Latin — 1533, repaired
Suffumigationes etiam quaedam ad stellas accommodata plurimum possunt, quatenus aerem spiritumque vehementer afficiunt ad dotes caelestes opportune sub stellarum radiis capessendas: spiritus enim noster ab huiusmodi vaporibus plurimum transmutatur, siquidem uterque sit vapor quidam alterius similis. Aer etiam per istos vapores inferiorum et caelestium qualitatibus facillime affectus, in praecordia assidue et repente penetrans, ad similes nos mirabiliter redigit qualitates: quare vaticinaturis adhiberi solent suffumigationes ad phantasiam afficiendam, quae quidem certis numinibus consentaneae ad divinam suffumigii inspirationem suscipiendam nos accommodant. Sic dicunt quod suffitus ex semine lini, semine psyllii, et radicibus violae et apii, facit videre res futuras, et confert ad prophetiam. Quantum vero suffumigationes in aerem possint nemo miretur, qui sentiat cum Porphyrio certis quibusdam vaporibus a propriis suffumigationibus exhalantibus, aereos daemones statim allici et insinuari, tonitrua et fulmina induci, et similia: quemadmodum iecur chamaeleontis in summis tectis ustum, constat imbres et fulmina incitare; similiter caput et guttur, si roboreis lignis accendatur, imbrium et tonitruum concussiones facere. Fiunt etiam suffumigationes sub opportunis stellarum influxibus, facientes daemonum idola in aere vel alibi protinus apparere. Sic inquiunt, si ex coriandro, et apio sive hyoscyamo cum cicuta fumigium fiat, spiritus vel daemones statim congregari: hinc illas herbas spirituum vocant. Similiter dicunt, si ex radice cannae ferulae cum succo cicutae et hyoscyami, et talo asini, [†bafli], et sandalo rubeo ac papavere nigro, facta confectione fiat suffitus, facit apparere daemones et figuras extraneas: et si istis additum fuerit apium, fugat daemones et omni loco, et destruit idola illorum. Simili modo suffitus factus ex calamintha, [†paronia] menta et palma christi, omnes malos spiritus et noxia phantasmata propellit. Praeterea certis suffumigiis, quaedam animalia congregari vel fugari tradunt, sicut de lepore [†suffito] refert Plinius, omnes bestias vocari: sic e summo gutture cervi ustis ossibus congregari serpentes, cornu vero cervino suffito fugari. Idem faciunt pennae pavonis suffitae. Similiter accenso pulmone asini, venenata omnia fugere; ungula equi suffita in domo aliqua, effugari mures. Idem fieri ex ungula mulae. Muscas quoque ea fugari, si de sinistro pede fuerit. Sic dicunt, quod si suffumigetur domus aut locus aliquis cum selle sepiae, confecto cum thymiamate et rosis et ligno aloes, et tunc proiiciatur in loco illo aliquid de aqua marina, aut de sanguine, videbitur tota domus plena aqua aut sanguinis: et si proiiciatur ibi terra arata, videbitur terra tremere. Vapores autem eiusmodi corpus aliquod efficere, et virtutem huic infundere atque diutissime perseverare, non secus arbitrandum est, atque contagiosus aliquis aut venenosus pestilentiae vapor per ultra biennium in pariete domus servatus, habitantes inficit, ac qualis ex epidemia vel lepra latens invexit calamitas, diu postea inficit tectum. Idcirco imaginibus tum et annulis, et similibus magicis instrumentis, et thesauris absconditis suffumigationes certae adhibentur, quas haud parum conferre Porphyrius testatur. Sic dicunt, si quis defoderit aurum vel argentum vel aliquod pretiosum, Luna coniuncta in imo caeli, et suffumigaverit locum cum coriandro et croco et hyoscyamo et apio et papavere nigro, aequis ponderibus contusis, et cum succo cicutae distemperatis, nunquam inveniri aut auferri poterit quod sic absconditum est, semperque daemones custodient illud: et si quis nitatur inde aliquid auferre, infestabitur ab illis, et incidet in phrenesim. Et dicit Hermes, quod sperma ceti in suffitu non habet sibi par ad alliciendos daemones: quare si ex eo et ligno aloes, costo, musco, croco, thymiamate, cum sanguine upupae distemperatis fiat suffitus, valde cito congregat spiritus aereos: et si ex eo suffumigetur circa sepulchra mortuorum, congregat manes et umbras mortuorum. Sic quoties ad solem opus aliquod dirigimus, suffumigamus cum solaribus: si ad lunam, cum lunaribus, et similiter de ceteris faciebant. Et est sciendum, quod sicut contrarietas et inimicitia est in stellis et spiritibus, ita etiam in suffumigiis ad eosdem sic contrariantur invicem lignum aloes et sulphur: thus et argentum vivum: et spiritus inducti per suffitum ligni aloes, accenso sulphure fugiunt. Quemadmodum exemplificat Proclus spiritum solitum apparere in forma leonis, obiecto gallo, mox disparuisse, quia gallus contrariatur leoni, et sic de similibus considerandum et practicandum est.
