Abstract
The only previously published biographies of Simon Tyssot de Patot have appeared in articles by Lanson, van Slee, and Valkhoff.5 Lanson derived his information from two of Tyssot’s works, the Lettres choisies and the OEuvres poétiques.6 Van Slee, who was unaware that the OEuvres poétiques had been published, relied on the Lettres choisies and archive material in Deventer. Valkhoff added details derived from the family genealogy (see Appendix A) and from the archives at IJsselstein.7 In addition to the above I have found material for the present biography in the following sources:
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(i)
unpublished documents in the possession of various branches of the family. These include a manuscript history of the family written by one of Tyssot’s nephews (see Appendix B) and papers relating to the military careers of members of the family.8
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(ii)
the archives of Alkmaar, Amsterdam, Delft, Deventer, The Hague,’s-Hertogenbosch, IJsselstein, Leiden, Utrecht.
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(iii)
biographical dictionaries.9
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(iv)
Tyssot’s other works.10
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References
These three articles are cited in note 1.
Lettres choisies de Mr. Simon Tyssot de Patot; Professeur ordinaire en mathématiques dans l’Ecole Illustre de Deventer en Over-Yssel. Ecrites depuis sa jeunesse jusqu’à un âge fort avancé, à différentes personnes, et sur toutes sortes de sujets, A La Haye, chez Matthieu Rogner, 1727, 2 vols. This work will be referred to by the initials LC. Les OEuvres poétiques de Monsieur Simon Tyssot, Sr. de Patot; Professeur ordinaire en mathématiques dans l’Ecole Illustre de Deventer en Over-Yssel, A Amsterdam, chez Michel Charles Le Céne, 1727, 3 vols. The biographical section of this work occurs in the prefaces to volume one and the second part of volume two. This work will be referred to by the initials OP. For locations of these two works see Appendix G.
Valkhoff, art. cit., pp. 242 and 245. The genealogy is now in the possession of Mrs. A. K. G. Tissot van Patot-Vogel. I have reproduced relevant sections in Appendix A.
The manuscript history written by one of Tyssot’s nephews — Notice de Jean Tijssot de la famille de Patot... 1736 — is the property of Dr. P. N. Tissot van Patot. I have reproduced it in Appendix B. This curious document needs to be treated with great caution. In the first place, although it purports to have been written in 1736, it is full of references to events after that date and ends with what can only be described as the last word in autobiographies — “Ma femme est morte l’annee 1774, 23 Avril, moi a peu pres un an aprez ...” From the original it is clear that the history was begun in 1736 or later, and subsequently added to by other interested members of the family. There are several gaps in the history. No mention is made, for example, of the time Tyssot spent in Holland before he went to Deventer. Nothing is said of his disgrace. Much of the material for the history was supplied by Tyssot himself and is mentioned in the Lettres choisies. The result is that there is some duplication of information, although the history is generally more detailed and more informative about the family than the Lettres choisies. Finally, there is a considerable amount of detail not available elsewhere especially with regard to the early history of the family and to Tyssot’s relatives. Dr. Tissot van Patot also has family seals and military records. Military and other documents are also held by the family of Mr. J. W. Tissot van Patot.
A. J. van der Aa, Biographisch Woordenboek der Nederlanden, Haarlem, 1852–1878, 21 vols; P. G. Molhuysen and P. J. Blok, Nieuw nederlandsch biografisch woordenboek, Leiden, 1911–37, 10 vols; L. G. Michaud, Biographie universelle, Paris, 1811–1828, 52 vols; E. Haag, La France Protestante, Paris, 1946–59, 9 vols, and Paris, 1877–1888, 6 vols; and Dictionary of National Biography, ed. Leslie Stephen and Sidney Lee, London, 1885-, 63 vols.
Biographical references are scattered throughout Tyssot’s other writings but his second novel, La Vie, les avantures, et le voyage de Groenland du Révérend Pere Cordelier Pierre de Mesange, Amsterdam, Etienne Roger, 1720, 2 vols, in 1, is the most helpful.
S. J. Baumgarten, Nachrichten von einer hallischen bibliothek, Halle, 1749, vol. III, pp. 135–6.
G. L. Thijssen-Schoute, Nederlands Cartesianisme, Amsterdam, 1954, pp. 640–641.
LC, II, p. 350.
The Tyssot arms “sont d’azur a trois tisons en bande de sable, et accotes et allumes de gueule par les bouts et par les cotes, dessus l’ecusson et au casque ouvert ou cimier sortent trois tisons comme ceux des armes en guise de plumets ...” (Notice sur la famille). A similar description of the Tisoni arms is found in P. G. F. Menestrier, La Nouvelle Méthode raisonnée du blason..., Lyon, Ponthus, 1754, p. 130.
Further information is also found in G. B. di Grollalanza, Dizzionario storico-blasonico, Bologna, 1965 (reprint of 1886), vol. Ill, pp. 22 and 297. The coat of arms is reproduced in fig. 3.
“... ce que mon grandpere en a compte plusieurs fois a ses enfants et aussi mon pere aux siens.” (Notice sur la famille).
The district of Gex, which includes the village of Challex, is in the Ain department of France and is situated between the ranges of the Alps and the Jura. Its possession was contested at various times by the counts of Savoy, Geneva, and Switzerland but, at the Treaty of Lyon in 1601, Henry IV acquired possession of it for France. Details of the history of this region and of the struggles for the survival of Protestantism are found in A. Crottet, “Les Préludes de la Révocation de l’Edit de Nantes dans le pays de Gex,” Bulletin de la société de Vhistoire du protestantisme français, I (1853), pp. 292–301 and 464–475;
Th. Claparède, “Les Réfugiés protestants du pays de Gex,” in The same journal, XXIV (1875), pp. 59–. There is also a series of articles, which I have not seen, by the abbé J. Delaigue, “Le Protestantisme dans le pays de Gex,” Revue de la société littéraire, historique et archéologique du département de l’Ain, IV-VIII (1875–1880).
