various authors
late antique to medieval
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NOTE |
The Hermetic tradition is closely connected to alchemy and magic, two practices that appealed to the authority of Hermes Trismegistus, who was held to be the greatest adept of these arts. In 1922, the French occultist Émile-Jules Grillot de Givry (1874-1929) compiled a 400-page anthology of excerpts from occult texts called the Anthologie de l'occultisme, much of the early sections of which are given over to the alchemical and magical texts that grew out of Hermeticism. To give a flavor of alchemical and magical texts from Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, I present below a selection of Grillot's selections in translation, along with his introductory notes on each text. However, Grillot often failed to distinguish between the genuine works of the named authors and those falsely ascribed to them at a later date, sometimes incorrectly identifying a much later text as an early one on the basis of the attributed author. I have omitted those that were obvious forgeries, but take Grillot's notes with a grain of salt as representative of how occultists understood these texts, not necessarily their true origins.
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I. THE GREEK ALCHEMISTS
There are manuscripts of Greek authors from the first centuries of our era dealing with alchemy in several libraries in Europe, notably in Saint Mark's in Venice, in Leiden and in Paris. These are the oldest definite records that we possess on the chemical and metallurgical arts. These texts, translated into Latin, were well known in the Middle Ages, and on them was built the entire alchemical school that extends from The Book of Lambsprinck to Guillaume Salmon and Antoine-Joseph Pernety. These manuscripts have been the subject of a very detailed study by Berthelot and Ruelle. We extract the most curious pieces after carefully revising their translation.
OATH FOR ALCHEMICAL INITIATION
I swear to you, my excellent disciple, by the blessed and venerable Trinity, that I have revealed nothing of the mysteries of science that have been transmitted to me in the depths of my soul. On the contrary, everything I know from God concerning the art, I have freely deposited in our writings, explaining the thought of the ancients according to my own reasoning.
You yourself, approach all these writings piously and prudently; if, believing we were doing the right thing, we have said something wrong, through ignorance, correct our mistakes for your sake and for the sake of readers who are faithful to God, without malice and honest, qualities which are, in truth, difficult to find; hail in the holy and consubstantial Trinity, I say: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; the Trinity, the Monad, the Son who was incarnate without sin among men for the glorification of the dyad, in which he himself participates; he assumed, while remaining intact, human nature, and, seeing it fail, he restored it.
You yourself, approach all these writings piously and prudently; if, believing we were doing the right thing, we have said something wrong, through ignorance, correct our mistakes for your sake and for the sake of readers who are faithful to God, without malice and honest, qualities which are, in truth, difficult to find; hail in the holy and consubstantial Trinity, I say: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; the Trinity, the Monad, the Son who was incarnate without sin among men for the glorification of the dyad, in which he himself participates; he assumed, while remaining intact, human nature, and, seeing it fail, he restored it.
(Manuscript from St. Mark’s in Venice)
OATH OF THE PHILOSOPHER PAPPOS
I swear to you by the great oath, whoever you are, I say the one God, by species and not by number, the one who made heaven and earth and the fourfold elements and all that comes from them, as well as our rational and intelligent souls, harmonized with the body, he who carries the chariot of the cherubim, and whom the legions of angels celebrate.
Some have diluted the yolk of the egg with liquids of the same kind, throwing a grain of the body into a cotyle of water, and having enclosed the whole, they subjected it to the heat of the ovens; the operation completed, they removed the poisonous part after exposing it to air, they mixed it with wax and sulfur. Then, having thus subjected the mixture to the action of fire, to complete the operation to the same extent as that of the ovens, that is to say, by dissolutions or cooking, they placed the solid product in glass vessels, suspended in a heated place and receiving light preferably from the east or west and from the south, rather than from the north, as Stephanos, much beloved of God, meticulously prescribed, and as we have expounded in abridged form in our treatise according to Moses, the thrice-blessed. We have therefore composed our writing well, for if you see the liquid extending excessively toward the north, as is stated in the discourse on the nature of unpolluted sulfur, then hasten to correct it by diluting with brine, the niter, the antimony, and the copper intended for refining.
Some have diluted the yolk of the egg with liquids of the same kind, throwing a grain of the body into a cotyle of water, and having enclosed the whole, they subjected it to the heat of the ovens; the operation completed, they removed the poisonous part after exposing it to air, they mixed it with wax and sulfur. Then, having thus subjected the mixture to the action of fire, to complete the operation to the same extent as that of the ovens, that is to say, by dissolutions or cooking, they placed the solid product in glass vessels, suspended in a heated place and receiving light preferably from the east or west and from the south, rather than from the north, as Stephanos, much beloved of God, meticulously prescribed, and as we have expounded in abridged form in our treatise according to Moses, the thrice-blessed. We have therefore composed our writing well, for if you see the liquid extending excessively toward the north, as is stated in the discourse on the nature of unpolluted sulfur, then hasten to correct it by diluting with brine, the niter, the antimony, and the copper intended for refining.
(Manuscript from St. Mark’s in Venice)
THE LABYRINTH WHICH SOLOMON HAD BUILT
Have you heard, stranger, of a labyrinth
That Solomon devised in his mind
And had built with stones arranged in a circle?
This plan represents its layout,
Its shape and structure by fixed lines, according to logical order.
In seeing this myriad of spirals,
From the inside to the outside, its spherical vaults,
Which return in circles, here and there, upon themselves,
Learn the cyclical course of life,
Thus revealing to you the slippery bends of its winding paths.
Through its spherical, circular turnings,
They coil subtly into composite spirals;
Like the pernicious serpent, in its coils,
It crawls openly or in secret.
It has an oblique, difficult-to-reach gate.
The more you hasten from without, wishing to rush in,
The more it, by its subtle windings,
Sinks further inward
Toward the depth of the exit.
It entices you in its courses every day;
It plays with you through the turns of hope,
Like a deceitful dream with empty visions,
Until the time that governs the scene has fled,
And death, alas! which leads into shadow,
Has taken you, without allowing you to reach the exit.
That Solomon devised in his mind
And had built with stones arranged in a circle?
This plan represents its layout,
Its shape and structure by fixed lines, according to logical order.
In seeing this myriad of spirals,
From the inside to the outside, its spherical vaults,
Which return in circles, here and there, upon themselves,
Learn the cyclical course of life,
Thus revealing to you the slippery bends of its winding paths.
Through its spherical, circular turnings,
They coil subtly into composite spirals;
Like the pernicious serpent, in its coils,
It crawls openly or in secret.
It has an oblique, difficult-to-reach gate.
The more you hasten from without, wishing to rush in,
The more it, by its subtle windings,
Sinks further inward
Toward the depth of the exit.
It entices you in its courses every day;
It plays with you through the turns of hope,
Like a deceitful dream with empty visions,
Until the time that governs the scene has fled,
And death, alas! which leads into shadow,
Has taken you, without allowing you to reach the exit.
(Manuscript from St. Mark’s, Venice)
RIDDLE OF THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE
ACCORDING TO HERMES AND AGATHODAIMON
I have nine letters. I am tetrasyllabic.
Hear me:
The first three contain two letters.
The rest contains the rest (of the letters).
Five (of the letters) are voiceless.
The total number encloses twice eight hundreds, plus three,
and four times ten, and three;
knowing what I am, you will know the divine Sophia that is within me.
Hear me:
The first three contain two letters.
The rest contains the rest (of the letters).
Five (of the letters) are voiceless.
The total number encloses twice eight hundreds, plus three,
and four times ten, and three;
knowing what I am, you will know the divine Sophia that is within me.
(Manuscript from St. Mark’s, Venice)
II. GEBER
(8th or 9th century)
Abū Mūsā Jābir ibn Ḥayyān al-Kūfī, called Geber by Europeans, was born in Tusa or Horram in the 8th or 9th century AD. He was the greatest Arab chemist and mathematician. His name was given to Algebra (al-geber), of which he is wrongly considered the inventor. He was held in great honor among European alchemists from the 16th century onwards because of a famous treatise entitled Summa perfectionis, which appears in the Theatrum Chemicum and in all other collections of this kind. However, it has been disputed whether this small treatise, so clear and precise, was his own work, because it has been impossible to find its Arabic original. On the other hand, there are several other manuscripts in Arabic containing alchemical works by Geber, among which is the Book of Mercy, from which we give an extract. We add an extract from the Summa perfectionis, although this work is perhaps apocryphal, thinking that it would be beneficial to give an overview of a opus which formed the basis of all the alchemical works of past centuries. It is noteworthy that the first edition of this work was published in Rome, around 1525, with the approval of Pope Clement VI, by Romulus Manmacinus, archdeacon of Arezzo, and Faustus Sabeus, both curators of the Vatican Library.
