The Grimoire of Pope Honorius

The Grimoire of Pope Honorius is a French grimoire that presents a papal constitution, ostensibly issued by Pope Honorius III, licensing priests to conjure spirits. The attribution is fictitious, and the book should not be confused with the medieval Sworn Book of Honorius of Thebes, whose prestige its compiler seems to have exploited. The printed editions carry imaginary imprints, notably 'Rome 1670' and 'Rome 1760', and Peterson cautions that these dates cannot be used to establish the edition sequence; most surviving copies were probably printed in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, some likely by Simon Blocquel in Lille. The first part blends Key of Solomon material with Catholic liturgy: a sequence of masses, fasts and offices, invocations of the kings of the four quarters, the pentacle of Solomon, a conjuration for each day of the week and a rite for finding treasure. The second part is a collection of secrets, including charms for gambling, invisibility, the hand of glory, safe travel, love and revenge, and healing, followed by counter-charms for livestock and crops attributed to a shepherd named Guidon. Because it required the operator to be a priest, the book was regarded by critics, Waite among them, as the most sinister of the grimoires. The archive presents several editions, allowing direct comparison: Peterson considers the 1670-B edition the most reliable, while the 1670 'grand secrets' edition lacks parts of the opening text.

What it contains

• Fictitious papal constitution licensing conjuration
• Masses, fasts and offices of preparation
• Invocation of the kings of the four quarters
• Pentacle of Solomon and daily conjurations
• Rite for discovering treasure
• Secrets for gambling, invisibility, love and revenge
• Counter-charms for livestock and crops