JOHN DEE AND THE MAGIC TABLES IN THE BOOK OF SOYGA

Abstract

Until recently the Book of Soyga was known only by repute, through mention in the diaries of John Dee (1527-1608). Dee’s association with the Book of Soyga is conveniently summarised by Christopher Whitby:2 On 18 April 1583 Dee was unable to find his Book of Soyga: it had been mislaid. On 29 April 1583 Dee remembered a detail about the missing book: “E[dward] K[elley] and I wer talking of my boke Soyga, or Aldaraia and I at length sayd that, (as far as I did remember) Zadzaczadlin, was Adam by the Alphabet therof.” On 19 November 1595 Dee recovered his Book of Soyga. Many years later Elias Ashmole (1617-1692) reported that “the Duke of Lauderdale hath a folio MS. which was Dr. Dee’s with the words on the first page: Aldaraia sive Soyga vocor”.