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DEVIL-WORSHIP IN FRANCE
_Demy 8vo, about 450 pages, cloth_
THE DOCTRINE AND RITUAL OF
TRANSCENDENT MAGIC
BY
ELIPHAS LEVI
A COMPLETE TRANSLATION OF "DOGME ET RITUEL DE LA HAUTE
MAGIE"
BY
ARTHUR EDWARD WAITE
_With all the original engravings and a portrait of the Author._
GEORGE REDWAY
9 HART STREET, BLOOMSBURY
LONDON
DEVIL-WORSHIP IN FRANCE
OR
THE QUESTION OF LUCIFER
_A RECORD OF THINGS SEEN AND HEARD IN THE
SECRET SOCIETIES ACCORDING TO THE
EVIDENCE OF INITIATES_
BY
ARTHUR EDWARD WAITE
"The first in this plot was Lucifer."--THOMAS VAUGHAN
LONDON
GEORGE REDWAY
1896
PREFACE
The term Modern Satanism is not intended to signify the development of
some new aspect of old doctrine concerning demonology, or some new
argument for the personification of the evil principle in universal
nature. It is intended to signify the alleged revival, or, at least, the
reappearance to some extent in public, of a _cultus diabolicus_, or
formal religion of the devil, the existence of which, in the middle
ages, is registered by the known facts of the Black Sabbath, a
department, however, of historical research, to which full justice yet
remains to be done. By the hypothesis, such a religion may assume one of
two forms; it may be a worship of the evil principle as such, namely, a
conscious attempt on the part of human minds to identify themselves with
that principle, or it may be the worship of a power which is regarded as
evil by other religions, from which view the worshippers in question
dissent. The necessity for this distinction I shall make apparent in the
first chapter of this book. A religion of the darkness, subsisting under
each of these distinctive forms, is said to be in practice at the
present moment, and to be characterised, as it was in the past, by the
strong evidence of miracles,--in other words, by transcendental
phenomena of a very extraordinary kind, connecting in a direct manner
with what is generically termed Black Magic. Now, Black Magic in the
past may have been imposture reinforced by delusion, and to state that
it is recurring at the present day does not commit anyone to an opinion
upon its veridical origin. To say, also, that the existence of modern
diabolism has passed from the region of rumour into that of exhaustive
and detailed statement, is to record a matter of fact, and I must add
that the evidence in hand, whatever its ultimate value, can be regarded
lightly by those only who are unacquainted with its extent and
character. This evidence is, broadly, of three kinds:--(a) The testimony
of independent men of letters, who would seem to have come in contact
therewith; (b) the testimony volunteered by former initiates of such
secret associations as are dedicated to a _cultus diabolicus_; (c) the
testimony of certain writers, claiming special sources of information,
and defending some affected interests of the Roman Catholic Church.
My purpose in this book is to distinguish, so far as may be possible,
what is true from what is false in the evidence, and I have undertaken
the task, firstly, because modern mystics are accused, _en masse_, of
being concerned in this cultus; secondly, because the existence of
modern Satanism has given opportunity to a conspiracy of falsehood which
is wide in its ramifications, and serious on account of its source;
thirdly, because the question itself has awakened considerable interest
both within and without transcendental circles, and it is desirable to
replace hazy and exaggerated notions by a clear and formal statement.
I have connected the new diabolism with France in my title, because the
evidence in each of its kinds has been filed by French writers, and we
have no other source of information. So far as that evidence is sound,
we have to thank France for producing it; but, on the other hand, should
it prove that a whole city of invention has been constructed, "with all
its spires and gateways," upon a meagre basis of fact, it is just that
French imagination should have full credit for the decorative art which
has adorned this Question of Lucifer.
