Isaac de Sequeira Samuda or Isaac de Sequeyra Samuda (born 1681, d. 1729) was a British physician and poet.[1] He was of Portuguese-Jewish descent and was the first member of the Samuda family to settle in Britain.
He was the first Jew to be elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (in 1727). In 1728, he gave an oration at the funeral of HahamDavid Nieto.[2]
Biography
He was the second son of a Portuguese merchant, Rodrigo de Sequeira, and his wife, Violante Nunes Rosa. He graduated from Coimbra University as a bachelor of medicine in 1702. With his friend Dr Samuel Nunes and two uncles, he was arrested in 1703, tortured and convicted, under duress, of practising Judaism, at an auto da fé in Lisbon on 19 October 1704, which meant the death penalty if convicted again. His maternal grandfather's widow was burnt at the stake in Lisbon in 1706, as was his only sister Maria de Melo Rosa in 1709. He escaped to London with his mother, an uncle and five aunts, to join his elder half- brother, Abraham de Almeida (Gaspar de Almeida de Sequeira). He joined the London Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue in October 1709 and changed his name to Ishac de Sequeira Samuda.[1]
In March 1722, Samuda was admitted as a licentiate by the Royal College of Physicians. In February 1723, he translated a Portuguese report of a whale stranded in the Tagus, for the Royal Society, and was elected a fellow of the Royal Society on 27 June 1723, proposed by its secretary, James Jurin, and supported by Sir Hans Sloane. In April 1724, he delivered a paper to the society giving a detailed description by a Lisbon physician of the yellow fever epidemic in Portugal the previous year. He also provided six reports from Lisbon in Latin, by the astronomer João Baptista Carbone, which gave observations of the eclipses of the satellites of Jupiter made by Portuguese Jesuits in Paris, Lisbon, Rome and Peking. These were intended to be used to calculate longitudes.[1]
Samuda was known as a poet. In 1720, he contributed two poems in Portuguese to Daniel Lopes Laguna's Espejo fiel de la vida. In 1724, he wrote a poem of 1,274 stanzas in Portuguese ottava rima, arranged in thirteen cantos, titled "Viridiadas", after Viriatus, the leader of the Lusitanian people who resisted Roman expansion into Hispania in the first century BC. After Samuda's death, Jacob de Castro Sarmento added another fifty stanzas and presented the manuscript to King João V of Portugal.[1]
David Nieto (1654–1728) was the rabbi of the Bevis Marks Synagogue (the oldest synagogue in the United Kingdom) from 1701. Some of his attributes were immortalized by Samuda wrote an epitaph for his tomb, describing him as a "sublime theologian, a man of profound wisdom, remarkable physician, famous astronomer, sweet poet, fluent rhetorician, jocund author".[3] In a sermon preached at the Nieto's funeral, and later printed, Samuda said that Nieto was an example to emulate and one that he followed. Samuda supported his arguments by drawing on works of the Holy Scriptures and authors of classical Greece and Rome. He quoted Robert Boyle, Hermann Boerhaave, Willem 's Gravesande and Isaac Newton.[2]
Samuda died unmarried on 20 November 1729, in the parish of St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate, London. He was buried in the Portuguese Jews' "Velho" (Old) Cemetery in Mile End Road, Stepney,[1] where Nieto is also buried.[4]
References
^ abcdeEdgar Samuel, ‘Samuda, Isaac de Sequeira (bap. 1681, d. 1729)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, January 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
^ abCarla Costa Vieira, Observing the skies of Lisbon. Isaac de Sequeira Samuda, an estrangeirado in the Royal Society, Notes & Records, 20 June 2014 Volume 68, issue 2. Royal Society. DOI: 10.1098/rsnr.2013.0049. Retrieved 10 January 2107
^Isaac de Sequeira Samuda, Sermam funebre pera as exequias dos trinta Dias do insigne, eminente e pio Haham e Doutor R. David Netto, (London, 1728), p. 119. Quote: "Theologo sublime, Sabio fundo, / Medico insigne, Astronomo famoso, / Poeta doce, Pregador facundo, / Logico arguto, Physico engenhoso, / Rhetorico fluente, Author jucundo, / Nas Linguas prompto, Historias noticioso: / Posto que tanto em pouco, aquy se encerra, / Que o muito, e pouco em morte hé pouca terra."
