Peter Heylin
Encyclopedia
Cosmography
Cosmography is the science that maps the general features of the universe, describing both heaven and Earth...
(1657).
Life
He was born in BurfordBurford
Burford is a small town on the River Windrush in the Cotswold hills in west Oxfordshire, England, about west of Oxford, southeast of Cheltenham and only from the Gloucestershire boundary...
, Oxfordshire, the son of Henry Heylyn and Elizabeth Clampard. At 14 he was sent to Hart Hall, Oxford and, in 1615, he entered Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
where he took his degree in 1617 and was elected a fellow in 1618. He lectured on historical geography at Magdalen.
In 1620 he presented his lecture to Prince Charles
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...
, at Theobalds. In 1621 these lectures were published as Microcosmos: a Little Description of the Great World. This would prove to be his most popular work and by 1639, eight editions had been produced.
At college, where he was dubbed 'the perpetual dictator’, Heylin had been an ouspoken controversialist. He subsequently became an outspoken preacher and one of 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...
's clerical followers. In 1630 he lectured against the Feoffees for Impropriations. He suffered for his loyalty to the king when, under the Commonwealth
Commonwealth of England
The Commonwealth of England was the republic which ruled first England, and then Ireland and Scotland from 1649 to 1660. Between 1653–1659 it was known as the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland...
, he was deprived of his preferments including that at Alresford
New Alresford
New Alresford or simply Alresford is a small town and civil parish in the City of Winchester district of Hampshire, England. It is situated some 12 km north-east of the city of Winchester and 20 km south-west of the town of Alton...
in Hampshire. He subsequently settled at Lacies Court in Abingdon
Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Abingdon or archaically Abingdon-on-Thames is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Vale of White Horse district. Previously the county town of Berkshire, Abingdon is one of several places that claim to be Britain's oldest continuously occupied town, with...
, Berkshire (now Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
).
At the Restoration
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
, he was made sub-Dean of Westminster
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
, but poor health prevented further advancement.
He married Letitia Highgate and had a large family. His monument is in Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
.
Works
He was a prolific writer, and a keen and acrimonious controversialist against the Puritans. Among his works are a History of the Reformation, and a Life of Archbishop William LaudWilliam Laud
William Laud was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1633 to 1645. One of the High Church Caroline divines, he opposed radical forms of Puritanism...
(Cyprianus Anglicanus) (1668). His Greek titles included Κειμηλιαέκκληδιαδτικα (Historical and miscellaneous tracts a 1662 (1681) and Ἡρωολογια Anglorum; or, a help to English history 1641.
He was the writer of the "Cosmographie", an attempt to describe in meticulous detail every aspect of the known world in 1652, the geography, climate, customs, achievements, politics, and belief systems. It appears to have been the first description in print of Australia, and perhaps of California, Terra del Fuego, and other territories in the New World. He objected to the name "America" as it placed undue glory on Amerigo Vespucci
Amerigo Vespucci
Amerigo Vespucci was an Italian explorer, financier, navigator and cartographer. The Americas are generally believed to have derived their name from the feminized Latin version of his first name.-Expeditions:...
, and recommended "Columbana" or "Cabotia" as more indicative of the true discoverers, Columbus and Cabot.
Publications
Heylin's publications include:- Microcosmus. A little description of the great world 1621 (−1639); enlarged and entitled Cosmographie in four bookes, containing the chorographie and historie of the whole world 1652 (1674)
- The history of St. George of Cappadocia 1631
- The history of the Sabbath 1636
- A coale from the altar 1636
- Antidotum Lincolniense; or an answer to a book entituled, The Holy Table, name and thing 1637
- A brief and moderate answer to the seditious and scandalous Challenge of H. Burton 1637
- Ἡρωολογια Anglorum; or, a help to English history 1641
- The historie of episcopacie 1642
- The undeceiving of the people in the point of tithes 1648
- Extraneus vapulans; or, the observator rescued from the violent but vaine assaults of Hamon L'EstrangeHamon L'EstrangeHamon L'Estrange was an English writer on history, theology and liturgy, of Calvinist views, loyal both to Charles I and the Church of England. Along with Edward Stephens, he contributed to the seventeenth-century revival of interest in ancient liturgies; with John Cosin and Anthony Sparrow he...
, 1656 - A full relation of two journeys: the one, into the mainland of France; the other, into some of the adjacent islands 1656
- Ecclesia vindicata; or, the Church of England justified 1657
- The stumbling-block of disobedience and rebellion cunningly laid by Calvin in the subjects way, discovered, censured and removed 1658
- Examen historicum, or a discovery and examination of the mistakes in some modern histories 1659
- Certamen epistolare; or the letter-combate with Mr. Baxter, etc. 1659
- Historia quinqu-articularis; or a declaration of the judgement of the Western churches, particularly of the church of England, in the five controverted points reproached by the name of Arminianism 1660
- Ecclesia restaurata; or, the history of the reformation of the Church of England 1661
- Aerius redivivus; or, the history of the presbyterians from 1536 to 1647 a 1662 (1670)
- Cyprianus Anglicus; or the history of the life and death of William Laud a 1662 (1668, 1671)
- Κειμηλιαέκκληδιαδτικα Historical and miscellaneous tracts a 1662 (1681)