-On the virtue of herbs, stones and certain beasts, also a book of the marvels of the world.-
Well lets start of with some simple facts. This book is written somewhere between 1550-1575. Albert Magnus died in 1279.
It was originally written in Latin and then translated to English by William Copland and this is the text that the book presents.
Michael R.Best and Frank H. Brightman are the editor and translators of this Weiser edition.
The original book was published by oxford in 1973 but weiser bought the rights to it and printed a revised edition in 1999 and then later as a paperback in 2004.
So if you do an online check for this book you might find the original 16th century version BUT that one lacks all the commentary and scholarly work that really makes the weiser edition shine.
They've also cleaned up the original text from most of the "ye olde english" so it is surprisingly simple to read. Even for us foreigners.
All of this confusion is made clear in the introductory text, and they manage to give a very quick overview of similar books and include the books that this books draws inspiration from. So not only do you get a book about Medieval magic, you also get a short easy about medieval magic in general and some excellent examples of other books to study. It really is two books in one.
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So what the heck is this book then?
It is a magic treatise in 5 parts. I've seen some reviewers calling it a grimoire but it really isn't. It's much closer to a compilation of various sources and presented for the amusement of the reader. It's not meant to be taken seriously, but more to laugh and marvel over the superstition of the past.
So why should we read this then?
Unlike the Elizabethan upper class, we actually have enough knowledge to see through the text and find the deeper meaning and knowledge hidden in it. What they call superstition, I call Sympathetic magic. What they call folk lore, I call traditional witchcraft.
And this is a great manual in natural magic as it sits. But what separates this from other similar books are the commentary provided by the editors. The original text simply states the herb and it's medical properties. The commentaries fills in the planetary meaning and other details.
Very often, it also corrects the original translation, so you can be sure to get the correct information, even if the original translator was somewhat sloppy.
I personally enjoyed the herb section because unlike some books from this time it doesn't mention too many exotic plants, but concentrates more on plants, stones and animals that we Europeans are more familiar with.
The usual warning:
The first 3 books does contain some graphic details like using animal parts and blood for certain spells. But unlike the picatrix, it's pretty tame material. Yes, the obvious warning has to be put here. Don't try this at home, it might be illegal in your country.
The last two books
Of the planets, is a very brief overview of the seven planets, but what sets this apart is that it mentions the negative aspects of these. If you've read A.E Waite's take on astrology in the tarot cards, you get the felling that he is following sources other then the "hippe new age" stuff we see on most shelves today; and this might help clear up some troubles people have with the reversed cards.
The marvels of the world, The original English translation omits a large section on the nature of magic but it is contained in it's full down in the commentaries and it is a beautifully simple explanation on the nature of magic and I seriously think this short section alone is worth the 15 dollars the book cost.
It then goes into the weirdest section of the book, presenting a couple of short spells for which I've never seen any comparison. Here is an example:
"Take the hair of a dead ass, and make a rope, and dry it, and take the marrow of the principal bone of his right shoulder, and mix it with virgin wax, and anoint the cord, and put it upon the lamps of the house; They that come into the house shall seem to have 3 heads, and they that be in the house shall seem Asses to them that enters"
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The introduction is about 47 pages and the text is 126 pages so it's a quick read, But I really do recommend that you read it at least twice. It's worth the time to read the original text as it is, and then reread it with the commentaries to put everything into perspective.
