Kyranides - On the Occult Virtues of Plants, Animals & Stones

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Kyranides On the Occult Virtues of Plants, Animals & Stones Hermetic & Talismanic Magic

Renaissance Astrology Facsimile Editions

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Magical Mid Medicinal Vertuesof Stones, Herbs , Fijbes, Beajls and Birds. A

Work much fought for by the Learned, but feen by few 5 (aid to have been in the Vatican-l ibrary in Rome; but not to be found there, nor in all the Famous Libraries of the Empire. Now Publifhed and Tranllated into Engli[h from a Copy found in a private Hand.

Printed in the Year M D C L X X X V . 1

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Facsimile Editions

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Magical and Medicinal Vermes of Stotiet, Herbs , Fijhes ± Beajls and Birds. A Work much fought for by the Learned, but feen by few ; (aid to have been in the Vatie.in-I ibrary in Rome; but not to be found there, nor in all the Famous < Libraries of the Empire. Now Publilhed and Tranllated into Englipn from a Copy found in a private 1 land. Printed in the Year M D C L X X X V .

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R E A D E R. Fter diligent Searth for t;His M , having by happy s*cfcWtnt'tfttt'^i!i it , and procured it forttiuft:; finite I am minded tt> Cqttimnicltt it t o thc"Ctutious and W o r t h y , 1 (Ml give you fortie account o f the Authors, anfltneirl Work, t h e Authors are Riranvt'AiffBfr. | pocratiffft. lKiranut was Ring of Pa^.'lc which Crotvn none but Magicians c^ta-bt admitted, and*of whidh Kingdom tht fefeoui Zvroaflrcj'the firft Magitiaii, was. This wotk of his htfd ^jet^n for many Ages turnedout of1 the P t r f a h \ nto the S j r i a c ^ Arabic^ and moft E i f t e r n Tongues. H,ir.pocratit»\ as the Learned arc of opinion, was a Grkm, There Were ftvcral o f this Name. One of them wrote a L i x i c o n upon the Ten Gretk Orators. jfacob/ts Mattjjatus publiftcd hm i . with Notts and a critical Difcourfe upon A a

him)

To the Reader.

To the Reader. l>im j where he mentions feveral Harpocrations, and among the reft ours, as the Sequel " flic red to Bacchus,, becaufe it defends the will prove. He is at a mighty lofi about one Har- " Brain from Drunkennefs. But I am afraid focration-y whom Tertnllian mentions in his;"* yivrvain the Court at Magdeburg, who may'verv well JWwi' nczjlxu v ! i. e. Oh, how fhalt than U rcckoncd amoi1 become the Food of unlucky Crorei! And g the greatelt Phviiciam this of

To the Reader.

To tfie Reader. this Calojoatwc, died fomewhere in a place ia d about an hundred Years before that, been •called in Greek Crom-Neji. And theSon's n the podt flion of oneWaltherw dc VIELBF.L, in this , AM vrdn Mpthva Aoyv, i. e. CerPrapofitus S. L . by whofe Donation it belongtawly the la ft Syllable of a Word f/jall gain thee cd to David V M , Anno M . D . X X X . AtN o w ( w A j the laft Syllable f a n d the t w o l a f t ter D r . Ellenbcrgcr's Death, this T r e a f u r e (ell Letters) o f M a ^ A , that Emperor's Name to hit Son Chrifiian William &le»berprt viho figmfies Eight and T h i r t y : And he reigned fo being a Soldier, beftowed it upon a Phyfician, many years. Befides, Hiftorians write, how his Acquaintance and Friend. This Phylio ,me the G r e e k Nation was V » mightily an printed it privately 5 for neither his own, additted to Magick. And fo, i n ,11 fikeJi- nor the Printer's, nor the place's Name is hood , this Greek Interpreter muft be well printed. But h e fays, he was forced to leave skilled therein. T h e next Tranflation out o f the Univerfity, and to retire into the ConnUreet[into Latiney was made about three or trey by reafon of the Plague, of which the four hundred years fince, by one G e r a r d , a Famous Sennertus died, and he only took this moft excellent Phyfuian o f that time. Tri- curious Manufcript with him, and m his Rethemiiu firnames him Fulginas j Raphael Tola- tirement fitted it for the Prefs. It bears Ch c7\wZyr °™> b u t G e f " e r a n d t h e nioft Date M . D C . X X X V I I L SO that it feems,but a few Copies were printed, and thole privatetan nim Lremonenfis. This Latin Transition has been quoted bv ly diftributcd} one o f which with forne diffimany at ,he fecond hand. But I never me^ culty I procured. with|any thnt faw fo much as a ManufcripTo As for the B o o k , it feems to be one ot that X w t 1 1 Dr. E//enbergers

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told V ™ ) Taw it , „ Hand, w h o kept it as a pre"

m the Book with his own Hand, That he re caved this Bool^ »> Manufcnpt as a L « L f r L t? f

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at n , it 7'1? ° j the »f at Darmftad, Anno M D C . J X .

