Descartes: A Biography

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 Descartes: A Biography

forArnauld’s predicament, acknowledging that Arnauld’s ‘enemies’ (i.e.,

the Jesuits) were, for the most part, also his own.He consoled himself

with the thought that he did not quite understand the subtleties of the

theological controversy in which Arnauld was trapped, and that his own

writing did ‘not impinge on theology, neither from a distance nor at close

range’, and that he ‘did not think they could find any pretext in them for

blaming me’ (iv.).

Although he had no hope of meeting Arnauld in hiding, Descartes

hoped to see Picot and to enjoy the kind of intellectual conversation that

he lacked in Egmond. Despite his letter of support for Arnauld against

Jesuit hostility, he also planned to visit a number of Jesuits and, possibly,

to persuade them of the merits of his new physics. He wrote to Father

Mesland (May): ‘I hope to go to France soon where, if possible,

I will have the honour of meeting you’ (iv.). In the case of Mesland,

Descartes’ lengthy letter included discussion of a number of philosophical

issues, especially human freedom, in response to detailed queries that had

been sent by this genuinely interested Jesuit correspondent. As usual, he

had to acknowledge that he had not read a book on which he was asked to

comment – on this occasion, a book on free will by another Jesuit, Father

Denis Petau.However, he could refer Mesland to his own book, ‘my

treatise of philosophy, the printing of which is almost complete’ (iv.).

He wrote to a third Jesuit, Father Grandamy, in similar terms.

The printing of thePrinciplesof my philosophy should have been completed two

months ago, if the publisher had kept his promise. However, it was delayed by the

diagrams, which he was unable to have engraved as quickly as he hoped. Still, I hope

to send you a copy soon, unless the wind carries me from here before the printing is

completed. (iv.–)

By this stage (May), Descartes had already left Egmond and had arrived

in Leiden on his way south to arrange a passage by sea to France.

The Principleswas being printed by Elzevier in Amsterdam, and

Descartes apparently visited his publisher before leaving for France with-

out, alas, getting a final copy of his book. The same printer was interested

in publishing a Latin edition of theDiscourse on Method,together with

theDioptricsand theMeteors–inother words, thebook without the

Geometry.It made sense commercially and editorially to omit theGeom-

etry. TheGeometryprobably required a more specialized translator (and

VanSchooten had already embarked on that task), and it was likely to have