Daniel Posted Tuesday at 10:08 PM 11 minutes ago, Nungali said: Has not anyone else noticed this ? I have. That's why I consider learning from these texts opposition research. I hope this clears the confusion. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Daniel Posted Tuesday at 10:12 PM On 11/7/2024 at 3:09 PM, Nungali said: 'Holy Oil ' related info from Wikipedia: ( LINK ) Abramelin oil, also called oil of Abramelin, is an anointing oil used in Western esotericism, especially in ceremonial magic. It is blended from aromatic plant materials. Its name came about due to its having been described in a medieval grimoire called The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage (1897) written by Abraham the Jew (presumed to have lived from c. 1362 – c. 1458). The recipe is adapted from that of the biblical holy anointing oil described in the Book of Exodus (30:22-25) and attributed to Moses. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Daniel Posted Tuesday at 10:49 PM (edited) On 11/12/2024 at 3:54 PM, Daniel said: I'll move on to the next 4 chapters in a week. In comparison of the two translations, chapters 5-8 are remarkable in their contrast to the first four. The first four chapters varied starkly in tone. In those chapters, the French Translation seemed to embellish, while the German translation seemed to diminished in comparison. There were few points of strong correspondence between the two in regard to phrasing and word choices. Here, in chapters 5-8, both translations very closely match each other. The phrasing and tone of both version feel, to me, that it is the same author, the same voice, telling me the same story from 2 different manuscripts, except in two very important places. 1) In the French translation, Abraham the Jew, insists that the Anti-Christ has a portion, a parnassa, which can be borrowed from. That's a very strange thing for a Jew to write. We do not believe in Christ, much less an Anti-Christ. The German translation closely matches this passage from the French translation, but omits any mention of the Anti-Christ. 2) In these chapters, the author claims to have tested several of the magical operations in the book. The French and German translations do not agree on which magical spells ( for lack of a better word ) were the ones that the author had personally tested themself. These two deviations are highly significant, because, this is characteristic of kabalistic story-telling. These techniques were not permitted to written down. Instead the students took notes. The notes leaked out. Other individuals, using the notes, add to them, little by little based on their own experimentation. At some point a back-story is added. Addendum, from this point onward, are written in the name of the fictional character. However, because the individuals revere the text itself, and believe it is quasi-holy, or had come from a divine source, they do not make edits. They add, but they do not change. The least accurate parts of these stories are at the beginning and the end. There are sections which are "old" or part of the "original" version. But these sections will often be embellished, naturally, over time. Further, it is not uncommon for these types of stories to have sharp variations, of course. Two or more individuals may have "success" ( in quotes because it's all unsubstantiated ) in totally different ways. Then each of these "different ways" spawns its own group of devotees who develop it further branching off from the older contra-ban notes. Beyond that, the passages which caught my attention were further details which connect the story to a Jewish author. I'm also marking significant passages which put the demonic content into context. In the following post, I'll provide the text of Chapters 5-8 from both translations to facilitate quoting and searching the text. I expect to have the next 4 chapters evaluated in 1-2 weeks. The analysis may become more time-consuming as the content becomes more technical or elaborate. Lastly, I'll note for @Nungali, at the end of Chapter 8, both translations refer to the angels communicating via hieroglyphs. Maybe it's significant. Maybe not. Either way, I took note. Edited Tuesday at 10:52 PM by Daniel Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nungali Posted Tuesday at 10:52 PM 37 minutes ago, Daniel said: I have. That's why I consider learning from these texts opposition research. I hope this clears the confusion. And on that note you are prepared to post long detailed examinations of analysis ? And I note some previous attemopts to equte this process with Jewish ritual ! Hoiwever , I also note you are wont to claim such ungoing revelations will be forthcoming to some conclusion ... but uit didnt ... it was just wafflle case in question being (not just this but its a good example of your 'process' : Where you continually claimed to be going somewhere with it ... a conclusion was forth coming and ..... 4 months later ? Nothing ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Daniel Posted Tuesday at 10:57 PM Here is the text of the French Translation, Book 1, Chapters 5-8. My comments are in blue. Spoiler THE FIFTH CHAPTER. It is not sufficient to travel and journey abroad and see many lands, if one does not draw some useful experience therefrom. Where- fore, in order to show unto thee a good example, I will in this chapter speak of the Mysteries *** of this Art which I discovered in one way * He probably means the copies he himself had been ordered by Abramelin to make, and not the originals. ** “ Et tu connoiteras la defevence dont je me sers avec toy.” *** Mistéres, evidently a slip for Mazistres, Masters. Page 16 and another while travelling in the world, and also of the measure and understanding of their various sciences ; while, in the Sixth Chapter following, I will recount the things which 1 have learned and seen with some among them, and whether in actual practice I found them true or false. I have already before told you that my first Master had been the ~Rabbin Moses~ at ~Mayence~, who was indeed a good man, but entirely ignorant of the True Mystery and of the Veritable Magic. He only devoted himself to certain superstitious secrets which he had collected from various infidels, and which were full of the nonsense and foolishness of Pagans and ldolaters ; to such an extent that the Good Angels and Holy Spirits judged him unworthy of their visits and conversation ; and the Evil Spirits mocked him to a ridiculous extent. At times, indeed, they spake to him voluntarily and by caprice, and obeyed him in matters vile, profane, and of no account, in order the better to entrap, deceive and hinder him from searching further for the true and certain Foundation of this Great Science. At ~Argentine~ I found a Christian called James, who was reputed as a learned and very skillful man ; but his Art was the Art of the Juggler, or Cup and Balls Player ; and not that of the Magician. In the town of ~Prague~ I found a wicked man named ~Antony~, aged twenty-five years, who in truth showed me wonderful and supernatural things, but may God preserve us from falling into so great an error, for the infamous wretch avowed to me that he had made a Pact with the Demon, and had given himself over to him in body and in soul, and that he had renounced God and all the Saints; while, on the other hand, the deceitful ~Leviathan~ had promised him forty years of life to do his pleasure. He made every effort, as he was obliged to by the Pact, to persuade me and drag me to the precipice of the same error and misery ; but at first I kept myself Page 17 apart from him, and at last I took flight. Unto this day do they sing in the streets of the terrible end which befell him, may the Lord God of His Mercy preserve us from such a misfortune. This should serve us as a mirror of warning to keep far from us all evil under- takings and pernicious curiosity. In ~Austria~ I found an infinitude, but all were either ignorant, or like unto the Bohemians. In the Kingdom of Hungary I found but persons knowing neither God nor Devil, and who were worse than the beasts. In Greece I found many wise and prudent men, but, however, all of them were infidels, among whom there were three who principally dwelt in desert places, who showed unto me great things, such as how to raise tempests in a moment, how to make the Sun appear in the night, how to stop the course of rivers, and how to make night appear at mid-day, the whole by the power of their enchantments, and by applying superstitious ceremonies. Near ~Constantinople~, In a place called ~Epiha~, there was a certain man, who, instead of Enchantments, made use of certain numbers which he wrote upon the earth ; and by means of these he caused certain extravagant and terrifying visions to appear; but in all these Arts there was no practical use, but only the loss of soul and of body, because all these only worked by particular Pacts, which had no true foundation ; also all these Arts demanded a very long space of time, and they were very false, and when these men were unsuccessful they had always ready a thousand lies and excuses. In the same city of ~Constantinople~ I found two men of our Law, namely, ~Simon~ and the ~Rabbin Abrahame~, whom we may class with ~Rabbin Moses of Mayence~. In ~Egypt~ the first time I found five persons who Page 18 were esteemed and reputed as wise men, among whom were four, namely, ~Horay~, ~Abimech~, ~Arlcaon~, and ~Orirach~, who performed their operations by the means of the course of the Stars and of the Constellations, adding many Diabolical Conjurations and impious and profane prayers, and performing the whole with great difficulty. The fifth, named ~Abimelu~, operated by the means and aid of Demons, to whom he prepared statues, and sacrificed, and thus they served him with their abominable arts. In ~Arabia~ they made use of plants, of herbs, and of stones as well precious as common. The Divine Mercy inspired me to return thence, and led me to ~Abramelin~, who was he who declared unto me the Secret, and opened unto me the fountain and true source of the Sacred Mystery, and of the Veritable and Ancient Magic which God had given unto our forefathers. Also at ~Paris~ I found a wise man called ~Joseph~, who, having denied the Christian faith, had made himself a Jew. This man truly practised Magic in the same manner as ~Abramelin~, but he was very far from arriving at perfection therein ; because God, Who is just, never granteth the perfect, veritable and fundamental treasure unto those who deny Him ; notwithstanding that in the rest of their life they might be the most holy and perfect men in the world. 1 am astonished when I consider the blindness of many persons who let themselves be led by Evil Masters, who take pleasure in falsehood, and, we may rather say, in the ~Demon~ himself; giving them- selves over unto Sorceries and Idolatries, one in one manner, another in another manner, with the result of losing their souls. But the Truth is so great, the Devil is so deceitful and malicious, and the World so frail and so infamous that I must admit that things cannot be otherwise. Let us then open our eyes, and follow that which I shall lay down in the following chapters; and let us not walk Page 19 in another Path, whether of the Devil, or of men, or of Books which boast of their Magic ; for in truth I declare unto thee that I had so great a quantity of such matters written out with so much Art, that had I not had these of ABRAMELIN, | could herein have given thee those. However, it is true that just as there is only one God, that not one of these Books is worth an obolus*. Yet with all this there are men so blind that they buy them at exorbitant prices, and they lose their money, their time, and their pains, and which is worse, very often their souls as well. This chapter is more trash-talking. However, for those that are inclined, there is confirmation for them that they can make a pact with a demon, get results, if they ignore the warnings of the consequences. THE SIXTH CHAPTER THE Fear of the Lord is the True Wisdom, and he who hath it not can in no way penetrate the True Secrets of Magic, and he but buildeth upon a foundation of sand, and his building can in no way last. The RABBIN MOSES persuaded me to be wise, while he him- self, with words which neither he himself nor any other person understood, and with extravagant symbols made bells to sound, and while with execrable conjurations he made appear in glasses him who had committed a theft, and while he made a water causing an old man to appear young (and that only for the space of two hours and no longer). All the which things he indeed taught me, but the whole was but vanity, low curiosity, and a pure deception of the ~Demon~, leading to no useful end imaginable, and tending to the loss of the Soul. And when I had the Veritable Knowledge of the Sacred Magic, I both forgot them, and banished them from mine heart. * A coin of base money formerly in use, its value being about a halfpenny. I’m curious if the AbraMelin teaches this lesson, later in the book. I suppose that the author could have added it, as a sort of dishonest promotion of their jewish values. But, this is clearly a Jewish concept. I am not familiar with any others where Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of wisdom. Page 20 That impious Bohemian,* with the aid and assistance of his Associate, performed astounding feats. He rendered himself invisible, he used to fly in the air, he used to enter through the keyholes into locked-up rooms, he knew our greatest secrets, and once he told me things which God alone could know. But his Art cost him too dear, for the Devil had made him swear in the Pact that he would use all his secrets to the dishonour of God, and to the prejudice of his neighbour. Ultimately his body was found dragged through the streets, and his head without any tongue therein, lying in a dram And this was all the profit he drew from his Diabolical Science and Magic. In ~Austria~ I found an infinitude of Magicians who only occupied themselves in killing and maiming men, in putting discord among married people, in causing divorces, in tying witch-knots in osier or willow branches to stop the flow of milk in the breasts of nursing women, and similar infamies. But these miserable wretches had made a Pact with the Devil, and had become his slaves, having sworn unto him that they would work without cessation to destroy all living creatures. Some of these had two years (for their Pact) to run, some three, and after that time they underwent the same fate as the Bohemian. At ~Lintz~ I worked with a young woman, who one evening invited me to go with her, assuring me that without any risk she would conduct me to a place where I greatly desired to find myself. I allowed myself to be persuaded by her promises. She then gave unto me an unguent, with which I rubbed the principal pulses of my feet and hands ; the which she did also ; and at first it appeared to me that I was flying in the air in the place which I wished, and which I had in no way mentioned to her. * le. Antony, of whom he makes mention in the preceding chapter. Now we learn what happened to the one who made a pact with the devil. And the others, of course, the devil is to blame. ←sarcasm Page 21 I pass over in silence and out of respect, that which I saw, which was admirable, and appearing to myself to have remained there a long while, I felt as if I were just awakening from a profound sleep, and I had great pain in my head and deep melancholy. I turned round and saw that she was seated at my side. She began to re- count to me what she had seen, but that which I had seen was entirely different. I was, however, much astonished, because it appeared to me as if I had been really and corporeally in the place, and there in reality to have seen that which had happened. However, I asked her one day to go alone to that same place, and to bring me back news of a friend whom I knew for certain was distant 200 leagues. She promised to do so in the space of an hour. She rubbed herself with the same unguent, and I was very expectant to see her fly away; but she fell to the ground and remained there about three hours as if she were dead, so that I began to think that she really was dead. At last she began to stir like a person who is waking, then she rose to an upright position, and with much pleasure began to give me the account of her expedition, saying that she had been in the place where my friend was, and all that he was doing ; the which was entirely contrary to his profession. Whence I concluded that what she had just told me was a simple dream, and that this unguent was a causer of a phantastic sleep ; whereon she confessed to me that this unguent had been given to her by the Devil. All the Arts of the Greeks are Enchantments and Fascinations, and the Demons hold them enchained in these accursed arts so that the Foundation of the True Magic may be unknown to them which would render them more powerful than they ; and I was the more confirmed in this opinion because their operations were of no practical use whatever, and caused injury unto him who put them into practice, as in fact many of them Page 22 avowed plainly to me, when I had the True and Sacred Magic. There are also many operations which they say are handed down from the Ancient Sibyls. There is an Art called White and Black ;* another Angelical, ~Teatim~ ; in which I avow that I have seen orations so learned and beautiful, that had I not known the venom therein hidden, I would have given them herein. I say all this because it is very easy to him who is not constantly upon his guard to err. One old scribbler of symbols** gave me many enchantments which only tended to work evil. He performed other operations by means of numbers, which were all odd, and of a triple proportion, in no way similar to the other, and for proof of this, he caused by such means in my presence a very fine tree which was near my house to fall to the ground, and all the leaves and fruits were consumed in a very short time. And he told me that in Numbers there was hidden a very Great Mystery, because that by the means of numbers one can perform all the operations for friendships, riches, honours, and all sorts of things, good and evil ; and he assured me that he had tried them, but that yet some that he knew to be very true had not yet succeeded with him. With regard to this particular, I found out the reason