JOHN DEE'S DAILY ORATION FOR WISDOM John Dee's Daily Oration for Wisdom from "The First Book of the Mysteries" Praeter alias meas extemporaneas preces,{1} et eiaculationes ad Deum vehementiores: Haec una, maxime usitata fuit. Oratio{2} mea Matutina, Vespertinaque:{3} pro Sapientia. In nomine Dei Patris, Dei Filij, Dei Spiritus Sancti Amen.{4} Omnipotens, Sempiterne, Vere, et Vive Deus, in adiutorium meum intende: Domine Dominantium, Rex Regum, Jeovah Zebaoth{5} ad adiuvandum me festina: Gloria Deo, Patri, Filio, et spiritui Sancto: Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper:{6} et in saecula Saeculorum:{7} Amen. Recte sapere, et intelligere doceto{8} me, (rerum omnium{9} Creator,) Nam Sapientia tua, totum est, quod volo: Da verbum tuum in ore meo, (rerum omnium Creator,) et Sapientiam{10} tuam in corde meo fige. O Domine Jesu Christe (qui sapientia vera es, aeterni et, Omnipotentis tui Patris) humilime tuam oro Divinam Maiestatem, expeditum mihi ut mittere digneris, alicuius pij, Sapientis expertique Philosophi auxilium, ad illa plenissime intelligenda perficiendaque, quae maximi valoris erunt ad tuam laudem et gloriam amplificandam: Et si Mortalis nullus iam in terris Vivat, qui ad hoc munus aptus sit: Vel qui ex aeterna tua providentia, ad istud mihi praestandum beneficium assignatus fuerit:{11} Tunc equidem humilime, ardentissime et constantissime a tua Divina Maiestate requiro, Ut ad me de caelis mittere digneris bonos tuos Spirituales Ministros, Angelosque, Videlicet Michalem, Gabrielem, Raphalem ac Urielem: et (ex Divino tuo favore) quotienscunque{12} alios, veros, fidelesque tuos Angelos, qui me plene et prefecte informent et instruant, in cognitione, intelligentiaque vera et exacta, Arcanorum et Magnalium tuorum (Creaturas omnes tuas, illarumque naturas, proprietates, et optimos usus, concernentium) et nobis Mortalibus scitu necessariorum; ad tui nominis{13} laudem, honorem, et gloriam; et ad solidam meam, aliorumque (per me,) plurimorum tuorum fidelium consolationem: et ad Inimicorum tuorum confusionem, et subversionem. Amen. Fiat Jeovah Zebaoth: Fiat Adonay{14}, fiat Elohim{15}. O beata, et superbenedicta Omnipotens Trinitas, Concedas mihi (Joanni Dee) petitionem hanc, modo tali, qui tibi maxime placebit. Amen. --------- Ab anno 1579. hoc fere modo: Latine vel Anglice; (ast circa annum{16} 1569 alio et peculiari, particulari modo: interdum pro Raphaele: interdum pro Michaele) ad Deum preces fundere: mihi gratissimum fuit:{17} Mirabilem in me faciat Deus Misericordiam suum. Amen. TRANSLATION OF ABOVE Before my other extemporaneous prayers and more ardent ejaculations to God: This one was the most usual. My Morning and Evening Oration: for Wisdom. In the Name of God the Father, of God the Son, and of God the Holy Spirit. Amen. Almighty, Everlasting, True and Living God stretch forth, now, to my help: Lord of Lords, King of Kings, Jehovah Lord of Hosts, hasten to my assistance. Glory to God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: As it was in the beginning, and is now, and will be always, even unto the Age of Ages: Amen. Teach me to properly sense, and to rightly discern, (O Father of all things,) For I desire your Wisdom, because it is all that is: Give your word to my established practice,(O Father of all things,) and fix your wisdom in my heart. O Lard{18} Jesus Christ (who art the true wisdom, of your eternal, and Omnipotent Father) Most humbly I entreat your Divine Majesty, that you might think myself worthy, in respect of my general piety, to promptly send forth your Wise and tested Philosophical assistance, to that fulfillment of understanding and perfection, that will be of the greatest value towards the enlarging of my praising and glorification to you. And when no one is subject to Death, and at last there is Life in the Earth, to which office is it that I will have been fitted: In particular to whom, according to your eternal foresight, will your beneficent eminence have assigned me: Moreover, truly and most humbly it is my most burning and most steadfast quest to your Divine Majesty, that you would think worthy to send forth from