JOHN WILKINS

'John Wilkins' (1614-01-01 - 1672-11-19), an English clergyman, is the only person to have headed a college at both the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. He married Oliver Cromwell's sister, Robina. He was the first secretary of the Royal Society from its first meeting in 1660. He served as Bishop of Chester from 1668 until his death.

Contents

Biography

References

See also

External links

Biography

Wilkins was born at Fawsley, Northamptonshire, and educated at Magdalen Hall (which later became Hertford College), Oxford. His father was a goldsmith, and his grandfather was a vicar, John Dodd. After ordination, Wilkins became vicar of his home town of Fawsley in 1637, but soon resigned and became chaplain successively to Lord Saye and Sele, Lord Berkeley, and Prince Charles Louis, nephew of King Charles I and afterwards elector palatine of the Rhine.
In 1641, Wilkins published an anonymous treatise entitled ''Mercury, or The Secret and Swift Messenger''. This small but comprehensive work on cryptography proved a timely gift to the diplomats and leaders of the imminent English Civil War. In 1648, he became warden of Wadham College, Oxford. Under him the college prospered extraordinarily, for, although a supporter of Oliver Cromwell, he remained in touch with the most cultured Royalists, who placed their sons in his charge. In 1656, he married Robina Cromwell, sister of Oliver Cromwell. In 1659, shortly before his death, Oliver Cromwell arranged his appointment as Master of Trinity College, Cambridge, an appointment that was confirmed by Cromwell's successor as Lord Protector, his son Richard Cromwell.
At the Restoration in 1660, the new authorities deprived Wilkins of the position given him by Cromwell; he gained appointment as prebendary of York and rector of Cranford, Middlesex. In 1661, he was reduced to preacher at Gray's Inn, lodging with his friend Seth Ward. In 1662, he became vicar of St Lawrence Jewry, London. He became vicar of Polebrook, Northamptonshire, in 1666, prebendary of Exeter in 1667, and in the following year prebendary of St Paul's and bishop of Chester.
Possessing strong scientific tastes, Wilkins was the chief founder of the Royal Society and its first secretary. In 1668 he published his Essay towards a Real Character and a Philosophical Language, in which he attempted to create a universal language to replace Latin as a completely unambiguous tongue with which scholars and philosophers could communicate.
The ''Ballad of Gresham College'' (1663), an ode to the society, describes his efforts:

;A Doctor counted very able
;Designes that all Mankynd converse shall,
;Spite o' th' confusion made att Babell,
;By Character call'd Universall.
;How long this character will be learning,
;That truly passeth my discerning.^[1]

In 1668, Wilkins presented to the Royal Society his suggestions for rationalising the measurement system; this plan has been subsequently identified as the first statement of a metric system. ^[2] However, his plan was not taken up and, over a century afterwards, the French adopted the first working metric system.
He died in London of complications arising from his kidney stones.
His numerous written works include:

★ ''The Discovery of a World in the Moone'' (1638)

★ ''A Discourse Concerning a New Planet'' (1640)

★ ''Mercury, or the Secret and Swift Messenger'' (1641), the first English-language book on cryptography

★ ''Mathematical Magick'' (1648)

★ ''An Essay towards a Real Character and a Philosophical Language'' (London, 1668), in which he proposes a new universal language for the use of natural philosophers.

★ ''Of the Principle and Duties of Natural Religion'' (London, 1675).
The influence and ambitions of John Wilkins were an important thread in the historical fiction trilogy ''The Baroque Cycle'' by Neal Stephenson.

References

1. Stimson, Dorothy. "'Ballad of Gresham College'". ''Isis'' volume 18, number 1, 1932. pp. 103-117.
2. Metric system 'was British' - from the BBC video news

See also

★ Larsen, Poul Steen: "Et kapitel af Babelstaarnets historie - Biskop John Wilkins' universalsprog, 1668. In: 'Nordisk Tidsskrift för Bok- och Bibliotekshistoria" 2000. Nr.1.(2001). Pp. 50-63

External links

★ M E R C V R Y: The secret and swift Messenger Scan of original book

★ Cromwell's moonshot: how one Jacobean scientist tried to kick off the space race

★ "The Jacobean Space Program" Printable transcript of Gresham College lecture on Wilkins' space efforts

★ The Analytical Language of John Wilkins (in Spanish and English) by Jorge Luis Borges

★ MacTutor: John Wilkins

★ ''The Discovery of a World in the Moon''

★ Galileo Project: Wilkins

★ a Wilkins biography

★ John Aubrey's ''Brief Lives'' - including a Wilkins entry

★

★ The Encyclopedia of Astrobiology, Astronomy and Spaceflight

★ Bishop Wilkins College No.58: A Rosicrucian (SRIA) college named after Wilkins.

★ The Master of Trinity at Trinity College, Cambridge