Gaesbeeck's Dedication
In 1684, Daniel van Gaesbeeck in Leiden printed the first six letters that Leeuwenhoek published in Dutch. Dobell orders them by the number of the letter:
- Onsigtbare Geschapene Waarheden, Letter 32 of June 14, 1680 (AB/CL 62) to Thomas Gale and Letter 33 of November 12, 1680 (AB/CL 65) to Robert Hooke
- Eyerstok, Letter 37 of January 22, 1683 (AB/CL 70) to Christopher Wren and Letter 39 of September 17, 1683 (AB/CL 76) to the Royal Society
- Schobbens in de Mond, Letter 40 of December 28, 1683 (AB/CL 79) to Francis Aston
- Humor Cristallinus, Letter 41 of April 14, 1684 (AB 80) to Francis Aston
In this note from the printer to the reader, Gaesbeeck began by noting why Leeuwenhoek was publishing his own letters. Comparison of Leeuwenhoek's manuscripts with the extracts translated into English for Philosophical Transactions and Philosophical Collections and summarized in French for Journal des Sçavans, among others, shows how much was lost when editors became involved.
Gaebeeck continued by summarizing the letters he had printed in Onsigtbare Geschapene Waarheden and in Eyerstok, that it, Letters 32, 33, and 37. The note came on the page following the Schobbens in de Mond title page, which summarized Letter 40. It also summarizes, without a date, Letter 41, which Gaesbeeck would print in the same year with the same summary on the title page.
Not accounted for in Gaesbeeck's note is Letter 39. It is often bound with Onsigtbare Geschapene Waarheden or Eyerstok.
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Den Drukker aan den Leeser. Weet-gierige Leser De Spreuk 't minste werd gesien, 't meeste blyft verhoolen, myn yversugt met wonderlijke begeerte aangedaan hebbende om te beschouwen de onsigbare geschapene waarheden der wesentlijke stoffe, die door 't vergrootglasig werktuig (eerst door den vernuften Heer Ant. Leeuwenhoek tot sodanigen volmaaktheyd, tot roem der stad Delfd uitgevonden) aan de wereld wierde vertoont: waar door de Koninklijke wetenschap-soekende Societeit tot Londen sig verpligt heeft gevonden om syn Ed. als een waardig mede-broeder in haar Societeit met blijdschap aan te nemen en te omhelsen, en d'uitvindingen in haar Philosophical trans-actions we wereld (dog verminkt) op te dissen. Waar door 't puik der geleerde 't samen komste tot Leipsig is aangeset geworden om die ondekking van syn Ed. te versoeken, ende eenige der selve in de Ephimeridis Eruditorum, (dikwils qualijk overgeset) uitgaven: Vele Franse en Latijnse scrifte melde wel van dees ontdekkinge, maar hadden den sin en meining van den voornoemden Heer qualig begrepen: so dat vele voorname en geleerde Heren syn Ed. seer aanpersten, om eenige synder bekent making in syn eigen taal ons vaderland mede te delen. So wierde myn door een voornaam Heer van ter syde, eenige tot voldoening myns yvers medegedeelt, die ik door myn druk-pers de wereld gemeen maakten en aan den Ed. uitvinder, A. van Leeuwenh. weder opdroeg. Waar in syn E. voorstelde. De gestalten en werking van Gist, Bloed, kreeft oog, 't voort komen van diertjens buiten de lugt, geschreven aan de Heer T. Gale, Sec. vande Con. Societeit den 14 Feb. 1680. [should be 14 June 1680] Als mede de gestalte en werking vande wyn-moer, wyn, stomme wyn, en bloed, syrope, en water, van de Venae Lactae, ofte melk-vaten, en de Chylus ofte melk, vande pis en voorsegging uit de selfde, van de mist inde lugt, de brandende kaars, van 't herts gedaante en werking, van levende diere in 't manlyk saad der Kevers, Juffertjens, Sprinkhanen, Vloyen, muggen, vande vloi beet, van de diertjens daarder 1 000000000. de grote van een sand bestaan, geschreven aan de Heer R. Hooke, Sec. vande Con. Soc. den 12. Novemb. 1680. Daar en boven nog een handelende van de levende diertjens tusschen onse kiesen en tanden, vande aaltjens in de azyn, puisjens in 't aansig, van de schobbens en haar gedaanten op onse huyd, en de sweet-gaten inde selfde, geschreven aan de Heer F. Aston. Sec. vande Con. Soc. den 12. Septemb. 1683. So is syn Ed. eindelijk door 't aansoeken van veel geleerde en wijtberoemde Heren bewogen, myn eeinger synder bekentmakinge te behandigen, om de selfde door myn druk-pers de wereld optedissen, so heeft syn Ed. myn nog boven dees begiftigt met een verhaal geschreven aan de Heer F. Aston. Secretaris der Koninklijke Societeit tot Londen. Handelende over het maaksel van 't Humor Christallinus, so van verscheyde dieren, vogelen, ende visschen, het draat-agtig wesen dat in 't oog voor komt, de vogtigheyd op het Hoorn-vlies, het maaksel van een klein bloed aderken, ende de opperste huyd vau [sic] een swarte Morrine. En myn nog de gonstig toesegging tot voldoening der wetenschap soekende Heren, D'ont-leding, opwassing en sterving van verscheyden Houten. Hopende door de verder voorspraak van verscheide Eerwaarde Heren de gonst van syn Ed. sal bekomen, om tot genoegen en voldoening der wetenschap soekende lief-hebbers meer van syn Ed. te verwerven, gebruikt dan dees onderwijl tot V. E. voordeel, en Vaart wel. Uyt myn Drukkerij den 24. Julii 1684. Daniel van Gaesbeek. |
