Archidoxis of Magic (Paracelsus, excerpts)

The Archidoxis magicae is a treatise on talismanic medicine circulated under the name of Paracelsus, the Swiss physician and reformer of medicine. Its authenticity has long been questioned, and it is usually treated as part of the pseudo-Paracelsian corpus that grew up in the decades after his death in 1541, when his followers printed and expanded his manuscripts. The English translation by Robert Turner, published in 1656 alongside other occult works, gave it a place in English magical literature. The online excerpt concentrates on the second book, which describes seals for each of the twelve signs of the zodiac. For every sign the text specifies an alloy of metals, the astrological moment for casting and engraving, the images and characters to be cut, and the illnesses the seal is meant to relieve, ranging from head pains and fevers to poisoning and gout. A closing section describes a metal image of a mouse intended to drive mice from a house, a typical example of the sympathetic logic underlying such talismans. Peterson's notes compare the metal formulae across Karl Sudhoff's 1933 German edition, Turner's translation and the Ars Paulina of the Lemegeton, which borrowed the same seals, and he reproduces the drawings from Sudhoff. The text shows how astrological magic was framed as natural medicine in the Paracelsian movement, blurring the line between physic and magic.

What it contains

• Seals for the twelve zodiac signs
• Metal alloys for each seal
• Astrological timing of casting and engraving
• Medical uses of each seal
• Talisman of the mouse
• Editorial comparison with Sudhoff and the Ars Paulina