Lock, Benjamin

Benjamin Lock his Picklock to Riply his Castle. Transcribed, with a Preface, by Arthur Dee: together with 'The huntinge of the Greene Lyon' (in verse), here ascribed to 'Amen', but according to Elias Ashmole, probably by Abraham Andrews.

Middle 17th century

1 volume 8 ll. + 36 ff. + 10 ll. (last 3 bl.). 8vo. 19 x 111/2 cm. Original limp leather binding: both ties wanting. The first and last leaves are slightly defective, and have been pasted down on to the covers: the title-heading on fol. 1 has been mostly erased. Text within red rules.

The papers are available subject to the usual conditions of access to Archives and Manuscripts material, after the completion of a Reader's Undertaking.

Purchased at Sotheby's 18/12/1919, Lot 375.

Arthur Dee [1579-1651], alchemist, was the son of John Dee [1527-1608], mathematician and astrologer. He states on the second leaf 'This Book I receaued from Mr Heriot, at Sion howse, who for many yeares, instructed the Earle of Northumberland in the Mathematicks, when he liued in the tower. Anno. 1602. June 6'. The Preface is signed 'Art. Dee'.

Database description transcribed from S.A.J. Moorat, Catalogue of Western Manuscripts on Medicine and Science in the Wellcome Historical Medical Library (London: Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, 1962-1973).

From the entry No. 1507. 8 in Black's 'Catalogue of the Ashmolean MSS.' it is certain that this is the actual MS. copied by Elias Ashmole [1617-1692] the antiquary, who has written at the end of his copy 'Apr 1659. Thus far I transcribed out of a MS. sent me by Dr Browne of Norwich, written with Dr Arthur Dees hand, and neately bound up in Rushian lether'. Ashmole then quotes the inscription on the second leaf, as given above, and mentions the last work in this MS. 'The hunting of the Greene Lyon'. In his 'Theatrum Chemicum Britannicum', 1652, there is a transcript of this poem (pp. 278-290), and in a note (p. 475) it is assigned to Abraham Andrews. The date 1602 on the second leaf is presumably that of the original MS. Benjamin Lock is said to have been a pupil of John Dee at Mortlake about the time of Arthur Dee's birth in 1579. Of the persons mentioned in this inscription 'Mr Heriot' is Thomas Harriott [1560-1621], mathematician and astronomer; and the 'Earle of Northumberland' is Henry Percy, the ni