32 
LEEUWENHOEK AND HIS ‘“‘ LITTLE ANIMALS”’ 
Their Worships the Burgomasters and Magistrates of 
the Town of Delft have appointed and do hereby charge 
Antony Leewwenhoek to look after the Chamber wherein 
the Chief Judge the Sheriffs and the Law Officers of this 
Town do assemble: to open and to shut the foresaid 
Chamber at both ordinary and extraordinary assemblies 
of the foresaid Gentlemen in such wise as shall be required 
and needful: ztem to show towards these Gentlemen all 
respect honour and reverence and diligently to perform 
and faithfully to execute all charges which may be laid 
upon him and to keep to himself whatever he may over 
hear in the Chamber: to clean the foresaid Chamber 
properly and to keep it neat and tidy: to lay the fire at 
such times as it may be required and at his own con- 
venience and carefully to preserve for his own profit 
what coals may remain unconsumed and see to it that 
no mischance befall thereby nor from the hght of the 
candles: and he shall furthermore do all that is required 
of and that pertaineth to a good and trusty Chamberlain. 
For the which service the foresaid Antony Leeuwenhoek 
shall enjoy such wages benefits and emoluments as the 
foresaid lamented Jan Strick his predecessor in office did 
enjoy and shall enter into his duties upon the morning 
of the 24th of January 1660 and his wages shall be paid 
upon the same terms as those whereon the foresaid Jan 
Strick’s were paid. Ordered by all the Burgomasters in 
Council assembled this 26th day of March 1660 and 
signed by 
J. Camerling, Pensionary. 
Locy (1901, 1910, 1925), and Plimmer (1913) give, and which is stated by 
them to have been derived from the researches of Dr A. Wynter Blyth 
[a writer on toxicology and food-analysis, and Medical Officer of Health for 
St. Marylebone, London], is evidently nothing but a garbled version of 
Haaxman. There is no evidence to support Locy’s statements (1910, p. 78; 
1925, p. 207) that Wynter Blyth himself examined the town archives— 
which seems to be merely a mistaken inference from Richardson’s loose 
expressions. 
