William Mew
Encyclopedia
William Mew (1602–1669?) was an English clergyman, a member of the Westminster Assembly
. He is known also for a drama, Pseudomagia, and for the contribution to beekeeping
of the design for a transparent hive
.
, where he was admitted in 1618 and was B.A. in 1622. Mew held also a B.D. degree. Pseudomagia, a Neo-Latin drama, is thought to have been performed at Emmanuel around 1626.
On November 29, 1643 he preached a fast-day sermon to Parliament, later printed as The Robbing and Spoiling of Jacob and Israel. He is mentioned for constant attendance in the Westminster Assembly. He was approached to answer Milton's divorce tracts
, as he wrote in 1659 to Richard Baxter
. In this frank correspondence Baxter expressed his deepest fears and suspicions, becoming at one point (6 August 1659) "hysterical".
He became vicar of Eastington, Stroud
in Gloucestershire
, for which the patron was Nathaniel Stephens
, a local MP and one of Oliver Cromwell
's colonels. Previously he had been a lecturer in London. Known as a preacher, he conformed in 1662. He was a commissioner for Gloucestershire in 1654.
Mew's hive was made known by Samuel Hartlib
. Mew's design followed a suggestion in Pliny
and proved influential, being adapted by John Wilkins
and Christopher Wren
.
Westminster Assembly
The Westminster Assembly of Divines was appointed by the Long Parliament to restructure the Church of England. It also included representatives of religious leaders from Scotland...
. He is known also for a drama, Pseudomagia, and for the contribution to beekeeping
Beekeeping
Beekeeping is the maintenance of honey bee colonies, commonly in hives, by humans. A beekeeper keeps bees in order to collect honey and other products of the hive , to pollinate crops, or to produce bees for sale to other beekeepers...
of the design for a transparent hive
Hive
A hive may refer to a beehive, an enclosed structure in which some honey bee species live and raise their young.Hive may also refer to:-Arts:* The Hives, a Swedish rock band* Hive , a DJ and producer in the drum and bass music genre...
.
Life
Mew was a graduate of Emmanuel College, CambridgeEmmanuel College, Cambridge
Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.The college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay on the site of a Dominican friary...
, where he was admitted in 1618 and was B.A. in 1622. Mew held also a B.D. degree. Pseudomagia, a Neo-Latin drama, is thought to have been performed at Emmanuel around 1626.
On November 29, 1643 he preached a fast-day sermon to Parliament, later printed as The Robbing and Spoiling of Jacob and Israel. He is mentioned for constant attendance in the Westminster Assembly. He was approached to answer Milton's divorce tracts
Milton's divorce tracts
Milton's divorce tracts refer to the four interlinked polemical pamphlets--The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce, The Judgment of Martin Bucer, Tetrachordon, and Colasterion--written by John Milton from 1643-45 arguing for the legitimacy for divorce on grounds of spousal incompatibility...
, as he wrote in 1659 to Richard Baxter
Richard Baxter
Richard Baxter was an English Puritan church leader, poet, hymn-writer, theologian, and controversialist. Dean Stanley called him "the chief of English Protestant Schoolmen". After some false starts, he made his reputation by his ministry at Kidderminster, and at around the same time began a long...
. In this frank correspondence Baxter expressed his deepest fears and suspicions, becoming at one point (6 August 1659) "hysterical".
He became vicar of Eastington, Stroud
Eastington, Stroud
Eastington is a village and civil parish in the English county of Gloucestershire. It lies 4 miles west of Stroud and 9 miles south of Gloucester at the entrance to the Stroud Valley....
in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, for which the patron was Nathaniel Stephens
Nathaniel Stephens
Nathaniel Stephens was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1628 and 1653. He supported the Parliamentarian cause in the English Civil War....
, a local MP and one of Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
's colonels. Previously he had been a lecturer in London. Known as a preacher, he conformed in 1662. He was a commissioner for Gloucestershire in 1654.
Mew's hive was made known by Samuel Hartlib
Samuel Hartlib
Samuel Hartlib was a German-British polymath. An active promoter and expert writer in many fields, he was interested in science, medicine, agriculture, politics, and education. He settled in England, where he married and died...
. Mew's design followed a suggestion in Pliny
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
and proved influential, being adapted by John Wilkins
John Wilkins
John Wilkins FRS was an English clergyman, natural philosopher and author, as well as a founder of the Invisible College and one of the founders of the Royal Society, and Bishop of Chester from 1668 until his death....
and Christopher Wren
Christopher Wren
Sir Christopher Wren FRS is one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history.He used to be accorded responsibility for rebuilding 51 churches in the City of London after the Great Fire in 1666, including his masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathedral, on Ludgate Hill, completed in 1710...
.
Further reading
- B. P. Copenhaver, Magus or Pseudomagus: William Mewe's Pseudomagia and the Reputation of the Occultist Tradition in Early Seventeenth Century England. In Acta Conventus Neo-Latini Turonensis, ed. J. C. Margolin, 1187-1196. 2d ed. Paris: J. Vrin, 1980.