Francis Barrett (born probably in London around 1770–1780, died ''after'' 1802) was an English

occultist The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism a ...

Background

Barrett, an Englishman, claimed himself to be a student of

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the elements that make up matter to the compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions: their composition, structure, proper ...

metaphysics Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of conscio ...

and natural occult

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. ...

. He was known to be an extreme

eccentric Eccentricity or eccentric may refer to: * Eccentricity (behavior), odd behavior on the part of a person, as opposed to being "normal" Mathematics, science and technology Mathematics * Off-center, in geometry * Eccentricity (graph theory) of a v ...

who gave lessons in the magical arts in his apartment and fastidiously translated

Kabbalistic Kabbalah ( he, קַבָּלָה ''Qabbālā'', literally "reception, tradition") is an esoteric method, discipline and Jewish theology, school of thought in Jewish mysticism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ( ''Məqūbbāl'' "rece ...

and other ancient texts into English, such as von Welling's work, ''Philosophy of The Universe'' circa 1735, from German (1801). According to his biographer Francis X. King, Barrett's parents were humble folk married in the parish of St. Martin's in the Fields on 29 September 1772.

''The Magus''

Barrett was enthusiastic about reviving interest in the occult arts, and published a magical textbook called ''The Magus''. It was a compilation, almost entirely consisting of selections from

Cornelius Agrippa Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim (; ; 14 September 1486 – 18 February 1535) was a German polymath, physician, legal scholar, soldier, theologian, and occult writer. Agrippa's '' Three Books of Occult Philosophy'' published in 1533 drew ...

's ''Three Books of Occult Philosophy'', the ''Fourth Book of Occult Philosophy'' attributed to Agrippa, and Robert Turner's 1655 translation of the ''Heptameron of Peter of Abano''. Barrett made modifications and modernized spelling and syntax. ''The Magus'' dealt with the natural magic of

herbs In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicina ...

and stones,

magnetism Magnetism is the class of physical attributes that are mediated by a magnetic field, which refers to the capacity to induce attractive and repulsive phenomena in other entities. Electric currents and the magnetic moments of elementary particles ...

, talismanic magic,

alchemy Alchemy (from Arabic: ''al-kīmiyā''; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, ''khumeía'') is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in China, India, the Muslim wo ...

numerology Numerology (also known as arithmancy) is the belief in an occult, divine or mystical relationship between a number and one or more coinciding events. It is also the study of the numerical value, via an alphanumeric system, of the letters in ...

, the elements, and biographies of famous

adept An adept is an individual identified as having attained a specific level of knowledge, skill, or aptitude in doctrines relevant to a particular author or organization. He or she stands out from others with their great abilities. All human quali ...

s from history. ''The Magus'' also served as an advertising tool. In it Barrett sought interested people wanting to help form his magic circle. An advertisement in ''The Magus'' (Vol. 2, p. 140) refers to an otherwise unknown school founded by Barrett. According to the advertisement:

Views

When writing about

witches Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...

Barrett stated that he did not believe that their power to torment or kill by enchantment, touch or by using a wax

effigy An effigy is an often life-size sculptural representation of a specific person, or a prototypical figure. The term is mostly used for the makeshift dummies used for symbolic punishment in political protests and for the figures burned in certai ...

came from

Satan Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an entity in the Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehoo ...

. He claimed if

the Devil Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an entity in the Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehood ...

wanted to kill a man guilty of deadly sin, he did not need a witch as an intermediary. Barrett's belief in magical power might be summed up this way:

References

Sources

* Francis King, ''The Flying Sorcerer'' (Oxford: Mandrake, 1992) * Jason Semmens, “The Magus in Cornwall: An Unknown Chapter in the Life of Francis Barrett, F.R.C.” Old Cornwall 13, No. 1 (2003) pp. 18–21. * Timothy D’Arch Smith, ''The Books of the Beast'' (London, 1987) pp. 89–97.

External links

''The Magus or Celestial Intelligencer''
at Sacred Texts

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barrett, Francis (occultist) English occult writers 18th-century English educators 18th-century births Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain English male non-fiction writers 19th-century male writers 19th-century occultists Ceremonial magicians