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Fundamental work for the spread of Carthesian ideas

REGIUS, Henricus.
Philosophia naturalis; in qua tota rerum universitas, per clara & facilia principia, explanatur.

Title printed in red and black with Elzevier's printer's device; full-page portrait of Henricus Regius by T. Matham after H. Bloemaert; ca. 200 woodcuts of which 7 full-page, of diagrams, illustrations of physical experiments and instruments, anatomical and astronomic plates; 10 full-page engravings of magnetic experiments and 2 maps: a full-page celestial map and a double-page world map.

Title printed in red and black with Elzevier's printer's device; full-page portrait of Henricus Regius by T. Matham after H. Bloemaert; ca. 200 woodcuts of which 7 full-page, of diagrams, illustrations of physical experiments and instruments, anatomical and astronomic plates; 10 full-page engravings of magnetic experiments and 2 maps: a full-page celestial map and a double-page world map.

Title printed in red and black with Elzevier's printer's device; full-page portrait of Henricus Regius by T. Matham after H. Bloemaert; ca. 200 woodcuts of which 7 full-page, of diagrams, illustrations of physical experiments and instruments, anatomical and astronomic plates; 10 full-page engravings of magnetic experiments and 2 maps: a full-page celestial map and a double-page world map.

Title printed in red and black with Elzevier's printer's device; full-page portrait of Henricus Regius by T. Matham after H. Bloemaert; ca. 200 woodcuts of which 7 full-page, of diagrams, illustrations of physical experiments and instruments, anatomical and astronomic plates; 10 full-page engravings of magnetic experiments and 2 maps: a full-page celestial map and a double-page world map.

Title printed in red and black with Elzevier's printer's device; full-page portrait of Henricus Regius by T. Matham after H. Bloemaert; ca. 200 woodcuts of which 7 full-page, of diagrams, illustrations of physical experiments and instruments, anatomical and astronomic plates; 10 full-page engravings of magnetic experiments and 2 maps: a full-page celestial map and a double-page world map.



Amsterdam, Lodewijk & Daniel Elzevier, 1661. 4to. Contemporary vellum, spine lettered in ink. Title printed in red and black with Elzevier's printer's device; full-page portrait of Henricus Regius by T. Matham after H. Bloemaert; ca. 200 woodcuts of which 7 full-page, of diagrams, illustrations of physical experiments and instruments, anatomical and astronomic plates; 10 full-page engravings of magnetic experiments and 2 maps: a full-page celestial map and a double-page world map. (44), 523, (1) pp.

Third edition, the first that Regius dedicated to King Charles II, of this important work for the history of the reception and the spread of Cartesian ideas. Henricus Regius (1598-1684) had published his book for the first time, also by Lodovicus Elzevier, in 1646 under the title Fundamenta physices. A much enlarged edition followed in 1654 under the title Philosophia naturalis.The intimate contact between Descartes and Regius marked the beginning of the direct influence of Cartesian ideas and modes of thought on seventeenth century philosophy and physiology, especially in the Netherlands. Almost as soon as Descartes published his Discours de la méthode, a few professors began to react to specific Cartesian physiological ideas and to the general Cartesian program, and Prof. Regius at Utrecht University was among the first. Descartes valued Regius as better than all the professors at Leiden University. Their relation, however, was not without frictions. Descartes, for example, was strongly against the publication of Regius' Fundamenta physices because he saw too much of his own ideas in Regius' work, which is indeed unthinkable without the Principia phylosophiae of Descartes, also printed by Lodewijk Elzevier in 1644, together with a Latin translation of the Discours de la méthode. For the illustration of Regius' Fundamenta, Elzevier has even used the same woodcuts and engravings made for the works by Descartes. In the preface of the French translation of his Principia philosophiae Descartes let down Regius openly, accusing him of plagiarism.In spite of these objections, Regius' book proved to be very influential for the development of the new ideas in the field of physics, physiology and medical science in the second half of the seventeenth century and even the famous Dutch poet and secretary of the .
Good copy with a handwritten ownership's entry of Thomas Wreede on the last fly-leaf.- (Binding soiled).
De Vrijer, Henricus Regius. Een 'cartesiaansch' hoogleraar aan de Utrechtsche hoogeschool (1917); Thijssen-Schoute, Ned. Cartesianisme, pp. 3-17; Willems 1274.

Related Subjects: Medicine  Philosophy  Physics 

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