heaven to me, your good Spiritual Ministers and Angels, Namely Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and even Uriel: and (in accordance with your Heavenly favor ) as often so ever as any other of your true and faithful Angels, who might completely and perfectly inform and furnish me, in the true and accurate, knowledge and understanding of your Secret Mysteries and Mighty Works (Concerning the properties of all of your Creatures and the best use of those natures) and of the unavoidable necessity for the Decree of our Deaths; to the praising, honoring, and glorification of your name; and to confirm to me, and of others (through me) of your many faithful encouragements: and to the disorder and ruin of your enemies. Amen. Let the Will of Jehovah Zebaoth be done: Let the Will of Adonai be done, let the will of Elohim be done, O Blessed and Most Beneficent Almighty Trinity, yield to me (John Dee) this request, for such a method, whereby to most appease you. Amen. ------------------------------------------------------------- Since the year 1579. in general by this mode; It has been most pleasing to me to pour forth prayers to God; Either in the Latin language or in the English (moreover since around the year 1579 by a particularly strange and different method: sometimes for Raphael; occasionally for Michael){19} Let God, his own mercy, be glorious in me. Amen. FOOTNOTES TO DEE'S ORATION & TRANSLATION APOLOGIA ET POSTSCRIPTUM This month we have presented Dr. John Dee's introductory Latin prayer from "Mysteriorum Liber Primus". It is notable that most medieval and Renaissance magical texts were prefaced with Christian supplications of this type, designed frequently to circumvent the enthusiasms of zealous inquisitors. Conjurers of every shade of gray veiled their evocative formulae under pages of righteous theological pretension. And more often than not it was the darkest demonologists who penned the purest prefatory prose. It is quite possible, given the facts of John Dee's life amidst the contemporary religious and political institutions, that his motivation was in part to dissemble, with the introductory material here presented, the occult activities of his magical practice. It is also quite certain that these same phrases embody to a considerable extent Dee's sincere beliefs and intentions. Careful study of his introduction will reveal a great deal about the foundation and direction of the science of Enochian Magick. In presenting this passage of Latin text, we have relied on Dee's own manuscript version (Sloane MSS. 3188), with aid of Ashmole's later transcript (Sloane MSS. 3677). Our translation of the text attempts to convey Dee's own sense and style, and it is our sincere desire to attract the attention of classical scholars more learned than ourselves for the correction of this version in future editions. As always, a reproduction of the manuscripts and other materials used in the preparation of our text can be easily had from the CENTER FOR ENOCHIAN STUDIES for a supporting donation of $3.00 (please make checks payable to CASH, and request vol. I # 3). ___________________________________________________________________ 1 SL. 3677. eron. gives "praeces" 2 SL. 3188. L. abbr. = "Or'o" 3 Ibid. L. abbr. "-q" = -que 4 from HEB. Aleph-Mem-Nun 5 from HEB. Yod-Heh-Vau-Heh Tzaddi-Bet-Aleph-Vau-Taw 6 SL. 3188. L. abbr. = "se_mp_" 7 Ibid. L. abbr. = "saeculora'" 8 Dubious conj. for 'doceo,ere (docete pres. ind. imp.) poss. for indoctrinate 9 SL. 3188. L. abbr. "o'im" 10 Ibid. L. abbr. -a'=am vide note 8. 11 SL. 3677. = "fuit" 12 SL. 3188. L. abbr. = "quscun_q_" 13 Ibid. L. abbr. = "no'is" 14 from Heb. Aleph-Dalet-Nun-Yod 15 from Heb. Aleph-Lamid-Heh-Yod-Mem 16 SL. 3188. L. abbr. = "annu'" 17 Ibid. reads "et--est---mirabilem..." etc. which SL. 3677 retains. 18 vide "Oxford English Dictionary", Vol. VI, pp. 442-445; arch. usage common to Elizabethan pronunc.; etym. equiv. to laird id est "The Laird of Boleskine" and phonet. related to common US So. Dial. 19 vide SL. 3677. "et est ... " etc. would read "And glorious it is that God might accomplish his own mercy within me."