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A Roman Correspondence: George Ent and Cassiano dal Pozzo, 1637-55Author(s): Alan CookSource: Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London, Vol. 59, No. 1 (Jan. 22, 2005), pp.5-23Published by: The Royal SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30041468 .

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NOTES & RECORDS

OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY

Notes Rec. R. Soc. 59 (1), 5-23 (2005) doi: 10. 1098/rsnr.2004.0074

A ROMAN CORRESPONDENCE: GEORGE ENT AND CASSIANO DAL POZZO, 1637-55

by

SIR ALAN COOKt FRS

8 Wootton Way, Cambridge CB3 9LX, UK

SUMMARY

George Ent (FRS 1663), a distinguished physician, was in Rome in 1636, visited the notable collector Cassiano dal Pozzo and saw his Paper Museum. After he returned to London he carried on a correspondence with Cassiano in letters of more than ordinary interest. Cassiano had sent Ent specimens of fossil wood and a table made from fossil wood. They had come from the estates at Acquasparta belonging to Prince Federico Cesi, the founder of the Accademia dei Lincei. The specimens and the table were shown to early meetings of The Royal Society and had a significant part in the developing debate on the origin of fossils. The letters also record exchanges of books between London and Rome. Among medical matters there is news of William Harvey and his works.

Keywords: Cassiano dal Pozzo; fossils; books; William Harvey; Royal Society; Accademia dei Lincei

INTRODUCTION

George Ent (FRS 1663) was a distinguished physician who served as president of the College of Physicians (1663). He was a graduate of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge (MA 1631) and in April 1636 proceeded MD of Padova.' In 1663 two pieces of fossil wood and a table made of fossil wood were shown to a meeting of The Royal Society by Dr Gerrard. They came from Ent who, it was said, had received them from Cassiano dal Pozzo in Rome.2 Nine letters written by Ent to Cassiano between 1636 and 1655 reveal how he came to receive those specimens; they include other matters of interest. Unfortunately the corresponding letters from Cassiano to Ent are no longer to be found. Furthermore, Ent's letters themselves indicate that some others of his to Cassiano are lost. The nine letters are meagre survivors of a fuller correspondence.

t Deceased 23 July 2004.

5 p 2005 The Royal Society



6 Sir Alan Cook

Cassiano dal Pozzo was the secretary of Cardinal Francesco Barberini, the cardinal padrone of Urban VIII from 1623, a fellow of the Accademia dei Lincei, and Cardinal Protector of the Venerable English College in Rome. Cassiano himself, also a fellow of the Lincei, had been a friend of Galileo's. He is most widely known as the patron of Nicholas Poussin, but he was also a great collector and systematizer of all natural and artificial objects. At his palace in Rome he maintained a group of young artists to make drawings of as comprehensive an array of such objects as he could assemble. The results constituted his Museo Carteggio, or Paper Museum, much of which has ended up in the Royal Library at Windsor.3 After Cassiano died in 1657 (the same year as William Harvey), his brother, the Cavaliero dal Pozzo, continued to care for and develop the Paper Museum. John Ray FRS and Philip Skippon FRS, in Rome some eight years after Cassiano's death, saw the great collection he had assembled and that the Cavaliero had preserved. Skippon gave a detailed account of their visit to the dal Pozzo palace at 6 via dei Chiavari on 5 January 1665. They saw four folios of pictures of plants well done and many pictures of birds on loose sheets. They also saw a picture of a dead dolphin, the same no doubt as that which is often reproduced in accounts of the Paper Museum.4

The fossil wood came from the estates in Acquasparta that belonged to the founder of the Accademia dei Lincei, Prince Federico Cesi, Duke of Acquasparta. Large tracts of forest trees petrified by volcanic emissions lie in those lands to the north of Rome, and the original Linceans were very interested in them. After Cesi's early death Cassiano bought from his widow the contents of his museum, including specimens of fossil wood and a table made from the wood .5 Cesi probably intended to publish an account of the fossil wood but died before he could do so. Francesco Stelluti published an edited version, often considered to be the first published account of any fossils.6 The origin of the fossils was debated intensely. Stelluti maintained that they had formed out of the clay in which they were embedded, whereas Robert Boyle FRS, John Evelyn FRS and Robert Hooke FRS, who all examined the specimens brought to The Royal Society, concluded that they were pieces of wood that had been petrified by volcanic fluids.7 That was part of the far wider debate on the nature and origin of all manner of fossils. The Linceans collected ammonites and other shells. So did Boyle, Hooke and later John Ray FRS, and they and John Evelyn and Edmond Halley FRS maintained that the shells were the remains of once-living creatures and not some artefacts of the rocks in which they were found.

GEORGE ENT IN ITALY

After he had proceeded MD at Padova in April 1636, Ent spent the next months in Italy. What he did that summer is not known but by October 1636 he was in Rome. On the 5th of the month he dined as a guest at the Venerable English College along with William

Harvey, the physician in ordinary to Charles I, and the discoverer of the circulation of the blood.8 Harvey was one of the most distinguished English graduates of the medical school of Padova, where his coat of arms is still to be seen.

In 1636 Harvey was attached as physician to an embassy of the Earl of Arundel to the

Holy Roman Emperor, and during a pause in the diplomatic discussions he had time to



A Roman correspondence. George Ent and Cassiano dal Pozzo 7

travel in Italy, in part to buy pictures for Charles I.9 At some time after April Ent and he met, and by the beginning of October they were in Rome together. The letters from Ent to Cassiano dal Pozzo show that the two of them visited Cassiano, who received them very hospitably; they met his brother, were shown the Paper Museum and discussed medical matters.

Ent was most impressed by the sights of Rome (letter 3*), both the ancient monuments and the new papal and princely palaces. Where would he have stayed, what would he have seen? Cassiano's palace in the via dei Chiavari is close to the Barberini church of S. Andrea della Valle. Ent probably stayed nearby in the neighbourhood of the Campo de' Fiori. The best known and grandest hotel was then the Albergo del Sole al Biscione, still in operation today. Like Cassiano's palace it lay over the ruins of the theatre of Pompey. The seats of that theatre are now marked by an arcuate group of later structures built on them as foundations, but it seems likely that in 1636 more of Pompey's con- struction was to be seen than now. Many of the elegant modem palaces that impressed Ent were in the same district. The Cancelleria, the Farnese and Spada palaces are all close to the Campo de' Fiori, as is the Venerable English College where Ent and Harvey dined. The Pantheon, then as now one of the most remarkable of Imperial constructions, was not far away. The Forum, on the other hand was not open and tidy as now, but was a rubbish dump.

