that he was, because of his own cooking, living more
safely within his means. The pipe he smoked occasionally (let us hope)
was fragrant; the pint of wine a month very delectable. For mental
recreation he read fairly widely in literature, observed the habits of
insects, with the microscope as well as the naked eye. He also sometimes
drew ink or charcoal sketches of his visitors and himself. A fairly
plausible rumor has it that Rembrandt was his teacher. Unfortunately,
all of Spinoza's sketches were destroyed.

Although Spinoza wanted to be independent and self-supporting he was not
irrationally zealous about it. He did not accept all the financial help
his friends were eager to give him, but he did accept some. One of his
young friends, Simon de Vries, before his early death occurred, wanted
to bequeath all of his estate to Spinoza. But Spinoza persuaded him not
to deprive his own brother of his natural inheritance. Even the annual
500 florins de Vries finally left him, Spinoza would not altogether
accept, offering the plea that so much wealth would surely take his mind
away from his philosophy. But he would accept 300 florins, a sum he felt
would not be burdensome or dangerous to his soul. This annuity he
regularly received until his death. His friends the de Witts, pensioned
him too; the heirs to the estate contested Spinoza's claim, whereupon
Spinoza promptly withdrew it. This high-minded action corrected their
covetousness, and from the de Witts, too, he received financial help
until his death.

Spinoza's relations with the humble folk he stayed with exhibited the
modesty and grace of character that endeared him to his intimate
friends. When he was tired working in his own room, he would frequently
come down to smoke a pipe and chat with his landlady and landlord about
the simple affairs that filled their lives. His speech was "sweet and
easy;" his manner of a gentle, noble, beauty. Except for the occasion
when the de Witts were murdered, Spinoza never showed himself either
unduly merry or unduly sad. If ever he found that his emotions were
likely to escape his wise control, he would withdraw until such danger
had passed. We find the same characteristics exhibited in Spinoza's
correspondence. Although he found some of his correspondents sometimes
very trying, he never failed to be as courteous and considerate as the
circumstances would permit. Even when one Lambert de Velthuysen provoked
his righteous indignation,