During this time he published most of his best known works, including the famous _Discours de la methode_.

His influence was great.

He made many disciples, who openly or secretly became "Cartesians." Among his pupils was Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677) the apostle of pantheism.

A Portuguese Jew by descent, Spinoza was born in Amsterdam and was a resident in his native city throughout life.
The fame of Holland in 17th century Europe as the chosen home of learning had thus been established by scholars and thinkers whose literary language was ordinarily Latin.

It is now time to speak of the brilliant band of poets, dramatists and stylists, who cultivated the resources of their native tongue with such success as to make this great era truly the Golden Age of Dutch Literature properly so-called.