The Mysteries of Necromancy
Sir David Brewster in his letters on Natural Magic, quotes the following strange story from the memoirs of the celebrated Florentine artist, Benvenuto Cellini: —
“It happened,” says he, “through a variety of odd accidents, that I made the acquaintance with a Sicilian priest, who was a man of genius, and well versed in the Latin and Creek authors. Happening one day to have some conversation with him when the subject turned upon the art of necromancy, I who had a great desire to know something of the matter, told him. that I had all my life felt a curiosity to be acquainted with the mysteries of this art.
The priest made answer, ‘That the man must be of resolute and steady temper who enters upon that study.’ I replied, ‘that I had fortitude and resolution enough, if I could but find an opportunity.’ The priest subjoined, ‘if you think you have the heart to venture, I will give you all the satisfaction you can desire.’ Thus we agreed to enter upon a plan of necromancy. The priest one evening prepared to satisfy me, and desired me to look out for a companion or two. I invited one Vincenzio Romoli, who was my intimate acquaintance; he brought with him a native of Pistoia, who cultivated the black art himself. We repaired to the Colosseo, and the priest, according to the custom of necromancers, began to draw circles upon the ground, with the most impressive ceremonies imaginable; he likewise brought hither assofoetida, several precious perfumes, and fire, with some compositions also, which diffused noisome odors. As soon as he was in readiness, he made an opening to the circle, and having taken us by the hand, ordered the other necromancer, his partner, to throw the perfumes into the fire at a proper time, entrusting the care of the fire and perfumes to the rest; and thus he began his incantations. The ceremony lasted above an hour and a half, when there appeared several legions of devils, insomuch that the amphitheatre was quite filled with them. I was busy about the perfumes, when the priest, perceiving there was a considerable number of infernal spirits, turned to me and said, ‘Benvenuto, ask them something.’ I answered, ‘let them bring me into the company of my Sicilian mistress Angelica.’ That night he obtained no answer of any sort; but I had received great satisfaction in having my curiosity so far indulged. The necromancer told me it was requisite we should go a second time, assuring me that I should be satisfied in whatever I asked; but that I must bring with me a pure, immaculate boy.
I took with me a youth who was in my service, of about twelve years of age, together with the same Vincenzio Romoli who had been my companion the first time, and one Agnolino Gaddi, an intimate acquaintance, whom I likewise prevailed on to assist at the ceremony. When we came to the place appointed, the priest haring made his preparations as before, with the same and even more striking ceremonies, placed us within the circle, which he had likewise drawn with a more wonderful art, and in a more solemn manner than at our former meeting. Thus having committed the care of the perfumes and the fire to my friend Vincenzio, who was assisted Agnolino Gaddi, he put into my hand a pintaculo or magical chart, and bid me turn it towards the places that he should direct me; and under the pintaculo I held the boy. The necromancer having begun to make his tremendous invocations, called by their names a multitude of demons who were the leaders of the several legions, and questioned them, by the power of the eternal uncreated God, who lives forever, in the Hebrew language, as likewise in Latin and Greek; insomuch that the amphitheatre was almost in an instant filled with demons more numerous than at the former conjuration. Vincenzio Romoli was busied in making a fire, with the assistance of Agnolino, and burning a great quantity of precious perfumes. I, by the direction of the necromancer, again desired to be in the company of my Angelica. The former thereupon turning to me said, ‘Know they have declared that in the space of a month you shall be in her company.'
He then requested me to stand resolutely by him, because the legions were now above a thousand more in number than he had designed, and besides, these were the most dangerous; so that after they had answered my question, it behooved him to be civil to them, and dismiss them quietly. At the same time the boy under the pintaculo was in a terrible fright, saying, that there were in that place a million of fierce men who threatened to destroy us; and that moreover, four armed giants of enormous stature were endeavoring to break into our circle. During this time, while the necromancer, trembling with fear, endeavoured by mild and gentle methods to dismiss them in the best wav he could Vincenzio Romoli, who quivered like an aspen leaf, took care of the perfumes. Though I was as much terrified as any of them, I did my utmost to conceal the terror I felt, so that I greatly contributed to inspire the rest with resolution; but the truth is, I gave myself over fora dead man, seeing the horrid fright the necromancer was in. The boy placed his head between his knees and said, ‘In this posture will I die, for we shall all surely perish.' I told him that all these demons were under us, and what he saw was smoke and shadow, so bid him hold up his head and take courage. No sooner did he look up than he cried out, 'the whole amphitheatre is burning, and the fire is just falling upon us.’ So covering his eyes with his hands, he again exclaimed, ‘that destruction was inevitable, and desired to see no more.’ The necromancer entreated me to have a good heart, and take care to bum proper perfumes, upon which I turned to Romoli, and bid him burn all the most precious perfumes he had. At the same time I cast my eye upon Agnolino Gaddi, who was terrified to such a degree that he could scarce distinguish objects, and seemed to be half dead. Seeing him in this condition, I said, ‘Agnolino, upon these occasions a man should not yield to fear, but should stir about and give his assistance, so come directly, and put on some of these.’ The effects of poor Agnolino’s fear were overpowering. The boy hearing a crepitation ventured once more to raise his head, when, seeing me laugh, he began to take courage and said, ‘the devils were flying away with a vengeance.’
In this condition we stayed until the bell rung for morning prayers. The boy again told us that there remained but few devils, and these were at a great distance. When the magician had performed the rest of his ceremonies, he stripped of his gown, and took up a wallet full of books which he had brought with him.
We all went out of the circle together, keeping as close to each other as we possibly could, especially the boy, who had placed himself in the middle, holding the necromancer by the coat, and me by the cloak. As we were going to our houses in the quarter of Banchi, the boy old us that two of the demons whom he had seen at the amphitheatre went on before us leaping and skipping, sometimes running upon the roofs of the houses and sometimes upon the ground. The priest declared that though he had often entered magic circles, nothing so extraordinary had ever happened to him. As we went along he would fain persuade me to assist him in consecrating a brook, from which he said, we should derive immense riches; we should then ask the demons to discover to us the various treasures with which the earth abounds, which would raise us to opulence and power, but that these love affairs were mere follies, from whence no good could be expected. I answered that I would readily have accepted his proposal if I understood Latin. He redoubled his persuasions assuring me that the knowledge of the Latin language was by no means material. He added that he could have Latin scholars enough if he had thought it worth while to look out for them, but that he could never have met with a partner in resolution and intrepid ity equal to mine, and that I should by all means follow his advice. While we were engaged in this conversation, we arrived at our respective houses, and al! that night dreamed of nothing but devils.”
Spider Amulet
Spider Amulet. — Burton notes that when at his father’s house at Lindly in Leicestershire, he “first observed an amulet of a spider in a nutshell, wrapped in silk, so applied for an ague” by his mother; and his surprise disappeared when he found “this very medicine in Dioscorides, approved by Matthiolus, repeated by Aldrovandus.”
Ashmole says, in his Diary: “I took early in the morning a good dose of elixir, and hung three spiders about my neck, and they drove my ague away. Deo gratias!” “Spiders and their webs,” says Pettigrew, “have often been recommended for the cure of the ague.”
Editor's notes
Sources
Spiritual Scientist, v. 1, No. 23, February 11, 1875, p. 272