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Chapter 4
FromthestainedandincrustedlettersitwasobviousthattheywerecarvedinJosephCurwen’stime,andtheirtextwassuchastobevaguelyfamiliartoonewhohadreadmuchCurwenmaterialordelvedextensivelyintothehistoryofmagic.OnethedoctorclearlyrecognizedaswhatMrs.WardheardhersonchantingonthatominousGoodFridayayearbefore,andwhatanauthorityhadtoldhimwasaveryterribleinvocationaddressedtosecretgodsoutsidethenormalspheres.ItwasnotspelledhereexactlyasMrs.Wardhadsetitdownfrommemory,noryetastheauthorityhadshownittohimintheforbiddenpagesof"EliphasLevi";butitsidentitywasunmistakable,andsuchwordsasSabaoth,Metraton,Almonsin,andZariatnatmiksentashudderoffrightthroughthesearchwhohadseenandfeltsomuchofcosmicabominationjustaroundthecorner.
Thiswasontheleft-handwallasoneenteredtheroom.Theright-handwallwasnolessthicklyinscribed,andWillettfeltastartofrecognitionwhenhecameupthepairofformulaesofrequentlyoccurringintherecentnotesinthelibrary.Theywere,roughlyspeaking,thesame;withtheancientsymbolsof"Dragon’sHead"and"Dragon’sTail"headingthemasinWard’sscribblings.Butthespellingdifferedquitewidelyfromthatofthemodernversions,asifoldCurwenhadhadadifferentwayofrecordingsound,orasiflaterstudyhadevolvedmorepowerfulandperfectedvariantsoftheinvocationsinquestion.
