BENEDICT DE SPIXOZA. 



451 



The final thesis of the book is, that " in a free 

 commonwealth it should be lawful for every man 

 to think what he will, and speak what he thinks." 

 And little more than two centuries ago, in the freest 

 country in Europe, this opinion was put forth 

 without the name of the author, and with the 

 name of an imaginary printer at Hamburg, and 

 had to be gradually led up to by an investigation of 

 the principles of Scriptural interpretation and the 

 true provinces of theology and philosophy. To 

 modern eyes the introduction looks much bolder 

 than the conclusion. I forbear to say more of 

 the contents and character of the work, as Mr. 

 Matthew Arnold has already given an admirable 

 account of it in his essay on " Spinoza and the 

 Bible." 



The opposition which Spinoza, doubtless, ex- 

 pected was not long iu showing itself. Early in 

 1671 Spinoza writes to a friend not named : 



" "When Prof. N. N.» lately saw me, he told 

 me, among other things, he had heard that my 

 ' Theologico-Political Treatise ' was translated into 

 Dutch, and that a person, whose name he did not 

 know, was on the point of printing the translation. 

 I therefore earnestly entreat you to inquire dili- 

 gently into this matter and stop the printing, if it 

 can be done. The request is not from me alone, 

 but also from many friends and acquaintances, who 

 would be sorry to see the book prohibited, as it 

 certainly will be if it appears in Dutch." 2 



The book was, in fact, formally condemned 

 some time after ; it does not appear exactly when, 

 but it must have been before 1673, in which year 

 no less than three editions appeared at Amster- 

 dam, with entirely false titles, purporting to be 

 works on medicine or history. It is hardly need- 

 ful to say that it was also put on the Roman 

 Index, and in that catalogue it may still be seen 

 in a very mixed company. 



In the same year a Doctor Lambert van Velt- 

 huysensent to Spinoza, through a common friend, 

 a long letter, which repeated in violent language 

 all the current topics against the " Tractatus Theo- 

 logieo-Politieus," and finally charged the writer 

 with covertly teaching atheism. This fashion of 

 controversy survives to our own day, and has 

 been improved upon. We have invented the term 

 materialist, which makes a fine gradation possible. 

 When we want to say in a short and decided 

 form that we disagree with a man's philosophical 

 opinions, we call him a materialist. If we wish 

 to add to this that the disagreement rests on theo- 

 logical grounds also, we call him an atheist. 



1 The name is deliberately suppressed by the edi- 

 tors of the " Opera Postbuma." 



2 Ep. XLVII. 



Spinoza, having a fancy for the exact use of 

 words, did not like these controversial amenities, 

 and replied (though it was unwillingly that he re- 

 plied at all) more sharply than was usual with 

 him ; he obviously thought the criticism almost 

 too perverse to have been made in good faith. 

 But here, too, we may note his even temper and 

 peaceable disposition. The letter ends thus : 



" I do not think you will find anything in this 

 which can be considered too harsh in manner tow- 

 ard my critic. But, if anything does so appear 

 to you, pray strike it out, or alter it, if you think 

 fit. Whoever he may be, I have no wish to ex- 

 asperate him and make enemies by my work ; in 

 fact, since this is a common result of discussions 

 like the present, I could hardly prevail on myself 

 to write this answer ; nor should I have prevailed 

 on myself, unless I had promised you." l 



Nevertheless, Van Velthuysen and Spinoza 

 were afterward on friendly terms. One of the 

 latest of Spinoza's letters is addressed to Van 

 Velthuysen, and relates to a project of publishing 

 some notes and explanations to the " Tractatus 

 Theologico-Politicus," including, it seems, this 

 very correspondence, or something founded on it. 

 The letter is a model of literary courtesy and 

 good feeling, and as such is worth giving : 



"I am surprised at our friend Neustadt having 

 told you that I thought of replying to the various 

 writings against my treatise which have been 

 published, and intended to include your MS. in 

 the number. I am sure I never intended to refute 

 any of my opponents, for none of them have 

 seemed to me worth answering. All I remember 

 to have said to Mr. Neustadt is, that I purposed to 

 publish some notes explaining the more difficult 

 passages of the treatise, and to add to these your 

 MS. and my answer, if I hadyour leave for so doing. 

 This I desired him to ask of you, and added that 

 in case you should be unwilling to grant it on the 

 score of certain expressions in the answer being 

 rather severe, you should be at full liberty to strike 

 out or alter them. Meanwhile I have no cause of 

 offense against Mr. N. ; but I thought it well to 

 show you the real state of the case, so that, if I 

 cannot obtain your leave, I might at any rate make 

 it clear that I had no intention of publishing 

 your MS. against your will. I believe, indeed, it 

 may be done without any risk to your reputation, 

 if your name is not affixed to it ; but I will do noth- 

 ing unless you grant me leave and license to pub- 

 lish it. But I am free to confess you would do me 

 a far greater favor if you would set down the ar- 

 guments with which you think you can attack my 

 treatise ; and this I most heartily beseech you to 

 do. There is no one whose arguments I should be 



1 Epp. XLVni., XLIX. 