From the printer to the reader
Curious reader
The saying, The least is seen, the most remains concealed[1], overwhelmed my zeal with a wondrous desire to contemplate the invisible created truths of essential matter, which was demonstrated to the world through the magnifying instrument (first invented by the ingenious gentleman Ant. Leeuwenhoek to such perfection, to the glory of the city of Delft): whereby the Royal knowledge-seeking Society in London has found itself obliged to accept and embrace his Honor with joy as a worthy confrère in the Society, and to dispense the inventions to the world in Philosophical Transactions (though mutilated[2]). Whereby the excellence of the learned coming together in Leipzig has been encouraged to request the discoveries of his Honor and to publish some of the same in the Ephimeridis Eruditorum[3] (often mistranslated): Many French and Latin writings[4] reported the discoveries, but misunderstood the meaning and essence of the aforesaid gentleman: so that many distinguished and learned gentlemen strongly urged his Honor to make some [discoveries] known to us communicated in his own language in our homeland. So some were recently imparted to me by an eminent gentleman[5], to the satisfaction of my zeal, that I made public to the world through my printing press, and dedicate again to the honored inventor, A. van Leeuwenh. Which his Honor suggested.
The structures and workings of yeast, blood, lobster eye, the coming forth of animals beyond the light, written to Sir T. Gale. Sec. of the Roy. Society, 14 Feb. 1680[6].
Also the shapes of the wine lees, wine, mute wine[7], and blood syrup, and water, of the venae lactae, or the milk-vessels, and the chylus, or milk, of the urine and predictions of the same, of the mist in the air, a burning candle, of the deer’s shape and workings, of living animals in the male seed of cockchafers, damsel flies, grasshoppers, fleas, mosquitoes, of the flea bite, of the animals of which 1,000,000,000 exist in the size of a grain of sand, written to Mr. R. Hooke, Sec. of the Roy. Soc. on 12 Nov. 1680[8].
And on top of that, another treatment of the living animals between our molars and teeth, of the eels in vinegar, pustules in the mouth, of the scales on our skin and their shapes, and the sweat-holes in the same, written to Sir F. Aston. Sec. of the Roy. Soc. on 12 Septemb. 1683[9].
So is his Honor moved at last, by the solicitation of many learned and famous gentlemen, to hand over some of this letters, in order to publish the same to the world through my printing press, so his Honor presented me with an account written to Mr. F. Aston, secretary of the Royal Society in London.
Treating the makeup of the crystalline humor, so of various animals, birds, and fishes, the screw-like creature that appears in the eye, the moisture on the cornea, the makeup of a small vein of blood, and the outer skin of a black Moor[10].
My yet favorable promise to the satisfaction of the knowledge-seeking gentlemen,
The anatomy, growth, and death of various woods[11].
Hoping through the further intercession of various honorable gentlemen to receive the favor of his Honor, in order to obtain more from his Honor, to the delight and satisfaction of knowledge-seeking enthusiasts, then [reader] use it meanwhile to your advantage. And
Farewell
From my printing shop
on 24 July 1684
[1] This saying is found in several other contemporaneous publications. De Brune, “Aan de Lezer”, Wetsteen der vernuften, First Part, p. [xii]; De Bie, Faems weer-galm der Neder-duytsche poësie, p. 271; Swammerdam, Bybel der natuure of historie der insecten, Part 2, p. 785.
[2] For example, Henry Oldenburg translated and published less than half of L.’s famous Letter 26 [18] L-040 of 9 October 1676, Collected Letters, vol. 2, about the microorganisms he discovered in spice infusions. In Letter L-118 to L. of 16 March 1682, in this volume, Robert Hooke writes about his translations of Letter 66 [34] L-114 of 4 November 1681 and Letter 67 [35] L-116 of 3 March 1682, both in idem, vol. 3, “I have not exactly followed your letter word for word in the translation, but as near as possibly I could I have expressed the true sense of your expressions.”
