Abstract

The article deals with a period in the correspondence between the Jesuit Bohuslav Balbín and Alois Hackenschmidt, the canon of Teplá monastery and a secretary to Abbot Rajmund Wilfert. To this end, it draws on 80 surviving letters from this era which supported the flow of information between the scholars and their cooperation. This surviving correspondence also illuminates several of Balbín’s works and their reception. Apart from the content of these letters, I discuss their style and pay particular attention to salutations, valedictions and expressions of esteem, willingness and readiness to help. Some of the correspondence has a rather confidential and familiar tone, which sheds light on the relationship between the two scholars. © 2019, Czech Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.