The plan of my work had been sketched, and a number of chapters written,
when I found myself to some extent preceded by a writer well known to
occultists under the pseudonym of Papus, who has quite recently
published a small brochure, entitled _Le Diable et L'Occultisme_, which
is a brief defence of transcendentalists against the accusations in
connection with Satanism. I gladly yield to M. Papus the priority in
time, which was possible to a well-informed gentleman, at the centre of
the conspiracy. His little work, however, does not claim to be either a
review or a criticism, and does not therefore, in any sense, cover the
ground which I have travelled. It is an exposition and exoneration of
his own school of mystic thought, which is that of the Martinists, and I
have mentioned it in this connection in its proper place.
CONTENTS
PAGE
PREFACE v
CHAPTER I
SATANISM IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY 1
CHAPTER II
THE MASK OF MASONRY 22
CHAPTER III
THE FIRST WITNESSES OF LUCIFER 42
CHAPTER IV
EX ORE LEONIS 53
CHAPTER V
THE DISCOVERY OF M. RICOUX 74
CHAPTER VI
ART SACERDOTAL 82
CHAPTER VII
THE DEVIL AND THE DOCTOR 97
CHAPTER VIII
DEALINGS WITH DIANA 162
CHAPTER IX
HOW LUCIFER IS UNMASKED 182
CHAPTER X
THE VENDETTA OF SIGNOR MARGIOTTA 201
CHAPTER XI
FEMALE FREEMASONRY 225
CHAPTER XII
THE PASSING OF DOCTOR BATAILLE 233
CHAPTER XIII
DIANA UNVEILED 255
CHAPTER XIV
THE RADIX OF MODERN DIABOLISM 290
CHAPTER XV
CONCLUSION 299
DEVIL-WORSHIP IN FRANCE
CHAPTER I
SATANISM IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY
If a short time ago that ultimate and universal source of reference, the
person of average intelligence, had been asked concerning Modern
Diabolism, or the Question of Lucifer,--What it is? Who are its
disciples? Where is it practised? And why?--he would have replied,
possibly with some asperity:--"The question of Lucifer! There is no
question of Lucifer. Modern Diabolism! There is no modern Diabolism."
And all the advanced people and all the strong minds would have extolled
the average intelligence, whereupon the matter would have been closed
hermetically, without disquieting and unwelcome investigations like the
present.
The Great Teacher of Christianity beheld Lucifer fall from heaven like
lightning, and, in a different sense, the modern world has witnessed a
similar spectacle. Assuredly the demon of Milton has been cast down from
the sky of theology, and, except in a few centres of extreme doctrinal
concentration, there is no place found for him. The apostles of material
philosophy have in a manner searched the universe, and have
produced--well, the material philosophy, and therein is no question of
Lucifer. At the opposite pole of thought there is, let us say, the
spiritualist, in possession of many instruments superior, at least by
the hypothesis, to the search-lights of science, through which he
receives the messages of the spheres and establishes a partial
acquaintance with an order which is not of this world; but in that order
also there appears to be no question of Lucifer, though vexed questions
there are without number concerning "unprogressed spirits," to say
nothing of the elementary. Between these poles there is the flux and
reflux of multitudinous opinions; but, except at the centres mentioned,
there is still no question of Lucifer; it has been shelved or dropped.
The revival of mystical philosophy, and, moreover, of transcendental
experiment, which is prosecuted in secret to a far greater extent than
the public can possibly be aware, has, however, set many old oracles
chattering, and they are more voluble at the present moment than the
great Dodonian grove. As might be expected, they whisper occasionally of
deeds done in the darkness which look weird when exposed to the day. The
terms Satanism, Luciferianism, Diabolism, and their equivalents, have
been buzzed frequently, though with some indistinctness, of late, and in
accents that indicate the existence of a living terror--people do not
quite know of what kind--rather than an exploded superstition. To be
plain, the Question of Lucifer has reappeared, and in a manner which
must be eminently disconcerting to the average intelligence and the
advanced and strong in mind. It has reappeared not as a speculative
inquiry into the possibility of a personal embodiment of evil operating
mysteriously, but after a wholly spiritual manner, for the propagation
of the second death; we are asked to acknowledge that there is a visible
and tangible manifestation of the descending hierarchy taking place at
the close of a century which has denied that there is any prince of
darkness.
