." sion (Exodus 3:3). It occurs in the courteous address
to superiors (Genesis 18:3).
9. OwS"--Oov or DV (that; what; which).
15.lah-Yah (i1'). Used in the Bible as an abbrevi-
10. Hua- "He" or in the Latin rendering "himself." ated form of IHVH in such phrases as "praise ye
See Isaiah 43: 10 and 48 : 12; also 7: 14 for the second Jehovah! " (Psalms 104:35). "With that word [Yah] it
meaning. It is sometimes used emphatically with ref- is said; 'Elohim formed the worlds.' See Ya' ikut ha-
erence to God (Deuteronomy 32:39). According to Zohar on; 'Forming the Worlds'" (Myer [1888]
Gesenius (1890, 218) it should not be regarded as a 1974,319).
divine narne.
However, it is written in the Zohar: 16. Elion-Supreme, or Most High (Genesis 14:18;
Psalms 7: 17).
204. And since in Him beginning and end
exist not, hence He [the Ancient One] is 17 . M acom-A place, or habitation, sometimes used
not called AThH, Atah, Thou; seeing that for the place of God (Genesis 33:21).
He is concealed and not revealed. But
HVA, Hoa, He, is He called. 18. Emeth-Truth. Used in the Bible for truth in gen-
205 . But in that aspect wherein the eral (Genesis 42: 16) and also the truth of God
beginning is found , the name AThH, Atah, (Psalms 25:5, 26:3). In the Zohar this word stands for
Thou, hath place, and the name AB, Ab, an aspect of the beard of Microprosopus: "The word
Father. For it is written, Isa. Ixiii. 16: AMTh, Emeth. Truth, therefore dependeth from the
"Since Atah , Thou, art Ab, our Father." Ancient One .. ." (Greater Holy Assembly 35.852
206. In the teaching of the school of [Mathers 118871 1962, 217]). "When He [Micro-
Rav Yeyeva the Elder, the universal rule is prosopus] shineth in the light of the Ancient of Days
that Microprosopus be called AThH, Atah, [MacroprosopusJ, then is He called ' abundant in
Thou; but that the most Holy Ancient One, Mercy,' and when another of the other forms is con-
who is concealed, be called HVA, Hoa . sidered, in that form is He called 'and in truth,' for
He; and also with reason. (Lesser Holy this is the light of His countenance" (ibid. 36.866
Assembly 7.204-6 [Mathers 118871 1962, [Mathers 118871 1962, 218-9]).
279])
About this name MacGregor Mathers writes: 19. Zur-A rock, specifically applied to God as the
refuge of Israel (Isaiah 30:29; Deuteronomy 32: 37).
Himself, HV A, Hoa. whom we can only
symbolize by this pronoun; HE, Who is the 20. Aben-A rock, specifically the rock of Israel,
Absolute; HE, Who is beyond us; that awful Jehovah (Genesis 49:24). Aben, p~, contains the
and unknowable Crown, Who hath said, I two Hebrew words ab.:::l~ (father) and ben, P
(son).
AM; in Whom is neither past nor future, He
Who is the ETERNAL PRESENT. Therefore is 21. Notarian and Gimetrian-Notaricon and Gema-
HE, Hoa . the Father, known of none save tria: see Appendix VII.
the Son, IHVH, and him to whom the Son
will reveal Him. For none can see Hoa and 22. Agla-The sentiment "Thou art mighty forever,
live, for they would be absorbed in Him. o Lord!" is common in the Old Testament, particu-
(Mathers [1887] 1962, 156n) larly the psalms (see Psalms 92:8), but I have not
been able to locate the source of its Hebrew verse.
II. Esay-Isaiah.
23. lava-Genesis 1:3.
12. TGVTl'lv-TalJT()V, "the same. " In Latin it is
sometimes translated "himself." 24. ArGl'ita-The Hebrew of this verse in both the
Latin and English texts is faulty. I have tried to cor-
13 . Esch-Fire. Used to signify the fire of God, liter- rect these errors, which most authorities simply
ally when referring to lightning (I Kings 18:38) and copy.
480/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

25. the wicked not so-Psalms 1:4. suppose, an altogether uncertain thing, but
is, as those skilled in it prove, a consistent
26. three verses of Exodus-See note 3 above. system, having words which are known to
exceedingly few; then we say that the
27. Ziruph-See Appendix VII. name Sabaoth and Adonai, and the other
names treated with so much reverence
28. Maz Paz-By the pennutation known as ATH- among the Hebrews, are not applicable to
BASH. See Appendix VII. any ordinary created things, but belong to a
secret theology which refers to the Framer
29. Kuzu-I have not been able to extract this name of all things. These names, accordingly,
from the tables of Ziruph. Perhaps the Right Table of when pronounced with that attendant train
Commutations is intended. of circumstances which is appropriate to
their nature, are possessed of great power;
30. three hundred andfourteen-See note 19, ch. X, and other names, again, current in the
bk. III. Egyptian tongue, are efficacious against
certain demons who can only do certain
31 . both make thirty-one-liai = I + I + A + I =10 + things; and other names in the Persian lan-
to + I + 10 = 31; EI = A + L = I + 30 = 31. guage have corresponding power over
other spirits; and so on in every individual
32. Plato saith in Cratylus- nation, for different purposes. (Origen
Against Celsus 1.24 [Ante-Nicene Fathers.
Yes, indeed, Hennogenes, and there is one
4:406)
excellent principle which, as men of sense,
we must acknowledge-that of the gods And while still on the subject of names, we
we know nothing, either of their natures or have to mention that those who are skilled
of the names which they give themselves, in the use of incantations, relate that the
but we are sure that the names by which utterance of the same incantation in its
they call themselves, whatever they may proper language can accomplish what the
be, are true. And this is the best of all prin- spell professes to do; but when translated
ciples, and the next best is to say, as in into any other tongue, it is observed to
prayers, that we will call them by any sort become inefficacious and feeble. (ibid. 25
or ki)1d of names or patronymics which [Ante-Nicene Fathers . 4:406-7)
they like, because we do not know of any
See also all of ch. 45, bk. 5 of this work by Origen.
other. (Cratylus 400d-e [Hamilton and
Cairns, 438])
34. barbarous and old words-See note I, ch. LX,
This seems to be one of the passages Agrippa bk. II.
alludes to (see also note 35 below), but as in other
places, he interprets Plato to suit his own purposes. 35. from the barbarians-Again Agrippa twists, or
Socrates, Plato's alter ego, is being ironic as he does not grasp, Plato's meaning:
speaks the above, and is arguing against the assertion
That objects should be imitated in letters
of Cratylus, who holds an opinion in hannony with
and syllables and so find expression, may
Agrippa's: "I believe, Socrates, the true account of
appear ridiculous, Hennogenes, but it can-
the matter to be that a power more than human gave
not be avoided-there is no better principle
things their first names, and that the names which are
to which we can look for the truth of first
thus given are necessarily their true names" (ibid.
names. Deprived of this, we must have
438c [Hamilton and Cairns, 472]).
recourse to divine help, like the tragic
poets, who in any perplexity have their
33. their own characters-
gods waiting in the air, and must get out of
If, then, we shall be able to establish . .. the our difficulty in like fashion, by saying that
nature of powerful names, some of which "the gods gave the first names, and there-
are used by the learned amongst the Egyp- fore they are right." This will be the best
tians, or by the Magi among the Persians, contrivance, or perhaps that other notion
and by the Indian philosophers called may be even better still, of deriving them
Brahmans, or by the Samanaeans, and oth- from some barbarous people, for the bar-
ers in different countries; and shall be able barians are older than we are, or we may
to make out that the so-called magic is not, say that antiquity has cast a veil over them,
as the followers of Epicurus and Aristotle which is the same sort of excuse as the last,
 Of the Divine Names /481

for all these are not reasons but only inge- fabricate names, but of one looking to intellect and
nious excuses for having no reasons con- the nature of things" (ibid. 18 [Taylor, 43-4n].
cerning the truth of words. (Plato Crarylus
425d-e [Hamilton and Cairns, 460]) 42. most fierce storm-Perhaps this refers to Apollo-
nius Rhodius Argonautica I, c. line 1036, where
36. another tongue- Orpheus instructs the young warriors to dance in
their armour while Jason sacrifices and prays to
For if names subsisted through compact it
divert the storm winds.
would be of no consequence whether some
were used instead of others. But if they are
43. dead maid at Rome-Philostratus Life of Apollo-
suspended from the nature of things, those
nius ofTyana 4.45; also Eusebius Against the Life of
names which are more adapted to it will
Apollonius of Tyana Written by Philostratus 26. See
also be more dear to the Gods. From this,
note 10, ch. LVIII, bk. I.
therefore, it is evident that the language of
sacred nations is very reasonably preferred
44. Achilles' ghost-Apollonius tells his disciples:
to that of other men. To which may be
added, that names do not entirely preserve "To bring about my meeting with Achilles
the same meaning when translated into I did not dig a trench like Ulysses, nor did I
another language; but there are certain evoke his ghost by shedding the blood of
idioms in each nation which cannot be sig- lambs, bpt I offered those prayers by which
nified by language to another nation. And, the Indian Sages say they invoke departed
in the next place, though it should be possi- heroes, and then I said: ' 0 , Achilles, the
ble to translate them, yet they no longer vulgar herd say that you are dead, but I do
preserve the same power when translated. not at all agree with that opinion, nor does
Barbarous names, likewise, have much Pythagoras, the source of my philosophy.
emphasis, great conciseness, and partici- If we are right, appear to us. My eyes will
pate of less ambiguity, variety, and multi- be of great service to you, if you use them
tude. Hence, on all these accounts, they are as witnesses that you still live! ' Thereupon
adapted to more excellent natures. the earth about the mound quivered
(Iamblichus On the Mysteries 7.5 [Tay lor, slightly, and out came a youth about five
294-5]) cubits high, clad in a Thessalian mantle."
(Philostratus Life and Times of Apollonius
37. in Exodus-Exodus 20:24. of Tyana 4. 16 [Eells, 99])

38. book of Numbers-Numbers 6:27 . 45 . Pausanias relates-See note 8, ch. VII, bk. III.

39. in Philebus-"For myself, Protarchus, in the mat- 46. Persica- " Hierocaesarea went back to a higher
ter of naming the gods I am always more fearful than antiquity, and spoke of hav ing a Persian Diana,
you would think a man could be; nothing indeed whose fame was consecrated in the reign of Cyrus"
makes me so afraid" (Plato Philebus 12c [Hamilton (Tacitus Annals 3.62. In Complete Works , trans.
and Cairns, 1088]). Agrippa derives his reference Alfred John Church and William Jackson Brodribb
from Origen Against Celsus 1.25. [New York: Random House I Modem Library),
1942], 136).
40. we read of Medea-See note 8, ch. VI, bk. II.
47. Abracadabra-Perhaps no other magical formula
41. certain words-" Some diseases also they cured is so well known. Budge treats it at length in his
by incimtations. Pythagoras, however, thought that Amulets and Talismans , ch. 8. He is not satisfied that
music greatly contributed to health, if it was used in a Serenus himself invented the word, saying:
proper manner. The Pythagoreans likewise employed
select sentences of Homer and Hesiod for the amend- ... it seems to me that the formula is based
ment of souls" (Iamblichus Life of Pythagoras 29 upon something which is much older, and
[Tay lor, 88]). See also ch. 25. In the present context that in any case the idea of it is derived
it may be useful to give an extract from Proclus trans- from an older source. Many attempts have
lated by Tay lor: " Pythagoras, being asked what was been made to find a meaning for the for-
the wisest of things, said it was number; and being mula, but the explanation put forw ard by
asked what was the next in wisdom, said, he who Bischoff in his "Kabbalah" (1903) is the
gave names to things.. . . Pythagoras therefore said, most likely to be correct. He derives the
that it was not the business of any casual person to formula from the Chaldee words ~')~~
482/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

be pronounced as it is written in the form

~""::Ji~ i.e. ABBADA KE DABRA, which
of the Tetragrammaton, the shem ha-
see~ 'to' be addressed to the fever and to
meforash. It was not known to every one
mean something like "perish like the
how the name was to be pronounced, what
word." (Budge [1930] 1968,8:220-1)
vowels were to be given to each consonant,
The attraction of this charm continues into mod- and whether some of the letters capable of
em times. The well known magician Aleister Crow- reduplication should receive a dagesh.
ley attached considerable importance to the word, but Wise men successively transmitted the pro-
altered it to suit his preconceptions into ABRA- nunciation of the name; it occurred only
HADABRA, the "word of the Aeon" by which the once in seven years that the pronunciation
union of human and solar consciousness would was communicated to a distinguished dis-
occur: " It represents the Great Work complete, and it ciple. I must however, add that the state-
is therefore an archetype of all lesser magical opera- ment "The wise men communicated the
tions" (Crowley [1929] 1976,42). According to Ken- Tetragrammaton to their children and their
neth Grant, the reason for the change in spelling was disciples once in seven years," does not
Crowley's belief that he had discovered the true eso- only refer to the pronunciation but also to
teric name of the god Hod, which is the Chaldean for its meaning, because of which the Tetra-
Set. See Grant 1976, 3:59. grammaton was made a nomen proprium
of God, and which includes certain meta-
48 . here described-On the front of the amulet the physical principles. (Maim on ides Guide
names of God are, from top to bottom: IHVH, ADNI, for the Perplexed 1.62 [Friedlander, 91])
YIAI and AHIH. Around the edge is written: IHVH
He adds: "There is a tradition, that with the death
ALHIKV IHVH AKD: "IHVH Our God is IHVH
of Simeon the Just, his brother priests discontinued
One." Concem:ng the words on the back, see note 24
the pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton in the
above, and the part of the text to which it refers. The
blessing ... " (ibid., 92).
dots indicate that each letter stands for a word.
This zeal not to defile the most holy name of God
has led to the loss of its true pronunciation. When a
49. of the smoke-The ink is made from the soot
Jew reads scripture and encounters the name IHVH,
deposited by the smoke.
he pronounces it "Adonai" (ADNI).
50. ligature-A charm tied to the body. . .. therefore He (YHVH) is only named
with the name of the She'kheen-ah 'Ji~
51. certain divine names-See note 33 above. Adonai i.e., Lord: therefore the Rabbins
say (of the name YHVH); Not as I am writ-
52. causing wonders-Judges 13: 18. "Why askest ten (i .e., YHVH) am I read. In this world
thou thus after my name seeing it is a secret?" Name My Name is written YHVH and read
=PLA: something wonderful or admirable, a miracle Adonoi, but in the world to come, the same
of God. will be read as it is written, so that Mercy
(represented by YHVH) shall be from all
53. Moses the Egyptian-See note 5 above. sides. (Myer [1888] 1974, 18:341)
Myer is quoting the Zohar.
54. written and not read-
We were commanded that, in the sacerdo- 55. tongue of angels-I Corinthians 13: I.
tal blessing, the name of the Lord should
 z;w .ft9il ~.o ~m'
It~ """"a .f7J,;.,uI.:Y....

. . .-1 ~:l.;m 1 ~~-f---:ic:_:t7IN teal W /'wed a~ d/prUf/vati v",

tlQaln.rt ..llNuuat au. ~V'~ k
';;ueAU!. 6eVrg "'...... MI"",>m o,.pur~
wid d "uure.J tk6avu j7r>".,a/ttvik.

6. . /_ .

Kabbalistic Names of God

from The Magus by Francis Barrett (London, 1801)

 CHAPTeRXll

Of -che influence of che divine names -chRough

all -che middle causes inco chese infeRioR chingB-.

he most high Creator and First Cause, place, as fit members of this world in which God

T although he ruleth and disposeth all

things, yet distributeth the care of
execution to divers ministers, both
good and bad, which John in the Revelations l
as the chief president, dwelleth, most sweetly
disposing all things, not being contained, or cir-
cumscribed, but containing all things.
As John in the Revelations describeth that
calls assisting, and destroying angels: of which heavenly city, whose twelve gates? are guarded
the prophet2 sings elsewhere, the angel of the with twelve angels, infusing on them what they
Lord remains in the presence of them that fear receive from the divine name, twelve times
him, that he may preserve them; and elsewhere3 revolved;8 and in the foundations of that city the
he describes immissions 4 by evil angels. names of the twelve apostles, and the Lamb;9
Now whatsoever God doth by angels, as by for as in the Law, in the stones of the ephod,1O
ministers, the same doth he by heavens, stars, and foundations of the holy cityll described by
but as it were by instruments, that after this Ezekiel. were written the names of the tribes of
manner all things might work together to serve Israel, and the name of four letters did predom-
him, that as every part of heaven, and every star inate over them;12 so in the Gospel, 13 the names
doth discern every corner or place of the Earth, of the apostles are written in the stones of the
and time, species and individual: so it is fit that foundation of the heavenly city, which stones
the angelical virtue of that part and star should stand for the tribes of Israel in the Church, over
be applied to them, viz. place, time, and species. which the name of the Lamb hath influence,
Whence Austin in his Book of Questions,5 saith, that is, the name of Jesus. 14 in which is all the
every visible thing in this world, hath an angel- virtue of the four lettered name; seeing that
ical power appointed for it. Jehovah the Father hath given him all things.
Hence Origen6 on the book of Numbers Therefore the heavens receive from the
saith, the world hath need of angels, that may angels, that which they dart down ; but the
rule the armies of the Earth, kingdoms, angels from the great name of God and Jesu. the
provinces, men, beasts, the nativity, and progress virtue whereof is first in God, afterward dif-
of living creatures, shrubs, plants, and other fused into these twelve and seven angels, by
things, giving them that virtue which is said to be whom it is extended into the twelve signs, and
in them, from an occult propriety; much more into the seven planets, and consequently into all
need is there of angels that may rule holy works, the other ministers and instruments of God,
virtues and men, as they who always see the face penetrating even to the very depths.
of the most high Father, and can guide men in the Hence Christ saith, whatsoever you shall
right path, and also even the least thing to this ask the Father in my name, he will give you ;15

484
 Of the Influence of the Divine Names / 485

and after his resurrection saith, in my name they nill they, 19 bow the knee and obey, when the
shall cast out devils,16 and do as followeth; so name Jesu by a due pronunciation is proposed
that the name of four letters is no further neces- to them to be worshipped.
sary, the whole virtue thereof being translated And they fear not only the name but also
into the name of Jesus, in which only miracles the cross, the seal thereof;2o and not only the
are done; neither is there any other (as Peter knees of earthly, heavenly, and hellish creatures
saith)17 under heaven given unto men, by which are bowed, but also insensible things do rever-
they can be saved, but that. ence it, and all tremble at his beck, when from a
But let us not think, that by naming Jesus faithful heart and a true mouth the name Jesus is
prophanely, as the name of a certain man, we can pronounced, and pure hands imprint the salutif-
do miracles by virtue of it: but we must invocate erous sign of the cross.
it in the holy Spirit, with a pure mind and a fer- Neither truly doth Christ say in vain to his
vent spirit, that we may obtain those things disciples, in my name they shall cast out devils,
which are promised us in him; especially knowl- etc. unless there were a certain virtue expressed
edge going before, without which there is no in that name over devils and sick folk, serpents,
hearing of us, according to that of the prophet, I and persons, and tongues, and so forth, seeing
will hear him because he hath known my name. 18 the power which this name hath, is both from
Hence at this time no favour can be drawn the virtue of God the institutor, and also from
from the heavens, unless the authority, favour the virtue of him who is expressed by this name,
and consent of the name Jesu intervene; hence and from a power implanted in the very word.
the Hebrews and Cabalists most skillful in the Hence is it that seeing every creature
divine names, can work nothing after Christ by feareth and reverenceth the name of him who
those old names, as their fathers have done long hath made it, sometimes even wicked and
since; and now it is by experience confirmed, ungodly men, if so be they believe the invoca-
that no devil nor power of hell, which vex and tion of divine names of this kind, do bind devils,
trouble men, can resist this name, but will they, and operate certain other great things.

Norcs-ChaprCR 7\.n
1. in the Revelations-Revelation 7:2, 15 and else- animals, of seedlings, of plantations, and
where. many other growths. And again there is
work for angels who preside over holy
2. the prophet-Psalms 34:7. In this context, see works, who teach the comprehension of
Psalms 91 :9-12. eternal light and the knowledge of God's
secrets and the science of divine things.
3. and elsewhere-Psalms 78:49. (Origen Fourteenth Homily on Numbers,
trans. Rufinus. In Thorndike 1929, 1:454)
4. immissions-Insertions or injections into some-
... nor are we to suppose that it is the
thing. result of accident that a particular office is
assigned to a particular angel: as to
5. Book of Questions-Perhaps De doctrina Chris- Raphael, e.g., the work of curing and heal-
tiana of Augustine. ing; to Gabriel, the conduct of wars; to
Machael, the duty of attending to the
6.0rigen- prayers and supplications of mortals. For
And what is so pleasant, what is so mag- we are not to imagine that they obtained
nificent as the work of the sun or moon by these offices otherwise than by their own
whom the world is illuminated? Yet there merits, and by the zeal and excellent qual-
is work in the world itself too for angels ities which they severally displayed before
who are over beasts and for angels who the world was formed; so that afterwards,
preside over earthly armies. There is work in the order of archangels, this or that
for angels who preside over the nativity of office was assigned to each one, while
 --
486/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

others deserved to be enrolled in the order 14. name of Jesus-Ginsburg, referring to the Chris-
.of angels, and to act under this or that tian Kabbalistic work De verbo mirifico (Basle,
archangel, or that leader or head of an 1494) by the German mystic John Reuchlin, says:
order. (Origen De principiis 1.8 [Ante- "The name Jesus in Hebrew i1","iV"i1 '" .. . yields
Nicene Fathers 4:264-5) the name i1,i1' Jehovah; and the iV which in the
language of the Kabbalah is the symbol of fire or
7. twelve gates-Revelation 21: 12. light. ... This mysterious name therefore contains a
whole revelation, inasmuch as it shows us that Jesus
8. twelve times revolved-The twelve permutations is God himself, the Light or the Lagos" (Ginsburg
of Tetragrammaton. See the table accompanying ch. [1863] 1970, 3:5:211). Agrippa was familiar with
XIV, bk. II. this work by Reuchlin.

9. and the Lamb-Revelation 21 : 14. 15. he will give you-John 15: 16.

10. stones of the ephod-Exodus 28:29. 16. cast out devils-Luke 16: 17.

11 . holy city-Ezekiel 48:31 . 17. as Peter saith-Acts 4: 12.

12. predominate over them-" ... the name of the city 18. known my name-Psalms 91: 14.
from that day shall be, The Lord (i1,i1') is there."
Ezekie148:35. 19. will they, nill they-Willy-nilly.

13. in the Gospel-Matthew 19:28. 20. seal thereof-The sign of the cross made with the
hand.
 CHAPTeR Alll

Of rhe membeRS of ~od, and

of rheiR influence on OUR membeRs.

e read in divers places of the poor,6 and his eyelids inquire after the sons of

W holy Scripture, of divers mem-

bers of God, and ornaments; but
by the members of God, are
understood manifold powers, most simply
men: 7 also of his mouth, taste, throat, lips, and
teeth, we read in Esay, thou hast not inquired at
my mouth;S and in the Canticles, thy throat as
the best wine for my beloved, that goeth down
abiding in God himself, distinguished amongst sweetly, causing the lips of those that are asleep
themselves by the sacred names of God; but the to speak;9 there are also nostrils, by the which
garments of God and ornaments, are as it were (as we often find in the Law) he smelleth the
certain ways and relations, or emanations, or sacrifices for a sweet odour. IO
conduit pipes, by the which he diffuseth him- He hath shoulders, arms, hands, and fingers,
self; the hems of which as oft as our mind shall of the which we read in Esay: the government is
touch, so often the divine power ofsome mem- laid upon his shoulders; II to whom is the arm of
ber goeth forth, even as Jesus cried out, con- the Lord l2 revealed? And the Kingly Prophet
cerning the woman with the bloody issue, singeth, thy hands 0 Lord l3 have made me and
somebody hath touched me, for I perceive fashioned me, and I will behold the heavens, the
virtue to go forth from me. I work of thy fingers. 14 He hath also a right and
These members therefore in God are like left hand; hence the Psalmist saith, the Lord
to ours, but the Ideas and exemplars2 of our saith to my Lord, sit at my right hand: 15 and of
members, to the which if we rightly conform the left we read, in the Gospel, on which the
our members, then being translated into the damned shall be placed at the last day.16
same image, we are made the true sons of God, Further we read of the heart, breast, back,
and like to God, doing and working the works and backparts of God; as in the book of Kings,
of God. that God found David a man according to his
Therefore concerning the members of God, own heart; 17 we read also in the Gospel, his
many things are drawn forth out of the Scrip- breast upon which the disciple sleeping IS con-
tures; for we read of his head in the Canticles;3 ceived divine mysteries; and the Psalmist
thy head as carmel, and the locks of thy head as describeth his back, in the paleness of gold; and
the purple of a king; but this carmel signifieth he himself saith in Jeremiah, I will show my
not the mountain in the seacoast of Syria, but a back and not my face in the day of their perdi-
little creature, which engendereth the purple. 4 tion,19 and he saith to Moses, thou shalt see my
Also of his eyes, eyelids and ears, we read in the backparts;20 of his feet the Psalmist also saith,
Psalms, the eyes of the Lord on the just, and his darkness under his feet?1 and in Genesis he is
ears to their prayers,S his eyes look towards the said to walk to the south. 22

487
488/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

In like manner also we read of the gar- saith, the Lord hath put a new song into my
ments, and ornaments of God, as with the mouth;32 and elsewhere our Saviour saith, I will
Psalmist, the Lord hath reigned, he hath put on give you a mouth and wisdom;33 and of the hair
beauty, clothed with light as with a garment;23 he saith, an hair of your head shall not perish;34
and elsewhere, thou hast put on comeliness and and in another place, the hairs of your head are
beauty;24 the abyss as a garment and his cloth- numbered. 35
ing;25 and in Ezekiel, the Lord speaketh, saying, For the Almighty God seeing he would
I spread my garment over thee and covered thy have us to be his images and like to himself,
nakedness. 26 hath framed members, limbs, and figures after
Moreover also we read of the rod, staff, many ways laid open in us, according to the
sword and buckler of God, as in the Psalmist, similitude of his hidden virtues, as it were signs
thy rod and thy staff,27 they have comforted me; keeping the same order and proportion to them.
his truth hath compassed thee about as with a Whence the mecubals of the Hebrews say,
shield;28 and in Deuteronomy we read of the that if a man capable of the divine influence do
sword of his glory.29 make any member of his body clean and free
And very many of this sort the sacred word from filthiness , then it becometh the habitale 36
declares to us; from which members and divine and proper seat of the secret limb of God, and of
ornaments, there is no doubt, but that our mem- the virtue to the which the same name is
bers and all things about us, and all our works, ascribed: so that if that member want anything,
are both ruled, directed, preserved, governed, the name being invocated, whence it dependeth,
and also censured, as the Prophet saith, he hath it is presently heard effectually, according to
put my foot upon a rock,3o and directed my that, I will hear him, because he hath known my
goings; and elsewhere he saith, blessed be the name;37 and these are the great and hidden mys-
Lord my God, who teacheth my hand to war, teries, concerning which it is not lawful to pub-
and my fingers to fight; 31 and of his mouth he lish more.

Noces-ChapceR Alll
1. goforthfrom me-Mark 5:30. 7. sons of men-Psalms 11:4.

2. Ideas and exemplars-Ideals and archetypes. 8. inquired at my mouth-Isaiah 30:2.

3. in the Canticles-Song of Solomon 7:5. 9. asleep to speak-Song of Solomon 7: 9.

4. engendereth the purple-Kermes is a red pig- 10. sweet odour--Genesis 8:21.

ment which was anciently obtained from the preg-
nant female of the insect Coccus ilicis , found in II. upon his shoulders-Isaiah 9:6.
southern Europe and northern Africa clinging to a
species of evergreen oak like red berries. At the 12. arm of the Lord-Isaiah 53: I.
beginning of the 16th century it began to be sup-
planted by cochineal , a similar pigment made from 13 . hands 0 Lord-Psalms 8:6.
the insect females of Coccus cacti , imported from
Mexico and Peru by the Spanish. The name 14. work of thy fingers-Psalms 8:3 .
carmine (from kermes) was applied to both.
Agrippa is of course referring to the Old World 15. my right hand-Psalms 110: 1.
product. What the ancients called purple, we would
call red. 16. the last day-Matthew 25:33, 41.

5. to their prayers-Psalms 34: 15. 17. his own heart-I Samuel 13: 14.

6. towards the poor-Perhaps Psalms 10:8. 18. disciple sleeping-John 13:25 and 21 :20.
 Of the Members of God /489

19. their perdition-Jeremiah 18:17. 28. with a shield-Psalms 5: 12.

20. see my backparts-Exodus 33:23. 29. sword 0/ his glory-Deuteronomy 33 :29. See
Psalms 45:3 .
21. under his/eet-Psalms 18:9.
30.foot upon a rock-Psalms 40:2.
22. walk to the south-Genesis 3:8. Of this passage
Rashi says: "In that direction [interpreting mi as 31 . fingers to fight-Psalms 144: I.
'direction' instead of 'wind'] [towards] which the
sun comes, and that is, the west. For towards evening 32. into my mouth-Psalms 40:3.
the sun is in the west ... " (Rashi 1949, I :30). The
brackets are those of the editors of the Commentary. 33. mouth and wisdom-Luke 21: 15.

23. with a garment-Psalms 91:1. 34. shall not perish-Luke 21: 18.

24. comeliness and beauty-Perhaps Psalms 104: I. 35. are numbered-Matthew \0:30.

25. his clothing-Psalms 104:6. 36. habitale-Habitation. The word habitation was
used to describe the Jewish tabernacle.
26. thy nakedness-Ezekiel 15:8.
37. hath known my name-See note 18, ch. XII, bk. III.
27. rod and staff-Psalms 23:4.
 CHAPTeR 7\.lV

Of rhe gods of rhe genri1es, and rhe souls

of rhe celesrial bodies, and whar places weRe
consecRared in rimes pasr, and ro whar deiries.

he philosophers have maintained, as gave gifts to the sons of the concubines, viz.

T we have showed before, that the heav-

ens and stars are divine animals, and
their souls intellectual, participating
of the divine mind; and they aver, that some
Shemoth, Steltoma, that is strange names, but
left Isaae heir of all that he possessed, say, that
the sons of the concubines were not in the bless-
ing of Abraham given to Jehovah the most high
separated substances are superior, others infe- Creator, but to strange gods and deities,5 but
rior to them, as it were governing and serving, that Isaac and his seed were given to the
which they call intelligences and angels; more- omnipotent Jehovah , and in no part to any
over Plato himself affirmed, that celestial souls I strange deities; therefore they are upbraided in
are not confined to their bodies, as our souls to Deuteronomy, because they served strange gods
our bodies, but to be, where they will, and also and worshipped them they knew not, and to
that they rejoice in the vision of God, and with- whom they were not given.
out any labour or pains do rule and move their And also Joshua Nave, after that the people
bodies, and together in moving them do easily were brought into the land of promise, their ene-
govern these inferior things. mies overcome, and the lots of the possessions of
Therefore they often called the souls of this Israel distributed, give the people leave to choose
kind, gods, and appointed divine honours for that God whom they would worship, saying,
them, and dedicated prayers and sacrifices to leave is given you this day to choose whom you
them, and did worship them with divine worship; will especially serve, whether the gods which
and these are the gods to the which all people are your fathers served in Mesopotamia, or the gods
attributed, concerning which Moses commanded of the Amorites, whose land you inhabit; but the
in Deuteronomy,2 saying, lest perchance your people answered, we will serve the Lord Jeho-
eyes being lifted up to heaven, thou shouldest see vah, and he shall be our God; Joshua said to
the Sun, the Moon, and all the stars of heaven, them, ye cannot do it, for the Lord Jehovah is
and being turned back shouldest adore and wor- holy, strong, and jealous; but the people perse-
ship them, to which all the nations are subjected, vering to serve Jehovah, he saith to them, ye are
which are under the heaven; but the Lord Jehovah witnesses yourselves that ye have chosen for
hath taken and brought you forth from the furnace yourselves the Lord, to serve him; take away
of Egypt, that thou shouldest be an hereditary therefore strange gods out of the midst of you,
people to himself; and in the same book, chapter and incline your hearts to the Lord God of Israel;
17,3 he calleth the Sun, Moon and stars gods. and he erected a great stone saying, this stone
And the doctors of the Hebrews upon that shall be for a witness, lest perhaps afterwards ye
place of Genesis 4 where it is said, that Abraham will deny and lie to the Lord your God. 6

490
 Of the Gods of the Gentiles / 491

Therefore the other gods, to which the The Carthaginians and Leucadians did
other nations were given, were the Sun, Moon, worship Saturn; Crete, Pyreus, Homole, Ida,
twelve signs, and other celestial bodies, and Elis and Libya, Jupiter, where was his oracle;27
divine fabrics, yet not as they were bodies, but Epirus, Latium, Gnidus, Lycia, Pisa, Macedo-
as the soul adhereth to them, and the whole nia, Mars; the Thermodonians, Scythians, and
militia of heaven, which Jeremy calls the Queen Thracia, the Sun.
of Heaven,7 that is the power by which the The Scythians did worship only one god,
heaven is governed, viz. the Soul of the World, sacrificing an horse 28 to him; the same also the
of which Jeremy saith, the sons gather sticks, Heliopolitans, and Assyrians did worship; and
and part thereof maketh a fire, and the women under the name of Apollo, the Rhodians, Hyper-
mingle oil, that they might make a cake for the boreans and Milesians; and the mountains Par-
Queen of Heaven: neither was the worship of nassus, Phaselus, Cynthus, Soracte,29 were holy
doulia to this Queen and other celestial souls to him, and the islands Delos, Claros, Tenedos
prohibited them, but of latria only,8 which they and Mallois, a place in the Isle Lesbos, and the
that gave, are reproved of the Lord. Grynean grove or town, besides the cities
But the name of these souls or gods, we have Patara, Chrysa, Tarapnas, Cyrrha, Delphos,
declared; but to what regions, people, and cities Arrephina, Entrosi, Tegyra; also Thebes, the
they were ascribed as proper and tutelar, Origen,9 island Naxos, Nise a city of Arabia, Callichoros
Tertullian,lO Apuleius,l1 Diodorus,12 and very a river of Paphlagonia, were consecrated to him
many other historians, partly relate to us. under the name of Bacchus and Dionysus; also
Therefore all people worshipped their gods Parnassus and Cytheros mountains of Boeotia,
with their proper ceremonies: the Beotians, in which every second year by course, the feasts
Amphiarus;13 the Africans, MOpSUS;14 the Bacchanalia30 were kept; also the Thamaritans a
Egyptians, Osiris and Isis; the Ethiopians who people neighbours to the Hircanians did wor-
inhabit Meroe, Jupiter and Bacchus; the Arabi- ship Bacchus with their own ceremonies.
ans, Bacchus and Venus; the Scythians, Min- The Assyrians first of all introduced the wor-
erva; the Naucratians, Serapis; the Syrians, ship of Venus; then the Paphians in Cyprus, the
Atargates;15 the Arabians, Diaphares; the Phoenicians, and Cythereans, whom (as Ageus
Africans, Celestus; 16 the Nornians, Tibelenus. 17 reports) the Athenians followed: amongst the
In Italy also by the free cities' consecra- Lacedaemonians, Venus Armatha31 was wor-
tion, Delventius was the god of the Crustumen- shipped; at Delphos, Venus Epitybia;32 she was
sians, Viridianus of the Narvensians, also adored of the Coans; and in Amathus an
Aucharia 18 of the Aesculans, Nursia 19 of the island of the Aegean Sea, and in Memphi a city of
Volsians, Valentia of the Otriculans, Nortia 20 Egypt, and in Gnid0 33 and Sicilia, and the Idalian
of the Sutrinians, Curis 21 of the Phaliscians; grove, and the city Hypepa, and Erice a mountain
these especially were famous . of Sicilia, and in Calidonia, Cyrene and Samos;
The Latians did adore with the highest wor- and no deity of the old gods (Aristotle being wit-
ship, Mars; the Egyptians, Isis; the Moors, ness) is reported to have been worshipped with
Iuba; 22 the Macedonians, Cabrius;23 the greater ceremonies, and in more places.
Cartheginians, Uranus; the Latins, Faunus; the The French did especially worship Mer-
Romans, Quirinus;24 the Sabines, Sangus;25 the
cury, calling him Teutates;34 so also the Arcadi-
Athenians, Minerva; Samos, Juno; Paphos,
ans, Hermopolites, Egyptians and Memphites.
Venus; Lemnos, Vulcan; Naxos, Bacchus; The Scythians about Mount Taurus, did
Delphos, Apollo. worship the Moon under the name of Diana;
And as Ovid singeth in his Fasti:26 and in Ephesus, she had a most stately temple;35
Athens do Pallas; Crete, Dian ' implore.
and in Mycena after the death of Thoantes, king
The island Lemnos. Vulcan doth adore. of Taurica, her image being stolen away by Iphi-
The Spartans, Juno~--- genia and Orestes, 36 she was worshipped· nigh
492/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

Aricia. 37 The rite of ceremonies being changed, Vulcan, and also Sicilia.
she was worshipped likewise by the Magnesians Vesta was the goddess of the Trojans,
a people of Thessalia, and in Pisa a city of whom runaway Aeneas carried into ltaly,40 and
Achaia,38 and in Tybur, and the Aventinum a to her are given the Phrygians, Idea and Dindy-
Roman hill, and in Perga a city of Pamphil a, and mus mountains of Phrygia, and Reatum a city of
in Agras in the kingdom of Attica; and the Umbria; also the mountain Berecynthus, and
Catenian people are reported to have wor- Pessinuntium a city of Phrygia.
shipped the Moon under the masculine sex. 39 The cities Carthage, Prosenna, Argos and
There were also other places consecrated to Mycena, worshipped Juno.
other deities, as to Pallas, who is called Min- Also the island Samos, and the people of
erva, were consecrated Athens, the mountains Phaliscia, Orchestus a city of Boeotia, and
Pyreus, Aracynthus, the river Tritones, and Tenatus a promontory of Laconia, were conse-
AIcomeneum a city of Boeotia, and Neo one of crated to Neptune, and the Trezenian nation and
the islands of the Cyclades. city were under the protection of Neptune.
The holy places of Ceres are Eleusis, Of this sort therefore were the gods of the
Attica, Enna, and Catana, cities of Sicilia, and nations, which did rule and govern them, which
Mount Aetna. Moses himself in Deuteronomy41 calleth gods
The chief worship to Vulcan was in the of the Earth, to the which all nations were
island of Lemnos, and in Imbres an island of attributed, not signifying others than the heav-
Thracia, and Therasia an island consecrated to enly stars, and their souls.

No-ccs-Chap-CCR XlV
1. celestial souls-See Plato' s Laws, bk. 10, particu- which is offered to saints. Latria is the reverence of a
larly secs. 898-9. latris or hired servant, while dulia is the reverence of
a doulos or slave.
2. in Deuteronomy-Deuteronomy 4: 19-20.
9. Origen-See Origen Against Celsus 2.55 and
3. same book, chapter I7-Deuteronomy 17:3. 3.34.

4. of Genesis-Genesis 25:6. 10. Tertullian-See Tertullian Ad nationes 2.8.

5. gods and deities-Rashi alludes to this tradition II. Apuleius-See Apuleius De magia.
somewhat obliquely: "(This verse) [Gen. 25:6] is
written incompletely (the names of the concubines 12. Diodorus-See Diodorus Bibliotheca historica
are not mentioned), for there was only one concu- bks. 1-5.
bine, she was Hagar, the same as Keturah .. .. Our
Rabbis explained: The name of unclean (evil) pow- 13. Amphiarus-Amphiaraus, a Greek hero recog-
ers he handed over to them" (Rashi 1949, 1:235). nized as a god after his death. He was the son of
Oicles and Hypermnestra, and was descended on his
6. Lord your God-Joshua 24: 15-27. father's side from the seer Melampus. One of the
Argonauts, he also took part in the siege of Thebes.
7. Queen of Heaven-Jeremiah 7:18. See also While fleeing away from that city in his chariot, pur-
44: 17-26. This unnamed goddess is conjectured to sued by Periclymenus, the earth opened and swal-
be the Mesopotamian Ishtar, mother goddess of fer- lowed him. Zeus raised him to the rank of god.
tility, love and war, whose cult was popular in Judah
during the Assyrian vassalage of 7th century Be. The Oropians were the first to believe
Amphiaraos was a god, but since then all
8. latria only-Dulia and latria are words adopted by Greece has come to think of him as one ....
the Roman Catholics: latria expresses that supreme Oropos has a temple of Amphiaraos and a
reverence and adoration which is offered to God white stone statue .... The Oropians have a
alone; dulia that secondary reverence and adoration spring called Amphiaraos's spring near the
 Of the Gods of the Gentiles / 493

shrine; they never sacrifice anything to it the city. Modem authorities hold her to have been
and never use it for the rites of purifying or similar to the goddesses Ops, Acca Larentia and Dea
for holy water, but when a disease has been Dia. She may have been goddess of the new year, as
healed for a man by oracular prescriptions, her festival , called Angeronalia (or Divalia), was cel-
they have a custom of dropping silver and ebrated on December 21. In Faesulae (Fiesole, near
gold coins into the spring, because this is Florence), where her altar has been discovered, she
where they say Amphiaraos rose up as a was worshipped under the name Ancharia.
god .... I think Amphiaraos was particu-
larly good as an arbiter of dreams; obvi- 19. Nursia-Nortia. See note JO above. Nortia (or
ously, since he was recognized as a god for Nurtia) was an Etruscan goddess worshiped at
having instituted oracular dreaming. (Pau- Volsinii (Bolsena, located on the Italian lake of the
sanias Guide to Greece 1.34.2-3 [Levi, same name). She is chiefly remembered because each
1:97-9]) year a nail was driven into the wall of her temple as a
form of primitive calendar-perhaps originally
14. Mopsus--Greek hero and seer, the son of Ampyx begun as a magical practice for averting plague or
by the nymph Chloris. Out of deference to his some other evil. See Livy History 7.3.7. This practice
prophetic gift he was called a son of Apollo by also took place in the temple of Jupiter Optimus
Himantis. Along with Amphiaraus he was one of the Maximus in Rome.
Calydonian hunters who pursued the giant boar of
Artemis, and one of the crew of the Argos who 20. Nortia-See note 19 above.
sought the golden fleece . While on this voyage he
died in Libya from the bite of a serpent and was 21. Curis-Juno Curis, or Curitis, or Quiritis, was a
buried there. In after times he was worshipped as an goddess especially worshipped in Falerii (or
oracular hero. He is not to be confused with another Falerium) in Etruria, which was about 32 miles north
seer of the same name who was the son of the Cretan of Rome at present-day Civita Castellana. The name
seer Rhacius and Manto, the daughter of Tiresias. comes from curia , a division of the Roman people
made up of an association of families (gentes) that
15. Atargates-Atargatis is a Syrian "fish-goddess," formed a political and religious unit. All ten curiae
the wife of Baal, who had many functions. She was performed ceremonies (sacra) to Juno Curis. Tertul-
ancestor of the royal house, founder of social and lian speaks of a "Father Curis of Falisci, in honour of
religious customs, and fertility goddess. In the last whom, too, Juno got her surname" (see note JO
role she represented the life-giving powers of water above). Presumably there was a Jupiter Curis.
and earth. She was known to the Greeks as Derketo
and Dea Syria (or Deasura). Apuleius describes her 22. luba-Juba II was given divine honors after his
cult in The Golden Ass, ch. 36. Lucian wrote a trea- death. See biographical note.
tise De dea Syria (On the Syrian goddess) describing
her temples and priests. Legends link her with the 23. Cabrius-Cabeiros , one of the Cabiri, mystical
astrological Pisces. She is variously said to have been Greek divinities that occur in various places in the
transformed into a fish, hatched from an egg found ancient world. Originally there were two, an older
by fish, and saved by fish from the wrath of Typhon. identified with Hephaestus and a younger identified
Regarding this last version, see Ovid Fasti 2, c. line with Hermes. When their cult was united with that of
470. She is also mentioned in the apocryphal II Mac- Demeter and Kore, their number increased to four.
cabees 12:26. The goddess Cabeiro, who is said by ancient writers
to be the wife of Hephaestus, is identical with Deme-
16. Celestus-Coelestis. See note 10 above. ter-Demeter was called Kabeiria in Thebes. Also in
Thebes was found a depiction of a god called
17. Tibelenus-Tiberinus, one of the mythical kings Cabeiros who resembles Dionysus. The chief seat of
of Alba. According to Livy, he drowned while trying the worship of the Cabeiri was the island of Samo-
to cross the Albula, and his name was given to the thrace (now Samothraki) off the coast of Thrace near
river, which became known as the Tiberis, or Tiber Macedonia. Philip of Macedon and his wife were ini-
(History of Rome 1.3). The spirit of the king became tiated into the mysteries of the Cabeiri here.
the guardian of the river.
24. Quirinus-A Sabine word (quiris: spear) used as
18. Aucharia-Or Ancharia (see note JO above). The a surname of Romulus and Augustus when they had
old Roman goddess Angerona (or Angeronia). The been raised to the ranks of divinities, and of the gods
ancients said she relieved pain and sorrow, and cured Mars and Janus. The festival in honour of the transla-
angina (quinsy); or that she was the protecting god- tion to heaven of divine Romulus was called Quirina-
dess of Rome whose name was the sacred name of lia. The god Quirinus was similar to Mars, and was
494/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

worshipped in earliest times at Rome on the Quirinal whom they consider to be the wife of
Hill, where according to tradition a group of Sabines Jupiter; and after these Apollo, Celestial
had come to settle. Venus, Hercules, and Mars. These gods are
worshipped by the whole nation: the Royal
25. Sangus-Semo Sancus, also called Dius Fidius, Scythians offer sacrifice likewise to Nep-
was a god of light and oaths worshipped by the tune. (History 4 [Rawlinson, 221-2)
Sabines, Umbrians and Romans. He has been identi-
He mentions horse sacrifice only with regard to
fied with the Italian Hercules, but this is question-
funeral observances for a king: "Fifty of the best of
able. The sanctuary of the god on the Quirinal Hill
the late king's attendants are taken, all native Scythi-
had a hole in the roof, because he could only be
ans ... and strangled, with fifty of the most beautiful
invoked beneath an open sky. An inscription on an
horses" (ibid., 225-6).
altar in a second chapel located on an island in the
Tiber led the early Christian Fathers Justin Martyr,
29. Soracte-The whole mountain was sacred to
Tertullian and Eusebius to wrongly identify the god
Apollo. On the festival of the god his worshippers
with Simon Magus, whom they inferred was wor-
walked over burning embers . "'Highest of the gods
shipped in Rome.
to me, Apollo, guardian of holy Soracte, whom first
" ... when you install in your Pantheon Simon
we honour, for whom is fed the blaze of pines piled
Magus, giving him a statue and the title of Holy God
up, whose votaries we, passing through the fire in the
.. . " (Tertullian Apology 13 [Ante-Nicene Fathers,
strength of our piety, press the soles of our feet on
3:29]).
many a burning coal .. . ,,, (Virgil Aeneid II , c. line
There was a Samaritan, Simon, a native of 785 [Lonsdale and Lee, 258]). I might mention in this
the village called Gitto, who in the reign of context that the supposed sacrifice by pagans of their
Claudius Caesar, and in your royal city of children to fire, referred to so often in the Bible, was
Rome, did mighty acts of magic, by virtue only an initiatory rite of fire walking.
of the art of the devils operating in him. He
was considered a god, and as a god was 30. Bacchanalia-The festival of Dionysus (Bac-
honored by you with a statue, which statue chus), which seems to have consisted of a prolonged
was erected on the river Tiber, between the orgy. Plato says: "I have seen such reveling before
two bridges, and bore the inscription, in the now in your Attica on the ' wagons,' and at Tarentum,
language of Rome: a settlement of our own, I beheld the whole city in its
cups at the feast of Dionysus .. . " .(Laws I :637b,
"Simoni Deo Sancto,"
[Hamilton and Cairns, 1237]). The custom was intro-
"To Simon the holy God."
duced into Rome through Etruria. In the beginning
(Justin Martyr First Apology 26. In Ante- the festivals were secret, attended by women only,
Nicene Christian Library [Edinburgh: T. held three days a year in the grove of Simila (see
and T. Clark, 1867],2:29) Ovid Fasti 6, lines 503-17). Men were later admit-
ted, and the festivals spread to such an extent that in
26. in his Fasti- 186 Be a decree was issued banning them throughout
Italy, except in special circumstances. Even so, they
The people of Cecrops [Athenians] vener-
continued for many years after.
ate Pallas; Crete, the land of Minos, Diana;
the land of Hypsipyle [Lemnos] , adores
31. Venus Armatha-Armata means "furnished with
Vulcan; Sparta, and Mycenae the Pelopian
weapons." Pausanias mentions a temple of Armed
city, Juno; the district of Maenalus [Arca-
Venus in Lakonia: "Not far from here you will come
dia], the pine-wreathed head of Faunus.
to a hill, not very high, on which there is an ancient
Mars was a deserving object of worship to
temple and an armed cult-statue of Aphrodite"
Larium ... (Ovid Fasti 3, lines 81-5
(Guide to Greece 3. 15. IO [Levi, 2:53]). It is not sur-
[Riley, 89-90])
prising the warlike Spartans would worship a warrior
Venus.
27 . where was his oracle-The oracle of Jupiter
Ammon was in the oasis of Ammonium (now Siwa).
32 . Venus Epitybia-Aphrodite Epitymbia (Aphro-
dite of the Tomb), equivalent to Venus Libitina
28. horse-Herodotus gives this account of the reli-
(libitinarii: undertakers), a goddess of the dead.
gion of the Scythians:
Plutarch mentions a statue of Aphrodite Epitymbia at
They worship only the following gods, Delphi to which the spirits of the dead were sum-
namely, Vesta, whom they reverence moned (Roman Questions 23). He explains the seem-
beyond all the rest, Jupiter, and Tellus, ing incongruity of the goddess of love presiding over
 Of the Gods of the Gentiles / 495

the tomb by saying that one and the same deity rules genia became a priestess of the goddess. When her
both birth and death, and that the goddess points out brother, Orestes, came to Tauris to steal the sacred
the truth that death is not to be feared, but should be image of Artemis Thoantea that had fallen from
desired-a sentiment in keeping with the Roman pas- heaven, Iphigenia helped him, and eventually carried
sion for suicide. Other similar unlikely epithets for the statue to the Attic town of Brauron near
Aphrodite are Gravedigger, Goddess of the Depths, Marathon, where she died. The Lacedaemonians
and the Dark One. maintained that Iphigenia brought the statue to
Sparta, where the goddess was worshipped under the
33. Gnido-The most famous statue of Aphrodite in name Artemis Orthia. In early times human sacrifices
the ancient world was housed in a temple at Gnidus were offered to Iphigenia in both Attica and Sparta,
(Cnidus). It was the work of Praxiteles, and was imi- and in later times youths were scourged in Sparta at
tated on the coins of the town and much copied. A the festival of Artemis Orthia.
reproduction resides in the Vatican.
37. Aricia-Near the town of Aricia was a grove and
34. Teutates-Lucan mentions this obscure god in temple of Diana (Artemis) Aricina. The priest here
passing: " . .. the whole of long-haired Gaul . .. by was always a runaway slave, and was obliged to fight
whom the relentless Teutates is appeased by direful for his place any other slave who broke off a bough
bloodshed, and Hesus, dreadful with his merciless from a certain sacred tree in challenge. The combat
altars; and the shrine of Taranis, not more humane was to the death.
than that of Scythian Diana" (Pharsalia 1, lines
443-6 [Riley, 29]). Riley mentions in his notes that 38. Pisa a city of Achaia-Pisa was in Elis, not
Teutas or Teutates was identified with Mercury, Achaea.
Hesus or Esus with Mars, and Taranis with Jupiter by
Roman writers. Teutates was worshipped with 39. the masculine sex-This refers to the bearded
human sacrifice: "The Gauls used to appease Hesus Aphrodite of Cyprus, which was called Aphroditos
and Teutas with human blood" (Lactantius Divine by Aristophanes, according to Macrobius who men-
Institutes 1.21 [Ante-Nicene Christian Library, tions the goddess in his Saturnalia 3.8.2. Philochorus
21 :48]). Charles Anthon states that some derived the in his Atthis (referred to by Macrobius) identifies this
name Teutates from two British words, deu-tatt, sig- male-female god with the Moon, and says that at its
nifying God (see A Classical Dictionary [New York: sacrifices men and women exchanged clothing.
Harper and Brothers, 1843], 1301). He describes Aphroditos is the same as the later god Hermaphrodi-
Teutates as the "genius of commerce" and says "he tus, whose name means "Aphroditos in the form of a
was regarded as the inventory of all arts and the pro- herm"-a statue shaped as a quadrangular pillar sur-
tector of routes" (ibid. , 534). It is difficult not to mounted by a head or bust. In later mythology Her-
notice the similarity between the names of the Egypt- maphroditus came to be regarded as the son of
ian god Thoth and the Gallic Teutas, particularly Hermes and Aphrodite.
since both are associated with art, commerce, travel,
and Roman Mercury. 40. carried into Italy-Aeneas was supposed to have
carried the eternal fire of Hestia (Vesta) along with
35. most stately temple-In a plain to the northwest of the Penates with him when he fled the sack of Troy.
the city of Ephesus, beyond its walls, stood the temple "Forth am I borne an exile into the deep, with my
of Artemis, which had been built in the 6th century comrades, and son, and Penates, and great gods"
BC, but burned down on the night Alexander the Great (Virgil Aeneid 3, c. line 11 [Lonsdale and Lee, 114]).
was born (October 13-14, 356 BC). The Ionian city The Penates were household gods of the Romans
states jointly rebuilt it to such a splendor that it came belonging to private families or to the state. Vesta
to be regarded as one of the wonders of the world. was one of the Penates. They were kept in the central
part of the house, and a fire was maintained in their
36. Iphigenia and Orestes-Having offended honor on the hearth. At each meal libations were
Artemis by killing one of her stags and boasting of poured onto the hearth or upon the table as sacrifices
the deed, Agamemnon was compelled to offer his to the Penates. When a Roman was absent for any
daughter, Iphigenia, for sacrifice in order to gain a length of time, he greeted the household gods on his
fair wind so that his navy could sail against Troy. At return as he would any other member of his family.
the last moment Artemis snatched the girl from the
altar and carried her in a cloud to Tauris, where Iphi- 41. Deuteronomy-Deuteronomy 13:7.
 CHA.PTeRXV

Wha-c OUR -cheologians -chinK

conceRning -che celes-cial souls.

hat the heavens and the heavenly bod- Moreover Aureolus7 himself in a strong

T ies are animated with certain divine

souls, is not only the opinion of poets
and philosophers, but also the asser-
tion of the sacred Scriptures, and of the
disputation doth convince these things; who
moreover thinketh it not strange, that the heav-
enly bodies are worshipped with the worship of
doulia, and that their suffrages and helps are
Catholics; for Ecclesiastes also describeth the implored; to whom also Thomas 8 himself con-
soul of heaven, I and Jerome upon the same senteth, unless the occasion of idolatry should
expressly confesseth it: in like manner Origen hinder this rite; moreover Plotinus maintaineth
in his book of Principles,2 seemeth to think that that they know our wishes, and hear them.9
celestial bodies are animated, because they are But if anyone would contradict these, and
said to receive commands from God, which is account them sacrilegious tenets, let him hear
only agreeable to a reasonable nature; for it is Austin in his Enchiridion, and in his book of
written, I have enjoined a command on all the Retractions,1O and Thomas in the second book
stars; moreover Job seemeth to have fully Against the Gentiles, II and in his Quodlibets, 12
granted, that the stars are not free from the stain and Scotus upon the Sentences,13 and Gulielmus
of sin; for there we read, the stars also are not Parisiensis in his Sum of the Universe, who
clean in his sight; which cannot verily be unanimously answer, that to say the heavenly
referred to the brightness of their bodies. bodies are animated or inanimated, nothing
Moreover that the celestial bodies are ani- belongeth to the Catholic faith.14
mated, even Eusebius the Pamphilian thought, Therefore although it seemeth to many
and also Austin in his Enchiridion;3 but of the lat- ridiculous, that the souls themselves be placed
ter writers Albertus Magnus 4 in his book of Four in the spheres and stars, and as it were the gods
Coequals, and Thomas Aquinas5 in his book of of the nations, every one doth govern his
Spiritual Creatures, and John Scot upon the sec- regions, cities, tribes, people, nations and
ond of the Sentences;6 to these the most learned tongues, yet it will not seem strange to those
Cardinal Nicholas Cusaus may be added. who rightly understand it.

No"Ccs-Chap"CCR XV
1. soul of heaven-Perhaps Ecclesiasticus 24:5. that they are said to receive command-
ments from God, which is ordinarily the
2. Book of Principles- case only with rational beings. "I have
We think, then, that they [the stars] may be given a commandment to all the stars,"
designated as living beings, for this reason, says the Lord [Isaiah 45: 12]. What, now,

496
 What Our Theologians Think Concerning the Celestial Souls / 497

are these commandments? Those, namely, elementorum et planetarum, where Albertus "subdi-
that each star, in its order and course, vides the heavenly substance into three elements
should bestow upon the world the amount composing respectively the sun, the moon and stars,
of splendour which has been entrusted to it. and the sky apart from the celestial bodies" (ibid .
.. . Yet if the stars are living and rational 581).
beings, there will undoubtedly appear
among them both an advance and a falling 5. Thomas Aquinas-Aquinas, in his De substantiis
back. For the language of Job "the stars are separatis, agrees that angels move the stars. "He also
not clean in His sight" [Job 25:5], seems to frequently affirms, both in the course of his chief
me to convey some such idea. (Origen De works and in briefer answers to special inquiries that
principiis 1.7 [Ante-Nicene Fathers, God rules inferior through superior creatures and
4:263]) earthly bodies by the stars" (ibid., 2:60:609).

3. his Enchiridion-Augustine considers the nature 6. second of the Sentences-Duns Scotus Opus
of the stars in several places-Enchiridion 1.58; City Oxoniense, a commentary on the Sententiae (Four
of God 13.16; De genesi ad litteram 2.18; and in the Books of Sentences) of Peter Lombard. Agrippa is
letters between himself and Orosius. When Orosius referring to the commentary on the second book of
brings up the opinion of Origen that the Sun, Moon the Sententiae.
and stars are rational,
7. Aureolus-Perhaps Aurelius Augustinus, or Saint
Augustine in his reply states that we can Augustine, in his letters to his Spanish disciple Oro-
see that the sun, moon and stars are celes- sius, referred to in note 3 above.
tial bodies, but not that they are animated.
He agrees firmly with Paul that there are 8. Thomas-Thomas Aquinas.
Seats, Dominions, Principalities, and Pow-
ers in the heavens, "but I do not know what 9. and hear them-
they are or what the difference is between
them." On the whole Augustine is inclined Similarly with regard to prayers; there is no
to regard this state of ignorance as a bliss- question of a will that grants; the powers
ful one. He is somewhat troubled by the that answer to incantations do not act by
verses in the Book of Job [Job 25:4-5-see will. .. . some influence falls from the
note 2 above] .. . Augustine evades this being addressed upon the practitioner---or
difficulty by questioning whether this pas- upon someone else-but the being itself,
sage is to be received as of divine author- sun or star, perceives nothing at all. The
ity, since it is uttered by one of Job's prayer is answered by the mere fact that
comforters and not by Job himself, of part and other part are wrought to one tone
whom alone it is said that he had not like a musical string which, plucked at one
sinned with his lips against God. end, vibrates at the other also. (Plotinus
(Thorndike, History of Magic and Experi- Enneads 4.4.40-1 [Mackenna, 3:96-7])
mental Science, 1:22:520-1)
10. Book of Retractions-Retractationum libri.
4. Albertus Magnus-Albertus expressly denies the
notion that the stars are animals, in the commonly II . Against the Gentiles-Summa contra gentiles.
accepted sense of the word, but regards them as
instruments of the First Intelligence: 12. Quodlibets-XII Quodlibeta disputata.

The first mover moves the first heaven and 13. upon the Sentences-See note 6 above.
through it the other spheres included within
it. Whether every other heaven has its own 14. the Catholic faith-
celestial intelligence to move it is a ques-
William states that Plato and Aristotle,
tion upon which Albert is somewhat
Boethius, Hermes Trismegistus, and A vi-
obscure. Others certainly thought so. He
cenna, all believed the stars to be divine
mentions, for instance, the opinion of cer-
animals whose souls were as superior to
tain Arabs that floods are due to the imagi-
ours, as their celestial bodies are . ... But he
nation of the intelligence which moves the
leaves Christians free, if they will, to
sphere of the moon, and concedes that
believe with the Aristotelians and many
there is some truth in it. (ibid., 2:59:581-2)
Italian philosophers that the superior world
Thorndike is describing De causis et proprietatibus is either one or many animals, that the
498/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

heavens are either animated or rational. In in heavenly bodies." (Thorndike, History

this he sees no peril to the Faith .... But he of Magic and Experimental Science,
declares that "it is manifest that human 2:52:366-7)
souls are nobler than those which they put
 CHAPTeR XVl

Of inre11igences and spiRirs, and of rhe

rhReefold Kind of rhem, and ·of rheiR diveRs
names, and of infeRnal and subreRRaneal spiRirs.

Ow consequently we must discourse stars 2 in the heavens: and they called those sat-

N of intelligences, spirits and angels. An

intelligence is an intelligible sub-
stance, free from all gross and putrify-
ing mass of a body, immortal, insensible,
urnine, who rule the heaven of Saturn and Sat-
urn himself; others jovial, who rule the heaven
of Jupiter and Jupiter himself; and in like man-
ner they name divers angels, as well for the
assisting all, having influence over all; and the name, as the virtue of the other stars.
nature of all intelligences, spirits and angels is And because the old astrologers did main-
the same. tain fifty-five motions,3 therefore they invented
But I call angels here, not those whom we so many intelligences or angels; they placed
usually call devils, but spirits so called from the also in the starry heaven, angels, who might rule
propriety of the word, I as it were, knowing, the signs, triplicities, decans, quinaries, degrees
understanding and wise. But of these according and stars; for although the school of the Peri-
to the tradition of the magicians, there are three patetics assign one only intelligence to each of
kinds, the first of which they call supercelestial, the orbs of the stars: yet seeing every star and
and minds altogether separated from a body, small part of the heaven hath its proper and dif-
and as it were intellectual spheres, worshipping ferent power and influence, it is necessary that it
the one only God, as it were their most firm and also have his ruling intelligence, which may
stable unity or center; wherefore they even call confer power and operate.
them gods, by reason of a certain participation Therefore they have established twelve
of the divinity; for they are always full of God, princes of the angels, which rule the twelve
and overwhelmed with the divine nectar. These signs of the Zodiac, and thirty-six which may
are only about God, and rule not the bodies of rule the so many decans, and seventy-two,
the world, neither are they fitted for the govern- which may rule the so many quinaries of
ment of inferior things, but infuse the light heaven, and the tongues of men and the nations,
received from God unto the inferior orders, and and four which may rule the triplicities and ele-
distribute everyone's duty to all of them. ments, and seven governors of the whole world,
The celestial intelligences do next follow according to the seven planets.
these in the second order, which they call And they have given to all of them names,
worldly angels, viz. being appointed besides the and seals, which they call characters, and used
divine worship for the spheres of the world, and them in their invocations, incantations, and
for the government of every heaven and star, carvings, describing them in the instruments of
whence they are divided into so many orders, as their operations, images, plates, glasses, rings,
there are heavens in the world, and as there are papers, wax lights and such like; and if at any

499
500 /THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

time they did operate for the Sun, they did invo- Whence as these angels are appointed for
cate by the name of the Sun, and by the names divers stars, so also for divers places and times,
of solar angels, and so of the rest. not that they are limited by time or place, nei-
Thirdly they established angels as minis- ther by the bodies which they are appointed to
ters 4 for the disposing of those things which are govern, but because the order of wisdom hath
below, which Origen calleth certain invisible so decreed; therefore they favour more, and
powers5 to the which those things which are on patronize those bodies, places, times, stars; so
Earth, are committed to be disposed of. For they have called some diurnal, some nocturnal,
sometimes they being visible to none do direct other meridional; 10 in like manner some are
our journeys and all our businesses, are oft pre- called woodmen, some mountaineers, some
sent at battles, and by secret helps do give the fieldmen, some domestics.
desired successes to their friends, for they are Hence the gods of the woods, country gods,
said, that at their pleasures they can procure satyrs, familiars , II fairies of the fountains,
prosperity, and inflict adversity. fairies of the woods, nymphs of the sea, the
In like manner they distribute these into Naiades,12 Neriades,13 Dryades,14 Pierides, 15
more orders, so as some are fiery, some watery, Hamadryades,16 Potumides,17 Hinnides,
some aerial, some terrestrial; which four species Agapte, Pales,1 8 Pareades, Dodonae,19 Fenil-
of angels are computed according to the four iae,20 Lavernae,2 1 Pareae, Muses, Aonides,22
powers of the celestial souls, viz. the mind, rea- Castalides,23 Heliconides,24 Pegasides,25
son, imagination, and the vivifying and moving Meonides,26 Phebiades,27 Camenae,28 the
nature; hence the fiery follow the mind of the Graces,29 the Genii ,30 hobgoblins31 and such
celestial souls, whence they concur to the con- like; whence they call them vulgar superiors,
templation of more sublime things, but the aer- some the demigods and goddesses.
ial follow the reason, and favour the rational Some of these are so familiar and
faculty, and after a certain manner separate it acquainted with men , that they are even
from the sensitive and vegetative; therefore it affected with human perturbations, by whose
serveth for an active life, as the fiery for a con- instruction Plato thinketh that men do often-
templative; but the watery following the imagi- times wonderful things , even as by the instruc-
nation, serve for a voluptuous life; the earthly tion of men, some beasts which are most nigh
following nature, favour vegetable nature. unto us, as apes, dogs, elephants, do often
Moreover they distinguish also this kind of strange things above their species. 32
angels into saturnine and jovial, according to And they who have written the Chronicles
the names of the stars, and the heavens; further, of the Danes and Norwegians, do testify, that
some are oriental,6 some occidental'? some spirits of divers kinds in those regions are sub-
meridional,8 some septentrional. 9 ject to men's commands; moreover some of
Moreover there is no part of the world these to be corporeal and mortal, whose bodies
destitute of the proper assistance of these are begotten and die, yet to be long lived,33 is
angels, not because they are there alone, but the opinion of the Egyptians and Platonists, and
because they reign there especially, for they especially approved by Procius. Plutarch 34 also
are everywhere, although some especially and Demetrius 35 the philosopher, and Aemil-
operate and have their influence in this place, ianus 36 the rhetorician affirm the same.
some elsewhere; neither truly are these things Therefore of these spirits of the third kind,
to be understood, as though they were subject as the opinion of the Platonists is; they report
to the influences of the stars, but as they have that there are so many legions, as there are stars
correspondence with the heaven above the in the heaven, and so many spirits in every
world , from whence especially all things are legion, as in heaven itself stars, but there are (as
directed, and to the which all things ought to Athanasius delivereth) who think, that the true
be conformable. number of the good spirits, is according to the
 Of Intelligences and Spirits / 50 I

number of men, ninety-nine parts, according to hurt even of their own accords; of these also
the parable of the hundred sheep;37 others think they reckon more legions, and in like manner
only nine parts, according to the parable of the distinguishing them according to the names of
ten groats;38 others suppose the number of the the stars and elements, and parts of the world,
angels equal with men, because it is written, he they do place over them kings, princes and
hath appointed the bounds of the people accord- rulers and the names of them .
ing to the number of the angels of God. Of these, four most mischievous kings do
And concerning their number many have rule over the others, according to the four parts
written many things, but the latter theologians, of the world; under these many more princes of
following the Master of the Sentences,39 Austin, legions govern, and also many of private
and Gregory, easily resolve themselves, saying, offices. Hence the wicked Gorgons,40 the
that the number of the good angels transcendeth Furies. 41 Hence Tisiphone, Alecto , Megera,
human capacity; to the which on the contrary, Cerberus. 42
innumerable unclean spirits do correspond, there They of this kind of spirits, Porphyry saith,
being so many in the inferior world, as pure spir- inhabit a place nigh to the Earth, yea within the
its in the superior, and some divines affirm that Earth itself; there is no mischief, which they dare
they have received this by revelations. not commit; they have altogether a violent and
Under these they place a kind of spirits, hurtful custom, therefore they very much plot
subterrany or obscure, which the Platonists call and endeavour violent and sudden mischiefs; and
angels that failed, revengers of wickedness, and when they make incursions, sometimes they are
ungodliness, according to the decree of the wont to lie hid, but sometimes to offer open vio-
divine justice, and they call them evil angels lence, and are very much delighted in all things
and wicked spirits, because they oft annoy and done wickedly and contentiously.43

Nores-ChapreR 7\.Vl
1. propriety of the word-The word "intelligent," we find that because they are divine they
from the Latin intelligere : to see into, perceive, are sometimes termed "god" in the sacred
understand. Scriptures, but not so that we are com-
manded to honour and worship in place of
2. stars-Planets. God those who minister to us, and bear to
us His blessings. (Origen Against Celsus
3. fifty-five motions-Aristotle distinguishes 55 5.4 [Ante-Nicene Fathers, 4:544])
spheres upon which the planets and stars move, in his
De caelo (On the heavens). 5. invisible powers-
We indeed also maintain with regard not
4. angels as ministers-Hebrews 1: 14.
only to the fruits of the earth, but to every
For we indeed acknowledge that angels are flowing stream and every breath of air, that
"ministering spirits," and we say that "they the ground brings forth those things which
are . sent forth to minister for them who are said to grow up naturaJly,-that the
shaJl be heirs of salvation;" and that they water springs in fountains , and refreshes
ascend, bearing the supplications of men, the earth with running streams,-that the
to the purest of the heavenly places in the air is kept pure, and supports the life of
universe, or even to supercelestial regions those who breathe it, only in consequence
purer still; and that they come down from of the agency and control of certain beings
these, conveying to each one, according to whom we may caJl invisible husbandmen
his deserts, something enjoined by God to and guardians; but we deny that those
be conferred by them upon those who are invisible agents are demons. (ibid. 8.31
to be the recipients of His benefits. Having [Ante-Nicene Fathers, 4:650-1])
thus learned to caJl these beings "angels"
[i.e., messengers] from their employments, 6. oriental-Eastern.
502/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

7. occidental-Western. 19. Dodonae-Dodonides, a class of nymphs spe-

cific to Dodona and its oak trees. Zeus Dodonaios
8. meridional-Southern. was worshipped at Dodona, the second most cele-
brated oracle in the ancient world, after Delphi. In
9. septentrional-Northern. earliest times the oracle was received by the rustling
leaves of an oak, or grove of oaks, sacred to Zeus,
10. meridional--':'Here used to refer to midday, or and interpreted by his priests, the Selloi. See Homer
noon. Iliad 16, lines 333-5; Pausanias Guide to Greece
10.12.5.
11.familiars-Familiar spirits are mentioned a num-
ber of times in the Old Testament and seem to have 20. Feniliae-Perhaps nymphs of the grasses, or
been connected with divination. Saul sought out the fields. The Latinfenilia means "a place where hay is
witch of Endor because of her familiar spirit (I kept."
Samuel 28:7). The punishment for having such a
spirit was death (Leviticus 20:27). God specifically 21. Lavernae-Laverna was the Roman goddess of
prohibits seeking out those with familiar spirits thieves and imposters. She had a sacred grove on the
(Leviticus 19:3 1). On this last verse Rashi gives the Via Salaria, and an altar near the Porta Lavernalis.
interesting commentary: "A prohibition against a Presumably her nymphs would be located in the
:moli '?Si:::l and a 'j1Si1'. A :::l1toli '?Si:::l is a wizard who grove.
(appears to) speak from his armpits, and a 'j1Si1' is
one who places the bone of an animal, the name of 22. Aonides-A name for the Muses deriving from
which is Yiddo'a, into his mouth and the bone Aonia, the region of Boeotia that contained Mount
(appears to) speak" (Rashi 1949,3: 196). Helicon and the fountain Aganippe, both of which
the Muses were known to frequent. In the Metamor-
12. Naiades-Nymphs of streams, ponds and fresh phoses of Ovid, one Muse refers to herself and her
waters. sisters as "we of Aonia" (Metamorphoses 5.2, line
333 [Riley, 169]).
13. Neriades-Nereids, the fifty sea nymphs who
were the daughters of Nereus and Doris. 23. Castalides-Name of the Muses that comes from
the fountain Castalia on Mount Parnassus. The foun-
14. Dryades-Dryads, wood nymphs. tain was also sacred to Apollo, and its name was said
to derive from Castalia, daughter of Achelous, who
15. Pierides-A surname of the Muses derived cast herself into the fountain to escape the rape of
from Pieri a, a region on the southeast coast of Apollo. The Pythia, Apollo's oracle, bathed in its
Macedonia, where they were first worshipped waters.
among the Thracians. According to legend Pierus,
King of Emathia in Macedonia, had nine beautiful 24. Heliconides- The Muses were called Heliconi-
daughters called the Pieri des who dared to chal- ades, or Heliconides, by the Roman poets after
lenge the Muses in a poetry contest. For punishment Mount Helicon. See note 22 above.
they were turned into magpies, and the Muses kept
their name. 25. Pegasides-Pegasus was supposed to have cre-
ated the fountain Hippocrene on Mount Helicon with
16. Hamadryades- Tree nymphs who lived and died a kick of his hoof. Thus the fountain was called
with the tree they inhabited , and were thus mortal, Pegasis (sprung from Pegasus), and the Muses
though long in years. received the name Pegasides, because they lived in
the fountain.
17 . Potumides-Potameides, river nymphs.
26. Meonides-Perhaps Maenades, the Bacchantes,
18. Pales-Roman god of shepherds and their flocks. frenzied women who worshipped Dionysus. They
The festival of the deity, called Parilia, or Palilia, was were also called Thyiades, Clodones and Mimallones.
celebrated April 21, the supposed birth date of the
city of Rome. It is uncertain whether the god was 27. Phebiades-Perhaps the Muses, after Phoebus,
male or female, as it is referred to by ancient writers another name for Apollo, with whom they are so
under both sexes (Ovid says female; Varro says closely associated.
male). This has led to the conjecture that there were
two gods, a male Pales similar to Pan, and a female 28. Camenae-Also called Casmenae, and Carme-
Pales associated with Vesta. For a description of the nae, prophetic water nymphs of ancient Italy. The
Palilia. see Ovid Fasti 4, lines 721-82. most important was Carmenta (or Carmentis) who
 Of Intelligences and Spirits / 503

was worshipped in her temple at the foot of the Capi- 31 . hobgoblins-In the Latin Opera, lemures is given.
toline Hill, and at her altars near the Porta Carmen- The lemures were ghosts, the spirits or specters of the
talis, in Rome. Juvenal connects them with a spring dead. Sometimes they were divided into two classes:
and sacred grove near the Porta Capena in the south lares, the ghosts of good men, and larvae, the ghosts
wall of the old city of Rome: of evil men. Usually this distinction was not made.
The Romans celebrated the festival of Lemuralia (or
Here, where Numa used to make assigna-
Lemuria) to propitiate these spirits.
tions with his nocturnal mistress [Egeria,
one of the Camenae, who instructed the
32. above their species-
king in forming his religious laws] the
grove of the once-hallowed fountain and Cronus was of course aware that, as we
the temples are in our days let out to Jews, have explained, no human being is compe-
whose whole furniture is a basket and bun- tent to wield an irresponsible control over
dle of hay. For every single tree is bid to mankind without becoming swollen with
pay a rent to the people, and the Camenae pride and unrighteousness. Being alive to
having been ejected, the wood is one mass this he gave our communities as their kings
of beggars. (Juvenal Satires 3, c. line 12, and magistrates, not men but spirits, beings
trans. Lewis Evans [New York: Hinds, of diviner and superior kind, just as we still
Noble and Eldredge, n.d.], 15) do the same with our flocks of sheep and
herds of other domesticated animals. We
29. Graces-The Gratiae of the Romans, called do not set oxen to manage oxen, or goats to
Charites by the Greeks, after Charis wife of Hep- manage goats; we, their betters in kind, act
haestus, the personification of grace and beauty (see as their masters ourselves. Well, the god, in
Homer Iliad 18, lines 382-3). They were three in his kindness to mim, did the same; he set
number, and bore the names Euphrosyne, Aglaia and over us this superior race of spirits who
Thalia. took charge of us with no less ease to
themselves than convenience to us, provid-
30. genii-Plural of genius, a protecting spirit of the ing us with peace and mercy, sound law
Romans. The Greeks called them daemons. Hesiod and unscanted justice, and endowing the
says there are 30,000 of them on Earth, that they are families of mankind with internal concord
invisible, and that they are the souls of good men and happiness. (Plato Laws 4.713c-d
from the Golden Age. (See Plato Cratylus [Hamilton and Cairns, 1304-5])
397e-398c.) The Romans viewed them as the gener-
ators or producers of life who accompanied each man 33. long lived-Referring to a passage near the end
as a second higher self. The idea is very similar to of the second book of the De nuptiis Philologiae et
that of guardian angels. Gregory Thaumaturgus Mercurii et de septem artibus liberalibus (The nup-
speaks of his genius in his address to Origen: tials of Philology and Mercury and the seven liberal
arts) by Martianus Capella, Thorndike says: "Finally
.. . if I may seek to discourse of aught
the earth itself is inhabited by a long-lived race of
beyond this, and, in particular, of any of
dwellers in woods and groves, in fountains and lakes·
those beings who are not seen, but yet are
and streams, called Pans, Fawns, satyrs, Silvani,
more godlike, and who have a special care
nymphs, and other names. They finally die as men
for men, it shall be addressed to that being
do, but possess great power of foresight and of
who, by some momentous decision, had
inflicting injury" (Thorndike, 1:546).
me allotted to him from my boyhood to
rule, and rear, and train,-I mean that
34. Plutarch-
holy angel of God who fed me from my
youth, as says the saint dear to God, And moreover, Hesiod imagines that the
meaning thereby his own particular one Daemons themselves, after certain revolu-
[see Genesis 48: 15-6]. .. . But we, in tions of time, do at length die. For, intro-
addition to the homage we offer to the ducing a Nymph speaking, he marks the
Common Ruler of all men, acknowledge time wherein they expire:
and praise that being, whosoever he is,
who has been the wonderful guide of our Nine ages' of men in their flower doth live
childhood, who in all other matters has The railing crow; four times the stags sur-
been in time past my beneficent tutor and mount
guardian. (Oration and Panegyric The life of crows; to ravens doth Nature give
Addressed to Origen 4 [Ante-Nicene A threefold age of stags, by true account;
Fathers, 6:24]) One phoenix lives as long as ravens nine.
504 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY -BOOK III

But you, fair Nymphs, as the daughters They lived in the far west in the Ocean, had serpents
verily for hair, wings, brazen claws and enormous teeth.
Of mighty Jove and Nature divine, Medusa alone was mortal. Everyone who looked at
The phoenix years tenfold do mUltiply. her face was turned to stone. After Perseus killed her,
Athene placed her head in the center of her shield (or
Now those which do not well understand breastplate).
what the poet means by this word YEVEcl
(age) do cause this computation of time to 41. Furies-The Eumenides, or more anciently the
amount to a great number of years. For the Erinyes, of the Greeks (Roman Furiae, or Dirae)
word means a year; so that the total sum were avenging goddesses who punished crimes.
makes but 9720 years, which is the space Erinyes means "angry goddesses" or "godde~ses who
of the age of Daemons. And there are sev- persecute the criminal." The later title Eumenides is a
eral mathematicians who make it shorter euphemism meaning "soothed goddesses," and was a
than this. Pindar himself does not make it way to avoid inadvertently naming, and thereby
longer when he says, Destiny has given evoking, them. They are described as black, winged
Nymphs an equal life with trees; and there- figures with serpent-infested hair and bleeding eyes,
fore they are called Hamadryades, because who visit unease and misfortune upon the heads of
they spring up and die with oaks. (Plutarch those who have been cursed for their crimes. Hesiod
Obsolescence of Oracles 11 , trans. Robert says they were born from the drops of blood that fell
Midgley [Goodwin, 4: 15]) from the castrated Uranus onto the body of the god-
dess Gaea (Earth). Their names are Tisiphone, Alecto
35 . Demetrius-Demetrius of Tarsus, a grammarian and Megaera.
who is one of the speakers in Plutarch 's dialogue, the
Obsolescence of Oracles. See note 34 above. 42. Cerberus-The dog-monster who stood guard at
the gate of Hades, where the ferryman Charon landed
36. Ameilianus-Orator of the 1st century who is the shades on the far side of Styx. Homer mentions
mentioned by Plutarch in his Obsolescence of Ora- "the dog" in both the Iliad (8, line 368) and the
cles, ch. 17. Agrippa has merely plucked the names Odyssey (11 , lines 623 and 625) but does not actually
Demetrius and Ameilianus out of Plutarch to impress name him. Hesiod describes him with fifty heads,
the reader, not for any good reason. and says he is the offspring of Typhaon and Echidna.
In later writers he is three-headed with a serpent tail
37. hundred sheep-Luke 15:4. and serpents twining about his neck: "These are the
realms huge Cerberus makes ring with the barking of
38. ten groats-Luke 15:8. his threefold jaws, reposing his enormous bulk in the
cave that fronts the ferry" (Virgil Aeneid 6, lines
39. Master of the Sentences-Peter Lombard. See his 417-8 [Lonsdale and Lee, 167]). See also the Geor-
biographical note. gics 4, c. line 470.
40. Gorgons-Originally there was only Gorgo, a 43. wickedly and contentiously-
terrifying shade of Hades mentioned by Homer in the
Odyssey II, line 633 . In the Iliad the aegis of Athene In the most holy of the mysteries, before
is said to contain the head of Gorgo: the God appears, certain terrestrial dae-
mons present themselves, and fights which
And ljcross her shoulders she threw the disturb those that are to be initiated, tear
betasselled, terrible them away from undefiled goods, and call
aegis, all about which Terror hangs like a forth their attention to matter. Hence the
garland, Gods exhort us not to look at these, till we
and Hatred is there, and Battle Strength, are fortified by the powers which the mys-
and heart-freezing Onslaught teries confer. For thus they speak: It is not
and thereon is set the head of the grim proper for you to behold them till your
gigantic Gorgon, body is initiated. And on this account the
a thing of fear and horrow, portent of Zeus oracles (i.e. the Chaldaeans) add, that such
of the aegis. . daemons, alluring souls, seduce them from
(Homer Iliad 5, lines 738-42 [Lattimore, the mysteries. (Proclus Commentary on the
148]) First Alcibiades of Plato, trans. Thomas
Hesiod speaks of three Gorgons named Stheno, Taylor. In Proclus An Apology for the
Euryale, and Medusa, the daughters of Phorcys and Fables of Homer 1, n. 8 [Thomas Taylor
Ceto, from which they derive the name Phorcydes. the Platonist: Selected Writings. 461])
 CHAPTeR AVll

Of rhese accoRding ro
rhe opinion of rhe rheologians.

ut our theologians, together with Diony- High divided the nations, he appointed them

B sius, maintain the three distinctions of

angels, everyone of which they divide
into three orders; they call these hierar-
chies, those quires, whom Proclus also distin-
bounds according to the number of the angels of
God. The second are present at sacred duties,
and direct the divine worship about every man,
and offer up the prayers and sacrifices of men
guisheth by the number nine. before the gods. The third dispose every smaller
They place therefore in the superior hierar- matter, and to each thing each one is a pre-
chy, Seraphim,. Cherubim, and Thrones, as it server. There are also of these, who afford
were supercelestial angels contemplating the virtue to the least plants and stones and to all
order of the divine providence; the first in the inferior things; to whom many things are com-
goodness of God; the second in the essence of mon with God, many with men, and they are
God, as the form; the third in the wisdom. mediating ministers.
In the middle hierarchy they place the Dom- But Athanasius, besides Thrones, Cheru-
inations, Virtues, and Powers, as it were worldly bins, and Seraphins, who are next to God, and
angels concurring to the government of the magnify him uncessantly with hymns and con-
world; the first of these command that which the tinual praises, praying for our salvation, nameth
other execute; the second are ministers to the the other orders, which by a common name he
heavens and sometimes conspire to the working calleth the militia of heaven.
of miracles; the third drive away those things The first of these is the Doctrinal order, of
which seem to be able to disturb the divine law. the which he was, who spake to Daniel, saying,
But in the inferior hierarchy they place the come, that I may teach thee what shall come to
Principalities, Archangels, and Angels, whom thy people in the last days. 5
also Jamblicus reckoneth up, I these as minister- Then there is the Tutelar order, of the
ing spirits descend to take care of inferior which we read also in Daniel, behold, Michael
things; the first of these take care of public one of the princes cometh to my help;6 and
things, princes and magistrates, provinces and there, in that time shall rise up Michael a great
kingdoms, every one those that belong to them- prince, who standeth for the sons of thy people;7
selves; when we read in Daniel, 2 but the prince of this order was that Raphael also, who carried
of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty- forth and brought back Tobiah the younger. s
one days; and Jesus the son of Sirach testifieth,3 After this is the Procuratory order, of the
that for every nation a ruling angel is appointed; which mention is made in Job, where we read, if
which also Moses by his song in Deuteronomy4 the angel shall speak for him, he will entreat the
seemeth to show forth, saying, when the Most Lord, and the Lord will be pleased with him;9

505
506/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

and of the same order is expounded also that that is, Creatures of Sanctity, or by the which
which is written in the sixteenth chapter of God i1'i1~ giveth the gift of being.
Ecclesiasticus, about the end, the works of the In the second place succeed Ophanimls
Lord have been made by his appointment from t:I':JEl1~, that is Forms or Wheels, by the which
the beginning, and he hath distributed their por- God i11i1' distinguisheth the chaos.
tions from the time they have been made, he In the third place are Aralim l9 t:I'?~1~,
hath adorned their works forever, they have not great, strong, and mighty angels, by the which
hungered, nor been wearied, and have not lehova Elohim pronounced, or lehova joined
desisted from their works, none of them shall with He i11i1'i1, administereth form to the liq-
oppress his neighbour even forever. 10 uid matter.
The Ministerial order followeth, of the In the fourth place are Hasmalim 20
which Paul to the Hebrews saith, are they not t:I'?aiDn , by which El ~? God framed the
all ministering spirits, sent forth for them who effigies of bodies.
shall be heirs of salvation? I I The fifth order is Seraphim21 t:I' El1iD ,
After these is the Auxiliary order, of the by the which God Elohim Gibor 1:l" t:I'i1?~
which we read in Esay, the angels of the Lord draweth forth the elements.
went forth and slew in the tent of the Assyrians The sixth is Malachim22 t:I'::J~?a, th~t is
185 thousands . 12 of Angels, by the which God Eloha i1'?~
The Receptory order of souls followeth produceth metals.
this, of which we read in Luke, the soul of The seventh Elohim t:I'i1?~, that is the
Lazarus was carried by angels into the bosom of Gods, by the which God lehovah Sabaoth
Abraham ,13 and there we are taught, that we m~:l~ i11i1' produceth vegetables.
should make to ourselves friends of the unright- The eighth Beni Elohim 23 t:I'i1?~ ':J:l,
eous Mammon, that we may be received into that is the Sons of God, by the which God Elo-
eternal tabernacles. 14 him Sabaoth m~:l~ t:I'i1?~ procreateth
Moreover, there is the order of the Assis- animals.
tants, of the which we read in Zachary, these are The ninth and lowest Cherubim 24
the two sons of the oil of splendour, who assist t:I':ln::J, by the which God Sadai '1iD cre-
the ruler of the whole Earth. 15 ateth mankind.
But the theologians of the Hebrews do oth- Under these is the order anamasticus 25
erwise number and call these orders. 16 called Issim 26 t:I'iD'~, that is Nobles, Strong
For in the highest place are those which Men, or Blessed, by the which God Adonai
they call Haioth Hacadosh 17 il"Pi1 m'n, ':J1~ bestoweth prophecy.27

Norcs-ChaprCR 7\.Vll
I. lamblicus reckoneth- and in a similar manner to these, the gen-
era of heros are ministrant. They are not,
And, in short, all these genera exhibit their
proper orders; viz. the aerial genera exhibit however, subservient to angels in the same
aerial fire; the terrestrial a terrestrial and way as daemons. Again, the genera of
blacker fire; and the celestial a more splen- archons, whether they preside over the
did fire. But in these three boundaries all world or over matter, exhibit the order
the genera are distributed according to a which is adapted to them. But all the gen-
triple order of beginning, middle, and end. era of souls present themselves to the view
And the Gods, indeed, exhibit the supreme as the last of more excellent natures.
and most pure causes of this triple order. (Iamblichus On the Mysteries 2.7 [Taylor,
But the genera of angels depend on those 98-9])
of archangels. The genera of daemons
appear to be subservient to those of angels; 2. in Daniel-DaniellO: 13 .
 Of These According to the Opinion of the Theologians / 507

3. Sirach testifieth-Ecclesiasticus 17: 17. 17. Haioth Hacadosch-Chaioth ha-Qadesh. See

Ezekiel I :5-14. See also Appendix VI here and in the
4. in Deuteronomy-Deuteronomy 32:8. However, following notes.
Agrippa's interpretation of this verse is question-
able-perhaps he links it to Deuteronomy 4:19. 18. Ophanim-Auphanim. See Ezekiel 1:15-20.

5. in the last days-DaniellO:14. 19. Aralim-See Ezekiel 1:26.

6. to my help-DaniellO: 13 . 20. Hasmalim-Chashmalim. See Ezekiel 1:27 .

7. sons of thy people-Daniel 12: I. 21. Seraphim-See Isaiah 6:6.

8. Tobiah the younger-Tobit 5:4, 16 and 11:4. 22 . Malachim-Melakim, usually derived from the
Hebrew 1"1 ~ (king), plural O':J'? ~ (see Ezra
9. pleased with him-Job 33:23. The meaning of this 4:13). But surely it is derived from 1~~, MLAK
verse is clearer in the Knox translation than in the (a messenger of God); i.e., an angel (see Exodus
King James. 23:20 and 33:2).

10. even forever-Ecclesiasticus 16:26-8. 23 . Beni Elohim-See Genesis 6:4.

II. heirs of salvation-Hebrews I: 14. 24. Cherubim-Kerubim.

12.185 thousands-Isaiah 37 :36. 25 . anamasticus-Dii animalie. gods who were orig-

inally men; in other words, heros.
13. bosom of Abraham-Luke 16:22.
26.lssim-Ashim (Valorous Men; Men of God). See
14. eternal tabernacles-Luke 16:9. Isaiah 53:3 in the Hebrew for this plural form of
tv'~ (a man). It is used with reference to angels in
IS. the whole Earth-Zechariah 4:14. Judges 13:6, 8. MacGregor Mathers' use of the form
o'tv~, AShIM, from the root tv~ (fire) seems to be
16. these orders- an error (see Mathers [1887] 1962, 26) . Along with
his other error, mentioned in note 22 above, it has
The Holy, Blessed be He! affixed to the
gained universal acceptance in modern popular
Throne legions to serve it, (the Ten Angelic
occultism. Mathers borrows most of his material on
Hosts, the Ye' tzeeratic World.) These are;
the names of the Sephiroth directly from Ginsburg ' s
Malakheem, Areleem, 'Hay-yoth, Opha-
Kabbalah [1863] 1970 (see the table in this latter
neem, Hash-maleem, E'leem, Eloheem,
text, p. 93).
Benai Eloheem, Isheem and Serapheem.
And for the service of these, the Holy,
27 . bestoweth prophecy-See Judges 13:8, where
Blessed be He! made Sama-el and his
this form of divine name is used and where the angel
legions, who are as it were, the clouds to be
of the Lord gives prophecy.
used to come down upon the earth. (Zohar
2.43a.ln Myer [1888]1974,17 :329)
Apollyon
from The Magus by Francis Barrett (London, 1801)
 CHAPTeR 7\Vlll

Of rhe oRdeRS of evil spiRirs,

and of rheiR fall, and diveRS narURes.

here are some of the school of the the- uity l2 are in their habitations; into their counsel

T ologians, who distribute the evil spir-

its into nine degrees, I as contrary to
the nine orders of the angels.
Therefore the first of these are those which
let not my soul come; whom the Psalmist cal-
leth Vessels of Death, 13 Esay Vessels of Fury, 14
and Jeremy Vessels of Wrath, 15 Ezekiel Vessels
of Destroying and Slaying; 16 and their prince is
are called False Gods, who usurping the name Belial,17 which is interpreted without a yoke or
of God, would be worshipped for gods, and disobedient, a prevaricator and an apostate, of
require sacrifices and adorations, as that Devil, whom Paul to the Corenthians saith, what
who saith to Christ, if thou wilt fall down and agreement hath Christ with Belial? 18
worship me, I will give thee all these things, Fourthly follow the Revengers of Evil,
showing him all the kingdoms of the world;2 and their prince is Asmodeus,19 viz. causing
and the prince of these is he who said, I will judgement.
ascend above the height of the clouds, and will After these in the fifth place come the
be like to the Most High;3 who is therefore Deluders, who imitate miracles, and serve
called Beelzebub,4 that is, an old god. wicked conjurers and witches, and seduce the
In the second place follow the Spirits of people by their miracles, as the serpent seduced
Lies, of which sort was he who went forth, and Eve,20 and their prince is Satan, of whom is
was a lying spirit in the mouth of the prophets of written in the Revelations, that he seduced the
Achab;5 and the prince of these is the serpent whole world, doing great signs, and causing fire
pytho;6 from whence Apollo is called Pythius,7 to descend from heaven in the sight of men,
and that woman a witch in Samuel,8 and the seducing the inhabitants of the Earth, by reason
other in the Gospel,9 who had Pytho in their of the signs, which are given him to dO. 21
belly. 10 Therefore this kind of devils joineth him- Sixthly the Aerial Powers offer themselves;
self to the oracles, and deludeth men by divina- they join themselves to thundering and light-
tions, and predictions, so that he may deceive. nings, corrupting the air, causing pestilences
In the third order are the Vessels of Iniq- and other evils; in the number of which, are the
uity, which are also called the Vessels of Wrath; four angels, of whom the Revelation speaketh,
these are the inventors of evil things and of all to whom it is given to hurt the earth and sea,
wicked arts, as in Plato, that devil Theutus ll holding the four winds, from the four comers of
who taught cards and dice; for all wickedness, the Earth;22 and their prince is called Meririm;23
malice and defonnity proceedeth from these; of he is the meridian devil, a boiling spirit, a devil
the which in Genesis, in the benedictions of raging in the south, whom Paul to the Eph-
Simeon and Levi, Jacob saith, Vessels of Iniq- esians calleth the prince of the power of this air,

509
510 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

and the spirit which worketh in the children of head of that rebelling army ; Trismegistus sings
disobedience.24 the same fall in his Pymander,34 and Homer
The seventh mansion the Furies possess, under the name of Ararus,~5 in his verses; and
which are powers of evil, discords, war and Plutarch in his speech Of Usury,36 signifieth,
devastations, whose prince in the Revelations 25 that Empedocles knew that the fall of the devils
is called in Greek Apollyon, in Hebrew Abad- was after this manner: the devils also them-
don,26 that is destroying and wasting. selves often confess their fall.
In the eighth place are the Accusers, or the They therefore being cast forth into this val-
Inquisitors, whose prince is Astarath, 27 that is, a ley of misery, some that are nigh to us wander
searcher out: in the Greek language he is called up and down in this obscure air, others inhabit
Diabolos,28 that is an accuser, or calumniator, lakes, rivers and seas, others the earth, and ter-
which in the Revelations is called the accuser of rify earthly things, and invade those who dig
the brethren, accusing them night and day wells and metals, cause the gapings of the earth,
before the face of our God.29 strike together the foundations of mountains,
Moreover the Tempters and Ensnarers have and vex not only men, but also other creatures.
the last place, ·one of which is present with Some being content with laughter and delu-
every man, which we therefore call the evil sion only, do contrive rather to weary men, than
genius, and their prince is Mammon,30 which is to hurt them, some heightening themselves to
interpreted covetousness. the length of a giant's body, and again shrinking
But all unanimously maintain that evil themselves up to the smallness of the pygmy's,
spirits do wander up and down in this inferior and changing themselves into divers forms, do
world, enraged against all, whom they there- disturb men with vain fear: others study lies and
fore call devils , of whom Austine in his first blasphemies, as we read of one in the first book
book of the incarnation of the word to Januar- of Kings, saying, I will go forth and be a lying
ius, saith: concerning the devils and his angels spirit in the mouth of all the prophets of
contrary to virtues, the Ecclesiastical preach- Achab: 37 but the worst sort of devils are those,
ing hath taught, that there are such things; but who lay wait and overthrow passengers in their
what they are and how they are, he hath not journeys, and rejoice in wars and effusion of
clear enough expounded: yet there is this opin- blood, and afflict men with most cruel stripes:
ion amongst most, that this Devil was an we read of such in Matthew, for fear of whom
angel, and being made an apostate,31 per- no man durst pass that way.38
suaded very many of the angels to decline with Moreover the Scripture reckoneth up noc-
himself, who even unto this day are called his turnal, diurnal , and meridional devils, and
angels: Greece notwithstanding thinketh not describeth other spirits of wickedness by divers
that all these are damned, nor that they are all names, as we read in Esay39 of satyrs, screech
purposefully evil, but that from the creation of owls, sirens, storks, owls; and in the Psalms 40 of
the world, the dispensation of things is apes, basilisks, lions, dragons; and in the Gospel
ordained by this means, that the tormenting of we read of scorpions41 and Mammon 42 and the
sinful souls is made over to them. prince of this world43 and rulers of darkness, of
The other theologians 32 say that not any all which Beelzebub is the prince, whom Scrip-
devil was created evil, but that they were driven ture calleth the prince of wickedness.44
and cast forth of heaven, from the orders of Porphyry saith, their prince is Serapis, who
good angels for their pride, whose fall not only is also called Pluto by the Greeks, and also Cer-
our and the Hebrew theologians, but also the berus is chief amongst them, that three-headed
Assyrians, Arabians, Egyptians, and Greeks do dog: viz. because he is conversant in three ele-
confirm by their tenets; Pherecydes the Syrian ments, Air, Water and Earth, a most pernicious
describeth the fall of the devils, and that devil; whence also Proserpina. who can do very
Ophis,33 that is the devilish serpent, was the much in these three elements, is their princess,
 Of the Orders of Evil Spirits / 511

which she testifies of herself in her answers, in that he knew not as yet his condemnation; but
these verses: there are many of the devils who are fallen, who
hope for their salvation. 46
Of threefold nature I Lucina fair, Very many think by the history of Paul the
The daughter am, sent from above the air; Hermit, written by Jerome, and reverenced by
The golden Phoebe am, and with heads
trine, the Church with canonical hours,47 also by the
Whom many forms do change, and the legend of Brandan, they are so taught; and even
trine sign by this argument they maintain that their
Which I bear with forms of earth, fire, prayers are heard; that we read in the Gospels,
and air, that Christ heard the prayers of the devils, and
I for black mastiffs of the earth do care.
granted that they should enter into the herd of
swine;48 to these also agreeth the · 71 psalm,
Origen' s opinion 45 concerning the devils
according to our supputation, but according to
is: the spirits who act of their own free will, left
the supputation of the Hebrews the 72, where
the service of God with their prince the Devil; if
we read, the Ethiopians shall fall before him,
they begin to repent a little, are clothed with
and his enemies lick the dust;49 there it is read
human flesh; that further by this repentance,
according to the Hebrew text, they that inhabit
after the resurrection, by the same means by the
the desert, shall bend their knees before him,
which they came into the flesh, they might at
that is, the airy spirits50 shall adore him, as the
the last return to the vision of God, being then
Cabalists affirm, and his enemies shall lick the
also freed from etherial and aerial bodies, and
dust, which they understand of Zazel,51 and his
then all knees are to be bowed to God, of celes-
army: of which we read in Genesis, dust shall
tial, terrestrial, and infernal things, that God
thou eat all the days of thy life,52 and elsewhere
may be all in all.
the Prophet saith, because the dust of the Earth
Moreover Saint lraneus approveth the
is his bread;53 hence the Cabalists think, that
opinion of Justine Martyr, who hath said, Satan
even some devils shall be saved, which opinion
never durst speak blasphemy against God,
also it is manifest that Origen was of.
before that the Lord came on the Earth, because

Not:cs-Chapt:CR X.Vlll
1. nine degrees-The consensus in ancient times under special permission from God; but
seems to be for a threefold division of fallen angels, they have legions and legions of subordi-
or evil spirits. One of the ninety-three visions of nates on earth who are responsible to them.
Saint Francisca (1384-1440) concerns the hierarchy (Brewer 1901 , 352)
of hell. She says that one third of the fallen angels
took up residence in the air where they cause storms On the same subject the Zohar says:
and disease, another third dwell on the Earth and lure "Come, See! In these evil species are three
souls to damnation, while the third part inhabit hell. degrees, one above the other. The upper
Lucifer, she tells us, is the monarch of all degree of these three hang in the air, the
the hells, but he rules in chains of iron, and lowest degree of them, are these which
is supreme in misery as well as in power. laugh at people and trouble them in their
Under him are three princes, each absolute dreams, because they are impudent like
in his own department. The first of these is dogs [see Chaldean Oracles 75] . And there
Asmodeus, once a cherub, but now hold- is a higher degree upon them which are
ing the "principality" of carnal sins. The from the Above and the Below [a middle
next is Mammon, the demon of avarice degree], which make known to man things
who holds the "throne" of this world. The which are sometimes true and sometimes
third is Beelzebub, who holds the "domin- not true, and those things which are true
ion" of idolaters. These three powers and they happen in the future." (Myer [1888]
Lucifer never leave their prisons, except 1974,20:435)
512 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

2. kingdoms of the world-Matthew 4:8. in his Homilies on the First Epistle to the Corinthians
29.12.1, regarding the oracle at Delphi:
3. the Most High-Isaiah 14:14.
Of this priestess, the Pythoness, it is now
said that she sat with parted thighs on the
4. Beelzebub-In the Old Testament, the god of the
tripod of Apollo and the evil spirit entered
Philistine city of Ekron (II Kings 1:2). In the New
her from below passing through her genital
Testament the Pharisees ascribed the ability of Jesus
organs and plunged her into a state of
to cast out devils to the power of this arch-demon
frenzy, so that she began with loosened
(Matthew 12:24). The name beelzeboub in the Vul-
hair to foam and rage like one drunken. (In
gate is usually translated "Lord of the Flies," but in
Oesterreich [1921] 1974,2:9:315)
the best Greek manuscripts it is written beelzeboul,
"Lord of the Earth," which seems to be the correct
rendering.
11. Theutus-Thoth.
5. prophets of Achab-Ahab. See I Kings 22:22. The story is that in the region of Naucratis
in Egypt there dwelt one of the old gods of
6. serpent Pytho--The Latin pytho means the familiar the country, the god to whom the bird
spirit possessing a soothsayer that gives prophecy. The called Ibis is sacred, his own name being
name Python came to be applied to the soothsayer. Theuth. He it was that invented number
and calculation, geometry and astronomy,
7. Pythius-Apollo killed the Python, a great serpent not to speak of draughts and dice, and
monster born from the mud that covered the Earth above all writing. (Plato Phaedrus 274c
after the deluge, which lived in the caves on Mount [Hamilton and Cairns, 520])
Parnassus. In memory of his victory the god insti-
tuted the Pythian games and was himself called As in other places, it may be conjectured
Apollo Pythius. Agrippa did not understand his own reference, as he
is unlikely to have knowingly spoken in so disparag-
8. witch in Samuel-I Samuel 28:7. ing a way of the Egyptian Hermes.

9. in the Gospel-Acts 16:16. 12. Vessels of Iniquity-Genesis 49:5, which in King

James reads "instruments of cruelty."
10. Pytho in their belly-See note 11 , ch. XVI, bk.
III. Ventriloquism, in the original use of the word, 13. Vessels of Death-Psalms 7: 13.
means "speaking from the belly," for which reason
those possessed by prophetic spirits were known as 14. Vessels of Fury-Perhaps Isaiah 51 :20.
ventriloquists. By ancient accounts the voice of the
spirit seemed to come from deep in the abdomen or 15. Vessels of Wrath-I do not find this in Jeremiah
"armpit" and was base and guttural. This is a genuine but in Romans 9:22.
phenomenon unaffected by culture or time (see Isa-
iah 29:4). Oesterreich writes: 16. Destroying and Slaying-see Ezekiel 9.
The second characteristic which reveals 17. Belial-A demon of the New Testament (II
change of personality is closely related to
the first: it is the voice. At the moment
when the countenance alters, a more or less
corruption of the Hebrew ,l"'::1,
Corinthians 6: 15), from the Greek beliar, which is a
meaning "what is
useless, of no fruit," and by extension "wickedness, a
changed voice issues from the mouth of the wicked man, a destroyer." The word is not used in
person in the fit. The new intonation also the Old Testament as a proper name. "Sons of belial"
corresponds to the character of the new signifies sons of wickedness (Judges 19:22).
individuality manifesting itself in the
organism and is conditioned by it. In par- 18. Christ with Belial-II Corinthians 6: 15.
ticular the top register of the voice is dis-
placed; the feminine voice is transformed 19. Asmodeus-The Destroyer, the demon who killed
into a bass one, for in all the cases of pos-
the seven husbands of Sarah in the Apocryphal Book
session which it has hitherto been my lot to
of Tobit (3 :8). It was driven away to Upper Egypt by
know the new individuality was a man.
the burning fume from the heart and liver of a fish,
(Oesterreich [1921] 1974, 1:2:19-20)
and bound there by the power of the angel Raphael
Perhaps this masculine quality of voice was in (8:2-3). In Jewish folklore Asmodeus has the distinc-
part the source of the belief expressed by Crysostom tion of being able to outwit King Solomon himself.
Belial Dancing Before Solomon
from Das Buch Belial by Jacobus de Teramo (Ausgburg, 1473)

Asmodeus
from Dictionnaire infernal by Collin de Plancy (Paris, 1863)
514/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

meaning to be "the greatest bitternesses (calamities)

which could befall a day." See Gesenius 1890, 402.

24. children of disobedience-Ephesians 2:2.

25. in the Revelations-Revelation 9: II .

26. Abaddon-Hebrew: 1n:::l~ , ABDON (destruc-

tion). See Job 28:22. It was used as the name for a
region of Gehenna in later rabbinical writings, after
such usages as occur in Proverbs 15 : II and 27 :20. In
the New Testament it is the name of the angel of the
abyss, and occurs only in Revelation 9: II .

27. Astarath-Astaroth, nintDl', AShThRTh. In

Greek, Astarte, a form of the Babylonian goddess
Ishtar. Since she is the female counterpart of Baal
(Judges 2: 13) and is said to have been depicted with
horns by Lucian and Herodian, she is supposed to have
been a Moon goddess. She is called the goddess of the
Zidonians (I Kings II :5) and was worshipped by
Solomon, who had married "many strange women" (I
Kings II : I), among them some Zidonians, who influ-
enced his religious practices in his old age. In the
medieval grimoires Astaroth is metamorphosed into a
male demon: "He is a Mighty, Strong Duke and
Mammon appeareth in the Form of an hurtful Angel riding on an
Infernal Beast like a Dragon, and carrying in his right
from The Magus by Francis Barrett hand a Viper" (Goetia [demon number 29]. In Lemege-
(London, 1801) ton , or The Lesser Key of Solomon , British Museum
ms. Sloane 2731). The Goetia was transcribed from
By tricking the king into removing the magic ring he this manuscript and published by MacGregor Mathers.
used to control devils, Asmodeus sat upon the throne
for 40 years while Solomon wandered through his 28. Diabolos-!::.lQ~OAOC;, the Slanderer; the Devil.
own kingdom as a beggar. For this reason he was
called "king of the demons." The story is told of his 29. fa ce of our God-Revelation 12: 10.
birth that King David had an emission of seed while
coupling with the succubus demon Igrat in his sleep, 30. Mammon-From mamona, the Aramaic word for
and Igrat bore Adad, king of Edom. When asked his "riches." It occurs only in the New Testament, where
name, he answered "Sh' mi Ad, Ad sh' m," that is, "My it is almost personified (Luke 16: I3). The personifi-
name is Ad, Ad is my name." Hence he was called cation was completed in the 14th-16th centuries,
Ashm'dai, or Ashmodai (Asmodeus), king of the when Mammon became the demon of covetousness.
demons. See Patai 1980, 457 and 459. It is believed
the name is actually a corruption of Aeshma-Daeva 3 I. an apostate-
(covetous demon), one of a group of seven principle
demons in Persian mythology. In this manner, then, did that being once
exist as light before he went astray, and fell
20. serpent seduced Eve-Genesis 3: 13. to this place, and had his glory turned into
dust, which is peculiarly the mark of the
21. given him to do-Revelation 13: 13-4. wicked, as the prophet also says; whence,
too, he was called the prince of this world,
22. corners of the Earth-Revelation 7:1-2. i.e., of an earthly habitation: for he exer-
cised power over those who were obedient
23. Meririm-Perhaps from the Hebrew t:l'i'i~:J , to his wickedness, since "the whole of this
KMRIRIM, occurring in Job 3:5 as the "blackness of world"-for I term this place of earth,
the day," an eclipse or obscuration of the Sun, which world-"Iieth in the wicked one," [I John
was an evil omen. Ancient interpreters regarded the 5: 19] and in this apostate. That he is an
K as a prefix to the substantive MRIRIM and read the apostate, i.e., a fugitive, even the Lord in
 Of the Orders of Evil Spirits / 515

Ophis
from The Magus by Francis Barrett
(London, 1801)

the book of Job says, "Thou wilt take with And the same view is to be entertained. of
a hook the apostate dragon," [Job 41 : I] i.e., those opposing influences which have given
a fugitive. (Origen De principiis 1.5 [Ante- themselves up to such places and offices,
Nicene Fathers, 4:259]) that they derive the property by which they
are made "principalities," or "powers," or
32. other the%gians-Origen is the prime exponent rulers of the darkness of the world, or spirits
of the doctrine of universal free will, which necessi- of wickedness, or malignant spirits, or
tates the possibility of the redemption of devils, as unclean demons, not from their essential
well as the corruption of angels: nature, nor from their being so created, but
have obtained these degrees in evil in pro-
If then they are called opposing powers
portion to their conduct, and the progress
[the fallen angels] , and are said to have
which they made in wickedness. (ibid. 1.8
been once without stain, while spotless
[Ante-Nicene Fathers, 4:266])
purity exists in the essential being of none
save the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but is
33. Ophis---O¢>l~, a serpent. Ophion, one of the first
an accidental quality in every created
Titans, ruled over Olympus with his queen,
thing; and since that which is accidental
Eurynome, until dethroned by Saturn and Rhea:
may also fall away , and since these oppo-
site powers once were spotless, and were And Fabl'd how the Serpent, whom they
once among those which still remain call'd
unstained, it is evident from all this that no Ophion with Eyrynorne , the wide-
one is pure either by essence or nature, and Encroaching Eve perhaps, had first the rule
that no one was by nature polluted. (ibid. Of high Olympus, thence by Saturn driv'n
[Ante-Nicene Fathers , 4:259-60]) (Milton Paradise Lost 10, lines 581-3)
516/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

34. in his Pymander-There is no specific mention of respectively Water, Earth, Fire and Air. The same
the fall of the angels in the version of the Pymander quotation occurs in Plutarch 's Isis and Osiris 26
given by Scott. Mention is made of troops of aveng- (Goodwin, 4:87), with the additional line: "Received
ing demons which are marshalled under the seven by each in turn, by all abhorred."
planets: " By means of storms and hurricanes and Elsewhere in the Moralia Plutarch quotes this
fiery blasts, and corruptions of the air, and earth- related passage from another, or the same, lost work
quakes, and famines also and wars, they punish of Empedocles:
men's impiety" (Corpus Hermeticum 16.lOb [Scott,
This old decree of fate unchanged stands,-
I :269). Also referred to is a single "avenging
Whoso with horrid crimes defiles his hands,
demon," the office of which is more pithily set forth
To long-lived Daemons this commission's
in the 1650 Everard translation than in Scott:
given
For there is no part of the World void of To chase him many ages out of heaven.
the Devil, which entering in privately, Into this sad condition I am hurled,
sowed the seed of his own proper opera- Banished from God to wander through the
tion, and the mind did make pregnant, or world,-
did bring forth that which was sown, Adul- (Plutarch De exilio [On exile] 17, trans.
teries, Murders, Striking of Parents, Sacri- John Patrick [Goodwin 3:34])
leges, Impieties, Stranglings, throwing
down headlong, and all other things which 37. prophets of Achab-See note 5 above.
are the work of Evil Demons. (Everard
[1650,1884]1978,13:14:88) 38. durst pass that way-Matthew 8:28.
It is, however, made clear that souls migrate
both up and down the order of being according to 39. read in Esay-Isaiah 13:2 1-2; 34:11,14-5.
their worth, moving from men to demons on the way
up, or into birds on the way down. The implication is 40. in the Psalms-Psalms 91: 13.
that demons have free will either to elevate or
degrade themselves. (See Corpus Hermeticum 41. ofscO/pions-Luke 10:19.
10.7-8 [Scott, 1:191 , 193].)
42. Mammon-Luke 16:9. See note 30 above.
35. Ararus-This reference is obscure to me. Araros
was the son of Aristophanes, and a Greek playwright. 43 . prince of this world-John 12:3 1; 14:30; 16: II.
The Latin Opera spells this name Atm·us. Perhaps an
oblique reference to the casting of Hephaistos down 44. prince of wickedness-See note 4 above.
from heaven by the wrathful Zeus (see the Iliad I,
lines 590-4). 45. Origen' s opinion-These matters are more or
less found in Origen 's De principiis 1.6. However,
36. speech of Usury- Agrippa draws inferences that are flatly contradicted
by Origen. On the question of whether demons who
Nor is there any means for these debtors to repent are clothed in human flesh , Origen asserts:
make their escape into those fair pastures "From which, I think, this will appear to follow as an
and meadows which once they enjoyed, inference, that every rational nature may, in passing
but they wander about, like those Daemons from one order to another, go through each to all, and
mentioned by Empedocles to have been advance from all to each . .. ," but of demons specifi-
driven out of heaven by the offended Gods cally he says:
By the sky's force they're thrust into the It is to be borne in mind, however, that cer-
main, tain beings who fell away from that one
Which to the earth soon spews them back beginning of which we have spoken, have
again. sunk to such a depth of unworthiness and
Thence to bright Titan' s orb [the sun] wickedness as to be deemed altogether
they 're forced to fly, undeserving of that training and instruction
And Titan soon remits them to the sky. by which the human race, while in the
(Plutarch De vitando aere alieno [That we flesh, are trained and instructed with the
ought not to borrow] 7, trans. R. Smith assistance of the heavenly powers .. . (De
[Goodwin, 5:420-1]) principiis 1.6 [Ante-Nicene Fathers, 4:261]
Empedocles is of course describing the passage On the question of whether they will be freed
of the damned souls through the four elements, from ethereal and aerial bodies, Origen says:
 Of the Orders of Evil Spirits / 517

And if anyone imagine that at the end mate- Church: matins (\2 AM), prime (6 AM), tierce (9 AM),
rial, i.e., bodily, nature will be entirely sext (\2 PM), nones (3 PM), vespers (6 PM) and com-
destroyed, he cannot in any respect meet my pline (9 PM). See Psalms 119: 164.
view, how beings so numerous and power-
ful are able to live and to exist without bod- 48. herd of swine-Matthew 8:31.
ies, since this is an attribute of the divine
nature alone-Le., of the Father, Son, and 49. lick the dust-Psalms 72:9 in King James.
Holy Spirit-to exist without any material
substance, and without partaking in any 50. airy spirits-Satan is "prince of the power of the
degree of a bodily adjunct. Another, per- air" (Ephesians 2:2) and dwells in the desert, which is
haps, may say that in the end every bodily why Christ was tempted in the desert (Matthew 4: I).
substance will be so pure and refined as to
be like the aether, and of a celestial purity ' 51. Zazel-Azazel, who in the Zohar is one of the
and cleanness. How things will be, however, angels cast down from heaven who sin with the
is known with certainty to God alone, and to daughters of men, and who teach men sorceries. This
those who are His friends through Christ is also stated in the Book of Enoch:
and the Holy Spirit. (ibid., 262)
What power was in them [men] that they
were able to bring them [the stars] down?
46. for their salvation-
They would not have been able to bring
Before the advent of the Lord, Satan never them down but for 'UZZA, 'AZZA and
ventured to blaspheme God, inasmuch as 'AZZIEL who taught them sorceries
he was not yet sure of his own damnation, whereby they brought them down and
since that was announced concerning him made use of them. (Hebrew Book of Enoch
by the prophets only in parables and alle- by Rabbi Ishmael ben Elisha 5.9, trans.
gories. But after the advent of the Lord, Hugo Odeburg [Cambridge University .
learning plainly from the discourses of Press, 1928], 16).
Christ and His apostles that eternal fire was
The Apocryphal Book of Enoch says:
prepared for him who voluntarily departed
from God, and for all who, without repen- And Azazel taught men to make swords,
tance, persevere in apostasy, then, by and knives, and shields, and breastplates,
means of a man of this sort, he, as if and made known to them the metals (of the
already condemned, blasphemes that God earth) and the art of working them, and
who inflicts judgement upon him, and bracelets, and ornaments, and the use of
imputes the sin of his apostasy to his antimony, and the beautifying of the eye-
Maker, instead of his own will and lids, and all kinds of costly stones, and all
predilection. (frag. from a lost work of Jus- colouring tinctures. (Enoch 8: 1 [Charles
tine Martyr, preserved by Irenaeus in 1913,2:192])
Against the Heresies 5.26 [Ante-Nicene
Christian Library, 2:355-6]) 52. days of thy life-Genesis 3: 14.

47. canonical hours-The seven times a day when 53 . Earth is his bread-Isaiah 65 :25 .
sacred offices may be performed in the Roman
 CHAPTeR AlA

Of c-he bodies of c-he devils.

oncerning the bodies of angels, there body; but yet not that the body of angels, and dev-

C is a great dissension betwixt the late

divines, and philosophers; for Thomas
affinns that all angels are incorporeal,
even evil angels, yet that they do assume bodies
ils are the same; for that is without matter; but the
bodies of devils are in a manner material, as shad-
ows, and subject to passion, that they being struck
are pained, and may be burnt in the fire, into con-
sometimes, which after a while they put off spicuous ashes, which as is recorded, was done in
again; Dionysius in Divine Names! strongly Tuscia.5 And although it be a spiritual body, yet it
affinns that angels are incorporeal. is most sensible, and being touched, suffers; and
Yet Austin upon Genesis2 delivers his opin- although it be cut asunder, yet comes together
ion, that angels are said to be airy, and fiery ani- again, as air and water, but yet in the mean time is
mals: because they have the nature of aerial much pained. Hence it is that they fear the edge of
bodies, neither can they be dissolved by death, the sword, and any weapon.
because the element which is more active than Hence in Virgil the Sibyl saith to Aeneas: 6
passive is predominant in them; the same seem
to affinn, that all angels in the beginning of Do thou go on thy way and draw thy sword.
their creation had aerial bodies, being fonned of
the more pure, and superior part of the air, being Upon which Servius saith that she would have
more fit to act than to suffer; and that those bod- Aeneas have his sword consecrated.
ies were after the confinnation preserved in Orpheus also describes the kinds of demoni-
good angels, but changed in the evil in their fall, acal bodies; there is indeed one body, which only
into the quality of more thick air, that they abides the fire, but being seen, doth not suffer,
might be tonnented in the fire. which Olpheus calls fiery, and celestial 7 demons:
Moreover Magnus Basi/ius3 doth attribute the other is contemperated with the mixtion of
bodies not only to devils , but also to pure fire, and air, whence they are called etherial, and
angels, as certain thin , aerial, pure spirits; to aerial; to which if any waterish thing was added,
which Gregory Nazianzen doth agree. Apuleius there arose a third kind, whence they are called
was of opinion, that all angels had not bodies; watery, which sometimes are seen: to which if
for in the book Of the Demon of Socrates,4 he any earthiness be added, thi s is not very thick;
saith, that there is a more propitious kind of they are called terrene demons, and they are
spirits, which being always free from corporeal more conspicuous, and sensible.
bonds, are procured by certain prayers. Now the bodies of sublime demons are nour-
But Psellus the Platonist, and Christianus do ished of the most pure etherial element, and are
think that the nature of spirits is not without a not rashly to be seen of any, unless they be sent

518
 Of the Bodies of the Devils / 519

from God; being weaved of such bright threads, seeing this difference of sex belongs to com-
and so small, that they transmit all the rays of our pounds, but the bodies of demons are simple,
sight by their fineness, and reverberate them with neither can any of the demons tum themselves
splendour, and deceive by their subtlety; of which into all shapes at their pleasure; but to the fiery,
Calcidius saith, etherial, and aerial demons, and aiery it is easy so to do, viz. to change
because their bodies have not so much fire as that themselves into what shapes their imagination
they are conspicuous, nor yet so much earth that conceives: now subterraneal and dark demons,
the solidity of them resists the touch, and their because their nature being concluded in the
whole composure being made up of the clearness straits of a thick and unactive body, cannot
of the sky, and moisture of the air, hath joined make the diversity of shapes, as others can.
together an indissoluble superficies. 8 But the watery, and such as dwell upon
The other demons are neither so appear- the moist superficies of the Earth, are by rea-
able, nor invisible, being sometimes conspicu- son of the moistness of the element, for the
ous are turned into divers figures , and put upon most part like to women; of such kind are the
themselves bodies like shadows, of bloodless fairies of the rivers, and nymphs of the woods:
images, drawing the filthiness of a gross body, but those which inhabit dry places, being of
and they have too much communion with the drier bodies, show themselves in form of men,
world (which the ancients did call the wicked as satyrs, or onoscelil 2 with ass's legs, or
soul) and by reason of their affinity with earth, fauni, and incubi , of which he saith, he learned
and water, are also taken with terrene pleasures, by experience there were many, and that some
and lust; of which sort are hobgoblins, and of them oftentimes did desire, and made com-
incubi, and succubi,9 of which number it is no pacts with women to lie with them: and that
absurd conjecture to think that Melusina lo was. there were some demons, which the French
Yet there is none of the demons (as Marcus call dusii,1 3 that did continually attempt this
supposeth) II is to be supposed male or female, way of lust.

NOLes-ChapLeR AlA
I. in Divine Names--Concerning Divine Names by now you need courage, Aeneas, now resolve of
pseudo-Dionysius. soul''' (Virgil Aeneid 6, c. line 260 [Lonsdale and
Lee, 164]).
2. Genesis-De Genesi ad litteram by Saint
Augustine. 7. ce/estia/-A kind of clear tenuous fire was
thought to abide above the level of the air.
3. Magnus Basi/ius-Basil the Great. See biographi-
cal note. 8. indissoluab/e supelficies-An indestructible body.

4. demon of Socrates-De deo SoC/·atis by Apuleius. 9. incubi , and succubi-An incubus (incubo, night-
According to Thorndike, Apuleius has a good deal to mare, from incubare, to lie upon, weigh down,
say in this treatise about the substance forming the brood) is a demon who has sexual intercourse with
bodies of demons. "Their native element is the air, women in the form of a man during sleep. As the
which Apuleius thought extended as far as the moon. Latin root suggests, it was linked with the oppression
... But their bodies are very light and like clouds, a and difficulty of breathing that often accompany
point peculiar to themselves" (Thorndike, 1:240). nightmares, and is in fact caused by the substance of
spirits interacting with the human body. A succubus
5. Tuscia-Etruria. (succuba, strumpet) is a demon who has intercourse
with men in the form of a woman, also during sleep.
This belief is very ancient.
6. saith to Aeneas-" ' Away, I pray you, away, ye
uninitiated,' the prophetess exclaims aloud, 'and Though, indeed, the wise Egyptians do not
withdraw from all the grove; and do you enter on the plausibly make the distinction, that it may
path, and quickly draw your sword from its sheath; be possible for a divine spirit so to apply
520/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

itself to the nature of a woman, as to attributes. Naturally he broke his word, and she fled .
inbreed in her the first beginnings of gener- But whenever danger threatened one of his descen-
ation, while on the other side they conclude dants, she uttered a shriek as a warning.
it impossible for the male kind to have any
intercourse or mixture by the body with II. Marcus supposeth-Marcu s the Valentinian.
any divinity, not considering, however, Agrippa is quoting his statement from the writings of
that what takes place on the one side must Psellus.
also take place on the other; intermixture,
by force of terms, is reciprocal. (Plutarch 12. onosce fi-Onocentaurs, which are beings like a
"Numa Pompilius. " In Lives [Dryden, 77]) centaur, but with the lower body of an ass instead of
a horse.
The offspring of such unions, among them Merlin
and the future Antichrist, are called Adamitici, "and
13. dusii-
they 'say that in their infancy such children cry day
and night, and are heavy but emaciated, and yet can And seeing it is so general a report, and so
suck five nurses dry . ... Others, on the other hand, many aver it either from their own experi-
claim superhuman powers for such children, and ence or from others, that are of indubitable
assert that they possess some attributes of divinity honesty and credit, that the silvans and
. .. " (Remy [1595] 1930, 1:7:20). fawns , commonly called incubi, have often
injured women, desiring and acting car-
10. Mefusina-A water nymph of the fountain of nally with them, and that certain devils
Lusignan in Poitou who married Raymond of Poi tiers whom the Gauls call dusii do continually
and became the legendary ancestress and tutelary practise this uncleanness, and tempt others
spirit of his descendants. According to Jean d ' Arras to it, which is affirmed by such persons,
in his Chronique de fa Princesse , written around and with such confidence that it were
1387, she made Raymond promise never to look impudence to deny it ... " (Augustine City
upon her on a Saturday, when she reverted from the of God 15.23 [Healey, 2:90)
form of a woman back to that of a nymph with fishy
An alternate plural of the name is " Dusiens."
 CHAPTeR7\.7\.

Of rhe annoyance of evil splRlrs,

and rhe pReseRvarlon we have by good splRlcs.

t is the common opinion of divines, that all fore accuse angels, if they do not bring the

1 evil spirits are of that nature, that they hate

God as well as men; therefore divine provi-
dence hath set over us more pure spirits,
with whom he hath entrusted us, as with shep-
nations entrusted to them, to the knowledge of
the true God, to true piety, and suffer them to
fall into errors and perverse worship: but it is to
be imputed to themselves, who have of their
herds and governors, that they should daily help own accord declined from the right path, adher-
us, and drive away evil spirits from us, and ing to the spirits of errors, giving victory to the
curb, and .restrain them, that they should not Devil; for it is in the hand of man to adhere to
hurt us as much as they would; as is read in whom he please, and overcome whom he will,
Tobia, that Raphael did apprehend the demon by whom, if once the enemy the Devil be over-
called Asmodeus, and bound him in the wilder- come, he is made his servant, and being over-
ness of the Upper Egypt. I Of these Hesiod come, cannot fight anymore with another, as a
saith,2 there are 30,000 of Jupiter's immortal wasp that hath lost his sting: to which opinion
spirits living on the Earth, which are the keepers Origen assents in his book Periarchon,3 con-
of mortal men , who that they might observe jus- cluding, that the saints fighting against evil spir-
tice and merciful deeds, having clothed them- its, and overcoming, do lessen their army,
selves with air, go everywhere on the Earth. neither can he that is overcome by any, molest
For there is no prince, nor potentate could any more.
be safe, nor any woman continue uncorrupted, As therefore there is given to every man a
no man in this valley of ignorance could come good spirit, so also there is given to every man
to the end appointed to him by God, if good an evil diabolical spirit, whereof each seeks an
spirits did not secure us; or if evil spirits should union with our spirit, and endeavours to attract it
be permitted to satisfy the wills of men; as to itself, and to be mixed with it, as wine with
therefore amongst the good spirits there is a water;4 the good indeed, through all good works
proper keeper or protector deputed to everyone, conformable to itself, change us into angels, by
corroborating the spirit of the man to good; so uniting us, as it is writ of John Baptist in
of evil spirits there is sent forth an enemy ruling Malachi: behold I send mine angel before thy
over the flesh, and desire thereof; and the good face: 5 of which transmutation, and union it is
spirit fights for us as a preserver against the writ elsewhere; he which adheres to God is
enemy, and flesh. made one spirit with him.6 An evil spirit also by
Now man betwixt these contenders is the evil works studies to make us conformable to
middle, and left in the hand of his own counsel, itself, and to unite, as Christ saith of Judas , have
to whom he will give victory; we cannot there- not I chosen twelve, and one of you is a deviJ?7

521
522/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

And this is that which Hermes saith, when others to them by a certain occult power; which
a spirit hath influence upon the soul of man, he although neither of them perceive, yet he that is
scatters the seedS of his own notion, whence subjected, feels a certain yoke of presidency, of
such a soul being sown with seeds, and full of which he cannot easily acquit himself, yea he
fury, brings forth thence wonderful things, and fears and reverenceth that power, which the
whatsoever are the offices of spirits: for when a superior angels make to flow upon superiors,
good spirit hath influence upon a holy soul, it and with a certain terror bring the inferiors into
doth exalt it to the light of wisdom; but an evil a fear of presidency.
spirit being transfused into a wicked soul, doth This did Homer seem to be sensible of,
stir it up to theft, to manslaughter, to lusts, and when he saith, that the Muses begot of jupiter,
whatsoever are the offices of evil spirits. did always as inseparable companions assist the
Good spirits (as saith Jamblicus) purge the kings begot of Jupiter, who by them were made
souls most perfectly; and some bestow upon us venerable, and magnificent. So we read that M .
other good things; they being present do give Antonius II being formerly joined in singular
health to the body, virtue to the soul, security to friendship with Octavus Augustus,I2 were wont
the soul, what is mortal in us they take away, always to play together. But when as always
cherish heat, and make it more efficacious to Augustus went away conqueror, that a certain
life, and by an harmony do always infuse light magician counselled M. Antonius thus, 0 Antony,
into an intelligible mind. 9 what dost thou do with that young man? Shun
But whether there be many keepers of a and avoid him, for although thou art elder than
man, or one alone, theologians differ amongst he, and art more skillful than he, and art better
themselves; we think there are more, the Prophet descended than he, and hast endured the wars of
saying, he hath given his angels a charge con- more emperors, yet thy genius doth much dread
cerning thee, that they should keep thee in all thy the genius of this young man, and thy fortune
ways:IO which as saith Hierome, is to be under- flatter his fortune; unless thou shalt shun him, it
stood of any man, as well as of Christ. seemeth wholly to decline to him.
All men therefore are governed by the min- Is not the prince like other men? How
istry of divers angels, and are brought to any should other men fear, and reverence him,
degree of virtue, deserts, and dignity, who unless a divine terror should exalt him, and
behave themselves worthy of them; but they striking a fear into others, depress them, that
which carry themselves unworthy of them are they should reverence him as a prince? Where-
deposed, and thrust down, as well by evil spir- fore we must endeavour, that being purified by
its, as good spirits, unto the lowest degree of doing well, and following sublime things, and
misery, as their evil merits shall require: but choosing opportune times, and seasons, we be
they that are attributed to the sublimer angels, entrusted or committed to a degree of sublimer,
are preferred before other men, for angels hav- and more potent angels, who taking care of us,
ing the care of them, exalt them, and subject we may deservedly be preferred before others.

No-ces-Chap-ceR 7\.7\.
I. the Upper Egypt-Tobit 8:3. 3. Periarchon-nEpl 'Apxwv (Peri Archon) is the
original Greek title of the work more commonly
2. Hesiod saith- known under its Latin title, De principiis.
Three times ten thousand watchers-over-men,
Immortal, roam the fertile earth for Zeus. 4. wine with warer-
Clothed in a mist, they visit every land
And keep a watch on law-suits and on crimes. That certain thoughts are suggested to
(Hesiod Works and Days c. line 252 men's hearts either by good or evil angels,
[Wender, 66]) is shown both by the angel that accompa-
 Of the Annoyance of Evil Spirits / 523

nied Tobias [Tobit 5:4-{)], and by the lan- 8. scatters the seed-"And besides this, my son, you
guage of the prophet, where he says, "And must know that there is yet another sort of work
the angel who spoke in me answered" which the Decans do; they sow upon the earth the
[Zechariah I : 14]. The book of the Shep- seed of certain forces, some salutary and others per-
herd [Shepherd of Hermas 6:2] declares the nicious, which the many call daemons" (Stobaei Her-
same, saying that each individual is metica 6.11 [Scott, 1:415)) .
attended by two angels; that whenever
good thoughts arise in our hearts, they are 9. intelligible mind-
suggested by the good angel; but when of a
But the presence of the Gods, indeed,
contrary kind, they are the instigation of
imparts to us health of body, virtue of soul,
the evil angel. ... We are not, however, to
purity of intellect, and in one word elevates
imagine that any other result follows from
every thing in us to its proper principle.
what is suggested to our heart, whether
And that, indeed, in us which is cold and
good or bad, save a (mental) commotion
destructive it annihilates; that which is hot
only , and an incitement instigating us
it increases, and renders more powerful
either to good or evil. For it is quite within
and predominant; and causes all things to
our reach, when a malignant power has
accord with soul and intellect. It also emits
begun to incite us to evil , to cast away from
a light, accompanied with intelligible har-
us the wicked suggestions, and to resist the
mony, and exhibits that which is not body
vile inducements, and to do nothing that is
as body to the eyes of the soul, through
at all deserving of blame. And, on the other
those of the body. (lamblichus On the Mys-
hand, it is possi ble, when a divine power
teries 2.6 [Taylor, 95-{)))
calls us to better things, not to obey the
call; our freedom of will being preserved to
10. all thy ways-Psalms 91: II.
us in either case. (Origen De principiis 3.2
[Ante-Nicene Fathers , 4:332))
Il. M. Antonius-Mark Anthony.
5. before thy face-Malachi 3: I .
12 . Octavus Augustus-Octavius Augustus. In 30 Be
Anthony committed suicide with Cleopatra in
6. one spirit with him- I Corinthians 6: 17.
Alexandria to avoid being captured by the approach-
ing army of Augustus.
7. is a devil-John 6:70.
 CHAPTeRAAl

Of obeying a pRopeR genius,

and of rhe seaRching our rhe narURe rheReof.

s every region in the celestials hath Nevertheless seeing there .be in every

A a certain star, and celestial image

which hath influence upon it
before others: so also in super-
celestials doth it obtain a certain intelligence
set over it, and guarding it, with infinite other
region spirits of all sorts, yet they are more
powerful there which are of the same order with
the president of that region. So in the solary
region, the solary spirits are most potent; in the
lunary, lunary, and so of the rest. And hence it
ministering spirits of its order, all which are is that various events of our affairs offer them-
called by a common name, the Sons of Elohim selves, and follow us in places and provinces,
Sabaoth m~:JiV lJ'i1'?~ 'j:J, i.e. Sons of being more fortunate in one place more than
the God of Hosts. 1 another, where viz. the demon our Genius shall
Hence as often as the Most High doth receive more power, or we shall there obtain a
deliberate of war, or slaughter, or the desolation more powerful demon of the same order. So
of any kingdom, or subduing of any people in solary men, if they shall travel into a solary
these inferiors, then no otherwise, when these region, or province, shall be made there far
shall come upon the Earth, there proceeds a more fortunate , because there they shall have
conflict of these spirits above, as it is written in more powerful, and more advantageous con-
Isaiah,2 the Lord of Hosts shall visit the army of ductors or Genii, by the present aid of whom
the high, in the heavens; and the kings of the they shall be brought beyond expectation, and
Earth, in the Earth; of which conflicts of spirits their own power, to happy events.
and presidents, we read also in DanieJ,3 viz. of Hence it is that the choice of a place, region,
the prince of the kingdom of the Persians, of the or time doth much conduce to the happiness of
prince of the Grecians, of the prince of the peo- life where anyone shall dwell, and frequent,
ple of Israel; and of their conflict amongst according to the nature and instinct of his own
themselves, of which also Homer4 seemed for- Genius. Sometimes also the change of the name
merly to be sensible of, when he sang: doth conduce to the same, for whereas the proper-
ties of names being the significators of things
Great was the rumour in the court above themselves, do as it were in a glass declare the
When that the gods war mutually did conditions of their forms; thence it comes to pass,
move: that names being changed, the things oftentimes
When Phoebus did to Neptune battle give, are changed. Hence the sacred writ doth not with-
Pallas with Mars the god of war did strive,
Diana did withstand in hostile way out cause bring in God, whilst he was blessing
Juno, and Latona did for to slay Abram, and Jacob, changing their names, calling
Mercury attemptl---- the one Abraham,s and the other Israel. 6

524
 Of Obeying a Proper Genius / 525

Now the ancient philosophers teach us to of them. Others seek a good Genius from the
know the nature of the Genius of every man, by eleventh house, which therefore they call a Good
stars, their influx, and aspects, which are potent Demon; but an evil Genius from the sixth, which
in the nativity of anyone; but with instructions therefore they call an Evil Demon. 10
so divers, and differing amongst themselves, But seeing the inquisition of these is labori-
that it is much difficult to understand the mys- ous, and most occult, we shall far more easily
teries of the heavens by their directions. inquire into the nature of our Genius from our-
For POIphyry1 seeks the Genius of the star, selves, observing those things which the instinct
which is the lady of the nativity:8 but Maternus 9 of nature doth dictate to, and the heaven inclines
either from thence, or from the planets, which us to II from our infancy, being distracted with no
had then most dignities, or from that into whose contagion; or those things which the mind, the
house the Moon was to enter after that, which at soul being freed from vain cares, and sinister
the birth of the man it doth retain. But the affections, and impediments being removed,
Chaldeans inquire after the Genius, either from doth suggest to us: these without all doubt are the
the Sun above, or from the Moon. But others, persuasions of a Genius which is given to every-
and many Hebrews, think it is to be inquired one from their birth, leading, and persuading us
after from some comer of the heaven, or from all to that whither the star thereof inclines us to.

NOL"cs-ChapL"CR l\.l\.l
I. God of Hosts-In the hierarchy of the Kabbalah who is called Xanthos by the gods, but by
the ninth Sephirah, Hod, carries the associated name mortals Skamandros.
of God, Elohim Sabaoth, m~:::l~ C"i1'?~, ALHIM (Homer Iliad 20, line 66 [Lattimore, 406])
TzBAOTh (God of Hosts), and the order of angels
Beni Elohim, C"i1'?~ "J:::l, BNI ALHIM (Sons of 5. one Abraham-Genesis 17:5.
God). See Appendix VI.
6. other Israel-Genesis 32:28.
2. written in Isaiah-Isaiah 24:21. This verse simply
mentions the Lord (i11i1", IHVH), but elsewhere in 7. Porphyry-Probably refers to the commentary by
many places in Isaiah the title Lord of Hosts Porphyry on the Tetrabiblos of Ptolemy.
(m~:::l~ i11i1" , IHVH TzBAOTh) is used; for
example, Isaiah 19:4. 8. lady of the nativity-Perhaps the Moon when she
is hyleg, and ruler of the nativity.
3. in Daniel-Daniel 10:20-1.
9. Maternus-
4. Homer-
Some have said that the ruler of the chart is
... such was the crash that sounded as the the planet which is located in favorable
gods came driving together houses of the chart, in his own house or his
in wrath . For now over against the lord own terms. But others have figured from
Poseidon the Sun and Moon, arguing that the ruler of
Phoibos Apollo took his stand with his the chart is the one in whose terms the Sun
feathered arrows, and Moon are found, that is, the Sun in the
and against Enyalios the goddess grey- daytime and the Moon at night. There is
eyed Athene. some point to this theory. Others say that
Against Hera stood the lady of clamour, of the ruler of the chart is the ruler of the
the golden distaff, exaltation of the Moon. Still others main-
of the showering arrows, Artemis, sister of tain that the ruler is the one whose sign the
the far striker. Moon enters after she has left the one in
Opposite Leto stood the strong one, gener- which she is found at the birth. (Firmicus
ous Hermes Matemus Matheseos libri VIII 4.19.2,
and against Hephaistos stood the great trans. J. R. Bram. In Ancient Astrology
deep-eddying river [Park Ridge, NJ: Noyes Press, 1975], 138)
526/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

10. Evil Demon-See note 6, ch. XXXVIII, bk. II. cult through prediction from the nativity,
and yet through sacred divination, or
II . heaven inclines us to-- theurgy, there may be a great abundance of
For if it is possible to discover the lord of scientific knowledge on this subject? In
the geniture, the daemon imparted by him short, the daemon is not alone imparted by
will be known; but if this knowledge is the lord of the geniture, but there are many
unattainable, we shall be ignorant of the other principles of it more universal than
lord of the geniture according to this this. And farther still, a method of this kind
hypothesis, and yet, nevertheless, he will introduces a certain artificial and human
have an existence, and also the daemon disquisition concerning the particular dae-
imparted by him. What therefore hinders, mon. (Iamblichus On the Mysteries 9.5
but that the discovery of him may be diffi- [Taylor, 320])
 CHAPTeR AAll

Thar rheRe is a rhReefold KeepeR of man,

and fRom whence each of rhem pRoceed.

e very man hath a threefold good

demon, I as a proper keeper, or pre-
server, the one whereof is holy,
another of the nativity, and the other
of profession.
The holy demon is one, according to the
the stars, which were powerful in his nativity.
Hence there be some that think, when the soul is
comrng down into the body, it doth out of the
quire of the demons naturally choose a preserver
to itself, nor only choose this guide to itself, but
hath that willing to defend it. This being the
doctrine of the Egyptians, assigned to the ratio- executor, and keeper of the life, doth help it to
nal soul, not from the stars or planets, but from the body, and takes care of it, being communi-
a supernatural cause, from God himself, the cated to the body, and helps a man to that very
president of demons, being universal, above office, to which the celestials have deputed him,
nature: this doth direct the life of the soul, and being born. 4 Whosoever therefore have received
doth always put good thoughts into the mind, a fortunate Genius, are made thereby virtuous in
being always active in illuminating us, although their works, efficacious, strong, and prosperous.
we do not always take notice of it; but when we Wherefore they are called by the philosophers
are purified, and live peaceably, then it is per- fortunate, or luckily born.
ceived by us, then it doth as it were speak with Now the demon of profession is given by
us, and communicates its voice to us, being the stars, to which such a profession, or sect,
before silent, and studieth daily to bring us to a which any man hath professed, is subjected,
sacred perfection. 2 which the soul, when it began to make choice in
Also by the aid of this demon we may this body, and to take upon itself dispositions,
avoid the malignity of a fate, which being reli- doth secretly desire. This demon is changed, the
giously worshipped by us in honesty, and sanc- profession being changed; then according to the
tity, as we know was done by Socrates;3 the dignity of the profession, we have demons of
Pythagoreans think we may be much helped by our profession more excellent and sublime,
it, as by dreams, and signs, by diverting evil which successively take care of man, which
things, and carefully procuring good things. procures a keeper of profession, as he proceeds
Wherefore the Pythagoreans were wont with from virtue to virtue.
one consent to pray to Jupiter, that he would When therefore a profession agrees with
either preserve them from evil, or show them by our nature, there is present with us a demon of
what demon it should be done. our profession like unto us, and suitable to our
Now the demon of the nativity, which is Genius, and our life is made more peaceable,
called the Genius, doth here descend from the happy, and prosperous: but when we undertake a
disposition of the world, and from the circuits of profession unlike, or contrary to our Genius, our

527
528/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

life is made laborious, and troubled with dis- ness and miracles, Joshua 9 in war, Phinias lo in
agreeable patrons. So it falls out that some profit zeal, David ll in religion and victory, Solomon l2
more in any science, art, or office, in a little in knowledge and fame, Peter l3 in faith, John l4
time, and with little pains, when another takes in charity, Jacob IS in devotion, Thomas l6 in pru-
much pains, and studies hard, and all in vain. dence, Magdalenl7 in contemplation, Martha l8
And although no science, art, or virtue be to in officiousness.
be contemned, yet that thou mayst live prosper- Therefore in what virtue thou thinkest thou
ously, carryon thy affairs happily; in the first canst most easily be a proficient in, use diligence
place know thy good Genius, and thy nature, and to attain to the height thereof, that thou mayest
what good the celestial disposition promiseth excel in one, when in many thou canst not: but in
thee, and God the distributor of all these, who the rest endeavour to be as great a proficient as
distributes to each as he pleaseth, and follow the thou canst: but if thou shalt have the overseers of
beginnings of these, profess these, be conversant nature, and religion agreeable, thou shalt find a
in that virtue to which the Most High Distributor double progress of thy nature, and profession:
doth elevate, and lead thee, who made Abra- but if they shall be disagreeing, follow the better,
hams excel in justice and clemency, Isaac6 with for thou shalt better perceive at some time a pre-
fear, Jacob7 with strength, Moses 8 with meek- server of an excellent profession, than of nativity.

Not:es-Chapt:eR 7\.7\.11
I. threefold good demon-Porphyry in his Epistle to sort of voice which comes to me, and when it comes
Anebo mentions the popular opinion that there are it always dissuades me from what I am proposing to
three daemons, "that one daemon presides over the do, and never urges me on" (Plato Apology 31 d
body, another over the soul, and another over the [Hamilton and Cairns, 17]). Referring to his inten-
intellect" (lamblichus On the Mysteries [Taylor, tion to commit suicide, in accordance with the judge-
15]). He adds: "I see likewise, that there is a twofold ment of the state, he goes on:
worship of the particular daemon; the one being the
In the past the prophetic voice to which I
worship as of two, but the other as of three [dae-
have become accustomed has always been
mons]" (ibid.). This notion Iamblichus refutes most
my constant companion, opposing me
definitely:
even in quite trivial things if I was going to
You must not, therefore, distribute one dae- take the wrong course. Now something has
mon to the body, but another to the soul, happened to me, as you can see, which
and another to intellect: for it is absurd that might be thought and is commonly consid-
the animal should be one, but the daemon ered to be a supreme calamity; yet neither
that presides over it multiform. For every when I left home this morning, nor when I
where the natures that govern are more was taking my place here in the court, nor
simple than the natures that are governed. at any point in any part of my speech did
And it will be still more absurd if the many the divine sign oppose me. In other discus-
daemons that rule over the parts are not sions it has often checked me in the middle
connascent, but separated from each other. of a sentence, but this time it has never
(ibid. 9.7 [Taylor, 322-3]) opposed me in any part of this business in
anything that I have said or done. What do
2. sacred perfection-The communication with this I suppose to be the explanation? I will tell
holy daemon, or guardian angel, is the object of the you. I suspect that this thing that has hap-
ritual process described in such detail in the pened to me is a blessing, and we are quite
medieval grimoire The Book of the Sacred Magic of mistaken in supposing death to be an evil.
Abramelin the Mage. (ibid. 40a-b [Hamilton and Cairns, 24])
Xenophone writes:
3. Socrates-Socrates himself never speaks of his
divine sign as a daemon. It is personified in this way Most people say that they are diverted
by the writers who came after Plato. Describing it, from an object, or prompted to it, by birds,
Socrates says: "It began in my early childhood-a or by the people who meet them; but
 That There Is a Threefold Keeper of Man / 529

Socrates spoke as he thought, for he said it 5. Abraham-Genesis 13:9; 14:23; 18:23-32 .

was the divinity that was his monitor. He
also told many of his friends to do certain 6. Isaac-Perhaps Genesis 26:7.
things, and not to do others, intimating that
the divinity had forewarned him; and 7. Jacob-Genesis 32:24-8.
advantage attended those who obeyed his
suggestions, but repentance, those who dis- 8. Moses-Exodus 3:11; 4:2-7.
regarded them. (Memorabilia of Socrates
1.1.4. In The Anabasis, or Expedition of 9. Joshua-Joshua 6:2.
Cyrus and the Memorabilia of Socrates ,
trans. J. S. Watson [London: George Bell 10. Phinias-Numbers 25: II.
and Sons, 1875], 350.
II. David-I Samuel 17:46.
4. being born-
12. Solomon-I Kings 3:12; 10:1.
This daemon, therefore, is established in the
paradigm before the soul descends into gen-
13 . Peter-Matthew 16:16-7.
eration; and when the soul has received him
as its leader, the daemon immediately pre-
14. John-John 20:25.
sides over the soul, giving completion to its
lives, and binds it to body when it descends.
15 . Jacob-Perhaps Hebrews II :21 .
He likewise governs the common animal of
the soul, directs its peculiar life, and imparts
16. Thomas-John 20:25 .
to us the principles of all our thoughts and
reasonings. We also perform such things as
17. Magdalen-John 20:11 , unless Agrippa has con-
he suggests to our intellect, and he continues
fused Mary Magdalene with Mary the sister of
to govern us till, through sacerdotal theurgy,
Lazarus, in which case Luke 10:39 is intended.
we obtain a God for the inspective guardian
and leader of the soul. (Iamblichus On the
18. Martha-Luke 10:40.
Mysteries 9.6 [Taylor, 321])
 CHA.PTeR AAlll

Of rhe rongue of angels, and of rheiR

speaking amongsr rhemselves, and wirh us.

e might doubt whether angels, or an image in the eye, or glass. So souls going out

W demons, since they be pure spir-

its, use any vocal speech, or
tongue amongst themselves, or to
us; but that Paul in some place saith,l if I speak
of the body, so angels, so demons speak: and
what man doth with a sensible voice, they do by
impressing the conception of the speech in those
to whom they speak, after a better manner than if
with the tongue of men, or angels: but what their they should express it by an audible voice.
speech or tongue is, is much doubted by many. So the Platonists say that Socrates perceived
For many think that if they use any idiom, his Demon 4 by sense indeed, but not of this body,
it is Hebrew, because that was the first of all, but by the sense of the etherial body concealed in
and came from heaven, and was before the con- this: after which manner Avicen believes the
fusion of languages 2 in Babylon, in which the angels were wont to be seen, and heard by the
Law was given by God the Father, and the prophets: that instrument, whatsoever the virtue
Gospel was preached by Christ the Son, and so be, by which one spirit makes known to another
many oracles were given to the prophets by the spirit what things are in his mind, is called by the
Holy Ghost: and seeing all tongues have, and do apostle Paul the tongue of angels.
undergo various mutations, and corruptions, Yet oftentimes also they send forth an audi-
this alone doth always continue inviolated. ble voice, as they that cried at the ascension of
Moreover an evident sign of this opinion is, that the Lord, ye men of Galilee, why stand ye there
though each demon, and intelligence do use the gazing into the heaven?5 And in the old Law
speech of those nations, with whom they do they spake with divers of the Fathers with a sen-
inhabit, yet to them that understand it, they sible voice, but this never but when they
never speak in any idiom, but in this alone. assumed bodies.
But now how angels speak it is hid from us, But with what senses those spirits and
as they themselves are. Now to us that we may demons hear our invocations, and prayers, and
speak, a tongue is necessary with other instru- see out ceremonies, we are altogether ignorant.
ments, as are the jaws, palate, lips, teeth, throat, For there is a spiritual body of demons every-
lungs, the aspera arteria,3 and muscles of the where sensible by nature, so that it toucheth,
breast, which have the beginning of motion from seeth, heareth, without any medium, and noth-
the soul. But if any speak at a distance to another, ing can be an impediment to it: yet neither do
he must use a louder voice; but if near, he whis- they perceive after that manner as we do with
pers in his ear: and if he could be coupled to the different organs, but haply as sponges drink in
hearer, a softer breath would suffice; for he water, so do they all sensible things with their
would slide into the hearer without any noise, as body, or some other way unknown to us: neither

530
 Of the Tongue of Angels / 531

are all animals endowned with those organs; for they perceive a sound, but after what manner
we know that many want ears, yet we know we know not. 6

NOLcs-ChapLCR 7\.7\.1ll
I. some place saith-I Corinthians 13: I. 5. into the heaven-Acts I: II.

2. confusion of languages--Genesis 11 :6-7. 6. we know not-The answer to this puzzle is that

angels and demons perceive the world of men
3. aspera arteria-Lain arteria aspera, the trachea through the senses of men. It would be difficult to
or windpipe. imagine how else they could be conceived to per-
ceive it, since the human world is defined and shaped
4. perceived his Demon--See note 3, ch. XXII, bk. III. by human perceptions.
 CHAPTeR ""lV

Of rhe names of spiRirs,

and rheiR vaRious imposirion; and
of rhe spiRirs rhar aRe ser oveR rhe sraRS,
signs, CORneRS of rhe heaven, and rhe e1emenrs.

any and divers are the names spirit in the hour of the Moon: which when

OJ of good spirits, and bad: but

their proper, and true names,
as those of the stars, are
known to God alone, who only numbers the
afterward he gave to be devoured by a water
frog, and had muttered over some verse, the
frog being let go into the water, rains and show-
ers presently followed. I saw also the same
multitude of stars, and calls them all by their man 2 inscribing the name of another spirit with
names, whereof none can be known by us but the seal thereof in the hour of Mars, which was
by divine revelation, and very few are given to a crow, who being let go, after a verse
expressed to us in the sacred writ. muttered over, presently there followed from
But the masters of the Hebrews think that that corner of the heaven, whither he flew , light-
the names of angels were imposed upon them nings, shakings , and horrible thunders, with
by Adam, according to that which is written, the thick clouds. Neither were those names of spir-
Lord brought all things which he had made unto its of an unknown tongue, neither did they sig-
Adam , that he should name them, and as he nify anything else but their offices.
called anything, so the name of it was. I Hence Of this kind are the names of those angels,
the Hebrew mecubals think, together with Raziel,3 Gabriel,4 Michael,5 Raphael,6 Han iel,7
magicians, that it is in the power of man to which is as much as the vision of God, the
impose names upon spirits, but of such a man virtue of God, the strength of God, the medicine
only who is dignified, and elevated to this virtue of God, the glory of God. In like manner in the
by some divine gift, or sacred authority. offices of evil demons are read their names, a
But because a name that may express the player, deceiver, a dreamer, fornicator, and
nature of divinity, or the whole virtue of angeli- many such like.
cal essences cannot be made by any human So we receive from many of the ancient
voice, therefore names for the most part are put Fathers of the Hebrews the names of angels set
upon them from their works, signifying some over the planets,8 and signs: over Saturn,
certain office, or effect, which is required by the Zaphkiel; over Jupiter, Zadkiel; over Mars,
quire of spirits: which names then no otherwise Camael; over the Sun, Raphael; over Venus,
than oblations, and sacrifices offered to the Haniel; over Mercury, Michael; over the Moon,
gods , obtain efficacy and virtue to draw any Gabriel. These are those seven spirits which
spiritual substance from above or beneath, for always stand before the face of God,9 to whom
to make any desired effect. is entrusted the disposing of the whole celestial ,
I have seen and known some, writing on and terrene kingdoms, which is under the
virgin parchment the name and seal of some Moon. For these (as say the more curious the-

532
 Of the Names of Spirits / 533

ologians) govern all things by a certain vicissi- Geliel, Requiel, Abrinael, Aziel, Tagriel , Alhe-
tude of hours, days, and years, as the astrologers niel, Amnixiel.
teach concerning the planets which they are set There are also four princes l6 of the angels,
over; which therefore Mercurius Trismegistus which are set over the four winds, and over the
calls the seven governors \0 of the world, who by four parts of the world, whereof Michael is set
the heavens, as by instruments, distribute the over the eastern wind; Raphael over the west-
influences of all the stars and signs upon these ern; Gabriel over the northern; Nariel , who by
inferiors. some is called Uriel, is over the southern.
Now there are some that do ascribe them to There are also assigned to the elements 17
the stars, by names somewhat differing, saying, these, viz. to the Air, Cherub ; to the Water,
that over Saturn is set an intelligence called Ori- Tharsis; to the Earth, Ariel; to the Fire, Seruph ,
phiel; over Jupiter, Zachariel; over Mars, or according to Philon, Nathaniel .
Zamael; over the Sun, Michael; over Venus, Now everyone of these spirits is a great
Anael; over Mercury, Raphael; over the Moon, prince, and hath much power and freedom in
Gabriel. And everyone of these governs the the dominion of his own planets, and signs, and
world 354 years, and four months; and the gov- in their times, years, months, days, and hours,
ernment begins from the intelligence of Saturn; and in their elements, and parts of the world,
afterward in order, the intelligences of Venus, and winds. And everyone of them rules over
Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, the Moon, the Sun many legions.
reign, and then the government returns to the And after the same manner amongst evil
spirit of Saturn. I I Abbas Tritemius writ to Max- spirits,18 there are four which as most potent
imilian Caesar a special treatise l2 concerning kings are set over the rest, according to the four
these, which he that will thoroughly examine, parts of the world, whose names are these, viz.
may from thence draw great knowledge of Urieus , king of the east; Amaymon, king of the
future times. south; Paymon , king of the west; Egin, king of
Over the twelve signs l3 are set these, viz. the north: which the Hebrew doctors perhaps
over Aries, Malchidael; over Taurus, Asmodel; call more rightly thus, Samuel,19 Azazel,20
over Gemini, Ambriel; over Cancer, Muriel; Azael,21 Mahazuel, under whom many other rule
over Leo, Verchiel; over Virgo, Hamaliel; over as princes of legions, and rulers;22 also there are
Libra, Zuriel ; over Scorpio, Barbiel; over Sagit- innumerable demons of private offices.
tarius, Advachiel; over Capricorn, Hanael; over Moreover the ancient theologians of the
Aquarius, Cambiel; over Pisces, BaI·chief. Greeks reckon up six demons, which they call
Of these spirits set over the planets, and Telchines,23 others Alastores;24 which bearing
signs, John made mention in the Revelation, ill will to men, taking up water out of the River
speaking of the former in the beginning; and of Styx with their hand, sprinkle it upon the Earth,
the seven spirits 14 which are in the presence of whence follow calamities, plagues, and
the throne of God, which I find are set over the famines; and these are said to be Acteus, Mega-
seven planets: the latter in the end of the book, lezius, Ormenus, Lycus, Nicon , Mimon.
where he describes the platform of the heavenly But he which desires to know exactly the
city, saying that in the twelve gates thereof were distinct names, offices, places, and times of
twelve angels. 15 angels, and evil demons, let him inquire into
There are again twenty-eight angels, which the book of Rabbi Simon of the Temples,25 and
rule in the twenty-eight mansions of the Moon, in his Book of Lights,26 and in his treatise of
whose names in order are these: Geniel, the Greatness of Stature;27 and in the treatise of
Enediel, Amixiel, Azariel, Gabiel, Dirachiel, the Temples of Rabbi /shmael,28 and in almost
Scheliel, Amnediel, Barbiel, Ardesiel, Neciel, all the commentaries of his Book of Forma-
Abdizuel, Jaw·iel, Ergediel, Ataliel, Azeruel, tion;29 and he shall find it written at large con-
Adriel, Egibiel, Amutiel, Kyriel, Bethnael, cerning them.
534/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

Nores-ChapreR 7\.7\.lV

1. name of it was-Genesis 2: 19. holy soul, and the Angel of Death has the
task of taking the soul with the Evil Incli-
2. same man-This may have been the Abbot nation. (Sitre Tora [Secrets of the Tora],
Trithemius, the magical master of Agrippa. quoted by Patai 1980, 440-1)
Elsewhere the Zohar says that at the birth of
3. Raziel-
every man four angels descend on his right side and
Instantly, the Holy One, blessed be He, four on his left. On the right are Michael, Gabriel ,
made Moses pass on from there, and he Raphael, and Nuriel [Uriel] . These are ruled by
encountered Galetzur who is called Raziel. Michael. On the left are the angels Sin, Destroyer,
And why is his name Galetzur? Because he Anger, and Wrath. These are ruled by Gabriel. "On
reveals (m' galle) the reasons of the Rock the side of Gabriel (which is the left side), there are
(TzuI', i.e., God) . And he is called Raziel, also four faces which are punishing, that is, have the
because he hears behind the Curtain the quality of stem judgement over the wicked. And they
secrets of God (raze E/), that which has taunt the wicked, for, as we have established, it is
been decreed to come · to pass, and he permitted to taunt the wicked in this world" (Zohar ,
announces it in the world. It is said of quoted by Patai 1980, 431). Notice that Gabriel is
Galetzur that he stands before the Throne said to be both on the left and the right side-it is not
and his wings are spread out to receive the uncommon in the Kabbalah for different angels to
breath of the mouths of the Beasts, and share the same name.
were it not so, all the Ministering Angels
would be burnt by the breath from the 5. Michael-The name means "who is like God," the
mouth of the Beasts. And Galetzur has yet leader of the archangels. Along with Gabriel, the
another task: he takes a kil1d of an iron pan second in command, he is appointed over Israel. It is
which is of fire, and receives in it the fiery Michael who led the battle against Satan and the evil
coals of the River Rigyon, and places it angels (Revelation 12:7). He rules over the right
opposite the kings, and rulers, and princes . side, his face is white, and with Gabriel he slays
of the world so that their splendor should false Messiahs .
succeed and their fear fall upon the world.
(Ma' ayan Hokhma [Source of wisdom], a 6. Raphael-The name means "God heals." The
12th-century Midrash quoted by Patai healing angel who figures so prominently in the
1980,404) book of Tobit. He instructs Tobias to rub his
"When Adam was in the Garden of Eden, the Holy father's eyes with the gall of a fish to cure his
One, blessed be He, sent down to him a book by the cataracts (Tobit II :8). According to a story in the
hand of Raziel the holy angel, who is in charge of the Midrash his name was originally Leviel , but
supernal holy mysteries. And in it were inscribed because of his prudence in not contradicting the
supernal inscriptions and sacred wisdom" (Zohar, intention of God, was changed into Raphael :
describing the Book of Raziel, as quoted by Patai "Instantly He changed his name and called his name
1980,469). Raphael [God heals], and placed into his hands all
kinds of remedies in the world" (Konen (He estab-
4. Gabriel-There a division of opinion as to what lished), quoted by Patai 1980, 265).
the name means. Some authorities translate it "man
of God," but others "strength of God" or "God is 7. Haniel-The name means "grace of God." This is
strong" or "God is my strength." Gabriel is usually the angel of Venus, allotted in the system of the Kab-
mentioned in conjunction with Michael. Together balah to the seventh Sephirah, Netzach.
they will subdue the "Prince of Power," Samael, and
On the sixth day [Friday] rules' Anael. He
end the government of evil in heaven and Earth.
is appointed on all manner of love. This
The red colour is Gabriel. He is the one ruler is in the likeness of a woman. She has
who destroyed Sodom, he is of the left in one hand a mirror in which she beholds
side. He is appointed over all the judge- herself and in the other a comb with which
ments of the world from the left side, to be she is combing her hair. (The Wisdom of the
executed by the Angel of Death, who is the Chaldeans , Hebrew manuscript of the 14th
master of slaying the house of the king. century or earlier, trans. M. Gaster [1900].
And all of them carry out their tasks. The In Three Works of Ancient Jewish Magic
angel Gabriel has the task of taking the [London:Chthonios Books, 1986], 2: 16)
 Of the Names of Spirits / 535

8. set over the planets-The angels set over the .. . Mikael, the great prince, is appointed
planets are: over the seventh heaven, the highest one,
which is in the 'Arahoth. Gabriel, the
Zaphkiel TzPQIAL
prince of the host, is appointed over the
Zadkiel TzDQIAL
sixth heaven which is in Makon. Shataqiel,
Camael KMAL
prince of the host, is appointed over the
Raphael RPhAL
fifth heaven which is in Ma' on. Shahaqiel,
Haniel HANIAL
prince of the host, is appointed over the
Michael MIKAL
fourth heaven which is in Zebul. Badariel,
Gabriel GBRIAL
prince of the host, is appointed over the
This same set of names is found, with minor third heaven which is in Shehaqim .
variations, in The Wisdom of the Chaldeans. In his Barakiel, prince of the host, is appointed
introduction to this work, Gaster mentions the same over the second heaven which is in the
list of angels in a commentary on the Sepher Yetzirah height of (Merom) Raqia' . Pazriel, prince
by lehuda ben Barzillai of Barcelona (12th century) of the host, is appointed over the first
and, with the exception of a single name, in the Book heaven which is in Wi/on, which is in
of Raziel. (See Three Works of Ancient Jewish Shamayim . (Odeburg 1928, 17:45-8)
Magic, 2:7-8.) A somewhat different arrangement of
planetary angels is found in the Heptameron, a mag- 10. seven governors-See note I, ch. LIX, bk. II.
ical text attributed to Pietro d' Abano (1250--1316):
'Q-Cassiel II. spirit of Saturn-This ordering follows the days
4-Sachiel of the week in reverse:
cJ'-Samael 'Q-Oriphiel (Saturday)
0-Michael ¥,-Anael (Friday)
¥,-Anael 4-Zachariel (Thursday)
~-Raphael ~-Raphael (VVednesday)
l)-Gabriel cJ'-Zamael (Tuesday)
This list is taken from the Conciliator of Pietro l)-Gabriel (Monday)
d'Abano, written in 1303, but first published at 0-Michael (Sunday)
Venice in 1471. Thorndike says that Peter derives The relationship between the days of the week
this system from Averroes (1126-1198). (See and the traditional ordering of the planets by their
Thorndike, 2:900.) apparent rapidity of motion cannot be expressed
more elegantly than by the symbol of the heptagram:
9. face of God-Revelation 4:5 . The seven spirits
who stand before the throne of God are described in
the Book of Enoch:
And these are the names of the holy angels
who watch. Uriel, one of the holy angels,
who is over the world and over Tartarus.
Raphael, one of the holy angels, who is over
the spirits of men. Raguel, one of the holy
angels who takes vengeance on the world of
the luminaries. Michael, one of the holy
angels, to wit, he that is set over the best part
of mankind and over chaos. Saraqael, one of
the holy angels, who is set over the spirits,
who sin in the spirit. Gabriel, one of the holy
angels, who is over Paradise and the ser-
pents and the Cherubim. Remiel, one of the
holy angels, whom God set over those who
rise. (Charles 1913,2:201)
In the Hehrew Book of Enoch these angels are
Moving in a circle around the points, beginning
assigned the seven heavens:
with Saturn, the order of the planets by their motions
Seven (are the) princes, the great, beauti- reveals itself, but tracing the interlocking line of the
ful, revered, wonderful and honoured ones heptagram from point to point shows the attribution
who are appointed over the seven heavens. of the planets to the days of the week.
536 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

12. special treatise-Agrippa's second list of spirits 17. to the elements-

of the planets is derived from De septem secundeis. Air Cherub (Kerub) KRUB
id est. intelligentiis. sive spiritibus orbes post deum Water Tharsis ThRShISh
moventibus. a work written by his magical master, Earth Ariel ARIAL
the Abbot Johannes Trithemius (1462-1516). In it Fire Seruph (Seraph) ShRP
Trithemius puts forward a system whereby the Pla-
tonic months-periods of around 2120 years during These four names occur in the sixth of the seven
which each equinox progresses through a complete pentacles of Jupiter given in the Greater Key of
sign of the zodiac-are divided into six parts of 354 Solomon. where they are written in the fonn of a
years and four months, and allotted to the angels in cross and surrounded by the biblical verse: "They
the order given in note II above. By the reckoning of pierced my hands and my feet, I may tell .all my
Trithemius the Age of Gabriel ended in 1879. We are bones" (Psalms 22:16-7). It is more common in
now living in the Age of Michael, which will con- modem occultism to find Kerub assigned to Earth
tinue ·until 2233. Trithemius purports to show how and Ariel assigned to Air.
the different quality of each age reflects in its his-
tory-the "knowledge of future times" intimated by 18 . evil spirits-These names occur in a variety of
Agrippa. fonns and places. It may be useful to give some com-
parisons:
13. twelve signs- Testament of Solomon (12th or 13th century):
rr Malchidael MLKIDAL ?t-l:i':;'Q East South West North
t5 Asmodel ASMODAL ,t-l:iiQOt-l: Oriens Amemon Boul Eitzen
II Ambriel AMBRIAL ?t-l:'''':JQt-l: Pseudomonarchia Daemonum by John Wierus
§ Muriel MURIAL ?t-l:'..,iQ (1515-1588):
61 Verchiel VRKIAL ?t-l:'::J..,i East South West North
rlJ' Hamaliel HMLIAL ?t-l:'?Qjj Amaymon Gerson Goap Zymymar
-"- Zuriel ZURIAL ?t-l:'..,iT
rn., Barbiel BRBIAL ?t-l:':J..,:J Livre des Esprits (late 15th or early 16th century):
x Advachiel ADVKIAL ?t-l:'::Jiit-l: East South West North
\f) Hanael HNAL ?t-l:jjj Orient Amoymon Paymon Cham
~ Cambiel KAMBIAL ?t-l:':JQt-l:::J Grimoire of Pope Honorius 11/:
~ Barchiel BRKIAL ?t-l:'::J..,:J East South West North
Malchidael can also be spelled Melchidael. Magoa Egym Baymon Amaymon
An alternate fonn of Cambiel is Cambriel, Grimoire of Pope Honorius 11/ (variant edition):
KAMBRIAL. ?t-l:'..,:JQt-l:::J. East South West North
In the original text (both English and Latin) Maymon Egin Paymon Amaymon
Agrippa gives the angel Barchiel for both Scorpio
and Pisces. This would seem to be an error. Here I 19. Samuel-Samael, one of the three great princes
have taken the angel Barbiel from the table, ch. XIV, of Gehenna, the storehouse in the north of the world
bk. II, and assigned it to Scorpio. In an otherwise that holds all the reserves of fire, frost, snow, hail-
identical list of zodiacal angels given in Regardie stones, stonn, darkness, and violent winds. It is the
[1937-40] 1982, I: 174 and 3:44, the angel Amnitziel dwelling place of hannful demons and destructive
bt-l:'~'jQt-l:) is assigned to Pisces. spirits, and has three gates opening onto the Earth.
Samael guards the third gate in the valley of Ben
14. seven spirits-See note 9 above. Hinnom opposite Zion and Jerusalem. He is the arch-
foe of the highest angel, Metatron, and is called
15. twelve angels-Revelation 21: 12. Prince of the Accusers and the Evil Inclination (as
opposed to Gabriel, the Good Inclination).
16.four princes-See Revelation 7: I.
"The sons of God were the sons of Cain.
"This first is Michael, the merciful and
For when Samael mounted Eve, he injected
long-suffering: and the second, who is set
filth into her, and she conceived and bare
over all the diseases and all the wounds of
Cane. And his aspect was unlike that of the
the children of men, is Raphael: and the
other humans, and all those who came
third, who is set over all the powers, is
from his side were called sons of God."
Gabriel: and the fourth, who is set over the
(Zohar. In Patai 1980, 471)
repentance unto hope of those who inherit
eternal life, is named Phanuel." (Book of He is mentioned in the Hebrew Book of Enoch
Enoch 40:9 [Charles 1913,2:211-2]) by Metatron, who says: "Even Sammael, the Prince
 Of the Names of Spirits / 537

of the Accusers, who is greater than all the princes of tribe of skilled craftsmen proverbial as magicians.
kingdoms on high, feared and trembled before me" The Telchines acquired a very evil reputation as sor-
(14:2 [Odeberg 1928,37]). cerers whose glance and features were tainted and
caused destruction. They could call down the hail,
20. Azazel-See note 51, ch. XVIII, bk. III. rain or snow, change their shape, and had the
unpleasant habit of concocting a poison from the
21. Azael-Or Asael, one of the "leaders of tens" of waters of the Styx mixed with sulfur to kill animals
the 200 angels who lusted after the daughters of men and plants.
and descended to Earth. (Apocryphal Book of Enoch
6:7-8). 24. Alastores-Alastor was the surname of Zeus in
his guise as avenger of evil. By extension it was
22. and rulers-In the Faustbook published by applied to any deity who avenges foul deeds.
Scheible (Stuttgart, 1849) is the separate treatise
titled Doctoris lohannis Fausti magiae naturalis et 25. the Temples-Perhaps the Heikhalot de-R .
innatural. Passau, 1505, which assigns these evil Simeon B. Yohai. the section of the Zohar that treats
angels to the elements in this order: of the seven palaces in Eden and the "seven palaces
Samael-Fire of uncleanness" in hell, and angelology.
Azazel-Air
Azael-Water 26. Book of Lights-Perhaps Midrash Yehi Or. a
Mahazael-Earth name applied to the Zohar by Israel al-Nakawa (died
1391) because the manuscript he possessed began
23. Telchines-The Telchines were a tribe or family with a commentary on the verse "Let there be light"
said to have been descended from either Thalassa or (Genesis 1:3) (see Scholem 1977, 2: 1:213). Spanish
Poseidon. They came from Crete to Cyprus, then Kabbalists of the Middle Ages knew the Zohar under
migrated to Rhodes where they founded the towns of the titles Midrash de-R. Simeon B. Yohai and
Camirus, Lindus and Ialysus. On their account Mekhilta de-R. Simeon B. Yohai.
Rhodes acquired the name Telchinis. When they saw
with their divine arts that Rhodes was to be drowned 27. Greatness of Stature-Perhaps the Idra Rabba
in the sea, they fled in different directions. Lycus (Greater assembly), the section of the Zohar that
went to Lycia and built there the temple to Lycian treats of the form of Adam Kadmon.
Apollo. Apollo had previously been worshipped at
Lindus, while Hera had received worship at Camirus 28. Rabbi Ishmael-A. E. Waite speaks of a treatise
and Ialysus. Despite their homage. Apollo was hos- called Delineation of the Heavenly Temples . criti-
tile to the Telchines. He transformed himself into a cized by Nahmanides (died c. 1270) under the title
wolf and destroyed them. By a different story it was Proportion of the Height. and also called Description
Zeus who overwhelmed the tribe in a flood. presum- of the Body of God. which was attributed to a Rabbi
ably at Rhodes. They were credited with inventing Ishmael (Waite [1929]1975,91). The work purports
arts and crafts, such as metal working. They made the to be a revelation from the archangel Metatron to
images of the gods, the sickle of Cronos and the tri- Rabbi Ishmael (or Yeshmael) on the proportions and
dent of Poseidon. Strabo was of the opinion that the holy names attached to the members of the body of
Telchines had existed historically as a tribe of highly God.
skilled artists and craftsmen, and this skill was the
reason they were known as magicians in later times. 29. Book of Formation-Sepher Yetzirah . upon
A parallel may be drawn with the Heruli, a Germanic which numerous commentaries were written. Its true
authorship is unknown.
 CHAPTeR xxv

How rhe HebRew mecubals dRew fORrh rhe

sacRed names of angels our of rhe sacRed wRir,
and of rhe sevenry-rwo angels, which beaR
rhe name of ~od, wirh rhe rables of ZiRUph, ·
and rhe commurarions of leITeRS and numbeRS.

here are also other sacred names of In the 35 psalm with the Hebrews, but with us

T good, and evil spirits deputed to each

offices, of much greater efficacy than
the former, which the Hebrew
mecubals drew forth out of sacred writ, accord-
the 34, out of which the names of those angels
are drawn, '~"Q Midael, and '~"Q
Mirae! , of the order of warriors.
So out of that verse, thou shalt set over him
ing to that art which they teach concerning the wicked, and Satan shall stand at his right
them; as also certain names of God are drawn hand,2 out of the psalm 109 with the Hebrews,
forth out of certain places. but with the Latins the 108:
The general rule of these is, that whereso-
IJ'Q' 'S) ,QS)' 1~iDl S)iD' 1"S) 'P:Ji1
ever anything of divine essence is expressed in
the Scripture, from that place the name of God is extracted the name of the evil spirit Schii
may rightly be gathered; but in what place , S)'iD, which signifies a spirit that is a work of
soever in the Scripture the name of God is engines.
found expressed, there mark what office lies There is a certain text in Exodus3 contained
under that name. Wheresoever therefore the in three verses, whereof everyone is writ with
Scripture speaks of the office or work of any seventy-two letters, beginning thus: the first,
spirit, good, or bad, from thence the name of Vajisa S)O'i; the second, Vajabo ~:ri; the
that spirit, whether good, or bad, may be gath- third, Vajot ~'1 : which are extended into one
ered; this unalterable rule being observed, that line, viz. the first, and third from the left hand to
of good spirits we receive the names of good the right; but the middle in a contrary order,
spirits, of evil the names of evil. beginning from the right to the left, is terminated
And let us not confound black with white, on the left hand: then each of the three letters
nor day with night, nor light with darkness: being subordinate the one to the other, make one
which by these verses, as by an example, is name, which are seventy-two names, which the
manifest: let them be as dust before the face of Hebrews call Schemhamphorae: 4 to which if the
divine name E! ,~ , or Jah i1', be added, they
the wind, and let the angel of the Lord scatter
them; let their ways be darkness, and slippery, produce seventy-two trisyllable names of angels,
and let the angel of the Lord pursue them: I whereof everyone carries the great name of
God, as it is written: my angel shall go before
i11i1' l~'m m, 'J:J' rQJ l'i1' thee; observe him , for my name is in him.5
And these are those that are set over the
np' P'i11 liDn ClJ" 'i1' i1n, seventy-two celestial quinaries, and so many
Cl:J" i11i1' l~'QI nations, and tongues,6 and joints of man 's body,

538
 How the Hebrew Mecubals Drew Forth the Sacred Names / 539

and cooperate with the seventy-two seniors 7 of verses, as when all three are in a right order
the synagogue, and so many disciples of written one after the other from the right to the
Christ: 8 and their names according to the extrac- left, besides those which are extracted by the
tion which the Cabalists make, are manifest in tables of Ziruph, and the tables of commuta-
this following table, according to one manner tions, of which we made mention above. And
which we have spoken of. because these tables serve for all names, as well
Now there are many other manner or ways divine, as angelical, we shall therefore subjoin
of making Schemhamphorae out of those them to this chapter.

