Center for Enochian Studies, Volume I, Appendix i

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Center for Enochian Studies, Volume I, Appendix i.

Preface

This month the Center For Enochian Studies begins a series of extracts from Doctor John Dee's Libri Qvinti Appendice. These articles cover matters discussed and cited in Liber Mysteriorvm Primvs; particularly those that bear directly on the construction and use of the magikal paraphernalia described therein.

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1583. Aprilis 28. Sunday after Dinner about 4 of the Clock¹.

- As I and Edward Kelly² had diverse talks and discourses of

Transposition of Letters³; and I had declared him my rule for to

know certainly how many ways, any number of Letters (propounded)

might be transposed or altered in place or order. Behold suddenly

appeared the spiritual Creature IL⁴, and said:

Il: Here is a goodly disputation of transposition of Letters.

Choose whether you will dispute with me of Transposition or I

shall learn you.

: I had rather learn than dispute. And first I think that

those letters of our Adamical Alphabet have a due peculiar

unchangeable proportion of their forms and likewise that their

order is also Mystical⁵.

Il: These letters represent the Creation of Man⁶: and therefore
i. they must be in proportion. They represent the workmanship

wherewithal the Soul of man was made like unto his Creator⁷.

But I understand you shall have a painter shortly.

: I pray you. What painter might best serve for the purpose?

Can Master Lyne serve the turn well?

Il: Dost thou think that God can be glorified in Hell, or can

Devils dishonor him? Can Wickedness of a painter deface the

Mysteries of God?

The truth is I am come to advertise you, lest with a small

Error, you be led far aside.
ii. Let me see the form of your Table.

- I shewed him the Characters and Words which were to be

painted round about in the border of the Table.

Il: How do you like those Letters?

: I know not well what I may say. For perhaps that which I

should like were not to be liked, and contrarywise, what I should

think well of, might be nothing worth.

Il: Thou sayest well.

Behold, great is the favor and mercy of God towards those,

whom he favoreth. All things are perfect but only that. Neither

was that shewed or delivered by any good and perfect Messenger from
iii. God. A wicked power did intrude himself, not only into your

Society, but also into the Workmanship of God's mysteries⁸.

Satan⁹ dare presume to speak of the Almighty. These

characters are devilish: and a secret bond of the Devil.

But, this saith the Lord, I will raise them up, whom he hath

overthrown: and blot out his footsteps, where they resist my

glory. Neither will I suffer the faithful to be led utterly awry:

nor finally permit darkness to enhem them forever. He saith,
iv. I AM, and they* are most Untrue. But behold, I have brought thee

the truth; that the Prince of reason, God of understanding, may be

apparent in every part of his Celestial monstration¹⁰.

Therefore as thou saidst unto me once,

So say I now to thee; Serve god.
v. Make a square*, of 6 inches every way.

The border thereof let it be (here) but half an Inch: but on
vi. the Table itself, let it be an Inch broad.

Vide post foliam, et etiam in tabula Cordis carnis et cutis nam in

lineo defiendentibus ibidem habet hanc Tabulam hic incipiendo sed

in primo omittendo L et acccipiendo O¹¹.

See page following, and likewise in the tablet of the Heart, flesh

and skin, for in the defended line itself that table has as its

beginning the omission of L in the first place and acceptance of

O¹².

In Fronte Tabulae¹³
Before the Table

A Sinistris
On the Left hand

Juxta Pectus
At the Breast

A Dextris
On the Right hand

Every one of those sides must have 21 Characters¹⁴. But,

First, at every Corner make a great B¹⁵.

Prayer is the key all good things:

- After our prayers made, Edward Kelly had sight (in the

Stone)¹⁶ of innumerable Letters: and after a little while, they

were brought into a lesser square fewer Letters.

First appeared in the border opposite to our standing places;

(which I used to call (in Fronte Tabulae) these Letters¹⁷

following, beginning at the right hand, and proceeding toward the

left.

Il: What have you in the middle of your Table?

: Nothing.

iix. Il: Sigillvm AEmeth is to be set there¹⁹: The rest after

Supper.

. Soli Deo Omnipotenti sit laus perennis.

Amen.

To God, Who is Alone Almighty, is praise made forever.

Amen.

.oOo.

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John Dee his marginal notation.

i. The Mystical Alphabet²⁰.

ii. The Table of Practice²¹.

iii. Illuding Spirits thrusting in themselves²².

iv. * I understand that the Characters are most untrue.

* The Inner square of 6 inches.

vi.

Make thy perfect square, of 12 places.

vii. - with a prick²³

iix. Sigillum AEmeth²⁴.

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1. MDLXXXIII anno domini Sunday April 28th 4 o'clock (notat.

o'clock is a contraction for the arch. 'of the clock').

