Alexander Ross (writer)
Encyclopedia
Alexander Ross was a prolific Scottish
writer and controversialist. He was Chaplain-in-Ordinary
to Charles I
.
, and entered King's College, Aberdeen
, in 1604. About 1616 he succeeded Thomas Parker in the mastership of the free school at Southampton, an appointment which he owed to Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford
. By 1622 he had been appointed, through William Laud
's influence, one of Charles I's chaplains, and in that year appeared The First and Second Book of Questions and Answers upon the Book of Genesis, by Alexander Ross of Aberdeen, preacher at St. Mary's, near Southampton, and one of his Majesty's Chaplains. He was vicar of St. Mary's Church, Carisbrooke
in the Isle of Wight
from 1634 to his death; he left Southampton in 1642.
In Pansebeia, Ross gave a list of his books, past and to come. He died in 1654 at Bramshill House
in Hampshire
, where he was living with Sir Andrew Henley, and in the neighbouring Eversley
church there are two tablets to his memory. Ross left many legacies, and his books were left to his friend Henley, an executor and guardian to a nephew, William Ross.
Among Ross's friends and patrons were Lewis Watson, 1st Baron Rockingham, John Tufton, 2nd Earl of Thanet
, Thomas Howard, 21st Earl of Arundel
, and John Evelyn
. His correspondence with Henry Oxenden
, in English and Latin, is in the British Museum
.
He is not the Alexander Ross of the Aberdeen doctors
, who remained in Scotland and died in 1639.
into English. Although he knew no Arabic and only poorly translated L'Alcoran de Mahomet
, the 1647 French translation of Du Ryer, his translation was the first in English, and his influence faintly lingers in latter-day translations down to the present.
Richard Westfall calls him "the vigilant watchdog of conservatism and orthodoxy". He was concerned to defend Aristotle and repel the Copernican theory, as it gained ground. In 1634 he published a work on the immobility of the earth, attacking Nathanael Carpenter
and Philip Landsberg. He became involved in a debate with John Wilkins
and Libert Froidmond, around the beliefs of Christopher Clavius
. He attacked Thomas Browne
(defending, for instance, the beliefs that crystal
is a sort of fossilized ice
, and that garlic
hinders magnetism
), and many other contemporary ideas. In other controversies he took on Sir Kenelm Digby, Thomas Hobbes
, and William Harvey
.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
writer and controversialist. He was Chaplain-in-Ordinary
Ecclesiastical Household
The Ecclesiastical Household is a part of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. Reflecting the different constitutions of the Churches of England and of Scotland, there are separate Ecclesiastical Households in each nation.-England:...
to Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
.
Life
He was born in AberdeenAberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
, and entered King's College, Aberdeen
King's College, Aberdeen
King's College in Old Aberdeen, Scotland is a formerly independent university founded in 1495 and an integral part of the University of Aberdeen...
, in 1604. About 1616 he succeeded Thomas Parker in the mastership of the free school at Southampton, an appointment which he owed to Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford
Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford
Sir Edward Seymour, 1st Baron Beauchamp of Hache and 1st Earl of Hertford, KG was the son of Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, by his second wife Anne Stanhope....
. By 1622 he had been appointed, through William Laud
William Laud
William Laud was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1633 to 1645. One of the High Church Caroline divines, he opposed radical forms of Puritanism...
's influence, one of Charles I's chaplains, and in that year appeared The First and Second Book of Questions and Answers upon the Book of Genesis, by Alexander Ross of Aberdeen, preacher at St. Mary's, near Southampton, and one of his Majesty's Chaplains. He was vicar of St. Mary's Church, Carisbrooke
St. Mary's Church, Carisbrooke
St. Mary's Church, Carisbrooke is a parish church in the Church of England located in Carisbrooke, Isle of Wight.-History:The church is medieval dating from the Norman period.The tower contains a ring of 10 bells...
in the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
from 1634 to his death; he left Southampton in 1642.
