PSELLI, Michaelis [Michael Psellus].

[Greek letters, then:] Michaelis Pselli de operatione daemonum dialogus. Gilbertus Gaulminus Molinensis primus Graece edidit & notis illustravit. E museo Dan. Hasenmulleri, ling. Gr. in Academia Kiloniensi Professoris Ordinarii. [ On the Operation of Dæmons ].

Kiloni, [Kiel]: Sumptibus Joh. Sebastiani Richelii, 1688. Hardcover, 12mo (13 x 7.5 cms). Contemporary full vellum, [12] + 166 pp. Text in Latin and Greek on opposite pages. Includes index of authors cited; with head- and tail-piece. Footnotes. First seven words of title in Greek letters: (transcribed: Michaelou tou Psellou Peri energeias daimonon dialogos). Michael Constantine Psellus (1018 – 1178 C.E) was a monk, philosopher, politician and historian, widely considered to be one of the great writers and thinkers of the Byzantine era. Psellus was born in Constantinople (modern Istanbul) and served as an advisor to a number of emperors, as well as becoming the head Professor at the newly founded University of Constantinople, where he played a key role in the reintroduction of the study of Greek thought, particularly that of Plato. He wrote on a wide variety of subjects. His "De Operatione Daemonum," is basically a discourse on the nature and classification of demons, presented in the form of a dialogue between two individuals, Timothy and "a Thracian." Byzantine magical and hermetic works are often cited as having been the stepping stone between Greek thought and the development of Western Hermeticism during the Renaissance. Psellus' "De Operatione Daemonum" was an important work that was reprinted a number of times (mostly in Greek and Latin) following its first publication (in French translation) in 1576. It was considered of such importance that it was anthologised into several collections of hermetic texts, along with the works of Iamblichus, Proclus and Hermes Trismegistus. The first English translation of "De Operatione Daemonum" was published in 1843, and the work has recently been reissued in a new edition as Volume V of the Golden Hoard Press "Sourceworks of Ceremonial Magic Series." This 1688 edition is the second (the first was 1615) to be edited by Gilbert Gaulmin (1587–1667) a French author and counsellor of State, who was known as a translator and philologist, but is most widely remembered for his unorthodox approach to marriage. When (for reasons unknown), a curate refused to marry Gaulmin and his intended bride, Gaulmin declared in his presence that he took her as his wife, and the two thereafter lived as married. This caused such scandal that an investigation into marriages "out of church" was held, and they were made illegal, becoming known a marriages "a la Gaulmin." The 1688 edition is the first to contain a scholarly edition of the Greek text, which was prepared especially for it by Daniel Hasenmüller (1651–1691), a German philologist and classicist who was also Professor of Oriental languages at the University of Kiel. This copy from the library of G.R.S Mead, with his ownership stamp: "G. R. S. Mead, Theosophical Head Quarters, 19 Avenue Road, Regent's Park," on the front paste down. George Robert Stowe Mead (1863–1933) was one of the most significant figures in late nineteenth and early twentieth century British occultism. An industrious author, editor, and translator, who was for a time Mme. Blavatsky's private secretary and also became a joint-secretary of the Esoteric Section (E.S.) of the Theosophical Society and an active member of the "Inner Circle" of the T.S. He quit the T.S. following the first great Leadbeater scandal and went on to found The Quest Society. Initially with a strong interest in Eastern Religions, Mead became increasingly involved with the study of Gnosticism, Neoplatonism, and the Western Hermetic tradition. "De Operatione Daemonum" was obviously one of the source works that he used in those studies, which bore fruit in the form of some of his most famous books. The vellum binding is somewhat age darkened, but otherwise clean and solid, with just a couple of tiny nicks. Internally there is a little light toning, but the pages are otherwise fresh, supple, and unmarked. All early editions of the work are rare. This copy not only in scarce as such, but in lovely condition, and with an important provenance. Item #40275

Price: $2,500.00