Descartes: A Biography

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 Descartes: A Biography

well as he claims...he would not have to make such an intellectual effort

to sing their praises’ (iv.–).

The winter of–was especially cold, thus offering opportunities

forDescartes to make detailed observations on the shapes of snowflakes –

and for adults and children to skate on frozen lakes and canals, as illus-

trated in the winter landscapes of a contemporary Dutch painter, Heindrik

Avercamp (–).

During this period in Amsterdam, Descartes met one of the lead-

ing figures in the cultural and political life of the United Provinces,

Constantijn Huygens (–). Huygens was son of a refugee from

Brabant, one of the southern provinces that straddled the border between

the United Provinces and the residual Spanish Netherlands, and was the

same age as Descartes. He was married to Susanna van Baerle (–

), with whom he had five children – the second of whom, Christiaan,

became a famous physicist in the second part of the seventeenth century.

In stark contrast with the French philosopher, however, Huygens was a

committed Counter-Remonstrant, and an extremely successful admin-

istrator who functioned as private secretary to theStadtholder,Frederik

Hendrik (from). He was thus ideally placed to provide patronage and

support in a Calvinist society for the relatively impecunious, isolated, and

Catholic Frenchman. Huygens’ interests extended well beyond politics

and religion. As an accomplished poet in his own right and translator of

the poems of John Donne, he acted as a cultural intermediary between

Prince Frederik Hendrik and many of the leading poets, artists, and archi-

tects of the time, including Rembrandt (whom he introduced to the prince

of Orange in), Vossius, Hooft, and others. Despite his support for

the Counter-Remonstrant side in the division among Dutch Calvinists,

however, Huygens also acted as a catalyst in trying to reconcile divisions

between the provinces. For example, in a controversy fueled by Voetius’

attack on the use of organ music in the public church, Huygens wrote a

book indefending the appropriateness of the tradition and the use

of music in Calvinist religious services.

Descartes first met Huygens in April, after which he wrote to

David le Leu de Wilhem (–)–Huygens’ future brother-in-

law – and asked him to pass on a letter to the intended recipient.When

Huygens visited Amsterdam,March–April, Descartes read sec-

tions of theDioptricsto him, as a sample of work in progress, and Huygens

offered to conduct some experiments to test the theory they discussed.