In Pansebeia, Ross gave a list of his books, past and to come. He died in 1654 at Bramshill House
Bramshill House
Bramshill House is a Jacobean mansion standing on of land in the civil parish of Bramshill in northeast Hampshire in England. It has been the location of the Police Staff College since 1960.-History:...
in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, where he was living with Sir Andrew Henley, and in the neighbouring Eversley
Eversley
Eversley is a village and civil parish in the Hart District of North-East Hampshire, England, 21 km North East of Basingstoke. Its northern boundary is formed by the River Blackwater....
church there are two tablets to his memory. Ross left many legacies, and his books were left to his friend Henley, an executor and guardian to a nephew, William Ross.
Among Ross's friends and patrons were Lewis Watson, 1st Baron Rockingham, John Tufton, 2nd Earl of Thanet
John Tufton, 2nd Earl of Thanet
John Tufton, 2nd Earl of Thanet was an English nobleman and supporter of Charles I of England. He was the eldest son of Nicholas Tufton, 1st Earl of Thanet and Lady Frances Cecil granddaughter of William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley .On 21 April 1629, he married Lady Margaret Sackville , daughter of...
, Thomas Howard, 21st Earl of Arundel
Thomas Howard, 21st Earl of Arundel
Thomas Howard, 21st Earl of Arundel KG, was a prominent English courtier during the reigns of King James I and King Charles I, but he made his name as a Grand Tourist and art collector rather than as a politician. When he died he possessed 700 paintings, along with large collections of sculpture,...
, and John Evelyn
John Evelyn
John Evelyn was an English writer, gardener and diarist.Evelyn's diaries or Memoirs are largely contemporaneous with those of the other noted diarist of the time, Samuel Pepys, and cast considerable light on the art, culture and politics of the time John Evelyn (31 October 1620 – 27 February...
. His correspondence with Henry Oxenden
Henry Oxenden (poet)
-Early life:Oxenden was the eldest son of Richard Oxinden , of Little Maydekin in Barham, Kent and Katherine, daughter of Sir Adam Sprakeling of Canterbury. He was born in the parish of St. Paul's, Canterbury. His grandfather was Sir Henry Oxinden of Dene in Wingham, Kent. His first cousins...
, in English and Latin, is in the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
.
He is not the Alexander Ross of the Aberdeen doctors
Aberdeen doctors
The Aberdeen doctors is a term given to a group of six scholars working at Marischal College and King's College, Aberdeen. Until 1635, they enjoyed the leadership of Patrick Forbes, Bishop of Aberdeen. They are distinguishable not only for their positions at Aberdeen, but also by their opposition...
, who remained in Scotland and died in 1639.
Works
One of Ross's most significant accomplishments, published in the same year as the beheading of the king, was his complete translation of the Qur'anQur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
into English. Although he knew no Arabic and only poorly translated L'Alcoran de Mahomet
L'Alcoran de Mahomet
L'Alcoran de Mahomet was the third western translation of the Qur'an, preceded by Lex Mahumet pseudoprophete and the translation by Mark of Toledo...
, the 1647 French translation of Du Ryer, his translation was the first in English, and his influence faintly lingers in latter-day translations down to the present.
Richard Westfall calls him "the vigilant watchdog of conservatism and orthodoxy". He was concerned to defend Aristotle and repel the Copernican theory, as it gained ground. In 1634 he published a work on the immobility of the earth, attacking Nathanael Carpenter
Nathanael Carpenter
Nathanael Carpenter was an English author, philosopher, and geographer.-Life:He was son of John Carpenter, rector of Northleigh, Devon, and was born there on February 7, 1589. He matriculated at St. Edmund Hall, Oxford, on June 7, 1605; but was elected, on a recommendatory letter of James I, a...
and Philip Landsberg. He became involved in a debate with John Wilkins
John Wilkins
John Wilkins FRS was an English clergyman, natural philosopher and author, as well as a founder of the Invisible College and one of the founders of the Royal Society, and Bishop of Chester from 1668 until his death....
and Libert Froidmond, around the beliefs of Christopher Clavius
Christopher Clavius
Christopher Clavius was a German Jesuit mathematician and astronomer who was the main architect of the modern Gregorian calendar...
. He attacked Thomas Browne
Thomas Browne
Sir Thomas Browne was an English author of varied works which reveal his wide learning in diverse fields including medicine, religion, science and the esoteric....
