SPINOZA'S LEGACY: THE 18TH-CENTURY Gerrit H. JONGENEELEN (Amsterdam) In the history of linguistics the theories of Lambert ten Kate (1674-1731), Tiberius Hemsterhuis (1685-1766) and Albert Schultens (1686-1750) are related to each other by the use of a similar methodology. In this paper it is argued that the reception of Spinoza´s philosophy was a major motive in the development of the concept of analogy underlying this methodology. Adriaen Pietersz. Verwer (c.1655-1717) and Jean le Clerc (1657-1736) evidently formulated their epistemology in dialogue with Benedictus de Spinoza (1632-1677) and the linguistic methods of Lambert ten Kate (1674-1731), Tiberius Hemsterhuis (1685- 1766) and Albert Schultens (1686-1750), which were based on this epistemology, resulted in the moderate Spinozism of the 18th-century. Section 1 analyses the relevance of Bentley's anti-Spinozism for Newton's religious self-consciousness in and after the Principia and Ten Kate's appreciation of it; section 2 sketches the Newton reception in Verwer's epistemology and section 3 shows how Le Clerc develops a method of linguistic analogy in dialogue with Spinoza's Tractatus Theologico-Politicus that is congruent with Schultens's linguistics (section 4). A sketch of how even Moonen could not negate Spinoza stresses the extent of Spinoza's influence and finally, some conclusions are drawn concerning the interpretation of Ten Kate's Aenleiding (section 6). 1. Richard Bentley Soon after Richard Bentley (1662-1742) had published his Sermons (Bentley 1693) his Utrecht correspondent Joannes Georgius Graevius (1632-1703) expressed his admiration for Bentley's new and serious arguments (argumentorum novitas et gravitas) 1 . Nine years earlier, in 1687, Isaac Newton (1642-1727) had published the Principia mathematica philosophiae naturalis, but his intentions, applying mathematical principles to nature, had not been clear until Bentley read his Sermons. In a series of letters to Bentley (1692-1693) Newton explains the aim of the Principia mathematica 2 . First and for all it was theology that had inspired him: “When I wrote my treatise about our systeme, I had an eye upon such principles as might work with considering men for the beleife of a Deity; and nothing can rejoyce me more than to find it useful for that purpose” (Bentley 1842: I, 47; 10 December 1692 Newton to Bentley). Newton achieves his religious aims by proving that the motion of the planetary system is not an autonomous process but is the result of intelligent design: “To your second Query I answer that the motions which the Planets now have could not spring from any natural cause alone, but were impressed by an intelligent Agent.” (Bentley 1842 I, 49) The First Mover of the 1 “Quod [=Sermons] quanti aestimem vel hinc poteris intelligere, quod nostris hominibus persuaserim, ut hos tuos sermones convertant in linguam Belgicam, cui operi propediem accingentur. Mirifice me cepit et argumentorum novitas et gravitas, quamvis in illis legendis usus sim interprete. Nihil mihi accidit optatius quam si et cetera, quae in hanc sententiam scripsisti, videro.” Bentley 1842: I, 118-119. Letter of April 1696. A Dutch translation of the Sermons (cf. Monk 1833:77) did not appear until 1741 (Bentley 1741). Graevius, correspondent of Spinoza (Spinoza 1925 IV:238), functions as the intermediary between Dutch, German and British scholars and between scholars at Dutch academic institutions (Utrecht, Amsterdam, Leiden). 2 Bentley (1842: I, 47-74). The 'scholium generale' that was added to the 1713 edition of the Principia, treats among other things the subject matter of these letters (cf. Noordegraaf 2002:248).