Correction / clarification to the previous post about the proto-Goëtia in Sloane MS. 3824 (now I actually have a copy of the MS., admittedly as a badly-digitised microfilm): the last spirit in the De Officiis fragment, is given as Sondenna, aliter Sendenna, which matches the printed TFR, thus removing the need for repeated copying. Moral: never rely on dodgy copies of other people's transcriptions. Also, the short entry following regarding two spirits, Maserien and Hermcloe who "were the Servants And familiars of the L. C. E. of S. 1607" is explicable with reference to TFR, page *34 (Action of 1607.03.24, Cotton Appendix XLVI part ii. fol. 229r).
The characters of Seere, Dantalion and Andromalius are written very small, the same height as a line of the text or slightly higher.
For comparison purposes, here are those characters (cleaned up / retouched from images of the MS.), followed by the Mathers versions:
From my initial studies of Sloane 3824, material in this collection does seem to be an important predecessor, working notes even, for the first two books of the Lemegeton.
Fol. 22r-29v contain a series of "Consecrations & Benedictions" leading into a series of conjurations addressed to the "spirit Vassago or Usago." This borrows heavily from the Heptameron; a slightly simplifed version of the "pentacle" appears, and the first conjuration is an English translation of pseudo-Abano's Exorcismus Spirituum Aërorum. After that, the conjurations and rubric closely follows the Goëtia through to the license to depart; following the general instruction to "[make] prayer to God for the great blessing he hath bestowed upon you in granting you your desires and delivering you from all the malice of the enemy the devil," an actual form of prayer is given (concluding with the Gloria in Latin).
EDIT: the text of this section is the Heptameron on its way to becoming the Ars Goëtia. However, this particular copy is, well, a copy: the materials in the first 80 leaves or so of Sloane MS 3824 appear to be a collection of copies made by Elias Ashmole from various other MS. sources, probably at least three different: (a) "Longobardus," a collection of extremely verbose & legalistic conjurations for traditional concerns such as finding treasure & recovering stolen goods, (b) a partial copy of the Janua Magica Reserata with additional passages not found in Sloane MS. 3825 and (c) a proto-Lemegeton including the material mentioned above, and the incomplete Ars Theurgia-Goëtia mentioned below.
Fol. 53r-71v are titled "The Second Parte of the Art of King Solomon," The opening of this section (up to 54r) is more or less identical to the preamble of the Ars Theurgia-Goëtia, although the figure of the compass is either missing, or was too faint to show up in the crappy scans I'm using (there is a blank space where it should be, and the text refers to it). This is followed by descriptions of Carnesiell, Caspiel, Amenadiel, Demoriel, Pamersiel, Padiel, Camuel, Aseliel, Barmiel, Gedial, Asyriel, Maseriel, Magaras, Dorochiel, Vsiel and Cabariel (i.e. 16 of the 20 chief spirits with fixed abodes, and none of the wanderers); only a few are given seals, and the names and seals of their chief subordinates are AWOL. The conjuration for each is given at length, although these generally vary only in the name and the direction to which the Spirit is assigned. At the end is another lengthy conjuration addressed to Padiel, with an oath to be sworn by the spirit.
As previously remarked, fol. 110r-111v contains "An Experiment of the Spirit Vassago, who may be called upon to appear in a Christall Stone, or Glass or otherwise without," including a character for Vassago slightly simpler than the Goëtia version. A similar "experiment" for Agares follows. Following a ritual to cause the spirit Bleth to appear in a glass of water, are brief descriptions of eight more spirits (115v-116r), with simple seals for five of them, including Seere, Dantalion and Andromalius, the remaining additions to the Goëtia.
On fol. 116v are given "The Names of severall Spirits, both with and without their Characters." 25 spirits have characters next to their names, most fairly simple; while some have similar general morphology to characters of subordinate spirits in the Theurgia-Goëtia, I have yet to definitely identify any as being the same, and several of the names are unreadable in my copy.
Halfway down 117r begins an account of the chief infernal spirits and Kings of the quarters, an important part of the De Officiis Spirituum tradition that was apparently redacted out by Wier in order to make the Pseudomonarchia unuseable. This concludes with a generic conjuration for the Kings and their chief ministers (to be varied by substituting appropriate names and directions).
On fol. 121ro-130vo, in a different hand to the preceding (and bound up with it later) is a text called Trithemius Redivivus, an English translation of a portion of Book i of the Steganographia, from which the Ars Theurgia-Goëtia derived its spirit names (while apparently missing the point of the book, which uses a variety of techniques to encode messages in what appear on the surface to be innocuous passages or strings of barbarous words).
The final article in Sloane 3824 (131r-154v) is a rearranged and heavily modified version of the Heptameron, "The Magick and Magicall Elements of the Seven days of þe week, with their Appropriate hours, and the four Annual Seasons." After the considerations and conjurations of the seven days, and various tables of names for the hours, days and seasons, follows an "Introduction," not found in the printed Heptameron, which I reproduce in full:
"An Introduction, teaching the use of the foregoing treatis of thereby other experiments or operations of the like nature orders or offices as a president refer'd to the spirits of the Ayr, being a sufficient exemplification for any Philosopher Skillfull in the Art of Magick, & well knowing how to make a trew & racionall distinction beetweene the Cœlestiall & blessed Angells, or intelligences, and the Cœlestially Dignified Elementall Angells, or Spirits of Light, & also of other Elementall powers, or Spirits, both of light & darkness; & so by nature and office, both good & Evill, together with others, called wandering spirits of the Aÿr, of the like nature & office, but of no orders, mansions, or proper place of Residence; but moving even like as flies in the son, without sensible Subjection to any superiour powers; together with Infernall powers, called spirits of Darkness, or Devils; who are saide by nature & office to be wholly evill, & therefore of themselves not to be invocated, moved, or called forth to visible Appearance; as the other Elementall powers, or spirits are; & may bee; but other spirits of their natures, orders, & offices may be them, & the power given to them (by Divine permission in the blessed Trinity) & in their names be moved & called forth to visible appearance, for such, or those purposes, which may, & usually (?) doth serve to the benifit of mankind; &c."
The instruction in forming the circle and preliminary rites from the Heptameron follows; the "ANCOR: ANACOR: AMIDES" prayer for robing is significantly extended and for the remainder of the work the text diverges significantly; the conjurations are padded out with additional verbiage while the general rubric is retained. After the License to Depart follows a series of increasingly strongly worded "constraints" for uncoöperative Spirits, which with their rubric occupy the last four and a bit leaves of the MS., concluding with "the great Chaine or Sentence" in which the exorcist (having placed the spirit's name on a parchment, wrapped about with an iron wire, inside a metal box, on top of a charcoal brazier) declares:
"so behold (o you Spirit N:) we do powerfully hereby cast you forth into þe bottomless pit of unquenchable flames or other place of darkness, even the most terrable Tophet of endless & unspeakable torments, wherein you shall remaine bound, or Chained up, untill the dreadfull and great day of judgement, and there shall never be more remembrance of thee; before the face of God, who shall come to judge the quick & the dead, & the whorld by fire, as a due & just reward of this your disobedience, obstinacy & Rebellion, fiat, fiat, fiat."
The "BERALANENSIS: BALDACHIENSIS" conjuration (first conjuration in Ars Goëtia, conjuration to be said after the exorcism of the Aërial spirits and prayer to the quarters in the Heptameron), I've not found in 3824 yet, but it's entirely credible I missed it.
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