The last actions, London, part 1 of 2 (15 July – 5 Sept. 1607)

1607 Julii 15. hor. 9½. ante meridiem. JESUS.

In nomine Dei Patris, & Filii & Spiritus Sancti. Amen.

Mittas lucem tuam & veritatem tuam, sapientiam & omnimodum auxilium tuum, Domine Deus, ut tibi serviamus sancte, fideliter & constanter omnibus diebus vitae nostrae. Amen.

Barth...... The Creature.

IN the Name of him that created me Raphael, and all the blessed Creatures, and likewise in his power made all the world, and all things therein contained: Jesus Christ of his great goodness hath sent me now at his will, and so I am bound at his will to return, when his pleasure is. All honour be given to him, being God Almighty for evermore. Amen.

John Dee, I am Raphael that last appeared unto you, and I through Gods good pleasure did set down and made known unto thee, what pretended course God would have thee to enter into, and his will is such, that so far forth, and so speedily as thou canst, to proceed in it, because that God hath great service for thee to do, when thou shalt be there placed.

And now I do let thee understand, that as concerning Eccleston his suit and matter that I did at my last being here speak of, so far forth as it pleased God to give me his free will: and now God hath sent me for favour that God doth bear unto thee, and not for no cause else, I Raphael do now tell thee, that this matter, and all such like unto it, are not for me to enter into, neither for any such as be of that high Society and Calling as I am of. Yet notwithstanding, I am ready by Gods merciful goodness to command those whom God hath and doth appoint to serve under me: and such his blessed Creatures being those that do stand in his presence, I Raphael will at Gods pleasure command those that shall deal in Ecclestons suit, in constraining by such Creatures as I have made known unto you, that they shall force and constrain these parties, as he which he had in hand; he is one, James Bolton is another, and the Treasure was carried to the Carpenter his brothers house; and there, as I did shew unto thee, a Coffer of white colour. Those parties are so troubled in minde, that they cannot be quiet, how or where to place the Treasure, because they would keep it close. But let this suffice and satisfie for the whole answer in this his suit: I Raphael through Gods power will command such Creatures that shall constrain those parties to bring the matter to true light, and confess the said Treasure; and he, the party the owner to have his money again, in so short time as may be pleasing and acceptable unto the Almighty. God will have the whole matter made known in this order, without any further trouble unto the parties: but it is his will that he shall examine them in friendly manner, if they will not yield, then by the force of a Justice in examination; but they will not yield till such time as I by these Creatures shall make them to yield, through Gods help, to their sorrow; and so the party the owner shall so come by his goods again. And now I have answered you in as ample manner as God will have me; for (as I have sai) such matters are not for me, but that course that I have now declared, by Gods help shall be performed. And so in the Name of the Highest for this I do now end, giving praise to the Almighty. And furthermore, John Dee, in few words, for thy sake, If this Window by his Creatures, should have medled in the cause, they should have had a great labour. But notwithstanding, that which I have spoken of, is sufficient, praised be the Name of God: and so I end.

Δ. By this The Window to be brought in, &c.

Δ. If it should not offend, then I would gladly know the sum of the Treasure.

Raph. Two thousand and a half, and odde money.

Δ. How, in gold and silver?

Raph. More then three parts thereof in gold.

Δ. Most humbly and heartily I thank the Almighty for.....

Raph. John Dee, if thou dost doubt of any thing as concerning the entring into the course of thy Journey; and likewise, if thou dost doubt of any thing that shall be against thy good success when thou art there, Now speak, and I shall through Gods mercies make thee answer, as it may and shall please God to the good direction of any thing that thou shalt doubt of, for God will not command thee to enter into that Journey, but that he will most mercifully and graciously be thy keeper, and deliver thee from the hands of thy enemies in thy Journey. And for the good health of thy body, God will so carry thee in good health, that thou shalt set forth such service when thou art there placed, that shall be thy great comfort unto Gods honour, in making of his marvellous works to be known. And thus much for thy comfort through Gods merciful goodness I have made known unto thee: and so I end.

Δ......

John Dee, God doth know all this that thou dost speak of. In few words, to end many words, […] will so direct thy wayes in ending such troubles, as shall be to thy good and speedy finishing.

Δ.....

John Pontoys, before such time as thou shalt have any great cause to use his aid, and furtheremore, God will so work for thee in the heart of his Master (whom he is Factor for) Stapers I mean, that Stapers shall with all the aid and help that he can to further […] good proceeding. And so God in all cases will thus graciously deal with thee. And now is my full time to depart in Gods peace, and to serve him from whom I came, his mighty Name.

