Mercury, or, The secret and swift messenger : shewing how a man may with privacy and speed communicate his thoughts to a friend at any distance ; together with, An abstract of Dr. Wilkins's essays towards a real character and a philosophical language / John Wilkins ; with an introductory essay by Brigitte Asbach-Schnitker.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wilkins, John, 1614-1672.

Contributor:

Asbach-Schnitker, Brigitte.

Series:

Foundations of semiotics ; v. 6.

Foundations of semiotics, 0168-2555 ; v. 6

Standardized Title:

Mercury

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Cryptography--Early works to 1800.

Cryptography.

Language and languages.

Philosophy--Miscellanea.

Philosophy.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (234 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Other Title:

Secret and swift messenger

Place of Publication:

Amsterdam ; Philadelphia : J. Benjamins Pub. Co., 1984.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Works of the Right Reverend John Wilkins' (1708). Together with an abstract of Dr. Wilkin's 'Essay towards a Real Character and a Philosophical Languages, ' a sketch of the life of the author and an account of his writings. With an introductory essay on the Universal Language Movement in England, France and Germany in the 17th and 18th century by Brigitte Asbach-Schnitker

Contents:

MERCURY: OR THE SECRET AND SWIFT MESSENGER ESSAY TOWARDS A REAL CHARACTER AND A PHILOSOPHICAL LANGUAGE

Editorial page

Title page

Copyright page

Table of Contents

0. Introduction

1. General Characterization: Sources and Aims

2. Early Continental Developments

3. Language Invention in England

3.1 The Beginnings

3.2 Universal Character

3.3 Universal Language

3.4 The Turn of the Century

3.5 The 18th Century

4. Universal Languages in France

4.1 The 17th Century

4.2 The 18th Century

5. Universal Languages in Germany

5.1 Comenius and the Academy at Herborn

5.2 J. J. Becher and A. Kircher

5.3 G. W. Leibniz

5.4 Logically Orientated Movements in 18th Century Germany

5.5 Pasigraphic Proposals

5.6 Conclusion

6. Notes

7. Bibliography

7.1 List of Source Works

7.2 List of Secondary Works

7.3 The Works of John Wilkins

THE LIFE of the AUTHOR: AND AN Account of his WRITINGS.

To MERCURY the Elder: On the most Learned Mercury the Younger

MERCURY: THE Secret and Swift Messenger.

CHAP. I.The Dependance of this Knowledge in Nature. The Authors that have treated of it. Its Re-lation to the Art of Grammar.

CHAP. II. The Conditions requisite to Secresy: The use of it in the Matter of Speech, either

CHAP. III. Concerning that Secresy of Speech, which consists in the Words, Either

CHAP. IV. Concerning the Secret Conveyances of any written Message in Use amongst ihe Ancients.

CHAP V. Of that Secresy which consists in the Materials of Writing whether the Paper or Ink.

CHAP. VI. Secret Writing with the common Letters, by changing of their Places.

CHAP. VII. Concerning Secret Writing with equal Letters, by changing their Powers. The Ufe of this amongst the Jews and Romans. The Key-Cha-racter.

CHAP. VIII. Of Secret Writing by more Letters than are requisite to the intended meaning.

CHAP. IX. Of concealing any written Senfe under Barbarous Words, and such as shall not seem to be of any Signification. How all the Letters may he expressed by any Five, Three, or Two of them. Of Writing with a double Alphabet. How from thefe two laß Ways together, there may be contrived the beft kind of Secret Writing.

CHAP. X. Of Writing any Secret Senfe by fewer Letters than are required to the Words of it. The Ufe of this amongst the Jews and Romans.

CHAP. XI. Of Writing by invented Characters. The Distinction of these into such as signifie, either Letters, Words or Nations. The General Rules of unfolding and olscuring any Letter-characters. How to exprefs any Sense, either by Points, or Lines, or Figures.

CHAP. XII. Of Characters that exprefs Words. The first Invention of thefe. Of thofe that signify things and Notions, as Hieroglyphicks, Emblems.

CHAP. XIII. Concerning an Universal Character, that may be legible to all Nations and Languages. The Benefit and Possibility of this.

CHAP. XIV. Concerning the third Way of Secret Discoursing by Signs and Gestures, which may signifie , either excongruo explacito.

CHAP. XV. Concerning the Swiftness of Informations, either by Qualities, as the Impression of Imagination, and the Sensitive Spories

or by Spiritual Sub-stances, as Angels.

CHAP. XVI. Concerning the Swiftness of Conveyance by Bodies, whether Inanimate, as Arrows, Bullets

or Animate, as Men, Beasts, Birds.

CHAP. XVII. Of Secret and Swift Informations by the Species of Sound.

CHAP. XVIII. Concerning a Language that may consist only of Tunes and Musical Notes, without any articulate Sound.

CHAP. XIX. Of those common Relations that concern Secret and Swift Informations by the Species of Sight.

which are either Fabulous, or Magical.

CHAP. XX. Of Informations by significatory Fires and Smoaks. Their Antiquity. The true manner of using them to this purpose. That these were meant in Nuntius inanimatus.

CONCLUSION.

AN ABSTRACT OF Dr. WILKINS's ESSAY Towards a Real Character, AND A Philosophical Language.

Notes:

Originally published in 1707.

"Reprinted from the third edition: The mathematical and philosophical works of the Right Reverend John Wilkins (1708)."

Includes bibliographical references.

Contains:

Abstract of Dr. Wilkins's Essays towards a real character and a philosophical language.

ISBN:

1-283-32872-0

9786613328724

90-272-8010-X

OCLC:

774282518