INTRODUCTION.

original: "The Veritable Clavicles of Solomon." The word "clavicle" is derived from the Latin clavicula, meaning a small key.

O my son, Rehoboam! original: "Roboam" Since there is no science more useful than the knowledge of celestial movements, I have thought it my duty—being at the point of death—to leave you an inheritance more precious than all the riches I have enjoyed. In order for you to understand how I arrived at this degree of wisdom, I must tell you that one day, while I was meditating on the power of the Supreme Being, the angel of the great God appeared before me. As I was saying, "Oh, how wonderful are the works of God!" I suddenly saw, at the end of a dense, shaded grove of trees, a light in the form of a blazing star. It spoke to me with a voice of thunder: "SOLOMON, SOLOMON, do not be dismayed; the Lord is willing to satisfy your desire by giving you knowledge of whatever thing is most pleasing to you. I order you to ask of Him whatever you desire." Whereupon, recovering from my surprise, I answered the angel that, according to the will of the Lord, I only desired the gift of wisdom. By the grace of God, I obtained not only that, but also the enjoyment of all celestial meaning: heavenly or related to the stars treasures and the knowledge of all natural things.

It is by this means, my son, that I possess all the virtues and riches you see me enjoying now. So that you will be attentive to everything I am about to relate to you, and so that you will carefully remember all that I tell you, I assure you that the graces of the Great God will become familiar to you. The celestial and terrestrial meaning: earthly creatures will be obedient to you. This is a science that operates only through the strength and power of natural things and by the pure angels who govern them. I will give you the names of these angels in order, along with their specific tasks and the particular duties to which they are destined, together with the days over which they specifically preside. This is so that you may accomplish everything you find in this, my testament. I promise you success in all of this, provided that all your works tend only toward the honor of God, who has given me the power to rule not only over terrestrial but also over celestial things—that is to say, over the angels, whom I am able to command according to my will to obtain significant services from them.

First. It is necessary for you to understand that God, having made all things so they may be submitted to Him, wished to bring His works to perfection by making one creature who participates in both the divine and the terrestrial: that is to say, Man. Man's body is physical original: "gross" and earthly, while his soul is spiritual and heavenly. God has made the whole earth and its inhabitants subject to man, and has given him the means by which he may make the angels familiar meaning: to bring spirits into one's service or close acquaintance to him. I call those celestial creatures "angels" who are destined for various tasks: some to regulate the motion of the stars, others to inhabit the elements, others to aid and direct men, and