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LEIBNIZ, Gottfried Wilhelm von (1646-1716). Important unpublished autograph letter signed to Jacques le Long ('Mon Reverend pere'), Hanover, 23 April, 1706, in French, referring to scholars with whom he is acquainted, including Varignon, Huygens, Malebranche, Mayer, Mabillon and others, giving information on bibliographical and philological matters, discussing editions of the Bible and similar topics, mostly relating to his correspondent's researches in these fields, also the work of other historians including Père Daniel, 'Je crois qu'il a raison de soutenir que les François n'ont pas été établis fixement au dela du Rhin avant Clovis. Et ceux qui ont cru comme Wendelinus que l'ancienne loy salique avoit este faite quand ils estoient deja les maistres du Brabant et des environs ont été mal informés', and commenting on other learned works and their authors, written on a bifolium, 4 pages, 8vo (195 x 155 mm), addressed in lower margin of first page 'Au R. P. Le Long'.
An unrecorded letter, displaying the great range of Leibniz's acquaintance and learning. He corresponded with almost all the scholars of the day, and mentions here a number of those with whom he was associated in Paris almost 40 years earlier. In the service of the Dukes of Brunswick he moved in 1676 to Hanover, and his historical and genealogical studies took him throughout Germany and into Italy. He was appointed librarian at Wolfenbüttel (which in the present letter he is planning to visit), and made president for life of the Akademie der Wissenschaft in Berlin, which he had helped to found.
Jacques le Long (1665-1721), historian, was for more than 22 years the librarian of the Oratory in Paris, continuing meanwhile to add to his extraordinary knowledge of literature, history and theology. His best known works include the Bibliotheca Sacra (1709); Discours Historique sur les principales editions des Bibles polyglottes (1713) and his Bibliothèque Historique de la France (1719), a catalogue of works, manuscript and printed, on the history of France. The information conveyed by Leibniz in the present letter relates to the gathering of material useful for all three.
Leibniz refers to various libraries including those at the University of Leipzig, only worthy of consideration for the manuscripts taken from neighbouring monasteries; to a scholar in Hebrew at Helmstadt 'Je l'ai prie de voir à l'egard des editions de la Bible s'il pourrit adjouter quelquechose a la Biblitheca Rabbinica de Bartholotius'. He explains the variety of dialects, 'Quand on dit Nieder-deutsch on entend ordinairement le jargon des pays bas, c'est a dire Hollandais, Frision, Flamand. Die Bibel Wendisch imprimé a Wittenberg est du jargon esclavon de la Carinthie .... et pays voisins entre l'Autriche et la mer Adriatique'; and informs Le Long about the cyrillic and glagolitic scripts. He draws attention to an error, 'Quand sous la Rubrique: Londini. Il est dit 27.27. Britannica sive Hibernica. 1620 je juge que l'Hibernica est une erreur. C'est proprement Britannica-Wallica, cest a dire de la langue du pays de Galles, qui convient asses avec celle de la Basse Bretagne, et meme avec l'ancienne Gauloise', and he has heard that the Irish Bible was largely financed by Boyle. Le Long has made enquiries on his behalf about the Glossary of Ansileubus, Bishop of the Goths, in whom he is interested, and also 'On pretend qu'il y a un ouvrage non imprimé de Reginon de Prüm, celebre historien et Abbé autrefois du monastere du dioscese de Treves, qui contient une instruction sur la Musique de son temps'. He also asks Le Long to enquire, without naming him, about Modena, in the hope that the Ducal Library there has not been touched and enquires about other works.
The letter is not among the fifteen to Jacques le Long listed in Bodemann, Der Briefwechsel v. Leibniz, 140-141 (1889).
An unrecorded letter, displaying the great range of Leibniz's acquaintance and learning. He corresponded with almost all the scholars of the day, and mentions here a number of those with whom he was associated in Paris almost 40 years earlier. In the service of the Dukes of Brunswick he moved in 1676 to Hanover, and his historical and genealogical studies took him throughout Germany and into Italy. He was appointed librarian at Wolfenbüttel (which in the present letter he is planning to visit), and made president for life of the Akademie der Wissenschaft in Berlin, which he had helped to found.
Jacques le Long (1665-1721), historian, was for more than 22 years the librarian of the Oratory in Paris, continuing meanwhile to add to his extraordinary knowledge of literature, history and theology. His best known works include the Bibliotheca Sacra (1709); Discours Historique sur les principales editions des Bibles polyglottes (1713) and his Bibliothèque Historique de la France (1719), a catalogue of works, manuscript and printed, on the history of France. The information conveyed by Leibniz in the present letter relates to the gathering of material useful for all three.
Leibniz refers to various libraries including those at the University of Leipzig, only worthy of consideration for the manuscripts taken from neighbouring monasteries; to a scholar in Hebrew at Helmstadt 'Je l'ai prie de voir à l'egard des editions de la Bible s'il pourrit adjouter quelquechose a la Biblitheca Rabbinica de Bartholotius'. He explains the variety of dialects, 'Quand on dit Nieder-deutsch on entend ordinairement le jargon des pays bas, c'est a dire Hollandais, Frision, Flamand. Die Bibel Wendisch imprimé a Wittenberg est du jargon esclavon de la Carinthie .... et pays voisins entre l'Autriche et la mer Adriatique'; and informs Le Long about the cyrillic and glagolitic scripts. He draws attention to an error, 'Quand sous la Rubrique: Londini. Il est dit 27.27. Britannica sive Hibernica. 1620 je juge que l'Hibernica est une erreur. C'est proprement Britannica-Wallica, cest a dire de la langue du pays de Galles, qui convient asses avec celle de la Basse Bretagne, et meme avec l'ancienne Gauloise', and he has heard that the Irish Bible was largely financed by Boyle. Le Long has made enquiries on his behalf about the Glossary of Ansileubus, Bishop of the Goths, in whom he is interested, and also 'On pretend qu'il y a un ouvrage non imprimé de Reginon de Prüm, celebre historien et Abbé autrefois du monastere du dioscese de Treves, qui contient une instruction sur la Musique de son temps'. He also asks Le Long to enquire, without naming him, about Modena, in the hope that the Ducal Library there has not been touched and enquires about other works.
The letter is not among the fifteen to Jacques le Long listed in Bodemann, Der Briefwechsel v. Leibniz, 140-141 (1889).