Close translation
Certain suffumigations, too, matched to the stars, can do a very great deal, in that they powerfully affect the air and our spirit, so as to lay hold, at the opportune moment under the rays of the stars, of the celestial endowments: for our spirit is very much transmuted by vapors of this kind, since each — spirit and vapor — is a vapor resembling the other. The air, too, being most readily affected through these vapors by the qualities of lower and of celestial things, penetrating continually and suddenly into the breast, wonderfully brings us round to like qualities: wherefore suffumigations are wont to be applied to those who divine, for affecting the imagination — suffumigations which, being in accord with certain divine powers, fit us to receive the divine inspiration of the fumigation. So they say that a fumigation from flax-seed, fleawort seed, and the roots of violet and celery, makes one see things to come, and helps toward prophecy. Let no one wonder how much suffumigations can do upon the air, who reflects with Porphyry that by certain vapors exhaling from their own suffumigations, aerial demons are at once drawn in and insinuate themselves, thunders and lightnings are brought on, and the like: just as the liver of a chameleon, burnt on the housetop, is agreed to stir up rains and lightnings; likewise its head and throat, if kindled with oak-wood, to bring on concussions of rains and thunders. Suffumigations are also made under opportune influences of the stars, causing images of demons to appear at once in the air or elsewhere. Thus they say, if a fumigation is made from coriander and celery or henbane with hemlock, spirits or demons are at once gathered together — hence they call those herbs "of the spirits." Likewise they say that if, from the root of the giant fennel-reed with the juice of hemlock and henbane, and donkey's anklebone, [†bafli], and red sandalwood and black poppy, a compound is made and a fumigation done, it makes demons and strange figures appear: and if celery is added to these, it drives demons away from every place and destroys their images. In like manner a fumigation made of calamint, [†paronia], mint, and castor-oil plant, drives off all evil spirits and noxious phantasms. Moreover by certain suffumigations, they report that certain animals are gathered together or driven off — as Pliny reports of a fumigation from hare('s parts) [†suffito], that it calls all beasts: so that by burning the bones from the topmost part of a stag's throat, serpents are gathered; but by fumigation of stag's horn they are driven off. The same is done by burnt peacock feathers. Likewise, with a donkey's lung set alight, all venomous things flee; a horse's hoof fumigated in some house drives away mice. The same happens from a mule's hoof. Flies too are driven off by it, if it be from the left foot. So they say, that if a house or some place is fumigated with cuttlefish ink-bladder, compounded with frankincense and roses and aloes-wood, and then something of seawater, or of blood, is thrown down in that place, the whole house will seem full of water or of blood: and if plowed earth is thrown down there, the earth will seem to tremble. That vapors of this kind can work upon some body, and infuse a power into it, and have it persist for a very long time, is to be judged no differently than how some contagious or poisonous plague-vapor, kept in a house's wall for upward of two years, infects those dwelling there, and just as a hidden calamity carried in from an epidemic or leprosy infects the roof long afterward. For this reason, to images, and to rings, and to similar magical instruments, and to hidden treasures, certain suffumigations are applied, which Porphyry attests contribute no small amount. Thus they say, if someone buries gold or silver or something precious, with the Moon conjoined at the bottom of the heaven, and fumigates the place with coriander and saffron and henbane and celery and black poppy, pounded in equal weights, and tempered with the juice of hemlock, what is thus hidden can never be found or taken away, and demons will forever guard it: and if anyone strives to take something from there, he