Dee's own papers give the details of his birth, which is just as well as there is no official record of it. The relevant document is a horoscope, showing his birth as: 1527 July 13 4h. 2'. P.M. Lat. 51º.32'. In other words, he was born at 4.02pm on July 13 1527, the location being at a latitude probably corresponding to the City of London (latitudes were not then shown on maps, but those of important places were listed in astrological tables). He was precocious academically, arriving at Cambridge University in 1542, and was elected a founder fellow of Trinity College in 1546. His thirst for knowledge took him to the continent. At Louvain, near Brussels, he furthered his mathematical education and befriended the geographer Mercator.
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