Collection ID: 0002 | Metadata type: TEI | TEI XML | Data

Title

A philosophical treatise of a somnambule upon God: man: & nature.

Authors

• Charles Rainsford Collection of Alchemical and Occult Manuscripts (University of Pennsylvania)

Other related names

• Rainsford, Charles, 1728-1809, former owner
• Northumberland, Hugh Percy, Duke of, 1742-1817, former owner (http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/nr93028960)

Call number

Ms. Codex 1698
(3420 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6206, University of Pennsylvania, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts)

Alternate identifiers

• bibid: 9962935823503681
• http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/919322091
• https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/catalog/81431-p3m90274k https://repository.upenn.edu/uniqueatpenn/23/

Publisher

University of Pennsylvania

Origin

Date

1794

Place

Gibraltar

Summary

Collection of treatises purported to be written in French by a young woman while in a state of somnambulation in the year 1786 and translated into English in Gibraltar in 1794 by a student of magnetism (v. 1, p. 36-37), most likely by Charles Rainsford. Sections include the definition of the Holy Trinity (v. 1, p. 1-36), discussion of mankind and nature (v. 1, p. 37-172), an overview of magnetism (v. 1, p. 173-218) and magnetic sleep (v. 1, p. 219-267; v. 2, p. 1-28), spiritual and natural magnetism and instructions on how to magnetize (v. 2, p. 29-71), a translation of a letter originally printed in French at Stockholm in 1787 that gives an explanation of animal magnetism and somnambulism (v. 2, p. 73-171), and extracts from the works of Emmanuel Swedenborg that explain animal magnetism and somnambulism (v. 2, p. 172-215). Also includes a list of contents for the first volume (v. 1, p. [268].

Notes

• Ms. codex.
   
• Title from title page (v. 1, p. 37).
   

Extent

2 volumes (138, 177 leaves) : 193 x 160 mm bound to 203 x 165 mm

Foliation

V. 1: Paper, 138 leaves; [iv], 1-241, [ii], 257, [ii], 258-267, [268]; contemporary pagination in ink, upper outer corners from p. 1-36, and upper center from p. 37-267. Second set of contemporary pagination in ink, 1-213, upper outer corners. starting on p. 58 of first set of pagination. V. 2: Paper, 177 leaves; [ii], 1-215, [216-352]; contemporary pagination in ink, upper outer corners.

Support

Paper

Binding

Contemporary parchment.

Layout

Written in 16-18 long lines.

Script

Written in a cursive script in the hand of Charles Rainsford.

Provenance

• Formerly owned by Charles Rainsford (British army officer, fellow of the Royal Society, and alchemist); bequeathed by Rainsford to Hugh Percy, Second Duke of Northumberland.
   
• Sold at auction at Sotheby's (London), 15 July 2014, as part of Lot 411.
   
• Owned by the 2nd through 12th Dukes of Northumberland, ms. 616.1 and 616.2, Alnwick Castle, Northumberland, 1809-2014 (bookplate, inside upper cover; stamps throughout).
   

Subjects topical

• Animal magnetism
• Animal magnetism--Early works to 1800
• Sleepwalking--Early works to 1800
• Sleepwalking
• Occultism
• Occultism--Early works to 1800

Genres

• Codices
• Treatises
• Manuscripts, European
• Manuscripts, English

Keywords

• Treatise
• 18th century
• English
• Paper
• England
• Philosophy

Licenses

• Text

  These images and the content of Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts Ms. Codex 1698: A philosophical treatise of a somnambule upon God: man: & nature. are free of known copyright restrictions and in the public domain. See the Creative Commons Public Domain Mark page for usage details, http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/.

  URL

  http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

• Text

  Metadata is ©2017 University of Pennsylvania Books & Manuscripts and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License version 4.0 (CC-BY-4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. For a description of the terms of use see the Creative Commons Deed https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

  URL

  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

Table of contents

• 215 (V.2) — Blank leaves start