Nicholas Hill (scientist)
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Hill was an English natural philosopher, considered a disciple of Giordano Bruno
. He is known for his 1601 book Philosophia epicurea.
and St. John's College, Oxford where he matriculated in 1587, graduated B.A. and became Fellow in 1590. He was removed from his fellowshop in 1591.
After a possible position as secretary or steward to Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford
, he was supported by Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland
. He was said to be a Catholic convert, by John Aubrey
, but this is doubted by Christopher Hill
. Aubrey's account also has him a close friend of Robert Hues
, at the centre of the Northumberland circle. He left England and resided in Rotterdam
, with his son. Hugh Trevor-Roper considers that he was a Catholic, and for that reason expelled from St John's. He also associates Hill with the plot of Sir Robert Basset. According to an account of Hues recorded by Obadiah Walker
, Hill's son died and he then committed suicide.
John Donne
satirized Hill in his Catalogus Librorum Aulicum; and he was attacked and mocked by Ben Jonson
(epigram 133/134).
of Epicurus
and skepticism
. It consisted of 509 aphorism
s, which drew on Bruno and Lullism, Neoplatonism
and Paracelsus
, as well as classical authors. It was published in 1601 (Paris), and in another edition in 1619 (Geneva). It included thoughts on an imaginary voyage to the Moon, a theme taken from Bruno. It also shows a close relation to Bruno’s De Immenso and De Minimo. Other influences were Democritus
, Hermes Trismegistus
and William Gilbert. He was a Copernican
, perhaps also following Francesco Patrizi
. Hill, however, stops short of exploring atomism as a mechanistic philosophy. Robert Kargon considers that Hill was not, in strict terms, an Epicurean, reserving to Walter Charleton
the first English exposition of Epicurean thought.
The Philosophia epicurea was known to John Donne
, through Ben Jonson's copy. It was referenced in Robert Burton
's Anatomy of Melancholy.
According to Robert Hues, other unpublished work followed Bruno.
Giordano Bruno
Giordano Bruno , born Filippo Bruno, was an Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, mathematician and astronomer. His cosmological theories went beyond the Copernican model in proposing that the Sun was essentially a star, and moreover, that the universe contained an infinite number of inhabited...
. He is known for his 1601 book Philosophia epicurea.
Life
He was educated at Merchant Taylors' SchoolMerchant Taylors' School, Northwood
Merchant Taylors' School is a British independent day school for boys, originally located in the City of London. Since 1933 it has been located at Sandy Lodge in the Three Rivers district of Hertfordshire ....
and St. John's College, Oxford where he matriculated in 1587, graduated B.A. and became Fellow in 1590. He was removed from his fellowshop in 1591.
After a possible position as secretary or steward to Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford
Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford
Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford was an Elizabethan courtier, playwright, lyric poet, sportsman and patron of the arts, and is currently the most popular alternative candidate proposed for the authorship of Shakespeare's works....
, he was supported by Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland
Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland
Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland KG was an English aristocrat. He was a grandee and one of the wealthiest peers of the court of Elizabeth I. Under James I, Henry was a long-term prisoner in the Tower of London. He is known for the circles he moved in as well as for his own achievements...
. He was said to be a Catholic convert, by John Aubrey
John Aubrey
John Aubrey FRS, was an English antiquary, natural philosopher and writer. He is perhaps best known as the author of the collection of short biographical pieces usually referred to as Brief Lives...
, but this is doubted by Christopher Hill
Christopher Hill (historian)
John Edward Christopher Hill , usually known simply as Christopher Hill, was an English Marxist historian and author of textbooks....
. Aubrey's account also has him a close friend of Robert Hues
Robert Hues
Robert Hues was an English mathematician and geographer. He attended St. Mary Hall at Oxford, and graduated in 1578. Hues became interested in geography and mathematics, and studied navigation at a school set up by Walter Raleigh. During a trip to Newfoundland, he made observations which caused...
, at the centre of the Northumberland circle. He left England and resided in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
, with his son. Hugh Trevor-Roper considers that he was a Catholic, and for that reason expelled from St John's. He also associates Hill with the plot of Sir Robert Basset. According to an account of Hues recorded by Obadiah Walker
Obadiah Walker
Obadiah Walker was an English academic and Master of University College, Oxford from 1676 to 1688.-Life:Walker was born at Darfield near Barnsley, South Yorkshire, and was educated at University College, Oxford, becoming a fellow and tutor of this College and a prominent figure in University circles...
, Hill's son died and he then committed suicide.