Ent thought Rome elegant. Indeed, it displayed one of the earliest town planning schemes, conceived by Pope Julius II. Parallel streets, the via Julia on the left bank of the Tiber and the via della Lungara on the right bank, were lined with new palaces and with gardens beside the river. The elegance of that papal achievement still impresses. Arundel returned to Germany almost immediately after the beginning of October, and the embassy left for England, probably by way of the Rhine, arriving in December 1636.10 Ent also was back in England at about the same time, having, it seems, arranged for some books and other presents that Cassiano had given to him and Harvey to be sent to London by sea (letter 2). Thereafter Harvey was in constant attendance on the King, as his physician and the letters suggest that Ent saw the former infrequently in the years leading up to the English Civil Wars.

Ent may have been the first of the early Fellows of The Royal Society to have visited Rome. Evelyn came some eight years later. There are also two letters from Kenelm Digby FRS in the Carteggio Puteana, 40 volumes of letters received by Cassiano (whose family name was Puteo); the first was from 1646 when Digby was in Paris in straitened circumstances along with the Duke of Newcastle. The letter implies that Digby had met Cassiano before the Civil Wars."

THE LETTERS AND COMMERCE BETWEEN LONDON AND ROME

The letters in the Carteggio Puteana are arranged alphabetically by the name of the writer. Most of the collection is in the archives of the Accademia nazionale dei Lincei in Rome

* The bold numbers refer to the letters in table Al in Appendix A.



8 Sir Alan Cook

but a few were dispersed and came to rest in the Bibliotheque M6decine of the University of Montpellier. The letters from Ent to Cassiano are in MS H 268 at Montpellier.12 They are listed in Table Al. All are in Latin. Transcriptions of the letters made from photocopies have been placed on the website of Notes & Records; the English versions are printed in Appendix A. Apart from a few abbreviations the originals are very clear, as are the photocopies made from them. Editing errors apart, the transcriptions are faithful rep- resentations of the originals. I do not claim the same for the English. The Latin of the seventeenth century has words not to be found in classical Latin and of uncertain mean- ing. Some letters include technical medical terms. Some passages are quite straightfor- ward, but others, especially where Ent is expressing his gratitude to Cassiano, are elaborate. My versions do not reproduce the detail and style of the originals, but I hope that as paraphrases they convey the general content.

Various passages in the letters themselves show how uncertain traffic between London and Rome could be. It seems that letters, books and other items were sent by sea, probably by way of Livorno. Correspondents such as Ent and Cassiano depended on knowing a merchant who was prepared to take their items. The passage would have taken at least a month and was always at risk of shipwreck. In letter 5 (30 June 1638, f. 60) Ent tells Cassiano how some books were lost in a wreck, although some letters did come to him and, most surprisingly, Ent was able to recover a table, probably the one of fossil wood later shown to the meeting of The Royal Society. That was all before the outbreak of the Civil Wars; they, so the final letters suggest, broke regular trade between London and Rome and delayed correspondence.

FOSSIL WOOD

One of the published volumes describing the material of the Paper Museum at Windsor deals with the fossil wood, its geological setting, and the drawings of the fossils in the Paper Museum.13 In letter 3 (2 May 1637, f. 56) Ent recalls that he saw fossil wood in Cassiano's collection. The phrase 'I have made mention recently' could mean that he spoke of the wood in Rome, or more probably he had been speaking of it in London; the different opinions that follow may be some expressed in London by people who, unlike Ent, had not seen the material. What was Ent's own view? He apparently at first argued against it being petrified wood but then, having seen it with his own eyes, accepted that

interpretation. What did the phrase, 'trust only my own eyes' mean? Had he just seen specimens in Cassiano's collection, or had he perhaps visited the striking remains at

Acquasparta where whole trunks still stand out of the ground? There are indications that Ent did not fully grasp the significance of the fossils when

he was in Rome, for he writes that he regrets that he did not have a little box (pixadu- lum?) made of it, and also that he did not take away a copy of Prince Cesi's little book on the wood. That is curious. In 1636 there was no such book in print, nor was any book

by Cesi himself ever published. Only in 1638 did Stelluti publish his edited version of Cesi's tract.14 Perhaps Ent saw a manuscript of Cesi's book. Stelluti set out firmly right at the beginning of his book his own assertion that the fossil wood had grown out of the

clay in which it was often found embedded. Students of Cesi have subsequently doubted



A Roman correspondence: George Ent and Cassiano dal Pozzo 9

whether that was Cesi's view. Later, Cassiano sent Ent a copy of Stelluti's book but it was lost in the wreck recounted in letter 5 (30 June 1638) and in that same letter Ent asks for a second copy to replace the one that perished. Stelluti's book was probably well known in London: the library of The Royal Society has a copy, and there are two in the British Library.

The table sent to Ent was one of several that had been made from larger specimens of fossil wood, probably from a trunk of a tree or a large branch. The Lincei sent Cardinal Barberini one of them, and there was another in Cesi's own museum."' Ent himself showed his table in London (letter 6, 5 November 1639, f. 62). The Royal Society saw it in 1663 and shavings were taken from it for examination.16

THE BOLOGNA STONE

In letter 6 Ent also writes of observations on a specimen of the Bologna Stone that had probably been sent to him by Cassiano. The Bologna Stone is a phosphorescent mineral, barium sulphide, that was discovered in about 1602 in Bologna by Vincenzo Cascariolo. It excited considerable interest throughout the seventeenth century. Galileo discussed a specimen that had been sent to him in Rome about 1611. Because it was luminous in the dark it entered into arguments of just what it was that was revealed by a telescope or microscope, and of the nature of light generally. The letters do not show when the specimen reached Ent in London, but Harvey and Ent apparently observed how the phophorescence decayed.

BOOKS

There are many references in the letters to books being sent and received (Appendix B). The circumstances of the Civil Wars seem to have restricted such exchanges but they still continued up to the final letter. Romans were clearly interested in English scholarly works just as Roman works were sought after in England. There is evidence of that in library collections. Some of the Roman works mentioned in the letters are to be found in the British Library, the library of The Royal Society and elsewhere. Somewhat later the works of Robert Boyle were well known in Rome; thus the catalogues of the library of the prelate and natural philosopher G. G. Ciampini list many of Boyle's books.'7 Because Harvey, Ent and Cassiano all had medical interests, medical books are included in the exchanges; they are considered under the heading 'Medical matters', below. Harvey, Ent and Cassiano, all three, had much wider interests. The list of books appended to letter 4 (6 February 1638, f. 59r) has, as well as medical books, an edition of Burton and a book on the Sphere. In his letter of 5 November 1639 (f. 62) Ent offers Farnaby's index of poetry, and commentaries on classical poets that he thinks to be rather dry. In letter 9, the last of the set (1 October 1655, f. 69) Ent writes that Harvey is sending the Historia Anglicana and the works of Selden, while he himself sends Monasticon Anglicanum, Musica Veteri and de Proportionibus by Meibomius, as well as the de Corpore of Hobbes.