through the Wise ABRAMELIN, who told me that this came and depended from a Divine Ministry, that is to say, from the Qabalah, and that without that, one could not succeed. All these things have I beheld, and many others, and those who possessed these secrets gave them to me out of friendship. I burned these recipes afterwards in the house of ABRAMELIN, they being absolutely things very far removed from the Will of God, and contrary to the charity which we owe unto our neighbour. Every * the Book “ Ambrosius ”. ** Evidently the man mentioned in Chapter V., as living at Ephiha, near Constantinople. The word I have rendered by “ scribbler of symbols ” is grifas. I think it’s natural for people to be curious about these other supernatural practices, regardless of whether or not the devil is involved. If the individual believes this book is true, then, they just rec’d confirmation of many different magical techniques that are real, and that work. But, The AbraMelin explains many ( all? ) of those other arts using Kabalah. Page 23 learned and prudent man may fall if he be not defended and guided by the Angel of the Lord, who aided me, and prevented me from falling into such a state of wretched- ness, and who led me undeserving from the mire of darkness unto the Light of the Truth. I have known and felt the effects of the goodness of the Wise ~Abramelin~,* who of his own free will, and before I had asked him so to do, accepted me for his disciple. And before that I had declared my wish unto him he would accomplish and fulfil my desire ; and all that I wished to obtain from him he knew before I could open my mouth. Also he recounted to me all that I had seen, done, and suffered from the time of my father’s death down to this moment ; and this in words obscure and as it were prophetic, which I did not then comprehend, but which I understood later. He told me many things touching my good fortune, but, which was the principal thing, he discovered to me the Source of the Veritable Qabalah, the which according to our custom, I have in turn communicated unto thine elder brother ~Joseph~, after that he had fulfilled the requisite conditions without the accomplishment of which the Qabalah and this Sacred Magic cannot be exercised, and which I will recount 1n the two following books. Afterwards he did manifest unto me the Regimen of the Mystery of that Sacred Magic which was exercised and put into practice by our forefathers and progenitors, ~Noah~, ~Abraham~, ~Jacob~, ~Moses~, ~David~, and ~Solomon~; among whom the last misused it, and he received the punishment thereof during his life. This is a very important passage. It mirrors the other folk tales of Jewish mystics and faith healers. The end is interesting. The AbraMelin showed the author the Source of the kabbalah which the author then shared with his oldest son. Then, this older son used the source to rederive the magical practices of the other biblical heroes mentioned. In the Second Book I will describe the whole faithfully and clearly, in order that if the Lord God should wish to dispose of me before that thou shalt have attained a competent age, thou shalt find these three small manuscript books as forming at the same time both an inestim- * So written here in the MS. Page 24 able treasure and a faithful master and teacher ; because there are very many secrets in the Symbols of the Third Book which I have seen made experiment of with mine own eyes by ~Abramelim~,* and to be perfectly true, and which afterwards I myself have performed. And after him I found no one who worked these things truly ; and although ~Joseph~ at Paris walked in the same Path, nevertheless God, as a just Judge, did not in any way wish to grant unto him the Sacred Magic in its entirety, because he had despised the Christian Law. For it is an indubitable and evident thing that he who is born Christian, Jew, Pagan, Turk, Infidel, or whatever religion it may be, can arrive at the perfection of this Work or Art and become a Master, but he who hath abandoned his natural Law, and embraced another religion opposed to his own, can never arrive at the summit of this Sacred Science.** None are excluded from Kabalah. It is universal, like a natural law. THE SEVENTH CHAPTER. GOD, the Father of Mercy, having granted unto me the grace to return safe and sound into my country ; I paid unto Him according to my small power, some little portion of that which I owed Him ; thanking Him for so many benefits which I had received from Him, and in particular for the acquisition of the Qabalah which I had made at the house of ~Abramelim~.*** It now only remained for me to reduce to Practise this Sacred * Thus spelt here. ** Many Occultists will doubtless not be of this opinion. It is one thing to simply quit one debased and materialised form or sect of religion for another, which is perhaps little if any better; and quite another thing to seek out the true religion which is at the basis of all, and which could not be entirely true, were it not free from Sect. *** Thus spelt here, This is an important difference between the two translations. In this version, the author somehow pays God like it is business transaction. In the German translation, the author is paying debts to individuals who had loaned to him. Page 25 Magic, but many things of importance and hindrances presented themselves ; among the which my marriage was one of the greatest. I therefore judged it fitting to defer putting it in practice, and a principal obstacle was the inconvenience of the place in which I dwelt. I resolved to absent myself suddenly, and go away into the Hercynian Forests. and there remain during the time necessary for this operation, and lead a solitary life. It was not possible for me to do it sooner for many reasons and dangers of which latter I ran a risk in that place, besides which it would be necessary to leave my wife, who was young and now enceinte. Finally, I re- solved to follow the example of ~Abramelin~*, and I divided my house**: into two parts ; I took another house at rent, which I in part furnished, and I gave over to one of my uncles the care of providing the necessaries of life and the needs thereof. Meanwhile I with my wife and a servant remained in my own house, and I began to accustom myself to the solitary life, which it was to me extremely difficult to support, because of the melancholic humour which dominated me, and I lived thus till the season of Easter which I celebrated with all the family according to custom. Then first, on the following day, In the Name and to the honour of God Almighty the Creator of Heaven and of Earth, I commenced this holy operation, and I continued it for Six Moons without omitting the slightest detail, as thou wilt understand later. And the period of the Six Moons being expired, the Lord granted unto me His Grace by His Mercy ; according to the promise made unto our forefathers, since while I was making my prayer unto Him He deigned to grant unto me the vision and apparition of His holy Angels, together with which I experienced so great joy, consolation and contentment of soul, that I could neither * Dembrasser le pavti d’ Abramelin. ** Probably mecaning ¢ houschold " Important: the authors magic was performed in private, with no witnesses, as a necessity. ( There’s no one to corroborate or challenge ). In this version it is a 6 moon initiation. Page 26 express it nor put it into writing. And during the three days, while I was enjoying this sweet and delightful presence with an inducible contentment, my holy Angel, whom God the Most Merciful had destined from my creation for my Guardian, spake unto me with the greatest goodness and affection ; who not only manifested unto me the Veritable Magic but even made easier for me the means of obtaining it. ***Very Important: this is a specific angel ONLY for them.*** It’s referring to a מזל He confirmed as being true the Symbols of the Qabalah which I had received from ABRAMELIN ; and he gave me the fundamental means by which I could have an infinitude of others in my operations according to my pleasure, assuring me that he would instruct me fully thereon. (These Symbols are all like those of the Third Book.) He gave me further very useful advice and admonition, such as an Angel could give ; how I should govern myself the following days with the Evil Spirits so as to constrain them to obey me ; the which I duly followed out fulfilling always from point to point his instructions very faithfully, and by the Grace of God I constrained them to obey me and to appear in the place destined for this operation ; and they obligated themselves to obey me, and to be subject unto me. And since then even until now, without offending God and the Holy Angels I have held them in my power and command, always assisted by the power of God and of His Holy Angels. And this with so great a prosperity of our house, that I confess that I held myself back from the vast riches which I could have accumulated ; although I possess enough to be counted among the number of the rich, as thou wilt know when thou shalt be more advanced in age. This entire passage is very important in regard to demonic content in this book. May the Grace of the Lord, and the defence and protection of His Holy Angels never then depart from me, ~Abraham~, nor from my two sons ~Joseph~ and ~Lamech~ ; nor from all those who by your means and by the Will of God, shall receive this operation! So be it ! Page 27 THE EIGHTH CHAPTER. In order to show that Man ought to make use of the good things of the Lord by applying them unto a good end, that is to say, unto His honour and glory, both tor his own use and that of his neighbour; I will describe in a few words in this present chapter many and the most considerable operations which I have carried out; and the which, with the aid of the All-Powerful Lord and of the Holy Angels, by the means of this Art I have easily conducted unto the desired end. And I write not this description in any way to vaunt myself nor out of vain glory, the which would be a great sin against God, because it is He Who hath done the whole, and not I : but only do I write this that it may serve for instruction unto others, so that they may know wherein they ought to avail themselves of this Art, as also that they may use it to the honour of Him Who hath given this wisdom unto men, and glorify Him ; and in order that each one may know how great and inexhaustible are the treasures of the Lord, and render unto Him particular thanks for so precious a gift. And especially (do I thank Him) for having granted unto me, who am but a little worm of Earth, through the means of ABRAMELIN the power to give and communicate unto others this Sacred Science. After my death a book will be found, which I commenced to write at the time when I was beginning to put in practice this Art, which, reckoning the number of the years, was in 1409, until to-day on which I am arrived at the 96th* year of mine age, with all honour and augmentation of fortune; and in this book can be read in detail even to the very least thing which I have There’s multiple versions, more complete versions, this naturally exaggerates the authors capabilities without bringing any reasons to believe it. * As this MS. bears the date of 1458, Abraham must have been horn in 1362, and was consequently 47 years old in 1409, Page 28 done. But here, as I have aforesaid, I will describe only the most remarkable. Up till now I have healed of persons of all conditions, bewitched unto death, no less than 8413, and belonging unto all religions, without making an exception in any case. I gave unto mine ~Emperor Sigismund~,* a very ... [ continued after lengthy footnote ] * Sigismond, Emperor of Germany, was born the 14th February, 1368, and died at Znaim on the gth December, 1437. Son of the Emperor Charles IV. and of Anne of Silesia, he received an excellent education. At ten years of age his father gave him the Margravate of Brandenburg, and two years later he was betrothed to Mary, the daughter of Louis the Great of Hungary, whom he afterwards married. He was nominated by his father-in-law his successor on the throne of Poland. But the nobles preferred Ladislaus, the nephew of Casimir the Great. However, in 1386, he took possession of Hungary, repulsed the Poles, overcame the rebellious nobles; and then marched against the Wallachians and Turks, but he was beaten, and later, notwith- standing the help of France and England, he lost the Battle of Nicopolis in 1396. He escaped on board a vessel in the Black Sea, and for eighteen months was a fugitive from his Kingdom ; and at the moment of his re-entering Hungary he was made prisoner by the discontented nobles, and shut up in the citadel of Ziklos. Escaping thence into Bohemia, he, however, reconquered his throne, and in 1410 was raised to the Empire by one party among the l.lectors, while Josse, Marquis of Moravia, and Wenceslaus were collected by other factions. A remarkable coincidence, seeing that at this moment when three Emperors possessed the Empire the Papacy had also three Popes, viz.: John XXIII. (Balthazar Cossa), a Neapolitan; Gregory XII. (Ange Conrario), a Venetian; and Benedict XIJI. (Pierre de Lune), a Spaniard. The death of Josse, and the resigna- tion of Wenceslaus, left Sigismond sole master of the Empire. After having received the Silver Crown at Aix-la-Chapelle in 1414, he went to preside at the Council of Constance, where John Huss was condemned, notwithstanding the safe conduct which he had obtained from the Emperor. He endeavoured to end the differences between the Roman and Greek Churches, visited France and England under pretext of reconciling Charles VI. and Henry V., but, as some say, in order to form a league with the latter against France, so as to recover the ancient Kingdom of Arles. The death of his brother, Wenceslaus, 1n 1419, rendered him Master of Bohemia, at the moment when the revolt of the Hussites was at its height. Ile comienced a war of extermination against them, but was defeated by Ziska in 1420, ... [ continues on the footnote of the next page ] Page 29 [ continued from the main text on the prior page ] ... clement Prince, a Familiar Spirit of the Second Hierarchy, even as he commanded me, and he availed himself of its services with prudence. He wished also to possess the secret of the whole operation, but as I was warned by the Lord that it was not His Will, he contented himself with what was permitted, not as Emperor, but as a private person; and I even by means of mine Art facilitated his marriage with his wife ; and I caused him to overcome the great difficulties which opposed his marriage. I delivered also the ~Count Frederick~* by the means ... [ continued after lengthy footnote ] [ continued from footnote of prior page ] ... and a war of fifteen years’ duration ensued. In 1431, whilst he was being crowned King of Italy at Milan, his troops experienced such severe defects that he was forced to concede advantageous terms to the rebels. But dissensions arose among them, and Sigismond profited by this to completely crush them at length and make Bohemia submit. He reigned twenty-seven years as Emperor of Germany, eighteen years as King of Bohemia, and fifty-one years as King of Hungary. His second wife, Barbe, has been called by some, 7ie M essalina of Germany. * Frederick 1., surnamed the Quarreller, Duke and Elector of Saxony, was born at Altenburg in 1369, and died in 1428. He was son of the Landgrave and Margrave frederick the Severe, and of Catherine, Countess of Henneberg. At only four years of age, Frederick had been betrothed to Anne, daughter of the Emperor Charles IV, ; later on he had serious disputes concerning this matter with the Emperor Wenceslaus (the brother of Anne), who had disposed of her hand to another, but who ultimately consented, in 1397, to pay Frederick a considerable sum by way of damages. In 1388 he fought as ally of the Burgrave of Nuremberg in the war of the German towns ; and gained his knightly spurs in 1391, in the war which he, in concert with the Teutonic Knights, waged against the Lithuanians. Next, he fought against \Wenceslaus. He married Catherine of Brunswick in 1402, and after various wars and quarrels, the University of Lcipzig was founded in 1409. The indefatigable activity which this Prince displayed from 1420 against the movements of the Hussites, who were directly menacing his possessions, pointed him out as a valuable auxiliary to the Emperor Sigismond, who was then in a very critical position. In order to assure himself definitely of the alliance of Frederick the Quarreller, the Emperor conferred upon him the Electorate and Duchy of Saxon; ; but the former could not long enjoy his new found dignities in peace, for the Emperor shifted the whole weight of the war with the Hussites on to his shoulders. As the other German Princes did not respond readily to the Elector’s appeal, the latter had the misfortune to lose the greater part of his ... [ continues on footnote of the next page ] Page 30 [ continued from the main text of the prior page ] ... of 2000 artificial cavalry (the which I by mine Art caused to appear according unto the tenor of the "Twenty-ninth Chapter of the Third Book here following), free out of the hands of the Duke Leopold of Saxonia ; the which Count Frederick without me would have lost both his own life, and his estate as well (which latter would not have descended) unto his heirs. Unto the ~Bishop or our City~ also, I showed the betrayal of his government at Orembergh, one year before the same occurred ; and I say no more concerning this because he is an Ecclesiastic** passing over in silence all that I have further done to render unto him service. The Count oF Varvicu |- was delivered by me from ... [ continues on the next page ] [ continues from the prior footnote ] ... Army near Brux in 1425. But his wife, Catherine, summoned the whole of Catholic Germany to umte in a Crusade against the innovating Hussites ; w/hile 20,000 strange and foreign Warriors came unexpectedly to range themselves under the Standard of Frederick. It is to be noted that Abraham the Jew puts the Artificial Cavalry he supplied at 2000 (though this may easily be a slip for 20,000) and rumour would of course soon magnify the number. But the Elector was at length defeated at the disastrous battle of Aussig in 1426, where the te of the German Warriors fell. The following year again witnessed a fresh defeat of the Elector, and the chagrin which this