7. Sloane 3851, fols. 31v-53,
"Signum Pentaculum Salomonis"; Sloane 3853, fol. 127v, Divine seal of
Solomon; 3847, fols. 66v-81, "Opus mirabile et
etiam verissimum de quatuor annulis sapientissimi Salomonis";
3850, fols. 68-75, Salomonis opus de
novem candariis celestibus. In a, 16th century MS in French there is a book of
conjurations of spirits ascribed to Solomon. The conjurations themselves are
mainly In Latin. CU Trinity 1404 (VI).
8. Harleian 3536, in French;
Sloane 1307, in Italian, the translation being ascribed to "Gio.
Peccatrix"; Sloane 3825 and 3847 are not identical versions.
9. Sloane 3826, fols. 1-57; 3846,
fols. 127-55; 3847, fols. 161-88; 3853, fols. 41-53. Perhaps the same as the
"Sefer ha-Yashar" mentioned by Haya Gaon in the early eleventh
century: Gaster, The Sword of Moses,
1896, p. 16.
10. Sloane 3883, fols. 1-25, De
modo ministrandi librum sacrum (revealed to Solomon by an angel).
Sloane 3885, fols. 1-25, "Liber sacer Salomonis," repeated at fols.
96v-125; fols. 58-96. Tractatus de re magica ab Honorio filio Euclidis magistro
Thebarum ex septem voluminibus artis magicae compilatus, et intitulatus Liber
sacer, sive juratus.
11. De legibus, caps. 24
and 27.
12. Sloane 313, late 14th or 15th
centuty (according to a Letter from Dr. Montague Rhodes James to me, dated 21
May, 1921). mutilus, quondam Ben Jonsonii, 26 fols., Salomonis opus sacrum ab
Honorio ordinatum, tractatus de arte magica.
Sloane 3854, 14th century, fols. 112-39. Honorii Magistri Thebarum liber cui
titulus "Juratus."
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Let us first, however, note some other works ascribed to Solomon and which
have to do with the Ars Notoria,
or Notory Art, which seeks to gain
knowledge from or communion with God by invocation of angels, mystic figures,
and magical prayers. We are told that the Creator revealed this art through an
angel to Solomon one night while lie was praying, and that by it one can in a
short time acquire all the liberal and mechanical arts. [13]
There seems to be little difference between the notory art of Solomon, that of
[p. 282] Solomon, Machineus, and Euclid, [14] and the Golden
Flowers of Apollonius, [15] in which Solomon is
mentioned almost every other sentence. Cecco d'Ascoli may have had it in mind
when he cited the Book of Magic Art of Apollonius and the Angelic
Faction of the same author. [16] In one manuscript at
the close of the Golden Flowers of Apollonius are prayers which one
"brother John Monk" confesses he himself has composed in the years
1304-1307. [17] In a later manuscript we find his prayers
described as given to him by the blessed God and as "perfect
science," and they are followed by "The Pauline art," discovered
by the Apostle Paul after he had been snatched up to the third heaven, and
delivered by him at Corinth. [18] Other works of notory art
are listed in the manuscript catalogues without name of author. [19]
But all alike are apt to impress the present reader as unmeaning jumbles of
diagrams and magic words. [20] We shall sufficiently [p.
283] illustrate them all when we come to speak of the Liber sacratus
which is itself in large measure concerned with the Notory Art.
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13. BN 7153, 15th century,
Solomon, Sacratissima ars notoria.
Harleian 181, fol. 18-, Ars notoria (Salomoni ab angelo tradita) preceded at
fol. 1- by Ars memorativa, and followed at fol. 81 by "de arte
crucifixa."
CU Trinity 1419, 1600 A.D., Liber de Arte memorativa sive notoria ... Prologus
per Sallomonem ... Inc. sanctissima Ars notoria quam Creator altissimus per
Angelum suum super altare templi quodam modo Salomoni dum oraret ministrans.
Math. 50 (Amplonius' catalogue of 1412), "Item liber continens septem
libros parciales qui dicitur angelus magnus vel secreta secretorum et est de
arte notoria Salomonis et non debet rudibus exponi.
CLM 19413. 10-11th century, fols. 67-108, Salomonis III formulae, might turn
out to be a work on Notory Art.
14. Sloane 1712, 13th century,
fols. 1-22, "Ars notoria Salomonis, Machinei, et Euclidis," followed
at fols. 22-37 by an anonymous "ars notoria quae nova ars
appellatur."
BN 7152, 14th century, Expositiones quas Magister Apollonius flores aureos ad
eruditionem et cognitionem omnium scientiarum et naturalium artium generaliter
et merito et competenter appellavit; hoc opus Salomonis Machinei et Euclidii
actoritate maxima compositum et probatum est: accedunt figurae.
