Cosmological Talk: Three Dialogues on the Heavens in Early Seventeenth-Century Amsterdam

This essay investigates the extent to which natural philosophical and literary discourses converged in the chambers of rhetoric of early seventeenth-century Amsterdam. The inquiry is based on a set of three dialogues written by the merchant, diplomat, and rhetorician Theodoor Rodenburgh. Rodenburgh was clearly invested in expanding both his own and his audiences’ knowledge of the stars, as is witnessed by his various writings that incorporate celestial teachings. The dialogues feature experts on the stars that instruct diplomats, servants, noble ladies, and other inquisitive individuals in the workings of the heavens. These passages can be traced to texts published by specialists in spherical cosmology and astrology. The inclusion of cosmological themes was meant to stimulate reflection not only on the constitution of the heavens, but also on the place of the human in Creation. In tracing Rodenburgh's teachings on the heavens, this essay shows that rhetoricians, in addition to their already significant repertoire of philosophical resources, worked unencumbered on and with cosmological knowledge.