Occult testimonies in John Aubrey’s Miscellanies

Abstract

This essay examines the reporting practices of occult beliefs in John Aubrey’s Miscellanies (1696), the only published work during his lifetime: this includes general reports, Aubrey’s first-hand observations, knowledge received from first-hand reports, knowledge that has been received after it has been passed down two or more times and Aubrey’s reliance on and invocation of Royal Society members in the course of the work to establish matters of fact. Furthermore, the essay argues that members of the Royal Society in the late seventeenth century recognized multiple forms of intellectual authority and accepted varying degrees of testimony.