Franck (Richard)

A Philosophical Treatise of the Original and Production of Things. Writ in America in a time of solitudes.

      Printed by John Gain 1687 - stained in places, several creases to title-page and two small holes in the gutter of that leaf, pp. [xxvi], 170, 8vo, contemporary blind-ruled sprinkled calf, spine with four raised bands, worn around the edges, hinges split but joints strong, rear flyleaf discarded and front flyleaf nearly detached, three early gift inscriptions to front flyleaf (to Jabez Manninge, from Anthony Spelman of Yarmouth, 1694, and John Manninge, from his father, 1704, then on the verso John Manninge again from his father, 1705), sound ‘A very scarce and singular work’ (Sabin), but according to ODNB ‘much less noteworthy’ than his Northern Memoirs, written about 1658 but not finally printed until 1694. However the author’s idiosyncracies are on full display here and even ‘Piscatorian Error’ gets a mention. The book is essentially a rambling disquisition upon Genesis I. Besides its more or less conventional (Montanus is invoked several times) Puritan religiosity, Franck is also concenred with scientific (or quasi-scientific) explanations, quoting Van Helmont, Sendivogius, and Basil Valentine. And he has a good turn of phrase: ‘Creation is God’s great library, and the Heavens are, for man, a Divine Manuscript.’ (ESTC R20723; Sabin 25467)