The Secrets of Solomon: A Witch's Handbook from the trial records of the Venetian Inquisition

Medieval grimoires survive in late editions with conflicting manuscripts due to scribal errors, abridging, portions lost to damage, or license. Producing a reference work involves consulting multiple editions, comparing their dates and considering their lineage. The end result is a patchwork best-guess as to what the original work would have been. This grimoire has the same issues, except that complete early edition was preserved by the Inquisition having been entered as evidence against the group that had it. Like so many, this fact was lost in a collection, but due to a series of happy events the author of this volume uncovered it and was able to obtain a facsimile. Being both early and complete is rare making this a rather unique volume. So what does that get the reader? Not only is this a critical edition with excellent sourcing (it has typeset Latin and English on facing pages, renderings of the original art and cleaned up versions for the English, and explanatory notes) it is prefaced with the work's lineage and sources and a succinct analysis of how the magic described is intended to function. The contents gives you insight into what the practitioners who employed it hoped to be able to achieve, how they hoped to achieve it, and their rationale for this hope. Given the case against the practitioners who had the copy that was entered as evidence it shows that the operation of magic was something that could be conducted by tradesmen, just regular people.

(2020 0130) I believe I have been too harsh on Peterson's effort. I have had a chance to read it against some of his sources and have to say he did a great job given the material and resources. There are areas where I disagree, I am open to discussion. I'll leave my original opinion as it stands. Concerning the "whistle" Peterson is quite right in the context. But, turner's direct source reads "sibiles" against the earlier editions of Agrippa/Abano, including the 1559 edition of Liber quartus", all read "sibilet". if get into it I might as well write a book. Peterson is sometimes too loose and fast with his material. I have only been able to get as far as the index on the Venice website. Barbierato is a great resource, but "Nella Stanza..." is only available in Italian and practically unobtainable in the US. I have a copy I found in Italy. He has, however, two good resources in English that give his thoughts on the subject: Magical Literature and the Venice Inquisition... and his full-length book "Inquisitor in the Hat Shop" both are excellent, but expensive. When I say Peterson plays fast and loose allow me to offer an example. On page xi of his introduction fn 1 he says: "Heptameron likewise employs a whistle, although the translation by Robert Turner leaves the passage untranslated, and Francis Barrett in his 1801 book 'The Magus' mistranslates 'sibilet' (he should whistle: as 'there will be hissings' completely missing the point." Yes the passage is not translated in the Turner's 1655 edition, however Peterson seems completely unaware that in second revised edition, 1665, Turner translated all the Latin conjurations and orations and says plainly "'...there will be hissings..." Peterson is taking it out of context; the passage does not refer to a whistle, but to the sound the spirits make if the conjuration is successful also 'hissing' is a legitimate rendering of 'silibet' (which see "L and W Latin dictionary" or Niermeyer's "Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon"). Each case involves two different contexts, the first describing ritual events and the other an action performed by the practitioner. I would call Peterson's rendering of the "sibilabis" passage (Secrets of Solomon, p 86) as "...you should whistle towards the four parts of the world..." into doubt. I think Peterson's text is from the inquisition records which I have not been able to access; I did find it in his P manuscript (p45r) and the Latin is the same (have not yet looked at his other mss). Peterson uncritically refers to Francis Barrett in the same note. Barrett was not reading his text in Latin but taking it literally out of the 1783 reprint of Turner's second ed. This is confirmed by a line a little further on that reads: "...shew them the pentacle covered in fine linnen(sic); uncover it and say, Behold your conclusion, in you refuse to be obedient..." this is Turner's rendering in the 1665 ed. However, the 1783 reprint has a typographical error, instead of "conclusion" it reads "confusion". '"Conclusion" (i.e. conclusionem) is supported in all the Latin texts printed from 1559 through c1783. So Peterson's innuendo that "Barrett completely missed the point" is groundless and specious.

This is important information for all those who love old grimoires. It has a lot of similarities with the Grimorium Verum, but is unique in its own way as well. And of course Joseph Peterson is very knowledgeable in this field and gets the smallest details correct every time. You can count on his books to be quality.

Another fantastic work from Peterson. This is the first time this text has been translated to English and publically released. This is a great companion grimoire for anyone doing or aspiring to work Solomonic style magick. This little book contains a lot of missing images and symbols other texts like the Grimorium Verum are missing. This book will make your Solomonic information more complete and well rounded. Dr. Skinner includes the original untranslated text and the usual outstanding scholarly citations and references that themselves can be invaluable to the magician. This is a must have to add to a Solomonic collection.

Informative and good add to my collection.

This book finally helps clarify some of the confusion found in the various versions of the Grimorium Verum. It provides a more original Verum spirit hierarchy and includes example spells on how to work with chthonic spirits. It also contains segments with other spirit types including Archangels, similar to what is found in the Heptameron. I am very satisfied with this work and am glad Joseph Peterson was willing and able to research and recreate such a classic grimorie. It is also very affordable considering the amount of effort it must have taken to create.

Nice work, it's a grandpa of Grimoirum Verum in excellent condition. Great practical source of ceremonial magic!

This is perhaps one of the most thorough and historically contextualized grimoires I've ever bought

Likey

Ce grimoire a été confisqué par l’Inquisition vénitienne et Peterson, un expert de longue date du domaine, présente son contexte tout en le commentant par des notes de bas de page judicieuses. L’auteur estime que celui qu’il a conçu (et utilisé) disposait d’un haut niveau d’instruction, appartenait au clergé et vivait ou fréquentait un monastère, ce qui n’est pas une surprise. On est donc loin de magiciens rénégats en révolte plus ou moins ouverte contre l’Eglise. L’histoire ne dit pas quel sort fut réservé à son auteur... Pour ce qui est de son contenu, il me semble réservé à des lecteurs qui ont déjà une bonne connaissance de la magie occidentale qui surgit dans le XVe siècle. Il ne s’agit ni d’un ouvrage d’introduction à cet art « maudit », ni un livre pratique pour les magiciens en herbe qui ne souhaitent pas rester « en fauteuil ». Mais peut-être que ceux, expérimentés et bien rares selon ma perception, pourraient y trouver de l’inspiration en utilisant des sceaux particuliers que l’on ne trouve pas ailleurs, même si ce n’est pas le but de l’auteur

Great addition to the collection. Love Joseph Peterson's writing style its easier to read compared to some others. This book has lots of good new material that I love connecting to the other books I own. Very happy with my purchase.

Edição bilíngue que compara os textos de umas oito versões do mesmo manuscrito para corrigir as imprecisões que cada cópia apresenta e que por fim traz um texto bastante direto quanto a pontos que em muitos casos a resposta era evasiva como natureza infernal desses seres, sacrfícios e etc. Alguns dos diagramas mal-explicados do GV reaparecem de maneira mais clara aqui. Mas somente a primeira parte trata desse Pré-Verum, somos apresentandos a mais dois grupos de espíritos e a criação de uma éfígide (que aqui é referida como pedra) do próprio magista. Não é o tipo de livro que se captam os detalhes na primeira lida mas vale o esforço, acho que no campo dos grimórios é um dos lançamentos mais notáveis, acho que só fica abaixo da riquesa do Livro de Oberon.

This book is better suited to the more experienced practioner of art . It links with the grimorium vernum and appears to be its source and works with chthonic entities or spirits. As usual of grimoires of the time this magic is practiced by praying for the assistance of god