Alle de brieven. Deel 3: 1679-1683

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Brief No. 64.
28 September 1680.

Gericht aan: Thomas Gale.

Manuscript: Onderteekende, eigenhandige brief te Londen, Royal Society. MS. 1890. L l. 61. Eén kwartobladzijde.

Gepubliceerd in:

Geen publicatie bekend.

Korte inhoud:

Tweede verzoek om bericht aangaande de ontvangst te Londen van den brief van 14 Juni 1680.

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Letter No. 64.
September 28th 1680.

Addressed to: Thomas Gale.

Manuscript: Signed autograph; London, Royal Society, MS. 1890. L l. 61. One quarto page.

Published in:

No publication is known.

Summary:

A second request for acknowledgment of receipt in London of the letter of June 14th 1680.

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d'H^r Thomas Gale.

Delft den 28. 7mb^r. 1680

Mijn Heer.

Jnde missive die ik laest¹⁾ van UEd: mede Broeder de H^r Robert Hooke heb ontfangen, verseekert deselve Heer mij, dat al wat Brieven ik aen hem Heer Hooke sal komen te schrijven, datse UEd: sekerlijk sal beantwoorden.²⁾ en alsoo ik den 14^e Junij eenige observatien aende gemelte Heer heb gesonden, en daer over ook den 9^e Augustij heb versogt te weten, of mijn Missive was te regt gekomen, dog tot dato geen antwoort bekomen, soo kan ik mij niet anders inbeelden, of mijn missiven sijn vermist, dierhalven neme ik de vrijmoedigheijt desen aen UEd: te senden, met seriues versoek, of UEd: die goetheijt gelieft te hebben, om mij te adviseren³⁾ of mijn verhaelde missive vanden 14 Junij UEd: is ter hand gekomen, alsoo ik het vervolg daer van, die ik alrede op het papier heb gestelt, beneffens nog verscheijde bij mij als nieuwe

1) Laest - het laatst. L. doelt hier op Hooke's brief van 12 April 1680 O.S. Zie den brief van 13 Mei 1680, gericht aan Thomas Gale, blz. 230. [M.]

2) Zie aant. 4 bij den brief van 13 Mei 1680, gericht aan Thomas Gale. De behandeling van L.'s brieven werd waarschijnlijk nog vertraagd door het feit, dat deze eerst vertaald moesten worden. Zoo leest men telkens bij Th. Birch The History of the Royal Society of London IV (1757) mededeelingen als: ‘Mr. Leewenhoeck's letter to Mr. Hooke, who had translated the sense of it into English, was read.’ (blz. 32). ‘Mr. Austin took this letter, and promised to translate it into English against the next meeting, it being written in Dutch.’ (blz. 37). ‘He (Mr. Hooke) produced two letters from Mr. Leewenhoeck. which not being yet translated into English, were referred to the next meeting.’ (blz. 56). ‘Mr. Hooke produced a long letter lately received by him from Mr. Leewenhoeck. It was written in Low Dutch; but the contents of the several heads were read by Mr. Hooke. It was desired, that the said letter should be translated and answered.’ (blz. 56). [M.]

3) Adviseren - berichten.

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Mr. Thomas Gale.

Delft, September 28th 1680.

Sir,

In the last letter¹⁾ which I received from your colleague Mr. Robert Hooke, this gentleman assures me that any letter I shall write to him will certainly be answered by you²⁾. Now, having sent to the said gentleman some observations on the 14th of June and having up to now received no reply to my request of the 9th of August for acknowledgment of that missive, I cannot but think that my letters are lost. For which reason I take the liberty to address this letter to you, earnestly requesting you kindly to let me know if my above-mentioned letter of the 14th of June has come to hand, in which case I will forward to you a continuation, which I have already committed to paper, as well as several new

1) L. refers to Hooke's letter of 12 April 1680 O.S.; see letter of 13 May 1680 addressed to Thomas Gale, p. 231. [M.]

2) See note 4 to the letter of 13 May 1680, addressed to Thomas Gale. Probably the necessity of translating L's letters delayed their discussion. Thus we read again and again in Birch The History of the Royal Society, IV (1757) passages like the following: ‘Mr. Leewenhoeck's letter to Mr. Hooke, who had translated the sense of it into English, was read’ (p. 32); ‘Mr. Austin took this letter, and promised to translate it into English against the next meeting, it being written in Dutch’ (p. 37); ‘He (Mr. Hooke) produced two letters from Mr. Leewenhoeck, which not being yet translated into English, were referred to the next meeting’ (p. 56); ‘Mr. Hooke produced a long letter lately received by him from Mr. Leewenhoeck. It was written in Low Dutch; but the contents of the several heads were read by M. Hooke. It was desired, that the said letter should be translated and answered.’ (p. 56). [M.]

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ontdeckingen,⁴⁾ UEd: alsdan sal laten toe komen, afbreekende blijve na presentatie van mijn geringen dienst, en groetenisse aen het Hoogh weerdige Collegie vande Koninckl. Societeit

Mijn Heer.

UEd: gans ten Hoogst Verpligten Dienaer

Antonj Leeuwenhoeck.

4) Waarschijnlijk heeft L. hier een woord vergeten. De bedoeling is wel: ‘door mij beschreven nieuwe ontdekkingen’. [M.]

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discoveries. Offering my slight services and greetings to the Honourable College of the Royal Society, I am, Sir,

Your most obliged servant,

Antonj Leeuwenhoeck.