Quicksilver Reading CompanionDaniel Waterhouse awakens in the Star Chamber, where he is being interrogated by Judge Jeffreys and other officials of King James II’s court regarding his connections to William of Orange and the scientific community.
“Save, perhaps, to Barbados, my Lord!” — During the 17th century, political prisoners and religious dissidents were often “transported” to Barbados to work as indentured servants on sugar plantations. This was a common punishment for those involved in uprisings against the Crown.
“M. LeFebure’s draught” — Nicaise Le Febure was a noted French chemist and apothecary who served as “Physician in Ordinary and Professor of Chemistry” to Charles II. He was famous for his complex pharmaceutical preparations and chemical “secrets.”
“the Court of Star Chamber was abolished by the Long Parliament in 1641” — The Court of Star Chamber was an English court at the Palace of Westminster that became a symbol of monarchical overreach. It was abolished because it bypassed the protections of Common Law, allowing for secret proceedings and arbitrary punishments.
“Henry VII convened it, but its procedures were rooted in Roman jurisprudence” — Jeffreys contrasts Roman Law vs Common Law, viewing the top-down, inquisitorial “Civil Law” as efficient and modern compared to the messy, jury-focused English Common Law.
“The late Archbishop Laud found this Chamber to be a convenient facility” — William Laud, the Archbishop of Canterbury under Charles I, used the Star Chamber to aggressively persecute Puritans. His actions were a major catalyst for the English Civil War.
“you have employed the word ‘revolution,’ heretofore a perfectly innocent and useful English word” — The etymology of revolution was shifting during this era. Before the late 17th century, it primarily referred to circular motion, like planets; the modern political sense of “overthrowing a government” was just emerging.
“The Natural Philosopher who has been so impertinent as to quarrel with the King in the matter of Father Francis” — This refers to the Father Francis Affair of 1687, where Isaac Newton and other Cambridge academics resisted James II’s order to grant a Master of Arts degree to a Benedictine monk who refused to take the required Protestant oaths.
“The one who warned William of Orange of the French dragoons… Fatio de Duilliers” — Nicolas Fatio de Duillier was a Swiss mathematician and close associate of Newton. He is historically credited with discovering and foiling a plot to kidnap the Prince of Orange.
“William of Orange” — William III of England was the Dutch Stadtholder and Protestant champion. As the nephew and son-in-law of James II, he was the primary candidate to replace the Catholic King during the Glorious Revolution.
“He betrayed Monsieur le comte de Fenil.” — The Comte de Fenil was a French conspirator who planned to kidnap William of Orange. Fatio de Duillier overheard the plot while traveling and alerted the Prince, earning his lifelong gratitude.
“John Churchill” — John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, was a brilliant English soldier who rose to prominence under James II. He would later famously defect to William of Orange during the revolution.
“if he hadn’t lost count while extirpating the Popish Plot” — The Popish Plot was a fictitious conspiracy fabricated by Titus Oates. It alleged a Catholic plan to assassinate Charles II and led to the wrongful execution of at least 22 men.
“he certainly had during the Bloody Assizes” — The Bloody Assizes were a series of trials in 1685 led by Judge Jeffreys. Following the failed Monmouth Rebellion, hundreds of rebels were executed and over a thousand were transported to the West Indies.
“The collar was designed to prevent slaves from running away” — Slave collars were metal neck restraints often fitted with long protruding spikes. These were designed to catch on brush or trees, making it impossible for an enslaved person to run through the woods.
“British coinage had only gotten worse in the last twenty years” — This refers to the currency crisis that led to the Great Recoinage of 1696. The value of money was collapsing due to “clipping,” where people shaved silver off the edges of hammered coins.
“sent his boy a-running into Westminster to summon a hackney-chair” — A hackney-chair was a sedan chair carried by two porters. They were the preferred mode of transport in the narrow, congested streets of 17th-century London where large carriages often got stuck.
“Not even Sir Thomas Gresham his own self would be able to find his way” — Sir Thomas Gresham was a legendary Tudor merchant and financier who founded the Royal Exchange.
“first meetings of Boyle, Wren, Hooke, and Wilkins” — Robert Boyle was a founding member of the Royal Society and a pioneer of modern chemistry, best known for his laws regarding the pressure of gases.
“He found a copy of the I Ching in about a minute” — The I Ching is an ancient Chinese divination text. Leibniz was fascinated by its hexagrams, which he believed mirrored his own invention of binary logic.
“translated to binary notation. In decimal notation this was 3.” — Leibniz is credited with developing the modern binary system. He saw a religious significance in base-2, viewing “1” as God and “0” as the void.
“a woodcut intended for Volume III of Newton’s Principia Mathematica” — The Principia Mathematica (1687) is one of the most important works in science, laying out the laws of motion and universal gravitation.
“Leibniz was building a splendid library in Wolfenbüttel” — The Herzog August Library in Germany is where Leibniz served as librarian. He designed a unique circular building to house the collection, which was one of the largest in Europe.
“Hooke peering through his Microscope or Newton through his Reflecting Telescope” — These scientific instruments defined the era. Hooke’s microscopy revealed a hidden biological world, while Newton’s telescope used mirrors to avoid the color distortion found in glass lenses.
“A cup of coffee and I’ll be as good as new.” — Coffeehouses were the social and intellectual heart of London. Known as “Penny Universities,” they were places where news was traded and scientific theories were debated for the price of a cup of coffee.
“expected to visit Whitehall Palace” — Whitehall Palace was the primary residence of English monarchs in London until it burned down in 1698. It was the largest palace in Europe at the time.
“Eliza was a Countess who dwelt at Versailles” — The Palace of Versailles was the center of the French sun-king Louis XIV’s power, famous for its rigid social hierarchy and opulent displays of wealth.
“Declaration of Indulgence in front of your eyes” — The Declaration of Indulgence was a controversial decree by James II that suspended penal laws against Catholics and Nonconformists (Protestants who did not follow the Church of England).
“High Church priests exalting the sacraments above the rabble” — High Church Anglicanism emphasized ritual and the authority of the bishops, often aligning with the political interests of the monarchy and the Tory party.
“stalking-horse for Popery” — Popery was a derogatory term used by Protestants to describe Catholic influence, which they associated with foreign tyranny and anti-democratic plots.
“The Queen was pregnant. To date she’d produced no children at all.” — Mary of Modena, James II’s second wife, had suffered many miscarriages. Her pregnancy in 1688 terrified Protestants, as a male heir would ensure a Catholic dynasty.
“Daniel had a big stone in his bladder” — Bladder stones were a common, excruciating ailment in the 17th century. Surgery to remove them was performed without anesthesia and was frequently fatal.