BOOKS OF SECRETS. ii 



conclusions," as he styled himself, "Arts Masterpiece," "Arts Treasury 

 of Rarities and curious Inventions," which went through six editions at 

 least, "A rich Cabinet with variety of Inventions," which was in vogue 

 from 1651 to 1689, and " Hocus-Pocus," another book of tricks. There 

 were : "A choice Manual of rare and select Secrets in Physick and 

 Chyrurgery" by Elizabeth Talbot, Countess of Kent, which, between 

 1653 and 1708 went through twenty-one editions; the parallel collection 

 of Queen Henrietta Maria, entitled "The Queen's Closet opened," with 

 about sixteen editions between 1655 and 17 13, and a certain T. P. who 

 compiled "The Accomplished Lady's Delight in Preserving, Physick, 

 Beautifying and Cookery" which ran from 1672 or 1673 to 1719, and had 

 ten editions. Salmon's " Polygraphice," a collection of receipts for a 

 number of Arts, was issued eight times between 1672 and 1701. Besides 

 these, reference may be made to Mrs. Hannah Wolley, or Woolley, 

 an entertaining person, and an adept in all feminine accomplishments, 

 who was the authoress of "The Cooks Guide," "The Gentlewomans 

 Companion," "The Ladies Delight, or a Rich Closet of Choice Experi- 

 ments and Curiosities," "The Ladies Directory," "The Queen-like 

 Closet," of which there were certainly five editions, all these books 

 appearing between 1664 and 1684. Nor should Sir Kenelm Digby be 

 forgotten, and his operator George Hartman, who between them published 

 "Chymical Secrets," "The Closet opened," "Choice and experimented 

 Receipts in Physick and Chyrurgery." There was also the revelation of 

 a thorough-going secret in his famous " Discourse on the Powder of 

 Sympathy," delivered at Montpellier and first printed in Enghsh in 1658, 

 a book said to be of the greatest rarity. The second edition appeared in 

 the same year, others came later and, with other books of Digby's, it was 

 translated into Dutch, French and German. Hartman compiled "A 

 Choice Collection of rare Secrets and Experiments," " The true Preserver 

 and Restorer of Health," " The Family Physitian, . . . containing some 

 hundreds of considerable Receipts and Secrets of great Value " which was 

 printed by Henry Hills in 1696, and from which we gather that the author 



