103 - BERNIER (François).

BERNIER (François). A Summary of Mr. GASSENDI’s Philosophy [...] Paris, Estienne Michallet, 1675. In-4, [3] leaves, 280 pp. Brown calfskin, decorated ribbed spine (contemporary binding). Scuffs. A few rare foxing spots. Handwritten ex-libris crossed out on the title page: René Loüet. A separate first edition of the section devoted to astronomy, published by François Bernier (1620–1688), physician, philosopher, and disciple of Pierre Gassendi. The 1675 edition is in fact the second installment of the *Abrégé*: the first part had appeared in 1674 through the Langlois publishing house. The complete edition would not be published until 1678. The 1675 volume is nonetheless a standalone original publication devoted to astronomy. It is illustrated with 43 woodcut figures, some of which are full-page. This work represents one of the first attempts to disseminate the philosophy of Gassendi (1592–1655)—whose teachings Bernier had personally studied—in French. It sets forth the astronomical views of the philosopher, an heir to ancient atomism and an opponent of certain principles of Aristotelian philosophy. The publication of this *Abrégé* was part of the movement to renew the sciences and natural philosophy in the 17th century, at a time when the systems of Copernicus, Galileo, and Descartes were profoundly transforming our understanding of the universe.