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He was taught his Latin and Greek by Edward Sylvester, a noted Grecian, who kept a Private School in the Parish of All Saints in Oxford: His Proficiency was such, that at Thirteen Years of Age he entered a Student in New-Inn, in Easter-Term 1627. He made no long stay there, but was removed to Magdalen Hall, ... and there he took his Degree in Arts in October 1631. He afterwards entered into Orders.He tutored in Oxford, then was appointed Vicar at Fawsley. He held a number of chaplaincies, then in 1648 he was appointed Warden of Wadham College, Oxford.
In 1656 Wilkins married Robina, a sister of Oliver Cromwell, obtaining special dispensation since the statutes of Wadham College prohibited the Warden from marrying. This did his career no harm at all! In 1659 he became Master of Trinity College Cambridge. Deprived of his post when Charles II was restored to the throne, he became Bishop of Chester in 1668.
He was a founder of the Royal Society. In fact while at Wadham he gathered round him a group of
worthy persons inquisitive into natural philosophy and other parts of human learning.This group became the Royal Society in 1660.
In 1638 Wilkins published his first book which shows his interest in astronomy. He believed that the Moon is a habitable planet and predicts that one day space travel to the Moon will be possible.
Wilkins worked on codes and ciphers publishing his work in 1641.
Wilkins also wrote on mechanical devices, publishing Mathematical Magick, or the wonders that may be performed by mechanical geometry in 1648. It is an account of the fundamental principles of machines.
One device he described was the smokejack, first sketched by Leonardo da Vinci. This machine consisted of horizontal sails mounted on a vertical shaft and driven by the hot air rising up a chimney. A gearing system was used so that the smokejack could turn a roasting spit.
Wilkins would work on machines with Hooke for many years and it is reported that
persons together were not to be found else where in Europ, for parts and ingenuity.Wilkins' last work, which had to be rewritten since the original was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666, is on a universal language. It is described in reference [5] in the following way
The First Part describes the origin of languages and alphabets... . The Second Part is an exhaustive classification of notions in all spheres of thought, P M Roget clearly based his Thesaurus on this work of Wilkins. The Third Part relates to grammar, syntax, orthography, vowels and consonants. The Fourth Part provides the symbols of the proposed new writing and language, and gives examples and instructions for its use.The difficulty in using Wilkins' new language is nicely seen by one of his contemporaries who wrote
A Doctor counted very ableReferences:
Designs that all mankind converse shall,
Spite o' the confusion was at Babell,
By a character called universall.
How long that character will be learning,
That truly passeth my discerning.
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