THE COMPLETE ILLUSTRATED

GRAND GRIMOIRE,
OR THE RED DRAGON
Interlinear Edition
THE COMPLETE ILLUSTRATED
GRAND GRIMOIRE,
OR THE RED DRAGON
Interlinear Edition

Aaman Lamba, Translator

Arundell Overman, Editor
The Complete Illustrated Grand Grimoire,
Interlinear Edition, French-to English
Copyright © 2020 Aaman Lamba
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of
the author and publisher
Text of the Grand Grimoire is based on public domain texts. Le Dragon Rouge by
M. Robville is in the public domain and based on text from gallica.bnf.fr / BnF
Translated by Aaman Lamba
Edited by Arundell Overman
Images from Public Domain sources and images created by Ville Vuorinen, Matti
Sinkkonen, and Artem Grigoryev
Published by Aaman Lamba, United States of America
ISBN: 978-1-7345171-2-5
 Dedication
The Spirits, The Teachers, The Students and The Way

CONTENTS

FOREWORD
PREFACE
INTRODUCTION
ORIGIN OF THE WORD GRIMOIRE
MAGIC IN THE ANCIENT WORLD, AND THE GENERAL
DEFINITION OF MAGIC
THE PERCEIVED DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MAGIC, SORCERY,
WHITE AND BLACK MAGIC
ORIGIN OF MAGIC - GREECE, EGYPT, PERSIA
THE PERSIAN ORIGIN OF THE WORD
ZOROASTER
MAGIC IN EGYPT
GREEK WITCHCRAFT
THE FIRST LAWS REGULATING MAGIC IN THE ANCIENT WORLD
MAGIC AND WITCHCRAFT IN THE BIBLE, THE BATTLE BETWEEN
MOSES AND THE WIZARDS OF EGYPT
THE WITCH OF ENDOR
THOU SHALT NOT SUFFER A WITCH TO LIVE
SOLOMON AND THE TEMPLE OF ASTARTE, BELZEBUTH AS A
PAGAN GOD, AND THE TRANSLATION OF ALL PAGAN GODS INTO
DEVILS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
THE FIRST BOOKS OF MAGIC
THE LITTLE ALBERT AND A BRIEF MENTION OF OTHER
GRIMOIRES
THE PICATRIX, OR THE GHAYAT AL-HAKIM
GRIMOIRE OF HONORIUS
THE GRIMORIUM VERUM
THE READERS OF THE GRAND GRIMOIRE, LITERACY OF THE
TIME PERIOD, SIMPLY OWNING THE BOOK WAS CONSIDERED A
MARK OF POWER
PAPAL MAGIC
POPE INNOCENT VIII OUTLAWS MAGIC
THE INQUISITION AND THE HAMMER OF THE WITCHES
FLYING AND THE JOURNEY TO THE SABBATH
NICOLAS REMY
WIER’S REFUTATION, THE TIDE STARTS TO TURN SLOWLY
TOWARD SCIENCE AND REASON
SYMPATHY FOR THE WITCHES
WHY DID THE WITCH TRIALS HAPPEN?
CENSORSHIP OF BOOKS AND GRIMOIRES
THE BLUE LIBRARY AND THE BOOK PEDDLERS
THE PRINTING PRESS AND THE EXPLOSION OF BOOKS
ON THE IMAGES IN THE GERMAN EDITION
ON SIZE AND FEEL OF THE ORIGINAL BOOKS
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE RED DRAGON AND GRAND
GRIMOIRE
THE LINK WITH THE BLACK HEN, AND THE DESCRIPTION OF
THE DEVIL’S COAT OF ARMS
A BOOK BY THE SAME NAME THAT DENOUNCES THE ORIGINAL
THE MAGICAL REVIVAL, DEMONOLATRY, SATANISM, AND THE
SOLOMONIC MAGICIANS OF TODAY
THE AUTHORSHIP AND KEY THEMES OF THE RED DRAGON AND
GRAND GRIMOIRE
LANGUAGES IN THE GRAND GRIMOIRE
STRUCTURE OF THE GRIMOIRE
A NOTE ON PURITY AND PREPARATION FOR EVOCATION
ON THE BLOODSTONE
ON THE CLAVICULE
ON VERVAIN
ON THE HAZEL WAND
ON THE MAGIC CIRCLE
ON LUCIFUGE ROFOCALE - NAME, MEANING AND FORM
THE HIERARCHY OF DEMONS IN THE BOOK
ZARIATNATMIK
THE SANCTUM REGNUM AND ITS IMPORTANCE
WHAT N.N. MEANS, BECOMING SOLOMON
A NOTE ON HOW THE DEVILS ARE BOTH PRAISED AND REVILED
ON THE PRAYER FROM THE FALSE HIERARCHY OF DEMONS AND
ITS USEFULNESS
ON NECROMANCY AND THE GREAT SECRET OF TALKING WITH
THE DEAD
ON LUCKY AND UNLUCKY DAYS
 THE SPELLS AT THE END OF THE BOOK
IMAGES, SEALS AND RELATED ART
The Seal of LUCIFUGE ROFOCALE
The Seal of LUCIFER
The Seal of BELZEBUTH
The Seal of ASTAROTH
The Seal of SATANACHIA
The Seal of AGLIAREPT
The Seal of FLEURETY
The Seal of SARGATANAS
The Seal of NEBIROS
The Seal of BAEL
The Seal of AGARES
The Seal of MARBAS
The Seal of PRUSLAS
The Seal of AAMON
The Seal of BARBATOS
The Seal of BUER
The Seal of GUSOYN
The Seal of BOTIS
The Seal of BATHIM
The Seal of PURSON
The Seal of ABIGOR
The Seal of LORAY
The Seal of VALEFAR
The Seal of MARAX
The Seal of IPOS
The Seal of NABERUS
 The Seal of GLASYALABOLAS
THE RED DRAGON, Or The Grand Grimoire
PRELUDE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CENTUM REGNUM CHIAMTA DI LUCIFERO
BOOK TWO
THE HOLY KINGDOM
THE MAGICAL SECRET
FORTUNATE AND UNFORTUNATE DAYS
SECRETS OF THE MAGICAL ART OF THE GRAND GRIMOIRE
APPENDIX – The Red Dragon – A novel
THE RED DRAGON
THE REVEALING BUCKET & THE PRISON BOTTLES
THE HISTORY OF THE FAIRY MELUSINE
BEPPO THE BEWITCHED
INDEX
About the Authors

FIGURES
Figure 1: The Seal of LUCIFUGE
Figure 2: Lucifuge Rofocale, Grand Grimoire, Public Domain
Figure 3: The Seal of LUCIFER
Figure 4: Lucifer, Dictionnaire Infernale, Public Domain
Figure 5: The Seal of BELZEBUTH
Figure 6: Belzebub, Dictionnaire Infernale, Public Domain
Figure 7: The Seal of Astaroth
Figure 8: Astaroth, Dictionnaire Infernale, Public Domain
Figure 9: The seal of SATANACHIA
Figure 10: Image of Satanachia
Figure 11: The Seal of AGLIAREPT
Figure 12: Original Image of Agliarept
Figure 13: The Seal of FLEURETY
Figure 14: Fleurety, inspired by Boreas from Atalanta Fugiens
Figure 15: The Seal of SARGATANAS
Figure 16: La Lanterne, Sep 8, 1922, citing Sargatanas
Figure 17: Original image of Sargatanas
Figure 18: The Seal of NEBIROS
Figure 19: Original Image of Nebiros
Figure 20: The Seal of BAEL
Figure 21: Bael, Dictionnaire Infernale, Public Domain
Figure 22: The Seal of AGARES
Figure 23: Agares, Dictionnaire Infernale, Public Domain
Figure 24: Original Image of Marbas
Figure 25: The Seal of PRUSLAS
Figure 26: Original Image of Pruslas
Figure 27: The Seal of AAMON
Figure 28: Aamon, Dictionnaire Infernale, Public Domain
Figure 29: The Seal of Barbatos
Figure 30: Barbatos, Dictionnaire Infernale, Public Domain
Figure 31: The Seal of BUER
Figure 32: Buer, Dictionnaire Infernale, Public Domain
Figure 33: The Seal of GUSOYN
Figure 34: Image of Gusoyn (Public Domain)
Figure 35: The Seal of BOTIS
Figure 36: Original Image of Botis
Figure 37: The Seal of BATHIM
Figure 38: Original Image of Bathim
Figure 39: The Seal of PURSAN
Figure 40: Pursan, Dictionnaire Infernale, Public Domain
Figure 41: The Seal of ABIGOR
Figure 42: Abigor, Dictionnaire Infernale, Public Domain
Figure 43: The Seal of LORAY
Figure 44: Original Image of Loray
Figure 45: The Seal of VALEFAR
Figure 46: Original Image of Valefar
Figure 47: The Seal of MARAX
Figure 48: Original Image of Marax
Figure 49: The Seal of IPOS
Figure 50: Ipos, Dictionnaire Infernale, Public Domain
Figure 51: The Seal of NABERUS
Figure 52: Cereberus, Dictionnaire Infernale, Public Domain
Figure 53: The Seal of Glasyalabolas
Figure 54: Glasyalabolas, Dictionnaire Infernale, Public Domain
Figure 55: Images and seals of Lucifer, Beelzebub, and Astaroth,
From a German edition of the Grand Grimoire, the Public Domain
Figure 56: The Pact reputedly signed by Urbain Grandier and Lucifer,
Astaroth, and other demons, 1634, Public Domain
Figure 57: The Devil as a bull in the front of some editions of the
Red Dragon, Public Domain
Figure 58: Lucifuge Rofocale from an edition of the Grand Grimoire,
Public Domain
Figure 59: Lucifuge Rofocale's alleged signature, from Urbain
Grandier's pact, in some editions of the Grand Grimoire, Public
Domain
Figure 60: Lucifuge Rofocale, from an Italian edition of the Grand
Grimoire, Public Domain
Figure 61: Frontispiece of a French Edition of the Grand Grimoire,
Public Domain
Figure 62: Allium Victorialis, or the Herb of the Nine Shirts, Curtis'
Botanical Magazine, Vol 29-30, Public Domain
Figure 63: Verbena Officinalis, or vervain, Public Domain
Figure 64: The Grand Grimoire written backwards to show the
sinister nature of the work. In the front of some editions, Public
Domain
Figure 65: The Blasting Rod, from an edition of the Grand Grimoire,
Public Domain
Figure 66: The Triangle of Pacts from an edition of the Grand
Grimoire, Public Domain
Figure 67: Another view of the Triangle of Pacts from an edition of
the Grand Grimoire, Public Domain
Figure 68: The Signs and Characters of the Major Spirits of the
Grand Grimoire, Public Domain
Figure 69: Table of Fortunate & Unfortunate Days from an edition of
the Grand Grimoire, Public Domain
Figure 70: Necromantic Images, Grand Grimoire, Public Domain
FOREWORD
In the mid-1980s, as I was starting my Occult journey, I was
fascinated by the possibility that one could call upon Angels and
Demons. One of the very first texts I encountered on my path that
taught this most sacred art was The Grand Grimoire, a text that
asserts to have knowledge passed down from King Solomon himself.
This was very intriguing to me. I was raised with Hebrew and
Aramaic and read so much about King Solomon’s magical exploits in
various Rabbinic texts. I felt The Grand Grimoire would fill in the
gaps in my knowledge of this great King and his ability to control
demons to conform to his will and frankly, to my own will.
However, as I read through the texts available to me, I found the
content to be foreign and remote because of the inconsistent and
partial translations that were available. This posed a challenge for
me, which led me on a quest to learn more about this Grimoire and
others like it. However, no matter where I looked for accurate
information on it, I hit dead ends. Other books would reference it,
but I questioned the integrity of the translations being used. Being
multilingual myself, it was clear to me that the translations were not
consistent, and in some cases, they were incorrect. In time, I
resigned myself to the idea that I would never find a single
comprehensive text that would cover the Grand Grimoire clearly and
concisely.
Fast-word some three decades later.
When I heard that my friends, Aaman Lamba and Arundell
Overman, announced that they would take on the enormous task of
translating and interpreting the Grand Grimoire and that it would be
the most complete one to-date, I was initially skeptical, but also
intrigued. When I was presented with a review copy of the book, my
skepticism vanished. This book is replete with images and in-depth
explanations on all aspects of the text which I found incredibly
useful. Being a scholar of the Occult myself, I immediately saw the
value in the work presented in these pages.
The beauty of this translation is not only its accuracy, but also
that it is in a clear interlinear format. This provides the reader with
the opportunity to see the original text, side-by-side with the English
translation, something that does not exist in any other edition of this
text. This alone is an invaluable benefit to the reader. However, this
is not a mere translation of the text. It is also groundbreaking in its
scholarship. For centuries, certain items mentioned in the text were
a mystery. Aaman and Arundell were able to decipher them, which is
a historic achievement unto itself.
The book that you have in front of you is the result of painstaking
and meticulous research, something I appreciate and value highly in
a book. It is so well researched that I quoted it in my own work,
Beelzebub–A History. Aaman’s flawless translation of the original
languages into English and Arundell’s detailed contribution to the
editorial and historical aspects of the text work seamlessly together.
Due to the nature of The Grand Grimoire, accuracy should be of
the utmost importance to any Magician and Sorcerer who wishes to
delve into the secrets and powers of this text. You, the reader, can
rest assured that this is by far the most accurate rendition of this
text to-date.
I am confident that this book will be referenced for many years to
come. I know I will certainly refer to it time and time again as I
further my own research on the subject of Solomonic Magic.
Congratulations, Aaman and Arundell on this monumental work,
and thank you for asking me to write the foreword. I am truly
honored.
So Mote it Be,
Baal Kadmon
New York City, New York – Winter 2020
PREFACE
Magical texts and practice evolve continuously but rely on a common
substrate and community of practice, built over previous generations’
efforts. We are fortunate to live in a period that is seeing an
explosion of occult publishing, with significant advancements in
research, practical innovation, a wide spectrum of multi-cultural
texts, and a rediscovery of source materials that were lost in
translation, as it were, by past generations of authors.
The Grand Grimoire is one such foundational work of magic that
has had much bad press and ill repute. While it was considered the
most famous “black grimoire”, it has suffered from poor and
incomplete translations and a lack of understanding of the context in
which the book was written and published. It has been very
influential in magic and occult studies, with its focus on making
pacts with demons and infernal intelligences. It was often combined
with collections of magic spells and sold under various titles, from
the Red Dragon to the Black Pullet to the Grimoire of St. Cyprian. It
borrows from older grimoires such as the Key of Solomon and the
Ars Notoria. There is a close correlation with the Key of Solomon and
the spirits of the Grimorium Verum. While it claims to be written in
1521, the publication history indicates an origin in the 19th century,
during the explosion of the grimoire publication mania.
We identified the lack of a definitive translation of this important
work as a critical gap in occult studies and we worked closely to
parse through original manuscripts to arrive at the best possible
version. We felt the best way to present this would be as an
interlinear edition, or more precisely a parallel corpus, with the
French, Latin, Greek and English texts side by side. We identified
many interesting correlations to other grimoires, as well as the
original items referenced. The introduction goes into these topics
and the history of magic as an aid to interpreting the grimoire.
While many of the spirits have visual representations in the public
domain, we felt there was an opportunity to synthesize these and
develop new original images for some, along with the seals as an aid
to visualization & evocation of the spirits. Accomplished artists Ville
Vuorinen, Matti Sinkkonen, and Artem Grigoryev, and Gregory Koon
worked to develop these images and refine the seals for this book.
The seals of 17 of the subordinate spirits are drawn from the 1904
Mathers/Crowley edition of the Lesser Key of Solomon. The seal of
Pruslas was created by Gregory K. Koon and is in the public domain.
I found the original manuscript of a contemporaneous novel
called Le Dragon Rouge in the archives of the Bibliotheque
Nationale. I was enraptured by the characters & magical operations
described, as well as folk beliefs on topics such as werewolves,
mermaids & fairies. This novel was written in the spirit of the
scientific temper of the time and serves as an interesting
counterpoint to the grimoire. As so often with critical works, it helps
illustrate the magical & divinatory practices it intends to critique. The
complete translation has been included herein.
We are immensely grateful to the expert magicians &
practitioners who have kept the flame of spiritual & occult studies
burning through centuries of darkness, as well as the modern
community that grows apace, and claims space to build a third
perspective, synthesizing science, religion, folk beliefs and the role of
spirits in this more-than-human world.
Baal Kadmon, thank you for the kind words in your foreword, as
well as for your own rich scholarship and insights in your excellent
books.
Arundell, it’s been fun and exciting working on this with you.
Looking forward to more productive collaborations and scholarship.
I would like to thank my amazing artist and fellow occultist wife,
Deepti Lamba, for her creative and emotional support in this journey
through the realms, besides her tolerance of my individuality. We are
a sangha of two magical ronin, forging our own path to points
unknown.
Aaman Lamba
Virginia, January 2020
INTRODUCTION
Hello and welcome to the Grand Grimoire! A book written in the
nineteenth century, it teaches the reader how to invoke a demon,
known as Lucifuge Rofocale and make a pact with him. Not by
devoting yourself to him, but rather, by forcing him to obey you,
through the power of God, and the mighty Blasting Rod.
In this chapter, we will discuss the origin of the magic arts, the
laws against the practice of magic, the development of books used
to conjure demons, witchcraft and the inquisition in Europe, the key
themes of the Grand Grimoire itself, and finally, its method of
Invocation.

ORIGIN OF THE WORD GRIMOIRE

The word Grimoire may come from the Italian name Rimario,
meaning a collection of rhymes or verses from the Bible, or it may
come from the Latin term Grammaria, meaning a book in Latin, and
later, extending to all books on magic. A Frankish word, grīma,
meaning mask or sorcerer may also contribute to the term grimoire.
This root gives us the familiar ‘grimace’. The Scottish word ‘glamour’
popularized by Sir Walter Scott in The Lay of the Last Minstrel,
meant the usage of magical spells or ‘grammar’ for enchantment
and attraction.
In the magical sense, a grimoire was a collection of prayers,
invocations and spells, often personal to a practicing magician. The
term has developed a reputation as being specifically for the dark
arts and what is considered black magic, but occultists of varied
persuasions have read and used grimoires. Many claimed an ancient
heritage, dating back to King Solomon. They were influenced by a
variety of sources, from East to West. Initially passed around in
manuscripts in Latin, Italian, French, Greek and Hebrew, they gained
popularity in the Middle Ages. The grimoires were widespread
throughout Europe after the invention of the printing press in 1450,
and France was the country in which the most grimoires were
produced.

MAGIC IN THE ANCIENT WORLD, AND THE

GENERAL DEFINITION OF MAGIC
Let us begin with a definition of magic. In the Universal Dictionary of
Antoine Furetière, dating from 1690, the term "magic" is defined as
"a science through which one learns to do surprising and wonderful
things." Magic is the understanding of the divine forces of nature,
and the practical use of these for operations, such as divination, and
the casting of deceptive illusions. It is also the art of conjuring
demons, evoking the dead, using astrology, interpreting dreams, and
fortune telling etc. It can be used to harm men and women, or to
provide them with wealth, health or other benefits.
Witches, those who use magic, were thought to be able to control
the laws of nature, prolong the night, stop time, create storms, etc.
this is described by Lucan in the Pharsalia:
“They know the stones, the plants, and the powers
within them. They can silence anyone. Their great
knowledge gives them absolute power over all that
surrounds them. They create potions that can
make any man fall in love, even the most austere
or the most reclusive. Finally, witches often have a
connection with death and the deities of the
underworld. The practice of necromancy is very
common. It is a matter of bringing back to life a
corpse, which has in particular the power to
predict the future, but witches also have the power
to kill. To achieve their ends, they sometimes use
certain objects, such as a cauldron to prepare the
potions, a sickle to cut the herbs useful for the
preparation of the potions and ointments, or nails,
whose magic powers are said to immobilize
anyone. The figurines are also used according to
 the principle of analogy. Any action done on the
figurine is felt by the person it represents.”

THE PERCEIVED DIFFERENCE BETWEEN

MAGIC, SORCERY, WHITE AND BLACK MAGIC
Since ancient times, there has always been a distinction between
white magic and black magic, depending on whether one wishes to
do good or evil, or if the magic is harmful or not. White magic was
thought to be an art that causes good effects, through the help of
angels and positive spirits, and black magic an art of evil, causing
ruin and destruction, through the aid of demons.
It has been said the devil gives himself to the magician and the
sorcerer gives himself to the devil. The sorcerer is to the magician,
what the superstitious and the fanatic are to the truly religious man.
The magician has an art, a science he has learned to master, unlike
the sorcerer who is only a vulgar copycat and cannot attain the
sacred art. At least, this is what was believed. Yet, it should be kept
in mind that these definitions are not always easy to apply, if for no
other reason than the books of magic, including the one we are
presently studying, are filled with a mix of white and black magic.

ORIGIN OF MAGIC - GREECE, EGYPT, PERSIA

Magic first began with shamanism. The medicine man of each tribe
acted as an intermediary between the normal world and the spirit
world, and was consulted on matters of healing, dream
interpretation, and in all matters supernatural. Every known culture,
tribe, or race on earth has had a shaman. As civilization developed
into cities, the tribal shaman developed into the priestly class.

THE PERSIAN ORIGIN OF THE WORD

The word Magic comes from the Persian word Magush, which can be
translated as “Power, or “to be able.” The Magush were a tribe of the
Persians, a priestly class. So, the term did not originally carry any
negative meaning. They were one of the six tribes of Medes in
Babylon, according to Herodotus. They are also used to refer to both
the teaching of Zoroaster and the community that accepted his
teaching. Their function as priests included the interpretation of
dreams, making of sacrifices, the observation of astrological
phenomena, and the making of predictions from that observation.
The Gospel of Mathew refers to the μάγοι or magoi from the East,
familiar as the Three Wise Men. The Greeks began to refer to the
activity of the magos as mageia or magike, and Herodotus refers to
the magi as interpreters of omens and dreams
Other early terms relating to magic are defixio, meaning to make
immobile or freeze, and amuletum, the creation of amulets and
talismans. This kind of magic was believed to make people get sick,
fall in love, do actions contrary to their nature, go insane, or even
die.
In truth, the distinction between white magic and black magic can
become somewhat thin at times and depend on if the magician is
within the ordinary priestly class, or outside of it. Generally white
magic is used for good, and black magic for evil, but the definition of
good and evil differ from person to person, and it is not always easy
to apply a universal definition here.

ZOROASTER
Zoroaster is considered the first practitioner of magic. Pliny the Elder,
in his natural history, presents him as the inventor of magic in
Persia. However, he goes on to describe the mystery surrounding
this character: There might have been several Zoroaster. This is
probably because no one seems to be able to agree on his date of
birth, and many different stories are given for his origin. The Greek
mathematician Eudoxus and the Greek philosopher Aristotle place
his birth 6,000 years before Plato's death, while others like
Hermippus of Smyrna place him 5,000 years before the Trojan War,
much earlier in history.
 He was considered the first and the oldest of the magicians.
Sextus Sinensis recognized two enchanters of this name; the king
from Persia and author of natural magic; the other, King of the
Bactrians, and inventor of the black or diabolical magic. Justin said
Zoroaster ruled in Bactria long before the Trojan War, was the first
magician, and that he infected humans with the errors of magic.
According to legend, he began to train as a priest in his home
country at about 7 years of age and became one at 15. He traveled
for some time learning from other teachers, and at the age of 30
years old experienced a life changing vision. On the bank of a river,
during the spring festival, he saw a shining being, who revealed
itself as Vohu Manah (good purpose) and taught him about Ahura
Mazda (wise spirit) who was said to be the highest god. Ahura
Mazda is opposed to the Persian devil known as Angra Mainyu, also
known as Ahriman. It is believed that these concepts of an ultimate
good and evil were borrowed by and blended into Judaism, and
eventually Christianity, and Islam.

MAGIC IN EGYPT
Egypt is one of the countries in which the earliest traces of magic
have been found in the form of papyrus, wax figurines, and amulets.
Here, magic, religion and science were all one thing. Heka is the
divinity that represents magic power. It is symbolized by the Sceptre
HÉQA, a bent cane, or crook, a short wand with a hook on the end,
carried by the Pharaoh to show his divine magic power.
The Egyptian texts in the Greek language translate Heka as
"sacred Magic" and "sacred energy". Besides this god, the goddess
Isis, and the god Thoth were also related to magic. Isis was said to
have used magic to resurrect her husband Osiris after he had been
slain by the god Set, and Thoth was credited as the inventor of
writing and a god of magic. Many of the characteristics of the god
Thoth, shown with the head of an Ibis bird, and carrying a stylus, or
instrument for writing, were transferred to the Greek god Hermes,
and the Roman god Mercury. In 332 BC, Alexander the Great
conquered Egypt. This began a fertile period of cultural and religious
exchange, especially with magic.

GREEK WITCHCRAFT
Many gods and heroes of Greek mythology relate to magic. The
goddess who was most associated with this art though, is Hecate,
daughter of Astéria, the starry night. A goddess of the moon, along
with Selene and Artemis, she represents the new moon, a symbol of
death. She is both a beneficent goddess linked to fertility, wealth
and wisdom, but also the goddess of shadows and the dead, and the
mystery of the night. She is considered the goddess of magic and
witchcraft. Hecate is often invoked in ancient texts as a protector of
witches. She is an expert in changing shapes, metamorphosis, but
also in the composition of poisons and the handling of herbs.

THE FIRST LAWS REGULATING MAGIC IN THE

ANCIENT WORLD
With the increasing development of magical practices, it became
necessary to create laws to limit them. This was particularly the case
in Rome, where between 451 and 449 BC, the Decemviri, a group of
Roman lawmakers, enacted the law of the Twelve Tables, the first
written Roman law and the oldest document on Italian magic. Its
purpose was to sanction the magic practices that affect the health,
property and reputation of others. However, no documents
concerning it have been preserved, so its contents are only
accessible thanks to a reference made by the Latin author Seneca
who says: “The law of the Twelve Tables punishes those who, by
spells, destroy the crops of their neighbor.”
Moving forward in time several hundred years, the Codex
Theodosianus, by Theodosius II in Constantinople in 438, describes
the laws issued since the reign of Constantine I. There we find a
law dating from the year 321 that forbids evil magic that affects the
health and the reputation of others. However, Constantine
authorized magic used in medicine or to control meteorology, which
he considered to be of public value. Constantine II, in 356, forbade
magicians to seek the spirit of the dead or practice black magic.

MAGIC AND WITCHCRAFT IN THE BIBLE, THE

BATTLE BETWEEN MOSES AND THE WIZARDS
OF EGYPT
Witchcraft is mentioned in many different forms in the Christian
Bible, the earliest example being the wizard’s duel between Moses
and the magicians in the court of the Pharaoh. As he demands for
the release of the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt, he is
instructed by the Lord to use his magic rod to perform various
miracles. For each miracle he performs, the Egyptian magicians find
some way to duplicate it. Exodus chapter 8 tells us in verse 5
And the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, 'Stretch
out your hand with your staff over the rivers and
canals and ponds and cause the frogs to come up
onto the land of Egypt.” 6. So, Aaron stretched out
his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs
came up, and covered the land of Egypt. 7. But the
Egyptian magicians did the same by their magic
arts, and they also brought frogs up onto the land
of Egypt...
As the battle rages on, the magicians of pharaoh throw down
their magic wands, which become snakes. Moses then throws down
his magic rod, which also becomes a snake. The snake that was the
rod of Moses then swallows the snakes that were the magic wands
of the Egyptian magicians. Eventually, the battle is won, only by the
fact that the lord sends an angel of death, which slays the first-born
son of the Egyptian leader, and thus, he gives in, and allows the
Israelite group to leave Egypt.

THE WITCH OF ENDOR

Another famous story from the Bible concerning witchcraft is the
story of the witch of Endor. The story goes like this. The first king of
Israel, named Saul, was getting ready to go into a fierce battle with
a neighboring tribe of Philistines.
He had normally been used to receiving advice on such matters
from Samuel, the one-time prophet of Israel, who was now dead.
So, he decided he wanted to consult with Samuel anyway, and the
only way to do that was to get a witch to summon up the ghost of
the dead prophet.
He went to the witch, in disguise, but she figures out who he is,
after all, she is a witch, and she is also worried he might have her
put to death. She makes him promise that she won't be punished for
doing such an illegal act as calling up the spirit of a dead man, and
when he does, she proceeds to summon up the ghost of Samuel.
The king asks the ghost about his fortunes in the upcoming battle,
and unfortunately, the news is not good. The spirit predicts he will
die in the coming battle and he does, losing his head, along with his
son.

THOU SHALT NOT SUFFER A WITCH TO LIVE

Exodus 22 verse 18 states in the King James version of the Bible
that “thou shalt not suffer a witch to live,” and this verse sent many
witches to be burned at the stake or hanged, after all, the ultimate
law in the Christian world was the bible, until the age of reason.
The exclusion from Church activities and leadership, combined
with persecution, might have contributed to women adopting folk
magic practices, and developing a deeper engagement with the
forbidden arts, often enough through a greater familiarity with
herbs, potions and magical workings.

SOLOMON AND THE TEMPLE OF ASTARTE,

BELZEBUTH AS A PAGAN GOD, AND THE
TRANSLATION OF ALL PAGAN GODS INTO
DEVILS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
The most famous of all magicians in the bible, by far, was the
second king of Israel, Solomon. The legends of Solomon as a
magician spread far and wide and exist within Jewish, Christian, and
Islamic mythology. Solomon's reputation as a magician, like Moses,
would even be lent to add credibility to magic books written 2500
years after his death such as the Lesser Key of Solomon, the Goetia.
The various Keys of Solomon popular in the Middle Ages were
compendiums of spells and protective talismans dating back to
Biblical times. A book of demon incantations was popular in the first
century of the Common Era attributed to Solomon, according to the
historian Flavius Josephus, who described a Jew named Eleazar’s
feats at exorcism by applying a ring within the presence of the
Emperor Vespasian using this book.
“For I have seen a certain man of my own
countrey, whose name was Eleazar, releasing
people that were demoniacal in the presence of
Vespasian, and his sons, and his Captains, and the
whole multitude of his soldiers: the manner of
the cure was this: he put a ring that had a root of
one of those sorts mentioned by Solomon to the
nostrils of the demoniack: after which he drew out
the demon through his nostrils: and when the man
fell down immediately, he abjured him to return
into him no more: making still mention of
Solomon, and reciting the incantations which he
composed. And when Eleazar would persuade and
demonstrate to the spectators that he had such a
power, he set a little way off a cup or basin full of
water, and commanded the demon, as he went out
of the man, to overturn it; and thereby to let the
spectators know that he had left the man. And
when this was done, the skill and wisdom of
Solomon was shewed very manifestly. For which
reason it is, that all men may know the vastness of
 Solomon’s abilities, and how he was beloved of
God, and that the extraordinary virtues of every
kind with which this King was endowed, may not
be unknown to any people under the sun; for this
reason, I say, it is, that we have proceeded to
speak so largely of these matters.”
The Bible says that Solomon's heart was led away from Yahweh in
his later years by his foreign wives, and that they seduced him into
the worship of their gods. Therefore, Solomon built temples to
Astarte the “abomination” of the Sidonians, and to Chemosh. He
offered prayers at the benediction of the Temple in the form used by
the Canaanites, on bended knee with arms outstretched.
The Bible says he slept with his fathers, leaving his demise
ambiguous. He is reputed to have asked God to keep his demise
hidden from the demons so long as his works remained unfinished.
He thus remained kneeling on his staff in prayer while the demons
labored, until a reptile gnawed at the staff and he fell.
Solomon is even named as having been the author, way back in
time, of course, of the Grand Grimoire, the Red Dragon, of which
this present work is a study. The goddess Astarte becomes the
demon Astaroth, one of the three principal spirits of the book.
Belzebuth, as well, is often mentioned in the Bible, and in the old
testament is called “the god of Ekron.” By the New Testament, the
image of Belzebuth has shifted into that of a devil rather than a god,
as he is then called “the prince of demons.” So, it is for all pagan
gods, in the mythology of the new religion, they fell into hell and
became the devils.

THE FIRST BOOKS OF MAGIC

There have always been books or scrolls of some kind concerning
magic, since the dawn of time, and the invention of language.
Written on papyrus, or goatskin, or whatever else was available, in
whatever language was known to the writer. With the invention of
the printing press in 1450, however, the spread of magical books
took a distinctly different turn, as they could be mass produced.
Some of the first books to be printed, hot off the presses, were
instruction manuals of various types. Marcelin Berthelot, writes in his
encyclopedia that there "existed in the Middle Ages a whole
literature of recipes of chemistry, industry, medicine, magic, etc.”
Known as books of secrets, these “instruction manuals” became the
first grimoires and, as time went on, the content of some of them
shifted into darker and darker realms involving the devil, and his
demons.

THE LITTLE ALBERT AND A BRIEF MENTION

OF OTHER GRIMOIRES
Published for the first time in 1658 in Belgrade, “the wonderful
Secrets of the natural and Kabbalistic magic of the Petit Albert, or
the Little Albert, was said to be written by Albertus Magnus, just like
the Grand Albert, a previous book of recipes and magic formulas.
Combined editions of these books were also published from the
nineteenth century onward. They were the subject of several police
convictions, due to the “hand of glory,” a magical object said to aid
criminals, and were often banned. The content of the Little Albert
deals with love and profit, but also astrology and medicine, and it
also contains practical recipes for everyday life. About love, we find
chapters such as "for the reciprocal love between the sexes", "or "to
know whether a girl is chaste.”

THE PICATRIX, OR THE GHAYAT AL-HAKIM

Astrology was very popular during this time period. It consisted in
the casting of horoscopes and texts devoted to the meaning of the
stars in relation to human fate and destiny. One of the most well-
known works on astrology was the Picatrix, a Latin translation of a
compilation of Arabic magic titled the Ghâyat al-Hakîm.
This grimoire dates from the 11th century, but no manuscript
prior to the 14th century exists today, except for a 13th-century
fragment. It is made up of instructions for the use of astrological
images, incenses, prayers to planets, and magical compounds
created for various purposes such as love, or the destruction of one’s
enemies. Agrippa is said to have been exposed to the Picatrix in his
travels to Spain, and took much of the ideas, particularly the concept
of the Occult Philosophy.

GRIMOIRE OF HONORIUS
Some Grimoires, especially the earliest ones, deal with “natural
magic” and were not considered diabolical for the most part. The
further away from the invention of the printing press we get, the
more diabolical the nature of the grimoires become.
Many of the later grimoires deal with the devil and his court. The
devil is seen as a spirit to compel, to force to obey ones wishes, to
provide treasure, wealth, and the things that the devil and his
demons are thought to have control over. Since the grimoires were
written by the more wealthy and literate class of people, they were
usually developed in places of learning, whether that be the
university, or often, the church. One important example of a grimoire
that was believed to have been written by a Pope is the Grimoire of
Honorius.
The Grimoire of Honorius is believed to be the work of Honorius
the First, Pope from the years 625 to 638. It is said that he gathered
in Rome, the greatest magicians of his time. He was also convicted
as a heretic at the council of Constantinople in 680. Since this book
was widely possessed by nobles and clergymen one thousand years
later, it seems unlikely that it was written by Honorius the First, but
rather that it was written in his name, in a similar manner as books
claiming to be written by Solomon or Saint Cyprian.

THE GRIMORIUM VERUM

Another important Grimoire from this time period is the Grimorium
Verum, also called the True Grimoire. Its hierarchy of spirits is very
similar to the Grand Grimoire with the same three superior spirits of
Lucifer, Belzebuth, and Astarte, and six spirits directly under them.
It will be noted by the careful study of these two books that the
spirit Tarchimachae is in the same place in the hierarchy of the
Grimorium Verum as is occupied by Lucifuge Rofocale in the Grand
Grimoire and Red Dragon. Various editions of the Grand Grimoire,
and the Red Dragon have been published, and there are slight
differences between the two, but they are so close as to be almost
identical and are considered most of the time to be the same book.
 THE READERS OF THE GRAND GRIMOIRE,
LITERACY OF THE TIME PERIOD, SIMPLY
OWNING THE BOOK WAS CONSIDERED A
MARK OF POWER
At the beginning of the eighteenth century, about 95% of the French
population was illiterate, and a majority of 63% remained illiterate
up to the French Revolution. Therefore, it is complex to know how
the grimoires were used. Faced with the mass of these works
produced over the centuries, it seems impossible to think that they
could have been possessed and used only by a literate elite. Thus,
historians believe that, in the countryside, the physical book itself
was believed to have conferred to its possessor, power, for good or
evil. There was no need to read it, just having it on you could
protect you from your enemies. The book was in this way considered
a protective talisman.
Magic, religion, and superstition are often blended together in
strange ways. Superstition is perhaps more frequent in the
countryside, among the common folk, although who can say is the
difference between superstition and religion? At any rate, in 1854,
Victor Joly stated that there were 400,000 volumes of magic
circulating in rural populations. This number can't be verified, but
many copies of the various grimoires have been found in attics or
barns. The belief and practice of the common people was often
different than the official church doctrine, and it seems likely that
the grimoires and books of magic were, in a sense, underground
religious texts.
PAPAL MAGIC
The sixteenth-century Scottish mathematician John Napier counted
twenty-two popes practicing necromancy, among them Alexander VI,
Gregory VII and Boniface VIII, who were believed to have conspired
with Satan to satisfy their desire for power. On the outside though,
the church tried to ban the practice of magic and decrees would be
published, which marked the beginning of a great repression of it
through the power of the Inquisition.

POPE INNOCENT VIII OUTLAWS MAGIC

The church was always against the practice of magic, from antiquity
onward. At the synod of Laodicea, which took place between 343
and 381, clergymen were forbidden from practicing magic, as in the
Canon 36 it is written “that clerics of a higher or lesser degree were
neither sorcerers, nor magicians, nor mathematicians, nor
astrologers; That they do not produce so-called amulets that are
chains for their souls. Those who wear these so-called amulets must
be excommunicated.” Numerous other councils within the church
pronounced the same ruling.
During the pontificate of Pope Innocent VIII, in the fifteenth
century, witchcraft was officially compared to heresy, and declared to
go against the values of the church. From that point on, Papal bulls
and decrees continued to be written, to limit the expansion of the
occult sciences, and even to eradicate those who dared to employ
them. The Council of Orleans in 511, Auxerre in 578 and 583, Reims
in 630, the Council of Toledo in 694, on and on they go. The Canon
XIV, Indiculus Superstitionum et Paginarum, condemned
superstitions such as divination and spells, which were considered
pagan customs. In 743 the council of Leptines convened, which
banned the practices of magic and astrology. By the year 1234 the
first papal bull condemning witches came out. Penned by Gregory
IX, it precisely describes the Sabbath of the witches, and the cult of
the Devil.
In 1445, the provincial council of Rouen condemned superstitions
and devil worship, stating:

If there are people who have invoked the Demons,

& who are rightfully convinced that they did, we
want them to do public penance with a mitre on
their heads, for a mark of perpetual infamy. If they
 renounce their error, Bishop Diocesain may
reconcile them with God, but in case they remain
obstinately in their sin, if they are ecclesiastical,
they will be degraded, & remain in a prison
forever; If they are secular, they will be abandoned
to the secular justice, so that it may punish them.
As for the sorcerers & the other superstitious, The
Holy Council orders that they will fast a month in
prison for the first time, & that if they continue to
use superstitions, they shall be more severely
punished.
Around one hundred years later, the Council of Trent created the
Index Librorum Prohibitorum, a catalogue of forbidden books, which
included most of the grimoires. On November 1, 1578, Pope Sixtus
IV promulgated the papal bull Exigit sincerae Devotionis, which
allowed the Catholic monarchs to establish the Inquisition. On
January 5, 1586, Pope Sixtus V published the Bull Coeli et Terræ
which condemned the practice of magic, connecting it with the devil,
and forbidding all forms of astrology, geomancy, hydromancy,
pyromancy, palmistry and necromancy.

THE INQUISITION AND THE HAMMER OF THE

WITCHES
It was during this same period that demonology, a science that
studies the nature of demons, developed. It was aimed at making a
classification of the Demons, but also at knowing their history and
their attributes. This demonology was at the heart of the fifteenth
century debates on witches and sorcery, and many treaties were
printed.
The inquisitors, the main editors of demonology treatises,
attempted to represent the demonic society according to the
Christian model. Perhaps the most famous book of its kind, The
Malleus Maleficarum, meaning hammer of the witches, announced
that demons were determined to destroy the Christian religion, and
were aided by the witches. In the face of constantly growing
grimoire production, the church and the state put in place a violent
system of repression. The magic books were censored, and their
owners arrested.
A true witch hunt, the Inquisition, was established in the 13th
century during the pontificate of Gregory IX. Its goal was to fight all
forms of heresy, including witchcraft. The accused had to go before
an ecclesiastical court. The testimony of two individuals was enough
to convict an accused person.
The Papal Bull Ad Extirpanda promulgated by Innocent IV in 1252
legalized the use of torture to extort confessions. There were few
who openly praised the devil, the accused person usually admitted
to being guilty because they accepted the views of judges and public
opinion due to torture. The sentences were generally harsh: the
accused might lose their property, be sent to jail, or even sentenced
to death, often at the stake. Signs of shame were also used, such as
a yellow cross placed on the chest or on the back of accused
heretics. The Inquisition marked the beginning of a witch hunt that
continued for centuries.

FLYING AND THE JOURNEY TO THE SABBATH

As the inquisition wore on, the tales of witches and their doings
became more and more outrageous. Witches were said to have the
ability to fly to the sabbath, a meeting of witches and sorcerers, on
brooms, pitchforks, or sticks. They were said to have been able to
do this by means of a magic salve, which, when rubbed upon their
bodies, or on the broomstick, made them fly to the sabbath, where
they would meet with the devil and his demons and perform acts
such as dancing backwards, fornicating with demons, and cursing
the crops, livestock, and health of their neighbors.
The recipes for these magic potions still exist, and a careful
examination of their components reveal that they contained deadly
poisons such as Belladonna, Hemlock, or Datura, drugs such as
opium, or hallucinogens made from mushrooms, or the skin of
poisonous toads. It is certain that at least some people were
involved in the creation of and experimentation with such
substances, which were known as witch ointment, sabbath ointment,
fairy ointment, and even lycanthropic ointment. Smearing such an
ointment on the skin, with the right expectation and ritual setting,
might make a person believe they had traveled to the sabbath, or
become a werewolf.
Witches and sorcerers were also reputed to have recourse to
seven, or twenty-league boots or garters, by means of which they
could cross as many leagues in an hour. We see recipes for
preparing such garters and plasters in the Grand Grimoire’s
collection of spells.

NICOLAS REMY
Nicolas Rémy (1530-1612) was provost of Nancy from 1575 to 1591
and the Attorney General of the Duchy of Lorraine. He wrote a
treatise on demonology from his direct experience with witches. This
book was called the Daemonolatreiæ libri tres and was published in
1595. He boasted of having burned 900 sorcerers and witches in the
sixteen years he served at his post.
According to him, demons and sorcerers have a perfect
knowledge of nature, and of men, which allows them to use illusion,
but he did not believe they could turn into animals. It is hard for us
today to imagine the seriousness with which people treated this
subject at this time in history, almost 500 years ago. Imagine for a
moment a man who had sent 900 people to their deaths for the
crime of witchcraft. How many of them were completely innocent?
How many of them really did believe they were witches, and were
attempting to practice witchcraft?
It is logical to assume considering the magic books that did exist
at the time, that at least some people did attempt to carry out the
instructions contained in them, and caught in the act, lost their lives
for it.

WIER’S REFUTATION, THE TIDE STARTS TO

TURN SLOWLY TOWARD SCIENCE AND
REASON
One of the first men to speak against the hysteria of the witch hunts
was Johann Wier. A Dutch physician, he was a student of Henry
Cornelius Agrippa of Nettesheim, renowned magician and author of
the Three Books of Occult philosophy. In 1563, Johann Wier
published the book Praestigiis Daemonum et Incantationibus ac
Venificiius (On the Illusions of Demons & On Spells and Poisons)
which refutes, among other things, the ideas of the Malleus
Maleficarum and fights against the trials of witchcraft.
Johann Wier was committed to distinguishing the difference
between magicians, poisoners and witches. He criticizes the
magicians, whose purpose he says is to subdue the demons and
then control their nature, as well as the poisoners who use poisons
to kill. In contrast, he describes witches as victims of the devil who
do not deserve the death penalty but are rather to be cared for, as
they are not aware of their actions, and, are what might be termed
today, mentally ill.

SYMPATHY FOR THE WITCHES

Fredrich Spee von Langenfeld (1591-1635) also wrote against the
witch hunts. He was a prison chaplain where people accused of
witchcraft were held. Convinced of the innocence of the witches, in
1631 he wrote the Treatise Cautio Criminalis. Before writing, he
attended torture sessions and accompanied convicts to the gallows
or the pyre, to better understand the mechanics of the trials.
Concerning torture, he writes:

The tortures usually used are very violent and

cause terrible pain. The pain is so terrible that, in
 order to escape it, one does not fear to save
themselves even from death. There is therefore
great danger that those who are put to torture do
not confess to a crime they did not commit and
confess all that the inquisitors suggest to them,
even what they have premeditated to declare as
true, to deliver themselves from such torment.
He even goes so far as to advise the innocent to confess a crime
they did not commit to escape the inhumanity of torture. After the
publication of Spee's work, the persecutions died down somewhat,
and many other works denouncing the cruelty of the witch hunts
were published.

WHY DID THE WITCH TRIALS HAPPEN?

The witch hunt has been attributed to the Reformation, the Counter-
Reformation, the Inquisition, the wars of religion, the religious zeal
of the clergy, the birth of modern states, the development of
capitalism, the use of narcotics, hallucinogens present in mold on rye
bread, mutations of medical knowledge, social and cultural conflicts,
attempts to eradicate the last remnants of paganism, hatred of
women, etc.

The witch trials were in full force by 1480, this was only 30 years
after the invention of the printing press. The fires died down a bit,
and then flared up again ever larger between 1580 and 1639. The
witch trials spread through England, Germany, France, Switzerland,
Scotland, and even, for a short time, in the American colonies, such
as the famous witch trials of Salem, Mass. It has been estimated
that at least 100,000 people lost their lives as a result of the trials.
50,000 in Germany alone.
If we put these events in context with the history of the
grimoires, it is easy to see why many of them were destroyed during
this tormented time period. However, compared to the large number
of accused, few books of magic were discovered. This can be
explained partially by the fact that many of the accused were
innocent. Also, women were not usually the main owners of
grimoires, as they were not allowed to learn to read as often as
men, and more often women were accused of being witches than
men.

CENSORSHIP OF BOOKS AND GRIMOIRES

In the year 1515 Pope Leo X wrote the Papal bull, Inter
Solicitudines, which began the censorship of books. Before being
printed, each book had to be examined by the bishop of one’s area,
and if noncompliance was found, a person could be
excommunicated. By 1549, under Pope Paul III, this list of banned
books had grown to over 1000. All works without indication of
author, printer, date of publication etc., were immediately banned by
the church. The purpose of such a ban was to prevent the public
from reading books considered to be dangerous to faith or morals.
This repression also provoked the opposite effect, the censored
books were avidly searched for, and many people wanted to read
them. This created contraband literature. The church and the state,
having set up this censorship, caused the printers to create false
addresses, to not to be arrested and condemned to death. This
explains the difficulties in dating many of the grimoires and it is why
some editions of the Red Dragon are simply undated, and some
have false dates of printing in the frontispiece such as 1411, which
would have been even before the invention of the printing press.
THE BLUE LIBRARY AND THE BOOK PEDDLERS
One important part of the development of the Grand Grimoire and
the Red Dragon, was the Blue Library. Historians are of two minds
about where the term Blue Library came from. One idea is that the
term described the color of the paper, a blue gray, lower cost paper
used to pack sugar. Others say that the name comes from the
content of the books, and that the term blue was a slang term for
tale, or “fairy tale.” These books were hastily printed, and poorly
inked, and sometimes filled with illustrations that came from other
books, as the woodcuts used to make the illustrations were reused
to save costs. They were sold by peddlers, to the public, and spread
into the countryside.
Most of the books of the Blue Library had a pleasant character,
with the grimoires being the darker part of the collection. Among
these books are works detailing the lives of saints, reflections on
death, religious education, romance, chivalry, fairy tales, and even
practical almanacs and cooking guides. Historians have discovered
and cataloged over 1,200 different titles so far, and it is probable
that many were lost, or destroyed. These books were despised by
the elite class of society, and looked at as vulgar literature, for the
common folk,
Among the books of the blue library, we find the Grand Albert,
the Grimoire of Honorius, the Echiridion of Pope Leo, the Veritable
Key of Solomon, and the Grand Grimoire, from which the Red
Dragon was derived. The clergy condemned the books of the Blue
Library for having demonic content. It was blasphemy to read them,
or even to own one. In fact, we do find in these works some rather
dark secrets, such as the Hand of Glory. Thanks to this collection,
the contents of the grimoires, both of black magic and of white
magic, became accessible to all.

THE PRINTING PRESS AND THE EXPLOSION

OF BOOKS
In 1450, the printing press was invented by Johann Gutenberg, In
the fifty years that followed this invention, 40,000 different books
were printed. With these books, producers saw a demand among
the populace for classic knowledge, such as the Corpus Hermeticum
and the Grand Albert. Works which were believed to be heresy by
the Church. The Pope quickly stated that the printing press was a
satanic invention, used by the devil to spread heresy.
Indeed, if it were not for the printing press, there would have
been no Protestant Reformation, and we would probably never have
heard of Martin Luther, as it was the printing press that allowed the
Bible to be spread to the common people. As this was going on, so
were the witch trials, and the grimoires themselves were feared,
banned, and yet in demand. They were printed in many different
forms and editions, sometimes without a date of printing, or the
name of the printer, and in secret, and spread through all of Europe.

ON THE IMAGES IN THE GERMAN EDITION

Soon after its printing, the Red Dragon was translated into Italian
and German. Numerous editions were published, up to thirty-three
have been documented, twelve are in languages other than French,
or one third, which represents a strong proportion for a book rather
poorly edited. Most of these foreign editions are in German, which
can be explained by the importance given to magic in this country.
Germany was the place where the witch hunts were the most
violent. Many people accused of witchcraft were burned at the stake.
It was also the land of demonologists, such as Henrich Kramer
(Heinricus Institoris) and Jacob Sprenger, the authors of the Malleus
Malleficarum. Superstitions and belief in the existence of the devil
were well established. The additional images of the spirits of Lucifer,
Belzebuth, and Astaroth, can be found in the German edition of the
Grand Grimoire. These are the same three major spirits of the
Grimorium Verum.
ON SIZE AND FEEL OF THE ORIGINAL BOOKS
Originally, the Red Dragon was printed in a very small format. This
was for several reasons. During this time period, larger books were
more for scholarly use, and smaller books were more for personal
use. Among the copies we have that still exist today, the largest of
the original works had an 8-inch spine on the book. For a book
whose purpose it was to summon demons, it would be logical that it
should be made somewhat small, so that it could be held in one
hand as the ritual was taking place and the book was being used to
invoke the spirits. A small size would also be useful when it came to
hide the book from suspicious family members, or even the witch
hunters.
The cover of the Red Dragon had Lucifuge on it, in all his Satanic
glory. The letters of the title, the Red Dragon, a name for Satan, and
the letters being written in red, reinforced the lurid, exciting nature
of the work. This was probably aimed at both terrifying and
intriguing the reader. It is most likely that the image of Lucifuge had
some roots in the common depiction of the devil as half-man, half-
goat, which in turn developed from the classical image of the Greek
god Pan. As the early church grew, the god of forests, nature, lust
and revelry, became a ready symbol of the devil to the early
Christians. Easy to discredit and place blame on for his lust, in
comparison to their sterile depiction of Jesus. Yet Pan was not
unknown among the common people, and perhaps, despite his
devilishness, perhaps there was some association between the
image of Lucifuge, and the old god.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE RED DRAGON

AND GRAND GRIMOIRE
A word could be said here concerning the different editions of the
Red Dragon, and the Grand Grimoire. The earliest edition of the
Grand Grimoire can be dated back to 1750. Over the next hundred
years, the book was printed in dozens of cities across Europe, and in
many different forms. There is even a “Grand Grimoire of Saint
Cyprian.” Other editions combined the Red Dragon with another
grimoire, the Black Hen.
 The present edition is composed of texts from multiple public
domain manuscripts of the Grand Grimoire and the Red Dragon. The
oldest extant versions can be dated to 1821. The main portion of the
book stayed the same, with the invocation of Lucifuge and the
hierarchy of spirits being the central core of the book, but, the
frontispiece, and other details often changed. Sometimes the title of
the work was written backwards to show the sinister nature of the
work, and a little devilish looking mask image was placed at the start
of the book as well.
In some editions there was a false date, such as 1411. Some
editions had no illustrations, and some editions have borrowed
illustrations of the spirits that don't seem to go with the book at all.
Some show Lucifuge with two horns, some with three, and some
with four. A few have the devil pictured as a large, wicked looking
bull with the face of a man. The core of the books always stays the
same, with the French versions of the book bring the oldest, and the
German, Italian, and later Spanish versions of the book coming after
it and based on it. From what we see in the study of the books that
have survived, it is possible to theorize that, the Grand Grimoire
came first, and some editions of it were named the Red Dragon later.

THE LINK WITH THE BLACK HEN, AND THE

DESCRIPTION OF THE DEVIL’S COAT OF ARMS
The Red Dragon is often combined with another grimoire, the Black
Hen. Let’s take a moment here to study more precisely this book of
magic as well as the joint editions that have been produced.
The Black Hen, sometimes called the hen with the golden eggs, is a
grimoire whose first known edition dates from 1820. Its main subject
is how to make a pact with the devil, through the sacrifice of a black
hen. This is described in the Black Hen:

Take a black hen that has never laid eggs and no

rooster has approached; Go on a great road, in the
 place where two roads intersect; There, at
midnight, make a circle on the ground with a
magic wand made of cypress, put yourself in the
middle and split the body of the hen in two while
pronouncing these words three times: Eloïm,
Essaïm, Frugativi and Appelavi. Then turn your
face towards the east, kneel and say a prayer;
That done, you will make the great conjuration;
Then the spirit will appear to you. He will ask you
for your orders; You will give them as you deem
fit, for he will not refuse to obey you, and you will
be able to make yourself the richest, and
therefore, the happiest of all men.
Some variations of this ritual require digging a hole, spreading the
blood of the hen and burying it there. The words spoke are also
sometimes different. If the devil does not appear immediately, he
may appear nine days later. He is said to provide money in exchange
for the sacrifice, or another black hen who lays golden eggs.
Sometimes joint editions of the two grimoires were produced. The
frontispiece of these editions was something that we might call the
devil’s coat of arms. On it was shown a red dragon, the symbol of
the devil from the Biblical book of Revelations, with two demon
horns on his head. His tail is curled like a pig, which might be
intended to show greed, and thus by extension, wealth. Upon the
shield held by the dragon, is the black hen. This might also be a sly
reference to the French jester or fool, a popular figure in the French
court, and in the Tarot as the Fool.
 A BOOK BY THE SAME NAME THAT
DENOUNCES THE ORIGINAL
There is also a book which denounces the Red Dragon. It appears in
1866 and has 108 pages just like the original Red Dragon but is
critical of everything within it. The author mentioned on the title
page is Mr. Robville, but nothing else is known about him. The
frontispiece shows a magician, recognizable by his silly hat and long
dress. He carries in his right hand a magic wand. This was a popular
representation of the sorcerer at the time.
The book tells the story of Claude Michu, the son of a weak-
minded and gullible farmer, who thinks that he is the victim of a bad
fate because the whole village mocks him. At an evening soiree, the
Shepherd Simounen, a shady character and seller of talismans at
odd hours, tells the young boy about the legend of the black hole.
Claude decides to prove his courage, and find the black hole, which
was said to be guarded by demons. The shepherd Simounen, who
was described as someone "living on the credulity of the peasants,
who were filling his purse with handsome coins and making an
income through their foolishness," decides to trick the young boy. He
tells him about, a "Little book printed in Red," which he describes as
"a treasure of science, it's the sorcerer's bible, and inside are the
great conjurations that make the spirits obedient.”
There are many quotes from the Red Dragon, showing that the
author knew this grimoire perfectly, such as the fact that in the Red
Dragon, the treasure is said to be guarded by a demon. As the story
continues, Bernard Morand, the pharmacist of the village, discovers
what is going on, and steps in to educate young Claude. According
to Bernard, everything in the world is explained by natural laws and
magic does not exist. Bernard says to Claude:
“All the power of the sorcerer lies in the knowledge
of certain practices that will no longer seem
wonderful when the instruction of the thing is
 known. In the eyes of the vulgar, they seem to
operate wonders; They make the spirits speak,
they change the places of objects by only the
speaking of a magic word; It is after all, only
skillful conjurers or cunning knaves who misuse
their science by lending it a supernatural
character.”
Concerning the Red Dragon, the book used by the shepherd
Simounen, Bernard explains that:
“It is a sample of human silliness, a bunch of
absurdities, written a long time ago by a man
named Antonio Venitiana, who was not lacking in
pride and presumption.”
This shows once again that the author, knew the real Red Dragon
well. He describes Lucifuge Rofocale as a "red demon adorned with
three horns and mounted on goat's feet". Bernard Morand then
attempts to pass on some scientific knowledge, on electricity, to the
youths of the village, so that they are no longer victims of
superstition. The book closes with Simounen being sent to prison for
having killed a peasant with his potions.
The full text of the novel titled the Red Dragon by M. Robville has
been included at the end of the grimoire for reference. It illustrates
the social and scientific context in which the grimoires were being
published and received and is a good counterpoint to the ideas of
the Red Dragon. This book has never been translated before into
English. It is interesting to note that it contains excerpts from the
grimoire which are nearly identical to the original manuscript. It also
includes illustrations of other divinatory practices that were popular
in the day.
There are sections discussing local folk traditions such as
mermaids or water dragons, werewolves, and will-o-the-wisps. There
is also a medieval tale about a half fairy Queen, Melusine, who
reputedly built the French fortress of Lusignan. There are
disquisitions on the rise of the scientific temper that moved magical
work to the sidelines, and warnings about Spiritualism and false
magic practitioners.

THE MAGICAL REVIVAL, DEMONOLATRY,

SATANISM, AND THE SOLOMONIC MAGICIANS
OF TODAY
Finally, we come to the modern day. In 1888 the Hermetic Order of
the Golden Dawn was founded, and many of the magicians that
were members of that order, such as Aleister Crowley, Macgregor
Mathers, and A. E. Waite were influential in the publication of many
grimoires such as the Lesser Key of Solomon, the Book of the Sacred
Magic of Abramelin the Mage and the Grimoire of Armadel.
The Golden Dawn was an important influence on all the magic
and occultism that would come after it, and interest in and seeking
out the grimoires was a part of that magical revival. A. E. Waite was
perhaps the first to publish portions of the Grand Grimoire into
English, but he did not publish the full translation, as he strongly felt
that all such books were diabolical, and his interest was in holy
magic.
Nevertheless, knowledge of the Grand Grimoire and Lucifuge
Rofocale spread in English-speaking magic circles, and many
different mangled translations of it have spread around the internet.
It has even been featured in popular culture in movies like The
Warlock with the actor Julian Sands.
In modern times magicians tend to take one of two different
approaches for the work. In the first approach, they attempt to
follow the book exactly as it was written, step by step, even if that
involves finding hard to acquire items, such as a Hazel wand with a
forked tip, or a blood stone. There are many grimoires, including the
Grand Grimoire and the Red Dragon, that are said to be written by
Solomon, and the traditionalist magicians who practice the art as
closely as they can to the way it was written in the book are often
called “Solomonic” magicians.
The other school of magic that practices out of the grimoires is
generally termed Satanism, or Demonolatry, and their method is
basically to simply take the names, descriptions, images and sigils
from the grimoires and use them in rituals that praise the demons,
and approach them as friends and allies. This group of magicians do
not use the Hebrew names of God to threaten and bind the spirits,
but instead reveres and worships them as ancient gods, and cosmic
forces. Both groups use magic to affect change in the world using
demons, but the approach to the religious component in the
grimoires is different.

THE AUTHORSHIP AND KEY THEMES OF THE

RED DRAGON AND GRAND GRIMOIRE
Who wrote the Red Dragon? There is no way for us to be sure, but
in the title page, it is signed Antonio del Rabbia. Antonia being an
Italian name would seem to indicate that the author, if he existed,
was Italian. del Rabbia meaning the Rabbi, a spiritual leader in the
Jewish religion. Venitiana might mean, from Venice, or it might be a
surname. It is possible that there was a real Antonio, who did
compile the book, or it is also possible that this was simply used to
give authority to the work, as the common people might be more
inclined to trust a rabbi.
Some editions of the book are signed “Doctor J Karter” instead.
Once again it seems that the title of doctor might have been added
to give a kind of authority to the text. It is easier for a reader to
trust a doctor, or a rabbi. In either case, we know nothing more
about the author of the work, and it is likely that he compiled it from
earlier writings. As this book was written during the time when
people were tried, convicted, and killed for being witches, it is
unlikely the real author would be willing to place his name on the
work. Perhaps Antonio the Rabbi, or Doctor Karter, was a code
name, or had some meaning to the original creator that is now lost.
 There are also indications that this grimoire is part of, or perhaps
blends the Faustian tradition with the Solomonic grimoires. Multiple
themes such as the large dog guarding the treasure and the
daemonic pact are found in the Faustian grimoires, and the devil in
Doktor Faustus, Mephistopheles can be translated, in one way, as
Lucifuge, the arch-demon in the Grand Grimoire.

LANGUAGES IN THE GRAND GRIMOIRE

Although the Red Dragon is written mainly in French, Hebrew and
Greek terms are found in the text, as well as long passages in Latin
and Italian, such as the "promise of the Spirit" in the chapter of the
Sanctum Regnum. This added a mysterious and coded dimension to
the Grimoire, which had to be deciphered by the reader who wished
to make a pact with the devil. In fact, understanding of Latin and
Italian would be necessary to assimilate and follow the instructions
in the ritual of invocation.
In this interlinear edition, we have taken the time to translate every
word into English, and to produce the most complete version ever
printed.

STRUCTURE OF THE GRIMOIRE

The work is divided into two parts. In the first part, the precise
instructions for the creation of the Blasting Rod, and the evocation of
Lucifuge Rofocale are described. The would-be magician, referred to
as the Karcist is told to sacrifice a goat, and make its skin into a
magic circle, in which to stand during the conjuration of the demon.
In the second book, the author outlines a method whereby one may
go about the process, even if they don't have the means to sacrifice
a goat, make the magic circle or prepare the blasting rod.
Although the ritual structure is geared to invoke Lucifuge
Rofocale, the book mentions that any one of the spirits listed can be
invoked for the purpose of making a pact with it. No information is
given on the 18 spirits who are under the 9 superior spirits, perhaps
it was felt that these were well known demons and they would
already be known about by anyone who practiced the book, or
perhaps there was once more information on these 18 spirits within
the book, and at some time it was edited for reasons of size.

A NOTE ON PURITY AND PREPARATION FOR

EVOCATION
Éliphas Levi writes in his book The Dogma and Ritual of High Magic:
The purification of the mage must consist in
abstinence, in a vegetable and gentle diet, in the
deprivation of strong liqueurs, and in the
settlement of the hours of sleeping. This
preparation was indicated and represented in all
the cults by a time of penance and hardship.
Before beginning the ritual of summoning a demon, it is written in
the Red Dragon that the magician must be "armed with fearlessness,
prudence, wisdom and virtue." It is then added: “you will spend a
whole quarter of a moon without attending any company of women
or girls so as not to fall into impurity.” To put this plainly, before
calling up demons, you must not have sex for a week.
Many grimoires mention this purity requirement. This may have
been influenced to some degree by the monks and priests, the first
creators of medieval grimoires, who took a vow of chastity. This
condition also demonstrates that the grimoires were intended for a
male audience, since the sorcerer should not be associated with
women. A notable exception to this occurs in the Grimorium Verum
however, as that book gives a note on slightly different practices for
men and women. Perhaps in this instance if a woman were to
perform the ritual, she would have to avoid the company of men
during this preparation period.
The aspiring wizard also passes through a fast, or at least a meal
regulation. Indeed, it is noted in the Red Dragon: “You will begin
your quarter-moon, in the moment that the quarter begins,
promising to the great Adonay, who is the head of all spirits, to have
only two meals a day, or every twenty-four hours, which you will
take at noon or at midnight, or, if you like better, at seven o'clock in
the morning and at seven o'clock in the evening.” In the Christian
religion, fasting is equated with a penance in which the believer
atones for his sins and approaches God. From a magical perspective,
this along with all the other preparations can be seen from another
perspective, that of purification, and through it, the generation of
additional personal energy in preparation for the ritual.

ON THE BLOODSTONE
To get in touch with the devil, or Lucifuge Rofocale, or any other
spirit, it is necessary to make a sacrifice. Before that though, you
must protect yourself. The Grimoire thus advises the magician to buy
“a blood stone called ematille" that he must always carry with him to
prevent being tormented by the spirits.
It is probably a stone called a blood jasper or heliotrope. A green-
colored stone, it is veined with red and when put in water and
turned towards the sun, it gives the impression of being stained with
blood, hence its nickname of Blood Stone. Claude Lim, in his
Dictionary of Magic and Medicinal Stones, describes it in this
manner: it "gives the gift of prophecy, health, a long life, provides
praise and fame, draws out poisons, stops blood flowing, prevents
being deceived etc.”
Note the last line here, “it prevents being deceived.” This is
interesting considering it being used to conjure demons, and
especially in the fact that the magician is told to always carry the
stone with him . Claude Lim adds that “that the heliotrope gives its
possessor power over the demons provided a bat is engraved on it.”
This can be compared with the Grimorium Verum, where the sigils of
the demons are sometimes engraved onto an emerald.

ON THE CLAVICULE
The Grand Grimoire refers to a Clavicule often as the means to
access the power and majesty of Solomon’s powers, and by means
of which to command the spirits. This has often been literally
translated as ‘Collarbone’ or left untranslated.
While one could consider the collarbone as akin to the tantric
aghoris brandishing a human collarbone in their dark rites, this is a
minor blind, if one were to consider it thus. The Clavicule, from
Latin, gets its name from the Latin clavicula or little key, and this
clearly reveals that this is nothing but the grand conjuration of the
Key of Solomon. This is further confirmed by usage such as “C’est
par le moyen de la clavicule du grand roi Salomon” which means,
“This is by means of the Key of the Great King Solomon” and the
actual usage of the text of the grand conjuration in the Sanctum
Regnum chapter of the Grand Grimoire.

