Path: shell.portal.com!shell.portal.com!not-for-mail From: tyagi@houseofkaos.abyss.com (mordred) Newsgroups: alt.magick.tyagi Subject: JM555: John Dee Society Date: 4 Apr 1995 13:56:07 -0700 Organization: Portal Communications (shell) Lines: 48 Sender: tyagi@shell.portal.com Message-ID: <3lsbp7$r4g@jobe.shell.portal.com> References: Reply-To: "Joseph Max.555" NNTP-Posting-Host: jobe.shell.portal.com [From alt.magick: "Joseph Max.555" ] Jonathan.marshall@anthropology.su.edu.au (jonM) writes: > >people who bought the magickal childe edition of meric Casaubon's True and > >Faithful relation of conversataons between between Dr. John Dee and some > >Spirits > > >(or whatever the thing is called) "A True And Faithful Relation Of What Passed For Many Years Between Dr. John Dee And Some Spirits", a title guarenteed to make it an instant bestseller. I ran across an interesting reference to the book in _The Rosicrucian Enlightenment_ by Frances A. Yates: "This was the publication in 1659 of Dee's spiritual diary, or the records of his supposed conversations with angels, with a damning preface by Meric Casaubon accusing Dee of diabolical magic. It appears that Casaubon had personal reasons for the publication, through which he hoped to establish his own orthodoxy, and it was also aimed at discrediting those pretending to 'so much inspiration', that is, it was against 'enthusiasts'. The government was against the publication of the book and tried to surpress it, but was unable to do so as it had been quickly bought up as a 'great and curious novelty'. It will no doubt be a long time before the motives behind the publication of this book are fully unravelled... Who were the 'enthusiasts' that Casaubon's publication aimed at discrediting and excluding from influence in the years ahead? The publication of Dee's diary was certainly part of a general campaign against 'enthusiasts' and illuminati being worked up at the time. In his preface, Casaubon states that Dee, like Trithemius and Paracelsus, was inspired by the devil. This campaign ruined Dee's reputation and deprived him of centuries of credit for his important scientific work." ----- This being the case, it seems rather odd that Casaubon's version of Dee's work is considered to be the "infallable" reference to Enochian Magic. Especially as it was published many years after Dee's death, could not Casaubon's 'hidden agenda' in publishing the work make one suspect that perhaps he had altered Dee's manuscripts to support his agenda? Just a thought... - J:.M:.555