Samuel Hartlib and Universal Reformation: Studies in Intellectual Communication

by Michael Leslie (Editor), Mark Greengrass (Editor), Timothy Raylor (Editor)

In the crucible of intellectual change that took place in the seventeenth century, the role of Samuel Hartlib was of immense significance. Hartlib (originally from Elbing) settled in England permanently from the late 1620s until his death in 1662. His aspirations formed a distinctive and influential strand in English intellectual life during those revolutionary decades. This volume reflects the variety of the theoretical and practical interests of Hartlib's circle and presents them in their continental context.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

396 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1994

Reviews

[Erick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Samuel Hartlib is a fascinating character study. He was a leading figure among 17th century European intelligentsia. He published little himself but was the hub of a vast correspondence. Long distance communication was by mail during this period; but you had a number of leading intellectuals in regular correspondence with each other. These letters weren’t just full of banal talk of personal matters and the weather, they were collaborative plans for the advancement of society. They were scientific, philosophical, and theological. They were often theoretical and practical.

17th century England is one of the most interesting periods and locales for in depth study. You had two civil wars in quick succession, and it’s the only time in recorded history when England was a non-monarchical commonwealth. After Charles I instigated these civil wars, he was dually beheaded, and Oliver Cromwell, a military leader, became Lord Protector. Protestantism had already been in full swing for more than a century, but it really wasn’t until this period that you had a true English reformation. The Church of England was integrally tied with the monarchy. When the monarch is seen as a traitorous murderous demagogue, the state church equally comes into question. Presbyterians, Puritans and a whole host of splinter churches started to make their appearance in this period. Many of our American churches have direct ties to some of these churches. You also find one of the richest periods for literature in the English language. Sure, people today know of John Milton (one of Hartlib’s correspondents btw), but few know of Robert Boyle and the Cambridge Platonists. Nor do they know of Pansophia, the Rosicrucian manifestoes, the invisible college, or the Royal Society. I’ll try to quickly go over all of these topics in this review. I can only hope for the reader’s attention and patience.

This book is a collection of essays focusing on different facets of Hartlib’s exploits. He and his entourage had plans for a total reformation of society. They wanted to consolidate all streams of knowledge. This was termed “pansophia” (or all-wisdom) by Hartlib. There is a strong millenarian and utopian aspect to much of this. Many of the people surrounding Hartlib believed that Christ’s millennial reign was imminent. They wanted to get the ball rolling as it were and prepare the way for the millennium. Early on in the church, you had theologians who took Revelation 20:3 literally and believed that there would be a 1000 year utopia on earth. After Augustine thoroughly refuted it, this belief all but disappeared for quite a long time. Even magisterial reformers like Luther and Calvin rejected it. Certain Puritans in England made it popular again. Joseph Mede’s commentary on Revelation helped to perpetuate millennarianism in England. It became immensely popular among the Puritans. Groups like the Fifth Monarchy men believed that the English monarchy must be abolished in order to usher in the millennial reign. These beliefs contributed to the eventual execution of Charles I. His own traitorous deeds really sealed the deal, but the religious justification for his execution played a big role.

One should also recognize various philosophical, theological and scientific confluences during this period. Certain of the Humanists had encouraged the study of Plato, the Hermetica, Neo-Platonism, Kabbalah and alchemy. All of these disciplines had become vogue in Protestant Europe. There were a group of educators associated with Cambridge college that promoted the study of such disciplines. They were only known as the Cambridge Platonists way after the fact, but it fits insomuch as they were quite erudite. Some of the Cambridge Platonists, such as Henry More, were also in the Hartlib circle.

In Francis Bacon’s New Atlantis, he theorized the existence of an enlightened brotherhood. A German pastor and theologian by the name of Johann Valentin Andreae probably composed what became known as the Rosicrucian manifestoes: the Fama, the Confessio, and the Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz. These works proclaimed that the sort of thing that Bacon had only theorized was a genuine entity that was looking for members. These tracts, to use a 21st century phrase, went viral. Many were certain that such an organization existed. It’s been pretty much proven now that it didn’t, but Andreae started a mythology that took on a life of its own. Hartlib (who had direct ties to Andreae) and his circle certainly did start to form just such a collective. It wasn’t a literal organization, but it was a closeknit group of intellectuals bound by common interests and a common vision. They called themselves the invisible college. They promoted scientific investigation and also had a penchant for investigating new inventions that might benefit society and civilization as a whole. Eventually this group founded the Royal Society, which was the first organization formed specifically for the promotion of science. It is also the first organization referred to as the “illuminati.” Jan Amos Comenius was the one who called the Royal Society the “illuminati.” He was a Czech pastor and educator. He was a pioneer in the field of education. He was one of the first people to recognize that children learn primarily through images. He developed schoolbooks that were quite popular throughout Europe.

While part of the invisible college’s interests were purely scientific, the other part was religious and often even esoteric. The scientific part found its culmination in the foundation of the Royal Society. The esoteric part found its culmination in the foundation of the Freemasons. Even though the Rosicrucians originally were nothing but a myth, Freemasonry continued the myth, but really was an organization. It promoted the idea of an esoteric knowledge that was passed down through the ages and given only to the privileged few. From the Masons sprung pretty much every other occultic secret society that has arisen. Even the most wacky of the 19th and 20th century occult secret societies had direct ties to Freemasonry.

I find all of the above quite interesting, and while I believe to a certain extent that Hartlib and his circle’s intentions were good, the outcome was anything but. I think that there was a malevolence that found its life and nurture in such endeavors. In the background of the Rosicrucians is also the specter of John Dee. John Dee practiced divination and was quite well versed in occult traditions. He worked with a man named Edward Kelley and held “actions” where supposedly angels would talk through Edward Kelley. They even showed Kelley and Dee an angelic language often called Enochian or the liber loagaeth. Many have studied this language, and I don’t think anyone has been able to successfully debunk it as nonsense. I do in fact believe that Kelley and Dee were speaking with spiritual beings, but demons, not angels. Whether it was the influence of Kabbalah and its teachings regarding the maggidim, or whether it came from something else, something was definitely unleashed on Europe in these sessions in my opinion. It is no accident that an alchemical sign found in the writings of Dee was also used by the so-called Rosicrucians.

This subject is fascinating. I've often used this book as a reference. It really only covers the endeavors and subjects often discussed by the Hartlib circle. It only mentions the Rosicrucians once. But the subject is not at all tangential; in fact it is quite relevant if you’ve done any research. In some scholarly circles the subject of the Rosicrucians is seen as taboo, but there have been more or less scholarly works dedicated to its investigation. I’m reading one right now for the second time called the Rosicrucian Enlightenment Revisited.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic paper in this book about Comenius' ideas of universal language and his semiotic theories. Invaluable contribution to the understanding of the Hartlib Circle and mid-17th century scientific/reformist circles.