Anthony Ashley Cooper, Earl of Shaftesbury (1671-1713), and `le Refuge Français': correspondence

Documents the Third Earl's correspondence with five leading figures of the Holland-based `refuge français': Pierre Bayle, Jacques Basnage, Jean Le Clerc, Pierre Coste, and Pierre Des Maizeaux. All five were very active as intermediaries between Continental and English thought in the Republic of Letters, located in Holland because of that country's encouragement of free inquiry. Most of the correspondence is presented for the first time and reveals aspects of Shaftesbury's life and thought that should lead to a definitive study of his impact on French thought.