TheSacredBookOfAbramelinTheMage.pdf

THE SACRED MAGIC

ABRAMELIN THE MAGE

INTRODUCTION AND BOOK I

TRANSLATED BY

S.L. MAC GREGOR MATHERS

THE SACRED MAGIC OF ABRAMELIN THE MAGE

PREPARED AND TYPESET BY BENJAMIN ROWE, DECEMBER 6, 1998.

THIS ADOBE ACROBAT EDITION CONTAINS THE COMPLETE AND UNALTERED TEXT OF THE

CORRESPONDING SECTIONS IN THE SECOND (1900) EDITION PUBLISHED BY JOHN M. WATKINS,

LONDON.

BOOKS 1, 2 & 3 JOINED BY CAPUT MORTUUM FOR THE AYIN QUADMA'AH MOVEMENT.

INTRODUCTION,

S.L. MAC GREGOR MATHERS.

WING perhaps to the circumstance that the indispensable “Baedecker”

accords only a three or four line notice to the “Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal” –

but few English or American visitors to Paris are acquainted with its name,

situation, or contents, though nearly all know at least by sight the “Bibliothèque

Nationale” and the “Bibliothèque Mazarin”.

This “Library of the Arsenal,” as it is now called, was founded as a private

collection by Antoine René Voyer D'Argenson, Marquis de Paulny; and was

rst

opened to the public on the

th Floréal, in the

fth year of the French Republic

(that is to say, on

th April,

1797

), or just a century ago. This Marquis de Paulny

, and was successively Minister of War, and

Ambassador to Switzerland, to Poland, and to the Venetian Republic. His later

years were devoted to the formation of this Library, said to be one of the richest

private collections known. It was acquired in

1722

, died in

1787

by the Comte D'Artois, and

today belongs to the State. It is situated on the right bank of the Seine, in the Rue

de Sully, near the river, and not far from the Place de la Bastille, and is known as

the “Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal”. In round numbers it now possesses

1785

700,000

printed

manuscripts, many of them being of considerable value.

Among the latter is this Book of the Sacred Magic of Abra-Melin, as delivered

by Abraham the Jew unto his son Lamech; which I now give to the public in

printed form for the

8000

rst time.

Many years ago I heard of the existence of this manuscript from a celebrated

occultist, since dead; and more recently my attention was again called to it by my

personal friend, the well-known French author, lecturer and poet, Jules Bois, whose

attention has been for some time turned to occult subjects. My

rst-mentioned

informant told me that it was known both to Bulwer Lytton and Eliphas Levi, that

the former had based part of his description of the Sage Rosicrucian Mejnour on

that of Abra-Melin, while the account of the so-called Observatory of Sir Philip

Derval in the “Strange Story” was to an extent copied from and suggested by that of

the Magical Oratory and Terrace, given in the Eleventh Chapter of the Second

Book of this present work. Certainly also the manner of instruction applied by

Mejnour in “Zanoni” to the Neophyte Glyndon, together with the test of leaving

him alone in his abode to go on a short journey and then returning unexpectedly, is

closely similar to that employed by Abra-Melin to Abraham, with this di

erence,

was born in the year

books, and about

INTRODUCTION

that the latter successfully passed through that test, while Glyndon failed. It would

also be especially such experiments as those described at length in the Third Book,

which the author of the “Strange Story” had in view when he makes Sir Philip

Derval in the MS. history of his life speak of certain books describing occult

experiments, some of which he had tried and to his surprise found succeed.

This rare and unique manuscript of the Sacred Magic of Abra-Melin, from

which the present work is translated, is a French translation from the original

Hebrew of Abraham the Jew. It is in the style of script usual at about the end of the

seventeenth and beginning of the eighteenth centuries, and is apparently by the

same hand as another MS. of the Magic Of Picatrix 1 also in the “Bibliothèque de

L'Arsenal”. I know of no other existing copy or replica of this Sacred Magic of

Abra-Melin, not even in the British Museum, whose enormous collection of Occult

Manuscripts I have very thoroughly studied. Neither have I ever heard by

traditional report of the existence of any other copy. 2 In giving it now to the Public,

I feel, therefore, that I am conferring a real bene

rst time a

Magical work of such importance from the Occult standpoint.

