SIR! Great men decline, mighty men may fall, but an honest Philosopher keeps his station for ever. To your self therefore I crave leave to present, what I know you are able to protect; not with sword, but by reason; & not that only, but what by your acceptance you are able to give a lustre to. I see it is not in vain that you have compassed Sea and Land, for thereby you have made a Proselyte, not of another, but of your self, by being converted from vulgar, and irrational incredulities to the rational embracing of the sublime, Hermeticall, and Theomagicall truths. You are skilled in the one as if Hermes had been your Tutor; have insight in the other, as if Agrippa your Master. Many transmarine Philosophers, which we only read, you have conversed with: many Countries, rarities, and antiquities, which we have only heard of, and admire, you have seen. Nay you have not only heard of, but seen, not in Maps, but in Rome it self themanners of Rome. there you have seen much Ceremony, and little Religion; and in the wilderness of New England, you have seen amongst some, much Religion, and little Ceremony; and amongst others, I mean the Natives thereof, neither Ceremony, nor Religion, but what nature dictates to them. In this there is no small variety, and your observation not little. In your passage thither by Sea, you have seen the wonders of God in the Deep; and by Land, you have seen the astonishing works of God in the unaccessible Mountains. You have left no stone unturned, that the turning thereof might conduce to the discovery of what was Occult, and worthy to be known. It is part of my ambition to let the world know that I honor such as your self, & my learned friend, & your experienced fellow-traveller, Doctor Charlet, who have, like true Philosophers neglected your worldly advantages to become masters of that which hath now rendred you both truly honorable. If I had as many languages as your selves, the rhetoricall and patheticall expressions thereof would fail to signifie my estimation of, and affections towards you both. Now Sir! as in reference to this my translatoin, if your judgement shal finde a deficiency therein, let your candor make a supply thereof. Let this Treatise of Occult Philosophy coming as a stranger amongst the English, be patronized by you, remembring that you your self was once a stranger in the Country of its Nativity. This stranger I have dressed in an English garb; but if it be not according to the fashion, and therefore ungrateful to any, let your approbation make it the mode; you know strangers most commonly induce a fashion, especially if any once begin to approve of their habit. Your approbation is that which will stand in need of, and which will render me, 

SIR, Most obligedly yours,
J. F. 

HEnry Cornelius Agrippa, Descended from a noble Family of Netteshim in Belgia, Doctor of the Laws and Physick [medicine], Master of the Rols, and Judge of the spirituall Court, from his youth he applyed his minde to learning, and by his happy wit obtained great knowledge in all Arts and Sciences; afterwards also he followed the Army of the Princes, and for his valor was created Knight in the Field; when je was by these means famous for learning and Arms about 1530. He gave his

minde to writing, and composed three Books Of Occult Philosophy; afterward an Invective or Cynicall declamation of the uncertainty and vanity of all things, in which he teacheth that there is no certainty in any thing, but in the solid words of God, and that, to lie hid in the eminency of Gods word; he also wrote an History of the double Coronation of the Emperor Charls, and also of the excellency of the feminine sexe, and of the

apparitions of spirits; but seeing that he published commentaries on the Ars Brevis of Raymundus Lully [Ramon Llull], and was very much addicted to Occult Philosophy and Astrology, there were those who thought that he enjoyed commerce with devils, whom notwithstanding he confuted in his published Apology, and shewed, that he kept himselfwithin the bounds of Art, 1538, He wrote many learned orations, which manifest to all the excellency of his wit; but especially ten; the first on Platoes Benquet, uttered in the Academy of Tricina containing the praise of Love; the second on Hermes Trismegistus, and of the power and wisdom of God; the third for one who was to receive his degree of Doctor; the fourth for the Lords of Metz, when he was chosen their Advocate, Syndice and Orator; the fifth to the Senate of Luxenburg, for the Lords of Metz; The sixth to salute the Prince and Bishop thereof, written for the Lords of Metz; the seventh to salute as noble man, written likewise for the Lords of Metz; the eighth for a certain kinsman of his, a Carmelite, made Bachelor of Divinity, when he received his regency at Paris; the

