Alle de brieven. Deel 12: 1696-1699

[p. 206]

Brief No. 191
20 Februari 1698

Gericht aan: Antonio Magliabechi.

Manuscript: Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale Firenze, Mss. Magl., Classe VIII, Codice 547, fol. 18^r-19^v; octavo.

Gepubliceerd in:

D. Carbone 1930: ‘Contributo alla storia della microbiologia’, in Bolletino dell'Istituto Sieroterapico milanese 9 (1930), blz. 521 en 529. - Vermelding van het bestaan van de brief met een kort citaat.

Korte inhoud:

Verslag aan Magliabechi van de problemen die zijn opgetreden bij het transport van het boek dat door hem als geschenk aan L. verzonden was.

Opmerkingen:

De tekst van de brief bevindt zich op fol. 18^r-19^r. De Latijnse brief is niet van de hand van L. zelf, maar op fol. 19^v heeft L. eigenhandig als adressering geschreven: Illustrissimo Celeberrimo Doctissimo D^o Antonio Magliabechi Franco augsb. Florencen.

[p. 207]

Letter No. 191
20 February 1698

Addressed to: Antonio Magliabechi.

Manuscript: Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale Firenze, Mss. Magl., Classe VIII, Codice 547, fol. 18^r-19^v; octavo.

Published in:

D. Carbone 1930: ‘Contributo alla storia della microbiologia’, in Bolletino dell'Istituto Sieroterapico milanese 9 (1930), pp. 521 and 529. - Mention of the existence of the letter with a short quotation.

Summary:

Report to Magliabechi on the problems which have occurred during the transport of the book which had been sent to L. by him as a present.

Remarks:

The text of the letter is to be found on fol. 18^r-19^r. The Latin letter is not by the hand of L. himself, but on fol. 19^v L. has written by his own hand the address: Illustrissimo Celeberrimo Doctissimo D^o Antonio Magliabechi Franco augsb. Florencen.

[p. 208]

Illustrissimo, Clarissimo, Doctissimo, Viro,
D^o Antonio Magliabechio¹⁾
Antonius a Leeuwenhoek S.

Suo tempore, Vir Illustrissime, traditae mihi fuere, per Cl. Gronovium²⁾, litterae, quas denuo ad me scribere dignatus es. Eas mihi gratissimas, lectuque jucundissimas, fuisse scias, praesertim cum viderim eas iterum refertas evidentissimis solitae erga me benevolentiae ac humanitatis Tuae speciminibus; quippe dolere Te summopere testaris Librum illum egregium et pretiosum, quo me, nil tale merentem, ex insigni Tua liberalitate, beare decreveras, ad manus meas haud pervenisse³⁾. Quod ad me, non parum, fateor, tanti muneris, et heu! a Tanto Viro missi, jactura afficior; attamen, quum ejusmodi casibus, aliunde nobis advenientibus, avertendis pares non simus, hisce acquiescendum est.

Non possum quin hisce Te certiorem faciam, scripsisse ad me Bruxellis D^mJ. Senerin: Arnold:⁴⁾ die 15 Januarii 1698; accepisse se litteras Praga Bohemorum, a quodam D^o Cooqus⁵⁾, uno ex Domesticis Serenissimi Tusciae Principis⁶⁾, quibus rogaretur ut inquireret in librum, cui titulus

Saggi di Naturali Experi:⁷⁾

Seque ad hasce litteras omnem adhibuisse industriam, ut librum illum investigaret, ac tandem expiscatum esse hominem, cui Liber, mihi tradendus, concreditus fuerat; at hominem illum in Angliam esse profectum, res vero suas, et inter has etiam librum saepe memoratum, Bruxellis reliquisse, quum brevi eo redire statuisset.

Idcirco D^us Arnoldi litteris suis me rogavit, ut brevi eum, quid hoc in negotio fieri vellem, certiorem redderem; periculum enim in mora esse agebat, quoniam is, cui liber creditus erat, eum jam venditaverat serenissimi Principis Vaudemontii Actuario⁸⁾.

1) Antonio Magliabechi (1633-1714) was bibliothecaris van de groothertog van Toscane, Cosimo III de' Medici. Zie het Biogr. Reg., Alle de Brieven, Dl. 6, blz. 390.

2) Bedoeld is Jacobus Gronovius (1645-1716). Zie het Biogr. Reg., Alle de Brieven, Dl. 6, blz. 386.

3) Zie hiervoor ook Brief 189 van 2 november 1697, in dit deel.

4) Senerin: is een afkorting van Serenissimum, waarin echter verschrijving van n en r heeft plaatsgevonden. [Dam.]
Johan Arnoldi is niet geïdentificeerd. L. schreef hem eind 1697 of begin 1698 een brief over het zoekgeraakte boek. Zie Brief 190, in dit deel.

5) Giovanni of Gianni Coqus was een reisgenoot van Luca Giamberti. Volgens de laatste had Coqus kennissen in Brussel. [Gal.]

6) Cosimo III de' Medici (1642-1723), groothertog van Toscane van 1670 tot 1723. Zie het Biogr. Reg., Alle de Brieven, Dl. 11, blz. 338.

7) Zie voor dit boek aant. 2 bij Brief 189 van 2 november 1697, in dit deel.

8) Waarschijnlijk is hier bedoeld Claude François Canon, die als secretaris van Charles Henride Lorraine, prins van Vaudemont (1649-1714), voor Lotharingen deelnam aan de gesprekken rond de Vrede van Rijswijk van 1697. Zie aant. 5 bij Brief 185 van 6 juni 1697 en het Biogr. Reg., beide in dit deel.

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Antoni van Leeuwenhoek greets the Most Illustrious,
Famous, and Learned Mr. Antonius Magliabechi¹⁾.

