Second Editioji of the Commerciuni Epistolicum. ^55 



in Epistola sequente mutavit in fluentes, et inde natus est cal- 

 culus exponentialis " is new. The insinuation is of a piece 

 with the rest, 



XVII. (95, 202). Leibnitz announces a theorem to which 

 the old editors append the following note : " t Rogatur D. 

 Leibnitius ut hoc Theorema lucem tandem videat." The new 

 editors suppress this note, apparently as thinking it useless to 

 make the request of Leibnitz after he was dead. This is 

 something in their favour, as to motive : it shows that their 

 incorrect notions of a reprint acted both ways. So far as not 

 answering the challenge would leave Leibnitz under the im- 

 putation of having boasted of what he could not do, and 

 thereby diminish the probability of his having been original in 

 what he said he did do, so far they abandoned an advantage. 



XVIII. (97, 205). In the summary of events the bracketed 

 words are new : " Brevi postea, Autumno scilicet anni 1677j 

 mors Oldenburgi huic literarum Commercio finem imposuit. 

 Deinde anno 1682 [Collins mortuus est, et] Acta eruditorum 

 Lipsiae primum edita sunt," &c. 



I have before pointed out (see XII.) the effect of this inser- 

 tion. The occurrence of the death of Oldenburg, followed 

 by the very date of that of Collins, must have suggested the 

 mention of the death of the latter. I am afraid the omission 

 must be considered as an advised suppression by the original 

 editors. 



XIX. (100, 210). The last sentence of the note, " Et Pel- 

 lius cui hfB series ignotge non erant, cum Leibnitio de seriebus 

 verba habuit." The new editors did not like to lose a chance. 



XX. (101,211). The words in the note " Alteras Newtonz 

 dim acceperat ab Oldeiiburgo" are new. 



XXI. (108, 222). In the third note the word Corollarium 

 is altered in the second edition into Scholium. 



I shall now mention a matter in which the two editions 

 closely agree, but which, I think, has escaped notice. The 

 report of the Committee is English, with a Latin translation in 

 the form of foot notes for the use of foreigners. Two decided 

 mistranslations occur, of which I should pass over the first, if 

 it were not that the Committee have a right to such presump- 

 tion as it will afford that the second was carelessness or over- 

 sight. The first is as follows: — "and compar'd those of 

 Mr. Gregory with one another, and with Copies of some of 

 them taken in the Hand of Mr. Collins," is rendered by 

 " Literas autem quas Gregorium praj se ferebant auctorem, 

 ipsius esse cognovimus fide Collinii, qui nonnullas earum Gre- 

 gorio assiguatas manu sua exscripserat." The second is as 

 follows :— " In which Letter the Method of Fluxions was suffi- 



