Menasseh ben Israel's Mission to Oliver Cromwell / Being a reprint of the pamphlets published by Menasseh ben Israel to promote the re-admission of the Jews to England, 1649-1656

by Manasseh ben Israel

The Fifth Section

P. [137], l. 18. “I have held friendship with many great men.” Menasseh’s circle of Christian friends was large and distinguished. His intimacy with Rembrandt has already been referred to (supra, pp. 149–150). Among his other friends were Hugo Grotius, the learned family of Vossius, Episcopius, Vorstius, Meursius, Cunæus, Blondel, Chr. Arnold, Bochart, Huet, Sobierre, Felgenhauer, Frankenberg, Mochinger, and Caspar Barlæus.

P. [137], l. 23. “Many verses in my commendations.” The poem by Barlæus here referred to was prefixed to Menasseh’s treatise “De Creatione” (Amsterdam, 1636), together with congratulatory sonnets by Himanuel Nehamias, Mosseh Pinto, Jona Abravanel, and Daniel Abravanel. It ran as follows:—

EPIGRAMMA,

IN

PROBLEMATA

Clarissimi viri Manassis Ben-Israel,

De Creatione.

Qvæ cœlos terrasq́; manus, spatiosaq́; Nerei

Æquora, & immẽsas, quas habet orbis opes,