A letter to Roboam opens this French Key, followed by planetary tables, prepared instruments and coloured pentacles. The manuscript credits Rabbin Abognazar as translator and gathers its material in one continuous book. [1]
The title of Lansdowne MS 1203 credits Rabbin Abognazar with translating Solomon’s Keys from Hebrew into Latin, although the manuscript itself is in French. Its preliminary discourse attributes Solomon’s knowledge to an angel’s teaching. A letter addressed to his son Roboam presents knowledge of celestial movements as an inheritance more precious than the king’s riches. [1][3]
Planetary-hour tables follow, together with names of the hours and the angels presiding over them. The instrument table includes a sword, stilettos and cutting tools, two kinds of wand, a cup, an ink vessel and a brazier. Individual preparation and exorcism notices accompany those objects, and a consecration of the book appears among them. [1]
Coloured figures within a continuous book
McLean records forty-nine pentacles in different coloured inks. His description also names sections on the four elements and their angels, planetary correspondences and spirit seals, ten names of God, love, invisibility and spirit-guarded treasure. Twelve ring talismans and the twenty-eight lunar houses form further groups in the manuscript. [1]
Mathers describes the handwriting as printing letters and the pentacles as carefully drawn. He emphasises the arrangement: unlike the chaptered books of his edition, Lansdowne 1203 gathers its similar material in one book without chapter divisions. [3]
Three particular notices
The Grand Pentacle on manuscript page 107 is for spirits that resist the conjurations. Its notice says that showing the figure forces them to appear and prescribes gold under the lunar condition “Crossant Egal de la Lune”. The figures beside it have their own planetary prescriptions: silver and Jupiter in the Crab on page 106, then Mercury with Jupiter or the Moon on page 108. [2]
The Mars notice on page 110 and the Eternal portrait notice on pages 111–112 have close textual parallels on pages 92–93 of Français 25314. Both Mars notices describe thin polished iron, Charles V, Innsbruck and invulnerability. Both portrait notices specify lion skin, solar timing around the first ten days of August, a swan feather and gold or yellow colour. [2][4]
Lansdowne 1203 adds that the portrait signifies justice and divine wrath. Its notice also allows a plate of very fine gold under the same timing conditions, then describes suitable incense and suspension at the neck by a gold chain or gold-thread ribbon. [2]
Manuscript description of the French Abognazar version. Lansdowne MS 1203 entry: title, preliminary discourse and letter to Roboam; tables, instruments, preparation notices, ring talismans, lunar houses and forty-nine coloured pentacles.
McLean records the manuscript’s arrangement and drawing count.
French manuscript text with editorial notes. Manuscript pp. 106–108, Grand Pentacle and neighbouring notices; pp. 110–112, Mars pentacle and portrait of the Eternal. Complete French passages.
The French notices give the attributed effects, materials and timing of the named pentacles.
S. L. MacGregor Mathers, 1889; printed edition, including editorial restoration of Hebrew characters. Preface, printed p. vii, description of Lansdowne MS 1203; facsimile PDF p. 6.
French manuscript, BnF Français 25314; digitized original. Manuscript pp. 92–93: complete French notices for the Mars grid and portrait of the Eternal; digitized scan 54.
Historical French manuscript facsimile, Français 25314, Bibliothèque nationale de France.