ninth for the son of Cristiern King of Denmary, Norway, and Sweden, delivered at the coming of the Emperor; the tenth at the Funerall of the Lady Margret, Princess of Austand Burgundy; he wrote also a Dialogue concerning man, and a Declamation of a disputable opinion concerning originall sin to the Bishop of Cyrene; an Epistle to Michael de Arando Bishop of Saint Paul; a complaint upon a calumny not proved, Printed at Strasburg 1539. and therefore by these monuments published, the name of cornelius for his variety of Learning was famous, not only amongst the Germanes, butalso other Nations; for Momus himself carpeth at all amongst the gods; amongst the Heroes, Hercules hunteth after Monsters; amongst divels [devils] Pluto the king of helangry with all the ghosts; amongst Philosophers Democritus laugheth at all things, on tcontrary Heraclitus weepeth at all things; Pirrhias is ignorant of all things, and Aristotthinketh he knoweth all things; Diogenes contemneth all things; this Agrippa spareth none, he contemneth, knows, is ignorant, weeps, laught, is angry, pursueth, carps at allthings, being himself a Philosopher, a Demon, an Heroes [hero], a god, and all things.

Introduction Agrippa to the reader.  Agrippa to Trithemius.  Trithemius to Agrippa. Chap. 1. How Magicians Collect vertues from the Three-fold World, is Declared in

these Three Books. Chap. 2. What Magic is, What are the Parts thereof, and How the Professors thereof

must be Qualified. Chap. 3. Of the Four Elements, their Qualities, and Mutual Mixtions. Chap. 4. Of a Three-fold Consideration of the Elements. Chap. 5. Of the Wonderful Natures of Fire and Earth. Chap. 6. Of the Wonderful Natures of Water, Air and Winds. Chap. 7. Of the Kinds of Compounds, what Relation they stand in to the Elements,
and what Relation there is betwixt the Elements themselves and the Soul, Senses and Dispositions of Men.

Chap. 8. How the Elements are in the Heavens, in Stars, in Devils, in Angels, and lastly in God himself.

Chap. 9. Of the vertues of things Natural, depending immediately upon Elements. Chap. 10. Of the Occult vertues of Things Chap. 11. How Occult vertues are Infused into the several kinds of Things by Ideas,
thrugh the Help of the Soul of the World, and Rays of the Stars; and what

Introduction Agrippa to the reader.  Agrippa to Trithemius.  Trithemius to Agrippa. Chap. 1. How Magicians Collect vertues from the Three-fold World, is Declared in
these Three Books. Chap. 2. What Magic is, What are the Parts thereof, and How the Professors thereof

must be Qualified. Chap. 3. Of the Four Elements, their Qualities, and Mutual Mixtions. Chap. 4. Of a Three-fold Consideration of the Elements. Chap. 5. Of the Wonderful Natures of Fire and Earth. Chap. 6. Of the Wonderful Natures of Water, Air and Winds. Chap. 7. Of the Kinds of Compounds, what Relation they stand in to the Elements,
and what Relation there is betwixt the Elements themselves and the Soul, Senses and Dispositions of Men.

Chap. 8. How the Elements are in the Heavens, in Stars, in Devils, in Angels, and lastly in God himself.

Chap. 9. Of the vertues of things Natural, depending immediately upon Elements. Chap. 10. Of the Occult vertues of Things Chap. 11. How Occult vertues are Infused into the several kinds of Things by Ideas,

Things abound most with this vertue. Chap. 12. How it is that Particular vertues are Infused into Particular Individuals, even
of the same Species. Chap. 13. Whence the Occult vertues of Things Proceed. Chap. 14. Of the Spirit of the World, What It Is, and how by way of medium It Unites
occult vertues to their Subjects. Chap. 15. How we must Find Out and Examine the vertues of Things by way of

Similitude. Chap. 16. How the Operations of several vertues Pass from one thing into another, and
are Communicated one to the other. Chap. 17. How by Enmity and Friendship the vertues of things are to be Tried and

Found Out. Chap. 18. Of the Inclinations of Enmities. Chap. 19. How the vertues of Things are to be Tried and Found Out, which are in them

Specifically, or in any one Individual by way of Special gift. Chap. 20. The Natural vertues are in some Things throughout their Whole Substance,
and in other Things in certain Parts and Members. Chap. 21. Of the vertues of Things which are in them only in their Life Time, and

