JF Ptak Science Books Post 1285
This is the first of seven installments on introducing 17th and 18th century children to wide ideas. The text and images all come from the 1726 English translation of John Comenius' Orbita Pictus, and cover the following territory: Part 1, Occupations; Part 2, Anatomy; Part 3, Books and Book Arts; Part 4, the Sciences; Part 5, Morals and Philosophy; Part 6, Games and the Arts; and Part 7, the Military.
"O Babees yonge, my Book only is made for youre lernynge” says what well may be the first book made in the West for children, written in the 14th century. It was made for the eyes of noble blood, of course, and was basically a contribution towards how the children should act and behave, rather than teaching them anything outside of their immediate interactions with each other or their parents. Books of manner and behavior was the dominant—if perhaps the only(?)—category of books for children until the late 16th century.
John Locke, in his Thoughts on Education (1691), suggests that "when a child begins to read, some easy, pleasant book, like Aesop's Fables or Reynard the Fox, with pictures if possible, should be put into his hands". He adds, "What other books there are in English of the kind above-mentioned, fit to engage the liking of children, and tempt them to read, I do not know, but am apt to think, that children, being generally delivered over to the method of schools, where the fear of the rod is to enforce, and not any pleasure of the employment to invite them to learn, this sort of useful books, amongst the number of silly ones that are of all sorts, yet have had the fate to be neglected; and nothing that I know has been considered of this kind out of the ordinary road of the hornbook, primer, Psalter, Testament, and Bible." (This quote from C.M. Watkins article in The Atlantic Monthly, 1880.)
Perhaps the most beautiful of early books for children is found behind this deeply designed title page, brought to us by Christoph Weigel (German, 1654-1726), the author, illustrator and engraver of Die Welt in einer Nuss oder die Historien vom Aufgang der Welt…1 published in Nurnberg in 1726. The book was a tall, thin production, with 16 pages of text and 43 engraved plates, much like this one, emblazoned with emblematic studies and dedicated to a particular point in the historical continuum. And it was intended, believe it or not, for children—the title can be basically translated as “The World in a Nutshell” and was absolutely intended for kids, compressing all of the human story into 16 terse pages and a whole bunch of gorgeous illustration. This image shows the second millennium after the birth of Christ, illustrated with seven engravings (secula septem).
But the first of all of the encyucloepdia-like books fasiohioned for children--and the first with illustratiions--belongs to the very well studied 13. The fteeple-crowned, 15. add te thefe The bald-pated, 14.
The Plow-man, i. yoketh Oxen, 3. to a Plough, 2. and holding the Flow-Rïlt, 4. in his left hand, and the Plow-ftaff, 5. in his right hand, ivith 'which he remcveth Clods, 6. he еutteth the Land {ivhich ivas manured afore ,uiifh Dung, 8.) with a Share, 7. and a Coulter, and makethFurrows, 9. Then he foweth the Seed, 10. and harroweth it in with a Harrow, 11. The Reaper, I2. jheareth the ripe Corn with a Sickle, 13. gatheteth up the handfuls, 14, und bindcth the Sheaves, 45.<t¿í Threiher, 16.; threfieth Corn en the Barn-floor, 17. ,with a Flail, 18. .*. toffeth it in a winnowing bafket, 19.andfo ivhen the Chaff', and the Straw, 20. are ßparatedfrom it, heputteth it into Sacks, 21 ,The Mower, 22. maketh Hay /я я Meadow, tutting do'wn Grafs with a Scythe, 23. and raketh it together üvith a Rake, 24. andmaketh up Cocks, 26. nvith a fork, 25. and carrieth it on Carriages, 27. into the Hay-barn, 28.
Vhe Bees find ota ¿r/warm, i. andfiet over it «Leader, 2. That Jkxiarm heing ready to fly away, is recalled hy the Tinkling ef a braaen Vefl.el, 3. and is put up into a neiv Hive, 4. They make little Cells nvith ßx comers, 5. and Jill them with Honey-dew, and make Combs, 6.cut of ivhich the Honey runneth, 7.The Partitions heing melted -with ßre, turn into Wax, 8.
Grinding
In a Mill, i. « ft'one, 2. runneth upen a ft one, 3.A Wheel, 4. turning them ahout, end grindeth Corn poured in by a Hopper, 5. endparteth the Bran, 6. falling into the .Tro ugh, 7. from the Mealßipping through aBolter, 8.Such a Mill voasßrft a Hand-mill, 9. then a Horfe-miil, 10.. then a Water-mill, 11. anda Ship-mill, i2. amdatlaßt a Wind-mill, 13.