ON VERVAIN
The idea of purity is found in abstinence, the fasting, the Virgin Kid
goat, and with the use of vervain. This plant has purifying virtues
and was used to purify places and people before magic rituals. In
antiquity, it is said that some priests washed their altars with an
infusion of Vervain. The herb was said to have the power to cure all
diseases and destroy hexes. It is also a symbol of peace and good
luck. Tying a garland of this herb around the neck of the goat might
have been intended to show that the sorcerer comes in peace to
bargain with the evil spirits.
Vervain is a variety of the woody plant Verbena Officinalis, which
bears five-petalled flowers in a variety of colors and has been used
in herbal medicine and folk magic as a tonic. It is one of the 38
plants referenced in Bach flower remedies and in a popular essential
oil sold as Spanish vervain as well as the popular perfume oil of
lemon verbena, which is a different plant.
In ancient Egypt, it was referred to as the ‘tears of Isis’ the
goddess, and in Greece, ‘Hera’s tears’. Pliny the Elder cited it as
being offered on Jupiterian altars. It was considered a sacred herb
that was used to sweep the altars of Jupiter. Christian lore said it
was used to staunch Jesus’ wounds, giving it the name ‘herb of the
cross’. Cimaruta, the Italian folk charms used against stregeria or
witches, were imprinted with vervain flower images. Victorian
floriography gave it the attribution of love and sensibility, while
European folk healers considered it an ‘iron plant’, with names
referencing iron, such as the German Eisenkraut. To drive evil spirits
out of houses, holy water was sprinkled with sprigs of verbena in the
ritual of aspersion. Druids used it with a high degree of superstition,
picking the herb during the hot summer, but at the break of day,
before the sun rose. Some demonographers believed one must wear
a crown of verbena if one is to evoke evil spirits.

ON THE HAZEL WAND

Before being able to encounter these dark forces, it is necessary to
make the tools needed for the ritual. The mysterious wand, also
called a blasting rod, is essential. It can be described as a sort of
ultimate magic wand of the wizard, without which he could not
summon the spirits. Its length must be nineteen and a half inches
and have a forked tip.
The wood of the Hazel tree, also called Coudrier, is associated
with fertility because of the abundance of hazelnuts produced by the
tree. Divination wands, used by alchemists to find metals such as
gold, or treasures, were made from hazel wood. When the wand
approaches what you want to discover, it turns and bows. It is an
instrument that gives the one who uses it power. A wand of this type
is described in the spells and recipe section at the end of the book.
In the Red Dragon, the forked tip Hazel wand is described as the
greatest treasure of the light and said to make the spirits tremble. It
is said to be infused with the power of Samson, and other biblical
figures such as the angel that drove Adam and Eve from the garden
of Eden, as well as Jacob, Moses, and Emanuel.
The branch used for the future wand must be identified the day
before the invocation, however, it must not be touched. On the great
day of the operation, the sorcerer must go and cut it. It is written:
“you will strip it of its leaves and small branches, if it has any, with
the same blade of steel which was used to slit the victim, which is
still dyed with its blood, whereas you must be careful not to wipe the
said blade, starting to cut the wand when the sun begins to appear
on the horizon.”
The fact that it happens at dawn is symbolic and may also be
magical in the sense that its aim is to capture the energetic power of
the rising sun. Dawn marks the beginning and the birth of the day. It
is also associated with promise and hope. The dawn, “Aube” in
French, from the Latin "Alba." meaning white, is also a symbol of
purity, an essential theme throughout the whole book. It was
believed that one must be pure to encounter demons, or else they
risk becoming their slave, rather than commanding them.
Finally, the sorcerer must apply a magnetic lodestone to the two
tips of the wand, to magnetize them. The lodestone has long been
considered to have magical properties in popular folk beliefs. Being
magnetic, it is a symbol of invisible forces.

ON THE MAGIC CIRCLE

The summoning of Lucifuge Rofocale was considered very
dangerous, so the sorcerer must be careful and protect himself, not
knowing how the spirit will react to him. This protection includes the
drawing of a magic circle on the ground, called in the Red Dragon
the "great Kabbalistic Circle".
The person performing the ritual is called the Karcist or the
Operator. The number of people must always be odd, with either
one, or three persons present, never two. The Karcist is the only one
who has the right to hold the blasting wand and speak to the spirits,
even if the spirit addresses the other people present or threatens
them. The place chosen for the ritual is important: it must be
solitary, and hidden away from the world, to avoid being disturbed
during the evocation of the demon. Then,
“You start by forming a circle with the skin of the Kid, that you
will nail to the ground with four nails; You will then take your
Ématille stone and draw a triangle within the circle, as it is depicted,
starting from the side of the rising Sun; You will also draw with the
bloodstone the great A, the little E, the little A, and the J around the
edge of the circle, as well as the Holy Name of Jesus in the midst of
two crosses, so that the spirits cannot attack you from behind.”
A.E.A.J refers to the Holy Names “by Adonai, by Elohim, by Ariel,
by Jehovah”, used often throughout the Grand Grimoire. The
Grimoire performs its operations under these and other holy names
and is replete with Catholic prayers and benedictions to invoke the
spirits.
The four nails referred to were supposed to be drawn from the
coffin of a dead child. Nails are often used in magic, especially nails
taken from a coffin or the wood from the gallows, the structure from
which criminals were hanged. Having been in contact with the dead,
these were believed to contain a certain power, and were also often
used in necromancy.
The Sorcerer then traces a triangle using his Bloodstone. The
geometric shape of the triangle might have referred to the Holy
Trinity, the number of people advised to participate in the ritual, or it
may also refer to the three Chief spirits, Lucifer, Belzebuth, and
Astaroth. The JHS at the base of the triangle is an abbreviation of
the name of Jesus in Greek.
Thus, the sorcerer is placed under the protection of Christ, which
might seem odd for a book supposedly compiled from the writings of
King Solomon and is another indication of the context and usage of
these rituals in the educated, church-oriented circles. The Karcist
must then place two candlesticks with two verbena wreaths wrapped
around them, on the right and left of the triangle, then light the
candles. The candles must be virgin wax, blessed and made by a
virgin girl.
The ritual is like a religious ceremony, where God and the devil
are both invoked. The Karcist stands in the first small circle inside
the Triangle of Pacts and his two assistants in the other circles. Once
the Karcist and the other sorcerers are inside the circle, the Karcist
lights a fire in a new vase, filled with willow charcoal. In the fire, he
throws brandy, which would have to have been highly distilled and
thus flammable, incense, and camphor. Camphor is a waxy,
flammable, transparent solid with a strong aroma. It is found in the
wood of the camphor laurel. These last two elements are often used
in magical rituals. They are believed to purify the premises, while
creating a mysterious atmosphere for invocation. It is also noted
that the magician must not wear on his person metals such as iron,
but only gold or silver, and they must have ready a piece of this, to
throw to the demon that will appear.
In the course of the conjurations, we encounter Latin terms, such
as "Venite" (come) or "in Suddeno." (suddenly, immediately, or, in an
instant) This use of Latin gives religious authority to the ritual, but
also makes it more mysterious. If no spirit appears, the Karcist must
then plunge the metal coated tips of the blasting rod into the fire.
This would show that the wand should be held by the base, and not
the forked end, which would be the opposite of how the treasure
finding wands or divining rods were used. This opposite use of the
wand, like the reverse title, the words Grand Grimoire written
backwards, may have been to show that the work was sinister, or in
opposition to how these wands were normally used. In any case,
after the two points of the wand are thrust within the fire, obviously
not too deeply, or the wand would catch fire, the spirits will
immediately utter "appalling howls" and soon show themselves.

ON LUCIFUGE ROFOCALE - NAME, MEANING

AND FORM
Lucifuge Rofocale is, according to the grimoire, the Prime Minister of
the underworld. The very name is symbolic, since in Latin Lucifuge
comes the name "Lux", the light, and the verb "fugio", fleeing, thus
designating the one who flees the light, the opposite of the name
Lucifer, which means light bearer. The name Rofocale is the reverse
of the name Lucifer, Reficul, "Rofocale", symbolizing that he is the
opposite of Lucifer by his name and surname. The name Lucifuge is
first found in the eleventh-century, within Michael Psellus’ De
Operatione Daemonum, adding to the hierarchy of demons first
found in Iamblichus and the Neoplatonists.
he counted off six species of dæmons, and first he
mentioned Leliurium,23 speaking in his barbarous
vernacular tongue, a name which signifies
Igneous. This order of dæmons haunts the air
above us, for the entire genus has been expelled
from the regions adjacent to the moon, as a
profane thing with us would be expelled from a
temple, but the second occupies the air contiguous
to us, and is called by the proper name Aërial; the
third is the Earthly, the fourth the Aqueous and
Marine, the fifth the Subterranean, and the last the
Lucifugus, which can scarcely be considered
sentient beings. All these species of dæmons are
haters of God, and enemies of man, and they say,
that the Aqueous and Subterranean are worse
than the merely bad, but that the Lucifugus are
eminently malicious and mischievous, for these,
said he, not merely impair men's intellects, by
phantasies and illusions, but destroy them with the
same alacrity as we would the most savage wild
beast. The Aqueous suffocate in the water all that
approach them; the Subterranean and Lucifugus, if
they can only insinuate themselves into the lungs
of those they meet, seize and choke them,
rendering them epileptic and insane;
The Grand Grimoire takes pains to indicate that the operator must
not agree to the initial demands of Lucifuge Rofocale to surrender
himself to the spirit.
I cannot agree to your demands unless you agree
 to surrender yourself to me in twenty years, to do
with your body and soul as I please.
He must instead insist on keeping his soul inviolate and that the
spirit must accede to his demands in the names of the Most Holy.
Lucifuge Rofocale ends up obeying the Karcist so that he will no
longer be beaten by the blasting rod. The Karcist then states his
demands: The Spirit must appear to him, or to the one who will be
in possession of the Grimoire. In addition, the Karcist asks for the
location of the nearest treasure, in exchange for returning a gold
coin to Lucifuge, on the first day of every month. The demon, not
wishing to become a slave, accepts on one condition:
I cannot grant you what you ask of me under
these conditions or under any other, if you do not
give yourself to me in fifty years, to do with your
body and your soul what I like.
In an almost story-like fashion, the book explains that the will of
the devil is only to possess the sorcerer and to make him a slave. To
punish him for his rebellion, the Karcist then plunges the wand into
the fire to make the demon suffer, until he submits, which he does
finally end up doing. He then approves the pact and signs his true
signature to it. He also promises to deliver the treasure's location
under three conditions:
keep this secret always, that you are charitable
towards the poor, and that you grant me one piece
of gold or silver on the first day of every month, if
you miss this, you will be mine forever.
So, the pact with the devil is realized. He has approved it and is
subject to the sorcerer, to whom he must now obey without being
rebellious. However, should the wizard make the slightest error, the
demon will be there to take his body and soul.
Such pacts were commonplace in occult writings, from the first
century tale of Theophilus of Adana, who sold his soul to the devil to
retrieve his church offices and the more contemporary priest of
Loudon, Urbain Grandier, who neglected to hide his pacts with the
devil while ministering to the Ursuline nuns, leading him to be
burned at the stake. The pact of Urbain Grandier, autographed by
him in his own blood can be found in the Bibliotheque Nationale, and
appears to be drawn from the Grand Grimoire.
At the end of the ritual, the Karcist has everything he had
desired. Through God's help, the devil is under his command and
delivers access to a treasure, or whatever else the spirit might have
been called to deliver. The spirit is then returned to his kingdom.
Once the promise of the spirit is made, the Karcist follows him to
the treasure. The magician’s assistants must remain within the
triangle, within the magic circle. He is first blocked by a large dog, a
gnome, the elemental Earth spirit reputed to protect treasures. The
magician brandishes the blasting Rod and the gnome leads him to
the treasure.
When the magician arrives at the treasure, he must throw a sheet
of parchment over the treasure, on which is written the conjuration
of the Key, while taking a piece as a token of recognition and
throwing a coin of his own money, which he will have bitten before,
to the demon. The sorcerer must go back and forth to the treasure
without looking back, even if it seems as if "all the mountains of the
world will topple over on him."
Once the Karcist is back in the cabbalistic circle that protects him,
it is time for him to return the spirit to its normal abode, in hell or
wherever that may be, the latter having fulfilled his duty for the
moment. The spirit is also reminded to,

think about your commitment, because if you miss

it for a moment, you can be sure that I will strike
you forever with the lightning rod of the Great
Adonay, Eloïm, Ariel and Jehovam. Amen.
 The sorcerer then thanks the devil for what he did and allows him
to return home in peace. He warns the demon that he must
withdraw in silence, without doing any bad deeds or trying to rebel.
In the end, he reminds him of his commitment and threatens him
with the power of the blasting rod. Finally, he thanks God for helping
him to survive the ritual and bestowing his grace and blessings upon
him.

THE HIERARCHY OF DEMONS IN THE BOOK

The 18 subordinate spirits are all well-known and can be found in
the Lesser Key of Solomon and many other works. The Spirit Pruslas
is the one spirit among the 18 that is not listed in the Lesser Key,
and from what historians can tell, that is because he was missing
from the list given by Wierus, and the Lesser Key was developed
from that list of demons.
Pruslas is described as appearing with a flaming body, and the
head of an owl. It is said that his abode is outside the mythical
Tower of Babel, wherever that may be, and that he is the promoter
of strife, war, and conflict. He may not be admitted into some places.

ZARIATNATMIK
In one of the prayers of the Red Dragon, besides invoking various
powerful names of God and Emmanuel, the Sorcerer also calls on
Zariatnatmik, who can be found in the 1863 Dictionnaire Infernale
with the note “unknown person, but very powerful”.
This mysterious figure appears in H P Lovecraft’s horror novel The
Case of Charles Dexter Ward, wherein the title character attempts to
invoke demons using cabbalistic rituals inherited from his ancestor,
but, taken from Eliphas Levi’s Transcendental Magic, which in turn,
borrowed this character from the references in the Grand Grimoire.

THE SANCTUM REGNUM AND ITS

IMPORTANCE
The second part of the grimoire of the Red Dragon contains the
SANCTUM REGNUM, which can be translated as "Holy Kingdom" or
"Kingdom of God." There we find a hierarchy of spirits, as well as
how to make them appear and force them to obey.
These steps are useful for those who do not know how or fail to
make the blasting rod and the cabbalistic circle. The invocations of
this part are claimed to have been taken from the Great Key of King
Solomon. It is the second book that would probably have been used
more often, since it does not contain the goat sacrifice, yet, the
name is curious, since, the spirits within it are more what one would
call the unholy kingdom, the kingdom of the devil.

WHAT N.N. MEANS, BECOMING SOLOMON

In addition, the requests in mind are signed "NN” within the Red
Dragon. It may be the author's initials, but it is more likely to be the
initials of the terms "nomen nominandum", meaning that the person
reading the grimoire should be named, or write their own signature
there. The idea here was that the magician had taken the place of
Solomon, and could deal directly with the spirits, as Solomon did,
thus receiving the same benefits as Solomon, of wealth, wisdom,
power, the love of women, the destruction of enemies, etc.

A NOTE ON HOW THE DEVILS ARE BOTH

PRAISED AND REVILED
Once all the tools are prepared, with the Blasting Rod in hand, the
sorcerer can finally invoke the name of the spirit with which he
wants to make a pact. The example here is given with Lucifuge
Rofocale, but any of the 27 demons in the book could be invoked for
the purpose of making a pact with them.
We must first ask for the agreement of Lucifer since he is
Emperor of the underworld and directs all the demons. It is
interesting to note that the Three greatest spirits of Lucifer,
Belzebuth, and Astaroth are both praised and even asked for their
protection and blessing at this point in the book, and this seems to
contrast with the idea that these spirits are out to destroy the
magician. In any case, the idea of hierarchy is strong, with the idea
being that the higher spirits control the lower spirits as if they were
workmen or slaves.

ON THE PRAYER FROM THE FALSE HIERARCHY

OF DEMONS AND ITS USEFULNESS
The Latin prayer at the end of the Red Dragon is an entire ritual
within itself. We can trace it back to a document on demonology by
Wierus called the false hierarchy of demons, and it is also in the
book the discovery of Witchcraft by Reginald Scot. This fragment,
left in Latin in the original Red Dragon, dates to the 1500s and the
time of the King James Bible.
It mentions going three days without sex before invoking the
spirit, and is a one size fits all form of ritual for the use of invoking
any demon or spirit, and was probably even, at one time extended
to use for invoking ghosts or even fairies, as is evidenced in the
book, the Discovery of Witchcraft, where the fairy Sybilia and other
spirits are described. Since it was written in Latin, these instructions
would have been more cryptic to the ordinary person, but a priest
might have been able to read them, or employ that part of the book,
as many of the religious texts were in Latin, and that Language
would have been familiar to a priest.

ON NECROMANCY AND THE GREAT SECRET OF

TALKING WITH THE DEAD
Some editions of the Grand Grimoire came with an additional section
on Necromancy and conversing with the dead. While this is an age-
old practice with examples as far back as the episode in the
Odyssey, the Nekyia (νέκυια ἡ νέκυα), where Odysseus is advised to
‘make a journey of a very different kind, and find your way to the Halls of
Hades ... across the River of Ocean’. He makes a trench and pours a libation to
the dead, with milk, honey, wine and water, followed with barley meal and the
sacrifice of a black ram.

Then there gathered from out of Erebus the spirits

of those that are dead, brides, and unwedded
youths, and toil-worn old men, and tender
maidens with hearts yet new to sorrow, and many,
too, that had been wounded with bronze-tipped
spears, men slain in fight, wearing their blood-
stained armour. These came thronging in crowds
about the pit from every side, with a wondrous
cry; and pale fear seized me. Then I called to my
comrades and bade them flay and burn the sheep
that lay there slain with the pitiless bronze, and to
make prayer to the gods, to mighty Hades and
dread Persephone. And I myself drew my sharp
sword from beside my thigh and sat there and
would not suffer the powerless heads of the dead
to draw near to the blood until I had enquired of
Teiresias.
The necromantic rite in the Grand Grimoire is far simpler. It
involves attending the Midnight Christmas Mass at a Catholic church,
and when the Priest raises the Holy Host, the Sorcerer intones under
his breath the words “Arise ye dead and come to me.”
He then quickly leaves the church and goes to the nearby
cemetery, where he asks the Infernal Powers to release the dead
from their dark kingdoms so he might converse with them.
Infernal Powers, you who bring trouble into all the
universe, abandon your dark dwellings and go
beyond your abode by the River Styx
Then he scatters some graveyard dirt, ‘like one might cast grain
in a field before intoning
He who is only dust, rise from thy tomb, from thy
ashes, and answer the questions I will make of
 him in the name of the Father of all men
He then casts a cross of bones towards the nearby Church before
a period of contemplation. Finally, he lies on the ground, facing the
sky and begins to feel the shade’s presence. He can also invoke the
spirit to visible appearance for conversation before dismissing it.
Finally, the sorcerer leaves the graveyard after returning to the
first tomb and making the sign of the cross with his knife. He is
cautioned that
one must not omit a single point or slightest
circumstance of what is described herein, without
which we run the risk of becoming ourselves the
prey of all the denizens of Hell.
ON LUCKY AND UNLUCKY DAYS
At the end of the Red Dragon, between the text of the book, and the
section on spells and recipes, there is a table of lucky and unlucky
days.
It seems surprising to find such a table, in a book on how to
summon demons, but it was probably placed there to give the book
an extra selling value, among the common people, who were fond of
such almanac-style instructions. It even comes with a note, delivered
in all sincerity, about how these days were given by angels to Adam,
the first man.

THE SPELLS AT THE END OF THE BOOK

The recipes presented in this last section of the Grimoire are very
diverse, and have some similarities with the earlier grimoire, the
Little Albert. There are recipes related to black magic, such as the
"composition of death, or the Philosopher's Stone." It is hard to tell
what the “composition of death” even is, but it is definitely NOT the
Philosopher’s Stone. The Philosopher’s Stone was said to be an
alchemical creation, capable of giving eternal life, and for its part,
whatever the “composition of death” is, it is certainly a deadly
poison.
One love spell refers to Solomon’s true love, the Queen of Sheba,
here referred to as Sheva, and an unusual herb, literally translated
as ‘the herb of nine shirts’ that can be identified as the Alpine Leek
or Victory Onion (allium victorialis), and is a perennial of the
Amaryllis family. In German, this plant is called Siegwurz, or the Root
of Victory, and was worn as an amulet, ‘to be as a safeguard against
the attacks of certain impure spirits.’
Curtis’ Botanical Magazine notes about this herb,
Bulb within the loose outer netted coverings of a
deep purple colour, growing out into long thick
fleshy fistular stem-sheathing petioles, which
terminate in broad flattish elliptically-lanceolate
green blades, from four to fix inches long, from
half an inch to near two in breadth ; corolla of
dirty sub diaphanous white colour, sometimes
suffused with red; the whole plant, when bruised,
has a very rank scent of Garlic. Native of Spain,
Italy, France, Switzerland, and Germany. The root
was considered by the Bohemian miners, when
worn as an amulet, to be a safeguard against the
attacks of certain impure spirits, to which they
deemed themselves exposed; among them it was
surnamed Siegwurz (Root of Victory); hence
Victorialis. By the shepherds of other districts, it
has been used internally as a preservative against
the effects of fogs, and noxious exhalations; a
purpose to which every species of Garlic is more or
less adapted.
Many recipes include the sacrifice of an animal. "To make the
garter of seven leagues per hour," a young wolf should be
slaughtered, and then his skin cut into one-inch wide garters. But
this tool can lose its magic if a woman sees it or if its user crosses a
river without removing it.
A black cat, an animal associated with the devil and witches, is
employed to become invisible. According to the directions in the
spell, it is necessary to boil the cat for twenty-four hours and throw
its meat over the left shoulder, perhaps as if to feed the infernal
spirits often associated with this side. Finally, you must place the
cat's bones under your teeth, looking in a mirror, until you find the
right bone and no longer see yourself in the mirror. The sorcerer
must then say "Pater, in Manus Tuas Commendo spiritum meum.”
(Father into your hands, I give my spirit.)
Other unusual ingredients within the spells include human fat and
natural mummy. Ground up Egyptian mummies were a popular
medicine in Europe, including the bitumen in which they were
embalmed. This may come from Pliny the Elder who wrote that this
ingredient had healing powers. The spell here uses these ingredients
along with deer oil, laurel oil, wine and verbena leaves to prepare a
plaster that would make one ‘go like the wind’, requiring a dilution of
three drops of blood in white wine when stopping so as to not be
sick.
The last recipe, including only plants, concerns the "composition
of ink to write the pacts". Indeed, this ink is special and must be
changed in every contact with the devil or an infernal spirit. It is
composed of gallnuts, copper sulfate, rock alum and gum Arabic in
boiling river water in a fresh glazed clay pot.
The book closes with a heartfelt warning to the reader to be wise
and prudent like the Great Solomon, to be able to enjoy the wealth
one might generate through these methods. A salutary caution is
provided to, ‘be humane to your fellow-men, comfort the
unfortunate, live content.’
As a final note concerning the spells at the end of the book, we
would add that, as in the case of the second book of the Red
Dragon, which allows for an alternate method of calling the spirits,
without the sacrifice of a goat, it may be that some of these final
spells could be done without the use of a cat, or a wolf, etc..
Macgregor Mathers, head of the Golden Dawn, in his edition of the
Key of Solomon, discouraged the use of animal blood or body parts
in magic, feeling that the same effects could be achieved with the
use of substitutes such as consecrated ink. Many magicians in
modern times as well, have echoed these sentiments.
The Red Dragon also states that the spells in the final part of the
book can only be performed by one who has had success in calling
the spirits, and this should also be taken into consideration
concerning them. With these words, we wish you well.
 IMAGES, SEALS AND RELATED
ART
The following images, seals and related art are drawn from various
sources, including original art to represent some of the demons
mentioned in the Grand Grimoire.
The seals of the 9 superior spirits were drawn from original
editions of the Grand Grimoire and placed within the circles with
their names for the purpose of this book.
The seals of 17 of the subordinate spirits are drawn from the
1904 Mathers/Crowley edition of the Lesser Key of Solomon.
The seal of Pruslas was created by Gregory K. Koon and is in the
public domain.
The images of many of the spirits come from the 1863 edition of
the Dictionnaire Infernale, and the remaining pictures have been
created by the artists Ville Vuorinen, Matti Sinkkonen, and Artem
Grigoryev, except for Fleurety, which is from the private collection of
one of the authors.
 The Seal of LUCIFUGE ROFOCALE

Figure 1: The Seal of LUCIFUGE

LUCIFUGE ROFOCALE is the primary spirit in the Grand Grimoire. He

is the one with whom the pact is made and governs the Superior
and Subordinate spirits. He is the Infernal Prime Minister. He has the
power that LUCIFER grants him over all the wealth and all the
treasures of the world. He has under him BAEL, AGARES and
MARBAS, and thousands of demons or spirits who are his
subordinates.
Figure 2: Lucifuge Rofocale, Grand Grimoire, Public Domain
 The Seal of LUCIFER

Figure 3: The Seal of LUCIFER

The first conjuration in the Grand Grimoire is addressed to LUCIFER,

‘prince and master of the rebel angels.’ The second and third
conjurations are also addressed to LUCIFER, and he is praised as
‘One hundred kingdoms call unto Lucifer’. He makes the promise
cited in the Grand Grimoire and can thus be interchangeable with
LUCIFUGE ROFOCALE, although he is distinguished by citing
LUCIFUGE ROFOCALE as his Prime Minister. He describes himself
thus: “the powerful and supreme independent Emperor, free and
absolute master of all the subterranean kingdom, despotic Lord in all
my jurisdiction, formidable, terrible, very noble, who governs all
fortune, all sages, wise, sagacious, fortuitous and sublime bright
character. I am the dominator of Europe and all misfortunes of Asia
in particular.”
Figure 4: Lucifer, Dictionnaire Infernale, Public Domain
 The Seal of BELZEBUTH

Figure 5: The Seal of BELZEBUTH

BELZEBUTH, Beelzebub or Belzebub or Beelzebuth. Prince of

Demons, according to the scriptures; The first in power and in crime
after Satan. According to Milton, Supreme Leader of the Infernal
Empire, according to most demonographers, his name means Lord
of the Flies. He was the Demon most revered of the peoples of
Canaan, who sometimes represented him under the figure of a fly,
most often with the attributes of the sovereign power.
 We see in the Keys of Solomon, that Beelzebub sometimes
appears under monstrous forms like those of a huge calf or a goat
followed by a long tail; often, however, he shows under the figure of
a fly of an extreme size. When he is angry, one adds, he vomits
flames and howls like a wolf. Sometimes Astaroth appears at his
sides, in the guise of a donkey.
Figure 6: Belzebub, Dictionnaire Infernale, Public Domain
 The Seal of ASTAROTH

Figure 7: The Seal of ASTAROT

ASTAROT is one of the three ‘principal infernal spirits’ in the Grand

Grimoire. He is appealed to during the Conjurations, similar to the
Conjuration of the Greater Key of Solomon.
In the Dictionnaire Infernale, he has the figure of a very ugly
angel and shows himself straddling an infernal dragon; He holds in
his left hand a viper. Some magicians say that he presides over the
West, that he provides the friendship of the Great Lords, and that he
must be evoked on Wednesday. The Sidonians and the Philistines
adored him. He is said to be the great treasurer in Hell.
He knows the past and the future, and he would be happy to
answer questions on the most secret things. It is easy to cause him
to talk about the creation and the faults and fall of the Angels, about
which he knows the whole story. But in his conversations, he argues
that he was punished unjustly.
He teaches liberal arts in depth, and commands forty legions. He
who invokes this spirit must be careful to let himself be approached,
because of his unbearable stench. That is why it is prudent for the
magician to hold under his nostrils a magic ring, made of silver,
which is a protection against the evil odors of demons.
Astaroth has been referenced in several traditions. He is quoted
as one of the seven princes of hell who visited Faust, according to
the English tradition; He appears as a snake with a colorful tail like
changing bricks, two short feet, all yellow, white and yellowish belly,
reddish brown neck, and arrow points, like those of the hedgehog,
as long as the length of a finger.
Figure 8: Astaroth, Dictionnaire Infernale, Public Domain
 The Seal of SATANACHIA

Figure 9: The seal of SATANACHIA

SATANACHIA has the power to submit to himself all women and

make them do what he wishes. He commands a great spirit legion;
he has under him Pruslas, Aamon and Barbatos.
He also appears in the Grimorium Verum, directly under Lucifer,
as well as in the Grimoire of Pope Honorius.
Figure 10: Image of Satanachia
 The Seal of AGLIAREPT

Figure 11: The Seal of AGLIAREPT

AGLIAREPT has the power to discover the most hidden secrets, in all
the Courts and Governments of the world, he reveals the greatest
mysteries. He commands the second legion of spirits, he has under
him Guer, Gusoan and Botis.
In the Grimorium Verum, he reports directly to Lucifer, and in an
edition of the Veritable Key of Solomon, he approves ‘the great
Kabbalah of the Green Butterfly’ (le grande cabale dite du papillon
vert)

Figure 12: Original Image of Agliarept

 The Seal of FLEURETY

Figure 13: The Seal of FLEURETY

FLEURETY has the power to perform any task he wishes during the
night; he can also cause hail or raise a storm where he wishes. He
commands a very considerable corps of spirits, he has under him
Bathim, Pursan and Abigar.
Fleurety also appears in the Grimorium Verum as a subordinate of
Beelzebuth.
Figure 14: Fleurety, inspired by Boreas from Atalanta Fugiens
 The Seal of SARGATANAS

Figure 15: The Seal of SARGATANAS

SARGATANAS has the power to make one invisible, to transport one

anywhere, to open all locks, to grant one the power to see whatever
is happening inside homes, to teach all the tricks and subtleties of
the Shepherds. He controls several brigades of spirits. He has under
him Loray, Valefar and Farau
He is mentioned in the Grimorium Verum as subordinate to
Astaroth.
 Interestingly, in a newspaper article in September 1922, the
author compares a Senator who voted for peace accords with the
German Reich to the demon Sargatanas, showing the longevity and
popularity of this demonic figure in popular culture.
Figure 16: La Lanterne, Sep 8, 1922, citing Sargatanas

The highlighted text reads:

But it is still the famous agreement, which, from
him, will surprise the most. The friends, the allied
candidates, the senator’s newspapers from Aisne
have always considered as ‘defeatists of peace’
those who, for the purposes of the treaty, spoke of
an agreement with our debtor, and the members
of the League of Human Rights, in Aisne, were still
designated by a sharp and venomous index for
having applauded the manifestation of Buisson in
the Reichstag. Now the Senator Marquis has
just signed a pact with the demon
Sargatanas!
Figure 17: Original image of Sargatanas

The Seal of NEBIROS

Figure 18: The Seal of NEBIROS

NEBIROS in the Grand Grimoire is a Superior Spirit. He has the

power to harm whoever he pleases, he can reveal the Hand of Glory,
he educates on all the qualities of Metals, Minerals, Plants and all
pure & impure Animals.
He also grants the art of predicting the future, being one of the
greatest necromancers of all the infernal spirits. He can go anywhere
and inspect all the infernal militias. He has under him Ayperos,
Nuberus and Glasyabolas.
Figure 19: Original Image of Nebiros

The Seal of BAEL

Figure 20: The Seal of BAEL

BAEL is directly under LUCIFUGE in the Grand Grimoire.

In Weir’s Dictionnaire Infernale, followed by the Lesser Key of
Solomon, he is cited from the Grand Grimoire as leading sixty-six
legions and being the head of the infernal powers. Ruling the East,
he is said to appear with three heads – of a toad, a man, and a cat.
His voice is hoarse, but he fights very well. He makes those who
invoke him purposeful and cunning and teaches them the way to be
invisible if needed.
He may be the same as the Canaanite god Baal.

Figure 21: Bael, Dictionnaire Infernale, Public Domain

 The Seal of AGARES

Figure 22: The Seal of AGARES

AGARES is subordinate to LUCIFUGE in the Grand Grimoire.

The Dictionnaire Infernale terms him the Grand Duke of the East
in hell. He shows himself under the features of a Lord, riding a
crocodile, the hawk in hand. He brings back fugitives from the party
he protects and routs the enemy. He gives the dignities, teaches all
languages, and makes dance spirits of the earth. He is of the order
of virtues and has thirty-one legions.
Figure 23: Agares, Dictionnaire Infernale, Public Domain
 The Seal of MARBAS

MARBAS is the third Chief under LUCIFUGE in the Grand Grimoire.

In Weir’s Dictionnaire Infernale, he is termed the great president
of the underworld; he shows himself in the form of a furious lion.
When he is in the presence of an exorcist, he takes the human
figure and responds on hidden things. He sends diseases; he gives
the origins of the mechanical arts; he can change men into different
forms; he commands thirty-six legions.
Figure 24: Original Image of Marbas
 The Seal of PRUSLAS

Figure 25: The Seal of PRUSLAS

PRUFLAS or BUSAS, reports to SATANACHIA in the Grand Grimoire.

In the Dictionnaire Infernale, he is listed as a great prince and
Grand Duke of the Infernal Empire. He reigned in Babylon, though
he had the head of an owl. He excites discords, ignites wars &
quarrels, and reduces men to begging; he answers profusely all that
is asked of him, he has twenty-six legions under his orders.
Figure 26: Original Image of Pruslas
 The Seal of AAMON

Figure 27: The Seal of AAMON

AMON, or AAMON, reports to SATANACHIA in the Grand Grimoire.

He is a big and powerful Marquis of the Infernal Empire. He has
the figure of a wolf, with a serpent’s tail; He vomits flame when he
takes the human form, he has of man only the body; its head looks
like an owl and its beak shows very sharp teeth. He is the more solid
of the demon princes: He knows the past and the future, and
reconciles, whom he wants, friends or enemies. He commands forty
legions.

Figure 28: Aamon, Dictionnaire Infernale, Public Domain

 The Seal of BARBATOS

Figure 29: The Seal of Barbatos

BARBATOS is subordinate to SATANACHIA in the Grand Grimoire.

He is a great and powerful demon, Count-Duke in hell. He is
similar to Robin in the Woods (Robin Hood?). He shows himself as
an archer or a hunter. We meet him in the woods. Four kings sound
the horn in front of him. He teaches divination by the singing of
birds, the roar of the bulls, the barking dogs and shouting of various
animals.
 He knows the treasures buried by the magicians. He reconciles
scrambled friends. This demon, which was once in the order of
virtues of the heavens or that of the dominions, is reduced today to
command thirty Infernal legions. He knows the past and the future.

Figure 30: Barbatos, Dictionnaire Infernale, Public Domain

 The Seal of BUER

Figure 31: The Seal of BUER

BUER reports to AGLIAREPT in the Grand Grimoire.

He is a second-class demon, president in the underworld; He has
the shape of a star or a wheel with five branches and moves forward
rolling on himself. He teaches philosophy, logic and the virtues of
medicinal herbs. He boasts of giving good servants and giving health
to the sick. He commands fifty legions.
Figure 32: Buer, Dictionnaire Infernale, Public Domain
 The Seal of GUSOYN

Figure 33: The Seal of GUSOYN

GUSOYN is under AGLIAREPT in the Grand Grimoire

Gusoyn is a Grand Duke in hell. He appears in the form of a
camel. He answers questions about you, the past, the future, and
discovers hidden things. He increases dignities and confirms the
honors., He commands forty-five legions.
Figure 34: Image of Gusoyn (Public Domain)
 The Seal of BOTIS

Figure 35: The Seal of BOTIS

BOTIS reports to AGLIAREPT in the Grand Grimoire.

The Seventeenth Spirit (of the Lesser Key of Solomon) is Botis, a
Great President, and an Earl. He appears first in the form of an ugly
Viper, then at the command of the Magician he puts on a Human
shape with Great Teeth, and two Horns, carrying a bright and sharp
Sword in his hand. He tells all things Past, and to Come, and
reconciles Friends and Foes. He rules over 60 Legions of Spirits.
Figure 36: Original Image of Botis
 The Seal of BATHIM

Figure 37: The Seal of BATHIM

BATHIM or MARTHYM is subordinate to FLEURETY in the Grand

Grimoire
Bathim is a Duke of hell, tall and strong he has the appearance of
a man robust, and behind a snake tail. He rides a horse of a
whiteness livid and knows the virtues of herbs and precious stones.
He transports men from one country to another with an unbelievable
speed. Thirty legions obey him.
Figure 38: Original Image of Bathim
 The Seal of PURSON

Figure 39: The Seal of PURSAN

PURSON, PURSAN or CURSON reports to FLEURETY in the Grand

Grimoire.
He is a great king of hell. He appears in human form with a lion's
head; he is wearing a snake, always furious; he is mounted on a
bear and proceeded continually by the sound of the trumpet. He
knows the present, the past, the future, discovers buried things, like
treasures. If he takes the form of a man, he is aerial. He is the giver
of good familiar spirits. Twenty-two legions receive his orders

Figure 40: Pursan, Dictionnaire Infernale, Public Domain

 The Seal of ABIGOR

Figure 41: The Seal of ABIGOR

ABIGOR, or ELIGOS is subordinate to FLEURETY in the Grand

Grimoire.
In the Dictionnaire Infernale, he is described as a demon of a
superior order, grand duke in the infernal monarchy. Sixty legions
march under his orders. He appears as the figure of a handsome
horseman carrying the lance, the standard, or the scepter; he
responds skillfully on everything related to the secrets of war, knows
the future, and teaches to the chiefs the means to have themselves
loved by the soldiers

Figure 42: Abigor, Dictionnaire Infernale, Public Domain

 The Seal of LORAY

Figure 43: The Seal of LORAY

LORAY, ORAY or LERAIE is subordinate to SARGATANAS.

In the Dictionnaire Infernale, he is described as a great Marquis
of Hell, who appears in the form of a superb archer carrying "a bow
and arrows; he leads the fighting, causes major wounds by the
archers, throws deadly javelins. Thirty legions recognize him as the
dominating sovereign.
Figure 44: Original Image of Loray
 The Seal of VALEFAR

Figure 45: The Seal of VALEFAR

VALEFAR, VALAFAK, or MALAFAR is subordinate to SARGATANAS in

the Grand Grimoire.
In the Dictionnaire Infernale, he is described as a big and
powerful Duke of the Imperial Empire. He appears in the shape of
an angel, sometimes in that of a lion with the head and legs of a
goose and a hare’s tail. He knows the past and the future, gives
genius and daring to men, and commands thirty-six legions.
Figure 46: Original Image of Valefar
 The Seal of MARAX

Figure 47: The Seal of MARAX

FARAU, FORAI or MARAX is subordinate to SARGATANAS in the

Grand Grimoire.
In the Dictionnaire Infernale, he is described as Captain, count
and president of several infernal bands; he is seen in the form of a
bull. When he takes the human figure, he instructs man in
astronomy and in all liberal arts, He is the prince of familiar spirits
who are gentle and wise. He has under his orders thirty-six legions.
Figure 48: Original Image of Marax
 The Seal of IPOS

Figure 49: The Seal of IPOS

IPOS, IPES, or AYPEROS is subordinate to SARGATANAS in the Grand

Grimoire.
In the Dictionnaire Infernale, he is described as Prince and count
of hell, he appears in the form of an angel, sometimes under that of
a lion, with the head and the legs of a goose and the tail of an hare,
which is a bit short; he knows the past and future, gives genius and
daring to men, and commands thirty-six legions.
Figure 50: Ipos, Dictionnaire Infernale, Public Domain
 The Seal of NABERUS

Figure 51: The Seal of NABERUS

NABERUS, perhaps representing Cerberus is subordinate to NEBIROS

in the Grand Grimoire. While the names are similar, these are very
different spirits.
In the Dictionnaire Infernale, he is described as Marshal-de-camp
and Inspector General of the Armies.
He shows himself as a raven. his voice is hoarse, he gives
eloquence, kindness, and teaches the liberal arts. He helps find the
hand of glory; it indicates the qualities of metals, plants and all pure
and impure animals. One of the leaders of the necromancers, he
predicts the future. He commands nineteen legions.
In the Grimorium Verum, he rules over Hael and Surgulath.

Figure 52: Cereberus, Dictionnaire Infernale, Public Domain

 The Seal of GLASYALABOLAS

Figure 53: The Seal of Glasyalabolas

GLASYALABOLAS, CAACIUNOLAAS, also named Caasstmolar. and

Glassialabolas is subordinate to NEBIROS in the Grand Grimoire. The
Grimoire calls him Classyalabolas, and makes him just a sort of
sergeant, sometimes the mount of Nebiros or Naberus.
In the Dictionnaire Infernale, he is described as the grand
president of hell. He is in the form of a dog, and he has the gait,
with wings of a griffin. He gives the knowledge of the liberal arts
and, by a strange contrast, inspires homicides. It is said that he
predicts well the future. This demon makes the man invisible and
commands thirty-six legions.

Figure 54: Glasyalabolas, Dictionnaire Infernale, Public Domain

Figure 55: Images and seals of Lucifer, Beelzebub, and Astaroth, From a German edition of
the Grand Grimoire, the Public Domain
Figure 56: The Pact reputedly signed by Urbain Grandier and Lucifer, Astaroth, and other
demons, 1634, Public Domain
Figure 57: The Devil as a bull in the front of some editions of the Red Dragon, Public
Domain
Figure 58: Lucifuge Rofocale from an edition of the Grand Grimoire, Public Domain

Figure 59: Lucifuge Rofocale's alleged signature, from Urbain Grandier's pact, in some
editions of the Grand Grimoire, Public Domain
Figure 60: Lucifuge Rofocale, from an Italian edition of the Grand Grimoire, Public Domain
Figure 61: Frontispiece of a French Edition of the Grand Grimoire, Public Domain
Figure 62: Allium Victorialis, or the Herb of the Nine Shirts, Curtis' Botanical Magazine, Vol
29-30, Public Domain
Figure 63: Verbena Officinalis, or vervain, Public Domain

Figure 64: The Grand Grimoire written backwards to show the sinister nature of the work.
In the front of some editions, Public Domain
Figure 65: The Blasting Rod, from an edition of the Grand Grimoire, Public Domain
Figure 66: The Triangle of Pacts from an edition of the Grand Grimoire, Public Domain
Figure 67: Another view of the Triangle of Pacts from an edition of the Grand Grimoire,
Public Domain
Figure 68: The Signs and Characters of the Major Spirits of the Grand Grimoire, Public
Domain
Figure 69: Table of Fortunate & Unfortunate Days from an edition of the Grand Grimoire,
Public Domain
Figure 70: Necromantic Images, Grand Grimoire, Public Domain
Note the alchemical nature of these images.
THE INTER-LINEAR TEXT OF
THE GRAND GRIMOIRE
 LE DRAGON THE RED
ROUGE, Ou Le DRAGON, Or
The Grand
Grand Grimoire
Grimoire
OU L’ART DE OR THE ART OF
COMMANDER LES CONTROLLING
ESPRITS CELESTES, CELESTIAL, AERIAL,
AERIENS, TERRESTRES, TERRESTRIAL, AND
INFERNAUX INFERNAL SPIRITS
AVEC LE VRAI SECRET De faire With the TRUE SECRET of
parler les morts, de gagner speaking with the dead,
toutes les fois qu’on met aux winning the lottery every time,
loteries, de découvrir les discovering hidden treasure,
Trésors cachés, etc., etc. etc., etc.
 PRELUDE PRELUDE
L’homme qui gémit sous le The man who groans under the
poids accablant des préjugés de overwhelming weight of
la présomption, aura peine à se prejudice & presumption will
persuader qu’il m’ait été scarcely convince himself that I
possible de renfermer dans un have been able to contain in
si petit recueil l’essence de plus this little compendium the
de vingt volumes, qui par leurs essence of more than twenty
dits, redits et ambiguïtés, volumes, which by their
rendaient l’accès des opérations expressions and ambiguities,
philosophiques presque make philosophical operations
impraticable : mais que hardly possible : but the
l’incrédule et le prévenu se disbeliever and cautious person
donnent la peine de suivre pas who takes the pains to follow
à pas la route que je leur trace, step by step the route that I
et ils verront la vérité bannir de guide them on will see for
leur esprit la crainte que peut themselves the true banishing
avoir occasionné un tas d’essais from their spirit of the
sans fruits, étant faits hors de occasional fear one might have
saison, ou sur indices from a series of efforts
imparfaits. attempted through trial and
error, be done out of season, or
imperfect circumstances.
C’est encore en vain qu’on One can perform these
croit qu’il n’est pas possible de operations and still be true to
faire de semblables opérations one’s conscience, the evidence
sans engager sa conscience, il of which is visible by a glimpse
ne faut pour être convaincu du at the life of St. Cyprian.
contraire, que jeter un clin d’œil
sur la vie de Saint Cyprien.
J’ose me flatter que les I might dare flatter myself
savants attachés aux mystères by noting that the scholars of
de la science divine, surnommé the mysteries of the Divine
occulte, regarderont ce livre Science called Occultism will
comme le plus précieux trésor consider this book one of the
de l’univers. most precious treasures of the
universe.
 CHAPITRE I CHAPTER ONE
Ce grand livre est si rare, si This great book is so rare and
recherché dans nos contrées, sought after that one might, as
que pour sa rareté on peut the Rabbis say, call this the
appeler, d’après les rabbins, le Great Work. It is they who have
véritable Grand Œuvre, et c’est left us the precious original of
eux qui nous ont laissé ce which so many charlatans make
précieux original que tant de useless forgeries, wanting to
charlatans ont voulu contrefaire imitate the truth, which they
inutilement en voulant imiter le have never discovered, and
véritable, qu’ils n’ont jamais which they lack the capacity to
trouvé, pour pouvoir attraper grasp, while trying to grab the
de l’argent des simples qui money of the common people,
s’adressent au premier venu who approach them without
sans rechercher la véritable searching for the true source.
source.
On a copié celui-ci d’après This book is based on the
les véritables écrits du grand roi true writings of the great King
Salomon, que l’on a trouvés, Solomon that were discovered
par un pur effet du hasard, ce by chance efforts. The great
grand roi ayant passé tous les king spent his lifetime
jours de sa vie dans les searching for the hardest, most
recherches les plus pénibles et obscure and unexpected
dans les secrets les plus secrets; but he finally
obscurs et les plus inespérés ; succeeded in all his enterprises,
mais enfin il a réussi dans commanding and forcing
toutes ses entreprises, et il est obedience from even the most
venu à bout de pénétrer secluded spirits by the power of
jusqu'à la demeure la plus his Talisman or Key.
reculée des esprits, qu’il a tous
fixés et forcés de lui obéir, par
la puissance de son Talisman
ou Clavicule.
Car quel autre homme que What other man would have
ce puissant génie aurait eu la the powerful spirit and audacity
hardiesse de mettre au jour les to express the devastating
foudroyantes paroles dont Dieu words which serve God for
se servit pour consterner et commanding obedience and
faire obéir les esprits rebelles, à dismay from the rebellious
sa première volonté ; ayant spirits, by the force of his will,
pénétré jusqu’aux voûtes penetrating unto the vaulted
célestes pour approfondir les ceilings of heaven by examining
secrets et les puissantes the secrets and powerful words
paroles qui font toute la force that express the force of a
d’un Dieu terrible et terrible and honorable God?
respectable.
Il a ce grand roi, pris It is this great king, who has
l’essence de ces réservés captured the most guarded
secrets, dont s’est servi la secrets, that serve the grand
grande divinité, puisqu’il nous a divinity, since it reveals the
découvert les influences des influence of the stars, the
astres, la constellation des position of the planets, and the
planètes, et la manière de faire means to manifest all types of
paraitre toutes sortes d’esprits, spirits, by reciting the great
en récitant les grandes names that you will find later in
appellations que vous trouverez this book, those which
ci-après dans ce livre, de même constitute the commanding &
que la véritable composition de powerful Blasting Rod, and the
la Verge Foudroyante, et les effects that make the spirits
effets qui font trembler les tremble, and which God served
esprits, et dont Dieu s’est servi to arm the angels who chased
pour armer son ange qui Adam & Eve from the earthly
chassa Adam et Eve du paradis paradise, and struck the rebel
terrestre, et de laquelle Dieu angels, thrown by their pride
frappa les anges rebelles, into the dreadful Abyss. The
précipitant leurs orgueils dans strength of this Rod forms
les Abymes les plus clouds, disperses tempests,
épouvantables, par la force de powerful thunderstorms,
cette Verge qui forme des hurricanes, and makes them fall
nuées, qui disperse et brise les on any part of the earth
tempêtes, les orages, les
ouragans, et les fait tomber sur
quelle partie de la terre que
vous voulez.
Voici donc ci-après, les These are therefore the true
véritables paroles sorties de sa words expressed by him that I
bouche que j’ai suivies de point have followed step by step, and
en point, et dont j’ai eu tout with which I have complete
l’agrément de toute la agreement and satisfaction,
satisfaction possible, puisque having had the good fortune to
j’ai eu le bonheur de réussir experience success in my
dans mes entreprises. endeavors.
Signé (Signed)
Antonio Venitiana del Rabina Antonio Venitiana del Rabina
 CHAPITRE II CHAPTER TWO
Oh HOMMES ! faibles mortels! Oh men! Feeble mortals!
tremblez de votre témérité, Tremble in your rashness when
lorsque vous pensez you blindly think of possessing
aveuglément de posséder une such a profound science.
science assez profonde
Apportez votre esprit au-delà You must direct your spirit
de votre sphère, et apprenez de beyond this realm and learn
ma part qu’avant de rien from me before undertaking
entreprendre, il faut être anything to be firm and
fermes et inébranlables, et très steadfast. Be very attentive and
attentif à observer exactement observe rigorously all that I say,
de point en point tout ce que je point by point, otherwise
vous dis, sans quoi tout everything will turn against
tournera à votre désavantage, you, you will suffer confusion
confusion et perte totale; et si and total loss; yet if you follow
au contraire vous observez precisely what I tell you, you
exactement ce que je vous dis, will rise out of your
vous sortirez de votre bassesse wretchedness and your poverty,
et de votre indigence, ayant achieving victory in all your
pleine victoire dans toutes vos endeavors.
entreprises.
Armez-vous donc Fortify yourself therefore
d'intrépidité, de prudence, de with a dauntless character,
sagesse et de vertu pour prudence, wisdom and the
pouvoir entreprendre ce grand virtue to undertake this grand
et immense ouvrage, dans and immense work, in which I
lequel j'ai passé soixante-sept have spent sixty-seven years,
ans travaillant jours et nuits, working day and night, to
pour arriver à la réussite de ce arrive at a successful goal. One
grand but ; il faut donc faire must therefore do precisely
exactement tout ce qui est everything that is indicated
indiqué ci-après. hereafter.
PRIMO. FIRST,
Vous passerez un quart de lune You must spend a week without
entier, sans fréquenter aucune socializing with either women
compagnie de femmes ni de or girls, to avoid any moral
filles afin de ne pas tomber corruption.
dans l’impureté.

Ensuite vous commencerez Then, you must begin a

votre quart de lune dans le week in the period dedicated to
moment que le quartier the great Adonai, who is the
commencera promettant au chief of the spirits, by having
grand Adonay, qui est le chef no more than two meals a day,
de tous les Esprits, de ne faire at noon and midnight, or if you
que deux repas par jour, ou prefer, at seven in the morning
toutes les vingt-quatre heure and in the evening, offering the
dudit quart de lune, lesquels following prayer before your
vous prendrez â midi et à meals during the whole week.
minuit, ou si vous aimez mieux
à sept-heures du matin et à
sept heures du soir, en faisant
la prière ci-après, avant que de
prendre vos repas, pendant
tout ledit quartier.
PRIÈRE PRAYER
Je t'implore, ô grand et I beseech you, great and
puissant Adonay, maître de powerful Adonai, master of all
tous les esprits, je t'implore, ô the spirits, I beseech you, O
Eloïm. Je t'implore, ô Jehovam. Elohim, I entreat you, O
O grand Adonay ! je te donne Jehovah, O great Adonai! I give
mon âme, mon cour, mes you my soul, my heart, my
entrailles, mes mains, mes vitals, my hands, my feet, my
pieds, mes soupirs et mon être breath and my being: O Great
: ô grand ADONAY ! daigne Adonai, favor me, so mote it
m'être favorable, Ainsi soit-il, be,
Amen. Amen!
Prenez ensuite votre repas et Then have your meal and
ne vous déshabillez ni ne disrobe or sleep as little as
dormez que le moins qu’il vous possible throughout this week
sera possible pendant tout ledit but think continuously about
quartier de lune, pensant your Great Work and unite your
continuellement à votre entire hopes on the infinite
ouvrage, et fondant toute votre goodness of the great Adonai.
espérance dans l’infinie bonté
du grand Adonay.
Après quoi le lendemain de On the second day of the
la première nuit dudit quart de week, you must purchase a
lune, vous irez chez un bloodstone that you must carry
droguiste pour acheter une continuously with you, since
pierre sanguine dite ématille, from then on the Spirit you
que vous porterez intend to force and compel will
continuellement avec vous do all that it can to disgust you
crainte d’accident, attendu que and fill you with fear, to induce
dès lors l’esprit que vous avez you to abandon your
en vue de forcer et de enterprise, believing by these
contraindre, fait tout ce qu’il means to be able to disengage
peut pour vous dégoûter par la itself from the nets that you
crainte, pour faire échouer begin to cast around it.
votre entreprise, croyant par
cette voie se dégager des filets
que vous commencez à lui
tendre;
Il faut observer qu’il ne faut It must be noted that there
être qu’un, ou trois, y compris should be one or three people
le Karcist, qui est celui qui doit in this evocation of the spirit,
parler à l’esprit, tenant en main including the Karcist, holding in
la Verge foudroyante ; vous his hand the Blasting Rod.
aurez soin de choisir pour Carefully choose a solitary and
l’endroit de l’action un lieu remote place for the operation,
solitaire et écarté du monde, where the Karcist will be
afin que le Karcist ne soit pas undisturbed.
interrompu.
Après quoi vous achèterez After purchasing a young
un jeune chevreau vierge, que virgin goat, which you shall
vous décorerez le troisième jour decorate on the third day of the
de la lune, d’une guirlande de month with a garland of
verveine, que vous attacherez à verbena, that you attach to its
son col, au-dessous de sa tête, collar, below its head, with a
avec un ruban vert. green ribbon.
Ensuite le transporterez à Then take this goat to the
l’endroit marqué pour place identified for the
l’apparition, et la le bras droit evocation, and there, the right
nu jusqu'à l’épaule, armé d’une arm naked to the shoulder,
lame de pur acier, le feu étant armed with a sword of pure
allumé avec du bois blanc, vous steel, and a fire of white wood,
direz les paroles suivantes avec you must utter the following
espérance et fermeté words with hope and
determination:
PREMIÈRE OFFRANDE INITIAL OFFERING
Je t'offre cette victime, o grand I offer you this victim, great
Adonay, Eloïm, Ariel et Adonai, Elohim, Ariel and
Jehovam, et cela à l'honneur Jehovah, for your honor, glory
gloire et puissance de ton être and power, the highest of all
supérieur à tous les esprits ; the spirits, accept this offering,
daigne, ô grand Adonay! le great Adonai!
prendre pour agréable. Amen
Amen.

Ensuite vous égorgerez le Then you must cut the throat

chevreau et lui ôterez la peau, of the kid, skin it, immolate the
et mettrez le reste dessus le body and reduce it to ashes,
feu, pour y être réduit en which you must collect and cast
cendres que vous ramasserez towards the rising sun, while
et les jetterez du côté du soleil saying the following words:
levant, en disant les paroles
suivantes :
C'est pour l'honneur, gloire et This is for the glory, honor and
puissance de ton nom , ô grand power of your name, great
Adonay, Eloïm , Ariel et Adonai, Elohim, Ariel and
Jehovam ! que je répands le Jehovah, that I spill the blood
sang de cette victime ; daigne , of this victim. Accept this
ô grand Adonay! recevoir ces offering, great Adonai and
cendres pour agréables. deem it worthy.
Pendant que la victime brûle, After which, as the victim
vous pouvez vous réjouir en burns, rejoice in the glory and
l'honneur et gloire du grand honor of the great Adonai,
Adonay, Eloïm, Ariel et Elohim, Ariel and Jehovah.
Jehovam, ayant soin de Preserve the skin of the virgin
conserver la peau de chevreau goat to form the great
vierge , pour former le rond ou Kabbalistic circle, within which
le grand cercle cabalistique , you will place yourself on the
dans lequel vous vous mettrez day of the great work.
le jour de la grande entreprise.
 CHAPITRE III CHAPTER THREE
Contenant la véritable Containing the true composition
composition de la Baguette of the Mysterious Wand or
mystérieuse, ou Verge Blasting Rod, which is
foudroyante, telle qu'elle est represented below.
représentée ci-dessous.
La veille de la grande On the eve of the Great
entreprise, vous irez chercher work, you must search for a
une baguette ou verge de wand or rod from a wild hazel
noisetier sauvage, qui n'aye bush, that has never borne
jamais porté, et qu'elle soit fruit, and when you have found
précisément semblable à celle one, look for a rod ending in a
que vous voyez ci-contre ; fork, the length of which should
ladite baguette devant faire be precisely nineteen and a half
fourche en-haut, c'est-à-dire, inches.
du côté des deux bouts ; sa
longueur doit être de dix-neuf
pouces et demi ;
après que vous aurez trouvé Having espied such a forked
une baguette de même forme, branch, do not touch it save
vous ne la toucherez que des with your eyes until the next
yeux, attendant jusqu'au day, the day of action, when
lendemain, jour de l'action, que you must cut it precisely at
vous irez la couper sunrise, and then strip the
positivement au lever du soleil, leaves and little branches, if
et alors vous la dépouillerez de any are present, with the same
ses feuilles et petites branches, blade of steel which you used
si elle en a, avec la même lame to cut the throat of the victim,
d'acier qui a servi à égorger la stained with its blood, making
victime, qui sera encore teinte sure not to have wiped the
de son sang, attendu que vous blade. Begin cutting the rod
devez faire attention de ne when the sun is first rising,
point essuyer la dite lame, en saying the following words:
commençant à la couper quand
le soleil commencera à paraître
sur cet hémisphère en
prononçant les paroles
suivantes :

Je te recommande, ô grand I urge you, O Great Adonai,

Adonay, Eloïm , Ariel et Elohim, Ariel and Jehovah!
Jehovam ! de m'être favorable, Favor me and grant this rod,
et de donner à cette baguette that I cut, with the power and
que je coupe, la force et la virtue of Jacob, of Moses and of
vertu de celle de Jacob , de the great Jesus; I request you
celle de Moïse.et de celle du also, O Great Adonai, Elohim,
grand Josué ; je te Ariel and Jehovah! Contain
recommande aussi , ô grand within this rod all the force of
Adonay, Eloïm, Ariel et Samson, the righteous wrath of
Jehovam! de renfermer dans Emmanuel and the lightning of
cette baguette toute la force de the great Zariatnatmik, who will
Samson , la juste colore avenge the injuries of mankind
d'Emmanuel et les foudres du on the great day of Judgement.
grand Zariatnatmik , qui Amen.
vengera les injures des
hommes au grand jour du
jugement.
Amen.
Après avoir prononcé ces After having pronounced these
grandes et terribles paroles, et great and terrible words, and
ayant toujours la vue du côté viewing the rising sun,
du soleil levant, vous achèverez complete the cutting of the rod,
de couper votre baguette, et and then bring into your room
l'emporterez dans votre a block of wood of the same
chambre; ensuite vous thickness as the two pieces of
chercherez un morceau de bois the Veritable Rod, and take it to
que vous rendrez de même a locksmith to fuse the two
grosseur que les deux bouts de small forked branches with the
la véritable, que vous porterez blade of steel that you used to
chez un serrurier, pour faire cut the throat of the victim,
ferrer les deux petites branches making sure that the two
fourchues avec la lame d'acier pieces are a bit pointed when
qui a servi à égorger la victime, placed over the block of wood.:
faisant attention que les deux
bouts soient un peu aigus
lorsqu'ils seront posés sur le
morceau de bois:
Le tout étant ainsi exécuté, When all is completed,
vous retournerez à la maison et return to the house and fix this
mettrez ladite ferrure vous- hinge to the Veritable Rod; take
même à la véritable baguette ; a lodestone that you have
vous, prendrez ensuite une warmed up to magnetize the
pierre d'aimant que vous ferez two points of your rod, and
chauffer pour aimanter les deux state the following words:
pointes de votre baguette, en
prononçant les paroles
suivantes:
Par la puissance du grand By the power of the great
Adonay, Eloïm, Ariel et Adonai, Elohim, Ariel and
Jehovam, je te commande Jehovah, I command you to
d'unir et d'attirer toutes les unite and attract all the
matières que je voudrai : par la materials that I desire. By the
puissance du grand Adonay, power of the great Adonai,
Eloïm, Ariel et Jehovam, je te Elohim, Ariel and Jehovah, I
commande, par l'incompatibilité order you by the incompatibility
du feu et de l'eau, de séparer of fire and of water, of
toutes matières, comme elles separating all materials, like
furent séparées le jour de la they were separated on the day
création du monde. of creation of the world.
Amen. Amen.

Ensuite vous vous réjouirez en Then, you must rejoice in the

l'honneur et gloire du grand honor and glory of the great
Adonay, étant sûr que vous Adonai, being certain that you
possédez le plus grand trésor possess the great treasure of
de lumière : le soir ensuite, light. In the evening, take your
vous prendrez votre baguette, rod, the skin of the kid, your
votre peau de chevreau, votre bloodstone and two verbena
pierre ématille et deux garlands, as well as two
couronnes de verveine, de candlesticks and two candles of
même que deux chandeliers et virgin wax, consecrated and
deux cierges de cire vierge, made by a virgin girl. Take also
bénits et faits par une fille a new fire brush, two new fire-
vierge. Vous prendrez aussi un stones with the tinder to light
batte-feu neuf, deux pierres your fire, a half-bottle of
neuves avec de l'amadou pour brandy, with camphor, as well
allumer votre feu, de même as four nails that were used in
qu'une demi-bouteille d'esprit the coffin of a dead child, and
de brandevin, avec du then take these items to the
camphre, aussi bien que quatre place of your Great Work. Now
clous qui aient servi à la bière follow exactly what I am about
d'un enfant mort, et ensuite to say and prepare the great
vous vous transporterez à Kabbalistic Circle that I will
l'endroit où doit se faire le demonstrate henceforth.
grand-œuvre, et ferez
exactement ce qui suit, en
imitant de point en point le
grand cercle cabalistique, tel
qu'il est démontré ci-après.
 CHAPITRE IV CHAPTER FOUR
Contenant la véritable Containing the true
représentation du grand cercle representation of the great
cabalistique. Kabbalistic Circle
Vous commencerez par Start by creating a circle
former un cercle avec la peau with the virgin kid skin, that is
du chevreau, tel qu'il est indicated herein, pinning it
indiqué ci-devant , que vous down with the four coffin nails.
clouerez avec vos quatre clous ; Then take the bloodstone and
vous prendrez ensuite votre trace a triangle inside the circle
pierre ématille et tracerez un to the east of the circle. Also,
triangle au-dedans du cercle, with the bloodstone, trace Aeaj
tel qu'il est représenté , en (by Adonai, by Elohim, by Ariel,
commençant du côté du levant by Jehovah), and +JHS+, the
; vous tracerez aussi avec la Holy Name of Jesus in the
pierre ématille le grand A , le middle of two crosses, so that
petit E le petit A , et le petit J , the spirits are unable to harm
de même que le saint nom de you from behind.
Jésus au milieu de deux croix (
+JHS+ ) , afin que les esprits
ne vous puissent rien par
derrière;
Après quoi Karcist fera After this, the collaborators
entrer ses confrères, dans le of the Operator enter the
triangle à leur place telle qu'elle triangle that has been marked
est marquée, et y entrera lui- and he himself enters into it
même sans s'épouvanter, quel fearlessly, ignoring any noise
bruit qu'il entende, plaçant les that he hears, placing the two
deux chandeliers avec les deux candlesticks with the two
couronnes de verveine à la garlands of verbena to the right
droite et à la gauche du and the left of the interior
triangle intérieur: triangle.
Cela fait, vous commencerez Having done so, start by
à allumer vos deux cierges et lighting the two candles and
aurez un vase neuf devant have a new brazier before you,
vous, c'est-à-dire, devant le that is, before the Operator,
Karcist, rempli de charbons de filled with willow charcoal, that
bois de saule, que l’on aura fait you have burned the same day
brûler le même jour, que le yourself. Kindle this brazier with
Karcist allumera ; y jetant une a part of the brandy and a part
partie de l’esprit de brandevin, of the incense and camphor,
et une partie de l’encens et du keeping the rest to maintain a
camphre que vous avez, continuous fire throughout the
réservant le reste pour operation. Once all this is done
entretenir un feu continuel, precisely as stated, state the
convenablement à la durée de following words:
la chose : tout ce qui est
marqué ci-dessus étant fait
exactement, vous prononcerez
les paroles suivantes :
Je te présente, O grand Adonay O Great Adonai! I offer to you
! cet encens comme le plus pur this purest incense. I also offer
: de même je te présente ces this charcoal from the lightest
charbons comme sortant du wood. I offer this to the great
plus léger bois. Je l’offre au and powerful Adonai, Elohim,
grand et puissant Adonay, Ariel and Jehovah with all my
Eloïm, Ariel et Jehovam, de soul and all my heart; deem
toute mon amé et de tout mon what I offer acceptable, O
cœur ; daigne, O grand Adonay Great Adonai.
! le prendre pour agréable. Amen
Amen.

Vous ferez aussi attention de Be careful not to have any

n’avoir sur vous aucun métal impure metal on you, other
impur, sinon de l’or ou de than a gold or silver coin to
l’argent pour jeter la pièce à offer before the spirit, folded in
l’esprit, la ployant dans un a paper, so that he does you no
papier que vous lui jetterez, harm, when he appears before
afin qu’il ne vous puisse faire the circle. While he picks up the
aucun mal, quand il se coin, begin the following prayer,
présentera devant le cercle : et arming yourself with courage,
pendant qu’il ramassera la strength and prudence,
pièce, vous commencerez la ensuring that none but the
prière suivante, en vous armant Operator speak, the others
de courage, de force et de keeping silent, even when the
prudence ; faites aussi spirit questions or threatens
attention qu’il n’y ait que le them.
Karcist qui parle, les autres
doivent garder le silence, quand
même l’esprit les interrogerait,
les menacerait.
PREMIERE PARTIE FIRST PART:
O grand Dieu vivant en une O Great and Living God! In one
seule et même personne, le person, the Father, the Son and
Père, le Fils et le Saint Esprit, je the Holy Ghost, I adore you
vous adore avec le plus profond with the most profound
respect, et me soumet sous respect, and I submit to your
votre sainte et digne garde holiness and gracious care with
avec la plus vive confiance : je the most living confidence : I
crois, avec la plus sincère foi sincerely believe that you are
que vous êtes mon créateur, my creator, my benefactor, my
mon bienfaiteur, mon soutient support and my master, and I
et mon maître, et je vous declare to you that I have no
déclare n'avoir d'autres will other than to belong to you
volontés que celle de vous for all eternity.
appartenir pendant toute
l'éternité.

