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.
Proverbs 11.
He that walketh fraudulently, revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit,
concealeth the matter.
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.
1
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 Pliny1 being ignorant, scoffeth thereat: for Nero (saith Pliny) who
had the most excellent Magicians of the East sent to him by Tyridates king of Arme-
nia, wh