Alchemical and astrological symbols used by John Ward in V.a.287 and V.a.291
V.a.287 and V.a.291 are diaries kept by John Ward, vicar of Stratford-upon-Avon from 1662 to 1681 and a medical physician. V.a.287 was used at several times: Oxford in September 1658 (fol. 1r-9v) and Stratford from February to October 1665 (fol. 10r-67v), spring and summer of 1666 (fol. 68r-ca. 100), and from 1668 to 1671 (ca. fol. 100-150v). V.a.291 was kept at Oxford and London from January 1660/61 to 14 February 1661/62. A note on back inside cover states that the book was finished at his "chambers in the Bell in Aldersgate street." For more information on Ward, see John Ward's Latin and A Semi-Diplomatic Transcription of Selections from the John Ward Diaries.
This list was compiled by Dr. Robert Tallaksen, a reader and transcriber at the Folger Shakespeare Library.
Alchemical and astrological symbols
The following symbols appear on leaf one recto and verso of V.a.287 and leaf 164 recto and verso of V.a.291. Those symbols that appear only in V.a.291 are so indicated in the "Notes" column.
| Name | Image | Symbol | Hex codepoint | HTML | English equivalent | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acetum |   |
🜊 | U+1F70A | 🜊 | vinegar | ||
| Acetum distillatum |   |
🜋 | U+1F70B | 🜋 | distilled vinegar | ||
| Aer |   |
🜁 | U+1F701 | 🜁 | air | ||
| Alembicus |   |
🝪 | U+1F76A | 🝪 | alembic | ||
| Alumen |   |
none | none | alum | JW's symbol differs from the Schröder's symbol for alumen: 🝅 | ||
| Amphora/ Amphoræ |   |
♒ | U+2652 | ♒ | Aquarius (astrological) | ||
| Amalgama |   |
🝛 | U+1F75B | 🝛 | amalgam, usu. mixture of gold or silver w/mercury | ||
| Ana |   |
a; an | none | none | of each | very common | |
| Antimonium |   |
♁ | U+2641 | ♁ | antimony; also used for earth | ||
| Aqua |   |
🜄 | U+1F704 | 🜄 | water | ||
| Aqua fortis |   |
🜅 | U+1F705 | 🜅 | nitric acid | ||
| Aqua regia (or stygia) |   |
🜆 | U+1F706 | 🜆 | mixture of nitric and hydrochloric acids | ||
| Arcitenens |   |
♐ | U+2560 | ♐ | Sagittarius (astrological) | ||
| Arena |   |
none | none | sand | JW's symbol; not yet documented elsewhere | ||
| Argentum |   |
☾ | U+263E | ☾ | silver; also used for last quarter moon | ||
| Argentum vivum |   |
☿ | U+263F | ☿ | mercury (liquid); quicksilver | ||
| Aries |  |
♈ | U+2648 | ♈ | Ram (astrological) | 291 only | |
| Arsenicum |   |
🜺 | U+1F73A | 🜺 | arsenic | ||
| Auripigmentum |   |
🜽 | U+1F73D | 🜽 | auripigment; AKA orpiment, arsenic trisulfide | ||
| Aurum |   |
☉ | U+2609 | ☉ | gold; also used for the Sun | ||
| Balneum |   |
B | none | none | a bath | ||
| Balneum Mariæ |   |
🝫 | U+1F76B | 🝫 | bain-marie | ||
| Balneum vaporis |   |
🝬 | U+1F76C | 🝬 | steam bath, bath of vapors | ||
| Calx |   |
🝌 | U+1F74C | 🝌 | chalk, calcium oxide | ||
| Calx viva |   |
🝁 | U+1F741 | 🝁 | quicklime | ||
| Cancer |   |
♋ | U+264B | ♋ | crab (Cancer: astrological); may also be seen rotated 90°, resembling "69" as in oculi cancri | ||
| Caper |  |
♑ | U+2651 | ♑ | goat; Capricorn (astrological) | 291 only | |
| Caput mortuum |   |
🝎 | U+1F74E | 🝎 | residuum after distillation; sometimes symbol resembles a skull | ||
| Chalybs |   |
♂ | U+2642 | ♂ | steel, according to JW | This symbol usually used for iron; see below for Ward's symbol for iron. In 287, Ward uses the symbol for ashes | |
| Cinabaris |   |
🜭 | U+1F72D | 🜭 | cinnabar (HgS) | ||
| Cineres |  |
🝗 | U+1F757 | 🝗 | ashes | ||
| Cornu Cervi |   |
C.C. | none | none | hart's horn; NB: not the plant | ||
| Crucibulum |   |
🜊 | U+F70A | 🜊 | crucible; JW uses the same symbol as for vinegar. | ||
| Cuprum |   |
♀ | U+2640 | &9792; | copper | ||
| Distillare |   |
🝠 | U+1F760 | 🝠 | distill | JW uses two different symbols for this. This image on the left is from V.a.287, and the image on the right is from V.a.291 | |
| Dies |   |
☌ | U+260C | ☌ | day | ||
| Drachma |  |
