The Grimoire of Arthur Gauntlet - by David Rankine (Paperback)

About the Book

An outstanding example of a 17th-century London Cunning-man's book of practice, with an introduction providing fresh insights into the web of connections between astrologers, cunning-folk and magicians, playwrights, authors and church figures.

Book Synopsis

The Grimoire of Arthur Gauntlet is an outstanding example of a seventeenth century London Cunning-man's book of practice. Cunning-folk were practitioners of magic and herbal medicine who dealt with problems in their local communities. Cunning-man Arthur Gauntlet was based in Gray's Inn Lane in London, and his personal working book contains a fascinating diverse mixture of herbal remedies, prayers, magical and biblical charms, with previously unseen angelic conjurations and magic circles, in an eclectic blend of practical magic for health, wealth, love and protection. This unique manuscript demonstrates both the diverse and spiritual nature of such Cunning-folk's books of practice, as well as their magical emphasis on Biblical scripture, particularly the Psalms, and their opposition to witchcraft, found in charms and conjurations.

Arthur Gauntlet worked with a female skryer called Sarah Skelhorn, and drew on numerous preceding sources for his craft, including the Arbatel, the Heptameron, Folger Vb.26, The Discoverie of Witchcraft, the Book of Gold, the writings of the German magus Cornelius Agrippa, the astrologer William Bacon and Queen Elizabeth I's court astrologer Dr. John Dee, as well as other London Cunning-folk.

In his introduction, the author provides fresh insights into the hidden world of seventeenth century magical London, exploring the web of connections between astrologers, cunning-folk and magicians, playwrights, authors and church figures. These connections are also highlighted by the provenance of the manuscript, which is traced from Arthur Gauntlet through the hands of such notable angel magicians as Elias Ashmole (founder of the world's first public museum, the Ashmolean in Oxford), Baron Somers (the Lord Chancellor), Sir Joseph Jekyll (Master of the Rolls) and Sir Hans Sloane (founder of the British Museum), as well as the astrologer John Humphreys and the cunning-woman Ann Savadge.

This is a unique work which draws attention to the often neglected place of women in seventeenth century magic, both as practitioners (such as skryers and Cunning-women), and customers. It also emphasises the vital and influential role played by Cunning-Men and Women in synthesising and transmitting the magical traditions of medieval Britain into the subsequent centuries, as well as their willingness to conjure a wide range of spiritual creatures to achieve results for their clients, including angels, demons, fairies, and the dead.

Review Quotes

"This transcription of the Sloane MS 3851 is introduced and supplemented with notes by the editor, David Rankine, the first of which places the MS in its own vital context. The political, social and religious ramifications are clarified assisting the reader to fairly judge these works as typical for its era. The printing presses increased the public availability of occult material, giving rise to texts such as this in circulation among the trade of the cunning-folk. Trade in London particularly, was thriving and the book even highlights the problem politic of professional envy and competitive exploitation of available media .... In summary, this book is fascinating, and should grace the shelves of all serious occultists, though not necessarily constrained to those whose interests remain rigidly within the field of witchcraft per se. It presents a wonderful insight into the mind and mechanics of a nostalgic era much surpassed with the advent of the increasingly popular `avant grade' approach to conjurations and the evolving `grimoire traditions' of the 21st century." Shani Oates, Author

"Gauntlet appears to have been a cunning man who lived in London in the early 17th century, and this book is quite an interesting work that covers a broad variety of magical topics. On one hand, we have more-or-less straight transcriptions from such works as the Heptameron and the Arbatel, though the latter also includes a diagram for the text not seen in other editions. On the other hand, it possesses a large number of invocations of various spirits (including Oberion), charms, remedies, and advice, including some that appear in the Folger Manuscript. Overall, it is an impressive compendium of magical material present in London in the 17th century. The whole is supplemented with footnotes on sources, an introduction, and an index." Dan Harms, Papers from an Attic Window