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
Neque enim, per Authorum cunctationem & affectatam ob-scuritatem, fieri
potuit, vt in prima huius Artis promulgatione, eidem alicui &
inventionis laudem, te erudiendi mercedem deferremus; sed dimicamibus
illis, neque de minoribus præmijs quam de imperio Mathematico
certantibus; mussantibus vero alijs, & arrectis animis expectantibus,
Quis pecori imperitet, quern tot armenta sequantur; non defuit Anglæ &
suus Agonista (ornatifimum dico, et in omni eruditionis varietate
principemvirum Thomam Hariotum, homine natu ad Artes illustrandas, &,
quod illi palmariu erit præstantissimu, ad nubes philofophicas, in
quibus multa iam secula caligauit mundus, indubitata; veritatis
splendore difcutiendas) qui vetaret, tarn folidz laudis spolia ad
exteros Integra deuolui. Ille enim (etiamdum in pharetra conclufa, quæ
pupilla viuacis auicular terebraret, sagitta) ipsam totius Artiseius
metam egregia methodo collimauit; expedita vero facilitate patefactam,
inter alios amicorum, & mihi quoque tradidit; multisq vitro citroq,
iaftatis Quæstionibus, ingenia nostra in abysso huius Artis exercendi
causam præbuit.
Of Mr Torporley we shall have more to say further on, as he is
particularly mentioned in Hariot’s will. Meanwhile here is an attempt
at a translation of his peculiar Latin in the above extract:
For indeed by the delays and affected obscurity of authors, it was
impossible, that in the first promulgation of the art, we should give
the praise of invention and the credit of teaching, to the same
individual ; but while they were quarrelling & contending for no less a
prize than the empire of Mathematics, whilst others were muttering, and
waiting with excited minds to see
Who should rule the flock, whom so many herds should follow,
our own champion has not been wanting to England. I mean Thomas Hariot,
a most distinguished man, and one excelling in all branches of learning
: a man born to illustrate Science, and, what was his principal
distinction, to clear away by the splendour of undoubted truth those
philosophical clouds in which the world had been involved for so many
centuries : who did not allow the trophies of substantial praise to be
wholly carried abroad toother nations. For he (while the arrow, which
was to hit the bull’s-eye, was yet in the quiver) defined by an
admirable method the limits of all that science ; and showed it to me,
amongst others of his friends, explained in an expeditious and simple
manner ; and by proposing various problems to us, enabled us to
exercise our ingenuity in the profundities of this science.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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