10 Sir Alan Cook

In the same last letter Ent acknowledges the receipt of important Roman works, the Obeliscus Pamphilius and the Historia Mexicana for Harvey, and Roma Subterranea and the Musurgia of Kircher for himself. The Historia Mexicana must be the so-called Mexican Thesaurus, edited from the original Spanish of Francisco Hernandez by Prince Cesi and Cassiano dal Pozzo. It was published in 1651.18 Hernandez spent some years in Mexico in the sixteenth century and Cesi acquired a copy of his work (the original had been destroyed in a fire in the Escorial). Apart from descriptions of Mexican flora and fauna the book is notable for a scheme of classification of living creatures devised by Cesi and an account by Fabio Colonna of Cesi's botanical studies, including the first use of a microscope to study living organisms in 1624. The book became quite well known in England (there is a copy in the library of The Royal Society and one in the British Library) and John Ray quoted passages from it, especially Colonna's account of Cesi's microscopic studies, in his Historia Plantarum.19

The Musurgia of Athanasius Kircher is the Musurgia Universalis of 1651. Kircher, like Cassiano, assembled a remarkable collection of objects in his museum. He had arrived in Rome in 1635, but then travelled in the south of Italy until 1638, so that he was absent when Ent and Harvey were in Rome. Evelyn, eight years later, did see his collection and attended his lectures on Euclid. The Musurgia is a very large and exhaustive treatise on musical theory and ideas with extensive examples, sometimes whole compo- sitions, printed in movable type. It was written at a time when Renaissance polyphony was still sung in churches, while secular music was developing the affective Baroque style. Kircher perfectly understood the distinction. As a compendium of theory and prac- tice it was widely read; Samuel Pepys bought a copy. It remains of value to historians of music today because the inclusion of examples sets dates to their composition.

The Obeliscus Pamphilius (1650) is also by Kircher. The Pamphilii family had a bro- ken Egyptian obelisk re-erected in front of their palace on the Piazza Navona, and Kircher was asked to study it and the hieroglyphs on it. Kircher had been recognized as an authority on Egypt ever since he had published a grammar of Coptic; it was the foundation of modem Coptic studies. He recognized the affinity of ancient Egyptian to Coptic but as he thought that hieroglyphs were pictograms, not letters, his interpretations of

Egyptian were on the whole fanciful. The Roma Subterranea is not Kircher's Munda Subterranea, which came out only

some 15 years later, but Antonio Bosio's 1632 study of the catacombs. Kircher also wrote two books on magnetism but they do not seem to have engaged Ent's or Harvey's interests.

Harvey's request (letter 5, 30 June 1638, f. 60) for a copy of the catechism just issued

by the Propagand de Fide, is interesting. The catechism was probably one of the many issues of the catechism of the Council of Trent. Does it imply that Harvey was sympa- thetic to the Roman Church, or, alternatively, that he was hostile?

MEDICAL MATTERS

Medical matters are prominent in the correspondence. Almost 20 years after Harvey published his book on the circulation of the blood his ideas were still being strongly criti-




Figure 1. Frontispiece from Apologia profluxus e refluxus sanguinis. (Copyright u Royal Society.)

cized, while Ent just as strongly supported him in his Apologia pro fluxu e refluxu sanguinis (figure 1), of which he sent a copy to Cassiano.20 Unfortunately few copies of Harvey's work were then still available and Ent apologized for sending to Cassiano an old and somewhat damaged copy (letter 6). Parisano and Riolan, mentioned in the letters, were strong proponents of traditional ideas and fierce opponents of Harvey.21 In letter 8 (15 July 1652, f. 67, 68) Ent described a demonstration he performed in the presence of Harvey and other members of the College of Physicians, using the cadaver of a strangled man. By tying off various main blood vessels and injecting hot water into the heart, lungs and liver he showed that the fluid did indeed flow according to Harvey's ideas.

Ent and Cassiano exchanged several medical books; thus Ent asked for a copy of De Vomitu and other books by Peter Castello, while he sent Cassiano the Anatomia hepatis of Glissonius, which he considered to be by far the most accurate in its description of the soft parts. They also exchanged recipes for medicines. Those are mostly in technical apothecaries' terms and essentially untranslatable. They have been left in the original form so far as possible.



12 Sir Alan Cook

CONCLUSION

Harvey and Cassiano both died in 1657, two years after Ent's last letter to Cassiano. It was in some ways a rather quiet time for natural philosophy. Galileo is not mentioned in the letters; he died shortly after the first ones were written. The heady years of the first Linceans in astronomy, biology and speculative philosophy were past and Cassiano himself was responsible for seeing their last work, the Mexican Thesaurus, through the press. In London natural philosophy developed in a rather clandestine fashion, to burst out with the Restoration in the foundation of The Royal Society. John Evelyn in 1644 was most interested in the collections, the museums of Cassiano and Kircher, the last great flour- ishes of the cabinets of curiosities of the late Renaissance, all the world in a Roman palace.22 Ent, as a founder Fellow of The Royal Society, was in Rome eight years before Evelyn, and so was possibly the first Fellow-to-be to visit Rome unless Kenelm Digby preceded him.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I became aware of the existence of the letters when Mrs Henrietta Ryan asked me to look into material relevant to the Paper Museum in the Archive of the Accademia nazionale dei Lincei. Subsequently Mrs Ryan saw the original letters in the Biblioth6que M6decine of the University of Montpellier, enabling me to obtain the photocopies on which this article is based.

I am grateful to the staff of the Library of the Accademia nazionale dei Lincei for their ready assistance and to Mme Viali of the Bibliotheque M6decine of the University of Montpellier for providing photocopies of the letters.

APPENDIX A: ENGLISH VERSIONS OF THE LETTERS

The letters are arranged in the order of Table Al (see electronic Appendix A for the original Latin text). It is impossible to translate pharmacological recipes into modem terms and they have generally been left in the original form.