Δ. I fearing his sudden departure, did earnestly urge at his hands, to know the truth of Tobias his history: and so half unmannerly did interrupt his speech with my question.

John Dee, I am Raphael that is appointed of God to be thy Guide in this thy Journey; and I am that same Raphael that was the Guide unto young Tobias in his long Journey, and delivered him from the power of the wicked Spirit Asmodeus, who had, as thou knowest, how many he had destroyed: and I brought him through Gods power home again, and delivered him in health unto his own parents. And thus much I have made thee plainly to understand without any doubting to the contrary. And so now once again I do depart. All honour and glory to the everlasting God, both now and for evermore. Amen, Amen.

Δ. Amen.

17 July.

AFter dinner (horam circiter 4½.) as Bartholomew and I talked of divers of my doings with Mr. Kelley, a Voice produced this to Bartholomews hearing,

A Voice...... I, John Dee, I have heard you all this while.

Thou shalt be able to do, and to see, and to understand more than all this as thou hast spoken of, according as God hath promised thee.

Δ. Blessed be his holy Name, and his mercies be magnified on me, to the honour of his holy Name. Amen.

Δ. Note..... Upon occasion of further talk and speech of my Jewel that was brought, I asked Bartholomew if ever he had seen it since it was set in gold; and he thought that he had not seen it: Whereupon I went speedily to my Chest, unlocked it, and took it out, and undid the Case, and set the Stone in his due manner.

And by and by did Raphael appear in the Stone, and in voice said thus, as followeth:

Raph. In the Name of Jesus Christ, I am Raphael whose voice thou didst hear right now. And now, in Gods holy Name, for thy good, and for thy comfort, I have, now, here, in this Pearl entred Possession, in […] hereafter to be that blessed Creature, to be obedient unto Gods Commandment, to serve thee at all times, when thou art placed in thy Journey, which God hath commanded thee. And likewise thou shalt have the book from whence this came. And that Dust which thou hast in keeping, (the which thou dost make account of […] better but dust) Then it shall be turned to the right use, from whence it was: and to that good purpose, that God hath ordained for to do. And now it was the will of God, that I should speak unto thee a few words of this good comfort to be performed. Praise God, honour his holy Name, for his great blessings now and for ever; That it did please the Almighty to send me to your presence, in token of his love, for his great mercy. And so now, in his Name I go again into the presence of the Almighty, whose Name be ever praised, with all his elect Angels, and all the blessed Creatures of God, and all the blessed Creatures upon earth, praise his Name for evermore. Amen, Amen.

Δ. Amen.

Δ. O Lord God, most humbly, heartily and sincerely I honour thee, praise thee, and extoll thy mercies, and most loving kindness, for these, and all other thy graces and blessings on me. Accept, O God, my hearty thanks, and enable me so to thank thee, as may be a most acceptable sacrifice unto thy Divine Majesty. Amen, Amen,

Amen.

1607. Sept. 5. hora 9½. Mortlak.

Mitte lucem tuam & veritatem tuam Domine, quae nos ducant & perducant ad montem sanctum tuum & ad coelestia tua tabernacula. Amen.

Barth. He is in the Stone now.

Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.

O Most merciful Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus, who is and was the Creator and Redeemer of Mankinde, and of all his blessed Creatures. In his power I Raphael am now come at his will and commandment, and so likewise at his good pleasure I must then return at such time as he hath commanded me.

John Dee, in the Name of the Most Highest, I am come to deliver unto thee this my Message, the which God in his goodness hath commanded me.

First, I Raphael am sent of God at this time most chiefly to put thee in that good remembrance of my last appearing to your presence, to let thee to understand, that look what course God in his mercies did set then down, what way thou shouldst take to enter into this Journey, the which God in his goodness is most willing that thou shouldst enter into. For, John Dee, God hath declared, and made manifestly known unto thee at my last appearing, what service God would use thee unto, and all such purposes that were the last time spoken of, shall be by Gods favour and his merciful good gift performed unto thee: and fear thou not, but God will safely help and preserve thy body in thy Journey, to that end, that thou shouldest be in that place wherein thou mightest have time to enter into all such service as God hath by me made known unto thee. For, John Dee, such hath Gods mercies been in suffering wicked men to prevail against thee, and they have and do make a scorn of thee here in this thy Native Countrey: So it is with thee as it was with Christ and his Apostles, being most cruelly used in their own Native Countreys; so John Dee, God hath suffered those wicked men to pluck thee down in worldly affairs, the which should be maintenance for thee and for thine, and without such maintenance man cannot be without, while be is here in this vale of Misery. Such wicked men have most cruelly used thee, even as Job by Gods sufferance, who suffered the Devil to prevail against him: yet Gods mercies be so great unto thee, that although they (most wickedly) have robbed thee of thy possession, yet God would not suffer those wicked ones by any of their malicious practices to prevail in any wise to hurt thy body, as Jobs was: For if they ([…] their wicked purposes) could have wrought such cruelty against thee, thou hadst not been a man living here upon earth until this time. So John Dee, thou dost know who is thy mortal enemy, who, rules next unto your earthly King.

