# Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Hood, Thomas (fl.1582-1598)

​HOOD, THOMAS (fl. 1582–1598), mathematician, son of Thomas Hood, a merchant tailor of London, entered Merchant Taylors' School 7 Nov. 1567, and matriculated at Cambridge as a pensioner of Trinity College in November 1573. He graduated B.A. 1577–8, was elected fellow of Trinity, and commenced M.A. in 1581. The privy council having recommended that the citizens be instructed in military matters, a mathematical lectureship was founded in London, apparently by ‘Thomas Smith of Gracechurch Street,’ and in 1582 Hood was appointed the first lecturer. The course was given in Staples Chapel, Leadenhall Street, and afterwards in Smith's house. Sir Francis Walsingham recommended his lectures. Hood afterwards practised physic under a license from his university dated 1585. In 1590 he was living in Abchurch Lane, in 1596 ‘a little beneath the Minories,’ and in 1598 he is called ‘doctor in physicke’ on the title-page of one of his books. William Bedwell [q. v.] was a friend and admirer.
Hood was the author of:
* ‘A Copie of the Speache made by the Mathematicall Lecturer unto the Worshipfull Companye present in Gracious Street the 4 of November 1588,’ London, 4to, n.d.; an argument in favour of the study of mathematics, and showing their application to astronomy and navigation, ‘geographie,’ ‘topographie,’ ‘hydrographie,’ and ‘martiall affaires.’
* ‘Elements of Geometrie,’ London, 1590 (J. Windet for T. Hood), 8vo; translated from the Latin of Ramus for the use of Hood's auditors, and dedicated to Sir John Harte, the lord mayor.
* ‘The Use of the Celestial Globe in Plano, set foorth in two Hemispheres, wherein are placed all the most noted Starres of Heauen according to their Longitude, Latitude, Magnitude, and Constellation,’ London, 1590, 4to (for T. Cooke); in dialogue form, containing a table of stars with the right ascension and the ‘degree of any signe wherewith they come to the meridian, and the time of the yeere wherein they may be seen there.’
* ‘The Use of the “Jacobs Staffe,” with “A Dialogue touching the Use of the Crosse Staffe,”’ London, 1590, 4to; a second edition, ‘newly reviewed,’ entitled ‘Two Mathematicall Instruments, the Cross-staffe (differing from that in common use with the Mariners) and the Jacobs Staffe, set foorth Dialogue-wise,’ London (R. Field for R. Dexter), 1596, 4to, was dedicated to the Lord Admiral, Howard of Effingham.
* ‘The Use of both the Globes Celestiall and Terrestriall most plainely delivered in forme of a dialogue. Containing most pleasant and profitable conclusions for the Mariner,’ London, 1592, 8vo.
* ‘The Marriners Guide set forth in the form of a Dialogue, wherein the use of the Plane Card is briefelie and planely delivered,’ London (T. Este for T. Wight), 1596, 4to; an application of the sea-card to the solution of a number of elementary problems in navigation; this tract is also found appended to the 1596 issue of Hood's revised edition of William Bourne's ‘Regiment for the Sea.’
* ‘Elements of Arithmeticke most methodically delivered,’ London, 1596; a translation of the ‘Elementa Arithmeticæ’ of Urstisius, Basle, 1579.
* ‘The Making and Use of the Geometricall Instrument called the Sector,’ London, 1598, 4to, dedicated to Charles Blount, eighth lord Mountjoy [q. v.], mainly consisting of problems to be solved by using the sector after studying the geometry of Ramus or Euclid, with accurately drawn diagrams.
Hood ‘newly corrected and amended’ in 1592 ‘A Regiment for the Sea,’ by William Bourne [q. v.], and his edition was reissued in 1596 and 1611. Appended to Joseph Moxon's ‘Tutor to Astronomie,’ London, 1659, 4to, is the ‘Ancient Poeticall Stories of the Starres’ collected from ‘Dr. Hood.’ Copies of all Hood's books, except No. 7, are in the British Museum Library.
[Cooper's Athenæ Cantabr. ii. 270; Robinson's Merch. Taylors' Reg. v. 10; De Morgan's Arith. Books, p. 24; Rouse Ball's Hist. Math. pp. 23–4.]
R. E. A.