Necromancy in the Medici Library: An Edition and Translation of Excerpts from Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, MS Plut. 89 sup. 38

by Brian Johnson

On the tumultuous eve of the sixteenth century, as Girolamo Savonarola preached apocalypse in the cathedral of Florence and his protégé, the neoplatonic philosopher Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, breathed his last under mysterious circumstances, all while the army of a French king marched on the Italian peninsula, an anonymous Roman scrivener was putting the finishing touches on his masterwork. But it was neither an illuminated book of hours nor an encyclopedic chronicle of kingly deeds to which he set his pen, for this copyist was a magician , and his humble notebook contained a treasure trove of arcane knowledge - knowledge that might bring him wealth, power, even love...if he could bear the risks it entailed. Preserved in the Florentine Laurentian Library under the patronage of two Medici popes, published here for the first time are extensive excerpts from this Italian necromancer's handbook, detailing both general methods and particular rites of spirit conjuration, along with a veritable pantheon of the demonic personages upon whom one might call. Including the original Latin text in parallel with a new English translation, this edition is also furnished with a critical apparatus and introductory essay which illuminate this manuscript's place in a network of occult practitioners and texts that circulated all the way from the Papal States to the shores of England.

Genres: Occult, Witchcraft, History, Nonfiction

146 pages, Paperback

Published April 13, 2021

About the author

Brian Johnson is an independent scholar, freelance editor and research consultant, and translator of historical documents pertaining to the occult. His work is largely concerned with reconstructing the esoteric worldviews and practices of historical individuals, based upon the study of primary source documents.

Reviews

[Mateusz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming short treatise requiring extensive research on the part of the author. I find parallels with the later Goetia of Thomas Rudd (1583?–1656), so we may consider it a protoplast of this work—the portion labeled Liber Malorum Spirituum seu Goetia draws heavily from it, with the innovation that the seals and demons were paired with the 72 angels of the Shem HaMephorash. I pursued a meta-analysis of this grimoire within the Quattrocento superstructure of religio-social ideas.

The airy, Hadesian black (nigro) beings, superior to mortals and inhabiting the sub-Selenian (Hades) sphere between the Lunar and Earthly genii, are wise, ancient, volatile, and at times perfidious toward mortals—granting gifts if successful, and then observing what is done with them: whether it leads to triumph or demise. At times, they serve as playthings, at others as curiosities for magicians who indulge in such arts - the playthings and curiosities are the magicians themselves under the demonic stewardship. Having encountered some soldiers, familiars, and higher-ranking entities from these orders, I reserve only my careful respect for them.

The usual corruption of the names of heathen gods (e.g., Apollo), intermixed with apotropaic invocations of “Jesus, God, Trinity,” aligns with the corrupted forms of ancient practices. A word of advice to novices: protection under the Solar Gods and the regulation of the surface currents of the Schwarze Sonne should suffice to safeguard oneself—while evoking countless other spirits that may shield you, including the familiars of infernal forces whom you have somehow befriended. They are not to be commanded but learned from patiently.

Eoai Paean! Eaoai skia/eidola of Heakte Physis, may they be soothed and free of mischief, sorrow, and woe; may wisdom and beauty be their portion.