The Transformations of Magic: Illicit Learned Magic in the Later Middle Ages and Renaissance

Chapter 4: The Ars Notoria and the Sworn Book of Honorius

4 the ars notoria and the sworn book of honorius The Ars notoria The Ars notoria ascribes its authority to Solomon. It elaborates upon the account in 2 Chronicles 1:9–12 and 2 Kings 3:5–14, where God appears to Solomon in the night. Among other things Solomon has asked for, he is granted sapientia, scientia et intelligencia. That a wider group of people might expect such gifts from God is suggested by Daniel 1:17, in which God endows Daniel and the four young men with skill and wisdom. Daniel is additionally given insight into visions and dreams. Similarly, in Luke 21:15 Christ promises to endow certain Christians with the gift of wisdom. A story in the Dialogus miraculorum of Caesarius of Heisterbach in which a priest is given the gift of preaching in his sleep (and which refers to the biblical story of Solomon) attests to the currency of these notions in the later Middle Ages.1 In a similar way, the Ars notoria seeks the acquisition of knowledge and/or other special gifts, such as rhetorical skills, through a program of prayers, rituals, and meditations that employ the inspection of complex figures inscribed with prayers. It is from these figures, or notae, that the art derives its name. As with all works of medieval ritual magic, the textual history of the Ars notoria is complex. It first appears in the late twelfth or early thirteenth century , but the early version evidently lacked sufficient clarity, particularly if a potential practitioner did not have the guidance of a master who had figured it out. As a result, by the fourteenth century the work had more than doubled in size through expansions to the original text and a substantial explanatory gloss. An additional text also appeared at this time, the Ars nova. This version may have been intended as a simplification of the text and as an autonomous brother john’s dilemma 90 work, but significant ambiguities remain. Although the Ars nova may be performed as an independent operation, it has also been incorporated into the operations of the larger text. A final set of prayers may also be added to the main body.2 That we can see something of an ordered process in the development of this text testifies to the skills of its modern editor, Julien Véronèse, more than it does to any textual stability. As we shall see, the individual texts circulating in medieval libraries differed substantially from one another. What did one do when one wished to practice this art? The differences among circulating versions of the text make any description of the actual practice something of an abstraction. Nonetheless, Véronèse’s outline of a fourteenth-century manuscript in the Bibliothèque nationale, which I summarize here, provides a crucial starting point.3 The art begins with a fifteen -day operation to determine the spiritual worthiness of the seeker that concludes with the drinking of a specially prepared concoction of water and leaves inscribed with angel names. The process involves fasting and reciting prescribed prayers. A worthy candidate will subsequently have a dream indicating that he may proceed and telling him what to expect to gain from the art. Once confirmed as worthy, the operator must pass through a series of four-month rituals, each corresponding to the form of knowledge he wishes to acquire. Each ritual builds in intensity toward the end, requiring higher levels of prayer and fasting, and concludes with a month during which the operator must sequester himself, engage in more intense preparatory rituals, and finally inspect the notae in a contemplative manner. To complicate matters, in addition to observing lunar months, the operator must ideally also observe certain astrological restrictions, seeking certain forms of knowledge at propitious times, although this may not be necessary, depending upon his worthiness. Véronèse suggests that it would probably take several years to complete the entire program if one were to observe the guidelines strictly. If we take seriously John of Morigny’s claim that you had to learn how to practice the art, it may actually have taken a good deal longer to achieve any results. The “tool kit” of the Ars notoria includes a variety of elements. The operations are divided into “generals” and “specials.” Generals seek to have a broad impact on the condition of the operator in terms of such skills as augmenting memory or developing eloquence. The same operations also have...