Norcs-ChaprCR l\l\V
I. Lord pursue them-Psalms 35:5-6. 6. nations, and tongues-Genesis 10. Seventy. not
72.
2. his right hand-Psalms 109:6.
7. seventy-two seniors,Numbers 11 :24. Seventy
3. text in Exodus-Exodus 14:19-21. elders are mentioned. but if an equal number was
selected from each tribe. they must total 72.
4. Schemhamphorae-The Schemhamphoras.
8. disciples of Christ-Luke 10: I. Again. 70 are
5. my name is in him-Exodus 23 :20-1. mentioned. but 72 are intended.
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 CHAPTeR ""Vl

Of finding our of rhe names of spiRirs, and

CJeniuses fRom rhe disposirion of celesrial bodies.

he ancient magicians did teach an art nity in the foresaid comers: this order being

T of finding out t,re name of a spirit to

any desired effect, drawing it from the
disposition of the heaven; as for
example, any celestial harmony being proposed
used, thou mayest know the true place, and
degree of them in the heaven, beginning from
the degree of the ascendent through each degree
according to the order of the signs to cast
to thee for the making an image or ring, or any twenty-two of the letters of the Hebrews; then
other work to be done under a certain constella- what letters shall fall into the places of the
tion; if thou will find out the spirit that is the aforesaid· stars, being marked, and disposed
ruler of that work; the figure of the heaven according to the order found out above in the
being erected, cast forth letters in their number stars, and rightly joined together according to
and order from the degree of the ascendent, the rules of the Hebrew tongue, make the name
according to the succession of signs through of a Genius: to which, according to the custom,
each degree by filling the whole circle of the some monosyllable name of divine omnipo-
heaven: then those letters which fall into the tency, viz. El. or lah is subjoined. But if the
places of the stars the aid whereof thou casting of the letters be made from an angle of
wouldest use, being according to the number, the falling, and against the succession of signs,3
and powers of those stars, marked without into and the letters which shall fall in the nadir (that
number, and order, make the name of a good is, the opposite point) of the aforesaid stars, be
spirit: but if thou shalt do so from the beginning after that order as we said, joined together, shall
of a degree falling against the progress of the make the name of an evil Genius.
signs, the resulting spirit shall be evil. 1 But the Chaldeans proceed another way;
By this art some of the Hebrew and for they take not the almutez of the comers, but
Chaldean masters teach that the nature, and the almutez of the eleventh house, and do in all
name ·of any Genius may be found out; as for things as hath been said. Now they find out an
example, the degree of the ascendent of any- evil Genius from the almutez of the angle of the
one's nativity being known, and the other cor- twelfth house, which they call an Evil Spirit,
ners of the heaven being coequated, then let that casting from the degree of the falling against the
which had the more dignities of planets in those progress of the signs. 4
four comers, which the Arabians call almutez,2 There are also the Arabians, and many oth-
be first observed amongst the rest: and accord- ers, and some Hebrews, who find out the name
ing to that in the second place, that which shall of a Genius by the places of the five hylegians,5
be next to it in the number of dignities, and so and making projection always from the begin-
by order the rest of them, which obtain any dig- ning of Aries, and the letters being found out

547
548/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

according to the order of hylegians with the according to the proportioned numbers to the
astrologers, being reduced into a known order, starry account, compacted or joined, and changed
and being joined together, make the name of a letters, although unknown in sound and significa-
good Genius: but they draw the name of an evil tive, we must of necessity confess may do more
Genius from the opposite hylegian places, pro- by the secret of the chiefest philosophy in a mag-
jection being made from the last degree of ical work, than significative names, whilst the
Pisces against the order of signs. mind being astonished at the obscurity of them,
But other some do not take the places of and deeply intent, firmly believing that something
hylegians, but the places of almutez upon the divine is under it, doth reverently pronounce these
five hylegians making projection from an horo- words, and names, although not understood, to
scope, as abovesaid. the glory of God, captivating himself with a spir-
And these names being thus distributed itual affection of piety, in the obedience of him.

NOLes-ChapLeR 7\.7\.Vl
I. shall be evil-In other words, determine the house of the four which has the greatest number of
degree of the ascendent, which is the degree just ris- dignified planets, and beginning to letter the name in
ing above the horizon, for any given magically sig- that house, counterclockwise for good spirits, clock-
nificant moment, then place the Hebrew letters into wise for evil spirits, proceeding successively to the
the 360 degrees of the zodiac, one letter per degree, remaining three houses in the Cross in the order of
beginning with aleph in the ascendent degree and their dignities. In all cases the degrees of the zodiac
proceeding counterclockwise. The letters are begun are lettered counterclockwise from the ascendent for
anew after each cycle of the alphabet-for example, good spirits and clockwise from the descendent for
beth is placed in the 24th degree. Then choose in the evil spirits. The Arabians derive both good and evil
same order, starting at the ascendent, those planets spirits from the angular houses by taking the degrees
and astrological points that will be most fruitful in upon which the planets fall for the letters of good
forming the qualities of the spirit, omitting discor- spirits and the degrees exactly opposite on the circle
dant elements, and write down the letters, always of the zodiac from those planets for the letters of evil
maintaining the order. Some names will be more spirits. The Chaldeans, on the other hand, find out
potent then others, depending on the astrological good spirits from the succedent houses, and evil spir-
configuration at the moment of their making. For evil its from the cadent houses. The succedent house XI
spirits the same process is followed, but the direction is in fact named the Good Daemon, while the cadent
is clockwise. Vowels must be added to make the house XII is named the Evil Daemon.
Hebrew names pronounceable.
5. five hylegians-The hyleg is the planet or part of
2. almutez-Arabic: "the prevailing"; the prevailing heaven that forms the Prorogator of Life. There are
or ruling planet in the horoscope; the strongest planet five hylegical places. Ptolemy gives the order
in a nativity, also called the Lord of Figure. The referred to by Agrippa:
word is often corrupted in old texts into almuten. Among these there are to be preferred,
Agrippa seems to apply the term more broadly to the with reference to power of domination,
house with the greatest number of planetary digni- first those [degrees] which are in the mid-
ties-planets which are so placed as to promote their heaven [Xth house]. then those in the ori -
vigorous action, most usually in their ruling sign, in ent [1st house]. then those in the sign
exaltation, and in the angles. succedent to the mid-heaven [XIth house].
then those in the occident [Vllth house],
3. succession of signs-That is, from the degree of then those in the sign rising before mid-
the descendent sign on the western horizon, proceed- heaven [iXth house]; for the whole region
ing clockwise. below the earth must, as is reasonable, be
disregarded when a domination of such
4. progress of the signs-It seems to me that Agrippa importance is concerned, except only those
is saying that the names may be found by drawing a parts which in the ascendant itself are com-
Grand Cross through either the angular (I, IV, VII ing into the light. (Tetrabiblos 3. \0 [Rob-
and X), the succedent (II, V, VIII and XI), or the bins, 273])
cadent (III, VI, IX and XII) houses, taking first that
 CHA.PTeR X.X.Vll

Of L"he calculaL"lng aRL" of such

names by L"he L"RadlL"lon of CaballsL"s.

here is yet another art of these kinds divine omnipotency, as EI,4 or On 5 or lah ,6 or

T of names, which they call calculatory,

and it is made by the following tables,
by entering with some sacred, divine,
or angelical name, in the column of letters
lad,? and to be pronounced together with it: and
because lah is a name of beneficence, and lad
the name of a deity, therefore these two names
are put only to the names of angels; but the
descending; by taking those letters which thou name EI, because it imports power,8 and virtue,
shalt find in the common angles' under their is therefore added not only to good but bad spir-
stars, and signs: which being reduced into order, its, for neither can evil spirits either subsist, or
the name of a good spirit is made of the nature do anything without the virtue of El, God.
of that star, or sign, under which thou didst But we must know that common angles of
enter: but if thou shalt enter in the column the same star, and sign are to be taken, unless
ascending, by taking the common angles above entrance be made with a mixed name, as are the
the stars, and signs marked in the lowest line, names of Genii, and those of which it hath been
the name of an evil spirit is made. spoken in the preceeding chapter, which are
And these are the names of spirits of any made of the dispositions of the heaven, accord-
order, or heaven ministering; as of good, so of ing to the harmony of divers stars. For as often
bad, which thou mayst after this manner multi - as the table is to be entered with these, the com-
ply into nine names 2 of so many orders, in as mon angle is to be taken under the star, or sign
much as thou mayst by entering with one name of him that enters. 9
draw forth another of a spirit of a superior order There are moreover some that do extend'O
out of the same, as well of a good, as bad one. those tables, that they think also if there be an
Yet the beginning of this calculation entrance with an extrance, with the name of a
depends upon the names of God; for every word star, or office, or any desired effect, a demon
hath a virtue in magic, in as much as it depends whether good, or bad, serving to that office, or
on the word of God, and is thence framed. effect, may be drawn out. Upon the same
Therefore we must know that every angelical account they that enter with the proper name of
name must proceed from some primary name of any person, believe that they can extract the
God. Therefore angels are said to bear the name names of the Genii, under that star which shall
of God, according to that which is written, appear to be over such a person, as they shall by
because my name is in him.3 his physiognomy, or by the passions and incli-
Therefore that the names of good angels nations of his mind, and by his profession, and
may be discerned from the names of bad, there fortune, know him to be martial, or saturnine, or
is wont oftentimes to be added some name of solary, or of the nature of any other star.

549
550/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

And although such kind of primary names and fortune, do oftentimes by reason of the same-
have none or little power by their signification, ness of name obtain the same Genius of the same
yet such kind of extracted names, and such as name. We must know therefore that it must not
are derived from them, are of very great effi- be thought absurd that the same demon may be
cacy; as the rays of the Sun collected in a hol- separated from anyone soul, and the same be set
low glass, II do indeed most strongly bum, the over more. Besides, as divers men have many
Sun itself being scarce warm. times the same name, so also spirits of divers
Now there is an order of letters in those offices and natures may be noted or marked by
tables under the stars, and signs, almost like that one name, by one and the same seal, or character,
which is with the astrologers, of tens, elevens, yet in a divers respect: for as the serpent doth
twelves. Of this calculatory art Alfonsus sometimes typify Christ,13 and sometimes the
Cyprius l2 once wrote, and I know not who else, Devil,14 so the same names, and the same seals
and also fitted it to Latin characters; but because may be applied sometimes to the order of a good
the letters of every tongue, as we showed in the demon, sometimes of a bad. Lastly, the very
first book, have in their number, order, and figure ardent intention of the invocator, by which our
a celestial and divine original, I shall easily grant intellect is joined to the separated intelligences,
this calculation concerning the names of spirits to causeth that we have sometimes one spirit, some-
be made not only by Hebrew letters, but also by times another, although called upon under the
Chaldean, and Arabic, Egyptian, Greek, Latin, same name, made obsequious to us.
and any other, the tables being rightly made after There follow the tables of the calculation of
the imitation of the precedents. the names of spirits, good and bad, under the
But here it is objected by many, that it falls presidency of the seven planets, and under the
out, that in these tables men of a different nature, order of the twelve militant signs.

Norcs-ChaprCR 7\.7\.Vll
I . common angles-The column of squares under 9. him that enters-In the name of a Genius, or dae-
the planet or zodiac sign. Each angle, or square, is mon, where the letters are separately extracted from
"common" in the sense that it relates both to the the heavens by the planets (see ch. XXVI , bk. III),
planet, or sign, and the letter being entered. the letters are entered into the table of planets under
those same planets that presided over their forma-
2. nine names-A name being entered and another tion. When the name is entered into the table of the
extracted of the first, or lowest, hierarchy, that second signs, each letter is entered under the sign in which
name may in tum be entered to yield a name of the the planet that gave it birth resided at the time of its
second hierarchy, and so on to the ninth hierarchy, formation.
each succeeding name being of greater occult potency.
10. extend-Extend the use of.
3. name is in him-See note 5, ch. XXV, bk. Ill.
II. hollow glass-Concave mirror.
4. EI-'?~ , AL, as in Gabriel.
12. Alfonsus Cyprius-Probably a reference to the
5. On-jl, VN , as in Metatron. Alphonsine Tables, astronomical tables made by
Arab and Spanish astronomers which were collected
6. Jah--." , IH, as in Laviah. under the order of Alphonso X, ruler of Castile, in
1253. They are also called the Toletan Tablets, after
7. Jod-', I; or'" ID; or " ' , YOD. the city of Toledo, where they were adapted to be
used . See Chaucer, "The Franklin ' s Tale," line 1273,
8. imports power-Yod means "hand" and by exten- in The Canterbury Tales.
sion "power of the hand of God." El also means
"power" or "might of God. " The compound name 13. typify Christ-John 3: 14.
Yod El, ID AL, .,~ " (Job 27: I I) , "hand of God,"
is singularly potent, though it is little used in magic. 14. sometimes the Devil-Revelation 12:9.
 Of the Calculating Art of Such Names / 551

Table of rhe Seven Planers

The
}) ~ <? 0 cJ 2. 12 line of
good

n r 1 i1 1 , ::J ~ ~

tv j D '; ~
~
~ n ::J
, tv , P ~ El S) 0 ,
i? 1 i1 1 , ::J ~ n 1
~ D '; ~
~
~ n r i1
El , i? ~ El S) 0 j 1
S) i1 1 , ::J ~ n tv r
0 '; ~
~
~ n r 1 n
j i? ~ El S) 0 j D ~

D 1 , ::J ~ n tv , ~

'; ~
~
~ n r 1 i1 ~

~ ~ El S) 0 j D '; ';
~ , ::J ~ n tv , i? D
~
~
~ n r 1 i1 1 j

n El S) 0 j D '; ~ 0
r ::J ~ n tv , i? ~ S)

1 ~ n r 1 i1 1 , El
i1 S) 0 j D '; ~
~
~

1 ~ n tv , P ~ El i?
, n r 1 i1 1 , ::J ,
::J 0 j D '; ~
~
~ tv
~ n tv , P ~ El S) n
The
line of 12 2. cJ 0 <? ~ })
evil
 I!A~JO

tE ~
~
CJ\ ,;K 'W --..r J1J lJ § II Q Jy ~U!l

~4~

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m c Q Q cr G ~ C! L "mu mU

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,
d m u ~ c , L L! L l U Q
" L
~ L d ~ G cr Q C Q C Q L!
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"
C! L L

r/J
cr
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,
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l
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U
l
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Q) ::r
00 (\)
§ C ~ G cr Q C Q C Q U l Q

"u m
(\)

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Q)
.;:
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"

L
C

m
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U ~ C
L
,
C!
L
~

L!
G
L
C
" ('")
(\)
o......
So
(\)

"
u (\)

~ . cr Q C Q C .. Q U l L L! Q
~

~
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cr
L C Q C .. Q U l L L! L , G
L! , L "m
L! L l U Q .. C Q ~

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C

L C ~ U L d ~ G cr Q C Q d
, Q C Q cr G ~ C! L m U ~ C L
C C . Q U l L L! L , C ~ m
~ "
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poo~
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Jy Q II § lJ J1J --..r 'W ,;K
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SUQ!S ;)Al;)ml. ;)42 :1 0 ;)lqDl.

III )1008-AHdOS01IHd .Llfl:J:JO dO S)l008 33~H.L 3H.L / Z~~

 CHAPTeR ""Vlll

How somerimes names of spiRirs aRe

raKen fRom rhose rhings oveR which rhey aRe sec

find yet another kind of names given to the shall think that the souls of those men, or the

1 spirits from those things, which they are set

over, their names being as it were borrowed
from the stars, or men, or places, or times,
or such like things, the divine name being added
Genii whether good or bad, are signified.
So we read in Esdras 3 that the name of the
archangel Jeremiel was from Jeremiah the
prophet. So ZachQl·iel from Zacharia; and Uriel
at the end. from Uriah the prophet, whom Joachim slew. In
Thus, the spirit of Saturn is called like manner Samuel, Ezekiel , Daniel, were the
Sabathiel; the spirit of Jupiter, Zedekiel; the names of angels as well as prophets. Phanier is
spirit of Mars, Madimiel; the spirit of the Sun, the name of an angel, and of the place where
Semeliel, or Semeschia ; the spirit of Venus, Jacob wrestled all night. Ariel is the name of an
Nogahel; the spirit of Mercury, Cochabiah, or angel, and is the same as the Lion of God;5
Cochabiel; the spirit of the Moon, Jareahel, or sometimes also it is the name of an evil demon,6
Levanael. 1 In like manner also they call the spir- and of a city which is thence called Ariopolis,
its which are set over the signs by the names of where the idol Ariel was worshipped.
the signs, in order from Aries: Teletiel, Suriel, We find also in sacred writ that many
Tomimiel, Sattamiel, Ariel, Betuliel, Masniel, names of evil demons had their rise from most
Acrabiel, Chesetiel, Gediel, Deliel, Dagymiel. 2 wicked men, or from the habitations of wicked
And if we call them from the Latin words: men; as the name Astaroth, which is the name of
Ariel, Tauriel, Geminiel, Cancriel, Leoniel, Vir- an evil demon, was formerly the name of the
giniel, Libriel, Scorpiel, Sagittariel, Capriel, city of Og, king of Basan, in which dwelt
Aquariel, Pisciel; and from the planets: Sat- giants; 7 in like manner Astaroth was formerly
urniel, Joviel, Martiel , Soliah , Veneriel, Mer- the city of the Amorrhei;8 Raphaim9 a valley,
curiel, Lunael, or Lunaiah. and Jeramiel the country of the Allophyli; IO and
Now because (as we said before) all spirits, also they were the names of idols, and evil
as well good as bad, seek for a union with man, demons; as Remma ll was the statue of the idol
which oftentimes in some sort they obtain, we of Damascus; Chamosl 2 the idol of Moab;
read that some men are called gods, and angels, Melchim l3 the idol of the Amontae; Bel 14 the
and devils. So the names of them which are idol of Babylonians; Adramelech l5 the idol of
endowed with any singular excellency of virtue, the Assyrians; Dagon 16 the idol of the Allophyli.
or with some desperate wickedness have And Philo makes mention of seven golden
departed this life, have obtained a place statues which the Amorrhei 17 had, which they
amongst the names of good and bad demons, called the Holy Nymphs, which being called
and are reckoned amongst them, whether we upon did show to the Amorrhei every hour their

553
554/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

works; and the names of them were the names decessors to Seth after Abel; of which the wise
of women, which were the wives of seven men of the Hebrews said, that Adam begat
wicked men, which consecrated them after the TochoP3 m~'n, i.e. devils. But after that he had
flood, viz. Chanaan, Phut, Selath , Nebroth, found favour in the eyes of God, he begot Seth
Abirion, Elath , Desuat, and there were put upon after his own image, and likeness, i.e. who
them precious stones, engraven, and conse- according to the image of God obtained a human
crated, one of which had a virtue to restore sight perfection, which he that hath not, is not reckoned
to the blind; neither could any fire bum these of the species of man, by reason of the pravities
stones; and the books were consecrated with which are the cause of all evils and mischief.
stones, which in like manner could not be burnt It is also (as saith Porphyry) the opinion of
with fi re, nor cut with iron, nor obliterated with magicians, that evil souls are turned into the
water, until the angel of the Lord took them, and nature of devils, and become as pernicious as
buried them in the bottom of the sea. they; which Christ confirmed, when he spake
Moreover we know that Nimbroth , 18 concerning Judas [sCQ/"iot: have not I chosen
Chodorlaomor,I9 Balach ,20 Amalech,2 1 names twelve,and one of you is a devil?24 Which devils
of kings, have obtained the order of evil spirits. therefore they call adventitious,25 because of
Also giants are called with devils after a men 's souls, they are become devils. Whence
common name, Enakim22 Cl~p J,!j, because they the names of wicked men and devils are the
did not partake of the image of God, i.e. they have same, whether by these we call their souls, or
not received the splendour of the spiritual intel- evil Genii which have taken upon them the
lect, but their reason hath multiplied evil kinds of names of wicked men, as if it were their persons.
frauds and sins. Therefore they are not reckoned Al so Behemoth, and the Leviathan 26 sig-
of the species of man (as saith Rabbi Moses the nify beasts, and devils.
Egyptian) but of the species of beasts, and devils, By these examples he that is inquisitive
only that they have the shape of a man; and such shall find out the names of good, as well as of
(he saith) were the sons of Adam, which were pre- evil spirits.

NOL"cs-ChapL"CR 7\.7\.Vlll
1. or Levanael-The spheres of the planets bear the § Sattam (Sartan) SRTN It!liO
following names in the Kabbalistic world of Assiah,
61 Arih ARIH i1~i~
the world of actions. The English titles that accom-
pany the names in Hebrew are given by Mathers rlJ' Betulh BThVLH i1?in:::l
(1887), 27- 8: ...r.... Maznim MAZNIM D~JT~~

~~n:::liV rTlt Acrab AQRB :::liP~

12 Shabbathai (Rest) ShBThAI
4 Tzedek (Righteousness) TzDQ pi~ X Cheseth QShTh niVp
cJ' Madim (Vehement MDIM D'i~ V3 Gedi GDI 'iJ
Strength) ~ Deli DLI '?i
o Shemesh (Solar Light) ShMSh iV~iV ~ Dagim DGIM D~jj

<;? Nogah (Glittering NOGH i1~1J

Based upon the Hebrew, Agrippa 's angel of
Splendor) Cancer is incorrect. It should probably be Sartaniel.
~ Kokab (Stellar Light) KOKB :::l:J1:J The angel of Libra should probably be Maz-
» Levanah (Lunar Flame) LBNH m:::l? nimiel.
For the Hebrew names of the signs of the
2. Dagymiel-The Hebrew names for the signs of zodiac, see Regardie [1937-40] 1982, I: 171-4
the Zodiac are: (table). These names for the signs are to be found in
the Book of Raziel. An illustration from a manuscript
Teleth TLH
of this Hebrew magical text in the British Museum
Sur SVR shows the names in 12 interlocking circles (see
Tomim ThAOMIM Budge [1930] 1968, 22:387).
 How Sometimes Names of Spirits Are Taken From Those Things Over Which They Are Set / 555

~ ;-&.,
OOOQO 00000
o o

!l~i'» ~M
o 0 d 0 0
00090
o o

-
o
tl'.l'"r
0 000
o
o C)
,"""
0 0 0
o
00000
"1
o
oo'!i! o
0

Hebrew Names of the Zodiac

from the Book of Raziel

3. in Esdras-II Esdras 2: 18. 8. Amorrhei-Og was one of the two Amorite kings
who ruled beyond Jordan. See Deuteronomy 4:47.
4. Phaniel- Penuel. See Genesis 32:31.
9. Raphaim-Isaiah 17:5.
5. Lion of God-'i~, ARI (lion) + ';~ , AL (God).
10. the Allophyli-The lerahmeelites are mentioned as
6. evil demon-Milton ranks Ariel among the "Athe- a people in I Samuel 27:10 and 30:29. They occupied
ist crew" of the fallen angels (Paradise Lost 6, line a section of the southern steppes of Palestine about 17
371). Robert H. West in his work Milton and the miles south of Hebron. Allophyli (AAACxpUAOl) is
Angels (Athens, 1955) mentions that the name is used Greek for "Philistines."
as an epithet of Jerusalem in Isaiah 29: I and 33:7,
where it is translated " valiant ones." He further says II . Remma-Rimmon. See II Kings 5: 18.
that in · the translations of the Old Testament by
Aquila and Symmachus, Ariel is the name given to 12. Chamos-Chemosh, KMVSh, iV'1Q~ (Subduer),
the pagan city of Arina, or Ariopolis, which wor- the national god of the Moabites and the Ammonites
shipped the idol Ariel (Mars). See West 1955, 154. (Judges II :24) worshipped by Solomon after he was
corrupted by his wives (II Kings 23: 13).
7. dwelt giants- Numbers 21 :33 . Ashtaroth was the
name of a city of Bashan, presumably the capitol , 13. Melchim-Malcham, MLKM, Cl:/?Q, idol of the
since the king of Bashan, Og, is said to have dwelt Moabites and Ammonites (Zephaniah 1:5).
there (Deuteronomy I :4). Its full name was Ashteroth
Kamaim, AaShThRVTh QRNIM, Cl'Jip nnniVl7, 14. Bel-BL, ';:J, a contraction of BAaL, ';l7:J, the
"the horned Astartes," perhaps after a temple or chief god of the Babylonians, worshipped in the
statue of the goddess maintained there. tower of Babel (Jeremiah 51 :44). Bel was considered
556/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

Dagon
from Oedipus Aegyptiacus by Athanasius Kircher (Rome, 1652)

by Greek and Roman writers to be the planet Jupiter 13:29). They were perpetually persecuted by God
(stella lovis) . . (Exodus 17: 14).

15 . Adramelech-Adrammelech, ADRMLK, 22. Enakim-Anakim, AaNQlM, CI'P:Ll', "Long

l?~'i~, "Magnificence of the King," an Necked," a Canaanite nation famous for their great
idol of the Sepharvites carried from Mesopo- stature (Deuteronomy 9:2).
tamia into Samaria (II Kings 17:31).
23 . Tochot-
16. Dagon-DGVN, 1'1~i, "Great Fish," an idol with
the head and hands of a man and the tail of a fish For 130 years Adam kept separate from
worshipped by the Philistines at Ashdod (I Samuel his wife and did not beget. After Cain
5:1-7). killed Abel, Adam did not want to copu-
late with hi s wife .... And two female
17 . Amorrhei-Amorites. spirits [Lilith and Naamah] would come
and copulate with him and bear children.
18 . Nimbroth-Nisroch? If so, see Isaiah 37:38. And those whom they bore are the evil
spirits of the world and are called Plag ues
19. C hodorlaomor-Chedorlaomer, king of Elam. of Mankind. (Zohar [3-vol. ed., Vilna:
Genesis 14: I. Rome, 1894, 3:76b], quoted by Patai
1980,456)
20. Balach-Balac, king of Moab. Numbers 22:4;
Revelation 2: 14. 24. is a devil-See note 7, ch. XX, bk. III.

21 . Amalech-Amalek, an ancient people (Numbers 25. adventitious-Added from the outside; not essen-
24:20) who dwelt in the south of Palestine (Numbers tially inherent.
 How Sometimes Names of Spirits Are Taken From Those Things Over Which They Are Set / 557

26. Behemoth. and the Leviathan-The elephant (or where my grandfather [Enoch] was taken up,
hippopotamus) and the whale. See Job 40: 15-24 and the seventh from Adam, the first man whom
41. They represent vast elemental powers beyond the the Lord of Spirits created. And I besought
edge of perception. the other angel that he should show me the
might of these monsters, how they were
And on that day were two monsters parted, a
parted on one day and cast, the one into the
female monster named Leviathan, to dwell
abysses of the sea, and the other into the dry
in the abysses of the ocean over the fountains
land of the wilderness. And he said to me:
of the waters. But the male is named Behe-
"Thou son of man, herein thou dost seek to
moth, who occupied with his breast a waste
know what is hidden." (Book of Enoch
wilderness named DQidiiin, on the east of the
60:7-10 [Charles 1913,2:224])
garden where the elect and righteous dwell,
 CHAPTeR 7\.7\.17\.

Of rhe chaRacreRs and seals of splRlrs.

e must now speak of the charac- Sun, the Moon, hope, and fortune; a circle to

W ters and seals of spirits. Charac-

ters therefore are nothing else
than certain unknowable letters
and writings, preserving the secrets of the gods,
the heaven, and parts of a circle to the Moon;
pyramids and obelisks to the fire, and
Olympian gods; a cylinder to the Sun and
Earth; a man's yard to generation and Juno, to
and names of spirits from the use and reading of whom also by reason of the feminine sex the
prophane men , which the ancients called hiero- triangular figure.
glyphical, I or sacred letters, because devoted to Wherefore this kind of characters hath
the secrets of the gods only. For they did another root beside the pleasure, and authority
account it unlawful to write the mysteries of the of the institutor, of him I say, who received
gods with those characters with which prophane power of instituting, and consecrating these
and vulgar things were wrote. kind of letters, such as were many prelates
Whence Porphyry saith, that the ancients amongst divers nations, and sects of religions,
were willing to conceal God , and divine whose institutions came not to us, by reason
virtues by sensible figures, and by those things that few of them were delivered by the authors
which were visible, yet signifying invisible scatteringly, and by fragments.
things , as being willing to deliver great mys- Of this kind of character therefore are those
teries in sacred letters, and explain them in cer- which Peter Apponus notes, as delivered by
tain symbolical figures: as when they Honorius of Thebes,2 the figures whereof are
such, being related to our alphabet:
dedicated all round things to the world, the

yt ~
ABC
»L '"1 ~
DE
~V1J1
F G H

558
 Of the Characters and Seals of Spirits / 559

NOLcs-ChapLCR 7\.7\.17\.

I. hieroglyphical-From the Greek LEPOS' (sacred) selected Honorius, son of Euclid, a master of Thebes,
YAU<PT] (carving) . Plutarch first used the term in ref- to condense their magical grimoires into a single
erence to writing. book with 93 chapters. This was to be made into
three copies and passed on from the deathbed only
2. Honorius of Thebes-This is perhaps the same upon condition that the new owner of each volume
Honorius of Thebes who is the reputed author of the swear an oath of fidelity-hence the name. However,
Sworn Book of Honorius. In the 14th-century manu- the Theban alphabet does not appear in the Sworn
scripts of his work, it is said that in order to save Book, nor in the Heptameron of Pietro d' Abano. Per-
their magic art from annihilation at the hands of the haps it appears in Peter's Conciliator, which I have
pope and his cardinals, 89 master magicians from not had the opportunity to examine.
Naples, Athens and Toledo assembled together and
 CHAPTeRMlZ

AnotheR manneR of maKing

chaRacreRs, deliveRed by Cabalisrs.

mongst the Hebrews I find more fash- they call Celestial, because they show it placed

A ions of characters, whereof one is

most ancient, viz. an ancient writing
which Moses , and the prophets used,
the form of which is not rashly to be discovered
and figured amongst the stars, no otherwise than
the other astrologers produce images of signs
from the lineaments of stars. There is also a writ-
ing which they call Malachim, or Melachim, i.e.
to any, for those letters which they use at this Of Angels, or Regal. There is also another, which
day, were instituted by Esdras.' they call the Passing Through the River. And the
There is also amongst them a writing which characters and figures of all these 2 are such:

Celes'Lial WRi'Ling

T 1 11 I -l ~ ><
Y1 H~
Vau Daleth Beth Aleph

S"
Nun Mem Lamed
:)
Kaph
2\ U n
Yod Teth Cheth

:?1 UJ I ~ ;{ ;Jy t7
Tau Shin Resh Qoph Tzaddi Pe Ayin Samekh

\VI1\N
Zayin Vau He
The WRi'Ling Called malachim

rr y UJ
Daleth Gimel Beth
*
Aleph

'1H0~JJX[]]
iff. J? V 19 Yod
f X OChe,\y' *
Tau Shin Resh Qoph Tzaddi Pe Ayin Samekh

560
 Another Manner of Making Characters / 561

The WRiL"ing Called L"he Passing of L"he RiveR

< 1: 9 J J ~
Zayin
~

Vau He Daleth Gimel Beth Aleph

7 LJ 1 I ~ -f I
Nun Mem Lamed Kaph Yod Teth Cheth

£0/ y ~ f'1 ~ 1
Tau Shin Resh Qoph Tzaddi Pe Ayin
:J
Samekh

There is moreover another fashion amongst

the Cabalists, formerly had in great esteem, but
now it is so common, that it is placed amongst
prophane things, and it is this. The twenty- Which are of the nine chambers, characterizing
seven characters of the Hebrews may be divided their letters by the above written Notariacon:
into three classes, whereof everyone contains which if it be of one point, shows the first letter
nine letters. The first, viz. ~m1i11~::::l~, which of that chamber; if of two, the second; if of
are the seals or marks of simple numbers, and of three, the third letter: as \f thou wouldest frame
intellectual things, distributed into nine orders of the character Michael ?~J'Q , that comes
angels. The second hath ~::l.!)QjQ'?J', the forth thus, extended with five figures, viz:
marks of tens, and of celestial things, in the nine
orbs of the heavens. The third hath the other
four letters, with the five final, by order, viz
f=-jjOlniD1p, which are marks of hundreds, Which then are contracted to three figures, after

..
and inferior things, viz. four simple elements, this manner:
and of five kinds of perfect compounds. 3
They do now and then distribute these three
classes into nine chambers, whereof the first is
of unities, viz. intellectual, celestial and ele-
I I C
Which then are contracted into one, yet the
mental; the second is of twos; the third of points Notariacon are wont to be omitted, and
threes; and so of the rest: these chambers are then there comes forth such a character of
framed by the intersection of four parallel lines, Michael:
intersecting themselves into right angles, as is
expressed in this following figure:

001
1~i
Out of which, being dissected into parts,
proceed nine particular figures, viz:
562/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

There is yet another fashion of characters, which is so readily, and elegantly joined to
common to almost all letters, and tongues, and itself, as the Arabic.
very easy, which is by the gathering together Now you must know that angelical spirits,
of letters; as if the name of the angel Michael seeing they are of a pure intellect, and alto-
be given, the characters thereof shall be gether incorporeal, are not marked with any
framed thus: marks or characters, and pingible 4 figures, or
any other human signs; but we not knowing
In Hebrew In Greek their essence, or quality, do from their names,
or works, or otherwise, according to our fan-
cies devote and consecrate to them figures,
and marks, by which we cannot any way com-
pel them to us, but by which we rise up to
them; as not to be known by such characters,
and figures.
And first of all we do set our senses both
In Latin inward and outward, upon them; then by a cer-
tain admiration of our reason we are induced to
a religious veneration of them, and then are
wrapt with our whole mind into an ecstatical
adoration, and then with a wonderful belief, an
undoubted hope, quickening love, we calling
upon them in spirit, and truth, by true names
And this fashion amongst the Arabians is and characters do obtain from them that virtue,
most received; neither is there any writing or power which we desire .

Not:cs-Chapt:CR A.A.A.
1. Esdras-Ezra. Hebrew letters, it would be a matter of guesswork to
restore them to their true order.
2. figures of all these-The symbols in Celestial are
clearly stylized Hebrew letters in their correct 3. perfect compounds-Perhaps this refers to the
sequence. However those making up Malachim and compound bodies listed in the table at the end of ch.
Passing the River seem to be more extreme styliza- VIII, bk. II: animal, plant, metal, stone, and plant-
tions, but not in their proper sequence. For example animal. This last category is curious. A better divi-
the symbol for Gimel in Malachim is far more sug- sion would seem to be that given in the Rasa' iI, an
gestive of Ayin. The symbol for Pe in Passing the Islamic text of the 10th century: angel, man, animal,
River is the same as the Tzaddi symbol in Celestial; plant, mineral.
likewise the Qoph sign is the Yod sign in Celestial.
However since many of the symbols in these latter 4. pingible-Gross, thick, coarse.
two alphabets are not obviously related to the
-- I

Magical Alphabets
from The Magus by Francis Barrett (London, 1801)
 CHA.PTeR Ml\.l

TheRe is yer"anorheR fashion

of chaRacreRS, and conceRning maRks
of spiRirs which aRe Received by Reve1arion.

here is another kind of character The figures of these memorable signs are

T received by revelation only, which

can be found out no other way : the
virtue of which characters is from
the deity revealing , of whom there are some
to be framed thus:

secret works, breathing out a harmony of some

divinity: or they are as it were some certain
agreements or compacts of a league between
us and them . Moreover of those signs and characters
Porphyry speaks in his book De Responsis,6
Of thi s kind there was a mark or sign
saying that they did signify the gods them-
showed to Constantine ,I which many did call
selves, by whom they did enjoy things, and by
the cross, writ upon in Latin letters, In hoc
which they were called forth , and which were to
vince, i.e. In This Overcome; and there was
be offered to them: and did show the figures of
another revealed to Antiochus, by surname the images what they should be; and that he per-
Soteris, in the figure of a pentangle, which ceived these things concerning the oracle of
signifies health; for being resolved into letters Proserpina.
it speaks the word uYlEla , i.e. Health: 2 in the He saith moreover that Hecate commanded
faith , and virtue of which signs both kings how images should be constituted to her, and
obtained a great victory against their enemies. that they were to be surrounded with worm-
So Judas, who by reason of that was afterward wood, and that domestic mice were to be
suirnamed Machabeus, being to fight with the painted, and the finest ornaments such as were
Jew s against Antiochus EupatOl} received most pleasing to her, and so many mice as her
from an angel that notable sign ':J~a ,4 in the form s were to be taken; then blood, myrrh,
virtue of which they first slew 14,000 with an storax, and other things were to be burnt: which
infinite number of elephants, then again things if they were done, she would appear, and
35,000 of their enemies: for that sign did rep- answer the worker thereof by dreams.
resent the name Jehovah and was a memo- But we shall here under write the oracle of
rable emblem of the name of seventy-two Hecate, for thus she speaks:7
letters by the equality of number, and the
Mark I will teach what statue thou shalt
exposition thereof is, i11iP Cl''?~:J Ta~ 'a make
i.e. who is there amongst thee strong as For me; boughs of the wood, and worm-
Jehovah ?5 wood take,

564
 Concerning Marks of Spirits Which Are Received by Rev elation / 565

Then garnish it, on it paint domestic Such were in old times the secret mysteries
mice; of the gods and demons of the gentiles, by
Let ornaments be fair, and of great price. which they did persuade themselves to be com-
Then frankincense, myrrh, storax mixed
pelled, detained, and bound by men. Hence
with blood
Of mice; then sing thou words secret and Jamblicus, and Porphyry teach that he that calls
good ; upon sacred demons must observe them, with
As thou seest shapes of mine, so on it lay, their proper honour, and to distribute to each
As many real mice; then take the bay, what is convenient to everyone, as thanks,
And out of the trunk thereof a case prepare oblations, gifts, sacrifices, with words, charac-
To put it in; then see thou have a care, ters suitable to their conditions, and most like
That to the statue thou devoutly pray,
unto them; 8 or else he should never obtain the
Also thy debts, and vows take care thou
pay;
presence of the deities, and demons, and the
If that these things that here required be desired effect; moreover if they were called
Thou shalt perform, in dreams thou shalt upon, yet they shall be constrained to hurt them
me see. especially who did it negligently.

Norcs-ChaprCR l\.l\.l\.l
1. Constantine-When the Emperor Constantine
4. '.J~D-MKBI. The letters form the name Mac-
was marching against the larger army of Maxentius
cabee, also spelled MQBI, ':JPr,j.
encamped at Rome, he and his troops saw in the
noon sky a shining cross of light amid the clouds
5. strong as J ehova h-Exodu s 15 : 11 , part
with the words "By this conquer" inscribed upon it
of which read s MI KMKH BALM IHYH
in Greek. That night Christ appeared to him in a
il1il' t:l?~:J il:::;r,j:::; 'r,j. However, since the
dream with a cross in his hand and told Constantine
Hebrew in Agrippa is the same in both the Latin and

*
to have a standard made like it. When he awoke the
English editions, I have let it stand. In the seal some,
Emperor gave orders for the making of a gilt pole
but not all, of the Hebrew letters around the edge
and crossbar surmounted by a bejeweled golden
were drawn backward, inverted left to right, while
crown. In the midst of the crown arose the Greek let-
retaining their proper placement in the -:V0r~s they
ters Chi (X) and Rho (P) atop a cross: compose. This was probably done to disgUise the
From the crossbar hung a purple veil.
words, but may simply have been a mistake in copy-
This standard was called a Labarum .
ing. The four initial letters of the phrase numerically
Constantine selected 50 of his best men
total 72: M =40, K =20, B = 2, I = 10.
to bear and defend it. He met Maxen-
tius in the Quintian Fields near the Mil-
6. De Responsis-De Responsis Hecate, perhaps a
vian Bridge on October 27, 312, and utterly defeated
part of De philosophia ex oraculis haurie~da (On
his foe. Maxentius drowned in the Tiber. See
the philosophy of the oracles), preserved In fr.ag-
Brewer 1901 , 72, and Gibbon [1776-88] 1830, ch.
ment", in the Praeparatio Evangelica of EusebIUs.
20. Gibbon relates the story with more skepticism,
More than a dozen fragments of oracles of Hecate
but less charm.
from Porphyry are preserved in Eusebius.
2. Health-In the Latin Opera this Greek word is
7. thus she speaks-See Eusebius, Praeparatio
rendereQ iry'Lqa, which is how it appears on the seal
Evangelica 5.12.1-2 and 5.13.3.
itself. The fourth character appears to be a contrac-
tion of EL, made necessary because the word has six
8. most like unto them-"For there is not any thing
letters while the pentagram has only five points.
which in the smallest degree is adapted to the Gods,
to which the Gods are not immediately present, and
3. Antiochus Eupator-Probably should be Anti-
with which they are not conjoined" (Iamblichus On
ochus Epiphanes, king of Syria 175-164 Be. See the
the Mysteries 1.15 [Tay lor, 63]).
biographical note on Judas Maccabaeus.
 CHAPTeR 7\.Mll
How good spiRirs may be called up by us,
and how evil spiRirs may be oveRcome by us.

y the efficacy of religion the presence of Conquered by prayer the deities above

B spirits doth dispose the effect, neither

can any work of wonderful efficacy in
religion be done, unless some good
spirit the ruler and finisher of the work be there
Come down on the Earth and future things
foreshow.

Also the divining of suitable things works

so with man's mind, that good spirits do assist
present.
us willingly, and communicate their power and
Now good spirits, if they may be divers
virtue to us, daily helping us with illuminations,
ways called up, yet can by no bounds, or vary
inspirations, oracles, prophesyings, dreams,
hardly be allayed by us, but we must by some miracles, prodigies, divinations, and auguries,
sacred things beseech them, as we read in and working upon and acting upon our spirits,
Apuieius, by the celestial stars, by the infernal as images like to them, by framing them by
deities, by the natural elements, by the silence their influences, and making them most like to
of the night, by the increase of the country of themselves even so far, as that oftentimes our
Nilus, by the secrets of Memphis; I and else- spirit doth as surely work wonderful things as
where is Porphyry: thou who art risen out of the the celestial spirits are wont to do.
mud, who sittest in thy place, who sailest in But evil spirits are overcome by us through
ships, who every hour dost change thy shape, the assistance of the good, especially when the
and art changed in each sign of the Zodiac. petitioner is very pious and devout, and sings
By these, and such like symbolical orations forth sacred words, and a horrible speech, as by
and hymns, because they are signs of divine conjuring the divine power by the venerable
virtues, spirits did sometimes apply themselves names, and signs of supernatural powers, by mir-
to human uses: not as being compelled by any acles, by sacraments, by sacred mysteries, and
kind of necessity, but of their own accord; and such like; which conjurations, or adurations, in as
by a kind of custom, did, being overcome by the much as they are done by the name and power of
prayers of them that called on them, more easily religion, and divine virtue, those evil spirits are
yield: whence Porphyry in his book De Respon- afraid of; whence also oftentimes prophane men
sis Hecate 2 saith: do bind or allay by such kind of sacred conjura-
tions, evil spirits not enduring such things.
I by thy prayers being overcome Whence Cyprian in his book Quod Idola
Came thither·---- Dii Non Sunt,3 saith, that spirits being adjured
by the true God to presently yield to us, and con-
And in another place in the same book he fess , and are forced to go out of possessed bod-
saith: ies, and either presently leap out, or by degrees

566
 How Good Spirits May Be Called Up by Us / 567

vanish, according as the faith of the patient is man's society, and willingly dwell with them:
helping, or grace of the swearer aspires. And some of them dote upon women, some upon
Athanasius in his book De Variis Questionibus children, some are delighted in the company of
saith that there is no word more terrible and divers domestic and wild animals, some inhabit
more destructive to the power of devils than the woods and parks, some dwell about fountains
beginning of the 68 psalm, arise 0 God, and let and meadows.
thine enemies be scattered; for as soon as that So the fairies, and hobgoblins inhabit
word is spoken, the devil vanisheth away howl- champian fields;9 the naiades fountains; the
ing. And Origen against Celsus saith, that the potamides rivers; the nymphs marshes, and
naming the name Jesus hath oftentimes cast ponds; the oreades lo mountains; the humedes
many devils as well out of the souls of men as meadows; the dryades and hamadryades the
their bodies, and hath exercised much power in woods, which also satyrs and sylvani" inhabit,
them out of whom the devils were cast. 4 the same also take delight in trees and brakes; as
Also we do oftentimes with threats and do the naptae,12 and agapae in flowers; the
revilings bind or repel evil spirits, especially the dodonae in acorns; the paleae and feniliae in
lesser, as hags,5 incubi, and such like, as we fodder and the country.
read in Lucan6 concerning that witch saying: He therefore that will call upon them, may
easily 60 it in the places where their abode is,
I will now call you up by a true name, by alluring them with sweet fumes, with pleas-
The Stygian dogs I in the light supreme
Will leave, and follow you also through
ant sounds, and by such instruments as are
grave, made of the guts of certain animals and peculiar
From all the urns in death I will you save, wood, adding songs, verses, enchantments suit-
Thee 0 Hecate, unto the gods will show, able to it, and that which is especially to be
(To whom to address thyself in other hue, observed in this, the singleness of the wit, inno-
Thou wast wont) in wan form, and without
grace,
cency of the mind, a firm credulity, and con-
And thee forbid to change Erebus his face. stant silence; wherefore they do often meet
children, women, and poor and mean men.
And in Philostratus we read, when Apollo- They are afraid of and fly from men of a con-
nius and his companions were traveling in a stant, bold, and undaunted mind, being no way
bright Moon-shining night, that the phantasm of offensive to good and pure men, but to wicked
a hag met them,7 and sometimes changed itself and impure, noxious.
into this shape, and sometimes into that, and Of this kind are hobgoblins, familiars, and
sometimes vanished out of their sight. Now as ghosts of dead men. Hence Plotinus saith, 13 that
soon as Apollonius knew what it was, grievously the souls of men are sometimes made spirits:
reviling it advised his companions to do the like: and of men well deserving are made familiars
for he knew that that was the best remedy against which the Greeks call eudemons,14 i.e. blessed
such invasions. His companions did as he spirits: but of ill deserving men, hags, and hob-
advised, and the phantasm presently with a noise goblins, which the Greeks call cacodemons,15
vanished away like a shadow: for so fearful is i.e. evil spirits; but they may be called ghosts
this kind of spirits, that they are moved, tremble, when it is uncertain whether they have deserved
and are compelled by a feigned terror, and false well or ill.
and impossible threats. Whence Chereon the Of these apparitions there are divers exam-
holy scribe saith that these are those things by ples; such was that which Pliny the Junior
which especially the spirits are compelled. 8 makes mention of concerning the house of
There is moreover as hath been above said, Athenodorus the philosopher of Tharsis, in
a certain kind of spirits not so noxious, but most which there appeared with a sudden horrible
near to men, so that they are even affected with noise the ghost of an old man. 16 And Philostra-
human passions, and many of these delight in tus tells of the like of a hag of Menippus Lycius
568/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

the philosopher, turned into a beautiful woman presently the pestilence ceased. 17
of Corinth, whom Tyaneus Apollonius took to We must know this, that whosoever shall
be a hobgoblin; the same at Ephesus, the like in intellectually work in evil spirits, shall by the
the shape of an old beggar who was the cause of power of good spirits bind them; but he that
the pestilence, who therefore being by his com- shall work only worldlily, shall work to himself
mand stoned, there appeared a mastiff dog, and judgement and damnation.

No-ccs-Chap-CCR MAll
I . secrets of Memphis-The Egyptian prophet Zach- been seen, in an unmistakeable manner, to
las is entreated by an old man to restore the life of his have expelled myriads of evil spirits from
murdered son, that the son may accuse his murderer: the souls and bodies (of men), so great
was the power which it exerted upon those
o priest have mercy, have mercy I pray from whom the spirits were driven out.
thee by the Celestiall Planets, by the Pow- (Origen Against Celsus 1.25 [Ante-Nicene
ers infernall, by the vertue of the naturall Fathers , 4:406])
elements, by the silences of the night, by
the buildings of Swallows nigh unto the See also 1.67 (Ante-Nicene Fathers 4:427).
town Copton, by the increase of the floud
Nilus, by the secret mysteries of Memplils, 5. Hags-Nocturnal fiends associated with the
and by the instruments and trumpets of the Furies and Harpies by some early writers. They
Isle Pharos, have mercy I say, and call come in the form of old women and suck the vitality
againe to life this dead body , and make from children. They squat on the chests of those
that his eyes which he closed and shut, asleep and give them nightmares-hence the term
may be open and see. (Apuleius The "hag-ridden." The Latin Opera has lamias, of which
Golden Asse ch. II) "hag" is a translation.

2. De Responsis Hecate-See note 6, ch. XXXI, bk. 6. read in Lucan-The witch Erichtho is annoyed
III. when the shade of a dead soldier is hesitant in return-
ing to its putrefying corpse. She encourages the
3. Quod Idola Dii Non Sunt- Furies and the Goddess of hell to hasten it along:

These [spirits], however, when adjured by This moment under your real name will I
us through the true God, at once yield and summon you forth, and, Stygian bitches,
confess, and are constrained to go out will leave you in the light of the upper
from the bodies possessed. You may see world; amid graves will I follow you,
them at our voice, and by the operation of amid funereal rites, your watcher; from the
the hidden majesty, smitten with stripes, tombs will I expel you, from all the urns
burnt with fire, stretched out with the will I drive you away. And thee, Hecate,
increase of a growing punishment, howl- squalid with thy pallid form, will I expose
ing, groaning, entreating, confessing to the Gods, before whom in false shape
whence they came and when they depart, with other features thou art wont to come,
even in the hearing of those very persons and I will forbid thee to conceal the visage
who worship them, and either springing of Erebus. I will disclose, damsel of Enna,
forth at once or vanishing gradually, even under the boundless bulk of the earth,
as the faith of the sufferer comes in aid, or what feasts are detaining thee, upon what
the grace of the healer effects. (Cyprian compact thou dost love the gloomy sover-
"On the Vanity of Idols" 7. In the Trea- eign, to what corruption having submitted,
tises 6 [Ante-Nicene Fathers, 5:467]) thy parent was unwilling to call thee back.
(Lucan Pharsalia 6, lines 73~2 [Riley,
This very brief treatise scarcely warrants Agrippa's 243-4])
calling it a "book."
7. a hag met them-
4. devils were cast-
While they were pursuing their journey by
And a similar philosophy of names applies moonlight one night, their path was beset
also to our Jesus, whose name has already by the ghostly apparition of an Empusa,
 How Good Spirits May Be Called Up by Us / 569

which assumed first one shape and then ful, make clear, as well, that the other souls, too, have
another, sometimes vanishing altogether. not ceased to be" (Plotinus Enneads 4.7.15
Apollonius recognized its nature at once, [Mackenna, 3: 143)).
and not only reviled the spectre himself,
but exhorted his companions to do the 14. eudemons--Greek EU (happy) 8al~wv (genius).
same, as this is a safeguard against such Related to the name of the II th house of the zodiac.
visitations, whereupon the Empusa fled
squeaking as ghosts do. (Philostratus Life 15. cacodemons--Greek KaKOS' (evil) 8al~wv
and Times of Apo/lonius of Tyana 2.4 (genius). The name of the 12th house of the zodiac.
[Eells, 37))
16. ghost of an old man-Since this is perhaps the
8. spirits are compe/led- quintessential ghost story of the classical , or any
And why, which is much more absurd than other, age, I give it here in full:
this, are threats employed and false terrors, In Athens there was a large and spacious
by any casual person, not to a daemon, or mansion with the bad reputation of being
some departed soul, but to the sovereign dangerous to its occupants. At dead of
Sun himself, or to the Moon, or some one night the clanking of iron and, if you lis-
of the celestial Gods, in order to compel tened carefully, the rattle of chains could
these divinities to speak the truth? For does be heard, some way off at first, and then
not he who says that he will burst the heav- close at hand. Then there appeared the
ens, or unfold the secrets of Isis, or point spectre of an old man, emaciated and
out the arcanum in the adytum, or stop filthy, with a long flowing beard and hair
Baris, or scatter the members of Osiris to on end, wearing fetters on his legs and
Typhon, or that he will do something else shaking the chains on his wrists. The
of the like kind, does not he who says this, wretched occupants would spend fearful
by thus threatening what he neither knows nights awake in terror; lack of sleep led to
nor is able to effect, prove himself to be illness and then death as their dread
stupid in the extreme? And what abjectness increased, for even during the day, when
does it not produce in those who, like very the apparition had vanished, the memory of
silly children, are possessed with such vain it was in their minds' eye, so that their ter-
fear, and are terrified at such fictions? And ror remained after the cause of it had gone.
yet Chaeremon, who was a sacred scribe, The house was therefore deserted, con-
writes these things, as disseminated by the demned to stand empty and wholly aban-
Egyptians. It is also said that these, and doned to the spectre; but it was advertised
things of the like kind, are of a most com- as being to let or for sale in case someone
pulsive nature. (Porphyry Letter to Anebo, was found who knew nothing of its evil
prefixed to Iamblichus On the Mysteries reputation.
[Taylor, 10-1)). The philosopher Athenodorus came to
See the biographical note on Cha~remon. Athens and read the notice. His suspicions
were aroused when he heard the low price,
9. champian fields-Champaign fields, flat open and the whole story came out on inquiry;
grassland as distinguished from hills, woodlands and but he was none the less, in fact all the
towns. Perhaps used here for commons. more, eager to rent the house. When dark-
ness fell he gave orders that a couch was to
10. oreades-Mountain nymphs. be made up for him in the front part of the
house, and asked for his notebooks, pen
II . sylvani-Silvanus is the Latin god of woodlands and lamp. He sent all his servants to the
and field boundaries. He is depicted as a cheerful, inner rooms, and concentrated his
lustful old man, and was identified by late Roman thoughts, eyes and hand on this writing, so
writers with Pan and Faunus. Hence the silvani are that his mind would be occupied and not
woodland nymphs. conjure up the phantom he had heard about
nor other imaginary fears. At first there
12. naptae-From vaiTT], a wooded dell or glen. was nothing but the general silence of
night; then came the clanking of iron and
13. Plotinus saith-" ... and again, not a few souls, dragging of chains. He did not look up nor
once among men, have continued to serve them after stop writing, but steeled his mind to shut
quitting the body and by revelations, practically help- out the sounds. Then the noise grew
570/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

louder, came nearer, was heard in the door- the cooks and the butlers and the rest of the
way, and then inside the room. He looked household evaporated under the exorcism
around, saw and recognized the ghost of Apollonius. Then the lamia simulated
described to him. It stood and beckoned, as weeping, and besought him not to torment
if summoning him. Athenodorus in his tum her, or force her to confess what she was,
signed it to wait a little, and again bent but he insisted, never relaxing his compul-
over his notes and pen, while it stood rat- sion, until she admitted that she was a
tling its chains over his head as he wrote. lamia and that she was fattening up Menip-
He looked round again and saw it beckon- pus with dainties so that she might devour
ing as before, so without further delay he his body, and that she made a practice of
picked up his lamp and followed. It moved feeding on bodies which were young and
slowly, as if weighted down with chains, beautiful, because their blood was
and when it turned off into the courtyard of untainted. (Philostratus Life and Times of
the house it suddenly vanished, leaving Apollonius of Tyana 4.25 [Eells, 106])
him alone. He then picked some grass and
They found there what looked like an old
leaves and marked the spot. The following
beggar, slyly blinking his eyes, ragged and
day he approached the magistrates, and
haggard, and carrying a wallet of bread-
advised them to give orders for the place to
crusts. Apollonius stationed the Ephesians
be dug up. There they found bones, twisted
around this object, and commanded them:
round with chains, which were left bare
"Gather up all the stones you can find, and
and corroded by the fetters when time and
smite with them this thing which is hateful
the action of the soil had rotted away the
to the gods! " The Ephesians were taken
body. The bones were collected and given
aback by this order, and remained quiet, for
a public buriel, and after the shades had
they thought it would be a crime to put to
been duly laid to rest the house saw them
death so woe-begone a stranger, for he was
no more. (Pliny the Younger Letters 7.27,
begging for life, and making many pleas
trans. B. Radice [Middlesex: Penguin,
for sympathy. Apollonius persisted in urg-
1963],203-4)
ing them to stone the intruder, and not to
let him escape; so at last some of those on
17 . pestilence ceased-Apollonius addresses the
the outside of the ring began to throw
wedding guests:
stones, whereat the beggar, who had been
"You will understand that better when I blinking until then, glared savagely with
say that this fair bride is one of those fiends flaming eyes. All knew him then for a
whom the people call a lamia. These demon, and hurled stones upon him until
beings love and are fond of sexual plea- they piled up a great heap where he had
sure, but still more of eating human flesh , been standing. After a short pause, Apollo-
and they use the seduction of the senses to nius ordered them to remove the stones and
entice their victims whom they mean to see what a wild beast they had slain. When
feast upon." "Hold your tongue and leave they did so, the beggarman whom they
the house! " shrieked the bride, pretending supposed they had stoned had vanished,
to be horrified by what she heard; and she but in his stead lay a dog shaped like a
was going on to revile philosophers as mastiff, and as large as the largest lion,
fools when suddenly all the show of gold which had been crushed by the stones, and
cups and silver plate changed to airy noth- foamed at the mouth as if rabid. (ibid. 4.10
ings and vanished before their eyes, and [Eels, 96])
 CHAPTeR f\JV\.1ll

Of rhe bonds of spiRirs, and of

rheiR adjuRarions, and casrings our.

he bonds by which spirits are bound, The third bond is from the intellectual and

T besought, or cast out, are three. 1

Some of them are taken from
the elemental world, as when we
adjure a spirit by any inferior and natural
divine world, which is perfected by religion,
that is to say, when we swear by the sacraments,
by the miracles, by the divine names, by the
sacred seals, and other mysteries of religion;
things of affinity with or adverse to them, in as wherefore this bond is the highest of all and the
much as we would call upon or cast them out, strongest, working upon the spirits by command
as by flowers, and herbs, by animals, by snow, and power.
by ice, by hell, by fire, and such like, as these But this is to be observed, that as after the
also are ofttimes mixed' with divine praises, universal providence, there is a particular one;
and blessings, and consecrations, as appears in and after the universal soul, particular souls; so
the Song of the Three Children,2 and in the in the first place we invocate by the superior
psalm: praise ye the Lord from the heavens,3 bonds, and by the names and powers which rule
and in the consecration and blessing of the the things, then by the inferior, and the things
Paschal taper. 4 This bond doth work upon the themselves.
spirits by an apprehensive virtue under the We must know further, that by these bonds
account of love, or hatred, in as much as the not only spirits, but also all creatures are
spirits are present with, or favour, or abhor bound, as tempests, burnings, floods, plagues,
anything that is natural or against nature, as diseases, force of arms, and every animal, by
these things themselves love or hate one the assuming them, either by the manner of adjura-
other. Hence that of Procius, as the lion fears a tion, or by the way of deprecation or benedic-
cock, especially a white cock: so doth a spirit tion; as in the charming of serpents, besides the
appearing in the form of a lion vanish away at natural and celestial, by rehearsing out of the
the sight of a cock.5 mysteries and religion, the curse of the serpent6
The second bond is taken from the celestial in terrestrial Paradise, the lifting up7 of the ser-
world, viz. when we adjure them by the heaven, pent in the wilderness; moreover by assuming
by stars, by their motions, rays, light, beauty, that verse of the psalm 91: Thou shalt walk
clearness, excellency, fortitude, influence, and upon the ape and the basilisk, and shalt tread
wonders, and such like: and this bond works upon the lion and dragon. 8
upon spirits by way of admonition, and exam- Superstition also very much prevaileth in
ple. It hath also some command, especially these, by the translating of some sacramental
upon the ministering spirits, and those who are rites to that which we intend to bind or hinder,
of the lowest orders. as of excommunication, buriel or exequies for

571
572 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

the driving away of diseases, serpents, mice or done in divers places, and it is wont to be done
worms, Which thing we read to have been thus even as yet.

NOLes-ChapLeR 7\.7\.7\.111
1. are three-Note the echoing in this chapter of the
structure of Agrippa's work as a whole-the division 5. sight of a cock-
into natural, celestial and divine.
Hence it is said, that a cock is very much
feared, and as it were reverenced, by a
2. of the Three Children-Song of the Three Holy
lion; the reason of which we cannot assign
Children 35-65.
from matter or sense, but from the contem-
plation alone of a supernal order. For thus
3. from the heavens-Psalms 148:1.
we shall find that the presence of the solar
virtue accords more with a cock than with
4. Paschal taper-In Agrippa's day the paschal can-
a lion. ... Sometimes too there are dae-
dle figured prominently in the Easter festival of the
mons with a leonine front, who, when a
Roman Church. It was of impressive dimensions-at
cock is placed before them, unless they are
Salisbury Cathedral in 1517 the candle measured 36
of a solar order, suddenly disappear; and
feet, and at Westminster Cathedral in 1558 it weighed
this because those natures which have an
300 pounds. Usually set on the north side just below
inferior rank in the same order, always rev-
the first ascent to the high altar, it rested in an elabo-
erence their superiors ... " (Proclus De sac-
rate candlestick. At Durham Cathedral the holder
rificio et magia, frag., Latin trans.
itself was called the paschal, and was 38 feet high.
Marsilius Ficinus, Venice, 1497. Quoted in
Coupled with the candle, it towered 70 feet. New fire
full by Taylor in Iamblichus' Life of
was kindled with flint and steel on Easter Eve. From
Pythagoras [Taylor, 216])
it were lit the three candles that formed the lumen
Christi, and from these the paschal candle proper. It
6. curse of the serpenr-Genesis 3: 14.
symbolized the victorious and risen Christ and burned
during each service until Whitsuntide (eight.h week
after Easter), after which its remains were cut up to
7. lifting up-John 3: 14. See also II Kings 18:4.
~ake fu~eral candles for the poor. Symbolically its
8. lion and the dragon-Psalms 91 : 13.
fIre contmued throughout the year, embodied in the
flames of the other lights in the church.
 CHAPTeR AAX1V

Of rhe animasrical oRdeR, and rhe heRos.

fter the quires of the blessed spirits, for beauty and ingenuity, long since at Filimire,

A the anamastical order is the next,

which the Hebrew theologians call
Issim, I that is, Strong and Mighty
Men; the magicians of the gentiles, call heros
or (as others say) at Idanthresie, going forth out
of the tents of the king of the Goths, wandered
in the deserts of Scythia in Asia beyond the
marshes of Meotis, and there being impregnated
and demigods, or half gods half men: whom by fauni and satyrs, brought forth the first
Fulgentius, an author not to be contemned, sup- Huns;8 moreover Psellus is the author, that spir-
poseth were so called, either because that for its sometimes cast forth seed,9 from the which
the meanness of their desert they are not judged certain little creatures arise.
worthy of heaven, nor yet are accounted ter- Therefore these heros have no less power
resterial for the reverence of grace; of this kind in disposing and ruling these inferior things,
in old time were Priapus? Hippo,3 Vertumnus: 4 than the gods and angels, and have both their
or because they being eminent in this life for offices and their dignities distributed to them:
divine virtues, and benefits for mankind, after and therefore to them no otherwise than to the
this mortal man put off, are translated into the gods themselves were temples, images, altars,
quire of the blessed gods;5 always providing for sacrifices, vows, and other mysteries of religion
mortal men the same virtues and benefits which dedicated. And their names invocated had
they long since had in this life: or because they divine and magical virtues for the accomplish-
were procreated from the secret seed of the ing of some miracles: which thing Eusebius
superiors, whom they think were begotten by declareth \0 that many tried by the invocation of
the mixture of gods or angels with men, and the name of Apollonius of Tyana; and more of
therefore obtaining a certain middle nature, so this kind we read of, both in the poets, and also
as they are neither angels nor men: which opin- in the historians and philosophers, concerning
ion Lactantius6 also followeth. Hercules, Atlas, Aesculapius and the other
And there are even at this time those who heros of the gentiles; II but these are the follies
have commerce and conjugal mixture with spir- of the gentiles.
its; and all now believe that Merlin ,7 a British But as concerning our holy heros we believe
prophet, was the son of a spirit, and born of a that they excel in divine power, and that the soul
virgin: and also they imagined, that Plato the of the Messiah l2 doth rule over them (as the the-
prince of wisdom was born of a virgin, impreg- ologians of the Jews also testify), that is Jesus
nated by a phantasm of Apollo. And it is deliv- Christ, who by divers of his saints, as it were by
ered in histories, that certain women of the members fitted for this purpose, doth administer
Goths (which they call Alrumna) eminent both and distribute divers gifts of his grace in these

573
574/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

inferior parts, and every one of the saints do enjoy this is Peter; the second 'nl"~ Alousi, whom
a particular gift of working. Whence they being we call Andrew; the third n:Jpl" lahacobah,
implored by us with divers prayers and supplica- this is lames the greater; the fourth iLl':J"':J
tions according to the manifold distribution of Polipos, whom we call Philip; the fifth i1'J1:J
graces, everyone doth most freely bestow their Barachiah, this is Bartholomew; the sixth
gifts, benefits, and graces on us much more read- i1Ji1,' lohanah , whom we name lohn; the sev-
ily, truly, and also more abundantly than the enth is 'JQn Thamni , whom we call Thomas ;
angelical powers by how much they are nigher to the eighth is calledl"Q Medon, for whom we
us, and more allied to our natures, as they who in say Matthew ; the ninth is :JPl" lahacob , this
times past were both men, and suffered human is lames the less; the tenth is ~:J'~J Catepha ,
affections and infirmities; and their names, that is Thadeus ; the eleventh C1~QiLl Samam,
degrees and offices are more known to us. who is Simon the Canaanite; the twelfth
Therefore out of the number of these i1'nnQ Matattiah, who is called Matthias. 16
almost infinite, there are twelve chief, viz. the After these are the seventy-two disciples I?
twelve apostles of Christ, who (as the evangeli- of Christ, who also themselves do rule so many
cal truth saith) sit upon twelve thrones, 13 judg- quinaries of heaven, and tribes, people, nations,
ing the twelve tribes of Israel, who in the and tongues. After whom is an innumerable
Revelations are distributed upon twelve founda- multitude of saints, who also themselves have
tions,14 at the twelve gates of the heavenly city, received divers offices, places, nations and
who rule the twelve signs, and are sealed in the people into their protection and patronage,
twelve precious stones, 15 and the whole world is whose most apparent miracles at the faithful
distributed to them; but their true names are prayers of those that invocate them , we plainly
these: the first ':J~i1 1l1'QiLl Symehon Hacephi, see and confess.

No'Ces-Chap'CeR 7\.7\.7\.lV
I. Issim-See note 26, ch. XVII, bk. III. tival, the Vortumnalia, was held on August 23 and
marked the transition of the seasons. As god of the
2. Priapus-Son of Dionysus and Aphrodite. Out of harvest, first fruits were sacrificed to him.
spite against Aphrodite, Hera caused her child to be
ugly. Priapus is the god of universal fertility , and by 5. the blessed - "And human souls, when they have
extension protector of flocks, bees, vines, gardens and attained to a beginning of immortal life, change into
fishing. He was usually represented in the form of a daemons, and thereafter pass on into the chorill dance
hermae carrying a cornucopia or sickle, and stained a of the gods; that is the crowning glory of the soul"
bright red, giving him the name rubicundus. (Corpus Hermeticum 10.7 [Scott I: 191 , 193]).

3. Hippo-One of the daughters of Oceanus and 6. Lactantius-

Tethys who "have charge of young men over all the
earth" (Hesiod Theogony c. line 350) But this can Therefore, while they [the angels) abode
hardly be Agrippa's intention. Perhaps he means Hip- among men, that most deceitful ruler of the
pothoon, son of Poseidon and the mortal woman earth, by his very association, gradually
Alope. Hippothoon was one of the "heros of the enticed them to vices, and polluted them
names" after whom the ten Attic phylae, or tribes, were by intercourse with women . ... But they
called. He possessed a statue in the Round House, as who were born from these, because they
mentioned by Pausanias (Guide to Greece 1.5 .2). were neither angels nor men, but bearing a
kind of mixed nature, were not admitted
4. Vertumnus--Or Vortumnus, said to have been into hell , as their fathers were not into
originally an Etruscan deity carried to Rome by the heaven. Thus there came to be two kind s
ancient Vulsinian colony that occupied the Caelian of demons; one of heaven, and the other of
Hill. He was credited with the power of changing his the earth. The latter are the wicked spirits,
shape, and gained the hand of his wife, Pomona, by the authors of all the evils which are done,
transforming himself into a handsome youth. His fes- and the same devil is their prince. Whence
 Of the Animastical Order, and the Heros / 575

Trismegistus calls him the ruler of the by the invocation of his wonderous name,
demons. But grammarians say that they are any evil or bothersome demons that fasten
called demons, as though daemones, that on the souls or bodies of men, and we
is, skilled and acquainted with matters: for know this to be true from our experience.
they think that these are gods. (Lactantius To expect such efficacy from the name of
Divine Institutes 2.15 [Ante-Nicene Christ- Apollonius, or evert to inquire after it, is
ian Library, 21: 127) foolish. (Eusebius Against the Life of Apol-
Ion ius ofTyana by Philostratus 4)]
7. Merlin-Merlin was engendered in a virgin girl by
"There are still men in our own time who assert
a demon to become the Antichrist. But the resource-
that they have discovered superstitious amulets dedi-
ful confessor of the girl at once baptized the unnat-
cated in the name of Apollonius." (ibid. 40; both
ural infant, rescuing him for Christianity. From his
quotes my paraphrase)
demon father Merlin gained the power of prophecy.
II. of the gentiles-
8. the first Huns-
Others, on the other hand, claim superhu-
For even Jomandes, who was Bishop of the
man powers for such children, and assert
Goths when Justinian was Emperor, did
that they possess some attributes of divin-
not hesitate in his book on the origin of the
ity, such as the ancients used to ascribe to
Getae to affirm that there were in Scythia
their heros, who, according to Lucian, were
witch women, called in their native tongue
held to be neither gods nor men, but both.
Aliorumnae {Haliurunae/, who were dri-
Of this we have the fullest proof in what
ven by FiJimer the Gothic king into the far-
we find written of the birth of Castor and
thest deserts, where they were embraced by
Pollux, Bacchus, Alexander, Romulus,
unclean spirits and gave birth to hideous,
Aesculapius, and other such demigods: that
fierce dwarfs from whom the Huns are
they were begotten by those who were at
descended. (Nicolas Remy Demonolatry
that time called gods, but we call Demons,
1.6 [Ashwin, 17])
who hid themselves in an assumed shape
The work referred to by Remy is De origine and so embraced the mothers of these men.
actibusque getarum , written in 551 by the historian (Remy Demonolatry 1.4 [Ashwin, 20])
Jordanes (more correctly but less commonly ren-
dered Jordanis, or Jordannis). Filimer was sixth king 12. Messiah-MShICh, n~~a, the "anointed
of the Goths, who migrated under him into Scythia prince" (Daniel 9:25).
and settled in the region they called Oium. Idanthyr-
sus was chief king of the Scythians in the time of 13 . twelve thrones-Matthew 19:28.
Darius (6th century Be).
14. twelve foundations-Revelation 21: 14.
9. cast forth seed-Of the semen of spirits Psellus
writes in his work De daemonibus: "If they ejaculate 15 . twelve precious stones-Revelation 21: 19-20.
any semen it is, like the body from which it comes, so
lacking in warmth that nothing can be more unfit or 16. is called Matthias-Notice the omission of Judas
unsuitable for procreation" (In Remy Demonolatry from the group. His place is taken by Matthias, the
1.6 [Ashwin, 13]). 13th apostle. See Acts 1:26.

10. Eusebius declareth- 17. seventy-two disciples-Luke 10: 1. The King

Yet even today Jesus demonstrates the James says "seventy," but 72 is intended, and Knox
worth of his divine might in expelling, just gives 72.
 CHAPTeR AAAV

Of 'the mORral and reRResrRlal gods.

ext after these are the mortal gods, When the Earth of the gods was potent, I

N whom in like manner also we call

heros, and terrest~al gods, or.com.pan-
ions of the supenor gods: VIZ. kmgs,
princes, and priests, by whom this world is gov-
did reign
And deities mixed were with seats humane.

And divine Plato in his third book De

Republica appointed that princes both alive and
erned, and disposed by their laws, whom there-
dead should be celebrated with divine honours,
fore as gods we receive, worship and reverence,
which institution hath been received amongst
because God himself hath suffered his name to
all nations, even from the first age, viz. to deify
be communicated to them, and by a proper
their princes with divine honours, and to conse-
denomination hath confirmed it to them, calling
crate them with eternal memory.8
them gods, even as he spake to Moses, saying, I Hence they did impose their never dying
have made thee a god to Pharaoh; 1 and else- names on cities, provinces, mountains, rivers,
where he hath commanded concerning them, lakes, islands and seas; and dedicated to them
saying, thou shalt not detract from the gods;2 with great pomp, pyramids, colossuses, tri-
and again, if theft shall lie hid, the master of the umphal arches, trophies, statues, temples, plays,
house shall apply himself to the gods;3 and the feasts; and also called the heavens, stars, days
Psalmist saith, the princes of the people were and months by their names. Hence January
gathered together with the God of Abraham: from Janus , July from Julius, August from
because that the mighty gods of the Earth are Augustus; so dies Mercurii from Mercury Tris-
vehemently lifted up;4 and elsewhere God stood megist, dies Jovis from Jupiter , which custom
in the councils of the gods, but in the midst he we read was observed not only by the Egyp-
judgeth the gods;5 and a little after, I have said tians, Greeks and Romans, but also by the
ye are all gods, and sons of the Most High. 6 extreme barbarous people, as Goths, Danes and
Moreover he hath commanded concerning Teutons.
the worshipping and reverencing of them, Hence Saxo Grammaticus being witness,
decreeing tithes and first fruits for them, and what day the former call dies Mercurii, these do
giving them the power of the sword, and forbid- call Othin's day:9 what day the former name
ding any to curse them, and commanding obedi- from Jupiter , these call Thor's day,1O from
ence to be yielded to them, though wicked. Othin and Thor , in times past kings of Gotland
Hence all antiquity called their princes gods, and Denmark; neither are they for any other rea-
and worshipped them as divine powers, as son called Goths, than that they call in their lan-
Janus testifieth 7 in Ovid, in his first book of guage their chiefest god Got. 11 Hence also the
Fasti, saying: Dutch are thus called, because they named the

576
 Of the Mortal and Terrestrial Gods / 577

god Mars , whom they worshipped, TeutanY by the Sun set in the space of one day, until he had
which name the Gauls also called Mercury. revenged himself of his enemies, and the Lord
Therefore are kings and priests (if they be obeyed the voice of man; also Moses divided the
just) companions of the gods, and endowed Red Sea, 16 and Joshua Jordan,17 and led the peo-
with the like power. Hence they cure diseases ple over dryshod; the like did Alexander the
by their touch and word,13 and sometimes com- Macedonian, leading forth his army. 18
mand the times and the heavens, as Virgil Sometimes also they are endowed with a
sang l4 of Augustus: prophetic spirit, as we read of Chaiaphas l 9 in
the holy Scripture, that he prophesied, for that
It rains all night, in the mom the rays he was High Priest that year.
return; Seeing therefore it is so that the Lord ofthe
Caesar with Jove divided hath the throne. Earth would that kings and priests be called
gods by communication of name and power,
And the Scripture testifieth of Joshuah , who surely we ought also to deserve well of them,
fighting in Gibeon, commanded the Sun and and to prefer their judgements before ours, and
Moon, saying, Sun stand still in Gibeon and thou simply to obey, supplicate and adore, and wor-
Moon in the valley of Ajalon; 15 and the Sun and ship with all kind of worship and reverence the
the Moon stood still at his command, neither did most high God in them.

NO'Lcs-Chap'LCR 7\.7\.7\.V
I. god to Pharaoh-Exodus 7: 1. 9. Othin's-Woden 's or Odin 's day: Wednesday.

2. detract from the gods-Exodus 22:28. 10. Thor's- Thursday.

3. to the gods-Exodus 22:8. 11. Got-On the name "Goth," Brewer comments:
"Icelandic, got (a horseman) ; whence Woden-i.e. ,
4. vehemently lifted up-Psalms 47:9. Gothen. Without doubt, got, a horseman, good, and
the sacred name of God are all to be traced to got or
5. judgeth the gods-Psalms 82: I. guth, the Teutonic idea of God being that of a mighty
warrior" (Brewer 1870, 357.)
6. sons of the Most High-Psalms 82:6.
12. Teutan-Again , Brewer: "Thuath-duine (north
7. Janus testifieth-"Then , too, was I reigning, when men). Our word Dutch and the German Deutsch are
the earth was fit to receive the gods, and the divini- variations of the same word, originally written
ties were interspersed among the abodes of men" Theodisk" (ibid., 884-5).
(Ovid Fasti I, lines 247-8 [Riley, 19]). The meaning
is that the gods could tolerate the Earth before the 13. touch and word-Scrofula was called the king's
pollution of human sin. evil because it was thought the royal touch could
cure it. The last person "touched" in England was
8. eternal memory- Doctor Samuel Johnson, at the age of two and a half,
And so, when each generation has edu- by Queen Anne in 1712. The French kings also
cated others like themselves to take their claimed this power from the time of Anne of Clovis
place as guardians of the state, they shall (481 AD). One Easter Sunday in 1686 Louis XIV
depart to the Islands of the Blessed and touched 1,600 persons, at the same time speaking the
there dwell. And the state shall establish words: "Le roy te touche, Dieu te gnerisse" (The
public memorials and sacrifices for them King touches you, God heals you).
as to divinities if the Pythian oracle
approves or, if not, as to divine and god- 14. as Virgil sang-This quotation is not from Virgil.
like men. (Plato Republic 8.540b [Hamil-
ton and Cairns, 772]) 15 . valley of Ajalon-Joshua 10: 12-3.

There is no similar reference in book 3 of the Republic. 16. divided the Red Sea-Exodus 14:21.
57S / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

17. Joshua Jordan-Joshua 3: 17. of divine favour, that the waves which usu-
ally come rolling in violently from the
IS.forth his army- main, and hardly ever leave so much as a
narrow beach under the steep, broken cliffs
Encouraged by this accident, he [Alexan-
at any time uncovered, should on a sudden
der] proceeded to reduce the maritime
retire to afford him passage. (Plutarch
ports of Cilicia and Phoenicia, and passed
"Life of Alexander." In Lives [Dryden,
his army along the sea-coasts of Pamphylia
SI2-3]).
with such expedition that many historians
have described and extolled it with that
19. Chaiaphas-Caiaphas. See John 11:49-51 .
height of admiration, as if it were no less
than a miracle, and an extraordinary effect
 CHAPTeR 7\.7\.7\.Yl

Of man, how he was

cReared afreR rhe image of CJod.

he most abundant God (as Trismegis- man in like manner is rational but mortal, that i ~ ,

T tus saith), hath framed two images

like himself viz. the world and man,
that in one of these he might sport
himself with certain wonderful operations: but
dissolvable; for (as Hermes saith)2 seeing the
world itself is immortal, it is impossible that any
part of it can perish. Therefore to die, is a vain
name, and even as vacuum is nowhere, so also
in the other, that he might enjoy his delights. death; therefore we say a man dieth, when his
Who, seeing he is one, hath created the soul and body are separated, not that anything of
world one; seeing that he is infinite, hath cre- them peri sheth or is turned into nothing.
ated the world round; seeing he is eternal, he Notwithstanding the true image of God is
hath created the world incorruptible and ever- his Word.3 The wisdom, life, light and truth
lasting; seeing he is immense, he hath created existing by himself, of which image man 's soul
the world the greatest of all things; seeing he is is the image, in regard of which we are said to
the chiefest life, he hath adorned the world with be made after the image of God, not after the
vital seeds, begetting all things out of himself; image of the world, or of the creatures; for as
and seeing he is omnipotent, by his will alone, God cannot be touched, nor perceived by the
not by any necessity of Nature, he hath created ears, nor seen with the eyes; so the soul of man
the world, not out of any foregoing matter, but can neither be seen, heard nor touched. And as
out of nothing; and seeing he is the chief good- God himself is infinite, and cannot be com-
ness, embracing his Word, which is the first pelled by any, so also the mind of man is free,
Idea of all things, with his choicest will and and cannot be enforced or bounded. Further, as
essential love, he hath fabricated this external God comprehendeth this whole world, and
world after the example of the internal, viz. whatsoever is in it, in his mind alone; so man's
ideal world, yet sending forth nothing of the mind comprehendeth it even in thought;4 and
essence of the Idea, but created of nothing that that which is peculiar to him alone with God, as
which he had from eternity by the Idea. God moveth and governeth all this world by his
God also created man after his image; for beck alone, so man's mind ruleth and governeth
as the world is the image of God, so man is the his body.
image of the world. Hence some think that it is Therefore it was necessary, that the mind of
spoken, that man is not created simply the man thus sealed by the Word of God, should put
image of God, but after the image, or the image on also the corporeal man, after the most com-
of the image; therefore he is called Microcosm, plete example of the world: therefore man is
that is the Lesser World. called the other world, and the other image of
The world is a rational creature, immortal; God, because he hath in himself all that is con-

579
580/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

tained in the greater world, so that there And as God knoweth all things, so also
remaineth nothing which is not found even truly man can know all things intelligible, seeing he
and really in man himself, and all these things hath for an adequate object, Ens 7 in general, or
do perform the same duties in him, as in the (as others say) Truth itself; neither is there any-
great world. thing found in man, nor any disposition, in
There are in him the four elements, with which something of divinity may not shine
the most true properties of their nature, and in forth; neither is there anything in God, which
him an ethereal body, the chariot of the soul in may not also be represented in man.
proportion corresponding to the heaven: there Whosoever therefore shall know himself,
are in him the vegetative life of plants, the shall know all things in himself; especially he
senses of animals, of celestial spirits, the angel- shall know God, according to whose image he
ical reason, and the divine understanding, and was made; he shall know the world , the resem-
the true conjunction, and divine possession of blance of which he beareth; he shall know all
all these things flowing together into one. creatures, with whom he symbolizeth; and what
Hence in sacred letters man is called every comfort he can have and obtain from stones,
creature, and not only man being made another plants, animals, elements, heavens, from spirits,
world doth comprehend all the parts thereof in angels, and every thing, and how all things may
himself but also doth receive and contain even be fitted for all things, in their time, place,
God himself. Hence Xystus 5 the Pythagorean order, measure, proportion and harmony, and
saith, that the soul of man is the temple of God: can draw and bring to himself, even as a load-
which thing Paul also more clearly expressed, stone iron.
saying, ye art the temple of God;6 and the same And Geber in his Sum of Alchemy 8 teach-
the sacred Scripture testifieth in many places: eth, that no man can come to the perfection of
therefore man is the most express image of this art, who shall not know the principles of it
God, seeing man containeth in himself all in himself; but by how much the more everyone
things which are in God. shall know himself, by so much he obtaineth the
But God by a certain eminency containeth greater power of attracting it, and by so much
all things through his power, and simply, as the operateth greater and more wonderful things,
cause and beginning of all things; but he hath and will ascend to so great a perfection, that he
given this power to man, that he should in like is made the son of God, and is transformed into
manner contain all things, but by a certain act that image which is God, and is united with
and composition, as the knot, tie, and bond of him, which is not granted to angels, the world,
all things. or any creature, but to man only, viz. to have
Therefore man only rejoiceth in this honour, power to be made the son of God, and to be
that he hath similitude with all, operation with all, united to him.
and conversation with all: he symbolizeth with But man being united to God, all things
the matter in a proper subject; with the elements which are in man, are united, especially his
in a fourfold body; with plants in a vegetative mind, then he spirits and animal powers, and
virtue; with animals in a sensitive faculty; with vegetative faculty , and the elements are to the
the heavens in an etherial spirit, and influx of the matter, drawing with itself even the body,
superior parts on the inferior; with the angels in whose form it hath been, leading it forth into a
understanding and wisdom; with God in contain- better condition, and an heavenly nature, even
ing all things: he is preserved with God, and the until it be glorified into immortality. And this
intelligences, by faith and wisdom; with the heav- which we have spoken is the peculiar gift of
ens and heavenly things, by reason and discourse; man, to whom this dignity of the divine image
with all inferior things, by sense and dominion: is proper, and common to no other creature.
and acteth with all, and hath power on all, even on But there are some theologians,9 who make
God himself, by knowing and loving him. those powers of man ' s memory, understanding,
 Of Man, How He Was Created After the Image of God / 581

will, the image of the divine Trinity; and there Therefore Plotine l2 and all the Platonists,
are who going further, do place this image not after Trismegist, in like manner, place three
only in these three faculties which they cal1 first things in man, which they call the supreme,
acts, but also in the second acts; and as the lowest and middle.
memory representeth the Father, the under- The supreme is that divine thing which
standing the Son, the will the Holy Ghost; so they call the mind, or superior portion, or illu-
also the word produced from our understanding, minated intel1ect. Moses in Genesis calleth it the
and love flowing from our will, and the under- breath of life,13 viz. breath from God or his
standing itself having a present object and pro- spirit inspired into us.
ducing it, do set forth the Son, Spirit and Father. The lowest is the sensitive soul which they
And the more mysterious theologians teach also can an image: Paul the apostle nameth it
that moreover al1 our members do represent the animal man. 14
something in God whose image they bear; and The middle is the reasonable spirit knitting
that even in our passions we represent God, but and tying together both extremes, viz. the animal
by a certain analogy: for in the holy word we soul with the mind, favouring of the nature of
read of the wrath, fury, repentance, compla- both extremes: yet it differeth from that supreme
cency, love, hatred, pleasure, delectation, which is cal1ed the illuminated intellect, the
delight, indignation of God, and such like, and mind, light, and supreme portion; it differeth
we have spoken something of the members of also from the animal soul, from the which, the
God, which may be congruent here. Apostle teacheth us, that we ought to separate it,
Also Mercurius Trismegistus confessing by the power of the word of God, saying, the
the divine Trinity, describeth it Understanding, Word of God is lively and powerful, more pene-
Life and Brightness, which elsewhere he calleth trating than a two edged sword, piercing even to
the Word the Mind and the Spirit, and saith that the dividing of the soul and spirit. 15
man made after the image of God doth represent For as that supreme portion never sinneth,
the same Trinity; for there is in him an under- never consenteth to evil, and always resisteth
standing mind, a verifying word, and a spirit, as error and exhorteth to the best things ; so that
it were a divine brightness diffusing itself on inferior portion and animal soul is always over-
every side, replenishing all things, moving and whelmed in evil, in sin and concupiscence, and
knitting them together. IO draweth to the worst things, of the which Paul
But this is not to be understood of the nat- saith, I see another law in my members, leading
ural spirit which is the middle by the which the me captive to the law of sin: 16 the mind there-
soul is united with the flesh and the body, by the fore the supreme portion is never damned; but
which the body liveth and acteth, and one mem- when its companions are to be punished, goeth
ber worketh on another, of the which spirit we away unhurt into its Original: but the spirit,
have spoken in the first book. But we here speak which by Plotinus is caned the reasonable
of the natural spirit, which yet in some sort is also soul,17 seeing it is by its nature, free , and can
corporeal, notwithstanding it hath not a gross according to his pleasure adhere to either of
body, tangible and visible, but a most subtile them, if it constantly adhere to the superior por-
body and easy to be united with the mind, viz. tion, is at length united and beautified with it,
that superior and divine one which is in us; nei- until it be assumed into God: if it adhere unto
ther let anyone wonder, if we say that the rational the inferior soul, it is depraved, and becomes
soul is that spirit, and a corporeal thing, or that it vicious, until it be made a wicked spirit. But
either hath or favoureth something of corporeal- thus much concerning the mind and spirit.
ity while it is in the body, and useth it as an Now let us see concerning the speech or
instrument, if so be that ye shall understand, Word. Mercurius thinketh this of the same
what, amongst the Platonists, that etherial body value for immortality; for speech or Word is
of the soul, and chariot I I of the same may be. that without which nothing is done or can be
582/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

done: for it is the expression of the expressor eration is perfected; as Isay saith,22 by thy coun-
and of the thing expressed; and the speaking of tenance, 0 Lord, we have conceived, as women
the speaker, and that which speaketh, is speech rightly conceive by the countenance of their
or Word; and the conception of the conceiver husbands, and have brought forth Spirit.
and that which conceiveth, is the Word; and the Hither in some sort belongeth that which is
writing of the writer and that which writeth, is delivered by the gymnosophists of the Indians,
the Word; and the forming of the former and viz. that Budda a prince of this opinion, brought
that which formeth, is the Word; and the cre- forth a virgin out of hi s side; and amongst the
ation of the creator, and that which createth, is Mohammedans there is a constant opinion, that
the Word; and the doing of the doer, and that many, whom in their tongues they call Nefe-
which is done is the Word; and the knowledge sohli, are born by a certain occult manner of
of him that knoweth and the thing known is the divine dispensation without carnal copulation,
Word: and everything that can be spoken is but whose life is therefore wonderful and impassi-
a Word, and it's called equality, for it carrieth ble and as it were angelical and altogether
itself equally towards all; seeing that it is not supernatural; but these trifles we leave.
one thing more than another, equally bestowing Only the King Messiah, the Word of the
on all, that they may be, that which they are, Father made flesh , Christ Jesus, hath revealed
neither more nor less; and itself being sensible, this secret, and will further manifest it at a cer-
doth make itself and all things sensible, as light tain fullness of time: therefore a mind very like
maketh itself and all things visible. to himself (as Lazarillus sang in Crater of Her-
Therefore the Word is called by Mercurius mes) :23
the bright son of the mind; 18 for the conception
by the which the mind conceived itself, is the God gave man reason that like deities
intrinsical Word generated from the mind, viz. He might bring forth gods with capacity.
the knowledge of itself: but the extrinsical and
o happy he that knows hi s worth, and how
He equal is unto the gods above!
vocal word, is the offspring and manifestation They repress dangers, make diseases fly ,
of that Word, and a spirit proceeding out of the They give presages, and from misery
mouth with sound and voice, signifying some- Deliver men, reward the good, and ill
thing: but every voice of ours, speech and word, Chastise, and so the will of God fulfill;
These are disciples, and the sons of God
unless it be formed by the voice of God, is min- Most h i g h - - - -
gled with the air and vanisheth; but the Spirit
and Word of the Lord remaineth, life and sense Who are not born of the will of flesh, or of
accompanying it. man, or of a menstruous woman, but of God:
Therefore all our speech, words, spirit and but it is an universal generation in which the
voice have no power in magic , unless they be Son is like the Father in all manner of simili-
formed by the divine Word: and Aristotle him- tude, and in the which, that which is begot is the
self in his Meteors,19 and in the end of his same in specie with the begetter; and this is the
Ethics,2o confesseth that there is not any virtue power of the Word formed by the mind, and
either natural or moral , unless through God; and received into a subject rightly disposed, as seed
in hi s Secret Tenents,2 1 he affirmeth that our into the matrix for the generation; but I say dis-
understanding being good and sound can do posed and rightly received; because that all are
very much on the secrets of nature if so be that not partakers of the Word after the same man-
the influence of the divine power be present, ner, but others otherwise; and these are the most
otherwise nothing at all: so also our words can hidden secrets of nature which ought not to be
do very many miracles, if they be formed by the further published.
Word of God, in which also our universal gen-
 Of Man, How He Was Created After the Image of God / 583

NOL"cs-ChapL"CR 7\.7\.7\.Vl

I. Trismegistus saith- you wish to break forth from the universe

itself, and gaze on the things outside the
For there are two images of God; the Kos-
Kosmos (if indeed there is anything outside
mos is one, and man is another, inasmuch
the Kosmos), even that is permitted to you.
as he, like the Kosmos, is a single whole
(Corpus Hermeticum II (2).19 [Scott,
built up of diverse parts. (Asclepius 1.10
1:221])
[Scott, 1:305])
... when, I say, God had made this being 5. Xystus-Perhaps Sextus. "You have in yourself
[Kosmos], his first and one and only cre- something similar to God, and therefore use yourself
ation, and when he saw that the being he as the temple of God, on account of that which in you
had made was beautiful, and wholly filled r~sembles God" (Select Sentences of Sextus the
with all things good, he rejoiced in him, Pythagorean. In lamblichus Life of Pythagoras [Tay-
and loved him dearly, as being his own off- lor, 192])."
spring. Therefore, being wise and good
himself, he willed that there should be 6. temple of God-I Corinthians 3:16.
another who might look upon the being
whom he had begotten; and in that act of 7. Ens-From the Latin esse: to be. Entity, in the
willing, he made man, to be an imitator of original sense of essential being, or real existence.
his wisdom and his fostering care. (ibid.
1.8 [Scott, I :30 I]) 8. Sum of Alchemy--Summa per/ectionus magisterii.
See biographical note on Geber.
For it is man 's function to contemplate the
works of God; and for this purpose was he
9. some theologians-8ee Augustine De trinitate (The
made, that he might view the universe with
trinity) 10.2; also Aquinas Summa theologica 77 .1.1.
wondering awe, and come to know its
Maker. (Corpus Hermeticum 4.2 [Scott,
10. knitting them together-"'Learn my meaning,'
I: 151])
said he [Poimandres], 'by looking at what you your-
self have in you; for in you too, the word is son, and
2. Hermes saith-"For seeing that the Kosmos is the
the mind is father of the word. They are not separate
second God, and an immortal being, it is impossible
one from the other; for 'life is the union of word and
that a part of that immortal being should die; and all
mind'" (Corpus Hermeticum 1.6 [Scott, I: 117]).
things in the Kosmos are parts of the Kosmos" (Cor-
pus Hermeticum 8.1b [Scott, I: 175]).
II . chariot-For Plato's lengthy allegory of the soul
as a winged chariot, see the Phaedrus 246-56.
3. his Word-A reference to the Logos (Greek:
Acryos--word, speech, discourse, reason). Neoplaton-
12. Plotine-Plotinus.
ists and Stoics used the term for the Intelligence of
the Cosmos, a kind of mediator between God and the
13. breath of life-Genesis 2:7.
world. The apostle John adopted this technical Greek
term to refer specifically to the second part of the
14. animal man-Perhaps I Corinthians 15:32.
Trinity, Christ (John I: I, 14).
15 . soul and spirit-Hebrews 4:12.
4. even in thought-
Bid your soul travel to any land you 16. law of sin-Romans 7:23 .
choose, and sooner than you can bid it go,
it will be there. Bid it pass on from land to 17. reasonable soul-"The lower soul must be
ocean, and it will be there too no less always striving to attain to memory of the activities
quickly; it has not moved as one moves of the higher: this will be especially so when it is
from place to place, but it is there. Bid it itself of a fine quality, for there will always be some
fly up to heaven, and it will have no need that are better from the beginning and bettered here
of wings; nothing can bar its way, neither by the guidance of the higher." (Plotinus Enneads
the fiery heat of the sun, nor the swirl of 4.3.32 [Mackenna, 3:46])
planet-spheres; cleaving its way through
all, it will fly up till it reaches the outer- 18. son of the mind-'''That Light,' said he [Poiman-
most of all corporeal things. And should dres], 'is I, even Mind, the first God, who was before
584 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

the watery substance which appeared out of the dark- 23. Crater of Hermes--Crater Hermetis . a work
ness; and the Word which came forth from the Light written in 1494 or shortly prior to this date by
is son of God. '" (Corpus Hermeticum 1.6 [Scott, Ludovico Lazzarelli, a contemporary of Agrippa (see
I: 117]). See also note 10 above. his biographical note). It was published by Lefevre
d'Etaples in his 1505 Paris edition of several Her-
19. his Meteors-De meteoris (Meteorology). metic writings, and consists of a dialogue between
Lazzarelli and King Ferdinand of Aragon. Through a
20. his Ethics-Nicomachean Ethics 1O.9.1179b, series of mystical hymns the King is prepared for the
lines 20-30. revelation of a sacred mystery involving the tech-
nique of god-making hinted at by Hermes Trismegis-
21. Secret Tenents--Secretum secretorum of pseudo- tus in his Asclepius (see Scott [1924] 1985,
Aristotle, which M. Gaster called "The most popular 1:339-40). D. P. Walker is convinced that Lazzarelli
book of the middle ages" ("Introduction to a Hebrew was talking about the creation of a familiar good dae-
version of the Secret of Secrets," Journal of the mon by an occult master for his disciple-see his
Royal Asiatic Society, 1908, P. II, pp. 1065-84). Spiritual and Demonic Magic from Ficino to Cam-
There were at \east 207 Latin manuscripts circulat- panella (University of Notre Dame Press, 1975),
ing, and many more in many other languages. It was 70-1. The work was strongly influenced by the
printed several times before 1500. The work consists Hymns of Orpheus. The crater of Hermes referred to
of a collection of information on astrology, alchemy, in the title is the mixing bowl, or basis, filled with
enchantments, geomancy, medicine, government, mind, which God sent down to Earth, and in which
and "something useful about almost every science," he invited all human hearts to dip themselves if they
supposedly written by Aristotle at the urging of would attain a portion of gnosis. See Corpus Her-
Alexander. See Thorndike, 2:267-76. meticum 4.4 [Scott, I: 151]).

22. Isay saith-I do not find this in Isaiah.

 CHAPTeR """Vll

Of man's soul and rhRough

whar means ir is joined ro rhe body.

he soul of man is a certain divine of the soul, others the chariot of the souP

T light, created after the image of the

world, the cause of causes and first
example, and the substance of God,
figured by a seal whose character is the eternal
through this middle thing, by the command of
God who is the center of the world, it is first
infused into the middle point of the heart, which
is the center of man's body, and from thence it
Word; also the soul of man is a certain divine is diffused through all the parts and members of
substance, individual and wholly present in his body, when it joineth his chariot to the nat-
every part of the body, so produced by an incor- ural heat, being a spirit generated from the heart
poreal author, that it dependeth by the power of by heat; by this it plungeth itself into the
the agent only, not by the bosom of the matter. humours, by the which it inhereth in all the
The soul is a substantial number, uniform, members, and to all these is made equally the
conversive 1 unto itself, and rational, very far nighest, although it be diffused through one to
excelling all bodies and material things; the par- another; even as the heat of fire adhereth most
tition of which is not according to the matter, nigh to the air and water, although it be trans-
nor proceeding from inferior and grosser things, ferred by the air to the water; thus it is manifest,
but from the efficient cause: for it is not a quan- how the immortal soul, by an immortal body,
titative number, but removed from all corporeal viz. an ethereal vehicle, is included in a gross
laws, whence it is not divided nor multiplied by and mortal body.
parts. Therefore the soul of man is a certain But when by a disease or some mischief,
divine substance, flowing from a divine foun- these middle things are dissolved or fail, then
tain, carrying along with itself number: not that the soul itself by these middle things recol-
divine one by the which the Creator hath dis- lecteth itself, and floweth back into the heart
posed all things, but a rational number by the which was the first receptacle of the soul: but
which; seeing it hath a proportion to all things, the spirit of the heart failing, and heat being
it can understand all things. extinct, it leaveth him, and man dieth, and the
Therefore man's soul being such, accord- soul flieth away with this celestial vehicle, and
ing to the opinion of the Platonists, immediately the Genius his keeper and the demon 4 follow it
proceeding from God, is joined by competent being gone forth, and carry it to the judge,S
means to this grosser body;2 whence first of all where sentence being pronounced, God quietly
in its descent, it is involved in a celestial and leadeth forth the good souls to glory: the evil,
aerial body, which they call the celestial vehicle the fierce Devil draggeth to punishment.

585
586 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

Norcs-ChaprCR AX.7\.Vll

I. conversive-Having the power of conversion. See deserts. The soul will come under the
Aquinas Summa contra gentiles 2.4 power of the chief of the daemons. When
he finds a soul to be devout and righteous,
2. grosser body-See Plato Timaeus 42e-43a he allows it to abide in the region which is
(Hamilton and Cairns, 1171). suited to its character; but if he sees it to be
marked with stains of sin, and defiled with
3. chariot of the sou/-See note II, ch. XXXVI, bk. (incurable) vices, he flings it downward,
III. and delivers it to the storms and whirl-
winds of that portion of the air which is in
4. keeper and the demon-The good and evil spirits frequent conflict with fire and water, that
appointed for life to each human soul (see Origen De the wicked soul may pay everlasting
principiis 3.2.4). After death they appear before the penalty, being ever swept and tossed hither
judge of souls (see note 5 below) and dispute which and thither between sky and earth by the
shall have charge. billows of cosmic matter. (Asc/epius 3.28
[Scott, 1:367])
5. Judge-
See note 36, ch. XVIII, bk. III.
When the soul has quitted the body, there
will be held a trial and investigation of its
 CHAPTeR X.X.X.Vlll

Whar divine gifrs man

Recelverh fRom above, fRom rhe seveRal
oRdeRs of rhe inre11igences and rhe heavens.

y the seven planets as it were by instru- moderate temperance, and faith which being

B ments, all powers are diffused into man

from the supreme fountain of good. I
By Saturn, a sublime contempla-
tion and profound understanding, solidity of
conversant in manifest and occult things yield-
eth direction to all; also motion to the tilling of
the Earth for the manner of life and giving
growth to itself and others.
judgement, firm speculation, stability and an But these influences are principally drawn
immovable resolution. from those seven intelligences, 2 who stand
By Jupiter, an unshaken prudence, temper- before the face of God, who dispose the soul the
ance, benignity, piety, modesty , justice, faith, seat of these virtues: but the planets dispose the
grace, religion, equity, clemency, royalty. body only, giving a tractable complexion pro-
By Mars, truth, not to be terrified, constant portionated and tempered for every good thing,
courage and fortitude , a fervent desire of ani- and they are as it were the instruments of the
mosity, the power of acting and the practice, intelligences; but God as the primary cause doth
and an inconvertible vehemency of the mind. yield both the influence and increase to all.
By the Sun, nobility of mind, perspicuity of They therefore who have sought out the
imagination, the nature of knowledge and opin- virtues and divers dispositions of the soul, do
ion , maturity, counsel, zeal, light of justice, rea- judge, that they obtain divers natures, by reason
son and judgement distinguishing right from of the diversity of means, by the which they
wrong, purging light from the darkness of igno- have a passage to us, and that these souls are not
rance, the glory of truth found out, and charity joined with the bodies themselves unless they
the queen of all virtues. be proportioned by these stars;3 so in a body
By Venus, a fervent love, most sweet hope, brought to a temperament by Jupiter, they think
the motion of desire, order, concupiscence, that the soul infused is temperated by the power
beauty, sweetness, desire of increasing and and intelligence of Jupiter, and so of the rest.
propagation of itself. According to which disposition if the soul work
By Mercury, a piercing faith and belief, well in this body, when it's purged and expi-
clear reasoning, the vigour of interpreting and ated, it returneth to that divine power and man-
pronouncing, gravity of speech, acuteness of sion from whence it descended.
wit, discourse of reason, and the swift motions Furthermore, from the angelical orders man
of the senses. is strengthened with wonderful virtues, viz:
By the Moon, a peacemaking consonancy, From the Angels, that he may be a messen-
fecundity, the power of generation and of grow- ger of the divine will and an interpreter of the
ing greater, of increasing and decreasing, and a mind of God.

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From the Archangels, that he may rule over the which men easily ascend to all kinds of
all beasts of the field, fish of the sea, and fowls of powers by a certain natural connection and
the air, over the which command is given him. chariot, according to the divers disposition of
From the Principalities, that all things may body and mind, and by the favour of the stars, in
be subdued to him, he comprehending the pow- the disposing of the body, and of the intelli-
ers of all, and drawing all powers to himself by gences ruling them, the nature of which the soul
a certain force most secret and supercelestial. in its descent putteth on, even as light the colour
From the Virtues, it receiveth power, by the of the glass, through which it passeth; the
which it constantly fighting is strengthened supreme power of the Creator favouring, from
against the enemies of truth, for the reward of whom is all good, and without which no good
which we run a race in this life. nor perfect thing can be obtained.
From the Powers, against the enemies of Therefore all those do labour in vain, who
this earthly tabernacle. trusting only on the course of nature, and the
From the Dominations, it hath help by the power and favour of inferior things, do think to
which we can subject any domestic enemy we attain to divine things; and those who faining to
carry along with us, and can obtain our have a foot in the heavens, do endeavour to
desired end. receive those things from the favour of the
From the Thrones, we are knit together, heavens, which ought to be received from God
and being collected into ourselves, we fix our alone; for these inferiors, I mean animals, herbs,
memory on those eternal visions. stones, metals have their power subservient to
From the Cherubims, is light of mind, the heaven; but the heaven from the intelli-
power of wisdom, very high phantasies and fig- gences; but these from God, in whom all things
ures, by the which we are able to contemplate pre-exist in the greatest power; as in man the lit-
even the divine things. tle world4 there is not a member which hath not
From the Seraphims, that by the perfect correspondence with some element, plant, intel-
flame of love we may at length inhere in them. ligence, and with some measure and numeration
These are the degrees, these the ladders, by in the Archetype: as we have shown before.

Nores-ChapreR 7\.7\.7\.Vlll
1. fountain of good-See note 1, ch. LIX, bk. II. who are subject to some one planet. For
the planets replace one another from
2. seven intelligences-Revelation 1:4. moment to moment; they do not go on
working without change, but succeed one
3. these stars- another in rotation. (Corpus Hermeticum
For at the time when each one of us is born 16.15 [Scott, 1:271])
and made alive, the daemons who are at
that moment on duty as ministers of birth 4. little world-Microcosm.
take charge of uS,-that is, the daemons
 CHAPTeR AAA1A

How rhe supeRioR influences, seeing

rhey aRe good by naruRe, aRe depRaved in
rhese infeRioR rhings, and aRe made causes of evil.

eeing every power and virtue is from good, as it were in the first degree; but then

S above, from God, from the intelligences

and stars, who can neither err nor do
evil, I it is necessary, that all evil, and
whatsoever is found disagreeing and dissonant in
when it is received in a viler subject, it also is
vilified; then also in respect of the different
nature of the recipient it is received after divers
manners, and by the qualities disagreeing in the
these inferior things, do proceed, not from the same subject amongst themselves, it also is var-
malice of the influence, but from the evil disposi- ied and patiently suffereth in the subject.
tion of the receiver; thus Chysippus rightly sang: Whence from all comprehended in the sub-
ject, at length some other thing doth result than
They do like fools accuse the gods falsely, the superiors send down; therefore the hurtful
Make them the cause of all their misery, quality in these inferiors, is far different from
When as their folly hurts themselves--
the influx of the heavens; and therefore as the
distemper of the blear-eyed is not to be imputed
Hence Jupiter calling to mind the case of to the light, nor burnings to the fire, nor wounds
Aegisthus slain by Orestes, by Homer 2 in the to the sword, nor fetters and prisons to the
council of the gods saith: judge, but to the evil disposed and offenders; so
neither is the fault of wicked ones to be cast on
Us gods do men accuse (what vice is this?)
To be the cause, fountain of what's amiss, the celestial influences.
When they themselves by their own Therefore we being well disposed, the
wickedness celestial influences cooperate all things for
Run into danger·- - - - good; but being evil disposed, and having for
our sins, that divine good, which was in us,
When therefore the perversity of the sub- departed from us, all things work for evil: there-
ject receiveth the influences of the perverse, or fore the cause of all our evils is sin, which is the
its debility cannot endure the efficacy of the disorder and distemper of our soul; from the
superiors, then by the influence of the heavens which then, thus evilly governing, or falling
thus received into a matter full of discords, doth down or declining from that which the celestial
result something dissonant, deformed and evil; influences require, all things rebel, and are dis-
yet the celestial powers always remain good, tempered for our destruction.
which while they exist in themselves, and from Then in man's body, otherwise most tem-
the Giver of Light have their influence by the perate and composed with most sweet harmony,
holy intelligences and the heavens, even till the distemper of the elements beginneth, evil
they shall come to the Moon, their influence is humours arise: and even the good being disor-

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dered and severed from one another, by a cer- lascivious loves and filthy lusts: Mercury,
tain vicissitude both vex and torment the body: deceits, cozenages, lies, subtile desires of evil,
then is a most vehement dissonance perceived, propensity to sin; the Moon the inconstant
either by superfluity or diminution, or some progress of all things, and whatsoever is con-
iatrinseral 3 accident, or by superfluous meat, trary to man's nature.
whence superfluous humours are generated, and And by this means man himself by reason
by the same cause infirmities follow; yea the of his unlikeness with the heavenly things
animal spirits, the bridle being broken, do fall to receiveth hurt, whence he ought to reap benefit:
contention. by reason of the same dissonancy with th~ heav-
Then the celestial influences, otherwise of enly things (as Proclus saith) men also are sub-
themselves good, are made hurtful to us, even jected even to wicked spirits who as the officers
as the light of the Sun to eyes ill disposed: then of God do discharge themselves in punishing
Saturn darteth down anguish, tediousness, them: then do they suffer grievances by evil
melancholy, madness, sadness, obstinacy, rigid- spirits, even until they are again expiated, by due
ness, blasphemy, desperation, lying, appari- purgations, and man returneth to a divine nature.
tions, affrightments, walkings of the dead, Therefore an excellent magician can prohibit
stirrings of devils: Jupiter then sendeth down many mischiefs about to fall on him from the dis-
covetousness, evil occasions to get wealth and position of the stars, when he foreknoweth their
tyranny: Mars, furious wrath, prophane arro- nature by preventing, taking heed, and defending,
gancy, violent boldness, fierce stubbornness: lest they should meet him, and lest an ill disposed
but the Sun imperious pride and insatiable subject, as we have said, should receive hurt
ambition: Venus, the deceits of concupiscence, whence it ought to reap benefit.

Nores-ChapreR X.X.X.1X.
1. nor do evil-Agrippa seems to contradict himself: 2. by Homer-Odyssey 1, lines 32-4.
see the first paragraph of ch. XV, bk . III, and note 2
of that chapter. 3. iatrinseral-Iatrical; medical.
 CHAPTeR"L

Thar on eveRY man a divine

chaRacreR is impRinred, by rhe viRrue
of which man can arrain rhe wORking of miRacles.

y no small experience it is found that a him superior, whither it be servant or animal.

B certain power of ruling and predominat-

ing is implanted in man by nature; for
(Pliny testifieth)I that an elephant meet-
ing a man wandering in a desert, is reported to
For otherwise neither could a child rule his herd
and elephants, neither could a king terrify his
people, nor the judge the guilty.4
Therefore this character is imprinted on
show himself gentle and courteous, and to show man from the divine Idea which the Cabalists of
the way to him; and the same creature also is the Hebrew call Pahad5 1n~, and the left hand,
said, before he seeth man, to tremble, to stand or sword, of God: furthermore man hath not
still, to look about, to quake at the steps of man, only a seal by which he is feared, but also by the
for fear of treachery: in like manner the tiger, which he is beloved, the Idea of which in the
the most fierce of all beasts, at the sight of man divine numerations is called Hesed6 10n,
doth remove her young ones;2 and more of this which signifieth Clemency, and the right hand
kind we read in divers authors, who have writ and scepter of God.
great volumes of creatures. From these divine numerations, by the
But from whence do these animals know, intelligences and stars, seals and characters are
that man is to be feared, whom they never saw: imprinted on us, to everyone according to his
and if they have seen and known, whence do capacity and purity: which signs the first man
they fear him, seeing they do excel him in great- created, without doubt did possess in all
ness, force and swiftness?3 What is this nature of integrity and fullness, when all creatures being
man, striking this terror on wild beasts? All the attracted by secret gentleness, and subjected by
historiographers of animals do find out and grant terror, came to him as to their Lord, that he
this, but have left to others to teach and prove it. might give them names: 7 but after the sin of
Concerning this therefore Apollonius Tya- prevarication he fell from that dignity with all
neus (as we read in Philostratus) seeing a child his posterity.
leading a huge elephant, answered Damus ask- Yet that character is not altogether extinct
ing him, whence came that obedience of so in us. But by how much everyone is laden with
huge a creature to the little child: that it was sin, by so much he is farther off from these
from a certain active terror, implanted in man divine characters and receiveth less of them;
by his Creator, which inferior creatures and all and whence he ought to receive friendship and
animals perceiving, do fear and reverence man, reverence, he falleth into the slavery and terror
which is as it were a terrifying character, and a of others, both of animals and also men and
seal of God imprinted on man, by the which devils: which Cain perceiving feared, saying to
everything is subject to him, and acknowledges God, everyone who findeth me, will kill me;8

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for he feared beasts and devils, not only men, over the bear, Paul 13 over the viper; and many
who were very few. Anchorites l4 lived in the deserts, in caves and
But in the old times, many men who lived dens of wild beasts, not fearing, nor receiving
innocently, a very good life, as yet did enjoy any hurt; for as by sin that divine character is
that obedience and power, as Sampson,9 obscured, so sin being purged and expiated, it
David 10 and Daniel" over the lions, Elisha l2 again more and more shineth forth.

Nores-ChapreR AL
I. Pliny testifieth- delights to take food from his hand like a
puppy; it caresses him with its trunk when
When an elephant happens to meet a man
he comes near; it lets him put his head into
in the desert, who is merely wandering
its jaws, holding them open as long as he
about, the animal, it is said, shows himself
likes, as we saw done among the nomads.
both merciful and kind, and even points
Yet it is said to lament over its bondage at
out the way. But the very same animal, if
night, not with its usual trumpeting but
he meets with traces of a man, before he
with a mournful and piteous moaning; yet
meets the man himself, trembles in very
if the man comes to it while mourning so,
limb, for fear of an ambush, stops short
the elephant stops its complaining as if
and scents the wind, looks around him, and
ashamed. Thus it is its own master, Damis,
snorts aloud with rage .. . (Pliny 8.5
and its tractable disposition manages and
[Bostock and Riley, 2:248])
rules it more than its rider does. (Philostra-
tus Life and Times of Apollonius ofTyana
2. remove her young ones-
2.11 [Eells, 42-3])
In the same way, too, the tigress, which is
the dread of the other wild beasts, and 5. Pahad-Pachad. See Appendix VI.
which sees, without alarm, the traces even
of the elephant itself, is said at once, upon 6. Hesed--Chesed. See Appendix VI.
seeing the footsteps of man, to ·carry off
her whelps. (ibid.) 7. give them names-Genesis 2: 19.

3. force and swiftness- 8. will kill me-Genesis 4: 14.

And, what is still more, why should they
9. SalrijJson-Judges 14:5-6.
[elephant and tiger] dread even the very
sight of man, seeing that they are so far
10. David-I Samuel 17:34-5.
superior to him in strength, size, and swift-
ness? No doubt, such is the law of Nature,
11. Daniel-Daniel 6:22.
such is the influence of her power-the
most savage and the very largest of wild
12. Elisha-II Kings 2:24.
beasts have never seen that which they
have reason to fear, and yet instantly have
13. Paul-Acts 28:3-6.
an instinctive feeling of dread, when the
moment has come for them to fear. (ibid.,
14. Anchorites-An anachoret is one who with-
248-9)
draws and goes to live a devout life of contemplation
and prayer apart from other men, as opposed to a
4. judge the guilty-
coenobite, who withdraws from the world into a
This is by far the most docile of all ani- closed community of the religious. On the submis-
mals, and when once it has been tamed by sion of beasts to the Anchorites, see Brewer 190 I,
a man it lets him do anything to it, and 360-7. Also in this context see Hosea 2: 18; Job 5:23;
always shows him the same obedience. It Isaiah II :9; Ezekiel 34:25-8.
 CHAPTeR7\.U

Whar conceRning man afreR dearh, diveRs opinions.

n general it is appointed for all men once to viz. an inevitable power of divine laws, by the

1 die; death is fatal to all; but one is natural,

another violent, another voluntarily received,
another inflicted by human laws for offences,
or by God for sin, that they seem not to have ren-
which in courses to come, is recompensed to
everyone according to the reason and merits of
his former life; so, as he who unjustly ruled in
the former life, in the other life should relapse
dered a due to nature, but a punishment for sins; into a servile state; he which hath polluted his
which (as the Hebrew masters saith) God remit- hands with blood, should be compelled to
teth to none. undergo retaliation; he that lived a brutish life,
Whence the assembly delivered to should be precipitated and revolved into a
Ezechiah,' that after the house of the Sanctuary brutish body.
was pulled down, although there remained not Of these things Plotinus writeth in his book
any order of judiciary execution, yet there should of the proper Genius of everyone; saying,
be a fourfold kind of punishment by the which whosoever hath kept human propriety, do again
they might be condemned, that no man guilty of arise men: but whosoever have used sense only,
death should escape without retaliation; for he do return brute animals; yet so, as those who
which had deserved to be stoned to death, was, use sense especially together with wrath, do
God dispensing, either cast down headlong from arise wild beasts; but whosoever use sense by
the house, or trodden in pieces by wild beasts, or concupisence and pleasure, do return lecherous,
overwhelmed by ruin or fall; but he which had and gluttonous beasts: but if they shall live, not
deserved to be burned, was either consumed by by sense together with them, so much as by the
burnings, or finished he life either by venomous degeneration of sense, plants grow up again
bitings, or stings of a serpent, or by poison; but with them; for the vitals only, or chiefly, are liv-
he which should die by the sword, was killed ing, and all their care was that they might be
either by the violence of the jurisdiction, or by turned into plants. But they which have lived
the tumult of the people or faction , or by the being too much allured by music, not being
treachery of thieves; he that ought to be hanged, depraved in other things, are born again musical
was suffocated either in the waters, or extin- animals; and they which have reigned without
guished by some other strangling punishment: reason, become eagles, unless they have been
and by the ground of this doctrine, that great Ori- tainted with any wickedness. But he which hath
gen supposed the Gospel of Christ to be declared, lived civilly and virtuously, returns a man. 4
he who useth the sword shall perish by sword. 2 And Solomon himself in the Proverbs calls
Moreover the ethnic philosophers pro- man sometimes a lion,5 tiger, bear,6 a boar;7
nounced that retaliation of this kind is adrastia ,3 sometimes a hare, a hunting dog,8 a cony;9

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sometimes a pismire, 10 a hedgehog, a serpent, II Hence not without cause the ancients
a spider; 12 sometimes an eagle, 13 a stork, a cock, ordained expiations of carcasses, that that which
or any other bird; 14 and many such as these. was unclean might be sprinkled with holy
But the Cabalists of the Hebrews do not water, perfumed with incense, be conjured with
admit that souls are turned into brutes: yet they sacred orations, have lights set by as long as it
do not deny but that they that have wholly lost was above ground, and then at length be buried
their reason, shall in another life be left to a in a holy place. Hence Elpenor in Homer,2' I
brutish affection and imagination: they assert beseech thee (saith he) Ulysses, be mindful of
also that souls are revolved hither thrice, and no me, and leave me not unburied; left behind I
more; because this number seems sufficiently to become an object of the gods' wrath.
suffice for the purgation of sins, according to But the spirit of a man, which is of a sacred
that of Job, he hath delivered my soul that it nature, and divine offspring, because it is always
should not proceed to death, but should live, faultless, becomes incapable of any punishment;
and see the light. Behold all these things doth but the soul if it hath done well , rejoiceth
God work three times through each, that he together with the spirit, and going forth with its
might reduce their souls from corruption, and aerial chariot, passeth freely to the quires of the
illuminate them with the light of the living.15 heros, or reacheth heaven, where it enjoys all its
But now let us see what the ancients' opin- senses, and powers, a perpetual blessed felicity ,
ion is concerning the dead. When man dies, his a perfect knowledge of all things, as also the
body returns into the earth, from which it was divine vision, and possession of the kingdom of
taken: the spirit returns to the heavens, from heaven, and being made partaker of the divine
whence it descended, as saith the Preacher, 16 the power bestows freely divers gifts upon these
body returns to the earth from whence it was, inferiors, as if it were an immortal god.
and the spirit returns to God that gave it; which But if it hath done ill, the spirit judgeth it,
Lucretius hath expressed 17 in these verses: and leaves it to the pleasure of the Devil , and
the sad soul wanders about hell without a spirit,
What came from earth to earth returns like an image, as Dido complains22 in Virgil:
again;
What came from God, returns from And now the great image of me shall go
whence it came. Under the earthl- - - -

But Ovid expressed it better in these verses: Wherefore then this soul being void of an intel-
ligible essence, and being left to the power of a
Four things of man there are; spirit, soul,
ghost, flesh; furiou s phantasy, is ever subjected by the tor-
These four, four places keep and do possess. ment of corporeal qualities, knowing that it is
The earth covers flesh, the ghost hovers by the just judgement of God, forever deprived
o'er the grave, of the divine vision (to which it was created) for
Orcus hath the soul, stars do the spirit crave. its sins: the absence of which divine vi sion, as
the Scripture testifies, is the ground of all evils,
The flesh being forsaken , and the body and the most grievous punishment of all , which
being defunct of life, is called a dead carcass; the Scripture calls the pouring down of the
which as say the divines of the Hebrews, is left wrath of God. 23
in the power of the demon Zazel, I8 of whom it is This image therefore of the soul enters into
said in the Scripture: Thou shalt eat dust l9 all thy the ghost as an aerial body , with which being
days; and elsewhere, The dust of the Earth 20 is covered doth sometimes advise friend s, some-
his bread. Now man was created of the dust of times stir up enemies, as Dido threatens24
the Earth, whence also that demon is called the Aeneas in Virgil. saying :
Lord of Flesh and Blood, whilst the body is not
expiated and sanctified with due solemnities. I'll hunt thee. and thee tortures I will give.
 What Concerning Man After Death / 595

For when the soul is separated from the body, Although they departed this life without the
the perturbations of the memory and sense justification of faith, and grace, as many
remain. divines think, yet their souls were carried with-
The Platoni sts say that the souls, espe- out any suffering into happy pleasant fields;
cially of them that are slain, stir up enemies, and as saith Virgil:28
man 's indignation not so much doing of it, as
the divine Nemesis, and demon , fore seeing , They went to places and to pleasant greens,
And pleasant seats, the pleasant groves
and permitting of it. So the spirit of Naboth (as
between.
the masters of the Hebrews interpret it)
because in the end of its life it went forth with Where they enjoy certain wonderful pleasures,
a desire of revenge, was made to execute as also sensitive, intellectual, anq revealed
revenge, the spirit of a lie, and went forth, God knowledge .
permitting it, a lying spirit in the mouth of all Also perhaps they may be indoctrinated
the prophets, until it made Achab go up unto concerning faith, and justification, as those spir-
Ramoth-Gilead.25 its long since to whom Christ preached the
And Virgil himself together with the Gospel in pri son. For as it is certain that none
Pythagoreans, and Platonists, to whom also can be saved without the faith of Christ, so it is
our Austin assents, confesseth that separated probable that thi s faith is preached to many
soul s retain the fresh memory of those things pagans and Saracens after thi s life, in those
which they did in thi s life, and their will, receptacles of soul s29 unto salvation , and that
whence he sings:26 they are kept in those receptacles, as in a com-
mon prison, until the time comes when the great
What care they living had of horses brave
Judge shall examine our actions. To which
And arms, the same doth follow them to
the grave. opinion Lactantius, lreneus, Clemens, Tertul-
lian, Austin, Ambrose, and many more Christian
And Agaze/ in his book De Scientia Divina, writers do assent.
and other Arabians, and Mohammedans which But those souls which are impure , inconti-
were philosophers, think that the operations of nent, depart wicked, do not enjoy such happy
the soul , being common to the conjoined body, dreams, but wander full of most hideous phan-
impress upon the soul a character of use and tasms , and in worser places, enjoying no free
exerci se, which it being separated will use, knowledge but what is obtained by concession,
being strongly impressed to the like operations or manifestation , and with a continual fleshy
and passions which were not destroyed in life desire are subjected by reason of their corporeal
time. And although the body and organ be cor- corruption to the sense of pain, and fear swords,
rupted, yet the operation will not cease, but like and knives.
affections and di spositions will remain . These without doubt Homer seemed to be
And these souls the ancients call with a com- sensible of, when in the eleventh book of his
mon name Manes, whereof those that were in this Odyssey he brings in the mother of Ulysses
life innocent, and purified by moral virtues, were being dead , standing near to him offering sacri-
very happy; and of them, as Virgil sings:27 fice, but ne ither knowing him or speaking to
him , whilst he with his sword drawn did keep
----that did for their country die, off ghosts from the blood of the sacrifice.3o But
With priests who in their lives vowed after that Tyresia the prophetess3 1 advising of
chastity , her, she had tasted of the sacrifice, and had
And sacred poets, who pleased Phoebus drunk the blood, she presently knew her son,
best,
and crying spake to him. But the soul of Tyresia
Or by invented arts man ' s life assist,
And others in their memories renowned, the prophetess, notwithstanding the drawn
sword, even before she tasted the blood, knew
596/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

Ulysses and spake to him, and showed him the they then fall, and there are represented to them
ghost of his mother standing near to him. sad representations; sometimes of the heaven
Whatsoever vices therefore souls have falling upon their head, sometimes of being
committed in the bodies unexpiated in this life, consumed by the violence of flames, sometimes
they are constrained, carrying the habits of them of being drowned in a gulf, sometimes of being
along with them, to purge themselves of them in swallowed up into the earth, sometimes of
hell , and to undergo punishment for them; being changed into divers kinds of beasts,
which the Poet explains 32 in these verses: sometimes of being tom and devoured by ugly
monsters, sometimes of being carried abroad
- - - -'when they die, through woods, seas, fire , air, and through fear-
Then doth not leave them all their misery.
ful infernal places, and sometimes of being
They having not repented of their crimes,
Must now be punished for their misspent taken, and tormented by devils.
times. All which we conceive happens to them
after death no otherwise than in this life to those
For as the manners and habits of men are in who are taken with a phrensy, and some other
this life, such affections for the most part follow melancholy distemper, or to those who are
the soul after death, which then calls to mind affrighted with horrible things seen in dreams;
those things which it did formerly do in its life, and are thereby tormented, as if those things did
and then more intently thinks on them,33 for as really happen to them, which truly are not real,
much as then the divers offices of life cease, as but only species of them apprehended in imagi-
those of nourishing, growing, generating, and nation: even so do horrible representations of
various occupations of senses, and human sins terrify those souls after death as if they
affairs, and comforts, and obstacles of a grosser were in a dream, and the guilt of wickedness
body. Then are represented to the phantastic drives them headlong through divers places;
reason those species, which are so much the which therefore O'pheus calls the people of
more turbulent and furious, by how much in dreams, saying, the gates of Pluto cannot be
such souls there lies hid an intellectual spark unlocked; within is a people of dreams.
more or less covered, or altogether extinct, into Such wicked souls therefore enjoying no
which are then by evil spirits conveyed species good places, when wandering in an aerial body,
either most false, or terrible. they represent any form to our sight, are called
Whence now it is tormented in the concu- hags, and goblins, inoffensive to them that are
piscile faculty, by the concupiscence of an good, but hurtful to the wicked, appearing one
imaginary good, or of those things which it did while in thinner bodies, another time in grosser,
formerly affect in its lifetime, being deprived of in the shape of divers animals, and monsters,
the power of enjoying them, although it may whose conditions they had in their lifetime, as
seem to itself sometimes almost to obtain its sings the Poet: 39
delights, but to be driven from them by the evil
spirits into bitter torments , as in the poets,34 Then divers forms, and shapes of brutes
Tantalus 35 from a banquet, Sardanapalus 36 appear;
For he becomes a tiger, swine, and bear,
from embraces, Midas 37 from gold, Sisyphus 38
A scaly dragon, and a lioness,
from power; and they called these souls hob- Or doth from fire a dreadful noise express;
goblins, whereof if any taking care of house- He doth transmute himself to divers looks,
hold affairs lives and inhabits quietly in the To fire, wild beasts, and into running brooks.
house, it is called a household god, or familiar.
But they are most cruelly tortured in the For the impure soul of a man, who in this
irascible faculty with the hatred of an imaginary life contracted too great a habit to its body, doth
evil, into the perturbations whereof, as also by a certain inward affection of the elemental
false suspicions, and most horrible phantasms body frame another body to itself of the vapours
 What Concerning Man After Death I 597

of the elements, refreshing as it were from an Which is more fortunately granted unto blessed
easy matter as it were with a suck, that body souls that like good angels they should dwell in
which is continually vanishing; to which being us, and enlighten us, as we read of Elias, that he
moreover enslaved as to a prison, and sensible being taken from men he spirit fell upon
instrument by a certain divine law, doth in it Elisha :45 and elsewhere we read that God took
suffer cold, and heat, and whatsoever annoys of the spirit which was in Moses, and gave it to
the body, spirit, and sense; as stinks, howlings, seventy men. 46 Here lies a great secret, and not
wailings, gnashings of the teeth, stripes, tear- rashly to be revealed.
ings, and bonds, as Virgil sang: 40 Sometimes also (which yet is very rare)
souls are driven with such a madness that they
----and therefore for their crimes do enter the bodies not only of the living, but
They must be punished, and for misspent also by a certain hellish power wander into dead
times
Must tortures feel ; some in the winds are carcasses, and being as it were revived commit
hung, horrid wickednesses, as we read in Saxo Gram-
Others to cleanse their spotted sins are flung maticus,47 that Asuitus and Asmundus, two cer-
Into vast gulfs, or purged in fire:- - - - tain men, vowed one to the other, that he that
should live longest should be buried with him
And in Homer in his Necromancy41 Alcinous that was first dead: at length Asuitus being first
makes this relation to Ulysses: 42 dead, is buried in a great vault with his dog, and
horse, with whom also Asmundus by reason of
Of Tytius the dear darling of the Earth, his oath of friendship, suffered himself to be
We saw the body stretched nine furlongs
buried alive (meat which he should for a long
forth,
And on each side of whom a vulture great time eat, being brought to him); in process of
Gnawing his bowels---- time Ericus, King of Suecia, passing by that
place with an army, breaking up the tomb of
These souls sometimes do inhabit not these Asuitus (supposing that there was treasure), the
kinds of bodies only, but by a too great affec- vault being opened, brought forth Asmundus:
tion of flesh and blood transmute themselves whom, when he saw having a hideous look,
into other animals, and seize upon the bodies of being smeared over with filthy corrupt blood
creeping things, and brutes, entering into them, which flowed from a green wound (for Asuitus
what kind soever they be of, possessing them being revived in the nights, took off with often
like demons. Pythagoras is of the same opinion, struggling his right ear), he commanded him to
and before him Trismegistus . asserting that tell him the cause of that wound: which he
wicked souls do oftentimes go into creeping declares in these verses:
things, and into brutes,43 neither do they as
Why doth my visage wan you thus amaze?
essential forms vivify and inform those bodies, Since he that lives amongst the dead, the
but as an inmate dwell there as in a prison, or grace
stand near them by a local indistance as an Of beauty needs must lose; I know not yet
internal mover to the thing moved; or being tied What daring Stygian fiend of Asuit
to them are tormented, as lxion 44 to the wheel of The spirit sent from hell, who there did eat
A horse, and dog, and being with this meat
serpents, Sysiphus to a stone. Not as yet sufficed, then set his claws on me,
Neither do they enter into brutes only, but Pulled off my cheek, mine ear, and hence
sometimes into men, as we have spoken con- you see
cerning the soul of Nabaoth which went forth a My ugly, wounded, mangled, bloody face;
lying spirit in the mouth of the prophets. Hence This monstrous wight returned not to his
place
some have asserted that the lives, or spirits of Without received revenge; I presently
wicked men going into the bodies of some men, His head cut off, and with a stake did I
have disturbed them, and sometimes slew them. His body through run----
598/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

Pausanias tells a story48 not unlike to this, of the palace of Geruthus , and of the cave of
taken out of the interpreters of the Delphi; viz. Ugarthilocus.
that there was a certain infernal demon, which Also Pliny, Solin us, Pythias, Clearchus, of
they called Eurinomus , who would eat the flesh the wonderful prodigies of the Northern Sea, of
of dead men, and devour it so that the bones which Tacitus also in his History of Drusus53
would scarce be left. We read also in the Chron- shows that in the German sea there wandered
icles of the Cretensians, that the ghosts which soldiers by whom divers miraculous unheard of
they call Catechanae were wont to return back things were seen, viz. the force of whirlpools,
into their bodies, and go to their wives, and lie unheard of kinds of birds, sea monsters lik~ men
with them; for the avoiding of which, and that and beasts;54 and in his book Of Germany he
they might annoy their wives no more, it was tells that the Heldusians and Axions, who had
provided in the common laws that the heart of the face of men, but their other parts were equal
them that did arise should be thrust through to beasts, did dwell there. 55 Which without all
with a nail, and their whole carcass be burnt. doubt were the works of ghosts and devils.
These without doubt are wonderful things, and Of these also Claudianus long time since
scarce credible, but that those laws and ancient sang: 56
histories make them credible.
Neither is it altogether strange in Christian In the extreme bounds of France there is a
religion that many souls were restored to their place,
bodies, before the universal resurrection. More- Encompassed by the sea, where in his race
Fame saith Ulysses having tasted blood,
over we believe that many by the singular
A secret people did descry, where loud
favour of God are together with their bodies And mournful plaints were heard of wan-
received to glory, and that many went down dering spirits
alive to hell. And we have heard that oftentimes Which did the country people much affright.
the bodies of the dead were by the devils taken
from the graves, without doubt for no other use Aristotle relates of the Aeolian Islands near
than to be imprisoned, and tormented in their Italy, that in Lipara was a certain tomb, to
hands. And to these prisons and bonds of their which no man could go safe by night, and that
bodies there are added also the possessions of there were cymbals and shrill voices with cer-
most filthy and abominable places, where are tain absurd loud laughters; also tumults and
Aetnean fires ,49 gulfs of water, the shakings of empty sounds made, as the inhabitants did
thunder, and lightning, gapings of the Earth, strongly aver; and that upon a time a certain
and where the region is void of light, and young man being drunk went thither, and about
receives not the rays of the Sun, and knows not night fell asleep near the cave of the tomb, and
the light of the stars, but is always dark. was after the third day found by them that
Whither Ulysses is reported in Home,so to sought him, and was taken up for dead; who
come, when he sings: being brought forth, the solemnities of the
funeral being ready, suddenly arose up, and told
Here people are that be Cimmerian named, in order, to the great admiration of all, many
Drowned in perpetual darkness, it is famed,
Whom rising, nor the setting Sun doth see, things which he had seen and suffered.
But with perpetual night oppressed be. There is also in Norvegia a certain moun-
tain most dreadful to all, surrounded by the sea,
Neither are those mere fables which many which commonly is called Hethelbergius, repre-
have recorded of the cave of Patricius ,51 of the senting hell, whence there are heard great
den of Vulcan,5 2 of the Aetnean caves, and of bewailings, how lings, and screechings a mile
the den of Nursia , many that have seen and round about, and over which great vultures and
known them testifying the same. Also Saxo most black crows fly, making horrible noises,
Grammaticus tells of greater things than these which forbid any to come near it: moreover
 What Concerning Man After Death I 599

from hence flow two fountains whereof the one just men). After the like example God dealt
is most intense cold, the other most intense hot, with others, who pleased him well, and fulfill-
far exceeding all other elements. There is also ing his will were being translated to Paradise
in the same country toward the southern corner reserved for a kingdom. But of those who could
thereof a promontory called Nadhegrin, where not fulfill the rule of justice, but had some relic
the demons of the place are seen by all, in an of wickedness in their flesh, the bodies indeed
aerial body. There is also in Scotland the moun- are resolved, but souls are kept in good and
tain Dolorosus,57 from whence are heard dread- pleasant regions, that in the resurrection of the
ful lamentations: and in Thuringia there is a dead, when they shall receive their bodies,
mountain called Horrisonus, where dwelt syl- being now purged by resolution, they may
vani, and satyrs, as fame and experience teach- enjoy an eternal inheritance for those things
eth, and faithful writers testify . There are in which they have done well.
divers countries and provinces such like mira- lraneus also in the end of his book which he
cles as these. wrote against the heresies of the Valentinians,
I will not relate here those things which I saith: whereas the Lord went in the middle of the
have seen with mine eyes, and felt with mine shadow of death, where the souls of the dead
hands, lest by the wonderful admirableness and were, and after rose again corporeally, and after
strangeness of them I should by the incredulous resurrection was taken up, it is manifest that the
be accounted a liar. souls of his disciples (for whom he worked these
Neither do I think it fit to pass by what things) should go to some invisible place,
many of our age think concerning the recepta- appointed by God, and there tarry until the res-
cles of souls, not much differing from these urrection, afterwards receiving their bodies, and
which we have now spoken of: of which Tertul- rising again perfectly, i.e. corporeally, as the
/ian in his fourth book against the heresies of Lord arose, so shall they come into the presence
Marcion 58 saith, it is apparent to every wise of God; for no disciple is above his Master; but
man, which hath ever heard of the Elysian every one shall be perfect as his Master. There-
Fields that there is some local determination fore even as our Master did not presently fly and
(which is called Abraham 's bosom) for the go away, but expected the time of his resurrec-
receiving of the souls of his sons, and that that tion determined by the Father, which is also
region is not celestial, yet higher than hell, manifested by Jonas,60 after three days arising
where the souls of the just rest, until the con- he is taken up; so also ought we to expect the
summation of things restore the resurrection of time of our resurrection determined by God,
all things with fullness of reward. foretold by the prophets; and so rising again we
Also Peter the apostle saith to Clemens, a shall be taken up, as many as the Lord shall
king ,59 him of these things, thou dost constrain account worthy of this honour.
me 0 Clemens to publish something concerning Lactantius Firmianus also agreeth to this,
things unutterable: yet as far as I may, I will. in that book of Divine Institutions whose title is
Christ who from the beginning and always was, Of Divine Reward;61 saying, let no man think,
was always through each generation, though that the souls after death are presently judged;
secretly, present with the godly, with those for they are all detained in one common cus-
especially by whom he was desired, and to tody, until the time cometh in which the great
whom he did most often appear. But it was not Judge shall examine deserts; then they whose
time, that the bodies then being resolved, there righteousness shall be approved, shall receive
should be a resurrection: but this rather seemed the reward of immortality: but they whose sins
a remuneration from God, that he that was and wickednesses are detected, shall not rise
found just, should remain longer in a body: or again, but being destinated for certain punish-
that the Lord should translate him (as we see ment, shall be shut up with the wicked angels
clearly related in the Scripture of some certain into the same darkness.
600 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

Of the same opinion are Austine, and think that satisfactory intercessions may help
Ambrose, who saith in his Enchiridion, the time not only the justified, but also the damned,
which is interposed betwixt the death of man before the appointed day of judgement. So Tra-
and the last resurrection, containeth the soul in jan the Emperor was delivered from hell by
secret receptacles; as everyone is worthy of rest Saint Gregory,64 and justified to salvation,
or sorrow, according to that which it obtained though some think that he was not freed from
whilst it lived in the flesh. the guilt of punishment, but the justice of pun-
But Ambrose in his book concerning the ishment was prolonged until the day of judge-
Benefits of Death, saith: The writing of Esdras62 ment; but Thomas Aquinas saith it seemeth
calleth the habitations of the souls, storehouses; more probable, that by the intercessions of S.
which he meeting with the complaints of man Gregory, Trajan lived again, and obtained a
(because that the just who have gone before, may gracious power by the which he was freed from
seem, even to the day of judgement, viz. for a the punishment and guilt of sin.
long time, to be wonderfully defrauded of their And there are some theologians who think,
just recompense of reward) doth liken the day of that by the dirges for the dead neither the pun-
judgement to a garland; for the day of reward is ishment nor the guilt is taken away or detracted,
expected of all, that in the meantime both the but that only some ease and assuagement of the
conquered may be ashamed, and the conquerors pains is procured; and this by the similitude of a
may attain the palm of victory; therefore while sweating porter, who by the sprinkling of some
the fullness of times is expected, the souls expect water seemeth to be eased of the weight of his
their due recompense; punishment remaining for burden, or helped to carry it more easily,
some, glory for others; and in the same place he although nothing of the burden be taken off: yet
calleth hell a place which is not seen, which the the common opinion of theologians denieth that
souls go to, being separated from the bodies; and prayers or funeral dirges do cause any favour
in his second book Of Cain and Abel, he saith, for the guilty within the gates of Pluto.
the soul is loosed from the body, and after the But seeing all these things are of an incom-
end of this life, is even as yet in suspense, being prehensible obscurity, many have vainly whet
doubtful of the judgement to come. their wits on them: therefore we holding to the
To these assenteth that evangelical saying, opinion of Austine, as he saith in the tenth book
concerning the last judgement, Christ saying in on Genesis, do affirm, that it is better to doubt
Matthew: Many shall say to me in that day, concerning occult things, than to contend about
Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy uncertain things: for I doubt not but that that
name, and in thy name cast out devils? And rich man is to be understood in the flames of
then I shall confess to them, that I never knew pains, and that poor man in the refreshment of
them;63 by which speech it seemeth to be clear, joys; but how that flame of hell, that bosom of
that even until this day they were uncertain con- Abraham, that tongue of the rich man, that tor-
cerning their sentence, and by the confidence of ment of thirst, that drop of cooling,65 are to be
miracles which they had performed in the name understood, it is hardly found out by the modest
of Jesus, whilst they lived, to have been in some searcher, but by the contentious never.
hope of salvation. But these things being for this present
Therefore because the judgement of souls omitted, we hasten to further matters and will
is deferred until the last day, many theologians dispute concerning the restitution of souls.

Not:cs-Chapt:CR XU

I. Ezechiah-Ezekiel 5. 3. adrastia-Adrastus, king of Argos, led the war of

the Seven Against Thebes. The first attempt on the
2. perish by sword-Matthew 26:52. city failed and he alone escaped alive. Ten years after
 What Concerning Man After Death / 601

he attacked a second time with the sons of his dead 21. Elpenor in Homer-
comrades and was victorious, fulfilling a favorable
But now I pray you, by those you have yet
oracle which had predicted this outcome.
to see, who are not here,
by your wife, and by your father, who
4. returns a man-The above is a roughly accurate
reared you when you were little,
quotation from the tractate On Our Allotted
and by Telemachos whom you left alone in
Guardian Spirit by Plotinus. However Agrippa edits
your palace;
the end of the list, which I will give here: " ... futile
for I know that after you leave this place
and flighty visionaries ever soaring skyward,
and the house of Hades
become high-flying birds; observance of civic and
you will put back with your well made ship
secular virtue makes men again, or when the merit is
to the island, Aiaia;
less marked, one of the animals of communal ten-
dency, a bee or the like" (Plotinus Enneads 3.4.2 there at that time, my lord, I ask that you
[Mackenna, 2:47]). remember me
and do not go and leave me behind "unwept,
5. lion-Proverbs 19: 12. unburied,
when you leave, for fear I might become
6. bear-Proverbs 17:12. the god's curse upon you;
but burn me there with all my armour that
7. boar-Proverbs 11:22. belongs to me,
and heap up a grave mound beside the
8. hunting dog-Proverbs 30:31. beach of the gray sea;
for an unhappy man, so that those to come
9. cony-Rabbit. Proverbs 30:26. will know of me.
(Homer Odyssey II, lines 66-76 [Latti-
10. pismire-Ant. Proverbs 6:6. more, 170])

II. serpent-Perhaps Proverbs 23:32. 22. Dido complains-"I have lived my life, and fin-
ished the course that fortune assigned me, and now
12. spider-Proverbs 30:28. great will be my phantom that will pass beneath the
earth" (Virgil Aeneid 4, c. line 650 [Lonsdale and
13 . eagle-Perhaps Proverbs 23:5. Lee, 141]).

14. any other bird-Proverbs I: 17. 23. wrath of God-Revelation 16:1.

15 . light of the living-The notion of a threefold 24. Dido threatens-"With black fires I will pursue
reincarnation derives from a passage in The Dis- you, though I be far away; and when cold death has
course Of the Faithful Shepherd, the text of which separated my limbs from my spirit, my shade shall be
is incorporated into the Zohar. On this matter with you wherever you are. You shall receive your
Waite comments: "According to the testimony in punishment, wicked one!" (Virgil Aeneid 4, c. line
this text, incarnation may take place thrice, because 385 [Lonsdale and Lee, 135]).
of the words: 'Lo, all these things worketh God
oftentimes with men.' Job xxxiii;29. The Zohar 25. unto Ramoth-Gilead-I Kings 21 :9-10; 22:20-2
renders the passage: 'Behold what God doeth in and II Kings 9:25-6.
respect of each man, even to the third time.'"
(Waite 1929, 6.1.253, n. 7). See the Zohar , Cre- 26. whence he sings-Virgil Aeneid 6, c. line 655.
mona Edition, 3: 178b.
27. as Virgil sings-Virgil Aeneid 6, line 660ff.
16. saith the Preacher-Ecclesiastes 3:20-1.
28. as saith Virgil-Virgil's description of Elysium,
17 . Lucretius hath expressed-On the Nature of Aeneid 6, c. line 638.
Things 2, c. line 1011.
29. receptacles of souls-lrenaeus regarded as hereti-
18. Zazel-Azazel. See note 51, ch. XVIII, bk. III. cal the notion that souls are glorified immediately
after death, and Cyprian, Tertullian, Cyril of
19. shalt eat dust-See note 52, ch. XVIII, bk. III. Jerusalem, Basil; Ambrose, Gregory of Nyassa,
Chrysostom, Jerome, and the Acts of Saint Perpetua
20. dust of the Earth-See note 53, ch. XVIII, bk. III. all imply a kind of middle holding place for souls and
602/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

advocate the saying of prayers for the dead. The ref- won against him, when beside the ships we disputed/
erences are unclear and influenced by the pagan .our cases f.or the arms .of Achilleus" (H.omer Odyssey
Hades. Origen thought that even the perfect must II, lines 543-6 [Lattim.ore, 182]). See also the reac-
pass through fire in the afterworld. Augustine wrote ti.on of Did.o's gh.ost t.o her f.ormer l.over, Aeneas,
that it was not incredible that imperfect s.ouls will be when he visits hell (Aeneid 6, c. line 450).
saved by purgat.orial fire. H.owever it was P.ope Gre-
g.ory I (?544-604) wh.o first expressly f.ormulated the 34. in the poets-H.omer Odyssey II, lines 568-600;
d.octrine .of purgat.ory (purgatorium) , a word offi- Virgil Aeneid 6, lines 562-627.
cially entered int.o the v.ocabulary .of the Church by
P.ope Inn.ocent IV (ruled 1243-1254) and affirmed at 35. Tantalus-The mythic King Tantalus is supp.osed
the C.ouncil .of Ly.ons (1274). The biblical auth.ority, t.o have tested the divine f.orekn.owledge .of Zeus by
such as it is, stems from the apocryphal II Maccabees presenting the g.od a banquet .of human flesh. By
12:39-45, where prayers f.or the sinful dead are an.other acc.ount Tantalus was invited t.o a banquet by
described as a " h.oly and g.o.od th.ought" and a "rec.on- Zeus and later betrayed the divine secrets c.ommuni-
ciliati.on f.or the dead, that they might be delivered cated t.o him .over the table in c.onfidence. By still a
fr.om sin." third versi.on .of the tale, Tantalus st.ole nectar and
ambrosia from the table .of the gods t.o give to his
30. blood of sacrifice-"I see bef.ore me n.ow the s.oul m.ortal friends. His punishment was t.o c.ontinually
.of my perished m.other,/but she sits beside the bl.o.od thirst and n.ot be able to drink. See the Odyssey 11,
in silence, and has n.ot yet deigned/t.o look directly at lines 583-92.
her .own s.on and speak a w.ord t.o me" (H.omer
Odyssey 11, lines 141-3 [Lattimore, 171-2]). 36. Sardanapalus-See bi.ographical n.ote.

31 . Tyresia the prophetess-Teiresias the prophet, 37. Midas-The wealthy and effeminate king .of
n.ot prophetess. Someh.ow Agrippa has changed his Phrygia, who was said t.o have been given the gift by
sex. Of all the s.ouls in Hades .only Teiresias is wh.olly Silenus .of turning everything he t.ouched int.o gold.
aware. When he disc.overed that he c.ould n.ot eat, he begged
Silenus t.o rem.ove the gift. Silenus told him t.o bathe
32. which the Poet explains-The shade .of Anchises in the spring that was the s.ource .of the river Pact.olus,
exp.ounds t.o his s.on, Aeneas, the doctrine .of punish- which cleansed Midas .of the curse and turned the
ment: river sands g.olden.
Nay, even when life has left them with its
38. Sisyphus-The fraudulent and avaricious king of
latest ray, still every ill and all the plagues.of
C.orinth, d.o.omed t.o roll a great st.one up a hill end-
the b.ody d.o n.ot utterly pass out from the
lessly in Hades. According to the most c.omm.on leg-
wretches, and it must needs be that many
end, he t.old his wife t.o leave his body unburied, then
defilements l.ong-contracted grew deep int.o
when in hell he asked Plut.o f.or permissi.on t.o return
their being in w.onderous wise. Theref.ore
to Earth t.o punish her negligence. When Plut.o c.om-
they suffer a probati.on .of punishment, and
plied, Sisyphus refused t.o return t.o the underworld
pay the full penalty of past misdeeds; some
and had to be carried .off f.orcibly by Hermes. See the
hung al.oft are exp.osed t.o the viewless
Odyssey II , lines 593-600.
winds; from s.ome the taint .of guilt is washed
away beneath the boundless flood: we suffer
39. as sings the Poet-The river nymph Cyrene
each his .own gh.ostly penance: after that, we
advises her s.on Aristaeus about the shape-shifting
are released, t.o range thr.ough the wide
p.owers .of Proteus:
spaces .of Elysium, and possess the happy
fields, a scanty band: till a l.ong c.ourse .of But when y.ou have seized him, and h.old
time, when the full cycle is c.omplete, has him with your hands and chains, straight-
purged away the l.ong-c.ontracte stain, and way manif.old f.orms will seek t.o baffle
leaves pure the etherial essence, and unadul- y.ou, and figures of wild beasts; f.or he will
terated fire .of heaven. (Virgil Aeneid 6, c. suddenly bec.ome a bristly b.oar, and a fell
line 734 [L.onsdale and Lee, 174]). tiger, and a scaly dragon, and a lioness
with tawny neck; .or will give f.orth a
33. intently thinks on them-The residual affecti.on of fierce roar .of flames , and s.o strive to slip
the shades f.or the actions and feelings .of their past away from the fetters, .or melt away int.o
lives is apparent when Odysseus visits the land of the fleeting water, and so make his escape.
dead: "Only the s.oul .of Telam.onian Aias sto.od .off/at (Virgil Georgics 4, c. line 405 [L.onsdale
a distance from me, angry still .over that decisi.onII and Lee, 74]).
 What Concerning Man After Death / 603

40. as Virgil-See note 32 above. then cast him into a fiery pit. As a punishment he
went mad. Zeus took pity on him, cured his madness,
41. in his Necromancy-Book II of the Odyssey, and invited him up to Olympus. The unrepentant
where Odysseus perfonns a necromantic ritual Ixion tried, unsuccessfully, to seduce Hera. So furi-
according with the instructions of Circe for calling ous was Zeus that he bound Ixion to an endlessly
forth the shades of the dead, in order to elicit their rolling wheel of fire. His fate is briefly mentioned by
oracular responses. Virgil (Aeneid 6, line 601) and Ovid (MetamOlphoses
4, line 461).
42. relation to Ulysses-Odyssey II, lines 576-8.
See also the A~neid 6, c. line 602. Virgil has bor- 45 . upon Elisha-II Kings 2: 15.
rowed this passage intact from Homer. Tityos was
the giant son of Gaea who at the instigation of Hera 46. seventy men-Numbers 11 :25.
tried to rape Artemis. The goddess killed him with
her bow. It is Odysseus who tells this tale to King 47. in Saxo Grammaticus-This is surely one of the
Alcinous. earliest accounts (circa 1200) of the killing of a vam-
pire by cutting off its head and driving a stake
43. into brutes-The Hennetic books are divided as through its heart.
to whether the souls of men can be reincamated as
beasts. This is the passage to which Agrippa refers: 48. Pausanias tells a stOlY-
But if a soul, when it has entered a human Above all there is Eurynomos; the officials
body, persists in evil, it does not taste the at Delphi say Eurynornos is a daemonic
sweets of immortal life, but is dragged spirit in Hades, who eats away the flesh of
back again; it reverses its course, and takes the dead, and leaves them only their bones.
its way back to the creeping things; and But Homer's Oc!yssey and the Minyad and
that ill-fated soul, having failed to know the Homecomings , all of which mention
itself, lives in servitude to uncouth and Hades and its horrors, know nothing about
noxious bodies. (Corpus Hermeticum 1O.8a any daemonic Eurynomos. But I will
[Scott, I: 193]) explain what kind of Eurynomos is in the
painting and what he looks like: his flesh is
Scott has placed a few pages later this passage, obvi-
between blue and black, like the flies that
ously from a different pen:
settle on meat, he shows his teeth, and the
But it can enter a human body only; for no hide of a vulture has been spread for him to
other kind of body can contain a human sit on. (Pausanias Guide to Greece 10.28.4
soul. It is not pennitted that a human soul [Levi, 1:479-80])
should fall so low as to enter the body of an
irrational animal; it is a law of God that 49. Aetneanfires-Mount Etna in Sicily is volcanic.
human souls must be kept safe from such
outrage as that. (ibid. 10: 19b [Scott, 20 I]) 50. reported in Homer-Odyssey II, lines 1~9.

Proclus writes somewhat ambiguously:

51. cave of Patricius-The cave of Saint Patrick of
True reason asserts that the human soul Ireland, otherwise known as St. Patrick 's Purgatory,
may be lodged in brutes, yet in such a man- is located on a small island in Lough Derg in Done-
ner, as that it may obtain its own proper gal, Ireland. The saint had the walls of the cave
life, and that the degraded soul may, as it painted with scenes of hell and often retired there to
were, be carried above it and be bound to pray and practice austerities. It became the center of
the baser nature by a propensity and simil- an ever-changing community of ascetics, who would
itude of affection. And that this is the only entomb themselves in six tiny chambers three feet
mode of insinuation we have proved by a wide for nine days to learn ahead of time what
multitude of arguments in our Commen- awaited them in hell. They were allowed to leave
taries on the Phaedrus. (Intro. to Theology their cells three times a day to attend chapel, con-
of Plato, trans. Thomas Taylor. In Mead sumed only bread and water for eight days-, and on
.[1896]1965,193) the ninth day fasted. On the edge of the island was a
small pilgrims' hut that acted as a kind of hotel.
44. Ixion-Ixion, the king of the Lapithae in Thes- Strange as it seems, this place was very popular,
saly, married Dia and agreed to give her father, largely because it induced trances in those who vol-
Deioneus, a costly present in exchange for her hand, untarily undertook the hardships. In effect it acted as
but treacherously lured his father-in-law to a banquet, a Christian oracle.
604/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

52. den of Vulcan-Vulcan (Hephaestus) was 61. Of Divine Reward-

believed to have his workshop in the interior of
Nor, however, let anyone imagine that
Mount Etna in Sicily. Here he forged thunderbolts for
souls are immediately judged after death.
Zeus.
For all are detained in one and a common
place of confinement, until the arrival of
53. History of Drusus-That section of the Annals
the time in which the great Judge shall
(bks. I and II) of Tacitus which deals with the Ger-
make an investigation of their deserts.
man campaigns of Drusus Caesar (15 Bc-19 AD),
Then they whose piety shall have been
otherwise known as Drusus Junior or Germanicus
approved of will receive the reward of
Caesar to distinguish him from his father Nero
immortality; but they whose sins and
Claudius Drusus (38 Bc-9 BC).
crimes shall have been brought to light will
not rise again, but will be hidden in the
54. men and beasts-When the fleet of Germanicus
same darkness with the wicked, being des-
was dispersed by storm, Germanicus sent ships look-
tined to certain punishment. (Lactantius
ing for his soldiers, who had been blown aground in
Divine Institutions 7.21 [Ante-Nicene
Britain and the surrounding islands: ·"Everyone, as
Christian Library 21 :474]).
he returned from some far-distant region, told of
wonders, of violent hurricanes, and unknown birds,
62. Esdras-Perhaps II Esdras 7:32.
of monsters of the sea, of forms half-human, half
beast-like, things they had really seen or in their ter-
63. never knew them-Matthew 7:22-3.
ror believed" (Tacitus Annals 2.24 [Church and
Brodribb, 66]).
64. by Saint Gregory-There was a popular legend in
the Middle Ages that Pope Gregory the Great
55. did dwell there-"All else [stories of Germanic
(540-604) prayed that the good soul of the pagan
tribes] is fabulous, as that the Hellusii and Oxiones
Roman emperor Trajan might be delivered from hell.
have the faces and expressions of men, with the bod-
Such a deliverance was not possible directly, so God
ies and limbs of wild beasts" (Tacitus Germany 46
caused Trajan to be reborn long enough to profess his
[Church and Brodribb, 732]).
faith in Christ, which he could not do while in hell.
Dante refers to this tale in two places in his Divine
56. since sang-The quotation from Claudianus
Comedy: "Here was storied the high glory of the
refers to the necromantic ritual conducted by
Roman prince, whose worth incited Gregory to his
Odysseus in the northern land of the dead, but it was
great victory: I speak of Trajan the emperor ..."
the shades, not Odysseus, who drank the blood-see
(Divine Comedy:Purgatory 1O.74-{) , trans. Charles
Odyssey bk . II.
Eliot Norton [1891] [Boston: Houghton Mifflin,
1941], 2:76-7).
57. DoIO/'osus-Perhaps Dollar (Dolour) Law, a hill
of 2680 feet in Borders, Scotland, between the head- For the one came back unto his bones from
waters of the Yarrow and the Tweed rivers, north- Hell, where there is never return to right-
west of St. Mary's Lake. eous will; and that was the reward of living
hope; of living hope, which put its power
58. heresies of Marcion-Tertullian Against Marcion into the prayers made to God to raise him
4.34. up, so that it might be possible for his will
to be moved. The glorious soul, of whom I
59. Clemens, a king-Perhaps refers to an apoc- speak, returning to the flesh, in which it
ryphal work ascribed to Pope Clement I, or Clemens was but little while, believed in Him who
Romanus, who was regarded as a disciple of Simon had power to aid it; and in believing was
Peter. kindled to such fire of true love, that at its
second death it was worthy to come unto
60. Jonas-Jonah. See Jonah 1:17. Also Revelation this festivity . (Divine Comedy: Paradise
11 :9-12. 20:106-17 [Norton, 3:164])

65. drop of cooling-Luke 16: 19-26.

 CHAPTeR 7\.Ul

By whar ways rhe magicians, and neCRomanceRS

do rhink rhey can call fORrh rhe souls of rhe dead.

y the things which have been already souls are known to be most conversant, either

B spoken, it is manifest that souls after

death do as yet love their body which
they left, as those souls do whose bod-
ies want a due burial, or have left their bodies
by reason of some affinity, as their dead body
alluring them, or by reason of some affection
imprinted in their life, drawing the soul itself to
certain places, or by reason of some hellish
by violent death, and as yet wander about their nature of the place; and therefore fit for the pun-
carcasses in a troubled and moist spirit, being as ishing or purging of souls.
it were allured by something that hath an affin- Places of this kind are best known by the
ity with them. meeting of nocturnal visions and incursions, and
The means being known by the which in such like phantasms; some are sufficiently
times past they were joined to their bodies, they known by themselves, as burial places and
may easily be called forth and allured by the places of execution, and where public slaughters
like vapours, liquors and savours, I certain artifi- have lately been made, or where the carcasses of
cial lights being also used, songs, sounds and the slain, not as yet expiated, nor rightly buried,
such like, which do move the imaginative and were some few years since put into the ground;
spiritual harmony of the soul; also sacred invo- for expiation5 and exorcisation6 of any place,
cations, and such like, which belong to religion, and also the holy right of burial being duly per-
ought not to be neglected, by reason of the por- formed to the bodies, oftentimes prohibiteth the
tion of the rational soul, which is above nature. souls themselves to come up, and driveth them
So the witch is said to have called up farther off the places of judgement.
Samuel,2 and the Thessalian prophetess in Hence necromancy hath its name,7 because
Lucan, to have caused a carcass to stand it worketh on the bodies of the dead, and giveth
upright 3 hence we read in poets, and those who answers by the ghosts and apparitions of the
relate these things, that the souls of the dead can- dead, and subterrany spirits, alluring them into
not be called up without blood and a carcass: but the carcasses of the dead, by certain hellish
their shadows to be easily allured by the fumiga- charms, and infernal invocations, and by deadly
tions of these things; eggs being also used, and sacrifices, and wicked oblations; such we read
milk, honey, oil, wine, water, flour, as it were in Lucan of Erichthone 8 the witch, who called
yielding a fit medicine for the souls to reassume up the dead, who foretold to Sextus Pompey all
their bodies, as you may see in Homer, where the events of the Pharsalian war: 9 there were
Circe at large instructeth Ulysses.4 also in Phigalia a city of Arcadia, certain magi-
Yet they think, that these things can be cians, priests most skillful in sacred rites and
done in those places only where these kinds of raisers up of the souls of the dead: and the holy

605
606/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

Scriptures testify, that a certain woman, a witch, forth, with how many and how great degrees of
called up Samuel's soul: even so truly the souls perfection it is replenished, with what intelli-
of the saints do love their bodies, and hear more gence it is strengthened, by what means dif-
readily there, where the pledges of their relics fused into the body, by what harmony it shall be
are preserved. compacted with it; what affinity it , hath with
But there are two kinds of necromancy, the God, with the intelligences, with the heavens,
one called necyomancy, raising the carcasses, elements, and all other things whose image and
which is not done without blood; the other resemblance it holdeth.
sciomancy,IO in which the calling up of the To conclude, by what influences th~ body
shadow only sufficeth. To conclude, it worketh may be knit together again for the raising of the
all its experiments by the carcasses of the slain, dead, requireth all these things which belong not
and their bones and members, and what is from to men but to God only, and to whom he will
them, because there is in these things a spiritual communicate them, as to Elishai who raised up
power friendly to them. the son of the Shunamite; 13 so also Alcestis l4 is
Therefore they easily allure the flowing reported to have been raised by Hercules, and to
down of wicked spirits, being by reason of the have lived long after; and Apollonius Tyanensis
similitude and propriety very familiar: by whom restored a dead maid to life.
the necromancer strengthened by their help can And here is to be noted that sometimes it
do very much in human and terrestrial things, happeneth to men , that their vivifying spirit is
and kindle unlawful lusts, cause dreams, dis- retracted in them, and they appear as dead and
eases, hatred and such like passions, to the without sense, when as yet the intellectual
which also they can confer the powers of these nature remaineth united to the body , and it
souls, which as yet being involved in a moist hath the same form, and remaineth the same
and turbid spirit, and wandering about their cast body, although the power of vivifying exten-
bodies, can do the same things that the wicked deth not itself into it actually, but remaineth
spirits commit. retracted in the union with the intellectual
Seeing therefore they experimentally find, nature; yet it ceaseth not to be; and although
that the wicked and impure souls violently that man may truly be said to be dead, inas-
plucked from their bodies, and of men not expi- much as death is a want of a vivifying spirit,
ated, and wanting burial, do stay about their car- yet is it not truly separated; and that body can
casses, and are drawn to them by affinity, the be wakened again and live. ,
witches easily abuse them for the effecting of And thus many miracles appear in these ;
their witchcrafts, alluring these unhappy souls and of this kind many have been seen amongst
by the apposition II of their body or by the tak- the gentiles and Jews in former ages, in the
ing of some part thereof, and compelling them number of which is that which Plato reciteth
by thdr devilish charms, by entreating them by in his tenth book De Republic, viz. that one
the deformed carcasses dispersed through the Phereus of Pamphilia lay ten days amongst
wide fields , and the wandering shadows of the slain in battle, and after that he had been
those that want burials, and by the ghosts sent taken away and laid to the fire two days, he
back from Acheron,12 and the guests of hell, revived and told many wonderful things
whom untimely death hath precipitated into which he had seen in the time of his death ; 15
hell ; and by the horrible desires of the damned, and concerning these things we have spoken
and proud devils revengers of wickednesses. partly in the first book , and shall yet speak
But he which would restore the souls truly further anon where we shall speak of oracles,
to their bodies, must first know what is the which come forth in a rapture , ecstasy, and in
proper nature of the soul from whence it went the agony of dying men.
 By What Ways the Magicians, and Necromancers .. . Call Forth the Souls of the Dead / 607

NOLcs-ChapLCR 7'.Lll
I. vapours , liquors and savours-Sacrifices of food and make for where the river runs, and
and drink with a pleasing appearance, odor and taste. there the numerous
souls of the perished dead will come and
2. called up Samuel-I Samuel 28: II. gather about you.
(Homer Odyssey 10, lines 517-30 [Latti-
3. stand upright- more, 165-6]).

Forthwith the clotted blood grows warm, Circe does not say, but Odysseus understands, that he
and nourishes the blackened wounds, and must fill the pit with the blood of the sacrificed male
runs into the veins and the extremities of and female sheep:
the limbs. Smitten beneath the cold breast, Now when, with sacrifices and prayers, I
the lungs palpitate; and a new life creeping had so entreated
on is mingled with the marrow so lately the hordes of the dead, I took the sheep and
disused. Then does every joint throb; the cut their throats
sinews are stretched; and not by degrees over the pit, and the dark-clouding blood
throughout the limbs does the dead body ran in, and the souls
lift itself from the earth, and it is spumed of the perished dead gathered to the place,
by the ground and raised erect at the same up out of Erebos . ..
instant. The eyes with their apertures dis- (ibid. II , lines 34-7 [Lattimore, 169])
tended wide are opened. In it not as yet is
This is necessary because the shades of Hades are
there the face of one living, but of one now
without energy, and blood is filled with the vital life-
dying. His paleness and his stiffness
force. It not only attracts the ghosts, but gives them
remain, and, brought back to the world, he
the strength to become aware of their surroundings
is astounded. But his sealed lips resound and converse.
with no murmur. A voice and a tongue to
answer alone are granted unto him. (Lucan 5. expiation-Purification of a person, place or
Pharsalia 6, lines 750-62 [Riley, 244-5]) thing from guilt by religious ceremony, especially
The Thessalian prophetess is the witch Erichtho. to avert evil.

4. instructeth Ulysses-Circe describes to Odysseus 6. exorcisation-Exorcization or exorcism, the action

the necromantic ritual for calling up the shades of of expelling an evil spirit from a person, place or
the dead: thing by religious ceremony.
Dig a pit of about a cubit in each direction, 7. necromancy hath its name-Greek: VEKPO, corpse;
and pour it full of drink offerings for all the l.wvTEl a, divination.
dead, first
honey mixed with milk, then a second 8. Erichthone-Erichtho.
pouring of sweet wine,
and the third, water, and over all then 9. Pharsalian war-See Lucan Pharsalia 6, lines
sprinkle white barley, 777-800.
and promise many times to the strength less
heads of the perished 10. sciomancy-Greek : OKL O, shadow: l.wvTEla, div-
dead that, returning to Ithaka, you will ination. Calling up the ghosts of the dead to proph-
'slaughter a barren esy, as was done by the witch of Endor for Saul, and
cow, your best, in your palace and pile the by Odysseus in the land of the dead.
pyre with treasures,
and to Teiresias apart dedicate an all-black II. apposition-Application.
ram, the one conspicuous in all your sheep-
flocks . 12. Acheron-The great river of Hades, used here to
But when with prayers you have entreated signify all of the land of the dead.
the glorious hordes
of the dead, then sacrifice one ram and one 13. the Shunamite-II Kings 4:32-5.
black female,
turning them towards Erebos, but yourself 14. Alcestis-Alcestis was wife of Admetus, king of
tum away from them Pherae in Thessaly. When he fell sick Apollo made a
608 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

bargain with the Moerae (Fates) to spare his life if Alcestis away to Hades, Hercules arrived at the
someone else would voluntarily take his place. palace. He forced Death to release the queen, who
Admetus assented to this arrangement, believing was reunited with her husband. See the play Alcestis
some servant or friend would fulfill the pact, but by Euripides.
when the hour approached, no one stepped forward,
until at last Alcestis volunteered to die in place of her 15. time of his death-This story is told by Plato
husband. Admetus was horrified, but the die had about a man called Er, the son of Armenius, by race a
been cast. Just as Death was about to carry the loving Pamphylian, in the Republic 1O:6l4b--62Ib.
 CHAPTeR ALlll

Of rhe poweR of man's soul,

in rhe mind, Reason and imaginarion.

m an 's soul consisteth of a mind,

reason and imagination; the
mind illuminates reason, rea-
son floweth into the imagina-
tion: all is one soul. Reason unless it be
illuminated by the mind, is not free from error:
and equally shining, and also by the plenty of its
beams and lightness lift it on high, as straw
lifted up by the flame of fire, and can presently
carry the body as a spirit into remote parts.
So we read of Philip in the Acts of the
Apostles, who baptizing the eunuch in India,
but the mind giveth not light to reason, unless was presently found, in Azotus. 2 The like we
God enlighten, viz. the first light; for the first read of Habacuc in Daniel: 3 so others going
light is in God very far exceeding all under- through the doors being shut, escaped both their
standing: wherefore it cannot be called an intel- keepers and imprisonment; as we read of Peter
ligible light; but this when it is infused into the the apostle4 and of Peter the exorcist: 5 he may
mind, is made intellectual, and can be under- the less wonder at this, who hath seen those
stood: then when it is infused by the mind to the famous melancholic men, who walk in their
reason, it is made rational, and cannot only be sleeps and pass through places even unpassable,
understood but also considered: then when it is and ascend even unaccessible places, and exer-
infused by the reason into the phantasy of the cise the works of those that are awake, which
soul, it is made not only cogitable, but also they themselves being awake could not do; of
imaginable; yet it is not as yet corporeal; but the which things there is no other reason in
when from hence it goeth into the celestial vehi- nature, than a strong and exalted imagination.
cle of the soul, it is first made corporeal; yet not But this power is in every man, and it is in
manifestly sensible till it hath passed into the the soul of man from the root of his creation; but
elemental body, either simple and aerial, or it is varied in divers men, in strength and weak-
compound, in the which the light is made mani- ness, and is increased and diminished according
festly visible to the eye. to his exercise and use, by the which it is drawn
The Chaldean philosophers considering forth from power into act, which thing he that
this progress of light, declare a certain wonder- rightly knoweth, can ascend by his knowledge,
ful power of our mind: viz. that it may come to even until his imaginative faculty doth transcend
pass, that our mind being firmly fixed on God, and is joined with the universal power, which
may be filled with the divine power; and being Alchindus, Bacon, and Gulielmus Parisiensis do
so replenished with light, its beams being dif- call the sense of nature; Virgil the etherial sense,
fused through all the media, even to this gross, and Plato the sense of the vehicle.
dark, heavy, mortal body, it may endow it with And his imagination is made most strong,
abundance of light,l and make it like the stars, when that etherial and celestial power is poured

609
610/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

out upon it, by whose brightness it is comforted, ble, and hath formerly been done, A vicebron the
until it apprehend the species, notions and Moor, and Avicen the Arabian, and Hippocrates
knowledge of true things, so that that which he of Cous, and all the school of the Chaldeans do
thought in his mind, cometh to pass even as he acknowledge and confirm.
thought, and it obtaineth so great power, that it Moreover it is reported in histories, that
can plunge, join and insinuate itself into the Alexander the Great, being circumvented and in
minds of men, and make them certain of his great danger in India, did so burn in mind, that
thoughts, and of his will and desire, even he seemed to the barbarians to cast forth light; II
through large and remote spaces, as if they per- the father of Theodoricus also( is reported to
ceived a present object by their senses;6 and it have cast forth sparks of fire thrbugh his whole
can in little time do many things, as if they were body; 12 the same thing a wise man also deliv-
done without time. ered concerning himself, so that sparkling
Yet these things are not granted to all, but flames did break forth here and there even with
to those whose imaginative and cogitative a noise; neither is this power of the soul found
power is most strong and hath arrived to the end in men only, but sometimes even in beasts, as in
of speculation; and he is fitted to apprehend and the horse of Tiberi us, who seemed to send forth
manifest all things, by the splendour of the uni- flames out of his mouth.
versal power, or intelligence and spiritual But the mind is above fate in providence,
apprehension which is above him: and this is therefore is not affected either with the influ-
that necessary power, which everyone ought to ences of the heavenly bodies, or the qualities of
follow and obey, who followeth the truth. natural things; religion therefore can only cure
If therefore now the power of the imagina- it; but the sensitiveness of the soul is in fate,
tion is so great, that it can insinuate itself unto above nature, which is in a certain manner the
whom it pleaseth, being neither hindered nor let knot of the body and soul, and under fate, above
by any distance of time or place, and can some- the body; therefore it is changed by the influ-
times draw its heavy body along with it, whither ences of the heavenly bodies, and affected by
it imagineth and dreameth: there is no doubt but the qualities of natural and corporeal things.
that the power of the mind is greater, if at any Now I call the sensitiveness of the soul,
time it shall obtain its proper nature, and being that vivifying and rectifying power of the body,
no way oppressed by the allurements of the the original of the senses; the soul itself doth
senses, shall persevere both uncorrupted and manifest in this body its sensitive powers and
like itself. perceiveth corporeal things by the body, and
But now for example, that the souls abound locally moveth the body, and governeth it in his
with so plentiful light of the celestial stars, and place, and nourisheth itin a body.
hence, a very great abundance of light redound- In this sensitiveness two most principal
eth into their bodies; so Moses' face did shine,? powers predominate; viz. one which is called
that the children of Israel could not behold him the phantasy, or imaginative or cogitative fac-
by reason of the brightness of his countenance; ulty, of whose power we have already spoken,
thus Socrates was transfigured, as we read, that where we have handled the passions of the
in light he overcame the luciferous wheels of soul: 13 the other which is called the sense of
the Sun; so Zoroastes being transfigured, his nature, of the which also we have spoken,
body was taken up. So Eliah 8 and Enoch 9 where we made mention of witchcraft. 14
ascended to heaven in a certain fiery chariot, so Man therefore by the nature of his body is
Paul was rapt up into the third heaven: 10 so our under fate; the soul of man, by the sensitiveness
bodies after the judgement of the world, shall be moveth nature in fate, but by the mind is above
called glorified, and in like manner be rapt up, fate, in the order of providence; yet reason is
and we may say by this means, shall shine as free at its own choice; therefore the soul by rea-
the Sun and Moon; which thing that it is possi- son ascendeth into the mind, where it is replen-
 Of the Power of Man 's Soul /611

ished with divine light; sometimes it descendeth ifestly see by these who heed not those that they
into sensitiveness and is affected by the influ- meet, when they more seriously think on some-
ences of the heavenly bodies, and qualities of thing else.
natural things, and is distracted by the passions Know therefore that neither the superior
and the encountering of sensible objects: some- influences, nor natural affections, nor sensa-
times the soul revolveth itself wholly into rea- tions, nor passions either of the mind or body,
son, searching out other things either by nor any sensible thing whatsoever, can work or
discourse, or by contemplating itself. penetrate into the soul unless by the judgement
For it is possible, that that part of the rea- of reason itself. Therefore by its act, not by any
son, which the Peripatetics call the possible extrinsical violence, can the soul be either
intellect,15 may be brought to this, that it may affected or disturbed, which thing even innu-
freely discourse and operate without conversion merable martyrs have proved by their martyr-
to his phantasms: for so great is the command of dom.
this reason, that as often as anything incurreth So Anasarchus a philosopher of Abdera,
either into the mind, or into the sensitiveness, or who, by the command of Nicocreontes a tyrant
into nature, or into the body, it cannot pass into of Cyprus, being cast into a concave stone,
the soul, unless reason apply itself to it. neglecting the pains of his body while he was
By this means the soul perceiveth itself nei- pounded with iron pestles, is reported to have
ther to see, nor hear, nor feel, nor that it suffer- said: pound, pound the shell of Anasarchus,
eth any things by the external senses, until thou nothing hurteth Anasarchus himself: the
cogitative reason first apprehend it; but it appre- tyrant commanded his tongue to be cut off, but
hendeth it when it is at leisure, not when it he with his own teeth did bite it off, and did spit
earnestly gapeth after another thing, as we man- it in the face of the tyrant. 16

NOLcs-ChapLCR 7\Ull
I. abundance of light- was cast into jail by the judge Serenus. Artemius, the
keeper of the prison, had a daughter who was pos-
The Oracles of the Gods declare, that sessed by an evil spirit. Peter suggested that he pray
through purifying ceremonies, not the Soul for his daughter's salvation to Jesus Christ. Artemius
only, but bodies themselves become wor- retorted that a god who could not get one of his own
thy of receiving much assistance and preachers out of prison would have little power to
health, for, they say, the mortal vestment help his daughter. Peter maintained that God had the
of coarse Matter will by these means be power both to free him and cure the girl , at which
purified. And this, the Gods, in an exhorta- point Artemius decided to put the question to a test,
tory manner, announce to the most holy of and locked Peter in his deepest dungeon bound hand
Theurgists. (Chaldean Oracles of Zoro- and foot in iron fetters. That night Peter appeared
aster [Westcott, 60)) before Artemius and his wife in their home and
healed their daughter, at the same time baptizing 300
2. in Azotus- Acts 8:27-40. But the eunuch was persons who had gathered to watch. Serenus ordered
baptized somewhere between Jerusalem and Gaza. Peter again to be locked up, but again he was set free
by an angel and went to Artemius to instruct him in
3. Habacuc in Daniel-Daniel 14:32-5 in the Knox his new faith. The story has an unhappy ending-
translation. Chapters 13 and 14 of the book of Daniel Artemius, his wife Candida, and Peter were all
are present in the Septuagint Greek, but absent from beheaded, and their souls borne to heaven by angels.
the Hebrew text. Consequently they are not found in See Brewer 1901 , 91-2.
the King James version.
6. by their senses-Telepathy.
4. Peter the apostle-Acts 12:7- 10.
7.face did shine-Exodus 34:30.
5. Peter the exorcist-During the reign of the Roman
emperor Diocletian (284-305), Peter the Exorcist 8. Eliah-Elijah. II Kings 2: II .
612 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

9. Enoch-"And he was raised aloft on the chariots lect" (ibid. 78.3 [Pegis, 328]). About the "possible
of the spirit and his name vanished among them" intellect," a term that derives from Aristotle's De
(Book of Enoch 70:2 [Charles 1913, 2:235]). See anima (On the soul) 3.4.429a, Aquinas says: " But the
Genesis 5:24. phantasm itself is not the form of the possible intel-
lect; the intelligible species abstracted from phan-
10. third heaven-II Corinthians 12:2. tasms is such a form" (Summa theologica 76.2
[Pegis, 300]).
II . cast forth light-See note 6, ch. LXIII, bk. I. And later he says: "But the intellect which is in
potentiality to things intelligible, and which for this
12. his whole body-See note 7, ch. LXIII, bk. I. reason Aristotle calls the possible intellect, is not pas-
sive ... " (ibid. 76.2 [Peg is, 340]). And still farther:
13 . passions of the soul-See the beginning of ch.
Therefore nothing prevents one and the
LXIII, bk. I.
same soul, inasmuch as it is actually imma-
terial, from having a power by which it
14. witchcraft-See ch. L , bk. I.
makes things actually immaterial, by
abstraction from the conditions of individ-
15 . possible intellect-
ual matter (this power is called the agent
Now it is clear that no matter how the intel- intellect), and another power, receptive of
lect is united or joined to this or that man, such species, which is called the possible
the intellect has the primacy among all other intellect by reason of its being in potential-
things which pertain to man, for the sensi- ity to such species. (ibid. 79.4 [Pegis, 346]).
tive powers obey the intellect, and are at its
Agrippa seems to have had in mind specifically
service" (Aquinas Summa theologica 76.2 .
question 76, article 2, the Answer of Aquinas, but the
In Introduction to Saint Thomas Aquinas,
reader should read question 76-9 of the Summa theo-
ed. Anton C. Pegis [New York: Random
logica in light of bk. 3 of Aristotle's De anima.
House {Modem Library], 1948],299).
" Now to be cognizant of the natures of sensible qual- 16. fa ce of the tyrant-See the biographical note o?
ities does not pertain to the senses, but to the intel- Anaxarchus. I
 CHAPTeR AllY

Of rhe degRees of souls, and

rhe1R desrRucrlon, OR lmmoRrallry.

he mind, because it is from God, or Hence many theologians think, that the

T . from the intelligible world, is therefore

immortal and eternal; but reason is long
lived by the benefit of its celestial orig-
inal from the heaven; but the sensitive because it
souls of men of this kind have no immortality
after they have left their body, but an hope of
the Resurrection only, when all men shall be
restored. Austin relateth that this was the heresy
is from the bosom of the matter and dependeth on of the Arabians, who affirmed that the souls
sublunary nature, is subject to destruction and perished together with their bodies; and in the
corruption: therefore the soul by its mind is day of judgement did arise again with them.
immortal, by its reason long lived in its etherial Whosoever therefore being upheld by the
vehicle, but resolvable unless it be restored in the divine grace have obtained a mind, these
r
circuit of its new body; I therefore it is not immor- according to the proportion of their works
tal, unless it be united to an immortal mind. become immortal 4 (as Hermes saith), having
Therefore the sensitiveness of the soul or comprehended all things by their understanding,
the sensitive or animal soul, because it is pro- which are in the earth, and in the sea, and in the
duced out of the bosom of a corporeal matter, heavens, and if there be anything besides these
the body being resolved, peri sheth together with above heaven, so that they behold even good-
it, or the shadow thereof remaineth not long in ness itself.
the vapours of its resolved body, partaking But they who have lived a middle life,
nothing of immortality, unless it be also united though they have not obtained the divine intelli-
to a more sublimed power. gence, but a certain rational intelligence of it;
Therefore the soul which is united to the these men's souls, when they shall depart from
mind, is called the soul standing not falling; but their bodies, are bound over to certain secret
all men obtain not this mind because (as Hermes receptacles, where they are affected with sensi-
saith)2 God would propound it as it were a prize tive powers, and are exercised in a certain kind
and reward of the souls, which they that shall of act; and by imagination, and the irascible and
neglect, being without mind, spotted with corpo- concupiscible virtues, do either extremely
real senses, and made like to irrational creatures, rejoice, or grievously lament. Of which opinion
are allotted to the same destruction with them, as Saint Austin also was, in his book which he
Ecclesiastes saith: 3 there is the same destruction wrote Of the Spirit and Soul;5 the wise men of
of man and beasts, and the condition of both is the Indians, Persians, Egyptians and Chaldeans
equal; as man dieth, so also they die, yea they have delivered, that this soul superviveth much
have all one breath, so that man hath no preemi- longer than its body, yet that it is not made alto-
nence over a beast; thus far he. gether immortal, unless by transmigration.

