In an effort to educate myself, I am reading The Oxford Book of Essays, chosen and edited by John Gross. [copies for sale here] There’s 142 of the blighters, so it will take me all year. To make this “stick” I am going to blog each essay.
This essay is online
Who was the author:
Sir Thomas Browne (/braʊn/ “brown”; 19 October 1605 – 19 October 1682) was an English polymath and author of varied works which reveal his wide learning in diverse fields including science, medicine, religion and the esoteric. His writings display a deep curiosity towards the natural world, influenced by the Scientific Revolution of Baconian enquiry and are permeated by references to Classical and Biblical sources as well as the idiosyncrasies of his own personality. Although often described as suffused with melancholia, Browne’s writings are also characterised by wit and subtle humour, while his literary style is varied, according to genre, resulting in a rich, unique prose which ranges from rough notebook observations to polished Baroque eloquence.
What happened the year they were born (and the C02 ppm): 1605
The Big Events they were alive for: The civil war, Milton, the restoration. Busy times
What happened in the year they died (and the C02 ppm): 1682
My awareness of/appreciation of this author (if any): Zero!
What’s the essay?
The essay is called “On Dreams.” It’s 2 pages long. For me, the key take-aways were…
Best line(s)
Sleep “the brother of death exacteth a third part of our lives”
Stuff I had to look up
St Anthony’s Visions – The Temptation of Saint Anthony is an often-repeated subject in the history of art and literature, concerning the supernatural temptation reportedly faced by Saint Anthony the Great during his sojourn in the Egyptian desert. Anthony’s temptation is first discussed by Athanasius of Alexandria, Anthony’s contemporary, and from then became a popular theme in Western culture…. The most common temptation is by seductive women and other demonic forms. However, the Martin Schongauer composition (copied by Michelangelo) probably shows a later episode where St. Anthony, normally flown about the desert supported by angels, was ambushed and attacked in mid-air by devils
Temptation of Saint Anthony in visual arts – Wikipedia
Dreams of Lipara “Turbulent dreams would appear to be meant. Lipara or Lipare, the modern Lipari, the volcanic island to the north of Sicily, the largest of the ^Eolian group, was the legendary site of one of Vulcan’s forges.” Page:Notes and Queries – Series 11 – Volume 7.djvu/86 – Wikisource, the free online library
Chrysotom
John Chrysostom (/ˈkrɪsəstəm, krɪˈsɒstəm/; Koine Greek: Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος, romanized: Iōánnēs ho Chrysóstomos, IPA: [i.oˈannis o xryˈsostomos]; Latin: Ioannes Chrysostomus, Ecclesiastical Latin: [joˈannes kriˈzɔstomus]; c. 347 – 14 September 407)[6] was an important Church Father who served as Archbishop of Constantinople. He is known for his preaching and public speaking, his denunciation of abuse of authority[7][incomplete short citation] by both ecclesiastical and political leaders, his Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom, and his ascetic sensibilities. He was also the author of Adversus Judaeos and was strongly against Judaism. The epithet Χρυσόστομος (Chrysostomos, anglicized as Chrysostom) means “golden-mouthed” in Greek and denotes his celebrated eloquence.[2][8] Chrysostom was among the most prolific authors in the early Christian Church.
Cardan
Dream of Vespasian – no idea – Vespasian – Wikipedia
Emperor Mauritius – Phocas
Phocas (Latin: Focas; Ancient Greek: Φωκάς, romanized: Phōkás; 547 – 5 October 610) was Eastern Roman emperor from 602 to 610. Initially a middle-ranking officer in the Roman army, Phocas rose to prominence as a spokesman for dissatisfied soldiers in their disputes with the court of the Emperor Maurice. When the army rebelled in 602, Phocas emerged as the leader of the mutiny. The revolt led to the overthrow and execution of Maurice in November 602.
Noctambulos
Lamia – Lamia (/ˈleɪmiə/ ⓘ; Ancient Greek: Λάμια, romanized: Lámia), in ancient Greek mythology, was a child-eating monster and, in later tradition, was regarded as a type of night-haunting spirit or “daimon“.
In the earliest myths, Lamia was a beautiful queen of ancient Libya who had an affair with Zeus and gave birth to his children. Upon learning of this, Zeus’s wife Hera robbed Lamia of her children, either by kidnapping them and hiding them away, killing them outright, or forcing Lamia to kill them.[1] The loss of her children drove Lamia insane, and she began hunting and devouring others’ children.[2] Either because of her anguish or her cannibalism, Lamia was transformed into a horrific creature. Zeus gifted Lamia the power of prophecy and the ability to take out and reinsert her eyes, possibly because Hera cursed her with insomnia or the inability to close her eyes.[3]
Not this cardan but fascinating
A universal joint (also called a universal coupling or U-joint) is a joint or coupling connecting rigid shafts whose axes are inclined to each other. It is commonly used in shafts that transmit rotary motion. It consists of a pair of hinges located close together, oriented at 90° to each other, connected by a cross shaft. The universal joint is not a constant-velocity joint.[1]
Roman writer Cato the Elder believed that cabbage surpassed all other vegetables and that it had medicinal properties. He recommended that babies be rinsed in the urine of cabbage-eaters and also advised women to bathe in the urine of cabbage-eaters so as to cure diseases.
Stuff worth thinking about.
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Stuff to look up
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Connects to (watch this space – if there are later essays that resonate with this one, I’ll come back and add a link to the post for that essay).
marchudson.net 
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