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i timber/ This Book had

fort o f Books which Men in the Atls, who ufed curious Arts, brought together, and burnt, the Price w h e r e o f being counted, was found' to be fifty thoufand pieces of Silver. But fince fuch miraculous Zeal is ceaftd, with j the reft of Miracles, this piece of Curiofity needs no more undergo Martyrdom, than Chriftians now need fell all, and live upon a common Stock, as they did in the Fourth of the

To the

Reader.

To the Reader.

th(> Mis, efpecially fince Tertullian, one of the ONIS, and by miftake fo miferably depraved. 1 iiliers, quoted it. It contains, I confeft But fincc Alberts, many learned Men of the much Curiofity in it ; but nothing to endam.' Moderns have made life of Kirani, as Gefnery mageCluiQianiry, where it is fo'firmly fetJ Aldrovandus, Balduinus Ronfieus, and others. tied : And if there be fomething th;it defervci' As for Medicines, I know no Specifick menthe S r onge, yet all ought not therefore to be! tioned by the Ancients, and very few by the obliterated^ nor muft the Child be thrown! Moderns, which he has not, belides many, away with the Bathe. But the time the Au- that are to be met with no where elfe. But thors lived m, requires fome Grains of Allow- becaufe for fome Aj»es paft, to have been a ance. And thofe hidden fpecifick Vertues of Magician, or a Wife Man, was Capital, it will things, and llrange Methods in cuiinc Difea- be necellaiy to remove fome Prejudices ref«, may atone for the Scraps o f Vanity and ceived againft Magick or Wifdom, which I Supermtion that are in the Book. 1 find that think cannot better be done, than by (hewing former impolite Ages, were ncverthelefs very what true Magick or Wifdom is, and how far curious , n Affairs of Philofophy, and in that is is confident with theHoly Sciipiures, which regard furpafled our better cultivated, and feem molt to condemn it. N o w , Magick I mote literate Age. I find a j f 0 ) t h a t „ r c a t D e . take to be a skill whi(h by a certain Power, yet fcrence was given to our Authors : Infbmuch not fupcrnatural, but created, is able to do unuthat Alberts Magvm ( w h o is quite fpoiled fual things, whoft- Caufes are beyond the common In this Definition w e by iirukilful 1 ranleriben,) quotes this very CoMprehenjion of Mvn. exclude Miracles, as fiipernaturally wrought Book, or m Tnmun Mag,cum, p. , 6 8 . there A id by excluding; is this f afluge, Magicalis cognit.o exiflit ,» by the Finger of G O D . ficciilatiorrc rationum, & ,„ fpcadatume Ltura- from it all Diabolical Co'ntraft, we mult inI'm, Jccundum quod antiquis Autionbu, exam- tend no other than M.igick purely natural, or the Skill of managing Nature by Art, to as nm&percepi, imo & ego„,et Albert us, „t in flurilm hentatem invent, & veritatem fuppono to accomplish llrange things. We know it e o m 0 \ f ) q«oab aliquo ex C H Y R A N D I S /,', was the Ambition of Knowledge that ruined ourf'irrt Parents :, but they had to do in that K &ljbro ALCHORrtT (Jr. erucre hcui) Affair with the Devil. And 1 make no doubt, Where ir , s p| ; i m enough, that it was fid bur tiny had the Knowledge of Good,before written CVIIANID1S hbro& A l U ' O C R A H thev ONIS,

To the

Reader.