Bread
TheBaker, i. ßfteth the Meal in a Rindge,. 2. andputteth it into the Kneading-trough, 3.Then he pourethwater to it, ardmabeth Dough, 4. und kneadeth it tvith a wooden Шее, с.Then he maketh Loaves, 6. Cakes, 7. Cimnels, 8. Rolls, 9, tíc.^ftertnards hefetteth them en a Peel, 10. and putteth them thorough the Oven-mouth, 12. into the Oven, 41.Butßrß he pullet h out the ßre and the Coals with a Coal-rake, 13.
'and-rvhen it is cola, it is carried in Soes, 5. into the Cellar, 6. яnd is pt't into PeJJels. Brandy-wine, extracled hy t lie power of heat from dregs efW iae in a Pan,7. ever which a Limbeck, 8. is placed,ciroppesh through a Pipe, g. into a Glafs.Wine and Beer, 'wh:n they iurnJour, hecome Vinegar. Of Wine and Honey they make Mead.
Line and Hemp Icing rated in Water and dried again, 1. at e braked•with a wooden Brake, ?„ •where /?. Shives, 3 .fall down, then they are heck ed •with an Iron Heckle, 4. where the Tow, 5. il parted from it.Flax is tied to a DilbfF, 6. hy the Spiniler, 7. •which -w th her left Hand pulleth out the Thiead, 8. and ivith her right Hand, 12. tur net h a Wheri, 9. or a Spindle, 10. upon-which is a Whirl, ir. The Spool rectiwth the Thread, 13.
*The Shoemaker, 1. maketh Slippers, 7. Shoes, 8. (in which is fesn above, the Upper-leather, heneath the Sole, end on both ßats the Latchets) Boots, 9.and High Shoes, 10. of Leather, 5. (nuhich is eut with a Cutting-knife, 6.) by means of an Avvl, j. and Liage), 3. upon a La:t, 4.
and fett eth him on •nith a Switch, 13. and holdeth him in •with a Mufrol, 14. 4"he Holfters, 15. hang do•wn from ¡he Pummel if the Saddle, 16.in ivhich the Piftols, 17.are put. The Rider is dad in »fhort Coat, 18. his Cloak heing tied hehind him, 19. .¿Poft, 20.is carried on Horfchack a fullGallop.
ivith two Wheels, a Cart, 3. iviti/bur Wheels, a Waggon, ivhich is either a Timber-waggon, 4. or a Load-waggon, 5.The parts of the Waggon are, theNeep {or draught-tree) 6. the Beam, 7. the Bottom, 8. and the Sides, 9.Then the Axle-trees, 10. ahout which the Wheels run, the. Lin-pins, 11. and Axle-tree-ftaves, 12. heing faßened hefore them.7;fNave, 13. is the groundfaft of the Wheel, 14. frem which come twelve Spokes, 15.The Ring encompaffeth thefe, ivhich is made of ßx Felloes, 16. and as many Strakes, 17. Hampers and Hurdles, i8. arefet in a Waggon.
The Coach-man, 1. joineth a Horfe fit to match a Saddle-horfe, 2, 3. to the Coach-tree, ivith Thongs or Chains, 5. hanging doivnfrom the Collar, 4.Then heßtteth upon the Saddle-horfe, and drvveth them that go hefore him, 6. nuit h a Whip, 7. and guidsth them luith a String, 8. He greafeth the Axle-tree wtth Axle-tree greafe, cut of a Greafe-pot, 9. .^ndßoppeth the luheelth a Trigen, 10.
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Merchandizing. CXXVIII.
Mercalura.
Wares hrought from other places, are either exchanged in an Exchange, i. or expofed to Jale s» Warehouses, 2. and they are fold for Money, 3. being either meafured •with an EH, 4. er •weighed in a Pair of Balances, 5.Shopkeepers, 6. Pedlars, 7. and Brokers, S. ixiould alfo he called Merchants, 9.The Seller hraggeth of a thing that it to he fold,
/¿r Beam, 6.in the midß ivhereof vis a little Axle-tree, 7. ahove the cheeks and the hole, 8. in •which the Needle, g. moveth itfel/ to and fro; on hoth ßdes are the Scales, 10. •hanging hy little Cords, 11. The Brafieris halance, 12. •weigheth things hy hanging them on a Hook, 13. and the Weight, 14. Dppoßte to them, 'which in (a) iueighethjuß as much as the thing, in (h) tivicefo much, in (c) thricef0 much, Sec.
The Patient, 1. JEgrotans, 1,
/endeth/or a Phyfician, 2. j accerfit MedUum, 2. «
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