Gauntlet had an eclectic shape to magic, as well as charms inferior from the Psalms, physical from other texts such as the Key of Solomon, conjurations not unaided of spirits but in addition of fairies ('Oberion' makes an put out of misery), and the little-known Olympic spirits. Many of his charms are associated to the orthodox range of subjects required by folk who sermon magical practitioners - charms for love, health, and intelligence appreciate, open farsightedness and skrying. There's even a charm linking a turnip, which in my mind conjures the take in of Baldrick, but the entire effect of reading give orders Gauntlet's preoccupations gives the spread of a strong-willed and enquiring mind, with a spirit of proto-empirical scouting. Gauntlet moves towards science, based on expansion, subsequently shies not permitted from it again: the charm to attract forwards spirits involves the blood of a lapwing circling to worms (allegedly maggots, if this is observational and not not literal), subsequently back to a lapwing anew. Unfinished expansion and imperfect violent assumption - we could see this as an correspondence for the two-steps-forward, one-step-back obtain of specialized enquiry in this finicky age.
It is this eclecticism of Gauntlet's work - veering from folk magic to blessed conjuration and with greatly in among - that in addition serves as correspondence to the companionable context in which Gauntlet was writing and working, and participating in which his grimoire subsequent to agreed. The data lines among astrologers, playwrights, churchmen, politicians and cunning men and women, are cute in themselves: Gauntlet's book was owned by Elias Ashmole (founder of the Ashmolean), a Noble Chancellor (Baron Somers), cunning-woman Ann Savadge, and mystic John Humphreys, by way of others. The character played by women in the history of this grimoire is itself an irrational one: Gauntlet's primary skryer was a man named Sarah Skelhorn, and I would sign that a regretful study of the part played by women in the range of magical practice at this time would excellence pick up consideration. Rankine's work raises a cost of questions which it would be well make use of pursuing.
