John Dee's Daily Oration for Wisdom
from The First Book of the Mysteries
Praeter alias meas extemporaneas preces,1 et
eiaculationes ad Deum
vehementiores: Haec una, maxime usitata fuit.
Oratio2 mea Matutina, Vespertinaque:3 pro Sapientia.
In nomine Dei Patris, Dei Filij, Dei Spiritus Sancti Amen.4
Omnipotens, Sempiterne, Vere, et Vive Deus, in adiutorium meum intende:
Domine Dominantium, Rex Regum, Jeovah Zebaoth5 ad
adiuvandum me
festina:
Gloria Deo, Patri, Filio, et spiritui Sancto: Sicut erat in principio, et
nunc, et semper:6 et in saecula Saeculorum:7
Amen.
Recte sapere, et intelligere doceto8 me, (ô rerum
omnium9 Creator,) Nam
Sapientia tua, totum est, quod volo: Da verbum tuum in ore meo, (ô
rerum omnium Creator,) et Sapientiam10 tuam in
corde meo fige.
O Domine Jesu Christe (qui sapientia vera es, aeterni et, Omnipotentis
tui Patris) humilime tuam oro Divinam Maiestatem, expeditum mihi ut
mittere digneris, alicuius pij, Sapientis expertique Philosophi
auxilium, ad illa plenissime intelligenda perficiendaque, quae maximi
valoris erunt ad tuam laudem et gloriam amplificandam: Et si Mortalis
nullus iam in terris Vivat, qui ad hoc munus aptus sit: Vel qui ex
aeterna tua providentia, ad istud mihi praestandum beneficium
assignatus fuerit:11 Tunc equidem humilime,
ardentissime et
constantissime a tua Divina Maiestate requiro, Ut ad me de caelis
mittere digneris bonos tuos Spirituales Ministros, Angelosque,
Videlicet Michaëlem, Gabrielem, Raphaëlem ac Urielem: et (ex Divino
tuo favore) quotienscunque12 alios, veros,
fidelesque tuos Angelos, qui
me plene et prefecte informent et instruant, in cognitione,
intelligentiaque vera et exacta, Arcanorum et Magnalium tuorum
(Creaturas omnes tuas, illarumque naturas, proprietates, et optimos
usus, concernentium) et nobis Mortalibus scitu necessariorum; ad tui
nominis13 laudem, honorem, et gloriam; et ad
solidam meam, aliorumque
(per me,) plurimorum tuorum fidelium consolationem: et ad Inimicorum
tuorum confusionem, et subversionem.
Amen.
Fiat Jeovah Zebaoth: Fiat Adonay14, fiat Elohim15.
O beata, et
superbenedicta Omnipotens Trinitas, Concedas mihi (Joanni Dee)
petitionem hanc, modo tali, qui tibi maxime placebit.
Amen.
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Ab anno 1579. hoc fere modo:
Latine vel Anglice; (ast circa annum16 1569 alio et
peculiari,
particulari modo: interdum pro Raphaele: interdum pro Michaele) ad
Deum preces fundere: mihi gratissimum fuit:17
Mirabilem in me faciat
Deus Misericordiam suum. Amen.
Before my other extemporaneous prayers and more ardent ejaculations to God:
This one was the most usual.
My Morning and Evening Oration: for Wisdom.
In the Name of God the Father, of God the Son, and of God the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Almighty, Everlasting, True and Living God stretch forth, now, to my help:
Lord of Lords, King of Kings, Jehovah Lord of Hosts, hasten to my
assistance.
Glory to God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: As it was in the beginning, and is now, and will be always, even unto the Age of Ages: Amen.
Teach me to properly sense, and to rightly discern, (O Father of all things,) For I desire your Wisdom, because it is all that is: Give your word to my established practice,(O Father of all things,) and fix your wisdom in my heart.
