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E D I T I O N D E L A P A C I F I C A T I O N

T H E W O R K S O F

 VOLTAIRE A CONTEMPORARY VERSION

 W ITH NOTES BY  TOBIAS SMOLLETT, R EVISED  AND MODERNIZED

NEW TRANSLATIONS BY W ILLIAM F. FLEMING, AND AN

INTRODUCTION BY OLIVER H. G. LEIGH

 A CRITIQUE AND BIOGRAPHY 

BY 

T H E R T . H O N . J O H N M O R L E Y  

F O R T Y - T H R E E V O L U M E S

ONE HUNDRED ANS SIXTY-EIGHT DESIGNS, COMPRISINGS REPRODUCTIONS

OF RARE OLD ENGRAVINGS, STEEL PLATES, PHOTOGRAVURES,

 AND CURIOUS FAC-SIMILES

 VOLUME XIII

 AKRON, OHIO

THE WERNER COMPANY

1!"

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I am a heritage because I

brin you years of tboupbt

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and tbe lore of time *-^

I impart yet I can pot s|

I have traveled amoio^ tbe

peoples o^ tbe eartb -^ j

am a rover^- Oft-tlrpeo

I stre^ jron? tbe /IresLde

of tbe orae u!bo toves

n?e

n?e u!ei" arr?

#bculd you/Lnd

please send

brotbers^on tbe boo$-

shelves of

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--%&#'

 (he )O+# of %OL(,I&

&I(IO. & L, ,0I1I0,(IO.

Limited to one thousand sets

for ,merica and 2reat 3ritain*

43et5een t5o servants of 6umanity' 5ho appeared

eighteen hundred years apart' there is a mysterious relation'

* * * * Let us say it 5ith a sentiment of

profound respect7 8&#9# )&(7 %OL(,I& #:IL&

Of that divine tear and of that human smile is composed the

s5eetness of the present civili;ation4

%I0(O 692O

&I(IO. & L, ,0I1I0,(IO.

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 (6& )O+# O1

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O.3 69.& ,. #I(<-3I26( &#I2.#' 0O:I#I.2 &O90(IO.#

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,+O.' O6IO

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I. (&. %OL9:&#

%OL I

O&(< #(,(&#-2&.&,L

LI#( O1 L,(&#

%OL III

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 (6& 6O9O. 39#( 1rontispiece

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#,:#O. &#(O<I.2 (6& (&:L& @BG

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 8O6. LO0+& CHH

, 6ILO#O6I0,L I0(IO.,<

O&(<

4LI3&(< and property4 is the great national cry

of the &nglish It is certainly better than 4#t

2eorge and my right'4 or 4#t enis and :ont-

 joie4 ! it is the cry of nature 1rom #5it;erland to

0hina the peasants are the real occupiers of the land

 (he right of conuest alone has' in some countries'

deprived men of a right so natural

 (he general advantage or good of a nation is that

of the sovereign' of the magistrate' and of the peo-

ple' both in peace and 5ar Is this possession of

lands by the peasantry eually conducive to the

prosperity of the throne and the people in all periods

and circumstances? In order to its being the most

beneJcial system for the throne' it must be that

5hich produces the most considerable revenue' and

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the most numerous and po5erful army

)e must inuire' therefore' 5hether this prin-

ciple or plan tends clearly to increase commerce and

population It is certain that the possessor of an es-

tate 5ill cultivate his o5n inheritance better than

that of another (he spirit of property doubles a

manKs strength 6e labors for himself and his fam-

ily both 5ith more vigor and pleasure than he 5ould

E

B hilosophical

for a master (he slave' 5ho is in the po5er of an-

other' has but little inclination for marriage! he

often shudders even at the thought of producing

slaves li$e himself 6is industry is damped! his

soul is brutali;ed! and his strength is never eer-

cised in its full energy and elasticity (he possessor

of property' on the contrary' desires a 5ife to share

his happiness' and children to assist in his labors

6is 5ife and children constitute his 5ealth (he

estate of such a cultivator' under the hands of an

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active and 5illing family' may become ten times

more productive than it 5as before (he general

commerce 5ill be increased (he treasure of the

prince 5ill accumulate (he country 5ill supply

more soldiers It is clear' therefore' that the system

is beneJcial to the prince oland 5ould be thrice

as populous and 5ealthy as it is at present if the

peasants 5ere not slaves

.or is the system less beneJcial to the great land-

lords If 5e suppose one of these to possess ten

thousand acres of land cultivated by serfs' these ten

thousand acres 5ill produce him but a very scanty

revenue' 5hich 5ill be freuently absorbed in re-

pairs' and reduced to nothing by the irregularity

and severity of the seasons )hat 5ill he in fact

be' although his estates may be vastly more eten-

sive than 5e have mentioned' if at the same time

they are unproductive? 6e 5ill be merely the pos-

sessor of an immense solitude 6e 5ill never be

really rich but in proportion as his vassals are so!

ictionary D

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his prosperity depends on theirs If this prosperity

advances so far as to render the land too populous !

if land is 5anting to employ the labor of so many

industrious hands as hands in the Jrst instance

5ere 5anting to cultivate the land then the super-

Muity of necessary laborers 5ill Mo5 oN into cities

and seaports' into manufactories and armies op-

ulation 5ill have produced this decided beneJt' and

the possession of the lands by the real cultivators'

under payment of a rent 5hich enriches the land-

lords' 5ill have been the cause of this increase of

population

 (here is another species of property not less

beneJcial! it is that 5hich is freed from payment

of rent altogether' and 5hich is liable only to those

general imposts 5hich are levied by the sovereign

for the support and beneJt of the state It is this

property 5hich has contributed in a particular man-

ner to the 5ealth of &ngland' of 1rance' and the free

cities of 2ermany (he sovereigns 5ho thus en-

franchised the lands 5hich constituted their do-

mains' derived' in the Jrst instance' vast advantage

from so doing by the franchises 5hich they disposed

of being eagerly purchased at high prices ! and they

derive from it' even at the present day' a greater

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advantage still' especially in 1rance and &ngland'

by the progress of industry and commerce

&ngland furnished a grand eample to the si-

teenth century by enfranchising the lands possessed

by the church and the mon$s .othing could be

H hilosophical

more odious and nothing more pernicious than the

before prevailing practice of men' 5ho had volun-

tarily bound themselves' by the rules of their order'

to a life of humility and poverty' becoming com-

plete masters of the very Jnest estates in the $ing-

dom' and treating their brethren of man$ind as

mere useful animals' as no better than beasts to

bear their burdens (he state and opulence of this

small number of priests degraded human nature!

their appropriated and accumulated 5ealth impov-

erished the rest of the $ingdom (he abuse 5as de-

stroyed' and &ngland became rich

In all the rest of &urope commerce has never

Mourished! the arts have never attained estimation

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and honor' and cities have never advanced both in

etent and embellishment' ecept 5hen the serfs of

the 0ro5n and the 0hurch held their lands in prop-

erty ,nd it is deserving of attentive remar$ that

if the 0hurch thus lost rights' 5hich in fact never

truly belonged to it' the 0ro5n gained an etension

of its legitimate rights ! for the 0hurch' 5hose Jrst

obligation and professed principle it is to imitate

its great legislator in humility and poverty' 5as not

originally instituted to fatten and aggrandi;e itself

upon the fruit of the labors of man$ind! and the

sovereign' 5ho is the representative of the #tate' is

bound to manage 5ith economy' the produce of that

same labor for the good of the #tate itself' and for

the splendor of the throne In every country 5here

the people labor for the 0hurch' the #tate is poor!

ictionary "

but 5herever they labor for themselves and the sov-

ereign' the #tate is rich

It is in these circumstances that commerce every-

5here etends its branches (he mercantile navy

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becomes a school for the 5arli$e navy 2reat com-

mercial companies are formed (he sovereign Jnds

in periods of diculty and danger resources before

un$no5n ,ccordingly' in the ,ustrian states' in

&ngland' and in 1rance' 5e see the prince easily

borro5ing from his subjects a hundred times more

than he could obtain by force 5hile the people 5ere

bent do5n to the earth in slavery' vv '

,ll the peasants 5ill not be rich' nor is it neces-

sary that they should be so (he #tate reuires men

5ho possess nothing but strength and good 5ill

&ven such' ho5ever' 5ho appear to many as the

very outcasts of fortune' 5ill participate in the pros-

perity of the rest (hey 5ill tPe free to dispose of

their labor at the best mar$et' and this freedom 5ill

be an eNective substitute for property (he assured

hope of adeuate 5ages 5ill support their spirits'

and they 5ill bring up their families in their o5n

laborious and serviceable occupations 5ith success'

and even 5ith gayety It is this class' so despised

by the great and opulent' that constitutes' be it re-

membered' the nursery for soldiers (hus' from

$ings to shepherds' from the sceptre to the scythe'

all is animation and prosperity' and the principle

in uestion gives ne5 force to every eertion

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,fter having ascertained 5hether it is beneJcial

io hilosophical

to a #tate that the cultivators should be proprietors'

it remains to be sho5n ho5 far this principle may

be properly carried It has happened' in more $ing-

doms than one' that the emancipated serf has at-

tained such 5ealth by his s$ill and industry as has

enabled him to occupy the station of his former

masters' 5ho have become reduced and impover-

ished by their luury 6e has purchased their lands

and assumed their titles ! the old noblesse have been

degraded' and the ne5 have been only envied and

despised &verything has been thro5n into con-

fusion (hose nations 5hich have permitted such

usurpations' have been the sport and scorn of such

as have secured themselves against an evil so bane-

ful (he errors of one government may become a

lesson for others (hey proJt by its 5ise and salu-

tary institutions ! they may avoid the evil it has in-

curred through those of an opposite tendency

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It is so easy to oppose the restrictions of la5 to

the cupidity and arrogance of upstart proprietors' to

J the etent of lands 5hich 5ealthy plebeians may

be allo5ed to purchase' to prevent their acuisition

of large seigniorial property and privileges' that a

Jrm and 5ise government can never have cause to

repent of having enfranchised servitude and en-

riched indigence , good is never productive of evil

but 5hen it is carried to a culpable ecess' in 5hich

case it completely ceases to be a good (he eam-

ples of other nations supply a 5arning ! and on this

principle it is easy to eplain 5hy those communi-

ictionary II

ties' 5hich have most recently attained civili;ation

and regular government' freuently surpass the mas-

ters from 5hom they dre5 their lessons

O6&0I&#

#&0(IO. I

 (6I# 5ord' in its ordinary acceptation' signiJes

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prediction of the future It is in this sense that

 8esus declared to 6is disciples 7 4,ll things must

be fulJlled 5hich 5ere 5ritten in the la5 of :oses'

and in the rophets' and in the salms' concerning

:e (hen opened 6e their understanding that they

might understand the #criptures4

)e shall feel the indispensable necessity of hav-

ing our minds opened to comprehend the prophe-

cies' if 5e reMect that the 8e5s' 5ho 5ere the depos-

itories of them' could never recogni;e 8esus for the

:essiah' and that for eighteen centuries our the-

ologians have disputed 5ith them to J the sense

of some 5hich they endeavor to apply to 8esus

#uch is that of 8acob 4(he sceptre shall not depart

from 8udah' nor a la5giver from bet5een his feet'

until #hiloh come4 (hat of :oses 4(he Lord

thy 2od 5ill raise up unto thee a prophet li$e unto

me from the nations and from thy brethren ! unto

6im shall ye hear$en4 (hat of Isaiah 43ehold

a virgin shall conceive and bring forth a son' and

shall call his name Immanuel4 (hat of aniel

4#eventy 5ee$s have been determined in favor of

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@C hilosophical

thy people'4 etc 3ut our object here is not to enter

into theological detail

Let us merely observe 5hat is said in the ,cts

of the ,postles' that in giving a successor to 8udas'

and on other occasions' they acted epressly to ac-

complish prophecies ! but the apostles themselves

sometimes uote such as are not found in the 8e5ish

5ritings ! such is that alleged by #t :atthe5 7

4,nd 6e came and d5elt in a city called .a;areth'

that it might be fulJlled 5hich 5as spo$en by the

prophets' 6e shall be called a .a;arene4

#t 8ude' in his epistle' also uotes a prophecy

from the boo$ of 4&noch'4 5hich is apocryphal!

and the author of the imperfect 5or$ on #t :at-

the5' spea$ing of the star seen in the &ast by the

:agi' epresses himself in these terms 7 4It is re-

lated to me on the evidence of I $no5 not 5hat

5riting' 5hich is not authentic' but 5hich far from

destroying faith encourages it' that there 5as a na-

tion on the borders of the eastern ocean 5hich pos-

sessed a boo$ that bears the name of #eth' in 5hich

the star that appeared to the :agi is spo$en of' and

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the presents 5hich these :agi oNered to the #on of

2od (his nation' instructed by the boo$ in ues-

tion' chose t5elve of the most religious persons

amongst them' and charged them 5ith the care of

observing 5henever this star should appear )hen

any of them died' they substituted one of their sons

or relations (hey 5ere called magi in their tongue'

ictionary @F

because they served 2od in silence and 5ith a lo5

voice

4(hese :agi 5ent every year' after the corn har-

vest' to a mountain in their country' 5hich they

called the :ount of %ictory' and 5hich is very

agreeable on account of the fountains that 5ater

and the trees 5hich cover it (here is also a cistern

dug in the roc$' and after having there 5ashed and

puriJed themselves' they oNered sacriJces and

prayed to 2od in silence for three days

4(hey had not continued this pious practice for

many generations' 5hen the happy star descended

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on their mountain (hey sa5 in it the Jgure of a lit-

tle child' on 5hich there appeared that of the cross

It spo$e to them and told them to go to 8udsea (hey

immediately departed' the star al5ays going before

them' and 5ere t5o days on the road4

 (his prophecy of the boo$ of #eth resembles that

of =orodascht or =oroaster' ecept that the Jgure

seen in his star 5as that of a young virgin' and =oro-

aster says not that there 5as a cross on her (his

prophecy' uoted in the 42ospel of the Infancy'4 is

thus related by ,bulpharagius 7 4=oroaster' the

master of the :agi' instructed the ersians of the

future manifestation of our Lord 8esus 0hrist' and

commanded them to oNer 6im presents 5hen 6e

5as born 6e 5arned them that in future times a

virgin should conceive 5ithout the operation of any

man' and that 5hen she brought her #on into the

5orld' a star should appear 5hich 5ould shine at

@G hilosophical

noonday' in the midst of 5hich they 5ould see the

Jgure of a young virgin K<ou' my children/ adds

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=oroaster' K5ill see it before all nations )hen'

therefore' you see this star appear' go 5here it 5ill

conduct you ,dore this da5ning child! oNer it

presents' for it is the ;vord 5hich created heavenK 4

 (he accomplishment of this prophecy is related

in linyKs 4.atural 6istory4 ! but besides that the

appearance of the star should have preceded the

birth of 8esus by about forty years' thiQR passage

seems very suspicious to scholars' and is not the Jrst

nor only one 5hich might have been interpolated in

favor of 0hristianity (his is the eact account of

it7 4(here appeared at ome for seven days a

comet so brilliant that the sight of it could scarcely

be supported ! in the middle of it a god 5as per-

ceived under the human form ! they too$ it for the

soul of 8ulius 0aesar' 5ho had just died' and adored

it in a particular temple4

: ,ssermany' in his 4&astern Library'4 also

spea$s of a boo$ of #olomon' archbishop of 3assora'

entitled 4(he 3ee'4 in 5hich there is a chapter on

this prediction of =oroaster 6ornius' 5ho doubted

not its authenticity' has pretended that =oroaster 5as

3alaam' and that 5as very li$ely' because Origen' in

his Jrst boo$ against 0elsus' says that the :agi had

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no doubt of the prophecies of 3alaam' of 5hich these

5ords are found in .umbers 7 4(here shall come

a star out of 8acob' and a sceptre shall rise out of

Israel4 3ut 3alaam 5as no more a 8e5 than =oro-

ictionary @E

aster' since he said himself that he came from ,ram

from the mountains of the &ast

3esides' #t aul spea$s epressly to (itus of a

0retan prophet' and #t 0lement of ,leandria ac-

$no5ledged that 2od' 5ishing to save the 8e5s'

gave them prophets ! 5ith the same motive' 6e ever

created the most ecellent men of 2reece! those

5ho 5ere the most proper to receive 6is grace' 6e

separated from the vulgar' to be prophets of the

2ree$s' in order to instruct them in their o5n

tongue 46as not lato'4 he further says' 4in some

manner predicted the plan of salvation' 5hen in the

second boo$ of his Kepublic'K he has imitated this

epression of #cripture 7 KLet us separate ourselves

from the 8ust' for he incommodes usK! and he e-

presses himself in these terms 7 K(he 8ust shall be

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beaten 5ith rods' 6is eyes shall be put out' and after

suNering all sorts of evils' 6e shall at last be cru-

ciJedK 4

#t 0lement might have added' that if 8esus

0hristKs eyes 5ere not put out' not5ithstanding the

prophecy' neither 5ere 6is bones bro$en' though

it is said in a psalm 7 4)hile they brea$ :y bones'