Now there are some subjects which impress one at first sight as
unserious, but we come to regard them differently when we find that they
are being taken seriously. We have been accustomed, with some show of
reason, to connect the idea of devil-worship with barbarous rites
obtaining among savage nations, to regard it, in fact, as a suitable
complement of the fetish. It seems hypothetically quite impossible that
there can be any person, much less any society or class of persons, who,
at this day, and in London, Paris, or New York, adore the evil
principle. Hence, to say that there is Black Magic actively in function
at the present moment; that there is a living cultus of Lucifer; that
Black Masses are celebrated, and involve revolting profanations of the
Catholic Eucharist; that the devil appears personally; that he possesses
his church, his ritual, his sacraments; that men, women, and children
dedicate themselves to his service, or are so devoted by their sponsors;
that there are people, assumed to be sane, who would die in the peace of
Lucifer; that there are those also who regard his region of eternal
fire--a variety unknown to the late Mr Charles Marvin--as the true abode
of beatitude--to say all this will not enhance the credibility or
establish the intelligence of the speaker.
But this improbable development of Satanism is just what is being
earnestly asserted, and the affirmations made are being taken in some
quarters _au grand sérieux_. They are not a growth of to-day or
precisely of yesterday; they have been more or less heard for some
years, but their prominence at the moment is due to increasing
insistence, pretension to scrupulous exactitude, abundant detail, and
demonstrative evidence. Reports, furthermore, have quite recently come
to hand from two exceedingly circumstantial and exhaustive witnesses,
and these have created distinctly a fresh departure. Books have
multiplied, periodicals have been founded, the Church is taking action,
even a legal process has been instituted. The centre of this literature
is at Paris, but the report of it has crossed the Channel, and has
passed into the English press. As it is affirmed, therefore, that a
cultus of Lucifer exists, and that the men and women who are engaged in
it are neither ignorant nor especially mad, nor yet belonging to the
lowest strata of society, it is worth while to investigate the matter,
and some profit is possible, whatever the issue.
If the devil be actually among us, then for the sake of much which has
seemed crass in orthodox religion, thus completely exonerated; for the
sake of the fantastic in fiction and the lurid in legend, thus
unexpectedly actualised; and, further, as it may be, for the sake of our
own souls, we shall do well to know of it. If Abaddon, Apollyon, and the
Lord of Flies are to be understood literally; above all, if they are
liable to confront us _in propria persona_ between Free Mason's Hall and
Duke Street, or between Duke Street and Avenue Road, then the sooner we
can arrange our reconciliation with the one Church which has
consistently and invariably taught the one full-grown, virile doctrine
of devils, and has the _bonâ-fide_ recipes for knowing, avoiding, and at
need of exorcising them, why the better will it be, more especially if
we have had previously any leanings towards the conception of an
universal order not pivoting on perdition.
If, on the other hand, what is said be of the category of Ananias, as
distinguished from what alchemists call the Code of Truth, it will be
well also to know that some portions of the old orthodoxies still wait
for their deliverance from the bonds of scepticism, that the actual is
to be discriminated from the fantastic by the old test, namely, its
comparative stupidity, and that we may still create our universe about
any pivot that may please us.
I am writing ostensibly for transcendentalists, of whom I am one; it is
as a student of transcendentalism that I have been led to examine this
modern mystery, equipped as it is with such portentous phenomena.
Diabolism is, of course, a transcendental question, and black magic is
connected with white by the same antinomy that connects light and
darkness. Moreover, we mystics are all to some extent accused by the
accusations which are preferred in the matter of modern diabolism, and
this is another reason for investigating and making known the result. At
the same time, the general question has many aspects of interest for
that large class which would demur to be termed transcendental, but
confesses to being curious.
