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Most Excellent and Distinguished Sir, --I wonder at our
friend Neustadt having said, that I am meditating the
refutation of the various writings circulated against my
book, [N2] and that among the works for me to refute he
places your MS. For I certainly have never entertained
the intention of refuting any of my adversaries: they all
seem to me utterly unworthy of being answered. I do not
remember to have said to Mr. Neustadt anything more,
than that I proposed to illustrate some of the obscurer
passages in the treatise with notes, and that I should add
to these your MS., and my answer, if your consent could
be gained, on which last point I begged him to speak to
you, adding, that if you refused permission on the
ground, that some of the observations in my answer
were too harshly put, you should be given full power to
modify or expunge them. In the meanwhile, I am by no
means angry with Mr. Neustadt, but I wanted to put the
matter before you as it stands, that if your permission be
not granted, I might show you that I have no wish to
publish your MS. against your will. Though I think it
might be issued without endangering your reputation, if
it appears without your name, I will take no steps in the
matter, unless you give me leave. But, to tell the truth,
you would do me a far greater kindness, if you would
put in writing the arguments with which you think you
can impugn my treatise, and add them to your MS. I
most earnestly beg you to do this. For there is no one
whose arguments I would more willingly consider;
knowing, as I do, that you are bound solely by your zeal
for truth, and that your mind is singularly candid, I
therefore beg you again and again, not to shrink from
undertaking this task, and to believe Yours most
obediently,
B. de Spinoza. [Note N1]: See Letters 48, 49. [Note N2]: The "Tractatus Theologico-Politicus." |
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