THE BOOK OF MERCY
The Philosophers, speaking secretly in their enigmatic language, have said: "A body does not receive the soul of another body. A soul does not dwell in a body that is not its own; they must be mutually suitable." This is why it is impossible for a human body to receive the soul of a bird or any other animal. And the souls of animals cannot enter the human body or take up residence there because the constitution of the human body predisposes it to the reception of the lights of the upper world, which are the immortal souls, which possess their own existence, for they come from the eternal world; whereas the constitution of a great many animals allows them only the incarnation of souls coming from the lower and perishable world, and constituted by the four principles, which makes these souls themselves perishable. The soul of the being that lives and speaks therefore differs from that of the being that lives and does not speak; this is why it is impossible for the soul of the lower being to enter the body of the higher being, because their bodies and souls are constituted differently.
Therefore, in the (alchemical) work, the soul can only enter a body that has been constituted for it, and that is close to it in the degrees of union of the lower world with the upper world, and it is preferable that these degrees be as close together as possible. And thus, the soul, or mercury, can only dwell in a body that conforms to it.
There are two worlds, the macrocosm and the microcosm. The macrocosm is formed of the upper mass and all that dominates it, that is, the spiritual forces that act upon it and direct it. The microcosm comprises everything below the upper mass, including the earth. Others consider the microcosm to be man, for he was so named because of the similar relationship in which he stands to the macrocosm.
The philosopher Plato said that the (alchemical) work was a third world, because of its analogy with the other two, and because it makes use of the forces of both the macrocosm and the microcosm. It was through experiment and doctrine that it was recognized as a small world, because it was observed that the macrocosm was similar in all its points to the microcosm, relative to their internal and external forces. Some believe that the macrocosm is a composite, but one whose parts cannot be isolated; others say that these parts, being merely juxtaposed, can be separated as those of the microcosm are separated.
Therefore, in the (alchemical) work, the soul can only enter a body that has been constituted for it, and that is close to it in the degrees of union of the lower world with the upper world, and it is preferable that these degrees be as close together as possible. And thus, the soul, or mercury, can only dwell in a body that conforms to it.
There are two worlds, the macrocosm and the microcosm. The macrocosm is formed of the upper mass and all that dominates it, that is, the spiritual forces that act upon it and direct it. The microcosm comprises everything below the upper mass, including the earth. Others consider the microcosm to be man, for he was so named because of the similar relationship in which he stands to the macrocosm.
The philosopher Plato said that the (alchemical) work was a third world, because of its analogy with the other two, and because it makes use of the forces of both the macrocosm and the microcosm. It was through experiment and doctrine that it was recognized as a small world, because it was observed that the macrocosm was similar in all its points to the microcosm, relative to their internal and external forces. Some believe that the macrocosm is a composite, but one whose parts cannot be isolated; others say that these parts, being merely juxtaposed, can be separated as those of the microcosm are separated.
THE SUM OF PERFECTION
From Book IV
Brief summary of the entire alchemical work: Since we have said that the sole purpose of the entire work is none other than to conquer the stone, the greatest care must then be taken with the work, so that the first degree of sublimation may be effected upon this work, and that, through this, the work may be purified of corrupting impurity, and this is its perfection of sublimation; and that this stone may thus be sublimated until it reaches the ultimate purity of sublimation, and finally becomes volatile. Then, let it be fixed by the various modes of fixation, until it rests, by the harshness of fire. And this is called the second degree of preparation; and this constitutes one of the limits of the perfection of preparation. But the third degree of the stone must be conducted in the same way, and it consists in the ultimate completion of the preparation; that is to say, you must, by the means of sublimation, make the already fixed stone volatile, and fix the volatile, and dissolve the fixed, and again make volatile what is dissolved, and again fix the volatile, until it flows, and is covered in a certain solific (gold-making) or lunific (silver-making) complement. From the repetition of this third degree of preparation in the medicine, there results a multiplication of the alteration in the sense of improvement. Therefore, by the diversity of the repetition of the work on the stone, in its various degrees, there results the diversity of the alteration of the multiplication of goodness, so that, by this medicine, one transmutes the solific body to the double, sometimes to the tenfold, sometimes to the hundredfold, to the thousandth degree, and even to the infinite, true and marvelous degree of perfection. It is therefore by this last and ultimate degree that one tests whether the magisterium has reached its perfection.
Brief summary of the entire alchemical work: Since we have said that the sole purpose of the entire work is none other than to conquer the stone, the greatest care must then be taken with the work, so that the first degree of sublimation may be effected upon this work, and that, through this, the work may be purified of corrupting impurity, and this is its perfection of sublimation; and that this stone may thus be sublimated until it reaches the ultimate purity of sublimation, and finally becomes volatile. Then, let it be fixed by the various modes of fixation, until it rests, by the harshness of fire. And this is called the second degree of preparation; and this constitutes one of the limits of the perfection of preparation. But the third degree of the stone must be conducted in the same way, and it consists in the ultimate completion of the preparation; that is to say, you must, by the means of sublimation, make the already fixed stone volatile, and fix the volatile, and dissolve the fixed, and again make volatile what is dissolved, and again fix the volatile, until it flows, and is covered in a certain solific (gold-making) or lunific (silver-making) complement. From the repetition of this third degree of preparation in the medicine, there results a multiplication of the alteration in the sense of improvement. Therefore, by the diversity of the repetition of the work on the stone, in its various degrees, there results the diversity of the alteration of the multiplication of goodness, so that, by this medicine, one transmutes the solific body to the double, sometimes to the tenfold, sometimes to the hundredfold, to the thousandth degree, and even to the infinite, true and marvelous degree of perfection. It is therefore by this last and ultimate degree that one tests whether the magisterium has reached its perfection.
III. AVICENNA
(980-1037)
Abū ʿAlī al-Ḥusayn bin ʿAbdallāh bin al-Ḥasan bin ʿAlī bin Sīnā al-Balkhī al-Bukhārī, known in Europe as Avicenna, is the most famous of the Arab physicians. His reputation soon extended beyond the Muslim world; his works, translated into Latin, were studied throughout the Middle Ages in the universities of Paris; he is frequently cited by theologians, and particularly by Saint Thomas Aquinas. He wrote several treatises on alchemy, as well as very skillful compilations drawn from ancient Greek physicians. He professed a curious mysticism, mixed with sensuality, alternating prayer with banquets, love, wine, and even opium. His influence on the Latin world was considerable and can only be compared to that exerted by Paracelsus five centuries after him. He is, on the other hand, all but forgotten today, though one could quote many pages from him which would still be very attractive to read. We give here extracts from his little mystical treatises On Destiny and On Prayer.
MYSTIC TREATISES
On Prayer
Prayer is submission to the First Cause and the Supreme Lord, and this submission requires one to recognize the necessity of the existence of the Absolute Being, and, within oneself, through the purity of heart, of a soul entirely devoted to Him, to penetrate His essence. The act of prayer is thus identical to that of recognizing God as the one Being, whose existence is necessary, whose essence is absolutely pure, and whose attributes, to which no human quality can compare, are exempt from all corporeality and all plurality, qualities incompatible with His divine essence.
Of the two parts of which prayer is composed, the first. which is the exterior or ascetic, consisting of certain movements of the body, regulated as to their number and the position that their members take therein, expresses only the passive submission of the body, vile and material, of man with regard to the sphere of the moon, which produces its regulated movements, by its active intelligence, in our world, that is to say in this world of birth and death. This being who supports, creates and exercises its influence, enters, by human speech, into intimacy with man, and it is to him, or rather to his spirit, the active Intelligence, that man addresses himself to be preserved from all evil during his earthly stay. On the other hand, the second part, interior prayer, independent of all external form and all change, is the submission of the rational soul to the Supreme Being, whom it invokes to facilitate the path of perfection through divine contemplation, and to grant it in His grace eternal bliss by giving it the knowledge of its being; for the emanation of this grace, derived from the upper heaven, descends to the depths of the soul by means of this prayer. This worship is imposed on man without resulting in any fatigue of the body, and it derives immediately from God. Whoever practices this prayer will be preserved from all influence coming from animal and vegetative forces.
Nevertheless, having perceived that the world ordinarily despises the external part without regard for the internal, I thought it necessary to give this explanation, showing that prayer is inevitable, to make intelligent people reflect and to lead to meditation those who are endowed with perfection, so that they can convince themselves that external prayer is suitable for certain natures, and that internal prayer is suitable for others. Thus the way will be made smooth for those who are endowed with intelligence and perfection, and the path of true worship will be opened to them, by which they will practice prayer and enjoy intimacy with God, always contemplating him in spirit, not by the external senses. All the other precepts of the Law must be followed in a manner consistent with this explanation of prayer, and we would gladly like to explain to you the details of this particular worship; but it would be difficult to approach a subject that should not be communicated to everyone. This is why we have established a distinction between the two parts of prayer, which will be sufficient for people who are sufficiently endowed with insight, which this question only indicates. Consequently, I forbid you to speak of it to those who are led astray by the senses, whose hearts are weighed down by worldly passions, and whose eyes are blinded to all noble enjoyment.
