XIII

PREFACE.

names reappear quite often; it would therefore be necessary each time to refer back to the note placed at the bottom of the first letter where the name occurs. What a mess of cross-references and what a complication! We decided to gather all these proper names into a sort of Biographical Dictionary, published separately, where the reader will find the information they desire on each one.

Presented in this way, the Correspondence of Descartes will be easy to read, offering all the advantages of a scholarly edition without the general appearance of the text losing any of its beauty. Messrs. Cerf and Co. MM. Cerf et Cie was the publishing house responsible for this monumental edition., responding indeed to the wish of the Ministry of Public Instruction, have neglected and spared nothing so that France may display, at the Universal Exhibition of 1900 The 1900 Paris Exposition was a massive world's fair intended to celebrate the achievements of the past century and accelerate development into the next., an edition of its philosopher worthy of her and worthy of him.