Raphael Thorius M.D. (died 1625) was a London physician of

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

and Flemish background, known as a poet and humanist.

Life

Thorius was the son of Franciscus Thorius (François De Thoor), M.D., a

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

physician who was Flemish: a Protestant convert, Latin poet and translator of

Ronsard Pierre de Ronsard (; 11 September 1524 – 27 December 1585) was a French poet known in his generation as a " prince of poets". His works include '' Les Amours de Cassandre'' (1552)'','' '' Les Hymnes'' (1555-1556)'', Les Discours'' (1562-1563 ...

. He was born in

Belle, Flanders Bailleul (; ''Belle'' in Dutch) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is located in French Flanders, from the Belgian border and northwest of Lille. Population Heraldry Media Bailleul is the birthplace of French f ...

, where his father had moved by 1570. His birthplace, now in France, was then part of the

Southern Netherlands The Southern Netherlands, also called the Catholic Netherlands, were the parts of the Low Countries belonging to the Holy Roman Empire which were at first largely controlled by Habsburg Spain (Spanish Netherlands, 1556–1714) and later by the ...

. He studied medicine at Oxford, then graduated M.D. at the

University of Leyden Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; ) is a public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. Established in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange as a Protestant institution, it holds the distinction of being the oldest university in the Neth ...

. He then began unlicensed practice in London, and was fined by the

College of Physicians A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary school ...

. Later he presented himself to the College for examination, and was admitted a licentiate on 23 December 1596. He resided in the parish of St. Benet Finck in London, and built up a good practice. Thorius was one of the Dutch Reformed humanists of London, in the circle around Simon Ruytinck of the London Dutch church. There he knew Baldwin Hamey the elder, amongst others. He died of the plague in his own house in London in the summer of 1625. Lobelius the botanist,

Nathaniel Baxter Nathaniel Baxter ( ''fl''. 1569–1606) was an English clergyman and poet. In earlier life tutor to Sir Philip Sidney, and interested in the manner of Sidney's circle in literature and Ramist logic, he became more sternly religious in his opinions ...

, Sir Robert Ayton,

Meric Casaubon Meric or Méric or Meriç may refer to: Méric * Méric Casaubon (1599–1671), French-English classical scholar Meriç Places and geography * Meriç (river), Turkish name for the Maritsa which runs through the Balkans * Meriç, the Turkish na ...

Theodore Mayerne Theodore may refer to: Places * Theodore, Australian Capital Territory, Australia * Theodore, Queensland, Australia * Theodore, Saskatchewan, Canada * Theodore, Alabama, United States * Theodore Reservoir, in Saskatchewan People * Theodore (give ...

and William Halliday were among his other friends. He appears as the hard-drinking "Dr. Torie" in

Pierre Gassendi Pierre Gassendi (; also Pierre Gassend, Petrus Gassendi, Petrus Gassendus; 22 January 1592 – 24 October 1655) was a French philosopher, Catholic priest, astronomer, and mathematician. While he held a church position in south-east France, he a ...

's ''Life'' of Nicolas de Peiresc.

Works

Thorius wrote a Latin ode in 1603, exhorting his wife and family to leave London on account of the plague. In 1610 he wrote ''Hymnus Tabaci'', a poem of two books in

hexameter Hexameter is a metrical line of verses consisting of six feet (a "foot" here is the pulse, or major accent, of words in an English line of poetry; in Greek as well as in Latin a "foot" is not an accent, but describes various combinations of s ...

s. The influence of the ''Syphilis'' of Hieronymus Fracastorius has been suggested, a parallel being the way he addresses

Sir William Paddy Sir William Paddy (1554–1634) was an English royal physician. Life He was born in London, and entered Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood, Merchant Taylors' School in 1569, with schoolfellows Lancelot Andrewes, Giles Tomson, and Thomas Dove. ...

, as Fracastorius addresses Peter Bembo. Thorius revised the poem, and it was published in 1625 at Leyden (first London edition 1627, pocket edition wat Utrecht in 1644). In February 1625 Thorius completed a poem of 142 hexameter lines entitled ''Hyems'', dedicated to Constantine Hygins, which is sometimes printed with the ''Hymnus''. A manuscript volume of his poems ( Sloane MS. 1768) contains Greek verses, and numerous Latin poems. Topics include: the execution of

Sir Walter Ralegh Sir Walter Raleigh (; – 29 October 1618) was an English statesman, soldier, writer and explorer. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era, he played a leading part in English colonisation of North America, suppressed rebellio ...

; an epitaph for

William Camden William Camden (2 May 1551 – 9 November 1623) was an English antiquarian, historian, topographer, and herald, best known as author of ''Britannia'', the first chorographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland that relates la ...

; an epistle to Baudius; and verses on the naturalists Rondeletius and Lobelius. The manuscript includes also the verse Thorius wrote with Jacob Cool, on behalf of the London Dutch community, for the 1604 coronation entry of

James I of England James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 unti ...

Family

Thorius had a son John, besides other children who died young.

Notes

External links

''Fiche d’Histoire N°16 Série «Troubles religieux» Les Huguenots émigrés du XVIe siècle''.
This site regards John Thorius the writer as probably first cousin of Raphael Thorius. ;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Thorius, Raphael Year of birth missing 1625 deaths Flemish physicians 17th-century English medical doctors Neo-Latin poets Renaissance humanists People from the Spanish Netherlands Immigrants to the Kingdom of England