New-England's rarities discovered

In Short

This seventeenth-century natural history catalogue presents the physical landscape, flora, fauna, and indigenous remedies of New England as encountered by an inquisitive English traveler. Organised into systematic classifications of birds, beasts, fishes, serpents, and plants, it details the practical uses, medicinal properties, and marvels of the region's native resources. It has endured as one of the earliest published surveys of American natural science, capturing a vivid moment when European curiosity met the untamed ecology of the New World.

The Story

The narrative opens with an inventory of the land's native quadruped and avian life, setting out to systematically document the natural properties of a newly settled environment. Early observations focus on the wildlife that inhabits the northern forests. The author records the physical habits of predatory beasts like wolves and wildcats, taking care to describe how native inhabitants and English settlers interact with these creatures. Practical details take center stage immediately: the grease of bears and wildcats serves as a sovereign cure for cold aches, lame limbs, and shrunk sinews, while black wolf skins are prized for relieving the infirmities of old age.

As the survey moves from the forest to the waters, the scope expands to cover marine life along the coastline. The author details the anatomy and utility of massive sea creatures, including stranded sperm whales from which valuable oil and ambergris are extracted. In shallow coves and river beds, local shell-fish yield vibrant purple dyes that permanently mark linen, while native species of bass, sturgeon, and lobsters provide abundant nourishment.

The core of the work turns to the rich vegetable kingdom, cataloguing a vast array of indigenous plants, herbs, and trees. Unique botanical specimens are described with meticulous attention to their foliage, habitats, and distinctive colors. The author records how native roots and herbs offer powerful cures for burns, scalds, scurvy, and internal ailments. Among these natural wonders are carnivorous pitchers of hollow-leaved lavender growing in salt marshes, tall thistles dripping with milky sap, and vibrant lilies dotting the swamps. Native practices, such as the use of tobacco or woodland roots for healing, are carefully integrated into European medical framework.

The work culminates in a broader historical framework, shifting from natural history to human chronology. A detailed timeline traces the key milestones of Atlantic discovery and colonial settlement, tracking notable events from early global voyages to the founding of local churches and towns. The narrative closes with observations on environmental phenomena, recording sudden earth shifts, mineral vapors in ponds, and celestial omens that marked the early years of New England's English plantations.

How It Unfolds

The forest beasts The treatise begins with an examination of New England's land animals, detailing their hunting habits, physical sizes, and the therapeutic value of their grease and skins for human aches and cold weather.

The marine harvests The survey moves offshore to outline the coastal waters, examining giant lobsters, sea turtles, and whales that yield rich oils and precious ambergris for local trade and medicine.

The botanical discoveries A vast array of indigenous herbs and plants is classified, highlighting remarkable species like blood-red pitcher plants, wild maidenhair, and local roots used by native inhabitants to heal severe burns and internal sickness.

The cultural timeline The focus shifts to a historical record of North American exploration and settlement, charting significant dates from early European voyages to the establishment of New England towns and churches.

The natural portents The final section documents unusual ecological occurrences across the colonies, including celestial comets, mineral vapors poisoning fish in local ponds, and dramatic land subsidence in northern townships.

The People

John Josselyn The inquisitive author and observer who travels through seventeenth-century New England to collect, record, and test the medicinal properties of its native plants and animals. He seeks to uncover the natural wealth of the territory, facing the difficulties of navigating rugged wilderness and rough ocean voyages. He transforms from an energetic field collector into an authoritative reporter who shares early American botanical knowledge with European readers.

Edward Tuckerman The nineteenth-century botanical editor whose extensive introduction and footnotes frame the original seventeenth-century text. He seeks to verify the historical accuracy of Josselyn's observations and connect them to later scientific discoveries. His scholarly commentary provides historical continuity, tracing how early colonial plant sightings evolved into modern botanical science.

The Native Inhabitants The indigenous people whose traditional knowledge of native plants, animal behavior, and natural remedies forms the backbone of the region's medicinal practices. They navigate the forests and coastline, utilizing specific roots for snakebites, bear fat for extreme cold, and local shells for crafting ceremonial beads.

In Its Own Voice

"Their Grease is very good for Aches and Cold Swellings, the Indians anoint themselves therewith from top to toe, which hardens them against the cold weather."

The author observes how native inhabitants adapt to harsh winter temperatures by using animal fats as a protective barrier.

"A kind of Coccle, of whose Shell the Indians make their Beads called Wompampeag and Mohaicks, the first are white, the other blew, both Orient, and beautified with a purple Vein."

The text highlights the natural raw materials gathered along the coastline to fashion native shell currency.

"Upon the top standeth one fantastical Flower, the Leaves grow close from the root, in shape like a Tankard, hollow, tough, and alwayes full of Water..."

A vivid description captures the singular shape and water-retaining foliage of a native pitcher plant discovered in the salt marshes.

What It's Really About

Underneath its simple lists of plants, animals, and historical dates, the book is about the encounter between European intellectual traditions and an unfamiliar wilderness. It questions how human beings observe, classify, and adapt to an environment that defies existing books and conventional wisdom. Through its steady focus on practical remedies and natural resources, the work explores the necessity of local knowledge, drawing directly from indigenous practices to understand the land's survival secrets. Ultimately, it argues that a landscape's true value lies not just in conquest or governance, but in a patient, detailed attention to its smallest natural wonders.

Why Read It Today

This brief seventeenth-century volume offers a fascinating, unfiltered window into early colonial natural science long before modern taxonomy standardized how we view the living world. Readers who enjoy historical botany, early American history, or curiosity-driven nature writing will appreciate its quaint blend of rigorous observation, local folklore, and period medicine.

Reading the text feels like wandering through an unmapped forest alongside an endlessly curious guide who stops to inspect every unusual leaf, creature, and stream. The prose is marked by archaic seventeenth-century spelling, unusual phrasing, and long-outdated medical theories that treat animal grease and local herbs as universal cures. Yet beneath these period eccentricities lies a genuine sense of wonder and precision. The book stays with you as a vivid testament to a time when every swamp and hillside held a brand-new discovery, recording the original natural landscape of New England just as Europeans were first trying to make sense of it.