The first letter (1) is dated in English form in the 'New (Gregorian) Stile'. The others are dated in Latin form but have been given the English form in the translations. It is not clear whether they follow the Julian or Gregorian calendar.

Letter 1 MS H 268

f. 57

Most illustrious Cavalier Cassiano dal Pozzo Greetings

Democritus once said 'Truth is hidden in a well'. Indeed I gladly and gratefully acknowledge in you, most illustrious Pozzo (Well), not only that but virtue, prudence, courtesy and the rest of the band of the Graces not hidden but shining in the sight of the best of Europe. Such an elegant urbanity in the City. Such kindness allied to such splendour. For I was drawn by good omens to




Table Al. List of letters from George Ent to Cassiano dal Pozzo, in MS H 268 of the Bibliotheque M6decine, Montpellier

No. Reference Salutation Location and date

1 f. 57 Illustrissimo Equiti London, 26 Mar. 1637 2 f. 53 Excellentissime Vir no date 3 f. 56 Vir super omnes London, 2 May 1637

(recollection of fossil wood) 4 f. 58 Eques illustrissimi London, 6 Feb. 1638

(Harvey is back in London) 5 f. 60 Romae & Musarum London, 30 June 1638

(shipwreck with loss of letters, but Table recovered) 6 f. 62 Eques illustrissimi London, 5 Nov. 1639

(display of Table and Bologna Stone) 7 f. 65 Quod Scribam London, 4 Jan. 1650

(echoes of the Civil War) 8 f. 67 Nobilissime atque illustrissime London, 15 July 1652

(demonstration on a human cadaver) 9 f. 69 Erubui profecto London, 1 Oct. 1655

(experiment on a dog)

The undated f. 53 appears to come after f. 57, which reads as though it was written just after Ent was back in London. f. 56 comes third in the sequence. William Harvey and Ent were in Rome in October 1636; they dined together at the Venerable English College on the 5th of the month. Ent returned more or less directly to England, whereas Harvey stayed abroad with the embassy of the Earl of Arundel until early in 1638. Harvey and Cassiano both died in 1657.

Rome where from your household gods I tasted all secret medicines and ancient beauty and new examples. The Homeric Axilon could never have received so promptly the stranger under his roof as you embraced me, a stranger and the least worthy of men. Calling to mind all your kindnesses, after various diversions in returning to the borders of my own country, I could not but write this humble letter as a pledge of my thanks and as an offering, so to speak, to your name. I have fired up all my Muses, however many they are, so that I may make some worthy offering in return to thank you. Whatever is to come, certainly my good will will never fail you. Soon, I hope, given opportunity, I will be handing over some books I am sending to you. I cannot send all that were written in your catalogue for some are not to be found among us: some I rejected, because they contain nothing but the labours of asses and stale cabbage. Once they made an acceptable offering with frankincense to the gods, and gave water as presents to the King of Persia. I similarly am offering a little medicine as a sacrifice to the high priest of Apollo: the juice or crystals of M that sink to the bottom of the liquor and should be are ground on marble together with water or lemon juice or spirit of @ to form a paste which may be made into lozenges, which can be easily dissolved in water or in the mouth. The juice of M becomes steely if in the final purification refined steel is boiled down with the juice. With willow, tamarisk, ash and absinthe and mixed with sp. G it is just as useful as the M. But I shall here sound the retreat, for I don't want to trouble you with these trivia, since you are a busy man. Nor does this little page allow me to write, for the shopkeeper said he had no larger writing paper in stock. I ask only that your Lordship takes kindly and graciously my humble gratitude for what it is, and that he pass on to his most illustrious brother my regards, and deign to share some of the medicines from his abundant store. With best wishes for long and continued success, the most obedient servant of your lordship's virtues, George Hent. (The bearer of this letter to you will arrange for any reply, should you want, to be passed on to me.) Dr. Remington sends many salutations to your Lordship George Hent Londini 26 March, new stile 1637



14 Sir Alan Cook

Notes This is apparently the first letter Ent wrote after his return to London. 'Greetings' is in Greek: XotpcELv.

Axilos Homericus: Illiad VI, 12ff. reads:

And Diomedes of the fine war-cry slew Axylos, son of Teuthra, who dwelt in well-built Arisbe, a man rich in substance, who was beloved of everyone; for he lived in a house by the highway, and would give entertainment to all.

No Diomedes in Rome apparently, Cassiano lived on for 20 years after this letter.

Letter 2

MS H 268

f. 53

Most Excellent Sir,

The books that you had recently given to me and to Dr. Harvey were consigned to the care of Neptune; they have come safe and entire to our hands. We give you the greatest possible thanks for that singular kindness. I have reiterated this in another letter, which has been sent more slowly by sea and will (together with some books) that I hope will come to your hands in due course. Certainly they were given to those merchants from Livorno, namely D. Pamphini & Samminiatelli; who were instructed to hand them to you, free of freight charges. The name of ship that carries them is the Golden Fleece. I rejoice profoundly, illustrious Sir, that I hear that in this disturbed and mocking world your dignity and original splendour are restored and also that you enjoy some tranquillity in your declining years. May God grant you lasting happiness. Later given opportunity I will write more fully. Now Mr Wright, who translated your latest letter for me, is going away to the courier and calls me away from my final writing. Farewell distinguished sir, and if there is anything I can do to help, just let me know,

Notes The end of the page of the original letter has been torn off.

It seems, from the reference to translation, that Ent did not understand Italian in which Cassiano apparently wrote.

Cassiano seems to have been in some trouble, perhaps on account of his dependence on the Barberini.

Letter 3

MS H 268

f. 56

Man, above all others distinguished,

See at last the return pledged for your beneficence that I in my insignificance had never hoped for, a kindness not abandoned, but faithfully offered as time and your strength allowed. Lest I be thought forgetful of such great kindness, I sent a letter recently to my lord. Now I send further books promised in that letter, of which I had at that time given word. I could not have done so earlier for no ships were sailing from here to you. Nor could I find anything worthy and fit for your Genius. Besides it was feared that the merchants' load was too great. If something occurs in the future I will, given opportunity, send you the books of which the names are written in the schedule. As often as I remember Rome (indeed I remember it very often) I bring to mind those stupendous ancient monuments, the new papal and princely buildings and all those wonderful



A Roman correspondence. George Ent and Cassiano dal Pozzo 15

things of yours that I have seen in great variety. The rest of Europe displeases and I alone disdain what others admire. I cherish your memory alone, and console my tired soul with the hope of a letter, for which if should you deign to bless me, I will ever exult. I have made mention recently of the fossil wood found not far from Rome, no one at first believed it; afterwards the fact was interpreted otherwise; that they were the buried remains of ancient trees. Although I set forth rea- sons against it. I saw it nevertheless, being willing to trust only my own eyes. I regret therefore that a little box was not made of that wood and that I did not take away with me the little book of Prince Cesi. But what news is there now of the Plant-animal? I understand from the Spaniard, that the fleshy parts come from a plum tree. Now is it true or a fable? Whatever may happen, I hope most truly that you live and are truly in good health that may long be yours, and I wish also that your illustrious brother may join you in it.

