Comte de Gabalis is a 17th-century French text byAbbé Nicolas-Pierre-Henri de Montfaucon de Villars (1635–1673). The titular "Comte de Gabalis" ("Count of Cabala") is an esotericist who explains the mysteries of the world to the author. It first appeared in Paris in 1670, anonymously, though the identity of the author came to be known. The original title as published by Claude Barbin wasLe comte de Gabalis, ou entretiens sur les sciences secrètes, "The Count of Cabala, Or Dialogs on the Secret Sciences".
The book was widely read in France and abroad, and is a source for many of the "marvelous beings" that populate later European literature.[1] French readers includeCharles Baudelaire[2] andAnatole France – it was the main source for hisAt the Sign of the Reine Pédauque (1892).[3] In English literature, it influencedAlexander Pope, who borrowed from it to create the sylphs inThe Rape of the Lock (1714), and in German, it is a likely source forFriedrich de la Motte Fouqué'sUndine.[1] In recent times it has been considered by some to have been intended as a satire of occult philosophy, though in its time it was taken seriously by many readers.[4] Many later authors have also taken it to be a serious source, includingEdward Bulwer-Lytton and prominent occult writersÉliphas Lévi,Helena Blavatsky andM. P. Hall.[5]
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