15. CLM 268, 14th century, 16
fols.; CLM 276, 14th century, fols. 1-26, Apollonii fiores aurei, quorum pars
extat in cod. 268.
Amplon. Quarto 380, 13th century, fols. 49-64, ars notoria Appolonii philosophi
et magi; while the 1412 catalogue gives Math. 54, "Liber Appollonii magi
vel philosophi qui dicitur Elizinus"; Amplon. Octavo 81, 14th century,
fols. 95-106 (Apollonii) de arte notoria Salomonis.
Ashmole 1515, 16th century, fol. 4r, "Incipit primus tractatus istius
sanctissime artis notorie et expositiones eius et temporum exceptiones, quas
Salomon et Apollonius flores aureos appellaverunt, et hoc opere probatum est et
confirmatum authoritate Salomonis, Manichei et Euduchii."
16. Sphere (1518), fol. 3.
17. CLM 276, fol. 49.
18. BN 7170A, 16th century, no. 1,
de arte notoria data a Deo beato Joanni Monacho sive de scientia perfecta:
praemittuntur orationes decem; no. 2, Ars Paulina, a Paulo Apostolo inventa
post raptum eius et Corinthus denotata.
19. BN 9336, 14th century,
"Sacratissima ars notoria"
Amplon, Quarto 28, anno 1415, fols. 38-41, ars notoria et orationibus et
figuris exercenda; Amplon. Octavo 79, 14th century, fols. 63-64, ars notoria
brevis et bona.
Sloane 3008, 15th century, fol. 66-, de arte notoria, brief and Illegible.
20. Essentially similar is "The Sword of Moses, An ancient book of magic from an
unique manuscript, with introduction, translation, an index of mystical names
and a facsimile. Published for the first time," London, 1896, by M. Gaster
from a Hebrew MS. of 13-14th century. Gaster (p. 18) describes the treatise as
a complete encyclopaedia of mystical names, of eschatological teachings, and of
magical recipes." The Sword proper is a series of names.
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Certain works may be mentioned which are ascribed to Solomon or to
Apollonius in the medieval manuscripts, and which do not seem to be concerned
with the notory art. Experiments ascribed to Solomon will be mentioned in another
place in connection with experimental literature. Treatises of alchemy and
astrology also were attributed to him. [21] Under the name
of Apollonius we find a work on the properties or occult virtue of things, and
another, or possibly the same, on the principal causes of things. [22]
One wonders if it may have any connection with the book on six principles of
things ascribed to Hermes Trismegistus and which has been discussed in our
chapter on Hermetic Books in the Middle Ages. A treatise on palmistry is
ascribed to Solomon in a fourteenth century manuscript at Cambridge. [23] A "Philosophy of Solomon" in a manuscript of the
late twelfth century in the British Museum consists of "notes perhaps from
more than one source on the analogy between the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, the three divisions of philosophy (moralis, naturalis, inspectiva),
and the three books of Solomon." [24]
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21. Sloane 3849, 15-16th century
fols. 30-38, A noble experiment of King Solomon with astrological tables.
Ashmole 1416, 15th century, fol. 113v, Libellus de sulphuris virtutibus; 114-,
Fragmentum de planetarum influentia; 123-, On perilous days; 123-4, Ars artium,
or prayers to invoke spirits, is perhaps a portion of the Ars Notoria.
22. Vienna 3124, 15th century,
"Verba de proprietatibus rerum quomodo virtus unius frangitur per alium.
Adamas nec ferro nec igne domatur / cito medetur."
BN 13951, 12th century, Liber Apollonii de principalibus rerum causis.
23. Trinity 1109, fols. 388-90,
Expl. tract. de Palmistria Salomonis. The tract consists of two full page
diagrams and an explanation in French.
24. Royal 7-D-II, late 12th century,
fols. 3-10, opening,1 "Hanc ergo triplicem divine philosophie
formam...." I quote the description in the new catalogue of the Royal MSS.