613
614 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

But our theologians do philosophize far Wherefore someone attaineth the highest
otherwise concerning these things, that degree of wisdom and dignity; another little dif-
although there be the same common original fereth from beasts, and feeding beasts is made
and beginning of all souls, yet they are distin- half a beast; another aboundeth in virtues and in
guished by the Creator with divers degrees, not wealth; another hath even little or nothing, and
only accidental, but also intrinsical, founded in oftentimes that little which he hath is taken
their very essence, by the which one soul dif- away from him, and given to him that hath; and
fereth from another, by that which is proper to this is the divine justice in the distribution of
itself; which opinion John Scotus also holdeth, gifts, that they may correspond to the virtues of
and the Parisian theologians have so decreed in every receiver, to whom also rewards are given
their Articles. according to their works: that what proportion
Hence the Wise Man saith, I was an ingen- there is, of gifts to gifts, and of deserts to
uous child, and obtained a good soul, viz. a bet- deserts, there may be the same proportion of
ter than many others; and according to this rewards to rewardsY
inequality of souls, everyone is capable in their To conclude, we must know this, that every
degree, of their charge; which gift is freely noble soul hath a fourfold operation; first divine,
given by God, as we read in the Gospel,6 that he by the image of the divine propriety; the second
gave to one five talents, to another two, to intellectual, by formality of participation with the
another one, to everyone according to his intelligences; the third rational, by the perfection
virtue; and the Apostle saith,7 he hath given of its proper essence; the fourth animal or nat-
some to be apostles, some prophets, some evan- ural, by communion with the body and these
gelists and doctors, for the consummation of the inferior things; so that there is no work in this
saints in the work of the ministry, for the build- whole world so admirable, so excellent, so won-
ing up of the body of Christ. derful, which the soul of man, being associated to
For there are (saith Origen)8 certain invisi- his image of divinity, which the magicians call a
ble perfections, to the which are committed soul standing and not falling, cannot accomplish
those things which are dispensed here upon by its own power without any external help.
Earth, in which there is no small difference, as Therefore the form of all magical power is from
also is required in the men. the soul of man standing and not falling.

Norcs-ChaprCR ALlY
I. its new body-A reference to transmigration of 6. in the Gospel-Matthew 25: 15.
souls.
7. the Apostle saith-Ephesians 4: II.
2. Hermes saith-"Tat. 'Tell me then, father, why
did not God impart mind to all men?,-Hermes. 'It 8. saith Origen-"There are also certain invisible
was his will, my son, that mind should be placed in powers to which earthly things have been entrusted
the midst as a prize that human souls may win'" for administration; and amongst them no small dif-
(Corpus Hermeticum 4.3 [Scott, I: 151]). ference must be believed to exist, as is also found to
be the case among men" (Origen De principiis 2.9.3
3. Ecclesiastes saith-Ecclesiastes 3: 19. [Ante-Nicene Fathers , 4:290]).
4. become immortal-"But as many as have partaken 9. rewards to rewards-
of the gift [of mind] which God has sent, these, my
son, in comparison with the others, are as immortal It is therefore possible to understand that
gods to mortal men" (Corpus Hermeticum 4.5 [Scott, there have been also formerly rational ves-
I: 153]). sels, whether purged or not, i.e., which
either purged themselves or did not do so,
5. spirit and soul-Perhaps Augustine's De anima et and that consequently every vessel ,
ejus origine. according to the measure of its purity or
 Of the Degrees of Souls / 615

impurity, received a place, or region, or retribution, so far as each one ought to be

condition by birth, or an office to dis- assisted or cared for in conformity with his
charge, in this world. All of which, down deserts. In which certainly every principle
to the humblest, God providing for and dis- of equity is shown, while the inequity of
tinguishing by the power of His wisdom, circumstances preserves the justice of a ret-
arranges all things by His controlling ribution according to merit. (ibid.
judgement, .according to a most impartial 2.9.8 [Ante-Nicene Fathers, 4:293]).
 CHAPTeR 7'\LV

Of soorhsaying, and phRensy.

oothsaying is that which the priests or only to the gods; 3 and Pt%my the astrologer

S others were stricken withal, and dis-

cerned the causes of things, and foresaw
future things, viz. when oracles and
spirits descend from the gods or from demons
saith, that they only that are inspired with a
deity foretell particular things. To these Peter4
the apostle consents, saying, prophesying is
not made according to the will of man, but
upon them, and are delivered by them; which holy men spake as they were moved by the
descendings the Platonists call the falling down Holy Ghost. Now that the foretellings of things
of superior souls on our souls; and Mercurius to come are properly the fallings down of the
calls them the senses of the demons, and the gods, Isaiah 5 affirms, saying: And tell unto us
spirits of demons. Of which sort of demons the those things that are coming, and we will tell
ancients called Eurideae and Pythonae, I who, as them, because ye are gods. But these kinds of
the ancients believed, were wont to enter into failings down, or senses, come not into our
the bodies of men, and make use of the voices, souls when they are more attently busied about
and tongues, for the prediction of things to anything else; but they pass into them, when
come; of which Plutarch also made mention in they are vacant.
his dialogue of the causes of Defect of Oracles.2 Now there are three kinds of this vacancy,
But Cicero, following the Stoics, affirms viz. phrensy, ecstasy, and dreams, of each of
that the foreknowing of future things belongs which in their order.

No"Ccs-Chap"CCR 7'\LV
I. Eurideae and Pythonae-See note 2 below. power and virtue. (Plutarch De defectu
oraculorum [The obsolescence of oracles]
2. Defect of Oracles- 9, trans. RobeI't-Midgley [Goodwin, 4 : 13])
For it is a very childish and silly thing, to The Athenian diviner Eurycles was a ventriloquist sur-
suppose that the god [Apollo] himself named Engastromythes (speech in the belly). The
does, like the spirits speaking in the bow- name was also applied to the priestesses of Apollo. He
els of ventriloquists (which were anciently is mentioned by Aristophanes in the Wasps, line 1019
called Euryclees, and now Pythons), enter (" . .. and like the prophetic Genius, who hid himself in
into the bodies of the prophets, and speak the belly of Euryc\es .. . "), and also by Plato in the
by their mouths and voices, as fit instru- Sophist 252c (" ... and, like that queer fellow Euryc\es,
ments for that purpose. For he that thus they carry about with them wherever they go a voice
mixes God in human affairs has not in their own bellies to contradict them.").
respect and reverence which is due to so
great a majesty, as being ignorant of his 3. only to the gods-As is so often the case in his ref-

616
 Of Soothsaying, and Phrensy / 617

erences, Agrippa attributes a belief to his author which although there may be such beings as
his author expresses, but does not claim as his own: Gods, still it is possible that no such art as
divination may be given by them to the
You are defending, I reply, the very citadel
human race. (Cicero De divinarione 1.6
of the Stoics, 0 Quintus, by asserting the
[Yonge, 146])
reciprocal dependence of these two condi-
tions on one another; so that if there be For the complete argument of the Stoics as presented
such an art as divination, then there are by Cicero, see De divinarione 1.38.
Gods, and if there be such beings as Gods,
then there is such an art as divination. But 4. Peter-II Peter 1:21 .
neither of these points is admitted as easily
as you imagine. For future events may pos- 5. Isaiah-Isaiah 41 :23. The text of this verse differs
sibly be indicated by nature without the significantly in King James and Knox from
.intervention of any God; and, even Agrippa's version.
 CHAPTeR ALVl

Of -che flRS-c Kind of phRensy fRom -che muses.

hrensy is an illustration of the soul com- from vegetables, as plants; fruits of trees, roots,

P ing from the gods, or demons. Whence

this verse of Ovid:

God is in us, commerces of the throne

and those which are from harder matters, as
stones, metals, their alligations 2 and suspen-
sions.3 So it is said that the stone selenites,4 i.e.
moonstone, and the stone of the civet cat5 cause
Of God, that spirit from above came down. divination; also vervain,6 and the herb theange-
lis 7 cause soothsaying, as hath been above said.
Plato defines' this by alienation, and bind- The second degree resembling Mercury,
ing; for he abstracts from those by which the possesseth those things which are from animals,
corporeal senses are stirred up, and being and which are compounded of the mixtion of
estranged from an animal man, adheres to . a divers natural things together, as cups, and
deity from whom it receives those things which meats; upon this account the heart of a mole,s if
it cannot search into by its own power; for when anyone shall eat it whilst it is warm and panting,
the mind is free, and at liberty, the reins of the conduceth, as it is said, to the foretelling of
body being loosed, and going forth as out of a future events. And Rabbi Moses in his commen-
close prison, transcends the bonds of the mem- taries upon Leviticus tells, that there is an ani-
bers, and nothing hindering of it, being stirred mal called .li"'~ Jedua, having a human shape,
up by its own instigations, and instigated by a in the middle of whose navel comes forth a
divine spirit, comprehends all things, and fore- string, by which it is fastened to the ground like
tells future things. a gourd, and as far as the length of that string
Now there are four kinds of divine reacheth, it devours and consumes all that is
phrensy proceeding from several deities, viz. green about it, and deceiving the sight, cannot
from the Muses, from Dionysus, from Apollo, be taken, unless that string be cut off by the
and from Venus. stroke of a dart, which being cut off, it presently
The first phrensy therefore proceeding from dies. Now the bones of this animal being after a
the Muses, stirs up and tempers the mind, and certain manner laid upon the mouth,9 presently
makes it divine by drawing superior things to he whose mouth they are laid on, is taken with a
inferior things by things natural. Now Muses are phrensy, and soothsaying.
the souls of the celestial spheres, according to The third degree answers to the sphere of
which there are found several degrees, by which Venus; this possesseth subtile powders,
there is an attraction of superior things to inferior. vapours, and odours, and ointments, and suffu-
The inferior of these resembling the sphere migations, which are made of these of which we
of the Moon, possesseth those things which are have spoke above.

618
 Of the First Kind of Phrensy from the Muses 1619

The fourth degree belongs to the sphere of beholding of wisdom. For that excogitation
the Sun; thi s possesseth voices, words, singings, which is made by riddles, and images, is a cer-
and harmonical sounds, by the sweet conso- tain kind of speculation, or discourse belonging
nancy whereof it drives forth of the mind any to Jupiter, and not a contemplation.
troublesomeness therein, and cheers it up. The eighth degree resembles the starry
Whence Hermes, Pythagoras, IO Plato , advise us heaven; this observes the situation, motion,
to compose a discontented mind, and cheer it up rays , and light of the celestial bodies: it posses-
by singing and harmony. So Timotheus 11 is said seth also images, rings, and such like, which are
to have with sounds stirred up King Alexander made after the rule of celestials, as we have
to a phrensy: so the priest of Calame (Aurelius above spoken.
Augustus l 2 being witness) was wont at hi s plea- The ninth degree answers to the primum
sure by a certain shrill harmony to call himself mobile, viz. the ninth sphere, as the very uni-
forth out of hi s body into a rapture, and ecstasy; verse: this possesseth things more formal , as
of these also we have before spoken. numbers, figures , characters, and observes the
The fifth degree is answerable to Mars: this occult influences of the intelligences of the
possesseth vehement imaginations, and affec- heaven, and other mysteries, which because
tions of the mind, conceits al so, and motions they bear the energies of celestial deities, and
thereof, of all which before. invocated spirits, easily allures them, and com-
The sixth degree answers to Jupiter: this pelleth them being forced by a certain necessity
possesseth the discourses of reason, delibera- of conformity to come to one, and detains them,
tions, consultations, and moral purgations: of that they shall not easily go back, of which we
these we have spoken in part above, and further read in the oracles in Porphyry: 14
we shall speak afterwards; it possesseth also
admirations, and venerations, at the astonish- Cease now at length, spare words, to life
ment of which, the phantasy, and reason are give rest,
Dissolve, and leave old shapes (I thee
sometimes so restrained, that they suddenly let request),
pass all their own actions: whence then the Disshape the members, and the winding
mind itself being free, and exposed to a deity sheet
only, whether to any god, or demon , doth Unloose:- - - -
receive supernal, and divine influences, viz.
those concerning which it did deliberate before. And in another place in the same book:
So we read that the sibyls , and the priests of
Pythia were wont to receive oracles in the caves Ye garlands loose the feet, with water clean
Let them be sprinkled, and the laurel green
of Jupiter, and Apollo. 13 Be taken off from the hands, and every line
The seventh degree resembles Saturn: thi s And character be blotted o u t - - - -
possesseth the more secret intelligences, and
quiet contemplations of the mind. I call here, Of these we have sufficiently treated
the contemplation, the free perspicacity of the already, and shall afterwards treat further of
mind, suspended with admiration upon the them.

Nor-es-Chapr-eR 7\.LVl
I. Plato defines-See Plato Phaedrus 244-50. Philosophers say, if it be tasted, it giveth
knowledge of certain things to come. If it
2. alligations-See note I, ch. XL VI, bk. I. be put under the tongue, specially in the
first [day of the] Moon, it hath a virtue
3. suspensions-See note 2, ch. XLVI, bk . I. only for an hour. Therefore being in the
tenth day of the Moon, it hath this virtue in
4. selenites- the first or tenth hour. The method of div-
620/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

ination is this: when it is under the tongue, II. Timotheus-See note 14, ch. XXIV, bk. II.
if our thought be of any business, whether
it ought to be or no, if it ought to be, it is 12. Aurelius Augustus-Saint Augustine, who was
fixed steadfastly in the heart so that it may called Aurelius Augustine, although he himself never
not be plucked away, if not, the heart used Aurelius as a first name, nor was he addressed
leapeth aback from it. (Book of Secrets 2.6 in this way in the letters written to him. This same
[Best and Brightman, 28)) reference occurs in ch. L, bk. III. Calamae, or Kala-
mata, was an ancient town in Greece (present-day
5. stone of the civet cat-The hyrenire, or hyena Kalamai in Peloponnisos). See note 5, ch. XLVIII,
stone. See note 3, ch. XXXVIII, bk. I. bk. III, where Iamblichus seems to make the same
reference.
6. vervain-"The people in the Gallic provjnces
[druids] make use of them both [male and female 13. Jupiter , and Apol/o----The most famous cave of
vervain] for soothsaying purposes, and for the pre- Apollo was located on Mount Parnassus at Delphi,
diction of future events ... " (Pliny 25 .59 [Bostock wherein was the Pythia, or priestess of Apollo. The
and Riley, 5:121)) most notable cave of Zeus was on Mount Dicte in east-
ern Crete, where the god was said to have been raised
7. theangelis-See note 5, ch.'XXXVIII, bk. I. in concealment from the malice of his father, Cronos.

8. heart of a mole-See note 18, ch. LV, bk. I. 14. oracles in Porphyry-Porphyrii de philosophia
ex oraculis hauriendis, a commentary on the
9. laid upon the mouth-See the commentary of Chaldean oracles that is preserved in part in the Pra!-
Rashi, note II , ch. XVI, bk. III. pm'alio evangelica of Eusebius.

10. Pythagoras-See Iamblichus On the Mysteries

2.9, and the accompanying notes by Thomas Taylor.
 CHAPTeR ALVll

Of rhe second Kind fRom Dionysus.

Ow the second phrensy proceeds from and his bondmaid Hagar, in Jacob, Gideon,

N Dionysus: this doth by expiations

exterior, and interior, and by conjura-
tions, by mysteries, by solemnities,
rites, temples, and observations divert the soul
Elias, Tobias, Daniel, and many more.
So Adam? had familiarity with the angel
Raziel. Shem the son of Noah with Jophiel;
Abrahams with Zadkiel; Isaac and Jacob 9 with
into the mind, the supreme part of itself, and Peliel; Joseph, Joshua lO and Daniel ll with
makes it a fit and pure temple of the gods, in Gabriel; A[osesl 2 with Metattron; Elias with
which the divine spirits may dwell, which the Malbiel; Tobias 13 the younger with Raphael;
soul then possessing as the associate of life, is David with Cerniel; Mannoah l4 with Phadael;
filled by them with felicity, wisdom, and ora- Cenez l5 with Cerrel; Ezekiel 16 with Hasmael;
cles, not in signs, and marks, or conjectures, but Esdras 1? with Uriel; Solomon with Michael.
in a certain concitation l of the mind, and free Sometimes the spirits by virtue of the souls,
motion: so Bacchus did soothsay to the Boeo- enter into and seize upon organical bodies,
tians,2 and Epimenides to the people of Cous,3 whether of brutes or men, and using the souls
and the sibyl Erithea4 to the Trojans. 5 thereof as the basis, utter voices through organ-
Sometimes this phrensy happens through a ical instruments, as is manifest in Baalam's
clear vision, sometimes by an express voice: so ass,18 and in Saul, 19 on whom the spirit of the
Socrates was governed by his demon, whose Lord fell, and prophesied. Of these Apollo in his
counsel he did diligently obey, whose voice he answers in Porphyry20 thus:
did often hear with his ears, to whom also the
shape of a demon 6 did often appear. Many Phoebean fulgor charmed, did from on high
Come down, and through pure air was
prophesying spirits also were wont to show
silently
themselves, and be associates with the souls of Conveyed; came into souls well purified
them that were purified; examples of which With a sonorous breath, a voice uttered
there are many in sacred writ, as in Abraham, Through a mortal throat:----

Noz:es-Chapz:eR /\'LVll
1. concitation-Stirring up, or agitation. 3. people of Co us-There seems to be no connection
between Epimenides and Cous (see his biographical
2. to the Boeotians-Dionysus (Bacchus) was a note). Perhaps Agrippa means Cnossus.
prophetic god whose oracle at Delphi rivaled in
importance that of Apollo. The chief seats of his 4. Erithea-The Erythraean, also called the
worship were Boeotia and Attica. Cumaean, sibyl, who is fabled to have sold the

621
622/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

Sibylline books to Tarquin the Proud. When the S. Abraham-Presumably refers to Genesis IS,
books were destroyed by fire in S3 BC, the Romans although the angel is not named.
had a new collection of 1,000 oracular verses gathered
at Erythrae (present-day Cesme, Turkey). These ora- 9. Isaac and lacob-Genesis 26:24 and 32:30.
cles appear to have been first collected in the time of Peniel, PNVAL, ?~':J:::l, "the face of God."
Solon and Cyrus (6th century BC) at Gergis, on Mount
Ida in the Troad, which is not far from Troy. They 10. loshua-Joshua was visited by an angel (Joshua
were attributed to the Hellespontine sibyl and kept in I: I), and in several places it is said " the Lord was
the temple of Apollo at Gergis. From Gergis they with Joshua" (Genesis 39:2, 21, 23), but the angel is
were carried to Erythrae, from Erythrae to Cumae by not named.
the sibyl Herophile, and from Cumae to Rome.
II. Daniel-Daniel S: 16 and 9:21.
5. to the Trojans-This threefold reference by
Agrippa was probably inspired by this sentence from 12. Moses-Metatron is identified with the Shekinah,
Cicero: or Holy Spirit, who is with Moses-see notes 19 and
61 , ch. X, bk. III.
But those men, on the other hand, are
devoid of art, who give way to presenti-
13. Tobias-Tobit 5:4.
ments of future events, not proceeding by
reason or conjecture, nor on the observa-
14. Mannoah-Judges 13:3-21. Again, the name of
tion and consideration of particular signs,
the angel is not given. See Judges 13: IS.
but yielding to some excitement of mind,
or to some unknown influence subject to
15. Cenez-The reference is probably to Kenaz,
no precise rule or restraint, (as is often the
brother of Caleb, upon whom the spirit of the Lord
case with men who dream, and sometimes
descended (Judges 3:9-10).
with those who deliver predictions in a
frenzied manner,) as Bacis of Boeotia, Epi-
16. Ezekiel-Ezekiel I :26-S.
menides the Cretan, and the Erythrean
Sibyl. (De Divinatione US [Yonge,
17. Esdras-II Esdras 4:1 and following.
159--60])
IS. Baalam' sass-Numbers 22:28.
6. shape of a demon-See note 3, ch. XXII, bk. III.
19. in Saul-I Samuel 10:10-3.
7. Adam-See note 3, ch. XXIV, bk. III.
20. in Porphyry-See note 14, ch. XLVI, bk. III.
 CHAPTeR X.LVlll

Of rhe rhiRd kind of phRensy fRom Apollo.

Ow the third kind of phrensy proceeds prophets, he ceased to prophesy;2 the same hap-

N from Apollo, viz. from the mind of the

world. This doth by certain sacred
mysteries, vows, sacrifices, adorations,
invocations, and certain sacred arts, or certain
pened to those officers which Saul sent to catch
David: who when they saw the company of the
prophets, and Samuel standing in the midst of
them, received the spirit of the Lord on them,
secret confections, by which the spirits of their and prophesied also. 3 So great is the abounding
god did infuse virtue, make the soul rise above of divine light oftentimes in the prophets, taken
the mind, by joining it with deities, and demons. with a divine phrensy, that it also seizeth on
So we read concerning the ephod, I which them that are near them, and makes them have
being applied, they did presently prophesy: so the same spirit of phrensy.
we read in the books of the Senates in the chap- It is not therefore incredible, that an igno-
ter of Eleazar, that Rabbi Israel made certain rant man should presently be made wise, and
cakes, writ upon with certain divine and angeli- again that a wise man become ignorant: for
cal names, and so consecrated, which they that there is a certain art (known but to few) of
did eat with faith, hope, and charity, did informing, adorning, and illustrating a pure
presently break forth with a spirit of prophecy. mind, so that it should presently be recovered
We read in the same place that Rabbi Johena, out of the darkness of ignorance, and brought to
the son of Jochahad, did after that manner the light of wisdom : and on the contrary, there
enlighten a certain rude countryman, called is a way by certain hid secrets to make them that
Eleazar , being altogether illiterate, that being have unclean, and unbelieving minds to become
compassed about with a sudden brightness, did ignorant again, although for the present they are
unexpectedly preach such high mysteries of the learned and wise.
Law to an assembly of wise men, that he did Man 's mind also, especially when it is sim-
even astonish all that were near him. ple, and pure, may (Apuleius being witness)4 by
And it is reported of a certain man called some sacred, and mysterious recreation, and
Herviscus, an Egyptian, that he was endowed appeasing, be so brought into a sleep, and aston-
with such a divine nature, that at the very sight of ished, that it may forget things present so
images that had any deity in them, he was forth- utterly, as to be brought into its divine nature,
with stirred up with a kind of divine phrensy. and so be enlightened with the divine light, and
We read also in the Scripture, that when inspired with a divine phrensy that it may fore-
Saul was amongst the prophets, the spirit of the tyll things to come, and withall receive the
Lord came upon him, and he prophesied, and virtue of some wonderful effects. Whence Jam-
when he went forth from the assembly of the blicus saith, when the prophets are inspired with

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a deity, they fear nothing, for they go through of Ceres, where they that did enquire of the
ways unpassable, and are carried into the fire event of the sick did let down a glass by degrees
without any hurt, and pass over rivers. 5 tied to a small cord, to the top of the water, and
So we read of certain caves, as of Apollo,6 certain supplications and fumes being made, the
Trophonius,7 the three-footed stools,8 dens, event of the thing did appear in the glass. 14
fountains, lakes, and such like, that were conse- There was also not far from Epidaurus a
crated to the gods after this manner, or made by city of Laconia, a deep fen, which was called
that mystery, that from thence the priests might .the Water of luno , 15 into which cakes of com
draw the spirit of prophesying, as lamblicus in being cast, answers were given , fortunate, if the
Porphyry:9 the Sibyl (saith he) in Delphi was waters did quietly retain what was cast in; but
wont to receive God after two ways: either by a unhappy , if they did as it were, scorning of
subtile spirit, and fire, which did break forth them, cast them back. The like they say do the
somewhere out of the mouth of the cave, where caves of Aetna, into which money or sacrifices
she sitting in the entrance upon a brazen three- did show the same presage of good or ill, by
footed stool dedicated to a deity, was divinely being retained, or rejected.
inspired, and did utter prophesyings; or a great The like things reports Dion in his Roman
fire flying out of the cave did surround this History, in a place which they call the Nymphs:
prophetess, stirring her up, being filled with a where frankincense being cast into the flames,
deity, to prophesy, which inspiration also she oracles were received concerning all those
received as she sat upon a consecrated seat, things which he did desire to know, especially
breaking forth presently into predictions. concerning death, and those things which
Moreover there was a prophetess in belonged to marriages.
Branchi lO which sat upon an ax-tree, and either Wonderful also is that which Aristotle
held a wand in her hand, given to her by some relates of a certain fountain of the Paliscans of
deity, or washed her feet, and sometimes the Sicilia, 16 to which they that did take an oath did
hem of her garment in the waters, or drew the go, and whatsoever they did affirm upon oath
vapour of fire from the waters. By all these she writ it upon tables, which they cast into the foun-
was filled with divine splendour, and did unfold tain. If those things were true, the tables would
many oracles. swim; if false, sink; then fire coming suddenly
We also read that in the country of Thracia forth burned him that was perjured into ashes.
there was a certain passage II consecrated to There was also in the city Dodona an oak,1 7
Bacchus, from whence predictions, and oracles which as soon as anyone entered in to receive
were wont to be given: the priors of whose tem- an answer, did forthwith move, and make a
ples having drank wine abundantly did do sound; there was also a statue holding a wand,
strange things. Amongst the Clarians also, which did strike a basin, whereby the basin
where the temple of Clarius Apollo l2 was, to made answer by moderated strokes. Whence it
whom it was given to utter divine things, they is read in the epistle of Austinus to Paulinus:18
having drank much wine did strange things.
There was also a prophetical fountain of Answers did give the Dodonean brass,
Father Achaia,13 constituted before the temple With moderated strokes; so docile it was.

Norcs-ChaprCR "LVlll
I. ephod-The vestment of a Jewish priest. It was of 2. ceased to prophesy-See note 19, ch. XLVII,
linen, sleeveless, slit at the sides under the armpits, bk. III.
fastened with buckles at the shoulders and girdled at
the waist. The colours of the ephod of the high priest 3. prophesied also-I Samuel 19:20.
were gold, purple and scarlet. David used it to proph-
esy. See I Samuel 23:9-1 I; 30:7-8. 4. Apuleius being witness-After bathing himself
 On the Third Kind of Phrensy from Apollo / 625

seven times in the ocean, Apuleius invokes the God- struck on the shoulders with axes, and oth-
dess with prayer: "When I had ended this orison, and ers that have their arms cut with knives,
discovered my plaints to the Goddesse, I fortuned to are by no means conscious of what is done
fall asleepe, and by and by appeared unto me a divine to them . Their energies, likewise, are not
and venerable face, worshiped even of the Gods at all human. For inaccessible places
themselves" (The Golden Asse ch. 47). The Goddess become accessible to those that are
foretells the future of Apuleius. divinely inspired; they are thrown into
On the subject of prophetic sleep, Iamblichus fire ;and pass through fire, and over rivers,
writes : like the priest in Castabalis, without being
injured. (ibid. 3.4 [Taylor, 122])
But the dreams which are denominated
theopemptoi, or sent from God, do not sub-
sist after the manner which you mention;
6. Apollo-See note 13, ch. XLVI, bk. III.
but they take place either when sleep is
leaving us, and we are beginning to awake, 7. Trophonius-Trophonius was son of Erginus, king
and then we hear a certain voice, which of Orchomenus. Along with his brother Agamedes he
concisely tells us what is to be done; or is credited in legend with building the temple at Del-
voices are heard by us, between sleeping phi, a magnificent structure. After his death he was
and waking, or when we are perfectly worshiped as a hero, and had a celebrated oracle of
awake. And sometimes, indeed, an invisi- his own in a cave near Lebadea in Boeotia (just west
ble and incorporeal spirit surrounds the of present-day Lake Voiviis). For a fascinating first-
recumbents, so as not to be perceived by hand account of the oracle of Trophonius, see Pausa-
the sight, but by a certain other cosensation nias Guide to Greece 9.39.4. Pausanias not only saw
and intelligence. The entrance of this spirit, the oracle but actually underwent the involved ritual
also, is accompanied with a noise, and he procedure in consulting it.
diffuses himself on all sides without any
contact, and effects admirable works con- 8. three-footed stools-The priestess at Delphi sat on
ducive to the liberation of the passions of a tripod-a three-legged stool----{)ver a fissure in the
the soul and body. But sometimes a bright cave of Apollo from which arose intoxicating fumes.
and tranquil light shines forth, by which Although it is seldom explicitly stated, the reason
the sight of the eyes is detained, and which was that the fumes were believed to enter her, not by
occasions them to become closed, though the throat, but through the womb.
they were before open. The other senses,
however, are in a vigilant stat~, and in a 9. lamblicus in POIphyry-
certain respect have a cosensation of the But the prophetess in Delphi, whether she
light unfolded by the Gods; and the recum- gives oracles to mankind through an atten-
bents hear what the Gods say, and know, uated and fiery spirit, bursting from the
by a consecutive perception, what is then mouth of the cavern, or whether being
done by them. This, however, is beheld in a seated in the adytum on a brazen tripod, or
still more perfect manner, when the sight on a stool with four feet, she becomes
perceives, when intellect, being corrobo- sacred to the God; whichsoever of these is
rated, follows what is performed, and this the case, she entirely gives herself up to a
is accompanied with the motion of the divine spirit, and is illuminated with a ray
spectators. Such, therefore, and so many of divine fire. And when, indeed, fire
being the differences of these dreams, no ascending from the mouth of the cavern
one of them is similar to human dreams. circularly invests her in collected abun-
(iamblichus On the Mysteries 3.2 [Taylor, dance, she becomes filled from it with a
115~])
divine splendour. (iamblichus, On the Mys-
teries 3.11 [Taylor, 143])
5. pass over rivers-
The premise of this work is that it is a reply given by
Many, through divine inspiration, are not
Iamblichus to Porphyry to questions raised in Por-
burned when fire is introduced to them,
phyry's Letter to Anebo, which prefaces On the Mys-
the inspiring influence preventing the fire
teries-thus Agrippa's reference to Porphyry.
from touching them. Many, also, though
burned, do not apprehend that they are so,
10. prophetess in Branchi-
because they do not live an animal life.
And some, indeed, though transfixed with The prophetic woman too in Brandchidae,
spits, do not perceive it; but others that are whether she holds in her hand a wand,
626/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

which was at first received from some 15. Water of Juno-

God, and becomes filled with a divine
About a quarter of a mile farther on to the
splendour, or whether seated on an axis,
right is Ino's water, as they call it, the size
she predicts future events, or dips her feet
of a small lake only that it goes deeper;
or the border of her garment in the water,
they throw loaves of barley bread into this
or receives the God by imbibing the
water at Ino's festival. When the water
vapours of the water; by all these she
accepts the loaves and keeps them it means
becomes adapted to partake externally of
a good omen for whoever threw them in,
the God. (ibid. [Taylor, 144])
but if it sends them up to the surface again,
It is worth looking at the Wheel of Fortune card in this is accepted to be a terribly bad sign.
the Visconti-Sforza Tarocchi Deck in light of the (ibid. 3.23.8 [Levi, 2:87-8])
above description.
Levi says a small pool was discovered in recent
times about a quarter of a mile from the acropolis at
II . certain passage-Thrace was the chief seat of the
Epidaurus that is more than 100 feet deep. Ino was
worship of Dionysus, and it is probable the god was
the mortal daughter of Cadmus who bore two illegit-
introduced from Thrace into Greece. The Thracian
imate children to Athamas. When Athamas was dri-
oracle of Dionysus (whom the Thracians called Bac-
ven mad by the gods for his infidelity, Ino threw
chus) was located in a fissure, or cave, on one of the
herself into the sea and was transformed into the god-
highest summits of the Rhodope Mountains (south-
dess Leucothea. Agrippa has confused Ino with Juno.
ern Bulgaria).
16. Paliscans of Sicilia-At Palice in Sicily (south-
12. Clarius Apollo-Clarus was a small town on the
west of present-day Lentini) were two sulfurous
Ionian coast, near Colophon (not far from Ephesus),
fountains called Deilloi that were sacred to the Palici,
famous only for its temple and oracle of Apollo, who
twin brother gods born of Zeus and the nymph
was surnamed Clarius on its account. See Iarnblichus
Thalia, who was the daughter of Vulcan. In early
On the Mysteries 2.10 (Taylor, 141-2).
times human sacrifices were offered to the gods. In
classical times their sanctuary became the asylum for
13. Father Achaia-Patrai in Achaia (present-day
runaway slaves. Oaths were written on tablets and
Patrai, Greece).
thrown into one of the two springs. If the tablets
floated, the oaths were considered true; if they sank,
14. appear in the glass-
the oaths were looked upon as lies and the oath-tak-
There is a spring in front of Demeter's ers punished with blindness or death.
sanctuary with a dry stone wall on the tem-
ple side and a way down to the spring on 17 . Dodona an oak-It is very uncertain how the ora-
the outer side. There is an infallible oracle cle through brass was received in the sacred grove of
here, not for all purposes but for the sick. Zeus at Dodona. There seems to have been a circle of
They tie a mirror onto some thin kind of vessels placed or hung from trees around the temple.
cord, and balance it so as not to dip it into The blowing of the wind caused these to sound with
the spring, but let the surface of the mirror mellow tones. Perhaps light wands were hung in such
just touch lightly on the water. Then they a way as to strike against the brass vessels or gongs
pray to the goddess and burn incense and when moved by the breeze between the oaks. Or per-
look into the mirror, and it shows them the haps statues holding wands were placed near the gen-
sick man either alive or dead. (Pausanias tly swinging brass, which was moved by the wind in
Guide to Greece 7.21.5 [Levi, 1:283-4]). the boughs of the sacred oaks, the vessels being sus-
pended from their limbs.
Levi believes this is the spring presently at the
church of St. Andrew beside the cathedral of Patrai.
18. Austinus to Paulinus-The letter of Ausonius
Decimus Magnus to Meropius Pontius Anicius Pauli-
nus. See their separate biographical notes.
 CHAPTeR ALlA

Of rhe fouRrh kind of phRensy, fRom Venus.

oW the fourth kind of phrensy pro- times work wonderful things, and greater than

N ceeds from Venus , and it doth by a fer-

vent love convert, and transmute the
mind to God, and makes it altogether
like to God, as it were the proper image of God;
the nature of the world can do, which works are
called miracles. For as the heaven by its image,
light, and heat, doth those things, which the
force of the fire cannot do by its natural quality
whence Hermes saith: J 0 Asclepius! Man is a (which in alchemy 3 is most known by experi-
great miracle, an animal to be honoured and ence), so also doth God by the image and light
adored; for he passeth into the nature of God, of himself do those things, which the world can-
whereby he becomes God: he knows the rise of not do by its innate virtue.
demons, and he knows himself to have his orig- Now the image of God is man, at least such
inal with them, despising the part of his human a man that by a phrensy from Venus is made
nature in himself, having a sure confidence of like to God, and lives by the mind only, and
the divinity of the other; the soul therefore being receives God into himself. Yet the soul of man
converted, and made like to God, is so formed of according to the Hebrew doctors and Cabalists,
God, that it doth above all intellect, know all is defined to be the light of God, and created
things by a certain essential contract of divinity: after the image of the Word, the cause of
therefore Orpheus describes love to be without causes, the first example, and the substance of
eyes,2 because it is above the intellect. God, figured by a seal whose character is the
Now then the soul being so converted into eternal Word. 4 Which Mercurius Trismegistus
God by love, and sublimated above the intellec- considering, saith, that such a man is more
tual sphere, doth beside that it hath by its excellent than they that are in heaven , or at least
integrity obtained the spirit of prophecy, some- equal to them. 5

NOLcs-ChapLCR XUX
1. Hermes saith-See Asclepius 1.6a (Scott, 1:295). natures, and caused its natures to rejoice and be glad!
This, therefore, is that special and spiritual nature to
2. without eyes-An observation echoed by Chaucer which the God thereof can give what fire cannot"
("The Marchantes Tale," line 1598) and Shakespeare (Turba Philosophorum II [Waite, (1896) 1976, 35]).
(Merchant o/Venice. act 2, sc. 6, line 36).
4. eternal Word-This applies more to the archetypal
3. in alchemy-"O those celestial natures, multiply- soul of Adam, which comprehends all other souls
ing the natures of truth by the will of God! 0 that within it, than to individual human souls. The Word
potent Nature, which overcame and conquored is IHVH. The seal is the interlocking hexagram.

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5. equal to them-"Nay, if we are to speak the truth stances, the one divine, the other mortal;
without fear, he who is indeed a man is even above and in that he is thus compacted, it is
the gods of heaven, or at any rate he equals them in ordained by God's will that man is not only
power" (CO/pus Hermeticum JO.24b [Scott, 1:205]) better than all mortal beings, but also better
than the gods, who are made wholly of
Willing then that man should be at once a
immortal substance. (Asclepius 3:22b
thing of earth and capable of immortality,
[Scott, 1:337])
God compacted him of these two sub-
 CHAPTeR L

Of RapruRe, and ecsrasy, and soorhsayings, which

happen ro rhern which aRe raken wirh rhe falling
sickness, OR wirh a swoon, OR ro rhern in an agony.

rapture is an abstraction, and alien- and be far from the quire of spmts; and

A ation, and an illustration of the soul

proceeding from God, by which God
doth again retract the soul, being fallen
from above to hell, from hell to heaven. The
Pythagoras saith,4 if thou by leaving the body
shalt pass into the spacious heavens, thou shalt
be an immortal god.
So we read that Hermes, Socrates,
cause of this is in us a continual contemplation Xenocrates, Plato, Plotine, 5 Heraclitus, Pythag-
of sublime things, which as far as it conjoins oras and Zoroastes, were wont to abstract them-
with a most profound intention of the mind, the selves by rapture, and so to learn the knowledge
soul to incorporeal wisdom, doth so far recall of many things: also we read in Herodotus, that
itself with its vehement agitations from things there was in Proconnesus a philosopher of won-
sensible and the body, and (as Plato saith) in derful knowledge, called Atheus, 6 whose soul
such a manner sometimes, that it even flyeth out sometimes went out of the body, and after the
of the body, and seemeth as it were dissolved: visitation of places far remote, returned again
even as Aurelius Austin reporteth concerning a into the body more learned. Pliny reporteth the
priest of Calamia;1 (of whom we have made same thing, that the soul of Harman Clazome-
mention before) he lay (saith he) most like unto nius7 · was wont to wander abroad, his body
a dead man, without breath; and when he was being left, and to bring true tidings of things
burnt with fire and wounded, he felt it not. very far off.
So great therefore is the command of the And there are even to this day in Norway
soul: viz. when it hath obtained its own nature, and Laplands very many who can abstract them-
and is not oppressed by the allurements of the selves three whole days from their body, and
senses, that by its own power it suddenly ascen- being returned declare many things which are
deth, not only remaining in the body, but even afar off; and in the meantime it is necessary to
sometimes loosed from its fetters, and flyeth keep them, that not any living creature come
forth of the body to the supercelestial habitations, upon them or touch them; otherwise they report
where now it being most nigh, and most like to that they cannot return into their body.
God, and made the receptacle of divine things, it Therefore we must know, that (according to
is filled with the divine light and oracles. the doctrine of the Egyptians), seeing the soul is
Whence Zoroastes saith,2 thou must ascend a certain spiritual light, when it is loosed from
to the light itself, and to the beams of the Father, the body, it comprehendeth every place and
whence thy soul was sent thee, clothed with time, in such a manner as a light enclosed in a
very much mind; and Trismegistus saith,3 it is lantern, which being open, diffuseth itself every-
necessary that thou ascend above the heavens, where, and faileth not anywhere, for it is every-

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630/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

where, and continually; and Cicero in his book For there is in our minds a certain perspicu-
Of Divination saith, neither doth the soul of man ous power, and capable of all things, but encum-
at any time divine, except when it is so loosed bered and hindered by the darkness of the body
that it hath indeed little or nothing to do with the and mortality, but after death it having acquired
body;9 when therefore it shall attain to that state, immortality, and being freed from the body, it
which is the supreme degree of contemplative hath a full and perfect knowledge. Hence it
perfection, then it is rapt from all created cometh to pass, that they who are nigh to death,
species, and understandeth not by acquired and weakened by old age, have sometimes
species, but by the inspection of the Ideas, and it somewhat of an unaccustomed light, because the
knoweth all things by the light of the Ideas: of soul being less hindered by the senses,· under-
which light Plato saith few men are partakers in standeth very acutely , and being now as it were
this life; but in the hands of the gods, all. 10 a little relaxed from its bands, is not altogether
Al so they who are troubled with the syn- subject to the body, and being as it were nigher
cope II and falling sickness, do in some manner to the place, to the which it is about to go, it eas-
imitate a rapture, and in these sicknesses some- ily perceiveth revelations, which being mixed
times as in a rapture do bring forth prophecy, 12 with its agonies, are then offered to it.
in which kind of prophesying we read that Her- Whence Ambrose in his book of the Belief
cules l 3 and many Arabians were very excellent. of the Resurrection, saith, which being free in
And there are certain kinds of soothsay- the aerial motion, knoweth not whither it goeth,
ings, which are a middle betwixt the confines of and whence it cometh; yet we know that it sur-
natural predictions, and supernatural oracles, viveth the body, and that it being freed , the
viz. which declare things to come from some chains of its senses being cast off, freely discer-
excess of passion, as too much love, sorrow, or neth those things which it saw not before, being
amongst frequent sighs, or in the agony of in the body, which we may estimate by the
death, as in Statius, of the mother of Achilles: 14 example of those who sleep, whose mind being
quiet, their bodies being as it were buried, do
- - - - n o r she without parents dear elevate themselves to higher things, and do
Under the glassy gulf the oars did fear. declare to the body the visions of things absent,
yea even of celestial things.

Non:s-ChapLCR L
I. priest a/Calamia-See note 12, ch. XLVI, bk. III. to God with a voice that is theirs alone.
And thereafter, each in his tum, they mount
2. Zoroastes saith-"It becometh you to hasten unto upward to the Father; they give themselves
the Light, and to the Rays of the Father, from whom up to the Powers, and becoming Powers
was sent unto you a Soul (Psyche) endued with much themselves, they enter into God. (CO/pus
mind (Nous)" (Chaldean Oracles 160 [Westcott, 58]). Hermeticum 1.26a [Scott, 129])

3. Trismegistus saith- You see, my son, through how many bod-

ily things in succession we have to make
And thereupon, having been stripped of all our way, and through how many troops of
that was wrought upon him by the structure daemons and courses of stars, that we may
of the heavens, he ascends to the substance press on to the one and only God. (ibid.
of the eighth sphere, being now possessed 4.8b [Scott, 155])
of his own proper power; and he sings,
together with those who dwell there, hymn- 4. Pythagoras saith-
ing the Father; and they that are there
rejoice with him at his coming. And being But observe my laws, abstaining from the
made like to those with whom he dwells, he things
hears the Powers, who are above the sub- Which thy soul must fear, distinguishing
stance of the eighth sphere, singing praises them well;
 Of Rapture, and Ecstasy, and Soothsayings / 631

Letting intelligence o'er thy body reign; disappeared a second time. (Herodotus
So that, ascending into the radiant Ether, History 4 [Rawlinson, 209))
Midst the Immortals, thou shalt be thyself a
Pliny contributes this colorful detail : "It is stated
God.
also, that in Proconnesus, the soul of Aristeas was
(Golden Verses of Pythagoras, French trans.
seen to fly out of his mouth, under the form of a
Fabre d'Olivet [1813], English trans. from
raven ... " (Pliny 7.53 [Bostock and Riley, 2:210-1)).
French by Nayan Louise Redfield [1917]
[New York: Samuel Weiser, 1975], 9)
7. Harman Clazomenius-
5. Plotine- With reference to the soul of man, we find,
among other instances, that the soul of Her-
Many times it has happened: Lifted out of
motinus of Clazomenae was in the habit of
the body into myself; becoming external to
leaving his body, and wandering into dis-
all other things and self-encentered;
tant countries, whence it brought back
beholding a marvellous beauty; then, more
numerous accounts of various things, which
than ever, assured of community with the
could not have been obtained by anyone
loftiest order; enacting the noblest life,
but a person who was present. The body, in
acquiring identity with the divine; station-
the meantime, was left apparently lifeless.
ing within It by having attained that activ-
At last, however, his enemies, the Canthari-
ity; poised above whatsoever within the
dae, as they were called, burned his body,
Intellectual is less than the Supreme: yet,
so that the soul, on its return, was deprived
there comes the moment of descent from
of its sheath, as it were. (ibid., 210)
intellection to reasoning, and after that
sojourn in the divine, I ask myself how it Such was the soul of Hermodorus the Cla-
happens that I can now be descending, and zomenian, of which it is reported that for
how did the so ul ever enter into my body, several nights and days it would leave his
the soul which, even within the body, is the body, travel over many countries, and
high thing it has shown itself to be. (Ploti- return after it had viewed things and dis-
nus Enneads 4.8.1 [Mackenna 3: 143)) coursed with persons at a great distance; til
at last, by the treachery of his wife, his
6. Atheus- body was delivered to his enemies, and
they burnt the house while the inhabitant
Aristeas also, son of Caustrobius, a native
was abroad. It is certain, this is a mere
of Proconnesus, says in the course of his
fable. The soul never went out of the body,
poem that rapt in Bacchic fury he went as
but it loosened the tie that held the Dae-
far as the Issedones .... I will now relate a
mon, and permitted it to wander; so that
tale which I heard concerning him both at
this, seeing and hearing the various exter-
Proconnesus and at Cyzicus. Aristeas, they
nal occurrences, brought in the news to it
said , who belonged to one of the noblest
... (Plutarch On the Sign of Socrates 22,
families in the island, had entered one day
trans. Creech [Goodwin, 2:411))
into a fuller's shop, when he suddenly
dropt down dead. Hereupon the fuller shut With regard to the case of Hermotimus,
up his shop, and went to tell Aristeas' kin- they say that he used to be deprived of his
dred what had happened. The report of the soul in his sleep, as if it wandered away
death had just spread through the town, from his body like a person on a holiday
when a certain Cyzicenian, lately arrived trip. His wife betrayed the strange peculiar-
from Artaca [Erdek], contradicted the ity. His enemies, finding him asleep, burnt
rumour, affirming that he had met Aristeas his body, as if it were a corpse: when his
on his road to Cyzicus, and had spoken soul returned too late, it appropriated (I
with him. This man, therefore, strenuously suppose) to itself the guilt of the murder.
denied the rumour; the relations, however, However the good citizens of Clazomenae
proceeded to the fuller's shop with all consoled poor Hermotimus with a temple,
things necessary for the funeral, intending into which no woman ever enters, because
to carry the body away. But on the shop of the infamy of this wife. (Tertullian A
being opened, no Aristeas was found, Treatise On the Soul (De anima) 44 [Ante-
either dead or alive. Seven years after- Nicene Fathers , 3:223))
wards he reappeared, they told me, in Pro-
connesus, and wrote the poem called by the 8. Norway and Lapland-The reference here is to
Greeks "The Arimaspeia," after which he shamanism, a prominent feature of which is astral
632 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

travel, or soul flight. The myth of Odin exhibits many prophets and sleepers" (Cicero De Divinatione 1.50
shamanic aspects: "His body lay as though he were [Yonge, 191]). The English edition of the Occult Phi-
asleep or dead, and he then became a bird or a beast, losophy omits the word "unless" from its free transla-
a fish or a dragon, and went in an instant to far-off tion of Cicero, which inverts the meaning of the
lands ... " (Snorri Sturluson "Y nglinga Saga." In passage. I have corrected this error.
Heimskringka, trans. Erling Monson [Cambridge,
1932], 5, as quoted by Eliade [1951] 1972, 381). 10. of the gods, aU-See Socrates' dream of the
Elsewhere Eliade writes: cave, Plato Republic 7.514-9.
What concerns us in this instance is the
11 . syncope-A suspension of the action of the heart;
fact that sorcerers and shamans are able,
a suspension of vitality.
here on earth and as often as they wish, to
accomplish "coming out of the body," that
12. bringforthprophecy-See notes I and 2, ch. LX,
is, the death that alone has power to trans-
bk. 1. See also Aristotle's Problems 30.
form the rest of mankind into "birds;"
shamans and sorcerers can enjoy the condi-
13. Hercules-The Orphic hymn to Hercules calls
tion of "souls," of "discarnate beings,"
the hero "in divination skilled." (Hymns of Orpheus
which is accessible to the profane only
II [Thomas Taylor the Platonist: Selected Writings ,
when they die. (Eliade [1951]1972,479).
226]).
9. with the body-"The mind of man, however, never
14. of Achilles-Perhaps from the Achilleis. See bio-
exerts the power of natural divination, unless when it
graphical note on Statius.
is so free and disengaged as to be wholly disentan-
gled from the body, as happens in the case of
 CHAPTeR Ll

Of pRopherlcal dReams.

OW I call that a dream, which pro- retain them when received, this man is alto-

N ceedeth either from the spirit of the

phantasy and intellect united together,
or by the illustration of the agent intel-
lect above our souls, or by the true revelation of
gether unfit for the soothsaying by dreams.
Therefore it is necessary, that he who
would receive true dreams, should keep a pure,
undisturbed, and an undisquieted imaginative
some divine power in a quiet and purified mind; spirit, and so compose it, that it may be made
for by this our soul receiveth true oracles, and worthy of the knowledge and government by
abundantly yieldeth prophecies to us. the mind and understanding: for such a spirit is
For in dreams we seem both to ask ques- most fit for prophesying, and (as Sines ius saith)
tions, and learn to read and find them out; also is a most clear glass of all the images which
many doubtful things, many policies, many flow everywhere from all things.
things unknown, and unwished for, nor ever When therefore we are sound in body, not
attempted by our minds, are manifested to us in disturbed in mind, not dulled by meat or drink,
dreams; also the representations of unknown nor sad through poverty, nor provoked by any
places appear, and the images of men both alive vice of lust or wrath, but chastly going to bed,
and dead, and of things to come are foretold; fall asleep, then our pure and divine soul being
and also things which at any times have hap- loosed from all hurtful thoughts, and now freed
pened, are revealed, which we knew not by any by dreaming, is endowed with this divine spirit
report; and these dreams need not any art of as an instrument, and doth receive those beams
interpretation, as those of which we have spo- and representations which are darted down, and
ken in the first book, which belong to divina- shine forth from the divine mind into itself; and
tion, not foreknowledge. as it were in a deifying glass, it doth far more
And it cometh to pass that they who see certainly, clearly, and efficaciously behold all
these dreams for the most part understand them things, than by the vulgar inquiry of the intellect,
not; for (as Abdala the Arabian saith) as to see and by the discourse of reason; the divine power
dreams, is from the strength of imagination, so instructing the soul, being invited to their society
to understand them, is from the strength of by the opportunity of the nocturnal solitariness;
understanding; whose intellect therefore, being neither further will that deity be wanting to him
overwhelmed by the too much commerce of the when he is awaked, which ruleth all his actions.
flesh, is in a dead sleep, or its imaginative or Whosoever therefore doth, by quiet and
phantastic spirit is too dull and unpolished, that religious meditation, and by a diet temperate and
it cannot receive the species and representations moderated according to nature, preserve his
which flow from the superior intellect, and spirit pure, doth very much prepare himself, that

633
634/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

by this means he may become divine, and know- pie at Pasiphae, that they might dream. The same
ing all things; but whosoever, on the contrary, was done in the temple of Aesculapius,5 from
doth languish with a phantastic spirit, receiveth whom true dreams were thought to be sent forth.
not perspicuous and distinct visions, but even as And Calabrians, consulting Podalyrius 6 the son
the divine sight, by reason of its weakness, jud- of Aesculapius, did sleep near his sepulchre in
geth confusedly and indistinctly; and also when lambs' skins; for so doing they were told in their
we are overcome with wine and drunkenness, dreams whatsoever they desired to know.
then our spirit being oppressed with noxious For the most usual time for dreams is the
vapours (as a troubled water is wont to appear in night, when the senses are freed from wander-
divers forms) is deceived and waxeth dull. ing objects, and meridian errors,7 and vain
For which cause Amphiarus the prophet (as affections; neither doth fear strike the mind, nor
we read in Philostratus) commanded those, the thought tremble, and the mind being most
who would receive oracles, to abstain one quiet, doth steadfastly adhere to the deity.
whole day from meat, and three days from For there are (as Rabbi Johenan in his book
wine, that the soul could not rightly prophesy of Senators saith) four kinds of true dreams: the
unless it were free from wine, and meat; for to first matutine, which is made betwixt sleep and
sober and religious minds, attending on the awaking: the second, which one seeth concerning
divine worship, the gods are wont to give ora- another: the third, whose interpretation is shown
cles; whence Orpheus crieth out: I to the same dreamer in the nocturnal vision: the
fourth, which is repeated to the same dreamer,
- - - - t h o u spirit great of prophecy according to that which Joseph saith to Pharaoh,8
Dost go to souls that sleep full quietly,
And them inspire with knowledge of the but that thou hast seen the dream belonging to the
gods, same thing the second time, it is a sign of confir-
And makest them soothsay'---- mation. But that dream is most sure which is con-
cerning those things which one did meditate on,
Hence it was a custom amongst the and revolve in his mind, when he goeth to bed, as
ancients, that they who should receive answers, it is written, thou 0 King didst think upon thy
certain sacred expiations and sacrifices being bed, what should become of these things.
first celebrated, and divine worship ended, did But it is necessary, that he which inter-
religiously lie down even in a consecrated preteth other men 's dreams, hath the know ledge
chamber, or at least on the skins of the sacri- by the which he can distinguish and discern the
fices; of which ceremony Virgil makes men- similitudes of all things, and know the customs
tion 2 in these verses: of all nations, according to the laws which they
have received from God and his angels; further
----hence they sought this must be known, that there is scarce any
Answers to doubts, when gifts the priests
had brought, dream without some vanity, as no grain of corn
Here he reposed on skins of slaughtered without his chaff, which thing even the dream
sheep, of Joseph the Patriarch manifesteth; which his
And under silent night prepares to sleep. father Jacob interpreted,9 saying: what meaneth
this dream, that thou hast seen? What, shall I,
And a little after he singeth: 3 and thy mother, and thy brethren fall down and
worship thee? Which effect concerning his
----blut now
Here King Latinus oracles to know,
mother, who shortly after died, followed not.
They did a hundred choice sheep sacrifice, Also Rabbi Johenan in the forecited book,
And on their skins, and spreading fleeces lies saith these things; and also Rabbi Levi
affirmeth, that no prophetical dream can be kept
And the rulers of the Lacedemonians (as back from his effect longer than twenty-two
Cicero saith)4 were wont to lie down in the tem- years; 10 so Joseph dreamed in the seventeenth
 Of Prophetical Dreams / 635

year of his age, which was accomplished in the and the representation of the heavens being put
thirty-ninth year of his age. under his head,12 and paper being consecrated,
Therefore whosoever would receive divine his prayers being said, let him go to bed,
dreams, let him be well disposed in body, his earnestly meditating on that thing he desireth to
brain free from vapours, and his mind from per- know: so he shall see most true and certain
turbations, and let him that day abstain from dreams with the true illumination of his intellect.
supper, neither let him drink that which will ine- Whosoever therefore shaH know to join
briate, let him have a clean and neat chamber, together those things which here and there we
also exorcised and consecrated: in the which, a have delivered concerning this matter in these
perfume being made, his temples anointed, books, he shaH easily obtain the gift of oracles
things causing dreams being put on his fingers, II and dreams.

Nores-ChapreR L1
I. O,pheus crieth out- which is in the country in the neighbour-
hood of their city, for the sake of dreaming
Thee I invoke, blest power of dreams divine,
there, because they considered the oracles
Angel of future fates, swift wings are thine:
received in sleep to be true. (Cicero De
Great source of oracles to human kind,
Divinatione 1.43 [Yonge, 184])
When stealing soft, and whisp'ring to the
mind, Pasiphae was daughter of Helios and wife of
Thro' sleep's sweet silence and the gloom Minos.
of night,
Thy pow'r awake the intellectual sight; 5. temple of Aesculapius-See note 2, ch. VII, bk. III.
To silent souls the will of heav ' n relates,
And silently reveals their future fates. 6. Podalyrius-Podalirius was the son of Aescu-
("To the Divinity of Dreams." In Hymns of lapius and Epione (or Arsinoe), and the brother of
Orpheus 85 [Thomas Taylor the Platonist: Marchaon. He led the Thessalians against Troy.
Selected Writings , 290]) Returning from the war, he was cast by storm onto
the coast of Syros in Caria, where he practiced his
2. Virgil makes mention- miraculous and healing arts (see Pausanias Guide to
Greece 3.26.10). Apart from legend, nothing is
Hither the priest brings his gifts, and as
known of Syros (or Syrnos). It is not to be confused
silent night draws on, lies on a bed of skins
with the island of Syros (or Syrus) in the Aegean Sea
and woos sleep; then he sees many phan-
(present-day Siros).
toms flitting in wonderous wise, and hears
manifold voices, and enjoys the converse
7. meridian errors-Midday, or waking errors.
of the gods, and addresses the powers of
Acheron let loose through deep Avernus.
8. saith to Pharaoh-Genesis 41 :32.
Here too at this time father Latinus, com-
ing for oracular response, offered in due
9. Jacob interpreted-Genesis 37: 10.
form an hundred woolly sheep, and lay
raised on their skins and on a bed of
10. twenty-two years-There are 22 letters in the
fleeces ... (Virgil Aeneid 7, c. line 90
Hebrew alphabet, making it a mystical number of
[Lonsdale and Lee, 179])
completion or totality.
3. little after he singeth-See note 2 above.
11. put on his fingers-Presumably stones or other
substances set in rings, or symbols inscribed on
4. Cicero saith-
rings.
Moreover, the Spartan magistrates, not
content with a careful superintendence of 12. under his head-Perhaps an astrological chart for
the state affairs, went occasionally to that particular night drawn on consecrated paper.
spend a night in the temple of Pasiphae,
 CHAPTeR Ul

Of lors and maRks

possessing rhe SURe poweR of oRacles.

here are also certain lots having a Now this you must know, that the ancients

T divine power of oracles, and as it

were indices of divine judgement,
being before sought for by earnest
prayer, and sometimes commanded by God
were not wont upon every slight cause to cast
lots, but either upon necessity, or for some
advantageous end, and that not but with great
devotion, reverence, expiations, fasting, purity,
himself to be done, as is read in Leviticus con- prayers, invocations, vows, sacrifices, consecra-
cerning a goat to be offered to the Lord, and of tions, and such like sacred mysteries of religion.
the scapegoat; I and in the book of Numbers of For these sacred ordinances were wont to go
the rods of the tribes 2 of Israel. before our works, especially to procure the
Now both Moses 3 and Joshua 4 did by lots divine good wiJI, and pleasure, and the presence
in the presence of the Lord divide the lands, of the divine spirits, by whose dispensation the
and inheritances to the tribes of Israel accord- lot being directed, we may receive a true judge-
ing to the command of God. The apostles of ment of the things sought for.
Christ, prayers going before, did by lot choose Everyone therefore that works by lots, must
Matthias 5 into the place of Judas the traitor. go about it with a mind well disposed, not trou-
Jonas the prophet when he flying from the bled, nor distracted, and with a strong desire,
presence of God did sail to Tharsus, a danger- firm deliberation, and constant intention of
ous storm being raised, was by lot found out knowing that which shall be desired. Moreover
by the mariners to be the cause of the danger, he must, being qualified with purity, chastity,
and being cast into the sea, the tempest and holiness towards God, and the celestials,
ceased. 6 with an undoubted hope, firm faith, and sacred
Caesar reports? of M. Valerius Procillus. orations, invocate them, that he may be made
being taken by his enemies, concerning whom it worthy of receiving the divine spirits, and
was consulted whether he should be presently knowing the divine pleasure; for if thou shalt be
burnt, or reserved to another time, that by lot he qualified, they wiJI discover to thee most great
escaped safe. There was formerly at Bura, a secrets by virtue of lots, and thou shalt become
town of Achaia, an oracle of Hercules 8 consti- a true prophet, and able to speak truth concern-
tuted by a chessboard, where he that went to ing things past, present, and to come, of which
consult of anything, after he had prayed, cast thou shalt be demanded.
four dice, the cast of which the prophet observ- Now what we have spoken here concerning
ing, did find written in the chessboard what lots, is also to be observed in the auguries of all
should come to pass: now all such dice were discernings, viz. when with fear, yet with a firm
made of the bones of sacrifices. expectation we prefix to our souls for the sake

636
 Of Lots and Marks /637

of prophesying some certain works, or require a opened, observe the first voice he did hear from
sign, as Eleazar,9 Abraham' s countryman, and any man for a certain oracle given to him. II
Gideon, 10 judge in Israel, are read to have done. Although therefore these kinds of lots seem
There was once at Pharis, a city of Achaia, to the ignorant to be casual, or fortuitous, and to
in the middle of the market a statue of Mercury , have nothing of reason in them, yet they are dis-
where he that went to receive any omen, did, posed by God, and the higher virtues by certain
frankincense being fumed, and candles being reasons, neither they do fall beside the intention
lighted, which were set before it, and that coun- of him that moderates them. Was not the lot in
try's coin being offered on the right hand of the choosing Saul 12 to be king of Israel, thought to
statue, whisper into the right ear of the statue fall upon him casually, and fortuitously? Yet he
whatsoever he would demand, and presently his was before appointed by the Lord to be king,
ears being stopped with both his hands, did and annointed by the prophet Samuel. And God
make haste away from the marketplace, which that appointed him king, disposed of the lot that
when he was past, did presently his ears being it should fall upon him. And thus much of these.

NOLes-ChapLeR Lll
I . scapegoat-Leviticus 16:8. Herakles is the Greek name for Hercules. Bura was one
of the 12 cities of Achaia (north of Kalavrita, Pelopon-
2. rods of the tribes-Numbers 17 :2-5 . nisos). Presumably Pausanias means the dice were cast
one at a time, and the oracles written in the squares of
3. Moses-Numbers 26:55. the board upon which each landed read successively.

4. Joshua-Joshua 13 :6. 9. Eleazar-Refers to the vision of Abram, Genesis

I5-notice verse 15:2.
5. Mallhias-Acts 1:26.
10. Gideon-Judges 6: 17; 36:40.
6. tempest ceased-Jonah 1:7-15.
II . oracle given to him-
7. Caesar reports-Julius Caesar, writing of Gaius
The market-place of Pharai is an old-fash-
Valerius Procillus: "Procillus recounted how, before
ioned, big enclosure, with a stone statue of
his very eyes, the Germans had three times cast lots
Hermes in the middle that has a beard: it
to decide whether he should be burnt to death at once
stands on the mere earth, block-shaped, of
or reserved for execution later, and how he owed his
no great size. It has an inscription too, say-
life to the way the lots had fallen" (Caesar Conquest
ing it was dedicated by Simylos of
of Gaul 2.2, trans. S. A. Handford [1951] [Har-
Messene. They call it the Market Hermes
mondsworth: Penguin Books, 1967], 73). Earlier in
and it has a traditional oracle. In front of
the same chapter Caesar says that the German
the statue is a stone hearthstone, with
women cast lots to decide on a suitable time for bat-
bronze lamps stuck onto it with lead. You
tle. These lots were probably runes.
come in the evening to consult the god,
bum incense on the hearthstone, and fill up
8. oracle of Hercules-
the lamps with oil; then you light them all
On the way down from Boura towards the and put a local coin (which they call a
sea is the Boura river, with a small Hera- bronze bit) on the altar to the right of the
kles in a grotto called the Boura Herakles, god; and then you whisper in the god's ear
who gives oracles with a board and dice. whatever your question is. Then you stop
To consult the god you pray in front of the up your ears and go out of the market-
statue, and then take dice (Herakles has an place, and when you get out take your
enormous number of dice) and throw four hands away from your ears and whatever
on the table. For every throw of the dice phrase you hear next is the oracle. Pausa-
there is an interpretation written on the nias Guide to Greece 7.22.2 [Levi 1:285])
board. (Pausanias Guide to Greece 7.25.6
[Levi, 1:298-9]). 12. choosing Saul-I Samuel 10: 1, 20-7.
 CHAPTeR Llll

How he rhar will Receive

oRacles musr dispose himself.

hosoever therefore being desir- Cretensian, whom they report learned all things

W ous to come to the supreme state

of the soul, goeth to receive ora-
cles, must go to them being
chastly and devoutly disposed, being pure and
of Jupiter, whence he had frequent converse
with God in the mount Ida: 3 so also the Atheni~
ans report that Melosagora Eleusinus was
taught by the nymphs; so also we read, that
clean go to them, so that his soul be polluted Hesiod when he was a shepherd in Beotia, and
with no filthiness, and free from all guilt. He kept his flock near the mountain Helicon, had
must also so purify his mind and body as much some pens given him by the Muses, which hav-
as he may from all diseases, and passions, and ing received,' he presently became a poet,4
all irrational conditions, which adhere to it as which to become so suddenly was not of milO,
rust to iron, by rightly composing and disposing but by a divine inspiration.
those things which belong to the tranquility of For God conveying himself into holy souls,
the mind; for by this means he shall receive the makes men prophets, and workers of miracles,
truer and more efficacious oracles. being powerful in work and speech, as Plato
Now by what things the mind is purged, and and Mercurius affirm, and also Xistus 5 the
reduced into a divine purity, we must learn by Pythagorean, saying that such a man is the tem-
religion, and wisdom. For neither wisdom with- ple of God, and that God is his guest: to whom
out religion, nor religion without wisdom is to assents our Paul ,6 calling man the temple of
be approved of: for wisdom (as saith Solomon)' God; and in another place speaking of himself, I
is the tree of life to them that lay hold on it. And can do all things in him that strengtheneth me;
Lucretius saith 2 that it is the intention of God, or for he is our power, without which (as he saith)7
the breathings of God, where he sings: we can do nothing; which also Aristotle confes-
seth in his Meteors 8 and Ethics,9 saying, that
Most famous Memmius! This that god is he, there is no virtue whether natural or moral but
The prince of life, who reason, which all we by God; and in his Secrets '0 he saith that a good
Call wisdom, first found out, and who by art
The life from troubles, darkness, set apart and sound intellect can do nothing in the secrets
And freed, and unto light, and peace of nature without the influence of divine virtue.
reduced. Now we receive this influence then only,
when we do acquit ourselves from burdensome
He also understandeth that to be a divine impediments, and from carnal and terrene occu-
illustration, whence Democritus thinketh that pations, and from all external agitation; neither
there are no men wise but they that are struck can a blear or impure eye behold things too
with some divine phrensy, as was Menos that light, neither can he receive divine things who

638
 How He That Will Receive Oracles Must Dispose Himself /639

is ignorant of the purifying of his mind. Now divine things. Solomon in the dream of one
we must come to this purity of mind by degrees; night, was filled with the knowledge of all things
neither can anyone that is initiated newly unto above and below. 12 So Isaiah , Ezekiel, Daniel,
those mysteries presently comprehend all clear and the other prophets, and apostles were taught.
things, but his mind must be accustomed by For the soul (which is the common opinion
degrees, until the intellect becomes more of the Pythagoreans, and Platonists) can by way
enlightened, and applying itself to divine light, of purification, without any other study, or
be mixed with it. searching, only by an easy, and adventitious
A human soul therefore when it shall be collating on these intelligibles received from
rightly purged, and expiated, doth then, being above, acquire the perfect knowledge of all
loosed from all impurity, break forth with a lib- things knowable. It can also by an extrinsical
eral motion, and ascends upwards, receives expiation attain to this, as to understand all
divine things, instructs itself, when happily it things invisibly by its substantial form.
seems to be instructed from elsewhere; neither For the mind is purged, and expiated by
doth it then need any remembrance, or demon- cleansing, by abstinence, by penitency, by alms:
stration by reason of the industry of itself, as by and then also do thereunto conduce certain
its mind which is the head and the pilot of the sacred institutions, as shall afterward be discov-
soul, it doth, imitating by its own nature the ered. For the soul is to be cured by the study of
angels, attain to what it desires, not by succes- religions, and indeed these which are com-
sion or time, but in a moment. monly called occult, that being restored to its
For David when he had not learning, was of soundness, confirmed by truth, and fortified by
a shepherd made a prophet, II and most expert of divine graces, may not fear any rising shakings.

NOLLs-ChapLLR LIII
I . saith Solomon-Proverbs 3: 18. On holy Helicon; the goddesses
Olympian, daughters of Zeus who holds
2. Lucretius saith- The aegis, first addressed these words to
For if we ought to speak as the known dig- me:
nity of the subjects which he expounded "You rustic shepherds, shame: bellies you
requires, he [Epicurus] was a god, a god, I are,
say, 0 illustrious Memmius, who first dis- Not men! We know enough to make up lies
covered that discipline of life which is now Which are convincing, but we also have
called wisdom; and who, by the science of The skill, when we've a mind, to speak the
philosophy, placed human existence, from truth."
amid so great waves of trouble, and so So spoke the fresh-voiced daughters· of
great darkness of the mind, in so tranquil a great Zeus
condition and so clear a light. (Lucretius And plucked and gave a staff to me, a shoot
On the Nature a/Things 5, c. line 6, trans. Of blooming laurel, wonderful to see,
John Selby Watson [London: George Bell And breathed a sacred voice into my mouth
and Sons, 1901], 194). With which to celebrate the things to come
The poem is addressed by Lucretius to his friend And things that were before.
Caius Memmius Gemellus. (Hesiod Theogony lines 21-35 [Wender,
23~])
3. in the mount Ida-King Minos of Crete was said
to have been instructed in the art of lawgiving by 5. Xistus-Note 5, ch. XXXVI, bk. III.
Zeus, who was worshiped on Mount Ida in Crete.
6. Paul-See note 6, ch. XXXVI, bk. III .
4. became a poet-
The Muses once taught Hesiod to sing 7. as he saith-Philippians 4:13 .
Sweet songs, while he was shepherding his
lambs 8. Meteors-See note 19. ch. XXXVI, bk. III.
640/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

9. Ethics-See note 20, ch. XXXVI, bk. III. 11. made a prophet-I Samuel 16: 13.

10. Secrets-See note 21, ch. XXXVI, bk. III. 12. things above and below-I Kings 3:5-15.
 CHAPTeR LlV

Of cleanness, and how LO be obseRved.

e must therefore first observe We read also of the manner of this kind of

W cleanness in food, in works, in

affections, and to put away all
filthiness, and perturbations of the
mind, and whatsoever sense or spirit that offends,
washing in Hesio{}4 in his books of Works and
Days, where he sings:

None dare with hands unwashed unto love

Wine pour forth, nor unto the gods above;
and whatsoever things are in mind unlike to the
For then they do refuse for to be heard,
heavens, not only if they be in mind and spirit, Though being prayed unto>-----
but also if they be in the body, or about the body:
for such an external cleanness is believed not to And elsewhere: 5
help a little to the purity of the mind.
For this cause the Pythagorean philoso- When wicked men the rivers do pass by
phers being taken with the desire of oracles, With hands unwashed, then are the gods
divine praises being celebrated, did wash them- angry
With them, and them afflict----
selves in a river as in a bath, and did put on
white raiment and linen; for they did account
Hence in Virgil, Aeneas thus speaks 6 to his
wool a prophane clothing being the excrements
father:
of beasts, and they did inhabit in a pure cham-
ber, and altogether unspotted.' o father, take the household gods, and hold
In like manner the Bragmanni, the wise men Them in thy sacred hands; to be so bold
of the Indians, were wont to wash themselves As them to handle after so great fights
naked in a fountain, which is called Dirce in Beo- I dare not till that washed in streams most
bright.
tia,2 their heads being first annointed with amber
drops, and odours fit for that purpose; then after
It was also a custom amongst the gentiles,
they were according to custom sufficiently clean,
when they were wont to perform any holy ser-
they were to go forth about noon, clothed in
vices to the gods, to cleanse their bodies by
white linen, with a white attire, having rings on
washing; and when they were to contend with
their fingers and staves in their hands.
the infernal gods, sprinkling only did suffice.
In like manner amongst the Gymno-
Hence in Virgil, Dido ,? when she did perform
sophists 3 it was a custom to wash themselves
any solemnities to the gods, saith:
thrice in a day , and twice in the night, in cold
water, before they entered into the holy places. Cause that my sister Ann (my nurse most
They did also every day use linen garments dear):
every day newly washed. Come, and my body wash with water clear.

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And in another place where Aeneas is brought for the sight of and union with God, whilst he
in amongst the infernals bringing a bough to ministers to God with a clean body, and pure
Proserpina,8 he sings thus: mind, and delights in the cleanness of all
things, as inwards, skin, garments, houses,
The passage doth Aeneas keep, and wash utensils, oblations, gifts, and sacrifices; the
His body with fresh water'----
cleanness of all which even purifies the air,
and attracts the most pure influence of celes-
Also when he relates of Misenus to be buried,9 tial, and divine things, and allures the pure
he sings: ministers of God, and good demons: although
sometimes impure spirits, and ill demons, as
His friends he thrice did wash with water
new, the apes of the good demons, take upon them
And with an olive branch, wet in the dew, this kind of cleanness, that either they may be
He did them sprinkle---- adored, or may deceive: therefore first of all
we must observe that the mind be pure, and
Now man being made thus clean the heart pure, and then the impure powers
becomes celestial , and spiritual, and is fitted cannot ascend.

NOLes-ChapLeR LlV
I. altogether unspotted- 5. elsewhere-Ibid. c. line 739.
They also wore a white and pure garment.
6. Aeneas thus speaks-"You, my father, take in
And in a similar manner they lay on pure
your hand the sacred vessels and the household gods
and white beds, the coverlets of which
of our country. For me to handle them is a crime now
were made of thread; for they did not use
that I have come away from so bloody a strife and
woolen coverlets. (Iamblichus Life oj
from recent carnage, until I have purified myself
Pythagoras 21 [Taylor, 54])
with running water" (Virgil Aeneid 2, c. line 717-20
He [Pythagoras] likewise exhorted them [his [Lonsdale and Lee, 112]).
disciples] to abstain from such things as are
an impediment to prophesy, or to the purity 7. Dido-"Dear nurse, bring hither to me where I
and chastity of the soul, or to the habit of stand my sister Anna; tell her to haste and sprinkle
temperance, or of virtue. And lastly, he her body with river-water, and bring with her the pre-
rejected all such things as are adverse to scribed victims and propitiatory offerings; in such
sanctity, and which obscure and disturb the manner let her come: and you yourself shade your
other purities of the soul, and the phantasms brow with the sacred fillet" (ibid. 4, c. line 634-5
which occur in sleep. (ibid. 24 [Taylor, 57]) [Lonsdale and Lee, 140--1]).

2. Dirce in Beotia-Dirce, wife of Lycus, tyrant of 8. bough to Proselpina-"Aeneas gains the

Thebes in Boeotia, was tied to a bull and dragged to entrance, and sprinkles his body with fresh water,
death, then her corpse was cast into a well (or a and hangs up the bough in the threshold opposite"
spring), which afterwards bore the name Dirce's (ibid. 6, c. line 635--6 [Lonsdale and Lee, 172]).
Well (or Dirce 's Spring). The exact location of this Aeneas deposits the golden bough in the doorway of
water was a local secret in Thebes in ancient times. Pluto's palace.
How the brahmans of India came to be washing in a
fountain in Boeotia would no doubt be made clear by 9. Misenus to be buried-"He too thrice bore to his
Agrippa' s source, whatever it may be. comrades all around clear water, sprinkling them
with light dew from the branch of a fruitful olive, and
3. Gymnosophists-The naked sages of Egypt. purified the warriors, and spoke the farewell words"
(ibid. 6, c. line 229-30 [Lonsdale and Lee, 164]).
4. washing in Hesiod-Hesiod Works and Days c.
line 724.
 CHAPTeR LV

Of absrinence, fasrings, chasriry, -soliraRiness, rhe

rRanquiliry and ascenr of rhe mind.

bstinence also doth commonly fortify, corroborate their spirits by lights, and fumes,

A and defend the observers thereof

against vices, and evil demons, and
makes the mind an unpolluted temple
of God, uniting it to God. For nothing doth
and bring it to a pure and thin fineness.
We must therefore in taking of meats be
pure, and abstinent, as the Pythagorean philoso-
phers, who keeping a holy and sober table, did
more conduce to health, and temperence of the protract their life in all temperance. 5 The tem-
complexion, than not to heap together super- perance therefore of life and complexion,
fluities, and not to exceed the bounds of neces- because thereby no superfluous humour is bred,
sary food. which may dull the phantasy, makes, that our
Neither is nutriment to be taken that is too soul oftentimes dreaming, and sometimes
strong for nature, but rather let nature be watching, is always subjected to the superior
stronger than the meat, as some affirm of Christ, influences. Moreover the Pythagoreans, if any-
that he took meat in that proportion that it one doth by abstinence moderate prudently
should not breed any excrement of the third every motion of the mind, and body, promise
concoction. I Many others also taking meat spar- perpetual health of both, and long life.
ingly, enjoyed thereby health and agility of So the Bragmani did admit none to their
body, as Moses,2 and Elias,3 who fasted forty college, but those that were abstinent from wine,
days: whence his face shined, and he lifted up, from flesh, and vices, saying that none could
could easily guide his body as if it were a spirit. understand God, but they that emulate him by a
For magicians, and philosophers affirm that divine conversation: which also Phraotes in
our spirit is not as a terene thing, or body nour- Philostrates taught the lower Indians.
ished by nutriment received through certain Moreover we must abstain from all those
organs by the concoction of meat, and drink, but things which infect either the mind, or spirit, as
draws in their aliment"llike sponges through the from covetousness, and envy, which are hand-
whole body, viz. from the thin vapours pene- maids to injustice (as Hermes saith), enforcing
trating the body on all sides. Therefore they that the mind and the hand to evil practices; also
desire to have this spirit pure, and potent, let from idleness, and luxury; for the soul being
them use drier meats, and extenuate this gross suffocated with the body, and lust, cannot fore-
body with fastings, and they make it more eas- see any celestial thing. Wherefore the priests of
ily penetrable; and lest, by the weight thereof, the Athenians who are called in Greek hiero-
the spirit should either become thick, or be suf- phantae6 (as Hierom reports), that they might
focated, let them preserve the body clean by live more chastly in their sacred employments,
lotions, frictions, exercises, and c1othings, and and might follow their divine affairs without

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lust, were wont to castrate themselves by drink- when he would abstract himself from senses,
ing of hemlock. Moreover the chastity of a went into the vast wildernesses of Ethiopia,
mind devoted to God doth make our mind (as where all human affairs being laid aside, he
Orpheus teacheth Museus in the hymn of all the applied his mind to the sole contemplation of
gods? a perpetual temple of God. divine things, in which thing he so pleased the
Also we must abstain from all multitude omnipotent God, that he suffered him to see
and variety of senses, affections, imaginations, him face to face, and also gave him a wondrous
opinions, and such like passions, which hurt the power of miracles, as sacred writ testifies of
mind and pervert the judgement of reason, as him. 13 So Zoroastes the father and princ.e of the
we manifestly see in the lascivious, the envious, magicians, is said to attain to the knowledge of
and ambitious. Wherefore Cicero (in his Tuscu- all natural and divine things by the solitude of
lans' Questions)8 calls these passions the sick- twenty years,14 when he wrote, and did very
ness of the mind, and the pestiferous diseases strange things concerning all the art of divining,
thereof. But Horace calls them furies or mad- and soothsaying. The like things do the writings
ness,9 where he sings: of Orpheus to Museus declare him to have done
in the deserts of Thracia. So we read that Epi-
Girls have a thousand furies, so have boys. men ides of Crete became learned by a very long
sleep, for they say that he slept fifty years, i.e. to
The same also seems to be of opinion that have lay hid so long; 15 Pythagoras also in like
all men are fools in something. Whence is read manner to have lain hid ten years; and Heracli-
in Ecclesiasticus, there are an infinite number of tus , and Democritus for the same cause were
fools. 10 Therefore the Stoics deny that passions delighted with solitariness.
are incident to a wise man; I say such passions, For by how much the more we have relin-
which follow the sensitive apprehension: for quished the animal and the human life, by so
rational, and mental passions, they yield a wise much the more we live like angels, and God, to
man may have. This opinion did Boetius ll seem which being conjoined, and brought into a bet-
to be of, where he sings that some passions are ter condition, we have power over all things,
to be laid aside in the inquisition of truth, in ruling over all.
these verses: Now how our mind is to be separated from
an animal life, and from all multitude, and to be
If truth thou wouldst discover with clear erected, until it ascend to that very one, good,
sight, true, and perfect, through each degree of things
And walk in the right path, then from thee
knowable, and knowledges, Proclus teacheth in
quit
Joy , fear, grief, hope expel; for where his Commentaries upon Alcibiades,1 6 showing
these reign, how that first sensible things are to be shunned,
The mind is dark and bound,---- that we may pass to an incorporeal essence,
where we must exceed the order of souls yet
We must therefore acquit and avert our muitipiled by divers rules, habitudes, and vari-
minds from all multitudes,12 and such like pas- ous proportions, many bonds, and a manifold
sions, that we may attain to the simple truth; variety of forces , and to strive after an intellect,
which indeed many philosophers are said to and intelligible kingdom, and to contemplate
have attained to in the solitude of a long time. how far better these are than souls.
For the mind by solitude being loosed from all Moreover we must bear an intellectual mul-
care of human affairs is at leisure, and prepared titude, although united, and individual, and
to receive the gifts of the celestial deities. come to the superintellectual and essential unity,
So Moses the lawgiver to the Hebrews, and absolute from all multitude, and the very foun-
the greatest of prophets, and learned in all the tain of good, and truth. In like manner-we must
knowledge of the Chaldeans and Egyptians, avoid all knowledge that doth any ways distract,
 Of Abstinence / 645

and deceive, that we may obtain the most simple all composition, division, and various discourse
truth. 17 The multitude therefore of affections, being laid aside, let us, ascending to the intel-
senses, imaginations, and opinions is to be left, lectuallife, and simple sight, behold the intelli-
which in itself is as different, as some things are gible essence with individual and simple
contrary to others in any subject; and we must precepts, that we may attain to the highest
ascend to sciences, in which although there be a being of the soul, by which we are one, and
various multitude, yet there is no contrariety. For under which our multitude is united. Therefore
all are knit one to the other, and do serve one the let us attain to the First Unity, from whom there
other, under one the other, until they come to is a union in all things, through that One which
one, presupposed by all, and supposing none is as the flower of our essence: which then at
beyond it; to which all the rest may be referred. length we attain to, when avoiding all multi-
Yet this is not the highest top of knowl- tude we do arise into our very unity, are made
edges, but above it is a pure intellect. Therefore one, and act uniformly.

NOLes-ChapLeR LV
I. third concoction-The first concoction was 9. furies or madness-Horace Satires 2.3.
digestion in the stomach and intestines; the second
concoction was the transformation of the chyme 10. infinite number of fools-This seems not to be a
formed by the previous process into blood; the third specific quote, but a reference to the book Ecclesias-
concoction was secretion of such things as sweat ticus in general.
and tears. These last Burton calls "excrementitious
humours of the third concoction" (Burton Anatomy II. Boetius-Boetius Consolation of Philosophy 1.7:
of Melancholy 1.1.2.2 [1621] 1961,1:148). "The Perturbations of Passion."

2. Moses-Exodus 34:28-9. 12. multitudes-Agrippa uses this term in very much

the same way that maya is used by the Hindus and
3. Elias-I Kings 19:4-8; II Kings 2: II . Buddhists. Reality is single, uniform and unvarying.
All that is changeable, varied and multiple is there-
4. aliment-Sustenance. fore unreal, a passing illusion from the absolute per-
spective, and if we are to approach that God view,
5. in all temperance-For a description of the we also must so regard it. This is derived from Neo-
evening meal among the Pythagoreans, see platonism (see note 16 below).
Iamblichus Life of Pythagoras 21 (Taylor, 52).
13. testifies of him-Exodus 3; 33: 11.
6. hierophantae-Hierophantes was the supreme
priest of Attica and head of the Eleusinian Mysteries. 14. twenty years-Pliny mentions this 20 years in the
He was chosen for life from the hieratic family of desert, during which, he says, Zoroaster lived on
the Eumolpidae, and upon assuming his office ritu- cheese (Pliny 11.97). The Zoroastrians called this
ally cast his old name into the sea, and was thereafter retirement of their leader into the wilderness his
known only by his title. Presiding over the Myster- "journey to the throne of Ormuzd." Dio Chrysostom
ies, he declared an end to all warfare while they were writes that out of a love for wisdom and righteous-
being observed, revealed the secrets of the cult to ini- ness, Zoroaster withdrew from other men and lived
tiates, and had power to bar the entry of those he in solitude on a mountain. The mountain was con-
considered unworthy. A headband and embroidered sumed by fire, but the sage escaped injury and there-
purple robe made up his ritual apparel. after spoke to the multitude.

7. hymn of all the gods-This reference is not in the 15. lay hid so long-See note 3, ch. XLVII, bk. Ill.
hymn to Musaeus given by Taylor in his Hymns of
16. upon Alcibiades-
Orpheus. Agrippa must have another Orphic work
in mind. So, if you wish to travel by the various
ways of knowing, ... flee all the objects of
8. Tusculans' Questions-Tusculanarum disputa- sense (since they are dispersed and divided
tionum libri V. and not subject to accurate apprehension)
646/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

and lift yourself up away from these to totalities. When you have arrived there,
incorporeal being .... After the multiplicity you will have left behind all multiplicity,
in souls lift yourself up to the Intellect and you will have ascended to the very source
the realms of intelligence in order that you of the Good. (Proclus Commentary on the
may grasp the unification of things: ... First Alcibiades 248-9. In Proclus: Alcibi-
Having ascertained and been initiated into ades I . trans. W. O ' Neill [The Hague: Mar-
the knowledge of the intelligent multiplic- tinus Nijhoff, 1965], 163)
ity that is undivided and unified, proceed in
tum to another principle, and prior to the 17. most simple truth-This is the argument Agrippa
intelligent forms of being consider their was later to expound at greater length in the Vanity of
henads and the unity that transcends the the Sciences.
 CHAPTeR LVl

Of penl-cency, and alms.

Ow the greatest part of purgations is a There is as yet another sacrament of expia-

N voluntary penitency for faults: for (as

saith Seneca in Thyeste)1 he whom it
grieves that he hath offended, is in a
manner innocent. This brings to us the greatest
tion, viz. alms giving, of which as I remember I
have read very little in philosophers, but the
very truth taught us that, saying, give ye alms,
and all things shall be clean to you;6 and in
expiation, whilst it opposeth afflictings to Ecclesiasticus it is read, as water extinguisheth
delights, and purgeth out of the soul a stupid fire, so alms doth sin; 7 and Daniel taught the
joyfulness, and gives a certain peculiar power, King of Baby\on,8 that he should redeem his
reducing us to the things above. Penitency sins by alms; and the angel Raphael testifieth to
therefore is not only a mortification of vices, but Tobias ,9 because alms frees from death, and is
a spiritual martyrdom of the soul ; which with that which purgeth sins, and make us find eter-
the sword of the spirit is on all sides mortified; nallife.
now the sword of the spirit is the word of God; Hence Christ commanded us to pray to the
whence Jeremiah 2 the prophet saith, and also Father, forgive us as we forgive others, give to
Paul , writing to the Ephesians,3 cursed is he that us as we give to others; to of which he said in
withholdeth his sword from blood; and the another place, ye shall receive an hundredfold,
Psalmist sings: 4 A sword is in their lips. and shall possess eternal life. II He shall when
Therefore our cogitations, afflictions of he comes to judge the quick and the dead,
our mind, and all evils that proceed from our upbraid the wicked above all things for their
heart and mouth , must be uttered to the priest neglect of alms and works of mercy, when he
in confession, that he may according to the shall say, I was hungry, and thirsty, and ye gave
word of God judge those things; and according me neither meat, nor drink; 12 and in another
to the power granted to him by God, penitency place he speaks of the poor, what ye have done
being joined with it, may purify, and purge to anyone of them ye have done to me. 13
them, and direct them to that which is good; Which Homer also seems to be sensible of,
neither is there found in religion for the expiat- when he brings in a young man wooing, Anti-
ing heinous offences a stronger sacrament. noe,14 saying these words: Antinoe how plausi-
Hence the gods themselves (Ovid in Pontus 5 bly hast thou slain a poor begger! He shall
being witness): destroy thee if God be in heaven, for the gods
themselves being likened to strangers, and
Do often ease the pains, restore the lights
guests, go out into the whole world, overturning
Which were caught away, when that mortal
wights cities, and beholding the injuries, and wicked-
They see repenting of their sins , - - - - ness of men.

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NOLes-ChapLeR LVl

I. in Thyeste-The Thyestes is one of the tragic plays 8. King of Babylon-Daniel 4:27.

written by the Roman philosopher Seneca.
9. to Tobias-Apocryphal book of Tobit 12:9. See
2. Jeremiah-Jeremiah 48: 10. also 4:7-11.

3. to the Ephesians-Ephesians 6:17. 10. as we give to others -Matthew 6: 12.

4. Psalmist sings-Psalms 59:7. 11. possess eternal life-Matthew 19:29.

5. Ovid in Pontus- 12. neither meat, nor drink-Matthew 25:42.

I have beheld one who confessed that he
13. done to me-Matthew 25:40.
had offended the Divinity of Isis, clothed
in linen, sitting before the altars of Isis;
14. Antinoe-One of the suitors of Penelope reproves
another, deprived of his sight for a fault
Antinoos for striking Odysseus, who is disguised as a
like his, was crying, in the middle of the
beggar:
road, that he had deserved it. The inhabi-
tants of heaven rejoice that such public "Antinoos, you did badly to hit the
declarations are made, that they may prove unhappy vagabond:
by testimony how great is the extent of a curse on you, if he turns out to be some
their power. Often do they mitigate the god from heaven.
punishment, and restore the sight that has For the gods do take on all sorts of trans-
been taken away, when they see that a man formations, appearing
has truly repented of his error. (Ovid Ex as strangers from elsewhere, and thus they
Ponto I, lines 51-8 [Riley, 371]) range at large through the cities,
watching to see which men keep the laws,
6. clean to you-Luke 11 :41. and which are violent."
(Homer Odyssey 17, c. lines 483-7 [Latti-
7. alms doth sin-Apocryphal book of Ecclesiasticus more, 265]).
3:30.
 CHAPTeR LVll

Of rhose rhings which being

ourwaRdly adminisreRed conduce ro eJCpiarion.

t is believed, and it is delivered by them that very powerful in these, as well for expiating of ill

1 are skillful in sacred things, that the mind also

may be expiated with certain institutions, and
sacraments ministered outwardly, as by sacri-
fices, baptisms, and adjurations, benedictions,
spirits, as any bewitchings: also the feathers of a
lapwing being fumed, drives away phantasms.
It is wonderful and scarce credible, but that
that grave and worthy author Josephus relates it
consecrations, sprinklings of holy water, by in his history of Jerusalem, of a root of Baaras,9
annointings, and fumes, not so much consecrated so called from a place near Machernus, a town
to this, as having a natural power thus to do. of Judea, being of a yellow colour, that in the
Upon this account sulphur hath a place in night it did shine, and was hard to be taken, that
religions, to expiate ill demons with the fume it did oftentimes deceive the hands of them that
thereof. An egg also was wont to be used in went to take it, and go out of their sight, never
purgations; I hence eggs are called holy, stood still, till the urine of a menstrous woman
whence Ovid: 2 was sprinkled on it. Neither yet being thus
retained, is it pulled up without danger, but sud-
Let the old woman come, and purge the bed, den death falls upon him that draws it up, unless
And place, and bring sulphur and eggs he were fortified with an amulet of the said root;
sacred which they that want, sacrificing about the earth
In her trembling hand.- - - - do bind the root to a dog by a cord, and
presently depart: at length the dog with a great
Proclus also writes,3 that the priests in purify- deal of pains draws up the root, and as it were
ings were wont to use sulphur, and bitumen, or supplying the place of his master presently dies,
the washings of sea water: for sulphur purifies after which anyone may handle the root without
by the sharpness of its odour, and sea water by danger; the power of which is much excellent in
reason of its fiery part. expiations, as is manifest for the delivery of
In like manner the herb cinquefoil:4 where- those that are vexed with unclean spirits.
fore by reason of its purity the ancient priests did f;J"ow that these kind of matters should act
use it in purifications. 5 Also the boughs of olives: upon spiritual substances by putting them to
for these are said to be of so great purity, that they flight, or by alluring them, or mitigating them,
report that an olive tree planted by an harlot is or by inciting them, they are of no other opinion
thereby forever made unfruitful, or else withers. 6 than that the fire of Sicilia lO acts upon souls:
In like manner, frankincense, myrrh, ver- which (William of Paris being witness) not
vain, valarian, and the herb called phu 7 conduce hurting the bodies, doth most intolerably tor-
to expiation. Also the blessed clove flower; and ment the souls of them that are near. II But of
the gall of a black dogS being fumed is said to be those in part we have treated before.

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No-ces-Chap-ceR 1Vll

I. in purgations-Rotten eggs have a sulfurous smell. "According to M. Varro [De re rustica 1.2], an olive-
tree which has been licked by the tongue of the she-
2. whence Ovid-Ovid Ars Amatoria (Art of love) 2 goat, or upon which she has browsed when it was
line 329. Eggs and sulfur were used to purify the first budding, is sure to be barren" [Pliny 15.8
chambers of the sick, even the love-sick. One can eas- [Bostock and Riley, 3:291-2])
ily imagine that the lingering stench would lift them
from their melancholy. Apuleius mentions the purifi- 7. phu-Valeriana phu, the garden valerian or Cretan
cation of a ship by a priest of Isis with "a torch, an spikenard. Turner reports that it "groweth in Pontus"
egge, and sulphur" (Golden Asse ch. 47, near the end). (Herbal 1562, 2:86 [OED , s.v. Phu]). Gerard says it
"is put into counterpoisons and medicines preserva-
3. Proclus also writes- tive against the pestilence" (Gerard [1633] 1975,
2:440: 1078)
The heart of a mole is subservient to div-
ination, but sulphur and marine water to
8. black dog-The black dog is the beast of Hecate.
purification. Hence the ancient priests, by
the mutual relation and sympathy of things
9. root of Baaras-
to each other, collected their virtues into
one, but expelled them by repugnancy and ... but still in that valley which encom-
antipathy; purifying when it was requisite passes the city on the north side, there is a
with sulphur and bitumen, and sprinkling certain place called Baaras, which pro-
with marine water. For sulphur purifies, duces a root of the same name with itself;
from the sharpness of its odour; but marine its colour is like to that of flame, and
water on account of its fiery portion. (Pro- towards the evening it sends out a certain
elus De sacrificio et magia, frag., Latin ray like lightning; it is not easily taken by
trans. Marsilius Ficinus [Venice, 1497]. such as would do it, but recedes from their
Trans. Thomas Taylor, in Iamblichus On hands, nor will yield itself to be taken qui-
the Mysteries [Taylor, 346]) etly, until either the urine or a woman, or
her menstrual blood, be poured upon it;
4. cinquefoil-Pliny says about cinquefoil: "This nay, even then it is certain death to those
plant is also employed in the purification of houses" that touch it, unless anyone take and hang
(Pliny 25.62 [Bostock and Riley, 5: 123]). the root itself down from his hand, and so
carry it away. It may also be taken another
5. in purifications-Ovid gives an extensive list of way without danger, which is this: they dig
materials used for purification in the rites of the god- a trench quite round about it, till the hidden
dess Pales: part of the root be very small, they then tie
a dog to it, and when the dog tries hard to
The blood of a horse will be the fumiga-
follow him that tied him, this root is easily
tion, and the ashes of a calf; and the third
plucked up, but the dog dies immediately,
ingredient will be the stripped stalk of the
as if it were instead of the man that would
hard bean. Shepherd, purify the full sheep
take the plant away; nor after this need any
at the beginning of twilight; let the water
one be afraid of taking it into their hands.
first sprinkle them, and let the broom,
Yet after all this pains in getting it, it is
made of twigs, sweep the ground. Let the
only valuable on account of one virtue it
sheepfolds, too, be decorated with leaves
hath, that if it only be brought to sick per-
and branches fastened up, and let the long
sons, it quickly drives away those called
garland shade the ornamented doors. Let a
Demons, which are no other than the spir-
blue smoke arise from the native sulphur,
its of the wicked, which enter into men that
and let the ewe bleat aloud while rubbed
are alive, and kill them, unless they can
with the brimstone as it smokes. Burn, too,
obtain some help against them. (Josephus
rosemary, and the pitch tree, and the
Wars of the Jews 7.6.3 [Whiston, 667-8])
Sabine herbs, and let the burnt laurel
crackle in the midst of the hearth. (Ovid Gerard identifies this as the peony, and lists varia-
Fasti 4, lines 733-42 [Riley, 166]) tions of the same story found in Apuleius,
Theophrastus, Pliny and Aelianus, observing that
6. or else withers-Pliny relates another version of "the like fabulous tale hath been set forth of Man-
this folk belief concerning the purity of the olive: drake" (Gerard [1633] 1975, 2:380:983).
 Of Those Things Which Being Outwardly Administered Conduce to Expiation / 651

10. fires o/Sicilia-Volcanic Mount Aetna in Sicily. this torment was caused by invisible poisonous gases
that enveloped the unwary climbers.
11. them that are near-One might speculate that
 CHAPTeR LVlll

Of adoRarlons, and vows.

dorations, and vows, sacrifices, and repose, where he feeds upon ambrosia, and

A oblations 1 are certain degrees in sacred

things to find out God, and those
things which principally provoke the
divine pleasure, and procure a sacred and indis-
drinks nectar. Therefore they that desire to
enjoy any virtue, must pray, and supplicate
often to him who hath all virtue in himself. Now
that is the best prayer, which is not uttered in
solvable communion of God with souls; for by words, but that which with a religious silence5
prayers which we utter with true and sacred and sincere cogitation is offered up to God, and
words sensibly, and affectionately, we obtain a that which with the voice of the mind and words
great power, when by the application of them to of the intellectual world, is offered to him.
any deity we do so far move it, that he may Now a vow is an ardent affection of a
direct his speech and answer by a divine way, chaste mind given up to God, which by vowing
by which (as saith Dionysiusp God speaks with wi sheth that which seems good. This affection
men, but so occultly that very few perceive it. (as Jamh/icus,6 and Proclus testify) doth so join
But oftentimes that king and prophet David per- the soul to God, that the operation of the mind
ceives it, when he saith, I will hear what the and of God is one; viz. of God as an artificer, of
Lord will speak in me.3 the mind as a divine instrument: all antiquity
Adoration therefore being a long time con- testifies that by vows sometimes miracles are
tinued, and often frequented, perfects the intel- done, diseases are cured, tempests are diverted,
lect, and makes the soul more large for the and such like. Hence we read that the most
receiving of divine lights, inflaming divine excellent and wise in all nations, the Bragmanni
love, producing faith , hope, and sacred man- of the Indians, the magicians of the Persians, the
ners, purifieth the soul from all contrariety, and Gymnosophists of the Egyptians, the divines of
what is any away adverse to it, and doth also the Greeks,7 and Chaldeans 8 which did excell in
repel divers evils, which would otherwise natu- divine secrets, did apply themselves to divine
rally fallout. Hence Ovid sings: vows, and prayers, and thereby did effect many
wonderful things.
----with prayers moved is Jove;
I oftentimes have seen when from above
Now to the perfection of a vow, and adora-
He would send dreadful lightnings, him to be tion (for a vow cannot be perfect without an
Appeased with frankincense - - - - adoration, nor an adoration without a vow)
there are two things especially required viz:
Now man is returned to God by prayers, by First the knowledge of the thing to be
which coming he (saith Plato in Phaedrus)4 adored, and to which we must vow, and in what
stops horses, and enters into the chambers of manner, and order, and by what mediums it

652
 Of Adorations, and Vows / 653

must be worshiped; for there are various coop- which is uttered by words agreeable to him, nor
erators and instruments of God, viz. the heav- that prayer which is mental, if the mind be pol-
ens, stars, administrating spirits, the celestial luted with vice.
souls, and heros, which we must implore as Secondly there is also required a certain
porters, interpreters, administrators, mediators, assimilation of our life to the divine life, in
but first of all him, who goeth to the archetype purity, chastity and holiness, with a lawful
God, who only is the utmost term of adoration; desire of that which we wish for; for by this
the other deities are as it were passages to that means we especially obtain the divine benevo-
very God. Know therefore that adorations and lence, and are subjected to the divine bounty;
vows must with a pure and pious mind be prin- for unless we, having our minds purged, be
cipally made to that one only God, the highest worthy to be heard, and also those things which
Father, King and Lord of all the gods. But when we desire, be worthy to be done, it is manifest
they shall come before to the inferior gods, let that the gods will not hearken to our prayers;
the intention of the administration be terminated whence divine Plato saith, that God cannot be
in them. Therefore to adorations, and vows, bound by our prayers or gifts to do unjust
when they be directed to the inferior deities, things; 12 therefore let us desire nothing of God,
Zoroastes , and Orpheus thought fitting that suf- which we think uncomely to wish for: for by
fumigations and characters should be used; but this means only, we see that very many are frus-
when they are erected to the majesty of the trated of their prayers and vows, because that
supreme God, they must not in any wise; which neither they th~mselves are religiously dis-
also Hermes , and Plato forbid to be done. posed, nor are their desires and prayers made
Whence Hermes to Tatius;9 this (saith he) is for those things which are well pleasing to God,
like to sacrilege when thou prayest to God to be neither do they know to discern in what order
willing to kindle frankincense,lo and such like; they ought to pray, and through what mediators
for (saith Porphyry) they are not agreeable to they ought to go to God; the ignorance of which
piety. For there is not any material thing can be doth very oft reduce our prayers and supplica-
found, which to the immaterial God is not tions to nothing, and causeth our desires and
unclean. II Therefore neither is that prayer wishes to be denied.

NOL"cs-ChapL"CR LVlll
I . oblations-Offerings of sacrifice, devotion, or puts ambrosia before them and draught of
thanksgiving to a deity. nectar to drink. withal. (Phaedrus 247c--e
[Hamilton and Cairns, 494])
2. Dionysius-Pseudo-Dionysius the Aeropagite.
5. religious silence-"O unspeakable, unutterable, to
3. speak in me-Psalms 85:8. be praised with silence!" Divine Pymander of Hermes
Mercurius Trismegistis 2.96 (Everard [1650, 1884]
4. Plato in Phaedrus-Plato is referring to "that 1978, 17). From the prayer of Hermes. The Scott
place beyond the heavens" where: translation of this same passage is more diffuse.
... true being dwells, without colour or
shape, that cannot be touched; reason 6. Jamb/icus-See Iamblichus On the Mysteries
alone, the soul's pilot, can behold it, and 5.26 regarding the various kinds of prayer and their
all true knowledge is knowledge thereof. benefits.
... And when she [the soul] has contem-
plated likewise and feasted upon all else 7. divines of the Greeks-The Hierophants of the
that has true being, she descends again Mysteries.
within the heavens and comes back home.
And having so come, her charioteer [rea- 8. Chaldeans-In ancient times "Chaldean" denoted
son] sets his steeds at their manger, and "magician," particularly an astrologer, and it was
654 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

almost forgotten that the name referred to a geo- when it is in the mid-heaven, and that they call Kephi
graphical people. about the time of his setting" (Isis and Osiris 52. In
Moralia [Goodwin, 4:112]). Kyphi, or cyphi, was a
9. Hermes to Tatius- compound of honey, wine, raisins, cyperus, resin,
myrrh, aspalathus, seselis, mastich, bitumen, n ight-
But when they had begun to pray, Ascle-
shade, sorrel, berries of large and small juniper, car-
pius whispered, "Tell me, Tat, shall we
dam un and calamus (ibid. 80-1 [Goodwin, 136-8]).
propose to your father that we should add
The Harvard University Press translation of the
to our prayer, as men are wont to do, an
Moralia gives sweet rush in place of nightshade.
offering of incense and perfumes?" Tris-
megistus heard; and much disturbed, he
11. unclean-"For the Kosmos is one mass of evil,
said, "Hush, hush, Asclepius; it is the
even as God is one mass of good" (Corpus Her-
height of impiety to think of such a thing
meticum 6.4a [Scott, I: 169]).
with regard to Him who alone is good.
Such gifts as these are unfit for him; for he
12. unjust things-
is filled with all things that exist, and lacks
for nothing. Let us adore him rather with For the good man 'tis most glorious and
thanksgiving; for words of praise are the good and profitable to happiness of life,
only offering that he accepts." (Asclepius aye, and most excellently fit, to do sacrifice
Epilogue 41a [Scott, 1:373]. See also Cor- and be ever in communion with heaven
pus Hermeticum 5.l0b, II [Scott, 1:165]) through prayer and offerings and all man-
ner of worship, but for the evil, entirely the
10. frankincense-"Although frankincense may contrary. For the evil man is impure of
appease the Gods and the angry Divinities; still it soul, where the other is pure, and from the
must not all be given to the flaming altars" (Ovid De polluted neither good men nor God may
medicamine faciei [On the care of the complexion] ever rightly accept a gift; thus all this toil
[Riley, 494]). Of the Egyptian offerings of incense taken with heaven is but labour thrown
that Hermes condemns in the case of the Supreme away for the impious though ever season-
Deity, Plutarch writes: "Moreover, they offer incense able in the pious. (Plato Laws 4.716d-e
to the sun three times a day; resin at his rising, myrrh [Hamilton and Cairns, 1307-8])
 CHAPTeR LlA

Of sacRifices and oblarions,

and rhelR Kinds and manneRS.

sacrifice is an oblation which is both ing peace; others praising for the freeing from

v\j holy by offering, and sanctifieth and

maketh holy the offerer, unless either
Irreverence or some other sin be an
some evil; and for the bestowing of some good
thing; others gratulatory, for divine worship and
thanksgiving; but some sacrifices are made nei-
impediment to him; therefore these sacrifices ther for the honour of God, nor out of good will,
and oblations do yield us much hope, and make of which sort was that amongst the Hebrews,
us of the family of God, and do repel from us called the sacrifice of jealousy, which was made
many evils hanging over our heads, which the only for the detecting of occult adultery.
doctors of the Hebrews do especially confirm, There was in times past amongst the gentiles
saying by this that as we kill our living crea- the sacrifice of expiation, by the which cities
tures, and dissipate our wealth by sacrifice, we were purged from famine, pestilence, or some
tum away mischiefs which do hang over us. horrible calamity; whose rites were to search out
For as this mortal priest sacrificeth in this the most wicked man in that ci ty, and to lead him
inferior world the soul of irrational creatures to to the place appointed carrying in his hands a
God, by the separating of the body from the cheese and wafers and dry figs; afterwards to
soul: so Michael the archangel, the priest of the whip him seven times with rods, and then to bum
higher world, sacrificeth the souls of men, I and him to ashes with the same rods, and to cast the
this by the separation of the soul from the body, ashes into the sea; of these Lycophron and Hip-
and not of the body from the soul, unless per- ponax make mention; neither doth Philostratus
chance, as it happeneth in fury, rapture, ecstasy relate things much different from these, concern-
and sleep, and such like vacations of the soul, ing Apollonius of Tyana while he chased away
which the Hebrews call the death of the body. the pestilence from Ephesus.
But sacrifices and oblations are first of all Moreover there were many kind of sacri-
and principally to be offered up to the most high fices and offerings, as Agonalia,2 Dapsa,3 Far-
God; but when they are to be directed to the sec- redtiones, Hecatombe,4 Hostia,5 Hyacinthia,6
ondary divine powers, this ought to be done even Armilustra,7 ianualia,8 Lucalia, Lupercalia,9
as we have spoken concerning prayers and vows. Munychia,IO Novendinalia, II Nyctiluca, Pala-
But there are many kinds of sacrifices: one tialia, Pastil/aria, Popularia, Protervia,
kind is called a burnt offering, when the thing Scenopegia, Solitaurilia, Stata, Rubigalia, 12
sacrificed was consumed by fire; another, is an Fontanalia,13 Ormia, Parentalia,14 Injeriae,l5
offering of the effusion of blood; moreover there Consualia,16 Lampteria, Amburbia,17 Ambar-
are salutiferous sacrifices which are made for the valia,18 Vinalia,19 Thyia,20 Holocaustomata,21
obtaining of health; others pacifying for obtain- Orgia,22 Latialia,23 Dianetaurica,24 Bacchana-

655
656/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

lia,25 Trieterica, Uberalia ,26 Cocytia, Cere- instituted by the most high physician; for the
alia,27 Thesmophoria,28 Adonia,29 Teonia, evil spirit possesseth a man (as Proclus saith)
Laurentalia,30 OpaliaY Palilia,32 Quirinalia,33 even until he be expiated by sacrifices; therefore
Vertumnalia,34 Gynaecia, Panathenea,35 Quin- sacrifices are required to pacify God and the
quatria,36 Diapalia,37 Diasia,38 Horma, heavenly powers, and to expiate a man, who
Hormea, Nemea ,39 Mytriaca,40 Palogygia. beareth the image both of God and the world.
And the offerings of these were proper and But our lord Jesus Christ the true high
divers; for a goat and an ass were sacrificed to priest concluded all sacrifices in bread and wine
Bacchus, a sow to Ceres, an horse to the Sun, only, as in the primary substance of man's meat,
an hart and dogs to Diana, an ass to Priapus, a needing further the offering up of no animals,
goose to Isis , a dunghill COCk41 to the Night, a nor other things, or the effusion of blood, in
shegoat to Faunus, a bull to Neptune, a shegoat which we may be cleansed, being perfectly
to Minerva , a bull to Hercules, a child42 to Sat- cleansed in his blood.
urn , a sow with pigs to Maja,43 a cock to Aes- There were also amongst the Egyptians six
culpaius: moreover they did sacrifice to hundred sixty-six 49 kinds of sacrifices; for they
Hercules Gnidius with scoldings and railings. did appoint divine honours, and holy sacrifices
There were also divers orders of priests, to each star, and planet, because they were
as High Priests, Flamines,44 Archifiamines,45 divine animals partaking of an intellectual soul
Phylades, Salians,46 Hierophantes;47 and and a divine mind; whence they say that the stars
divers names of religions, and superstitions, being humbly prayed unto, do hear our prayer,
and sacrifices, ceremonies, feasts, consecra- and bestow celestial gifts, not so much by any
tions, dedications, vows, devotions, expia- natural agreement, as by their own free will.
tions, oaths, offerings, satisfactory works'; by And this is that which lamblicus saith,50
the which the seduced gentiles did sacrifice to that celestial bodies, and the deities of the world
false gods and devils. have certain divine and superior powers in
But the true sacrifice, which purgeth any themselves, as also natural and inferior, which
man, and uniteth him to God, is twofold; one Orpheus calls the keys to open and shut;51 and
which the high priest Christ offered for the that by those we are bound to the fatal influ-
remission of sins, purifying all things by the ences, but by these to loose us from fate.
blood of his cross; the other, by the which a Whence if any misfortune hang over anyone
man offereth up himself clean, unspotted, for a from Saturn, or from Mars, the magicians com-
living sacrifice to God, as Christ the high mand that he must not forthwith fly to Jupiter,
priest offered himself, and taught us to be or Venus, but to Saturn or Mars themselves. So
offered together with him, as he was offered, that Apuleian Psyche who was persecuted by
saying of the sacrament of his body, and Venus for equaling her in beauty, was forced to
blood, do this in remembrance of me;48 viz. importune for favour, not from Ceres, or Juno,
that we should offer ourselves together, being but from Venus herself. 52
mortified by the passion of his mortal body, Now they did sacrifice to each star with the
and quickened in spirit. things belonging to them; to the Sun with solary
Of the which Porphyry saith, let us labour things, and its animals, as a laurel tree, a cock, a
to offer up holiness of life for a sacrifice; for no swan, a bull; to Venus with her animals, as a
man can be a good priest of God, but he which dove, or turtle, and by her plants, as vervain; as
bringeth forth himself for a sacrifice, and Virgil sings:
buildeth up his own soul, as it were for an
image, and doth constitute both his mind, and ----water bring out
With garlands soft, the altar round about
understanding for a temple in the which he may
Compass, and burn fat boughs and frankin-
receive the divine light; but eternal sacrifices (as cense
Heraclitus saith) are certain cures of the soul, That's strong and pure----
 Of Sacrifices and Oblations / 657

Moreover the magicians when they made But for the gods that rule the sea thou must
any confection either natural, or artificial, Thy sacrifices lay on the sea coasts,
And on the waves cast the whole animal.
belonging to any star, this did they afterward
But to the deities celestial
religiously offer, and sacrifice to the same star, Give the extreme parts, and them consume
receiving not so much a natural virtue from the with fire;
influence thereof being opportunely received, What then remains thou mayest if thou
as by that religious oblation receiving it desire
Eat up, and let the air with vapours thick
divinely confirmed and stronger. For the obla- And sweet smelling dropf-----
tion of anything, when it is offered to God after
a right manner, that thing is sanctified by God These doth Porphyry make mention of in
by the oblation as is a sacrifice, and is made his book of Answers,55 to whom the rest assent.
part thereof. For they say that these sacrifices are certain nat-
Moreover to the celestial and etherial gods ural mediums betwixt the gods and men; which
white sacrifices were offered; but to the terres- Aristotle affirming saith, that to sacrifice to God
trial or infernal, black: but to the terrestrial upon is in a man naturally. They are therefore they
the altars, but to the infernal in ditches; to the aer- say, mediums , which favour of the nature of
ial and watery, flying things: but to these white, both, and represent divine things analogically,
to those black.53 Finally, to all the gods and and have with the deity to whom they are
demons besides terrestrial and infernal, flying offered, certain convenient analogies, but so
things were offered, but to those only four-footed occult that a man's understanding can scarce
animals, for like rejoiceth in like. Of these only conceive of them , which God, and the deities
which were offered to the celestial, and etherial, require in particular for our expiation , with
it is lawful to eat, the extreme parts 54 being which the celestial virtues are pleased, and
reserved for God, but of the other not. withhold themselves from execution of the pun-
Now all these the oracle of Apollo hath ishment which our sins deserve.
expressed in these verses: And these are (as Orpheus calls them) keys
which open the gate of the elements,56 and the
A threefold sacrifice to the gods above,
White must be slain for them; for them heavens, that by them a man may ascend to the
below supercelestials; and the intelligences of the
Threefold also, but black for them; withal heavens, and the demons of the elements may
With open altars gods celestial descend to him.
Are taken, when the infernal gods require Now men that are perfect, and truly reli-
Pits embrued with black blood, and filled
with mire; gious need them not, but only they, who (saith
And are not pleased but with a sacrifice Trismegistus)57 being fallen into disorder, are
That 's buried; but of the air the deities made the servants of the heavens and creatures;
Delight in honey, and in wines most clear, who because they are subjected to the heavens,
And that on altars kindled be the fire, therefore think they may be corroborated by the
Require, with flying sacrifice, and white:
favour of the celestial virtue, until they flying
But of the Earth the deities delight
That earthly bodies should with frankincense higher be acquitted from their presidency, and
And wafers offered be in reverence. become more sublime than they.

NOL"cs-ChapL"CR L17\.
I. souls of men-It is Michael who weighs souls in a honor of various divinities. See Ovid Fasti I, lines
great scale at the final judgement. 317-36.

2. Agonalia-Ancient Roman festivals celebrated 3. Dapsa-Latin: daps-a magnificent banquet on

January 9, March 17, May 21 and December II in the occasion of a sacrifice.
658/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK m

4. Hecatombe--Originally a Greek festival to Apollo 12. Rubigalia-Robigalia, a Roman festival cele-

that took place in the midsummer month of brated on April 25 to avert mildew (robigo) from
Hekatombaion, consisting of the mass sacrifice of a blighting the crops. A procession left the city through
hundred oxen. As early as the time of Homer the the Flaminian gate, crossed the Milvian bridge and
word was used more generally to signify any numer- stopped at the fifth milestone on the Via Claudia,
ous sacrifice, and in this sense was practiced by the where a dog and a sheep were sacrificed to the god-
Romans also. dess (or god) Mildew . Ovid says the sacrifices took
place in "the grove of ancient Mildew," that the par-
5. Hostia-Latin: hostia-a sacrifice. ticipants wore white, and that the entrails of the dog
and sheep were cast into a fire by the flamen quiri-
6. Hyacinthia-The death of Hyacinthus, the beautiful nalis (see note 44 below) along with wine and
youth accidentally killed by Apollo, was celebrated at incense (Fasti 4, lines 905-42). Columella adds the
his native city of Amyclae with the Hyacinthia, the gruesome detail that the dog was a sucking puppy,
second most important of the Spartan festivals. It was and Pliny says the festival was first instituted by
observed sometime in early summer during the Spar- Numa in the 11 th year of his reign.
tan month Hecatombeus and lasted three days, the tone
of the rites passing from mourning to rejoicing. 13 . Fontanalia-Roman festival celebrated on Octo-
ber 13 in honor of Fontus, son of Janus, during which
7. Armilustra-The Armilustrium (purification of fountains were adorned with garlands. The name of
arms) was celebrated on October 19 in honor of Mars the god indicates his nature, the personification of
and the 12 Salii Palatini, the dancers of Mars. On this flowing waters (fons).
date the 12 ancilia, or sacred shields, were displayed,
one of which was supposed to have fallen from 14. Parentalia-A Roman public state festival for
heaven during the reign of King Numa. honoring the dead, or as Ovid more accurately puts
it, "for propitiating the ghosts, " lasting February
8. Janualia-Perhaps the festival of Janus, cele- 13-21. The last day bore the name "Feralia." During
brated at Rome on January 1. The name of this festi- the term of the festival all temples remained closed,
val may have been displaced by the Agonium of magistrates put off their insignia of office and mar-
January 9 (see note 2 above) and seems not to be riage ceremonies were forbidden. See Ovid Fasti 2,
known to modem writers. . lines 533-70.

9. Lupercalia-Roman festival celebrated on Febru- 15. Inferiae-The inferi were the gods of the under-
ary 15 with the sacrifice of a goat, or goats, and a world. The word was also used more generally to
dog, at the cave called the Lupercal, located below describe any being in Hades, including all departed
the western comer of the Palatine, chief of the seven souls.
hills of ancient Rome. After the sacrifice youths clad
only in a girdle made of the skin of the victims ran 16. Consualia-The festival in honor of the ancient
around the Palatine lashing whomever they met, but Italian god of agriculture Cons us was celebrated at
mainly women, with strips of goat skin. It appears to Rome on August 21 and also on December 15. On
have been a combined fertility rite and the propitia- the first date theflamen quirinalis and the Vestal Vir-
tion of a wolf deity. gins offered sacrifice, and mule races were held in
the Circus. Horses and mules received rest from work
10. Munychia-A fortified hill on the peninsula of and were crowned with garlands. Various rustic
Piraeus near Athens. At its foot lay a harbor of the amusements, such as running on oil-slicked ox hides,
same name, the most easterly of three harbors that took place. The festival was believed to have been
served Athens. On the Munychia stood the temple of instituted by Romulus.
Artemis Munychia, in which those accused of crimes
against the state of Athens might seek refuge. The 17. Amburbia-The Amburbium was a solemn pro-
festival of this Moon goddess, called the Munychia, cession of the people around the city of Rome per-
was celebrated in the Athenian month of Munychion formed in times of great danger to avert calamity.
(April) with the ritual sacrifice of a fawn dressed up
as a girl. 18. Ambarvalia-Roman festival to protect crops
that was observed May 29. An ox, a sheep and a pig
II. Novendinalia-The Novendiale was a feriae (called suovetaurilia) intended for sacrifice to Ceres
imperativae, a Roman festival appointed by the sen- were first led around the Roman lands by the Fratres
ate, magistrates, or priests to commemorate some Arvales (Arval Brothers), a priesthood of 12 mem-
great event or to avert disaster. The Novendiale was bers. As the ager Romanus increased in size, this pro-
observed whenever stones fell from heaven. cession was discontinued.
 Of Sacrifices and Oblations / 659

19. Vinalia-A Roman festival dedicated to Jupiter 28. Thesmophoria-Ancient Greek festival cele-
in his office as protector of wine. It had two parts, the brated by women only in honor of Demeter, on differ-
Vinalia rustica, celebrating the harvest of the grapes ent dates in different city-states. At Athens it was
on August 19, and the Vinalia urbana, observed on observed October 24-26. Women abstained from sex
April 21 , the official birthday of Rome, when the with their husbands for nine days prior to the rites and
wine made from the harvest of the previous autumn slept in beds strewn with agnus castus, pine boughs or
was first tasted. other magical plants. Pigs were cast down into pits or
natural chasms supposed to be filled with poisonous
20. Thyia-A Greek festival dedicated to Dionysus, serpents. After three days of ritual purification certain
celebrated each year in the neighborhood of the city women called Drawers (antletriai) descended into the
of Elis . Thyia, daughter of Castalius (or Cephisseus), pits, frightened the serpents away by clapping their
was the first to offer sacrifice to Dionysus. The Thyi- hands, and brought up some of the decaying swine
ades, frenzied female devotees of Dionysus, were flesh. Whoever obtained a bit of this flesh from its
supposed to derive their name from her. place on the altar of Demeter and sowed it with seed
in the fields was assured of a good crop.
21. Holocaustomata-Holocaust is a Greek word
meaning "wholly bumt"; that is, a sacrificial offering 29. Adonia-Annual festivals in honor of Adonis
completely consumed by fire. held at Byblus, Alexandria, Athens and other places.
At Alexandria images of Adonis and Aphrodite were
22. Orgia-Noctumal festival of Dionysus in which placed together in mock union surrounded by the
the Bacchae women tore a bull to pieces and ate its fruits of the season, costly perfumes and cakes made
raw flesh beneath the flickering light of torches. The in the shape of living things. The next day women
word was generally used to designate any rite of with dishevelled hair and bared breasts cast the
Dionysus, particularly the triennial festival that took image of Adonis into the sea and sang a prayer for a
place atop Mount Cithaeron . See Virgil Aeneid 4, good year. This ceremony, along with the one at
line 302. Athens, took place late in summer; the one at Byblus
was conducted in the spring.
23. Latialia-Theferiae Latinae was celebrated each
year on the Alban Mount in honour of Jupiter Latialis 30. Laurentalia-More properly Larentalia, a Roman
(or Latiaris), the protecting god of the region of festival honoring Acca Larentia on December 23.
Latium. During the days of its observation a sacred Various stories are told of this woman. She is said to
truce was observed, and the entire senate of Rome, have suckled Romulus and Remus; or to have been
along with the higher magistrates, took part in the won by Hercules in a game of dice, and to have
rites, which were presided over by one of the consuls. bequeathed to Rome the vast fortune of her dead hus-
The date of its celebration varied with political cir- band, the wealthy Etruscan Tarutius, whom Hercules
cumstances, because of the truce that accompanied it. had advised her to marry; or to have been the mother
of the Lares, with whom she was closely connected.
24. Dianetaurica-Festival of the Tauric Artemis See Ovid Fasti 3, lines 55-8.
(Artemis Taurica), to whom in Taurus all strangers
shipwrecked on the coast were sacrificed. When the 31 . Opalia-Roman festival held toward the close of
goddess was brought to Attica, and worshiped at December.
Sparta, the rite was softened so that young men were
only scourged until their blood spattered the altar. 32. Palilia-More correctly Parilia, a Roman festi-
val celebrated on April 21 in honor of the Italian
25. Bacchanalia-The Latin name for the Dionysiac goddess Pales, keeper of the flocks. On this date
Orgia. See note 22 above. shepherds asked for forgiveness of their accidental
profanation of holy places and leaped three times
26. Liberalia-Fertility festival observed on March across a bonfire of hay. See also note 19 above con-
17 in honour of the Italian deity Liber Pater, identified ceming this date.
by the Romans with Dionysus. Cakes of meal, honey
and oil were offered to the god. Youths laid aside their 33. Quirinalia-Roman festival of February 18 in
boys' togas (toga praetexta) and adopted men's togas honor of Quirinus, the name first given to Romulus
(toga libera). See Ovid Fasti 3, lines 713-9\. after he was raised to the rank of a divinity.

27. Cerealia-Roman festival of April 12-19 in 34. Vertumnalia-Roman festival honoring the Etr-
honor of Ceres, during which games were held. See uscan god Vertumnus (or Vortumnus) on August 23.
Ovid, Fasti 4, lines 393--620, which is the finest pas- He was a god of growing vegetation, and the festival
sage in this work. marked ~he change of seasons.
660 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

35. Panathenea-Athenian festival in honor of Athena 44. Flamines-A group of 15 priests at Rome, 3
Polias held on Hecatombaeon 28-29 (around the mid- Greater and 12 Lesser. Each was assigned to oversee
dle of August). There was a Lesser Panathenaea held the cult of a particular god. Two of the Lesser
every year and a Greater Panathenaea held every fourth Flamines are unknown, bu\ the others are:
year. In earliest times there was a great procession in
Greater
which a statue of Athena was ritually robed in a saf-
fron-colored garment called a peplus. In later times the Flamen God
festival included gymnastic games, a music contest, Dialis Jupiter
and an equestrian contest. A large host of animals gath- Martialis Mars
ered from all parts of the empire was sacrificed. Qujrinalis Quirinus
Lesser
36. Quinquatria-Roman festival in honor of Minerva Flamen God
held March 19-23, so called because it fell on the fifth VoIturnalis Voltumus
day following the Ides of March. In later times the fes- Palatualis Pales
tival occupied five days, the last four being devoted to Furinalis Furrina
gladitorial shows. There was a Lesser Quinquatrus on Floralis Flora
June 13-14 celebrated chiefly by flute players. See Falacer Falacer
Ovid Fasti 3,lines 809-50 and 6, lines 651-710. Pomonalis Pomona
Volcanalis Volcanus
37. Diapa/ia-Diipolia, a sacrifice of an ox to Zeus Ceria lis Ceres
Polieus held on the Acropolis at Athens each year in Carmentalis Carmentis
June. The priest who killed the ox fled and remained Portunalis Portunus
in ritual exile for a prescribed period; the ax used was
tried, condemned and thrown into the sea; and the 45. Archijlamines-The three Greater (maiores)
hide of the ox was stuffed with hay, yoked to a plow, Flamines. See note 44 above.
and treated as though it were alive. See Pausanias
Guide to Greece 1.24.4. 46. Salians-The Salii, two groups each made up of
12 dancing priests of Mars. They were of noble
38. Diasia-Greek festival of Zeus held in February . birth, wore military dress and carried the sacred
shields (ancilia) of Mars. At the Quinquatrus (March
39. Nemea-Nemea was a valley in Argolia where 19) and the Armilustrium (October 19), which
Hercules was fabled to have killed the Nemean lion. marked the beginning and end of the military cam-
There was a large temple of Zeus Nemeus there sur- paign season, they went in procession through Rome
rounded by a sacred grove in which the Nemean performing acrobatic ritual dances and singing in an
games were held every second year. The prize of the ancient lost dialect. The Salii Palatini (see note 7
games was a crown of wild celery. above) were always connected with Mars, but the
Salii Collini (or Agonenses) may have originally
40. Mytriaca-Perhaps the Matralia, a Roman festi- been attached to Quirinus.
val celebrated on June II in honor of the Italian deity
Mater Matuta, goddess of the dawn, who was in early 47. Hierophantes-See note 6, ch. LV, bk. III.
times associated with childbirth. Only married
women were admitted to her rites, and none that had 48. remembrance of me-Luke 22: 19.
married more than once was permitted to crown her
statue with garlands. In later times this goddess was 49. six hundred sixty-six-It is surely no coincidence
associated with the sea and navigation. that this is the number of the Beast of Revelation 13: 18.

41. Dunghill cock-The common barnyard fowl, as 50. lamblicus saith-HFor the Gods, indeed, dissolve
opposed to the gamecock. fate; but the last natures which proceed from them,
and are complicated with the generation of the world
42. child-There was a tradition that in earliest times and with body, give completion to fate" (Iamblichus
human sacrifices were made to Saturn. On the Mysteries 8.7 [Taylor, 309]). On the subject
of binding to, and loosing from, Fate, see sec. 8, chs.
43. Maja-Maia was worshiped at Rome. Sacrifice 6-8 of this work in their entirety.
was offered to her on May I by a priest of Vulcan,
which led to her being regarded by some as Vul- 51. keys to open and shut-Keys were the symbol of
can's wife. In later times she was confused with Pluto, as Pausanias mentions in his Guide to Greece
Maia, daughter of Atlas. She was also called by the 5.20.3. Perhaps Agrippa alludes to the Orphic hymn
name Majesta. to Pluto:
 Of Sacrifices and Oblations / 661

Earth's keys to thee, illustrious king belong, and since they had no wine to pour on the
Its secret gates unlocking, deep and strong. burning offerings,
(Hymns of Orpheus 17 [Thomas Taylor the they made a libation of water, and roasted
Platonist: Selected Writings, 233]) all of the entrails;
but when they had burned the thigh pieces
52. Venus herself-The mortal girl Psyche excited and tasted the vitals,
the jealousy of Venus, who for spite ordered her son they cut all the remainder into pieces and
Cupid to cause Psyche to fall in love with the lowest spitted them.
and ugliest man on Earth. Instead, Cupid fell in love (Odyssey 12, lines 359-65 [Lattimore, 194])
with her himself. They lived happily in secret for a
time, but through curiosity Psyche violated the trust 55. book of Answers-De philosophia ex oraculis
of her lover and he left her. She wandered incon- hausta. many oracles from which are quoted by
solable and at last found herself a prisoner in the Eusebius in his Prceparatio evangelica, bk. 21.
palace of Venus, where she was tormented. Bravely
she persevered through all her ordeals. Jupiter took 56. gate of the elements-See note 51 above.
pity on her, restored her to Cupid, and made her
immortal. The tale is charmingly told by Apuleius in 57. saith Trismegistus-Perhaps this passage is
ch. 22 of The Golden Ass. intended:
If then the rational part of a man 's soul is
53 . to these white , to those black-That is, to the airy
illuminated by a ray of light from God, for
gods white birds, to the watery gods black birds.
that man the working of the daemons is
brought to naught; for no daemon and no
54. extreme parts-The thigh bones were burned in
god has power against a single ray of the
sacrifice to the gods, as Homer describes:
light of God. But such men are few indeed;
When they had made their prayer and and all others are led and driven, soul and
slaughtered the oxen and skinned them, body, by the daemons, setting their hearts
they cut away the meat from the thighs and and affections on the workings of the dae-
wrapped them in fat, mons. (Corpus Hermeticum 16.16 [Scott,
making a double fold, and laid shreds of 1:271]
flesh upon them;
 CHAPTeR LA.

Whar impRecarions, and Rires rhe anClenrs

weRe wonr ro use in sacRifices, and oblarions . .

let us see what imprecations they commodity. Also, as the blood of this animal is

N
OW
did join to oblations and sacrifices; for poured forth out of its body, so let all vice and
he that did offer any sacrifice to God, uncleanness flow out from me.
did say these, or the like things: I thy In sacrifices laid on the altar to be burnt, it
servant do offer and sacrifice these things to thee; was said, as this oblation is consumed by this
I confess that thou art the author of all sanctity, present fire, so that nothing remains of it; so let
and I call upon thee to sanctify this oblation, that all evel be consumed in me, or let such or such
thou wouldst pour upon it the virtue of thy high an evil which we would repel and avoid be
and excellent spirit, that by it we may obtain consumed.
what we ask for. Moreover also as this thing pre- It was also a custom when imprecation was
sent by any oblations is made thine, as to live, or made, to touch the altar with the hands of all
die to thee, so also let me be made thine who by those for whom such a sacrifice was made, or of
this oblation, and communion, by this thing them who did desire to be partakers of it,
which I come to offer, and sacrifice to thee, pro- because prayer only cannot prevail, unless he
fess to be one of thy family, and worshippers. that prays toucheth the altar with his hands;
Besides in offerings it was said, as that ani- whence in Virgil:'
mal is in my power to be slain, if I pleased, or to
be saved: so it is in thy power to take away in Those that in these words pray, and altar
wrath, or to give in love that which we desire. touch
The omnipotent doth hear·- - - -
Lastly, when for expiation, or the avoiding
of any evil, any sacrifice was to be made, it was And elsewhere:2
said, as that animal dies in my hand, so die all
vice in me, also all uncleanness; or so let die I touch the altars, and the middle fires,
and be annihilated such or such an evil, or dis- And the deities beseech.

No-ces-Chap-ceR LA.
I. whence in Virgil-The Aeneid 4, lines 219-20. 2. and elsewhere-The Aeneid 12, line 20 I.

662
 CHAPTeR L"l

How rhese rhings musr be

peRfoRmed, as ro CJod, SO ro infeRioR deiries.

e very adoration therefore, oblation, or

sacrifice, deprecation, invocation, are
differenced thus, viz. either because
they are made to God only, or to infe-
rior deities, as angels, stars, heros. In these
therefore such rules are to be observed:
presages, and revelations, besides the propheti-
cal dreams of Jacob, II Joseph,12 Pharaoh,I3
Daniel, 14 Nebuchadnezzar,15 in the Old Testa-
ment, and the Revelation of John, 16 Paul,17 in
the New; also of holy magicians, as Helen, Con-
stantine l8 and Charles; 19 also of later prophets,
That when any prayer is to be offered to as Methodius,2O Cyril/us,21 Joachim, Merlin,22
God alone for the obtaining of any effect, it Brigitta, Mechtindis, Hildegardis, the deities of
must be done with the commemoration of some . whom being piously invocated, render us often-
work, miracle, sacrament, or promise, taken times partakers of divine revelations.
somewhere out of Scripture; as if there be a Moreover we must invocate the sacred
deprecation made for the destruction of ene- names of God, but those especially, which are
mies, let it be commemorated that God significative of the thing desired, or any way
destroyed the giants in the deluge l of waters, applicable to it; as for the destruction of enemies
and the builders of Babel 2 in the confusion of we must invocate the name of God's wrath, of
tongues, Sodom and Gomorrah 3 in raining of the revenge of God, fear of God, justice of God,
fire, the host of Pharaoh4 in the Red Sea, and the fortitude of God: but for the avoiding of any
like; adding to those some malediction out of danger we must invocate the names of pity,
the Psalms, or such as may be gathered out of defense, salvation, goodness, and the like.
other places of Scripture. Moreover we must petition for and to the
In like manner when we are to deprecate effectors of the thing desired, viz. such an angel,
against dangers of waters, let us commemorate star, or hero on whom that office lies, but
the saving of Noah in the flood, 5 the passing of observing that our invocation on them must be
the children of Israel through the Red Sea,6 and made with due number, weight, and measure,
Christ walking dryshod upon the waters,7 and and according to the rules delivered concerning
saving a ship from shipwreck,8 commanding the enchantments. For betwixt these there is no dif-
winds and waves,9 and lifting up Peter lO sinking ference, but that enchantments are such as affect
in the waves of the sea, and such like. our mind, disposing the passions thereof into a
But if a prayer be necessary for obtaining conformity to certain deities; but prayers are
oracles, or dreams, whether it be to God, angels, such as are exhibited to any deity by way of
or heros, there are many places offer themselves worship, and veneration; imd from the same
out of the Old Testament, where God is said to root also may the manner of consecrations be
talk with men, promising in very many places taken, of which we shall in the next place speak.

663
664/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

Nores-ChapreR LAl

I. giants in the deluge~enesis 6:4-7, 16. Revelation of fohn-Revelation 1:10.

2. builders of Babel~enesis 11:5-7. 17. Paul-II Corinthians 12: 1-4.

3. Sodom and Gomorrah~enesis 19:24. 18. Constantine-The Emperor Constantine dreamed

a vision of Saint Nicholas, who told him that three
4. host of Pharaoh-Exodus 14:28. men about to die on a charge of necromancy were
innocent, and that if they were not released war
5. Noah in the flood~enesis 8: 1. would desolate the land. Constantine set them free .
He also dreamed of Christ, who appeared with a
6. through the Red Sea-Exodus 14:22. cross in his hand and ordered the ruler to have a stan-
dard made like it. See note I, ch. XXXI, bk. III.
7. dryshod upon the waters-Matthew 14:25.
19. Charles-Perhaps Charlemagne, who is fabled to
8. ship from shipwreck-Matthew 8:23-6. be not dead, but merely asleep.

9. winds and waves-Matthew 8:26; 14:32. 20. Methodius-Methodius the Martyr wrote about
the Seven Sleepers. See note 19, ch. LVIII, bk. I.
10. lifting up Peter-Matthew 14:31.
21. Cyrillus-Saint Cyril, who shortly after his inau-
11. faco~enesis 28 :12-5. guration (9 AM, May 7, 368 AD) saw a flaming cross
in the sky over Jerusalem that persisted for several
12. foseph~enesis 37:5-10. hours and was brighter than the sun. He wrote of this
phenomenon to the Emperor Constantine, saying it
13. Pharaoh~enesis 41:17-24. was visible to the entire city, and gave proof of the
Christian doctrine.
14. Daniel-Daniel 2:19; 7; 8.
22. Merlin-In addition to his prophetic powers,
15. Nebuchadnezzar-DanieI2:31-5; 4:10-7. Merlin is another of those said not to be dead, but
merely asleep. See note 9, ch. XIX, bk. III.
 CHAPTeR LAll

Of consecRarions, and rheiR manneR.

onsecration is a lifting up of experi- And of these we shall now give some

C ments, by which a spiritual soul, being

drawn by proportion and conformity,
is infused into the matter of our works
according to the tradition of magical art rightly
examples, by which a way easily may be laid
open to the whole consideration of it.
So in the consecrating of water there is this
commemoration made, viz. because God placed
and lawfully prepared, and our work is vivified the firmament in the middle of waters;2 because
by the spirit of understanding. The efficacy of in the middle of the earthly paradise he made a
consecrations is perfected by two things espe- holy fountain, from which through four rivers the
cially, viz. the virtue of the person himself con- whole Earth is watered;3 because he made the
secrating, and the virtue of the prayer itself. waters an instrument of his justice, in the destruc-
In the person himself is required holiness tion of the giants, by the general deluge over the
of life, and a power to consecrate; the former, whole Earth;4 and in the destruction of the army
nature and desert perform; the latter is acquired of Pharaoh in the Red Sea;5 and because he led
by imitation, and dignification, of which we the people dryshod through the middle of the
have spoken elsewhere. Then it is necessary Red Sea,6 and through the middle of Jordan; 7 and
that he that sacrificeth must know this virtue because he brought water miraculously out of a
and power in himself, with a firm and rock of the wilderness;8 and brought forth a foun-
undoubted faith . tain of living water out of the jawbone of an ass
Now what things are required in prayer are at the prayers of Sampson;9 and because he
these. There is also a certain power of sanctifying appointed the waters as an instrument of his
placed in it by God, as if it be so ordained of God pity, 10 and of salvation for remission of sins; and
for this or that very thing (of which sort we read because Christ being baptized in JQrdan, purified
of many in the holy writ) or instituted to this or and sanctified the waters: II and the like also by
that thing, by the virtue of the Holy Ghost, invocating divine names suitable to these things,
according to the ordination of the Church, of as when God is called a living fountain, living
which sort are many everywhere extant: or this water, a living river.
holiness is in the prayer itself, not by virtue of In like manner in consecration of fire, let
institution, but of the commemoration of sacred there be a commemoration that God created the
things, as of sacred letters, histories, miracles, fire to be an instrument of his justice for pun-
works, effects, favours, promises, sacraments ishment, revenge, purgation of sins, and when
and such sacramental things, which shall seem to he comes to judge the world he will command
cohere with the thing to be consecrated, either burning to go before;12 and he appeared to
properly, or improperly, or analogically. I Moses in a burning bush,13 went before the chil-

665
666/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

dren of Israel in a pillar of fire,14 and com- should commemorate, as the tables of the ten
manded that inextinguishable fire should be commandments given to Moses on Mount
kept in the Tabernacle of the Covenant,15 and Sinai, and the sanctification of the Law, and of
kept fire unextinguished under the water. 16 Also the prophets, and Scriptures promulgated by the
we must use such divine names as offer them- Holy Spirit: and let the divine names of the tes-
selves, as because God is a consuming fire, and tament of God, the book of God, the book of
a melting fire: and such as are proper to these, life, the knowledge of God, the wisdom of God,
as the shining of God, the light of God, the and of such like be commemorated.
brightness of God, and such like. So if a sword be to be consecrated, we may
So in the consecration of oil such solemni- remember out of the Second of Maccabees there
ties must be commemorated as belong to these, was a sword sent from God 2o to Judas Maccha-
as in Exodus the oil of unction 17 and sweet per- beus, that he should destroy the children of
fumes, and sacred names suitable to these, such Israel' s enemies; also that in the prophets, take
as is the name Christ, which signifies Annointed, unto you two-edged swords;21 also in the
and such as this, and that in the Apocalypse con- Gospel, coats being sold, swords must be
cerning the two olive trees distilling sanctified oil bought; 22 and in the history of David an angel
into lamps burning in the presence of God. 18 was seen hiding a bloody sword;23 and many
So in the consecration of places let there be such like we shall find in the prophets, and
commemoration made of Mount Sinai, of the Apocalypse, as also the sacred names of the
Tabernacle of the Covenant, of the Sanctum sword of God, the rod of God, the staff of God,
Sanctorum, 19 the temple of Solomon , and of the the vengeance of God, and such like.
sanctification of the hill Golgotha through the And now let these things which have been
mystery of the passion of Christ, and of the field exemplified concerning real consecrations, and
which was bought with the price of Christ's benedictions suffice: by which personal conse-
blood; also of Mount Tabor, where the transfig- crations, and benedictions may easily be
uration and ascent into heaven was. Sacred understood.
names also being used, as of the place of God, But there is yet another powerful and effi-
the throne of God, the chair of God, the taber- cacious rite of consecrating, and expiating,
nacle of God, the altar of God, the seat of God, which is of the kinds of superstitious, viz: when
and the habitation of God, and of such like. the rite of any sacrament is transsumed to
After the same manner we must proceed in another thing, which is intended to be conse-
the benediction of other things, by inquiring crated, or expiated, as the rite of baptism, con-
into holy writ by divine names, and profession firmation , funeral, and such like.
of religion for such things which may seem to Moreover we must know, that a vow, obla-
be after a manner suitable to this or that thing. tion, and sacrifice, have a certain power of con-
As for example, if there be a paper, or a secration, as well real as personal, as the things
book having some of the mysteries which we or persons are vowed or offered.

Not:es-Chapt:eR 17\,11
1. properly. or improperly. or-analogically-That is, 5. Pharaoh in the Red Sea-See note 4, ch. LXI,
intrinsically. extrinsically, or by analogy. bk. III.

2. middle of the waters-Genesis 1:6. 6. middle of the Red Sea-See note 6, ch. LXI, bk.
III.
3. Earth is watered-Genesis 2:10.
7. middle of Jordan-Joshua 3: 17.
4. deluge over the whole Earth-See note I, ch. LXI,
bk. III. Genesis 7: 19 may be specifically intended. 8. rock of the wilderness-Exodus 17:6.
 Of Consecrations, and Their Manner / 667

9. prayers of Sampson-Judges 15: 19. 18. presence of God-Revelation 11 :4.

10. instrument of his piety-Perhaps John 3:5 or I 19. Sanctum Sanctorum-The holy of holies, the
Peter 3:20-1. innermost part of the tabernacle where no one is
admitted: "Now the whole temple was called The
11. sanctified the waters-Matthew 3: 16; Mark 1:9. Holy Place; but that part which was within the four
pillars, and to which none were admitted, was called
12. burning to go before-Psalms 97:3. The Holy ofHolies" (Josephus Antiquities of the Jews
3.6.4 [Whiston, 80)).
13. burning bush-Exodus 3:2.
20. sword sentfrom God-II Maccabees 15:15-6.
14. pillar of.fire-Exodus 13:21.
21. two-edged swords-Perhaps Psalms 149:6.
15. Tabernacle of the Covenant-Exodus 27:20.
22. swords must be bought-Luke 22:36.
16. under the water-Perhaps I Kings 18:38.
23. bloody sword-I Chronicles 21 :27.
17. oil of unction-Exodus 30:25.
 CHAPTeR LAm

Whar rhings may be called holy,

whar consecRared, and how rhese become so
berwiJ:r us and rhe deiries; and of sacRed rimes.

oW these things are called sacred, But Caesar with a triple triumph brought

N which are made holy by the gods

themselves, or their demons, being (as
I may say) dedicated to us by the gods
themselves. By this account we call demons
Into the city Rome, as most devout,
Did dedicate unto the Italian gods
An immortal vow'----

And Ovid in his Metamorphoses5 sings thus:

holy, because in them God dwells, whose name
they are often said to hear.. Whence it is read in A feast was kept, wherein Aeacides
Exodus: I will send my angel who shall go For Cicnus' death with heifers' blood did
before thee; observe him, neither think that he is please
to be dispised, because my name is in him. I Propitious Pallas, when the entrails laid
On burning altars, to the gods conveyed
So also mysteries are called sacred. For a An acceptable smell; a part addressed
mystery is that which hath a holy and an occult To sacred use, the board received the rest.
virtue, and favour given by the gods or demons,
or dispensed by the most high God himself; In like manner the representations, resem-
such as are those sacred names and characters, blances, idols, statues, images, pictures, made
which have been spoken of. So the cross is after the similitudes of the gods, or dedicated to
called holy and mysterious, being made so by them, are called sacred, even as Orpheus
the passion of Jesus Christ. Hence also certain singeth in his hymn to Lycian Venus: 6
prayers are called holy and mystical, which are
not instituted by the devotion of man, but by The chieftains that the sacred things protect
Of our country, did for our town erect
divine revelation, as we read in the Gospel that
A sacred statue:- - - -
Christ instituted the Lord's Prayer. 2
In like manner certain confections are And Virgil:?
called holy, into which God hath put the espe-
cial beam of his virtue, as we read in Exodus of o father, take the household gods, and hold
the sweet perfume, and oil of anointing,3 and as Them in thy sacred hands,----
with us there is a sacred fountain, and a sacred
ointment. Hence divine Plato in his eleventh book of
There is also another kind of holiness, Laws, 8 commanded that the sacred images and
whereby we call those things holy which are statues of the gods should be honoured, not for
dedicated and consecrated by man to God, as themselves, but because they represent the gods
vows, and sacrifices, of which we have spoken to us, even as the ancients did worship that
already; whence Virgil:4 image of Jupiter, thus interpreting it: for in that

668
 What Things May Be Called Holy I 669

he bears the resemblance of a man, was signi- Who ever did the brazen statues slight,
fied that he is a mind which produceth all things The yellow gifts of gold, or silver white?
Who would not wonder, and not say that
by his seminary power; he is feigned to sit, that
these
his immutable and constant power might be Are of the gods?----
expressed; he hath the upper parts bare and
naked, because he is manifest to the intelli- The priests also are called sacred, and the
gences and the superiors; but the lower parts are ministers of the divine powers, and gods, and
covered, because he is hid from the inferior they themselves being consecrated do both
creatures; he holdeth a scepter in his left hand, administer all the holy things, and also conse-
because in these parts of the body the most spir- crate them, whence Lucan:
itual habitation 9 of life is found, for the creator
of the intellect is the king and the vivifying The consecrated priests, to whom great
spirit of the world; but in his right hand he hold- power
Is granted----
eth forth both an eagle and victory, the one
because he is lord of all the gods, as the eagle is
And Virgil saith of Helenus the priest of
of other birds, the other because all things are Apollo: 11
subject whim.
In like manner we also reverence the He prays for peace of the gods, and doth
image of a lamb, because it representeth unloose
Christ, and the picture of a dove, because it The garlands of his sacred head.----
signifieth the Holy Ghost, and the forms of a
lion, ox, eagle, and a man, signifying the Those holy rites are as it were certain agree-
Evangelists, \0 and such like things, which we ments betwixt the gods and us, exhibited with
find expressed in the revelations of the praise, reverence or obedience, by the means of
prophets, and in divers places of the holy which we very oft obtain some wonderful virtue
Scripture: moreover those things confer to the from that divine power, on whom such reverence
like revelations and dreams, and therefore are is bestowed; for there are sacred hymns, ser-
called sacred pictures. mons, exorcisms, incantations, and words, which
are compounded and dedicated for the praises
There are also sacred rites and holy obser-
and divine services of the gods, whence Orpheus
vations, which are made for the reverencing of
in a verse composed for the stars, 12 saith:
the gods, and religion, viz. devout gestures,
genufiexions, uncoverings of the head, wash- With holy words, now on the gods I call.
ings, sprinklings of holy water, perfumes, exte-
rior expiations, humble processions, and And the primitive Church did use certain
exterior ornaments for divine praises, as musi- holy incantations against diseases and tempests,
cal harmony, burning of wax candles and lights, which we either pronounce praying to some
ringing of bells, the adorning of temples, altars divine powers, or also sometimes carrying them
and images, in all which there is required a along with us, written and hanged on our neck,
supreme and special reverence and comeliness; or bound to us, we obtain very oft some power
wherefore there are used for these things, the from such a saint, which men very much admire.
most excellent, most beautiful and precious By this means also there are sacred names,
things, as gold, silver, precious stones, and such figures, characters, and seals, which contempla-
like: which reverences and exterior rites are as it tive men, in purity of mind, for their secret
were lessons and invitations to spiritual sacred vows, have devoted, dedicated and consecrated
things, for the obtaining the bounty of the gods; to the worship of God; which things truly, if any
concerning which Proserpina beareth witness man afterwards shall pronounce with the same
in these verses: purity of mind, with the which they were first
670/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

instituted, he shall in like manner do miracles; dedicated to them by our forefathers and elders,
further also, the manner and rules delivered by for the commemoration of some benefit
the first institutor must be observed, for they received of the gods, and for a perpetual thanks-
who are ignorant of these things, lose their giving. Thus the Hebrews have received their
labour, and work in vain. sabbaths, and the heathens their holy days, and
Thus not only by barbarous words, but also we the solemn days of our holy rites, always to
by Hebrew, Egyptian, Greek, Latin, and the be reverenced with the highest solemnity.
names of other languages, being devoted to There are also times contrary to these, which
God, and attributed and dedicated to his they call penitential, and we black days, because
essence, power or operation, we sometimes do that in those days the commonwealth hath suf-
wonders; such names there are in lamblieus, 13 fered some notable blow, and calamity, of which
viz. Osyris, Jeton, Emeph, Ptha, Epies, Amun; sort amongst the Romans was the day before the
so in Plato, and amongst the Greeks, WV TOV fourth nones of August, because that on that day
TauTov,14 so the Greeks call Jupiter (iiva aTTO they suffered that extraordinary blow at the battle
TO (iiv l5 which signifieth to live, because he of Canna. 20 In like manner all postriduan days21
giveth life to all things; in like manner t.(a 16 are called black days, because that most com-
which signifieth through, because through him monly battles succeeded ill on these days: so
are all things made; so ci8civaTov 17 which signi- amongst the Jews the black days are the seven-
fieth immortal; so amongst the Latins he is teenth day of June, because on that day Moses
called Jupiter , as it were an adjuvant father, and broke the tables, Manasses erected an idol 22 in
such like, and also certain names are devoted to the Sanctum Sanctorum, and the walls of
men, as Eutyehis , Sofia, Theophilus , that is, Jerusalem are supposed to have been pulled
prosperous, servant, dear to GOd. 18 down by their enemies; likewise the ninth of July
In like manner certain material things is a black day with them, because on that day the
receive no little sanctity and virtue by consecra- destructions of both the temples happened. By
tion, especially if done by a priest, as we see this reason they are called Egyptian days, in the
those waxen seals, in which are imprinted the old time observed by the Egyptians; and every
figure of lambs, to receive virtue by the bene- nation by this way may easily make a like calcu-
diction of the Roman high priest, against light- lation of days fortunate or unfortunate to them.
nings and tempests, that they cannot hurt those And the magicians command that these
who carry them, for a divine virtue is inspired holy and religious days be observed no less than
into images thus consecrated, and is contained the planetary days, and the celestial disposi-
in them, as it were in a certain sacred letter, tions; for they affirm that they are far more effi-
which hath the image of God. cacious, especially to obtain spiritual and divine
The like virtue those holy waxed lights virtues, because that their virtue is not from the
receive at Easter, and at the feast of the Purifica- elements and celestial bodies, but descendeth
tion of the Virgin; 19 in like manner bells by con- from the intelligible and supercelestial world,
secration and benediction receive virtue, that they and being helped by the common suffrages of
drive away and restrain lightnings, and tempests, the saints, is not infringed by any adverse dis-
that they hurt not in those places where their position of the heavenly bodies, nor frustrated
sounds are heard; in like manner salt and water, by the corruptible contagion of the elements, if
by their benedictions and exorcisms receive so be that firm belief ~nd religious worship be
power to chase and drive away evil spirits. not wanting, that is, joined with fear and trem-
And thus in things of this kind, there are bling, for religion properly holdeth forth thus
also sacred times always observed by the much; hence those days are called religious,
nations of every religion with very great rever- which to violate is a sin, which if we carefully
ence, which are either commanded that we observe, we fear not any great mischief, which
should sanctify by the gods themselves, or are we may do, if we do otherwise.
 What Things May Be Called Holy / 671

Not:es-Chapt:CR U\'lll

I. my name is in him-Exodus 23:20-1. barbarous names to Iamblichus, but names for the
Egyptian gods: Osiris, Typhon (?), Kneph (?), Ptah,
2. Lord's Prayer-Matthew 6:7-13; Luke II :1-4. Aphis, Ammon. See Thomas Taylor's note to page
289 of his translation of On the Mysteries.
3. oil of anointing-See note 17, ch. LXII, bk. III.
14. WI/ TOI/ mVToi.'---ON, TON, TAUTON.
4. whence Virgil-Virgil Aeneid 8, lines 714-5.
15 . (fjl/a aTTO TO (fjl-'-ZENA APO TO ZEN.
5. in his Metamorphoses-
And while a watchful guard was keeping 16. Ma-DIA.
the Phrygian walls, and a watchful guard The name of Zeus ... has also an excellent
was keeping the Argive trenches, a festival meaning, although hard to be understood,
day had arrived, on which Achilles, the because really like a sentence, which is
conqueror of Cygnus, appeased Pallas with divided into two parts, for some call him
the blood of a heifer, adorned with fillets. Zena (ZTiva), and use the one half, and oth-
As soon as he had placed its entrails upon ers who use the other half call him Dia
the glowing altars, and the smell, accept- (~[a); the two together signify the nature of
able to the Deities, mounted up to the skies, the god, and the business of a name, as we
the sacred rites had their share, the other were saying, is to express the nature. For
part was served up at the table. (Ovid Meta- there is none who is more the author of life
morphoses 12.3, c. line 147 [Riley, 421]). to us and to all than the lord and king of all.
Wherefore we are right in calling him Zena
6. Lycian Venus-I do not find this hymn in Taylor's and Dia, which are one name, although
Hymns of Orpheus. divided, meaning the god through whom all
creatures always have life (S[ QV CTiv QEI.
7. And Virgil-This quotation is missing from the mlGl TOtS' (WGlV imcipXEl). (Plato Craty-
English edition. I have restored it from the Latin Ius 396a [Hamilton and Cairns, 433-4]).
Opera. See note 6, ch. LIV, bk. III.
17. dedl/aTol-'-ATHANATON, "not subject to
8. eleventh book of Laws-"Some of the gods of our death; immortal."
worship are manifest to sight; there are others in
whose likeness we set up images, believing that when 18. dear to God-
we adore the lifeless image, we win the bountiful
favor and grace of the living god for whom it stands" The names of heros and of men in general
(Plato Laws 11.931a [Hamilton and Cairns, 1481]). are apt to be deceptive because they are often
called after ancestors with whose names, as
9. spiritual habitation-The heart, which is on the we were saying, they may have no business,
left side. or they are the expression of a wish, like
Eurychides (the son of good fortune), or
10. the Evangelists-See the table at the end of ch. Sosias (the Savior), or Theophilus (the
VII, bk. II . beloved of God), and others. (Plato Cratylus
397b [Hamilton and Cairnes, 434]).
II. priest of Apollo--"Then Helenus first sacrificed
steers in due form, and tries to gain a blessing from 19. Purification of the Virgins-The Feast of the
the gods, and unbinds the fillet of his holy head, and Purification of the Virgin Mary, held on February 2,
to thy threshold, Phoebus, he leads me [Aeneas] with also called Candlemas Day due to the large number of
his own hand, full of many a religious doubt . .... (Vir- candles distributed by the Pope and used in the service.
gil Aeneid 3, c. line 370 [Lonsdale and Lee, 121]).
20. battle of Canna-The Romans were defeated by
12. composed for the stars-Hymns of Orpheus, Hannibal at Cannae, a village in Apulia, in 216 Be.
hymn 6: "To The Stars," line I .
21. postriduan days-The day after.
13 . in lamblicus-Iamblichus treats of the barbarous
names, without actually giving any, in On the Mys- 22. Manasses erected an idol-Manasseh. See II
teries 7.4, 5. The names given by Agrippa are not Chronicles 33:7.
 CHAPTeR L7'.lV

Of ceRrain Religious obseRvarions, ceRemonies,

and Rires of peRfumings, uncrions, and such like.

hosoever therefore thou art, who God himself, is delighted in these perfumes and

W desirest to operate in this faculty,

in the first place implore God the
Father, being one, that thou also
mayest be one worthy of his favour.
odours, receiving them by those nostrils, by the
which itself also entered into this corporeal
man, and by the which (as Job testifieth)3 the
most lively spirits are sometimes sent forth,
Be clean, within and without, in a clean which cannot be retained in man's heart, boiling
place, because it is written in Leviticus, every either through choler, or labour; whence some
man who shall approach those things which are think that the faculty of smelling is the most
consecrated, in whom there is uncleanness, lively and spiritual of all the senses.
shall perish before the Lord; I therefore wash Further, perfumes, sacrifice, and unction pen-
yourselves oft, and at the days appointed, etrate all things, and open the gates of the elements
according to the mysteries of number, put on and of the heavens, that through them a man can
clean clothes, and abstain from all uncleanness, see the secrets of God, heavenly things, and those
pollution, and lust; for the gods will not hear things which are above the heavens, and also those
that man (as Porphyry saith) who hath not which descend from the heavens, as angels, and
abstained many days from venereous acts. spirits of deep pits, and profound places, appari-
Be not thou coupled to a polluted or men- tions of desert places, and doth make them to
struous woman, neither to her who hath the come to you, to appear visibly, and obey you; and
hemorrhoids; touch not an unclean thing; nor a they pacify all spirits, and attract them as the load-
carcass, whence Porphyry saith, whosoever stone iron, and join them with the elements, and
shall touch a dead man, may not approach the cause the spirits to assume bodies: for truly the
oracles, perhaps, because that by a certain affin- spiritual body is very much incrassated by them,
ity of the funeral ill odour, the mind is corrupted and made more gross: for it liveth by vapours, per-
and made unfit to receive divine influences. fumes and the odours of sacrifices.
Thou shalt wash, and anoint, and perfume Moreover whatsoever thou operatest, do it
thyself, and shalt offer sacrifices: for God with an earnest affection and hearty desire; that
accepteth for a most sweet odour those things the goodness of the heavens and heavenly bod-
which are offered to him by a man purified and ies may favour thee, whose favour, that thou
well disposed, and together with that perfume mayest more easily obtain, the fitness of the
condescendeth to your prayer and oblation, as place, time, profession, custom, diet, habit,
the Psalmist singeth: Let my prayer, 0 Lord, be exercise and name also do wonderfully con-
directed to thee, as incense in thy sight.2 More- duce: for by these the power of nature is not
over, the soul being the offspring and image of only changed, but also overcome.

672
 Of Certain Religious Observations / 673

For a fortunate place conduceth much to everything, whether natural or artificial hath
favour: neither without cause did the Lord received its being in this world; for they have
speak to Abraham that he should come into the delivered, that the first moment hath so great
land which he would show him; and Abraham power, that all the course of fortune dependeth
arose and journeyed towards the south: 4 in like thereon, and may be foretold thereby; and in like
manner, Isaac went to Gerarath, where he manner, by the successes of the fortune of every-
sowed and gathered an hundredfold, and waxed thing, they both firmly believed, and experience
very rich. 5 also testifieth, that the beginning of anything
But what place is congruous to each one, may thereby be found out.
must be found out by his nativity, which thing Even as SuUa the astrologer foretold, that a
he that knoweth not, let him observe where his most certain destruction approached Caligula ,
spirits are especially recreated, where his senses who asked him advice concerning his nature; II
are more lively, where the health of his body Metheon the astrologer foresaw the calamity of
and his strength is most vigorous, where his the wars which happened afterward to the Athe-
businesses succeed best, where most favour nians, making an expedition against the Syracu-
him, where his enemies are overthrown, let him sans: 12 to the same about to sail to Sicilia, Meson
know that this region, this place is preordained the astrologer foretold a great tempest. Anaxago-
by God and his angels for him; and is also well ras by the knowledge of the times, forewarned
disposed, and prepared by the heavens. There- on what days a great stone should fall from the
fore reverence this place, and change it accord- Sun; as afterward, it happened at Aegos, a river
ing to your time and business, but always fly an of Thracia; 13 on the contrary, L. Tarnucius Fir-
unfortunate place. mianus by the acts and fortune of Romulus,
Fortunate names also make things more found both the time of his conception and nativ-
fortunate; but unfortunate, unhappy; hence the ity; the same man found out also the nativity of
Romans in lifting their soldiers were wary, lest the city of Rome, by marking the successes and
that the soldiers' first names should be in any fortunes of that city: 14 so Maternus reporteth,15
measure unfortunate; and for paying tributaries, that the beginning and creation even of this
and musterings of their armies and colonies, world was found out by the events of things.
they did choose censors 6 with good names. For that times can do very much in natural
Moreover they believed, that if unfortunate things, may be manifested by many examples;
names were changed into fortunate, that the for- for there are trees, which after the solstice do
tune of things would also be changed into bet- invert their leaves, as the poplar, elm, olive,
ter; so Epidamnus,7 lest that seamen going that limetree, white willow; 16 and shellfishes, crabs,
way should suffer damage, they commanded to and oysters do increase, the Moon increasing,
be called Dyrachius; for the same cause they and when the Moon decreaseth, do grow lean;
called Maleoton,8lest it should cause some mis- and the seas in ebbing and flowing do observe
chief, Beneventus; but they thought good to call the motions and times of the Moon; and Euripus
Lacus, Lucrinus,9 for the goodness of the name in Euboea,17 doth it not seven times with won-
being the most happy place of all. derful swiftness ebb and flow? And three days
Make election also of hours and days for in every month, viz. the seventh, eighth, and
thy operations, for not without cause our Saviour ninth day of the Moon, it standeth still; and
spake, are there not twelve hours in the day?1O amongst the Troglotides there is a lake, which
and so forth; for the astrologers teach that times thrice in a day is made bitter and salt, and again
can give a certain fortune to our businesses; the sweet; 18 moreover in the winter time, when all
magicians likewise have observed, and to con- things wither and dry, pennyroyal flourisheth;
clude, all the ancient wise men consent in this, on the same day, they say, that blown bladders
that it is of very great concernment, that in what do break, and that the leaves of sallows 19 and
moment of time, and disposition of the heavens, pomegranates are turned and forced about; and
674/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

it is known to all, that which I have seen both in new things, and such as remain even to this time
France and Italy, and I know also the sowing in some places, and I will join to these some
thereof, viz. that a nut tree, which seemeth dry artificial wonders.
all the year, on the even of Saint John's Day 20 For they say, that by the art of images it
doth produce both leaves, and flowers, and ripe cometh to pass, that at Byzantine serpents hurt
fruits: and this miracle doth wholly consist in not, and that jackdaws fly not over within the
the observation of the time of its sowing. walls; that in Crete there are no night owls; that
Moreover that times can yield some won- about Naples grasshoppers are never heard; that
derful power to artificial things, the astrologers at Venice, no kind of fly doth enter the public
in their books of elections and images do con- houses of barbers; that in Toledo in the public
stantly affirm; and by this means, we read in shambles, one only fly is seen all the year long,
Plutarch , that there was an image amongst the of a notable whiteness.
Peleneans made with such art, that what way And we in the foregoing book have
soever it did look, it did strike all things with declared already both the fashions and times, by
terror and very great perturbation, so that no the observation of which, these things and such
man durst through fear, behold it; and we read like may be done; moreover you ought espe-
in the life of Apollonius, that the magicians of cially to observe the virtue of speeches and
Babylon had tied to the roof of their house, four words, for by these the soul is spread forth into
golden fowls, which they called the tongues of inferior substances, into stones, metals, plants,
the gods; and that they had power to reconcile animals, and all natural things, imprinting
the minds of the multitude to the love and obe- divers figures and passions on them, enforcing
dience of the king. 21 In the island Chios there all creatures, or leading and drawing them by a
was the face of Diana placed on high, whose certain affection.
countenance appeared sad to those which came So Cato testifieth, that weary oxen are
in, but to those that went out, it appeared cheer- refreshed by words, and also that by prayers and
ful: in Troas, the sacrifices which were left words, you may obtain of Tellus,28 that it pro-
about the image of Minerva did not putrify.22 duce unusual trees; trees also may by this means
In the temple of Venus at Paphos, it never be entreated to pass over to another place, and
rained in the court:23 if anything was taken forth to grow in another ground: rapes29 grow the
from the tomb of Antheus,24 showers were greater, if they be entreated when they are
poured down from heaven till that which was sown, to be beneficial to them, their family, and
digged up, was restored into its place: in the neighbours; the peacock also being com-
tomb of King Bibria of Pontus, did arise a lau- mended, presently extends his feathers.
rel, from which if anyone did break a branch But on the contrary, it is found by experi-
and carry it on shipboard, quarrels would never ence that the herb basil, being sown with curs-
cease until it was thrown over.25 In the island ings and railings, is more flourishing; also a kind
Boristhenes, no bird did haunt the house of of lobster doth cure burnings and scaldings, if so
Achilles: at Rome, neither fly, nor dog did enter be that in the meantime his name be not named:
into the palace of Hercules, in the ox market. 26 further, they which use witchcraft, kill trees by
In Olynthus of Thracia there was a place, into praising them, and thus do hurt sown com and
the which if a beetle had fallen, it could not get children: 30 moreover they say that there is so
forth, but writhing itself every way it died. 27 great power in man's execrations, that they
I could bring even innumerable examples, chase and banish even wicked spirits: Eusebius
and far more wonderful than these, which antiq- declareth that by this means Serapis amongst the
uity reporteth to have been done by the art of Egyptians, did publish short sentences, by the
images, and by the observation of times: but lest which devils were expelled, and he taught also,
anyone should think them long since obsolete, how devils having assumed the forms of brute
and repute them for fables, I will bring more beasts, do ensnare men.
 Of Certain Religious Observations / 675

To conclude, in all businesses, put God again he prayed, and the heaven gave rain, and
before your eyes, for it is written in Deuteron- the Earth brought forth its fruit. 34
omy, when you shall seek the Lord your God, But take heed in your prayers, lest that
you shall find him. 3l Whence we read in Mark, you should desire some vain thing, or that
that whatsoever ye shall desire and pray for, which is against the will of God; for God
believing that you shall receive it, it shall come would have all things good: neither shalt thou
to pass for you;32 and in Matthew, if you shall use the name of thy God in vain, for he shall
have faith as a grain of mustard seed, nothing not go unpunished, who taketh his name for a
shall be impossible for you;33 also the fervent vain thing: be abstemious and give alms, for
prayer of a righteous man prevaileth much, for the angel saith to Tobiah, prayer is good with
Elias (as James saith) was a man like unto us, fasting and alms;35 and we read in the Book of
subject unto passions, and he prayed earnestly, Judith: know ye, that the Lord will hear your
that it might not rain upon the Earth, and it prayers, if ye shall persevere in fastings and
rained not in three years and six months; and prayers in his sight. 36

Not:es-Chapt:eR L7\.lV
I. perish before the Lord-Leviticus 22:3. Peloponnesian war. In 413 Be the Athenian army
was totally destroyed.
2. incense in thy sight-Psalms 141 :2.
13 . river ofThracia-
3. Job testifieth-Job 27:3.
The Greeks boast that Anaxagoras, the Cla-
4. towards the south---Genesis 12: 1-9. zomenian, in the second year of the 78th
Olympiad [467 Be], from his knowledge of
5. waxed very rich---Genesis 26: 12. what relates to the heavens, had predicted,
that at a certain time, a stone would fall
6. censors-Two Roman officials who had the from the sun. And the thing accordingly
power of striking off from the list of Roman knights happened, in the daytime, in a part of
the names of those who had disgraced themselves. Thrace, at the river Aegos. The stone is
now to be seen, a waggon-load in size and
7. Epidamnus-When the Romans took control of this of a burnt appearance; there was also a
Greek town, they associated the name with the Latin comet shining in the night at that time.
damnum (damage, loss, hurt, injury), which they con- (Pliny 2.59 [Bostock and Riley, 1:88-9])
sidered unlucky, and changed it to Dyrrachinus.
14. fortunes of that city-See biographical note on
8. Maleoton-Maleventum, so called because of its Firmanus Tarutius.
bad air, was one of the most ancient towns in Italy.
When the Romans colonized it in 268 Be, they 15. Maternus reporteth-
changed its name to Beneventum (good air).
Those divine men, altogether worthy and
9. Lucrinus-Latin: lucrum-advantage, profit. See admirable, Petosiris and Nechepso, who
the geographical note on Lucrinus Lacus. approached the very secrets of divinity, also
handed down to us the birthchart of the uni-
10. hours in the day-John 11:9. verse in order to show us that man is made
in the likeness of the universe according to
II. concerning his nature-"Also Sulla the astrologer, those same principles by which the universe
when Gaius [Caligula] asked his counsel and opinion itself is ruled; and that he is sustained for-
as touching the horoscope of his nativity, told him ever by those same everlasting fires. (Firmi-
plain that most certain and inevitable death approached cus Matemus Ancient Astrology [Matheseos
near at hand" (Suetonius "Gaius Caesar Caligula" 57. libri VIII] 3 Proem, trans. Jean Rhys Bram
In History of the Twelve Caesars [Holland, 220]). [Park Ridge, NJ: Noyes Press, 1975],71)

12. against the Syracusans-The Athenians laid 16. white willow-Salix alba, also called Hunting-
siege to the city of Syracuse in Sicily during the don willow.
676/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-BOOK III

17. Euripus in Euboea-Any part of the seacoast 23. never rained in the court-"There is at Paphos a
subject to violent tides was called Euripus, but the celebrated temple of Venus, in a certain court of which
name was especially applied to the narrow strait sep- it never rains; also at Nea, a town of Troas, in the spot
arating Euboea from Boeotia: which surrounds the statue of Minerva: in this place
also the remains of animals that are sacrificed never
There are, however, some tides which are
putrefy" (Pliny 2.97 [Bostock and Riley, 1:123]).
of a peculiar nature, as in the Tauromenian
Euripus [Straits of Messina], where the ebb 24. tomb of Antheus-Antheus was one of the Trojan
and flow is more frequent than in other followers of Aeneas.
places, and in Euboea, where it takes place
seven times during the day and the night. 25. was thrown over-
The tides intermit three times during each
month, being the 7th, 8th and 9th day of In the same country [Pontus], too, is the
the moon. (Pliny 2.100 [Bostock and Riley, port of Amycus, rendered famous by the
I: 127]) circumstance that King Bebryx was slain
there. Since the day of his death his tomb
18. salt, and again sweet-"In the country of the has been covered by a laurel, which has
Troglodytae, what they call the Fountain of the Sun, obtained the name of the "frantic laurel,"
about noon is fresh and very cold; it then gradually from the fact that if a portion of it is
grows warm, and, at midnight, becomes hot and plucked and taken on board ship, discord
saline" (Pliny 2.106 [Bostock and Riley, I: 134]). The and quarrelling are the inevitable result,
name Troglodytae was applied by the Greek geogra- until it has been thrown overboard. (Pliny
phers to primitive peoples living in caves---espe- 16.89 [Bostock and Riley, 3:431-2])
cially to those dwelling on the western shore of the
Red Sea in Upper Egypt and Ethiopia. This coast was 26. in the ox market-Perhaps the temple of Hercules
called Troglodytice. that stood near the Porta Trigemina and contained a
bronze statue and an altar upon which the hero him-
19. sallows-A name applied to several low-growing self was supposed to once have sacrificed. Every year
species of willow, such as the Salix cinerae and Salix the city praetor offered up a young cow, which was
caprae. then eaten by the people within the temple.