Of the two parts of which prayer is composed, the first. which is the exterior or ascetic, consisting of certain movements of the body, regulated as to their number and the position that their members take therein, expresses only the passive submission of the body, vile and material, of man with regard to the sphere of the moon, which produces its regulated movements, by its active intelligence, in our world, that is to say in this world of birth and death. This being who supports, creates and exercises its influence, enters, by human speech, into intimacy with man, and it is to him, or rather to his spirit, the active Intelligence, that man addresses himself to be preserved from all evil during his earthly stay. On the other hand, the second part, interior prayer, independent of all external form and all change, is the submission of the rational soul to the Supreme Being, whom it invokes to facilitate the path of perfection through divine contemplation, and to grant it in His grace eternal bliss by giving it the knowledge of its being; for the emanation of this grace, derived from the upper heaven, descends to the depths of the soul by means of this prayer. This worship is imposed on man without resulting in any fatigue of the body, and it derives immediately from God. Whoever practices this prayer will be preserved from all influence coming from animal and vegetative forces.
Nevertheless, having perceived that the world ordinarily despises the external part without regard for the internal, I thought it necessary to give this explanation, showing that prayer is inevitable, to make intelligent people reflect and to lead to meditation those who are endowed with perfection, so that they can convince themselves that external prayer is suitable for certain natures, and that internal prayer is suitable for others. Thus the way will be made smooth for those who are endowed with intelligence and perfection, and the path of true worship will be opened to them, by which they will practice prayer and enjoy intimacy with God, always contemplating him in spirit, not by the external senses. All the other precepts of the Law must be followed in a manner consistent with this explanation of prayer, and we would gladly like to explain to you the details of this particular worship; but it would be difficult to approach a subject that should not be communicated to everyone. This is why we have established a distinction between the two parts of prayer, which will be sufficient for people who are sufficiently endowed with insight, which this question only indicates. Consequently, I forbid you to speak of it to those who are led astray by the senses, whose hearts are weighed down by worldly passions, and whose eyes are blinded to all noble enjoyment.
On Destiny
The majesty of God does not allow us, in approaching Him, to take the road of lower intelligence, since the divine Creator neither acts nor rests, neither advances nor retreats as man does, for his own advantage. If we compare His actions with human actions, the terms become confused, and you will be wrapped in deep darkness, even thicker than your doubts—doubts caused by reflection on the promises and threats of reward and punishment in the next life. To dispel these doubts and scatter that darkness, in the matter of the obligation imposed on you to do good, to excuse its neglect while trying to escape divine reproof, you are left with a burden perhaps even heavier than that of your adversary, bound up with destiny.
We therefore see that destiny is the driver of intention and the executor of human action. It is destiny which, as absolute master, assails the fragile dwelling of man by all kinds of artifices (that is, the temptations of the sensible world), though the entrance is guarded (that is, by man’s intellectual faculties). These assailants have full power to act through every sort of temptation and persuasion, while the defense is entrusted to guardians whose usefulness, however, is uncertain, whose initiative is sluggish, and whose influence is often very weak. Salvific thoughts are only awakened by inner voices, which, opposing the temptations, banish the slumber of the wretched hesitator, break open the shell of the heart, and by blowing fire into its depths give hope that he may escape further assaults. But if he wavers between temptations and admonitions, he will soon be delivered up as prey, sacrificed to his enemies and to ruin.
As for those outward and accidental motives that influence the will and human actions, it is generally to be observed that imagination as well as reflection, which arouse thought, derive from the inner faculty, which always precedes the manifestation of will. Sometimes this image, striking reflection and awakening it, has its origin in a firm representation, an opinion of lasting force; but sometimes it is a fleeting image, a vague and unstable breath, arising from a troubled fancy, itself too weak to be retained. The foundation of this sort of impression is usually nothing more than a sudden arousal of sensuality or anger, which quickly passes on to other sensations stirred up by impressions of the same kind, and which are hard to recall or reckon. At times we see the flash of a weak will glimmer after these impressions; but if it were not supported by further impulses, everything, indeed, would sink into torpor. And even if this flash were supposed strong enough, the resulting action would go no further than that of a dreamer, whose designs are fixed upon nothing solid. It is a movement springing from a spark in the imagination, extinguished with it, as happens in a dream to the sleeper, who, though plunged in slumber, is only impressed by a vague and empty image. Just as the sleeper has not lost sensibility and motion, so thought is still accessible to this fleeting flash; only the outward members are dulled by sleep, while the inner being remains awake and reflection always works, joined to the power of desire. Thus man, in general, finds himself between waking and sleeping: sometimes stirred up by fancy, sometimes by a wavering opinion, and finally by desire, which, united to the force of intention and seconded by impulses, masters all together and produces the movement of action. We shall therefore regard desire as the principle of all willing and action. But here it must be noted that every volition and human spontaneity has a beginning-principle, which itself presupposes a real cause to which the existence of this principle is bound. Where this chain does not exist, all connection of causality is broken.
We therefore see that destiny is the driver of intention and the executor of human action. It is destiny which, as absolute master, assails the fragile dwelling of man by all kinds of artifices (that is, the temptations of the sensible world), though the entrance is guarded (that is, by man’s intellectual faculties). These assailants have full power to act through every sort of temptation and persuasion, while the defense is entrusted to guardians whose usefulness, however, is uncertain, whose initiative is sluggish, and whose influence is often very weak. Salvific thoughts are only awakened by inner voices, which, opposing the temptations, banish the slumber of the wretched hesitator, break open the shell of the heart, and by blowing fire into its depths give hope that he may escape further assaults. But if he wavers between temptations and admonitions, he will soon be delivered up as prey, sacrificed to his enemies and to ruin.
As for those outward and accidental motives that influence the will and human actions, it is generally to be observed that imagination as well as reflection, which arouse thought, derive from the inner faculty, which always precedes the manifestation of will. Sometimes this image, striking reflection and awakening it, has its origin in a firm representation, an opinion of lasting force; but sometimes it is a fleeting image, a vague and unstable breath, arising from a troubled fancy, itself too weak to be retained. The foundation of this sort of impression is usually nothing more than a sudden arousal of sensuality or anger, which quickly passes on to other sensations stirred up by impressions of the same kind, and which are hard to recall or reckon. At times we see the flash of a weak will glimmer after these impressions; but if it were not supported by further impulses, everything, indeed, would sink into torpor. And even if this flash were supposed strong enough, the resulting action would go no further than that of a dreamer, whose designs are fixed upon nothing solid. It is a movement springing from a spark in the imagination, extinguished with it, as happens in a dream to the sleeper, who, though plunged in slumber, is only impressed by a vague and empty image. Just as the sleeper has not lost sensibility and motion, so thought is still accessible to this fleeting flash; only the outward members are dulled by sleep, while the inner being remains awake and reflection always works, joined to the power of desire. Thus man, in general, finds himself between waking and sleeping: sometimes stirred up by fancy, sometimes by a wavering opinion, and finally by desire, which, united to the force of intention and seconded by impulses, masters all together and produces the movement of action. We shall therefore regard desire as the principle of all willing and action. But here it must be noted that every volition and human spontaneity has a beginning-principle, which itself presupposes a real cause to which the existence of this principle is bound. Where this chain does not exist, all connection of causality is broken.
IV. ARTEPHIUS
(circa 1130)
Almost nothing is known about this alchemist whose Secret Book was famous in the Middle Ages; he appears to be one of the founders of this brilliant Western school, which had followers until the 17th century. If the preface to the Secret Book is authentic, we see that he himself took care to surround himself with a mysterious prestige and to create his own legend. He claimed to have prolonged his life, like those of the patriarchs, through the use of philosophical medicine. “A thousand years,” he said, “have already passed over me since my birth, by the grace of the one and omnipotent God, and by the use I have made of this admirable quintessence. When during this long space of time, I recognized that no one other than myself had been able to obtain the Magisterium of Hermes, because of the obscurity of the words of the philosophers, I was moved by piety. So I wrote this book without omitting anything (except something, however, which no one is permitted to write, because it is revealed only by God or by a master).”
SECRET BOOK OF THE OCCULT ARTS OR OF THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE
Our stone contains body, soul, and spirit. O nature! How you change bodies into spirit! This you would not do if the spirit did not incorporate itself into bodies, and if bodies did not become volatile with the spirit, and then permanent. One thus passed into the other, and they were converted into one another through wisdom. O wisdom! How you make gold volatile and fugitive, although it is naturally very fixed! We must therefore dissolve and liquefy these bodies with our water, and make of them a permanent water, a sublimated golden water, leaving at the bottom the gross, the terrestrial, and the superfluous dryness. And in this sublimation the fire must be slow, because, if in this sublimation in the slow fire the bodies have not been purified, and if their gross and (note well) earthly parts, have not been separated from the dead filth, you would be prevented, by this from being able to perfect the work. For you only need the subtle and tenuous nature of the dissolved bodies, which our water will give you, if you proceed by the silent fire, separating what is heterogeneous from what is homogeneous.
