Letter from Christiaan Huygens to Andrew Crooke for Hobbes

This letter was written by Christiaan Huygens and sent to Andrew Crooke - Hobbes's publisher, for the attention of Hobbes. It is Huygens's judgement on Hobbes's "Problemata physica" which deals with the duplication of the cube. In it Huygens explains where Hobbes's theory breaks down.

There is text and one diagram on fol.1v-r. Huygens has signed the bottom of the letter "C.H." and the letter is presumably in his hand. It is addressed to: "Tradantur D. Crooke Bibliopolae in Coemiterio D. Pauli, sib signo Draconis Londini".

Schumhann writes of the correspondence relating to Huygens judgement: " On 7/17 July 1662 Robert Moray sent the book [Problemata physica] to Huygens, asking him "de donner le contentement a Msr Hobbes d'escrire vostre sentiment au libraries, de ses deux propositions, comme il vous e coniure" [provide his opinion of Mr Hobbes statements in his book]. On 18 Aug 1662, Huygens informs Moray: "j'envoie a son librarie mon jugement de sa duplication du cube et quadrature"[Huygens tells Moray he has sent his judgement on Hobbes' work on the duplication of the cube]. This item is this judgement from August 1662... Hobbes answered it still in 1662 with his "De duplicatione cubi ad defensionem problematum geometricorum Th. Hobbii contra C. H"".

Published in Latin, with English translation, as Letter 148 in "The Correspondence of Thomas Hobbes", (1994) ed. Noel Malcolm.

It is not clear why this letter was not included in the series of letters from foreign corrrespondents (HS/L). Possibly because it was assumed to be in the hand of Hobbes in the past and so the original organiser of this material felt it was more suitably deemed 'personal memoranda'.