Δ.

Why thou maist well know, for I have made it known before time unto thee, that he is not thy friend, though thou hast not offended him in any wise. Therefore, because that this thy Native Countrey is not a place fit for Gods purposes in his wisdome to be bestowed upon thee here, Therefore at my last Message, God did send me to make known unto thee, whether he would have thee to go, that there thou mightst be a man; and that man, whom God hath appointed to make his Wisdome known: for thou art that man whom God hath chosen, that (accordingly as it was said yesterday) that no mortal man in flesh, but onely Enoch, had or shall have the like wisdome made known, plainly to be understood by any man, or thou thy self shalt understand and receive at the hands of the Almighty. Therefore it is his will and purpose of God, that he would have thee in that Countrey, for this thy Native Countrey is not worthy of gifts that thou shalt receive at the hands of God, to come, and to be made known unto those which be not worthy of such great gifts of Gods wisdome, to come amongst those that be unworthy.

Therefore, John Dee, in all these matters the which in favour at this time made known unto thee, the chief and greatest cause of this my coming unto thee, is to make the matter plainly known, that God in his mercies would have thee with all diligence that thou canst possibly, to haste thee to that Countrey where God doth command thee, and at my last being here thou knowest what was my Message, therefore do thy diligence to fulfil it as thou canst, and God will put his great helps unto thee, in strengthning of thy body, and otherwise, which shall be to thy good. And thou being once in that place where God would have thee to be, thou shouldst well perceive and plainly understand, that God will most mercifully work with thee for thy good in performing all such promises, the which hath […] loth at the last time and at this time. made known unto thee.

John Dee, I do put thee in remembrance, that whereas thou […] say, that thou hadst a portion of money […] thee from the Emperour unto thee; I tell thee, that the Devil in working in the heart of one of thy enemies (Cook I mean) did seek some wayes by his false important ill speeches, in most false manner, unto one that did in somewhat let the Emperour to understand, what he had most falsely, to thy discredit (as he thought) to hinder thee, that thou shouldst not come to any help or credit at the Emperours hand. But John Dee, be of good comfort, The Emperour of all Emperours will be thy comfort, and aid thee, and evermore put down thy enemies, that the Emperour (that thou shouldst have received that portion o) it shall be so with thee, that he shall have more need of thee, in such wisdome as God shall deliver unto thee; for thou shalt have no need of him, but onely to keep good will and friendship betwixt him and thee, in shewing thy self friendly unto him, as God shall hereafter give thee plainly to understand.

Now, John Dee, I have made known unto thee what Gods will is in this my message. This is the greatest and the most principal cause, why God hath sent me unto thee at this present time. And now I have through Gods mercies delivered this his Commandment unto thee: and for this I have now said and finished.

Δ. Blessed be the Almighty God, now and for ever.

Gladly I would have understood how much the portion was which the Emperour would have sent me.

John Dee, let it go, and speak no farther of it: for thou maist be joyful, whereas it is said unto thee, that he should have need of thee, and not thou of him. Therefore reason no more in that matter.

Δ. As concerning Mr. Eccleston.

John Dee, in few words I answer thee, He hath dealt with the parties in those affairs, but the chief party will not, as yet, yield any thing to be made known, but doth stubbornly and stoutly stand in his own defence: And Gods Creatures have wrought with him, and nothing he will (as ye) yield unto, except that those Creatures should deal so cruelly with him, as it were to pull him apieces: this is his wicked stubbornness. But God will bring the matter to light; but Eccleston hath not dealt so in the matter as he might have done, he is too too slack in his own cause. Therefore if the fault be in him, then do not blame the Creatures of God. For God could (as you very well do know it) command that said Treasure to be brought: but he will not have it so to be, because it shall come by other means among men: So God hath a great care and purpose to do all for your good, to keep matters out of blame and slander of the world, as it might come to passe, if it should come by any other wayes, but by this plot which is laid down to decline. And when it is the will of God that it shall be delivered, God will so perform it, if man will do as he should do, in all reverend manner towards God-ward. And so now I let you to perceive, and to know, that it is not as yet obtained.