SECONDE PARTIE SECOND PART

O grand Dieu vivant qui as créé O Great and Living God who
l'homme pour être bienheureux has created man to be blissful
dans cette vie, qui as formé in this life, who has made all
toutes choses pour ses besoins, things for his needs, and who
et qui as dit tout sera soumis à said: All is subservient and
l'homme, sois-moi favorable, et favorable to man, and the rebel
ne permets pas que des esprits angels are not allowed to
rebelles possèdent des trésors possess the treasures made by
qui ont été formés par tes thy hands for our temporal
mains pour nos besoins needs. O Great God! Grant me
temporels. Donne-moi, ô grand the power to dispose of them
Dieu ! la puissance d'en by these powerful and terrible
disposer par les puissantes et words of your Key, Adonai,
terribles paroles de ta clavicule, Elohim, Ariel, Jehovah, Tagla,
Adonay, Eloïm, Ariel, Jehovam, Mathon, be favorable unto me!
Tagla, Mathon, soyez-moi So mote it be!
favorables. Amen!
Ainsi soit-il.
Amen.

Vous aurez soin d'entretenir Continue to nourish the flame

votre feu avec de l'esprit de with brandy, incense and
brandevin, l'encens et le camphor, and offer the
camphre ; et direz ensuite la following prayer:
prière de l'offrande comme suit
:
OFFRANDE OFFERING:
Je t'offre cet encens comme le I offer you this incense with the
plus pur que j'aie pu trouver, ô utmost power, O Great Adonai,
grand Adonay, Eloïm, Ariel et Elohim, Ariel and Jehovah! O
Jehovam! daigne le prendre Great Adonai! Deem me
pour agréable ; ô grand favorable by your power and
Adonay! sois-moi favorable par grant me success in this great
ta puissance, et fais-moi réussir enterprise.
dans cette grande entreprise. So Mote it Be!
Ainsi soit-il. Amen!
Amen
 PREMIERE FIRST INVOCATION
APPELLATION A ADDRESSED TO THE
L'EMPEREUR EMPEROR LUCIFER
LUCIFER
Empereur Lucifer, prince et Emperor Lucifer, prince and
maître des esprits rebelles, je master of the rebel angels, I
te prie de quitter ta demeure ask you to leave whichever part
dans quelle partie du monde of the world you consider home
qu’elle puisse être, pour venir to come and speak with me. I
me parler; je te commande et command and conjure you by
conjure de la part du grand the great living God, the Father,
Dieu vivant, le Père, le Fils et le the Son and the Holy Ghost, to
St-Esprit, de venir sans faire come without any foul odor, to
aucune mauvaise odeur, pour answer me in a high and clear
me répondre à haute et voice, point by point, whatever
intelligible voix, article par I ask you, for which you are
article, sur ce que je te constrained by the power of the
demanderai, sans quoi tu y great Adonai, Elohim, Ariel,
seras contraint par la puissance Jehovah, Tagla, Mathon and all
du grand Adonay, Eloïm, Ariel, the other superior spirits who
Jehovam, Tagla, Mathon et de compel you.
tous les autres esprits
supérieurs qui t'y contraindront Come. Come Appear Before Me
malgré toi. LUCIFUGE, or you are
Venite. Venite Submiritillor tormented eternally by the
LUCIFUGE, ou tu vas être great force of this Blasting Rod.
tourmenté éternellement par la Immediately!
grande force de cette baguette
foudroyante. In subito.
 SECONDE SECOND
APPELLATION INVOCATION
Je te commande et conjure, I command and conjure you,
empereur Lucifer, de la part du Emperor Lucifer, by the great
grand Dieu vivant, et par la Living God, and by the power
puissance d'Emmanuel son fils of his unique son Emmanuel,
unique, ton maître et le mien, your master and mine, and by
et par la vertu de son sang the virtue of his precious blood
précieux qu'il a répandu pour which he has shed to free men
arracher les hommes de tes from your chains; I order you
chaînes; je t'ordonne de quitter to leave your home in
ta demeure dans quelque partie whichever part of the world you
du monde qu'elle soit, jurant may be, swearing that I will
que je ne te donne qu'un quart give you not even a quarter-
d'heure de repos, si tu ne viens hour of rest if you do not speak
me parler au plutôt à haute et with me in a clear and
intelligible voix; ou si tu ne intelligible voice, or if you do
peux venir toi-même, not appear yourself, to send me
m'envoyer ton messager your messenger Astaroth in
Astarot en signe humain, sans human form, without noise or
bruit et mauvaise odeur, sans terrible odor, failing which I will
quoi je te vais frapper, toi et strike you and all your race with
toute ta race, de la redoutable this fearsome Blasting Rod to
Baguette Foudroyante jusqu'au the bottom of the abyss, and
fond des abymes, et ce, par la this, by the power of these
puissance de ces grandes great words of the Key:
paroles de la clavicule: By Adonai, Elohim, Ariel,
Par Adonay, Eloïm, Ariel, Jehovah, Tagla, Mathon,
Jehovam, Tagla, Mathon, Almouzin, Arios, Pythona,
Almouzin, Arios, Pythona, Magots, Silphae, Cabost,
Magots, Silphae;, Cabost, Salamdrae, Gnomus, Terrae,
Salamandrae;, Gnomus, Terræ, Coelis, Godens, Aqua.
Coelis, Godens, Aqua. In subito Immediately
 AVERTISSEMENT CAUTION
Avant que de lire la troisième Before you read the third
appellation, si l'esprit ne invocation, if the spirit refuses
comparaît pas, vous lirez la to appear, read the key that is
clavicule, telle qu'elle est ci- provided later, and strike your
après, et frapperez tous les rod in the fire, and do not be
esprits en mettant les deux afraid of the horrible and awful
bouts fourchus de votre howls that you hear, since it is
baguette dans le feu, et dans by these that all the spirits
ce moment ne vous épouvantez appear; then before reading
pas des hurlements effroyables the Key, during the noise and
que vous entendrez, car pour commotion, recite the Third
lors tous les esprits paraîtront ; Invocation.
alors avant que de lire la
clavicule, pendant le bruit que
vous entendrez, vous direz
encore la troisième appellation.

TROISIÈME THIRD INVOCATION

APPELLATION
Je t'ordonne, empereur Lucifer, I order you, emperor Lucifer, by
de la part du grand Dieu vivant, the great living God, and his
de son cher fils et du Saint- son and the Holy Ghost, and by
Esprit, et par la puissance du the power of the great Adonai,
grand Adonay, Eloïm, Ariel et Elohim, Ariel and Jehovah, to
Jehovam, de comparaitre dans appear this very minute or to
la minute, ou de m'envoyer ton send me your messenger
messager Astarot, t'obligeant Astaroth, to be compelled to
de quitter ta demeure dans leave your home in whichever
quelque partie du monde part of the world you may be, I
qu'elle soit, te déclarant que si declare to you that if you do
tu ne parois pas dans ce not appear this moment, I will
moment, je vais te frapper strike you and all your race
derechef toi et toute ta race, once again with this Blasting
avec la baguette foudroyante Rod of the great Adonai,
du grand Adonay, Eloïm, Ariel Elohim, Ariel and Jehovah.
et Jehovam.
Si l'esprit ne parait pas If the spirit does not appear
jusqu'ici, mettez encore les immediately, plunge the two
deux bouts de votre baguette ends of your rod into the fire
au feu, et lisez les puissantes and read these powerful words
paroles ci-après de la grande of the Great Key of Solomon:
clavicule de Salomon
GRANDE GREAT INVOCATION
APPELLATION Derived from the Veritable Key
Tirée de la véritable clavicule

Je te conjure, ô esprit! de I conjure you, o spirit! To

paraître dans la minute, par la appear this very minute, by the
force du grand Adonay, par force of the great Adonai, by
Eloïm, par Ariel, par Jehovam, Elohim, by Ariel, by Jehovah, by
par Agla, Tagla, Mathon, Agla, Tagla, Mathon, Oarios,
Oarios, Almouzin, Arios,
Almouzin, Arios, Menbrot,
Menbrot, Varios, Pithona,
Varios, Pithona, Magots,
Magots, Silphæ, Cabost,
Silphae, Cabost, Salamandre,
Salamandræ, Tabots, Gnomus, Tabots, Gnomus, Terrae, Goelis,
Terræ, Goelis, Godens, aqua Godens, aqua Gingua, Janua,
Gingua, Janua, Etituamus,
Etituamus, Zariatnatmik,
Zariatnatmik, etc. A.. E.. A.. J..
A.. E.. A.. J.. A.. T.. M.. O.. A..
A.. T.. M.. O.. A.. A.. M.. V.. P..
A.. M.. V.. P.. M.. S.. C.. S.. T..
M.. S.. C.. S.. T.. G.. T.. C.. G..
G.. T.. C.. G.. A.. G.. J.. E.. Z..
A.. G.. J.. E.. Z.. etc. (The initials of the names
above)
Après avoir répété deux fois ces After having repeated twice
grandes et puissantes paroles, these great and powerful
vous êtes sûr que l'esprit words, you are sure to see the
paraîtra comme suit. spirit appear immediately and
respond in the following
 manner:
DE L'APPARITION DE BY THE APPARITION OF
L'ESPRIT THE SPIRIT:
Me voici, que me demandes-tu I am here, what do you ask of
? pourquoi troubles-tu mon me? Why do you disturb my
repos ? Ne me frappe plus de rest? Do not strike me any
cette terrible baguette. more with this terrible Rod.
LUCIFUGE ROFOCALE LUCIFUGE ROFOCALE

DEMANDE À L'ESPRIT TO THE SPIRIT:

Si tu eusses paru quand je t'ai If you had appeared when I
appelé, je ne t'aurais point called you first, I would not
frappé, pense ce que si tu ne have had need to strike you,
m'accorde ce que je vais te but if you do not agree with
demander, je te vais what I am going to ask you, I
tourmenter éternellement. will torment you eternally.
SALOMON SOLOMON

RÉPONSE DE L'ESPRIT RESPONSE BY THE

Ne m'amuse point ici et ne me SPIRIT:
tourmente plus ; dis-moi au Do not entertain me here and
plus tôt ce que tu me do not torment me anymore:
demandes. Tell me immediately what you
LUCIFUGE ROFOCALE ask me.
LUCIFUGE ROFOCALE

DEMANDE À L'ESPRIT ASK OF THE SPIRIT:

Je te demande que tu me I ask you to come and speak
viennes parler deux fois tous with me twice every day of the
les jours de la semaine, week, during the night, to me
pendant la nuit, à moi ou à or to those who will present my
ceux qui auront mon présent book, which you will agree and
livre, que tu approuveras et sign, voluntarily and at your
signeras, te laissant la volonté choice of time that may be
de choisir les heures qui te convenient to you, if you do not
conviendront, si tu n'approuves approve of those marked
pas celles qui sont marquées ci- below:
dessous.

Sçavoir : To wit:
Le lundi, à neuf heures et à On Monday, at 9 PM and at
minuit midnight.
Le mardi, à dix heures et à une On Tuesday, at 10 PM and 1
heure AM.
Le mercredi, à onze heures et à On Wednesday, at 11 PM and 2
deux heures AM
Le jeudi, à huit heures et à dix On Thursday, at 8 PM and 10
heures PM
Le vendredi, à sept heures du On Friday, at 7 PM and
soir et à minuit midnight
Le samedi, à neuf heures du On Saturday, at 9 PM and 11
soir et à onze heures PM.

De plus, je te commande de me Further, I order you to deliver

livrer le trésor le plus près d'ici, me the greatest treasure near
te promettant pour récompense here, I promise you for your
la première pièce d'or ou reward the first piece of gold or
d'argent que je toucherai tous silver that I will touch the first
les premiers jours de chaque day of each month. This is
mois : voilà ce que je te what I demand of you.
demande. SOLOMON
SALOMON
RÉPONSE DE L'ESPRIT THE SPIRIT’S REPLY:
Je ne puis t'accorder ce que tu I cannot agree to what you
me demandes sous ces demand of me under these
conditions ni sous aucune conditions nor on any others,
autre, si tu ne te donnes à moi unless you give yourself to me
dans cinquante ans, pour faire in fifty years, to do with your
de ton corps et de ton âme ce body and soul as I please.
qu'il me plaira. LUCIFUGE ROFOCALE
LUCIFUGE ROFOCALE
DEMANDE À L'ESPRIT SAY TO THE SPIRIT:
Je vais te frapper toi et toute ta I will strike you and all your
race, par la puissance du grand race, by the power of the great
Adonay, si tu ne m’accorde au Adonai, if you do not grant all
plutôt ce que je te demande. my wishes.
SALOMON SOLOMON

AVERTISSEMENT CAUTION
Vous remettrez ici le bout de la Now plunge the tip of the
Baguette Foudroyante au feu, Blasting Rod into the fire and
et relirez la grande appellation repeat the great Invocation of
de la clavicule, jusqu'à ce que the Key, until the spirit
l'esprit se soumette à vos surrenders to your desires.
désirs.

RÉPONSE ET RESPONSE AND

CONVENTION DE COMPACT OF THE
L'ESPRIT SPIRIT:
Ne me frappe pas davantage, je Do not strike me anymore, I
te promets de faire tout ce que promise you to do all that you
tu voudras, deux heures de nuit wish, for two hours each night
de chaque jour de la semaine. of the week.
Sçavoir : To wit:
Le lundi à dix heures et à On Monday at 10 PM and at
minuit Le mardi à onze heures midnight, on Tuesday at 11 PM
et à une heure Le mercredi, à and at 1 AM, On Wednesday, at
minuit et à deux heures Le midnight and at 2 AM, On
jeudi, à huit heures et à onze Thursday, at 8 PM and at 11
heures Le vendredi, à neuf PM, On Friday, at 9 PM and at
heures et à minuit Le samedi, à midnight, On Saturday, at 10
dix heures et à une heure. PM and at 1 AM.

J'approuve aussi ton livre, et te I also approve your book, and I

donne ma véritable Signature give you my true Signature on
en Parchemin, que tu y Parchment, which you will place
attacheras à la fin, pour t'en at the end, to serve you in your
servir au besoin, me need, I will submit myself also
soumettant aussi d'y and appear before you every
comparaitre devant toi toutes time that you call my name or
les fois que j'y serai appelé when you open the book, being
lorsque tu ouvriras le livre, que purified, and when you will
tu te seras purifié, que tu auras have the terrible Blasting Rod,
la terrible Baguette and have constructed the great
Foudroyante, et que tu auras Kabbalistic Circle, and when
composé le grand cercle you will pronounce the Word
cabalistique, et que tu ROFOCALE; I promise to
prononceras le mot de appear in a pleasing form to
ROFOCALE ; te promettant de those who provide this book,
comparaitre et traiter à where is my true signature,
l'amiable avec ceux qui seront provided they call me in good
munis dudit Livre, où est ma standing and according to the
véritable signature, pourvu rule, the first time that they
qu'ils m'appellent en règle, la have need of me
première fois qu'ils auront
besoin de moi
Je m'engage aussi à te livrer I also promise to deliver to
le trésor que tu me demandes, you the treasure that you have
pourvu que tu gardes le secret demanded of me, provided that
pour toujours, que tu sois you keep this secret always,
charitable envers les pauvres, that you are charitable towards
et que tu me donnes une pièce the poor, and that you grant me
d'or ou d'argent tous les one piece of gold or silver on
premiers jours de chaque mois the first day of every month, if
: si tu y manques, tu seras à you miss this, you will be mine
moi pour toujours. forever.
LUCIFUGE ROFOCALE LUCIFUGE ROFOCALE,
Approuvé Approved

RÉPONSE À L’ESPRIT REPLY TO THE

: SPIRIT:
J'acquiesce à ta demande. I agree to your conditions.
SALOMON SOLOMON
 CENTUM REGNUM CENTUM REGNUM
CHIAMTA DI CHIAMTA DI
LUCIFERO LUCIFERO
(One hundred kingdoms call
LUCIFER, OUIA, KAMERON,
unto Lucifer) LUCIFER, OUIA,
ALISCOT, MANDESUMINI,
KAMERON, ALISCOT,
POEMI, ORIEL, MAGREUSE,
MANDESUMINI, POEMI, ORIEL,
PARINOSCON, ESTIO,
MAGREUSE, PARINOSCON,
DUMOGON, DIVORCON,
ESTIO, DUMOGON, DIVORCON,
CASMIEL, HUGRAS, FABIEL,
CASMIEL, HUGRAS, FABIEL,
VONTON, ULI, SODIERNO,
VONTON, ULI, SODIERNO,
PETAN! Venite, Lucifer. Amen.
PETAN! Come Lucifer. Amen.

PROMESSE DE PROMISE OF THE

L'ESPRIT SPIRIT
CAPO PRIMO ARTICLE ONE
I, Emperor LUCIFER, am
Io Lucifero Imperatore powerful, supreme and
potentissimo, supremo ed independent, free and absolute,
indipendente, libero ed assoluto master of all the subterranean
,padrone di tutto il Regno kingdoms, despotic Lord in all
sotteraneo, dispotico Signor in my jurisdiction, formidable,
tutte le mi giuridizione, terrible, very noble, who
formidabile, terribile, governs all fortune, all sages,
nobilissimo, al cui Impero tuto wise, sagacious, equipped with
regolatissimo, si muove e every sublime luminous
governa, arbitro di tutte le characteristic. I am the
fortune, di tutte le siagure, dominator of Europe and all
sapiente à sagace, è fornito misfortunes of Asia in
d'ogni più sublime luminoso particular.
caratere Dominatore
dell'Europa è di tutte le siagure
ed Asia in particolare.
CAPO SECUNDO ARTICLE TWO
PROMETTO è giuro al nome di I SWEAR in the name of the
Dio da viventi obedienza, living God obedience, readiness
prontezza, è sommissione al and submission to the master
padrone di questo libro firmato, of this book, signed and sworn
è giuratto al nome suddetto, è to the aforementioned name,
de Miei Suddetti carateri, ed in and my named characters, and
virtù di tal giuramento e sotto by virtue of this oath and my
signassione, giuro d'adedire à signature below, I swear to
tutto quello che più sarà in accept everything that will
piacero del padrone di questo please the owner of this book.
libro.

CAPO TERTIO ARTICLE THREE

Piu, prometto è giuro per parte Additionally, I promise that all
dei miei sudite l'istesso; Onde my subjects, on reading my
al solo legere che si sarà della summons from the first Article,
mia chiamata al capo primo di will cause them to appear at
questo libro, di comparir subitto once in the guise of a
prontamente in forma di bel handsome young man, with a
garzone, ô giovine, in aria pleasing appearance and
piacouele, sensa sterpitto, without making any uproar or
rumore, o altro che possa noise or any action that would
offendere, o intimorire il offend or intimidate the master
padrone di questo libro, of this book, and respond with
rispondendo giustamente con clarity and without ambiguity to
chiarezza, senza anfibologia alle his questions, without need for
sue interrogazioni, ed any incense or any other
esequendo quanto mi verà magical invocations, actions or
commandatto, con tutta realtà, ceremonies, but rather to
e sinceritià, sensa che de bono appear instantly ready for your
precedere profumi o altre commands.
invocasioni, magiche azioni, ô
circoli, o ceremonie, ma pensi
instentamente ofermi pronto
esequitore de' suoi commandi.

CAPO QUARTO ARTICLE FOUR

Senso che in tali occazioni On such occasions to not harm
maimai offenda le compagne, ô or offend the companions, or
altre cose del mondo, è other things of the world, and
compito il mio servisio di after completing my service, I
subitamente partire sensa will depart at once without
strepito alenno. making any noise.

CAPO QUINTO ARTICLE FIVE

Piu, prometto è giuro nella Also, I swear the universal
forma predetta, sua servitude of all my subjects to
universalissima servitù di tutti i the master of this book without
miei sudditi al padrone di distinction to the dignity of
questo libro sensa diferensa other regions. At any time, in
digre de dignità od altre any weather, season, year,
regioni, ma ogni quale volta, month, week, day, hour or
tempo, stagione, anno, meso, quarter, at the moment my
settimana, giorno, ora, è quarto invocation is read, to appear in
est instante che rara letta la the form of a handsome boy,
mia chiamata, di compartre in and to perform any of my
forma di bel giovine, e di qualities to the master of this
somministrali qualsisia de' miei book, and not to leave until it
rudetti in servizion al padrone be permitted by the simple
di questo libro, e di non partire formula, either from the owner
se prima non sarà ô sara of the book, or whoever may
licensiato colla semplice have it.
formola o di me, o delli altri.

CAPO SEXTO ARTICLE SIX

Piu, prometto è giuro per me e Also, I promise to swear for
tutti li altri al nome di Dio è myself and everyone else in the
delli nostri misteriori carateri, name of God and the
segretessa, fedeltà inviolabile, mysteries, to provide secrecy,
sensa ponto maimai inviolable loyalty and never
contravenire al mio giuramento breaking my oath and promise.
e promessa.

CAPO SEPTIMO ARTICLE SEVEN

Piu, prometto è giuro io in Also, I promise and swear on
particolare per tutti i miei behalf of all my subjects to
sudetti di protegere e di protect and defend the owner
diffendere il padrone di questo of this book from all fears,
libro da tutte le fiagure, dangers, and other natural and
pericoli, ed altre naturali ed accidental events, in case, for
accidentali vicende, ad in caso, whatever reason I am called to
per qualonque suo bisogno saro assist him, or for anything not
chiamato, di assisterlo, è mentioned in this book.
provederlo di tutto il
bisogneuole, abenchè non si
inotato in questo libro.

MODO DI LICENSE TO DEPART

LICENZIARE
Go your way in peace and
Ite in pace a loco vestro et pax return when I call you, in the
sit inter vos redituri ad me cum name of the Father, the Son
vos invocavero, in nomine and the Holy Ghost. Amen
Patris, et Filii et Spiritus Sancti.
Amen.

ORDRE DE L'ESPRIT ORDER OF THE SPIRIT

Suis-moi et viens reconnaitre le Follow me and come discover
trésor. the treasure.
Alors le Karcist, armé de la The Operator, armed with the
Baguette Foudroyante et de la Blasting Rod and the
pierre ématille, sortira du cercle bloodstone, goes out of the
par l'endroit où est indiquée la circle from the door of mighty
route du trésor, qui est la porte Adonai to the treasure,
du grand Adonay, et suivra following the spirit. The others
l’esprit ; les autres ne do not move at all from the
bougeront absolument point du circle, but they stay firm and
cercle, mais y resteront fermes unshakeable even when they
et inébranlables, quels bruits hear noises and see strange
qu'ils entendent et quelques visions.
visions qu'ils voient :
L'esprit conduira alors le The spirit guides the
Karcist jusqu'à l'entrée du Operator to the vicinity of the
trésor: et il se pourra qu'alors treasure. The Operator may see
le Karcist voie comme un grand a large woolly dog block the
chien cotonné qui en fermera entrance, with a shining collar
l'entrée, avec un collier like the sun. This is a gnome,
reluisant comme le soleil, ce qui who leaves when the Rod is
sera un Gnome qu'il écartera en brandished and moves towards
lui présentant le bout de sa the treasure.
baguette, lequel marchera vers
le trésor;
Le Karcist le suivra, et en The Operator follows and
arrivant auprès du Trésor, il when he arrives near the
sera surpris d'y voir la personne treasure, it will be surprising to
qui l'aura caché, qui voudra se see the guardian of the hiding
jeter sur lui, mais elle ne pourra place, who will jump at him,
absolument pas l'approcher: le but it is absolutely impossible
Karcist sera aussi pourvu d'un to approach the Operator, who
morceau de parchemin vierge, is provided with a virgin
où sera écrite la grande parchment, where will be
conjuration de la clavicule, qu'il written the great invocation of
jettera sur le trésor en prenant the Key, which is cast on the
en même temps une pièce pour treasure, while taking a piece
gage et reconnaissance, et en for pledge and confirmation,
jetant d'abord une pièce de son but also throwing a coin that he
argent, qu'il aura mordue; has brought with him.
Après quoi il se retirera à After this, he will withdraw,
reculons, emportant avec lui ce walking backwards and taking
qu'il pourra du trésor, le reste with him what he can of the
ne pouvant pas lui échapper treasure, the rest cannot be
par les précautions prises ci- lost with the precautions
devant, faisant attention de ne mentioned earlier. He must be
se point tourner quelque bruit careful not to turn around even
qu'il entende, car dans ce when hearing any sound,
moment il lui semblera que because at this moment, it will
toutes les montagnes du seem as if all the mountains in
monde se renverseront sur lui; the world will fall on him. He
il faut pour lors s'armer must be fearless, not be
d'intrépidité, ne point terrified and hold firm, thus,
s'épouvanter et tenir ferme: the spirit will guide him back
faisant cela, l'esprit le until the entrance of the circle.
reconduira jusqu'à l'entrée du Then the Operator reads the
cercle. Alors le Karcist following discharge of the spirit.
commencera à lire le renvoi de
l'esprit tel qu'il est ci-après.
CONJURATION ET CONJURATION AND
RENVOI DE L'ESPRIT DISMISSAL OF THE
SPIRIT:
Oh ! Prince Lucifer ! je suis
content de toi pour le présent ; Oh! Prince Lucifer! I am
je te laisse en repos et te satisfied with you for this gift; I
permets de te retirer où bon te release you to your rest and
semblera, sans faire aucun allow you to withdraw wherever
bruit ni laisser aucune you may please, without noise
mauvaise odeur. Pense aussi à or any bad odor. Think of your
ton engagement, car si tu y actions, because if you fail for
even a moment, you can be
manques d'un instant, tu peut sure that I will eternally strike
être sûr que je te frapperai you with the Blasting Rod of
éternellement avec la baguette the great Adonai, Elohim, Ariel
foudroyante du grand Adonay, and Jehovah.
Eloïm, Ariel et Jehovam. Amen.
Amen.

ACTIONS DE GRÂCES BENEDICTIONS

O grand Dieu qui as créé toutes O Omnipotent God Who has
choses pour le service et l'utilité created everything for the
de l'homme, nous te rendons service and use of mankind, we
de très humbles actions de grant you these humble thanks
grâce de ce que, par ta grande that you have, by your great
bonté, tu nous as comblé goodness, filled this night with
pendant cette nuit de tes your precious favor to us, and
précieuses faveurs, et de ce that you have granted us all
que tu nous avons accordé tout our desires. In this moment, O
ce que nous désirons: c'est à Great God, we know the power
présent, ô grand Dieu, que of your great promises as you
nous avons connu toute la force have said: Seek and ye shall
de tes grandes promesses, find, Ask and it shall be given
lorsque tu nous as dit: cherchez to you. As you have ordered
et vous trouverez, frappez et and recommended to us to care
l'on vous ouvrira; et comme tu for the poor, we promise you,
nous as ordonné et before the great Adonai,
recommandé de soulager les Elohim, Ariel and Jehovah, to
pauvres, nous te promettons, à be charitable and to spread the
la face du grand Adonay, rays of the sun on them, whose
d'Eloïm, d'Ariel et de Jehovam, four powerful divinities have
d'être charitables et de just filled us.
répandre sur eux les rayons du
soleil, dont ces quatre
puissantes Divinités, viennent
de nous combler.
SECOND LIVRE BOOK TWO
CONTENANT LE CONTAINING THE
VÉRITABLE TRUE
SANCTUM REGNUM HOLY KINGDOM
DE LA CLAVICULE OF THE KEY
OÙ LA VÉRITABLE OR THE TRUE
MANIÈRE DE FAIRE METHOD OF MAKING
LES PACTES PACTS
Avec les Noms, Puissances et With the Names, Powers, and
Talents, de tous les grands Abilities of all the great
esprits supérieurs, comme aussi Superior spirits, with also the
la manière de les faire paraitre method of making them appear
par la grande Appellation du by the great Conjuration in the
chapitre des Pactes de la chapter of the Pacts of the
grande clavicule, qui les force à Great Key, which commands
obéir à quelle opération que them to obey any succeeding
l’on souhaite. operation
 LE SANCTUM THE HOLY KINGDOM
REGNUM Wherein is the true method of
Où la véritable manière de faire making PACTS with whichever
des PACTES, avec quels Esprits spirits you choose, without
que ce soit, sans qu’ils vous them doing you any harm.
faire aucun tort.

Le véritable Sanctum Regnum The true Holy Kingdom of the

de la grande clavicule, Great Key also called the
autrement dit, le Pacta Daemonic Pact that we have
Conventa Daemoniorum dont been discussing herein, is an
on parle depuis si longtemps, important topic to explain, for
est une chose fort nécessaire à those who want to command
expliquer ici, pour l’intelligence the Spirits but are unable to
de ceux qui voulant forcer les make the Blasting Rod and the
esprits n’ont point la qualité Kabbalistic Circle, which is
requise pour composer la Verge described in the preceding
Foudroyante et le cercle book. Such persons cannot
Cabalistique, dont il est parlé succeed in making any spirit to
dans le livre précédent. Ils ne appear if they do not execute
peuvent dis-je ; venir à bout de all that I have described
forcer aucuns Esprits de hereinafter step by step,
paraître s’ils n’exécutent de regarding the method of
point en point tous ce qui est making Pacts with these
décrit ci-après, touchant la powerful Spirits.
manière de faire des Pactes
avec quels Esprits que ce
puissant être ;
soit pour avoir la jouissance By means of such Pacts, it
des femmes et des filles et en would be possible to have the
avoir telle faveur que l’on company and pleasure of
souhaite, soit pour découvrir les women and girls and to have
secrets les plus cachés, dans such favor as one wish, to
toutes les cours, tous les discover the most hidden
cabinets du monde, soit de secrets, success in all the
dévoiler les plus impénétrables courts, all the governments of
secrets, soit pour faire travailler the world, to be able to reveal
un esprit pendant la nuit à son the most impenetrable secrets,
ouvrage, soit pour faire tomber to be able to make a spirit work
la grêle ou la tempête par tout during the night on one’s
où l’on souhaite, soit de vous labors, to be able to cause hail
rendre invisible, soit pour vous or raise a storm wherever one
faire transporter partout où l’on wishes, to be able make oneself
veut, soit d’ouvrir toutes les invisible, to be able to transport
serrures, de voir ce qui se oneself wherever one wished,
passe dans les maisons et to be able to open all locks, to
d’apprendre tous les tours et see what happens inside homes
finesses des Bergers, soit pour and to learn all the tricks and
acquérir la main de Gloire et subtleties of the Shepherds, to
pour connaitre toutes les be able to acquire the Hand of
qualités et vertus des métaux, Glory and for understanding all
des minéraux, des végétaux et the qualities and virtues of
de tous les animaux purs et metals, minerals, plants and all
impurs, et pour faire des pure & impure animals, to be
choses si surprenantes qu’il n’y able to perform such amazing
a aucun homme qui ne soit actions that there would be no
dans la dernière surprise de man able to see such and not
voir que par le moyen de faire be surprised that we could
pacte avec quelques esprits, discover the greatest secrets of
que l’on puisse découvrir les nature, which are hidden from
plus grands secrets de la nature the eyes of all other men.
; qui sont cachés aux yeux de
tous les autres hommes.
C’est par le moyen de la This is by means of the Key
clavicule du grand roi Salomon, of the Great King Solomon, who
que l’on a découvert la discovered the true method of
véritable manière de faire les making Pacts, which he used
pactes, dont il s’est servi lui- himself, to acquire vast riches,
même, pour acquérir tant de to be able to have the company
richesses, pour avoir la and pleasure of women, and to
jouissance de tant de femmes, be able to understand the most
et pour connaitre les plus impenetrable secrets of nature,
impénétrables secrets de la by which one could do all kinds
nature, par lequel l’on peut of good and evil acts.
faire toute sorte de bien, et
toute sorte de mal.
Enfin, nous commencerons We shall begin by describing
par décrire les noms des the names of the Principal
principaux esprits avec leurs Spirits with their powers and
puissances et pouvoirs, et abilities, and then we will
ensuite nous expliquerons le explain the Demonic Pact, or
Pacta Daemoniarum, ou la the true method of making
véritable manière de faire les Pacts, with any spirit one
pactes, avec quels esprits que chooses.
ce soit.
Voici ci-après les noms et The following are the names
signes des principaux esprits and signs of the principal
infernaux. infernal spirits
LEURS SIGNES ET THEIR SIGNS AND
CARACTÈRES CHARACTERS
LUCIFER LUCIFER
Empereur Emperor
BELZEBUT BELZEBUT
Prince Prince
ASTAROT ASTAROT
Grand-Duc Grand Duke

Ensuite viennent les esprits Then we have the Superior

supérieurs, qui sont Spirits, who are subordinate to
subordonnés aux trois nommés the trinity above.
ci-dessus.
To wit:
Sçavoir:
 LEURS SIGNES ET THEIR SIGNS AND
CARACTÈRES CHARACTERS
LUCIFUGE LUCIFUGE
Prem. Minis. Prime Minister
SATANACHIA SATANACHIA
Grand General Great General
AGALIAREPT AGALIAREPT
Aussi General Also General
FLEURETY FLEURETY
Lieut. General Lt. General
SARGATANAS SARGATANAS
Brigadier Brigadier
NEBIROS NEBIROS
Mal. De Camp. Camp Marshal

Les six grands esprits que je The six great Spirits that are
viens de donner ci-devant, named above have authority
dirigent leur pouvoir sur toute over all the Infernal powers
la Puissance Infernale qui est which are given to the other
donnée aux autres esprits. Ils spirits. They have at their
ont à leur service dix-huit service eighteen other spirits
autres esprits, qui leur sont who are their subordinates, to
subordonnés, sçavoir : wit:
1. Baël.
1. Baël. 2. Agares
2. Agares 3. Marbas
3. Marbas 4. Pruslas
4. Pruslas 5. Aamon
5. Aamon 6. Barbatos
6. Barbatos 7. Buer
7. Buer 8. Gusoyn
8. Gusoyn 9. Botis
9. Botis 10. Bathim
10. Bathim 11. Pursan
 11. Pursan 12. Abigar
12. Abigar 13. Loray
13. Loray 14. Valefar
14. Valefar 15. Foraii
15. Foraii 16. Ayperos
16. Ayperos 17. Naberus
17. Naberus 18. Glasyabolas
18. Glasyabolas

Après vous avoir indiqué les After enumerating the names of

noms des dix-huit esprits ci- the eighteen spirits above, who
dessus, qui sont inférieurs aux are below the six Chiefs that I
six premiers que j’ai décrit aussi have described also earlier, it is
ci-devant, il est bon de vous advisable to caution you also
prévenir aussi de ce qui suit, on what follows. To wit:
sçavoir :
Que LUCIFUGE, commande sur That LUCIFUGE, commands the
les trois premiers, qui se three Chiefs, who are named
nomment Baël, Agares et Bael, Agares & Marbas.
Marbas....
SATANACHIA, sur Pruslas, SATANACHIA over Pruslas,
Aamon et Barbatos. Aamon & Barbatos,
AGALIAREPT, sur Buer, Gusoyn AGALIAREPT over Buer, Gusoyn
et Botis & Botis.
FLEURETY, sur Bathim, Pursan FLEURETY over Bathim, Pursan
et Abigar & Abigar.
SARGATANAS, sur Loray, SARGATANAS over Loray,
Valefar et Faraü Valefar & Farau.
NEBIROS, sur Ayperos, Naberus NEBIROS over Ayperos,
et Glasyabolas. Naberus & Glasyabolas.
Et quoi qu’il y ait encore des While there are millions of
millions d’esprits, qui sont tous other subordinate spirits, it is
subordonnés à ceux nommés unnecessary to name them,
ci-devant, il est inutile de les because they are employed
nommer, à cause que l’on ne only when it pleases the
s’en sert que quand il plaît aux Superior Spirits in their own
esprits supérieurs de les faire stead, because they use all
travailler à leur place, parce these inferior spirits, as if they
qu’ils se servent de tous ces were workers or slaves.
esprits inférieurs, comme si
c’était leurs ouvriers ou leurs
esclaves :
Ainsi, en faisant le Pacte So, by making the Pact with
avec un des principaux dont one of the Principals that you
vous avez besoin, il n’importe have need of, it does not
quel esprit qui vous serve ; matter which spirit serves you.
néanmoins demandez toujours However, require of the Spirit
à l’esprit avec lequel vous faite with whom you make the Pact
votre pacte, que ce soit un des that you be served by one of
trois principaux qui lui sont the three Superiors among his
subordonnés qui vous serve. many subordinates
Voici précisément les Here are the precise powers,
puissances, sciences, arts et sciences, arts and Abilities of
talens des esprits surnommés, the spirits, so that those who
afin que celui qui veut faire un wish to make such a Pact, can
Pacte, puisse trouver dans find in each of the abilities of
chacun des talens des six the six Superior Spirits,
esprits supérieurs, ce dont il whatever is needed.
aura besoin.
Le premier est le grand The first is the great LUCIFUGE
LUCIFUGE ROFOCALE, premier ROFOCALE, Infernal Prime
ministre infernal ; il a la Minister. He has the power that
puissance que LUCIFER lui a LUCIFER grants him over all the
donnée sur toutes les richesses wealth and all the treasures of
et sur tous les trésors du the world. He has under him
monde. Il a sous lui Baël, Bael, Agares and Marbas, and
Agares et Marbas, et plusieurs thousands of spirits who are his
autres milliers de démons ou subordinates.
d’esprits qui lui sont tous
subordonnés.
Le second est le grand The second is the great General
SATANACHIA, grand général ; il SATANACHIA. He has the
a la puissance de soumettre à power to submit to himself all
lui toutes les femmes et toutes women and girls and make
les filles, et d’en faire ce qu’il them do what he wishes. He
souhaite. Il commande la commands the great spirit
grande légion des esprits, il a legion; he has under him
sous lui Pruslas, Aamon et Pruslas, Aamon and Barbatos,
Barbatos, etc., etc. etc.
AGALIAREPT, aussi général, a la The third is the great General
puissance de découvrir les AGALIAREPT, who has the
secrets les plus cachés, dans power to discover the most
toutes les cours et dans tous hidden secrets, in all the Courts
les cabinets du monde, il and Governments of the world,
dévoile les plus grands he reveals the greatest
mystères ; il commande la mysteries. He commands the
seconde légion des esprits, il a second legion of spirits, he has
sous lui Guer, Gusoan et Botis, under him Guer, Gusoan &
etc., etc. Botis, etc.,
FLEURETY, lieutenant général, a The fourth is the Lieutenant
la puissance de faire tel General FLEURETY, who has the
ouvrage que l’on souhaite power to perform any task he
pendant la nuit, il fait aussi wishes during the night, he can
tomber la grêle partout où il also cause hail or raise a storm
veut. Il commande un corps where he wishes. He
très considérable d’esprits, il a commands a very considerable
sous lui Bathim, Parsan et army of spirits, he has under
Abigar, etc., etc. him Bathim, Parsan and Abigar,
etc.
SARGATANAS, brigadier, a la The fifth is Brigadier
puissance de vous rendre SARGATANAS, who has the
invisible, de vous transporter power to make one invisible, to
partout, d’ouvrir toutes les transport one anywhere, to
serrures, de vous faire voir tout open all locks, to grant the
ce qui se passe dans les power to see what is happening
maisons, de vous apprendre inside homes, to teach all the
tous les tours et finesses des tricks and subtleties of the
bergers ; il commande plusieurs shepherds. He controls several
brigades d’esprits. Il a sous lui brigades of spirits. He has
Loray, Valefar et Faraü, etc., under him Loray, Valefar and
etc. Farau, etc.
NEBIROS, maréchal de camp et The sixth Superior Spirit is
inspecteur général, a la NEBIROS, Major General and
puissance de donner du mal à Inspector General, who has the
qui il veut ; il fait trouver la power to harm whoever he
main de gloire, il enseigne pleases, he can reveal the Hand
toutes les qualités des métaux, of Glory, he educates on all the
des minéraux, des végétaux et qualities of Metals, Minerals,
de tous les animaux purs et Plants and all pure & impure
impurs ; c’est lui qui a aussi Animals. He also grants the art
l’art de prédire l’avenir, étant un of predicting the future, being
des plus grands nécromanciens one of the greatest
de tous les esprits infernaux ; il necromancers of all the infernal
va partout, il a inspection sur spirits. He can go anywhere
toutes les milices infernales ; il and inspect all the infernal
a sous lui, Ayperos, Nuberus et militias. He has under him
Glasyabolas., etc., etc. . Ayperos, Nuberus &
Glasyabolas, etc.
 AVERTISSEMENT CAUTION
Quand vous voudrez faire votre :
pacte avec un des principaux When you wish to make your
esprits que je viens de nommer, Pact with one of the principal
vous commencerez l’avant- spirits that I have named, begin
veille du pacte d’aller couper by cutting a rod of wild hazel
avec un couteau neuf qui n’ait that has never borne fruit,
jamais servi, une baguette de similar to the Blasting Rod
noisetier sauvage, qui n’aye described and depicted in Book
jamais porté et qui soit One, with a new knife two days
semblable à la Verge before the pact at precisely the
Foudroyante, telle que celle qui moment that the sun appears
est déjà décrite, et dont vous on the horizon.
avez la figure dans le premier
livre, positivement au moment
que le soleil parait sur notre
horizon ;

Cela fait, vous vous munirez Having done so, equip

d’une pierre ématille, et de yourself with a bloodstone and
deux cierges bénis, et vous two consecrated candles, and
choisirez ensuite un endroit select a location for the
pour l’exécution que personne operation where you will be
ne vous incommode, vous undisturbed. You can choose to
pouvez même faire le pacte make this pact in an isolated
dans une chambre écartée ou room or in some dilapidated
dans quelque masure de vieux ruin, because the spirit will
château ruiné, parce que bring the Treasure there.
l’esprit a le pouvoir d’y
transporter quel trésor qu’il lui
plaît.
Cela étant vous tracerez un Begin by tracing a triangle
triangle avec votre pierre with your bloodstone and do
ématille, et cela seulement la this only the first time you
première fois que vous ferez make your Pact. Then place the
votre pacte ; ensuite vous two consecrated candles
placerez les deux cierges bénis parallel to the two edges of the
à côté et tels qu’ils sont placés triangle and inscribe the Sacred
vers le triangle des pactes que Name of Jesus at the base of
vous voyez ci-après, y plaçant the triangle so that the spirits
le S. N. de Jésus derrière, afin are unable to harm you from
que les esprits ne vous puissent behind. Then enter the triangle,
faire aucun mal ; ensuite vous holding the mysterious Rod,
vous placerez au milieu du dit along with the great
triangle, ayant en main la conjuration of the Key, the pact
baguette mystérieuse, avec la and the discharge of the spirit,
grande appellation à l’esprit, as indicated below in the model
avec le pacte et le renvoi de of the Kabbalistic Triangle of
l’esprit, tel qu’il est marqué ci- Pacts. Having followed these
après au modèle du triangle steps precisely, begin to recite
cabalistique des pactes. the following conjuration with
confidence and determination.
GRANDE GRAND
APPELLATION DES CONJURATION OF
ESPRITS AVEC THE SPIRITS WITH
LESQUELS L’ON VEUT WHOM ONE WISHES
FAIRE PACTE, TIRÉE TO MAKE A PACT,
DE LA GRANDE TAKEN FROM THE
CLAVICULE GREAT KEY
Empereur LUCIFER, maître de Emperor LUCIFER, master of all
tous les esprits rebelles, je te the rebel spirits, I pray to you
prie de m’être favorable dans to consider my appeal favorable
l’appellation que je fais à ton which I make to your Prime
grand ministre LUCIFUGE Minister LUCIFUGE ROFOCALE,
ROFOCALE, ayant envie de faire wishing to make a Pact with
pacte avec lui ; him.
Je te prie aussi Prince I pray to you also, Prince
BELZEBUT, de me protéger BELZEBUT, to protect me in my
dans mon entreprise. O comte enterprise. O Count ASTAROT!
ASTAROT ! sois-moi propice, et Find me favorable and protect
fais que je sois protégée dans me in my enterprise. O Count
mon entreprise. O comte ASTAROT! Protect me and
ASTAROT ! sois moi propice, et grant the great LUCIFUGE to
fais que dans cette nuit le appear before me in a human
grand LUCIFUGE m’apparaisse form, without bad odor and
sous une forme humaine, et agreeable to grant all the
sans aucune mauvaise odeur, et wealth I desire through this
qu’il m’accorde par le moyen du Pact that I propose to him.
pacte que je vais lui présenter,
toutes les richesses dont j’ai
besoin.
O Grand Lucifuge ! Je te prie de O Great LUCIFUGE! I pray you
quitter ta demeure, dans quelle leave your current residence in
partie du monde qu’elle soit, any part of the world to speak
pour venir me parler, sinon je with me, otherwise I will
t’y contraindrai par la force du compel you by the power of the
grand Dieu vivant, de son cher great living God, his dear Son,
Fils et du Saint-Esprit ; obéis and the Holy Spirit; obey me
promptement, où tu vas être promptly, or you will be
éternellement tourmenté par la tormented forever by the
force des puissantes paroles de powerful words of the Great
la grande clavicule de Salomon, Key of Solomon, which he
et dont il se servait pour obliger would use to compel the rebel
les esprits rebelles à recevoir spirits to accept his Pact.
son pacte ;
Ainsi parait au plutôt, ou je te Appear therefore or else I will
vais continuellement continue to torment you by the
tourmenter par la force de ces force of these powerful words
puissantes paroles de la of the Key,
clavicule,
Aglon, Tetragram, Vaycheon, Aglon, Tetragram, Vaycheon,
Stimulamaton y ezpares Stimulamaton y ezpares
retragrammaton olyoran irion retragrammaton olyoran irion
esytion existion eryona onera esytion existion eryona onera
erasym moym messias soter erasym moym messias soter
Emanuel Sabaoth Adonay, te Emanuel Sabaoth Adonai, I love
adore et invoco. Amen & invoke you. Amen

Vous êtes sûr que d’abord que You can be certain that before
vous aurez lu les puissantes you have finished speaking
paroles indiquées ci-dessus, these powerful words, the spirit
que l’esprit paraîtra, et vous will appear and tell you the
dira ce qui suit : following:
APPARITION DE APPEARANCE OF THE
L’ESPRIT. SPIRIT:
Me voici, que me demandes-tu I say, what do you ask of me?
? pourquoi troubles-tu mon Why do you trouble my rest?
repos ? réponds-moi. Answer me
LUCIFUGE ROFOCALE LUCIFUGE ROFOCALE
DEMANDE À L’ESPRIT ASK OF THE SPIRIT:
Je te demande pour faire pacte I ask you to make a pact with
avec toi, et enfin que tu me, and to grant me wealth as
m’enrichisses au plutôt, sinon soon as possible, or else I will
je te tourmenterais par les torment you by the powerful
puissantes paroles de la words of the Key
clavicule. <YOUR NAME>
N.N.
RÉPONSE DE L’ESPRIT THE SPIRIT’S REPLY
Je ne puis t’accorder ta I cannot agree to your
demande, qu’a condition que tu demands unless you agree to
te donnes à moi dans vingt ans, surrender yourself to me in
pour faire de ton corps et de twenty years, to do with your
ton amé ce qu’il me plaira. body and soul as I please.
 LUCIFUGE ROFOCALE. LUCIFUGE ROFOCALE

Alors vous lui jetterez votre Then cast before him your Pact
pacte, qui doit être écrit de that you have written yourself
votre propre main, sur un petit on a sheet of virgin parchment,
morceau de Parchemin vierge, consisting of the following
qui consiste à ces peu de mots words, signed by you with your
ci-après, en y mettant votre own blood:
signature avec votre véritable
sang.
VOICI LE PACTE HERE IS THE PACT:
Je promets au grand LUCIFUGE I promise the great LUCIFUGE
de le récompenser dans vingt that I will repay him in twenty
ans de tous les trésors qu’il me years for all the treasure that
donnera. En foi de quoi je me he grants me. In Witness
suis signé. Whereof I sign this myself
N.N. <YOUR NAME>

Je ne puis t’accorder ta I cannot grant your request.

demande. LUCIFUGE ROFOCALE
LUCIFUGE ROFOCALE.
Alors pour forcer l’esprit à vous Then to force the spirit to obey
obéir, vous relirez la grande you, read once again the Great
appellation avec les terribles Conjuration with the terrible
paroles de la clavicule, jusqu’à words of the Key, until the spirit
ce que l’esprit reparaisse et reappears and tells you the
vous dise ce qui suit : following:
SECONDE APPARITION SECOND APPEARANCE
DE L’ESPRIT OF THE SPIRIT
Pourquoi me tourmentes-tu Why do you torment me more
davantage ? Si tu me laisses en and more? If you allow me to
repos, je te donnerai le plus rest, I will grant you the
prochain trésor, à condition que nearest treasure, on the
tu m’en consacreras une pièce condition that you consecrate
tous les premiers lundis de me one coin the first Monday of
chaque mois, et que tu ne every month, and that you do
m’appelleras qu’un jour de not summon me more than one
chaque semaine, sçavoir ; day a week, from 10 PM to 2
depuis les dix heures du soir AM.
jusqu’à deux heures après Pick up your Pact that I have
minuit. signed, and if you do not keep
Ramasse ton pacte, je l’ai your word, you will be mine in
signé ; et si tu ne tiens pas ta twenty years.
parole, tu seras à moi dans LUCIFUGE ROFOCALE
vingt ans.
LUCIFUGE ROFOCALE

RÉPONSE À L’ESPRIT : REPLY TO THE SPIRIT:

J’acquiesce à ta demande, à I agree to your demands, on
condition que tu me feras the condition that you take me
paraître le plus prochain trésor to the nearest treasure
que je pourrai emporter tout de immediately.
suite.
<YOUR NAME>
N.N.
RÉPONSE DE L’ESPRIT THE SPIRIT’S REPLY
Suis-moi, et prends le trésor Follow me and take the
que je vais te montrer. treasure that I am going to
show you.

Alors vous suivrez l’esprit par la Then follow the spirit by the
route du trésor qui est indiquée route to the treasure that he
au triangle des pactes, sans indicates from the Triangle of
vous épouvanter, et jetterez Pacts, without fear, and cast
votre pacte tout signé sur le your signed pact on the
trésor, en le touchant avec treasure, touching it with your
votre baguette ; vous en Rod. Take as much of it as you
prendrez tant que vous can, and then return into the
pourrez, et vous vous en Triangle, walking backwards
retournerez dans le triangle, en and place your treasure before
marchant à reculons ; vous y you and immediately beginning
poserez votre trésor devant to read the discharge of the
vous et vous commencerez tout Spirit, which is provided
de suite à lire le renvoi de hereafter.
l’esprit, tel qu’il est marqué ci-
après.
CONJURATION CONJURATION
& renvoi de l’Esprit avec lequel & Discharge of the Spirit with
l’on a fait un pacte whom the Pact has been made

O Grand LUCIFUGE ! je suis O Great LUCIFUGE! I am

content de toi pour le présent, pleased with you for your gift, I
je te laisse en repos et te release you to your rest and
permets de te retirer où bon te allow you to leave, without any
semblera, sans faire aucun noise or bad odor. Think also of
bruit ni laisser aucune your commitment to my Pact,
mauvaise odeur. Pense aussi à because if you fail for even a
ton engagement de mon pacte, moment, you may be assured
car si tu y manques d’un of eternal torment with the
instant, tu peux être sûr que je great and powerful words of
te tourmenterai éternellement the Key of the Great King
avec les grandes et puissantes Solomon, which he used to
paroles de la clavicule du grand command obedience of all the
roi Salomon, par lequel l’on rebel spirits.
force tous les esprits rebelles
d’obéir.
PRIÈRE AU TOUT- PRAYER TO THE
PUISSANT EN FORME OMNIPOTENT IN
D’ACTION DE GRÂCE THANKSGIVING
Dieu Tout-Puissant, père Omnipotent God, Heavenly
céleste, qui as créé toutes Father, who has created all
choses pour le service et l’utilité things for the service and use
des hommes, je te rends de of mankind, I offer the
très humbles actions de grâces humblest thanks for the great
de ce que par ta grande bonté kindness you have granted me
tu as permis que sans risque, je to make this Pact without risk
puisse faire pacte avec un de with one of your rebel spirits,
tes esprits rebelles, et le and to have him grant me all
soumettre à me donner tout ce that I need. I thank you for the
dont je pourrais avoir besoin. goodness you have shown me
Je te remercie, ô Dieu Tout- tonight; Deem me, a puny
Puissant, du bien dont tu m’as creature, worthy of your
comblé pendant cette nuit ; precious favor. O Great God!
daigne accorder à moi, chétive This is the moment that I have
créature, tes précieuses faveurs known all the force and power
: c’est à présent, ô grand Dieu ! of your great promises, when
que j’ai connu toute la force et you said to us, Seek and Ye
la puissance de tes grandes Shall Find; Knock and the Door
promesses, lorsque tu nous a shall be opened! And as you
dit : cherchez et vous trouverez ordered us to ease the burden
; frappez et l’on vous ouvrira ; of the poor, great God, inspire
et comme tu nous as ordonné in me the true feelings of
et recommandé de soulager les charity, so that I spend a great
pauvres, daigne, grand Dieu, portion of the bountiful gifts I
m’inspirer de véritables have received on holy works to
sentiments de charité, et fais favor your great Divinity, O
que je puisse répandre sur une Great God, allow me to
aussi sainte œuvre une grande peacefully enjoy these great
partie des biens dont la grande riches that I possess, and do
divinité a bien voulu que je not let any rebellious spirit to
fusse comblé ; harm me in the enjoyment of
these precious treasures that
you have permitted me to
possess. O Great God inspire
me with the necessary
emotions to free myself from
the claws of the devil and all
 evil spirits. I am under your
saintly protection, great God
the Father, God the Son and the
Holy Spirit, Amen.

ORAISON PRAYER
Pour se garantir des mauvais To protect oneself from evil
Esprits spirits
O père Tout Puissant ! O Mère, O Omnipotent God! O Mother,
la plus tendre des Mères ! O the most caring of Mothers! O
Exemplaire admirable des admirable example of
sentiments et de la tendresse sentiments and tenderness of
des mères ! O Fils, la fleur de mothers! O Son, the flower of
tous les fils, ! O forme de all sons! O form of all forms!
toutes les formes ! Âme, esprit, Soul, Spirit, Harmony and
harmonie et nombre de toutes Name of all things! Keep me,
choses, conservez-nous, protect me, lead me and be
protégez-nous, conduisez-nous, propitious unto me. Amen
et soyez-nous propice. Amen.

CITATIO SUMMONING THE

PRAEDICTORUM AFORESAID SPIRITS
SPIRITUUM
Before calling the Spirit, whose
Ubi quem volueris Spiritum, name and Office you know, you
cujus nomen et officium supra must fast and be free of all
cognosces: imprimis autem ab pollution for three or four days
omni pollutione minimùm tres so the spirits will be more
vel quatuor dies mundus esto in obedient to you. Make the
primà citatione, sic et spiritus circle and call the spirit with the
posteà obsequentiores erunt: proper intention, with a ring in
fac et circulum, et voca spiritum your hand. Say the following
cum multâ intentione, primùm prayer on this day in your name
verò annulum in manu and your companions, for they
continetur: indè hanc recitato
benedictionem, tuo nomine et must always be with you, that
socii, si præsto fueris, et you are granted your wishes,
affectum tui instituti sortieris, with no harm from the Spirit,
nec detrimentum à spiritibus and no destruction of your soul:
sancies: imò tuæ animæ
perditionem.

§ 2. In nomine Domini nostri § 2. In the name of God and

Jesu Christi, Patris et Filii et Jesus Christ, Father, Son and
Spiritûs Sti, sancta trinitas et Holy Ghost, holy trinity and
inseparabilis unitas te invoco, indivisible, I call to you for my
ut sis mihi salus et defensio, et safety and protection, and the
protectio corporis et animæ protection of my body and soul,
meæ, et omnium rerum and all my possessions through
mearum. Per virtutem sanctæ the virtue of the Holy Cross and
crucis et per virtutem passionis by the power of your passion, I
tuæ deprecor te, Domine Jesu- beg you, Lord Jesus Christ, and
Christe, per merita beatissimæ by the blessed Virgin Mary and
Mariæ Virginis et matris tuæ all the saints and all thy
atque omnium sanctorum brethren, to minister unto me,
tuorum, ut mihi concedas and give me grace and divine
gratiam et potestatem divinam power over all the wicked
super omnes malignos spiritus, spirits, so that whichever of
ut quocumque nominibus them I call by their name, they
invocavero, statim ex omne may come from wherever they
parte conveniant, et voluntatem are and voluntarily accomplish
meam perfectè adimpleant what I wish, with no harm, and
quod mihi nihil nocentes neque be fearful and obedient to me,
timorem inferentes sed potiùs and through thy virtue
obedientes, et ministrantes, tuâ commanding them, let them
districtè virtute præcipientes, fulfil my commandments.
mandata mea perficient. Amen; Amen.
Sanctus, sanctus Dominus Deus Holy, Holy is the Lord God of
sabaoth, qui venturus est Hosts, who will come to judge
judicare vivos et mortuos: tu es the living and the dead. From
A et a primus et novissimus, you and from the First and the
rex regnum et dominus Last, King of Kings and Lord of
dominantium, Lords,
Joth, Aglanabrath El Abiel Joth, Aglanabrath, El Abiel,
anathi Enatiel Amazin sedames anathi Enatiel Amazin sedamas
hayes tolima Elias ischiros hayes tolima Elias ischiros
arganatos ymas heli Messias, arganatos ymas heli Messias,
per hæc tua S. nomina, et per By these holy Names, and by
omnia alia in voco te et obsecro all other holy names I call on
te, Domine, Jesu Christe, per thee, Lord, Jesus Christ, by
tuam nativitatem, per your nativity, by your baptism,
baptismum tuum, per by your passion and crucifixion,
passionem et crucem tuam per by your ascension, by the
ascensionem tuam, per advent of the Holy Ghost, the
adventum Spiritûs Sancti comforter, when you went out
paracleti, per amaritudinem of your body through the
animæ tuæ quando exivit de bitterness of the five wounds,
corpore tuo per quinque by the blood and water that
vulnera tua, per sanguinem et came out of your body, by the
aquam quæ exierunt de Blessed Sacrament you gave
corpore tuo, per sacramentium your disciples on the eve of
quod dedisti discipulis tuis your suffering, by the Holy
pridiè quam passus fuisti per Indivisible Trinity, by the
sanctam Trinitatem, per blessed Mary, your mother, by
individuam unitatem, per the Angels and Archangels, by
beatam Mariam matrem tuam, the prophets and patriarchs
per Angelos et Archang., per and by all your saints, and by
prophetas et patriarchas et per all the sacraments which were
omnes sanctos tuos: et per made in your honor, I worship
omnis sacramenta quæ fiunt in you and beseech you, and ask
honore tuo: Adoro te, et you to accept my prayers and
obsecro te, benedico tibi et conjurations, and the words
rogo, ut accipias orationes has from my mouth. I beseech
et conjurationes et verba oris thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, to
mei, quibus uti voluero. Peto, give me strength, over all
Domine Jesu Christe, da mihi angels that you cast out of
virtutem et potestatem tuam heaven who seek to deceive
super omnes Angelos tuos qui mankind, to draw them to me,
de coelo ejecti sunt ad to tie them and bind them, and
decipiendum genus humanum, also to loosen them and gather
ad attrahendum eos, ad them in front of me, to
constringendum, ad ligandum command them and not have
eos pariter et solvendum, Et them disrespect me, but obey
congregandum eos coram me, me and my words, and fear
et ad præcipiendum eis ut me; through thy grace, through
omnia, quæ possunt, faciant ert Christ’s humanity, and make
verba mea vocemque meam supplication to thee, and show
nullo modo contemnant: sed mercy, and I beseech Adonai,
mihi et dictis meis obediant, et Amay Horta Videgoram Mitey
me timeant; per humanitatem Hel Surana & Syon & Svesy and
et misericordiam et gratiam by all your holy names, by all
tuam deprecor et pero te your saints, by the Angels and
Adonay amay horta videgoram Archangels, the Powers,
mitey hel surana y syon y Principalities and Virtues, and
svesy, et per omnia nomina tua by that Name which Solomon
sancta, per omnes sanctos et used to bind the demons, and
sanctos tuos, per Angelos et he concluded therefore Elroch
Archangelos, Potestates, Ebanher Agla Goth Joth Othie
Dominationes et Virtutes, et per Venochnabrat, and by all the
illud nomen per quod Salomo holy names which are written in
constringebat dæmones, et this book, and by virtue of the
conclusit ipso Elh rocobem her same, by my powers make
agle goth joth othie them congregate, bind all your
venochnabrat, et per omnia spirits driven from heaven to
sacra nomina quæ scripta sunt give me a true answer to all my
in hoc libro, et per virtutem demands, and that they satisfy
eorumdem, quatenùs me all my requests, without harm
potentem facias, congregare, to my body or soul, of all that
constingere omnes tuos spiritus concerns me, by our Lord Jesus
de c&oelig;lo depulsos ut mihi Christ thy son, who lives and
veraciter de omnibus meis reigns in unity with the Holy
interrogatis, de quibus Ghost, one God, forever and
quæram, responsionem ever!
veracem tribuant, et omnibus
meis mandatis illis satisfaciant,
sine læsione corporis et animæ
meæ et omnium ad me
pertinentium, per Dominum
nostrum Jesum Christum filium
tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat
in unitate Spiritûs Sancti Deus,
per omnia sæcula.
§ 3. O Pater omnipotens! ô Fili § 3. O Omnipotent Father! O
sapiens! ô Spiritus Sancte! Wise son! O Holy Spirit!
corda hominum illustrans, ô vos Lighting the hearts of men, the
tres in personis, una vero threefold person, one in
deitas in substantia qui Adamæ substance, who did spare Adam
et Evæ in peccatis eorum and Eve their sins, and of thy
pepercisti, et propter eorum son, who you sustained as he
peccata morte subjecti, tuum died a most shameful death on
filium turpissima, in lignoque the holy wooden cross. O Most
sanctæ crucis sustinuisti; ô merciful, grant kindness and
misericordissime, quando tuam mercy in every way possible, by
confugio misericordiam, et the holy name of your son, the
supplico modis omnibus quibus beginning and the end, and all
possum, per hæc nomina other holy names, grant me
sancta tua filii, scicilet A et v et power and authority of all your
per omnia alia sua nomina, spirits which you cast out of
quatenus concedas mihi heaven, to speak with me and
virtutem et potestatem tuam, be diligent unto me
ut valeam tuos spiritus qui de immediately and without delay
c&oelig;lo ejecti sunt ante me of their own will, with no harm
citare, et ut ipsi mecum to my body, soul or
loquentur, et mandata mea possessions, etc. as is
perficiant statim et sine mora continued in the book
cum eorum voluntate, sine Solomon’s Ring
omni læsione corporis, animæ
et bonorum meorum, etc.
Continua ut libro Annuli
Salomonis continetur.
§ 4. O summa et æterna virtus § 4. O Great and eternal power,
Altissimi, quæ, te disponente, most high, which calls to
his judicio vocatis judgement
Vaycheon stimulamaton Vaycheon stimulamaton
esphares tetragramaton ilioram esphares tetragrammaton
rion esytio existioneriona onera ilioram rion estyio
brasym moyn messias sodxer, existioneriona onera brasym
Emmanuel, Sabaoth, Adonay moyn messiah Soter Emmanuel
te adoro, te invoco, totius Sabaoth Adonai
mentis, viribus meis imploro, I worship you, invoke you with
quatenus per te præsentes all my power, mind and heart,
orationes et consecrationes et that by you, these prayers and
conjurationes consecrantur; consecrations and conjurations
videlicet, et ubicumque maligni be hallowed unto thee, namely,
spiritus in virtute tuorum (to control) these malignant
nominum sunt vocati, et omni spirits, and wherever the virtue
parte conveniant, et voluntatem of your holy names are called,
meam exorcismis diligenter that they come together from
adimpleant, fiat, fiat, fiat. Amen everywhere, that thy names are
suitable for each spirit and that
they diligently fulfill the will of
me, the exorcist.
LE SECRET MAGIQUE THE MAGICAL
Où le Grand ART de pouvoir SECRET
parler aux Morts Wherein is the great ART of
speaking with the Dead

Il est absolument nécessaire It is necessary to attend the

d’assister à la Messe de Noel, à Christmas Mass, precisely at
minuit précis, pour avoir une midnight, to have a familiar
conversation familière avec les conversation with the residents
habitants de l’autre Monde. of the other World. When the
C’est au moment où le Prêtre Priest raises the Holy Host, the
levé la Sainte Hostie, qu’il sorcerer makes a covert bow
s’incline intérieurement & dire and in a constrained voice
d’une voix contrainte : intones:
Exsurgent mortui, et ac me Arise ye dead and come to me
veniunt.
A peine aurez-vous prononcé As soon as you have
ces fix mots Latins, qu’il faut pronounced these fixed Latin
gagner le cimetière, & a la words, go to the cemetery and
première tombe qui peut s’offrir at the first tomb you espy,
à vos regards : vous ferez ces make these prayers:
prières :
Puissances Infernales ; vous qui Infernal Powers, you who bring
portez le trouble dans tout trouble into all the universe,
l’univers, abandonnez vos abandon your dark dwellings
demeures sombres, & allez- and go beyond your abode by
vous confiner au-delà du Fleuve the River Styx.
Styx.
Vous ajouterez ensuite après After a few moments of silence,
quelques moments de silence : add:
Si vous tenez sous votre If you have under your domain
puissance, celui ou celle pour of control, the one whom I am
qui je m’intéresse, je vous interested in, I conjure you in
conjure au nom du Roi des Rois the name of the King of Kings
de me le faire apparaitre à to have it appear before me at
l’heure & au moment que je this hour and moment of my
vois invoquerai. invocation
Après cette cérémonie, qu’il est After this ceremony, which is
indispensable de faire, vous essential to perform, take a
prendrez une poignée de terre handful of graveyard dirt and
& la disperserez, comme on scatter it, like one might scatter
disperse le grain dans un grain in the field, saying, in a
champ, en disant – d’une voix low voice,
basse –
« Que celui qui n’est que “He who is only dust, rise from
poussière, se réveille de son thy tomb, from thy ashes, and
tombeau, qu’il force de sa answer the questions I will
cendre, & qu’il réponde aux make of him in the name of the
objections que je vais lui faire Father of all men”
au nom du Père de tous les
hommes. »
Vous fléchirez alors un genou Then bend a knee to the
contre terre, en tournant les ground, turning your eyes to
yeux du côté de l’Orient, the East, when you see the sun
lorsque vous verrez que les open the gates of dawn, take
portes du Soleil s’ouvriront, two bones of the dead
vous vous armerez de deux os enchained in the form of a
de Mort que vous mettrez en cross and immediately throw
sautoir, & incontinent les them away towards the first
jetterez sur le premier Temple Temple or Church that you see.
ou la première Eglise qui
frappera votre vue.
Toutes les dispositions ainsi All arrangements thus made,
prises, vous vous acheminerez turn towards the West, and
du côté de l’Occident, & lorsque when some time has passed, lie
vous aurez fait quatre mille dix- flat on the ground, pressing
neuf cents pas vous vous your palms against the thighs,
coucherez par terre tout your eyes towards the sky, and
allonge, les deux pommes des a slight turn towards the
mains contre cos cuisses, les moon. It is in this posture that
yeux au ciel ; & un peu tourne you will call the name of the
du côté de la Lune. C’est dans spirit you wish to see, being
cette posture, que vous careful not to get confused
appellerez, par son nom, celui when you see the apparition of
ou celle que vous défierez de the Specter and you appeal to
voir, en faisant attention de ne its presence on the earth in the
point se troubler ; lorsque vous following words:
verrez paraitre le Spectre, &
vous solliciterez sa présence
par les terres qui suivent :
Ego sum, te peto, et videre I am here, I seek you, & I
queo cannot see you
Au moment même que vous At the very moment you speak
aurez articule ces paroles, vos these words, your eyes will be
yeux satisfaits verront pleasantly satisfied by the
agréablement se repaitre de appearance of that which you
l’objet qui leur était le plus cher, seek most dearly, and which
& qui se soit leurs plus was their most agreeable
agréables délices. delight.
Lorsque vous aurez obtenu When you have obtained the
de l’ombre que vous invoquez shade you seek, and are
ce qui vous aura paru le plus satisfied, you may dismiss it,
propre à vous satisfaire, vous la saying these words:
renverrez, en lui disant :
Retourne dans le Royaume des Return to the Kingdom of the
Elus : je suis content de ta Elect, I am pleased with your
présence ; presence
Alors quittant la posture ou Then, leaving your recumbent
vous vous étiez mis, vous posture, return to the same
retournerez sur la même tomb where you had made the
tombe, ou vous avez déjà fait Prayer, and cross yourself by
une Prière, & sur laquelle vous the left hand with the point of
serez une croix de la main your knife.
gauche avec la pointe de votre
couteau.
Le Lecteur n’oubliera point The reader will not forget
qu’il ne faut pas omettre la that one must not omit a single
moindre circonstance de ce qui point or slightest circumstance
est ici préférait ; sans cela, on of what is described herein,
courrait risque de devenir soi- without which we run the risk
même la proie de toutes les of becoming ourselves the prey
puissances de l’enfer. of all the denizens of Hell.
 DES JOURS FORTUNATE AND
HEUREUX ET UNFORTUNATE DAYS
MALHEUREUX
JOURS MOIS JOURS Happy Months Unhappy
HEREUX
MALHEREUX Days Days

3, 10, Janvier 13 et 22 3, 10, January 13 and

27, 31 27, 31 22
7, 8 et Févier 2, 10, 17, 7, 8 February 2, 10,
18 22 and 18 17, 22
3, 9, 12, Mars 13, 19, 3, 9, March 13, 19,
14, 16 23, 28 12, 14, 23, 28
16
5 et 27 Avril 18, 20, 5 and April 18, 20,
29, 30 27 29, 30
1, 2, 4, Mai 10, 17, 1, 2, 4, May 10, 17,
6, 9, 14 20 6, 9, 20
14
3, 5, 7, Juin 4 et 20 3, 5, 7, June 4 and 20
9, 12, 9, 12,
23 23
2, 6, 10, Juillet 5, 13, 27 2, 6, July 5, 13, 27
23, 30 10, 23,
30
5, 7, 10, Aout 2, 13, 27, 5, 7, August 2, 13,
14, 19 31 10, 14, 27, 31
19
6, 10, Sept. 13, 16, 6, 10, Septembe 13, 16,
13, 18, 12, 15 13, 18, r 12, 15
30 30
13, 16, Octob. 3, 9, 27 13, 16, October 3, 9, 27
23, 31 23, 31
8, 13, Novem 6 et 25 8, 13, November 6 and 25
23, 30 . 23, 30
10, 20, Decem 15, 28, 10, 20, December 15, 28,
29 . 31 29 31
REMARQUES REMARKS
Plusieurs Savants prétendent Many scholars claim that this
que cette Table fut donnée à table was given by an angel to
Adam par un Ange aussi était- Adam, and that this was his
ce la réglé de son conduit ; il mode of conduct, wherein he
ne semait ni ne transplantait did not sow or transplant
rien, que dans les jours anything, except on the
heureux, et tout lui arrivait à appropriate days, and
bon port ; si nos cultivateurs everything had granted him. If
suivaient ses traces, our farmers followed in his
l’abondance comblerait nos footsteps, they would reap
vœux. abundant rewards.
 SECRETS DE L'ART SECRETS OF THE
MAGIQUE DU MAGICAL ART OF THE
GRAND GRIMOIRE GRAND GRIMOIRE
COMPOSITION DE THE COMPOSITION
MORT, OF DEATH,
OU LA PIERRE OR THE
PHILOSOPHALE. PHILOSOPHER’S
Rendez un pot de terre neuf, STONE
mettez-y une livre de cuivre Place a pound of red copper in a
rouge avec une demi chopine new earthenware pot with a
d'eau forte, que vous ferez half-pint of fortified water. Boil
bouillir pendant une demi- for half an hour, then add three
heure: après quoi vous y ounces of verdigris and boil for
mettrez trois onces de vert de another hour. Then add two and
gris que vous ferez bouillir une a half ounces of arsenic, boiled
heure; puis vous mettrez deux for an hour, followed by three
onces et demie d'arsenic que ounces of powdered oak bark,
vous ferez bouillir une heure; that you will let boil for half an
vous y mettrez trois onces hour, a pot of rose water boiled
d'écorce de chêne, bien for twelve minutes, three
pulvérisée, que vous laisserez ounces of lamp black boiled until
bouillir une demi-heure, une it is of a glossy composition. To
potée d'eau rose bouillir douze check if it is well-cooked, soak a
minutes, trois onces de noir de nail in the pot: If it cloys to the
fumée que vous laisserez liquid, take it off the flame. This
bouillir jusqu'à ce que la should produce a pound and a
composition soit bonne; pour half of pure gold, and if it
voir si elle est assez cuite, il doesn’t render any outcome,
faut y tremper un clou: si elle this indicates the liquor is not
y prend, ôtez-la; elle vous fully cooked. The liquor can be
procurera une livre et demie used to produce results four
de bon or; et si elle n'y prend times before it is used up.
point, c'est une preuve qu'elle
n'est pas assez cuite; la liqueur
peut servir quatre fois.

