Distinguished Sir,--I have at length received your
long wished for letter, and am at liberty to answer it. But, before I
do so, I will briefly tell you, what has prevented
my replying before. When I removed my household goods here in
April, I set out for Amsterdam. While there certain
friends asked me to impart to them a treatise containing, in brief,
the second part of the principles of Descartes treated
geometrically, together with some of the chief points treated of
in metaphysics, which I had formerly dictated to a
youth, to whom I did not wish to teach my own opinions openly.
They further requested me, at the first opportunity,
to compose a similar treatise on the first part. Wishing to oblige
my friends, I at once set myself to the
task, which I finished in a fortnight, and handed
over to them. They then asked for leave to print it, which I readily
granted on the condition that one of them should,
under my supervision, clothe it in more elegant phraseology, and
add a little preface warning readers that I do not
acknowledge all the opinions there set forth as my own, inasmuch
as I hold the exact contrary to much that is there
written, illustrating the fact by one or two examples. All this the
friend who took charge of the treatise promised to
do, and this is the cause for my prolonged stay in Amsterdam.
Since I returned to this village, I have hardly been
able to call my time my own, because of the friends who have
been kind enough to visit me. At last, my dear friend,
a moment has come, when I can relate these occurrences to
you, and inform you why I allow this treatise to see
the light. It may be that on this occasion some of those, who
hold the foremost positions in my country, will be
found desirous of seeing the rest of my writings, which I
acknowledge as my own; they will thus take care that
I am enabled to publish them without any danger of infringing
the laws of the land. If this be as I think, I shall
doubtless publish at once; if things fall out otherwise, I would rather
be silent than obtrude my opinions on men, in defiance
of my country, and thus render them hostile to me. I
therefore hope, my friend, that you will not chafe at
having to wait a short time longer; you shall then receive from me
either the treatise printed, or the summary of it
which you ask for. If meanwhile you would like to have one or two
copies of the work now in the press, I will satisfy
your wish, as soon as I know of it and of means to send the book
conveniently.
[The rest of the letter is taken up with criticisms on Boyle's book.]
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