Lord Remington again I have the greatest admiration and again sends greetings for your Dignity London, 2 May 1637 George Ent

Notes For the fossil wood and the little book of Cesi, see the text. The letter was written before Stelluti's account of fossil wood (Appendix B) was published. Perhaps Ent saw a draft

prepared by Cesi.

The Plant-animal-plants as animals or animals as plants were a continual preoccu- pation at that time and many years afterwards. The reference to the Spaniard may be to the Mexican Thesaurus (Appendix B).

'Your illustrious brother': The Cavaliero dal Pozzo who looked after the paper Museum after Cassiano's death in 1657.

Letter 4

MS H 268

f. 58, 59

Most Illustrious Knight,

I am ashamed of my slowness, or rather laziness. So why after the most elegant letter from an emi- nent man did I write nothing in reply as if I were corrupted by morbid torpor? But you will I hope forgive me. Immediately after receiving your letter I was in the country far from the City, staying for some while by the kindness of friends. After my return I asked if there were the same opportunity to send a letter to you that I myself formerly used. They said that there was not at present any traffic with Rome and it was not possible, as formerly, to include my letters. Hence of necessity my imposed silence that now I am pleased to have the opportunity to break. If only I could have done that for your merit and dignity before now. What could I, an obscure man, worthily have done in response to such kindness, such golden letters, written by so great a man. After the perusal of your letter in the vernacular language, I was undecided whether today or in the past Rome had the better language. For now one, now the other seems to win. Your letter to me, which had the aspirate pre- fixed to my name, who had indeed been born under an unlucky star, would have almost perished. But it came to pass by good fortune that they came into my hands. How glad I was I can never have sufficiently said. See how Pliny's saying is true: When Nature plays the fool we think it a miracle. So equally is the miracle of wine and water. Also to be compared with these, and greatly to be won- dered at, was the singular kindness of my Lord to worthless me, which I humbly pray may continue for a long time to come. In exchange for a secret remedy for the plague, use another for strumas, or scrofula, that is made of the flower of digitalis with unsalted salt reduced in the form of ointment: it is prized among us. Similarly take a drachm or half an ounce of alum and nutmeg in water which has had the lesser centaury or thistle boiled in it: it is a good febrifuge and in intermittent fevers it



16 Sir Alan Cook

profited many. But this is sending owls to Athens ? Sometime however I will add more if my Lord will have been pleased, both from our store and from elsewhere as experience shows. In the mean- time I pray my Lord that as leisure permits him, he will not disdain to share the secrets of medicine with me. I am grateful for the promised book on fossil wood that I eagerly await, since I know that whatever comes from you will be important. Soon, given opportunity, I will send some books to my Lord among which will be (unless I foretell evil) the recent works of Zacutius Lusitanus. If my lord will send a letter or something else to me, he could give them to the Livorno merchant named Giacomo van Neck the younger, he will assign it to Mr Le Thieuler of London who will take care to deliver it to my hands. Very recently I met Mr Harvey who spoke of your lordship and who asked that in my next letter I would recall him to your memory.

Farewell most illustrious Man and continue to love Your most obliged for all services, London, 6 Feb. 1638 Georgius Ent

[List of books apparently sent to Cassiano - in Ent's hand]

Democritus Iunior in fol. Hakewell's Apologie for the providence of God, in fol. Procli Sphaera in 4to

Etzleri Albimontani Isagoge Phusico-magico-medica in 80 Aphorismi Hippoc. latino & graeco carmine donati in 80 Pemble de formis & sensib.intermis in 120 I have included, as a little gift for your sister-in-law, a pair of knives. The lady may do with them what she wants.

Notes For the books, see Appendix B.

Ligno fossili libellis would be Stelluti, Francesco, Trattato del Legno Fossili (Appendix B).

Letter 5

MS H 268

f. 60

Glory of Rome and the Muses

I was going to have to write an elegy rather than a festive letter, indeed I was thinking about a threnody and even now was calling upon the Muses to beat their breasts when your very welcome letter brought to me by Mr. Fitton dispersed all the former clouds over my mind. For me even the name alone of your Lordship would be above all charms. To read that you are in good health and that meanwhile you remember me, what disease would that not repel. You ask what disaster has occurred. I will tell you. The books that of your singular kindness you sent as a splendid gift to worthless me, have perished. Nothing could be saved, even though the table was in the shipwreck. That alone came ashore whole in my hands after two months of wandering. It came to pass by the kindness of Mr. Cone that after various errors (that you wrote the aspirate before my name, that is Hent for Ent), he took care to bring me your letter. Afterwards I go to the public deposi- tory of this city, I ask whether they have in their care a table of that sort. They say nothing has been seen. At last after a long search I find the table in an unlikely shop without any accompanying letter which by some chance was lost, I do not know if your friend of Livorno was care- less and made no mark or extrinsic sign such as merchants use. See the misfortune and cause of grief. I do not regret the loss of so many books as that they had come from you. Above all by knowing that I shall be pardoned by your Lordship for the lengthy silence and neglect to reply while I was vigorously investigating that misfortune, I shall will wipe this sorrow off my mind. I rejoice by Hercules for the recovered table, which will be, for the rest of its existence-and it will




outlast me- always be a symbol of your singular heroic character and kindness to strangers. In exchange for such a great gift I am sending to you the books whose titles are on the appended list. I would like to have been able to send something greater but there was no opportunity, nor were better books to be found at present. If there is anything else that I could do for your Lordship, tell me by letter via you colleague, and you may be assured that I will gladly do whatever it is. I met Dr. Harvey recently who still remembers you and. is well. He has requested that I would ask your Lordship in his name for the Catechism recently published in Rome by the De Propaganda Fide. And if I may after such royal gifts ask more, I entreat your Lordship to take an opportunity to send the book de Vomitu of Peter Castello which was on the press when I was in Rome, and a single copy of the book on fossil wood since those which your Lordship had sent to me so unfortunately perished. I am pleased to add as a colophon a description of Banister's Cardiac Powder, highly valued among us in both content and price.