The earliest rumour which I have been able to recall in England
concerning existing occult practices to which a questionable purpose
might be attributed, appeared in a well-known psychological journal some
few years since, and was derived from a continental source, being an
account of a certain society then existing in Paris, which was devoted
to magical practices and in possession of a secret ritual for the
evocation of planetary angels; it was an association of well-placed
persons, denying any connection with spiritualism, and pretending to an
acquaintance with more effectual thaumaturgic processes than those
which obtain at séances. The account passed unchallenged, for in the
absence of more explicit information, it seemed scarcely worth while to
draw attention to the true character of the claim. The secret ritual in
question could not have been unknown to specialists in magical
literature, and was certainly to myself among these; as a fact, it was
one of those numerous clavicles of the goëtic art which used to
circulate surreptitiously in manuscript some two centuries ago. There is
no doubt that the planetary spirits with which the document was
concerned were devils in the intention of its author, and must have been
evoked as such, supposing that the process was practised. The French
association was not therefore in possession of a secret source of
knowledge, but as impositions of this kind are to be _à priori_ expected
in such cases by transcendentalists of any experience, I for one
refrained from entering any protest at the time.
Much about the same period it became evident that a marked change had
passed over certain aspects of thought in "the most enlightened city of
the world," and that among the _jeunesse dorée_, in particular, there
was a strong revulsion against paramount material philosophy; an epoch
of transcendental and mystic feeling was, in fact, beginning. Old
associations, having transcendental objects, were in course of revival,
or were coming into renewed prominence. Martinists, Gnostics,
Kabbalists, and a score of orders or fraternities of which we vaguely
hear about the period of the French Revolution, began to manifest great
activity; periodicals of a mystical tendency--not spiritualistic, not
neo-theosophical, but Hermetic, Kabbalistic, and theurgic--were
established, and met with success; books which had grievously weighted
the shelves of their publishers for something like a quarter of a
century were suddenly in demand, and students of distinction on this
side of the channel were attracted towards the new centre. The interest
was intelligible to professed mystics; the doctrine of transcendentalism
has never had but one adversary, which is the density of the
intellectual subject, and wherever the subject clarifies, there is
idealism in philosophy and mysticism in religion. Moreover, on the part
of mystics, especially here in England, the way of that revival had been
prepared carefully, and there could be no astonishment that it came, and
none, too, that it was accompanied, as it is accompanied almost
invariably, by much that does not belong to it in the way of
transcendental phenomena. When, therefore, the rumours of Black Magic,
diabolism, and the abuse of occult forces began to circulate, there was
little difficulty in attributing some foundation to the report.
A distinguished man of letters, M. Huysman, who has passed out of
Zolaism in the direction of transcendental religion, is, in a certain
sense, the discoverer of modern Satanism. Under the thinnest disguise of
fiction, he gives in his romance of _La Bas_, an incredible and
untranslatable picture of sorcery, sacrilege, black magic, and nameless
abominations, secretly practised in Paris. Possessing a brilliant
reputation, commanding a wide audience, and with a psychological
interest attaching to his own personality, which more than literary
excellence infuses a contagious element into private views and
impressions, he has given currency to the Question of Lucifer, has
promoted it from obscurity into prominence, and has made it the vogue of
the moment. It is true that, by his vocation of novelist, he is
suspected of inventing his facts, and Dr "Papus," president of the
influential Martinist group in French occultism, states quite plainly
that the doors of the mystic fraternities have been closed in his face,
so that he can know nothing, and his opinions are consequently
indifferent. I have weighed these points carefully, but unless the
mystic fraternities are connected with diabolism, which Papus would most
rightly deny, the exclusion does not remove the opportunity of
first-hand knowledge concerning the practice of Satanism, and,
"brilliant imagination" apart, M. Huysman has proved quite recently that
he is in mortal earnest by his preface to a historical treatise on
"Satanism and Magic," the work of a literary disciple, Jules Bois. In a
criticism, which for general soberness and lucidity does not leave much
to be desired, he there affirms that a number of persons, not specially
distinguished from the rest of the world by the mark of the beast in
their foreheads, are "devoted in secret to the operations of Black
Magic, communicate or seek to communicate with Spirits of Darkness, for
the attainment of ambition, the accomplishment of revenge, the
satisfaction of their passions, or some other form of ill-doing." He
affirms also that there are facts which cannot be concealed and from
which only one deduction can be made, namely, that the existence of
Satanism is undeniable.