V. ALBERTUS MAGNUS
(1193-1280)
This Dominican scholar was born in Lauingen in Swabia, to the family of the Counts of Bollstadt; he studied in Pavia, taught Aristotelian philosophy in Paris and Cologne, and was later appointed Bishop of Regensberg. His theological and philosophical works were collected in twenty-one folio volumes; they are, for the most part, compilations of Aristotle, Peter Lombard, and a few Arab writers. However, he devoted himself ardently to the study of physics and the natural sciences, which were greatly neglected in his time, and several treatises on alchemy survive, as well as two very curious works on generation and the virtues of plants and stones. Even during his lifetime, he had the reputation of a magician. He gave a feast at Cologne to William of Holland, during which he made all the spring flowers appear in the cloister garden in the middle of winter. A mysterious automaton that he had built was broken by his disciple, Saint Thomas Aquinas, who saw it as a work of the devil. It would be desirable to make an exact translation of the books on physical sciences of Albert the Great. They have been abridged and distorted in a formless and popular work entitled: The Secrets of Albert the Great, a crude compilation whose reading is not recommended. A work on witchcraft has also been placed under his name: The Little Albert, the writing of which he had no part in. It will be seen, from the extracts that we give from the book De Secretis Mulierum, that he held astrology in great honor, and did not believe it to be incompatible with the Catholic faith.
SECRETS CONCERNING WOMEN
Chapter II
There are certain authors who teach that some of the planets can dominate at the appointed time (for generation); and this relates closely to what I am about to say. So that I may not be accused of ignorance by omitting this, I will state here that all the forces that the soul encloses in the body, it unites through the spheres or celestial bodies.
For through the ultimate orb, which, through diurnal motion, encompasses all the lower spheres, the powers of existence and movement are primarily and radically influenced into matter; and through the orb of the fixed stars, the fetus receives the virtue by which it will be characterized in existence, according to the various figurations and accidental things. And this comes to it in what concerns form; but it also receives, through this orb, another force that gives it existence. And, according to the various natures of this orb, after the starry sphere is placed the sphere of Saturn, according to the Astronomers; and through this are poured into the soul the powers of discerning and reasoning. And next the sphere of Jupiter; and through this flow the magnanimity of the soul and several passions of the soul. And from the sphere of Mars flow the animosity of the soul and the irascible power and the other desires of the soul. And from the Sun flows the power of knowing and remembering. From Venus, the movements of concupiscence and desire. From Mercury the power of rejoicing and delighting. From the Moon, which is the root of all natural powers, the vivifying power (virtus vegetandi); from all (these stars) proceed these powers, and several others contained in the soul; and since these come from the various parts of the celestial bodies, they are distributed throughout all parts of the soul, and not only to the soul, but to the entire compound that the simple accident is not sufficient to sustain.
There are certain authors who teach that some of the planets can dominate at the appointed time (for generation); and this relates closely to what I am about to say. So that I may not be accused of ignorance by omitting this, I will state here that all the forces that the soul encloses in the body, it unites through the spheres or celestial bodies.
For through the ultimate orb, which, through diurnal motion, encompasses all the lower spheres, the powers of existence and movement are primarily and radically influenced into matter; and through the orb of the fixed stars, the fetus receives the virtue by which it will be characterized in existence, according to the various figurations and accidental things. And this comes to it in what concerns form; but it also receives, through this orb, another force that gives it existence. And, according to the various natures of this orb, after the starry sphere is placed the sphere of Saturn, according to the Astronomers; and through this are poured into the soul the powers of discerning and reasoning. And next the sphere of Jupiter; and through this flow the magnanimity of the soul and several passions of the soul. And from the sphere of Mars flow the animosity of the soul and the irascible power and the other desires of the soul. And from the Sun flows the power of knowing and remembering. From Venus, the movements of concupiscence and desire. From Mercury the power of rejoicing and delighting. From the Moon, which is the root of all natural powers, the vivifying power (virtus vegetandi); from all (these stars) proceed these powers, and several others contained in the soul; and since these come from the various parts of the celestial bodies, they are distributed throughout all parts of the soul, and not only to the soul, but to the entire compound that the simple accident is not sufficient to sustain.
Chapter VII
And it must be known that all the stars and other parts of the supercelestial body perform these offices divinely, and always act in this way, and never hinder what comes from their property. And, on the contrary, if it is right to say, according to accepted doctrine, that all inferior things are governed by superior things, it can even be affirmed that through the divine sacrifice and immolation of beasts, and other things that are done in this world, it is impossible to escape the action of the supercelestial bodies, which give life and death.
And it must be known that all the stars and other parts of the supercelestial body perform these offices divinely, and always act in this way, and never hinder what comes from their property. And, on the contrary, if it is right to say, according to accepted doctrine, that all inferior things are governed by superior things, it can even be affirmed that through the divine sacrifice and immolation of beasts, and other things that are done in this world, it is impossible to escape the action of the supercelestial bodies, which give life and death.
VI. ROGER BACON
(1214-1294)
This famous English Franciscan monk is considered the greatest scholar of his century, for he was almost alone in understanding that science must be the fruit of experience, at a time when everyone else was occupied only with compiling books. After studying theology at the Universities of Oxford and Paris, he settled in Oxford and spent his life in a vast laboratory he had built at his own expense. While searching for the secrets of nature, he dabbled in occultism, indulged in astrology and alchemy, and learned about magnetic sleep [i.e. trance]. Having been accused of witchcraft, he was imprisoned for a time; but he exonerated himself before the Pope with his Letter on the Secrets of Nature and the Nullity of Magic, which nevertheless contained the exposition of his entire belief in the practices of occultism. We can see, from this document and from his more important work, the Opus Majus, that he knew of gunpowder, the use of convex and concave lenses, as well as an inflammable substance on the order of phosphorus. He also left a pamphlet on the prolongation of human life, and some small treatises on alchemy. The Letter on the Secrets of Nature having been translated into French in an extremely fanciful way, we are happy to give here a few pages, rectified from the original, and which will have the value of being unpublished.
LETTER ON THE SECRETS OF NATURE
On Amulets
Chapter II: On Characters, Formulas, and Their Use.
As for engraved symbols and talismans, it is certain that if they are not made at the prescribed times, they have no effect. Therefore, whoever makes them as they are formed in books, taking into account only the figure, will be judged by all the wise to have labored in vain. But those who know how to perform works under the constellations designated on the face of the heavens can arrange not only the symbols, but also all their operations, both of nature and of art, according to the power of heaven. But since it is difficult to know celestial things with certainty, many make great errors, and few are those who know how to order anything usefully and truly. This is why many mathematicians who judge and operate by the stars do not achieve much of use, although they are very skilled; Those who possess this art sufficiently can do very useful things, both by works and by judgments at favorable times. However, it must be considered that, when a skilled physician or any other person must excite the soul, although he may add verses and written characters, it is certain that these verses and these characters do not operate by themselves, but in order that the remedy may be taken with more confidence and eagerness, and that the soul of the patient may be excited, that he may have more confidence, that he may hope, and rejoice, because the excited soul can renovate many things in his own body, so that he passes from illness to health, through joy and confidence. If, therefore, a physician, to increase the prestige of his work, and in order to excite the sick person to hope and confidence, acts in this way and not by deception, but simply to give hope in the cure, there is nothing reprehensible; For he himself can permit the wearing of those verses and characters that are hung around the neck, and which he forbids except in this case. The soul can indeed exert much influence over the body through its strong affections, as Avicenna teaches, and all the wise agree on this.
As for engraved symbols and talismans, it is certain that if they are not made at the prescribed times, they have no effect. Therefore, whoever makes them as they are formed in books, taking into account only the figure, will be judged by all the wise to have labored in vain. But those who know how to perform works under the constellations designated on the face of the heavens can arrange not only the symbols, but also all their operations, both of nature and of art, according to the power of heaven. But since it is difficult to know celestial things with certainty, many make great errors, and few are those who know how to order anything usefully and truly. This is why many mathematicians who judge and operate by the stars do not achieve much of use, although they are very skilled; Those who possess this art sufficiently can do very useful things, both by works and by judgments at favorable times. However, it must be considered that, when a skilled physician or any other person must excite the soul, although he may add verses and written characters, it is certain that these verses and these characters do not operate by themselves, but in order that the remedy may be taken with more confidence and eagerness, and that the soul of the patient may be excited, that he may have more confidence, that he may hope, and rejoice, because the excited soul can renovate many things in his own body, so that he passes from illness to health, through joy and confidence. If, therefore, a physician, to increase the prestige of his work, and in order to excite the sick person to hope and confidence, acts in this way and not by deception, but simply to give hope in the cure, there is nothing reprehensible; For he himself can permit the wearing of those verses and characters that are hung around the neck, and which he forbids except in this case. The soul can indeed exert much influence over the body through its strong affections, as Avicenna teaches, and all the wise agree on this.
On Suggestion
Chapter VI: Of Marvelous Experiments.
There is something stronger than all that precedes. Although the rational soul cannot be coerced since it possesses the freedom of its judgment, it can nevertheless be effectively disposed, dominated, and aroused in such a way that it will willingly change its habits, affections, and volitions according to the will of another. Thus, not only can one dominate a single person, but also an entire army, a city, and the entire population of a region. Aristotle, in the Book of Secrets, teaches an experiment of this kind to be performed on a people, an army, or an individual. This can be said to be the extreme limit of nature and art.
