Details

Subjects:

Rosicrucians -- Early works to 1800.
Occultism -- Early works to 1800.
Occultism.
Rosicrucians.

Form/Genre:

codices (bound manuscripts)
treatises.
Manuscripts, English -- 18th century.
Manuscripts, European.

Language:

English, with some Latin, a few lines in Greek, and Hebrew characters on leaf laid into manuscript.

Summary:

Collection of excerpts from treatises concerning Rosicrucianism compiled by and copied in the hand of Charles Rainsford, with a general preface at the beginning (p. xxxi). A letter addressed to Joseph Banks is laid into the manuscript between p. 140-141 and contains Hebrew characters. Includes an alphabetical index at the beginning (p. iii-xxx) and a table of contents at the end (p. 676).

Notes:

Ms. codex.
Title from title page (p. i).
Pagination: Paper, 357; [xxxii], 1-3, [i], 1-149, 148-277, [278-676]; contemporary pagination in ink, modern pagination in pencil, upper outer corners.
Layout: Written in 16-18 long lines.
Script: Written in a cursive script in the hand of Charles Rainsford.
Binding: Contemporary half leather.
Origin: Written in England in the second half of the 18th century.

Local notes:

Purchased with support from the B. H. Breslauer Foundation.

Penn 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.
Owned by the 2nd through 12th Dukes of Northumberland, ms. 595, Alnwick Castle, Northumberland, 1809-2014 (bookplate, inside upper cover; stamps throughout).
Sold at auction at Sotheby's (London), 15 July 2014, as part of Lot 411.

Cited as:

Extracts Related to the RC (Ms. Codex 1684). Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania Libraries.

Contributor:

Northumberland, Hugh Percy, Duke of, 1742-1817, former owner.
Charles Rainsford Collection of Alchemical and Occult Manuscripts (University of Pennsylvania)

OCLC:

913790851

Web link:

Unique at Penn blog post