POUR FAIRE LA TO PREPARE THE

BAGUETTE DIVINING ROD AND
DIVINATOIRE ET LA TO MAKE IT WORK
FAIRE TOURNER : When the sun appears on the
Dès le moment que le soleil horizon, take in your left hand a
parait sur l'horizon, vous branch of virgin wild hazel and
prenez de la main gauche une cut in three strokes, while
baguette vierge de noisetier saying “I collect you in the name
sauvage et la coupez de la of Elohim, Metatron, Adonai and
droite en trois coups, en Semiphoras, so that you may
disant: Je te ramasse au nom have the virtue of the rod of
d'Eloim, Mutrathon, Adonay et Moses and of Jacob, to discover
Semiphoras, afin que tu aies la all that I wish to know. “
vertu de la verge de Moïse et To make it work, hold the rod
de Jacob, pour découvrir tout tightly in your hands by the
ce que je voudrai savoir; et forked end and say, “I command
pour la faire tourner, il faut you in the name of Elohim,
dire, la tenant serrée dans ses Metatron, Adonai and
mains par les deux bouts qui Semiphoras to reveal to me,
font la fourche: Je te etc.”
recommande au nom d'Eloim,
Matrathon, Adonay et
Semiphoras de me relever....

POUR GAGNER TO WIN ALL

TOUTES LES FOIS LOTTERIES THAT ONE
QU'ON MET AUX MIGHT PLACE BETS
LOTERIES ON
Il faut, avant de se coucher, Before going to bed, recite the
réciter trois fois cette oraison, following prayer thrice, and
après quoi vous la mettrez place it under your ear, written
sous l'oreille, écrite sur du on virgin parchment that has
parchemin vierge, sur lequel been blessed during a mass of
vous aurez fait dire une messe the Holy Ghost. During sleep,
du St-Esprit, et pendant le the Genius of your Planet will
sommeil le génie de votre tell you the hour in which you
Planète vient vous dire l'heure should buy your lottery ticket.
que vous devez prendre votre
PRAYER
billet.
O Lord Jesus Christ, who has
ORAISON
said I am The Way, The Truth
Domine Jesu Christe, qui dixisti and The Life, behold, you desire
ego sum via, veritas et vita, truth in the inward parts, and in
ecce enim veritatem dilexisti, your occult wisdom that you
incerta et occulta sapientiæ have made manifest to me, and
tuæ manifestasti mihi, adhuc revealed to me like the sun, and
quæ reveles in hac nocte sicut along with other things, you
ita revelatum fuit parvulis solis, have taught the unknown and
incognita et ventura unaque revealed things to come, in
alia me doceas, ut possim order that I may know all
omnia cognoscere, si et si sit; things, if they exist. So, show
ita monstra mihi montem me the mountain adorned with
ornatum omni nivo bono, all good and pleasing things, like
pulchrum et gratum an orchard, and if they serve
pomarium, aut quandam rem me, the flames or running water
gratam, sin autem ministra or whatever the Lord pleases
mihi ignem ardentem, vel and of the Angels Ariel, Rubiel
aquarum currentem vel aliam and Barachiel, may I have many
quamcumque rem quæ who love and work to grant me
Domino placeant, et vel Angeli what I want to know and learn,
Ariel, Rubiel et Barachiel sitis through the providence of the
mihi multúm amatores et living God who comes to judge
factores ad opus istud the living and the dead, and
obtinendum quod cupio scire, everlasting fire, Amen
videre cognoscere et
Say three Our Fathers and three
prævidere per illum Deum qui
venturus est judicare vivos et Hail Mary’s for the souls in
purgatory
mortuos, et sæculum per
ignem. Amen.
Vous direz trois Pater et trois
Ave, Maria pour les amés du
purgatoire.

POUR CHARMER LES TO ENCHANT

ARMES À FEU : FIREARMS:
Il faut dire: Dieu y ait part et Say: God has the power and the
le diable la sortie, et lorsqu' on Devil does not, and when you
met en joue, il faut dire en fire, say the following while
croisant la jambe gauche sur la crossing your left arm over the
droite: non tradas Dominum right: You cannot pass our
nostrum Jesum Christum. Lord, Jesus Christ. Mathon.
Mathon. Amen. Amen

POUR PARLER AUX TO SPEAK WITH

ESPRITS LA VEILLE SPIRITS ON THE EVE
DE LA ST. JEAN- OF ST. JOHN THE
BAPTISTE : BAPTIST:
Il faut se transporter depuis Go near a stem of bracken fern
les onze heures jusqu'à minuit between 11 PM and midnight
près d'un pied de fougère, et and say: “I pray to God that the
dire: Je prie Dieu que les spirits with whom I wish to
esprits à qui je souhaite parler speak appear to me at
apparaissent à minuit précis; midnight.”
et aux trois-quarts vous direz At 11:45 PM, say the following
neuf fois ces cinq paroles: Bar, five words nine times: Bar,
Kirabar, Alli, Alla Tetragamaton Kirabar, Alli, Alla,
Tetragrammaton
POUR SE FAIRE TO BE ABLE TO LOVE
AIMER DE TELLE WHICHEVER GIRL OR
FILLE OU FEMME WOMAN YOU WISH:
QUE VOUS VOUDREZ While picking an Alpine Leek
Il faut dire en ramassant (Victory Onion or allium
l'herbe des neuf chemises, dite victorialis), say the following
concorda: Je te ramasse au words: “I gather you in the
nom de Scheva pour que tu name of Sheba so that you
me serves à m'attacher l'amitié serve me by granting me the
de (nommez la personne), et love of <Name>”.
ensuite vous mettrez ladite Then put this herb on the
herbe sur la personne, sans intended person, without her
qu’elle ne le sache ni qu'elle noticing it, and she will
s'en aperçoive, et aussitôt elle immediately love you.
vous aimera.

POUR FAIRE TO COMPEL ONE TO

DANSER TOUT NU : DANCE NAKED:
Il faut ramasser la veille de la On the eve of St. John the
saint Jean-Baptiste, à minuit, Baptist, at midnight, gather
trois feuilles de noyer, trois three walnut leaves, three
plantes de marjolaine, trois marjoram plants, three myrtle
plantes de mirthe et trois plants and three verbena plants.
plantes de verveine, faire Dry them in the shade and grind
sécher le tout à l'ombre, le into a powder. Throw some into
mettre en poudre et en jeter the air like a pinch of tobacco in
comme une petite pincée de the room with the people whom
tabac en l'air dans la chambre you wish to play with.
où sont les personnes que l'on
veut jouer.
 POUR SE RENDRE TO MAKE ONESELF
INVISIBLE : INVISIBLE:
Vous volerez un chat noir, et Steal a black cat, and buy a new
achèterez un pot neuf, un pot, a mirror, a briquette, an
miroir, un briquet, une pierre agate stone, coal and tinder.
d'agathe, du charbon et de Take water at the stroke of
l'amadou, observant d'aller midnight from a fountain. Then
prendre de l'eau au coup de light your fire, place the cat in
minuit à une fontaine, après the pot and hold it covered with
quoi vous allumez votre feu, your left hand without moving
mettez le chat dans le pot, et or looking behind you, no
tenez le couvert de la main matter what sounds you might
gauche sans bouger ni hear. Then boil it for 24 hours
regarder derrière vous, and place it on a new plate.
quelque bruit que vous Take the meat and throw it over
entendiez; et après l'avoir fait your left shoulder, while saying
bouillir 24 heures vous le the following words: Take what
mettez dans un plat neuf; you need and do nothing else.
prenez la viande et la jetez Then place the bones under the
pardessus l'épaule gauche, en teeth one by one, while looking
disant ces paroles: accipe at yourself in the mirror. If this
quod tibi do, et nihil ampliùs; does not seem right, throw
puis vous mettrez les os un à them over your left shoulder,
un sous les dents du côté while saying the same words
gauche, en vous regardant until you find it, and until your
dans le miroir; et si ce n'est reflection disappears. Retreat
pas le bon, vous le jetterez de backwards, saying: Father, into
même, en disant les mêmes your hands, I give my spirit.
paroles jusqu'à ce que vous
l'ayez trouvé; et sitôt que vous
ne vous verrez plus dans le
miroir, retirez-vous à reculons
en disant: Pater, in manus tuas
commendo spiritum meum
 POUR FAIRE LA TO MAKE THE SEVEN-
JARRETIÈRE DE LEAGUE GARTERS
SEPT LIEUES PAR Buy a young wolf, less than a
HEURE year old, and cut its throat with
a new knife, in the hour of Mars,
Vous achèterez un jeune loup while saying the following
au-dessous d'un an, que vous words: Adhumatis cados
égorgerez avec un couteau
ambulavit in fortitudine cibi ilius
neuf, à l'heure de Mars, en
(Adhumatis falls, walking luckily
prononçant ces paroles :
with food) Then skin the wolf
Adhumatis cados ambulavit in and slice the skin into one-inch
fortitudine cibi ilius; puis vousthick garters. Write the same
couperez sa peau en
words as above on the garters–
jarretières larges d'un pouce, the first letter in your own
et y écrirez dessus les mêmes
blood, the second with the
paroles que vous avez dites en wolf’s blood, and so on, until the
l'égorgeant, savoir, la première end of the phrase.
lettre de votre sang, la
seconde de celui du loup, et After you have written the
immédiatement de même words, and they have dried, line
jusqu'à la fin de la phrase. them with white Paduan thread,
and attach two violet ribbons to
Après qu'elle est écrite et tie them from the top of the
sèche, il faut la doubler avec knees to the bottom. It is
un padoue de fil blanc, et important that no woman or girl
attacher deux rubans violets
see the garters, and to remove
aux deux bouts pour la nouer them before crossing a river, or
du dessus du genou au- else they will lose their strength.
dessous ; il faut aussi bien
prendre garde qu'aucune
femme ou fille ne la voie point:
comme aussi la quitter avant
de passer une rivière, sans
quoi elle ne serait plus si forte.
 COMPOSITION DE COMPOSITION OF
L'EMPLÂTRE POUR THE PLASTER TO
FAIRE DIX LIEUES COVER TEN LEAGUES
PAR HEURE AN HOUR:
Prenez deux onces de graisse Take two ounces of human fat,
humaine, Une once d'huile de an ounce of deer oil, an ounce
cerf, Une once d'huile de of laurel oil, an ounce of deer
laurier, Une once de graisse de fat, an ounce of natural mummy,
cerf, Une once de momie a half-pint of wine and seven
naturelle, Une demi-chopine leaves of verbena. Boil all of this
d'esprit de vin, Et sept feuilles in a new pot, until half-reduced,
de verveine. Vous ferez bouillir then make the plaster on a new
le tout dans un pot neuf, skin, and when you apply this
jusqu'à demi-réduction, puis on the spleen, you will go like
en formez les emplâtres sur de the wind. So as not to be sick
la peau neuve, et lorsque vous when you take this off, have
les appliquez sur la rate, vous three drops of blood in a glass
allez comme le vent ; pour of white wine.
n'être point malade quand
vous le quittez, il faut prendre
trois gouttes de sang dans un
verre de vin blanc.

COMPOSITION DE COMPOSITION OF
L'ENCRE POUR THE INK FOR
ÉCRIRE LES PACTES WRITING PACTS
Les pactes ne doivent point The pacts must not be written
être écrits avec l'encre with ordinary ink. Every time
ordinaire. Chaque fois qu'on one intends to conjure a spirit,
fait une appellation à l'esprit, prepare fresh ink. Mix river
on doit en changer, Mettez water and the following powder
dans un pot de terre vernissé in a new glazed clay pot. Take
neuf, de l'eau de rivière et la fern branches picked on the eve
poudre décrite ci-après. Alors of St. John, vine branches cut
prenez des branches de on the full moon in March.
fougère cueillies la veille de la Kindle this wood with virgin
S. Jean, du sarment coupé en parchment, and when the water
pleine lune de mars ; allumez boils, your ink will be made.
ce bois avec du papier vierge, Remember to prepare a fresh
et dès que votre eau bouillera, batch whenever it is needed. For
votre encre sera faite. the powder, take ten ounces of
Observez bien d'en changer à gallnuts, three ounces of copper
chaque nouvelle écriture que sulfate (Roman Vitriol), two
vous aurez à faire. Prenez dix ounces each of rock alum and
onces de noix de galle, et trois gum Arabic. Grind all the
onces de vitriol romain, ou ingredients into a fine powder,
couperose verte ; d'alun de then use this when needed in
roche ou de gomme arabique, the preparation of the ink for
deux onces de chaque ; writing Pacts.
mettez le tout en poudre
impalpable, dont, lorsque vous
voudrez faire de l'encre, vous
préparerez comme il est dit ci-
dessus.

ENCRE POUR NOTER INK TO NOTE THE

LES SOMMES QU'ON AMOUNTS TAKEN
PRENDRA DANS LES FROM HIDDEN
TRÉSORS CACHÉS, TREASURE, AND TO
ET POUR EN ASK FOR MORE FROM
DEMANDER DE PLUS LUCIFUGE, WHEN
FORTES À LUCIFUGE, THERE IS NEED:
DANS LES
Take peach kernels, without
NOUVEAUX
removing the fine hair, and put
BESOINS. them into the fire to reduce
Prenez des noyaux de pèches, them to charcoal. Take one part
sans en ôter les amendes, of this charcoal, mixed with
mette-les dans le feu pour les soot, and blend with two parts
réduire en charbons bien of crushed gallnuts, dried grease
brûlés, alors retirez-les, et and four parts of gum Arabic, to
lorsqu'ils sont bien noirs, be ground into a fine powder
prenez en une partie que vous that is sieved and then dissolved
mêlerez avec autant de noir de in river water. Ensure that all
fumée, ajoutez-y deux parties these items are absolutely new
de noix de galle concassées ; and pristine.
faites dans l'huile desséchée,
de gomme arabique quatre
parties ; que le tout soit mis
en poudre très fine, et passé
par le tamis. Mettez cette
poudre dans de l'eau de
rivière. Il est inutile de faire
remarquer que tous les objets
décrits ci-dessus doivent être
absolument neufs.

Lecteur bénévole, pénètre-toi Dear reader, consider well all

bien de tout ce que le grand that the Great Solomon has
Salomon vient de t'enseigner written by my hand. Be wise like
par mon organe. Sois sage him, if you wish to have all the
comme lui, si tu veux que wealth that I have the power to
toutes les richesses que je grant for your happiness. Be
viens de mettre en ton pouvoir humane to your fellowmen,
puissent faire ta félicité. Sois comfort the unfortunate, live
humain envers tes semblables, content.
soulage les malheureux ; vis
content.
Goodbye
Adieu
APPENDIX – The Red Dragon
– A novel
THE RED DRAGON
Or THE ART OF CONJURING SPIRITS
DEMONSTRATED by Facts & Examples
by M. Robville
 LE DRAGON ROUGE THE RED DRAGON
Ceci se passait dans un village This happened in a village in
de Provence, huit Jours avant la Provence, eight days before the
Saint-Jean. feast of St. John.
On avait moissonné pendant Father Michu’s wheat had
la journée les blés du Père been harvested during the day.
Michu, et tous les gens de la All the people of the farm
ferme, rassemblés dans la salle assembled in the common
commune, achevaient le repas room for the evening meal.
du soir. Après un dernier coup After a final cup of punch, the
de piquette, les femmes se women began some sewing
mirent à quelque travail de work, and the men lit their
couture, les hommes pipes and engaged in
allumèrent leur pipe et ta conversation.
conversation s'engagea.
Parmi les assistants se Among the assistants was a
trouvait un jeune garçon à la shy young man, with a timid
mine naïve, à l'air timide, que air, whom the girls sometimes
les filles regardaient parfois en regarded with a smile, and who
souriant, et qui ne parlait never spoke without a bit of
qu'avec une sorte d'hésitation. hesitation. He showed, in brief,
Il montrait, en un mot, tous les all the indications of a weak
signes d'un caractère faible, character, of an intelligence, if
d'une intelligence, sinon not limited, at least somewhat
bornée, du moins peu underdeveloped for his age,
développée pour son âge, car il which was nearly twenty years
avait près de vingt ans. old.
On l'appelait Claude Michu, His name was Claude Michu,
c'était le fils du fermier. the son of the farmer.
Il faut le dire, si Claude It must be said, if Claude
n'avait rien de l'assurance virile, had none of the manly
c'est que de tout temps il s'était assurance, this was because he
vu l'objet des quolibets et des often faced taunts and quibbles
railleries de ses camarades. from his comrades. He was
Habitué à servir de point de used to being the target of
mire aux moqueurs, plein de ridicule from scoffers and had
défiance à l'égard de sa propre long resigned himself to the
force, il s'était résigné role of scapegoat that had been
longtemps à ce rôle de souffre- imposed on him since
douleur qu'on lui avait imposé childhood.
depuis l'enfance.
Du reste, laid, grêle et chétif Besides, ugly, spindly and
comme il était, il ne pouvait puny as he was, he could
guère triompher de sa destinée hardly triumph over his destiny
et parfois il se prenait à songer and sometimes he began to
qu'un prodige seul serait think that a single prodigious
capable de lui rendre sa valeur event might restore his moral
morale. value.
Il avait voulu dire quelques He had wanted to say a few
douceurs aux fillettes du sweet words to the
voisinage, elles lui avaient ri au neighborhood girls, but they
nez ; il s'était mis, en tête de had laughed at him. He had
faire des expériences agricoles, started some agricultural
suivant, les données d'un livre experiments, following the data
spécial, et aucune de ces from a special book, but none
expériences n'avait réussi. of these experiences had
succeeded.
Enfin Claude était ce qu'on Finally, one might say that
appelle un homme poursuivi Claude was a man pursued by
par la mauvaise chance. bad luck.
En y réfléchissant bien, on Reflecting on it, we would
aurait vu que cette prétendue have seen that this alleged bad
mauvaise chance venait tout luck was quite simply due to
simplement de la fausse the wrong influences on the
direction imprimée à l'esprit du young person’s mind, his
jeune, homme, de sa mollesse intellectual weakness and his
intellectuelle et de sa grande great hesitation in all
hésitation dans toutes les circumstances, but that was not
circonstances ; mais on ne all.
s'avise pas de tout.
Quoi qu'il en fût, Claude en Whatever might be the
était venu à se persuader qu'il reason, Claude had come to
serait toujours malheureux, convince himself that he would
toujours faible, toujours bafoué always be unhappy, always
par les unes, battu par les weak, always ridiculed by
autres, et finalement qu'on lui some, beaten by others, and
avait jeté un sort. finally that a spell had been
cast upon him.
Cette croyance était le This annoyance was the
résultat naturel de la naïveté de natural result of the naivety of
son esprit. his spirit.
Quand elle lui fut entrée When his spirit entered his
dans la cervelle, il n’eut plus brain, he no longer wished to
d'autre désir que de combattre fight this spell of which he was
ce fameux sort dont il était the victim, but to fight it, he
victime ; mais pour le needed, in his opinion, a lot of
combattre, il fallait, à son avis, courage and audacity, and
beaucoup découragé, beaucoup Claude felt that he was severely
d'audace, et Claude sentait bien lacking in these two qualities.
que ces deux qualités-là
n'étaient point de son fait.
On va voir, pourtant, We will see, however, how
comment il se décida à se he decided to revolt against all
révolter contre tous les these setbacks that incessantly
déboires dont il était swamped him.
incessamment abreuvé.
La soirée touchait à sa fin The evening was coming to
lorsque la porte de la ferme an end when the gate of the
s'ouvrit et livra passage à un farm opened and gave passage
petit vieillard à l'aspect étrange to a little old man with a
et à l'accoutrement bizarre. strange aspect and bizarre
outfit.
Ce vieillard faisait This old man professed to be
ouvertement profession de a shepherd, but he was known
berger, mais il était connu dans in the region as a wise sorcerer,
le pays pour un sorcier qui en who at a word could change
savait long, disaient les bonnes the mountain to the plain and
femmes en hochant la tête, et the plain to the mountain, by
qui d'un mot pouvait changer la his whim, according to the
montagne en plaine et la plaine good women, who said this
en montagne, au gré de son while shaking their heads,
caprice,
La vérité, c'est que The truth was that
Simounen (ainsi se nommait le Simounen (as the sorcerer
sorcier) était une fin matoise called himself) was a wily old
vivant sur la crédulité des man living on the credulity of
paysans qui garnissaient sa the peasants who stocked his
bourse de beaux écus et lui purse with fine crowns and
faisaient des revenus avec leur made his income from their
sottise. foolishness.
Bon compagnon, gai conteur He was a good companion,
sachant par cœur tous les noëls cheerful storyteller who knew
et toutes les rondes de by heart all the songs and tales
Provence. Simounen était reçu of Provence. Simounen was
partout avec plaisir, peut être received everywhere with
avec crainte par certains, car sa pleasure, perhaps with fear
réputation d'ensorceleur ne because of his reputation as a
manquait pas de causer sorcerer, which did not fail to
quelque inquiétude aux faibles cause fear in the weak brains of
cervelles de l'endroit. the local people.
Quand il parut dans la When he appeared at Father
maison du père Michu, les filles, Michu’s home, the girls, who
qui le connaissaient bien pour knew him well, and often
lui avoir maintes fois acheté bought talismans and charms
des talismans ou des charmes, from him, greeted him with
le saluèrent joyeusement. pleasure.
« Bon ! » s'écria Madeloun, “Well”, cried Madeleine, a
une jolie brune, que Claude pretty brunette whom Claude
aimait depuis longtemps et qu'il had loved for a long time and
voulait épouser, sans avoir wanted to marry, without
jamais en le courage de le lui having the courage to do it,
dire, dans la crainte d'une “Well, that is Father Simounen
moquerie, « bon, voilà le père who will tell us a tale!”
Simounen qui va nous raconter
une histoire. «
« Je ne dis pas non, “I won’t refuse, little one,”
petite, » répliqua le berger, replied the shepherd, “What
qu'est-ce que tu veux que je would you have me recount?”
raconte ? »
« Racontez-nous la légende “Tell us the legend of the
du Trou-Noir. C'est très- Black Hole. It is very interesting
intéressant et ça fait peur » and scary.”
« Oui ! » Crièrent toutes les “Yes!” cried all the voices,
voix, « la légende du Trou-Noir “the legend of the Black Hole!”
!»
« Bon, écoutez-moi donc, et “Fine, listen to me closely,
ne soufflez mot, je n'aime pas and do not breathe a word, I
qu'on m'interrompe. » do not like to be interrupted.”
Le cercle des auditeurs se The circle of listeners
serra autour de Simounen, et le huddled around Simounen, and
vieillard commença ainsi : the old man began thus:
« C'était au temps où la “This was a time when
Provence ne s’appelait pas Provence was not called so,
encore la Provence ; il y a de over a thousand years ago. In
cela plus mille ans, vivaient this country, two brothers lived
alors, dans ce pays-ci, deux together with their father in an
frères qui habitaient ensemble old castle on the mountain. The
avec leur père un vieux château first was called Jehan, the other
sur la montagne. L'un s'appelai Andre. Andre, the youngest,
Jehan, l'autre André. André, le was as mean as his brother
cadet, était aussi méchant, que Jehan was good. Andre left
son frère Jehan était bon : nothing unseen from his evil
cependant il ne laissa rien voir heart, until the day that his old
de son mauvais cœur, jusqu'au father was at the point of
jour où son vieux père fut sur death.
le point de mourir.
Alors la jalousie s'empara de Then jealousy seized him.
lui. Il savait que son frère, He knew that his brother,
suivant les habitudes du temps,following the habits of the time,
allait hériter de toute la fortune
was going to inherit all the
et de tous les titres paternels,
fortune and all the paternal
et que lui. André, ne serait plus
titles, and that he, Andre,
dans le château que te premier would be no better than the
serviteur de Jehan. first servant of Jehan in the
castle.
Il résolut vite de tuer son He quickly resolved to kill his
aîné et de rester ainsi seul elder brother and thus stay the
possesseur de tous les biens. sole possessor of everything.
Une nuit donc, pendant que One night, while everyone
tout dormait, il s'avança was asleep, he crept slowly to
doucement jusqu'à la chambre his brother’s room, and having
de son frère, et s'étant jeté thrown himself like a wolf on
comme un loup sur ce dernier, the latter, stabbed him in the
il lui perça la poitrine avec un chest with a dagger. The poor
poignard. Le pauvre Jehan fit : Jehan cried ‘Ah!’ and died.
Ah ! et mourut :
Puis le meurtrier se sauva Then the murderer hid
dans la tour qu'il habitait et himself in his tower and
attendit le jour. awaited the day.
Quand il apprit le lendemain The next morning, when he
matin ce qui s'était passé, le learned what had happened,
père des deux jeunes gens the father of the two young
expira de chagrin, et André eut men expired in sorrow, and
ce qu'il avait tant souhaité, la Andre had what he had wished
fortune et les honneurs ; car, for so much, the fortune and
personne n'ayant osé le the honors. Because, no one
soupçonner, on crut que Jehan dared to suspect it, it was
avait été assassiné par des believed that Jehan had been
voleurs qui désolaient alors la assassinated by the thieves
contrée. Tel fut, du moins, le who frequented the country.
bruit que fit répandre le Such was, at least, the rumor
nouveau seigneur. that the new lord spread about.
Et comme il était justement As he was rightly feared in
redouté dans son domaine, his domain, none dared
aucun n'osa le contredire. contradict him.
Vous croyez qu'il vécut You believe that he lived a
tranquille peut-être, comme tranquil life, perhaps, as
cela arrive à bien des coupables happens to many guilty
? Non. Si la justice des hommes people? It was not to be so. If
n'avait pu l'atteindre, celle de the justice of men did not reach
Dieu ne lui manque pas. him, that of God did not fail.
Juste un an après la mort de A year after the death of his
son père et de son frère, par father and brother, on a winter
une soirée d'hiver où la bise evening when the wind blew
soufflait à déraciner les rochers, strong and almost uprooted the
le seigneur André était seul rocks, Lord Andre was alone in
dans sa chambre. his room.
Il avait reçu, dans la In the day, he had received
journée, le montant des dîmes his tenants’ rents, and wishing
en argent qu'il prélevait sur ses to put them away safely, he
tenanciers, et voulant les had opened the family treasure
mettre en sûreté, il avait ouvert chest which was piled up with
le trésor de sa famille où se tons of gold, baskets of
trouvaient entassés des tonnes diamonds and pearls, and large
gorgées d'or, des corbeilles boxes filled to the brim with
pleines de diamants et de silver ingots.
perles, et de grands coffres
emplis jusqu'au couvercle de
lingots d'argent.
Ces richesses merveilleuses, He contemplated these
il les contemplait avec orgueil riches with pride and
et s'applaudissait du coup qui congratulated himself on the
l'en avait rendu le maître, blow that had made him their
lorsqu'il entendit au fond de la master, when he heard an
salle du trésor comme un extended sigh at the end of the
soupir prolongé. treasure chamber.
Son sang se glaça dans ses His blood froze in his veins
veines et il eut à peine la force and he hardly had the strength
de regarder devant lui. to look in front of him.
Tout à coup, une voix Suddenly, a voice called out
l'appela à deux reprises : to him twice
— André ! André ! “Andre! Andre!”

Alors, il se hasarda à jeter He ventured his eyes to the

les yeux vers le fond de la end of the room, and suddenly
pièce, et soudain il poussa un uttered a cry of terror.
cri de terreur.
Son père était devant lui. Et His father stood before him,
à côté de son père se tenait and by his side was the
Jehan assassiné, portant assassinated Jehan, still
encore dans la poitrine les deux bearing two red holes in his
trous rouges qu'y avait faits le chest chiseled by Andre’s
poignard d'André. dagger.
— Mon père ! mon frère ! “My father! My father” cried
cria le meurtrier ; Grâce ! grâce the murderer. “Thanks be to
! God! Thanks!”
Il tomba à genoux devant He fell to his knees before
les deux spectres immobiles et the two motionless and
menaçants. menacing specters.
Et la bise au dehors se mit à The wind outside began to
souffler plus glaciale et plus blow more icy and violent and
violente, et les murs du the walls of the castle trembled
château tremblèrent jusque in their foundations.
dans leurs fondements.
 — Grâce, répéta le “Thanks be to God,”
misérable. repeated the miserable wretch.
— Dieu t'a jugé, ton heure “God has judged you, your
est venue, prononça lentement hour has come,” the specter of
le spectre de Jehan. Dieu t'avait Jehan pronounced slowly. “God
donné un an pour te repentir, gave you one year to repent,
et tu n'as pas un seul instant and you have not cursed your
maudit ton crime. Meurent crime for one moment. You
donc avec toi et les honneurs must die, therefore, with all
dont la source est maudite, et your cursed honors and the ill-
les richesses mal acquises, et acquired riches, and this castle
ce château que lu as souillé. which you have defiled.”
Alors, les deux ombres The two shades attached
s'attachèrent aux deux piliers themselves to the two pillars
qui soutenaient la salle, et which supported the room. As
tandis qu'ils les secouaient they shook them as if to bring
comme un arbre dont on veut down their fruits, the wind
faire tomber les fruits, le vent redoubled its rage and the
d'hiver redoublait de rage, et ramparts of the castle trembled
les tours, et les remparts du under its attacks, like weakly
château vacillaient, sous ses planted stalks.
attaques, comme dos échalas
mal plantés.
Bientôt. André entendit Soon, Andre heard the cries
autour de lui des cris of superhuman demons around
surhumains, des hurlements de him – the spirits looked at him
démons déchaînés : les with flaming eyes, and
spectres le regardèrent avec suddenly the two pillars fell
des yeux flamboyants, et down, a great rolling sound was
soudain les deux piliers de la heard and the soil on which the
voûte s'abattirent ; un grand castle stood collapsed and the
bruit de pierres roulant sur towers, walls, gold, silver,
leurs assises retentit ; le sol sur diamonds and all sorts of riches
lequel était bâti le château were engulfed in the earth
s'effondra, et murailles, tours, along with their unworthy
or, argent, diamants et possessor.
richesses de toutes sortes
s'engouffrèrent dans la terre
avec leur indigne possesseur.
Là où fut naguère une Where once there was a
montagne venait de s'ouvrir un mountain, now opened into a
profond abîmé ; c'est ce qu'on profound abyss. This is what is
appelle aujourd'hui le Trou-Noir. called the Black Hole today.
Le conteur s'arrêta. The storyteller stopped.
Claude Michu l'avait écouté Claude Michu had been
avec un intérêt mêlé d'effroi. listening with interest, mixed
with terror.
Quant à Madeloun, elle As for Madeleine, she had
n'avait pas perdu un mot du not missed a single word of the
récit ; pourtant, elle ne déclara story, yet she did not declare
pas encore sa curiosité her curiosity satisfied.
satisfaite.
— Père Simounen dit-elle, “Father Simounen,” she said,
vous n'avez pas fini. Est-ce qu'il “You have not finished. Does
ne court pas dans le pays des one not hear terrible sounds in
bruits terribles sur le Trou-Noir the region of the Black Hole?”
?
— Si, ma fille ; on dit qu'à “Yes, my child. It is said that
certains jours les démons font on some days, the demons
leur sabbat au lieu où sont make their Sabbath at the place
enfouis le corps, le château where is buried the body, the
elles trésors d'André le castle and the treasures of
fratricide. Andre, the fratricide.”
—On dit aussi, n'est-ce pas, “They also say, don’t they,”
reprit Madeloun, que bien des replied Madeleine, “that many
gens ont voulu conjurer les people want to conjure the
esprits du Trou Noir et chercher spirits of the Black Hole &
te trésor qui est caché ? search for the hidden
treasure?”
 — C'est vrai. “That is true.”
— Mais & ce qu'on affirme, “But it is said, none have
aucun n'a réussi, succeeded.”
—On peut donc, hasarda “One might,” ventured
Claude timidement, conjurer Claude timidly, “conjure the
ainsi les dénions et s'approprier demons and appropriate the
les trésors dont ils sont treasure they guard?”
gardiens ?
— Sans doute, fit Madeloun “No doubt,” said Madeleine,
; mais pour cela il faut être très “but for that he must be very
savant et très courageux. A ce learned and courageous. As
compte, ce n'est pas toi qui such, it should be anyone but
pourrais aller au Trou-Noir, mon you who should go to the Black
pauvre Claude. Hole, my poor Claude.”
Claude ne répondit pas à Claude did not reply to
Madeloun, mais interrogeant de Madeleine, but questioning
nouveau le sorcier : once again the sorcerer,
— À quelle époque entend- “On which days do we hear
on ces bruits de sabbat ? these sounds of the Devils’
Sabbath?”
— A la Noël, à la Toussaint, “On Christmas, All Saints
et pendant la nuit de la Saint- Day and during the night of St.
Jean, répondit Simounen, qui John,” replied Simounen, who
attacha sur le visage de son had a malicious look on his face
crédule auditeur un regard at the sight of his credulous
plein de malice. listener.
—La Saint-Jean ! c'est dans “The Feast of St. John! That
huit jours, murmura Claude. Et is in eight days,” murmured
que fait-on, maître Simounen, Claude. “What else, Master
pour conjurer les démons et Simounen, must one do to
avoir le trésor ? conjure the demons and
possess the treasure?”
—Tu en veux trop savoir, “You want to know too much
petit. Pour apprendre ces too soon, my little child. This
choses-là, ça coule gros, et knowledge has a high cost and
encore ne les apprend pas qui one may still not fathom what
veut. is needed.”
Ce disant, le berger cligna Saying so, the shepherd
de l'œil comme pour dire : « closed his eye in a wink, as if to
Tout cela, je le sais, moi, et je say, “I know all this myself, and
n’en suis pas plus fier. » yet I’m not proud.”
Le rusé compère avait flairé The wily player had sniffed
dans Claude Michel une dupe out in Claude Michele an easy
facile, et à tout événement, il dupe, and at any event he was
préparait son terrain. Pendant preparing his ground.
ce temps-là, Claude, qui était Meanwhile, Claude, who was
timide surtout par crainte des timid by nature, and afraid of
railleries de ses camarades et being taunted by his comrades,
se sentait plus fort quand il felt braver when he thought
pensait et agissait isolément. and acted alone.
Claude réfléchit que If he possessed the treasure
posséder le trésor du Trou-Noir. of the Black Hole, Claude
Ce serait gagner tout d'un coup believed he would suddenly win
la considération, le respect des the appreciation and respect of
hommes, les sourires des filles, all men, the smiles of the girls,
et se débarrasser à tout jamais, and thanks to the strength of
grâce à l'aplomb que donne la wealth, he would be forever rid
richesse, de celte faiblesse, of that weakness and
ridicule qui l'empêchait ridiculousness that prevented
d'avouer son amour à him from confessing his love for
Madeloun et de lui demander Madeleine and be able to ask
sa main. for her hand.
Pour la première fois de sa For the first time in his life,
vie, il se sentit du courage et he felt the courage and
résolut de tenter la terrible resoluteness to venture on the
épreuve dont avait parlé terrible ordeal of which
Simounen, Simounen had spoken.
 Pour cela, il lui fallait gagner For that, he needed to gain
la confiance du vieux sorcier et the confidence of the old
lui arracher même à prix wizard and induce from him
d'argent, le secret de la even at a high price the secret
conjuration qui devait rendre of conjuration which would
les démons du Trou-Noir dociles render the demons of the Black
à son désir. Hole submissive to his desires.
Ceci montre à quel point de This demonstrates the
crédulité te défaut de extent of credulity and lack of
raisonnement peut pousser un reasoning that a man can be
homme et quelle riche mine à pushed to and the kind of
escroqueries doivent offrir aux swindling notions that could be
aventuriers de la race de pushed by adventurers such as
Simounen les bonnes bêtes du Simounen on the good beasts
genre de Claude Michu. of the ilk of Claude Michu.
Quand le berger quitta la When the shepherd left the
ferme, il était dix heures du farm, it was ten P.M. in the
soir. evening.
Il s'engageait dans un He was at the foot of a
chemin creux conduisant aux sunken road leading to the first
premières pentes de la slopes of the mountain where
montagne où il avait bâti sa he had constructed his hut,
cabane, lorsqu’il entendit when he heard behind him a
derrière lui des pas précipites. call to stop.
—Bon, dit-il en s'arrêtant, “Good,” he mused while
l'histoire da trésor a produit son pausing. “The history of the
effet ; voilà mon homme. treasure has produced the
desired effect – there is my fine
man.”
Simounen ne se trompait Simounen was not mistaken
pas : presque aussitôt la voix – almost instantly, he heard the
essoufflée de Claude se fit breathless voice of Claude
entendre. behind him.
— Père Simounen ! Père “Father Simounen! Father
Simounen ! Simounen!”
— C'est toi Claude que “Is that you, Claude, my
l'arrive-t-il. Mon garçon ? fit le boy?” asked the sorcerer with a
sorcier avec un feint false note of astonishment.
étonnement.
— J'ai à vous parler, père “I wanted to speak with you,
Simounen. Et comme le ne father Simounen. And I did not
voulais pas le taire devant tout want to speak in front of
le monde, je vous ai suivi everyone, I have followed you
jusqu'ici. here.”
— J'ai à vous parler, père “I wanted to speak with you,
Simounen. Et comme le ne father Simounen. And I did not
voulais pas le taire devant tout want to speak in front of
le monde, je vous ai suivi everyone, I have followed you
jusqu'ici. here.”
—Bon, explique-toi. “Well, explain yourself.”
— C'est que c’est bien “It’s very difficult…”
difficile...
—Allons, tu as peur ? Eh “Come, are you afraid? Well!
bien ! je vais t'éviter la peine de I will spare you the difficulty of
parler ; je vais te dire ce que Lu speaking. I’ll tell you what you
me veut. want from me.”
—Vous ? murmura Claude “You?” whispered Claude,
déjà épouvanté de cette already terrified of the sharp
pénétration du vieux berger ; insight of the old shepherd,
pénétration facile à expliquer although it was easy enough to
d'après ce qui s'était passé à la explain after what had
veillée, happened at the evening affair.
—Moi ! répéta le vieillard “Me!” repeated the old man
d'un ton solennel. in a solemn tone.
Ecoute : Tu sais que je “Listen: You know that I deal
m'occupe de ces sciences with these terrible sciences,
terribles, inconnues aux autres unknown to most men. The
hommes ; l'histoire du trésor du
history of the treasure of the
Trou-Noir t'a alléché, et tu viens
Black Hole tempts you, and you
me demander le secret qui doit
come to me to know the
t'en assurer la possession secrets that will assure you its
possession.”
—Comment savez-vous cela “How do you know that?”
?
—Je sais tout ce que je veux “I know everything that I
; je peux tout ce que je désire, choose to discover. I can do
mon garçon, reprit le sorcier anything I desire, my boy,”
affectant une intonation de plus replied the sorcerer, adopting a
en plus grave. graver tone.
—Ainsi vous consentiriez... “So, you would consent…”
—A t'apprendre la “To teach you the art of
conjuration des démons. conjuration of demons.”
—Oui, si tu as du courage ; “Yes, if you have the
non si tu as peur. courage, but not if you are
afraid.”
—Je n'aurai pas peur. “I will not be afraid.”
—Tu n'as pourtant pas l'air “But you do not look like a
d'un brave. brave man.”
—Ça ne fait rien. Quand on “It does not matter. When
n'est point là pour me regarder there is nothing to see to
et m'intimider, je me sens intimidate me, I feel able to do
capable de tout. anything.”
—Tant mieux alors ; car pour “So much the better –
ce que tu veux tenter, il faudra because what you have to do
que tu sois seul. must be done alone.”
—Que faut-il faire ? “What should be done?
— Doucement, mon garçon “Gently, my boy. Do you
as-tu de l'argent, d'abord ? have any money with you?”
— J'en ai un peu. “I have a small amount.”
 — Bon, car sans cela rien “Good, because without that
n'est possible. Pour les nothing is possible. For the
conjurations, vois-tu il faut se conjurations, you see, you must
procurer divers objets qui ne se procure various objects that are
donnent pas pour rien. Puis j'ai not free. Then I have my own
mon secret et ce secret-là vaut secrets and they are worth
quelque chose comme tu something to you, I believe.”
penses.
— Je l'entends bien ainsi. “I hear you loud and clear.”
—A la bonne heure. Eh bien “All in good time. Well! As it
! comme il est tard et que j'en is late tonight, and I have much
ai long à te dire, va te coucher to tell you, go to sleep quietly.
tranquillement. Demain à la Tomorrow night come find me
nuit, tu viendras me trouvera la on the mountain and I will
montagne et je t'apprendrai ce teach you what is to be done.
que tu dois faire.
Simounen se remit en route Simounen started on his
et Claude revint à la ferme, le path again and Claude returned
cœur serré et tout ému de to the farm, his heart beating
l'audacieuse entreprise qu'il fast and feeling agitated at the
allait tenter. audacious enterprise that he
was undertaking.
Le jour suivant, après le souper, The next day, after dinner,
pendant que les garçons et les when the boys and girls of the
filles de la ferme reprenaient farm were resuming their
leur veillée, toujours animée evening activities, animated by
par les gais propos ou les gay comments or rustic songs,
chansons rustiques, Claude Claude slipped away without
s'esquiva sans être remarqué et being noticed and reached
gagna au pas de course la Simounen’s hut hurriedly.
cabane de Simounen.
Le vieillard l'attendait, assis The old man was awaiting
devant une petite table et him, sitting in front of a small
lisant, à la lueur d'une table and reading, by the light
chandelle de suif, un livre of a tallow candle, a half-torn
crasseux à demi déchiré. dusty book.
L'intérieur de la cabane The interior of the hut
répondait parfaitement au corresponded to the public
Caractère que l'opinion perception of the shepherd.
publique prêtait au berger.
Sur tes murs crépis à la Birds of prey and bats were
chaux étaient cloués des nailed to the plastered walls,
oiseaux de proie et des and mingled in a strange
chauves-souris, et se mêlaient, disorder, were old weapons,
dans un désordre étrange, de steel-tipped cedar rods,
vieilles armes, des baguettes de branches of dry mistletoe, and
coudrier à bout ferré, des two or three small copper
branches de gui sèches, et cauldrons. A stuffed iguana
deux ou trois petits chaudrons hung on the ceiling – a kind of
de cuivre. Au plafond, big lizard with a terrible
pendaient un iguane empaillé appearance – and a serpent
— sorte de grand lézard à with an open mouth that still
l'aspect terrible — et un displayed a fine forked tongue,
serpent dont la gueule ouverte hardened by time and
laissait encore passer une sharpened like a dart.
langue fine, desséchée par le
temps, et pointue comme un
dard.
Sur des bancs de bois On rough square wooden
grossièrement équarri séchaient benches were aromatic plants
des plantes aromatiques. that were drying out. Other
D'autres plantes macéraient plants macerated in a pot
dans un cuvier posé près de la beside the table, and there
table, et des hôtes de diverses were holes of various forms by
formes s'alignaient sur la the chimney, with strange
cheminée, à côté de quelques powders.
volumes poudreux.
Le sol de la cabane était de The floor of the hut was clay
terre battue ; deux poules – two black hens pecked away
noires y picotaient comme dans as if they were in a farmyard,
une bassecour, et dans un coin and in a dark corner glittered
sombré étincelaient les yeux the round eyes of one of those
ronds d'un de ces crapauds enormous toads, often found in
énormes, comme on en trouve quarries.
dans les carrières.
L'aspect de ce misérable The sight of this miserable
logis n'était pas de nature à dwelling did not reassure poor
rassurer le pauvre Claude Claude Michu. He paused at the
Michu. Aussi s'arrêta-t-il sur le threshold with a sudden
seuil avec un mouvement de apprehension.
brusque appréhension.
Il n'osait hasarder son pied He dared not step foot in
dans celle enceinte maudite, et this cursed place, and he would
il serait probablement retourné probably have retraced his
sur ses pas, si Simounen, steps if Simounen, fearing to
craignant de voir sa dupe lui see his dupe about to make his
échapper, ne lui eût crié d'un escape, had not shouted at him
ton encourageant : in an encouraging tone:
—Bonsoir, Claude. Entre vite, “Good evening, Claude!
mon ami ; je vois que tu es un Come in quickly, my friend. I
garçon exact. see that you are a punctual
 boy.”
L'aspirant sorcier comprit The aspiring sorcerer saw
qu'il était trop tard pour reculer. that it was too late to retreat.
Il secoua un frisson et se He shivered and ventured
risqua dans l'intérieur. into the interior.
Le berger se leva alors et The shepherd got up and
vint fermer soigneusement la quickly closed the door.
porte.
— Il ne faut pas qu'on nous “We must not be bothered,”
dérange, fit-il, sommé à lui- he said, speaking to himself.
même. Les gendarmes ne “The police do not believe in
croient à rien et s'ils nous anything and if they surprised
surprenaient, Ils seraient bien us, they would be well able, my
capables, ma foi de jeter du dear, to cause trouble in our
trouble dans nos affaires. affairs.”
Cette crainte des gendarmés This fear of the police
imprudemment exprimée par le recklessly expressed by the
sorcier aurait dû inspirer à wizard should have inspired
Claude de judicieuses réflexions some judicious reflections in
; au lieu de se dire qu'il Claude - instead of saying to
s'engageait là dans une affaire himself that he was engaged in
périlleuse au point de vue de a perilous affair, instead of
ces intérêts ; au lieu de songer thinking that the wizard who
qu'un sorcier qui commande au could command demons should
démon ne doit pas craindre les not be afraid of men, the
hommes, le crédule paysan credulous peasant considered
considéra sa tentative comine his dangerous efforts even
d'autant plus terrible que more tentatively, leading
Simounen prenait plus de Simounen to take precautions
précautions pour en assurer le to assure his intended result.
résultat.
—Allons, lui dit te vieillard au “Come,” said the old man
bout d'un instant. Il s'agit ce after a pause. “We must act
nous entendre vite. Tu veux fast. Do you want to go to the
aller au Trou-Noir ? Black Hole?”
—Oui ! “Yes!”
—Et prendre le trésor “And take Andre’s treasure?
d'André ?
— Si ça se peut. “If that is possible.”
—Ça se pourra, si tu “It will be, if you follow my
exécutes bien tout ce que je instructions precisely.”
vais t'indiquer.
—Je ferai tout. “I will do everything you
say.”
—Et tu feras bien, car, “And you will do it well,
songes-y, manquer à une seule because, think about it, if you
de mes conditions, c'est perdre miss even one of my
la fortune que tu désires et conditions, it will mean the loss
peut-être exposer ta vie. of the fortune you crave and
perhaps even your life.”
Claude ne répondit pas. Il Claude did not respond. He
commençait à trembler. began to tremble. Yet he
Pourtant il se remit, fort, de sa recovered, confidently, his
première résolution. initial resoluteness.
— Dites toujours, père “Tell me everything, Father
Simounen, reprit-il, après un Simounen,” he went on, after a
court silence. brief silence.
Le sorcier quitta son siège et The sorcerer left his seat
prit sur la cheminée un petit and took a small book printed
bouquin imprimé en rouge qu'il in red from the mantelpiece.
ouvrit d'un air solennel.
—Quel est ce livre ? “What is this book?” asked
demanda Claude Michu. Claude Michu.
— Ce livre, mon fils, c'est le “This book, my son, is the
Dragon rouge ; c'est le trésor Red Dragon. This is the
de la science ; c'est le code du treasure of science; it is the
sorcier. Là, se trouvent les wizard’s code. There, one finds
grandes conjurations qui the great conjurations which
rendent les esprits obéissants. make the spirits obedient to
one’s will.
Claude Michu ouvrit de Claude Michu opened his
grands yeux. Simounen eyes wide. Simounen
continua. continued.
— C'est dans ce livre que “It is from this book that we
nous allons puiser l'invocation must draw the invocation which
qui doit t'ouvrir les abîmes du will open the abyss of the Black
Trou-Noir. Hole.”
— Il faut aussi une “One also needs a wand,
baguette, n'est-ce pas maitre, doesn’t one, Master
Simounen ? Simounen?”
Bien des sorciers se servent “Many wizards use a rod or
d'une baguette, ou verge a Blasting Rod, but I do not
foudroyante ; mais je n'agis pas work like that. The rod is at
ainsi. La baguette est bonne best good for discovering the
tout au plus pour découvrit les sources – for the treasures, one
sources; pour les trésors, il faut needs something else.”
autre chose.
— Que faut-il donc ? “What is that?”
—Il faut une tête d'âne, mon “One needs the head of an
fils ass, my son.”
— Une tête d'âne ! “The head of an ass!”
— Oui, répliqua le sorcier, “Yes,” replied the sorcerer,
qui venait de trouver là une who had just discovered an
excellente occasion pour se excellent opportunity to procure
procurer un âne, bon marché, an ass, cheaply, as we will see.
comme on le verra tout à
l’heure.
— Que fait-on avec cette “What do you do with this
tête d’âne ? head of the ass?”
—On l'offre en sacrifice aux One offers it as a sacrifice to
esprits, en la faisant griller sur the spirits, burning it on
des charbons ; ce sacrifice charcoal. The demons choose
décide les démons à répondre to respond to your questions if
aux questions qu'on leur they are satisfied with the
adresse. sacrifice.
—Bah ! fit Claude tout “Bah!” exclaimed Claude,
hébété, une tête d'âne dazed, “the head of an ass!”
— C'est comme je te le dis. “This is what has to be
done.”
—Alors... “So…”
—Alors, il faut qu'avant la “So, you must go to the
Saint-Jean tu t'en Ailles en ville town before the feast of St.
et que lu achètes au marché un John and buy a two-year-old
âne de deux ans que tu donkey at the market. Then
m’amèneras ici, en le you must bring him here,
conduisant de la main gauche. leading him by the left hand.
Tu m'entends bien ? Do you hear me well?”
— De la main gauche, bon ! “By the left hand, very well!
Mais que ferez-vous de l'animal But what will you do with the
? Vous lui couperet ta tête. animal? Will you chop off its
head?”
—Non pas, je le garderai “Not at all, I will keep it safe
pour une prochaine occasion et for another occasion, and I will
je te remettrai en échange la give you in exchange the head
tête d'un autre baudet que of another donkey that I have
j'aurai préparée en prepared accordingly. The one
conséquence. Celui que tu that you will bring me will be
m'amèneras sera le prix de la the price of the magical donkey
tête magique. head.”
Claude fit la grimace. Claude grimaced.
— Ça ne te va pas ? fit le “This does not suit you?”
sorcier, d'un air fâché. Alors, exclaimed the sorcerer, angrily.
rien de fait, mon garçon. “So, nothing can be achieved,
 my boy.”
— Si, maître Simounen, “Yes, Master Simounen, I
j'accepte : continuez. accept this task. Please
continue.”
—Quand tu auras la tête “When you have the magical
d'âne en ton pouvoir, tu donkey’s head in your
l'emporteras chez toi sans la possession, you must take it
montrer à personne. Puis tu with you without being seen by
iras cueillir, au clair de la lune, anyone. Then you will pick a
une branche de verveine dont branch of verbena in the
tu décoreras ton talisman. moonlight, that you will use to
decorate your talisman.”
— La tête ? “The head?”
—Sans doute. Ensuite tu te “Yes, of course. Then you
rendras au Trou-Noir, |et, après will take it to the Black Hole,
avoir tracé le triangle magique and after having traced a
comme je vais te le montrer, lu magical triangle like the one I
prononceras la formule will show you, you will
indiquée par le Dragon Rouge, pronounce the formula
et que tu vas apprendre par mentioned in the Red Dragon,
cœur. which you will learn by heart.”
—Alors, Lucifer t'apparaîtra “Then, Lucifer will appear to
et tu pourras lui demander ce you and grant all your desires.”
que tu désires.
Le sorcier expliqua alors à The sorcerer then explained
son adepte comment se to his adept how he was to
construisait le triangle magique, construct the magical triangle,
et voici la figure qu’il lui en as shown below.
donna
Quand Claude fut When Claude had been
suffisamment édifié à ce sujet sufficiently informed on this
Simounen passa à la dernière subject, Simounen, continued
partie de l'initiation to the final part of the
initiation.
 Il ouvrit le terrible Dragon He opened the terrible book
Rouge et son doigt se posa sur of the Red Dragon and his
une page ainsi conçue : finger landed on a page:
 GRANDE GREAT INVOCATION
APPELLATION DES OF THE SPIRITS
ESPRITS AVEC WITH WHOM ONE
LESQUELS ON VEUT WISHES TO MAKE A
FAIRE PACTE, TIRÉE PACT, DRAWN FROM
DE LA GRANDE THE GREAT KEY
CLAVICULE
Empereur Lucifer, mettre de Emperor Lucifer, master of all
tous les esprits rebelles. Je te the rebel spirits. I pray I find
prie de m'être favorable dans your favor in this invocation
l'appellation que je fais à ton that I make to your Prime
grand ministre LUCIFUGE Minister LUCIFUGE ROFOCALE,
ROFOCALE, ayant envie de faire wanting to make a pact with
pacte avec lui, je te prie aussi him, I also pray to your Prince
prince Belzébuth, de me Beelzebub to protect me in my
protéger dans mon entreprise. enterprise.
O Comte Astaroth ! Sois-moi O Count Astaroth! Be propitious
propice, et fais que dans cette unto me, and grant unto me
nuit, le grand Lucifer that this night, the great Lucifer
m'apparaisse sous une forme appears to me in a human form
humaine, sans aucune without any bad odor and that
mauvaise odeur, et qu'il he grants me, by means of the
m'accorde, par le moyen du pact that I will present to him,
pacte que je vais lui présenter, all the riches I desire.
toutes les richesses dont j'ai
besoin.
— O grand Lucifuge ! je te prie O Great Lucifuge! I pray you
de quitter demeure dans leave your abode in whichever
quelque partie du monde part of the world that you
qu'elle sont pour venir me might be to come and speak
parler, sinon je t'y contraindrai with me, or else I will have to
par la force du grand Dieu compel you by the force of the
vivant, de son cher Fils et du great living God, by his dear
Saint-Esprit ; obéis Son and by the Holy Spirit;
promptement ou tu vas être obey me promptly or you will
éternellement tourmente par la be eternally damned by the
force des puissantes paroles de force of the powerful words of
la Grande Clavicule de the Great Key of Solomon,
Solomon, dont il se servait pour which he employed to force the
obliger les esprits rebelles à rebel spirits to accept his pact.
recevoir son pacte : ainsi parais Thus, appear at the earliest
au plus tôt, ou je le vais before me, or I will continually
continuellement tourmenter par torment you by these powerful
la force de ces puissantes words of the Key:
paroles de la Clavicule :
Aglon Tetragram Vaycheon Aglon, Tetragram, Vaycheon,
Stimulamaton y ezpares Stimulamaton y ezpares
retragrammaton olyoran irion retragrammaton olyoran irion
esytion existion eryona onera esytion existion eryona onera
erasym moym messias soter erasym moym messias soter
Emanuel Sabaoth Adonay, te Emanuel Sabaoth Adonay, te
adore et invoco adore et invoco
 Claude Michu eut la patience Claude Michu patiently spent
de passer une partie de la nuit
a good part of the night
à apprendre par cœur cette memorizing this baroque
baroque formule. formula.
Quand il la possédaWhen he demonstrated this
imperturbablement d'un bout à confidently from start to finish,
l'autre, Simounen lui dit : Simounen said to him,
—Maintenant, garçon, te “Now, boy, here you are!
voilà ferré, les diables du Trou-
The devils of the Black Hole will
Noir n'ont qu'à se bien tenir. Va
not be able to stand against
sans crainte et dans huit jours
you. Go without fear and in
tu seras riche. eight days you will be rich.”
—Quand reviendrai-je ? “When should I come back?”
— Tu reviendras l'avant- “You must return on the eve
veille de la Saint-Jean. Tu of the feast of St. John. You
m'amèneras l'âne que tu auras must bring me the donkey that
acheté et tu m'apporteras you have bought, and you must
quatre pièces de vingt francs bring me four new twenty-franc
neuves. En échange, je te pieces. In return, I will give you
donnerai la tête magique qui the magical head that will open
doit t'ouvrir les portes du trésor
the treasure gates for you.”
Claude Michu trouva le Claude Michu found the
secret un peu cher. « Un âne de
secret a bit costly – “A two-
deux ans et 80 francs, se disait-
year-old donkey and 80 francs,”
il, c'est bien payé. » he said to himself. “That’s a
fine price.”
Il en fit l'observation au He made this observation to
sorcier. the sorcerer.
— Imbécile, répliqua ce “Imbecile!” replied the latter,
dernier, ce n'est pas 80 francs, “It is not 80 francs, it is 1000
c'est 1000 Fr., c’est 10.000 Fr., francs, or perhaps 10,000
que le devrais te demander, francs, that you should offer
Comment ! Je te donne le me. You ask me, why? This is
moyen de gagner des millions because I give you the means
et tu marchandes ! to win millions and you bargain
with me!”
Malgré sa crédulité Claude Despite his credulity, Claude
Michu trouva alors une réplique Michu suddenly discovered an
qui démonta légèrement aplomb that shook the
l'aplomb du faiseur de dupes. composure of the wily conman.
—Mais père Simounen, dit-il, “But Father Simounen,” he
puisque votre recette est si said, “Since your recipe is so
bonne et vaut tant d'argent, good and worth so much
pourquoi donc n'avez-vous pas money, why have you not used
songé à vous en servir vous- it to benefit yourself?”
même ?
— Pourquoi ? Pourquoi ?... “Why... Because...”
Balbutia le sorcier étonné de stammered the sorcerer,
l'objection, parce que… surprised by this objection,
“because…”
Puis, reprenant subitement Then, suddenly recovering
son sang-froid — Ce mystère-là his poise, he said, “This
ne te regarde pas, petit, mystery need not trouble you,
grommela-t-il — il ne faut pas my child, remember in the
mettre le nez dans mes future not to poke your nose in
affaires, souviens-t ‘en à my affairs, or you might end up
l'avenir ; faute de quoi il in the cooking pot yourself.”
pourrait t'en cuire.
Cette défaite grossière et This crude defeat and the
cette menace qui threat that accompanied it had
l'accompagnait eurent tout all the effect that Simounen
l'effet qu'en attendait intended.
Simounen.
Claude Michu baissa la tête Claude Michu lowered his
en disant : — Excusez-moi, head, saying, “Excuse me,
maître Simounen, je ne voulais Master Simounen, I did not
pas vous offenser. mean to offend you.”
Puis il prit congé du rusé Then, he took leave of the
compère et revint à la ferme au wily old man and returned to
moment où le jour allait the farm at the break of dawn.
paraître.
 Le Jeudi suivant, Claude The next Thursday, Claude
Michu se munit de toutes ses Michu collected all his savings,
économies, les serra dans une squeezed them into a leather
bourse de cuir et partit pour la purse and left for the town,
ville, dans l'intention d'acheter with the intention of buying the
l‘âne que l'on avait demandé le donkey the shepherd magician
berger magicien. had asked of him.
Après s'être promené After walking for an hour or
pendant une heure ou deux two in the market, he found
dans le marché, il trouva ce what he was looking for – a
qu'il voulait : un bel âne, âgé handsome donkey, two years
de deux ans, solide sur les old, strong on the heels and
Jarrets et promettant à son promising to be a useful
acquéreur un utile auxiliaire auxiliary for the purchaser’s
pour les travaux de la campaign.
campagne.
C'était bien la brave bête It was the brave beast that
qu'il fallait à Claude Michu, ou Claude Michu needed, or rather
plutôt à Simounen, car ce Simounen, because it would be
dernier devait profiter seul de la he would enjoy himself the
belle acquisition du jeune beautiful acquisition of the
homme, Claude marchanda le young man. Claude traded the
roussin, le paya comptant et horse, paying in cash, and
ayant passé le licol dans la having held the halter in his left
main gauche, l'emmena au hand, took him to the village
village où il le cacha where he hid it in an
soigneusement dans une écurie abandoned stable.
abandonnée.
L'avant-veille de la Saint- On the eve of St. John, by
Jean, vers le soir, il vint evening, he came to fetch the
chercher la bête, et par un beast, and by a roundabout
chemin détourné, la conduisit route, led it to Simounen’s
chez Simounen. house.
—Ah ! Ah ! s'écria celui-ci, “Ah! Ah!” he cried, on seeing
en la voyant, belle bête ! tu it, “beautiful beast! You will
réussiras, mon garçon, car tu succeed, my boy, because you
as bienfait les choses. have made a fine purchase.”
—Vous trouves, maître “Do you really think so,
Simounen ? Master Simounen?”
—Oui, aussi vais-je “Yes, also, I will take care of
m'acquitter à mon tour mais, my part, but I forget – where
j'oubliais : où sont les 4 pièces are the four twenty-franc
de 20 francs ? pieces?”
—Les voici. “Here they are.”
Simounen prit l'or, le fit Simounen took the gold,
sonner et l'engouffre dans la tapping it to hear the tinkling
poche de son gilet, avec une sound and engulfed it in his
satisfaction évidente. vest pocket, with an evident
satisfaction.
— Viens, ça, dit-il, ensuite, “Come,” he said then, “I will
je vais te remettre la Tête give you the magical head.”
Magique.
Cette fameuse tête était This famed head was simply
simplement celle d'une pauvre that of a poor donkey that had
bourrique qu'on avait abattue been slaughtered a few days
peu de jour auparavant, et que ago, and that Simounen had
Simounen s'était facilement easily procured. He had cleaned
procuré. Il l'avait proprement it, stuffed it with straw and
nettoyée, bourrée de paille et modified in a fashion as to suit
accommodée de façon à the needs of the occasion.
satisfaire autant que possible
les exigences de la situation.
Il la prit solennellement sur He brought it solemnly to
la table où il l'aval exposée, la the table where he presented
plaça avec précaution dans un it, and then placed it carefully
panier in a basket and handed the
same to Claude Michu.
Puis il ajouta en manière Then he added in an
d'instruction : Tu feras un feu instructive manner: “You will
de bruyère, tu y jetteras la tête kindle a fire of briar wood and
après avoir prononcé burn the head after having
l'invocation que Je t'ai apprise. pronounced the invocation that
Va, ton affaire est dans le sac I have taught you. Go, your
— mais n'oublie rien ou tu case is in the bag – but do not
perds ta peine et ton argent. forget anything or you will lose
your skin and your money.
—Bon, fit Claude. “Good,” said Claude.
Et il partit plein d'espérance He left, filled with hope and
et appelant & lui tout le summoning to himself all the
courage dont il allait avoir courage he would have need of
besoin la nuit suivante the following night.
Pendant ce temps, le berger During this time, the
se frottait les mains. shepherd began to rub his
hands.
—Allons, pensait-il, il y a “Very well,” he thought,
encore des imbéciles dans ce “there are still imbeciles in the
monde, et si cela continue, le world, and if this continues, the
métier de sorcier ne sera pas le wizarding profession will not be
plus mauvais. the worst choice.”
Claude rentrait tranquillement Claude was returning quietly to
au village lorsqu'il rencontra, the village when he met, not
non loin de la ferme, M. far from the farm, Mr. Bernard
Bernard Morand, le Morand, the pharmacist.
pharmacien.
—Bonsoir, Claude, lui dit ce “Good evening, Claude,” the
dernier, qui était un ami de son latter said, who was a friend of
père ; d'où viens-tu comme ça his father. “Where are you
? coming from?”
—Bonsoir, monsieur Morand, “Good evening, Mr. Morand,
je viens de la montagne, sauf I am coming from the
votre respect. mountain, thank you.”
—Ah ! ah ! Et qu'es-tu allé “Ah! Ah! And what were you
faire à la montagne, si je ne doing on the mountain, if I’m
suis pas trop curieux. not too curious?”
Claude rougit. Claude blushed.
— Je suis allé... me “I went…for a walk…,” he
promener..., murmura-t-il murmured.
—Ah ! ah ! Et ta promenade “Ah! Ah! And your walk has
a été fructueuse, a ce que je been productive, I see, since
vois, puisque tu reviens avec ce you return with this heavy
lourd panier ? basket?”
— Oui... oui..., Monsieur “Yes…Yes…Mr. Morand,”
Morand, balbutia Claude, qui stammered Claude, who had
perdait la tête. lost his cool.
— Qu'as-tu dans ce panier “What do you have in this
?... Des fraises, sans doute basket? Strawberries, without a
c'est la saison... doubt, it is the season…”
—Non ! ce ne sont pas des “No! These are not
fraises... strawberries…”
—Qu'est-ce donc, alors ? “What is it, then? Cherries?
Des cerises ? —Est-ce que tu Did you plunder them, by
marauderais par hasard ? chance?
 — Oh ! monsieur Morand, “Oh! Mr. Morand, do you see
moi un maraudeur Pouvez-vous me as a plunderer? Can you
croire ? believe that?”
— Je ne crois rien ; — mais “I believe nothing – but you
tu retires ton panier et lu les hide your basket so carefully
caches avec tant de soin, qu'il that there must be some
doit y avoir là-dessous quelque mystery hidden here?”
mystère ?...
La timidité de Claude lui Claude’s natural timidity had
était revenue. — Pressé de returned. Pressed by these
questions et trop peu dissimulé questions and unable to
pour se tirer d'affaire par un dissimulate or lie, he resolved
mensonge, il se résolut à tout to confess everything to the
avouer au pharmacien, en lui pharmacist and in return ask
demandant le secret. him for his confidence and to
keep it a secret.
Bernard Morand l'écouta Bernard listened with
avec stupéfaction ; Il ne amazement. He could not
pouvait se résigner à resign himself to accepting
comprendre une telle crédulité such credulity on the part of
do la part de Claude, une telle Claude and such duplicity on
duplicité de la part de the part of Simounen.
Simounen.
—Ainsi, dit-il, quand le jeune “So,” he asked, when the
homme eut achevé son récit : young man had completed his
ce que tu portes là-dedans, story, “what are you hiding in
c'est une tête d’âne ? there, is that the head of a
donkey?”
—Oui, monsieur Morand. “Yes, Mr. Morand.”
—Eh bien, mon ami, tu es “Well, my friend, you are
mieux monté que tu ne penses, better off than you think –
— au lieu d'une tête d'âne, tu instead of one donkey’s head,
en as deux. you have two.”
— Deux ? “Two?”
 — Oui : l'une dans ton “Yes – the one in your
panier ; l'autre... basket, the other…”
— L'autre ? “The other?”
— L'autre sur tes épaules, “The other on your
imbécile ! shoulders, imbecile!”
— Est-ce que tu ne vois pas “Do you not see that
que Simounen est un vieux Simounen is an old trickster,
filou, qu'il t'a extorqué de that he has extorted you of
l'argent et qu'il s'est moqué de money and that he has fooled
toi ? you?”
— Vous croyez ? “Do you think so?”
— Il faut être simple comme “One must be very simple-
tu l'es pour faire une pareille minded to ask such a question.
question? — Comment, tu as How do you, since you have
reçu une certaine instruction, et received a certain level of
tu crois encore aux sorciers, education, still believe in
aux évocations, aux sorts, aux sorcerers, evocations, spells,
talismans et à toute la kyrielle talismans and all the Cabalistic
cabalistique ? Mais, tu es balderdash? You are sick, my
malade, mon pauvre garçon, il poor boy, you need treatment.
faut te soigner, Allons, jette-moi Go, quickly throw the head of
vite dans le fossé ta tête de the donkey into the ditch and
bourrique, et souviens toi que remember that true wonders
les vrais prodiges aujourd'hui today are those accomplished
sont ceux qu'accomplissent la by science, intelligence and
science, l'Intelligence et le hard work.
travail.
Malgré cette mercuriale, Despite this reprimand,
Claude Michel ne bougea pas. Claude Michel did not move.
— Que voulez-vous, “What do you want, Mr.
monsieur Morand, dit-il, je me Morand?” he asked. “I
suis promis de tenter promised myself to try this
l'expérience, et je le tenterai : experiment and I will. I want to
—je veux en avoir le cœur net. have a clear heart.”
 —A ton aise, mon garçon ! “As you wish, my boy! But
mais, quand tu seras bien when you are convinced that
persuadé qu'on t'a pris pour you have been taken for a fool,
une bête, ta viendras me come see me and I will remind
trouver et je te forai voir, moi, you, that many things which
que bien des choses, qu'on one believes are spiritual
pourrait offrir à ton esprit miracles, are only the result of
comme des prodiges, ne sont natural operations. Go to the
que le résultat d'opérations Black Hole, with a clear heart,
toutes naturelles. — Va au as you would say.
Trou-Noir ; aies en le cœur net,
comme tu dis.
— Avec votre permission, “With your permission, Mr.
monsieur Morand. Morand.”
—Oui, va — et bonne “Yes, go – and good luck!”
chance !
— Vous ne dires rien à mon “You will not say anything to
père. my father?”
— Sois tranquille. — Adieu ! “Don’t worry, farewell!”
—Puis, en s'en allant : “Then, I’ll take your leave.”
— Parbleu, mon garçon, “Good Lord, my boy,” mused
pensa le pharmacien, qui aimait the pharmacist, who loved a
à rire, si tu vas chercher des good laugh, “if you go
diables au Trou-Noir, je veux searching for devils in the Black
que tu sois servi à souhait. Hole, I hope that you find
them.”
L'heure redoutable arrive trop The dreadful hour arrived too
vite au gré de Claude — A soon for Claude – as it
mesure qu'elle s'approchait, il approached, he faltered in his
sentait faiblir son audace. purpose.
Pourtant il avait pris la chose Yet, he had taken the task
trop à cœur pour l'abandonner too close to his heart to let it
au dernier moment. go at the last moment.
Quand les feux de la Saint- When the fires of the feast
Jean s'allumèrent sur la of St. John began to light up
montagne, notre futur sorcier the mountain, our future
quitta donc la ferme et se sorcerer left the farm and went
dirigea vers le Trou-Noir, situé towards the Black Hole, which
dans une gorge, à quelque was situated in a gorge, some
distance du village. distance from the village.
Il avait plu pendant la It had rained during the day,
journée, et la nuit était sans and the night was starless and
étoiles ; de gros nuages dark. Heavy clouds coursed the
plombés couraient dans le ciel, sky overhead, driven by a
chassés par un vent assez vif. strong wind.
Le silence de la campagne, à The silence of the
peine troublé par les cris du countryside, barely disturbed
grillon où de la cigale, by the clicks of the cricket or of
impressionnait vivement Claude the cicada, made a strong
Michu. impression on Claude Michu.
Il marchait d’un pas rapide, He quickened his pace,
répétant mentalement la mentally repeating the formula
formule du Dragon rouge, et of the Red Dragon, and looking
regardait d'un œil inquiet around with a worried eye.
autour de lui.
Les arbres plantés au bord The trees planted by the
du chemin prenaient à ses yeux side of the road were, in his
des apparences fantastiques, et eyes, taking on fantastic
dans les buissons, il lui semblait appearances, and in the woods,
entendre des soupirs. he seemed to hear sighs.
 Trébuchant, essoufflé, Stumbling, out of breath,
couvert de sueur, il arriva enfin covered in sweat, he finally
au Trou-Noir : — c'était une arrived at the Black Hole – it
espèce de cratère, tapissé à was a kind of crater, covered
l'intérieur de chênes et de with oaks and ash trees, and
frênes, et dont l'aspect n'avait although the appearance was
rien de bien effrayent, quoiqu'il not very scary, it inspired a
inspirât à Claude Michu une profound horror in Claude
profonde horreur. Michu.
L'élève de Simounen, Simounen’s student, over-
surexcité par le sentiment de la excited by the situation, chose
situation, choisit une place a place deprived of trees to
dépouillée d'arbres, pour y faire perform his conjurations, and
sa conjuration, et ayant allumé lighting a fire of heather, he
un feu de bruyères, il attendit tended it until midnight.
l'heure de minuit.
Pendant celle veille, qui dura During the vigil, which lasted
près d'une heure, il sembla à almost an hour, it seemed to
Claude Michu que des plaintes Claude Michu that complaints
s'élevaient du fond du Trou-Noir would be raised from the
; mais il n'y prit pas trop garde, bottom of the Black Hole, but
tout occupé qu'il était d'épier le he did not pay much heed,
son de la cloche du village qui occupied as he was with
devait lui apporter les douze listening to the sound of the
coups de l'heure fatale. village bell that would toll the
twelve strokes of the fatal hour.
Enfin, minuit sonna !... At last, midnight struck!...
Aussitôt, Claude jeta la tête At once, Claude threw the
magique dans le brasier qu'il magical head into the fire that
avait allumé et prononça d'une he had stoked and uttered with
voix un peu tremblante la a loud, albeit tremulous voice,
conjuration apprise dans le the conjuration taught him from
Livre Rouge. the Red Book.
Puis, il attendit, haletant. Then he waited, panting.
 Then he waited, panting. Nothing happened.
Alors, il reprit l'invocation Then, he repeated the
d'une voix lente. invocation in a slow voice.
Il avait à peine achevé, He had hardly finished,
lorsqu'un bruit terrible se fit when a terrible noise was heard
autour de lui : c'étaient des around him – cries, screams,
cris, des hurlements, des squeaks of terrible chains.
grincements de chaînes
épouvantables.
En même temps, une forme, En même temps, une forme,
couverte d'un grand linceul couverte d'un grand linceul
rouge, se montra devant le rouge, se montra devant le
brasier, tirement éclairée par brasier, tirement éclairée par
une nappe de lumière blanche, une nappe de lumière blanche,
qui partait du fond de l'abîme. qui partait du fond de l'abîme.
— Claude Michu, lu m'as “Claude Michu, you who
appelé, que me veux-tu ? dit have summoned me, what do
l'apparition, d'une voix terrible.
you wish of me?” thundered
the apparition, in a terrible
voice.
Claude tomba la face contre Claude fell face down, afraid
terre, effrayé de l'effet qu'il of the effect that he had
avait obtenu. achieved.
— Le Trésor ! la Trésor ! “The Treasure! The
murmura-t-il, d'une voix Treasure!” he mumbled, in a
étouffée. muffled voice.
— Avant de te donner le “Before granting you the
Trésor que tu demandes, il faut Treasure that you demand, you
que tu sois vainqueur des must vanquish the spirits of the
esprits de l'abîme, reprit la voix. abyss,” replied the Voice. “To
— A moi, les démons du Trou- me, the demons of the Black
Noir Hole!”
Claude qui s'était relevé, Claude, who had got up, full
plein de terreur, se vit of terror, saw dozens of spirits
soudainement entouré par une suddenly surrounding him,
dizaine de spectres, semblables resembling the first, who took
au premier, qui, se prenant par the leader by the hand and
la main, se mirent à décrire began to perform an infernal
autour de lui une ronde dance around Claude.
infernale.
— Grâce ! grâce ! cria “Mercy! Mercy!” cried
Claude, à demi mort de peur, Claude, afraid and at the point
en présence de ces figures of death in the presence of
horribles, éclairées par la lueurthese horrible figures, who
surnaturelle qui venait d'en bas.were illuminated by the
supernatural glow which came
from below.
—Il est à nous ! à nous ! à “He is ours! Ours! Ours!”
nous ! hurlèrent des voix howled the sepulchral voices.
sépulcrales.
En même temps, Claude se At the same time, Claude
trouva enlevé de terre par des was lifted from the earth by
bras robustes et emporté vers strong arms and carried to the
le fond du trou. Il ferma les bottom of the hole. He closed
yeux et se crut perdu. his eyes and thought himself
lost.
Les démons le laissèrent The demons let him fall on
tomber sur l'herbe ! il pensait the grass! He thought that he
qu'on allait le jeter dans would be thrown into some
quelque chaudière bouillante, boiling furnace, when on the
quand il se sentit au contraire contrary, he felt himself wet
mouillé de la tête aux pieds. from head to toe.
Les malins esprits l'avaient The evil spirits had thrown
jeté dans un ruisseau qui him into a stream which ran
coulait le long des parois du along the walls of the Black
Trou-Noir — ce bain salutaire Hole – this beneficial bath did
lui fit du bien, et il allait se him good, and he was relaxing
familiariser avec son enfer in the warm bath when the
humide, lorsqu’il lueur fantastic light that lit up the
fantastique qui éclairait la scene went out suddenly.
scène s'éteignit tout à coup.
Surpris et charmé de Surprised and bewitched by
l'obscurité et du silence qui the darkness and silence that
succédaient subitement à l'éclat suddenly succeeded the brilliant
des lumières et au bruit des light and noises, Claude Michu
voix Claude Michu se leva et fit got up and stumbled.
quelques se trébucha.
Alors un immense éclat de Then an immense burst of
rire retentit auprès de lui. laughter resounded around
him.
Après quoi, une voix After this, a mocking and
railleuse et gaie, fit entendre cheerful voice spoke, “Well,
ces mots : — Eh bien. Claude, Claude, are you satisfied, and
es-tu content, et mes démons did my demons do their job
ont-ils bien fait leur affaire? well?”
Claude reconnaît la voix de Claude recognized the voice
Bernard Morand. of Bernard Morand.
— Eh quoi ! s'écria-t-il, M, “Well!” he exclaimed, “Mr.
Morand, c'était VOUS ? Morand, it is YOU?”
— Moi-même, et les diables “Me and the devils who have
qui t'ont si bien arrangé, ce put you in such a fine spot,
sont tes amis qui ont bien voulu these are your friends who
se joindre à moi pour te donner have kindly joined me to teach
une petite leçon. you a little lesson.”
—Mon Dieu ! mon Dieu ! “My God! My God!” cried
s'écria Claude, honteux de la Claude, ashamed of the
mystification dont il venait mystification that he had been
d'être l'objet, je n'oserai plus the victim of. “I will not dare
retourner au village. return to the village”
— Cela t'apprendra à croire “That will teach you to
aux contes de grand'mère et believe in grandmothers’ tales
aux duperies du vieux and in the deceits of old
Simounen. Simounen.”
— Ah ! vous m'avez fait bien “Ah! You gave me a fine
peur, monsieur Morand. fright, Mr. Morand.”
— Tant mieux ! ce remède “Good! This is a violent
était violent ; la guérison sera remedy – the healing will be
sûre. guaranteed.”
— Oh ! je sois guéri, allez. “Oh! I am healed, let’s go.”
— A la bonne heure, tu vois “All in good time, you will
qu'il n'y a pas d'autres démons see that there are no other
au Trou-Noir que ceux qu'on y demons in the Black Hole than
amène. Sois, à l'avenir, moins those we have brought to it. In
timide, moins crédule et lu the future, be less timid, less
réussiras dans ce que tu veux gullible and more assured in
entreprendre, sans avoir besoin your efforts, and you will
de graisser la patte aux succeed in your enterprises,
sorciers. without needing to grease the
palm of sorcerers.”
— Mais, monsieur Morand “But, Mr. Morand, how did
qu'était-ce donc que cette you produce that diabolical light
lumière diabolique qui nous that was as bright as the sun
éclairait tout à l'heure comme and then went out suddenly in
le soleil et qui s'est éteinte tout a flash?”
d'un coup ?
— Ce n'était pas de la “That was not a diabolical
lumière diabolique, mais light, but simply an electrical
simplement de la lumière light that I produced by means
électrique que je produisais au of this device.”
moyen de l'appareil que voici.
— C'est une merveille. “That is marvelous!”
— Une merveille que je “A marvel that I will explain
t'expliquerai quand tu voudras. to you when you wish.”
— Demain, et vous voulez, “Tomorrow, Mr. Morand, and
monsieur Morand, j'ai bâté de if you wish, I would like to be
m'instruira et d'oublier toutes taught to forget all the
les sottises de Simounen et nonsense of Simounen and all
toutes les jongleries du Dragon the jugglery of the Red
Rouge. Dragon.”
—Demain, soit. Pour ce soir, “Tomorrow, then. For
dit le pharmacien, en tonight,” said the pharmacist,
rassemblant autour de lui les gathering around him all the
acteurs de la mystification qu'il actors who had participated in
avait préparée depuis la veille à the mystery play presented to
l'intention de Claude Michu, Claude Michu, “for tonight, I
pour ce soir je vous invite tous invite you all to come to my
à venir prendre chez moi une residence to have a glass of
jatte de vin cuit. Cela nous mulled wine. It will warm us
réchauffera. Gardez à Claude le up. Keep the secrets of our
secret de son aventure, et adventure to ourselves and
demain venez avec loi profiter come tomorrow to benefit from
des notions scientifiques que je the scientific concepts that I
veux lui donner et des will demonstrate to Claude.”
expériences que je veux faire
devant lui.
Vous pourrez vous “You will thus convince
convaincre, grâce à quelques yourself, thanks to some short
courtes leçons, que toute la lessons, that all the power of
force des sorciers réside dans la the sorcerers resides in the
connaissance de certaines knowledge of some practices
pratiques qui ne sembleront that will not look too marvelous
plus merveilleuses when the techniques are
lorsque l’instruction se sera commonplace.”
vulgarisée.
Ce qui s'est passé entre What has transpired
Simounen et Claude n'est rien between Simounen and Claude
auprès de ce que tentent des is nothing more than some
aventuriers plus forts que notre complicated adventures of our
vieux berger. Aux yeux du old shepherd. To common eyes,
vulgaire ils opèrent des they appear to be miracles –
prodiges ; ils font parler les being able to speak with spirits,
esprits, ils changent do place moving objects with the power
les objets par la seule forcé de of words – these are in the end
la parole ; ce ne sont après how the clever conjurer or
tout que d'habiles cunning rogues misuse their
prestidigitateurs ou do rusée knowledge of science to given
fripons qui font mauvais usage themselves supernatural
do leur science en lui prêtant abilities.
un caractère surnaturel.
Il est peu de phénomènes There are few phenomena in
au monde qui ne puissent the world that cannot be
s'expliquer suivant les lois explained by the power of
naturelles ; c'est ce que je natural laws – this is what I will
compte vous démontrer, pour demonstrate to you, to prevent
vous ôter l'envie de jeter, you from having the urge, like
comme Claude Michu, votre Claude Michu, to throw away
argent par les fenêtres de la your money through the
sottise. windows of your foolishness.
Tout en courant, Bernard While having this discussion,
Morand et ses compagnons Bernard Morand and his
avaient regagné le village. companions had returned to
the village.
Un bol de vin chaud les A bowl of mulled wine was
attendait chez le pharmacien. awaiting them at the
Tous s'assirent autour de la pharmacist’s residence. All of
table ; on but à la santé du them sat down around the
héros de la soirée et les table – they toasted the heroes
paysans se séparèrent, en of the evening and the
promettant de se montrer peasants took their leave,
exacts au rendez-vous qui leur promising to return at the
avait été donné pour le appointed time the next day.
lendemain.
Claude Michu, encore tout Claude Michu, still a bit
penaud de sa mésaventure de sheepish after his misadventure
la veille, se leva le jour suivant the evening before, rose the
avec la ferme résolution de se next day with a firm resolution
corriger de sa crédulité et de ne to correct his credulity and seek
chercher qu'en lui-même le only within himself the remedy
remède à ses faiblesses for his weaknesses of spirit.
d'esprit.
En conséquence, et pour As a result, and to usher in
inaugurer immédiatement son immediately his new mode of
nouveau système de conduite, conduct, he put on his finest
il prit ses plus beaux habits et clothes and walked confidently
se dirigea vaillamment vers la towards Madeleine’s cottage.
maisonnette de Madeloun.
Son cœur battait plus fort à His heart was beating fast as
mesure qu'il approchait do la he approached the home of the
demeure de celle qu'il aimait ; person whom he loved more
néanmoins il entra d'un pas than anyone, however, he
ferme après avoir heurté deux entered with a firm step after
fois à la porte. knocking twice on the door.
Madeloun et sa mère étaient Madeleine and her mother
seules au logis. La belle fille were alone at home. The
peignait ses longs cheveux beautiful girl combed her long
bruns devant un petit miroir, brown hair before a small
tandis que la vieille femme mirror, while the old woman
préparait le repas du matin. was preparing breakfast.
A la vue de Claude, At the sight of Claude,
Madeloun se retourna. Madeleine turned around.
— Comme te voilà brave, “How are you, brave Master
maître Claude, dit-elle au Claude,” she said to the
nouveau venu. Qui t'amène de newcomer. “What brings you
si bonne heure ? here so early?”
— J'ai à le parler. “I would like to speak with
you.”
 — A moi ? “With me?”
— A toi et à ta mère. “With you and your mother.”
— De quoi s'agit-il ? fit cette “What is it about,” asked the
dernière, en quittant son latter, leaving her work.
ouvrage.
— Je vous le dirai, quand “I will tell you when
Madeloun m'aura entendu. Madeleine has heard what I
have to say.”
Puis s'adressant à la jeune Then addressing the young
fille ; —Viens, fit-il, je veux te girl, “Come,” he said, “I want to
conduire à la messe en passant take you to Mass. While
sur la grande place je passing through the Grand
t'achèterai des bagues de Square, I want to buy you
Beaucaire. Le marchand est some rings from Beaucaire. The
venu aujourd'hui. merchant has come today.”
Ainsi et sans plus de façon So, and without much ado
s'entame un roman d'amour begins a tale of love in the
dans le bon paya de Provence good country of Provence. The
Les bagues de Beaucaire, rings of Beaucaire, glass rings
anneaux en verre qui that are bought by the dozen,
s'achètent à la douzaine, jouent which play a big role in the
un grand rôle dans les initiation of feeling. To offer
préliminaires du sentiment. Les them is almost to say – I love
offrir c'est presque dire : je you. To accept them, is to
vous aime. Les accepter, c'est à implicitly respond – Me too.
peu près répondre : moi aussi.
Aussi, en entendant la On hearing the significant
proposition significative de proposition of Claude Michu,
Claude Michu, Madeloun n’eut- Madeleine was not too
elle pas médiocrement surprise. surprised.
—Qui t'a rendu si hardi ? lui “What made you so brave?”
demanda-t-elle. she asked him.
Hier, tu n'osais pas me “Yesterday, you dared not
regarder, et voilà qu'aujourd'hui look at me, and now you speak
tu me parles comme un galant to me so gallantly.”
?