LC, II, pp. 152–153 and 350.
“... etant volage et d’une humeur martiale, sortit assez jeune de la maison paternelle, devint officier de cavalerie sous Henri quatrieme, roi de France ...” (Notice sur la famille). The military life has always had a fascination for the Tyssot family.
OP, II, pp. 203–205. Catherine Tassel (1620–1710), born in Dieppe, descended on the maternal side from a Scottish “noble” family named Endtsfield. Her father was a sea captain.
OP, II, p. 206.
Marie, Jean, and Pierre. For further details see Appendix B.
The genealogy states that he pursued this trade in Geneva.
OP, II, pp. 206–207.
There is a reference in the very first of the Lettres choisies to some affair that was keeping Simon père in Paris and preventing his return to Rouen. “On nous flatte à tout moment de voir finir notre procès à notre avantage... Dieu sait quand ce sera.” We can only assume that things turned out badly for him and he was obliged to leave the country.
This information is provided in the Avertissement to the Lettres choisies.28 LC, I, p. 12.
Young Tyssot wrote joyously to his father on hearing the news “que vous avez résolu de nous tirer de ce lieu de persécution où nous sommes tous les jours en danger d’être arrachés d’entre vos bras par des moines impitoyables, pour être renfermés dans des couvents, jusqu’à ce que, par promesses, ou par menaces, on nous ait fait changer de religion.” It seems unlikely that Tyssot wrote in these terms when he was only nine but the comments are, nevertheless, of biographical interest.
LC, I, pp. 9–10. This is another letter that contains evidence of retouching.
See M. F. H. Gagnebin, “Listes des églises wallonnes des Pays-Bas et des pasteurs qui les ont desservies,” Bulletin de la commission pour l’histoire des Eglises Wallonnes, III (1888), p. 38.
The state of French education in Holland at this time is described in K. J. Riemens, Esquisse historique de l’enseignement du français en Hollande du XVIe au XIXe siècle, Leiden, 1919. Riemens points out (p. 89) that by the middle of the seventeenth century there was hardly a Dutch town of any importance that did not have one if not several French schools. The teachers were often refugees from France who set up schools in their own homes or rented rooms, and their livelihood depended on what fees they could charge. Their students were frequently boarders. Often a man and wife would work together. The subjects most commonly taught were French, Dutch, Latin, mathematics, especially arithmetic, and handwriting. It was a precarious existence and highly competitive, especially after the 1685 influx of refugees from France. There were no monopolies and no protection against rival schools in the same town. Further insight into the state of French schools at this time will be found in Tyssot’s Greenland novel, parts of which seem based on his own experiences.
LC, I, p. 11.
“... mon père, qui m’aimait à la folie ... n’entreprenait rien sans me consulter. Il n’eut pas la patience de me voir au bout de ma douzième année qu’il ne se déchargeât sur moi de la direction de ses effets.” (Avertissement to LC).
Avertissement to LC. One can only asume that Tyssot was attending school, doing business for his father, studying on his own, and perhaps also giving French lessons!
LC, II, pp. 14–15. In the Greenland voyage the hero spends some time in Middel-burg where he meets M. Pervilé.
Gemeentearchief Delft — Register van de huwelijken in de fransche kerk te Delft — 10 March 1674 — “Jan Dominicus Vrecquy Luijtenant van ene Comp. Granadiers vant Regiment van d’here Ringgraeff, garnisoen houdende inden haege .Maria Tyschot j.d. inden doelestraet.”
The archives at Middelburg were destroyed in 1945, but the following information is found in the fiches at the Bibliothèque Wallonne, Leiden — “Mariés à Middleburg le 14 mai 1675 — Tisso Simon, Philippe Anna.”
LC, I, pp. 15–16.
LC,I,p. 16.
Gemeentearchief Delft — Rolle des noms des enfans haptisez en cette eglise fran-coise de Delft — “Le 29 de Mars 1676 Simon Tissot et Anne Philippe ont presente leur enfant en baptisme les temoins sont Jean Dominique Fraiquin et Marie Tissot le nom de l’enfant est Marie Francoise.”
LC, I, PP. 25–26.
Bibliothèque Wallonne, Leiden — fiches — Reçu membre de l’église de Heusden le 12 juillet 1676 — Simon (pere). 1677 — Simon fils de Simon. Livre des membres de l’Eglise depuis l’année 1639–1773 – 1677 — Mlle Frequin, Simon Tissot le pere, Simon Tissot le fils, Cath. Tassel, Anne Philippe.
LC, I, p. 23. I am not sure which Lord Grey is intended here. It could have been either the Earl of Tankerville or the second Earl of Stamford (See Dictionary of National Biography, vol. 8, pp. 625 and 650).
Bibliothèque Wallonne, Leiden — fiches — Devenu membre de l’église à Bois-le-Duc Sept. 1679 — Simon, Anna, Marie Tissot.
Archives de l’Eglise Wallonne, Bois-le-Duc — Livre des actes du Consistoire de l’Eglise française de Bois le duc — March 19th 1679.
The following items are extracted from a modernized version of the Livre des actes du Consistoire de l’Eglise française de Bois-le-Duc: March 27th — Le nommé Pagés nous montre un acte de Nos Seigneurs du Conseil d’Etat par lequel ils l’établissent lecteur et maître d’école. La compagnie, considérant qu’elle a toujours eu la liberté de choisir un lecteur, et que Pagés a obtenu son acte depuis la vocation de Simon Tissot, a pensé qu’il n’avait obtenu cet acte que par surprise et sur de fausses données. April 4th — La Compagnie ayant jugé à propos de faire chanter Simon Tissot qu’elle a appelé pour lecteur ...June 12 th — Le grand Consistoire ... a appelé par unanimité de suffrages le Sieur
LC, I, p. 24.
