Whitehead’s Ship. —George Whitehead, an Englishman, made a ship, with all her tackling, to move itself on a table, with rowers plying the oars, a woman playing on the lute, and a little whelp crying on the deck, —says Scottus, in his Itinerary.

Scaliot’s Lock, &c. —In the twentieth year of Queen Elizabeth, Mark Scaliot, a blacksmith, made a lock, consisting of eleven pieces of iron, steel, and brass, all which, together with a pipe-key to it, weighed but one grain of gold: he made also a chain of gold, consisting of forty-three links, whereunto having fastened the lock and key before mentioned, he put the chain about a flea’s neck, which drew them all with ease. All these together, lock and key, chain and flea, being weighed, the weight of them was but one grain and a half.

Praxiteles’ Venus. —Praxiteles, who was an ingenious worker in imagery, made a statue of Venus for the Cnidians, so much resembling life, that a certain young man became enamoured of it to such a degree, that the excess of his love deprived him of his senses. This piece of art was so eagerly coveted by king Nicomedes, that, though the Cnidians owed him an immense sum of money, he offered to take the statue in full satisfaction for his debt; but was refused.

—The Cyclopedia of Wonders & Curiosities, Chapter LXXIII, Curiosities Respecting the Arts (Continued.)

The Greeks, on the death of their friends, shewed their sorrow by secluding themselves from all gaiety, entertainments, games, public solemnities, wine, and music. They sat in gloomy and solitary places, stripped themselves of all external ornaments, put on a coarse black stuff by way of mourning, tore their hair, shaved their heads, rolled themselves in the dust and mire, sprinkled ashes on their heads, smote their breasts with their palms, tore their faces, and frequently cried out with a lamentable voice and drawling tone….

The tokens of private grief among the Romans were the same as those among the Greeks….

Each people assign their reasons for the particular colour of their mourning: white is supposed to denote purity; yellow, that death is the end of human hopes, in regard that leaves when they fall, and flowers when they fade, become yellow; brown denotes the earth, whither the dead return; black, the privation of light; blue expresses the happiness which it is hoped the deceased does enjoy; and purple or violet, sorrow on the one side, and hope on the other, as being a mixture of black and blue.”

—The Cyclopedia of Wonders & Curiosities, Chap. LX., Curiosities Respecting the Customs of Mankind

Similar, in some respects, to the halo, was the remarkable appearance which M. Bouguer describes, as observed on the top of Mount Pichinca, in the Cordilleras. When the sun was just rising behind them, so as to appear white, each of them saw his own shadow projected upon it, and no other. The distance was such, that all the parts of the shadow were easily distinguishable, as the arms, legs, and the head; but what surprised them most was, that the head was adorned with a kind of glory, consisting of three or four small concentric crowns, of a very lively colour, each exhibiting all the varieties of the primary rainbow, and having the circle of red on the outside…. Similar to this curious appearance, was one seen by Dr. M’Fait in Scotland; who observed a rainbow round his shadow in the mist, when he was upon an eminence above it. In this situation the whole country round seemed buried under a vast deluge, and nothing but the tops of distant hills appeared here and there above the flood. In those upper regions, the air, he says, is at that time very pure and agreeable.”

—The Cyclopedia of Wonders & Curiosities, Chapter LXVIII, Curiosities Respecting Various Phenomena, or Appearances in Nature

Among the most treasured works on my reference shelf is the Cyclopedia of Wonders and Curiosities of Nature and Art, Science and Literature, Representing Anatomy, Physiology, Phrenology, Astronomy, Botany, Geology, Natural History, Ichthyology, Mythology, Ornithology, Meteorology, Mineralogy, Chemistry, Zoology, Entomology, Biography, etc.; And Containing A Full and Authentic Description of the Most Remarkable and Astonishing Places, Beings, Animals, Customs, Experiments, Phenomena, etc., of both Ancient and Modern Times, in All Parts of the Globe, Comprising Correct Accounts of the Most Wonderful Freaks of Nature and Arts of Man, by I. Platt, D.D.

I am currently in possession of Volume Two, and my friend Jon Sequeira, who gave me the book, owns Volume One. I think the plan is to switch volumes now and then, so that we can each absorb this mass of wondrousness over the course of many years. (To try it all at once would be foolhardy and daft.)

In that spirit, I’ll be sharing some excerpts from the Cyclopedia here. The following entry is from Chapter LXII, Curiosities Respecting the Customs of Mankind (Continued).

A Curious Practice in North Holland.—To every house, of whatever quality, there is an artificial door, elevated near three feet above the level of the ground, and never opened but upon two occasions. When any part of the family marries, the bride and bridegroom enter the house by this door; and when either of the parties die, the corpse is carried out by the same door. Immediately after the due ceremonies are performed in either of these cases, this door is fastened up, never to turn on its hinges again, till some new event of a similar nature demands its services.

In future installments, we’ll consider such marvels and conundrums as Sand Floods, Androides, Remarkable Lamps, and the tale of an Unfortunate Artificer. In the meantime, you’re probably wondering, as I am, whether it should be “conundrums” or “conundra,” and to settle this matter we’ll have to consult the specialists.