cxxii. Descartes and the [1640 
countryman. This defence is mentioned specifically in a letter to 
Mersenne of February, 1648 (Corresp. DV, vol. V, p. up, 
11. 17—18), in which Descartes promises to bring c ce que P amis 
efcrit en faueur de Bo'èjjet’ with him on his journey to Paris. 
For the details of the dispute see Jonckhloet and Land : Cor 
respondance et Œuvre musicales de Constantyn Huygens 
(.Leyden, 1882), pp. xl-cxlvi ; Corresp. CCXXII, vol. III, 
p. 277, /. 20/, with JM. Adams notes, and Œuvres, vol. X, 
p. 779 • the very full correspondence of Huygens with Bannius 
during the period 1640—3 (Briefwisseling, vol. Ill, passim) 5 and 
André Piero, Descartes et la Musique (Paris, 190i\pp- 109-20. 
The verses proposed by Mersenne for the competition—they 
were sent to Bannius through Huygens in May 1640—were the 
work of Germain Habert, abbé of Cerisy y and ran as follows: 
‘ Me veux-tu voir mourir, trop aymahle inhumaine a ? 
Viens donner à tes yeux ce fimeile plaiiîr ! 
L’excez de mon amour, et celuy de ta haine, 
S’en vont en un moment contenter ton deiir; 
Mais au moins souviens toy, cruelle, 
Si je meurs malheureux, que j’ay vefcu fidelle.’ 
Bannius’ criticism of Boësset’s music, which took the form 
of a Latin ( Epístola anatómica in Parisinam modulationem \ 
covers twenty-five folio pages in a fine hand l A French abstract, 
however, made in Paris and reviewed by Bannius himself is 
given in Jonckhloet and Land 3 s work^ pp. Ixx—Ixxix, and is thence 
in most part reprinted here in order to make Descartes 3 reply, 
which takes it up point by pointy comprehensible. 
Examen du Sieur Bannius de l’Air 
Me veux tu voir mourir 
Compofé par Moniteur Boëiîèt. 
[Words in square brackets additions from Bannius himself.] 
PREMIEREMENT DU DESSUS. 
Premièrement, il n'a pas bien choiiy le mode de D re fol. Il 
fallait prendre celuy de F ut, qui eil propre pour exprimer les 
a The copy sent to Bannius seems to have read for the first line: 
Me veux-tu voir mourir, Insensible Climaine ? 
190