Such as Remain in them even After their Death. Chap. 22. How Inferior Things are Subjected to Superior Bodies, and how the Bodies,
the Actions, and Dispositions of Men are Ascribed to Stars and Signs. Chap. 23. How we shall Know what Stars natural Things are Under, and what Things
are under the Sun, which are called Solary. Chap. 24. What Things are Lunary, or Under the Power of the Moon. Chap. 25. What Things are Saturnine, or Under the Power of Saturn. Chap. 26. What Things are Under the Power of Jupiter, and are called Jovial. Chap. 27. What Things are Under the Power of Mars, and are called Martial. Chap. 28. What things are Under the Power of Venus, and are called Venereal. Chap. 29. Things are Under the Power of Mercury, and are called Mercurial. Chap. 30. That the Whole Sublunary World, and those Things which are in It, are

Distributed to Planets. Chap. 31. How Provinces and Kingdoms are Distributed to Planets. Chap. 32. What Things are Under the Signs, the Fixed Stars, and their Images. Chap. 33. Of the Seals and Characters of Natural Things. Chap. 34. How, by Natural Things and their vertues, We may Draw Forth and Attract

the Influences and vertues of Celestial Bodies. Chap. 35. Of the Mixtions of Natural Things, one with another, and their Benefits. Chap. 36. Of the Union of Mixt Things, and the Introduction of a More Noble Form,

and the Senses of Life. Chap. 37. How, by some certain Natural and Artificial Preparations, We may Attract
certain Celestial and Vital Gifts.

thrugh the Help of the Soul of the World, and Rays of the Stars; and what

Chap. 38. Chapter xxxviii. How we may Draw not only Celestial and Vital but also certain Intellectual and Divine Gifts from Above.
Chap. 39. That we may, by some certain Matters of the World, Stir Up the Gods of the World and their Ministering Spirits.
Chap. 40. Of Bindings; what Sort they are of, and in what Ways they are wont to be Done.
Chap. 41. Of Sorceries, and their Power. Chap. 42. Of the Wonderful vertues of some kinds of Sorceries. Chap. 43. Of Perfumes or Suffumigations; their Manner and Power. Chap. 44. The Composition of some Fumes appropriated to the Planets. Chap. 45. Chapter xlv. Of Collyries, Unctions, Love-Medicines, and their vertues. Chap. 46. Of natural Alligations and Suspensions. Chap. 47. Of Magical Rings and their Composition. Chap. 48. Of the vertue of Places, and what Places are Suitable to every Star. Chap. 49. Of Light, Colors, Candles and Lamps, and to what Stars, Houses and
Elements several Colors are Ascribed.

 

Chap. 50. Of Fascination, and the Art thereof. Chap. 51. Of certain Observations, Producing wonderful vertues. Chap. 52. Of the Countenance and Gesture, the Habit and the Figure of the Body, and
to what Stars any of these do Answer -- whence Physiognomy, and Metoposcopy, and Chiromancy, Arts of Divination, have their Grounds.
Chap. 53. Of Divination, and the Kinds thereof. Chap. 54. Of divers certain Animals, and other things, which have a Signification in
Auguries. Chap. 55. How Auspicas are Verified by the Light of Natural Instinct, and of some
Rules of Finding of It Out. Chap. 56. Of the Soothsayings of Flashes and Lightnings, and how Monstrous and
Prodigious Things are to be Interpreted. Chap. 57. Of Geomancy, Hydromancy, Aeromancy, and Pyromancy, Four Divinations
of Elements. Chap. 58. Of the Reviving of the Dead, and of Sleeping or Hibernating (wanting
victuals) Many Years together. Chap. 59. Of Divination by Dreams. Chap. 60. Of Madness, and Divinations which are made when men are awake, and of
the power of a Melancholy Humor, by which Spirits are sometimes induced into Men's Bodies.
Chap. 61. Of the Forming of Man, of the External Senses, also those Inward, and the Mind; and of the Threefold Appetite of the Soul, and Passions of the Will.
Chap. 62. Of the Passions of the Mind, their Original Source, Differences, and Kinds. Chap. 63. How the Passions of the Mind change the proper Body by changing its
Accidents and moving the Spirit.

