The life of Agrippa, an encomium, and Agrippa’s address to the reader

The life of Henry Cornelius Agrippa, Knight.

HEnry Cornelius Agrippa, Descended from a noble Family of Netteshim in Belgia, Doctor of the Laws and Physick, Master of the Rols, and Judge of the spirituall Court, from his youth he applyed his mind to learning, and by his happy wit obtained great knowledge in all Arts and Sciences; afterwards also he followed the Army of the Princes, and for his valor was created Knight in the Field; when he was by these means famous for learning and Arms about 1530. He gave his minde to writing, and composed three Books Of Occult Philosophy; afterward an Invective or Cynicall declamation of the uncertainty and vanity of all things, in which he teacheth that there is no certainty in any thing, but in the solid words of God, and that, to lie hid in the eminency of Gods word; he also wrote an History of the double Coronation of the Emperor Charls, and also of the excellency of the feminine sexe, and of the apparitions of spirits; but seeing that he published commentaries on the Ars Brevis of Raymundus Lully, and was very much addicted to Occult Philosophy and Astrology, there were those who thought that he enjoyed commerce with devils, whom notwithstanding he confuted in his published Apology, and shewed, that he kept himself within the bounds of Art, 1538, He wrote many learned orations, which manifest to all the excellency of his wit; but especially ten; the first on Platoes Banquet, uttered in the Academy of Tricina containing the praise of Love; the second on Hermes Trismegistus, and of the power and wisdom of God; the third for one who was to receive his degree of Doctor; the fourth for the Lords of Metz, when he was chosen their Advocate, Syndice and Orator; the fifth to the Senate of Luxenburg, for the Lords of Metz; The sixth to salute the Prince and Bishop thereof, written for the Lords of Metz; the seventh to salute a noble man, written likewise for the Lords of Metz; the eighth for a certain kinsman of his, a Carmelite, made Bachelor of Divinity, when he received his regency at Paris; the ninth for the son of Cristiern King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, delivered at the coming of the Emperor; the tenth at the Funerall of the Lady Margret, Princess of Austria and Burgundy; he wrote also a Dialogue concerning man, and a Declamation of a disputable opinion concerning originall sin to the Bishop of Cyrene; an Epistle to Michael de Arando Bishop of Saint Paul; a complaint upon a calumny not proved, Printed at Strasburg 1539. and therefore by these monuments published, the name of Cornelius for his variety of Learning was famous, not only amongst the Germanes, but also other Nations; for Momus himself carpeth at all amongst the gods; amongst the Heroes, Hercules hunteth after Monsters; amongst the divels Pluto the king of hell is angry with all the ghosts; amongst Philosophers Democritus laugheth at all things, on the contrary Heraclitus weepeth at all things; Pirrhias is ignorant of all things, and Aristotle thinketh he knoweth all things; Diogenes contemneth all things; this Agrippa spareth none, he contemneth, knows, is ignorant, weeps, laughs, is angry, pursueth, carps at all things, being himself a Philosopher, a Demon, an Heroes, a god, and all things.

An Encomium on the three Books of Cornelius Agrippa Knight, By Eugenius Philalethes.

Great, glorious Pen-man! whom I should not name,
Lest I might Seem to measure Thee by Fame.
Natures Apostle, and her Choice High Priest,
Her Mysticall, and bright Evangelist.
How am I rapt when I contemplate Thee,
And winde my self above All that I see!
The Spirits of thy Lines infuse a Fire
Like the Worlds Soul, which makes me thus aspire:
I am unbody'd by thy Books, and Thee,
And in thy Papers finde my Extasie.
Or if I please but to descend a strain,
Thy Elements do skreen my Soul again.
I can undress my Self by thy bright Glass,
And then resume th' Inclosure, as I was.
Now I am Earth, and now a Star, and then
A Spirit: now a Star, and Earth agen;
Or if I will but ramasle all that be,
In the least moment I ingross all Three.
I span the Heaven and Earth, and things above,
And which is more, joyn Natures with their Jove.
He Crowns my Soul with Fire, and there doth shine
But like the Rain-bow in a Cloud of mine.
Yet there s a Law by which I discompose
The Ashes, and the Fire it self disclose,
But in his Emrald still He doth appear;
They are but Grave-clothes which he scatters here.
Who sees this Fire without his Mask, His Eye
Must needs be swallow'd by the Light, and die.
These are the Mysteries for which I wept
Glorious Agrippa, where thy Language slept,
Where thy dark Texture made me wander far,
Whiles through that pathless Night, I trac'd the star,
But I have found those Mysteries, for which
Thy Book was more then thrice-pil'd o're with Pitch.
Now a new East beyond the stars I see
Where breaks the Day of thy Divinitie:
Heav'n states a Commerce here with Man, had He
But gratefull Hands to take, and Eyes to see.
Hence you fond School-men, that high truths deride,
And with no Arguments but Noyse, and Pride;
You that damn all but what your selves invent,
And yet find nothing by Experiment;
Your Fate is written by an unseen Hand,
But his Three Books with the Three worlds shall stand.