To the Reader.

they talted o f the Tree o f Knowledge < as of Godlinefs, the former whereof, was, and Good and E v i l , the latter part whereof has a is called Magick. N a y , the Magi of the Eaft, molt obliterated the former in their poftcritj were more devout in following their Star, to though the former is that which wc aim ai worfhip our Saviour, than all the Nation of and which Adam undoubtedly had in his In the Jews. So that Magick (unlefs with foufe it in oppofition againd nocency. For all the Learned hold him ti rtes and Jambrajve have had an exaft Knowledge of the Vertut G O D ) is not only lawful, but commendable. But whereas Kirani undertakes to cad out, o f things before the Fall. And this Know and drive away evil Spirits by natural Means, ledge was delivered from Father to Son befbr the Flood , till Seth engraved it on Pi this is but what Tobias in the Apocrypha did by the perfualion of the Angel: For he remmbrtd lars, and fo by thofe Monuments, as well •by Noah's oral Tradition, the Poft«DiJuvi the words of Raphael, and took, coalt for ftrans were inltrufted in the fame. Abrahat fumes, and put the Heart and Liver of the Fiji) is (aid to have had skill in Aftrology. An, thereupony and made a perfume. The which fmtli the Scriptures teftifie,what skill in the Magic when the evil Spirit had fmelled, he fed into tie o f Imagination his Grand-fon Jacob had,fron utmoft parts of ./Egypt, whom the Angel bowl his pilled Rods, that he fet before the Flock* The Angel likewife told Tobias, that as for when they conceived. Mofcs is not only ac, the Gaily anoynt a Man that has Whitenefi in his counted a Magician by Heathen Writers, bui Eyes, and he Jfjall be healed. And he took, bold the Scriptures tcftific, how he was learned it of his Father, and fprinkfed of the Gall in k« all the Wildom of the JKgyptians, wherco Fathers Eyes, faying, be of good hope mj Fttktr. Magick was no fmall Share," as their Magici And when his Eyes began to pricks he rubbed tf.w] ans working Wonder for Wonder with Mo] And the Whitenefj piUed away from the cornrs of f a , a little while, prove. j bis Eyesy and then he faw his Son. Now KiWe read alfo of wife Charming in the Pfalms,! rani fo far explains the Apocrypha, as to tell us of which fort of Charming we have a Form in the Heart, the Liver and the Gall of what this Book, pug. 1 5 7. And if we fliould narrow- Fifh it is, that does thefe things. I remember, I have heard of a Phyfician, ly enquire into nil the Books of Scripture wel, 1I eminent for the cure of Lunaticks, who isfaiil might perceive, that the Authors of them were skilled in the power of Nature, as well to have ufed fuffumjgations or peifumes of fomcas

To the Reader. fomething in his Cures. And fuch you ma meet with here. You muft take notice, that in the firft Booli in the concatenation o f the Vertues c things according to the four Element s^ th Plants are analogous to Earth, Fillies to Wa ter, Birds to Air, and Stones to Fire. Fo Nature's Interpreters do afcribe miraculou Virtues to Gemmus} and without doubt tho(i efficacious and abftrufe properties defcend fron n peculiar influence of the Stars, and a bettei temperament of the Elements. And is it i great Argument i t i s f o , becaufe in theEaften Countries, where the Sun is hotteft, the bed Stones are found. And therefore Kirani a fcribes fiery Virtues to Stones, and makes ont to be under one Planet, and another undei another. But it were endleft to give an ao count of all the Rarities herein contained Therefore with Piety and Wifdom peruft thtfc four Books thenifelves. T h e Worth and Rarity whereof, I am afraid, has tempted fome dilhoneft perfbn to rob the Vatican, and other Libraries of them. But are now at length ( maugre Envy and ill W i l l , ) communicated to you, for your Benefit, Farewell.

THE

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EPISTLE D E D I C A T O R Y or THE OLD

INTERPRETER, T O TH E

Moft Prudent Mr. &c. Ra. Pa. one of themeaneft of the Clergy, Health.

I

Admire and commend the Sagacity df Y o u r Prudence, who, tho" Y o u be experienced in fuch things as are above the Nature o f our Sphere, and haveby Contemplation penetrated to things beyond the Seventh Heaven 5 yet you difdain not to look down upon the molt inferiour terrene Experiments: For Y o u lequefted me to tranflate this Phyfick Book out of the Greek into the Latine T o n g u e : a thing much more eafily faid than done. However, being B obliged

The Epifile Dedicatory

of the Old Interpreter.

