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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY.— SUPPLEMENT. 



more glad to consider ; for I am aware that your 

 only motive is affection for the truth, and I know 

 the candor of your mind; in the name of which I 

 again entreat you not to decline giving yourself 

 this trouble. " 



Van Velthuysen afterward expanded his letter 

 into one of the many answers to Spinoza's treatise 

 that were published in the next few years. In 

 1674 Spinoza mentions that he had seen an answer 

 to the " Tractatus Theologico-Politicus," written 

 by a professor at Utrecht, in a bookseller's win- 

 dow, but on looking into it found it not worth 

 reading, much less answering. " So there I left 

 the book and its author. I smiled inwardly as I 

 considered how the most ignorant of men are 

 everywhere the boldest and the most ready to 

 write books." 



In 1672 occurred the one striking incident 

 of Spinoza's life after his excommunication. The 

 public misfortunes of that year, the French in- 

 vasion of the Netherlands, the outbreak of popu- 

 lar discontent, and the massacre of the brothers 

 De Witt by the infuriated mob of the Hague, be- 

 long to general history. Spinoza was a personal 

 friend of John De Witt's, had accepted a small 

 pension from him, and may through his means 

 have taken some part in politics. He was moved 

 by this event, it is said, so much beyond his wont, 

 that be could hardly be restrained from express- 

 ing his indignation in public at the risk of his 

 life. Shortly afterward the Prince of Conde, 

 being then in command of the French army, in- 

 vited Spinoza to his headquarters at Utrecht. 

 His only motive appears to have been a genuine 

 desire to make the philosopher's acquaintance. 

 The invitation was accepted, and Spinoza betook 

 himself to Utrecht with a safe-conduct. Cond6, 

 however, had in the mean time been called away, 

 and Spinoza went home without seeing him, hav- 

 ing turned a deaf ear to the suggestion of the 

 French officers who entertained him that he 

 might probably insure a pension from their king 

 if he would dedicate some work to him. On Spi- 

 noza's return to the Hague sinister rumors got 

 abroad concerning his journey, and Spinoza's 

 landlord was for a time in fear that the mob 

 would attack and storm the house for the pur- 

 pose of seizing him as a spy. 



Spinoza, however, comforted his host with 

 these words : 



" Fear nothing on my account, I can easily justi- 

 fy myself; there are people enough, and of chief 

 men in the country too, who well know the motives 

 of my journey. But, whatever come of it, so soon as 

 the crowd make the least ncise at your door, I will 



' go out and make straight for them, though they 

 | should serve me as they have done the unhappy 

 \ De Witts. I am a good republican, and have nev- 

 er had any aim but the honor and welfare of the 

 ! state." 



The danger passed off, but Spinoza's conduct 

 under it is none the less worthy of admiration ; 

 and the incident has its value in the light it throws 

 on the general esteem in which he then stood. 

 For the consciousness, not merely of an innocent 

 purpose, but of a character above the possibility 

 of rational suspicion, was necessary to make Spi- 

 noza's visit to the French headquarters prudent or 

 justifiable ; and the authorities of his own country 

 would assuredly never have consented to it had 

 they not felt absolute confidence that the public 

 good would in no way suffer by it. 



In 1673 Spinoza received a courteous letter 

 from Prof. Fabritius, of Heidelberg, who was com- 

 manded by Charles Lewis, the elector palatine, 

 to offer him the chair of Philosophy at that uni- 

 versity. This letter contained the following sen- 

 tence : " You will have the largest freedom of 

 speech in philosophy, which the prince is confi- 

 dent you will not misuse to disturb the established 

 religion." It seems by no means unlikely that 

 this condition was inserted merely as a matter of 

 form. The elector probably knew the " Tractatus 

 Theologico-Politicus ; " and if he seriously meant 

 to impose restrictions, he would have laid down 

 something much more definite. Spinoza, how- 

 ever, answered thus: 



" Had it ever been my desire to occupy a chair in 

 any faculty, I could have wished for no other than 

 that which the Most Serene Elector Palatine offers 

 me by your bands : and especially on account of 

 that freedom in philosophy which the prince is 

 pleased to grant, to say nothing of the desire I 

 have long entertained to live under the rule of a 

 prince whose wisdom is the admiration of all men. 

 But since I have never been minded to give public 

 lectures, I cannot persuade myself to accept even 

 this splendid opportunity, though I have given long 

 consideration to it. For I reflect in the first place 

 that I must give up philosophical research, if I am 

 to find time for teaching a class. I reflect, more- 

 over, that I cannot tell within what bounds I ought 

 to confine that philosophical freedom you mention, 

 in order to escape any charge of attempting to dis- 

 turb the established religion. Keligious dissen- 

 sions arise not so much from the ardor of men's 

 zeal for religion itself, as from their various dis- 

 positions and love of contradiction, which leads 

 them into a habit of decrying and condemning 

 everything, however justly it be said. Of this I 

 have already had experience in my private and 

 solitary life ; much more then should I have to 