—Je t'expliquerai cela “I will explain to you,

Madeloun ; vient toujours. Madeleine, come with me.”
D'un regard, la jolie fille With a glance, the pretty girl
consulta sa mère. Celle-ci, consulted her mother. This lady,
flattée de la préférence de flattered by the attentions of
Claude Michu, un garçon qui Claude Michu, a boy with good
avait du bien au soleil, fit un prospects, made an approving
signe affirmatif, et Madeloun gesture, and Madeleine without
prit sans cérémonie le bras de much fuss, took Claude’s arm,
Claude, qui lui paraissait un which he offered her, who
assez joli garçon, depuis qu'il appeared to be a handsome
avait quitté son air timide et boy since he had given up his
gène. shy and embarrassed air.
Les deux jeunes gens s'en The two young people went
furent ainsi le long des sentiers off in this manner on their path
et sans doute ils s'entendirent à and no doubt they got along
merveille, car lorsque Claude very well, because when Claude
quitta celle qu'il regardait déjà left her, who he already
comme sa fiancée, son visage regarded as his fiancée, his
rayonnait, témoignant face shone, indicating his inner
hautement de sa satisfaction satisfaction.
intérieure.
Le mauvais tort avait cédé, The bad luck had, in effect,
en effet, devant la fermeté du given way to the young man’s
jeune homme. Il avait fait firmness. He had shown
preuve de volonté et de willpower and boldness. He had
hardiesse ; il avait trouvé de found good and honest words
bonnes et honnêtes paroles to demonstrate his love to
pour peindre son amour à Madeleine, and it appeared that
Madeloun, et il lui semblait a new life lay ahead for him.
qu'une nouvelle existence allez
commencer pour lui.
Cet heureux résultat ; il lé He owed this happy result to
devait à Bernard Morand. Aussi Bernard Morand. Thus, he did
ne manqua-t-il pas de se not fail to go that evening to
rendre le soir chez le the pharmacist’s residence,
pharmacien, désireux de looking forward to benefiting
profiler de nouveau de ces from his teachings and advice.
conseils et de ses
enseignements.
Pourtant, ce n'était pas Yet, it was not love that he
d'amour qu'il devait être had questions about that night.
question ce soir-là. Le The pharmacist had promised
pharmacien s'était promis to enlighten his young listeners
d'éclairer ses jeunes auditeurs on various points which seemed
sur divers points qui restent too obscure for their simple
toujours assez obscurs pour les intelligence, more often open to
intelligences simples, plus country tales than to healthy
souvent ouvertes aux fables qui science and reason. He wanted
se débitent dans les campagnes to give them to shy away from
qu'aux saines données de la naïve beliefs and grant the
science et du raisonnement. Il ability to guard them against
voulait les mettre en garde the maneuvers of fortune
contre les croyances naïves les tellers, spellcasters, charm
prémunir contre les manœuvres merchants and all people of this
des diseurs de bonne aventure, ilk that took advantage of the
des jeteurs de sorts, des superstition and credulity of the
marchands de charmes et de people of the countryside.
toute cette engeance qui
spécule sur la superstition et
sur la crédulité des gens de la
campagne.
Quand Bernard Morand vit When Bernard Morand saw
son auditoire au complet, il his audience was complete, he
alluma sa pipe, invita les lit his pipe, invited the peasants
paysans à en faire autant, si to make themselves at ease,
bon leur semblait, et and started in this manner:
commença en ces termes :
« J'ai beaucoup voyagé, mes “I have travelled much, my
amis, et comme je suis de ma friends, and since I have a
nature curieux et avide de curious nature and love
m'instruire, en voyageant, j'ai learning new things in my
beaucoup vu et beaucoup travels, I have seen much and
appris. En autre, j'ai étudié une learned a lot. Further, I have
foule de questions dont vous ne studied a lot of strange topics
soupçonnez même pas that you do not even suspect
l'existence, et que la nature exist, and that the special
spéciale de mes travaux nature of my work engaged me
m'engageait & approfondir. deeply.
C'est pourquoi je vais Therefore, I will be able to
pouvoir vous parler aujourd'hui speak with you today about
de beaucoup de choses qui many things that will interest
vous intéresseront eu vous you, educate you and perform
instruisant et faire devant vous certain experiments that will
certaines expériences capables prove my theories clearly.
de rendre mes théories plus
palpables.
Je ne vous dirai pas comme I will not tell you that it is
certains que le diable n'existe certain that the devil does not
pas ; la religion nous apprend exist – religion teaches us that
qu'il y a dans le monde un in the world there is a spirit of
esprit du mal que notre vertu evil that our virtue must fight
doit combattre mais cet esprit- but that spirit is not the one
là n'est point celui que vous described by the storytellers – a
décrivent les faiseurs de contes horned dark being showing
: un être noir et cornu se himself to men who know how
montrant aux hommes qui to evoke him. Nobody can
savent l'évoquer. Personne ne boast of knowing how to bring
peut se vanter d'avoir va le forth the devil, even those who
diable, même ceux qui savent know by heart the Red Dragon
par cœur le Dragon Rouge (ici, (here, Mr. Morand cast a dark
maître Morand cligna look at Claude who blushed),
malignement de l'œil en and yet, since time
regardant Claude qui rougit), et immemorial, it has been
pourtant, depuis un temps believed that the devil
immémorial, on croit que le manifests in various forms
diable se manifeste sous among us. At all times, the
diverses formes parmi nous. De cunning folk have taken
tout temps, les habiles ont tiré advantage of this belief to
parti de cette croyance pour exploit the common people,
exploiter les bonnes gens, ce and this also proves that there
qui prouvé que de tout temps are always been con artists and
aussi, il y a eu des faiseurs de people who would listen to
dupes et des imbéciles pour les them.
écouter.
De la foi aux apparitions du The apparitions of the devil
démon dérivent tes diverses derive from various beliefs
croyances relatives à l'existence regarding the existence of
d'êtres fantastiques, doués fantastic beings, endowed with
suivant les uns de pouvoirs supernatural powers, and
surnaturels, suivant les autres, according to some, animated
animés de l'esprit infernal. by the infernal spirit.
Leurs noms changent avec Their names change with
les pays où l'on s'en occupe. the countries where they are
Tels sont les follets, les dracs, found. These include the will-
les trêves, les farfadets, les o’-the-wisp, water dragons,
loups garous, les vampires, les treves, leprechauns,
lutins, les elfes, et une foule werewolves, vampires, goblins,
d'autres dont je vais vous dire elves, and a host of others,
quelques mots. which I will describe to you
briefly.
Ces renseignements These details somewhat
consoleront un peu Claude consoled Claude after his
Michu de sa sotte équipée de witless escape the other night,
l'autre nuit, en lui montrant showing him that he was
qu'il n'est malheureusement unfortunately not the only
pas le seul homme au monde person in the world who
qui puisse croire aux billevesées believed in the frivolous tales of
des conteurs. the storytellers.
Les follets, dont je vous The wisps, of which I will
parlerai tout d'abord parce speak with you first, because
qu'ils sont les plus populaires, they are the most popular, are,
sont, suivant la chronique, des according to folklore, capricious
esprits capricieux, bons ou spirits, good or mischievous
méchants suivant l'occasion, et according to the occasion, and
prenant volontiers la forme willingly taking the human form
humaine. On croit qu'en se when they choose. It is
montrant la nuit sous believed that by showing
l'apparence de lueurs errantes, themselves at night as
ils se plaisent à égarer le wandering lights, they like to
voyageur et quelquefois à le entertain themselves by
conduire vers des précipices, où misleading travelers and
il trouve la mort. On croit aussi sometimes directing them to
que souvent ils se prennent precipices, where they fall to
d'amitié pour certaines gens et their death. It is also believed
se mettent bénévolement à leur that they often make friends
service. Les follets font alors with some people and put
tout l'ouvrage de la maison ; ils themselves at their disposal.
récurent les marmites, étrillent The wisps then do all the
les chevaux, balayent la housework – they scour the
maison, ni plus ni moins qu'un pots, curry the horses, sweep
bon domestique à cent écus de the house, neither more nor
gages par an. less than a good servant at a
hundred crowns per year.
Pour parler le langage de la To speak the language of
raison, je vous dirai que les reason, I will tell you that the
flammes errantes auxquelles on errant flames which one calls
donne le nom de follets, et que the will-o’-the-wisps, and that
l'on croit appartenir à ces one believes are produced by
esprits singuliers, sont tout these singular spirits, are
bonnement produites par simply produced by the
l'Inflammation d'un gaz que inflammation of a gas called
nous appelons le hydrogen phosphide, which is
Sesquiphosphure d'hydrogène, formed in the earth’s interior by
gaz qui se forme dans the decomposition of animal
l'intérieur de la terre par la matter and which is
décomposition des matières spontaneously inflammable as
animales et qui prend feu soon as it emerges from the
spontanément, dès qu'il se surface. So, if you encounter
dégage à la surface du sol. Si these will-o’-the-wisps, do not
donc vous rencontrez des feux be scared and instead observe
follets, n'en soyez pas effrayés them as any one of the
et o servez-les comme un des thousand diverse phenomena
mille phénomènes que la that nature offers each instant
nature offre à chaque instant à to your attention.
votre attention.
Les dracs dont vous The mermaids, or water
entendez beaucoup parler en dragons, that one hears about
Provence a la réputation d'être often in Provence have the
tes propriétaires invisibles des reputation of being the invisible
rivières et des ruisseaux. On proprietors of the rivers and
prétend qu'ils habitent au fond streams. It is believed that they
des eaux et que, pour attirer live at the bottom of the
les femmes et les enfants ; waters, and that to attract
dont ils font leurs principales women and children, their
victimes, ils laissent flotter au principal victims, they float gold
milieu les joncs des bijoux d'or or silver jewels amidst the
ou d'argent. On les nomme rushes. They are also called
aussi les trêves. Sous ce nom, treves. Under this name, they
ils hantent plus particularly haunt uninhabited
particulièrement les maisons houses from where they go out
inhabitées d'où ils sortent, at night to perform their dark
pendant la nuit, pour faire leurs deeds.
mauvais coups.
Les loups garous, dont je Werewolves, which I heard
vous ai entendu parler souvent, you talk about earlier, were
sont éclos dans l'imagination du popular in the imagination of
moyen âge. On voyait en eux the Middle Ages. One sees in
des magiciens qui, doués du ou them magicians able to take
voir de revêtir toutes les any form, choosing in this case
formes, choisissaient de that of the wolf and thus
référence celle du loup et ainsi metamorphosing to torment
métamorphosés, plaisaient à their victims. I could also tell
tourmenter leurs voisins Je you about djinns who are the
pourrais vous parler encore des Eastern equivalent of your elves
djinns qui jouent en Orient rôle – elves who live in the fires of
de vos lutins ; des elfes qui the earth or the depths of the
habitent les trailles de la terre sky, or tell you about goblins
ou les profondeurs du ciel ; des who flood the fields and
gobelins qui inondent les smother your workers amidst
travaux des champs et pestilent vapors, or about
étouffent tes ouvriers au milieu Norwegian nickar who raise
de vapeurs pestilentielles ; du storms, or vampires who drink
nickar norvégien qui soulève les human blood, and all the
tempêtes ; des vampires qui armies of revenants, specters,
s'abreuvent du sang humain, et larvae, and demons that are
de toute l'armée des revenants, found in popular legends, but I
spectres, larves, démons qui would rather show you, by a
peuplent les légendes written example, to what extent
populaires, mais je préfère vous of madness the belief in spirits
montrer, par un exemple écrit, can push a man.
jusqu'à quel point de folie la
croyance aux esprits peut
pousser un homme.
En 1821, vivait à Paris un In 1821, a man lived in Paris
homme qui s'était tellement who had so identified with the
identifié avec le monde supernatural world that he had
surnaturel qu'il en était arrivé à come to believe that nothing
croire que rien ne se faisait ici- was done here on earth without
bas sans la permission ou sans the permission or the help of
le secours des esprits, des the spirits, leprechauns to
farfadets auxquels il attribuait whom he attributed a sovereign
une influence souveraine sur influence over even the
les actes les plus simples. simplest acts.
Cet original, ou plutôt, This unique character, or
comme je l'ai dit, ce fou et qui rather, as I would term him,
se nommait Berbiguier, this fool who was named
s'imagina d'écrire un livre dans Berbiguier, imagined he would
lequel il dévoilait toutes les write a book in which he would
ruses, toutes les malices des reveal all the tricks, all the evil
démons dont il se prétendait deeds of the demons that were
obsédé. his obsession.
J'ai entre les mains ce livre I have in my hands this book
qui est une curiosité rare, et je which is a rare curiosity, and I
veux vous en faire lire un want you to read a certain
passage. passage.
Bernard Morand se leva, Bernard Morand got up,
ouvrit sa bibliothèque et en tira opened his library and fetched
un petit volume qu'il tendit à a little book which he handed
Claude Michu. to Claude Michu.
— Tiens, fit-il, lis à haute “Here,” he said, reading
voix. Voici l'endroit où le pauvre aloud, “This is the section
fou fait la nomenclature des where the poor fool makes up
esprits composant la cour the nomenclature of spirits
infernale. constituting the infernal court.”
Et Claude lut ce qui suit : Claude read the following:
COUR INFERNALE
PRINCES ET GRAND INFERNAL COURT
DIGNITAIRES PRINCES AND
BELZEBUTH. Chef suprême. DIGNITARIES
SATAN, prince détrôné. BEELZEBUB, Supreme Chief

EURINOME, prince de la mort. SATAN, Dethroned Prince

EURYNOME, Prince of Death
MOLOCH, prince du pays des (Mermaid daughter of Oceanus
larmes. & Tethys)
PLUTON, prince du feu. MOLOCH, Prince of the country
of tears
PAN, prince des incubes,
PLUTO, Prince of Fire
LILITH, prince des succubes.
PAN, Prince of the Incubi
LÉONARD, grand maître des
sabbats. LILITH, Prince of the Succubae

BAALBEAITH, grand pontife. LEONARD, Grand Master of

Sabbats (Three-horned goat,
PAOSBERPINE, archi-diablesse Dict. Inf)
BAALBERITH, Grand Pope (Lord
of the Covenant)
PROSPERINE, Arch-devil
(Roman Goddess of Spring,
Wife of Pluto)
 — Voilà une cour bien “Here is a well-composed
composée, interrompît le court,” interrupted the
pharmacien, et notre homme pharmacist, “and our author
fait bien les choses mais, va does this well, but, go on,
plus loin, Claude : lis-nous le Claude – read the passage on
passage relatif aux loups- werewolves to us.”
garous.
Claude Michu tourna Claude Michu turned a few
quelques feuilles et reprit : pages and continued:
« Les sorciers et magiciens “Wizards and magicians
devaient autrefois être plus were once more numerous than
nombreux qu'aujourd'hui. Il est today. It is certain that there
certain qu'on comptait parmi were kings, queens, princes
eux des rois, des reines, des and potentates who practiced
princes et des potentats qui their arts and who protected
partageaient leurs travaux ou them. Also, housewives were
les protégeaient. Aussi les often troubled and bothered by
ménagés étaient presque the approach of these bandits
toujours troublés ou dérangés who traveled either alone or in
par l'approche de ces bandits groups! They sought to seize
qui voyageaient par troupes ou the weak-willed, and as there
isolément ! ils cherchaient à are such folk in all classes of
s'emparer des esprits les plus society, it was among these
faibles, et comme il y en a dans people that they found their
toutes les classes de la société, victims quite easily, however
c'est parmi le peuple qu'il leur they particularly sought them
était facile de trouver des out among the rich and
victimes ; cependant ils en powerful, and to prove this, I
cherchaient parmi les grands, will give you an example:
et pour preuve, je vais en
donner un exemple :
« Les misérables s'étaient “The wretched shysters had
emparés de l'esprit d'une seized the spirit of a woman of
femme de condition, en lui means and persuaded her that
persuadant qu'elle aurait she would have a lot of
beaucoup de plaisir et pleasure and agreed to correct
d'agrément à corriger son mari her husband’s passion for
de la passion du chassé, qui lui hunting, which made him
faisait passer des journées spend many days apart from
entières éloigné d'elle. Ils lui her. They put it in her mind to
mirent dans l'esprit de prendre take the form of a wolf and to
la forme d'un loup et de se surprise her husband by leaping
jeter sur te chasseur quand elle on him when she saw him
le verrait entrer dans le bois, où enter the woods, where she
il fallait qu'elle se cachât pour would be hiding in wait.
l'attendre.
« L'épouse crédule dit à son The gullible wife told her
mari qu'elle avait une visite à husband that she had to visit a
faire à une dame des environs, lady in the neighborhood, and
et à l'aide des moyens with the aid of magical means,
magiques qu'on lui prêtera, elle she took on the form of a wolf
prit la forme d'un loup et alla se and went to the trail.
mettre à la piste.
« Par un hasard assez By a rather singular chance,
singulier, son mari ne sortit pas her husband did not go out that
ce jour-là : il vit de sa fenêtre day – he saw one of his friends
passer un de ses amis qui s'en passing from his window with
allait chasser, et qui l'invita & whom he would go hunting,
partager ce plaisir. Il s'en and who invited him to join in
excusa et le pria de lui this pleasure. He excused
rapporter un peu de sa chasse : himself and asked for a tale of
ce que l'ami promit. the chase – his friend promised
to do so.
« Le chasseur, s'approchant The hunter, approaching the
du bois, fut attaqué par un gros woods, was attacked by a large
loup ; il lui tira un coup de fusil wolf. He fired a shot at him
qui ne blessa pas cet animal ; which did not hurt the animal,
mais il s'approcha de lui, le prit and it continued to approach
par les oreilles, le renversa et him. He took the wolf by the
lui coupa une patte qu'il mit ears, knocked him down and
dans sa gibecière. Lorsqu'il eut cut off a paw which he put in
fini de chasser, il revint chez his game bag. When he had
son ami, et sortit de ta finished the hunt, he returned
gibecière cette patte de loup to his friend’s home, and took
qui, à son grand étonnement, the wolf’s paw out of the bag.
se trouva être la main d'une To their amazement, they found
femme, ornée d'un anneau d'or, it had transformed into a
qui fut reconnu pour appartenir woman’s hand, adorned with a
à la femme de celui qui n'avait gold ring which the husband
pas voulu chasser. De violents recognized as that of his wife.
soupçons s'élevèrent contre elle Violent suspicions arose against
; on la chercha dans toute la her, and they searched for her
maison, et on la trouva enfin throughout the house, finding
auprès du feu de la cuisine, se her by the kitchen fireplace,
chauffant, et ayant soin de warming herself, and taking
cacher sa main dont elle ne care to hide her hand, but she
pouvait plus se servir. Son mari was unable to do so for long.
la lui présenta ; elle en fut Her husband confronted her,
démontée, elle ne put nier ce she could not deny what she
qu'elle venait de faire ; elle had done, she confessed that
avoua qu'elle s'était she had attacked the hunter
effectivement jetée sur le because she believed he was
chasseur qu'elle croyait être ton her husband. This case caused
mari. Cette affaire causa a lot of hubbub in the
beaucoup de rumeur dans le countryside - the woman was
pays, la justice s'empara de la arrested and brought before
femme loi fit son procès, et l'on the judge. It was recognized
reconnut qu'elle avait été that she had been bewitched
ensorcelée par les farfadets, by the leprechauns, whose
dont elle avait suivi les conseils. advice she had followed. For
Et, pour avoir cédé à de tels having succumbed to such
moyens qui prouvaient sa methods which demonstrated
férocité et sa condescendance, her ferocity and premeditation,
elle fut condamnée à être she was condemned to be
brûlée pour crime de sorcellerie burned at the stake for the
et de préméditation crime of witchcraft and
d'assassinat. premeditated murder.
« Les ressources des The resources of the
farfadets sont bien grandes leprechauns are rather vast,
puisqu'ils ont pour eux le since they have the power of
pouvoir de l'invisibilité et qu'ils invisibility, and thus they can
peuvent nous tourmenter sans torment us without being seen,
qu'on ait voie, et, à plus forte and further, without being able
raison, sans qu'on puisse les to be caught. It is hopeless for
saisir. C'est désespérant pour the poor sufferer, we must
les infortunés qui souffrent ; on therefore consider the bad
doit donc considérer le mal leprechauns as a moral
farfadets en comme un mal sickness, which is much more
moral, ce qui est bien plus dangerous than physical harm
dangereux qu'un mal physique, – one might almost consider
dont on peut considérer la the cause the remedy. We say
cause pour la guérir. On dit in common parlance that the
vulgairement que le diable est devil is everywhere – this
partout ; cela veut dire que means that all the earth is
tous les lieux de la terre lui sont favorable to exercise his
favorables pour exercer les maleficent power that he
maléfices qu'il nous prépare et prepares for us and sends our
qu'il nous envoie. Il se glisse way. He slips into whatever
sous telle forme qui lui plaît, form he chooses, and
contrefait les personnages qu'il counterfeits whichever
veut. » personality he wishes.”
Sur un mot de Bernard At a word from Bernard
Morand, Claude suspendit sa Morand, Claude paused his
lecture. reading.
— Voilà une curieuse “That’s a curious fantasy,”
rêverie, dit le pharmacien, et said the pharmacist, “and you
vous voyez de quelle jolie façon see how entertaining are the
les contes de ma mère l'Oie ont tales of Mother Goose which
porté fruit dans l'esprit de notre have influenced our author. Do
auteur. Ne vous étonnez pas not be surprised, after that, if
après cela, si, croyant firmly believing in leprechauns
fermement aux farfadets et and animated by a great fire of
animé d'un grand feu de charité charity for his fellowmen, he
pour ses semblables, il a has looked for ways to save
cherché le moyen de them from this obsession.”
sauvegarder ces derniers de
l'obsession.
Le remède qu'il a trouvé est “The remedy he found is as
aussi plaisant que le reste de sa pleasant as the rest of his
théorie. Avant de vous le faire theory. Before letting you know
connaître, je vous rappelle que this remedy, I must remind you
Berbiguier était une pauvre that Berbiguier was a poor
cervelle détraquée, et qu'il ne deranged soul, and that we
faut voir dans l'exposition de must not see in the exposition
son système qu'une nouvelle of his system anything more
curiosité, bonne à étudier, than a novel curiosity, worth
surtout pour ceux qui, comme studying, especially for those,
Claude Michu, ont besoin like Claude Michu, tend to
d'exercer leur raison un peu exercise their reason a bit
faible sur des faits capables de feebly and not apply the facts
le mettre en pleine révolte. Lis to logical end. Read on, my
donc, mon cher Claude, dear Claude, the history of the
l'histoire du Baquet Révélateur Revealing Bucket and the
et des Bouteilles prisons de Prison Bottles of Berbiguier.
Berbiguier.
 BAQUET THE REVEALING
REVELATEUR ET LES BUCKET & THE
BOUTEILLES PRISON BOTTLES
PRISONS
« Qu'entendez-vous par Baquet “What do you mean by
révélateur et Bouteilles prisons revealing buckets and prison
? me disent la plupart des bottles?” ask most people when
personnes à qui je parle de ces I speak of these things. I tell
choses. Je vous, l'apprendrai them, you will understand
dans mon ouvrage, leur dis-je these as I teach you my
d'un air mystérieux ; car j'ai methods, in a mysterious air –
cela de bon, que je sais donner because I can grant myself an
à ma figure l'air qui convient à air suitable to the occasion.
la situation.
« Voulez-vous savoir ce que “Would you like to know
j'appelle mon Baquet révélateur what I call my revealing bucket
et mes Bouteilles prisons ? je and my prison bottles? Let me
vais maintenant vous les faire introduce them to you.”
connaître.
« Mon Baquet révélateur est “My revealing bucket is a
un vase en bois que le remplis wooden vessel that I fill with
d'eau et que je place ensuite water and then place on my
sur ma fenêtre ; il me sert à window. This serves to unveil
dévoiler les farfadets quand ils the leprechauns who are in the
sont dans les nuages. J'ai, je clouds. I think I have already
crois, déjà assez appris à mes explained to my readers what
lecteurs quelle était la the power of the scapegoat is –
puissance du bouc émissaire ; the leprechauns soar and dive
les farfadets sautent dessus on the airstreams when they
pour s'élever dans les airs use their aerial physics. I have
lorsqu'ils veulent s'occuper de therefore invented my revealing
leur physique aérienne. C'est bucket to see them travel
donc pour les voir travailler en through the air.
l'air que j'ai inventé mon
Baquet révélateur.
« Ce baquet, rempli d'eau, This bucket, filled with water
placé sur ma fenêtre, comme je and placed on my window, as I
viens de l'annoncer, me répète, mentioned, serves to reflect for
dans l'eau, toutes les me all the operations of my
opérations de mes ennemis ; je enemies in the water. I see
les vois se disputer, sauter, them argue, jump, dance and
danser et voltiger bien mieux fly much better than all the
que tous les Fortoso et toutes acrobats like Fortoso and Saqui
les Saqui de la terre. Je les vois in the world. I watch them
lorsqu'ils conjurent le temps, when they conjure time, when
lorsqu'ils amoncèlent les they pile up the clouds, when
nuages, lorsqu'ils allument les they cause lightning and
éclairs et les tonnerres. L'eau thunder. The water which is in
qui est dans le baquet suit tous the bucket follows all the
les mouvements de ces movements of these wretches.
misérables. Je les vois tantôt I see them sometimes in the
sous la forme d'un serpent ou form of a serpent or an eel,
d'une anguille, tantôt sous celle sometimes as that of a starling
d'un sansonnet ou d'un oiseau- or a hummingbird. I see them
mouche : je les vois et je ne and yet I cannot reach them. I
puis les atteindre ; je me must satisfy myself to say to
contente de leur dire : them – Cruel monsters, why
Monstres cruels, pourquoi ne can I not drown all of you in
puis-je pas vous noyer tous this bucket which reflects your
dans ce baquet qui répète vos ugly iniquities! The unfortunate
affreuses iniquités ! Les people whom you persecute
malheureux que vous would be immediately delivered
persécutez seraient tous en from your infamy. I see you
même temps délivrés de vos right now in my bucket on my
infamies. Je vous vois dans ce window. Dear God! What a
moment, mon baquet est sur flock of monsters is assembled
ma fenêtre ; Dieu ! quel here! Begone! They are allied.
troupeau de monstres Incredulous folk look in my
rassemblés !... Dispersez- bucket, and you will not annoy
vous... Ils s’allient. Incrédules, me anymore with your denials.
regardez donc dans mon
baquet, et vous ne me
contrarierez plus par vos dé
négations.
« Je passe maintenant à “Let me tell you now about
mes bouteilles prisons, toutes my prison bottles. All the
les opérations dont j'ai déjà operations I have described are
rendu compte ne sont rien en nothing compared to what I am
les comparant à celles que je doing with these bottles.
fais à l'aide de ces bouteilles. Formerly, I did not keep my
Autrefois, je ne tenais captifs enemies under captivity for
mes ennemis que pendant huit more than eight or fifteen days.
ou quinze jours ; à présent, je Now, I can deprive them of
les prive de la liberté pour their liberty forever, if their
toujours, si on ne parvient pas bottles are not opened or
à casser les bouteilles qui les broken. I imprison them in a
renferment, et je les y very simple way – when I feel
emprisonne par un moyen bien them walking and jumping on
simple ; lorsque je les sens my bedcovers at night, I
pendant la nuit marcher et disorient them by throwing
sauter sur mes couvertures je tobacco in their eyes – they do
les désoriente en leur jetant du not know where they are and
tabac dans les yeux ; ils ne fall like flies on my blanket,
savent plus alors où ils sont ; ils where I cover them with
tombent comme des mouches tobacco. The next morning, I
sur ma couverture, où je les carefully pick up the tobacco
couvre de tabac ; le lendemain grains with a card and I empty
matin, je ramasse bien them into my bottles, in which I
soigneusement ce tabac avec also put vinegar and pepper. I
une carte, et je le vide dans then seal them with Spanish
mes bouteilles, dans lesquelles wax and thereby deny them
je mets aussi du vinaigre et du any ability to escape the
poivré. C'est lorsque tout cela imprisonment to which I
est terminé que je cachète la condemn them.
bouteille avec de la cire
d'Espagne, et que je leur,
enlève, par ce moyen, toute
possibilité de se soustraire à
l'emprisonnement auquel je les
ai condamnés.
« Le tabac leur sert de “Tobacco serves to nourish
nourriture, et le vinaigre les them, and the vinegar
désaltère quand ils ont soif. quenches them when they are
Ainsi, ils virent dans un état de thirsty. So, they are kept in a
gêne, et ils sont témoins de state of discomfort, and they
mes triomphes journaliers. Je are witnesses of my daily
place mes bouteilles de triumphs. I place my prison
manière à ce qu'ils puissent voir bottles in such a way that they
tout ce que je fais can see everything I do and
journellement contre leurs report to their comrades and as
camarades et une preuve que a proof that they cannot escape
je n'en impose pas lorsque je their bottles, I threw the
dis qu'ils ne peuvent plus sortir tobacco from one in front of
du tabac que je leur ai jeté Mrs. Gerand into the fire, at
pour les couvrir, c'est qu'en which point we both heard the
présence de Mme Gorand, burning leprechaun sparkle in
the brazier as if they were
covered in a large quantity of
salt grains.
« J'ai eu le plaisir de jeter de “I want to present one of
ce tabac au feu, et que nous the smaller bottles to the
avons entendu les farfadets qui conservator of the Museum of
pétillaient dans le brasier Natural History. He would place
comme si on l'avait couvert it among the menagerie of
d'une grande quantité de grains animals as a new species. It is
de sel. Je veux faire présent true that he cannot keep them
d’une demi-bouteille au captive in a cage, as one might
conservateur du Cabinet place a tiger or a bear, but he
d'histoire naturelle : il là pourra would show them in a bottle
placer dans la ménagerie des from which they would be
animaux d'une nouvelle espèce unable to escape.”
: il est vrai qu'il ne pourra pas
les tenir captifs dans une loge,
comme on y tient le tigre et
l'ours Martin, mais il les fera
voir dans la bouteille, de
laquelle il leur est défendu de
s'échapper.
« Si parmi les curieux qui “If among the curious folk
vont visiter le jardin des Plantes who would visit the Botanical
et le Cabinet d'histoire Garden and the Natural History
naturelle, il se trouvait par Museum, there were perhaps
hasard quelques incrédules ou some who did not believe in the
quelques farfadets, le existence of leprechauns, the
conservateur n'aurait pour les conservator would only have to
convaincre de l'existence des ask them to stir the bottle to
malins esprits dans la prison, convince them of the existence
qu'à remuer cette bouteille, et of evil spirits in their prison,
entendrait, comme je l'entends and hear, as I do on a daily
journellement, les cris de mes basis, the cries of my prisons
prisonniers qui semblent me who seem to ask me for mercy
demander grâce ; les incrédules – this would silence the
se tairaient, et les farfadets incredulous and the
enrageraient » : leprechauns would rage on.”
Morand, quand le lecteur se “I will not ask you to
fut arrêté. Il faut en rire et rien suspend your disbelief for too
de plus, comme il faut rire de long about what you have just
tout ce qui est conçu et heard,” said Bernard Morand,
exécuté en dépit du bon sens. when the reader had finished.
La soirée n'est pas assez “We must laugh and do nothing
avancée pour que nous nous else, at how nonsensical all
séparions. Je veux employer le this, while seeming well-
temps qui nous resté à vous conceived and well-executed. It
parler des fées et à vous faire is too early for us to draw the
connaître la légende de evening to a close, so let me
Mélusine, la femme serpent, tell you about the fairies and
une des fées dont se sont le acquaint you with the legend of
plus particulièrement occupés Melusine, the serpent woman,
les chroniqueurs. one of the fairies who has been
well documented by the
chroniclers of these tales.
Demain, je vous renseignerai Tomorrow, I will inform you
sur les enchantements, les about the enchantments,
évocations, les divinations, les evocations, divinations,
métamorphoses, et autres metamorphoses and other
pratiques de sorcellerie ; vous practices of witchcraft. You will
verrez, j'ose le croire, que tout see, I hope, that all these are
cela n'est pas plus acceptable no more acceptable than the
que l'existence des farfadets. existence of leprechauns.
Le pharmacien replaça le The pharmacist replaced
livre de Berbiguier dans la Berbiguier’s book in the library
bibliothèque et en prit un autre. and took another in his hand.
— C'est, reprit-il, en le “This,” he said, handing it
remettant à Claude Michu qu'il over to Claude Michu, who he
avait, comme on le voit, élevé had, as we can see, elevated to
aux fonctions de lecteur, c'est the function of reader, “is a
un mémoire, où se trouve memoir, where is narrated,
relatée, d'après un récit de according to a story by Jean
Jean d'Arras, imprimé en 1699, d’Arras, printed in 1699, the
la légende de Mélusine. Tu vas legend of Melusine. You will
nous lire cela tout au long. hear about the legend soon
Laisse-moi te dire d'abord que enough. Let me tell you first
les fées, appelées fados, en about the fairies, called fados,
idiôme provençal, ont la in the Provencal idiom, who
spécialité de présider aux have the specialty of presiding
naissances et d'agir en bien ou over births and acting as good
en mal sur la destinée de or bad spirits, over the destiny
l'enfant auquel elles of the child to whom they are
s'attachent, les mauvaises attached. The dark tales say
langues disent aussi qu'elles they experience love for men,
éprouvent de l'amour pour les and never give up, continuing
hommes, et poursuivent de leur to wreak their vengeance if
vengeance ceux qui les ont they are repulsed or
repoussées ou abandonnées. abandoned. You have also read
Du reste, vous avec tous lu des the tales of Perrault, and you
contes de Perrault et vous know, without further
savez, sans plus ample explanation, with whom you
explication, à qui vous avez are dealing. Listen closely –
affaire. Écoutez donc de toutes after this, I will bid you
vos oreilles ; après quoi, je goodnight.
vous dirai bonne nuit.
Et Claude, qui ne se sentait Claude, who did not feel
pas fatigué, tant il prenait de tired, as he took much pleasure
plaisir à cet entretien, in this discussion, began
commença aussitôt l'histoire de immediately to tell the tale of
la fée Mélusine. the fairy Melusine.
HISTOIRE DE LA FÉE
THE HISTORY OF THE
MÉLUSINE
Notice historique sur les FAIRY MELUSINE
sciences occultes, par M. dé Historical note on the occult
Fontanelle (collection Roret), sciences, by M. de Fontanelle
Précis du roman de Jean (Roret Collection), Summary of
d'Arras d'après un mémoire de the novel by Jean d’Arras from
M. Babinet a memoir by Mr. Babinet

