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
In the year 1585, as has already been stated above, Hariot, at the age
of twenty-five, went out to Virginia in Raleigh’s « first Colonie’ as
surveyor and historiographer with Sir Richard Grenville, and remained
there one year under Governor Ralph Lane, returning in July 1586, in
Sir Francis Drake’s home-bound fleet from the West Indies. During the
absence of this expedition Raleigh had received triple favors from
Fortune. He had entered Parliament, been knighted, and had been
presented by the Queen with twelve thousand broad acres in Ireland.
These Irish acres were partly the Queen’s perquisite from the Babington
‘conspiracy.’ Other royal windfalls had considerably increased Sir
Walter’s expectations, and aroused his ambition. Hariot is known to
have spent some time in Ireland on Raleigh’s estates there during the
reign of Elizabeth, but it is uncertain when. It may have been between
the autumn of 1586 and the autumn of 1588. He was in London in the
winter of 1588-89 in time to get out hurriedly his report in February
1589. It is possible, however, that he went to Ireland after his book
was out. He was probably the manager of one of the estates there as
Governor John White was of another in 1591-93.
The next early author whom we find speaking of Hariot is his lifelong
friend and companion Robert Hues or Hughes in his ‘Tractatus de /
Globis et eo-
/ rvm vsv, / Accommo-datus iis qui Lon-/dini editi funt Anno I593,/
/ fumptibus
Gulielmi Sanderfoni / Ciuis Londinienfis/Confcriptus a Ro-/bertoHues./
Londini/ In ardibus Thomae Dawfon. / 1594.’ / 8°
In his dedication to Sir Walter Raleigh the author says :
Borealiora Europae noftrates diligentimme luftrarunt. Primo Hugo
Willoughby eques Anglus & Richardus Chanceler has oras apperuerunt.
Succedit eis Stephanus Borough, vlterius pro-grefsi funt Artunis Pet &
Carol. Iackman. Sufceptæ funt hae nauigationes, inftigante Sebaftiano
Caboto, vt, fiquâ pofset fieri traiectum in regiones Synanum & Cathayac
breuimmum confequeremur, at irreto haec omnia conatu, nifi quod his
medijs firmatum eft commercium cum Mofchouitis. Hâc cum non fuccederet,
inftitutx funt nauigationes ad Borealiora Americæ;, quas primo fuscepit
Martinus Frobifher, fecutus eft poftca Ioannes Dauis. Ex his omnibus
nauigationibus multi antiquiorum errores,magna eorum ignorantia
detectacft. Atque his conatibus minus fuccedentibus, gens noftra
nauibus abundans otij impatiens, in alias paries fuas nauigationes
inftituerunt. Humphredus Gilbert Eques, Americæ oras Hifpanis
incognitas, magno animo & viribus, fucceffu non aequali noftris aperire
conatus eft. Id quod tuis poftea aufpicijs (vir honoratifsime) felicius
fufceptum eft quibus Virginia nobis patefacta eft, præefecto clafsis
Richardo Grinuil nobili equite, quam diligentifsime luftrauit &
defcripfit Thomæ Hariotus.
In the English edition of Robert Hues’ work, London, 1638, this very
interesting but somewhat irrelevant passage appears as follows:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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