To understand the first of these facts I must explain that the attempt
to form a partnership with the lost angels of orthodox theology, which
attempt constitutes Black Magic, has, in Europe at least, been
invariably connected with sacrilege. By the hypothesis of demonology,
Satan is the enemy of Christ, and to please Satan the sorcerer must
outrage Christ, especially in his sacraments. The facts are as
follow:--(a) continuous, systematic, and wholesale robberies of
consecrated hosts from Catholic Churches, and this not as a consequence
of importing the vessels of the sanctuary, which are often of trifling
value and often left behind. The intention of the robbery is therefore
to possess the hosts, and their future profanation is the only possible
object. Now, before it can be worth while to profane the Eucharist, one
must believe in the Real Presence, and this is acknowledged by only two
classes, the many who love Christ and some few who hate Him. But He is
not profaned, at least not intentionally, by His lovers; hence the
sacrilege is committed by His enemies in chief, namely, practisers of
Black Magic. It is difficult, I think, to escape from that position; and
I should add that sacramental outrages of this astonishing kind, however
deeply they may be deplored by the Church, are concealed rather than
paraded, and as it is difficult to get at the facts, it may be inferred
that they are not exaggerated, at least by the Church; (b) The
occasional perpetration of certain outrageous crimes, including murder
and other abominations, in which an element of Black Magic has been
elicited by legal tribunals. But these are too isolated in place and
too infrequent in time to be evidence for Satanic associations or
indications of a prevalent practice. They may therefore be released from
the custody of the present inquiry to come up for judgment when called
on; (c) The existence of a society of Palladists, or professors of
certain doctrines termed Palladism, as demonstrated, _inter alia_, by
the publication of a periodical review in its interests.
M. Huysman's facts, therefore, resolve into acts of sacrilege,
indicating associations existing for the purpose of sacrilege, which
purpose must, however, be regarded as a means and not an end, and the
end in question is to enter into communication with devils.
Independently of M. Huysman, I believe there is no doubt about the
sacrilege. It is a matter of notoriety that in 1894 two ciboria,
containing one hundred consecrated hosts, were carried off by an old
woman from the cathedral of Notre Dame under circumstances which
indicate that the vessels were not the objects of the larceny. Similar
depredations are said to have increased in an extraordinary manner
during recent years, and have occurred in all parts of France. No less
than thirteen churches belonging to the one diocese of Orleans were
despoiled in the space of twelve months, and in the diocese of Lyons the
archbishop recommended his clergy to transform the tabernacles into
strong boxes. The departments of Aude, Isère, Tarn, Gard, Nièvre,
Loiret, Yonne, Haute-Garonne, Somme, Le Nord, and the Dauphiny have been
in turn the scene of outrage. Nor are the abominations in question
confined to France: Rome, Liguria, Salerno have also suffered, while so
far off as the Island of Mauritius a peculiarly revolting instance
occurred in 1895.
I am not able to say that the personal researches of the French novelist
have proceeded beyond the statistics of sacrilege, which, however, he
has collected carefully, and these in themselves constitute a strong
presumption. M. Huysman is exhaustive in fiction and reticent in
essay-writing, yet he gives us to understand explicitly that the
infamous Canon Docre of _La Bas_ is actually living in Belgium, that he
is the leader of a "demoniac clan," and, like the Count de St Germain,
is in frequent terror of the possibilities of the life to come. An
interviewer has represented M. Huysman as stating that his information
was derived from a person who was himself a Satanist, but the
revelations disturbed the sect, and the communication ceased, though the
author had originally been welcomed "as one of their own." But it is
clear to my own mind that for his descriptions of the orgies which take
place at the assemblies of modern black magicians, M. Huysman is mainly
indebted to documents which have been placed in his hands by existing
disciples of the illuminé Eugene Vintras, and the "Dr Johannes" of _La
Bas_. Vintras was the founder of a singular thaumaturgic sect,
incorporating the aspirations of the Saviours of Louis XVII.; he
obtained some notoriety about the year 1860, and an account of his
claims and miracles will be found in Éliphas Lévi's _Histoire de la
Magie_, in the same writer's _Clef des Grands Mystères_, and in Jules
Bois' _Petites Religions de Paris_. He left a number of manuscripts
behind him, recounting his life-long combats with the priests of black
magic--a series of fervid narratives which savour strongly of
hallucination, but highly picturesque, and in some quarters accepted
quite seriously.
