Drawing Conclusions: Differences in Focus and
Image 1 shows a small section at the end of the grimoire Enchiridion devoted to mystical secrets, which were short spells aimed at an eclectic mix of uses, from treating a house fire to finding love to curing colic. They use herbs and perfumes and address a variety of needs and desires. These spells are the most similar in purpose and style to those in Les Vrais Clavicules.
However, they do not represent the majority of spells, prayers, and conjurations in the text, many of which are aimed at the same use: protection from and victory over one's enemies. This emphasis can be seen in Image 2, which shows prayers for different days of the week. The one for Wednesday begins with "O Emmanuel! Defend me against the malignant enemy and against all my enemies visible and invisible." Similar requests are a constant presence throughout the text.
On the contrary, the figures, pentacles, prayers, and spells of Les Vrais Clavicules have more varied purposes, like turning invisible and protecting travelers against dangerous storms. The greater diversity found in Les Vrais Clavicules can be partially attributed to the difference in size of the two texts. Les Vrais Clavicules simply contains more content. However, some of this contrast represents a real difference in focus. Les Vrais Clavicules, which begins with instructions on how to guild utensils using ritual magic, is a practical and detailed guide aimed at people who wish to perform magic for all kinds of uses in their daily life. It does not assume any prior knowledge and walks the reader through detailed instruction and background. The grimoire is committed to accessibility, whereas Enchridion seems to be aimed at an audience already familiar with magical basics and more interested in the "historical" approaches to magic of various religious figures. While both texts are concerned with protection from harm, Les Vrais Clavicules is less focused on human harm and more on the dangers of the natural world. This could potentially reflect shifts in people's dominant fears. This copy of Les Vrais Clavicules, while transcribed only about 35 to 40 years prior to the publication of Enchiridion, likely reflects an earlier, lost medieval version, and could potentially reflect a world in which natural forces presented far greater everyday danger than that presented by other people.
These grimoires are also separated by a major event in history: the French Revolution. This dramatic rift in French society could have had ripple effects in the magical community and shifted people's relationship with power, mysticism, religion, and the needs and desires that dominated their life. The differences between these texts offer a glimpse into a larger world of magic that could have been radically reshaped in the few decades that separate them.