excited, ultimately led to his death. He was succeeded by his son, Frederick II., called “ the Good” born in 1411, who began to reign in 1428, and died in 1464 (sece Duwct. Larousse), * The same ambiguity exists in the French as in the translation, as to whether it is Abraham or the Bishop who passes over the matter in silence. E¢ je w'en dis pas davantage acause quil est un eclesiastique passant sous silence ceque joy jait defi/m pour /z.cy rendre service. (1 preserve the orthography of the French original.) + By “ Count of Varvich,” Abraham evidently means “ Count of Warwick,” as throughout the MS. a w is never used, but always a v, wherever the former occurs in a proper name. This Count of Warwick is probably Henri de Beauchamp, the brother-in-law of Warwick the ““ King-Maker,” and son of that Richard de Beauchamp, so infamous for his instrumentality in bringing about the torture and burning of the heroic Joan of Arc. Henri de Beauchamp was at first deprived of his goods by Henry V1. ; but in 1444 that Monarch created him Duke of Warwick, and later, King of the islands of Wight, Jersey, and Guernsey. He did not long survive to enjoy these honours (Dict. Larousse). Page 31 [ continued from the main text on the prior page ] ... prison m England the night before he was to have been beheaded. I aided the flight of the Duke,* and of his Pope Joun,j- trom the Council of Constance, who would other- ... [ continues on the next page ] * Probably Albert V. of Austna. + Pope John XXIII. (Balthazar Cossa), Pope from 1410 to 1415, was born at Naples. lle had been a corsair in his youth, and at first, after his entry into holy orders, was only notable for his debauches, his exactions, and his violence. [IPope Boniface 1X. nevertheless appointed him Cardinal in 1402, and afterwards Legate of Bologna, where he is said to have given himself up to such excesses that Gregory XII. thought it necessary to excommunicate him, Notwith- standing this Cossa was elected to the Papacy at the time when the Church was shaken by internal dissension. He promised at first to renounce the Pontificate, if on their side Gregory XII1. and Benedict XIII. would abandon their claims. However, he mounted the Papal Throne, and declared for the side of Louts d’Anjou in the war between the latter and Ladislaus regarding the Throne of Naples. At length, after the taking of Rome by Ladislaus, he was forced to implore the support of the lEmperor Sigismond. The latter consented to grant him his protection, but on the sole condition of the convocation of the Council of Constance. After much hesitation, and after having taken every possible precaution to ensure his personal safety, John XXIIL consented to the assembling of the Council, which he opened 7th November, 1414. Being then summoned to lay aside the Papal Mitre, he judged it prudent to consent; but a few days later, he succeeded in escaping in disguise, during a tournament given by the Duke of Austria, He retired to Lauffembourg, and protested against the abdication, which he declared to have been obtained from him by force. The Council was for a moment struck with fear and consterna- tion, but the firmness of the emperor Sigismond, coupled with the effect of the declaration of J. Gerson that the General Councils had higher authority than the Papacy, prevailed. John XXI1I1. was sum- moned to appear before the Council, but refused ; and soon after, being abandoned by the Duke of Austria, who was too weak to resist the power of the Emperor, he was arrested at Fribourg, and conducted to Rudolfcell. On the 2gth May, 1415, this Pontiff was solemnly deposed by the Council of Constance as being given to simony, impudent, a secret poisoner, and a spendthrift of the wealth of the Church ; and was imprisoned in the Castle of Heidelberg. At the end of four years he recovered his liberty, on payment of 30,000 golden crowns, and went to Rome, where he made his submission to Martin V., and was by him appointed Cardinal-Bishop of Frascati, and Senior of the Sacred College. He died a few months later at Florence, either of anxiety or by poison. Page 32 [ continued from the main text of the prior page ] ... wise have fallen into the hands of the enraged Emperor ; and the latter having asked me to predict unto him which one of the two Popes, John XXIII. and Martin V., should gain in the end, my prophecy was verified ; that fortune befalling which I had predicted unto him at Ratisbon. At the time when I was lodged at the house of the Duke oF Bavaria,* my Lord, for matters of the greatest importance ; the door of my room was forced, and I had the value of 83,000 Hungarian pieces stolen from me in jewels and money. As soon as I returned, the thief (although he was a Bishop !) was forced to himself bring it back to me in person and to return with his own hands to me the money, jewels, and account books, and to give me the principal reasons which had forced him to com- mit the theft, rather than any other person. Six months ago I did write unto the Grecian Emerpor and I warned him that the affairs of his Empire were in a very bad condition, and that his Empire itself was on the brink of ruin! unless he could appease the Anger of God. As there only remaineth unto me but a little while to live, those who remain after me will receive the news of the result of this prophecy. The Operation of the thirteenth chapter of the Second Book, I have twice performed ; once in the house * Either Ernest or William I. of Bavaria. They were brothers, and reigned conjointly. From his calling the Duke of Bavaria, his Lord, it would appear that he was living under his dominion, but it is curious that up to this point Abraham has never mentioned the name of his own town. + Constantine Palaologos, who was the thirteenth and last Greek Emperor. He was killed, and Constantinople taken by the Turks under Mahomet II. The direct descendant of Constantine Pal®ologos to-day, is the Princess Eugénie di Cristoforo-Paleologa- Nicephore-Comnenz. t A deux doigts de sa perte. § This chapter is entitled : ‘“ Concerning the Convocation of the Good Spirits ”, Page 33 of Savonia;* and another time in the MARQUISATE OF M AGDEBURGH, and I was the cause that their estates were handed down unto their children. Now when once the faculty of being able to avail oneself of the Sacred Magic hath been obtained, it is permissible to demand from the Angel a sum of coined money proportionate unto thy birth, quality and capacity, the which without difficulty will be granted unto thee. Such money is taken from the Hidden Treasures. It is, however, necessary to note that in all Treasures one is allowed to take the fifth part, God permitting the same, although some braggart chatterers** do say that there be an infinitude hereof which be destined and reserved unto Anti-Christ, I do not for a moment say that this may not be true ; but undoubtedly from the same Treasures one may also take the fifth part. There are yet more which be destined unto others. Mine own particular treasure was assigned unto me at Herbipolis ; T and I performed the Operation of the eighth chapters of the Third Book ; it was not in any way guarded, and was very ancient. It was of gold, which had never been struck into ingots ; and which I afterwards caused to be beaten out and converted into its equivalent weight of golden florins, by the Spirits ; the which was done in a few hours; (and I did this operation seeing that) mine own possessions were ^^ That’s a very strange thing for a Jew to say ^^ * Thus in MS.—? Saxonia. + Quelgues hableurs. t Herbipolis is the Latin medie@val name of the town of Wurtz- bourg in Bavaria. It seems from this passage that it was probably the city of Abraham the Jew, and therefore the one intended a few paragraphs before where he speaks of the ‘ Bishop of our town”. Wurzbourg and the surrounding district formed a Bishopric, and in the time of Abraham it was the scene of constant struggles between the Bishop and his party, and the burghers. Later, formidable persecutions against the Jews took place there, and many edicts were promulgated against witchcraft. **** This is evidently an error for either the sixth, the sixteenth, or the twenty-eighth chapter ; probably the latter. 3 Page 34 few and of little worth ; and so poor was I that in order to marry a person who had a considerable dowry, I was forced to make use of mine Art, and I employed the Fourth Sign of the Third Book and the Third Sign* of the nineteenth chapter ; and I married my cousin with 40,000 golden florins as a dowry, the which sum served as a cover to my fortune. All the Signs which are in the Eighteenth Chapter have been made use of by me so many times that I could not count them. However, they are all given in the Book T already mentioned. I made great and wonderful experiments with the Signs of the second*** and eighth**** chapters of the Third Book. The First Signing of the first chapter of the Third Book is the most perfect. It is necessary to be prompt and adroit in all these operations, seeing that in the things which belong unto God we can easily commit still greater errors than those into which Solomon fell. All these Signs have I worked with great ease and pleasure, and with very great utility (unto myself and others). All these operations and others in infinite number have I performed by the Signs which be in the Third Book, and never have I failed in attaining mine end, I have always been obeyed (by the Spirits), and everything hath succeeded with me because I have myself obeyed the Commandments of God. Also I have * To make oneself loved by a relation. + The Eighteenth Chapter is entitled : “ How to heal divers maladies ”. t le. the Third Book. § The Second Chapter is entitled : “ How to obtain information and be enlightened concerning every kind of proposition and all doubtful sciences . | The Eighth Chapter is entitled : *“ How to excite Tempests”. T “To know all sorts of matters past and to come, which are, however, not opposed to God and to His Holy Will.” Page 35 from point to point followed out that which mine Angel hath counselled and prescribed unto me ; following out also exactly that which Abra-Melin taught me, the which is the same that I shall write in the Two following Books, and which I shall exemplify and explain more clearly ; because the instructions which I received, although in very obscure words and hieroglyphics, have caused me to attain mine object, and have never permitted me to err and fall into pagan, strange, and superstitious idolatries ; I being always kept in the Way of the Lord, Who is the True, the only the Infallible End, for arriving at the possession of this Sacred Magic. here is a list of the claimed accomplishments: healed many people of all religions, no exceptions gave a familiar spirit to Emperor Sigmund facilitated his marriage, over came many difficulties Exposed corruption in the city to the Bishop Count of Varvicu delivered from prison the night before his beheading Accurately predicted who would become Pope A thief was miraculously caught after they had robbed him Rec'd a prophecy regarding the Grecian Emperor 13th chapter of the 2nd book - page 81 communion with the HGA 8th chapter of the 3rd book - pg. 186 - to excite tempests 4th sign of the 3rd book ( page 165-166 - things to happen in war ? ) and the 3rd sign of the nineteenth chapter - ( page 214-215; 19 is for every kind of love and affection, the 3rd is for a family member ) signs of the 2nd ( page 172, obtaining information and enlightenment ) and 8th chapters ( page 186 to excite tempests ) of the 3rd book 1st signing of the first chapter of the 3rd book is the most perfect - ( page 165 - learn of past and future events in general “Moreh” ) All of them are performed "by the signs which be in the Third Book" Word choice, hieroglyphics, noted Here is the text from the German translation, Book 1, Chapters 5-8. My comments are in blue. Spoiler Chapter Five Other masters I have found. It is not enough that one wanders over many lands like a dog in a kitchen. It is necessary to understand more afterwards than before. Everyone should be able to describe properly what he has seen and learned. A clear description of what has been seen gives listeners the opportunity to judge whether a traveler’s boasts are true. So as to give you examples in this chapter I will tell you about people who call themselves masters of the art and I will tell you about how they manage their art. In the sixth chapter, I intend to explain to you what I have seen and learned. And I will also tell you whether, on reflection, I found their doings true or not. The very first master I visited was Rabbi Moses from Mainz. Religious, but incompetent in holy secrets and magic knowl- edge, he was superstitious, with his art patched together from a collection of atheist and agnostic systems. Because of this, he received no response or help from the holy angels and good spirits. The unredeemed spirits joked with him, sometimes for their own pleasure, they helped him with childish things, and so were better able to trick and hinder him. He did not continue searching for the right basis or correct system. In Strasbourg I met Jacob, a Christian, regarded as a marvelous Master. But it was all tricks and cheating: in the correct art he could do less than nothing. Page 15 In Bohemian Prague I found 25-year-old Anthony, a confused young man who showed me exceptional supernatural things. But God protect me, you, and everyone that SHpone should sink so low! The fool told me that he had sold his body and soul to the devil—totally rejecting the highest creator and all his associated beings. In return, the devil Leviathan promised Anthony that for 40 years he would do whatever he requested. He quickly tried to persuade me to become trapped into the same situation. I moved from him and finally fled from him and his arts. His pmful end, two years later, 1s known to every child; a song about it is still sung in the streets. Oh, forbid, my faithful God! Let this be an example and a warning to you: flee far from such young fools. In Austria I found many people but all were bad or crazy; some were caught in the same pitiful situation as the Bohe- mian I have just told you about. But it is not worth the trouble to write about simple, unskilled, and crazy people. In Greece I found fine, skilled elders who were mostly unbe- lievers. Three were special, all lived in the wilderness, and they showed me exceptional things. They made unexpected thunder storms, snow, hail, sunshine at night and night in the after- noon; they made running water stand still. For all their work they sang special songs and rhymes in their own language; they used these together with gestures and ceremonies. In Hungary, I found people who served neither god nor devil and were worse than the beasts of the field. In Epiphus, close to Constantinople, lived a person who instead of song wrote special formulas on the ground. With these he made incredibly unusual visions and discoveries—but all them were useless. They appeared for the wrong reasons and worked slowly; and when things did not succeed, he had a thousand excuses. In Constantinople I found two of our house, Simon Moses and Rabbi Abraham. Both had learned the same magic as Rabbi Moses from Mainz, but Abraham knew more about the Page 21 Kabbalah. Both apologized for not having searched further into the magic. In Egypt the first time, I found five men honored as clever men. Of these, three—Horay, Alkoran, and Selikh—worked through astrology from books; satanic oaths; monotonous, long, godless prayers; and powerful ceremonies. The other two— Halimeus and Abimelech—honored the devil to whom they offered licenses, and figures that they made to talk and move. Similarly, in Arabia they did magic by taking into account the times and configurations of the heavens. Where the Egyptians used pictures and similar things, the Arabians used herbs, and precious and ordinary stones. These and other similar people I found in the Arabian wilderness. They called themselves masters of magic but they were hopeless; most could do little or nothing. Finally, guided by the mercy of God, through the Holy Angel, I was led to Abramelin. He was the first and only per- son who showed me the source of all the holy secrets and the true old magic—as it was used by our forefathers; he unlocked and opened these for me and showed me how to use them. Later in Paris, I found the learned master Joseph who had turned from our belief and holy law to become a Christian. He was like Abramelin in his magic but not in its entirety because the righteous God never gives the right and true trea- sure to those who deny him. Otherwise he is the friendliest upon whosoever the sun may shine. In Italy, and later in Germany, I found and recognized several masters, especially Master Albrecht. I recognized them from their person and from their writings. But all their doings had neither hand nor feet and they were like Rabbi Moses from Mainz in their doings. Some were even worse; there is no sense in even talking about those who hope, with false stories and lies from books, to try to understand and become wise. They become crazy, lose their humanity, and become donkeys; I shall tell you about this later. More trash talking, and building up the AbraMelin. The temptation to work with the devil is here just as it is in the mather’s translation. Both describe the other masters in approx. the same way. To me this indicates that if the two versions were edited in some way by a third party, they were not edited consistently. Perhaps the edits are coming from fragments? Or perhaps this part was neither embellished or diminished because these stories are supposed to be recognizable and familiar to the reader as confirmation that the author is credible. If so, these can be regarded as good examples of the beliefs of the audience both in france and in germany. Both sets of readers accepted these accounts as believable, or, perhaps, at least not absurd. Page 22 CHAPTER SIX The beginning of wisdom. The beginning of wisdom is the fear of God, as is mentioned in Sirach chapter 1, verse 14.