John Dee straddled the worlds of science and magic just as they
were becoming distinguishable. One of the most learned men of his
age, he had been invited to lecture on advanced algebra at the
University of Paris while still in his early twenties. Dee was an
ardent promoter of mathematics and a respected astronomer, as well
as a leading expert in navigation, having trained many of those who
would conduct England's voyages of discovery. Simultaneously with
these efforts, Dee immersed himself in the worlds of magic,
astrology and Hermetic philosophy. He devoted much time and effort
in the last thirty years or so of his life to attempting to commune
with angels in order to learn the universal language of creation
and bring about the pre-apocalyptic unity of mankind. A student of
the Renaissance Neo-Platonism of Marsilio Ficino, Dee did not draw
distinctions between his mathematical research and his
investigations into Hermetic magic, angel summoning and divination.
Instead he considered all of his activities to constitute different
facets of the same quest: the search for a transcendent
understanding of the divine forms which underlie the visible world,
which Dee called "pure verities." In his lifetime Dee amassed one
of the largest libraries in England. His high status as a scholar
also allowed him to play a role in Elizabethan politics. He served
as an occasional adviser and tutor to Elizabeth I and nurtured
relationships with her ministers Francis Walsingham and William
Cecil. Dee also tutored and enjoyed patronage relationships with
Sir Philip Sidney, his uncle Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester,
and Edward Dyer. He also enjoyed patronage from Sir Christopher
Hatton.
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