The Book of ceremonial Magic

p. 208
of a dead man; place one of the beans in his mouth, two in his eyes and two in his ears.
Then make upon this head the character of the figure which here follows. (Omitted in all
the Grimoires.) This done, inter the head with the face towards heaven, and every day
before sunrise, for the space of nine days, water it with excellent brandy. On the eighth
day you will find the cited spirit, who will say unto you: What doest thou? You shall
reply: I am watering my plant. He will then say: Give me that bottle; I will water it
myself. You will answer by refusing, and he will again ask you, but you will persist in
declining, until he shall stretch forth his hand and shew you the same figure which you
have traced upon the head suspended from the tips of his fingers. In this case you may be
assured that it is really the spirit of the head, because another might take you unawares,
which would bring you evil, and further, your operation would be unfruitful. When you
have given him your phial, he will water the head and depart. On the morrow, which is
the ninth day, you shall return and will find your beans ripe. Take them, place one in your
mouth, and then look at yourself in a glass. If you cannot see yourself, it is good. Do the
same with the rest, or they may be tested in the mouth of a child. All those which do not
answer must be interred with the head.
The advantage of occasional invisibility in the pursuits of illicit affection seems to have
fascinated the compiler of the Little Albert, and he refers to the adultery of Gyges with
evident relish in prefacing his process for
Invisibility by means of a Ring
This important operation must be performed on a Wednesday in spring-time, under the
auspices of Mercury, when it is
p. 309
known to be conjoined with other favourable planets, such as the Moon, Jupiter, Venus or
the Sun. Taking good mercury, fixed and well purified, compose a large ring thereof, so
that the same will pass easily over the middle finger of the hand. Let the collet be
enriched by a small stone which is found in the pewit's nest, and about the ring let the
following words be enchased: Jesus passing through the midst of them disappeared.
1
Next, having placed the ring on a palette-shaped plate of fixed mercury, compose the
perfume of mercury, and thrice expose the ring to the odour thereof; wrap it in a small
piece of taffeta corresponding to the colour of the planet, carry it to the pewit's nest from
which the stone was obtained, let it remain there for nine days, and when removed,
fumigate it precisely as before. Then preserve it most carefully in a small box, made also
of fixed mercury, and use it when required. The method of use is to place the ring upon
the finger with the stone outwards; it will so fascinate the spectators by its virtue. that one
may be present without being beheld. When the wearer no longer desires to be invisible,
he has merely to turn the ring, so that the stone shall be inward, and close the hand over
it.