20. Saint fohn 's Day-The Eve of Saint John's was 27. every way it died-"In Thrace, near Olynthus,
celebrated on midsummer eve (summer solstice) by there is a small locality, the only one in which this
songs, dances, leaping over fires and burning animal cannot exist; from which circumstance it has
flower garlands. Boughs were taken from living received the name of 'Cantharolethus' ['Beetle-
trees and hung over the doors of houses. The soul bane']." (Pliny 11.34 [Bostock and Riley, 3:34])
was believed to leave the body of those asleep and
28. Tellus-Tellus was the Roman name for Gaea,
wander, for which reason people sat up all night
goddess of the Earth. Her festival, the Fordicidia (or
and celebrated.
Hordicidia) was celebrated on April 15 with the sac-
rifice of cows.
21. of the king-
Damis tells of their entering the great hall 29. rapes-Turnips.
[at Babylon], whose vaulted ceiling imitates
the sky and is covered with sapphires of 30. hurt sown corn and children-On the subject of
celestial blue, overlaid with images of their praise used as a curse, see Elworthy [1895] 1971, ch. I.
gods, done in gold and shining out from that
background as if floating in air. The king 31. shall find him-Deuteronomy 4:29.
usually holds his court in this hall, and four
golden wry-necks hung from the ceiling, 32. pass for you-Mark 11:24.
which birds are symbolic of the goddess of
33. impossible for you-Matthew 17:20.
retribution, to admonish the king not to exalt
himself above mankind. The Magi who fre- 34.forth its fruit-James 5: 16-8.
quent the palace claim to have suspended
them there, and call them the tongues of the 35. fasting and alms-Apocryphal book of Tobit 12:8.
gods. (Philostratus Life and Times of Apol-
Ion ius ofTyana 1.25 [Eels, 25-6]) 36. prayers in his sight-Apocryphal book of
Judith 4: 13.
22. did not putrify-See note 23 below.
 CHAPTeR LAV

The conclusion of rhe whole WORK.

hese are the things, which for an preserved for you, and the secrets which are hid

T introduction into magic we have col-

lected out of the tradition of the
ancients, and diversly compiled in
this book, in short words, yet sufficient for
by many enigmas cannot be perceived but by a
profound intellect, which when you shall
obtain, the whole science of the invincible mag-
ical discipline will insinuate itself into you: and
those who are intelligent; some of these things those virtues will appear to you, which in times
are written in order, some without order, some past Hermes, Zoroastes, Apollonius, and the
things are delivered by fragments, some things others, who wrought miracles, obtained.
are even hid, and left for the search of the intel- But ye, envious, calumniators, sons of base
ligent, who more acutely contemplating these ignorance, and foolish lewdness, come not nigh
things which are written, and diligently search- our writings, for they are your enemies, and
ing, may obtain the complete rudiments of the stand on a precipice, that ye may err and fall
magical art, and also infallible experiments. headlong into misery.
For we have delivered this art in such a If any therefore through his incredulity or
manner, that it may not be hid from the prudent dullness of intellect, doth not obtain his desire,
and intelligent, and yet may not admit wicked let him not impute the fault of his ignorance to
and incredulous men to the mysteries of these me, or say that I have erred, or purposely written
secrets, but leave them destitute and astonished, falsely and lied, but let him accuse himself, who
in the shade of ignorance and desperation. understandeth not our writings; for they are
You therefore sons of wisdom and learn- obscure, and covered with divers mysteries, by
ing, search diligently in this book, gathering the which it will easily happen, that many may
together our dispersed intentions, which in err and lose their sense; therefore let no man be
divers places we have propounded, and what is angry with me, if we have folded up the truth of
hid in one place, we make manifest in another, this science with many enigmas, and dispersed it
that it may appear to you wise men; for, for you in divers places, for we have not hidden it from
only have we written, whose mind is not cor- the wise, but from the wicked and ungodly, and
rupted, but regulated according to the right have delivered it in such words which necessar-
order of living, who in chastity, and honesty, ily blind the foolish, and easily may admit the
and in sound faith fear and reverence God: wise to the understanding of them.
whose hands are free from sin and wickedness,
whose manners are gentle, sober, and modest, finis.
you only shall find out this knowledge which is

677
 To "Che ReveRend Fa"CheR, and Doc"CoR of Dlvlnl"CY
AURelius de AquapendenLe, Aus"Cln FRieR;
HenRY CORnelius AgRippa sende"Ch gRee"Clng.'

y those letters (most reverend Father!) great and grave philosophers, and holy men,

B which you sent me since the second of

this month,2 I understand your candid-
ness towards me, and great learning,
and indeed the curious searching after these
whose traditions, who dare say are false? Nay, it
were impious to think that they were lies.
There is therefore another meaning than
what is written in letters, and that is veiled with
things which lie hid in darkness; I did presently divers mysteries, and as yet clearly explained
rejoice, and do bless myself that I have entered by none of the masters, and which I believe no
into acquaintance with such a friend, with man can attain to by reading of books only,
whom I may improve my gifts; and now (this without a skillful, and faithful master,7 unless
handwriting being my witness) I reckon you he be divinely illuminated, as very few are.
amongst the chiefest of my friends. Therefore it is a vanity for any man that
But oh, who are your leaders that you fol- searcheth into the secrets of nature to give him-
low, daring to enter into the house of Dadalus,3 self to bare reading. For they that thus do, are,
from whence is no return, and of most dreadful being ensnared in the gins of the exterior spirits,
Minois, and daring to go through the watches, to whom it is given to rule, made dangerous
and commit yourself to the sisters of destiny?4 slaves, not knowing themselves, and go back
Who are your masters that you are conversant into the footsteps of their flocks , seeking with-
about such huge things, daring to attempt to out themselves, what they have in themselves.
make a wandering deity, stable; perfidious, faith- And this is that which I would have you
ful; and the most fugatious 5 of all the gods to be know, because in us is the operator of all won-
more constant than Adrastia;6 take heed that you derful effects, who knows how to discern, and
be not deceived by them that are deceived. effect, and that without any sin or offense to God,
Neither can the great reading of books whatsoever the monstrous mathematicians, the
direct you here, since they are but as riddles. prodigious magicians, the envious alchemists,
How great writings are there made of the irre- and bewitching necromancers, can do by spirits.
sistible power of the magical art, of the prodi- In us I say is the operator of miracles.
gious images of astrologers, of the monstrous
Not the bright stars of the sky, nor flames
transmutations of alchemists, of that blessed
of hell,
stone, by which, Midas like, all metals that were But the spirit that these doth make, doth in
touched are presently transmuted into gold, or us dwell.
silver, all which are found vain, fictitious, and
false, as often as they are practised according to But of these I shall discourse more fully,
letter. Yet such things are delivered, and writ by but in your presence (for these things are not to

679
680/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

be written, but to be infused by a few sacred and contains but a certain epitome of my writ-
words, and with face to face), and that when I ings. But I will (God willing) set forth the
shall haply see you. whole work, being made entire, and revised,
Now as concerning those books which you reserving the key thereof for most intimate
desire of me, some of them were sometimes in friends only, one whereof you need not at all
my custody, but now are not. 8 But as for those question but that I reckon you.
books which you have of mine which were Farewell and prosper.
made in my youth, being entitled Of Occult Phi-
losophy, the two former of them were deficient From Lyons the XXIV of September, anno
in many things, the third is wholly imperfect, Domini MDXXVII.

NOLes-To AURelius
I. sendeth greeting-In the Latin Opera this letter is 6. Adrastia-Sumame for Nemesis, the goddess who
represented in the Epistolarum 5.14. metes out happiness and unhappiness to mortals and
maintains a just balance. She was looked upon as an
2. second of this month-September 2, 1527. avenging deity who sooner or later would overtake
the reckless sinner.
3. house of Dadalus-Daedalus constructed the
labyrinth at Cnosus to hold the Minotaur. See his 7. faithful master-It is an accepted tenet in magic
biographical note. that power, or initiation (the same, since knowledge
is power) can only be conferred from master to disci-
4. sisters of destiny-The three Fates, Clotho, Lach- ple. However a disciple may have for his master one
esis and Atropos. of the gods, and so may be solitary, yet not alone.

5. fugatious-Fleeting, fleeing. Perhaps the refer- 8. now are not-Agrippa could scarcely set down in
ence is to Fortune. writing that he possessed forbidden books, even if he
still retained them.
 Unco rhe Same OJan. 1

y your courteous letters (most reverend secrets of God, and nature, altogether ineffica-

B Father!) 1 have seen, as in a glass, your

whole mind, which 1 heartily embrace,
and 1 would have you know that you
shall be welcome to me beyond expression, and
cious; for it is no easy thing for us to ascend to
the heavens. For how shall he that hath lost
himself in mortal dust, and ashes , find God?
How shall he apprehend spiritual things that is
that you are seated deeply in my affections, and swallowed up in flesh and blood? Can man see
that I am such an one (I write this out of the God, and live? What fruit shall a grain of com
abundance of my heart) as am not wont upon bear if it be not first dead?
any occasion to forsake my friends. Wherefore For we must die, 1 say die to the world, and
that you may obtain the desires, which are no to the flesh , and all senses, and to the whole
less than mine, 1 will hasten to come to you. man animal, who would enter into these closets
When we shall come face to face, hear and of secrets, not because the body is separated
speak with one the other, 1 know our friendship from the soul, but because the soul leaves the
will be indissoluble, and endure forever. body: of which death Paul wrote to the Colos-
But now concerning that philosophy which sians: Ye are dead, and your life is hid with
you require to know, 1 would have you know, Christ;3 and elsewhere he speaks more clearly
that it is to know God himself, the worker of all of himself: 1 know a man, whether in the body,
things, and to pass into him by a whole image of or out of the body 1 cannot tell, God knows ,
likeness (as by an essential contract, and bond) caught up unto the third heaven,4 etc.
whereby thou mayest be transformed, and made 1 say by this death, precious in the sight of
as God, as the Lord spake concerning Moses, God, we must die, which happens to few, and
saying: Behold, I have made thee the god of perhaps not always. For very few whom God
Pharaoh. 2 This is that true, high occult philoso- loves, and are virtuous, are made so happy. And
phy of wonderful works. first those that are born, not of flesh and blood,
The key thereof is the intellect, for by how but of God. Secondly those that are dignified to
much higher things we understand, with so it by the blessing of nature, and the heavens at
much the sublimer virtues are we endowed, and their birth. The rest endeavour by merits, and
so much greater things do work, and that more art, of which more fully when I see you.
easily, and efficaciously. But our intellect being But this 1 will advise you, that you be not
included in the corruptible flesh, unless it shall deceived concerning me, as if 1 at any time having
exceed the way of the flesh, and obtain a proper received such divine things should boast of them
nature, cannot be united to these virtues (for like to you, or should arrogate any such thing to
to like) and is in searching into these occult myself, or could hope to have them granted to me,

681
682 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

who hitherto have been a soldier, consecrated But as for my love to you, you are indeed a
with man's blood, having been almost always little deceived: I do not see how you are my
belonging to the King's Court, bound to a most debtor, seeing I have bestowed nothing upon
dear wife by the bond of flesh, exposed to all the you, only I am ready when occasion serves to
blast of inconstant fortune, and being crossed in bestow all things.
my flesh, in the world, and worldly affairs, and So farewell and prosper.
therefore could not obtain the sublime gifts of the
immortal God. But I would be accounted as a From Lyons XIX November, an no Domini
director, who waiting always at the doors, shows MDXXVII.
to others which way they must go.

NOLes-UnLO Lhe Same man

1. Same Man-See the Latin Opera, Epistolarum 3. hid with Christ-Colossians 3:3.
5.19.
4. unto the third heaven-II Corinthians 12:2.
2. god to Pharaoh-Exodus 7: 1.
 HenRY CORnelius AgRippa
senderh gReering ro
a ceRrain fRiend of rhe King's COURC'

he ancients were wont to brand noto- by a Stygian medicine, as a confirmed hectic, a

T rious folly with this proverb, viz. to

bring owls to Athens:2 but it is not a
part of less folly, but of most great
impiety, to send devils to hell. You know what I
radicated dropsy, leprosy in the bones; and:

Who wisely can the knotty gout soon cure,

And health even to the desperate procure.
call hell , viz. that school of wickednesses,
which with much displeasure I have elsewhere See where their faith is placed, where their
in its colours notoriously showed the Court to hope is reposed, who endeavour to subject the
be. But there was never so just an occasion of elements, heaven, fate, nature, providence, God,
writing and of indignation given as now, if it and all things to the command of one magician:
were lawful to treat of the whole business as I and seek for the preservation of a kingdom from
should, yet I cannot contain but give you an devils, the enemies of public preservation; say-
argument of it. ing in their heart with Ochozias ,7 there is not a
Now therefore hear a thing both foolish and God in Israel, let us go and consult Beelzebub
impious: there was sent for out of Germany the god of Achron, and as Saul speaking to the
with no small charges a certain master of spirits, witch,8 saith, the Philistines fight against me,
that is a necromancer, who posses seth a power and God hath deserted me, and will not hear me,
over spirits, that as James and J ambres 3 resisted therefore am I come to you.
Moses. so he should oppose Caesar;4 for they What, do they so much despair of God, that
were persuaded by the Father of Lies, that he they have judged it requisite to desire the aid of
could foretell all things to come, and disclose the devils? Is not this according to the word of
all secret counsels, and manifest even the Jude 9 and Peter,lO to deny God and Jesus Christ
thoughts; moreover that he was endowed with our Lord and saviour who hath redeemed us,
so great power, that he could bring back the and to bring upon themselves swift destruction?
King 's children through the air, even as we read Do they not treasure up for themselves the
that Habacuck with his pulse was carried to the fierce wrath of the Lord who will send it upon
den of lions,5 and that he could do as Elisha did them by evil spirits? Are they not delivered over
being besieged in Dotham,6 show mountains to a reprobate sense, who desire the certainty of
full of horsemen and fiery chariots, and a very secret counsels from the Devil, the father of
great army; moreover that he could find out and lies, and hope for victory elsewhere than from
fetch up the treasures of the Earth, and compel the Lord of Hosts?
what marriages and affections he pleased, to And further, this added boldness to this
break them off, and cure all desperate diseases, abominable worker of idolatry and sacrilege,

683
684/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

that the orthodox mother doth very much favour ungodly follies wont to bring destruction to the
those things, and the authority of her most admirers thereof; to the which truly, they who
Christian son is accommodated, and gifts especially confide, are made the most unfortu-
bestowed out of the sacred pence; the pillars of nate of all men.
the Church, bishops and cardinals, winking at, I deny not but that there are natural sci-
yea furthering this abominable work; and the ences, metaphysical arts, occult ingenuities,
wicked nobles applaud this operation of impi- which can, without offending God, or injuring
ety, as the crows the works of the wolf. faith or religion, preserve kingdoms, dive into
What greater wickedness have Pharaoh, councils, overcome enemies, deliver captives,
Balack, Saul, Ahab with his Iezabel, Ochozias, increase wealth, obtain the good will of men,
Nabuchadnezzar, Balthazar, Sennacherib and expel diseases, conserve health, prolong life,
the other worshippers of Balaam, committed? and restore strength of youth: there are more-
Pharaoh called forth his magicians against over sacred religious intercessions, public sup-
Moses ;" they being convicted in the third plications, private prayers of good men: by the
plague, confessed the finger of God: 12 but the which we may not only turn away the wrath of
king being obstinate through the ten plagues God, but also entreat him to be gracious unto us.
perished in the Red Sea; 13 Balack the Moabite Besides if there be a certain art to foretell,
sent forth Baalam the sorcerer that he should and work miracles, which the ancients call calo-
curse Israel,14 but God himself turned the curse magia 23 or theurgia,24 surely it is unknown unto
into a blessing; 15 Balack is cursed; 16 what did these fools and slaves of the Devil, for to find
the answers of Samuel or the witch profit Saul? out things to come, and to pronounce truth con-
Was he not slain in the mountain Gilboah?17 cerning those things which hang over our heads,
Ahab and Iezabel being wickedly married . and are occult, and from heaven portended unto
together, did confide in the prophets of Baal,I8 men; and to effect things which exceed the
and according to the word of the Lord, a lying common course of nature, belongeth only to a
spirit went forth into the mouths of all the man of profound and perfect knowledge, and of
prophets who promised prosperity to Ahab a most pure life and faith, and not to men most
going up against Ramoth Gilead,19 but Ahab vain and unlearned.
fell, and Iezabel was thrown down headlong, But every creature serveth those who are
and the dogs did eat her:20 Asa a king of Juda is innocent, and learned in the law of God, for
reproved by the prophet of the Lord, because their faith's sake; and whatsoever they shall ask
that in his sickness he sought not the Lord, but they shall receive: so the ravens fed Eliah,25 and
trusted to the skill of his physician: 21 have not at his prayers the Earth withheld her fruits, the
they committed a greater sin, who leave God heaven denied rain,26 and showered down fire
the saviour, and the wholesome virtues of upon the wicked: 27 so the ravens served Elisha ,
nature, and seek for help of Satan? Ochozias 22 the angels fought for him;28 rivers are passed
did thus in times past, and therefore heard from dry-foot;29 the lions laying aside their fierce-
the prophet of the Lord, thou shalt not descend ness, and not regarding their hunger, fawn on
from thy bed on which thou art, but shalt cer- Daniel;30 and the hot fiery furnace burneth not
tainly die. the children. 31 These are not works of necro-
Let the series of the other unrighteous mancers and sorcerers, nor of devils, but of
kings be run over, and also the histories of the faithful and godly men; for not the devils, but
gentiles. Zoroastes , Diatharus, Croesus, Pom- the spirit of God doth assist them.
pey, Pyrrhus , Crassus, Nero, Iulian, what have I confess there are some (perhaps many)
they gained by their magicians and diviners, even at this time, who are very wise, and of
who falsely feigned prosperity for them? Were wonderful knowledge, virtue and power, and of
they not all reduced to nothing, and did they not a pure conversation, most prudent, and also dis-
wickedly perish in their sins? So are all these posed by age and strength, that they can very
 To a Certain Friend / 685

much profit the Commonwealth by their counsel unto his mercy, and will change your wicked-
and operations; but your courtiers contemn these ness, then you may be freed from evil, as was
men, as those who are very far from their pur- Nebuchadnezzar, who by the counsel of Daniel
pose, who for wisdom have malice, guile and redeeming his sins by alms, and his iniquities
deceit; for counsel deceit, and craft for knowl- by taking pity on the poor,37 avoided the immi-
edge; guile, and perfidiousness for prudence. nent wrath of God for a time, until in the court
Superstition is in the place of religion, and at Babylon he with a proud speech recalled it
God is blasphemed in afflictions: and what faith back to himself again.38
(as saith the Apostle) is perfected in weakness 32 Achab most impious, with his Jezebel, to
is contemned: but they run to the invocations of whom the Lord threatened death by Elias, was,
evil spirits. Every good man is mocked at by· because he turned to God, made again the word
them, bold hypocrisy is promoted, truth is of the Lord to Eliah, because Achab feared my
accounted a crime; praise and rewards are face I will not bring the evil in his days.39
reserved for foolishness and wickedness. The Ninevites, because by the edict of the
o fools, and wicked, who by these arts king and princes they repented at the preaching
would establish a kingdom, by which formerly of Jonas, were totally freed from the imminent
most potent empires have fallen, and have been punishment. 40
utterly overthrown; of whom it was truly spo- Esaias brought this sentence to Ezechias,
ken by Jeremiah, our crown is fallen, woe to us that he should set his house in order, because he
because we have sinned: 33 which I wish might should die; he prayed and wept, and was healed,
not be so truly as fitly applied to you. and fifteen years added to his life; for thus the
For truly that verse, the numeral letters Lord spake to the same man by the same
being gathered together MCVI expresseth the prophet, I have seen thy tears and heard thy
year MDXXIV,34 wherein according to the prayers, behold I will add to thy days fifteen
account your king was taken at Papia: 35 did not years; moreover I will deliver thee from the
ye see these things, and admire at them, which hand of the King of Assyria and this city, and
before they were done you judged impossible? protect it;41 so much could the conversion and
And as yet you are proud, and obdurate in your prayer of this pious king do, who though he
affliction. You dispise the prophets, and the prayed for himself alone, yet obtained not only
threatenings of God are as tales to you. for himself, but also for the city and people.
Behold, it is at hand, and as yet you shall It is the Lord only who preserveth the King
see, and feel the great things of God upon the and who giveth wisdom to the King's son; they
whole Earth, and shall tremble because the mis- ought to fly to this master, who seek salvation,
ery which you know not shall come upon you and not to magicians and sorcerers: put on right-
suddenly; whither then will ye fly? Stand with eousness and fear of the Lord, you who desire
your enchanters and with the multitude of your prosperity.
sorceries, if haply they can profit you, or you If the stability of a kingdom be sought for, it
can be made thereby stronger. Wi 11 not that is written; the just shall inherit the land,42 the just
German sorcerer36 that is sent for, save you, and shall be had in everlasting remembrance, he shall
make lying, prophets, and prevail against the not be moved forever. 43 If security be sought for;
wrath of the Lord, and deliver you from evil? they that fear the Lord shall not be afraid for evil
No, ye wicked, no; unless the Lord shall tidings, but shall scorn all their enemies. 44 If hon-
build, and keep the cities, and kingdom, all the our, and wealth be sought for; in his house are
keepers thereof labour and watch in vain. It is glory, and riches.45 If praise, and favour; the gen-
the work of God alone, not of devils, not of eration of the righteous shall be blessed.46 If
magicians, to suspend or change the sentence of power; he shall be powerful on the Earth, and his
the prophets. seed alsO: 47 his strength shall be exalted in
But if you will with your whole heart turn glory.48 If marriage, and prosperity of wedlock;
686/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

he wife shall be as a vine flourishing on the gnash their teeth, and pine away, their desire
house side, and his children as olive branches. 49 shall perish.
If health of body, and strength; the Lord will not Let this suffice for admonition. For I will
suffer his holy one to see corruption. 5O not more curiously prosecute this matter, lest
Lastly, blessed is the man in all things that haply the evilness of the subject should provoke
fears the Lord, who is unspotted in the way, me to write more than is expedient.
who goes not into the council of the wicked, Farewell.
who takes pity on the poor, and needy. For in an
evil day the Lord shall deliver him, and shall From Paris, XIII of February, Anno MDXXVIII
not deliver him into the hands of his enemies. after the Roman account.
All the wicked shall see, and be vexed, and shall

NOLes-To a CeRLain FRiend

I . King's Court-See the Latin Opera , Epistolarum 19. Ramoth Gilead-II Chronicles 18: 19-21.
5.26.
20. dogs did eat her-II Kings 9:36.
2. owls to Athens-See note 20, ch. LIV, bk. I.
21. his physician-II Chronicles 16: 12.
3. James and Jambres-Jannes and Jambres. See II
Timothy 3:8, with reference to Exodus 7:11. 22. Ochozias-That is, Ahaziah. II Kings 1:4.
4. Caesar-Emperor Charles V. 23. calomagia-From the Greek KQAO, beautiful; the
magic of good spirits.
5. den of lions-Apocryphal book Bel and the
Dragon 36; or in Knox, Daniel 14:35. 24. theurgia-Greek: SEOS-, god; EPYOS-, working.
Magic of god; white magic, as distinguished from
6. besieged in Dotham-Dothan. See II Kings 6: 13; goetia, black magic.
7:6.
25. ravens fed Eliah-I Kings 17:6.
7. Ochozias-II Kings 1:2.
26. heaven denied rain-I Kings 17:1.
8. speaking to the witch-I Samuel 28:15, where
Saul speaks to the ghost of Samuel, not the witch.
27. fire upon the wicked-II Kings 1:10.
9. Jude-Jude 14-5.
28. angelsfoughtfor him-II Kings 7:6.
10. Peter-II Peter 2: I.
29. passed dry-foot-II Kings 2:8.
II. against Moses-Exodus 7: II.
30. fawn on Daniel-Daniel 6:22.
12.finger of God-Exodus 8:19.
31. burneth not the children-Daniel 3:25 .
13. in the Red Sea-Exodus 14:28.
32. perfected in weakness-II Corinthians 12:9.
14. curse Israel-Balaam. Numbers 22:6.
33. we have sinned-Lamentations of Jeremiah 5: 16.
15. into a blessing-Numbers 23:20.
34. the year MDXXIV-The reader must solve this
16. Balack is cursed-Balak. Numbers 24:9. numerological puzzle, as I cannot.

17. mountain Gilboah-Gilboa. II Samuel 31 :4. 35. taken at Papia--Charles V, king of Spain,
became emperor of Germany upon the death of Max-
18. prophets of Baal-I Kings 16:31; II Chronicles imilian in 1519. His title was disputed by Francis I of
18:5. France, and the two went to war. At the long siege of
 To a Certain Friend / 687

Pavia in Italy, the anny of Charles, who was himself 39. evil in his days-I Kings 21 :29.
occupied in Spain at the time, took Francis I prisoner.
The siege occurred in 1524, but the capture was actu- 40. imminent punishment-Jonah 3:6-10.
ally made on February 24, 1525.
41. protect it-Isaiah 38: 1--6.
36. German sorcerer--Can this have been Faust?
The German conjurer was certainly very active 42. inherit the land-Psalms 37:29.
around this time, among other things casting spells
on the head of Martin Luther. The Abbot Trithemius 43 . not be moved forever-Psalms 112:6.
in a letter dated 1507 contemptuously refers to Faust
as a fool and a mountebank who should be whipped, 44. all their enemies-Psalms 112:7.
further saying that Faust fled the city rather than con-
front him . Faust is supposed to have died around 45. glory, and riches-Psalms 112:3.
i525 , but the date is not certain, and a student of
Agrippa's, Johann Wierus, says that Faust was a 46. shall be blessed-Psalms 112:2.
drunken vagabond who had practiced and debased
the beautiful art of magic "shamelessly up and down 47. seed also-Ibid.
Gennany, with unspeakable deceit, many lies and
great effect" until 1540 (De prG!stigiis dG!monum , 48. exalted in glOly-Psalms 112:9.
Basel, 1563).
49. olive branches-Psalms 128:3.
37. pity on the poor-Daniel 4:27 .
50. see corruption-Psalms 16: 10.
38. back to himself again-Daniel 4:30-1.
 The cenSURe, OR RecRaccion of HenRY CORnelius AgRippa,
conceRning magic, afceR his dec1amacion of che
vanicy of sciences, and che e}:cellency of che wORd of CJod.

Of magic in geneRal. I

his place doth require that we speak which Porphyry. and Apu/eius assent, and that

T of magic; for it is so near joined to,

and of affinity with astrology, in so
much that he that professeth magic
without astrology, doth nothing, but altogether
in that tongue it signifies a priest, wise man, or
philosopher.
Magic therefore comprehending all philos-
ophy, natural and mathematical, joins the pow-
is in an error. ers of religions to them. Hence also they contain
Suidas2 is of the opinion that magic had its in them goetia, and theurgia,3 for which cause
name, and original from the Maguseans. It is the many divide magic into two parts, viz. natural,
common opinion, that it is a Persian name, to and ceremonial.

NOLes-Of magiC in yeneRal

I. Of Magic in General-This forms ch. 41 of much scholarship and lore otherwise lost. In fact
Agrippa's De incertitudine et vanitate scientiarum. Suidas is the name of the book, not the author, a
word from the Latin meaning "stronghold" or
2. Suidas-Usually considered to be the name of a "fortress." The work has suffered so many interpola-
Greek lexicographer about whom nothing is known, tions that it is impossible to date.
who wrote an ancient dictionary of Greek words.
both names and places, valuable because it preserves 3. goetia. and theurgia-Black and white magic.

689
 Of naruRal magic. I

t is thought that natural magic is nothing world, and the commonwealth to it: and Cicero

1 else but the highest power of natural sci-

ences, which therefore is called the height
of natural philosophy, and the most absolute
consummation thereof, and that which is the
saith in his books Of Divination,Sthat there was
none amongst the Persians did enjoy the king-
dom, but he that first had learned magic.
Natural magic therefore is that which con-
active part of natural philosophy, which by the templates the powers of all natural and celestial
help of natural virtues, from a mutual, and things, and searching curiously into their sym-
opportune application of them, brings forth pathy, doth produce occult powers in nature
operations even to admiration: which magic the into public view, so coupling inferior things as
Ethiopians, and Indians especially did use, allurements to the gifts of superior things, by
where the virtue of herbs, and stones, and other their mutual application, that from thence arise
things looking towards it was sufficient. wonderful miracles, not so much by art as by
It is said that-Hierome made mention of it nature, to which art becomes an assistant whilst
to Paulinus , where he saith that Apollonius the it works these things.
Tyanean was a magician, or philosopher, as also For magicians, as the most curious
the Pythagoreans;2 of this kind were those wise searchers of nature, making use of those things
men which came to worship Christ with gifts which are prepared by nature, by applying active
when he was born, which the interpreters of the things to passive, produce oftentimes effects
Chaldeans expound the philosophers of the before the time ordained by nature, which the
Chaldeans, such as were Hiarchas 3 amongst the vulgar think are miracles, which indeed are nat-
Bragmanni, Tespion 4 amongst the Gymno- ural works, the prevention of the time only com-
sophists, Budda 5 amongst the Babylonians, ing betwixt: as if anyone should produce roses in
Numa Pompilius amongst the Romans, Zamol- the month of March, and ripe grapes, or sown
xides amongst the Thracians, Abbaris amongst beans, or make parsley to grow into a perfect
the Hyperboreans, Hermes amongst the Egyp- plant within few hours, nay, and cause greater
tians, Zoroastes the son of Oromasus6 amongst things, as clouds, rains, thunders, and animals of
the Persians. divers kinds, and very many transmutions of
For the Indians, Ethiopians, Chaldeans, and things, many of which sort Roger Bacon boasted
Persians chiefly did excel in this magic. With that he did do by mere natural magic.
which therefore (as Plato relates in A\Cibiades)7 Of the works thereof wrote Zoroastes , Her-
the sons of the Persian kings were instructed, mes, Eranthes king of Arabia, Zacharias the
that they might learn to administer, and distrib- Babylonian, Joseph the Hebrew ,9 Bocus, Aaron,
ute their image to the commonwealth of the Zenotenus , Kiramides, Almadal, Thetel , Alchin-

690
 Of Natural Magic / 691

dus, Abel, Ptolomy, Geber, Zahel , Nazabarub, \0 ural magic, but they but a few things, as Alber-
Thebith, Berith, Solomon, Astaphon, Hip- (US, Arnoldus de Villa Nova, Raimundus Lullie,
parchus, Alcmeon , Apollonius, Triphon, II and Bacon , and Apponus, and the author of the book
many others, many of whose works are yet to Alfonsus, set forth under the name of Pica-
entire, and many fragments are yet extant, and trix, who also together with natural magic, mix-
have come into my hands. eth much superstition, which indeed the rest
Some modem men have also wrote of nat- have done.

NOLes-Of NawRal magic

I. Natural Magic-De incertitudine et lIanitate, ch. 42. termed: these are four chosen men, reputed
to be the best among the Persians of a cer-
2. also the Pythagoreans- tain age; and one of them is the wisest,
another the justest, a third the most tem-
In accord with the visits of Apollonius to
perate, and a fourth the most valiant. The
the Arabs were his studies among the Per-
first instructs him in the magianism of
sians, by the same author's [Philostratus]
Zoroaster, the son of Oromasus, which is
account. We are told that he forbad Damis
the worship of the Gods, and teaches him
to consort with the Magi, even though
also the duties of his royal office; the sec-
Damis was his only student and companion,
ond, who is the justest, teaches him always
but went himself alone and at midnight to
to speak the truth; the third, or most tem-
study with them in order to spare his com-
perate, forbids him to allow any pleasure
rade the practices of magic for which he had
to be lord over him, that he may be accus-
no liking. And woen he went to talk with
tomed to be a freeman and king indeed,-
Vardan, the Babylonian king, it is said that
lord of himself first, and not a slave; the
he spoke as follows: "My philosophy is
most valiant trains him to be bold and fear-
from Pythagoras of Samos, who instructed
less, telling him that if he fears he is to
me in the way of worship, and how to know
deem himself a slave .. ."(Plato Alcibiades
the gods, visible or invisible, and to hold
I I 22a, trans. Benjamin Jowett [1892]
regular communication with them." (Euse-
[New York: Random House, 1937],2:755)
bius Against the Life of Apollonius ofTyana
by Philostratus II . My paraphrase)
8. books Of Dillination-"And no man can become a
king of Persia who is not previous initiated in the
3. Hiarchus-Iarchus, leader of the Brahmans, men-
doctrine of the magi" (Cicero De dillinatione 1.41
tioned in Philostratus Life of Apollonius 3.16-51.
[Yonge, 182]).
4. Tespion-Thespesion, leader of the Gymno-
9. Joseph the Hebrew-Flavius Josephus.
sophists. See Life of Apollonius 6.10.
10. Nazabarub--That is, Naza the Arab. Perhaps the
5. Budda-Buddha would be more properly placed
same as Norbar the Arab, who was said to have com-
in India.
piled the Picatrix (see Thorndike, 2:813)
6. Oromasus--Oromasdes , or Ahura-Mazda.
II. Triphon-Perhaps Typhon. Tertullian mentions
Typhon in a list of writers on, or practitioners of,
7. in Aldbiades-
magic in his Treatise on the Soul , ch. 57. There was
And at fourteen years of age he is handed a Roman grammarian in the age of Augustus named
over to the royal schoolmasters, as they are Tryphon, but he can hardly be intended.
 Of marhemarical magic.'

here are moreover other most witty thy art metals speak, Diomedes in brass trum-

T emulators of nature and most bold

inquisitors, which promise they can
by the influences of the heavens,
obtained without natural virtues, but only by
pets, the brazen serpent hisseth, birds are
feigned, and those which know no proper
sound, are heard sending forth sweet melody;
we relate small things of him, who hath power
mathematical learning, produce works like to to imitate the heavens.
those of nature, as walking, or talking bodies, Concerning these arts I think that is spoken
which have not animal virtues: such was the which we read in Plato, in the eleventh book of
wooden dove of Architas2 which did fly, and Laws: 5 there is an art given to mortal men by
the statue of Mercury3 which did speak; and the which they should generate certain latter things,
brazen head4 made by Albertus Magnus, which not partaking of truth or divinity, but should
they say did speak. deduce certain representations of affinity with
Boetius, a man of a great wit and much them. And thus far have magicians gone, being
learning, excelled in these things, to whom Cas- men most bold to do all things, especially that
siodurus writing concerning such like things, old strong Serpent, the promiser of all sciences
saith, to thee it is appointed to know hard favouring them, that they like apes endeavour to
things, and show miracles: by the ingenuity of emulate God, and nature.

NOLes-Of OJaLhemaLical OJagic

I . Mathematical Magic-De incertitudine et vanitate 4. brazen head-See note 22, ch. I, bk. II.
scientiarum, ch. 43.
5. eleventh book of Laws-See note 8, ch. LXIII,
2. Architas-See biographical note on Archytas. bk. III.

3. statue of Mercury-See note II , ch. LII, bk. III.

692
 Of enchanring magic.)

here is moreover a kind of natural be but foolish toys, and things impossible, let

T magic, which they call bewitching,

medicinary, which is done by cups,
love potions, and divers medicaments
of sorcerers: of which sort Democritus is said to
him call to mind what Scripture mentions con-
cerning Nebuchadnezzar the king, how he was
turned into an ox,6 and lived seven years with
hay, and at length returned through the mercy of
make some, whereby good, happy, and fortu- God into a man again, whose body after his
nate sons may be begotten: and another death, his son Evilmerodac gave as a prey to the
whereby we may rightly understand the voices vultures, lest he should again rise from the dead,
of birds, as Philostratus and Porphyry relate of who returned from a beast into a man: and more
Apol/onius. Virgil als0 2 speaking of certain Pon- of this kind doth Exodus relate of the magicians
tic herbs, saith: of Pharaoh.7 But Solomon speaks of the same,
whether magicians or sorcerers, when he saith,
I many times, with these have Moeris spied, thou hast terrified them 0 God! because they
Changed to a wolf, and in the woods to hide:
have done horrible deeds by enchantments.
From sepulchres would souls departed
charm, Moreover, this I would have you know, that
And com bear standing from another's farm. these magicians do not search into natural things
only, but also those things which do accompany
And Pliny relates 3 that a certain man, nature, and after a manner put it off, as motions,
Demarchus Parrhasitus, in a sacrifice which numbers, figures, sounds, voices, concents,8
the Arcades made by a human sacrifice to lights, affections of the mind, and words.
Jupiter Lyceus, tasted of the entrails of a boy So the Psylli, and Marsi 9 called together ser-
that was sacrificed, and turned himself into a pents, and others by other things depressing them,
wolf, by reason of which changing of men into put them to flight. So Orpheus repressed the tem-
a wolf, Austin thinks 4 that the name was put pest of the Argonauts with a hymn; 10 and Homer
upon Pan Lyceus, and Jupiter Lyceus. relates of Ulysses that his blood was restrained
The same Austin relates, that whilst he was with words. And in the law of the Twelve
in Italy, there were certain women magicians Tables II punishment was ordained for them who
like Circe , who by giving cheese to travellers enchanted the com: that without all doubt the
turned them into cattle; and when they had car- magicians did produce wonderful effects by
ried what burdens they pleased, restored them words, affections, and such like, not only upon
into men again; and that the same happened to a themselves, but also upon extraneous things.
certain father called Prestantine. 5 All which things are thought to put forth
But lest anyone should think these things to their innate virtue upon other things, draw them

693
694/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

to them, or expel them from them, or any other- To such a height of madness some of them
wise affecting of them, no otherwise than the are grown, that from divers constellations of the
loadstone draws iron, or jet chaff, or a diamond stars, through intervals of times, and a certain
or garlic l2 bind them, so that by this gradual, and rule of proportions being observed, think that an
concatenated sympathy of things, not only nat- image of the gods can with a beck receive the
ural, and celestial gifts, but also intellectual, and spirit of life, and intellect, and so give an
divine may, as lamblicus, Proclus, and Synesius answer to them that ask counsel of it, and reveal
confirm by the opinion of magicians, be received the secrets of occult truth. Hence it is manifest
from above, which Proclus in his book Of Sacri- that this natural magic is, sometimes inclining
fice and Magic 13 confesseth, viz: that by the con- to goetia, and theurgia, entangled in the wiles
sent of these kinds of things, the magicians were and errors of evil spirits.
wont to call up the deities themselves.

NOLes-Of enchanLing magic

I. Enchanting Magic-De incertitudine et vanitate II. Twelve Tables-The Twelve tables contained the
scientiarum, ch. 44. earliest code of Roman law. The were compiled from
the common law in 450 Be and put up in the Forum
2. Virgil also-See note I, ch. XLI, bk. I. for all to read. The original Tables were destroyed
when Rome was burnt by the Gauls.
3. Pliny relates-See note 13, ch. XLV, bk. I. "And then besides, in the laws themselves of the
Twelve Tables, do we not read the following
4. Austin thinks-"Nor does he [Varro] think that words-'Whosoever shall have enchanted the har-
Pan and Jupiter were called Lycaei in the Arcadian vest,' and in another place, 'Whosoever shall have
history for any other reason than for their transform- used pernicious incantations'?" (Pliny 28.4 [Bostock
ing of men into wolves; for this they held impossible and Riley, 5:281]).
to any but a divine power" (Augustine City of God
18.17 [Healey, 2:191]) 12. diamond or garlic-See note 2, ch. XIII, bk. I.

5. Prestantine-See note 14, ch. XLV, bk. I. 13. Of Sacrifice and Magic-
Now the ancients, having contemplated
6. turned into an ox-Daniel 4:32. But Nebuchad-
this mutual sympathy of things, applied for
nezzar only ate grass like an ox-that is, went mad-
occult purposes, both celestial and terrene
he was not transformed into an ox.
natures, by means of which, through a cer-
tain similitude, they deduced divine virtues
7. magicians of Pharaoh-Exodus 7: 11-2; 8:7.
into this inferior abode. (Proclus De sacri-
ficio et magia. frag., Latin trans. Ficinus
8. concents-Musical harmonies; songs.
[Venice, 1497], English trans. Thomas
Taylor. In Iamblichus Life of Pythagoras
9. Psylli. and Marsi-See note 16, ch. LVIII, bk. 1.
[Taylor, note to p. 72 on p. 214])
10. with a hymn-See note 42, ch. XI, B. III.
 Of goeria and necRomancy.'

Ow the parts of ceremonial magic are devils, sacrifice to, and adore them , and thereby

N goetia and theurgia.

Goetia is unfortunate, by the
commerces of unclean spirits made
up of the rites of wicked curiosities, unlawful
become guilty of idolatry, and the basest abase-
ment: to which crimes if the former are not
obnoxious, yet they expose themselves to man-
ifest dangers . For even compelled devils always
charms, and deprecations, and is abandoned and deceive us whithersoever we go.
execrated by all laws. Of this kind are those Now from the sect of the goetians have
which we nowadays call necromancers and proceeded all those books of darkness, which
witches: 2 Vulpianus the lawyer calls books disallowed to
be read, and forthwith appointed them to be
A people envied by the gods, have skill, destroyed, of which sort the first is Zabulus
Begot by the Evil One, even at their will
The heavens for to blemish, and the things reported to invent, who was given to unlawful
Which are in heaven, and on Earth to bring arts, then Barnabas5 a certain Cyprian; and now
Out of order, and the poles for to force, in these days there are carried about books with
And of the rivers for to tum the course, feigned titles, under the names of Adam,6 Abel,?
The mountains level, and the sky to drive
Enoch,8 Abraham,9 Solomon,lO also Paul ,ll
Under the Earth----
Honorius , I2 Cyprianus , I3 Aibertus,I4 Thomas ,I5
These therefore are they which call upon Hierome,I6 and of a certain man of York, l?
the souls of the dead, and those which the whose toys Alphonsus King of Castile, Robert
ancients called Epodi,3 who enchant boys,4 and an Englishman, Bacon,I 8 and Apponius, and
bring them out into the speech of the oracle, and many other men of a deplored wit have fool-
which carry about them familiar spirits, as we ishly followed. Moreover they have not made
read of Socrates and such, as it is said, they fed men only and saints, and patriarchs, and the
in glasses, by which they feign themselves to angels of God, the authors of such execrable
prophesy. And all these proceed two ways. opinions, but they boast also that those books
For some endeavour to call and compel evil
were delivered by Raziel, and Raphael the
spirits, adjuring by a certain power, especially of
divine names; for seeing every creature fears, angels of Adam and Tobias.
and reverenceth the name of him who made it, no Which books openly betray themselves to
marvel, if goetians infidels, pagans, Jews, Sara- him that looks narrowly into them, to be a rule,
cens, and men of every prophane sect and society rite, and custom of their precepts, and a kind of
do bind devils by invocating the divine name. words, and characters, an order of extruction, an
Now there are some that are most impi- empty phrase, and to contain nothing but mere
ously wicked indeed, that submit themselves to toys, and impostures, and to be made in latter

695
696 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

times by men ignorant of all ancient magic, and Therefore the ancient Fathers, skillful of
forlorn artists of pernicious art, of prophane spiritual things, did not without cause ordain
observations mixed with the ceremonies of our that the bodies of the dead should be buried in a
religion, with many unknown names, and seals holy place, and be accompanied with lights, and
intermixed, that thereby they may terrify and sprinkled with holy water, and be perfumed
astonish the simple, and ignorant. with frankincense, and incense, and be expiated
Moreover it doth not yet appear that these by prayers as long as they continued above
arts are fables: for unless there were such ground.
indeed, and by them many wonderful and hurt- For as the masters of the Hebrews say, all
ful things done, there would not be such strict our body and carnal animal, and whatsOever in
divine, and human laws made concerning them, us depends upon the matter of the flesh, being
for the utter exterminating of them. ill disposed, is left for meat to the Serpent, and
And why do the goetians use those evil as they called it, to Azazel,22 who is the lord of
spirits only, but because good angels will hardly the flesh and blood, and the prince of this world,
appear, expecting the command of God, and and is called in Leviticus the prince of deserts ,
come not but to men pure in heart, and holy in to whom it is said in Genesis: Thou shalt eat
life: but the evil are easily called up, favouring dust all the days of thy life; and in Isaiah: Dust
him that is false, and counterfeiting holiness are thy bread, i.e. our body created of the dust of
always ready to deceive with their craft, that the Earth, so long as it shall not be sanctified,
they may be worshipped, and adored. and turned into better, that it be no longer an
And because women are most desirous of effect of the Serpent, but of God, viz. a spiritual
secrets, and less cautious, and prone to supersti- made of carnal, according to the word of Paul,
tion, they are the more easily deceived, and saying, that which is sowed a carnal, shall arise
therefore give up themselves the more readily to a spiritual;23 and elsewhere, all indeed shall rise,
them, and do great prodigies. The poets sing of but all shall not be changed because many shall
Circe,19 Medea,20 and others of this sort; remain forever as meat of the Serpent.
Cicero , Pliny , Seneca, Austin, and many others, This filthy and horrid matter of the flesh and
as well philosophers as Catholic doctors, and meat of the Serpent we therefore cast off by
historians, also the Scriptures, testify the like. death, changing it for a better and spiritual, which
For in the books of the Kings we read, that shall be in the resurrection of the dead; and is
a woman who lived at Endor, called up the soul already done in those, who have tasted of the first
of Samuel the prophet,21 although many inter- fruits of the resurrection, and many have already
pret it not to be the soul of the prophet, but an attained to, by the virtue of the divine Spirit, in
evil spirit, which took upon him his shape. Yet this life, as Enoch, Eliah and Moses , whose bod-
the Hebrew masters say that Austin to Simpli- ies were changed into a spiritual nature, and have
cianus doth not deny but it might be the true not seen corruption; neither are their carcasses left
spirit of Samuel, which might easily be called up to the power of the Serpent. And this was that dis-
from its body before a complete year after his pute of the Devil with Michael the archangel con-
departure, as also the goetians teach. Also magi- cerning the body of Moses, of which Jude makes
cian necromancers suppose that might be done mention 24 in his Epistle.
by certain natural powers and bonds, as we have But of goetia, and necromancy let thi s
said in our books of Occult Philosophy. suffice.
 Of Goetia and Necromancy I 697

NOLes-Of yoeLia and NecRomancy

1. Goetia and Necromancy-De incertitUdine et van- 1974], 35. Originally published as The
itate scientiarum, ch. 45. Demotic Magical Papyrus of London and
Leiden [London: H. Grevel and Co., 1904])
2. necromancers, and witches-The following quota-
tion is from Lucan Pharsalia 6, c. line 458. After some time, a boy about twelve years
old was brought in, and the performance
3. Epodi-From the Greek Emi8w : those who charm began. He took the child's right hand in
by incantations. his, and described a square figure on its
palm, on which he wrote some Arabic
4. enchant boys-The use of pre-pubescent boys as characters; while this was drying, he wrote
an undefiled medium for the communications of the upon a piece of paper an invocation to his
gods is very old. It began in Babylonia and was car- familiar Spirits, which he burnt with some
ried to Egypt, where it still exists today. This is why frankincense in a brazier at his feet . For a
Pythagoras said that children were loved by the gods: moment, a cloud of fragrant smoke
" ... he observed that boys were most dear to divinity, enveloped the wizard and the cowering
and hence in times of great drought, they were sent child who sate before him, but it had
by cities to implore rain from the Gods, in conse- entirely disappeared before the phantasms
quence of the persuasion that divinity is especially made their appearance. Then, taking the
attentive to children ... " (lamblichus Life of Pythago- boy's hand in his, he poured some ink into
ras 10 [Taylor, 24]). The same awareness may be the hollow of it, and began to mutter
seen in Christ (Matthew 19:14). rapidly; his countenance assumed an
I cannot resist giving several examples which appearance of intense anxiety, and the per-
show the pervasiveness and persistence of this form spiration stood upon his brow; occasionally
of magic: he ceased his incantations, to inquire if the
boy saw anything; and being answered in
Take a new knife with a black handle and the negative, he went on more vehemently
make with it a circle in the earth so that than before. Meanwhile, the little Arab
you can sit in it with a boy or a girl less gazed on the inky globule in his hand with
than nine years, and anoint the left hand of an eager and fascinated look, and at length
one of them with olive oil and the black of exclaimed, "I see them now!" (Warburton
a pan, and warn them that they should not [1844] 1849, 1:100--1)
look outside the anointed place, and then
whisper into his right ear: I adjure you .. . Warburton observed this divination in Cairo.
that you shall appear unto this lad, and you
shall give him a proper answer to all that 5. Barnabas-Joseph Barnabas, a Levite of Cyprus
he asks for me, and all this he shall say who sold his property and gave the money to the dis-
three times. (Babylonian Oil Magic, text 3, ciples of Christ. See Acts 4:36-7.
trans. S. Daiches [London, 1913]. In Three
Works of Ancient Jewish Magic) 6. Adam-Adam was said to be the co-author with
Daniel oftwo books of astrological divination by the
You take a new dish and fill it with clean days of the lunar cycle, written in the 14th century.
Oasis oil and add to the dish gradually This kind of work was called a Lunarium, or Moon
without producing cloudiness so that it Book. Magical works are attributed to Adam because
becomes clear exceedingly; and you take a he was the first man, and so the only conduit through
boy,. pure, before he has gone with a which the wisdom of the angels might reach later
woman, you speak down into his head generations.
while he stands, previously, to learn
whether he will be profitable in going to 7. Abel-Jerome Torrella published a work called
the vessel. If he is profitable, you make Opus prreclarum de imaginibus astrologicis (On
him lie on his belly; you call down into his astrological images) at Valencia in 1496, in which he
head .. . he gazing downwards into the oil, makes mention of "a most ancient book written by
for seven times, his eyes being closed. Abel, son of Adam," who sealed it inside a stone,
When you have finished, you make him where it remained safe through the flood and was
open his eyes, you ask him about what you afterwards discovered by Hermes (Thorndike,
desire . .." (Leyden Papyrus 3.9-15, ed. 4:580). Another work, the Essentiis essentiarum
Griffith and Thompson [New York: Dover, (Essence of essences) attributed to Thomas Aquinas,
698 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

sheds a little more light on this book. Of the author Justina-at least, this is the account given in his Con-
Thorndike writes: fessions , which details his magical works. See
Thorndike, vol. I, ch. 18.
He has also seen Abel's book of marvelous
images which was preserved through the
14. Albertus-Albertus Magnus is known as a magi-
deluge with its names of the intelligences
cian largely because of the Book of Secrets, which
ruling the planets. The images are said to
was attributed to him and which contains extracts
tum other metals to gold and enable one to
from his works.
become a king or prelate. Our author, how-
ever, has tested only one of them. Horses
IS. Thomas-Since Thomas Aquinas was a pupil of
going past in the morning to water used to
Albertus Magnus, it is not surprising that he was
prevent his sleeping. But he made an i~ag.e
credited with a number of alchemical works, includ-
according to Abel's directions and buned It
ing a commentary on the Turba philosophorum, a
before his house, and after that no horse
work called the Blessed Lily Among Thorns, and a
could pass. (Thorndike, 3: 139)
work called De essentiis essentiarum (On the essence
of essences). See Thorndike, 3:42, 65, 136.
8. Enoch-There was a magical work ascribed to
Enoch on IS stars, IS stones, IS herbs and IS images
16. Hierome---Saint Jerome is the reputed author of a
to be engraved on the stones. See Thorndike, 3:139.
work on precious stones that is preserved in a 12th-
century Berlin manuscript (Thorndike, 2:236). I fi~d
9. Abraham-A book of Abraham, or Abram, is cited
nothing else that especially connects Jerome with
several times by Firmicus Maternus in his Mathesis
goetia.
(see Thorndike, I :537). There was a myth that Abra-
ham was skilled in astrology, and had instructed
17. certain man of York-Robert of York. See bio-
Zoroaster in this art (ibid., 3:51).
graphical note.
I O. Solomon-The number of magical works sup-
18 . Bacon-A number of spurious alchemical works
posed to have been written by Solomo? is large.
were attributed to Roger Bacon, and despite Bacon 's
Thorndike lists the Almandel, Ars notona, Cephar
own claim in his Epistola de secretis operibus that
Raziel, Clavicula, Experiments, Idea et entocta,
magic is essentially a delusion, there are many magi-
Jocalia Novem candariis, Palmistry, Pentagon , Phi-
cal references in his own works. A grimoire called
losoph;, Quatuor and Umbris idem·um, and mentions
the De nigromancia of Roger Bacon, derived from
other works as well. See Thorndike, 2: 1024, and all
British Museum MS. Sloane 3885 and additional
of ch. 49. To this list might be added the Lemegeton.
MS. 36674 (ed. and trans. M. A. Macdonald
[Gillette, NJ: Heptangle Books, 1988]), claims in !ts
II. Paul-Paul was the reputed author of the Pauline
introduction to have been discovered by the FranCIS-
Art, which was "discovered by the Apostle Paul after
can brothers Robert Lombard and Roger Bacon in
he had been snatched up to the third heaven, and
their studies at Alexandria, Egypt.
delivered by him at Corinth" (Thorndike, 2:282). The
Pauline Art is the name of the third work in a collec-
19. Circe-See Homer Odyssey 10, line I 35ff.
tion of five that comprises the Lemegeton of
Solomon-English translation, British Museum
20. Medea-See Ovid Metamorphoses 7. 1, lines
Library, Sloane 2731 .
1-158, and Apollonius of Rhodes Argonautica 3, c.
line 442ff.
12. Honorius-Honorius of Thebes, master magician
and author of The Sworn Book of Honorius. He is not
21. Samuel the prophet-I SarnueI28:7-20.
to be confused with Pope Honorius III, supposed
author of the Grimoire of Pope Honorius Ill.
22. Azazel-See note 51, ch. XVIII, bk. III.
13 . Cyprianus--Cyprian, Bishop of Antioch, was
23 . arise a spiritual-I Corinthians 15:44.
born a pagan and raised as a magician, but was con-
verted to Christianity by the virtue of the virgin
24. Jude makes mention-Jude 9.
 Of rheuRgla. I

oW many think that theurgia is not the evil of your thoughts. 3

N unlawful, as if this be governed by

good angels, and a divine deity, when
as yet oftentimes it is under the names
of God, and the fallacies of evil angels
Now impurity, because it oftentimes infects
the air, and man, disturbes that most pure influ-
ence of celestial and divine things, and chaseth
away the pure spirits of God. But sometimes
obstringed 2 by the wicked fallacies of the devils. impure spirits, and deceiving powers, that they
For we do procure, and attract not by natural be worshipped, and adored for gods, require
powers only, but also by certain rites, and cere- also this purity. Therefore here is great need of
monies, celestials, and by them divine virtues to caution, as we have lately discoursed at large in
ourselves; of which together with many rules the our books of Occult Philosophy.
ancient magicians did treat in many volumes. But of this theurgia, or magic of divine
But the greatest part of all ceremonies con- things, Porphyry disputing at large, at length
sists in observing cleanness, and purity, first of concludes that by theurgical consecrations the
the mind, then of the body, and of those things soul of man may be fitted to receive spirits, and
which are about the body , as in the skin, in gar- angels, and to see God: but he altogether denies
ments, in habitations, in vessels, utensils, obla- that we can by this art return to God.
tions, sacrifices, the purity of which disposeth Of his school therefore is the Art Almadel,
to the acquaintance with and beholding of the Notary Art, the Pauline Art, the Art of Reve-
divine things, and is very much required in lations, and many suchlike superstitions, which
sacred things, according to the word of Isaiah, are so much the more pernicious, by how much
be ye washed, and made clean, and take away they seem the more divine to the ignorant. 4

NOLcs-Of ThcuRgia
1. Theurgia--De incertitudine et vanitate scien- J . evil of your thoughts-Isaiah 1: 16.
tim·urn , ch. 46.
4. divine to the ignorant-Various systems of magic
2. obstringed-Bound ; put under obligation. set forth in books of the same names.

699
 Of caballe. 1

ere the words of Pliny2 come into my tie, birds, creeping things, and fishes; all which

H mind, who saith the faction of magic

depends upon Moses and Latopea,
being Jews; which words put me in
mind of the Cabalie of the Jews, which the
show that he knew the magical virtues of nature.
Moses the Egyptian, amongst the later writers
followed after this in his exposition upon the
Pentacles; also many more Talmudists.
Hebrews are of opinion was delivered to Moses They call the other science thereof of Mer-
by God himself on Mount Sinai, and then by cara,7 which is concerning the more sublime
degrees of succession without the monuments of contemplations of divine and angelic virtues,
letters was until the times of Esdra 3 delivered to and of sacred names, and seals, being a certain
others by word of mouth only: as the symbolical divinity, in which letters, numbers,
Pythagorean opinions were formerly delivered figures, things, and names, and tops of elements,
by Archippus, and Lysiaus,4 who had schools at and lines, points, and accents, are all significa-
Thebes in Greece, in which the scholars keeping tive of most profound things, and great secrets.
the precepts of their masters in their memory, This again they divide into Arithmancy,
did use their wit, and memory instead of books. viz. that which is called Notariacon,8 treating of
So certain Jews despising literature, placed angelical virtues, names, and seals, also of the
this in memory, and observations, and vocal tra- conditions of spirits, and souls; and into Theo-
ditions, whence Cabalie was by the Hebrews mancy, which searcheth into the mysteries of
called as it were the reception of any thing from divine majesty, as the emanations thereof, and
another only by hearing. 5 That art (as it is sacred names, and pentacles, which he that
reported) is very ancient, but the name was knows may excel with wonderful virtues; as
known but of late times amongst Christians. that when he pleaseth, he may foreknow all
They deliver a double science therefore, the future things, and command whole nature, have
one of Bresith,6 which they call Cosmology, viz: power over devils, and angels, and do miracles.
explaining the powers of things created, natural, By this they suppose, that Moses did show
and celestial, and expounding the secrets of the so many signs, and turned the rod into a ser-
Law and Bible by philosophical reasons: which pent,9 and the waters into blood,IO and that he
truly upon this account differs nothing at all sent frogs, II flies,12 lice,13 locusts,14 caterpil-
from natural magic, in which we believe King lars,15 fire with hail, 16 botches and boils 17 on the
Solomon excelled. For it is read in the sacred Egyptians, and slew every firstborn 18 of man and
histories of the Hebrews, that he was skilled in beast; and that he opened the seas, 19 and carried
all things, even from the cedar of Lebanon, to his through, and brought forth fountains 20 out of
the hyssop that grows upon the wall: also in cat- the rock, and quails from heaven;21 and he sent

700
 Of Cabalie / 701

before his, clouds and lightnings by day, a pillar recapitulated and contained.
of fire 22 by night, and called down from heaven Hence it is, that the Jews who are most
the voice of the living God 23 to the people, and skillful in using the names of God, can operate
did strike the haughty with fire,24 and those that little or nothing after Christ, as their ancient
murmured with the leprosy;25 and on the ill fathers did; but that we by experience find, and
deserving brought sudden destruction, the earth see, that by the revolution of the art (as they call
gaping and swallowing them up;26 further he fed them) oftentimes wonderful sentences, full of
the people with heavenly food;27 pacified ser- great mysteries, are wrested from the holy
pents,28 cured the envenomed,29 preserved the Scriptures, being nothing else than a certain
numerous multitude from infirmity, and their playing upon allegories, which idle men, busy-
garments from wearing out, and made them vic- ing themselves with all the points, letters, and
tors over their enemies. 30 numbers, which this tongue and the custom of
To conclude, by this art of miracles Joshua writing do easily suffer, do feign and disguise at
commanded the Sun to stand still;31 Eliah called their pleasures; which although sometimes they
down fire from heaven 32 upon his enemies, hold forth great mysteries, yet they can neither
restored a dead child33 to life; Daniel stopped the prove nor evince anything; but we may (accord-
mouths of the lions;34 the three children sang ing to the words of Gregory) with the same
songs in the fiery oven;35 moreover by this art the facility contemn them, as they are affirmed.
incredulous Jews affirm that even Christ did do Rabanus the monk, by the same artifice
so many miracles; Solomon also very well knew hath feigned many things, but in Latin charac-
this art, and delivered charms against devils, and ters and verses, with certain pictures inserted,
their bonds, and the manner of conjurations, and which being read any way by the delineations of
against diseases, as Joseph reporteth. 36 • the superficies and pictures, do declare some
But as I doubt not but that God revealed to sacred mystery, representing the histories of the
Moses many secrets contained under the bark of things painted; which also may without doubt
the words of the Law, which were not to be be wrested from prophane writings, as everyone
revealed to the prophane vulgar, so I acknowl- may know, who hath read the Cantones of Vale-
edge that this Cabalistical art, which the ria Proba, composed out of the verses of Virgil,
Hebrews brag of, and I sometimes diligently concerning Christ.
and laboriously sought after, is nothing else All things of this kind are the speculations
than a mere rhapsody of superstition, and a cer- of idle brains, but what belongeth to the work-
tain theurgical magic: but if it proceeded from ing of miracles, there is none of you, I suppose,
God (as the Jews boast) and conduceth to the of so foolish an understanding, who believeth
perfection of life, health of men, to the worship that they have any art or science of them.
of God, and to the truth of understanding; truly Therefore this Cabala of the Jews is noth-
that Spirit of Truth,37 which hath left this syna- ing else than a most pernicious superstition, by
gogue, and come to teach us all truth, would not the which they gather at their pleasure, divide,
have concealed it from his Church even until transfer words, names and letters, scatteringly
these last times, which indeed knoweth all put in the holy Scriptures, and by making one
things that are of God, whose benediction, bap- thing out of another, they dissolve the connec-
tism, and other mysteries of salvation are tions of the truth, the speeches, inductions and
revealed and perfected in every tongue. parables, and here and there construing them by
For every tongue hath the same equal their own fictions, would bring the words of
power, if so be that there be the same equal God to their follies, defaming the Scriptures,
piety, neither is there any name, either in and saying that their fictions have foundation on
heaven or Earth, by the which we must be them. They calumniate the Law of God, and by
saved, and by which we work miracles, besides the supputations of words, syllables, letters,
this one name, Jesus , in which all things are numbers impudently extorted, they assay to
702/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

bring violent and blasphemous proofs for their numbers, by the which they constituted a body
unbelief. of truth (as they call it) , and taught, that without
Besides, they being puffed up by these tri- these mysteries of letters and numbers the truth
fles , do boast that they find and search out the could not be found in the Gospel , because that
unspeakable mysteries of God, and secrets, the writings thereof are various, and sometimes
which are above the Scriptures, by the which repugnant to themselves, and full of parables;
also they impudently affirm, and without blush- that they who see, might not see, and that they
ing, that they can even prophesy, and do mira- who hear, might not hear, and that they who
cles and wonders; but it happeneth to them, as to understand, might not understand, and that they
Aesop's dog,38 who leaving his bread, and gap- are propounded to the blind and erroneous,
ing after the shadow, lost his food; so this per- according to the capacity of their blindness and
fidious and stiff-necked people, being always error; but that the sincere truth lying hid under
busied in the shadows of the Scriptures, and these things, is committed to the perfect only,
about their own vanities, and doing violence by not by writings, but by word of mouth, and that
their artificial, but superstitious Cabala, do lose this is that alphabetary and arithmatical theol-
the bread of etemallife, and being fed with vain ogy which Christ in private manifested to his
words, do destroy the word of truth. apostles;41 and which Paul speaketh to the per-
From this ludaical ferment of Cabalistical fect only;42 for seeing that these are the highest
superstition proceeded (as I suppose) the Ophi- mysteries, therefore they are not written, nor
tane,39 Gnostican, and Valentinian 40 heretics, ought so to be, but to be kept in secret amongst
who together with their disciples, feigned a cer- wise men.
tain Greek Cabala, perverting all the mysteries But no man is a wise man amongst them,
of the Christian faith, and by their heretical cor- who knoweth not to refrain the greatest mon-
ruption wresting them to the Greek letters and sters of heresy.

NOLes-Of Cabalie
I. Cabalie-De incertitudine et vanitate scien- warlike concerns; they burnt all the men
tim'um , ch. 47. except two, Archippus and Lysis . For
these being in perfect vigour, and most
2. words of Pliny-"There is another sect, also, of robust, escaped out of the house .... But of ,
adepts in the magic art, who derive their origin from the two Pythagoreans that were saved, and
Moses, Jannes, and Lotapea, Jews by birth, but many both of whom were Tarentines, Archippus
thousands of years posterior to Zoroaster ... " (Pliny indeed returned to Tarentum ; but Lysis
30.2 [Bostock and Riley, 5:425]). W.H.S. Jones hating the negligence of the cities went
points out in his note to this passage (Cambridge: into Greece, and dwelt in the Achaia of
Harvard University Press, 1963, 8:285) that for Peloponnesus. Afterwards he migrated to
"Lotapes" Pliny should have written " Iotape" (tw- Thebes, being stimulated by a certain
T a7T~), which equals Yahweh, the Jewish name for ardent desire of retreating thither; and
God. Jannes is one of the magicians of Pharaoh who there he had for his auditor Epaminodas,
contested with Moses (Exodus 7: II). His name who called Lysis his father. There also
occurs in Timothy 3:8. Lysis terminated hi s life. (Life of Pythago-
ras 35 [Taylor, 128-9])
3. times of Esdra-See I Esdras 8: 1-7. Plutarch says it was Philolaus and Lysis who sur-
vived the arson of the house in which the Pythagore-
4. Archippus and Lysiaus-Iamblichus relates the ans were assembled. Of the two he reports:
history of these two disciples:
Philolaus flying to the Lucanians was there
At length, however, the Cylonians became protected by his friends, who rose for his
so hostile to the men, that setting fire to the defence and overpowered the Cylonians;
house of Milo in which the Pythagoreans but where Lysis was, for a long time
were seated, and were consulting about nobody could tell ; at last Gorgias the
 Of Cabalie / 703

Leontine, sailing from Greece to Italy, seri- 18. slew evelY firstborn-Exodus 12:29.
ously told Arcesus that he met and dis-
coursed Lysis at Thebes. (On the Sign of 19. opened the seas-Exodus 14:21.
Socrates 13 [Goodwin, 2:393))
20. brought forth f ountains-Exodus 17:6.
5. only by hearing-Kabbalah comes from the
Hebrew root '?Jp, QBL: to receive, accept, admit; it 21. quails from heaven-Exodus 16: 13.
signifies the oral tradition handed down from Moses.
22. pillar offire-Exodus 13:21.
6. Bresith-See note 7 below.
23. voice of the living God-Deuteronomy 5:24;
7. Mercara-l"l'iDtliiJ , BRAShITh (in the begin- Exodus 19:19.
ning) is the first word in the Old Testament. Ma' asch
bereshit is the name given to the first chapter of Gen- 24. haughty with fire-Numbers 16:35.
esis, about which many esoteric traditions and specu-
lations grew up. i1J~i1:l, MRKBH (war chariot) is 25 . murmured with leprosy-Numbers 12:10. How-
the source of Ma' asch merkabah, the name given to ever Moses ended the leprosy of Miriam, he did not
the first chapter of Ezekiel, which concerns the char- bring it.
iot of God. Gershom Scholem writes:
26. swallowed them up-Numbers 16:32.
These two terms were subsequently used to
describe those subjects dealing with these
27. heavenly food-Exodus 16: 15.
topics . Both Mishuah and Talmud (Hag.
2: I and the corresponding Gemara in both
28. pacified serpents-Numbers 21:7.
the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmud)
show that, in the first century of the com-
29. cured the envenomed-Numbers 21 :9.
mon era, esoteric traditions existed within
these areas, and severe limitations were
30. over their enemies-Exodus 17: 11.
placed on public discussion of such sub-
jects: "The story of creation should not be
31 . Sun to stand still-Joshua 10: 12.
expounded before two persons, nor the
chapter on the Chariot before one person,
3,f .fire from heaven-II Kings I : 10.
unless he is a sage and already has an inde-
pendent understanding of the matter."
33 . restored a dead child-I Kings 17:22.
(Scholem Kabbalah 1977, 11-2)
34. mouths of the lions-Daniel 6:22.
8. Notariacon-See Appendix VII.
35. fiery oven-Song of the Three Holy Children 28,
9. rod into a serpent-Exodus 7: 10.
with reference to Daniel 3:20-30.
10. waters into blood-Exodus 7:20.
36. Joseph reporteth-See note 9 to "Of Natural
Magic," p. 691.
1I . frogs-Exodu s 8:6.
37. Spirit of Truth-Jesus Christ.
12.f1ies-Exodus 8:24.
38. Aesop's dog-
13 . lice~Exodu s 8:17.
A Dog, crossing a little rivulet with a piece
14. locusts-Exodu s 10: 13. of meat in his mouth, saw his own shadow
represented in the clear mirror of the
15. caterpillars-There is no such plague, unless it is limpid stream; and believing it to be
linked with the plague of locusts. But Rashi states most another dog, who was carrying a larger
emphatically that the plague of locusts was locusts piece of meat, he could not forbear catch-
only, and no other species. See Rashi 1949, 2:89. ing at it; but was so far from getting any-
thing by his greedy design, that he dropped
16.fire with hail-Exodus 9:23. the piece he had in his mouth, which
immediately sank to the bottom, and was
17. botches and boils-Exodus 9: 10. irrecoverably lost. (Fables of Aesop 118,
704/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

trans. Croxall and L'Estrange [London: the secret meaning of the Old Testament writings,
Frederick Warne, n.d.], 262) until the Holy Spirit sent Christ, united with his sister
Prunikos, to enter the pure vessel, Jesus born of a vir-
39. Ophitane-The Ophites, or Ophians, or gin. Ialdabaoth instructed the Jews to kill Jesus
Naasenes, were an early sect of Gnostics who hon- Christ, but only Jesus died on the cross, as Christ and
ored the serpent and believed in a trinity of the Uni- Prunikos had already left him. Christ later raised the
versal God or First Man, his conception the Second spiritual body of Jesus for 18 months to teach his dis-
Man, and a female Holy Spirit. From her the Third ciples. In heaven Christ sits on the right hand of Iald-
Man, Christ, was begotten by the First and Second. abaoth, whom he has deprived of glory, and receives
Christ rose up with his mother and dropped a spark those souls dedicated to him.
on the waters, from which came Ialdabaoth, the
Demiurgos, ~ho gave rise to six powers and with 40. Valentinian-See biographical note on ·Yalenti-
them created the seven heavens. When Man, created nus.
by the six powers, worshipped the First Man, Iald-
abaoth in wrath created Eve to destroy him. But 41 . manifested to his apostles-Matthew 13: II.
Sophia, or Prunikos (the Spark) sent the Serpent to
free Adam and Eve from the power of Ialdabaoth. 42. the pelfecl only-I Corinthians 2:6.
Mankind then waged war with Ialdabaoth, which is
 Of juggling OR legeRdemain. I

ut let us return to that magic, part of by historians, and by some Christian divines,

B which is an art of juggling, i.e. delu-

sions, which are made according to
appearance only, by which magicians
show phantasms, and play many miracles by
and also is recorded in the Scripture. So men
may appear like asses, or horses,6 or other ani-
mals, with fascinated eyes, or a troubled
medium, and that by a natural art. Sometimes
circulatory frauds, and cause dreams, which these are done by good and evil spirits, or by
they do not so much by geotic enchantments, God himself at the request of some good man, as
and imprecations, and deceits of devils, as by in the Scripture we read of Elisha the prophet
certain vapours, perfumes, lights, love medi- beset by an army of the king fortifying Dotham. 7
cines, collyries, alligations, and suspensions, But to pure eyes, and such as be opened by God,
also by rings, images, glasses, and such like those cannot deceive; so that woman which was
drugs, and instruments of magical art, and a nat- judged to be a kind of cattle, did seem to
ural and celestial power. Hi/ario 8 to be not any such thing, but a woman.
Also many things are done daily by slight These things therefore which are done
of hand, of which sort we see some are done according to appearance only, are called jug-
daily by stage players, and sporters which we glings. But those things which are done by the
call chirosophers,2 i.e. skillful in slight of hand. art of transmuting, or translating, as of Neb-
There are extant concerning this art, books of uchadnezzaJ} or of corn carried to another
the legerdemain of Hermes, and some others. field, we have spoke of before.
We read also of a certain man called Pase- But of this art of juggling, thus saith Jam-
ton,3 a most notable juggler, that was wont to blicus,lO these things which are supposed to be
show a banquet to guests, and when he pleased, juggled or bewitched, besides imagination, have
to make it vanish away again, all rising with no truth of action or essence. The end of these is
hunger; and thirst, being deluded. We read that but to hold forth things to the imagination
Numa Pompilius4 did use these kinds of jug- according to appearance, of which there
glings, and also that most learned Pythagoras 5 presently remains no footsteps or signs. Now by
did sometimes do this toy: that what things he what hath been said, it is manifest that magic is
pleased, he would write in a glass, 'which being nothing else but a collection of idolatry, astrol-
set against the full Moon, he would show to ogy, and superstitious medicines.
anyone that stood behind it, those things repre- And now there is by magicians raised a
sented in the globe of the Moon. great company of heretics in the Church, who as
Hither belongs whatsoever poets sing of the Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses ," do in the
transmutations of men, which also is delivered like manner resist the apostolical truth. The

705
706 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

chief of these was Simon the Samaritan,12 on Occult Philosophy, in which what was then
whom by reason of this art was bestowed at through the curiosity of my youth erroneous, I
Rome in Claudius Caesar' s time, a statue, with now being more advised, am willing to have
this inscription: To Simon the holy god. Of his retracted, by this recantation; I formerly spent
blasphemies Clemens,13 Eusebius ,14 and Ire- much time and costs in these vanities. At last I
naeus l5 make mention. grew so wise as to be able to dissuade others
From this Simon , as from a seminary of all from this destruction.
heresies proceeded by successions the mon- For whosoever do not in the truth, nor in
strous Ophites, 16 the filthy Gnostics, 17 the impi- the power of God, but in the deceits of devils,
ous Valentinians, 18 Cerdonians, 19 Marcionists,20 according to the operation of wicked spirits per-
Montanians,21 and many other heretics, lying sume to divine and prophesy, and practising
against God for gain and vain glory, doing no through magical vanities, exorcisms, incantions
good to men, but deceiving them, and drawing and other demoniacal works and deceits of idol-
them into destruction and error, to whom they atry, boasting of delusions, and phantasms,
that give credit shall be confounded in the presently ceasing, brag that they can do mira-
judgement of God. cles, I say all these shall with Jannes, and Jam-
But of magic I wrote whilst I was very bres, and Simon Magus , be destinated to the
young three large books, which I called Of torments of eternal fire.

Of the Occult Philosophy of Henry Cornelius Agrippa,

finis.
Anno MDXXXIII in the month of July.

NOLes-Of Juggling OR LegeRdemain

I . Juggling or Legerdemain-De incertitudine et 5. Pythagoras-Some of the wonders attributed to
vanitate scientiarum, ch. 48. Pythagoras are enumerated in Iamblichus Life of
Pythagoras 28.
2. chirosophers-From the Greek XELpuao<j>oS':
skilled with the hands. 6. horses-
This is not unlike the account given by S.
3. Paseton-
Vincent of Beauvais in his Speculum
We read that the sorcerer Pasetes by majus, Lib. XVIII, of a woman who, at the
means of certain enchantments caused a request of a Jew because she would not
sumptuous feast to appear, and again he lend herself to his pleasure, a witch so
made all vanish at his pleasure. He used apparently changed into a mare that she
also to buy things and count out the price, seemed to be such not only to everyone
and shortly the money would be found to else but even to her husband; and only S.
have passed back secretly from the seller Macharius, since he was a man of the
to the buyer. (Francesco Maria Guazzo rarest sanctity, was not deceived by that
Compendium Maleficarum 1.3, trans. E. illusion, and knew her throughout for the
A. Ashwin [New York: Dover, {1608, woman that she really was. (Nicolas Remy
1929} 1988], 7). Demonolatry 2.5 [Ashwin, III])

4. Numa Pompilius-See Augustine City of God 7.fortifying Dotham-II Kings 6: 18.

7.35. The legend that Numa was a pupil of Pythago-
ras is mentioned by Livy (History 1.17). 8. Hilario-Many miracles are attributed to Saint
 Of Juggling or Legerdemain / 707

Hilarion in the Vita St Helarionius Eremitae by St. of spectres to appear at feasts; he caused
Jerome. many shades to go before him, which he
said were the souls of the departed; he made
9. Nebuchadnezzar-Alluding to the supposed trans- the vessels in a house move as though of
formation of Nebuchadnezzar into an ox. Daniel 4:32. their own accord with apparently none to
carry them." (Guazzo Compendium Malefi-
10.lamblicus- carum 1.3 [Ashwin, 7-8)
We must say the same thing, therefore,
13. Clemens-The Recognitions of pseudo-Clemen-
concerning phantasms. For if these are not
tines a Latin translation made by Rufinus around 400
true, but other things are so which have a
AD from a Greek text called the Clementine Homilies,
real existence, thus also in the appearances
which concerns the doings of Simon Magus. See
of spirits, they seem to be such as thi.ngs
Thorndike, I : 17.
which are true beings; at the same tIme
they participate of falsehood and decep-
14. Eusebius-See the Ecclesiastical History 2.13, 14.
tion, in the same manner as the forms
Eusebius quotes Justin Martyr and lrenaeus, and
which present themselves to the view in
throws in a few embellishments of his own.
mirrors; and thus vainly attract the mind
about things which never take place in any
15.lrenaeus-See Against Heresies 1.16.
of the more excellent genera. These phan-
tasms, likewise, will consist in deceptive
16. Ophites-See note 39 to "Of Cabal ie," p. 704.
perversions. For that which is an imitation .
of being, and is an obscure assimilation,
17 . Gnostics-The term is used by Agrippa for a spe-
and becomes the cause of deception, per-
cific sect in the same way it is used by Irenaeus
tains to no one of the true and clearly exist-
(Against Heresies 1.29, 30). In the broader sense, all
ing genera. (Iamblichus On the Mysteries
the sects here mentioned are Gnostic except Mon-
2.10 [Taylor, 106])
tanism.
II. resisted Moses-II Timothy 3:8.
18. Valentinians-See biographical note on Valenti-
nus.
12. Simon the Samaritan-
In S. Clement of Rome we also read much 19. Cerdonians-
concerning Simon Magus: that he made a
A certain man, however, by name Cerdon,
new man out of air, whom he could render
who derived his first impulse from the fol-
invisible at will; that he could pierce stones
lowers of Simon, and who made some stay
as if they were clay; that he brought statues
at Rome, under Hyginus the ninth, that held
to life; that when cast into the fire he was
the episcopate in succession from the apos-
not burned; that he had two faces like
tles, taught that the God who had been pro-
another Janus; that he could change him-
claimed by the law and prophets, was not
self into a ram or a goat; that he flew in the
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for the
air; that he suddenly produced a great
latter was revealed, the other was unknown;
quantity of gold; that he could set up kings
the former also was just, but the other was
and cast them down; that he commanded a
good. Marcion, who was from Pontus, ha~­
scythe to go and reap of itself, and that it
ing succeeded Cerdon, augmented hiS
went and reaped ten times as much as the
school by uttering his blasphemies without
others; and that when a certain harlot
a blush. (Eusebius Ecclesiastical History
named Selene was in a tower, and a great
4.11, trans. C. F. Cruse [London: Bell and
crowd had run to see her and had entirely
Daldy, 1866], 126-7)
surrounded that tower, he caused her to
appear simultaneously at all the windows
Eusebius is here quoting directly from Irenaeus
and exhibit herself to all the people.
Against Heresies , bk. 3.
Anastasius of Nicaea says: "Simon
Magus made statues walk, and when thro~n
20. Marcionists-
into the fire he did not burn, and he flew In
the air, and made bread from stones. He And there is Marcion, a man of Pontus,
changed himself into the form of a serpent who is even at this day [circa 150 AD]
and other beasts; he had two faces; he was alive, and teaching his disciples to believe
changed into gold; he would cause all sorts in some other god greater than the Creator.
708 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

And he, by the aid of devils, has caused the excessive desire of his soul to take the
many of every nation to speak blas- lead, gave the adversary occasion against
phemies, and to deny that God is the maker himself. So that he was carried away in
of this universe, and to assert that some spirit, and wrought up into a certain kind of
other, being greater than He, has done frenzy and irregular ecstasy, raving, and
greater works. (Justin Martyr First Apol- speaking, and uttering strange things, and
ogy 26 [Ante-Nicene Christian Library proclaiming what was contrary to the insti-
2:29-30]) tutions that had prevailed in the church, as
handed down and preserved in succession
21. Montanians-Montanism was a sort of charis- from the earliest times. (Eusebius Ecclesi-
matic Christianity of the 2nd century. astical History 5.16 [Cruse, 184])
There is said to be a certain village of Soon two women, Prisca and Maximilla, also began
Mysia in Phrygia, called Ardaba. There, to prophesy. The persecution of 177 AD spread Mon-
they say, one of those who was but a recent tanism from Phrygia throughout Asia Minor, Rome
convert, Montanus by name, when Cratus and even Gaul. The message of the sect was a stricter
was proconsul in Asia [circa 156 AD], in adherence to an ascetic morality.
 APPENDIX I

Emerald Tablet

he Smaragdine, or Emerald Table (Tab- of the Sun." This may be regarded in the higher

T ula Smaragdina) is a short alchemical

work attributed by medieval commenta-
tors to Hermes Trismegistus. It first
occurs in the wntmgs of the Arab Jabir ibn
Hayyan (i.e., Geber) who lived in the 8th century,
sense as the material death and spiritual rebirth of
the soul, or in the lower sense as the physical
transformation of base metal into gold. Agrippa
admits in ch. XIV, bk. I, that he has participated
in alchemical experiments and has succeeded in
but it has been thought to be much older (see Bur- creating gold, but no more by weight than the
ckhardt [1960] 1974, 196). There were many quintessence of gold used in the experiment. But
manuscripts of it circulating at the time of he certainly valued the Tablet more as a reposi-
Agrippa. Ortolanus (or Hortulanus) the alchemist tory, in cryptic shorthand form, of the great Her-
wrote a commentary devoted to the Emerald metic principles, particularly the second sentence,
Tablet around 1350 (Thorndike, 3:183). It is which sums up the entire philosophical ground of
worth noting that Trithemius quotes the Tablet in occultism in the Middle Ages in a few words.
full in his letter to Germanus de Gonay, dated The version of the Smaragdine given here
August 24, 1505 (ibid., 4:348). is based upon several translations of the Latin
Hargrave Jennings, in his introduction to a text, which is the one Agrippa would have had
translation of the Hermetic writings by John before him. In composing this version, consid-
Everard, relates the legend of the Tablet: eration was also given to the Arabic text. This
differs from the Latin in a few points of empha-
In a treatise attributed to Albertus Magnus, sis, but it was not thought necessary to depart
we are told that the tomb of Hermes was radically from the sense of the Latin version.
discovered by Alexander the Great in a The major variation between the two is in Sen-
cave near Hebron. In this was found a slab
of emerald, which had been taken, from the tence 10, which in the Arabic reads: "Thus the
hands of the dead Hermes, by "Sarah, the microcosm was framed on the macrocosm."
wife of Abraham," and which had The words that translate "of the operation of the
inscribed upon it, in Phoenician characters, Sun" in Sentence 13 can also mean "ofthe work
the precepts of the great master concerning of gold" (de operatione solis), emphasizing the
the art of making gold. This inscription
consisted of thirteen sentences, and is to be double interpretation that is possible.
found in numerous alchemical works. Some translators combine the first and sec-
(Divine Pymander [Everard, viii-ix]) ond Sentences, making a total of 12, but I have
preferred to separate the two to emphasize that
The subject of the Tablet is the alchemical the "truth" referred to in Sentence 1 applies to
Great Work, or as it is here described, "the work the entire Tablet.

709
 Hermes Trismegistus
from De divinatione et magicis prcestigiis by Jacques Boissard (Oppenheim, 1605)
 Appendix I-Emerald Tablet / 711

emeRald Tabler:
of
HeRmes TRismegisL"us

I. It is true, without falsehood, and most 8. Ascend from Earth to Heaven, and
certain. descend again to Earth, to unite the power of
2. What is below is like that which is above; higher and lower things; thus you will obtain
and what is above is like that which is below: to the glory of the whole World, and the shadows
accomplish the miracle of the one thing. will leave you.
3. As all things were formed from one, by 9. This has more strength than strength
the thought of one, so all things are born from itself, for it overcomes all subtle things and pen-
this one thing, by choice. etrates every solid.
4. Its father is the Sun, its mother the 10. Thus the world was framed.
Moon, the Wind carries it in its belly, its nurse II . Hence proceed wonders, which means
is the Earth. are here.
5. It is the author of all perfection through- 12. Therefore I am Hermes Trismegistus,
out the World. having the three parts of world philosophy.
6. The power is strong when changed into 13. That which I had to say of the operation
Earth. of the Sun is perfected.
7. Separate the Earth from the Fire, the sub-
tIe from the gross, gently and with care.
 Soul of the World
from Utriusque cosmi maioris scilicet et minoris metaphysica atque technica historia by Robert Fludd
(Oppenheim, 1617)
 APPENDIX II

The Soul of the World

uch of magic is based upon the the distinction between the Soul of the World

M premise, usually implicit, that the

universe is a single living con-
scious being within whose body
all things subsist. In consequence nothing is
without life, and nothing is truly separate from
and the Great Mother, the goddess of the Earth.
They sometimes are unclear as to the exact
nature of the Soul. But in Plato himself these
things are distinct and lucid.
For Plato, as he relates in the Timaeus. the
everything else. This cosmic being was viewed highest god was the Creator, who was unknow-
as a god and was called by the ancients the Soul able, eternal and perfect, the "best of causes."
of the World. It will be useful to examine some The world, fashioned in his image, is necessar-
of the qualities of this deity for the insights she ily beautiful, and the beauty of the world is a
will give into Agrippa's theory of magic. mirror for the splendor of the Creator. Wishing
In classical and medieval times "world" to bring order to the chaos of the visible sphere
meant "universe." This must be emphasized as so that "all things should be as like himself as
it tends to get lost in the modem astronomical they could be," out of pure goodness and free
perspective of vast distances, countless stars from all jealousy, he brought into being a copy
and planets, swirling galaxies and endless of himself as exact as was possible for any sec-
emptiness. Until a few short centuries ago the ondary thing to be. The characteristics of this
universe was a flat circle of earth and sea and "fairest of creations" were determined by his
the arching span of the heavens, in which own essential nature.
moved the small disks of Sun and Moon, the He made the world intelligent because
five other wandering points of light called plan- intelligence is more beautiful than unintelli-
ets and a few hundred fixed points called stars. gence. He gave the world a soul because intelli-
A larger view of things was not unheard gence cannot reside where a soul is lacking. He
of-soine philosophers speculated that the Earth put the soul into a body because "that which is
was a sphere, and that the Sun was of great size, created is of necessity corporeal, and also visi-
though they never imagined it a fraction as large ble and tangible."
as it turns out to be-but for the vast majority of The world is one and not many because the
educated people "Earth" and "world" were con- Creator is one, and the world is his image. That
centric ideas not too dissimilar in scope. this single world might be visible he framed it
The doctrine of the World Soul is first of Fire. That it might be tangible he formed it
expressed in its classical form by Plato. His from Earth. But these two elements could not be
writings became the foundation of all subse- joined without a medium in the nature of an
quent references. Later writers sometimes blur arithmetical mean. Had the world been planar

713
714 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

one mean would have sufficed, but because the material world and unite the two center to cen-
world was solid, two means, Water and Air, ter. The body of the world is visible, but the
were necessary. Fire is to Air as Air is to Water, soul invisible.
and Air is to Water as Water is to Earth.
And because she is composed of the same
And for these reasons, and out of such ele- and of the different and of being these
ments which are in number four, the body three, and is divided and united in due pro-
of the world was created, and it was har- portion, and in her revolutions returns upon
monized by proportion, and therefore has herself, the soul, when touching anything
the spirit of friendship, and having been which has being, whether dispersed in parts
reconciled to itself, it was indissoluble by or undivided, is stirred through all her pow-
the hand of any other than the framer. ers to declare the sameness or difference of
(Plato Timaeus 32c [Hamilton and Caims)) that thing and some other, and to what indi-
viduals are related, and by what affected,
and in what way and how and when, both in
The Creator formed the world in the most the world of generation and in the world of
perfect of shapes, the sphere, "which compre- immutable being. (ibid. 37a)
hends within itself all other figures." The sur-
face was fashioned with perfect smoothness, Desiring to make the world as near a per-
without eyes since there was nothing beyond fect copy of himself as possible, the Creator set
the world to look upon, without ears since there the heavens in order and made them move
was no sound outside to hear, without a nose according to number, thereby giving rise to time
since there was no air outside to breathe, with- , as a moving image of his own eternity. Time is
out a mouth because the world was self-suffi- a flawed model of eternity because eternity does
cient, "his own waste providing his own food, not move, but "rests in unity." Plato says, "Now
and all that he did or suffered taking place in the nature of the ideal being was everlasting,
and by himself," without hands since the world but to bestow this attribute in its fullness upon a
"had no need to take anything or defend himself creature was impossible." However, time was
against anyone," without feet since the motion as cl()se as the Creator could come. "It was
of the world was circular rotation, the move- framed after the pattern of the eternal nature-
ment best suited to his spherical form and most that it might resemble this as far as was possi-
appropriate to mind and intelligence. ble, for the pattern exists from eternity, and the
In the center of the body of the world the created heaven has been and is and will be in all
Creator set the soul, which is older than the time. Such was the mind and thought of God in
body. This is apparent since the soul rules the the creation of time" (ibid. 38b).
body, and the Creator would never permit the To mark and measure the numbers of time
younger to rule the elder. The soul is diffused the Creator set the seven planets in the seven
equally throughout all portions of the world, irregular divisions of the inner circle of the Soul
and also the "exterior environment of it," and is of the World. He made the celestial gods of Fire
female, the mistress of the body of the world. and set them, after the figure of the world, in a
She is framed out of harmonious numerical circle "and made them follow the intelligent
ratios, the mixture of which the Creator cut into motion of the supreme, distributing them over
an X and folded back upon itself into a double the whole circumference of heaven, which was
circle, both parts of which he set spinning in to be a true cosmos or glorious world spangled
opposite directions, the outer circle to the right, with them all over" (ibid. 40a).
the inner diagonally to the left. The inner circle The Earth, which is the nurse of humanity
he further subdivided into seven unequal circles and the first and eldest of the gods in the interior
in which move the seven planets. of heaven, was set at the center of the universe
Only after the Creator had "framed the soul on the axle of the world to be the "guardian and
according to his will" did he form within her the artificer of night and day. " The Creator poured
 Appendix II-The Soul of the World / 715

out the mingled elements with which he had Hermes emphasizes the di stinction made by
made the Soul of the World, but diluted to the Plato between time, which is the duration of the
second and third degree, and divided it into world, and eternity, the duration of the Creator.
soul s equal in number to the fixed stars. Each
soul he ass igned a star. The celestial gods took The Kosmos is ever-living; for it is made
immortal by the Father, who is eternal.
the four elements from the world and fashioned
"Ever-living" is not the same as "eternal."
bodies for these soul s to reside in "not with the The Father has not been made by another;
indi ssoluble chains by which they were them- if he has been made at all , he has been
selves bound, but with little pegs too small to be made by himself; but it ought rather to be
visible" (ibid. 43a). Souls that lived righteously said that he has never been made, but ever
is. But the Kosmos is ever being made.
as men returned to their stars. Souls that did evil
(Corpus Hermeticum 8.2 (Scott, I : 175)
descended into the bodies of beasts.
That which is most perfect in men, the He traces the link between God and man
intellect and reason, was housed in a spherical more directly than Plato , saying most suc-
body, the head, in imitation of the perfect cinctly: "There are these three then,-God,
sphere of the world. But the rest of the body Kosmos, Man. The Kosmos is contained by
was fashioned to meet the requirements of God, and man is contained by the Kosmos. The
physical living. Man was given legs to move in Kosmos is son of God; man is son of the Kos-
the six directions-backwards, forwards; right, mos, and grandson, so to speak, of God" (ibid.
left; up, down. The seventh perfect motion, 1O.14b [Scott, 197]).
rotation on one place, was denied him due to his Kosmos, or the world , is a sphere, as in
imperfection. Pl ato, but Hermes metaphorically calls thi s a
It was necessary to descend all the way to "head." Those things closer to the outer surface
man in the genesis of Plato's Timaeus in order of this head, its "cerebral membrane," have
to show the link that exists between man, the more soul than body and are thus immortal.
Earth, the Soul of the World and the supreme These are the fixed stars and wandering planets.
Creator. Elsewhere, in his Laws, Plato has other Those things nearer to the center have more
things to say about the nature of the Soul of the body than soul and are mortal. These are the liv-
World which are worth noting. ing things below the circle of the Moon . "Thus
He defines Soul concisely as self-move- the universe is composed of a part that is mate-
ment, and identifies it with the "primal becom- rial and a part that is incorporeal; and inasmuch
ing and movement of all that is, has been, or as its body is made with soul in it, the universe
shall be, and of all their contraries, seeing it has is a living creature" (i bid. 10.11 [Scott, 195]).
disclosed itself as the universal cause of all Continuing thi s theme , Hermes observes
change and motion " (Laws 896a [Hamilton and that the world is'in constant flux , changing from
Cairns]). He goes on to say that it is the "first day to day as different parts of it pass from
born of all things," which agrees with hi s sight, yet the world as a whole never decom-
Timaeus ; and that Soul-meaning all soul , or poses. He emphasizes that the forms which pass
the Sou'l of the World-i s the cause of good and away are forms of the world itself, not merely
ev il; and that it moves the heavens; and that forms contained in , yet separate from, the
individual souls, or parts of Soul, in heavenly world. " And the Kosmos assumes all forms; it
bodies are esteemed as gods. does not contain the forms as things placed in it,
Agrippa was more familiar with the writ- but the Kosmos itself changes."
ings of Hermes Tri smegistus than with those of In all this Hermes agrees with Plato. On
Plato, if the quality of his quotations in the another point he is in apparent disagreement,
Occult Philosophy is any guide. The doctrine of but thi s conflict is only superficial. Plato says
the Soul of the World figures prominently in the quite definitely that the Soul of the World, as
Hermetica in several key ways. the most perfect image of God, is most perfectly
716/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

good (Laws 898c; Timaeus 30b). Hermes takes in man to fingernails, bones and hair. The sec-
an opposite position: "For the Kosmos is one ond degree is sensible, in the world the Sun,
mass of evil, even as God is one mass of good" Moon and stars, equivalent in man to ears, eyes,
(Corpus Hermeticum 6.4a [Scott, 169]). Later nose, mouth and touch. The third degree is
on he seems to contradict himself, saying: "The intellectual, in the world the aether (which
Kosmos is not indeed evil, but it is not good, as Agrippa calls the Spirit of the World, or quin-
God is; for it is material, and subject to pertur- tessence), equivalent in man to the mind. This
bation" (ibid. lO.lOb [Scott, 195]). last highest level of Soul is in the world called a
There is no real conflict of ideas in these god, in man called the Genius-i.e., the
statements, merely a difference of emphasis. guardian angel.
Plato is referring to the Soul of the World, the The Earth was regarded by Yarro as a god-
incorporeal part of creation, as the highest good dess, which the Soul of the World, here treated
of created things, but he does not mean to imply as a god, interpenetrated, impregnated and ren-
that it is equal in goodness to God, whose good- dered fruitful. As Augustine writes, " the part of
ness is beyond human comprehension. It is the world' s soul (say they) 'contained in her,
rather the highest good to which the term can maketh her divine'" (City of God 7.23
rightly be applied. Hermes chooses to empha- [Healey]). According to Yarro the masculine
size the vast distance that lies between God and part of the world is called Tellus, the power of
even the most perfect of created things. He does which is to produce, and the feminine part is
this by considering the material part of the called Tellumo, the power of which is to
world, which is subject to change. He caBs it all receive. The Roman priests add two other con-
evil to point out that even the highest created cepts, dividing the world into four powers, or
good is evil in comparison to the good of God. deities. These two are Altor, which according to
Later he moderates this position, distinguishing Augustine (i.e., Yarro) is from ala, to nourish,
the soul from the body of the world. In that the because earth nourishes all things; and Rusor,
soul is everlasting, it is not evil in the human from rursus , again, because all things return
sense of the term; in that the body is ever- again to the earth. Although Augustine does not
changing, it can never be good as the term is say, it would be reasonable to link Altor with
applied to eternal God. Tellus and Rusor with Tellumo, forming pairs
Although Hermes is here referred to as respectively of production and growth , and
though he were a single historical author, it is reception and decay.
obvious that these two passages were written by All this Yarro relates concerning the beliefs
different writers, the first more strongly influ- of his contemporaries and the priests. But else-
enced by Christian doctrine. Since there is a sin- where he gives his own views, which Augustine
gle philosophical harmony underlying the records (7.24):
Hermetic writings it is not germane to this dis-
For Yarro, as if feeling shame at this crew,
cussion that parts of the Corpus were written at would have Tellus to be but one goddess.
different times by several hands. I mention it They call her (says he) the great mother,
here so that the reader will not think I have and her timbrel is a sign of the earth's
overlooked the obvious. roundness: the turrets on her head, of the
towns: the seats about her, of her eternal
The opinion of the Roman scholar Yarro
stability when all things else are moved:
about the Soul of the World, as it is preserved in her galli, priests, signify that such as lack
the commentary of Augustine in his City of seed [they were castrated] must follow the
God, is less abstract, more colloquial, as one earth that contains all: their violent motions
would expect from a popularizer of ideas. Yarro about her [dances] do advise the tillers of
earth not to sit idle, for there is still work
divides the Soul of the World into three for them. The cymbals signify the noises
degrees. The first degree of Soul is insensible, with plough-irons, etc., in husbandry; they
in the world wood, stones and earth, equivalent are of brass, for so were these instruments
 Appendix II-The Soul of the World / 717

before iron was found out. The tame lion god greater than all the rest beneath him.
signified that the roughest land might by that is. the world. and seeing they hold that
tillage be made fertile. And then he adds. this is a creature having an intellectual soul
that she was called mother earth. and many included in it by which it lives. having the
other names. which made them think her parts consisting of four elements. whose
several gods. connection that great God (lest this other
should ever perish) made indissoluble and
eternal ... (City of God 13.17)
In this second-hand account of Augustine.
as in other writers. there is sometimes a vague-
ness in distinguishing between the active. occult. The threefold division of the Soul by Varro
into an insensible degree. a sensible degree. and
masculine face of the Soul of the World. and its
an intellectual degree seems to correspond to
receptive. manifest. feminine face. This is bound
Plato's division of three natures that impress
up with confusion between the world or universe
themselves on the Soul:
and the material Earth. Confusion arises because
these are not separate powers and bodies. but a ... first. that which is in process of genera-
single mingled and interpenetrated whole. tion; secondly. that in which the generation
Plato makes clear that the Soul of the takes place; and thirdly. that of which the
World is really neither masculine nor feminine thing generated is a resemblance naturally
in itself. but receives these polarities upon its produced. And we may liken the receiving
principle to a mother. and the source or
blank surface in the same way that a mirror is spring to a father. and the intermediate
not red or green. but reflects that color which nature to a child. and may remark further
passes into it: that if the model is to take every variety of
form. then the matter in which the model is
And the same argument applies to the uni- fashioned will not be duly prepared unless
versal nature which receives all bodies- it is formless and free from the impress of
that must be always called the same. for. any of those shapes which it is hereafter to
inasmuch as she always receives all things. receive from without. (Timaeus 50c-d)
she never departs at all from her own
nature and never. in any way or at any Varro's insensible degree is Plato's recep-
time. assumes a form like that of any of the tive nature. his intellectual degree is Plato's
things which enter into her; she is the nat-
ural recipient of all impressions. and is
source of generation. and his sensible degree is
stirred and informed by them. and appears Plato's intermediate nature of generated things.
different from time to time by reason of Thus the Sun. Moon and stars are the children
them. (Plato Timaeus SOb) born from the mother. the Soul of the World. by
the father. the Creator.
Plato commonly speaks of the Soul of the The assertion by Varro that the Sun. Moon
World as feminine because of its relation to the and stars are the world's senses would seem to
Creator. who impresses forms upon the Soul. be directly contradicted by Plato. Who states at
which forms are her children (see Timaeus 5Od). length that the world has no senses (Timaeus
It is apparent that Augustine at least 33-4). The reason Plato is so adamant in deny-
understood the distinction between the world ing the world senses is his wish to emphasize
and the Earth from this lucid and concise sum- that there is nothing outside or apart from the
mary he gives. out of Plato. of the doctrine of world. Varro's world senses are directed
the World Soul: inward. and seem inspired by astrological con-
siderations. If the Sun. Moon and stars are to
They [Platonists] agree in this also. that guide the destinies of men. they must be aware
earthly bodies cannot be eternal. and yet of what men are doing.
they hold the whole earth. which they regard
as a central part of their great god (though
Implicate in this notion of Varro's is a sep-
not of their highest) the world. to be eternal. aration between men and the Soul of the World.
Seeing then their greatest God made another His World Soul must observe inwardly to be
718/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

aware of what transpires on the Earth. Plato pIe? That which impregnates her-Varro's
would have said this was unnecessary. The Soul intellectual degree, or Plato's source of genera-
of the World diffuses through every point on tion- is hidden, seldom referred to in her pop-
her sphere equally, allowing her to be aware of ular mythology, yet constantly at work, as is
the actions of men as she is of her own manifest by her unceasing fecundity. Science
thoughts-which, by the way, are not like the has recently rediscovered Gaea and made her
thoughts of men, but, as Hermes tells us, respectable, putting forward the theory that the
"mightier and less diversified" (Corpus Her- physical Earth has not so much formed life, as
meticum 9.6 [Scott, 183]). life has formed the Earth, modifying its climate,
In closing, mention might be made of the atmosphere and surface. This theory, new in the
survival of this doctrine into modem times. West, is thousands of years old in the East,
What is Mother Nature except the "great where the Hindu goddess Shakti, manifest
mother" of Varro, the goddess of the entire power, is made fruitful by the action of Shiva,
Earth who is its unifying and vivifying princi- the unchanging universal consciousness.
 APPENDIX III

The Elements

But those thinkers are in error who postu-

T
his examination of the elements relies
upon the incomplete treatise On the late, beside the bodies we have mentioned,
a single matter-and that a corporeal and
Nature of the Universe by Ocellus separable matter. For this "body" of theirs
Lucanus, On Generation and Con'up- cannot possibly exist without a "perceptible
tion by Aristotle, and the Timaeus of Plato. Most contrariety:" this "Boundless," which some
modern critics assume the work attributed to thinkers identify with the "original real,"
must be either light or heavy, either cold or
Ocellus is bogus and that it was based upon Aris-
hot. .. . Our own doctrine is that although
totle and written around 150 Be. There is good there is a matter of the perceptible bodies (a
reason for this view: However, the older writers matter out of which the so-called "ele-
held that the work attributed to Ocellus was gen- ments" come to be), it has no separate exis-
uine and that Aristotle had taken many of his tence, but is always bound up with a
contrariety. (On Generation and Con'up-
ideas about the elements from it. In this brief tion 2.1 [McKeon])
examination, which came first is not particularly
important, so the older opinion, which Agrippa Regarding Plato's opinion of this primary
would have shared, has been nominally adopted. matter, see the Timaeus 50b-d, which has been
The Pythagorean philosopher Ocellus quoted in appendix II, p. 717.
Lucanus states that the first thing necessary for The second thing needed for a world of
the world of generation to exist is a primal generation is contrariety, which Ocellus says is
ground, base, or matter out of which all forms required for two reasons: that change may take
and qualities of things are shaped. This underly- place in the forms impressed in passive primary
ing strata has no tangible qualities in itself. matter, and that opposite powers may not come
Ocellus says it bears the same relationship to together and abolish each other-that is to say,
form as silence to sound, darkness to light, or the underlying existence of contrariety keeps
pure water to taste: " ... in matter [the intangible opposing powers such as hot and cold from
substratum] all things prior to generation are in once and forever coming together and neutraliz-
capacity, but they exist in perfection when they ing each other, resulting in a uniform blandness.
are generated and receive their proper nature" Essences, or elements, are the third thing
(On the Universe . In Ocellus Lucanus, trans. needed for a world of generation. These are Fire,
Thomas Taylor [Los Angeles: Philosophical Air, Water and Earth. Attributed to them are the
Research Society [1831], 1976], 11-2). powers, respectively, hot, moist, cold and dry.
Following Ocellus, Aristotle emphasizes Ocellus says: "But essences differ from powers;
the point that this first ground of things cannot for essences are locally corrupted by each other,
be tangible in itself. but powers are neither corrupted nor generated,

719
720/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

for the reasons of them are incorporeal" (On the If these four primary powers are combined
Universe [Taylor, 12]). About this distinction into pairs, six pairs result. However, two of
Aristotle writes: " ... for these bodies [elements] them, hot-cold and moist-dry, are composed of
change into one another (they are not immutable contrarieties which can never be joined, because
as Empedocles and other thinkers assert, since opposites refuse to be coupled in stable har-
'alteration' would then have been impossible), mony, for as Aristotle says, "it is impossible for
whereas the contrarieties [powers] do not the same thing to be hot and cold, or moist and
change" (Generation and Corruption 2.1). dry" (ibid. 2.3). The four stable pairs attach
Two of these powers, hot and cold, are themselves to the elements according to the
active and, as Ocellus says, "subsist as causes manifest qualities of the elements. Fire is hot
and things of an effective nature ... " (On the and dry, Air is hot and moist, Water is cold and
Universe [Taylor, 12]), whereas the other two, moist and Earth is cold and dry.
dry and moist, are passive. As Aristotle puts it: Ocellus attributes four of the powers to
"On the other hand hot and cold, and dry and each element. Fire is hot, dry, rare and acute.
moist, are tenns, of which the first pair implies Air is soft, smooth, light and thin. Water is cold,
power to act and the second pair susceptibility" moist, dense and obtuse. Earth is hard, rough,
(Generation and Corruption 2.2). heavy and thick. However, where the elements
These four are the primary powers, or con- are considered according to their interrelation,
trarieties, of tangibles. From them arise 12 oth- Ocellus agrees with Aristotle, saying: "Fire
ers, for a total of 16, all of which affect the therefore, is hot and dry, but air is hot and
sense of touch. Aristotle explains: moist; water is moist and cold, but earth is cold
and dry. Hence heat is common to air and fire;
Since, then, we are looking for "originative cold is common to water and earth; dryness to
sources," of perceptible body; and since
" perceptible" is equivalent to "tangible," earth and fire; and moisture to water and air"
and "tangible" is that of which the percep- (On the Universe [Taylor, 14]).
tion is touch; it is clear that not all the Ocellus goes on to speak of the "peculiar-
contrarieties constitute "forms" and "orig- ity" of each element, saying: "heat is the pecu-
inative sources" of body, but only those liarity of fire, dryness of earth, moisture of air,
which correspond to touch. For it is in
accordance with a contrariety-a contrari- and frigidity of water" (ibid., 15). Aristotle
ety, moreover, of tangible qualities-that makes the same point: "Nevertheless, since they
the primary bodies are differentiated. That are four, each of them [each element] is charac-
is why neither whiteness (and blackness), terized par excellence by a single quality: Earth
nor sweetness (and bitterness), nor any
by dry rather than by cold, Water by cold rather
quality belonging to the other perceptible
contrarieties either, constitutes an "ele- than by moist, Air by moist rather than by hot,
ment." (Generation and Corruption 2.2) and Fire by hot rather than by dry" (Generation
and Corruption 2.3).
The 12 secondary elemental powers are, The elements may be divided into a num-
in pairs: heavy, light; rare, dense; smooth, ber of contrasting pairs. Fire and Air both
rough; hard, soft; thin, thick (or fine, coarse); expand and rise, and are, Aristotle says, "fonns
and acute, obtuse (or brittle, viscous). All of the body moving towards the limit" (ibid.). In
these, according to Aristotle, derive from the contrast, Earth and Water contract and fall, and
moist and dry , and all may be reduced to the are "fonns of the body which moves towards
primary four powers, but no farther. "For the the centre" (ibid.). Fire and Earth fonn the pair
hot is not essentially moist or dry, nor the of extremes, because in the natural order of the
moist essentially hot or cold: nor are the cold elements Fire rises to the top and Earth falls to
and the dry derivative fonns, either of one the bottom. Aristotle says they are the "purest."
another or of the hot and moist. Hence these Water and Air, on the other hand, fonn the pair
must be four" (ibid.). of intennediaries and are " more like blends."
 Appendix III-The Elements / 721

Also "the members of either pair are contrary to asked. Yet the quintessence, or aether, called by
those of the other, Water being contrary to Fire Agrippa the Spirit of the World, is sometimes
and Earth to Air" (ibid.). That is to say, the treated as a fifth element, as the name implies
powers of Fire, which are hot-dry, are contrary (quine: five) and has not unreasonably been
to the powers of Water, which are cold-moist, attributed to the fifth Platonic solid, the dodeca-
and so for Air and Earth. hedron, which Plato says: "God used in the
These pairs may be illustrated by means of delineation of the universe with figures of ani-
a simple diagram. Contrary powers are indi- mals" (Timaeus SSc).
cated by the diagonals: In the Epinomis Plato treats aether as one
of the elements, placing it between Fire and Air:
Limit
moist-hot Next to fire we will place aether, assuming

Extremes
Z B
Fire Air
Intermediaries
that soul fashions from it creatures which,
as with the other kinds, have in the main
the character of its own substance, though
with lesser portions of the other kinds as
bonds of union, and that after aether soul
Earth Water fashions another sort of creature out of air

V V
dry-cold
Center
cold-moist
and a third from water. (Epinomis 984b-c
[Hamilton and Cairns])

However, this seems very out of keeping with

the tone of the Timaeus, and indeed the author-
The question must be asked, why are the ship of the Epinomis is in doubt.
elements four in number? Though it is tempting Aristotle asserts that the elements recipro-
to answer as Lear answered the Fool, when he cally come into being out of each other, and
was asked why the planets are seven ("Because moreover each element can give rise to any
they are not eight"), a more useful response can other element.
be made following Aristotle. He says that all
Now it is evident that all of them are by
philosophers postulate either one, two, three or nature such as to change into one another:
four elements. Those that champion a single for coming-to-be is a change into con-
element say that it generates by the action of traries and out of contraries, and the "ele-
condensation and rarefaction, or cold and ments" all involve a contrarity in their
heat-thus they really propose two elements, mutual relations because their distinctive
qualities are contrary ... . It is evident,
and their single thing is the underlying matter,
therefore, if we consider them in general,
or "universal recipient" of Ocellus. Those such that every one is by nature such as to
as Parmenides, who postulate two, the extremes come-to-be out of every one .. . (Genera-
Fire and Earth, make the intermediaries Water tion and Corruption 2.4)
and Air their blends. Those who postulate three
elements simply combine the intermediaries, As one would expect, Ocellus IS in perfect
and so differ very little from those. who main- accord with Aristotle's view.
tain that the elements are two. Finally there are Ocellus and Aristotle divide the transfor-
philosophers who from the outset say there are mations of elements into three groups.
four elements, such as Empedocles-yet he The first kind of transformation occurs
reduces them to two in effect by opposing all between elements that have one power in com-
the others to Fire. mon . This is the most rapid and easiest change
Aristotle does not consider why no one because only one power need be converted or
postulates five or more elements. Perhaps he overcome to transform the element containing
assumes that this question does not need to be it. This is the most frequent change in nature.
722 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

Fire (hot-dry) changes to Air (moist-hot) if cold and the dryness of Fire is overcome by
the dryness in Fire is overcome by moisture. Air moisture. Air (moist-hot) changes to Earth (dry-
(moist-hot) changes to Water (cold-moist) if the cold) when the moisture of Air is overcome by
heat in Air is overcome by cold. Water (cold- dryness and the heat of Air is overcome by cold.
moist) changes to Earth (dry-cold) if the mois- Water (cold-moist) changes to Fire (hot-
ture in Water is overcome by dryness. Earth dry) when the cold of Water is overcome by
(dry-cold) changes to Fire (hot-dry) if the cold- heat and the moisture of Water is overcome by
ness of Earth is overcome by heat. dryness. Earth (dry-cold) changes to Air (moist-
Aristotle says: "It is evident, therefore, that hot) when the dryness of Earth is overcome by
the coming-to-be of the simple bodies will by moisture and when the cold of Earth is over-
cyclical; and that this cyclical method of trans- come by heat.
formation is the easiest, because the consecutive The third kind of transformation occurs
elements contain interchangeable complemen- when two elements combine to form a single
tary factors" (Generation and Corruption 2.4). third element. In the previous two kinds we
By "consecutive" he means in their natural were considering a single element, which was
order of separation one above the other. By changed into another element when one or both
"complementary factors" he is referring to the of its powers were converted. Here we are con-
shared power in each pair. sidering two elements brought together so that a
Although it is implied, Aristotle does not power in one element annihilates, or as Ocellus
state whether this cycle of transformation flows puts it, "corrupts" a power in the other, leaving
in both directions. Ocellus is more explicit on only a single pair of powers, which combine as
this point: a single element.
Fire (hot-dry) plus Water (cold-moist)
Hence, when the moisture in air vanquishes change to Earth (dry-cold) when the heat of Fire
the dryness in fire, but the frigidity in water,
the heat in air, and the dryness in earth, the and the moisture of Water pass away, but they
moisture in water, and vice versa, when the change to Air (moist-hot) when the dryness of
moisture in water vanquishes the dryness in Fire and the cold of Water pass away.
earth, the heat in air, the coldness in water, Air (moist-hot) plus Earth (dry-cold)
and the dryness in fire, the moisture in air,
change to Fire (hot-dry) when the moi sture of
then the mutations and generations of the
elements from each other into each other Air and the cold of Earth pass away , but they
are effected (On the Universe [Taylor, 15]) change to Water (cold-moist) when the heat of
Air and the dryness of Earth pass away.
Fire (hot-dry) changes to Earth (dry-cold) It is not possible to form a single new ele-
if the heat of Fire is overcome by cold. Earth ment by combining two consecutive elements in
(dry-cold) changes to Water (cold-moist) if the this way, because the result will be either con-
dryness of Earth is overcome by moisture. trary powers, which cannot coexist, or a single
Water (cold-moist) changes to Air (moist-hot) if power, which does not in itself con stitute an
the coldness of Water is overcome by heat. Air element. For example if the consecutive ele-
(moist-hot) changes to Fire (hot-dry) if the ments Fire (hot-dry) and Air (moi st-hot) are
moisture of Air is overcome by dryness. combined, and the dryness of Fire along with
The second kind of transformation occurs the moisture of Air pass away, the remainder
between elements with no powers in common. will be the heat of Fire and the heat of Air,
Aristotle says that while this is possible, it is which is not an element but a single power; if
more difficult since it involves the change of the heat of Fire and the heat of Air pass away,
more qualities, and therefore takes a longer the remainder will be the dryness of Fire and the
period of time. moisture of Air, contrary powers which cannot
Fire (hot-dry) changes to Water (cold- coexist; if the heat of Fire and the moisture of
moist) when the heat of Fire is overcome by Air pass away, the remainder is dryness and
 Appendix III-The Elements / 723

heat, which constitute Fire; if the dryness of mean would have sufficed to bind together
Fire and the heat of Air pass away, the remain- itself and the other terms, but now, as the
world must be solid, and solid bodies are
der is heat and moi sture, which constitute Air.
always compacted not by one mean but by
In fact, to transform two consecutive ele- two, God placed water and air in the mean
ments into a third element, it is necessary for between fire and earth, and made them to
more than one power in each to pass away. For have the same proportion so far as was
example, to change Fire (hot-dr):) and Air possible-as fire is to air so is air to water,
(moist-hot) into Water (cold-moist), the dryness and as air is to water so is water to earth-
and thus he bound and put together a visi-
of Fire must pass away, and also the heat of Air, ble and tangible heaven . (ibid. 32a-b)
and in addition the heat of Fire must be con-
verted into cold. Aristotle regards thi s as possi- To understand what Plato is saying, it is
ble, but since it is the most involved class of best to tum to Proclus and his Commentary on
transformation it is the least common. the Timaeus. Proclus first di smisses those who
In hi s treatment of the elements Aristotle attribute only one power to each element; that
makes passing reference to Plato's opinion that is, heat to Fire, cold to Air, moi sture to Water,
not all the elements can be transformed into the and dryness to Earth . "For it is impossible for
others, di smi ss ing it with the brief line, "Now it things to be co-adapted to each other, when they
has been proved before that they must undergo possess the most contrary powers, unless they
reciprocal transformation" (Generation and have something in common" (Commentary on
Corruption 2.5). But he does not bother to give the Timaeus, quoted in an extensive note by
Plato's reasons. Since Plato 's view of the ele- Taylor in Ocellus On the Nature of the Universe
ments is at least as important as that of Aristo- [Taylor, 34]).
tle, it cannot be passed over in this way, but Having di sposed of the theory of elements
must be considered at length. with only one power, he attacks that theory
Most of what Plato has to say about the ele- which postulates elements based upon two pow-
ments is in hi s Timaeus . He begins by speculat- ers, specificall y mentioning Ocellus and his
ing as to why the elements were necessary at treati se On Nature.
all , and concludes that the tangibility of the His first point is that the two-power theory
world required it: results in elements that are equally hostile and
harmonious to one another:
Now that which is created is of necessity
corporeal, and also visible and tangible.
And nothing is visible where there is no What kind of world, therefore, will subsist
fire, or tangi ble which has no solidity , and from these; what order will there be of
nothing is solid without earth. Wherefore things which are without arrangement and
also God in the beginning of creation made most foreign, and of things which are most
the body of the universe to consist of fire allied and co-arranged? For things which in
and earth. (Timaeus 3 1b) an equal degree are hostile and peaceful ,
will in an equal mode dissolve and consti-
tute communion. But this communion
Having arrived at these extremes, he says it being similarly dissolved, and similarly
is required that a third thing ex ist to act as a bond implanted, the universe will no more exist
of union between them, in the way of a numerical than not exist. (Commentary on the
mean . "And the fairest bond i ~ that which makes TimaeLis [Taylor, 35])
the most complete fusion of itself and the things
which it combines, and proportion is best adapted Hi s second point is that, in the two power
to effect such a union" (ibid. 3 Ic). But one mean, system of Ocellus and Aristotle, those elements
or binding element, by itself is not enough. naturally most distant from each other, Fire and
Earth , do not, as one might reasonably expect,
If the universal frame had been created a receive the attribution of the most contrary
surface only and having no depth, a single powers. That Fire and Earth are the most con-
724/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

trary elements is manifest in nature: "How, also, Timaeus [the supposed narrator of the
did she arrange the motions of them, since fire Timaeus] therefore alone, or any other who
rightly follows him, neither attributes one or
is most light and tends upward, but earth is most
two powers alone to the elements, but triple
heavy and tends downward? But whence were powers; to fire indeed tenuity of parts, acute-
the motions of them which are most contrary ness, and facility of motion; to air, tenuity of
derived, if not from nature?" (ibid., 35). Yet in parts, obtuseness, and facility of motion; to
the face of this natural opposition, these water grossness of parts, obtuseness, and
facility of motion; and to earth grossness of
philosophers gave the most contrary powers to parts, obtuseness, and difficulty of motion.
Air (moist-hot) and Earth (dry-cold), and Fire But this is in order that each of the elements
(hot-dry) and Water (cold-moist). may have two powers, each of which is com-
mon to the element placed next to it, and one
And this may occasion some one to wonder power which is different, in the same manner
at Aristotle, who, in what he says about as it was demonstrated in mathematical
motion, places earth as most contrary to numbers and figures; this different power
fire; but in what he says about powers, he being assumed from one of the extremes;
makes the most remote of similar natures to and also in order that earth, according to all
be more friendly [Fire (hot-dry) and Earth the powers, may subsist opposite to fire; and
(dry-cold) share the power of dryness] than that the extremes may have two media, and
those which are proximate, when they are the continued quantities two; the latter hav-
moved with most contrary motions [Fire ing solids for the media, but the former,
(hot-dry) and Water (cold-moist) and Air common powers. (ibid., 36-7)
(moist-hot) and Earth (dry-cold) are sepa-
rated by only one element). (ibid., 36) This relationship can most clearly be
shown in the form of a simple table:
His third point, the one pertinent to the
quotation above from Plato, is that, accepting subtle- sharp-quick 2X2x2=8
that elements are solids, it is not possible for subtle- blunt-quick 2X3x2=12
them to be bound together by only one medium. dense- blunt-quick 3x3x2=18
"Hence those who assert these things neither dense- blunt-slow 3 X 3 x 3 = 27
speak mathematically nor physically, but
unavoidably err in both these respects. For Having stated his view on the origin of the
physical are derived from mathematical enti- elements and their relationship, Plato repeats
ties" (ibid.). the commonly accepted opinion that all four
This sounds obscure but is really very sim- elements are changeable:
ple. Since there are three dimensions of space-
length, breadth, and height-and solids exist in In the first place, we see that what we just
now called water, by condensation, I sup-
space, they are related numerically to cube num- pose, becomes stone and earth, and this
bers (2 X 2 X 2 = 8), just as plane surfaces, with same element, when melted and dispersed,
only two dimensions of length and breadth, are passes into vapor and air. Air, again, when
related to squares (2 X 2 = 4). The two smallest inflamed, becomes fire, and, again, when
cubes, 8 (2 X 2 X 2) and 27 (3 X 3 X 3), which condensed and extinguished, passes once
more into the form of ai r, and once more,
have great significance in Pythagorean and Pla- air, when collected and condensed, pro-
tonic doctrines, have two means, which are 12 duces cloud and mist-and from these,
and 18. Thus 8 is to 12 as 12 is to 18, and 12 is when still more compressed, comes flow-
to 18 as 18 is to 27. Each number is half again ing water, and from water comes earth and
stones once more-and thus generation
larger than the number preceding it.
appears to be transmitted from one to the
The significance of these numbers will be other in a circle. (Timaeus 49c)
apparent when they are related to the three pow-
ers of each element that Proclus extracts from However this is not Plato's own opinion.
Plato. He says: He believes that the elements, as the most basic
 Appendix III-The Elements / 725

material things, must be formed from that sim- are generated from the triangles which we
plest and most elegant of geometrical shapes, have selected four kinds-three from the
one which has the sides unequal, the fourth
the triangle:
alone framed out of the isosceles triangle.
Hence they cannot all be resolved into one
In the first place, then as is evident to all, another, a great number of small bodies
fire and earth and water and air are bodies. being combined into a few large ones, or
And every sort of body possesses volume, the converse. But three of them can be thus
and every volume must necessarily be resolved and compounded, for they all
bounded by surfaces, and every rectilinear spring from one, and when the greater bod-
surface is composed of triangles, and all ies are broken up, many small bodies will
triangles are originally of two kinds, both spring up out of them and take their own
of which are made up of one right and two proper figures. Or again, when many small
acute angles; one of them has at either end bodies are dissolved into their triangles, by
of the base the half of a divided right angle, their total number, they can form one large
having equal sides, while in the other the mass of another kind. So much for their
right angle is divided into unequal parts, passage into one another. (ibid. 54c-d)
having unequal sides. (ibid. 53c-(1)
From the two triangles above Plato con-
The first figure referred to is the 45-45-90- structs the five regular solids, which are for this
degree isosceles triangle, of which there is only reason referred to as the Platonic solids, or Pla-
one. The second figure is the right angle sca- tonic bodies. Plato describes these as the solid
lene, of which, as Plato points out, there are an forms which distribute into equal and similar
"infinite number." From this multitude Plato parts the whole circle into which they are
chooses for the elements the single right scalene inscribed. That is to say, they are symmetrical in
triangle that is to him the most beautiful. "Now, every dimension radially from their center points.
the one which we maintain to be the most beau- The 30--60-90-degree triangle is combined
tiful of all the many triangles-and we need not together in groups of six, each group forming a
speak of the others-is that of which the double single equilateral triangle in this way:
forms a third triangle which is equilateral" (ibid.
54a). This is a description of the 30--60-90-
degree triangle. Thus the geometric building
blocks of the elements are:

These shapes should be familiar to everyone, as

they are included in every set of mathematical Four of these equilateral triangles compose
drawing tools made for school use. the tetrahedron. Eight of them make up the
Plato goes on to elucidate: octahedron. Twenty of them form the icosahe-
dron. To these bodies Plato attributes the three
Now is the time to explain what was before elements which can be transformed one into the
obscurely said. There was an error in imag-
ining that all the four elements might be other, respectively Fire, Air and Water. To Fire
generated by and into one another; this, I is given the tetrahedron because of the three it is
say, was an erroneous supposition, for there the most movable, the smallest and the sharpest.
726 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

To Air as the intennediate of the three is given The fifth regular solid, the dodecahedron,
the octahedron, which is second in mobility, is composed from 12 pentagons. Plato says very
size and acuteness. To Water is given the icosa- little about this body, only: "There was yet a
hedron because it is the least movable, the fifth combination which God used in the delin-
largest and the bluntest or least penetrating. eation of the universe with figures of animals"
(ibid. 55c). The dodecahedron was accorded
Of all these elements, that which has the great reverence among the Pythagoreans, and
fewest bases must necessarily be the most indeed was said by Eudemus to have been dis-
movable, for it must be the acutest and
most penetrating in every way, and also the
covered by Pythagoras himself, along with the
lightest as being composed of the smallest other four regular bodies (see Diogenes Laertius
number of similar particles, and the second Lives of the Philosophers 8.19). In fact, the
body has similar properties in a second tetrahedron, octahedron and cube were certainly
degree, and the third body, in the third known long before the time of Pythagoras by
degree. (ibid. 56b)
the Egyptians. but Pythagoras may have discov-
ered the dodecahedron and icosahedron.
The 45-45-90-degree triangle is combined
To the dodecahedron the ancients attrib-
together in groups of four, each group fonning a
uted Aether, the Quintessence (fifth essence) or
single square in this way: Spirit of the World. The dodecahedron is mysti-
cally linked with the cube, and thus with the
Earth, through geometry. If a line is divided into
extreme and mean proportion, the whole line
and the longer segment respectively measure
the edges of a cube and dodecahedron concen-
trically inscribed in a single sphere. Iamblichus
speaks of the Pythagorean Hippasus, who "in
consequence of having divulged and described
the method of fonning a sphere from twelve
pentagons, he perished in the sea, as an impious
person ... " (Life of Pythagoras 18). Those curi-
ous about this method, by the way, should look
in the tenth book of Euclid's Elements.
Based upon these underlying forms. Plato
describes the transformations of the four ele-
Six of these squares compose the cube, to ments this way:
which Plato attributes that element not subject
to transfonnation, Earth. Earth, when meeting with fire and dis-
solved by its sharpness, whether the disso-
To earth, then, let us assign the cubic form, lution take place in the fire itself or perhaps
for earth is the most immovable of the four in some mass of air or water, is borne
and the most plastic of all bodies, and that hither and thither until its parts, meeting
which has the most stable bases must of together and mutually harmonizing, again
necessity be of such a nature. Now, of the become earth, for they can never take any
triangles which we assumed at first, that other form. But water, when divided by
which has two equal sides is by nature fire or by air, on reforming. may become
more firmly based than that which has one part fire and two parts air, and a single
unequal sides, and of the compound figures volume of air divided becomes two of fire.
which are formed out of either, the plane Again, when a small body of fire is con-
equilateral quadrangle [square] has neces- tained in a larger body of air or water or
sarily a more stable basis than the equilat- earth, and both are moving, and the fire
eral triangle, both in the whole and in the struggling is overcome and broken up, then
parts. (ibid. 55e) two volumes of fire form one volume of
 Appendix III-The Elements / 727

air, and when air is overcome and cut up passive element, which is thus able to break it
into small pieces, two and a half parts of air down and assimilate its parts in the case of Air
are condensed into one part of water. and Water, or disperse it in the case of Earth.
(Timaeus 56d--e)
Earth can be broken up by the more active ele-
ments, or can itself surround and break up a
Fire, because it is more mobile, sharp and
smaller amount of a more active element by
penetrating, naturally cuts up the other elements
overwhelming it, but Earth never assimilates,
into their component triangles, which either dis-
nor is assimilated by, other elements.
perse or are assimilated into Fire. To a lesser
This fundamental disagreement between
degree this is true of Air in relationship to
Plato and Aristotle over whether all elements
Water. The more active naturally overcomes the
are convertible, or only some, is never really
more passive. In order for the conversion of the
resolved in later centuries, and accounts for a
elements to flow in the opposite direction, from
good deal of the confusion concerning the prop-
Fire to Air, and from Air to Water, it is neces-
erties of the elements. On the whole Aristotle's
sary that small, and thus relatively weak, bits of
view gained the greater support, and exhibited
the more active element be surrounded and
itself in Arab medicine and alchemy, which car-
overwhelmed by a greater volume of the more
ried over into Europe in the Middle Ages.
Title Page of The Anatomy of Melancholy by Robert Burton (Oxford,1628)
 APPENDIX IV

The Humors

The most quoted author in the English lan-

T
he word "humor" is from the Latin
humorum. meaning a fluid or mois- guage on the subject of the humors, Robert Bur-
ture. It is in this sense that Shake- ton, also returns to the source of the word in
speare uses the term in his often opening his examination of the humors in his
quoted lines from Julius Caesar: Anatomy of Melancholy : "A humor is a liquid or
fluent part of the body, comprehended in it, for
Is Brutus sick. and is it physical the preservation of it ... " (1.1.2.2). Burton has
To walk unbraced and suck up the humours already made the transition from general fluid, or
Of the dank morning? What! is Brutus sick, vapor, to fluid inside a body, or juice. Any juice
And will he steal out of his wholesome bed
of plants or animals might be called a humor.
To dare the vile contagion of the night,
And tempt the rheumy and unpurged air Agrippa refers to humors in a narrower
To add unto his sickness? medical .sense derived from the teachings of
(Act 2, sc. I, lines 261-7) Hippocrates and his disciples. According to this
system there are two kinds: innate and adventi-
In this same sense Ben Jonson defines tious. The innate, with which everyone is born,
humor in his play Every Man Out of His and which are necessary for sustaining life, are
Humour: four in number, based upon the four elements of
Fire, Air, Water and Earth. These four are
Why humour, as it is "ens," we thus define called primary, or cardinal, humors, and bear
it, the names yellow bile or choler, blood, phlegm
To be a quality of air or water;
and black bile or melancholy. No one has ever
And in itself holds these two properties
Moisture and fluxure: as, for demonstration been able to describe them more concisely than
Pour water on this floor. 'Twill wet and run. Burton, and so I shall give his description here:
Likewise the air forced through a hom or
trumpet Blood is a hot, sweet, temperate, red
Flows instantly away, and leaves behind humour, prepared in the meseraic veins
A kind of dew; and hence we do conclude [small veins that bring the chylus to the
That whatsoe'er hath fluxture and humidity liver], and made of the most temperate
As wanting power to contain itself parts of the chylus in the liver, whose
Is humour. So in every human body office is to nourish the whole body, to give
The choler, melancholy, phlegm and blood it strength and colour, being dispersed by
By reason that they flow continually the veins through every part of it. And
In some are part and are not continent from it spirits are first begotten in the heart,
Receive the name of humours. which afterwards by the arteries are com-
. -The Induction municated to the other parts.

729
730 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

Pituita, or phlegm, is a cold and moist moost kyndely umour, answeringe to the love
humour, begotten of the colder part of the of God, the othere uffours in man answeren to
chylus (or white juice coming out of the
three other loves" (OED s.v. humour).
meat digested in the stomach), in the liver;
his office is to nourish and moisten the The relationship of the humors to the ele-
members of the body which, as the tongue, ments is direct. Each humor shares the two pow-
are moved, that they be not over-dry. ers of one of the elements according to the
Choler is hot and dry, bitter, begotten elemental scheme of Aristotle (see Appendix III):
of the hotter parts of the chylus, and gath-
ered to the gall: it helps the natural heat and
senses, and serves to the expelling of FIRE (hot-dry) -Choler
excrements. AIR (moist-hot) -Blood
Melancholy, cold and dry, thick, black, WATER (cold-moist)-Phlegm
and sour, begotten of the more feculent EARTH (dry-cold) -Melancholy
part of nourishment, and purged from the
spleen, is a bridle to the other two hot
humours, blood and choler, preserving This is perhaps more clearly shown in the
them in the blood, and nourishing the following diagram:
bones. These four humours have some
analogy with the four elements, and to the
four ages in man. (ibid. 1.1.2.2)
Choler
(Fire)
The spirits Burton alludes to in connection
with blood make up, along with the humors, the
category of parts contained in the body, as
Blood Melancholy
opposed to parts containing, such as the heart,
(Air) (Earth)
liver, bones and so on. Burton defines spirit as "a
most subtle vapour, which is expressed from the
blood, and the instrument of the soul, to perform
all his actions; a common tie or medium between
Phlegm
the body and the soul, as some will have it ... "
(Water)
(ibid.). There are three spirits in the body.

The natural are begotten in the liver, and Each triangle of the larger square has an
thence dispersed through the veins, to per- element and humor at its apex, and two con-
form those natural actions. The vital spirits tributing powers at its base.
are made in the heart of the natural, which According to the medical theories of the
by the arteries are transported to all the
ancient Greeks, notably Hippocrates, and from
other parts: if the spirits cease, then life
ceaseth, as in a syncope or swooning. The them the Arabs, notably Avicenna, when the
animal spirits, formed of the vital, brought humors are in balance, the body enjoys perfect
up to the brain, and diffused by the nerves health. Each humor checks the harmful effects
to the subordinate members, give sense and of the others, the result being a harmony in all
motion to them all. (ibid. 1.1.2.2)
the parts. Disease arises when this balance is
disrupted. Plato puts it this way:
The "four ages in man" referred to by Bur-
ton are probably childhood, youth, maturity and Now everyone can see whence diseases
old age, although he may also have in mind the arise. There are four natures out of which
Golden, Silver, Bronze and Iron ages of the body is compacted--earth and fire and
water and air-and the unnatural excess or
mankind. The humors can easily be attributed to
defect of these, or the change of any of
both of these, as to many other fourfold divi- them from its own natural place into
sions of man and nature. For example, John another, or, since there are more kinds than
Wyclif, writing around 1380, says: "Blood is one of fire and of the other elements, the
 Appendix IV-The Humors / 731

assumption by any of these of a wrorig speare and Jonson made great capital of these
kind, or any similar irregularity, produces human types. The admirable and happy man
disorders and diseases. For when any of
was one whose humors were in agreement. A
them is produced or changed in a manner
contrary to nature, the parts which were man out of his humor became the butt of all
previously cool grow warm, and those manner of social censure and ridicule, and this
which were dry become moist, and the was viewed as a natural and inevitable result of
light become heavy, and the heavy light; his one-sidedness. No pity was accorded such a
all sorts of changes occur. (Timaeus 82a) creature, no quarter given. The perfect picture
of a melancholic temperament is Jaques in As
Plato describes some of the diseased You Like It. The choleric temperament is exem-
humors which arise when the cardinal humors plified in Hotspur in Richard II . Bottom in A
are thrown out of balance, such as "acid Midsummer Night's Dream is a phlegmatic sort
phlegm," which arises when "a secretion of of soul. The most substantial sanguinary char-
black and acid bile is ... mingled by the power acter in Shakespeare is gentle Falstaff in Henry
ofheat with any salt substance" (ibid. 83c), and IV: Part I and The Merry Wives o/Windsor.
"white phlegm," which is: The choleric person is hot-tempered, com-
bative, rash, thoughtless, bold, brave, active and
... formed by the liquefaction of new and
tender flesh when air is present, if inflated flushed in face. Astrologically the planet corre-
and incased in liquid so as to form bubbles sponding to this disposition is Mars. The san-
which separately are invisible owing to guinary person is optimistic, active, kind, just,
their small size, but when collected are of a cheerful, companionable and of a rosy complex-
bulk which is visible and have a white
ion. His planet is Jupiter. The phlegmatic is dull ,
color arising out of the generation of foam
.. . (ibid. 83d) .stolid, passive, methodical, lethargic and pale of
face. His planet is the Moon. The melancholic is
Disorders in the cardinal humors result in sad, unsuccessful, unfortunate, discontented,
disorders in the soul, which is bound to the servile in station and dark complexioned. His
body and affected by its state. planet is Saturn.
Melancholy must be given special notice
For where the acid and briny phlegm and because it was singled out and set apart from the
other bitter and bilious humors wander other humors by some writers, including
about in the body and find no exit or Agrippa. On the one hand it was the most base
escape, but are pent up within and mingle and ugly of the temperaments. On the other
their own vapors with the motions of the
soul, and are blended with them, they pro- hand it was looked upon as something akin to
duce all sorts of diseases, more or fewer, the divine inspiration that possessed the oracles
and in every degree of intensity, and being of the ancient world. Frances Yates (Occult
carried to the three places of the soul, Philosophy in the Elizabethan Age , ch. 6) traces
whichever they may severally assail, they this second current back to the 13th of pseudo-
create infinite varieties of ill temper and
melancholy, of rashness and cowardice,
Aristotle's Problems. where melancholy is said
and also of forgetfulness and stupidity. to be the humor, or temperament, of heros and
(ibid. 86e-87a) great men. According to this theory, the heroic
frenzy, combined with black bile, produces
From these imbalances, which practically genius. Agrippa expounds this view at length in
speaking exist to some degree in everyone, ch. LX, bk. I.
since no man is perfect, arise the four tempera- To continue taking examples from Shake-
ments of man, the sanguine (corresponding to speare, the character who best exemplifies the
blood), the choleric (choler), the phlegmatic heroic madness of melancholy is Hamlet.
(phlegm) and the melancholic (melancholy). Although Hamlet and Jaques are possessed by
The Elizabethan playwrights such as Shake- the same humor, they are completely different
732 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

men. Hamlet is a great soul involved in great gerous and fearful greatness ever courting dis-
events. Jaques is a little--one might even say aster. No man of balanced humors-Prospero,
stunted-soul involved in futility, his only relief for example, in The Tempest-would ever vol-
in fits of "black humor." But the greatness of untarily take upon himself melancholic genius.
Hamlet and other heroic melancholies is a dan- It is a gift, and curse, of the gods.
 APPENDIX V

Magic Squares

magic square in its purest form may "the Lo gave forth the writing, of which the

A be defined as a series of consecutive

numbers beginning with one that is
arranged in a square grid so that
each row, column and diagonal of that grid has
an equal sum. In the series 1 to n 2 , n is the base,
sages took advantage." Commenting on this
passage, James Legge says: ''To the hero sage it
suggested ' the Great Plan,' an interesting but
mystical document of the same classic, 'of
Physics, Astrology , Divination, Morals, Poli-
root, module or order of the square-"order" tics, and Religion, ' the great model for the gov-
being the most common term. For example, a ernment of the kingdom" (/ Ching , trans. James
square of nine chambers (1 to 32) is called an Legge [New York: Dover, [1899] 1963], 17-8).
order 3 square. It will readily be seen that when the dots
The most ancient square is the order 3 Lo are transformed into numbers, the order 3
Shu (scroll of -Lo) of China, which occurs in square results:
manuscripts of the I Ching in this form:

•
•••
000000000 •
• 4 9 2
0
0
0
0
o
000
0
0 3 5 7
0 o 0
0
0
• • 8 1 6
• • •• o
• •• •
••• • The ancient Chinese used this symbol to
LoShu illustrate the unity of elemental principles. In
their magic, as in that of the West, even num-
Legend says it was revealed to the Emperor bers are passive and feminine, while odd num-
Yu around 2200 Be, when a divine tortoise bers are active and masculine. The 4 and 9 stand
crawled from the River Lo with the square pat- for the element Metal; the 3 and 8, Wood; the I
terned on its shell. According to the / Ching and 6, Water; and the 2 and 7, Fire. The central
733
734/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

5 represents the element Earth. Each of the ele- There are three classes of magic squares,
ments in the outer cells of the square has both each of which must be treated separately , as
an odd and even number for the union of the each has di stinct methods of construction.
female yin with the male yang.
The first appearance of the Lo Shu as a Odd Squares
magic square proper is toward the end of the Odd squares are those with an odd order, or
Chou Dynasty (951-1126). No doubt it is root. The odd squares used by Agrippa are order
older, and may be a product of the numerical 3, order 5, order 7, and order 9. All these may
and astrological speculations of the ancient be constructed using the same techniques.
Babylonians. Wherever magic squares began, There are several popular ways of making odd
they have been used occultly around the world squares. The most common method will be
for centuries. In India they are inscribed on si l- described first to show how it relates to the
ver plates as amulets. It is conjectured that the technique used by Agrippa.
Arabs, who used them as early as the 9th cen- Odd squares of any order can be made by
tury as an adjunct to astrology, learned them following these simple steps:
from the Indians, and transmitted them
through their mystical and astrological writ- 1. Construct the grid.
ings to the West. A magic square occurs in a 2. Place the number I in the middle cell of the
Hebrew work by Abraham ben Ezra dated the top row.
lith century. Skeat gives several examples of
Malaysian magic squares in hi s Malay Magic 3. Place the following numbers in order along
(S keat [1900] 1967 , ch. 6, sec. 12, 555-8); the di agonal that slopes up and to the right,
however there is no way of knowing how except-
ancient the Maylasian squares may be, or their a. When the top row is reached write the next
number in the bottom row as if it were
place of origin.
above the top row.
Around the beginning of the 14th century
b. When the far right column is reached, put
Manuel Moschopulus (a nickname meaning
the next number in the far left column as if
" little calf'), a Byzantine commentator and
it were outside the right column.
grammarian , wrote a treati se devoted to magic
c. When a cell is reached that has already
squares. In view of the perennial fascination of
been filled, drop one sq uare down and con-
the Abbot Trithemius for all ciphers and puz-
tinue up and right diagonally as before.
zles, it seems not unlikely that Agrippa would
have been familiar with thi s work.
These rules are difficult to follow in the
There are no order 2 squares, and only one
abstract, but simple when applied graphically to
order 3 square, which may be permutated eight
ways. As the order increases, the number of
a square :
possible squares and their permutations ri ses
dramatically. There are 880 order 4 squares
with 7,040 possible forms. There are 8 1 6
275,305,224 order 5 squares. The permutations
of these have not been calculated.
Permutation is used here to refer to the way
in which any square may be tipped, inverted, 3 5
reflected, or otherwise played with to give the
impression, at first glance, that a new square has
been created. On closer examination it will be
found that the essential structure of the per- 4 9 2
muted square is unchanged.
 Appendix V-Magic Squares / 735

It is simplest to think of the square as

simultaneously folded into a horizontal and a 17 24 1 8 15
vertical cylinder, so that both the left and right
edges and the top and bottom edges touch. As
each diagonal ring of cells on this double cylin-
23 5 7 14 16
der is filled, the numbers drop down to the next
ring until the square is complete. 4 6 13 20 22
Agrippa uses a slightly different but related
technique for making odd squares that yields a
different set of squares from those produced by
10 12 19 21 3
the method given above, except of course in the
case of the order 3 square, which is merely
11 18 25 2 9
reflected by Agrippa's method.
He begins by placing the number 1 in the By Agrippa's method, going down and right
cell immediately below the middle cell of the from the cell below the center cell, and dropping
square. Then he writes the numbers in order two cells, this square results:
diagonally down and to the right, carrying them
off the bottom back to the top row, and off the
right back to the left column, as already 11 24 7 20 3
described in the first method above. But when
Agrippa reaches a filled cell, he jumps down
two squares. When this carries him off the bot-
4 12 25 8 16
tom of the square, he returns on the top:
17 5 13 21 9
4 9 2 10 18 1 14 22
23 6 19 2 15
Agrippa's Mars Square

Notice that the numbers in the rows of

Agrippa's square form the diagonals running
up-left to down-right on the first order 5 square;
the up-left to down-right diagonals of Agrippa's
are the down-left to up-right on the first square;
and columns in both squares contain the same
Agrippa's Saturn Square numbers, but in different ordering.
The same technique is used by Agrippa to
It can readily be seen that Agrippa's square generate the odd order 7 square of Venus and
of Saturn is a reflection top to bottom (lake order 9 square of the Moon.
reflection) of the order 3 square arrived at by the
first method. A permutation is inevitable since Doubly Even Squares
there is only one order 3 square. However, when Doubly even squares are those which,
the two methods are applied to the order 5 square when divided into four equal parts by a cross
of Mars, there is a different outcome. Here is the through the center, yield four squares of an even
order 5 square generated by the first method: order, or root. The doubly even squares used by
 ., c:1 J
-.L ;"I
,
r
n X

4 14- 1.1 I -, .." T~ X

.9 L 6 12 l:! r 7 .::J'
.J II 10 e ,
".l'
l'1 )t'
r- -
7 .2 .1 1.'1
..." .:l .l

II 24- 7 .to .:J

~' -';:' r ::J
e J
4- 12 2J 16 -, ::l' i1::1 n 1'
11 .1 1.1 21
10 1& I
.9
22
T'
, n J' I~ ~
t!£ M' ~ ." :S~
2J ()
!2... '2 1.1
L-l--' ~' .:J :'1'
tJj%;, JnR#j_ue . ~Y /t..;. . ~ .;u.:;.

ij

Magic Squares of Saturn, Jupiter and Mars

from The Magus by Francis Barrett (London, 1801)
 Appendix V-Magic Squares / 737

Agrippa are the order 4 square of Jupiter and the

order 8 square of Mercury.
This class of square is the easiest to con-
4 14 15 1
struct. Agrippa has used the same method that is
commonly used today. The rules are: 9 7 6 12
I. Construct the grid.
2. Place consecutive numbers in the cells begin- 5 11 10 8
ning with I in the lower-left comer and going
across to the right, then returning to the left to
start the second row, and so on to the upper- 16 2 3 13
right comer.
3. Invert all diagonal numbers with their oppo- This is essentially the same square that is to
sites across the center intersection. be found in the famous engraving by Albrecht
DUrer called Melencholia I. DUrer has rotated
The order 4 square of Jupiter is constructed . Agrippa's square onto its head, then inter-
in this manner: changed the outer columns:

4 14 15 1
13 14 15 16
9 7 6 12
9 10 11 12
5 11 10 8
5 6 7 8
16 2 3 13
1 2 3 4
Agrippa

16 3 2 13
5 10 11 8
9 6 7 12
4 15 14 1
Durer
738 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