In like manner, concerning the existence of Satanic associations, and
especially the Palladium, M. Huysman admittedly derives his knowledge
from published sources. We may take it, therefore, that he speaks from
an accidental and extrinsic acquaintance, and he is therefore
insufficient in himself to create a question of Satanism; he indicates
rather than establishes that there is a question, and to learn its scope
and nature we must have recourse to the witnesses who claim to have seen
for themselves. These are of two kinds, namely, the spy and the
seceder--the witness who claims to have investigated the subject at
first hand with a view to its exposure, and those who have come forward
to say that they once were worshippers of Lucifer, worshippers of Satan,
operators of Black Magic, or were at least connected with associations
which exist for these purposes, who have now, however, suspended
communication, and are stating what they know. In the first class we
find only Doctor Bataille; in the second, Diana Vaughan, Jean Kostka,
Domenico Margiotta, and Leo Taxil.
Finally, we have, as stated in the preface, some testimony from writers
representing the interests of the Latin Church, in a special manner, and
speaking with the authority of that Church. The most important of these
is the late Archbishop Meurin. At the same time, M. Huysman apart--who
occupies much the same quasi-religious position as that which attached a
fleeting interest to the personality of Mr W. H. Mallock--all writers
and all witnesses are, or assume to be, at the present time, convinced
and zealous Roman Catholics.
I have already stated that the purpose of Black Magic is simply and
obviously to communicate with devils, and if we interrogate our sources
of knowledge as to the object of such communication, it must be admitted
that the response is vague. Perhaps the object will best be defined as
the reinforcement of human ability by diabolical power and intelligence
for the operation of evil along the lines of individual desire and
ambition. For the fulfilment of what is good man aspires towards God,
and to fulfil evil he attempts to conspire with Satan.
It must, however, be observed that modern devil-worship, as exposed by
its French experts, has two aspects, corresponding to the distinction
already laid down in my preface. There is (a) devil-worship pure and
simple, being an attempt to communicate with evil spirits, admitting
that they are evil; (b) the cultus of Lucifer, star of the morning, as
distinguished from Satan, on the hypothesis that he is a good spirit. It
will be seen very readily that the essence of diabolism is wanting in
the second division, namely, the Satanic intention, so that it belongs
really to another category, though the classification may be accepted
for the moment to prevent dispute at the beginning of a somewhat complex
inquiry. The first division is, in any case, Satanism proper, and its
adepts are termed Satanists; those of the second division are, on the
other hand, Luciferians, Palladists, &c. The two orders are further
distinguished as unorganised and as organised diabolism. The cultus of
Satan is supposed to be mainly practised by isolated persons or small
and obscure groups; that of Lucifer is centralised in at least one great
and widespread institution--in other words, the first is rare and
sporadic, the second a prevalent practice. We accordingly hear little of
the one, while the testimonies which have been collected are concerned
exclusively with the other. It is possible, in fact, to dismiss Satanism
of the primary division in a few words, because materials are wanting
for its history. It is founded on orthodox Christianity; it acknowledges
that the devil is a lost angel, but it affirms that the God of the
Christians has deceived His believers, has betrayed the cause of
humanity, has exacted the suppression of the nature with which He
Himself has endowed it; they have therefore abandoned a cruel and
tyrannical Master, and have gone over in despair to His enemy.
Satanism of the second division, its principles and its origin, will be
described in the second chapter.