Chap. 64. How the Passions of the Mind change the Body by way of Imitation from some Resemblance; of the Transforming and Translating of Men, and what Force the Imaginative Power hath, not only over the Body but the Soul.
Chap. 65. How the Passions of the Mind can Work of themselves upon Another's Body.
Chap. 66. That the Passions of the Mind are Helped by a Celestial Season, and how Necessary the Constancy of the Mind is in every Work.
Chap. 67. How the Mind of Man may be Joined with the Mind of the Stars, and Intelligences of the Celestials, and, together with them, Impress certain wonderful vertues upon inferior Things.
Chap. 68. How our Mind can Change and Bind inferior Things to the Ends which we Desire.
Chap. 69. Of Speech, and the Occult vertue of Words. Chap. 70. Of the vertue of Proper Names. Chap. 71. Of many Words joined together, as in Sentences and Verses, and of the
vertues and Astrictions of Charms. Chap. 72. Of the wonderful Power of Enchantments. Chap. 73. Of the vertue of Writing, and of Making Imprecations, and Inscriptions. Chap. 74. Of the Proportion, Correspondency, and Reduction of Letters to the Celestial
Signs and Planets, According to various Tongue, and a Table thereof. 
The life of Henry Cornelius Agrippa, Knight.

Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa (1486-1535) is the most influential writer of Renaissance esoterica, and indeed all of Western occultism. Without doubt, his book de occulta philosophia should be at the top of any required reading list for those interested in Western magic and esoteric traditions. 

Written in three books between the years 1509 and 1510 (he would have been 23 at the time), it was an ambitious attempt to rejuvenate the art of magic which had degenerated during the dark ages. He did this by assembling an intellectual and theoretical foundation from his extensive collection of sources. Agrippa started with a "systematic exposition of ... Ficinian spiritual magic and Trithemian demonic magic (and) ... treatised in practical magic" (I. P. Couliano in Hidden Truths 1987, p. 114). Other major sources used by Agrippa include Liber de mirabilibus mundi of pseudo-Albertus Magnus, Giovanni Pico's Oratio de Dignitate Hominis and Apologia, Johannes Reuchlin's De Verbo Mirifico, Pliny's Historia Naturalis, as well as Picatrix and the Hermetic and Neoplatonic texts. The resulting text circulated widely in manuscript form.]

Over twenty years later Agrippa undertook an extensive expansion and careful revision of the work, which was printed in 1533. Typesetting had scarcely begun before the book was denounced as heretical by the Dominican Inquisitor Conrad Köllin of Ulm. These last minute difficulties account for the inclusion of the lengthy retraction appended to book 3, as well as the absence of the printer's name or location. (Cf. V. Perrone Compagni, Cornelius Agrippa: De occulta philosophia Libri tres, Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1992, p. 11.) 

In his Mysteriorum Libri, John Dee makes frequent mention of Agrippa's book, to the extent that he seems almost to have memorized it. Portions of Agrippa's work are also frequently found appended to magical manuscripts or even liberally merged with the

The English translation appeared in London in 1651. The translator, identified only as "J.F." was probably John French, not J. Freake. (See Ferguson, I, 13 and DNB.) 
In 1801 Agrippa's text, in a slightly abridged form, was shamelessly plagiarized and published as his own work by Frances Barrett (The magus, or Celestial intelligencer, London 1801). This work can still be found in print. The latter was in turn plagiarized and published as his own work by L.W. de Laurence (The Great Book of Magical Art, Hindoo Magic & Indian Occultism, (Chicago, 1915)! He managed the 'Hindoo' part by replacing certain of the Hebrew names with pseudo-Sanskrit fabrications. 
This edition is a transcription of the Gregory Moule edition (Moule: London, 1651.) 
This electronic edition was based on the London 1651 Moule edition found in the British Library:

Title: Three Books of Occult Philosophy ... Translated ... by J. F. [i.e. John French.]    Main heading: AGRIPPA. Henricus Cornelius    Additional headings: F.. J.    Additional headings: FRENCH. John. M.D.    Publication details: pp. 583. R. W. for Gregory Moule: London, 1651. 4o.    Shelfmark: 1471.g.5.    Shelfmark: E.617.    Shelfmark: 232.l.7.(1)  

Graphics were supplied from 1533 Latin edition:   Title:      De occulta philosophia libri tres   Authors:    Agrippa von Nettesheim, Heinrich Cornelius, 1486?-1535.   Published:  [S.l. (Köln/Cologne): s.n., 1533]

I have added text in [] primarily to facilitate searches, but also to include some corrections based on the original Latin (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1992.) Note the Willis F. Whitehead edition (Chicago, Hahn & Whitehead, 1898) was used in the initial stages of this transcription, but it was found to be less accurate, so I went back and redid the transcription to reflect the earlier edition. His editorial efforts, aside from modernizing spelling, mainly consists of substituting euphemisms for sexual references or deleting them entirely (for examples see chapters 15 and 16). 