:y enemies 5ho persecute :e over5helm :e 5ith

their reproaches4 On the contrary' #t 8ohn says

positively that the soldiers bro$e the legs of t5o

others 5ho 5ere cruciJed 5ith 6im' but they bro$e

not those of 8esus' that the #cripture might be ful-

Jlled 7 4, bone of 6im shall not be bro$en4

 (his #cripture' uoted by #t 8ohn' etended to

@ B hilosophical

the letter of the paschal lamb' 5hich ought to be eaten

by the Israelites ! but 8ohn the 3aptist having called

 8esus the Lamb of 2od' not only 5as the application

of it given to 6im' but it is even pretended that 6is

death 5as predicted by 0onfucius #pi;eli uotes

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the history of 0hina by :aitinus' in 5hich it is re-

lated that in the thirty-ninth year of the reign of

+ing-hi' some hunters outside the gates of the to5n

$illed a rare animal 5hich the 0hinese called $jlin'

that is to say' the Lamb of 2od ,t this ne5s' 0on-

fucius struc$ his breast' sighed profoundly' and e-

claimed more than once 7 4+ilin' 5ho has said that

thou art come?4 6e added7 4:y doctrine dra5s

to an end ! it 5ill no longer be of use' since you 5ill

appear4

,nother prophecy of the same 0onfucius is also

found in his second boo$' 5hich is applied eually

to 8esus' though 6e is not designated under the

name of the Lamb of 2od (his is it 7 )e need not

fear but that 5hen the epected 6oly One shall

come' all the honor 5ill be rendered to 6is virtue

5hich is due to it 6is 5or$s 5ill be conformable

to the la5s of heaven and earth

 (hese contradictory prophecies found in the 8e5-

ish boo$s seem to ecuse their obstinacy' and give

good reason for the embarrassment of our theolo-

gians in their controversy 5ith them 1urther'

those 5hich 5e are about to relate of other people'

prove that the author of .umbers' the apostles

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and fathers' recogni;ed prophets in all nations (he

ictionary @D

,rabs also pretend this' 5ho rec$on a hundred and

eighty thousand prophets from the creation of the

5orld to :ahomet' and believe that each of them

5as sent to a particular nation )e shall spea$ of

prophetesses in the article on 4#ibyls4

#&0(IO. II

rophets still eist7 5e had t5o at the 3icetre

in @DCF' both calling themselves &lias (hey 5ere

5hipped ! 5hich put it out of all doubt 3efore the

prophets of 0evennes' 5ho Jred oN their guns from

behind hedges in the name of the Lord in @DAG' 6ol-

land had the famous eter 8urieu' 5ho published

the 4,ccomplishment of the rophecies4 3ut that

6olland may not be too proud' he 5as born in

1rance' in a little to5n called :er' near Orleans

6o5ever' it must be confessed that it 5as at ot-

terdam alone that 2od called him to prophesy

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 (his 8urieu' li$e many others' sa5 clearly that

the pope 5as the beast in the 4,pocalypse'4 that he

held 4poculum aureum plenum abominationum'4

the golden cup full of abominations! that the four

Jrst letters of these four Latin 5ords formed the

5ord papa! that conseuently his reign 5as about

to Jnish ! that the 8e5s 5ould re-enter 8erusalem !

that they 5ould reign over the 5hole 5orld during

a thousand years ! after 5hich 5ould come the ,nti-

christ ! Jnally' 8esus seated on a cloud 5ould judge

the uic$ and the dead

 8urieu prophesies epressly that the time of the

%ol @F C

@ H hilosophical

great revolution and the entire fall of papistry 45ill

fall justly in the year @BH"' 5hich I hold'4 says he'

4to be the time of the apocalyptic vintage' for the

t5o 5itnesses 5ill revive at this time ! after 5hich'

1rance 5ill brea$ 5ith the pope before the end of

this century' or at the commencement of the net'

and the rest of the anti-0hristian empire 5ill be

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every5here abolished4

 (he disjunctive particle 4or'4 that sign of doubt'

is not in the manner of an adroit man , prophet

should not hesitate! he may be obscure' but he

ought to be sure of his fact

 (he revolution in papistry not happening in @BH"'

as eter 8urieu predicted' he uic$ly published a

ne5 edition' in 5hich he assured the public that it

5ould be in @B"A! and' 5hat is more astonishing'

this edition 5as immediately follo5ed by another

It 5ould have been very beneJcial if 3ayleKs 4ic-

tionary4 had had such a run in the Jrst instance!

the 5or$s of the latter have' ho5ever' remained'

5hile those of eter 8urieu are not even to be found

by the side of .ostradamus

,ll 5as not left to a single prophet ,n &nglish

resbyterian' 5ho studied at 9trecht' combated all

5hich 8urieu said on the seven vials and seven

trumpets of the ,pocalypse' on the reign of a thou-

sand years' the conversion of the 8e5s' and even on

,ntichrist &ach supported himself by the au-

thority of 0occeius' 0oterus' rabicius' and 0om-

menius' great preceding prophets' and by the proph-

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ictionary @"

etess 0hristina (he t5o champions conJned

themselves to 5riting! 5e hoped they 5ould give

each other blo5s' as =ede$iah smac$ed the face of

:icaiah' saying 7 4)hich 5ay 5ent the spirit of the

Lord from my hand to thy chee$?4 or literally7

46o5 has the spirit passed from thee to me ?4 (he

public had not this satisfaction' 5hich is a great

pity

#&0(IO. III

It belongs to the infallible church alone to J the

true sense of prophecies' for the 8e5s have al5ays

maintained' 5ith their usual obstinacy' that no

prophecy could regard 8esus 0hrist ! and the 1athers

of the 0hurch could not dispute 5ith them 5ith ad-

vantage' since' ecept #t &phrem' the great Origen'

and #t 8erome' there 5as never any 1ather of the

0hurch 5ho $ne5 a 5ord of 6ebre5

It is not until the ninth century that aban the

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:oor' after5ards bishop of :ayence' learned the

 8e5ish language 6is eample 5as follo5ed by

some others' and then they began disputing 5ith the

rabbi on the sense of the prophecies

aban 5as astonished at the blasphemies 5hich

they uttered against our #aviour! calling 6im a

bastard' impious son of anther' and saying that

it is not permitted them to pray to 2od 5ithout curs-

ing 8esus 7 4>uod nulla oratio posset apud eum ac-

cepta esse nisi in ea ominum nostrum 8esum

0hristum maledicant 0onJtentes eum esse impium

et Jlium impii' id est' nescio cujus cethnici uern

CO hilosophical

nominant anthera' a uo dicunt matrem omini

adulteratam4

 (hese horrible profanations are found in several

places in the 4(almud'4 in the boo$s of .i;achon' in

the dispute of ittangel' in those of 8echiel and

.achmanides' entitled the 43ul5ar$ of 1aith'4 and

above all in the abominable 5or$ of the (oldos

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 8eschut It is particularly in the 43ul5ar$ of 1aith4

of the abbin Isaac' that they interpret all the proph-

ecies 5hich announce 8esus 0hrist by applying them

to other persons

)e are there assured that the (rinity is not al-

luded to in any 6ebre5 boo$' and that there is not

found in them the slightest trace of our holy reli-

gion On the contrary' they point out a hundred

passages' 5hich' according to them' assert that the

:osaic la5 should eternally remain

 (he famous passage 5hich should confound the

 8e5s' and ma$e the 0hristian religion triumph in

the opinion of all our great theologians' is that of

Isaiah 7 43ehold a virgin shall conceive and bear a

son' and shall call his name Immanuel 3utter and

honey shall he eat' that he may $no5 ho5 to refuse

the evil' and choose the good 1or before the child

shall $no5 ho5 to refuse the evil and choose the

good' the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsa$en

of both her $ings ,nd it shall come to pass in that

day' that the Lord shall 5histle for the Mies that are

in the broo$s of &gypt' and for the bees that are in

the land of ,ssyria In the same day shall the Lord

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ictionary C@

shave 5ith a ra;or that is hired' namely' by them

beyond the river' by the $ing of ,ssyria' the head

and the hair of the genitals' and he 5ill also consume

the beard

4:oreover' the Lord said unto me' ta$e thee a

great roll' and 5rite in it 5ith a manKs pen concern-

ing :aher-shalal-hash-ba; ,nd I too$ unto me

faithful 5itnesses to record' 9riah the priest' and

=achariah the son of 8eberechiah ,nd I 5ent in

unto the prophetess! and she conceived and bare a

son ! then said the Lord to me' call his name :aher-

shalal-hash-ba; 1or before the child shall have

$no5ledge to cry my father and my mother' the

riches of amascus' and the spoil of #amaria' shall

be ta$en a5ay before the $ing of ,ssyria4

 (he abbin Isaac arms' 5ith all the other doc-

tors of his la5' that the 6ebre5 5ord 4alma4 some-

times signiJes a virgin and sometimes a married

5oman ! that uth is called 4alma4 5hen she 5as a

mother ! that even an adulteress is sometimes called

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4alma4! that nobody is meant here but the 5ife of

the prophet Isaiah ! that her son 5as not called Im-

manuel' but :aher-shalal-hash-ba; ! that 5hen this

son should eat honey and butter' the t5o $ings 5ho

besieged 8erusalem 5ould be driven from the coun-

try' etc

 (hus these blind interpreters of their o5n reli-

gion' and their o5n language' combated 5ith the

0hurch' and obstinately maintained' that this proph-

ecy cannot in any manner regard 8esus 0hrist

@@ hilosophical

)e have a thousand times refuted their eplication

in our modern languages )e have employed force'

gibbets' rac$s' and Mames ! yet they 5ill not give up

46e has borne our ills' he has sustained our

griefs' and 5e have beheld him aSicted 5ith sores'

stric$en by 2od' and aSicted4 6o5ever stri$ing

this prediction may appear to us' these obstinate

 8e5s say that it has no relationship to 8esus 0hrist'

and that it can only regard the prophets 5ho 5ere

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persecuted for the sins of the people

4,nd behold my servant shall prosper' shall be

honored' and raised very high4 (hey say' further'

that the foregoing passage regards not 8esus 0hrist

but avid! that this $ing really did prosper' but

that 8esus' 5hom they deny' did not prosper 43e-

hold I 5ill ma$e a ne5 pact 5ith the house of Israel'

and 5ith the house of 8udah4 (hey say that this

passage signiJes not' according to the letter and the

sense' anything more than I 5ill rene5 my cove-

nant 5ith 8udah and 5ith Israel 6o5ever' this

pact has not been rene5ed ! and they cannot ma$e a

5orse bargain than they have made .o matter'

they are obstinate

43ut thou' 3ethlehem &phratah' though thou be

little among the thousands of 8udah' yet out of thee

shall come forth a ruler in Israel! 5hose goings

forth have been from of oldj from everlasting4

 (hey dare to deny that this prophecy applies to

 8esus 0hrist (hey say that it is evident that :icah

spea$s of some native captain of 3ethlehem' 5ho

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he 5ould add to the Jve or si thousand volumes

5hich 5e have on the subject' 5e shall only be more

fatigued' 5ithout advancing a single step

)e are' therefore' plunged in a chaos 5hich it is

impossible for the 5ea$ness of the human mind to

set in order Once more' 5e have need of a church

5hich judges 5ithout appeal 1or in fact' if a 0hi-

nese' a (artar' or an ,frican' reduced to the mis-

fortune of having only good sense' read all these

prophecies' it 5ould be impossible for him to apply

CG hilosophical

them to 8esus 0hrist' the 8e5s' or to anyone else

6e 5ould be in astonishment and uncertainty'

5ould conceive nothing' and 5ould not have a single

distinct idea 6e could not ta$e a step in this abyss

5ithout a guide )ith this guide' he arrives not

only at the sanctuary of virtue' but at good canon-

ships' at large commanderies' opulent abbeys' the

crosiered and mitred abbots of 5hich are called

monseigneur by his mon$s and peasants' and to

bishoprics 5hich give the title of prince In a 5ord'

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he enjoys earth' and is sure of possessing heaven

O6&(#

 (6& prophet 8urieu 5as hissed ! the prophets of

the 0evennes 5ere hanged or rac$ed ! the prophets

5ho 5ent from Languedoc and auphiny to Lon-

don 5ere put in the pillory ! the ,nabaptist proph-

ets 5ere condemned to various modes and de-

grees of punishment! and the prophet #avonarola

5as ba$ed at 1lorence If' in connection 5ith these'

5e may advert to the case of the genuine 8e5ish

prophets' 5e shall perceive their destiny to have been

no less unfortunate ! the greatest prophet among the

 8e5s' #t 8ohn the 3aptist' 5as beheaded

=achariah is stated to have been assassinated!

but' happily' this is not absolutely proved (he

prophet 8eddo' or ,ddo' 5ho 5as sent to 3ethel

under the injunction neither to eat nor drin$' having

unfortunately tasted a morsel of bread' 5as de-

ictionary CE

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voured in his turn by a lion! and his bones 5ere

found on the high5ay bet5een the lion and his ass

 8onah 5as s5allo5ed by a Jsh 6e did not' it is

true' remain in the JshKs stomach more than three

days and three nights ! even this' ho5ever' 5as pass-

ing threescore and t5elve hours very uncomfort-

ably

6aba$$u$ 5as transported through the air' sus-

pended by the hair of his head' to 3abylon! this

5as not a fatal or permanent calamity' certainly !

but it must have been an eceedingly uncomfortable

method of travelling , man could not help suNer-

ing a great deal by being suspended by his hair dur-

ing a journey of three hundred miles I certainly

should have preferred a pair of 5ings' or the mare

3ora$' or the 6ippogriNe

:icaiah' the son of Imla' sa5 the Lord seated on

6is throne' surrounded by 6is army of celestial

spirits! and the Lord having inuired 5ho could

be found to go and deceive +ing ,hab' a demon

volunteered for that purpose' and 5as accordingly

charged 5ith the commission! and :icaiah' on the

part of the Lord' gave +ing ,hab an account of this

celestial adventure 6e 5as re5arded for this com-

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munication by a tremendous blo5 on his face from

the hand of the prophet =ede$iah' and by being shut

up for some days in a dungeon 6is punishment

might undoubtedly have been more severe ! but still'

it is unpleasant and painful enough for a man 5ho

$no5s and feels himself divinely inspired to be

CB hilosophical

$noc$ed about in so coarse and vulgar a manner'

and conJned in a damp and dirty hole of a prison

It is believed that +ing ,ma;iah had the teeth

of the prophet ,mos pulled out to prevent him from

spea$ing! not that a person 5ithout teeth is abso-

lutely incapable of spea$ing' as 5e see many tooth-

less old ladies as louacious and chattering as ever!

but a prophecy should be uttered 5ith great dis-

tinctness ! and a toothless prophet is never listened

to 5ith the respect due to his character

3aruch eperienced various persecutions &;e-

$iel 5as stoned by the companions of his slavery

It is not ascertained 5hether 8eremiah 5as stoned

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or sa5ed asunder Isaiah is considered as having

been incontestably sa5ed to death by order of :an-

asseh' $ing of 8udah

It cannot be denied' that the occupation of a

prophet is eceedingly ir$some and dangerous 1or

one 5ho' li$e &lijah' sets oN on his tour among the

planets in a chariot of light' dra5n by four 5hite

horses' there are a hundred 5ho travel on foot' and

are obliged to beg their subsistence from door to

door (hey may be compared to 6omer' 5ho' 5e

are told' 5as reduced to be a mendicant in the same

seven cities 5hich after5ards sharply disputed 5ith

each other the honor of having given him birth

6is commentators have attributed to him an inJnity

of allegories 5hich he never even thought of! and

prophets have freuently had the li$e honor con-

ferred upon them I by no means deny that there

ictionary CD

may have eisted else5here persons possessed of a

$no5ledge of the future It is only reuisite for a

man to 5or$ up his soul to a high state of ecita-

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tion' according to the doctrine of one of our doughty

modern philosophers' 5ho speculates upon boring

the earth through to the ,ntipodes' and curing the

sic$ by covering them all over 5ith pitch-plaster

 (he 8e5s possessed this faculty of ealting and

eciting the soul to such a degree that they sa5

every future event as clearly as possible! only un-

fortunately' it is dicult to decide 5hether by 8eru-

salem they al5ays mean eternal life ! 5hether 3aby-

lon means London or aris! 5hether' 5hen they

spea$ of a grand dinner' they really mean a fast'

and 5hether red 5ine means blood' and a red

mantle faith' and a 5hite mantle charity Indeed'

the correct and complete understanding of the proph-

ets is the most arduous attainment of the human

mind

 (here is li$e5ise a further diculty 5ith respect

to the 8e5ish prophets' 5hich is' that many among

them 5ere #amaritan heretics 6osea 5as of the

tribe of Issachar' 5hich d5elt in the #amaritan ter-

ritory' and &lisha and &lijah 5ere of the same tribe

3ut the objection is very easily ans5ered )e 5ell

$no5 that 4the 5ind blo5eth 5here it listeth'4 and

that grace lights on the most dry and barren' as 5ell

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as on the most fertile soil

CH hilosophical

O%I&.0&

I ),# at the grate of the convent 5hen #ister

1essue said to #ister 0onJte7 4rovidence ta$es a

visible care of me ! you $no5 ho5 I love my spar-

ro5! he 5ould have been dead if I had not said

nine ave-marias to obtain his cure 2od has re-

stored my sparro5 to life ! than$s to the 6oly %ir-

gin4

, metaphysician said to her7 4#ister' there is

nothing so good as ave-marias' especially 5hen a

girl pronounces them in Latin in the suburbs of

aris! but I cannot believe that 2od has occupied

6imself so much 5ith your sparro5' pretty as he is !