There is something stronger than all that precedes. Although the rational soul cannot be coerced since it possesses the freedom of its judgment, it can nevertheless be effectively disposed, dominated, and aroused in such a way that it will willingly change its habits, affections, and volitions according to the will of another. Thus, not only can one dominate a single person, but also an entire army, a city, and the entire population of a region. Aristotle, in the Book of Secrets, teaches an experiment of this kind to be performed on a people, an army, or an individual. This can be said to be the extreme limit of nature and art.
On the Prolongation of Human Life
Chapter VII: On the Art of Postponing Old Age and Prolonging Human Life.
The highest point that art can achieve by means of all the power of nature is the prolongation of human life for a long period. Numerous experiments attest to this possibility, for Pliny relates that Pollio, through his sobriety, preserved himself healthy in body and soul beyond the ordinary limits of human life. When Octavian Augustus asked him what he had done to live so long, he enigmatically replied that he had used oil externally and mead internally (eight parts water, nine parts honey, according to the authors). In later times, other similar events occurred: a peasant, plowing the fields with his plow, found a golden vessel containing a liquid. Believing it to be dew from heaven, he washed his face with it and drank from it; and, suddenly renewed in body and mind, and in the excellence of wisdom, from being a cowherd he became a porter to the King of Sicily, which happened in the time of King Wilhelm. And it is proven by the testimony of papal letters that a German, captive among the Saracens, received a medicine that prolonged his life beyond five hundred years. For the king who held him captive received ambassadors from the Great King who brought him this medicine; but, holding them suspect, the king had tested on the captive what had been sent to him. Likewise, the lady of Nemours in Great Britain, looking for her white doe, found an ointment with which the forest guard had anointed his whole body except the soles of his feet; he lived three hundred years without illness, except for pain in his feet. We have found several times, in our time, peasants who, without the advice of doctors, lived about one hundred years and more, in fairly good health. These examples are confirmed by what happens to animals like deer, eagles, snakes and many others who become young again by the virtue of plants and stones. And this is why the wise men, excited by the example of the animals, set out to search for this secret, thinking that it would be possible for man to obtain what was granted to the brutes themselves. It is for this reason that Artephius, having searched in his wisdom the secret powers of animals, stones, herbs, and all other things, with the aim of penetrating the secrets of nature and especially for the prolongation of life, boasts of having lived one thousand twenty-five years.
And the possibility of the prolongation of life is confirmed by this, that man is naturally immortal, that is to say, capable of not dying; and even after sin, he was able to live about a thousand years; but then human longevity was gradually shortened. It is important, then, that this shortening was accidental; for that is why it can be remedied, either in whole or in part. But if we want to seek the accidental cause of this corruption, we will find that it does not come from heaven, nor from anything other than a defect in the regimen of health. For it is for this very reason that parents, who have been corrupted, engender children of a corrupted complexion and composition, and that the children of their children are corrupted for the same cause. Thus it is that corruption is continually transmitted from father to son, until the result is a shortening of life. It does not follow, however, that life will become shorter and shorter, because no limit has been established in the human species; men quite often live to the age of eighty, , but after that, their life is nothing but pain and illness. The true remedy against the particular corruption of each person would only have an effect if it were exercised from youth onward, including a complete health regimen consisting of food and drink, sleep and wakefulness, movement and rest, evacuation and retention, air and passion of the soul. And if someone followed such a regimen from birth, they would live as long as the natural dispositions received from their parents would allow; they would reach the extreme limit of nature (albeit a fallen one, due to original justice), which they could not, however, exceed, for this regimen can do little or nothing against the ancient corruption of the parents.
The highest point that art can achieve by means of all the power of nature is the prolongation of human life for a long period. Numerous experiments attest to this possibility, for Pliny relates that Pollio, through his sobriety, preserved himself healthy in body and soul beyond the ordinary limits of human life. When Octavian Augustus asked him what he had done to live so long, he enigmatically replied that he had used oil externally and mead internally (eight parts water, nine parts honey, according to the authors). In later times, other similar events occurred: a peasant, plowing the fields with his plow, found a golden vessel containing a liquid. Believing it to be dew from heaven, he washed his face with it and drank from it; and, suddenly renewed in body and mind, and in the excellence of wisdom, from being a cowherd he became a porter to the King of Sicily, which happened in the time of King Wilhelm. And it is proven by the testimony of papal letters that a German, captive among the Saracens, received a medicine that prolonged his life beyond five hundred years. For the king who held him captive received ambassadors from the Great King who brought him this medicine; but, holding them suspect, the king had tested on the captive what had been sent to him. Likewise, the lady of Nemours in Great Britain, looking for her white doe, found an ointment with which the forest guard had anointed his whole body except the soles of his feet; he lived three hundred years without illness, except for pain in his feet. We have found several times, in our time, peasants who, without the advice of doctors, lived about one hundred years and more, in fairly good health. These examples are confirmed by what happens to animals like deer, eagles, snakes and many others who become young again by the virtue of plants and stones. And this is why the wise men, excited by the example of the animals, set out to search for this secret, thinking that it would be possible for man to obtain what was granted to the brutes themselves. It is for this reason that Artephius, having searched in his wisdom the secret powers of animals, stones, herbs, and all other things, with the aim of penetrating the secrets of nature and especially for the prolongation of life, boasts of having lived one thousand twenty-five years.
And the possibility of the prolongation of life is confirmed by this, that man is naturally immortal, that is to say, capable of not dying; and even after sin, he was able to live about a thousand years; but then human longevity was gradually shortened. It is important, then, that this shortening was accidental; for that is why it can be remedied, either in whole or in part. But if we want to seek the accidental cause of this corruption, we will find that it does not come from heaven, nor from anything other than a defect in the regimen of health. For it is for this very reason that parents, who have been corrupted, engender children of a corrupted complexion and composition, and that the children of their children are corrupted for the same cause. Thus it is that corruption is continually transmitted from father to son, until the result is a shortening of life. It does not follow, however, that life will become shorter and shorter, because no limit has been established in the human species; men quite often live to the age of eighty, , but after that, their life is nothing but pain and illness. The true remedy against the particular corruption of each person would only have an effect if it were exercised from youth onward, including a complete health regimen consisting of food and drink, sleep and wakefulness, movement and rest, evacuation and retention, air and passion of the soul. And if someone followed such a regimen from birth, they would live as long as the natural dispositions received from their parents would allow; they would reach the extreme limit of nature (albeit a fallen one, due to original justice), which they could not, however, exceed, for this regimen can do little or nothing against the ancient corruption of the parents.
VII. ARNALDUS DE VILLA NOVA
(c. 1240-1311)
This physician, the most famous of the Middle Ages, was a brilliant example of the Montpellier School. He was one of the first to reject the yoke of the Arab school and replace it with the experimental method, which led to rapid progress in chemical science: He is credited with the discovery of alcohol, sulfuric, nitric, and hydrochloric acids, and turpentine. He devoted himself to astrology and alchemy, and wrote treatises on these sciences that remained celebrated for a long time. From his works, which have been collected in a folio volume, we have selected a few pages on dreams and a curious memoir on curses.
EXPLANATION OF VISIONS THAT OCCUR DURING SLEEP
Proem.
We recognize that the ancient philosophers, whether from India, Persia, Egypt, or Greece, carefully studied, for a spiritual reason, the visions that occur during sleep. They did not pay much attention to the things themselves that appeared in these visions; but, knowing perfectly the essence of the soul, they deduced from them a foresighted and superior knowledge of future things. For philosophers of whatever nation had as their principal subject of study the knowledge of the state of the soul after death. Now, they could not obtain this knowledge by way of nature, except by considering the act or operation of the soul itself, and this, either in sleep or in waking, but mainly during sleep, as is attested in Book III of Aristotle’s Treatise on the Soul, and Book XVI of the Treatise on Animals; from which they concluded that the substance of the soul was separate (from the body). And, by further considering what the object of visions is, they perceived that the soul grasped future things according to the intellectual essence, and not by the sense preceding this future; therefore it was necessary that the soul possess the future by means of that which communicates with special substances, for just as the light of eternity reaches it and that which is in a determined time appears, one can then obtain an understanding of several epochs. Hence, if in this intellective soul there had not been found the use of some interior sense, the way of understanding the totality of things would have appeared to us only after death. However, some have ardently studied the means of understanding this by approaching it more closely, by the instigation of nature which does not cease to promote each one towards his perfection. For he who grants to the human soul a spiritual substance does not judge without reason if many things of the future are revealed to us, and mainly because our soul is less hindered by bodily functions. Bodily functions distract greatly because, by these bodily operations themselves, the intellect is troubled and distracted.
