name of a discovery to anything in my paper, you are in the same case with me in that respect. It is properly Mr. Huygens that has printed out to you and to me the problem in question, and a mathematician stands not in need of any other printing out whenever occasion requires. And that may suffice as an answer to your first reason.
2. My paper is strangely misrepresented in the letter, as been nothing but a solution of one single mathematical problem, printed out by you. (I suppose the problem of finding the figures of the four surfaces of your double object-glass is here meant.) Whereas as that paper is designed to be, and, I think, really deserves the name of, Elements of the theory of aberration of light refracted in spherical lenses, and of the manner of correcting that aberration, so that the problem printed out, wich you affect to confound with the whole of my performance, is only one particular case of one of the general problems contained in it. It is very unconcievable to me, how an intelligent person, who has read over a paper, as I suppose that you have done, in order to examine it, and to give his opinion about it, should so grossly mistake its meaning. But that must needs be the case, or something worse [or how an honest Man, being to give an unpartial and true account of another mans writing to a learnd assembly, should so unfairly represent it. I see very well that this artifice was necessary to you, in order to attribute to yourself my whole discovery at once, but how it may be made consistent whit sense, equity and honesti, I confess I see not.][1]
3. For a second reason of refusing the name of a discovery of mine to my paper, and consequently of taking it to yourself, you tell us, Sir, you have solved the problem of finding the figures of your double object-glasses long
- ↑ Stycket inom [ ] är uteslutet i konceptet 2 och i st. står: which I have too good an opinion of your character to suspect.
