[The following is transcribed from BL Sloane MS. 3677 fol. 180r-181v; it is the last of a number of short texts appended to Elias Ashmole's copy of John Dee's Liber Mysteriorum I-V spirit diaries (Sloane MS. 3188). The handwriting does not appear to be Ashmole's and the provenance is unclear; it is presented as another, little-known, example of how material from A True and Faithful Relation was used by seventeenth-century English magicians. I have retained the original spelling and punctuation, but have expanded a few scribal abbreviations.]
[180r] WHEREAS we are certainly and credibly informed that James Knuckles being prisoner, in the County of Middlesex about four yeares agoe, between the houres of Twelve and One of the clock in the night, there appeared a Phantasme unto him by his bed side he being then awake and called him by his name Knuckles, Knuckles, Knuckles three times distinctly his face being towards the wall and the said Apparition at his back, who having himself called by his name turned about towards the said Apparition, and there beheld one in black as in a Priests garment, at which the said mr Knuckles being sore affrighted issued out these words, (vizt) In the name of the ffather, Son, and holy Ghost, what art thou, I am sure thou art no mortall creature, The answer by the said Apparition replyed was as followeth; No more I am not, but I have brought you good news, with that the said Mr Knuckles made answer, what news; then the said Apparition answered, Goo you to a place called Edmunton,[1] and hard by the Churchyard in an Orchard under an Ashen Tree do you dig seven foot deep, & there are twelve Leaden pots every Pot being a foot square, whereof eleaven of the said pots are full of Gold and the Twelfth pot is richer than all the rest, with that the said party James Knuckles replyed who is this Gold for, with which he answered it is for your selfe, and none else. Be sure you goe, with that he vanished away.
About three months afterwards the said party went to dig under an Ashen Tree as before directed by the Spirit, with other company, and they digged two foot, and found the ground never before opened, at the which they left of digging there, and went to another Ashen Tree in the said Orchard, and they had not laboured above half an hour, but the same Apparition, as he supposed, appeared unto all the Company on the other side of the hedge and spake as followeth to some of the company who were Quakers, what is the matter with these Quakers, that I cannot take my rest, you dig for Treasure, and there is none belongs to you, therefore I wish you to begone, at the which one of the Quakers spake to the said Mr Knuckles and called him by his name: James I see that thou speakest truth, for here is the said Apparition thou touldst us of which thou saidst, should meet us here, (for it seemes the said James Knuckles did believe such a thing before) but no sooner were the words spoken but the Apparition vanished, and then happened such a tempest or Hurricane, that the man of the house came to them and desired them to begone, for he said that they had raised the Devill, and wished them to begone, otherwise he would raise the whole Town upon them, at the which they desisted for that time, and the said party James Knuckles was going homewards, was blown of a Cawsey into a certain Ditch up to his Waste, and the rest of the company dispersed, where he knew nothing of them, untill such time as he came to Newington, about three or four miles distant, where they met together.
Whereas likewise we have credible Information by Richard Brickenden, that at a certain place in Berkshire called Inkipen,[2] at the personage yard there lyes hidden the summe of One Thousand pounds of Barbary Gold in an Iron pot, covered with a Tyle, we would know the certainty & truth thereof, that we may enjoy there same and convert it to our necessary uses. [180v]
And whereas it is very well known and by true and certain experience found that many Treasures and Treasuries preordained and appointed through divine grace by the power and efficacy of Celestial and Superiour Influences, acting or opperating properly as Agents on all Terrestriall objects, thereby generating and produceing those many Specy first formes & Ideas now growing in the bowells of the Earth, as are by nature and time perfected & brought forth, answerable to Celestiall Influence and opperation for the use and benefit of mankind but onely as aforesaid, and as here it is properly meant & soe accordingly to be understood of all such of those Treasures or Treasuries of Gold & Silver whither in Coyn, Plates, Jewells, Bulloin or otherwise, that hath been manufacturized heretofore and in common use amongst the Sons of Men then living on Earth, and as aforesaid buried in the Earth, or otherwise hidden in some very secret places and at this day continuing in Sundry and severall places of the Earth or otherwise to hide or lay up in secret places their Treasures and Treasuries of Gold and Silver and other good or chattells of considerable value, from the Knowledge benefit and comfort of mankind or Successive generations in after ages, for whose benefit use & comfort the same was of the most high God principally ordained & through his divine grace and goodess given accordingly for use by hand of nature and soe from time to time untill this day, It hath been accustomary and common for many people of most Countrys in the World for several reasons induceing them so to doo, either indirectly through Coveteousness or envy or other wicked machinations which is pursued and assigned by divine Justice. Or directly though forcible or fatal necessity constraining thereunto in hopes of a future preservation, which people then dying or departing this life without revealing or discovering such Treasures or Treasuries by them so buried or otherwayes hidden, to any person then living, then do the Spirits of darkness called Evill or Infernall powers as the ministers of divine Justice take into possession and keep all such Treasures as hath been both indirectly gotten and enviously hidden untill such divine judgments are expiated.