We recognize that the ancient philosophers, whether from India, Persia, Egypt, or Greece, carefully studied, for a spiritual reason, the visions that occur during sleep. They did not pay much attention to the things themselves that appeared in these visions; but, knowing perfectly the essence of the soul, they deduced from them a foresighted and superior knowledge of future things. For philosophers of whatever nation had as their principal subject of study the knowledge of the state of the soul after death. Now, they could not obtain this knowledge by way of nature, except by considering the act or operation of the soul itself, and this, either in sleep or in waking, but mainly during sleep, as is attested in Book III of Aristotle’s Treatise on the Soul, and Book XVI of the Treatise on Animals; from which they concluded that the substance of the soul was separate (from the body). And, by further considering what the object of visions is, they perceived that the soul grasped future things according to the intellectual essence, and not by the sense preceding this future; therefore it was necessary that the soul possess the future by means of that which communicates with special substances, for just as the light of eternity reaches it and that which is in a determined time appears, one can then obtain an understanding of several epochs. Hence, if in this intellective soul there had not been found the use of some interior sense, the way of understanding the totality of things would have appeared to us only after death. However, some have ardently studied the means of understanding this by approaching it more closely, by the instigation of nature which does not cease to promote each one towards his perfection. For he who grants to the human soul a spiritual substance does not judge without reason if many things of the future are revealed to us, and mainly because our soul is less hindered by bodily functions. Bodily functions distract greatly because, by these bodily operations themselves, the intellect is troubled and distracted.
REMEDIES AGAINST CURSES
There are some men who, hindered by curses, cannot practice coitus with their wives. To be of use to them, we wish to reveal in this book what the most holy medicine is, if we are not mistaken. If it suits you, then hope in God, and he will grant you goodness. But because curses are many, we will first study them. Some of the curses come from animals, such as the testicles of a rooster placed on the bed with blood, preventing those in the bed from uniting; others come from characters written with bat blood; others from things that spring from the earth, such as if a nut or an acorn is split in two and one half is placed in one part and the other in another part of the path by which the husband and wife must come. Others are made with beans that are neither softened by hot water nor cooked by fire, and it is the most pernicious curse if three or four of these seeds are placed under the bed, or in the path, or on the door, or near the spouses. There are others that are made of metals, either iron or lead and iron; others are made of a needle with which the dead are sewn into their shroud. And since all these diabolical things which are accomplished mainly in women are cured by means, sometimes divine, other times human, therefore if a husband or wife is oppressed by malefices of this kind, it is more holy, in truth, to seek these, because, if they are not helped, they separate and flee from each other and, in this way, the devilry is exercised not only in the paroxysms, but even in the treatment.
If we want to remove the curse from the bed, we must find the curse and take it away. But if the author of this curse placed it there, either by day or by night, without it being possible to seize it, we must look for another house in which the man and the woman can sleep; but we recognize if this curse has been composed by (written) characters, when the husband and wife do not love each other, we must therefore look for the curse on the threshold of the door, or under it, and, if we find something, we must bring it to the priest. But if this is not the case, and a nut or an acorn is the cause of the curse, the evil object, the acorn or nut, which is separated, must be taken, and the man, taking one half, must set out and place himself at a certain place; then the woman, starting from another point, and carrying the other half, must stop at the same place; the shell being removed, the nut must be reconstituted, and, when it is firm, they must eat it after six days. If the curse has been given by beans, the cure can be better secured by divine means than by human means. If the curse is produced by the needle of the dead, the curse must be sought in the mattress or pillow of the bed; if it cannot be found, one must go and sleep in another house and another bed.
If we want to remove the curse from the bed, we must find the curse and take it away. But if the author of this curse placed it there, either by day or by night, without it being possible to seize it, we must look for another house in which the man and the woman can sleep; but we recognize if this curse has been composed by (written) characters, when the husband and wife do not love each other, we must therefore look for the curse on the threshold of the door, or under it, and, if we find something, we must bring it to the priest. But if this is not the case, and a nut or an acorn is the cause of the curse, the evil object, the acorn or nut, which is separated, must be taken, and the man, taking one half, must set out and place himself at a certain place; then the woman, starting from another point, and carrying the other half, must stop at the same place; the shell being removed, the nut must be reconstituted, and, when it is firm, they must eat it after six days. If the curse has been given by beans, the cure can be better secured by divine means than by human means. If the curse is produced by the needle of the dead, the curse must be sought in the mattress or pillow of the bed; if it cannot be found, one must go and sleep in another house and another bed.
PROVEN REMEDIES AGAINST DEMONS
The gall of a black male dog, sprinkled on the house, combats the demon and prevents it from casting a spell on the house. — By sprinkling the walls of the house with dog blood, the house is purged of all evil. — If the gall of any fish, especially small flatfish, is carried by the husband and wife while they sleep, then placed on hot coals and they breathe in the smoke, all the aforementioned evils will vanish. — If quicksilver is placed in a tube or cane and the end is sealed with wax, the husband and wife will be free from all evils. — If mugwort is placed on the threshold of the door or below, it is impossible for any evil spell to harm the house. — Similarly, if the stone called magnet is worn by both man and woman, any discord between them is immediately appeased. — If one carries bryony root, one is safe from all evil spells. — If the man carries a crow’s heart and the woman a femur of the same bird, they will always unite perfectly well. — If someone wears on his clothes the root called demoniac, he will force the demons of the possessed to confess who they are and where they come from, and he will put them to flight.
VIII. RAMON LLULL
(1235-1315)
The most extraordinary figure of the Middle Ages was, without a doubt, Ramon Llull, nicknamed the Illuminated Doctor, who, through his travels, his adventures, the breadth of his knowledge, and even more so through the uniqueness of the method he proposed for the study of science, acquired universal renown. This theologian, who was a sort of free monk, sometimes wandering, sometimes living as a hermit, taught in Paris and Montpellier, traveled several times to the Holy Land, Egypt, and Barbary; he learned the Arabic language and undertook to bring Muslims to the Christian faith. His numerous works, collected in ten folio volumes, are all inspired by a method he called Ars Magna, which draws on algebra, mnemonics, and Aristotelian logic. He replaced Aristotle’s ten categories with other categories of a higher order; and he undertook the immense task of classifying all human knowledge and placing each piece in a sort of compartment designated by a letter. He flattered himself that he could reason in this way about unknown things, in the same way that algebraists give the generalized result of a problem without knowing the numerical data. The fantastic aspect of the pages of the Ars Magna, all studded with mysterious signs, led to the philosophy of Ramon Llull being given the name of Kabbalah, although he never dealt with this science; a small treatise by him was even published, entitled De Auditu Kabbalistico, the title of which has deceived many seekers of mystery, and which in reality deals only with the classification of human notions, according to the method of categories. For several centuries, Lullist art was considered diabolical, especially since Ramon Llull did not fail to devote himself to the study of alchemy and astrology. The complicated processes of his metaphysics being totally unknown today, although the memory of his personality has remained prestigious, we believe it is interesting to present here, for the first time in French, the pages he devoted to Chaos, which he considered to be a sort of perfect compound, the essential agent, according to him, of the generation of beings.
LIBER CHAOS
On the Essence of Chaos
The essence of Chaos is divided into four parts: fieriness, airiness, wateriness, and earthiness.
Fieriness contains within itself, by its essence, the fiery. Airiness, likewise, contains within itself that which makes something airy, that which can be made airy, the action of aerifying, and the aerified. The same is true for wateriness and earthiness.
Fieriness is the active form, and it is its own passive, that is, its own matter is fiery, because, by its own essence, it is fiery; the action of fieriness is the act of this same fieriness, itself fiery. But the fiery is assumed to be entirely complex in the nature of fieriness; and it is the same for airiness, wateriness, and earthiness.
In the essence of fieriness, all form is in matter and vice versa; it is the same in the other three essences; and because, everywhere, under the lunar circulus, these four essences are confusedly mixed with one another, those that make fire and those that make air are confusedly united, as are those that make fire with those that make air and those that make earth, and vice versa with those that make earth; and thus the four aforementioned essences move and are moved at the same moment or at the same instant, one by the other, and so subtly that, at all the smallest points of this same Chaos, all four are found mixed.
Fieriness contains within itself, by its essence, the fiery. Airiness, likewise, contains within itself that which makes something airy, that which can be made airy, the action of aerifying, and the aerified. The same is true for wateriness and earthiness.
Fieriness is the active form, and it is its own passive, that is, its own matter is fiery, because, by its own essence, it is fiery; the action of fieriness is the act of this same fieriness, itself fiery. But the fiery is assumed to be entirely complex in the nature of fieriness; and it is the same for airiness, wateriness, and earthiness.
In the essence of fieriness, all form is in matter and vice versa; it is the same in the other three essences; and because, everywhere, under the lunar circulus, these four essences are confusedly mixed with one another, those that make fire and those that make air are confusedly united, as are those that make fire with those that make air and those that make earth, and vice versa with those that make earth; and thus the four aforementioned essences move and are moved at the same moment or at the same instant, one by the other, and so subtly that, at all the smallest points of this same Chaos, all four are found mixed.
On the Existence of Chaos
By those which substances which make flame, air, water, and earth, a common form is multiplied, which we call universal, just as those which make fire, air, water, and earth are united or multiplied by a common matter, which we have said to be the first matter. From these two principles, namely, from this form and this matter, results an entity, a support, which we call Chaos.
