Porri - Antidotario contro li demoni - 1601

Porri Alessio Antidotario against the Demons Venice - 1601 - Roberto Megietti (16), 291, (29) p. In 4o - 21 X 15 cm. - THE MODALITIES BY WHICH DEMONS ENTER HUMAN BODIES AND THE SIGNS TO RECOGNIZE THEM. “One of the rarest and most sought-after demonology treatises of the Renaissance.” Rarity of a manual for exorcists, in first edition, complete and perfectly preserved in its original binding. Considered by historians (Thorndike, Sluhovsky) the bridge between the Middle Ages and the Roman Ritual of 1614. CAILLET 8639 (cites second edition 1602) THORNDIKE VI, 539 EDIT16 CNCE 35912 Missing at GRAESSE Only 3 copies catalogued in ICCU in Italy (Marciana, Casanatense, Braidense). Alessio Porri was not a theorist but the official exorcist of the Holy Office in Venice, appointed by the Inquisition. His Antidotario is the practical manual: Part I - Theory - ch. 1/20 - Who the demons are and how they enter: 1) Origin of demons, fallen angels with Lucifer, not spirits of the dead 2) How many kinds there are: Porri counts 6 categories: aerial, fiery, aquatic, earthly, subterranean, lucifugous (those who hate light). 3) How they enter bodies: not of their own will but permissions from God. Lists 8 doors: for mortal sin, for the curse of parents, for charm or malefice, for consorting with witches, for fear, for being in haunted places. 4) Where they hide: the most famous part says demons nest mainly in the stomach, the nape of the neck, under the nails, in the eyes. From there they make the possessed speak in a different voice. 5) Difference between a melancholic possessed and a mad one; this is very modern: Porri tells the exorcist to first call the physical doctor. If the patient recovers with herbs or purges it is not a demon. If he speaks languages never studied or reveals secrets it is a demon. This is one of the first attempts at differential diagnosis. Part II - Diagnostics - how to tell if the demon is really present - ch. 21/40 - 1) Signs of the true possession: superhuman strength, aversion to sacred things (cannot pronounce “Mary”), light levitation, knowledge of occult things, insensitivity to pain with needles. 2) The demon’s tricks to feign an exit: screams, makes the person vomit nails or glass (Porri says these are often tricks of charlatans), makes the woman faint. 3) How to interrogate the demon: asks its name, how many there are, since when it entered, who sent him (who performed the malefice). Porri says the demon lies, so one must not believe him about the name. 4) Cites real cases from Venice: a Rialto woman who spoke Greek without study, a merchant who vomited stones, a nun from Murano. Part III - Practice - The real Antidotario- How to drive them away - ch. 41/end 1) Preparation: confession, fasting of the exorcist, clean church, relics, blessed water, violet stole. 2) Formulas: does not provide the Roman Ritual of 1614 (which would appear 13 years later) but provides his own prayers in Latin approved by the Patriarch of Venice, with psalms and litanies. 3) Material antidotes: in addition to prayers Porri lists: herbs, rue, hypericum (called fug a demonum), verbena, fumigations of blessed sulfur and incense, blessed oil on the possessed’s thumb, sign of the cross on the forehead, mouth, chest. 4) What to do afterwards: how to protect the house, how to remove hidden malefices under the bed or in the door (he advises looking for wax dolls, knotted hair). 5) Last section: protection for children, pregnant women, animals, much requested in Venice for the evil eye. The last chapter is dedicated to witches. In the dedication letter Porri explains - “I have been the public exorcist in Venice for 20 years. with two or three exorcisms a week.” Beautiful contemporary binding, in full semi-rigid parchment, with a suggestive manuscript, also probably contemporary, on the spine. Another ancient manuscript at the lower cut. Very slight, imperceptible professional restorations at the margins of the covers. Excellent preservation. Very good preservation of the interiors as well, with quite strong, fresh and clean papers, as is very rarely the case for similar texts, used for exorcisms or inquiries and then discarded. Splendid and untouched frontispiece printed in red and black, with the prestigious noble family seal of the era. The two rampant lions with imperial crown depicted on the seal could refer to a Venetian or Dutch patrician coat of arms, widely used by noble families of German origin with fiefs in Italy (e.g., Colloredo, Porcia, or Dutch-German families who bought forbidden books in Venice). Elegant drop caps, initials and end marks for each chapter. Contains the precious “Errata” on the last leaf, missing in 2 of the 3 only copies catalogued in ICCU in Italy. No defects to report except for sporadic very light humidity stains. Ancient manuscript at the lower edge. Original flyleaves preserved. Fascinating and unattainable museum copy, complete and original in every part. BOUND. COMPLETE

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