# Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches/Chapter I

Published by David Nutt, London, 1899.

## How Diana Gave Birth to Aradia (Herodias)

"It is Diana! Lo!  She rises crescented." --Keats' Endymion
 "Make more bright  The Star Queen's crescent on her marriage night." --Ibid.
This is the Gospel (Vangelo) of the Witches:
Diana greatly loved her brother Lucifer, the god of the Sun and of the Moon, the god of Light (Splendor), who was so proud of his beauty, and who for his pride was driven from Paradise.
Diana had, by her brother a daughter, to whom they gave the name of Aradia [i.e. Herodias].
In those days there were on earth many rich and many poor.
The rich made slaves of all the poor.
In those days were many slaves who were cruelly treated; in every palace tortures, in every castle prisoners.
Many slaves escaped. They fled to the country; thus they became thieves and evil folk. Instead of sleeping by night, they plotted escape and robbed their masters, and then slew them. So they dwelt in the mountains and forests as robbers and assassins, all to avoid slavery.
Diana said one day to her daughter Aradia:
| E vero che tu sei uno spirito, Ma tu set nata per essere ancora. Mortale, e tu devi andare Sulla terra e fare da maestra A donne e a' uomini che avranno Volentà di inparare la tua scuola Che sara composta di stregonerie. | 'Tis true indeed that thou a spirit art, But thou wert born but to become again A mortal; thou must go to earth below To be a teacher unto women and men Who fain would study witchcraft in thy school |
| Non devi essere come la figlia di Caino, E della razza che sono devenuti Scellerati infami a causa dei maltrattamenti, Come Giudei e Zingari, Tutti ladri e briganti, Tu non divieni... | Yet like Cain's daughter thou shalt never be, Nor like the race who have become at last Wicked and infamous from suffering, As are the Jews and wandering Zingari, Who are all thieves and knaves; like unto them Ye shall not be.... |
| Tu sarai (sempre) la prima strega, La prima strega divenuta nel mondo, Tu insegnerai l'arte di avvelenare, Di avvelenare (tutti) i signori, Di farli morti nei loro palazzi, Di legare il spirito del oppressore, E dove si trova un contadino ricco e avaro, Insegnare alle strege tue alunne, Come rovinare suo raccolto Con tempesta, folgore e balen, Con grandine e vento. | And thou shalt be the first of witches known; And thou shalt be the first of all i' the world; And thou shalt teach the art of poisoning, Of poisoning those who are great lords of all; Yea, thou shalt make them die in their palaces; And thou shalt bind the oppressor's soul (with power); And when ye find a peasant who is rich, Then ye shall teach the witch, your pupil, how To ruin all his crops with tempests dire, With lightning and with thunder (terrible), And the hall and wind.... |
| Quando un prete ti fara del male, Del male colle sue bene di'Zioni, Tu le farei (sempre) un doppio male Col mio nome, col nome di Diana, Regina delle streghe... | And when a priest shall do you injury By his benedictions, ye shall do to him Double the harm, and do it in the name Of me, Diana, Queen of witches all! |
| Quando i nobili e prete vi diranno Dovete credere nel Padre, Figlio, E Maria, rispondete gli sempre, "IL vostro dio Padre e Maria Sono tre diavoli... | And when the priests or the nobility Shall say to you that you should put your faith In the Father, Son, and Mary, then reply: "Your God, the Father, and Maria are Three devils.... |
| Il vero dio Padre non e il vostro-- Il vostro dio--io sono venuta Per distruggere la gente cattiva E la distruggero.... | "For the true God the Father is not yours; For I have come to sweep away the bad, The men of evil, all will I destroy! |
| "Voi altri poveri soffrite anche la fame, E lavorato malo e molte volte; Soffrite anche la prigione; Mapero avete una anima, Una anima più buona, e nell'altra, Nell'altra mondo voi starete bene, E gli altri male."... | "Ye who are poor suffer with hunger keen, And toll in wretchedness, and suffer too Full oft imprisonment; yet with it all Ye have a soul, and for your sufferings Ye shall be happy in the other world, But ill the fate of all who do ye wrong!" |
Now when Aradia had been taught, taught to work all witchcraft, how to destroy the evil race (of oppressors) she (imparted it to her pupils) and said unto them:
| Quando io saro partita da questo mondo, Qualunque cosa che avrete bisogna, Una volta al mese quando la luna E piena... Dovete venire in luogo deserto, In una selva tutte insieme, E adorare lo spirito potente Di mia madre Diana, e chi vorra Imparare la stregonerie, Che non la sopra, Mia madre le insegnera, Tutte cose.... Sarete liberi della schiavitù! E cosi diverrete tutti liberi! Pero uomini e donne Sarete tutti nudi, per fino. Che non sara morto l'ultimo Degli oppressori e morto, Farete il giuoco della moccola Di Benevento, e farete poi Una cena cosi: | When I shall have departed from this world, Whenever ye have need of anything, Once in the month, and when the moon is full, Ye shall assemble in some deserted place, Or in a forest all together join To adore the potent spirit of your queen, My mother, great Diana. She who fain Would learn all sorcery yet has not won Its deepest secrets, them my mother will Teach her, in truth all things as yet unknown. And ye shall all be freed from slavery, And so ye shall be free in everything; And as the sign that ye are truly free, Ye shall be naked in your rites, both men And women also: this shall last until The last of your oppressors shall be dead; And ye shall make the game of Benevento, Extinguishing the lights, and after that Shall hold your supper thus: |

## Notas do Capítulo 1

* ↑ Legare, a encadernação e paralisar as faculdades humanas, por meio de feitiçaria.