Briefwisseling van Hugo Grotius. Deel 17

3008A. 1637 april 2. Van J. Gerstorff.¹

Vir illustrissime,

Quas ad te Venetiis dedi litteras² recte tibi allatas esse confido. Ideoque supersedeo Italiae res ac statum reliquaque in iis perscripta heic iterare. Nec est quod sperem hasce tibi redditum iri priusquam omnia quae de mutationibus exinde consequutis commemorare possem, aliunde fiant notissima. Anglus quippe, praesentium lator, e nobilissima Ventvortiorum familia oriundus,³ lento admodum itinere Parisios est petiturus. Huius rogatu inductus, humanitate fretus tua nullus dubitavi virum optimis moribus praeditum tibi virorum optimo de meliori nota commendare. Facerem id certe pluribus, ni ipse sine alieno favore an commendatione tantam tuam benivolentiam expertus essem, ut cum reliqua grati animi indicia desint, tui colendi voluntatem constanter mihi tuendam esse

1 Hs. Den Haag, Vredespaleis, ms. 21, eigenh. oorspr. In de bijlage een Engelse vertaling, uitgegeven in Grotiana. Belangrijke boekenverzameling van en betreffende Hugo Grotius. Catalogus no. 25, H. Berkelouw, Boekhandel en antiquariaat Rotterdam, [Rotterdam 1925], p. 19-20. Joachim Gerstorff (Gersdorff) (1611-1661) was een Deens edelman, die na zijn studie aan de universiteit van Sorø (1623-1629) een langdurige ‘peregrinatio academica’ ondernam. In de periode 1635-1636 kwam hij te Parijs in contact met Hugo Grotius. Zie nos. 2661, 2662, 2698, etc. (dl.VII), en DBL V, p. 164-167.

2 Ontbreekt.

3 Deze Engelse edelman, telg uit het geslacht Wentworth, is niet nader geïdentificeerd.

[p. 413]

videam. Quapropter etiam quae vitae dies, eadem omnino observantiae in te meae factura est finem.

Deum, vir illustrissime, ut diu felix sospesque sis, animitus precor,

illustrissimae Dominationi tuae addictissimus,
J. Gerstorff.

Romae, II Aprilis 1637.

Bovenaan de brief schreef Grotius: Rec. 13 Juillet.

Onderaan de brief staat in een onbekende hand: Inscriptio erat: A monsieur/monsieur Grotius, ambassadeur ordinaire de la reine et couronne de Suede vers sa Majesté tres chrestienne, à Paris.

Bijlage:

Dear sir,

I trust that the letter which I wrote to you at Venice has arrived. Therefore I need not repeat the condition in Italy and other things mentioned in it. Moreover I have no reason to expect that this letter will be handed to you before I could mention to you all that might become known to you from elsewhere about the further proceedings. Angelus who proposes these things belonging to the noble family of the Ventvortii intends to march very quickly to Paris. Led to it by his request I have, relying upon your humanity, hesitated in no way in recommending the man with the very best character to the most excellent man. I should certainly appreciate it, if I myself had not experienced your great benevolence without the patronage or recommendation of another in such a way that though the indications of a grateful mind fail for the rest, I saw that the will to honour you must continually be observed by me. Therefore only the day putting an end to my life will end my respect towards you,

Dear sir, I heartily pray God that you may live happily,

Vyerstorff.

Rome, II Aprilis 1637.