DUrer inverted the square to get the number change of numbers still occurs around the cen-
1514 in the bottom row, which is the year the ter point of the great square:
engraving was done. Why he interchanged the
outer columns is less clear, unless it was to dis-
guise the fact that his square and Agrippa's are
57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64
the same. In his work DUrer borrowed shame- 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56
lessly from the work of many other artists.
Karl Anton Nowotny states that there can be
41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48
no doubt DUrer's Jupiter square "was taken from 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
a treatise on magic squares, their relation to
astrology and their magic influence when on tal-
25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32
ismans" ("The Construction of Certain Seals and 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Characters in the Work of Agrippa of
Nettesheim," Journal o/the Warburg and Cour-
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
tault Institutes 12 [1949],46). He goes on to say 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
that "a version" of this treatise is bound up with a
15th-century Cracow manuscript of the Picatrix,
and that another version differing in text with the
squares "considerably distorted" appears in the
pseudo-Paracelsian Archidoxis Magica.
Still it may be that DUrer's inspiration was
Agrippa, not the Picatrix manuscript or the
Archidoxis Magica. The Occult Philosophy was
written in 1509 and circulated for many years in
manuscript. Since Agrippa and DUrer were con-
temporary German intellectuals-DUrer died in
1528, Agrippa in 1535-it is reasonable to
assume that they~ exchanged views on occult
matters, especially as this was a passion of both.
Frances Yates puts forward the notion,
which she says has been "proved" by various
scholars, that DUrer's engraving is based on the
manuscript version of ch. LX, bk. I of the Occult 8 58 59 5 4 62 63 1
Philosophy (Yates [1979] 1983, pt. I , ch. 6). It
will be recalled that in this chapter Agrippa pos- 49 15 14 52 53 11 10 56
tulates three kinds of melancholy, which he sees 41 23 22 44 45 19 18 48
as a type of possession, based on the three levels
of the soul: imaginative, rational and mental. 32 34 35 29 28 38 39 25
Thus the calling of the engraving Melencholia I, 40 26 27 37 36 30 31 33
which represents the first type, imaginative
melancholy. If this is true, it may be assumed 17 47 46 20 21 43 42 24
that a set of three engravings was planned by 9 55 54 12 13 51 50 16
DUrer, which unfortunately never materialized.
The other doubly even square is con-
64 2 3 61 60 6 7 57
structed in exactly the same way as the Jupiter Agrippa' s Mercury Square
square, with the minor difference that in the
Mercury square the diagonals must be extended
across each of the four quarter squares. Inter-
 ~~~?"'=""""'''''''''F''=;=:====;~~J.,

Melencolia I
engraving by Albrecht DUrer
740/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

Singly Even Squares

The third class of magic square is called
singly even, because when it is divided into 6 32 33 34 35 1
quarters by a cross through the center intersec-
tion, each quarter square is of an odd order, or 25 11 27 28 8 30
root. Of all the squares used by Agrippa only
the square of the Sun, which is an order 6 19 20 16 15 23 24
square, falls into this group. This is the most
awkward of the three classes of squares to con- 13 14 22 21 17 18
struct, and the least elegant, because it requires
some fiddling . 7 29 9 10 26 12
Agrippa began by treating the order 6
square as a doubly even. First he constructed a 36 2 3 4 5 31
grid and filled it with consecutive numbers,
starting with I at the lower-left comer and
going across the bottom row to the right, then However, inverting the secondary diago-
continuing in the same way on the next higher nals of the quarter squares around the center
row , and so on until he reached the final cell. point will not make the square magic. To make
As in the doubly even squares, he inverted the the final necessary substitutions it appears that
primary diagonals around the center point of Agrippa took his cue from the structure of the
the grid: simplest square, the Lo Shu , or order 3 square
of Saturn.
Treating the first quarter square-the one
31 32 33 34 35 36 on the lower left-as an order 3 square, he
25 26 27 28 29 30 superimposed the pattern of the Saturn seal,
which is based upon the numerical structure of
the Saturn square. It was necessary to rotate it
19 20 21 22 23 24 90 degrees to make the line that traces the
13 14 15 16 17 18 diagonal of the Saturn square match the diago-
nal running through the quarter of the Sun
7 8 9 10 11 12 square:

1 2 3 4 5 6
./ /f
/" "" J
/

\' .......\ / ./ ~
V
~
\ ~ / ' V"
........
\ /
/ \ ...... ~ /
 Appendix V-Magic Squares /741

6 2i 33 34 35 1
25 11 9i 28 8 30
Saturn Seal
13i 20 16 15 23 24
Relying on the seal of Saturn as his pattern, 19l 12 22 21 11 18
Agrippa made two inversions, each involving
three pairs of numbers. The numbers beneath
the points of the upward pointing angle of the
~ 29 ~7~ 10 26 1
Saturn seal he inverted left to right (mirror 36 32.. i J 5 31
reflection) with the corresponding numbers in
the lower-right quarter square. The numbers Inverted Agrippa
beneath the points of the downward pointing
angle he inverted top to bottom (lake reflection) Why Agrippa chose the first of these two
with their correspondents in the upper-left quar- possibilities, if indeed he used this method, is
ter square. It was not necessary to invert the not apparent, unless it is because, when
numbers beneath the diagonal line, as these had reflected into the upper left and lower right
already been inverted: quarters, each angle of the Saturn seal traces the
position of the first three numbers in the Saturn
square:
6 32 3i 34 35 1
7i 11 27 28 8 30 ./ rt 2
I-' V
19 141 16 15 23 24 /'
I
3
1[ ~O .. 22 21 /
17 IJ 1
25 . 29 W 2. 26 12
In addition to the basic characteristics that
36 2- ~3l 4 2. 31 make a square magic, some squares have other
qualities which have been noticed by mathe-
Agrippa's Sun Square maticians. A magic square is said to be sym-
metrical, or associated, when its skewly related
In the diagram above the underlined numbers numbers sum n 2 + I, where n is the order of the
have not moved on the grid. Small arrows indi- square. Skewly related numbers are pairs oppo-
cate the direction of inversion of reflected pairs. site one another with respect to the center of the
If Agrippa had chosen to invert the num- square. For example, in the order 4 Jupiter
bers under the upward pointing angle of the square, numbers 7 and 10 are skewly related
seal of Saturn top to bottom instead of left to about the center. Their sum (42 + I = 17) satis-
right, and had likewise inverted the numbers fies the requirement of an associated square, as
under the points of the downward pointing does the sum of all other skewly related pairs.
angle left to right rather than top to bottom, All of the Agrippa squares are associative
the result would have been this square, which except the Sun square. In fact there are no asso-
is also magic : ciated magic squares of the singly even class.
742/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

Another special type of square is called At the beginning of this century a Professor
pandiagonal. A pandiagonal magic square is Kielhom discovered thi s pandiagonal order 4
one whose broken diagonals sum 1/2 n (n 2 + I), square in a Jaina inscription of the 12th century
n being the order of the square. In other words, in Khajuraho, India:
the broken diagonals are as magical as the solid
diagonals. The diagrams below show what is
meant by broken diagonals: 7 12 1 14
a c b 2 13 8 11
c b a 16 3 10 5
b a c 9 6 15 4
iaina Square
a c b
It will readily be found by experiment that
the sum of any broken diagonal equals 34, which
fulfills the requirement of a pandiagonal square.
e f d At the same time observe that the Jaina square is
not associated. For example, the skewly related
pair I and 6 do not sum 4 2 + I = 17.
d e f Magic squares have been made with non-
consecutive numbers and with prime numbers.
A doubly magic square is magic for its numbers
f d e and the squares of those numbers. A trebly
magic square is magic for its numbers , their
squares, and their cubes. A magic cube is made
e f d up of layers of magic s't] uares arranged so that
each rank, file, column and cubic diagonal (or
diameter) sums the same number. The diagonal
Pandiagonal Structure of the Order 4 Square of each individual square need not be magic to
satisfy the requirements for a magic cube (see
There are no pandiagonal squares of the top of next page).
singly even class, and the solitary order 3 There are also magic stars in which the
square is not pandiagonal. Of the 880 distinct sums of numbers located on the interstices of
order 4 squares, 48 are pandiagonal. There are rays are equal, and magic circles in which num-
exactly 3,600 pandiagonal squares of order 5, bers are arranged magically in rays radially
more than 38 million of order 7, and over 6.5 about a center point. Benjamin Franklin , in
billion of order 8. None of Agrippa's squares addition to his well known interest in magic
are pan diagonal. From the viewpoint of practi- squares, also constructed a magic circle with
cal occultism this is unfortunate, since pandiag- many interesting properties. There are even
onal squares have the quality that, by shifting more elaborate magical geometries; ·for exam-
rows and columns around the center, any num- ple, magic rings, magic spheres and magic octa-
ber can be made to occupy any cell. hedroids, which carry the magical properties of
 Appendix V-Magic Squares / 743

numbers into the fourth dimension, but these

are far beyond the scope of this treatise.

Top Middle

24 16 2 8 21 13
17 3 22 19 14 9
1 23 18 15 7 20
Saturn Seal in Latin Opera

Bottom The small triangular spaces generated by

the misplaced diagonal may have inspired
10 5 27 Freake to put circles at the interstices of the seal.
On the whole I am inclined to think that the
6 25 11 small circles in the seals have no occult mean-
ing, and merely serve a decorative function.
26 12 4 The seal of Jupiter follows the same math-
ematical structure as the Saturn seal, echoing
Magic Cube with Nonconsecutive Numbers in its shape the method of forming the square
of Jupiter. Those numbers touched by the cir-
With an understanding of the formation of cle are the ones in the original grid which have
not moved from their consecutive placement.
the Agrippa squares, the seals of the planets that
The numbers touched by the cross are the ones
relate to those squares may be examined.
that were inverted around the central point of
It is obvious at once that the Saturn seal is
the square:
based upon the numerical structure of the Sat-
urn square . The upward pointing angle traces
the numbers I, 2, 3; the diagonal covers 4, 5,
6; and the downward pointing angle touches
7,8,9.

Seal of Saturn Set in Saturn Square

Seal of Jupiter Set in Jupiter Square

It is not clear what purpose, if any, is
served by the small circles at the points of the
seal. In Freake's edition seven circles are repre- Notice again that all cells in the square are
sented, two being absent from the horns of the covered by some part of the seal.
downward pointing angle. In the Latin Opera of With the seal of Mars the house of cards we
Agrippa, printed in Germany around 1600, the have been building here comes crashing down.
seal appears like this: Not only is there no obvious relationship
744/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

between the seal and the numerical structure of defines three squares of the same color, but if
the Mars square, but the lines of the seal do not this were true the single semicircle at the top of
even touch every cell in the square. It seems the seal would trace one color of squares and
that a totally different method has been used in the other two semicircles the opposite color.
designing this seal: Regarding the odd squares of Mars and Venus,
he admits "besides the lines inherent in the dia-
gram, symbolic figures are drawn over the
chessboard pattern indicating the nature of the
planet" (Nowotny 1949,52).
Clearly there is a dynamic at work between
the seal of Mars and the seal of Venus. In astrol-
ogy, Mars (d' or 0) is the spouse of Venus (9),
and both are formed from the primary elemental
properties of Sun (0 or 0) and Earth (EB or
+). The magic squares of Mars and Venus are
both of the odd class, with an identical struc-
ture. The seals look as though they were formed
with a single method, but what that method may
Seal of Mars Set in Mars Square be is obscure. Perhaps it is based on the Hebrew
letter correspondents to numbers in the square,
It is possible to construct a seal of Mars with a word key rather than a numerical key; or
designed in a way similar to the seal of Saturn. perhaps its structure is symbolic.
It would look like this: If the Mars seal is examined symbolically,
the semicircle at once suggests the Moon, and
the long arc on the right side the blade of Sat-
urn's scythe. The two protrusions are not unlike
testicles, calling up the myth of Uranus, who
was castrated by his son, Cronus, who was iden-
tified with Saturn.

Hypothetical Seal of Mars Set in Mars Square

The diagonal of the Mars square that runs

from upper left to bottom right traces the con-
secutive numbers 11 to 15 on the square, and
the crescent attached to it bridges the distance Seal of the Sun Set in Solar Square
between numbers 15 and 16, suggesting a struc-
tural application, The meaning of the three The seal of the Sun is similar in construc-
semicircles is less clear. Nowotny bases the tion to the Jupiter and Mercury seals, clearly
construction of the odd squares on a chessboard expressing the structure of the magic square
pattern and says that each of these semicircles of the Sun. The large central cross covers the
 Appendix V-Magic Squares / 745

numbers that invert around the center point of

the square. The smaller cross in the lower left
quarter square may be supe'rimposed over the
seal of Saturn (see illustration, p. 740), echo-
ing the method of forming the Sun square with
the Saturn seal as a guide. Notice that each
cell in the square is touched by some part of
the seal.
The seal of Venus, as was true of its mate
the seal of Mars, is completely different in
structure, and presumably in concept, from the
other seals:
Seal of Mercury Set in Mercury Square

The seal of the Moon should be in the same

style as the seals of Mars and Venus, if only its
magic square, which is of the odd class, were
considered. However, the astrological mate of
Luna is Sol, and if the seals of the Moon and
Sun are compared, similarities will be observed.
Both have the great cross, and more signifi-
cantly both contain four semicircles, or cres-
cents, arranged symmetrically about the center
with the horns pointing outward. The crescents
of the Sun seal are single, while the crescents of
Seal of Venus Set in Venus Square the Moon seal are triple, perhaps so that they
will touch on more of the cells in the square. Of
The same great cross and scythe that appear course Hecate has three faces, one each for the
in the Mars seal are present here, along with the waxing, full and waning phases of the Moon.
half circle or crescent. But the two bulges have There are 13 small circles in the seal and 13
given way to a circle and a figure with five months in the lunar year:
branches. Symbolically at least this last might
represent the letter V for Venus combined with
the equal-armed cross (+), symbol of Earth.
Along with the crescent of the Moon and the cir-
cle of the Sun, the three primary elements are
present out of which all five lesser planets are
constructed: 9 = 0 plus +; 0 (or =en +
plus 0; 4 = J plus +; +
12 = plus J; and ~
= J plus 0 plus +. In this sense the seal of
Venus embodies all seven planets, and indeed
seven is the number of Venus.
Little need be said of the Mercury seal as
it perfectly expresses the method of deriving
the square of Mercury from a grid of consecu-
tive numbers. In this it is an extension of the
Jupiter seal, which it most closely resembles
Seal of the Moon Set in the Lunar Square
structurally:
#ZVI7u.,g~Y;aI.JJtf~N~~11k9kuh tIw#-~~):fwrd;,
_d g:/'It tftl..., .i/~_" ,~v luI' (/mrf 3a14oj tk~ ~):j~ .h~
37 78 '29 70 9J 6l.
13 64- 5 rw 0
6' 387.9 80 71 22 63 14 ittl
47 7 89 80 31 72. 23 SS 16
16 t8 8 /A) 81 32 6'4 24 66'
67 17 49 .9 41 73 8.3 6'5 26
'26' 68 18 .50 1 4? 74 84 66'
67 '27 69 /0 61 2 43 76 (J6
36' 68 1..9 60 1/ 82 .3 LtI.. 76'
77 (U 6!J Q(J 6! I£- 68 4 ~6

Magic Square of the Moon

from The Magus by Francis Barrett (London, 1801)
 Appendix V-Magic Squares / 747

The lesser seals, or sigils, of the individual sigils of Agrippa in the five centuries that have
spirits and intelligences of the seven planets are passed since the work was written.
formed by loc'ating the Hebrew letters of each The following numerical breakdown of the
name, based on the numerical values of those restored names and graphic display of the sigils
letters, in their respective cells in the magic located in their respective squares will be found
square of the planet to which that name useful, particularly by the working occultist:
attaches, then drawing a line from letter to letter
in order. Saturn
The letters of each name connected with a
planet sum one of the significant numbers in Intelligence: Agiel; AGIAL; ?~"~ .
that planet's magic square. These numbers are A G I A L
based on the order of the square, the total num- 1 + 3 + 10 + 1 + 30 = 45
ber of cells, the sum of each row and the sum of
the square. For example, the significant num- Spirit: Zazel; ZAZL; ?i~i
bers of Saturn are 3, 9, 15 and 45. The Spirit of Z A Z L
Saturn is Zazel, or in Hebrew ?i~i , ZAZL, 7 + 1 + 7 + 30 = 45
which numerically adds up to 7 + 1 + 7 + 30 =
45. Number values may be manipulated Kab-
balistically where necessary through the tech-
nique of Aiq Beker, a grid of nine chambers
each of which holds three Hebrew letters con-
sidered to be numerically interchangeable (22
letters plus 5 final forms equals 27 characters).
In the example of Zazel, lamed (value 30) falls
in the same chamber of Aiq Beker as gimel
(value 3)-therefore ?, L, is located on the It will be observed in the case of Agiel that,
square of Saturn in the cell occupied by 3 (see since there is no yod (value 10) in the square, by
Appendix VII: Practical Kabbalah). Aiq Beker, aleph is substituted. Likewise lamed
Sigils may be disguised through the simple (30) becomes gimel (3)
but effective tricks of rotating or reflecting them
once they have been extracted from the squares. Jupiter
Without some grasp of how the sigils were cre-
ated, it is then impossible to relate them to the Intelligence: Johphiel; IHPhIAL; ?~'Eli1' .
squares directly. I H Ph I A L
Although it is a relatively simple matter to 10+ 5 +80 +10 + 1 + 30 =136
draw most of the sigils once the correct Hebrew
spellings of the names are known, some of them Spirit: Hismael; HSMAL; ?~aOi1
are still quite difficult. Since all the sources of H SMA L
the Agrippa squares are corrupt, including the 5 + 60+40 + 1 +30 =136
Latin Opera, the Freake translation and Bar-
rett's Magus-which is the most frequently
consulted source-the task effectively becomes
impossible. Even the modern texts of well
respected occultists such as Israel Regardie are
full of mistakes. In fact I have yet to see one
treatise on the squares, seals and sigils that is
error free. This appendix may well be the first
"0
complete and accurate presentation of all the Johphiel Hismael
748/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

In the sigil of Johphiel the two letters yod The sigil of Nachiel is tricky to draw in that
and aleph are doubled in the single cell that the last segment leads to the cell of 3 rather than
contains the number 11 . the cell of 30. The double bump at the begin-
ning of the Sorath sigil indicates two letters
Mars occupying the same cell.

Intelligence: Graphiel; GRAPhIAL; '?~"~~'l Venus

G R A P h l AL
3+200+1 +80+10+1+30 =325 Intelligence: Hagiel; HGIAL; '?~"Ji1 .
H G I A L
Spirit: Barzabel; BRTzBAL; '?~:l~':l. 5 + 3 + 10 + 1 +30 =49
B R Tz B A L
2 +200+90 + 2 + 1 +30 = 325 Spirit: Kedemel; QDMAL; '?~a,p.
Q D MAL
100+4 +40 + I +30 = 175
r-.
--J
I /
II
I

/
I
f'

/J
Intelligences: Bne Seraphim; BNI ShRPhIM;
O"~'iD ":J:l.
B N I Sh R Ph I M
Z / <.. 1/
v, 2 +50+10+300+200+80 +10+600=1252 (!)
'J
Graphiel Barzabel
0- f-
~
Again in the Graphiel sigil yod and aleph
are doubled in the cell that holds the number 11 . " ~
r'\.
a.. V
The three small bumps on the Barzabel sigil "- /
emphasize that the cell holding number 2 is r\. [).
touched three times.
" , '/

Sun Hagiel Kedemel

Intelligence: Nachiel; NKIAL; '?~"~l

N K I A L
50 + 20 + 10 + 1 + 30 = III "\ - --
V
--:

0... ~ /
Spirit: Sorath; SORTh; n"o. ~ rf..

-
.........
S 0 R Th ~ .- i>
t.. '0
60 + 6 +200+400 = 666

t\ Bne Seraphim
'/
I :'\
The sigil of the Bne Seraphim is based on
I\.
the erroneous assumption that the sum of the
~ V numbers in the Venus square is 1252, when in
rv \ fact the sum is 1225. In both the Latin Opera and
0- ~
the Freake translation the sum of 1252 is given.
Nachiel Sorath Obviously at some point the last two digits were
transposed. A similar mistake occurs in the line
 Appendix V-Magic Squares 1749

above in the table in ch. xxn, bk. II, where the

sum of a row in the Venus square was given as
157 instead of the correct 175. This error is also
in both the Latin and English editions.
What is strange is that the name Bne
Seraphim does numerically add up to 1252, and
this name is used in the drawing of the sigil.
This suggests that the original error was Agrip-
pa's, and that he linked the name Bne
Seraphim to the Venus square in the mistaken ~~
...........
t--
belief that the sum of the square was 1252. It is ~ ::5
difficult to imagine how such an error might
have occurred, particularly since the square of
Venus is correctly given. On this point it would
be interesting to consult the manuscript version
of the Occult Philosophy to see if the error Taphthartharath
occurs there as well.

Mercury
Moon
Intelligence: Tiriel; TIRIAL; '?~'1'~.
T I R I A L Intelligence: ?
9 +10+200+10 + 1 +30 =260
Spirit: Hasmodai; ChShMODAI; '~i'Oilm .
Spirit: Taphthartharath ; ThPhThRThRTh; Ch Sh MOD A I
n1n1nE)n. 8 +300+40 + 6 + 4 + 1 + 10 = 369
Th Ph Th R Th R Th
400+80+400+200+400+200+400 = 2080 Spirit of Spirits: Schedbarschemoth Schar-
tathan ; ShDBRShHMAaTh ShRThThN;
lnn1iD n1'0i1iD1:l iiD.
Sh D B R Sh H M Aa Th
f': / 300+4 + 2+200+300+5 +40+70+400+
Sh R Th Th N
t /11 300+200+400+400+700 = 3321

./ 11 / Intelligency of the Intelligence: Ma1cha bethar-

/
/
V
,V
I
~ sithim hed beruah schehakim; MLKA
BThRShIThIM AaD BRVCh ShChQIM;
Q'pniD m1:l i1' Q'n'iD1n:l ~:J"O.
M L K A B Th R ~ ITh
d' 40+30+20 + 1 + 2 +400+200+300+10+400
I M Aa D B R V Ch
10+600+70+4 + 2 +200+6 + 8
Sh Ch Q I M
Tiriel
300+8 +100+10+600 = 3321
The double bump in the Tiriel sigil indi-
cates the yod and aleph taken together in the
cell containing number 11.
750/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

(value 1) of the first word have been doubled in

.- h the cell containing number 21, as this part of the

'(
....- / sigil has only three points, and there are no
words of three letters in the name. Due to the

~ I
extreme complexity of the figure variations are
possible, but this seems the most accurate form.
~

"
./
Lx' r\.
~
~
\...
\
~
\ ~(
q,~
~
1\\
~ \ \ \\
Hasmodai
\ \ 1\

In the sigil of Hasmodai, the shin (value '\ ~ L? \

300, reduced by Aiq Beker to 30) and the mem
(value 40) are combined in the cell containing / \
the number 70. 'v \
Malcha betharsithim hed beruah schehakim
~p ~

I Many other names may be applied to the

I~
squares to produce unique sigils that will be
K magically significant provided the sum of the
letters in the names equals one of the signifi-
Y( ~\ cant numbers in the squares. The names of God

~
'- connected numerically to particular planets
through their squares have their own sigils
\
~
"\ "-
>
which Agrippa has not drawn out, but which
may be readily derived using the techniques
employed above.
~ I\.
,."

/ ~
Here is a numerical breakdown of the
~ V b divine names of the planets:
Schedbarschemoth Schartathan
Saturn
In the sigil of Schedbarschemoth Schar-
tathan, which might better be written Shad 3 Ab; AB; :J~ (l + 2 =3)
Barschemoth Schartathan, the second shin 9 Hod; HD; 'il (5 + 4 = 9)
(value 300, reduced by Aiq Beker to 30) and the 15 lah; IH; il' (10 + 5 = 15)
he (value 5) are doubled in the cell containing 45 Hod; HVD; "il (5 + 6 + 4 = 15)
number 35. 45 Jehovah extended; IVD HA V AU HA;
In the sigil of the Intelligency of the Intelli- ~il ,~, ~il ", (10 + 6 + 4 + 5 + 1 + 6
gence it appears that kaph (value 20) and aleph + 1 + 6 + 5 + 1 =45)
 Appendix V-Magic Squares 1751

Jupiter Mercury

4 Aba; ABA; ~:l~ (1 + 2 + 1 4)= Asboga, eight extended; AZBVGH; m':lT~

16 - ; HVH; mil (5 + 6 + 5 = 16) ([1 + 7 = 8] + [2 + 6 = 8] + [3 + 5 = 8])
16
34
- ; AHI; 'il~ (1 + 5 + 10 = 16)
EIAb;ALAB;:l~ ';~ (1 + 30+ 1 +2=34)
64 Din; DIN; r1 (4 + 10 + 50 = 64)
64 Doni; DNI; 'j1 (4 + 50 + 10 = 64)

Mars Moon

5 He; H ; il (5) 9 Hod; HD; 1il (~ + 4 =9)

25 - ; IHI; 'il' (10 + 5 + 10 = 25) 81 Elim; ALIM; tl'''~ (1 + 30 + 10 + 40 = 81)
65 Adonai; ADNI; 'j1~ (1 + 4 + 50 + 10 = 65)
The names marked with a dash are presum-
Sun ably those to which Agrippa did not know the
correct Latin pronunciation. The first name of
6 Vau; V; , (6) Mercury, Asboga, is described as eight
6 He extended; tIA; ~il (5 + 1 = 6) extended. Gershom Scholem (Kabbalah, 1977,
36 Eloh; ALH; il"~ (1 +.30 + 5 = 36) 19) says that this is because each pair of letters
adds up to 8. The fourth letter, vau (1), has been
Venus inadvertently omitted from both the Latin and
English texts, destroying the sense of the word.
7 - ; AHA; ~il~ (1 + 5 + 1 =7) The error is here corrected.
 APPENDIX VI

The Sephiroth

notice is taken of the Ain Soph in either the

I
t is impossible to give even a brief summary
of the ideas that make up the speculative Bible or the oral law, it was nonsensical to
Kabbalah (Kabbalah iyyunit), as these are refer to this deus absconditus as God at all;
too involved and extensive for a cursory that this title belonged to a being who was
treatment, but it is necessary to touch upon the accessible to meditation and prayer. However
doctrine of emanations referred to by Agrippa in this view was highly unpopular.
ch. X, bk. III, so that those readers who are not Philosophically the ultimate awareness of
students of the Kabbalah will have some notion God as a being (or nonbeing) without limit who
of what he is talking about. comprises all things in an undifferentiated way
In their efforts to attain the highest and most is inescapable. Al so logically necessary is a
perfect conception of God the Hebrew mecubal- supreme creator, or first cause. To explain the
ists divested the deity of all qualities, which they process of creation whereby a God who can nei-
determined could not be a part of the primal God ther be changed nor diminished puts forth the
because each was limited by its definition and world of limited imperfect beings from , and yet
thus imperfect. They denied the deity a name, a still within, hi s own substance, recourse was
face, a form and even a purpose. Everything that had to a series of agents called Sephiroth, from
could be conceived was stripped away from this the Hebrew for sapphire, the lucidity of which
negative understanding of a God before, or apart is likened to the radiance of God.
from , the created world. The result they called These Sephiroth, which are ten in number,
Ain Soph (E)10 r~) , literally "not ending"; that act as vessels that convey the continuous ema-
is, unbounded. nation from the Ain Soph in successive stages
Having attained this paragon, which is not down to the very world of creation. They should
unlike the Aristotelian Cause of All Causes, not be considered to be separate from God, as
they were left in a quandary. The Ain Soph there is nothing which God is not-rather, they
cannot be conceived in any way by anyone, are the inherent tools through which the world
not even through the most profound mystical is fashioned, made of the substance of the deity,
meditation. More perplexing, being utterly yet in form at least differentiated each for its
without qualities, there is no involvement particular task. How they can be both one with
between the Ain Soph itself and the world of God and yet distinguishable is one of the more-
limited things . The writer of an early Kabbal- difficult insights in the philosophy of the Kab-
istic work called Ma' arekhet ha-Elohut (see balah, and at different periods in its history they
Scholem Kabbalah 1977, I :3:89) put forward have been regarded diversely as the very
the not unreasonable position that since no essence of God and as separate intermediate

752
 Appendix VJ-The Sephiroth / 753

beings unable to conceive the deity or approach dynamic balance with the Ain Soph , constantly
Him except through prayer. going out from and returning to it, a mirror
The process of emanation itself has been image of its source. Often Kether was identified
likened to the conception of a child which does with the Ain Soph in texts of the Kabbalah, so
not diminish the substance of the father in any closely are they bound together. It is the exter-
way, but which conveys his qualities. Another nal aspect of the Ain Soph, so exalted that it is
metaphor regards the ten Sephiroth as mirrors scarcely just to speak of it as one of the Sephi-
of different colors which successively catch and roth; and indeed the list of Sephiroth sometimes
reflect the light of a single flame . The flame begins with the second, Chokmah.
itself is in no way diminished, though some- In the early Kabbalah Kether was the high-
thing appears to go out of it. This imagery arose est object of prayer, the ultimate source of life
to avoid any suggestion that in the act of cre- and of the remaining nine emanations, and
ation something flowed away from God. Since therefore God. In later Kabbalah a distinction is
God is perfect, and must always remain perfect, made between the primal will to manifest and
he can never be less than all. Kether, but it always remains the most exalted
For the same reason emanation was said quality, beyond human conception.
not to proceed outward, but to occur inward in From Kether emanate successively the
the depths of a kind of vortex at the heart of the other nine vessels, each going out from the one
Ain Soph. Thus all the universe remains within that precedes it, forming a ladder between the
God, and nothing can ever separate from him boundless and the material universe. This
and so reduce his majesty. The Sephiroth are process occurs outside of time and space, the
thought of as various expressions of the single separation between each emanation and the next
divinity, and each is given a different name of occurring in the "twinkling of an eye," an
God to emphasize this unity in diversity, almost immeasurably brief moment that is actually an
suggesting that they are no more than divine abstraction rather than a division of time.
states of mind, or divine points of view. The Sephiroth are called vessels because
Why a God who embodies the entire uni- they hold the uniform radiance of God, which is
verse in potential would wish to create some- obscured and colored by their successively
thing imperfect is never adequately treated. The coarser skins. The different degrees of veiling
stock answer is that he did it for love, but as make the contents of each vessel appear differ-
Scholem points out, "the assertion found in ent from all the others, but this is an illusion
many books that God wished to reveal the mea- caused by the limitations of the human mind,
sure of His goodness is there simply as an expe- which would be blasted if it were to see the full
dient that is never systematically developed" glory of this radiance unshielded even for an
(Kabbalah 1977, 1:3:91). Just as unsatisfactory instant.
is the suggestion that God was in some manner Linking one Sephirah to the next is a path-
required to create the world of necessity, for way, or channel, through which the light of the
what necessity can exist for an omnipotent, all- Sephiroth flows continually in both directions,
sufficient being? Ultimately the question of from God to the world, and from the world to
why the universe was made is regarded in the God. An interruption in the upward returning
Kabbalah as one of the unknowable mysteries. flux is called "breaking the channels" (shevirat
Accepting that the impulse to create some- ha-zinnorot), which is caused by sin. These
how came to be, it was necessary to postulate a channels may best be thought of as hollow tubes
creative force or instrument apart from the that connect transparent radiant spheres that
impassive Ain Soph yet still intimately bound glow with various colors. Through these chan-
up with it. This is Kether, the first Sephirah, the nels it is possible for the devout mind in medi-
"infinite will" (ha-razon ad ein-sof) that the tation to mount upward from one vessel to the
mind of man can never attain. It exists in a next, experiencing the light of God with ever
754/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

increasing purity. Attainment of one Sephirah in large measure based on the biblical verse I
makes mounting to the next higher possible, as Chronicles 29: II . They also echo in the Lord's
the mind is conditioned to endure the awful Prayer, Matthew 6:9-13.
glory of the light in bearable stages. Of far less philosophical importance are the
The two dimensional symbol of the ten other occult structures applied to the Sephiroth,
Sephiroth linked by the channels is called the such as the hierarchy of angels, the spheres of
Tree of the Sephiroth. The first of the two the heavens, the elements, the individual good
accompanying illustrations is taken from the and evil spirits, the Hebrew prophets and so on.
frontispiece of the book Porta Lucis by the These are later additions that accrued to the
Christianized Jew Paulus Ricius, which was Tree after its shape began to solidify. However,
published in Augsburg, Germany, in 1516. It these are extremely useful from the viewpoint
shows 16 paths, or channels, one of which is of the practical Kabbalah. The sanctity of the
bifurcated. The Tree continued to evolve and Sephiroth is used to lend authority and power to
grow more complex as more associations were particular elements in magical works.
added to it, the major one being the assignment Various divisions of the Sephiroth were
of the Hebrew alphabet to a system of 22 chan- made in an effort to comprehend their meaning.
nels, designed to balance the ten numbers of the They were split into five upper and five lower,
Sephiroth. This version, given by Athanasius the hidden and manifest powers; on the same
Kircher in his Oedipus Aegyptiacus, published basis was made a division between upper three
in Rome in 1652, is essentially the same as that and lower seven, the lower being equated with
used by Kabbalists in the modem day, a few the seven days of creation; they were split into
details excepted. three triangles, the upper of which (Kether,
By far the most important association with Chokmah, Binah) was linked with the intellect,
the Sephiroth is the series of ten divine names, the middle (Chesed, Geburah, Tiphareth) with
because these are a constant reminder that the the soul, and the lower (Netzach, Hod, Yesod)
Sephiroth themselves are nothing other than with nature.
names of God. As Scholem writes: "The God The Tree was also divided into three pil-
who 'called' His powers to reveal themselves lars: the Right Pillar (Chokmah, Chesed, Net-
named them, and, it could be said, called Himself zach) of Mercy, the Middle Pillar (Kether,
also by appropriate names" (ibid., 99). These are Tiphareth, Yesod, Malkuth) of Mildness and
the "ten names which must not be erased," in the Left Pillar (Binah, Geburah, Hod) of Sever-
comparison with which all other names of God ity. The right side of the Tree is considered to
are mere epithets. In the early Kabbalah the be masculine and the left side feminine. It must
actual words revealed to mankind by God are all- be pointed out here that the Tree of the Sephi-
important. They supersede every other device roth is almost always represented as viewed
which was used speculatively to obtain some from the back. Remember that Chokmah is on
grasp of truth. The power, the truth itself, is in the the right side of the Tree, and Binah on the left,
letters and words revealed by God. and you will avoid the common error of con-
The divine names are accompanied by fusing the sides.
descriptive names of the Sephiroth, which are There is an 11 th Sephirah, which is not
also names of God. In the Ain Soph the deity really a Sephirah at all , called Daath. It first
has no name. The descriptive titles of the Sephi- occurs in the 13th century, as a mediator
roth stand for the quality and quantity of the between the influences of Chesed and Binah,
universal light that manifests itself through the and is regarded as the manifest aspect of
degrees of obscurity imposed by the vessels. Kether. Located on the Middle Pillar between,
More than one name may be applied to a single and slightly below, Chokmah and Binah, it has
Sephirah where this is necessary to adequately the same balancing qualities as the other Middle
suggest its nature. The titles of the Sephiroth are Pillar Sephiroth.
Sephirothic Tree
from Portae Lucis by Paulus Ricius (Augsburg, 1516)
7561 THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

The reason Daath cannot truly be regarded Archangel

as a Sephirah is the strict and explicit injunction Metatron, MTTRVN, 11't!)t!)a.
in the Sepher Yetzirah: "Ten is the number of
the ineffable Sephiroth, ten and not nine, ten Angelic Order
and not eleven" (Sepher Yetzirah 1.3 [Westcott, Chaioth ha-Qadesh, ChIVTh HQDSh,
15]). Even though Daath is a very useful con- iVipil n1'n, Holy Living Creatures.
cept, few are the Kabbalists bold enough to vio-
late this clear decree from the oldest and most Archdemons
sacred Kabbalistic text. Satan and Moloch.

Demonic Order
KETHER Thamiel, The Two Contenders.

Number Heavenly Sphere

One. ~ashith ha-Gilgalim, RAShITh HGLGLIM,
C'?~'~il n'iV~', Primum Mobile.
Titles
Kether, KThR, 'n~, The Crown. Part of Man
Authiqa, AaThIQA, ~p 'nl', The Ancient Head.
One or The Aged.
Authiqa Qadisha, AaThIQA QDIShA,
~iV'iP ~p'nl', The Most Holy Ancient CHOKMAH
One.
Authiqa De-Authiqin, AaThIQA Number
DAaThIQIN, rp'nl'i ~p'nl', The Ancient Two.
of the Ancient Ones.
Authiq Iomin, AaThIQ IVMIN, Titles
P,j1' P 'nl', The Ancient of Days. Chokmah, ChKMH, ila~n, Wisdom.
Temira De-Temirin, TMIRA DTMIRIN, Ab, AB, :J~, The Father.
r,'at!)i ~,'at!), The Concealed of the Abba, ABBA, ~:J:J~, The Supernal
Concealed. Father.
Nequdah Rashunah, NQVDH RAShVNH,
m1iV~' ili1p:J, The Primordial Point. Divine Names
Nequdah Peshutah, NQVDH PShVTH, Jah, IH, il'.
ilt!)1iVE:) ili1p:J, The Smooth Point. (MacGre- Jehovah, IHVH, i11il', The Lord.
gor Mathers s~lls the name NQVDH PShVTh, Yod Jehovah, IIHVH, i11il" (given by
n1iVE:) ili1P:J). Agrippa, ch. X, bk. ill, and in the table at the
Risha Havurah, RIShA HVVRH end of ch. XIII, bk. II).
il'11il ~iV", The White Head.
Rom Meolah, RVM MAaLH, il?l'a C1', Archangel
The Inscrutable Height. Ratziel, RTzIAL, ?~,~,.
Arikh Anpin. ARIK ANPIN, rE:):J~ T'~'
The Vast Countenance (Macroprosopus). Angelic Order
Adam Auilah, ADM AaILAH, Auphanim, AVPNIM, C':JE:)1~, The
il~?' l' Ci~, The Heavenly Man. Wheels.

Divine Name Archdemon

Eheieh, AHIH, il'il~, I Am. Beelzebub.
 GJ'IO l'~

HOIUZ~~TJS
Summ.c Corona
SYSTEMA SEPHIROTICVM
vlk. .....' ...n:ARVM NOMJNVM

.>

Sephirothic Tree
from Oedipus I'Egyptiacus by Athanasius Kircher (Rome, 1652)
758/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

Demonic Order CHESED

Ghogiel, The Hinderers.
Number
Heavenly Sphere Four.
Masloth, MSL VTh, m'?o~, Zodiac (also
spelled MZL VTh, m'?i~) Titles
Chesed, ChSD, ,on Love.
Part of Man Gedulah, GDVLH, i1'1", Greatness.
Brain.
Divine Name
EI, AL, '?~, The Mighty One.
BINAH
Archangel
Number Tzadkiel. TzDQIAL, '?~'p'~.
Three.
Angelic Order
Titles ChasmaJim. ChShMLIM, Q''?~iDn, The
Binah, BINH, i1:l'~, Intelligence. Shining Ones.
Ama, AMA, ~~~, The Mother.
Aima, AlMA, ~~'~ , The Great Produc- Archdemon
tive Mother. Ashtaroth.
Divine Names
Demonic Order
Elohim, ALHIM, Q'i1'?~, Lord.
Agshekeloh, The Smiters or Breakers.
Jehovah Elohim, Q'i1'?~ i11i1', The Lord
God. Strictly speaking, the divine name is
Heavenly Sphere
IHVH, which is pronounced Elohim (see
Tzadekh. TzDQ, P'~' Jupiter.
Scholem, Kabbalah 1977, 108).
Jehovah joined with he. HIHVH, i11i1'i1
Part of Man
(given by Agrippa, ch. XVII, bk. III).
Right arm.
Archangel
Tzaphkiel, TzPQIAL, '?~'p~~.
GEBURAH
Angelic Order
Aralim, ARALIM, Q''?~'''~, The Thrones. Number
Five.
Archdemon
Lucifuge. Titles
Geburah, GBVRH , i1"'1~', Strength.
Demonic Order Din, DIN, r'.Judgment or Severity.
Satariel, the Concealers. Pachad, PChD, 'n~, Fear.

Heavenly Sphere Divine Names

Shabbathai, ShBThAI, '~n~iD, Saturn. Eloh, ALH, i1'?~. The Almighty.
Elohim Gibor, ALHIM GBVR ,
Part of Man "'1~' Q'i1'?~, God of Battles. Agrippa spells
Heart. this ALHIM GIBR, ..,~', Q'i1'?~.
 Appendix VI-The Sephiroth / 759

Archangel Demonic Order

Khamael, KMAL, '~a:;,. Tagiriron, The Disputers.

Angelic Order Heavenly Sphere

Seraphim, ShRPIM, t:l'~iiD, The Fiery Shemesh, ShMSh, iDaiD, Sun.
Serpents.
Part of Man
Archdemon Chest.
Asmodeus.

Demonic Order NETZACH

Golohab, The Burners or Flaming Ones.
Number
Heavenly Sphere Seven.
Madim, MADIM, t:l',~a, Mars.
Titles
Part of Man Netzach, NTzCh, n~:J , Firmness or Vic-
Left Arm. tory.

Divine Names
TIPHARETH Jehovah Sabaoth , IHVH TzBA VTh,
m~:J~ i1,i1', Lord of Hosts.
Number
Six.
Archangel
Haniel, HANIAL, '~':J~i1.
Titles
Tiphareth, ThPARTh, rli~~n, Beauty.
Angelic Order
Rahamim, RChMlM, t:l'ani, Compassion.
Elohim, ALHIM, t:l'i1'~, Gods. Gins-
Melekh, MLK, l.,a, The King.
burg ([1863] 1970) give s Tarshi shim,
Zauir Anpin, ZVIR ANPIN, r~:J~ i',r,
The Lesser Countenance (Microprosopus). This ThRShIShIM, t:l'iD'iDin, The Brilliant Ones
title is also applied to the combined Sephiroth (see Daniel 10:6).
four through nine.
Archdemon
Divine Names Baal.
Eloap Va-Daath , ALVH VDAaTh ,
nl'" i1'''~, God Manifest. Demonic Order
Elohim, ALHIM, t:l'i1'~, God. Gharab Tzerek, The Raveners .

Archangel Heavenly Sphere

Raphael , RPAL, '~~i. Nogah, NVGH, i1,,:J, Venus.

Angelic Order Part of Man

Malachim, MLKIM, t:l':;"a, Kings. Gins- Right Leg.
burg ([1863] 1970) gives Shinanim, ShNANIM,
t:l':J~:JiD, Multitudes (see Psalms 68 : 17).

Archdemon
Belphegor.
760 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

HOD Angelic Order

Cherubim, KRBIM, lJ~~i~ , The Strong.
Number Ginsburg ([ 1863] 1970) places here the Ashim,
Eight. AShIM, lJ~iD~ . Agrippa spells Cherubim
KRVBIM, lJ~~'i~.
Title
Hod, HVD, "i1, Splendor. Archdemon
Lilith, The Seducer.
Divine Name
Elohim Sabaoth, ALHIM TzBA VTh, Demonic Order
m~~~ lJ~i1?~ , God of Hosts. Gamaliel, The Obscene Ones.

Archangel Heavenly Sphere

Michael, MIKAL, ?~~~O. Levanah, LBNH, i1:l~? , Moon.

Angelic Order Part of Man

Beni Elohim, BNI ALHIM, lJ~i1?~ ~:l~ , Genitals.
Sons of God.

Archdemon MALKUTH
Adrammelech. Number
Ten.
Demonic Order
Samael, The False Accusers. Titles
Malkuth, MLKVTh, m~?O , The King-
Heavenly Sphere dom.
Kokab, KVKB , ~~,~ , Mercury. Atarah, AaTRH, i1i~l' , The Diadem. See
Proverbs 12:4.
Part of Man Shekinah, ShKINH, i1:l~~iD, The Manifest
Left Leg. Glory Of God.
Kallah, KLH , i1?~ , The Bride (of Micro-
prosopus).
YESOD Malkah, MLKH, i1~?0 , The Queen.

Number Divine Names

Nine. Adonai, ADNI, ~:l'~ , Lord.
Adonai Malekh, ADNI MLK, 1?0 ~:l'~ ,
Titles Lord and King.
Yesod, ISVD, "O~ , The Foungation. Adon ai he - Aretz, A DNI HARTz,
Yesod Aalam, ISVD AaVLM, lJ"'l' "O~ , ri~i1 ~:l'~ , Lord of Earth.
Eternal Foundation of the World.
Archangel
Divine Names Metatron, MTTRVN, 1'i~~0 , in his
Shaddai, ShDI, ~'iD , The Almighty. manifest aspect. The angel u ~ u ally given is San-
El Chai, AL ChI, ~n ?~ , Mighty Living dalphon, SNDLPVN, 1'E:l?':lO, but San-
One. dalphon is the angel of the Earth.

Archangel Angelic Order

Gabriel, GBRIAL, ?~~i~l Ashim (or Ishim), AShIM, lJ~iD~ , Souls of
 Appendix VI-The Sephiroth / 761

Flame: see Psalms 104:4. Agrippa spells this There are various conflicting systems of
AIShIM, D'il]'R demons and demonic orders in the literature of
the Kabbalah. The one presented here is that
Archdemon given by S. L. MacGregor Mathers in the intro-
Nahema, The Strangler of Children. duction to his translation of Knorr von Rosen-
roth's Kabbalah Unveiled (Mathers [1887]
Demonic Order 1962), plate facing p. 30.
Nahemoth, The Dolorous Ones. The archdemon of Malkuth, Nahema, is
one of four demon queens. She is often con-
Heavenly Sphere founded with Lilith in Kabbalistic writings.
Aulam Yesodoth, AaVLM ISVDVTh, Lilith ruled over Rome, Agrath (or Agrat) ruled
rl1,'O' D?'l', The Elements. This is some- over Salamanca, Rahab (or Mahalath) ruled
times incorrectly given as Cholem Yesodoth, over Egypt, and Nahema ruled over Damascus.
ChVLM ISVDVTh, rl1,'O' D?,n, The These four places symbolize, respectively, north,
Breaker of Foundations. west, south and east.

Part of Man
The whole body.
 APPENDIX VII

Practical Kabbalah

he esoteric speculations of Judaism However, this use is too narrow , as these tech-

T known as the Kabbalah may for con-

venience be divided into two branches:
the speculative Kabbalah (Kabbalah
iyyunit), which concerns the abstract philosoph-
ical doctrines on the nature of God, the universe
niques are also employed in abstract specula-
tions and meditations on God.
In the main the significance of Hebrew let-
ters derives from their numerical value. Each
letter stands for one or more numbers, as may
and man; and the practical Kabbalah (Kabbalah be seen in the accompanying table of the
rna' asit) , which involves magical practices Hebrew alphabet, and by various systems these
intended to produce specific results. These number values are interrelated. As many as 72
branches are not entirely separate and often techniques have been listed (see Scholem, Kab-
overlap, but may be considered independently balah, 1977,2:10:341), but the matter treated
on the basis of the goals to which they tend. The by Agrippa falls under the three headings of
first seeks a transformation of the soul in accor- gematria, notarikon, and temurah.
dance with the will of God, and is mystical; the Gematria, ~'..,~O~ , from the Greek
second seeks a transformation of the world in 'YEwIlETp(a (geometry), not, as Ginsburg and
accordance with the will of man, and is magical. after him Mathers erroneously assert, from
When the Kabbalah began to take shape as a 'Ypalllla (a written character)-in the narrower
metaphysical system, the techniques for making sense used here is the rule by which a word or
charms, amulets and talismans were absorbed group of words is given meaning according to
into it. These were largely concerned with the the total numerical value of the letters involved.
magical powers of the letters of the Hebrew One word may be linked with another that has
alphabet, particularly as they occurred in the the same value. For example the name of the
words of the Torah, or sacred writings. A Jewish angel Metatron, l''''~~O, and the name of God,
magician bore the title Ba'al Shem, CiiD '?.v::l, Shaddai, 'iiD, each total 314, allowing one to
Master of the Name, which referred to his ability Kabbalistically stand for the other by the system
to manipulate the names of God for magical pur- of gematria. This is considered to explain Exo-
poses. That this title is Babylonian in origin is dus 23:21. In the same manner a phrase may be
significant, as it points to the roots of Jewish made to stand for a word, or a word for a
magic in Babylonian demonology. phrase, or a phrase for a phrase, provided that
Because Jewish magic is so bound up in the their numerical totals are equal.
manipulation of words and letters, the tech- Notarikon , pP''''~'J , from the Latin notar-
niques through which this is done have them- ius, a shorthand writer of ancient Rome who
selves been called the practical Kabbalah. abbreviated words using single letters, is the

762
 Appendix VII-Practical Kabbalah / 763

Hebrew Alphabet
Order Letter Transliteration Value Final Name Meaning Kind
1. ~ A 1 Aleph Ox Mother

2. :J B,V 2 Beth House Double

3. , G,Gh 3 Gimel Camel Double

4. , D,Dh 4 Daleth Door Double

5. i1 H 5 He Window Single

6. , O, U,V 6 Vau Nail Single

7. i Z 7 Zayin Sword Single

8. n Ch 8 Cheth Fence Single

9. ~ T 9 Teth Snake Single

~
10. I, Y 10 Yod Hand Single

11. ~ K,Kh 20 500 1 Kaph Fist Double

12. '? L 30 Lamed Ox-Goad Single

13. a M 40 600 t:l Mem Water Mother

14. J N 50 7001 Nun Fish Single

15. 0 S 60 Samekh Prop Single

16. 3) Aa, Ngh, 0 70 Ayin Eye Single

17. El P,Ph 80 800 :'j Pe Mouth Double

18. ~ Tz 90 900r Tzaddi Hook Single

19. p Q,K 100 Qoph Ear Single

20. , R 200 Resh Head Double

21. iV S,Sh 300 Shin Tooth Mother

22. n T, Th 400 Tau Cross Double

764 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

rule by which the initial letters of the words in a 2 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 I

phrase are combined to form a word, or words, 13 141516171819202122 3 Agdath (3.)
with a related significance. Sometimes the final
or medial letters are also used. For example, the 131211 10 9 8 7 6 5 2 1
phrase from Deuteronomy 30: 12, "Who shall 1415 16 17 18 19202122 3 4 Adbag (4.)
go up for us to heaven," i10'OiDi1 1:l'? i1'?.ir '0,
yields letters from the beginning of each word 3131211 10 9 8 7 6 2 1
that form the word for circumcision, i1'?'0, and 1415 161718 19202122 4 5 Ahbad (5.)
from the end of each word that form Jehovah,
i11i1'. This was considered to confirm the ordi- 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 3 2 1
nation by God of circumcision as the way to sal- 15 1617 18 19202122 4 5 6 Avbah (6.)
vation. Inversely, by notarikon the individual
letters in a word may become the initial letters 4 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 3 2 1
in a phrase or sentence. The first word in the 15 16171819202122 5 6 7 Azbav (7 .)
Bible, Berashith , n'iD~i:l, can be expanded
into the sentence Besrashith Rahi Elohim 1514131211 10 9 4 3 2 1
Sheyequebelo Israel Torah: 16171819202122 5 6 7 8 Achbaz (8.)
i1i1n '?~iiD' 1'?:lp'iD Cl'i1'?~ i1~i n'iD~1:l
"In the beginning God saw that Israel would
5 15 14 13 12 11 10 4 3 2 1
accept the Law." 16171819202122 6 7 8 9 Atbach (9.)
Temurah, i1i10n, permutation, which is
also called Tziruph, =-j1i'~, combination, is the
16 15 14 13 12 11 5 4 3 2 1 Ab
rule by which letters are related and inter- 171819202122 6 7 8 910 I at (10.)
changed. By one technique the Hebrew alpha-
bet is bent in the middle back upon itself to
form eleven pairs of letters. By certain transpo- 61615 1413 12 5 4 3 2 1 A hb' (11.)
17 18 192021 22 7 8 91011 c 1
sitions 22 sets of pairs are made that compose
the "Table of the Combinations of Ziruph"
171615 1413 6 5 4 3 2 I
given by Agrippa at the end of ch. XXV, bk. III.
18 192021 22 7 8 9101112 Albach (12.)
Each set derives its name from the first four let-
ters, reading in the Hebrew way from right to
left. For example, the upper row of the table 7 17 16 15 14 6 5 4 3 2 I
18192021 22 8 910111213 Ambal (13. )
shows the set called Albath, ALBTh, n:l'?~.
It will be easier to understand the method of
Ziruph if the sets are written numerically, with 18171615 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
19202122 8 91011121314 Anbam(14. )
each letter substituted for by its place in the
Hebrew alphabet. Below is a numerical exposi-
tion of the Table of Ziruph, and also of the Ratio- 8181716 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
nal Table of Ziruph, showing their structure: 192021 22 9101112131415 Asban (15.)

191817 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 I
ZIRUPH 2021 22 910111213 14 15 16 Aabas (16.)

11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 91918 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
13 14151617181920212212 Albath (1.) 2021221011121314151617 Aphba (17.)

12111098765431 2019 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
13 14 15 16171819202122 2 Abgath (2.) 21 22101112131415161718 Azbaph(18.)
 Appendix VII-Practical Kabbalah / 765

10 20 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 2120191817 16 15 14 13 12 1 Akl (10.)

21 22111213141516171819 Akbaz (19.) 22 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 91011 ay

21 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 1 AI ak (11 )
22 1112 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Arbak (20.) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 m .

1I 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 2 Z2 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 1 A I (12 )
2212131415161718192021 Ashbar (21.) 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1112 13 mna .

1I 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 3 22221 20 19 18 17 16 15 1
12 13 1415 16 17 18 19202122 Athbash (22.) 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1112 13 14 Anmas (13.)

Also: 4 3 2 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 1
5 6 7 8 9101112131415 Asan (14.)
21 191715 13 11 9 7 5 3 1 Ab d (23 .)
22 20 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 ga 5 4 3 2 22 21 20 19 18 17 1
6 7 8 910111213141516 Aaphas(15.)
11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
222120191817 16 15 14 13 12 Albam (24.) 6 5 4 3 2 22 21 20 19 18 1
7 8 9101112 13 14 15 16 17 Aphza (16.)

RA TlONAL ZIRUPH 7 6 5 4 3 222212019 1

8 9101112131415161718 Azkap (17.)
121110 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 1
13 1415 16171819202122 2 Abgath(1.)* 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 22 21 20 1
910111213 1415 1617 1819. Akraz (18.)
13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 1
1415161718 192021 22 2 3 Agdab (2.) 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 22221 1
1011121314151617181920 Arshak (19.)
14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 1
15 16 17 18 19202122 2 3 4 Adhag (3.) 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 222 1
111213 1415 16 17 18 192021 Ashthar (20.)
15 14131211 10 9 8 7 6 1
16171819202122 2 3 4 5 Ahod (4.) 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 ' 4 3 2 1 Athbash
1213 14 15 16 17 18 19202122 (21.)*
16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 I
171819202122 2 3 4 5 6 Avzah (5.) 211917 15 13 11 9 7 5 3 1 Abgad
22201816141210 8 6 4 2 (22.)*
17 16151413 12 11 10 9 8 1
1819202122 2 3 4 5 6 7 Azcho (6.) The number pairs in the above sets have
been written top to bottom rather than side by
1817 1615 1413 12 II 10 9 1 side, as Agrippa has written the corresponding
192021 22 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Achto (7.) letters, to reflect the folding of the Hebrew
alphabet back on itself. Letters that have been
1918 17 16 15 1413 1211 10 1 . h transposed out of their normal position are rep-
(8.)
20 21 22 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 AtlC resented by numbers in bold type. The name of
each set is given in English to the right.
20191817 1615 141312 11 1 A'k Appended to Ziruph are two sets mentioned by
(9.)
21 22 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1 at Ginsburg in his treatment of this subject ([1863]
766 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

1970, 137). The first of these appended sets is were drawn oversized in the original table are
found at the end of the Rational Table of Ziruph here indicated by numbers in boldface type. If
given by Agrippa. the structure of the table is examined it will be
Notice that some of the pairs are necessar- seen that these are the letters which it was neces-
ily repeated. For example in the Table of Ziruph sary to shift at variance with the overall pattern
the pair AL, '?~, which occurs in the first place in order to preserve the complete alphabet in
of the first set, called Albath, also occurs in the both rows and columns. They represent breaks
first place in the 12th set, Albach. Notice also in the system. This is clearly shown when the
that the first (Abgath) and 21st (Athbash) sets in pairs in boldface type in each row are inverted.
the Rational Table occur in the regular Table of Why the Irregular table is also · called
Ziruph, forming respectively the second and Averse is not apparent to me, since the alphabet
22nd sets. is written in its correct sequence on all four
The use of the combinations of Ziruph is sides of the square in four different directions,
straightforward. In each particular set paired let- the upper row being from right to left-but per-
ters are considered to be Kabbalistically related haps I have not correctly understood the use of
and interchangeable. By substituting letters for this term in the previous table.
their pairs, new words can be created that are The method of using the tables of commu-
occultly linked to the words that give them rise; tations must be conjectured-since I have not
also the numerical sums of words can be manip- found it anywhere described-from their
ulated. This is done to yield insights into diffi- requirement to substitute one letter for another.
cult speculations, or more commonly to furnish The right outer column that has the alphabet in
proofs for convictions previously arrived at by its normal sequence could be used as a key
other means.
through which might be inserted the letters of a
Also into the category of temurah fall the
word or sentence desired to be transmuted.
three Tables of Commutations called the Right,
There would thus be 21 possible variations. I
the Averse, and the Irregular. The Right Table
stress that this is only conjecture on my part.
takes its name from the upper row of letters,
Falling under the heading temurah, but
which is written in the normal Hebrew way,
important enough to be considered on its own, is
right to left. Its structure is so simple as to
the Kabbalah of Nine Chambers, or Aiq Beker,
barely require comment. In the second row the
i:>:::J p~, so-called from the first six letters that
aleph, ~, is moved from its place to the end of
constitute it. The Hebrew alphabet is written into
the alphabet; in the third row the aleph, ~, and
beth, :::J, are moved to the end; and so on down the nine cells of a grid formed by two pairs of
the table until in the bottom row the alphabet is parallel lines that intersect at right angles, result-
completely transposed except for the letter tau, ing in three letters in each cell (22 letters plus 5
n. Similarly, in the Averse Table, so-called final forms equal 27 letters). The way of entering
because the upper row is written in reverse the letters is most easily shown by a diagram:
order, from left to right, letters are successively
moved from the end of the alphabet to the
beginning until the alphabet is completely trans-
3~ ~
Sh L
,,
3

G
200 20

R
2
:J ::l
K B
100 IO
P
Q
.,
I
I
~
A
posed except for the letter aleph, ~.
The Averse Irregular Table is more Com-
plex and will require a numerical exposition,
which is given on the opposite page. As is also
600 60
o
M-f. S
0 ,1
6

V
500 50

K-f. N
:l i1
5

H
400 40
n
Th M
rJ ,
4

D
true with the Right and Averse tables, the Irreg-
ular has a bilateral symmetry around the diago-
nal axis running from the lower left to upper 900 90 9 800 80 8 700 70 7
right corners. Each row and column contains the
complete Hebrew alphabet. The letters which
r ~ ~
Tz-f. Tz T
~ ~
P-f. P Ch
n 1 !) r
N-f. Aa Z
 Appendix VII-Practical Kabbalah / 767

Any letter is occultly linked, and thus may of secret writing that is based upon it, are
be exchanged , with the other letters in its cell described by Agrippa in ch. XXX, bk. III.
on the grid. For example, the letter he, i1, may Another Kabbalistic technique for form-
be substituted for with either the letters nun, J, ing words with magical significance is that of
or the fi nal form of kaph, l. Similarly their val- writing verses from the Torah one over the
ues may be interchanged in occult computa- other, and then extracting words from the ver-
tions. Agrippa uses the Aiq Beker extensively in tical columns of letters. The most important
extracting his sigils for the spirits and intelli- use of this device involves Exodus 14: 19-21,
gences of the planets from the magic squares in each verse of which contains 72 letters (see
ch. XXII , bk. II. The Aiq Beker, and the system page 769).

Averse Irregular Table

22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
~
21 12 1 22 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4
~ 2
20 13 2 1 22 21 19 18 17 16 15 14 12 11 10 9 8 7 6
~ 4 3
19 3 13 2 1 22 21 20 18 17 16 15 14 12 11 10 9 8
lZ: 6 5 4
18 14 4 3 2 1 22 21 20 19 17 16 15 13 12 11 10
~ 8 7 6 5
17 4 14 5 3 2 1 22 21 20 19 18 16 15 13 12 lJ1 10 9 8 7 6
16 15 5 6 4 3 2 1 22 21 20 19 18 17 14 lJ1 12 11 10 9 8 7
15 5 16 7 6 4 3 2 1 22 21 20 19 18
lYf 14 13 12 11 10 9 8
14 16 6 8 7 5 4 3 2 1 22 21 20
~ 18 17 15 13 12 11 10 9
13 6 17 21 0
u
'7 C
oJ
A 'l
oJ ...
"I 1
~
"1"1
......
k'!t 20 19 18 16 15 14 12 11 10
12 17 7 10 9 8 6 5 4 3 2 V :2 21 20 19 18 16 15 14 13 11
11 7 18 13 10 9 8 6 5 4 V 2 22 21 20 19 17 16 15 14 12
10 18 8 14 12 11 9 7 6 ~ 4 3 1 22 21 20 19 17 16 15 13
9 8 19 15 13 12 11 10 k! 6 5 4 2 1 22 21 20 18 17 16 14
8 11 ()

7 20 10 17 15 14
k 1 1'l 1"1

)1
r 10

1~ 11
7
9
6
8
5
6 p
3
4
2
3
1 22 21 20 18 17 15
2 1 22 21 19 18 16
n IC
6 10 15 <v
1 £
~v
/":v 14 13 12 11 9 8 17 5 4 3 2 1 22 21 19 17

V1
5 19 21 11
4 9 12
3 22 ~
lJ6
16 15
* 13 12 10 9
11 18 17 1~ 15 14 13 10 21 8 7 6 5 3 2 1 22 19
12 21 15 10 ~ 19 8 ·18 7 17 6 16 5 14 4 13 2 1 20
~ 7 6 4 3 2 1 22 20 18

2 / 22 9 19 10 20 11 8 18 7 17 6 16 5 15 4 14 3 13 12 21

l/ 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
 ,LJi~ '-(:7 a la/a

~-i ~, l jjJ i" N

00' lj ~nD'
.7j~ r~D ~£Jn rPf
LUJCOJrnl
1c ::1 L.LU:t
-1 IJ ':.1: a: [

' ,' ,,·.· . ' . '1 I

/" ',"';'. ",

Kabbalah of Nine Chambers

from The Magus by Francis Barrett (London, 180 I)
 Appendix VII-Practical Kabbalah / 769

The Schemhamphoras: 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48
A Ch R I H M V I S Aa Aa M
Exodus 14:19- N Aa H I H I V L A R Sh I
I MAa Z H K L H L I L H
i1:Jna ':J~? l?i1i1 Cl'i1?~i1 l~?a .vO'1
p.vi1 '1a.v .vO'1 Cli1'in~a 1'1'1 ?~iiV' 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
:Cli1'in~a ,a.v'1 Cli1':J~a V D H Aa N N M P N I H M
H N Ch M NIB V M I R Tz
Exodus 14:20- V I Sh MATh HIM L Ch R
61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72
?~iiV' i1:Jna r::l1 Cl'i~a i1:Jna r::l ~::l'1
V IAaMDMAChR HM
::lip ~'11 i1?'?i1 n~ i~'1 1iVni11 p.vi1 'i1'1
MHNChMNIBAB V
: i1?'?i1 'I:? i1T ?~ i1T
BHVIBQAaVHM M

Exodus 14:21- Agrippa substitutes H, i1 for Ch, nand Ch,

i11i1' 1'11'1 Cl'i1 ?.v 11' n~ i1iVa ~'1 n for K :? I have changed the spelling to match
CliV'1 i1?'?i1 'I:? i1T.v Cl"p mi::l Cl'i1 n~ the lettering of the texts of Exodus in the Hebrew
:Cl'ai1 1.vp::l'1 i1::lin? Cl'i1 n~ bible and the sources on the Kabbalah I have
consulted. Whether the spelling of Agrippa is an
error, or whether, as seems more probable, it fol-
lows the lettering of his copy of the Hebrew, I am
The first verse is written in the ordinary
not certain. Those wishing to restore the spelling
fashion right to left; the second, left to right
of the names as they appear in the English edition
beneath the first; and the third, right to left
should make these substitutions.
beneath the second. Each column of three let-
Although Agrippa does not display it in the
ters, reading downwards on the column, yields
table, the four rows of Hebrew letters are asso-
one of the 72 names of God commonly called
ciated with the letters of the Tetragrammaton,
the Schemhamphoras, which are rendered addi-
IHVH, which may be written on the right side
tionally sacred by appending the divine suffixes
of the table from top to bottom. Since the letters
El, AL, ?~, or Yah, IH, i1'. This is described by of the divine name are linked with the four ele-
Agrippa at the end of ch. XXV, bk. III, and the ments (yod = Fire, first he = Water, vau = Air,
result shown in the table of the Schemham- second he = Earth), it becomes possible through
phoras appended to that chapter. For the sake of this key to assign the 72 names to the elements
clarity the English transliteration of the letters is and to the signs of the zodiac that are related to
given below: the elements in trines.
Each row of the table contains 18 names,
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 divisible into three groups of six names each.
V I S Aa M L A K HAL H Beginning at the right side of each row and
H L L H L KHZ L A H reading left, the first group is given the cardinal
V I T M Sh HATh D V Aa sign of its element, the second group the fixed
13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 sign, and the third group the mutable sign. The
P M Ch names of each group are linked in order with the
I M H H L K L N
quinaries of each sign.
Z B R Q A L V H L L H
It must be stressed that this assignment of
L H M V I V L·, K I H V
the Schemhamphoras to the zodiac is original
25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 with me. I have not seen it anywhere else, but it
N H I Sh R A L V I L K M seems a logical extension of Agrippa's table.
Th A R A V K Sh Ch H V N The 19th-century French occultist Lenain
HATh H I M B R V Ch Q D in his work La Science Cabalistique (1823)
770 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

gives an assignment of·the names to the quinar- 27. Yerathel, IRTh + AL, Water, Scorpio
ies, but he makes the mistake, as it seems to me, 11 °_15°
of placing the names one after the other in order 28. Sheahiah, ShAH + IH, Water, Scorpio
around the heavens without regard to their ele- 16°-20°
mental associations. 29. Riyiel, RII + AL, Water, Scorpio, 21 °-25°
Here is a corrected list of the names with a 30. Aumel, AVM + AL, Water, Scorpio
transliteration of the Hebrew letters into Eng- 26°-30°
lish, the numbering of the names, their elemen-
31. Lekabel, LKB + AL, Water, Pisces 1°_5°
tal associations, and my own assignment of
32. Vesheriah, VShR + IH, Water, Pisces
them to the signs of the zodiac:
6°_10°
33. Yechoiah, IChV + IH, Water, Pisces II °_15°
34. Lehachiah, LHCh + IH, Water, Pisces
Fire Trine
16°-20°
35. Keveqiah, KVQ + IH, Water, Pisces 21 °_25°
I. Vehuiah, VHV + IH, Fire, Aries 1°_5°
36. Menadel, MND + AL, Water, Pisces 26°-30°
2. Yeliel, ILl + AL, Fire, Aries 6°_10°
3. Sitael, SIT + AL, Fire, Aries 11 °_15°
Air Trine
4. Aulemiah, AaLM + IH, Fire, Aries 16°-20°
5. Mahasiah, MHSh + IH, Fire, Aries 21°-25°
37. Aniel, ANI + AL, Air, Libra 1°_5°
6. Lelahel, LLH + AL, Fire, Aries 26°-30°
38. Chaumiah, ChAaM + IH, Air, Libra 6°_10°
7. Akaiah, AKA + IH, Fire, Leo 1°_5° 39. Rehauel, RHAa + AL, Air, Libra 11°-15°
8. Kahathel, KHTh + AL, Fire, Leo 6°_10° 40. Yeizel, lIZ + AL, Air, Libra 16°-20°
9. Heziel, HZI + AL, Fire, Leo 11 °_15° 41. Hahahel, HHH + AL, Air, Libra 21°-25°
10. Eladiah, ALD + IH, Fire, Leo 16°-20° 42. Mikael, MIK + AL, Air, Libra 26°-30°
11. Laviah, LA V + IH, Fire, Leo 21 °-25°
43. Vevaliah, VVL + IH, Air, Aquarius 1°_5°
12. Hahauah, HHAa + IH, Fire, Leo 26°-30°
44. Yelahiah, YLH + AL, Air, Aquarius 6°_10°
13. Yezalel, IZL + AL, Fire, Sagittarius 1°-5° 45. Saeliah, SAL + IH, Air, Aquarius 11 °_15 °
14. Mebahel, MBH + AL, Fire, Sagittarius 46. Auriel, AaRI + AL, Air, Aquarius 16°-20°
6°_10° 47. Aushaliah, AaShL + IH, Air, Aquarius
15. Hariel, HRI + AL, Fire, Sagittarius II °_15° 21 °-25°
16. Haqemiah, HQM + IH, Fire, Sagittarius 48. Miahel, MIH + AL, Air, Aquarius 26°-30°
16°-20°
49. Vehuel, VHV + AL, Air, Gemini 1°_5°
17. Leviah, LAV + IH, Fire, Sagittarius 21 °_25°
50. Daniel, DNI + AL, Air, Gemini 6°_10°
18. Keliel, KLI + AL, Fire, Sagittarius, 26°-30°
51. Hachashiah, HChSh + IH , Air, Gemini
11 °_15°
Water Trine
52. Aumemiah, AaMM + IH, Air, Gemini
16°_20°
19. Levoiah, LVV + IH, Water, Cancer 1°_5°
53. Nanael, NNA + AL, Air, Gemini 21°-25°
20. Paheliah, PHL + IH, Water, Cancer 6°_10°
54. Neithel, NITh + AL, Air, Gemini 26°-30°
21. Nelakel, NLK + AL, Water, Cancer 11°-15°
22. Yiaiel, III + AL, Water, Cancer 16°-20°
Earth Trine
23. Melahel, MLH + AL, Water, Cancer 21°-25°
24. Chahuiah, ChHV + IH, Water, Cancer
55. Mabehiah, MBH + IH, Earth, Capricorn
26°-30°
1°_5°
25. Nethahiah, NThH + IH, Water, Scorpio 56. POi"el, PVI + AL, Earth, Capricorn 6°_10°
1°_5° 57. Nememiah, NMM + IH, Earth, Capricorn
26. Haaiah, HAA + JR, Water, Scorpio 6°_10° 11 °_15°
 Appendix VII-Practical Kabbalah / 771

58. Yeilel, IlL + AL, Earth, Capricorn 16°-20° -I

59. Harachel, HRCh + AL, Earth, Capricorn
21°-25° Table of 1+ I 2
60. Metzerel, MTzR + AL, Earth, Capricorn Ones 2+ 1 3
26°-30° 2+2 3+1 4
61. Umabel, VMB + AL, Earth, Taurus 1°_5° 3+2 4+1 5
62. Yehahel, IHH + AL, Earth, Taurus 6°_10° 3+3 4+2 5+ I 6
63. Aunuel, AaNV + AL, Earth, Taurus 4+3 5+2 6+1 7
11 °-15°
4+4 5+3 6+2 7+ 1 8
64. Mechiel, MChl + AL, Earth, Taurus
16°-20° 5+4 6+3 7+2 8+ 1 9
65. Damebiah, DMB + IH, Earth, Taurus 15 + 5 6+4 7+3 8+2 9+ 1 10
21 °_25°
66. Menaqel, MNQ + AL, Earth, Taurus
26°-30°
5+6 4+7 3+8 2+9 1 + 10
67. Aiauel, AIAa + AL, Earth, Virgo 1°_5°
68. Chebuiah, ChBV + IH, Earth, Virgo 6°_10° 6+6 5+7 4+8 3+9 2+ 10
69. Raahel, RAH + AL, Earth, Virgo 11°-15° 6+7 5+8 4+9 3 + 10
70. Yebemiah, IBM + IH, Earth, Virgo 16°-20° 7+7 6+8 5+9 4 + 10
71. Ha'iaiel, HII + AL, Earth, Virgo 21 °_25° 7+8 6+9 5 + 10
72. Moumiah, MVM + IH, Earth, Virgo
11-19 8 +8 7+9 6 + 10
26°-30° by Ones 8+9 7 + 10
9+9 8 + 10
The seven tables of Numerical Transposi- 9 + 10
tions given at the end of ch. XXV, bk. III,
appear incomplete at first glance, but an exam-
ination of their structure shows that they are
complete and that they tabulate the different
letter pairs in Hebrew that can be used to sig- -10
nify the same number (the use of letters for
10+10 20
numbers is explained in ch. XIX, bk. II). Since
different pairs of letters have the same numeri- 20+10 30
cal value, they are occultly linked, and thus Table of 20+20 30+10 40
may be interchanged. Tens 30+20 40+10 50
The sixth table showing the pairs from 30+30 40+20 50+10 60
1100-1300 is drawn in a slightly different way
from . the other tables. It might easily be
40+30 50+20 60+10 70
changed to conform in structure to the other 40+4C 50+30 60+20 70+10 80
tables . Why Agrippa has drawn it this way is 50+4C 60+30 70+20 80+10 90
not apparent to me. The last table contains no 150+50 60+4C 70+30 80+20 90+10 100
new information, and may have been added
merely as a key to understanding the meaning
of the previous tables.
It is easiest to grasp the structure of these
tables by converting the letters to their num-
ber values:
7721 THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

In closing these remarks on the practical

50+60 40+70 30+80 20+90 10+100
Kabbalah, brief notice must be taken of the
60+60 50+70 40+80 30+90 20+100 tables at the end of ch. XXVII, bk. ill, for find-
60+70 50+80 40+90 30+100 ing out the names of both good and evil angels
70+70 60+80 50+90 140+100 of the planets and zodiac signs.
These two tables are formed by writing the
70+80 60+90 50+100
letters of the Hebrew alphabet in the rows from
110-190 80+80 70+90 60+100 the top to the bottom. When the alphabet is
by Tens
80+90 70+100 exhausted, it is begun again in the following
90+90 80+100 cell. In the table of the planets, the letters are
written right to left in each successive row.
90+100
However, in the table of the zodiac, the letters
are written right to left in every second row
100
beginning with the top row, and at the same
time left to right in every second row beginning
200
with the row next to the top.
300 Any name or word can be converted into
Table of 400 the name of an angel by finding the letters of
Hundreds the name or word individually in the alphabet
500
that runs along the side of the table being used
600
and reading across the row to the correspond-
700 ing letter in the column under the planet, or
800 zodiac sign, upon which the angelic name is to
900
be based. Good angels are extracted by reading
in the letters of the name from right to left-the
natural direction of Hebrew writing. Evil
angels are found by reading in the letters from
left to right.
For example, if one wished to find the evil
angel of Scorpio based upon the root name
700+400 800+300 900+2001 Ham, HM, Cli1, one would locate the letter H in
1100-1300
800+400 900+300 the alphabet running up the left side of the table
by Hundreds
9OOt4OO of the zodiac, then look across to the column
above the sign Scorpio on the line of evil. The
corresponding letter is Aa. Likewise, the corre-
Key sponding letter for M of the root name is L.
5. 10. 10. 10. 10. Thus the name of the evil angel is Aul, AaL,
5 6+4 7+3 8+2 9+1
'?.v. As always, vowels must be added to make
the names pronounceable. Instructions on the
50. 100. 100. 100. 100. use of these tables are given by Agrippa in ch.
50 60+40 70+30 80+20 90+ 10 XXVII, bk. ill.
500. 1000. 1000. 1000. 1000.
500 600+400 700+300 800+200 900+100
 APPENDIX VIII

Geomancy

eomancy is a general term that cov- to be genuine, if the style and content are any

G ers any form of divination that

employs, or is derived from, earth.
There were a number of ancient
methods (see ch. LVII, bk. I), but the one that
Agrippa describes is the classical technique of
guide-it is completely in keeping with the tone
and attitude Agrippa displays in the Occult Phi-
losophy. Since the method of geomantic divina-
tion it describes is Agrippa's own, and differs
from other methods, and since the work is diffi-
divining by means of 16 figures generated by cult to decipher without a guide, I will give
making series of holes in fine soft soil or sand. Agrippa's technique here.
Agrippa's treatment of the subject in the Occult He begins by declaring two opinions as to
Philosophy is cursory to say the least, ch. the source of the efficacy of this form of divina-
XL VIII of bk. II being one of the shortest chap- tion. The first, held by the ancients, is that it
ters in the entire work. He was, however, well stems from the terrestrial spirits:
schooled in the subject and wrote a separate
. .. therefore they will have the projecting of
treatise devoted to geomancy that served as one the points of this art to be made with signs
of the primary textbooks for later geomancers. in the Earth, wherefore this art is appropri-
This essay he mentions in ch. XIII of his De ated to this element of Earth . .. and there-
incertitudine et vanitate scientiarum, where, fore they first used certain holy incantations
and deprecations, with other rites and
referring to works of geomancy by Haly, Gerard
observations, provoking and alluring spirits
of Cremona, Bartholomew of Parma and Tundi- of this nature hereunto. ("Of Geomancy,"
nus, he says of his own treatise: "I too have writ- in Fourth Book o/Occult Philosophy, 1-2)
ten a geomancy quite different from the rest but
no less superstitious and fallacious or if you wish The second opinion, which Agrippa himself
I will even say 'mendacious'" (quoted by favors, is that the efficacy comes from the
Thorndike, 5:8:131). It was written before 1526, strong desire in the soul of the diviner, and con-
but after the Occult Philosophy, and appears in sequently "neither matters it where or how these
the Latin Opera and in the collection of six occult points are projected .. ." (ibid., 2). On the ques-
works extracted from the Opera and translated tion of which is the proximate source of the
into English under the title Henry Cornelius power in divination by lot to reveal things hid-
Agrippa, His Fourth Book of Occult Philosophy. den, it is worth rereading ch. LlV, bk. II, where
Actually the Fourth Book proper is only the matter is considered at length.
one of the six treatises, a spurious and inferior Then he gives the 16 figures as they are
production very much in keeping with the qual- given in the Occult Philosophy. The attributing
ity of medieval grimoires. Of Geomancy seems of the planets to the figures is the same; indeed

773
774/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

there is no disagreement among geomancers

over the planets. But the assignment of the signs
of Geomancy. of the zodiac to the figures is completely differ-
ent, as the accompanying comparative table will
Tht grt~ltT Tht ft./ftr
show (see facing page).
Fortune. Forrunt. sIlir. Since there appears to be no consensus on
* *
* 0
the numbering of the figures, I have ordered
* * * *** them according to their associated planets. The
first column gives the figures themselves; the
- YI~.
*- * * second, their names in Latin; the third, their
POll/lUI. planets; the fourth, their signs in the English
* * * LtJ"~. translation of the Occult Philosophy; the fifth ,
* * * :l
the signs in the Latin Opera; the sixth,
* '* * Agrippa's own attributions in Of Geomancy,

* * * which are made so that each sign attaches to its

ruling planet, with the exception of the Head
IA{([liP tiD. L~l;t;a.
J~. and Tail of the Dragon; the seventh, the vulgar
* * * ** or common attributions of the signs given by

-***
", Agrippa in Of Geomancy for the sake of com-
*
PlleU;: * * pleteness; the eighth, the signs given by Gerard
-*~*- Cremonensis in his work Astronomical Geo-
.Amijf~.
Ytnnil.
* ** *
maney, which is another of the tracts compris-
*
*** 2 ing the Fourth Book of Occult Philosophy.
--.*-=r -*--*-
~o~'m~to. .A16U1.
MirellT;;.
- Our author describes his method of ordering
the zodiac to the figures in 0fGeomancy, which
I will quote here, mainly because it allows me to

--*-*
I
putr.
=* =*
'Ie
RuDtur.
~ correct a confusing error in Turner's text:

And these are the infallible comparisons of

M4rtis.
* * * the figures, and from these we may easily

..
discern the equality of their signs; therefore
* *** 3 the Greater and Lesser Fortunes have the
*** * sign of Leo, which is the house of the Sun:
Via and Populus have the sign of Cancer,
TriflitilS.
Carur.
*,. . Sa~M1'n;. which is the house of the Moon: Aquisitio

t*t ~ 41
hath for his sign Pisces, and Laetitia Sagi-

-*-- - -
., • ~ tary, which are both the houses of Jupiter:
Puella hath the sign of Taurus, and Amissio
.Sl. Drj,Dn f 'lS Df4gons of Libra, which are the houses of Venus:
Conjunctio hath for its sign Virgo, and
hi4 . t,ult.
,. Albus the sign Gemini, the houses of Mer-
*** •
cury: Puer and Rubeus have for their signs
Aries and Scorpio, the houses of Mars:

*
4 ~
• .If
Carcer hath the sign Capricorn, and Tristitia
Aquary, the houses of Saturn: the Dragon's
Head and Tail are thus divided, the Head to
Capricorn, and the Dragon 's Tail adhereth
Geomantic Figures with Related Planets to Scorpio ... (Turner [1655] 1978,4)
from Henry Cornelius Agrippa, His Fourth Book of
Occult Philosophy (London, 1655) The strong similarity between Gerard's
zodiacal attributions and those in the Occult
 Appendix VIII-Geomancy /775

Geomantic Figures
Zodiac Signs
Figures
Occult Philosophy Of Geomancy
Gerard of
Forms Names Planets English Latin Agrippa Common Cremona
*
**
**
*
Career 12 tE tE \fj tE tE
**
**
**
*
Tristitia 12 rTLt "'"
"'" "'"
"'" X' rTLt
**
*
**
*
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-- rT;?
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~~rll..,... " . ~t'''''''''

Geomantic Characters
from The Magus by Francis Barrett (London, 1801)
 Appendix VIII-Geomancy / 777

Philosophy leads me to believe that Agrippa erates one point, or star, on the geomantic fig-
used Gerard as his source before he had com- ure; an even number of holes generates two
pletely formed his own understanding of geo- stars. For example:
mancy. Later when he framed his own opinions,
he did not bother to enter them into the revised
edition of the Occult Philosophy.
even
odd . . . . .. . yields
* *
*
It might be mentioned in passing that the
attribution of the zodiac signs used in the
odd
even ... *
* *
Golden Dawn system of geomancy, which is Conjunctio
the one most commonly used today, is identical
to Agrippa's assignment by ruling planets, save In the common form of geomancy Agrippa
only that the signs of Venus are inverted, as are describes first, it is necessary to generate four
the signs of Jupiter. figures, which are called the four Matres, or
Although he does not appear to hold it in Mothers. These subsequently give birth to all
high regard, Agrippa goes on to describe the the other figures generated. This is the reason
usual method of geomantic divination, begin- Agrippa speaks of "four courses"; that is, four
ning with an account of how to generate the sets of four series of holes, resulting in four fig-
figures: ures. In a hypothetical divination, these series
might be poked out on the sand:

. . . . .· . .
And now we come to speak of the manner
of projecting or setting down these figures,
which is thus; that we set down the points
8 * *
· .. *
according to their course in four lines, from 11
the right hand towards the left, and this in 10 * *
four courses: there will therefore result 7 *

. . .. .. . .
unto us four figures made in four several
lines, according to the even or uneven
marking every several line ... (ibid., 5)
12 * *
* *
.. · . . . . . . .
8
II
This is not a particularly lucid description,
10 * *
but may have been typical. Gerard Cremonensis
12 * *
describes the same process:
7
9 . . . . · .• .• *
*
. . . ·· .. .
It is expedient therefore, to make four III
unequal lines, by the points casually set 12 * *
down; and to join together those points; 15 *
..
and out of the points which are not joined
together, which do remain in the heads of
7 *
the lines (as it is done in geomancy),
extract one figure ... ("Astronomical Geo- 10 · . . ·· .. .. * * IV
mancy." In Fourth Book, 155 ) 7 *
10 * *
It did not really matter how clear the descrip-
tions were, since everyone already knew how to These Mothers are written right to left in a
generate the geomantic figures anyway. horizontal row:
You take a stick and poke four random
series of holes in parallel lines in the ground, * * * * * * Level 1
moving from right to left, stopping each series * * * * * * Level 2
whenever it feels appropriate; i.e., when the * * * * * * * Level 3
Earth spirits tell you to stop. Then you count the * * * * * * Leve14
holes in each line. An odd number of holes gen- IV III II
778/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

From the Mothers are born the Daughters, Daughter. Level I yields the first Daughter,
or Filiae, by combining the elements of each level 2 the second, level 3 the third and level 4
horizontal row of the Mothers right to left, and the fourth. The Daughters are written to the left
stacking them top to bottom to constitute each of the Mothers, also from right to left:

* * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * *
VIII VII VI V IV III II
As Agrippa puts it: bining two adjacent Mothers or Daughters, the
points of which are added together on each of
Of these four Matres are also produced four the four levels to give either odd or even totals.
other secondary figures, which they call An even total generates two points on the same
Filiae , or Succedents, which are gathered
level of the descendent Nephew, and an odd
together after this manner; that is to say, by
marking the four Matres according to their total one point. Agrippa says:
order, placing them by course one after
another; then that which shall result out of .. . and the rest of the houses are found after
every line, maketh the figure of Filiae , the this manner; that is to say, out of the first
order whereof is by descending from the and second is derived the ninth; out of the
superior points through both mediums to third and fourth the tenth; out of the fifth
the lowest ... ("Of Geomancy." In Fourth and sixth the eleventh; and out of the sev-
Book. 6) enth and eighth the twelfth: by the combi-
nation or joining together of two figures
according to the rule of the even or uneven
From this row of eight figures, or as number in the remaining points of each fig-
Agrippa terms them, "eight houses of heaven," ure. (ibid., 7)
are generated four more figures which Agrippa
does not name, but which have been elsewhere This may be represented by continuing the
called Nephews. Each Nephew is made by com- example:

* * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * .* * * * * * * *
VIII VII VI V IV III II

* * * * * *
* * * * * *
* * * * * *
* * * *
XII XI X IX
Nephews

Two more figures are generated by combin- Index by Agrippa, by others the Judge. Agrippa
ing the Nephews in the same manner, which are describes this procedure thus:
called Coadjuctrices or Testes---in English, Wit-
nesses. From the pair of Witnesses a single 15th After the same manner there are produced
figure is made, also by combination, called the out of the last four figures; that is to say, of
 Appendix VIII-Geomancy / 779

the ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth, two figure, or thing generated ... (ibid., 7)
figures which they call Coadjutrices, or
Testes; out of which two is also one consti- This may be demonstrated by continuing
tuted, which is called the Index of the whole the example:

* * * * * * * * * * * * Mothers
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * and
* * * * * * * * * * * * Daughters
* * * * * * * * * * * *
VIII VII VI V IV III II

* * * * * *
* * * * * * Nephews
* * * * * *
* * * *
XII XI X IX

* * * *
* * * * Witnesses
* *
* * * *
XIV XIII
* *
* * Index
* *
* *
XV
All these figures are used in the divination, Our example would be entered into the
but far more important than the rest are the Wit- chart after this manner:

\ .-.• . ·•• • •• • ...•• ·•• • .·• . ·•• ••

nesses and the Index, which, because they are
the focus of the entire work, concentrate occult 0

.!
0 ••

.• . . ·. · · ·• ·•
0
potency in themselves.
There was a standard chart into which the • •

• .
15 geomantic fig ures of a divination were • • • • • •
entered. It served the same purpose as the
astrological chart used in modem astrology,
• •
•
•
.
·. ·• ·• • • •

providing a framework that would set forth the

figures clearly in their proper relationship so
• •
•.
0
·• • ·•
that they might be easily read. The version of
this chart given by Agrippa is crude, but a
·· ··
more polished example such as might be ·· ··
expected to be used by diviners to the nobility
during the Renai ssance is represented by ·· ·· ~
Robert Fludd in a plate in his work Utriusque
cosmi historia (Oppenheim, 1619) which
shows several principal methods of divination, Stephen Skinner, in his useful book The
geomancy among them. This plate is repro- Oracle of Geomancy (Prism, 1977, 350-2),
duced on the following page. rightly points out that, because of the inherent
780/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

Methods of Divination, Showing Geomantic Chart

from Tomus secundus de supernaturali, naturali, praeternaturali et contranaturali microcosmi historia by

Robert Fludd (Oppenheim, 1619)

structure of the figures and their mode of gener- appear in the position of the Index, an error has
ation, there are only eight possible figures that been made somewhere in the chart.
can occur in the Index: Acquisitio, Amissio, Agrippa was unenthusiastic about this con-
Fortuna Major, Fortuna Minor, Populus, Via, ventional geomancy: "And this which we have
Conjunctio and Carcer. If any of the other forms declared is the common manner observed by
 Appendix VIII-Geomancy / 781

geomancers, which we do not altogether reject sixth, called the cadent houses.
neither extol ... " ("Of Geomancy." In Fourth By Agrippa 's system, the four Mothers,
Book. 8). He presents his own system of astro- generated in the way already described, are
logical geomancy wherein 12 of the geomantic placed in the angular houses in order, beginning
figures are entered into the 12 houses of the with the first house and proceeding clockwise to
zodiac on the standard astrological chart of his the tenth, seventh and fourth houses. The four
day. With each figure is also entered its related Daughters, again generated in the usual way,
planet. The diviner then can draw upon both the are placed in the succedent houses clockwise
meanings of the figures and the meanings of the beginning with the second, then the eleventh,
houses, giving the divination a greater subtlety. the eighth and lastly the fifth.
The method for generating the four
As the fonner Mau'es do make the four Nephews may have been invented by Agrippa-
Angles of an house, the first maketh the at least, I have not found it described by any pre-
first Angle, the second the second Angle,
the third maketh the third Angle, and the
vious writer. It is based upon the elemental trines
fourth the fourth Angle; so the four Filiae which divide the zodiac and its corresponding
arising from the Matres. do constitute the houses into four groups of three, each allotted to
four Succedent houses; the first maketh the an element. This is graphically represented by
second house, the second the eleventh, the four equally spaced equilateral triangles centered
third the eighth, and the fourth maketh the
on the axis of the Earth. Since the Mothers and
fifth house; the rest of the houses, which are
Cadents are to be calculated according to Daughters have occupied two-points on each tri-
the rule of their triplicity; that is to say, by angle, the figures for the cadent houses, the unoc-
making the ninth out of the first and fifth, cupied points, are fonned by combining the other
and the sixth out of the tenth and second, of two figures on each triangle.
the seventh and eleventh the third, and of
This may be more readily grasped by
the fourth and eighth the twelfth. (ibid.)
means of a simple diagram:
For those completely unfamiliar with
astrology a brief explanation is necessary. Each M. II
sign of the zodiac has a division on the circle of
the heavens of 30 degrees with which it is asso-
ciated. For early astrologers the house of a sign
simply meant its natural place. The first house
was the place of Aries, the second house the
place of Taurus and so on. We need not con-
sider here the later elaborations of astrologers
on the use of the houses.
If a great cross is drawn upon the ring of
the houses from horizon to horizon and mid-
heaven to lower midheaven, it will divide the
ring Into four equal sections and touch, count-
ing clockwise, the first, tenth, seventh and M.IV
fourth houses, which for this reason are called
the angles, or angular houses. The houses that
follow after them in the ordinary counterclock- The outer ring shows the houses, the inner
wise motion of the planets are, counting clock- ring their associated zodiacal signs; the elemen-
wise, the second, eleventh, eighth and fifth, tal symbols indicate the trines, the exterior let-
called for this reason the sl,lccedent houses. The ters the geomantic figures and the Roman
second set of houses after the angles, again numerals beside them their order of generation.
respectively , are the third, twelfth, ninth and Agrippa does not explicitly state in what order
782/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

the Nephews are to be generated. Although this III-Libra and so on.

may be implied in the sequence of his descrip- The planets are placed in the houses even
tion, I have chosen to represent the numbering more simply, according to their associated geo-
of the Nephews in the diagram following the mantic figures. The relationship between the fig-
same pattern that he gives for the Mothers and ures and the planets is undisputed and never
Daughters. varies. If the Greater Fortune is in the first house,
The geomantic figures having been set in it always receives the Sun, and so for the rest.
the houses on the chart, it is a relatively simple The chart is then read in an astrological
matter to place the signs and planets, as Agrippa manner, with the admixture of the meani.ngs of
describes: the geomantic figures. The positions of the quer-
ent and the thing questioned mentioned by
.. . the figure which shall be in the first Agrippa are determined from the meanings of the
house shall give you the sign ascending, houses. The position of the thing inquired after
which the first figure showeth; which being depends upon its nature: if it was a money mat-
done, you shall attribute their signs to the ter, it would probably be the second house; if a
rest of their houses, according to the order
of the signs: then in every house you shall matter of communication, the third house; and so
note the planets according to the nature of on. It would seem natural to locate the querent in
the figure : then from all these you shall the first house. In reading a geomantic chart it is
build your judgement according to the sig- not necessary to look up any astrological posi-
nification of the planets in the signs and tions, but an understanding of the planets, signs,
houses wherein they shall be found , and
houses and aspects of astrology is essential.
according to their aspects among them-
selves, and to the place of the querent and It only remains to derive the Index, or
thing quosited; and you shall judge accord- Judge, and the chart is complete. The Witnesses
ing to the natures of the signs ascending in are not consulted. The Index is found by count-
their houses, and according to the natures ing the holes poked in the sand in the generation
and proprieties of the figures which they of the four Mothers, dividing by 12, then count-
have placed in the several houses, and
according to the commixture of other fig- ing the number of the remainder counterclock-
ures aspecting them .. . (ibid., 8) wise from the first house. Wherever the count
ends, the figure in that house is considered to be
In other words, the figure that forms the the Index. If there is no remainder after divi-
first Mother, being placed in the first, or ascen- sion, the Index is the figure in the 12th house.
dent, house, determines which zodiac sign shall
But here we shall give you the secret of the
be placed in that house, according to the rela- whole art, to find out the Index in the sub-
tionship already given between the 16 geoman- sequent figure, which is thus: that you
tic figures and the signs of the zodiac. Since the number all the points which are contained
order of the zodiac is unvarying, the other signs in the lines of the projections, and this you
are written in succession counterclockwise in shall divide by twelve: and that which
remaineth project from the Ascendent by
the succeeding houses. For example, if the fig- the several houses, and upon which house
ure of the first Mother is the Greater Fortune, there falleth a final unity, that figure giveth
the zodiac sign entered in the first house is Leo, you a competent judgement of the thing
according to the system of attributing the signs quesited; and this together with the signifi-
cations of the judgements aforesaid. But if
by their ruling planets given by Agrippa in Of
on either part they shall be equal, or
Geomancy ; but it would be Aquarius according ambiguous, then the Index alone shall cer-
to the system derived from Gerard of Cremona tify you of the thing quesited. (ibid., 8-9)
and given in the Occult Philosophy. In any case,
once the ascendent sign is established, the oth- Remember that Agrippa begins to count on
ers are entered counterclockwise in order begin- the first thing counted, not the second, as is the
ning with that sign; i.e., I-Leo, II-Virgo, modem practice. In other words, if there were a
 Appendix VIII-Geomancy / 783

remainder of three, the Index would be the geo-

mantic figure in the third house, not the fourth.
On the principle that obscure matters are
always more easily understood by example than
by description, I will continue the example from
the geomantic divination begun previously ,?
extending it to the astrological system of
Agrippa.

Gerard Cremonensis in his Astronomical

Geomancy also gives a system of astrological
divination by geomantic figures, and it may be
that Agrippa derived his system from Gerard
but modified it to suit his analytical mind.
Gerard begins by finding the zodiac sign to
be placed in the first house by pricking four
Geomancy Chart by Agrippa rows of dots to form a single geomantic figure:

from Henry Cornelius Agrippa, His Fourth Book of It is expedient, therefore, to make four
Occult Philosophy (London, 1655) unequal lines, by the points casually set
down; and to join together those points;
At the top of the next column is the square
chart used during the Renaissance. The triangles
represent the houses, which I have numbered.
Within them are set the geomantic figures, signs
and planets according to Agrippa's system ofrul-
ing planets. The Mothers and Daughters are the
same as those previously derived. They combine
according to their elemental trines to form the
Nephews in the cadent houses. The ascendent
sign is located by the first Mother and placed in
the first house with the other signs following in
order counterclockwise. The geomantic figures
adhere to the houses, not the signs. The Index is
determined by counting the total number of
points in the 16 rows that generated the four
Mothers, dividing by 12 and counting from the
ascendent counterclockwise; or putting it another Geomancy Chart by Gerard Cremonensis
way, whatever the remainder is, the figure in the
from Henry Cornelius Agrippa, His Fourth Book of
house of the same number is the Index.
Occult Philosophy (London, 1655)
784 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

and out of the points which are not joined the circle of houses, it is only necessary to estab-
together, which do remain in the heads of lish the place of the Dragon's Head, and the Tail
the lines (as it is done in Geomancy) extract is 180 degrees around the circle of houses.
one figure; and the sign of the zodiac that
answereth to that figure [in Gerard's This, by the way, does not seem to have
assignment: see the table], put for the been understood by Skinner, who in describing
Ascendent, for the word's sake. ("Astro- Gerard's system incorrectly directs that geo-
nomical Geomancy." In Fourth Book, 155) mantic figures be pricked for both the Head and
Tail of the Dragon-indeed he represents them
The rest of the signs follow in order coun- in his diagram (Oracle of Geomancy , 313) in a
terclockwise around the 12 houses. trine aspect (!), which destroys the integrity of
Gerard assigns the planets to the houses the chart. The whole point of Gerard's direc-
individually in much the same way Agrippa tions is that they result in an astrological chart
locates the Index: that can be read in an astrological manner. No
geomantic figure is actually written upon the
Afterwards it is requisite to make four lines chart, and the chart is read strictly according to
by course for each planet, by points casu-
ally pricked down; and likewise for the its planetary, zodiac and house relationships.
Dragon's Head, as you have done for the Gerard says: " ... neither are we here to regard
Ascendent, and divide those points by the Witnesses, or Judge, or any other thing
twelve; and that which remaineth above which belongs to geomancy ... " (ibid., 156).
twelve, or the twelfth itself, if a greater By comparison it can be seen that of the
number doth not remain, retain, and the
planet for which the projection was made, two systems, Agrippa's offers the added com-
place in that House of which the super- plexity of the meanings attaching to the geo-
abounding number shall be; that is, if there mantic figures acting in the context of the
remain twelve, let the planet be placed in astrological houses, whereas Gerard's system
the twelfth House; if ten, in the tenth has simplicity and elegance to recommend it, in
House; if one, in the first House; if two, in
the second House; and so of the rest. And that no geomantic figures appear, each planet is
you ought always to begin from the Sun, written only once, and the Head and Tail of the
and afterwards from the Moon, then from Dragon are accurately represented 180 degrees
Venus and Mercury, and from Saturn, apart on the chart.
Jupiter and Mars, and the Dragon ' s Head Indeed, because of the frequent multiple
and Dragon's Tail ... (ibid., 157)
occurrence of a single planet-in the example
above Venus appears four times, and both the
In Gerard's system nine figures are sepa-
moon and sun twice-it is scarcely possible to
rately derived, each by pricking four rows of
read the aspects in a legitimate way in
points in the sand; the first establishes the posi-
Agrippa's system, which might unkindly be
tion of the zodiac signs in relation to the houses,
characterized as an awkward hybrid of geo-
the other eight the positions of the planets and the
mancy and astrology. For this reason it is liable
Dragon's Head and Tail. Since the Head and Tail
to be anathema to astrologers, who will natu-
of the Dragon are always opposite each other in
rally prefer the system of Gerard.
 Biograp~ical Dictionary

relates that Abaris was attracted to Pythagoras

A
ARON: The author of a book "of
the nature of herbs, and stones" because of the resemblance of the Greek to
(Book of Secrets [Best and Bright- Apollo, and that he gave Pythagoras his magic
man, 40]), along with Evax, called arrow as a gift. In return Pythagoras showed
the Book of Minerals (ibid., 48). This work is Abaris his "golden thigh," assured the Scythian
cited many times in the Book of Secrets and also that he was indeed the god incarnated upon the
by Albertus Magnus in his writings. It is Earth to cure the ills of mankind and taught him
unknown, but has been presumed to have been a various mysteries, including divination by num-
Jewish or Arabic work. bers. See Iamblichus Life of Pythagoras, ch. 19.

ABARIS: (6th or 8th century Be) The son of ABBARIS: See ABARIS.
Seuthea, he was a priest of Apollo said to have
fled from Hyperborea (the region north of the ABENEZRA: (1092-1167) Abraham Ben Meir
Caucasus), or from Scythia, to escape a plague Ibn Ezra, otherwise known as Abenezra, a Jew-
in his own land. He traveled throughout Greece ish philosopher born at Toledo. In the first half
healing the sick with incantations, performed of his life he gained a reputation as a poet in his
miracles, foretold the future and saved the city native Spain. Around 1140 he began to wander,
of Sparta from a plague. Legend says that he traveling through North Africa, Egypt, Italy,
bore as an emblem a golden arrow given to him France and England and stopping sometimes for
by the god Apollo, and that the arrow carried years to write. He belonged to the school of Jew-
him through the air; furthermore, he took no ish philosophy based on Greek ideas, which was
earthly food. Herodotus comments: "As for the in conflict at that time with the mystical school
tale of Abaris, who is said to have been a that gave birth to the literature of the Kabbalah.
Hyperborean, and to have gone with his arrow His views were Neoplatonic, and he believed in
all round the world without once eating, I shall astrology. Abenezra produced writings on math-
pass it by in silence. This much, however, is ematics and astronomy, as well as a Hebrew
clear: if there are Hyperboreans, there must be grammar and a commentary on the Bible.
hypernotions" (History 4 [Rawlinson, 215]).
Suidas credits AbaTis with four works: Scythian ABRAHAM: See ABENEZRA.
oracles, a poem on the visit of Apollo to Hyper-
borea, a collection of expiatory formulae and a ABU-MAASCHAR: (805-885) Arab astron-
prose theogony. These are no longer extant and omer born at Balkh, who lived and worked in
are thought to have been spurious. Iamblichus Baghdad and died at Wasid in Central Asia. He

785
786 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

maintained that the world had been created And with grete noyse and clamour took
when the seven planets met in conjunction in hym
the first degree of Aries, and that when they And as they tooke hym
Esope said to hem
again conjoined in the final degree of Pisces the My lordes why take yow me
world would end-a view which seems to have And they sayd to hym
had its origin in Stoic doctrine: Ha a theef of celestyal ornaments
Crokebacked and sacrylege
The Stoics say that the planets, returning to wherfore has thou dyspoylled & robbed the
the same point of longitude and latitude Temple of Appollo ....
which each occupied when first the uni- And thenne they casted and threwe hym
verse arose, at fixed periods of time bring doune fro the top of the hylle vnto the
about a conflagration and destruction of foot of hit
things, and that the universe again reverts And thus deyde Esope myseraby .. .
anew to the same condition ... (Nemesius (Caxton's Aesop [Cambridge:Harvard Uni-
Denatura hominus 38. In Ptolemy Tetra- versity Press, 1967], 68, 71.
biblos [Robbins, 15, n. 3])
Various plagues afflicted Delphi, and on the
Three of the major works of Abu-Maaschar advice of the oracle the people paid a compen-
were printed around the time Agrippa was sation to Aesop's nearest relative, whereupon
writing his Occult Philosophy : De magnis con- the plagues ended. The story of his life is usu-
junctionibus (Augsburg, 1489), Flores aslro- ally attributed to the 13th-century monk Max-
logici (Augsburg, 1488) and Introductorium in imus Planudes, but can be traced back to
astronomiam (Venice, 1506). The illustrations first-century Egypt.
of the astrological spirits that appear in the
Astrolabium planum of Pietro d' Abano, pub- AETLIUS: See SPARTIANUS.
lished by Johannes Angelus in 1488, are taken
from a manuscript of Albumazar in the Vati- AFRICANUS, P. CORNELIUS SCIPIO
can Library. AEMILIANUS, MINOR: (?185-129 Be) The
younger son of L. Aemilius Paulus, he was
AESOP: (lived 600 Be) Famous writer of the adopted by P. Cornelius Scipio Africanus, the
fables who was born in Phrygia. He is said to elder son of Africanus the Great. A good soldier
have met his death at the hands of the jealous and leader of men-he fought his first war at
citizens of Delphi, who threw him from a cliff: 17-he was also a scholar. Perhaps he is best
remembered for the capture of the city of
And thus to gyder they machyned how and Numantia in Spain in 133 Be. He had been
in what manere they myghte put hym to appointed consul the previous year for the pur-
dethe
pose of ending the war in Spain. The victim of
but they durst not auempte ne falle on hym
for the grete companyes of straungers political intrigue, he was murdered in his own
whiche thenne were within the Cyte room while composing a speech, perhaps by
neuertheles as they aspyed and sawe that Fulvius F1accus.
one of the seruaunts of Esope made the
males and other gere redy for to ryde
ALBERTUS MAGNUS: (?1206-1280) Also
and departe thens
they went & took a coupe of gold oute of called Albert of Cologne, he was born at Lanin-
the Temple of Appollo gen in Swabia of the noble family of Bollstadt,
and secretely put and thrested it in to the was educated at Padua in the works of Aristotle
male of Esope and became a Dominican brother in 1223, in
Esope thenne whiche ygnored and
which capacity he lectured on theology at
nothynge knewe of this trayson
departed oute of delphye Cologne. In 1245 he went to Paris to obtain his
But he was not ferre whanne the tray tours doctorate and remained there for a time to
ranne after hym teach. In 1260 he became Bishop of Regens-
 Biographical Dictionary / 787

burg but resigned his office after three years to youth he was instructed by Aristotle. At 16 he
preach. Detractors contemptuously referred to received the crown and immediately set about
him as the "ape of Aristotle," but his admirers conquering the greater part of the known world.
surnamed him "Doctor Universalis" and "the Handsome, courageous, physically powerful
Great." Thomas Aquinas was his pupil. His and skillful in combat, intelligent and honest, he
many works on philosophy occupied 36 vol- had a quick temper that was easily inflamed by
umes when printed at Paris in 1890. It is from alcohol and lacked the prudence that might have
these that The Book of Secrets, sometimes made him a great ruler. Perhaps the best known
incorrectly attributed to Albertus, is in part story told about him concerns the knot of
drawn. The work Agrippa refers to is the Specu- Gordium. It was fabled that he who could
lum astronomiae, attributed to Albertus. For a unbind the knot would be the conqueror of
discussion of the authenticity of this work, see Asia. By most accounts Alexander cut it in
the article by Lynn Thorndike in Speculum 30 twain with his sword, an act that has oppositely
(1955),413-33. been characterized as sage, because it represents
a Zen like transcendence of thinking, and
ALBUMASAR: See ABu-MAASCHAR. brutish, the proof of his barbarism. Plutarch
tells a different story, that he merely slipped the
ALCHINDUS: See ALKINDI. knot off the yoke of the chariot to which it was
fastened by pulling out the pin that held the
ALCINOUS: (2nd century) Platonic philoso- yoke in place. His most lasting legacy was the
pher who wrote the Epitome of the Doctrines of founding of the great city of Alexandria at the
Plato. mouth of the Nile in 331 Be. At the youthful age
of 32 he died of fever in Babylon, which he had
ALCMAEON: (lived 500 BC) A physician and intended to make the capital of the world.
natural scientist from Croton who was a pupil of
Pythagoras. He was the first to dissect animals ALF ARABIUS: (?870- 950) More properly
and the first to operate on the human eye. He Muhammad ibn Tarkhan ibn Uzlagh Abu Nasr
wrote several philosophical and medical works, al-Farabi, an Arabian philosopher born at Wasij
of which only fragments survive. near Farab in Turkestan. As a young man he jour-
neyed to Baghdad, at that time the intellectual
ALEXANDER OF APHRODISIAS: (2nd center of the world, where he learned Arabic and
century) Called the Expositor. He was born in studied mathematics, philosophy and medicine.
Aphrodisias, in Caria. A pupil of Aristocles of He attached himself to the court of Hamdanid
Messene, he came to Athens toward the end of Saif Addaula, from whom he received a small
the second century and rose to the head of the pension. He died in Damascus while traveling in
Lyceum, where he lectured on peripatetic phi- company with his patron. The writings of al-
losophy. The foremost commentator on the Farabi on Aristotle formed the foundation for the
works of Aristotle, his writings are voluminous. philosophical system of Avicenna, and it is prob-
Mariy were translated into Latin at the revival of able that Averroes also drew inspiration from his
learning in the Middle Ages, though others works, but the great acclaim accorded Avicenna
remained in Greek and Arabic. In addition to led to the neglect of al-Farabi by later scholars.
his commentaries, he wrote original works,
notably De fato (On fate), which examines free AL GHAZALI: (1058-1111) Abu Hamid ibn
will , and De anima (On the soul) which argues Muhammad al-Ghazali, an Arabian philosopher
against immortality. and theologian who wrote profusely (69 works)
on a wide variety of scholarly topics. His most
ALEXANDER OF MACEDONIA: (356-323 important work is Tahafut al-Falasifah
BC) Called the Great. Son of Philip II. In his (Destruction of the philosophers).
788/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

ALGAZEL: See AL GHAZALI. AMMONIUS SACCAS: (3rd century AD)

Greek philosopher who founded the Neopla-
ALKINDI: (804-873) The Arab philosopher tonic school in Alexandria. He gained his sur-
Abu Yusuf Ya'Qub Ibn Ishaq ul-Kindi, better name from his work, which was carrying sacks
known as Alkindi, al-Kindi, or simply Kindi. of com in his native Alexandria. Of humble
He was born in Kufa, where his father was gov- Christian origins, he taught such celebrated men
ernor, and studied in Bosra and Baghdad. as Longinus, Herennius, Plotinus and Origen. In
Remaining to live in Baghdad, he obtained a middle life he abandoned the faith of his birth in
government position to support himself and favor of philosophy, and left no written
found time to write more than 200 works on all works-at least, this is what Porphyry asserts
branches of the sciences. In addition he trans- (as quoted by Eusebius Ecclesiastical History
lated Aristotle. Roger Bacon held him in high 6.19.6). Eusebius claims Ammonius remained
regard as second only to Ptolemy on the subject Christian throughout his life and left two works
of optics. He is referred to with honor as "The behind: The Harmony of Moses and Jesus and
Philosopher of the Arabs." The Diatessaron or Harmony of the Four
Gospels (ibid.). There seems to have been a sec-
ALMADEL: The name of a medieval magician ond Christian philosopher with the same name.
mentioned by the Abbot Johann Trithemius in It is to this man that Eusebius refers. The two
his Antipalus maleficiorum (c. 1500) as the are frequently confused. Ammonius probably
author of an edition of the Key of Solomon . Also died in 243 at an age of more than 80 years.
the name of the fourth book of the manuscript
collection that goes under the collective name AMPHION: Semi-mythical son of Zeus and
Lesser Key of Solomon or Lemegeton; it is the Theban princess Antiope, who left him
specifically applied to the wax table described exposed along with his twin brother, Zethus,
therein. atop Mount Cithaeron out of fear of the wrath of
her father, Nycteus. The boys were found and
ALPHARUS: See ALFARABIUS. raised by shepherds. Hermes took an interest in
Amphion and gave him a lyre, also teaching
ALPHONSUS: See PICATRIX THE SPANIARD. him to play it. Zethus, who grew into a man of
great strength, occupied himself tending the
AMBROSE: (?340-397) Bishop of Milan. A herds and hunting. When Antiope was driven
citizen of Rome, he was born in Treves of a out of Thebes by the malice and cruelty of the
wealthy and influential family and was edu- usurper King Lycus and his wife Dirce, she
cated for a political life by his father at Rome. made herself known to her sons, who returned
When in 374 the Arian and orthodox parties of to Thebes and revenged themselves on the pair.
the Church contested with each other for the Masters of the city, they began to fortify the
vacant bishopric of Milan, Ambrose delivered wall. Zethus carried great stones into place,
an address before them that was so well scorning his brother's lack of manly prowess; in
received, he was himself elected by acclamation reply Amphion played on his lyre so magically
as the only fit occupant of the see. Favoring the that the stones danced out of the earth and
orthodox side, he spent the rest of his life wag- assumed their ranks in the wall by themselves.
ing doctrinal war with both the Arians and the
pagans. He was an able administrator and an ANASARCHUS: See ANAXARCHUS.
eloquent diplomat, of unshakable principles.
His writings consist of commentaries, sermons, ANAXAGORAS: (500-428 Be) Greek
funeral orations and letters, but he is best philosopher of Clazomenae in Ionia. At age 20
remembered for his hymns, which formed a pat- he gave up his property and went to Athens to
tern for later times. devote himself to philosophy. Euripides and
 Biographical Dictionary / 789

Pericles were his pupils. In 450 Be he was the Astrolabe. which was printed around 1478.
accused of impiety but was rescued by the elo- Lynn Thorndike suggests that Robert of Eng-
quence of Pericles. He retired to Lampsacus, land may be Robert of York (Thorndike, 4:520).
where he died. He propounded the theory of a But Agrippa speaks of "a certain man of
single higher cause independent of matter, York"-presumably Robert-and "Robert an
which he considered to be mind. Englishman" separately in his chapter on the
Goetia from his Incertitudine et vanitate scien-
ANAXARCHUS: (4th century Be) Greek tiarum. p. 695. It is possible, though less likely,
philosopher born at Abdera, of the school of that Robert an Englishman is Robert of Chester,
Democritus. He accompanied Alexander the a student of astronomy and geometry who trans-
Great (356-323 Be) on his Asiatic campaigns. lated the Koran in 1143, the Judgements of the
One of his students was Pyrrhon the Skeptic. astrologer Alkindi around the same time and a
Alexander held Anaxarchus in great esteem, treatise on alchemy written for "Calid, king of
and the philosopher used this good will to occa- Egypt" in 1144. According to Robert this last
sionally remind the king of his humanity. Once was the work of Hermes Triplex, who reigned
when Alexander contemplated having himself in Egypt after the deluge.
elevated to the rank of a divinity, Anaxarchus
pointed to a finger the king had recently cut and ANSEL ME: See ANSELMI.
said, "See the blood of a mortal, not a god."
When Nicocreon, the tyrant of Salamis in ANSELMI, GEORGIO: (?1400-?1450) Or
Cyprus, visited Alexander at Tyre, the philoso- Georgius de Anselmis, or George Anselm, of
pher insulted him, probably by refusing to Parma, a physician and philosopher who was
grovel at his feet. There was nothing Nicocreon the son and grandson of physicians. Little is
could do so long as Anaxarchus remained under known about him other than that he had four
the protection of Alexander, but the philosopher sons and was named as one of the reformers of
had the misfortune to be shipwrecked off the the statutes of the college of physicians at
coast of Cyprus after Alexander's death and Parma in 1440. By later writers he was cele-
came into the power of his enemy, who tortured brated as one of Parma's most learned citizens,
him to death by pounding him in a great mortar. skilled in philosophy, the liberal arts and med-
This story is told by Cicero. Some later writers icine. His writings on musical harmony were
have accused Anaxarchus of flattering Alexan- frequently cited by Franchino Gaffuri, who
der, but they may be confusing the philosopher wrote about the same subject some 50 years
with Cleon of Sicily, or be misled by the slan- later. He is also credited with a work on medi-
ders of the Peripatetics, who were philosophical cine in four books called Theoremata radi-
rivals of the Skeptics. calia. an astrological treatise called
Astronomia consisting of a series of brief
ANAXILAUS: (1st century Be) Physician and explanations of astrological maxims, and a
philosopher born at Larissa in Thessaly. In 28 work on magic called Opus de magia disci-
Be he was banished from Italy by Augustus for plina in five parts. In this last work he defends
practicing magic. The charge originated from his magic and declares that a philosopher may be
skill in natural philosophy, with which he appar- a magus if he uses magic only for good. He
ently produced wondrous effects that the igno- derives the word magus from the ancient Per-
rant took to be the result of the magical arts. sian and says it is equivalent to the Greek sac-
erdos. or priest. The first part gives the
ANGLICUS, ROBERTUS: (fl. c. 1260) Eng-' categories of magic, part four is devoted to
lish writer and translator, who wrote a commen- magical images for the signs of the zodiac and
tary on the Sphere of Sacrobosco in 1271, a other heavenly bodies and part five is on
Tractatus quadrantis in 1276 and Canons for recipes and antidotes for poison.
790/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

ANTIOCHUS SOTER: (3rd century Be) King APOLLONIUS PERGAEUS: (?262-?2OO

of Syria, he reigned 280-261 Be. He was the Be) Greek geometer of the Alexandrian school,
son of Seleucus Nicator, and is perhaps best a native of Perga, about whom almost nothing is
remembered for his passion for, and subsequent known. His most famous work, On Conic Sec-
marriage to, his stepmother, Stratonice, whom tions in eight books, is in parts highly original
his father voluntarily gave to him. and earned him the name Great Geometer. He
also wrote, among other mathematical works,
APION: (1st century) Greek grammarian who On the Burning Glass. This has been lost, but is
was bom at Oasis Magna in Egypt and schooled mentioned by ancient writers.
at Alexandria. He taught rhetoric at Rome dur-
ing the reigns of Tiberius and Claudius. When APOLLONIUS RHODIUS: (lived 100 AD)
Caligula came to power he returned to Alexan- Poet and grammarian who was born at Alexan-
dria, but was sent back to Rome in 38 AD to dria in Egypt. He taught rhetoric at Rhodes and
make complaint against the Jews before was later made chief librarian of the fabled
Caligula on behalf of Alexandria. This gave rise library at Alexandria. His poem Argonautica is
to his work against the Jews, to which Josephus extant, but most of his other works are lost.
replied with Against Apion: He also wrote a
recension of the Homeric poems, a Homeric APPIOUS: See APION.
dictionary and a work on Egypt in five books.
APPONUS: See PETRUS.
APOLLONIUS OF TV ANA: (I st century AD)
Pythagorean philosopher born in Tyana, he APULEIUS, LUCIUS: (2nd century AD) Bom
traveled widely to Nineveh, Babylon, Tibet and at Madaura in Numidia, he studied at Carthage
India and was accredited with many miracles. and Athens, then traveled the East seeking
He won the favor of Vespasian but was later occult knowledge and initiation. When he mar-
accused by Domitian of inciting insurrection. ried a rich older woman of Alexandria, her fam-
He is said to have escaped prison by magical ily accused him of using sorcery to bewitch her
means and to have proclaimed the death of mind. His successful trial defense has survived
Domitian the moment it occurred although he under the title De magia. The story of the
was physically far removed. Most of his life as Golden Ass was based on an earlier work, the
recorded by his biographer Philostratus corre- Metamorphoses of Lucius of Petrae. Later in life
sponds with the Gospel accounts of the life of Apuleius became a priest of the mysteries of Isis
Christ-a circumstance that raised the ire of the at Carthage and also gave lectures in philosophy.
Church Fathers against his memory. It seems
probable that the writers of the Gospels bor- AQUINAS, THOMAS: (?1227-1274) Catholic
rowed heavily from the fables that surrounded theologian and philosopher who was born of
Apollonius. A spurious work, the Nuctemeron. noble parents at Roccasecca, the castle of his
carries his name and is reproduced by Eliphas father, the count of Aquino, in the territory of
Levi in his Transcendental Magic . Levi is said Naples. He got his early education at the
to have used this work in his famous evocation monastery of Monte Cassino, where his class-
of the spirit of Apollonius in London in 1854. mates referred to him as the Dumb Ox, then
What the true history of the Nuctemeron is, I went on to study at the University of Naples. At
have not been able to ascertain. Cecco d' Ascoli 16 he came under the influence of the Domini-
in his Sphera mentions the Book of Magic Art cans, much to the displeasure of his family, and
and the Angelic Faction by Apollonius. There is assumed the habit of this order when he was 17.
also a work called the Golden Flowers under His superiors sent him to Cologne to be
this authorship, and another called The Secrets instructed by Albertus Magnus. In 1245 when
of Nature (see Thorndike 2:43, 282). Albertus was called to Paris, Thomas went with
 Biographical Dictionary /791

him and soon distinguished himself by his general. In this last capacity he served his city
rhetorical skills. In 1257 he was made doctor of seven times and was in all his campaigns victo-
theology, and began to write, travel and lecture rious. Of the Pythagorean school of philosophy,
in Paris, Rome and London. The honors the he founded a sect of his own. His skill in
Church tried to bestow upon him were refused- mechanical inventions, particularly his wooden
he declined the archbishopric of Naples and the flying dove, was the admiration of his age. Both
abbasy of Monte Cassino. In January of 1274 he Plato and Aristotle are said to have borrowed
was summoned to Lyons by Pope Gregory X to from him. While on a voyage in the Adriatic
settle a dispute between the Greek and Latin Sea he was drowned.
churches, but died of illness on the journey.
Dante implies obliquely that he was poisoned by ARION: (7th century Be) Greek musician of
Charles of Anjou (Divine Comedy: Purgatory Methymna in Lesbos. He stayed for many years
20.69). The major works of Aquinas are Summa at the court of Peri ander, tyrant of Corinth, then
theologiae and Summa catholicae fidei contra felt the urge to travel and went to Italy and
gentiles. In addition he wrote commentaries on Sicily, where he won great renown and riches
Aristotle, Boethius and Dionysius the pseudo- playing on his cithara. Returning by ship to
Areopagite. He is known by the titles Doctor Corinth, he was robbed by the sailors, who gave
Angelicus and Doctor Universalis. him the choice of either killing himself on the
deck or jumping overboard. Arion chose the lat-
ARATUS: (3rd century Be) Poet born in Soli ter, but first asked to be allowed to play his harp
(afterwards Pompeiopolis) in Cilicia, or by on the bow of the ship. Delighted at the
another account Tarsus, he spent most of his prospect of a free concert by the best musician
time at the court of Antigonus Gonatas, king of and singer in the world, the sailors agreed. As
Macedonia. He wrote two astronomical poems:
Arion played, the sweetness of his music
Diosemeia . which gives astronomical weather
attracted a throng of dolphins, and when he at
signs and the effects of weather on animals, and
last flung himself in his musician ' s robes into
Phamomena . which introduces the constella-
the sea, one dolphin carried him safely on its
tions and describes their risings and settings.
back to Corinth. The whole affair was revealed
Aratus lists 44 constellations in his Phamom-
to Periander, who punished the astonished
ena : 19 northern (Ursa Major, Ursa Minor,
sailors when they came into port. This story is
Bootes, Draco, Cepheus, Cassiopeia, Androm-
eda, Perseus, Triangularum, Pegasus, Delphi- related at length by Herodotus early on in the
nus, Auriga, Hercules, Lyra, Cygnus, Aquila, first book of his History and is mentioned by
Sagitta, Corona and Serpentarium), 13 central Pausanius, who describes seeing a bronze statue
(Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, of Arion riding a dolphin at Tainaron (Guide to
Libra. Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricornus, Aquar- Greece 3.25.7 [Levi, 2:95]). Arion is also
ius, Pisces and the Pleiades) and 12 southern reputed to be the inventor of dithyrambic poetry
(Orion, Canus, Lepus, Argo, Cetus, Eridanus, and of the name "dithyramb."
Piscis Australis, Ara, Centaurus, Hydra, Crater
and Corvus). The style of these poems was ARISTOPHANES: (?444-?380 Be) Greek
much admired by the Greeks and Romans. Ovid comic dramatist and poet. Very little is known
says, with his usual hyperbole: " ... with the Sun about his personal life. His father, Philippus,
and Moon Aratus will ever exist" (Amours 1.15, was a landowner in Aegina. Aristophanes him-
line 16 [Riley, 299]). self was an Athenian, although his rights of citi-
zenship were more than once legally challenged
ARCHYTA: See ARCHYTAS. by his enemy, Cleon. He is said to have been
"almost a boy" when his first comedy, The Ban-
ARCHYT AS: (lived 400 Be) Native of Taren- queters. was produced in 427 Be. According to
tum, he was a philosopher, mathematician and Suidas, Aristophanes wrote 54 plays (or 44,
792 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

depending on the reading of the text). His three donia, but since his behavior was above
sons, Philippus, Araros and Nicostratus, were all reproach, he was accused in 322 Be on a
comic poets. Araros brought forth onto the stage trumped up charge of impiety by the hierophant
two of his father's works posthumously. In his Eurymedon. Before he could be tried, Aristotle
comedies Aristophanes exhibits his scorn for the fled Athens and took refuge at Chalcis in
modem decadence of Athens, as he sees it, Euboea, the hereditary city of his mother' s fam-
brought on by the evils of the Peloponnesian war ily. He died there the same year from stomach
and exacerbated by the corrosive speculations of trouble-probably cancer or bleeding ulcers.
the Sophists, both of which serve to undermine Physically he was unimpressive, being short
patriotism and religion. His weapon is cutting and frail, with small eyes and an habitually sar-
personal satire against the leading men of his castic expression. A lisp in his speaking did
time of a type only possible in a true democracy. nothing to counter these impediments. Even so,
Eleven of his comedies have survived. he rose to become the greatest philosopher in
the Western world, rivaled only by his old mas-
ARISTOTLE: (384-322 Be) The Greek ter, Plato, who, despite rumors to the contrary,
philosopher was born at Stagira, a town in Chal- Aristotle always held in the highest regard.
cidice, Macedonia (now called Starros, on the
Gulf of Strimon). His father, Nicomachus, was ARISTOXENUS: (late 4th century Be) Greek
physician to the king of Macedonia, Amyntas philosopher and musician from Tarentum who
II, and himself wrote several works on natural was a disciple of Aristotle at Athens. Of his
science. In 367 Be he went to Athens to study character we know nothing except that he is
philosophy and became the pupil of Plato two said to have been deeply annoyed when
years later, where he soon distinguished him- Theophrastus was appointed to succeed as head
self. Plato called him the "intellect of his of the Peripatetics after Aristotle's death. Cicero
school" and named his house the house of the (Tusculanarum disputationum 1.10) says that
"reader." He studied under Plato until the lat- Aristoxenus held the soul to be a harmony of
ter 's death in 347 Be, after which he traveled to the body (see Plato's Phaedo) . Suidas mentions
Atarneus and married Pythias, the adopted that he wrote 453 works on all subjects open to
daughter of Prince Hermias. When his father- literature. Only his Elements of Harmony has
in-law was killed by the Persians, he removed survived. It is a treatise on music in three books.
to Mytilene and in 342 Be accepted an invita-
tion from Philip of Macedonia to tutor his son ARNOLDAS: See VILLA NOVA.
Alexander, who was then 13 years old. The four
years Aristotle spent teaching Alexander are in ARTEPHIUS: (12th century) A writer on
large measure the reason for any virtues this alchemy and Hermetic philosophy who died in
conqueror later may have exhibited. the 12th century but who was rumored to have
Returning to Athens in 335 Be, Aristotle lived more than a thousand years by means of
was assigned the Lyceum by the state and soon his art, and to be in reality Apollonius of Tyana
assembled a large number of students. He under an assumed name. He claims in the pref-
taught twice a day, in the morning lecturing on ace to one of his works, De vita propaganda
esoteric subjects to a select audience, in the (The art of prolonging life), to have written the
evening speaking to a wider group on exoteric document at the age of 1,025. Another work
matters. His school soon became the most that circulated under his name was The Key to
famous in Athens. He taught there for 13 years, Supreme Wisdom. Yet another was on "the
until in 323 Be the death of Alexander allowed character of the planets, on the significance of
the suspicion and resentment that had been fer- the songs of birds, on things past and future, and
menting against him to express itself. He was on the Philosopher's Stone" (Spence [1920]
suspected of being too much a friend to Mace- 1968, 36). Girolamo Cardano (1501-1576)
 Biographical Dictionary / 793

mentions these works and gives his opinion that any compromise with that party. His iron prin-
they were written as a practical joke aimed at ciples caused him to be driven from his see no
the credulity of would-be alchemists. less than five times during the course of his life,
but always he was able to resume the bishopric.
ASCLEPIADES: A lyric poet said to have He is best known for his Discourse Against the
invented the meter that bears his name (Metrum Arians and his Orations, both written during
AsclepiadeumJ. Nothing is known about him. periods of exile.
He is not to be confused with Asclepiades of
Samos, a bucolic poet of the 3rd century who ATHENAEUS: (3rd century) A Greek gram-
was a friend of Theocritus. Perhaps Agrippa has marian of Naucratis in Egypt who is remem-
confounded the first Asclepiades above with bered for his Deipnosophistae (Banquet of the
Asclepiades the physician, a native of Bithynia learned), a collection of anecdotes in 15 books
born in 124 BC, who came to Rome as a rhetori- on a wide variety of topics.
cian but found success as a healer. His treat-
ment consisted of diet, exercise, massage, cold ATHENODORUS CANANITES: (?74 Bc-7
compacts and wine, which, if it did not always AD) Born at Canana near Tarsus, this philoso-
cure his patients, at least it did not kill them so pher was a personal friend of Strabo, who wrote
quickly as the medical practices of his competi- about him. He taught Augustus at Apollonia in
tors. Consequently he enjoyed great acclaim. Epirus when the future emperor was a boy and
followed him to Rome in 44 Be. He is credited
ASCOLI, CECCO D': (1257-1327) The pop- with advising Augustus to recite the alphabet
ular name of Francesco Degli Stabili, an Italian before acting in anger. When an old man, he
mathematician and astrologer born near returned to Tarsus to remodel the constitution of
Ancona. In 1322 he was made professor of that city. None of his works survive. He is not to
astrology at the University of Bologna. He be confused with Athenodorus Cordy lion
came into conflict with the Church when he (7120-750 BC), the keeper of the library at
published a controversial tract on the employ- Pergamum.
ment and agency of demons, and to elude its
punishment he fled to Florence. But his AUSONIUS DECIMUS MAGNUS: (7310-
unorthodox writings, as well as his public 7390) Roman poet born at Burdigala (Bor-
attacks on Dante's Divine Comedy , sealed his deaux). He taught grammar and rhetoric in his
fate. He was burned at the stake in Florence. His native town and had the good fortune to be
best known work, the Acerba, is an encyclope- appointed tutor to Gratian, the son of the
dic poem on astrology, meteorology, stellar Emperor Valentinian. In 379 Gratian made him
influences, physiognomy, vices and virtues, praefectus of Latium, Libya and Gaul, and in
minerals, the love of animals, moral and physi- 383 raised Ausonius to the consulship. After the
cal problems and theology. It was printed many death of Gratian in that same year, he retired
times, having reached 20 editions by 1546. The from public life and in 390 returned to his
best edition is that of Venice, dated 1510. The native Burdigala. He is thought to have been a
earliest appeared in Brescia around 1473. Christian. Many of his writings are extant,
mostly short poetical pieces. Agrippa refers to
ASCULUS: see ASCOLI. his Epistolae, a collection of 25 letters, some in
verse and others in prose.
ATHANASIUS: (293-373) Bishop of Alexan-
dria. He was born in that city. Nothing is known AVERROES: (l126-1198) Abu al-Walid
of his early life. In 326 he assumed his office Muhammad ibn-Rushd, an Arabian philosopher
and after a few short tranquil years became born at Cordova who studied theology, law,
embroiled in the Arian controversy, opposing mathematics, medicine and philosophy under
794/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

the greatest teachers of his time, and spent the library was destroyed by a fire which Avicenna
latter part of his life in various judicial appoint- was accused of setting, he began to wander from
ments in Spain and Morocco, and as a physi- town to town, finding employment for a time as
cian. For a time he enjoyed great favor; then, in physician to important officials, which allowed
reaction to his free-thinking views, he was ban- him the opportunity to write. He had a passion
ished to a place near Cordova. He enjoyed a for wine and women and would intersperse his
resurgence of acclaim shortly before his death, studies with sensual debauches. At Hamadan (in
which more or less coincided with the end of present Iran) he was raised to the administrative
Moslem power and cultural pre-eminence. He post of vizier, but even the tribulations of politi-
gained his greatest reputation among Christian cal life did not stop him from writing.
scholars for his commentaries on Aristotle. Driven by the upheavals of war to the city
They did not realize that these were based on of Isfahan, Avicenna spent the last 12 years of
two centuries of prior wisdom and attributed his life in the service of Abu Ya 'far 'Ala
every insight to Averroes himself. It is unclear Addaula as physician and advisor and even
to me why Agrippa calls him a Babylonian, accompanied the prince on his campaigns. He
unless the term denotes an astrologer. died in Hamadan after falling ill with colic on
the military march to that city, and on his
AVICEBRON: See IBN GABRIOL. deathbed repented of his luxurious lifestyle,
gave all his possessions to the poor and freed
AVICENNA: (980-1037) Abu 'Ali ai-Husain his slaves.
ibn' Abdallah ibn Sina, an Arabian philosopher About 100 works are attributed to Avi-
and physician born at Afshena in the district of cenna, ranging in size from a few pages to sev-
Bokhara (present-day Uzbekistan). His mother eral volumes. He owes his reputation in Europe
was a native of Afshena, his father a Persian by to his Canon of Medicine, translated into Latin
birth who worked as a tax collector. When Avi- by Gerard of Cremona, which was used as a
cenna was quite young the family moved to the medical text in some French universities until
city of Bokhara (present-day Bukhara in Uzbek- the year 1650. He also wrote a book on animals
istan), which was a Moslem center of learning that was translated by Michael Scot as well as
and culture at the time. At age ten the boy out- works on theology, philology, mathematics,
did his tutor and astonished the neighbors with astronomy, physics, music, philosophy and
his memorization of the complete Koran and a alchemy.
host of Arabic poems. He leamed his arithmetic
from a local grover and began the Elements of BACON, ROGER: (?1214-?1294) English
Euclid under a wandering scholar, but soon dis- philosopher and alchemist born near Ilchester in
carded his teachers in favor of solitary study of Somerset. He studied at Oxford, then went to
Aristotle and the other Greek philosophers. At Paris, where he showed contempt for the sloth
16 he was attending the sick for no payment in and credulity of the schoolmen of the day.
order to learn practical medicine. When he Returning to Oxford about 1250, he entered the
encountered a question he could not answer he Franciscan order and began serious private
would go to the mosque and pray all night until study in languages and alchemy. Rumors began
dawn, stimulating his mind with cups of wine. to fly that he was dealing in black arts. The play
The Metaphysics of Aristotle remained impene- Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay, written by
trable until one day he happened upon a com- Robert Green in 1589, gives an entertaining
mentary by al-Farabi, which at once illuminated account of these tales.
the meaning. Bacon is credited with inventing the tele-
When he cured the local emir of a danger- scope and gunpowder and with predicting a host
ous illness in 997, he was granted access to the of modem inventions (in his tract De secretis
royal library of the Samanids, but after the operibus naturae). About 1257 he was driven
 Biographical Dictionary / 795

from Oxford and placed under Church supervi- priest. He visited Egbert in York in 733, but
sion in Paris, prohibited from writing for publica- seems never to have gone out of England.
tion, but in 1265 Pope Clement IV requested that Nonetheless his works had enormous influence,
Bacon send him a treatise on the sciences. Bacon encompassing more of less the sum of human
answered with Opus majus, Opus minus and knowledge in Western Europe. His most widely
Opus tertium. However in 1278 his books were read work was the Ecclesiastical History, which
condemned by Jerome de Ascoli, later to become earned him the title "Father of English History."
Pope Nicholas IV, and Bacon was cast into prison He was also called the Venerable Bede out of
for 14 years. He was released a few years before respect for his piety and learning.
his death. Opus minus contained, or at least was
intended to contain, a treatise on speculative and BOCCHUS, CORNELIUS: Writer of a lap-
practical alchemy, which is not extant. idary cited by Pliny in bk. 37 of his Natural
History. Nothing is known about the author or
BASIL THE GREAT: (?330-379) Born at the book.
Caesarea, Cappadocia, into an eminent family,
he studied at Constantinople and Athens with BOCHUS: See BOCCHUS.
his friend and fellow student, Gregory of
Nazianzus. Together they compiled an anthol- BOETHIUS, ANICIUS MANLIUS SEVER-
ogy of the writings of Origen, the Philocalia. INUS: (?480-524) Roman philosopher and
Basil traveled in Syria and Arabia studying the statesman who held the office of consul in 510
most famous hermit saints, learning to mortify and saw his two sons elevated to the same posi-
his body and increase the enthusiasm of his tion in 522. He became the object of political
piety. He later became head of a convent at intrigue and was accused of treason against
Pontus that contained his mother and sister. In Theodoric the Great. His only crimes seem to
370 he was chosen bishop of Caesarea and pur- have been fairness and judicial mercy.
sued a vigorous attack against the Araian fac- Theodoric threw him into prison, where he lan-
tion of the Church as well as reforming the guished for many years before his execution.
monastic orders of the East. While there he wrote De consolatione
philosophiae, a philosophical and theological
BASILIUS: See BASIL THE GREAT. work in five books that enjoyed an astounding
success in the Middle Ages. He was a man of
BEDE: (672-735) English historian and theolo- great learning, as his contemporaries attest.
gian. At the age of seven he was given into the When Gunibald, king of the Burgundians,
care of the monastery at Wearmouth and Jar- visited Rome, Boethius showed him a water-
row, which consisted of two separate structures clock and a sundial he had constructed. These
five or six miles apart under one abbot, to be so impressed the monarch that, at the request of
raised and educated. His life was uneventful, a Theodoric, Boethius duplicated them for Guni-
model for the vast majority of lives in that age. bald. In later centuries he was regarded, ground-
In 73 I he wrote: "From that time I have spent lessly, as a martyr, and pious Christian writings
the whole of my life within that monastery were falsely ascribed to him. Gibbon held
devoting all my pains to the study of the scrip- Boethius in highest regard, calling him: "the last
tures; and amid the observance of monastic dis- of the Romans whom Cato or Tully could have
cipline, and the daily charge of singing in the acknowledged for their countryman" (Gibbon
church, it has ever been my delight to learn or [1776-88] 1830, 39:145).
teach or write" (autobiographical note to Eccle-
siastical History of the English Nation) . BRENDAN: (5th century) Also called Brandon
In 691 or the following year he was or Brandan. A native of Clonfert, he was the
ordained deacon; in 702 or the following year, abbot of a Benedictine monastery he had
796 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

founded at Clonfert in eastern Galway, Ireland, CASSIODORUS, FLAVIUS MAGNUS

around 558. Nothing is known of his life. AURELIUS: (?490-585) Born of a Syrian
He is the subject of a celebrated medieval family settled at Scyllacium in Bruttii, around
saga that involves his voyage across the 507 he became, through the influence of his
Atlantic to the promised land of the saints, after- father, quaestor (at that time, a kind of secre-
wards called Saint Brendan's Island. Tradition- tary) to Theodoric the Great, and continued to
ally dated 565-573, it was translated into Latin, hold administrative positions until 540, when
French, English, Saxon, Flemish, Welsh, Bre- he retired as a monk. His passion was the pro-
ton, Scottish and Gaelic and enjoyed such high motion of classical learning, which he per-
repute that Saint Brendan's Island was regarded ceived to be threatened by the growing tide of
as a geographical fact at least until 1721, when barbarism. To this end he established two
the last of a long number of expeditions extend- monasteries and set his monks copying and
ing over centuries set off in search of it. More translating manuscripts. Like his contempo-
recently the legend is cited as evidence that the rary Boethius he enjoyed building scientific
Irish travelled to the New World before the toys such as the waterclock and the sundial.
Vikings , but this opinion is likely to prove as Most of his historical and theological writings
chimerical as the island itself. He is not to be have survived.
confused with his Irish contemporary, Saint
Brendan of Birr. CA TO CENSORIUS, MARCUS PORCIUS:
(234-149 BC) Born at Tusculum (ancient city
BRIDGET, SAINT: Brigit (or Bridget or that stood near present-day Frascati , Italy), this
Brigid), a goddess of Ireland who was the Roman writer and politician was raised on his
daughter of the god Dagda, and the patroness of father's farm in the Sabine territory (central
smiths, doctors and poets. She is linked with Italy). The practical and frugal lifestyle he
fires of purification. Her feast, Imbolc, comes learned there remained with him the rest of his
on February 1. As was often the case, the life. He often upbraided the Romans for their
Church absorbed her and turned her into a saint, extravagance. After distinguishing himself as a
whose dates are given as ?452-523 (or soldier, he was elected censor in 184 BC and
436-523). Saint Bridget was said to have been remained vigorous in politics to the end, being
born at Faughart in county Louth, daughter of a one of the prime movers of the Third Punic War
prince of Ulster. She was called St. Brigit Thau- with his slogan Delenda est Carthago (down
maturge for her many miracles, a list of which with Carthage). He wrote De re rustica. a trea-
ran to 25 folio chapters. In England she is wor- tise on agriculture, which is extant.
shiped as St Bride.
CELSUS, A. CORNELIUS: (1st century AD)
BRIGITT A: See BRIDGET. Little of this Roman writer has survived except
De medicina . a medical treatise in eight books
CAIUS CAESAR: (12-41) Better known as that was highly regarded in the Middle Ages
Caligula, a nickname given to him by the and during the Renaissance.
Roman troops while he was a boy. He began his
reign well enough, but suffered an illness in 38 CHAEREMON OF ALEXANDRIA: (I st
AD that resulted in his madness, leading to such century AD) A Stoic philosopher and grammar-
extravagances as declaring himself a god while ian who was the custodian of the sacred books
alive and raising his horse to the position of of the library of Alexandria, which were kept
consul. Mercifully for the Roman people, he separately in the temple of Serapis. As the
was assassinated. sacred scribe (LEpoypa~~aTEuS") , it was his duty
to expound on the meaning of these mystical
CALIGULA: see CAIUS CAESAR. writings. He must have belonged to the highest
 Biographical Dictionary / 797

rank of the priesthood. In 49 AD he was called to CLAUDIANUS, CLAUDIUS: (late 4th century
Rome to tutor young Nero, the future emperor. AD) The last Latin classical poet, he was a pagan
In his own books he explains the occult teach- Egyptian, probably a native of Alexandria, born
ings of Egypt as symbolic nature worship. of Roman parents. In or before 395 he traveled to
These include a History of Egypt, a treatise on Rome and soon won the patronage of Stilicho,
Comets, a work on Egyptian Astrology and one the general and minister of Honorius, young ruler
on Hieroglyphics. Only fragments of these of the Western Empire (ruled 395-423). As he
works remain. Chaeremon' s account of the sys- was a court poet, his works consist chiefly of
tem of Egyptian priesthood is given by Por- panegyrics upon the actions of his patron. His
phyry in his De abstinentia 4.6. He should not poems are distinguished by a surprising elegance
be confused with the Chaeremon who accompa- and artistic judgement. It is presumed that he
nied Aelius Gallus on an expedition into the died with Stilicho in 408, as nothing is heard
interior of Egypt around 26 BC (see Strabo's about him after 404, but this is only conjecture.
Geogi·aphy, the last book).
CLEANTHES: (?301-232 BC) The Stoic
CHALCIDIUS: (6th century) Platonic philoso- philosopher was born at Assos, an ancient Greek
pher who translated the Timaeus of Plato into city on the north shore of the present-day Gulf of
Latin and added a voluminous commentary. Edremit in Turkey. Originally a boxer, he came
virtually penniless to Athens, where he attended
CHARLES OF BOHEMIA: (1316-1378) Son the lectures first of Crates the Cynic and later of
of John of Luxemburg, he succeeded to the Zeno the Stoic. He supported himself by carry-
throne when his father fell at the battle of Crecy ing water during the night. His dullness and
fighting alongside the French. patient endurance drew upon him the nickname
"the Ass." However, after the death of Zeno in
CHIRAMIS: See KIRANUS. 263 BC he was held in high enough regard to
become the head of the Stoic school.
CHRYSIPPUS: (280-207 BC) The third of All the while he refused grants of money
the great Stoic philosophers, he was born at and continued to support himself by manual
Soli in Cilicia, the son of Apollonius of Tar- labor. Contracting a stomach ulcer, he was
sus. While still a youth he was cheated out of advised that a fast would cure it. The ulcer soon
his inheritance and came to Athens, where he healed, but Cleanthes still refused to eat. When
studied under Cleanthes, and perhaps under asked why, he said that since he was already
Zeno as well. Later in life he combined the halfway along the road to death, he would not
teachings of these two men into a unified sys- trouble to retrace his steps. In this way he
tem and defended them with his rhetorical starved himself. A large portion of his philo-
skills against the attacks of the Middle Acad- sophical poem, the Hymn to Zeus, was pre-
emy, causing Diogenes Laertius to write: "If served in the writings of Stobaeus. In it
the gods use dialectic, they can use no other Cleanthes represents the Sun as the abode of
than that of Chrysippus" (Lives of the Philoso- God and vivifying fire of the universe. Some
phers , bk. 7). He is said to have composed 705 fragments of his works were recorded by
(others say 750) works, of which only frag- Cicero, Seneca and Diogenes Laertius.
ments survive.
CLEARCHUS OF SOLI: (lived 300 BC) A
CHYRANNIS: See KIRANUS. pupil of Aristotle, he wrote numerous works on
a wide variety of subjects. None are extant.
CHYRANNIDES: See KIRANUS.
CROESUS: (reigned 560-546 BC) The last
CICCLUS: See ASCOLI. king of Lydia, he was famous for his wealth.
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At the beginning of his reign he subdued all CYPRIANUS, THASCIUS CAECILIUS

the surrounding nations. He then consulted the (?20{}-258) Bishop of Carthage. It is thought
oracle at Delphi as to whether he should make that he was born at Carthage of a wealthy patri-
war against the Persians. The oracle replied cian family, received the best available classical
that if he marched against the Persians, he education, then became a teacher of rhetoric. A
would overthrow a great empire. Croesus pagan, he took pleasure in confounding the argu-
immediately collected an army and marched ments of Christians, until Caecilius (or Caecil-
on the troops of Cyrus, never stopping to con- ianus), a presbyter at Carthage, converted him in
sider that the oracle might mean his own 246. At his baptism he adopted the name of this
empire would be overthrown. After an indeci- friend as his own. His energy in helping the poor
sive battle at Sinope, Cyrus laid siege to Sardis with his own wealth, his piety and his brilliant
and captured Croesus alive. At first Cyrus rhetorical gifts caused him to be drafted by pop-
planned to burn Croesus, but oddly enough the ular consent into the office of bishop in 248 (or
two became friends. Croesus outlived Cyrus 249).
and even accompanied Cambyses in his expe- The persecution by the Emperor Decius in
dition against Egypt. 250 and 251 forced him to flee for his life. When
Gallus came to power in 251, Cyprian returned
CUSANUS, NICOLAUS: (1401-1464) Also to Carthage, but when the successor to Gallus,
called Nicholas of Cusa. A cardinal and theolo- Valerianus, renewed the persecution, Cyprian
gian of the Catholic Church, he was the son of a was banished to the town of Curubis in Africa
fisherman of Cusa (or Kues) in the archbishopric Proconsulasis in 257, where he remained II
of Treves. As a boy he showed much promise, months. Recalled to Carthage, he was beheaded
causing a noble patron to pay for his education on the plain outside the wall of the city on Sep-
at the University of Padua, where he took a law tember 14,258, obtaining the dubious honor of
degree. When he lost his very first case he aban- being the first martyred African bishop.
doned law and took holy orders, quickly mount-
ing up the hierarchy of the Church. From CYRUS THE ELDER: (6th century Be)
144{}-7 he served in Germany as papal legate. In Founder of the Persian Empire. The Median
recognition of his service Pope Nicholas V made king Astyages dreamed that a vine grew from
him a cardinal in 1448 and appointed him bishop the womb of his pregnant daughter Mandane
of Brixen in 1450. In 1451 he was sent back to and overshadowed with its leaves all Asia. He
Germany and the Netherlands to check ecclesi- consulted the magi , who interpreted the dream
astical abuses and restore the poverty, chastity to mean that his grandchild would rule Asia in
and obedience of monastic institutions. Pope his place. Alarmed, Astyages ordered the baby
Pius II respected him enough to make him gov- killed, but due to the kindness of the herdsman
ernor of Rome during the Pope's absence from Mitradates and his wife Spaco, who cared for
that city in 1459. the baby, Cyrus was reared as a herdsman, and
His most important writings are philosoph- eventually fulfilled the prophecy of his birth.
ical. In De docta ignorantia and De conjecturis Spaca is said to be the Median word for
libri duo (both 1440), he maintains that all "bitch," which rendered into Greek is cyno.
human knowledge is conjecture, that wisdom Herodotus, who relates this story at length, puts
lies in the recognition of ignorance and that God forth his explanation for the myth of the bitch,
can be apprehended by intuition in an exalted saying of the youthful Cyrus when he was
state of consciousness. His beliefs were upheld reunited with his parents:
a century later by Giordano Bruno, who called
" . .. he spoke of the cowherd's wife who
him "divine Cusanus." had brought him up, and filled his whole
talk with her praises; in all that he had to
CUSAUS: See CUSANUS. tell them about himself, it was always
 Biographical Dictionary / 799

Cyno--Cyno was everything. So it hap- anima (200 AD). His prose lapidary formed the
pened that his parents, catching the name at basis for the pseudo-Orphic Lithica. a poem of
his mouth, and wishing to persuade the
770 lines on the magic of stones, as well as the
Persians that there was a special provi-
dence in his preservation, spread the report lapidary of Marbod, the Liber lapidum. "An
that Cyrus, when he was exposed, was important Hellenistic lapidary is that ascribed to
suckled by a bitch. This was the sole origin Damigeron. Some fragments of the original
of the rumor. (Herodotus History 1 [Rawl- Greek text are preserved in the second book of
inson, 48])
the medical collections of Aetius, but the whole
text survives only in a Latin translation . .. "
DAEDALUS: Mythical Cretan sculptor and
(Evans [1922] 1976, 20). The complete Latin
architect. Later writers represent him as an
text of the lapidary is given by Evans in Appen-
Athenian descended from the royal house of
dix A of her work. As nearly as I can gather, the
Erechtheus. He taught his mechanical arts to the
work is usually ascribed to Evax, a Latin writer
son of his sister, Perdix, and when he saw that
living in the time of Tiberius, who is more
the skill of the boy surpassed his own killed him
properly its translator from the Greek.
in envy. Condemned to death for hi s crime, he
fled to Crete, where he obtained the friend ship
DARDANUS: (lst century Be) Stoic philoso-
of King Minos, building for him a bronze man
pher who, along with Mnesarchus, stood at the
to repel the Argonauts.
When the wife of the king, Pasiphae, fell in head of the Stoic school at Athens. He was the
love with a bull, Daedalus fashioned a wooden contemporary of the Academic philosopher
cow in which she lay and gratified her passion. Antiochus of Ascalon.
The result of this peccant indi scretion was the
man-bull monster called Minotaurus, for whom DEIOTARUS (? 116-40 Be) Tetrarch of Gala-
Daedalus built the labyrinth. Enraged by the tia who supported the Romans in their wars in
part of the artisan in his wife' s infidelity, Minos Asia against Mithradates In reward Pompey
threw Daedalus into prison. Pasiphae released gave him part of east Pontus in 64 Be, and the
him , and he escaped Crete with hi s son Icarus senate added Lesser Armenia and most of Gala-
on wings constructed of feathers and wax. tia around 51 Be, conferring upon him the title
Icarus flew too near the sun and the wax melted, of king. When Caesar gained power he was for
precipitating him into the sea. (See Ovid Meta- a time deprived of his gifts and accused of
morphoses 8.3 and Ars amatoria 2, c. line 92.) insubordination. Cicero defended him success-
The Greeks attributed to Daedalus the saw, fully in 45 Be. After the death of Caesar, Deio-
the ax, the gimlet, the geometer's compass and tarus switched his alliance to Anthony, thereby
other tools, as well as the crude wooden statues, regaining his territories. By deserting Anthony
called daidala , found throughout Greece, the at just the right moment, and by the subsequent
origins of which had been lost in antiquity. murder of a rival tetrarch, he gained all Galatia.
Their age and mystery lent them magical
power. Pausanias describes a number of them DEMOCRITUS: (?460-?355 Be) Greek
(Guide to Greece 9.3.2). philosopher born at Abdera (near the mouth of
the present-day Nestos river) in Thrace. He is
DAGOBERT I: (?607-639). King of the fabled to have blinded himself as an aid to
Franks. meditation, but is best remembered as the
exponent of the theory of atoms. Born into
DAGOBERTUS: See DAGOBERT I. great wealth, he spent it all on his extensive
travels and studies and died at the scarcely
DAMIGERON: (fl. 200 Be) Also called credible age of 105.
Amigeron. A famous magician. Tertullian lists
him along with other legendary mages in his De DIATHARUS: See DEIOTARUS.
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DIODORUS SICULUS: (1st century Be) relatively intact. The rest exists only in frag-
Greek historian about whom little is known. He ments and an epitome.
was born at Agyrium in Sicily. Between 60-57
Be he traveled in Egypt and later lived at Rome. DIONYSIUS: A man converted to Christianity
He states that he spent 30 years traveling over by Paul in Athens "Howbeit certain men clave
the greater part of Europe and Asia collecting unto him and believed: among the which was
materials for his work Bibliotheca historica Dionysius the Areopagite ... " (Acts 17: 34). A
(Historical library), but this boast is generally series of mystical theological writings conjec-
discounted. The History, in 40 books, covered a tured to have been written by some unknown
span from the earliest legends to the beginning Christian Platonist and Gnostic of the 5th century
of Caesar's Gallic war. It is full of repetitions were attributed to Dionysius and formed the
and contradictions but is valuable because it basis for the mystical theology of Western
preserves elements from earlier sources that are monasticism. The works treat such matters as
otherwise lost. Only the books 1-5 and 11-20 divine essence, angels, holy spirits, ceremonies,
are extant, although fragments survive of the the priestly hierarchy, and so on. Their titles are
missing books. The first five books treat of the Concerning the Celestial Hierarchy, Concerning
mythic history of the Egyptians, Assyrians, the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy , Concerning Divine
Ethiopians and Greeks. Names and Concerning Mystic Theology. A col-
lection of ten letters is also attributed to him. It is
DIOMEDES: Son of Tydeus and Deipyle, he from the first of these works that the familiar
was king of Argos. He sailed with 80 ships in orders of angels derive, namely: Seraphim,
the Greek expedition against Troy and was the Cherubim, Thrones, Dominations, Virtues, Pow-
bravest hero in the Greek army after Achilles. ers, Principalities, Archangels and Angels. Christ
Along with his companion Odysseus he carried is placed at the head of this hierarchy.
off the magical palladium from Troy. He was
worshiped as a divine being in Italy, where his DIONYSIUS THE ELDER: (430-367 Be).
statues were erected at Thurii, Argypipa, Tyrant of Syracuse. He defeated the Carthagini-
Metapontum and other places. ans and subdued the Greek cities in Italy, mak-
ing himself the most powerful Greek prior to
DION CASSIUS COCCEIANUS: (?155- the time of Alexander. He is said to have died
?235) Also called Dio Cassius, or more cor- from excessive feasting, but by some accounts
rectly Cassius Dio. Roman historian born at his death was hastened by his medical atten-
Nicaea in Bithynia, the son of a Roman senator, dants at the order of his son.
he received the best possible education and
traveled with his father to Cilicia, which his DIOSCORIDES: (1st century) Called Pedacius
father governed. After his father's death (about (or Pedanius). A Greek physician of Anazarba, in
180) he went to Rome and was made a senator, Cilicia (region around present-day Adana, south-
in which capacity he pleaded legal suits in the ern Turkey) who served as a military surgeon for
courts. In 194 he became praetor and was made the armies of Nero. In 77-78 AD he compiled a
governor of Pergamus and Smyrna in 218. work describing the virtues of more than 400
Around 220, upon his return to Rome, he plants and drugs in five books, called De materia
became consul, an office he was to hold a sec- medica. It became the standard work on the sub-
ond time in 229. Shortly after this date he ject into the 17th century. Much material on the
retired to Nicaea. The date of his death is not magical virtues of stones is also included. Other
known with certainty. He wrote a biography of works were attributed to Dioscorides, but these
Arrian, a work on the dreams and portents of are likely spurious. The Materia medica was
Septimius Severus (both lost), and a history of translated as The Greek Herbal of Dioscorides
Rome in 80 books, of which books 36-54 are ... Englished by John Goodyer (1655).
 Biographical Dictionary / 801

ENNIUS, QUINTUS: (239-170 Be) An sold for 3,000 drachmas after his death: He
ancient Latin poet, born at Rudiae in Calabria. wrote nothing down. Arrian, one of his stu-
He was a Greek subject of Rome and served in dents, compiled the Enchiridion from the lec-
the Roman army. In 204 Be he held the rank of tures he gave as an old man and collected the
centurion while fighting at Sardinia during the lectures of Epictetus in eight books, four of
Second Punic War. Cato the Elder noticed him which are unfortunately lost.
and took him back to Rome. Ennius claimed
descent from Messapus, one of the legendary EPIMENIDES: (lived 600 Be) Surnamed the
kings of his native land, and had a noble, proud Expiator, this semi-mythical priest, prophet and
and upright character which drew the admira- poet was a native of Phaestus, Crete, but was
tion of the Romans. He quickly gained the more closely associated with the Cretan town of
friendship of the great men of the city, notably Cnossus. He is said to have slept in a cave for
Scipio the Elder and Fulvius Nobilior. Through 57 years (Pausanias says 40), to have lived to
the influence of Nobilior's son, Ennius was the various ripe old ages of 154, 157 or 229
made a citizen of Rome. years, and to have purified Athens by magic
To earn a living he taught Greek to the rites when it suffered a plague around 596 Be.
wealthy Roman youths and translated and This last story may have some historical basis,
adapted Greek plays into Latin for the stage, and is related in one form by Plato:
mainly the tragedies of Euripides, but he was
chiefly celebrated for his Annales, an epic nar- You · have presumably heard of Epi -
menides, an inspired person born in this
rative poem based on the Roman national des- city [Cnossus-but see above] and con-
tiny. It was this that won him the popular title nected with my own family, who visited
mentioned by Horace, alter Homerus (a second Athens ten years before the Persian Wars
Homer)-see Horace Epistles 2.1, line 50. at the bidding of the [Delphic] oracle, and
offered certain sacrifices enjoined by the
He was regarded as the father of Latin
god [Apollo], besides telling the citizens,
poetry. Only fragments of his works survive. who were alarmed by the Persian prepara-
Cicero remembers him in his final days with tions, that the enemy would not come
affection: "Yet at the age of seventy, Ennius, within ten years, and when they did, would
who lived this many years, carried the two bur- depart again with their purpose uneffected
after receiving more damage than they
dens thought to be the most pressing, poverty inflicted. (Laws 1.642d-{! [Hamilton and
and age, and bore them in such a way that he Cairns, 1242])
seemed to derive enjoyment from them" (De
senectate 5 [Yonge]) Plato's date (Persian wars, circa 500 Be) is
about a century later than the date given by
EPICTETUS: (1st century AD) Stoic philoso- Aristotle, who links the plague with an attempt
pher, a native of Hierapolis in Phrygia. He was by the Athenian nobleman Cylon to seize polit-
a slave of Epaphroditus, a freedman and ical control of the state. Suidas makes the inter-
favorite of Nero. After Epaphroditus give him esting claim that Epimenides could travel
his freedom, he continued to live and teach in outside his own body. A few fragments of
Rome until Domitian banished the philosophers poetry attributed to Epimenides survive, but his
from that city. He then settled in Nicopolis in many mystical writings are lost.
Epirus. Although the Emperor Hadrian held
him in high regard, he never returned to Rome. EUDAMUS: (4th century Be) Peripatetic
He is said to have been lame and to have philosopher, a native of Rhodes, one of Aristo-
resided at a humble cottage in Nicopolis, living tle's most important pupils. He edited many of
in poverty until his death. More concerned with Aristotle's works, one of which bears his name.
life than philosophy, he lived his convictions, Simplicius called him the most genuine of Aris-
and was so honored that his earthenware lamp totle's companions.
802 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

EUDOXUS: (4th century Be) Born at Cnidus, val, an office requiring noble blood. He studied
an ancient Greek city in the southwestern comer rhetoric under Producus, who charged a large
of present-day Turkey, he was a celebrated fee, and sought out highborn pupils.
physician, geometer, legislator and astronomer. An oracle predicted he would one day be
He studied under Plato at Athens but was dis- crowned with sacred garlands. Misunderstand-
missed by his teacher and traveled to Egypt, ing, Euripides' father had the boy trained as an
where he spent 16 months with the priests of athlete. He won the Eleusinian and Thesean
Heliopolis. After teaching physics for a time, he games, but was turned away from the Olympic
returned to Athens with pupils of his own and games because of his youth. Losing interest in
later in life established an astronomical obser- gymnastics, he tried painting with little success,
vatory in his native city of Cnidus. then studied philosophy under Anaxagoras and
