The astrologer-physician Richard Napier (1559-1634) was not only a man of practical science and medicine but also a master of occult arts and a devout parish rector who purportedly held conversations with angels. This new interpretation of Napier reveals him to be a coherent and methodical man whose burning desire for certain, true knowledge contributed to the contemporary venture of putting existing knowledge to useful ends. Originally trained in theology and ordained as an Anglican priest, Napier later studied astrological medicine and combined astrology, religious thought, and image and ritual magic in his medical work. Ofer Hadass draws on a remarkable archive of Napier’s medical cases and religious writings—including the interviews he claimed to have held with angels—to show how Napier’s seemingly inconsistent approaches were rooted in an inclusive and coherent worldview, combining equal respect for ancient authority and for experientially derived knowledge. Napier’s endeavors exemplify the fruitful relationship between religion and science that offered a well-founded alternative to the rising mechanistic explanation of nature at the time. Carefully researched and compellingly told, Medicine, Religion, and Magic in Early Stuart England is an insightful exploration of one of the most fascinating figures at the intersection of medicine, magic, and theology in early modern England and of the healing methods employed by physicians of the era.

Magic, Witchcraft, and Ghosts in the Enlightenment argues for the centrality of magical practices and ideas throughout the long eighteenth century. Although the hunt for witches in Europe declined precipitously after 1650, and the intellectual justification for natural magic came under fire by 1700, belief in magic among the general population did not come to a sudden stop. The philosophes continued to take aim at magical practices, alongside religion, as examples of superstitions that an enlightened age needed to put behind them. In addition to a continuity of beliefs and practices, the eighteenth century also saw improvement and innovation in magical ideas, the understanding of ghosts, and attitudes toward witchcraft. The volume takes a broad geographical approach and includes essays focusing on Great Britain (England and Ireland), France, Germany, and Hungary. It also takes a wide approach to the subject and includes essays on astrology, alchemy, witchcraft, cunning folk, ghosts, treasure hunters, and purveyors of magic. With a broad chronological scope that ranges from the end of the seventeenth century to the early nineteenth century, this volume is useful for undergraduates, postgraduates, scholars, and those with a general interest in magic, witchcraft, and spirits in the Enlightenment.

Most of the women and men who practiced magic in Tudor England were not hanged or burned as witches, despite being active members of their communities. These everyday magicians responded to common human problems such as the vagaries of money, love, property, and influence, and they were essential to the smooth functioning of English society. This illuminating book tells their stories through the legal texts in which they are named and the magic books that record their practices. In legal terms, their magic fell into the category of sin or petty crime, the sort that appeared in the lower courts and most often in church courts. Despite their relatively lowly status, scripts for the sorts of magic they practiced were recorded in contemporary manuscripts. Juxtaposing and contextualizing the legal and magic manuscript records creates an unusually rich field to explore the social aspects of magic practice. Expertly constructed for both classroom use and independent study, this book presents in modern English the legal documents and magic texts relevant to ordinary forms of magic practiced in Tudor England. These are accompanied by scholarly introductions with original perspectives on the subjects. Topics covered include: the London cunning man Robert Allen; magic to identify thieves; love magic; magic for hunting, fishing and gambling, and magic for healing and protection.

Early modern almanacs have received relatively little academic attention over the years despite being the first true form of British mass media. While their purpose was to provide annual information about the movements of the stars and the corresponding effects on Earth, most included advice on preventative and remedial medicine for humans and animals. Based on the most extensive research to date into the relationship between the popular press and early modern medical beliefs and practices, this study argues that these cheap, annual booklets played a major role in shaping contemporary medicine in early modern England. The book discusses the various types of medical information and advice in almanacs, preventative and remedial medicine for humans, and the under-explored topic of animal health care.

A collection of 11 essays published between 1981 and 1996 reflecting the shift of emphasis by historians of medicine from the triumph of the existing medical industry to the place of health in society as a whole and in various subpopulations. Among the topics are Galen in the Renaissance, William Harvey and the Way of the Anatomists, Religious beliefs and medicine in early modern England, puritan perceptions of illness in 17th-century England, medical ethics during the period, caring for the sick poor in St. Bartholomew Exchange 1580-1676, the popularization of medicine, and epistemology and learned medicine. The essays are reproduced from their original publication in a variety of type styles. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

A major undertaking in its own right, this Second Edition of The Stuart Age (revised throughout, and reset in a more generous format) is fully worthy of the immensely successful First Edition. It provides clear and accessible interpretations of the many changes that took place in these crowded years -- still the centre of the most lively and intellectually exciting debates of any period of British history -- but its aim is not to persuade readers to accept these interpretations uncritically, but to help them take part in the ongoing debate themselves.

Popular Religion in Late Saxon England: Elf Charms in Context

A survey of the changes in medical care for those approaching death in the early modern period.

"Harold Cook traces the history of London's College of Physicians from the time of its greatest authority in the 1630s until its juridical failure in 1704. His account of the changes in medical regulation that took place during this period forces a rethinking of the relations among medical practice, intellectural values, and the changing economic and cultural framework of seventeenth-century London"--