The Rings of Messalah: Rawlinson 253 Version

Table of names and seals of the spirits

Rawl.Ms.D.253, p.182

courtesy of Joseph H.Peterson

1.Source

A short version of our treatise is also contained in Bodleian Library Ms. Rawlinson D. 253, pp.177-182, edited and published by Stephen Skinner and David Rankine in A Cunning Man`s Grimoire (Golden Hoard Publishing, 2018). 

I`d like to acknowledge Stephen Skinner`s support in this matter, whom I must thank for allowing me to transcribe the relevant portion here, and as well acknowledge the help of Joseph Peterson in offering pertinent comments on the manuscript and a valuable preview and Daniel Clark for offering a microfilm version.   

Rawlinson D.253`s date of redaction is not known, but the most likely date seems to be 1647 (op.cit., p.23). The following version is unedited by myself in way and keeps the printed version as faithfully as possible, with the exception of the planetary siglae which have been spelled in square brackets. 

I have taken the liberty of adding pertinent notes wherever the text presented variations from the older versions or where the phrasing is unclear. 

2. Text

[I. Magical Rings]

• Rings of the 7 Planets not as formerly concerne[d with] Visions, but for other purposes

• This Ring of the [Sun] is of pure gold to increase all goodnesse & honour,  &

to have a wonderfull horse to beare [you] whether you wilt in a moment.

• Fast [on] the Sunday night¹, then with the bloud of any wild fowle

whatsoever,  if it of a white collour², & by the brinkeside of a river write

this character of the [Sun]  & the Name of the Angell Acarax, Antatax in

virgin parchment in the bloud of the sayd fowle & beare it with thee

[178] when you wilt work the experiment for thy selfe or any other.

• [Margin note:] Some say that any white foule may serve but I suppose it

is meant any wild foule [fowl], etc.

Figure 22: The Character of Acarax to make a black horse appear.

• Then make the character heare set downe, in the Earth, & the N[ame]

of the Angel Carax, or, Tantax, & beare the writ[ing] in thy right hand, &

the ring on thy lit[t]le finger on thy left hand. These things forget not, &

call the Angell in the N[ame] of the Father, Son & Holy Ghost³,

having first made prayer unto god & there will appeare to thee a black horse to beare thee whither you wilt.

• Or aske any other thing lawfull to know or have, & through god's helpe

it wil[1] be don[e], calling the N[ame] of [the] Angell.

• This following circle serves for all these 7 Rings of the Planets:

Iste circulus servit, pro omnibus annulis predictis et debes intrare morie tali 

parte[m], et recedere in occidental parte[m], et characters et Nomina Angeli 

debent scibi infra circulum et habebis annulis prius factes et parastos antequam accedas. Ad opus sed indusis ves[t]ibus novis et mundum euis et dicas

commu[t]ationem communiente aud opus tuum et perficies.

 Fig.23: The Circle used for the consecration of all Planetary rings.

The circle ought to serve for making of all rings for the aforesaid matters.

You must enter by the East and move back towards the West. You must inscribe

the characters and Names of the Angel on the rings which have been made

earlier and prepared, before entering the circle. You must have new very clean

unworn clothes for this work, and you will make the charge together before your work, so that you might complete it.  

 [179] ► The Ring of the Moon which is the Pl[anet] bearing rule on Monday,

& begins her rule the first houre of the day, viz. at sun rising, viz. lunae

hora prima in ortu solis funde nulum Lunae de puro Argento cum characte Lunae, viz. in the day & houre of the Moon beginning at the rising [of the sun] make

this ring of the Moon in pure silver, or quicksilver made hard, with the

character, then fast the Monday till night, then in the night with the bloud

of an eele where 3 ways meet or come together, write this character &

the Name of the Angell Camelion or as on[e] write[s] it Camillion, in a

welp's skin or a young cat' skin, then wrap it up in the skin of an eele, & keepe it. 

Figure 24: The Character of the Angel Camelion. 

• & when you wilt worke, to make water on into a house & ships

fighting to appeare, it cause[s] trees [to] beare fruit, in season & out of
season, then write the Name of the Angel & his character in the Earth,
then taken the writ & hold it in thy right hand & call the Angell Camillion
& name what you wilt appeare to thee, & it will appeare to thee. Aske
what you wilt & he shall tell thee wonderfull things.

• & when you wilt have it vanish as it was, hold thy writ on thy head &
the writing or letters & he will passe away & be as it was at the first.

• But always write the Name of the Angell & then his character & so in
all other experiments.

[180] • The Ring of Mars is to make kings & armed men in castles to appeare
doing battaill armed, or unarmed, etc., or of victory, etc.

• When you wilt worke, fast Tuesday till night & then in thy house with

the bloud of a raven write the N[ame] of the Angell Coringer & his
Character in Earth, viz, as is heare written on the right hand side [below]
& call the Angell & say what you wouldest have.

Figure 25: The Character of Coringer.

• & when you wilt have it vanish close thy writ before made, & he shall

passe away & be don[e].