   This action occurs in the year following the concluding

article of Liber Mysteriorvm Primvs, some material therefore

makes reference to intermediate events; as the specifics of these

matters will be taken up in the due course of our chronological

presentation, some issues will not be dealt with in complete

detail. We have inspite of this shortcoming attempted to give

fairly full citation, both to printed works and related MS.

entries, where questions of major difficulty arise.

2.       Referred to previously as Edward Talbot: Kelly was an Alchemist

of some note; the interested reader is referred to The Alchemical

Writings of Edward Kelly, edt. A. E. Waite facs. (NY: Samuel

Weiser, 1970)

3.       It is over this argument even now that disputes of some

importance exist. And it is to resolving these questions that

this exposition of these appendices is directed. It is

perversely reassuring that, contemporary to the primary source

material, these disputes were far from clear.

4. Company of The Filivs Filiorvm Lvcis (The Sons of the Sons of

Light) whose name is drawn from the lower left hand corner of the

2nd 49 fold table there given as '21/8.', this table also

referred to as containing 'The Seven Names of God That not even

the Angels Know' is used in the composition of the Sigillvm Dei

AEmeth, wherein the name is also drawn out, being located on the

upper and innermost heptagon as a ligatured EL. According to

Laycock 'il' means thee, or thou (2nd person singular of the

personal pronoun) in the Angelic tongue. The Complete Enochian

Dictionary, Donald C. Laycock (London: Askin, 1978)

5.       Reading from right to left, this order is as given following the

text above(cf. note 20.)

6.       Genesis II:7

7.       Gen. I:26,27

8.       Vide Thelema Lodge (Berkeley CA: O.T.O., July, Aug. & Sept.

1988e.v.) for the perpetration of the object of Il's complaint.

9.       Dee gives 'Sathan'.

10.     'Coelestial monstration' (from Latin coeli/ monstro, -are) lit.

heavenly showing; comprehending the conceptualizations of

Astronomy, Astrology, Cosmology, Theology etc. Dee's own complex

views on the topics may be see in his Propaedeumata Aphoristica

(London: 1558) available in translation by W. Schumaker Ph.D.

(Berkeley CA: Univ. of Calif. Press)

11.     This reference is to the proper plan for the Lamen, soon to be

discussed of the angels, wherein are the letters the same but the

arrangement different from those given here for the Holy Table.

12.     The illustration given here for the correct arrangement of the

characters on the Tabvla Sancta is the crux of modern disputes,

concerning the proper execution of this particular piece of

furniture. The argument first put forward by R. Turner in his

edition of The Heparchia Mystica is, that the arrangement of the

given by Dr. Casaubon in his True & Faithful Relation is

apparently in incorrect, as it seems to erroneously reverse the

arrangement given here. The interested reader is advised to

compare both these sources in this rather complex controversy;

having extensively examined the question, including what I

believe is all of the pertinent MS., I am of the opinion that the

original correctness of Meric Casaubon's can be proven to

reasonable level of precision and accuracy. The demonstration

of this proof requires the completion of this series of appended

texts to syllogize its evidence, therefore will this resolution

be given in due course of time.

13.     Cognate with English 'In Front of', generally used Eccl. Lat. to

indicate 'before the altar'.

    cf. Thelema Lodge op.cit. Aug.88 note 15.

14.     The same as the number of characters in the 'Adamical Alphabet'

referred to herein.

15.     This B is the key to the tables use in deriving the rulership

for the Mystical Heptarchy, and The Forty-nine Good Angels.

   Cf. G.James and R.Turner.

16.     A good photograph can be seen on pg.103 F. King, Witchcraft And

Demonology (NY: Exeter Books, 1987)

17.     In the tabulation following this note we have added, the

appropriate characters from the variously called Angelic

Alphabet. The studious will note that these do not agree

completely with those traditionally assigned by the Golden Dawn,

and related systems.

18.     This was originally given as tal and a marginal correction given

as 'med' forte. We have adopted Ashmoles inclusion of the

correction from SL.MS.3788 within the text, for purposes of

clarity.

19.     Op.cit. Thelema Lodge (Aug. 1988)

20.     a = b = c,k = d = e = f = g = h = i,j,y = l =

m = n = o = p = q = r = s = t = u,v = x = z =

21.     Op.cit. note 13.

22.     Op.cit. notes 8.

23.     Apparently taken as a final, and thus rendered by Dee as a 'y'.

24.     The Sigillum Dei AEmeth is a complex planetary talisman,

encompassing a wide spectrum of magikal formulae. It has touched

on with limited depth and varied accuracy in the majority of

books related to Dee and Kelly's magikal systems. The details of

its operation are given in Dee's Liber Mysteriorvm Secvndvs

(SL.MSS. 3188, 3677) which will be given at the conclusion of

this series of appendices to The First Book Of Mystical

Exercises.

    An excellent photograph of the Sigillum may be seen, op.cit

F.King, Witchcraft & Demonology, pg.102.

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