LEIBNIZ, Gottfried Wilhelm von.

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Autograph letter signed, to William Wotton, in Latin. The opening letter of Leibniz's correspondence with William Wotton, marking the beginning of the long-standing relationship between the two great polymaths. The letter draws attention towards a relatively understudied side of Leibniz, his engagement with historiography, and presents his reflections on the role of history as a "mirror for princes".Wotton (1666-1727) was an English theologian who wrote chiefly on history and theology. Among his major works are Reflections upon Ancient and Modern Learning (1694) and The History of Rome from the Death of Antoninus Pius, to the Death of Severus Alexander (1701) - the latter later used by Gibbon. These caught Leibniz's attention, prompting him to open correspondence.Leibniz thanks Wotton for gifting him a copy of his Roman history, praising the work as "accurately elaborate" and presented in "an elegant book". He then compliments the breadth of Wotton's knowledge, admitting that: "I almost couldn't believe that the author [of the History] was the same as he who produced that famous work comparing the learning of the ancients and moderns [Reflections]. For such different forms of erudition are unlikely to coexist in the same person... I can't thank you without also expressing my admiration". Leibniz had read the Reflections, a contribution to the ongoing controversy concerning the merits of ancient and modern learning, and sided with the moderns, as did Wotton.Leibniz first heard

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