RX Cor Unicor. Sjs lap bezoar or. Eiij ossis de cord. cervi Oij CC 9j succin. coral rubr & alb.smarago an. ,ijs lap saphyr. granat rubr. an Si rad. bisdort zedoar. angel lign. aloes cort. citri. Ung alcis ras. eboris an ,i aij margar pp Ei terra lemniae, Samiae an ,is boli opt.di ambra gr. fol auri. an ai moschi as P F. Pulvis. Dos. a gr 3 ad 12 in approp.

It remains to repeat my thanks for so generous and splendid a gift, and to wish your Lordship and your most Illustrious Brother well.

Most Illustrious and most excellent. Your Lordship. Most devotedly George Ent London 30 June 1638

Your Lordship's letters in future should be inscribed as follows to reach me securely To Dr Ent at the Green Dragon, in cheapside by the great Conduit

Notes The Table so fortuitously recovered is no doubt the one shown to the Royal Society in 1663.

The references to Cassiano's brother here and elsewhere suggest that Ent met the Cavaliero in Rome.

For the books, see Appendix B.

Letter 6

MS H 268

f. 62

Most illustrious Knight,

It has seemed a very long time since a new letter came to me from Rome, and I was afraid either that you had died or had just forgotten us, so in face of a long silence I did not know which of those ills afflicted my mind. But among these clouds all my fears have suddenly been removed by the arrival of a letter brought by Count Rosetto. He showed my your very welcome letter, a living sign of your long generosity. Truly I say, nothing sent to me is more gratifying. I rejoiced at the find of amber in Italy, and at the recent discovery of the cradle of new Porcelain there. I was extremely pleased with the Bologna Stone, shining in the dark. How long it keeps its virtue I am uncertain. As soon as I received it (which was about three months from the receipt of your letters), Dr. Harvey, whom I met to pass on your Lordship's letter and the book, said that he would test it, and did so, but without success, as he told me later. But in truth, what you foresaw came about by chance, that its virtue gradually died out. I shall carry out a test as soon as he returns it to me. Dr. Harvey says he has no copy left of On the motion of the heart. Having made a search, I found only one stained and annotated copy that with a few other books I now send to my Lord. Famaby's Index ofpoetry,



18 Sir Alan Cook

whose value you will see as no greater than its price. His Rhetorical Index has been published, it smells to some extent of the lamp, just as do the commentaries on Virgil, Ovid and Seneca's tragedies. If any of these please my Lord they will be sent quickly to you. And I beseech you sin- cerely, if there is some other book, or anything else in England that would please my Lord, he will soon let me know in his letter. I grieve that there are few things among us that would really show the extent of my gratitude gift, and I would greatly wish, unless my Lord says it is troublesome, for a more frequent exchange of letters between us. As you see I gave the letter to that friend of whom you made honourable mention and he will see that they are delivered to you under seal. Dr. Harvey is now very busy and cannot reply worthily to you, but he sends books as the assurance of a grateful mind. I regret that Castelli has not produced his Emetic, for I enjoy his works a great deal. The Italian Antidote and the Treatise on the fragrant Hyaena as well as the Opobalsum were not published when I left Rome. Might they conveniently be sent to me? Also he had drafted a most desir- able book on Insects but I'm afraid it has not seen the light. I have written the names of the books that I have received in the schedule, for those and the rest of your gifts I am most grateful and offer the most fervent prayer that I may be able in some way to repay all your your kindness and singular beneficence at least in some small way. Meanwhile it is a physician's wish that you be well.

To Your most Illustrious and most excellent, Lordship

London, 5th November 1639 Most devotedly George Ent

That all my Lord's letters may come to my hands in such a populous city, let them be inscribed To my loving friend Mr George Ent Doctor in Physick, At the Green Dragon in cheapside, London.

Notes

The books mentioned in the letter are identified so far as possible in Appendix B. The Italian Antidote and the fragrant Hiera are by Castello (Appendix B). For the Bologna Stone, see the text. Harvey in business: probably his duties as Physician to the King (Charles I).

Letter 7

MS H 268

f. 65

What shall I write, illustrious Knight, or what shall I not write? May Hygeia wish ill upon me if I know. So far I feel my mind drawn in opposite directions, whilst one is occupied by grief, the other is by joy. I grieve at these uncivil civil wars and the miserable ruin of this realm that was so flourishing not long ago. On the other hand joy flowed through my soul when at last I heard for certain of your good health. I cannot easily say how much I rejoiced when, most learned Sir, greatest of all Maecenases that have ever lived, I realised that you were alive and still remem- bered me. I too am enjoying a Jubilee, as I gather you are. Harvey recently recalled your mem-

ory most gratefully, and desired that I should as soon as possible mention his name to you. He has in hand, but not yet ready for the press, an essay, de Generatione animalium, a subtle and eru- dite work. I think it will be sent to you as soon as it is published. I published about nine years ago an Apologia pro circuitione sanguinis, as I wished to reply to Parisanus. I do not know if it has come to your hands, but if you count it worth seeing I will soon take care to send it to you with other items. Meanwhile farewell and may you live happily

Your most excellent Lordship Given at London

4th January 1650 Most devotedly George Ent




Notes Parisanus was a severe critic of Harvey.

For Harvey, de Generatione and Parisanus, see Appendix B.

