John Winthrop, Jr., and the European alchemical movement of the early seventeenth century -- The republic of alchemy and the pansophic moment -- Founding a new London -- Which man's land? Conflict and competition in pequot country -- Alchemical vision refined -- "God's secret": John Winthrop, Jr., alchemical healing, and the medical culture of early New England -- The magus as mediator: witchcraft, alchemy, and authority in the Connecticut witch-hunt of the 1660s -- "Matters of present utility:" John Winthrop, Jr., the Royal Society, and the politics of intelligence in restoration New England.
Summary:
John Winthrop, Jr. participated in a pan-European network of natural philosophers who believed alchemy could improve the human condition and hasten Christ's Second Coming. Walter Woodward demonstrates how Winthrop and his philosophy influenced New England's cultural formation: its settlement, economy, religious toleration, Pequot Indian relations, medical practice, witchcraft prosecution, and imperial diplomacy. Prospero's America reconceptualizes the significance of early modern science in shaping New England hand in hand with Puritanism and politics.
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