Selected Correspondence of Descartes René Descartes Copyright © Jonathan Bennett 2017. All rights reserved [Brackets] enclose editorial explanations. Small ·dots· enclose material that has been added, but can be read as though it were part of the original text. Occasional •bullets, and also indenting of passages that are not quotations, are meant as aids to grasping the structure of a sentence or a thought. Every four-point ellipsis . indicates the omission of a brief passage that has no philosophical interest, or that seems to present more difficulty than it is worth. (Where a letter opens with civilities and/or remarks about the postal system, the omission of this material is not marked by ellipses.) Longer omissions are reported between brackets in normal-sized type. —The letters between Descartes and Princess Elisabeth of Bohemia, omitted here, are presented elsewhere on this website (but see note on page 181).—This version is greatly indebted to CSMK [see Glossary] both for a good English translation to work from and for many explanatory notes, though most come from AT [see Glossary].—Descartes usually refers to others by title (‘M.’ for ‘Monsieur’ or ‘Abbé’ or ‘Reverend Father’ etc.); the present version omits most of these.—Although the material is selected mainly for its bearing on Descartes as a philosopher, glimpses are given of the colour and flavour of other sides of his life. First launched: April 2013 Correspondence René Descartes Contents Letters written in 1619–1637 1 to Beeckman, 26.iii.1619........................................................1 to Beeckman on 23.iv.1619.....................................................2 to Beeckman, 29.iv.1619.......................................................3 to Gibieuf, 18.vii.1629........................................................3 to Mersenne, 8.x.1629........................................................3 to Mersenne, 13.xi.1629.......................................................5 to Mersenne, 20.xi.1629.......................................................6 to Mersenne, 18.xii.1629.......................................................8 to Mersenne, i.1630........................................................... 11 to Mersenne, 25.ii.1630....................................................... 12 to Mersenne, 18.iii.1630....................................................... 13 to Mersenne, 15.iv.1630........................................................ 14 to Mersenne, 6.v.1630........................................................ 16 to Mersenne, 27.v.1630......................................................... 17 to Beeckmann, 17.10.1630..................................................... 18 to Mersenne, 25.xi.1630....................................................... 20 to Mersenne, 23.xii.1630........................................................ 21 to Balzac, 15.iv.1631.......................................................... 21 to Balzac, 5.v.1631.......................................................... 22 to Villebressieu, summer 1631................................................... 22 to Mersenne, x or xi 1631...................................................... 23 to Golius, 2.ii.1632........................................................... 24 to Mersenne, 5.iv.1632......................................................... 24 to Mersenne, 10.v.1632........................................................ 25 to Mersenne, vi.1632......................................................... 26 to Mersenne, xi or xii 1632...................................................... 26 to Mersenne, late xi.1633........................................................ 27 to Mersenne, ii.1634......................................................... 28 to Mersenne, iv.1634......................................................... 28 to Mersenne, 14.viii.1634...................................................... 30 to Beeckman, 22.viii.1634....................................................... 31 Correspondence René Descartes to Morin, ix or x 1634......................................................... 32 to Golius, 16.iv.1635......................................................... 32 to Golius, 19.v.1635.......................................................... 33 to Mersenne, vi or vii 1635...................................................... 33 to Huygens, 1.xi.1635:......................................................... 34 from Huygens, 3.xii.35......................................................... 34 to Mersenne, iii.1636......................................................... 35 from Huygens, 5.i.1637........................................................ 36 to Mersenne, 27.ii.1637........................................................ 37 to Huygens, 3.iii.37.......................................................... 38 to Silhon, v.1637........................................................... 39 Fermat to Mersenne, iv or v 1637:................................................. 39 to Huygens, 20.v.1637........................................................ 40 to Mersenne, late v.1637........................................................ 41 to ***, late v.1637........................................................... 42 to Mersenne, 25.v.1637........................................................ 43 to Noël, 14.vi.1637........................................................... 44 to Huygens, 12.vi.1637......................................................... 44 to Plempius, 3.x.1637......................................................... 45 to Plempius for Fromondus, 3.x.1637............................................... 46 to Huygens, 5.x.1637......................................................... 49 to Mersenne, 5.x.1637:........................................................ 52 to Noël, x.1637............................................................. 53 to Huygens, 4.xii.1637......................................................... 54 to Plempius, 20,xii.1637:........................................................ 54 to Mersenne, end of xii.1637..................................................... 55 Correspondence René Descartes Letters written in 1638–1640 57 to Mersenne, i.1638........................................................... 57 from Pollot to Reneri for Descartes, ii.1638............................................. 57 to Plempius, 15.ii.1638:....................................................... 59 from Morin, 22.ii.38........................................................... 61 to Vatier, 22.ii.1638.......................................................... 62 against Fermat, 1.iii.38......................................................... 64 to Mersenne, 1.iii.1638........................................................ 65 to Reneri for Pollot, iv or v 1638................................................... 66 to Huygens, 9.iii.1638........................................................ 70 from Mersenne, 28.iv.1638...................................................... 72 to Mersenne, 27.v.1638........................................................ 72 to Morin, 13.vii.1638.......................................................... 74 to Mersenne, 13.vii.1638....................................................... 78 to Mersenne, 27.vii.1638........................................................ 81 to Hogelande, viii.1638........................................................ 83 to Morin, 12.ix.1638.......................................................... 84 to Debeaune, 12.ix.1638....................................................... 86 to Mersenne, 11.x.1638........................................................ 86 to Mersenne, 15.xi.1638....................................................... 88 to Mersenne, xii.1638......................................................... 90 to Mersenne, 9.i.1639.......................................................... 91 to Mersenne, 9.ii.1639........................................................ 93 to Mersenne, 20.ii.1639........................................................ 94 from Regius, 9.iii.39.......................................................... 95 to Debeaune, 30.iv.1639....................................................... 95 to Desargues, 19.vi.1639....................................................... 96 to Mersenne, 19.vi.1639........................................................ 97 to Mersenne, 27.viii.1639...................................................... 98 to Mersenne, 16.x.1639........................................................ 99 to Mersenne, 13.xi.1639....................................................... 100 to Mersenne, 25.xii.1639:....................................................... 101 to Mersenne, 29.i.1640........................................................ 102 to Meysonnier, 29.i.1640....................................................... 103 Correspondence René Descartes to Hogelande, 8.ii.1640......................................................... 104 to Mersenne, 11.iii.1640....................................................... 105 to Mersenne, 1.iv.1640........................................................ 105 to Regius, 24.v.1640......................................................... 106 to Mersenne, 11.vi.1640........................................................ 107 to Mersenne, 30.vii.1640....................................................... 108 to Huygens, 31.vi.1640.......................................................