This same Chaos is the subject in which and by which all natural entities are under the lunar circulus; it contains within itself all the five universals or predicables, and the ten predicates, and all the causal seeds that were created in the instant of the creation of this Chaos; and it must thus be understood that these things place nothing above the essence of Chaos. but, since they are said to be created in him, it is from him that they can all be made, by various transmutations.
This same Chaos is the subject in which and by which all natural entities are under the lunar circulus; it contains within itself all the five universals or predicables, and the ten predicates, and all the causal seeds that were created in the instant of the creation of this Chaos; and it must thus be understood that these things place nothing above the essence of Chaos. but, since they are said to be created in him, it is from him that they can all be made, by various transmutations.
Of the Four Elements
There are four elements, namely: fire, air, water, and earth, which are four powers with which Chaos influences the essence in the things that are raised up. These four elements are influenced according to the influence of Chaos by the four essences, namely, fieriness, etc., etc. And this is why fire has its own line or point proceeding from Chaos in all the species that are in this same Chaos, by the nature of fieriness; and the same is true for the other elements.
Fire is composed of form and matter, which are its very essence; and it desires to become a support, that is, a simple body, in such a way that, between its own form and its own matter, there is no foreign essence; and the same is true for the other elements. If then we seek why each element is simple, we will answer that the four aforementioned essences of this chaos were created together, but confusedly aggregated and mixed in this same Chaos, and more than subtly, because of their very great concord, which they could not have obtained without contrariety, and because, naturally, every contrary flees its contrary; this is why both because of its created simple essences, and because of the avoidance of contrariety, every simple body tends to want to exist separately; and this is how fire, finding the aforementioned concord, enflames the other elements, so that, the contrariety being consumed, it can be separated from the other elements; and likewise do the other elements, and this is how we can understand generation and corruption.
Fire is composed of form and matter, which are its very essence; and it desires to become a support, that is, a simple body, in such a way that, between its own form and its own matter, there is no foreign essence; and the same is true for the other elements. If then we seek why each element is simple, we will answer that the four aforementioned essences of this chaos were created together, but confusedly aggregated and mixed in this same Chaos, and more than subtly, because of their very great concord, which they could not have obtained without contrariety, and because, naturally, every contrary flees its contrary; this is why both because of its created simple essences, and because of the avoidance of contrariety, every simple body tends to want to exist separately; and this is how fire, finding the aforementioned concord, enflames the other elements, so that, the contrariety being consumed, it can be separated from the other elements; and likewise do the other elements, and this is how we can understand generation and corruption.
Of the Four Spheres
We say that all of Chaos is a round, solid entity, spread out into four circular spheres, one containing the other within itself. For the fire sphere, which is superior, contains the air sphere, and the air sphere contains within itself the water sphere, and the water sphere contains the earth sphere, which we understand to be the center. We say that this sphere is the proper place toward which every element tends.
Furthermore, the fire sphere is the proper connection to this fire, and the air sphere the proper connection to air, and so on with the others. Therefore, fire, in its sphere, tends to become a simple body; but the essences of the spheres, as in a place unsuitable for them, according to the greater or lesser, are spread and mixed throughout all of Chaos. Fire cannot be separated so as to become a simple body without the mixture of the others. And just as the soul, for example, which exists throughout our body, manifests itself with greater force in some parts of our body than in others, so fire, which exists throughout Chaos, has more force and essence in its own sphere, which is its natural place, than in the spheres of others. And what we say about fire must be understood of the other elementary bodies.
All four elements are active in their spheres, and capable of action, each by itself and with the others, like fire, which, in its own sphere, is flammable, and signifies the signifiable by its own essence, so that it is a simple support; but, because it cannot act due to the mixture of others, it similarly signifies the essences of the other spheres; so that no element, in itself or outside of itself, can attain its perfection, which is of the essence of chaos, as we have said, where the flammable essence of fire is found, etc., which produce a confused body in the whole concavity of the moon’s path.
Furthermore, the fire sphere is the proper connection to this fire, and the air sphere the proper connection to air, and so on with the others. Therefore, fire, in its sphere, tends to become a simple body; but the essences of the spheres, as in a place unsuitable for them, according to the greater or lesser, are spread and mixed throughout all of Chaos. Fire cannot be separated so as to become a simple body without the mixture of the others. And just as the soul, for example, which exists throughout our body, manifests itself with greater force in some parts of our body than in others, so fire, which exists throughout Chaos, has more force and essence in its own sphere, which is its natural place, than in the spheres of others. And what we say about fire must be understood of the other elementary bodies.
All four elements are active in their spheres, and capable of action, each by itself and with the others, like fire, which, in its own sphere, is flammable, and signifies the signifiable by its own essence, so that it is a simple support; but, because it cannot act due to the mixture of others, it similarly signifies the essences of the other spheres; so that no element, in itself or outside of itself, can attain its perfection, which is of the essence of chaos, as we have said, where the flammable essence of fire is found, etc., which produce a confused body in the whole concavity of the moon’s path.
Of the Universal Transmutation by the Form and Matter of Chaos
In the generation of man, the first degree influences, through the intermediary of Chaos, his essence in the third, without, however, engendering, as the father influences his essence, which is the same as that form and matter by which man is formed, but that by which the first degree of Chaos influences, by itself, a form and matter, in the same way as the father, and by which the whole body of man is engendered; and thus it is manifest that the father does not engender the engendered by means of that essence by which he himself, the father, is man, but rather by that other essence which, influenced by the first degree of Chaos, is converted into the essence of the human body, clothing itself with its likeness and form. so that the father, in generating, gives by means of the first degree his similitude and his form to his son, not however that identical number by which he himself, the father, is man, that is to say his individual and specific form and his matter; otherwise he would have no specific essence of his own, the resurrection would not exist, and the first degree of Chaos would not influence in the third the individual essences and would not preserve those individual forms and matters which those who resurrect must take up again on the last day.
In grafting, there occurs a transmutation by influence of one form into another form, and thus of one matter into another matter, not only between the form and matter of the species, but also where two species are combined, as in the grafting of the apple onto the peach tree, in which, although their species are diverse, there exists a specific being of them, and where a specific number, in a single unique body, is nevertheless mixed and compounded by Chaos, into a fruit of the essence and species of each of the two parts, which is made evident by the color, flavor, and position of the fruits of the tree thus grafted.
The same is true of the generation of the mule, for in it are mingled the influences and similarity of the horse and the donkey, whose existences, according to species, are distinct.
The image and the letters engraved by a seal in the wax do not give to it their existence according to number, but only their similarity in figure, just as the form and matter of the generator do not give to the generated their being numerically, but only their substantial similarity by this passage of influence in the midst of themselves, in that the first degree of Chaos influences of itself into the third, by the intermediary, that is to say by the masculine and the feminine in animals, and by the seed in plants.
In grafting, there occurs a transmutation by influence of one form into another form, and thus of one matter into another matter, not only between the form and matter of the species, but also where two species are combined, as in the grafting of the apple onto the peach tree, in which, although their species are diverse, there exists a specific being of them, and where a specific number, in a single unique body, is nevertheless mixed and compounded by Chaos, into a fruit of the essence and species of each of the two parts, which is made evident by the color, flavor, and position of the fruits of the tree thus grafted.
The same is true of the generation of the mule, for in it are mingled the influences and similarity of the horse and the donkey, whose existences, according to species, are distinct.
The image and the letters engraved by a seal in the wax do not give to it their existence according to number, but only their similarity in figure, just as the form and matter of the generator do not give to the generated their being numerically, but only their substantial similarity by this passage of influence in the midst of themselves, in that the first degree of Chaos influences of itself into the third, by the intermediary, that is to say by the masculine and the feminine in animals, and by the seed in plants.
IX. PETER D’ABANO
(1236 or 1250-1316)
Peter d’Abano, a famous astrologer and physician of the 13th century, was born in Abano, near Padua. He composed numerous works on medicine and philosophy and provided a good version of Mesue and Aben Ezra. He died, aged 66, according to some, 80, according to others, in the prisons of the Inquisition in Rome, where he was imprisoned for the crime of magic. He was tried after his death and burned in effigy. In 1820, he was rehabilitated in Padua. He is credited with a treatise: The Elements of Magic, which was never printed, and a French translation of which exists in manuscript in the Arsenal Library. Agrippa transcribed this work almost word for word in Book IV of his Occult Philosophy. It is even claimed that this entire fourth book is by Peter d’Abano and should not be attributed to Agrippa. In any case, this work by Peter of Abano has contributed greatly to the popularity of the Grimoires, to which we devote a special chapter later.
THE ELEMENTS OF MAGIC
Several essential things must be considered in this science, on which the perfection of all the operations one wishes to perform depends. This involves making pentacles, rings, images, enchantments, orations, conjurations, and sacrifices. Above all, one must compose a consecrated book in which the conjurations one performs on the spirits are transcribed. One must choose a clear and calm time so that the spirit is not weary, and invoke this spirit by its name and character. And after obtaining what one desires, one must dismiss the spirit.
This is done both to revoke good spirits and evil spirits, who are invoked differently depending on the different occurrences; for they sometimes present themselves to us, and sometimes they also inform us of our requests through dreams.
