The Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage

This “Library of the Arsenal,” as it is now called, was founded as a private collection by Antoine René Voyer D'Argenson, Marquis de Paulny; and was first opened to the public on the 9th Floréal, in the fifth year of the French Republic (that is to say, on 28th April, 1797), or just a century ago. This Marquis de Paulny was born in the year 1722, died in 1787, and was successively Minister of War, and Ambassador to Switzerland, to Poland, and to the Venetian Republic. His later years were devoted to the formation of this Library, said to be one of the richest private collections known. In round numbers it now possesses 700,000 printed books, and about 8000 manuscripts, many of them being of considerable value. Among the latter is this Book of the Sacred Magic of Abra-Melin, as delivered by Abraham the Jew unto his son Lamech; which I now give to the public in printed form for the first time.