Four occult philosophers who documented charms, seals, talismans, and magical lore during the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries were the owners of Douce manuscript 116 before it ended up in Oxford's Bodleian Library. Historian Dan Harms discusses the secrets that Robert Cross Smith (Raphael), Olivia Serres (Princess Olive), Thomas Harrington, and an unidentified person credited as "W." recorded which also reflected the changes and acceptance of the use of magic and the occult over the three-century period.
Dan also discusses the use and survival of Witch Bottles.
Dan Harms
Dan Harms is an author and librarian from upstate New York. His specialties include the history of British magic from the 16th to the 19th centuries, folklore, and the works of H. P. Lovecraft and other contributors to the "Cthulhu Mythos." He has published and presented at academic conferences on these topics. His works include The Book of Oberon, The Book of Four Occult Philosophers, an annotated edition of The Long-Lost Friend, and Witch Bottles: History, Culture, Magic.