"I conjure thee, O BOOK to be useful and profitable unto all those who shall read thee for success in their affairs." Conjuration for the Book, Grimoire of Pope Honorius
The Grimoire of Pope Honorius is the first and most important of the French 'black magic' grimoires which proliferated across Europe in the 17th-19th centuries. Combining a grimoire of conjurations to demons of the four directions and seven days of the week with a Book of Secrets full of simple charms, the Grimoire of Pope Honorius was second only to the Key of Solomon in the influence it exerted on magicians, charmers and cunning-folk in both rural and urban France. This grimoire also played a role in social events which rocked France, being used in the Affair of the Poisons which scandalised the French royal court in 1679, and by the young priest who assassinated the archbishop of Paris in 1857.
The Complete Grimoire of Pope Honorius contains material translated from all four of the different French editions of the Grimoire of Pope Honorius, including the complete text of one manuscript version never before seen in English (Wellcome 4666), and a new translation of the later corrupted German version of 1845. All of the material and its variations found in the five different editions of the Grimoire of Pope Honorius is contained in this work, presenting the entire corpus of this grimoire in print for the first time. In addition to tracing much of the material to sources such as the Heptameron, the works of Agrippa and earlier religious texts for the first time, the derivation of much of the material into later grimoires including the Grimorium Verum, the Grand Grimoire/Red Dragon and the Black Dragon is clearly demonstrated.
As well as charms for health, wealth, sex and protection, the Grimoire of Pope Honorius also contains a substantial number of agrarian charms by the Norman magician Guidon for protecting livestock, emphasising the popular rural use of such charms until at least the 19th century. The corpus of charms comes from diverse sources, including Scot's Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584), and some like the Letter of St Anthony can be dated back to at least the 13th century.
Including numerous illustrations, and tables tracing the derivation of the material through the different editions and into other grimoires, the Complete Grimoire of Pope Honorius demonstrates the versatility and significance of this grimoire, cutting past outdated misperceptions to a viewpoint which reflects more accurately the position of the Grimoire of Pope Honorius in the development of magic since the seventeenth century.
Author Biography:
David Rankine is an author, magician, esoteric researcher and scholar whose work explores the development of the Western magical traditions through the ages. He has been writing and contributing articles to a variety of publications on the subjects close to his heart since the early 1980s. These include Heka (Egyptian magic), the Qabalah, Medieval and Renaissance magic (particularly the grimoires), modern ceremonial magic, mythology and folklore. Since 2003 he has been working with Stephen Skinner, co-writing and producing the highly acclaimed Sourceworks of Ceremonial Magic series. These books make available previously unpublished manuscripts and Grimoires of great significance to the development of modern magic, and have opened the field of study regarding the development of magick in the last thousand years. David actively promotes the propagation of rare texts and source documents, and is a member of both Societas Magica and ESSWE (European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism). David has contributed numerous articles to esoteric publications such as The Watkins Review, Skoob Occult Review, Nuit-Isis, Celtic Dawn, Chaos International, Witchcraft & Wicca, Pagan Dawn, Talking Stick. During the period 2002-04 he contributed around 300 articles to the D'Agostini international part-work Enhancing Your Mind Body Spirit. His contributions to this very successful worldwide publication included articles and entire sections on Crystals, Healing, Chakras, Qabalah, Shamanism, Ancient Egyptian Magick, Alchemy and Angels. Since the early 1980s David has facilitated hundreds of workshops, lectures, and presentations throughout the UK and Europe, concentrating on the subjects he is passionate about - including the Grimoire Tradition, Qabalah, Angelic Magic, Egyptian and Celtic Mythology and spirituality. David has appeared on many television and radio programs over the years. His work and interviews with him have featured in numerous publications including The Guardian, The Sunday Times, TIME OUT, Alternative London and many others. More recently he was interviewed for That's Weird on Glastonbury Radio about the Qabalah (1 hour program, syndicated worldwide) and BBC Radio London on the Tarot and Dr Rudd's Goetia. He has also featured on television programs on Channel 4, Channel 5, ITV, BBC and Sky. David was raised in Singapore and Wales, two countries steeped in very different mythical and magical traditions. Paul Harry Barron is a linguist, whose knowledge and interest in practical Qabalah developed out of an early interest in Jewish spirituality, magic and holistic healing. He is the translator of The Book of Gold (2010) and The Complete Grimoire of Pope Honorius (2013). In 2010 his Mini-Cwrs Esperanto was the first Esperanto textbook to be published in the Welsh language. He is a qualified Acupuncturist and practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) who lives and works in Wales.
