CHAPTER XVI 1

p. 61

HOW OPERATIONS OF MOCKERY, INVISIBILITY, AND DECEIT SHOULD BE PREPARED

EXPERIMENTS relating to tricks, mockeries, and deceits, may be performed in many ways. When thou shalt wish to practise these experiments with regard to any person, thou shalt observe the day and the hour as we have already said. Should it be necessary to write Characters or Words, it should be done upon virgin paper, as we shall show farther on. As for the ink, if it be not specially ordained in this operation, it is advisable to use the blood of a bat with the pen and the needle of art. But before describing or writing the Characters or Names, all the necessary rules should be observed as given in the proper Chapters, and having carefully followed out all these, thou shalt pronounce with a loud voice the following words :--

ABAC, ALDAL, IAT, HUDAC, GUTHAC, GUTHOR, GOMEH, TISTATOR, DERISOR, DESTATUR, come hither all ye who love the times and places wherein all kinds of mockeries and deceits are practised. And ye who make things disappear and who render them invisible, come hither to deceive all those who regard these things, so that they may be deceived, and that they may seem to see that which they see not and hear that which they hear not, so that their senses may be deceived, and that they may behold that which is not true.

Come ye then hither and remain, and consecrate this enchantment, seeing that God the Almighty Lord hath destined ye for such.

When this Experiment is completed in this manner in the hour and time which we have shown and taught, also the foregoing words ABAC, ALDAL, etc., should be written with the pen as hereinafter ordained; but if the Experiment be performed in a different way, yet shalt thou always say the aforesaid words, and they should be repeated as before given.

If thou practisest these things in this manner correctly, thou shalt arrive at the effect of thine operations and experiments, by the which thou mayest easily deceive the senses.

Footnotes

61:1 This Chapter is given in 10862 Add. MSS., 3981 Harleian MSS., 288 King's MSS., 3091 Sloane MSS., and 1307 Sloane MSS., but is wanting in 1202 Lansdowne MSS., as are all the Chapters of the First Book after Chap. 8.