ʒ | U+0292 | ʒ | drachm/dram | 291; also button in Dromio transcription box | |
| fferrum |   |
♂ | U+2642 | ♂ | iron | JW uses this symbol in 287. in 291, he uses [image tk] | |
| Gemini |  |
♊ | U+264A | ♊ | Gemini (astrological) | 291 only | |
| Hora |   |
🝮 | U+1F76E | 🝮 | hour | JW's symbol in 287: [image tk] is slightly different; in 291 it more resembles a figure 8 | |
| Ignis |   |
🜂 | U+1F702 | 🜂 | fire | ||
| Iupiter |  |
♃ | U+2643 | ♃ | Jupiter (planet) | 291 only; also closely resembles the Rx (℞) JW uses for prescription compounding | |
| Leo |  |
♌ | U+264C | ♌ | Lion (astrological) | 291 only | |
| Libra |  |
♎ | U+264E | ♎ | Scales (astrological) | 291 only | |
| libra |  |
℔ | U+2114 | ℔ | pound(s) | 291 only | |
| Luna |  |
☽ | U+263D | ☽ | moon; technically first quarter moon; also used for silver | 291 only | |
| Mars |  |
♂ | U+2642 | ♂ | Mars | 291 only; JW writes this with the arrow portion vertical | |
| Mercurius præcipitatus |   |
☿🝟 | U+263F + U+1F75F | ☿ + 🝟 | mercury precipitate | Not in Unicode as a unified symbol. Combined symbols for mercury (U+263F/☿) and precipitate (U+1F75F/🝟) | |
| Mercurius sublimatus |   |
🜐 | U+1F710 | 🜐 | mercury sublimate | ||
| Mensis |   |
🝱 | U+1F771 | 🝱 | month | ||
| Nitrum |   |
🜕 | U+1F715 | 🜕 | niter | ||
| Oleum |   |
🝆 | U+1F746 | 🝆 | oil | ||
| Oppositio |   |
☍ | U+260D | ☍ | opposition | ||
| Pisces |  |
♓ | U+2653 | ♓ | Fishes (astrological) | 291 only | |
| Plumbum |   |
♄ | U+2644 | ♄ | lead; also planet Saturn | ||
| Præcipitare |   |
🝟 | U+1F75F | 🝟 | precipitate | ||
| Pulvis |   |
🝋 | U+1F74B | 🝋 | powder | in 287, JW connects the two crossbars at the ends so that there is a rectangle over the upright | |
| Quadratus |   |
□ | U+25A1 | □ | square; also symbol for salt | ||
| Quintessentia or Quinta Essentia |   |
🜀 | U+1F700 | 🜀 | quintessence | JW writes this with colons, i.e., Q: E: | |
| Retorta |   |
🝭 | U+1F76D | 🝭 | retort | ||
| Sal ammoniac(um) |   |
🜹 | U+1F739 | 🜹 | sal ammoniac (ammonium chloride) | ||
| Sal commune |   |
🜔 | U+1F714 | 🜔 | common salt | ||
| Sal gemmæ |   |
🜘 | U+1F718 | 🜘 | rock salt; literally, "salt gems" | ||
| Sal nitrum |   |
🜕 | U+1F715 | 🜕 | potassium nitrate, saltpeter | JW uses same symbol for niter; in 287 he omits the bottom of the circle | |
| Saturnus |   |
♄ | U+2644 | ♄ | Saturn; same symbol for lead | ||
| Scorpius |  |
♏ | U+264F | ♏ | Scorpion (astrological) | 291 only | |
| Sol |   |
☉ | U+2609 | ☉ | Sun; also one of the symbols for gold | ||
| Spiritus |   |
🝇 | U+1F747 | 🝇 | spirit | In 291, JW omits the "SP," making this the same symbol as the one he uses for sublimate | |
| Spiritus vini |   |
🜈 | U+1F708 | 🜈 | spirit of wine, aqua vitae, alcohol | In 291, JW replaces the "S" with a dot | |
| Stannum |   |
♃ | U+2643 | ♃ | tin; also used for planet Jupiter | ||
| Stratum super stratum |   |
🝜 | U+1F75C | 🝜 | layer upon layer | ||
| Sublimatum or sublimare |   |
🝞 | U+1F75E | 🝞 | sublimation | In 291 JW omits the lower horizontal line | |
| Sulphur |   |
🜍 | U+1F70D | 🜍 | sulfur, brimstone | ||
| Talcum |   |
X | none | none | talc | ||
| Tartar(um) |   |
🜿 | U+1F73F | 🜿 | tartar; may be preceded by "crem.," = cremor tartaris, cream of tartar | ||
| Taurus |  |
♉ | U+2649 | ♉ | Bull (astrological) | 291 only | |
| Terra |   |
🜃 | U+1F703 | 🜃 | earth | In 287, JW does not extend the horizontal line beyond the triangle | |
| Trigonus |  |
△ | U+25B3 | △ | triangle, triangular | ||
| Venus |   |
♀ | U+2640 | ♀ | Venus (planet); also used for copper | ||
| Vinum |   |
V | none | none | wine | ||
| Virgo |   |
♍ | U+264D | ♍ | Virgo (astrological) | ||
| Viridi æris |   |
🜨 | U+1F728 | 🜨 | verdigris, copper acetate | In the Unicode character, the limbs of the cross do not touch the circle | |
| Vitriolum |   |
🜖 | U+1F716 | 🜖 | vitriol | In both 287 and 291 JW has the horizontal line extending beyond the circle | |
| Vrina |   |
🝕 | U+1F755 | 🝕 | urine |