Culpeper was a botanist and herbalist, a physician and an astrologer. His other important book was Astrological Judgement of Diseases from the Decumbiture of the Sick (1655) Decumbiture in this case means they had been confined to their sick bed. That is a detailed book on how Astrology was combined with medical practice in the 17th Century. Culpeper studied at Cambridge, and afterwards became apprenticed to an apothecary. After seven years his master absconded with the money paid for the indenture, and soon after this, Culpeper's mother died of breast cancer. Culpeper married the daughter of a wealthy merchant, which allowed him to set up a pharmacy and provide his services for free.
During the early months of the English Civil War he was accused of witchcraft and the Society of Apothecaries tried to rein in his practice. Alienated and radicalised he joined a militia in August 1643 and fought at the First Battle of Newbury, where he carried out battlefield surgery. Culpeper was taken back to London after sustaining a serious chest injury from which he never recovered. There, in co-operation with the Republican astrologer William Lilly, he wrote the work 'A Prophesy of the White King', which predicted the king’s death. He died of tuberculosis in London on 10 January 1654 at the age of 37.
The miniatures
are Lazarus Riverius, Nicholas Culpeper, Abdiah Cole aphysician but
who translated a lot of works for Culpepper and John Fernelius who
wrote the fifth book.
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