Book of Ceremonial Magic: Chapter IV: The Rituals Of Black Magic: Section 6: The Black Pullet

§ 6. The Black Pullet

The Black Pullet, the Druid of Menapienne, Red Magic, or the Cream of the Occult Sciences, with derivatives from the first of these works, such as the Queen of the Hairy Flies, the Green Butterfly, &c., form a class by themselves, and, with one exception, they are quite unserious publications, which can scarcely be called spurious, as they are almost without pretence. 1 They belong to the late end of the eighteenth century. Dr. Encausse, the head of the French Martinists, suggests that they were all fabricated at Rome and infers--as seen previously--that we owe them to the industry of priests, which seems to follow somewhat loosely from the evidence, is characteristic of himself and his school, and is indeed of much the same value as the statement in Isis Unveiled, that the habitual practice of Black Magic at the Vatican could be "easily proved."

The Black Pullet is far the most curious of its class and there is indeed sufficient individuality in its narrative to lift it much above the paltry impostures with which it connects. Its chief occult interest centres in the series of talismanic rings which it incorporates with the text, itself a species of magical romance. It makes no claim to antiquity, except that it embodies its wisdom, and it does not appeal to Solomon. In a book of Black Magic, as it certainly is, though the Goëtic intention is disguised, such modesty makes for virtue. Many of the Talismans seem to be original devices; at least they connect with nothing in occult symbolism known to the present

The preface entreats that the Black Pullet may not be confounded with the collections of reveries and errors which

1 It is the narrative of a man who "formed part of the expedition to Egypt," and was "an officer in the army of the genius." The reference is, of course, to Napoleon and at best the date of composition is little more than a century ago. While in Egypt, the narrator was sent upon an expedition to the Pyramids, accompanied by some mounted chasseurs. They lunched under the shadow of the "grand colossus," when they were attacked by a horde of Arabs of the desert; the comrades of the writer were slain and even he was left for dead upon the ground. On returning to consciousness, he surrendered himself to mournful reflections in the immediate anticipation of his end and delivered a valedictory address to the setting sun, when a stone was rolled back in the Pyramid, and a venerable man issued forth, who was proclaimed to be a Turk by his turban. This personage did not fail to discover the corpses which strewed the desert, nor to identify their nation. When the officer in his turn was examined, he manifested life by kissing the hand of the ancient man, who, superior to all prejudices which might have been dictated to the ordinary Mussulman by patriotism or religion, took pity on him, revived him by a wonderful cordial which put the wounded man upon his feet, and he followed his preserver into the Pyramid, wherein was the home of the ancient man and a mighty house of Magic. There were vast halls and endless galleries, subterranean chambers piled with treasures,

Odous, the just man expired upon a sofa, while the fortunate kinsman in philosophy swooned at the feet of his benefactor. In due course, accompanied by the genius who had been transferred to his service, the French officer managed to depart from Egypt, laden with treasures, and with the ashes of the sage in a costly urn. He took ship for Marseilles, stilled a tempest on the voyage and returned to his native country. He made his abode in Provence, spending his days in experiments with the Black Pullet, or in study, meditation and rambling. He undertook at length to write this memorial of his good fortune, in which he threatens the publishers of any pirated edition to adorn them, by means of a talisman, with ears six inches longer than those of

Footnotes

113:1 Much depends, however, on the point of view of the critic. A work which, even in its own country, seems almost unknown, Le Triple Vocabulaire Infernal, a Manual of Demonomania, by Finellan, defines the Cabala as the art of communicating with elementary spirits, and adds that among the Grand Cabalas are included (1) That called the Green Butterfly; (2) That of the Black Pullet; (3) That of the Queen of Hairy Flies; and (4) That of the Black Screech Owl. The works containing these mysteries are, it is said, exceedingly rare.

115:1 It is not impossible that the middle of the nineteenth century may be the period to which it should be assigned.