Stadsarchief, ’s-Hertogenbosch — Registre des Baptemes des Enfants pour l’Eglise française de Bois le duc — Le 23 Juin 1679 — Anne Marie Caterinne fille du sieur Simon Tissot maître d’ecole francaise demeurant en cette ville et de Anne Philippes ses pere et mere. Le 14 de juillet 1680 Simon Bernard, fils de Simon Tissot et d’anne Philippes ...
Gemeentearchief Deventer — Concordaten van Schepenen en Raden en Gezworen Gemeente — 29th December 1679.
Gemeentearchief Deventer — Resoluties van Schepenen en Raden — No salary seems to have been provided for a French mistress. Tyssot and his family were granted citizenship and he was required to present himself in Deventer before Michaelmas. The Deventer church membership book (Boeck van Ledematen der Gemeente Jesu Christi binnen Deventer) for 1674–1693, in the Archief Nederlands Hervormde Gemeente Deventer, has an entry for 1680 showing that Simon Tissot, Simon Tissot, Catharina Tassel, Anna Philippe, Maria Tissot, arrived from ’s-Hertogenbosch and took up residence in the Polstraat. Tyssot must have put off informing the authorities at ’s-Hertogenbosch of his intention to leave until after he had obtained the position in Deventer. It was not until October 13th that the ’s-Hertogenbosch authorities appointed someone in his place. Extraits des Actes du Consistoire de l’Eglise Wallonne de Bois-le-Duc — Oct. 13th — Le grand Consistoire a elu... pour succeder au Sieur Simon Tissot, le Sieur Gabriel Malet...
LC, I, p. 33.
LC, I, p. 35.
The Ecole Illustre was a sort of college that filled the gap between secondary and university education. It awarded no degrees but nevertheless often attracted first-rate scholars on their way to higher positions in Leiden, Groningen, Franeker, or other university centres. There were several of these schools or athenaeums in Holland in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Some of them, such as the one in Amsterdam, eventually achieved the status of a university. Others, such as the one specially set up to accommodate Jurieu and Bayle in Rotterdam, simply declined and disappeared, as eventually did the one in Deventer. The school at Deventer was opened in 1629 with faculties of philosophy, law, and theology. It was run by its teachers under the leadership of a Rector Magnificus, a position that rotated. The ultimate responsibility for the school was, however, invested in the city magistrates. Instruction was given in Latin which was the international scholarly language of the seventeenth century. For a full account of the school see J. C. van Slee, De Illustre School te Deventer, 1630–1878, ’s-Gravenhage, 1916. In the Middle Ages Deventer had been an important centre of learning. In the sixteenth century it had been the temporary home of Erasmus. But, by the middle of the seventeenth century, Deventer no longer attracted the great. Descartes spent some leisure time there when his friend Renerius was appointed to the Ecole Illustre in 1632.
For details of Descartes in Deventer see G. Cohen, Ecrivains français en Hollande dans la première moitié du XVIIe siècle, Paris, 1920.
In 1636, Nicolas Vedelius had preached in French to the troops garrisoned in Deventer but, when the troops left, the Magistracy forbade further services in French. In 1666 another attempt was made to establish a Walloon Church in Deventer and a Jean du Bois filled the position for eighteen months after which time he was suspended because of his behaviour. In 1686 an influx of French refugees formed an unofficial group to hear French services conducted by Henri Lavergne. In 1692 the group gained semi-official recognition when François Cordes was granted a salary. In 1703 full recognition was granted to the Walloon Church in Deventer. For further details see Gagnebin, op. cit., and J. C. van Slee, De Waalse Gemeente te Deventer, Leiden, 1921.
LC, I, pp. 35–37.
Stadsarchief Deventer — Acta des Schoolraets binnen Deventer (1619–1848) -November 8th 1681. Tyssot is cautioned that if he does not provide an assistant he will have to pay for the registration of the young boys. Tyssot’s scheme to use his wife as instructress for the girls must have gone wrong when Anne became pregnant again and gave birth to Louis Gérard in August 1681 (Doopboek der Nederlands Hervormde Gemeente te Deventer).
Idem — February 14th 1682. Tyssot hired a submaster who could teach French in Latin.
Idem — April 25th 1682.
Among the more distinguished and influential Overijssel families were the van Ittersums. Robert van Ittersum tot Nijenhuis (1645–1705) was a member of the Overijssel government, and rose to the rank of lieutenant general of the cavalry. In 1692 he was appointed Drossard of Salland. Hendrik van Ittersum tot den Leeuwenberg (1635–1696) also pursued a military career and attained the rank of lieutenant general. Tyssot was on particularly good terms with Hendrik’s wife Cornelia, baronne de Weideren et de Leeuwenberg. Another “distinguished” lady friend and admirer of Tyssot was Marie Anne de Grenu, wife of Adam van Lochorst, Seigneur de Lier, de Schounauwen, de Termeer. She was godmother to Tyssot’s son, Simon Bernard. One of Tyssot’s closest associations was with the family of the Gelderland nobleman Joseph van Wynbergen (1673–1722) to whom the Greenland novel was dedicated. In Zutphen he associated with Hendrik van Laer, heer van Lichtenberg, who was a curator of the academy at Harderwijk, and with Burgomaster Wintsum who was a deputy to the States-General. Some of his friends were Catholic such as the Gelder-land family of Keppel van Dingshof.
