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Correspondence from George MacNie Cowie to Aleister Crowley
14 Glenisla Gardens, Edinburgh.
9 Nov. [1916] Supplementary
Care Frater.
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
I might not have had a chance at lunch time today, I am rushing some work. So I posted the long screed to make siccar. I now make up a few minor omissions.
(1) M.D. [Mary Davies] never omits an eulogy of Bro[ther] Wolfe who certainly seems to be doing well and showing great modesty. I am going to suggest that as a compliment, she should invite him to read the letter to Reelfs which you sent to be read in the Lodge. Quite suitable as he's Continental himself. His love and admiration the TH [in Greek. For Therion.] she says are splendid.
I'm in a difficulty as to what to say as to who the writer was, as I'm bound to take the rule about none below VIII degree as binding. Of course he'll guess at once, but I'll merely say a 'Great Continental Brother'. I made a great point about letting little honours like this go all round and not be monopolised.
M.D. writes that she and E.M. [Eustace Miles] are great pals. Well how did she know he was in communication with me—I must assume that he wrote to her. I do want to land this fish, but meanwhile I've taken him at his word and dropped writing till he 'asks for' it. It's better not to seem too eager.
I'll hint to her that if someone complains that a Bad Man from the North has Wiped the Floor with him, she is to smile inside herself, aware that I can do this with my cheek in my tongue, only she's not to give this away.
Remarks on the IX degree not very illuminating but of course I didn't expect a treatise. Remarks in the long letter will show however that illumination is arising. I never found time to jot down some real efforts at experiment I made in the early part of the year under favourable circumstances. But I had to stop. Danger was loss of liberty and to a not too intellectual person. I haven't looked lately at the progress of the stuff. Nothing happened. The exp was surprising in one way. More life in the old dog than I'd imagined. I'm afraid I rather expected something Paracelsian to result. But I know so little I didn't hermetically seal the vessel, so it's no good.
[Note: The remainder of this letter may be from the end of a previous letter.]
I am quite aware that I do make and shall make Mistakes, and no bones about it. I wrote to Hammond [Benjamin Charles Hammond] informing him that I had received the final pages for C [Liber Agape Azoth sal Philosophorum] and would send them on, as soon as I could take a copy for my reference set, and meanwhile would he let me know if he was ready for them, and if possible send the long promised proofs. This was Friday and characteristically the only reply is Stainless Silence, so far (Wed.).
STOP PRESS NEWS. No word from Hammond, S.L. [William Steff-Langston] YOU. Thu. 16th.
If Hammond proves hopeless best way would be for me to write the MS in transfer ink and print 12 copies or so from stone on Jap[anese] vellum (Typewriting is too fugitive). By mixing up the order of pages and leaving blinds to be filled in by hand after printing, little danger of leakage would arise. But this means time.
Time to say chin-chin.
Love is the law, love under will, so also pretty Fanny—sanctify her eyes—has shown herself totally unworthy of affection, I send her some.
Yours in the Bonds of the Order and filially.
George M Cowie VIII degree G.T.G. [Grand Treasurer General]
1000 Liber C dispatched to you. Not sure if I said Texas but think so.
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