pulcherrimum
Dynamices sublimioris principium, cujus vim in difficillimis
quoestionibus soepe expertus fui."--] By way of finis to the Paper,
there is given, what proves extremely important to us, an Excerpt from
an old LETTER OF LEIBNITZ'S; which perhaps it will be better to present
here IN CORPORE, as so much turned on it afterwards. Konig thus winds
up:--

"I add only a word, in finishing; and that is, that it appears Mr.
Leibnitz had a theory of Action, perhaps much more extensive than
one would suspect at present. There is a Letter written by him to Mr.
Hermann [an ancient mathematical sage at Basel], where he uses these
expressions: 'Action, is not what you think; the consideration of Time
enters into it; Action is as the product of the mass by the space and
the velocity, or as the time by the VIS VIVA. I have remarked that in
the modifications of motion, the action becomes usually a maximum or
a minimum:--and from this there might several propositions of great
consequence be deduced. It might serve to determine the curves described
by bodies under attraction to one or more centres. I had meant to treat
of these things in the Second Part of my DYNAMIQUE; which I suppressed,
the reception of the First, by prejudice in many quarters, having
disgusted me.'" [MAUPERTUISIANA, No. ii. 22 (from--Acta Eruditorum,--ubi
supra). In MAUPERTUISIANA, No. iv. 166, is the whole Letter, "Hanover,
16th October, 1707;" no ADDRESS left, judged to be to Hermann.
MAUPERTUISIANA (Hamburg, 1753) is a mere Bookseller's or even
Bookbinder's Farrago, with printed TITLE-PAGE and LIST, of the chief
Pamphlets which had appeared on this Business (sixteen by count, various
type, all 8vo size, in my copy). Of which only No. ii. (Konig's APPEL
AU PUBLIC) and No. iv. (2d edition of said APPEL, with APPENDIX OF
CORRESPONDENCE) are illuminative to read.] Your Minimum of Action, it
would appear, then, is in some cases a Maximum; nothing can be said but
that, in every case it is EITHER a Maximum or Minimum. What a stroke
for our LAW OF THRIFT, the "at last conclusive Proof" of an Intelligent
Creator, as the Perpetual President had fancied it!"So-ho, what is this!
My Discovery an Error? And Leibnitz discovered it, so far as true?"--

"May 28th-8th OCTOBER, 1751. Maupertuis, compressing himself what he
can, writes to Konig: 'Very good, Monsieur. But please inform me
where is that Letter of Leibnitz's; I have never seen or heard of it
before,--and I wa