[3] The French-language Le Journal des Sçavans was published in Amsterdam. A Latin translation titled Le Journal des scavans, hoc est: Ephemerides eruditorum was published in Leipzig from 1667 to 1671. The Journal, during L.’s time issued weekly on Mondays, had summaries and translated excerpts from nine letters by L., seven written to Henry Oldenburg and the last two to Robert Hooke. Three of the letters had figures, for a total of ten figures, but no figures were published in Le Journal des Sçavans. For details, see Anderson, Lens on Leeuwenhoek https://lensonleeuwenhoek.net/content/journal-des-scavans.
[4] Prior to 1684, L.’s letters appeared in only one other journal in French and one in Latin. “Observations Faites avec le Microscope sur le sang et sur le lait, by A. van Leeuwenhoek”, Recueil d’experiences et observations, published in 1679, contains excerpts selected, translated, and edited by Louis le Vasseur from Philosophical Transactions, Letter 5 [3] L-006 of 7 April 1674, Letter 8 [4] L-011 of 1 June 1674, Letter 9 [5] L-012 of 6 July 1674, Letter 18 [12] L-026 of 14 August 1675, Collected Letters, vol. 1, and Letter 37 [23] L-067 of 14 January 1678, idem, vol. 2. In 1682, Otto Mencke published “Observationes Microscopica”, Acta eruditorum, vol. 1, p. 321-27, a Latin translation of parts of Letter 65 [33] of 12 November 1680 with the same seven (of eight) figures as in Philosophical Collections, redrawn. “Observatio Dn. Leuwenhoeck De Pilis”, idem, vol. 2, p. 511-12, has a Latin translation of parts of Letter 66 [34] L-114 of 4 November 1681 with the same four figures as in Philosophical Collections, redrawn. Both letters are in Collected Letters, vol. 3. Mencke would publish Latin translations of parts of 11 other letters from L. in later volumes of Acta eruditorum between 1685 and 1689.
[5] Based on Van Gaesbeek’s dedication written earlier in 1684, this gentleman is Cornelis ’s Gravesande. See Letter L-145 of 1 January 1684, n. 1, in this volume.
[6] Van Gaesbeek has the wrong month. Letter 62 [32] L-108 of 14 June 1680, Collected Letters, vol. 3, was published in his Ondervindingen en Beschouwingen der onsigtbare geschapene waarheden, etc. This publication also contained Letter 65 [33] L-111 and Letter 76 [39] L-135 (see below, n. 7 and n. 8), although variants exist. See Anderson, Lens on Leeuwenhoek
https://lensonleeuwenhoek.net/content/onsigtbare-geschapene-waarheden.
[7] Mute wine (stomme wijn) still contains unfermented sugar. See Letter 65 [33] L-111 of 12 November 1680, Collected Letters, vol. 3, p. 285, n. 7. For a discussion of the Dutch trade in adulterated wines, see Henriette de Bruyn Kops, A spirited exchange the wine and brandy trade between France and the Dutch Republic in its Atlantic framework, pp. 131-135.
[8] Letter 65 [33] L-111 of 12 November 1680, Collected Letters, vol. 3. Published in Ondervindingen en Beschouwingen der onsigtbare geschapene waarheden, vervat in verscheydene Brieven, geschreven aan de Wijt-heroemde Koninklijke Societeit in Engeland, printed by Gaesbeek in 1684.
[9] Letter 76 [39] L-135 of 17 September 1683, idem, vol. 4. Published in Ondervindingen en Beschouwingen der onsigbare geschapene waarheden, Waar in gehandeld werd vande Eyerstok ende derselver ingebeelde Eyeren, etc. This publication also contains Letter 70 [37] L-122 of 22 January 1683.
[10] Van Gaesbeek’s summary is almost identical to the summary in the published letter. Letter 80 [41] L-147 of 14 April 1684, ibidem. Published in Ondervindingen en Beschouwingen der onsigbare geschapene waarheden, waar in gehandeld werd Over het maaksel van ’t Humor Cristallinus, etc.
[11] The only letter prior to 1684 that discusses the anatomy of various woods is Letter 54 [29] L-097 of 12 January 1680, idem, vol. 3. However, it was first printed in Dutch by Cornelis Boutesteyn in 1686 in Ontledingen en Ontdekkingen van Levende Dierkens in de Teel-deelen van verscheyde Dieren, etc.. Of the six letters that Van Gaesbeek published, the two not noted here are Letter 70 [37] L-122 of 22 January 1683 to Christopher Wren (published in Ondervindingen en Beschouwingen der onsigbare geschapene waarheden, Waar in gehandeld werd vande Eyerstok, see n. 8 above) and Letter 79 [40] L-144 of 28 December 1683 to Francis Aston (published in Ondervindingen en Beschouwingen der onsigbare geschapene waarheden, waar in gehandelt wert vande Schobbens inde Mond, etc.
