1568 08 07
Benito Arias Montano (Antwerp) to Carolus Clusius [Malines]
7 August 1568
METADATA
Identifier: 1568 08 07
Incipit: Satis apud me momenti tua uirtus eruditioque habet…
Manuscripts:
Prints:
Edición digital:
Critical edition, translation and notes: Jeanine De Landtsheer
Codification and digital edition: Antonio Dávila Pérez
SUMMARY
BAM greatly admires Clusius' erudition and virtue, and is willing to do whatever he can for him. He is going to resort to the influence of the secretary, to ensure the immunity of Clusius' maternal first cousin. Clusius must send the intermediation letter from BAM to said secretary, after having read and sealed it. The letter also mentions that BAM is supporting a possible immunity for Dodoens as well, which he hopes Clusio will like.
COMMENT
This document contains the first letter preserved between BAM and the Flemish botanist Carolus Clusius. From the brief content of the letter it can be deduced that BAM, at the request of Clusius (or of another person in his circle), acted as a mediator between the Flemish scientific community and the Spanish authorities, even from the very beginning of his stay in Flanders to try to get them immunity from the accusations of heresy that followed one another in the trials promoted by the Duke of Alba after the serious revolutionary disturbances that occurred in the Low Countries in 1566. The short text of BAM promises a letter of recommendation addressed to Juan de Albornoz, secretary of Duke of Alba, to obtain the immunity of certain members of Clusius' circle.
It has not yet been possible to locate any handwritten testimony of the letter published here, neither original nor copy, despite the fact that some bibliographical references point to the University Archive of Wroclaw (Breslau) or to the University of Leiden itself, where the rest of the letters exchanged between BAM and Clusius is kept. On the other hand, among the testimonies of this letter we also include, as it could not be otherwise, the digital edition included on the website of Esther van Gelder (ed.), Clusius correspondence: A digital edition-in-progress. 1st release: December 2015. The Hague: Huygens ING. Clusius correspondence: A digital edition-in-progress. 1st release: December 2015. The Hague: Huygens ING. http://clusiuscorrespondence.huygens.knaw.nl (last visit: 04/15/2023), a collaborative and ongoing project developed at the Huygens Instituut in the Netherlands.
[1] Satis apud me momenti tua uirtus eruditioque habet, neque diuturnae familiaritatis et consuetudinis qua sese commendet indiget usu. Vtinam ego quantum tibi cupio praestare2 possem; cognosceres profecto non nouum aut uulgarem amicum, id quod in rebus omnibus quae meae facultatis erunt, licet experiaris. [2] Caeterum, quod ad consobrinae immunitatem pertinet, tantum praestare potero quantum gratiae apud secretarium (cuius in huiusmodi negotiis uoluntas valet) tenebo, id quod mearum litterarum exitus indicabit, quas tu ad eum perferendas curabis, lectas prius tibi et (si placuerint) obsignatas.[3] In quibus quod confirmandae Dodonaeo nostro immunitatis curam quam iam suscepi sustinere uidear, spero neque tibi ingratum, neque causae tuae inutile, meo autem officio consentaneum futurum.
[1] Tengo en gran consideración la virtud y erudiciόn de vuestra merced, y no necesita la práctica de la amistad y contactos diarios para mantenerse. Ojalá pudiera realizar todo lo que yo deseo para vuestra merced; pues en verdad conocería en mí un amigo nada nuevo y vulgar, algo que puede comprobar en cualquier asunto que esté a mi alcance. [2] Por lo demás, en lo que toca a la inmunidad2 de la prima hermana de vuestra merced,3 solo podré hacer lo que depende de mi influencia ante el secretario4 (cuya voluntad tiene peso en este tipo de asuntos), cosa que revelará el resultado de mi carta, que vuestra merced se encargará de enviar a él, después de haberla leído y (si le parece bien) firmado. [3] En esa carta, espero que el hecho de que parezca apoyar la tarea de confirmar la inmunidad para nuestro Dodoneo,5 que ya había tomado a mi cargo, no será desagradable para vuestra merced ni inútil para su causa, sino que más bien corresponde a mi deber.
[1] Satis apud me momenti tua uirtus eruditioque habet, neque diuturnae familiaritatis et consuetudinis qua sese commendet indiget usu. Vtinam ego quantum tibi cupio praestare possem; cognosceres profecto non nouum aut uulgarem amicum, id quod in rebus omnibus quae meae facultatis erunt, licet experiaris.[2] Caeterum, quod ad consobrinae immunitatem pertinet, tantum praestare potero quantum gratiae apud secretarium (cuius in huiusmodi negotiis uoluntas valet) tenebo, id quod mearum litterarum exitus indicabit, quas tu ad eum perferendas curabis, lectas prius tibi et (si placuerint) obsignatas. [3] In quibus quod confirmandae Dodonaeo nostro immunitatis curam quam iam suscepi sustinere uidear, spero neque tibi ingratum, neque causae tuae inutile, meo autem officio consentaneum futurum.