Caspar Sibelius van Goor (1646–1696), a correspondent of Tyssot, studied medicine at Leiden where he presented his thesis in 1678. A copy of the work (De motibus convulsivis) is in the Universiteitsbibliotheek, Amsterdam. (See also Bibliotheca Me-dica Neerlandica, 1930, p. 246). Dr. Sibelius practised first in Amsterdam and, in 1684, moved to Deventer. It was in this year that John Locke spent ten days in Deventer at his home. From 1687 to 1689 Locke lived in Rotterdam with Benjamin Furly whose home became a centre for many of the leading intellectuals, especially English, of the day. It seems possible that Tyssot was a not infrequent participant in some of the discussions that took place. In 1692, Sibelius, in the hope of being appointed as personal physician to Lord Sidney, Vice-roy of Ireland (LC, I, pp. 364–367), went first to London where he changed his name to Sibley. He was not successful in obtaining the position. In the same year Locke wrote to his friend William Molyneux in Ireland recommending Sibelius, who intended to settle in Dublin, and asking him to help out. We know from Tyssot’s letter that Sibelius was elected to an “illustre société des savants” and I take this to be the Dublin Philosophical Society which was founded by Molyneux in 1684, disbanded several years later, and reformed at Trinity College in 1693. According to Tyssot (Index to LC, I, letter 69),, Sibelius did not stay long abroad but returned to Deventer where he died soon after. Some of these details may be found in M. Cranston, John Locke, London, 1957.
See also C. L. Thijssen-Schoute, “De Nederlandse vriendenkring van John Locke” in Uit de republiek der letteren, ’s-Gravenhage, 1967, pp. 90–103. 80 Among these were M. Lemker of Overijssel, deputy to the States-General; Caspar van Els, councillor at the Gelderland court and curator of the Harderwijk academy; M. Fiersen, councillor at the court of Leeuwarden in Friesland; and fellow refugees from France, such as M. Touillieu who attended the Collège d’Harcourt until 1688 when he escaped from France to Rotterdam, thence to the university of Franeker and finally to Utrecht where he studied law, graduating in 1695. A few years later he was appointed to the academy at Lingen. In 1717 he went to Groningen where he died.
Balthasar Bekker (1634–1698) was a pastor and theologian who fought all his life against intolerance and superstition. In 1668 he was in trouble in Franeker for defending the philosophy of Descartes which he claimed to be not incompatible with rational theology. After the famous comet in 1680–1681 he wrote against the fear and superstition attached to such phenomena which he described as due to natural causes. His most famous work, and the one that caused a commotion in Holland, was De Betooverde wereld (The Enchanted World), first published in Leeuwarden in 1691 and translated into French in 1694 — Le Monde enchanté, Amsterdam, 4 vols. The basic thesis of the work was that one must look for natural and not supernatural explanations of religion. Angels and devils are simply products of the imagination. The only major work devoted to Bekker is that of W. P. G. Knuttel, Balthasar Bekker, de bestrijder van het bijgeloof, La Haye, 1906. His rôle in the history of Cartesianism is discussed in Thijssen-Schoute, Nederlands Cartesianisme, which contains references to other articles on his influence. A Dutch pastor with whom Tyssot discussed theology was Bernardus Smytegelt (1655–1739) who studied in Utrecht under Herman Witsius and who became a minister in Zeeland. There was also the Frenchman Jacques Gaillard (1620–1688) who knew the Bayle family. In 1660 he was banished from France and fled to Holland and became minister at ’s-Hertogenbosch in 1662. In 1666 he was appointed professor of theology, and later rector, at the Walloon College in Leiden.
For further details see E. Labrousse, Pierre Bayle, La Haye, 1963, I, p. 14, note 4, and passim. Tyssot stayed with Gaillard in Leiden (LC, I, p. 32).
Lanson, art. cit., p. 268.
In the preface to Hodegus, published by Toland as a section of his Tetradymus, London, 1720, Toland refers to the author of Jaques Massé as “a Gentleman of great wit and learning to some of whose friends I snowed my manuscript at The Hague in the year 1708.” One of these friends must have been a certain Mr. Cramer, a correspondent of Tyssot and Councillor to the King of Prussia but residing in Amsterdam. Cramer lent Toland a copy of the Gospel of the Mohammedans (See Toland’s Naza-renusy London, 1718, pp. 24–25). Another friend might have been M. du Puis, also a Councillor to the King of Prussia, who helped in the negotiations for the Congress of Utrecht and who recognized Tyssot as the author of Jaques Massé (LC, II, p. 251). It is interesting to speculate that Toland, Tyssot and a group of friends must have met from time to time during Toland’s period of residence in Holland between 1708 and his return to England two years later.
LC, I, p. 286.
Many of these poems were published in volume two of the OEuvres poétiques and several are included in the Lettres choisies.
Avertissement to the Lettres choisies. These ladies are variously addressed a J. de L., D. de R., J. de D., Mme de B., Mme de S., Comtesse de H., M. de H., Mme D., Mme de L., Baronne de G., Baronne de C, M. A. de L. The most popular lady, the one who received more letters than any other correspondent, male or female, is the mysterious D. de R. and I regret to say I have been unable to identify her with any certainty. From various bits of evidence scattered throughout the letters I get the impression that D. de R. is the same person as M. A. de L. who is the sister of J. de L. and G. de L. My guess is that these are the daughters, sisters, wives, or in some way part of the Lockhorst van Schonauwen family. They lived for part of the year near Deventer and for the rest of the time in Utrecht. If my speculation is correct, Madame D. and Mme de L. are also of the Schonauwen family, if indeed these are not alternative names for the same people, as may be also the case for Mme de S. Baronne de G. is probably a member of the Coeverden family of which one member was a pupil and correspondent of Tyssot. Mme de B. could be the wife of M. de Boelhof, mentioned in the letters. I have no special suggestions for the identity or identities of Comtesse de H. and M. de H.