* He who does — not fear Adonai and yet pursues the Wisdom either becomes crazy or falls into the webs of Satan and Lucifer or Leviathan. This is because he builds on sand without a foundation on which his house can stand. The first master, Rabbi Moses, imagined he was a prominent artist in the magical wisdom when with unintelligible words and unusual statues he made all the church bells in the town ring. Or, when with spells he made the image of a thief appear in a glass. His greatest and most reliable piece of art (because the others often failed him) was with water, which he had secretly prepared with long, ungodly spells; he transformed himself from an old man into a young man, but this transformation never lasted for more than two hours. Dear son, all these things are but a mixture of simple jokes and devil’s doings in which there is no use—just the opportunity for great suffering and dangers to the soul. That is why I cast them out of my mind when I discovered the right truth and the godly magic. All that cheats God and insults others I have removed from my heart. The second master, Jacob from Strasbourg, was only a cheat and trickster. Whenever I asked, he could show me ghosts in a mirror—sometimes an animal, sometimes a rider, sometimes a child, sometimes a girl, and so on. These gave no answer and made no movement; it was as if they were frozen or made out * Sirach is the lost book of the Bible, supposedly lost for a thousand years. Rediscovered in 1898. Page 23 of something solid. Finally, I saw that they were small pictures that he repeatedly and secretly stuck on the wall. His trick was to hold a curved glass in front of my face in which the picture appeared and seemed alive. At night he showed tiny pictures in devil’s clothes that sprang and danced about. Later, in the company of two honest people, I confronted Jacob and we made him admit that they were pulled by hidden threads, made from horse or lady’s hair. With the help of his friends, the godless Bohemian from Prague showed me wonderful things. In my presence he made himself invisible. For half an hour, I saw him fly two ells* high over the ground. He went out and came in through keyholes and properly locked doors. He told me things that only God, and no other creature in creation, could have known. He was in pact with the devil. His art was to scorn God and damage others. Finally, his body was rendered into uncountable pieces and thrown onto a garbage heap. His head, without tongue and eyes was found in a small, unused room. Fourthly, the masters in Austria. Here I found countless people like the Bohemian. They could only kill animals, crip- ple people, change the weather, and make hail. They could destroy marriages, weaken nature, make witches’ knots in wil- low trees, stop the flow of mother’s breast milk, and similar things; altogether bad doings executed with simple words and rituals. All these people had previously given themselves to the devil, rejecting the creator and all religious people. All had more or less a pact for two, three, four, or five years after which they had a fate similar to what befell the Bohe- mian. From this you can see, my son, how blind is the world and into what idiocies curiosity drives people. Among the others I met in Austria was a woman in Linz, the daughter of a Christian, whose mother and father had * An ell is an English linear measure equal to 45 inches, formerly used in measuring cloth. Page 24 recently died. She offered to take me to a town that I wanted to visit. She told me that there was no danger or risk and 1 agreed to go. She persuaded me to go to the house where she lived alone—I went there at 3:00 in the night. She gave me an ointment, which she rubbed onto the arteries of my hands and feet. It felt like I was journeying to the town which I in my heart had wished to visit and which I had not told her about. I told her nothing about what I had seen. Awak- ing from a deep sleep, it seemed as if | had been far away; in my head I had a melancholic confusion or depression, but no pain. When I came to, I saw her sitting next to me; we both described what we had seen. Our experiences were very different. I was in great wonder and surprise because I thought that I had traveled away in my body and had personally experienced everything. I thought about this for a few days, then I asked her to travel by herself to a town that I named. I asked her to bring news from a good friend who I knew was at least 100 miles away. She promised to do this within the hour; she then thoroughly rubbed herself with ointment and lay down next to me. I was fearful when she lay there as if dead for four hours. Finally she breathed again, turned, and moved in her sleep. She sprang up, ran happily toward me and began to tell me about the town she had visited, the meeting she had with my friend, and what he was doing. I know that all this could not all be true, and that it was all quite simply a dream. The ointment was nothing other than a good and fantastic sleeping ointment that made all imaginations appear as realities. The natural masters believe in such ointments, but it is unnecessary to write about them here. I have investigated the Greek art many times and I have come to the conclusion that it is a devil’s mixture kept going by unbe- lievers who wish to remain in blindness. A Greek, Pilovior, on a sunny clear afternoon, created for me a dark night with lightening, a thunder storm and rain. | sweated in fright. It snowed, even though it was summer, to a height of half a wade. This carried on until the old man took me by the hand and walked me six paces Page 25 out of the snow; then, when I turned around, everything had disappeared and the sky was sunny and clear. Pilovior achieved all this with an old Greek song that he sang four times in a very loud voice. He wrote it out for me. He had called on neither god nor the devil. I think that good people have become so startled and confused by the devil that they do not recognize the devil's might. This confirms my opinion that noth- ing useful is achieved by the Greeks who say that their art does not help either themselves or their friends even though they have books full of old Greek and Latin songs from fortune-telling old sibyls and also the pagan poet Virgil and other similar authors. One art is called white and black, another one is like the angelic Teatim. An old symbol writer, Philip of Epiphus, gave me invocations that achieved only bad things. He showed me and gave me songs to take with me, he showed me how they worked. With numbers he made things happen. All the numbers were different; they were crooked and threefold. As proof, he destroyed his apple tree in half an hour—leaves and fruit fell and rotted. He explained a great secret in numbers that cause good and bad, friendship, riches, and marriages. He had used these often but never got them to work. Abramelin later taught me that these work out of the divine secret of the Kabbalah and hang together with it; without this understand- ing, nothing can be understood. The songs and superstitious hymns, some 40 pieces I burned in Abramelin’s house and scattered the ashes into the wind; I did this because these harm us and hindered us from the finding the right wisdom of God. The most important of the Egyptian masters, the fiddler Halimeg, was sincere when he showed me his art. He forced a spirit into a piece of a timber; it moved itself three paces and answered clearly in my language, easy to understand but confusing, so that you could also think that the spirit was a singing bird. Later, when Halimeg showed me how to control the spir- its, | realized that his was not the way of the true magic because the picture had to be carved at an exact astrological time. The According to the author, the most important Egyptian is NOT Abramelin. Page 26 praying, the bathing, the oiling, and the fanciful smearing all had to be done at special times. He never prayed to Adonai, he only called for the devil in cooked-up Chaldaic words. Similar were the works of other Arabs. These forced their spirits into stones—ordinary and precious—and flowers and herbs. Alkyky, a young Arabian priest, conjured up a flower and threw it in front of an old woman passing by. She smelled it and changed into a goose; six hours later, she returned to her old shape—I saw this for myself. I was shown these, and many similar arts, which were given to me with goodwill; I burned all of them in Abramelin’s house. I did this because all these things were against God, his holy law, and neighborly love—they changed people from being children and servants of God to being children and servants of the devil. From this you can see how easy it is for people to fall if not protected and led by the angel of Adonai. I also would have come into such blindness and harm if I had not come to the truly wise Abramelin. He, before I could even ask, took me as his student, fulfilled my desires, and knew and answered everything even before I opened my mouth. He told me of my father’s death. He told me everything I have done and said. In flowery and prophetic words—which I only later under- stood—he told me about my future and especially about my serious sickness in Constantinople. Importantly, he uncovered for me the source of the holy revelation and wisdom of the Kabbalah, which, according to the way of our forefathers, I have given to your elder brother Joseph as his inheritance. He also showed me the source of the true art and magic that our beloved forefathers Noah, Abra- ham, Jacob, Moses, Samuel, David, Solomon, and uncountable others used so much. Later, in a clear and fatherly way, I will describe this art and magic to you. This is so that if God, the owner of my soul, should ask me for it before you reach the age of manhood and inheritance, you will have trustworthy protection and schooling from this book. Page 27 Many of the arts you find described in the fourth book I have seen with my own eyes at Abramelin's and have done them for myself. I have never met anyone like Abramelin again. Although Joseph from Paris was on the same path, God did not show him complete mercy—he did not lay before Joseph all the divine law and ceremonies because (and this is certain) a born pagan, Christian, Jew, unbeliever, or anybody can become a complete master of these things—but not a renouncing Jew who has left Adonai’s law and has whored with other strange religions’ obligations. This chapter follows closely with the French translation. Again, the author declares that they are not sharing the source, but, only this ancillary “art and magic”. CHAPTER SEVEN God returned me to my people. After faithful God returned me healthy and rested to my family I repaid my financial vows and thanked him for all the fortunate things that he had done for me—especially for what he had let me see and learn from Abramelin. The very first thing I planned to do was to start the work— exactly as I later write about. Many things prevented this from happening—also partly because of your mother Melcha (even though she did much to help me). Only in the third year and after we were married in Worms did the opportunity occur. The town itself was a difficulty; the people, the running around, working, and so on. | even thought of going to the Black Forest, into isolation for the specified time. But this would have been impossible without damaging and ruining my household. So I followed Abramelin’s advice for such a situation and divided my household into two parts. I also rented another house in town; it was here that | put my relatives and business. I gave it over to my mother’s brother so that he could carry on Page 28 the household and business for two years—he paid me a con- siderable yearly rental for my necessities and expenses. I, your mother, one servant and a maid—married together—stayed in this house where we have continued to enjoy the mercy of God; and so also you and your brother will enjoy the same mercy if you follow the way of Adonai. In this correct and withdrawn way of life, I started by avoiding all unnecessary talk and company. This was not easy for me because of my melancholic mood. I did this until the time of Passah, which I celebrated with all the relatives of the household in the usual way and according to habit. On the next morning 1 started with the work, creating the order that I write about below, in the name of and to honor Yehovah, creator of heaven and earth and of all creations. Until the eighteenth month I pursued this end; in between, early in the eleventh month, your mother presented me with her firstborn son Joseph. After eighteen months—while I was carrying out my final services to Adonai in my upper prayer room, right next to the summer veranda—he presented me with his holy angels to my great joy and happiness: It is impossible to tell of this, and it is not correct to do so. I experienced this vision in humility and bliss for three continuous days. I was addressed lovingly and with friendship by my guardian angel. He explained the godly wisdom and Kabbalah and later completely explained the complete truth about this magic. He told me also about the effects of what I had received from Abramelin and showed the way I can form and do similar things. He also gave me clear advice, teachings, and knowledge about how, over the next three days, I could deal with the unredeemed spirits and make them listen to me. I did this and let them all appear on the veranda where I, protected by the mercy of God and his holy angels—indeed and with much help from them—forced the spirits to remain for the hour; in recognition and submission, they stayed. Page 29 The mercy of Adonai and the protection of his holy angels never move from me, Abraham, and my two sons Joseph and Lamech and my whole house. So that we in our misery, sor- row and imprisonment can find no other way to be than in the way of the law of Adonai. Amen. There is slightly different wording in this translation regarding the money which was repaid. The individual borrowed from their tythe, then repaid it. The guardian angel is described as “my”. The season is Passah, ( Pesach ), the season of “skipping-over”, the exodus. The evening is a night of protection, per the written Torah. This is significant because the initial rite of passage requires a sort of “purity”, for lack of a better word, which is not possible unless the individual is without sin or protected. Unredeemed spirits are the parnassa for k’lipas-nogah. In theory, these “spirits” operate on a processional. If they are bound, then, they are not able to report to the throne of the Almighty at their appointed time. Because of this, they can be, again in theory, coerced to answer questions and perform tasks for the individual who is binding them. CHAPTER EIGHT Magical things I have done. So you can see how a person needs the gifts of God and how these are to be used to honor God and help one’s neighbors, I shall now tell you about things I did with the help of the highest and my art. I write not to boast or to seek acclaim or out of idle pride—this would be a great sin against God, because he is the one who does everything. I tell of these things so that his mercy and wisdom can be further praised and so that you also can recognize how plentiful are the treasures of Adonai. You have to thank him that he gives you mercy and lets me—without any effort or work on your part—tell you about things I have done. Here are some things—after my death, you will find more set out in my register. | started to practice my art in 1409 and now, with God’s help, I have reached an honorable 79 years. I have helped about 40 people who were enchanted in different ways—men and women, Jews and Christians. I made them healthy and dissolved their enchantments. A. Kaiser Sigismund, our most gracious Lord. I helped him with a very friendly duke—a familiar spirit of the second hier- archy—whom he had requested from me; he used this spirit with intelligence. I also helped Sigismund with his marriage. Page 31 He wanted to have the secret of the whole operation but Adonai cautioned me and so he was satisfied with what he was allowed as a private person rather than as a lord. With my JESEEA arts | helped him overcome the great difficulties that were in the way of his marriage. B. Count Frederick, I freed from the hands of Duke Leopold with the help of 1,000 magically created knights. 