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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY.— SUPPLEMENT. 



later works. For instance, the avoidance of pure- 

 ly metaphysical discussion in the " Tractatus The- 

 ologico-Politicus," published in 1670, must be set 

 down not to uncertainty or immaturity of thought, 

 but to deliberate reserve dictated by reasons of 

 policy. 



At this time (1663) Spinoza published the 

 " Principles of Cartesian Philosophy." It has 

 already been mentioned that in this book he was 

 not speaking for himself, and he attached no 

 value to it (as he informed Oldenburg), save as a 

 means of attracting attention and patronage in 

 certain places (alluding, probably, to the De 

 Witts), such as might encourage him to publish 

 something more substantial of his own. The 

 book seems to have done its work in assuring the 

 author's reputation. In 1664 we find William 

 van Blyenbergh, a worthy merchant of Dort, and 

 a man of good family, introducing himself to Spi- 

 noza by letter in these terms : 



" Dear Sir and Unknown Friend : I have al- 

 ready several times carefully read over your trea- 

 tise lately published with its appendix. It will be 

 more proper for me to speak to others than to 

 yourself of the instruction I found in it and the 

 pleasure I derived from it. This much I cannot 

 forbear saying, that the oftener I go over it with 

 attention, the more I am pleased with it, and I 

 constantly find something which I had not marked 

 before." 



He proceeds to ask several metaphysical ques- 

 tions. 1 Spinoza received his unknown corre- 

 spondent with a warm welcome. 



" Unknown Friend : From your letter I under- 

 stand your exceeding love of truth, and how that 

 only is the aim of all your desires ; and, since I 

 direct my mind upon naught else, this constrains 

 me to determine, not only fully to grant your re- 

 quest, which is to answer to the best of my skill 

 the questions which you now send or shall send 

 hereafter, but to perform all else on my part which 

 may avail for our better acquaintance and sincere 

 friendship. For myself, there is, among things out 

 of my own control, none I prize more than enter- 

 ing into the bond of friendship with men who are 

 sincere lovers of truth. For I believe that nothing 

 in the world, not being under our control, can be 

 so securely taken for the object of our love as men 

 of this temper ; since 'tis no more possible to dis- 

 solve that love they have for one another (seeing 

 it is founded on the love each of them hath for the 

 ' knowledge of truth) than not to embrace the truth 

 itself when once perceived." 



Blyenbergh sent to this a very long reply, from 

 which Spinoza discovered that their notions of 

 philosophical inquiry did not agree so well as he 

 > Ep. XXXI. 



had supposed. " So that," he says, " I fear we 

 shall get little mutual instruction by our corre- 

 spondence. For I perceive that no proof, how- 

 ever firm it may be as a proof, may have weight 

 with you unless it agrees with the construction 

 which you or certain other theologians may put 

 upon the Scriptures." For my part, he continues 

 in effect, I confess I find the Scriptures obscure, 

 though I have studied them several years ; and 

 on the other hand, when I obtain sufficient proof 

 of anything, I know not how to refuse assent to 

 it. And he goes on to show that Blyenbergh has 

 completely misunderstood his position. This, 

 however, did not put an end to the correspond- 

 ence, and sundry other letters passed. In one of 

 these, Van Blyenbergh throws in, by way of post- 

 script, the sage question " whether we cannot 

 avoid, by the exercise of prudence, that which 

 otherwise would happen to us ; " to which Spinoza 

 could only say, "As to the question added to 

 the end of your letter, since we might put a 

 hundred like it in an hour, and never settle one of 

 them, and you hardly press for an answer your- 

 self, I shall not answer it." Soon after this they 

 met, and had a friendly conversation. Blyen- 

 bergh attempted to renew the correspondence, 

 but this time Spinoza distinctly declined it. 



We have also letters to various persons, 

 chiefly on scientific topics, which approximately 

 cover the next few years. Mr. Lewes has called 

 attention to the interest shown by Spinoza in an 

 experiment in alchemy, to which he was at the 

 time disposed to give credit. 1 And at the time 

 there was nothing surprising or absurd in this ; 

 we have evidence, however, that some years later 

 Spinoza had become more skeptical. For in 1675, 

 when his friend Dr. Schaller had written to him 

 from Paris, describing some similar process, 

 Spinoza replied almost bluntly that he had no 

 mind to repeat the experiment, and felt quite 

 sure that no gold had been produced which was 

 not there before.* 



In 1670 was published the " Tractatus Theo- 

 logico-Politicus," of which I give the title from an 

 early English translation (London, 1689) : 



"A Treatise partly theological and partly politi- 

 cal, containing some few discourses to prove that 

 the Liberty of Philosophizing (that is, making 

 use of Natural Keason) may be allowed without 

 any prejudice to Piety, or to the Peace of any 

 Commonwealth ; and that the Loss of Public Peace 

 and Religion itself must necessarily follow, when 

 such a Liberty of Reasoning is taken away." 



1 Ep. XL V., Lewes," Hist. Phil.," ii., 180 (3d edition). 



2 Ep. LXV., b. (Van Vloten, " Supp.," p. 318). 



