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In London in 1690, John Dunton founded the Athenian Mercury, a magazine to answer “all the most nice and curious questions.” It was the world’s first advice column.

Any literate person could write in with questions on subjects ranging from the philosophical to the scientific to the personal. One man asked where the wind came from. Another asked for advice concerning the drunkenness of his wife. In one memorable submission, a man asked why a horse’s “fundament” was round yet it emitted an “oblong excrement.”

Below is an edited collection of 10 intriguing submissions to this advice column as well as the answers received by the writers. The questions help to illuminate the everyday concerns of those living some 300 years ago.

Please note that the questions and answers are quoted from the Athenian Oracle, which is the full collection of Athenian Mercuries. To make the list easier to read, we’ve removed the quotations marks and italics that we normally use in these instances.

Top 10 Intriguing Letters To A 17th-Century Advice Column

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