SacredBookofAbramelin1of3, Wisdom Ancient
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THE SACRED MAGIC
OF
ABRAMELIN THE MAGE
INTRODUCTION AND BOOK I
TRANSLATED BY
S.L. MAC GREGOR MATHERS
THE SACRED MAGIC OF ABRAMELIN THE MAGE
INTRODUCTION AND BOOK I
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.
PREPARED AND TYPESET BY BENJAMIN ROWE, DECEMBER 6, 1998.
INTRODUCTION,
BY
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
W
rst
opened to the public on the
9
th Floréal, in the
W
fth year of the French Republic
(that is to say, on
28
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
W
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
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V
erence,
i
2
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
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.
In giving it now to the Public,
I feel, therefore, that I am conferring a real bene
W
W
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
3
Books, of which here is the
W
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:–
W
1
Probably the same as Gio Peccatrix the Magician, the author of many Manuscripts on Magic.
2
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.
ii
t upon English and especially
American students of Occultism, by placing within their reach for the
X
INTRODUCTION
“Volume composed of three parts–
1
st part
pages.
2
nd
194
3
rd
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
V
er in style from
iii
102
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