Preface to Œuvres poétiques, vol. I.
Ibid.
LC, pp. 204, 324, 489 and passim. There seems to be little justification for the statement by Valkhoff (art. cit., p. 245) that Tyssot became heart and soul a Dutchman. Even had Tyssot wanted to assimilate completely into Dutch society, it is unlikely he would have been successful in Deventer. Although his brother Jean rose to a high rank in the Dutch army, it was in the face of stiff opposition because he was a foreigner (See LG, I, p. 381 and II, p. 98).
LC, II, pp. 197–200.
1688 was a significant year for Holland generally. It was the year William III went to England to assume the throne. Tyssot’s brother Jean was in this expedition as an ensign. Perhaps this alliance between England and Holland was indirectly helpful to Tyssot’s career.
G. A. Deventer — Resoluties van Schepenen en Raden — August 13th 1688 and Sept. 1st 1688.
Idem — Acta des Schoolraad — August 7 1689.
Idem — Resoluties van Schepenen en Raden — October 23 1690.
LC, I, p. 471. According to Z. G. Uffenbach, Merckwurdige reisen durch Niedersachsen, Holland und Engelland, Frankfurt und Leipzig, 1753, p. 393, the theologian Snabelius probably left Deventer not long after Tyssot’s appointment to take up a position in Bremen. It is probably Snabelius whom Tyssot attacks in LG, II, pp. 193–194.
See van Slee, De Illustre School, p. 26.
Tyssot’ father died on March 11th 1686. The Church membership book at Deventer records that his sister Marie left for Leeuwarden on July 7th 1684. She remarried some time later, so perhaps this was the reason for her departure. For details of the children see Appendix B.
The career of Alexander de Bie (1620–1690) is interesting since, in some respects, it parallels that of Tyssot. There is some doubt about his formal training, although his name does appear with two others on a thesis presented at the University of Utrecht. He was a protégé of Christian Huyghens who recommended him as a mathematics teacher to the Amsterdam Athenaeum and asked that he be allowed to teach in Dutch and not Latin. In 1653 de Bie was appointed as extraordinary professor and was allowed to teach partly in Dutch. He received no salary. In 1654 he was made ordinary professor at a salary of 750 guilders. By 1668 his salary was 1200 guilders. He also taught logic, philosophy, astronomy and navigation, exclusively in Dutch. According to the Nieuw Nederlands Biographisch Woordenboek, vol. X, pp. 64–65, de Bie never married. However, in the Gemeentearchief, Amsterdam, there is a record of his marriage to Marie van Dijck on December 18th 1663.
Nicolas Witsen (1641–1717) was a scholar in his own right, an author of geographical treatises and contributor to learned journals.
LC, I, pp. 487–491.
LG, I, p. 486.
LG, I, p. 506.
Oraison ou dissertation où il est démontré mathématiquement pourquoi c’est que l’homme ne se peut servir, aussi parfaitement que sa nature le peut permettre, que d’un seul de ses sens à la fois. A Deventer, Chez Albert Fronten, 1694. For full details of this publication see Chapter 5.
Etienne Chauvin (1640–1725) was a French refugee who settled in Rotterdam where he was a pastor until 1695 when he moved to Berlin. He was a friend of Bayle and in 1687 deputized for him for a short time at the Ecole Illustre during Bayle’s illness. He started the Nouveau Journal des sçavans, dressé à Rotterdam par le Sieur C***, chez Pierre van der Slaart, in January 1694 and brought out an issue every two months. Tyssot’s article was reviewed in the March and April issue. After Chauvin moved to Berlin he continued the journal from there until 1698. There are further details in E. Hatin, Les Gazettes de Hollande et la presse clandestine en France aux XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles, Paris, Pincebourde, 1865, p. 213.
Resoluties van Schepenen en Raden — March 23 1699. For some reason this salary was not finally ratified until February 5th 1706. Perhaps Tyssot knew he was destined for a promotion since, in 1697, he managed to find the money to buy a house in Deventer although he did not acquire final possession until 1707 (Resoluties Schepenen en Raden — January 25 1697 and January 24 1707). On one occasion Tyssot was so hard up he had to borrow money from his friend Wynbergen to pay the chimney tax (LC, II, p. 301).
Depuis que les mathématiciens ont trouvé le secret de s’introduire jusque dans les ruelles et de faire passer dans le cabinet des dames les termes d’une science aussi solide et aussi sérieuse que la mathématique, par le moyen du Mercure Galant, on dit que l’empire de la galanterie va en déroute, qu’on n’y parle plus que problèmes, corollaires, théorèmes, angle droit, angle obtus, rhomboïdes, etc. et qu’il s’est trouvé depuis peu deux demoiselles dans Paris à qui ces sortes de connaissances ont tellement brouillé la cervelle, que l’une n’a point voulu entendre à une proposition de mariage, à moins que la personne qui la recherchait n’apprît l’art de faire des lunettes dont le Mercure Galant a si souvent parlé, et que l’autre a rejeté un parfaitement honnête homme, parce que dans un temps qu’elle lui avait prescrit, il n’avait pu rien produire de nouveau sur la quadrature du cercle. (Journal des sçavans, March 4th, 1686).
LC, I, pp. 470–471.