Whoever wishes to invoke a good spirit must observe two things: first, the disposition of the invoker; second, that he be carefully prepared for this mystery for several days; that he be washed with consecrated water. To this end, he must remain sober, chaste, withdrawn from all cares and affairs, fasting if possible for several days; and during these days, he must stand at sunrise in the place where he wishes to make the invocation, dressed in the sacred white linen garments; he must offer prayers to God and the angels according to custom. The number of days is usually a full moon or even forty days.
Let him choose a place that is pure, chaste, hidden, far from noise, and that cannot be seen by anyone, and let him consecrate and exorcise it; and let him have in this place, either a table, or a small altar covered with pure white linen, placed at the East, and on both sides two lighted candles of virgin wax, which burn without ceasing during all these days. In the middle of the altar, place the sacred card, covered with a white linen silk, which is not to be uncovered until the end of the time of fasting. You will have something to make fumigations, then consecrated oil; you will also have a censer placed at the head of the altar, which will remain lit by the blessed fire during all the time of your prayer. You will have a long garment, of white linen, closed in front and behind, which will cover you down to the feet, which you will gird with a belt. You will wear a headband or ribbon, on which there will be a gold or gilded plate with the inscription of the name Tetragrammaton, which will be blessed and consecrated, and you will not enter the sacred place unless you have first washed and dressed in the sacred garments. You will enter barefoot. Having entered, you will sprinkle the place with consecrated water; then you will smoke the altar. And afterward, kneeling before the altar, you will worship. Then you will sign yourselves on your forehead with the consecrated oil, and anoint your eyes with it. Then you will uncover the sacred pentacle, and, kneeling, you will worship as before, near the altar. And, having then summoned the spirits, they will appear to you. You will ask them what you desire, and, with gentle words, you will dismiss them.
This is done both to revoke good spirits and evil spirits, who are invoked differently depending on the different occurrences; for they sometimes present themselves to us, and sometimes they also inform us of our requests through dreams.
Whoever wishes to invoke a good spirit must observe two things: first, the disposition of the invoker; second, that he be carefully prepared for this mystery for several days; that he be washed with consecrated water. To this end, he must remain sober, chaste, withdrawn from all cares and affairs, fasting if possible for several days; and during these days, he must stand at sunrise in the place where he wishes to make the invocation, dressed in the sacred white linen garments; he must offer prayers to God and the angels according to custom. The number of days is usually a full moon or even forty days.
Let him choose a place that is pure, chaste, hidden, far from noise, and that cannot be seen by anyone, and let him consecrate and exorcise it; and let him have in this place, either a table, or a small altar covered with pure white linen, placed at the East, and on both sides two lighted candles of virgin wax, which burn without ceasing during all these days. In the middle of the altar, place the sacred card, covered with a white linen silk, which is not to be uncovered until the end of the time of fasting. You will have something to make fumigations, then consecrated oil; you will also have a censer placed at the head of the altar, which will remain lit by the blessed fire during all the time of your prayer. You will have a long garment, of white linen, closed in front and behind, which will cover you down to the feet, which you will gird with a belt. You will wear a headband or ribbon, on which there will be a gold or gilded plate with the inscription of the name Tetragrammaton, which will be blessed and consecrated, and you will not enter the sacred place unless you have first washed and dressed in the sacred garments. You will enter barefoot. Having entered, you will sprinkle the place with consecrated water; then you will smoke the altar. And afterward, kneeling before the altar, you will worship. Then you will sign yourselves on your forehead with the consecrated oil, and anoint your eyes with it. Then you will uncover the sacred pentacle, and, kneeling, you will worship as before, near the altar. And, having then summoned the spirits, they will appear to you. You will ask them what you desire, and, with gentle words, you will dismiss them.
(Arsenal Library, Ms. No. 2494, p. 155.)
X. TRITHEMUS
(1462-1516)
John Trithemius or of Trittenheim came from a noble family in the Electorate of Trier. After completing fairly serious studies in Heidelberg, he happened to stop at the Benedictine monastery of Spanheim, and, suddenly enamored of monastic life, he settled there permanently. He reformed the morals of this monastery, then in full decline, revived a taste for study among the monks, and enriched the library with nearly two thousand volumes. Laborious and scholarly, he wrote a large number of books, most of them historical; then he devoted himself to the occult sciences and composed treatises on alchemy, a Treatise on the Second Intelligences which govern the planets, and learned works on cryptography where, for the first time, he exposed the art of secret writings and gave rules for their decipherment. The curious pages which follow are extracted from a small work entitled Veterum Sophorum Sigilla et Imagines Magicæ, which was found, after the death of Trithemius, in his papers, written in his hand, and which appeared in 1612. It deals with seals and magic rings, the way to establish them and make them effective. Camille Léonard reproduced it in part in his Speculum Lapidum.
THE SEALS OF THE ANCIENT SAGES AND MAGICAL IMAGES
Seventh Treatise.
It is certain that, for rings, images, and figures engraved in a particular metal or stone, and which are reputed to possess particular virtues, the reason or origin of these virtues must not be attributed to temperament, nor to external qualities, nor to the totality of the substance, but to a certain divine and magical cause, that is, a higher and more sublime one, which some have called, not inaccurately, a spiritual vehicle and bond; by means of which, the body and the soul, substances distant from each other, are united. Thus, the magnet attracts iron, and chicory follows the movement of the sun.
Through the intercession or intervention of this vehicle and this connection, Mercury is effective in quicksilver, in the increase or decrease of memory or thought, in the alectoria stone (found in the rooster's crop), in mixed color and flavor, in Egypt, Greece, Flanders, and Silesia.
By this same vehicle, the Moon is effective in silver and glass, the brain, the left eye of a man and the right eye of a woman, white and ashen colors, salty tastes, mediocre odors, crystal, the seventh climate, Flanders, Holland, Zeeland, and Denmark.
Saturn is effective in lead, the right ear, the spleen and bones, black, livid, and leaden colors, astringent tastes, black and dark stones, the first climate, the right part of the East, Saxony, St. Petersburg, etc.
Jupiter is effective in tin, the lungs, the ribs, the pulse, semen, the left ear, the color brown, purple, yellow, green, emerald, sapphire, amethyst, sweet flavor, the second climate, the North, Babylonia, Persia, Hungary, and Spain.
The Sun is effective in gold, the heart, the arteries, the right eye, the right side, the color golden, saffron, and dark red, in hyacinth, sour and acid flavor, a good odor, without excess, the fourth climate, the East.
Mars is effective in iron, the left ear, gall, the kidneys, jasper, bitter, gall-like, and acrid flavor, the color red, the third climate, the North, Sarmatia, Gaetulia, Lombardy, and Gothia.
Venus is effective in copper and mirrors of all kinds, the womb, kidneys, breasts, throat, genitals, liver, white color, unctuous, sweet, and fatty flavor, pearls, sapphires, and carbuncles, the fifth climate, Austria, Arabia, Campania, Poland, and Helvetia.
It is certain that, for rings, images, and figures engraved in a particular metal or stone, and which are reputed to possess particular virtues, the reason or origin of these virtues must not be attributed to temperament, nor to external qualities, nor to the totality of the substance, but to a certain divine and magical cause, that is, a higher and more sublime one, which some have called, not inaccurately, a spiritual vehicle and bond; by means of which, the body and the soul, substances distant from each other, are united. Thus, the magnet attracts iron, and chicory follows the movement of the sun.
Through the intercession or intervention of this vehicle and this connection, Mercury is effective in quicksilver, in the increase or decrease of memory or thought, in the alectoria stone (found in the rooster's crop), in mixed color and flavor, in Egypt, Greece, Flanders, and Silesia.
By this same vehicle, the Moon is effective in silver and glass, the brain, the left eye of a man and the right eye of a woman, white and ashen colors, salty tastes, mediocre odors, crystal, the seventh climate, Flanders, Holland, Zeeland, and Denmark.
Saturn is effective in lead, the right ear, the spleen and bones, black, livid, and leaden colors, astringent tastes, black and dark stones, the first climate, the right part of the East, Saxony, St. Petersburg, etc.
Jupiter is effective in tin, the lungs, the ribs, the pulse, semen, the left ear, the color brown, purple, yellow, green, emerald, sapphire, amethyst, sweet flavor, the second climate, the North, Babylonia, Persia, Hungary, and Spain.
The Sun is effective in gold, the heart, the arteries, the right eye, the right side, the color golden, saffron, and dark red, in hyacinth, sour and acid flavor, a good odor, without excess, the fourth climate, the East.
Mars is effective in iron, the left ear, gall, the kidneys, jasper, bitter, gall-like, and acrid flavor, the color red, the third climate, the North, Sarmatia, Gaetulia, Lombardy, and Gothia.
Venus is effective in copper and mirrors of all kinds, the womb, kidneys, breasts, throat, genitals, liver, white color, unctuous, sweet, and fatty flavor, pearls, sapphires, and carbuncles, the fifth climate, Austria, Arabia, Campania, Poland, and Helvetia.
Source: Grillot de Givry, Anthologie de l’occultisme (Paris: Éditions de Serène, 1922).
