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Most Experienced Sir, and valued Friend, --I was much
pleased to learn from your letter, received today,
that you are well, and that our friend von Tschirnhausen
has happily accomplished his journey to France. In the
conversation which he had about me with Mr. Huygens, he
behaved, at least in my opinion, very judiciously; and besides, I
am very glad that he has found so convenient an opportunity for
the purpose which he intended. But what it is he has found in
E1A4
that seems to contradict E2P5
I do not see. For in that
proposition it is affirmed, that the
essence of every idea has for
its cause God,
in so far as He is considered as a thinking thing;
but in that axiom, that the knowledge or idea of a cause
depends on the knowledge or idea of an effect.
[actually: E1A4
"The knowledge of an effect depends on and involves the
knowledge of a cause."] But, to tell the
truth, I do not quite follow, in this matter, the meaning of your
letter, and suspect that either in it, or in his copy of the book,
there is a slip of the pen. For you write, that it is affirmed in
Proposition 5 [E2P5]
that the objects of ideas are the efficient causes of
the ideas, whereas this is exactly what is expressly denied in
that proposition, and I now think that this is the cause of the
whole confusion. [N1] Accordingly it would be useless for me at
present to try to write at greater length on this subject, but I
must wait, till you explain to me his mind more clearly, and till
I know whether he has a correct copy. I believe that I have an
epistolary acquaintance with the Leibnitz he mentions. But why
he, who was a counsellor at Frankfort, has gone to France, I do
not know. As far as I could conjecture from his letters, he
seemed to me a man of liberal mind, and versed in every
science. But yet I think it imprudent so soon to entrust my
writings to him. I should like first to know what is his business
in France, and the judgment of our friend von Tschirnhausen,
when he has been longer in his company, and knows his
character more intimately. However, greet that friend of ours in
my name, and let him command me what he pleases, if in
anything I can be of service to him, and he will find me most
ready to obey him in everything.
I congratulate my most worthy friend Mr. Bresser on his arrival or return, and also thank him heartily for the promised beer, and will requite him, too, in any way that I can. Lastly, I have not yet tried to find out your relation's method, nor do I think that I shall be able to apply my mind to trying it. For the more I think over the thing in itself, the more I am persuaded that you have not made gold, but had not sufficiently eliminated that which was hidden in the antimony. But more of this another time: at present I am prevented by want of leisure. In the meanwhile, if in anything I can assist you, you will always find me, most excellent Sir, your friend and devoted servant, B. de Spinoza. The Hague, 18 Nov., 1675. [Note N1]: It appears to me, that Schaller correctly states the difficulty of Tschirnhausen, but that by leaving out a negative in the sentence in question, he has attributed the doctrine of Prop. 5. to Prop. 7., and vice versa. --[Tr.] |
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