|
o |
r |
i |
a |
n |
l |
e |
a |
e |
s |
a |
| |
o |
r |
i |
a |
n |
s |
l |
s |
a |
s |
a |
| |
o |
r |
i |
a |
n |
s |
l |
e |
a |
l |
a |
| |
a |
r |
h |
i |
a |
n |
s |
l |
e |
a |
h |
| |
a |
r |
n |
a |
p |
o |
d |
|
a |
p |
o |
| |
p |
a |
l |
g |
a |
n |
s |
|
a |
h |
o |
| |
n |
a |
p |
a |
p |
h |
a |
|
r |
|
o |
Belmagel
his counterfeiting of our instruction received from God, and to Edward Kelly his
hands as likely as could be.
Herein I have followed the Character exactly; by which it appears, that the
Book of Enoch2. in Sir John Cotton's Library+, was
written by Edward Kelly's hand. The Characters in that, being made after the
fashion of these. 3
+ Now MS. Sloane 3189. F.M. 4
NOTE 5
After that these things were finished, Edward Kelly rose up from the Table,
and went to the west windows to read a Letter which was even then brought him,
from his wife: which being done, he took a little Prayer* Book (in
english meter made by one William Hunnis which Mr. Adrian Gilbert6
had left7 here, and it lay on the Table by us all the
while of this first action) and with this Book he went into his bed chamber
intending to pray on it a certain Prayer which he liked; and as he opened the
Book his eye espied Strange Writing in the spare white paper at
the book's end. And beholding it, judged it verily to be his own Letters, and
the thing of his own doing; but being assured that he never saw the like of
this Character [for Conciliation] and that other, notified by the Heart
or Center Skin and Flesh8 before this present
hour, he became astonished, and in great wrath; and behold suddenly One appeared
to him and said:
"Lo this is as good as the other;" meaning that which we had received, and
is here before set down on the former page.9
With this news came Edward Kelly to me, and I was writing down fair this
last Action, and said:
"I have strange matter to impart unto you."
Then said I; "What is that?", and at the first (being yet tossed in his
mind, with this great injury of this subtle supplanter of man, ambitiously
intruding himself to rob God of his glory) he said: "you shall know," and at
length shewed me this little paper here by, being the one of the white leaves in
the end of the foresaid little prayer book.
And I, viewing it, found it to be meant to be the Counterfeit of ours; but
with all imperfect diverse ways, after the order of our method; yea though the
words, out of which it had sprung, had been good and sufficient: and there at
laughed at, and derided the Wicked enemy for his envy, his ass-headed
foolish ambition, and indeed mere blindness to do anything well.
To Conclude, we found that with an incredible speed this Devilish figure was
written down by some Wicked Spirit, to bring our perfect doings in doubt with
us; to utter undue speeches of god's good Creatures, or to wavering minds of the
worthiness and goodness of the same things received, and so either to leave off,
or with faint hearted wavering to proceed.
But I by God's grace, (contrary to such inconveniency) was armed with
constancy, and confident good hope, that God would not suffer me (putting my
trust in his goodness and mercy, to receive wisdom from him) to be so Unjustly
dealt withal, or Unkindly or Unfatherly used at his hands etc., and intended
after supper to make my earnest complaint to the divine Majesty against this
Wicked intrusion and temptation of Illuding Devil, and so we went to Supper.
* The title of the Book was: Seven Sobs of an sorrowful Soul for sin.
1. Similarity between the forms of various different letters
make these 'false' tables
exceedingly difficult to set down with absolute accuracy.
2. Liber Mysteriorum Sextus et Sanctus (i.e. The Holy and Sixth
Book of the Mysteries),
or The Book of Enoch revealed to John Dee by the Angels.
3. This note is in Elias Ashmole's hand.
4. This note circa 1854, from the hand of the archivist who prefaced this
volume
(SL. MS. 3188.). His scholia appears on folio 2. recto.
5. Notat post scriptvm Monday Aprilis xxix Anno MDLXXXIII domine.
6. 1583 Feb. 18th, the Lady Walsingham cam suddenly into my howse very
freely,
and shortly after that she was gone. Cam Syr Francys+ himself and Mr. Dyer
Feb. 24th, Jane churched. Feb. 26th, I delivered my boke to the Lord
Threasorer
for the correction of the Calender.* March 6th, I, and Mr. Adrian Gilbert.
and John Davis, did mete with Mr. Alderman Barnes, Mr. Townson and Mr.
Yong and Mr. Hudson, abowt the N.W. voyage.
+ Sir Francis Drake. * British Museum Additional MS. 19065.
7. Dee has "left" struck out.
8. cf. Thelema Lodge O.T.O. (Berkeley CA: June 1989ev)
9. Ibid. et May 1989ev.