I pray you to believe that 6e has other matters to

attend to It is necessary for 6im constantly to

superintend the course of siteen planets and the

rising of #aturn' in the centre of 5hich 6e has

placed the sun' 5hich is as large as a million of our

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globes 6e has also thousands and thousands of

millions of other suns' planets' and comets to gov-

ern 6is immutable la5s' and 6is eternal arrange-

ment' produce motion throughout nature! all is

bound to 6is throne by an inJnite chain' of 5hich

no lin$ can ever be put out of placeT4 If certain

ave-marias had caused the sparro5 of #ister 1essue

to live an instant longer than it 5ould naturally

have lived' it 5ould have violated all the la5s im-

posed from eternity by the 2reat 3eing! it 5ould

have deranged the universe! a ne5 5orld' a ne5

ictionary C"

2od' and a ne5 order of eistence 5ould have been

rendered unavoidable

#I#(& 1&##9& )hatT do you thin$ that 2od

pays so little attention to #ister 1essue ?

:&(,6<#I0I,. I am sorry to inform you'

that li$e myself you are but an imperceptible lin$ in

the great chain! that your organs' those of your

sparro5' and my o5n' are destined to subsist a de-

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terminate number of minutes in the suburbs of

aris

#I#(& 1&##9& If so' I 5as predestined to say

a certain number of ave-marias

:&(,6<#I0I,. <es! but they have not

obliged the eity to prolong the life of your spar-

ro5 beyond his term It has been so ordered' that

in this convent at a certain hour you should pro-

nounce' li$e a parrot' certain 5ords in a certain lan-

guage 5hich you do not understand ! that this bird'

produced li$e yourself by the irresistible action of

general la5s' having been sic$' should get better !

that you should imagine that you had cured it' and

that 5e should hold together this conversation

#I#(& 1&##9& #ir' this discourse savors of

heresy :y confessor' the reverend 1ather de

:enou' 5ill infer that you do not believe in rovi-

dence

:&(,6<#I0I,. I believe in a general rovi-

dence' dear sister' 5hich has laid do5n from all

eternity the la5 5hich governs all things' li$e light

from the sun! but I believe not that a particular

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 jo hilosophical

rovidence changes the economy of the 5orld for

your sparro5 or your cat

#I#(& 1&##9& 3ut suppose my confessor tells

you' as he has told me' that 2od changes 6is inten-

tions every day in favor of the devout?

:&(,6<#I0I,. 6e 5ould assert the greatest

absurdity that a confessor of girls could possibly

utter to a being 5ho thin$s

#I#(& 1&##9& :y confessor absurdT 6oly

%irgin :aryT

:&(,6<#I0I,. I do not go so far as that I

only observe that he cannot' by an enormously ab-

surd assertion' justify the false principles 5hich he

has instilled into you possibly very adroitly in

order to govern you

#I#(& 1&##9& (hat observation merits reMec-

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tion I 5ill thin$ of it

92,(O<

I( is very singular that the rotestant churches

agree in eclaiming that purgatory 5as invented by

the mon$s It is true that they invented the art of

dra5ing money from the living by praying to 2od

for the dead! but purgatory eisted before the

mon$s

It 5as ope 8ohn I%' say they' 5ho' to5ards

the middle of the tenth century' instituted the feast

of the dead 1rom that fact' ho5ever' I only con-

clude that they 5ere prayed for before ! for if they

then too$ measures to pray for all' it is reasonable to

ictionary F@

believe that they had previously prayed for some of

them! in the same 5ay as the feast of ,ll #aints

5as instituted' because the feast of many of them

had been previously celebrated (he diNerence be-

t5een the feast of ,ll #aints and that of the

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dead' is' that in the Jrst 5e invo$e' and that in the

second 5e are invo$ed ! in the former 5e commend

ourselves to the blessed' and in the second the un-

blessed commend themselves to us

 (he most ignorant 5riters $no5' that this feast

5as Jrst instituted at 0luny' 5hich 5as then a ter-

ritory belonging to the 2erman &mpire Is it neces-

sary to repeat' 4that #t Odilon' abbot of 0luny' 5as

accustomed to deliver many souls from purgatory

by his masses and his prayers! and that one day a

$night or a mon$' returning from the holy land' 5as

cast by a tempest' on a small island' 5here he met

5ith a hermit' 5ho said to him' that in that island

eisted enormous caverns of Jre and Mames' in

5hich the 5ic$ed 5ere tormented ! and that he often

heard the devils complain of the ,bbot Odilon and

his mon$s' 5ho every day delivered some soul or

other ! for 5hich reason it 5as necessary to reuest

Odilon to continue his eertions' at once to increase

the joy of the saints in heaven and the grief of the

demons in hell?4

It is thus that 1ather 2erard' the 8esuit' relates

the aNair in his 41lo5er of the #aints'4 after 1ather

ibadeneira 1leury diNers a little from this legend'

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but has substantively preserved it (his revelation

FC hilosophical

induced #t Odilon to institute in 0luny the feast

of the dead' 5hich 5as then adopted by the 0hurch

#ince this time' purgatory has brought much

money to those 5ho possess the po5er of opening

the gates It 5as by virtue of this po5er that &ng-

lish 8ohn' that great landlord' surnamed Lac$land'

by declaring himself the liegeman of ope Innocent

III' and placing his $ingdom under submission' de-

livered the souls of his parents' 5ho had been e-

communicated 7 4ro mortuo ecommunico' pro

uo supplicant consanguinei4

 (he oman chancery had even its regular scale

for the absolution of the dead! there 5ere many

privileged altars in the Jfteenth century' at 5hich

every mass performed for si 6ards delivered a soul

from purgatory 6eretics could not ascend beyond

the truth' that the apostles had the right of unbind-

ing all 5ho 5ere bound on earth' but not under the

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earth! and many of them' li$e impious persons'

doubted the po5er of the $eys It is ho5ever to be

remar$ed' that 5hen the pope is inclined to remit

Jve or si hundred years of purgatory' he accords

the grace 5ith full po5er7 4ro potentate a eo

accepta concedit4

Of the ,ntiuity of urgatory

It is pretended that purgatory 5as' from time

immemorial' $no5n to the famous 8e5ish people' and

it is founded on the second boo$ of the :ac' ibees'

5hich says epressly' 4that there being fount' con-

ictionary FF

cealed in the vestments of the 8e5s Uat the battle of

,dullamV' things consecrated to the idols of 8amma'

it 5as manifest that on that account they had per-

ished ! and having made a gathering of t5elve thou-

sand drachms of silver' 8udas' 5ho thought reli-

giously of the resurrection' sent them to 8erusalem

for the sins of the dead4

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6aving ta$en upon ourselves the tas$ of relating

the objections of the heretics and inJdels' for the

purpose of confounding them by their o5n opinions'

5e 5ill detail here these objections to the t5elve

thousand drachms transmitted by 8udas! and to

purgatory (hey say7 I (hat t5elve thousand

drachms of silver 5as too much for 8udas :acca-

beus' 5ho only maintained a petty 5ar of insur-

gency against a great $ing

C (hat they might send a present to 8erusalem

for the sins of the dead' in order to bring do5n the

blessing of 2od on the survivors

F (hat the idea of a resurrection 5as not enter-

tained among the 8e5s at this time' it being ascer-

tained that this doctrine 5as not discussed among

them until the time of 2amaliel' a little before the

ministry of 8esus 0hrist

G ,s the la5s of the 8e5s included in the

4ecalogue'4 Leviticus and euteronomy' have not

spo$en of the immortality of the soul' nor of the

torments of hell' it 5as impossible that they should

contain the doctrine of purgatory

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E 6eretics and inJdels ma$e the greatest ef-

%ol i* a

FG hilosophical

forts to demonstrate in their manner' that the boo$s

of the :accabees are evidently apocryphal (he fol-

lo5ing are their pretended proofs 7

 (he 8e5s have never ac$no5ledged the boo$s of

the :accabees to be canonical' 5hy then should 5e

ac$no5ledge them? Origen declares formally that

the boo$s of the :accabees are to be rejected' and

#t 8erome regards them as un5orthy of credit

 (he 0ouncil of Laodicea' held in EBD' admits them

not among the canonical boo$s (he ,thanasiuses'

the 0yrils' and the 6ilarys' have also rejected

them (he reasons for treating the foregoing boo$s

as romances' and as very bad romances' are as fol-

lo5s7

 (he ignorant author commences by a falsehood'

$no5n to be such by all the 5orld 6e says 7 4,le-

ander called the young nobles' 5ho had been edu-

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cated 5ith him from their infancy' and parted his

$ingdom among them 5hile he still lived4 #o gross

and absurd a lie could not issue from the pen of a

sacred and inspired 5riter

 (he author of the :accabees' in spea$ing of

,ntiochus &piphanes' says 7 4,ntiochus marched

to5ards &lymais' and 5ished to pillage it' but 5as

not able' because his intention 5as $no5n to the in-

habitants' 5ho assembled in order to give him battle'

on 5hich he departed 5ith great sadness' and re-

turned to 3abylon )hilst he 5as still in ersia'

he learned that his army in 8udaea had Med

and he too$ to his bed and died4

ictionary F E

 (he same 5riter himself' in another place' says

uite the contrary! for he relates that ,ntiochus

&piphanes 5as about to pillage ersepolis' and not

&lymais ! that he fell from his chariot ! that he 5as

stric$en 5ith an incurable 5ound ! that he 5as de-

voured by 5orms ! that he demanded pardon of the

god of the 8e5s! that he 5ished himself to be a

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 8e5 7 it is there 5here 5e Jnd the celebrated ver-

sicle' 5hich fanatics have applied so freuently to

their enemies! 4Ordbet scelestus ille veniam uam

non erat consecuturus4 (he 5ic$ed man demandeth

a pardon' 5hich he cannot obtain (his passage is

very 8e5ish ! but it is not permitted to an inspired

5riter to contradict himself so Magrantly

 (his is not all 7 behold another contradiction' and

another oversight (he author ma$es ,ntiochus die

in a third manner' so that there is uite a choice 6e

remar$s that this prince 5as stoned in the temple of

.anneus ! and those 5ho 5ould ecuse the stupidity

pretend that he here spea$s of ,ntiochus &upator!

but neither &piphanes nor &upator 5as stoned

:oreover' this author says' that another ,ntio-

chus Uthe 2reatV 5as ta$en by the omans' and that

they gave to &umenes the Indies and :edia (his

is about eual to saying that 1rancis I made a

prisoner of 6enry %III' and that he gave (ur$ey

to the du$e of #avoy It is insulting the 6oly

2host to imagine it capable of dictating so many

disgusting absurdities

 (he same author says' that the omans con-

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FB hilosophical

uered the 2alatians! but they did not conuer

2alatia for more than a hundred years after (hus

the unhappy story-teller did not 5rite for more than

a hundred years after the time in 5hich it 5as sup-

posed that he 5rote 7 and it is thus' according to the

inJdels' 5ith almost all the 8e5ish boo$s

 (he same author observes' that the omans every

year nominated a chief of the senate 3ehold a 5ell-

informed man' 5ho did not even $no5 that ome

had t5o consulsT )hat reliance' say inJdels' can

be placed in these rhapsodies and puerile tales'

strung together 5ithout choice or order by the most

imbecile of men ? 6o5 shameful to believe in them T

and the barbarity of persecuting sensible men' in

order to force a belief of miserable absurdities' for

5hich they could not but entertain the most sov-

ereign contempt' is eual to that of cannibals

Our ans5er is' that some mista$es 5hich prob-

ably arose from the copyists may not aNect the fun-

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damental truths of the remainder! that the 6oly

2host inspired the author only' and not the copyists !

that if the 0ouncil of Laodicea rejected the :acca-

bees' they have been admitted by the 0ouncil of

 (rent! that they are admitted by the oman

0hurch ! and conseuently that 5e ought to receive

them 5ith due submission

Of the Origin of urgatory

It is certain that those 5ho admitted of purga-

tory in the primitive church 5ere treated as heretics

ictionary FD

 (he #imonians 5ere condemned 5ho admitted the

purgation of souls su$en +adaron

#t ,ugustine has since condemned the follo5ers

of Origen 5ho maintained this doctrine 3ut the

#imonians and the Origenists had ta$en their pur-

gatory from %irgil' lato and the &gyptians <ou

5ill Jnd it clearly indicated in the sith boo$ of the

4yneid'4 as 5e have already remar$ed )hat is

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still more singular' %irgil describes souls suspended

in air' others burned' and others dro5ned 7

,lice panduntur inanes

#uspenses ad -ventos 7 aliis sub gurgite vasto

Infectum eluitur scelus' aut euritur igni

' ooo$ vi' DGADGC

1or this are various penances enjoined'

,nd some are hung to bleach upon the 5ind!

#ome plunged in 5aters' others purged in Jres'

 (ill all the dregs are drained' and all the rust epires

<&.

,nd 5hat is more singular still' ope 2regory'

surnamed the great' not only adopts this doctrine

from %irgil' but in his theology introduces many

souls 5ho arrive from purgatory after having been

hanged or dro5ned

lato has spo$en of purgatory in his 4hcedon'4

and it is easy to discover' by a perusal of 46ermes

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 (rismegistus'4 that lato borro5ed from the &gyp-

tians all 5hich he had not borro5ed from (imaeus

of Locris

,ll this is very recent' and of yesterday' in com-

parison 5ith the ancient 3rahmins (he latter' it

must be confessed' invented purgatory in the same

FH hilosophical

manner as they invented the revolt and fall of the

genii or celestial intelligences

It is in their #hasta' or #hastabad' 5ritten three

thousand years before the vulgar era' that you' my

dear reader' 5ill discover the doctrine of purgatory

 (he rebel angels' of 5hom the history 5as copied

among the 8e5s in the time of the rabbin 2amaliel'

5ere condemned by the &ternal and 6is #on' to a

thousand years of purgatory' after 5hich 2od par-

doned and made them men (his 5e have already

said' dear reader' as also that the 3rahmins found

eternal punishment too severe' as eternity never

concludes (he 3rahmins thought li$e the ,bbe

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0haulieu' and called upon the Lord to pardon them'

if' impressed 5ith 6is bounties' they could not be

brought to conceive that they 5ould be punished so

rigorously for vain pleasures' 5hich passed a5ay

li$e a dream7

ardonne alors' #eigneur' si' plein de tes bontts'

 8e nKai pu concevoir ue mes fragiliteKs'

.i tous ces vains plaisirs ue assent comme un songe t

ussent etre IKobjet de tes sev:th !

