Hartlib Circle facts for kids

The Hartlib Circle was a special network of people who shared ideas and information across Europe. It was set up by Samuel Hartlib, who was like an information gatherer based in London, and his friends. This happened between 1630 and 1660. Hartlib worked closely with John Dury, who traveled a lot to try and bring different Protestant groups together.

How the Hartlib Circle Worked

Its Structure

The Hartlib Circle was mainly a group of close friends. Samuel Hartlib and John Dury were the most important people. They tried hard to get Comenius involved, but he was more like a project they supported rather than a main organizer.

Around them were people like Hübner, Haak, Pell, and Boyle. But the network reached much further. It connected with thinkers all over Europe and even in America. So, it had a clear center but spread out very widely. For example, John Winthrop and Balthazar Gerbier were part of this wider network.

Main Topics and Interests

The Hartlib Circle was interested in many different subjects:

• Farming and Gardening: People like Ralph Austen and John Beale explored new ways to grow crops and plants.
• Alchemy, Chemistry, and Minerals: Members such as Robert Boyle and Frederick Clod studied early chemistry and how minerals worked.
• Money and Finance: Cheney Culpeper and William Potter looked into economic ideas.
• Mathematics: John Pell and Robert Wood focused on numbers and calculations.
• Medicine: Doctors like William Rand and Thomas Coxe shared medical knowledge.
• Pansophism (Universal Knowledge): Hartlib and Dury were close friends with Comenius, who believed in a system for all human knowledge.
• Protestantism: Sarah Hewley and John Dury worked on religious unity among Protestants.
• Plans for Ireland: Gerard Boate and William Petty were involved in ideas for developing Ireland.

Education Ideas

Improving education was a very important goal for the Hartlib Circle, especially because of their interest in pansophism. Hartlib kept a list of "advisers" on education. This list included people like Dury, John Pell, and William Rand.

The Circle also influenced the plans for Durham College. John Hall, another friend, also wrote about education. Many books on education were published by Circle members between 1648 and 1650.

A letter from Hartlib to the famous writer John Milton led to Milton's essay Of Education (1644). However, Milton's ideas were different from those of Comenius's followers.

People from the Hartlib Circle also helped with Sweden's scientific growth. They visited Sweden to advise on education and religious changes. They also taught Swedish students who went to study abroad.

The "Invisible College" Mystery

Robert Boyle sometimes mentioned an 'Invisible College' in his letters. Experts have tried to figure out what this secret group was. It's complicated because Hartlib's contacts were involved in many different things.

One idea is that the Invisible College was the same as the group Hartlib led. These people were trying to convince Parliament to create an "Office of Address." This idea was popular between 1647 and 1653.

Later, the "Invisible College" might have referred to a group meeting at Gresham College. However, historian Christopher Hill believed that the 1645 group at Gresham College was different from the Comenian Invisible College. Lady Katherine Ranelagh, Robert Boyle's sister, had a popular meeting place in London during the 1650s. Many people connected to Hartlib often visited her.

Key Projects

The Office of Address

One of Hartlib's big ideas was the "Office of Address." He imagined an office in every town where people could go to find information. This was similar to Salomon's House, a research center described by Francis Bacon. The immediate inspiration came from Théophraste Renaudot's public information office in Paris.

For example, Hartlib thought people could advertise job openings there, and job seekers could find work. On a more academic level, Hartlib wanted scholars to share their knowledge. This way, the Office could become a living encyclopedia that kept growing with new information.

The idea for the Office of Address was promoted in a pamphlet called Considerations tending to the happy Accomplishment of Englands Reformation in Church and State (1647). Hartlib and Dury wrote it. It also included a detailed plan for educational reform. A limited version of this office was set up by Henry Robinson in 1650.

Starting the Royal Society

In 1660, Hartlib was writing to John Evelyn, who was important in getting the official charter for the Royal Society. However, Hartlib was not promoting a pure Baconian model. Instead, he suggested an "Antilia," a more mystical and ideal community name chosen by Johann Valentin Andreae. This proposal, which fit with Comenius's ideas of universal wisdom, was rejected.

Hartlib was relying on a plan by Bengt Skytte, a Swedish nobleman. The new Royal Society moved away from Francis Bacon's clear focus on reforming natural sciences. Despite some disagreements, the ideas of Hartlib and Comenius were left out of the Royal Society from the start. Hartlib himself died shortly after the Society was created.

Different Ideas and Connections

Hartlib was known for following the ideas of Francis Bacon and Comenius. But because of his background in German academies, he was open to many other methods. These included ideas from Petrus Ramus and Jacobus Acontius.

The Hartlib Circle was also open to hermetic ideas, which are ancient mystical traditions. Hartlib himself was interested in sigils (special symbols) and astrology (the study of how stars influence events). Robert Boyle also tried to connect experimental chemistry with alchemy, but in a less secret way. He did distance himself from the Hartlib group when he moved to Oxford around 1655.

Both Boyle and William Petty became more involved with another group around John Wilkins during this time. This group is now called the Oxford Philosophical Club. John Wilkins later became the first Secretary of the Royal Society.