THE RED DRAGON

O Count Astaroth! Be propitious to me, and cause that in this night, the great Lucifer may appear to me in a human form, without any bad odor, and that he may grant me, by means of the pact that I will present to him, all the riches I need. — O great Lucifuge! I pray you to leave your dwelling in whatever part of the world it may be, to come and speak to me, otherwise I will constrain you by the power of the great living God, of his dear Son and of the Holy Spirit; obey promptly or you will be eternally tormented by the power of the potent words of the great Clavicle of Solomon, which he used to force the rebellious spirits to receive his pact: thus appear as soon as possible, or I will continually torment you by the power of these potent words of the Clavicle: Agion, Tetagrain, Vaycheon stimulamatun y espares retragrammaton orgoramirion esytion existion ergona onera brasim moym messias sater Emanuel Sabaot Adonay, I adore and invoke you. original: "te adoro et invoco"

Claude Michu had the patience to spend part of the night learning this baroque formula by heart.

When he possessed it imperturbably from beginning to end, Simounen told him:

— Now, boy, you are ready; the devils of the Black Hole had better look out. Go without fear and in eight days you will be rich.

— When shall I return?

— You will return the day before Saint John's Day. You will bring me the donkey that you will have purchased and you will bring me four new twenty-franc coins. In exchange, I will give you the magic head that must open the doors of the treasure for you.

Claude Michu found the secret a little expensive. "A donkey"