will be beset by them, and will fall into frenzy. And Hermes says that sperm of whale [ambergris] in a fumigation has no equal for drawing demons: wherefore if from it, and aloes-wood, costus, musk, saffron, frankincense, tempered with hoopoe's blood, a fumigation is made, it very quickly gathers aerial spirits: and if it is fumigated with this around the tombs of the dead, it gathers the shades and shadows of the dead. So, as often as we direct some work to the sun, we fumigate with solar things; if to the moon, with lunar things, and they did likewise concerning the rest. And it is to be known that just as there is contrariety and enmity among the stars and spirits, so also in suffumigations toward the same: thus aloes-wood and sulphur are contrary to one another; frankincense and quicksilver [likewise]: and spirits drawn in by the fumigation of aloes-wood flee when sulphur is lit. As Proclus gives as an example a spirit accustomed to appear in the form of a lion, which, a cock being set before it, straightway vanished, because the cock is contrary to the lion — and of like matters one must reason and practice in the same way.
Modern rendering
Certain suffumigations — smoke offerings matched to particular stars — are very powerful, because they strongly affect the air and our own spirit, letting us catch the celestial gifts at the right moment, under the right stellar rays. Our spirit is easily transmuted by vapors of this kind, since spirit and vapor are, in a sense, alike. The air, too, is readily affected by these vapors carrying the qualities of both lower things and celestial ones, and it penetrates into the chest continually and suddenly, remarkably bringing us into line with those same qualities. That is why diviners use suffumigations to work on the imagination — fumigations tuned to particular divine powers that prepare us to receive the divine inspiration the smoke carries. So it is said that a fumigation of flax-seed, fleawort seed, and the roots of violet and celery lets one see future things and aids prophecy. No one should be surprised how much suffumigations can do to the air, if he reflects, with Porphyry, that certain vapors exhaling from these fumigations at once draw in and admit aerial demons, and bring on thunder and lightning, and the like — just as a chameleon's liver, burned on a rooftop, is agreed to stir up rain and lightning, and its head and throat, if burned with oak-wood, produce bursts of rain and thunder. Suffumigations are also performed under the right stellar influences to make images of demons appear at once in the air or elsewhere. So it is said that a fumigation of coriander and celery, or of henbane with hemlock, gathers spirits or demons immediately — which is why these plants are called "of the spirits." Likewise, they say that a compound of giant-fennel root with the juice of hemlock and henbane, donkey anklebone, [†bafli], red sandalwood, and black poppy, made into a fumigation, causes demons and strange shapes to appear; and if celery is added, it drives demons from every place and destroys their images. Similarly, a fumigation of calamint, [†paronia], mint, and castor-oil plant drives off all evil spirits and harmful phantasms. Certain fumigations are also said to gather or repel particular animals — Pliny reports that a fumigation from hare('s parts) [†suffito] calls every kind of beast; that burning bones from the top of a stag's throat gathers serpents, while fumigating stag's horn drives them off; that burnt peacock feathers do the same; that lighting a donkey's lung makes all venomous creatures flee; that fumigating a horse's hoof in a house drives out mice, and a mule's hoof does the same; and that flies are driven off by it too, if it is from the left foot. It is also said that if a house or place is fumigated with cuttlefish ink compounded with frankincense, roses, and aloes-wood, and then seawater or blood is thrown down there, the whole house will appear full of water or blood; and if plowed earth is thrown down, the earth will seem to shake. That vapors of this sort can work themselves into some object and pour power into it, persisting for a very long time, should be judged no differently