&t si j Kat pu penser ue tant des cruauteKs

uniraient un peu trap la douceur dKun mensonge

&l(& #9 L, :O(' au :aruis de la 1are

>9,0+ UO 06,L,(,.V

 (6& abode of physicians is in large to5ns ! there

are scarcely any in country places 2reat to5ns

contain rich patients! debauchery' ecess at the

tables' and the passions' cause their maladies u-

moulin' the physician' 5ho 5as in as much practice

ictionary F"

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as any of his profession' said 5hen dying that he

left t5o great physicians behind him simple diet

and soft 5ater

In @DCH' in the time of La5' the most famous of

uac$s of the Jrst class' another named %illars' con-

Jded to some friends' that his uncle' 5ho had lived

to the age of nearly a hundred' and 5ho 5as then

$illed by an accident' had left him the secret of

a 5ater 5hich could easily prolong life to the age

of one hundred and Jfty' provided sobriety 5as at-

tended to )hen a funeral passed' he aNected to

shrug up his shoulders in pity7 46ad the deceased'4

he eclaimed' 4but dran$ my 5ater' he 5ould not

be 5here he is4 6is friends' to 5hom he gener-

ously imparted it' and 5ho attended a little to the

regimen prescribed' found themselves 5ell' and

cried it up 6e then sold it for si francs the bottle'

and the sale 5as prodigious It 5as the 5ater of

the #eine' impregnated 5ith a small uantity of

nitre' and those 5ho too$ it and conJned themselves

a little to the regimen' but above all those 5ho 5ere

born 5ith a good constitution' in a short time re-

covered perfect health 6e said to others7 4It is

your o5n fault if you are not perfectly cured <ou

have been intemperate and incontinent' correct your-

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self of these t5o vices' and you 5ill live a hundred

and Jfty years at least4 #everal did so' and the

fortune of this good uac$ augmented 5ith his repu-

tation (he enthusiastic ,bbe de ons ran$ed him

much above his namesa$e' :arshal %illars 46e

GA hilosophical

caused the death of men'4 he observed to him'

45hereas you ma$e men live4

It being at last discovered that the 5ater of %il-

lars 5as only river 5ater' people too$ no more of it'

and resorted to other uac$s in lieu of him It is

certain that he did much good' and he can only be

accused of selling the #eine 5ater too dear 6e

advised men to temperance' and so far 5as superior

to the apothecary ,rnault' 5ho amused &urope 5ith

the farce of his speciJc against apopley' 5ithout

recommending any virtue

I $ne5 a physician of London named 3ro5n'

5ho had practised at 3arbadoes 6e had a sugar-

house and negroes' and the latter stole from him a

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considerable sum 6e accordingly assembled his

negroes together' and thus addressed them7 4:y

friends'4 said he to them' 4the great serpent has ap-

peared to me during the night' and has informed me

that the thief has at this moment a parouetKs

feather at the end of his nose4 (he criminal in-

stantly applied his hand to his nose 4It is thou

5ho hast robbed me'4 eclaimed the master! 4the

great serpent has just informed me so!4 and he re-

covered his money (his uac$ery is scarcely con-

demnable' but then it is applicable only to negroes

 (he Jrst #cipio ,fricanus' a very diNerent per-

son from the physician 3ro5n' made his soldiers

believe that he 5as inspired by the gods (his

grand charlatanism 5as in use for a long time )as

ictionary G@

#cipio to be blamed for assisting himself by the

means of this pretension ? 6e 5as possibly the man

5ho did most honor to the oman republic! but

5hy the gods should inspire him has never been e-

plained

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.uma did better7 he civili;ed robbers' and

s5ayed a senate composed of a portion of them

5hich 5as the most dicult to govern If he had

proposed his la5s to the assembled tribes' the assas-

sins of his predecessor 5ould have started a thou-

sand diculties 6e addressed himself to the god-

dess &geria' 5ho favored him 5ith pandects from

 8upiter! he 5as obeyed 5ithout a murmur' and

reigned happily 6is instructions 5ere sound' his

charlatanism did good! but if some secret enemy

had discovered his $navery' and had said' 4Let us

eterminate an impostor 5ho prostitutes the names

of the gods in order to deceive men'4 he 5ould have

run the ris$ of being sent to heaven li$e omulus

It is probable that .uma too$ his measures ably'

and that he deceived the omans for their o5n ben-

eJt' by a policy adapted to the time' the place' and

the early manners of the people

:ahomet 5as t5enty times on the point of fail-

ure' but at length succeeded 5ith the ,rabs of

:edina' 5ho believed him the intimate friend of

the angel 2abriel If any one at present 5as to an-

nounce in 0onstantinople that he 5as favored by the

angel aphael' 5ho is superior to 2abriel in dig-

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GC hilosophical

nity' and that he alone 5as to be believed' he 5ould

be publicly empaled >uac$s should $no5 their

time

)as there not a little uac$ery in #ocrates 5ith

his familiar daemon' and the epress declaration of

,pollo' that he 5as the 5isest of all men? 6o5

can ollin in his history reason from this oracle?

)hy not inform youth that it 5as a pure imposition ?

#ocrates chose his time ill7 about a hundred years

before he might have governed ,thens

&very chief of a sect in philosophy has been a

little of a uac$! but the greatest of all have been

those 5ho have aspired to govern 0rom5ell 5as

the most terrible of all uac$s' and appeared pre-

cisely at a time in 5hich he could succeed 9nder

&li;abeth he 5ould have been hanged! under

0harles II' laughed at 1ortunately for himself he

came at a time 5hen people 5ere disgusted 5ith

$ings 7 his son follo5ed' 5hen they 5ere 5eary of

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protectors

Of the >uac$ery of #ciences and of Literature

 (he follo5ers of science have never been able to

dispense 5ith uac$ery &ach 5ould have his opin-

ions prevail ! the subtle doctor 5ould eclipse the an-

gelic doctor' and the profound doctor 5ould reign

alone &veryone erects his o5n system of physics'

metaphysics' and scholastic theology ! and the ues-

tion is' 5ho 5ill value his merchandise? <ou have

dependants 5ho cry it up' fools 5ho believe you'

ictionary GF

and protectors on 5hom to lean 0an there be

greater uac$ery than the substitution of 5ords for

things' or than a 5ish to ma$e others believe 5hat

5e do not believe ourselves ?

One establishes vortices of subtile matter'

branched' globular' and tubular! another' elements

of matter 5hich are not matter' and a pre-established

harmony 5hich ma$es the cloc$ of the body sound

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the hour' 5hen the needle of the cloc$ of the soul is

duly pointed (hese chimeras found partisans for

many years' and 5hen these ideas 5ent out of fash-

ion' ne5 pretenders to inspiration mounted upon the

ambulatory stage (hey banished the germs of the

5orld' asserted that the sea produced mountains'

and that men 5ere formerly Jshes

6o5 much uac$ery has al5ays pervaded his-

tory7 either by astonishing the reader 5ith prodi-

gies' tic$ling the malignity of human nature 5ith

satire' or by Mattering the families of tyrants 5ith

infamous eulogiesT

 (he unhappy class 5ho 5rite in order to live' are

uac$s of another $ind , poor man 5ho has no

trade' and has had the misfortune to have been at

college' thin$s that he $no5s ho5 to 5rite' and re-

pairing to a neighboring boo$seller' demands em-

ployment (he boo$seller $no5s that most persons

$eeping houses are desirous of small libraries' and

reuire abridgments and ne5 tables' orders an

abridgment of the history of apin (hoyras' or of

the church ! a collection of bon mots from the :ena-

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GG hilosophical

giana' or a dictionary of great men' in 5hich some

obscure pedant is placed by the side of 0icero' and

a sonneteer of Italy as near as possible to %irgil

,nother boo$seller 5ill order romances or the

translation of romances If you have no invention'

he 5ill say to his 5or$man7 <ou can collect ad-

ventures from the grand 0yrus' from 2usman

dK,lfarache' from the 4#ecret :emoirs of a :an of

>uality4 or of a 4)oman of >uality4! and from

the total you 5ill ma$e a volume of four hundred

pages

,nother boo$seller gives ten yearsK ne5spapers

and almanacs to a man of genius' and says 7 <ou 5ill

ma$e an abstract from all that' and in three months

bring it me under the name of a faithful 46istory of

the (imes'4 by : le 0hevalier ' Lieutenant de

%aisseau' employed in the oce for foreign aNairs

Of this sort of boo$s there are about Jfty thou-

sand in &urope' and the labor still goes on li$e the

secret for 5hitening the s$in' blac$ening the hair'

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and miing up the universal remedy

,%,ILL,0

I +.&) in my infancy a canon of eronne of the

age of ninety-t5o years' 5ho had been educated by

one of the most furious burghers of the League

he al5ays used to say' the late : de availlac (his

canon had preserved many curious manuscripts of

the apostolic times' although they did little honor to

ictionary GE

his party (he follo5ing is one of them' 5hich he

beueathed to my uncle 7

ialogue of a age of the u$e of #ully' and of

:aster 1ilesac' octor of the #orbonne' one of

the t5o 0onfessors of availlac

:,#(& 1IL&#,0 2od be than$ed' my dear

page' availlac has died li$e a saint I heard his

confession! he repented of his sin' and determined

no more to fall into it 6e 5ished to receive the

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holy sacrament' but it is not the custom here as at

ome ! his penitence 5ill serve in lieu of it' and it is

certain that he is in paradise

,2& 6e in paradise' in the 2arden of &den'

the monster T

:,#(& 1IL&#,0 <es' my Jne lad' in that gar-

den' or heaven' it is the same thing

,2& I believe so! but he has ta$en a bad

road to arrive there

:,#(& 1IL&#,0 <ou tal$ li$e a young 6u-

guenot Learn that 5hat I say to you parta$es of

faith 6e possessed attrition' and attrition' joined

to the sacrament of confession' infallibly 5or$s out

the salvation 5hich conducts straight5ay to para-

dise' 5here he is no5 praying to 2od for you

,2& I have no 5ish that he should address

2od on my account Let him go to the devil 5ith

his prayers and his attrition

:,#(& 1IL&#,0 ,t the bottom' he 5as a good

soul ! his ;eal led him to commit evil' but it 5as not

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GB hilosophical

5ith a bad intention In all his interrogatories' he

replied that he assassinated the $ing only because

he 5as about to ma$e 5ar on the pope' and that he

did so to serve 2od 6is sentiments 5ere very

0hristian-li$e 6e is saved' I tell you! he 5as

bound' and I have unbound him

,2& In good faith' the more I listen to you

the more I regard you as a man bound yourself

 <ou ecite horror in me

:,#(& 1IL&#,0 It is because that you are not

yet in the right 5ay! but you 5ill be one day I

have al5ays said that you 5ere not far from the

$ingdom of heaven ! but your time is not yet come

,2& ,nd the time 5ill never come in 5hich

I shall be made to believe that you have sent a-

vaillac to the $ingdom of heaven

:,#(& 1IL&#,0 ,s soon as you shall be con-

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verted' 5hich I hope 5ill be the case' you 5ill be-

lieve as I do ! but in the meantime' be assured that

you and the du$e of #ully' your master' 5ill be

damned to all eternity 5ith 8udas Iscariot and the

5ic$ed rich man ives' 5hile availlac 5ill repose

in the bosom of ,braham

,2& 6o5' scoundrelT

:,#(& 1IL&#,0 .o abuse' my little son It

is forbidden to call our brother 4raca'4 under the

penalty of the gehenna or hell Jre ermit me to

instruct 5ithout enraging you

,2& 2o on! thou appearest to me so 4raca4

that I 5ill be angry no more

ictionary GD

:,#(& 1IL&#,0 I therefore say to you' that

agreeably to faith you 5ill be damned' as unhap-

pily our dear 6enry I% is already' as the #orbonne

al5ays foresa5

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,2& :y dear master damned T Listen to the

5ic$ed 5retch T , cane T a cane T

:,#(& 1IL&#,0 3e patient' good young man !

you promised to listen to me uietly Is it not true

that the great 6enry died 5ithout confession? Is

it not true that he died in the commission of mor-

tal sin' being still amorous of the princess of 0onde'

and that he had not time to receive the sacrament of

repentance' 2od having allo5ed him to be stabbed in

the left ventricle of the heart' in conseuence of

5hich he 5as instantly suNocated 5ith his o5n

blood? <ou 5ill absolutely Jnd no good 0atholic

5ho 5ill not say the same as I do

,2& 6old thy tongue' master madman! if I

thought that thy doctors taught a doctrine so abom-

inable' I 5ould burn them in their lodgings

:,#(& 1IL&#,0 Once again' be calm! you

have promised to be so 6is lordship the maruis

of 0ochini' 5ho is a good 0atholic' 5ill $no5 ho5

to prevent you from being guilty of the sacrilege of

injuring my colleagues

,2& 3ut conscientiously' :aster 1ilesac' does

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thy party really thin$ in this manner?

:,#(& 1IL&#,0 3e assured of it! it is our

catechism

,2& Listen! for I must confess to thee' that

GH hilosophical

one of thy #orbonnists almost seduced me last year

6e induced me to hope for a pension or a beneJce

#ince the $ing' he observed' has heard mass in

Latin' you 5ho are only a petty gentleman may also

attend it 5ithout derogation 2od ta$es care of 6is

elect' giving them mitres' crosses' and prodigious

sums of money' 5hile you of the reformed doctrine

go on foot' and can do nothing but 5rite I o5n I

5as staggered! but after 5hat thou hast just said

to me' I 5ould rather a thousand times be a :a-

hometan than of thy creed

 (he page 5as 5rong )e are not to become :a-

hometans because 5e are incensed! but 5e must

pardon a feeling young man 5ho loved 6enry I%

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:aster 1ilesac spo$e according to his theology ! the

page attended to his heart

&,#O.,3L&' O I26(

,( (6& time that all 1rance 5as carried a5ay by

the system of La5' and 5hen he 5as comptroller-

general' a man 5ho 5as al5ays in the right came to

him one day and said7

4#ir' you are the greatest madman' the greatest

fool' or the greatest rogue' 5ho has yet appeared

among us It is saying a great deal! but behold

ho5 I prove it <ou have imagined that 5e may

increase the riches of a state ten-fold by means of

paper 3ut this paper only represents money' 5hich

is itself only a representative of genuine riches' the

ictionary G"

production of the earth and manufacture It fol-

lo5s' therefore' that you should have commenced

by giving us ten times as much corn' 5ine' cloth'

linen' etc ! this is not enough' they must be certain

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of sale .o5 you ma$e ten times as many notes as

5e have money and commodities! ergo' you are

ten times more insane' stupid' or roguish' than all

the comptrollers or superintendents 5ho have pre-

ceded you 3ehold ho5 rapidly I 5ill prove my

major4

#carcely had he commenced his major than he

5as conducted to #t La;arus )hen he came out

of #t La;arus' 5here he studied much and strength-

ened his reason' he 5ent to ome 6e demanded

a public audience' and that he should not be inter-

rupted in his harangue 6e addressed his holiness

as follo5s7

46oly father' you are ,ntichrist' and behold ho5

I 5ill prove it to your holiness I call him ante-

0hrist or antichrist' according to the meaning of the

5ord' 5ho does everything contrary to that 5hich

0hrist commanded .o5 0hrist 5as poor' and you

are very rich 6e paid tribute' and you eact it

6e submitted himself to the po5ers that be' and

you have become one of them 6e 5andered on

foot' and you visit 0astle 2andolfo in a sumptuous

carriage 6e ate of all that 5hich people 5ere 5ill-

ing to give him' and you 5ould have us eat Jsh on

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1ridays and #aturdays' even 5hen 5e reside at a

distance from the seas and rivers 6e forbade #i-

%ol @FG

EA hilosophical

mon 3ar jonas using the s5ord' and you have many

s5ords in your service' etc In this sense' there-

fore' your holiness is ,ntichrist In every other

sense I eceedingly revere you' and reuest an in-

dulgence Kin articulo mortisK 4

:y free spea$er 5as immediately conJned in the

castle of #t ,ngelo )hen he came out of the

castle of #t ,ngelo' he proceeded to %enice' and

demanded an audience of the doge 4<our se-

renity'4 he eclaimed' 4commits a great etrava-

gance every year in marrying the sea! for' in the

Jrst place' people marry only once 5ith the same

person! secondly' your marriage resembles that of

6arleuin' 5hich 5as only half performed' as 5ant-

ing the consent of one of the parties ! thirdly' 5ho

has told you that' some day or other' the other mari-

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time po5ers 5ill not declare you incapable of con-

summating your marriage?4

6aving thus delivered his mind' he 5as shut up

in the to5er of #t :ar$ )hen he came out of the

to5er of #t :ar$' he proceeded to 0onstantinople'

5here he obtained an intervie5 5ith the mufti' and

thus addressed him 7 KK<our religion contains some

good points' such as the adoration of the #upreme

3eing' and the necessity of being just and chari-

table ! nevertheless' it is a mere hash composed out

of 8udaism and a 5earisome heap of stories from

:other 2oose If the archangel 2abriel had

brought from some planet the leaves of the +oran

to :ahomet' all ,rabia 5ould have beheld his de-

ictionary E@

scent .obody sa5 him' therefore :ahomet 5as a

bold impostor' 5ho deceived 5ea$ and ignorant

people4

6e had scarcely pronounced these 5ords before

he 5as empaled ! nevertheless' he had been all along

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in the right

&LI0#

3< (6I# name are designated the remains or re-

maining parts of the body' or clothes' of a person

placed after his death by the 0hurch in the number

of the blessed

It is clear that 8esus condemned only the hy-

pocrisy of the 8e5s' in saying7 4)oe unto you'

