From the Mediterranean to the Thames
An Interview with Jack Delauris
We meet the enigmatic young sailor whose adventures have taken him from French galleys to English scholarly circles
RENAISSANCE WEEKLY: Jack, you've had quite a remarkable journey to England. Can you tell us how you came to work with the renowned Dr. John Dee?
Jack Delauris: [shifts in his chair, unconsciously touching his left shoulder]
Ah, well, it was through Gerolamo Cardano actually - Dottore Cardano, the mathematician from Padua. We met under... difficult circumstances, in London, and I helped him reach Dr. Dee safely.
The Doctor saw something in me, I suppose. He doesn't judge a man by where he's been, only by what he's willing to do and learn. That meant everything to me - to be valued for my efforts rather than my past.
RW: Your English is excellent, though we detect a slight accent. Where did you learn the language?
JD: [grins]
On the galleys, believe it or not.
There was an Englishman there - Nicholas - who taught me and others. He said it would serve us well someday, and mon Dieu, was he right!
Later, when I sailed with the Hanse merchants, I practiced with English traders and in London taverns. I found that if you listen carefully and aren't afraid to make mistakes, you learn quickly. Though I still think in French sometimes when I'm tired or angry.
RW: You mention the galleys - that sounds like quite an ordeal. How did that experience shape you?
JD: [face hardens slightly]
It teaches you what truly matters. When you're chained to an oar, pulling in rhythm for hours, you learn about endurance, about depending on the men beside you. You see the worst of humanity, but also surprising kindness - men sharing their meagre rations, protecting the weak when they can.
[pauses]
I learned that survival isn't just about strength - it's about keeping hope alive and helping others do the same. That's served me well in Dr. Dee's work.
RW: Speaking of which, you've been involved in some extraordinary adventures with Dr. Dee's team. Tell us about the search for the Bloodstone.
JD: [eyes light up]
Ah, what a quest! Following clues from ancient riddles, searching hidden chambers beneath churches, solving puzzles that were centuries old. The detective work was as thrilling as any action.
Kat and I made a good team - she has this brilliant mind for languages and codes, while I handle the more... physical challenges. Finding that stone in Oxburgh Hall, after all those months of searching - it felt like we were touching history itself.
RW: Kat seems to be an important part of your adventures. What's it like working with such an unusual young woman?
JD: [a genuine smile spreads across his face]
Kat is... [searches for words]... she's extraordinary. Fearless, clever, loyal to her bones. She can decipher ancient Latin one moment and handle a sword the next.
People underestimate her because she's young and beautiful, but that's their mistake. She's saved my life more than once, and not just from physical danger - she's taught me that intelligence and courage aren't about birth or breeding.
[voice softens]
The world would be a better place if there were more people like her in it.
RW: You've clearly developed strong bonds with Dr. Dee's household. How important is that sense of belonging?
JD: [becomes more serious]
When I was younger, I had a family - parents who loved me, a sister I adored.
[voice drops]
I lost them all in a single day. For years after that, I was alone, just trying to survive.
Jakob Mierjewski, the Hanse merchant, was the first person to treat me like family again, to believe in my potential.
Then Dr. Dee welcomed me into his circle, and suddenly I had Ed and Hal looking up to me, Kat trusting me with her safety, the Doctor relying on my judgment.
[looks directly at interviewer]
Family isn't just blood - it's the people who stand with you when everything goes wrong.
RW: Your sailing experience seems quite valuable to the team. Any plans to return to the sea?
JD: [laughs]
Well, we did sail with Sir Hugh Willoughby's expedition to find the northeast passage to Cathay! Though we disembarked in Norfolk for our mission to Oxburgh.
The sea calls to me, I won't deny it. There's something about the freedom of open water, the challenge of reading wind and tide.
But right now, the adventures on land are just as thrilling. Dr. Dee's work takes us to places I never imagined - ancient libraries, noble houses, hidden chambers.
Plus, [grins mischievously] someone has to keep an eye on Kat. She has this tendency to throw herself into danger.
RW: What drives you to take such risks for Dr. Dee's research?
JD: Knowledge is power, but more than that - it's hope.
Dr. Dee seeks truth, whether it's in mathematics, astronomy, or ancient mysteries. In my experience, truth is often the difference between freedom and captivity, between justice and oppression.
When we found that Bloodstone, we weren't just recovering an artefact - we were preserving knowledge that could help people...although we were too late to help the young King, God bless his soul.
That's worth fighting for. [touches his shoulder again]
Besides, I've seen what happens when ignorance and hatred rule. I'd rather spend my life fighting against that darkness.
RW: Any final thoughts for our readers?
JD: Don't let anyone tell you that your past defines your future.
I was a slave, branded and chained, with nothing but the clothes on my back when I escaped. But I've learned to navigate by the stars, invested in trade ventures, solved ancient mysteries, and found people who value me for who I am now, not who I was.
If you find good people who believe in you - hold onto them. And if you find work that serves something greater than yourself, throw everything you have into it. That's how you build a life worth living.
Jack Delauris spoke with us at a riverside inn in Kingston, his weathered hands gesturing as he described his adventures, his eyes frequently scanning the room - habits, he says, that die hard. Despite his remarkable journey from galley slave to scholar-adventurer, he remains refreshingly down-to-earth and fiercely loyal to his chosen family.