Samuel de Sorbiere
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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.
[edit] 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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