#cribes and harisees' hypocrites T because ye build

the tombs of the prophets' and garnish the sepul-

chres of the righteous4 (hus orthodo 0hristians

have an eual veneration for the relics and images

of saints' and I $no5 not 5hat octor 6enry ven-

tures to say that 5hen bones or other relics are

changed into 5orms' 5e must not adore these

5orms ! the 8esuit %asue; decided that the opinion

of 6enry is absurd and vain' for it signiJes not in

5hat manner corruption ta$es place! 4conse-

uently'4 says he' 45e can adore relics as much

under the form of 5orms as under that of ashes4

6o5ever this may be' #t 0yril of ,leandria

avo5s that the origin of relics is agan! and this

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is the description given of their 5orship by (heo-

doret' 5ho lived in the commencement of the 0hris'-*

EC hilosophical

tian era7 4(hey run to the temples of martyrs'4

says this learned bishop' 4some to demand the pres-

ervation of tJeir health' others the cure of their mal-

adies! and barren 5omen for fruitfulness ,fter

obtaining children' these 5omen as$ the preserva-

tion of them (hose 5ho underta$e voyages' pray

the martyrs to accompany and conduct them! and

on their return they testify to them their gratitude

 (hey adore them not as gods' but they honor them

as divine men ! and conjure them to become their in-

tercessors

4(he oNerings 5hich are displayed in their tem-

ples are public proofs that those 5ho have de-

manded 5ith faith' have obtained the accomplish-

ment of their vo5s and the cure of their disorders

#ome hang up artiJcial eyes' others feet' and others

hands of gold and silver (hese monuments pub-

lish the virtue of those 5ho are buried in these

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tombs' as their inMuence publishes that the god for

5hom they suNered is the true 2od (hus 0hris-

tians ta$e care to give their children the names of

martyrs' that they may be insured their protection4

1inally' (heodoret adds' that the temples of the

gods 5ere demolished' and that the materials served

for the construction of the temples of martyrs 7 41or

the Lord'4 said he to the agans' 4has substituted

his dead for your gods! 6e has sho5n the vanity

of the latter' and transferred to others the honors

paid to them4 It is of this that the famous sophist

of #ardis complains bitterly in deploring the ruin

ictionary EF

of the temple of #erapis at 0anopus' 5hich 5as de-

molished by order of the emperor (heodosius I in

the year FH"

4eople'4 says &unapius' 45ho had never heard

of 5ar' 5ere' ho5ever' very valiant against the

stones of this temple! and principally against

the rich oNerings 5ith 5hich it 5as Jlled (hese

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holy places 5ere given to mon$s' an infamous and

useless class of people' 5hOj provided they 5ear a

blac$ and slovenly dress' hold a tyrannical authority

over the minds of the people! and instead of the

gods 5hom 5e ac$no5ledge through the lights of

reason' these mon$s give us heads of criminals' pun-

ished for their crimes' to adore' 5hich they have

salted in order to preserve them4

 (he people are superstitious' and it is supersti-

tion 5hich enchains them (he miracles forged

on the subject of relics became a loadstone 5hich

attracted from all parts riches to the churches #tu-

pidity and credulity 5ere carried so far that' in

the year FHB' the same (heodosius 5as obliged to

ma$e a la5 by 5hich he forbade buried corpses to

be transported from one place to another' or the

relics of any martyr to be separated and sold

uring the Jrst three ages of 0hristianity they

5ere contented 5ith celebrating the day of the death

of martyrs' 5hich they called their natal day' by as-

sembling in the cemeteries 5here their bodies lay'

to pray for them' as 5e have remar$ed in the article

on 4:ass4 (hey dreamed not then of a time in

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EG hilosophical

5hich 0hristians 5ould raise temples to them' trans-

port their ashes and bones from one place to an-

other' sho5 them in shrines' and Jnally ma$e a

trac of them! 5hich ecited avarice to Jll the

5orld 5ith false relics

3ut the (hird 0ouncil of 0arthage' held in the

year F"D' having inserted in the #criptures the

,pocalypse of #t 8ohn' the authenticity of 5hich

5as till then contested' this passage of chapter vi'

4I sa5 under the altar the souls of them that 5ere

slain for the 5ord of 2od4 authori;ed the custom

of having relics of martyrs under the altars! and

this practice 5as soon regarded so essential that

#t ,mbrose' not5ithstanding the 5ishes of the

people' 5ould not consecrate a church 5here there

5ere none ! and in B"C' the 0ouncil of 0onstantino-

ple' in (rullo' even ordered all the altars to be de-

molished under 5hich it found no relics

,nother 0ouncil of 0arthage' on the contrary'

in the year GA@' ordered bishops to build altars

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5hich might be seen every5here' in Jelds and on

high roads' in honor of martyrs ! from 5hich 5ere

here and there dug pretended relics' on dreams and

vain revelations of all sorts of people

#t ,ugustine relates that to5ards the year G@E'

Lucian' the priest of a to5n called 0aphargamata'

some miles distant from 8erusalem' three times sa5

in a dream the learned 2amaliel' 5ho declared to

him that his body' that of ,bibas his son' of #t

#tephen' and .icodemus' 5ere buried in a part of

ictionary EE

his parish 5hich he pointed out to him 6e com-

manded him' on their part and his o5n' to leave

them no longer neglected in the tomb in 5hich they

had been for some ages' but to go and tell 8ohn'

bishop of 8erusalem' to come and dig them up im-

mediately' if he 5ould prevent the ills 5ith 5hich

the 5orld 5as threatened 2amaliel added that this

translation must be made in the episcopacy of 8ohn'

5ho died about a year after (he order of heaven

5as that the body of #t #tephen should be trans-

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ported to 8erusalem

&ither Lucian did not clearly understand' or he

5as unfortunate he dug and found nothing ! 5hich

obliged the learned 8e5 to appear to a very simple

and innocent mon$' and indicate to him more pre-

cisely the place 5here the sacred relics lay Lucian

there found the treasure 5hich he sought' according

as 2od had revealed it unto him In this tomb there

5as a stone on 5hich 5as engraved the 5ord 4che-

liel'4 5hich signiJes 4cro5n4 in 6ebre5' as 4ste-

phanos4 does in 2ree$ On the opening of #tephenKs

con the earth trembled' a delightful odor issued'

and a great number of sic$ 5ere cured (he

body of the saint 5as reduced to ashes' ecept the

bones' 5hich 5ere transported to 8erusalem' and

placed in the church of #ion ,t the same hour

there fell a great rain' until 5hich they had had a

great drouth

,vitus' a #panish priest 5ho 5as then in the

&ast' translated into Latin this story' 5hich Lucian

EB hilosophical

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5rote in 2ree$ ,s the #paniard 5as the friend of

Lucian' he obtained a small portion of the ashes of

the saint' some bones full of an oil 5hich 5as a visi-

ble proof of their holiness' surpassing ne5ly-made

perfumes' and the most agreeable odors (hese

relics' brought by Orosius into the island of :inorca'

in eight days converted Jve hundred and forty

 8e5s

 (hey 5ere after5ards informed by divers visions

that some mon$s of &gypt had relics of #t #tephen

5hich strangers had brought there ,s the mon$s'

not then being priests' had no churches of their o5n'

they too$ this treasure to transport it to a church

5hich 5as near 9sala ,bove the church some per-

sons soon sa5 a star 5hich seemed to come before

the holy martyr (hese relics did not remain long

in this church ! the bishop of 9sala' Jnding it con-

venient to enrich his o5n' transported them' seated

on a car' accompanied by a cro5d of people' 5ho

sang the praises of 2od' attended by a great num-

ber of lights and tapers

In this manner the relics 5ere borne to an ele-

vated place in the church and placed on a throne

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ornamented 5ith hangings (hey 5ere after5ards

put on a little bed in a place 5hich 5as loc$ed up'

but to 5hich a little 5indo5 5as left' that cloths

might be touched' 5hich cured several disorders

, little dust collected on the shrine suddenly cured

one that 5as paralytic 1lo5ers 5hich had been

presented to the saint' applied to the eyes of a blind

ictionary ED

man' gave him sight (here 5ere even seven or

eight corpses restored to life

#t ,ugustine' 5ho endeavors to justify this 5or-

ship by distinguishing it from that of adoration'

5hich is due to 2od alone' is obliged to agree that

he himself $ne5 several 0hristians 5ho adored

sepulchres and images 4I $no5 several 5ho drin$

to great ecess on the tombs' and 5ho' in giving

entertainments to the dead' fell themselves on those

5ho 5ere buried 4

Indeed' turning fresh from aganism' and

charmed to Jnd deiJed men in the 0hristian church'

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though under other names' the people honored them

as much as they had honored their false gods ! and

it 5ould be grossly deceiving ourselves to judge of

the ideas and practices of the populace by those of

enlightened and philosophic bishops )e $no5

that the sages among the agans made the same

distinctions as our holy bishops 4)e must'4 said

6ierocles' 4ac$no5ledge and serve the gods so as

to ta$e great care to distinguish them from the su-

preme 2od' 5ho is their author and father )e

must not too greatly ealt their dignity ,nd Jnally

the 5orship 5hich 5e give them should relate to

their sole creator' 5hom you may properly call the

2od of gods' because 6e is the :aster of all' and

the most ecellent of all4 orphyrius' 5ho' li$e

#t aul' terms the supreme 2od' the 2od 5ho is

above all things' adds that 5e must not sacriJce to

6im anything that is sensible or material' because'

EH hilosophical

being a pure #pirit' everything material is impure

to 6im 6e can only be 5orthily honored by the

thoughts and sentiments of a soul 5hich is not

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tainted 5ith any sinful passion

In a 5ord' #t ,ugustine' in declaring 5ith

naivete that he dared not spea$ freely on several

similar abuses on account of giving opportunity for

scandal to pious persons or to pedants' sho5s that

the bishops made use of the artiJce to convert the

agans' as #t 2regory recommended t5o centuries

after to convert &ngland (his pope' being con-

sulted by the mon$ ,ugustine on some remains of

ceremonies' half civil and half agan' 5hich the

ne5ly converted &nglish 5ould not renounce' an-

s5ered' 4)e cannot divest hard minds of all their

habits at once! 5e reach not to the top of a steep

roc$ by leaping' but by climbing step by step4

 (he reply of the same pope to 0onstantina' the

daughter of the emperor (iberius 0onstantine' and

the 5ife of :aurice' 5ho demanded of him the head

of #t aul' to place in a temple 5hich she had built

in honor of this apostle' is no less remar$able #t

2regory sent 5ord to the princess that the bodies of

saints shone 5ith so many miracles that they dared

not even approach their tombs to pray 5ithout being

sei;ed 5ith fear (hat his predecessor Uelagius

IIV 5ishing to remove some silver from the tomb

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of #t eter to another place four feet distant' he

appeared to him 5ith frightful signs (hat he

U2regoryV 5ishing to ma$e some repairs in the

ictionary E"

monument of #t aul' as it had sun$ a little in

front' and he 5ho had the care of the place having

had the boldness to raise some bones 5hich touched

not the tomb of the apostle' to transport them else-

5here' he appeared to him also in a terrible manner'

and he died immediately (hat his predecessor

also 5ishing to repair the tomb of #t La5rence' the

shroud 5hich encircled the body of the martyr 5as

imprudently discovered ! and although the laborers

5ere mon$s and ocers of the church' they all died

in the space of ten days because they had seen the

body of the saint (hat 5hen the omans gave

relics' they never touched the sacred bodies' but

contented themselves 5ith putting some cloths' 5ith

5hich they approached them' in a bo (hat these

cloths have the same virtue as relics' and perform

as many miracles (hat certain 2ree$s' doubting of

this fact' ope Leo too$ a pair of scissors' and in

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their presence cutting some of the cloth 5hich had

approached the holy bodies' blood came from it (hat

in the 5est of ome it is a sacrilege to touch the

bodies of saints! and that if any one attempts' he

may be assured that his crime 5ill not go unpun-

ished 1or 5hich reason the 2ree$s cannot be per-

suaded to adopt the custom of transporting relics

 (hat some 2ree$s daring to disinter some bodies in

the night near the church of #t aul' intending to

transport them into their o5n country' 5ere dis-

covered' 5hich persuaded them that the relics 5ere

false (hat the easterns' pretending that the bodies

BA hilosophical

of #t eter and #t aul belonged to them' came to

ome to ta$e them to their o5n country! but ar-

riving at the catacombs 5here these bodies repose'

5hen they 5ould have ta$en them' sudden lightning

and terrible thunder dispersed the alarmed multi-

tude and forced them to renounce their underta$ing

 (hat those 5ho suggested to 0onstantina the de-

mand of the head of #t aul from him' had no

other design than that of ma$ing him lose his favor

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#t 2regory concludes 5ith these 5ords7 4I have

that conJdence in 2od' that you 5ill not be deprived

of the fruit of your good 5ill' nor of the virtue of

the holy apostles' 5hom you love 5ith all your heart

and 5ith all your mind! and that' if you have not

their corporeal presence' you 5ill al5ays enjoy their

protection4

 <et the ecclesiastical history pretends that the

translation of relics 5as eually freuent in the

&ast and )est ! and the author of the notes to this

letter further observes that the same #t 2regory

after5ards gave several holy bodies' and that other

popes have given so many as si or seven to one in-

dividual

,fter this' can 5e be astonished at the favor

5hich relics Jnd in the minds of people and $ings?

 (he sermons most commonly preached among the

ancient 1rench 5ere composed on the relics of

saints It 5as thus that the $ings 2ontran' #igebert'

and 0hilperic divided the states of 0lotaire' and

agreed to possess aris in common (hey made

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ictionary B@

oath on the relics of #t olyeuctus' #t 6ilary' and

#t :artin <et 0hilperic possessed himself of the

place and merely too$ the precaution of having a

shrine' 5ith a uantity of relics' 5hich he had car-

ried as a safeguard at the head of his troops' in

hopes that the protection of these ne5 patrons

5ould shelter him from the punishment due to his

perjury 1inally' the catechism of the 0ouncil of

 (rent approved of the custom of s5earing by relics

It is further observed that the $ings of 1rance

of the Jrst and second races $ept in their palaces a

great number of relics ! above all' the cap and man-

tle of #t :artin! and that they had them carried

in their trains and in their armies (hese relics

5ere sent from the palaces to the provinces 5hen

an oath of Jdelity 5as made to the $ing' or any

treaty 5as concluded

&LI2IO.

#&0(IO. I

 (6& &picureans' 5ho had no religion' recom-

Inended retirement from public aNairs' study' and

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0oncord (his sect 5as a society of friends' for

friendship 5as their principal dogma ,tticus'

Lucretius' :emmius' and a fe5 other such men'

might live very reputably together! this 5e see in

all countries! philosophi;e as much as you please

among yourselves , set of amateurs may give a

concert of reJned and scientiJc music ! but let them

be5are of performing such a concert before the ig-

BC hilosophical

norant and brutal vulgar' lest their instruments be

bro$en over their heads If you have but a village

to govern' it must have a religion

I spea$ not here of an error! but of the only

good' the only necessary' the only proved' and the

second revealed

6ad it been possible for the human mind to have

admitted a religion I 5ill not say at all ap-

proaching ours but not so bad as all the other re-

ligions in the 5orld 5hat 5ould that religion have

been?

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)ould it not have been that 5hich should pro-

pose to us the adoration of the supreme' only' in-

Jnite' eternal 3eing' the former of the 5orld' 5ho

gives it motion and life' 4cui nee simile' nee secun-

dum4? (hat 5hich should re-unite us to this 3eing

of beings' as the re5ard of our virtues' and separate

us from 6im' as the chastisement of our crimes?

 (hat 5hich should admit very fe5 of the dogmas

invented by unreasoning pride! those eternal sub-

 jects of disputation ! and should teach a pure moral-

ity' about 5hich there should never be any dispute ?

 (hat 5hich should not ma$e the essence of 5or-

ship consist in vain ceremonies' as that of spitting

into your mouth' or that of ta$ing from you one end

of your prepuce' or of depriving you of one of your

testicles seeing that a man may fulJl all the social

duties 5ith t5o testicles and an entire fores$in' and

5ithout anotherKs spitting into his mouth ?

 (hat of serving oneKs neighbor for the love of

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ictionary BF

2od' instead of persecuting and butchering him in

2odKs name ? (hat 5hich should tolerate all others'

and 5hich' meriting thus the good5ill of all' should

alone be capable of ma$ing man$ind a nation of

brethren ?

 (hat 5hich should have august ceremonies' to

stri$e the vulgar' 5ithout having mysteries to dis-

gust the 5ise and irritate the incredulous ?

 (hat 5hich should oNer men more encourage-

ments to the social virtues than epiations for social

crimes?

 (hat 5hich should insure to its ministers a reve-

nue large enough for their decent maintenance' but

should never allo5 them to usurp dignities and

po5er that might ma$e them tyrants?

 (hat 5hich should establish commodious retreats

for sic$ness and old age' but never for idleness ?

