Details

Subjects:

Woodward, John, 1665-1728. Essay toward a natural history of the earth and terrestrial bodies.
Deluge -- Early works to 1800.
Paleontology -- Early works to 1800.
Paleontology.
Deluge.

Form/Genre:

Codices.
Polemics.
Treatises.
Manuscripts, European.
Manuscripts, English.

Summary:

A argument against John Woodward's Essay toward a natural history of the earth and terrestrial bodies, published in 1695, which offered a theory of geology and paleontology in scriptural terms. The manuscript also refers to Woodward's defense of his work, published in 1714 (p. 8), as well as other "persons of considerable skill in physical knowledge, as Dr. Arbuthnot, L. P., and the curious Mr. Edward Lhwyd, late keeper of the museum in Oxford" (p. 46). John Arbuthnot (1667-1735) published a satirical attack on Woodward in 1697 titled Examination of Dr. Woodward's accounts of the deluge; L. P. was the anonymous author of an attack on Woodward published in 1695 under the title Two essays sent in a letter from Oxford; and Edward Lhuyd (1660-1709) was keeper of the Ashmolean Museum.

Notes:

Ms. codex.
Title from title page (p. 1).
Pagination: Paper, 31; 1-46, 79-91, [92-94]; 2 gatherings (p. 47-78) appear to have been left out at time of binding; contemporary foliation in ink, upper outer corners.
Script: Written in an English cursive script.
Decoration: Diagram of the earth (p. 34).
Binding: Contemporary paper wrapper.
Origin: Probably written in England, perhaps in Ireland, after 1714.
Forms part of the Teerink Collection, formerly EC7.Ar195.697d.

Penn Provenance:

Formerly owned by John Daly (signature in English and in Irish, with inscriptions in Irish and the date '98 [1798?], p.92, 94).
Sold by Hodgson, 14 March 1934.

Cited as:

UPenn Ms. Codex 874.

Contributor:

Daly, John, former owner.

OCLC:

225085743

Access Restriction:

Access to this item is subject to staff review.