than the way a contagious or poisonous plague-vapor, lodged in a house's wall for more than two years, infects those who live there afterward — the way a hidden aftereffect of an epidemic or of leprosy keeps infecting the building long after. This is why particular suffumigations are applied to images, rings, and similar magical instruments, and to buried treasure — Porphyry testifies that they contribute a great deal. So it is said that if someone buries gold, silver, or anything precious while the Moon is conjoined low in the heavens, and fumigates the spot with coriander, saffron, henbane, celery, and black poppy pounded in equal parts and tempered with hemlock juice, what is hidden that way can never be found or taken, and demons will guard it forever; anyone who tries to take something from there will be attacked by them and driven into frenzy. And Hermes says that ambergris has no equal, as a fumigant, for drawing demons — so that if it is combined with aloes-wood, costus root, musk, saffron, and frankincense, tempered with hoopoe's blood, and burned, it very quickly gathers spirits of the air; and if it is burned around graves, it gathers the shades and ghosts of the dead. In the same way, whenever we direct some working toward the sun, we fumigate with solar substances; toward the moon, with lunar ones, and so on for the rest. And note that just as there is opposition and enmity among the stars and spirits, the same holds for fumigations tied to them: aloes-wood and sulphur are opposed to each other, as are frankincense and quicksilver — and spirits drawn in by burning aloes-wood will flee if sulphur is then lit. Proclus gives the example of a spirit that regularly appeared in the shape of a lion, which vanished at once when a cock was set before it, because the cock opposes the lion — and similar cases should be reasoned and handled the same way.
Editorial flags — draft status
- uncertain: 'talo asini' (donkey's anklebone/knucklebone) as an ingredient — OCR reads 'talTi' before 'JjaE bafli'; the anklebone reading is a plausible period ingredient but confidence is only moderate; flag for page-image check
- uncertain: '[†bafli]' immediately following — unresolved OCR fragment 'JjaE bafli', likely a corrupted ingredient name (possibly a plant or resin); left untranslated, do not guess the substance
- uncertain: 'sandalo rubeo' (red sandalwood) — legible and plausible but flagged per rule 3 as a recipe ingredient
- uncertain: 'papavere nigro' (black poppy) appears twice in this chapter's recipes — legible, flagged as ingredient per rule 3 regardless
- uncertain: 'calaminto' (calamint) — legible, moderate confidence, flag per rule 3
- list: '[†paronia] menta' — OCR fragment before 'menta' (mint) is illegible; could be a separate ingredient name or a corrupted modifier of menta itself; do not guess, kept as [†paronia]
- uncertain: 'palma christi' (castor-oil plant, Ricinus communis) — legible common period name, flagged as recipe ingredient per rule 3
- uncertain: 'de lipare suffito' — OCR gives 'dc liparc suffiro', read here as a fumigation 'from hare(-fat/parts)' ([†suffito] kept bracketed for the ambiguous noun form); the animal/substance source Pliny actually names for this lore is uncertain from OCR alone — flag for verification against Pliny's Natural History and page image
- uncertain: 'cornu cervino' / 'ungula equi' / 'ungula mulae' (stag's horn, horse's hoof, mule's hoof) as fumigation matter — legible but flagged per rule 3 as recipe/list ingredients
- uncertain: 'selle sepiae' — cuttlefish ink/ink-bladder ('sepia' = cuttlefish, 'sella' unclear as 'ink' vs. another part); moderate confidence only, flag for page-image check
- uncertain: 'costo' (costus root) and 'musco' (musk) in the Hermes ambergris recipe — legible, standard period aromatics, flagged per rule 3 nonetheless
- uncertain: 'sanguine upupae' (hoopoe's blood) — legible but flagged per rule 3 as a recipe ingredient of consequence
- list: This chapter is composed almost entirely of suffumigation recipes (ingredients + effects); every ingredient name has been flagged individually above per spec rule 3 rather than silently trusted, even where OCR reading is fairly confident