Letter 8

MS H 268

f. 67, 68

Most noble and famous Knight, It has seemed a long time since I could send any letter to you (by which intermediary the memory of friends is maintained that otherwise would fail) nevertheless there were things that could have been worthily written to you at a suitable time. Recently it did not seem that for me to send any letters from England to Rome, as to elsewhere, and you were always extremely, and when after a long and exhausting journey it would come to your hand, they would bring no news, save that I am alive; and whether I am alive or dead doesn't bother the republic of letters. But now there is apparently a convenient time to for sending a more acceptable letter to you, with news of some recent publications.. Indeed it has at last been decided that the book of Dr. Harvey, de Generationiem Animalium should be offered to the judgement of the public. You would have already received a copy of the new book, but hitherto there were no ships that sailed from here to your coasts and meanwhile it has been reprinted in Amsterdam. You will find an example of both editions in the same packet, and with them my Apologia pro fluxu et refluxus sanguinis where I have repelled (as I think) Parisanus' menacing battering ram. I certainly intended similarly to wipe the slate with Riolan who had some time ago in a high and lofty style attacked Harvey's opinion, with many but invalid arguments so that in his place he might introduced a theory that was neither real nor firmly based on experiment. But I've decided to enjoy the peace of my studies, especially as Schlegel of Hamburg has recently delivered a sufficiently vigorous reply. That book of Riolano swarms with many opinions that are mutually contradictory and that you will never find in nature. He sings the old song of the transit of the blood through the septum of the heart and of the return thereafter to the vena cava by the oval foramen, a foolish fable. I could rather for my part by a single beautiful argument to rebut his opinion. Thus in the body of a strangled man, privately dissected (with Harvey and some of the College present) we tightly tied off the arterial blood vessel of the lungs and the aorta, and lightly and carefully (lest the heart's septum be damaged) cut into the left ventricle. I put in a little siphon by the vena cava and at the same time I filled the vesicam bubulum with hot water through the siphon and (the ligature made) I injected the same with great force into the said ventricle, so that the maximum levels in it and the adjacent auricula were the same. What happened? The ventricle itself with the auricula swelled up strongly; but not a droplet of water escaped from the left ventricle. The aforemen- tioned cord being next loosened, I attached the same siphon to the vena arteriosa. With the ligature tightened so that the water in the right ventricle did not escape, with that main way to the lungs opened, at once the water and blood flowed copiously from the fissure of the left ventricle; such that the amount of water from each compressed bladder going into the lungs was just as much as that that flowed out together from the said fissure. Indeed I say a siphon was introduced into the vena porta (which is near the liver) the enlarged bladder being filled with milk and then firmly and gradually compressed. By repeating this and injecting fresh liquid into the bladder, at length the liver and the lungs together, by a passage through the right ventricle of the heart, were suffused with the full colour of milk. Now how are you occupied in your sublime studies? You should, from time to time, to relax your mind now and again, and come over to from our camp, I know nothing better than to write to you. Our Harvey is in good health but with an unhappy mind for he is seriously troubled at the recent dreadful fighting. He wishes you the best of health and is sorry not to send other books for neither many nor better appear to be ready. As for me I misuse the old legal formula, The same for me. May you acquire blessings and wisdom for your extraordinary brilliance. Your letter that you wrote to me last year has arrived safe to our hands. How indeed I wish that I could record something worthy of you to send as a harvest each year.



20 Sir Alan Cook

Should some ship be coming back from you, I wish, if that is conveniently possible, that you would send me Roma Subterranea and Kircher's Musurgia. I will take the first occasion to thank you, and meanwhile I am under the greatest obligation.

To your most excellent Lordship London 15 July With highest devotion 1652 George Ent

Note The letter was written in the early years of the Commonwealth and reflects the difficul- ties of commmunication at that time.

For the books mentioned see Appendix B. See also the same appendix for the works

opposed to Harvey by Riolano and Parisano.

Letter 9

MS H 268

f. 69

I indeed blushed, most illustrious knight, when I recently received a further letter of yours together with fine gifts. Those most eagerly awaited books which you had sent to me, the Roma subterranea and Musurgia of Kircher, have come into my hands, as well as the Obeliscus

Pamphilius and the Historia Mexicana, destined for Dr. Harvey, which I have taken care to con-

vey to him. In gratitude for such kindness he has given to that merchant (by whom your books are brought here) the Historia Anglicana not previously published among us, and Selden's Works On Parliament to be sent to you. He sends you his warmest heartfelt greetings. I truly could not do anything comparable or offer more than a trifling gift in compensation, but to wash away any stain of ingratitude I have put in the same package, Monasticon Anglicanum, Meibomius de Musica Veteri and the de Proportionibus by the same, likewise Hobbes de Corpore and Glissonius, Anatomia hepatis. I hope they come safe and entire to your hands. It is certain that, to say nothing of the rest, this last book has been carefully written, and explains much about about our viscera that was previously unknown. Certainly even now much lies hidden in the folds of Nature that later may be revealed by industry and ingenuity. I ought to have undoubtedly removed the guilt of my long silence with a very long letter but because they go by sea, and there is the fear that they will smell of sea-sickness, its very brevity may bring you greater pleasure. I will just add here what took place among us about a week ago. The spleen was removed from a

living dog; it is still enjoying the fresh air, and at once returned to its usual habits, it licked its

dish, free from sickness and indulged vigorously in the things of Venus. We repeated the experiment on a cat with similar success. Farewell, most esteemed man, and what ever you do, love me.

Notes For the books exchanged, see Appendix B. The Musurgia of Athanasius Kircher is a sub- stantial treatise on music, well known throughout Europe. Pepys had a copy. It had only just been published at the time of this letter (1655).

The English books demonstrate the growing interest in antiquities in Britain, as do some of the Roman works for a corresponding interest in Rome.




APPENDIX B: BOOKS MENTIONED IN THE LETTERS

London books

Broughton, Richard Monastichon Britanicum, or a historical narrative (Henry Herringham, 1655).

Democritus Junior in fol. Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy (Oxford, 1638).

Etzler, Augustus Isagoge Phusico-magico-medica (Strasbourg, 1631). Ent, George Apologia pro circulationis sanguinis, qua respondetur

Aemilio Parisano, Medico Veneto (R. Young, London, 1641).

Farnaby, Thomas Index poeticus commonstrans descriptiones ... (London, 1634). Index rhetoricus scholis & institutionibus tenerioris aetatis

accomodatus, probably the second edition, London 1633. The Index was frequently reprinted for many years afterwards.

Glisson, Francis Anatomia hepatis (London, 1654). Hakewill, George An Apologie or declaration of the power and providence of

God in the government of the world (probably the 3rd edi-

tion, revised, of 1635). Harvey, William Exercitatio anatomica de motu cordis et sanguinis in ani-

malibus (William Fitzers, Frankfort, 1628). Exercitationes de generatione animalium, quibus accedunt

quedam de partu ... (London and Amsterdam, 1651). Henshaw Lignum fossile

(not identified; see T. Birch, A history of the Royal Society of London for improving of natural knowledge, from its

first rise, vol. 1 (A. Millar, London, 1756)). Hippocrates Possibly The Aphorisms (Humphrey Moseley, 1655). Historia anglicana Historia anglicana, scriptores. X Simeon Monachus

Dunelmensis (Jacob Fletcher, 1652). Hobbes, Thomas De Corpore Politico, or the elements of law, moral and

political (London, 1650 and 1652). Meibomius, Marcus Antiquae musicae auctores septem, Graece et Latine (2

vols, Amsterdam, 1652). De Proportionibus-not identified.