O Lard18 Jesus Christ (who art the true wisdom, of your eternal, and Omnipotent Father) Most humbly I entreat your Divine Majesty, that you might think myself worthy, in respect of my general piety, to promptly send forth your Wise and tested Philosophical assistance, to that fulfillment of understanding and perfection, that will be of the greatest value towards the enlarging of my praising and glorification to you. And when no one is subject to Death, and at last there is Life in the Earth, to which office is it that I will have been fitted: In particular to whom, according to your eternal foresight, will your beneficent eminence have assigned me: Moreover, truly and most humbly it is my most burning and most steadfast quest to your Divine Majesty, that you would think worthy to send forth from heaven to me, your good Spiritual Ministers and Angels, Namely Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and even Uriel: and (in accordance with your Heavenly favor ) as often so ever as any other of your true and faithful Angels, who might completely and perfectly inform and furnish me, in the true and accurate, knowledge and understanding of your Secret Mysteries and Mighty Works (Concerning the properties of all of your Creatures and the best use of those natures) and of the unavoidable necessity for the Decree of our Deaths; to the praising, honoring, and glorification of your name; and to confirm to me, and of others (through me) of your many faithful encouragements: and to the disorder and ruin of your enemies. Amen.
Let the Will of Jehovah Zebaoth be done: Let the Will of Adonai be done, let the will of Elohim be done, O Blessed and Most Beneficent Almighty Trinity, yield to me (John Dee) this request, for such a method, whereby to most appease you. Amen.
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Since the year 1579. in general by this mode;
It has been most pleasing to me to pour forth prayers to God; Either in the
Latin language or in the English (moreover since around the year 1579 by a
particularly strange and different method: sometimes for Raphael; occasionally
for Michael)19 Let God, his own mercy, be glorious in
me. Amen.
Notes:
1. SL. 3677. eron. gives "praeces"
2. SL. 3188. L. abbr. = "Or'o"
3. Ibid. L. abbr. "-q" = -que
4. from HEB.
5. from HEB.
6. SL. 3188. L. abbr. = "semp"
7. Ibid. L. abbr. = "saeculora'"
8. Dubious conj. for 'doceo,ere (docete pres. ind. imp.) poss. for
indoctrinate
9. SL. 3188. L. abbr. "o'im"
10. Ibid. L. abbr. -a'=am vide note 8.
11. SL. 3677. = "fuit"
12. SL. 3188. L. abbr. = "quöscunq"
13. Ibid. L. abbr. = "no'is"
14. from Heb.
15. from Heb.
16. SL. 3188. L. abbr. = "annu'"
17. Ibid. reads "et-- est--- mirabilem..." etc. which SL. 3677 retains.
18. vide Oxford English Dictionary, Vol. VI, pp. 442-445; arch. usage
common to Elizabethan pronunc.; etym. equiv. to laird id est "The Laird of Boleskine" and phonet. related to common US So. Dial.
19. vide SL. 3677. "et est ... " etc. would read "And glorious it is that
God might accomplish his own mercy within me."
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APOLOGIA ET POSTSCRIPTUM
This month we have presented Dr. John Dee's introductory Latin prayer from Mysteriorum Liber Primus. It is notable that most medieval and Renaissance magical texts were prefaced with Christian supplications of this type, designed frequently to circumvent the enthusiasms of zealous inquisitors. Conjurers of every shade of gray veiled their evocative formulae under pages of righteous theological pretension. And more often than not it was the darkest demonologists who penned the purest prefatory prose.
It is quite possible, given the facts of John Dee's life amidst the contemporary religious and political institutions, that his motivation was in part to dissemble, with the introductory material here presented, the occult activities of his magical practice. It is also quite certain that these same phrases embody to a considerable extent Dee's sincere beliefs and intentions. Careful study of his introduction will reveal a great deal about the foundation and direction of the science of Enochian Magick.
In presenting this passage of Latin text, we have relied on Dee's own manuscript version (Sloane MSS. 3188), with aid of Ashmole's later transcript (Sloane MSS. 3677). Our translation of the text attempts to convey Dee's own sense and style, and it is our sincere desire to attract the attention of classical scholars more learned than ourselves for the correction of this version in future editions.
As always, a reproduction of the manuscripts and other materials used in the preparation of our text can be easily had from the CENTER FOR ENOCHIAN STUDIES for a supporting donation of $3.00 (please make checks payable to CASH, and request vol. I # 3).{Note to web edition: This offer is no longer in effect. Don't send money for this purpose. Included here for history only.}