1 describe this in chapter 29. He was captured and would also have lost his reign. To the bishop of our town I showed the betrayal of his official at Ladenburg half a year before it happened. I'll say no more about this because as a priest he remains silent about the things I later did for him. D. Who helped your cousin out of the jail in Speyer? E. The duke of Warwick was freed from the English jail the night before his [scheduled] decapitation. F. I helped the duke and Pope John to flee from the Council of Constance, otherwise they would have fallen into the hands of the kaiser. John could also confirm my prophecy about his question: which—John XXIII or Martin V—was to win the Papacy? G. In Regensburg it happened as | pn:dlcted. Because of important matters, I was staying with the duke of Bavaria. There the door to my room was broken open and jewelry, money, and account books to the value of 3,000 guilders were stolen. When I returned 1 forced the thlflf Q. Esdmig banegss bapm bishop, to personally return everything and to - confess to me why, for heaven’s sake, he did such a thing. Page 32 H. Both of the popes mentioned above have often, and in secret, asked for my advice and opinion on future events. They never found it untrue. I. If the Greek emperor had believed the letter that I sent him half a year ago, then things would not be going so badly for him now. Or, as I worry, they are likely to do in the next few years. I explained to him the poor condition of his king- dom, which is at the edge of ruin, if he does not extinguish the rage of God. As I do not have much time left in my life, 1 leave it to the future to confirm this prophecy. J. The operation in Book Four, chapter 13, I have done twice: Once in the house of Saxony and another time in Mag- deburg. I was the reason that the heritage has passed on to the children. Now, once access to the holy magic has been achieved, it is permitted to demand from the Angel a sum of coined money proportional to birth, status, and authority. This will be granted without difficulty; the money is taken from the secret treasures. It is important to note that God permits us to take a fifth of all treasures. K. My own special treasure was given to me in Wurzburg, where I performed the operation of Book Four, chapter 6. It was in no way ancient or guarded; it was raw gold that I had spirits smithy and make into guilders—it took a few hours. L. My own inheritance was small and worthless. I was so poor that I had to use my art to marry someone with a big dowry. I used the 3rd and 4th signs in Book Four, chapter 19, and married my cousin with a dowry of 40,000 gold guilders, which was enough for my happiness. M. All signs in chapter 18 I used so many times that I have lost count. N. With Book Four, chapters 2 and 8, I have made large and wonderful experiments. The first sign, in the first chapter, is the best. Page 33 It is necessary to be clever and consciously precise in these mat- ters. Because in doing God’s things, we can make larger mistakes than Salomo. I have never failed to complete matters, the spirits have always listened to me. Everything succeeded because I fol- lowed the will of God. Point for point, I followed the advice and suggestions of my Angel. Also, I followed the teachings of Abramelin, which is exactly what is in these books. The advice that I received, even when in unclear words and hieroglyphs, have made it possible for me to achieve my goal and never to have made a mistake, or to let me fall into pagan ways or superstitious idolatry. I have always remained on the path of Adonai, who is the only true and infallible way to suc- ceed with the holy magic. It is almost entirely identical to the Friench translation. The Anti-Christ reference is missing. It will be interesting to review each of these operations which have been claimed to work and produce wealth. Book Four, chapter 13 ( not 13th chapter of 2nd book ) ( Page 158 - to make a dead person walk for 7 years ) Book 4 chapter 6 ( not 8th chapter of 3rd book ) ( for working mines ) 3rd and 4th signs in Book Four, chapter 19 ( not 4th sign of the 3rd book and the 3rd sign of the nineteenth chapter ) ( Page 170 - to achieve all sort of friendship ) All signs in chapter 18 ( Page 168 - healing sicknesses ) Book 4 chapters 2 ( Page 147 - to have reports of doubtful things ) and 8 ( Page 152 to make or prevent storms ) "wonderful experiments" 1st sign, first chapter, is best ( corresponds to 1st signing of first chapter 3rd book ) - Page 145, “Moreh” to learn past and future events in general. Word choice, hieroglyphs, noted 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Daniel Posted Tuesday at 11:03 PM @Nungali, this thread is not about me. I have responded to your question, about me, in the link below: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nungali Posted Tuesday at 11:54 PM 56 minutes ago, Daniel said: Here is the text of the French Translation, Book 1, Chapters 5-8. My comments are in blue. Hide contents THE FIFTH CHAPTER. It is not sufficient to travel and journey abroad and see many lands, if one does not draw some useful experience therefrom. Where- fore, in order to show unto thee a good example, I will in this chapter speak of the Mysteries *** of this Art which I discovered in one way * He probably means the copies he himself had been ordered by Abramelin to make, and not the originals. ** “ Et tu connoiteras la defevence dont je me sers avec toy.” *** Mistéres, evidently a slip for Mazistres, Masters. Page 16 and another while travelling in the world, and also of the measure and understanding of their various sciences ; while, in the Sixth Chapter following, I will recount the things which 1 have learned and seen with some among them, and whether in actual practice I found them true or false. I have already before told you that my first Master had been the ~Rabbin Moses~ at ~Mayence~, who was indeed a good man, but entirely ignorant of the True Mystery and of the Veritable Magic. He only devoted himself to certain superstitious secrets which he had collected from various infidels, and which were full of the nonsense and foolishness of Pagans and ldolaters ; to such an extent that the Good Angels and Holy Spirits judged him unworthy of their visits and conversation ; and the Evil Spirits mocked him to a ridiculous extent. At times, indeed, they spake to him voluntarily and by caprice, and obeyed him in matters vile, profane, and of no account, in order the better to entrap, deceive and hinder him from searching further for the true and certain Foundation of this Great Science. At ~Argentine~ I found a Christian called James, who was reputed as a learned and very skillful man ; but his Art was the Art of the Juggler, or Cup and Balls Player ; and not that of the Magician. In the town of ~Prague~ I found a wicked man named ~Antony~, aged twenty-five years, who in truth showed me wonderful and supernatural things, but may God preserve us from falling into so great an error, for the infamous wretch avowed to me that he had made a Pact with the Demon, and had given himself over to him in body and in soul, and that he had renounced God and all the Saints; while, on the other hand, the deceitful ~Leviathan~ had promised him forty years of life to do his pleasure. He made every effort, as he was obliged to by the Pact, to persuade me and drag me to the precipice of the same error and misery ; but at first I kept myself Page 17 apart from him, and at last I took flight. Unto this day do they sing in the streets of the terrible end which befell him, may the Lord God of His Mercy preserve us from such a misfortune. This should serve us as a mirror of warning to keep far from us all evil under- takings and pernicious curiosity. In ~Austria~ I found an infinitude, but all were either ignorant, or like unto the Bohemians. In the Kingdom of Hungary I found but persons knowing neither God nor Devil, and who were worse than the beasts. In Greece I found many wise and prudent men, but, however, all of them were infidels, among whom there were three who principally dwelt in desert places, who showed unto me great things, such as how to raise tempests in a moment, how to make the Sun appear in the night, how to stop the course of rivers, and how to make night appear at mid-day, the whole by the power of their enchantments, and by applying superstitious ceremonies. Near ~Constantinople~, In a place called ~Epiha~, there was a certain man, who, instead of Enchantments, made use of certain numbers which he wrote upon the earth ; and by means of these he caused certain extravagant and terrifying visions to appear; but in all these Arts there was no practical use, but only the loss of soul and of body, because all these only worked by particular Pacts, which had no true foundation ; also all these Arts demanded a very long space of time, and they were very false, and when these men were unsuccessful they had always ready a thousand lies and excuses. In the same city of ~Constantinople~ I found two men of our Law, namely, ~Simon~ and the ~Rabbin Abrahame~, whom we may class with ~Rabbin Moses of Mayence~. In ~Egypt~ the first time I found five persons who Page 18 were esteemed and reputed as wise men, among whom were four, namely, ~Horay~, ~Abimech~, ~Arlcaon~, and ~Orirach~, who performed their operations by the means of the course of the Stars and of the Constellations, adding many Diabolical Conjurations and impious and profane prayers, and performing the whole with great difficulty. The fifth, named ~Abimelu~, operated by the means and aid of Demons, to whom he prepared statues, and sacrificed, and thus they served him with their abominable arts. In ~Arabia~ they made use of plants, of herbs, and of stones as well precious as common. The Divine Mercy inspired me to return thence, and led me to ~Abramelin~, who was he who declared unto me the Secret, and opened unto me the fountain and true source of the Sacred Mystery, and of the Veritable and Ancient Magic which God had given unto our forefathers. Also at ~Paris~ I found a wise man called ~Joseph~, who, having denied the Christian faith, had made himself a Jew. This man truly practised Magic in the same manner as ~Abramelin~, but he was very far from arriving at perfection therein ; because God, Who is just, never granteth the perfect, veritable and fundamental treasure unto those who deny Him ; notwithstanding that in the rest of their life they might be the most holy and perfect men in the world. 1 am astonished when I consider the blindness of many persons who let themselves be led by Evil Masters, who take pleasure in falsehood, and, we may rather say, in the ~Demon~ himself; giving them- selves over unto Sorceries and Idolatries, one in one manner, another in another manner, with the result of losing their souls. But the Truth is so great, the Devil is so deceitful and malicious, and the World so frail and so infamous that I must admit that things cannot be otherwise. Let us then open our eyes, and follow that which I shall lay down in the following chapters; and let us not walk Page 19 in another Path, whether of the Devil, or of men, or of Books which boast of their Magic ; for in truth I declare unto thee that I had so great a quantity of such matters written out with so much Art, that had I not had these of ABRAMELIN, | could herein have given thee those. However, it is true that just as there is only one God, that not one of these Books is worth an obolus*. Yet with all this there are men so blind that they buy them at exorbitant prices, and they lose their money, their time, and their pains, and which is worse, very often their souls as well. This chapter is more trash-talking. However, for those that are inclined, there is confirmation for them that they can make a pact with a demon, get results, if they ignore the warnings of the consequences. THE SIXTH CHAPTER THE Fear of the Lord is the True Wisdom, and he who hath it not can in no way penetrate the True Secrets of Magic, and he but buildeth upon a foundation of sand, and his building can in no way last. The RABBIN MOSES persuaded me to be wise, while he him- self, with words which neither he himself nor any other person understood, and with extravagant symbols made bells to sound, and while with execrable conjurations he made appear in glasses him who had committed a theft, and while he made a water causing an old man to appear young (and that only for the space of two hours and no longer). All the which things he indeed taught me, but the whole was but vanity, low curiosity, and a pure deception of the ~Demon~, leading to no useful end imaginable, and tending to the loss of the Soul. And when I had the Veritable Knowledge of the Sacred Magic, I both forgot them, and banished them from mine heart. * A coin of base money formerly in use, its value being about a halfpenny. I’m curious if the AbraMelin teaches this lesson, later in the book. I suppose that the author could have added it, as a sort of dishonest promotion of their jewish values. But, this is clearly a Jewish concept. I am not familiar with any others where Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of wisdom. Page 20 That impious Bohemian,* with the aid and assistance of his Associate, performed astounding feats. He rendered himself invisible, he used to fly in the air, he used to enter through the keyholes into locked-up rooms, he knew our greatest secrets, and once he told me things which God alone could know. But his Art cost him too dear, for the Devil had made him swear in the Pact that he would use all his secrets to the dishonour of God, and to the prejudice of his neighbour. Ultimately his body was found dragged through the streets, and his head without any tongue therein, lying in a dram And this was all the profit he drew from his Diabolical Science and Magic. In ~Austria~ I found an infinitude of Magicians who only occupied themselves in killing and maiming men, in putting discord among married people, in causing divorces, in tying witch-knots in osier or willow branches to stop the flow of milk in the breasts of nursing women, and similar infamies. But these miserable wretches had made a Pact with the Devil, and had become his slaves, having sworn unto him that they would work without cessation to destroy all living creatures. Some of these had two years (for their Pact) to run, some three, and after that time they underwent the same fate as the Bohemian. At ~Lintz~ I worked with a young woman, who one evening invited me to go with her, assuring me that without any risk she would conduct me to a place where I greatly desired to find myself. I allowed myself to be persuaded by her promises. She then gave unto me an unguent, with which I rubbed the principal pulses of my feet and hands ; the which she did also ; and at first it appeared to me that I was flying in the air in the place which I wished, and which I had in no way mentioned to her. * le. Antony, of whom he makes mention in the preceding chapter. Now we learn what happened to the one who made a pact with the devil. And the others, of course, the devil is to blame. ←sarcasm Page 21 I pass over in silence and out of respect, that which I saw, which was admirable, and appearing to myself to have remained there a long while, I felt as if I were just awakening from a profound sleep, and I had great pain in my head and deep melancholy. I turned round and saw that she was seated at my side. She began to re- count to me what she had seen, but that which I had seen was entirely different. I was, however, much astonished, because it appeared to me as if I had been really and corporeally in the place, and there in reality to have seen that which had happened. However, I asked her one day to go alone to that same place, and to bring me back news of a friend whom I knew for certain was distant 200 leagues. She promised to do so in the space of an hour. She rubbed herself with the same unguent, and I was very expectant to see her fly away; but she fell to the ground and remained there about three hours as if she were dead, so that I began to think that she really was dead. At last she began to stir like a person who is waking, then she rose to an upright position, and with much pleasure began to give me the account of her expedition, saying that she had been in the place where my friend was, and all that he was doing ; the which was entirely contrary to his profession. Whence I concluded that what she had just told me was a simple dream, and that this unguent was a causer of a phantastic sleep ; whereon she confessed to me that this unguent had been given to her by the Devil. All the Arts of the Greeks are Enchantments and Fascinations, and the Demons hold them enchained in these accursed arts so that the Foundation of the True Magic may be unknown to them which would render them more powerful than they ; and I was the more confirmed in this opinion because their operations were of no practical use whatever, and caused injury unto him who put them into practice, as in fact many of them Page 22 avowed plainly to me, when I had the True and Sacred Magic. There are also many operations which they say are handed down from the Ancient Sibyls. There is an Art called White and Black ;* another Angelical, ~Teatim~ ; in which I avow that I have seen orations so learned and beautiful, that had I not known the venom therein hidden, I would have given them herein. I say all this because it is very easy to him who is not constantly upon his guard to err. One old scribbler of symbols** gave me many enchantments which only tended to work evil. He performed other operations by means of numbers, which were all odd, and of a triple proportion, in no way similar to the other, and for proof of this, he caused by such means in my presence a very fine tree which was near my house to fall to the ground, and all the leaves and fruits were consumed in a very short time. And he told me that in Numbers there was hidden a very Great Mystery, because that by the means of numbers one can perform all the operations for friendships, riches, honours, and all sorts of things, good and evil ; and he assured me that he had tried them, but that yet some that he knew to be very true had not yet succeeded with him. With regard to this particular, I found out the reason through the Wise ABRAMELIN, who told me that this came and depended from a Divine Ministry, that is to say, from the Qabalah, and that without that, one could not succeed. All these things have I beheld, and many others, and those who possessed these secrets gave them to me out of friendship. I burned these recipes afterwards in the house of ABRAMELIN, they being absolutely things very far removed from the Will of God, and contrary to the charity which we owe unto our neighbour. Every * the Book “ Ambrosius ”. ** Evidently the man mentioned in Chapter V., as living at Ephiha, near Constantinople. The word I have rendered by “ scribbler of symbols ” is grifas. I think it’s natural for people to be curious about these other supernatural practices, regardless of whether or not the devil is involved. If the individual believes this book is true, then, they just rec’d confirmation of many different magical techniques that are real, and that work. But, The AbraMelin explains many ( all? ) of those other arts using Kabalah. Page 23 learned and prudent man may fall if he be not defended and guided by the Angel of the Lord, who aided me, and prevented me from falling into such a state of wretched- ness, and who led me undeserving from the mire of darkness unto the Light of the Truth. I have known and felt the effects of the goodness of the Wise ~Abramelin~,* who of his own free will, and before I had asked him so to do, accepted me for his disciple. And before that I had declared my wish unto him he would accomplish and fulfil my desire ; and all that I wished to obtain from him he knew before I could open my mouth. Also he recounted to me all that I had seen, done, and suffered from the time of my father’s death down to this moment ; and this in words obscure and as it were prophetic, which I did not then comprehend, but which I understood later. He told me many things touching my good fortune, but, which was the principal thing, he discovered to me the Source of the Veritable Qabalah, the which according to our custom, I have in turn communicated unto thine elder brother ~Joseph~, after that he had fulfilled the requisite conditions without the accomplishment of which the Qabalah and this Sacred Magic cannot be exercised, and which I will recount 1n the two following books. Afterwards he did manifest unto me the Regimen of the Mystery of that Sacred Magic which was exercised and put into practice by our forefathers and progenitors, ~Noah~, ~Abraham~, ~Jacob~, ~Moses~, ~David~, and ~Solomon~; among whom the last misused it, and he received the punishment thereof during his life. This is a very important passage. It mirrors the other folk tales of Jewish mystics and faith healers. The end is interesting. The AbraMelin showed the author the Source of the kabbalah which the author then shared with his oldest son. Then, this older son used the source to rederive the magical practices of the other biblical heroes mentioned. In the Second Book I will describe the whole faithfully and clearly, in order that if the Lord God should wish to dispose of me before that thou shalt have attained a competent age, thou shalt find these three small manuscript books as forming at the same time both an inestim- * So written here in the MS. Page 24 able treasure and a faithful master and teacher ; because there are very many secrets in the Symbols of the Third Book which I have seen made experiment of with mine own eyes by ~Abramelim~,* and to be perfectly true, and which afterwards I myself have performed. And after him I found no one who worked these things truly ; and although ~Joseph~ at Paris walked in the same Path, nevertheless God, as a just Judge, did not in any way wish to grant unto him the Sacred Magic in its entirety, because he had despised the Christian Law. For it is an indubitable and evident thing that he who is born Christian, Jew, Pagan, Turk, Infidel, or whatever religion it may be, can arrive at the perfection of this Work or Art and become a Master, but he who hath abandoned his natural Law, and embraced another religion opposed to his own, can never arrive at the summit of this Sacred Science.