Samuel de Sorbiere

Samuel de Sorbière (1615-1670) was a French philosopher and translator, best known for his promotion of the works of Pierre Gassendi and Thomas Hobbes. After relocating to the Netherlands, he published a French translation of Thomas More's "Utopia" in 1643. He arranged for the publication of Hobbes's "De Cive" in Amsterdam in 1647, published a French translation in 1649, published a French translation of "De Corpore Politico, or the Elements of Law" in 1652, and helped secure a publisher for Hobbes's own Latin translation of "Leviathan" in 1668.

In 1663-1664, Sorbière visited England, where he was inducted into the Royal Society. In 1664 he published a satirical account of his stay, which provoked Thomas Sprat (then spokesman for the Society) to publish "Observations upon Monsieur de Sorbier's Voyage into England" as a reply to Sorbière's perceived insults against both English culture and the Society in particular. In order to avoid further international controversy, Sorbière was held under arrest for four months in France, and Charles II of England prohibited any further responses.

References

* Jeffrey Barnouw, "Britain and European literature and thought," "The Cambridge History of English Literature, 1660-1780" (ISBN 0-521-78144-2), pp. 430-431.