BOYLE, ROBERT. - Famous 17th-century English scientist, b. at Lismore (Munster) in Ireland on 25 January 1627, d. in London on 10, or, according to others, 20 December 1691. He studied at Geneva and at Florence. When his father died in 1644, he returned to his homeland to devote himself entirely to physics and chemistry. He subsequently resided at Stalbridge (1644), at Oxford (1654) and in London (1668). In the scientific field B. was opposed to the Peripatetic-Scholastic theories, which he demolished in the physical field with an impetus and a clarity that were entirely new. Through his research he contributed effectively to the development of chemistry and must be numbered, along with Van Helmont, among the greatest figures who dominated the science of the 17th century. He perfected Otto von Guericke's air pump and formulated the law, later rediscovered by Edmond Mariotte, according to which gases at constant temperature decrease in volume in proportion to the increase in pressure (Boyle-Mariotte law).
He wrote numerous scientific works, among which the Chymista scepticus (Geneva 1676) and the Experimenta et considerationes de coloribus (ibid. 1676) are of the very first importance. The pamphlet Specimen de gemmarum origine et virtutibus (Hamburg 1673) is also noteworthy.
B. had a profound and immensely broad culture, a noble character, and delicate sentiments. Faithful to science, he was no less faithful to religion, on which he composed certain writings of an apologetic character with special regard to the relations between science and faith. In order to be able to read the Bible in the original texts he applied himself to the study of the Oriental languages and of Greek. He had the work of Hugo van Groot, De veritate religionis christianae (Leiden 1627), translated into Arabic, sent the New Testament, translated into the Malay language and printed at his own expense, to mission lands, and manifested his religious convictions through other distinguished works of charity. He was one of the founders of that institution which was to become the Royal Society of London. His complete works were published in Latin (Geneva 1676) and in English (London 1772).
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Emanuele Chietini