« Jean d'Arras, secrétaire du Jean d’Arras, secretary of the

duc de Berri, recueillit en 1387 duke of Berri, collected the
les traditions populaires sur popular folktales about
Mélusine, par l'ordre de Charles Melusine in 1387, by the order
V, pour l'amusement de la of Charles V, for the
duchesse de Bar, sœur du roi, entertainment of the duchess
Lusignan fut la dernière of Bar, sister of the king.
forteresse que les Anglais Lusignan was the last fortress
possédèrent de r. le Poitou ; that the English held in Poitou.
après la victoire que Duguesclin After the victory that
remporta sur eux à Chizé, et la Dugeusclin won over them at
prise de Niort qui en fut la Chize, and the subsequent
suite, les Anglais furent obligés taking of Niort, the English
de rendre Lusignan, dont la were forced to return Lusignan.
plus grande partie de la Most of the garrison of
garnison avait péri au combat Lusignan had perished at the
de Chizé : le Poitou et toutes battle of Chize. Poitou and all
les provinces cédées à the provinces ceded to England
l'Angleterre par le désastreux by the disastrous treaty of
traité de Brétigny furent Bretigny were delivered to the
délivrées. Ce fut pour célébrer French. Jean d’Arras composed
la reddition de la dernière the novel of Melusine in
forteresse qui avait, servi de celebration of the surrender of
point d'appui aux Anglais, que the last fortress the English
Jean d'Arras composa le roman held, who was traditionally
de Mélusine, que la tradition believed to be the founder of
donnait pour fondatrice à Lusignan.
Lusignan.
D'après l'histoire ou roman According to the novel which
qu'il publia, Mélusine était fille he published, Melusine was the
d'Ëlinas roi d'Albanie, et de daughter of Elinas, king of
Perssine. Perssine était fée, et Albania and Perssine. Perssine
fut rencontrée par Elinas à la was a fairy, who met Elinas
chasse. En l'épousant, elle lui fit when he was hunting. As a
promettre qu'il ne la verrait pas condition of her marriage, he
dans ses couches. Perssine promised her he would never
donna le jour à trois filles : see her in her bedchamber. She
Mélusine, Méliar et Palestine. gave birth to three girls –
Melusine, Meliar and Palestine.
Nathas, fils d'un premier lit, Nathas, son of the first wife
jaloux de sa belle-mère, of Elinas, was jealous of his
engagea son père à manquer à stepmother, and induced his
sa promesse ; Elinas entra dans father to break the promise he
la chambre de sa femme, et au had made to her. When Elinas
même instant la reine et ses entered his wife’s bedchamber,
trois filles disparurent. the queen and the three girls
disappeared instantly.
« Quand Mélusine et ses When Melusine and her
sœurs furent grandes, leur sisters grew older, their mother
mère leur raconta leur origine, told them of their origins, the
la manque de foi de leur père, betrayal of their father, and the
et l'exil dans lequel elles étaient subsequent exile to which they
condamnées à vivre, par suite had been condemned to live in,
de cette faute. Pour venger les as a result. To avenge the
malheurs de leur mère, les trois misfortunes of their mother, the
sœurs saisirent leur père, three sisters seized their father
l'enfermèrent dans une caverne and imprisoned him in a cavern
creusée dans une montagne, et dug into a mountain,
l'y condamnèrent à une prison condemning him to a perpetual
perpétuelle. Perssine irritée du prison. Perssine, irritated by the
crime de ses filles, et plaignant crime of her daughters, and
un époux qu'elle n'avait cessé defending a husband who she
d'aimer, chassa, ses trois filles had never ceased to love, drove
de sa présence en les her three daughters from her
maudissant. Mélusine fut presence, cursing them.
condamnée à être, tous les Melusine was condemned to
samedis, serpent depuis la transform, every Saturday, to
ceinture. Cependant, si elle become a snake from her waist
trouvait un époux qui consentit down. However, if she found a
à ne pas la voir le samedi, son husband who agreed not to see
supplice finissait avec sa vie ; her on Saturday, her
s'il lui manquait de parole, son punishment would end in the
supplice ne devait finir qu'au present life, if he failed to
jugement dernier, Méliar fut speak with her, she would be
enfermée dans un château condemned until Judgement
d'Arménie, occupée à la garde Day. Meliar was imprisoned in a
d'un épervier et Palestine était castle of Armenia, guarded by a
destinée à veiller, dans le sein sparrow hawk, and Palestine
d'une haute montagne, à la was destined to watch and
conservation d'un trésor, protect a treasure in the heart
jusqu'à ce qu'un chevalier de la of a tall mountain, until a
maison de Lusignan vînt la knight from the house of
chercher pour conquérir la Lusignan came to fetch her to
Terre-Sainte. conquer the Holy Land.
« Jean d'Arras ne dit point Jean d’Arras does not tell us
ce que devint Mélusine après la what happened to Melusine
malédiction de sa mère : il after her mother’s curse. He
transporté ses lecteurs à la takes his readers to the castle
cour d'un comte de Poitiers qu'il of a Count of Poitiers named
nomme Aimery. Ce comte, dans Aimery. This count, in a hunting
une partie de chasse, égaré party, was lost in the forest of
dans la forât de Colombier avec Colombier with Raimondin, his
Raimondin, son neveu, fut nephew, during the night.
surpris par la nuit.
Versé dans l'astrologie, il Skilled in astrology, he
consulta les astres, et vit qu'ils consulted the stars, and saw
promettaient une fortune that they promised a brilliant
brillante à celui qui lui future to whoever would kill
donnerait la mort dans cette him that night. Hardly had he
nuit. A peine avait-il cessé de ceased to inform Raimondin of
faire part à Raimondin de celte this sad prophecy when they
triste prophétie, que le sanglier were attacked by a wild boar,
qu'on avait poursuivi tout le who had chased them all day.
jour vint attaquer les deux Raimondin rushed in front of
chasseurs égarés. Raimondin se his uncle to defend him , but
précipite devant son oncle pour the boar turned away and leapt
le défendre, le sanglier se on the Count who had seized a
détourne et va se jeter sur le spear. Raimondin pursued the
comte qui s'était saisi d'un bear and struck him with his
épieu. Raimondin le poursuit, le sword, but the blade slipped
frappe de son épée, mais la over its bristles and struck the
lame glisse sur les soies, et le Count, who was stabbed just as
coup atteignait le comte qui fut he was spearing the wild boar.
percé d'outre en outre, au
moment où il enferrait le
sanglier de son épieu.
Raimondin, épouvanté de ce Raimondin, terrified by this
forfait involontaire, monta sur involuntary crime, mounted his
son palefroi, et s'éloigna de ce palfrey and departed from this
funeste lieu. Laissant guider fatal place. Leaving his horse to
son cheval au hasard, il erra wander by chance, he
jusqu'au lendemain matin, wandered until the next
tellement troublé du malheur morning, so troubled by the
qui lui était arrivé, qu'il ne misfortune that had struck him,
voyait rien de ce qui that he did not pay attention to
l'environnait : enfin il fut tiré de his environs, until he was at
cet état par un mouvement last drawn from this state by a
d'épouvante que fit son movement of his steed.
coursier ;
Il reconnut alors qu'il était He recognized then that he
dans un lieu très aventureux. was in a very risky place. He
Du pied d'un rocher sourcilleux was at the foot of a high rock,
sortait une fontaine from which sprung a marvelous
merveilleuse appelée la fountain called the Fountain of
fontaine do Soif, la fontaine Thirst, the Fairy Fountain or the
Fée, ou la Font de-Cé, et Bridge of the Seas, and
renommée pour les prodiges renowned for the wonders
qui s'y opéraient. which were witnessed
thereabouts.
Là se baignait Mélusine avec Melusine was bathing there,
deux suivantes : elle fut au- with two attendants. She met
devant de Raimondin, le Raimondin and reassured him
rassura, lui raconta la that the situation of his uncle
prédilection de son oncle et and all that had transpired was
tout ce qui venait de lui arriver. not his fault. Raimondin,
Raimondin, surpris de ce qu'il surprised by what he had
entendait, crut que la justice heard, though that divine
divine le poussait dans ce lieu justice was pushing him to this
redoutable, pour lui faire subir redoubtable place, to make him
le châtiment du meurtre de undergo the punishment for the
seigneur ; mais rassuré de murder of his lord, but
nouveau parla dame, il reassured again by the lady, he
s'abandonna à ses conseils, et gave himself to her counsel and
retourna, à Poitiers, trouva le returned to Poitiers to find the
peuple plongé dans le deuil : la people plunged in mourning.
populace imputant au sanglier The populace, imputing to the
la mort de son souverain, boar the death of their
brûlait devant la porte de sovereign, were burning the
l'église où se faisaient les body of the wild boar as a felon
obsèques du comte, le corps du and false murderer at the door
sanglier, comme félon et faux of the church where they were
meurtrier. performing the Count’s funeral.
« Raimondin, suivant les Raimondin, following the
conseils de Mélusine, rendit advice of Melusine, paid tribute
hommage au nouveau comte, to the new count, and asked
et lui demanda de lui octroyer him to grant him in fief, as
en fief, autant de terrain qu'une much ground as a stag’s skin
peau de cerf pourrait en might cover. The count, looking
enceindre. Le comte, regarda upon this request as having
cela comme de peu de valeur, little value, saw no difficulty in
ne fit aucune difficulté, et granting it, and named the
nomma les commissaires qui commissioners who would
devaient délivrer ce don à deliver this request to
Raimondin. Raimondin.
En sortant de l'église de On leaving the church of St.
Saint-Hilaire, où le comte Hiliers, where the count was
recevait le serment de ses receiving the vows of his new
nouveaux sujets, un homme se subjects, a man presented
présenta à Raimondin, et lui himself to Raimondin and
offrit une peau de cerf ; il offered him a stag’s skin, which
l'acheta et la donna à un sellier he bought and gave to a
pour la tailler en lanières, ce saddler to cut into strips, which
que l'ouvrier exécuta avec tant the workman executed with
d'adresse, que les commissaires such skill that the
furent étonnés quand ils virent commissioners were surprised
combien elles étaient déliées ; when they saw how finely it
mais Raimondin représentant la had been sliced, but they were
charte que lui avait fait obliged to literally execute the
expédier le comte ils furent charter the Count had given
obligés de l'exécuter them, as demanded by
littéralement, ainsi que le Raimondin.
demandait Raimondin.
En arrivant à la fontaine dé When they arrived at the
Soif, ils virent avec surprise que Fountain of Thirst, they were
dans ce lieu inhabité, on avait surprised to see that an
fait une immense tranchée au immense trench had been dug
milieu des forêts séculaires qui in this uninhabited place amidst
le couvraient ; à l'instant deux the surrounding forests. At
hommes leur apparurent, once, two men appeared, took
prirent le cuir de cerf, et suivant the skin of the stag and
la marche que leur indiquait la following the path indicated by
tranchée ils parcoururent un the trench, they covered a
circuit de deux lieues (8 circuit of two leagues (eight
kilomètres). Retournés au point kilometers). Returning to the
d'où ils étaient partis, il leur starting point, they discovered
restait un superflu de lanières, they had a surfeit of strips.
ils le déroulèrent pour agrandir They unrolled these to enlarge
le cercle, et au lieu où ils the circle and instead of
plantèrent le pieu qui devait le planting a stake to hold it
fixer il jaillit une fontaine, et les together, a fountain sprung up
deux hommes disparurent. in the center and the two men
disappeared.
Les commissaires, remplis The commissioners, filled
d'étonnement, retournèrent à la with astonishment, returned to
cour du comte, et racontèrent the Count’s castle, and
les merveilles dont ils avaient recounted the marvels that
été témoins. Quelques jours they had witnessed. Some days
après, Raimondin revint à later, Raimondin returned to
Poitiers, invita le comte et toute Poitiers to invite the Count and
sa cour à ses noces avec all his court to his wedding with
Mélusine, e qui mit le comble à Melusine, which further
la surprise qu'avait produite le increased the surprise that had
récit des commissaires. Le been caused by the tale of the
comte demanda à Raimondin commissioners. The count
quels étaient la naissance et asked Raimondin what was the
l'état de sa nouvelle épouse ; il parentage and country of origin
refusa de répondre, et dès lors of his new wife. He refused to
tout le monde fut persuadé qu'il answer and from that moment
avait trouvé une aventure près on, everyone was convinced he
de la Fontaine-Fée. had had an adventure near the
Fountain of the Fairies.
Les noces se firent avec The wedding was performed
toute la pompe possible ; le with much pomp and
comte et les seigneurs qui circumstance – the Count and
l'accompagnaient admiraient the lords who accompanied him
l'élégance et le nombre des admired the elegance and
pavillons préparés en si peu de number of pavilions prepared in
temps pour recevoir si noble such a short time to receive the
compagnie, et ne pouvaient nobles of the country, and
comprendre d'où venait la could not understand where he
multitude des serviteurs qui had found the multitude of
s'empressaient de pourvoir aux servants who hastened to meet
besoins des dames et des the needs of the ladies and
chevaliers que la renommée de knights who had been attracted
l'événement avait attirés & ces to this marvelous marriage by
noces merveilleuses. Les grâces the fame of the event. The
de Mélusine captivèrent tous gracefulness of Melusine
les cœurs, et le comte, qui captivated all hearts, and the
n'avait d'abord vu qu'avec Count, who had initially felt a
peine une femme inconnue challenge at allowing an
entrer dans sa famille, laissa les unknown woman to enter into
nouveaux époux, persuadé his family, left the newly
qu'une telle alliance ne pouvait married couple, convinced that
être qu'à l'honneur de son such an alliance could only
lignage. increase the honor of his
lineage.
« Nous ne devons pas “We must not forget that
oublier ici que Mélusine, avant Melusine, before agreeing to
de consentir à son mariage marry Raimondin, had made
avec Raimondin, lui avait fait him swear that he would never
jurer que jamais il ne la verrait look at her on Saturday, or ask
le samedi, ni ne s'inquiéterait her what she became.
de ce qu'elle deviendrait.
Mélusine, outre les richesses Melusine, in addition to the
dont elle combla Raimondin, lui riches that she granted
donna comme présent nuptial a Raimondin, gave him a nuptial
deux verges desquelles les present of two wands which
pierres avaient grande vertu. had crystals of great value. The
L'une, que celui à qui elle sera first, that he to whom it would
donnée par amour, ne pourra be given in love would not die
mourir par nuls coups d'armes ; by the stroke of arms, the
l'autre, que celui à qui elle sera second, that he to whom it be
donnée, aura victoire sur ses given would be victorious over
malveillants, soit en plaids, soit his enemies, whether
en mêlée. individually or in a group.
Après le départ du comte do After leaving the Count of
Poitiers, Mélusine apprit à Poitiers, Melusine told
Raimondin que son père était Raimondin that his father was
originaire de Bretagne, qu'il y originally from Brittany, where
possédait de grands biens, dont he had possessed great
il avait été dépouillé par suite property, which he had been
d’un complot ourdi, contre lui deprived of by a conspiracy
par un seigneur breton nommé hatched by a Breton Lord
Josselin, qui possédait toute la named Josselin, who had the
confiance du roi de Bretagne, ear of the king of Brittany, and
et à qui l'on avait donné les to whom the confiscated
biens confisqués sur son père. property had been granted by
Raimondin, par les conseils de his father. Raimondin, on the
Mélusine, alla en Bretagne advice of Melusine, went to
redemander l'héritage de ses Brittany to demand the
aïeux. inheritance of his ancestors.
Le roi, pour connaître la The king, to know the truth
vérité des réclamations du of the claims of the strange
chevalier étranger, ordonna le knight, ordered a judicial
combat judiciaire entre combat between Raimondin
Raimondin et le fils de Josselin. and the son of Josselin.
Raimondin fut vainqueur, et Raimondin was victorious and
demanda la grâce de vaincus ; asked for mercy for the
mais le roi était trop bon vanquished, but the king was
justicier, pour ne pas faire too good a judge not to order
pendre sur-le-champ Josselin et the hanging of Josselin and his
son fils déclarés traîtres par le son who were declared traitors
jugement de Dieu. in God’s judgement.
Le roi breton fit tous ses The Breton king made every
efforts pour fixer près de lui un effort to keep the brave knight
si brave chevalier, mais l'amour by his side, but his love for
de Mélusine rappelait Melusine recalled Raimondin to
Raimondin près le rocher de la the rock of the Fairy Fountain.
Fontaine-Fée : il donna les He gave the lands he had just
terres qu'il venait de conquérir conquered to two cousins who
à deux de ses cousins qui lived in Brittany, and left the
demeuraient en Bretagne, et King as filled with admiration
laissa le roi aussi plein for his courage as for his
d'admiration de son courage, generosity.
que surpris de sa générosité.
Les parents de Josselin, Josselin’s parents, wanting
voulant venger la honte dont to avenge the shame which
Raimondin les avait couverts, Raimondin had given them, set
lui dressèrent à son retour une a trap for him on his return,
embûche qu'il dissipa par sa which he dispelled by his valor.
valeur. Pendant son absence, During his absence, Melusine
Mélusine n'était pas restée had not remained idle – by the
oisive : à l'aide des ouvriers aid of her magical powers her
que sa puissance magique workmen had constructed a
mettait à ses ordres, elle avait magnificent castle in a few days
bâti en quelques jours un on the mountain overlooking
magnifique château sur la the Fountain of Thirst.
montagne et le rocher qui
dominaient la Fontaine de Soif.
Raimondin, à son retour crut Raimondin, on his return
que ses yeux l'abusaient en thought that his eyes betrayed
voyant une forteresse, et du him when he saw a tall fortress
haut de ses donjons élevés, and heard a sentry’s horn from
entendant résonner le cor de la the high keep of a place he had
sentinelle, dans un lieu que left in a deserted condition. The
naguère, il avait laissé désert. new castle was called Lusignan.
Le nouveau château fut nommé
Lusignan.
Raimondin y jouit longtemps Raimondin ruled over this
de la puissance et de la gloire castle for a long time by the
que la sagesse de Mélusine lui power and glory which he had
procurait, Il en eut neuf enfants by the wisdom of Melusine. He
: l'aîné Uriana, fut roi de had nine children – the eldest,
Chypre ; le second, Guyon, roi Urania, was king of Cyprus; the
d'Arménie ; le troisième, second, Guyon, was king of
Regnault, roi de Bretagne ; le Armenia; the third, Regnault,
quatrième, Geoffroy & la was king of Brittany; the fourth,
Grande dent, seigneur de Geoffrey of the Great Tooth
Lusignan ; le cinquième, became Lord of Lusignan; the
Fraimon, moine â Maillezais ; le fifth, Fraimon, a monk at
sixième, Antoine, duc de Maillezais, the sixth, Antoine,
Luxembourg ; le septième, Duke of Luxembourg, the
Raimond, comte de Forêts ; le seventh, Raymond, Count of
huitième, Thierry, seigneur de Forests, the eighth, Thierry,
Parthenay; et le neuvième, Lord of Parthenay, and the
qu'on appela l'Horrible, parce ninth, named ‘The Horrible’,
qu'il n'avait qu'un œil au milieu because he had but one eye in
du front, fut mis à mort d'après the middle of his forehead, was
les ordres que donna sa mère put to death according to the
au moment où elle s'envola orders of his mother when she
moitié femme et moitié was half woman and half
serpent. Sa science magique lui serpent. Her magical science
avait appris que, s'il vivait, il had taught her that if he lived,
détruirait tout ce qu'elle avait he would destroy everything
fait pour la grandeur de sa that she had accomplished for
maison ; il fut étouffé sous du the grandeur of her house. He
foin mouillé auquel on avait mis was therefore stifled under wet
le feu, et enterré dans l'abbaye hay, which had been set on
de Moutierneuf, à Poitiers. fire, and was interred in the
Abbey of Moutierneuf in
Poitiers.
Mélusine et Raimondin Melusine and Raimondin
vivaient heureux, quand l'envie lived happily until envy
vint troubler leur félicité. Le disturbed their bliss. The Count
comte de Forêts, frère aîné dé of Forests, elder brother of
Raimondin, jaloux de sa Raimondin, jealous of his
prospérité, ayant su que tous prosperity, having known that
les samedis Mélusine Melusine disappeared every
disparaissait, et que personne Saturday and no one knew
ne savait ce qu'elle devenait, fit where she went, induced
naître dans l'esprit de son frère suspicion in his brother about
des soupçons sur la fidélité de the fidelity of his wife.
sa femme.
Raimondin, enflammé de Raimondin, inflamed by
jalousie, pénètre dans les salles jealousy, entered the most
les plus reculées du château, secret rooms of the castle,
lieux redoutables où il n'avait formidable places he had never
jamais osé s'avancer ; il est dared advance to. He was
arrêté par d'énormes portes stopped by enormous brass
d'airain ; furieux et croyant voir doors. Furious and wishing to
dans ces précautions - preuve see inside these barriers -
de l'accusation dirigée contre proof of the accusations
son épouse, il tire son épée, et directed against his wife – he
appuyant la pointe contre la drew his sword and pressing
porte, il tourne sa laine et fait the point against the door, he
un trou, qui révèle a son œil turned the hilt and made a
indiscret le plus déplorable hole, which revealed the most
mystère : il voit Mélusine qui deplorable mystery to his
faisait sa pénitence moitié indiscreet eye – he saw
femme et moitié serpent. Elle Melusine performing her
se débattait dans un large punishment as half woman and
bassin, dont elle faisait jaillir half serpent. She was
l'eau jusqu'aux voûtes de la struggling with a large basin,
salle. from which she poured water
into the vaults of the hall.
Raimondin, saisi de pitié et Raimondin, seized with pity
d'épouvante, de voir une si and terror, to see a noble lady
noble dame dans un misérable in such a miserable state, shut
état, bouche le trou fatal ; sa up the fatal hole. His fury
fureur se tourna contre son turned against his brother,
frère qu'il chassa de sa whom he chased from his
présence, en le menaçant de la presence, threatening him with
mort, s’il ne retourne jamais death, if he ever returned to his
dans les lieux soumis à son domain. But, as the fatal secret
pouvoir ; mais, comme le had not escaped him, the
funeste secret ne lui était pas charm was not broken, and
échappé, le charme n'était pas after a night filled with anguish,
rompu, et après une nuit pleine he saw Melusine return to find
d'angoisses, il vit Mélusine him as usual. He still hoped for
revenir le trouver comme à happiness, but an unfortunate
l'ordinaire, il espérait encore le servant caused him to lose
bonheur, quand un malheur everything.
domestique vint tout perdre.
« Geoffroy irrité de ce que Geoffrey, irritated that
Fraimon s'était fait moine, va à Fraimon had become a monk,
l'abbaye de Maillezais, et went to the Abbey of Maillezais,
trouvant les religieux réunis and finding the religious folk
pour les offices divins, il fait un gathered for divine offices,
énorme bûcher autour de made an enormous bonfire
l'église et la réduit en cendres around the church and burned
avec les moines et le couvent ; the monks and the convent to
Raimondin, détestant cet ashes. Raimondin, angered
attentat, reproche with this attack, publicly
publiquement à Mélusine, reproached Melusine, that she
qu'elle et sa postérité ne sont and her children were only
que fantômes, qu'il a été déçu phantoms, and that he was
par ses charmes et sortilèges et disappointed by her charms
dévoile le secret de sa and spells and revealed the
pénitence du samedi. secret of her Saturday
penitence.
Alors la destinée de Mélusine Thus, the destiny of
s'accomplit, la malédiction Melusine was accomplished –
maternelle retombe sur elle ; her maternal curse fell on her.
elle s'élance par une fenêtre sur She hurled herself out of a
laquelle reste empreinte la window on which remains the
forme de son pied, et s'envole mark of her foot and
moitié femme et moitié transformed into a half woman,
serpent. Raimondin, revenu de half-serpent form. Raimondin,
la colère, resta dans un long calming himself from his anger,
abattement, à l'aspect des remained in a long depression,
désastres qu'il venait d'appeler at the sight of disasters that he
sur sa tête ; et pour expier had called on himself, and to
autant qu'il le pouvait le expiate his sins of striking a
malheur dont il avait frappé woman who had showered him
une femme qui l'avait comblé with such favor, he renounced
de bienfaits, il renonce à sa all his power and went on a
toute-puissance ; va faire un pilgrimage to Rome, before
pèlerinage à Rome, et se rend secluding himself in solitude in
ensuite dans une solitude près the town of Montserrat.
de la ville de Montferrat.
Quant à Mélusine, elle As for Melusine, she had no
n'avait plus d'habitation connue dwelling on earth – she was
sur la terre: réduite jusqu'au condemned until Judgement
jugement dernier à l'état Day to the monstrous state
monstrueux où l'avait jetée la which her mother’s curse had
malédiction de sa mère, sa placed on her. Her tenderness
tendresse pour ses jeunes for her children brought her
enfants la rappelait près de leur back to their cradle, and their
berceau, et leurs nourrices l'ont nurses often dragged her
rue souvent traîner enormous tail into their rooms,
silencieusement son énorme and she nourished them during
queue dans leur chambre et the night with her maternal
leur prodiguer pendant la nuit care.
ses soins maternels.
Dans les siècles suivants, In the following centuries,
quand une calamité menaçait whenever a calamity
sa postérité, on l'entendait au endangered her posterity, she
milieu d'une nuit orageuse, was heard on a stormy night,
errer gémissante autour des roaming the battlements of the
créneaux du château de castle of Lusignan. A well-
Lusignan. Une apparition bien known apparition, if any exist,
constatée, s'il en existe, est is described in the following
l'aventure suivante. adventure:
Après que les succès dus à After the successes due to
la sagesse de Charles V et à la the wisdom of Charles V and
bravoure de son connétable, the bravery of his constable,
eurent abattu la puissance who had defeated the English
anglaise sur le continent, Jean, power on the continent, Jean,
duc de Berri et comte de Duke of Berri and Count of
Poitou, se présenta avec une Poitou, brought an army to the
armée sous les murs de walls of Lusignan, the only
Lusignan, seule forteresse que fortress the English still held in
les Anglais tinssent encore dans Poitou. Serville, who
le Poitou. Serville, qui y commanded the castle, was
commandait, fut obligé de obliged to surrender.
capituler ;
il raconta au duc de Berri He told the Duke of Berri
que, la nuit précédente, un that the preceding night, a
monstre moitié femme et monstrous half-woman, half-
moitié serpent lui avait apparu ; serpent being had appeared
qu'avec sa queue longue de 8 before him, it had struck his
& 9 pieds il frappait sur le lit bed with its long tail, about 8-9
dans lequel il était couché ; feet long. He took his sword to
qu'alors il prit son épée pour se defend himself, but the snake
défendre ; mais que la serpente did not harm him, but went to
ne lui fit aucun mal ; qu'elle alla warm herself by a large fire
se chauffer près d'un grand feu which illuminated the entire
qui éclairait toute la chambre, room and stayed there all
qu'elle y resta toute la nuit ; night. She even assumed her
que même pendant quelque human form for some time, but
temps, elle reprit la forme was dressed in only coarse
humaine ; mais qu'elle n'était rags, like a penitent, and
vêtue que d'étoffes grossières, seemed unable to defend
comme une pénitente, et herself.
paraissait ne pouvoir rester en
place.
 « Comment, Serville, “Serville” replied the duke of
répondit le duc de Berri, « vous Berri, “how did you, who have
qui avez été en tant de places, been in so many places, have
avez-vous eu peur de cette any fear of this serpent? This
serpente ? C'est la dame de was the lady of this fortress,
cette forteresse qui la fit édifier that she had erected – you
: sachez qu'elle ne vous fera knew that she would never hurt
jamais de mal ; elle vous veut you. She wanted to show you
montrer comment il vous fallait how you had to withdraw from
dessaisir de cette place. » this place.”
« Serville ajouta alors qu'une “Serville then added that a
femme du pays, avec laquelle il local woman, with whom he
charmait les ennuis de la had charmed the boredom of
garnison, avait été témoin de his garrison, had witnessed the
l'apparition et n'avait manifesté
apparition and had not
aucune crainte. Pour ne pas displayed any fear. In order to
douter de la réalité de ce fait, il
not doubt the reality of this
faut se rappeler que Jean fact, it must be remembered
d'Arras ; étant secrétaire du that Jean d’Arras, being
duc de Berri, écrirait par ordresecretary of the Duke of Berri
de Charles V, vainqueur des had written this down by the
Anglais, et que, lors de cette order of Charles V, victor over
apparition, Mélusine, loin d'être
the English, and that, this
gémissante, reçut un
apparition, Melusine, far from
allégement à ses peines, parce being troubled, had been able
qu'elle put un instant reprendrefor a brief time to resume her
sa forme naturelle, sans doute natural human form, no doubt
parce que le château qu'elle because the castle she had
avait construit, allait être constructed was about to be
délivré du joug de l'étranger. »delivered from the yoke of the
foreigner.
Tel est la fidèle analyse du Such is the faithful analysis
récit de Jean d'Arras. of the narrative of Jean d’Arras.
On y retrouve tout le moyen One finds such tales
âge avec sa crédulité naïve et everywhere in the Middle Ages,
son imagination pleine de with its naïve credulity and its
merveilles. wondrous imagination.
Le jour suivant, Bernard The following day, Bernard
Morand débuta ainsi : Morand began thus:
—Toi, Claude Michu, qui as “You, Claude Michu, who
le désir de te faire. bien venir would like to be attractive to
de Madeloun, ta jolie commère, Madeleine, your pretty little
je vais t'apprendre une busybody, I will teach you a
conjuration magique, dont on magic conjuration, which was
se servait, en Allemagne, au popular in Germany in the old
temps jadis, pour se faire aimer days to ensure one’s true love.”
des filles.
On prenait un cheveu de sa One would take a lock of
bien-aimée on le plaçait sous hair of one’s beloved and place
ses vêtements, puis on faisait it in his clothes, then one would
une confession générale ; — make a general confession –
puis encore on faisait dire trois and then perform three masses
messes pendant lesquelles on during which the hair was
mettait le cheveu autour de son placed around his neck. At the
cou. Au dernier évangile, on last gospel, one lit a blessed
allumait un cierge bénit et l'on candle and said, “O candle, I
disait : O cierge, je te conjure beseech you by the virtue of
par la vertu du Dieu tout- the All-Powerful God, by the
puissant, par les neuf chaînes nine chained angels, by the
des anges, par la vertu guardian spirit, to bring me the
gardienne, de m'amener celle one I love, so that she belongs
que j'aime, afin qu'elle to me.”
m'appartienne.
Que penses-tu de ce “What do you think of this
procédé, Claude Michu ? process, Claude Michu?”
—Je pense, monsieur “I think, Mr. Morand, that
Morand, que vous vous moquez you are mocking me.”
de moi.
—Je ne me moque pas de “I am not making fun of you.
toi ; je ne fais que te rapporter I am only describing to you a
une pratique dont beaucoup practice that many lovers had
d'amoureux transis se sont used to their benefit. You will
servis. Tu m'accorderas bien grant me that it is not more
qu'elle n'est pas plus ridicule ridiculous than that of the Red
que celle du Dragon Rouge, et Dragon, and that it is not as
qu'il n'est pas plus sot de faire foolish to light a candle as to
brûler un cierge que de faire burn a donkey’s head like your
griller une tête d'âne comme lu experiment at the Black Hole?”
l'as expérimenté au Trou-Noir ?
Et comme Claude baissait la Claude lowered his head in
tête plein do honte : shame.
— Allons, reprit Morand, “Come,” said Morand,
remets-toi ; je voulais rire un “compose yourself. I wanted a
peu avant de nous entretenir little laughter before we talk
des nombreuses formules de about the many formulas of
divination ou d'enchantement divination or enchantment used
employées par les amateurs de by magical dabblers in all ages.”
merveilleux à toutes les
époques.
La divination a toujours joui “Divination has always
d'une grande faveur auprès des enjoyed great favor with weak
esprits faibles. minds.”
Connaître l'avenir, voilà pour “To know the future is the
beaucoup de gens l'affaire most important objective of
importante de la vie. Ils ne many people in their lives. They
songent pas que l'avenir do not think that the future
appartient à Dieu et que te belongs to God and that the
devoir de l'homme est de vivre duty of man is to live honestly
honnêtement dans le présent in the present, leaving for
en laissant à la Providence le Providence the care of future
soin des choses futures. things.”
Le ciel nous eût fait un “Heaven would have made
présent funeste s'il nous eût us a baneful present if we were
donné le pouvoir de lire dans given the power to read our
notre destinée. own destiny.”
 C'eût été nous refuser le “This would have denied us
bonheur ; car quel homme our present happiness –
serait assez hardi pour
because which man would be
supporter sans faiblir le poids
bold enough to support himself
d'une science qui lui permettrait
without succumbing to the
de sonder les mystères du power of a science which
temps. Il connaîtrait d'avance
allowed him to probe the
les épreuves par lesquelles il
mysteries of time? He would
doit passer, il saurait quel terme
know in advance the future
est assigné à ses jours, et cette
tests he must pass; he would
connaissance lui rendrait
know what term was assigned
l'existence insupportable ; il
to his days, and this knowledge
calculerait les heures qui lui
would make life unbearable for
restent et vivrait sans cette
him. He would calculate the
espérance dans laquelle l'esprit
remaining hours and live
trouve ses plus douces
without the hope in which the
satisfactions. mind finds sweetest
satisfaction.”
Les anciens ont beaucoup “The ancients had many
pratiqué la divination. methods of divination.”
— Les météores, la forme “Meteors and the shapes of
des nuages étaient des signes clouds were signs that they
qu'ils interprétaient suivant interpreted according to the
leurs divers aspects. Ils various forms. They also made
faisaient aussi des prédictions predictions by means of
au moyen de l'alectoromancie ; alectoromancy – that is, by
c'est-à-dire en décrivant sur la describing on the earth a circle
terre un cercle qui se divisait en divided into twenty-four parts,
24 parties, dans chacune in each of which was placed a
desquelles on plaçait une lettre letter of the alphabet and a
de l'alphabet et un grain de blé. grain of wheat.
Un coq était ensuite introduit “A rooster was then
dans le cercle et à mesure que introduced into the circle and
le coq mangeait un des grains, as the rooster ate one of the
on notait la lettre que ce grain grains, one noted the letter that
recouvrait. Les lettres this grain covered. The letters
assemblées formaient l'élément formed the element of
de la prédiction. prediction.”
Ils connaissaient encore la “They also knew divination
divination par le sel. C'était un by salt. It was considered a bad
mauvais présage que d'oublier omen to forget to put the
de placer les salières sur la saltshakers on the table, or to
table, ou que de s'endormir fall asleep before they were
avant qu'elles fussent retirées. removed. In our day,
A notre époque, les gens superstitious people are still
superstitieux s'effrayent encore frightened by an overturned
d'une salière renversée ; il n'y a saltshaker – there is no other
d'autre malheur là-dedans que misfortune in this than the loss
la perte de la salière quand elle of the saltshaker when it
se casse, ou celle du sel quand breaks, or that of the salt when
il se répand. it spills.
Mais le goût de la divination But the taste for divination
ne se bornait pas toujours à ces was not always limited to these
innocentes remarques ; il a fait innocent examples. They would
commettre des crimes, car bien commit various crimes, such as
souvent on a voulu chercher to search in human entrails for
dans les entrailles humaines le the secret of future events.
secret des destinées futures.

Les sacrifices humains The human sacrifices offered

offerts par les Druides, nos by the Druids, our ancestors
ancêtres, ont ensanglanté le soi have bloodied the soil we
que nous cultivons aujourd'hui, cultivate today, and thousands
et des milliers d'innocents sont of innocent people have fallen
tombés victimes d'un préjugé victim to barbaric practices that
barbare que le christianisme only Christianity could destroy.
seul a pu détruire. (ed. Ironic)
Les astres, les nombres, les The stars, the numbers, the
couleurs, le vol des oiseaux, les colors, the flight of birds, plants
plantes, ont servi à la were used for divination.
divination.
En ce qui concerne les Regarding plants, one can,
plantes, on peut, sans tourner without turning to sorcery,
au sorcier, partager sur un agree to one aspect about
point la confiance qu'on leur them that the sorcerers claim.
accordait. Ainsi, il est positif It is certain that by examining
qu'en examinant certaines some plants, one can almost
plantes, on peut d'une manière exactly tell what time it is, but
à peu près exacte, indiquer there is nothing marvelous
l'heure qu'il est. Mais il n'y a about this fact – it is purely
rien de merveilleux dans ce fait scientific and based on acquired
; il est purement scientifique et notions with respect to plant
basé sur des notions acquises à habits.
l'égard des habitudes des
végétaux.
On a reconnu, en effet, que It has been recognized, for
les corolles des fleurs s'ouvrent example, that the corollas of
se ferment à heure fixe. Avec flowers open and close at a
quelques connaissances en fixed time. With some
botanique, on peut composer knowledge of botany, one can
une horloge florale et se passer compose a floral clock and
de montre ou de cadran, manage without a solar clock.
solaire. Linné s'est donné ce Linnaeus gave this example and
divertissement et adressé un constructed a table which
tableau où, en regard des noms shows the hours of day and
des plantes observées, se night that various plants open
trouvent inscrites les heures de and close.
jour et de nuit auxquelles ces
plantes s'ouvrent où se
ferment.
Les fleurs m'ont souvent Flowers have been my
appris à moi-même, pendant companions on my long walks,
mes longues promenades, qu'il until it was time to return
était temps de revenir du logis. home.
 Ainsi, en voyant le nymphéa So, seeing the white
blanc replier son calice, je me waterlily fold back it’s chalice, I
disais : je suis en retard, il est tell myself, “I am late, it is five
cinq heures ; car le nymphéa, o’clock, because the waterlily,
qui s'épanouit à sept heures du which blooms at 7 A.M. in the
matin, se referme à cinq heures morning, closes at five o’clock
du soir. in the evening.
Toutes les heures sont All times are indicated in the
indiquées de la même façon. same manner.
Il est des plantes qui There are plants that
marquent plus spécialement les especially mark the night hours.
heures de nuit. Ce sont, par These are, for example, the
exemple, le géranium triste, le geranium triste, the Night-
silène noctiflore et le cactus à flowering catchfly and the
grande fleur, qui éclosent à six, large-flowered cactus, which
à neuf et à dix heures. bloom at six, nine and ten
J'imagine que vous ne pensiez o’clock. I imagine that you did
pas avoir autour de vous not think that you had such
d'aussi charmantes horloges ; charming clocks around you.
un jour je vous apprendrai à les One day, I will teach you to use
utiliser d'une manière complète them in a more comprehensive
: permettez-moi maintenant de manner. Allow me now to speak
parler de songes dont on of dreams in which people still
prétend encore lute des pretend to read hidden
avertissements concluants. warnings.
Ne croyez pas à Do not believe in the
l'interprétation des songes, mes interpretation of dreams, my
amis ; n'achetez jamais ces friends – never buy those
traités absurdes où l'on se flatte absurd treatises where one
de nous dévoiler la signification believes one is taught the
des images nocturnes ; avec un meaning and significance of
peu de raisonnement, vous dream images. With a bit of
vous convaincrez bientôt de reason, you can convince
l'inanité des observations de ce yourself quite easily of the
genre. Ce que l'on voit en inanity of these observations.
songe, songez-y bien, ce n'est What we see in our minds are
pas une représentation des not representations of future
événements futurs, c'est une events, but a vague painting,
peinture tantôt vague, tantôt sometimes exaggerated images
exagérée des événements of past events, and I propose,
passés, et je mets en fait qu'il there are no dreams where one
n'est pas de rêves dont on ne cannot reconstitute the
puisse reconstitueras éléments. elements. The role of the soul
Le rôle de l'âme dans les in dreams cannot be explained.
songes est assez inexplicable. Il It is certain, however, that in
est certain cependant, qu'en this situation, and despite the
celle situation, et en dépit de physical inertia and moral
l'inertie physique et de cette insensibility that resembles
insensibilité morale qui death, the imagination is
ressemble à la mort, overexcited and continues to
l'imagination surexcitée par une act spontaneously, but it is
cause quelconque continue à directionless – it floats in the
agir spontanément. Mais elle ocean of sleep, so to sleep, and
agit sans direction ; elle flotte receives, as if in a cloudy
pour ainsi dire dans le vague et mirror, confused images of the
reçoit, comme un miroir un peu day’s events or rough thoughts
trouble, l'image confuse des sketched through the day.
faits accomplis ou des pensées Sometimes, it goes back quite
ébauchées pendant la journée. far into the past. A forgotten
Quelquefois, elle remonte assez fact is remembered, one
loin dans le passé. Un fait lui forgotten even the day before,
revient, un fait oublié même and it is reproduced,
pendant la veille, et elle le accompanied with
reproduit en l'accompagnant de circumstantial details, to create
détails et de circonstances, the most material sensation
créés le plus souvent par une possible.
sensation matérielle.
C'est ainsi qu'après s'être Thus, after falling asleep
endormi sous des couvertures under heavy blankets, one
trop lourdes, on éprouve sometimes feels a sense of
parfois un sentiment de gêne discomfort or even an
ou même d'angoisse inexpressible anxiety. So, we
inexprimable. Alors, on se croit think we are gripped by an iron
serré par une main de fer : hand – imagination shows us
l'imagination vous montre un an elf squatting and stomping
lutin accroupi sur vous et on our chest. This is a
piétinant votre poitrine : c'est le nightmare – one wakes from it
cauchemar ; on se réveille en with a start, the forehead
sursaut, le front en sueur, la sweaty, panting breath. One
respiration haletante ; on pushes away the heavy blanket.
rejette loin de soi la couverture The cause of evil is thus
trop lourde ; la cause du mal a dispelled, and one goes back to
disparu ; on se rendort sleep calmly.
tranquillement.
Cependant, dans un cas However, in such a case, if
pareil, allez consulter un sorcier you were to consult a sorcerer
comme le père Simounen ; il like Father Simounen, he will
trouvera une foule de find a host of meanings to your
significations à donner à votre nightmare. He will not say to
cauchemar ; il ne vous dira pas you – you were too covered. He
: Vous étiez trop couvert : il will take a solemn tone and
prendre un air solennel et vous assert to you without laughing
affirmera sans rire, que vous that you have many enemies,
avez des ennemis, que ces that these enemies are
ennemis vous poursuivent et se pursuing you and preparing to
préparent à vous faire bien du do you harm (which is
mal (ce qui est superabundantly proved by the
surabondamment prouvé par la anxious sensation you had to
sensation anxieuse dont vous suffer). He will ask you for
avez eu à souffrir) ; il vous thirty sous for the consultation
demandera trente sous pour la – you will give him the money
consultation) ; vous les lui and you will prove once more
donnerez et vous prouverez that there are still fools in this
une fois de plus qu'il y a encore world.
des sots en ce monde.
 Tenez, il faut que je vous Here, I must tell you one of
raconte l'un de mes rêves et les my dreams and the studies I
études auxquelles je me suis have done myself on this
livré à son sujet. subject.
Vous verrez par quelle You will see by what
induction je suis arrivé à induction I arrived at an
n'expliquer ce qui au premier understanding of what initially
abord me semblait inexplicable. seemed inexplicable.
Voici ce rêve : Here is my dream:
J'étais dans une grande I was in a great plain,
plaine, couverte de fleurs covered with fragrant flowers
odorantes et peuplée de and populated by butterflies
papillons aux ailes étincelantes with glittering wings. A great
: un grand sentiment de bien- feeling of well-being filled my
être réjouissait mon âme et je soul and I walked slowly, when
marchais lentement, lorsque je I realized that I was not alone.
m'aperçus que je n'étais pas A man was coming behind me,
seul. Un homme venait derrière following me step by step.
moi, me suivant pas à pas ; Soon, this man put his hand on
bientôt cet homme appuya sa my shoulder, and it seemed he
main sur mon épaule et semait was pushing me forward. The
à me pousser en avant. Le movement was at first
mouvement qu'il m'imprima fut insensible, then he accelerated
d'abord presque insensible ; and acquired a dizzying pace. I
puis il s'accéléra et acquit une was going faster than the wind,
rapidité vertigineuse. J'allais and while running it seemed to
plus rapide que le vent, et tout me that I lost contact with the
en courant il me semblait que ground and my feet were
je perdais terre et que mes moving in the air. I did not run
pieds s'agitaient dans le vide. anymore, I flew. I flew whirling,
Je ne courais plus, je volais. Je and soon I could not distinguish
volais en tournoyant, et bientôt my surroundings. My heart
je ne distinguai plus rien autour missed a beat and I was going
de moi : le cœur me manqua et to faint, when I found myself
j'allais m'évanouir, quand je me suddenly sitting in front of a
vis soudainement assis devant table laden with fruits and
une table chargée de fruits et flowers, facing a Turk who was
de fleurs, en face d'un Turc qui gravely smoking his pipe, and
fumait gravement sa pipe et qui who invited me to refresh
m'invita, pour me rafraîchir, à myself and have a sorbet. I
accepter un sorbet. J'obéissais, obeyed, when a black man
lorsqu'un nègre entra dans entered the place where we
l'endroit où nous étions, were sitting, bringing with him
apportant une longue aiguille a long needle with which he
avec laquelle il nettoya la pipe cleaned the pipe of my host.
de mon hôte. Ce dernier prit The latter then took the needle
ensuite l'aiguille et me la and showed it to me:
montrant:
— Tu vois, dit-il, c'est pour “You see,” he said, “this is to
compléter ma collection. complete my collection.”
Et sans plus de façon, il me “And without further ado, he
passa l'aiguille au travers du passed the needle through my
corps. Je ne souffris pas ; mais body. I did not suffer, but I
je me mis à agiter lentement began to shake my arms and
les bras et les jambes : puis, je legs. Then, I fell in front of the
tombai en avant et la peinte de table, and the point of the
l'aiguille s'appuyant à terre, se needle began to spin on the
mit à tourner, en imprimant à ground, imprinting itself on my
mon corps, dans lequel elle body, in which it was wedded,
était comme soudée, un rapide in a rapid rotating movement.
mouvement de rotation.
Je perdis pour un instant le I lost for a moment the
sentiment de ma situation et je sentiment in my situation and I
me trouvai dans une église où found myself in a church where
une grande foule était a large crowd had gathered. I
rassemblée. Je voulais percer wanted to push through the
cette foule pour gagner la crowd to reach the door, when
porte, lorsqu'il me sembla que it seemed to me that the walls
les murs se resserraient sur moi were narrowing around me and
et allaient m'étouffer. were going to choke me.
 Je voulais crier à l'aide : ma I cried for help – my voice
voix s'arrêta dans ma gorge : je stopped in my throat. I tried to
fis un effort pour pousser un cri utter a cry and this effort woke
qui devait me saurer et cet me up.
effort me réveilla.
Il était grand jour : je me It was a wonderful day. I got
levai, et tout en me mettant au up, and while putting myself to
travail, je songeai à cet work, I thought of this
amphigouri que je viens de nonsense verse that I have
vous raconter. recounted to you.
— Bien sûr, pensais-je, si je “Of course,” I thought, “if I
consultais un devint au sujet du consulted a man about this
rêve de cette nuit, il ne dream, he would not fail to tell
manquerait pas de me dire de me beautiful things. To see
belles choses. Voir des fleurs flowers is a good omen,
est un heureux présage ; entrer entering a church is not always
dans une église n'en est pas a good one, this Turk who
toujours un bon ; ce Turc qui skewered me, after having
m'a embroché, après m'avoir offered me a sorbet is an
offert un sorbet, c'est un enemy who wants my undoing,
ennemi qui veut ma perte et and who cajoles me to better
qui me cajole pour mieux reach me.
m'atteindre.
Toute réflexion faite, All considered, I applied my
j'appliquai à mon rêve ma usual method to my dream. I
méthode habituelle : je reconstructed the previous day,
reconstituai la journée de la and as you will see, I found all
veille, et, comme vous allez le the source elements of my
voir, j'y retrouvai tous les nocturnal visions.
principes de mes visions
nocturnes.
La plaine couverte de fleurs, The flower-covered plain
c'était mon jardin où je m'étais was my garden where I had
promené pendant une heure le walked for an hour in the
matin ; tout en me promenant, morning. While strolling, I had
je m'étais pris à réfléchir à la begun to think about aerial
locomotion aérienne ; j'avais locomotion. I had thought of
songé au principe qui fait que the principle that birds, heavier
les oiseaux, plus lourds que than air, support themselves in
l'air, se soutiennent dans space by the motion of their
l'espace par le mouvement de wings. From these principles I
leurs ailes ; passant de ces passed to those of gravitation
principes à celui de gravitation of bodies. I had amused myself
des corps, je m'étais amusé à by following the thrust of a
suivre le jet d'une pierre violently thrown stone, and by
violemment lancée, et à calculating how many seconds
calculer combien de secondes before it began to descend
elle met à redescendre au point from the point of departure.
de départ : ceci me donnait This was an easy explanation of
l'explication facile de ma my transformation into a flying
transformation eh homme man. My imagination left to
volant. Mon imagination livrée à itself during sleep had
elle-même pendant le sommeil, substituted itself for the bird,
m'avait substitué à l'oiseau, et and I had seen myself launched
je m'étais vu à mon tour lancé into space and supporting
dans l'espace et m'y soutenant myself quite naturally.
naturellement.
Mais le Turc ? Que venait But what about the Turk?
faire le Turc dans cette affaire ? What was the Turk doing in this
J'y réfléchis longtemps et je affair? I thought about it for a
parvins à comprendre d'où long time and I managed to
tenait le Turc. understand the origin of the
Turk.
En lisant mou journal, j'avais While reading my journal, I
trouvé, aux nouvelles had found, in foreign news, the
étrangères, le récit d'une fête story of a feast offered at
offerte à Constantinople, par le Constantinople, by the Sultan,
sultan, au nouvel ambassadeur to the new ambassador of
de France. Cette fête m'avait France. This festival had made
fait penser aux contes des Mille me think of The Thousand and
et une Nuits et à toutes les One Nights & all the splendors
splendeurs de la vie orientale. of the Oriental life. This reverie
Cette rêverie m'avait had certainly earned me the
certainement valu l'intervention unexpected intervention of my
inattendue de mon Turc. Turk.
Mais pourquoi mon Turc me But why did my Turk pierce
perçait-il d'une aiguille ? me with a needle?
Justes représailles ! parce These were just reprisals!
que moi-même j'avais piqué sur Because I had myself stuck, the
un liège, le jour même, un same day, a magnificent beetle,
magnifique coléoptère, recueilli collected in the fields by father
dans le champ du père Michu. Michu. The poor beast, though
La pauvre bête, quoique percée pierced from one end to the
de part en part, continuait à other, continued to wave its
agiter ses antennes et ses antennae and forewings, just
élytres, comme moi-même like I myself had shook my
j'agitais les bras et les jambes arms and legs after my
après mon supplice. torment.
Le mouvement rotatoire The rotary movement
imprimé au pal qui me imprinted on the needle which
transperçait était une pierced me was a memory of
réminiscence de la première the first part of my dream. I
partie de mon rêve ; je revenais mechanically returned to my
machinalement à mes pensées thoughts on gravitation.
sur la gravitation
Cependant la situation était However, the situation was
critique : à force de tourner critical – by dint of spinning like
comme une toupie, j'avais senti a top, I had felt the force
la force m'échapper, et il escape me and it seemed to me
m'avait semblé que j'allais that I was going to die. The
mourir. L'idée de la mort avait idea of death had given birth to
fait naître en moi une pensée a religious thought in me, that
religieuse, voilà comment is how I could explain my
j'explique ma présence presence in a church towards
spontanée dans une église, the end of my journey into the
vers la fin de mon excursion land of dreams.
dans le pays des songes.
L'église expliquée, reste à The church explained, all
justifier l'angoisse produite par that remained was to justify the
le resserrement des murailles anguish produced by the
prêtes à m'étouffer, angoisse narrowing walls ready to choke
tenant du cauchemar. Ici, ma me, an anguish that gripped
tâche est facile. me in my nightmare. Here, my
task was easy.
En me démenant dans mon When I struggled in my role
rôle de toupie, j'avais glissé as a spinning top, I slipped into
dans la ruelle et je me trouvais an alley and was caught
pris entre la muraille et le bois between the wall and the
du lit. La pression toujours plus wooden bed. The ever-
forte à mesure que je increasing pressure as I
m'enfonçais davantage, m'avait plunged deeper gave me the
procuré la sensation pénible painful feeling that I spoke of.
dont j'ai parlé.
Ainsi, mes amis, j'avais pu So, my friends, I could have
tout enchaîner. linked all the elements.
Rien ne tenait à l'avenir dans Nothing of the future was
mon rêve : tout, au contraire, represented in my dream – on
se rattachait au passé. the contrary, everything related
to the past.
Si je me suis étendu aussi If I have spent so much time
longuement sur ce sujet, c'est on this subject, it is in order to
afin de vous convaincre qu'il ne convince you that you must
faut jamais vous effrayer de ces never be afraid of these
rêves, et en chercher dreams, and in seeking
l'explication au-delà d'une explanation for them beyond a
succession de faits naturels qui succession of natural facts that
se sont produits en vous ou take place, are produced in you
autour de vous, pendant une or around you, recently.
période récente.
Vous écarterez donc comme You will therefore give up all
tous les autres procédés de the other divinatory procedures
divination, ceux que les malins which the malignant tribe of
de la famille de Simounen Simounen would prefer to base
voudraient baser sur on the interpretation of dreams.
l'interprétation des songes.
Je condamne en principe I condemn in principle all
tous les genres de divination ; the forms of divination. I have
je n'ai donc besoin de no need, therefore, to dwell on
m'étendre ni sur la cartomancy, which augurs the
cartomancie, qui augure de future, based on the
l'avenir, d'après la combinaison combination of playing cards,
des cartes à jouer ; ni sur la nor on chiromancy, which reads
chiromancie, qui le lit dans les it in the lines of the hand, nor
lignes de la main ; ni sur la on necromancy, which aims to
nécromancie, qui a pour but evoke the souls of the dead in
d'évoquer les Ames des morts order to interrogate them, nor
pour les interroger ; ni sur les on the other practices offered
autres pratiques offertes à la to the credulity of the adepts.
crédulité des adeptes.
Je veux faire devant vous I want to present various
diverses expériences qui experiments before you that
n'auraient pu être tentées sans could not have been tried
danger pour l'opérateur, il y a without danger for the
deux siècles. A cette époque, il operator, two centuries ago. At
suffisait d'être un peu plus that time, it was enough to be
savant que de raison pour a little learned to merit the
mériter la dangereuse dangerous qualification of
qualification de sorcier. Or, les sorcerer. However, the
sorciers étaient brûlés vifs sur sorcerers were burned alive in
la place publique, et si le métier the public square, and even if
était productif, avouez qu'il the craft was productive, one
n'était pas bon au point de vue would admit that it was not
de la sécurité de celai qui safe from the point of view of
l'exerçait. Il y avait, parmi les the security of the practitioner.
sorciers, je le sais, des There were, I know, among the
misérables qui faisaient métier sorcerers who performed the
d'empoisonneurs, et dont la job of poisoners, and whose
perte n'était nullement loss was by no means
déplorable ; mais combien de deplorable, but how many poor
pauvres gens furent condamnés people were condemned to the
au feu, qui n'avaient contre eux fire, who had nothing against
que leur intelligence et leur them but their intelligence and
savoir ? their knowledge?
Albert le Grand, qui fut un Albert the Great, who was a
saint homme et un savant saintly man and an illustrious
illustre, faillit plusieurs fois scholar, nearly failed to incur a
encourir une accusation de charge of witchcraft, because,
sorcellerie, parce que, très well-versed in the mechanical
versé dans les arts mécaniques, arts, he had invented
il avait inventé des automates automatons and machines that
et des machines où l'ignorance the ignorant public believed
publique croyait voir l'œuvre were the work of demons.
des démons.
Del Rio assure, qu'en 1515, Del Rio assures us, that in
à Genève, plus de cinq cents 1515, in Geneva, more than
personnes périrent comme five hundred people perished
convaincues de magie. On brûla under the conviction of magic.
jusqu'à des enfants que l'on They burned children who were
supposait coupables de supposed guilty of infernal
pratiques infernales. practices.
Les procès d'Edelin, d'Urbain
The trials of Edelin, of
Grandier, du maréchal d'AncreUrbain Grandier, of the marshal
et de bien d'autres, sont de of Ancre and many others are
tristes exemples de la passion
the unfortunate examples of
qui aveuglait les esprits. the passion which blinded the
spirits.
Bien souvent, il est vrai, Very often, it is true, when
comme lorsqu'il s'agit du one comes to the last person
dernier personnage que je that I have just mentioned, the
viens de rappeler, l'accusation accusation of magic was used
de magie servait à déguiser une to disguise a political or private
vengeance politique ou privée ; vengeance, but we must turn
mais il faut détourner les yeux our eyes from these horrors to
de ces horreurs pour les consider the benefits of the
reporter sur les bienfaits de la civilization that we enjoy today.
civilisation dont nous jouissons
aujourd'hui.
De nos jours, on ne croit In our day, we do not
guère au merveilleux ; aussi believe in the marvelous, or
laisse-t-ou les utopies se letting utopias occur in broad
produire au grand jour. Les daylight. Battling spirits and
esprits frappeurs, les tables turning tables have their
tournantes ont leurs adeptes. followers. They can proclaim
On leur permet de proclamer their doctrines, which must fail
leurs doctrines, qui doivent before reason. As for the
échouer devant la seule raison. popular diviners, and the
Quant aux devins populaires, printers of the Blue Grimoires,
aux faiseurs de contes bleus, and the sorcerers of
aux sorciers du rang de Simounen’s ilk, one must try to
Simounen, on tâche de détruire destroy their influence by
leur influence en généralisant general education. As long as
l'instruction. Tant qu'ils se they confine themselves to
bornent à débiter leurs telling their absurdities to well-
absurdités aux cervelles bien disposed minds, they are
disposées, on les laisse faire en allowed to do so by making fun
se moquant d'eux ; mais s'ils of them, but if they think of
s'avisent de faire commerce de making this their profession,
leur prétendu savoir, la loi, qui, the law, which rightly regulates
à juste titre, approuve le the commerce of fraud, reaches
commerce de l'escroquerie, la them and punishes them.
loi les atteint et les punit.
C'est ce qui ne manquera This is what will happen one
pas d'arriver un de ces jours à of these days to Simounen, if
Simounen, s'il s'avise encore de he still thinks of playing the
jouer à quelqu'un le mauvais kind of dirty tricks of which
tour dont Claude Michu a été la Claude Michu was the dupe.
dupe.
Sur ce, mes amis, allez With that, my friends, go to
dormir et ne faites pas de sleep and do not have bad
mauvais rêves. dreams.
Je vous invite à venir demain I invite you to come
assister à mes démonstrations. tomorrow to attend my
Vous vous convaincrez que la demonstrations. You will
science, doublée d'un peu convince yourself that science,
d'adresse, n'est pas autre chose coupled with a little skill, is
que ce que l'on appelait nothing but what was formerly
autrefois LA MAGIE. called MAGIC.
Quand Claude Michu et ses When Claude Michu and his
autres amis se trouvèrent other friends met for the third
réunis pour la troisième fois time at Bernard Morand’s
chez Bernard Morand, le home, the pharmacist did not
pharmacien ne les reçut pas receive them in the room where
dans la pièce où avaient eu lieu he had hosted their previous
les réunions précédentes, il les meetings. He took them instead
fit entrer dans un vaste into a large laboratory, setup
laboratoire, ménagé derrière behind his home, in which he
son logement, et dans lequel il had assembled all the
avait rassemblé tous les instruments and apparatus
instruments et tous les necessary for his scientific
appareils indispensables à ses studies.
études scientifiques.
L'aspect des machines The appearance of electrical
électriques et pneumatiques, and pneumatic machines, of
des piles, des électro-aimants, batteries, electromagnets,
des cornues et des ballons, retorts and balloons astonished
étonna beaucoup les visiteurs his visitors who had never seen
qui n'avaient jamais rien vu de anything like it.
pareil.
Avant qu'ils l'eussent Before they could question
interrogé, le pharmacien leur him, the pharmacist told them,
dit : — Tout ce que vous voyez “All that you see here, my
ici, mes amis, est destiné à des friends, is for very serious
travaux fort sérieux, auxquels work, which I will probably
je vous initierai peut-être plus initiate you into later. For the
tard. Pour le moment, je ne moment, I do not want to show
veux faire avec vous que de la you any of that amusing
science amusante ; et, pour science, instead we will begin
commencer, je vais vous by viewing a magical painting.
montrer un tableau magique.
Bernard Morand prit alors un Bernard Morand then took a
cadre accroché à la muraille, et frame hanging on the wall and
le fit passer sous les yeux des passed it under the eyes of his
auditeurs. Le cadre contenait audience. The frame contained
un dessin au trait représentant a drawing representing a winter
l'hiver. On y voyait, autour scene. One could see, around a
d'une maisonnette, des arbres small cottage, some trees and
et des buissons dépouillés de bushes despoiled of their
leurs feuilles. Aucun oiseau ne leaves. No birds were visible in
se montrait dans le ciel d'une the grey and sad sky. In front
teinte grise et triste. Devant la of the hut, no one was visible.
cabane, nulle trace de l'homme. The landscape seemed
Le paysage semblait désert. deserted.
—Eh bien ! Claude Michu, “Very well! Claude Michu,”
demanda Morand, que penses- asked Morand, “what do you
tu de ce tableau ? think of this scene?”
—Je dis, Monsieur, que je “I say, sir, that I get a chill
me sens froid rien qu'à le when I view it. It must freeze
regarder. Il doit geler joliment in that hut.”
dans celle cabane.
—En effet : c'est l'hiver. “Indeed, it is wintertime.”
—Et un bon hiver, à ce qu'il “And a fine winter, it seems.
me semble. On a dû faire ce It appears to be the month of
tableau là au mois de janvier. January in this scene.”
—Sans doute. Eh bien ! que “Doubtless. Very well! What
dirais-tu si je me chargeais, would you say if I, without
sans toucher ce dessin, sans touching or removing this
l'enlever de son cadre, de painting from its frame,
changer cet hiver en printemps changed it from winter to
et de lui donner la vie qui lui springtime and gave it the life it
manque ? presently lacks?”
—Parbleu ! je dirais que “By God! I would say that
vous êtes un grand sorcier. you are a great wizard.”
—Je suis un grand sorcier, “I am a great wizard, as you
comme tu dis. Que faudrait-il call me. How would you say the
aux arbres pour reverdir ? trees turn green?”
 —Du soleil. “By the sun.”
—Du soleil, parce que le “By the sun, because of the
soleil, c'est la chaleur qui sun, this is the heat which
vivifie. Nous n'avons pas de revives. We do not have the
soleil ; mais nous pouvons nous sun, but we can apply some
procurer de la chaleur et faire heat and work on the leaves.”
pousser les feuilles.
— Est-ce possible ! “Is that possible!”
—Tu vas voir. Prends dans ce “You’ll see. Take this lamp
coin cette lampe à réflecteur et reflector in the corner and turn
allume-la. Elle donnera une it on. It will provide a warmth
chaleur assez forte pour ce que strong enough for what we
nous voulons faire. want to do.”
Claude obéit, et Bernard Claude obeyed, and Bernard
Morand ayant placé le tableau à Morand placed the image a
une courte distance de la short distance from the lamp,
lampe, qui le chauffait which he warmed gently, saying
doucement, dit aux paysans : to the peasants:
— Regardez et attendez. Le “Wait and see. Springtime is
printemps s'avance. coming.”
Tous les yeux se fixèrent All the eyes were fixed on
vers l'image ; elle resta un the image. It stayed an instant
instant telle qu'on l'avait vue as they had seen it before,
précédemment, puis, peu à then, little by little, the leaves
peu, les feuilles poussèrent, grow, as if enchanted, on the
comme par enchantement, sur trees and bushes. Little men,
les arbres et sur les buissons ; full of cheerfulness seemed to
de petits bonshommes, à come out of the paper, the sky
l'allure pleine de gaieté, populated with birds with wide
semblèrent sortir du papier, le wings, and one saw the rosy
ciel se peupla d'oiseaux aux glow of dawn appear on the
ailes étendues, et on vit là horizon. It was spring in all its
lueur rose de l'aurore splendor. Nothing remained
apparaître & l'horizon. C'était le anymore of the simple primitive
printemps dans toute sa drawing.
splendeur. Il ne restait plus rien
du dessin primitif.
Les assistants poussèrent un The assistants uttered a
seul cri de surprise. single cry of surprise.
—Comment cela se peut-il ! “How is this possible!”
exclama Claude, en regardant exclaimed Claude, looking at
son ami Morand d'un air his friend Morand in terror.
presque épouvanté.
—Ne fais pas les yeux ronds, “Stop looking goggle-eyed,
mon garçon, dit le pharmacien, my boy,” said the pharmacist,
et ne me prends pas pour un “and do not take me for a
damné. L'effet qui vient de se damned soul. The effect you
produire est des plus simples, have just witnessed is very
et je vais te l'expliquer. simple, and I will explain it to
you.”
Pour faire ce tableau “To make this changing
changeant, on dessine d'abord picture, we first draw this
à l'encre noire le paysage winter scene in black ink, then
d'hiver que tu as vu ; puis, avec with other inks that we call
d'autres encres qu'on appelle sympathetic inks, which I will
encres de sympathie, dont je explain the composition of, and
t'expliquerai la composition, et to which we give all the desired
auxquelles on donne toutes les colors, one paints the leaves,
couleurs désirables, on peint les the people, the birds and the
feuilles, les personnages, les horizon. These inks have the
oiseaux et le fond du ciel. Ces property to become invisible by
encres ont la propriété de drying and reappearing in all
devenir invisibles en séchant et their brilliance when exposed to
de reparaître, dans tout leur the sun or moderate heat.”
éclat, lorsqu'on les expose au
soleil ou à l'action d'une chaleur
modérée.
C'est ce qui t'explique “This explains why the
pourquoi ce paysage, noir tout landscape, which was earlier in
à l'heure, a subitement revêtu black and white suddenly took
toutes les nuances que tu vois. on all the nuances that you
Il n'y a rien de merveilleux en observe. There is nothing
ceci ; il n'y a que l'application wonderful in this, it is only the
adroite d'un procédé chimique. adept application of a chemical
Veux-tu maintenant que je te process. Do you want me to
montre comment on peut show you how one can inflame
enflammer un morceau de a piece of metal by simply
métal en le jetant simplement throwing it in a bowl of cold
dans une cuvette d'eau froide ? water?”
— Ceci me semble plus “This seems even more
curieux encore. curious to me.”
— C'est pourtant plus “It is perhaps even more
élémentaire. Voici l'objet elementary. Here is the object.”
Et Bernard Morand prit, dans Bernard Morand took a
une capsule de porcelaine, un capsule of porcelain containing
morceau de ce métal connu a morsel of the metal called
sous le nom de potassium, et le potassium and gave it to
tendit à Claude Michu. Claude Michu.
—Que faut-il que je fasse ? “What must I do?” asked the
demanda ce dernier. latter.
—Fais l'expérience toi-même “Do the experiment yourself
; plonge le métal dans la – plunge the metal in that bowl
curette qui est là sur la table, et on the table and observe the
observe le résultat. results.”
Claude étendit timidement la Claude timidly extended his
main au-dessus de l'eau, hand over the water, expecting
s'attendant à quelque diablerie, some devilry, then, after a short
puis, après une courte hesitation, he dropped the
hésitation, il y laissa tomber le potassium in the bowl.
potassium.
Le liquide se mit à rouler, à The liquid began to bubble,
l'instant, d'innombrables and instantly, innumerable
globules de feu qui donnaient globules of fire which had a
une vive lumière et une chaleur bright light and intense heat
intense. burst forth.
—C'est pourtant vrai, fit “It is true,” said Claude,
Claude ébahi. Dire qu'on amazed. “One could use a glass
pourrait se servir d'un verre of water to set a barn on fire.”
d'eau pour mettre le feu à une
grange.
—La chose s'explique par ce “This is explained by fact
fait, que l'eau, au contact du that the water, on contact with
métal, est immédiatement the metal, is immediately
décomposée ; la chaleur que ce decomposed. The heat that the
dernier acquiert alors est telle latter acquires is enough to
qu'elle enflamme immediately ignite hydrogen,
immédiatement l'hydrogène, un one of the elements of water.
des éléments de l'eau. En At the same time, the oxygen
même temps, l'oxygène se contacts the potassium and
porte sur le potassium et le dissolves it after changing it to
dissout après l'avoir changé en potash.
potasse.
On peut également One can also ignite two cold
enflammer deux liquides froids liquids by mixing them
en les mêlant l'un à l'autre. A together. For this purpose, one
cet effet, on verse dans de mixes in turpentine essence
l'essence de térébenthine, de and gasoline, nitric acid and
l'acide nitrique et de l'acide concentrated sulphuric acid and
sulfurique concentré, et l'on one would see a strong flame
voit jaillir subitement une vive suddenly burst forth.
flamme.
—Certes, fit Claude Michu, “Certainly,” said Claude
vous nous montrez là des Michu, “you show us that there
choses qui étonneraient bien le are things which would even
vieux Simounen ; mais pardon, astonish old Simounen, but
M. Morand, une question en pardon me, Mr. Morand, a
amène une autre. Vous nous question for you. You have told
avez parlé de l'hydrogène et de us about hydrogen and oxygen
l'oxygène de l'eau, et, pour ma in the water, but for my part, I
part, je ne sais pas de quoi il do not know what these are.
s'agit. Que veulent dire ces What do these two words
deux mots ? mean?
— L'eau, mes amis, n'est pas “Water, my friends, is not a
un élément simple comme l'ont simple element as physicists
cru longtemps les physiciens. have long believed. It is
Elle se compose de deux composed of two parts of
parties de gaz hydrogène et hydrogen gas and one part of
d'une partie de gaz oxygène. oxygen gas.”
Cette vérité, longtemps This truth, long unknown, is
inconnue, est démontrée par demonstrated by an easy
une facile expérience, qui experiment, which involves
consiste à faire brûler de burning hydrogen and oxygen.
l'hydrogène et de l'oxygène ; These two gases, in consuming
ces deux gaz, en se consumant, themselves, form water whose
se résolvent en eau dont la specific gravity is equivalent to
pesanteur est équivalente à their weight.
leur propre poids.
Le gaz oxygène qui a porté Oxygen gas, which is also
aussi le nom d'où vital, existe the name of our vital element,
dans la nature à l'état exists in nature in an
élémentaire, et entre dans la elementary state, and is
composition de l'air ainsi que present in air as well as in
dans celle de l'eau. Il est le seul water. It is the only one
propre à la combustion. Un suitable for combustion. A
corps presque éteint, plongé burning object almost
dans une cloche remplie extinguished, immersed in a
d'oxygène, s'y rallume aussitôt bell filled with oxygen, reignites
et brûle avec une vive lumière. and burns with a bright flame.
Le gaz hydrogène brûle avec Hydrogen gas burns with a
une flamme bleu âtre ; blue flame. Combining with
combiné avec le carbone, il carbon, it produces the lighting
produit le gaz d'éclairage que gas which you are familiar with.
vous connaissez.
Mais je m'engage là, “But I believe I have
réfléchit le pharmacien, sur un occupied myself,” reflected the
terrain trop aride pour vous. pharmacist, “on a terrain too
arid for you.”
Pour changer, je vais vous “To change the subject, I
faire voir le diable. will make you see the devil.”
—Le diable ! s'écria Claude “The devil!” exclaimed
Michu. Claude Michu.
—Oui, un diable que tu ne “Yes, a devil who you will
pourras ni saisir ne toucher, car, not be able to seize or touch,
tout en restant très-visible, il because, while remaining very
sera impalpable comme l'air. visible, it will be as intangible
as air.”
Le pharmacien fit rouler au The pharmacist rolled a
milieu de la pièce un petit small pedestal in the middle of
piédestal, qu'il disposa à son the room, which he arranged at
gré pendant quelques instants ; his own pace in some time,
puis quand il eut terminé ses then when he had finished his
préparatifs : preparations,
—Le diable que je vais vous “The devil that I will show
montrer, dit-il à Claude Michu, you,” he said to Claude Michu,
va vous apparaître au milieu de “will appear to you in the
la fumée, comme il contient à middle of the room, as if it
tout esprit de ce genre. contained all the spirits of its
Éteignez d'abord les lumières. ilk. Turn off the lights first.”
Le laboratoire une fois The laboratory was once
plongé dans l'obscurité. Le again plunged into darkness.
pharmacien s'approcha du The pharmacist approached the
piédestal ; presque aussitôt les pedestal. Almost immediately
assistants en virent sortir une the assistants saw a thin
mince nappe de famée,' blanket of smoke, lit by a white
éclairée par une lumière light which they could not
blanche dont ils ne purent explain.
s'expliquer la provenance.
Puis au milieu de la fumée, Then amidst the smoke, on
sur le piédestal, se montra the pedestal, they suddenly
subitement un petit démon saw a little demon dressed in
vêtu de rouge. red.
—Prends un bâton, cria “Take a stick!” cried Bernard
Bernard à Claude, et viens to Claude, “and come chase the
chasser l'apparition. apparition!”
Claude hésitait. Claude hesitated.
—Ne crains rien, reprit “Do not be afraid,” replied
l'opérateur. Il s'agit seulement the operator. “It is only to prove
de te prouver que mon petit to you that my little devil is
diablotin est impalpable. intangible.”
Le jeune homme s'arma The young man then armed
alors d'une canne et en frappa himself with a cane and struck
l'apparition qui trembla un the apparition who trembled for
instant mais ne fut pas an instant but was not
autrement endommagée. Sa otherwise damaged. His cane
canne, comme on le comprend seemed to only strike the void.
n'avait frappé que le vide.
Quand l'expérience fut finie, When the experience had
les questions recommencèrent. finished, the questions began
once again.
—Ce que vous venez de voir, “What you just saw,” said
dit Bernard Morand, est une Bernard Morand, “is an
application de la lanterne application of the magic
magique. Seulement l'image au lantern. Only the image instead
lieu d'être envoyée directement of being sent directly by the
par la lanterne sur un verre lantern on a white glass, is
blanc, se projette par la projected by the reflection of a
réflexion d'un miroir, sur un mirror, on a cone of smoke
cône de fumée qui sort d'une coming out of a slot in the
fente pratiquée dans le pedestal.
piédestal.
 C'est un jeu d'enfant qui This is a child’s toy which
intéresse les hommes à ce que interests everyone, from what I
je vois, puisque vous l'avez can tell, because you have
suivi avec une si vive attention.followed it closely and with
Veux-tu, maintenant, Claude much attention. Would you like,
Claude Michu, for me to show
you how one can leave one’s
money without fear of it being
stolen?
— Volontiers, monsieur “With pleasure, Mr. Morand.”
Morand.
— Donne-moi une pièce de “Give me a coin. I want you
monnaie. Je veux faire to experience this by your own
l'expérience au moyen de ta purse. You will be better
propre bourse. De cette façon persuaded thus.
tu seras mieux persuadé.
Claude Michu vida son Claude Michu emptied his
porte-monnaie dans la main de wallet into his teacher’s hand,
son professeur, qui en jeta tout who threw all the contents on a
le contenu sur un carreau de metal tile.
métal.
Puis poussant Claude vers Then pushing Claude
l'appareil. Essaye, dit-il, de towards the device, he said,
reprendre ce qui t'appartient. “Try to take back what belongs
to you.”
Claude, sans défiance, Claude guilelessly extended
étendit la main vers son argent his hand towards the money,
; mais à peine l'eût-il touché du but scarcely had he touched it
bout des doigts qu'il éprouva with his fingers that he felt a
une commotion, telle qu'elle concussion, which almost
faillit le renverser. knocked him down.
— Place-toi ici, reprit maître “Put yourself here,” said Mr.
Morand, et essaye de nouveau. Morand, “and try again.”
Cette fois, le résultat fut This time, the result was
satisfaisant. Claude Michu satisfactory. Claude Michu
toucha impunément le plateau touched the copper plate with
de cuivre et reprit son argent impunity and retrieved his
sans difficulté. money without any difficulty.
—Si tu veux savoir la raison “If you want to know the
du double effet qui vient de se reason for the double effect
produire, conclut le that was demonstrated,”
pharmacien, regarde cette concluded the pharmacist,
plaque de fer sur laquelle tu “Look at this iron plate on
t'es placé d'abord pour opérer. which you first stood to operate
Elle communique par un fil the apparatus. It is connected
invisible au cuivre sur lequel by an invisible wire with the
était posée ta monnaie, et que copper plate on which we
j'avais fortement chargé placed the money, and which I
d'électricité. have heavily charged with
electricity.”
En touchant le cuivre du “Touching the copper plate
doigt, tu établissais entre tes with your finger, established a
deux métaux, cuivre et fer, un circuit between the two metals,
courant qui en traversant tout copper and iron, a current
ton corps devait produire la which in crossing your entire
commotion que tu as éprouvée. body produced the concussion
that you have experienced.”
Dans la seconde position, tu “In the second position, you
as touché simplement le cuivre simply touched the copper
et l'électricité est restée sans plate and the electricity had no
effet. effect.”
L'électricité est l'instrument “Electricity is the instrument
de nombreuses expériences of many experiments which are
aussi amusantes as amusing as they are
qu'instructives. C'est grâce à instructive. It is thanks to
l'électricité que j'ai obtenu cette electricity that I produced this
vive lumière qui t'a si fort bright light which frightened
effrayé l'autre jour, au Trou- you so much the other day, at
Noir. the Black Hole.”
— D'où venait cette lumière “Where did this light come
: from?”
—Elle se produisait entre “It was produced between
deux morceaux de carbone two pieces of carbon cut to a
taillés en pointe et tenant point and holding each to one
chacun à l'un des fils of the conductors of a Bunsen
conducteurs d'une pile de battery.”
Bunsen.
Dans un traité de physique “In a physics treatise that I
dont je veux te faire cadeau, tu want to gift to you, you will find
trouveras toutes les explications all the explanations about this
relatives à cet appareil aussi device in a simple and
simple qu'intéressant. interesting manner.”
La conversation s'arrêta un The conversation stopped
instant ; Claude Michu profita for a moment. Claude Michu
de ce répit pour glisser une took this opportunity to slip in a
question qui pressait depuis le question that had been
commencement de la séance. pressing him from the
beginning of the session.
—Monsieur Morand, fit-il, en “Mr. Morand,” he said, “while
nous montrant votre tableau telling us about your
changeant, vous nous ayez changeable painting, you had
parlé des encres de sympathie. spoken to us about the
Expliquez-nous donc comment sympathetic inks. Could you
se fabriquent ces encres. please explain to us how one
makes these inks?”
— Volontiers, mon garçon. “Gladly, my boy. Here are
Voici quelques recettes que tu some recipes that you can
pourras appliquer facilement. apply quite easily.”
ENCRE POUR FAIRE INK TO PRODUCE
PARAITRE UN BLUE, RED OR GREEN
ÉCRITURE BLEUE, TEXT
 ROUGE OU VERTE
Il faut écrire en trempant la One must write by dipping the
plume dans une forte infusion feather in a strong infusion of
de tournesol, ou dans du suc sunflowers, or in the juice of
de fleurs de violettes. En violet flowers. When this
exposant cette écriture à la writing is exposed to
vapeur du gaz acide hydrochloric acid vapor, it will
chlorhydrique, elle passera au turn red; subjected to the
rouge ; soumise à l’action du action of ammonia gas, it will
gaz ammoniaque elle variera du vary from red to blue, if
rouge au bleu, si on s’est servi sunflower ink had been used,
d’encre de tournesol et du and change from red to green,
rouge au vert, si on a employé if violet juice had been used.
le suc de violettes.
ENCRE POUR FAIRE INK FOR MAKING
PARAITRE EN VIOLET INVISIBLE WRITING
UNE ÉCRITURE APPEAR PURPLE
INVISIBLE
Pour cette expérience, on For this experiment, a solution
emploie une solution de nitrate of cobalt nitrate is used. The
de cobalt ; les caractères tracés characters traced using this
au moyen de cette solution solution remain invisible, but if
restent invisibles, mais si l'on one passes over them a brush
passe dessus un pinceau soaked in oxalic acid, a violet
trempé dans l'acide oxalique, ils hue is produced.
prennent une teinte violette
très prononcée.
ENCRE POUR
INK TO TURN
COLORER EN
WHITE TEXT INTO
POURPRE UNE
PURPLE
ÉCRITURE PRESQUE
BLANCHE
On écrit avec du nitro-muriate One writes with gold nitro
d'or et on mouille l'écriture avec chloride and then wets the
de l'hydrochlorate d'étain writing with tin hydrochloride
étendu d'eau, ce qui suffit à la diluted with water, which is
colorer en pourpre enough to color the text purple.
ENCRE AU MOYEN DE INVISIBLE INK
LAQUELLE WHICH IS REVEALED
L'ÉCRITURE ONLY BY SOAKING
N'APPARAIT QU'EN THE PAPER IN
TREMPANT LE WATER
PAPIER DANS L'EAU
Cette encre se compose d'une This ink consists of a saturated
solution saturée de sulfate solution of aluminum sulfate
d'alumine et de potasse. and potassium hydroxide.
Plongés dans l'eau les Plunged in water, characters
caractères tracés au moyen de traced using this ink take on a
cette encre prennent une teinte dark hue which makes it
foncée qui permet de les possible to decipher them easily
déchiffrer facilement en les by placing them in the light.
présentant à la lumière.
On peut, en outre, continua “Further,” Bernard continued,
Bernard, écrire avec différents “one may write with these
liquides incolores et faire different colorless liquids and
paraître ces écritures en les make the text appear by
chauffant plus ou moins. heating it a bit.”
Ainsi, avec le suc de citron, “So, with lemon juice, the
l'écriture parait en brun ; avec writing appears in brown, with
l'acide sulfurique faible, en roux weak sulfuric acid, in red, with
; avec le vinaigre blanc, en rose white vinegar, in pink, with
; avec le suc d'oignon, en brun onion juice, in blackish brown,
noirâtre ; avec le suc de cerise, with cherry juice, green.”
en vert.
 Quand M. Morand eut donné When Mr. Morand had given
à Claude Michu les explications Claude Michu the explanations
qu'il demandait, un des that he had asked for, one of
auditeurs lui posa à son tour the listeners posed a question
une question. to him.
— J'ai vu, dit-il, à la foire de “I have seen,” he said, “at
la ville, où je suis allé the city fair, where I had gone
dernièrement, une chose qui lately, an inexplicable thing.
m'a paru inexplicable. Etant Having entered a ring of
entré dans une loge de acrobats, I was sent back for a
saltimbanque, on m'a rendu session of magnetism, during
témoin d'une séance de which a man, endowed with
magnétisme, pendant laquelle what he called second sight,
un homme, doué de ce qu'il guessed everything that one
appelait la seconde vue, a asked – the age, the country of
deviné tout ce qu'on lui people, the amount one had in
demandait : l'âge, le pays des one’s pocket, etc., etc.”
personnes, ta somme qu'on
avait dans la poche, etc., etc.
— C'est curieux, en effet, “That is curious, indeed,”
répliqua M. Morand. Et cet replied Mr. Morand. “And did
homme opérait-il seul ? this man operate alone?”
—Non : il y en avait un “No, he had a second who
second qui le magnétisait et qui was posed questions by the
lui posait les questions. hypnotist.”
— C'est cela. Eh bien ces “That’s it! Well then, these
deux hommes étaient deux two men were two cunning
rusés compères et leur seconde comrades and their second
vue une plaisanterie. Ce que lu sight a joke. What you saw was
as vu était tout bonnement un simply better than a few others,
four mieux fait que quelques that’s all.”
autres, voilà tout.
—Quoi ! monsieur Morand, “What! Mr. Morand, do you
vous ne croyez pas au not believe in magnetism?”
magnétisme ?
—Cela dépend. Je crois au “That depends. I believe in
magnétisme, en tant que force magnetism, as that physical
physique se produisant entre force, which is produced within
dans individus, par individuals, by the
l'établissement d'un courant establishment of an electric
électrique ; mais je ne crois pas current, but I do not believe in
à ce magnétisme qui prétend the magnetism which claims to
sonder l'avenir et lire à travers probe the future and read
les murs ; celui-là me paraîtra through the walls. This seems
une jonglerie, jusqu'à preuve to me to be a bit of juggling,
sérieuse du contraire. until serious proof is given for
the contrary.”
Le tour dit de la seconde vue “The second sight has
n'a d'ailleurs rien à démêler nothing to do with magnetism,
avec le magnétisme, et je vais and I will explain to you how it
vous expliquer comment il se is commonly practiced.”
pratique communément.
Pour le réussir, il faut faire “To be successful in this art,
preuve de beaucoup de one must have a strong
mémoire et aussi beaucoup memory and also keen
d'attention. attentiveness.”
L'un des compères se bande “One of the comrades is
les yeux et se place à quelque blindfolded and placed at some
distance des spectateurs ; distance from the spectators;
l'autre se tient au milieu de ces the other stands in their middle
derniers pour recueillir les to collect their questions. All
questions. Tout le mystère de la the mystery of the second sight
seconde vue consiste dans la consists of the way in which the
manière dont les questions sont questions are asked.”
posées.
S'agit-il de chiffres : “Are these the numbers?”
l'opérateur interroge son the operator interrogates his
partenaire de telle sorte que ce partner so that the latter,
dernier, suivant la lettre qui following the letter which
commence la question, sait tout begins the questions, knows
de suite à quel chiffre il a right away which number is
affaire. used.
Ainsi le mot Confitures, par So, the word Confitures
exemple, se composant de dix (Preserves), by example, is
lettres différentes, peut composed of ten different
parfaitement correspondre aux letters, which can perfectly
dix chiffres de la numération, correspond to the ten
dans l'ordre suivant : numerals, in the following
order:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 0. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 0.
CONFITURES CONFITURES