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The Liber sacratus, as William of Auvergne twice entitles it, or the Liber
sacer or Liber juratus, as it
is also [p. 284] called in the manuscripts, [25] is
associated with the name Hononus as well as Solomon, and is often spoken of as The
Sworn Book of Honorius. The preface, as given in the Latin manuscripts of
the fourteenth century -- one of which once belonged to Ben Jonson -- states
that under the influence of evil spirits the pope and cardinals had passed a
decree aiming at the complete extirpation of the magic art and condemning
magicians to death. The grounds for this action were that magicians and
necromancers were injuring everyone, transgressing the statutes of holy mother
church, making invocations and sacrifices to demons, and dragging ignorant
people down to damnation by their marvelous illusions. These charges the
magicians hotly deny as inspired by the envy and cupidity of the devil who
wished to keep a monopoly of such marvels. The magicians declare that it is
impossible for a wicked or impure man to work truly by the magic art, in which
they assert that the spirits are compelled against their will by pure men. The
magicians further profess to have been forewarned by their art of this legislation
against them. They hesitate, however, to summon the demons to their aid lest
those spirits avail themselves of the opportunity to destroy the populace
utterly. Instead an assembly of 89 masters from Naples, Athens, and Toledo has
chosen Honorius, son of Euclid, [26] a master of Thebes, to
reduce their magic books to one volume containing 93 chapters, which they may
more readily conceal and preserve. And inasmuch as it has pleased the prelates
and princes to order the burning of their books and the destruction of schools
of magic, the followers of that art have taken an oath not to give this volume
to anyone until its owner is on his death-bed, never to have more than three
copies of it made at a time, and never to give it to a woman or to a man who is
not of mature years and proved fidelity. Each new recipient of the sacred
volume is also to take this oath. [p. 285] Hence the name, Juratus or Sworn-Book.
Its other titles, Sacer or Sacratus, refer either to the sacred
names of God which constitute much of its text or to its consecration by the
angels.
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25. See above, page 281 of this chapter, notes 3 and 5.
26. Possibly he is the same Euclid as one of the three co-authors
of the work on the Notory Art mentioned above.
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After this proemium, which, like the magic art itself, is probably more
impressive than true, the work proper opens with the statement, "In the
name of almighty God and Jesus Christ, one and true God, I, Honorius, have thus
ordered the works of Solomon in my book." Later Honorius reiterates that
he is following the precepts and in the footprints of Solomon, whom he also
often cites or quotes in course. The Explicit of the Sworn-Book
is unusually long and sets forth in grandiloquent style the purpose of the
volume.
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"So ends the book of the life of the rational soul, [27]
which is entitled Liber sacer or The Book of the Angels or Liber
juratus, which Honorius, Master of Thebes, made. This is the book by which
one can see God in this life. This is the book by which anyone can be saved and
led beyond a doubt to life eternal. This is the book by which one can see hell
and purgatory without death. This is the book by which every creature can be
subjected except the nine orders of angels. This is the book by which all
science can be learned. This is the book by which the weakest substance can
overcome and subjugate the strongest substances. This is the book which no
religion possesses except the Christian, or if it does, does so to no avail.
This is the book which is a greater joy than any other joy given by God
exclusive of the sacraments. This is the book by which corporeal and visible
nature can converse and reason with the incorporeal and invisible and be
instructed. This is the book by which countless treasures can be had. And by
means of it many other things can be done which it would take too long to
narrate; therefore it is deservedly called The Holy Book."
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27. One wonders if this can be the evil book of magic
referred to by Roger Bacon and other writers as De morte
animae.
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From this description it will be seen that the work has a good deal to do
with the so-called Notory Art. Moreover, [p. 286] in the manuscript copy said
to have belonged to Ben Jonson the word Theurgis is written on the
fly-leaves before the beginning and after the close of the text. This calls to
mind the passage in The City of God [28] where
Augustine speaks of "incantations and formulae composed by an art of
depraved curiosity which they either call magic or by the more detestable name goetia
or by the honorable title theurgia. For they try to distinguish between
these arts and condemn some men, whom the populace calls malefici, as
devoted to illicit arts, for these, they say, are concerned with goetia;
but others they want to make out praiseworthy as being engaged in theurgy. But
they are both entangled in the deceptive rites of demons who masquerade under
the names of angels."
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28. De civitate Dei, X, 9.