Strabo says that Eudoxus was the one who became an intimate friend of Socrates. The first
discovered that six hours must be added to the play to bear his name was produced in 455 Be,
365-day year; Vitravius credits Eudoxus with but it was not until 441 Be that he won first
the invention of the sundial. Aristotle writes: prize and fulfilled the oracle. He continued to
exhibit plays until 408 Be, then left Athens to
Eudoxus thought pleasure was the good enjoy the hospitality of the court of King
because he sawall things, both rational and
irrational, aiming at it, and because in all Archelaus.
things that which is the object of choice is The rumors told about the poet are of ques-
what is excellent, and that which is most tionable value. He is said to have left Athens
the object of choice the greatest good; . .. because of the unfaithfulness of his wife and the
His arguments were credited more because resulting ridicule that was showered upon his
of the excellence of his character than for
their own sake; he was thought to be head; to have as a consequence hated all
remarkably self-controlled, and therefore it women; to have been profligate in his personal
was thought that he was not saying what he behavior, and to have been torn apart by dogs
did say as a friend of pleasure, but that the set upon him by envious rival poets. Euripides
facts really were so. (Nicomachean Ethics
died in Macedonia at the court of his royal
10.2.1172b, trans. W. D. Ross [McKeon,
1094]) patron. He was the reputed author of 75 plays,
of which 18 have survived.
Few of his writings have survived. The
Phaenomena of Aratus is a poem based on an EUSEBIUS: (?260-?340) Bishop of Caesarea
astronomical prose work of Eudoxus. Frag- and ecclesiastical historian, he called himself
ments of Eudoxus are preserved in the writings Eusebius Pamphili out of devotion to his teacher
of the astronomer Hipparchus. Pamphilus. Eusebius was born in Palestine. He
attached himself to the theological school of
EUDOXUS GUIDIUS: See EUDOXUS OF Pamphilus in Caesarea, where he studied the
CNIDUS. Bible and the writings of Origen. When his
teacher was killed during the Diocletian perse-
EURIPIDES: (480-406 Be) Greek dramatic cutions in 309, he fled to Tyre and later to
poet, born on the island of Salamis in the Egypt. He became bishop of Caesarea between
Saronic Gulf on the very day of the Greek naval 313 and 315, and was offered the patriarchate of
~ictory over the Persian fleet of Xerxes, which Antioch in 331 but declined to accept it.
took place in the strait between the island and The most learned man of his age, and a
the coast. Although the comic playwright friend of the Emperor Constantine, Eusebius
Aristophanes represented Euripides' mother as was a power for moderation in the Church dur-
an herb seller of doubtful honesty, there is no ing a period of fanatical division. His most
reason to believe he was not of noble birth. As a notable works are the Chronicon, an ancient
youth he was cupbearer at the Thargelian festi- history; Praeparatio evangelica, containing
 Biographical Dictionary / 803

many valuable extracts from classical writers; giarum libri III ad Catum Presbyterum, a
and Ecclesiastical History, containing the his- mythology in three books dedicated to Catus, a
tory of Christianity from the time of Christ to presbyter of Carthage. It relates 75 myths in a
324 AD. brief form, then explains them allegorically
according to the mystical doctrines of the Stoics
EV AX: A name mentioned eight times in The and Neoplatonists.
Book of Secrets, seven of those times in com-
pany with Aaron. Reference is made to the GALEN, CLAUDIUS: (130-?200) Greek
Book of Minerals of Aaron and Evax. It may be physician born at Pergamum, an important town
conjectured that these two authors were bound that stood at Bergama in present-day Turkey.
under one cover. The name Evax was associ- When he was 17 years old his father had a
ated in some manuscripts as either author or dream which caused him to train Galen as a
translator of a 6th-century Latin work, De vir- physician. About 150 works were either written
tutibus lapidum (On the power of stones). He by him or attributed to him, causing Galen to be
was also linked with a later lapidary in Latin the single most influential writer on medicine of
verse by Marbod (1035-1123). See the bio- all time.
graphical note on Damigeron.
GEBER: (8th or 9th century) This author of a
FIRMANUS TARUTIUS: (1st century Be) number of Latin works on alchemy is usually
Mathematician and astrologer who was a friend supposed to be the same as Abu Abdallah Jaber
to Yarro and a contemporary of Cicero. It was ben Hayyam (Haiyan) ben Abdallah al-Kufi, an
at Yarro's request that he cast an inverse horo- Arab credited with a 10th-century Arab histori-
scope of Romulus, working backwards from cal work, the Kitab-al-Fihrish, with 500 other
events to find the date of birth and so also the treatises, with skill in the art of making gold and
time of Rome's founding. silver and with having prepared the fabled
alchemical elixir. However, there is consider-
FIRMIANUS: See FIRMANUS. able doubt that the Latin works of Geber are
translations from the Arab Jaber. M. P. E.
FLACCUS, C. FULVIUS: (2nd century Be) Barthelot (Chimie au Moyen Age, Paris, 1893)
Appointed consul with P. Cornelius Scipio was convinced that the treatises were at least
Africanus Aemilianus II in 134 Be, he immedi- Arabic, translations from between the 9th and
ately set out for Sicily to end the slave revolt, 12th centuries.
called the Servile War, while Africanus was The most famous of the Latin works is the
engaged fighting in Spain. He was defeated by Summa perfectionis magisterii (Sum of perfec-
the slave leader, Eunus. tion) and the De investigatione peliectionis
(Investigation into the perfection of metals).
FRANCIS, SAINT: (1182-1226) Of Assisi, Also attributed to Geber are the De inventione
the founder of the Franciscan order of friars. veritatis, the Liber fornacum, the Testamentum
Geberi regis Indiae and the Alchemia Geberi.
FRANCISCUS: See FRANCIS. The notion that Geber was a native
Sabaean of Harran in Mesopotamia comes from
FULGENTIUS, FABIUS PLANCIADES: the article under his name by d'Herbelot in the
(late 5th century) Latin grammarian who was Bibliotheque Orientale. The other opinion that
born and lived in northern Africa. Other than he was a Spanish Moor is from a single refer-
that he was a Christian with Neoplatonic incli- ence made by Albertus Magnus to a Geber "of
nations, nothing much is known about him. Seville," probably the Arabian Jabir ben Aflah,
Four works are extant under his name. The one a native of 11 th-century Seville who wrote on
to which Agrippa probably refers is Mytholo~ astronomy and trigonometry.
804 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

GELLIUS, AULUS: (2nd century) A Roman GREGORY THE GREAT, SAINT: (?540-
grammarian. He wrote Noctes Atticae (Athen- 604) Born in Rome of a wealthy family, he
ian nights), so called because it was composed received the finest available education and
in a country house near Athens during the long excelled in grammar, rhetoric and dialectic. He
nights of winter. It is a loose collection of began a political career and was prefect of
extracts in 20 books from Greek and Roman Rome in 573, but shortly thereafter abandoned
writers on history, antiquity, philosophy and public life, used his wealth to establish six
philology, with observations and remarks by monasteries in Sicily and one in Rome, then
Gellius. The eighth book has been lost, but the retired into the last as a monk. In 578 .he was
rest is extant. sent as Church ambassador to the court at Con-
stantinople, and in 586 became abbot of the
GERMA: I find no reference to Germa the monastery of St. Andrew.
Babylonian. The term "Babylonian" seems to At the death of Pelagius II in 590, Gregory
have been used by Agrippa as a synonym for was elected pope, very much against his will.
"astrologer." In this sense it seems to be applied He was the fust monk to become pope, and may
to Averrois in bk. II, ch. II. There was a town in be called the first of the medieval popes because
Persia called Germabad. it was through his initiative that the papacy
gained its great political power. Severe against
GRACCHUS, TIBERIUS SEMPRONIUS: pagans, heretics and clergy who violated the
(2nd century BC) Roman tribune and consul rule of the Church, he was uncharacteristically
best remembered for his quelling of the Sardin- lenient with the Jews. His background as a
ian revolution in 176 BC. He married Cornelia, monk made him highly supportive of monastic
daughter of P. Scipio Africanus the Elder, and life, and he was accused of depleting the
had by her 12 children. His daughter, also Church coffers with excessive charity to the
named Cornelia, married P. Scipio Africanus needy. Nonetheless, under his skillful manage-
the Younger. ment the wealth of the Church increased and the
power of the papacy was established.
GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS: (329-389)
Surnamed Theologus, this Father of the Eastern GULIELMUS: See WILLIAM OF PARIS.
Church was born at Nazianzus, Cappadocia.
Inclined toward Christianity by his mother, he HADRIANUS, PUBLIUS AELIUS: (76-138)
studied grammar, mathematics, rhetoric and Better known as Hadrian, he was born at Italica
philosophy at Athens and Alexandria, and was a in Hispania Baetica (some say at Rome). When
disciple of Origen and Athanasius. He received he was about ten years old his father died, and
baptism at his father's house in Nazianzus in he was placed under the care of his relative,
360 and sought a retired, contemplative life as a Ulpius Trajanus, afterwards the Emperor Tra-
monk. But the violent doctrinal clash between jan. He spent five years at Rome, then
the Arian and orthodox parties of the Church embarked on a military career in Spain, but was
drew him in. In 372 he was nominated, against soon recalled to Rome by his guardian, who
his will, bishop of Sasima, and around 378 he appointed him to a succession of political posts.
went to Constantinople to shore up the debili- Trajan had some doubts about Hadrian
tated remnants of the orthodox party, a task he because of reports of his extravagance, but after
performed with zealousness and much success. becoming emperor, he was brought to think
The ascent of Theodosius in 380 insured the tri- more highly of his young protege by his wife,
umph of his cause. Shortiy thereafter he retired the Empress Plotina, who arranged a marriage
to a quiet life of literary composition, which at for Hadrian with Vibia Sabina, Trajan's great-
last he was permitted to enjoy. His works con- niece. In 101 Hadrian was quaestor, in 105 tri -
sist of poems, epistles and orations. .bune and in 106 praetor. He served with
 Biographical Dictionary / 805

distinction in several military campaigns and was the center of her cult, but she was also pop-
held significant political posts in different parts ular in England. She is depicted in royal robes
of the Empire. Trajan was grooming Hadrian to wearing a crown and carrying variously a model
be his successor, and when in 117 Trajan died, of the holy sepulchre, a large cross and the three
Plotina concealed the news of his death long nails that transfixed Christ. The festival of Saint
enough to arrange a posthumous adoption of . Helena is August 18.
Hadrian by Trajan to insure his attainment of
the throne. This was hardly necessary. Hadrian HENINA, RABBI: Various rabbis with this
was acclaimed by the army and the senate. name are mentioned in the Talmud, Midrash,
His subsequent reign was one of the happi- Zohar and Jewish folktales, notably Rav Han-
est times in Roman history. Rather than trying ina; who with Rav Oshaya "sat every Sabbath
to extend the Empire by war, he strengthened its eve and studied the Sepher Y'tzira (Book of
boundaries and improved its public works and Creation), and created for themselves a three-
social structures. He continued the tradition of year-old calf, which they then ate" (from the
building begun by Augustus and carried on by Talmud, as given by Patai 1980, 239).
Trajan. Yet he could be grave or gay, cruel or
gentle, mean or generous, impulsive or cau- HERACLITUS: (?540-?475 Be) Greek
tious, affectionate or mistrustful as the mood philosopher born at Ephesus of noble parents.
struck him. More feared than loved, he was Little is known of the events of his life. He
highly intelligent, of strong and warped pas- declined the office of chief magistrate, which
sions and grossly superstitious. With all his per- was his by right, giving it to his brother. It is
sonal faults, he presided over a Golden Age of evident that he held considerable political
Rome and left enduring monuments to his power-he compelled the usurper Melancomas
energy and genius. to abdicate, and from time to time intervened in
the affairs of Ephesus. However, he was by
HAMA, RABBI: See HAMAl. nature arrogant, sullen and solitary, his behavior
earning him the nickname "he who rails at the
HAMAl, RABBI: (late 12th century) Com- people." He was also called the "Weeping
monly called Hamai Gaon, the pseudonym of a Philosopher" and the "Dark Philosopher." Late
Kabbalist said to belong to the school of Isaac in life he retired into the mountains and lived as a
the Blind, who flourished around 1200. Two hermit on herbs, but was driven down to the city
works on the Kabbalah that bear his name are with sickness and soon after died.
Sepher ha-Yihud, "probably on the Tetragram- Founded in the Ionic school, his philosophy
maton" (Jewish Encyclopedia), and Safer ha- is surprisingly modern. He held that all things are
'/yyun, on the existence and unity of God. in a state of constant flux and becoming; that the
senses are "bad witnesses" because they convey
HELENA, FLAVIA JULIA: (?247-?327) the fiction of a static universe and so cannot be
Christian saint, the mother of Constantine the trusted; that all things grow by a kind of conden-
Great. ·She was born at Drepanum, a town on sation from a clear, fluid, primordial fire; and that
the Gulf of Nicomedia (eastern end of the Sea true freedom is only attained by the subordina-
of Marmara, Turkey), which her son later tion of the individual to the harmony of cosmic
renamed Helenopolis in her honor. Legend law. The single work of his that has survived is
credits her with the discovery both of the sepul- On Nature, which expresses his views. Frag-
chre of Christ and the true cross at Jerusalem. ments have also been preserved in the writings of
This fable arose because Constantine was the later Greek philosophers such as Plato.
first Christian ruler to make extensive use of the
cross as a symbol. Her body was said to reside HERMANNUS OF WIED: (1477-1552) Edu-
at the abbey of Hautvilliers near Reims, which cated by his father, Frederick, Count of Wied,
806/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

for the Church, he became elector and arch- and the Theogony . Hesiod represents the Boeot-
bishop of Cologne in 1515. At first hostile to ian school of poetry, which was simple and
the Protestant reform raging in Europe at the didactic, as opposed to the Ionic school, repre-
time, a dispute with the papacy changed his sented by Homer, which was heroic.
alliance, and he henceforth sought to bring
about orderly reform from within the clergy, HIERONYMUS, EUSEBIUS SOPHRO·
setting the example with reforms in his own NIUS: (?340-420) Better known as Saint
diocese in 1536. When his efforts failed, he Jerome. He was born at Strido, a town on the
invited Martin Bucer, a friend of Luther, to border of Dalmatia and Pannonia (present-day
Cologne in 1542. However, the victory of the northwestern Yugoslavia), of Christian parents.
Emperor Charles over William, Duke of Cleves, He went to Rome, where he studied philosophy
and the hostility of the citizens of Cologne law, grammar and rhetoric, then traveled
ended the effort of Bucer. Hermann was sum- widely. At Antioch a serious illness changed his
moned before the Emperor and Pope Paul III in life. He had been very fond of the classics, but
1546, deposed, and excommunicated. He vowed to God that henceforth he would
returned to Weid, where he lived out his life. renounce them in favor of the Scriptures.
Adopting the life of a hermit at Chalcis in
HERMIPPUS: (2nd century Be) A native of 374, he began to study Hebrew. This eventually
Smyrna, this Greek Peripatetic philosopher and led to his translation of the Scriptures, which
historian was a disciple of Callimachus of became the Vulgate edition of the Bible used by
Alexandria, and is remembered chiefly for his the Roman Church. In 382 he was called to
biographical writings. He wrote a monograph Rome by Pope Damasus to help in a theological
on the Disciples of /socrates, and is mentioned dispute then raging at Antioch. The ladies of
by Athenaeus. Rome were attracted to him and flocked to hear
his teaching, which raised the ire of their male
HERODOTUS: (484-?425 Be) Greek historian relations.
born at Halicamassus in Asia Minor to a promi- When Damasus died in 384, Jerome
nent family. He traveled widely between 464-447 thought it expedient to leave Rome and travel
Be. In 457 Be he left Halicamassus to escape the east. The women followed him, determined to
tyranny of Lygdamis and made his place of resi- become nuns. With the money of Paula, a
dence Samos, thus shifting his alliance from Per- wealthy widow, he erected three nunneries and
sia to Greece. He helped ferment a rebellion a monastery at Bethlehem. All the while he
against Lygdamis, and when Halicamassus vehemently protested that he took no money or
declared itself a member of the Athenian confed- gifts, did not delight in fine silks or sparkling
eracy, Herodotus returned to his native town for a gems or gold ornaments, and was unmoved by
short while. In 447 Be the political climate the ladies except when they distinguished them-
changed again, and he went to live at Athens. His selves by fasting and penitence.
literary work was so well received by the Atheni- At the end of his life he became embroiled
ans, they voted him the large sum of ten talents in in another Church controversy, and so inflamed
recognition of its merit. Ever restless, in 444 Be he his opponents that they attacked his monastery
sailed with the Athenian colonists to the new town with force of arms. Jerome fled and hid himself
of Thurii in Lucania, Italy. Little is known of the for two years in fear of his life. He returned to
rest of his life. About 430 Be he revisited Athens, Bethlehem in 418 but died two years later after
but he spent most of his time working on his great a lingering illness. Jerome seems to have been
book, which eamed him the title Father of History. devoid of the piety that marked so many of the
Church Fathers. Luther said of him, "He teaches
HESIOD: (8th century Be) Greek poet born in nothing either about faith, or love, or hope, or
Ascra in Boeotia. He wrote Works and Days the works of faith."
 Biographical Dictionary / 807

HILARIUS: See HILARY. HIPPARCHUS: (?190-?120 Be) Greek

astronomer born at Nicaea in Bithynia (present-
HILARY, SAINT: (?300-367) Bishop of Pic- day Iznik, Turkey). He introduced many bold
tavium (Poitiers) and an eminent doctor of the innovations, including a method of representing
Westem Church, he was called malleus Ariano- the heavens on a plane, the notion of longitude
rum (hammer of the Arians) and the "Athena- and latitude in terrestrial geography, and the use
sius of the West." Born in Poitiers of an of a table of chords similar to sines. His practi-
eminent family, he received an excellent educa- cal observations were much more accurate than
tion for the time, including some Greek. His those of his predecessors, allowing him to dis-
study of the Bible texts caused him to abandon cover the precession of the equinoxes, the dis-
Neoplatoni sm for Christianity. In 353, although tance of the Sun and Moon from Earth, the
still married, he was elected bishop of Poi tiers exact length of the lunar month, and to compile
and at once secured the excommunication of the a catalogue of more than 850 stars, which has
Arian bishop of Aries. For the rest of his life he been preserved in the Almagest of Ptolemy.
kept up a vigorous campaign against Arianism, Unfortunately all his writings are lost except In
although at times he was accused by members eudoxi et Arati Phamomena , a commentary on
of the orthodox faction of being too lenient in the Phtemonena of Aratus.
his doctrinal attacks on the Arians (demonstrat-
ing the rabid fanaticism of the time). HIPPOCRATES: (?460-?375 Be) The most
famous hi storical Greek physician, called the
HILDEGARDES: (1098-1179) Daughter of Father of Medicine, was born on the island of
the Count of Spanheim, she had revelations Cos (now Kos) in the Aegean Sea. Of the fam-
which the Holy Ghost told her to write down in ily of the Asclepiadae, he was said to be a direct
a book. The book was shown to Pope Eugenius descendant not only of Aesculapius, but of Her-
III, who had it investigated by the bishop of cules as well on his mother 's side. His father,
Verdun and St. Bernard of Clairvaux. The Heraclides, and the physician Herodicus of
Church found the revelations to be genuine. Selymbria trained him in medicine. Gorgias and
They eventually filled three volumes, and the Democritus taught him philosophy. He traveled
saint also wrote numerous other mystical works widely and practiced his healing art at Athens,
and 145 letters to various divines and rulers. Of and perhaps also at Thrace, Thessaly, Delos and
her revelations, she says: Cos at various times. It was at Larissa in Thes-
saly that he died in old age-precisely how old
From infancy to the present day, being now in not known. Ages of 85, 90, 104 and 109 are
seventy years old, I have received without
cessation visions and divine revelations. In
variously attributed to him at his death. Of
these divine communications I seem to be these, the first seems most probable.
carried away through the air to regions far, Both Plato and Aristotle make reference to
far away, and I see in my mind' s eye the him. Legend credits him with ending a plague
marvels shown to me. I do not see them at Athens by burning bonfires throughout the
with my bodily eyes, nor hear what is said
by my bodily ears, nor do I discover them
city. Descended from a line of priest-healers,
by the agency of an'y of my bodily senses, he was the first to separate medicine from reli-
nor do they come into my thoughts, Dor are gion, and from philosophy also, introducing in
they dreams, or trances, or ecstasies; but I their place natural remedies and practical
see them with my eyes open, while I am observation.
awake, sometimes in the night, and some-
times by day. What I see, I see in my soul; Eighty-seven works pass under his name. Of
and what I hear, I hear in my inner self. these, perhaps as many as a dozen may be gen-
(quoted by Brewer 1901,324) uine. Some authorities believe that none were
actually written by Hippocrates, but that some
HILDEGARDIS: See HILDEGARDES. may have been composed by his descendants.
808 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

HIPPONAX: (lived 540 Be) This Greek poet the hieroglyphic symbols. It was much studied
and inventor of parody was born at Ephesus. during the Renaissance as a source for mystical
When he was expelled from his native city by emblems.
tyrants, he went to live at Clazomenae. A short,
ugly, but powerful man, he became the object of HRABANUS MAURUS MAGENTIUS:
ridicule of the brothers Bupalus and Athenis, (?776-856) Also called Rabanus, or Rhabanus,
who made a grotesque statue depicting him. In and sometimes incorrectly referred to as Saint
retaliation Hipponax skewered the sculptors in Rabanus. Archbishop of Mainz who was born at
his satirical poetry, and is said (by Suidas) to Mainz of noble parents. He went to school at
have driven them to suicide. Hipponax turned Fulda where he received his deacon's orders in
his caustic wit on everyone-his fellow Ionians, 801, then studied at Tours under Alcuin, who
his own parents, even the gods. Only fragments named him Maurus after Saint Maur. From
of his works survive. There was a philosopher 804-14 he ran the school at Fulda with great
of Samos of the same name, usually called Hip- skill, and composed his Excerptio of the gram-
pon to distinguish him from the poet. mar of Priscian, which became a standard
medieval textbook. Ordained priest in 814, he
HOMER: (9th century Be) Greek poet who is became abbot at Fulda in 822 and served in this
credited with the epics Iliad and Odyssey. No capacity for 20 years , at which time he tried to
one really knows where or when he was born, retire from public life. The retirement was
but he is thought to have lived before Hesiod, short-lived-in 847 he was persuaded to
and Smyrna (present-day Izmir in Turkey) is the become archbishop of Mainz, where he contin-
most plausible of the seven ancient cities that ued until his death. His works are numerous and
claimed his origin. Legend says he was blind include commentaries on the Scriptures and the
and poor. The 33 Homeric Hymns were not De institutione ciericorum , in which he
written by Homer but by the followers of his expounds on the views of Augustine and Gre-
style, who were called Homerids. The Greeks gory the Great concerning clerical duties.
once studied Homer with the same fervor that
Calvinists used to read the Bible. He is the most HYGINIUS: See HYGINUS.
influential poet of all time.
HYGINUS: Nothing is known about the life of
HORAPOLLO NILOUS: (c. 400 AD) The this writer. He is sometimes confused with the
name is a combination of Horus and Apollo. grammarian Gaius Julius Hyginus, who was a
Nilous may refer to the city of Middle Egypt or freedman of Caesar Augustus, but must have
to the Nile itself. A Greek grammarian who lived much later. He wrote two extant works:
lived in Egypt during the reign of Theodosius I Fabularum liber, a series of short mythological
(378-395). According to Suidas, he wrote com- legends with an introductory genealogy of
mentaries on Sophocles, Alcaeus and Homer, divinities; and Poeticon astronomicon libri IV.
and a work on places consecrated to the gods. It is the latter which contains the descriptions of
Photius ascribes to him a history on the foimda- constellations referred to by Agrippa in ch.
tion of the city of Alexandria and its antiquities XXVII, bk. II.
and calls him a dramatist. A work that carries
his name, the Hieroglyphics , in two books, pro- IAMBLICHUS: (4th century) According to his
fesses to be a translation from the Egyptian into biographer, Eunapius, this Neoplatonic philoso-
Greek by Philippus, about whom nothing is pher was born at Chalcis in Coele-Syria into a
known. Its genuineness has been questioned, wealthy and prominent family and studied phi-
and it has been assigned by some a date as late losophy first under Anatolius, then under Por-
as the 15th century-however, by intrinsic evi- phyry. He gathered together many disciples
dence , it seems to convey a living tradition of from diverse nations and lived with them at
 Biographical Dictionary / 809

Chalcis in fraternal brotherhood, perhaps in an he was already composing poems and was the
attempt to emulate the brotherhood of Pythago- first to popularize Arab poetic meters in
ras. By his contemporaries he was credited with Hebrew. His poetry is romantic in style and
miraculous powers, but lamblichus himself approach. The school men of the 12th century
denied this claim. knew him as A vicebron (also A vencebrol and
The Emperor Julian considered him the Avicebrol) through the Latin translation of his
intellectual equal of Plato and said that he would philosophical work, Fons vitae (Fountain of
give all the gold in Lydia for one epistle of life), which investigates the nature of created
lamblichus. Most of his writings have been lost. beings, the divine will and the intellect from the
What remains is five books of a greater work in perspective of Neoplatonism, while exhibiting
ten books on Pythagorean philosophy, the first Kabbalistic overtones. This work influenced the
book of which is a biography of Pythagoras; and philosophy of Duns Scotus.
On the Mysteries of the Egyptians, Chaldeans,
and Assyrians, which Proclus attributed to ION: (5th century BC) The rhapsodist, or singer
lamblichus and which is certainly of his school. of poems, of Ephesus (ancient town on the Gulf
Iamblichus died during the reign of Constan- of Kusada, eastern coast of Turkey). He was a
tine-according to Fabricius, before 333 AD. contemporary of Socrates, and Plato uses him
as a foil for the wit of the elder philosopher in
IARCHAS: Leader of the Brahmans of India, his dialogue of the same title.
who entertained Apollonius of Tyana on his
journey through that country and initiated him IRENAEUS: (2nd century AD) Bishop of
by the "waters of Tantalus." When first he gave Lyons, he was born around 130 at or near
audience to Apollonius, Iarchas was seated on a Smyrna in Asia Minor. Little is known of his
lofty throne madt? of black bronze decorated early life. In 177 he was a presbyter of the
with golden images. He proceeded to relate to church at Lyons. In that year or the next he trav-
Apollonius details of his family background and eled to Rome to plead for the Montanist sect,
incidents of his travels that he had gained and upon his return became bishop of Lyons.
through his power of occult foresight. He con- Gregory of Tours says that in a short time he
fided to Apollonius that in a previous life he had had converted all Lyons to Christianity (Histo-
been a king, and in the course of the sage's visit, ria Francorum 1.29). His moderation in dealing
performed various miracles such as driving out with various sects justified his name Eirenaios
a demon that possessed a man, restoring sight to (Peacemaker). His main work, Against the
the blind and mobility and use to the lame. Heresies , has survived intact in a Latin transla-
Before the departure of Apollonius, larchas tion from the original Greek. It was produced
gave him seven magic rings named after the around 180 and consists of five books. The first
seven planets, which Apollonius thereafter wore two describe and criticize heretical sects and the
one at a time variously on the corresponding last three set forth Irenaeus' views on true
days of the week. Christianity. Gregory of Tours described his
martyrdom under Septimius Severus (ruled
IAMBLICUS: See IAMBLICHUS. 193-211), but the date of his death is uncertain.

IBN GABIROL, SOLOMON BEN JUDAH: ISAAC OF HOLLAND: (early 15th century)
(?1021-?1O58) Jewish poet and philosopher An alchemist who worked with his son on the
born at Malaga, a town on the south coast of manufacture of enamels and artificial gems.
Spain. His parents died when he was a child. He Paracelsus attached value to his researches.
was supported by Samuel ha-Nagid (or Nagdi- Isaac wrote two books: De triplici ordine
lah), prime minister of Spain and patron of the elixiris et lapidis theoria and Opera mineralia
arts, with whom he frequently quarreled. At 16 Joannis Isaaci Hollandi , sive de lap ide philo-
810/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

sophico. The latter is said to be the more impor- JEROME: See HIERONYMUS.
tant, setting forth with illustrations the method
of changing base metal into Sol and Luna. JOACHIM OF FLORIS: (?1145-1202) He
was so called after the monastery of San
ISAAICK THE JEW: See ISAAC OF HOLLAND. Giovonni Fiore, of which he was abbot. While
It is also possible that, for "Isaac the Jew," visiting holy places in Constantinople as a
Agrippa intends Isaac Ben Solomon Israeli, a young man, his companions were killed by
medical writer and philosopher. plague. This impelled him to adopt a devout
and ascetic life as a monk. In 1177 .he was
JAMBLICHUS: See IAMBLICHUS. abbot of the monastery of Corazzo near Marti-
rano, but he left to found his own "ordo Floren-
JAMBLICUS: See IAMBLICHUS. sis" with the help and approval of Pope
Innocent III.
JANUARIUS, SAINT: (late 2nd century) Also He was an extreme ascetic and mystic by
called San Gennaro. The patron saint of Naples. nature who wrote a large number of propheti-
He is reputed to have been bishop of Benevento cal works proclaiming three ages of the world,
and to have suffered a martyr's death on Sep- that of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, the
tember 19, 309. During the persecution of Dio- latter due to begin in the year 1260. His real
cletian and Maximian he was cast into a furnace influence began after his death, when innumer-
by Timotheus, governor of Campania, but able commentators and followers of his works
emerged unhanned. Undaunted, Timotheus sprang up. They were called Spirituals and
threw him to the wild beasts in the arena. The proclaimed St. Francis as the initiator of
beasts fawned at the saint's feet. When the gov- Joachim' s Age of Spirit. In 1260 a council at
ernor again sentenced Januarius to death he was ArIes condemned Joachim's writings and his
struck blind. The mercy of the saint restored his followers, but his supporters persisted.
sight. However Timotheus was determined to Joachim was held in high regard by such men
see the end of this most resilient adversary and as Roger Bacon, Arnaldusde Villa Nova, and
had him beheaded by the sword. Dante.
Centuries later when the relics of the saint
were carried to Naples , Mount Vesuvius imme- JOVIANUS: See JOVINIANUS.
diately stopped erupting. Various other chann-
ing fables are related about Januarius, but he is JOVINIANUS: (late 4th century) Roman
best known for the miracle of the liquefaction of monk . All that is known about him is con-
his dried blood, preserved in two glass vessels in tained in St. Jerome's attack upon his hetero-
the church of Saint Gennaro, along with the dox opinions, Adversum lovinianum Libri II
head of the saint, which was donated by Charles (393), which says Jovinianus was living a
II, duke of Anjou, in 1036. I cannot resist repeat- pious and ascetic life at Rome in 388 when he
ing an amusing anecdote related by Brewer: underwent a heretical change of view and
became a sensualist and an Epicurean. He was
When Murat was king of Naples the blood
would not liquify; whereupon the French- condemned by a Roman synod under Bi shop
man planted two cannons opposite St. Gen- Siricius in 390, and later excommunicated at
naro and told the bishop he would blow the Milan. Writing in 406, Jerome said 10vinianus
church to pieces unless he performed the was no longer alive. The only crime of 10vini-
"miracle." The bishop protested it could
anus seems to have been his dislike of the
not be done; but seeing that Murat was in
earnest, he produced the liquefaction as fanatical asceticism of his century. He should
usual. (Brewer 1901, 184) not be confounded with the Roman emperor
of the same name , who died some four
JARCHUS BRACHMANUS: See IARCHAS. decades earlier.
 Biographical Dictionary / 811

JUDAS MACCABAEUS: (2nd century Be) JULIAN THE APOSTATE: (331-363 )

The first great leader of the Maccabaean revolt Roman emperor, the nephew of Constantine the
against the attempt by Antiochus IV, surnamed Great. He was born at Constantinople and trav-
Epiphanes, king of Syria (ruled 175-164 Be), to eled to Athens in 355, where he studied Greek
force Greek religion down the throats of the literature and philosophy. Later that same year
Jews. The revolt began in 168 Be when Mat- he was given the title Caesar by the Emperor
tathias, the father of Judas, refused to offer Constantius and sent to fight the Germans in
pagan sacrifice on the altar. Forced to flee into Gaul. He had great success and won the love of
the hills with his five sons, he soon drew a large his troops. At Paris in 360 they proclaimed him
band of rebels around him. When he died in 166 emperor.
Be, Judas took his place. Constantius marched against Julian in 361
Not thinking the Jewi sh revolt of any but died en route in Cilicia, leaving Julian
importance, Antiochus Epiphanes took an army undisputed leader of the Empire. He at once
into Persia to raise tax money, and ordered his proclaimed his apostasy from the Christian faith
second in command, Lysias, to subdue Judaea, and declared himself a pagan. Nonetheless, he
take its inhabitants for slaves and level tolerated Christianity with an even hand and
Jerusalem. There followed a stunning series of would perhaps not be so reviled by early Chris-
defeats for Lysias and his handpicked noble- tian writers if he had not allowed the Jews to
born generals. For example, in 165 Be Judas rebuild the temple at Jerusalem. In 362 he
defeated a force of 60,000 footmen and 5,000 crossed the Tigris to make war against Persia,
horsemen under the hapless Lysias with only but was fatally wounded by an arrow and died
10,000 rebels. on the battlefield.
Meanwhile, things were not going well for His writings include the Orations , the
Antiochus in Persia. He tried to loot a rich tem- Letters, a satire against the Caesars called The
ple of Diana in the city of Elymais. To his sur- Banquet, and a satire against Antioch called
prise the Persians resisted. When finally he Misopogon . His work Against the Christians
lifted his siege they pursued his retreating army is lost.
and decimated it. About this time the king got
word of events in Judaea. The double shock JUSTIN MARTYR: (? 114-? 165) This early
brought on an illness that killed him. Father of the Church was born in Flavia Neapo-
Antiochus V, called Eupator (ruled lis in Samaria (modem-day Nablus in Jordan) of
164-162 Be) ascended the throne while still a pagan parents and grew up with the study of
boy of nine, under the guardianship of Lysias, Greek philosophy. By his own account he
and immediately determined to attack Judaea underwent a kind of mystical conversion when,
and avenge his father 's humiliation. In this he while meditating by himself in a vacant field by
was more successful than Lysias and handed the sea one day, he looked around and discov-
Judas a rare defeat. The young king laid siege to ered a mysterious old man walking behind him.
the temple of Jerusalem, where Judas kept up a They began to talk philosophy, and the old man,
stout resistance. Running low on provisions, using a method of argument not unlike that of
however, the king made a peace with the rebels Socrates, convinced Justin that philosophical
and hastened away to defend his crown against knowledge was vain and that true knowledge
the pretender Philip, who had been one of his was to be gained through the prophets of Christ.
father ' s generals in Persia.
Judas died in battle against the superior When he had spoken these and many other
force of Bacchides, the general of Demetrius things, which there is no time for mention-
ing at present, he went away, bidding me
Soter who assumed power in 162 Be and ruth- attend to them; and I have not seen him
lessly put both Lysias and the ll-year-old Anti- since. But straightway a flame was kindled
ochus to the sword. in my soul; and a love of the prophets, and
812 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

of those men who are friends of Christ, A better stylist than theologian, his writings
possessed me; and whilst revolving his were attacked for containing unintentional
words in my mind, I found this philosophy
heresy. His major work is Divinatum institu-
alone to be safe and profitable. (Dia/ogue
of Justin with Trypho, a Jew 8 [Ante- tionum in seven books, an introduction to Chris-
Nicene Christian Library , 2:96]) tianity. He also wrote De opi/icio dei sive de
formatione hominis, a pre-Christian work
He retained his philosopher's cloak and demonstrating the providence of God from the
wandered about seeking converts to the Christ- adaptability and beauty of the human body; De
ian faith, staying a long while in Rome, where ira dei, a tract against Epicurianism; and De
he established his own school. The pagan mortibus persecutorum , in which are described
philosophers received him unfavorably, and his God 's judgments of those who persecuted the
disciple Tatian goes so far as to assert that one Church. This last was very popular, and served
of these, the Cynic philosopher Crescentius, as a model for many other writers.
was the one who brought the accusation against
Justin that resulted in his martyrdom. LAZARILLUS: SEE LAZZARELLI.
The most significant of his extant works
are his First and Second Apology, the Dialogue LAZZARELLI, LUDOVICO: (?1450-?1500) A
with Trypho and the Discourse and Hortatory poet from San Severino, near Naples, who
Address to the Greeks . became a disciple of the wandering magician
and prophet Giovanni Mercurio. He called
KIRAMIDES: See Kiranus . himself "Lodovicus Enoch Lazarellus Sep-
tempedanus, once a poet but now by new
KIRANUS: Or Cyranus, the supposed author rebirth the son of true wisdom" (Thorndike,
of a book that is mentioned as a source in the 6:44:438). In his Letter of Enoch he describes
first paragraph of The Book of Secrets and how his master Giovanni Mercurio rode on
appears to have been well known in ancient horseback through the streets of Rome on April
times. Thorndike describes it as "a book of II, 1484, wearing a crown of thorns , and how
uncertain date and authorship, usually called the Giovanni was later examined before the college
Kiranides of Kiranus, King of Persia" (Thorn- of cardinals.
dike 1929, 2:46:229). The book appeared in Lazzarelli studied alchemy under John
English translation in 1685 under the title The Richard de Branchiis of Burgundy, who began
Magick of Kirani King of Persia , and of Har- to instruct him in 1495. His Tractatus de
pocration. alchimia contains his own treatise on alchemy,
an alchemical sonnet, a secret recipe for the
LACT ANTIUS, LUCIUS COELIUS FIRMI- elixir invented by his teacher John Richard in
ANUS: (lived 300 AD) There is much confusion 1494 at Sienna, a treatise by Raymond Lull and
in manuscripts over the true form of his name. various chemical tables. He is best remembered
Coecilius is often given in place of Coelius, and for his Crater Hermetis , a dialogue of mystical
the last two names are frequently inverted. A rebirth that was edited and published by
Father of the Church, born in Africa (or perhaps Jacques Lafevre d'Etaples at Paris in 1505
Italy at Firmum) around 260, he studied in together with the Pimander and Asclepius . The
Africa under Arnobius and taught rhetoric at Crater was reprinted in 1522, and in French
Sicca, where his fame became so great he was translation in 1557.
invited by Diocletian to settle at Nicomedia. The dates of birth and death given above
About the start of the 4th century he became a come from Francisco Lancillotti, writing in
Christian and was invited by Constantine to 1765, and should be regarded only as approx i-
Treves in Gaul around 310 to tutor his son, Cris- mations. It appears Lazzarelli may have lived
pus. He died around 330 or 340 at Treves. some years into the following century.
 Biographical Dictionary / 813

LINUS: The mythic personification of a type of thereby demonstrating that he was not com-
Greek dirge, or song of lamentation, mentioned pletely devoid of religious feeling .
by Homer. Of Semitic origin, the name derives
from the words ai lanu (woe to us). Various sto- LIVIUS ANDRONICUS: (?284-?204 BC) The
ries grew up around the name. earliest Roman poet and dramatist was by birth
Linus was said to be a beautiful youth, sim- a Greek of Tarentum. When the Romans cap-
ilar in type to Hyacinthus and Adonis, fond of tured his city in 272 BC he was carried to Rome
rural life, the secret child of a muse (Calliope, a slave and entered into the household of M.
Psamathe or Chalciope) and Apollo, who was Livius Salinator, from whom he gained the
exposed to die, was nourished by sheep, and Latin portion of his name. Later he gained a liv-
finally tom apart by dogs. Pausanius relates this ing by teaching Greek and Latin, having per-
legend without naming the child in his Guide to fected his second tongue, and by translating
Greece l.43.5. A little farther on in the same Greek works such as the Odyssey. When he pro-
work he gives another version, this time naming duced a Greek play in Latin in the year 240 BC,
the hero: "The legend is that Linos is the son of it changed the course of Roman drama, effec-
Urania and Amphimaros, son of Poseidon, and tively killing the form that was native to Rome.
the most glorious musician of his own or any He continued to produce Greek plays and to act
earlier age, but Apollo murdered Linos for in them, for 30 years. Cicero and Horace had no
rivalling his singing" (ibid. 9.29.3 [Levi, very high opinion of his talents, and he seems to
1:369]). Another legend relates that Linos was have lacked originality. However, he set the
the music teacher of Herakles and was killed by pattern for Plautus, Ennius and all other Latin
his pupil when Linos rebuked him. This is men- writers of comedies and tragedies, insuring that
tioned by Pausanius (9.29.3) and also by Apol- Roman drama would never be more than a pale
lodorus (Bibliotheca 2.4.9). shadow of the Greek.
Linus was said to have been the inventor of
musical methods, the composer of prophecies LIVIUS, TITUS: (59 Bc-17 AD) Better known
and legends, and to have adapted the Phoeni- as Livy, this Roman historian was born at
cian letters introduced by Cadmus to the Greek Patavium (present-day Padua). He spent most
language. He may generally be regarded as one of his life at Rome, where his literary talent
of the many dying gods of vegetation. secured him the patronage of the Emperor
Augustus. It was Livy who induced the
LIVIA DRUSILLA: (?57 Bc-29 AD) She was Emperor Claudius to try his hand at historical
a woman of great beauty and political acumen. writing. Livy married and fathered at least two
She married Tiberius Claudius Nero and had children, a son and a daughter. Toward the end
two sons by him, the future emperor Tiberius of his life he returned to Patavium, where he
and Drusus, with whom she was six months died. During his lifetime he enjoyed consider-
pregnant when she divorced her first husband to able political power at court and great personal
marry Caesar Augustus in 38 BC. She is reputed fame, but the only work of his that has survived
to have 'poisoned two grandsons of Augustus to is his History of Rome. which Livy himself
clear the way for Tiberius-and even to have called the Annales. in 142 books extending
dispatched Augustus himself. When Tiberius from the foundation of the city of Rome to the
became emperor she tried to control the govern- death of Drusus in 9 Be. Thirty-five books have
ment but found her son stronger of will than she survived intact; all but two of the others are rep-
had calculated. He drove her from public affairs resented by reliable epitomes.
and exhibited a cold hatred toward her. When
she lay on her deathbed he would not visit her, LOMBARD, PETER: (?I lOO-?1 160) Better
took no part in her funeral rites and forbad her known in the Middle Ages as Magister Senten-
consecration when the senate proposed it, tiarum (Master of the Sentences). He was born
814 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

in Novara of obscure parents and educated at symbols and was strongly influenced by another
Bologna. Traveling to France with only a letter Leonardo-Leonardo of Pisa, an Italian mathe-
of recommendation, he eventually established matician who lived some three centuries earlier.
himself as a teacher in Paris and got a chair of Paciolus also wrote a treatise on accounting,
theology in the cathedral school of St. Victor. In published at Venice in 1495.
1159 he became bishop of Paris, and probably
continued in this post until his death, although LUCRETIUS, CARUS: (?95-?51 BC) Roman
there is some question as to his removal on a poet, the author of On the Nature of Things,
charge of simony-the selling of spiritual published around 56 BC, in which he derides
things, such as indulgences. superstition and expounds on the natural world.
His great work Sententiarum libri quatuor Not much is known of his life. According to an
is a collection of the opinions of the Church account in the additions made by St. Jerome to
Fathers. The first book treats of God; the second the Eusebian Chronicle, he was driven mad by
of the created universe; the third of the incarna- a love potion and composed the poem during
tion, work of redemption, and virtues; and the his lucid periods, committing suicide in his 44th
fourth of the seven sacraments and eschatology. year. However, this story may be a libel.
It was extraordinarily popular and became the
standard theological school text, giving rise to LULLIE: See LULLY.
numerous commentaries-more than 180 in
England alone. LULLY, RAYMOND: (?1235-1315) Also
called Ramon Lull, or Raimond Lulie, or Ray-
LUCANUS, M. ANNAEUS: (39-65) Better mund Lull. Born at Palma on Majorca, this
known as Lucan, this Roman poet was born in Christian visionary led the life of a courtier,
Corduba (now Cordova) in Spain. He traveled wrote love poetry and generally lived what he
to Rome at an early age and studied under the later termed a dissipated life on the wealth
best teachers, soon displaying precocious talent inherited from his father until in 1266 he five
that awakened the jealousy of Nero, who forbad times received a vision of Christ crucified. Con-
him to recite his poetry. Lucan first plotted verted, he devoted himself for nine years to the
against the Emperor, then basely turned study of Arabic and mystical subjects generally
informer on promise of pardon and denounced so that he could fulfill the grand scheme he had
his own mother along with the others of the conceived of converting the Moslems and res-
conspiracy. Nero proved that he was equally cuing the holy sepulcher. In fear for his sanity
base by ordering Lucan's death in betrayal of his wife had his estate entrusted to the adminis-
his word. The only extant work of this poet is tration of an official.
the Pharsalia, which describes the struggle After serving as a professor of Arabic and
between Caesar and Pompey in ten books. It is philosophy, and writing and arguing about his
unfinished. ideas in Majorca and later at Paris, in 1291 he
finally sailed to Tunis, where he preached
LUCAS PACIOLUS: (late 15th century) Also Christianity for a year before being imprisoned
known as Lucas de Burgo, an Italian Minorite and expelled. For a long time he contented him-
friar and mathematician who was a close friend self with pursuing various projects in Europe,
of Leonardo da Vinci, and traveled with him in such as establishing missionary colleges and the
1499 from Milan to Venice, where they occu- teaching of Oriental languages at the universi-
pied themselves with mathematical studies ties, but had limited success. In 1305 he went to
before moving on to Florence. Paciolus' princi- Bougie in Africa to preach and again was
pal work is Summa de arithmetica geometria imprisoned for six months. After his release his
proportioni et proportionalita, published in persistence began to bear fruit. Some of his pro-
1494. It is noteworthy for its systematic use of posals were adopted, at least in principle, at the
 Biographical Dictionary / 815

Council at Vienna in 1311. By this time an old covery and free thought that pervaded the city.
man, Lully sailed once more to Bougie to con- When in 1148 Cordova was captured by a more
vert the Moslems, apparently determined to die fanatical and intolerant sect of Islam, the perse-
the death of a martyr. In this he was successful. cutions began, and after ten years of hardship
The citizens of Bougie stoned him to death out- Maimonides took his family to Fez.
side the city walls on June 29, 1315. He left The Fez period (1160--1165) marked the
numerous mystical, philosophical and literary beginning of his literary activities. His strong
works, but the treatises on alchemy attributed to views against Jewish assimilation began to
him are regarded as spurious. attract unfriendly notice. In 1165 he prudently
left Fez and settled in Cairo, where he attained
LYCOPHRON: (born c. 320 BC) Greek poet great prominence at court and within the Jewish
and grammarian born at Chalcis in Euboea, the community. Disciples flocked to him, and he
son of Soc\es, he was adopted later by Lycus of was consulted for his wisdom. The shipwreck
Rhegium and as a young man spent consider- of his brother David, along with the loss of a
able time with the philosopher Menedemus. consignment of gems intended for trade, ended
Ptolemy Philadelphus entrusted him with the family fortune, and Maimonides was com-
arranging the comedies collected for the library pelled to earn his living as a physician. Such
at Alexandria around 285-83 BC. Ovid says he was his success that he was able to refuse the
was killed by an arrow (Ibis lines 529-30). He request of Richard I that he become court physi-
wrote 20 tragedies, all lost, and a treatise On cian in England.
Comedy, also lost, but is remembered for an His later life was made happy by marriage
extant poem of 1,474 lines called Alexandra (or and the birth of a son, Abraham (in 1186). In
Cassandra), which is filled with arcane lore and these final years he sought to avoid controversy
earned the poet the surname "The Obscure." and wrote without ceasing. It was said of him,
"From Moses unto Moses there arose not one
MACROBIUS, AMBROSIUS AURELIUS like Moses," attesting to the veneration in
THEODOSIUS: (late 4th century) Greek which he was held. His great work is the Moreh
grammarian. His Saturnalia is a series of dis- nebuhim (Guide for the perplexed), written in
cussions supposedly held during the Saturnalia. 1190. He also wrote numerous other works and
It is in seven books and contains much curious commentaries.
lore. He also wrote Commentarius ex Cicerone
in somnium Scipionis, a commentary on a MARCELLUS, M. CLAUDIUS (?268-208
dream of Scipio related by Cicero in his De BC) Called the Sword of Rome because he gave
republica, in which Macrobius talks about the Hannibal his first setback, Marcellus was five
constitution of the universe according to the times consul. He is best remembered for his suc-
Neoplatonists. It was very popular in the Mid- cessful siege of Syracuse, where he overcame the
dle Ages. mechanical ingenuity of Archimedes with typical
Roman brute force and a prolonged blockade.
MAGNUS: See ALBERTUS. After slaying him in battle, Hannibal gave the
Roman general a funeral with full honors.
MAIMONIDES, MOSES: (1135-1204) Rabbi
Moses ben Maimon, also called Rambam by an MARCUS THE VALENTINIAN: (2nd cen-
extraction of letters from his name, a Jewish tury AD) Also called Marcus the Gnostic, a native
philosopher born in Cordova, which was at that of south Gaul who exerted a wide influence
time enjoying the last glow of science, philoso- extending into Asia Minor. Iranaeus (Against
phy and art cultivated by its Arab rulers. He was Heresies 1.7.2) calls him a magician because he
taught Hebrew and Jewish scholarship by his filled the Eucharist cups with water and with
father, and benefited from the climate of dis- incantations caused them to appear purple and
816 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

red as though dyed with the blood of Christ. He fled, and leaving his sword in the place,
also says that initiates into the mysteries, of Mar- rushed out of doors, crying only this, " I
cannot kill Caius Marius." At which they
cus underwent a spiritual marriage in a specially
were all at first astonished, and presently
constructed bridal chamber, where with certain began to feel pity, and remorse, and anger
invocations they were united with God "accord- at themselves for making so unjust and
ing to the likeness of the unions above." ungrateful a decree against one who had
preserved Italy, and whom it was bad
enough not to assist. ("Caius Marius." In
MARGARET of AUSTRIA: (1480-1530) Lives [Dryden, 519])
She was born at Brussels, the daughter of the
archduke Maximilian of Austria, afterwards Marius fled to Carthage and eventually was
Emperor Maximilian I, who betrothed her at the able to return briefly to power in Rome.
age of two years to the son of Louis XI, who
later became Charles VIII. The French king MARTIANUS MINNEUS FELIX
threw her over in 1489, and her father began to CAPELLA: (early 5th century) Latin writer
hunt for another match. In 1497 she married who was a native of Madaura in Africa. He
John , heir to the throne of Castile and Aragon, appears to have been wealthy and to have prac-
but he died a few months later. Undaunted, she ticed law at Carthage. His Satyricon, or De nup-
became the wife of Philibert II, Duke of Savoy, tiis Philologiae et Mercurii et de septem artibus
in 1501. He also died after only three years. In liberalibus libri novum, is a curious kind of
1507 Maximilian appointed her the guardian of allegorical encyclopedia in nine books in a mix-
her nephew, Charles, later to become Emperor ture of prose and verse. The first two books tell
Charles V. She became regent of the Nether- of the marriage between Mercury and the
lands in the same year and governed with great nymph Philologia, and the latter seven treat of
skill and prudence until her death. the seven liberal arts: grammar, dialectics,
It was Margaret who obtained for Agrippa rhetoric, geometry, arithmetic, astronomy and
the post of archivist and historiographer to the music. Each art is personified as a courtier of
Emperor Charles V in 1528, earning the loyalty Mercury and Philologia. This work was very
he expresses in his letter to Hermann ofWeid at popular during the Middle Ages.
the beginning of the Second Book. Her death
severely limited his influence at court. MATERNUS, JULIUS FIRMICUS (4th cen-
tury AD) Astrologer born in Sicily, probably at
MARIUS, C. GAlUS: (155-86 BC) Seven Syracuse, into a prosperous and socially rising
times consul of Rome, he distinguished himself family. Here he received the education of a gen-
by his skill in warfare and his great cruelty. tleman and gained a knowledge of Greek litera-
Political conflict forced him to flee Rome under ture that he later drew upon in his writings. By
sentence of death in 88 BC. He was captured in his own account he served as a lawyer and hated
the marsh near Minturnae in Latium (near the it so much that he finally abandoned the profes-
present-day town of Minturno) and his execu- sion, calling it, "the occupation of stealing, or
tion ordered by the magistrates. A Gaulish (or rather of banditry" (Matheseos 4.3 [Bram, 117]).
Cimbrian) soldier was ordered to perform the He is remembered for two works, the Matheseos
deed. The story is best told by Plutarch: libri VIII (c. 334), the last and most complete
treatise on astrology that has survived from the
The room itself was not very light, that part ancient world, and De errore profanarum reli-
of it especially where he then lay was dark, gionum (c. 346), an attack upon the mystery reli-
from whence Marius's eyes, they say,
gions from the Christian point of view. This
seemed to the fellow to dart out flames at
him, and a loud voice to say, out of the suggests that Maternus underwent a conversion
dark, "Fellow, darest thou kill Caius Mar- during the decade spanning the two works, if
ius?" The barbarian hereupon immediately they are indeed written by the same hand.
 Biographical Dictionary / 817

MAXIMILIAN I: (1459-1519) Gennan young and reared them. One night while he lay
emperor, the son of the Emperor Frederick III asleep the serpents came to him and licked out
and Leonora, daughter of Edward, king of Por- his ears, after which he found that he could
tugal. In 1477 he married Mary, daughter of understand the language of birds. The name is
Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, and carried by two extant Greek works, Divinatio ex
embroiled himself in the defense of her lands palpitatione and De naevis oleaceis in corpore,
from the French. This had a successful outcome believed to have been written by a resident of
in 1479, but the death of Mary in 1482 weak- Alexandria in the 3rd century BC.
ened his position and exacerbated his troubles in
the Netherlands, which resented his authority. In METHODIUS, SAINT: (?825-885) Monk
1485 he was chosen King of the Romans (i.e. native to Thessalonica. He traveled with his
Gennan king). Marriage to Bianca Maria Sforza brother Cyril to Christianize the peoples of
in 1494 brought him much needed funds to fuel Moravia at the request of King Rastislav around
his continual petty wars and grand schemes, 863. The two established a seminary and
such as driving the Turks from Europe. preached in the vernacular Slavonic with the
In 1505 he reached the height of his power approval of Pope John III, causing discord
and cast his eyes on the title of emperor, but it among the clergy. The brothers ' sainthood is
was not until 1508 that he set out for Rome to celebrated together by the Roman Church on
be crowned. When Venice refused to let him March 9.
pass, he declared himself Roman Emperor
Elect, and this move was supported by Pope MILO: Titus Annius Milo Papinianus (I st cen-
Julius II. Inevitably a war with Venice fol- tury BC). He joined in a political revolt against
lowed. It was not successful. Maximilian had a Caesar and was killed in 48 BC in a battle near
falling out with Julius soon after and seriously Thurii in Lucania, a region of southern Italy.
r
considered making himself pope. Nothing came
of this notion, but it illustrates his mind. His life MITHRADATES VI: (131--64 BC) King of
was filled with hastily conceived and poorly Pontus, surnamed the Great. He came to the
executed military and political endeavors. Rash throne in 120 BC at age eleven and immediately
rather than stupid, he could speak six languages had to take strenuous measures to prevent him-
and converse with understanding in the arts and self from being poisoned or otherwise assassi-
sciences. He wrote books, some of which were nated by his mother. He is said to have
illustrated by Albrecht Di.irer, but none have accustomed himself to the use of antidotes.
singular merit. Finally forced to flee into the mountains, he
returned in III BC to claim his crown, throwing
MECHTHILD OF MAGDEBURG: (l207- his mother into prison and executing his
1294) Gennan saint who wrote a book called younger brother.
Das Fliessende Licht der Gottheit, a mystical He proceeded to mount three wars against
work based on the teachings of Joachim of Rome, with remarkable success. Suffering set-
Floris. backs against the masterly war skill of Pompey
in 66 BC, he was finally brought down by the
MECHTINDIS: See MEcHTHILD. treachery of his troops and allies. He tried to
poison himself in 64 BC, but was so inured to all
MELAMPUS: The first mortal endowed with popular poisons his body refused to die. In frus-
prophetic powers, the first physician, and the one tration he was forced to order a Gallic merce-
credited with establishing the worship of Diony- nary to dispatch him with a sword.
sus in Greece. In front of his house grew an oak Many stories grew up around him. He was
tree containing a nest of serpents. When the renowned for his love of art and learning, his
elders were killed, Melampus took pity on the mastery of 22 languages, his great strength and
818 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

martial kill, his practice of magic, his invulner- 360-343 Be, having assumed power during a
ability to poison and his vast capacity for food military revolt against his predecessor, Teos,
and drink. It was perhaps inevitable that books during an expedition against Persia that relied
dealing with natural magic be attributed to him. on the skill of a force of Greek mercenaries.
Nectanebus did not take advantage of his oppor-
MITHRIDITES: See MITHRADATES. tunities , and when the Persian king Artaxerxes
III Ochus subdued Egypt in 343 Be, Nectanebus
MOSES THE EGYPTIAN: See MAIMONIDES . fled, first to Memphis, and from there to
Ethiopia.
MUSEUS: Semi-mythical Greek poet and Here the historical record of the king ends,
prophet who lived in the time of Hercules at but it is carried on in legend by the Life of
Eleusis, where he presided over the mystic rites Alexander of pseudo-Callisthenes, first written
of Demeter. He was said to be the son of around 200 AD. According to thi s romance,
Orpheus, and his disciple, and to have origi- Nectanebus was a great magician who ruled all
nated religious poetry in Attica. The most other kings through the use of sympathetic
famous of the writings attributed to Museus is magic. He made tiny figures of soldiers and war-
the Oracles, which were consulted by the ships to represent his armies and those of the
ancients. Herodotus mentions them three times foe, then recited words of power and caused his
and tells the story of the "oracle-monger" Ono- models to overcome the models of his enemies.
macritus: When through his magic he saw that the tide of
fate had turned against him and that the gods of
"... who set forth the prophecies of Egypt favored his foes, he shaved off his hair
Musaeus in their order. . .. He was ban- and beard and fled to Pella in Macedonia, where
ished from Athens by Hipparchus, the son
he made a living as a physician and soothsayer.
of Pisistratus, because he foisted into the
writings of Musaeus a prophecy that the When Olympias, the wife of King Philip of
islands which lie off Lemnos would one Macedon, was ready to give birth to Alexander
day disappear in · the sea. Lasus of the Great, Nectanebus delayed her until the
Hermione caught him in the act of so astrological aspects were more favorable.
doing. For this cause Hipparchus banished
him, though till then they had been the
closest of friends. (History 7 [Rawlinson, NICOCREON: (4th century Be) King of
356--7]. See also 8 [Rawlinson, 460] and 9 Salamis, in Cyprus, during the period of Alexan-
[Rawlinson, 495]) der the Great's Asian campaign (330 Be). After
the death of Alexander he helped Ptolemy
Pausanias makes a brief mention of him in against Antigonus, and as a reward Ptolemy
a geographical context: "The Museum is a small gave him command over all Cyprus. He is said
hill opposite the Akropolis, inside the ancient by Cicero to have executed the philosopher
ring-wall, where they say Mousaios used to sing Anaxarchus by pounding him to death in a great
and died of old age and was buried ... " (Guide stone mortar to revenge an insult the latter had
to Greece 1.25.6 [Levi, 1:72-3]). Museus is given him while the philosopher enjoyed the
also credited with having written purificatory protection of Alexander.
hymns, prose treatises, a Titanomachia con-
cerning the war of the Titans, and a Theogonia NICOMACHUS: (1st century) This Pythag-
on the genealogy of the gods. orean philosopher was called Gerasenus after
the place of his birth , Gerasa in Arabia Petraea.
NECTANEBUS II: (4th century Be) Also Nothing is known about him personally. He
known as Nekhtnebf, the last native sovereign wrote a life of Pythagoras and a mystical trea-
of Egypt and last king of the 30th Dynasty listed tise on the dec ad, both lost. Two of his works
by Manetho in his History of Egypt. He ruled have survived: Introduction fa Arithmetic, a
 Biographical Dictionary / 819

metaphysical account of the theory and propor- ORPHEUS: A mythic figure, the first poet of
tions of numbers that was used as a schoolbook the Greeks, said to be the son of Oeagrus, King
down to the Renaissance; and Manual of Har- of Thrace, and the muse Calliope. His master
mony, which represents the oldest authority of was the god Apollo. Many ancients considered
the Pythagorean theory of music. him an historical figure , but Aristotle was of the
opinion that he never existed. The collection of
NUMA POMPILIUS: (late 8th century Be) poems that goes under his name represents the
The second king of Rome, whom Livy says forgeries of Christian grammarians and Alexan-
reigned from 71 ~73 Be. drian philosophers; however, some of the frag-
ments are older and perhaps predate Plato.
NUMENIUS OF APAMEA: (2nd century AD) Orpheus is best known as the author of a fourth-
Greek philosopher of Apamea in Syria who was century poem of 770 lines titled Uthica (Greek:
a forerunner of the Neoplatonists. He followed lith as stone), the narrator of which, one Theo-
the teachings of Pythagoras and Plato, whom he damas, describes the magical uses of 30 differ-
called an "Atticizing Moses," and was strongly ent gems to the author, whom he meets while
influenced by the Valentinian gnostics and the Orpheus is on his way to sacrifice at the altar of
Jewish-Alexandrian philosophers. Proclus in his the Sun.
Commentary on Plato's Timaeus says that
Numenius believed in a trinity of gods that he ORUS APOLLO: See HORAPOLLO.
named "father, "maker" and "that which is
made." The first is pure intelligence, the second OSTANES: (3rd century) Called Ostanes the
is the creator of the world (shakti) and the third Mede, he was an alchemist supposed to have
is the world. Hi s object was to syncretize the been the master of the pseudo-Democritus who
occult teachings of the Brahmans, Jews, Magi wrote the alchemical work Physica et mystica.
and Egyptians. Many fragments of his writings The name Ostanes is attached to a work that
are preserved in the Prceparatio evangelica of treats of a divine matter that cures all maladies
Eusebius. -an early reference to the elixir of life. Saint
Cyprian calls Ostanes the "chief' of the magi.
ORIGEN: {I 86-?254) This Father of the The name occurs in the writings of Tertullian
Christian Church was born at Alexandria and and Augustine, as well as in the Leiden Papyrus.
carefully educated by his father, who was a
devout Christian. Later he studied under OSTHANES: See OSTANES.
Clement of Alexandria and became a teacher of
grammar to feed and clothe himself. His life PARISIENSIS: See WILLIAM OF PARIS.
was harshly ascetic. When he aroused the ire of
the bishop with hi s unorthodox opinions, he PATRIARCHA, NICEPHORUS: (died 828)
was forced to leave Egypt and ultimately was He was a secretary of state to the Emperor Con-
excommunicated. He settled in Palestine, where stantine V Copronymus. He entered a monastery
he taught. Gregory Thaumaturgus was one of and later rose to the patriarchate of Constantino-
his pupils, and left in his Panegyric an account ple, in 806. He wrote a Byzantine History.
of his teaching style and a portrait of Origen the
man. Origen was highly skilled in Hebrew, as PAUL THE HERMIT: (229-342) The first
evidenced in his Hexapla, a commentary on the hermit of the Church, who lived deep in a cave
Old Testament and comparison of six versions in the Lower Thebaid, Egypt. As the story goes,
of the text. Unfortunately only fragments of this when Saint Antony was 90 years old, he had a
work survive. His most important work is De mystical vision informing him that he was not
principiis, which has survived in a defective the only hermit, as he had believed, but that
Latin version of Rufinus. another lived who was both older and more holy
820/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

than himself. Taking his staff" Antony set out to composed at the urging of the Princess
find this pious man. He walked for three days Adelperga. In addition he compiled a collection
and received directions successively from a hip- of homilies (Homiiaril!m) at the request of
pocentaur, a satyr and a wolf that led him to the Charlemagne, wrote many letters, poems, epi-
depths of a cave. Here lay Paul the Eremite grams and a history of the bishops of Metz.
dying under the weight of his 113 years.
While they talked a crow came with a loaf PAUSANIAS: (2nd century AD) Greek geogra-
of bread. Paul revealed that he had been fed by pher who was a native of Lydia. He traveled
the bird for the last 60 years. Knowing that he over a large portion of the ancient world and
was about to die and not wishing Antony to see wrote an account of what he had seen in the
his death, Paul sent the younger man away to Peloponnesus and northern Greece. It is
fetch the cloak of Athenasius from a nearby remarkable in that Pausanius actually visited
convent where it was preserved. On his return and viewed the places and things he writes
Antony saw the soul of Paul borne into the about rather than merely copying descriptions
heavens by angels and found the body of the from older authors. In addition he gives much
saint kneeling in a position of prayer. He was curious lore concerning fountains, rivers, moun-
too weak with age and fasting to dig a grave, tains and temples, and relates folk legends of
but this lack was supplied by God, who sent two places with serious religious feeling. It was his
lions to bury Paul. After their work, Antony description of the Lion gate and circuit wall of
blessed them, and the lions went away with the Acropolis at Mycenae (2.16.4) that led to
heads bowed in mourning. This charming story the discovery of that lost city by the archaeolo-
is told by Saint Jerome in his Life of Paul, the gist Heinrich Schliemann. Written in ten books
First Hermit of Egypt, written around 375. during the reign of Marcus Aurelius, the
Description of Greece has been called the "clue
PAULINUS, MEROPIUS PONTIUS ANI- to the labyrinth" of the ruins of Greece.
CIUS: (?353-?431) Also called Paulinus
Nolanus, bishop of Nola. He was born at Burdi- PETER THE CRUEL: (1333-1369) King of
gala (Bordeaux), or perhaps at a nearby town he Castile, son of Alphonso XI and Maria, daugh-
names Embromagum. His family was promi- ter of Alphonso IV of Portugal. He came to the
nent and well off, allowing him the benefit of an throne at age 16 while still under the thumb of
excellent education. One of his tutors was the his mother. At her coercion and that of the
poet Ausonius (see biographical note). After a nobles who backed her, he reluctantly married
life of secular pursuits and honors he retired Blanche of Bourbon in 1354, but almost at once
from the world and was made bishop of Nola in deserted his wife in favor of a series of mis-
409. His work include the Epistolae, a collec- tresses. It is to this time that the story of the gir-
tion of 51 letters. dle belongs. The story probably comes from the
Chronicle of Lopez de Ayala, who had fought
PAULUS DIACONUS: (?725-797) Also called against Peter and had a low opinion of him.
Paulus Lev ita, Paulus Warnefridi and Paulus Peter had his wife imprisoned and murdered.
Casinensis. Born of a noble Lombard family at In 1356 he gained full political power and
Friuli in Italy, as a young man he was secretary began to rule with an iron hand, confiding in no
to the Lombard king Desiderius and educated the one except the Jews he employed as tax gather-
king's daughter Adelperga. Later (781) he ers and the Mohammedans who acted as his
became a monk at Monte Cassino, where he personal guard. His enemies he murdered. Sin-
gained the notice and admiration of Charle- gularly inept and cowardly at warfare, his
magne. He played a major part in the Carolingian power was for a short time propped up by the
renaissance. His major works are Historia gentis Black Prince, but when this ally left him in dis-
Langobardorum and Historia Romano, the latter gust, he was easily overthrown by his own
 Biographical Dictionary / 821

brother, Henry, who appropriately enough mur- PHALARIS: (6th century Be) Ruler and native
dered him in the field tent of Bertrand du of Agrigentum in Sicily. He appears to have
Guesclin on March 23, 1369. held high office in his city, and from this van-
tage to have raised himself to a position of
PETILLIUS, L: (2nd century Be) In 181 Be absolute authority. His rule (570-554 Be) was
the books of King Numa, the fabled second proverbial for cruelty even in ancient times:
king of Rome who established the forms and "Phalaris, ruthless in spirit, who burned his vic-
ceremonies of the Roman religion, were sup- tims in his brazen bull, is whelmed for ever by a
posedly dug up on the estate of one L. Petil- hateful infamy, and no lyres beneath the roof-
lius, who turned them over to Q. Petillius tree welcome him as a theme to be softly
Spurinus, then praetor. Q Petellius Spurinus blended with the warbled songs of boys" (Pin-
examined them and found that they consisted dar Pythian Odes 1, line 96, trans. John Sandys
of 12 (or seven) Latin books of ecclesiastical [London: William Heinemann, 1915], 167).
law and the same number of Greek books on He is best remembered for the bronze bull
philosophy. He convinced the senate that the in which he tortured and killed his victims,
Greek works should be burned unread. The beginning with the unfortunate inventor of the
Latin books were preserved. The whole story bull, Perillus: "Phalaris, too, burnt in the bull
of the finding of the books is said to be a the limbs of the cruel Perillus; the unhappy
forgery . In 176 Q. Petillius Spurinus fell in inventor was the first to make proof of his
battle against the Ligurians. work" (Ovid Ars Amatoria I, line 654 [Riley,
403]). The tyrant was killed in a popular upris-
PETRUS DE APONO: (1250-1316) Better ing of his own people.
known as Pietro d' Abano, or in its Anglicized
form, Peter of Abano. Born near Padua, Italy, PHERECYDES: (6th century Be) Greek
he studied philosophy and medicine at Paris, philosopher and theologian of Syros, an island
where he taught at the University and was in the Aegean. He was reputed to have studied
regarded as a "second Aristotle." Returning to the secret books of the Phoenicians and traveled
Padua to settle, he gained renown as a physi- in Egypt. With his occult knowledge he became
cian . His fondness for astrology caused him to the teacher of Pythagoras (Iamblichus Life of
be charged with the practice of magic, and he Pythagoras 2) and was perhaps responsible for
was accused of manufacturing money from the latter's belief in the immortality and trans-
the air and possessing the Philosopher's migration of souls. One of his works which sets
Stone. The first time he was brought before forth his views was extant during the Alexan-
the Inquisition he was acquitted, but the sec- drian period. He died of morbus pediculosus
ond time was convicted posthumously, having (lice). He should not be confused with the 5th-
died during the trial. century-Be prose historian Pherecydes of
In his writings he presents the systems of Athens, which is perhaps the error committed
Averroes and other Arabian philosophers and by Agrippa.
physicians. He was fabled to have learned the
seven liberal arts from seven spirits which he PHILO JUDAEUS: (early 1st century AD)
kept in crystal vessels. The Heptameron , or Jewish philosopher who was probably born in
Magical Elements , is a grimoire ascribed to him Alexandria, Egypt, around 15 Be, and lived in
that was well known in the Middle Ages. It is that city for the rest of his life. Little is known
said to have suggested to Boccaccio the name about him. Jerome says he came from a priestly
for his Decameron. The Abbot Trithemius, family of distinction. He had a brother, Alexan-
Agrippa's teacher, probably refers to it when he der, who was a chief tax collector, which sug-
speaks of a Clavicle made by Abano, in his gests that his family was powerful and wealthy.
Antipalus maleficiorum (c. 15(0). In 40 AD he traveled from Alexandria to Rome
822/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

at the head of a Jewish delegation to obtain PLATO: (427-347 Be) The Greek philosopher
exemption for the Jews from the necessity of was born at Athens, the son of Ariston, a descen-
worshiping the Emperor Caligula as a god. dent of Codrus. His mother, Perictione, was
Eusebius, Jerome and other Church Fathers say related to Solon by descent. Originally his name
that in the time of Claudius he met Saint Peter in was Aristocles, but due to the great breadth of
Rome, but there is no evidence of this meeting. his chest he came to be called Plato. He also had
The life work of Philo was an attempt to a high forehead and very broad shoulders. As a
reconcile the philosophy of the Greeks, which youth he competed successfully in the games as
he held in reverence, with the teachings in the a wrestler and spent the rest of his time writing
books of Moses, to which he was bound by faith poetry, which he is supposed to have burned the
and blood. He did this by writing commentaries fust time he heard Socrates speak.
on the scriptures, particularly the Pentateuch, When he was 20 Plato went to Socrates in
interpreting the Bible stories allegorically and the grove called Academus, where the elder
extracting from them philosophical precepts in philosopher taught his followers, and remained
harmony with Greek metaphysical speculation. with him until his death in 399 Be. Then he
A product of his times, he possessed perfect traveled widely, going to Egypt, Sicily and
Greek but very little Hebrew, and indeed was lower Italy, and by a less trustworthy account to
called by Clement of Alexandria a Pythagorean. Asia, where he conversed with the sages of the
He is the author of numerous extant works. Hebrews, Babylonians .and Persians. One story
relates that the elder Dionysius, tyrant of Sicily,
PICATRIX THE SPANIARD: Picatrix is the gave Plato into the hands of the Spartan ambas-
name of one the the most notorious grimoires of sador Pollis, who sold him as a slave into
the middle ages. It is a translation of an Arabic Aegina, but that he was given his liberty by
book called The Aim of the Sages attributed to Cyrenian Anniceris.
al-Maggriti (i.e., the man from Madrid), a Span- Returning to Athens around 389 Be, he
ish-Arab mathematician of the 12th century. It taught philosophy without payment in the gym-
was translated into Spanish for King Alfonso of nasium of the Academy and in his own garden
Castile in 1256, then later into Latin, after at Colonus. Soon he became the most influen-
which it circulated widely in manuscript. The tial teacher in Greece, numbering among his
Emperor Maximilian I (1459-1519) had a copy students Xenocrates of Chaicedon, Aristotle,
in his library. Heraclides, Lycurgus, Isocrates and many other
The Abbot Trithemius attributes the name great men. He also accepted women as his dis-
Picatrix to the writer of the work in his ciples. Twice he traveled to Sicily on political
Antipalus Maleficiorum, as does Rabelais in his missions to the younger Dionysius but had little
Pantagruel, and it seems that the book and its success as an ambassador. His Dialogues,
maker were always confounded. S. L. MacGre- which have survived intact, are a towering mon-
gor Mathers, in his introduction to The Sacred ument to his lifelong pursuit of a mystical, per-
Magic of Abramelin the Mage (Mathers 1975 fect Truth upon which to base human living.
[1900], xvi) refers to it as "Probably the same as He died with his pen in his hand, and willed
Gio Peccatrix the Magician, the author of many his garden to his school. It eventually descended
Manuscripts on Magic." Casanova, who liked to to the Neoplatonists, who celebrated Plato's
play at being a magician, had a copy of the birthday, and that of Socrates, with festivals.
Picatrix in his library.
The content of the book is Hermetic and PLINIUS CAECILIUS SECUNDUS, CAIUS:
Gnostic set within a complex spirit hierarchy. (61-113) Better known as Pliny the Junior, or
One of its most interesting elements is its attri- Pliny the Younger, he was the son of Pliny the
bution of anthropomorphic figures to the 36 Elder' s sister Plinia and C. Caecilius, and was
decans of the zodiac. born at Novum Comum (present-day Como).
 Biographical Dictionary / 823

When he was quite young his father died and was killed observing the eruption of Mount
his uncle became his guardian. The author of Vesuvius in 79 (see Pliny the Younger Epistles
the Natural History dedicated his nephew to the 6.16). Of his many works only his Historia nat-
study of letters from the first. At 14, young uralis survives, but it is his greatest achieve-
Pliny wrote a Greek tragedy. He studied elo- ment, comprising the full scope of the human
quence under Quintilian, and at 19 began to science of that age.
speak at the Forum. Soon he was appearing as
legal advocate before the senate and the court of PLOTINUS: (204-270) The greatest Neopla-
the Centumviri. While still young he served as a tonic philosopher was born of Roman parents at
military tribune in Syria. He was praetor in 93 Lycopolis in Egypt. He attended the lectures of
and consul in 100. Around 103 he became pro- Ammonius Saccas, the founder of the Neopla-
praetor of the province of Pontica, where he tonic school, at Alexandria until 242, when he
served two years. seized the opportunity to accompany the
He was wealthy and generous, possessing a Emperor Gordian III in his expedition against
kind, moderate nature, but sickly in body. Persia in order to study Persian and Indian phi-
Twice married, he had no children. Among his losophy. With his newfound knowledge he
friends he numbered Tacitus, Suetonius and established a successful school at Rome in 244,
Martial, and was himself known as one of the and soon had many eager pupils, among them
most learned men of his age. He is chiefly Porphyry, to whom he entrusted the editing of
remembered for his Letters, which he seems to his philosophical writings. Porphyry edited the
have written with an eye toward future publica- 54 books of Plot in us into six Enneads , or sets of
tion, especially those to the Emperor Trajan. nine books. After the death of Plotinus stories
Also extant is an extended speech in honor of grew up crediting him with divine inspiration
the Emperor, the Panegyric on Trajan . and the power to work miracles.

PLINIUS SECUNDUS, CAIUS: (723-79) PLUTARCHUS: (?46-?120) This Greek

Better known as Pliny the Elder, this natural writer of popular essays was born at Chaeronea
historian was born at Novum Comum (Como) in Boeotia (not far east of Mount Parnassus in
in northern Italy, where he later kept his estate. central Greece) into a loving and stable family
His father took him to Rome around 35 AD to be of four living generations. As a youth he
educated. Under the influence of Seneca he attended the school of the philosopher Ammo-
began practicing as an advocate. At age 23 he nius at Delphi, where he learned mathematics
served in Lower Germany as a cavalry officer and philosophy. While still a youth he was
and traveled widely throughout this region. He appointed by his city to negotiate disputed mat-
used what he learned to write a history of the ters with neighboring city states. He made his
Germanic wars in 20 books. way to Rome seeking fame and fortune and
Returning to Rome, he again took up as an probably delivered public lectures there on
advocate, with only moderate success, and philosophical questions. He himself writes that
appears · to have spent the greater period of he was so occupied with public business and
Nero's reign (54-68) in retirement on his estate, private talks on philosophy that he did not have
studying and writing. He read, or had books time to perfect his knowledge of Latin.
read to him, almost incessantly, and always He championed the doctrines of Plato and
made notes. After his death his son inherited attacked those of Epicurus with equal enthusi-
160 volumes of notes for the Natural History, asm. There seems reason to doubt the story of
closely written on both sides of the leaves. Suidas that he was elevated to the rank of con-
During the reign of Vespasian, Pliny sul by Trajan, and the medieval legend that he
returned to Rome and the service of the state, supervised the education of young Hadrian is
but his true occupation was always writing. He even more questionable. He seems to have lec-
824 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

tured at Rome during the reign of Domitian and on astronomy; Eridanus, a series of elegies; De
may have been driven out of the city when conjugali amore; De hortis Hesperidum, a
Domitian expelled all the philosophers in the didactic poem on orange trees; and a history of
year 89. At any rate he returned to his native the wars of Ferdinand I and John of Anjou.
Chaeronea, where he opened his own school.
He traveled widely throughout Greece but never PORPHYRIUS: See PORPHYRY.
went back to Rome. He held the post of archon
in his native town and was made a priest of PORPHYRY: (?233-?304) Born at Tyre, or
Apollo at Delphi in the year 95. perhaps Batanaea, in Syria, he studied grammar
We learn from his writings that he had at and rhetoric under Cassius Longinus. His origi-
least four sons by his wife Timoxena and at nal name was MaIchus (king), in allusion to
some point was initiated into the mysteries of which his teacher called him Porphyrius (clad in
Dionysus. Plutarch is remembered for his Par- purple), because purple was the royal color. In
allel Lives, 46 biographies of famous Greeks 262 he traveled to Rome and studied with Plot-
and Romans arranged in pairs for the purpose of inus so diligently that he injured his mental bal-
comparison. Some of the original biographies ance and began to dream of suicide as a way of
have been lost. He is also known for a collec- escaping the prison of the flesh.
tion of about 60 essays on a wide range of top- It took five years of quiet living in Sicily
ics generally given the title Moralia. Some of for him to recover his mental equilibrium.
these essays are regarded as spurious. The writ- Returning to Rome after the death of Plotinus,
ings of Plutarch are rich in the lore of religious he set about making the doctrine of his master
customs, superstitions and magic. more readily known. His most famous student
was lamblichus. Late in life Porphyry married a
POMPEIUS, MAGNUS: (106-48 Be) He widow with seven children. Nothing is known
began his military career in 89 Be under his concerning his death. His great work, Adversus
father Pompei us Strabo and upheld the cause of Christianos, has not survived. He also wrote
the aristocrats against the Marians, fighting with celebrated lives of Plotinus and Pythagoras, a
great success under Sulla. He became consul in tract on vegetarianism called De abstinentia and
71 Be and continued his military triumphs. numerous other works.
When alienated from the senate, he threw in his
lot with Caesar and formed with him and Cras- PROBA: See PROBUS.
sus the first triumvirate. It was inevitable that
such an ambitious man would eventually seek PROBUS, VALERIUS: (I st century) Of Bery-
the highest power. When Pompey and Caesar tus (now Beirut), a Roman grammarian who
met at Pharsalia to decide who should rule the wrote criticisms of classical authors by means
empire, Pompey was soundly defeated. He fled of marginal notes or signs. He published little,
to Egypt, where he was assassinated. but his lectures were partially preserved in the
notes of his pupils. The commentary on Virgil,
PONTANUS, JOVIANUS: (1426-1503) Ital- Scholia in Bucolica et Georgica, which bears
ian scholar and poet, born at Cerreto in Spoleto. his name, was likely written much later. How-
When still a boy, his father was murdered, ever, he is the author of De notis , a fragment
depriving him of his inheritance. Penniless, he from a longer work, since lost, that lists abbre-
made his way to Naples and soon ingratiated viations used in official and historical writings.
himself into the favor of Alphonso the Magnan-
imous, king of Aragon, who made Pontanus his PROCLUS: (412-485) Called Diadochus (the
counselor. He established an academy of Successor) because he was regarded as the nat-
learned men at Naples that survived long after ural champion of the teachings of Plato. Born in
his death. His works include Urania, a treatise Byzantium, he studied at Alexandria and
 Biographical Dictionary / 825

Athens. He was an extreme ascetic and mystic list of political intrigues and military campaigns.
who worshiped not only his own gods but those Glaucus restored the boy to the throne of Epirus
of other nations. Proclus studied the Orphic and at age 12. He was driven out of the kingdom at
Chaldic mysteries and was initiated into 17, found allies in Egypt through marriage to the
theurgy, or high magic, by Asclepegenia, daughter of the wife of Ptolemy and regained his
daughter of Plutarchus, who was then the most throne in 295 Be at age 23. He waged a cam-
perfect exponent of this wisdom, which had paign in Macedonia in 291 Be that resulted in his
descended to her from Nestorius. Proclus becoming co-ruler there for a few months in 286
claimed to have talked to gods and was said by Be. When he was forced out through political
Marinus to possess the power of calling down intrigue he decided to make war on Rome. This
rain, stopping earthquakes and curing the sick. resulted in his famous "Pyrrhic victory" near
His greatest aspiration was to syncretize the Heraclea in 280 Be, in which he lost nearly as
wisdom of Plato with that of Orpheus, Pythago- many of his officers and best troops as the
ras and Aristotle. defeated Romans. Surveying the field, he was
heard to say, "Another such victory, and I must
PTOLEMAEUS, CLAUDIUS: (100-178) return to Epirus alone."
Better known simply as Ptolemy, this celebrated After a more or less successful campaign
Greek mathematician, astronomer and geogra- against Rome, he went to fight the Carthagini-
pher was born at Ptolemais in Egypt. Little is ans in Sicily, was victorious despite the rebel-
known of his life. He observed the heavens for lion of his Greek troops, returned to Italy in 276
40 years at Canopus, about 15 miles east of Be and was this time defeated by the Romans,
Alexandria, and died at the age of 78. The dates invaded Macedonia in 273 Be and was crowned
of his birth and death are not certain, but he him- king there for the second time, attacked Sparta
self records that the earliest observations made but was driven off, then, fatefully, decided to try
for his great astronomical work, the Almagest. his hand against Argos. An Argive woman
were in 127, while the latest was made in 151, dropped a roof tile on his head as he was retreat-
allowing his dates to be roughly fixed. His phi- ing from the city, knocking him from his horse
losophy may be described as Aristotelian. onto the swords of the Argive soldiers. Thus
In ancient times he was held in almost idol- died the greatest warrior since Alexander.
atrous veneration. Hephaestion of Thebes called
him "the divine Ptolemy" (Catalogus codicum PYTHAGORAS: (6th century Be) Greek
astrologicorum Graecorum 8.2). In addition to philosopher, a native of Samos. He traveled
the Almagest. which contains a catalog of the widely in Egypt and the East acquiring occult
stars, he wrote the Tetrabiblos, an astrological knowledge. Said to possess the gift of prophecy,
treatise in four books; the Geography, being a he believed in reincarnation and taught that the
description of the known world; the Centilo- divine might be approached through the mystic
quium . a collection of astrological aphorisms; power of numbers. In Crotona, Italy, he estab-
On the Apparations of the Fixed Stars; On lished a closely knit brotherhood of 300 bound
Music. in three books; as well as other works of together by vows to seek the perfection of their
a more technical nature. souls through ascetic and philosophical prac-
tices. Their work was kept secret, and admis-
PTOLEMY: See PTOLEMAEUS. sion to the brotherhood was very difficult to
obtain. Pythagoras controlled all aspects of the
PYRRHUS: (318-272 Be) King of Epirus and life of his followers, prescribing diet, exercise
the most daring, if not the most prudent, military and meditation that would yield inner harmony
leader of his time. From the age of two, when he and self-control.
came under the protection of King Glaucias after In time the political power of the brother-
the overthrow of his father, his life was a long hood grew so great that the people of Croton a
826 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

rose against them and burned the building in RUBANUS: See HRABANus.
which they were assembled, killing many,
including perhaps Pythagoras himself. By other RUFUS EPHESIUS: (fl. 100 AD) A celebrated
accounts he fled to Tarentum and then to Greek physician and medical writer who lived
Metapontum, where he starved himself to death. during the reign of Trajan (98-117). He was
Pythagoras wrote no books, but his disciples born at Ephesus, the chief of 12 Ionian cities
preserved fragments of his teachings, and these that stood on the coast of Asia Minor (it was
had a profound influence on later philosophers near present-day Se1cuk, Turkey). He had a
such as Plato. great interest in anatomy and made numerous
experiments on living animals. Unfortunately
PYTHEAS: (4th century BC) Greek navigator the results of this branch of his study have sur-
from Massilia (Marseilles) in Gaul. He wrote a vived only in the form of a list of anatomical
work, On the Ocean, relating his discoveries on names. The follower of no single school, he
a voyage from Britain to Thule (perhaps the attempted to reconcile and blend the system of
largest of the Shetland Islands), and a second humors of Hippocrates, the method system of
work, Periplus, on his voyage from Gardira general symptoms of Themison, and the pneu-
(Cadiz) to the Tanais (perhaps the river Don, matic system based on the operation of the uni-
which empties into the Sea of Azov). He men- versal soul of Athenaeus. He is the first to
tions that in Thule the day and night are each six describe the symptoms of the bubonic plague,
months long, leading some to speculate that he in a fragment of his writings preserved in the
is speaking of Iceland. He further says that in Collections of Oribasius. A number of the
these northern seas there is no distinction works of Rufus are extant.
between air, earth and water, all together form-
ing a gelatinous mass (ice) that renders progress SARDANAPALUS: (9th century BC) The last
impossible. It is a pity his works (or work- king of the Assyrian empire of Nineveh, he was
some maintain he took one voyage and wrote proverbial for his luxury, effeminacy and licen-
one treatise) have perished, as he was a remark- tiousness (see Dante Divine Comedy: Paradiso
able astronomer, was the first to understand the 15.107). He spent his time in the recesses of his
tides, and actually visited the places he wrote palace dressed in feminine apparel and sur-
about. What is known of him comes mainly rounded by his concubines. When the satrap of
from an extract from Polybius quoted by Media and the chief priest of the Chaldeans
Strabo. rebelled against his rule, he surprised the world
by casting off his decadent ways and exhibiting
RABANUS: See HRABANUS. himself as both a daring and successful general.
Twice he defeated the rebel army and then
ROBERT AN ENGLISHMAN: See ANGLIcus. endured a siege of Nineveh for two years. When
it was clear he could not gain the victory, he
ROBERT OF YORK: (early 14th century) gathered his concubines, wives, treasures and
English Dominican friar and theologian who possessions into an immense pile, set it on fire
"scrutinized the hidden theorems of more secret and perished in the midst of the flames. The fall
medicine with such great care that he moved the of the empire is supposed to have occurred in
most learned physicians to heartfelt admiration" 876 BC. This story, as told by Ctesias, is pre-
(Thorndike. 3: 105). Robert was called Perscru- served in the work of Diodorus Siculus. See
tator and was credited with the works Correcto- also the tragedy Sardanapalus by Byron.
rium alchimyae and De impressionibus aeris,
among others. See Thorndike, 3:6--particularly SAXO GRAMMATICUS: (?1150--?1206)
n. 3, p. 104. See also the biographical note on Danish historian and poet. He was raised as a
Robertus Anglicus. cleric and entered the service of the archbishop
 Biographical Dictionary / 827

Absalom around 1180. Absalom convinced him studied at Merton College, Oxford. He was
to undertake the writing of a history of the Dan- learned in all branches of knowledge, particu-
ish kings, Gesta Danorum (or Historia Danica), larly mathematics, and gained for himself the
which he began about 1185. Absalom died in . title Doctor Subtilis through his dialectical inge-
1201, and the history, finished in 1208, was nuity while lecturing as professor of philosophy
dedicated to his successor, Archbishop at the University of Paris in 1307. He vigorously
Andreus. It was widely read during the Middle defended, with great success, the doctrine of the
Ages in manuscript and first published at Paris Immaculate Conception against the Thomist
in 1514. Saxo had limited learning and poor Dominicans.
critical judgment. He is conjectured to have In 1308 Duns Scotus was sent to Cologne to
been a native of Zealand because of his effusive found a university and died there that same year
praise of the Zealanders, but nothing more is of apoplexy. One tradition maintains that he was
known of his personal life. buried alive. His works are De modis signifi-
candi sive grammatica speculativa, a philo-
SCOT, MICHAEL: (1175-1235) An astrologer sophical grammar; Quaestiones, questions on
and magician, born in Scotland. He studied at logic; De rerum principio, a work of meta-
Oxford and the Sorbonne, learned Arabic at physics; and Opus Oxoniense, a commentary on
Toledo, and became attached to the court of the Sententiae of Peter Lombard. The followers
Ferdinand II of Sicily in the capacity of of Duns Scotus were called Dunsmen or Dunses,
astrologer. Pope Honorius III held him in high and in later times were held in low regard, giv-
regard, as did his successor, Gregory IX. Both ing birth to the word "dunce."
petitioned the Archbishop of Canterbury to find
a benefice for Scot. It is said that Scot intro- SENECA, LUCIUS ANNAEUS: (74 Bc-65
duced the works of Aristotle to England when AD) Son of the famous Roman rhetorician Mar-
he settled there in 1230. His best known work, cus Annaeus Seneca, the Roman philosopher
on physiognomy, De physiognomia et de was born in Corduba (Cordova), Spain, to a
hominis procreatione, was reprinted many wealthy and distinguished equestrian family. As
times. The legend grew up that he was a power- a small child he was taken to Rome by an aunt
ful magician. Dante mentions him in the and received an education with a view to a
Inferno : "That other who is so spare in the career in the senate. In 32 AD or shortly after, he
flanks was Michael Scot, who verily knew the became quaestor, and soon received recognition
game of magical deception" (Inferno 20 [Nor- as a writer and orator. In 41 his prospects suf-
ton, 133]). It was said that he rode on a black fered a setback when he was banished to Cor-
demon horse as Scottish envoy to the king of sica for a supposed adultery , but in 49 he was
France, and that when the horse stomped its recalled and made tutor to Nero, and the next
hoof, all the bells of Notre Dame began to peal: year received the praetorship.
He became the more or less unwilling
A wizard of such dreaded fame accomplice to Nero's crimes, composing
Th;lt, when in Salamanca's cave
Nero's explanation to the senate for the mur-
Him listed his magic wand to wave,
The bells would ring in Notre Dame! der of Agrippina (59 AD). Three years later he
(W. Scott "Lay of the Last Minstrel" 2: 13) attempted to retire to Campania to escape the
intrigues of the court, but in 65 he was
SCOTUS: See SCOT. accused of conspiracy and forced to commit
suicide. The extant writings of Seneca are too
SCOTUS, JOHN DUNS: (?1265 - 1308) Also numerous to list. They include works of phi-
known as John Scot and Joannes Scotus Duns. A losophy, natural history, many letters, a satire,
Franciscan theologian and scholastic, perhaps and ten tragedies designed for reading rather
born in Duns in Berwickshire, who may have than acting.
828 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

SERENUS, Q. SAMMONICUS: (early 3rd opened a school or delivered formal lectures or

century) A learned Roman writer. His De medi- wrote books, preferring to wander the market-
cina praecepta is an incomplete poem on medi- place and gymnasiums talking about philosophy
cine containing curious lore, ancient remedies to anyone who would listen.
and magical formulae-such as the Abra- In appearance he was robust and rough,
cadabra charm-and was much used in the with homely features. He went barefoot sum-
Middle Ages. Serenus was murdered while at mer and winter and wore the same simple cloth-
supper in the year 212. ing without regard to the weather, or indeed to
the company he kept. This caused him to
SERVIUS MAURUS (or MARIUS) HONO· become the butt of the jokes of the Athenian
RATUS: (late 4th century AD) A Latin gram- playwrights.
marian about whom little is known. He is Hated by men of power because he was
represented by Macrobius in his Saturnalia as a totally incorruptible, fearless, and always spoke
pagan. Were it not for his Commentary on Vir- and acted as he believed, he was accused in a
gil Servius would be forgotten, but the Com- list of trumped-up charges, most notably of cor-
mentary is recognized as the most important rupting the youth of Athens and despising the
Latin work of its kind. In it are preserved much gods (see Xenophon Memorabilia of Socrates
lore and many customs of Roman life which 1.1). Had he chosen to grovel before his
would otherwise have been lost. Other works by accusers he would have escaped harm, but
Servius are In secundam donati editionem inter- instead he spoke proudly and was condemned to
pretatio, a collection of notes on the grammar drink a poison concocted of hemlock. He died
of Aelius Donatus; De ratione ultimarum syl- painlessly in his 70th year, without the least fear
labarum ad aquilinum liber, a study of metrical of death, surrounded by his many friends.
endings; and Ars de centum metris, a tract on
poetic meters. SOLINUS, CAIUS (GAlUS) JULIUS: (fl.
210) Latin historian who wrote, or rather com-
SIMEON BEN YOHAI, RABBI: (2nd century piled, Collectanea rerum memorabilium, a geo-
AD) According to Talmudic tradition this Jewish graphical history of the ancient world in 57
scholar criticized Rome and was forced to hide chapters. None of it is original. The largest part
in a cave for 12 years with his son, Rabbi was taken directly from Pliny's Natural History
Eleazar, awaiting the death of the Emperor and the geography of Pomponius Mela. Nothing
Antoninus (ruled 138-161). During this time he is known about Solinus, but from the dedication
dictated, and R. Eleazar wrote down, the Zohar. of the Collectanea to Oclatinius Adventus, who
The story has some charming aspects. It is said was consul in 218 AD, it can be judged that the
the pair went naked for fear that otherwise their author lived in the first part of the third century.
clothing would wear out. To cover their shame In the sixth century the Collectanea was revised
they sat buried in sand all day up to their necks, under the title Polyhistor, and it is by this name
and only put on their robes at prayer. that Solinus is sometimes erroneously called.
The work was very popular in the Middle Ages.
SOCRATES: (469-399 Be) Greek philosopher Two abridgements in hexameter verse circu-
born in the deme Alopece near Athens. His lated under the authors' names Theodericus and
father was a statue maker and his mother a mid- Petrus Diaconus.
wife. For a time he followed his father's craft
and also served as a hoplite-a heavily armored SOPHOCLES: (495-406 Be) Greek dramatist
infantry soldier-in the wars of Athens, where who was born in the village of Colonus just
he distinguished himself. In 406 Be he became northwest of Athens. He received the best edu-
a member of the senate. It is not known when he cation of the day and so far distinguished him-
devoted himselffully to philosophy, as he never self as to receive the prize of a garland in both
 Biographical Dictionary / 829

music and gymnastics. As a youth he was became the teacher of Domitian, who later would
admired both for his physical beauty and his be the patron of young Statius. The poet was par-
skill in dancing. In 468"Be he competed in a ticularly skillful at extemporaneous composition
drama contest against the elder Aeschylus, who and at the public recitation of his works: "All
was so humiliated to have been beaten by the flock in crowds to hear his sweet voice, and the
newcomer that he retired for the remainder of tuneful strains of the Thebais, when Statius has
his life to Sicily. After that Sophocles was unri- gladdened the city, and fixed the day for reciting
valed until 441 Be, when he himself was beaten it" (Juvenal Satires 7, c. line 82).
in the drama contest by Euripides. The earliest Three times he won the annual prize for
of his tragedies that has survived, the Antigone, poetry at the festival at Alba, which was insti-
was written the following year. In all, seven tuted by Domitian, but when he lost at the quin-
plays are extant out of a possible 130. quennial Capitoline contest in 94 he returned in
There are various accounts of his death. By shame to Neapolis with his wife Claudia, where
one he choked on a grape; by another he lost his he remained the rest of his days. Nonetheless,
breath fatally while reciting Antigone; a third he seems to have been comfortably well off and
story is that he was so overjoyed at obtaining a happy throughout his life, with very little to
victory for one of his tragedies that he died. complain about. His extant works are the The-
bais, an epic concerning the seven against
SORANUS, QUINTUS VALERIUS: (1st Thebes, in 12 books; the Achilleis, an unfin-
century Be) Not much is known about this ished epic on the life of Achilles; and the Silvae ,
Roman writer. In 82 Be he was tribunus plebis 32 poems in five books.
(tribune of the people), an office in the Roman
administration created to protect the interests of SULLA, L. CORNELIUS: (138-78 Be) Sur-
the plebeians from the patricians. A linguistic named Felix, a Roman soldier and politician
and antiquarian scholar, he was often quoted by perhaps best remembered for the first use of the
Varro. Cicero mentions him in his De oratore proscriptio, a death list, in Roman history. He
(3.43) and his Brutus (ch. 169). An attempt has died of a burst blood vessel while suffering
been made to identify Valerius Soranus with from a morbid infestation of lice, known med-
Valerius Aedituus (c. 100 Be), who wrote epi- ically as morbus pediculosus.
grams, many of them erotic, based on Greek
models, but this identification is uncertain. SYLLA: See SULLA.

SPARTIANUS, AELIUS: (early 4th century) SYNESIUS: (?373-?414) Surnamed the

One of the six Scriptores Historiae Augustae Philosopher. Born in Cyrene (an ancient city in
who wrote the so-called Augustan History , a col- Libya) of wealthy parents, as a young man he
lection of lives of Roman emperors from Hadrian traveled to Alexandria, where he became a Neo-
to Carinus, covering the period 117-284, which platonist and disciple of Hypatia. In 397 he was
was written during the reigns of the emperors chosen as ambassador by his native city to
Diocletian (284-305) and Constantine (306- travel to Constantinople to plead with the
337), with later interpolations. Spartianus was Emperor Arcadius for a lowering of taxes. He
responsible for the biographies of Hadrian, stayed there three years, writing and no doubt
Aelius Verus, Didius Julianus, Septimius learning something about politics, before his
Severus, Pescennius Niger, Caracallus and Geta. request was at last granted. Returning home, he
spent the next ten years hunting and studying on
STATIUS, PUBLIUS PAPINIUS: (?61-?96) his estate. During this period (403) he was mar-
Roman poet born at Neapolis (Naples), the son of ried at Alexandria.
the distinguished grammarian Papinius Statius. In 410 he was popularly chosen to
He went with his father to Rome when the latter become Bishop of Ptolemais. Since he was
830 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

more of a Neoplatonist than a Christian, he TERENTIANUS MAURUS: (late 2nd cen-

was less than enthusiastic, but ultimately tury) Of Mauritania, he was a Roman poet who
accepted the office thrust upon him with wrote an incomplete poem in four books called
philosophic reservations-he refused to toe De literis, syllabis, pedibus, metris (On letters,
the Church line on the creation of the soul, the syllables, feet, meters), which was based on a
literal resurrection or the apocalypse and was work of Caesius Bassus that the latter had dedi-
allowed to retain his wife. His tenure as cated to his friend, the Emperor Nero. Of the
bishop was turbulent but successful. The date treatise of Bassus nothing remains but a few
of his death is not known and may have been fragments. Terentianus was used as a source by
as late as 430. Many of his works have sur- later writers on prosody.
vived, including a large collection of letters,
12 Neoplatonic hymns and an alchemical TERPANDER: (7th century Be) Of Antissa in
work in the form of a commentary on pseudo- Lesbos, he is regarded as the father of Greek
Democritus. classical music. According to Strabo he was the
first to use a seven-string cithara, which until
TACITUS, CAIUS (or PUBLIUS) COR- then had only four strings. Terpander traveled
NELIUS: (?55-?120) Roman historian. The to Sparta in answer to a mandate from the Del-
time and place of his birth are unknown, but he phic oracle and with his music quelled a sedi-
must have been born sometime around 55 AD tion that had been brewing. At the first recorded
into a respectable family, as he himself writes celebration of the Karneian festival at Sparta in
(Histories 1.1) that he was noticed and pro- 676 Be, Terpander won first prize in the music
moted by the Emperor Vespasian, further ele- competition. He is credited with a variety of
vated by Titus, and again advanced by innovations, introducing several new rhythms
Domitian. His prosperity continued under and a new division of the ode, and was famous
Nerva and Trajan. He was appointed along with for his drinking songs. Only a few fragments of
his close friend, Pliny the Younger, to conduct his poetry survive.
the prosecution of Marius in 99. Nothing is
recorded of his death. His works and their con- TEUCER: Semi-mythical founder and first
jectured dates are the Dialogue on Orators (77), king of Troy, said to be the son of the river god
Life of Agricola (97), Germany (99), the Histo- Scamander and the nymph Idaea. About the
ries (116) and the Annals (118). Babylonian mathematician of this name men-
tioned by Porphyry (p. 377) I have been able to
T ARQUINIUS PRISCUS, LUCIAS: (658- learn nothing.
578 Be) King of Rome, called the Elder. His
father, Demaratus, fled political intrigue in THALES: (?636-?546 Be) Ionic philosopher
Corinth, settled in Etruria and married an Etr- born at Miletus (a city once located on the west
uscan wife, leaving his vast wealth to his first coast of Turkey near the mouth of the Menderes
son, Lucumo, who despite his noble connec- River) . He is famed for having predicted an
tion through his wife and his money was eclipse of the Sun in the reign of the Lydian
excluded from local politics. In discontent he king Alyattes, and is said to have studied in
set out for Rome in a chariot with his wife Egypt. His name stood at the head of the list of
beside him. It was on this journey that the Seven Sages of antiquity.
event of the eagle related by Agrippa is said to
have occurred. Tarquinius was a great warrior THEBIT: See TOBIT BEN KORRA.
and builder and is credited with the Roman
sewer system, the Circus Maximus, the Forum THEMISTIUS: (4th century) Philosopher
and the Capitoline temple. He was assassi- native to Paphlagonia, he traveled first to Con-
nated in his 80th year. stantinople, then to Rome, enjoying the consid-
 Biographical Dictionary / 831

erable favor of six successive emperors. He was ter to Alexander, his Hellenics (a large portion
made prefect of Constantinople by Theodosius of which was discovered as recently as 1907)
in 384 and entrusted with the tutorship of Arca- and his Epitome of Herodotus' History, the
nius, the emperor's son, in 387. Libanius and authorship of which is suspect.
Gregory Nazianzus were his friends and corre-
spondents, the latter calling Themistius the THETEL: (or Techel, or Rechel, or Cehel) A
"king of arguments. " He wrote 36 orations, one Jewish writer chiefly known for a work con-
of which is not extant, and died around 390. cerning the magical powers of certain images
engraved on precious or semiprecious stones.
THEOPHRASTUS: (?372-287 BC) Greek Thomas of Cantempre gives a Latin translation
philosopher of Eresus in Lesbos, he studied in of this text in the 14th book of his De natura
Athens under Plato, and later Aristotle, whom rerum (On the nature of things), written
he succeeded as president of the Lyceum. Aris- between 1228 and 1244. Thorndike (2:53:390)
totle bequeathed his private library and the orig- conjectures that Thetel is the same writer as
inal manuscripts of his works to Theophrastus. Zethel (or Zachel, Zahel, Zehel, Zael, Zoel or
He wrote many works, notably On the History Zebulis), whose name appears on a number of
of Plants in ten books; On the Causes of Plants , early astrological treatises, some of them listed
of which six of eight books survive; and Of by Albertus Magnus in his Speculum astrono-
Stones. miae. Zethel is also mentioned as an astronomi-
cal authority by Michael Scot (Thorndike,
THEOPOMPOS: (?378-?300 BC) Greek his- 2:322). Cecco d' Ascoli (ibid., 959) and Gio-
torian and rhetorician born at Chios, where he vanni da Fontana (ibid., 4:171). For a list of
studied under Isocrates. Cicero in his Brutus manuscripts attributed to Thetel, see Thorndike
relates that Isocrates said of him and one of his 2:53, appendix 2.
fellow students, Ephorus the historian, that
Ephorus required the spur, but Theopompos the TIBERIUS CLAUDIUS NERO CAESAR
bit. Around 352 BC he gained the prize for ora- (42 Bc-37 AD) Emperor of Rome from the
tory given by Artemisia, competing against his death of Augustus in 14 AD until his own gently
old teacher, Isocrates, and beating him. When assisted demise in 37 AD.
his father was exiled for supporting the cause of
the Lacedaemonians, Theopompos went with TIBULLUS, ALBIUS: (54-18 BC) Roman
him. He gained the friendship of Alexander the poet. His Elegies are short love poems in four
Great, who directed by letters that the Chians books. The first two books are undoubtedly his,
recall their exiles, and in 333 BC, when he was the third book is by another author though
45, Theopompos was able to return to his native attributed to him and the fourth book is partly
land and take up the political power and wealth Tibullus and partly another. Horace was a
that was his by his birthright. friend of the poet and has left a picture of him:
His impetuous temper earned him many "You were never body without soul. The gods
enemies, but the power of Alexander protected have granted to you beauty, to you riches, and
him. Ultimately, at age 75, he was expelled from the art of enjoying them" (Horace Epistles 1.4
Chios on the charge of disturbing the public [Translation Publishing, 1961], 375).
peace and found a cold haven in Egypt under
Ptolemy in 305 Be. Ptolemy would have put TIMOTHEUS: (446-357 BC) A native of
Theopompos to death but for the strenuous inter- Miletus, this celebrated poet and musician
cession of the friends of the historian. Perhaps enjoyed little early success because of his pas-
the main thing held against Theopompos was the sion for innovation. Once when he was hissed
truthfulness and impartiality of his writings. He from the stage, Euripides told him not to worry,
is remembered for his History of Philip , his Let- that soon he would have the audience at his feet,
832 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

which proved true not long after-the Eph- trepidation of the equinoxes, which attempts to
esians paid him 1,000 pieces of gold for his explain the precession of the equinoxes as a
hymn to Artemis. He is said to have increased libration, or rhythmic oscillation, of the eclip-
the number of strings on the lyre (cithara), tic-a notion first suggested by Theon of
according to Pausanias adding four to the exist- Alexandria, who wrote a commentary on the
ing seven, but according to Suidas adding two Almagest of Ptolemy.
to the existing nine. Tobit is also remembered for his translation
of the Elements of Euclid, and his formula for
TIRESIAS: Semi-mythical blind Theban seer. deriving amicable numbers-pairs of numbers
Two stories are told of his blindness. He is said the factors of one added together equaling the
to have seen Athene bathing, whereupon the other, and vice versa. The smallest pair is 220
goddess splashed water into his eyes and took and 284. Amicable numbers were known to the
away his sight. The mother of Tiresias, Chari- Pythagoreans and credited by them with mysti-
clo, appealed to the mercy of Athene, who, cal properties. Tobit appears to be the source of
relenting somewhat, granted him the power to Agrippa's fixed stars, listed in ch. XXXI, bk. II,
know the speech of birds and gave him a magic and ch. XXXII, bk. I.
golden staff to help him find his way.
According to the other tale, Zeus and Hera TRAJANUS, MARCUS ULPIUS: (52-117 )
were arguing over who derived more pleasure Better known as Trajan, he was born in Italica,
from lovemaking, a man or a woman. They in Spain. His father had begun as a common
decided to ask Tiresias because he had been legionnaire and worked his way up through the
both sexes, a prodigy that came about this way: ranks to the governorship of Asia. The father
walking on Mount Cithaeron (some say Mount trained his son in his own principles of austerity
Cyllene), Tiresias saw two snakes together, a and military discipline. Trajan traveled widely
male and a female. He struck at them and, through the Empire as a soldier and gained a
chancing to kill the female, was changed into a good reputation. When Nerva replaced the mur-
woman. Seven years later he again met two dered Domitian as emperor in 96, Trajan
snakes and struck them with his staff, this time became consular legate to Upper Germany.
killing the male, which caused him to resume Needing a strong military ally, Nerva adopted
his masculine form. Trajan as his son the following year, and in 98
Tiresias sided with Zeus in the debate and Nerva died, making Trajan emperor.
agreed that women derived nine times the plea- His military powers insured his complete
sure of men from sex. This angered Hera, who mastery of the army, and his simplicity and
"condemned the eyes of the umpire to eternal honesty won the love of the people. Insofar as
darkness. But the omnipotent father (for it is not he could without threatening his own power, he
allowed any God to cancel the acts of another restored the honor and security of the senate.
Deity) gave him the knowledge of things to His wife, Plotina, was as simple and benevolent
come, in recompense for his loss of sight, and as her husband. There was no royal court, no
alleviated his punishment by this honour." (Ovid imperial pomp and no intrigue during their
Metamorphoses 3.5, c.line 334 [Riley,IOO]). reign. Military victory in the Docian war along
the Danube brought seven years of peace.
TOBIT BEN KORRA: (836-901) Arabian In 113 Trajan set out to extend the Empire
mathematician and astronomer of Baghdad, a to the east. Although he had impressive victo-
part of the great surge of Arab learning initiated ries, the campaign was ultimately a failure . It
in the 7th century by the unifying force of encouraged the Jewish uprising that was only
Mohammed. He worked at the observatory built finally quelled by Hadrian. Stricken by sickness
in Baghdad in 829 by the Caliph al-Mamun and in 117, Trajan returned by ship to Italy and died
is remembered for his erroneous theory of the in August at Selinus in Cilicia.
 Biographical Dictionary / 833

TRITHEMIUS, JOHANNES: (1462-1516) DUrer, can only be conjectured. Agrippa was

German divine, historian and magician born at with Trithemius when he wrote the first manu-
Trittenheim near Trier on the Moselle River. His script of the Occult Philosophy in 1509-10,
birth name was von Heidenberg, but in accor- which he originally dedicated to his teacher.
dance with the custom of his day he adopted the Inevitably Trithemius was accused 9f sor-
name of his place of birth. When he was a year cery, a charge he vehemently denied all through
old his father, a vine dresser, died, and his his life. There is a fable that he once raised the
mother married a man who treated him harshly. ghost of Maria, the late wife of the Emperor
This may account for his precociousness and Maximilian. Although she could not speak, the
mystici sm. He claimed that while still a young Emperor recognized her by a mole on her neck
child an angel appeared to him in a dream and and was assured that the shade was not a demon
offered him a choice of two tablets with letters impersonating his wife. The English dramatist
written upon them. When he selected one of the Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593) used a ver-
tablets the angel promised to fulfill his prayers, sion of this story in his play Doctor Faustus (act
and vanished. From that day he hungered after 3, sc. 2, lines 63-73).
knowledge and taught himself to read German in In 1506 Trithemius resigned his position at
the space of only a month. His need to learn Sponheim and was appointed soon after abbot
became voracious. He went secretly to a neigh- of the monastery of Saint Jakob at WUrzburg,
bor at night, who taught him Latin by candle- where he remained for the final decade of his
light. Since he was unhappy at home in any case, life. Trithemius is credited with around 70
he traveled, first to Trier and then to Heidelberg, works, the most important of which from a
where he received instruction from a mysterious magical standpoint are his Steganographia , on
stranger in the secret arts. the conjuration of spirits; Polygraphia , on
In 1482 he decided to return to Trittenheim, ciphers and magical alphabets; De septem
but became caught in a blizzard on the way and secundeis, on the planetary angels that rule the
was forced to seek shelter in the Benedictine cycle of ages; and Veterum sophorum sigilla et
monastery of Saint Martin at Sponheim. Here imagines magicae, a series of descriptions of
he suddenly determined to become a monk. So talismans or magical images.
successful was this resolution that in 1485 he
was appointed abbot, much against his own TULLIUS, SERVIUS: (6th century Be) The
wishes, at the tender age of 23 years. sixth king of Rome, he ruled 578-534 Be. His
He immediately set about repairing the mother was the slave of the wife of Tarquinius
decay of the buildings and rebuilding the Priscus. Tullius was born and raised in the royal
library, which due to the negligence of the palace as the king's son and took the king's
monks had shrunk to only 48 volumes. Over the daughter in marriage. When the sons of the king
next 23 years he raised this number to 2,000. murdered Tarquinius in an attempt to secure the
The books covered all subjects. Many were rare throne they saw slipping into the hands of this
and valuable. The fame of the library drew favored slave, Tullius concealed the king's
scholars from all over Europe, and students death until he had taken full control of the gov-
such as Agrippa, and his contemporary Paracel- ernment. A wise and mild ruler, he always had
sus, came to study more esoteric subjects such the support of his people. He is credited with
as alchemy and natural magic. Members of establishing the constitution and civil institu-
royal families, even the Emperor Maximilian I, tions of Rome. He is fabled to have been mur-
consulted Trithemius for his learning. dered by L. Tarquinius Priscus and his own
His effect on the art and science of his age daughter Aruns.
is incalculable-how much he influenced the
Kabbalistic writings of Reuchlin, for example, VALENTINUS: (2nd century AD) The most
or the Neoplatonic proportions of the artist prominent leader of any of the Gnostic sects. He
834 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

was born in Lower Egypt and brought up and Agrippa' s writings. Indeed, he virtually deifies
educated at Alexandria. Around 135 he went to Agrippa, so lavish is his praise. Later writings
Rome as an orthodox Christian and was even a of Vaughan include Aphorisimi magici eugeni-
candidate for the bishopric of Rome, but when ani (1651), The Fame and Confession of the
he was passed over for this office he began to Fraternity of R.C. (1652) and Aula lucis (1652).
reveal his heretical views-or it may have been
his expression of these views that denied him VERRES, GAlUS (or CAIUS): (?120--43 Be)
his placement. Around 160 he left Rome and An unscrupulous Roman magistrate who made
traveled to Cyprus, where his break with the it his life business to become a fawning lapdog
Church was made irrevocable. Valentini an of some powerful man, obtain a political
Gnosticism had an elaborate system of 30 aeons appointment from him and then pillage the
and shared with other Gnostic sects a deep rev- unfortunate citizens who came under his rule,
erence for the female creative principle. It is finally buying and conniving his own freedom
described in greater detail by Irenaeus in his from prosecution by betraying his former mas-
Adversus heraeses. ter. In 82 Be he was quaestor to Carbo and a
member of the Marian party. He deserted Carbo
VARRO, TERENTIUS: (116-28 Be) This cel- and went over to Sulla, who gave him a present
ebrated writer was called the "most learned of of land in Beneventum and, more importantly,
the Romans." He was certainly one of the most made him safe from prosecution for his previ-
prolific, composing by his own count 490 ous crimes of embezzlement.
books, of which only two have survived: De re In 80 Be he became quaestor to Dolabella,
rustica libri III, a treatise on agriculture; and De governor of Cilicia, which he helped to plunder.
lingua Latina, a grammatical treatise filled with When Dolabella was brought to trial in 78 Be,
curious lore of which only six of 24 books are Verres betrayed him in return for a pardon. In 74
extant. A large portion of his De cultu deorum Be, through lavish bribes and his associatioJ1 with
has come down to us through the copious refer- Sulla, Verres became praetor of Rome and
ences made by Augustine in his City of God. shamefully abused his authority for political ends.
Sent as governor to Sicily, the richest province of
VAUGHAN, THOMAS: (1622-1666) English Rome, he extorted so much money and misery
alchemist and mystical philosopher, was born from the people that it was said they suffered
of an ancient Welsh family at Newton St. Briget more under him than in three previous wars.
near Scethrog-by-Usk, Brecknockshire. He Driven beyond endurance, the Sicilians
received a degree from Oxford in 1642, and begged Cicero to prosecute Verres for his
subsequently pursued the art of alchemy with crimes before the senate. Cicero agreed. Verres
great diligence in Newton at the farm of his boasted that he had stolen so much money from
twin brother, the poet Henry Vaughan, and in Sicily he could expend three quarters of it in
various places of residence in London. Sir bribes and still be a rich man. He chose Horten-
Robert Murray financed these researches. By sius, the best Roman advocate, to defend him,
his own account Vaughan succeeded in discov- and tried to get Cicero replaced by Caecilius,
ering the fabled Elixir, as he says, "an oyle with who was far less skilled. The Sicilians rejected
which I did miracles" (Waite 1888, ix). He died this ploy. Fortunately the judge, city praetor
"when he was operating strong mercury, some Acilius Glabrio, was an honest man. He
of which by chance getting up his nose, killed employed a technical process of Roman law
him" (ibid., viii). Under the pseudonym Euge- called divinatio whereby the judices, without
nius Philalethes he wrote Anthroposophia theo- hearing evidence, determined who should be
magica, Anima magica abscondita , Magia prosecutor. Cicero stayed. The last hope for
Adamica and Coelum terrae , all in 1650 while Verro was to delay the trial until the next year
he was under the powerful influence of when his friends would be in power. But work-
 Biographical Dictionary / 835

ing at a fever pitch, Cicero collected evidence degree in theology at the University of Paris.
and embodied the prosecution in a single ora- When as a deacon of the Church he went to
tion, Divinatio in Q. Caecilium, and in a subse- Rome to appeal a disputed election, he so
quent statement of the case. The defense was impressed the pope that he was raised to the
caught unprepared. Verres fled to Marseilles rank of bishop. From 1228 until his death he
with as much of his loot as he could carry. served as Bishop of Paris. During thi s period he
Cicero eventually published the rest of the ora- granted the Dominicans their first chair of the-
tions he had been planning for the trial but had ology in that city and took part in an attack upon
not had time to deliver. the Talmud. His main work is De universo (On
In 43 Be, Verres was proscribed by M. the universe), which treats of magic, divination,
Anthony, who himself coveted some of his stolen demons, astrology and the occult virtues.
art treasures. So ended the life of one of the most
repulsive Romans remembered by history. XANTHUS: (5th century Be) Lydian historian.
The Four Books of Lydian History, which has
VILLA NOVA, ARNOLDAS DE: (?1235- survived only in fragments and which was
1313) Also called Arnoldus de Villanueva, attributed to Xanthus, is thought to be the work
Arnoldus Villanovanus or Arnaud de Vil- of some later Alexandrian grammarian.
leneuve. A Spanish alchemist, astrologer and
physician, he gained a considerable reputation XENOCRATES: (396-314 Be) Philosopher of
in Paris but was forced to flee to Sicily to Chalcedon. He followed Plato to Sicily in 361
escape the ire of the Church. About 1313 he Be. Upon the death of Plato (347 Be) he
was called to Avignon in his capacity as physi- attached himself to Aristotle and became head
cian to treat the ailing Pope Clement V, but he of the Academy at Athens from 339 to 314 Be.
died aboard ship before completing the voyage. His philosophy closely follows Plato, but he
Many alchemical writings were attributed to believed that ideal numbers and mathematical
him on questionable authority. These were col- numbers are the same, essentially a magical
lected and published at Lyons in 1504 along notion that was held by the Pythagoreans and
with a biography of his life. which drew the criticism of Aristotle in his
Metaphysics (13.1, 9). Only the titles of his
VITELLIUS: See VITELLO. works have survived, but he is frequently
referred to and quoted by other writers.
VITELLO: (13th century) Also written Witelo
or Vitellio, a Polish natural philosopher who ZACHALIAS THE BABYLONIAN: The
wrote the work Optics around 1270. In it he author of an ancient lapidary used by Pliny as a
attempts to solve Aristotle's problem: "Why is it source for book 37 of his Natural History . He
that when the sun passes through quadrilaterals, and his work are otherwise unknown.
as for instance in wickerwork, it does not pro-
duce figures rectangular in shape but circular?" ZACHARIAS: See ZACHALIAS.
(Problems 15.6.911 b [Hett, 1:333]). He was the
first to put forward the notion that rainbows are ZAHEL: See THETEL.
caused by refraction through, rather than reflec-
tion from, raindrops, refuting the established ZAMOLXIDES: See ZAMOLXIS.
view set down by Aristotle in his Meteors . The
work of Vitello is to a large extent based on the ZAMOLXIS: Also called Zalmoxis or
Arabian philosopher Alhazen, who died in 1038. Gebeleizis. God of the Getae, a Thracian tribe
than dwelt south of the mouths of the River
WILLIAM OF PARIS: (? 1180-1249) Also Danube. Every five years the Getae chose a
called William of Auvergne. He received a man to deliver messages to the god and dis-
836/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

patched him by casting him up into the air so ZENOTENUS: See ZENOTHEMlS.
that he fell upon spears held upright in the
hands of other tribesmen. It was considered a ZENOTHEMIS: Author of a lapidary used as
good omen if the man died. Herodotus relates a source by Pliny in his Natural History. Noth-
this story and goes on to say: ing is known of the author or his work.

I am told by the Greeks who dwell on the ZOROASTER: (fl. c. 1000 Be) Also called
shores of the Hellespont and the Pontus, Zarathustra (Iranian) and Zardusht (Persian).
that Zalmoxis was in reality a man, that he
lived at Samos, and while there was the The founder of the Magian religion, who was
slave of Pythagoras son of Mnesarchus. born in the northern part of present-day Iran.
After obtaining his freedom he grew rich, Nothing about his personal life is certain. He is
and leaving Samos, returned to his own responsible for abolishing the sensual worship
country. (Herodotus The History 4 [Rawl- of the devas and defining God as two abstract
inson, 233])
opposing principles-Ahuro Mazdao, the Wise
Lord, and Angro Mainyush, the Evil Spirit. Of
Zalmoxis supposedly constructed a secret
him Pliny says: "We find it stated that Zoroaster
underground chamber in which he hid for three
was the only human being who ever laughed on
years, then suddenly and miraculously emerged
the same day on which he was born. We hear,
to lend credence to his doctrine of immortality.
too, that his brain pulsated so strongly that it
To this, Herodotus skeptically comments: "I for
repelled the hand when laid upon it, a presage of
my part neither put entire faith in this story of
his future wisdom" (Pliny 7.16 [Bostock and
Zalmoxis and his underground chamber, nor do
Riley, 2: 155]). He also says: "It is said that
I altogether discredit it: but I believe Zalmoxis
Zoroaster lived thirty years in the wilderness
to have lived long before the time of Pythago-
upon cheese, prepared in such a peculiar man-
ras" (ibid.). Plato briefly mentions him as one
ner, that he was insensible to the advances of old
proverbially skilled in magic: "For if, as he
age" (Pliny 11.97 [Bostock and Riley, 3:85]).
declares, you have this gift of temperence
A collection of metaphysical aphorisms
already, and are temperate enough, in that case
called the Chaldean Oracles of Zoroaster was
you have no need of any charms, whether of
popular in the Middle Ages, and it is certain
Zalmoxis or of Abaris the Hyperborean, and I
Agrippa was familiar with at least some of
may as well let you have the cure of the head at
these. According to Franz Cumont, the litera-
once" (Charmides 158-b [Jowett, 104]). Zal-
ture attributed to Zoroaster at the library of
moxis is said to be identical to Sabazius, the
Alexandria amounted to two million lines, but
Thracian Dionysus. Mnaseas of Patrae identi-
none of these texts has survived.
fied him with the god Cronus.
 Geographical Dictionary

CHAIA: Land on the northern coast AMA THUS: Also spelled Amathuntis, an

A of Peloponnesus.

AEGOS-POT AMOS: Small river that flowed

into the Hellespont (present-day Dardenelles)
ancient town on the south coast of Cyprus (at
present-day Limassol) that boasted a celebrated
temple of Aphrodite, who in consequence bore
the name Amathusia.

across Thracian Chersonesus (present-day APOLLONIA: Important town in I1yria (it

peninsula of Gallipoli). There is a small town stood near the mouth of the Vijose River in pre-
on the river of the same name. sent-day Albania).

AESCULANS: See ASCULUM. APULIA: The region on the southeastern coast

of Italy (present-day Apulia). The heel of the
AETNA: Volcanic mountain (present-day boot of Italy was called by the Romans Calabria
Etna) in northeast Sicily. and distinguished from Apulia, which bordered
it on the south.
AGRA: One of the ancient divisions (demus) of
Attica, it stood on the bank of the Ilissus River, ARABIA, HAPPY: Arabia was divided by the
which had its source on the slope of Mount ancients into three parts: Arabia Petraea (Rocky
Hymettus, not far southeast of Athens. Agra Arabia-the present-day Sinai, Israel and west-
contained a temple of Artemis Agrotera. ern Jordan), Arabia Deserta (Desert Arabia-
inland and northern Saudi Arabia, eastern Jor-
AGRAS: See AGRA. dan and Iraq) and Arabia Felix (Happy Arabia
-southwestern Saudi Arabia and Yemen). It
ALCOMENEUM: Perhaps Orchomenus. See derived its designation "Felix" from the fertile
separate note. lowlands lying along the shore of the Red Sea.

ALEXANDRIA: Also spelled Alexandrea. ARACYNTHUS: Mountain on the southwest

Seaport in Lower Egypt just west of the Nile coast of Aetolia, near Pleuron (near present-~ay
delta. Founded by Alexander the Great in 332 Mesolongion in central Greece). Later writers
Be. It served as the capitol under the incorrectly placed the mountain on the border of
Ptolemies. Boeotia and Attica and identified it with the
Boeotian hero Amphion: "I sing the songs which,
ALEXANDRIA, LAKE OF: See MAREOTIs. whenever he called home his herds, Amphion of

837
838/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

Dirce used to sing on Attic Aracynth" (Virgil River (present-day Amu-Dar'ya), which divided
Eclogues 2, line 24 [Lonsdale and Lee, 14]). it from the Persian province of Sogdiana on the
northeastern bank. It occupied the northeastern
ARCADIA: The mountainous country in the corner of present-day Afghanistan. Agrippa calls
middle of Peloponnesus, Greece. it "Island Bractia," but it is not referred to in this
way by Ptolemy, who groups it with Casperia
ARGOS: Town in Argolis, Peloponnesus (pre- and Serica (Tetrabiblos 2.3 [Robbins, 147, 159]).
sent-day Argos). It was celebrated for the wor-
ship of Hera. Her temple, called the Heraeum, BAEOTIANS: See BOEOTIA.
lay between Argos and Mycenae.
BASTARNIA: Region on the northern shore of
ARHOS: See ARGOS. the Euxine (Black Sea), between the rivers
Tyras (present-day Dniester) and Borysthenes
ARIANA: The eastern provinces of the ancient (Dnieper), extending as far south as the mouths
Persian Empire (present-day central and eastern of the Danube. Here lived a warlike German
Iran). tribe who frequently battled the Romans in
Macedonia until they were driven permanently
ARICIA: Ancient town of Latium at the foot of north of the Danube in 30 Be. Roughly corre-
the Alban Mount on the Appian Way, about 16 sponds to the southern Ukraine.
miles from ancient Rome. Near the town was a
temple and sacred grove of Diana. BERECYNTHUS: Berecynthus Mons, a moun-
tain in Phrygia sacred to Cybele, after which she
ARPINA: Ancient place in Elis near the
received the name Cybele Berecynthia.
Alpheus River (not too far from present-day
Olimbia in Peloponnesus, Greece).
BITHEVIA: See BITHYNIA.
ARREPHINA: Perhaps Arpina. See the sepa-
BITHYNIA: District of Asia Minor (Turkey)
rate note.
on the southern shore of the Pontus Euxinus
(Black Sea) between Paphlagonia on the east
ARRIANA: See ARIANA.
and Mysia on the west.
ASCULUM: The chief town of Picenum, a
country of central Italy (present-day Ascoli BOEOTIA: District in ancient Greece, located
Piceno). in what is now central Greece. Thebes was its
chief city.
ATTICA: The roughly triangular region in
Greece surrounding Athens that lies south of BORISTHENES: See BORYSTHENES.
Mount Parnis.
BORYSTHENES: Also spelled Borysthenis, a
AVENTINUM: Mons Aventinus, one of the town at the mouth of the river of the same name
seven hills upon which ancient Rome was built. (present-day Dnieper, in the Ukraine).
It supported the temple of Diana and for this
reason Martial called it Collis Dianae. BRACTIA: See BACTRIA.

AZOTUS: Free city of the Philistines near the BYZANTINE: See BYZANTIUM.
seacoast (present-day Ashdod in Israel).
BYZANTIUM: Town on the Thracian
BACTRIA: Province of the Persian Empire that Bosporus which overlooked the entrance to the
lay southwest of the headwaters of the Oxus Euxine (Black Sea). The Emperor Constantine
 Geographical Dictionary / 839

changed its name to Constantinopolis in 330 (it CA T ANA: Or Catina, a town on the east coast
is present-day Istanbul, Turkey). of Sicily at the foot of Mount Aetna (present-
day Catania).
CALABRIA: Peninsula in southeast Italy;
formed part of Apulia. CATENIAN: See CATANA.

CALEDONIA: The Roman name for the north CELTICA: One of the three parts into which
of Britain, still used in a poetic sense for Scot- Julius Caesar divided Gaul. It corresponds to
land. central and western France.

CALIDONIA: See CALEDONIA. CHALDEA: A Babylonian province in what is

now southeastern Iraq. In a wider sense the term
CALLICHOROS: Perhaps Calycadnus. See applied to the whole of Babylonia.
separate note.
CHONIA: District in the south of Italy around
CAL YCADNUS: River in Cilicia Tracheia the town of Chone. Chonia is said to have
(present-day Goksu on the southern coast of included southeast Lucania and east Bruttium
Turkey), which, however, is nowhere near (the heel of Italy). It is thought its people may
Paphlagonia. have been related to the Chaones of Epirus in
northern Greece.
CANDY: Crete.
CHRYSA: A city on the coast of the Troad,
CANNA: See CANNAE. near Thebes (it stood just south of the island of
Bozcaada, Turkey, not far from the site of
CANNAE: A village in Apulia located north- ancient Troy). There was a temple of Apollo
east of Canusium (near present-day Andria, Smintheus here.
Italy). It is famous as the site of the victory of
the Carthaginian general Hannibal over the CILICIA: That part of the southern coast of
Roman army in 216 Be. Asia Minor (Turkey) that projects into the
Mediterranean Sea opposite the island of
CAPPADOCHIA: A mountainous region of Cyprus, extending about as far east as the pre-
Asia Minor with good pastureland for horses (it sent-day town of Maras.
was located roughly in the center of present-day
Turkey east of Lake Tuz). CIMMERII: The Cimmerians were a mythical
people who dwelt in the far west on the ocean,
CARCHEDONIA: See CARTHAGE. enshrouded by mist and darkness. There was a
real people of the same name who lived on the
CARTHAGE: Great city on the coast of north- bank of the Pal us Maeotis (Sea of Azov).
ern Africa (near present-day Tunis), which at one
point rivaled Rome in power and wealth. It con- CITHAERON MONS: The highest summit of
trolled a region roughly corresponding to pre- this range of mountains was sacred to
sent-day Tunisia, which was called Carchedonia. Cithaeronian Zeus and the site of the festival
called Daedala. It was located on the borders
CASPIA: Land of the Caspii, Scythian tribes of Attica, Boeotia and Mygaris (roughly
dwelling on the southern and southwestern between present-day Thivai and Megara, in
shores of the Caspian Sea. Strabo places them Greece).
on the western shore, Herodotus and Ptolemy
on the south. CLAROS: See CLARUS.
840 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

CLARUS: Small town on the coast of Ionia near CYRENAICA: District in northern Africa
Colophon (at the east end of the Gulf of Kusada, located on the coast of the Mediterranean
Turkey). It was known for its temple and oracle between Marmaridae on the east and the Syrtis
of Apollo, who was surnamed Clarius. Major (Gulf of Sidra) on the west. Northeast
comer of present-day Libya.
CLAZOMENAE: An important city in Asia
Minor located on the Gulf of Smyrna (present- CYRENE: Chief town of Cyrenaica, a region
day Gulf of Izmir, Turkey). in North Africa (it was at present-day Shahat in
Libya).
CNIDUS: See GNIDUS.
CYTHERA: An island to the southwest of
COANS: Chones. See CHONIA. Laconia (present:day Kithira off the southern
points of Peloponnesus). There was a town in
COLCHICA: Colchis, a country of Asia on the the interior with the same name. The island was
eastern shore of the Euxine (Black Sea) that colonized by the Phoenicians, who introduced
roughly corresponds to present-day western the worship of Aphrodite. The goddess was
Georgia in the former USSR. called for this reason Cytherea or Cythereis.

COMAGENA: See COMMAGENE. CYTHEREANS: See CYTHERA.

COMMA GENE: The northeastern district of
CYTHEROS: See CITHAERON MONS.
Syria, notable in ancient times for its fertile
farmlands.
DELOS: Smallest island of the Cyclades. Leg-
end says it was raised out of the sea by Poseidon
CROTONA: City on the southernmost part of
and floated until Zeus fastened it down with
Italy, where Crotone is today. A Greek city
adamantine chains to be the birthplace of
founded in 710 Be, it flourished as the place
Apollo and Artemis (it lies just west of present-
Pythagoras chose to establish his school.
day Mikonos).
CROTONIENSIANS: See CROTONA.
DELPHI: Small town in Phocis (central
CRUSTUMENSIANS: See CRUSTUMERIUM. Greece) renowned as the seat of the oracle of
Apollo. Homer mentions it by its earlier name,
CRUSTUMERIUM: Ancient Sabine town in Pytho. It was regarded as the center of the world
Latium, located in the mountains at the headwa- and called "the navel of the Earth." Within the
ters of the Allia River not far from the Tiber great temple of Apollo was a fissure that
River (about 11 miles north of Rome). exhaled toxic fumes. Over this the Pythoness of
Apollo sat upon a tripod and received the gift of
CYMERIAN: See CIMMERII. prophecy whenever she breathed the vapors. No
trace of this fissure exists in modem times.
CYNOPS: Perhaps Cynopolis, a city of Middle
Egypt located on an island in the Nile. It was a DELPHOS: See DELPHI.
chief seat of the worship of Anubis. There was
also a city of the same name on the Nile delta. DINDYMUS: Or Dindyma, or Dindyorum, a
mountain in Phrygia near the town of Pessinus
CYNTHUS: Mountain on the Isle of Delos (present-day Murat Dagi near the town of Usak
(just west of the larger island of Mikonos in the in west-central Turkey). It was sacred to
Aegean Sea). Apollo and Artemis were said to Cybele, who was called on that account
have been born here. Dindymene.
 Geographical Dictionary / 841

DOTHAM: See DOTHAN. southernmost projection of Peloponnesus). It is

not to be confused with Epidaurus in Argolis.
DOTHAN: Town in central Palestine. It is
identified with present-day Tell Dothan, located EPIRUS: Northwest Greece.
about 60 miles north of Jerusalem.
ERCT A: Also called Ercte, or Hiercte (present-
ELA: See ELAM. day Mount Pellegrino), a mountain near
Palermo on the northern coast of Sicily. It
ELAM: Region of the Zagros Mountains in played a part in the first Punic War as a fortified
western Iran. position for the Carthaginians.

ELEUSIS: Town in Attica that lay northwest of ERICE: See ERCTA.

Athens on the coast near the border with Megara.
It possessed a temple of Demeter and was the site ETRURIA: A country in central Italy (present-
of the mysteries of Eleusinia held in honor of this day Tuscany), the heart of the Etruscan Empire,
goddess and the goddess Persephone. which was a great power before the rise of Rome.

ELlS: Country on the western coast of Pelo- FATHER ACHAIA: See PATRAI.
ponnesus, where Zeus was worshiped at
Olympia near Pisa with a lavish festival every FREGELIA: See FREGELLANUS.
four years. In consequence Elis was held to be a
sacred place. Its inhabitants had priestly honors, FREGELLANUS: An important town in
its cities were unwalled and it was free from the Latium, which was in ancient times the region
terrors of war. of central Italy south of the Tiber. It was
destroyed by Optimius in 125 when it became
ENNA: Also called Henna, an ancient fortified involved in a revolt against Rome.
town in Sicily that was said to be the center of
the island. A celebrated temple of Demeter was GAETULIA: A large region in the interior of
located here. Visitors were shown a meadow northern Africa corresponding roughly to pre-
where Pluto was reputed to have carried off sent-day central Algeria.
Persephone and a cave into which the pair was
said to have vanished un~erground . GETULIA: See GAETULIA.

EPHESUS: Chief of the 12 Ionian cities on the GILBOA: Mountain at the northern end of a
coast of Asia Minor (it was located on the pre- range of hills in Samoria (present-day Jelbun,
sent-day Gulf of Kusada, Turkey). Beyond its Israel).
walls stood a famous temple of Artemis.
GNIDUS: Or Cnidus, a celebrated Lacedae-
EPIDAMNUS: Town in Greek IIIyria (present- monian city on the west coast of Asia Minor
day Durres on the coast of Albania). (Turkey), located at the tip of the promontory
south of the Sinus Ceramicus (Gulf of Kerme).
EPIDAURUS: Town in Argolis (on Pelopon-
nesus) on the Sinus Saronicus (Saronic Gulf) GORDIANA: Gordiaea, Gordyaei, Gordyene,
which ruled a costal district called Epidauria or Corduene, a mountainous district in the south
independently until Roman times. of Armenia Major between the Arsissa Palus
(Lake Van in Turkey) and the Gordyaei
EPIDAURUS LIMERA: Town on the eastern Montes. It lay in present-day eastern Turkey
shore of Laconia (on the eastern side of the and Armenia.
842/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

GRYNIA: Or Grynium, an ancient fortified as knowledge of geography expanded it was

city on the coast of Sinus Elaiticus (present-day pushed farther north, to the very shores of the
Gulf of Candarli, Turkey). It was celebrated for Hyperboreus Oceanus. The term "hyperborean"
its temple and oracle of Apollo Grynaeus. came to mean "the most northerly," and might
in this sense be applied to anything.
HELIOPOLIS: Two ancient cities bore the
name Heliopolis: (1) in Syria, chief seat of the HYRCANIA: Province of the ancient Persian
worship of Baal, whose image was the Sun and Empire located on the southeastern coast of the
whom the Greeks identified with Apollo and Caspian Sea.
Zeus (it was located in present-day Lebanon not
far east of Zegharta); (2) in Lower Egypt Gust IDA: Two mountains bore this name: (I) in
northeast of present-day Cairo). It was to this Crete, where Zeus was raised to adulthood; (2) in
city that the phoenix returned to be reborn. Mysia in Asia Minor (located about ten miles
south of the innermost recess of the Gulf of
HELLESPONT: Strait connecting the Aegean Edremit in northwest Turkey). It was the scene of
Sea with the Sea of Marmara in present-day the rape of Ganymede and the judgment of Paris,
Turkey. and the ancient seat of the worship of Cybele,
who was called on this account Idaea Mater.
HERMOPOLIS MAGNA: One of the oldest
cities in Egypt, it was a chief seat for the wor- IDALIAN GROVE: See IOALIUM.
ship of Anubis and was the sacred burial place
of the ibis, the bird symbol of Thoth (Hermes). IDALIUM: Town in Cyprus (present-day Dali)
The city was located on the west bank of the that was sacred to Aphrodite. The goddess car-
Nile just below the border of Upper Egypt (not ried the surname Idalia.
far south of present-day El Minya)
IDEA: See IDA.
HIRCANIA: See HYRCANIA.
IDUMIA: The Greek form of the biblical
HOMOLE: See HOMOLIUM. Edom, which in the time of the Romans
extended along the eastern Mediterranean from
HOMOLIUM: Town in Thessaly at the foot of Hebron in the north to Arabia Petrea in the south
Mount Ossa. It stood on the site of present-day (corresponds to presen~-day southern Israel).
Lamia.
ILL YRIA: A region coequal with the western
HORMOPOLITES: See HERMOPOLIS MAGNA. half of present-day Yugoslavia where it touches
the Adriatic Sea. It was inhabited by numerous
HYPAEPA: City in Lydia on the southern barbaric tribes.
slope of Mount Tmolus, near the north bank of
the Cayster (not far from present-day Tire in IMBRES: See IMBRos.
western Turkey).
IMBROS: An island in the north Aegean Sea
HYPEPA: See HYPAEPA. (present-day Imroz). It was a seat of worship of
the Cabiri, mystic divinities identified with
HYPERBOREA: Mythic region in which the Hephaestus. A town, also called Imbros, lay on
Sun rose and set once a year, inhabited by a the east of the island.
blessed people who worshiped Apollo and lived
a thousand years. Originally it may have JUDEA: The Roman name for Palaestina
referred to the wilds of northern Thessaly, but (Palestine), which in the scriptures was called
 Geographical Dictionary / 843

Canaan. It corresponds more or less with pre- called Mounte Nuovo rose up from the lake and
sent-day Israel. obliterated it.

LACEDAEMON: Another name for the city L YCIA: A district on the southwestern coast of
of Sparta, the chief city of the Greek Pelopon- Asia Minor that encompassed the semicircular
nesus and the capitol of Laconia. projection lying between the present-day Gulf
of Antalya, Turkey, and the island of Rhodes.
LACONIA: Southwest region of Peloponnesus.
LYDIA: District occupying the middle coast of
LATIUM: Region of central Italy. the western part of Asia Minor (western Turkey).
Mysia lay to the north and Caria to the south on
LAURENTUM: Ancient town of Latium that the peninsula, dividing it into three regions.
was located not far south of Rome.
LYGURIA: Mountainous region in northwest
LEMNOS: One of the largest islands in the Italy that was in ancient times of considerably
Aegean Sea (present-day Limnos). There were greater extent than the province that now bears
two towns, Myrian (Mirina) on the west coast, the name. Its northern boundary was the Po River.
and Hephaestia, or Hephaestias, on the north-
west, the latter named after the god to whom the MACEDONIA : A country that covered the
island was sacred. Hephaestus was fabled to north of present-day Greece, homeland of
have fallen to Lemnos when Zeus seized him by Alexander the Great.
the heel and threw him down from heaven. In
ancient times the island had a volcano named MAEOTIS PALUS: The inland sea (present-
Mosychlus. day Sea of Azov) on the border of Europe and
Asia. The ancients had only vague ideas of its
LEUCADIA: Also called Leucas (present-day size and form. The Scythian tribes living on its
Leukas), an island in the Ionian Sea. shore were collectively called Maeotae.

LOCRENSIANS: See LOCRIS. MAGNESIA: District in the eastern part of

Thessalia in Greece. It was in the form of a nar-
LOCRIS: Region of Greece between the Gulf row, mountainous strip along the coast bounded
of Corinth and the coast opposite the Isle of on the west by the Thessalian plain (it com-
Euboea. The native Locrians were divided into prised the land roughly east of a line between
eastern and western peoples, the latter being a present-day Larisa and Volos).
colony of the former. Homer only mentions the
eastern Locrians, while Thucydides calls the MALEA: A promontory on the southeast of
western people rude and barbarous. Laconia between the Argolic and Laconic gulfs
(present-day Cape Malea). It was a dreaded pas-
LUCANIA: Region in southern Italy on the sage for sailors. Upon it stood a temple of
west side of the Sinus Tarentinus (Gulf of Apollo Maleates. Agrippa seems to confuse this
Taranto). Malea with the southern promontory of the Isle
of Lesbos, which was also called Malea.
LUCRINUS LACUS: Originally a deep bay
on the coast of Campania (in the present-day MALEOTON: See MALEVENTUM.
Gulf of Pozzuoli, Italy), it was separated from
the sea by a volcanic upheaval in preciassical MALEVENTUM: Ancient town in Samnium
times and became a saltwater lake famous for on the Roman road Appia Via. It was renamed
its oyster beds. In 1538 a volcanic mountain by the Romans, after they conquered and colo-
844 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

nized it, Beneventum (present-day Benevento, name Metagonium more properly applies to a
Italy). single promontory on this coast.

MALLOIS: See MALEA. MET AGONIUM: See METAGONITIS.

MANTIANA: Mantiana Palus, also called METHANA: An ancient town in Troezenia,

Arsissa Palus (present-day Lake Van in Turkey), the southeastern district of Argolis, which occu-
a large lake in the south of Armenia Major. pied the peninsular thumb of Peloponnesus in
Greece. The town lay opposite the island of
MAREOTIS: A lake on the western coast of Aegina at the foot of a volcanic mountain.
Egypt separated from the Mediterranean only by
the narrow neck of land upon which stood the city METHANENSES: See METHANA.
of Alexandria. The lake served the city as a port.
MILESIUS: Also called Miletus, a city on the
MARMARICA: District of northern Africa coast of Asia Minor opposite the mouth of the
located between Cyrenaica on the west and Maeander (present-day Menderes) River.
ancient Egypt on the east. It corresponds to the
northwestern comer of present-day Egypt. MILETUS: See MILESIUS.

MEDIA: A populous, fertile province of the MINTURN: See MINTURNAE.

Persian Empire that lay to the southwest of the
Caspian Sea, in the northwestern extremity of MINTURNAE: Town in Latium near the
present-day Iran. mouth of the Liris River, where the Italian town
of Minturno stands today.
MEGARIS: Small district of Greece between
the Sinus Corinthiacus (Gulf of Corinth) and the MYCENA: See MYCENAE.
Sinus Saronicus (Saronic Gulf).
MYCENAE: Or Mycene, an ancient town in
MEMPHI: See MEMPHIS. Argolas about six miles northeast of Argos in
Peloponnesus (at present-day Mikinai). During
MEMPHIS: Ancient Egyptian city on the west the reign of King Agamemnon it reached its
bank of the lower Nile (not far south of present- height of glory and was the foremost city in all
day Cairo). Greece.

MEMPHITES: See MEMPHIS. NARNIA: Town on the Nera River, which

flows into the Tiber (present-day Narni, Italy).
MEOTIS: See MAEOTIS PALUS.
NARVENSIANS: Perhaps inhabitants of Nervi.
MEROE: Once a district of Ethiopia, Meroe See separate note.
comprised the lands between the Blue Nile, the
Nile and the Arbara River, and was so nearly NASAMONIA: The Nasamones were a war-
surrounded by water that it was referred to as an like people of Libya who dwelt on the shore of
island. The city of the same name, its capitol, the Syrtis Major (Gulf of Sidra). They were dri-
stood at its northern point on the east bank of ven south deeper into Africa by the Greek and
the Nile (near Ed Darner in the Sudan). Roman settlers who came to Cyrenaica.

MET AGONITIS: The northern coast of Mau- NAUCRA TIS: A Greek city on the Nile delta
retania Tingitana (present-day Morocco). The that was founded around 550 Be. It was the only
 Geographical Dictionary / 845

place in ancient Egypt where Greeks were per- Great in the Peshawar valley of the present-day
mitted to settle and trade. North West Frontier Province of Pakistan. Even
down to the present century a section of the
NAXOS: The largest of the isles of the Kafir community claimed a Greek origin-as
Cyclades in the Aegean Sea. In classical times it did the ancient Nysaeans-and chanted hymns
was bound up with the legends of Dionysus, to the god who sprang from Gir Nysa (the
and was sometimes called Dionysias, probably mountain of Nysa), identified as Koh-i-Mor.
because of the excellent wine produced there.
OASIS: Two oases west of the Nile were
NAZIANZUS: City in Cappadocia that lay claimed by the Egyptians: (1) Oasis Major
somewhere on the road from Archelais to (Kharga Oasis in Egypt); (2) Oasis Minor
Tyana. Its exact location is not known. It was (Bahariya Oasis in Egypt). Oasis Major was a
the birthplace of the Father of the Christian nome of Upper Egypt, while Oasis Minor was a
Church, Gregory Nazianzen. nome of Middle Egypt. When the term Oasis is
used by itself, Oasis Major is generally
NEO: Roman name for the Isle of los, located intended. A more famous oasis than either of
south of Naxos in the cluster of the Sporades. these was that of Hammon, Ammon or Ammo-
The tomb of Homer was said to be located here. nium (Siwa in Egypt), so called because it con-
tained an oracular shrine to the god Ammon. In
NERVI: A coastal town of Liguria (near pre- ancient times this was in Libya, and it remained
sent-day Genoa, Italy). politically independent from Egypt down to the
days of the Ptolemies. Alexander the Great vis-
NISE: See Nysa. ited its oracle, which hailed him as the son of
Jupiter Ammon.
NORNIANS: See Narnia.
OCRICULUM: An important town in Umbria
NORVEGIA: Norway. near the meeting of the Nera River with the
Tiber River (at present-day Otricoli).
NUMANTIA: Chief town of Celtiberia, a
region of central Spain in Roman times. It sat OLYNTHUS: Town of Macedonia in Chal-
on a low but very steep hill and could be cidice which lay at the head of the Toronaic
reached only by a single path, rendering fortifi- Gulf slightly inland (it was located at the
cation walls unnecessary. The Celtiberians used extreme head of the gulf just about equidistant
it as their stronghold against the Romans. It was from the two peninsulas that surround the
laid under siege, and after much trouble, Toronaic Gulf of Greece).
destroyed by Scipio Africanus the Younger in
133 BC. ORCHENIANS: Inhabitants of Orchenia, a
land mentioned by Ptolemy in the Tetrabiblos
NUMIDIA: Land on the coast of northern 2.3 (Robbins, 143, 159) under the sign of Leo. It
Africa that corresponds with present-day north- is not known to which region this refers, but it
eastern Algeria. must be somewhere in the Middle East since it
is grouped with such places as Idumaea, Syria,
NYSA: Also spelled Ny!:,sa, the legendary place Judaea, Phoenicia, Arabia Felix and Chaldaea.
where Dionysus was nurtured by the Nyseides,
or nymphs of Nysa. There were half a dozen ORCHESTUS: See ORCHOMENUS.
places of this name in the ancient world, none of
them in Arabia. Agrippa probably means to refer ORCHOMENUS: City in the northwest comer
to the ancient city discovered by Alexander the of Boeotia on the southwest shore of Lake
846 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

Copais (less than ten miles northeast of present- PATARA: One of the chief cities of Lycia, it
day Levadhia in central Greece). stood on a promontory of the same name six
miles to the east of the mouth of the Xanthus
OTRICULANS: See OCRICULUM. River (about 15 miles west of present-day
Kastellorizon, Turkey). The city possessed an
OXIANA: Refers to the lands of the Oxiani, a oracle of Apollo that gave responses only in the
people dwelling on the northern bank of the winter.
Oxus River (present-day Amu-Dar'ya), which
flows north into the Oxiana Palus (Aral Sea). PATRAI: Town in Achaia (present-day Patrai,
Roughly corresponds to Uzbek in the former Greece).
Soviet Union.
PA VIA: Town in northern Italy not far south of
PAMPHYLIA: Narrow arched section on the Milan.
southern coast of Asia Minor (Turkey) that lay
on the Sinus Pamphylius (Gulf of Antalya). It PERGA: Ancient city of Pamphylia located
was bounded on the west by Lycia and on the about ten miles east of Adalia, or Attalia (pre-
east by Cilicia. sent-day Antalya) on the southern coast of Asia
Minor (Turkey) on the Gulf of Antalya. It was
PAPHLAGONIA: Region on the middle famous as a seat of the. worship of Artemis. On
northern coast of Asia Minor (Turkey) occupy- a hill near the city stood a very old temple of the
ing the gently rounded projection of the coast goddess where a yearly festival was celebrated.
into the Euxine (Black Sea). Bithynia lay to the Coins of Perga bear the image of Artemis and
west and Pontus to the east. her temple.

PAPHOS: Old Paphos, a city of Cyprus situ- PERSIA: Iran.

ated near, but not on, the western coast of the
island. It was the chief seat of the worship of PESSINUNTIUM: See PESSINUS.
Aphrodite. Another city of the same name,
called New Paphos, lay more inland. Each year PESSINUS: Or Pesinus, a city in Asia Minor
the priest of the temple of Aphrodite led a great on the slope of Mount Dindymus, or Agdistis,
procession from New to Old Paphos. in the southwest corner of Galatia (near present-
day Usak, Turkey). It was a chief seat of the
PAPIA: See PAVIA. worship of Cybele, who was surnamed Agdis-
tis. Her lavish temple stood on a hill outside the
PARNASSUS: The highest part of the moun- city and contained a wooden (or stone) statue,
tain range just north of Delphi, particularly the which was carried off to Rome to satisfy an ora-
two peaks Tithorea and Lycorea. This region cle in one of the Sibylline books.
was densely wooded and contained many caves
and glens. Parnassus was sacred to Apollo and PHALAESIAE: Town in Arcadia south of
the muses, and also to Bacchus. Megalopolis in Peloponnesus.

PARTHIA: Inland region lying off the south- PHALISCIA: See PHALAESIAE.
eastern corner of the Caspian Sea which
roughly occupied the northeastern bulge of PHAMPHILIA : See PAMPHYLIA.
present-day Iran. A part of the Persian
Empire, it was inhabited by a warlike race PHARAI: Ancient town in western Achaea,
noted for their skill of shooting the bow from one of the 12 Achaean cities. There was an ora-
horseback. cle of Hermes located here. The town may have
 Geographical Dictionary / 847

been situated about ten miles southwest of pre- nected to Rome by a road called the Via Praen-
sent-day Patrai. estina. Its inhabitants claimed it had been
founded by Telegonus (Telemachos), son of
PHARIS: See PHARAI. Ulysses. It possessed a very famous and ancient
temple of the goddess Fortuna, with an oracle
PHARSALIA: The territory of the town of which was called the Praenestine lots (Prae-