Si donc le compère dit au If then, the comrade asks

sujet ; —Combien de pièces ai- the subject: “How many coins
je dans la main ? do I have in my hand?”
Celui-ci répondra hardiment The latter responds boldly:
: — Une. “One!”
Car la lettre C qui commence Because the letter C which
la phrase employée pour begins the phrase used for the
l'interrogation correspond au question corresponds with the
nombre 1 suivant le principe number 1 in the code word.
posé.
Et cela se fait sans que le And this is done without the
public ne se doute de rien. public doubting anything.
Ainsi, pour les dix chiffres, Thus, for the ten figures,
on prépare une série de one prepares a series of
question, qui peuvent se questions, which can be
présenter ainsi ; presented thus:
1. Combien?. . . .C 1. How much? . . . .C
2. Oh ! dites vite. . . .O 2. Oh! say quickly. . . .O
3. Ne devinez-vous pas ?. . . .N 3. Do not you guess? . . . .N
4. Faites promptement. . . .F 4. Do it promptly. . . .F
5. Il faut deviner. . . .I 5. You must guess. . . .I
6. Tâchez de ne pas vous 6. Try not to go wrong. . . .T
tromper. . . .T 7. Prompt answer, let's go. . .
7. Une réponse prompte, allons. .U
. . .U 8. Look well. . . .R
8. Regardez bien. . . .R 9. Well? do you see? . . .E
9. Eh bien ? voyez-vous ?. . . .E 9 or 10. Please, the answer. . .
9 ou 10. S'il vous plaît, la .S
réponse. . . .S

Cela est bon pour les 10 “This is sufficient for the ten
chiffres simples, fit observer simple digits,” observed
l'interlocuteur de Bernard ; Bernard’s interlocutor, “but if I
mais si j'ai, je suppose, 22 have, let’s suppose, 22 francs.”
francs.
Eh bien, on répète le mot “Ah well, one repeats the
indicateur, voilà tout. word indicator, that’s all.”
Pour 2 on dirait : “For 2, it looks like:”
—Oh ! dites vite. “Oh! I say quickly”

Pour 22, on dira : “For 22, one will say:”

—Oh ! dites vite. Oh ! “Oh! I say, Oh!”

— Mais, reprit le “But,” replied the

controversiste, si j'ai encore controversial inquisitor, “If I
have, say, 325. That’s difficult”
—Non ! On prononce les “No! One pronounces the
trois phrases se rapportant à 3, three phrases representing, 3,
à 2 et à 5, en ayant soin de 2, and 5, taking care to pause a
s'arrêter un peu entre chacune little between each, so as to
d'elles, de manière à faire make the insider understand
comprendre à l'initié qu'il s'agit this is a compound number.”
d'un nombre composé.
Pour 325, on dirait donc : “For 325, one says
 Ne devinez-vous pas ? — Oh therefore:”
! dites vite. — Il faut deviner. “Do not you guess? - Oh !
say quickly. - It is necessary to
guess.”

N, O et J qui forment les “N, O and J which form the

initiales des questions initials for the questions easily,
s'appliquent très bien, suivant following the table that I gave
le tableau que je vous ai you, for 3,2, and 5, and this
donné, aux chiffres 3, 2 et 5, et method can extend as far as
cette méthode peut s'étendre you wish.”
aussi loin qu'on le veut.
Pour les objets que les “For the objects that the
spectateurs portent spectators usually carry on
habituellement sur eux, tels them, such as rings, watches,
que : bagues, montres, wallets, purses, etc., the
portefeuilles, porte-monnaie, operators have similar
etc., les opérateurs ont des indicative questions.
questions indicatives du même
genre.
Mais ici les lettres initiales ne But here the initial letters
jouent aucun rôle. Il s'agit de play no role. These are
phrases de convention dont conventional phrases which
l'énoncé suffit à signaler l'objet serve to announce which object
sur lequel on appelle la is being signaled to the second
seconde vue. Ainsi : sight. So:
— Regardez bien peut vouloir Looks good may mean --- Ring
dire — Bague Do not hesitate --- Watch
— N'hésitez pas, — Montre. Come on! --- Wallet
— Allons ! — Portefeuille. Do you see? --- Handkerchief
— Voyez-vous ? — Mouchoir. We are waiting --- Pin
— Nous attendons, — Epingle.

Pour les objets imprévus, on “For unforeseen objects, one

se fait un langage à part, et le prepares a secret language,
mot Attention indique qu'on va and the word Attention
l'employer. indicates that we will use it.”
Alors, on interroge en se “So, one interrogates using
servant de mots ou words of exclamation which
d'exclamations dont chacun begins with the letters used to
commence par une des lettres compose the name of the
servant à composer le mot de object.”
l'objet.
C'est un art difficile, mais on “This is a difficult art, but
y devient vite habile en le one gets skilled at it, quite
pratiquant. quickly.”
D'autres praticiens se “Other practitioners take less
donnent moins de peine, mais pains, but they can only
ils ne peuvent opérer que sur operate on their terrain, and of
leur terrain, et bien entendu sur course on prepared ground.”
un terrain préparé.
Ceux-là se servent d'un “They use an acoustic duct
conduit acoustique qui passe which goes underground and
sous le sol et communique avec communicate with the subjects.
l'oreille des sujets. Ils affectent They affect to interrogate the
d'interroger ce dernier de loin latter in close detail, with the
et à l'écart, dans le seul but de sole objective of placing the
pouvoir se placer à l'orifice du information at the ear of the
conduit, d'où il ne leur reste hidden listener, thus giving their
plus qu'à jeter à leur compère comrade the desired answers.”
les réponses désirables.
Voilà, mes amis, ce qu'est la “So, my friends, this is what
plupart du temps la seconde most of the time is believed to
vue. Il faut admirer l'adresse be the second sight. One must
qu'on y déploie, mais ne pas admire the method applied, but
s'émerveiller de la puissance do not marvel at the
surnaturelle de ceux qui supernatural powers of those
l'exploitent. who exploit it.”
Je voudrais bien que “I would like Simounen to
Simounen fût ici, lança Claude have been here,” mused Claude
Michu, en manière de réflexion. Michu, in a reflective manner.
— Si Simounen était ici, c'est “If Simounen was here, he
qu'il aurait renoncé à son would have renounced his
métier compromettant ; mais compromising profession, but
Simounen est fidèle au Dragon Simounen is faithful to the Red
Rouge qui lui rapporte de Dragon, which pays him his
l'argent, en attendant qu'il lui money, waiting for him to take
joue le mauvais tour de le faire a false step which will put him
mettre en prison. in prison.”
— Si Simounen était ici, c'est “If Simounen was here, he
qu'il aurait renoncé à son would have renounced his
métier compromettant ; mais compromising profession, but
Simounen est fidèle au Dragon Simounen is faithful to the Red
Rouge qui lui rapporte de Dragon, which pays him his
l'argent, en attendant qu'il lui money, waiting for him to take
joue le mauvais tour de le faire a false step which will put him
mettre en prison. in prison.”
— Qu'est-ce donc enfin que “So, what is this Red
ce Dragon Rouge ? demanda Dragon?” asked Claude Michu.
Claude Michu. Je n'en connais “I do not know anything about
rien que la sotte conjuration it but the stupid conjuration
que le berger m'a fait that the shepherd had me
apprendre, et je voudrais bien learn, and I would like to know
savoir le fond de ce livre auquel the substance of the book
Simounen semble donner une which Simounen seems to give
si grande importance. so much importance.”
—Je puis te satisfaire, car je “I can satisfy you in this
le possède, moi aussi, ce livre, regard, because I possess it,
comme un échantillon de la myself, as a sample of human
sottise humaine. C'est un foolishness. It is a bunch of
ramassis d'absurdités, écrites il absurdities, written a long time
y a longtemps par un nommé ago, by a man named Antonio
Antonio Venitiana, qui ne Venitiana, who did not lack
manquait pas d'orgueil et de pride and presumption, as you
présomption, comme lu pourras will be able to convince yourself
t'en convaincre en lisant la by reading this preface.
préface que voici.
Et Bernard remit le Dragon And Bernard gave the Red
Rouge à Claude Michu, qui lut Dragon to Claude Michu, who
les passages suivants au milieu read the following passages
des rires moqueurs de amidst much laughter from the
l'assistance : audience:
 PRÉLUDE PRELUDE
(Note: This is virtually identical
to the text of the Red Dragon
provided earlier and an
interesting comparison)

« L'homme, qui gémit sous le The man who groans under the
poids accablant des préjugés de overwhelming weight of
la présomption, aura peine à se prejudice & presumption will
persuader qu'il m'ait été scarcely convince himself that I
possible de renfermer dans un have been able to contain in
si petit recueil l'essence de plus this little compendium the
de vingt volumes, qui, parleurs essence of more than twenty
dits, redits, et ambiguïtés, volumes, which by their
rendaient l'accès des opérations expressions and ambiguities,
philosophiques presque make philosophical operations
impraticable; mais que hardly possible : but the
l'incrédulité et le prévenu se disbeliever and cautious person
donnent la peine de suivre pas who takes the pains to follow
à pas lâ route que je leur trace, step by step the route that I
et ils verront la vérité bannir de guide them on will see for
leur esprit la crainte que peut themselves the true banishing
avoir occasionnée un tas from their spirit of the
d'essais sans fruits, tant faits occasional fear one might have
hors de saison ou sur indices from a series of efforts
imparfaits. attempted through trial and
error, be done out of season, or
imperfect circumstances.
« C'est encore en vain qu'on One can perform these
croit qu'il n'est pas possible de operations and still be true to
faire de semblables opérations one’s conscience, the evidence
sans engager sa conscience ; il of which is visible by a glimpse
ne faut, pour être convaincu du at the life of St. Cyprian.
contraire, que jeter un clin-d
’œil (sic) sur la vie de saint
Cyprien.
« J’ose me flatter que les I might dare flatter myself by
savants attachés aux mystères noting that the scholars of the
de la science divine, mysteries of the Divine Science
surnommée occulte, called Occultism will consider
regarderont ce livre comme le this book one of the most
plus précieux trésor de l'avenir. precious treasures of the
future.
L'auteur du Dragon Rouge The author of the Red
ajoute ensuite : Dragon then adds:
« Ce grand livre est si rare, This great book is so rare
si recherché dans nos contrées, and sought after that one
que pour sa rareté on le peut might, as the Rabbis say, call
appeler, d'après les rabbins, le this the Great Work. It is they
véritable Grand Œuvre, et ce who have left us the precious
sont eux qui nous ont laissé ce original of which so many
précieux original, que tant de charlatans make useless
charlatans ont voulu contrefaire forgeries, wanting to imitate
inutilement en voulant imiter le the truth, which they have
véritable, qu'ils n'ont jamais never discovered, and which
trouvé, pour pouvoir attraper they lack the capacity to grasp,
de l'argent des simples qui while trying to grab the money
s'adressent au premier venu, of the common people, who
sans rechercher la véritable approach them without
source. searching for the true source.
On a copié celui-ci d'après This book is based on the
les véritables écrits du grand roi true writings of the great King
Salomon, que l'on a trouvés, Solomon that were discovered
par un effet du hasard, ce by chance efforts. The great
grand roi ayant passé tous les king spent his lifetime
jours de sa vie dans les searching for the hardest, most
recherches les plus pénibles et obscure and unexpected
dans les secrets les plus secrets; but he finally
obscurs et les plus inespérés succeeded in all his enterprises,
;mais enfin, il a réussi dans commanding and forcing
toutes ses entreprises, et il est obedience from even the most
venu à bout de pénétrer secluded spirits by the power of
jusqu'à la demeure la plus his Talisman or Key. What other
reculée des esprits, qu'il a tous man would have the powerful
fixés et forcés de lui obéir par spirit and audacity to express
la puissance de son talisman ou the devastating words which
clavicule; car quel autre homme serve God for commanding
que ce puissant génie aurait eu obedience and dismay from the
la hardiesse de mettre au jour rebellious spirits, by the force
les foudroyantes paroles dont of his will, penetrating unto the
Dieu se servit pour consterner vaulted ceilings of heaven by
et faire obéir les esprits rebelles examining the secrets and
à sa première volonté ; ayant powerful words that express
pénétré jusqu'aux voûtes the force of a terrible and
célestes pour approfondir tes honorable God?
secrets et les puissantes
paroles qui font toute la force
d'un Dieu terrible et
respectable,
Il a, ce grand roi, pris It is this great king, who has
l'essence de ces mômes secrets captured the most guarded
dont s'est servie la grande secrets, that serve the grand
Divinité, puisqu'il nous a divinity, since it reveals the
découvert les influences des influence of the stars, the
astres, la constellation des position of the planets, and the
planètes et la manière de faire means to manifest all types of
paraître toutes sortes d'étoiles, spirits, by reciting the great
en récitant les grandes names that you will find later in
appellations que vous trouverez this book, those which
ci-après dans ce livre ; de constitute the commanding &
même que la véritable powerful Blasting Rod, and the
composition de la verge effects that make the spirits
foudroyante et les effets qui tremble, and the effects which
font trembler les esprits chassa make the angels tremble who
Adam et Eve du Paradis chased Adam & Eve from the
terrestre, et de laquelle Dieu earthly paradise, and from
frappa les anges rebelles, which God struck the rebel
précipitant leur orgueil dans les angels, thrown by their pride
abîmes les plus épouvantables, into the dreadful Abyss. The
par la force de cette verge qui strength of this Rod forms
forme les nuées qui disperse et clouds, disperses tempests,
brise les tempêtes, les orages, powerful thunderstorms,
les ouragans, et les fait tomber hurricanes, and makes them fall
sur quelle partie de la terre que on any part of the earth.
vous voulez.
« Voici donc, ci-après, les These are therefore the true
véritables paroles sorties de sa words expressed by him that I
bouche, que j'ai suivies de have followed step by step, and
point en point et dont j'ai eu with which I have complete
tout l'agrément et toute la agreement and satisfaction,
satisfaction possible, puisque having had the good fortune to
j'ai eu l'honneur de réussir dans experience success in my
toutes mes entreprises. endeavors.
« Signé : (Signed)
ANTONIO VENITIANA Antonio Venitiana del
Del Rubina. » Rabina.
—On ne peut guère lire, dit le “One can hardly read,” said the
pharmacien, en prenant lui- pharmacist, taking the book
même le livre, un factum himself, “a fantasy of such bad
d'aussi mauvais goût et en taste and in such bad French as
aussi mauvais français que this one. And do you want to
celui-ci. Et voulez-vous savoir know how the book responds
de quelle façon l'ouvrage to his pompous preface? We
répond à sa pompeuse préface will take some excerpts from
? Nous allons en faire quelques the chapter titled:
extraits, au chapitre intitulé :
SECRETS OF THE
SECRETS DE L'ÀRT MAGICAL ARTS OF
MAGIQUE DU GRAND THE GRAND
GRIMOIRE GRIMOIRE

Bernard Morand franchit Bernard Morand flipped

quelques pages, précédées some pages, preceded by a
d'une grossière gravure rough engraving representing a
représentant un démon rouge red demon adorned with three
orné de trois cornes et monté horns and mounted on goat’s
sur des pieds de chèvre, et se feet, and continued, with
mit & poursuivre, en les pleasant commentary, the
commentant plaisamment, les following formulae:
formules suivantes :
POUR PARLER AUX TO SPEAK WITH
ESPRITS LA VEILLE SPIRITS ON THE EVE
DE LA SAINT-JEAN- OF ST. JOHN THE
BAPTISTE BAPTIST
Il faut se transporter, depuis les From eleven o’clock until
onze heures jusqu'à minuit, midnight, go near a bed of fern
près d'un pied de fougère et and say:
dire “I pray to God that the spirits
« Prie Dieu que les esprits à qui which whom I wish to speak
je souhaite parler apparaissent appear to me at midnight.”
à minuit précis. » At three-quarters to the hour,
Et aux trois quarts, vous dires say nine times these five
neuf fois ces cinq paroles : words: “
« Bac, Kirabace, Alli, Alla, Bac, Kirabace, Alli, Alla,
Retragamaton. » Retragrammaton”

POUR SE FAIRE TO BE LOVED

AIMER
Il faut dire, en ramassant It is necessary to say, while
l'herbe des neufs chemins, dite gathering the herb of nine
Concordia : Je te ramasse au shirts, known as Concordia, “I
nom de Seheva, pour que tu gather you in the name of
me serves à m'attacher l'amitié Sheba, so that you serve me by
de N***, bringing me the friendship of
N____”
Ensuite, vous mettez ladite Then, you must put the
herbe sur la personne, sans herbs on the person, without
qu’elle ne le sache ni qu'elle her knowing it or noticing it,
s'en aperçoive et aussitôt elle and she will immediately love
vous aimera. you.
Ici Bernard Morand Here Bernard Morand
s'interrompit dans sa lecture et interrupted his lecture and
fit observer à Claude Michu qu'il remarked to Claude Michu that
était improbable que s'il n'eût it was improbable for him to
employé que ce moyen pour se only have used this means to
faire aimer de sa promise have himself loved by his
Madeloun, il fût arrivé à son betrothed Madeline. He had
but, que l'honnêteté dans les arrived at his goal by the
intentions, une conduite honesty of his intentions, a
régulière et un véritable amour regular conduct and a true love
du travail était la meilleure of work was the best herb that
herbe que l'on pût apporter en one could bring into the
ménage household.
 POUR SE RENDRE TO MAKE ONESELF
INVISIBLE INVISIBLE
Vous volerez un chat noir, et Steal a black cat, and buy a
achèterez un pot neuf, un new pot, a mirror, a briquette,
miroir, un briquet, une pierre an agate stone, coal and tinder.
d’agate, du charbon et de Take water at the stroke of
l'amadou, observant d'aller midnight from a fountain. Then
prendre de l'eau au coup de light your fire, place the cat in
minuit à une fontaine, après the pot and hold it covered with
quoi vous allumez votre feu, your left hand without moving
mettez le chat dans le pot, et or looking behind you, no
tenez le couvert de la main matter what sounds you might
gauche sans bouger ni regarder hear. Then boil it for twenty-
derrière vous, quelque bruit four hours and place it on a
que vous entendiez; et après new plate. Take the meat and
l'avoir fait bouillir vingt-quatre throw it over your left shoulder,
heures, vous le mettez dans un while saying the following
plat neuf; prenez la viande et la words: Take what you need and
jetez pardessus l'épaule do nothing else.
gauche, en disant ces paroles:
Then place the bones under
accipe quod tibi do, et nihil
the teeth one by one, while
ampliùs;
looking at yourself in the mirror.
Puis vous mettrez les os un If this does not look right,
à un sous les dents du côté throw them over your left
gauche, en vous regardant shoulder, while saying the same
dans le miroir ; et si ce n'est words until you find it, and until
pas le bon, vous le jetterez de your reflection disappears.
même, en disant les mêmes Retreat backwards, saying:
paroles jusqu'à ce que vous Father, into your hands, I give
l'ayez trouvé ; et sitôt que vous my spirit
ne vous verrez plus dans le
miroir, retirez-vous à reculons
en disant:
Pater, in manus tuas commendo
spiritum meum

POUR FAIRE LA TO MAKE THE SEVEN

JARRETIÈRE DE SEPT LEAGUE GARTERS
LIEUES PAR HEURE
Vous achèterez un jeune loup Buy a young wolf, less than a
au-dessous d'un an, que vous year old, and cut its throat with
égorgerez avec un couteau a new knife, in the hour of
neuf, à l'heure de Mars, en Mars, while saying the following
prononçant ces paroles : words: Adhumatis cados
Adhumatis cados ambulavit in ambulavit in fortitudine cibi ilius
fortitudine cibi ilius;
Puis vous couperez sa peau en Then skin the wolf and slice the
jarretières larges d'un pouce, et skin into one-inch thick garters.
y écrirez dessus les mêmes Write the same words as above
paroles que vous avez dites en on the garters– the first letter
l'égorgeant, savoir, la première in your own blood, the second
lettre de votre sang, la seconde with the wolf’s blood, and so
de celui du loup, et on, until the end of the
immédiatement de même sentence.
jusqu'à la fin de la phrase.
Bernard Morand ferma le Bernard Morand, closed the
livre en disant à Claude. book, saying to Claude:
— En voilà assez, je pense, “That’s enough, I think, and
et tu es suffisamment édifié à you have been sufficiently
l'égard du Dragon Rouge. educated about the Red
Quand Simounen t'en parlera, Dragon. When Simounen
tu pourras lui répondre, en speaks to you, you can answer
connaissance de cause, que tu him, knowingly, that you know
en sais autant que lui, et tu as much about it as he does,
n'auras pas de peine à lui and you will have no trouble in
démontrer que son fameux livre showing him that his famous
est bon à jeter au feu. book is good only to throw into
the fire.”
 Nous avons prolongé, ce “We have extended our
soir, notre séance as delà de la session this evening to the
limite ordinaire. Continue à limits. Continue to come and
venir me voir ; nous causerons see me, we will still have cause
encore de choses qui vous to speak of things that interest
intéressent et je mettrai you and I will gladly put the
volontiers à votre service le peu little science I possess at your
de science que je possède. service.”
Claude Michu et ses amis Claude Michu and his friends
prirent congé de leur took leave of their benevolent
bienveillant professeur, et le fils professor, and the farmer’s son,
du fermier, fortif lé dans ses strengthened by his good
bonnes résolutions par les resolutions and by the useful
leçons utiles qu'il avait reçues, lessons he had received,
se promit bien de ne plus promised himself not to fall
retomber dans les fautes que back into the faults his
sa faiblesse lui faisait weakness had made him
commettre si souvent autrefois. commit so often in the past.
En arrivant deux jours après Arriving two days later at
chez Bernard Morand, Claude Bernard Morand’s place, Claude
et ses amis le trouvèrent de and his friends found him in a
fort bonne humeur. very good mood.
Le pharmacien tenait un The pharmacist held a
journal et riait tout seul en le newspaper and laughed as he
parcourant. went through it.
—Accourez, dit-il à ses “Quickly,” he said to his
auditeurs accoutumés ; j'ai du usual listeners. “I have
nouveau à vous apprendre. something new to teach you.”
—Quoi donc ! fit Claude “What!” said Claude Michu.
Michu.
—Je vous ai parlé des “I told you about the country
sorciers des campagnes ; voici wizards, right now there are
à cette heure, il y a des sorciers sorcerers in Paris.”
à Paris.
—À Paris ! “In Paris!”
—Oui, bien. Mais ceux-là “Yes, indeed. But these were
n'ont pas été aussi heureux que not as pleasant as Father
le père Simounen avec toi. Les Simounen was with you. The
Parisiens ont eu bien vite Parisians soon fanned their
éventé leur malice. malice.”
— Racontez-nous cela, “Tell us of this, Mr. Morand.”
Monsieur Morand,
—Bien volontiers. “With pleasure.”
Le pharmacien posa son The pharmacist folded his
journal, s'établit commodément newspaper, settled comfortably
dans un grand fauteuil et le in a large armchair and the
cercle se forma autour de lui. circle formed around him.
—En vous parlant de la “In speaking with you about
nécromancie, commença- t-il, necromancy,” he began, “that is
c'est-à-dire en vous entretenant to say, talking to you about the
des pratiques de ces farceurs practices of these jokers who
qui ont la prétention de parler pretend to talk with the dead, I
aux morts, j'ai touché de près à have touched on a very
une question fort à la mode de important question pertinent to
notre époque : la question du the fashion of our time – the
spiritisme. question of Spiritualism.”
Le spiritisme n'est rien autre Spiritualism is nothing but
que la nécromancie. Seulement necromancy. Only the thing has
la chose a changé d'habit en changed clothes at the same
même temps que de race. time as the race.
Elle ne se présente plus It is no longer presented in
dans le monde, entourée d'un the world, clothed in a scary
appareil effrayant. appearance.
Les spirites opèrent dans les Spiritualists operate in
salons ; ils se vantent ode salons. They vow to
communiquer directement avec communicate directly with the
le monde invisible et de invisible world and converse
s'entretenir familièrement avec familiarly with the departed
les âmes. souls.
Au besoin, ils évoquent tel If necessary, they evoke this
ou tel personnage, défunt or that character, deceased for
depuis des siècles, et écrivent centuries, and write under his
sous sa dictée. dictation.
D'autres fois, ils mettent en Other times, they connect
rapport leur auditoire avec les their audience with the spirits
esprits qu'ils fréquentent, et les they frequent, and the layman
profanes peuvent sentir alors can feel their icy hands grab
des mains glacées saisir leurs their own, a sepulchral breath
mains, un souffle sépulcral gliding over their face...
glisser sur leur visage...
Vous comprenez bien que You understand that this is
tout cela n'est qu'une pure nothing but pure jugglery, and
jonglerie, et que les prétendus that the so-called spiritualists
spirites sont tout simplement are all simply skillful tricksters.
d'habiles faiseurs de tours.
 Cependant un grand nombre However, many people
de personnes ajoutent foi à ces profess belief in this
fantasmagories. phantasmagoria.
L'intervention des esprits est The intervention of the
pour elles évidente. Et mal spirits is obvious to them, and
venu serait l'homme qui se badly placed would be any man
mettrait en tête de les who put it to himself to
convaincre do naïveté. convince them of their naivete.
Les séances des spirites sont The seances of the
très suivies ; ils gagnent spiritualists are well attended.
beaucoup d'argent à ces They earn a lot of money from
exhibitions de leur propre these exhibitions of their
personne. abilities.
Cette faveur accordée à un “This favor granted to a
spectacle puéril ne tribuera pas childish show helps increase
peu à grossir le nombre des the number of believers and
croyants, et aussi celui des also those of the operators.”
opérateurs.
Nous qui foulons tout voir We who do everything with
avec les yeux du simple bon simple eyes and clear senses,
sens, nous ne donnerons we will certainly not give in to
certainement pas dans le the presentation.
panneau.
Et, pour peu que nous And, so long as we were
fussions disposés à céder à willing to surrender to the
l'entraînement, l'histoire qui me training, the story that made
faisait rire tout seul lorsque me laugh out loud when you
vous êtes arrivés, nous arrived, we would be quickly
ramènerait bien vite à la raison, restored to reason.
Figurez-vous que, ces Do you know that recently
temps-ci, il est arrivé two American jokers have
d'Amérique deux blagueurs, recently arrived in Paris, two
deux frères, cousins germains brothers, demonic cousins of
du diable pour le moins, car ils the devil, who claim to have
passaient pour avoir avec lui de frequent interaction with him?
fréquents rapports.
A beau mentir qui vient de “A fine tale which comes
loin. from far away.”
Paris attendait depuis Paris has long been awaiting
longtemps les deux sorciers. the two wizards.
Les journaux les avaient The newspapers had
annoncés depuis longtemps à announced their coming well in
l'avance, et on disait merveille advance, and one has marveled
de leur pouvoir. at their powers.
En Amérique, en Angleterre, In America, in England,
un peu partout, racontaient les perhaps everywhere, tales have
fervents adeptes du spiritisme, been told by the fervent adepts
ils avaient opéré des prodiges of Spiritualism that they have
et confondu la voix humaine. performed wonders and
confused human voices.
— Que faisaient-ils donc? “What have they done?”
demanda un vieux dans le asked an old man in the group
groupe des paysans. of peasants.
— Une chose singulière. Ils “A singular act. They placed
se plaçaient dans une armoire, themselves in a cupboard, one
en face l'un de l'autre, assis sur facing the other, sitting on a
un banc adapté aux panneaux bench with furniture panels.
des meubles.
Une fois assis, on les liait Once seated, they were tied
fortement sur leur siège, au tightly to their seat by means of
moyen de cordes solides. strong ropes.
Puis on fermait les portes de Then the doors of the
l'armoire, dans laquelle se cupboard were closed, in which
trouvait accrochés, il faut vous were hooked, I must tell you, a
le dire, une grande quantité large quantity of noisy
d'instruments bruyants : instruments – bells,
cloches, tambourins, crécelles, tambourines, rattles, etc., etc.
etc., etc.
A peine l'armoire était-elle Hardly was the cupboard
fermée qu'un vacarme shut that a dreadful din was
épouvantable se faisait heard inside.
entendre à l'intérieur.
La cloche tintait. The bells rang.
Le tambour roulait. The drum rolled.
La crécelle grinçait. The rattles creaked.
Et des mains blanches se White hands showed
montraient par une fenêtre through a window cut into the
pratiquée dans la porte de door of the cupboard.
l'armoire.
On ouvrait alors le meuble The mysterious furniture
mystérieux. was opened.
Les sorciers étaient toujours The wizards were still
attachés à la même place. attached to the same place.
Qui donc avait fait tout ce Who had done all this?
brait?
Les esprits invoqués par les The spirits invoked by the
deux frères, disaient les two brothers, said the
croyants. believers.
L'armoire était alors The cupboard was closed
refermée et réouverte une once again and reopened a
seconde fois. second time.
On trouvait les compères One found the comrades as
plus attachés et plus immobiles attached and motionless as
que jamais, mais débarrassés before but stripped of their
de leur habit. clothes.
Nouveau prodige. A new marvel!
A la troisième ouverture de When the box of wonder
la boite à surprise, les was opened for the third time,
Américains étaient debout et the Americans were standing
libres de leurs liens. and free of their bonds.
Qui les avait mis en liberté. Who had set them free?
Les esprits, toujours les The spirits, always the
esprits, rien que les esprits ! spirits, none but the spirits!
La plaisanterie a duré The joke lasted until the day
jusqu'au jour où un malin s'est when a sly fellow realized that
aperçu que le siège sur lequel the seat on which the
on attachait les spirites
spiritualists were seated was
s'enlevait à volonté, et leur movable and allowed them to
permettait de quitter et de leave and resume with the wink
reprendre eu un clin d'œil les of an eye the bonds that had
liens dont on les avait chargés. been placed on them.
Les faux sorciers en ont été The false sorcerers had been
pour leurs frais. pulling a fast one on the rest.
Ce ridicule les a chassés de This ridicule has driven them
Paris, et le spiritisme a reçu unfrom Paris, and spiritualism has
rude coup dont il ne se relèvera received a severe blow, from
pas de longtemps. which it will not recover for a
long time.
Si les deux Américains If the two Americans had
s'étaient présentés comme presented themselves as clever
d'habiles prestidigitateurs, on conjurers, we would have
les aurait volontiers applaudis. gladly applauded them.
Mais point ! Ils ont voulu But no! They wanted to
introduire le merveilleux dans introduce the marvelous into
leur commerce, alors on n'a their trade, so no one thought
plus songé à admirer la of admiring the dexterity with
dextérité avec laquelle ils which they had operated. We
opéraient ; on n'a vu qu'une saw only one thing – that they
chose, c'est qu'ils prétendaient pretended to take for dupes an
prendre pour dupe un public audience that rightly passes to
qui passe à bon droit pour être be the most intelligent.
des plus intelligents.
Ledit public s'est mis en The public became angry
colère et a envoyé promener and exhibited the spirit
les armoires spirites, dont la cabinets, the news of whose
mésaventure est en train de misadventure is going around
faire le tour du monde. the world.
J'ai connu, dans le temps, I knew, in time, a good man
un brave homme qui se croyait who thought himself a medium.
médium. En spiritisme, on In Spiritualism, a medium is an
appelle médium tout individu individual armed with the
armé du prétendu pouvoir de supposed power to
communiquer avec les esprits. communicate with spirits.
Mon homme, dont l'histoire My man, whose story is
est quelque peu instructive, somewhat instructive, was
s'appelait Philippe Larive. called Philip Larive.
A tout propos, il se vantait At all events, he boasted of
de sa puissance occulte. his occult power. According to
Suivant lui, rien ne devait lui him, nothing would happen to
arriver sans qu'il en fût aussitôt him without his being
averti par un de ses esprits immediately warned by his
familiers. familiar spirits.
Vous allez voir comme ces You will see how well these
esprits le recevaient bien ! spirits treated him.
Philippe Larive s'était marié, Philip Larive was married,
et sa femme lui avait apporté and his wife had brought him a
une dot fort embarrassante, en very restricted dowry, in the
ce sens qu'elle se composait de sense that it was composed of
droits successifs vivement successive rights sharply
discutés par un collatéral. constrained by a collateral.
Un procès était engagé. A trial ensued.
Philippe Larive avait des Philip Larive was likely to
chances de gagner ce procès. win this trial.
Mais il fallait pour cela But it was necessary to find
retrouver certaines pièces certain pieces that had been
égarées depuis longtemps et misplaced for a long time and
fouiller attentivement dans les to search carefully in the
archives de la famille de sa archives of his wife’s family.
femme.
Que fit maître Larive ? What did Mr. Larive do?
Au lieu de prendre un expert Instead of taking on a
en écriture, comme le lui writing expert, as advised by
conseillait son avocat, et de le his lawyer, and charging him
charger de ces recherches, il se with these inquiries, he simply
fia tout bonnement aux esprits trusted the spirits and spent his
et passa ses nuits et ses jours à nights and days calling them to
les appeler à son aide, espérant his aid, hoping they would not
qu'ils ne tarderaient pas à lui delay in revealing to him the
révéler l'existence des papiers existence of the papers and the
et le lieu où ils étaient cachés. place where they were hidden.
Les esprits ne répondirent The spirits did not respond
point ou répondirent mal, or rather they responded
parait-il, car le jour du poorly, it appears, because the
jugement arriva sans que day of judgement arrived
Philippe pût montrer les without Philip being able to
preuves de son droit. Il fut show the proofs of his rights.
condamné, et sa fortune se He was sentenced, and his
ressentit tellement de ce coup fortune fell so much from this
qu'il dût songer à se créer un blow that he had to think of
état. setting up his own enterprise.
Le spiritisme dont il faisait The Spiritualism he
profession menaçait de souffrir professed threatened to suffer
de cet état de choses. from this sorry state of affairs.
Mais Philippe se faisait fort But Philip made a success of
de mener de front les affaires leading his business and the
et le merveilleux. marvelous together.
Avec les débris de son avoir, With the debris of his assets,
il acheta un établissement et he bought an establishment
commença assez favorablement and began his commercial
ses opérations commerciales. operations quite favorably.
Puis, peu à peu, il négligea Then, little by little, he
ces mêmes opérations pour se began to neglect these same
consacrer plus exclusivement operations to devote his time
aux folies pratiques dont il exclusively to the practical
s'était si obstinément coiffé. follies by which he had so
obstinately capped himself.
Dès lors la maison périclita. From then on, the business
house went downhill.
Philippe assistait assez Philip attended
philosophiquement à la ruine philosophically enough to the
de ses espérances. run of his hopes.
Il comptait toujours qu'une He always counted on a
révélation d'en haut allait lui revelation from above that
ouvrir un avenir brillant. would open a bright future for
him.
Sa femme lui fit des His wife reproached him.
reproches.
Il la traita de folle. He called her crazy.
Il fut sérieusement question It was seriously considered
alors, de faire enfermer cet whether to shut up this fool
insensé qui accusait la raison who challenged the reason of
des autres. Mais, comme sa others. But, as his mania was
manie était douce et ne se mild and did not translate into
traduisait par aucun acte en any seemingly extravagant
apparence extravagant, force appearances, he was forced to
fut de le laisser tranquillement tranquilly consume his losses.
consommer sa perte.
Philippe Larive qui fut un Philip Larive who was a
rentier, un homme établi, ayant landlord, an established man,
de bonnes terres au soleil, having good lands in the sun,
achève aujourd'hui de vivre was now finishing his life in a
dans un hospice de vieillards hospice of indigent old men.
indigents. Comme l'astrologue Like the astrologer of La
de La Fontaine, il est tombé Fontaine, he fell into a well for
dans un puits pour s'être entêté stubbornly having his nose in
à vivre continuellement le nez the air.
en l'air.
Il croyait donc, fit Claude “He believed then,” said
Michu, que ces esprits allaient Claude Michu, “that these
lui révéler l'avenir ? spirits would show him the
future?”
— Précisément, il poussait à “Precisely, he pushed to
l'excès la foi en ses croyances : excess his faith in his beliefs –
— c'est ce qui l'a perdu. this is what led to his downfall.”
J'ai oui, reprit Claude Michu, “I believe,” continued Claude
que, malgré tout ce que vous Michu, “that despite what you
nous avez dit, — je me prends have told us, I still think the
encore à songer que l'avenir future may be revealed to
peut être dévoilé à certaines certain people. One has seen
gens, — on a va des prédictions predictions being fulfilled, point
s'accomplir de point en point, by point, and this view is one
et cela donne toujours un peu à that I often consider.
réfléchir.
— Allons, Claude, tu n'es pas “Come on, Claude, you are
aussi bien guéri que je le not as healed as I presumed.”
présumais.
—Oh ! je ne crois plus aux “Oh! I no longer believe in
sorciers. wizards.”
—Mais tu crois encore un “But you still believe a little
peu aux devins ? in the soothsayers?”
—Sans y croire précisément, “Without believing in them
je suppose que les choses precisely, I suppose that the
prédites peuvent arriver things predicted can occur
quelquefois. occasionally.”
— C'est vrai, souviens-toi “That is true but remember
pourtant de ce que je t'ai dit what I told you about
touchant la prescience. Dieu prescience. God has concealed
nous a fermé l'avenir pour the future to safeguard the
sauvegarder la tranquillité de tranquility of our life. Only he
notre vie. Nul autre que lui ne himself can lift the veil of your
peut soulever le voile de ta destiny.”
destinée.
Mais comme tu crois à Dieu, “But like you believe in God,
tu dois croire que quelquefois il you must believe that
se plaît à punir les crédules par sometimes he likes to punish
où ils ont péché. the credulous by which they
have sinned.”
Ceux à qui on a prédit un Those for who misfortune
malheur font tout ce qui est en has been predicted will do their
leur pouvoir pour y échapper. best to try and escape it.
Et souvent, conduits par la Often, led by the hand of
main de Dieu, qui veut God, who wants to test their
éprouver leur foi au dernier faith at the last moment and
moment et les châtier de leur punish them for their lack of
défaut de confiance en lui, ils self-confidence, they come to
viennent tomber au but funeste the fatal goal they have fled
qu'ils ont fui avec tant de soin. with so much care.

On rencontre sa destinée One meets one’s destiny

Souvent par les chemins qu'on Often by the paths one takes to
prend pour l'éviter avoid it

Puisque ce soir, nous Since this evening, we are

causons au lieu d'expérimenter, talking rather than
je veux vous raconter à ce experimenting, I wish to tell
propos un trait frappant et très you about a striking and very
véridique, truthful trait.
Encouragé par la vive Encouraged by the keen
attention de son auditoire, attention of his audience,
Bernard Morand commença Bernard Morand immediately
aussitôt le récit suivant. began the following narrative.
BEPPO L'ENSORCELÉ BEPPO THE
BEWITCHED
Beppo Fabrini, était un jeune Beppo Fabrini was a young
montagnard des environs de mountaineer near Roquebrune,
Roquebrune, dans la petite in the little principality of
principauté de Monaco. Monaco.
Il était habitué à sa He was used to the
montagne et descendait mountain and descended only
rarement en ville, où il se rarely to the town, where he
sentait comme étouffé. felt as if he was being
suffocated.
Son caractère se ressentait His character was strongly
vivement de ces habitudes affected by these habits of
d'isolement. isolation.
Il était fier, rude et naïf à la He was proud, rough and
fois. Son père et sa mère, naïve, all at the same time. His
auprès desquels il habitait, father and mother, with whom
avaient voulu l'envoyer à he lived, had wanted to send
l'école. him to school.
Mais au bout d'un an il avait But, after a year, he had to
fallu le retirer. be removed.
Beppo dépérissait à vue Beppo was visibly wasting
d'œil dans l'atmosphère lourde away in the heavy atmosphere
de la classe. of the classroom.
Il lui fallait l'air libre des He needed the fresh air of
montagnes, les courses en the mountains, the paths in full
plein soleil, la vie vagabonde sun, the wandering life of the
des chevriers. Tout en gardant goatherds. While keeping his
ses troupeaux, il chassait et flocks, he hunted and showed
montrait à cet exercice une great skill in his exercise. So
grande habileté. Si bien que, that, from the products of his
des produits de ses chasses, il hunts, he was able to keep his
faisait vivre sa famille pendant family fed during part of the
une partie de l'année. year.
Malgré ses instincts Despite his slightly wild
légèrement sauvages, il avait instincts, he had a deep amity
pour ses parents une amitié with his parents.
profonde.
L'idée qu'il devait les perdre The thought that he was
un jour était la seule going to lose them one day was
préoccupation de sa vie. the sole preoccupation of his
life.
Vous voyez que Beppo avait You see that Beppo was a
du bon. good sort.
Tout eût été pour le mieux, All would have been well if
s'il ne s'était pas montré aussi he had not proven so
crédule. Mais, comme tous les credulous. But, like all people
gens vivant en dehors de la living outside of civilization, he
civilisation, il aimait le loved the marvelous with a
merveilleux à la passion. passion.
La seule lecture dans ses The only reading in his long
longues stations à la montagne stations on the mountain was
était un vieil ouvrage de magie an old volume of magic that he
qu'il avait trouvé par grand had found by chance in the
hasard dans le grenier de la attic of his father’s house.
maison paternelle.
Les figures symboliques du The symbolic figures of the
livre le faisaient longuement book made him dream for a
rêver, et les formules long time, and the cabalistic
cabalistiques exerçaient sur son formulae exerted a singular
cerveau une singulière influence on his brain.
influence.
Un jour qu'il était à l'affût One day, when he was on
dans les taillis, il vit venir à loi the lookout in the woods, he
une vieille femme dont le saw an old woman come to the
costume misérable sollicita tout house in a miserable attire that
d'abord sa pitié. evoked pity.
 C'était une de ces This was one of the nomadic
bohémiennes nomades et qui gypsies who make a profession
font profession de dire la bonne out of telling fortunes to all
aventure à tout venant, comers for a modest fee.
moyennant une modique
rétribution.
La vieille était fière sans The old woman was without
doute de son métier, car doubt proud of her chosen
lorsque Beppo voulut lui glisser profession, because when
une pièce de monnaie dans la Beppo tried to slip a coin in her
main, elle le repoussa en disant hand, she pushed him away,
: saying:
— Merci, je ne demande pas “Thank you, I do not ask
l'aumône. alms.”

