arbatel.pdf

s'm'hw'

Of the Magic of the Ancients,

The greatest Studie of Wisdom.

In all things, ask counsel of the Lord;

and do not thou think, speak, or do

any thing, wherein God is not thy

counsellor.

He that walketh fraudulently, revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit,

concealeth the matter.

Proverbs 11.

Arbatel of Magick

Translated by Robert Turner, 1655

Converted to Acrobat format by Benjamin Rowe

August, 1999

ARBATEL of MAGICK:

or,

The spiritual Wisdom of the Ancients,

as well Wise-men of the people of God,

as MAGI of the Gentiles:

for the illustration of the glory of God,

and his love to Mankinde.

Now first of all produced out of darkness into the light,

against all caco-Magicians, and contemners of the gifts of

God; for the profit and delectation of all those, who do

truely and piously love the creatures of God, and do use

them with thanksgiving, to the honour of God, and profit

of themselves and their neighbours.

Translated into English by Robert Turner,

London 1655.

The PREFACE

To the unprejudiced Reader

As the fall of man made himself and all other creatures subject to vanity; so, by rea-

son thereof, the most noble arid excellent Arts wherewith the Rational soul was

indued, are by the rusty canker of Time brought unto Corruption. For Magick itself,

which the ancients did so divinely contemplate, is scandalized with bearing the badge

of all diabolical sorceries: which Art (saith Mirandula) Pauci intelligunt, multi repre-

hendunt, & sicut canes ignotos semper allatrant: Few understood, many reprehend, and

as dogges barke at those they know not: so doe many condemn and hate the things

they understand not. Many men there are, that abhor the very name and word

Magus, because of Simon Magus, who being not Magus, but Goes, that is, familiar

with evil Spirits, usurped that Title. But Magicke and Witchcraft are far differing

Sciences; whereof Pliny 1 being ignorant, scoffeth thereat: for Nero (saith Pliny) who

had the most excellent Magicians of the East sent to him by Tyri dates king of Arme-

nia, who held that kingdom by him, found the Art after long study and labour alto-

gether ridiculous. Now Witchcraft and Sorcery, are works done merely by the devil,

which with respect unto some covenant made with man, he acteth by men his instru-

ments, to accomplish his evil ends: of these, the histories of all ages, people and

countries, as also the holy Scriptures, afford us sundry examples.

But Magus is a Persian word primitively, whereby is expressed such a one as is

altogether conversant in things divine; as Plato affirmeth, the Art of Magick is the art

of worshipping God: and the Persians call their gods

1. Plin. lib. 30. Nat. Hist. -- R.T.

2. The handwritten Greek of Turner:

, hence Apollonius saith,

that Magus is either [illegible Greek] 2 or [illegible Greek] 3 , that is, that Magus is a

name sometime of him that is a god by nature, & sometimes of him that is in the ser-

vice of God: in which latter sense it is taken in Matt., 2.1,2. when the wise men came

to worship Jesus, and this is the first and highest kind, which is called divine Magick;

and these the Latins did entitle sapientes, or wise men: for the feare and worship of

God, is the beginning of knowledge. These wise men the Greeks call Philosophers;

and amongst the Egyptians they were termed Priests; the Hebrews termed them

Cabalistos, Prophets, Scribes and Pharisees; and amongst the Babylonians they were

differenced by the name of Caldeans; & by the Persians they were called Magicians:

and one speaking of Sosthenes, one of the ancient Magicians, useth these words: Et

verum Deum merita majestate prosequitur, & angelos ministros Dei, sed veri ejus venera-

tioni novit assistere; idem dæmonas prodit terrenos, Vagos, humanitatis inimicos; Sosthenes

ascribeth the due Majesty to the true God, & acknowledgeth that his Angels are

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