The Manuscript is divided into three Books, each with its separate Title Page,

surrounded by an ornamental border of simple design, in red and black ink, and

which is evidently not intended to be symbolical in the slightest degree, but is

simply the work of a conscientious caligraphist wishing to give an appearance of

cleanness and completeness to the Title Page.

The wording of each is the same: “Livre Premier (Second or Troisième, as

the case may be) de la Sacrée Magie que Dieu donna à Moyse, Aaron, David,

Salomon et à d’autres Saints Patriarches et Prophetes qui enseigne la vraye

sapience Divine laissée par Abraham à Lamech son Fils traduite de l’hebreu

1458

y-leaf of the original MS. is the following note in the handwriting of

the end of the eighteenth century: —

“This Volume contains

”. I give the translated title at the commencement of each of the Three Books.

On the

rst. – The Abraham and

the Lamech, of whom there is here made question, were Jews of the

Books, of which here is the

fteenth

century, and it is well known that the Jews of that period possessing the Cabala of

Solomon passed for being the best Sorcerers and Astrologers.” Then follows in

another and recent hand:–

Probably the same as Gio Peccatrix the Magician, the author of many Manuscripts on Magic.

Since writing the above, I have heard casually that a copy of at least part, or perhaps of the whole, is

said to exist in Holland.

t upon English and especially

American students of Occultism, by placing within their reach for the

INTRODUCTION

“Volume composed of three parts–

st part

pages.

194

11 ——

413

June,

1883

.”

The style of the French employed in the text of the MS. is somewhat vague and

obscure, two qualities unhappily heightened by the almost entire absence of any

attempt at punctuation, and the comparative rarity of paragraphic arrangement.

Even the full stop at the close of a sentence is usually omitted, neither is the

commencement of a fresh one marked by a capital letter. The following example is

taken from near the end of the Third Book; “Cest pourquoy la premiere chose

que tu dois faire principalement ates esprits familiers sera de leur commander

de ne tedire jamais aucune chose deuxmemes que lorsque tu les interrogeras

amoins queles fut pour tavertir des choses qui concerne ton utilite outon

prejudice parceque situ ne leur limite pas leparler ils tediront tant etdesi

grandes choses quils tofusquiront lentendement et tu ne scaurois aquoy

tentenir desorte que dans la confusion des choses ils pourroient te faire

prevariquer ettefaire tomber dans des erreurs irreparables ne te fais jamais prier

en aucune chose ou tu pourras aider et seccourir tonprochain et nattends pas

quil tele demande mais tache descavoir afond,” etc. This extract may be said to

give a fair idea of the average quality of the French. The style, however, of the First

Book is much more colloquial than that of the Second and Third, it being

especially addressed by Abraham to Lamech, his son, and the second person singular

being employed throughout it. As some English readers may be ignorant of the fact,

it is perhaps as well here to remark that in French “tu,” thou, is only used between

very intimate friends and relations, between husband and wife lovers, etc.; while

“vous,” you, is the more usual mode of address to the world in general. Again, in

sacred books, in prayers, etc., “vous” is used, where we employ "thou" as having a

more solemn sound than “tu”. Hence the French verb “tutoyer,” = “ to be very

familiar with, to be on extremely friendly terms with any one, and even to be

insolently familiar”. This First Book contains advice concerning Magic, and a

description of Abraham’s Travels and experiences, as well as a mention of the many

marvellous works he had been able to accomplish by means of this system of Sacred

Magic. The Second and Third Books (which really contain the Magic of

Abra-Melin, and are practically based on the two MSS. entrusted by him to

Abraham, the Jew, but with additional comments by the latter) di

er in style from

iii

102

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika: