kelley

Edward Kelley
1555 - 1597

Born in Worchester, Edward Talbot would later change his name to Edward Kelley.
Kelley attended Oxford University , but was kicked out (reasons unknown) before gaining his degree. Before becoming involved with John Dee there is evidence that Kelley worked as a notary for a time.
It does seem to be true that while Dee worked for the love of knowledge, Kelley worked for material gains. Kelley had aquired the sole copy of The Book of Saint Dustan along with two containers and small amounts of two seperate powders that were used to turn metals into gold. Kelley came to Dee in the hopes that Dee could help him make more of the red and white alchemical powders. It has been suggested that Kelley changed his name due to a criminal past. Kelley was known to have dug up a corpse at a Lancaster gaveyard. It is not clear whether he did this to gain knowledge of the location of a buried treasure, or if he did it to tell the future for a nobleman It has also been suggested that Kelley wore his black skull cap to hide the fact that he had had his ears cut off for forgery, but this claim is disputed. There are painting of him, when he is older, that show no evidence that his ears were missing.
It was in 1582 that Kelley came to Dee. Dee showed Kelley a shewstone (crystal ball). Kelley was a natural. Kelley said to Dee, " in the middle of the stone seemeth to stand a little round thing, like a spark of fire, and it increasth, and it seemeth to be as a glove of twenty diameter, or there about." Kelley said that in the middle of the glowing sphere he saw a host of spiritual beings who would teach Dee and Kelley the Enochian language, the language that was spoken by angels and in the Garden of Eden. Dee and Kelley recorded hundreds of spirit conversations.
In 1583, the Liber Logaeth, or Book of Enoch was produced from Dee and Kelley. This book contained a language from angels that promised to offer the perfect truth from god when completed. From this has come the Enochian Alphabet and Enochian Magic, both of which are used by occultists today.
   Some say that Kelley was just tricking Dee, that Kelley had only material matters in mind. There are things though, that seem to disprove this. Kelley stayed with Dee over a long period of time, neither man making alot of money. It has never been reported that Kelley robbed Dee or his household. There is the fact that Kelley had practiced necromancy and a resepect for magic. It is believed by some that he successfully predicted both Mary Queen of Scot's execution and the attack by the Spanish Armada on the English Fleet. Kelley did not leave Dee within a short time to search further for the red and white powders he originally sought.
   There is also the effects that the sesions with the angels had on Kelley. It seems Dee and the Angels almost drove Kelley to insanity with almost daily long sessions of contact. Kelley came to distrust the angels as more and more was shown to and demanded of him. Dee's diary for June 8, 1584 shows this to us. Dee states that the Spirits attempted to convince Kelley that:
     "Jesus was not God.
      That no prayer ought to be made to Jesus.
      That there is no sin.
      That man's soul doth go from one body to another childes quickening or animation.
      That as many men and women as are now, have always been....
      That the generation of mankind from Adam and Eve, is not an History, but a writing which has another sense.
       No Holy Ghost they acknowledged.
      They would not suffer him pray to Jesus Christ; but would rebuke him, saying, that he robbed God of His honour, etc."
This all upset Kelley. Kelley was convinced that the forces, the angels were dark. Dee began to pay Kelley, but Kelley still protested. He had terrible nightmares and fits due to the angels.
       Dee had such faith in Kelley that in 1584 when Kelley told him the angels said they had to go to visit the Holy Roman Emperor, Rudolf II and tell him that he was evil they did. Rather than kill them he later hid them at a friend's house after the Pope made claims of heresy and the conjuring of evil spritis against them. The two men went to work in alchemy in earnest at this point. Dee's son, Arthur claims that during this time the men were successful in transmuting base metals into gold.
       In 1589 Dee and Kelley parted ways. Dee and his family returned to England and Kelley went on to become Sir Edward Kelley.Kelley was knighted by the Emperor Rudolph II. Kelley worked to produce gold for the Emperor, but when his attempts failed Kelley was imprisoned. Both of his escape attempts failed, the second one causing injuries that would take his life.
Besides his work with Dee, Kelley published three alchemical works, The Stone of the Philosophers, The Humid Way and The Theater of Terrestrial Astronomy.

the Enochian Alphabet

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