John Dee was an English mathematician, astronomer, teacher, astrologer, occultist, and alchemist. He was the court astronomer for, and advisor to, Elizabeth I, and spent much of his time on alchemy, divination, and Hermetic philosophy. As an antiquarian, he had one of the largest libraries in England at the time. As a political advisor, he advocated the foundation of English colonies in the New World to form a "British Empire", a term he is credited with coining. July 23, 1527 – 1608; died at about 81. Alive at the same time as William Shakespeare, Michelangelo, Martin Luther, René Descartes, and Elizabeth I of England. Wiki link