LG, II, p. 440. According to van Slee, art. cit., p. 205, note 1, this “ennemi capital” was Gisbert Cuper (1644–1716). Cuper, a classical scholar, archaeologist, numismatist, and statesman, was one of the most famous men in Holland in his day. In Deventer he held at various times the office of Rector Magnifiais of the Ecole Illustre, burgomaster, deputy to the provincial government and to the States-General. In 1706 he represented his government during the allied campaign in the southern Netherlands. In 1715 he received the distinction, rare for a foreigner, of being appointed to the French Académie des Sciences. For a brief biography of Cuper see the introduction to A. J. Veenendaal, Het Dagboek van Gisbert Cuper, ’s-Gravenhage, 1950. Van Slee’s inference that Tyssot’s enemy was Cuper is based on the fact that the person referred to in Tyssot’s letter died in 1716, that he represented his country, that he was interested in coins and archaeology. If, as seems likely, van Slee was correct, we have some indication of the measure of Tyssot’s victory in the face of such opposition.
Acta des Schoolraad — January 16th 1700.
One of these sons, Louis, became a doctor and was the Dr. Tissot consulted by Boswell in Utrecht in 1764. Boswell described Louis as “a true original, a shrewd, lively little fellow... He talks well the modern languages. I found he was a great sceptic.” See Boswell in Holland, 1763–1764, ed. F. A. Pottle, London, 1952, p 252.
LC, II, pp. 83–84.
LC, II, p. 62.
LC, II, pp. 111–114. Arnold Joost van Keppel, first Earl of Albemarle (1669–1718) was the son of Oswald van Keppel and Anna Geertruid van Lintelo. He went to England in 1688 as a page with William III. In 1702 he was appointed general of the Dutch cavalry. He fought at Ramillies in 1706 and Oudenarde in 1708.
According to Tyssot, this battle was won largely through the efforts of his son Jean (LC, II, p. 160).
LC, II, p. 150. Jean’s death was announced in the Europische Mercurius for September 1709. The military careers of Tyssot’s family are recorded in the Gemeente-archief at The Hague. The actual certificates of promotion are held by various branches of the family. An account of these is given in the Notice sur la famille. Tyssot’s two sons, Jean and Simon Bernard, both eventually attained high positions. Jean rose to the rank of colonel and Simon Bernard to major general. A detailed account of the Dutch participation in the War of Succession is given in volume 7 of F. J. G. ten Raa and F. de Bas, Het Staatsche Leger, 1568–1795, Breda, Den Haag, 1911–1959, 8 vols.
LC,II,p. 170.
Ibid., p. 151.
Ibid., p. 305.
Ibid., pp. 317 et seq.
Gemeentearchief Deventer — Register van huwelijkszaken (ondertrouw) -March 31, 1714. Gemeentearchief Alkmaar — Trouwboek van de grote kerk — April 12 1714. Sara had been married for about ten years and a widow for six. She had a son Constantin from this marriage. Her husband, Egeus Wreede van Oostbroek, had originated from Groningen where he studied law and theology. He was later appointed as secretary in the Dutch embassy at Stockholm where he met Sara. When he became pastor at Nieuw-Nierop in North Holland he and Sara settled there. On his death his widow went to live in Alkmaar.
LC, II, p. 378.
LC, II, pp. 326 et seq. Since the Rumpf family figured so prominently in Tyssot’s life and letters I have set down the relevant genealogical details in Appendix C.
Louis de Geer (1587–1652) left Holland for Sweden where he was instrumental in reorganizing the economy of that country. He was particularly successful in developing mines and the manufacture of arms. He also helped build a powerful navy. Sara’s mother, Sara Catherine Hovius, married Louis de Geer’s fifth son, Jean (1632–1696). Tyssot was very proud of his new connections but had little cause to be if we accept this description of Jean and his wife by another member of the de Geer family: “Il avait un extérieur agréable, mais un esprit bête et inepte, et un caractère vil qui le rendait capable des plus grandes bassesses. Son mariage entr’autres en est une preuve. Car il épousa à Godegard la veuve de l’inspecteur, femme de rien, rusée, impérieuse, entêtée, envieuse et disant du mal de tout le monde. Elle avait nom Sara Catherine Hovius. C’est ainsi du moins qu’elle se faisait appeler, et non Hovia, prétendant que Hovius était le nom d’une ancienne famille. Elle poussa l’impudence au point de s’arroger après son mariage avec Jean de Geer des armoiries qu’elle disait avoir été celles de ses ancêtres depuis plus d’un siècle. Cependant il est certain qu’elle était la fille d’un misérable peintre d’Amsterdam, et par cette raison, non seulement les De Geers, mais d’autres, l’appelaient par dérision Penceeltje (petit pinceau).” See Louis de Geer de Jutphaas, Notice historique sur la famille de de Geer, Suède et Hollande, 1843, pp. 75–76.
This is a translation of Louis de Geer de Finspong, Commentarii de gente De Geeriana, Stockholm, 1816. Of this marriage were born Jean, in 1675, and Louis, in 1677, half brothers to Tyssot’s new wife Sara. Jean married the first cousin of Beata Elisabeth, Countess of Konigsmark (1637–1723), widow of Frederik Pontus de la Gardie (1630–1692). The most illustrious member of this family was Magnus Gabriel de la Gardie (1622–1686) who became Chancellor of Sweden. See vol. X, Svenskt Biografiskt Lexikon, Stockholm, 1918–1966, 16 vols.
LC, II, pp. 375 and 196–198. In the Notice sur la famille we learn that the duel took place on July 30th.
For details of Hendrik Trip (1685–1750) and the various branches of the family see Nieuw Nederlandsch Biographisch Woordenboek, vol. X, p. 1047.
LG, II, p. 341.
LC, II, pp. 398–410. In 1723, Tyssot’s stepson Constantijn also went out to Ceylon.
