Cultural entanglement in early modern letter-writing: David Hilchen's correspondence with humanists from the Low Countries

In the early modern times, correspondence doubtlessly formed an indispensable tool of intercultural communication, exchange, and influence. To determine exactly how far this correspondence did not serve merely as a projection screen reflecting otherwise separated worlds, but effected true entanglement among the letter-writers and their cultural spheres, requires a detailed analysis of the interconnectedness of the ideas and intents transmitted by them. This article undertakes this task through the correspondence between the Livonian humanist and diplomat David Hilchen (1561-1610) and the humanists Justus Lipsius, Johannes Wowerius, Josephus Justus Scaliger, and Janus Dousa in the Low Countries.