, great part of this religion is already in the

hearts of several princes! and it 5ill prevail 5hen

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the articles of perpetual peace' proposed by the abbe

de #t ierre' shall be signed by all potentates

#&0(IO. II

Last night I 5as meditating! I 5as absorbed in

the contemplation of nature' admiring the im-

mensity' the courses' the relations of those inJnite

globes' 5hich are above the admiration of the

vulgar

I admired still more the intelligence that presides

over this vast machinery I said to myself 7 , man

BG hilosophical

must be blind not to be impressed by this spectacle !

he must be stupid not to recogni;e its author! he

must be mad not to adore him )hat tribute of

adoration ought I to render him? #hould not this

tribute be the same throughout the etent of space'

since the same #upreme o5er reigns eually in all

that etent?

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oes not a thin$ing being' inhabiting a star of

the :il$y )ay' o5e him the same homage as the

thin$ing being on this little globe 5here 5e are?

Light is the same to the dog-star as to us ! morality'

too' must be the same

If a feeling and thin$ing being in the dog-star

is born of a tender father and mother' 5ho have

labored for his 5elfare' he o5es them as much love

and duty as 5e here o5e to our parents If any one

in the :il$y )ay sees another lame and indigent'

and does not relieve him' though able to do it' he is

guilty in the sight of every globe

 (he heart has every5here the same duties! on

the steps of the throne of 2od' if 6e has a throne'

and at the bottom of the great abyss' if there be an

abyss

I 5as 5rapt in these reMections' 5hen one of

those genii 5ho Jll the spaces bet5een 5orlds' came

do5n to me I recogni;ed the same aerial creature

that had formerly appeared to me' to inform me that

the judgments of 2od are diNerent from ours' and

ho5 much a good action is preferable to contro-

versy

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ictionary BE

6e transported me into a desert covered all over

5ith bones piled one upon another! and bet5een

these heaps of dead there 5ere avenues of evergreen

trees' and at the end of each avenue a tall man of

august aspect ga;ing 5ith compassion on these sad

remains

4,las T my archangel'4 said I' 45hither have you

brought me ?4 4(o desolation'4 ans5ered he 4,nd

5ho are those Jne old patriarchs 5hom I see mo-

tionless and melancholy at the end of those green

avenues' and 5ho seem to 5eep over this immense

multitude of dead ?4 4oor human creature T thou

shalt $no5'4 replied the genius! 4but' Jrst' thou

must 5eep4

6e began 5ith the Jrst heap 4(hese'4 said he'

4are the t5enty-three thousand 8e5s 5ho danced

before a calf' together 5ith the t5enty-four thou-

sand 5ho 5ere slain 5hile ravishing :idianitish

5omen ! the number of the slaughtered for similar

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oNences or mista$es amounts to nearly three hun-

dred thousand

4,t the follo5ing avenues are the bones of 0hris-

tians' butchered by one another on account of meta-

physical disputes (hey are divided into several

piles of four centuries each ! it 5as necessary to sep-

arate them! for had they been all together' they

5ould have reached the s$y4

4)hatT4 eclaimed I' 4have brethren thus

treated their brethren ! and have I the misfortune to

be one of this brotherhood?4

%ol @FE

BB hilosophical

46ere'4 said the spirit' 4are the t5elve millions

of ,mericans slain in their o5n country for not

having been bapti;ed4 4,h T my 2od T 5hy 5ere

not these frightful s$eletons left to 5hiten in the

hemisphere 5here the bodies 5ere born' and 5here

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they 5ere murdered in so many various 5ays?

)hy are all these abominable monuments of bar-

barity and fanaticism assembled here?4 41or thy

instruction4

4#ince thou art 5illing to instruct me'4 said I to

the genius' 4tell me if there be any other people than

the 0hristians and the 8e5s' 5hom ;eal and religion'

unhappily turned into fanaticism' have prompted to

so many horrible cruelties?4 4<es'4 said he! 4the

:ahometans have been stained by the same inhuman

acts' but rarely! and 5hen their victims have cried

out KammanTK UmercyTV and have oNered them

tribute' they have pardoned them ,s for other na-

tions' not one of them' since the beginning of the

5orld' has ever made a purely religious 5ar .o5'

follo5 meT4 I follo5ed

, little beyond these heaps of dead 5e found

other heaps! these 5ere bags of gold and silver!

and each pile had its label 7 4#ubstance of the here-

tics massacred in the eighteenth century' in the sev-

enteenth' in the siteenth'4 and so on 42old and

silver of the slaughtered ,mericans'4 etc ! and all

these piles 5ere surmounted by crosses' mitres'

crosiers' and tiaras' enriched 5ith je5els

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4)hat T my genius' 5as it then to possess these

ictionary BD

riches that these carcasses 5ere accumulated?4

4<es' my son4

I shed tears ! and 5hen by my grief I had mer-

ited to be ta$en to the end of the green avenues' he

conducted me thither

40ontemplate'4 said he' 4the heroes of humanity

5ho have been the benefactors of the earth' and 5ho

united to banish from the 5orld' as far as they 5ere

able' violence and rapine >uestion them4

I 5ent up to the Jrst of this band ! on his head

5as a cro5n' and in his hand a small censer I

humbly as$ed him his name 4I'4 said he' 4am

.uma ompilius! I succeeded a robber' and had

robbers to govern! I taught them virtue and the

5orship of 2od! after me they repeatedly forgot

both I forbade any image to be placed in the tem-

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ples' because the divinity 5ho animates nature can-

not be represented uring my reign the omans

had neither 5ars nor seditions! and my religion

did nothing but good &very neighboring people

came to honor my funeral' 5hich has happened to

me alone 4

I made my obeisance and passed on to the second

 (his 5as a Jne old man' of about a hundred' clad

in a 5hite robe ! his middle Jnger 5as placed on his

lip' and 5ith the other hand he 5as scattering beans

behind him In him I recogni;ed ythagoras 6e

assured me that he had never had a golden thigh'

and that he had never been a coc$' but that he had

governed the 0rotonians 5ith as much justice as

BH hilosophical

.uma had governed the omans about the same

time' 5hich justice 5as the most necessary and the

rarest thing in the 5orld I learned that the ythag-

oreans eamined their consciences t5ice a day

)hat good peopleT and ho5 far are 5e behind

them T <et 5e' 5ho for thirteen hundred years have

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been nothing but assassins' assert that these 5ise

men 5ere proud

 (o please ythagoras I said not a 5ord to him'

but 5ent on to =oroaster' 5ho 5as engaged in con-

centrating the celestial Jre in the focus of a con-

cave mirror' in the centre of a vestibule 5ith a hun-

dred gates' each one leading to 5isdom On the

principal of these gates I read these 5ords' 5hich

are the abstract of all morality' and cut short all the

disputes of the casuists 7 KK)hen thou art in doubt

5hether an action is good or bad' abstain from it4

40ertainly'4 said I to my genius' 4the barbarians

5ho immolated all the victims 5hose bones I have

seen had not read these Jne 5ords4

 (hen 5e sa5 =aleucus' (hales' ,naimander'

and all the other sages 5ho had sought truth and

practised virtue

)hen 5e came to #ocrates I uic$ly recogni;ed

him by his bro$en nose 4)ell'4 said I' 4you then

are among the conJdants of the :ost 6igh T ,ll the

inhabitants of &urope' ecepting the (ur$s and the

0rim (artars' 5ho $no5 nothing' pronounce your

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name 5ith reverence #o much is that great name

venerated' so much is it loved' that it has been

ictionary B"

sought to discover those of your persecutors :eli-

tus and ,nitus are $no5n because of you' as a-

vaillac is $no5n because of 6enry I% ! but of

,nitus I $no5 only the name I $no5 not precisely

5ho that villain 5as by 5hom you 5ere calumniated'

and 5ho succeeded in procuring your condemnation

to the hemloc$4

4I have never thought of that man since my ad-

venture'4 ans5ered #ocrates ! 4but no5 that you

put me in mind of him' I pity him much 6e 5as a

5ic$ed priest' 5ho secretly carried on a trade in

leather' a trac reputed shameful amongst us 6e

sent his t5o children to my school! the other dis-

ciples reproached them 5ith their fatherKs being a

currier' and they 5ere obliged to uit (he in-

censed father 5as unceasing in his endeavors until

he had stirred up against me all the priests and all

the sophists (hey persuaded the council of the

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Jve hundred that I 5as an impious man' 5ho did not

believe that the moon' :ercury' and :ars 5ere dei-

ties I thought indeed' as I do no5' that there is

but one 2od' the master of all nature (he judges

gave me up to the republicKs poisoner' and he short-

ened my life a fe5 days I died 5ith tranuillity at

the age of seventy years' and since then I have led

a happy life 5ith all these great men 5hom you

see' and of 5hom I am the least 4

,fter enjoying the conversation of #ocrates for

some time' I advanced 5ith my guide into a bo5er'

situated above the groves' 5here all these sages

yo hilosophical

o antiuity seemed to be tasting the s5eets of

repose

6ere I beheld a man of mild and simple mien'

5ho appeared to me to be about thirty-Jve years old

6e 5as loo$ing 5ith compassion upon the distant

heaps of 5hitened s$eletons through 5hich I had

been led to the abode of the sages I 5as astonished

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to Jnd his feet s5elled and bloody' his hands in the

same state' his side pierced' and his ribs laid bare by

Mogging 42ood 2odT4 said I' 4is it possible that

one of the just and 5ise should be in this state? I

have just seen one 5ho 5as treated in a very odious

manner! but there is no comparison bet5een his

punishment and yours 3ad priests and bad judges

poisoned him )as it also by priests and judges

that you 5ere so cruelly assassinated ?

)ith great aNability he ans5ered 4<es4

4,nd 5ho 5ere those monsters?4

4(hey 5ere hypocrites4

4,h T you have said all T by that one 5ord I un-

derstand that they 5ould condemn you to the 5orst

of punishments <ou then had proved to them' li$e

#ocrates' that the moon 5as not a goddess' and that

:ercury 5as not a god ?4

4.o! those planets 5ere uite out of the ues-

tion :y countrymen did not even $no5 5hat a

planet 5as! they 5ere all arrant ignoramuses

 (heir superstitions 5ere uite diNerent from those

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of the 2ree$s4

4(hen you 5ished to teach them a ne5 religion ?4

ictionary D@

4.ot at all! I simply said to them KLove 2od

5ith all your hearts' and your neighbor as your-

selves ! for that is allK 8udge 5hether this precept

is not as old as the universe! judge 5hether I

brought them a ne5 5orship I constantly told

them that I 5as come' not to abolish their la5' but

to fulJl it ! I had observed all their rites ! I 5as

circumcised as they all 5ere ! I 5as bapti;ed li$e the

most ;ealous of them ! li$e them I paid the corban !

li$e them I $ept the assover! and ate' standing'

lamb coo$ed 5ith lettuce I and my friends 5ent

to pray in their temple ! my friends' too' freuented

the temple after my death In short' I fulJlled all

their la5s 5ithout one eception4

4)hat T could not these 5retches even reproach

you 5ith having departed from their la5s?4

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40ertainly not4

4)hy' then' did they put you in the state in

5hich I no5 see you?4

4:ust I tell you ? (hey 5ere proud and selJsh !

they sa5 that I $ne5 them! they sa5 that I 5as

ma$ing them $no5n to the citi;ens ! they 5ere the

strongest ! they too$ a5ay my life ! and such as

they 5ill al5ays do the same' if they can' to 5ho-

ever shall have done them too much justice4

43ut did you say nothing! did you do nothing'

that could serve them as a pretet?4

4(he 5ic$ed Jnd a pretet in everything4

4id you not once tell them that you 5ere come

to bring' not peace' but the s5ord ?4

DC hilosophical

4(his 5as an error of some scribe I told them

that I brought' not the s5ord' but peace I never

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5rote anything! 5hat I said might be miscopied

5ithout any ill intent4

4<ou did not then contribute in anything' by

your discourses' either badly rendered or badly in-

terpreted' to those frightful masses of bones 5hich

I passed on my 5ay to consult you?4

4I loo$ed 5ith horror on those 5ho 5ere guilty

of all these murders4

4,nd those monuments of po5er and 5ealth

of pride and avarice those treasures' those orna-

ments' those ensigns of greatness' 5hich' 5hen see$-

ing 5isdom' I sa5 accumulated on the 5ay do

they proceed from you ?4

4It is impossible! I and mine lived in poverty

and lo5liness ! my greatness 5as only in virtue4

I 5as on the point of begging of him to have the

goodness just to tell me 5ho he 5as! but my guide

5arned me to refrain 6e told me that I 5as not

formed for comprehending these sublime mysteries

I conjured him to tell me only in 5hat true religion

consisted

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46ave I not told you already? Love 2od and

your neighbor as yourself4

4)hatT 0an 5e love 2od and yet eat meat on

a 1riday?4

4I al5ays ate 5hat 5as given me! for I 5as

too poor to give a dinner to any one4

4:ight 5e love 2od and be just' and still be

ictionary DF

prudent enough not to intrust all the adventures of

oneKs life to a person one does not $no5 ?4

4#uch 5as al5ays my custom4

4:ight not I' 5hile doing good' be ecused

from ma$ing a pilgrimage to #t 8ames of 0ompos-

tello?4

4I never 5as in that country4

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4#hould I conJne myself in a place of retirement

5ith 3loc$heads?4

41or my part' I al5ays made little journeys from

to5n to to5n4

4:ust I ta$e part 5ith the 2ree$ or 5ith the

Latin 0hurch?4

4)hen I 5as in the 5orld' I never made any

diNerence bet5een the 8e5 and the #amaritan4

4)ell' if it be so' I ta$e you for my only master4

 (hen he gave me a nod' 5hich Jlled me 5ith

consolation (he vision disappeared' and I 5as left

5ith a good conscience

#&0(IO. IIL

>uestions on eligion

1I#( >9&#(IO.

)arburton' bishop of 2loucester' author of one

of the most learned 5or$s ever 5ritten' thus e-

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presses himself U4ivine Legation of :oses'4 i' HV 7

4, religion' a society' 5hich is not founded on the

belief of a future state' must be supported by an e-

traordinary rovidence 8udaism is not founded on

DG hilosophical

the belief of a future state ! therefore' 8udaism 5as

supported by an etraordinary rovidence4

:any theologians rose up against him! and' as

all arguments are retorted' so 5as his retorted upon

himself! he 5as told 7

4&very religion 5hich is not founded on the

dogma of the immortality of the soul' and on ever-

lasting re5ards and punishments' is necessarily

false .o5 these dogmas 5ere un$no5n to the

 8e5s ! therefore 8udaism' far from being supported

by rovidence' 5as' on your o5n principles' a false

and barbarous religion by 5hich rovidence 5as at-

tac$ed4

 (his bishop had some other adversaries' 5ho

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maintained against him that the immortality of the

soul 5as $no5n to the 8e5s even in the time of

:oses! but he proved to them very clearly that

neither the ecalogue' nor Leviticus' nor eu-

teronomy' had said one 5ord of such a belief ! and

that it is ridiculous to strive to distort and corrupt

some passages of other boo$s' in order to dra5 from

them a truth 5hich is not announced in the boo$ of

the la5

 (he bishop' having 5ritten four volumes to dem-

onstrate that the 8e5ish la5 proposed neither pains

nor re5ards after death' has never been able to an-

s5er his adversaries in a very satisfactory manner

 (hey said to him 7 4&ither :oses $ne5 this dogma'

and so deceived the 8e5s by not communicating it'

or he did not $no5 it' in 5hich case he did not $no5

ictionary DE

enough to found a good religion Indeed' if the

religion had been good 5hy should it have been

abolished? , true religion must be for all times

and all places! it must be as the light of the sun'

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enlightening all nations and generations4

 (his prelate' enlightened as he is' has found

it no easy tas$ to etricate himself from so many

diculties 3ut 5hat system is free from them?

#&0O. >9&#(IO.

