BULKELEY, PETER

(January 31, 1583–March 9, 1659), was the Puritan leader who established the city of Concord, Massachusetts, 1636. In his only publication, The Gospel Covenant; or the Covenant of Grace Opened, published in London, 1646; 1651, Peter Bulkeley stated: We are as a city set upon a hill, in the open view of all the earth. … Continue reading “BULKELEY,
PETER”

ROBINSON, JOHN

(c.1575–March 1, 1625), was the pastor of the Pilgrim fathers in England and Holland, before their departure to America. He wrote several tracts on the Separatist movement, for which he was persecuted. He had fled with the Separatists, or Nonconformists, to Amsterdam in 1608, then to Leiden, Holland in 1609. His congregation grew to 300 … Continue reading “ROBINSON,
JOHN”

PORY, JOHN

(1572–September 1635), was an author, geographer and the Secretary of State for the Virginia Colony, being appointed by the London Council. He arrived in Virginia on April 19, 1619, and served as member of the Governor’s council. On July 30, 1619, when the first legislative assembly in the new world met at Jamestown, John Pory … Continue reading “PORY,
JOHN”

DONNE, JOHN

(1572–March 31, 1631), was one of England’s greatest poets. He was the chaplain to King James I, 1615, and dean of St. Paul’s, London. Educated at Oxford and Cambridge, his works have inspired many writers. With imagery being drawn from Scholastic philosophy and 17th-century scientific thought, his most famous works include: Songs and Sonnets; Holy … Continue reading “DONNE,
JOHN”

KEPLER, JOHANNES

(December 27, 1571–November 15, 1630), was the German founder of physical astronomy. He discovered the laws governing planetary motion and pioneered the discipline of celestial mechanics, known as Kepler’s Laws, which aided Newton in his formulation of the theory of gravitation. He advanced Copernicus’ heliocentric theory of the solar system, with the planets revolving around … Continue reading “KEPLER,
JOHANNES”

BREWSTER, WILLIAM

(1567–April 1644), was a founder of the Plymouth Colony in New England. He helped lead the Separatist movement in England, 1606, allowing the nonconformists to meet for worship at his home in Scrooby, England. He escaped religious persecution by fleeing with the Separatists to Holland, 1608. There he taught at the University of Leyden, Holland, … Continue reading “BREWSTER,
WILLIAM”

ST. JOHNS RIVER SETTLEMENT, FLORIDA

(June 30, 1564), was established by Rene de Laudonniere, who led a group of French Huguenots (Protestants from France) to colonize and build Fort Caroline near present-day Jacksonville, Florida. Rene de Laudonniere recorded: We sang a psalm of Thanksgiving unto God, beseeching Him that it would please Him to continue His accustomed goodness towards us.147

SHAKESPEARE, WILLIAM

(christened April 26, 1564–April 23, 1616), was an English playwright, poet and actor manager, whose works have had an enduring worldwide impact. He was born and educated at Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, the son of a prosperous glover. He married Ann Hathaway in 1582, and together they had three children. Moving to London c.1589, he established … Continue reading “SHAKESPEARE,
WILLIAM”

GALILEI, GALILEO

(February 15, 1564–January 8, 1642), was an Italian mathematical physicist and astronomer who conceived of the idea for the isochronous pendulum, the sector-compass and developed the concept of mathematical laws governing the universe. He made the first practical use of the telescope, through which he observed sunspots; the phases of Venus; and discovered the four … Continue reading “GALILEI,
GALILEO”