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(CHINESE MEDICINE). VOSSIUS, ISAAC. VARIARUM OBSERVATIONUM LIBER... [with divisional titles]: De sibyllinis aliisque quae Christi natalem praecessere oraculis... Ad objectiones nuperae criticae sacrae responsio... Ad iteratas P. Simonii objectiones responsio.
Londini: Prostant apud Robertum Scott Bibliopolam, 1685. 4to, (6), 397, (1 blank), (1 errata), (1 blank)pp, map, 4 full-page woodcut illus., several text diagrams, lacks dedication leaf. Contemp. vellum over binder's boards (1-inch abrasion at fore-edge upper cover), panelled in blind with tooled central vignette, gilt-stamped title at spine, edges stained red, lib. stamp (with release) verso title and final text leaf. A fine, wide-margined copy, in a lovely contemporary binding. ¶ First Edition. Born at Leiden and educated by his father Gerhard, young Isaac Vossius (1618-1689) was appointed professor of history at Amsterdam at the age of fifteen. 'His principal characteristic is a not inconsiderable versatility' (Sandys) brilliantly displayed in this collection of essays, most published here for the first time. These various observations range from Rome and the other great cities of antiquity to the arts and sciences of China, the history of gunpowder in Europe, Roman ship construction, the moon's phases, navigation in the Far East, and gravity. ¦ Amidst this overflowing erudition, perhaps the most intriguing aspect of this collection is that it contains 'one of the first claims made in Europe on behalf of the Chinese as the discoverers of the circulation, and also on behalf of 'an Englishman who wrote a book on the circulation before Harvey but found no support for it and thus suppressed it' (loosely trans. from p.71). The references to pre-Harveian knowledge of the circulation are found in a chapter on Chinese science and medicine (including acupuncture). The polyhistor Voss was enamoured of this nation just beginning to be revealed to Europe' (J. Norman Cat.13) Only one or two European books on Chinese medicine had appeared prior to the present essay by Vossius. Regarding the celebrated scholar 'it was frequently observed of him that he knew all the languages of Europe, but did not speak one well, and that he was intimately acquainted with the manners and characters of all ages but his own. His style was held to be too disputatious, and his epithets were thought too erudite for the drawing-room. Mazarin's circle was known for freethinking, and anecdotes about Vossius's own scepticism, such as his habitual reading of Ovid during services, circulated widely. Yet he was by no means free from credulity, and Charles II echoed Saint-Évremond's opinion when he remarked that Vossius would believe anything, if only it were not in the Bible' (ODNB Online). ESTC R842. Sandys II, pp.322-23. Wing V-707.
Offered for US$ 1350.00 by: Dailey Rare Books - Book number: 5683.