Casebooks

To M^r Henry whittaker m^rchant in Amsterdā

Letter from Richard Napier (the nephew) to ‘his much honourd freind D^r Hodson at London’, beginning ‘This letter being occasioned by a good Gentlewoman a freind of yours, and myne...’ and signed Richard Napier. It concerns Mrs Saunders of Brixworth, an ‘old Patient’ of Dr Hodson’s. Richard Napier (the nephew) intends to visit her at Brixworth and is seeking advice.

A letter from Thomas H (the end of his name has been torn off) to Mr Evington (‘Draper’, according to the address on f. 28v), presumably Francis Evington whose entry is in Napier’s hand on the same sheet below the letter.

Most Deare and Louing Vncle my Humble duty remembred vnto you and to my louing Aunt With most harty thankes for yo^r exceding great remembranc of me from tyme to tyme

A letter to Napier in Gerence James’s hand, concerning preparations for Christmas, a request by Francis Shaxton that Napier should speak to Robert Napier or Mr Evington, and other bits and pieces. The address is on f. 180r: ‘To His worshipfull good frind M^r Richard Sandy at Dir these’. The main body of the letter is written across f. 182r and concludes on f. 179v.

Letter from Thomas White to Mr. Sandy (Richard Napier sr) with a list of drugs and prices. The date 1602 is visible.

S^r I must acknowledg my self to be one of your costly frends, and such an one as yow might well spare but I can not spare yow. Therfore I pray yow geue me leave to entreat your furtherance for my pore wyfes health who is now extremely payned both in her head and stomack. This your gentle recepte w^ch of your grete kyndnes yow have bestowed on her hath \a litle/ already loosed her body. but now her stomack is soe Nyce y^t she can not keepe y^e last draught. / Her breasts are still very full and panefull and out of her greeffs she hartely cōmendeth her vnto yow and w^th many thanks for all your favours we both crave your comfortꝭ for her help. The lo. p|a|lmighty prosper yow in all your paynfull endevours. To{v}esgrave \Calend./ Iulij 1602.

post Scriptū.

My wyfes feete at this p^rsent are exceeding could and {illeg}

I pray you remember to send me the recept ad erect. virgæ. /& for spl. pils.\ ¹

all this to the line beneath you pre{illeg}

A letter from Samuel Harrison to (presumably) Richard Napier (the nephew), dated 25 April 1632, written sideways up the page. (It refers to ‘yo^r good Vnkle’.) Harrison has taken ‘a trewe Certificate {illeg} out of the Church booke’ in which ‘I find one Richard Sandy sonne of Robert Sandy baptised the 3^d of february 1604 & an other Robert Sandy Sonne of Robert Sandy baptised the 10^th of May 1607 w^ch I take to bee yo^rselfe’.

A letter in an unknown hand, beginning ‘Sir’ and running onto a second page that is not here; it gives details of the date of marriage of ‘the parents’ (1614); the birth of a child (1615), whose age is given but frustratingly hidden in the binding (‘he is aged {illeg} years 9 monthes & odd dayes ...’; born near Bury St Edmunds and Thetford. His mother died when he was 20 and his father when he was 21, so presumably it is at least 1636.

A false start that runs ‘y^r loving frin’.

A letter from Francis Tirrell to Lilly, dated 26 August 1655 and with Tirrell’s own natal chart included at the top of it. (The address, to Lilly, is on p. 116.)

A letter in the same hand as NOTE559 informing its recipient that ‘the natiue desires to Know the particulars past as well as y^r Coniectures in future ...’. There is no indication of who the recipient was, or the date.

A letter to Mr Booker from someone giving the natal details of her or his child, followed below in another hand (Booker’s, presumably) converting those remarks into dates, times and a place (Southwark), and indicating her medical problem; also: ‘The father brought it to me ...’.