Boyle, THE HON. ROBERT

Boyle, THE HON. ROBERT, the most celebrated natural philosopher of his time, seventh son and fourteenth child of Richard Boyle, first Earl of Cork, was born at Lismore Castle, province of Munster, Ireland, January 25, 1627. As a child, he was distinguished by precocity of intellect, a rare love of truth, and a serious disposition. After studying at Eton, and under the rector of Stalbridge, Dorset, he went to the Continent, where he stayed for six years. On his return in 1644, he found himself in possession, by his father's death, of the manor of Stalbridge, where he took up his abode, and resided till 1650. He took no part in political strife, but devoted himself to the cultivation of science, and particularly of chemistry and natural philosophy. He was one of the first members of that association of scientific men which about that time (1645) held private meetings at Oxford and London, and some years after became better known as the Royal Society. After several visits to his Irish estates, in 1654 he settled at Oxford. Here he experimented extensively in pneumatics, and improved the air-pump. At the same time, he devoted earnest attention to the study of theology. After the Restoration, he was urgently advised by Lord Clarendon to enter the church, but he thought that he could do better service to religion as a layman. Among the proofs which he gave of this, besides his own theological writings and eminent example, were his exertions as a director of the East India Company (for which he had procured the Charter) for the propagation of Christianity in the East, as well as procuring and circulating at his own expense translations of the Scriptures, and his bequest for the foundation of the 'Boyle Lectures' (q.v.) in defence of Christianity. In 1668 he took up his residence permanently in London with his sister, Lady Ranelagh, in Pall Mall, and was thenceforth able to devote much of his time to the business of the Royal Society. In 1680 he was chosen president, but declined the honour. A peerage had repeatedly been offered to him, and declined. In 1688, finding his health decline, he shut himself up against all interruption, in order to husband his remaining time for the labour of repairing the loss caused by the accidental destruction of his MSS. In 1691 his health finally gave way, and on the 30th of December 1691 he died, seven days after his beloved sister, Lady Ranelagh. Boyle, who was never married, was tall and emaciated in person, and extremely temperate in his habits, often subject to low spirits, but naturally lively and of rare conversational powers. He was on terms of intercourse with royalty. He believed in the possibility of some of the alchemistic transmutations; but by the number of facts and observations which he patiently collected, and erroneous notions which he cleared away, he has been termed the true precursor of the modern chemist. He invented a compressed-air pump, and the first English hermetically sealed thermometer was made under his directions. He is known to have discovered the law commonly called 'Mariotte's law' seven years before Mariotte (q.v.), and to have established it independently. His piety, benevolence, and charity would have made him remarkable, apart from his scientific attainments and reputation. His complete works (including his very interesting correspondence), with a Life by Dr Birch, and an index, were published in 5 vols. fol. (Lond. 1744).