Edward Kelley, also known as Edward Talbot, was an English Renaissance mystic and seer. He worked with John Dee in magical studies. Kelley claimed he could see spirits or angels in a mirror, a skill John Dee highly valued. He also stated he knew how to change common metals into gold, a goal of alchemy, and possessed the philosopher's stone.
After Kelley's death, stories about him grew. His dramatic life, his connections to John Dee, Queen Elizabeth I's royal magus, and Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor, along with his reputation for alchemical knowledge and ability to speak with angels, have made him notable to historians.
Biography
Much of Kelley's early life is not well known. He claimed to be descended from the family of Ui Maine in Ireland. He was born in Worcester on August 1, 1555, at 4:00 P.M., according to a horoscope that John Dee created using notes he kept in his almanac and diary. His sister Elizabeth was born in 1558, and he had a brother named Thomas, who later joined Dee's household. However, little is known about Kelley's life before he met John Dee. He may have studied at Oxford using the name Talbot. Whether or not he attended university, Kelley was educated and knew Latin and possibly some Greek by the time he met Dee.
Anthony à Wood wrote in Athenae Oxoniensis that Kelley, "about 17 years old, who had learned grammar at Worcester and elsewhere, was sent to Oxford, but I cannot say which house. However, I was told by an old Bachelor of Divinity who had once worked for Mr. Thomas Allen of Gloucester-hall that Kelley had spent time in that house. When I checked the records, I could not find the name Kelley, only Talbot of Ireland, three of whom were students there in 1573, 1574, and so on. This information is uncertain, but Kelley left Oxford suddenly without being officially registered." Some accounts say Kelley was punished in Lancaster for forgery or counterfeiting. Both of his ears were supposedly cut, a common punishment during the Tudor Dynasty. He often wore a cap, and it was thought this was to hide his missing ears. John Weever wrote, "Kelly (also called Talbot), that famous English alchemist, who fled his country after losing both ears in Lancaster, was welcomed by Rudolf the Second, the last emperor of that name, in Germany."
Kelley met John Dee in 1582. Dee had already tried to contact angels with the help of a scryer, or crystal-gazer, but had not succeeded. Kelley claimed he could do so and impressed Dee during his first trial. Kelley became Dee's regular scryer or medium. Dee and Kelley spent a great deal of time and energy on these "spiritual conferences." From 1582 to 1589, Kelley's life was closely tied to Dee's. During those seven years, they held conferences or séances, including "prayers for enlightenment… in the spirit of Dee's hopes that alchemy and angelic knowledge could heal the divisions among Christians." Dee believed the angels held knowledge that could help the English discover new and uncharted lands.
Kelley married a widow named Jane (or Joanna) Cooper of Chipping Norton (1563–1606). He helped educate her two children: the girl, future poet Westonia, later described him as a "kind stepfather" and noted how he took her in after the deaths of her two grandmothers. Kelley also hired a Latin tutor for her, named John Hammond (Johannes Hammonius in Latin).
About a year after joining Dee's service, Kelley brought an alchemical book (The Book of Dunstan) and a red powder, which he said he and a man named John Blokley had found through a "spiritual creature" at Northwick Hill. Some accounts say Kelley found the book and powder in the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey, but Dee's diaries contradict this. Kelley believed the powder, whose secret was likely in the book, could be used to create a red "tincture" that could turn base metals into gold. He reportedly demonstrated this power a few times, including in Bohemia (present-day Czech Republic), where he and Dee lived for many years.
In 1583, Dee met Olbracht Łaski, a Polish nobleman interested in alchemy. In September of that year, Dee, Kelley, and their families left England with Łaski for the Continent. Dee sought support from Emperor Rudolf II in Prague and King Stefan I of Poland in Kraków, but neither monarch offered him a permanent position. Dee and Kelley lived a nomadic life in Central Europe while continuing their spiritual conferences. Kelley was more interested in alchemy than scrying, while Dee focused on contacting angels. Kelley's value was as a medium, as only he could understand and write their language. According to those close to Dee (especially his son Arthur), there was tension between the two men and their families as they traveled through Europe.
Kelley and Dee's involvement in necromancy caught the attention of the Catholic Church. On March 27, 1587, they had to defend themselves in a hearing with the papal nuncio, Germanico Malaspina, bishop of San Severo. Dee handled the interview calmly, but Kelley angered the nuncio by saying the Catholic Church had problems with the "poor conduct of many priests." The nuncio wrote that he was tempted to throw Kelley out of a window (defenestration was a common tradition in Prague at the time).
In 1586, Kelley and Dee gained the support of William of Rosenberg, a wealthy Bohemian lord who shared their interest in alchemy. Kelley and Dee settled in the town of Třeboň and continued their research there. Dee wrote in his journal, "October 26th, Mr. Edward Kelly came to Trebona from Prague." According to Dee's diary, Kelley performed his first alchemical transmutation on December 19, 1586. Kelley's skill in drawing is evident in the notes Dee took during séances (these notes are in Dee's Book of Enoch). These notes show Kelley's early commitment to alchemy's goals. However, he soon wanted to stop, and Dee insisted they continue. In 1587, Kelley revealed that the angels (specifically a spirit called "Madimi") had ordered them to share everything, including their wives. Dee was troubled by this and stopped the spiritual conferences. However, he shared his wife with Kelley. This "cross-matching" happened on May 22, 1588, and is recorded in Dee's diary: "May 22nd, Mrs. Kelly received the sacrament, and to me and my wife gave her hand in charity; and we rushed not from her."
Though Kelley and Dee worked closely together, their partnership was often described as "quarrelsome" and "tense" by people of their time and historians. Their activities were also seen as heretical by the Catholic Church, so they had to be careful and secretive. Kelley
Angelical, the "Enochian" language
Kelley believed that angels spoke to him in a special language called "Angelical," later named Enochian, which he shared with Dee. Some modern experts in codes and ciphers suggest Kelley may have created this language (as noted in the introduction to The Complete Enochian Dictionary by Donald Laycock). Others claim the events were a trick, but it is unclear if Dee was tricked or involved in the deception. Because of this and a possible link between the Voynich Manuscript and John Dee (through Roger Bacon), some suspect Kelley also made up the Voynich Manuscript to deceive Rudolf.
Kelley said the angels communicated through a crystal ball or mirror, which he used to see and hear them. He also described the angels as tapping letters on a rectangular tablet to spell out words. The first third of the language was written backward, while the next two-thirds were written forward. There are no major differences in how words are used in these sections. English translations were not tapped out but, according to Kelley, appeared on small strips of paper that came from the angels' mouths.
Dee believed the Angelical writings were important for three reasons. First, he thought they proved Kelley was truly speaking with angels, not just imagining it, by showing a real example of glossolalia, or speaking in unknown languages. Second, the angels claimed their language was the original form of Hebrew, the language God used to speak to Adam, making it the first human language. Third, the Angelical material included instructions for summoning powerful angels who could reveal secrets, such as the key to the philosopher's stone, divine wisdom, and eternal life.