Comte de gabalis, ou entretiens sur les sciences secretes. (bound with) Les Genies assistans, et gnomes irreconciliables

“Cologne”; the Hague: “Pierre Marteau”, 1718. (lacking final two blanks) Contemporary blind-ruled mottled calf, spine and label gilt, edges marbled blue, blue silk marker. Old armorial ex-libris bookplate. Some paper flaws and rough cuts not affecting text. Two satirical anonymous occult texts taking aim at Rosicrucianism. The first is written in the form of a dialogue between a cabalist (Comte de Gabalis) and a skeptic. The five “entretiens”, or interviews, attempt to discount the Paracelsian doctrine on elementary spirits and parody alchemy, divination, and astrology. Whether deliberate or not, the book revealed many secrets closely held in the Rosicrucian and Jansenist circles, and for this slight, Villars was murdered 3 years after publication of the first edition (1670).

The second text purports to be of the same authorship, but this would be impossible as the first edition, offered here, was published 45 years after Villars’ death. (Brunet and other bibliographers have ascribed it to Antoine Androl.) The narrative piggybacks off Comte de Gabalis, describing and denouncing the elemental spirits of genies and gnomes.

I. VD17 1 :063003N ; STC Netherlands 119722909
II. Bibliotheca Rosicruciana 563 ; Caillet III : 7708.