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Name is Jesus, before which the heavens., earth and hell do bend the knee; we have seen
with what Power He commanded demons, which Power was also transmitted to St. Peter
by that utterance: Upon this rock I will build my Church, and the Gates of Hell shall not
Prevail against it. These words were addressed to St. Peter as the Head and Foundation
of the Church. We then, who, by the mercy of God, and despite the Poverty of our merit,
have succeeded to the Sovereign Apostolate, and, as lawful successor of St. Peter, have
the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven committed to our hands, desiring to communicate the
Power of invoking and commanding Spirits, which hath been reserved unto us alone, and
our Possessors did alone enjoy; wishing, I repeat, by Divine inspiration, to share it with
our venerable Brethren and dear sons in Jesus Christ, and fearing lest in the exorcism of
the Possessed, 1 they might otherwise be appalled at the frightful figures of those
rebellious angels who in sin were cast into the abyss, lest also they should be
insufficiently learned in those things which must be Performed and observed, and that
those who have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ may not be tormented by any
witchcraft or possessed by the demon, we have included in this Bull the manner of their
invocation, which same must be observed inviolably. And because it is meet that the
ministers of the Altar should have authority over the rebellious Spirits, we hereby depute
unto them all
p. 109
powers which we possess, in virtue of the Holy Apostolic Chair, and we require them, by
our Apostolic authority, to observe what follows inviolably, lest by some negligence
unworthy of their character they should draw down on themselves the wrath of the Most
High.
The Grimorium Verum has once been reprinted in the French language. 1 Of the Italian
version there have been two modern editions, both poorly produced. 2 The book of True
Black Magic is known only by the edition of 1750. The Grand Grimoire reappeared at
Nismes in 1823 and is, moreover, in all respects identical with the work entitled the Red
Dragon, of which there are several examples. 3 The Grimoire of Honorius is exceedingly
rare in the original, but is better known by the reprints of 1660 and 1670, though these
also are scarce. There is, finally, an edition dated 1760, and this even commands a high
price among collectors. It remains to state that the Abbé d'Artigny was presented about
the middle of the last century with an MS. copy of this Grimoire, which was much more
complete that the printed editions. He gives no satisfactory account of it, nor can it be
traced at this day. Possibly it represented the transition of the Sworn Book of Honorius
into the Spurious Papal Constitution, which certainly reproduces the motive and moves in
the atmosphere of its prototype.
104:1 Histoire de la Magie, p. 307.
Footnotes