Descartes: A Biography

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The ScientificEssaysand theDiscourse on Method 

from France, in order to protect the commercial interests of the Dutch

publisher and to prevent French printers from copying the work without

permission. Here again Huygens proved to be an invaluable patron and

support. Descartes asked him (January)tosend to Paris a sample

of fifteen or twenty folios of what had already been printed, using a diplo-

matic courier. Huygens readily agreed to have the material delivered into

Mersenne’s hands, as the person in Paris who was supposed to take care

of the formal request for the privilege.

Mersenne sorely tempted Descartes’ patience during the negotiations

to obtain the French privilege. Descartes had supplied copies of the three

scientific essays, but not theDiscourse on Method, which was the last part to

be written and which had not yet been printed. He specifically asked that

he not be identified in the privilege as the author of the book. Mersenne

forwarded the application, in these terms, to the French chancellor, Pierre

S ́eguier III (–). Seguier had been chancellor since ́ , and

was generally sympathetic to the concerns of authors. He is credited with

saying, ‘If you wish to seduce me, all you need to do is offer me books.’

However, the Cartesian request raised genuine difficulties, even for a sym-

pathetic French chancellor, about authorizing an unexamined discourse

that might contain sensitive theological or political opinions, written by

an anonymous author, and destined for publication in French by a Dutch

publisher. Even more challenging, Descartes was looking for a privilege

forall the books that he planned to publish in the future and which had

not even been written yet.

S ́eguier passed on the material at hand to his secretary, Jean de Beau-

grand, who had published his ownGeostaticsthe previous year and who was

asevere critic of Descartes’ geometry.Beaugrand asked that the author

provide a copy of the introductory ‘discourse’ for examination. Once he

was informed about these problems, Mersenne summarized them in a let-

ter to Descartes, and he suggested the solution of publishing simultane-

ously with a French publisher, such as Soly (who subsequently published

theMeditations), who could then transfer legal protection to Jan Maire.

Descartes turned to Huygens once again, and accepted reluctantly that he

might have to compromise his anonymity, since the French chancellor ‘did

not wish to put the King’s name on a book where the author does not put

his own’ (i.). He also sent him a copy of theDiscourse, requesting that

it be sent by diplomatic courier to Mersenne, and inviting both Huygens

and his wife to read the proofs and make corrections.