▁Coun cell or ▁of ▁Parliament ". ▁The ▁em inent ▁person ▁in ▁question ▁was ▁Pierre ▁de ▁F erm at , ▁although ▁the ▁issue ▁failed ▁to ▁mention ▁his ▁last ▁theorem . ▁ ▁Old enburg ▁referred ▁to ▁himself ▁as ▁the ▁" compiler " ▁and ▁sometimes ▁" Author " ▁of ▁the ▁Trans actions , ▁and ▁always ▁claimed ▁that ▁the ▁journal ▁was ▁entirely ▁his ▁sole ▁enter prise ▁– ▁although ▁with ▁the ▁Society ' s ▁im prim atur ▁and ▁containing ▁reports ▁on ▁experiments ▁carried ▁out ▁and ▁initially ▁communic ated ▁by ▁of ▁many ▁of ▁its ▁F ell ows , ▁many ▁readers ▁saw ▁the ▁journal ▁as ▁an ▁official ▁organ ▁of ▁the ▁Society . ▁It ▁has ▁been ▁argued ▁that ▁Old enburg ▁benef itted ▁from ▁this ▁ambigu ity , ▁retain ing ▁both ▁real ▁and ▁perce ived ▁independence ▁( g iving ▁the ▁publication ▁an ▁air ▁of ▁authentic ity ) ▁and ▁the ▁prospect ▁of ▁mon et ary ▁gain , ▁while ▁simultaneously ▁enjo ying ▁the ▁cred ibility ▁afford ed ▁by ▁the ▁association . ▁The ▁Society ▁also ▁enjoyed ▁the ▁benefits ▁of ▁ambigu ity : ▁it ▁was ▁able ▁to ▁communicate ▁adv ances ▁in ▁natural ▁philosophy , ▁undert aken ▁largely ▁in ▁its ▁own ▁name , ▁without ▁the ▁worry ▁that ▁it ▁was ▁directly ▁responsible ▁for ▁its ▁content . ▁In ▁the ▁after math ▁of ▁the ▁Inter reg num , ▁the ▁potential ▁for ▁c ensor ship ▁was ▁very ▁real . ▁ ▁C ertain ly ▁the ▁tone ▁of ▁the ▁early ▁volumes ▁was ▁set ▁by ▁Old enburg , ▁who ▁often ▁related ▁things ▁he ▁was ▁told ▁by ▁his ▁contacts , ▁translated ▁letters ▁and ▁manuscript s