Begone thou wretched beast, which hast utterly undone me - Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa☆1486 †1535
Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim was a German Renaissance polymath, physician, theologian, and occult writer whose most influential work, the Three Books of Occult Philosophy, drew heavily upon Kabbalah, Hermeticism, and Neoplatonism. He worked as a soldier, academic, and physician while continuously pursuing occult studies despite periodic persecution from religious authorities. He died in Grenoble, France, on 18 February 1535, at 48. Legend holds that on his deathbed he dismissed a black dog said to be his familiar spirit, casting off the sinister companion of his reputation with his final words.