Briefwisseling. Deel 6: 1663-1687

6909. Aan R. Hooke³⁾. (K.A.)

Our honest citizen, M.^r Leewenhoeck⁴⁾ - or Leawenhook, according to your orthographie - having desired me to peruse what he hath set down of his observations about the sting of a bee, at the requisition of M.^r Oldenbourg⁵⁾, and by order, as I suppose, of your noble Royal Society, I could not forbear by this occasion to give you this character of the man, that he is a person unlearned both in sciences and languages, but of his own nature exceedingly curious and industrious, as you shall perceive not onely by what he giveth you about the bee, but also by his cleere observations about the wonderfull and transparent tubuli appearing in all kind of wood, though most evidently and crystallike in the ordinary white and light wood used for boxes. His way for this is to make a very small incision in the edge of a box and then tearing of it a little slice or film, as I think you call it, the thinner the better, and getting it upon the needle of his little microscope - a machinula of his owne contriving and workmanship -⁶⁾ he is able to distinguish those tubuli so perfectly, that by these meanes he lighted upon the consideration of those valvulae you see him reasoning upon, and which indeed do discover themself in a perpetual and very pleasant series, so that, for my part, looking upon this fine fagot of crystal pipes, which in this particular is a fitter way then that of objects laying under a standing microscope, I am easily persuaded of what he discourseth further touching the easy rising of the sap by those short degrees to the highth of a tree, which otherwise could hardly

3) Robert Hooke (1635-1703) was assistent van Boyle en heeft vele uitvindingen gedaan, zich althans vele uitvindingen toegeschreven.

4) Antonie van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723), de beroemde natuurkundige. In 1686 schreef Huygens een versje op zijn portret (vgl. Gedichten, VIII, blz. 348).

5) Heinrich Oldenburg (1626-1678), geb. te Bremen, was consul van die stad te Londen, werd later secretaris der Royal Society en redigeerde als zoodanig de Philosophical Transactions, terwijl hij ook de briefwisseling van het genootschap met vreemdelingen voerde. Hij stond o.a. in druk verkeer met Christiaan Huygens.

6) Er staat achter dit streepje: brass, wat onverstaanbaar is.

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be forced up but by a scarce imaginable power. I make no question, Sir, but that since the first publishing of your excellent Physiological micrographie¹⁾, you have stored up a great many of new observations, and that this also may be one of them, but howsoever I trust you will not be unpleased with the confirmations of so diligent a searcher as this man is, though allways modestly submitting his experiences and conceits about them to the censure and correction of the learned, amongst whom he hath reason enough to esteem yourself beyond all in this kind of philosophie, and many other besides. So that now he doth expect your instruction upon the difficultie he doth find in his glas pipes, whereout I am sure you are to extricate him by very good and ready solutions. If you will have the goodnes to let me see what important observations you may have gathered since the said edition of your book, as allso in any other curiosities, as I know your noble witt and industrie can never otiari, I will take it for a special favour. My French sons new Oscillatorium²⁾ I beleeve by this time hath been seen amongst you. For as much I may claime to be the grandfather of that childs child, I doe long to heare the Royal Societys good opinion of it, and specialy the judgment of your most learned and worthie president, the lord Brouncker³⁾, and the illustrious M.^r Boyle⁴⁾, whose wunderfull capacity and universal knowledge in omni scibili I doe still admire and little less then before. Pray, let them both find here the assurance of my most humble and devoted affection to their service. I hope our sad and unChristian distractions will not make them nor yourself loath to heare from ..... 8 of Aug. 1673.

1) Hooke's Micrographia: or some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies made by Magnifying Glasses. With Observations and Inquiries thereupon, had in 1667 te Londen het licht gezien.

2) Christiaan Huygens' Horologium Oscillatorium sive de Motu Pendulorum ad Horologia aptato Demonstrationes Geometricae, was in 1673 te Parijs verschenen.

3) Viscount William Brouncker (1620?-1684), geb. in Ierland, was een tijd lang lord kanselier en één der eerste leden van de Royal Society.

4) Robert Boyle (1627-1692) behoorde tot cene aanzienlijke Iersche familie en besteedde zijn tijd en zijn geld voor het doen van belangrijke natuurkundige en scheikundige proeven. Hij had daarvoor een laboratorium ingericht, waar hij door vele assistenten, o.a. door Hooke, werd geholpen.