To the Reader.

I Do not doubt but the Title of our Book of Occult Philosophy, or of Magick, may by the rarity of it allure many to read it, amongst which, some of a crasie judgement, and some that are perverse will come to hear what I can say, who by their rash ignorance may take the name of Magick in the worse sense, and though scarce having seen the title, cry out that I teach forbidden Arts, sow the seed of Heresies, offend pious ears, and scandalize excellent wits; that I am a sorcerer, and superstitious, and divellish, who indeed am a Magician: to whom I answer, that a Magician doth not amongst learned men signifie a sorcerer, or one that is superstitious, or divellish; but a wise man, a priest, a prophet; and that the Sybils were Magicianesses, & therefore prophecyed most cleerly of Christ; and that Magicians, as wisemen, by the wonderful secrets of the world, knew Christ the author of the world to be born, and came first of all to worship him; and that the name of Magicke was received by Phylosophers, commended by Divines, and not unacceptable to the Gospel. I believe that the supercilious censors will object against the Sybils; holy Magicians, and the Gospel it self sooner then receive the name of Magick into favor; so consciencious are they, that neither Apollo, nor all the Muses, nor an Angel from Heaven can redeem me from their curse. Whom therefore I advise, that they read not our writings, nor understand them, nor remember them. For they are pernicious, and full of poyson; the gate of Acheron is in this book; it speaks stones, let them take heed that it beat not out their brains. But you that come without prejudice to read it, if you have so much discretion of prudence, as Bees have in gathering hony, read securely, and believe that you shall receive no little profit, and much pleasure; but if you shall find any things that may not please you, let them alone, and make no use of them; for I do not approve of them, but declare them to you; but do not refuse other things, for they that look into the books of Physitians, do together with antidotes and medicines, read also poysons. I confess that Magick it self teacheth many superfluous things, and curious prodigies for ostentation; leave them as empty things, yet be not ignorant of their causes. But those things which are for the profit of men, for the turning away of evil events, for the destroying of sorceries, for the curing of diseases, for the exterminating of phantasmes, for the preserving of life, honor, fortune, may be done without offence to God, or injury to Religion, because they are, as profitable, so necessary. But I have admonished you, that I have writ many things, rather narratively then affirmatively; for so it seemed needful that we should pass over fewer things following the judgements of Platonists, and other Gentile Philosophers when they did suggest an argument of writing to our purpose; therefore if any error have been committed, or any thing hath been spoken more freely, pardon my youth; for I wrote this being scarce a yong man, that I may excuse my self, and say, whilest I was a child, I spake as a childe, I understood as a child, but being become a man, I retracted those things which I did being a boy, and in my book of the vanity and uncertainty of Sciences I did for the most part retract this book. But here haply you may blame me again, saying, Behold thou being a youth didst write, and now being old hast retracted it; what therefore hast thou set forth? I confess whilst I was very yong, I set upon the writing of these books, but hoping that I should set them forth with corrections and enlargements, and for that cause I gave them to Tritemius a Neapolitanian Abbot, formerly a Spanhemensian, a man very industrious after secret things. But it happened afterwards, that the work being intercepted, before I finished it, was carryed about imperfect, and impolished, and did fly abroad in Italy, in France, in Germany through many mens hands, and some men, whether more impatiently, or impudently, I know not, would have put it thus imperfect to the press, with which mischeif I being affected, determined to set it forth my self, thinking that there might be less danger if these books came out of my hands with some amendments, then to come forth torn, and in fragments out of other mens hands. Moreover I thought it no crime if I should not suffer the testimony of my youth to perish. Also we added some Chapters, and we inserted many things, which did seem unfit to pass by, which the curious Reader shall be able to understand by the inequality of the very phrase; for we were unwilling to begin the work anew, and to unravell all that we had done, but to correct it, and put some flourish upon it. Wherefore now I pray thee, Curteous Reader, again, weigh not these things according to the present time of setting them forth, but pardon my curious youth, if thou shalt finde any thing in them that may displease thee.