A short history of the Rumpf family with especial attention to the life and death of Isaac is provided in F. H. de Vos, “Mr. Isaac Augustin Rumpf,” Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society (Ceylon), LVI (1905), pp. 325–333. The following, which I have condensed from the Journal of the Dutch Burgher Union of Ceylon, XXIV, no. 4 (April 1935), pp. 131–132, and XXV, no. 1 (July 1935), p. 6, is a brief account of the Dutch administration in Ceylon at this time. The Governor of Ceylon was assisted by a Political Council of the ten highest servants of the Company. The servants of the company comprised four classes — political, naval, military, and artisan. The highest political grade was that of opperkoopman or upper merchant. Next was koopman, then onderkoopman, then various lower grades. There were only four upper merchants, three of whom were the Dessaves of Colombo, Jaffna, and Matara. The term Dessave was a Sinhalese title adopted by the Dutch to denote an administrative agent. The highest court in the country was the Raad van Justitie at Colombo.
LC, II, pp. 538 et seq. Becker’s death in Amsterdam in 1722 is noted in F. Valentijn, Oud en Nieuw Oost-Indien, Dordrecht, Amsterdam, 1724, vol. V, Bk. 8, Chapt. 15, p. 351.
LC, II, p. 365.
LC, II, pp. 375–376. Gemeentearchief Deventer — Doopboek der Hervormde Gemeente — Oct. 27 1715.
LG, II, pp. 485–487.
See R. G. Anthonisz, “Some marriages in Colombo from A.D. 1700 to 1750” in Journal of the Dutch Burgher Union of Ceylon, XIX, no. 2 (Oct. 1929), p. 103. Marcus Visboom was born in Colombo in 1687 and married to Cornelia van Wyn-bergen. He was the son of Johannes Visboom of Amsterdam (See F. H. de Vos, art. cit., p. 331). Pierre’s wife died in 1721. His second wife was Anna Maria van Beu-ning. Pierre eventually attained the rank of Opperkoopman or Dessave at Madura.
LC, II, p. 482.
LC, II, p. 484.
Avertissement to LC — “Je n’ai point eu cette confiance en mes enfants quoiqu’ils ne manquassent ni de bon sens ni de conduite. J’avais craint qu’ils n’eussent abusé de ma crédulité et que l’abondance ne les eût excités à la débauche.”
LC, II, pp. 571–572.
On the title-page of four editions of Jaques Massé the date of publication is given as 1710. My reasons for not accepting this date are given in Chapter 6. The Greenland novel is discussed in Chapter 8.
Discours de M. Simon Tyssot, Sr. Patot, où dans la vue de concilier les différentes Nations au sujet de la Chronologie, il prétend démontrer Philosophiquement, et sans intéresser l’Ecriture Sainte, que le Ciel et la Terre, qu’il croit d’une ancienneté inexprimable, n’ont point été créez en six jours naturels; que les animaux ont aussi été produits depuis un tems immémorial; que le monde doit vraisemblablement encore durer des millions d’années: Et il finit par faire voir quelle doit être naturellement la cause de la fin de ce globe terrestre. Fait à l’occasion de son avenement au Rectorat etc.
This article and the question of his failure to be appointed Rector Magnificus are discussed in Chapter 9.
Although the title-page gives the date of publication as 1727, the Lettres choisies were reviewed in October 1726 in New Memoirs of Literature, art. 42., pp. 266–285. According to T. Georgi, Allgemeinen Europäischen Bücher-Lexici, Leipzig, 1753, Fünfter Theil, p. 414, there was a two-volume edition published at The Hague in 1725, another two-volume edition in 1727, and three three-volume editions in 1727, one published at The Hague and the other two in Amsterdam. The only edition I know of is the one published in two volumes at The Hague, probably in September 1726. The work was advertised as comprising two volumes in a catalogue of books offered for sale by Pierre Gosse at his shop in The Hague and at his stall at the Frankfurt fair in 1740. This catalogue appears at the back of vol. XIII of J. Rousset de Missy, Recueil historique d’actes ..., Amsterdam et Leipzig, MDCCLVI (?).
G. A. Deventer — Archief der Nederlands Hervormde Gemeente — Notulen van de Kerkeraadsvergaderingen — December 1st 1726.
Idem — December 20th and 26th. There are references to this incident in W. T. J. P. M. Keune, De archieven van de Nederlands Hervormde Gemeente te Deventer, 1591-ca. 1951, Deventer, 1967.
Idem-Jan. 6, 1727.
Resoluties van Schepenen en Raden.
Notulen van de Kerk — Jan. 31, Feb. 19 and 26, April 11, 1727.
Resoluties van Schepenen en Raden.
Notulen Kerk.
The Lettres choisies are included in the list of banned books in W. P. Knuttel, Verboden Boeken in de Republiek der Vereenigde Nederlanden, ’s-Gravenhage, 1914.
Dissertation où Mr. Tyssot de Patot démontre clairement et méthodiquement l’existence d’un être souverainement parfait, comme aussi l’immatérialité et immortalité de notre âme, et sa réelle distinction d’avec le corps. Ecrite en forme de lettre. A. Mr. T., A Utrecht. The text of this dissertation, as well as the preface to the OEuvres poétiques, have been reproduced in F. Lachèvre, Les Successeurs de Cyrano de Bergerac, Paris 1922, pp. 238–253. The dissertation is preceded by a sixain in praise of Tyssot and signed C.D.S.G. whom I take to be Charron de Saint Germain, one of Tyssot’s correspondents (See LC, II, p. 549).
