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THE , PRIVATE DIARY DR. JOHN DEE, PROM THE ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPTS IN THE ASHMOLEAN MUSEUM AT OXFORD, AND TRINITY COLLEGE LIBRARY, CAMBRIDGE. EDITED BY JAMES ORCHARD HALLIWELL, Esa. F.R.S., How. M.R.I.A., c. c. c. LONDON PRINTED FOR THE CAMDEN SOCIETY, DY JOHN DOWYER NICIIOLS AND SON, PARLIAMENT BTREET. 4 M.DCCC,XLII. -9 2 PRIVATE DIARY OF DR JOHN DEE. COUNCIL OF THE CAMDEN SOCIETY, FOR THE YEAR 1841-2. President, THE RIGHT HON. LORD FRANCIS EGERTON, M.P. THOMAS AMYOT, ESQ. F.R.S. Treas. S.A. Director, THE RIGHT HON. LORD BRAYBROOKE, F.S.A. JOHN BRUCE, ESQ. F.S.A. Fremrer. JOHN PAYNE COLLIER, ESQ. F.S.A. C. PURTON COOPER,ESQ. .C., D.C.L., F.R.S., F.S.A. T. CROFTON CROKER, ESQ. F.S.A., M.R.I.A. SIR HENRY ELLIS, K.H., F.R.S., Sec. S.A. JAMES ORCHARD HALLIWELL, ESQ. F.lZ.S., F.S.A. THE REV. JOSEPH HUNTER, F,S.A. SIR FREDERICK MADDEN, K.H., F.R.S., F.S.A. JOHN GAGE ROKEWODE, ESQ. F.R.S., Dir. S.A. THOMAS STAPLETON, ESQ. F.S.A. W ILLIAM J. THOMS, ESQ. F.S.A. Secretary. ALBERT TVAY, ESQ. M.A., F.S.A. THOMAS WRIGHT, ESQ. M.A.. F.S.A. , PREFACE, THE present volume contains two curious documentsl concerning Dr. Dee, the eminent philosopher of Mortlake, now for the first time published from the original manu- scripts. X. His Private Diary, written in a, very small illegible hand on the margins of old Almanacs, discovered a few years ago by Mr. W. H. Black, in the library of the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford. IT. A Catalogue of his Library of Manuscripts, made by himself before his house was plundered by the populace, and now preserved in the library of Trinity College, Cambridge. The publication of this Diary will tend perhaps to set Dees character in its true Light, more than any thing that has yet been printed. We have, indeed, his Com- pendious Reheasall, which is in some respects more comprehensive, but this was written for an especial pur- pose, for the perusal of royal commissioners, and he has of course carefully avoided every allusion which could be construed in an unfavourable light. Tn the other, how- ever, he tells 11s his dreams, talks of mysterious noises in viii PREFACE. his chamber, evil spirits, and alludes to various secrets of occult philosophy in the spii-it of a true believer, Mr. DIsraeli has given a correct and able view of his cha- racter. in his Amenities of Literature, which is re- markably confirmed in almost every point by the narrative now published. The imagination of Dee, observes that elegant writer, often predominated over his science while both were mingling in his intellectual habits, each seemed to him to confirm the other. Prone to the mystical lore of what was termed the occult sciences, which in reality are no sciences at all, since whatever remains occult ceases to be science, Dee lost his better genius. I shall refer the reader to this popular worlc instead of attempting an original paper on the subject, which would necessarily be greatly inferior to that drawn by the masterly hand of the author of the Curiosities of Literature. The Catalogue of-Dees Library of Manuscripts, although long since dispersed, is valuable for the notices which it preserves of several middle-age treatises not now extant. He is said to have expended on this collection the sum of three thousand pounds, a very large sum in those days for a person of limited income. J. 0. H. 35, Alfred Place, March 15th 1842. DR. DEES DIARY. 1554. Aug. 25 th, Barthilmew Hikman born at Shugborowh in Warwikshyre toward evening. My conjecture, uppon his own reporte of circumstances. Oct. 25th, D. Daniel Vander Meulen Antwerpie, mane hora quarta. 1555. April 2211d, Jane Fromonds borne at Cheyham at none. Aug. Zst, Ed. Kelly natus hora quarta a meridiet ut annotaturn reliquit pater ejus. Oct. llth, the Lord TTillughby horn hora septima mane, ante meridiem, Lat. 510 30, at Wesell in Gel- derland. 155 7. July 30th, Mr. ArundeIl of Cornwaple natus circa horam quartam a rneridie. 1568. Dec...
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