“ WE CARRY WITHIN US , THE WONDERS WE SEEK WITHOUT US .”
SIR THOMAS BROWNE
Physician , author , natural historian , collector , and Old Wykehamist , Sir Thomas Browne ( 1605-82 ) was an extraordinary figure . He had a remarkably inquisitive mind and questioned widely-believed assumptions through observation and experimentation . In the process , he assembled an eclectic collection which a visitor to Browne ’ s house in 1671 described as “ a paradise and cabinet of rarities ”. The inside cover of this year ’ s Journal features objects and images from Winchester ’ s diverse collections that represent Thomas Browne ’ s curious approach to the natural world .
Browne contributed to an intellectual community that forged a revolution in scientific thought . In his own words , “ I make not therefore my head a grave , but a treasure of knowledge ; I intend no Monopoly , but a Community in learning ” ( Religio Medici , 1643 ). Last year , four of our students curated the exhibition “ A Treasure of Knowledge ” ( on display in Treasury , June to December 2020 ), which showed Browne ’ s extraordinary mind at work within the ‘ community of learning ’ of the seventeenth century . Over 400 years after he was a student at the College , we continue to encourage Browne ’ s curious and collaborative approach in our own community of learning .