The Hebrew lettering in the English edition is full of errors; therefore I have used the Latin Edition (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1992) to restore these per Agrippa's original intent. Unfortunately, this does not help track errors propagated from the defects in the early English editions. 

WING perhaps to the circumstance that the indispensable “Baedecker” accords only a three or four line notice to the “Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal” – but few English or American visitors to Paris are acquainted with its name,
2
situation, or contents, though nearly all know at least by sight the “Bibliothèque Nationale” and the “Bibliothèque Mazarin”.
This “Library of the Arsenal,” as it is now called, was founded as a private collection by Antoine René Voyer D'Argenson, Marquis de Paulny; and was Wrst opened to the public on the 9th Floréal, in the Wfth year of the French Republic (that is to say, on 28th April, 1797), or just a century ago. This Marquis de Paulny was born in the year 1722, died in 1787, and was successively Minister of War, and Ambassador to Switzerland, to Poland, and to the Venetian Republic. His later years were devoted to the formation of this Library, said to be one of the richest private collections known. It was acquired in 1785 by the Comte D'Artois, and today belongs to the State. It is situated on the right bank of the Seine, in the Rue de Sully, near the river, and not far from the Place de la Bastille, and is known as the “Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal”. In round numbers it now possesses 700,000 printed books, and about 8000 manuscripts, many of them being of considerable value.
Among the latter is this Book of the Sacred Magic of Abra-Melin, as delivered by Abraham the Jew unto his son Lamech; which I now give to the public in printed form for the Wrst time.
Many years ago I heard of the existence of this manuscript from a celebrated occultist, since dead; and more recently my attention was again called to it by my personal friend, the well-known French author, lecturer and poet, Jules Bois, whose attention has been for some time turned to occult subjects. My Wrst-mentioned informant told me that it was known both to Bulwer Lytton and Eliphas Levi, that the former had based part of his description of the Sage Rosicrucian Mejnour on that of Abra-Melin, while the account of the so-called Observatory of Sir Philip Derval in the “Strange Story” was to an extent copied from and suggested by that of the Magical Oratory and Terrace, given in the Eleventh Chapter of the Second Book of this present work. Certainly also the manner of instruction applied by Mejnour in “Zanoni” to the Neophyte Glyndon, together with the test of leaving him alone in his abode to go on a short journey and then returning unexpectedly, is closely similar to that employed by Abra-Melin to Abraham, with this diVerence,

that the latter successfully passed through that test, while Glyndon failed. It would also be especially such experiments as those described at length in the Third Book, which the author of the “Strange Story” had in view when he makes Sir Philip Derval in the MS. history of his life speak of certain books describing occult experiments, some of which he had tried and to his surprise found succeed.
This rare and unique manuscript of the Sacred Magic of Abra-Melin, from which the present work is translated, is a French translation from the original Hebrew of Abraham the Jew. It is in the style of script usual at about the end of the seventeenth and beginning of the eighteenth centuries, and is apparently by the same hand as another MS. of the Magic Of Picatrix
1
also in the “Bibliothèque de L'Arsenal”. I know of no other existing copy or replica of this Sacred Magic of Abra-Melin, not even in the British Museum, whose enormous collection of Occult Manuscripts I have very thoroughly studied. Neither have I ever heard by traditional report of the existence of any other copy.
2
In giving it now to the Public, I feel, therefore, that I am conferring a real beneWt upon English and especially American students of Occultism, by placing within their reach for the Wrst time a Magical work of such importance from the Occult standpoint.
The Manuscript is divided into three Books, each with its separate Title Page, surrounded by an ornamental border of simple design, in red and black ink, and which is evidently not intended to be symbolical in the slightest degree, but is simply the work of a conscientious caligraphist wishing to give an appearance of cleanness and completeness to the Title Page.
The wording of each is the same: “Livre Premier (Second or Troisième, as the case may be) de la Sacrée Magie que Dieu donna à Moyse, Aaron, David, Salomon et à d’autres Saints Patriarches et Prophetes qui enseigne la vraye sapience Divine laissée par Abraham à Lamech son Fils traduite de l’hebreu 1458”. I give the translated title at the commencement of each of the Three Books.
On the Xy-leaf of the original MS. is the following note in the handwriting of the end of the eighteenth century: —
“This Volume contains 3 Books, of which here is the Wrst. – The Abraham and the Lamech, of whom there is here made question, were Jews of the Wfteenth century, and it is well known that the Jews of that period possessing the Cabala of Solomon passed for being the best Sorcerers and Astrologers.” Then follows in another and recent hand:–