,nother man of learning' and a much greater phi-

losopher' 5ho is one of the profoundest metaphy-

sicians of the day i advances very strong arguments

to prove that polytheism 5as the primitive religion

of man$ind' and that men began 5ith believing in

several gods before their reason 5as suciently en-

lightened to ac$no5ledge one only #upreme 3eing

On the contrary' I venture to believe that in the

beginning they ac$no5ledged one only 2od' and

that after5ards human 5ea$ness adopted several

:y conception of the matter is this 7

It is indubitable that there 5ere villages before

large to5ns 5ere built' and that all men have been

divided into petty common5ealths before they 5ere

united in great empires It is very natural that the

people of a village' being terriJed by thunder'

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aSicted at the loss of its harvests' ill-used by the in-

habitants of a neighboring village' feeling every

day its o5n 5ea$ness' feeling every5here an invis-

ible po5er' should soon have said7 (here is some

3eing above us 5ho does us good and harm

 jB hilosophical

It seems to me to be impossible that it should

have said 7 (here are t5o po5ers ! for 5hy more

than one ? In all things 5e begin 5ith the simple !

then comes the compound ! and after' by superior

light' 5e go bac$ to the simple again #uch is the

march of the human mind T

3ut 5hat is this being 5ho is thus invo$ed at

Jrst? Is it the sun? Is it the moon? I do not

thin$ so Let us eamine 5hat passes in the minds

of children! they are nearly li$e those of unin-

formed men (hey are struc$' neither by the beauty

nor by the utility of the luminary 5hich animates

nature' nor by the assistance lent us by the moon'

nor by the regular variations of her course! they

thin$ not of these things! they are too much ac-

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customed to them )e adore' 5e invo$e' 5e see$

to appease' only that 5hich 5e fear'' ,ll children

loo$ upon the s$y 5ith indiNerence! but 5hen the

thunder gro5ls they tremble and run to hide them-

selves (he Jrst men undoubtedly did li$e5ise It

could only be a sect of philosophers 5ho Jrst ob-

served the courses of the planets' made them ad^

mired' and caused them to be adored ! mere tillers

of the ground' 5ithout any information' did not

$no5 enough of them to embrace so noble an error

, village then 5ould conJne itself to saying7

 (here is a po5er 5hich thunders and hails upon us'

5hich ma$es our children die! let us appease it

3ut ho5 shall 5e appease it ? )e see that by small

presents 5e have calmed the anger of irritated men !

ictionary DD

let us then ma$e small presents to this po5er It

must also receive a name (he Jrst that presents it-

self is that of 4chief'4 4master'4 4lord4 (his po5er

then is styled 4:y Lord4 1or this reason perhaps

it 5as that the Jrst &gyptians called their god

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4$nef4! the #yrians' 4,donai4! the neighboring

nations' 43aal'4 or 43el'4 or 4:elch'4 or 4:oloch4!

the #cythians' 4apaeus4! all these names signify-

ing 4lord'4 4master4

 (hus 5as nearly all ,merica found to be divided

into a multitude of petty tribes' each having its pro-

tecting god (he :eicans' too' and the eruvians'

forming great nations' had only one god the one

adoring :anco 0apa$' the other the god of 5ar

 (he :eicans called their 5arli$e divinity 46uit-

;ilipochtli'4 as the 6ebre5s had called their Lord

4#abaoth4

It 5as not from a superior and cultivated reason

that every people thus began 5ith ac$no5ledging

on^ only ivinity ! had they been philosophers' they

5ould have adored the 2od of all nature' and not

the god of a village! they 5ould have eamined

those inJnite relations among all things 5hich

prove a 3eing creating and preserving ! but they e-

amined nothing they felt #uch is the progress of

our feeble understanding &ach village 5ould feel

its 5ea$ness and its need of a protector! it 5ould

imagine that tutelary and terrible being residing in

the neighboring forest' or on a mountain' or in a

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cloud It 5ould imagine only one' because the clan

DH hilosophical

had but one chief in 5ar ! it 5ould imagine that one

corporeal' because it 5as impossible to represent it

other5ise It could not believe that the neighboring

tribe had not also its god (herefore it 5as that

 8ephthah said to the inhabitants of :oab7 4<ou

possess la5fully 5hat your god 0hemoth has made

you conuer! you should' then' let us enjoy 5hat

our god has given us by his victories4

 (his language' used by one stranger to other

strangers' is very remar$able (he 8e5s and the

:oabites had dispossessed the natives of the coun-

try! neither had any right but that of force! and

the one says to the other 7 4<our god has protected

you in your usurpation ! suNer our god to protect us

in ours4

 8eremiah and ,mos both as$ 5hat right the god

:elchem had to sei;e the country of 2ad? 1rom

these passages it is evident that the ancients at-

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tributed to each country a protecting god )e Jnd

other traces of this theology in 6omer

It is very natural that' menKs imaginations bein!

heated' and their minds having acuired some con-

fused $no5ledge' they should soon multiply their

gods' and speedily assign protectors to the elements'

the seas' the forests' the fountains' and the Jelds

 (he more they observed the stars' the more they

5ould be struc$ 5ith admiration 6o5' indeed'

should they have adored the divinity of a broo$' and

not have adored the sun ? (he Jrst step being ta$en'

the earth 5ould soon be covered -5ith gods! and

ictionary D"

from the stars men 5ould at last come do5n to cats

and onions

eason' ho5ever' 5ill advance to5ards perfec-

tion! time at length found philosophers 5ho sa5

that neither onions' nor cats' nor even the stars' had

arranged the order of nature ,ll those philoso-

phers 3abylonians' ersians' &gyptians' #cythians'

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2ree$s' and omans admitted a supreme' re5ard-

ing' and avenging 2od

 (hey did not at Jrst tell it to the people! for

5hosoever should have spo$en ill of onions and cats

before priests and old 5omen' 5ould have been

stoned! 5hosoever should have reproached certain

of the &gyptians 5ith eating their gods 5ould him-

self have been eaten as 8uvenal relates that an

&gyptian 5as in reality $illed and eaten uite ra5

in a controversial dispute

)hat then did they do? Orpheus and others

established mysteries' 5hich the initiated s5ore by

oaths of eecration not to reveal of 5hich mys-

teries the principal 5as the adoration of a supreme

2od (his great truth made its 5ay through half

the 5orld' and the number of the initiated became

immense It is true that the ancient religion still

eisted! but as it 5as not contrary to the dogma

of the unity of 2od' it 5as allo5ed to eist ,nd

5hy should it have been abolished? (he omans

ac$no5ledged the 4eus optimus maimus4 and

the 2ree$s had their =eus their supreme god ,ll

the other divinities 5ere only intermediate beings!

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Ho hilosophical

heroes and emperors 5ere ran$ed 5ith the gods'

i e' 5ith the blessed ! but it is certain that 0laudius'

Octavius' (iberius' and 0aligula' 5ere not regarded

as the creators of heaven and earth

In short' it seems proved that' in the time of

,ugustus' all 5ho had a religion ac$no5ledged a

superior' eternal 2od' 5ith several orders of sec-

ondary gods' 5hose 5orship 5as called idolatry

 (he la5s of the 8e5s never favored idolatry!

for' although they admitted the :alachim' angels

and celestial beings of an inferior order' their la5

did not ordain that they should 5orship these sec-

ondary divinities (hey adored the angels' it is

true ! that is' they prostrated themselves 5hen they

sa5 them! but as this did not often happen' there

5as no ceremonial nor legal 5orship established for

them (he cherubim of the ar$ received no homage

It is beyond a doubt that the 8e5s' from ,leanderKs

time at least' openly adored one only 2od' as the in-

numerable multitude of the initiated secretly adored

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6im in their mysteries

 (6I >9&#(IO.

It 5as at the time 5hen the 5orship of a #upreme

2od 5as universally established among all the 5ise

in ,sia' in &urope' and in ,frica' that the 0hristian

religion too$ its birth

latonism assisted materially the understanding

of its dogmas (he 4Logos4 5hich 5ith lato

meant the 45isdom'4 the reason of the #upreme

3eing' became 5ith us the 45ord'4 and a second

ictionary H @

person of 2od rofound metaphysics' above

human intelligence' 5ere an inaccessible sanctuary

in 5hich religion 5as enveloped

It is not necessary here to repeat ho5 :ary 5as

after5ards declared to be the mother of 2od ! ho5

the consubstantiality of the 1ather and the 45ord4

5as established ! as also the proceeding of the

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4pneuma'4 the divine organ of the divine Logos!

as also the t5o natures and t5o 5ills resulting from

the hypostasis ! and lastly' the superior manducation

the soul nourished as 5ell as the body' 5ith the

Mesh and blood of the 2od-man' adored and

eaten in the form of bread' present to the eyes'

sensible to the taste' and yet annihilated ,ll mys-

teries have been sublime

In the second century devils began to be cast out

in the name of 8esus ! before they 5ere cast out in

the name of 8ehovah or Ihaho! for #t :atthe5

relates that the enemies of 8esus having said that

6e cast out devils in the name of the prince of

devils' 6e ans5ered' 4If I cast out devils by 3eel;e-

bub' by 5hom do your sons cast them out?4

It is not $no5n at 5hat time the 8e5s recogni;ed

3eel;ebub' 5ho 5as a strange god' as the prince of

devils! but it is $no5n' for 8osephus tells us' that

there 5ere at 8erusalem eorcists appointed to cast

out devils from the bodies of the possessed ! that is'

of such as 5ere attac$ed by singular maladies'

5hich 5ere then in a great part of the 5orld at-

tributed to the maliJc genii

%ol @FB

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HC hilosophical

 (hese demons 5ere then cast out by the true

pronunciation of 8ehovah' 5hich is no5 lost' and by

other ceremonies no5 forgotten

 (his eorcism by 8ehovah or by the other names

of 2od' 5as still in use in the Jrst ages of the church

Origen' disputing against 0elsus' says to him 7 4If'

5hen invo$ing 2od' or s5earing by 6im' you call

6im Kthe 2od of ,braham' Isaac' and 8acob/ you

5ill by those 5ords do things' the nature and force

of 5hich are such that the evil spirits submit to

those 5ho pronounce them! but if you call him by

another name' as K2od of the roaring sea'K etc' no

eNect 5ill be produced (he name of KIsrael'K ren-

dered in 2ree$' 5ill 5or$ nothing ! but pronounce it

in 6ebre5 5ith the other 5ords reuired' and you

5ill eNect the conjuration4

 (he same Origen has these remar$able 5ords7

4(here are names 5hich are po5erful from their

o5n nature #uch are those used by the sages of

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&gypt' the :agi of ersia' and the 3rahmins of

India )hat is called Kmagic/ is not a vain and

chimerical art' as the #toics and &picureans pretend

 (he names K#abaothK and K,donaiK 5ere not made

for created beings' but belong to a mysterious the-

ology 5hich has reference to the 0reator ! hence the

virtue of these names 5hen they are arranged and

pronounced according to rule4

Origen' 5hen spea$ing thus' is not giving his

private opinion! he is but repeating the universal

opinion

ictionary HF

,ll the religions then $no5n admitted a sort of

magic' 5hich 5as distinguished into celestial magic'

and infernal magic' necromancy and theurgy all

5as prodigy' divination' oracle (he ersians did

not deny the miracles of the &gyptians' nor the

&gyptians those of the ersians 2od permitted

the primitive 0hristians to be persuaded of the truth

of the oracles attributed to the #ibyls' and left them

a fe5 other unimportant errors' 5hich 5ere no es-

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sential detriment to their religion ,nother very

remar$able thing is' that the 0hristians of the primi-

tive ages held temples' altars' and images in abhor-

rence Origen ac$no5ledges this U.o FGDV &v-

erything 5as after5ards changed' 5ith the disci-

pline' 5hen the 0hurch assumed a permanent form

1O9(6 >9&#(IO.

)hen once a religion is established in a state'

the tribunals are all employed in perverting the con-

tinuance or rene5al of most of the things that 5ere

done in that religion before it 5as publicly received

 (he founders used to assemble in private' in spite

of magistrates! but no5 no assemblies are per-

mitted but public ones under the eyes of the la5' and

all concealed associations are forbidden (he maim

formerly 5as' that 4it is better to obey 2od than

man4! the opposite maim is no5 adopted' that

4to follo5 the la5s of the state is to obey 2od4

.othing 5as heard of but obsessions and posses-

sions ! the devil 5as then let loose upon the 5orld'

HG hilosophical

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but no5 the devil stays at home rodigies and

predictions 5ere necessary ! no5 they are no longer

admitted7 a man 5ho in the places should foretell

calamities' 5ould be sent to a madhouse (he

founders secretly received the money of the faithful !

but no5' a man 5ho should gather money for his

o5n disposal' 5ithout being authori;ed by the la5'

5ould be brought before a court of justice to ans5er

for so doing (hus the scaNoldings that have served

to build the ediJce are no longer made use of

1I1(6 >9&#(IO.

,fter our o5n holy religion' 5hich indubitably

is the only good one' 5hat religion 5ould be the

least objectionable?

)ould it not be that 5hich should be the sim-

plest ! that 5hich should teach much morality and

very fe5 dogmas ! that 5hich should tend to ma$e

men just' 5ithout ma$ing them absurd ! that 5hich

should not ordain the belief of things impossible'

contradictory' injurious to the ivinity' and perni-

cious to man$ind ! nor dare to threaten 5ith eternal

pains 5hosoever should possess common sense?

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)ould it not be that 5hich should not uphold its

belief by the hand of the eecutioner' nor inundate

the earth 5ith blood to support unintelligible soph-

isms! that in 5hich an ambiguous epression' a

play upon 5ords' and t5o or three supported char-

ters' should not suce to ma$e a sovereign and a

god of a priest 5ho is often incestuous' a murderer'

ictionary HE

and a poisoner! 5hich should not ma$e $ings

subject to this priest! that 5hich should teach only

the adoration of one 2od' justice' tolerance' and hu-

manity

#I(6 >9&#(IO.

It has been said' that the religion of the 2entiles

5as absurd in many points' contradictory' and per-

nicious ! but have there not been imputed to it more

harm than it ever did' and more absurdities than it

ever preached?

#ho5 me in all antiuity a temple dedicated to

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Leda lying 5ith a s5an' or &uropa 5ith a bull )as

there ever a sermon preached at ,thens or at ome'

to persuade the young 5omen to cohabit 5ith their

poultry? ,re the fables collected and adorned by

Ovid religious ? ,re they not li$e our 2olden Leg-

end' our 1lo5er of the #aints? If some 3rahmin

or dervish 5ere to come and object to our story of

#t :ary the &gyptian' 5ho not having 5here5ith

to pay the sailors 5ho conveyed her to &gypt' gave

to each of them instead of money 5hat are called

4favors'4 5e should say to the 3rahmin 7 everend

father' you are mista$en! our religion is not the

2olden Legend

)e reproach the ancients 5ith their oracles' and

prodigies! if they could return to this 5orld' and

the miracles of our Lady of Loretto and our Lady

of &phesus could be counted' in 5hose favor 5ould

be the balance?

6uman sacriJces 5ere established among almost

HB hilosophical

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every people' but very rarely put in practice ,mong

the 8e5s' only 8ephthahKs daughter and +ing ,gag

5ere immolated ! for Isaac and 8onathan 5ere not

,mong the 2ree$s' the story of 4Iphigenia4 is not

5ell authenticated! and human sacriJces 5ere very

rare among the ancient omans In short' the re-

ligion of the agans caused very little blood to be

shed' 5hile ours has deluged the earth Ours is

doubtless the only good' the only true one ! but 5e

have done so much harm by its means that 5hen 5e

spea$ of others 5e should be modest

#&%&.(6 >9&#(IO.

If a man 5ould persuade foreigners' or his o5n

countrymen' of the truth of his religion' should he

not go about it 5ith the most insinuating mildness

and the most engaging moderation? If he begins

5ith telling them that 5hat he announces is demon-

strated' he 5ill Jnd a multitude of persons incredu-

lous ! if he ventures to tell them that they reject his

doctrine only inasmuch as it condemns their pas-

sions ! that their hearts have corrupted their minds !

that their reasoning is only false and proud' he dis-

gusts them! he incenses them against himself! he

himself ruins 5hat he 5ould fain establish

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If the religion he announces be true' 5ill violence

and insolence render it more so ? o you put your-

self in a rage' 5hen you say that it is necessary to

be mild' patient' beneJcent' just' and to fulJl all the

duties of society ? .o ! because everyone is of your

ictionary HD

o5n opinion )hy' then' do you abuse your brother

5hen preaching to him a mysterious system of meta-

physics? 3ecause his opinion irritates your self-

love <ou are so proud as to reuire your brother

to submit his intelligence to yours ! humbled pride

produces the 5rath ! it has no other source , man

5ho has received t5enty 5ounds in a battle does not

My into a passion! but a divine' 5ounded by the

refusal of your assent' at once becomes furious and

implacable

&I26(6 >9&#(IO.