(defending, for instance, the beliefs that crystal
Crystal
A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are arranged in an orderly repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. The scientific study of crystals and crystal formation is known as crystallography...
is a sort of fossilized ice
Ice
Ice is water frozen into the solid state. Usually ice is the phase known as ice Ih, which is the most abundant of the varying solid phases on the Earth's surface. It can appear transparent or opaque bluish-white color, depending on the presence of impurities or air inclusions...
, and that garlic
Garlic
Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. Dating back over 6,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent...
hinders magnetism
Magnetism
Magnetism is a property of materials that respond at an atomic or subatomic level to an applied magnetic field. Ferromagnetism is the strongest and most familiar type of magnetism. It is responsible for the behavior of permanent magnets, which produce their own persistent magnetic fields, as well...
), and many other contemporary ideas. In other controversies he took on Sir Kenelm Digby, Thomas Hobbes
Thomas Hobbes
Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury , in some older texts Thomas Hobbs of Malmsbury, was an English philosopher, best known today for his work on political philosophy...
, and William Harvey
William Harvey
William Harvey was an English physician who was the first person to describe completely and in detail the systemic circulation and properties of blood being pumped to the body by the heart...
.
Works
- Rerum Judaicarum Libri Duo (1617)
- Questions and Answers on the First Six Chapters of Genesis (1620)
- Tonsor ad cutem Rasus (1629)
- Commentum de Terrae Motu Circulari Refutatus (1634)
- Virgilii Evangelisantis Christiados Libri xiii (1634), a centoCento (poetry)A cento is a poetical work wholly composed of verses or passages taken from other authors; only disposed in a new form or order.- History :The term comes from the Latin cento, a cloak made of patches; and that from the Greek κέντρων. The Roman soldiers used these centones, or old stuffs patched...
composed entirely from VirgilVirgilPublius Vergilius Maro, usually called Virgil or Vergil in English , was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He is known for three major works of Latin literature, the Eclogues , the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid... - The New Planet, no Planet, or the Earth no Wandering Star, against Galilaeus and Copernicus, (1640)
- God's House, or the House of Prayer, vindicated from Profaneness (1642) sermons
- God's House made a Den of Thieves (1642) sermons
- Philosophical Touchstone, or Observations on Sir Kenelm Digby's Discourse on the Nature of Bodies and of the Reasonable Soul, and Spinosa's Opinion of the Mortality of the Soul, briefly confuted (1645)
- Medicus Medicatus, or the Physician's Religion cured (1645)
- The Picture of the Conscience (1646)
- Mystagogus Poeticus, or the Muses' Interpreter (1647)
- The Alcoran of Mahomet: Translated out of Arabique into French by the Sieur Du Ryer, Lord of Malezair, and Resident for the King of France at Alexandria, and Newly Englished for the Satisfaction of All That Desire to Look into Turkish Vanities, to Which is Prefixed the Life of Mahomet, ... with a Needful Caveat, or Admonition, for Those Who Desire to Know What Use May Be Made of, or If There Be Danger in Reading, the Alcoran (1649)
- Enchiridium Oratorium et Poeticum (1650)
- Arcana Microcosmi, or the Hid Secrets of Man's Body discovered, in Anatomical Duel between Aristotle and Galen; with a Refutation of Thomas Browne's Vulgar Errors, from Bacon's Natural History, and Hervey's book De Generatione (1651)
- The History of the World, the Second Part, in six books, being a Continuation of Sir Walter Raleigh's (1652)
- Pansebeia, or View of all the Religions in the World, with the Lives of certain notorious Hereticks (1652)
- Observations upon Hobbes's Leviathan (1653)
- Animadversions and Observations upon Sir Walter Raleigh's History of the World (1653)
- Three Decads of Divine Meditations, whereof each one containeth three parts. 1. History. 2. An Allegory. 3. A Prayer. With a Commendation of a Private Country Life.
- Four Books of Epigrams in Latin Elegiacs
- Mel Heliconium, or Poetical Honey gathered out of the Weeds of Parnassus
- Melisomachia
- Colloquia Plautina
- Chronology, in English
- Chymera Pythagorica