Volume composed of three parts– 1st part 102 pages.
2nd 194 3rd 117
—— 413
June, 1883.” The style of the French employed in the text of the MS. is somewhat vague and
obscure, two qualities unhappily heightened by the almost entire absence of any attempt at punctuation, and the comparative rarity of paragraphic arrangement. Even the full stop at the close of a sentence is usually omitted, neither is the commencement of a fresh one marked by a capital letter. The following example is taken from near the end of the Third Book; “Cest pourquoy la premiere chose que tu dois faire principalement ates esprits familiers sera de leur commander de ne tedire jamais aucune chose deuxmemes que lorsque tu les interrogeras amoins queles fut pour tavertir des choses qui concerne ton utilite outon prejudice parceque situ ne leur limite pas leparler ils tediront tant etdesi grandes choses quils tofusquiront lentendement et tu ne scaurois aquoy tentenir desorte que dans la confusion des choses ils pourroient te faire prevariquer ettefaire tomber dans des erreurs irreparables ne te fais jamais prier en aucune chose ou tu pourras aider et seccourir tonprochain et nattends pas quil tele demande mais tache descavoir afond,” etc. This extract may be said to give a fair idea of the average quality of the French. The style, however, of the First Book is much more colloquial than that of the Second and Third, it being especially addressed by Abraham to Lamech, his son, and the second person singular being employed throughout it. As some English readers may be ignorant of the fact, it is perhaps as well here to remark that in French “tu,” thou, is only used between very intimate friends and relations, between husband and wife lovers, etc.; while “vous,” you, is the more usual mode of address to the world in general. Again, in sacred books, in prayers, etc., “vous” is used, where we employ "thou" as having a more solemn sound than “tu”. Hence the French verb “tutoyer,” = “to be very familiar with, to be on extremely friendly terms with any one, and even to be insolently familiar”. This First Book contains advice concerning Magic, and a description of Abraham’s Travels and experiences, as well as a mention of the many marvellous works he had been able to accomplish by means of this system of Sacred Magic. The Second and Third Books (which really contain the Magic of Abra-Melin, and are practically based on the two MSS. entrusted by him to Abraham, the Jew, but with additional comments by the latter) diVer in style from

the former, the phraseology is quaint and at times vague, and the second person plural, “vous,” is employed for the most part instead of “tu”.
The work may then be thus roughly classiWed:
First Book: = Advice and Autobiography; both addressed by the Author to his son Lamech.
Second Book: = General and complete description of the means of obtaining the Magical Powers desired.
Third Book: = The application of these Powers to produce an immense number of Magical results.
Though the chapters of the Second and Third Books have special headings in the actual text, those of the First Book have none; wherefore in the “Table of Contents” I have supplemented this defect by a careful analysis of their subject matter.
This system of Sacred Magic Abraham acknowledges to have received from the Mage Abra-Melin; and claims to have himself personally and actually wrought most of the wonderful eVects described in the Third Book, and many others besides.
Who then was this Abraham the Jew? It is possible, though there is no mention of this in the MS., that he was a descendant of that Abraham the Jew who wrote the celebrated Alchemical work on twenty-one pages of bark or papyrus, which came into the hands of Nicholas Flamel, and by whose study the latter is said eventually to have attained the possession of the “Stone of the Wise”. The only remains of the Church of Saint Jacques de la Boucherie which exists at the present day, is the tower, which stands near the Place du Châtelet, about ten minutes’ walk from the Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal; and there is yet a street near this tower which bears the title of “Rue Nicolas Flamel,” so that his memory still survives in Paris, together with that of the Church close to which he lived, and to which, after the attainment of the Philosopher’s Stone, he and his wife Pernelle caused a handsome peristyle to be erected.
From his own account, the author of the present work appears to have been born in A.D. 1362, and to have written this manuscript for his son, Lamech, in 1458, being then in his ninety-sixth year. That is to say, that he was the contemporary both of Nicholas Flamel and Pernelle, and also of the mystical Christian Rosenkreutz, the founder of the celebrated Rosicrucian Order or Fraternity in Europe. Like the latter, he appears to have been very early seized with the desire of obtaining Magical Knowledge; like him and Flamel, he left his home and travelled in search of the Initiated Wisdom; like them both, he returned to become a worker of wonders. At this period, it was almost universally believed that

