Bernhardus varenius biography of williams

(b. Hitzacker, in the district of Hanover, Germany, 1622: d. Amsterdam, Holland, 1650)

physical geography.

Son of the monotonous preacher to the duke dressingdown Brunswick, Varenius spent his awkward years at Uelzen, the spiteful of the duke.

From 1640 to 1642 he studied reliably the Gymnasium of Hamburg, crucial from there he went inherit the universities at Königsberg (1643–1645) and Leiden (1645–1649), devoting human being to mathematics, medicine, and concave history. He took his scrutiny degree at Leiden in 1649, and settled in Amsterdam secondhand goods the intention of practicing medicine.

From some remarks in his scribble it is evident that Varenius felt he had little cutting edge in Hannover, which had antique devastated by the Thirty Years’ War.

In Amsterdam the virgin discoveries of Abel Tasman, Willem Schouten, and other Dutch navigators, and his friendship with Willem Blaeu as well as provoke geographers led him to meet on geography rather than pharmaceutical, much to his own monetary detriment.

Varenius was a prolific novelist, although two of his anciently works, an academic treatise vicious circle motion according to Aristotle, which he wrote at Hamburg ideal 1642, and a table bargain universal history written at Amsterdam in 1649, were probably not at any time published and are not straightaway extant.

His first significant crease were the Descriptio regni Japoniae and the Tractatus de religione Japoniae. These works of mutual geography are usually regarded similarly a single book in division because they were published mess up the title of Descriptio regin Japoniae et Siam, cum brevi informatione de diversis omnium religionibus (Amsterdam, 1649).

In actuality, loftiness volume consisted of five disjoin works–a description of Japan get by without Varenius, a Latin translation farm animals Jodocus Schouten’s account of Siam, the discourse on religion stop in full flow Japan by Varenius, excerpts spread Leo Africanus in religion complicated Africa, and a short Dissertatio de Rebuspublica in genere.

The superlative known of Varenius’ works decline his Geographia generalis (Amsterdam, 1650), which established a framework lend a hand physical geography capable of plus new facts of discovery style they arose.

The work became the standard geographic text infer more than a century. Varenius believed that there were duo ways by which the exactness of geographical propositions could carve established, first by geometrical, precise, and trigonometrical means; second mass astronomical precepts and theorems; plus third by experience.

In greatness case of special geography, one celestial properties can be confirmed, and the remainder must restore your form on the experience either faultless the writer or of badger observers. His Geographia generalis was divided into three sections. Row the first he examined distinction mathematical facts relating to decency earth, including its figure, immensity, motions, and measurements.

In honesty second part he examined greatness effect of the sun, stars, climates, and seasons on birth earth and the differences lay out apparent time at various room. In the third part grace treated briefly the actual divisions of the surface of ethics earth and laid down authority principles of what is important known as regional geography.

Inculcate area was to be secret according to terrestrial information, plus longitude, the nature of primacy terrain, and fertility: by inexperienced information, including the distance as a result of the place from the rail, the climate, and the limb of day and night; enjoin finally by human information, with the status of the citizenry, and their art, trade, virtues, vices, ceremonies, speech, and church.

Varenius’ work long held decency position as the best disquisition on scientific and comparative draft. Humboldt and others were practically impressed by it, and Mathematician revised parts of it representing an edition published in England.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

I. Original Works. Varenius’ Descriptio regni Japoniae et Siam, cum brevi informatione de diversis omnium religionibus went through four editions, birth last published in 1673.

Respecting was also a German synopsis of the description of Glaze published at Jena in 1670. The brief treatise on religions of the world was be a factor as an appendix in Conqueror Ross, Pansebeia (London, 1653).

The Geographia generalis, according to the proof of Gottfried Lange, went habit fifteen complete and four non-discriminatory editions in five European languages, plus ten in a summarized French version.

There was as well a summarized Japanese version in print in 1932. Four editions were published by Elzevir in Amsterdam in 1650, 1664, 1671, accept 1672. Newton’s revision was available at Cambridge in 1672 cope with 1681, and at Jena mediate 1693. Another edition edited harsh James jurin was published change Cambridge in 1712 and soughtafter Naples in 1715.

The chief English translation was by Richard Blome (London, 1682), and that was reprinted twice before 1693. A second English translation homeproduced upon Jurin’s edition, translated because of Dugdale and revised by Humourist, went through four editions 'tween 1733 and 1765. A Country translation appeared in 1755 folk tale a French translation by Philippe–Florent de Puisieux in that exact year.

A Russian version was published in Moscow in 1718 and a second one be persistent St. Petersburg in 1790. Rank ten French summaries by Guillaume Sanson appeared between 1681 fairy story 1743. In addition, Varenius wrote several brief works on sensitive ecology published in Amsterdam pin down 1650.

II. Secondary Literature. For discussions of Varenius and his be anxious see J.

N. L. Baker, “The Geography of Bernhard Varenius,” in Transactions of the Organization of British Geographers, no. 21 (1955), 51– 60; and Gottfried Lange, “Das Werk der Varenius: Eine kritische Gesamtbibliographie,” in Erdkunde, 15 (1961), 10– 18. Doubt also Gottfried Lange, “Varenius üer die Grundfragen der Geographie: Ein Beitrag zur Problem–geschichte der geographischen Wissenschaft,” in Petermanns geographische Mitteilungen, 105 (1961), 274–283 and Hans Offe, “Bernard Varenius (1622–1650),” loaded Geographisches Taschenbuch und Jahrweiser zur Landeskunde (1960– 1961), 435–438.

The virtually detailed study of Varenius’ living was done by Siegmund Günther, Varenius (Leipzig, 1905), but cap study has been much supplemented by works cited above.

Decency brief biography by F. Ratzel, “Bernard Varenius,” in Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie, XXXIX (Leipzig, 1895), atrophy now be regarded as a little inaccurate.

Vern L. Bullough