Pharsalus in Thessaly (present-day Farsala, nestinae sortes). In the days of the empire the
Greece) upon which was fought in 48 BC the temple of Fortuna was enlarged to enormous
decisive battle between Julius Caesar and Pom- proportions and the town became popular as a
pey. Caesar was victorious. vacation resort for wealthy nobles. The oracle
continued to be consulted down to Christian
PHAZANIA: District in the interior of Libya times until Constantine, and later Theodosius,
corresponding to present-day Fezzan. banned it.

PHENICIA: See PHOENICIA. PRENESTE: See PRAENESTE.

PHIGALIA: Town located midway along the PROCONNESUS: Island in the Propontis
Nedha River on the western shore of the Greek (present-day island of Marmara in the Sea of
Peloponnesus. Marmara, Turkey).

PHOENICIA: Sea-trading nation that occu- PROSENNA: See PROSYMNA.

pied a strip about ten miles wide running along
the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea PROSYMNA: Ancient town in Argolis north
(coast of present-day Lebanon and Syria). of Argos , in Peloponnesus. It held a temple of
Hera (Juno).
PHRYGIA: Region of Asia Minor (Turkey)
bounded on the west by Mysia, Lydia and PYREUS: Perhaps Pyrrhi Castra, a fortified
Caria, on the south by Lycia and Pisidia, on the place in northern Laconia (southeast Pelopon-
north by Bithynia and on the east by Lycaonia nesus) where Pyrrhus probably camped during
and Galatia, which last was often considered a his invasion of the country.
part of Phrygia (it corresponded roughly to the
region of west-central Turkey). RAMOTH-GILEAD: Town in eastern Pales-
tine, thought to have been located at present-day
PISA: Capitol of Pisatis, which was the middle Tell Ramit, about a mile south of Er Ramtha,
region of Elis in Peloponnesus (it stood not far near the border between Jordan and Syria.
from present-day Olimbia).
REATE: Town in Latium, Italy (present-day
PONTUS: Northern region of Asia Minor Rieti).
(Turkey) on the shore of the Pontus Euxinus
(Black Sea) to the east of Paphlagonia. The REATUM: See REATE.
Euxine was itself often called simply Pontus.
Ovid applies this name to the shore of the Eux- SAMOS: Also spelled Samus, one of the
ine between the mouths of the Istar River islands in the Aegean Sea. A temple of Hera,
(Danube) and Mount Haemus (eastern coasts of called an Heraeum. was built two miles west of
present-day Rumania and Bulgaria). the city of Samos, which stood on the south-
eastern side of the island. This temple was the
PRAENESTE: Present-day Palestrina. One of chief center for the worship of Hera among the
the most ancient towns in Latium, it was con- Ionian Greeks.
848/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

SARMA TIA: A large stretch of country was located-somewhere on the north shore of
extending from present-day Poland across the Black Sea, perhaps around present-day
southern Russia as far east as the Volga River. Yeysk in the Sea of Azov.
It was inhabited chiefly by Scythians, and in the
west by Germans. TARENTUM: Ancient Greek town on the
coast of southern Italy (present-day Taranto). It
SAUROMATIAN COUNTRY: See SARMATIA. was captured by Hannibal during the Second
Punic War in 212 Be.
SCYTHIA: A large region north of the Pontus
Euxinus (Black Sea), bounded on the west by T AURIS: Small island off the coast of IlIyria in
the Carpathian Mountains and on the east by the the Adriatic Sea between Pharus (present-day
river Tanais (present-day Don). It corresponded Hvar, off the coast of Yugoslavia) and Corcyra
roughly to the southernmost part of European (present-day Kerkira, or Corfu).
Russia.
T AURICA: See T AURIS.
SEAS OF LITTLE ASIA: Seas of Asia Minor
(Turkey), therefore the Euxine (Black Sea), the TAURUS: Mountain of moderate height said to
Propontis (Sea of Marmara) and perhaps the be steep and wooded at the summit. It is located
Maeotis Palus (Sea of Azov). in the Taurus range in southern Turkey (pre-
sent-day Aladag).
SERES: The far eastern land of the silkworm.
To Ptolemy, Agrippa's source, it signified
TEGEA: City in Arcadia (nor far south of pre-
northwestern China and Tibet.
sent-day Tripolis, Greece). At one period it was
divided into four tribes, each of which kept a
SICILIA: Sicily.
statue of Apollo Agyieus, who was held in spe-
cial honor in the city.
SORACTE: Mountain in Etruria near the Tiber,
about 24 miles from Rome. The snow-covered
summit was visible from the ancient city. TEGYRA: Perhaps Tegea. See separate note.

SPARTA: See LAcEDAEMoN. TENATUS: See T AENARUM.

SUTRINIANS: See SUTRIUM. TENEDOS: Small island in the Aegean Sea off
the coast of Troas near the mouth of the Helles-
SUTRIUM: Ancient town of Etruria about 40 pont, located about six miles from the Isle of
miles northwest of Rome (at present-day Sutri). Lesbos and about four miles from the coast. It
was celebrated in ancient times for its beautiful
T AENARUM: Promontory in Laconia that women and was reputed to be the place where
forms the southern point of Peloponnesus (pre- the Greeks withdrew their fleet to induce the
sent-day Cape Tainaron). On it stood a temple Trojans to accept the wooden horse.
of Poseidon. To the north of the point was a
town of the same name. THAMARIT ANS: See T AMYRACA.

T AMYRACA: According to Smith (1862, THEBAIS: Upper Egypt.

852), "a town and promontory of European Sar-
matia, at the innermost comer of the Sinus THEBES: Several ancient cities bore this name,
Carcinites, which was also called from this two of which are more important than the others:
town Sinus Tamyraces." Unfortunately Smith (I) Thebae in Egypt, the capitol of Thebais
neglects to mention where the Sinus Carcinites (Upper Egypt). It stood on the east bank of the
 Geographical Dictionary / 849

Nile (at present-day Luxor) and was fabled to be TRITONES: See TRITONIS PALUS.
the oldest city in the world. Homer called it the
"hundred-gated." (2) Thebae in Greece, an TRITONIS PALUS: Also called Tritonitis
ancient city in Boeotia that stood in a plain Palus (Latin: palus-marsh, swamp), a leg-
southeast of Lake Helice (it was at present-day endary river and lake on the ancient coast of
Thivai). Best known as the setting of The Seven Libya. By one account Athene was born on
Against Thebes, it was a flourishing city, fiercely Lake Tritonis, the daughter of a nymph of the
independent, with seven gates set in a nearly cir- same name as the lake and of Poseidon: hence
cular wall nine miles in circumference. her surname Tritogenia. Early Greek writers
Dicaearchus (c. 300 Be) says it was a gloomy identified Lake Tritonis with the Lesser Syrtis
place with good water and beautiful gardens in (present-day Gulf of Gabes, Tunisia). Later it
the summer, but bitterly cold in the winter. was thought to be the great salt lake that lies
inland from the gulf (Shott el Djerid). In ancient
THERASIA: Small island just west of Thera times this lake had a river flowing into it, but
(present-day Thira) in the Aegean Sea. It was the shifting sands of the Sahara desert have
once part of Thera but was separated from the made this difficult to identify. Some writers
larger island by a geological upheaval. gave a different location and identified the leg-
endary river with the river Lathon in Cyrenaica.
THERMA: Town in Macedonia (on the site of Apollonius Rhodius even transferred the name
present-day Thessaloniki). to the Nile.

THERMODONIANS: See THERMA. TROAD: See TROAS.

THRACIA: The land of Thrace lay between TROAS: Also called the Troad, the land
the Pontus Euxinus (Black Sea) and Macedonia. around the ancient city of Troy in Asia Minor.
It was larger in extent than the part of Greece
that presently bears this name, comprising as TROEZENIA: Region in the southwestern part
well the land between the Euxine and the Pro- of Argolis in Peloponnesus opposite the island
pontis (Sea of Marmara). of Calauria (present-day Poros). A town called
Troezen lay a little distance inland from the sea.
THURINGIA: Ancient district of Germany In earliest times Troezen was called Poseidonia,
that lay in the southwestern corner of the former because of the worship of Poseidon that took
East Germany. place there.

TIBER: One of the most ancient towns of TROGLODYS: See TROGLODYTICE.

Latium, it was located 16 miles northeast of
Rome and in the days of the empire was a pop- TROGLODYTICE: Land of the troglodytae,
ular vacation resort where wealthy Roman or cave-dwellers, especially applied to the bar-
nobles built lavish villas. There was a sacred barous tribes living on the western coast of the
grove and temple here to the sibyl, or nymph, Red Sea, the shores of Upper Egypt and
Albunea, or Albuna, who gave oracles. Ethiopia.

TREVERIS: Augusta Trevirorum (Trier in TROGLOTIDES: See TROGLODYTICE.

Germany), which has extensive Roman ruins.
TROY: Also called Ilium, ancient city in the
TREZENIAN: See TROEZENIA. northwest corner of Mysia in Asia Minor (it
stood not far southeast of the mouth of the pre-
TREZENIUM: See TROEZENIA. sent-day Dardanelles, Turkey). Troy was con-
850 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

quered and destroyed by the Greeks and formed TYBUR: See TIBUR .
the subject of Homer's Iliad.
UMBRIA: District of central Italy that in
TUSCANA: See ETRURIA. ancient times was more far-reaching than that
presently bearing the name, extending to the
TUSCIA: See ETRURIA. shores of the Adriatic.
 Bibliography

Addis, W. E. The Documents of the Hexateuch. 2 - - - - - A Latin-English and English-Latin Dic-

vols. London: David Nutt, 1892. tionary [1849] . New York: Harper and Brothers,
1868.
Agrippa von Nettesheim, Heinrich Cornelius. Opera.
2 vols. Hildesheim and New York: Georg Olms The Apocrypha (authorized edition). Oxford: Univ.
Verlag, 1970. Press, n.d.
A facsimile reprint of the Lyons edition, conjec-
Apollonius Rhodius. The Voyage of Argo. Trans. E.
turally dated by the publisher at 1600?
V. Rieu [1959]. Harrnondsworth: Penguin
Strangely, the tables of the Kabbalah do not
Books, 1985.
appear in this work, which severely limits its
usefulness. Apuleius, Lucius. The Golden Asse. Trans. William
Adlington [1566], n.d.
- - - - Three Books of Occult Philosophy.
Reprint of the edition of 1639. The publisher
Trans. from the Latin by J. F. [London: 1651].
has not given his name, the date or any other
London: Chthonios Books, 1986.
infonnation concerning this edition.
This is a photocopy facsimile of the London edi-
tion of 1651. I used it as the basis for the text of Aquinas, Thomas. Introduction to Saint Thomas
the present edition. Aquinas. Ed. Anton C. Pegis. New York: Ran-
dom House, 1948.
Allen, Richard Hinckley . Star Names, Theil' Lore and
A selection of the basic writings with a brief
Meaning. New York: Dover Publications, 1963.
introduction and no index. This is the Modem
A reprint of Star-Names and Theil' Meanings
Library edition.
published by G. E. Stechert, 1899.
------,Summa contra gentiles. London: Bums,
Andrews, W. S. Magic Squares and Cubes. New
Oats and Washboume, 1928.
York: Dover Publications, 1960.
A reprinting of the Open Court Publishing sec- Aristophanes. The Eleven Comedies. New York: Liv-
ond edition of 1917. The book is made up of eright Publishing Company, 1943.
essays that appeared from 1905 to 1916 in the This text was anonymously translated from the
mathematical periodical The Monist, written by Greek and published in 1912 by the Athenian
Andrews and others. Society for subscribers only.
Angus, S. The Mystery-Religions [London: 1925]. Aristotle. The Basic Works. Various translators.
New York: Dover Publications, 1975. Compiled by Richard McKeon from the Oxford
Originally published by John Murray under the Univ. Press edition ed. by W. D. Ross. New
title The Mystery-Religions and Christianity. A York: Random House, 1941.
useful book, but the author has a tendency to It stands in need of an index.
moralize.
-----Problems. Trans. E. S. Forster. Vol. 7 of
Anthon, Charles. A Classical Dictionary. New York: The Works of Aristotle. Oxford: Clarendon Press,
Harper and Brothers, 1843. 1927.
A massive volume treating a broad range of sub- This is not a genuine work by Aristotle but it has
jects in considerable depth. always carried his name.

851
852 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

- - - - Problems. 2 vols. Trans. W. S. Hett. Boer, Charles. The Homeric Hymns . Chicago: The
Cambridge: Harvard Univ. Press, various years. Swallow Press, 1970.
Arnold, T. W. The Little Flowers of St. Francis of Boethius. The Consolation of Philosophy [523] .
Assisi. Trans. from the Italian. London: Chatto Trans. H. R. James. London: George Routledge
and Windus, 1908. and Sons, n.d.
A collection of popular fables that grew up Brewer, E. Cobham. A Dictionary of Miracles. Lon-
around the memory of the saint. don: Chatto and Windus, 190 I.
Ars Notoria. Trans. Robert Turner [1657]. Seattle: - - - - Dictionary of Phrase and Fable [1870].
Trident Books, 1987. London: Cassell and Company, n.d.
One of the more obtuse of the grimoires. Browning, Robert. Complete Poetic and Dramatic
Augustine, Saint. City of God. 2 vols. Trans. John Works . Boston and New York: Houghton Mif-
Healey [1610]. London: J. M. Dent and Sons, flin Company, 1895.
1957. Budge, E. A. Wallis. Amulets and Talismans. New
Contains some of the original commentary of York: University Books, 1968.
Joannes Vives. Unfortunately no index, making Originally published in 1930 under the title
it difficult to use. Amulets and Superstitions. A useful collection
Bacon, Francis.Essays [1597]. Philadelphia: Henry because of its many illustrations and plates.
Altemus Company,.n.d. - - - - The Book of the Dead. New York: Uni-
Ball, W. W. R. Mathematical Recreations and versity Books, 1970.
Essays [1892]. London: Macmillan, 1905. A translation of the Egyptian papyrus of Ani.
This excellent work contains a chapter on the Reproduction of the 1913 edition.
magic squares, the best short treatment I have ----Egyptian Magic [London: 1901]. New
read. York: Dover Publications, 1971 .
Barham, Richard Harris. The Ingoldsby Legends, or A brief overvie~ of a complex subject, but very
readable.
Mirth and Marvels [1840]. London: Richard
Bentley and Son, 1879. - - - - The Gods of the Egyptians [London:
The Legends were published anonymously, 1904]. 2 vols. New York: Dover Publications,
which seems a pity since they do the author so 1969.
much credit. A complete treatment of Egyptian mythology.
Perhaps Budge's best work.
Baring-Gould, Sabine. The Book of Werewolves
[1865]. New York: Causeway Books, 1973. Bulfinch, Thomas. Mythology. New York: Random
Perhaps the best treatment of this subject in House, n.d.
English. This Modern Library edition contains the
author's Age of Fable (1855), Age of Chivalry
Barrett, Francis. The Magus , or Celestial Intelli- (1858) and Legends of Charlemagne (1863),
gencer [London: 1801] . New York: Samuel which over the years have come to be regarded
Weiser, n.d. as parts of a single whole. Still one of the best
Numbered, limited edition containing the fac- books on the the subject.
simile text and colored plates of the original. A
beautiful book. Virtually all of it is a plagiarism Burckhardt, Titus. Alchemy [1960]. Trans. from the
from the 1651 English translation by James German by William Stoddart. Baltimore: Pen-
Freake of the Occult Philosophy. guin Books, 1974.
Not an especially good book, but the most
Bede. A History of the English Church and People. widely available general study of alchemy.
Trans. Leo Sherley-Price. Harmondsworth: Pen-
guin Books, 1965. - - - - - Mystical Astrology According to Ibn
'Arabi. Trans. from the French by Bulent Rauf.
Best, Michael R., and Frank H. Brightman. The Book Golcestershire: Beshara Publications, 1977.
of Secrets of Albertus Magnus. London: Oxford A very slender treatment, but it contains some
Univ. Press, 1974. useful information of a basic type.
Appended to the main title is The Book of the
Marvels of the World. Burton, Robert. The Anatomy of Melancholy [1621].
3 vols. London: J. M. Dent and Sons, 1961.
Blofeld, John. I Ching. New York: E. P. Dutton, 1968. The amount of interesting lore in this vast work
More accessible than the weightier Legge trans- is astounding. A great book, the product of a
lation. lifetime.
 Bibliography / 853

Butler, E. M. Ritual Magic [1949]. Hollywood: New- Contains all of Croxall's fables and 50 addi-
castle Publishing Company, 1971. tional fables from the translation of L'Estrange.
This is a fine scholarly study of magical manu-
Cruden, Alexander. A Complete Concordance to the
scripts and books.
Holy Scriptures [1736]. Boston: Gould, Kendall
Byron, George Gordon. The Poetical Works . Lon- and Lincoln, 1847.
don: Oxford Univ. Press, 1926. A condensation of the original edition.
Caesar, Julius. The Conquest of Gaul. Trans. S. A. Cyprian. The Writings. Trans. Ernest Wallis. In The
Handford [1951]. Hannondsworth: Penguin Ante-Nicene Fathers. Buffalo: Christian Litera-
Books, 1967. ture Company, 1886.
Some men can do everything well. Had Caesar Cyprian forms part of vol. 5 of this set.
not spent his time conquering the world he
D' Abano, Peter. Heptameron : or, Magical Elements.
might have made an excellent full-time writer.
In the Fourth Book of Occult Philosophy. Lon-
Canadian Oxford Atlas. Toronto: Oxford Univ. don: Askin Publishers, 1978.
Press, 1951 .
Dauches, Samuel. Babylonian Oil Magic in the Tal-
Useful in that it lists many ancient sites and has
mud and in Later Jewish Literature. [London:
a clear topographical presentation.
1913]. In Three Works of Ancient Jewish Magic
Cary, M., A. D. Nock et al. The Oxford Classical London: Chthonios Books, 1986.
Dictionary. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1949. The work is reprinted in facsimile in this collec-
The quality of writing in this work is disap- tion under the title Ancient Jewish Oil-Magic. It
pointing. This is most glaringly apparent when concerns techniques of divination.
it is compared with the much superior Classical
Dante Alighieri. The Divine Comedy. Trans. Charles
Dictionary of Smith.
Eliot Norton [1891]. Boston: Houghton Mifflin
Chambers's Encyclopredia. 10 vols. London: W. and Company, 1941.
R. Chambers, 1868. A clear, if somewhat flat, prose translation.
This work is chiefly useful in the area of botany.
- - - - The Divine Comedy. Trans. Laurence
The engravings are excellent. The editors had not
Grant White. New York: Pantheon Books, 1948.
then decided, as they have in modem times, that
A blank verse version illustrated with Dore' s
all legends and fables must be omitted merely
engravings.
because they are not scientifically accurate.
David-Neel, Alexandra. Initiations and Initiates in
Charles, R. H. The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Tibet. Trans. Fred Rothwell. New York: Univer-
of the Old Testament. 2 vols. Oxford: Clarendon
sity Books, 1959.
Press, 1913.
Many insights into Tibetan magic as it existed
Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Works. Ed. F. N. Robinson. before the coming of the Chinese, observed
Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1961. firsthand by the author.
Cicero. De senectute, de amicitia, de divinatione . - - - - - Magic and Mystery in Tibet [Paris:
Trans. W. A. Falconer. Cambridge: Harvard 1929]. Trans. from the French. New York:
Univ. Press, 1959. Dover Publications, 1971 .
The original title is Mystiques et magiciens du
- - - - The Treatises of M. T. Cicero . Trans. C.
Thibet. This is a reprinting of the English edi-
D. Yonge. London: Bell and Daldy, 1872.
tion of Claud Kendall, New York, 1932. The
Cohen, A. Everyman's Talmud. New York: translator is not named, unless it is Kendall.
Schocken Books, 1975.
Dee, John. A True and Faithful Relation of What
A general survey of the subjects contained in the
Passed for Many Yeers Between Dr. John Dee
Talmud with many quotations.
and Some Spirits [1659]. Ed. Meric. Casaubon.
Crowley, Aleister. Magick in Theory and Practice Glasgow : The Antonine Publishing Company,
[London: 1929]. New York: Dover Publica- 1974.
tions, 1976. A limited facsimile edition of the London edi-
This is Crowley's best work, with the possible tion of 1659. Casaubon took a section of Dee's
exception of his Book of Thoth, the tarot deck he meticulous records of his scryings with Edward
designed using the artist Lady Frieda Harris as Kelly and other mediums and had them printed.
his instrument.
De Givry, Emile Grillot. Illustrated Anthology of
Croxall, Samuel, and Roger L'Estrange. The Fables Sorcery, Magic and Alchemy [1929] . Trans.
of Aesop. London: Frederick Warne, n.d. from the French by J. Courtenay Locke [1931].
854/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

New York: Causeway Books, 1973. and Daldy, 1866.

The finest of all the picture books of occultism, One of the Bohn Classical Library editions.
thanks to its excellent structure and careful
Evans, Joan. Magical Jewels of the Middle Ages and
source references. An edition is also published
the Renaissance [1922]. New York: Dover Pub-
by Dover, but the Causeway edition is superior.
lications, 1976.
D'Olivet, Fabre. Golden Verses of Pythagoras [1813]. Reprinting of the Clarendon Press (Oxford) edi-
Trans. from the French by Nayan Louise Red- tion of 1922.
field [1917]. New York: Samuel Weiser, 1975.
Evelyn, John. John Evelyn's Diary (abridged). Ed.
Extensive and somewhat tedious ruminations on
Philip Francis. London: Folio Society, 1963.
the Pythagoric verses, useful because it gives
the verses in Greek, in d'Olivet's French and In Everard, Doctor John. The Divine Pymander of Her-
English. mes Mercurius Trismegistus [1650). Trans.
from the Arabic. San Diego: Wizards Book-
Dryden, John. The Best of Dryden. Ed. Louis I. Bred-
shelf, 1978.
void. New York: Ronald Press Company, 1933.
A reprint of the 1884 edition of Hargrave Jen-
Eliade, Mircea. Shamanism [Paris: 1951] . Princeton nings.
Univ. Press, 1972.
Fiske, N. W. Manual of Classical Literature [1836].
Revised edition. Originally published by
Philadelphia:W. S. Fortescue, 1843.
Librairie Payot under the title Le chamanisme et
A useful reference, but the arrangement of its
les techniques archaegues de l' estase. This is an
parts is poor, making it difficult to find in it
excellent book.
what is wanted.
Elworthy, Frederick. The Evil Eye [London: 1895].
Flammel, Nicholas. Alchemical Hieroglyphics
New York: Collier Books, 1971.
[1889]. Trans. Eirenaeus Orandus [1624] .
A classic that is notable for its numerous illus-
Gillette, NJ: Heptangle Books, 1980.
trations of magical objects and symbols.
This is a reprinting of the W. Wynn Westcott
Encyclopredia Britannica. II th edition. 28 vols. plus edition of 1889.
index. New York: Cambridge Univ. Press,
Franck, Adolphe. The Kabbalah [Paris: 1843].
1910-11.
Anonymously translated from the French. New
Someone once said to me that the II th was the
York: Bell Publishing, 1940.
last edition of the Britannica to possess any
The original title is La kabbale: ou la philoso-
value. I tend to agree. It was still a scholarly
phie religieuse des Hebreaux. The most read-
instrument while in English hands, but after
able of the older works on the Kabbalah.
coming to America it lost its purpose.
Galen. On the Natural Faculties. Trans. Arthur John
Epictetus. The Enchiridion. Trans. Thomas '!'.
Higgin-
Brock. Pennsylvania: The Franklin Library,
son [1948). Indianapolis: Bobbs-Memll, 1980.
1979.
This work is a compression of the ideas of
Epictetus by Flavius Arrian, one of his students, Gaster, Moses. The Sword of Moses [London: 1896] .
who recorded a series of talks given by the great In Three Works of Ancient Jewish Magic. Lon-
Stoic philosopher around the year 125 at don: Chthonios Books, 1986.
Nicopolis. A facsimile reproduction of the original transla-
tion and commentary by Gaster of this Hebrew
Euripides. The Complete Greek Tra?edies. Vols ..3
magical work, along with the original Hebrew.
and 4. Ed. David Grene and Richmond Latti-
It is concerned with magical names.
more. Univ. of Chicago Press, 1960.
- - - - The Wisdom of the Chaldeans [1900).
Eusebius. Against the Life of Apollonius of Tyana
In Three Works of Ancient Jewish Magic. Lon-
Written by Philostratus. Trans. F. C. Conybeare.
don: Chthonios Books, 1986.
In Philostratus. Vol. 2. Cambridge: Harvard
Originally published in the December 1900
Univ. Press, 1969.
issue of the Proceedings of the Society of Bihli-
The treatise is appended to the Life of Apollo-
cal Archaeology. Concerns the angels of the
nius by Philostratus.
seven planets.
- - - - The Ecclesiastical HistOlY. 2 vols. Trans.
Gerard, John. The Herbal or General History of
Kirsopp Lake (vol. 1) and 1. E. L. Oulton (vol. 2).
Plants [1633] . Revised by Thomas Johnson.
Cambridge: Harvard Univ. Press, various years.
New York: Dover Publications, 1975.
- - - - - The Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius A facsimile reprint, enormous and beautiful, a
Pamphilus. Trans. C. F. Cruse. London: Bell thoroughly wonderful book.
 Bibliography / 855

Gesenius, William. Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon. of London and Leiden. The text is in a very bro-
New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1890. ken condition that makes it difficult to read.
With additions and corrections by Samuel
Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales. New York: Nelson
Prideaux Tregelles. An excellent work.
Doubleday, n.d.
Gibbon, Edward. The History of the Decline and Fall The fairy tales were first published by the
of the Roman Empire [1776-1788] . London: Grimm brothers Jacob and Wilhelm in Germany
Joseph Ogle Robinson, 1830. in 1812 and 1815. There is no indication in this
A convenient, though hardly compact, one-vol- edition as to who did the translation.
ume edition of this mammoth work.
Grimoire of Pope Honorius /II . Trans. B. J. H. King.
Ginsburg, Christian D. The Essenes [1864] and The Sut Anubis Books, 1984.
Kabbalah [1863] . London: Routledge and This is certainly not the true grimoire of Pope
Kegan Paul, 1974. Honorius, which is described by Idries Shah in
Two works bound under one cover. detail in his Secret Lore of Magic and by A. E.
Godwin, Joscelyn. Robert Fludd. Boulder: Shamb- Waite in his Book of Ceremonial Magic . It bears
hal a, 1979. some of the same symbols, but little or nothing
A useful overview of Fludd, notable for the of the text. What its origins are would be diffi-
many illustrations taken from his books. cult to guess, especially as the publisher says
nothing about the matter, but perhaps Idries
Goldsmith, Oliver. A History of the Earth and Ani- Shah accurately describes this edition when he
mated Nature [1774] . London: Thomas Nelson, says that during the 19th century bogus works
1849. bearing this title were printed to deceive the
A useful work only in that Goldsmith has pre- ignorant into thinking they were getting the true
served many of the fables and ancient lore of grimoire, which at that time was almost impos-
animals. Of course it is completely untrustwor- sible to come by. (See Secret Lore of Magic, ch.
thy as a source of factual information.
14 [London: Abacus, 1972], 253-4)
Grant, Kenneth. Cults of the Shadow. New York:
Guazzo, Francesco Maria. Compendium Malefi-
Samuel Weiser, 1976.
carum [1608] . Trans. E. A. Ashwin. New York:
An examination of the major figures in Western
Dover Publications, 1988.
occultism in the present century and the cults
A reprint of the 1929 edition of John Rodker,
that have grown up around them.
London, edited by Montague Summers.
Graves, Robert. The Greek Myths . 2 vols. Har-
Hamilton, Edith. Mythology [1940], New York:
mondsworth: Penguin Books, 1957.
Excellent. Graves is one of those scholars that Mentor Books. 40th printing, n.d.
make you wish the term of human life might be It is surprising how useful this collection of the
extended in special cases purely for professional myths is-more often than not you will find
purposes. He shares this distinction with what you are looking for in it, which is the ulti-
Thomas Taylor. mate test of any reference work.

- - - - The White Goddess [1948] . New York: Hansen, Harold A. The Witch's Garden . Trans.
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1973. Muriel Crofts. York Beach, ME: Samuel
Weiser, 1983.
Green, Robert. Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay. In Published in Danish in 1976 under the title Hek-
Elizabethan Plays. Ed. Arthur H. Nethercot, sens Urtegard.
Charles R. Baskervill, and Virgil B. Heltzel.
New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1971. Herodotus. The History. Trans. George Rawlinson
The play was probably written around 1592, [1858]. New York: Tudor Publishing, 1947.
likely before Marlowe' s Doctor Faustus. This edition is difficult to use because the para-
graphs are not numbered.
Gregory Thaumaturgus. Writings . Trans. S.-D. F.
Salmond. In The Ante-Nicene Fathers. Buffalo: Hesiod. Hesiod and Theogonis. Trans. Dorothea
The Christian Literature Company, 1886. Wender. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books,
The writings of Gregory, which are not exten- 1973.
sive, form part of vol. 6 of this set. Contains the Theogony and Works and Days of
Hesiod.
Griffith, F. L. and Herbert Thompson. The Leyden
Papyrus [London: 1904] . New York: Dover Hinnells, John R. Persian Mythology. New York:
Publications, 1974. Hamlyn Publishing, 1973.
Originally titled the Demotic Magical Papyrus A picture book of Persian mythology.
856 I THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

Hippocrates. Writings. Pennsylvania: The Franklin This work is also known as the Proportion of
Library, 1979. the Height. No information beyond what I have
The translator of this edition is not named. It given is provided by the publisher. Shiur Qoma
originally appeared in one of the Great Books of is the Hebrew for "measure of the height," but
the Western World published by Encyclopredia this is not explicitly stated. The work is con-
Britannica. cerned with the names and measurements of the
various parts of the body of God.
Homer. The Iliad. Trans. Richmond Lattimore. Univ.
of Chicago Press, 1976. Jacobi, Jolande. Paracelsus: Selected Writings
[Zurich: 1942]. Trans. from the German by Nor-
- - - - The Odyssey. Trans. Richmond Latti- bert Guterman. Princeton Univ. Press, 1973.
more. New York: Harper and Row, 1977.
The many woodcuts that illustrate this selection
These translations of Homer are wonderful. It is
are attractive, though not particularly pertinent
difficult to imagine how they might be sur- to the text.
passed.
Josephus, Flavius. The Works of Flavius Josephus.
- - - - The Odyssey of Homer, with the Hymns, Trans. William Whiston. London: George Rout-
Epigrams, and Battle of the Frogs and Mice. ledge and Sons, n.d.
Trans. Theodore Alois Buckley. New York:
Harper and Brothers, 1872. Justin Martyr. The Writings. In Ante-Nicene Christ-
This edition is useful because it gathers together ian Library. Various translators. Edinburgh: T.
all the bits and pieces popularly attributed to and T. Clark, 1867.
Homer, along with the earliest biography of Juvenal. The Satires. Trans. Lewis Evans. New York:
Homer, attributed to Herodotus. Hinds, Noble and Eldredge, n.d.
Hone, Margaret E. The Modern Text Book of Astrol- Keightley, Thomas. The World Guide to Gnomes,
ogy. London: L. N. Fowler, 1975. Fairies, Elves and Other Little People. New
The best basic textbook on the subject. York: Avenel Books, 1978.
Horace. Complete Works. Intro. J. Kendrick Noble. Originally titled The Fairy Mythology, 1880.
Translator not named. Translation Publishing, King, Edw. G. The Poem of Job. New York: Cam-
1961. bridge Univ. Press, 1914.
Horapollo Nilous. The Hieroglyphics of Horapolio A beautiful rendering of the book of Job in its
Nilous [1840]. Trans. Alexander Turner Cory. original meter and accents.
London: Chthonios Books, 1987. Klibansky, Raymond; Erwin Panofsky; and Fritz Saxl.
A reprint of the original London 1840 edition. Saturn and Melancholy. London: Nelson, 1964.
How, W. W., and J. Wells. A Commentary on Contains useful information on the humors.
Herodotus. 2 vols. Oxford: Clarendon Press, Knight, Gareth. A Practical Guide to Qabalistic Sym-
1928. bolism. 2 vols. in one. New York: Samuel
The maps are useful. Weiser, 1980.
Hughes, Merritt Y. John Milton: Complete Poems and Good as a quick reference to the symbolism and
Major Prose. Indianapolis: Odyssey Press, 1975. correspondences of the Kabbalah that prevail in
The notes in this edition are excellent. modern Western occultism.

lamblichus. Life of Pythagoras. Trans. Thomas Tay- Kramer, Heinrich, and James Sprenger. The Malleus
lor [1818]. London: John M. Watkins, 1926. Maleficarum [1486]. Trans. from the Latin by
There is much useful Pythagorean material Montague Summers. New York: Dover Publica-
appended after the Life. . tions, 1971.
A reprint of the 1928 edition of John Rodker,
On the Mysteries of the Egyptians, London. As I said in the notes, an evil book.
Chaldeans, and Assyrians. Trans. Thomas Tay-
Lactantius. The Writings. Trans. William Fletcher. In
lor [1821]. London: Stuart and Watkins, 1968.
Perhaps the single most important text on neo-
Ante-Nicene Christian Library. Edinburgh: T.
and T . Clark, 1871.
Pythagorean occultism.
Lactantius occupies volumes 21 and 22 of this set.
Ishmael, Rabbi. The Measure of the (Divine) Body
Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology. New York:
Shiur Qoma. From the Book of the Angelic
Prometheus Press, 1960.
Secrets of the Great One (Sefer Raziel
Hagadol). In Book of Enoch. Vol. 3. Los Ange- Legaza, Laszb. Tao Magic: The Chinese Art of the
les: Work of the Chariot, 1970. Occult. New York: Pantheon Books, 1975.
 Bibliography / 857

A picture-book presentation of this interesting London: George Bell and Sons, 1901.
subject. The Bohn' s Classical Library edition.
Legge, James. The I Ching [1899]. New York: Dover - - - - On the Nature of Things. Trans. H. A. J.
Publications, 1963. Munro. New York: Washington Square Press,
1965.
Lemegeton; Clavicula Salomon is: or The Complete
Lesser Key of Solomon the King. With a typed Macdonald, Michael-Albion. De Nigromancia of
transcription and notes by Nelson and Anne Roger Bacon. Gillette, NJ: Heptangle Books,
White. Pasadena: The Technology Group, 1979. 1988.
This work consists of a poor photocopy of An editing of British Museum Mss. Sloane 3885
British Museum Sloane Ms. 2731, which is an and Additional 36674. The introduction of the
English manuscript of the Lemegeton, coupled manuscript asserts that it was discovered in
with an almost illegible transcription that is Alexandria by the religious brothers Robert
filled with careless and needless errors. The five Lombard and Roger Bacon.
books of the manuscript, which are really five
Maier, Michael. Laws of the Fraternity of the Rosie
separate works, are titled The Goetia, The
Crosse [1618]. Los Angeles: Philosophical
Theurgia Goetia, The Pauline Art, The Almadel
Research Library, 1976.
of Solomon, and The Artem Novem.
The original Latin work, titled Themis Aurea,
Lenaghan, R. T., ed. Caxton's Aesop [1484]. Cam- was translated into English in 1656 and dedi-
bridge: Harvard Univ. Press, 1967. cated to Elias Ashmole. This is one of the basic
Caxton' s edition contains a Life of Aesop taken texts of the Rosicrucian movement, even though
from the Latin translation of the Italian human- Maier himself never claimed to be a Rosicrucian.
ist Rinuccio da Castiglione of Arezzo. This dif-
Maimonides, Moses. The Guide for the Perplexed.
fers slightly from the Greek version of the 13th-
Trans. from the Arabic by M. Friedlander. New
century Byzantine monk Maximus Planudes,
York: Dover Publications, 1956.
which was long thought to be its source.
Reprinted from the Routledge Kegan Paul edi-
Levi, Eliphas. Transcendental Magic. Trans. A. E. tion of 1904.
Waite [London : 1896]. New York: Samuel
Manetho. History of Egypt. Trans. W. S. Waddell.
Weiser, 1979.
Cambridge: Harvard Univ. Press, 1964.
Contains the Nuctameron ofApollonius ofTyana.
This work is bound under the same cover as ear-
Liddell, Henry George, and Robert Scott. Greek- lier editions of the Tetrabiblos of Ptolemy.
English Lexicon (abridged) [1871]. Oxford
Manhar, Nurho de. Zohar [1900-14]. San Diego:
Univ. Press, 1976.
Wizards Bookshelf, 1980.
Livy. The Early History of Rome. Trans. Aubrey de This is an incomplete translation from the
Selincourt [1960]. Harmondsworth: Penguin Hebrew that was originally published in the
Books, 1982. Theosophical monthly magazine, The Word. It
This is the first five books of Livy's History. breaks off at Lekh Lekha (Genesis 17:27). In the
margin the pagination of the Cremona folio, the
- - - - The History of Rome. Trans. D. Spillan
Great Zohar, has been added for purposes of
and Cyrus Edmonds. New York: Hinds, Noble
reference, as it is found in the 1933 Soncino
and Eldredge, n.d.
English edition in five volumes.
Contains books 1 and 2 of the History.
Mann, A. T. The Round Art. New York: Mayflower
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. Poetical Works.
Books, 1979.
London: Ward Lock and Company, n.d.
One of the better general texts on modem astrol-
Lucan. Pharsalia. Trans. Robert Graves. London: ogy, notable for its attractive color illustrations
Cassell, 1961. and its useful glossary and index.
This is a spirited and readable translation, but
Marguerite of Navarre. Heptameron. Trans. from the
the book lacks sufficient notes and an index.
French by Arthur Machen. London: George
-----Pharsalia. Trans. H. T. Riley. London: Routledge and Sons, n.d.
Henry G. Bohn, 1853. Margaret intended to write a Decameron in imi-
All of Riley's translations are good, but it is his tation of Boccaccio, but the plan was interrupted
notes that make them especially valuable. by her death.
Lucretius. On the Nature of Things. Prose trans. John Marlowe, Christopher. The Tragical History of the
Selby Watson. Verse trans. John Mason Good. Life and Death of Doctor Faustus. In Eliza-
858 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

bethan Plays. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Useful for its background on the history of mag-
Winston, 1971. ical theories, but not for its conclusions.
Maternus, Firmicus. Ancient Astrology Theory and Mcintosh, Christopher. The Devil's Bookshelf.
Practice. Trans. Jean Rhys Bram. Park Ridge, Northamptonshire: Aquarian Press, 1985.
NJ: Noyes Press, 1975. Despite its promising title, this is a slender treat-
The work suffers from the lack of an index. The ment of only the most famous of the grimoires
Latin title is Matheseos. and contains nothing original.
Mathers, Samuel Liddell MacGregor. The Greater McKenzie, John L. Dictionary of the Bible. New
Key of Solomon [1889] . Chicago: The DeLau- York: Macmillan, 1976.
rence Company, 1914.
Mead, G. R. S. Orpheus [1896] . London: John M.
A composite version based upon seven manu-
Watkins, 1965.
scripts in the British Museum Library: one in
16th century Latin, one in Italian and five in Methodius. The Writings . In The Ante-Nicene
French. Unfortunately Mathers saw fit to expur- Fathers . Buffalo: Christian Literature Com-
gate the more diabolical passages. pany, 1886.
Methodius occupies part of vol. 6 of this set.
- - - - The Kabbalah Unveiled [1887]. Lon-
don: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1962. Morley, Henry. The Life of Henry Cornelius Agrippa.
A translation of part of Knorr von Rosen- 2 vols. London: Chapman and Hall, 1856.
roth's Latin work Kabbala Denudata Until quite recently this was the only extensive
(Sulzbach, 1677; Frankfort, 1684), which in biography of Agrippa in English. It is perhaps
tum is a translation of part of the Zohar. This too uncritical, thanks to its reliance upon the let-
edition was enormously influential upon Eng- ters of Agrippa as its primary source-
lish-speaking occultists around the tum of the Agrippa's own letters naturally paint a favorable
century . portrait of him.
- - - - - The Book of the Goetia, or the Lesser Murray, Margaret A. The God of the Witches [1931] .
Key of Solomon the King [1903]. California: London: Oxford Univ. Press, 1979.
Health Research, 1976.
The Witch-Cult in Western Europe
This goetic work, which is usually attributed to
[London: 1921].Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1967.
Aleister Crowley, but which seems actually to
have been executed by Mathers, comprises the Murray's Classical Atlas. Ed. G. B. Grundy [1904].
first book of the five-book collection that goes London: John Murray, 1959.
under the name Lemegeton or Lesser Key of
Myer, Isaac. Qabba/ah [Philadelphia: 1888]. New
Solomon the King . Although the title page
York: Samuel Weiser, 1974.
boasts that it was compiled from "numerous
A beautiful edition of this classic work, which
manuscripts in Hebrew, Latin, French and
was an important source of information about
English," it is actually a direct copying of the
the Kabbalah in the early decades of this century.
first book, called the Goetia , of British
Museum Sloane Ms. 2731, which is a complete Mylonas, George E. Eleusis and the Eleusinian Mys-
English edition of the Lesser Key. Thus no teries. New York: Princeton Univ. Press, 1974.
scholarship, beyond an ability to read English,
Nasr, Seyyed Hossein. An Introduction to Islamic
was required.
Cosmological Doctrines. Boulder: Shambhala,
The Book of the Sacred ' Magic of 1978.
Abramelin the Mage [London: 1900]. New As the title implies, this is an overview of the
York: Dover Publications, 1975. great Muslim scholars of the past.
A translation of a French manuscript in the Bib-
Nauert, Charles G. Agrippa and the Crisis of Renais-
liotheque de I' Arsenal that purports to have
sance Thought. Urbana, IL: University of illi-
been written by Abraham the Jew to his younger
nois Press, 1965.
son Lamech in 1458 in order to pass on to him
the magical operation described in detail in the Odeberg, Hugo. Book of Enoch by R. Ishmael ben
text. By far the most important of Mathers' con- Elisha the High Priest. New York: Cambridge
tributions, it contains a truly effective technique Univ. Press, 1928.
for personal transformation.
Oesterreich, Traugott K. Possession and Exorcism
Mauss, Marcel. A General Theory of Magic. Trans. [1921]. Trans. from the German by D. Ibberson.
Robert Brain. London: Routledge and Kegan New York: Causeway Books, 1974.
Paul,1972. Originally titled Possession : Demonical and
 Bibliography / 859

Other. This is the definitive work on demonic Philostratus. The Life of Apollonius of Tyana. 2 vols.
possession. It was the sourcebook for Peter Trans. F. C. Conybeare [1912]. Cambridge:
Blatty's novel The Exorcist. Harvard Univ . Press, various years.
The Epistles of Apollonius and the treatise of
Origen. The Writings . Volume 4 of The Ante-Nicene
Fathers. Buffalo: Christian Literature Publish- Eusebius, Against the Life of Apollonius, are
ing Company, 1885. appended to the end of the second volume.
Contains De principiis, Against Celsus and sev- - - - - - Life and Times of Apollonius of Tyana ,
eral letters. Rendered into Englishfrom the Greek of Philo-
Ovid. Fasti. Trans. Sir James G. Frazer [1931]. Cam- stratus the Elder. Trans. Charles P. Eells. Stan-
bridge: Harvard Univ. Press, 1989. ford , CA: Stanford Univ . Press, 1923.
Pindar. The Odes of Pindar. Trans. from the Greek by
- - - - The Fasti , Tristia, Pontic Epistles, Ibis , John Sandys. London: William Heinemann, 1915.
and Halieuticon of Ovid. Trans. Henry T. Riley.
London: George Bell and Sons, 1881 . Plato. The Collected Dialogues. Ed. Edith Hamilton
and Huntington Cairns. Various translators.
- - - - The Heroides , The Amours, The Art of Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ. Press, 1973.
Love, The Remedy of Love, and Minor Works. An excellent text, but it should contain the
Trans. Henry T. Riley. London: George Bell Alcibiades.
and Sons, 1883.
- - - - - The Dialogues of Plato. 2 vols. Trans.
- - - - The Metamorphoses . Trans. Henry T. Benjamin Jowett. New York: Random House,
Riley. London: George Bell and Sons, 1884. 1937.
Tristia and Ex ponto. Trans. A. L. First published by the Macmillan Company in
Wheeler. Cambridge: Harvard Univ. Press, var- 1892. It contains all the dialogues which in past
ious years. centuries were generally attributed to Plato.

Oxford English Dictionary, Compact Edition . 2 vols. Pliny the Elder. Natural History. 10 vols. Vols. 1-5
Oxford Univ. Press, 1971. and 9 trans. H. Rackham; vols. 6-8 trans.W. H.
S. Jones; vol. 10 trans. D. E. Eichholz. Cam-
Pagals, Elaine. The Gnostic Gospels. New York: bridge: Harvard Univ. Press, 1938- 1986.
Vintage Press, 1981.
- - - - - The Natural History of Pliny. 6 vols.
Papus. The Qabalah [1892]. Northamptonshire: Trans. John Bostock and H. T . Riley. London :
Thorsons Publishers, 1977. Henry G. Bohn, 1855-7.
Bound up with the classic occult examination of Only the first two of the 32 books of the Natural
the Kabbalah by the 18th-century French History were translated by Bostock. The rest is
occultist Dr. Gerard Encausse (Papus) are many Riley 's work, and it is excellent, although a bit
fragments from other writers, among them the more prolix than the recent Harvard University
assignment of the 72 names of God to the Press edition, with which I compared it line for
quines of the zodiac by Lenain. line. Riley 's notes are of great value.
Patai, Raphael. Gates to the Old City. New York: Pliny the Younger. The Letters. Trans. Betty Radice.
Avon Books, 1980. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1963.
- - - - - The Messiah Texts . New York: Avon Plotinus. The Enneads . 7 vols. Trans. A. H. Arm-
Books, 1979. strong. Cambridge: Harvard Univ. Press, vari-
A presentation of the Jewish legends concerning ous years.
the Messiah.
This is a really excellent translation.
Pausanias. Guide to Greece. Trans. P. Levi. 2 vols.
- - - - Plotinus: The Ethical Treatises (vol. I),
Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1971 .
Being the Treatises of the· First Ennead with
Pearce, Alfred John. The Text-Book of Astrology Porphyry's Life of Plotinus, and the Preller-Rit-
[1879]. Washington: American Federation of ter Extracts Forming a Conspectus of the Plo-
Astrologers, 1970. tinian System . Translated from the Greek by
This is a reprinting of the second edition. It con- Stephen MacKenna. London : Philip Lee
tains a wealth of information but is poorly orga- Warner, Publisher to the Medici Society, Lim-
nized. ited,1917.
Pepys, Samuel. The Diary. 2 vols. London: J. M. - - - - - Plotinus: Psychic and Physical Trea-
Dent, 1906. tises (vol. 2), Comprising the Second and Third
The Everyman Library edition. Enneads. Translatedfrom the Greek by Stephen
860/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

Ma cKenna. Lo'ndon: Philip Lee Warner, Pub- Although Dryden is credited with the translation
lisher to the Medici Society, 1921. on the title page, the actual work of translation
- - - - - Plotninus: On the Nature of the Soul was done by someone else. A reprint of the
(vol. 3), Being the Fourth Ennead, Translated 1874 revised edition of Arthur Hugh Clough
from the Greek by Stephen MacKenna . London and William W . Goodwin (see above).
and Boston: The Medici Society, Limited, 1924. Porphyry. Epistle to Anebo. In On the Mysteries.
Plotinus: The Divine Mind (vol. 4), Trans. Thomas Taylor [1821]. London: Stuart
Being the Treatises of the Fifth Ennead, Trans- and Watkins, 1968.
lated from the Greek by Stephen MacKenna . This work is prefaced to On the Mysteries by
London and Boston: The Medici Society, Lim- Iamblichus and is quite short. It forms the struc-
ited, 1926. ture for the work of Iamblichus, which was writ-
These four volumes, supplemented by B. S. ten in response to points raised in the letter.
Page' s translation of the sixth and final Ennead, On the Life of Plotinus and the
appeared as one of the Great Books series pub- Arrangement of His Work. In Plotinus: The Eth-
lished by Encyclopaedia Britannica. MacKenna's ical Treatises . Trans. Stephen MacKenna. Lon-
translation suffers badly when it is compared, as don: Philip Lee Warner, 1917.
I compared it, with the superior Harvard transla- This work by Porphyry is prefixed to the
tion. It lacks clarity. I would have preferred to use Enneads.
the Harvard translation in the notes but was
refused permission to do so. Pough, Frederick H. A Field Guide to Rocks and
Min erals. 4th ed . Boston: Houghton Mifflin,
Plutarch. Moralia. 16 vols. Vols. 1-5 trans. F. C. Bab- 1976.
bitt; vol. 6 trans. W . C. Helmbold; vol. 7 trans. P.
H . De Lacy and B. Einarson; vol. 8 trans. P. A. Proclus. Proclus: Alcibiades I. Trans. William
Clement and H. B. Hoffleit; vol. 9 trans. E. L. O ' Neill. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, 1965.
Minar Jr., F. H. Sandbach and W . C. Helmbold; This commentary by Proclus on the First Alcib-
vol. 10 trans. H. N. Fowler; vol. II trans. L. iades is arguably more important than the dia-
Pearson and F. H. Sandbach; vol. 12 trans. H. logue itself.
Chemiss and W. C. Helmbold; vol. 13, pts. I and Ptolemy. Almagest. Great Books of the Western
2, trans. H. Chemise; vol. 14 trans. P. H. DeLacy World, vol. 16. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britan-
and B. Einarson; vol. 15 trans. F. H. Sandbach. nica, 1980.
Cambridge: Harvard Univ. Press, various years.
This collection is made up of all the works of - - - -- Tetrabiblos. Trans. F. E. Robbins. Cam-
Plutarch apart from the Lives. bridge: Harvard Univ. Press, 1980.
Plutarch's Essays and Miscellanies : Rabelais, Francois. The Works of Mr. Francis
Comprising all his Works Collected Under the Rabelais . New York: Rarity Press, 1932.
Title of "Morals;" Translated from the Greek The translation is not identified, but seems to be
by Several Hands , Corrected and Revised by that of Sir Thomas Urquhart (bks. 1-3, 1653 and
William W. Goodwin . 5 vols. London: Simpkin, 1693) and Peter Anthony Motteux (bks. 4-5,
Marshall, Hamilton, Kent and Co., 1974-8. 1693-4).
This edition was first published in 1684-94, was Rashi. The Pentateuch and Rash;' s Commentary. 5
reissued in 1704 and revi sed and corrected in
vols. Trans. R. Abraham ben Isaiah, R. Ben-
1718. The last edition formed the basis for this
jamin Sharfman, Harry M. Orlinsky and R.
translation, which comprises the second half of a
Morris Charner. Brooklyn: S. S. and R. Publish-
ten-volume Plutarch's Lives and Writings, edited
ing Company, 1949.
by A. H. Clough and William W . Goodwin, with
This wonderful edition provides a linear transla-
an introduction by Ralph Waldo Emerson.
tion of the text and commentary beside the orig-
- - - - - Plutarch's Moralia: Twenty Essays. inal Hebrew.
Trans. Philemon Holland [1603]. London: J. M .
Regardie, Israel. The Golden Dawn [1937-40] . St.
Dent and Sons, n.d.
Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 1982.
The Everyman Library edition, consisting of 20
This is the single most important book ever
essays extracted from Holland's translation of
written on magic. Regardie is really the editor.
the Moralia .
He gathered the working documents of the
- - -- - The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, a Victo-
Romans. Trans. John Dryden. New York: Mod- rian sec ret society devoted to the practice of
ern Library, n.d. magic . It is difficult to be certain who actually
 Bibliography / 861

wrote the papers. The poet W. B. Yeats seems Scott, Walter. Hermetica [1924]. 4 vols. Boston:
to have had a hand in some of them. S. L. Mac- Shambhala, 1985.
Gregor Mathers is usually said to be the pri- All of the Hermetic writings are contained in the
mary author, yet in his other works Mathers first volume.
displays no creativity. Aleister Crowley, who
Scott, Sir Walter. Scott's Poetical Works. Philadel-
first published the papers in his periodical The
phia: G. and G. Evans, 1859.
Equinox, did not write any of them. Perhaps
the rituals really were the writings of angels, or Seznec, Jean. The Survival of the Pagan Gods [Lon-
the "Secret Chiefs" as Mathers called them. don: 1940). Trans. from the French by Barbara
Quite apart from its practical occult value the F. Sessions. Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ .
book is a monumental work of art. This has not Press, 1972.
yet been recognized by mainstream literary Traces the gods of Greece and Rome through
criticism. Renaissance art. Its many illustrations make it
useful.
Remy, Nicolas. Demonolatry [1595]. Trans. E. A.
Ashwin. London: John Rodker, 1930. Shakespeare, William. The Complete Works . Ed. W.
It contains many interesting quotations from J. Craig. London: Oxford Univ. Press.
classical and medieval works, as well as Remy's The Oxford India Paper edition of 1954.
firsthand accounts of witch trials.
Skeat, Walter William. Malay Magic [London:
Robinson, James M. The Nag Hammadi Library. 1900]. New York: Dover Publications, 1967.
Various translators. San Francisco: Harper and
Skinner, Stephen. The Oracle ofGeomancy. Califor-
Row, 1981.
nia: Prism Press, 1986.
The Gnostic writings .
Useful as a guide to the available works on the
Rollin, Charles. The Ancient History [Paris: subject, but contains nothing original and repro-
1730-38]. 2 vols. Cincinnati: Applegate and duces a number of errors.
Company, 1855.
Seligmann, Kurt. The History of Magic. New York:
Contains a large amount of material, but it is
Pantheon Books, 1948.
really not to be trusted where matters of fact are
Originally published under the superior title The
concerned. It is useful as a source of legends
Mirror of Magic. Next to DeGivry, this is the
and fables.
best picture book on magic.
Rose, H. J. Religion in Greece and Rome. New York:
Smith, William. A New Classical Dictionary. Rev .
Harper and Brothers, 1959.
and corr. Charles Anthon. New York: Harper
Originally published in two separate books,
and Brothers, 1862.
Ancient Greek Religion (J 946) and Ancient
Although parts of it are out of date, the useful-
Roman Religion (J 948).
ness of this work cannot be overstated. It
Saint-Germain, Comte C. de. The Practice of Palm- remains the best of its kind.
istry [Chicago: 1897]. New York : Samuel
Sophocles. The Complete Greek Tragedies, vol 2.
Weiser, 1970.
Ed. David Grene and Richmond Lattimore.
A very clear and complete exposition of palm
Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press, 1960.
reading. The author is not to be confused with
the alchemist of the 18th century, whose name Spence, Lewis. An Encyclopredia of Occultism [Lon-
he has adopted. don: 1920]. New York: University Books, 1968.
A large work that contains a great deal of mate-
Sale, George. The Koran . Trans. from the original
rial. Unfortunately Spence was not careful about
Arabic. London and New York: Frederick
identifying his sources.
Warne, 1887.
Spenser, Edmund. The Works . Ed. R. Morris. Lon-
Scholem, Gershom. Kabbalah. Jerusalem: Keter
don: Macmillan and Company, 1910.
Publishing, 1974.
The Globe Edition.
- - - - On the Kabbalah and Its Symbolism
Sturluson, Snorri. The Prose Edda (abridged). Trans.
[1965] . New York: Schocken Books, 1977.
Jean J. Young. Cambridge: Bowes and Bowes,
This is the best introduction I have read on the
1954.
philosophy of the Kabbalah.
The original work of Sturluson is in three parts,
- - - - Zohar [1949]. New York: Schocken of which most of the second and all of the
, Books, 1978. third-the parts not concerned with Norse
Selected passages from the Zohar. mythology-are omitted.
862 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

Suetonius. History of Twelve Caesars. Trans. Phile- Thorndike provides an English translation of the
mon Holland [1606]. London: George Rout- Sphere and an English version of the commen-
ledge and Sons, n.d. tary by Robertus Anglicus, making this book
useful to the vast majority of the English-speak-
Summers, Montague. The Werewolf [1923] . New
ing population who do not read Latin. Unfortu-
York: Bell Publishing Company, 1966.
nately he has not carried this plan through to the
Sworn Book of Honorius the Magician. Trans. from other commentators. There is much matter here
the Latin by Donald J. Driscoll. Gillette, NJ: on ancient astrology.
Heptangle Books, 1983.
Three Works of Ancient Jewish Magic. London:
This edition of the grimoire is a composite of
Chthonios Books, 1986.
British Museum manuscripts Sloane 313 and
A photocopy reprinting of the Sword of Moses,
Royal 17-A xlii, the latter being a later incom-
trans. from the Hebrew by M. Gaster (London,
plete transcription of the former in Latin and
1896); The Wisdom of the Chaldeans, trans. M.
English with additional material not contained
Gaster (1900); and Babylonian Oil Magic in the
in Sloane 313.
Talmud and in Later Jewish Literature, trans. S.
Tacitus. Complete Works. Trans. Alfred John Church Daiches (London: 1913). The last work is titled
and William Jackson Brodribb. New York: Ran- Ancient Je wish Oil-Magic in this collection.
dom House, Modern Library edition, 1942.
Tibullus. The Poems of Catullus and Tibullus. Trans.
Tasso, Torquato. Jerusalem Delivered [Parma: from the Latin by Walter K. Kelly . London:
1581]. Trans. from the Italian by Edward Fair- George Bell and Sons, 1884.
fax [1600]. New York: P. F. Collier and Son,
Trithemius, Johannes. The Steganographia. Bk. I
1901.
trans. from the Latin by Fiona Tait and Christo-
Taylor, Thomas. Ocellus Lucanus [1831]. Los Ange- pher Upton; bk. 3 and part of 4 trans. Dr.
les: Philosophical Research Society, 1976. Walden. Edinburgh: Magnum Opus Hermetic
Sourceworks, 1982.
- - - - - The Eleusinian and Bacchic Mysteries.
The book is incomplete, omiting entirely bk. 2
Ed. Alexander Wilder. New York: J. W. Bou-
with its complex spirit wheels. It is a pity so
ton, 1875.
important a work could not have been published
- - - - - Thomas Taylor the Platonist: Selected in its entirety.
Writings . Ed. Kathleen Raine and George Mills
Turner, Robert. Henry Cornelius Agrippa His Fourth
Harper. Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ. Press.
Book of Occult Philosophy [1655]. London:
Contains Taylor's edition of the Orphic hymns,
Askin Publishers, 1978.
along with other important translations.
A facsimile reprint containing the apocryphal
Tertullian. The Writings. Vols. 3 and 4 of The Ante- Fourth Book; Agrippa's treatise Of Geomancy;
Nicene Fathers. Buffalo: Christian Literature the Magical Elements of Peter de Abano; Astro-
Publishing Company, 1885. nomical Geomancy by Gerard Cremonensis; the
Isagoge or An Introductory Discourse of the
Theocritus. Theocritus , Bion and Moschus. Trans. A.
Nature of Such Spirits as are exercised in the
Lang. London: Macmillan, 1907.
sublunary Bounds by Geo. Pictorius Villinganus;
A prose translation.
and the first book of the Arbatel of Magick, also
Theon of Smyrna. Mathematics Useful for Under- called the Isagoge. All these works appear at the
standing ' Plato. Trans. Robert and Deborah end of the first volume of the two-volume Latin
Lawlor from the 1892 Greek/French edition of Opera of Agrippa.
J. Dupuis. San Diego: Wizards Bookshelf, 1979.
Vaughan, Thomas. The Magical Writings of Thomas
Thomas, William, and Kate Pavitt. The Book ofTal- Vaughan. Ed. Arthur Edward Waite. London:
ismans , Amulets and Zodiacal Gems [1914]. George Redway, 1888.
Hollywood: Wilshire Book Company, 1970.
Virgil. Th e Works of Virgil . Trans. James Lonsdale
Thorndike, Lynn. A History of Magic and Experi- and Samuel Lee. London: Macmillan and Com-
mental Science. 8 vols. New York: Columbia pany, 1885.
Univ. Press, 1923-1958. The Globe Edition.
Volumes I and 2 are the most important. The
Waite, Arthur Edward. The Alchemical Writings of
commentary on Agrippa appears in volume 5.
Edward Kelly [London : 1893]. New York :
- - - - - The Sphere of Sacrobosco and Its Com- Samuel Weiser, 1976.
mentators. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press. Trans. from the Hamburg edition of 1676.
 Bibliography / 863

- - - - - The Book of Ceremonial Magic [Lon- - - - - Sepher Yetzirah [London: 1887]. New
don: 1911] . Secaucus, NJ: Citadel Press, 1961. York: Samuel Weiser, 1980.
This edition of the most ancient text of the Kab-
- - - - The Holy Kabbalah [1929] . Secaucus,
balah has great importance in the history of
NJ: University Books, 1975.
magic because Westcott was a founding father
This is Waite's greatest work. It remains one of
of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.
the best books on the Kabbalah ever written.
Wilhelm, Helmut. Change: Eight Lectures on the I
- - - - T h e Turba Philosophorum , or Assembly
Ching . Trans. from the German by Cary F.
of the Sages [London: 1896]. New York:
Baynes. New York: Pantheon Books, 1960.
Samuel Weiser, 1976.
Waite 's translation of this ancient Latin alchem- Woodroffe, John. S'akti and S'akta [1918]. Madras:
ical text. Ganesh and Company, 1969.
Warburton, Eliot. The Crescent and the Cross Yates, Frances A. The Occult Philosophy in the Eliz-
[1844] . New York: P. Putnam, 1849. abethan Age [1979] . London: Ark Paperbacks,
A travel book describing the experiences of the 1983.
author in the Middle East, primarily in Egypt
----Theatre of the World. Chicago: Univ. of
and Syria.
Chicago Press, 1969.
Ward, J. S. M. Signs and Symbols of Freemasonry The opening two chapters contain an excellent
[1928]. New York: Land's End Press, 1969. treatment of John Dee, and Appendix A is Dee's
This work contains a wealth of symbolic Preface to the English Euclid.
imagery that ranges far beyond its title. It is con-
- - - - Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tra-
cerned with the meanings of human posture and
dition. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul,
gestures, as preserved in painting, sculpture and
1964.
other art.
Xenophon. The Anabasis or Expedition of Cyrus and
Westcott, W. Wynn. The Chaldean Oracles of
the Memorabilia of Socrates. Trans. J. S. Wat-
Zoroaster [1895]. Northamptonshire: Aquarian
son. London: George Bell and Sons, 1875.
Press, 1983.
 Index to Biblical Texts

degree of uncertainty in my mind as to whether

T
hiS index includes both direct quota-
tions and allusions made by Agrippa my location of a text is correct, I have indi-
to specific matters in the Bible and cated this in the notes with a "perhaps." Page
Apocrypha and biblical references numbers in boldface refer to the notes. The
occurring solely in the notes. Only texts cited other numbers refer to the text of the Occult
in the notes are listed here. Where there is a Philosophy.

Acts Colossians
1:3-300, 302 3:3-681,682
1:3, 12-300,302 3: 17--450, 452
1:11-530,531
1:26--97,97,574, 575,636, 637 I Corinthians
2:4-287,290 2:6--702, 704
4: 12--485,486 3:16--580,583
4:36-7--697 6:17-521,523
7:14-302 12:4-13-241 , 243
8:27-40-609, 611 13:1--478, 482,530, 531
12:7-10-609,611 13:13-249, 250
16:16--509,512 15:32-581 , 583
17 :3~7 15:44--696,698
19:13-6--453, 454
20:4-272, 279 II Corinthians
28:3-6-592, 592 6:15-509,512
12:1-4-663,664
Bel and the Dragon (Apocrypha) 12:2-610,612,681,682
36--683,686 12:9-685,686

I Chronicles Daniel
21 :27-666, 667 2: 19-663, 664
2:31-5-663,664
II Chronicles 3:19-271,278
16: 12-684, 686 3:20-30-703
18:5-684,686 3:25-684, 686
18:19-2 1-684,686 4: 10-7-663,664
33:7-670,671 4:27--647,648,685,687

865
866/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

Daniel (cont'd.) Enoch (Apocrypha)

4:30-1-685,687 6:7-8-537
4:32-693,694,705,707 8:1-517
6:16---278 40:9-536
6: 16--9-290 70:2-610, 612
6:22-592,592,684,686,701,703
6:23--453,454 Ephesians
7-663,664 2:2-510,514,517
7:2-7-255,261 4:11-614,614
8-663,664 6:17-647,648
8: 16---621 , 622
9:21-621,622 I Esdras
9:25--469,473,573,575 8:1-7-700,702
10:13-505,506,507
10:14-505, 507 II Esdras
10:20-1-524,525 2:18-553,555
12: 1-505,507 4:1-621,622
14:31,39-271,278 7:32-600, 604
14:32-5-609, 611
14:35-683, 686 Ester
1:10-271,278
Deuteronomy 5:1-472
1:4-555
3:11-284,286 Exodus
4:19-507 3-644,645
4:19-20--490,492 3:2-665,667
4:24-27,28 3:3-479
4:29-675, 676 3:11-528, 529
4:47-553,555 3:14-478
5:24-701,703 4:2-7-528,529
8:2-300, 301 7:1-576,577,681 , 682
9:2-554, 556 7:10-700, 703
13:7--492,495 7:11-684, 686,702
15:1-271,277 7:11-2-693,694
17:3--490,492 7:12-135,137
27:3-271,277 7:20-700, 703
32:6---450, 452 7:22-135,137
32:8-505,507 8:6---700,703
32:22--461 , 463, 479 8:7-693, 694
32:37-479 8:17-700, 703
32:39-479 8: 19-684, 686
33:14-367 8:24-700, 703
33:29--488, 489 9:10-700,703
9:23-700, 703
Ecclesiastes 10:13-700, 703
3:19-613, 614 12:2-7-301
3:20-1-594,601 12:29-700,703
4:8-12-245,246 13:2-290,291
13:21-666,667,701,703
Ecclesiasticus (Apocrypha) 14:19-21-302,474,475,478,480,538,539
Pro1ogue-432 14:21-577,578,700,703
3:30-647, 648 14:22-663,664,665,666
16:26--8-506, 507 14:28-663,664,665,666,686,687
17:17-505,507 15:11-564, 565
24:3,9--460, 462 15:27-300, 302
24:5--496,496 16:5-265,267
16:13-700,703
16:15-701 , 703
 Index to Biblical Texts / 867

Exodus (cont'd.) Ezra

17:6--665, 666,700,703 3: I ,4-272, 278
17:11-701 , 703 3:10-272,278
17:14-556 4:13-507
19:1,16-300,302 7:14-272, 278
19: 19-701,703
20:8-11-270,276 Galatians
20:9-665,667 3:13--451,452
20:24-475, 481
21:2-265,267,270,271,277 Genesis
22:8-576, 577 1:1-246,248
22:28-576, 577 1:3--474,479,537
22:30-271,277 1:6--665,666
23:10-265,267 1:6--8-245, 246
23:11-271,277 1:20-16,19
23: 19-290, 291 1:21,24-16,19
23:20-507 1:27-265, 267
23:20-1-538,539,668,671 1:31-265, 267
23:20-3--468, 470,621 , 622 2:2-270,276,277
24:16-265,267,271,277 2:5-16,19
25: 18-246, 248 2:6--7-246,248
26: 1-287, 290 2:7-581,583
26:7-292, 292 2:9--468, 473
27:20-666, 667 2:10-665,666
28:4,8,36-281, 282 2:10-4-254,260
28:15-20-292,293 2:19-213,214,532,534,591,592
28:29--484, 486 2:24-245, 246
30:25-666,667,668,671 3:8--487,489
30:34-133 3:13-509, 514
31:15-271,277 3:14-511,517,571,572,594,601
31: 18-246, 248 3:17--451,452
33:2-507 3:22--468,473
33:11-246, 248,644, 645 4:14-591,592
33:23-246,248,487,489 4:15-270,277
34:28-300,302 4: 19-270, 277
34:28-9-643,645 4:24-270,277,300, 302
34:30-610,611 5:1--468,472
35:2-271,277 5:24-270, 277,612
6:4-507
Ezekiel 6:4-7-663,664,665, 666
1:1-299,301 6:14-6-345,352
1:5-14-507 7:2-3-271,277,432
1:10-255,261 · 7:9-245, 246
I: 15-20-507 7:10-1-271,277
1:2 1-255,261 7:12-300,301
1:26-507 7:13-262,264
1:26--8-621 , 622 7:19-665, 666
1:27-507 8:1-663,664
3:15-272,278 8:21--487,488
5-593,600 9:26-472
9-509,512 10-538, 539
15:8--488, 489 11:5-7-663,664
28:13-284,284 11 :6--7-530,531
34:25-8-592 12:1-9-673,675
48:31--484,486 13:9-528,529
48:35--484,486 14:1-554,556
14:18-479
14:23-528,529
868/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

Genesis (cont'd.) Isaiah

15:2-637, 637 1:16-699, 699
15 :17--428 4: 1-272,278
17:1-262, 264 6:1-7--470
17:5-262, 264,524, 525 6:6-507
17:12-281 , 282 7:14--479
18-621,622 9:6--469, 473,487, 488
18:3--479 11:2-270,272,277,278
18:6-262, 264 11:4-26,27
18:23-32-528, 529 11:9-592
19:24-663, 664 II : 15-272, 279
21:29-277 13:2 1-34
21:29-31-269,271,276,277 13:2 1-2-510, 516
2 1:30--272, 280 14:14-509,512
24:2--479 17:5-553, 555
25:6--490,492 19:4-525
26:7-528, 529 24:21-524,525
26: 12-673, 675 29:1-555
26:24-621, 622 29:4-512
28:11-290 30:2--487, 488
28:11-8--404,405,425 30:29--479
28:12-367 33:7-555
28:12-5-663 , 664 34:11,14-5-510,516
28:22-290,291 34:14-34
29:18-28-271,277 37:36-506,507
30: 14--6-85 37:38-556
30:37-9-204,205 38: 1-6-685,687
31:41-299, 301 40:12-249, 252
32:24-8-287, 290,528, 529 41:23-616,617
32:28-524, 525 43 :10--479
32:30-621,622 45:8-27,28
32:31-290,553,555 45:12--496
33:21--479 48:12--479
37:5-10-663,664 51 :20--509,512
37:10-634, 635 53:1--487, 488
37:28-299,301 53:3-507
39:2,2 1,23-621 , 622 63:16--479
41-271 , 277 65:25-511,517,594,601
41 :17-24-663, 664
41 :32-634, 635 James
41 :46-299, 301 3:17-272, 279
42:16--479 5:16-8-675, 676
46:27-300, 302
48: 15-6-503 Jeremiah
49-97, 97 7: 14-300, 302
49:5-509, 512 7:18--491 , 492
49:24--479 15:9-272,278
49:28-292, 293 18: 17--487,489
50: 10--271 , 277 25:11-300,302
25:18-300,302
Hebrews 44: 17-26--492
1:14-500, 501,506,507 48:10-647,648
4:12-581, 583 51:44-555
11 :2 1-528, 529
12:29-27, 28,461 , 463 Job
1:2-271 , 278
Hosea 2: 13-272, 278
2:18-592 3:5-514
 Index to Biblical Texts / 869

Job (cont'd.) Joshua (cont'd.)

5: 19-272, 278 4:5-292, 293
5:23-592 4:19-287, 290
6:15-7-26, 27 6:2-528, 529
17:1 2-366 6:3-4-271, 278
24: 16-7-26, 28 10:12-701 , 703
24: 17-366, 368 10:12-3-39,43,577,577
25:4-5-497 13 :6----636, 637
25:5-497 15:8-280
27:3-672, 675 18:6---271,277
27:11-550 21-97
28:22-514 24:15-27-490,492
33:23-505, 507
33:29-601 Jude
37:7-104, 104 9-696,698
40: 15-24-554, 557 14-5-683, 686
41-554, 557
41 :1-515 Judges
1:7-300, 302
John 2:13-514
1:1-431,432 3:9-10-621,622
1:1, 14-583 3: 14-299,301
1:14-432 6:1,11,34-271,278
2:5-272, 278 6:17-637,637
2:6---272, 278 9:2-300,302
3:5-16, 19,665,667 9:4-300, 302
3:14-550,550,571,572 9:5-300,302
4:14-27, 28 11 :24-553, 555
4:52-272, 279 12:14-300,302
5:2-4-17, 20 13:3-21-621,622
5:7-460, 462 13 :6,8-507
6:70--521,523,554,556 13:8-507
8:12-13, 14 13:18-477,482,622
11 :9-673 , 675 14:5--6-592,592
11 :49-51-577, 578 14:12,17-271,278
12:31-510,516 15:19-665, 667
13:25-487, 488 16:8-271,278
14:30--510,516 16:19-271 , 278
15:16-484, 486 19:22-512
16:11-510, 516 36:40-637, 637
19:31-265, 267
20: 11-528, 529 Judith (Apocrypha)
20:25-528, 529 4: 13-675, 676
21 :2-272, 278
21 :20-487, 488 I Kings
3:5-15-639,640
I John · 3:12-528,529
5:19-514 5:15-300,302
7:25-292, 293
Jonah 10: 1-528, 529
1:7-15-636,637 11:1-514
1:17-250,253,599,604 11:5-514
3:4-300, 302 11:17-428
3:6-10-685,687 16:31-684, 686
17:1-684,686
Joshua 17:6----684, 686
1:1-621,622 17:22-701,703
3:17-577,578,665, 666 18:38-479,666,667
870 I THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

I Kings (cont'd.) Leviticus (cont'd.)

18:44-271 , 278 23:8-271,277
19:4-8-643,645 23:24-271,277
19:5-8-182,185 23:34-299,301
19:8-300, 302 23:36--271 , 277
20:29-271,278 23:41-271,277
21:9-10-595,601 23:42-271,277
21 :29-685,687 25-270, 277
22:20-2-595, 601 25:9-472
22:22-509,510,512,516 25:10-300,302
26:18-271 , 277
II Kings
1:2-512, 683, 686 Luke
1:4-684, 686 1:36--301
1:10-684, 686,701 , 703 1:59--64-281 , 282
2:8-684, 686 3:23-299,301
2:11-610,611,643, 645 7 : 47~53 , 454
2:15-597,603 8:2-272, 278
2:24-592, 592 9:49-454
4:32-5-606, 607 10:1-300, 302,539, 539,574, 575
4:35-271 , 278 10: 19-510, 516
5:10-4-270, 276 10:20-213, 214
5:14-271,278 10:39-528, 529
5:18-553, 555 10:40-528, 529
6:13-683, 686 11: 1-4---668, 671
6:18-705,706 11 :41-647, 648
7:6-683, 684,686 15:4-301 , 302,501 , 504
8:1-271 , 278 15:8-501 , 504
9:25-6--595, 601 16:9-506,507,.510,516
9:36-684, 686 16:13-514
17:24-5~57, 458 16 : 17~84, 486
17:31-553,556 16:19-26-600, 604
18:4-572 16:22-506, 507
20:6--299, 301 17:12- 9-284, 286
20:9-11-39, 43 2 1 : 15~88 , 489
23:13-555 21 : 18~88 , 489
25:25-271 , 278 22: 19-656, 660
22:36-666, 667
Lamentations 23:44-5-39, 43
5: 16-685, 686 23:46--272, 278
23:54-265, 267
Leviticus 24:21-250, 253
4:6--271, 277
6:12-3-14,14 II Maccabees (Apocrypha)
12:2-6--301 12:26--493
12:6--91 , 92 12:39-45--602
14:4-7-91,92 15:15-6--666,667
14:7-270, 271,276,277
15:13-271, 277 Malachi
15:19-271 , 277,448,449 3:1-408,521 , 523
16:8-636,637 3:16--408
19:31-502
20:27'-502 Mark
21~8,449 1:9-665, 667
21:2~8,449 5:30--487, 488
22 : 2-~8, 449 11 :24-675, 676
22:3-672, 675 15:42-265,267
 Index to Biblical Texts / 871

Matthew Nehemiah
1:17-299,301 12:35-278
2:2-299,301 13:1-272, 278
2:7-301
2:14-5-272,279 Numbers
3: 16----665, 667 1:5-16-292,293
4:1-517 6:27-475, 481
4:2-300,302 8:2-271, 277
4:8-509, 512 11:16-239,240,300,302
5:3-11-272,278 11 :24--539, 539
5:22-26, 27, 280 II :25-597, 603
5:43-4-246, 248 12:10-701 , 703
6:7-13-668,671 12:14--271 , 278
6:9-13-270,272,277,278 13:4-15-292,293
6:12-647,648 13:29-554, 556
7:6-444, 447 16:32-290,701 , 703
7:22-3-600, 604 16:35-701,703
8:23-6-{)63,664 17:2-5-636,637
8:26----663,664 18:21-290, 291
8:28-510,516 19:11-271,278
8:31-511,517 21:7-701,703
9:22-453, 454 21:9-701,703
9:28-9-453,454 21 :33-553, 555
10:2--6-292, 293 22:4--554,556
10:30---488, 489 22:6-684,686
12:24--509,510,512,516 22:28-621,622
12:45-270,272,277,278 23:1-271,278
13: 10 4 444,447 23:20-684,686
13: 11-702,704 24:9-684,686
14:20-292,293 24:20-554,556
14:25-663,664 25:11-528,529
14:31-663,664 26:11-290
14:32-663, 664 26:55-636, 637
15:19-272, 278 28:11-271,277
15:36-272,278 28:17-271,277
15:37-272,278 28:21-2-271,277
16:16-7-528, 529 28:25-271 , 277
17:20-675,676 29: 1-271 , 277
18:22-300, 302 29:12-271 , 278
19:14--697 29:17-278
19:18-21-272,278 29:32-271,278
19:28-484,486,574,575 33:9-292, 293
19:29-647,648
20:9-292, 292 I Peter
22:25--6-272, 278 3:20--1-665,667
23:13-29-272,278
25:15-614,614 II Peter
25:33,41-487,488 1:5-7-272, 279
25:40-647,648 1:21-616, 617
25:41-26,27,451,452 2:1-683,686
25:42-647,648
26:52-593,600 Philippians
27:46-284,284 4: 13-638, 639
28: 1-270, 276
Proverbs
Micah 1:8-450, 452
5:5-272,278 I : 17-594, 601
3:16-104,104
872 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY

Proverbs (cont'd.) Psalms (cont'd.)

3:18-{538,639 79:12--270,272,277,278
6:6---594, 601 82:1--576,577
6:16-9--270,272,277,278 82:6---576,577
6:31--270, 276 85:8-{552,653
9: 1--272, 278 88:11--280
II :22--593, 601 90: 10--268, 273
15:11--514 91: 1--488,489
17:12--593,601 91:9-12-485
19: 12--593, 601 91:11--522,523
23:5--594,601 91 :13--510, 516,571,572
23:6--68 91: 14--485, 486, 488, 489
23:32--594, 601 92:8--479
26: 16---272,278 97:3-{565, 667
26:25--272, 278 103:5-48
27:20--514 104:1--488,489
28:22--68 104:4--27,28,405
28:24--450, 452 104:~88 , 489
30:15--115 104:19--428
30:26---593, 601 104:21-3--365,366
30:28--594, 601 104:35--479
30:31--593,601 109:6---538, 539
110:1--487,488
Psalms I 12:2-{585, 687
1:4--475, 480 112:3-{585, 687
5:12--488,489 112:6-{i85,687
6,32,38, 51,102,130,143--273,280 112:7-{585, 687
7: 13--509, 512 112:9-{585,687
7:17--479 119: 11--444,447
8:3--487,488 119:164--270,272,277,278,517
8 : ~87,488 120: 134--299,301
. 9:13--280 I 28:3-{586, 687
9:17--280 141 :2-{572,675
10:8--487,488 144:1--488,489
11:4--487,488 148:1--571,572
12:6---272, 278 148:4--26,28
16:10-{586, 687 149:6-{i66,667
18:9--487,489
18:10--27, 28 Revelation
22: 16-7--536 1:4--272,279, 587,588
23:4--280,488,489 I: I 0-{563, 664
25:5--479 1:11--272,279
26:3--479 1:12--270,272,277,279
33:2--290 1:16---270,272,277,279
34:7--484,485 2:14--554,556
34: 15--487, 488 4:5--270,277,532,533 , 535,536
35:5--6--538,539 4:6-7--255,261
37:29-{585, 687 4:8--265, 267
40:2--280,488, 489 5:1--270,272, 277,279
40:3--488, 489 5:6---270,272,277,279
44:9--290 7:1--255, 261,533,536
45:3--489 7: 1-2--509,514
47:9--576, 577 7:2, 15--484,485
51--300, 302 7:3--400
55:23--280 7:5-8--292,293
59:7-{547,648 7: 17--27,28
72:9--511, 517 8:1--270,277
78:49--484, 485 8:2--270,272,277,279
 Index to Biblical Texts I 873

Revelation (cont'd.) I Samuel (cont'd.)

9:11-510,514 30:7-8-623, 624
10:4--272, 279 30:29-555
II :4-666, 667
11 :9-12-604 II Samuel
12:1-292,293 21:9-271,278
12:3-272, 279,389, 389 31:4-684,686
12:7-534
12:9-550, 550 Song of Solomon
12:10-510, 514 7:5-487,488
13: 13--4--509,514 7:9-487, 488
13:16--272,279,400
13:18-239, 240,313, 314, 660 Song of the Three Holy Children (Apocrypha)
15:1-272, 279 28-701,703
15:7-272,279 29-68-450,452
16:1-594, 601 35-65-571 , 572
17:1-272,279 54-60-39, 43
17:3-272,279,389, 389
II Timothy
17:9-272, 279
3:8--683, 686,702,705, 707
17:10-272, 279
20-269,276 Tobit (Apocrypha)
20:10-26, 27 1: 1-468, 473
21 :12-292, 293,484,486,533 , 536 3:8-271 , 278,512
21:14--484, 486,574, 575 4: 7-11~48
21:19-20-292, 293, 574, 575 5:4-621 , 622
5:4, 16--505, 507
Romans 5:4-6--523
7:23-581 , 583 5:16--163, 167
9:22-512 8:2-3-512
11 :36-461 , 464 8:3-521,522
II :4--505 , 507
I Samuel 11 :8-534
5:1-7-553, 556 12:8-675, 676
10:1,20-7--637, 637 12:9--647, 648
10:10-3--621,622,623, 624 12:15-270, 277
13:14--487, 488
16:10-3-281 , 282 Zechariah
16: 13--639, 640 1:14--523
16:23-333, 335, 356, 356 3:9-272, 278
17:17-8-287, 290 4:2-272, 278
17:34-5-592, 592 4:10-270, 272,277,278
17:46--528, 529 4: 11-2-246, 248
19:20--623,624 4: 14--506,507
23:9-11--623 , 624 8: 19-272, 278
27:10-555 9:17-441 , 442
28:7-502,509, 512 13:4--292
28:7:"'20--696, 698
28: 11--605, 607 Zephaniah
28:15--683,686 1:5-553.555
 General Index

A
n effort was made to compose a page numbers in boldface refer to the notes,
comprehensive index to the text, appendices, and introductory matter. The num-
while still providing an adequate bers in italics indicate references to quotations
reference to the notes and other sup- in the body of the text.
plemental materials. Considerations of space In using the index the reader should con-
necessitated that the entries be weighted in sult variants of spelling, and also entries on
favor of the Occult Philosophy itself. related topics, for the broadest overview. The
Names of print and manuscript works are more important cross references are given in
in capitals. Personal names are italicized. The the index itself.

Aaron (brother of Moses), 271,473 Abraham Ben Ezra (Abenezra), 734, 785
Aaron (writer), 38, 76, 690, 785, 803 Abram (later named Abraham), 637, 698
Ab (holy name), 320, 479, 750, 756 Abrinael (angel of the 24th lunar mansion), 533
Abab-see Abba Abu-Maaschar (astronomer), 209, 365, 381 , 785-7
Abaddon (devil), 275, 510, 514 Acca Larentia (goddess), 493, 659
Abaris (magician), 6, 690, 785,836 Accusers (8th order of devils), 285, 289, 295, 510,
Abba (holy name), 320, 328, 751, 756 536-7
Abdala the Arabian, 633 ACERBA (Cecco d' Ascoli), 793
Abdera (town in Thrace), 190,611, 789 Achab-see Ahab
Abdi (holy name), 255
Achaia (Achaea), 97,178, 492,495,636-7,637,837
Abdizuel (angel of the 12th lunar mansion), 533
Achala (19th lunar mansion), 369
Abdon (biblical), 300
Abeda (21 st lunar mansion), 369 Achaomazon (third lunar mansion), 368
Abel (son of Adam), 554, 556, 691,695 , 697-8 Achates (stone), 52, 54, 58, 60, 94, 98, 132, 274
Aben (holy name), 474, 479 Achelous (river in Greece/god), 135, 135-6, 502
Abenezra (writer), 734, 785 Acheron (infernal river), Ii, Iii, 26, 27, 259, 606, 607,
Abessa (Abiezer, clan of Gideon) , 271,278 635
Abimelech (biblical), 269, 271, 300 Acheron, Gate of, Ii, Iii
Abirion (holy nymph), 554 ACHILLEIS (Statius), 617,829
Abnahaya (20th lunar mansion), 369 Achilles (hero), 312,453,454,476,481,602,642,
Abortion(s), 38, 41, 100, 477 668,671,674, 800
Abracadabra (magic word), 476, 481-2, 828 Achron (Ekron), 683
Abrahadabra (magic word), 482 Achureth (14th lunar mansion), 369
Abraham (prophet), 262, 264, 269, 271, 287, 299, Acilius, Manius (Roman consul), 175, 177
301, 368, 370, 468, 472-3, 490, 506, 524, 528, A.conite (herb), 25, 90
576,599-600,62 1, 637,673,695 , 698,709 Aconite, winter (herb), 84

875
876/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-GENERAL INDEX

Acrab (Scorpio), 554 Aeshma-Daeva (devil), 514

Acrabiel (spirit of Scorpio), 553 Aeson (father of Jason), 48
Acropolis (part of Athens), 660 Aesop (writer), 181,702, 703, 786
Acteus (Telchine), 266, 533 AESOP, LIFE OF (Planudes), 786
ACTS OF SAINT PERPETUA, 601 Aether, 45, 461, 517, 721, 726
AD NATIONES (Tertullian), 492 Aethers, Enochian-see Calls, Enochian
Adad(god), 426, 428,514 Aethnean caves (caves on Mt. Etna), 179,598,624
Adam, 213 , 241 , 270, 273, 287, 452,468,470,472, Aetites (stone), 38, 41, 75, 77, 91
532,534,554,556,621,627,695,697,704 Aetius (medical writer), 799
Adamantius (writer), 104 Aetlius of Sparta-see Spartianus, Aelius
Adamas (diamond), 40 Aetna, Mount (Etna), 470, 492, 603, 624, 651; 837
Adamitici, 520 Africa, 97
Adder, 53 Africans, 491
Adjuration(s), 216, 217, 330,461,566,571,649 Africanus, P. (Roman consul), 662, 786
Admetus (king of Pherae), 607-8 Afterbirth, dog's, 128
Adnachiel (see Advachiel), 295 AGAINST APION (Josephus), 790
Adonai (holy name), 262, 320, 480, 482, 506, 760 AGAINST CELSUS (Origen), 477, 480-1, 492, 501,
Adonai he-Aretz (holy name), 760 568
Adonai Melekh (holy name), 289, 469, 473, 760 AGAINST HERESIES (Irenaeus), 517, 707, 809,
Adonai Sabaoth (holy name), 469 815,834
Adonia (festival), 656, 659 AGAINST MARCION (Tertullian), 599, 604
Adonibezek (king), 300, 302 AGAINST THE CHRISTIANS (Julian the Apos-
Adonis (god), 92 tate), 811
Adoration(s), 652-3, 663 AGAINST THE LIFE OF APOLLONIUS OF
Adramelech (god/devil), 553, 556, 760 TYANA (Eusebius), 173,481,575,691
Adrastia (Nemesis), 679, 680 Agamedes (brother of Trophonius), 625
Adrastus (king of Argos), 600 Agamemnon (king of Mycenae), 164,454,463,495
Adrastus of Aphrodisia (philosopher), 342 Agapeae (woodland nymphs, see Agapte), 567
Adriel (angel of the 17th lunar mansion), 533 Agapte (see Agapeae), 500
Advachiel (angel of Sagittarius), 295, 533, 536 Agate (stone), 89
ADVERSUM JOVINIANUM (Jerome), 245, 246, Agate, ribbon (stone), 54
810 Agate, tree (stone), 60
ADVERSUS CHRISTIANOS (Porphyry), 824 Agatharchides (writer), 185
Aeacides (Achilles), 668, 672 Agazel (see A/gaze/), 595
Aeacus Uudge of hell), 251 , 253 Ages of man, four, 730
Aegina (mythical), 253 Ages of man, seven, 272, 279
Aegis, 316, 504, 639 Ageus (writer), 491 , 786
Aegisthus (murderer of Agamemnon), 589 Agiel (intelligence of Saturn), 320, 747
Aegos (river in Thrace), 673, 675, 837 Agla (holy name), 474, 479
Aelianus (writer), 650 Aglauphotis (herb), 112,113
Aelurus (seacat), 81,82,274 Agnus castus (herb), 58, 60, 80, 659
Aemilia (woman turned into a man), 202 Agonalia (festival), 655, 657
Aeneas (hero), 135, 161 , 164,166, 170, 175,313, Agonium (see Agonalia), 658
492,495,518,519,595,602,641-2,642 , 671, Agrae (Agra), 445, 837
676 Agrapha (15th lunar mansion), 369
AENEID, THE (Virgil), 34, 56, 122, 127, 135, Agras-see Agrae
164-6,214,250,416,418,445,462,494-5,504, Agrath (devil), 761
519,601-3,635,642,659,662,671 Agria (spring on Mount Lycaeus), 17,20
Aeolian Islands (Lipari Islands), 598 AGRICOLA, LIFE OF (Tacitus), 830
Aerial Powers (sixth order of devils), 285, 289, 294, Agrimony (herb), 98, 100
509, 759 Agrippa, Cornelius , xv-xxxvii, xlvii, xlviii, xlix, 4, 9,
Aeromancy (divination by air), 178-9 11, 20, 24, 48, 63-4, 66, 86-7, 96, 104, 118,
Aeschylus (playwright), 829 127-8, 147, 165, 185,210,220,226,230, 238,
Aesculans, 491 , 837 250,276-7, 286, 304, 328, 352, 360, 367, 370,
Aesculapius (physician), 75 396-7,404-5,408,410-11,413,420,424,432,
Aesculapius (god of healing), 181, 183-4,352,573, 436, 445-7, 452, 454, 463, 466, 480, 486, 488,
575,634,635,656,807 497,504,507,512,516,520,529,534,536,548,
Aesculus (Chestnut oak), 86, 87, 296 554,565,568,572,590,601-3,612,617,621-2,
 Acrab--Alites / 877

625-6,642,645-6,660,671,679-80,683,687, Alchemist(s), 45, 243, 679, 709, 793, 819, 834-5

689, 706-7, 709, 715, 721, 729, 731, 734-43, Alchemy, xxxi, xxxiv, 15,45,241 , 446,580,584,
747, 749, 751-2, 758, 760-2, 765-7, 769, 627, 698, 709, 727, 789, 792, 794-5, 803, 815,
771-84,793-4,808,815-6,821,833,836 819,830,833-4
AGRIPPA AND THE CRISIS OF RENAISSANCE ALCHEMY (Burckhardt), 709
THOUGHT (Nauert), 445 Alcheymech (14th lunar mansion), 369
Agrippina (wife of Roman Emperor Claudius), xv Alchil (17th lunar mansion), 369
Agrippinensis (Cologne), xv, 191 Alchindus-see Alkindi
Agshekeloh (order of devils), 285, 288, 294, 509,758 Alchone (knotgrass), 100
Ahab(king),300, 509-10, 512,595,684-5 ALCHORATH, BOOK OF (Hermes Trismegistus),
Ahubene (16th lunar mansion), 369 107
Ahura-Mazda (god), 250, 252, 645, 690, 691, 836 ALCIBIADES, FIRST (Plato), 690, 691
Aiaia (island), 601 Alcides (Hercules), 89
Aias (hero), 602 Alcinous (philosopher), 193, 787
Ailourophobia (fear of cats), 64 Alcinous (king of the Phaiakians), 597,603
AIM OF THE SAGES (AI-Maggriti), 822 Alcmeon (Pythagorean), 691, 787
Ain Soph (the Limitless), 291, 467, 470, 752-4 Alcohol, 32
Aiq Beker (nine chambers), 561 , 747, 750, 767-8 Alcomeneum (city in Boeotia), 492, 837
Air (element), 5,8,16,17-8,20,23-4,26-7,86,91, Alcuin (writer), 808
96, 110,118, 129, 134, 193,223,225,226,233, Alcumena (Alcmena, mother of Hercules) , 151,153
254,259,263,315,331,336-7,339-40,343,355, Aldebaram (fourth lunar mansion), 368
375,409,417,423,424,457,500,510-11,511, Aldeboran (Aldebaran), 98, 100, 362, 363, 395,409,
518,533,536,770 411
Ajalon, Valley of, 577 Aldelamen (fourth lunar mansion), 368
AI Biruni (writer), 101, 185 Aldimiach (seventh lunar mansion), 368
AI Ghazali (writer), 204, 417, 595, 787-8 Alecto (a fury), 251, 253, 461, 501, 504
AI Sufi (writer), 363 Alexander of Aetolia, 337, 342
Alarzach (seventh lunar mansion), 368 Alexander of Aphrodisias (philosopher), 38, 312,
Alastores (Telchines), 533, 537 313,787
Alba (place), 313, 493 Alexander the Great, 33, 54, 161 , 199, 200,333 , 335,
Albachay (fifth lunar mansion), 368 436,459,575,577,578,584,610,619, 709,787,
Alban, Mount, 659,838 789,792,818,831,837,845
Albanellus (bird), 161 , 165 Alexander the Peripatetic-see Alexander of Aphro-
Albeldach (21st lunar mansion), 369 disias
Albertus Magnus (writer), xv, liv, lv, 18, 38-9,41, ALEXANDER, LIFE OF (pseudo-Callisthenes), 818
50,64,75,77,98, 146,147, 151,153,221,221, ALEXANDER ' S FEAST (Dryden), 335
236,400, 400, 496, 497, 691-2, 695, 698, 709, Alexander's Wall, 34
785-7,790,803,815,831 ALEXANDRA (Lycophron), 815
Albgebh (tenth lunar mansion), 369 Alexandria (city in Egypt), 235-6, 333, 334, 458,
Albochan (second lunar mansion), 368 523,698,787-8,790,837
Albotham (28th lunar mansion), 370 Alexandrinus-see Alexander of Aphrodisias
Albumasar (Abu-Maaschar), 209, 365, 381, 785-7 Alexicacon (Apollo), 426, 428
Albunea (nymph/sibyl), 849 Alfarabius (writer), 368, 787-8
Alcaeus (playwright), 808 Alfonsus Cyprius-see Alphonso X
Alcestis (wife of Admetus), 606, 607-8 Algarpha (15th lunar mansion), 369
ALCESTIS (Euripides), 608 Algazel (AI Ghazali) , 204, 417, 595, 787-8
Alchalcy (28th lunar mansion), 370 Algelioche (tenth lunar mansion), 369
Alchamech (Arcturus), 99, 101, 363, 364, 395, 396, Algol, Head of (star), 98-9, 100, 362, 363, 395, 409,
410,411 411
Alchameth-see Alchamech Algorab (star), 101, 362, 364
Alcharya (27th lunar mansion), 370 Alhaire (13th lunar mansion), 369
Alchas (18th lunar mansion), 369 Alhajoth (Capella), 99, 101,411
Alchatay (fifth lunar mansion), 368 Alhalgalmoad (27th lunar mansion), 370
Alchaya (sixth lunar mansion), 368 Alhanna (sixth lunar mansion), 368
ALCHEMIA GEBERI (Geber), 803 Alhazen (philosopher), 834
ALCHEMICAL HIEROGL YPHlCS (Flammel), 446 Alheniel (angel of the 27th lunar mansion), 533
ALCHEMICAL WRITINGS OF EDWARD Alhumech (14th lunar mansion), 369
KELLY (ed. by A. E. Waite), 45 Alites (augury from bird flight), 157-8, 158
878 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-GENERAL INDEX

Alkaid (star), 362, 363,395, 396,410, 411 Ammon (god), 16,73,670, 671,845
Alkanet, Italian (herb), 86 Ammon, gum of, 89
Alkindi (writer), 477, 609, 690-1, 787-9 Ammonia, 394
Alia (Allah), 255, 260 Ammonites, 555
Allatha (19th lunar mansion), 369 Ammonium (oasis of Siwa), 494
Allgood (herb), 94 Ammonius, Saccas (philosopher), 444, 446, 788, 823
All-heal (herb), 131 Amnediel (angel of the eighth lunar mansion), 533
Alligations (see also Bindings to the body, Suspen- Amnitziel (angel of Pisces), 536
sions), 138, 139,148,618,705 Amnixiel (angel of the 28th lunar mansion), 533
Allophyli (Philistines), 553, 555 Amon (oracle), 188,190
Allothaim (second lunar mansion), 368 Amontae (Ammonites), 553, 555
ALMADEL (writerlbook), 161 , 178,690,698,699, AMORES, or AMOURS (Ovid), 163,219,791
788 Amorites, 490, 555-6
ALMAGEST (Ptolemy), 807, 825, 832 Amorrhei (Amorites), 553, 555-6
AI-Maggriti (mathematician), 822 Amphiaraus (hero/god), 491, 492-3, 634
Almond tree, 52 Amphietus, Bacchus (Orphic deity), 423, 424
Almonds, 86 Amphikrates (writer), 446
Alms giving, 647, 675, 685 Amphimaros (father of Linus) , 813
Almutez (Lord of Figure), 547, 548 Amphion (musician), 333, 788, 837
Alnath (first lunar mansion), 368 Ampyx (father of Mopsus) , 493
Alnaza (eighth lunar mansion), 369 Amulet(s), 649, 734
A/oah (Eloah) , 473 AMULETS AND TALISMANS (Budge), 41, 481-2,
Alousi (apostle Andrew), 574 554
Alphabets, magic, 560-1 , 563 Amun (Ammon) , 670, 671
Alpharg (26th lunar mansion), 370 Amutiel (angel of the 19th lunar mansion), 533
Alpharus (A/farabius) , 368, 787-8 Amyclae (town in Laconia), 658
Alphecca (star), 99, 101, 363, 364, 395, 396, 410, Amycus, Harbor of, 676
411 Anachitis (stone), 38,42, 112
Alphonsine Tables (astrological), 550, 550 Anael (Haniel), 532, 535
Alphonso X (king of Castile), 550, 550,691, 695, Anamastic Order-see Blessed Souls
788,822 Anasarchus (Anaxarchus), 611, 612, 788-9
Alphonsus-see Alphonso X Anastasius of Nicaea (writer), 707
Alrumna (Haliurunae), 573, 575 Anatolius (philosopher), 808
Altar(s), 14, 157, 171,174,180,214,221,221,235, ANATOMY OF MELANCHOLY (Burton), 190,
249,271,380,476,494-5,573,654,556-7, 659, 198,200,207,645,728-9
662,662,668, 669,671,676 Anatrachya (eighth lunar mansion), 369
Altob (18th lunar mansion), 369 Anaxagoras (philosopher), 673, 675, 788-9, 802
Altophobia (fear of heights), 200 Anaxarchus (philosopher), 611, 612, 788-9, 818
Altor (god), 716 Anaxilaus (writer), 29, 31, 145,789
Alyattes (king of Lydia), 830 Ancharia (goddess), 491 , 493
Alzarpha (12th lunar mansion), 369 Anchia (fish), 86,88
Amalech (Amalek), 554, 556 Anchises (father of Aeneas) , 162, 166, 175, 602
Amathus (town in Cyprus), 491,837 Anchorites (hermits), 592, 592
Amaymon (ruler of the south), 259, 533, 536 Ancient of Days, 20, 479
Amazons, 33,33-4 Ancilia (sacred shield of Mars) , 658,660
Ambarvalia (festival), 655, 658 Ancus Marcius (fourth king of Rome), 280
Amber, 38, 40, 59, 73, 76, 392, 641 Andrew (apostle), 574
Amber, black Uet), 40 Andromache (constellation Andromeda), 379, 379
Ambergris, 91 , 92, 132 Andromeda (mythical), 379
Ambriel (angel of Gemini), 294 Andromeda, Navel of (Mirach), 362, 363
Ambrose (writer), 239, 595, 600, 601, 630, 788 Anebo (Egyptian priest), 528
Ambrosia, 652, 653 Angel(s), evil, 272, 484, 501 ,5 10, 515,518, 522-3,
Amburbia (procession), 655, 658 551-2,574,699, 772
Ameilianus (orator), 500, 504 Angel(s), good, 6,14,26-7,62,78,112,114,145,163,
Amemon (Amaymon) , 536 182, 209,226,246-7,250-1 , 252,263,266,270,
Amen (holy name), 475 272-3,284-5,288-9,292,294-5, 300,400,403-4,
Amethyst (stone), 58, 60, 89, 99, 295 435,449,458,468,473,474-5, 477-8,484,485-6,
Amixiel (angel of the third lunar mansion), 533 490,499-500, 501,503,505-6, 506-7,509, 518,
 Alkaid-Apology (Tertullian) / 879

521 -2, 522-3,530, 531,533, 534-7,538-40, 549, ANTIQUITATIUM LIBRI (Varro), 469
553, 557,561-2, 573,580,597,621 , 622,634, 639, ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEWS (Josephus), 141,
644, 663, 666, 668, 672-3, 684, 695.-Q, 698, 220,667
699-700, 754,756,758-61,772,800 Antoninus Pius (Roman emperor), 313, 828
Angel, Guardian, 521-2, 522-3, 527, 528 Antonius, Marcus (triumvir), 163,168,799,835
Angel of Death, 534 Antonius the Hermit (St, Anthony) , 33, 34, 819-20
ANGELIC FACTION (Apollonius), 790 Anubis (god), 840, 842
Angels (angelic order), 257, 284-5, 289, 295, 486, Aonia (region of Boeotia), 502
505, 587 Aonides (Muses), 500, 502
Angels, fallen, 50 I, 510, 511, 515-6, 518, 534, 555, Ape(s), 53, 56, 83, 94, 99, 274, 393, 500, 510, 571
599 Apeliotes (east wind), 19
Angelus, Johannes (writer), 379 Apheta (astrological), 404
Angerona (goddess), 493 Aphis (god), 670, 671
Angeronalia (festival), 493 APHORISIMI MAGICI EUGENIANI (Thomas
Angkur, 449 Vaughan), 834
Angles (astrological), 357, 358,359, 361,403, 548 APHORISMS, THE (Maimonides), 184
Anglicus, Robertus (writer),liv, lv, 789, 826 Aphrodisiac, 127, 152,387
Angra Mainyu (devil), 250, 252, 836 Aphrodite Amathusia (goddess), 837
ANIMA MAGIC A ABSCONDITA (Thomas Aphrodite Idalia (goddess), 842
Vaughan), 11,834 APHRODITE, THE (Hermes Trismegistus), 4
Animals, languages of (see also Birds, languages of), Aphroditos (Bearded Aphrodite), 428, 495
170-1 Apion (writer), 76, 79, 790
Animastical Order (lssim), 573-4 Apis (god), 236
ANIMATED NATURE (Goldsmith), 15,25,55, 61, Apis Ox (bull), 76
93,293 APOCRYPHA, THE, 432
Anius, daughters of, 164
APOCRYPHA AND PSEUDEPIGRAPHA OF THE
Ankh,331
OLD TESTAMENT (ed. Charles), 517, 535-6,
ANN ALES (Ennius), 801
557, 612
ANNALS, THE (Tacitus), 48, 481, 598, 604, 830
Apollas (writer), 137
ANNALS, THE ROMAN, 168,203
Apollo (god), Ii, 33, 56, 76, 159,218, 184,214, 245,
Anne, Queen , 577
246,248,255, 261,3 15,316,334-5,423-4, 424,
Anne, Saint (mother of Virgin Mary) , xxiii
426, 426, 428,453 , 454, 467 ,49 1, 493-4,502,
Anne o/Clovis , 577
509, 512,525,537,573 , 607,616,618-9, 620,
Anselme-see Anselmi, Georgio
Anselmi, Georgio (writer), liv, lv, 789 621 , 623-4,625-6,657,658,669, 785,808,813,
Ant(s), 61, 82, 152 819,839-40,842,846
Antaeus (giant), 107 Apollo Clarius (god), 840
Antaphrodisiac, 130, 133, 144, 150-1 , 152,643-4 Apollo Grynaeus (god), 842
Antares (star), 99, 101,363, 364, 395, 396, 410, 411 Apollo Smintheus (god), 839
Antenor, 191 Apollo, oracle(s) of, 424, 619, 657
Antheus (comrade of Aeneas) , 674, 676 Apollo, sacred grove of, 178
Anthias (fish), 88 Apollodorus (writer), 184, 813
ANTHROPOSOPIA THEOMAGICA (Thomas Apollonia (town in IlIyria), 176, 837
Vaughan), xlviii, lxii , 20, 248, 834 Apollonides (writer), 66
Antichrist, 520, 575 Apollonius Pergaeus (mathematician), 233, 790
Antidote(s), Ii, 59-60, 182, 650,817 Apollonius Rhodius (writer), 68, 124, 127, 203, 250,
ANTIG'ONE (Sophocles), 829 698,790
Antigonus the One-Eyed (king of Asia), 818 Apollonius Tyanaeus (magician), 6, 76, 140, 140,
Antinoe-see Antinoos 170-1 , 18 1, 184,205, 213,476, 481,567-8, 569,
Antinoos (suitor of Penelope), 647, 648 573, 575,591,606, 655 , 674, 677, 690-1,691,
Antioch (city in Syria), 698 693 , 790,792,809
Antiochus Epiphanes (king of Syria), 565, 811 APOLLONIUS OF TY ANA, LIFE OF (Philostra-
Antiochus Eupator (king of Syria), 564, 565, 811 tus), 172-3,436,481,570,575,691
Antiochus 0/ Ascalon (Platonist), 799 Apollyon (devil), 508, 510
Antiochus Soter (king of Syria), 199, 200, 564, 790 APOLOGIA (Apuleius), 448, 449
Antiope (mother of Amphion), 788 APOLOGY (Agrippa), xxxiii
ANTIPALUS MALEFICIORUM (Trithemius), 788, APOLOGY (Plato), 528
821-2 APOLOGY (Tertullian), 494
880/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-GENERAL INDEX

APOLOGY, FIRST and SECOND (Justin Martyr), Ardesiel (angel of the tenth lunar mansion), 533
812 Arduf (11 th lunar mansion), 369
Aponus (hot spring), 191 Ares (god), 54, 164
Apostle(s), 97, 257 , 272, 292, 295 , 299-300, 412, AresconlArescusa (woman turned into man), 203
484, 517,574,581,614,636,639,702 Argentvive, 23 , 24, 393,394
Apparitions, 134-5 Argo Navis (constellation), 379, 380
Appetites in soul, three, 194 Argolis (Argos), 184,203,379,660
Appious-see Apion ARGONAUTICA (Apollonius Rhodius), 68, 124,
Apple, 86, 296, 387, 387 127,203,250,481,698,790
Apponus-see Petrus de Apono Argonauts, 476, 492, 693, 799
Aproxis (herb), 52, 54 Argos (city in Argolis), 492, 600, 838
Apuleius (writer), Iiii, Iiv-Iv, 6, 38, 98, 100,121,122, Argos (ship), 493
148, 149,180,181 , 184,216, 217,218, 219,270, Ariana (province of the Persian Empire), 838
276,287 , 290,317, 443-4,446,448,458,460, Arians (followers of Arius) , 788, 793, 795,804,807
467 , 491 , 492-3,518,519,566,568,623,624-5, Aricia (town in Latium), 492, 495, 838
650,656, 661,689, 790 Ariel (Mars), 553, 555
Apulia (place), 97, 334,335,671,837 Ariel (ruler of Earth), 257, 533, 536, 553, 555
Aquamarines (stone), 81 Ariel (spirit of Leo): 553, 555
Aquariel (spirit of Aquarius), 553 Aries (zodiac sign), 26, 72-3, 73-4, 97, 132, 220,
Aquarius (zodiac sign), 26, 73, 97-8, 132, 144, 258, 258,294, 296,313,375 , 377,381 ,385, 403, 409,
295,297,313,375,378,381,403,409,423,423, 423,423,533,536,547,553, 554
533,536,553, 554-5 Arih (Leo), 554
Aquila (constellation), 379, 380 ARIMASPEIA (Aristeas), 631
Aquinas, Thomas (writer), 197, 208, 209, 236, 373, Arimaspi (mythical people), 334
417, 496, 497, 518, 583, 586, 600, 612, 695, Arimet (14th lunar mansion), 369
697-8,790-1,815 Arina (Ariopolis), 555
Ara (constellation), 379, 380 Arion (musician), 333, 791
Arabia, 97, 112,113,837 Ariopolis, 553, 555
Arabia, Happy, 97, 837 Aristaes-see Aristeas
Arabian, The (Avicenna ?), 91 Aristaeus (shepherd), 602
Arabian(s), 72 , 160, 171 , 181,208,255, 310, 330, Aristeas (poet), 217, 629, 631
333,363,377,451,491,497,510,547,548,562, Aristocles of Messene (philosopher), 787
595,6 10, 613 , 630, 691,727,730,734 Aristolochia, round (herb), 101
Aracynthus (mountain), 492, 837-8 Aristolochy, long (herb), 99, 101,295
Aralim (angelic order), 288, 468, 506, 507, 758 Aristophanes (playwright), 435, 495, 516, 616,
Araminis-see Angra Mainyu 791-2,802
Arando, Michael de, xlix Aristotle (philosopher), I, 14, 18, 29, 30, 32, 45, 70,
Ararita (holy name), 274, 474, 476, 479 81,104, 140, 157,158,170, 183,186, 188,190,
Arm"os (son of Aristophanes), 516, 792 194, 196,198,204, 212,233 , 238,241 ,249, 252,
Ararus, 510, 516 " 301,302,312,352,366,415,416,417,430,432,
Aratus (writer), 379, 791, 802, 807 463,480,491,497,582,584,598, 612,624, 632,
Arcadia (place), 17, 17,136-7,605, 838 638, 657, 719-24, 727, 730-1, 787-8, 791-2,
Arcadians, 137,491 794,797,801-2,807,815,819,822,825,827,
Arcadius (Roman emperor), 829 831,835
Arcaph (ninth lunar mansion), 369 Aristoxenes (philosopher), 267, 444, 792
Arcea (place), 17 Arithmancy (numerology), 312, 700
Archaam (ninth lunar mansion), 369 Arithmetic, 254
Archangels (angelic order), 27, 257, 284-5, 289, 295, Ark, Noah's, 33, 245 , 271, 345, 472
469, 485-6,505,506,534,588 Ark of the Covenant, 271
Archelaus (king of Macedonia), 802 Armenia, 97
Archelaus (philosopher), 152 Armenia, mountains of, 33
Archiflamines (greater f1amines), 656, 660 Armilustra (festival), 655 , 658, 660
Archimedes (mathematician), 815 Armoniac (gum-resin), 89, 89, 132
Archippus (Pythagorean), 700, 702 Arne (mythical), 164
Archons (ruling spirits), 506 Arnobius (rhetorician), 812
Archyfas (writer), 69, 106, 233, 337,692, 693,791 Arnoldus de Villa Nova-see Villa Nova
Arcitenens (Apollo), 426, 428 Arpina (place), 838
Arcturus (star), 6, 99, 101,363, 364,395,396,410, 411 Arrephina (city), 1197, 838
 Apology, First and Second (Justin Martyr)-Athene / 881

Arrian (disciple of Epictetus) , 800-1 Asmundus (vampire killer), 597

Arriana (Ariana), 97, 838 Asp(s) (snake), 58, 60, 170
Arrow, or Dart, 150,152,454,618 Aspalathus (component ofCephi), 654
A/Tuns (augur), 173,412,413 Asparagus (herb), 98
ARS AMATORIA (Ovid), 165, 190, 650, 799, 821 Aspect(s) (astrological), 37, 39, 140, 313,357,357-8,
ARS BREVIS (Lully), xlix 525, 784
ARS DE CENTUM METRIS (Servius Maurus), 828 Asphalt Pool (lake in Judaea), 127
ARS NOTORIA (grimoire), 698, 699 Ass(es), 59, 63, 75, 80, 83, 122, 123, 126, 129, 139,
Arsenic, Yellow, 78 145,162,166,170,297,300,520,621 , 656,665,
Arsinoe (mother of Aesculapius), 635 705
Arsinoe (wife of Ptolemy 11), 236 Ass, wild, 89
Art(s) (magic), Ii, liii, 121-2, 124, 138, 144, 202, Assafetida (gum-resin), 205, 205, 392-3, 394
444,448,451 , 623,665, 677,679,681,684-5, Assiah (Kabbalah), 554
690, 692,695-6,700-1,705,833 Assistant order (order of angels), 506
Artaxerxes II Mnemon (king of Persia), 272 Assyria, 97, 685
Artaxerxes 1II Ochus (king of Persia), 818 Assyrians, 32, 178, 212, 272, 426, 451 , 457, 491,
Artemis (goddess), 493, 495, 525, 603, 832, 840 506, 510,553
Artemis Agrotera (goddess), 837 Astaphon (writer), 691
Artemis Munychia (goddess), 658 Astarath (Astaroth), 510,514,553,555
Artemis Orthia (goddess), 495 Ashtaroth (city of Bashan), 553, 555
Artemis Phoebe (goddess), 429 Associated squares, 741
Artemis Taurica (goddess), 659 Astarte (goddess), 514, 555
Artemis Thoantea (goddess), 495 Asthma, 75, 100
Artephius (magician), 477, 792-3 Astraea (The Maiden), 189, 191
Arthita (Archytas) , 233 Astragalus (knuckle-bone), 416
Artichoke, 57 Astral travel, 202, 203, 583, 629-30, 631-2, 676, 801
Aruns (daughter of Servius Tullius), 833 ASTROLABII PLANI (Johannes Angelus), 379
AS YOU LIKE IT (Shakespeare), 279, 731 ASTROLABIUM PLANUM (Peter of Abano), 379,
Asa (king of Judah), 684 786
Asaph (biblical), 287 Astrologer(s), 73, 97, 186, 210, 245, 284, 300, 310,
Asbestos (stone), 23, 25, 29, 30-1, 38, 41 315,359,362,368,371,415,499,533,548,550,
Asboga (holy name), 320, 751 560, 653,673-4,679,781,784,794,803-4,816,
Ascanius (son of Aeneas), 135, 175,177 827
Ascendent (astrological), 358, 359, 360-1, 381, 383, Astrology, xxvii, xlix, 37, 155, 264, 370, 373, 400,
385-9,'400,402-3,404-5,547,548,782,784 412-3,413,415, 584, 689, 698, 705, 781, 785,
Ascension of Christ, 520 818,821
Ascensions (astrological), 371,372 ASTRONOMIA (Anselmi), 789
Asc/epegenia (daughter of Plutarchus the Great), ASTRONOMICA (Manilius), 417, 418
825 ASTRONOMICA ET ASTROLOGICA OPUS-
Asc/epiades (poet), 333, 793 CULA,243
Asc/epius (son of Hermes : see also Aesculapius), ASTROLOGICAL GEOMANCY (Gerard Cremo-
113,627, 654 nensis), 319, 774, 777, 783-4
ASCLEPIUS, THE (Hermes Trismegistus), 113, Astronomy, 106, 112, 233,824,832
118,428, 437,445,460, 462-3,473,583,586, Asuitus (vampire), 597,597
627-8, 654 Atah (holy name), 479
Ascoli, Cecco d' (writer), liv, lv, 790, 793, 797, 831 Ataliel (angel of the 15th lunar mansion), 533
Ascolonia (herb), 89, 90 Atargatis (goddess), 491,493
Asculum (town in Picenum), 838 Athamas (king of Orchomenus), 626
Asculus, Cicc/us-see Ascoli, Cecco d' Athanasius (writer), 239, 500, 505, 567, 793, 804,
Ash (tree), 76, 86, 132, 133 820
Ashes, 123-4, 179, 181,183,518,650,655 Athanaton (holy name), 670, 671
Ashim (Blessed Souls), 289, 405, 468-9, 473, 506, Athemas (fountain in Dodona, the grove sacred to
507,760-1 Zeus), 16
Ashtaroth (devil), 758 Athena Polias (goddess), 660
Asia, Central, 97 Athenaeus (physician), 826
Asia Minor, 97 Athenaeus (writer), 178,793,806-7
Asmodel (angel of Taurus), 294, 533, 536 Athene (goddess-see Pallas), 63, 165, 172, 276,
Asmodeus (devil), 509, 511-4, 521, 759 313,313,316,335,454,462-4,504,525,832
882/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-GENERAL INDEX

Athenians, 491, 638, 673, 675 Avicena (philosopher), 37, 37, 38, 47, 64, 202, 204,
Athenodorus Cananites (philosopher), 567, 569, 793 208,417, 497,530, 610,730,787
Athenodorus Cordylion (librarian), 793 A viola (Roman consul), 181 , 183
Athens, 165, 172,491,492, 494,569,658-60,683, Axala (19th lunar mansion), 369
792 Axes, divination by, 41
Atheus (Aristeas), 629, 631 Aymon (Agrippa's eldest son), xxi, xxvi
Athoray (third lunar mansion), 368 Azael (devil of Water), 259, 533, 537
Atlantis (mythical island), 235 Azariel (angel of the fourth lunar mansion), 533
Atlas (titan), 100, 573, 660 Azarpha (12th lunar mansion), 369
Atropos (a Fate), 253,337,680 Azazel (devil of Air), 259, 511 , 517,533, 537, 594,
ATTHIS (Philochorus), 495 601,696
Attica (place), 216, 217, 333, 492, 494-5, 621, 645, Azeruel (angel of the 16th lunar mansion), 533
659,838 Aziel (angel of the 25th lunar mansion), 533
Aucharia (Ancharia), 491 , 493 Azimeth (14th lunar mansion), 369
Augur(s), 157, 158-9, 162,165, 171,203 Azobra (11 th lunar mansion), 369
Auguria (auguries), 157-8,158-9, 160-2, 164, 167, Azoth (philosopher's stone), 241, 243-4
169,170,172,179,566,636 Azotus (city of the Philistines), 609, 838
Augurs, College of, 158 Azubene (16th lunar mansion), 369
AUGUSTAN HISTORY (Spartianus and others), Azza (devil), 517
829
Augustine , Saint (writer), 7, 24, 25, 40, 50, 51, 112, Ba'al Shem (Master of the Name), 762
113,122,122,135,137,179,202,236,237,239, Baal (god),493, 514, 555, 684, 759,842
279, 284, 451 , 460-1, 464, 466, 470, 484, 485, Baalam-see Balaam
496,497,501,510,518,519-20,583,595, 600, Baaras (root), 649, 650
602,613,614,619, 620,629, 693, 694,696, 706, Babel, tower of, 555, 663
716-7,808,819,834 Baboon, 60, 76, 79,80,81,89
Augustus (Roman emperor), 76, 158, 163, 167-8, Babylon,97,l13,3oo,43I , 530, 620,647,674, 685,
236,417,493,522,523,576-7,577,668, 789, 697,787
793,805,813 Babylonian(s), 435, 553, 555, 690, 691, 734, 762,
Aulam Yesodoth (Sphere of the Elements), 289, 761 794,804
Auphanim (angelic order), 226, 468, 472, 506, 507, BABYLONIAN OIL MAGIC (grimoire), 697
756 Bacchanalia (festival),A9I, 494, 655 , 659
Aurelius Augustus (Saint Augustine), 619, 620 Bacchantes (female worshippers of Dionysus) , 502,
Aurelius de Aquapendente, 679, 681 659
Aureolus (Saint Augustine), 496, 497, 629 Bacchides (Syrian general), 811
Auriga (constellation), 100 Bacchides (Bacchiadae), 188,190,261
Auripigmentum, 76, 78 Bacchis (bull), 79
Aurora (goddess/the dawn), 220, 424 Bacchus (Dionysus), 164,190,315,423,424,441,
Ausonius Decimus Magnus (writer), 624, 626, 793, 442,491 , 494,575,621,621,624,626,631,656,
820 846
Auspex (observer of birds), 158 Bacis (Boeotian seer), 622
Auspicia (auspices), 157, 158, 160, 162-3, 169-71 , Backwards, words, 217, 217
412 Bacon , Francis (writer), 68
Auspicia impetrativa (augury by signs asked for), Bacon , Roger (writer), Iiv , 235-6, 332, 609, 690-1,
158 695 , 698,788,794-5,810
Auspicia oblativa (augury by signs not asked for), Bactria (province of the Persian empire), 838
158-9 Badariel (angel), 535
Auster (south wind), 19, 21, 151 Baeotians (Boeotians), 162, 838
Austin-see Augustine Baeotius (writer), 121-2
Automata, 233, 234-6, 707 Balaam (seer), 271, 621 , 684
Avalon, Arthur (Sir John Woodroffe) , 424 Balach (Balac, king of Moab), 554, 556, 684
Aventinus, Mons (hill in Rome), 280,492, 838 Balagius (stone), 76, 78
Avemus (lake), 635 Balance (scale), 393
Averroes (writer), 193,237, 535,787, 793-4,804, Balanite (stone), 386, 386
821 Baldwin 1 (king of Jerusalem), 114
A VESTA (Zoroaster), 459 Balis (herb), 113
Avecebron-see Ibn Gabirol Balm, 73, 74, 76
A vicen-see A vicena Balm of Gilead, 133
 Athenians-Bithnya / 883

Balsam, 74, 76 Beetle, one-horned, 94, 94-5

Balthazar (Belshazzar, king of Babylon), 684 Beetle, two-horned, 80--1, 82
Balus (the herb balis), 112, 113 Behemoth (devil), 247, 554, 557
BANQUET, THE (Julian the Apostate), 811 Behen-nut (tree), 87
BANQUETERS (Aristophanes), 791 Bel(god),553,555
Baphomet (god), 115, 117,236 Belemnite (stone), 25
Barachiah (apostle Bartholomew), 574 Belial (devil), 509, 512-3
Barakiel (angel), 535 Belief (faith), 206, 444, 45i, 453 , 465 , 476-7, 562,
Barbarous names, words, 408, 432, 459, 475-7, 567,587, 636,652, 665,675
480-1,490,566,669-70,671,696 BELIEF OF THE RESURRECTION (Ambrose),
Barbel (fish), 89, 90 630
Barbiel (Barchiel?-angel of Scorpio), 295, 536 Belleric (a mirabolaus), 87
Barbiel (angel of the ninth lunar mansion), 533 Bells, 451 , 669-70
Barchiel (Barbiel?-angel of Scorpio), 536 Belot (writer), 73
Barchiel (angel of Pisces), 295, 533, 536 Belphegor (devil), 759
Barguyn (treasurer to Louise , Queen Mother of Ben, oil of, 87
France), xxvii-xxviii, xxx Benediction(s), 436, 571, 649, 666, 670
Baring-Gould, S. (writer), 128 BENEFITS OF DEATH, THE (Ambrose), 600
Baris (god), 569 Beneventus (the town Beneventum), 673, 675
Barley, 86,126,607,626 Beni Elohim (angelic order), 289, 469, 473, 506, 507,
Barnabas, Joseph , 695, 697 524,525,760
Barrett, Francis (writer), xiii, xl, xlii, 291, 329, 483, Benjamin, gum, 132, 133
508,514-5,563,736,746-7,768,776 Benzoin (gum-resin), 83, 85, 133
Bartholomew (apostle), 574 Beotia-see Boeotia
Bartholomew of Parma (writer), 773 Beotians (Boeotians), 491, 621, 621
Barzabel (spirit of Mars), 320, 748 Berecynthus (mountain), 492, 838
Bashan (place), 553, 555 Bereshit (branch of the Kabbalah), 700, 703
Basil, garden (herb), 58-9, 61, 86, 98, 108,795 Berith (writer), 691 , 795
Basil the Great (writer), 239, 518, 519, 601, 795 Bernard, Saint, 198,807
Basilisk(s), 53, 65, 66, 69, 83, 124, 128,204,510, Berserkir, 128
571 Beryl (stone), 23, 24,80,81,86,91,98,284-5,295
Basi/ius-see Basil the Great Bethlehem (town in Palestine), 300
Bassarius (Bassareus) Bacchus (Orphic deity), 423 , Bethnael (angel of the 21 st lunar mansion), 533
424 Betulh (Virgo), 554
Bassus, Caesius (writer), 830 Betuliel (spirit of Virgo), 553
Bastamia (place), 97, 838 Bewitching(s), 124, 140, 148, 204, 205, 430, 649,
Bat,47,58,83, 132, 134, 162,166 693,694,705,790
Battus, ring of, 140 Bias (philosopher), 280
Bay berries, 132 Bibliomancy, 416
Bay leaf(ves), 53, 56, 132, 139 BIBLIOTHECA (Apollodorus), 813
Bay tree, 56, 76, 102, 132, 133,565 BIBLIOTHECA HISTORICA (Diodorus), 492,800
Bayer, Johann (astronomer), 380 Bibria (Bebryn, king of Pontus), 674, 676
Baymon (Paymon), 536 Big Dipper (constellation), 99
Bdellium (gum-resin), 132, 133 Bile, black, 190
Beans, 690 Binah (third Sephirah), 288, 468, 472, 754-5, 757-8
Bear(s), 47, 49, 53, 57, 83, 98,125,128,150,152, Binding(s), spell, 10, 119, 119-20, 126, 148, 151 ,
183,185,592-3,596 153,202,210,212,216-7,221 , 221-2,249,249,
Beast, name of the, 239, 240, 313, 314, 660 262,269,330,370,392,396,430,485,566,568,
Beast, Scarlet, 272 571,618,694-6, 701
Beaver, 167 Bindings to the body (see also Alligations, Suspen-
Bebryn , King, 674, 676 sions), 143, 150,152,400, 669
Bede (writer), 239, 303-4, 795 Birds, language of, 170--1,173,693,817,832
Bee(s), 56, 80, 106, 108, 113, 123, 125, 143, 144, Birth control, 46, 47, 477
162,166,175,176,241,243,319 Birthwort (herb), 100
Beech tree, 86 Bischoff (writer), 481
Beelzebub (devil), 509- 10, 511-2, 683 , 756 Bithivia (Bithynia), 97, 838
Beersheba (place), 290 Bithus of Dyrrhachium (writer), 125
Beetle(s), 76, 79, 123,674,676 Bithynia (place), 838
884 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-GENERAL INDEX

Bitumen, 33, 127,649,650, 654 BOOK OF SPECULATION (Rabbi Hama), 476

Bituminous clay, 52 BOOK OF SPIRITUAL CREATURES (Aquinas),
Black Days, 670 496
Black members, 269, 273 BOOK OF THE DEAD (Egyptian), 391
Black Prince (Edward, Prince of Wales), 820 BOOK OF THE SACRED MAGIC OF
Blackamoors, 146,147 ABRAMELIN THE MAGE (grimoire), 528
Blackbird(s), 53, 55-6, 94 BOOK OF THE WORLD-see DE MUNDO
Blanche (daughter of the'Duke of Bourbon), 390, 820 LIBER
Blessed, three orders, 250--1 Booker, /0 , lxiv
BLESSED LILY AMONG THORNS (pseudo- Bootes (constellation), 19, 101
Aquinas), 698 Boreas (north wind), 18-9, /8-9,20
Blessed Souls (Issim), 289, 405, 468-9, 473, 506, Boristhenes (Borysthenes), 674, 838
507,573,597 Bottom (phlegmatic man), 731
Blood, 41, 92, 99,128,129-30, 161,164,175,176, Boul (evil spirit), 536
328,395,426,453, 504,605-6,645,655,700 Boulaia (Athene) , 464
Blood (animal), 81, 87,119, 130, 132, 134, 138, 143, Bourbon, Duke of (Charles de Bourbon) , xxvii, xxix,
146,147,148,151,153,171,173,270--1,481,564, 390
565,595, 598,602,604,607,650,657,662,668 Bourbon, Duke of (Peter the Cruel, king of Castile),
Blood (human), 109,121,123-4,132,201,319, 487, 390
510,593,597,656,659,666,681,810 Box tree, 297
Blood (humor), 23, 86, 91,146,147,254,259,351, Boys, enchanting of, 695, 697
375, 729-31 Brachmans (Brahmans), 444
Blood, rain of, 175-6,177 Bractia (place), 97
Blood root (herb), 99 Bragmanni (Brahmans), 435, 436, 641,643, 652,690
Bloodstone (stone), 41-2, 89, 89 Brahman(s) (Indian priest), 435, 436, 444, 480, 641 ,
Blue hawk, 62 642,643 , 652, 690, 691,809,819
Bne Seraphim (intelligences of Venus), 320, 748-9 Brain (animal), 70, 128, 132
Boar(s), 53, 64, 76, 88, 92, 150, 152,493,593 Brain (human), 72,199,247,287,758
Bocatius, John (writer), 183,795 Branchi, prophetess in, 624, 625-6
Boccaccio (poet), 821 Brandan-see Brendan
Bocchus (writer), 38, 690, 795 Brass, 125,319,393, 624 , 626,692
Bocus-see Bocchus Brass,red, 89, 89,91 ,3 19
Bodin (writer), xxxv Brass, yellow, 89, 91,319
Boeotia (place), 492, 502, 622, 625, 638, 641, 644, Brauron (town in Attica), 495
676,838 Breath, 217, 217, 581
Boethius (writer), 233, 237, 238, 417, 418, 497, 644, Brendan (mythical Irish explorer), 511, 795-6
645,692, 791,795-6 Brennonius , Jehan Rogier (curate of the church of St.
Bone(s),23 , 64, 72,81,125,131,218,219,502,606, Cross at Metz), xxvi, xxxi
618,636,661,730 Bresith (Bereshit), 700, 703
Bone, certain little, 65, 68 Breastplate (Hebrew priest's), 281
Bone-breakers (Lammergeyer), 170, 172 Brewer, E , C, (writer), 85, 236, 511, 565, 577, 592,
Bonmont , Abbot, xxvi 611,807,810
Book(s), occult, xv, liii-iv, 303, 443, 446, 459, 472, Bride, Saint (Bridget) , 796
476, 514, 534, 554, 666, 679, 680, 695, 697-8, Bridget, Saint (goddess/saint), 663, 796
773,821-2 Brigitta (Bridget), 663, 796
BOOK OF FORMATION (SEPHER YETZIRAH), Brimstone (sulphur), 392-3
533,537 Britany (Britain), 97
BOOK OF FOUR COEQUALS (Albertus Magnus), Bromius (Bacchus), 190
496 Browing , Robert (poet), 68
BOOK OF LIGHTS (Rabbi Simeon), 533, 537 Bruno , Giordano (writer), 798
BOOK OF MAGIC ART (Apollonius), 790 Brutus, Marcus Junius , 163, 168
BOOK OF MINERALS (Arron and Evax), 785, 803 BRUTUS (Cicero), 829,831
BOOK OF QUESTIONS (Augustine), 484, 485 Bucer, Martin (Protestant reformer), 806
BOOK OF RAZIEL-see SEPHER RAZIEL Buddha (sage), 582, 690, 691
BOOK OF SECRETS (pseudo-Albertus), 30, 40-2, Buddhists, 645
48,54-6,59,61,68,70,73-4,77,84,87,89,100, Budge, E, A, Wallis (writer), 61, 220, 236, 374, 391,
105, 107, 119, 128, 130-2, 147, 620, 698, 785, 401,481-2,554
803,812,815 Bugloss (herb), 86,86-7
 Bitumen-Capitol / 885

Bule (Boulaia), 461, 464 Calcidius (writer), 519

Bull(s), 59, 76, 79, 80, 82, 91, 92, 98,132,201,271, Calcinenses, Tynnichus (Tynnichus of Chalcis), 188
289,296,389,393, 395, 642,656, 659,799,821 Caleb (biblical), 622
Bull 's Eye (Aldebaran), 100 Caledonia (north Britain), 839
Bulrushes, 53, 57 Calf(ves), 91,108,150,271 , 395,650
Bupalus and Athenis (sculptors), 808 Calidonia (Caledonia), 491, 839
Bur, 99,101 Caligula (Roman emperor), 127, 174,673 , 675,790,
Bura (city of Achaia), 636, 637 796,822
Burckhardt, Titus (writer), 709 Callichoros (river in Paphlagonia), 491, 839
Burdock (herb), 101 Callimachus (philosopher), 806
Burgander (bird), 91 , 92 Calliope (Muse), 284, 284, 339,340,341,423,424,
Burial, 284, 284, 286, 402-3, 571, 594, 597, 601, 813,819
605-6,642,657,696,698 Callisthenes (philosopher), 164,818
Burnet, saxifrage (herb), 94 Callistratus (writer), 41
Burning water, 29, 30 Calls, Enochian, 28
Burnt offering, 655, 659, 661,662, 668 Calomagia, 684, 686
Burrow duck, 92 Calpurnius Piso Frugi , L. (Roman consul), 166
Burton, Robert (writer), 190, 198, 200, 207, 645, Calycadnus (river in Cilicia Tracheia), 839
728-30 Calydonian hunters, 493
Bustard (bird), 58, 62 Camael (or Khamael-angel of Mars), 274, 285,
Buttercup (herb), 90 288,468,473,532,535
Butterflies, 65 Cambiel (angel of Aquarius), 298, 533, 536
Buzzard(s), 55, 170, 172 Cambyses (2nd Persian emperor), 798
Byron (poet), 826 Carnel(s), 59, 83, 204, 292, 333, 381,382
Bythiae (Scythian witches), 68 Camel's thorn (herb), 100
Byzantine (Byzantium), 674, 838-9 Camenae (water nymphs), 500, 502-3
BYZANTINE HISTORY (Patriarcha), 819 Cameos, Roman, 101
Camillus (Roman dictator), 214
Cabala-see Kabbalah Camirus (city in Rhodes), 537
Cabalists, 239,313,435,467,475,485,511,539, Camonius (stone), 83, 84
561 , 591,594,627 Campanus (astrologer), 372
Cabbage, 58 Camphor, 132, 133,392
Cabeiro (goddess), 493 Camphor laurel, 133
Cabeiros (god), 491,493 Cana (place in Galilee), 272
Cabiri (deities), 493 Canaanite, 556
Cacenia, 461, 463 Canal, Egyptian, 234, 235
Cacodemons (evil genii), 567, 569 Cancer (zodiac sign), 26, 58, 73, 97-8, 132, 144,257,
Cacupha (cuckoo), 161 294,296, 313,375,377,389,389,404, 409, 410,
Cadmus (hero), 626 423,423,533,536,553,554
Caduca (augury by failings), 157,159 Cancriel (spirit of Cancer), 553
Caduceus (serpent staff), 151, 184, 352, 388, 388, Candle(s), 14,120,145-6,179,271,476,499, 594,
409 637,667,671
Caecilius (presbyter at Carthage), 798 Candlemas Day (festival), 671
Caelius, Mons (hill in Rome), 280, 574 Candy (Crete), 53 , 56,839
Caesar, Julius (Roman dictator), 158, 171, 173,183, Canis Major (constellation), 99, 379, 380
189, 191,234,576,636,637,799,817,824,847 Canus Minor (constellation), 100
Caesonia (wife of Caligula) , 127 Canker, 123
Caiaphus (Hebrew priest), 577, 578 Cannae (town in Apulia), 199, 200, 670, 671,839
Caietava (woman turned into a man), 202 Canonical hours, 273, 280, 511, 517
Cain (son of Adam), 270-1, 277, 470, 536, 556, 591 CANNONS FOR THE ASTROLABE (Robertus
CAIN AND ABEL, OF (Ambrose), 600 Anglicus), 789
Cairo (city in Egypt), 697 CANTERBURY TALES (Chaucer), 550, 627
Caius the Prince (Caligula) , 171, 174,796 Cantharidae (enemies of Hermotimus), 631
Calabrians, 634, 839 CANTONES (Valeria Proba), 701
Calame (Calamae), 619, 620, 629 Capella (star), 98-9, 100-1,362,363,395
Calamint (herb), 98, 99, 129,294 Capella, Martianus (writer), 503
Calamus aromaticus (herb), 76, 78, 392, 394, 654 Caphu (holy name), 474
Calandra (bird), 94, 94 Capitol (hill in Rome), 161 , 163, 280,503
886/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-GENERAL INDEX

Capnomancy (divination by smoke), 179,180 Catilinet, John (Franciscan monk), xviii-xix

Cappadocia (place), 53, 55, 97, 126,839 Cato Censorius (writer), 219, 796, 801
Capricorn (constellation), 101 Cato Uticensis (Roman general), 130,674
Capricorn (zodiac sign), 26, 73, 74,97-9, 132, 144, Cattle, 150, 202, 319, 393, 693
236,258 , 295,297, 313, 375, 378, 381 , 409, 423 , Cattle, working, 122,122, 135
423,533,536,553,554 Caucasus (mountain), 124,127
Capricorn, Tail of (Deneb Algedi), 99, 101,363,364, Cauda Draconis (Tail of the Dragon), 390, 390,
396,396,410,411 774-6,784
Cap riel (spirit of Capricorn), 553 Caves, 19
Caput Draconis (Head of the Dragon), 390, 390, Cazimi (astrological), 360, 367
774-6,784 Cedar (tree), 76, 700
Carana (city), 463 Celery (herb), 660
Carbuncle(s) (stone), 38, 41, 75, 98, 274, 284-5 Celestial alphabet, 560, 562-3
Carbuncle, artificial, 41 Celestial magic, 3, 229
Carchedonia (place), 97,839 Celestial world, lxi, 3, 110, 315, 571
Cardamun (herb), 654 Celsus Africanus (writer), 202, 219, 220, 280, 567,
Cm'dano, Girolamo (writer), 792 796
Cardis (herb), 89, 90 Celtica (place), 97, 839
Cardoon (thistle), 90 Cenez (Kenez), 621,622
Cards, invention of, 509, 512 Censors (Roman officials), 673, 675
Carenus (Karanis), 463 Centaur, 147,380,520
Carmel (kermes), 487, 488 Centaurus (constellation), 379, 380
Carmenae (nymphs), 502 CENTILOQUIUM (Ptolemy), 825
Carmenta (goddess), 502 Centipede, 301
Carmentalis (lesser flamen) , 660 Centory (the herb centaury), 131, 146, 147
Carmentis (Carmenta) , 660 CEPHAR RAZIEL-see SEPHER RAZIEL
Cartabana (herb), 89, 89 Cepheus (mythical), 379
Carthage (city in Africa), 97, 492, 839 Ceraunia (stone), 25
Cartheginians, 491 Cerberus (dog of hell), 250, 253, 50 I, 504, 510
Casanova (writer), 822 Cerdo (heretic), 707
Casaubon, Meric. , 28 Cerdonians (heretical sect), 706, 707
Casinum (place), 203 Cerealia (festival), 656, 659
Casmenae (nymphs), 502 CEREMONIAL MAGIC, BOOK OF (A. E. Waite),
Caspia (place), 97, 839 120
Caspia, gates of, 33, 34, 234 Ceres (goddess), 216, 217, 218, 296, 423-4, 423-4,
Cassiodorus (writer), 233, 692, 796 492,624,656,658-60
Cassiopeia (constellation) , 379, 379-80 Ceres Eleusine (goddess), 443
Cassius Longinus , C., 163, 168 Cerialis (lesser flamen) , 660
Cassumanar (root), 78 Cerniel (angel), 621
Castabalis (Castabala, city in Cappadocia), 625 Cerrel (angel), 621
Castalia (fountain on Mt. Parnassus), 502 Cerva (constellation), 379,380
Castalides (Muses), 500, 502 Cerviel (angel), 469
Castile (city in Spain), 695 Cether (Kether), 288, 468, 470
Castor (beaver), 163, 167 Ceto (sister to Phorcys), 504
Castor (castorium-beaver oil), 123, 167 Cetus (constellation), 379, 380
Castor and Pollux (heros), 575 Chadezoad (24th lunar mansion), 369
Castor oil plant, 131 Chaeremon (sacred scribe), 567, 569,796-7
Cat(s), 53, 64, 79, 80, 83, 132,135,274,393,395 Chaioth ha-Qadesh (angelic order), 288, 468, 470,
Cat, black, 119,132, 134, 393 506, 507,756
Catablepa (beast), 69, 70 Chalcedony (stone), 41, 78, 83, 83-4, 91 , 99, 101,
CATALOGUS CODICUM ASTROLOGICORUM 294
GRAECORUM (Hephaestion of Thebes), 825 Chalcidius (philosopher), 336, 797
Catana (town in Sicily),492, 839 Chalcis (city in Euboea), 191,792
Catechanae (ghosts), 598 Chaldea (place), 97, 839
Catenians, 492, 839 Chaldean(s) (Babylonian priest), 6, 224, 310, 365,
Catepha (apostle Thadeus) , 574 375,431 , 435 , 461,525 , 547, 548,609-10,613,
Caterpillars, 700, 703 644, 652, 653,690
Catherine of Aragon (wife of Henry VIII) , xxvii CHALDEAN ORACLES (pseudo-Zoroaster), 432,
 Capnomancy-Cicero / 887

459,461 , 462,463-4,469,504,511,611,620, Childbirth, 69, 99, 101, 150, 152,239,268,28 1,300,

630,836 392-3,429,660
Cham (evil spirit), 536 Childe, Robert, Ixiii
Chameleon, 38, 42, 53, 57, 69, 81, 129, 130 CHILDE ROLAND (Browning), 68
Chamos (the god Chemosh), 553, 555 Chilo (philosopher), 280
Chanaan (holy nymph), 554 Chimney, 400, 400-1
Channels (Kabbalah), 753-4 Chinosta (herb), 80, 81
Chants, 220, 459 Chios (island), 674
Chaos, 178,243,468,506, 535 Chiramus (Kiranus), 106,797
Chapelain , John (physician to Francis 1, king of Chiromancers (palm readers), 102, 104, 104
France), xxvii-xxx Chiromancy (palm reading), 102-4, 104, 155
Character(s), occult, 119, 125, 140, 178,208,306, Chiron (centaur), 147, 184
310, 331, 393,400,406-7,409-10,411,499, Chirosophers (prestidigitators), 705, 706
558,560-2,563,564-5,591-2,619,653,668-9, Chloris (nymph, mother of Mopsus) , 493
696 Chobar (river), 255
Characters (letters), 223, 237, 397,475,477,550, Chodorlaomor (Chedorlaomer) , 554, 556
560-3,701 Chokmah (Sephirah), 288, 468, 753-7
Characters, planetary, 102-4,318-9,321-7 Cholem Yesodoth (Breaker of Foundations), 761
Charcoal, 676 Choler (humor), 38, 42, 58, 89, 146, 147,254,259,
Charis (wife of Hephaestus) , 503 351,375,672,729-31
Charites (goddesses), 503 Choler, adust, 83, 146,147
Charlemagne (emperor of the west), 664, 820 Choler, black-see Melancholy
Charles (Charlemagne ?), 663, 664 Choler, yellow, 23
Charles, king of Bohemia, 204, 797 Chonia (place), 839
Charles his Wain (Ursa Major), 6, 19, 269,276 Chonuphis (Egyptian priest), 7
Charles the Bold (Duke of Bergundy), 817 Chora (Korah), 287
Charles III (Duke of Savoy), xxi-ii, xxvi Christ, Jesus , Ii, Iii, 13, 16,27, 39,42,189, 201,202,
Charles V (German emperor), xxix, xxxii-iv, xlix, 213,241,246,250,262,264,265 , 270,272-3,
229,230,683,686-7,806,816 281, 284, 284, 287, 292, 299-300, 444, 450,
Charles VIIl (king of France), 816 452-3, 454-5, 465, 474, 484-5, 486,487, 509,
Charlet, Doctor, Ixiii 512,517,521-2,530, 539,550,554,565,567,
Charm(s),101, 119, 124 , 128, 130,134-5,218, 220, 568, 572, 573-4, 575, 582, 583, 593, 595,
436, 605-6, 695,701 599-600,604,611,614,636,643 ,647, 656, 663,
CHARMIDES (Plato), 836 664, 665-6, 668-9, 681, 683, 690, 697, 697,
Charmondas (magician), 6, 797 701-2, 703-4,790
Charon (ferryman of Hades), 504 CHRISTIAN ASTROLOGY (William Lilly), 144
Chasmalim (angelic order), 288, 468, 472, 506, 507, Christianus (writer), 518
758 Christian , King, xlix
Chaucer, Geoffrey (writer), 550, 627 Christmas rose (herb), 84
Chebule (a mirabolaus), 87 CHRONICLE (Lopez de Ayala), 820
Cheese, 58,61, 122,122,135, 655,693 CHRONICLES OF THE CRETENSIANS, 598
Chelbenah-see Galbanum CHRONICON (Eusebius), 802
Cheldrake-see Burgander CHRONIQUE DE LA PRINCESSE (d'Arras), 520
Chelidonia (stone/herb), 56 CHRONOLOGY (AI-Biruni), 185
Chereon (Chaeremon) , 567, 569 Chrysa (city on the Troad), 491, 839
Cherub (ruler of Air), 257, 533, 536 Chryseis (daughter of Chryses), 454
Cherubim(s) (Kerubim-angelic order), 27, 226, Chryses (priest of Apollo), 453, 454
246,255,257,265-6,284-5,288,294,468,472, Chrysippus (writer), 61, 797
505, 511, 588 Chrysoberyls (stone), 81
Cherubim (Kabbalistic angelic order), 289, 469, 506, Chrysolite (stone), 75, 77, 91, 99, 284-5
507,535,760 Chrysoprase (stone), 76, 78, 295
Chesed (fourth Sephirah), 288, 468, 472, 591, 592, Chrysostom, Saint (writer), 601
754-5,758 Chyrannides-see Kiranides
Cheseth (Sagittarius), 554 Chyrannis-see Kiranides
Chesetiel (spirit of Sagittarius), 553 Chysippus (writer), 589
Chessboard, 636 Cicero (writer), 13, 144, 157, 158, 162-3, 163-4,
Chestnut oak (tree), 87 166-7, 173-4, 175, 176-7, 179-80, 190, 414,
Chicory (Succory), 100-1 416,416,458,616, 617,622,630, 632,634, 635,
888/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-GENERAL INDEX

644, 690,691,696,789,792,797,799,801;815, Cleopatra (queen of Egypt), 523

818,829,831,834-5 Cleo (Muse), 284, 284, 33 ,340, 341,423, 424
Cicnus (Cycnus, son of Neptune slain by Achilles at Clitorius ' Fountain (spring in Clitorium in Arcadia), 17
Troy), 688, 671 Clotho (a Fate), 253, 337, 680
Ciconian streams (perhaps the Hebrus river), 16 Clove gillyflower, 74, 649
Cilicia (place), 97, 578, 839 Clover (herb), 101
Cilicians, 160 Clover, red, 101
Cimbri,l77 Cloves (spice), 76, 132
Cimmeria (place), 436, 436, 598, 839 Cnossus (place), 185,621,680
Cimmerii, 839 Coans (Chones), 491, 840
Cinaedia (pebbles), 51 Cobra, king, 66
Cinnabar, 128 Cocatrice (Basilisk), 66, 204
Cinnamon (bark), 73, 74, 76, 132-3, 133 Cochahiah (spirit of Mercury), 553
Cinnara (herb), 53, 57 Cochahiel (spirit of Mercury), 553
Cinquefoil (five-leaved grass), 94, 94, 98, 132,239, Cochineal (red pigment), 488
240,649, 650 Cock(s), 46--7, 59, 62, 64, 66,76, 130, 160, 162,164,
Cippus, Genucius (Roman praetor), 201, 202 166,210,296,388,395, 571,572,594,656
Circe (sorceress), liii, 121, 122,135,136,185,218, Cock, white, 132, 151 , 571
219,603,605 , 607,693,696 Cockals, 415, 416
Circle(s) , 78,84, 135, 151, 153,330,331, 347-8, Cockles, 81, 82, 83
390,413,476, 558, 626,697,714 Cocytia (festival), 656
Circles (astrological), 265, 269, 273, 276 Cocytus (infernal river), 26, 27, 259
Circles, divination by, 179 Coelestis (god), 491 , 493
Circumcision, 281, 301 Coelian, Mount, 185
Circus Maximus (amphitheater in Rome), 658, 830 Coelius (Saturn) , 426, 428
Cireneans, 140 COELUM TERRAE (Thomas Vaughan), 834
Cithaeron, Mount, 335, 659, 788, 832, 839 Coin(s), 493, 495, 501, 637, 637
Cithara (musical instrument), 255, 260, 341, 791, Colchica (Colchis), 97, 203, 840
830,832 Colet, Dean (dean of SI. Paul's), xix, xxiii
Citheron, River, 17 Colic (cholic), 60, 69, 87
Citron peel(s), 73, 132 COLLECT ANEA RERUM MEMORABILIUM
CITY OF GOD (Augustine), 40, 51, 112, 113, 122, (Solinus), 828
137,179,236,461,464,466,470,497,520,694, COLLECTIONS (Oribasius), 826
706,716-7,834 Collyries (eyewashes), 65, 68,106, 119, 134-5, 135,
Civet cat(s) (see Hyena), 59, 62,65, 66, 70, 80, 81, 138,148,150,152,705
94, 113, 124, 128, 145, 148 Collyrium (see Collyries), 65 , 68
Civet cat, stone in eye, 112, 113,618, 620 Colophon (city in Ionia), 626
Clarians, 624 Colossus of Egypt, 33, 235
Claros (Clarus), 491,547,839 Colossuses (giant statues), 576
Clarus (town in Ionia), 840 Color(s), 126-7, 146, 147, 154-5, 162, 162, 167,
CLASSICAL DICTIONARY (William Smith), 159 170--1 , 174, 178-9,179,221,221,249,272, 279,
Claudia, Via (Roman road), 658 362,363-4,375, 381,383,386,389,392-3, 534,
Claudianus, Claudius (poet), 48, 236, 598, 604, 797 545,657,657
Claudius (Roman emperor), 171,174,494,706 Colt, 124
Claudius Maximus (proconsul of Africa), 449 Columella (writer), 658
CLA VICULA-see GREATER KEY OF SOLOMON Column (Kabbalistic)-see Pillars
Clazomenae (city in Asia Minor), 631, 788, 840 Comagena (Commagene), 97, 840
Cleansing, 441,442,476,641-2,656,669, 672,699 Combustion (astrological), 359,360, 381 , 386, 403
Cleanthes (philosopher), 13, 797 Comet(s), 5, 158,179, 179
Clearchus (writer), 598, 797 Comfrey (herb), 98-9, 99, 294
Clemens Alexandrinus (writer), 445-6, 595, 819, 822 Commagene (place), 820
Clemens Romanus (Pope Clement 1), 599,604,706, Commandments, Ten-see Tables
707 COMMENT ARIUS EX CICERONE IN SOMNIUM
Clement IV (pope), 795 SCRIPIONIS (Macrobius), 815
Clement V (pope), 115,835 COMMENTARY ON PLATO 'S TIMAEUS (Pro-
CLEMENTINE HOMILIES, 707 clus), 214, 723, 819
Cleohulos (philosopher), 280 COMMENTARY ON THE ARS BREVIS
Cleon of Sicily , 789 (Agrippa), xxvii
 Cicero-Crotona / 889

COMMENTARY ON THE FIRST ALCIBIADES Com, 86,424,624, 634,674,681,693

(Proclus), 504, 644, 646 Com, standing, 121 , 123,218,2 19,219,693,705
COMMENTARY ON VIRGIL (Servius), 828 Cornelian (stone), 91,91,294,319,328,386
Commutations, Averse Irregular Table, 543, 766 Cornelius, Gaius (augur), 189, 191
Commutations, Averse Table, 542, 766 Corneola-see Cornel ian
Commutations, Right Table, 480, 541, 766 Comers (astrological), 254, 260, 269, 315, 330, 358,
COMPENDIUM MALEFICARUM (Guazzo), 509,525,532-3,547
706-7 Cornucopia, 574
Compounds, perfect, 262-3, 561, 562 Corona Borealis (constellation), 101,364
CONCERNING DIVINE NAMES (pseudo-Diony- Coronation (of German emperor), 272, 280
sius), 478, 518, 519 Coronis (virgin), 164, 184
CONCERNING MYSTICAL THEOLOGY (pseudo- Corporeal world, 26
Dionysius), 800 Corpse(s), 14, 17, 50,64,83, 119-120, 121, 122,
CONCERNING THE CELESTIAL HIERARCHY 138, 141, 146, 150, 152, 161 , 165, 169, 181-2,
(pseudo-Dionysius), 14,447,800 184,271 ,448, 454,568,594,597-8,605-6, 607,
CONCERNING THE ECCLESIASTICAL HIER- 642,672,696
ARCHY (pseudo-Dionysius), 800 CORPUS HERMETICUM (ed. W. Scott), 27,427,
CONCILIATOR (Peter of Abano), 379, 535, 559 432, 441, 445, 463, 473, 516, 574, 583-4, 588,
Concoction(s), 643 , 645 603,614,630,654,661,715-6,718
Concupiscible power, 72, 194, 197, 197,209,262, CORRECTORIUM ALCHIMY AE (Robert of
268,355,596,613 York), 826
Confection(s), 657, 668 Corvus (constellation), 101,363
Confernova (an auguriurn), 157 Corybantes, 190, 317
Confert (an augurium), 157, 159 Costus (herb), 131
Confervetus (an augurium), 157 Cough, 151 , 153
Confession, 647 Countenance (features), 154-5, 155
CONFESSIONS (St. Cyprian), 698 Cous (place), 610, 621 , 621
Congers (eels), 59, 62 Cow(s), 80, 92, 121, 607, 676
Conjunction(s) (astrological), 81, 130, 140, 357, Crab(s), 46, 47, 53, 56, 58, 81, 91, 98, 108, 389,673
357-8,359, 360-1,366,381 ,402, 409, 410,412, Crampfish, 138, 139
430 Crane(s), 53, 57, 83,161,165,170,172,241,243
Conjurations, 216, 217, 330, 566, 621, 70 I Crassus, Marcus (Roman triumvir), 175, 177,684,
Conjuring/Conjurers, 119, 509, 594 824
CONQUEST OF CONSTANTINOPLE (Gaspare), CRATER OF HERMES (Lazarillus), 582,584
408 Crates (Cynic philosopher), 797
Conrad Colyn (Inquisitor of Cologne), xxxiii, xxxix Crates of Pergamum (writer), 184
Consecration(s), 119, 449, 476, 554, 571, 624, CRATYLUS, THE (Plato), 214,475 , 479-81,503,
634-6,649,656,663,665-6,668-70,669,699 671
CONSOLATION OF PHILOSOPHY (Boethius), Creeping things-see Vermin
238, 418,645,795 CRESCENT AND THE CROSS (Warburton), 697
Constantine the Great (Roman emperor), 33, 564, Crescentius (philosopher), 812
565,663, 664,802,805,809, 811-2 Crete (island), 97, 491,491,537,620,639,644,674
Constantius II (Roman emperor), 811 Cribonius (Eribromus) Bacchus, 423, 424
Constellation(s), 106, 138, 175,224,318,373, 400, Cricket(s), 23, 25, 32
404,547, 694,791 Crier (Keryx), 443 , 445
Constitius, Lucius (woman turned into man), 203 Crispinus , T. Quinctius (Roman consul), 167
Consualia (festival), 655, 658 CRITIAS (Plato), 235
Consus (god), 658 Crocodile(s), 58, 61, 76, 182,300, 302
Cony(ies) (rabbit), 91, 92, 292, 293, 593 Crocus (flower), 74
Copper, 23, 258, 274, 381 , 393 Croesus (king of Lydia), 199, 684, 797-8
Copper, red, 393 Cronos-see Kronos
Cor Leonis (Regulus), 100,363,410, 411 Cronus (god), 316, 537, 620, 744
Coral, 58, 60, 91, 318,328 Cross, 152,262, 264, 265, 270, 272, 284, 330,465,
Coral, red, 132 485,486,564, 565,656,664,668, 704,805
COIfidius (Van'o 's uncle), 181,183 Cross (astrological), 269, 276, 330, 548
Coriander (herb), 91 , 92, 99, 129-30 Crossbows, 124
Corinth (city), 568, 602 Crossroads, 253
Corisanum (Compsa) Castle, 175, 177 Crotona (city in Italy), 840
890/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-GENERAL INDEX

Crotoniensians, 161, 840 Cyprus (place), 91, 97, 428, 457, 491, 495, 537, 611,
Crow(s), 47, 49, 53, 55, 58-9, 64, 76, 83, 89, 91,158, 697
160, 164,170,170, 246,382,503,532,598,684 Cyrenaica (place), 66, 97, 840
Crow, Left Wing of the (Algorab), 362,363-4 Cyrene (river nymph), 602
Crow, Right Wing of the (Gienah), 99, 101, 362, Cyrene (town in Cyrenaica), 491,840
363-4,395,396,410,411 Cyril (brother of Methodius) , 817
Crowfoot (herb), 89, 90 Cyril of Jerusalem (writer), 601, 663, 664
Crowley, Aleister (magician), xli, 482 Cyrrha (city), 491
Crown, figure of a, 171, 174 Cyrus the Elder (first Persian emperor), 163, 481,
Crucifixion, 39, 42, 152, 271 622,798-9
Crustumensians, 491 , 840 Cythera (island), 840
Crustumerium, 840 Cythereans, 491, 840
Crysostom (writer), 512 Cytheros (Mount Cithaeron), 491,840
Crystal (stone), 15,23, 24,75,80,98,274,295,383 Cyzicus (city in Asia Minor), 631
Ctesias (historian), 826
Ctesiphone-see Tisiphone Daath (Kabbalah), 754, 756
Cube, 726 D'Abano, Pietro-see Petrus de Apono
Cuckoo, 86,87, 143,144 D' Arras, Jean (writer), 520
Cucumber, squirting (herb), 113 Dabchick (bird), 81
Cucumbers, 58 Daedala (festival), 839
Culpeper, Nicholas (writer), 101 Daedalus (Cretan artisan), 233, 234,679, 680,799
CULTS OF THE SHADOW (Grant), 482 Daemenetus of Parrhasia , 137
Cumae (place), 622 Daemon(s)/demon(s) (tutelary spirit), 113, 473, 501,
Cumae, Sibyl (Cumaean Sibyl), 189, 190-1,621 503, 506, 523, 526, 527, 528-9, 550, 586, 588,
Cummin (herb), 83, 84 621,630,668
Cupid (god), 134, 135,148, 203,241 , 243,387,661 Daffodil, white (herb), 83, 84, 98
Cures (people), 416,416 Daffodil, yellow, 101
Curetes (gods), 467 , 470 Dagda (god), 796
Curia (social division of the Romans), 493 Dagim (Pisces), 554
Curis, Juno (goddess), 491, 493 Dagobertus (king of the Franks), 20 I, 799
Curis, Jupiter (god), 493 Dagon (god), 553, 556
Curse(s), 213-4, 214-5, 576, 601-2, 648,674, 676, Dagymiel (spirit of Pisces), 553
684 Daidala (wooden statues), 233, 234, 799
Cusanus, Nicolaus (writer), 496, 798 Damascenis , Marcus (writer), xxvi, 182,204
Cusaus, Nicholas-see Cusanus, Nicolaus Damascius (writer), 462
Cuttlefish, 129,131, 146, 147,274 Damascus (city), 553, 761
Cybele (goddess), 190,315,316-7 Damasus (pope), 806
Cybele Agdistis (goddess), 846 Damigeron (magician), 6, 799
Cybele Berecynthia (goddess), 838 Damis (disciple of Apollonius of Tyana), 140,591 , 691
Cybele Dindymene (goddess), 840 Damus-see Damis
Cyclades (islands), 97, 492 Dance, 574
Cycnus (king of Liguria), 164 Danes, 500, 576
Cygnus (see Cicnus) , 671 DANES, HISTORY OF THE (Saxo Gramaticus),
Cygnus (constellation), 379,380 333,500
Cylinder, 558 Daniel (biblical), 287, 290, 453 , 469, 505, 553, 592,
Cyllene, Mount, 316, 832 621 , 639,647,663,684-5,697,701
Cyllenius (Hermes), 315,316 Dante (poet), 27, 604, 791, 793, 810, 826-7
Cylonians (followers of Cylon, would-be tyrant of Daphne (nymph), 56
Athens), 702 Dapsa (sacrifice), 655, 657
Cymerian (see Cimmerii), 840 DO/"danus (Stoic philosopher), 6, 799
Cynocephalus (baboon), 79, 81 Darius (king of Persia), 235, 575
Cynops (Cynopolis), 114, 840 Darnel (herb), 86, 87
Cynthius (Apollo), 424 DAS FLIESSENDE LICHT DER GOTIHIRT
Cynthus (mountain), 491, 840 (Mechthild of Magdebrurg), 817
Cephi (compounded incense), 654 Daughters (geomancy), 778-9, 781-3
Cypress (tree), 83, 85, 132,654 David (king of Israel), 271-2, 281, 287, 300, 333,
Cyprianus (writer), 566, 568, 601, 695, 698, 798, 819 356,469,470,473,487,514,528,592,621,623,
Cyprus (Cippus, Genucius), 201,202 624,639,652,666
 Crotoniensians-De Trinitate / 891

David-Neel, Alexandra (writer), 449 DE MAGNIS CONJUNCTIONIBUS (Abu-

Daw(s), 53, 59, 64, 89, 160,164, 170,297, 674 Maaschar), 789
DE ABSTINENTIA (Porphyry), 171,172,797,824 DE MATERIA MEDICA (Dioscorides), 800
DE ANIMA (Alexander of Aphrodisias), 787 DE MEDICAMINE FACIEI (Ovid), 654
DE ANIMA (Aristotle), 45, 196, 212, 612 DE MEDIC INA (Celsus), 280, 796
DE ANIMA (Tertullian), 799 DE MEDICINA PRAECEPTA (Serenus), 828
DE ANIMA ET EJUS ORIGINE (Augustine), 614 DE METEORIS (Aristotle), 18, 20, 582, 584, 638,
DE CAELO (Aristotle), 501 835
DE CAUSIS ET PRO PRIETATIBUS ELEMENTO- DE MODIS SIGNIFICANDI SIVE GRAMMAT-
RUM ET PLANETARUM (Albertus Magnus), ICA SPECULATIV A (Duns Scotus), 827
497 DE MORTIBUS PERSECUTORUM (Lactantius),
DE CIV AT ATE DEI-see CITY OF GOD 812
DE COMMUNI (Hermes), 419 DE MUNDO LIBER (Apuleius), 462, 463, 467
DE CONJECTURIS LIBRI DUO (Cusanus), 798 DE NAEVIS OLEACEIS IN CORPORE (Melampus
DE CONJUGALI AMORE (Pontanus), 824 of Alexandria), 817
DE CULTU DEORUM (Varro), 179,469,834 DE NATURA RERUM (Thomas of Cantem pre), 831
DE DAEMONIBUS (Psellus), 575 DE NIGRO MAN CIA (pseudo-Roger Bacon), 698
DE DEA SYRIA (Lucian), 493 DE NOBILITATE ET PRAECELLENTIA FOEM-
DE DEFECTU ORACULORUM (Plutarch), 504, INEI SEXUS (Agrippa), xviii-ix, xxxi
616,616 DE NOTIS (Probus), 824
DE DEO SOCRATIS (Apuleius), 518,519 DE NUPTIIS PHILOLOGIAE ET MERCURII
DE DIVINATIONE (Cicero), 144, 157, 158-9, (Capella), 503
163-4, 166, 167, 173-4, 176-7, 179, 190,414, DE OPIFICIO DEI SIVE DE FORMA TIONE
416,458,617,622,630,632,635,690,691 HOMINIS (Lactantius), 337, 812
DE DIVINATIONE PER SOMNUM (Aristotle),
DE ORATORE (Cicero), 416, 829
188, 190
DE ORIGINE ACTIBUSQUE GETARUM (Jorda-
DE DOCT A IGNORANTIA (Cusanus), 798
nis), 575
DE DOCTRINA CHRISTIANA (Augustine), 485
DE PERSPECTIV A (Apollonius of Perga), 233
DE ERRORE PROFANARUM RELIGIONUM
DE PHILOSOPHIA EX ORACULIS HAURIENDA
(Firmicus Maternus), 816
(Porphyry),425, 565,620, 657,661
DE ESSENTIIS ESSENTIARUM (pseudo-Aquinas),
697-8 DE PHYSIOGNOMIA ET DE HOMJNIS PROCRE-
ATIONE (Scot), 159, 827 .
DE EXILIO (Plutarch), 516
DE FATO (Alexander of Aphrodisias), 787 DE PRAESTIGIIS DAEMONUM (Wierus), xxxi,
DE FATO (Aquinas), 373 xxxiv-v, 687
DE GENESI AD LITTERAM (Augustine), 497, 518, DE PRINCIPIIS (Origen), 486, 496, 497, 515-7,
519 521,522-3,614-5,819
DE GLORIA MARTYRUM (Gregory of Tours), 185 DE RATIONE ULTIMARUM SYLLABARUM AD
DE HORTIS HESPERIDUM (Pontanus), 824 AQUJLJNUM LIBER (Servius Maurus), 828
DE IMAGINIBUS (Thebith), 411 DE RE RUSTICA (Cato), 219, 796
DE IMPRESSIONIBUS AERIS (Robert of York), DE RE RUSTICA (Varro), 834
826 DE REPUBLICA (Cicero), 815
DE INCERTITUDINE ET VANITATE SCIEN- DE RERUM PRINCIPIO (Duns Scotus), 827
TIARUM-see UNCERTAINTY AND VAN- DE RESPONSIS HECATE (Porphyry), 564, 565,
ITY OF SCIENCES 566
DE INSTITUTIONE CLERICORUM (Hrabanus), DE SACRAMENTO MATRIMONII DECLAMA-
808 . TIO (Agrippa), xxvii
DE INVENTIONE VERITATIS (Geber), 803 DE SACRIFICIO ET MAGIA (Proclus), 62, 73, 173,
DE INVESTIGA TIONE PERFECTION IS (Geber), 210,572,650,694,694
803 DE SCIENTIA DIVrNA (Agazel), 595
DE IRA DEI (Lactantius), 812 DE SECRETIS OPERIBUS NATURAE (Roger
DE LA DEMONOMANIE DES SORCIERS (Bodin), Bacon),794
xxxv DE SENECTATE (Cicero), 801
DE LINGUA LATINA (Varro), 834 DE SEPTEM SECUNDEIS (Trithemius), 536, 833
DE LITERIS, SYLLABIS, PEDIBUS, METRIS DE SPECIEBUS MAGIAE CEREMONIALIS
(Terentianus Maurus), 830 (Villinganum), 180
DE MAGIA LIBER, also called APOLOGIA DE SPECULIS (Roger Bacon), 235
(Apuleius), 449, 492, 790 DE TRINITATE (Augustine), 583
892/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-GENERAL INDEX

DE TRIPLICI ORDINE ELIXIRIS ET LAPIDIS DENARIUS PYTHAGORICUS (Meursius), 264,

THEORIA (Isaac of Holland), 809 317
DE TYRIACA (Galen), 66 DENATURA HOMINUS (Nemesius), 786
DE UNIVERSO (William of Paris), 835 Deneb Algedi (star), 99, 101, 363, 364, 396, 396,
DE VARUS QUESTIONIBUS (Athanasius), 567 410,411
DE VERBO MIRIFICO (Reuchlin), xvii, 486 Denmark, 175, 576
DE VIRTUTIBUS LAPIDUM (Evax), 803 Deodatus, Claudius (monk), xxiii
DE VITA PROPAGANDA (Artephius), 792 Deprecation(s), 216, 217, 249, 571, 663, 695, 773
DE VITANDO AERE ALIENO (Plutarch), 516 Derketo (Atargatis), 493
Dea Dia (goddess), 493 Descendent (astrological), 358, 548
Dea Syria (Atargatis) , 493 Desiderius (Lombard king), 820
DECAMERON (Boccaccio), 821 Destiny, 413, 427, 535, 679
Decans (astrological), 220,253,360, 375, 376, 499, Desuat (holy nymph), 554
523,805 Detriment (astrological), 54, 360
Decius (Roman emperor), 185, 798 Deus (holy name), 255
DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE Devil(s), xlix, 6, 26, 115,239, 245,247, 259, 262,
(Gibbon), 185,436,565,795 266,272,294-5,303,395-6,475,485,494,499,
Dee, John (magician), 28, 45 509-11 , 512, 515, 518, 520, 521 , 553-4, 567,
de Givry , Grillot (writer), 73 590, 592, 596, 598, 600, 606, 656, 674, 683-4,
Deilloi (sulfurous fountains), 626 685, 695,699-701 , 705-6
Deioneus (murdered by ixion) , 603 Devil, the (Satan), 171, 194,234,236,269,284,455,
Deiotarus (tetrarch of Galatia), 684, 799 509-11,515,521 , 550, 574,585,594,683-4, 696
DEIPNOSOPHISTAE (Athenaeus), 793 DEVIL'S BOOKSHELF (Mcintosh), 220
Deities, pagan (see also Gods), 129, 170,315 Dew, 16,642,642
Dejections (astrological), 371 Dia (holy name), 670, 671
Del Rio , Martin (writer), xxxiv Dia (wife of ixion) , 603
Deli (Aquarius), 554 Diabolos (devil), 510, 514
DeUel (spirit of Aquarius), 553 Diacedon (herb), 98, 100
Delights (astrological), 359, 360 Dialis (greater flamen) , 660
DELINA TION OF THE HEA VENL Y TEMPLES DIALOGUE OF JUSTIN WITH TRYPHO, A JEW
(Rabbi Ishmael), 537 (Justin Martyr), 812
Della Porte, Giambattista (writer), 332 DIALOGUE ON MAN (Agrippa), xxi
Delos (island), 491 , 840 DIALOGUE ON ORATORS (Tacitus), 830
Delphi (place), 144,418,491,494,502,512,598, Diamond (stone), 38, 40, 44, 58, 89, 98-9, 210, 274,
603,620-1,624, 625,786,798, 830,840 385,385,386,694
Deluders, or Jugglers (fifth order of devils), 285, 288, Diana (goddess), 250, 253, 297, 315,315,316,423,
294,509,759 423 , 424,424,427,429,491 , 491 , 494,524,656,
Delventius (god), 491 674,811,838
Demarathus (father of Tarquinius), 161 Diana , sacred grove of, 495,838
Demarchus (Demaenetus) , 135, 136-7,693 Diana , Aricina (goddess), 495, 838
Demeter (goddess), 44~, 493, 626, 659, 841 Dianetaurica (festival), 655, 659
Demetrius of Tarsus (grammarian), 500, 504 Diapalia (Diipolia), 655, 660
Demetrius Soter (king of Syria), 811 Diapason (octave), 249, 252, 269, 273, 339-40, 342,
Demigods, 573 351,353,355
Democritus (philosopher), xlix, 6, 6, 42, 44, 69, 106, Diapente (musical fifth), 269, 273, 339-40, 351 , 355
113,130, 171,173, 188, 189,333-4, 469,620, Diaphares (god), 491
638, 644,693,789,799,807,819,830 DIARY OF SAMUEL PEPYS, 25
Demon(s) (see also Daemon[s]), 62, 11~, 118, 141, Diasia (festival), 656, 660
220, 401, 470, 480, 501, 503-4, 508, 513-6, Diatessaron (musical fourth), 249, 252, 254, 269,
518-9, 519-20,523,524-5,527,530,531,533, 273,339-40,355
536, 549-50, 553, 565, 569, 574-5, 585, 586, Diatharus-see Deiotarus
594-5,597-8,616,618-9,621,623,627,642-3, Diaxylon (Diacedon), 100
649,650,657,661,668,754,756,758-61,793 Dicaearchus (writer), 849
Demon lovers, xxv, 115, 519, 519-20, 536-7, 573, Dice, 331,413,413-4,415, 416,509, 512,636, 637,
574-5,598 659
DEMONOLATRY (Remy), 49, 215, 575 Dicte, Mount, 113, 620
DEMOTIC MAGICAL PAPYRUS OF LONDON DICTIONARY OF MIRACLES (Brewer), 511, 565,
AND LEIDEN (ed. Griffith and Thompson), 697 611,807,810
 De Triplici Ordine Elixirs et Lapidis Theoria-Dove(s) / 893

DICTIONARY OF PHRASE AND FABLE DIVINATIO EX PALPITATIONE (Melampus of

(Brewer), 85, 236, 577, 592 Alexandria), 817
Didappers (bird), 80, 81 DIVINATIO IN Q. CAECILIUM (Cicero), 835
Dido (queen of Carthage), 134, 135, 161, 165, 594, Divination(s), 17, 102, 113, 155, 155-6, 157-8,
602,641 158-9, 169, 171, 173-4, 178, 179-80, 186,
DIE KUNST CIROMANTIA, 104 188-9,234,312,319,373,397, 412-3,415-6,
Diespiter (Sun), 426, 428 448,502,509, 526,566, 617,618, 620,633 , 644,
Dietrich of Bern (Theodoric), 200 697,706,773,777,779
Dignities (astrological), 73 , 74, 357, 360, 371, 449, DIVINATUM INSTITUTIONUM-see DIVINE
452,547,548 INSTITUTIONS
Dill (herb), 100 DIVINE COMEDY (Dante), 604, 791, 793, 826-7
Din (holy name), 320, 473, 751 DIVINE INSTITUTIONS (Lactantius), 452, 575,
Dina (place), 178 599,604
Dindymus (mountain in Phrygia), 492, 840 Divine magic-see Ceremonial magic
Diocles, 42 DIVINE PYMANDER (Everard trans.), 709
Diocletian (Roman emperor), 611, 802, 810, 812 Dock (herb), 98, 99, 295
Diodocus (stone), 98 DOCTOR FAUSTUS (Marlowe), 833
Diodorus , Sic'ulus (writer), 491, 492, 800, 826 DOCTORIS JOHANNIS FAUSTI MAGIAE NAT-
Diogenes (Cynic philosopher), I URAUS ET INNATURAL (grimoire), 537 .
Diogenes Laertius (writer), 726, 797 Doctrinal order, (angels), 505
Diomedes (hero), 233, 692, 800 Dodecahedron (Platonic solid), 331, 343, 413, 721, 726
Dion (or Dio) Cassius (Roman historian), 624, 800 Dodona (city), 502, 624, 626
Dion (or Dio) Chrysostom (writer), 645 Dodonides (nymphs of Dodona), 500, 502, 567
Dionysius, Pseudo- (writer), 13, 14, 145,289, 365, Dog(s), 47, 64--5, 66, 68, 69, 80, 91, 94, 98-9, 105,
444,447,467,470,474, 478,505,5 18, 519,652, 119, 119, 124-5, 128,131, 145, 150, 152, 163,
653,791,800 167, 169, 185, 193, 199,200,201-2,204,253,
Dionysius the Elder (tyrant of Syracuse), 175, 176, 296,378,393,500,504,510,511,511,568,593,
199,200,800,822 597,597, 649,650,656,658,674,684, 702,703,
Dionysius the Younger (tyrant of Syracuse), 822 798-9
Dionysus (god), 114,176-7,253,255,261,281,282, Dog(s), black, xxxv-vi, 128, 393,511 ,649, 650
315,426,426,428,442,454,491,493-4,502, Dog(s), mad, 78, 119, 121, 122, 123-4, 125-6, 128,
574,618,621 , 621,626,659,817,836,845 201,204
Dioscorides (philosopher), 38, 56-7, 87, 133, 240, Dog days, 119, 363
351,800 Dogfish, 83, 85
DIOSEMEIA (Aratus), 791 Dogstar, Greater (Sirius), 78, 98, 99, 119, 362, 363,
Diotimus of Thebes (writer), 126 395,410,411
Dirachiel (angel of the sixth lunar mansion), 533 Dogstar, Lesser (Procyon), 98, 100, 362, 363, 395,
Dirce (wife of Lycus), 641, 642 410,411
Dirce 's Fountain, 641 , 642 Dog tree, 86, 87, 89, 297
Dis Pater (Hades), 214 Dogs, barking of, 119, 128
Disciple(s) (of Christ), 300,302,485,487, 539, 574, Dog's Mercury (herb), 94
599,697 Dogs of Hecate, 220,511
DISCIPLES OF ISOCRATES (Hermippus), 806 Dogwood (tree), 87
Discorides (writer), 205 Dolabella (governor of Cilicia), 834
DISCOURSE AGAINST THE ARIANS (Athana- D'Olivet, Fabre , 260
sius),793 Dollar Law (hill in Scotland), 604
DISCOURSE OF THE FAITHFUL SHEPHERD Dolorosus (Dollar Law?), 599, 604
(Kabbalistic text in the ZOHAR), 601 Dolphin(s), 59, 86, 92-3, 160,274,333, 334
Disdiapason (musical 15th), 339,353 Dominations (Dominions-angelic order), 27, 257,
DISQUISITIONUM MAGICARUM UBRI SEX 266,284-5,288,294,468,472,497,505,588
(Del Rio), xxxiv Domitian (Roman emperor), 790,801,829-30,832
Dithyrambus (Dionysus), 442 Doni (holy name), 320, 751
Ditone (musical major third), 269, 273 Doom palm (tree), 133
Dittany (herb), 53, 54, 56, 76, 131 Dormice, 182
Dius Fidius (god), 494 Dotham-see Dotqan
Divalia (festival), 493 Dothan (town in Palestine), 683 , 686, 841
Divers kinds, stone of, 89, 89 Dove(s), 48,53 , 57, 148, 245, 246, 274, 288, 296,
Divinatio (procedure of Roman law), 834 656,669
894/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-GENERAL INDEX

Dove, black (black hen pigeon), 160, 164 Easter (festival), 572, 577, 670
Dove, wooden flying, 233, 692, 791 Ebony (wood), 106, 107
Draco (constellation), 101,379, 379-80 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY (Eusebius), 707-8,
Dragon (herb----dragonwort?), 99 788,803
Dragon(s), 25, 59, 83, 89,112, 121,122,167,171, ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH
173,216,217,250,269,272,288,381,383,389, NATION (Bede), 795
392,510,514,571,596,632 Echeneis (fish), 32, 33, 38, 65 , 69, 81 , 113
Dragon, Celestial (Draco), 99,101 Echidna (monster, mother of Cerberus) , 504
Dragon, Head and Tail of the, 390, 390, 407 Echo, 18,330
Dragon, Tiberius' tame, 163,167 Eclipse, lunar, 5, 123,126,219,359,390
Dragonwort (herb), 83, 84, 98,181,295 Eclipse, solar, 5, 42, 75, 77, 123,126,412,830
Drawing down the Moon, liv, 218-9,219-20 Ecliptic (circle), 265, 267, 276, 301, 371,372,390
Dream(s), 17, 134, 186, 194,201-2,319,386,395, ECLOGUES, THE (Virgil), 122, 164, 167, 191,219,
403-4, 412, 414, 444, 458, 493, 511, 527, 564, 222,424
565, 565, 566, 596, 606, 610, 616, 622, 625, Ecstasy (rapture), 606, 616, 619, 629-30, 655
633-5,635,639,643,663, 669,705,798,800,803 Eden, Garden of, 452, 470, 534, 537
Dropsy, 375,379,683 Eel(s), 83, 85, 113, 150, 163,167
Druids, 620 Eells, Charles P. (writer), 77,140,173,184,481,569
Drum, 70 Egepis (bird), 59, 62
Drunkenness, 72 Egeria (nymph, wife of Numa) , 179,503
Drusus (Roman emperor), 598, 604 Egg(s), 108, 160, 162,164,166, 169,245,292, 293,
Dryads (forest nymphs), 500, 502, 567 300,302,605,649,649, 650
Dryden , John (poet), 335 Eggs, whites of, 80
Duck(s), 53,57,69,70,80, 108 Eggs, yolks of, 86
Dulia-Iatria, 491, 492, 496 Egibiel (angel of the 18th lunar mansion), 533
Dung (animal), 47, 69, 76, 79, 80-1, 82, 108, 109, Eglon (king of Moab), 299
124 Egyn (ruler of the north), 259, 533, 536
Dung (human), 53,57, 138 Egypt, 6, 32, 272, 299-300, 354,458,463,490-1 ,
Duns Scotus-see Scotus, John Duns 512,642,697,761,790,798
Durer, Albrecht (artist), 737-9, 817, 833 Egypt, Lower, 97
Dusii (lustful demons), 519, 520 Egypt, Upper, 512, 521 , 676
Dust, 143, 144 Egyptian(s), 19, 61, 76, 91, 110, 212, 220, 255, 287,
Dutch,576 300,310,330,351,365,375,390,391,416,435,
Dyrachius (Dyrrachinus, a Roman town), 673, 675 443-4,446,451,480,491,500,519,527,569,
Dysentery, 130 576,613,623,629,644,652,656,670,671,674,
690, 700,726,819
E AT DELPHI, THE (Plutarch), 248,316 EGYPTIAN ASTROLOGY (Chaeremon), 797
Eagle(s), 48, 59, 70, 71, 76, 85, 86, 87-8, 89, 91,127, Egyptian Days (Black Days), 670
132,135,158,161,164,170,170,193,274,288, EGYPTIAN MAGIC (Budge), 401
296,383,387-8,392,593-4,669,830 Eheia-see Eheieh
Eaglestone, 41, 122 Eheieh (holy name), 288, 468, 470, 474, 478, 506,
Eaglewood (lignum aloes), 74 756
Earth (element), 5,8, 13-4, 23-4, 26-7, 52, 80,83, Eight (number), 281, 281-2, 283, 312-3, 315, 316,
96,110,178,193,223,225,246-7,248,254, 319-20, 326
258,263,315,331,339-40,343,355,375,409, Ekron (city of the Philistines), 512, 683
417, 421 , 423, 424, 457, 473, 500, 510,511, EI (holy name), 247, 288, 468 , 475, 480, 506, 538,
518-9,533, 536,711,770-1,773,777 547,549, 550,758,769
Earth (planet), xlvii, 5,27,72,97,107, 130, 178, EI Ab (holy name), 320, 751
215,220,241,243,265, 271,281,281-2,365-6, EI Chai (holy name), 469, 473, 760
417, 419, 421,427,441,444,457,457, 458,473, EI Gibor (holy name), 266
477, 484, 492, 500-1 , 506, 509-11, 521 , 524, Ela-see Elam
533, 558,566, 577,587,594,614,657,665,675, Elam (place), 97, 428, 556, 841
683,685,695,701,711,714,716-8,726 Elamites, 97
Earthquake, 5, 19, 130,141,178,189 Elath (holy nymph), 554
East (direction), 122, 144,176, 181,184,226,365, Eleazar (Eliezer , steward of Abram), 637, 637
375,500,501,533,536 Eleazar (Jewish magician), 141,623
East (geographical), xlvii Eleazar (son of Simeon B. Yohai), 828
East wind-see Eurus Eleazer o/Worms (magician), 472
 Dove (black)-Epinomis / 895

Elections (astrological), 400, 401, 674 Elworthy, Frederick (writer), 401, 676
Electors, seven, 272, 280 Elysian fields (Elysium), 599, 601-2
ELEGIES (Tibullus), 831 Emanations (Sephiroth), xiv, 467, 487,752-3
Elemental world, 3, 571 Emathia (city in Macedonia), 502
Elementals (spirits), 518-9, 773, 777 Emblic (a mirabolaus), 87
Elements, xlvii, xlviii, 5, 8, 9, 16-7, 23-4, 26-7,29, Emeph (Kneph?), 670, 671
38-9, 44,45,46,52, 74,75,80,83,86,89, 91,94, Emerald (stone), 24, 47, 52, 58, 60, 75, 81, 86, 91 ,
96, 96,102,110, 146, 147,178, 189, 193, 196, 94,99,274,284-5,294, 709
204, 213 , 223-5, 237 , 251 , 253, 254, 258, 262, Emerald Tablet, xlvii, xlviii, 14, 709, 711
264,265 , 268,283 , 289, 315,331 , 333,339-40, Emeth (holy name), 474, 479
343,345,351 , 365, 397-9, 404,419,421 , 423, Empedocles (philosopher), 6, 205, 333, 335, 510,
424,427, 455 , 459,468, 500-1 , 506, 510,511 , 516,721
516,518-9,533,536,561,566,568,580, 588-9, Emponenthem (an augurium), 157-8
597, 599, 606, 657 , 670, 672, 683, 713-5, 717, En Soph-see Ain Soph
719-27,729-30,761,769,773,781 Enakim (Anakim, a Canaanite nation), 554, 556
Elements, Chinese, 733-4 Enchanter/ress, 148, 217-8, 220, 685
ELEMENTS, THE (Euclid), 726, 832 Enchantment(s), 119, 135, 145, 208, 216-7, 217,
ELEMENTS OF HARMONY (Aristoxenus), 792 218-9, 219-20,318-9,567,584,663 , 693,695 ,
Elephant(s), 53, 57,58- 9, 62,86, 333, 500, 557, 591 , 705, 706
592 ENCHIRIDION (Augustine), 496, 497, 600
Elephantis (writer), 126 ENCHIRIDION (Epictetus), 801
Elepheia (Alphecca), 363, 364 ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF OCCULTISM (Spence),
Eleusina (Demeter), 444 84,236,313,416,792
ELEUSINIAN AND BACCHIC MYSTERIES (Tay- Endor, witch of (biblical), 502, 509, 605 , 607, 683-4,
lor), 428, 445, 459, 462-3 696
Eleusinian Games, 802 Enediel (angel of the second lunar mansion), 533
Eleusis (city of Attica), 216, 217, 444, 445, 492, 841 Engastromythes (Eurycles) , 616
ELEUSIS AND THE ELEUSINIAN MYSTERIES England, xix, 234
(Mylonas),445-6 Enmities, natural, 52, 53-5, 58-9, 71
Eleven (number), 292, 316 Enna (town in Sicily), 492, 841
Elf-bolt, 25 ENNEADS , THE (Plotinus), 462, 497, 823
Elhai-see EI Chai Ennectis (stone), 38
Eliade , Mircea (writer), 632 Ennius (poet), 458, 801
Elias (Elijah), 182, 271 , 300, 597, 610, 621 , 643 , Enoch (prophet), 270, 473, 557, 610, 695-6, 698
675,684-5,701 ENOCH, BOOK OF (astrological manuscript), 411,
Elicampane (herb), 86, 87 698
Elim (holy name), 320, 751 ENOCH, BOOK OF (Apocrypha), 517, 535-7, 557
Elim (place), 293 ENOCH, HEBREW BOOK OF, 517, 535-6
Elion (holy name), 263 , 474, 479 Enochian (angelic language), 28
Elis (place), 17, 491 , 459,841 Ens (essential being), 580, 583, 729
Elisha (prophet), 270-1 , 592,597, 606, 683-4 Ensnarers (ninth order of devils), 285, 289, 295, 510,
Elixir (alchemical), 834 760
Elm , 52, 297, 673 Entrosi (city), 491, 841
Eloah (holy name), 289, 468, 473, 759 Epaminodas (disciple of Lysis) , 702
Eloah va-Daath (holy name), 283 , 759 Ephesus (city of Ionia), 17,185,491,568, 655,805,
ELOGIA (Jovius), xxxv 841
Eloh (holy name), 320, 506, 751, 758 Ephod (Hebrew priest's), 281,484, 623, 624
Eloha Vedaath-see Eloah va-Daath Epictetus (philosopher), \60,801
Elohim (angelic order), 289, 469, 506, 759 Epicurus (philosopher), 480, 639
Elohim (holy name), 263, 266, 758 Epidamnus (town in Illyria), 673 , 675, 841
Elohim Gibor (holy name), 285, 286, 288, 468, 506, Epidaurus (town in Argolis), 181,841
758 Epidaurus Limera (town in Laconia), 178, 624, 626,
Elohim Sabaoth (holy name), 289, 469, 473, 506, 841
524, 525,760 Epies (Aphis) , 670, 671
Elpenor (man of Odysseus), 594 Epilepsy, 126, 144, 152
Elpheia (Alphecca), 99,101, 395, 396, 410, 411 Epimenides of Cnossus (magician), 182, 185, 621 ,
Elphrya-see Elpheia 621,644,801
Eitzen (evil spirit), 536 EPINOMIS (Plato), 721
896/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-GENERAL INDEX

Epione (mother of Podalirius), 635 Euclid (mathematician), 260, 726, 832

Epirus (place), 491, 841 Eudamus (philosopher), 140,726,801
EPISTLE TO ANEBO (Porphyry), 528 Eudemons (good Genii), 567, 569
EPISTLES (Horace), 831 Eudoxus Guidius (astronomer), 6, 7, 106,802
EPISTOLA AD PARISIENSEM (Roger Bacon), 332 Eugenius 11/ (pope), 807
EPISTOLA DE SECRETIS OPERIBUS (Roger Eumenides (Furies), 253, 504
Bacon),698 Eumolpidae (family of the Hierophants), 645
EPISTOLAE (Ausonius), 793 Eunapius (writer), 808
EPITOME OF HERODOTUS' HISTORY (Theo- Eunuch, 609,611
pompos), 831 Eunus (slave leader of the Servile War in Sicily),
EPITOME OF THE DOCTRINES OF PLATO 166,803
(Alcinous), 787 Euphorbia (herb), 89
Epodi (enchanters), 695, 697 Euphorbium (gum-resin), 89, 89,132
Equinoctial (celestial equator), 371,372 Euphrates (river in Paradise), 260
Equinox(es), 76, 79, 246, 248, 269, 273, 276, 342, Euphrosynum (bugloss), 86
372,536 Eurideae (Euryc\eis), 616, 616
Er (son of Armenius), 608 Eurinomus-see Eurynomos
Eranthes, king of Arabia, 690, 801 Euripides (playwright), 458, 788, 801-2, 829, 831
Erasistratus (physician), 200 Euripus (strait at Euboea), 673, 676
Erasmus (writer), xxiii, xxxvi Europa (mythical), 253
Erato (Muse), 284, 284, 339, 340, 341,423,424 Eurus (wind), 18-9,20,533
Ercta (mountain), 841 Euryale (a gorgon), 504
Erebus (subterranean darkness), 567, 607 Euryc\eis (ventriloquists), 616, 616
Erennius (writer), 446 Eurycles (Athenian diviner), 616
Ergedie/ (angel of the 14th lunar mansion), 533 Eurymedon (Hierophant), 792
Erginus (king of Orchomenus), 625 Eurynome (wife of Ophion), 253,515
Eribromus, Bacchus (Orphic deity), 423, 424 Eurynomos (devil), 598, 603
Erice (Ercta), 491, 841 EUSEBIAN CHRONICLE, 814
Erichtho (witch), lv, 122, 179,219,568,605,607 Eusebius (writer), 245 , 246, 425, 428, 459, 481, 494,
Ericus (king of Suecia), 597 496, 565, 573, 575, 620, 661, 674, 691, 706,
ERIDANUS (Pontanus), 824 707-8,788,802-3,819,822
Erinnyes (Furies), 253, 504 Euterpe (Muse), 284, 284, 339, 340, 341, 423, 424
Erisichthon (father of Merra), 135, 136 EUTHYPHRO (Plato), 234
Erithea, Sibyl (Erythraean sibyl), 621 , 621 Eutychides, 670, 671
Eros (god), 243 Eutychis-see Eutychides
Erythrae (place), 622 Evangelists, 255, 257, 260, 669
Esaias-see Isaiah Evans , Joan (writer), 42, 411, 799
Esalon (bird), 59, 62-3 Evanthes (writer), 136
Esar (Aesar), 255, 260 Evanthum (stone), 76
Esay---see Isaiah Evax (writer), 38, 70,785,799,803
Esch (holy name), 474, 479 Eve (first woman), 273, 470, 509, 515, 536, 704
Esdras (biblical), 600, 621 , 700 Evelyn, John (writer), 382
Esquian de Horian , 115 Everard, John (writer), 516, 653, 709
Esquilinus, Mons (hill in Rome), 280 EVERY MAN OUT OF HIS HUMOUR (Ben Jon-
Ester (biblical), 472 son),729
Esus (god), 495 EVIL EYE, THE (Elworthy), 400-1, 676
Ethiopia (place), 97, 352,436,436,644,676 Evil Spirit (l2th house of the zodiac), 547, 548
Ethiopia, herb of, 38 Evilmerodac (son of Nebu chadnezzar), 693
Ethiopians, 444, 491, 690 Evocation, xviii, 790
Etruria (place), 97, 157,158-9,176,493,518,841, Evoe, Bacche!, 190
850 Ex avibus (augury from birds), 157, 158-9
Etrurian(s)--see Etruscan(s) Ex coelo (augury from the heavens), 157, 158-9
Etruscan(s) (see Tuscians),lii, 159, 173, 176,574 Ex diris (augury by wamings),158
ETRUSCAN ANNALS,173 EX PONTO (Ovid), 647, 648
ETRUSCAN DISCIPLINA (see also OSTENTAR- Ex quadrupedibus (augury from beasts), 157, 158-9
IAN),159 Ex tripudiis (augury by bird feeding), 158
ETYMOLOGIAE (Isidore of Seville), 42 Exaltation(s) (astrological), 52, 54, 72-3, 359, 375,
Euboea (place), 673, 676 383,386,389,403,525
 Epione-Fire (infernal) / 897

Exauguration (augury by dropping the staff), 157, Fat, 80

159 Fat (animal), 59, 135
EXCERPTIO (Hrabanus), 808 Fat (human), 120
Excommunication, xx, 451, 571,806,819 Fates (goddesses), 250, 253, 315, 337,568,608,679,
Excrements, 69, 72, 81, 641 , 730 680
Execution, 593 Father, God the, 145, 241,251 , 254,365, 450, 460-1,
Exemplary world-see Original world 463-4,465,46~,46~468,474,479,484,515,
Exorcism(s), 76, 141,220,272,568,571 , 575,600, 517,530,581-2, 599, 629, 630, 647, 653, 672,
605, 607,611,635, 649,650,669-70, 674,706, 715
809 Fathers, Church, 171,174,239, 356,465,494,496
Exorcist(s), 453, 609, 611 Father' s Fountain, 178
EXPERIMENTS (of Solomon), 698 Fauns (Fauni), 34, 520, 573
Expiation(s), 16,76,239, 262, 287, 300, 449, 594, Faunus (god),491, 494,569, 656
605-6,607,621 , 634,636,639, 647,649,655-7, Faust (magician), xxxv, 687
666,669,696 FAUSTBOOK (Scheible), 537
EXPOSTULATION (Agrippa), xix Faustin, 467
Extremes (elemental), 720-1,724 Faustina (wife of Antoninus Pius), 313
Eye(s) (animal), 46, 50, 53, 65, 66, 69, 70, 79, 80-1, Fawn, 658
132, 134, 148 Fear of cats (ailourophobia), 64, 64
Eye, evil, 65, 66,68,69,84, 148,204, 205,537 Fear of high places (altophobia), 199, 200
Eye of the Sun (stone), 75 Feathers, 58, 60-1, 70, 71, 129, 132, 649,674
Ezechias-see Hezekiah Felicity, Saint, 272
Ezekiel (prophet), 255, 284, 299, 484, 509, 553, 593, Felwort, great (herb), 78
621 , 639 Feniliae (field nymphs), 500, 502, 567
Ezra (prophet), 560, 562 Fennel (herb), 84, 98, 100, 130
Fennel, giant (Sagapen), 130
Faber d 'Etaples (writer), xxiii-iv Feralia (festival), 658
FABLES OF AESOP (Croxall and I'Estrange), 703 Ferdinand II (king of Sicily), 827
FABULARUM UBER (Hyginus), 808 Ferdinand V (king of Spain), xvi
Face(s) (astrological), 73, 74, 155, 219, 220, 250, Fernova (an augurium), ,157
252-3, 302, 359, 360, 375, 376, 377-9, 385-6, Fervertus (an augurium), 157
389,400,409 Festivals (feasts), 271-2
Face, proper (astrological), 360 Festus, Pompeius (writer), 159
FAERIE QUEENE (Spenser), 27 Fevers,375, 386,388,393, 395, 476
Faesulae (town), 493 Ficino, Marsilio-see Ficinus, Marsilius
Fairies,500,519,567 Ficinus, Marsilius (writer), xli, 62, 73,173,424,445,
FAIRY MYTHOLOGY, THE (Keightley), 429 572,650,694
Falacer (god), 660 Fig tree, 53, 59, 393
Falacer (lesser flamen) , 660 Fig tree, black, 83
Falcon, 89 Fig tree, white, 86
Falerii (city), 493 Figuier, Louis, 45
Fall (astrological), 54, 360, 403, 547 Figulus, Nigidius (astrologer), 413
Fall, the (of angels), 510; 51~, 518 Figure(s) (astrological), 357,400,412, 415,468,547,
Falling sickness (epilepsy), 58, 60, 75,123, 143,150 635,635
False Gods (first order of devils), 285, 288, 294, 509, Figures (celestial), 102
756 Figures (plane), 230-1
False Mercury (herb), 94 Figs, 91, 655
Falstaff(sanguinary man), 731 Filberts, 86
FAME AND CONFESSION OF THE FRATER- Filimer (sixth king of the Goths), 573, 575
NITY OF R. C. (Thomas Vaughan), 834 Finger, aborted child's, 477
Familiars, xxxv-vi, 500, 502,512, 567, 596, 695, Fiore Di Morte (Periwinkle),I01
697 Fire (element), xlvii, 5, 8, 13-4,23-4, 26-7,46,89,
FAMOUS MEN (Amphikrates), 446 96, 110, 193,223, 225,226,241,254, 258, 263,
Ferreationes (festival), 655 281,281,315 , 331 , 339-40 , 343,375 , 409,41~
Fascination(s), 148, 430-1 , 705 423, 424, 457, 500, 511, 518, 533, 536, 711,
FASTI, THE'(Ovid), 114,165,184,491,493-4,502, 769-70
576,577,650,657-60 Fire (celestial), 13,463,506,518, 519
Fasts, 182-3,287, 290,300,636, 643,675 Fire (infernal), 13,517,518
898/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-GENERAL INDEX

FIRE, ON, 30 Fountain (spiritual), 14, 27, 254,255,365,457.461,

Fire, rain of, 663 463-4,585 ,644,665,668
Fire, resistance to, 494, 625, 707 Fountain(s), 16. 76, 121, 178, 271, 292, 393, 500,
Fireflies, 41 542-3,567, 599,624, 626,641 , 642,700
Fireproofing confection, 30 Fountain of the Sun (spring), 673, 676
Firestones, 23, 25 Four (number), 252, 254--5, 255, 257-9, 260-1, 262,
Firmanus Tarutius (astrologer), 673, 675, 803 268,312-3,316,318,320,322
Firmianus, L. Tarnu cius-see Firmanus Tarutius FOUR BOOKS OF LYDIAN HISTORY (Xanthus),
FIRST APOLOGY (Justin Martyr), 494, 708 835
First Cause, 3, 39,110-1,455,457,587 FOURTEENTH HOMILY ON NUMBERS (Ori-
First Matter, 15, 16, 719 gen), 484, 485
Fish, flying, 93 FOURTH BOOK OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY
Fish homed like ram (Sea Ram), 89, 90 (pseudo-Agrippa), xxxiv, xl, 180, 410, 773-4,
Fishes, 98 777-9,781-4
Fishes from the earth, 32, 33 Fowl, white, 119
Five (number), 262-3, 264, 312-3, 315, 316, 318, Fowls, golden, 674
320,323,330 Fox(es), 55, 59, 62, 64--5 , 94, 99, 132, 138,171
Five-leaved Grass-see Cinquefoil FRAGMENTS (Hermetic), 445
Flaccus, C. Fulvius (Roman consul), 162, 803 France, 97, 674
Flagellation, 495, 658-9 Francis I (king of France), xxi, xxvii, xxix-xxx,
Flame, oracular, 175, 177, 179, 180 xxxiv, 686--7
Flamel, Nicholas (alchemist), 446 Francis of Assisi, Saint, 201, 202-3, 803, 810
Flamines (Roman priests), 656, 660 Francisca, Saint (writer), 511
Flaminian Gate (gate in Rome), 658 Frankincense (gum-resin), 73 , 74, 76, 78-9, 98, 130,
Flax, 130 132, 133,393,565,624,637,649,652,653, 654,
Fleabane (herb), 129,130 656,657,696,697
Fleas, 130, 143, 144 Franklin, Benjamin , 742
Fleawort (herb), 130 Fratres Arvales (Roman priests), 658
Flint (stone), 25 Frazer. J. G. (writer), 153
Flood, the, 262, 271, 300, 512, 554, 663, 665, 697 Freake, James (writer), xxxix-xl, xliii, lxii, lxii, lxiii,
Flora (goddess), 660 429,449,743,747--8
Floralis (lesser f1amen) , 660 Frederick 11/ (German emperor), 817
FLORES ASTROLOGICI (Abu-Maaschar), 789 Fregelia-see Fregellanus
Flowers, 96, 106, 123, 132 Fregellanus (town in Latium), 161, 841
Fludd, Robert (writer), 195,256,338,344,471,712, French, 519
779--80 FRIAR BACON AND FRIAR BUNGA Y (Greene),
Flute, 334 236,794
Fly(ies), 80, 89,113,123,129,145--6,160,162,166, Friendships, natural, 52-3, 54--5
419,674,700 Frog(s), 46, 53, 65, 69, 81, 99, 108, 132, 151,153,
Fly,·a certain poisonous, 58 532, 700
Flying ointment, witches', 90, 130 Frog parsley (herb), 58, 61
Foals, 127 Froton , 124
FONS VITAE (Ibn Gabirol), 809 FRUCTUS LIBRORUM SUORUM (CENTILO-
Fontana, Giovanni da (writer), 831 QUIUM), 373
Fontanalia (festival), 655, 658 Fuerto Negro (Black Fort), xvi-ii
Fontus (son of Janus), 658 Fulgentius (writer), 573, 803
Fool's parsley (herb), 61 Fulvius Flaccus, C.-see Flaccus, C. Fulvius
Fordicidia (festival), 676 Fumatory-see Fumitory
Forehead, skin of, 46, 124 Fume(s), 106, 112, 129-30, 131, 132-3, 512, 605,
Forget-me-not (herb), 99 624,625,637,643,649, 650
Fork fish, 69, 70, 89, 94 Fumitory (herb), 94, 94, 99
Fortuna, temple of (at Praeneste), 414, 847 Furies, 250--1 , 253, 501, 504, 568,644,644
Fortune, Lot of (astrological), 359, 361, 402-3 Furies (seventh order of devils), 285, 289, 295, 510,
Fortunes (astrological), 250, 253, 402-3, 404 759
Forum (Roman), 694, 830 Furinalis (lesser f1amen), 660
Fossils, 106, 107,386 Furnace, 271
Fotus, 121 Furrina (goddess), 660
 Fire, On-Ginsburg, Christian D. /899

Gabiel (angel of Aquarius), 295 Genius/genii (tutelary spirit), 390, 469, 473, 500,
Gabiel (angel of the fifth lunar mansion), 533 503,522, 524-5,526,527-8,547-50, 550,553,
Gabienus (Roman soldier), 181, 183 585,586,588,716
Gabriel (angel), 257, 274, 285 , 289, 298,469, 485, Genius, evil, 510, 521-2, 522-3, 525, 547-8, 554,
532-3, 534-6,621,760 585,586
Gaea (goddess Earth), 253, 504, 603, 676, 718 Gentian (herb), 76, 78
Gaffarelli, Jacopo (writer), 408 GEOGRAPHY (Ptolemy), 825
Gaffuri, Franchino (writer), 789 GEOGRAPHY (Strabo), 797
Gagates (stone), 40 Geomancy (Earth divination), xiv, 178, 397,397,
Gagatronica (stone), 89 398-9,412, 584, 773-84
Galbanum (gum-resin), 130, 132,133 GEOMANCY, OF (Agrippa), xxii, 397, 773-5,
Galen (writer), 66, 104, 182, 184,204, 211,803 778-9,781-2
Galetzur (Raziel), 534 . Geomantic figures, 398-9,406-7, 408,412, 776
Galilee (place), 530 Geometry, 233, 254, 377
Gall (animal), 58, 65, 119, 135,649 GEORGICS (Virgil), 6, 55,127,165,172,243,504,
Gall (human), 134, 287, 382, 730 602
Galli (Roman priests of Rhea) , 716 Gerarath (Gerar, a city of the Negeb), 673
Gallows, 150 Gerard, John (herbalist), 42, 55-7, 60, 78, 81, 84, 87,
Gallus (Roman emperor), 798 100,240,328,393-4,396,650
Gallus, Aelius (prefect of Egypt), 797 Gerard Cremonensis (writer), 397, 773-5, 777,
Gamaliel (ninth order of devils), 285 , 289, 295 , 510, 783-4
760 Gergis (town on Mount Ida), 622
Garden flag (herb), 78 Germa the Babylonian , 6, 804
GARGANTUA (Rabelais), xxxii Germanicus (Drusus Caesar) , 604
Garlands, 83 Germans, 637
Garlic (herb), 40, 59, 89, 694 Germanus de Gonay (correspondent with Trithemius) ,
Gamet (stone), 100 709
Garnets, red, 41 Germany,97,182-3
Gaspare, Girolamo (writer), 408 GERMANY, OF (Tacitus), 598, 604, 830
Gaster, M. (writer), 534-5, 584 Gerona-see Juanetin de Gerona
GATES TO THE OLD CITY (Patai), 405, 514, 534, Gerson (evil spirit), 536
536,556,805 Geruthus, 598
Gaul(s), 520, 577, 620, 694, 708 Gesenius, William (writer), 479, 514
Geber (alchemist), 580, 583, 691, 709, 803 GESTA DANORUM (Saxo Gramrnaticus), 827
Geburah (fifth Sephirah), 288 , 468, 473, 754-5, Gesture(s), 154-5, 163, 170,208, 303, 304,333,431,
757-8 669
Gedi (Capricorn), 554 Getae (people), 575, 835
Gediel (spirit of Capricorn), 553 Getulia (Gaetulia), 97, 841
Gedulah (another name for Chesed), 758 Gharab Tzerek (seventh order of devils), 285, 289,
Gehenna (hell), 275 , 536 295, 510, 759
Geliel (angel of the 22nd lunar mansion), 533 Ghogiel (order of devils), 285 , 288, 294, 509, 758
Gellius, Aulus (writer), xv, 189, 334, 349,804 Ghost(s), Iiii, 19, 38, 112,121,130, 218-9,220,245,
Gematria (Kabbalistic method), 474, 479, 762 429, 476, 481, 494, 567, 569-70, 594, 595-6,
Gemellus , Caius Memmius , 639 598,601-3,605-6,607,658,707,833
Gemini, 26, 73 , 97-8, 132, 144,258,294, 296,313, Giant(s), 106, 141,380, 510, 553-4, 556, 663 , 665
375; 377, 381,388,403, 409,423,423,533,536, Gibbet, 150
553, 554 Gibbon, Edward (writer), 185, 436, 565, 795
Geminiel (spirit of Gemini), 553 Gibeon (city), 577
Generation, spontaneous, 14, 14-5, 80, 81-2, 108, Gichtel (writer), 73
419, 420 Gideon (biblical), 621, 637
GENERATION AND CORRUPTION, ON (Aristo- Gienah (star), 99, 101, 362, 363,395,396,411
tle),30 Gihon (river of Paradise), 260
GENERATION OF ANIMALS, ON THE (Aristo- Gilboa (mountain), 841
tle), 14 Gilthead (dolphin), 91, 92-3
Genere and specie, 38 Ginger (root), 76, 78
Geniel (angel of the first lunar mansion), 533 Ginsburg, Christian D. (writer), 447, 472-3, 486,
Genitals, 72-3, 760 507,759,762,765
900/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-GENERAL INDEX

GIORDANO BRUNO AND THE HERMETIC God (ninth house of the zodiac), 381, 382
TRADITION (Yates), 220 Goddess, the, 625, 718
Glass (stone), 94 Godeffroi de St. Orner, 114
Glass(es), concave (concave mirror), 233, 235, 330, God-making, 113
331-2,550, 550 Gods, terrestrial, 576-7, 577
Glass(es), looking (mirror), xlvii, 17-8, 50, 123, 125, GODS OF THE EGYPTIANS (Budge), 61, 220,
135, 144,235,331,373,373,386-7,389,409, 236,374
455,499, 524,530, 534,624,633,681,695, 705, Goetia, 686, 689, 689, 694-6, 705
707 GOETIA (grimoire), 514
Glasses, reciprocal, 233 Gog the Grecian, 6, 804
Glasses, transparent (lenses), 233, 332 Gold, Ii, 5, 23, 45, 75, 78, 83, 86, 130, 163, 178,258,
Glaucus (son of King Minos) , 89, 181 , 184 274,319,392,476,487,493,596,669,669,679,
Glove-gilliflowers, 73, 74 707,709
Glowworm(s), 41, 76, 79, 105 GOLDEN ASS, THE (Apuleius), Iiv, 122, 149, 180,
Gnats, 89, 108 184,217,219,276,290,317,446,493,568,625,
Gnat-sapper (bird), 94, 94 650,661,790
Gnido-see Gnidus Golden bough, 642, 642
Gnidus (Cnidus), 491,495,840-1 GOLDEN BOUGH, THE (Frazer, J. G.), 153
