Day: November 14, 2013

Front facade of Houghton Library

When a Tums simply won’t do

Oils of rosemary, lavender, thyme, marjoram, hyssop, rue, oranges, lemons …. Wait a minute, what is this doing in my ca. 1660 manuscript of country dance steps? Paper was scarce, and I frequently discover odd things written into the margins of early printed and manuscript books and scores. People doodled, tested their quills, and jotted…