I. Versions and Variants

Since the Paris manuscript BNF Fr. 12265 reveals many revision stages, it was crucial for the editors to make explicit the main stages of revision in structure and content made by Émilie Du Châtelet, through establishing them as textual versions on their own, rather than placing them in the variant apparatus. On the one hand, this makes it easier for the reader to perceive the differences by presenting the versions as distinct texts so that the reader does not need to reconstruct all revision stages from the entries in the variant apparatus, which at times is quite a complicated task. On the other hand, in order to analyze the differences between the revision stages in detail, the reader needs to compare the online edited versions by arranging them in separate windows on the screen or display. This might be demanding at times, yet it is still easier than reconstructing all revision stages from the variant apparatus.

However, in order to make the comparison between the distinct versions easier, we decided to offer, in these introductory notes, a survey of some striking differences between the versions. We continue to provide a variant apparatus, however, representing the finer-grained revisions made by Émilie Du Châtelet.

By consequently establishing versions and variants as texts on their own, and as distinguished by the amount of changes in structure and content, we also establish revision stages as variants which might only consist of one word being changed.

With regard to the handwritten drafts of the sixteenth chapter, the revisions made by Du Châtelet were remarkable.

We can count up eleven manuscript versions (versions A to K) and two printed versions (versions L and M)

Of those manuscript versions, we decided to establish five distinct textual versions, A, B, E, H, and K.

In addition to the edition of the manuscript drafts, we also edit the 1740 Paris printed version (version L) and document the revised 1742 Amsterdam printed version (M) in the variant apparatus of version L.

VERSIONS AND VARIANTS	SOURCE
A = MAIN TEXT = VERSION	Émilie Du Châtelet: Institutions de physique, Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS fr. 12265, 254r-274r, 364r-366v
B = MAIN TEXT = VERSION	Émilie Du Châtelet: Institutions de physique, Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS fr. 12265, 254r-274r, 364r-366v
C = VARIANT DOCUMENTED IN THE VARIANT APPARATUS OF VERSION E	Émilie Du Châtelet: Institutions de physique, Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS fr. 12265, 254r-274r, 364r-366v
D = VARIANT DOCUMENTED IN THE VARIANT APPARATUS OF VERSION E	Émilie Du Châtelet: Institutions de physique, Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS fr. 12265, 254r-274r, 364r-366v
E = MAIN TEXT	Émilie Du Châtelet: Institutions de physique, Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS fr. 12265, 254r-274r, 364r-366v
F = VARIANT DOCUMENTED IN THE VARIANT APPARATUS OF VERSION H	Émilie Du Châtelet: Institutions de physique, Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS fr. 12265, 254r-274r, 364r-366v
G = VARIANT DOCUMENTED IN THE VARIANT APPARATUS OF VERSION H	Émilie Du Châtelet: Institutions de physique, Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS fr. 12265, 254r-274r, 364r-366v
H = MAIN TEXT = VERSION	Émilie Du Châtelet: Institutions de physique, Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS fr. 12265, 254r-274r, 364r-366v
I = VARIANT DOCUMENTED IN THE VARIANT APPARATUS OF VERSION K	Émilie Du Châtelet: Institutions de physique, Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS fr. 12265, 254r-274r, 364r-366v
J = VARIANT DOCUMENTED IN THE VARIANT APPARATUS OF VERSION K	Émilie Du Châtelet: Institutions de physique, Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS fr. 12265, 254r-274r, 364r-366v
K = MAIN TEXT = VERSION	Émilie Du Châtelet: Institutions de physique, Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS fr. 12265, 254r-274r, 364r-366v
L = MAIN TEXT = VERSION	Émilie Du Châtelet: Institutions de physique, Paris: Prault, 1740, 288-314
M = VARIANT DOCUMENTED IN THE VARIANT APPARATUS OF VERSION L	Émilie Du Châtelet: Institutions physiques, Amsterdam: Depens de la compagnie, 1742, 301-328

II. Short Survey of the Versions A, B, E, H, K, and L

It can easily be seen that the six edited versions (five from the Paris manuscript, one printed version) are quite different in length. From A to H the versions are increasing in length, with H being the largest version. Then we find a continuous shortening of the text in K and L.

III. A few significant differences between the manuscript versions A, B, E, H, and K

First of all, it is most striking that Chapter Sixteen was originally given different chapter numbers, from 15 (A) to 16 (B), then 18 (E, H), chapter 18 also including the §-numbering, and finally 15 resp. 16 (K). So our Chapter Sixteen represents different revision stages of the whole book regarding the order of the chapters. To make the order explicit with regard to our Chapter Sixteen being chapter 18 in the revision stages E to H, and following the added and later again canceled §-numbers in the second half of the manuscript, one order of the Institutions looks as follows, very likely identical with the planned 1738 edition:

• Chap. 10, §§195-271: Du mouvement, et du repos en general et du mouvement simple
• Chap. 11, §§272-294: Du mouvement composé
• Chap. 12, §§295-338: Des forces mortes, ou forces pressantes, et de l’equilibre des Puissances
• Chap. 13, §§339-369: De la pesanteur
• Chap. 14, §§370-388: Suite des phenomenes de la Pesanteur
• Chap. 15, §§389-405: Du mouvement des projectiles
• Chap. 16, §§406-452: Du Repos, et de la chute des corps sur un plan incliné
• Chap. 17, §§453-514: De l’oscillation des pendules
• Chap. 18, §§515-588: De l’attraction neutonienne, comment elle opere la pesanteur et la chute des corps vers la terre
• Chap. 19, §§589-???: There is no such chapter including those §-numbers in the manuscript
• Chap. 20, §§6??-667: There is no such chapter including those §-numbers in the manuscript
• Chap. 21, §§668-720: De la force des corps: In the later canceled §719 Du Châtelet tells us: "jay bien peur quil ne faille encore recourir a dieu pr le chocq des corps, mais c’est ceque j’examinerai dans un autre chapitre." However, there is no further chapter after chapter 21.

There are also four different hands to be traced in the manuscript working on this chapter, three copyists and Du Châtelet. Furthermore, it is obvious that Du Châtelet revised and corrected the text more than once, from a pre-1738 draft towards the planned 1738 print, and finally towards the 1740 print. The intense workflow that characterizes this chapter, made it one of the most demanding and difficult parts of the whole manuscript to edit, thus resulting in the most extensive chapter within our edition.

Then it is striking that Chapter Sixteen was first titled De l’attraction neutonienne, comment elle opere la pesanteur et la chute des corps vers la terre before it was titled Des decouvertes de mr neuton sur la pesanteur in the final revision stage.

IV. Note on the technical and editorial presentation of the edition

As for the technical presentation, there are still changes to come. The design and structure as well as the information implemented in the XML files will be refined. Due to the work required to program all these refinements, it will take some time until the final edition can be presented online.

For now, we show a preliminary version, a work in progress, which is the basis for all future refinements.

Still lacking is also the commentary on the texts. The editors’ work on the commentary is part of a broader research which is yet to be done.