John Donne
John Donne
John Donne 31 March 1631), English poet, satirist, lawyer, and priest, is now considered the preeminent representative of the metaphysical poets. His works are notable for their strong and sensual style and include sonnets, love poetry, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs,...
satirized Hill in his Catalogus Librorum Aulicum; and he was attacked and mocked by Ben Jonson
Ben Jonson
Benjamin Jonson was an English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor. A contemporary of William Shakespeare, he is best known for his satirical plays, particularly Volpone, The Alchemist, and Bartholomew Fair, which are considered his best, and his lyric poems...
(epigram 133/134).
Works
Philosophia epicurea, democritiana, theophrastica was a work on the classical atomismAtomism
Atomism is a natural philosophy that developed in several ancient traditions. The atomists theorized that the natural world consists of two fundamental parts: indivisible atoms and empty void.According to Aristotle, atoms are indestructible and immutable and there are an infinite variety of shapes...
of Epicurus
Epicurus
Epicurus was an ancient Greek philosopher and the founder of the school of philosophy called Epicureanism.Only a few fragments and letters remain of Epicurus's 300 written works...
and skepticism
Skepticism
Skepticism has many definitions, but generally refers to any questioning attitude towards knowledge, facts, or opinions/beliefs stated as facts, or doubt regarding claims that are taken for granted elsewhere...
. It consisted of 509 aphorism
Aphorism
An aphorism is an original thought, spoken or written in a laconic and memorable form.The term was first used in the Aphorisms of Hippocrates...
s, which drew on Bruno and Lullism, Neoplatonism
Neoplatonism
Neoplatonism , is the modern term for a school of religious and mystical philosophy that took shape in the 3rd century AD, based on the teachings of Plato and earlier Platonists, with its earliest contributor believed to be Plotinus, and his teacher Ammonius Saccas...
and Paracelsus
Paracelsus
Paracelsus was a German-Swiss Renaissance physician, botanist, alchemist, astrologer, and general occultist....
, as well as classical authors. It was published in 1601 (Paris), and in another edition in 1619 (Geneva). It included thoughts on an imaginary voyage to the Moon, a theme taken from Bruno. It also shows a close relation to Bruno’s De Immenso and De Minimo. Other influences were Democritus
Democritus
Democritus was an Ancient Greek philosopher born in Abdera, Thrace, Greece. He was an influential pre-Socratic philosopher and pupil of Leucippus, who formulated an atomic theory for the cosmos....
, Hermes Trismegistus
Hermes Trismegistus
Hermes Trismegistus is the eponymous author of the Hermetic Corpus, a sacred text belonging to the genre of divine revelation.-Origin and identity:...
and William Gilbert. He was a Copernican
Copernican
Copernican means of or pertaining to the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus* For the Copernican system of astronomy, see heliocentrism* For the philosophical principle, see Copernican principle* For the lunar geological period, see Copernician...
, perhaps also following Francesco Patrizi
Francesco Patrizi
Franciscus Patricius was a philosopher and scientist from the Republic of Venice. He was known as a defender of Platonism and an opponent of Aristotelianism...
. Hill, however, stops short of exploring atomism as a mechanistic philosophy. Robert Kargon considers that Hill was not, in strict terms, an Epicurean, reserving to Walter Charleton
Walter Charleton
Walter Charleton was an English writer. According to Jon Parkin, he was "the main conduit for the transmission of Epicurean ideas to England".-Life:...
the first English exposition of Epicurean thought.
The Philosophia epicurea was known to John Donne
John Donne
John Donne 31 March 1631), English poet, satirist, lawyer, and priest, is now considered the preeminent representative of the metaphysical poets. His works are notable for their strong and sensual style and include sonnets, love poetry, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs,...
, through Ben Jonson's copy. It was referenced in Robert Burton
Robert Burton
Robert Burton may refer to:* Robert Burton , Master of University College, Oxford, England * Robert Burton , English scholar and vicar* Robert Burton, Sr. , printing industry executive...
's Anatomy of Melancholy.
According to Robert Hues, other unpublished work followed Bruno.
Further reading
- Grant McColley, Nicholas Hill and the Philosophia Epicurea, Annals of Science, Volume 4, Issue 4 October 1939 , pages 390 - 405
- Jean Jacquot, Harriot, Hill, Warner and the new philosophy, in Thomas Harriot: Renaissance Scientist, ed. John W. Shirley (Oxford, 1974), pp. 107–28.
- Stephen Clucas, The Infinite Variety of Formes and Magnitudes': 16th- and 17th-Century English Corpuscular Philosophy and Aristotelian Theories of Matter and Form, Early Science and Medicine, Volume 2, Number 3, 1997 , pp. 251-271
- Sandra Plastina, Nicholas Hill and Giordano Bruno: the new cosmology in the Philosophia Epicurea, Physis, 2001, 38: 415-432