** None are excluded from Kabalah. It is universal, like a natural law. THE SEVENTH CHAPTER. GOD, the Father of Mercy, having granted unto me the grace to return safe and sound into my country ; I paid unto Him according to my small power, some little portion of that which I owed Him ; thanking Him for so many benefits which I had received from Him, and in particular for the acquisition of the Qabalah which I had made at the house of ~Abramelim~.*** It now only remained for me to reduce to Practise this Sacred * Thus spelt here. ** Many Occultists will doubtless not be of this opinion. It is one thing to simply quit one debased and materialised form or sect of religion for another, which is perhaps little if any better; and quite another thing to seek out the true religion which is at the basis of all, and which could not be entirely true, were it not free from Sect. *** Thus spelt here, This is an important difference between the two translations. In this version, the author somehow pays God like it is business transaction. In the German translation, the author is paying debts to individuals who had loaned to him. Page 25 Magic, but many things of importance and hindrances presented themselves ; among the which my marriage was one of the greatest. I therefore judged it fitting to defer putting it in practice, and a principal obstacle was the inconvenience of the place in which I dwelt. I resolved to absent myself suddenly, and go away into the Hercynian Forests. and there remain during the time necessary for this operation, and lead a solitary life. It was not possible for me to do it sooner for many reasons and dangers of which latter I ran a risk in that place, besides which it would be necessary to leave my wife, who was young and now enceinte. Finally, I re- solved to follow the example of ~Abramelin~*, and I divided my house**: into two parts ; I took another house at rent, which I in part furnished, and I gave over to one of my uncles the care of providing the necessaries of life and the needs thereof. Meanwhile I with my wife and a servant remained in my own house, and I began to accustom myself to the solitary life, which it was to me extremely difficult to support, because of the melancholic humour which dominated me, and I lived thus till the season of Easter which I celebrated with all the family according to custom. Then first, on the following day, In the Name and to the honour of God Almighty the Creator of Heaven and of Earth, I commenced this holy operation, and I continued it for Six Moons without omitting the slightest detail, as thou wilt understand later. And the period of the Six Moons being expired, the Lord granted unto me His Grace by His Mercy ; according to the promise made unto our forefathers, since while I was making my prayer unto Him He deigned to grant unto me the vision and apparition of His holy Angels, together with which I experienced so great joy, consolation and contentment of soul, that I could neither * Dembrasser le pavti d’ Abramelin. ** Probably mecaning ¢ houschold " Important: the authors magic was performed in private, with no witnesses, as a necessity. ( There’s no one to corroborate or challenge ). In this version it is a 6 moon initiation. Page 26 express it nor put it into writing. And during the three days, while I was enjoying this sweet and delightful presence with an inducible contentment, my holy Angel, whom God the Most Merciful had destined from my creation for my Guardian, spake unto me with the greatest goodness and affection ; who not only manifested unto me the Veritable Magic but even made easier for me the means of obtaining it. ***Very Important: this is a specific angel ONLY for them.*** It’s referring to a מזל He confirmed as being true the Symbols of the Qabalah which I had received from ABRAMELIN ; and he gave me the fundamental means by which I could have an infinitude of others in my operations according to my pleasure, assuring me that he would instruct me fully thereon. (These Symbols are all like those of the Third Book.) He gave me further very useful advice and admonition, such as an Angel could give ; how I should govern myself the following days with the Evil Spirits so as to constrain them to obey me ; the which I duly followed out fulfilling always from point to point his instructions very faithfully, and by the Grace of God I constrained them to obey me and to appear in the place destined for this operation ; and they obligated themselves to obey me, and to be subject unto me. And since then even until now, without offending God and the Holy Angels I have held them in my power and command, always assisted by the power of God and of His Holy Angels. And this with so great a prosperity of our house, that I confess that I held myself back from the vast riches which I could have accumulated ; although I possess enough to be counted among the number of the rich, as thou wilt know when thou shalt be more advanced in age. This entire passage is very important in regard to demonic content in this book. May the Grace of the Lord, and the defence and protection of His Holy Angels never then depart from me, ~Abraham~, nor from my two sons ~Joseph~ and ~Lamech~ ; nor from all those who by your means and by the Will of God, shall receive this operation! So be it ! Page 27 THE EIGHTH CHAPTER. In order to show that Man ought to make use of the good things of the Lord by applying them unto a good end, that is to say, unto His honour and glory, both tor his own use and that of his neighbour; I will describe in a few words in this present chapter many and the most considerable operations which I have carried out; and the which, with the aid of the All-Powerful Lord and of the Holy Angels, by the means of this Art I have easily conducted unto the desired end. And I write not this description in any way to vaunt myself nor out of vain glory, the which would be a great sin against God, because it is He Who hath done the whole, and not I : but only do I write this that it may serve for instruction unto others, so that they may know wherein they ought to avail themselves of this Art, as also that they may use it to the honour of Him Who hath given this wisdom unto men, and glorify Him ; and in order that each one may know how great and inexhaustible are the treasures of the Lord, and render unto Him particular thanks for so precious a gift. And especially (do I thank Him) for having granted unto me, who am but a little worm of Earth, through the means of ABRAMELIN the power to give and communicate unto others this Sacred Science. After my death a book will be found, which I commenced to write at the time when I was beginning to put in practice this Art, which, reckoning the number of the years, was in 1409, until to-day on which I am arrived at the 96th* year of mine age, with all honour and augmentation of fortune; and in this book can be read in detail even to the very least thing which I have There’s multiple versions, more complete versions, this naturally exaggerates the authors capabilities without bringing any reasons to believe it. * As this MS. bears the date of 1458, Abraham must have been horn in 1362, and was consequently 47 years old in 1409, Page 28 done. But here, as I have aforesaid, I will describe only the most remarkable. Up till now I have healed of persons of all conditions, bewitched unto death, no less than 8413, and belonging unto all religions, without making an exception in any case. I gave unto mine ~Emperor Sigismund~,* a very ... [ continued after lengthy footnote ] * Sigismond, Emperor of Germany, was born the 14th February, 1368, and died at Znaim on the gth December, 1437. Son of the Emperor Charles IV. and of Anne of Silesia, he received an excellent education. At ten years of age his father gave him the Margravate of Brandenburg, and two years later he was betrothed to Mary, the daughter of Louis the Great of Hungary, whom he afterwards married. He was nominated by his father-in-law his successor on the throne of Poland. But the nobles preferred Ladislaus, the nephew of Casimir the Great. However, in 1386, he took possession of Hungary, repulsed the Poles, overcame the rebellious nobles; and then marched against the Wallachians and Turks, but he was beaten, and later, notwith- standing the help of France and England, he lost the Battle of Nicopolis in 1396. He escaped on board a vessel in the Black Sea, and for eighteen months was a fugitive from his Kingdom ; and at the moment of his re-entering Hungary he was made prisoner by the discontented nobles, and shut up in the citadel of Ziklos. Escaping thence into Bohemia, he, however, reconquered his throne, and in 1410 was raised to the Empire by one party among the l.lectors, while Josse, Marquis of Moravia, and Wenceslaus were collected by other factions. A remarkable coincidence, seeing that at this moment when three Emperors possessed the Empire the Papacy had also three Popes, viz.: John XXIII. (Balthazar Cossa), a Neapolitan; Gregory XII. (Ange Conrario), a Venetian; and Benedict XIJI. (Pierre de Lune), a Spaniard. The death of Josse, and the resigna- tion of Wenceslaus, left Sigismond sole master of the Empire. After having received the Silver Crown at Aix-la-Chapelle in 1414, he went to preside at the Council of Constance, where John Huss was condemned, notwithstanding the safe conduct which he had obtained from the Emperor. He endeavoured to end the differences between the Roman and Greek Churches, visited France and England under pretext of reconciling Charles VI. and Henry V., but, as some say, in order to form a league with the latter against France, so as to recover the ancient Kingdom of Arles. The death of his brother, Wenceslaus, 1n 1419, rendered him Master of Bohemia, at the moment when the revolt of the Hussites was at its height. Ile comienced a war of extermination against them, but was defeated by Ziska in 1420, ... [ continues on the footnote of the next page ] Page 29 [ continued from the main text on the prior page ] ... clement Prince, a Familiar Spirit of the Second Hierarchy, even as he commanded me, and he availed himself of its services with prudence. He wished also to possess the secret of the whole operation, but as I was warned by the Lord that it was not His Will, he contented himself with what was permitted, not as Emperor, but as a private person; and I even by means of mine Art facilitated his marriage with his wife ; and I caused him to overcome the great difficulties which opposed his marriage. I delivered also the ~Count Frederick~* by the means ... [ continued after lengthy footnote ] [ continued from footnote of prior page ] ... and a war of fifteen years’ duration ensued. In 1431, whilst he was being crowned King of Italy at Milan, his troops experienced such severe defects that he was forced to concede advantageous terms to the rebels. But dissensions arose among them, and Sigismond profited by this to completely crush them at length and make Bohemia submit. He reigned twenty-seven years as Emperor of Germany, eighteen years as King of Bohemia, and fifty-one years as King of Hungary. His second wife, Barbe, has been called by some, 7ie M essalina of Germany. * Frederick 1., surnamed the Quarreller, Duke and Elector of Saxony, was born at Altenburg in 1369, and died in 1428. He was son of the Landgrave and Margrave frederick the Severe, and of Catherine, Countess of Henneberg. At only four years of age, Frederick had been betrothed to Anne, daughter of the Emperor Charles IV, ; later on he had serious disputes concerning this matter with the Emperor Wenceslaus (the brother of Anne), who had disposed of her hand to another, but who ultimately consented, in 1397, to pay Frederick a considerable sum by way of damages. In 1388 he fought as ally of the Burgrave of Nuremberg in the war of the German towns ; and gained his knightly spurs in 1391, in the war which he, in concert with the Teutonic Knights, waged against the Lithuanians. Next, he fought against \Wenceslaus. He married Catherine of Brunswick in 1402, and after various wars and quarrels, the University of Lcipzig was founded in 1409. The indefatigable activity which this Prince displayed from 1420 against the movements of the Hussites, who were directly menacing his possessions, pointed him out as a valuable auxiliary to the Emperor Sigismond, who was then in a very critical position. In order to assure himself definitely of the alliance of Frederick the Quarreller, the Emperor conferred upon him the Electorate and Duchy of Saxon; ; but the former could not long enjoy his new found dignities in peace, for the Emperor shifted the whole weight of the war with the Hussites on to his shoulders. As the other German Princes did not respond readily to the Elector’s appeal, the latter had the misfortune to lose the greater part of his ... [ continues on footnote of the next page ] Page 30 [ continued from the main text of the prior page ] ... of 2000 artificial cavalry (the which I by mine Art caused to appear according unto the tenor of the "Twenty-ninth Chapter of the Third Book here following), free out of the hands of the Duke Leopold of Saxonia ; the which Count Frederick without me would have lost both his own life, and his estate as well (which latter would not have descended) unto his heirs. Unto the ~Bishop or our City~ also, I showed the betrayal of his government at Orembergh, one year before the same occurred ; and I say no more concerning this because he is an Ecclesiastic** passing over in silence all that I have further done to render unto him service. The Count oF Varvicu |- was delivered by me from ... [ continues on the next page ] [ continues from the prior footnote ] ... Army near Brux in 1425. But his wife, Catherine, summoned the whole of Catholic Germany to umte in a Crusade against the innovating Hussites ; w/hile 20,000 strange and foreign Warriors came unexpectedly to range themselves under the Standard of Frederick. It is to be noted that Abraham the Jew puts the Artificial Cavalry he supplied at 2000 (though this may easily be a slip for 20,000) and rumour would of course soon magnify the number. But the Elector was at length defeated at the disastrous battle of Aussig in 1426, where the te of the German Warriors fell. The following year again witnessed a fresh defeat of the Elector, and the chagrin which this excited, ultimately led to his death. He was succeeded by his son, Frederick II., called “ the Good” born in 1411, who began to reign in 1428, and died in 1464 (sece Duwct. Larousse), * The same ambiguity exists in the French as in the translation, as to whether it is Abraham or the Bishop who passes over the matter in silence. E¢ je w'en dis pas davantage acause quil est un eclesiastique passant sous silence ceque joy jait defi/m pour /z.cy rendre service. (1 preserve the orthography of the French original.) + By “ Count of Varvich,” Abraham evidently means “ Count of Warwick,” as throughout the MS. a w is never used, but always a v, wherever the former occurs in a proper name. This Count of Warwick is probably Henri de Beauchamp, the brother-in-law of Warwick the ““ King-Maker,” and son of that Richard de Beauchamp, so infamous for his instrumentality in bringing about the torture and burning of the heroic Joan of Arc. Henri de Beauchamp was at first deprived of his goods by Henry V1. ; but in 1444 that Monarch created him Duke of Warwick, and later, King of the islands of Wight, Jersey, and Guernsey. He did not long survive to enjoy these honours (Dict. Larousse). Page 31 [ continued from the main text on the prior page ] ... prison m England the night before he was to have been beheaded. I aided the flight of the Duke,* and of his Pope Joun,j- trom the Council of Constance, who would other- ... [ continues on the next page ] * Probably Albert V. of Austna. + Pope John XXIII. (Balthazar Cossa), Pope from 1410 to 1415, was born at Naples. lle had been a corsair in his youth, and at first, after his entry into holy orders, was only notable for his debauches, his exactions, and his violence. [IPope Boniface 1X. nevertheless appointed him Cardinal in 1402, and afterwards Legate of Bologna, where he is said to have given himself up to such excesses that Gregory XII. thought it necessary to excommunicate him, Notwith- standing this Cossa was elected to the Papacy at the time when the Church was shaken by internal dissension. He promised at first to renounce the Pontificate, if on their side Gregory XII1. and Benedict XIII. would abandon their claims. However, he mounted the Papal Throne, and declared for the side of Louts d’Anjou in the war between the latter and Ladislaus regarding the Throne of Naples. At length, after the taking of Rome by Ladislaus, he was forced to implore the support of the lEmperor Sigismond. The latter consented to grant him his protection, but on the sole condition of the convocation of the Council of Constance. After much hesitation, and after having taken every