Codex Latinus Monacensis number 849, currently in the
Bavarian State Library, roughly 8 1/2 x 5 3/4 inches, a
miscellany of
necromancy written in the 15th century. It contains little to no
coherent theory, but its texts range from simple
scrying to
necromantic divination to
alchemy and
alchemical formulas, as well as
astral magic and lists of
spirits and their particular uses. Several of the texts are accompanied by illustrations, usually
magical circles.
The text is not remarkable in any way, and can not hope to compare to influential works like the Picatrix. If anything, it is important because it is so very ordinary, representative of a great body of literature which arose in the 14th and 15th centuries.
The Latin is typical of the time, complete with orthographic variations and complex, hastily scribbled ligatures, making a definitive reading close to impossible.
It was published and edited in 1997 by Richard Kieckhefer, in the book, Forbidden Rites.