erunt Serenissimo Duci (1). Distinguitur merito inter jus divinum autoritatis directoriæ in Ecclesia, et applicationem ejus ad Romanam sedem. Ita jus sedis Romanæ manet humanum. Prorsus quemadmodum major propositio sit juris naturalis, minor positivi, conclusio etiam fit juris positivi, quia sequitur partem debiliorem. Quod superest, vale et fave.LEIBNIZIUS.

LIV

LEIBNIZIUS SCHMIDIO S. D.

Ex autographis editis a Veesenmeyer et in publica auctione Dni Libri a Dno Philips emptis denuo inspexit Foucher de Careil.

Hanoveræ, 1 april. 1698.

Adjunctas rogo ad Dominum Fabricium (2) cures, qui de illis tecum haud dubie communicabit.

Puto summum Ducem hoc ipsum a Facultate expetere quid de jure divino sit judicandum, cum persuasa sit Serenitas sua, hoc capite non aliqua ratione constituto, ne præliminarem quidem aliquam unionem hierarchicam locum habere; fortasse igitur articulum pleniorem a vobis inseri petet.

Grata sunt quæ de Mercurii observationibus communicas. Remissio itinerarii Rolamiani satis mature fiet.

Gratum erit discere, quorsum Dominus Benzeliu iter suum instituerit. Quod superest, vale et fave. LEIBNIZIUS.

(1) Confer. Ep. XIV.

(2) Hæc ad Fabricium ep. exstat inter Epp. Leibnizii a Kortoltio editas, vol. I, p. 20, no X.

LV

LEIBNIZIUS AD FABRICIUM, THEOLOGUM HELMESTADIENSEM.

Ei autographo prius edito, quod nunc etiam in bibliotheca Hanoverana servatur.

Hanoveræ, april. 1698.

Significare volui Serenissimum Ducem responsum vestrum mecum communicasse. Quoniam ergo expeditum est, puto posse stare, sed aliud jam posse responsum dari additionale, ut vocant, cui desiderata inferantur; eamque in rem Serenissimo Duci scripsi. Quod si res hæc ad vos defertur, non dubito quin pro tua moderatione et prudentia sis effecturus ut res succedat, et ut imprimis Dominus Wideburgius vobis accedat.

Dominus Abbas Molanus, quantum ex colloquiis intellexi, mecum sentit; agnosco et ego Romanæ sedis prærogativas humani esse juris, etsi ipsum directorium in Ecclesia, quod ipsi ob humanas rationes delatum est, juris sit divini.

Ita est ut scribis nimia est copia eorum qui dant litteris operam, selectu opus potius foret. Cæterum de rationibus mutandi convictus in stipendia velim esse informatior. Certe præstaret beneficia conferri in minus egentes, modo conferantur in magis dignos, dummodo homines aulici aliquando ne hoc quidem curent. Ante omnia urgendum censeo ut a Serenissima Domo lege lata jubeantur illi, qui studiorum suorum in his regionibus rationem haberi volent, Helmestadium adire, ibique certo tempore

modoque litteris operam dare. Velim ergo a vobis rationes in hanc rem suppeditari, quibus ut pondus habeant, si quid pro tenuitate mea conferre potero, faciam lubens. Vale.

LEIBNIZIUS.

LVI

LEIBNIZIUS SCHMIDIO S. D.

Ex autographis editis a Veesenmeyer et in publica auctione Dni Libri a Dno Philips emptis denuo inspexit Foucher de Careil.

Hanoveræ, 14 april. 1698.

Consului Dominum Abbatem Molanum circa illam nunc agitatam juris divini distinctionem. Is sententiam nostram valde se probare scribit disertissimis verbis (1); quod rogo ut etiam Domino D. Fabritio significes, qui de sententia ejus dubitare videbatur. Spero Summum Dominum ea de re cum Domino Abbate Calixto esse locutum, et confici jam posse responsum additionale, ut sic dicam, quale fortasse Summus Dux requiret.

Ego sub initium septimanæ imminentis Guelfebytum excurram, atque illuc Deo volente Paschalia festa agam. Itaque in Domini Wagneri jam arbitrio est an illuc sive ante sive post viridium diem venire, et aliquot fortasse septimanarum deinde vacationem ab Helmestadiensibus laboribus sibi sumere velit. Vale. LEIBNIZIUS.

(1) Die sequenti, scilicet 15 april., Molanus scribit Leibnizio, qui versa scheda mentionem hanc litteris ejus adscribit: « Gaudeo tibi distinctionem illam circa jus divinum potestatis quam sibi Roma tribuit approbari, »

N. E.

P. S. Vellem loca quædam aliorum haberi posse, quibus hæc distinctio confirmetur. Etsi enim nunc non sit opus, tamen si quando occurrant, notari operæ pretium edi.

LVII

LEIBNIZ TO BENEDICTA, DUCHESS OF BRUNSWICK-
LUNEBURG.

Original autographe inédit de la bibliothèque royale de Hanovre.

April, 8/18 1698.

'Madame,

My correspondent at Vienna has informed me from time to time of what is going on there, and how they have advanced all sorts of ridiculous scandal respecting the constitution of M. the Princess, tho whom they have given sore eyes, a swollen throat, broad shoulders and a dumpy body. I have sent a distinct relation to contradict these absurdities, which indeed mutually destroy one another. A physician of Innsbruck, a Dr Holler, who had seen the Serene Princess, being come to Vienna on business of his own, Dr. Hertodt, my correspondent's father-in-law, was ordered to make inquiries of him, and Mr. Holler made a very favourable report, which Dr. Hertodt repeated word for word to their Imperial Majesties. This was all the more satisfactory, because there could be no sort of suspicion of Dr. Holler. However M. Guarelli has also done jus

tice to the deserts of Madame la Princesse: he has said that she had both body and mind the best formed in the world, and particulary that he had himself seen her read very small writing; and he has added to this the certificate of a doctor that she has never had any illness, and the Emperor expressed some little scruple about this certificate.

And now some evil-disposed people, not knowing what further to say, have put forward that both the Empress and the Ministry had reason to be afraid of your Serene Highness as being a very intriguing woman, and one who would insist upon residing at Vienna; but I hope that these will be the last efforts of a fruitless calumny. They begin now and then to talk again of the Princess of Anspach; but it is hoped that the Emperor will remain steadfast in the determination which they say he has formed not to give his son a Convertite (1). And as for the Princess of Guastalla, although the foglietti have talked a good deal about it, and even gone as far as to say that both Italy and France are beginning to be jealous of this projected marriage (as if the King of the Romans would through it obtain a claim on the succession of Mantua), it does not seem to me that this Princess can bring any great succession with her. She has a brother, and even if he were to die, the Monferrat does not go tho the branch of Guastalla;

(1) The Princess of Anspach here mentioned is George the Second's Queen, Caroline, subsequently the favourite pupil and friend of Leibnitz, who was evidently at this time not aware that there was no chance of her conversion. It was attempted to bring her over to romanism, but she steadfastly declined even an imperial crown upon those terms. The daughter of Modena was a born catholic.