Chrifli 1 1 6 8 . Indt&ione fecundk. The Boo{of Phyfical Virtues, Sympathies, and Curts, gathered out of two Books, V\7.. The Experience of Kiranides Kirani, King of the Perfians, MI! out of the Bool^ of Harpocrat ion the Alexandrian to his own Daughter. And the firfi Book of Kirani was thus, and fo we will fiippofe it was the great Gift of the Agarencs to him. He that received this Book from G 0 D, was Hermes Trifmcgifhts, well known to all men. Do not therefore deliver j t to the Ignorant, but keep it to thy felf as a great Polltflion: and let the Father, if it may fo be, deliver it only to his Children inltead of Gold for the efficacy of its Adtion, adjuring them, as facred Children, only to keep it fecret, This Book was engraven in Syriack Letters upon an Iron Pillar, in a Book indeed interpreted by me formerly. But in this Book which is called Kiranides, twenty four Stows, twenty four Fifhes , twenty four Herbs, and twenty four Birds are written of The Virtues of every one of thefe are complex and intermixt with the reft, fot the Cure, andalfo the Delight of mortal Bodies: And truly the invention or beginning is from Almighty G O D 5 for by his WifHom we obtain the Aftion of Herbs, Fifhes and Birds, and the VirThis Book therefore is tranflated at Con- tue of Stones, and the Nature of Animals and fiantinople, Manuel being Emperor, Anno wild Beafts, and moreover, the mutual perB 3 Chr/Jii mixtions

obliged by your Charity and Bounty to tnc, I could not difbbey your Commands. And bccaufe there are,as you know,divers Tranjla' tions out of the Agarene Tongue into the Greek, I have induftrioufly and faithfully followed the Greek Bdok that y o u gave m e , in all things. Neither was i willing to pafs by the very t w o Prologues, t h o ' r u g g e d , and abftrafted, as it were , from the mod ancient Titles: not fo much minding the Words, which arc of a Barbarian Sterility , as the Senfe of Utility. If therefore you find any thing altered, let it not be imputed to my Unfaithfulnefi or Ill-will, but to common Mi (lake: For there is no man fo wife, but has fome Marl^ of Foil) in bint. Y e t I would have you know, that there is among the Grecians a certain Booi{ of Alexander the Great about the feven Herbs of the (even Planetst erfbns. For Joy and Exultation, and AcBoeprr'sm ii a Bird which is callcd Kop^wpion and Union, and Conjugal Uve: And i.e. a Crow, a common Animal, and knowi twill make the Bearer chcarful and rich: to all People, living to five hundred yean tad " «s as excellent as any thing for lafctof age. is a prccious Stone, a flcn/juous and conjugal Love, which is callcd ov, i. c. All Life. B is a Sea-Lobjlcr, fo callcd from its likenefs to; 1 , r, L k K III. 1 . Bncro Act, i.e. red Tiles. Bint hi, i.e. T h e Herb! TAu-wtnh, the Herb Pe mpot S t o n e , wear it as y o u w i l l : for it is good\onceive 3 But if fhe have no mind to confor C 3 reive,

13 Book j o o k l . HARPOCRATION. cdvc, let her gild her fclf with the ope rota all uncleannefs, when it is dark heSeeds, and the Wax of a Mules Ear^ as Ion hall appear an elegant Man 5 therefore thole him, ftiall think him D i v i n e . In the as (lie pleafes. For cafic Travail: But ifthei hat tfee ime be danger in t h e Pains"of Birth, bruifeVi lay alfo whaifoevcr he f.yes, he flial! open Seed, and make it up with O y l , a n * believed in i t . And had in bed it will and anoint t h e Loyns and T w i f t , and ft hew true Villous, will bear w i t h o u t pain. To chafe array D „ .

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K I R AN

J D ES

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L h 1 1 K , V > A ;,Uaml nil Phantafms : And its R o o t i ' f u m e or in D r i n k , expels Devils and a Draconihca , the Herb Dragons. Aivf^,,^Phantafms, a n d b e i n g worn, it does the (am WTTTMS, the Bird Woodpecker. Draco, a Fijh. For 1 Miracle. T h e Eyes of the Bird Glan: \ndritk, a Tree flone. and o f the F i f h Glaucus, bruifc them with little S e a - w a t e r , and put them in a Glal Draconthea is an Herb, having S e e d like buttle. B u t it is better to dillolve the Gahe eyes of a Dragon , broad l e a v e s , is bad ofthem b o t h , and to keep it in a Glafs-bo (together. T h e Woodpecker is a Bird known tie. And wlu n you would have the Virtto all, as big as a Quail, it perfoiates Oaks, of N a t u r e t o be admired, Parchments muft Dlive trees and Nut trees, that i t may make written with t h e forefaid foft Collyrintn, an* Neft in the middle of the Wood. The in the day indeed i t will not appear 5 bOragon is a Sea lifti without fcales: A f t e r when it is dark, that which is written mi herefore that it h >s voided much, and would be read. A n d , if you pi cafe, draw any At\o over great violence, the Clouds of Heamal upon the wall, and when Night comauQo