Of Keys and Gates (6)

The "Celestial Keys" of the Janua (well, just the first one, but the rest just change the names of the hierarchy and in 3-9 kludge in references to the days of Creation) were actually printed long before McLean's Treatise on Angel Magic in the 1980s.  By the power of infernal necromancy (a.k.a. Google Books) I have learned that in 1828, Robert Cross "Raphael" Smith, the astrologer, included the "Isagogicall Preface," preliminary prayer and first Key under the title "Celestial Magic" in The Familiar Astrologer (pp. 542-552, 615-628 of the edition--an 1831 reprint--linked).

This copy follows the Harley 6482 redaction, although "Raphael" claimed to have copied it from "a beautifully illuminated magical Manuscript, formerly in the possession of the celebrated Mr. Richard Cosway, R.A." (1742-1821); a note at the end implies that Smith's source MS. ended after the "First Key."

The Harleian collection was acquired by the British Museum from Edward Harley's widow in 1753; it is an open, and largely unimportant, question as to whether Cosway's copy was made before or after that date.

I'm now wondering if the author(s) of the "Invocation of Angels" texts were also responsible for "Longobardus," or at least the prayers and conjurations on fol. 3-15 of Sloane 3824 if that title also covers the material following: there is certainly a close stylistic similarity and many turns of phrase occur repeatedly: of course, the latter raises the question of whether that kind of language was just a commonplace of English magical texts of the period.