TO THE READER

In truth, when I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child; but having become a man, I put away childish things Agrippa is quoting the Apostle Paul from 1 Corinthians 13:11, framing his earlier work on magic as a product of youthful curiosity which he later viewed through a more skeptical lens.. Indeed, in my book On the Vanity and Uncertainty of the Sciences original: "de Vanitate ac incertitudine Scientiarum", I retracted a great part of this present book. But here you may perhaps rebuke me again, saying: "Look, you wrote this as a young man and retracted it as an old man; why then have you published it?" I confess that I set out to write these books when I was very young, yet with the hope of eventually sending them out more corrected and enriched. For that reason, I first offered them for correction to Johannes Trithemius Johannes Trithemius (1462–1516), the Abbot of Sponheim, was a famous scholar, cryptographer, and occultist who served as Agrippa’s mentor., formerly the Abbot of Sponheim, a man most industrious in secret matters.

However, it happened afterward that the work was intercepted before I had put the finishing touches upon it. It began to circulate in a truncated and unpolished state through corrupt copies, flying through many hands in Italy, France, and Germany. Already, some—I know not whether through impatience or impudence—wished to subject this unformed work to the printing press. Disturbed by this single misfortune, I decided to publish it myself, thinking there would be less danger if these books came forth from my own hand somewhat more corrected, rather than being spread abroad by the hands of others in confused fragments. Furthermore, I thought it no sin to ensure that the specimen of my youth should not perish.

We have added several chapters and inserted many things that it seemed careless to omit—which the curious reader will easily detect from the unevenness of the prose itself. For we did not wish to completely renew the work or (as they say) "re-weave the entire web," but only to correct it a little and infuse it with some luster. Therefore, I ask you again, kind reader, do not judge these books based on the present time of their publication, but grant pardon to a curious youth if you find anything in them that perchance does not please you.

ERRATA

This is a list of printer's corrections. Agrippa provides the folio (page) number, line number, and the word that "should be read."

Folio 3, line 26: read are opened. 4, 16 & 19: obstinacy. 5, 41: foreign. 9, 27: to see himself. 11, 20: airy. 31: to the air. 12, 20: airy. 22: and help. 39: his. 13, 40: most famous. 17, 41: to be led forth. 18, 8: It is held. 19, 21: nearly. 36: to anyone. 37: they will finish. 28, 29: to rule over Mercury: the spleen. 30: Saturn to the virtue: the liver. 34: the nostrils. 29, 20: this. 31, 38: greenness. 33, 5: unpleasant. 6: Furthermore, deadly. 36, 8: to Saturn. 43, 39: and images. 44, 1: unity. Let them be joined. 45, 17: in the power of. 47, 23: that a man. 34: suffer miscarriage. 48, 8: fumigations of the greatest. 37: the iris. 54: join together. 59, 19: are kindled by rays. 39: or thus, it abounds. 60, 14: truth. 61, 26: sharpness. 65, 31: gaping/longing. 68: which later among. 71, 26: completed. 76, 40: smallest. 77, 31: let it designate. 37: of sleep. 40: divination. 78, 1: runs through that. 5: we shall discuss elsewhere. 82, 6: The other. 86, 29: by imaginations. 87, 21: affected. 28: from heaven. 88, 31: strong mind. 89, 4: admire. 10: himself. 36: affection. 90, 14: more related power. 92, 9: of the deity. 41: delete "and words". 93, 9: to be taken away. 94, 6: to be obtained. 26: as if. 100, 1: those which concern. 9: citadels. 102, 23: scrofula A form of tuberculosis affecting the lymph nodes.. 103, 25: they proceeded. 119, 4: part of yours. 128, 11: Jophiel An archangel in Jewish and mystical tradition.. 138, 27: certain. 142, 30: left. 146, 22: man. 148, 40: read 1225. Between. 49, 16: for "u l." read, יהוה The Tetragrammaton, the four-letter sacred name of God in Hebrew.. 156, 31: having been heard. 157, 4: But the song. 167, 3: of those surrounding. 168, 3: concavity. 169, 1: opening. 170, 18: let them be sent back. 171, 24: with sounds and. 172, 21 & 33: exaltation. 175, 19: hot. 179, 41: melancholic diseases. 180, 12: of the moon: but that face of the moon. 183, 41: excites. 185, 18: gem. 30: whose table. 191, 26: is ascribed. 28: of their own. 37: planet. 193, 22: in the bosom of the angel. 198, 9: divination. 33: to have brought forth. 38: forming. 199, 26: into a great. 200, 1: through a great affection. 3: they are. 5: concerning which. 22: or of prophecy. 202, 7: The whole which. 203, 5: corruptible. 12: perhaps. 205, 36: from the beginnings. 206, 4: bearing the sun, or we. 207, 18: changed. 208, 38: faith. 211, 34: of regeneration. 213, 9: This. 27: unworthy. 34: It is necessary. 214, 38: We are forbidden. 215, 21: by two. 40: Henina. 216, 8: they harmonize. 217, 12: and through me. 218, 35: spirits/deities. 40: men of God. 41: influence. 222, 16: the moon. 224, 22: names. 33: faith. 225, 3: whoever. 28: Ophanim A class of celestial beings in Jewish angelology, often described as "wheels.". 40: Sem. 226, 26: of the gods. 228, 9: And in another. 229, 34: delete from. 235, 20: the solidament. 239, 13: to report. 240, 16: mirrors. 246, 2: mammon. 250, 23: Just as. 251, 5: lunary. 254, 3: to the spirit. 255, 26: to those special. 40: Amnediel. 257, 24: two. 268, 17: of those yielding. 271, 34: city. 278, 4: Efficacy. 12: mud. 27: them. 41: of the one adjuring. 279, 9: wicked. 13: I will drive away. 281, 27: Speeches. 32: translated. 285: Therefore to die. 34: delete man. 289, 38: fasting. 290, 23: then soon. 30: primary cause. 291, 13: of those presiding. 292: yet with the powers. 295, 26: they receive. 296, 8: beneficent. 297, 29: having addressed. 298, 17: Midas, from. 299, 11: whatever. 301, 15: northern. 21: of the spirits/shades. 302, 34: of the Valentinians. 304, 38: of some place. 307, 2: immediately. 14: let it be joined. 33: examples. 308, 19: moves. 29: occur. 31: so that those. 309, 28: to him. 311, 8: delete and. 14: prophecies of the gods. 15: they are. 17: they pass over. 312, 34: bearing or. 314, 27: him. 315, 41: the lowest. 316, 29: Then the soul. 317, 16: Zoroaster. 28: which. 35: but well. 318, 22: pure. 319, 2: by drink. 25: of sleep. 320, 2: to be sent in. 324, 17: To this. 32: surrounds. 35: in the world. 325, 14: so that not. 335, 11: due. 337, 7: cleansed. 340, 36: waxen. 342, 15: of the burning. 344, 4: to the gods. 15: by art. 24: speech. 37: symbols. 41: you can. 348, 23: I am true. 350, 2: Gilead. 33: of hunger. 351, 17: you suddenly. 356, 3: of idolatry. 4: of rejection.