And the servants of God the sons of men, shall as by right of inheritance or by art and industry seeke after and discover & obtain the same, and soe likewise of all such Treasures or Treasuries that hath been directly gotten and of necessity hidden, and by the decease of its proper owners left undiscovered & soe at length become wholly unknown; Then doth either some Ayeriall or Terrestriall or otherwise Elementall Spirits by nature as well of Light as darkness and more benevolent then the former and also more willing to serve and assist the Sons of Man servants of God according to their several and respective orderes and offices being moved thereunto. Then (wee say) doth some one or other or more of those kind of Spirits as they behold Range and visit all parts and places of the Earth, take possession and keep such Treasures or Treasuries from the knowledge use and benefit of mankind, and from their [181r] easy discovering and obtaining of the same, untill by Art or Industry they are commanded or constrained to reveal, yield up, and deliver the same unto whomsoever shall by the power of Art or other divine dignification accordingly move, and compell them so to doo; and like-wise for all other such Treasures or Treasuries of Gold and Silver which in any wise lyeth buried or secretly hidden in any place of the Earth; And that are possessed and kept of Spirits either by chains or purpose or appointment, and so to be discovered & obtained by Art and Industry as aforesaid: All which wee certainly know and verily believe to be rational and truth, not onely by many credible reports and informations given thereof, but by the absolute experience had in þe common use and practise now becomein all reports accustomary amongst the people from time of old until this say.
Now then soe it is, that wee hereby confidently and humbly beseech you, that some spirit or spirits may be assigned and given to us, to appear visibly unto us in fair & decent forme, either in a Glass Receptacle as being one usuall forme and manner of appearance in receiving or inclosing of Spirits or otherwise before us out of the same, accordingly as þe best convenience and benefit of our opperations shall necessarily require whensoever and wheresover wee shall move and call them forth to visible appearance, And that by the force & power of our Invocations and Constringations, such as those Spirit or Spirits of what name, nature, order office or degree soever assigned or given to us, may as familiar Spirits & obedient servants, readily willingly and faithfully serve us and assist us accordingly therein, And also to reveal, discover and make known and shew forth unto us the very truth and certainty of all such places or any particular place by name respectively, or possitively as that of the aforesaid James Knuckles, Richard Brickenden &c., where any Treasure or Treasuries of Gold and Silver, where in Coyn, plate, jewells or Bullions or other goods or Chattells doth lye buried in the Earth or otherwise hidden in any secret place in any Country of the Earth that hath been heretofore manufacturized & in use amongst men, And most especially and in particular in this Realm Kingdom or Country of England soe called, and what Spirit or Spirits by name order or office doth possess or keep such Treasures or Treasuries of Gold and Silver either by chance, purpose or appointment from the knowledge, necessary benefit and use of mankind; That soe either by the help and assistance of such familiar spirit or Spirits Servant or Servants assigned given or bound unto us, and to attend our motions & Calls, or by þe force vertue & efficacy of our Invocations and Constringations, any Spirit or Spirits of what order degree or nature or for what cause soever that shall possess or keep any Treasures or Treasuries of God and Silver buried hidden or layd up in any ground, house, vault, cellar, or any other place or places in any County, Citty, Town, Castle or old ruined places or in what other place or places soever within this Realm or Kingdom of England soe called, may bring or cause to be brought away, all or any of the aforesaid Treasure or Treasuries possessed and kept by any order whatsoever, Directly and Immediately unto this or any other appointed place, then and there and at that very instant or moment of time to leave [181v] the same, barely nakedly and openly visible to þe sight of our eyes and then to be discharged, and soe from thence to be dismissed and to depart unto their orders without dareing or presumeing to returne thereto again, or seemingly to alter change or convert the same into any vile or base matter contrary to þe forme of its natural Specie or otherwise what it truly was when it was first buried hidden or layd up, whereby to deceive defraud or deprive us thereof; now therefore O most Royall and mighty King Bataiva King of the East, and Raagios King of the West, Iczodhehca King of the South & Edelperna King of the North, Wee Invocate earnestly request and undeniably move you to compell and to force the Six Seniors of the East, the Six Seniors of the West, the Six Seniors of the South and the Six Seniors of the North, with all other servient and subservient & benevolent Angells under them, to move and visibly appeare and faithfully to answer to our Calls they being composed according to the Instructions of þe Angell Ave [3] all belonging to their respective Angles and places, and by the threefold mighty names of God Oro Ibah Aozpi in þe East, Empeh Arsel Gaiol over the West Emor Dial Hectaga [4] over the South and Oip Teaa Pedoce over the North, wee doe humbly beseech by the power of all aforesaid and for the Love thou bearest to mankind cause & compell all orders whatsoever whither Celestiall Elementall or Infernall or of what order or office soever they appertain or belong to answer to our Calls & Invocations and faithfully to performe serve and accomplish to the true obtaining all within mentioned and whatsoever else wee shall earnestly request and command, wee being according to the express Image of thy Selfe.
[1] Edmonton, now part of the London borough of Enfield: formally became part of Greater London in 1965. There was a notorious witch-trial there in 1621 leading to the execution of one Elizabeth Sawyer; the case was used as the base for a popular play, The Witch of Edmonton, written and performed the same year.
[2] Now Inkpen; southeast of Hungerford, near the border with Wiltshire and Hampshire.
[3] Which part of "A short and brief speech" (Ave, Action of 1584.07.02, TFR p. 188) do you not understand?
[4] Obverse that MOR is here referred to the South and OIP to the North, as in the Dee MSS., rather than the other way round as in Sloane MS. 307 and the Golden Dawn.
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Much of the phrasing in the above also appears in two treasure-hunting "experiments" in Sloane 3824 (typeset in Rankine, Book of Treasure Spirits): these, rather than the Kings and Seniors of the Table of Earth, call on a series of spirits, some of whose names are familiar from Liber Officiorum versions.
[EDIT: fixed some errors due to my not understanding a scribal abbreviation.]
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