The Magick of Abramelin

Aaron Leitch

Let's consider the Talismans found in Abramelin's Book III. Are they
useless, as I have suggested in my previous work? My answer today
is "No." I believe the Abramelin aspirant should draw them up (the
*completed* ones, not the French/Mathers versions) and place them on
the Terrace for the Princes to swear upon- just as Abramelin
describes. As we shall see, I believe these are perfectly workable
Talismans for any of us (not just "Abraham the Jew")- intended to
provide a "starting point" for an even larger system of magick. The
system we see in Book Three is incomplete, and is waiting for each
individual aspirant to expand it based upon their own work with
their HGA and servient spirits.

Which leads us to the servient spirits associated with the Princes.
At this point, I *DO* feel that the spirits listed in Abramelin are
useless to the aspirant (relating only to "Abraham the Jew"). Now,
you may (understandably) ask: "but aren't those Talismans meant to
work specifically with *those* spirits?" And the answer is "not
exactly." If you read Abramelin carefully, you'll note that none of
the servient spirits are listed with the Talismans. It is the
Princes of Hell (specifically the 8 Sub-Princes) who are associated
with the Talismans. In fact, it is only the Princes who are evoked
by name during the 7-day Abramelin Rite to swear upon the Talismans.
That means the names of the servient spirits themselves are not
necessary.

Of course, Abramelin does instruct one to write up a list of all the
servient spirits and place that list on the Terrace as well.
*However*- hidden elsewhere in the book- Abramelin reveals that we
should ask the Eight Sub-Princes for our own personal list of
spirits - those spirits who are most sympathetic to our psyche. (In
other words- our own personal demons!) It is on the sixth day of
the 7-day Rite that one demands the list of servient spirits from
the Sub-Princes.
In the Book of Abramelin, we find "Abraham's" spirits listed under
the following headings (that is, listed under the Sub-Princes that
govern them):

----------------
ASTAROT. MAGOT. ASMODEE. BELZEBUD.


ASTAROT and ASMODEE. MAGOT and ASMODEE.


ORIENS. PAIMON. ARITON. AMAIMON. ALL FOUR TOGETHER.


ARITON and AMAIMON.
----------------

All of the above headings are given lists of spirits in Abramelin-
covering the operations of ALL of the Abramelin Talismans. Note
that the four main Princes (Lucifer, Leviathan, Satan, Belial) have
no part in this list. The Big Four are only summoned to bring the
Eight Sub-Princes, and then the Sub-Princes are in charge of the
magick- working via their servient spirits.

In any case ,we can easily see that the above register is not
complete. For instance, note that Astarot, Magot, Asmodee and
Belzebud do not have an "All Four Together" heading. Plus, both
sets of Sub-Princes also work in pairs- but only a *very* small
number of possible pairs are shown. If we work up a more complete
register, it would look like this (a larger, printable, version of
this list is included at the end of this essay):

----------------
ASTAROT. MAGOT. ASMODEE. BELZEBUD. ALL FOUR TOGETHER.

ASTAROT and MAGOT. ASTAROT and ASMODEE. ASTAROT and BELZEBUD.

MAGOT and ASMODEE. MAGOT and BELZEBUD.

ASMODEE and BELZEBUD.


ORIENS. PAIMON. ARITON. AMAIMON. ALL FOUR TOGETHER.

ORIENS and PAIMON. ORIENS and ARITON. ORIENS and AMAIMON.

PAIMON and ARITON. PAIMON and AMAIMON.

ARITON and AMAIMON.
----------------

(The Book of Abramelin does not indicate that there are any
groupings of three Princes at a time, so I have excluded such
headings. Likewise, I see no indication that the two groups of four
Sub-Princes ever "cross over" into pairings with each other, so I
have also excluded headings of that type.)
I would present the above register to the Sub-Princes (6th Day), and
demand they reveal the names of their servient spirits. If they do-
great! Write them down where each Prince indicates. However, if they
will not (or can not!) reveal any names on this day - don't worry
about it! As I said above, it is the Princes you are evoking in the
Rite- so the names of servient spirits can be added *anytime* later.