^Mile End Cemeteries: London, on the website of the International Jewish Cemetery Project
External links
Royal Society web site
April 15, 2023
isaac, sequeira, samuda, isaac, sequeyra, samuda, born, 1681, 1729, british, physician, poet, portuguese, jewish, descent, first, member, samuda, family, settle, britain, first, elected, fellow, royal, society, 1727, 1728, gave, oration, funeral, haham, david,. Isaac de Sequeira Samuda or Isaac de Sequeyra Samuda born 1681 d 1729 was a British physician and poet 1 He was of Portuguese Jewish descent and was the first member of the Samuda family to settle in Britain He was the first Jew to be elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1727 In 1728 he gave an oration at the funeral of Haham David Nieto 2 Biography EditHe was the second son of a Portuguese merchant Rodrigo de Sequeira and his wife Violante Nunes Rosa He graduated from Coimbra University as a bachelor of medicine in 1702 With his friend Dr Samuel Nunes and two uncles he was arrested in 1703 tortured and convicted under duress of practising Judaism at an auto da fe in Lisbon on 19 October 1704 which meant the death penalty if convicted again His maternal grandfather s widow was burnt at the stake in Lisbon in 1706 as was his only sister Maria de Melo Rosa in 1709 He escaped to London with his mother an uncle and five aunts to join his elder half brother Abraham de Almeida Gaspar de Almeida de Sequeira He joined the London Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue in October 1709 and changed his name to Ishac de Sequeira Samuda 1 In March 1722 Samuda was admitted as a licentiate by the Royal College of Physicians In February 1723 he translated a Portuguese report of a whale stranded in the Tagus for the Royal Society and was elected a fellow of the Royal Society on 27 June 1723 proposed by its secretary James Jurin and supported by Sir Hans Sloane In April 1724 he delivered a paper to the society giving a detailed description by a Lisbon physician of the yellow fever epidemic in Portugal the previous year He also provided six reports from Lisbon in Latin by the astronomer Joao Baptista Carbone which gave observations of the eclipses of the satellites of Jupiter made by Portuguese Jesuits in Paris Lisbon Rome and Peking These were intended to be used to calculate longitudes 1 Samuda was known as a poet In 1720 he contributed two poems in Portuguese to Daniel Lopes Laguna s Espejo fiel de la vida In 1724 he wrote a poem of 1 274 stanzas in Portuguese ottava rima arranged in thirteen cantos titled Viridiadas after Viriatus the leader of the Lusitanian people who resisted Roman expansion into Hispania in the first century BC After Samuda s death Jacob de Castro Sarmento added another fifty stanzas and presented the manuscript to King Joao V of Portugal 1 David Nieto 1654 1728 was the rabbi of the Bevis Marks Synagogue the oldest synagogue in the United Kingdom from 1701 Some of his attributes were immortalized by Samuda wrote an epitaph for his tomb describing him as a sublime theologian a man of profound wisdom remarkable physician famous astronomer sweet poet fluent rhetorician jocund author 3 In a sermon preached at the Nieto s funeral and later printed Samuda said that Nieto was an example to emulate and one that he followed Samuda supported his arguments by drawing on works of the Holy Scriptures and authors of classical Greece and Rome He quoted Robert Boyle Hermann Boerhaave Willem s Gravesande and Isaac Newton 2 Samuda died unmarried on 20 November 1729 in the parish of St Botolph without Bishopsgate London He was buried in the Portuguese Jews Velho Old Cemetery in Mile End Road Stepney 1 where Nieto is also buried 4 References Edit a b c d e Edgar Samuel Samuda Isaac de Sequeira bap 1681 d 1729 Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Oxford University Press 2004 online edn January 2015 Retrieved 10 January 2017 a b Carla Costa Vieira Observing the skies of Lisbon Isaac de Sequeira Samuda an estrangeirado in the Royal Society Notes amp Records 20 June 2014 Volume 68 issue 2 Royal Society DOI 10 1098 rsnr 2013 0049 Retrieved 10 January 2107 Isaac de Sequeira Samuda Sermam funebre pera as exequias dos trinta Dias do insigne eminente e pio Haham e Doutor R David Netto London 1728 p 119 Quote Theologo sublime Sabio fundo Medico insigne Astronomo famoso Poeta doce Pregador facundo Logico arguto Physico engenhoso Rhetorico fluente Author jucundo Nas Linguas prompto Historias noticioso Posto que tanto em pouco aquy se encerra Que o muito e pouco em morte he pouca terra Mile End Cemeteries London on the website of the International Jewish Cemetery ProjectExternal links EditRoyal Society web site Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Isaac de Sequeira Samuda amp oldid 1113236417, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