Gnosis,584 Golden chain, 366, 367
Gnostic(s) (heretical sect), 141,702, 706,707,800 Golden Dawn (Victorian magical order), xli
Gnosticism, 115, 236, 246, 833-4 GOLDEN DAWN, THE (Regardie), 536, 554, 777
Gnu (beast), 70 Golden fleece, 203, 493
Goap (evil spirit), 536 GOLDEN FLOWERS (Apollonius), 790
Goat(s), 53, 56, 58, 65, 80, 89, 91, 92, 98, 105, 121, GOLDEN VERSES OF PYTHAGORAS (d'Olivet),
134, 162,236,271,274,296,393,396,636,650, 260
656,658,707 Goldfinch (bird), 63
Goat-star (Capella), 98-9, 100, 362, 363, 395, 409, Goldsmith, Oliver (writer), 15,25,55,61,93,293
411 Golem,405
Goblins (Larvae), 245, 427, 429, 596 Golgotha (hill in Jerusalem), 666
God, xlviii, 16, 26, 27, 35, 37, 39, 44, 102, 110-1, Golias (Gedaliah), 271 , 278
124,145, 189, 193-4, 209,213, 220,223-4, 224, Goliath (giant), 287
226,237,239,241,245-6,249-50,254-5,262, Golohab (order of devils), 285, 288, 294, 509, 759
265,269-72,287,290,292,299,313,315,318, Gomorrah (city), 663
337,345,352,365,395,4 15,421-2,424,43 1, Good Henry (herb), 94
435 , 443, 444, 449, 450-1, 453, 455, 457-8, Goose/geese, 53,57,80, 92, 132,297,656
457-8, 459, 460-1, 460-1 , 462-4,465, 465-6, Goosefoot (herb), 98, 100
467-9,474-8,478-9,482,484-5,487-8,490-1, Gordian 111 (Roman emperor), 823
496,496-7,499,501,501-3,505, 510-1,511, Gordian knot, 787
516-7,521 ,524, 527-8,532-3,534-5,549,554, Gordiana (place), 97, 787,841
558, 566-7, 576-7, 579-82, 582, 583-4, 585, Gorgias (philosopher), 825
587-91,593-4,594,595,597-9,604,606,609, Gorgo (shade of Hades), 504
611,613-4,614-5,622,627,627-8,629, 630-1, Gorgons, 50 I , 504
634,636-8,642-4,647,652-3,654,655-7,661, GOSPEL(S), 26, 255, 272, 292, 511 , 530, 593, 595,
662-3, 665-6, 668-70, 672, 675, 677, 679, 614, 666, 702, 790
681-2,683-5 ,689, 692-3,695-6,699-702, 702, Got (holy name), 576, 577
705-6, 707,752-4 Goth(s), 573, 575, 576, 577
God(s) (pagan), 38,44,113,114,124,171,175,176, Gotland (Sweden), 576
178, 183, 189, 191, 196,212, 213-4, 214, 214, Gout, 46, 87, 375, 683
216,220,224,235,260,281,281-2,303,315, Gracchus , Tiberius Sempronius (Roman consul),
357,395,423,425,427,435,441,448,457,460, 163,167,804
467,467, 469-70,475 , 480-1,490-2,499-500, Graces (goddesses), 250, 253, 500, 503
501, 506, 516, 523, 532, 553, 558, 564-5, 565, Graecus, Marcus (writer), 30
566-7, 568-70,573, 574-5,576,576, 577,577, Grafting (of trees), 106, 138
582,589,589,594,611,616,617,618,618,619, Grampus (killer whale), 90
621,623-4,625-6,628,629-30,634,641,641, Granite (garnet), 98, 100
642, 647, 648, 653, 654, 656-7, 658-61, 668, Grant, Kenneth (writer), 482
668,669, 669,670,671,672,674,679,680,691, Grapes, 53, 146,381,382,690
695 , 697,699, 706, 715 Graphiel (intelligence of Mars), 320, 748
 Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition-He extended /901

Grasshoppers, 163, 674 Hagiel (intelligence of Venus), 320, 748

Gratian (son of Emperor Valentinian), 793 Haioth Hacadosch (Chaioth Ha-Qadesh), 288, 468,
Gratus (proconsul of Africa), 791 470,506,507
Grave(s), Sepulchers, Tombs, 130,218-9, 219-20, Hair (animal), 60, 69, 108, 138,218
250,270, 300,494-5,567,568,570,594,597-8, Hair (human), 108, 124,127,271,393
634, 674,676,693 , 709,805 Halesian plain (near Troy), 334
Gravec!othes, xlvii, 50, 120, 138 Halftone (\eimma), 265, 267, 269
Grave earth, 138 HALIEUTICON (Ovid), 33
Graves, Robert (writer), 30, 253, 279, 314 Haliurunae (Scythian witches), 575
Great Work (alchemical), 709, 711 Hallelujah, 287, 290
Greater Bear, Tail of the (Alkaid), 362, 363,395,396 Halter (noose), 50, 51, 150
GREATER KEY OF SOLOMON (grimoire), 328, Haly (writer), 773
408,442,536,698,788 Hama, Rabbi-Hamai Gaon, Rabbi
GREATNESS OF STATURE (R. Simeon), 533, 537 Hamadryades (tree nymphs), 500, 502,504, 567
Grecian(s)/Greeks, 110, 255, 268, 330, 474, 503, Hamai Gaon , Rabbi (Kabbalist), 476, 805
510,524, 533,562,576,652,658-9,670,702 Hamelial (angel of Virgo), 294, 533, 536
Greece, 97,435, 510, 620,626, 700 Hamlet (heroic melancholic), 731-2
Greek Fire, 29, 30 HAMLET (Shakespeare), 91
GREEK HERBAL OF DIOSCORIDES (John Hanael (angel of Capricorn), 295, 533, 536
Goodyer), 800 Hand of Glory, 119-20
Greene, Robert (playwright), 236 Haniel (angel of Venus), 274, 285, 288, 403, 469,
Gregorean chants (plainsong), 341 532,534-5,759
Gregory (unspecified), 501 , 701 Hannibal (Carthagenian general), 163, 167, 174, 176,
Gregory of Nazianzus, 239, 518, 795, 804, 831 671,815,839
Gregory of Nyassa (writer), 601 Hansen , H. A. (writer), 57
Gregory of Tours (writer), 185,809 Hare, 64, 83,94, 162,292,379,593
Gregory Thaumaturgus (writer), 503, 819 Harlot, 46, 47, 50, 57, 64, 169, 649,707
Gregory the Great (pope), 272, 341, 600, 602, 604, Harman Clazomenius-see Hermotimus ofClazome-
804,808 nae
Gregory IX (pope), 827 Harmony, 344,345, 351, 355-6, 522, 523,605, 792
GRIMOIRE OF POPE HONORIUS III, 536, 698 Harmony (celestial), 105, 112,213,318, 336,337--8,
Grove(s), sacred, 220,443, 502-3, 624, 626, 660 339-40,355,422,475, 547,714
Grynean Grove, 491 Harmony (musical), 70,190,237,249-50,252,255,
Grynia (city in Asia Minor), 842 265,333, 334,336,340,355;431,457,619,669,
Grypes (mythical people), 334 789
Guazzo, Francesco Maria (writer), 706-7 Harp, 70, 331,333,356,430
GUIDE FOR THE PERPLEXED (Maimonides), Harpe (harpy, or goshawk), 55
478,482,815 Harpies, 568
GUIDE TO GREECE (Pausanias), 20,27,33, 136, Harpocration (writer), 107
235, 373, 383, 425, 459, 493-4, 502, 574, 603, Hart(s), 47,53, 59,69,86,94,121, 124, 129,131,
625-6,635,637,660,791,799,813,818,820 132,274,296,333,334,381,396,656
Guido of Arezzo (musician), 342 Hart, the (constellation), 379, 380
Gums, odoriferous, 132 Hartena-see Herrenam
Gunibald (king of the Burgundians), 795 Hartshorn, 130,131,393,394
GunpOWder, 676, 794 Hartwort (herb), 98, 100
Gurnard, red (fish), 71 Haruspex, 173
Guru, 447 Haruspicy (divination by entrails), 173
Gygus (Gyges) , ring of, 140,141-2 Hasmael (angel), 621
Gymnosophists (religious sect), 352, 436, 436, 582, Hasmalim (Chasmalim), 288, 468, 472, 506, 507
641,652,690,691 Hasmodai (spirit of the Moon), 320, 404, 749-50
Gynaecia (festival), 656 Hathor (goddess), 164,290
Habacuck (biblical), 609, 683 Hawk, 76, 79, 89, 92,143,144,161,161 , 162,165,
Hacaba (holy name), 474 390,459
Hades (god/the underworld), 54, 127, 253, 504, Hawkweed (herb), 79
602-3,607--8,658 Hawlet (howlet), 170, 172
Hadrian (Roman emperor), 415, 801, 804-5, 832 Hazel (tree), 86, 296
Hag(s) (Lamia), 567, 568, 596 He (holy name), 751
Hagar (concubine of Abraham), 492, 621 He extended (holy name), 751
902/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-GENERAL INDEX

Head (animal), 47, 65, 129,130,132,393 Hellebore, green, 84

Head (human), 72-3,158,163,168,172,175,177, Hellebore, stinking, 84
193-4,196,241,251,269-70,392,715,756 Hellebore, white, 84
Head, brazen, 234,236,692 Hellebore, winter, 84
Headache, 72, 74, 169 HELLENICS (Theopompos), 831
Heart (animal), 46, 58, 65, 68, 69, 70, 125, 128, 143, Hellespont (strait), 842
171,173,196,365,400-1,512,618 Hellespontine, Sibyl, 622
Heart (human), 72-3, 76, 148, 194, 196,' 199,241-2, Hellfire, 26, 706
247,251,269,287,336,351-2,354,416,584, Hellusii (monsters), 604
585,642,647,672,729-30,758 Helvetian, 183
Heartwort (herb), 100 Hemiolion (musical perfect fifth), 249, 252
Heaven (spiritual), 26, 72, 78, 110, 169. 255, 300, Hemlock (herb), 85, 129-30, 130,446,644,828
315,465,510,516,530,573,574,594,610,627, Hemorrhoids, 672
628,629,647, 648,654,684,701 Hen(s), 53,59,65,86, 108,135,158,395
Heaven(s), starry, 26, 35, 39, 96, 108, 110, 112, 139, Henbane (herb),86,87,98-9, 129-30, 132
145, 181,206,208-9,210,213,223,237,254, Hen-harrier (hawk), 62
265, 281, 281-2, 284-5, 300, 313, 315, 318, Henina. Rabbi (writer), 450, 805
330-1,336, 355, 365,375,381,390,404,406, HENRY CORNELIUS AGRIPPA, LIFE OF (Mor-
412, 417, 419, 423,427,430-1,435, 457,457, ley), xviii-xix, xxiv, xxvii, xxxii, xxxiv-v, xxxix
461,468, 477, 484-5, 490, 496, 497, 499-500, Henry Vlll (king of England), xix-xx, xxvi-vii
505, 524-5, 533, 535, 547, 561, 571, 574, 580, HENRY IV: PART I (Shakespeare), 731
588-9, 594, 596, 606, 613, 619, 627, 629, 630, Hephaestion o/Thebes (writer), 179,825
635,641,653,657,672-5,681,683,692,695 Hephaestus (god), 235, 493, 503, 516, 525, 843
HEAVENS, ON THE (Aristotle), 45 Heptagram, 535
Hebrew(s), 65, 110, 140, 239, 255, 290, 308, 363, HEPTAMERON (d'Abano), 535, 559, 821
416, 427, 435, 443, 468-9, 474, 476, 480, 485, HEPT AMERON (Margaret of Navarre), xxvii
488,490, 506, 510-1, 525, 532, 538, 547, 554, Heptastadium (dyke), 235
560, 562, 573, 593-5, 627, 644, 655, 670, 696, Hera (wife of Zeus) . 184, 203, 235, 246, 282, 290,
700-1,703,752 525,537,574,603,832,838,847
HEBREW AND CHALDEE LEXICON (Gesenius), Herac1ea, spring in, 17, 20
479,514 Heraclides (father of Hippocrates) , 807
Hebron (place), 555, 709 Heraclides Ponticus (Platonist), 176,822
Hecate (goddess), 130,220,236,250,253,315,315, Heraclitus (philosopher), xlix, 52, 54, 365, 461,629,
316,427, 564, 565,567.568,650 644,656,805
Hecatombe (festival), 655, 658 Heraiscus (Egyptian general), 169
Hectic fever (tuberculosis), 373,376 Herakles-see Hercules
Hector (hero), 312 Herb of grace (Rue), 55-6, 78
Hecuba (mother of Paris). 175, 176 HERBAL, THE (Gerard), 42, 55-7, 60, 78, 81, 84,
Hedgehog, 594 87,100,240,328,393,396,650
HEIKHALOT (Simeon B. Yohai), 537 HERBAL, THE (W. Turner), 650
Heldusians and Axions (Hellusii and Oxiones), 598, Herbipolis, monastery of, liii
604 Hercules (constellation), 379,379
Helen-see Helena. Flavia Julia Hercules (god/hero), xlix, 89,107,135-6,151 , 153,
Helena . Flavia Julia (mother of Constantine the 176,177,181,183,380,428,494,573, 606,608,
Great) , 663, 805 630,632,636,637,656,659,674, 676,807,813
Helenus (priest of Apollo). 669, 671 Hercules Gnidius (god), 656
Helicon, Mount, 191, 502, 639 Herm (quadrangular pillar), 495
Heliconides (Muses), 500, 502 Hermannus 0/ Wied (archbishop of Cologne),
Helim (Elim), 292, 293 xxxi-iii, xxxix, lix, 229, 230, 435, 805-6, 816
Heliopolis (city), 7, 48, 76, 79, 122,802,842 Hermaphrodite, 20, 427-8
Heliopolitans, 491 Hermaphroditus (god-goddess), 495
Helios (Sun), 366, 428-9, 436, 635 Hermes (god), 159, 427, 493, 495, 512, 525, 602,
Heliotrophium (herb), 42, 75, 77, 80 788,846
Heliotrophium (stone), 38,41-2,75,77,89 Hermes. Market (oracular statue), 233, 235, 637, 637
Hell, 315, 427, 465, 485, 511, 537, 574, 583, 596, Hermes Alchorat. 106, 107
598-600, 602-4,629,683 Hermes Trismegistus (god/writer), xx, xxiii, xli, xlix,
Hellebore(s) (herb), 47, 83, 84, 89, 98-9, 132, 154 lxiii, 4, 6, 7, 13, 14, 38, 61, 72, 94, 98-9, 110,
Hellebore, black, 84 112,113,114, 130,133,146,171,223,224,249,
 Head (animal)-Hog's fennel / 903

382,395,409,411,417, 419,426, 441 , 443-4, Hieronymus, Eusebius Sophronius (St, Jerome), 18,
445,460, 463,497,510,522-3 , 533, 575,576, 33, 34, 239, 245, 246, 474, 478, 496, 522, 601,
579,58 1-2, 583-4,597, 613, 614,616, 619, 627, 643 , 690, 695 , 698,806,810,814,620,822
629, 638, 643, 653, 653-4, 657 , 677, 690, 697, Hierophantae (Greek priests), 643, 645, 653, 656
705 , 709-11,715-5,718,789 Hierophantes (supreme priest of the Eleusinian Mys-
HERMETICA (Scott), 4, 113, 118, 413, 420, 427-8, teri es), 645
432,437,441-2,445,463,473,516,574,583-4, Hilario (Hilarion), 705, 706-7
586,588,603,614,628,630,654,661,715 Hi/arius-see Hilary , Saint
Hermetical, lxi , Ixiii Hilary, Saint, 239, 807
Herminthus-see Hermonthis Hildegardes (prophet), 663, 807
Hermippus (philosopher), 6,806 Hind(s), 53, 80, 297
Hermonthis (city in Egypt), 76, 79 Hindus, 645
Hermopolis (city in Egypt), 842 Hinnides (nymphs), 500
Hermopolites, 491 Hipparchus (astronomer), 445, 691, 802, 807
Hermotimus ofClazomenae, 629, 631 Hippasus (Pythagorean), 726
Hernia (burstness), 448, 449 Hippo (daughter of Oceanus) , 574
Hero(s) (Blessed Souls), 481 , 506, 506-7, 573, 575, Hippo (Hippothoon) , 573, 574
576,595,653,663,671 Hippocentaur (man-horse), 820
Hero-Cesarea (Hierocaesarea), 476, 481 Hippocrates (medical writer), 104, 107, 133, 190,
Herod (king of Judaea), 301 610,729-30,807,826
Herodian (w riter), 514 Hippocrene (fountain on Mt. Helicon), 502
Herodiclis (teacher of Hippocrates), 807 Hippolytus (son of Thesseus) , 184
Herodotus (Greek historian), 33, 48, 61, 137, 235, Hippomanes (aphrodisiac) , 124, 124, 127, 145, 147,
494,629, 631,785,791,799,806,818,836 148
HEROIDES , THE (Ovid), liv, 55, 163-4 Hippon of Samos (philosopher), 808
Heron, 53, 55, 80, 161 , 297 Hipponax (poet), 655, 808
Herophile (siby l), 622 Hippopotamus, 161 , 165,557
Herrenam (an augurium), 157-8 Hipp othoon (hero), 574
Heruli (rune magicians), 537 Hircania (Hyrcania), 97, 842
Herviscus (an Egyptian), 623 Hircanians, 491
Hismael (spirit of Jupiter), 320, 747
Hesed (Chesed), 288, 468, 472, 591, 592
HISTORIA BRITANUM (Nennius), 279
Hesiod (poet), 16, 34,188, 191,243,260,279,461 ,
HISTORIA DANICA (Saxo Grammaticus), 827
481, 503-4,521 , 522,574,638, 639,641 , 642,
HISTORIA ECCLESIASTICA (Vitalis), 429
806,808
HISTORIA FRANCORUM (Gregory of Tours), 809
Hesperus (Venus as the Evening Star), 91, 92, 427, HISTORIA GENTIS LANGOBARDORUM (Paulus
429 Diaconus), 820
Hestia (Ves ta) , 313,495 HISTORIA ROMANA (Paulus Diaconus), 820
Hethelbergius (mountain in Norway), 598, 842 HISTORIES (Tacitus), 830
Hetraria (Etruria), 161 , 175 HISTORY, THE (Herodotus), 33, 48, 61, 137,235,
Hexagram, 627 494,631, 785,791,799,806,818,836
Hexahedron (cube), 33 1, 343,413, 414 HISTORY OF ANIMALS (Aristotle), 302
HEXAPLA (Origen), 819 HISTORY OF EGYPT (Chaeremon), 797
Hezekiah (king of Judah), 39, 299, 685 HISTORY OF EGYPT (Manetho), 818
Hiarba (philosopher), 233 HISTORY OF MAGIC AND EXPERIMENTAL
Him'chus (Iarchus) , 690, 691 SCIENCE (Thorndike), xxxv-vi, 485, 497-8,
Hibernation, 182, 185 503,519, 535, 584, 691, 697-8, 707, 709, 773,
Hiddekel (river in Paradise), 260 789-90,812,826,831
Hiero (king of Sicily), 161-2 HISTORY OF PHILIP (Theopompos), 831
Hierocaesarea (city in Lydia), 476, 481 HISTORY OF ROME (Livy), 164, 177, 214, 313,
Hieroglyphics (sacred letters), 330, 331, 443, 446, 425,493,706
558, 559,808 Hobgoblins (Lemures), 500, 503, 519, 567, 596
HIEROGL YPHICS (Chaeremon), 797 Hochma (Chokmah), 288, 468, 472
HIEROGLYPHICS (Horapollo), 56, 59, 61-4, 66, Hod (holy name), 320, 482, 750-1
79,81-2,85,87,92,94, 160, 164-7,246,391, Hod (eighth Sephirah), 289, 469, 525, 754-5, 757,
446,808 760
Hierokeryx (Crier), 445 Hog, 62, 83, 162
Hierome, Saint-see Hieronymus Hog ' s fennel (herb), 100
904/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-GENERAL INDEX

Holland, P. (writer), 127,167 Hua (holy name), 474, 479

Holly (tree), 87 Hugues de Payns , 114
Holm oak (tree), 87 Hulesian Fountain, 333, 334
Holm tree, 48, 86, 87, 170 Humedes (nymphs), 567
Holocaustomata (sacrifice), 655, 659 Humor(s), xiv, 23, 75,83,86, 89, 91 , 146,147,154,
Holy Ghost (Holy Spirit), 145,226,241,251,254, 254,259,287 , 336,339,351,424,585,590,643,
262, 270, 272, 287, 300, 365, 461, 464, 465, 729-32,826
465-6,468,485,515,517, 530, 581, 616, 622, Humors, adventitious, 83, 729
623,665-6,669,696,704 Humors, coniferous, 20 I, 202
HOLY KABBALAH (Waite), 68, 470, 472, 537, 601 Huns, 573, 575
HOMECOMINGS (epic poem), 603 Hyacinth (stone), 75, 77, 86, 295
Homer (poet), liii, lv, 19,27,33-4,54,104,122,158, Hyacinthia (festival), 425, 655, 658
159,188,191,214,233,235,284,284,286,335, Hyacinthus (mythical), 424-5, 658
366,366-7,415,426,435,436,453,461,481, Hycula (19th lunar mansion), 369
502-4, 510, 522, 524, 525, 589, 594-5, 597-8, Hydra (constellation), 98, 99, 379, 379
601-3, 605, 607, 647, 648, 658, 661, 693, 698, Hydromancy (water divination), 178, 179
806,808,813,840,843,848-9 Hydrophobia, 126
HOMERIC HYMNS (or ODES), 158, 159,446,790, Hyena (see also Civet), 62, 66, 81, 113, 121, 122,
808 128,147
HOMILIES ON THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE Hyena stone(s), 112,113,618,620
CORINTHIANS (Chysostom), 512 Hyginius-Hyginus
Homole-see Homolium Hyginus (astronomical writer), 379, 808
Homolium (town in Thessaly), 491, 842 Hyginus (pope), 707
Homunculus (little man), 108, 109 Hyleg (astrological), 404, 525, 548
Honey, 76, 78, 106, 146, 181,184,414,605,607,
Hylegians (astrological), 547-8, 548
654, 657, 659
HYMN TO ZEUS (Cleanthes), 797
Honorius of Thebes (magician), 558, 559, 695, 698
Hypaepa (city in Lydia), 476, 491, 842
Honorius III (pope), 698, 827
Hypatia (Neoplatonist, daughter of Theon of Alexan-
Horace (writer), 68, 644, 645, 801, 831
dria) , 829
Horapollo (writer), 56, 59, 61-4, 66, 79, 81-2, 85,
87,92,94,160,164-7,246,391,446,808,819 Hypepa-see Hypaepa
Horehound (herb), 98, 100 Hypepis-see Hypaepa
Hormea (festival), 656 Hyperborea (mythical place), 334, 785, 842
Horoscope (ascendent sign), 37, 313,361,548,548, Hyperborean(s), 333, 491, 690
675,803 Hyperion (god), 48
Horrisonus (mountain in Thuringia), 599, 842 Hyrcania (place), 842
Horse(s), 58, 62, 64, 80, 82,88,89,98, 108, 124-5, Hyssop (herb), 80, 81, 700
127, 129, 145, 162,162, 166, 169-70, 172,255, Hysteria, 184
260-1,288,297,379,379,386, 392,394-5,491,
494,502,595, 597,652,656,658,698,705 I CHING (ed. Legge), 733
Horse, hollow bronze, 141 lah(Yah),474,479,547 , 750
Horse, Shoulder of the (Menkib), 363, 364 1aia (holy name), 474
Horse of Tiberius , 199,610 1aldabaoth (Demiurgos) , 704
Horseheal (Elicampane), 87 Ialysus (city on Rhodes), 68, 537
Hortulanus (Ortolanus), 709 lamblichus (philosopher), 6, 14, 73, 78, 112, 173,
Horus (god), 79,164,426,426,459,808 194, 212,267,335,365,460-1,475,477 , 481,
Hostia (sacrifice), 655, 658 505, 506, 522, 523, 526, 528-9, 565, 565, 569,
Hotspur (choleric man), 731 572, 583, 620, 624, 625-6, 642, 645, 650, 652,
Hound, 395 653,656, 660,670,671,694,694,697,702,705,
Houndstongue (herb), 124, 128 706-7,726,785,808-9,824
House(s) (astrological), 52, 53-4, 72-3, 74, 146,147, 1archas (leader of the Brahmans), 110, 140,140,690,
251, 252, 276, 358, 359, 360, 375, 381 , 382, 691,809-10
402-4,525,525,547,548,569,781-4 las is (nymph), 20
House Leek (herb), 86 lava (holy name), 474, 479
Houses, angular, 250-1, 252, 547, 548, 781 Ibis (bird), 58, 61, 94, 94, 296, 512, 842
Houses, cadent, 250-1, 252, 548, 781, 783 Ibn Batuta (writer), 133
Houses, succedent, 250-1, 252, 548, 781 Ibn Gabirol (philosopher), 610, 794, 809
Hrabanus Maurus Magentius (writer), 239, 701,808, Icarus (son of Daedalus) , 799
826 Icatides (physician), 126
 Holland, P.-Isaac Ben Solomon Israeli /905

Icosahedron (Platonic solid), 331, 343, 413, 725-6 Indum, leaf, 132, 133
Ida (mountain in Crete), 638, 639 Inferi (gods of the underworld), 658
Ida (mountain in Mysia), 56, 491-2, 842 Inferiae (festival), 655, 658
Idalian Grove, 491, 842 Infernal regions, 13,469
Idalium (town in Cyprus), 842 INFERNO, THE (Dante), 27
ldanthresie-see ldanthyrsus INGOLDSBY LEGENDS, 119
ldanthyrsus (Scythian king), 573, 575 Inherited qualities, 154, 155, 201, 204
Idea-see Ida Initiation, 449, 449, 680
Idea(s), 27, 35-6, 38-9, 69-70, 71, 105, 237,3 18, INITIATIONS AND INITIATES IN TIBET (David-
579, 591-2 Neel),449
IDEA ET ENTOCT A (of Solomon), 698 Ink, divination by, 697
IDRA RABBA (section of the ZOHAR), 537 Ink fish (see Cuttlefish), 131
Idumea (Idumia), 97, 842 Innocent l/l (pope), 810
Iesod (Yesod), 289, 469, 473 Innocent IV (pope), 602
Igrat (s uccubus demon), 514 Innon (holy name), 474
IHVI-see Tetragrammaton Ina (goddess), 624, 626
fiai (holy name), 475, 480 In-Shushinak (god), 428
IIex-tree, 164 Intellect, 194, 633, 681, 694, 713
ILIAD, THE (Homer), 27, 33, 54, 214, 235, 284, Intellect, possible, 611 , 612
367, 454,463,502-4,516,525,808,849 Intellectual world,lxi, 3, 110,571 , 6\3, 670
Ilithyia (goddess), 429 Intelligence(s), 3,6,26-7,37-9,97,110,145,181,
IIIyria (place), 97, 842 208,216,250,263,318-27,330,345,370,403,
IIIyrians, 65, 66, 204 415 , 453,458, 468,490, 497,499, 524,530,533,
Image(s), 119, 129, 140, 143-4, 178,208,2 13, 220, 550, 580, 583,587- 9, 591,606,614,619,657,
221 , 233-4, 235, 249, 330, 365, 370, 373, 373, 669, 698,747-50,767
385,397,400,409,431,460,499,530,537,547, INTRODUCTION TO ARITHMETIC (Nico-
566,573,579,58 1, 585, 594,594 , 595, 606,619, machus), 818
627,633,656,668-70,674,676,698,705,831 INTRODUCTORIUM IN ASTRONOMIAM (Abu-
Images (angelic), 112 Maaschar), 786
Images (celestial), 102, 114,371,375,377-9,38 1, INVECTIVE AGAINST THE IBIS (Ovid), 815
383, 385-90, 392-3, 395-6, 402-4, 409, 524, Invisibility, 42, 77, 141-2,707
674,679 Invisible ink, 105, 105
Images of God/gods, 112, 113,176, 475-6, 487-8, Invocation(s), 119,2 16,217,393, 430, 449-50, 457,
491,495, 553-4, 579-81, 583, 614, 623 , 627, 461 , 467, 474-6, 485,499-500, 530, 573-4,605,
668-70,671,672,681,694,713-5 619,623,636,663,695,697
Images of the decans, 377-9 10 (goddess), 287, 290
Imagination, 72, 110-1, 134-5, 148, 154, 155,189, l ad (Yod), 468, 472
193-4, 201-2, 204, 206, 207, 213, 217, 596, Ion (rhapsodist), 188, 191,809
609-10,633,705 Ion (son of Gargettos), 20
Imbolc (festival), 796 ION, THE (Plato), 50, 188, 190-1
Imbres-see Imbros Ionides (nymphs), 17, 20
Imbros (island), 492, 842 Iophiel (Jophiel) , 468, 472
Imprecations, I 19, 216, 217, 221, 436, 662, 705 lotape (Yahweh) , 702
IN EUDOXI ET ARA TI PHAENOMENA (Hip- Iphigenia (daughter of Agamemnon), 491, 495
parchus), 807 Ipse (holy name), 474
IN SECUNDAM DONATI EDITIONEM INTER- Irascible power, 72, 194, 197, 197-8,209,262,268,
PRETATIO (Servius Maurus), 828 355,596,613
Inachus (mother of 10), 290 lrenaeus, Saint (writer), 511 , 517, 595, 599, 601,
Incantation(s), 60, 141, 150, 152, 219-20, 226, 706,707,809,815,834
480-1,499, 669,697,706,773 Iris (stone), 75 , 77
Incense,476,594, 626,654,658,672, 696 Iron, 23, 38, 44,50-1,52,58, 76,89, 121 , 123, 125,
Incest, horse, 169-70, 172 210,234,258,274,319,392-3,511,580,672,694
lncubus/incubi, xxv, 116,5 19, 519-20,567 Iron Gates, 34
Index (geomantic), 778-80,782-4 Iron pyrites (stone), 24-5, 81, 83, 91, 386
India, 97,381,436,609-10,691,734 Ironwort (herb), 57
Indian plums, 87 Isaac (son of Abraham), 264, 273, 468, 473, 490,
Indians, 140, 368,375, 436,460,481,613,641,643, 528,621,673
652,690 Isaac Ben Solomon Israeli (medical writer), 810
906/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-GENERAL INDEX

Isaac of Holland (alchemist), 38,809-10 Jasper, brown, 41, 83

Isaac the Blind (Kabbalist), 805 Jasper, diverse, 99
Isaac the Jew (perhaps Isaac Ben Solomon Israeli), Jasper, green, 41, 86, 91
38,810 Jays, 56
Isaiah (prophet), 26, 270, 272, 474, 479, 509, 582, Jazeriel (angel of the 13th lunar mansion), 533
616,639,685,696,699 leton (Typhon?), 670, 671
Ishmael , Rabbi (writer), 533, 537 Jedua (Yiddo'a), 502, 618
Ishtar (goddess), 389, 491 , 492, 514 Jehovah (holy name), 14, 288, 290, 484, 486, 490,
Isidore of Seville, 42 506,564,756,762,764
Isis (goddess), 19,41,61,236,290,436,491,569, Jehovah Collected (holy name), 288, 291
648,650,656 Jehovah Elohim (holy name), 288, 506, 758
ISIS AND OSIRIS (Plutarch), 7, 19, 54, 236, 250, Jehovah Extended (holy name), 288-9, 320, 750
516,654 Jehovah joined with He (holy name), 758
ISLAMIC COSMOLOGICAL DOCTRINES (S. H. Jehovah Sabaoth (holy name), 285, 289, 506, 525,
Nasr), 73 759
Ismael (biblical), 273 Jehovah Vedaath (holy name), 283
Ismah (Hebrew name), 475 Jehovah Zidkenu (holy name), 285
Ismenia (Apollo), 333, 335 Jehuda Ben Barzillai (writer), 535
Ismenus River, 335 Jellyfish, 79
Isocrates (philosopher), 822, 831 Jennings , Hargrave (writer), 709
Isogonus (writer), 66 Jerahmeelites, 555
Israel, Rabbi (Kabbalist), 623 Jeramiel (land of the Allophyli), 553, 555
Israel Al-Nakawa (writer), 537 Jeremiah (prophet), 272-3, 300, 491,509, 553,647,
Issim (Ashim), 263, 289, 405,468-9, 473, 506, 573, 685
574 Jeremiel (archangel), 553
Italy, 97, 135,598,674,693 Jero---see Jerubbaal
Ithaka (island of Odysseus), 607 Jerome, Saint-see Hieronymus
Ivory, 123,125 Jerubbaal (biblical), 300, 302
Ivy (herb), 53, 76, 99, 126 Jerusalem (city), 300, 555, 611, 649, 664, 670
Ixion (damned soul), 597, 603 Jerusalem, heavenly, 292, 484, 533, 574
JERUSALEM DELIVERED (Tasso), 56
Jaber Ben Hayyam (alchemist), 803 Jesse (father of David) , 281
Jabir Ben Aflah (astronomer), 803 Jesu (holy name), 262, 264,475, 484-5
Ja cob (biblical), 204, 271, 287, 290, 299, 367, 468, Jesus-see Christ
473,509,524,528,553 ,62 1, 634, 663 Jesus, son of Sirach, 505
Jah (Yah) , 311, 320, 538, 549,550,756 Jet (stone),J8, 40-1, 393, 694
Jahacob (apostle James, son of Alphaeus), 574 Jew(s) (see also Hebrew), xix-xx, xxiii, 606, 670,
Jahacobah (apostle James , son of Zebedee), 574 695,700-1,702,704,706,790,804,811,819-20
Jaina square (magic square), 742 Jewstone (Lapis Judaicus), 386
Jamblichus-see lamblichus Jezabel (wife of Ahab), 684-5
Jamblichus (one of the Seven Sleepers), 185 Jhesu (Yeheshuah), 262-3, 264
James (brother of Jesus) , 273, 675 Joachim (Jehoiakim , king of Judah), 553
James the Greater (apostle, son of Zebedee), 574 Joachim of Floris (mystic), 237, 663, 810, 817
James the Lesser (apostle, son of Alphaeus), 574 Joas (wife of Jerubbaal) , 300
Janiculum (hill outside Rome), 164 Job (biblical), 496, 594
Jannes and Jambres (Egyptian magicians), 683, 686, JOCALIA (of Solomon), 698
702, 705 Jochahad (father of R. Joh ena), 623
Janualia (festival), 655, 658 Jod (Yod), 549, 550
Januarius, Saint, 510,810 Johanah (apostle John) , 574
Janus (god), 316,317, 393, 394,493, 576, 658,707 Johena, Rabbi (writer), 623, 634
Japheth (son of Noah), 472 John (apostle), 460, 528, 574, 583
Jaques (melancholy man), 731-2 John ofCynops, 114
Jarchus Brachmanus-see larchas John the Baptist (biblical), 204, 273 , 281,299, 301,
Jareahel (spirit of the Moon), 553 342,521
Jasmine seeds, 180 John the Divine (biblical), 239, 313,484, 533, 599,
Jason (hero), liv, 48, 68, 202, 203, 250, 481 604,663
Jason of Lycia, 200 John VIII (pope), 817
Jasper (stone), 38, 41, 52, 58, 75 , 89, 99, 284-5, 294 JOHN EVELYN'S DIARY, 24
 Isaac of Holland-Knotgrass / 907

Johnson , Samuel (writer), 15,577 Jupiter Ammon (Zeus Ammon), 72, 73,89, 190,424,
Johphiel (intelligence of Jupiter), 320,621 491 , 494
Jonas (Jonah , a prophet), 250, 599, 636, 685 Jupiter Latialis (god), 659
Jonson, Ben (playwright), 729, 731 Jupiter Lycaeus (god), 135,136-7,693,694
Jophiel (angel), 288, 468, 472, 747 Jupiter Optimus Maximus, temple of, 493
Jordan (river), 270, 292, 555, 577, 665 Justin Martyr (writer), 494, 511 , 517, 707--8, 811-2
JOI'danis (writer), 575 Justina (virgin), 698
Joseph (biblical), 299, 469, 473, 621, 634, 663 , 701 Justinian (Roman emperor), 575
Joseph-see Josephus Ju venal (writer), 124,127, 154,155,503, 829
Josephus, Flavius (writer), 17,20, 140, 141,219,
220,649,650,667, 690,691,701,790 Kabbalah, xxiii, xxvii, xli, liii, 226, 310, 354, 405,
Joshua (biblical), 39, 287, 469, 490, 528, 577,621, 408,443,447,467, 470,472,474, 478,486,525,
622,636,701 534,554,700-3,752-4,756,762-72,785,805,
Jove (god), 191,254,260,366,417,418,423 , 424, 809,833
435 , 457-8,460,460-1,467, 469-70,577,641 , KABBALAH (Bischoff), 481
652 KABBALAH, THE (Ginsburg), 447, 472-3, 486,
Jo viel (spirit of Jupiter), 553 507,765
Jovinianl!s (heretic), 245, 246, 810 KABBALAH, THE (Scholem), 537, 703, 751,
Jovius (writer), xxxv 752-3,762
Jowett, Benjamin (translator), 691 KABBALAH UNVEILED (MacGregor Mathers),
Juan etin de Gaona , xvi 20,472,478-9,507, 554,761
Juba 11 (writerlking of Mauretania), 60, 112, 113, Kabeiria (Demeter), 493
181 , 491 , 493 Kalliphaeia (nymph), 20
Jubilee (festival), 300,468 Kambyses (or Cambyses, second king of Persia), 33
Karanis (city in Egypt), 463
Judah (place), 684
Kedemel (spirit of Venus), 320, 748
Judas ISCQl'iot (biblical), 521, 554, 575, 636
Keightley, Thomas (writer), 429
Judas Maccabaeus (biblical), 564, 565, 666, 811
Kekrops , 136
Jude (prophet), 683, 686, 696
Kelley (or Kelly), Edward (English seer), 28, 45
Judea (place), 6, 97 , 649, 842-3
Kenaz (brother of Caleb), 621 , 622
Judge of Souls, 585, 586, 595, 599, 604
Kennes (red pigment), 487, 488
JUDGEMENTS (Alkindi), 789
Kerubim-see Cherubim
Judges, infernal, 250-1, 253 Kestrel (hawk), 89, 90
Jugglers/ing, 49, 124,377, 705 Kether (first Sephirah), 288, 468, 753-7
Jugglers (order of devils)-see Deluders Keturah (concubine of Abraham) , 492
Julian the Apostate (Roman emperor), 104,200,684, Key(s), 656, 660-1, 681
809,811 KEY TO SUPREME WISDOM (Artephius), 792
Julius 11 (pope), xix-xx, 817 Khamael (angel), 274, 285, 288,468, 473, 759
JULIUS CAESAR (Shakespeare), 729 Kid, 89
Juniper, 654 Kidneys (human), 381
Juno (Hera), 83, 214, 245, 246, 297, 313, 315, 423, Killer whale, 90
423-4 , 424, 429,461,467, 491,491,492,494, Kings, Roman, 272, 280
524,558,624,626,656 King's Evil (scrofula), 239, 577
Jupiter (god), 17, 65, 68,78,86, 87,136, 161,168, King's Star (Regulus), 362, 363
176, 181, 189, 190,214-5,219,255, 284, 296, Kiramides-see Kiranides
303, 315, 423-4,427, 428,458, 460-1,467,467, Kiranides (book/writer-see also Kiranus) , 48, 146,
491, 494, 52 1-2, 527, 576, 589, 619, 638, 151,153,690,812
659-61,669-70 Kiranus (writer), 797, 812
Jupiter (planet), 26, 52, 72-3 , 86, 87, 96-9, 103, Kircher, Athanasius (writer), 226, 556, 754, 757
132-3, 143, 146, 154-5, 170, 210, 253, 263, Kiss(es),72, 134, 135
265-6,274,283-5,288,292,293,312, 315,318, KITAB-AL-FIHRISH (Jaber Ben Hayyam), 803
320, 322, 328, 339-40, 341-2, 355, 356, 360, Kite (bird), 55, 59, 89
362-3, 363,367,375,383,390,403-4, 404,407, Kneph (god), 671
409, 423, 424, 426, 429, 468, 495, 499-500, Knife, 151, 153, 697
532-3,535,553, 554,587,590,619, 656, 731, Knight, Gareth (writer), 473
747,758 Knights Templars, 114, 114-5,236
Jupiter, seal of, 743 Knot(s), magical, 121, 121 , 150, 152,221,221 , 249
Jupiter, square of, 318, 320, 322, 737, 741 Knotgrass (herb), 98,100
 908/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-GENERAL INDEX

Know Thyself, 580 Laurel (tree), 56, 89, 132, 133,174,296,387, 387,
Knuckle-bones, 416 619,639,650,656,674,676
Kobold (type of spirit), 429 Laurentalia (festival), 656, 659
Kokab (Mercury), 274, 289, 554, 760 Laur<entum (town in Latium), 171,843
KONEN (MIDRASH), 534 Lavender, French, 87
Korah (Israelite), 287, 290 Laverna (goddess), 502
KORAN, 78, 185,789 Lavernae (nymphs of Laverna) , 500, 502
Kore (goddess), 493 Law, Mosaic, 14,91,189,246,262,265,272,.281,
Kosmos (see also World), 583, 654,715-6 290, 300, 444, 448, 484, 487, 530, 623, 666,
Kronos (Saturn), 425, 428, 463, 503, 836 700-1
Kuzu (holy name), 475, 480 LAWS (Plato), 45, 416, 470, 490, 492, 494,503,
Kyriel (angel of the 20th lunar mansion), 533 654,668, 671,692,715,801
LAWS OF PLUTO, BOOK OF THE, 108
Laban (biblical), 204 LAY OF THE LAST MINSTREL (Sir Walter Scott),
Labarum (standard of Constantine), 564, 565 827
Labyrinth, 680, 799 Lazzarelli, Ludovico (writer), 582, 584, 812
Lacedaemon (city of Sparta), 843 Lazarillus-see Lazzarelli, LudoviC:o
Lacedaemonians (Spartans), 162, 176, 177,255,491, Lazarus (biblical), 506, 529
495,634 Lazul (lapis lazuli), 91, 91
Lachesis (a Fate), 253,337,680 Lead, 23, 83, 178,258 ,274,318-9,392
Laconia (place), 492, 494, 624, 843 Lead, black, 392
Lactantius (writer), 48, 336, 337, 428, 451 , 452,573, Leah (wife of Jacob), 271
574-5,595,599, 604,812 Lear, King, 721
Ladanum-see Laudanum Lebadia (city in Boeotia), 166,625
Lady's seal (herb), 294 Lebanon, Mount, 113,620, 700
Lais (writer), 126 Lecanomancy, 178
Lake of Fire, 26 Lectisternium, 78
L'ALCHIMlE ET LES ALCHIMISTS (Figuier), 45 Leeks (herb), 89
Lamb(s), 59, 64, 70, 86, 269-71, 277, 289, 444,446, Left side, 487, 534, 591, 669, 671, 759-60
634,669-70 Legerdemain, 705
Lamb's tongue (arnoglossus), 74 Legge , James (writer), 733
Lamech (biblical), 270, 277, 300 Legions of hell, 511
Lamia , Lucius (Roman praetor), 181,183 LEIDEN PAPYRUS-see LEYDEN PAPYRUS
Lammergeyer (bearded vulture), 172 Lelius (ambassador of Pompey), 161
Lamp(s), magical, 135, 145-6, 147,272,395,666 LEMEGETON-see LESSER KEY OF SOLOMON
Lamp, perpetual, 29, 30 Lemniscate (eternity symbol), 281, 282
Lamprey(s), 59, 62, 83, 121 Lemnos (island), 491,49 J , 492, 494, 843
Lampteria (festival), 655 Lemuralia (festival), 503
Language(s), sacred, 211, 212, 223, 532 Lemures (ghosts), 503
Lapis lazuli (stone), 59, 91, 91, 132,387 Lentil (a pulse)., 68
Lapland (place), 629 Lent-lily (herb), 101
Lapwing (bird), 53 , 58, 65, 69, 70, 83, 130, 134, 146, Leo (zodiac sign), 26, 72-3, 73, 97-8,100,132,258,
147,274, 649 294,296,313,375,377,386,403,409, 423,423,
Larch (tree), 131 533,536,553, 554
Lares (good ghosts), 429, 503, 659 Leo X (pope), xx
Lark (bird), 94, 94 Leonard, John Uudge at Metz), xxiv-v
Larvae (evil ghosts), 429, 503 Leonardo da Vinci (artist), 814
Latace (herb), 38 Leonardo of Pisa (mathematician), 814
Latialia (festival), 655 , 659 Leoniel (spirit of Leo), 553
Latians, 491 Leopard(s), 53, 57, 89, 90, 288
Latin(s), 255, 491 , 562, 670 Leprosy, xvi, 91, 130, 204, 270--1 , 284, 448, 683 ,
Latinus , King, 634, 635 701,703
Latium (place), 491 , 494, 659, 843 Lepus (constellation), 379,380
Latona (goddess), 76, 524 Lema (lake in Argolis), 379
Latopea (Lotapes-that is, 10tape, or Yahwah), 700, Lesbos (island), 333, 491
702 Lesser Bear, Tail of the (Polaris), 99, 100
Lattimore, Richmond (writer), 27 LESSER KEY OF SOLOMON (grimoire), 514, 698,
Laudanum, gum, 91, 92,132,133 788
 Know Thyself-Logos / 909

Leto (Latona), 525 Lightning(s), 5, 8, 9, 19, 24-5,76, 86, 119, 123, 126,
LEITER TO ALEXANDER (Theopompos), 831 129, 135,150,152,157,158,175,176,199, 212,
LEITER TO ANEBO (Porphyry), 569, 625-6 219,379,412 , 426-7,428,470,509,532,598,
Letters, 223-5, 237, 243, 312-3, 313, 549-50, 558, 604,650,652,670, 701
562, 700 Lights, magical, 145-{), 605
Letters, Arabic, 550, 562, 697 Lignum aloes, 73, 74, 76, 129-30, 132-3, 392
Letters, Chaldean, 550 Lignum balsaim, 132, 133
Letters, divine, 103-4, 223-4, 330, 558, 560 Lignum cassia (bark), 132, 133
Letters, Egyptian, 443, 446, 550 Lilith (female demon), 363, 556, 760-1
Letters, Greek, 224-5, 308, 437, 550, 702 Lilly, William (astrologer), 144
Letters, Hebrew, 11,223-4, 224, 225, 226-7, 264, Limetree, 673
299, 301, 310-1, 472, 474, 476-7, 547, 548, Lincestus (river of Lyncus, a town in Epirus), 17
549-50, 560, 562, 565, 635, 700-1, 747, 754, Lindus (city in Rhodes), 537
762-72 Linen, 403 , 641, 642, 648
Letters, Latin, 224-5, 227, 550, 564, 701 Linnet (bird), 59, 94
Letters, Phoenician, 709 Linseed (herb), 129,130
LEITERS, THE (Pliny the Younger), 570,823 Linus (mythic musician), 453, 454, 813
Leucadia (island), 843 Lion(s), 23, 46, 47, 53, 56, 58-9, 62-3, 64, 64, 70,
Leucadians, 491 76,98,107, 130, 139, 160, 162, 167, 181 , 183,
Leucate (promontory), 55 210,253,271,274,287,289,292,297,365,375,
Leucothea (Ino), 626 383, 385, 392, 395, 453 , 457, 510, 571, 572,
Leuctra (place), 144,176,177 592-3, 596, 669,683-4,701,820
Levanael (spirit of the Moon), 553
Lion, Heart of the (Regulus), 98-9, 100, 362, 363,
395,396,410,411
Levanah(Moon),274,289,554,760
Lipara (largest of the Aeolian, or Lipari, islands), 598
Levi, Eliphas (magician), 117,790
Lipari Islands (Aeolian Islands), 131
Levi , Peter (writer), 626
Liparis (stone), 129,131
Levi, Rabbi (writer), 634
LITHICA (pseudo-Orpheus), 799, 819
Leviathan (devil), 247, 554, 557
LIITLE FLOWERS OF S. FRANCIS OF ASSISt,
Leviel (Raphael), 534
203
Levitation, 707 Lituus (augur's staff), 157, 159
LEYDEN PAPYRUS (ed. Griffith and Thompson), Liver(s) (animal), 58, 65, 129, 130, 171 , 173-4,512
697,819 Liver (human), 72-3, 87,199,269,287, 729-30
Lihanius (rhetorician), 831 Liverwort (herb), 100
Libanotis (herb), 76, 78-9 LIVES, THE (Plutarch), 54, 166, 173-4, 200,313,
Libard-see Leopard(s) 332,335,520,578,816
LIBER FORNACUM (Geber), 803 LIVES OF THE PHILOSOPHERS (Diogenes Laer-
LIBER IGNIUS (BOOK OF FIRES), 30 tius), 726, 797
LIBER LAPIDUM (Marbod), 799 Livia (wife of Augustus), 162, 166,813
Liberalia (festival), 656, 659 Livius Andronicus (poet and dramatist), 273, 280,
Libra (zodiac sign), 26, 73, 97-8, 132,258,295,297, 813
313,375, 378,403-4,409,423,423,533,536, LIVRE DE ESPRITS (grimoire), 536
553,554 Livy (Roman historian), 164, 176, 177,214,214,313,
Library at Alexandria, 790, 796, 815 424, 425,493,706,813,819
Lihriel (spirit of Libra), 553 Livy the poet-see Livius Andronicus
LIBRO SENATORUM (Henina), 450 Lizard(s), 58, 65 , 150,152,382
Libya; 97, 106, 107,491 , 493 Lizard, green, 50, 51, 150, 152
Lice, 700 Lo (river in China), 733
Lice, disease of-see Morbus pediculosus Lo Shu (order three magic square), 733-5, 740
Licinius, Puhlius (Roman consul), 203 Loadstone, 38, 40, 44, 50, 50-1, 52, 58, 76, 83, 89,
Licniton Bacchus (Orphic deity), 423, 424 99,132,210,234,235-6,367,381,580,672,694
Licorice, 86 Lobster, 59,674
Ligation (see also Binding, spell), 430-1,432 Locrensians, 161, 843
Light(s), 144-5, 431,432,453,458,460, 463, 473, Locris (place), 843
485-6,488,494,499,514,522,523,535,571, Loerus (philosopher), 331
581,583-4,585,588-9,594, 609-10,619,623, Locust(s), 163,451,700,703
625, 629-30, 630, 639, 643, 652, 656, 661, Loew, Rabbi (magician), 405
669-70,696,705,753-4 Logos (see Word, the), 583
910/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-GENERAL INDEX

Lombard, Peter (writer), 497, 501,504,813-4,827 Lycander, statue of, 144

Lombard, Robert, 698 Lycaon (king of Arcadia), 136
Longfellow (poet), 56 Lyceus, spring on Mount, 17, 20
Longinus, Cassius (grammarian), 824 Lycia (place), 97, 491 , 843
Longinus, Gaius Crassius (Roman consul), 203 Lycians, 178
Looking-glass stone (marcasite), 78, 81 Lycophron (writer), 655, 815
Lord of Figure (astrological), 548 Lycw'gus (philosopher), 7, 822
Lord of the ascendent (astrological), 359, 360, 526 Lycus (Te1chine), 266, 533
Lord of the triplicity (astrological), 250--1 Lycus (tyrant of Thebes in Boeotia), 642, 788
Lote-tree, 76, 78, 102 Lydia (place), 97, 140,141,333, 459,476, 483
Lots, 97, 97, 136,313, 397, 412, 414, 415-6, 416, Lyeus (Licniton) , Bacchus (Orphic deity), 423, 424
490,636-7,637 Lygdamis (tyrant of Halicarnassus), 806
Lotus tree-see Lote-tree Lyguria (place), 171 , 843
Lough Derg (lake in Ireland), 603 Lykaian Zeus, 17,20
Louis XII (king of France), xx-i Lyncurius (stone), 38, 42
Louis XIV (king of France), 577 Lynx, 79,121 , 122,193
Louise of Sa voy (Queen Mother of France), Lynx urine, 40, 42
xxvii-xxx Lypparis (stone), 38, 42
Love, 72, 121 , 125, 132, 134, 144, 148,149,150--1 , Lyra (constellation), 101
152, 199, 200, 202, 203, 208, 210, 218, 245, Lyre, 335, 337
318-9,368-70,379,387,387,392-3,395,400, ' Lysias (Syrian general), 811
403, 409, 427, 428, 430, 453, 455, 460--1, 562, Lysiaus-see Lysis
579-81 , 587, 590,604,627, 630,652,661,705 Lysis (Pythagorean), 700, 702-3
Lysius, Bacchus (Orphic deity), 423 , 424
Love apple (see Mandrake[s]), 85
Love potion(s), Philters, 119, 124, 127, 219, 693,
MA' AREKHET HA-ELOHUT (Kabbalistic work),
705,814
Luca, Rah Costa Ben (w riter), 477
752
MA ' AYAN HOKHMA (MIDRASH), 534
Lucalia (festival), 655
MACBETH (Shakespeare), 253
Lucan (writer), liii , Iv, 30, 33, 41,107, 121 , 122,127,
Mace (spice), 86, 87,132
130, 171 , 173-4, 178, 179, 191,218,4 12, 413,
Macedonia (place), 97, 491, 493, 502, 843
417,418,427,428,495,567,568,605,607,669,
Macedonians, 491
697, 8 14 MacGregor Mathers (magician), 20, 328, 408, 472,
Lucania (place), 175,177,702,843 478-9,507,514, 528,536,554,761-2,822
Lucas Paciolus (mathematician), 304, 305, 814 Macharius , Saint, 706
Lucian (writer), 493, 514, 575 Machernus (town of Judea), 649
Lucifer (devil), 242, 511 Macom (holy name), 474, 479
Lucifer (the Sun), 426, 428 Macrohius (writer), 79, 214, 214, 443, 460--1 , 495,
Lucifer (Venus as the Morning Star), 91, 92, 428 815,828
Lucifera (Venus), 427 Macrocosm (Greater World), 345, 709
Lucifuge (devil), 758 Macroprosopus (Greater Countenance), 479
Lucina (Moon), 427, 429,511 Maden (Midian, king of Israel), 271 , 278
Lucretius (writer), 40, 148, 149, 188, 279,594, 601, Madim (Mars), 274, 288, 554, 759
638, 639,814 Madimiel (spirit of Mars), 553
Lucrinus Lacus (lake in Italy), 673, 675, 843 Madness, 61, 188-9,190,202,333-4,379,590, 597,
Luke of St, Sepulchers-see Lucas Paciolus 603, 626,644, 731,814
Lullie , Raimundus-see Lully, Raymond Madness, inspired, 255, 261
Lully , Raymond (writer), xxvii, xlix, 691,814-5 Maenades (Bacchantes), 502
Lunael (spirit of the Moon), 553 Maeotis Palus (Sea of Azov), 843
Lunaiah (spirit of the Moon), 553 Magalesius (devil), 266
Lunarium (Moon book), 697 Maggots, 63, 65
Lunatic, 60-1 , 386 Magi-see Magician(s)
Lupercal (cave in Rome), 658 MAGIA ADAMICA (Thomas Vaughan), 834
Lupercalia (festival), 655 , 658 MAGIA NATURALIS (Della Porte), 332
Lusignan (fountain in Poitou), 520 Magic, xvi-ii, xviii-xix, xli-ii, Ii, liii-iv , 3, 6, 8, 110,
Lute, 70, III 122, 130,206,208,2 13, 221,233, 240,401,436,
Luther, Martin (Protestent reformer), xxiii-iv, 441,448-9, 480,494,549, 559,582,6 14,677,
xxvi-vii, 687, 806 689,689,691,696,699-701 , 702,705-6, 713,
LVZ (certai n little bone), 65 762,789,818,821,836
 Lombard. Peter- Mars / 911

Magic. ceremonial. 3. 435. 444. 450. 689. 695 MALLEUS MALIFICARUM (Kramer and
Magic. Chinese. 733 Sprenger). xxiv-xxv, 115, 118, 205
Magic. Egyptian. 140.219.220 Mallians (people of India). 200
Magic. mathematical. 331. 692 Mallois (Malea). 491. 844
Magic. natural. 3. 10. 216. 241 . 331 . 427. 470, Mammon (devil). 506. 510. 511, 514
689-91 . 693-4.700.818,833 Manasseh (biblical). 670. 671
Magic cubes. 742-3 Mandrake(s). 53. 57, 83. 84-5, 98.108.132. 650
MAGICAL ELEMENTS (Petrus de Apono). 821 Manes (spirits of the dead). 219, 595
MAGICAL JEWELS OF THE MIDDLE AGES Manetho (historian). 818
AND RENAISSANCE (Evans), 42, 411, 799 Maniacal men. 134
MAGICAL WRITINGS OF THOMAS VAUGHAN Manitius. Marcus (writer). 417. 418,423
(ed. A. E. Waite), 834 Manna (food). 265. 701
Magician(s). Ii. liii. 25,40,42,60,68,77-8, 80. 81, Manna (resin). 86. 87
108, 110. 112, 113, 126, 128, 132. 145, 147, Manna ash (tree). 87
151-2,173,181.213.216-7.221 , 233,250.255. Mannoah (biblical). 621
303,310,318.371 , 400,423.430.435, 441.448, Mansions of the Moon. 299. 359. 368-70. 370,
451 , 457, 459,467, 476-8, 480,499, 522, 532, 392-3. 533
537,547. 554, 573. 590. 605 . 614. 620, 643-4, Mantiana (Lake Van in Turkey). 97. 844
652, 653,656-7. 663. 670. 673-4, 679. 683-5. Manto (daughter of Tiresias), 493
690, 691, 692-4, 696, 698,699,702,705.750, MANUAL OF HARMONY (Nicomachus). 819
798-9,815,818-9,827,833 Maracus the Syracusan (poet). 188. 190
MAGICK IN THEORY AND PRACTICE (Crow- Marble. red. 94
ley). 482 Marbodus (writer). 61, 799, 803
MAGICK OF KIRANI KING OF PERSIA. AND Marcasite. gold (stone). 83. 83
OF HARPOCRATION (English translation of the Marcasite. silver (stone). 80. 81, 94. 386
KIRANIDES), 812 Marcella (Roman matron). 474. 478
Magnesia (place). 843 Marcellinus (writer). 443
Magnesians, 492 Marcellus, Gaius (Roman consul). 175. 177
Magnitude (astronomical), 362 Marcellus. M. Claudius (Roman conSUl). 167, 171.
Magoa (evil spirit). 536 173,815
MAGUS THE (Barrett). xiii, xl, xlii, 291, 329, 483, Marcion (heretic). 707
508,514-5,563,736,746-7,768,776 Marcionists (heretical sect). 706. 707
Maguseans. 689 Marcus the Valentinian. 519. 520,815-6
Mahazael (devil of Earth), 259 Mare(s), 53. 55,123-4,125,127,253,706
Maia (daughter of Atlas), 660 Mareotis. Lake. 333. 334, 844
Maia (goddess), 656, 660 Margaret of Austria. xviii-xix, xxi, xxx-xxxii,
Maidenhair (herb), 91 . 92,100 ~xix, xlix. 229. 816
Maier. Michael (writer). 207 Margaret of Navarre. xxvii
Maimonides, Moses (writer). 184, 478. 478, 482, Margari (pearl oyster). 76. 79
554.618. 700.815,818 Marinus (biographer of Proclus), 825
Majesta (the goddess Maia). 660 Maris (god). 467
Malabar leaf (leaf Indum). 133 Marius, Gaius (Roman statesman). 87-8, 162. 166,
Malachi (prophet). 408 171.174,816,830
Malachim (angelic order). 289. 468. 473, 506. 507, Marjoram (herb). 61, 73. 74, 76. 94. 99
759 Marjoram. wild. 55
Malachim alphabet. 406. 408, 560. 562-3 Mark Anthony. 522. 523
MALAy MAGIC (Skeat). 734 Markab (star). 364
Malbiel (angel). 621 Marks of stars. 73. 74, 102
Malcha Betharsithim Hed Beruah Schehakim (intel- Marlowe. Christopher (playwright). 833
ligence of the intelligences of the Moon). 320. Marmarica (place). 97. 844
749-50 Marmorites (herb). 112.113
Malchidiel (angel of Aries). 294. 533. 536 Marriage. wedlock. 262. 264,265. 315. 658,683. 685
Malchuth-see Malkuth Mars (god). 236, 297. 313. 316. 423. 423. 491 .
Malea (promontory in Laconia). 843 493-5,52~ 555,577.658,660
Maleoton-see Maleventum Mars (planet). 26. 52. 72-3. 74, 80. 89. 96-9. 101,
Maleventum (town in Samnium). 673. 675, 843-4 103. 132-3.143.146.148. 154-5.170. 210.245.
Malkuth (tenth Sephirah). 289. 469. 473, 754-5, 757, 258.263.265-6. 274.283-5.288.312.315.317,
760-1 318-20.323.328,339-40. 340,341-2,355.357.
912/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-GENERAL INDEX

359, 359-61, 362-3, 363, 366, 367, 375, 381, Mead, G. R. S (writer), 424, 428, 462, 470, 603
385, 385,390, 402,404,407,409, 423,424,426, Mean(s) (numerical), 723-4, 726
428-9,448,468,470,532-3,535,549,553,554, Measure, dead man's, 151
587,590, 619, 656,731,748,759 Mechthild ofMagdebrurg, 663, 817
Mars, seal of, 743-4 Mechtindis-see Mechthild
Mars, square of, 318-20, 323, 735 Mecubals (mecubalists), 110, 111,223-4, 468,474,
Marseilles, 185 488,532,538 , 752
Marsh harrier (hawk), 63 Medea (sorceress), !iv, 47, 48, 68, 202, 203, 220,
Marsh parsley (herb), 61 249, 250,476,696
Marsi, 182, 184-5, 693 Media (place), 97, 844
Martha (biblical), 528 Medon (apostle Matth ew), 574
Martial (writer), 823, 838 Medusa (a Gorgon), 504
Maritalis (greater flamen), 660 Megalezius (Telchine), 266, 533
Martianus Minneus Felix Capella (writer), 241,279, Megaris (place), 333, 844
303,304,816 Megera (a Fury), 251, 253, 501, 504
Martiel (spirit of Mars), 553 Melampus (seer), 162, 492,817
MARVELS OF THE WORLD (pseudo-Albertus), Melampus of Alexandria (writer), 104, 170, 817
30,41,47-8,51,55,61-2,64,66,70-1,90,105, Melancholy (black choler), 23,58,83, 146, 147,1 88,
130, 135, 147 190,198,207,254,259,3 19,351 , 375, 590, 596,
Mary (sister of Aaron), 271 729-32,738
Mary (sister of Lazarus) , 529 Melancholy (white choler), 188-9, 731-2
Mary, Virgin , xxiii, 272 Melancholy men (hypochondriacs), 134-5,609,632,
Mary Magdalen , 453 , 454, 528 731-2
Marygold (herb), 76, 98, 102 Melancomas (usurper of Ephesus), 805
Masloth (Zodiac), 288, 758 Melchim (Malcham , god of the Ammonites), 553,
Masniel (spirit of Libra), 553 555
Master, occult, 679, 680, 683 Melchisedech (biblical), 287
Mastic, 76, 78, 86, 98-9, 132-3, 392-3,654 MELENCHOLIA I (engraving by DUrer), 737-9
Masudi (historian), 459 Melosagora Eleusinus , 638
Matafliah (apostle Maflhias), 574 Melpomen e (Muse), 284, 284, 339, 340 , 341, 423,
Mater Matuta (goddess), 660 424
Maternus, Firmicus (astrologer), 447, 525, 525, 673 , Melusina (water nymph), 519, 520
675,698,816 Memmius (Gemellus, Caius Memmius) . 638, 639
Mathematical philosophy, 5--6, 234, 689 Memnon , statue of, 33, 235
Mathematics/ians, 6, 18,233-4, 255,679 MEMORABILIA OF SOCRATES (Xenophone),
MATHEMATICS USEFUL FOR UNDERSTAND- 529,828
ING PLATO (Theon of Smyrna), 246, 252, 255, Memory, 186, 194, 245 , 595, 700
260,264,267,273,276,281-2,290-1,317,-337, Memphis (city in Egypt), 6, 7, 76, 79, 491, 566, 568,
342,361 844
MATHESEOS (Maternus), 447, 525, 675, 698, 816 Memphites, 491, 844
Matrix (womb), 46, 287, 582 Mene (Selene ), 429
Matry-Silva (herb), 98, 100 Menippus Lycius (philosopher), 567
Maflh ew (apostle), 299, 574 Menkib (star), 363, 364
Maflhias (apostle), 97, 574, 575, 636 MENO, THE (Plato), 234
Mauritania (place), 97 Menstrual blood, 29, 41, 46, 72, 80,81,122, 123-4,
Ma vors (Mars), 426, 428 125-7,132,287,3 19,393, 427, 650
Maxentius (Roman general), 565 Menstruous woman, 108, 123, 125-6,271 , 448, 582,
Maximian (Roman emperor), 810 649, 472
Maximilian I (German emperor), xv-xx, xxix, 533, Meonides (Maenades?), 500, 502
686,816-7,822,833 Meotis (Maeotis Palus), 573,844
Maximilian Sforza (Duke of Milan), xx-xxi Mercara (Merkabah), 700, 703
Maxim us , Valerius (writer), 202 MERCHANT OF VENICE (Shakespeare), 627
Maya (illusion), 645 MERCHANT'S TALE (Chaucer), 627
Maymon (evil spirit), 536 Mercuriel (spirit of Mercury), 553
Ma z Paz (holy name), 475, 480 Mercurius-see Hermes Trismegistus
Maznim (Libra), 554 Mercury (god), 107, 175, 176, 178, 233-4, 235, 262,
Maznimiel (spirit of Libra), 554 264,296,339, 393, 394,423, 423 , 467, 491 , 495,
Mead, 121 524 , 576-7,637,692,816
 Mars-Moerae / 913

Mercury (planet), 26, 52, 72-3, 94, 96-9, 103, MIDRASH YEHI OR (ZOHAR), 537
132-3, 143-4,146,154-5,210,258, 263,265-6, MIDSUMMER-NIGHT'S DREAM (Shakespeare),
274,283-5, 289, 312, 315,319-20,326,339-40, 731
340, 355,357,360,362-3,367,375, 381, 388, Mildew (god), 658
403,404,406,409,423, 424,427,429,448,469, Milesians, 491
532-3,535,553,554,587,590, 618,749,760 Milesius (city in Asia Minor), 844
Mercury (herb), 94, 94 Mi~, 105,105,183, 220,605 , 607,650
Mercury (metal)-see Quicksilver Mi~, rain of, 175,177
Mercury, seal of, 745 Milo, Titus Annius (Roman revolutionary), 175,177,
Mercury, square of, 319-20, 326, 738 702,817
Meririm (devil), 509, 514 Milton, John (poet), 27,45,515,555
Merkabah (branch of the Kabbalah), 700, 703 MILTON AND THE ANGELS (West), 555
Merlin (magician), 520, 573, 575, 663, 664 Milvian Bridge (Roman bridge), 658
Merlin (hawk), 59, 63 Mimon (Telchine), 266, 533
Meroe (witch),liv Mind, 223, 224, 259, 581-2, 583-4, 588, 609-11 ,
Meroe (place), 73,491 , 844 613,614,618-9, 621,623,627,629,630,633-5,
Merra (mythological), 135, 136 636, 638-9, 641-4, 647, 649, 652-3, 656, 669,
MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR (Shakespeare), 672,677, 693, 699, 789
250,731 Minea (Minos), 284
Meson (astrologer), 673 Minerva (Athene), 164, 315, 423-4, 460-1 , 463,
Mesopotamia (place), 97, 490 491-2,656,660,674,676
Messiah(s), 289, 469, 473, 475, 534, 573, 575, 582 Ministerial order (angels), 506
Messina, Straits of, 676 Ministers-see Angels, good
Metagonitis (place), 97, 844 Minois-see Minos
Metagonium-see Metagonitis Minos (king of Crete), 184,251,253,284,286,635,
METAMORPHOSES (Lucius of Petrae), 790 638,639,679,799
METAMORPHOSES (Ovid), 2~1, 33, ~9, 56, 68, Minotaur(s), 87, 680, 799
84, 92, 122, 135-6, 153, 164-5, 184, 190, 202, Mint(s) (herb), 76, 86, 98-9, 100, 129
220,250,284,502,603,668, 671,698,799,832 Mintumae (town in Latium), 844
METAPHYSICA (Aristotle), 238, 416, 835 MINYAD (epic poem), 603
Metatron (angel), 285, 288, 468-9, 470, 473, 475, Mirabolus (fruits), 86,87
536-7,621 , 622,756,760,762 Mirach (star), 362, 363
Mete (wisdom/god), 236 Miracle(s), 6, 39, 184, 189, 205, 216, 233-4, 299,
METEORA (Albertus Magnus), 41 448,451,453,477,478,482,485,505,509, 566,
Meteorite(s), 24,658,673,675 571, 573-4, 582, 599-600, 606, 627, 638, 644,
Meteors, 158 652,663 , 665,670, 674, 677,679,684,690,692,
METEORS-see DE METEORIS 700-2, 705-6
Methana (town in Troezenia), 844 Mirael (angel), 538
Methanenses, 151 , 844 Mirandola, Pico della (writer), xli, 470
Metheon (astrologer), 673 Miriam (sister of Moses), 703
Methodius (writer), 182,663,664,817 Mirror, magic, 135, 235, 373, 428, 624, 626, 697
Metoposcopy (forehead reading), 155,155-6 Mirrors-see Glass(es), looking
Metreas, beast of, 32 Miscarriage, 125
Metrodorus of Scepsos (writer), 126 Misenus (comrade of Aeneas), 642
Metz (town in Germany), xxii-xxvi, xlix MISOPOGON (Julian the Apostate), 200,811
Meursius (writer), 264, 317 Mistletoe (herb), 90
Mice, 58, 61, 80, 83, 129, 163, 163,185,369,564, Mithra (god), 250, 252, 383
565, 572 Mithradates the Great (king of Pontus), 38, 178,235,
Michael (angel), 257, 274, 285, 289,469,485,505, 799,817
532-3,534-6,561-2,621 , 655, 657,696,760 Mitris-see Mithra
Microcosm (Lesser World), 102,245,246,344,345, Mixtion(s), 106,107, 108
579,588,709 Mnaseas of Patrae (grammarian), 836
Microprosopus (Lesser Countenance), 20,479,759 Mnesarchus (Stoic philosopher), 799
Midael (angel), 538 Mnevis (bull), 79
Midas (king of Phrygia), 175, 176,596,602,679 Moab (place), 553, 556
Middle nature, 10, 110 Moabites, 555
Midheaven (astrological), 358, 3~1, 390, 402 Modes, musical, 339, 341-2
Midheaven, lower (astrological), 358,361 Moerae (Fates), 608
914/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-GENERAL INDEX

Moeris (sorcerer in Virgil's ECLOGUES), 65, 121 , Mullein (herb), 98, 100, 130
219,693 Mullet(s), (fish), 59, 94, 274
Moeris, Lake (in Egypt), 235, 463 Mummies (Egyptian), 354
Mohammed (prophet), 78 Munychia (festival), 655 , 658
Mohammedans, 255, 582, 595, 820 Munychia (fortified hill on Piraeus), 658
Moises, Rabbi (Maimonides), 182,184 Murat (king of Naples), 810
Mole(s), 23, 69, 70, 83,171,173,274, 618 Muriel (angel of Cancer), 294, 533, 536
Moloch (devil), 756 Murray, Margaret (writer), 396
Momus (mythological), xlix Muscianus , Licinius (writer), 203
Monferrat, Marquis of, xxi Muses (mythical), Ii, 191, 255, 261, 284, 284, 316,
Monks, 163, 185,191 334,339,423,424,500, 502,522, 618, 638, 639,
Monkshood (herb), 57 846
Montanians, 706, 708 Museus (Musaeus, a prophetic poet), 423 , 424, 443,
Montanism (heretical sect), 708,809 644, 645,818
Montanus (heretic), 708 Music, 135,233, 255 , 255,333-4,334-5,336,340,
Moon, 5~, 16, 18,26,39,52,61,72-3,80-1 , 81-2, 355, 457,481,593, 819
96--9, 103, 123, 125-6, 130, 132-3, 140, 144-6, Music of the spheres, 336, 337, 339-40, 341-2
154-5, 165, 179, 186,186-7,210,218,218-9, Musical instruments, 287
219-20, 236, 247, 253, 258, -265-6, 269, 274, Musk, 73, 74, 76, 91, 130, 132, 205 , 392
276, 281 , 281, 283-5, 289, 292, 299, 301, 312, Musk deer, 74
315~ , 317, 319-20, 327, 339-40, 341-2, 355, Mustardseed, 89, 105
357, 359, 360-1,362-3,363,365-6,366-7,368, Mycena-see Mycenae
370, 375, 381 , 386, 389-90, 402-4, 404, 406, Mycenae (town in Argolas), 491 - 2, 494, 820, 844
409, 417, 423,424,427,429,457,461,469,473, Myer, 1saac (writer), 447, 479, 482, 507, 511
490-1,495,497,524-5,525,532-3,535,553, Mylonas, George E_(writer), 446 -
554,558,569,577,587, 589-90,610,618,619, Myrrh (gum-resin), 73, 132, 133, 564,565, 649, 654
658,673,697,705,711,715,717,731,749,760 Myrrh, red, 392
Moon, sealo~ 745, 747 Myrtle (tree), 53, 91 , 92, 132, 133,296
Moon, square of, 319-20, 327, 735 Myrus-see Moray eel
Moonstone (Selenites), 81, 618 Mysteries, Eleusinian, 443 , 445-6, 504, 645, 653,
Moor buzzard (hawk), 63 818,841
Moors, 491 Mysteries, sacred, xlvii , lxi , 6, 115,216, 217,220,
Mopsus (hero/god), 491, 493 224, 237, 239, 245, 254-5, 260, 270, 272, 284,
Moray eel, 69, 70-1 292, 299-300,318 , 330,356, 435 , 443-4, 445-7,
Morbus pediculosus (disease of lice), 444, 821, 829 449,465,472,475,487-8, 493,558,565-6,568,
Morley , Henry (writer), xviii-xx, xxiv, xxvii, xxxii, 571 , 573, 619, 621,623-4, 636, 639,666,668,
xxxiv-v, xxxix-xl 672,677,679,700-2,753,790,816,825
Morra (game), 416 MYSTICAL PHILOSOPHY (pseudo-Aristotle),
Moschopulus , Manuel (writer), 734 430, 432
Moses (prophet), 16, 27, 133, 140, 246, 270, 287, MYTHOLOGIARUM LIBRI III AD CATUM
300, 345, 448,468-9,472-3,474,478,487,490, PRESBYTERUM (Fulgentius), 803
492, 505, 528, 534, 560, 576--7, 581, 597, 610, Mytriaca (festival), 656, 660
621 , 622,636,643-6,670, 681 , 683,696, 700-1,
702-3, 705 Na (holy name), 474, 479
Moses the Egyptian-see Maimonides Naamah (female demon), 556
Moss, 99 Naaman (biblical), 271
Mother, the (womb), 182, 184 Naboth (murdered by Ahab) , 595, 597
Motherwort (herb), 99 Nachiel (intelligence of the Sun), 320, 403, 748
Mothers (geomantic), 777-9, 781-3 Nadhegrin (promontory in Norway), 599, 844
Motion(s), planetary, 342-3, 359, 361, 365-6, 371, Nadir (astrological), 547, 548
412,421,499, 501,571,619 Nahema (demon queen), 761
Motion, proper (astrological), 340, 342 Nahemoth (order of devils), 761
Motion, violent (astrological), 340, 342-3 Nahmanides (writer), 537
Mountain osier (herb), 53, 56 Naiades (nymphs of streams), 500, 502, 567
Mouse-ear (herb), 99 Nail(s), 493, 805
Mudra (ritual gestures), 304 Nail, brass, 138
Mugwort (herb), 98-9, 99, 134,295 Nail, iron, 143,144
Mule(s), 46, 83, 89, 94, 129, 143,144, 162,166,658 Nail from a gibbet, 150
 Moeris-Nip / 915

Nails (animal), 69 Neciel (angel of the II th lunar mansion), 533

Nails (human), 150 Necos (pharaoh of Egypt), 235
Name(s), 211, 212, 213, 214, 216, 219, 223-4, 226, Necromancer(s), 606, 679, 683-4, 695-6
239, 240,262,312,312.313, 313,320,345,368, Necromancy, xxxv, 112, 121, 455, 598, 603-4,
400, 401, 403-4, 408, 423, 426-7, 462, 467-9, 605-6,607,664,696
472-3,474,478,480-1,499-501,524, 532-3, Nectanabus (magician), 400, 401, 818
538- 9, 547-8, 548, 549, 550, 553-4, 558, 562, Nectar, 652, 653
567. 568, 571 , 573-4, 577, 591 , 623, 665-6, Necyomancy (type of necromancy), 606
669-70,671,672-4, 696, 700-1,772 Needle, 138, 151
Name(s) of God, 467-9, 470-3, 474-8, 478-9, Nefesohli (immaculate beings), 582
484-5, 486, 487, 506, 507,509, 525, 537, 538, Nemea (games), 656, 660
540, 547,549, 550,553,566,568,571,575,577, Nemea (valley in Argolia), 660
623, 663, 665-6, 668-70, 675, 695, 699-701, Nemesis (goddess), 595, 679, 680
750-1,754,756-60,762,769-71 Nemesius (writer), 786
Names, demonic, 220, 509-11,512-5,517,533,550, NEMITH, BOOK OF, 108
772 Nennius (historian), 279
NAMES OF HERBS, THE (William Turner), 57 Neo (island), 492, 845
Naphtha, 54 Neoplatonists/ism, xli, 583, 645, 788, 803, 809, 815,
Naples, 674 823,830,833
Naptae (woodland nymphs), 567, 569 Nephews (geomantic), 778-9, 781-3
Narcissus (mythical), 84 Neptune (Poseidon) , 68, 135-6, 164, 255 , 260, 297,
Narcissus (herb), 84 316, 379,423,423,467, 492,494,524, 635,656
Nariel (angel), 533 Nereids (sea nymphs), 379, 500, 502
Narnia (town in Italy), 844 Nero (Roman emperor), 127, 166, 272, 280, 314,
Narvensians, 491 , 844 684, 797,800-1,814,827,830
Nasamonia (place), 97, 844 Nerva (Roman emperor), 830, 832
Naso (O vid). 161 Nervi (town in Liguria), 845
Nathaniel (ruler of Fire), 533 Nessus (centaur), 183
Nativity(ies) (astrological), 186, 186, 207, 397, Nestorius (father of Plutarchus) , 825
402-4,404,412, 484,525 , 525-6,527-8,547, Nettle, 89
548,673, 675 Netzach (seventh Sephirah), 289, 469, 473, 534,
NATURAL HISTORY (Pliny the Elder), 9, 15, 19, 754-5,757,759
24-5,31,33,40-3,48,50-1,54-7, 59-61, 63, Neurian, 137
66,68,70-1,77-9,81-2,85-8,90-3,100,113, New England, lxiii
125-8, 130-1, 137, 144, 152-3, 155, 165-8, Nezah-see Netzach
172-4,176-7,179-80,183,185,200,203,212, Niceratus the Syracusan (Maracus the Syracusan),
236,240,243,250,273,293,334,342,354,361, 188, 190
363, 366, 386, 394, 469, 592, 631, 645, 650, Nicholas, Saint, 664
675-6,694,702,795,823,828,835-6 Nicholas IV (pope), 795
Natural philosophy, 5-6, 106, 112, 233-4, 255, Nicholas V (pope), 798
689-90 Nicocreon (tyrant of Salamis), 457, 611, 789, 818
Nature, 10, 17,37,110,254,455,560,475,588,592, Nicocronte-see Nicocreon
610,617,627,638, 672,681,683-4,690, 692-3, Nicodemus (biblical), 16
700, 718 NICOMACHEAN ETHICS (Aristotle), 582, 584,
Naucratians, 491 638,802
Naucratis (city in Egypt)', 512, 844 Nicomachus (Pythagorean), 339, 818
Nauei"t, Charles (writer), 445 Nicon (Telchine), 266, 533
Naustratus (Erasistratus). 199, 200 Night (goddess), 281, 281,467,470,656
Navel, 72, 268, 424, 425 Nightingale, 47, 69, 94
Naxos (island), 281,491,845 Nightmare(s), 519
Nazabarub (same as Norbar ?), 691 , 691 Night-ravens (owls), 161, 165
Nazianzus (city in Cappadocia), 845 Nile (river), 436, 566, 568
Nea (town in the Troad), 676 Nimbroth (Assyrian god Nisroch ?), 554, 556
Nebroth (holy nymph), 554 Nine (number), 284, 284, 285 , 286, 312-3, 316, 317,
Nebuchadnezzar /I (king of Babylon), 271, 663, 319-20,327,330
684-5,693,694,705 , 707 Nineveh (place), 300
Necessity (goddess), 337, 413 Niobe (mythical), 284
Nechepso (astrologer), 675 Nip (herb), 19,53,55,113
916/THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-GENERAL INDEX

Nise-see Nysa Nut tree, un seasonal bearing of, 674

Nisroch (god), 556 Nutmeg(s),87, 132,393
Noah (biblical), 262, 264, 345, 468, 472, 621, 663 Nyctiluca (festival), 655
Nobilior, Fulvius (patron of Ennius), 801 Nymph(s), 17,34, 179,500,502-4,519,520,567,
NOCTES ATTICAE (Gellius), xv, 804 638
Noctifer (Venus), 429 Nymphs, seven holy, 553-4
Noctumus (Venus), 429 Nymphs, the (place), 624
Nodes, lunar, 276, 390 NYMPHS, SYLPHS, PIGMIES AND SALAMAN-
Nogah (Venus), 274, 289, 554,759 DERS, BOOK OF (Paracelsus), 25
Nogahel (spirit of Venus), 553 Nymphs' Islands (Dancing Islands), 333,334
Noise of arms in the sky, 175,177 Nysa (city in Arabia), 491, 845
Nola (place), 174
Norbar the Arab (compiler of the PICATRIX), 691 Oakes), 17,53, 86, 129, 130, 136,220,414,502,624,
Nomians, 491, 845 626,817
Noms (mythical), 253 Oasis (Siwa in Egypt), 73, 97, 845
North (direction), 144, 159, 176, 226-7, 365, 375, Oath(s), 217, 269, 276, 281,281-2,443-4,494,624,
403,500,502,533,536 626,656
North Star (Polaris), 100 Obelisk(s), 235, 558
North wind-see Boreas Obeying signs (astrological), 403, 404-5
Nortia (goddess), 491, 493 Oblation(s), 532, 565, 605, 642, 652, 655, 657,
Norvegia (Norway), 182,598,629,845 662-3,666,672,699
Norwegians, 500 Obsidian (stone), 24
Notarian-see Notaricon OBSOLESCENCE OF ORACLES (Plutarch), 504,
Notaricon (Kabbalistic method), 310,474,479,561, 616,616
700, 762, 764 Obtestations, 216, 217
NOTARY ART-see ARS NOTORIA OCCULT PHILOSOPHY (Agrippa), xiii, xviii-xix,
Notus (south wind), 18-9,20,533 xxvi, xxxi-iii, xxxix-xlii, xlvii, xlix, Ii, \iv, lvii,
NOVEM CANDARIIS (of Solomon), 698 lix, lxi, lxiii, 3,180,229,436,632,680-1,696,
Novendinalia (festival), 655, 658 699,706,738,749,773,782,833
Nowotny, Karl Anton (writer), 738, 744 OCCULT PHILOSOPHY IN THE ELIZABETHAN
NUCTEMERON (pseudo-Apollonius), 790 AGE (Yates), xviii, xli, 731, 738
Numa (second king of Rome), 178, 179,280,313, Oceanus (god), 19,424,467,504,574
424,425,658,690,705,706,819,821 Ocellus Lucanus (philosopher), 719-23
Numantia (town in Spain), 161,845 Ochozias (Ahaziah, king of Israel), 683-4, 686
Number(s), 10, 11-2,221,223-4,227,233-4,237, Oclatinius Adventus (Roman consul), 828
238,239-41,245,246,249-50,250,252,254, Ocriculum (town in Umbria), 845
262,265,290--1,299-301, 303-4, 306, 306-7, Octahedron (Platonic solid), 331,343,413,725-6
308, 309, 310-3, 315-6, 316-7, 318-27, 330, Octangle (octagram), 330
345,457,470,472,474,481,585,635,663,671, Octavianus (Augustus), 163,167-8
693,700-1,714,819,825,835 Octopus, 62, 95
Number(s), even, 238, 246, 252, 254-5, 262, 281, Odin (god), 576, 577, 632
290,312,315,733-4,777 Odysseus-see Ulysses
Number(s), formal, 237, 238, 239, 318, 619, 835 ODYSSEY, THE (Homer), lv, 27, 122, 235, 286,
Number(s), odd, 238, 246, 249, 250, 252, 254, 262, 335, 366, 428, 436, 481, 504, 590, 595, 601-2,
290,312,315,733-4,777 602-4,607,648,661,698,808
Numbers, Arabic, 306 Oeagrus (king of Thrace), 819
Numbers, Greek, 308, 309, 702 OEDIPUS AEGYPTIACUS (Kircher), 556, 754, 757
Numbers, Hebrew, 310-1, 700-1, 762-3 Oenuphis (Egyptian priest), 7
Numbers, Latin, 312 Oesterreich, Traugott K. (writer), 512
Numbers, Roman, 306, 306-7 OF STONES (Theophrastus), 831
Numenius (philosopher), 444, 819 OF THE TEMPLES (R. Ishmael), 533, 537
Numerations (Emanations), 467-8, 591 OF THE TEMPLES (R. Simeon), 533, 537
Numerical transpositions, tables of, 546, 771-2 OF THE WORSHIP OF GOD (Varro), 467
Numerology, 312-3, 313-4 Og (king of Bashan), 284, 286, 553, 555
Numidia (place), 97, 845 Oil, 58, 59, 105, 110, 146, 147,425,491,605,666,
Numina (deities), 317 668,697
Nuriel (Uriel), 534 Ointment(s), 106, 134, 138, 148,618,668
Nursia (Nortia), 491, 493, 598 Olenus o/Cales (augur), 168
 Nise-Origanum / 917

Olibanum (Frankincense), 74, 133 Onosceli (Onocentaurs), 519, 520

Olive (tree), 53, 57, 59, 63, 80, 86, 246, 296, 414, Onyx (stone), 83, 83-4, 101, 274, 284-5
416,642,642,649,650 Onyx, black, 83, 99
Olive oil, 86, 697 Onyx, lynx-eye, 84
Olivine (stone), 77 Opal (stone), 78, 89
Olympias (mother of Alexander the Great), 818 OpaJia (festival), 656, 659
Olympic Games, 802 OPERA, Latin (Agrippa), xix, xxxiv-v, xl, liv, lvii,
OLYMPIC VICTORS (Apollas), 137 lx, lxii, 84, 100, 130, 159, 180, 291, 293, 397,
Olympiodorus (writer), 428 408,463,516,565,568,671,680,682,686,743,
Olympus (mountain), 18,367,454,515 747-8, 773-5
Olynthus (town in Macedonia), 674, 676, 845 OPERA MINERALIA JOHANN IS ISAACI HOL-
Omen(s), 160,161, 162-3,163-4,172,626,637 LANDI, SIVE DE LAPIDE PHILOSOPHICO
On (holy name), 549, 550 (Isaac of Holland), 809-10
ON COMEDY (Lycophron), 815 Ophaniel (angel), 285
ON COMETS (Chaeremon), 797 Ophanim (Auphanim), 288, 506, 507
ON CONIC SECTIONS (Apollonius Pergaeus), 790 Ophiogenes (people), 185
ON CURIOSITY (Plutarch), 445 Ophion (titan), 515
ON DIFFICULTIES ABOUT THE SOUL (Ploti- Ophis (devil), 510, 515
nus), 583 Ophites (heretical sect), 702, 704, 706
ON GENERATION AND CORRUPTION (Aristo- Opium, 83, 131, 133
tle), 719-23 Opoponax (gum-resin), 132, 133
ON GENESIS (Augustine), 600 Opposition (astrological), 273, 357, 357-8, 359, 361,
ON MOTION (Proclus), 238 402-3,404
ON MUSIC (Plutarch), 337 Ops (goddess), 493
ON MUSIC (Ptolemy), 825 Optics, 18,233,788
·ON NATURE (Heraclitus), 805
OPTICS (Vitello), 835
ON ORIGINAL SIN (Agrippa), xxii
OPUS DE MAGIA DISCIPLlNA (Anselmi), 789
ON OUR ALLOTTED GUARDIAN SPIRIT (Ploti-
OPUS MAJUS (Roger Bacon), 795
nus), 593, 601
OPUS MINUS (Roger Bacon), 795
ON THE APPARITIONS OF THE FIXED STARS
OPUS OXONIENSE (Duns Scotus), 496, 497, 827
(pseudo-Ptolemy), 313, 825
ON THE BURNING GLASS (Apollonius Pergaeus), OPUS PRAECLARUM DE IMAGlNIBUS ASTRO-
LOGICIS (Torrella), 697
790
ON THE CAUSES OF PLANTS (Theophrastus), OPUS TERTIUM (Roger Bacon), 795
831 Oracle(s), 38-9, 97, 160,172-3, 178-9, 186,235,
ON THE DESCENT OF THE SOUL INTO BOD- 416,425-6,428,455,459,461,463,491,494,
IES (Plotinus), 631 502,504,509,512,516,530,564,565,566,577,
ON THE HEAVENS (Aristotle), 249, 252, 501 601,603,606,611,616,619,621,621-2,624,
ON THE HISTORY OF PLANTS (Theophrastus), 625-6, 629-30, 633-4, 634, 635, 635, 636-7,
831 637,638,641 , 657,663,672, 695 , 830
ON THE IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL (Ploti- ORACLE OF GEOMANCY (Skinner), 781, 784
nus),569 ORACLES (Museus), 818
ON THE MYSTERIES (lamblichus), 73, 212, 214, Orandus , Eirenaeus (writer), 446
481,506,523,526,528-9,565,569,620,625-6, Oration(s), 216-7, 217, 221, 594, 636
650,653,660,671,707,809 ORATION AND PANEGYRIC ADDRESSED TO
ON THE NATURE OF THE UNIVERSE (Ocellus ORIGEN (Gregory Thaumaturgus), 503
Llicanus), 719-20, 722-3 Orbs-see Spheres
ON THE NATURE OF THINGS (Lucretius), 40, Orchenia (place), 845
149,601,639,814 Orchenians, 97, 845
ON THE OCEAN (Pytheas), 826 Orchestus-see Orchomenus
ON THE SIGN OF SOCRATES (Plutarch), 631, 703 Orchomenus (city in Boeotia), 492, 845
ON THE SOUL (Tertullian), 631, 691 Orcus (Pluto), 594
ON THE SPIRIT-BEINGS (Origen), 446 Oreades (mountain nymphs), 567, 569
ON THE VANITY OF IDOLS (Cyprian), 566, 568 Orestes (son of Agamemnon), 491, 495, 589
ON THE VARIOUS AND ADMIRABLE NATURE Orgia (festival), 655, 659
OF THE HUMAN SOUL (Damascenus), xxvi Oribasius (medical writer), 826
On, Ton, Tauton (holy names), 670, 671 Oriens (ruler of the east), 259, 533, 536
Onion(s), 80, 89, 105,401 Origanum (herb), 53, 55, 58, 61, 81
918/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-GENERAL INDEX

Origen (writer), 220, 223, 226, 239, 444, 446, 475, Owl(s), 47, 59,158,161, /6/, 162,165-6,170.274,
477,480-1,484,485-6,491,492,496,497,500, 296, 510, 674, 683
501,503,511,515-6,521,523,567,568,593, Owl, homed, 47, 83, 89,161,165,170
602,614,614-5,788,795,802,804,819 Owl, screech, 47, 48-9,83,89, 119,161 , 165,170,
ORIGEN AGAINST CELSUS (Origen), 220, 567, 568 510
Original world, 3, 26-7, 39, 110 Ox(en), lvii, 76, 79, 82, 98, 108, 163, 173, 293, 658,
Origis (quail), 161, 165 660,669,674,693,694,707
Orion (constellation), 379, 380 Oxiana (place), 97, 846
Oriphiel (intelligence of Saturn), 533, 535 Oxiones (monsters), 604
Ormenus (Telchine), 266, 533 Oyster(s), 79, 81, 82, 83, 106, 122,673
Orrnia (festival), 655
Ormuzd (Ahura-Mazda), 645 Pachad (fifth Sephirah), 468, 470, 591, 592
Oromades-see Ahura-Mazda Pact(s), 303, 608
Oromasdes-see Ahura-Mazda Pactolus (river), 602
Oromasis -see Ahura-Mazda Padua, 191
Oropians, 492 Paeon (Apollo), 60, 426, 428
Oropos (Oropus, a town on the border of Boeotia and Pahad-see Pac had
Attica), 492 Painted bird, 161
Orosius (disciple of Augustine), 497 Palatialia (festival), 655
Orphanim (Auphanim), 468, 472 Palatinus, Mons (hill in Rome), 280, 658
Orpheans, 435 Palatualis (lesser f1amen), 660
Orpheus (god/writer), 6, 38, 44, 76, 86, 143, 152, Paleae (field nymphs), 567
169,172,190,255, 260,281,281-2,333 , 365, Palemon (writer), 104
417,423 , 424,427,443-4,457-8,459,460-1, Pales (god/goddess), 500, 502, 650, 659-60
Palestine (place), 555-6
462-3,467,470,476-7, 481,518, 596,627,634,
Pal ice (town in Sicily), 626
644,653,656-7,668-9,818-9,825
Palicy (Palici, twin sons of Jupiter) , 181, 184, 624,
ORPHEUS (Mead), 424, 428, 459, 462, 470, 603
626
ORPHEUS , HYMNS OF (ed. Thomas Taylor), 87,
Palilia (festival), 502, 656, 659
216, 260-1,264,317,366,424,458,460,467,
Palladium (sacred object), 313, 313,800
470,632,635,645,661,671 Pallas (Athene) , 63, 172, 269, 276, 296, 313, 423,
Orpiment, 78 423,424, 424,453,454,460,462,467,491 , 492,
Orsi (Osiris?), 255 494,524, 668, 671
Ortolanus (writer), 709 Pallas (giant), 316
Orus Apollo-see Horapollo Palm (tree), 48, 52, 55, 76,80, 138,297
Oryx (African antelope), 165 Palma Christi (herb), 129,131
Oscines (augury by bird sounds), 158 Palmchrist-see Palma Christi
Osiris (god), 19, 236, 424, 426, 426, 458, 491, 569, PALMISTRY (of Solomon), 698
670, 671 Palogygia (festival), 656
Osprey (sea eagle), 172 Palsy, 202, 375, 379
Ossifrage-see Bone-breakers Pamphila (sorceress), 121 , 180
Ostanes the Mede (alchemist), 6, 6, 153,819 Pamphilus (presbyter of Caesarea), 802
OSTENTARIAN (books of Tages) , 162, 167,173 Pamphylia (place), 97, 492, 578, 606, 608, 846
Osthanes-see Os/anes the Mede Pan (god),467,502, 569
Ostrich(s), 23, 25, 32, 83 Pan Lyceus (god), 693, 694
Ostrogoths, 200 Panathenea (festival), 656, 660
Osyris-see Osiris Pandiagonal squares, 742
Othin-see Odin PANEGYRIC (Gregory Thaumaturgus), 819
Otriculans, 491 Panor (god), 114
Otters, 80 PANTAGRUEL (Rabelais), 822
Ouraius (cobra), 66 Pantaura (stone), 76, 77
Out of body travel-see Astral travel Panther, 59, 62, 70, 76, 80, 81
Ovid (poet), \iv-Iv, 16, 18-9,20,32,48-9, 5S-6, 68, Pantherus (stone), 76
84, 92, 114, 122, 135, 153, 163-5, 170, 184, 190, Pantochras (stone), 76, 78
202,218,220,250,279,284,286,491 , 493-4, Paphians, 491
502,576,577,594, 603,618, 647,648,650,652, Paphlagonia (place), 491 , 846
654,657-60,668,671,698,791,799,815,821, Paphos (city of Cyprus), 428, 491, 674, 676, 846
832,847 Papyrus, 443, 446
 Origen-Persephone / 919

Pm'acelsus (writer), xxii, 25, 107, 109, 133, 24~, Pavia (town in Italy), 685, 687, 846
809,833 Paymon (ruler of the west), 259, 533, 536
PARACELSUS: SELECTED WRITINGS (ed. Jolande Pazriel (angel), 535
Jacobi), 107 Peacock(s), 53, 55, 83 , 129, 132, 204,292-3,297,
Paradise, 254, 273, 535, 571, 599, 665 388,674
PARADISE LOST (Milton), 27, 45, 515, 555 Peacocks, white, 204, 205
Pareades (nymphs), 500 Pean-see Paeon
Pareae (nymphs), 500 Pear tree, 86
Parentalia (festival), 655, 658 Pearce. A. J. (astrologer), 360-1
Parilia (Palilia), 502 Pearls, 23, 24, 80, 106
Paris (hero), 175 Pears, 91
Parisiensis, Gulielmus-see William of Paris Pedestria (Ex quadrupedibus), 157, 159
Parium (in the Dardanelles), 184 Peels, odoriferous, 132
Parmenides (philosopher), 721 Pegaia (nymph), 20
PARMENIDES (Plato), 27 Pegasides (Muses), 500, 502
Pamassus (mountain), 491, 502, 512, 620, 846 Pegasus (winged horse), 502
Parrot(s), 53, 55, 94 Pegasus (constellation), 379, 379
Parsley (herb), 94, 129,690 Pelagius II (pope), 804
Parthia (place), lix, 97, 175,846 Pele (holy name), 477, 482
Partridge(s), 53, 56, 86, 169 Peleneans, 674
PARTS OF ANIMALS, ON THE (Aristotle), 196 Pelican, 18,47,48,86,87,91,113,161
Pas-flower (herb), 53, 55, 83 Peliel (Penie/), 468, 621, 622
Paschal lamb, 301 Pellitory of the wall (herb), 53, 57
Paschal taper, 571 , 572 Penates (household gods), 495
Pasetes-see Paseton
Penelope (wife of Odysseus), 648
Paseton (magician), 705, 706
Peneus (river), 56
Pasiphae (wife of King Minos), 634, 635, 799
Peniel (angel), 468, 621, 622
Passing the River (magic alphabet), 560-1, 562-3
Penitential psalms, 273, 280
Passion(s), 194, 196-7, 198, 199, 200,201,204-6,
Pennyroyal (herb), 98, 100,673
208,209,210,431,448-9,518,549,567,595,
Pentacles, 700
606,610-1,625,630,638,644,656,663,668,674
Pentagon(s), 347, 726
Passover (feast), 299, 301
Pastillaria (festival), 655 PENTAGON (of Solomon), 698
Patai, R. (writer), 405, 514, 534, 536, 556, 805
Pentagram, 331, 352
Patara (city in Lycia), 491, 846 Pentangle (pentagram), 330, 331, 564, 565
Pathis bull, 76, 79 Pentaphylion-see Cinquefoil
Paths, Kabbalistic-see Channels PENTATEUCH AND RASHI ' S COMMENTARY,
Patrai (town in Achaia), 624, 626, 846 246,248, 276-7, 290, 470, 479, 489, 492, 502,
Patriarcha , Nicephorus (historian), 182, 819 703
Patriarchs, biblical, 472-3, 530, 532, 695 Penthesilea (queen of the Amazons), 33
Patricius (SI. Patrick), 598, 603 Peony (herb), 58, 60, 73, 76, 86, 98, 113, 123, 129,
Patroc/us (hero), 312 650
Paul (apostle), 27, 241,452,453,461,478,497,506, Pepper, 76, 78, 131
509, 511,530,580-1,592,638,647,663, 681, Pepperwort (herb), 130,131,132
695-{},698,702 Pepys , Samuel (writer), 25
PAUL, LIFE OF (SI. Jerome), 34, 511,820 Perfect bodies, 23
Paul the Hermit, 34, 511,819-20 Perfumings, 129,635,654,669,672,696,705
Paul Iii (pope), 806 Perga (city in PamphyJia), 492, 846
Paula (follower of SI. Jerome) , 806 Periander (tyrant of Corinth), 280, 791
PAULINE ART (grimoire), 698, 699 PERI ARCHON (DE PRINCIPIIS), 521, 522
Paulinus . Meropius Pontius Anicius (writer), 624, Pericionius , Bacchus (Orphic deity), 423, 424
626,690, 820 Pericles (Athenean statesman), 789
Paulus. Lucius (Roman consul), 175, 177 Peric/imenus (mythical), 135, 135
Paulus Aegineta (writer), 104 Peridot (stone), 60, 77
Paulus Diaconus (writer), 182, 820 Peril/us (inventor), 821
Pausanias (writer), 17,20,27,32,33,136,235,373, Peripatetics, 145, 366, 417, 499, 611, 789, 792
383,425,459, 476, 49~, 502, 574,598, 603, PERIPLUS (Pytheas), 826
625"'(), 635, 637, 660, 791, 799, 801, 813, 818, Periwinkle (herb), 99, 101
820,832 Persephone (goddess), 127,841
920/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-GENERAL INDEX

Persepolis (place), 459 Pherecydes (philosopher), 510,821

Perseus (hero), 405, 504 Phereus (Er), 606, 608
Perseus (constellation), 100,379,379-80 Phigalia (city in Arcadia), 605
Persia (place), 19, 97,179,505,620,846 Philalethes , Eugenius-see Vaughan. Thomas
Persian kings, 38, 690, 691 PHILEBUS, THE (Plato), 475. 481
Persians, 178, 255 , 364, 444, 451, 459, 480, 524, Philinus (man who lived on milk), 183
613 , 652,690,691,798 Philip (apostle), 574, 609
Persica (Diana), 476, 481 Philip of Macedon (father of Alexander the Great).
Persis-see Persia 493,787,792,818
Pessinuntium-see Pessinus Philip IV (king of France), 115
Pessinus (city in Asia Minor), 492, 846 Philippus (translator), 808
Pestilence (plague), xxii, xxxi, 130, 175, 182,204, Philistus (writer), 176
272,275,379,386,469,493,509,533,568,570, Philo Judaeus (writer), 460, 553, 821-2
571,650,655,684,801,826 PHILOCALIA (Origen), 795
Petellius Coss, L., 171 Philochorus (writer), 495
Peter (apostle), 485 , 528, 599, 604, 609, 616, 663, Philolaus (Pythagorean), 205 , 702
683,822 Philologia (nymph), 816
Peter Apponus-see Petrus de Apono Philon (writer), 533
Peter the Cruel (king of Spain), 390, 820-1 Philosopher's Stone, 45, 242, 792, 821
Peter the Exorcist , 609, 611 PHILOSOPHY (of Solomon), 698
Petillius, L. (Roman nobleman), 821 PHILOSOPHY OF NATURAL MAGIC (Book One
PETIT ALBERT (grimoire), 120,384 of the OCCULT PHILOSOPHY), xl
Peu'osiris (astronomer), 380, 675 Philostratus (writer), 140, 140, 170,172-3, 181 ,2 13,
Petra Sancta (town near Pisa), 204 476,481,567,570,591,634,643,655,691,693,
Petrus de Apono (writer), liv, lv, 379, 379,535,558, 790
559,695,786,821 Phinias (biblical), 528
Petrus Diaconus (writer), 828 Phlebotomy (blood-letting), 182
Phadael (angel), 621 Phlegethon (infernal river), 26, 27, 259
PHAEDO, THE (Plato), 36, 192,428,792 Phlegm (humor), 23, 80, 91, 146, 147,254, 259, 339,
PHAEDRUS, THE (Plato), 512, 583, 603, 619, 652, 351,375,729-31
653 Phlegm, acid, 731
PHAENOMENA (Aratus), 791, 802
Phlegm, white, 731
Phalaesiae (town in Arcadia), 492, 846
Phobias, 64, 64
Phalaris (tyrant of Agrigentum), 175,176,821
Phoebe (Moon),253,427,429,511
Phaliscia-see Phalaesiae
Phoebus (Sun), 18-9 . 76, 170, 260, 296, 313, 423,
Phanes (god), 281, 281,424,426, 428, 459
Phaniel (Penuel , an angel), 553 423 , 424,424,426-7,457,467.524.595, 671
Phantasy, 17, 193-4,196, 199,201-2,204-5,259, Phoenicia (place), 97, 578,847
336,355,415,594,596,609-10,619,633,643 Phoenicians, 390, 491
Phanuel (angel), 536 Phoenix (bird), 32,32 , 47, 48,76, 122, 161 , 181 , 183,
Phaon, 53, 55 241,503-4,842
Pharai (town in Achaea), 637, 637, 846 Phonicia-see Phoenicia
Pharaoh (biblical), 135,299, 576,634,663,665,681 , Phorcydes (Gorgons), 504
684,693,702 Phorcys (Old Man of the Sea), 504
Pharis- see Pharai Phosperus (Phosphorus, the Morning Star), 427, 429
Pharisees, 301 Photius (patriarch of Constantinople), 808
Pharos (island near Alexandria), 235,568 Phragol Mocaden (26th lunar mansion), 370
PHARSALIA (Lucan), lv, 30, 33, 41,107,122,127, Phraotes (Indian sage), 643
131, 173-4, 179, 191, 219, 413, 418, 428, 495, Phrensy,616,618-9,621 ,623,627,638
568,607,697,814 Phrygia (place), 97,190,492,602,708,786.847
Pharsalus (in Thessaly), 191,824,847 Phrygian(s), 160, 492,671
Phaselus (mountain), 491 Phu (herb), 91, 649, 650
Phazania (place), 97, 847 Phut (holy nymph), 554
Pheasant, 86 Phylades, 656
Phebiades (Muses), 500, 502 Phylae (ten Attic tribes), 574
Phemonoe (priestess at Delphi), 172 Phylarchus (writer), 68, 172
Pheneus (town in Arcadia), 17 PHYSICA ET MYSTICA (pseudo-Democritus), 819
Pherae (city in Thessaly), 607 Physiognomy, 155, 155, 300, 412, 549, 827
 Persepolis-Poimandres / 921

PHYSIOGNOMY, THE (Scot}-see DE PHYSIOG- Planetary hours (astrological), 371, 371-2, 375, 381,
NOMIA ET DE HOMINIS PROCREATIONE 383,385-9,402, 532
(Scot) Planets, table of the seven, 551, 772
Physiologus (writer), 87 Plantain (herb), 99, 101
Piacula (piacularia auspicia), 157,159,171 Planudes, Maximus (writer), 786
PICATRIX (writer and book), liv, 220, 379, 382-3, Plato (philosopher), 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 36, 38-9, 43; 45, 50,
691, 691, 788, 822 66,140,142,175,176,188-9,190-2,193,196,
Picionius (Pericionius), Bacchus (Orphic deity), 423, 198,214,233,234-5,237,238,250,252,267,
424 . 269,273,301 , 302,331,336,337,341,365-6,
Pictavia (city), 161 367,416,418,421,422,428,443-4,445,460-1,
Picus (mythical), 121, 122 462-3, 470, 474-5, 479, 480-1, 490, 492, 494,
Pie (magpie), 53, 89, 90,94,132,161 , 170,297 497, 500, 503-4, 509-10, 512, 528, 573, 576,
Pieria (place), 502 577, 583, 586, 606, 608, 609, 616, 618-9, 619,
Pierides (Muses), 500,502 629-30, 638, 652-3,653-4,668,670,671,690,
Pierus (king of Emathia), 502 691,692, 713-9,721,723-7,730-1,791-2,797,
Pietro d'Abano--see Petrus de Apono 801-2, 805, 807, 809, 819, 822, 824-6, 831,
Pig(s), 401, 658-9 835-6
Pigeon(s), 23 , 25, 46, 53, 55-6, 91 , 92, 132, 160, Platonic month (astrological), 342, 536
164,319 Platonic solids, 340,343,413,413-4,721,725-6
Pike(s) (fish), 59, 89, 274 Platonic year (astrological), 342
Pilchards (fish), 91 PLATONICAE QUAESTIONES (Plutarch), 40
Pileas (mythical), 47, 48 Platonist(s), Ii, 26, 35, 69, 110, 112, 170, 213, 237,
Pillars (of the Kabbalastic Tree), 469, 473, 754 365,415,417,419,421,435, 453,460-1 , 463,
Pillars of Alexander, 233-4 581,585,595,616,639
Pillars of Hercules, 233-4, 235 Pleiad, Lost (star), 100
Pills (trochisks), 132 Pleiades (constellation), 6, 98, 100, 269, 272, 362,
Pilot fish, 53, 55 363,395,409,411
Pimpernel (herb), 94, 94, 98,295 Pleione (mythical), 100
Pindar (poet), 504, 821
Pliny the Elder (writer), 9, 13, 14-5, 16, 19,24-5,
Pine (tree), 83, 297,494,650,659
29,31,33,40-3,48,50,50-1,54-7,59,59-61,
Pineapples, 86 63, 66, 68, 70-1, 77-9, 81-2, 84-8, 90-3, 100,
Pipe(s) (musical instrument), 334, 334, 336
112,113,123-5,125-8,129,130-1,135, 137-9,
Piraeus (peninsula), 658
143, 144,145, 150-1 , 152-3,155,165-8,170-1,
Pirrhias, xlix
172-4, 175, 176-7, 179, 179-80, 181-2, 183,
Pisa (city in Elis), 491-2, 495, 847
Pisces (zodiac sign), 26, 73, 87, 97-8,132,144,258,
185,200,202, 202-3, 212, 236, 240, 243, 2'49,
295,297 , 313 , 375 , 378,387,404,409,423 , 42~
250,273,293,312,328,334,342,351,354,361,
493,533,536,548,553,554-5 363,366,386,394,467,469,591,592,598,629,
Pisciel (spirit of Pisces), 553 631,645,650,658,675-6,693,694,696,700,
Pismire(s) (ants), 53, 57-8, 65, 83, 150, 152, 163, 702,795,823,828,835-6
167,175,176,594 Pliny the Younger (writer), 567, 570,822-3,830
Pison (river in Paradise), 260 Plotina (wife of Trajan), 804-5,832
Pistake (pistacheo), 86, 87 Plotinus (philosopher), 6, 18,444,446-7,460,462,
Pitch (tree resin), 83, 105 464,496,497,567,569,581,583,593,601,630,
Pittacos (philosopher), 280 631,788,806,824
Pius 1I (pope), 798 PLOTINUS, ON THE LIFE OF (Porphyry), 446
Placidus (astrologer), 372 Plover, black (bird), 70, 147
Plague-see Pestilence Plumtree, 86
Plainsong, 341 Plutarch (writer), 7, 19,40,54,84,166,173-4,200,
Planet(s), 11, 26, 44, 52, 53-4, 72-3, 73-4, 96-9, 236,245, 246, 248, 313, 315, 316, 331-2, 335,
102-3,105, 132-3,140,143-4, 146,154-5,213, 337,445,461,494,500,504,510,516,520,559,
223-5, 250, 258, 262-3, 264, 265-6, 269-70, 578,616, 616,631,654,674,702,787,816
272, 274, 283, 315, 318, 329, 339-40, 342-3, Plutarchus the Great (Neoplatonist), 825
352, 355, 357, 357-8, 359, 359-61, 362-3, Pluto (Hades), xlix, 83, 127,261,423, 424,467,510,
365-6,371,381 , 384,389, 397-9,402-3,404, 596,600,602,642,660,841
406-7, 409,410,426-7,427,432,468,484,491, Podalyrius (son of Aesculapius), 634,635
499,516,525,527, 532-3,535,548,550,550, POETICON ASTRONOMICON LIBRI IV (Hygi-
551,554,568,587,588,656, 670, 698,714-5, nus), 808
743,745,767,773-7,782,784 POIMANDRES (Hermes), 224
922 / THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-GENERAL INDEX

Poison(s), Ii, 32, 53, 55-7, 59-60, 64, 66, 75-6, 77-8, PRACTICAL GUIDE TO QABALISTIC SYM-
84-5,89,93,100,122,123-5,125-8,130,134-5, BOLISM (Knight), 473
140, 145, 182, 185,218, 219,239,262,375,379, PRACTICE OF PALMISTRY (Saint-Germain), 104
389,537,593,659,789,817-8,828 Praeneste (town in Latium), 413, 414, 847
POISONS , ON (Maimonides), 184 PRAEPARATIO EVANGELICA (Eusebius), 246,
Polipos (apostle Philip), 574 425,428,459,565,620,661,802,819
POLITICS (Aristotle), 301 Praxiteles (sculptor), 495
Pollio (Roman consul), 162,167 Prayer(s), 14, 249, 432, 449, 453 , 480-1, 485, 490,
Polyhius (historian), 32, 826 497,505, 511 , 527, 530, 565-6,566, 574, 600,
Polycharmus (writer), 178 602,607,611,625,635-6,641 , 647,652,652 ,
POL YGRAPHIA (Trithemius), 833 653,653-4,655-6, 662,662,663, 665 , 668 , 672,
POLYHISTOR (COLLECTANEA RERUM MEM- 674-5 , 684-5 , 696
ORABILIUM), 828 Prayer, Lord 's, 272, 668
Polyhymnia (Muse), 284, 284, 339, 340 , 342, 423, Precession of the equinoxes (astrological), 340, 342,
424 807,832
Polyidus (soothsayer), 184 Pre neste-see Praeneste
Polymnia-see Polyhymnia Prestantius , 135, 137,693
Pomegranate(s) (fruit), 91 , 92, 100, 673 Prevention (astrological), 402, 404
Pomona (wife of Vortumnus), 574, 660 Priapus (god), 114, 114-5,573, 574,656
Pomonalis (Lesser Flamen), 660 Priest, Christian, 647 , 670
Pompey (Roman general), 161 , 171 , 183, 189,191, Priest(s), Egyptian, 6, 7, 236, 290, 313, 330, 401,
233 , 235,684, 799, 817,824,847 435,436,446,458,568,650,796-7,802
Pomphorlyx (oxide of zinc), 101 Priest(s), Greek, 17, 20,446,453,495,502,605, 616,
Pontanus, l ovianus (writer), 18,202,824 619, 620,624, 625,629,634,634. 635,643 , 645,
Pontus (place), 68, 121,674, 676,707,847 649, 650,656, 660
Poplar (tree), 86,673 Priest(s), Hebrew, 271, 281,292,448,482,577,624,
Poppet (witch doll), 401 655
Poppy, black, 129-30, 131,132 Priest, Persian, 459, 826
Poppy, white, 132, 133 Priest(s), Roman, 14, 114,425,595, 656, 658, 660,
Poppy seeds, 180 669,669, 716
Popularia (festival), 655 Primum mobile (astrological), 284-5, 288, 340, 355,
Porcius, Gaius (Roman consul), 175, 177 423,468,619, 756
Porphyrio (bird), 94, 94 Prina-see Binah
Porphyry (philosopher), 6, 76, 129-30, 170-1, 172, Principalities (angelic order), 27, 257, 284-5, 289,
-377,424,425,443-4,446-7,458, 460-1,464, 295,469,497,505,588
50 I, 510, 525, 525, 528, 554, 558, 564-5, 565, Principalities ofhell, 114
566,569,619,620,621,624,625,653,656-7, PRINCIPLES OF TANTRA (Woodroffe), 424
672,689,693 , 788,808,823-4 Prisca and Maximilla (Montanist prophetesses), 708
Porta Carmentalis (Roman gate), 503 Priscian (grammarian), 808
PORTAE LUCIS (Paulus Ricius), 754-5 Privities (genitals), 72, 375, 392
PORTRAITS ET VIES DES HOMMES ILLUS- Proha , Valeria-see Prohus . Valerius
TRES (Thevet), xxxvi PROBLEMS (Aristotle), 30, 188,190,632,731,835
Portunalis (lesser f1amen), 660 Prohus , Valeri us (grammarian), 306, 70 I, 824
Portunus (god), 660 Procillus , Gaius Valerius, 636, 637
Poseidon (god), 454, 525, 537, 574, 840, 848 Proclus (philosopher), 6, 62, 72, 73, 112, 130, 131,
Possession, demonic, 114, 141, 188, 272,597-8 171 , 210,214,237,238,250,290, 366,450, 453,
Possession, divine, 190-1, 738 459,462,470,500, 504,505.571,572,590, 603,
Possession, spirit, 118,188-9, 512,566-7,568 644, 646, 649, 650, 652, 656, 694, 694, 723-4,
POSSESSION AND EXORCISM (Oesterreich), 512 809,819,824-5
Postel, William (writer), 226 PROCLUS: ALCIBIADES I (O'Neill), 646
Posthumius , Gaius (augur), 171,174 Proconnesus (island), 203, 629. 631, 847
Po tame ides (river nymphs), 500, 502, 567 Procuratory order (angels), 505
Potions, 135, 138, 693 Procyon (star), 98, 100,362, 363,395,410, 411
Pourcontrel (octopus), 59, 62, 94 Prodigy(ies), 37,158,175, 189, 202,412,436, 566,
Powder of projection (alchemy), 45 696
Powers (angelic order), 257, 266, 284-5, 288, 294, Producus (rheortician), 802
467-8, 470,497,505 Projector, image, 233 , 235
Powers, elemental-see Qualities, elementary Prometheus (titan), 124, 127
 Poison(s)-Quirinalis / 923

Prometheus, herb of, 124, 127 Pyripnon (heaven), 461

Prophecy(ies), 76, 78, 112, 113-4, 129, 151, 160, PYROMACHY (Agrippa), xxix
167-8, 169, 186,190,237,261,299,38 1,460, Pyromancy (divination by flame) , 178-9
469,506,507,511,566,569,575,577,600,616, Pyrophylus (stone), 75, 77
620, 621, 622, 623-4, 624-6, 630, 632, 633-4, Pyrrhon (Sceptic philosopher), 789
634.635-7,642,675,695,702,706,825 Pyrrhus (king of Epirus), 684, 825
Prophet(s), 294-5, 299, 435, 443.455,458,484,510, Pythagoras (philosopher), 6, 7, 14, 14, 18,54, 178,
517, 530, 553, 560, 573, 595-7, 599, 602,614, 179,205,237, 240,245,260,265,276,291,312,
616, 623-4, 634, 636, 638-9, 644, 666, 669, 331,333,335,336,337,342,443-4,445-6,462,
684-5,696 470,481,597 , 619,629,642,644, 645,691,697,
PROPORTION OF THE HEIGHT (R. Ishmael), 537 705,706,726,785,787,809,818-9,821,824-6,
Prorogator (astrological), 404, 548 836
Prorrhesis (proclamation), 445 PYTHAGORAS, LIFE OF (Iamblichus), 14, 62,
Prosenna-see Prosymna 173,252,264-5,335,444,572, 583, 694, 697,
Proselpina (Persephone). 124,127,216, 217,253, 702,706,726,785,821
423,424,427,510,564,568,642 Pythagorean(s), 13,44, 45,234,237,238,239,245,
Prospero (magician), 732 249, 252, 254, 255, 262, 264, 265, 268-9, 276,
Prosymna (town in Argolis), 492, 847 281,299,312-3,315,417,423,435,458,476,
Protervia (festival), 655 481,527, 595,638-9,64 1,643, 645,690, 700,
Proteus (god), 135, 135,602 702,719,726,818-9,822,825-6,832,835
Providence, 413 Pythagorean oath, 255, 260
Prunikos (Sophia). 704 Pytheas of Massilia (Greek explorer), 598, 826
Psalms, book of, 26-7, 416, 470 Pythia (priestess of Apollo) , 502, 512, 577, 616, 619,
Psaltery (musical instrument), 287, 290 620,840
Psellus (philosopher), 47, 114,432,463,518,520, Pythian Games, 387, 512
573,575 PYTHIAN ODES (Pindar), 821
PSEUDOMONARCHIA DAEMONUM (Johann Pythias-see Pytheas of Massilia
Wierus), 536 Pythius (Apollo), 509, 512, 619
Psyche (lover of Cupid), 216, 217, 656, 661 Pytho (devil),.509, 512
Psylli, 130, 182, 184-5,693 Python(s) (soothsayer), 512, 616, 616
Psyllus. King, 185 Python (serpent monster), 512
Ptah (god), 670, 671 Python (snake), 167
Ptha-see Ptah Pythoness-see Pythia
Ptolemy (astronomer), 40, 54, 73-4, 97, 97, 179,206,
209,264,312, 313,359-61,363,365,367,373, QABBALAH (Myer), 447, 479, 482, 507
373,404-5,429,525,548,616, 691, 788, 807, Quadraginus (herb), 99, 101
825,832,838,845 Quadrangle (square), 330
Ptolemy 1 (Soter) (king of Egypt), 458, 818, 825, 831 QUAESTIONES (Duns Scotus), 827
Ptolemy II (king of Egypt), 236, 815 Quail(s), 80, 83, 165, 700
Puhlilia (second wife of Cicero). 180 Qualities, first, second and third, 29, 254
Pulmo (jellyfish), 76, 79 Qualities, elementary, 283, 366, 367, 719-24
Pulse (lentil), 65, 68, 683 Quality, occult-see Virtue, occult
Pumice (stone), 23, 24 Quartan ague, 64, 69, 70, 123, 125, 126, 143, 144,
Purgatory, 595, 599--600, 601-2, 604, 613 150,151-2,239,240,273,375,379
Purgatory, SI. Patrick's (place), 598, 603 Quarte (Diatessaron), 339
Purification(s), 16, 91, 249, 270, 276, 300, 413, 455 , Quaternions (astrological), 250-1,252
478,493, 522, 527, 611,621 , 636, 638-9, 641-2, QUATUOR (of Solomon), 698
641-2.642,647,649,650,652,656,659,665, Queen of Hea ven (Ishtar) . 491,492
672,699,796 QUERELA SUPER CALUMNIA (Agrippa), xxxiii
Purification of the Virgin (festival), 670, 671 Quicksilver, 23, 24, 94, 98, 130, 258, 274, 394
Purple, 487, 488 Quinaries (astrological), 499, 538, 574, 769
Putrifaction, 80, 83, 301 Quinquatria (festival), 656, 660
Pygmy, 510 Quinte (Diapente), 339
PYMANDER, THE DIVINE (Hermes), 460, 510, Quintessence (see Spirit of the World), 44, 45, 110,
516,653 315,316,721,726
Pyramids, 558, 576 Quirinalia (festival), 493, 656, 659
Pyramis (obelisk), 234, 235 Quirinalis (greater flamen) , 658, 660
Pyreus (mountain), 491-2, 847 Quirinalis, Mons (hill in Rome), 280, 494
924/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-GENERAL INDEX

Quirinus (god), 491, 493, 659-60 Remy, Nicolas (writer), 49, 214, 520, 575
QUODLIBETA DISPUTATA (Aquinas), 496, 497 Rennet, 58, 61
QUODLIBETAL LECTURES (Agrippa), xix REPUBLIC, THE (Plato), 36, 66,142,238,301,302,
Quotidian ague, 150,151-2,239,240 334,337,341,367,445,462,576,577,608,632
Requiel (angel of the 23rd lunar mansion), 533
Rahanus-see Hrahanus Resin, 654
Rabbits, 92 Restoring the dead, 181-2
Rahelais, Francois (writer), xxxii, 822 Resurrection, 65, 300, 460, 465, 470, 485, 511,
Rachael (wife of Jacoh) , 271 598-9,613,696
Radish,89 RETRACTATIONUM LIBRI (Augustine), 496, 497
Raguel (angel), 535 Retrograde (astrological): 342, 360, 403
Rahah (demon queen), 761 Reuchlin, Johannes (writer), xvii-xix, xxiv, xli, 486,
Rainbow(s), xlvii, 5 , 18, 75, 77, 100, 179,835 833
Raisins, 86, 654 Revelation, divine, 189
Ram, 58,62,73, 76,98,123,126,383,393, 607,707 Revelations, art of, 699
Ramham-see Maimonides Revengers of Evil (fourth order of devils), 285 , 288,
Ramoth-Gilead (place), 595, 684, 847 294,509,758
Rams-horn, 98 Rhahda , Nicholaus (writer), 304
Ramthorn (hartsthorn or buckthorn: Rhamnus Rhacius (seer), 493
catharticus, or perhaps Rhamnus c1usii is Rhadamancus Uudge of hell), 251, 253
intended), 297 Rhapsodomancy, 415, 416
Rapes (turnips), 674, 676 Rhea (goddess), 316, 515
Raphael (angel), 257, 274, 285, 289, 468, 485, 505, Rheangelida- see Theangelis
512,521,532-3, 534-6,621,647,695,759 Rhodes, 65, 537
Raphaim (valley), 553, 555 Rhodians, 491
Raphanea (city in Syria), 17 Rhodope mountains, 626
RASA'IL (Islamic text), 73, 562 Rhubarb (herb), 38, 42, 58, 86, 99
Rashi (Jewish commentator), 246, 248, 276-7, 290, Ribwort (herb), 38, 42, 58, 86, 99
470,479,489,492,502,620,703 Richard I (king of England), 815
Rashith ha-Gilgalim (primum mobile), 288, 756 RICHARD II (Shakespeare), 731
Rats, 61, 160, 163 Richelieu, Cardinal, 408
Ratziel (angel), 468, 756 Ricius, Paulus (writer), 754-5
Raudusculana Porta (Roman gate), 202 Rightside,487,534,591,669,697,704,758-9
Raven(s),62,158,172,203,386,395 , 503,631,684 Rigyon (fiery river), 534
Ray, common (fish), 70 Ring(s),50, 119, 130, 140, 14~2, 144, 150, 152,373,
Raymond of Poitiers , 520 392,404,499,547,619,635,641,705
Rays (astrological), 75 , 102, 112, 129,330,357,373, Ring(s), gold, 50, 51, 141
406,571 , 619 Ring(s), iron, 50, 5~1, 367, 392
Raziel (angel), 468, 472, 532, 534, 621, 695 Ring, Solomon's, 512
RAZIEL, BOOK OF (grimoire), 472, 555 Rings, seven, 140,140,809
Reate (town in Latium), 492, 847 Ringtail (hawk), 59, 62
Reatum-see Reate Rivers, infernal, 26, 27, 254, 259
Reception (astrological), 402-3, 404 Rivers of Paradise, 254-5 , 260, 665
Receptory order (angels), 506 Rohert an Englishman-see Anglicus , Rohertus
RECOGNITIONS (pseudo-Clementines), 707 Rohert of Chester, 789
Record, written, 221 Rohert of York (alchemist), 695, 698, 789, 826
Red Sea, 577, 663 , 665, 676, 684 Robigalia (festival), 655, 658
Regardie . lsrael (writer), 747 Rod(s), 135, 401,488, 636, 655, 666, 700
Regeneration, spiritual, 16 Rods, speckled (biblical), 204
Regiomantanus (astrologer), 372 Roman(s), 491 , 493-5, 503, 576, 658-60, 673 , 675,
Regulus (cobra), 66 690,694
Regulus (star), 98-9, 100, 362, 363, 395, 396, 410, 411 ROMAN HISTORY (Dion), 624
Reincarnation (transmigration), 593-4, 601, 60~, ROMAN QUESTIONS (Plutarch), 494
613,614,809,821,825 Rome, 49~, 502, 574, 622, 658-60, 668, 673-4,
Relics, Saints ', 606 694,706,707-8,761,803
Remiel (angel), 535 Romulus (first king of Rome), 280, 493, 575, 658-9,
Remma (Rimmon) . 553, 555 673 , 803
Remora (fish), 33, 122 Romulus and Remus, 166,659
 Quirinus-Sardonyx / 925

Root(s), 96, 129 Sagapen (herb), 129,130

Rope, 151 Sagapenum, gum, 130
Rope, gallows-see Halter Sage (herb), 53, 99, 101,294
Rosaries, 84 Sages, seven-see Seven wise men
Rose(s), 91, 92,129, 132,690 Sagitta riel (spirit of Sagittarius), 553
Rosemary (herb), 78-9, 80, 99 Sagittarius (zodiac sign), 26, 73, 97-8, 132, 144,258,
Roses, red, 132 295,297,313,375,378,393,409,423,423,533,
Roscius, Nicolas (decon of Metz), xxiii 536,553,554-5
Rosicrucianism, xvii Saint John's, Eve of, 674, 676
Rosin, pine, 392 Saint Vitus' Dance, 335
Rotchet (fish), 70, 71 Saint-Germain, Comte de (writer), 104
Rubicundus (Priapus), 574 Sais (place), 7
Rubigalia-see Robigalia SAKTI AND SAKTA (Woodroffe), 424
Ruby (stone), 41, 76, 78, 98, 386,386 Salamanca (city in Spain), 761
Rubywood (red sandalwood), 131 Salamander(s), 22, 23, 25, 32, 41-2, 58
Rue (herb), 53, 5~, 83,126 Salamander cloth, 29, 31
Rufinus (writer), 485, 707, 819 Salamander's wool, 29, 31, 41
Rufus Ephesius (medical writer), 17, 183,826 Salians (Salii), 656, 660
Rule (astrological), 53-4, 357, 359, 363, 376, 525 Salii Collini (dancing priests of Mars), 660
Ruling signs (astrological), 403, 404-5 Salii Palatini (dancing priests of Mars), 658, 660
Runes (magical alphabet), 637 Salini, Claudius (prior), xxiii
Rupilius, P. (Roman consul), 166 Sallendine (Celandine), 53, 56, 65, 76, 98
Rush, sweet (herb), 654 Sallows (types of willow), 673, 676
Rusor (god), 716 Salmachis (fountain in Caria near Halicarnassus), 16
Rustkite (hawk), 63 Salpe (writer), 126
Salt, 46
Sabaoth (holy name), 480 Samael (devil of Fire), 259, 470, 507, 533, 534,
Sabasius (Sehazius), Bacchus (Orphic deity), 423, 536--7,760
424,836 Samam (apostle Simon), 574
Sahathiel (spirit of Saturn), 553 Samanaeans, 480
Sabbath(s), 270-1, 276, 301, 670 Samaria (place), 300, 457
Sabbath-day River, 17,20 Samaritan, 706
Sabea (place), 19 Samos (island), 491-2, 691, 847
Sabellian heretics, 466 Samothrace (island), 493
Sabine(s), 491,493-4 Sampson (hero), 271, 273, 468, 592, 665
Sabrata (place), 449 Samuel (prophet), 553, 605-6, 623, 637, 684, 696
SACRED MAGIC OF ABRAMELIN THE MAGE Samuel (the devil Samaef) , 533, 536, 553
(grimoire),822 Sanctum Sanctorum, 666, 667, 670
Sacred plant-see Vervain Sandalphon (angel of the planet Earth), 473, 760
Sacrifice(s), 14, 17, 113-4,119, 121 , 135, 136,157, Sandalwood-see Sanders
171,173-4,180,212,217,249, 265,271,287, Sanders (sandalwood), 91, 92, 99, 132, 392
299-300,363,379,412,443,445,449,476,481, Sanders, red, 129,131
487,490-1,493-5,505,509,532,565,573,574, Sandpiper (bird), 94
577, 595, 605, 607, 623-4, 634, 634, 642, 649, Sange (herb), 60, 99
652, 653-4, 655-7, 657, 657-61, 662-3 , 666, Sangus (Semo Sancus), 491 , 494
668,671,672,674,676,695,699 Sapphire (stone), 58, 59, 77, 83, 86, 91, 98-9, 274,
Sacrifice, human, 136--7,495,626,656, 659-60,693 284-5,295,381
SACRIFICES, BOOK OF (Porphyry),-see DE Sappho (poet), 53, 55
ABSTlNENTlA Sara (daughter of Rague/) , 271, 512
Sacrobosco (writer), 789 Saracens, 695
Sadabath (24th lunar mansion), 369 Saracenus, Camparatus (astrologer), xvii
Sadahacha (22nd lunar mansion), 369 Sarah (wife of Abraham), 262, 709
Sadai-see Shaddai Saragael (angel), 535
Sadalabra (25th lunar mansion), 369 Sardanapalus (king of Nineveh), 596, 826
Sadalachia (25th lunar mansion), 369 SARDANAPALUS (Byron), 826
SADAR (Albumasar), 381 Sardis (stone), 101,284-5
SAFER HA- ' IYYUN (Hamai Gaon), 805 Sardonius-see Sardonyx
Saffron, 73, 74, 76, 99, 124, 130, 132, 392 Sardonyx (stone), 99, 101,294
926/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-GENERAL INDEX

Sannatia (place), 847 Scimasarnova-see Sonnasamova

Sartan (Cancer), 554 Scimasarvetus-see Sonnasarvetus
Sartaniel (spirit of Cancer), 554 Sciomancy (type of necromancy), 606, 607
Satan (devil), 115, 269, 509, 511, 517, 534, 538, 684, Scipio Africanus Aemilianus, p , Cornelius (Roman
756 consul), 803, 815
Satanism, 352 Scipio the Elder (Roman general), 801
Satariel (order of devils), 285, 288, 294, 509, 758 Scorpiel (spirit of Scorpio), 553
SATIRES, THE (Horace), 645 Scorpio (constellation), 101
Satirist, the (Juvenal), 154, 155 Scorpio (zodiac sign), 26, 72-3, 73-4, 97-8, 101,
Sattamiel (spirit of Cancer), 553 132,144,258,295,297,3 13,373,375,378,385,
Saturn (god), 83, 189, 191,236,425,467,491,656, 402,409,423,423,533,536,553,554
660 Scorpion(s), 56, 58, 60-1, 83, 98,108,373,375,396,
Saturn (planet), 26, 52, 72-3, 80, 83, 84, 96-9, 103, 402,510
132-3, 139, 143, 146, 148, 154, 170, 188, 206, Scorpion, Heart of the (Antares), 99, 101,363, 364,
207,210,234,245,258 ,263,265-6,269,274, 395,396,410,411
283-5, 288, 312, 314-5, 318, 320--1, 339-40, Scorpion grass (herb), 98, 99, 295
340,342,355,356,357,359,360-1,362-3,363, Scot, John-see Scotus, John Duns
366,367, 375, 381, 382, 390, 403-4, 404, 407 , Scot, Michael (magician), 157-8, 159,827,831
409, 423, 424, 426, 428-9, 448, 468, 499-500, Scotland, 599, 604
515, 532-3, 535, 549, 553, 554,587, 590, 619, Scott, Sir Walter (poet), 827
656,731,747,758 Scott, Walter (writer), 4, 27,113,413,420,462,516,
Saturn, blood of, 124, 128 603,653,715
Saturn, seal of, 740-1, 743-5 Scotus, John Duns (writer), 496, 497, 614, 809, 827
Saturn, square of, 318, 320--1,735 Scotus, Michael-see Scot, Michael
SATURNALIA (Macrobius), 214,495,815,828 Scribania (wife of Octavianus), 167
Saturniel (spirit of Saturn), 553 Scripture(s),97, 104, 135,444,474,477,487 ,496,
Satyr(s), 33, 34,175,176,500,510, 519,567,573, 501,510, 538,577,580,594,599,606,623,663,
599,820 666,669,693,696,701-2,705
SATYRICON (Martianus), 303, 304, 816 Scrofula (disease), 239, 577
Saul (king of Israel), 333, 356, 502, 607, 621, 623 , Scythe, 381, 707, 744-5
637,683-4 Scythia (place), 19, 65, 66, 68, 137, 204, 573, 575,
Sauromantian country (Sannatia), 97, 848 785,848
Savin, Nicolas (lnquisitor of Metz), xxiv-xxvi Scythian herb (Herb of Sparta), 38, 43, 183
Savin (herb), 98, 100,650 Scythians, 334, 491, 494
Savoy, Duke of-see Charles 11/ Sea hare (mollusk), 138, 139
Saxo Grammaticus (writer), 124, 128, 333, 576, Sea ram (killer whale), 90
597-8,826-7 Sea-calf (seal), 76, 79, 99, 274
Scale, Greek musical, 339-40,341-2 Seacat (Aelurus: probably the Sea-catfish, Aelurich-
Scallion (herb), 90 thys marinus) , 274
Scammony (gum-resin), 89, 90 Seagreen-see Sengreen
Scapegoat, 636 Seal (beast), 79
Scarabaeus (beetle),79, 82, 94 Seal(s), occult, 6, 97, 102, 104, 150, 152,262,270,
Scassarnova (an augurium), 157,159 272, 318-27, 329, 370, 373, 392-3, 436, 474,
Scassarvetus (an augurium), 157-8 476, 483,485 , 486,499,532, 550,558, 565,571,
Scenopegia (festival), 655 585,591,627,669,696,700
Scheat (Menkib), 364 Seats-see Thrones
Schedbarschemoth Schartathan (spirit of the spirits Seawater, 129,270,276,649, 650
of the Moon), 320, 749-50 Sebazius, Bacchus (Orphic deity), 423 , 424, 836
Scheddi (Deneb Algedi), 101 Secret(s), 443-4, 445-6, 448, 582, 597, 623, 636,
Sc'heliel (angel of the seventh lunar mansion), 533 638,652,672,677,681,694,696,700,702
Schemesch (Sun), 427, 428 SECRETS OF NATURE (Apollonius), 790
Schemhamphoras (72 names of God), 300, 302, 472, SECRETUM SECRETORUM (pseudO-Aristotle),
474-5,478,482,538-9,539,540, 564,769-71 582,584,638
Schii (evil spirit), 538 Sects (astrological), 359-60, 429
Scholem , Gershom (writer), 537, 703, 751-4, 762 SECUREST ANTIDOTES AGAINST THE
SCHOLIA IN BUCOLICA ET GEORGICA PLAGUE (Agrippa), xxii
(Probus), 824 Seed (animal), 16,64,419,470,579
Sciatica (disease), 334,335 Seed (demon), 573, 575
 Sarmatia-Shaula/927

Seed (human), 60, 72, 74, 268 , 273, 300, 490, 514, Serpent, sea,69, 379
579,582,685 Serpent, skin of a, 146
Seed(s) (plant), 16, 23, 96, 180, 378, 427, 579, 659 Serpent, the (Satan) , 189, 189, 191, 470, 509-10,
Selath (holy nymph), 554 515,692,696, 704
SELECT SENTENCES OF SEXTUS THE Serpentarius (constellation Serpens), 379, 379
PYTHAGOREAN (ed, Taylor), 583 Serpents, charming of, 571
Selene (harlot), 707 Serpents, flying, 61
Selene (Moon), 428 Service tree, 86
Selenites (stone), 80, 81, 112,618,619-20 Servius MaUl'us (grammarian), 518, 810
Selenotrophion (herb), 80 Servius Tullius-see Tullius , Servius
Seleucus Nicator (king of Syria), 790 Seselis (component of Cyphi), 654
Selfheal (herb), 94 Set (god), 61, 482
Selloi (priests of Dodona), 502 Seth (son of Adam), 554
Semele (mother of Dionysus), 282, 442 Seven (number), 268-73, 273, 274-5,276-80, 281,
Semeliel (spirit of the Sun), 553 282, 284, 312-3, 315, 316, 319-20, 325, 330,
Semeschia (spirit of the Sun), 553 625,655,697
Semiditone (imperfect third), 269, 273 Seven against Thebes (heros), 600
Seminary virtue(s), 14, 16, 45 Seven ages of the world, 272, 279
Semisquare (astrological), 358 Seven aromatics, 133
Semo San cus (god), 491 , 494 Seven governors (planets), 426, 427, 533, 587, 704
SENATES, BOOKS OF THE (Rabbi Johenan), 623, Seven hills in Rome, 272, 280, 658
634 Seven holes in the head, 72, 272, 275
Seneca (writer), 647, 648, 696, 797, 823, 827 Seven liberal arts, 272, 279, 816, 821
Sengreen (herb), 86, 86, 98 Seven motions in space, 715
Sennacherib (king of Assyria), 684 Seven nerve-pairs, 272, 280
Sense(s), 24, 46, 72, 134, 193-4,21 3,259,262-3, Seven Sleepers, 182, 185,272, 664
336-7,435,441 , 530-1 , 531,562,579-80,593, Seven tides, 673 , 676
595-7, 609- 11 , 613, 618, 629-30, 634, 644-5 , Seven wise men (sages), 272, 280,830
672-3 , 681,714,717,720,730 Seventh daughter, 239
Sense, common, 72, 193-4 Seventh son, 239, 240
SENTENTIAE (Lombard), 496, 497, 501 , 814,827 Severus, Septimius (Roman emperor), 800, 809
SEPHER HA-YIHUD (Hamai Gaon), 805 Sex, changes of, 202, 203
SEPHER RAZIEL (grimoire), 472, 534-5, 554-5, Sexangle (Hexagram), 330
698 SEXTI POMPEII FESTI DE VERBORUM SIGNI-
SEPHER YETZIRAH (BOOK OF FORMATION), FICATIONE (Pompei us Festus), 159
20,74,226-7,301,533,537,756,805 Sextile (astrological), 357, 358, 402-3
Sephiroth (Kabbalah), 11,287-90, 291,301,467-9, Sextus (Pythagorean), 580, 583
470-3,507,752-61 Sextus Pompey (younger son of Pompey the Great),
Septangle (Heptagram), 330 605
Septenare (Saba), 269, 276 Seznec, Jean (writer), 382-3, 388
Serapeum (temple of Serapis) , 458 Sforza, Bianca Maria (wife of Maximilian /), 817
Seraph (ruler of Fire), 257, 533, 536 Shabbathai (Saturn), 274, 288, 554, 758
Seraph, Arabian, 122 Shaddai (holy name), 251, 262, 264, 289, 469, 470,
Seraphim (angelic order), 27, 145, 146, 202, 257, 473,475 ,506, 760,762
266, 284-5,288,294, 468, 470,505 , 588 Shadow(s),65, 145, 518-9,599,606, 607,613 , 702
Seraphim (Kabbalistic order of angels), 226, 288, Shahaqiel (angel), 535
468 , 473,506, 507,759 Shakespeare (playwright), 250, 253, 279, 627, 729,
Serapis (god), 234, 236, 330, 458, 491, 5'10, 635, 731
674, 796 Shakti (goddess of manifest power), 424, 718, 819
Serapis , oracle of, 457, 458 Shalmaneser (king of Assyria), 457, 459
Serenus, Q, Sammonicus (writer), 214, 476, 481, 828 Shamanism, 631-2
Seres (place), 97, 848 SHAMANISM (Eliade), 632
Serpent(s), 55-6, 61-2, 66, 69, 83, 84, 87, 89, 98, Shape-changing, 122, 135, 137, 201, 510, 537,
108,121 , 124, 127,129, 130-1,135,140, 146, 566-7, 574, 596, 596, 602, 631-2, 694, 705,
167,170-1,172,1 79, 182, 183-5,220,239,289, 706-7
333, 352, 375, 377, 379, 389-90,391, 392-3, Shark, 55, 85
394,427,485, 493,515,535,550,571-2, 593-4, Shataqiel (angel), 535
597, 659,674, 692-3 , 700-1 , 707,817 Shaula (star), 101
928/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-GENERAL INDEX

Sheath fish, 86, 88 SIPHRA DI ZENIOUTHA (a book of the ZOHAR),

Sheep, 58-9, 71, 86,152, 162,297,336,501,607, 472
634,650,658 Sire (Soru), 255, 260
Sheep, stinking, 91 Sirens (mythical), 337, 510
Sheep's parsley (herb), 61 Sirius (star), 98, 99,119-20,362,363,380,395,410,
Shekinah (holy spirit), 472-3, 482, 622 411
Shellfish, 76 Sirocco (Auster), 21, 151
Shem (son of Noah), 54, 472, 621 Sisyphus (king of Corinth), 596--7, 602
Shemesh (Sun), 274, 289, 554, 759 SITRE TORA, 534
Shemoth (barbarous name), 490, 492 Siwah (oasis), 73
SHEPHERD OF HERMAS, 523 Six (number), 264-5, 265-6, 267, 312-3, 315, 316
Shiva (god of universal consciousness), 424, 718 Skamandros (river/god), 525
Shoe, 151 , 153 Skate (fish), 70
Shrew-mouse, 82 Skeat, Walter W. (writer), 734
Sibyl(s), Ii, 188-9,190-1,436,437,443, 518, 619, Skin(s), animal, 59, 62, 69-71 , 89, 378, 634, 634,
621,621-2,624 635,658,660,673
Sibylline books, 621-2 Skinner, Stephen (writer), 779, 784
Sicilia (Sicily), 97, 183-4, 491-2, 624, 626, 649, Skull, human, 121
651,673, 675,848 Slave revolt (Servile War), 162,166,803
Sickle, 381, 409, 537, 574 Sleep, long, 182, 185,644,80 1
Sigils, 747-50, 737-8 Sleep, magical, 249
Sign(s), zodiac, 6, 11, 26, 53-4, 72, 74, 80, 97-8, Sleep walking, 134,609
102, 132, 155, 186,223-5,250--1,252-3,258, SLEEPING BEAUTY (fairy tale), 253
269-70, 292, 294-5, 300, 316, 345, 357, 368, Smallage (wild celery), 129-30
375, 397,400,402-4,406,409,413, 484, 491, Smaragdine (Emerald Tablet), 709
499,525,532-3,536,547-8,548,549-50,550, Smoke, 179, 180,400, 400,476
552-3,554-5,560,774-5 Smyrna (city), 203
Sign of perfection, 186, 186-7 Snail, 55,105
Signet (seal), 91 Snake(s), 40, 47, 48, 53, 55, 58-9, 66, 98, 113, 122,
Significator(s) (astrological), 402-3, 404, 412 131,143,144,151,163,167,173-4,184-5,218,
Signs (chiromancy), 102-4, 104, 155, 156 219,393,395 , 832
Signs, Cardinal (astrological), 250--1, 252 Snake, brazen, 233
Signs, Fixed (astrological), 250--1, 252 Snake, homed, 122
Signs, Mutable (astrological), 250--1, 252 Snakebite, 99, 185, 70 I
Signs, Table of the twelve, 551, 772 Snakeskin, 48-9, 122,125, 181 , 183,390, 391
SIGNS AND SYMBOLS OF FREEMASONARY Sneezing, 158, 159
(1. S. M. Ward) , 304 Socrates (philosopher), 130, 214, 444, 480, 527,
Silence, 443-4, 445, 447, 652, 653 528-9,530,610,621,629,632,695, 802,809,
Silenus (god), 602 822,828
Silenus, Bacchus (Orphic deity), 423,424 Socrates, sign (daemon) of, 527, 528-9, 530, 621, 695
Silk,403 Sodom (biblical city), 534, 663
Silphion (Assafetida), 205 Sofia (Sosias) , 670, 671
SIL VAE (Statius), 829 Sogdiana (place), 97
Silvans (silvani), 520, 567, 569, 599 Sol-see Sun
Silvanus (god), 569 Solfeggio (musical scale), 342
Silver, 23, 45, 80, 86, 91, 123, 126, 130, 178, 258, Solids, Platonic, 331
272, 274,318-9,392-3,669,669, 679,734 SoUah (spirit of the Sun), 553
Simeon Ben Yohai (Kabbalist), 533, 537, 828 Solinus (historian), 16,598, 828
Simeon the Just (Hebrew priest), 482 Solitaurilia (festival), 655
Simon (apostle), 574 Solomon (king of Israel), 140, 141, 219, 220, 245,
Simon, Rabbi-see Simeon Ben Yohai 270, 272, 276, 287, 292, 300, 450, 469, 512-4,
Simon Magus (magician), xxxv, 494, 706, 707 528,555,593,621,638-9,666,691,693, 695,
Simplicianus-see Simplicius 698, 700-1
Simplicius (Neoplatonist), 696, 801 Solomon, seal of, 472
Simylos of Messene, 235 Solomon , temple of, 114,470
Sinai, Mount, 265, 300, 666, 700 Solon (one of the Seven Sages), 7, 280, 622
Sinesius-see Synesius Solstice(s), 240,246, 248, 269, 273, 276, 410, 673,
Sion, Mount, 300 676
 Sheath fish-Spirits, evi l /929

Son, God the, 145, 189, 191,251,254,365,460-1, Sparrow(s), 46, 48, 50, 64, 64, 91, 132, 148, 162,
462-4,465,465-6,468,474, 479,515,517,530, 166,170,270, 276,296
581-2,584 Sparta (Lacedaemon), 494-5, 659, 848
Sonchis (Egyptian priest), 7 Sparta, herb of-see Scythian herb
Song, 14, 39, 190,219,221-2,333,336, 337,340, Spartan(s),177,491 , 494,635,658
355,488,565,567,605,619 Spartianus , Aelius (historian), 415, 786,829
Sonnasarnova (an augurium), 157-8, 159 Spear, 150, 152, 239
Sonnasarvetus (an augurium), 157-8,159 SPECULIS (Vitello), 233
Soothsaying/ers, 129, 158, 163, 171, 173-4, 175, SPECULUM ASTRONOMIAE (Albertus Magnus),
190,202,234,412, 414,416, 512,616,6 18,62 1, 221,221,400,400,815,831
630,633,634 , 644,818 SPECULUM MAJUS (Saint Vincent of Beauvais),
Sophia (Gnostic sister of Christ), 704 706
SOPHIST, THE (Plato), 616 Speech, 223, 224, 226, 234, 336, 430, 530, 581-2
Sophocles (playwright), 84, 199, 200, 458, 808, Spence, Lewis (writer), 84, 313, 416, 792
828-9 Spenser, Edmund (poet), 27
Sophus (tophus), stone, 23, 24 Sperm, 46, 92, 287
Soracte (mountain), 491,494,848 Sperm whale, 92, 131
Soranus , Valerius (writer), 467, 469-70, 829 Spermaceti, 130, 131
Sorath (spirit of the Sun), 320,404, 748 SPHERA (Cecco d'Ascoli), 790
Sorcerer(s), Ii, 114, 124,537,632,684--5,693, 706 Sphere (geometric), 331,714-5,726
Sorceress(es), 121 -2, 178 SPHERE, THE (Sacrobosco), 789
Sorcery(ies),80, 119, 121-2, 123-5, 135,203,219, Spheres (astrological), 26, 37, 250, 281, 282, 283-5,
240,449,685 , 790,833 342,355,368,371 ,423, 424,468,496, 497,499,
Sorrel (herb), 654 501,554,561 ,6 18-9, 630,754,756,758-61
Sosias (Greek name), 670, 671 Spica (star), 99, 101, 362, 364, 395, 396, 409-10,
Soti!'a (midwife), 126 410-1
Soul(s),xlvii, 18,24,37,44, 110, 154, 163, 169, 181, Spider(s), 53, 56, 60, 64, 163,334, 335,594
Spike (herb), 86, 87
192, 193, 196, 199, 202, 203, 204, 208, 209,
Spike, the-see Spica
210-1, 214, 217, 237, 238, 240, 246--7, 259,
Spikenard, Cretan (herb), 650
268-9,287,318,352,355,415,430-1,435,441,
Spindle of Necessity, 367
448-9,453,455,465,467, 481, 497, 506, 510,
Spirit(s) (entity), 18, 113, 115, 129-30, 134, 181,
516,522, 523,525,527,528-9,530,550,553-4,
217, 219-20, 226, 318-27, 373, 379, 393, 395,
567, 568-9, 571 , 574, 579-81, 583, 585, 586,
415,427,431 , 451,480,499-501,501,503,512,
587-8,594, 594,595-600,604,605-6,609-11,
518, 524, 530, 532-3, 535, 547, 549-50, 553,
611-2,613-4,616,6 18,62 1,621, 623 , 627,628, 558,562,566--8, 571,573,580,595-7,598,609,
629-30, 630-2, 633, 634, 636, 638-9, 642, 616,621,623,625,653,672,679, 683,699-700,
643-44,647,649,652,653-4,655-6,661,665, 707,777,821
672,674, 676,681 ,693 , 695-6, 699-700, 704, Spirit(s) (essence), 23, 72, 75-6, 86, 91,94, 110, 134,
713,715,730-1,773 140, 148, 154,206,259,284,287,3 18,336--7,
Soul, fo urfold operation, 614 365-6,390,441,451,461,465,580-1,585,594,
SOUL, ON THE-see DE ANIMA (Aristotle) 594, 595, 597, 606, 618, 622, 623, 625, 626,
Soul, sensible, 108, 194, 448, 581, 613 633-4,634 ,64 1,643,647,656,662,672-3,679,
Soul, threefold apprehension, 189, 581 694,696,729-30
Soul of the World, xiv, xlvii, xlviii, 35, 37,44, 105, Spirit, harmonical, 217, 336
108, 1 38 , 209,242 ,255,315,318,365,4 17 ,4 1~ Spirit(s), personal, 521, 522-3, 586, 588
417', 419,420,421,421-2,423,431,458,460-1, Spirit, phantastic, 186, 199, 201-2, 633-4
467,469,469,491,571,712-8 SPIRIT AND SOUL (Augustine), 613 , 614
Souls, celestial, 37,44, 113,224,404, 419,421,423, Spirit of the World (see also Quintessence), 44, 46,
430-1,490-2,496,497,500,618,653 105, 223-5,226,419,460-1,669,721,726
South (direction), 144,159,176,227,365,375,487, Spirits, airy, 114, 118, 129-30,217,395, 473,511 ,
500, 502,509,533, 536,673 518,519,521,596,599,657
South wind-see Notus Spirits, celestial (heavenly), 188, 193,219,250,263,
Southernwood (herb), 53, 56, 131 403-4,431,448,580,629
Sow, 105, 296, 656 Spirits, evil, 10, 13-4, 76, 114, 129,135, 140, 188,
Sowbread (herb), 98, 99 193, 219-20,245,270, 318-27,330, 356, 375,
Spain, 97 395-6, 410, 423, 435, 441, 450, 453, 455, 477,
Spanish fly, 126 501,509-11,511-2,519-20,521-2,532-3,536,
930/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY -GENERAL INDEX

538, 547, 548, 549-50, 553-4, 556-7, 566-8, Statues, magnetic, 234, 236
568, 574-5, 586, 590, 596-7,597, 605-6, 607, Steel, 125, 134, 135
611,642,649,650,656,670,674,683-5,694-6, STEGANOGRAPHIA (Trithemius), xxxv, 833
699,705-6,747-50,754,767 Stella (starfish), 76, 79, 138
Spirits, good, 10, 14,26, 114, 193,246,270,272, Steltoma (barbarous name), 490, 492
410,500-1,521-2,532,538,547,548,549-50, Stheno (Gorgon), 547
553-4,566-8,586,621,636,686,699,705 Stigmata, 20 I, 202-3
Spirits, reviling to banish or bind, 567, 568-9,655, Stilbon (Mercury), 427, 429
674 Stinging nettle (herb), 99
Spirits, subterrany, 605, 672, 773, 777 STOBAEI HERMETICA (Hermes), 413, 420, 445,
Spirits of Lies (second order of devils), 285, 288, 473,523
294,509,758 Stohaeus, Joannes (writer), 797
Spirits of the decans (astrological), 220 Stoic(s),8, 160,583,616,617,644,786,797,803
Spittle (saliva), 151, 153, 185,249, 250 Stone , Nicolaus, 183
Spleen (animal), 150,152 Stone, Philosopher's, 679
Spleen (human), 150, 152,269,287,730 Stone, the (kidney stone), 381,382
Sponge(s), 24, 83, 530, 643 Stonehenge, xix, 234,235
Sponge stone, 23, 24 Stones, singing, 32, 33, 333
Spongious iron, rain of, 175, 177 Storax (gum-resin), 86, 87, 132, 392, 393, 564, 565
Spring (water), 492-3 Storax, liquid, 133, 392-3, 393-4
Spurge (Euphorbia), 89 Storax, red, 129-30, 131, 132
Spurge, sea (herb), 93 Stork(s),53, 55, 86,87, 132, 161, 169,274,510,594
Spurinna (Roman augur), 173 Straho (writer), 68, 537, 793, 797, 826, 830
Spurinus, Q. Petillius (Roman praetor), 821 Stratonica (wife of Seleucus I), 199,200,790
Square (astrological), 357, 357-8, 402,404 STROMATEIS (Clemens Alexandrinus), 445-6
Square (geometrical), 254, 255, 347-8, 476, 697 Strombi (mollusk), 76, 79
Squares, magic, xiv, 318-27, 733-51, 736, 739, 746, STROZE CICOGNA-see THEATRE DE LA
767 NATURE
Staff(ves), 151, 159,168,488,641,666,832 Sturgeon, 89
Stag(s), 49, 56-7,62,122,131,495,503 Sturluson, Snorri (writer), 632
Staghorn-see Hartshorn Styx (infernal river), 26, 27, 259, 282, 504, 533, 537
Stalabors, 58 Succeeding houses (astrological), 359,360 .
Standards, Roman, 87-8 Succory (herb), 99,100-1
Stannel (hawk), 90 Succubus/succubi, 514, 519, 519-20
Star(s), 39, 44, 46, 75, 102, 106, 108, 110, 112, Suet, hare, 47
129-30, 175, 179,208,210,2 16,219-20,237, Suetonius (Roman historian), 127, 166-7,280,675,
312-3,330,333,345,366,373,402,412-3,413, 823
417,419,426,426-7,431,448, 457, 484,490-2, Suffumigations (see also Fumes), 129-30, 132-5,
496, 496-7, 524-5, 527, 532-3, 571, 590, 598, 140,618, 653
609-10, 631,653,656, 669,679,717 Suffusius, Numerius, 414
Star(s), fixed, xlvii, 5, 35, 44, 98-9, 102, 146, 213, Sugar, 86
223, 258, 339-40, 342-3, 357, 362-3, 363-4, Suicide, 495, 528, 814, 824, 827
366, 368, 395-7, 408, 409-10, 411, 423 , 427, Suidas (writer/book), 689, 785, 791-2, 801, 808, 832
432,455,500,560, 656,698,715,832 SuI/a , L. Cornelius (Roman tyrant), 162, 171,174,
Star, ruling (astrological), 312 236,824,829,834
Star, the (biblical), 299, 301 Sul/a the astrologer, 673 , 675
Star(s), wandering (planets), 37, 44, 52, 72-3, 102, Sulphur, 8, 9, 30,40,61, 105, 108, 130, 131, 132,
114, 140, 145, 206, 263, 270, 272, 273, 299, 537,649,649, 650
365-6,371,409,430,496,499-500,547,549, Sulphurwort (herb), 98, 100
553,566,587-9,591,656-7,663 SUM OF THE UNIVERSE (Gulielmus Parisiensis),
Starfish, 79 496
Stata (festival), 655 SUMMA CONTRA GENTILES (Aquinas), 208,
Stations of the cross, 455 209,417,496,497,586,791
Stalius (Roman poet), 179,630,632,829 SUMMA DE ARITHMETICA GEOMETRIA PRO-
Statue(s), 113, 202, 233, 235, 253, 365, 414, 458, PORTIONI ET PROPORTION ALITA (Lucas
475, 492, 494-5, 553-4, 555, 564-5, 574, 576, Paciolus), 304,305,814
624,626,637,637,660,668,668,669,669,676, SUMMA PERFECTION IS MAGISTERII (Geber),
692,706,707,709,800,808 580,583,803
 Spirits, evil-Tegyra / 931

SUMMA THEOLOGICA (Aquinas), 197,583,612, Syria, 6, 17, 78, 386, 487, 565, 620
791 Syria, Lower, 97
Summanus (god), 176 Syrians, 271 ,491
Summers, Montague (writer), 115 Syros (island), 635
Sun, 5-6, 13-4, /6, 18, 26, 44, 52, 58, 62, 72-3, Syros in Caria, 635
75-6, 80, 96-9, 100, 102-3, 105-6, 123, 130, Syrtes, Greater (place), 185
132-3, 139, 143-6, 154-5, 181,184,186,210,
218,219,234,236,242,247,253,258,274,276, Tables (of the Commandments), 273, 280, 670
281,281,283,284-5,289,312,315-6,319-20, Tables (of the Palici), 624, 626
324,339-40,341-2,352,355,357,359,359-61, Tabor, Mount, 666
362-3,363,365-6,366-7,371,381,386,402-4, Tacitus (Roman historian), 48, 481, 598, 604, 823,
404, 407, 409, 423, 424, 426, 426, 427, 429, 830
430-1,448,457,467-8,490-1,497,500,524-5, Taenarum (promontory in Laconia), 492, 848
525, 532-3, 535, 549-50, 553, 554, 558, 569, Tages (Etruscan god), 159, 167, 171, /71, 173
577,587,590,598,598,610,619,656,701,709, Tagiriron (order of devils), 285, 289, 294, 509, 759
711,717,748,759 Tagriel (angel of the 26th lunar mansion), 533
Sun, seal of the, 319-20, 324,329, 744-5 TALISMANS, AMULETS AND ZODIACAL
Sun, square of the, 319-20, 324, 741, 744-5 GEMS, BOOK OF (W. Thomas and K. Pavitt),
Superstition(s), 18, 135, 155,229, 450-1,571,656, 42,54,59-60
666, 685,696,699,701-2,705 TALMUD, 405, 703, 805, 835
Sur (Taurus), 554 Talos (giant), 68
Suriel (spirit of Taurus), 553 Tamarisk, 130
Survius Tullius (sixth king of Rome), 280 Tamyraca (promontory in Sarmatia), 848
SURVIVAL OF THE PAGAN GODS (Seznec), Tantalus (damned soul), 596, 602
382-3,388 Taphthartharath (spirit of Mercury), 320,403,749
Susa (city of Elam in Persia), 113,428,620 Tapus barbatus (tapsus barbatus), 129, 130
Suspensions (see Alligations, Bindings to the body), Taranis (god), 495
138-9, 139,476-7,618,705 Tarantism (disease), 334,335
Sutrinians, 491, 848 Tarantula (spider), 334, 335
Swallow(s), 46, 48, 50,53, 56,60,69,70,86, 87,91, Tarapnas (city), 491
132, 143, 144,162, 171 ,262 Tarentines, 702
Swallow stone, 56, 70, 143,144 Tarentum (town in Italy), 163, 174, 335, 494, 702,
Swallow-wort (celandine), 56, 70 848
Swan(s), 59, 76, 91, 92,160,164,170,170,173,274, Tarpeian Hill (hill in Rome), 168
297,333,656 Tarquinius Priscus (fifth king of Rome), 161, 164,
Swearing, 27, 119 175, 280,313,830,833
Sweat, 80,177,199,202,645,697 Tarquinius Superbus (seventh king of Rome), 622
Swine, 53, 58, 80, 511, 512 Tarshishim (angelic order), 759
Sword(s), 84, 125, 135, 151 , 243,284,3 19, 378, 385, Tarsus (city), 567
387,470,488,518,5/8,519,581,591,595,647, Tartarus (Underworld), 243, 535
666 Tarutius (husband of Acca Larentia), 659
SWORN BOOK OF HONORIUS (grimoire), 559, Tasso (poet), 56
698 Tatius (Tat, son of Hermes), 653 , 654
Sybaris (stream in Calabria, near Crotona), /6 Taurica-see Tauris
Syl/a-see SuI/a, L. Cornelius Tauriel (spirit of Taurus), 553
Sylvani-see Silvans Taw'in , Saint, 429
Symehon Hacephi (apostle Peter), 574 Tauris (island), 491, 848
SYMPOSIUM (Plato), 4 Taurus (zodiac sign), 26, 73, 97-8, 100, 132, 144,
Synagogue, 300 258,294,296,313,375,377,387,409,423,423,
Synal/asis (nymph), 20 533,536,553,554
Syncope (suspension of the heart), 630, 632 Taurus, Mount, 491, 495, 659, 848
Synderesis (synteresis), 197, 197 Taylor, Thomas (writer), 14, 62, 73, 87, 173, 214,
Synesius (writer), 44, 112, 186, 477, 633, 694, 238,252,260-1,264-5,267,317,366,424,428,
829-30 445,458-9,462-3,481,504,572,583,603,620,
Synocal fever, 375,376 632,635,645,650,660-1,671,694,719,723
Synochitis (stone), 38, 42, 112 Teeth (animal), 121
Syracusans, 673 Tegea (city in Arcadia), 848
Syracuse (city in Sicily), 675, 815 Tegyra (perhaps Tegea), 491 , 848
932/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-GENERAL INDEX

Teiresias-see Tiresias Thalassa (god), 537

Telchines, 65, 68, 533, 537 Thales (philosopher), 7, 16, 19,45, 170, 280,830
Telemachos (son of Odysseus), 601,847 Thaletas (musician), 334
Telepathy, 610, 611 Thalia (Muse), 181, 184, 284, 284, 339, 340, 341,
Telescope, 233, 235, 331,332, 794 423,424,626
Teleth (Aries), 554 Thamaritans, 491, 848
Teletiel (spirit of Aries), 553 Thamiel (order of devils), 285, 288, 294, 509, 756
Tellumo (female part of the World), 716 Thamni (apostle Thomas), 574
Tellus (goddess), 494, 674, 676, 716 Thargelia (festival), 802
TEMPEST, THE (Shakespeare), 732 Tharsis (ruler of Water), 257, 533, 536
Temple (Hebrew), 287, 300, 670, 811 Tharsus (Tarshish, a biblical place), 636
Templum (consecrated space), 159 THAT THE KING IS THE ONLY MAKER (Ori-
Tempters-see Ensnarers gen),446
Temurah (Kabbalistic method), 762, 764-8 Theangelida-see Theangelis
Ten (number), 254, 262, 264, 269, 276, 284, 287-9, Theangelis (herb), 112,113,618
290-1,292,316,317,330,818 THEATRE DE LA NATURE, xxviii
Tenatus-see Taenarum Thebais (Upper Egypt), 97, 848
Tenedos (island), 491,848 THEBAIS (Statius), 829
Teonia (festival), 656 Thebean alphabet (magical alphabet), 558, 559, 563
Teos (king of Egypt), 818 Thebes (in Egypt), 73, 698, 848
Terence (writer), 118 Thebes (in Greece), 162,333,335,491,492-3,558,
Terentia (first wife of Cicero), 179 559,600,700,702-3,788,848-9
Terentianus Maw'us (poet), 312, 830 Thehith (Tohit Ben KOrl'a). 38, 98, 366,411,691,830
Terms (astrological), 262, 264, 359, 525 Themis (goddess), 253
Telpander (musician), 333, 339,341,830 THEMIS AUREA (Maier), 207
Terpsichore (Muse), 284, 284, 339, 340, 341, 423, Themison (medical writer), 826
424 Themistius (philosopher), 237, 830-1
Tertian ague, 69, 70, 123, 126, 143, 150, 151, 239, Theocritus (poet), 66, 793
240,273 Theodericus (writer), 828
Tertullian (writer), 443, 491, 492-4, 595, 599, 601, Theodoric the Great. 199,200,610,795-6
604,631,691,799,819 Theodorus (Theodoras . a Greek who mocked the
Tespion-see Thespesion Mysteries), 444, 446
Tessarosten (festival), 300, 301 Theodosius I (Roman emperor), 185,804,808,831
TESTAMENT OF SOLOMON (grimoire), 536 THEOGONIA (Museus), 818
TESTAMENTUM GEBERI REGIS INDIAE THEOGONY, THE (Hesiod), 191,243,260,461,
(Geber),803 463,574,639,806
Testicles (stones), 46, 72-3, 163,167, 169,172,287 THEOLOGIA PLATONICA DE IMMORTALI-
Tet (Osiris) , 260 TATE ANIMAE (Ficinus), 424, 445
Tethys (goddess), 19,574 THEOLOGICAL ARITHMETIC (Nicomachus),
TETRABIBLOS (Ptolemy), 40,54,73-4,97,179, 264
264, 313, 359-61, 367, 404-5, 429, 525, 548, Theological philosophy, 5-6
786,825,838,845 THEOLOGY OF PLATO (Proclus), 470, 603
Tetractys, 252, 254, 255-6, 290-1, 470 Theomancy, 700
Tetragrammaton (IHVH) , xli, 254-5, 255, 257, 260, Theon of Alexandria (astronomer), 832
288-90, 291,292,292,311,468,475,478,478, Theon of Smyrna (mathematician), 246, 252, 255,
482,484-5,627,758,769,805 260,264,267,273,276,281-2,290-1,317,337,
Tetragrammaton, twelve banners of, 292, 292, 342,361
294-5,298,484,486 Theophilus (Greek name), 670, 671
Tetragrammaton Elohim (holy name), 468 Theophrastus (philosopher), 32, 38, 42, 133, 183,
Tetragrammaton Sahaoth (holy name), 469, 473 333-4,417, 419,650,792,831
Tetrahedron (Platonic solid), 331, 343, 413, 725-6 Theopompus (rhetorician), 444, 831
Teucer (Babylonian mathematician), 377,830 THEOREMATA RADICALIA (Anselmi), 789
Teutan (the god Tew), 577, 577 THEORETIC ARITHMETIC (Taylor), 252, 264
Teutas-see Teutates Theos (holy name), 255, 260
Teutates (god, probably Tew) , 491, 495 Therasia (island), 849
Teutons, 576 Therma (town in Macedonia), 849
TEXTBOOK OF ASTROLOGY (Pearce), 360-1 Thermodonians, 491, 849
Thaddeus (apostle), 574 Thesean Games, 802
 Teiresias-Tongues of beasts / 933

Theseus (hero), 184 Thyme (herb), 91 , 92

Thesmophoria (Greek festival), 60, 656, 659 Thysdritum (place), 203
Thespesion (leader of the Gymnosophists), 690, 691 Tiber (town in Latium), 492, 849
Thessala (Erichtho),liii, Iv, 121 , 122 Tiber (river), 493-4, 565
Thessalians, 635 Tiberinus (hero/god), 491 , 493
Thessaly (place), Iv, 127, 189, 191, 334, 492, 603, Tiberius (Roman emperor), 90,162-3, 166,610,799,
789 813,831
Thet (Thoth), 255, 260 Tihullus (poet), 218, 219-20, 461 , 463,831
Thetel (writer), 690, 831, 835 Tick, 124, 128
Thetys (goddess), 423, 424 Tide(s), 5,276,673,676
Theudemir (father of Theodoric), 199, 200 Tiger, 64, 591 , 592, 593, 596
Theurgia, 526,529,611, 684,689,689,694-5, 699, Tilla-see Tylo
701 Tillum-see Tylo
Theutus (devil(fhoth), 509, 512 Timaeus (philosopher), 331 , 724
Thevet (writer), xxxv TIMAEUS (Plato), 9, 39, 43, 196, 238, 252, 267,
Thibii (tribe in Pontus), 68 269,273,334,416,418,422,463,586,713,715,
Thief(ves), 64, 119-20, 169, 593 717,719,721,723-7,731,797
THIRTY-TWO PATHS OF WISDOM (Kabbalistic Time, 237, 238,249, 281, 282, 287, 714-5
text), 301 Time(s) (astrological), 237 , 371, 372, 426 , 500,
Thistle, 90 532-3,534-5,576,619,670,672-4
Thistle, lady 's (milky thistle), 100 Times (sacred), 670
Thistle, milky (herb), 98, 100 TIMES, BOOK OF, 157,158
Thoantes (king of Taurica), 491 Timochares (architect), 236
Thomas (apostle), 528, 574 Timotheus (governor of Campania), 810
Thomas of Cantempre (writer), 831 Timotheus of Miletus (musician), 282, 333, 335, 619,
Thomists, 198 620,831-2
Thor (god), 576, 577 Timothy (biblical), 444, 447
Thornback (fish), 70 Tin, 23 , 86, 94,258, 274,3 19, 392-3
Thorndike, Lynn (writer), xxxv-vi, xli, 221, 485, Tindoreus (Tyndareus), 181 , 183
497-8,503,519,535,584,691,697-8,707,709, Tiphareth (sixth Sephirah), 289, 468, 754-5, 757,
773,789-90,812,815,826,831 759
Thorny caper (herb), 81 Tiresias (blind seer), 170,493,595, 602,607,832
Thoth (god), 61, 512, 842 Til-iel (intelligence of Mercury), 320, 749
Thracia (place), 97, 491-2, 493, 624, 626, 644, Tisiphone (Fury), 251 , 253, 50 I, 504
673-4,675-6,849 Titan (Sun), 426, 428, 462
Thracians, 502, 690 TITANOMACHIA (Museus), 818
Thread(s), 126-7, 138-9, 143,144, 150,152,219, Titans, 428, 818
221,221,249,519,642 Tithymallus (herb), 91, 93
Three (number), 245, 246, 249-50, 250, 251 , 252-3, Titmouse (bird), 63
264,268,270,290, 312-3,315, 316,318,320-1, Titus (Roman emperor), 830
594 ,642, ~2 Tityos (giant), 597, 603
THREE BOOKS-see OCCULT PHILOSOPHY Toad(s), 53, 83, 108
Three Children, 39 Toad, bramble, 125,128
THREE WORKS OF ANCIENT JEWISH MAGIC, Tobiah-see Tohias
534-5,697 Tobias (son of Tohit), 163, 468,473,505 , 522,534,
Threshold (door), 119,150-1,151-2,160, 163 621,647 , 675,695
Thrones (angelic order), 27, 257, 266, 284-5, 288, Tobit-see Tobias
294,497,505,588 Tobit Ben Kona (astronomer), 830, 832
Thrush (bird), 53, 94 Tohy the Younger-see Tobias
Thucydides (writer), 843 Tochot (devils), 554, 556
Thule (place), 826 Toledo (city in Spain), 550
Thunderbolts (stone), 23, 24-5 Toletan Tables-see Alphonsine Tables
Thuringia (place), 599, 849 Tomim (Gemini), 554
THYESTES (Seneca), 647, 648 Tomimiel (spirit of Gemini), 553
Thyia (daughter of Castalius), 659 Tongue (animal), 47, 69,128
Thyia (festival), 655, 659 Tongue (human), 530
Thyiades (female worshippers of Dionysus), 659 Tongue of Angels, 530
Thymallus (fish), 274 Tongues of beasts-see Animals, languages of
934/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-GENERAL INDEX

Tooth (animal), 69, 70 Trophonius (hero), 166,624,625

Toothache, 40, 69, 101,152-3,395 Troy (city), 175,313,334,495,622,635,800,849
Topaz (stone), 58, 60-1, 76, 78, 94, 99, 284-5, 294 Tryphon (Roman grammarian), 691
Topazos (island), 60 Tuberculosis, 375,376
Torch(es), 14,63,145--6,175,176,179,650 Tubero, Gaius Aelius (Roman praetor), 181 , 183
Torpedo---see Crampfish Tullius , Servius (sixth king of Rome), 175, 177,313,
Ton-ella, Jerome (writer), 697 833
Tortoise, 46,53,81,83,733 Tullus Hostilius (third king of Rome), 280
Tourmaline, brown (stone), 42 TRUE AND FAITHFUL RELATION, A (Casaubon),
TRACTATUS QUADRANTIS (Robertus Anglicus), 28
789 Tully-see Cicero
Trajan (Roman emperor), 415, 416, 600, 604, 804-5, Tundinus (writer), 773
823,830,832 TURBA PHILOSOPHORUM (alchemical text), 627,
Trance, 181-2 698
TRANSCENDENTAL MAGIC (Levi), 790 Turner, Robert (writer), 180,397,774
Transformations-see Shape-changing Turner , William (herbalist), 57, 130-1, 650
Travail-see Childbirth Turnisole (herb), 239, 240
Treacle, 58, 59 Turtle(s) (dove), 46, 47, 53,53,55,57,59,62,91,92,
Trebatius (writer), 62 656
Tree (Kabbalistic), 301, 471, 473, 754-5, 757 Tuscana-see Etruria
Tree of Death (Tree of Knowledge), 189, 191 Tuscia-see Etruria
Tree of Life, 468, 473, 638 Tuscians (Etruscans), 160, 162,255
Tree used at burials, 83 TUSCULANARUM DISPUTATIONUM (Cicero),
Treveris (Augusta Trevirorum), 234, 849 644,645,792
Trezenium (place), 151,492,849 Tutelar order (angels), 505
Triangle(s), 330, 347-9, 558, 725-7 Tutia-see Tutty
Triballians, 65, 66, 204 Tutty (oxide of zinc), 99, 101
Tribes of Israel, 257, 294-5, 484, 574, 636 Twelve (number), 270, 292, 295-7, 313, 315--6
Trieterica (festival), 656 TWELVE CAESARS (Suetonius), 127, 166-7,280,
Trietericus , Bacchus (Orphic deity), 423, 424 675
Trifoil (Clover), 99, 101 Twelve Tables (code of Roman law), 693, 694
Trigemina, Porta (Roman gate), 676 Two (number), 245--6, 246, 247, 248, 250, 252, 254,
Trine (astrological), 357, 358, 381,402-3, 404 264,281 , 312-3,315,316-7
Trinity, divine, 145,249-51 , 254,460-1,462,465, Tybur-see Tibur (town in Latium)
465-6,467-8,515,517,581,583,704,819 Tyio, 112,113, 181
Triorchis (buzzard), 172 Tynnichus of Chalcis, 188, 191
Triphon (Typhon?), 691 , 691 Typhon (writer), 691
TRIPLE WA Y OF KNOWING GOD (Agrippa), xxi Typhon (monster), 467, 470, 493, 504, 569, 671
Triplicities (astrological), 27, 73, 74, 250-1, 253, Tyresia-see Tiresias
254,258,359,359,375,409,499,781 Tytia , Jana Loysa (second wife of Agrippa), xxvi,
Tripod(s), 233 , 235, 624, 625 xxx-i
TRISTIA (Ovid), 20 Tytius-see Tityos
Trithemius, Johannes (writer), xviii, xxxv, liii, lvii, 4, Tzadekh-see Tzedek
11, 18, 20, 533, 534, 536, 687, 709, 734, 788, Tzedkiel-see Zadkiel
821-2,833 Tzaphkiel, 274, 288, 472, 758
Tritogeneia (Athene), 463 Tzedek (Jupiter), 274, 288, 554, 758
Tritones-see Tritonis Palus Tziruph-see Ziruph
Tritonia (Athene), 315,461,849
Tritonis Palus (lake), 316, 492, 849 Ubians, city of the, 64
Troad (land around Troy), 334, 622, 674, 676, 849 Ugarthilocus , cave of, 598
Troas-see Troad Ulysses (Odysseus), 121, 122, 135, 185,218,219,
Trochisks (lozenges), 133 481,594-8,598,602-4,605,607,648,693,800
Trochius (mollusk), 94, 95 Umbria (place), 850
Troezenia (place), 849 Umbrians, 160, 494
Troglodys-see Troglodytice Umbricius (augur), 165
Troglodytae (cave-dwellers), 673, 676, 849 UMBRIS IDEARUM (of Solomon), 698
Troglodytice (place), 97, 676, 849 UNCERTAINTY AND VANITY OF SCIENCES,
Trojan(s), 492, 621,676 THE (Agrippa), xxix, xxxi, xxxiii-iv, xlix, Iii, Iii,
 Tooth (animal)-Virgil / 935

229, 230, 449, 646, 689, 693-4, 697, 699, 702, Venus (planet), 26, 52, 72-3, 91, 96-9, 101, 132-3,
706,773, 789 143-4, 146, 148, 154-5, 170, 210, 253, 263,
Unction(s), 134, 672 265-6,274,283-5,289,312,315,319-20,325,
Unguents, 11 9, 134-5, 135 339-40,340 , 341-2,355 , 360,362-3, 363,375,
UNHEARD-OF CURIOSITIES (Gaffarelli), 408 381,387,387,403-4,404,406,409,423,424,
Unity (One), 238, 241-2, 245-6, 248, 250, 252, 254, 426-7,428-9,469, 494,532-3,534-5,553,554,
268,287,312-3,315-6,316,330,460,474,644 587, 590, 618, 656, 748,759
UPON THREE AND ONE (Faber d'Etaples), xxiii Venus , Lycian (goddess), 668
Urania (Muse), 284, 284, 340, 340, 342, 423 , 424, Venus, seal of, 744-5
813 Venus, square of, 319-20, 325, 735
URANOMETRIA (Bayer), 380 Venus Armalha (goddess), 491, 494
Uranus (god), 253,428,491 , 504, 744 Venus Epitymbia (goddess), 491, 494
Uriah (Urijah , a prophet), 553 Venus Libitina (goddess), 494
Uriel (angel), 257, 473, 533, 534-5, 553, 621 Venus-hair (herb), 92
Urieus (O riens, king of the east), 533, 536 Venusia (place), 167
Urine (animal), 46, 150, 152 Ve rchiel (angel of Leo), 294, 533, 536
Urine (human), 145, 146-7,150-1 , 152-3,201 ,204, Verites bull, 76, 79
649,650 Vermin (creeping things), 23, 70, 83, 123, 126,368,
Ursa Major (constellation), 98, 99, 210, 276, 379, 597
379 VeITes (Roman criminal), 416, 416,834-5
Ursa Major, Tail of (Alkaid), 362, 363, 395, 396, Verse(s) (chants), 218-9, 532, 567
410,411 Vertumna!ia (festival), 574, 656, 659
Ursa Minor (constellation), 100, 379, 379 Vertumnus (Vortumnus), 573, 574, 659
Vervain (herb), 76, 78, 91 , 98, 239, 240, 294, 618 ,
Ursa Minor, Tail of (Polaris), 99,100
620,649,656
Utica (place), 171 , 174
Vespasian (Roman emperor), 141,790,830
UTRIUSQUE COSMI HISTORIA (Fludd), 779
Vesper (Venus), 429
Uzza (dev il), 517
Vesperugo (Venus), 429
Vessels of Iniquity (third order of devils), 285, 288,
Va Daalh (holy name), 468, 473, 759
294,509,758
VALDERAMA-see THEATRE DE LA NATURE Vesta (goddess), 297, 313, 315, 331, 423, 423, 492,
Valentinians (heretical sect), 599, 702, 704, 706, 819 494-5,502
Valentinus (Gnostic), 833-4 Vestal virgins, 212, 313, 313, 331, 354, 658
Valerian (herb), 91, 92, 649, 650 Vesuvius, Mount, 24, 810, 823
Valerianus (Roman emperor), 798 VETERUM SOPHORUM SIGILLA ET IMAG-
Valerius Aediluus (eroiic poet), 829 INES MAGICAE (Trithemius), 833
Vampire, 597-8, 603 Via Salaria (Roman road), 502
Vapor(s) (spiritual), 148, 201,613 , 634-5,643,729 Viaram (an augurium), 157
Vapors (atmospheric), 106, 129-30,204,2 17, 605, Vibius, Gallus, 202
618,624,626,657, 672, 705 Vibration, sympathetic, 331 , 332
Vardan (Babylonian king), 691 Villa Nova, Arnoldus de (alchemist), !iv, 38, 691 ,
Varro , Marcus (writer), 170, 178, 179, 183, 185,279, 792,810,835
333, 349, 437, 467 , 469-70, 502, 650, 694, Viminalis, Mons (hill in Rome), 280
716-8,803,829,834 Vinalia (festival), 655, 659
Vatican, 495 Vincent of Beauvais , Saint, 706
Vaticanus (Roman hill), 234 Vine(s), 52, 76,123 , 126,151,686
Vaudahal-see Va Daalh Vinegar, 72, 105, 113
Va ughan, Th omas (writer), xlvii, xlviii, lxii, lxii, Violet(s), 86, 91 , 91, 129, 132
11-2,20,248, 834 Viper(s), 47, 58, 59, 62, 122, 151 , 163,167,218. 514,
Vega (star), 99,101, 363, 364, 396, 396, 410, 411 592
Veii (city), 214 Viper's bugloss (herb), 87
Veneriel (spirit of Venus), 553 Virgil (poet), !iii, Iiv-v, 5, 6, 33-4, 35, 5~, 65, 121 ,
Venom, 66, 87, 593 122, 124, 127, 134, 162, 164-5,167,169, 170,
Ventriloquist/ism, 502, 512, 616, 616 172, 189, 191,214, 214,218, 219,221 , 221-2,
Venus(goddess),29,56,92,133, 134, 135,164,170, 243,249, 250,415 , 416,417,418,424, 424,443 ,
221,222,236,249,255,261,265,296, 313, 393, 445,460-1 , 494-5,504,518,519,577,595, 597,
394,423 ,423,424, 460, 461 , 463,467 , 491 , 494, 601-3, 609, 634, 635, 641, 642, 656, 659, 662,
6 18,627,656, 661,674, 676 668-9, 671,693 , 701 , 824,838
936/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-GENERAL INDEX

Virgin(s),98, 123,300,303,315 , 315, 377,395,465, WARS OF THE JEWS (Josephus), 20, 650
573, 575,582,671,704 Warts, 93
Virgin parchment, 319, 328,476,532 Wasp(s), 56, 58, 80, 82, 108, 521
Virginiel (spirit of Virgo), 553 WASPS, THE (Aristophanes), 616
Virginity, 40,125-6,269, 313 Water (element), 8, 16, 23--4, 26,46, 80,83,91,94,
Virgo (zodiac sign), 26, 73 , 97-8,101,132, 144,258, 96, 110, 178, 193, 223, 225 , 226, 246, 248, 254,
294, 296,313,364,375,378,388,403,409,423, 258, 263,281 , 281,315 , 331,339--40, 343,355,
423,533, 536,553, 554 375, 409, 417, 421 , 423 , 424, 457, 500, 510,
Viridianus (god), 491 518-9, 533, 536,770
Virtues (angelic order), 257, 266, 284-5, 289, 294, Water, holy, 476, 493, 594, 649, 669, 696
468,505,588 Water of Juno, 178
Virtue(s) (Gifts), celestial, 37,44, 105--6, 108, I 10-1 , Waterclocks, Egyptian, 79
134, 154-5,234,3 16,318, 330-1 , 357, 363,365, Waterfrog, tongue of a, 47,48,69
373,404,423, 430-1,455,484,499,657 Waters (celestial), 19,26-7
Virtues, elementary, 32,46, 365 Waters (terrestrial), 16-7, 19-20,39, 246
Virtues, local, 143 Wax , 150, 151, 178, 221 , 222,392-3,400, 401,404,
Virtues, mathematical, 450 476, 499, 699-70
Virtues, moral, 259, 582, 595, 638 Waybread (greater plantain), 101
Virtues, natural, 29, 50, 105--6, 119, 134,229,233--4, Weasel(s), 50, 51, 53, 55-6, 58, 61, 65, 69, 70, 94,
357,373,404, 415,423--4,450, 455, 582, 638 , 124, 132, 162, 181 , 183
657,690,692 Welsh onion, 90
Virtues, occult, 32, 35, 46, 96, 102,237, 573, 668, Werewolf(ves), 49,121,135 , 136--7,693,693, 694
700 WEREWOL VES, BOOK OF (Baring-Gould), 128
Virtues, particular, 37, 373 West (direction), 122, 144, 176, 227, 365,375 , 489,
Virtues, theological, 249-50, 455 500, 502,533, 536
Visconti-Sforza Tarocchi , 626 West, Robert H. (writer), 555
VITA ST. HILARIONIS EREMITAE (Jerome), 707
West wind-see Zephrus
Vitalis , Orderic (writer), 429
Westcott. Wynn (writer), 20, 74, 226, 301, 432, 459
Vitelli us-see Vitello
Whale, 53, 55,62,250, 380, 557
Vitello (philosopher), 233 , 835
Wheat, 86
Vives, John Louis (writer), 198
Wheel of Fortune (Tarot card), 626
Vlion (Sun), 426, 428
Whirpools (type of whale), 59, 62
Voices(s), 194,2 11 ,2 13, 221 , 224, 237,336,337,
WHITE GODDESS, THE (Graves), 253,279,314
339, 530,532,616, 616,619,621, 639,701
Whiting (fish), 91 , 93
Voice of birds- see Birds, language of
Volcanalis (lesser f1amen), 660 Whitsuntide, 572
Volcanus (god), 660 Whore, 444
Volsinii (city), 493 Wied (place), 805-6
Voltumalis (lesser f1amen ), 660 Wierus, Johann (writer), xxxi-H, xxxiv-v, 536, 687
Volturnus (god) , 660 Will, 581-2, 595, 610, 616
Von Rosenroth , Knorr (Kabbalist), 20, 761 Will, divine, 579, 583, 628, 675, 714
Vortumnalia- see Vertumnalia Will, free, 355, 515-6, 521 , 523,656
Vow(s), 636, 652-3, 655--6, 666, 668, 668, 669 William . Duke of Cleves, 806
Vulcan (Hephaestos) , 233, 235,297 ,3 13,3 15,423, William of Paris (writer), 75, 169, 201, 234, 496,
423 , 426, 491,491,492, 494,598, 604,626 497,609,649, 804,819,835
Vulpianus (censor of books), 695 Willow, white, 673 , 675
Vulture(s), 62, 76, 89, 113, 124, 158, 161 , 163, 165, Windes), 13, 18-9, 254, 533
169-70,274,396,597,598, 603,693 Wind, hanging in the, 597. 602
Vulture, Falling (Vega), 99, 101,363,364,396,396, Windhover (hawk), 90
410,411 Windings of stars (astrological), 371,371
Vuoypy (Woippy, a village near Metz), xxiv Wine, 30, 60, 80, 123, 125, 521 ,605, 607,624,634,
Wagtail(s), 46, 63, 91, 92 641 , 643,654,656,657, 658-9
Waite, A. E. (writer), xlviii, 45, 68, 120,470, 472, Wings of the Wind (order of angels), 27, 28
537,601,627,834 WISDOM OF THE CHALDEANS (grimoire),
Walamir (uncle of Theodoric) , 200 534-5
Wallsage (herb), 53, 57 Witch(es), xxiv-vi, Ii v, 65 , 68, 90, 94, 101, 114,
Wall wort (herb), 130 115-6, 130, 147, 148, 204, 205, 219, 396, 401,
Wand(s), 121 . 122,409, 624, 625-6 416, 509, 605--6, 683--4,695, 706
 Virgin(s)-Zmyrus / 937

Witchcraft(s), xxiv-v, lv, 65, 115, 219, 240, 354, Yew (tree), 85
379, 395, 606,610, 674 Yiddo'a (mythical beast), 502, 618
WITCHCRAFf, MAGIC AND ALCHEMY (de Yin and yang, 734
Givry), 73 YNGLINGA SAGA (Sturluson), 632
WITCH-CULT IN WESTERN EUROPE (Murray), Yod (holy name), 242, 289, 468 , 549, 550
396 Yod EI (holy name), 550
Witches, cannot drown, 68 York, certain man of-see Robert of York
WITCH'S GARDEN, THE (Hansen), 57 Yu (Chinese emperor), 733
Witnesses (geomantic), 778-9, 782
Wizard, 502, 827 Zabadola (23rd lunar mansion), 369
Woden (Oden) , 577 Zabulus (magician), 695
Woippy-see Vuoypy Zachalias the Babylonian , 38, 690, 835
Wolf(ves), 59, 63, 64-5, 65, 66, 70, 70-1, 76, 83,87, Zachariah (Zechariah the prophet), 246, 441, 442,
89,99, 136-7, 148, 151,153, 162,165-6,274, 553
297, 336, 393,394,395,537,658,684,693, 693, Zacharias (father of John the Baptist) , 281
694,820 Zacharias the Babylonian-see Zachalias the Baby-
Wolf, spotted (Lynx), 76, 79 lonian
Wolfsbane (herb), 53, 56, 89, 90 Zachariel (intelligence of Jupiter), 533, 535, 553
Womb (see also Matrix, Mother), 72-3, 115, 268, Zachary-see Zachariah
300, 625 Zachla (Zachlas , Egyptian priest), 181, 184, 568
Women, frailties of, ll5, 118,696 Zacutus (astrologer), xvii
Wood, lightning-struck, 150,152 Zadkiel (angel), 274, 285, 288, 468, 472, 532, 535,
Woodpecker, 122 621,758
Woodroffe, Sir John (writer), 424 Zahel-see Thetel
Woodruff (Matry-silva), 100
Zamael (intelligence of Mars), 533, 535
Wool, 123,126, 150, 152,425,641 , 642
Zamael (Samael) , 467, 470
Wool, rain of, 175,177
Zamolxides-see Zamolxis
Word, the (God), 224, 226, 431,432,444, 458,460,
Zamolxis (god/magician), 6, 690, 835-6
549,579,581-2,583-4,585, 627,627
Zandeldena (22nd lunar mansion), 369
Words, 211, 213, 216-7, 221, 223-4, 226,430-1,
Zaphchiel-see Zaphkiel
432,436,481,564-5,582,583,619,652-3,674,
693 , 696, 701 Zaphkiel (angel of Saturn), 274, 285, 288, 404, 468 ,
Words of power, 113, 178, 184,211 , 212,213, 220, 472,532, 535,758
249, 401,408,430, 472,475-6,478,480,547-8, Zazel (Azaze/) , 511, 517, 594, 601
566-7,669,669 Za zel (spirit of Saturn), 320, 404, 747
WORKS AND DAYS (Hesiod), 522, 641, 642, 806 Zedekiel (spirit of Jupiter), 553
World, 338, 579-80, 583, 585, 627, 656, 673, 713-8 Zedoary (root), 76, 78
World, threefold, xlvii, xlviii, 3, 3, 251,417 Zena (holy name), 671
Worm(s), 23,63, 108, 123,419,451,572 Zena Apo To Zen (holy name), 670, 671
Wormwood, 564, 564 Zeno (Stoic philosopher), 797
Wound wort (herb), 98, 100 Zenotenus-see Zenothemis
Woundwort, Asclepius', 100 Zenothemis (writer), 38, 690, 836
Wound wort, Chiron' s, 100 Zeophyton (zoophytes), 110, 111
Wound wort, Hercules' , 100 Zephrus (west wind), 18,18, 19,19,20,55,533
Writing, 221 , 223,443, 446, 532, 559, 769 Zethus (brother of Amphion) , 788
Wyclij, John (writer), 730 Zeus (god), 54,136-7, 164,cI84, 235, 253, 260, 276,
282,290,316,367,383,427-8, 442, 454, 459,
Xanthos (river/god), 525 462-3,470,492,504,516,522,537,602-4,620,
Xanthus (historian), I 12, 113, 181, 835 626,639,660,671,788,832,839-41,843
Xenocrates (philosopher), 629, 822, 835 Zeus Ammon (god), 190, 383
Xenophon (writer), 445, 528, 828 Zeus Dodonaios , sacred grove of, 502
Xerxes (king of Persia), 802 Zeus Nemeus (god), 660
Xystus (Sextus), 580, 583, 638 Zeus Polieus (god), 660
Ziazaa (stone), 83, 84
Yah (holy name), 247, 290, 310, 311, 320, 538, 547, Zidonians,514
549,550,769 Ziruph (Kabbalistic method), 475, 480, 539, 764-6
Yard (penis), 46, 47, 558 Ziruph, combinations of, 544, 764-6
Yates , Francis (writer), xviii, xli, 220, 731, 738 Ziruph, rational table of, 545, 764-6
Yesod (ninth Sephirah), 289, 754-5, 757, 760 Zmyrus (Myrus), 70-1
938/ THE THREE BOOKS OF OCCULT PHILOSOPHY-GENERAL INDEX

Zobrach (23rd lunar mansion), 369

Zodeboluch (22nd lunar mansion), 369
Zodiac,6, 11,27, 72,74,81 , 82,96,132,147,186-7,
219, 224-5, 227,265,269,276,288, 292,294-5,
299,301,342,352,360,368, 370,372,374,375,
376, 377, 379, 382, 390, 404-5, 423, 472, 499,
536, 548, 554-5, 566, 569, 758, 769-70, 772,
774-5,777,781-4
ZOHAR (Kabbalistic text), 68, 470, 472, 478-9, 482,
507,511,517,534,536-7,556,601,828
Zoroaster (prophet), 6, 38, 44, 252,458, 459,461 ,
475,477,610,629,644,645,653, 677,684,690,
691,698,836
Zur (holy name), 474, 479
Zuriel (angel of Libra), 295 , 533, 536
Zymymar (evil spirit), 536
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RITUAL MAGIC
What It Is & How To Do It
by Donald Tyson
For thousands of years men and women have practiced it despite the severe repression
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THE MESSENGER
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magical rituals, the details of which are presented in fascinating and accurate detail.
Llewellyn Psi-Fi Fiction Series
0-87542-836-3,240 pgs., mass market $4.99

HOW TO MAKE AND USE A MAGIC MIRROR

Psychic Windows into New Worlds
by Donald Tyson
Tyson takes you step-by-step through the creation of this powerful mystical tool. You
will learn about: tools and supplies needed to create the mirror; construction techniques;
how to use the mirror for scrying (divination); how to communicate with spirits; and
how to use the mirror for astral travel.

Tyson also presents a history of mirror lore in magic and literature. For anyone wanting
their personal magical tool, How to Make and Use a Magic Mirror is a must item.
0-87542-831-2,176 pgs., mass market, iIIus. $3.95

Prices subject to change without notice.

RUNE MAGIC
by Donald Tyson
Drawing upon historical records, poetic fragments, and the informed study of scholars,
Rune Magic resurrects the ancient techniques of this tactile form of magic and integrates
those methods with modem occultism so that anyone can use the runes in a personal
magical system. For the first time, every known and conjectured meaning of all 33
known runes, including the 24 runes known as "futhark", is available in one volume. In
addition, Rune Magic covers the use of runes in divination, astral traveling, skrying, and
on amulets and talismans . A complete rune ritual is also provided, and 24 rune words
are outlined. Gods and Goddesses of the runes are discussed, with illustrations from the
National Museum of Sweden.
0-87542-826-6, 224 pgs., 6 x 9, photos, softcover $10.95

RUNE MAGIC CARDS

by Donald Tyson
Llewellyn Publications presents, for the first time ever, Rune Magic Cards created by
Donald Tyson. This unique divinatory deck consists of 24 strikingly designed cards,
boldly portraying a Germanic "futhark" Rune on each card. Robin Wood has illumi-
nated each Rune Card with graphic illustrations done in the ancient Norse tradition.
Included on each card are the old English name, its meaning, the phonetic value of the
Rune, and its number in Roman numerals. Included with this deck is a complete instruc-
tion booklet, giving the history and origins, ways of using the cards for divination, and
magical workings, sample spreads and a wealth of information culled from years of
study.
0-87542-827-4,24 two-color cards, 48-pg. booklet $12.95

Prices subject to change without notice.

MAGICIAN'S COMPANION
A Practical and Encyclopedic Guide to Magical and Religious Symbolism
by Bill Whitcomb
The Magician s Companion is a "desk reference" overflowing with a wide range of
occult and esoteric materials absolutely indispensable to anyone engaged in the mag-
ickal arts!
The magical knowledge of our ancestors comprises an intricate and elegant technology
of the mind and imagination. This book attempts to make the ancient systems accessi-
ble, understandable and useful to modern magicians by categorizing and cross-refer-
encing the major magical symbol-systems (i.e., world views on inner and outer levels).
Students of religion, mysticism, mythology, symbolic art, literature, and even cryptog-
raphy will find this work of value.
This comprehensive book discusses and compares over 35 magical models (e.g., the
Trinities, the Taoist Psychic Centers, Enochian magic, the qabala, the Worlds of the
Hopi Indians). Also included are discussions of the theory and practice of magic and rit-
ual; sections on alchemy, magical alphabets, talismans, sigils, magical herbs and plants;
suggested programs of study; an extensive glossary and bibliography; and much more.
0-87542-868-1,522 pgs., 7 x 10, iIIus., softcover $24.95

THE KEY OF IT ALL

Book One: The Eastern Mysteries
An Encyclopedic Guide to the Sacred Languages & Magical Systems of the World
by David Allen Hulse
The Key of It All series clarifies and extends the knowledge established by all previous
books on occult magick. Book One catalogs and distills, in hundreds of tables of secret
symbolism, the true alphabet magick of every ancient Eastern magickal tradition.
Unlike the current rash of publications which do no more than recapitulate Regardie or
Crowley, The Key of It All series establishes a new level of competence in all fields of
magick both East and West.
Key 1: Cuneiform-the oldest tradition ascribing number to word; the symbolism of
base 60 used in Babylonian and Sumerian Cuneiform; the first God and Goddess names
associated to number.
Key 2: Hebrew-a complete exposition of the rules governing the Hebrew Qabalah; the
evolution of the free of Life; an analysis of the Book of Formation, the oldest key to the
symbolic meaning of the Hebrew alphabet.
Key 3: Arabic-the similarity between the Hebrew and Arabic Qabalahs; the secret
Quranic symbolism for the Arabic alphabet; the Persian alphabet code; the philosophi-
cal numbering system of G.I. Gurdjieff.
Key 4: Sanskrit-the secret Vedic number codes for Sanskrit; the digital word-num-
bers; the symbolism of the seven chakras and their numerical key.
Key 5: Tibetan-the secret number lore for Tibetan as inspired by the Sanskrit codes;
the secret symbols for the Tibetan alphabet; the six major schools of Tattva philosophy.
Key 6: Chinese-the Taoist calligraphic stroke count technique for number Chinese
characters; Chinese Taoist number philosophy; the I Ching, the Japanese language and
its parallels to the Chinese number system.
0-87542-318-3,592 pgs., 7 x 10, tables, charts, softcover $19.95

Prices subject to change without notice.

THE COMPLETE BOOK OF SPELLS, CEREMONIES & MAGIC
by Migene Gonzalez-Wippler
This book is far more than a historical survey of magical techniques throughout the
world. It is the most complete book of spells, ceremonies and magic ever assembled. It
is the spiritual record of humanity.

Topics in this book include magical spells and rituals from virtually every continent and
every people. The spells described are for love, wealth, success, protection, and health.
Also examined are the theories and history of magic, including its evolution, the gods,
the elements, the Kabbalah, the astral plane, ceremonial magic, famous books of magic
and famous magicians. You willieam about talismanic magic, exorcisms and how to
use the I Ching, how to interpret dreams, how to construct and interpret a horoscope,
how to read Tarot cards, how to read palms, how to do numerology, and much more.
Included are explicit instructions for love spells and talismans; spells for riches and
money; weight-loss spells; magic for healing; psychic self-defense; spells for luck in
gambling; and much more.

No magical library is complete without this classic text of magical history, theory and
practical technique. The author is known for her excellent books on magic. Many con-
sider this her best. Includes over 150 rare photos and illustrations.
0-87542-286-1,400 pgs., 6 x 9, iIIus., softcover $12.95

A KABBALAH FOR THE MODERN WORLD

Migene Gonzalez-Wippler
A Kabbalah for the Modern World was the first book to present the Kabbalah from a
scientific orientation and show how it clearly relates to such modem scientific models
as Quantum Theory, Relativity and the Big Bang. Now this Kabbalah classic has been
revised and expanded to include a larger bibliography and new section: The Kabbalah
of Wisdom. This new section includes never before published information and rituals,
making this fascinating book more important than ever!

This book is not merely a "magical manual." It is far more than that. It is a journey into
new dimensions of being, self-discovery and spiritual development. Above all, it is a
search for "devekkut," the true union with the Godhead. Reading A Kabbalah for the
Modern World is a unique experience. You will grow inwardly as you read, as your
spirit comprehends the message ... and you will never, ever be the same again.
0-87542-256-X, 304 pgs. 51/4 x 8, softcover $9.95

Prices subject to change without notice.

THE KEY OF IT ALL
Book Two: The Western Mysteries
An Encyclopedic Guide to the Sacred Languages & Magical Systems of the World
by David Allen Hulse
The Key of It All series clarifies and extends the knowledge established by all previous
books on occult magick. Book Two catalogs and distills, in hundreds of tables of secret
symbolism, the true alphabet magick of every ancient Western magickal tradition.
Unlike the current rash of publications which do no more than recapitulate Regardie or
Crowley, The Key of It All series establishes a new level of competence in all fields of
magick both East and West.
Key 7: Greek-the number codes for Greek; the Gnostic cosmology; the Pythagorean
philosophical metaphors for the number series.
Key 8: Coptic-the number values for Coptic, derived from the Greek; Coptic astro-
logical symbolism; the Egyptian hieroglyphs and their influence in the numbering of
Hebrew and Greek.
Key 9: Runes-the ancient runic alphabet codes for Germanic, Icelandic, Scandina-
vian, and English Rune systems; the modern German Armanen Runic cult; the Irish
Ogham and Beth-Luis-Nion poetic alphabets.
Key 10: Latin-Roman Numerals as the first Latin code; the Lullian Latin Qabalah;
the Germanic and Italian serial codes for Latin; the Renaissance cosmological model of
three worlds.
Key 11: Enochian-the number codes for Enochian according to John Dee, S.L. Mac-
Gregor Mathers, and Aleister Crowley; the true pattern behind the Watchtower symbol-
ism; the complete rectified Golden Dawn correspondences for the Enochian alphabet.
Key 12: Tarot-the pictorial key to the Hebrew alphabet; the divinatory system for the
Tarot; the two major Qabalistic codes for the Tarot emanating from France and England.
Key 13: English-the serial order code for English; Aleister Crowley's attempt of an
English Qabalah; the symbolism behind the shapes of the English alphabet letters.
0-87542-379-5, 592 pgs., 7 x 10, tables, charts, softcover $24.95

MAGIC AND THE WESTERN MIND

Ancient Knowledge and the Transformation of Consciousness
by Gareth Knight
Magic and the Western Mind explains why intelligent and responsible people are turn-
ing to magic and the occult as a radical and important way to find meaning in modern
life, as well as a means of survival for themselves and the planet.
First published in 1978 as A History of White Magic, this book illustrates, in a wide his-
torical survey, how the higher imagination has been used to aid the evolution of con-
sciousness-from the ancient mystery religions, through alchemy, Renaissance magic,
the Rosicrucian Manifestoes, Freemasonry, 19th-century magic fraternities, up to psy-
choanalysis and the current occult revival. Plus it offers some surprising insights into
the little-known interests of famous people.The Western mind developed magic origi-
nally as one of the noblest of arts and sciences. Now, with the help of this book, anyone
can defend a belief in magic in convincing terms.
0-87542-374-4,336 pgs., 6 x 9, iIIus., softcover $12.95

Prices subject to change without notice.

MAGICAL GATEWAYS
by Alan Richardson
Originally published as An Introduction to the Mystical Qabalah (1974, 1981), Magical
Gateways is the revised and substantially expanded re-release of of this excellent intro-
duction to the essentials of magic.

It shows magic to be a spiritual system which everyone can use to enhance their lives.
Whatever your spiritual path, these tried-and-tested methods will expand your con-
sciousness and broaden your grasp of the Western Esoteric Tradition as it exists today.

Explore the theories and principles behind ritual practice (i.e., the Middle Pillar and the
Lesser Banishing Ritual) that other books only touch upon. Explore the Qabalah-the
Tree of Life-as it applies to daily living, perform astral magic, use the Tarot for self-
exploration, relate mythology to your own life to gain greater self-knowledge, revisit
past lives, build patterns in your aura, banish unpleasant atmospheres and create gates
into other dimensions.

This is the world of real magic, in which an understanding of the Qabalah forms the first
step in a radical transformation of personal consciousness.
0-87542-681-6,208 pgs., mass market, iIIus. $4.95

GODWIN'S CABALISTIC ENCYCLOPEDIA

Complete Guidance to Both Practical and Esoteric Applications
by David Godwin
One of the most valuable books on the Cabala is back, with a new and more usable for-
mat. This book is a complete guide to cabalistic magick and gematria in which every
demon, angel, power and name of God . .. every Sephiroth, Path, and Plane of the Tree
of Life .. . and each attribute and association is fully described and cross-indexed by the
Hebrew, English, and numerical forms.

All entries, which had been scattered throughout the appendices, are now incorporated
into one comprehensive dictionary. There are hundreds of new entries and illustrations,
making this book even more valuable for Cabalistic pathworking and meditation. It now
has many new Hebrew words and names, as well as the terms of Freemasonry, the enti-
ties of the Cthulhu myth os, and the Aurum Solis spellings for the names of the demons
of the Goetia. It contains authentic tIebrew spellings, and a new introduction that
explains the uses of the book for meditation on God names.

The Cabalistic schema is native to the human psyche, and Godwin's Cabalistic Ency-
clopedia will be a valuable reference tool for all Cabalists, magicians, scholars and sci-
entists of all disciplines.
1-56718-324-7,832 pgs., 6 x 9, softcover $24.95

Prices subject to change without notice.

THE GOLDEN DAWN
The Original Account of the Teachings, Rites & Ceremonies of the Hermetic Order
As revealed by Israel Regardie
Complete in one volume with further revision, expansion, and additional notes by
Regardie, Cris Monnastre, and others. Expanded with an index of more than 100 pages!

Originally published in four bulky volumes of some 1,200 pages, this 6th Revised and
Enlarged Edition has been entirely reset in modem, less space-consuming type, in half
the pages (while retaining the original pagination in marginal notation for reference) for
greater ease and use.

Corrections of typographical errors perpetuated in the original and subsequent editions

have been made, with further revision and additional text and notes by noted scholars
and by actual practitioners of the Golden Dawn system of Magick, with an Introduction
by the only student ever accepted for personal training by Regaidie.

Also included are Initiation Ceremonies, important rituals for consecration and invoca-
tion, methods of meditation and magical working based on the Enochian Tablets, stud-
ies in the Tarot, and the system of Qabalistic Correspondences that unite the World's
religions and magical traditions into a comprehensive and practical whole.

This volume is designed as a study and practice curriculum suited to both group and pri-
vate practice. Meditation upon, and following with the Active Imagination, the Initia-
tion Ceremonies are fully experiential without need of participation in group or lodge.
A very complete reference encyclopedia of Western Magick.
0-87542-663-8, 840 pgs., 6 x 9, illus., softcover $24.95

PILGRIMS OF THE NIGHT

Pathfinders of the Magical Way
by Lars B. Lindholm
Here is a fresh, unprejudiced and exceptionally readable examination of the evolution of
magical theory and practice in Western culture. In his often humorous style, Lars B. Lind-
holm traces the history of magic from the earliest times, beginning with prehistoric magic,
Atlantis, Egypt, Greece and continuing through the Middle Ages, when the dissemination
of magic was accelerated by the printing press and the merchant class's need for educa-
tion . .Encounter colorful personalities including Roger Bacon, Albertus Magnus, and
Thomas Aquinas. After a look at the Rosicrucian phenomenon, you will meet Henry Cor-
nelius Agrippa, John Dee, Francis Barrett, Eliphas Levi, and Madame Blavatsky. Explore
the Golden Dawn and Aleister Crowley, and learn the truth about occultism and magic
within Nazism. Finally, explore current phenomena, inclUding chaos magic and the
acolytes ofH.P. Lovecraft's fictional scenarios. The appendix deals with the magical cur-
riculum of the Golden Dawn, how magic works, the Tarot, and the astrological charts of
some prominent personalities.
ISBN: 0-87542-474-0,256 pgs., 6 x 9, illos., softbound $12.00

Prices subject to change without notice.

THE MIDDLE PILLAR
by Israel Regardie
Between the two outer pillars of the Qabalistic Tree of Life, the extremes of Mercy and
Severity, stands The Middle Pillar, signifying one who has achieved equilibrium in his
or her own self.

Integration of the human personality is vital to the continuance of creative life. Without
it, man lives as an outsider to his own true self. By combining Magic and Psychology in
the Middle Pillar RituallExercise (a magical meditation technique), we bring into bal-
ance the opposing elements of the psyche while yet holding within their essence and
allowing full expression of man's entire being.

In this book, and with this practice, you will learn to: understand the psyche through its
correspondences of the Tree of Life; expand self-awareness, thereby intensifying the
inner growth process; activate creative and intuitive potentials; understand the individ-
ual thought patterns which control every facet of personal behavior; and regain the
sense of balance and peace of mind-the equilibrium that everyone needs for phsyical
and psychic health.
0-87542-658-1,176 pgs., 5-1/4x8, softcover $8.95

A GARDEN OF POMEGRANATES
by Israel Regardie
What is the Tree of Life? It's the ground plan of the Qabalistic system-a set of sym-
bols used since ancient times to study the Universe. The Tree of Life is a geometrical
arrangement of ten sephiroth, or spheres, each of which is associated with a different
archetypal idea, and 22 paths which connect the spheres.This system of primal corre-
spondences has been found the most efficient plan ever devised to classify and organize
the characteristics of the self. Israel Regardie has written one of the best and most lucid
introductions to the Qabalah. A Garden of Pomegranates combines Regardie's own
studies with his notes on the works of Aleister Crowley, A. E. Waite, Eliphas Levi and
D. H. Lawrence. No longer is the wisdom of the Qabalah to be held secret! The needs
of today place the burden of growth upon each and every person ... each has to under-
take the Path as his or her own responsibility, but every help is given in the most ancient
and yet most modern teaching here known to humankind.
0-87542-690-5,160 pgs., 5114 x 8, softcover $8.95

Prices subject to change without notice.

NEW AEON MAGICK
Thelema Without Tears
by Gerald del Campo
Finally-a basic yet comprehensive methodology of Aleister Crowley's Thelemic prin-
ciples, with easy-to-follow instructions for achieving the specific states of conscious-
ness desirable in spiritual pursuits. This comprehensive primer on New Aeon magick
was written to clarify the oftentimes obscure esoteric terminology and references which
muddy the text of many books on ceremonial magick. Furthermore, the principles
explained in this book will provide a solid base from which you can create your own
unique methods of working magick.

While New Aeon Magick gathers together much Thelemic material which is difficult to
unearth in the texts currently available, it is more than a mere transcription of existing
Thelemic writings. Gerald del Campo expands upon that material to develop a study
program built around applying Thelemic principles to work magick in our day-to-day
lives-guaranteeing that this book will be an essential and valued companion for the
occultist as well as the aspirant.
1-56718-213-5,208 pgs., 5~ x 8, softcover $9.99

THE MAGICAL PHILOSOPHY, Volume 2

The Sword and the Serpent
by Denning & Phillips
This is the comprehensive guide to the Magical Qabalah, with extensive correspon-
dences as well as the techniques for activating the centers, use of images and the psy-
chology of attainment.

In this volume, histories from contemporary life, together with references to the works
of mystics, poets, artists, philosophers and authorities in psychology are cited to illus-
trate the action and interaction of the functions of the psyche as identified in Qabalistic
teaching.

The real meaning of adepthood is clearly set forth: in relation to this, frequent enigmas
of occult literature such as the Abyss, the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy
Guardian Angel, and the supernal attainments are presented in their true meaning and
significance. The natural dignity and potential of life in this world is your birthright. In
this volume, its splendor and power are made unmistakably manifest.
0-87542-197-0,540 pgs., 6 x 9, iIIus., softcover $15.00

Prices subject to change without notice.

THE MAGICAL PHILOSOPHY, Volume 3
Mysteria Magica
by Denning & Phillips
For years, Denning and Phillips headed the international occult Order Aurum Solis. In
this book, they present the magickal system of the order so that you can use it. Here you
will find rituals for banishing and invoking plus instructions for proper posture and
breathing. You will learn astral projection, rising on the planes, and the magickal works
that should be undertaken through astral projection. You will learn the basic principle of
ceremonies and how to make sigils and talismans. You will learn practical Enochian
magick plus how to create, consecrate and use your magickal tools such as the magickal
sword, wand and cup. You will also learn the advanced arts of sphere-working and evo-
cation to visible appearance.

Filled with illustrations, this book is an expanded version of the previous edition. It is
now complete in itself and can be the basis of an entire magickal system. You can use
the information alone or as the source book for a group. If you want to learn how to do
real magick, this is the place you should start.
0-87542-196-2,480 pgs., 6 x 9, illus., softcover $15.00

MODERN MAGICK
Eleven Lessons in the High Magickal Arts
by Donald Michael Kraig
Modern Magick is the most comprehensive step-by-step introduction to the art of cere-
monial magic ever offered. The eleven lessons in this book will guide you from the eas-
iest of rituals and the construction of your magickal tools through the highest forms of
magick: designing your own rituals and doing pathworking. Along the way you will
learn the secrets of the Kabbalah in a clear and easy-to-understand manner. You will dis-
cover the true secrets of invocation (channeling) and evocation, and the missing infor-
mation that will finally make the ancient grimoires, such as the "Keys of Solomon," not
only comprehensible, but usable. This book also contains one of the most in-depth chap-
ters on sex magick ever written. Modern Magick is designed so anyone can use it, and
it is the perfect guidebook for students and classes. It will also help to round out the
knowledge of long-time practitioners of the magickal arts.
0-87542-324-8,592 pgs., 6 x 9, illus., index, softcover $17.95

Prices subject to change without notice.

Occultism ; Western Magick

The Single Most Important Text

in the History of Western Occultism
The Three Book'. of Occult Philo'.opllY'S \',lst store of magical lore has been so influential th,lt
occultists h,1\'e been drawing upon it for the past five centuries, This classic work was first
published in 1531, and translated into English in 1651, but it h,lS never sincL' been reprinted
in its entirety. Now-for the first time in 500 years-editor Donald Tyson presents these writ-
ings as Agripp'l intended them to appear: wholly complete ,md free from the hundreds of
errors made in the original translation ,
The Three Book" of Occult Philo'.ophy is the most complete repository of pagan and NL'o-
platonic magic e\'er compiled , This book is packed with material you will not find else-
where, including copious extracts on magic from obscure or lost works by Pythagoras, Pliny
the Elder, Cicero, Ptolemy, Plato, Aristotle, and many other ,luthorities. Don,lld Tyson's de-
tailed annotations clarify difficult references and prlwide origins of quotations, e\'en ex-
panding upon them in many cases in order to make Agrippa's work more accessible to the
modern reader.
As well as pro\'iding extensi\'e insight into the foundations of the Western Esoteric tra-
dition, the Three Boob of Occult Philo'.ophy is the ultimate "how-to" for magical workings. It
describes hO\\' to work all manner of divinations and natural and ceremonial magic in such
clear and useful detail that it is still the guide for modern techniques. And the extensive sup-
plementary material-including biographical and geographical dictionaries and appen-
dices-prlwides quick reference to many previously obscure matters in classical magic.
The Tll/n' Book'. of Occult Philo'.ophy is an essential reference tool for all students of the
history of ideas and the occult tradition.

• Discover what the Renaissance scholar • Explore the practical Kabbalah, geo-
knew about Astrology, Medicine, mancy, the magic squares, the elements,
History, Herbs, Geography, Animals, the humors, and the Soul of the World
Angels, Devils, Witches, Charms, the
Weather-and a host of other subjects • Consult the Biographical Dictionary for
background on each of the hundreds of
• Gain immediate reference to a vast writers and historical figures referred
amount of arcane but completely to by Agrippa
annotated magical material
• Consult the Geographical Dictionary
• Find corrected drawings of seals, sigils, for data on referenced rivers,
and magic squares, and correctly mountains, nations, cities-many
represented geomantic figures of which now carry different names

ISBN 0-87542-832-0 $39.95 US

$55.95 CAN

III I
9 780875 428321
Llewellyn Publications
St. Paul, MN 55164-0383
PRINTED IN THE USA