Pemble, William De sensibus internis (H. Hall, Oxoniae, 1647). Proclus. De Sphaera. There are many reprints of T. Linacre's edi-

tion, mostly before 1600. Selden, John De Synedriis & praefecturis (Jacob Fletcher, 1650). Zacuto Abraham ben Samuel Operum tomus primus (secundus) (Huguetan & Rauaud,

Lyons, 1649).



22 Sir Alan Cook

Roman books

Bosio, Antonio Roma Sotteranea (Rome, 1632). Castello, Pietro Antidotario romano (Messina, 1637).

Emetica Petri Castelli in qua agitur de vomitu & vomi- toriis (Mascardi, Rome, 1634). Hyena odorifera (Messina, 1638).

Hernandez, Francisco Rerum medicarum Novae Hispaniae Thesaurus, sive Plantarum Animalium Mineralium Mexicanorum ex Francisci Hernandi (Mascardi, Rome). The history of this work seems complex. The first title page is dated 1628, and there are later ones of 1630, 1648, 1649 and 1651. Ent's letters indicate that it was the edition of 1651 that he received; other copies in England are also of 1651. For the history see Anna Alexandrini, 'Originalith dell'Accademia dei Lincei', in Convegno celebrativo del IV centenario della nascita di Federico Cesi. Atti dei

Convegni Lincei, vol. 78, pp. 149-157 (Accademia nazionale dei Lincei, Rome, 1986).

Kircher, Athanasius Musurgia universalis (2 vols, Rome, 1650). Obeliscus Pamphilius (Rome, 1650).

Propaganda de Fide probably one of the many printings of Catechismo ex decreto Concilio Trento.

Stelluti, Francesco Trattato del Legno Fossili scoperto, nel quale brevemente si accena la varia et mutabil naturo del detto legno, rap- prasentovi con alcune figure che mostrano il luogo dove nasce, la diversita dell 'onde, che in esse si vedono, e le sue cosi varie, e meravigliose forme (Vitale Mascardi, Rome, 1637).

Parisano, Emilio Lupus Lydius de motu cordis et sanguinis (Venice, 1635). Riolan, Jean Enchiridium anatomicum (Leiden, 1649);

or more likely Experimenta nova anatomica. Dissertatio anatomica de circulatione sanguinis et chyli motu (2nd edn, Paris, 1654).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Professor Vivian Nutton is gratefully acknowledged for his assistance in this work.

NOTES

1. Ent was nominated for the degree of MD at Padova on 27 April 1636 and the degree was author- ized on 28 April; archive of the Universith degli Studii, Padova, A.A.U., MS275, 138v-139r.




2. T. Birch, A history of the Royal Society of London for improving of natural knowledge, from its

first rise, vol. 1 (A. Millar, London, 1756), meetings of 1663, May 20, p. 244; May 27, p. 247; June 17, pp. 260-262; December 23, p. 347; December 30, p. 350; 1664, January 20, p. 374.

3. F. Haskell and Henrietta McBurney, 'The Paper Museum of Cassiano dal Pozzo', Visual Resources 14, 1-17 (1998).

4. Alan Cook, 'Rome and the Royal Society', Notes Rec. R. Soc. Lond. 58, 3-19 (2004); Philip Skippon, 'An account of a journey through part of the Low Countries, Germany, Italy and

France', in A collection of voyages and travels (ed. A. and J. Churchill (London, 1732), pp. 361-736 and Index.

5 A. C. Scott and D. Freedberg, Fossil wood and other geological specimens (The Royal Collection, London, 2000); for the contents of Cesi's museum, see Anna Nicol6 and Francesco Solinas, 'Per una analisi del collezionismo Linceo: l'Archivio Linceo 32 e il museo di Federico Cesi', in Convegno celebrativo del IV centenario della nascita di Federico Cesi. Atti dei

Convegni Lincei (Roma, Accademia nazionale dei Lincei, 1986), vol. 78, pp. 195-312. 6. Francesco Stelluti, Trattato del Legno Fossili scoperto (Vitale Mascardi, Roma, 1637). 7. See the entries in Birch, op. cit. (note 2); John Evelyn, Sylva (London, 1664), ch. 30, pp. 95-97;

Robert Hooke, Micrographia (Martyn, London, 1665), pp. 105, 107, 107-112. 8. The Pilgrim Book of the Venerable English College, Rome, entry for 5 October 1636, archive of

the Venerable English College; printed in H. Foley, Records of the English Province of the Society ofJesus, vol. 6 (London, 1880).

9. G. Keynes, The life of William Harvey (Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1966), ch. 24. 10. Keynes, op. cit. (note 9), pp. 258, 259. 11. For early travellers to Rome see Cook, op. cit. (note 4). For the Digby letters, see Anna Nicol6,

II Carteggio di Cassiano dal Pozzo (Olschki, Florence, 1991). 12. For a list of letters in the Carteggio Puteana, see Nicol6, op. cit. (note 11). The letters in

Montpellier are in MSH268. Those from Ent are listed in the Table. Besides the two from Kenelm Digby there is a group from David Colville, a Scot apparently, who corresponded with William Boswell in Venice and sent Cassiano news of the Arundel Marbles.

13. Scott and Freedberg, op. cit. (note 5). 14. Stelluti, op. cit. (note 6). 15. Cesi sent a table to Cardinal Barberini (Nicol6 and Solinas, op. cit. (note 5), p. 201 n. 40).

Another table was in his museum (Nicol6 and Solinas, p. 208). 16. Birch, op. cit. (note 2). 17. Cook, op. cit. (note 4), p. 10. The indices to the library of G. G. Ciampini are in the Vatican

Library, MS Vat. Lat. 12628-12630. 18. Francisco Hernandez, Novae Hispanus Thesaurus, probably the edition of 1651. For the full title

and printings, see Appendix B. 19. John Ray, Historia Plantarum (London), vol. 1, p. 132. 20. William Harvey, Exercitatio anatomica de motu cordis et sanguinis (Frankfort, 1628); William

Harvey, Exercitationes de generatione animalium, quibus accedunt quedam de partu ... (London and Amsterdam, 1681); George Ent, Apologia pro circulationis sanguinis, qua respondetur Aemilio Parisano, Medico Veneto (R. Young, London, 1641).

21. Parisano, Lupus Lydius de motu cordis et sanguinis (Venice, 1635); Jean Riolano, Experimenta nova anatomica. Dissertatio anatomica de circulationi sanguinis et chyli motu, 2nd edn (Paris, 1654).

22. See Cook, op. cit. (note 4).

Visit www.journals.royalsoc.ac.uk and navigate to this article through Notes and Records to see the accompanying electronic appendix.

