JF Ptak Science Books Post 1287 Continuing the post 1285
"Taking the Scarecrows out of Wisdoms Gardens"
This is Part 4/7 of John Comenius' great work, the first illustrated instructional to children, first written in 1676 and then translated into English in 1726--it is from this translation that all of the images (below) are taken. This is the second of seven installments on introducing 17th and 18th century children to wide ideas, the other sections including: Part 1, Occupations; Part 2, Anatomy; Part 3, Books and Book Arts; Part 4, the Sciences; Part 5, Morals and Philosophy; Part 6, Games and the Arts; and Part 7, the Military.
The work itself: John Amos Comenius' Orbis Senfualium Piélus: Omnium Principalium in Mundo Rerun/ &f m Vita АШопит, translated as Pictura et Nomenclatur, the Visible World, or A Nomenclature, and Pictures of all Chief Things that are int he World, translated into English by Charles Hoof...1726.
The purpose of the book, writes the translator in the introduction of the 1726 12th edition, is:
To entice witty children to it, that they may not conceit a torment to be in the school, but dainty/are., For it is apparent, that children (even from their infancy almost) are delighted with Pictures, and willingly please their eyes with these fights: And it will be very well worth the pains to have once brought it to pafs, that fcare-crows may be taken away out of Wisdom's Gardens..."
Even at this early stage of publishing books for children it was easily recognized that children learn better when eased into their subject with pictures. This is not so far off the mark with the moderns, and in its own way a precursor to the Dick and Jane and Dr. Seuss books--not so much for subject matter, but for the very act of putting a book into the hands of a child and getting them comfortable wit the idea of reading. It seems to me that this is by far the most important lesson-the actual content at tis point is secondary to the act of holding a book.
into the ßadotv oftheEatih,». it is darkened, nvhich ive tall an Eclipfe, or defeil.
But when the Moon runutth hetwixt the Sua and the Earth, 3. it covtilth it -with it 1 Jbaàomi; and this toe call the Eelipfe of the Sun, hecaufc it takethfrom us the ßght of the Sun, and its light;
neither doth the Sun/br all that fuffer any thing, eut the Earth.
is 360 degrees', ("•whereof every one maketh 60 Engliih Miles) or 2 1600 Miles, and yet it is tut a prick, compared •with the World, •whereof it is the Centre. - 4"hey mea/иrе the Longitude «fit hy Climates, 1. and the Latitude hy Parallels, *•
The Ocean, 3. cempajjeth it ahout, and ßve Seas voafi it, the Mediterranean Sea, 4. the Baltick Sea, 5. the Red Sea, 6. the Perfian Sea, 7, end the Calpian Sea, 8.
ей graduu»k CCCLX. (quorum quifque facit LX. Milliaria Anglica) vel 21600 Milliarium, & tamen eft puncbm, collata cum orhe, cujusCentrum eft. - Longitudinem ejus dimetiuntur Climatihus, 1. l-atitudinem, lineis Parallelis, 2.
Occanus, 3. amhit earn Se Maria V. perfundunt, Mtditerraneum, 4. Balticum, 5. Erythraum, t Perßcum, 7. ... _ Caffium, 8.
art uninhahitahle }.
the II. Temperate ones, 10. .10.
end the Torrid one, 11.
hahitable»
Beßdes it is divided into three Continents; thh of ours, 12. 'which isfubdividedinto Europe, 13. Afia, 14. Africa, 15. America, 16. ... 16. fivhofe Inhahitants are Antipodes to us) and the South Land, 17.. .1 7. yet unkno•wn.
They that d•well under the North Pole, 18. have the days and n'gbts 6 months long.
Inßnite Iflands float in tht Seas.
The Afp, 4. in the ßelds. The Boa ^rMild fnake)5.in Houfes. The Slow-worm, 6.
is hlind.
The Li2ard, 7. mid the Salamander, 8^ (that liveth long in ßre) have fee(.
The Dragon, 9. 2 winged Serpent, killeth ivith his Breath,
The Bafiliik, 10. with his Eyes;
And the Scorpion, 11. ,ivith his poi/onous tail.
fhe Earth-worm, i. the Earth.
The Caterpillar, 2. the Plant.
The Grafs-hopper, 3. the Fruit:.
The Mite, 4. the Gern.
The Timher-worm, 5. IVood.
The Moth, 6. a garment.
Tbe Book-worm, 7. я Book.
Maggots, 8. FUß and Cheefe.
Hand-worms, the Hair.
Thefiipping Flea, 9. the Loufe, 10. ostd the ßinking Wall-loufe, (Bug) 11. hite us.
The Tick, 12. it a Bkod-fucker.
The Siik-worm, 131 makethßlk.
The Pifmiie, 14. is painful.
SVSpider, ijy •wearveth a Cob•weh, nets for ßies.
The Snail, 16. tarrietjf about her Snail-horn.
. Lumbricns, 1. Terra m.
TL rue a, 2. Plantara.
Cicada, 3. Fruges.
Curculh, 4. Frumento»
Teredo (coffis) 5. Ligna.
Tinea, 6. vefiem,
Blatta, 7. _
Lihrum.
Tir mites, 8. Camem & Cafeum.
Acari, Capillum,
Saltans Pпlex, 9. Pediculus, 10. foutens Cimex, 11. mordent поз, 'Ricinus, п. fantruifugus eft.
Bombyx, 13. facit fericum.
Formica, 14. eft lahoriofa. ч Aranea, 1J. texit Araneum, retia inufcis. .
Cochlea, \6. Icircumfert Teftarbi
The e¿/e/rKingdoms qf In Europa noftrâ
Europe, are I funt Rtgna primaria, Spain,Spain, i. France, 2. Italy, 3. England, 4. Scotland, 5, Ireland, 6. Germany, 7; Bohemia, 8. Hungary, 9. Croatia, 10. Dacia, 11. Sclavonja, 12. Greece, 13. Thrace, 14. Podolia, 15. Tartary, 16. Lithuania, 17. Poland, 18. The Netherlands, 19. Denmark, 20. Norway, 21. Swedeland, 22. Lapland, 23. Finland, 24. Lifland, ?ç, Pruffia, 26. Mufcovy, 27, W Raffia, 28. .
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