Article ID: CBB603868472

Thomas Henshaw's strange séance in Venice, circa 1648: a coda to Robert Boyle by himself and his friends (2021)

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This article presents a hitherto unpublished account of a magical séance conducted by the virtuoso Thomas Henshaw (1618–1700), later Fellow of the Royal Society, while travelling in Venice ca 1648. The episode had previously been known through an account of it given by Robert Boyle, but in Boyle's version its protagonist was unclear. It is now for the first time revealed as Henshaw on the basis of a further record of it among the papers of John Sharp, Archbishop of York (1645?–1714). The discrepancies between the ‘new’ version of the story and that given by Boyle are here elucidated and the opportunity is taken to outline the background to the séance in terms of the history of magic in early modern Venice. In addition, broader comments are included on the implications of the episode for attitudes towards alchemy and magic in the period.

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https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB603868472/

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Authors & Contributors
Dickson, Donald R.
Lotti, Francesca
Haileigh Robertson
Verardi, Donato
Černá, Jana
Califano, Salvatore
Concepts
Occult sciences
Natural magic
Witchcraft; demonology
Magic
Science and religion
Alchemy
Time Periods
17th century
16th century
Early modern
Renaissance
18th century
Medieval
Places
Italy
British Isles
Venice (Italy)
Great Britain
England
Naples (Italy)
Institutions
Royal Society of London
Jesuits (Society of Jesus)
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