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John
Dee's Conversations With Angels |
He had reached that state of mind when he seemed unable to discern any boundary line between finite and infinite. His hope and his confidence were alike fixed on nothing less than wresting all the secrets of the universe from the abyss of knowledge, or, at any rate, as many of them as God willed. he explains how from his youth up he has prayed for pure and sound wisdom and understanding.
"such as might be brought, under the talent of my capacitie, to God's honour and glory and the benefit of his servaents, my brethren and sisters. And forasmuch as for many yeres, in many places, far and nere, in many bokes and sundry languages, I have wrought and studyed, and with sundry men conferred, and with my owne reasonable discourse Laboured, whereby to fynde or get some yinkling, glimpse, or beame, of such the aforesaid radicall truthes:...And seeing I have read in they bokes and records how Enoch enjoyed thy favor and conversation, with Moses thou wast familiar, And also that to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Josua, Gedeon, Esdras, Daniel, Tobias, and sundry other, the good angels were sent, by they disposition, to instruct them, informe them, help them, yea in worldly and domesticall affairs; yea and sometimes to satisfy theyr desyres, doubts and questions of thy secrets; and furdermore, considering the Shewstone which the high priests did use by thy owne orderinge, wherein they had lighte and judgments in their great doutes, and considering allso that thou (O God) didst not refuse to instruct the prophets (then called seers), to give answers to common people of things oeconomicall, as Samuel for Saul, seeking for his father's asses, being gon astray: and as other things, vulgar true predictions, whereby to wyn credit unto ther waightier affayres. And thinking within myself the lack of thy wisdom to me to be of more importance than the value of an Asse or two could be to Cis (Saul his father): And remembering what good counsayle they apostle James giveth, saying Si quies autem vestrumetc. And that Solomon the wise, did so, even immediately by thyselfe, atteyne to his wonderfull sidome: Therefore, Seeing I was sufficiently taught and confirmed that this wisdome could not be come by at mans hand, or by human powre, but onely from thee (O God) mediately or immediately. And having allwayes a great regarde and care to beware of the filthy abuse of such as willingly and wittingly did invocate and consult (in divers sorte) Spirituall Creatures of the damned sort: Angels of darknes, forgers and patrons of lies and untruths; I did fly unto thee by harty prayer, full oft, and in sundry manners: sometymes cryinge unto thee Mittas Lucem tuam et veritatem, tuam quoe me ducant, etc."
Then he goes on to say that his slight experience with two different persons has convinced him of God's wish to enlighten him through His angels. He has heard of a man accounted a good seer and skryer, a master of arts and preachger of the Word, and through his means he has seen spiritual apparitions "either in the christalline receptab\cle, or in open ayre." He hopes to have help from this person until "some after man or meanes are sent him from on high." But Saul - for it is Saul he means - is not devout, sincere and honest. Evil spirits have come to him, much to Dee's terror "but that thou didst pitch thy holy tent to my defence and comfort." He has quoted to Saul Roger Bacon's warning to wicked devil-callers; but the man cannot brook rebuke, and is angry at being further debarred from the mysteries "which were the only things I desired, through thy grace." He begs, most humbly and deprecatingly for leave to note down the actions, and asks that Annael may come to his help.
Barnabas having proved so unreliable, he rejoiced ast having found another skryer. The one accessory wanting, when all the table and seals were comlete, was a "shewstone." Dee seems already to have owned several. He had used a crystal before this time, but a new one was desirable. One evening, towards sunset, a little child angel appears standing in the sunbeams from the western window of the study, holding in its hand a thing "most bright, most clere and clorius, of the bigness of an egg." Michael with his fiery sword appeared and bade Dee "Go forward, take it up, and let no mortall hand touch it but thine own."
Michael tells them, too, that he and Kelly are to be joined in the holy work, united as if one man. But one is to be master, the other minister; one the hand, the other the finger. They are to be contented with their calling, for vessels are not all of one bigness, yet all can be full. Dee is reminded that all his knowledge is "more wonderful than profitable, unless thou art led to a true use of the same."
Another spirit, Medicus Dei, or Medecina, says, "Great are the purposes of him whose medecine I carry," and on one of the early march days utters some remarkable words on the precious doctrine ofthe universality of the Light: -
"Your voices are but shadows of the voices that understand all things. The things you look on because you see them not indeed, you also do name amiss...
"We are fully understanding. We open the eyes from the sun in the morning to the sun at night. Distance is nothing withus, unless it be the distance which separateth the wicked from His mercy. Secrets there arenone, but that are buried in the shaddow of man's sould....Iniquitie shall not range where the fire of his piercing judgment and election doth light."
Calvin had been dead but twenty years, but with his scheme of election and eternal reprobation Dee had no affinity. His mind was far more in harmony with the ancient hermetic teaching that medicine, healing, was the true road to all philosophy.
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