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JEAN COLERUS, "Vie de Spinoza," reprinted by Saisset, p. 4. SPINOZA, "Ethica," Definitions III., IV., V. "Il construit le systéme entiere des êtres avec ces trois seuls elements; la substance, l'attribut, et le mode." "Voila l'idée mere de la metaphysique de Spinoza." SAISSET, "Introduction," p. SPINOZA, "De Intellectus Emendatione." This treatise contains the exposition of his method.
It is only moral, it is a happy necessity; and instead of destroying religion it shows divine perfection to the best advantage. But I have reason for doubting this, despite that M. Colerus, who has passed on to me an account he wrote of the life of that famous Jew, is also of that opinion.
So prevalent were the groundless rumors that the Lutheran pastor, Colerus the source of most of our information felt obliged in his very quaint summary biography to defend the life and character of Spinoza. To his everlasting credit, Colerus did this although he himself heartily detested Spinoza's philosophy which he understood to be abhorrently blasphemous and atheistic.
Colerus' sources of information were the best: he spoke to all who knew Spinoza at the Hague; and he himself was intimate with the Van der Spijcks with whom Spinoza had lived the last five years of his life, and with whom Colerus was now living in Spinoza's very room.
What he earned would hardly be considered a "living wage" in these days. But according to Colerus, his first biographer, who enquired of the householders with whom Spinoza lodged, his day's maintenance of often cost no more than 4-1/2d. Various incidents proved his total indifference to money, except as far as needed to "provide things honest in the sight of all men."
I know very well the common opinion about him is, that he died in his bed. Perhaps he did, but he was murdered for all that; and this I shall prove by a book published at Brussels, in the year 1731, entitled, La Via de Spinosa; Par M. Jean Colerus, with many additions, from a MS. life, by one of his friends. Spinosa died on the 21st February, 1677, being then little more than forty-four years old. This of itself looks suspicious; and M. Jean admits, that a certain expression in the MS. life of him would warrant the conclusion, "que sa mort n'a pas été tout-
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