Paston, Margaret

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Collection of medical receipts and remedies: in Italian. Compiler's holograph MS. The identification of the writer of this MS. is based mainly on two statements. On fol. 106, line 10 she speaks of 'Mi lord yarmouth mio Padre', and on fol. 91, line 4 of 'Sig. Girolamo mi marito'. In Francis Worship's 'Account of a MS. genealogy of the Paston Family in the possession of the Duke of Newcastle', 1852, on p. 50 it is stated that Margaret the eldest daughter of Sir Robert Paston, first Earl of Yarmouth [1631-1683] married Hieronimo Alberto di Conti, and 'that he was a noble Venetian'. In the MS. there are several references to 'Casa mia Paston [ff. 18, 19, 36v, 39v]. The MS. can be dated towards the end of the 17th cent. for on fol. 3 the year 1684 is mentioned, and on fol. 27v is a reference to James II as King. Towards the end of the MS. the writing appears to change, and the writer speaks of herself as elderly. Very many of the receipts are of English provenance and some are attributed to members of the 'Collegio de' Virtuosi', which doubtless refers to the Royal Society, with some of whose members, including those in the highest Court circles, she seems to have been in personal contact during the first ten years after the accession of Charles II. In many cases she speaks of having compounded the medicines herself, and shows considerable knowledge of practical pharmaceutical processes; she also apparently had a private laboratory. Produced in Venice?

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Paston, Margaret

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