Eco: Foucalt's Pendulum by eco foucault (ebook smartphone .txt) 📕

an idea of mine. For a while now IVe...But all ingood time; it needs more thought. Meanwhile, carry on. You've donewell, Casaubon. We must look at your contract again; you're avaluable colleague. And, yes, put in plenty of cabala andcomputers. Computers are made with silicon, aren'tthey?"

"But silicon isn't ametal. It's a nonmetallic element."

"Metallic, nonmetallic,why split hairs? What is this, Rosa rosarum? Computers andcabala."

"Cabala isn't a metaleither," I said.

He accompanied us to thedoor. At the threshold he said: "Casaubon, publishing is an art,not a science. Let's not think like revolutionaries, eh? Those daysare past. Put in the cabala. Oh, yes, about your expenses: I'vetaken the liberty of disallowing the couchette. Not to be stingy,believe me. It's just that research requires¡Xhow shall I putit?¡Xa Spartan spirit. Otherwise you lose your faith."

He summoned us again afew days later, telling Belbo there was a visitor in his office hewanted us to meet.

We went. Garamond wasentertaining a fat gentleman with a face like a tapir's, no chin, alittle blond mustache beneath a large, animal nose. I thought Irecognized him; then I knew who it was: Professor Bramanti, the manI had gone to hear in Rio, the referendary or whatever of thatRosicrucian order.

"Professor Bramanti,"Garamond said, "believes this is the right moment for a smartpublisher, alert to the cultural climate of the time, to inauguratea line of books on the occult sciences."

"For...Manutius," Belbosuggested.

"Why, naturally." SignorGaramond smiled shrewdly. "Professor Bramanti¡Xwho, by the way, wasrecommended to me by my dear friend Dr. De Amicis, the author ofthat splendid volume Chronicles of the Zodiac, which we brought outthis year-has been lamenting the fact that the few works publishedon his subject¡Xalmost invariably by frivolous and unreliablehouses-fail to do justice to the wealth, the profundity of thisfield of studies..."

"Given the failure ofthe Utopias of the modern world," Bramanti said, "the time is ripefor a reassessment of the culture of the forgottenpast."

"What you say is thesacred truth, Professor. But you must forgive our¡XI don't like tosay ignorance¡Xour unfamiliarity with the subject. When you speakof occult sciences, what exactly do you have in mind? Spiritualism,astrology, black magic?"

Bramanti made a gestureof dismay. "Please! That's just the sort of nonsense that's foistedon the ingenuous. I'm talking about science, occult though it be.Of course, that may include astrology when appropriate, but not thekind that tells a typist that next Sunday she'll meet the man ofher dreams. No. What I mean, to give an example, would be a seriousstudy of the de-cans."

"Yes, I see. Scientific.It's in our line, to be sure; but could you be a little morespecific?"

Bramanti settled intohis chair and looked around the room, as if to seek astralinspiration. "I'd be happy to give you some examples, of course. Iwould say that the ideal reader of a collection of this sort wouldbe a Rosicrucian adept, and therefore an expert in magiam, innecromantiam, in astrologiam, in geo-mantiam, in pyromantiam, inhydromantiam, in chaomantiam, in medicinam adeptam, to quote thebook of Azoth, which, as the Raptus philosophorum explains, wasgiven to Staurophorus by a mysterious maiden. But the knowledge ofthe adept embraces other fields, such as physiognosis, which dealswith occult physics, the static, the dynamic, and the kinematic, orastrology and esoteric biology, the study of the spirits of nature,hermetic zoology. I could add cosmognosis, which studies theheavens from the astronomical, cosmological, physiological, andontological points of view, and anthropognosis, which studies humananatomy, and the sciences of divination, psychurgy, socialastrology, hermetic history. Then there is qualitative mathematics,arithmology...But the fundamentals are the cosmography of theinvisible, magnetism, auras, fluids, psy-chometry, andclairvoyance, and in general the study of the five hyperphysicalsenses¡Xnot to mention horoscopic astrology (which, of course,becomes a mere mockery of learning when not conducted with theproper precautions), as well as physiognomies, mind reading, andthe predictive arts (tarots, dream books), ranging to the highestlevels, such as prophecy and ecstasy. Sufficient information wouldbe required on alchemy, spa-gyrics, telepathy, exorcism, ceremonialand evocatory magic, basic theurgy. As for genuine occultism, Iwould advise exploration of the fields of early cabala, Brahmanism,gymnosophy, Memphis hieroglyphics¡X"

"Templar phenomenology,"Belbo slipped in.

Bramanti glowed."Absolutely. But I almost forgot: first, some idea of necromancyand sorcery among the other races, ono-mancy, prophetic furies,voluntary thaumaturgy, hypnotic suggestion, yoga, somnambulism,mercurial chemistry...For the mystical tendency, Wronski advisesbearing in the mind the techniques of the possessed nuns of Loudon,the convulsives of Saint-Mldard, the mystical beverages, the wineof Egypt, the elixir of life, and arsenic water. For the principleof evil¡Xbut I realize mat here we come to the most delicate partof a possible series¡X I would say we need to acquaint the readerwith the mysteries of Beelzebub as destruction proper, with Satanas dethroned prince, and with Eurynomius, Moloch, incubi andsuccubi. For the positive principle, the celestial mysteries ofSaint Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and the agathodemons. Then ofcourse the mysteries of Isis, Mithra, Morpheus, Samothrace, andEleusis, and the natural mysteries of the male sex, phallus, Woodof Life, Key of Science, Baphomet, mallet, then the naturalmysteries of the female sex, Ceres, Cteis, Patera, Cybele,Astarte."

Signor Garamond leanedforward with an insinuating smile. "I wouldn't overlook theGnostics..."

"Certainly not, althoughon that particular subject a great deal of rubbish is incirculation. In any case, every sound form of occultism is agnosis."

"Just what I was goingto say," said Garamond.

"And all this would beenough?" Belbo asked innocently.

Bramanti puffed out hischeeks, abruptly transforming himself from tapir to hamster."Enough? To begin with, yes, but not for beginners, if you'llforgive the little joke. But with about fifty volumes you couldenthrall an audience of thousands, readers who are only waiting foran authoritative word...With an investment of perhaps a few hundredmillion lire¡XI've come to you personally, Dr. Garamond, because Iknow of your willingness to undertake such generous ventures¡Xandwith a modest royalty for myself, as editor in chief of theseries..."

Bramanti had now gonetoo far; Garamond was losing interest. The visitor was dismissedhastily, with expansive promises. The usual committee of adviserswould carefully weigh the proposal.

42

But you must know thatwe are all in agreement, whatever we say.

¡XTurbaPhilosopkorum

After Bramanti had left,Belbo remarked that he should have pulled his cork. Signor Garamondwas unfamiliar with this expression, so Belbo attempted a fewpolite paraphrases, but with little success.

"Let's not quibble,"Garamond said. "Before that gentleman