Samuel de Sorbiere
Samuel de Sorbière (1615-1670) was a
French philosopher and
translator, best known for his promotion of the works of
Pierre Gassendi and
Thomas Hobbes. After relocating to the
Netherlands, he published a French translation of
Thomas More's
Utopia in
1643. He arranged for the publication of Hobbes's
De Cive in
Amsterdam in
1647, published a French translation in
1649, published a French translation of
De Corpore Politico, or the Elements of Law in
1652, and helped secure a publisher for Hobbes's own Latin translation of
Leviathan in
1668.In
1663-
1664, Sorbière visited
England, where he was inducted into the
Royal Society. In
1664 he published a satirical account of his stay, which provoked
Thomas Sprat (then spokesman for the Society) to publish
Observations upon Monsieur de Sorbier's Voyage into England as a reply to Sorbière's perceived insults against both English culture and the Society in particular. In order to avoid further international controversy, Sorbière was held under arrest for four months in France, and
Charles II of England prohibited any further responses.
References
- Jeffrey Barnouw, "Britain and European literature and thought," The Cambridge History of English Literature, 1660-1780 (ISBN 0-521-78144-2), pp. 430-431.
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Samuel SorbièreSamuel Sorbière
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