HAMEL (John Baptiste du)

, a very learned French philosopher and writer, in the 17th century, was born in lower Normandy in 1614. At 18 years of age he published a treatise, in which he explained, in a very simple manner, and by one or two figures, Theodosius's 3 books upon Spherics; to which he added a tract upon trigonometry extremely perspicuous, and designed as an introduction to astronomy. He published afterwards various other works on astronomy and philosophy. Natural philosophy, as it was then taught, was only a collection of vague, knotty, and barren questions; when our author undertook to establish it upon right principles, and published his Astronomia Physica.

In 1666 M. Colbert proposed to Louis the 14th a scheme, which was approved of, for establishing a royal academy of sciences; and appointed our author secretary of it. In 1678, his Philosophia Vetus & Nova| was printed at Paris in 4 vols, 12mo; and in 1681 it was enlarged and printed there in 6 vols. He wrote several other pieces; and his works in this way were collected and published at Nuremberg 1681, in 4 volumes 4to, under the title of Opera Philosophica & Astronomica. These were highly valued then, though the improvements in philosophy since that time have rendered them of little or no use now.

In 1697 he resigned his place of secretary of the Royal Academy of Sciences; in which he was succeeded by M. Fontenelle. However, he published, in 1698, Regiæ Scientiarum Academiæ Historia, 4to, in four books; which being much liked, he afterwards augmented with two books more. This work contains an account of the foundation of the Royal Academy of Sciences, and its transactions, from 1666 to 1700, and is now the most useful of all h<*>s works. He was Regius Professor of Philosophy, in which office he was succeeded by M. Varignon, at his death, which happened Aug. 6, 1706, in the 93d year of his age.

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Entry taken from A Mathematical and Philosophical Dictionary, by Charles Hutton, 1796.

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HALLEY (Dr. Edmund)
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* HAMEL (John Baptiste du)
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