Edward Browne’s Imaginary Note

This picture captures a note written on the flip side of a letter that Dr. Edward Browne sent to his father, Sir Thomas Browne, in early 1669 (Collected in Rawlinson D.109 at Bodleian Library, Oxford). As one of the earliest members of the Royal Society, Edward Browne had profound interests in natural resources. He visited various Central and Eastern European regions in 1668 and 1669. This note concerns the salt mine in a Hungarian town, Eperies (present day Prešov). It is noteworthy that due to the ongoing warfare at the border, Edward Browne did not actually visit Eperies during his travel. This note could possibly stemmed from his imagination, or a quote that he had excerpted from somewhere else.

My research explores Dr. Edward Browne’s interaction with Vienna. As a Central European chieftown, Vienna was Edward Browne’s base camp during his excursions in Central and Eastern Europe. This undated note, presumably jotted down in February 1669, was very likely written in Vienna.