possible precaution to ensure his personal safety, John XXIIL consented to the assembling of the Council, which he opened 7th November, 1414. Being then summoned to lay aside the Papal Mitre, he judged it prudent to consent; but a few days later, he succeeded in escaping in disguise, during a tournament given by the Duke of Austria, He retired to Lauffembourg, and protested against the abdication, which he declared to have been obtained from him by force. The Council was for a moment struck with fear and consterna- tion, but the firmness of the emperor Sigismond, coupled with the effect of the declaration of J. Gerson that the General Councils had higher authority than the Papacy, prevailed. John XXI1I1. was sum- moned to appear before the Council, but refused ; and soon after, being abandoned by the Duke of Austria, who was too weak to resist the power of the Emperor, he was arrested at Fribourg, and conducted to Rudolfcell. On the 2gth May, 1415, this Pontiff was solemnly deposed by the Council of Constance as being given to simony, impudent, a secret poisoner, and a spendthrift of the wealth of the Church ; and was imprisoned in the Castle of Heidelberg. At the end of four years he recovered his liberty, on payment of 30,000 golden crowns, and went to Rome, where he made his submission to Martin V., and was by him appointed Cardinal-Bishop of Frascati, and Senior of the Sacred College. He died a few months later at Florence, either of anxiety or by poison. Page 32 [ continued from the main text of the prior page ] ... wise have fallen into the hands of the enraged Emperor ; and the latter having asked me to predict unto him which one of the two Popes, John XXIII. and Martin V., should gain in the end, my prophecy was verified ; that fortune befalling which I had predicted unto him at Ratisbon. At the time when I was lodged at the house of the Duke oF Bavaria,* my Lord, for matters of the greatest importance ; the door of my room was forced, and I had the value of 83,000 Hungarian pieces stolen from me in jewels and money. As soon as I returned, the thief (although he was a Bishop !) was forced to himself bring it back to me in person and to return with his own hands to me the money, jewels, and account books, and to give me the principal reasons which had forced him to com- mit the theft, rather than any other person. Six months ago I did write unto the Grecian Emerpor and I warned him that the affairs of his Empire were in a very bad condition, and that his Empire itself was on the brink of ruin! unless he could appease the Anger of God. As there only remaineth unto me but a little while to live, those who remain after me will receive the news of the result of this prophecy. The Operation of the thirteenth chapter of the Second Book, I have twice performed ; once in the house * Either Ernest or William I. of Bavaria. They were brothers, and reigned conjointly. From his calling the Duke of Bavaria, his Lord, it would appear that he was living under his dominion, but it is curious that up to this point Abraham has never mentioned the name of his own town. + Constantine Palaologos, who was the thirteenth and last Greek Emperor. He was killed, and Constantinople taken by the Turks under Mahomet II. The direct descendant of Constantine Pal®ologos to-day, is the Princess Eugénie di Cristoforo-Paleologa- Nicephore-Comnenz. t A deux doigts de sa perte. § This chapter is entitled : ‘“ Concerning the Convocation of the Good Spirits ”, Page 33 of Savonia;* and another time in the MARQUISATE OF M AGDEBURGH, and I was the cause that their estates were handed down unto their children. Now when once the faculty of being able to avail oneself of the Sacred Magic hath been obtained, it is permissible to demand from the Angel a sum of coined money proportionate unto thy birth, quality and capacity, the which without difficulty will be granted unto thee. Such money is taken from the Hidden Treasures. It is, however, necessary to note that in all Treasures one is allowed to take the fifth part, God permitting the same, although some braggart chatterers** do say that there be an infinitude hereof which be destined and reserved unto Anti-Christ, I do not for a moment say that this may not be true ; but undoubtedly from the same Treasures one may also take the fifth part. There are yet more which be destined unto others. Mine own particular treasure was assigned unto me at Herbipolis ; T and I performed the Operation of the eighth chapters of the Third Book ; it was not in any way guarded, and was very ancient. It was of gold, which had never been struck into ingots ; and which I afterwards caused to be beaten out and converted into its equivalent weight of golden florins, by the Spirits ; the which was done in a few hours; (and I did this operation seeing that) mine own possessions were ^^ That’s a very strange thing for a Jew to say ^^ * Thus in MS.—? Saxonia. + Quelgues hableurs. t Herbipolis is the Latin medie@val name of the town of Wurtz- bourg in Bavaria. It seems from this passage that it was probably the city of Abraham the Jew, and therefore the one intended a few paragraphs before where he speaks of the ‘ Bishop of our town”. Wurzbourg and the surrounding district formed a Bishopric, and in the time of Abraham it was the scene of constant struggles between the Bishop and his party, and the burghers. Later, formidable persecutions against the Jews took place there, and many edicts were promulgated against witchcraft. **** This is evidently an error for either the sixth, the sixteenth, or the twenty-eighth chapter ; probably the latter. 3 Page 34 few and of little worth ; and so poor was I that in order to marry a person who had a considerable dowry, I was forced to make use of mine Art, and I employed the Fourth Sign of the Third Book and the Third Sign* of the nineteenth chapter ; and I married my cousin with 40,000 golden florins as a dowry, the which sum served as a cover to my fortune. All the Signs which are in the Eighteenth Chapter have been made use of by me so many times that I could not count them. However, they are all given in the Book T already mentioned. I made great and wonderful experiments with the Signs of the second*** and eighth**** chapters of the Third Book. The First Signing of the first chapter of the Third Book is the most perfect. It is necessary to be prompt and adroit in all these operations, seeing that in the things which belong unto God we can easily commit still greater errors than those into which Solomon fell. All these Signs have I worked with great ease and pleasure, and with very great utility (unto myself and others). All these operations and others in infinite number have I performed by the Signs which be in the Third Book, and never have I failed in attaining mine end, I have always been obeyed (by the Spirits), and everything hath succeeded with me because I have myself obeyed the Commandments of God. Also I have * To make oneself loved by a relation. + The Eighteenth Chapter is entitled : “ How to heal divers maladies ”. t le. the Third Book. § The Second Chapter is entitled : “ How to obtain information and be enlightened concerning every kind of proposition and all doubtful sciences . | The Eighth Chapter is entitled : *“ How to excite Tempests”. T “To know all sorts of matters past and to come, which are, however, not opposed to God and to His Holy Will.” Page 35 from point to point followed out that which mine Angel hath counselled and prescribed unto me ; following out also exactly that which Abra-Melin taught me, the which is the same that I shall write in the Two following Books, and which I shall exemplify and explain more clearly ; because the instructions which I received, although in very obscure words and hieroglyphics, have caused me to attain mine object, and have never permitted me to err and fall into pagan, strange, and superstitious idolatries ; I being always kept in the Way of the Lord, Who is the True, the only the Infallible End, for arriving at the possession of this Sacred Magic. here is a list of the claimed accomplishments: healed many people of all religions, no exceptions gave a familiar spirit to Emperor Sigmund facilitated his marriage, over came many difficulties Exposed corruption in the city to the Bishop Count of Varvicu delivered from prison the night before his beheading Accurately predicted who would become Pope A thief was miraculously caught after they had robbed him Rec'd a prophecy regarding the Grecian Emperor 13th chapter of the 2nd book - page 81 communion with the HGA 8th chapter of the 3rd book - pg. 186 - to excite tempests 4th sign of the 3rd book ( page 165-166 - things to happen in war ? ) and the 3rd sign of the nineteenth chapter - ( page 214-215; 19 is for every kind of love and affection, the 3rd is for a family member ) signs of the 2nd ( page 172, obtaining information and enlightenment ) and 8th chapters ( page 186 to excite tempests ) of the 3rd book 1st signing of the first chapter of the 3rd book is the most perfect - ( page 165 - learn of past and future events in general “Moreh” ) All of them are performed "by the signs which be in the Third Book" Word choice, hieroglyphics, noted Here is the text from the German translation, Book 1, Chapters 5-8. My comments are in blue. Hide contents Chapter Five Other masters I have found. It is not enough that one wanders over many lands like a dog in a kitchen. It is necessary to understand more afterwards than before. Everyone should be able to describe properly what he has seen and learned. A clear description of what has been seen gives listeners the opportunity to judge whether a traveler’s boasts are true. So as to give you examples in this chapter I will tell you about people who call themselves masters of the art and I will tell you about how they manage their art. In the sixth chapter, I intend to explain to you what I have seen and learned. And I will also tell you whether, on reflection, I found their doings true or not. The very first master I visited was Rabbi Moses from Mainz. Religious, but incompetent in holy secrets and magic knowl- edge, he was superstitious, with his art patched together from a collection of atheist and agnostic systems. Because of this, he received no response or help from the holy angels and good spirits. The unredeemed spirits joked with him, sometimes for their own pleasure, they helped him with childish things, and so were better able to trick and hinder him. He did not continue searching for the right basis or correct system. In Strasbourg I met Jacob, a Christian, regarded as a marvelous Master. But it was all tricks and cheating: in the correct art he could do less than nothing. Page 15 In Bohemian Prague I found 25-year-old Anthony, a confused young man who showed me exceptional supernatural things. But God protect me, you, and everyone that SHpone should sink so low! The fool told me that he had sold his body and soul to the devil—totally rejecting the highest creator and all his associated beings. In return, the devil Leviathan promised Anthony that for 40 years he would do whatever he requested. He quickly tried to persuade me to become trapped into the same situation. I moved from him and finally fled from him and his arts. His pmful end, two years later, 1s known to every child; a song about it is still sung in the streets. Oh, forbid, my faithful God! Let this be an example and a warning to you: flee far from such young fools. In Austria I found many people but all were bad or crazy; some were caught in the same pitiful situation as the Bohe- mian I have just told you about. But it is not worth the trouble to write about simple, unskilled, and crazy people. In Greece I found fine, skilled elders who were mostly unbe- lievers. Three were special, all lived in the wilderness, and they showed me exceptional things. They made unexpected thunder storms, snow, hail, sunshine at night and night in the after- noon; they made running water stand still. For all their work they sang special songs and rhymes in their own language; they used these together with gestures and ceremonies. In Hungary, I found people who served neither god nor devil and were worse than the beasts of the field. In Epiphus, close to Constantinople, lived a person who instead of song wrote special formulas on the ground. With these he made incredibly unusual visions and discoveries—but all them were useless. They appeared for the wrong reasons and worked slowly; and when things did not succeed, he had a thousand excuses. In Constantinople I found two of our house, Simon Moses and Rabbi Abraham. Both had learned the same magic as Rabbi Moses from Mainz, but Abraham knew more about the Page 21 Kabbalah. Both apologized for not having searched further into the magic. In Egypt the first time, I found five men honored as clever men. Of these, three—Horay, Alkoran, and Selikh—worked through astrology from books; satanic oaths; monotonous, long, godless prayers; and powerful ceremonies. The other two— Halimeus and Abimelech—honored the devil to whom they offered licenses, and figures that they made to talk and move. Similarly, in Arabia they did magic by taking into account the times and configurations of the heavens. Where the Egyptians used pictures and similar things, the Arabians used herbs, and precious and ordinary stones. These and other similar people I found in the Arabian wilderness. They called themselves masters of magic but they were hopeless; most could do little or nothing. Finally, guided by the mercy of God, through the Holy Angel, I was led to Abramelin. He was the first and only per- son who showed me the source of all the holy secrets and the true old magic—as it was used by our forefathers; he unlocked and opened these for me and showed me how to use them. Later in Paris, I found the learned master Joseph who had turned from our belief and holy law to become a Christian. He was like Abramelin in his magic but not in its entirety because the righteous God never gives the right and true trea- sure to those who deny him. Otherwise he is the friendliest upon whosoever the sun may shine. In Italy, and later in Germany, I found and recognized several masters, especially Master Albrecht. I recognized them from their person and from their writings. But all their doings had neither hand nor feet and they were like Rabbi Moses from Mainz in their doings. Some were even worse; there is no sense in even talking about those who hope, with false stories and lies from books, to try to understand and become wise. They become crazy, lose their humanity, and become donkeys; I shall tell you about this later. More trash talking, and building up the AbraMelin. The temptation to work with the devil is here just as it is in the mather’s translation. Both describe the other masters in approx. the same way. To me this indicates that if the two versions were edited in some way by a third party, they were not edited consistently. Perhaps the edits are coming from fragments? Or perhaps this part was neither embellished or diminished because these stories are supposed to be recognizable and familiar to the reader as confirmation that the author is credible. If so, these can be regarded as good examples of the beliefs of the audience both in france and in germany. Both sets of readers accepted these accounts as believable, or, perhaps, at least not absurd. Page 22 CHAPTER SIX The beginning of wisdom. The beginning of wisdom is the fear of God, as is mentioned in Sirach chapter 1, verse 14.* He who does — not fear Adonai and yet pursues the Wisdom either becomes crazy or falls into the webs of Satan and Lucifer or Leviathan. This is because he builds on sand without a foundation on which his house can stand. The first master, Rabbi Moses, imagined he was a prominent artist in the magical wisdom when with unintelligible words and unusual statues he made all the church bells in the town ring. Or, when with spells he made the image of a thief appear in a glass. His greatest and most reliable piece of art (because the others often failed him) was with water, which he had secretly prepared with long, ungodly spells; he transformed himself from an old man into a young man, but this transformation never lasted for more than two hours. Dear son, all these things are but a mixture of simple jokes and devil’s doings in which there is no use—just the opportunity for great suffering and dangers to the soul. That is why I cast them out of my mind when I discovered the right truth and the godly magic. All that cheats God and insults others I have removed from my heart. The second master, Jacob from Strasbourg, was only a cheat and trickster. Whenever I asked, he could show me ghosts in a mirror—sometimes an animal, sometimes a rider, sometimes a child, sometimes a girl, and so on. These gave no answer and made no movement; it was as if they were frozen or made out * Sirach is the lost book of the Bible, supposedly lost for a thousand years. Rediscovered in 1898. Page 23 of something solid. Finally, I saw that they were small pictures that he repeatedly and secretly stuck on the wall. His trick was to hold a curved glass in front of my face in which the picture appeared and seemed alive. At night he showed tiny pictures in devil’s clothes that sprang and danced about. Later, in the company of two honest people, I confronted Jacob and we made him admit that they were pulled by hidden threads, made from horse or lady’s hair. With the help of his friends, the godless Bohemian from Prague showed me wonderful things. In my presence he made himself invisible. For half an hour, I saw him fly two ells* high over the ground. He went out and came in through keyholes and properly locked doors. He told me things that only God, and no other creature in creation, could have known. He was in pact with the devil. His art was to scorn God and damage others. Finally, his body was rendered into uncountable pieces and thrown onto a garbage heap. His head, without tongue and eyes was found in a small, unused room. Fourthly, the masters in Austria. Here I found countless people like the Bohemian. They could only kill animals, crip- ple people, change the weather, and make hail. They could destroy marriages, weaken nature, make witches’ knots in wil- low trees, stop the flow of mother’s breast milk, and similar things; altogether bad doings executed with simple words and rituals. All these people had previously given themselves to the devil, rejecting the