THE INCANTATION OF CIRCE

BY PHILOTHEUS

GIORDANO BRUNO OF NOLA

Organized for that practice of memory which he himself calls "Judicial."

Giordano Bruno (1548–1600) was an Italian friar, philosopher, and occultist. The "Incantation of Circe" uses the myth of the sorceress Circe to explore the transformation of the human mind. The "Judicial" memory refers to Bruno's complex system of mnemonics, which he believed allowed one to organize all human knowledge and exercise better judgment.

TO THE MOST HIGH PRINCE HENRY OF ANGOULÊME
Great Prior of France, Governor for the King in Provence, etc.
Henri d'Angoulême (1551–1586) was the legitimized son of King Henry II of France and a significant patron of scholars during the French Renaissance.

An ornate woodcut printer's mark features two figures flanking a central emblem. A hand emerges from a cloud holding a staff topped with three crowns. A banner across the center reads: "This is the labor" original: "HIC LABOR", emphasizing the intellectual effort required to master the arts described within.

Library reference: Res. p. Z. 1347 This is a modern library shelfmark or cataloguing entry often found on historical title pages.

PARIS,
At the house of Gilles Gilles, on the street of Saint John of the Lateran, at the sign of the three crowns.
1582.