Descartes: A Biography

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ambassador was about to send him serious objections, and he was assured

byreturn that they would be very welcome. Unfortunately, Charnace was ́

killed onSeptember in the course of the siege without having sent his

comments. Descartes sent a copy to Balzac in the middle of June, from

an unidentified address in ‘Holland’, with a letter of regret for his silence

and lack of correspondence ‘for a number of years’. He also imitated the

ornate literary style that was typical of Balzac in excusing the defects of his

work:

Ieventually took the risk of printing the writings that you receive with this letter.

Although I do not think that they are at all worthy of being read by you, and although

Iamvery much more ashamed of the unsophisticated style and simplicity of my

thoughts before you than before others who would not be as well able to recognize

them, nevertheless the affection which you deigned to show me for so long suggests

that this book will receive more protection and support from you than from anyone

else, and that you will even oblige me by informing me of the errors you notice in my

writings and the ways in which they could be remedied. For, since I did not let the

book carry my name, I think I can still disown it if necessary. (i.)

He wrote an equally effusive letter to one of his former Jesuit teachers at

La Fl`eche, FatherEtienne No ́ ̈el.

Iamsure that you will not have retained the names of all the students you had twenty-

three or twenty-four years ago, when you were teaching philosophy at La Fl`eche, and

that mine is among those which were erased from your memory. However, I did not

think that, for that reason, I should erase from mine the obligations that I have to you.

Ihavenot lost the desire to acknowledge them, although I have no other opportunity to

do so except that, having had the book that accompanies this letter published recently,

Iamvery happy to offer it to you as a fruit that belongs to you and of which you had

spread the first seeds in my mind, just as I owe to members of your order all the little

knowledge of good literature that I possess. If you take the trouble to read this book

or to have it read by those of your order who have more leisure for the task, if you

notice any errors (which will undoubtedly be found in large numbers), and if you do

me the favour of alerting me to them and thus continue to teach me, I would be very

muchobliged and would do my utmost to correct them in accordance with your good

suggestions. (i.)

Apart from those to whom Descartes sent copies of the book after pub-

lication, others had seen earlier versions of the text that had been sent

to Mersenne as part of the request for a French privilege. Some readers

presumably bought their own copies from booksellers, and within a rela-

tively short time Descartes was faced with objections and criticisms from

farand near.