• The Ring of Mercury is made of copper for skill, victory & all kind [of] play, &
favour of Lords & greate men that they hurt thee not, etc.

• Fast Wenseday [Wednesday] till night & in the night with the bloud of

a fox or catt, write the N[ame] of Angell Yparon in the skin of a goat & the character heare set or written.

Figure 26: The Character of Yparon.

& being to come before a Lord or Judge write the N[ame] of Angell

Yparon in thy bre[a]st with his character, & hold the foresayd writ in thy

right hand, & he shall not hurt thee nor condemne thee.

• & in thy working aske what you wilt, calling [the] Angell, etc. 

• The Ring of Jupiter is made of gold, & silver equally mixed in the day &

houre of Jupiter for winnings & profits & to deliver men condemned, & cause expenses [to] be recovered againe.

• Which to doe, fast Thursday till night, then with bloud of cock or buck,

[181] write the N[ame] of the Angell Philomens or Philomons, in the skin

of a calfe & [..]re off make a purse & put therein you wilt, & calling the

Angell it shall [..]m againe, as I found it writte it doe you noe

unriteousnesse, but leave sin & eschew evill & do good, nor let wicked

men see these sacred things. 

[seal missing in text]

 • The Ring of Venus is to be made off lead in the day & houre of Venus for love of all men, & women, & to make a woman fol[low] thee whither you wilt, etc.

Fast Fryday until night, & in the night with the bloud of a culver or dove

in a pleasant greene [meadow?] full of herbes or fruits write the Name of

Angel Abanixtra in the skin of a hare & keepe in greene cleane silk, & as

often as you shewst it to a w[oman], calling the N[ame] of the Angell, she will let thee have thy will of her.

• But doe not you [do] it [if it is a] sin, but if thy wife be not loving [as]

she should, you maist pick her but noe other, etc. Within the red lines is

the character of the Angell of Venus for this purpose etc.

Figure 27: The Character of Abanixtra.

[Margin note] But feare you the true undoubled god of truth &

righteousness & doe nothing that is evill, for god will judge thee

according to thy evill deeds, there[fore] eschew evill & do good, & god

will bless thee, etc.⁴

• The Ring of Saturn is made of white tyn [tin]⁵, or iron, for the day & houre of
5 to bynd tongues from wicked slaunderous speech; & to speed [182] in
hunting, etc.

Fast the Saturday, till night & in thy house with the bloud of a raven
[write] the N[ame] of the Angell Calatyne or Galatyne & his character in
paper & not in parchment, & keep it, & when you wilt prevaile in
hunting, etc., call the Name of the A[ngel] & N[ame] [of] thy desire, then
cast the writ into the fire. This is the character heare written on the right
hand [below], but keep the ring still with thee.

Figure 28: The Character of Galatyne.

[Characters of the Angels called by the rings according to the days of the
week]

• Heare followeth other characters of each Planet & Angell to the same
purposes before sayd set in the order of the days of the weeke.

5. Notes:

1. The text implies fasting on a Sunday night but we know other versions as for fasting until night-time, that is, fasting from sunrise to sunset, as it is practiced in the Islamic faith.

2. The color of the wild fowl is not mentioned by older texts, but the compiler does record in one note this difference, hinting us to believe he consulted more than one version of this text.

3. The Trinity, does not appear in the older versions, it might be a way of counterbalancing the presence of a clearly demonic being (the black horse) or of adapting the recipes to the compiler`s Christian faith.

4. In some cases, such as the ring of Venus or Jupiter, the compiler gives the use of the ring but then takes precaution to add moral advices (like causing love or lust only in your wife, and no other woman). These are not contained in the older texts, and all the experiments are treated as neutral, practical, and void of any moral ambivalence, including sacrificing animals.  These additions might indicate either the compiler`s moral stature and upbringing, either a precaution to make the treatise more palatable to the Christian reader.

5. No other older versions require tin for Saturn, this is a late interpolation coming from the post-agrippan literature, much as the ring of Mercury is also to be made of fixed quicksilver. 

6. Synthetic chart:

Ring	Planet	Angel	Metal	Sacrifice	Place	Parchment	Wrapping
1	Sun	Acarax Antatax Carax Tantax	Gold	White wild fowl	River brinkside	Virgin parchment	-
2	Moon	Camelion Camilion Camillion	Silver or Hardened Mercury	River eel	A place Where 3 ways meet	Whelp skin Young cat s skin	Eel skin.
3	Mars	Coringer	Bronze	Raven	House	-	-
4	Mercury	Iparon Yparon	Copper	Fox or cat	-	Goatskin	-
5	Jupiter	Philomens Phelomens Philomons Philonions	Electrum	Cock or buck	-	Calfskin	-
6	Venus	Abanixtra	Lead	Culver or dove	Green meadow	Hare`s skin	Green silk
7	Saturn	Galytyn Galatyne Calatyne	White tin or iron	Raven	-	Paper	-