Jacob Statius Klefman

Jacob Statius Klefman studied law in Leiden in 1676. He was private secretary (Geheim Sekretär) and secretary (Rath und Hofgerichtssekretär)  in the service of the Duke of Croÿ, Ernst Bogislaw. In his will, Bogislaw charged Klefman to see over his ‘Privatschriften und poetische Gedichten’ (Mueller, 1878, p. 162). For his longtime services, Klefman received from Bogislaw the sum of 1,000 Reichstaler (ibid., p. 170).

On 25 July 1676, Spinoza presented a printed copy (T.1) of Tractatus theologico-politicus with a note of dedication and, most significantly, five of supplementary Adnotationes in his own handwriting to an acquaintance probably quite dear to him. This friend was Klefman, who probably visited him in The Hague. To all appearances, their relationship of which fairly nothing is known must have been on a rather friendly footing: the copy of the ‘Theological-Political Treatise’ donated to Klefman is the only known book ever signed and annotated by Spinoza. However, to be sure, nothing is further known about how and when connections between the two men were established or whether they were in any contact after their first and perhaps only encounter.

Spinoza wrote a note of dedication for Klefman in italics in his own handwriting on the title-page of the book:

The author donated [this book] to the noble Mr. Mr. Jacobus Statius Klefman, and augmented it with some notes which he wrote in his own hand on the 25th day of July of the year 1676.