creator and all religious people. All had more or less a pact for two, three, four, or five years after which they had a fate similar to what befell the Bohe- mian. From this you can see, my son, how blind is the world and into what idiocies curiosity drives people. Among the others I met in Austria was a woman in Linz, the daughter of a Christian, whose mother and father had * An ell is an English linear measure equal to 45 inches, formerly used in measuring cloth. Page 24 recently died. She offered to take me to a town that I wanted to visit. She told me that there was no danger or risk and 1 agreed to go. She persuaded me to go to the house where she lived alone—I went there at 3:00 in the night. She gave me an ointment, which she rubbed onto the arteries of my hands and feet. It felt like I was journeying to the town which I in my heart had wished to visit and which I had not told her about. I told her nothing about what I had seen. Awak- ing from a deep sleep, it seemed as if | had been far away; in my head I had a melancholic confusion or depression, but no pain. When I came to, I saw her sitting next to me; we both described what we had seen. Our experiences were very different. I was in great wonder and surprise because I thought that I had traveled away in my body and had personally experienced everything. I thought about this for a few days, then I asked her to travel by herself to a town that I named. I asked her to bring news from a good friend who I knew was at least 100 miles away. She promised to do this within the hour; she then thoroughly rubbed herself with ointment and lay down next to me. I was fearful when she lay there as if dead for four hours. Finally she breathed again, turned, and moved in her sleep. She sprang up, ran happily toward me and began to tell me about the town she had visited, the meeting she had with my friend, and what he was doing. I know that all this could not all be true, and that it was all quite simply a dream. The ointment was nothing other than a good and fantastic sleeping ointment that made all imaginations appear as realities. The natural masters believe in such ointments, but it is unnecessary to write about them here. I have investigated the Greek art many times and I have come to the conclusion that it is a devil’s mixture kept going by unbe- lievers who wish to remain in blindness. A Greek, Pilovior, on a sunny clear afternoon, created for me a dark night with lightening, a thunder storm and rain. | sweated in fright. It snowed, even though it was summer, to a height of half a wade. This carried on until the old man took me by the hand and walked me six paces Page 25 out of the snow; then, when I turned around, everything had disappeared and the sky was sunny and clear. Pilovior achieved all this with an old Greek song that he sang four times in a very loud voice. He wrote it out for me. He had called on neither god nor the devil. I think that good people have become so startled and confused by the devil that they do not recognize the devil's might. This confirms my opinion that noth- ing useful is achieved by the Greeks who say that their art does not help either themselves or their friends even though they have books full of old Greek and Latin songs from fortune-telling old sibyls and also the pagan poet Virgil and other similar authors. One art is called white and black, another one is like the angelic Teatim. An old symbol writer, Philip of Epiphus, gave me invocations that achieved only bad things. He showed me and gave me songs to take with me, he showed me how they worked. With numbers he made things happen. All the numbers were different; they were crooked and threefold. As proof, he destroyed his apple tree in half an hour—leaves and fruit fell and rotted. He explained a great secret in numbers that cause good and bad, friendship, riches, and marriages. He had used these often but never got them to work. Abramelin later taught me that these work out of the divine secret of the Kabbalah and hang together with it; without this understand- ing, nothing can be understood. The songs and superstitious hymns, some 40 pieces I burned in Abramelin’s house and scattered the ashes into the wind; I did this because these harm us and hindered us from the finding the right wisdom of God. The most important of the Egyptian masters, the fiddler Halimeg, was sincere when he showed me his art. He forced a spirit into a piece of a timber; it moved itself three paces and answered clearly in my language, easy to understand but confusing, so that you could also think that the spirit was a singing bird. Later, when Halimeg showed me how to control the spir- its, | realized that his was not the way of the true magic because the picture had to be carved at an exact astrological time. The According to the author, the most important Egyptian is NOT Abramelin. Page 26 praying, the bathing, the oiling, and the fanciful smearing all had to be done at special times. He never prayed to Adonai, he only called for the devil in cooked-up Chaldaic words. Similar were the works of other Arabs. These forced their spirits into stones—ordinary and precious—and flowers and herbs. Alkyky, a young Arabian priest, conjured up a flower and threw it in front of an old woman passing by. She smelled it and changed into a goose; six hours later, she returned to her old shape—I saw this for myself. I was shown these, and many similar arts, which were given to me with goodwill; I burned all of them in Abramelin’s house. I did this because all these things were against God, his holy law, and neighborly love—they changed people from being children and servants of God to being children and servants of the devil. From this you can see how easy it is for people to fall if not protected and led by the angel of Adonai. I also would have come into such blindness and harm if I had not come to the truly wise Abramelin. He, before I could even ask, took me as his student, fulfilled my desires, and knew and answered everything even before I opened my mouth. He told me of my father’s death. He told me everything I have done and said. In flowery and prophetic words—which I only later under- stood—he told me about my future and especially about my serious sickness in Constantinople. Importantly, he uncovered for me the source of the holy revelation and wisdom of the Kabbalah, which, according to the way of our forefathers, I have given to your elder brother Joseph as his inheritance. He also showed me the source of the true art and magic that our beloved forefathers Noah, Abra- ham, Jacob, Moses, Samuel, David, Solomon, and uncountable others used so much. Later, in a clear and fatherly way, I will describe this art and magic to you. This is so that if God, the owner of my soul, should ask me for it before you reach the age of manhood and inheritance, you will have trustworthy protection and schooling from this book. Page 27 Many of the arts you find described in the fourth book I have seen with my own eyes at Abramelin's and have done them for myself. I have never met anyone like Abramelin again. Although Joseph from Paris was on the same path, God did not show him complete mercy—he did not lay before Joseph all the divine law and ceremonies because (and this is certain) a born pagan, Christian, Jew, unbeliever, or anybody can become a complete master of these things—but not a renouncing Jew who has left Adonai’s law and has whored with other strange religions’ obligations. This chapter follows closely with the French translation. Again, the author declares that they are not sharing the source, but, only this ancillary “art and magic”. CHAPTER SEVEN God returned me to my people. After faithful God returned me healthy and rested to my family I repaid my financial vows and thanked him for all the fortunate things that he had done for me—especially for what he had let me see and learn from Abramelin. The very first thing I planned to do was to start the work— exactly as I later write about. Many things prevented this from happening—also partly because of your mother Melcha (even though she did much to help me). Only in the third year and after we were married in Worms did the opportunity occur. The town itself was a difficulty; the people, the running around, working, and so on. | even thought of going to the Black Forest, into isolation for the specified time. But this would have been impossible without damaging and ruining my household. So I followed Abramelin’s advice for such a situation and divided my household into two parts. I also rented another house in town; it was here that | put my relatives and business. I gave it over to my mother’s brother so that he could carry on Page 28 the household and business for two years—he paid me a con- siderable yearly rental for my necessities and expenses. I, your mother, one servant and a maid—married together—stayed in this house where we have continued to enjoy the mercy of God; and so also you and your brother will enjoy the same mercy if you follow the way of Adonai. In this correct and withdrawn way of life, I started by avoiding all unnecessary talk and company. This was not easy for me because of my melancholic mood. I did this until the time of Passah, which I celebrated with all the relatives of the household in the usual way and according to habit. On the next morning 1 started with the work, creating the order that I write about below, in the name of and to honor Yehovah, creator of heaven and earth and of all creations. Until the eighteenth month I pursued this end; in between, early in the eleventh month, your mother presented me with her firstborn son Joseph. After eighteen months—while I was carrying out my final services to Adonai in my upper prayer room, right next to the summer veranda—he presented me with his holy angels to my great joy and happiness: It is impossible to tell of this, and it is not correct to do so. I experienced this vision in humility and bliss for three continuous days. I was addressed lovingly and with friendship by my guardian angel. He explained the godly wisdom and Kabbalah and later completely explained the complete truth about this magic. He told me also about the effects of what I had received from Abramelin and showed the way I can form and do similar things. He also gave me clear advice, teachings, and knowledge about how, over the next three days, I could deal with the unredeemed spirits and make them listen to me. I did this and let them all appear on the veranda where I, protected by the mercy of God and his holy angels—indeed and with much help from them—forced the spirits to remain for the hour; in recognition and submission, they stayed. Page 29 The mercy of Adonai and the protection of his holy angels never move from me, Abraham, and my two sons Joseph and Lamech and my whole house. So that we in our misery, sor- row and imprisonment can find no other way to be than in the way of the law of Adonai. Amen. There is slightly different wording in this translation regarding the money which was repaid. The individual borrowed from their tythe, then repaid it. The guardian angel is described as “my”. The season is Passah, ( Pesach ), the season of “skipping-over”, the exodus. The evening is a night of protection, per the written Torah. This is significant because the initial rite of passage requires a sort of “purity”, for lack of a better word, which is not possible unless the individual is without sin or protected. Unredeemed spirits are the parnassa for k’lipas-nogah. In theory, these “spirits” operate on a processional. If they are bound, then, they are not able to report to the throne of the Almighty at their appointed time. Because of this, they can be, again in theory, coerced to answer questions and perform tasks for the individual who is binding them. CHAPTER EIGHT Magical things I have done. So you can see how a person needs the gifts of God and how these are to be used to honor God and help one’s neighbors, I shall now tell you about things I did with the help of the highest and my art. I write not to boast or to seek acclaim or out of idle pride—this would be a great sin against God, because he is the one who does everything. I tell of these things so that his mercy and wisdom can be further praised and so that you also can recognize how plentiful are the treasures of Adonai. You have to thank him that he gives you mercy and lets me—without any effort or work on your part—tell you about things I have done. Here are some things—after my death, you will find more set out in my register. | started to practice my art in 1409 and now, with God’s help, I have reached an honorable 79 years. I have helped about 40 people who were enchanted in different ways—men and women, Jews and Christians. I made them healthy and dissolved their enchantments. A. Kaiser Sigismund, our most gracious Lord. I helped him with a very friendly duke—a familiar spirit of the second hier- archy—whom he had requested from me; he used this spirit with intelligence. I also helped Sigismund with his marriage. Page 31 He wanted to have the secret of the whole operation but Adonai cautioned me and so he was satisfied with what he was allowed as a private person rather than as a lord. With my JESEEA arts | helped him overcome the great difficulties that were in the way of his marriage. B. Count Frederick, I freed from the hands of Duke Leopold with the help of 1,000 magically created knights. 1 describe this in chapter 29. He was captured and would also have lost his reign. To the bishop of our town I showed the betrayal of his official at Ladenburg half a year before it happened. I'll say no more about this because as a priest he remains silent about the things I later did for him. D. Who helped your cousin out of the jail in Speyer? E. The duke of Warwick was freed from the English jail the night before his [scheduled] decapitation. F. I helped the duke and Pope John to flee from the Council of Constance, otherwise they would have fallen into the hands of the kaiser. John could also confirm my prophecy about his question: which—John XXIII or Martin V—was to win the Papacy? G. In Regensburg it happened as | pn:dlcted. Because of important matters, I was staying with the duke of Bavaria. There the door to my room was broken open and jewelry, money, and account books to the value of 3,000 guilders were stolen. When I returned 1 forced the thlflf Q. Esdmig banegss bapm bishop, to personally return everything and to - confess to me why, for heaven’s sake, he did such a thing. Page 32 H. Both of the popes mentioned above have often, and in secret, asked for my advice and opinion on future events. They never found it untrue. I. If the Greek emperor had believed the letter that I sent him half a year ago, then things would not be going so badly for him now. Or, as I worry, they are likely to do in the next few years. I explained to him the poor condition of his king- dom, which is at the edge of ruin, if he does not extinguish the rage of God. As I do not have much time left in my life, 1 leave it to the future to confirm this prophecy. J. The operation in Book Four, chapter 13, I have done twice: Once in the house of Saxony and another time in Mag- deburg. I was the reason that the heritage has passed on to the children. Now, once access to the holy magic has been achieved, it is permitted to demand from the Angel a sum of coined money proportional to birth, status, and authority. This will be granted without difficulty; the money is taken from the secret treasures. It is important to note that God permits us to take a fifth of all treasures. K. My own special treasure was given to me in Wurzburg, where I performed the operation of Book Four, chapter 6. It was in no way ancient or guarded; it was raw gold that I had spirits smithy and make into guilders—it took a few hours. L. My own inheritance was small and worthless. I was so poor that I had to use my art to marry someone with a big dowry. I used the 3rd and 4th signs in Book Four, chapter 19, and married my cousin with a dowry of 40,000 gold guilders, which was enough for my happiness. M. All signs in chapter 18 I used so many times that I have lost count. N. With Book Four, chapters 2 and 8, I have made large and wonderful experiments. The first sign, in the first chapter, is the best. Page 33 It is necessary to be clever and consciously precise in these mat- ters. Because in doing God’s things, we can make larger mistakes than Salomo. I have never failed to complete matters, the spirits have always listened to me. Everything succeeded because I fol- lowed the will of God. Point for point, I followed the advice and suggestions of my Angel. Also, I followed the teachings of Abramelin, which is exactly what is in these books. The advice that I received, even when in unclear words and hieroglyphs, have made it possible for me to achieve my goal and never to have made a mistake, or to let me fall into pagan ways or superstitious idolatry. I have always remained on the path of Adonai, who is the only true and infallible way to suc- ceed with the holy magic. It is almost entirely identical to the Friench translation. The Anti-Christ reference is missing. It will be interesting to review each of these operations which have been claimed to work and produce wealth. Book Four, chapter 13 ( not 13th chapter of 2nd book ) ( Page 158 - to make a dead person walk for 7 years ) Book 4 chapter 6 ( not 8th chapter of 3rd book ) ( for working mines ) 3rd and 4th signs in Book Four, chapter 19 ( not 4th sign of the 3rd book and the 3rd sign of the nineteenth chapter ) ( Page 170 - to achieve all sort of friendship ) All signs in chapter 18 ( Page 168 - healing sicknesses ) Book 4 chapters 2 ( Page 147 - to have reports of doubtful things ) and 8 ( Page 152 to make or prevent storms ) "wonderful experiments" 1st sign, first chapter, is best ( corresponds to 1st signing of first chapter 3rd book ) - Page 145, “Moreh” to learn past and future events in general. Word choice, hieroglyphs, noted ie thanks for hiding all that . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Daniel Posted yesterday at 12:00 AM 5 minutes ago, Nungali said: ie thanks for hiding all that . It's to save screen space and unnecessary scrolling. What are you implying? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nungali Posted yesterday at 04:01 AM I am thanking you for 'saving screen space and unnecessary scrolling ' . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
