EsoteriaA library of sacred & hidden knowledge
1651 · Three Books of Occult Philosophy

Henry Cornelius Agrippa of Nettesheim · 1651

Three Books of Occult Philosophy

De occulta philosophia libri tres, completed in draft in 1510 and printed in full at Cologne in 1533, is the great Renaissance synthesis of magic. Agrippa divides the world into three: the elemental, governed by natural magic, the virtues of stones, herbs and animals; the celestial, the domain of number, harmony, astrological images and characters; and the intellectual, where religion, divine names, angels, the Cabala and the purified soul make ceremonial magic possible. This first English translation, by J. F. (probably John French), was printed in London in 1651. The text follows the EEBO-TCP transcription of that edition, with its prefatory letters to and from Trithemius and Agrippa's later censure of magic; Hebrew and Greek words the transcribers could not key are marked.

Begin reading About this text

Contents

  1. 1.Title page64 w.
  2. 2.The life of Agrippa, an encomium, and Agrippa’s address to the reader1,831 w.
  3. 3.Letters between Agrippa and Trithemius; dedication to Hermann of Wied2,020 w.
  4. 4.The translator to the reader; dedication to Robert Childe; verses1,370 w.
  5. 5.Book I, chapters 1–6: What magic is; the four elements and their natures5,554 w.
  6. 6.Book I, chapters 7–13: Compounds, the elements in all things, and the origin of occult virtues4,819 w.
  7. 7.Book I, chapters 14–18: The spirit of the world; likeness, friendship and enmity among things4,181 w.
  8. 8.Book I, chapters 19–24: Virtues in life and death; how things are subject to the stars; lunar things4,593 w.
  9. 9.Book I, chapters 25–34: Things under the planets, signs and fixed stars; seals and characters of natural things4,212 w.
  10. 10.Book I, chapters 35–42: Mixtures and preparations; drawing down celestial gifts; bindings and sorceries5,418 w.
  11. 11.Book I, chapters 43–48: Perfumes, unctions, love-medicines, alligations, rings and places4,063 w.
  12. 12.Book I, chapters 49–53: Light and colours, fascination, gesture, and the kinds of divination4,622 w.
  13. 13.Book I, chapters 54–55: Animals of omen and the auspices4,490 w.
  14. 14.Book I, chapters 56–60: Lightning and prodigies, geomancy, reviving the dead, dreams and madness4,587 w.
  15. 15.Book I, chapters 61–65: The senses and the passions of the mind4,146 w.
  16. 16.Book I, chapters 66–74: The mind and the heavens; the virtue of words, names, writing and letters5,015 w.
  17. 17.Book II, chapters 1–6: Mathematics, the power of numbers, and the scales of one, two and three4,922 w.
  18. 18.Book II, chapters 7–9: The scales of four, five and six2,636 w.
  19. 19.Book II, chapters 10–11: The scales of seven and eight4,515 w.
  20. 20.Book II, chapters 12–15: Nine to twelve, numbers above twelve, and number-signs made by gesture4,643 w.
  21. 21.Book II, chapters 16–22: Roman, Greek and Hebrew numerals; numbers of the gods; the planetary tables4,988 w.
  22. 22.Book II, chapters 23–26: Geometrical figures, music and harmony, and their agreement with the heavens3,468 w.
  23. 23.Book II, chapters 27–29: The proportion of the human body, the harmony of the soul, and celestial observation4,317 w.
  24. 24.Book II, chapters 30–35: Planetary influence, fixed stars, sun and moon, and the mansions of the moon4,240 w.
  25. 25.Book II, chapters 36–45: Images of the zodiac, the faces and the planets4,179 w.
  26. 26.Book II, chapters 46–50: Images of the lunar mansions and Behenian stars; geomantic figures; practice of images4,269 w.
  27. 27.Book II, chapters 51–58: Characters, divination and lots; the soul of the world; names of the celestials4,101 w.
  28. 28.Book II, chapters 59–60: The seven governors of the world; imprecations2,470 w.
  29. 29.Book III, chapters 1–5: Religion, secrecy, the dignity of the magician and the guides of religion5,050 w.
  30. 30.Book III, chapters 6–10: The knowledge of God, the Trinity and the divine emanations4,400 w.
  31. 31.Book III, chapters 11–13: The divine names, their influence, and the members of God4,238 w.
  32. 32.Book III, chapters 14–17: The gods of the gentiles, celestial souls, intelligences and spirits4,434 w.
  33. 33.Book III, chapters 18–21: Evil spirits, their bodies and their annoyance; the proper genius4,588 w.
  34. 34.Book III, chapters 22–26: The threefold keeper of man; the tongue and names of angels4,297 w.
  35. 35.Book III, chapters 27–32: Cabalistic names, the characters and seals of spirits, and calling spirits5,012 w.
  36. 36.Book III, chapters 33–36: The bonds of spirits; heroes and terrestrial gods; man made in the image of God5,021 w.
  37. 37.Book III, chapters 37–40: The soul joined to the body; divine gifts received by man2,890 w.
  38. 38.Book III, chapter 41: Opinions on man after death5,489 w.
  39. 39.Book III, chapters 42–45: Necromancy, the powers and degrees of the soul, soothsaying and frenzy4,219 w.
  40. 40.Book III, chapters 46–51: The four frenzies, rapture and ecstasy, and prophetical dreams5,301 w.
  41. 41.Book III, chapters 52–56: Lots and oracles; cleanness, abstinence, penitence and alms4,217 w.
  42. 42.Book III, chapters 57–61: Expiations, adorations and vows, sacrifices and oblations4,216 w.
  43. 43.Book III, chapters 62–65: Consecrations, holy things and rites of perfuming; the conclusion5,745 w.
  44. 44.Letters to Aurelius de Aquapendente and to a friend at court3,584 w.
  45. 45.The censure, or retractation, concerning magic5,565 w.