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The text is full of the names of spirits, prayers in strange words,
supposedly derived from Hebrew or Chaldaic, and other gibberish. Series of
letters and figures often occur and names inscribed in stars, hexagons, and
circles. An English translation in a fifteenth century manuscript [29]
adorned with pictures of rows of spirits
dressed like monks in robes and caps but with angelic wings. The text does
not seem to be complete in any of the manuscripts that I have examined, [30] but Sloane 3854 of the fourteenth century contains an
apparently complete table of contents. The, chapter headings, anyway, are more
intelligible than the jargon of the text. The first chapter deals with the
composition of the great name of God which contains 72 letters. The second is
about the divine vision and by the time it is finished we are nearly two-thirds
through the space allotted to the Liber juratus in one manuscript. The
third chapter is on knowledge of the divine power, the fourth on absolution
from sin, the fifth deals with mortal sin, the sixth with the redemption of
souls from purgatory. With this the "first work" of the collection of
Honorius ends. The [p. 287] opening chapters of the second work discuss the
heavens, the angels found in each heaven and at the four points of the compass,
their names and powers, seals and virtues, and invocation. Chapters 14 and 15
tell how to get your wish from any angel or to acquire the sciences. Chapter 16
tells how to learn the hour of one's death, and chapter 17 how to know all
things, past, present, or future. It was perhaps these chapters that William of
Auvergue had in mind when, in censuring works on divination by inspection of
mirrors, sword-blades, and human nails to discover stolen articles and other
hidden things, he added that "from this pest of curiosity proceeded that
accursed and execrable work called Liber sacratus." [31]
That work next returns for three chapters to the stars and planets and their
virtues and influence. Chapter 21 then instructs how to turn day into night or
night into day. Next spirits are further considered, those of air and those of
fire, their names and their superior spirits, their powers, virtues, and seals.
Attention is then given to the four elements and bodies composed thereof, to
herbs and plants, and to human nature, after which aquatic and terrestrial
spirits are discussed. The future life is then considered and the 33rd chapter,
which is the last one of the "second work," deals with "the
consecration of this book."
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29. Royal 17-A-XLII.
30. Sloane 313 seems to reach only as far as the early chapters
of the "second work."
31. De legibus, cap. 24, p.68 in ed. of 1591.
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The "third work," which extends from chapter 34 to 87 inclusive,
treats of the control of spirits by words, by seals, by tables, and by shutting
them up. It tells how to provoke thunder and lightning, storms, snow, ice,
rain, or dew; how to produce flowers and fruit; how to become invisible; how to
wage war and to make an indestructible castle, how to destroy a town by means
of mirrors; how to sow discord or concord, how to, open closed doors, to catch
thieves, fish, and animals, and to produce varied apparitions.
The fourth work deals with similar marvels but it is stated that two of its
chapters, namely, 91 on the apparition of dead bodies which speak and seem to
be resuscitated, and 92 on the apparent creation of animals from earth, will be
[p. 288] omitted as contrary to the will of God. The fifth work or book, which
seems to coincide with the 93rd and last chapter of Honorius, is in reality
divided into five chapters, which return to themes similar to those of the
first work.
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To illustrate further the character of the work a few particular passages
may be noticed. We are told that there are three ways of operating by means of
spirits: the pagan, Jewish, and Christian. The pagans sacrificed to spirits of
earth and air but did not really constrain them. The spirits only pretended to
be coerced in order to encourage such idolatrous practices. "Whoever
wishes to operate by such experiments" (mark the word!), "deserts the
Lord God." As for the Jews, they get along only so-so, and "do in no
wise work to obtain the vision of the deity." Only a Christian, therefore,
can operate successfully in such visions. "And although three kinds of men
work at this art of magic, one should not think that there is any evil included
in this name of magus for a magus per se is called a philosopher
in Greek, a scribe in Hebrew, and a sage in Latin." [32]
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32. Sloane 3854, fol. 114r.
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Very elaborate directions are given for the composition of the seal of the
living God. Circles are drawn of certain proportions emblematic of divine
mysteries, a cross is made within, numerous letters are written down
equidistant from one another. A pentagon and two hexagons have to be placed
just so in relation to one another; characters are inscribed in their angles;
and various sacred names of God, Raphael, Michael, and other angels are written
along their sides. Different parts must be executed in different colors; a
particular kind of parchment must be employed; and the blood of a mole or
hoopoe or bat must be used as ink for some of the writing. Finally, there are
sacrifices, purifications, suffumigations, invocations, and prayers to be
performed and offered. This seal, we are told "will conquer the celestial
powers, subjugate the aerial and terrestrial together with the infernal;
invoke, transmit, conjure, constrain, excite, gather, disperse, bind, and
restore unharmed; [p.
289] will placate men and gain petitions from them graciously, pacify
enemies," [33] etc., etc.
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33. Sloane 3854, fols. 114r-115v.
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The spirits associated with the planet Saturn
are Bohel, Casziel, Unchathon, and Dacdel. Their nature is to cause sadness and
wrath and hate, to produce ice and snow. Their bodies are long and large, pale
or golden. Their region is in the north and they have five or nine demons under
them. [34] As a rule spirits of the north and south are
ferocious, those of the east and the west gentle. [35]
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34. Ibid., fol. 129v; Royal 17-A-XLII, fol. 67v.
35. Sloane 3854, fol. 132r.
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