This retractation, the only work Tyssot ever published in Dutch, is entitled Rede-voering waerin op eene klare en bondige wijse, bewesen word het bestaan van een eeuwig, verstandig en oneindig opperwezen, alsmede d’onstoffelijkheid en onsterffe-lijkheid van de ziele, die onafhangelijk van het lichaam kan bestaan, Utrecht, Willem Kroon, 1727. The following is a translation of part of the recantation Tyssot made in the preface to this publication: “Nor has it been my intention to insult the honest and devout ministers of the Gospel in those places where I refer to them. I refer to only the bad ones as I pointed out. That this is particularly true is evident from the fact that from the cradle I always wished to be worthy of that office. I would certainly have entered the Ministry if not for the fact that my too weak memory was not suited to the study of the necessary languages, although I tried to my utmost to learn them but failed in the end. I hate sin like death and with the help of God have so tried to refrain from sin that I cannot believe that anyone can rightfully accuse me of having made a faux pas. Therefore I have disciplined my children accordingly, and in all things I have been their guide; I have treated my neighbour as I wish to be treated. So it ought not to be surprising if, in an excess of zeal, I was upset by the transgressions pf others ; if I have exceeded the bounds of Christian charity in so doing, with regard to theologians or others of whatever station, I am heartily sorry and wish I had not done so. I should have preferred to have been judged according to my behaviour as one can judge the trees by their fruits, and that these letters would have been compared with those that best correspond to my conduct... Had this been done one would now have a better opinion of the writer than at present. This letter which I take the liberty of offering to your Honorable lords will, I hope, speak to my advantage. It is of the greatest importance since it deals, in essence, with matters regarding the Almighty whose existence I there prove with so much force that Godless people who would have the temerity to deny his existence would be confounded. You are, exemplary lords, the lieutenants of the Almighty on earth where a large part of his elect are placed in your care ... Look at this my handiwork with the same favour that I have enjoyed for the period of forty-seven years that I have had the honour of being your subject. Honour me with the continuation of your friendship and graciously offer me your favourable protection so that I can enjoy in peace the few days I still have in this changing world ...” I am grateful to Mr. G. W. Krygsman for help with the translation of this and other passages from the Dutch.
This was Johan Willem Carel Friso de Nassau (1711–1751), later William IV.
The letter referred to is LC, II, pp. 322–325, written in 1714 to M. Touillieu. It is on the subject of marriage and particularly on the supposedly insatiable sexual appetites of Tyssot’s new wife. Her allegedly excessive demands (which Tyssot claimed he was always able to accommodate) are expressed in the form of one of Tyssot’s more bawdy poems. The relevant pages are missing from the copy in the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris. In order to permit readers to share in this affront to the virtue of Sara, I append the following lines that occur on pages 323–324 and which I obtained through the courtesy of the Royal Library at Stockholm: J’ai, Dieu merci, Monsieur, une seconde femme, Pour assouvir mes passions, Mais sachez que c’est, sur mon âme, A de dures conditions. Suivant notre contrat, contenant quatre pages, Je dois, le dirai-je, entre nous, Oui, je dois, Monsieur, à genoux, Le soir et le matin, lui rendre mes hommages. Nous avons eu beau lui prêcher, Et le notaire, et moi, qu’il n’était créature, Capable d’observer une règle si dure, Elle n’a de ce droit rien voulu relâcher. Jusqu’à présent elle est contente, Et même, hors de son attente, Je lui rends tous les jours, trois, quatre et plus de fois,
LC, I, pp. 167–179.
In the Gemeentearchief IJsselstein, there is a list of people who were obliged in 1728 and 1729 to pay fines for not doing their turn at watch duty (Lijst van namen van personen, die niet hebben gewaakt en dientengevolge tot de onkosten van de wacht moeten bijdragen). Among those listed is one “d’Hr van Patot” whom I assume to be our Tyssot who was perhaps too old and probably too ill after his recent shattering experiences to withstand the rigours of the watch. For details of the duties involved see the section on the town in Zumthor, op. cit. It is not clear why Tyssot chose to settle in IJsselstein. Perhaps the Rumpf family had something to do with it since, in one of the letters (LC, II, pp. 156–157), there is a reference to someone who had been a secretary of ambassador Rumpf and who was later appointed Drossard of IJsselstein. Tyssot would have been safe in IJsselstein from any further assaults from the Church, since the town was not under the jurisdiction of the United Provinces but was the property of the House of Orange. On the other hand, having recently offended the royal house with his Lettres choisies, he is not sure to have been a welcome resident.
Van Slee, De Illustre School p. 57.
Rijksarchief Utrecht, Recht. Archief IJsselstein, Register van Transporten, 1732–1741 -Nov. 1 1732 and May 13 1734.
Rijksarchief, Utrecht — Begraafboek van IJsselstein, 1732–1780 — Sept. 19 1738. The funeral is commented on in Valkhoff, art. cit., p. 245, note 2.
Tyssot’s four unmarried daughters all died in IJsselstein as did his sons Jean and Simon Bernard. Pierre Corneille’s second marriage produced Simon Johannes who, in 1754, married Wilhelmina Frederika van der Borg, illegitimate daughter of the famous Dutch writer Willem van Haren (1710–1768). Sara’s death does not appear in the records at IJsselstein. According to the Notice sur la famille she died at nearly ninety-two on Sept. 22 1761. The place of death is not given. According to the genealogy she died on Nov. 25 at Deventer. However, the relevant documents for this period are missing at Deventer. Beata Henrietta Maria married Dr. Weyen van Overmeer — Rijksarchief Utrecht -Huwelijksregister der Gereformeerde Gemeente te IJsselstein, 1673–1796 — May 28 1739. The couple later bought a house in IJsselstein — Rijksarchief Utrecht — Recht Archief IJsselstein — Register van Transporten, 1742–1754 — August 18 1744. According to the genealogy Beata died some time in 1774.
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Rosenberg, A. (1972). The Life. In: Tyssot de Patot and His Work 1655–1738. Archives Internationales D’histoire des Idées / International Archives of the History of Ideas. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-4692-2_2
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