If, on the other hand, the Sub-Princes do reveal some names - keep
in mind that those names will indicate which Talismans you are given
permission to work with. For example, let us say that Oriens,
Paimon, Ariton and Amaimon give you the name of a servitor they
govern collectively. Looking in Abramelin, we find the following
Talismans are goverend by these four Sub-Princes:

----------------
Chapter I. (To know all manner of things past and future, which be
not however directly opposed to God, and to his most holy will.)

Chapter II. (To obtain information concerning, and to be enlightened
upon all sorts of propositions, and all doubtful sciences.)

Chapter III. (To cause any spirit to appear, and take any form, such
as of man, animal, bird, etc.)

Chapter IV. (For divers visions.)

Chapters V. (How we may retain the familiar spirits bond or free, in
whatsoever form.)

Chapter XIII. (To cause a dead body to revive, and perform all the
functions which a living person would do, and this during a space of
seven years, by means of the spirits.)

Chapter XVII. (To fly in the air, and travel any whither.)

Chapter XXVII. (To cause visions to appear.)

Chapter XXIX. (To cause armed men to appear.)
----------------

Thus, the servient spirit you have recieved is likely able to
perform one or more of these above tasks. (Note how most of them
relate to visions or illusions in some manner.) It will be up to
you to ask the Guardian Angel or Sub-Princes which operation(s) the
spirit can handle- and that can be done after the Abramelin Rite is
completed and you are ready to start actively using the Talismans.

Now, it is impossible to guess how many servient spirits the Sub-
Princes will reveal during the Rite. You may fill the entire chart
with several spirits under each heading. Maybe you'll only get a
couple of names- leaving the bulk of the chart blank. Again- that's
ok! That is the open-ended nature of the system.

Let's consider another example. Say you've done Abramelin, and
you've recieved NO names at all under the combined heading of
Astarot and Asmodee. Take a look at Abramelin, and we find that
these two Princes execute the following Talismans:

----------------
Chapter VI. (To cause mines to be pointed out, and to help forward
all kinds of work connected therewith.)

Chapter VII. (To cause the spirits to perform with facility and
promptitude all necessary chemical labours and operations, as
regardeth metals especially.)

Chapter IX. (To transform animals into men, and men into animals,
etc.)
----------------

Having done the Abramelin Rite properly, you'll have these
Talismans, and the Sub-Princes will have sworn an oath upon them.
But, because the Sub-Princes gave you no servient spirits for the
Astarot/Asmodee pair, you cannot (for now) perform the above
operations. IF you should later find a need for one of these
Talismans, it will be necessary to perform the ceremony as outlined
in Abramelin to evoke the Sub-Princes and ask for the name(s) of the
servient spirit(s) who can perform the task.

SO! - We've started with an empty list, with the Sub-Princes as
headings. Maybe the Sub-Princes partially filled it in, maybe not.
However, Abramelin does give us what we need to approach the Princes
and get the names later.

Of course, remember that we expanded the register of servient
spirits beyond what is contained in Abramelin. So now we can
recieve names for even more servient spirits than shown in
Abramelin - for Talismans that we haven't even received yet. When it
is time to skry a new Talisman, one merely has to ask the Guardian
Angel or Sub-Princes:

1) For the Talisman.
2) Which Sub-Prince(s) govern the Talisman's operation.
3) The name of the spirit(s) subservient to the Sub-Prince(s).
4) How to use the Talisman.

This not only follows the system outlined by Abramelin to the
letter, but also allows it to grow and expand just as the Book of
Abramelin teaches should happen.


----------------------------------------------------------
Abramelin Servient Spirit Register


The Guardian Angel has governance over the supreme Princes of Hell:

LUCIFER. LEVIATHAN. SATAN. BELIAL


These Princes have governance over the eight Sub-Princes of Hell:

ASTAROT. MAGOT. ASMODEE. BELZEBUD.

ORIENS. PAIMON. ARITON. AMAIMON.


The eight Sub-Princes have governance over countless servient
spirits:


ASTAROT. MAGOT. ASMODEE. BELZEBUD. ALL FOUR TOGETHER.






ASTAROT and MAGOT. ASTAROT and ASMODEE. ASTAROT and BELZEBUD.






MAGOT and ASMODEE. MAGOT and BELZEBUD.






ASMODEE and BELZEBUD.







ORIENS. PAIMON. ARITON. AMAIMON. ALL FOUR TOGETHER.






ORIENS and PAIMON. ORIENS and ARITON. ORIENS and AMAIMON.






PAIMON and ARITON. PAIMON and AMAIMON.






ARITON and AMAIMON.