Thomas Hariot, the Mathematician, the Philosopher and the ScholarStevens, Henry
Philosophy
Thomas Hariot, the Mathematician, the Philosopher and the Scholar
Stevens, Henry
Harriot, Thomas, 1560-1621; Hercules Club
It has already been stated how and under what circumstances the epitome
of the labours and surveys of Hariot came to be printed, but it may be
well to show how it came to be united with John White’s drawings and
republished a year or two later as the first part of De Bry’s
celebrated collections of voyages. Hakluyt returned to Paris at the end
of 1584. and remained there, perhaps with an occasional visit to
London, till 1588, always working in the interests of Raleigh. In April
1585, a month before the departure of the Virginia fleet, he wrote to
Walsingham that he ‘was careful to advertise Sir Walter Raleigh from
tyme to tyme and send him discourses both in print and in written hand
concerning his voyage.’ Rene Goulaine de Laudonnière’s Journal had
fallen into Hakluyt’s hand, and he induced his friend Basanier the
mathematician to edit and publish it. This was done and the work was
dedicated to Raleigh and probably paid for by him. Le Moyne the painter
and mathematician who had accompanied the expedition, one of the few
who escaped into the woods and swamps with Laudonnière the dreadful
morning of the massacre, was named by Basanier. He also mentions a lad
named De Bry who was lucky enough to find his way out of the clutches
of the Spanish butchers into the hands of the more merciful American
Savages. This young man was found
by De Gourgues nearly three years later among the Indians that joined
him in his mission of retribution against the Spaniards, and was
restored to his friends well instructed in the ways, manners and
customs of the Florida Aborigines.
This journal of Laudonnière carefully edited by Basanier was completed
in time to be published in Paris in 1586, in French, in octavo. It was
dedicated to Sir Walter Raleigh. Hakluyt translated it into English,
and printed it in small quarto in London the next year and it
reappeared again in his folio voyages of 1589. The French edition fell
under the eye of Theodore De Bry the afterwards celebrated engraver of
Frankfort, formerly of Liege. Whether or not this engraver was a
relative of young De Bry of Florida is not known, but we are told that
he soon sought out Le Moyne whom he found in Raleigh’s service living
in the Blackfriars in London, acting as painter, engraver on wood, a
teacher and art publisher or bookseller.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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