—Qui êtes-vous donc ? “Who are you?” the

interrogea curieusement le goatherd inquired curiously,
chevrier, surpris des allures de
surprised by the charms of the
la voyageuse. traveler.
— J'appartiens à une tribu “I belong to a gypsy tribe,
gitane, et je lis l'avenir dans les
and I read the future in the
lignes de la main des hommes. lines of a man’s hand.”
A ce mot, un vif intérêt At this moment, a keen
s'éveilla dans l'esprit de Beppo.
interest awoke in the spirit of
Beppo.
—Eh bien, dit-il, gardez “Well,” he said, “keep the
l'argent que je vous ai donné, money I gave you. I return, tell
en échange vous m'apprendrez me my destiny.”
ma destinée.
—Soit. “So be it.”
La vieille s'approcha de The old woman approached
Beppo, lui prit la main et en Beppo, took his hand in hers
interrogea longuement les and studied the lines carefully.
lignes.
 —Eh bien, fit le jeune “Very well,” said the young
homme impatient, que voyez- impatient man, “what do you
vous ? see?”
—Je ne puis te dire cela, “I cannot tell you that.”
—Pourquoi ? “Why?”
—Parce que tu te ferais “Because it would horrify
horreur à toi-même. you.”
—Dites toujours. “Tell me everything.”
— Tu le veux. Eh bien, “As you wish. Well,
retiens ceci : Un jour tu tueras remember this – one day, you
ton père et ta mère. will kill your father and mother.”
Beppo se prit à trembler de Beppo began to tremble and
fous ses membres et une shake. A dreadful stupor took
morne stupeur s'empara de lui. hold of him.
Quand il reprit ses sens, il When he regained his
chercha vainement autour de senses, he searched in vain for
loi la prophétesse de malheur. the prophetess of misfortune
Elle s'était éloignée à travers around his house. She had left
les bois. through the woods.
Quand Beppo revint le soir à When Beppo returned home
la maison, il jeta sur ses at night, he cast a somber and
parents un regard sombre et desperate look towards his
désespéré, parents.
Pour son esprit ouvert aux The future was clear to his
impressions superstitieuses, impressionable mind, open to
l'avenir n'était pas douteux. superstitious impressions.
Il devait être le meurtrier de He would be the murderer of
ceux qu'il aimait plus que sa those he loved more than
vie. himself.
Cette pensée, de plus en This thought became ever
plus enracinée dans son more persistent in his brain,
cerveau, ne tarda pas à le and soon plunged him into a
plonger dans un singulier singular depression.
abattement.
Dès l'aube, il fuyait la At dawn, he fled his father’s
maison paternelle et se home and took refuge on the
réfugiait sur les plus hauts highest peaks of the mountain.
sommets de la montagne. Là There, he found a bit of calm
seulement il trouvait un peu de and relief alone.
calme et de soulagement.
Ses parents remarquaient His parents were alarmed by
avec inquiétude le changement the change in Beppo’s habits.
qui s'était fait dans les
habitudes de Beppo.
Ils l'interrogèrent avec They questioned him, with
sollicitude. earnest concern.
Mais le chevrier demeura But the goatherd remained
impassible. Sans s'en rendre impassive. Without realizing it,
compte, il comprenait peut-être he understood the
le ridicule de ses ridiculousness of his
préoccupations, et il ne voulait preoccupations, and he did not
pas les avouer. want to admit them.
Six mois après la prédiction, Six months after the
Beppo disparut prediction, Beppo disappeared.
On trouva sur le bord d'un His hat and rifle were found
précipice son chapeau et son on the edge of the precipice.
fusil.
Ses parents le crurent mort. His parents thought him
Et ils pleurèrent leur unique dead, and wept for their only
enfant, qui emportait en child, who bore all their solace
mourant toute leur consolation and a part of their well-being
et une partie de leur bien-être. by dying thus.
Cependant Beppo était However, Beppo was still
vivant. alive.
Pour échapper à sa destinée, To escape his destiny, he
il n'avait pas craint had not feared to abandon his
d'abandonner ses parents, parents, old and infirm, and
vieux et déjà infirmer et de les preferred to let them believe in
laisser croire à sa perte. his doom.
Dieu devait le punir bien God would punish him
cruellement un jour d'avoir cruelly one day for having
cédé à une superstitieuse yielded to a superstitious terror.
terreur.
Il avait gagné le port le plus He reached the nearest port
proche et s'était embarqué and embarked for Corsica,
pour la Corse, où il entra, dès where he entered the service of
son arrivée, au service d'un a rich farmer on his arrival.
riche fermier.
Pendant trois ans, il vécut là, He lived there for three
tranquille autant qu'on peut years, as quiet as one could be
l'être quand on a un remords when one has remorse in one’s
au cœur. heart.
Aucune nouvelle de ses No news from his parents
parents ne lui était parvenue, had reached him, and he had
et il n'avait pas cherché à s'en not sought to procure any. After
procurer. Après ces trois années three years in Corsica, Beppo
de séjour en Corse, Beppo fell in love with a young servant
devint amoureux d'une jeune of the farmer and married her.
servante de la ferme où il
servait, et l'épousa.
Son maître, à cette occasion, His master, on this occasion,
lui donna à gérer on petit gave him a small estate to
domaine dans lequel il devait administer where he lived alone
habiter seul avec sa femme et with a wife and a plowman.
un garçon de labour.
Tout allait bien, Beppo était All was well, Beppo was
heureux, et il oubliait peu à peu happy, and he forgot little by
la cause qui l'avait fait déserter little the cause that had made
son pays. him desert his country.
Cependant ses parents However, his parents had
avaient appris que le jeune learned that the young man
homme n'était pas mort. Un was not dead. A resident of
habitant de Roquebrune, venu Roquebrune, who had come to
en Corse pour ses affaires, Corsica on business, had
avait rencontré Beppo au encountered Beppo at the
marché, et malgré les market, and, despite the
recommandations pressantes pressing recommendations of
de ce dernier s'était empressé the latter, hastened to convey
d'aller porter aux deux vieillards the happy news of his existence
l'heureuse nouvelle de to the two old people.
l'existence de leur dis.
La première pensée du père The first thought of the
et de la mère fut alors d'aller father and mother was to go
embrasser l'enfant prodigue. and embrace their prodigal son.
Ils partirent, un beau matin, They left for Corsica, one
pour la Corse et, sans se faire fine morning and without being
précéder d'aucun message, preceded by any message,
arrivèrent à la maison do arrived at Beppo’s home.
Beppo.
Une jeune femme était A young woman was sitting
assise sur le seuil. on the threshold.
Le père s'avança tout The father came forward
tremblant vers elle et prononça trembling towards her and
le nom de Beppo. pronounced the name of
Beppo.
Mon mari ! dit la fermière. Il “My husband!” exclaimed the
est à la ville ; mais il rentrera farm woman. “He is in the city
ce soir. Que lui voulez-vous ? but will return this evening.
What do you want of him?”
Le vieillard se nomma et The old man introduced
ouvrit ses bras à sa belle-fille. himself and opened his arms to
Cette dernière voulut faire his daughter-in-law. The latter
honneur à ses hôtes. Elle mit wished to do honor to her
toute la maison à leurs ordres, guests. She put the whole
et comme la nuit était tenue et house under their orders, and
que Beppo n'était point rentré, as night fell and Beppo had not
elle engagea les vieux parents returned, she made the old
à se coucher et leur céda son parents go to bed and gave
propre lit. Puis, comme elle them her own bed. Then, as
était inquiète de la longue she was worried about her
absence de son mari, elle partit husband’s long absence, went
à sa rencontre. to meet him.
Cependant Beppo revenait. However, Beppo was coming
Pour gagner plus vite son logis, back. To reach his home
il s'était jeté dans un chemin de quickly, he had taken a side
traverse ; il no rencontra donc road. He did not meet his wife.
point sa femme. En arrivant Arriving at home, the young
chez lui, le jeune homme man was astonished not to see
s'étonna de ne point voir sa his wife sitting at the threshold,
femme assise sur le seuil, selon as was her custom.
sa coutume.
Comme il se faisait tard, il As it was getting late, he
pensa qu'elle s'était couchée et thought that she might have
pénétra d'un pas discret dans gone to bed and slipped quietly
sa chambre. Puis, sans allumer into her room. Then, without
de lampe, il alla au lit pour lighting a lamp, he went to bed
embrasser sa femme. to kiss his wife.
En étendant la main dans Extending his hand in the
l'ombre, il toucha une tête darkness, he touched the head
d'homme. of a man.
Beppo recula en étouffant Beppo drew back, stifling a
un cri de douleur. cry of pain.
Le doute n'était pas He could not doubt himself.
possible.
Sa femme profitait de son His wife had taken
absence pour le déshonorer, advantage of his absence to
pour se livrer à un autre. dishonor him and indulge with
another man.
 Une jalousie aveugle le A blind jealousy engulfed
transporta. him.
Il tira son couteau et, se He drew his knife and
ruant sur le lit, il perçu de mille
jumping onto the bed, he
coups ceux qui, dans sa pierced with a thousand blows
pensée, venaient de lui faire unthose, who in his thought, had
aussi sanglant outrage. Comme done him such a bloody
il sortait à demi fou de rage, outrage. As came out half mad
une voix l'appela doucement with rage, a voice gently called
out to him.
— Beppo ! Et, devant lui, il “Beppo!” And, before him,
aperçut sa femme, souriants et he saw his wife, smiling and
tout heureuse do la nouvelle very happy at the news she
qu'elle avait lui donner. had for him.
—Qui ai-je donc frappé ? “Who did I strike?” he
s'écria-t-il, l'esprit saisi d'un exclaimed; his mind seized with
terrible pressentiment. a terrible presentiment.
Il rentra dans sa chambre He returned to the room
avec de la lumière et reconnut with a light and recognized the
la sanglante vérité. bloody truth.
La prophétie de la gitane The prophecy of the gypsy
était accomplie. Beppo avait tué had been accomplished. Beppo
son père et sa mère. had killed his father and
mother.
—Eh bien, vous voyez ! fit “Well, you see!” said Claude
alors Claude Michu comprenant Michu, who realized the story
que le récit s'arrêtait là. had ended.
—Oui, conclut Bernard “Yes,” concluded Bernard
Morand, je vols l'esprit faible Morand, “I note the weak spirit
puni de Dieu, et je regarde punished by God, and I regard
l'histoire de Beppo comme un the history of Beppo as a great
grand enseignement. S'il s'était lesson. If he had resigned
résigné à vivre auprès de ses himself to living with his
parents comme un bon fils, le parents as a good son, the
hasard qui le fit meurtrier à son chance that made him a
insu ne se serait pas produit. murderer would not have
happened.”
Écoutez donc et instruisez- Listen and learn well.
vous.
 TRIBUNAL CORRECTIONAL
CORRECTIONNEL DE TRIBUNAL OF TOURS
TOURS (1) (1)
Pauvres d'esprit et sorciers - Weak minds and sorcerers –
Escroqueries - Exercice illégal sorceries – illegal exercise of
de la médecine. medicine
(1) Le Droit, journal des (1) The Law, journal of the
tribunaux Courts
À la campagne, on croit encore In the countryside, we still
aux sorciers. Peut-être bien y believe in sorcerers. Perhaps,
croit-on aussi un peu à la ville, people still believe in them a
mais alors cela s'appelle d'un little in the city, but there they
autre nom, et les escrocs, pour are called by another name,
exploiter les simples avec de and the crooks, to exploit the
prétendues somnambules, n'en simple-minded, with so-called
sont pas moins des escrocs. La somnambulists, who are
seule différence est que leurs nothing but crooks. The only
pratiques sont moins difference is that their practices
grossières. are less coarse.
Les époux Loyau habitent le The Loyau couple live in the
bourg de Beaumont-la-Ronce, village of Beaumont-la-Ronce,
où le mari exerce la profession where the husband performs
d’hongreur. Un hongreur, à la his profession of horse-gelding.
campagne, fait un peu de tout : A gelder, in the countryside,
de la médecine, de la does a little bit of everything –
chirurgie.,. medicine, surgery, etc.
Celui-là s'occupait aussi, à This one, on occasion,
l'occasion, de nécromancie. undertook necromancy.
Ils sont tous les deux They were also warned often
prévenus d'escroquerie et of fraud and the illegal practice
d'exercice illégal de la of medicine.
médecine.
Leurs victimes, les époux Their victims, the Lihoreau
Lihoreau sont des cultivateurs couple are farmers of Rouziers,
do Rouziers, petite commune a small community not far from
peu distante de Beaumont. Beaumont.
Sous prétexte de Under the pretext of freeing
désensorceler leurs bestiaux et their cattle and themselves
un peu eux-mêmes, qui avaient from sorcery, that had enslaved
été, selon l'expression them by contagion, in the
pittoresque de Loyau, picturesque expression of
ensauvâtes par contagion, ce Loyau, the latter swindled them
dernier leur a escroqué environ about 1,400 francs.
1,400 fr.
La femme Lihoreau est Mrs. Lihoreau had died
morte depuis quelques jours, le recently. She recounted the
récit des pratiques dont elle et story of the practices that she
son mari ont été l'objet a été and her husband had been the
fait par elle à M. le juge de paix object of to a justice of the
quelques jours avant sa mort. peace some days before her
Nous en extrayons quelques death. We will extract some
passages qui donneront la passages which will give a
mesure de la crédulité do ces measure of the credulity of
pauvres gens : these poor people:
En juillet dernier, notre mère Last July, our pregnant cow
vache n'ayant pu vêler, nous could not calve, we sent for Mr.
envoyâmes chercher M. Loyau, Loyau, who managed to get the
qui réussit à avoir le veau, et calf, and then told us that if the
qui nous dit ensuite que, si mother could not calve, this
notre mère vache n'avait pu was because there was a
vêler, c'est qu'il y avait du misfortune on her. Then,
malentendu en elle ; puis, putting the hands on the reins
mettant les mains sur les reins of the young heifer, he said,
d'une jeune taure: il y a aussi “there is also a misfortune on
du malentendu dans celle-là, et this one, and it will not be like
n'en sera comme de la mère the mother if you do not do
vache si vous ne faites pas ce what I tell you.”
que je vais vous dire.
 Il emmena mon mari à He took my husband to
Beaumont, lui remit une fiole Beaumont and gave him a vial
avec recommandation de verser with the recommendation of
le liquide qu'elle contenait sur pouring the liquid it contained
les quatre ergots de la taure, on the four spurs of the heifer,
ainsi que dans les orteils. as well as in the toes.
... Cette fois, il nous …This time, he asked us for
demanda de l'argent et je vis money, and I saw my husband
mon mari lui remettre 300 fr. give him 300 fr. in front of me!
devant moi ! plus une douzaine As well as a dozen fowls, on
de volailles, sur lesquelles mon which Loyau told us he would
dit Loyau allait passer le mal pass the evil which was upon
qui était sur nous. us.
Une seconde fois avant la A second time before the
moisson, Loyau arrive harvest, Loyau arrived at our
nuitamment chez nous, entre house at night, between eleven
onze heures et minuit. o’clock and midnight.
Il frappe à la porte ; nous He knocked on the door. We
ouvrons, et étant entré, il nous opened and he entered, he told
dit qu'un grand mal va tomber us that that a great evil had
sur nous, sur nos bestiaux, sur fallen on us, on our animals, on
nos enfants ; que le seul moyen our children; that the sole
de la conjurer n'est connu que means of conjuring this away is
de lui, mais qu'il ne peut rien known only to him, but he can
faire si nous ne lui donnons 375 do nothing if we do not give
fr. Puis il nous demande une him 375 fr. Then, he asked us
assiette, qu'il pose au milieu de for a plate, which he placed in
la place, y verse un certain the middle and poured some
liquide, y met le feu avec du liquid on it and set it on fire
papier qu'il tire de sa poche. with paper from his pocket. A
Une flamme bleue s'élève blue flame rose as he uttered
pendant qu'il prononce des words we could not
paroles que nous ne understand.
comprenons pas.
 Quand le tout fut brûlé : « When all was burned, he
Voyez, dit-il, le fond de votre said, “See, the bottom of your
assiette est sec, celui qui vous plate is dry, whoever harms you
en veut doit sécher de même ; must be dry as well, but you
mais vous ne pouvez plus vous cannot use this plate anymore.
servir de cette assiette, il faut It must be thrown in the
la jeter dans les broussailles. underbrush.
Nous étions morts de We were scared to death,
frayeur, mon mari et moi. Nous my husband and me. We gave
lui donnâmes les 375 fr. qu'il him 375 fr. He asked us for a
demandait et encore une demi- dozen more fowls. He also
douzaine de volailles. Il a aussi demanded twelve pounds of
demandé douze livres de butter.
beurre.
... Le lendemain matin la …The next morning, Mrs.
femme Loyau me rapporta mon Loyau returned my basket to
panier. me.
Elle nous dit alors que le She told us that the
malfaiteur devait nous incendier perpetrator intended to set us
et, pour nous préserver, elle on fire, and to preserve us, she
prit trois cuillerées de cendre took three spoonful of cold
froide dans le foyer avec trois ashes from the hearth with
charbons éteints, plaça le tout three extinguished pieces of
dans un coin de son invention, charcoal, placing everything it
puis demanda à visiter toutes in a corner of her choice, then
les pièces de la maison... asked to visit all the rooms of
the house…
Enfin elle nous demanda 200 Finally, she asked for 200 fr.
Fr. 75 cents, pour nous 75 c., to save us from burning…
préserver de brûler... Nous lui we gave her this sum.
remîmes cette somme.
... Une troisième fois, Loyau …A third time, Loyau
apporta à la maison deux brought two rosaries to the
chapelets pour lesquels il house for which he asked 200
demanda 200 fr. Mais mon fr. But my husband, having no
mari, n'ayant plus d'argent, more money, promised to give
promit de le lui remettre it to him some time later.
quelque temps après.
Mon mari a fait aussi un My husband also made a
voyage à la Chartre, d'après journey to Chartres, following
l'ordre de M. Loyau, et y a the orders of Mr. Loyau, and
trouvé celui-ci avec un autre there he found himself with
monsieur que nous ne another gentleman who we did
connaissions pas. Cet inconnu a not know. This unknown person
taxé mon mari à donner 4 has taxed my husband to give
septiers de blé à M. Loyau pour Mr. Loyau four bushels of
pouvoir, disait-il récolter du blé. wheat, to be able to harvest
more, he recalled.
Les menaces et les pratiques Mr. Loyau’s threats and
de M. Loyau ont profondément practices deeply frightened my
effrayé mon mari et moi, et husband and me, and that’s
voilà pourquoi nous lui avons why we gave him our last
donné jusqu'à notre dernier penny, and had to borrow for
sou, si bien que nous avons été our needs.
obligés d'emprunter pour nos
besoins.
Après avoir fait retirer les After having the witnesses
témoins, M. le président removed, the President of the
interroge les prévenus. court questioned the
defendants.
M. le Président au prévenu. The President to the
— Loyau, vous demeuriez à defendant: Loyau, you lived at
Beaumont-la-Ronce, quel état y Beaumont-la-Ronce, what role
exerciez-vous ? did you exercise there?
— R. Celui d'affranchisseur. A. That of the postman.
D. Peut-être, mais vous Q. Maybe, but you were
exerciez une autre industrie, et practicing another industry, and
si vous donniez des remèdes if you gave cures to the
aux bêtes, vous en donniez animals, you also gave them to
aussi aux gens assez crédules people gullible enough to
pour croire à votre prétendue believe your so-called science.
science ?
— R. Une seule fois, j'ai A. Only once, I gave
donné de l'eau sédative à une sedative water to a young girl
jeune fille qui se plaignait who complained of a severe
d'avoir mal à la tête. headache.
D. Ce que vous avez prescrit Q. What you have prescribed
n'est pas aussi simple que vous is not as simple as you would
voudriez nous le faire croire. have us believe. Do you know
Vous connaissez les époux the Lihoreau couple?
Lihoreau ?
— R. Oui, monsieur. A. Yes, sir.
D. Vous avez soigné leurs Q. You’ve looked after their
bestiaux... que dites-vous de cattle… What do you say about
tout ce qu'ils racontent ? M. le everything they have claimed?
juge d'instruction vous en a The examining magistrate has
donné connaissance. — informed you…
R. Que ce n'est pas vrai. A. That it is not true.
D. Alors ils mentent. Ils Q. So they lie. They say that
racontent que, dans de in many circumstances they
nombreuses circonstances ils have given you money and they
vous ont donné de l'argent, et il must have been singularly
faut qu'ils aient été moved by your practices to get
singulièrement émus par vos rid of all they had, being so
pratiques pour se dépouiller de stingy!...
tout ce qu'ils avaient, eux si
avares !...
— R. Comment donc A. How then could they have
m'auraient-ils donné tout cela ? given me all this? Lenoir still
Lenoir a encore un billet de moi has a ticket of mine that I gave
que je lui ai remis à la suite him following a loan he made
d'un prêt qu'il m'a fait de 130 me of 130 fr.
fr.
D. Pourquoi ? Parce que Q. Why? Because you had
vous leur aviez persuadé qu'ils persuaded them that they were
étaient perdus, qu'ils étalent lost, that they were frenzied,
endiablés, ensauvâtes, c'est ce enslaved, these were the words
mot dont vous vous service. you used.
— R. Il n'est pas possible A. It is not possible for a
qu'un homme soit assez borné man to be so limited as to
pour croire à des choses si believe these stupid things!
bêtes !
D. S'il n'y avait pas de gens Q. If there were no people
assez simples pour ajouter foi à simple enough to believe such
de pareilles absurdités, il n'y absurdities, there would be no
aurait pas do fripons, et vous rogues, and you would not be
ne seriez pas là. here.
—R. S'ils m'accusent, c'est A. If they accuse me, it is
qu'ils m'en veulent. Je les mets because they desire me. I
bien au défi de m'amener des challenge them to bring forth
témoins. witnesses.
D. En effet, il n'y en a pas, Q. Indeed, there are none,
parce que vous vous arrangiez because you have always
toujours de façon à agir dans arranged to work in the
l'ombre. Mais ces pauvres gens shadows. But these poor
ont parlé, et leur récit a un tel people have spoken, and their
accent de vérité qu'il est story has such an accent of
difficile de ne pas les croire. truth that it is difficult not to
believe them.
Vous entendrez, du reste, You will hear, moreover,
des témoins qui raconteront witnesses who will recount very
des choses fort compromising things about
compromettantes pour vous. you.
Femme Loyau, vous avez Mrs. Loyau, you have
assisté à plusieurs entrevues, et attended many interviews, and
vous avez pris une part très- you have taken an active part
active à toutes ces pratiques? in all these practices?
— R. Je n'ai jamais aidé mon A. I never helped my
mari dans ces choses-là. husband in these things-
Asseyez-vous tous les deux. Sit down, both of you.
Huissier, faites entrer Usher, show Mr. Lihoreau in.
Lihoreau.
On entend le bruit de One heard several voices in
plusieurs voix dans la salle des the witness room. These were
témoins. C'est celle de l'huissier those of the usher and some
et de quelques témoins qui ne witnesses who attempted to
peuvent faire comprendre à make it clear to Lihoreau, who
Lihoreau, qui est sourd, que le was deaf, that the court was
tribunal l'attend. awaiting his attendance.
L'huissier entre enfin, tenant The usher finally entered,
par le bras le Monsieur supporting Mr. Lihoreau by his
Lihoreau qui se présente en arms, who presented himself
saluant d'un air hébété. with a dazed air.
M le président. Approchez- The President. Come
vous. forward.
Lihoreau regarde à droite et Lihoreau looked to the right
à gauche et se dirige vers and the left, then went towards
l'huissier, auquel il tend son the usher to whom he held out
chapeau. his hat.
Le témoin. J'entends dur, The Witness: I hear hard,
mon bon monsieur, l'entends my good sir, I hear hard.
dur,
L'huissier l'amène au bas des The usher brought him to
marches du tribunal. the bottom of the court steps.
D. Votre nom ? Q. Your name?
— R. J'entends dur, (Il met A. I hear with difficulty. (He
une main à son oreille en forme put a hand to his ear in the
de cornet), shape of a horn)
D. (A l'huissier) : Q. (To the usher) Repeat to
Transmettez-lui mes questions. him my questions.
— Vous vous appelés Q. You are called Lihoreau?
Lihoreau ? Votre âge ? Your age?
— J'ai bientôt douze ans…, A. I will soon be twelve
ah ! dame, oui, soixante et years…Ah! Damn! Yes, Seventy-
douze. two.
D. Connaissez-vous Loyau ? Q. Do you know Loyau?
— R. Je le connais sans le A. I know him without
connaître ; pour avoir soigné knowing him – for having cared
mon cheval et ma bête à corne, for my horse and my ox, when
dont qu'il a apporté une he brought a bottle for my
bouteille pour mon bétail qui cattle who was sick, after which
était malade, dont qu'après ça he told me that the poor beasts
il m'a dit que les pauvres bêtes were enslaved. There he put
étaient ensavâtees. Là-dessus il the names of God. He said we
s'est mis à jurer des noms de were lost… I gave him
Dieu... Il a dit que nous étions whatever he wanted.
perdus., Je lui ai donné tout ce
qu'il a voulu.
D. Après ? Q. After?
—Après ça, il m'a dit : Vous A. After that he told me:
ne risquez pas de doubler trois “You are not likely to double
ou quatre fois la somme que the sum you have given me
vous m'avez remise... J'avais three or four times…” I still had
encore deux cents francs en or two hundred gold francs. I gave
; je les y ai donnés... Après ça, them to him. After that, as he
comme il disait que nous étions said, we were bewitched. I
ensorcelés, j'ai emprunté à ma borrowed from my wife. My
femme. Ma pauvre défunte qui poor deceased wife who has
est morte..., lui a aussi donné died… also gave me a lot of
pas mal d'argent. money.
D. Ne venait-il pas la nuit ? Q. Did he not come at night?
—
R. Mais oui, il venait en A. Yes, he came in the
pleine nuit Mais oui... middle of the night. Yes, yes…
Il se retire en arrière et He retreated back and
parait effrayé du regard de appeared frightened by Loyau,
Loyau, dont les yeux venaient whose eyes had just met his…
de rencontrer les siens...
D. Que faisait-il ? Q. What was it?
— R. Un tas d'histoires. — A. A lot of stories – I was
J'avons été pris comme des caught like a feeble headed
têtes feubles. —• Il nous a sort. He has enlisted us in this
enrôlés sons cette affaire-là. business. (Laughter in the
(Rires dans la salle). room)
D. Qu'a-t-il fait encore? Q. What else has he done?
— R. Il nous a donné à A. He gave each of us a
chacun un chapelet et nous a rosary and told us that we had
dit qu'il fallait emporter de to take money to the
l'argent au carroir de la route. crossroads.
D. Combien ? Q. How much?
— R. 200 francs. A. 200 francs.
D. Quand il vous disait que Q. When he told you that
vous étiez ensorcelé, qu'é you were bewitched, what did
prouviez-vous? you say?
— R, J'étais comme malade. A. I was sick.
D. Si vous étiez malade, que Q. If you were sick, how did
ressentiez-vous ? you feel?
—R. Ma foi, rien, seulement A. My faith, only that it
ça m'étouffait... (Hilarité choked me. (General hilarity)
générale).
D. Est-ce qu'il n'a pas fait Q. Did he not burn
brûler quelque chose dans une something on a plate?
assiette ?
— R. Oui, et qu'il m'a dit A. Yes, and he even told me
mémé de ne pas me servir de not to use the plate.
l'assiette,
D. Qu'en avez-vous fait ? Q. What did you do with it?
R. (D'une voix sourde), nous A. (In a muffled voice) we
l'avons jetée dans les threw it into the bushes, my
broussailles, mon bon good sir.
monsieur.
D. Vous aviez donc peur du Q. So you were afraid of the
diable ? devil?
— R. Ah ! dame ! A. Ah! Damn!
D. Et c'est pour cela que Q. And that is why you gave
vous lui donniez de l'argent? him money?
— Oui, puisqu'il disait que a. Yes, since he said I was
j'étions perdus lost.
D. Il parlait donc bien haut Q. So he spoke so loudly
que vous entendiez tout ce qu'il that you heard everything he
disait ? — Est-ce que vous êtes said? Have you since gone
devenu sourd de peur ? deaf?
—R. Ah ! je l'entendis ben, A. Ah! I heard him well, to
pour mon malheur ! my misfortune!
D. Loyau et sa femme Q. Loyau and his wife claim
prétendent que vous avez that you organized a plot
organisé un complot contre against them, that you have
eux, que vous avez inventé ce invented what you have
que vous avez raconté ? recounted?
— R. Non, non, j'ai toujours A. No, no, I have always
été fidèle et je le serai jusqu'à been faithful, and I will be
la mort. (Hilarité). faithful unto death. (Hilarity)
D. Vous avez fait des Q. Did you borrow money?
emprunts ?
— R. Mais oui, puisque je lui A. Yes, since I gave him
avais tout donné. everything.
Loyau. Tout cela est faux. Il Loyau. All this is false. He
se venge parce qu'il prétend takes revenge because he
que je lui ai pris trop cher. pretends that I took too dear a
price from him.
D. Il n'a pas l'air d'un Q. He does not look like a
homme qui invente, et je crois man who makes things up, and
qu'il n'a jamais rien inventé, le I believe that he has never
pauvre diable. invented anything, the poor
devil.
Le témoin. J'aurais plus de The witness. I would have
1,600 francs de plus dans ma had more than 1,600 francs in
poche sans lui. my pocket if it were not for
him.
D. Et la femme Loyau, Q. And Mrs. Loyau, did you
l'avez-vous vue? see her?
—R. Mais oui, elle est venue, A. Yes, she came, and my
et ma femme lui a donné d wife gave her money…
l'argent... Ah ! la pauvre Ah! The poor deceased soul!
défunte !
On entend ensuite plusieurs We then heard several
témoins auxquels le époux witnesses to whom Mr.
Lihoreau ont raconté ce qui Lihoreau had told what had
s'était passé. D'autres auxquels happened. These were others
ils ont emprunté de l'argent. from whom they had borrowed
money.
Femme Roussetet. A la Mrs. Roussetet: By St. John,
Saint-Jean, mes deux tilles, qui my two girls, who were sick,
étaient malades, m'ont dit told me that they wanted to
qu'elles voulaient se purger. purge themselves.
Je leur ai dit : Alors allez I said to them: So, go to the
chez le médecin. Mais elles ont doctor. But they were found by
été trouvées Loyau, qui leur a Loyau, who gave them two
donné deux bouteilles. — bottles. When I found out what
Quand j'ai su ce qui se passait, was happening, I did
fait tout reporter. everything to prevent it.
 D. Pourquoi allaient-elles Q. Why did they go to
chez Loyau ? Loyau?
—R. Monsieur, c'est que c'est A. Sir, this is because it was
bien meilleur marché. much cheaper.
Après l'audition des témoins, After the testimony of the
la parole est donnée à M. witnesses, the transcript was
Perrot substitut, qui requiert given to Mr. Perrot, who
contre les prévenus une required a severe application of
application sévère de la loi et the law against the defendants,
déclare qu'il n'insiste pas sur le and declared that he did not
chef d'exercice illégal de la insist on the count of illegal
médecine, qu'il ne retient au practice of medicine, that he
procès que comme retained the trial only as an
renseignement de moralité. inquiry of morality.
M. Brisard présente ensuite Mr. Brisard then introduced
la défense des deux prévenus. the defense of the two
accused.
Le tribunal rejette le chef The court dismissed the
d'exercice illégal de la count of illegal practice of
médecine et condamne Loyau à medicine and sentenced Loyau
treize mois de prison, sa femme to thirteen months in prison,
à un mois, et tous deux 100 his wife to one month, and
francs d'amende. both were fined 100 francs.
— C'est bien fait ! s'écrièrent “Well done!” exclaimed the
en chœur les femmes, qui chorus of women, who had
avalent fort goûté cette lecture strongly found this lecture
instructive. instructive.
—Tiens, dit Bernard Morand “Here,” said Bernard Morand
à Claude, en lui tendant le to Claude, handing him the
journal, tu feras cadeau de ce paper, “you will give this
compte rendu à Simounen. Cela account to Simounen. This will
lui donnera à réfléchir. give him pause.”
—Merci, monsieur Morand, “Thank you, Mr. Morand. I
je crois que nous prêcherions believe we would preach to an
dans le désert. empty desert.”
— C'est bien possible. — “That is quite possible. Good
Bonne nuit, mes chers enfants, night, my dear children, and
et à bientôt. see you soon.”
Les soirées suivantes furent The following evenings were
occupées par de semblables occupied by similar
entretiens. Toujours plus conversations. Always more
attentifs à mesure que leur attentive to the extent that
entendement se pliait their understanding was bent
davantage aux leçons du on the lessons of the
pharmacien, les paysans pharmacist, the peasants took
prenaient un véritable plaisir à a real pleasure at these familiar
ces instructions familières et instructions and saw the hours
voyaient s'écouler les heures flow with a fabulous pace.
avec une fabuleuse rapidité.
Dans ces réunions, Bernard In these reunions, Bernard
Morand leur expliqua bien des Morand explained to them
choses qui jusqu'alors étaient many things that had hitherto
muettes pour eux. been unknown to them.
Il leur parla des progrès du He spoke with them on the
siècle, leur donna des century’s progress, gave them
explications courtes, mais short but precise explanations
précises, sur l'électricité, sur la of electricity, steam, and all
Vapeur, sur toutes les modern inventions. He turned
inventions modernes ; il tourna their minds towards the study
leur esprit vers l'étude des of agricultural questions and
questions agricoles et leur showed them that the true
montra que les véritables wonders were those which
prodiges étaient ceux que peut could be accomplished by the
accomplir la volonté mise au will placed in service of a
service d'une idée civilisatrice. civilizing idea.
En un mot, ceux qu'il avait In a word, those whom he
rassemblés autour de lui étaient had assembled around him
des enfants par la simplicité de were children by the simplicity
leur esprit ; il chercha à en faire of their minds – he sought to
des hommes. make men of them.
Quant à Claude Michu, il dut As for Claude Michu, he
spécialement à Bernard la owed Bernard especially for the
conquête do lui-même. Ce ne conquest of his own self. He
fut bientôt plus ce garçon was no longer that shy and
timide et indécis que nous indecisive boy we knew. He
avons connu ? il chassa pour drove out the old man forever
toujours le vieil homme et se and showed himself well-
montra disposé à entreprendre disposed to undertake many
bien des choses qui jusqu'alors things which had hitherto
avaient effrayé son courage ou frightened him or excited his
excité sa défiance. mistrust.
Sous son habile direction, la Under his able direction,
ferme du père Michu devint un Father Michu’s farm became a
établissement modèle. model establishment.
Au lieu du Dragon Rouge ou In place of the Red Dragon
autre livre de cette sorte, or other books of its sort,
Claude rechercha les traités Claude sought the agricultural
d'agriculture, les ouvrages treatises, the serious works –
sérieux ; il fut encouragé dans he was encouraged in this by
cette voie par le pharmacien, the pharmacist, who obligingly
qui mit obligeamment à sa placed at his disposal the
disposition les journaux qu'il journals that he received from
recevait de Paris. Paris.
Notre jeune homme y puisa Our young man drew
des théories excellentes et les excellent theories from them
appliqua avec une intelligence and applied them with an
et un soin qui furent couronnés intelligence and care which
d'un plein succès. were completely successful.
Parfois il se prenait à songer Sometimes he would think of
à ses essais d'autrefois, essais his past efforts, often unhappy
souvent malheureux, et il se trials, and he rightly said to
disait avec raison qu'on ne himself that one succeeds in
réussit en ce monde qu'à la the world only on the condition
condition de déployer, en toute of deploying, on every
occasion, beaucoup de fermeté occasion, a great deal of
et beaucoup de persévérance, firmness and perseverance,
qualités précieuses dont il avait precious qualities which he had
été privé longtemps. been deprived of for a long
time.
De temps en temps, Claude From time to time, Claude
allait rendre visite à Madeloun. would visit Madeline.
En voyant entrer chez elle ce Seeing this good looking,
brave garçon, au teint hâlé, à tanned, resolute young man
l'air résolu, la jolie fille ne riait entering her house, the pretty
plus comme autrefois. girl did not laugh as much as
before.
Elle lui tendait la main et on She held out her hand and it
devinait bien vite qu'elle serait was clear that she would be
heureuse le jour où il lui serait happy on the day when she
donné de s'appeler Mme Michu. would be called Mrs. Michu.
Au milieu de ses Amid his preoccupations and
préoccupations et de ses idées new ideas, Claude had kept a
nouvelles, Claude avait gardé spiteful thought against old
une pensée de rancune contre Simounen, and he promised
le vieux Simounen et il s'était himself to tell the shepherd
promis de dire son fait au what he had done.
berger.
Malheureusement celui-ci Unfortunately, he had left
avait quitté momentanément le the country momentarily. He
pays ; il était allé conduire des had gone to drive herds in the
troupeaux dans la Crau et ce Crau, at the confluence of the
devait revenir qu'au printemps. Durance and the Rhine, and
would return in the spring.
Claude Michu oubliait peu à Claude Michu gradually
peu sa rancune, lorsque le forgot his rancor, when the
retour inopiné de Simounen unexpected return of Simounen
vint la lui rappeler. came to remind him.
Le vaillent fermier surveillait The valiant farmer was
un jour les travaux du domaine, overseeing the work of the
quand il entendit non loin de lui estate one day, when he heard
sur le chemin, la voix railleuse not far from him on the road,
du vieillard, qui lui crait :—Eh, the mocking voice of the old
bonjour Claude, comment vas- man, who cried to him: “Hello
tu ? Claude, how are you?”
Simounen aurait été sans Simounen would doubtless
doute à l'abri des reproches de have been safe from the
son ancienne dupe, s'il se fut reproaches of his former dupe,
présenté eu malheureusement, if he had presented himself
il était monté sur ce bel an qu'il poorly. Unfortunately, he had
devait à la naïveté de Claude. risen in the fine year that he
owed to Claude’s naivete.
Cette circonstance ralluma This circumstance rekindled
toute la colère en dormie dans all the sleepless anger in his
l'esprit de ce dernier, en lui mind and reminded him of his
rappelant sa sottise d'autrefois. old foolishness.
— Bonjour, répondit-il “Good morning,” he
sèchement. answered curtly.
— Et ! comme te voilà, mon “How are you, my boy, what
garçon, quelle mouche t'a piqué fly has stung you?”
?
— Je suis comme je dois “I know I’m talking with a
l'être avec un blagueur de votre cunning rogue. The affronts! I
espèce, père Simounen. will confront you before the
judge.”
—Bah ! pourquoi ne pas me “Bah! Why don’t you release
lâcher aux trousses deux ou two or three of the demons you
trois des démons à qui vous command!”
commande !
—Et si je le faisais ? “And if I did so?”
—Vous êtes libre, ça nous “You are free to do so; it
amusera un peu ! would be amusing!”
—Ah ça ! petit, dit le berger “Oh well! Little one,” said the
que le ton ironique de Claude shepherd, who was
embarrassait et qui voulait embarrassed by Claude’s ironic
porter la conversation sur un tone and wanted to take the
autre terrain, ah ça ! lu n'as conversation to another level,
donc pas réussi au Trou-Noir ? “Oh well Have you not been
successful at the Black Hole?”
—Si, j'ai réussi à me faire “Yes, I have succeeded in
extorquer 80 francs et la belle being extorted of 80 fr. and the
bête que voilà ! c'est tout ce fine beast I see before me!
que j'ai gagné sans compter tes That is all I have won, not
plaisanteries de mes amis. counting the jokes from my
friends.”
—Ce n'est pas ma faute. Tu “That is not my fault. You
auras oublié quelque détail. have perhaps overlooked some
detail.”
— Dites donc, père “What do you say, father
Simounen, assez plaisanté! je Simounen, what a joke! I will
vais vous donner un conseil. give you some advice. Keep my
Gardez mon argent et mon âne money and my donkey since
puisque vous les avez, mais ne you have them, but do not
vous vantez pas de ce que vous boast of what you have done. I
avez fait ; je ne veux pas vous do not want to denounce you
dénoncer à la justice, toutefois, to the law; however, you must
il faut vous tenir tranquille à keep quiet in the future, do you
l'avenir, entendez-vous ? understand?
A ce compte-là, nous serons On this account, we will still
encore bons amis, et, je ne be good friends, and I will not
vous fermerai pas la porte, close the door on you, when
quand vous viendrez me you come to ask me for a glass
demander un verre de vin et un of wine and a slice of cheese.”
morceau de fromage.
—C'est bien parlé, ça “Well said, my boy,” said the
garçon, fit le berger rassuré, shepherd, reassured, “but do
mais tu ne crois donc plus à you not believe in anything?”
rien ?
—Si, je crois à beaucoup de “Yes, I believe in many
choses. things.”
— A la bonne heure. “That is good to hear.”
— Je crois, par exemple, que “I believe, for example, that
j'ai été un imbécile et que vous I have been an imbecile and
en avez profité ; je crois que si that you took advantage of me.
vous pouviez vendre le moyen I also believe that if you could
de se procurer des trésors vous sell the means to procure
seriez plat riche que vous ne treasures, you would be very
l'êtes ; je crois enfin, comme rich indeed. I also believe,
dit M. Morand, qu'il n'y a pas finally, as Mr. Morand says, that
d'autres moyens de succès au there are no other means of
monde que la probité, success in the world than
l'intelligence et le travail. probity, intelligence and hard
work.”
— Il y a du bon dans ce que “There is truth in what you
tu dis ; mais, bah ! un petit peu say, but, bah! A little bit of
de mystère ça fait de mal à mystery hurts no one and is
personne et ça fait plaisir à tant good for many people.”
de gens !
—Ce qui veut dire, père “Which means, Father
Simounen, que vous n'êtes pas Simounen, that you have not
corrigé et que vous ne vous improved and that you would
générez pas pour vendre be willing to sell yourself to
encore vos recettes aux bonnet exploit more good souls.”
âmes !
—Pourquoi pas, si ça se “Why not, if it be so!”
trouve !
—Bon? et s'il se trouve aussi “Good? And if it so happens
qu'on vous arrête et qu'on vous that they arrest you and put
mette en prison. you in prison?”
—On est malin, mon garçon. “One is smart, my boy.”
— Allons, tant mieux. Dieu “Very well, all the better.
veuille que vos prévisions ne se God grant that your predictions
réalisent pas. are not realized.
 Adieu, père Simounen ! Goodbye, father Simounen!”

—Au revoir, mon garçon. “Goodbye, my boy.”

Malgré sa forfanterie, Despite his boasting,
Simounen profita un peu du Simounen did profit a little from
conseil désintéressé de Claude the selfless advice of Claude
Michu. Il cessa de se poser en Michu. He stopped pretending
familier du monde surnaturel, to be familiar with the
mais en même temps qu'il se supernatural world, but at the
débarrassait de sa peau de same time that he was getting
nécromancien, il s'adonna à rid of his necromantic robes, he
une autre branche d'opérations devoted himself to another
non moins dangereuses que branch of operations no less
celles de la magie, au point de dangerous than magic, from
vue de sa tranquillité the point of view of his
personnelle. personal tranquility.
En un mot, il se mit à In brief, he began to sell
débiter des remèdes où remedies in which the
l'élément merveilleux jouait marvelous element also played
aussi son rôle. C'étaient des a part. They were drugs of
drogues d'une énergie peu unusual energy that had to be
commune qu'il fallait administered or absorbed by
administrer ou absorber en pronouncing certain formulae
prononçant certaines formules and that the old shepherd
et que le vieux berger livrait delivered to the consumers with
aux consommateurs avec all sorts of recommendations
toutes sortes de concerning their use and all
recommandations touchant leur kinds of praise about their
emploi et toutes sortes de indisputable efficacy.
louanges, au sujet de leur
incontestable efficacité.
Claude Michu ne tarda pas à Claude Michu was quick to
apprendre ce qui se passait, et learn what was going on and
il en parla à son ami Bernard he spoke with his friend
Morand Bernard Morand.
 — Oui, dit ce dernier, Je sais “Yes,” said the latter, “I know
que le vieux Simounen me fait that old Simounen is competing
concurrence, mais, outre que with me, but besides being
sa concurrence m'est assez indifferent to his competition, I
indifférente, je ne suis pas am in no mood to put him to
d'humeur à le mettre aux prises the test with the law. A day will
avec la justice. Un Jour viendra, come, where he will deliver
où il se livrera de lui-même, en himself, by committing some of
commettant quelqu'une de ces those blunders which are the
bévues qui sont la fin de end of the story of all the
l'histoire de tous les marchands merchants of old wives’
de remèdes de bonne femme. remedies.
Dans les campagnes où les In the countryside, where
médecins sont rares, il serait à doctors are scarce, it would be
désirer que les paysans desirable for peasants to have
possédassent parfaitement certain rules of hygiene, the
certaines règles d'hygiène dont application of which would
l'application les préserverait de prevent many diseases and
beaucoup de maladies et leur avoid the risk of placing them
éviterait l'occasion de se mettre in the hands of snake oil
entre les mains des marchands salesmen and their various evil
d'onguents contre tous les deeds.
maux.
Un de nos grands praticiens One of our great
l'a dit: « La richesse du pauvre, practitioners said, “The wealth
c'est la propreté. » of the poor is cleanliness.”
Je voudrais que nos I would like our countrymen
campagnards songeassent à to consider this maxim.
méditer cette maxime. La Cleanliness is the sister of good
propreté est la sœur de la health. It must reign
santé : elle doit régner partout, everywhere, in man and around
chez l'homme et autour de him.
l'homme.

Il faut que le corps soit The body must be kept

propre, mais il faut que les clean, but also the clothes, the
vêtements ; le linge et la main linen and the hands should be
son le soient aussi. clean.
Je vois, avec regret, I see, with regret, many of
beaucoup de nos voisins our neighbors have piles of
amonceler auprès de leurs garbage near their homes.
maisons des tas d'ordures.
C'est une mauvaise chose, il This is a bad habit - filthy
s'exhale de ces immondices des deleterious gases emerge from
gaz délétères qui peuvent faire these piles which can cause
naître et propager des maladies and spread contagious
contagieuses. diseases.
Tous les rebuts de la ferme Any farm scraps that cannot
qui ne peuvent être employés be used as fertilizer must be
comme engrais doivent être carefully burned, dead animals
soigneusement brûlés, les must be buried deeply and not
animaux morts doivent être abandoned on the roadside, as
profondément enfouis et non is commonly done in the
pas abandonnés à la voirie countryside.
comme on le fait
communément.
La question de la nourriture The question of food must
doit aussi être l'objet d'une vive also be the subject of great
attention. Il faut manger peu et attention. It is necessary to eat
à heures fixes ; manger quand little and at fixed times. To eat
on a le temps et prendre when you have time and to
beaucoup de nourriture, sous consumer too much, under the
prétexte qu'on en prend pour pretext that it takes longer, is a
plus longtemps, est une habit that can become harmful.
habitude qui, peut devenir
nuisible.
L'estomac est une machine The stomach is a well-
bien organisée, sans doute, organized machine, without
mais elle se détraque doubt, but it breaks easily; it
facilement ; il lui faut un régime needs a strict diet. To have too
sévère ; lui donner trop ou trop much or too little food induces
peu de nourriture la lui donner irregularity in digestion, which
irrégulièrement, c'est compromises the order of its
compromettre l'ordre de ses functions.
fonctions.
On gagne à ce système une We can gain from this
terrible affection qui s'appelle la approach a terrible affliction
gastrite. called gastritis.
Il faut manger peu de One must eat a little meat,
viande, mais il faut en manger. but it must be digested. Meat
La viande donne au sang et aux gives blood and muscles the
muscles la force nécessaire aux strength needed for field work.
travaux des champs. Les Plant foods must be intelligently
aliments végétaux doivent être combined with meat in the
intelligemment combinés avec ordinary course of daily meals.
la viande dans l'ordinaire de la They can be taken in fairly
journée. On peut les prendre large quantities, avoiding as
par quantités assez grandes, en much as possible the acidic
évitant autant que possible de foods which can be dangerous.
faire abus de ceux que leur
acidité peut rendre dangereux.
Les fruits sont bons, à la Fruits are good, provided
condition d'être mangés en they are eaten when ripe. They
pleine maturité ; ils refresh moderately, when eaten
rafraîchissent pris modérément, too often, they overload the
quand on en mangé trop ; ils stomach and weaken the bodily
chargent l'estomac et economy.
affaiblissent l'économie.
Tous ces principes, je te All these principles, I would
sais, ne peuvent être grant, cannot be regularly
régulièrement appliqués par les applied by the poor people who
pauvres gens qui prennent ce take what God gives them; but
que Dieu leur donne ; mais il it is good to know them and
est bon de les connaître et de conform to them as far as
s'y conformer autant que possible.
possible.
Les vêtements des Country clothes should be
campagnards doivent être loose to facilitate body
larges, afin de faciliter les movements. It is necessary to
mouvements du corps. Il faut avoid choking the neck,
éviter de se serrer trop le cou, because this causes frequent
à cause des congestions congestion, especially during
fréquentes, surtout pendant la the heat.
chaleur.
Les habits d'été sont bons Canvas is good for summer
en toile, et meilleurs en laine war, and light wool even better.
légère. Au soleil, la laine laisse In the sun, wool lets in less
passer moins de chaleur que la heat than canvas, and although
toile, et quoique plus lourde, it is heaver, it is less warm.
elle tient moins chaud.
Le coton doit être préféré au Cotton should be preferred
fil pour le linge de corps, parce closer to the skin, because it
qu'il absorbe mieux la sueur et absorbs sweat better and keeps
conserve à la peau une chaleur the skin warmer than usual.
plus normale.
Dans l'hiver, il faut craindre In winter, it is necessary to
de rester dans un appartement avoid staying in an apartment
trop chauffé ; il faut craindre that is too hot. Do not go
surtout d'en sortir sans outside without increased
augmenter le nombre de ses layers of clothing.
vêtements.
C'est plutôt à l'exercice It is better to prefer exercise
qu'au feu qu'on doit demander over fire as a remedy against
un remède contre le froid. La the cold. Natural warmth is the
chaleur naturelle est la best; that of fire, especially that
meilleure ; celle du feu, surtout from cast iron stoves, dries the
celle des poêles en fonte, skin, irritates the nervous
dessèche la peau, irrite le system and sometimes causes
système nerveux et cause violent headaches.
parfois de violents maux de
tête.
Pendant les jours During the hot days, when
caniculaires, lorsque le travail one is covered in sweat from
des champs couvre les field work, one must carefully
membres d'une sueur refrain from the shade of
abondante, on doit s'abstenir walnut trees and certain other
avec soin de l'ombre des noyers trees whose foliage keeps an
et de certains autres arbres unhealthy and sometimes
dont le feuillage garde une mortal freshness.
fraîcheur malsaine et parfois
mortelle.
Il vaut mieux laisser la sueur It is better to let sweat
se vaporiser lentement. slowly vaporize.
Boire frais quand on a très Drinking fresh water when
chaud est également nuisible ; one is very hot is also harmful;
quand la soif est trop ardente, il when one is very thirsty, it is
est bon de tremper ses mains better to dip one’s hands in
dans l'eau, et si on le peut, de water, and if one can, take a
prendre un bain. bath.
L'eau entre alors dans le The water then enters the
corps par tous les pores, qui body through the pores, which
sont autant de petites bouches, are like many small moths, and
et la soif disparaît sans qu'il soit the thirst disappears without
nécessaire de se charger having to load the stomach
l'estomac d'une quantité de with a quantity of liquid which
liquide qu'il a de la peine à cannot be digested without
contenir sans fatigue. fatigue.
Tels sont à peu près les Such are the principles
principes que je voudrais voir which I would like to see
graver dans l'esprit de tous nos engraved on the minds of our
paysans. peasants.
Mais ce ne sont là que des But these are just preventive
moyens préventifs. approaches.
Quand une maladie se When an illness occurs, do
déclare, il ne faut pas attendre not wait for possible
une aggravation possible pour aggravation before claiming the
réclamer les soins du médecin. care of a doctor. Those who, by
Ceux qui, par économie, economy, procrastinate, or
atermoient, ou que par ignorantly apply old wives’
ignorance appliquent des remedies, which we spoke of a
remèdes de bonne femme dont moment ago, lose more money
nous parlions tout à l'heure, than they save, because the
ceux-là perdent plus d'argent worse the disease becomes,
qu'ils n'en épargnent, car plus the more expensive it is to
la maladie empire, plus elle treat.
coûte cher à soigner.
A ces soins purement To this purely material care,
matériels, j'en voudrais joindre I would like to add others, if I
d'autres, si j'étais libre were free to arrange the affairs
d'arranger à mon gré les of this world at my pleasure. I
affaires de ce monde. Je would like to take care of the
voudrais m'occuper de l'esprit mind as well as the body, of the
aussi bien que du corps, de intelligence as well as that of
l'intelligence aussi bien que de the health.
la santé.
De nos jours, il est peu de Nowadays, there are few
communes qui n'aient un communities who do have a
instituteur. Grâce aux lois schoolmaster. Thanks to the
actuelles, l'instruction tend à se current laws, the instruction
généraliser ; eh bien, à mon tends to be generalized. Well,
sens, on trouve encore trop de in my opinion, we still find too
paysans qui refusent les many peasants who refuse the
bienfaits de cette instruction benefits of this instruction
qui leur est si libéralement which is so freely offered to
offerte. them.
L'enfant est envoyé à l'école The child is sent quite
assez volontiers tant que ses willingly to the school as long
petits bras sont encore trop as his little arms are too feeble
faibles pour manier la brouette to handle the wheelbarrow or
ou le râteau ; mais, dès qu'il the rake, but as soon as he
atteint 10 ou 12 ans, on coupe reaches the age of ten or
court à son éducation pour twelves, his education is cut
l'envoyer au champ avec les short and he is sent to the
hommes ; qu'il sache lire ou fields with the men, whether he
non peu importe. Ce qu'on voit can read or not. What we see
en lui, avant tout, c'est un in him, above all else, is
auxiliaire de plus. another menial helper.
Je n'aime pas ces tendances I do not like these
: outre qu'elles accusent un tendencies – besides the fact
égoïsme peu excusable ; elles that they lead to a selfishness
sont contraires aux intérêts du that cannot be excused, they
cultivateur. S'il considère are contrary to the interests of
l'instruction primaire comme the farmer. If he considers
inutile, ou du moins comme primary instruction as useless,
indifférente à ses intérêts, il aor at least as indifferent to his
tort et grandement tort. interests, he is wrong, and
greatly misled.
Il faut qu'un homme, dût-il A man, even if he must push
pousser la charrue toute sa vie, the plow all his life, should be
sache au moins lire, écrire et able to at least read, write and
compter. count.
Ces trois notions lui These three notions will
inspireront le désir d'en inspire in him the desire to
acquérir de nouvelles. acquire new ones.
Pendant les loisirs que lui During the leisure his labors
laisse son labeur, un esprit grant him, his spirit will find a
trouvera un aliment sérieux : il serious repast – he will go less
ira moins au cabaret et sa to the cabaret and his purse
bourse s'en trouvera mieux ; il will be heavier. He will read
lira de temps en temps from time to time some simple
quelques livres simples books appropriate to his
appropriés à sa nature, qui lui nature. Which will give him
donneront d'utiles useful lessons on the things he
enseignements sur les choses ought to know. He will be able
qu'il doit savoir ; il saura to calculate more exactly the
calculer plus exactement le yield of his lands, and on these
rendement de ses terres, et sur calculations, he will base more
ces calculs, il basera des productive enterprises.
entreprises plus productives.
Enfin, il se moralisera, car je Finally, it builds morale,
ne crois pas à cette honnêteté because I do not believe in this
que certaines gens font résider honesty that some people claim
dans l'ignorance absolue de resides in the absolute
toutes choses. ignorance of everything.
— Il y a peut-être une “There may be a good
bonne raison qui empêche le reason which prevents the
cultivateur de faire donner à farmers from giving his children
ses enfants une éducation a higher education,” objected
élevée, objecta Claude Michu, Claude Michu, “because he
c'est qu'il craint d'être dédaigné fears he will be disdained by
par eux, lorsqu'ils se trouvent them when they are more
plus savants que lui. learned than him.”
— C'est vrai, il est de “True, there are evil spirits
mauvais esprits et de mauvais and bad hearts who blush at
cœurs qui rougissent de the ignorance of their parents,
l'ignorance de leurs parents : but the remedy is easy against
mais contre ceux-là le remède them.”
est facile.
En voici un exemple : J'ai un To take one example – I
ami du nom de Guillaume have a friend named William
Hervieux, son père était un Hervieux. His father was a rich
riche propriétaire des environs proprietor near Marseilles.
de Marseille. N'ayant reçu Having received only a limited
qu'une instruction insuffisante, education, this good man said
ce brave homme s'était dit que to himself that his son, who
son fils, envoyé régulièrement à went to school regularly would
l'école pourrait plus tard be an able assistant to him in
devenir pour lui un utile the future.
auxiliaire.
Dans ce but, il s'imposa des For this purpose, he imposed
sacrifices et le plaça dans une sacrifices on himself and placed
des bonnes pensions de la ville. him in one of the good hostels
Au bout de trois ans l'enfant of the city. In three years, the
était un élève fort distingué. child was a very distinguished
student.
Ses maîtres engagèrent His masters urged Hervieux
Hervieux à pousser plus loin to push his education further.
son instruction. Le fermier The farmer did not hesitate,
n'hésita pas, malgré le blâme despite the ridicule of his
de ses amis. friends.
Quand Guillaume revint pour When William returned for
la seconde fois, il se mit de bon the second time, he set himself
cœur à l'ouvrage de la maison ; heartily to the work of the
mais un jour, Hervieux ayant house, but one day, Hervieux
voulu l'envoyer au marché, wanted to send him to the
vendre deux bœufs, il se market to sell two oxen, he
révolta contre cette exigence. revolted against this demand.
Tu refuses, dit sévèrement le “You refuse?” asked the
fermier ? farmer sternly.
Oui, mon père, vous ne “Yes, my father, you have
m'avez pas fait si bien instruire, not educated me so well, to
pour faire de moi un meneur de make me a leader of oxen.”
bœufs.
Le père ne répondit pas, The father did not respond,
mais quand Guillaume voulut se but when William wanted to get
lever le lendemain, il trouva, au up the next day, he found, in
lieu de ses habits de la veille, place of his clothes from the
une méchante blouse, un night before, a nasty shirt,
pantalon de toile et des sabots. canvas trousers and clogs.
A partir de ce jour, prononça “From today,” announced
Hervieux, je ne veux pas Hervieux, “I do not want to
nourrir une bouche inutile : si feed a useless mouth. If you
tu veux manger, tu gagneras want to eat, earn your bread.
ton pain. Mon garçon de labour My workman left me yesterday,
m'a quitté hier, je te donne sa I give you his place.”
place.
Guillaume se jeta tout William threw himself
repentant dans les bras de son repentantly in the arms of his
père. Il avait compris cette rude father. He had understood this
leçon. hard lesson.
Dès ce moment, il s'occupa From that moment on, he
de tous les travaux de la ferme, took care of all the hard work
et, grâce à ses connaissances, il of the farm, and thanks to his
en fit le domaine le plus riche knowledge, he made the estate
et le mieux tenu du the richest and best kept
département. domain in the department.
— Je profiterai de tout ce “I will take advantage of
que vous venez de me dire, everything you have taught me,
maître Morand, fit Claude Mr. Morand,” said Claude Michu,
Michu, et j'en ferai profiter mes “and I will make my children
enfants, je vous en réponds. profit by it, I promise you.”
—Tes enfants ? Il faudrait te “Your children? You should
marier d'abord. get married first.”
— C'est ce que je vais faire. “This is what I’m going to
Dans un mois, je mènerai do. In a month, I will lead
Madeleine à l'église, et si vous Madeleine to the church, and if
voulez être mon témoin, ce you will be my witness, it will
sera un grand honneur pour be a great honor to me.”
moi.
Bernard Morand promit. Bernard Morand promised
this to him.
Un mois après, Claude et One month later, Claude and
Madeleine étaient les plus Madeleine were the happiest
heureux époux de toute la couple in all Provence.
Provence.
 Que devint le vieux What became of old
Simounen ? Hélas ! la Simounen? Alas! The prediction
prédiction de Claude et de of Claude and Bernard was
Bernard se réalisa. realized.
Simounen vendit un jour à Simounen sold one of his
un cultivateur trop crédule un unbelievable remedies to a
de ses fameux remèdes qu'il lui grubby farmer one day, which
fit, par parenthèse, payer fort he was paid dearly for,
cher, en égard sans doute à la doubtless in consideration of
vertu magique qu'il lui prêtait. the magical virtue it granted
him.
La drogue était si rude et The drugs were so harsh
elle opéra si bien qu'en deux and worked so well that in two
jours le malade mourut. days, the patient died.
Simounen s'en consola, mais Simounen consoled himself,
la justice se montra moins but justice was less
philosophe : elle voulut savoir philosophical. It wanted to
la raison de l'événement, et know the reason for the event,
notre vieux berger reçut la and our old shepherd received
visite des gendarmes qu'il a visit from the police whom he
redoutait tant. dreaded so much.
On découvrit alors toutes les We then discovered all the
manœuvres auxquelles il se maneuvers which he had been
livrait depuis longues années ; engaged in for a long time. It
on sut qu'il abusait de la was known that he abused the
crédulité des gens pour les credulity of the people to
rançonner, et que ses pratiques exploit them, and that his so-
soi-disant bienfaisantes called beneficent practices left
laissaient fort à désirer sous le much to be desired in terms of
rapport de la probité. probity.
Bref ! le père Simounen fut In short! Father Simounen
condamné à plusieurs mois de was sentenced to several
détention. months in prison.
Les loisirs de la prison ont The prison activities must
dû lui inspirer des réflexions have inspired him with salutary
salutaires et le guérir pour reflections and healed him
toujours de la malencontreuse forever from the unfortunate
idée d'appliquer au pauvre idea of applying to the poor
monde les recettes world the supernatural recipes
surnaturelles du Dragon Rouge. of the Red Dragon.
INDEX
Adam, 55, 66, 145, 197, 205, 345
Adhumatis, 212, 350
Adonai, 52, 56, 61, 148, 149, 150, 151, 153, 154, 156, 157, 158,
159, 160, 161, 162, 163, 166, 173, 174, 175, 188, 195, 196, 198,
207, 243
Aeaj, 156
Agrippa, Henry Cornelius, 31, 38
Aimery, 289
Alpine Leek, 66, 210
America, iv, 39, 355
Andre, 222, 223, 224, 226, 227, 237
angel, 21, 26, 55, 66, 72, 76, 77, 116, 120, 145, 158, 160, 196, 205,
208, 303, 345
Antonio Venitiana del Rabina, 49, 146, 346
Arabic, 31
Ariel, 56, 61, 150, 151, 153, 154, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 162,
163, 174, 175, 208
arsenic, 206
Asia, 72, 169
ass, 75, 238, 239, 240, 244, 247, 248, 252, 253, 304, 305, 393
astrology, 20, 30, 31, 34, 35, 289
Baal, 90
Baalberith, 274
Beppo, 364, 365, 366, 367, 368, 369, 370, 371, 372, 373
Berbiguier, 272, 273, 279, 285
Bernard Morand, 46, 47, 250, 251, 252, 253, 259, 260, 261, 262,
267, 268, 269, 273, 278, 284, 303, 304, 321, 322, 323, 324, 325,
327, 330, 331, 332, 335, 336, 347, 348, 350, 352, 363, 373, 387,
389, 394, 396, 405, 406
Bible, 19, 25, 26, 27, 29, 42, 64
Black Hole, 221, 226, 227, 229, 231, 236, 238, 240, 244, 253, 254,
 255, 256, 258, 259, 260, 304, 332, 393
Blasting Rod, 19, 50, 63, 134, 145, 149, 152, 153, 154, 160, 161,
162, 166, 167, 173, 175, 178, 186, 238, 345
Bloodstone, 48, 52, 56
Blue Library, 40, 41, 319
Brandy, 57, 154, 157, 159
brazier, 156, 283
camphor, 57, 155, 157, 159
candle, 57, 154, 156, 186, 234, 303, 304
candlestick, 57, 154, 156
cartomancy, 317
Case Of Charles Dexter Ward, The, 62
cat, 67, 68, 90, 211, 349
Catholicism, 35, 56, 65
Cautio Criminalis, 38
Centum Regnum, 169
charcoal, 57, 157, 214, 239, 377
Charles V, 287, 300, 301
chiromancy, 317
Christian, 25, 27, 28, 35, 52, 54
Christianity, 23, 306
Christmas, 65, 200, 228
church, 27, 31, 33, 34, 35, 40, 41, 43, 57, 60, 65, 201, 291, 292,
299, 312, 313, 315, 406
Claude Michu, 46, 217, 226, 229, 235, 237, 238, 244, 245, 247, 249,
255, 256, 257, 259, 261, 262, 264, 265, 266, 269, 273, 275, 279,
285, 303, 319, 321, 322, 325, 327, 328, 330, 331, 332, 335, 341,
342, 348, 351, 352, 361, 362, 373, 389, 391, 395, 396, 403, 405
Clavicule, 53, 144, 242
Conjuration, 76, 174, 177, 187, 190
copper, 68, 206, 214, 234, 331, 332
Corpus Hermeticum, 41
Corsica, 369, 370
Crowley, Aleister, 48
dead, 20, 24, 25, 26, 27, 56, 64, 65, 141, 155, 195, 200, 201, 209,
317, 353, 369, 370, 397
demon, 19, 20, 21, 28, 29, 30, 31, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 43, 45, 46, 47,
49, 50, 51, 52, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 66, 69, 70,
74, 77, 86, 98, 100, 102, 112, 124, 127, 197, 226, 227, 228, 229,
232, 236, 239, 258, 259, 260, 272, 273, 318, 320, 329, 347, 392
demonology, 35, 37, 42, 54, 64, 74
Devil, 21, 23, 29, 30, 31, 34, 35, 36, 38, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 50, 52,
57, 59, 60, 61, 62, 67, 68, 128, 193, 209, 268, 269, 274, 278, 328,
329, 355, 384, 386
Dictionnaire Infernale, 62, 69, 73, 75, 76, 78, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 96,
99, 101, 103, 111, 112, 114, 116, 118, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124,
125
divination, 20, 34, 100, 304, 305, 306, 307, 316, 317
Dogma And Ritual Of High Magic, The, 51
dream, 20, 22, 308, 310, 311, 313, 315, 316, 319, 365
Egypt, 24, 25, 26, 54, 68
Elinas, 288
Elohim, 56, 148, 150, 151, 153, 154, 156, 157, 159, 160, 161, 162,
163, 175, 207
elves, 269, 272
Emmanuel, 62, 153, 161, 198
England, 39, 287, 355
Europe, 19, 42, 43, 68, 72, 169
Eurynome, 274
Exorcist, 94, 199
experiment, 253, 304, 325, 327, 334
fairy, 36, 40, 41, 64, 284, 285, 286, 288, 291, 295
Fountain of Thirst, 291, 292, 296
France, 20, 39, 67, 314
Beaumont-la-Ronce, 374, 378
Berri, 287, 300, 301
 Bretigny, 287
Brittany, 294, 295, 296
French Revolution, 32
Lorraine, 37
Lusignan, 287, 288, 289, 296, 300
Paris, 272, 352, 355, 358, 390
Poitiers, 289, 291, 293, 294, 296, 297
Poitou, 287, 300
Provence, 217, 220, 221, 265, 271, 285, 406
Rouziers, 375
French, iv, 19, 32, 42, 44, 45, 50, 55, 131, 287, 347
Germany, 39, 42, 67, 303
Gnome, 60, 173
goat, 43, 47, 50, 53, 62, 68, 74, 150, 151, 274, 347
goblin, 269, 272
God, 19, 23, 24, 29, 34, 43, 49, 52, 57, 58, 60, 61, 62, 65, 90, 145,
158, 160, 161, 162, 170, 172, 175, 188, 192, 194, 195, 197, 209,
223, 224, 225, 242, 260, 281, 295, 303, 304, 322, 345, 347, 362,
363, 369, 373, 382, 395, 399
Goddess, 24, 29, 54, 274
gold, 54, 57, 59, 60, 157, 165, 167, 206, 224, 226, 248, 271, 277,
334, 383
Golden Dawn, 48, 68
Greece, 19, 23, 24, 43, 50, 54, 56
Grimoire, 19, 30, 31, 32, 33, 35, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47,
48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 62, 63, 66, 72, 79, 124
Armadel, 48
Black Hen, 43, 44
Echiridion, 41
Grand Albert, 30, 41
Grand Grimoire, iv, 19, 29, 32, 37, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 46, 47, 48,
49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 55, 56, 57, 59, 60, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 68, 69,
70, 71, 72, 76, 88, 90, 92, 94, 96, 98, 100, 102, 104, 106, 108,
 110, 116, 118, 120, 122, 124, 126, 128, 129, 130, 131, 134,
135, 136,137, 138, 139, 141, 216, 237, 240, 241, 255, 261, 268,
269, 303, 304, 341, 342, 343, 344, 350, 390, 407
Grimorium Verum, 32, 42, 51, 53, 79, 81, 83, 85
Honorius, 31, 41, 79
Key Of Solomon, 28, 41, 48, 61, 69, 74, 76, 81, 90, 106, 163, 188,
243
Petit Albert, 30, 66
Gum Arabic, 68, 214, 215
gypsy, 366, 373
Hand Of Glory, 41, 88, 179, 185
Hazel, 54, 152, 186, 207
health, 20, 25, 36, 52, 102, 397, 401
Heaven, 304
Hebrew, 19, 49, 50
Hecate, 24
Heka, 24
heliotrope, 52
Hell, 66, 76, 114, 203
herb, 132
Herb Of Nine Shirts, 66, 348
Hermes, 24
Holy Ghost, 158, 160, 162, 172, 194, 196, 208
Holy Kingdom, 62, 178
human, 31, 47, 53, 68, 94, 98, 110, 118, 161, 188, 213, 242, 270,
272, 301, 302, 306, 342, 355
Iamblichus, 58
incense, 57, 157, 159, 170
ink, 68, 213, 214, 324, 333, 334
Inquisition, 33, 35, 36, 39
Invocation, 19, 160, 161, 162, 163, 166, 242
Isis, 24, 54
Islam, 23, 28
Israel, 26, 28
Italian, 19, 25, 42, 44, 49, 50, 54, 130
Italy, 67
Jean d’Arras, 285, 287, 289, 301, 302
Jehan, 221, 222, 223, 224, 225
Jehovah, 29, 56, 61, 148, 150, 151, 153, 154, 156, 157, 158, 159,
160, 161, 162, 163, 174, 175
Jesus Christ, 43, 54, 56, 57, 153, 156, 187, 194, 195, 208, 209
Jew, 28, 49
JHS, 56, 156
Josselin, 294, 295
Kabbalistic Circle, 45, 50, 56, 57, 60, 61, 62, 151, 155, 156, 157,
167, 173, 174, 178, 194, 221, 292, 305, 306, 352
Karcist, 50, 56, 57, 59, 60, 61, 149, 156, 157, 173, 174
Latin, 19, 25, 31, 50, 53, 55, 57, 58, 64, 200
law, 25, 27, 319, 371, 387, 393, 396
Leonard, 274
leprechaun, 269, 272, 277, 278, 280, 283, 284, 285
Levi, Éliphas, 51, 62
Lihoreau, 375, 379, 381, 382, 386
Lilith, 274
lottery, 141, 208
love, 20, 22, 30, 31, 54, 63, 66, 188, 209, 210, 229, 265, 267, 268,
285, 289, 294, 295, 303, 348, 370
Lovecraft, H P, 62
Loyau, 374, 375, 376, 377, 378, 381, 382, 383, 385, 386, 387
Lucan, 20
Madeleine, 221, 226, 227, 229, 264, 265, 266, 267, 303, 405, 406
Magic, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 33, 34, 35,
36, 37, 39, 42, 44, 45, 46, 48, 49, 50, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 60, 67,
68, 77, 303, 318, 320, 330, 365, 395
Black Magic, 19, 21, 22, 25, 41, 66
White Magic, 21, 22, 41
Magical Secret, 200
Magician, 19, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 28, 31, 33, 38, 46, 48, 49, 50, 51,
52, 57, 60, 63, 68, 76, 77, 100, 106, 247, 271, 275
magnetism, 335, 336
Malleus Maleficarum, 35, 38
marjoram, 210
Martin Luther, 42
Mathon, 158, 159, 160, 161, 163, 209
Melusine, 284, 285, 286, 287, 288, 289, 291, 293, 294, 295, 296,
297, 298, 299, 302
men, 20, 22, 28, 37, 39, 45, 51, 58, 64, 65, 68, 94, 96, 108, 116,
120, 147, 161, 179, 197, 201, 217, 223, 229, 231, 236, 268, 285,
292, 323, 336, 361, 389, 402
Mephistopheles, 50
Mercury, 24
mermaid, 269, 271
metal, 57, 157, 325, 326, 330
Metatron, 207
Michael Psellus, 58
Middle Ages, 19, 28, 30, 271, 302
mistletoe, 234
Moses, 25, 26, 28, 55, 153, 207
Mother Goose, 278
mrytle, 210
mummy, 68, 213
N.N. , 62, 63, 189, 190, 191
nail, 21, 56, 155, 156
necromancy, 64, 65, 395
nickar, 271, 272
Nicolas Rémy, 37
occultism, 143, 344
Odysseus, 64
Odyssey, 64
Operator, 56, 156, 157, 173, 174
Osiris, 24
pact, 19, 44, 50, 51, 59, 60, 63, 68, 70, 86, 129, 177, 178, 179, 180,
186, 187, 189, 191, 213, 242, 243
Paganism, 39
Pan, 43
parchment, 60, 167, 173, 190, 208, 214
Perrault, Charles, 285
Persia, 22, 23
Magush, 22
Zoroaster, 22, 23
Perssine, 288
pharmacist, 46, 250, 251, 254, 261, 262, 267, 275, 278, 285, 321,
324, 328, 329, 331, 347, 352, 389, 390
Pharsalia, 20
Picatrix, 31
Pliny the Elder, 23, 54, 68
Pluto, 274
Pope, 31, 34, 35, 40, 41, 79, 274
Alexander VI, 33
Boniface VIII, 33
Gregory IX, 34, 35
Gregory VII, 33
Innocent VIII, 34
Leo X, 40
Paul III, 40
Sixtus IV, 35
Sixtus V, 35
Praestigiis Daemonum Et Incantationibus Ac Venificiius, 38
prayer, 29, 45, 63, 64, 65, 148, 157, 159, 192, 193, 194, 202, 208
priest, 23, 60, 64, 65, 200
Prosperine, 274
Protestantism, 42
Raimondin, 289, 290, 291, 292, 293, 294, 295, 296, 297, 298, 299
Red Dragon, 32, See Grand Grimoire
Religion, 24, 29, 33, 35, 39, 49, 52, 268
Robville, 46, 47, 216
Rock Alum, 68, 214
Rome, 25, 31, 299
Decemviri, 25
rooster, 45, 306
Roquebrune, 364, 370
Sabbath, 34, 36, 227
sacrifice, 22, 44, 45, 50, 52, 62, 64, 67, 68, 239, 306, 404
salt, 283, 306
Sanctum Regnum, 50, 53, 62, 177, 178
science, 20, 21, 24, 35, 46, 47, 143, 147, 237, 238, 252, 253, 262,
267, 296, 297, 305, 319, 320, 321, 343, 350, 351, 378, 379
Scot, Reginald, 64
Scotland, 39
Scott, Sir Walter, 19
seal, 69, 70, 72, 74, 76, 79, 81, 83, 85, 88, 90, 92, 94, 96, 98, 100,
102, 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, 120, 122, 124, 126,
282
second sight, 335, 336, 337, 340, 341
Semiphoras, 207
Seneca, 25
Set, 24
shamanism, 22
shepherd, 46, 47, 220, 221, 228, 229, 231, 234, 236, 247, 249, 262,
342, 391, 393, 394, 395, 406
Simounen, 46, 47, 220, 221, 226, 228, 229, 230, 233, 234, 235,
236, 237, 238, 240, 241, 244, 245, 246, 247, 248, 251, 252, 256,
260, 261, 262, 310, 316, 319, 327, 341, 342, 350, 352, 387, 391,
392, 393, 394, 395, 396, 406, 407
Solomon, 19, 28, 29, 32, 48, 53, 57, 62, 63, 66, 68, 144, 179, 192,
 197, 198, 215, 242, 344
Sorcerer, 19, 21, 33, 34, 36, 37, 46, 51, 53, 55, 56, 57, 59, 60, 61,
62, 63, 65, 66, 67, 200, 220, 227, 230, 231, 235, 237, 238, 240,
244, 245, 252, 255, 260, 261, 307, 310, 317, 319, 352, 358, 374
spell, 19, 25, 28, 34, 37, 38, 54, 66, 67, 68, 219, 252, 299
Spirit, 21, 22, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 32, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 49, 50, 52,
53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 67, 68, 69, 70, 76,
77, 79, 81, 83, 85, 88, 92, 106, 110, 118, 122, 141, 142, 144, 145,
147, 148, 149, 150, 156, 157, 160, 162, 163, 164, 165,166, 168,
172, 173, 174, 177, 178, 179, 180, 181, 182, 183, 184, 185, 186,
187, 188, 189, 190, 191, 192, 193, 194, 195, 197, 198, 202, 209,
211, 213, 219, 226, 227, 238, 239, 242, 243, 258, 259, 262, 264,
268, 269, 270, 272, 273, 275, 284, 285, 303, 318, 319, 328, 343,
344, 345, 347, 349, 353, 354, 357, 358, 359, 360, 362, 366, 373,
403
Aamon, 79, 98, 99, 181, 182, 184
Abigor, 83, 112, 113, 181, 182, 184
Agares, 93, 181, 182, 183
Agliarept, 81, 82, 102, 104, 106
Astaroth, 29, 32, 42, 56, 63, 75, 76, 77, 78, 85, 126, 127, 161,
162, 180, 187, 242
Bael, 91, 182, 183
Barbatos, 79, 100, 101, 181, 182, 184
Bathim, 83, 108, 109, 181, 182, 184
Belzebuth, 29, 32, 42, 56, 63, 74, 75, 83, 126, 242, 274
Botis, 81, 106, 107, 181, 182, 184
Buer, 102, 103, 181, 182
Fleurety, 69, 83, 84, 108, 110, 112, 181, 182, 184
Glasyabolas, 88, 124, 181, 182, 185
Gusoyn, 104, 105, 181, 182
Ipos, 88, 120, 181, 182, 185
Loray, 85, 114, 115, 181, 182, 184, 185
Lucifer, 32, 42, 56, 58, 63, 70, 72, 73, 79, 81, 126, 127, 160, 161,
 162, 169, 174, 180, 183, 187, 240, 242
Lucifuge Rofocale, 19, 32, 43, 44, 47, 48, 50, 52, 55, 58, 59, 63,
70, 71, 72, 90, 92, 94, 128, 129, 130, 160, 164, 165, 167, 168,
181, 182, 183, 187, 188, 189, 190, 191, 192, 214, 242
Marax, 85, 118, 182, 185
Marbas, 95, 181, 182, 183
Naberus, 88, 122, 124, 181, 182, 185
Nebiros, 88, 89, 122, 124, 181, 182, 185
Pruslas, 61, 69, 79, 96, 97, 181, 182, 184
Purson, 83, 110, 111, 181, 182
Sargatanas, 85, 86, 87, 114, 116, 118, 120, 181, 182, 184
Satan, 33, 43, 74, 274
Satanachia, 79, 80, 96, 98, 100, 181, 182, 184
Valefar, 85, 116, 117, 181, 182, 184, 185
Zariatnatmik, 62, 153, 163
Spiritualism, 353, 355, 358, 360
Spiritualist, 353
St. Cyprian, 32, 43, 142, 343
St. John The Baptist, 209, 210, 213, 217, 228, 239, 244, 247, 255,
386
Switzerland, 39, 67
Tagla, 158, 159, 160, 161, 163
Tarot, 45
Tetragrammaton, 198, 210
Thoth, 24
tobacco, 210, 282, 283
Transcendental Magic, 62
treve, 269, 271
Triangle Of Pacts, 56, 57, 60, 135, 136, 156, 186, 191, 240
Universal Dictionary, 20
Urbain Grandier, 60, 127, 129, 318
vampire, 269, 271, 272
verbena. See Vervain
Vervain, 53, 54, 57, 68, 133, 150, 154, 156, 210, 213, 240
Von Langenfeld, Fredrich Spee, 38, 39
Waite, A.E., 48
walnut, 210, 400
Wand, 24, 45, 46, 48, 54, 55, 56, 57, 59, 152, 238
water dragon, 271
werewolf, 36, 269, 275
Wier, Johann, 38
will-o'-the-wisp, 270
Witch, 19, 20, 24, 25, 26, 27, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 42, 43, 49, 54,
64, 67, 277, 285, 318
Witch Hunt, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 42, 43
Witchcraft, 19, 24, 25, 26, 34, 35, 37, 38, 42, 64, 277, 285, 318
Wizard, 275
wolf, 67, 68, 75, 98, 212, 222, 272, 276, 350
women, 20, 27, 39, 51, 63, 67, 79, 148, 179, 180, 184, 210, 212,
217, 220, 264, 271, 275, 277, 284, 294, 297, 298, 299, 300, 301,
366, 367, 371, 387
About the Authors
Aaman Lamba is a researcher, occultist and student of magic,
astrology and philosophy, as well as a computer science professional.
His articles have been published in leading newspapers. He was the
editor and publisher of an online magazine. He lives in Virginia and
has had a passion for French ever since high school. He is currently
working on additional translations of texts that deserve greater
attention as well as a book on ways of engaging with the world for
solitary magicians.
Arundell Overman is a 20-year practicing magician, who went
through all the grades of the Golden Dawn order and built a vault of
the Adepti. He has experience in Yoga, Toltec, Taoist, Ninja, and
Witchcraft arts, and his specialty is the Grimoires known as the
Lesser Key of Solomon, The Grand Grimoire, and the Grimorium
Verum. He worked the Lesser Key in the traditional manner for 20
years before founding the Ordo Al Ghoul system of magic