In due time, Most Illustrious Sir, the letter which you again thought fit to write to me was delivered to me by the Very Famous Mr Gronovius²⁾. I would inform you that I found it very welcome and a great pleasure to read, especially because I saw that it is again full of very evident marks of Your usual benevolence and kindness towards me; in fact, you say that you greatly regret that the wonderful and precious Book with which out of Your notable liberality you had decided to make me quite undeservedly happy has not reached me³⁾. As to me, I confess that I was no less shocked by the loss of so great a present, and that, alas! sent by so Great a Man; yet we have to be resigned to it, since we are unable to ward off such events, which befall us from elsewhere.

I am bound to inform You in this letter that Mr J. Arnoldi⁴⁾ wrote to me on 15 January 1698 from Brussels; he had received a letter from Prague in Bohemia from one Mr Cooqus⁵⁾, one of the Domestics of the Most Serene Prince of Tuscany⁶⁾, in which he was asked to inquire about a book entitled:

Saggi di Naturali Experi.⁷⁾

In connection with this letter he had made every effort to trace this book and finally he had found the man to whom the Book had been entrusted for delivery to me. This man, however, had left for England, but had left behind his possessions, including also the book repeatedly mentioned, in Brussels, since he had decided to return there shortly.

For that reason Mr Arnoldi in his letter asked me to inform him shortly what I wished to be done in this matter; indeed, he stated that delay was dangerous, because the man to whom the book had been entrusted had already offered it for sale to the Secretary of the most serene Prince of Vaudemont⁸⁾.

1) Antonio Magliabechi (1633-1714) was librarian to the grand duke of Tuscany, Cosimo III de' Medici. See the Biogr. Reg., Collected Letters, vol. 6, p. 391.

2) The reference is to Jacobus Gronovius (1645-1716). See the Biogr. Reg., Collected Letters, vol. 6, p. 387.

3) On this, see also Letter 189 of 2 November 1697, in this volume.

4) Johan Arnoldi has not been identified. At the end of 1697 or the beginning of 1698 L. wrote him a letter about the lost book. See Letter 190, in the present volume.

5) Giovanni or Gianni Coqus was a travelling companion of Luca Giamberti. According to the latter Coqus had friends in Brussels. [Gal.]

6) Cosimo III de' Medici (1642-1723), grand duke of Tuscany from 1670 to 1723. See the Biogr. Reg., Collected Letters, vol. 11, p. 339.

7) For this book, see note 2 to Letter 189 of 2 November 1697, in this volume.

8) Probably the person meant here is Claude François Canon, who as secretary to Charles Henri de Lorraine, Prince of Vaudemont (1649-1714), took part for Lorraine in the discussions round the Peace of Rijswijk of 1697. See note 5 to Letter 185 of 6 June 1697 and the Biogr. Reg., both in this volume.

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Ad haec ego Nob: D^o. Arnoldi rescripsi, eumque obnixe rogavi, ut hac in re ea adhiberet media, quae, pro prudentia sua, requiri existimaret, ut libro tandem potiri queam; me vero impensas, quas eum in finem fieri necessum fuerit, lubentissime restituturum, idque eo lubentius, quod sciam esse munus datum ab Illustrissimo Magliabechio, Amico aeternum mihi colendo.

Praeterea litteris meis inclusi epistolam, quam Dusseldorpia⁹⁾ acceperam, quippe ex qua liquere possit Librum illum non alio nomine in ejus Viri esse potestate, quam ut eum mihi tradat. Hoc ergo pacto spero, tantopere exoptatum mihi illud ϰειμηλιον, tandem ad manus meas deventurum, quod si factum fuerit non negligam id quam citissime ad Te perscribere.

Infinitis nominibus me Tibi devinctum lubens agnosco, ob librorum recens editorum tam liberalem communicationem.

Vale multum diuque Vir Illustrissime, Orbis Literati Decus et Ornamentum, et mihi meisque, ut coepisti, favere perge.

Dabam Delfis Hollandorum
Die 20 Februarii 1698.

9) Het boek was meegegeven aan Luca Giamberti, die van Florence naar Düsseldorf reisde; zie Brief 189 van 2 november 1697, in dit deel. Zie voor L.'s contacten met Magliabechi: Van Rijnberk, ‘Briefwisseling’, en Van der Saag, ‘Rabus’, blz. 361-366.

[p. 211]

Thereupon I wrote again to the Noble Mr Arnoldi and requested him urgently to use in this matter such means as he thought in his discretion to be required in order that I should at last get the book. I told him that I should very gladly pay the expenses that would have to be incurred for the purpose, and this with the more pleasure because I know that this present was given to me by the Most Illustrious Magliabechi, whose Friendship I must always cherish.

Moreover I enclosed in my letter an epistle I had received from Düsseldorf⁹⁾, since it can be seen therefrom that the Book was in the hands of that Man for no other purpose than for delivery to me. In this way therefore I hope that this treasure I so ardently long to receive will at last reach me; if this has happened, I will not omit to write and tell You as soon as possible.

I very gladly acknowledge that I am infinitely indebted to You, because of your detailed information on recently published books.

May you always be in good health, Most Illustrious Sir, you, the Pride and Glory of the Literate World, and may you continue to be favourably disposed towards me and mine, as you have been from the beginning.

Given at Delft in Holland
20 February 1698.

9) The book had been sent along with Luca Giamberti, who travelled from Florence to Düsseldorf; see Letter 189 of 2 November 1697, in this volume. For L.'s contacts with Magliabechi, see Van Rijnberk, ‘Briefwisseling’, and Van der Saag, ‘Rabus’, pp. 361-366.