Mercury or the Secret and Swift Messenger by John Wilkins

His stepdaughter married John Tillotson, who became Archbishop of Canterbury. He was a lover of mankind, and had a delight in doing good.' Shewing, how a man may with privacy and speed communicate his thoughts to a friend at any distance. Gilbert Burnet called him 'the wisest clergyman I ever knew. Mercury or, The secret and swift messenger. Wilkins lived in a period of great political and religious controversy, yet managed to remain on working terms with men of all political stripes he was key in setting the Church of England on the path toward comprehension for as many sects as possible, 'and toleration for the rest'. He is particularly known for An Essay towards a Real Character and a Philosophical Language (1668) in which, amongst other things, he proposed a universal language and an integrated system of measurement, similar to the metric system. He was one of the founders of the new natural theology compatible with the science of the time. His personal qualities were brought out, and obvious to his contemporaries, in reducing political tension in Interregnum Oxford, in founding the Royal Society on non-partisan lines, and in efforts to reach out to religious nonconformists. He was a polymath, although not one of the most important scientific innovators of the period. Wilkins is one of the few persons to have headed a college at both the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. He was Bishop of Chester from 1668 until his death. John Wilkins, FRS (14 February 1614–19 November 1672) was an Anglican clergyman, natural philosopher and author, and was one of the founders of the Royal Society.

Mercury or the Secret and Swift Messenger by John Wilkins