:ust 5e not carefully distinguish the religion of

the state from theological religion ? (he religion of

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the state reuires that the imans $eep registers of

the circumcised' the vicars or pastors registers of

the bapti;ed ! that there be mosues' churches' tem-

ples' days consecrated to rest and 5orship' rites es-

tablished by la5! that the ministers of those rites

enjoy consideration 5ithout po5er! that they teach

good morals to the people' and that the ministers of

the la5 5atch over the morals of the ministers of

the temples (his religion of the state cannot at any

time cause any disturbance

It is other5ise 5ith theological religion7 this

is the source of all imaginable follies and disturb-

ances! it is the parent of fanaticism and civil dis-

cord ! it is the enemy of man$ind , bon;e asserts

that 1o is a 2od' that he 5as foretold by fa$irs'

that he 5as born of a 5hite elephant' and that every

bon;e can by certain grimaces ma$e a 1o , tala-

HH hilosophical

poin says' that 1o 5as a holy man' 5hose doctrine

the bon;es have corrupted' and that #ammono-

codom is the true 2od ,fter a thousand argu-

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ments and contradictions' the t5o factions agree to

refer the uestion to the dalai-lama' 5ho resides

three hundred leagues oN' and 5ho is not only im-

mortal' but also infallible (he t5o factions send to

him a solemn deputation ! and the dalai-lama begins'

according to his divine custom' by distributing

among them the contents of his close-stool

 (he t5o rival sects at Jrst receive them 5ith

eual reverence! have them dried in the sun' and

encase them in little chaplets 5hich they $iss de-

voutly! but no sooner have the dalai-lama and his

council pronounced in the name of 1o' than the con-

demned party thro5 their chaplets in the vice-godKs

face' and 5ould fain give him a sound thrashing

 (he other party defend their lama' from 5hom they

have received good lands! both Jght a long time!

and 5hen at last they are tired of mutual etermina-

tion' assassination' and poisoning' they grossly abuse

each other' 5hile the dalai-lama laughs' and still

distributes his ecrement to 5hosoever is desirous

of receiving the good father lamaKs precious favors

6<:&

6<:& 5as probably invented to assist the mem-

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ory' and to regulate at the same time the song and

the dance (he return of the same sounds served to

bring easily and readily to the recollection the inter-

ictionary H"

mediate 5ords bet5een the t5o rhymes (hose

rhymes 5ere a guide at once to the singer and the

dancer! they indicated the measure ,ccordingly'

in every country' verse 5as the language of the

gods

)e may therefore class it among the list of prob-

able' that is' of uncertain' opinions' that rhyme 5as

at Jrst a religious appendage or ceremony ! for after

all' it is possible that verses and songs might be ad-

dressed by a man to his mistress before they 5ere

addressed by him to his deities ! and highly impas-

sioned lovers indeed 5ill say that the cases are pre-

cisely the same

, rabbi 5ho gave a general vie5 of the 6ebre5

language' 5hich I never 5as able to learn' once re-

cited to me a number of rhymed psalms' 5hich he

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said 5e had most 5retchedly translated I remem-

ber t5o verses' 5hich are as follo5s 7

6ibbitu dare vena haru

9lph nehem aljec$pharu

4(hey loo$ed upon him and 5ere lightened' and

their faces 5ere not ashamed4

.o rhyme can be richer than that of those t5o

verses ! and this being admitted' I reason in the fol-

lo5ing manner 7

 (he 8e5s' 5ho spo$e a jargon half hoenician

and half #yriac' rhymed! therefore the great and

po5erful nations' under 5hom they 5ere in slavery'

rhymed also )e cannot help believing' that the

 8e5s 5ho' as 5e have freuently observed' adopted

go hilosophical

almost everything from their neighbors adopted

from them also rhyme

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,ll the Orientals rhyme! they are steady and

constant in their usages (hey dress no5 as they

have dressed for the long series of Jve or si thou-

sand years )e may' therefore' 5ell believe that

they have rhymed for a period of eual duration

#ome of the learned contend that the 2ree$s be-

gan 5ith rhyming' 5hether in honor of their gods'

their heroes' or their mistresses! but' that after-

5ards becoming more sensible of the harmony of

their language' having acuired a more accurate

$no5ledge of prosody' and reJned upon melody'

they made those reuisite verses 5ithout rhyme

5hich have been transmitted do5n to us' and 5hich

the Latins imitated and very often surpassed

,s for us' the miserable descendants of 2oths'

%andals' 2auls' 1ran$s' and 3urgundians barbar-

ians 5ho are incapable of attaining either the 2ree$

or Latin melody 5e are compelled to rhyme

3lan$ verse' among all modern nations' is nothing

but prose 5ithout any measure! it is distinguished

from ordinary prose only by a certain number of

eual and monotonous syllables' 5hich it has been

agreed to denominate 4verse4

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)e have remar$ed else5here that those 5ho

have 5ritten in blan$ verse have done so only be-

cause they 5ere incapable of rhyming 3lan$ verse

originated in an incapacity to overcome diculty'

and in a desire to come to an end sooner

ictionary "@

)e have remar$ed that ,riosto has made a

series of forty-eight thousand rhymes 5ithout pro-

ducing either disgust or 5eariness in a single reader

)e have observed ho5 1rench poetry' in rhyme'

s5eeps all obstacles before it' and that pleasure

arose even from the very obstacles themselves )e

have been al5ays convinced that rhyme 5as neces-

sary for the ears' not for the eyes ! and 5e have e-

plained our opinions' if not 5ith judgment and suc-

cess' at least 5ithout dictation and arrogance

3ut 5e ac$no5ledge that on the receipt at :ount

+rapa$ of the late dreadful literary intelligence

from aris' our former moderation completely aban-

dons us )e understand that there eists a rising

sect of barbarians' 5hose doctrine is that no tragedy

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should hencefor5ard be ever 5ritten but in prose

 (his last blo5 alone 5as 5anting' in addition to all

our previous aSictions It is the abomination of

desolation in the temple of the muses )e can very

easily conceive that' after 0orneille had turned into

verse the 4Imitation of 8esus 0hrist'4 some sarcastic

5ag might menace the public 5ith the acting of a

tragedy in prose' by 1loridor and :ondori ! but

this project having been seriously eecuted by the

abbe dK,ubignac' 5e 5ell $no5 5ith 5hat success

it 5as attended )e 5ell $no5 the ridicule and

disgrace that 5ere attached to the prose 42&dipus4

of e la :otte 6oudart' 5hich 5ere nearly as great

as those 5hich 5ere incurred by his 40&dipus4 in

verse )hat miserable %isigoth can dare' after

"C hilosophical

40inna4 and 4,ndromache'4 to banish verse from

the theatre? ,fter the grand and brilliant age of

our literature' can 5e be really sun$ into such degra-

dation and opprobriumT 0ontemptible barbariansT

2o' then' and see this your prose tragedy performed

by actors in their riding-coats at %auhall' and

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after5ards go and feast upon shoulder of mutton

and strong beer

)hat 5ould acine and 3oileau have said had

this terrible intelligence been announced to them?

43on ieu4 T 2ood 2od T from 5hat a height have

5e fallen' and into 5hat a slough are 5e plunged T

It is certain that rhyme gives a most over5helm-

ing and oppressive inMuence to verses possessing

mere mediocrity of merit (he poet in this case

is just li$e a bad machinist' 5ho cannot prevent the

harsh and grating sounds of his 5ires and pulleys

from annoying the ear 6is readers eperience the

same fatigue that he under5ent 5hile forming his

o5n rhymes ! his verses are nothing but an empty

 jingling of 5earisome syllables 3ut if he is happy

in his thoughts and happy also in his rhyme' he then

eperiences and imparts a pleasure truly euisite

a pleasure that can be fully enjoyed only by minds

endo5ed 5ith sensibility' and by ears attuned to

harmony

&#9&0(IO.

#&0(IO. I

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)& ,& told that the &gyptians built their pyra-

mids for no other purpose than to ma$e tombs of

ictionary "F

them' and that their bodies' embalmed 5ithin and

5ithout' 5aited there for their souls to come and re-

animate them at the end of a thousand years 3ut if

these bodies 5ere to come to life again' 5hy did the

embalmers begin the operation by piercing the s$ull

5ith a gimlet' and dra5ing out the brain ? (he idea

of coming to life again 5ithout brains 5ould ma$e

one suspect that if the epression may be used

the &gyptians had not many 5hile alive! but let

us bear in mind that most of the ancients believed

the soul to be in the breast ,nd 5hy should the

soul be in the breast rather than else5here? 3e-

cause' 5hen our feelings are at all violent' 5e do in

reality feel' about the region of the heart' a dilata-

tion or compression' 5hich caused it to be thought

that the soul 5as lodged there (his soul 5as some-

thing aerial ! it 5as a slight Jgure that 5ent about

at random until it found its body again

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 (he belief in resurrection is much more ancient

than historical times ,thalides' son of :ercury'

could die and come to life again at 5ill ! v&sculapius

restored 6ippolytus to life' and 6ercules' ,lceste

elops' after being cut in pieces by his father' 5as

resuscitated by the gods lato relates that 6eres

came to life again for Jfteen days only

,mong the 8e5s' the harisees did not adopt the

dogma of the resurrection until long after latoKs

time

In the ,cts of the ,postles there is a very sin-

gular fact' and one 5ell 5orthy of attention #t

"G hilosophical

 8ames and several of his companions advise #t aul

to go into the temple of 8erusalem' and' 0hristian as

he 5as' to observe all the ceremonies of the Old

La5' in order say they 4that all may $no5 that

those things 5hereof they 5ere informed concerning

thee are nothing' but that thou thyself also 5al$est

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orderly and $eepest the la54 (his is clearly say-

ing 7 42o and lie ! go and perjure yourself ! go and

publicly deny the religion 5hich you teach4

#t aul then 5ent seven days into the temple!

but on the seventh he 5as discovered 6e 5as ac-

cused of having come into it 5ith strangers' and of

having profaned it Let us see ho5 he etricated

himself

43ut 5hen aul perceived that the one part 5ere

#adducees and the other harisees' he cried out

in the council 4:en and brethren' I am a harisee'

the son of a harisee ! of the hope and resurrection

of the dead I am called in uestion4 (he resurrec-

tion of the dead formed no part of the uestion !

aul said this only to incense the harisees and

#adducees against each other

4,nd 5hen he had so said there arose a dissen-

sion bet5een the harisees and the #adducees ! and

the multitude 5as divided

41or the #adducees say that there is no resur-

rection' neither angel nor spirit! but the harisees

confess both4

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It has been asserted that 8ob' 5ho is very ancient'

5as acuainted 5ith the doctrine of resurrection!

ictionary "E

and these 5ords are cited7 4I $no5 that my e-

deemer liveth' and that one day 6is redemption

shall rise upon me ! or that I shall rise again from

the dust' that my s$in shall return' and that in my

Mesh I shall again see 2od4

3ut many commentators understand by these

5ords that 8ob hopes soon to recover from his mal-

ady' and that he shall not al5ays remain lying on

the ground' as he then 5as (he seuel suciently

proves this eplanation to be the true one! for he

cries out the net moment to his false and hard-

hearted friends 7 4)hy then do you say let us per-

secute 6im?4 Or7 41or you shall say' because 5e

persecuted 6im4 oes not this evidently mean

you 5ill repent of having ill used me' 5hen you

shall see me again in my future state of health and

opulence )hen a sic$ man says7 I shall rise

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again' he does not say7 I shall come to life again

 (o give forced meanings to clear passages is the

sure 5ay never to understand one another! or

rather' to be regarded by honest men as 5anting

sincerity

#t 8erome dates the birth of the sect of the

harisees but a very short time before 8esus 0hrist

 (he rabbin 6illel is considered as having been the

founder of the harisaic sect! and this 6illel 5as

contemporary 5ith #t aulKs master' 2amaliel

:any of these harisees believed that only the

 8e5s 5ere brought to life again' the rest of man$ind

not being 5orth the trouble Others maintained

"B hilosophical

that there 5ould be no rising again but in alestine !

and that the bodies of such as 5ere buried else5here

5ould be secretly conveyed into the neighborhood

of 8erusalem' there to rejoin their souls 3ut #t

aul' 5riting to the people of (hessalonica' says 7

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41or this 5e say unto you by the 5ord of the

Lord' that 5e 5hich are alive' and remain unto the

coming of the Lord' shall not prevent them 5hich

are asleep

41or the Lord 6imself shall descend from

heaven 5ith a shout' 5ith the voice of the arch-

angel' and 5ith the trump of 2od! and the dead

in 0hrist shall rise Jrst

4(hen 5e 5hich are alive and remain shall be

caught up 5ith them in the clouds to meet the Lord

in the air ! and so shall 5e ever be 5ith the Lord4

oes not this important passage clearly prove

that the Jrst 0hristians calculated on seeing the end

of the 5orld ? as' indeed' it 5as foretold by #t

Lu$e to ta$e place 5hile he himself 5as alive ? 3ut

if they did not see this end of the 5orld' if no one

rose again in their day' that 5hich is deferred is

not lost

#t ,ugustine believed that children' and even

still-born infants' 5ould rise again in a state of ma-

turity Origen' 8erome' ,thanasius' 3asil' and

others' did not believe that 5omen 5ould rise again

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5ith the mar$s of their se

In short' there have ever been disputes about

ictionary "D

5hat 5e have been' about 5hat 5e are' and about

5hat 5e shall be

#&0(IO. II

1ather :alebranche proves resurrection by the

caterpillars becoming butterMies (his proof' as

every one may perceive' is not more 5eighty than

the 5ings of the insects from 5hich he borro5s it

0alculating thin$ers bring forth arithmetical objec-

tions against this truth 5hich he has so 5ell proved

 (hey say that men and other animals are really fed

and derive their gro5th from the substance of their

predecessors (he body of a man' reduced to ashes'

scattered in the air' and falling on the surface of the

earth' becomes corn or vegetable #o 0ain ate a

part of ,dam ! &noch fed on 0ain ! Irad on &noch !

:ahalaleel on Irad! :ethuselah on :ahalaleel!

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and thus 5e Jnd that there is not one among us

5ho has not s5allo5ed some portion of our Jrst

parent 6ence it has been said that 5e have all

been cannibals .othing can be clearer than that

such is the case after a battle ! not only do 5e $ill

our brethren' but at the end of t5o or three years'

5hen the harvests have been gathered from the

Jeld of battle' 5e have eaten them all ! and 5e' in

turn' shall be eaten 5ith the greatest facility imagin-

able .o5' 5hen 5e are to rise again' ho5 shall 5e

restore to each one the body that belongs to him'

5ithout losing something of our o5n ?

#o say those 5ho trust not in resurrection ! but

%ol @F D

"H hilosophical

the resurrectionists have ans5ered them very perti-

nently

, rabbin named #amai demonstrates resurrec-

tion by this passage of &odus 7 4I appeared unto

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,braham' Isaac' and 8acob' and s5ore to give unto

them the land of 0anaan4 .o5 says this great

rabbin not5ithstanding this oath' 2od did not give

them that land! therefore' they 5ill rise again to

enjoy it' in order that the oath be fulJlled

 (he profound philosopher 0almet Jnds a much

more conclusive proof in vampires 6e sa5 vam-

pires issuing from churchyards to go and suc$ the

blood of good people in their sleep ! it is clear that

they could not suc$ the blood of the living if they

themselves 5ere still dead ! therefore they had risen

again ! this is peremptory

It is also certain that at the day of judgment all

the dead 5ill 5al$ under ground' li$e moles so

says the 4(almud4 that they may appear in the

valley of 8ehoshaphat' 5hich lies bet5een the city of

 8erusalem and the :ount of Olives (here 5ill

be a good deal of suee;ing in this valley ! but it 5ill

only be necessary to reduce the bodies proportion-

ately' li$e :iltonKs devils in the hall of ande-

monium

 (his resurrection 5ill ta$e place to the sound of

the trumpet' according to #t aul (here must' of

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course' be more trumpets than one ! for the thunder

itself is not heard more than three or four leagues

round It is as$ed 7 6o5 many trumpets 5ill there

ictionary ""

be ? (he divines have not yet made the calculation !

it 5ill nevertheless be made

 (he 8e5s say that >ueen 0leopatra' 5ho no

doubt believed in the resurrection li$e all the ladies

of that day' as$ed a harisee if 5e 5ere to rise

again uite na$ed? (he doctor ans5ered that 5e

shall be very 5ell dressed' for the same reason that

the corn that has been so5n and perished under

ground rises again in ear 5ith a robe and a beard

 (his rabbin 5as an ecellent theologian! he rea-

soned li$e om 0almet

#&0(IO. III

esurrection of the ,ncients

It has been asserted that the dogma of resurrec-

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tion 5as much in vogue 5ith the &gyptians' and 5as

the origin of their embalmings and their pyramids

 (his I myself formerly believed #ome said that

the resurrection 5as to ta$e place at the end of a

thousand years! others at the end of three thou-

sand (his diNerence in their theological opinions

seems to prove that they 5ere not very sure about

the matter

3esides' in the history of &gypt' 5e Jnd no man

raised again ! but among the 2ree$s 5e Jnd several

,mong the latter' then' 5e must loo$ for this inven-

tion of rising again

3ut the 2ree$s often burned their bodies' and the

&gyptians embalmed them' that 5hen the soul'

5hich 5as a small' aerial Jgure' returned to its habi-

ioo hilosophical

tation' it might Jnd it uite ready (his had been

good if its organs had also been ready ! but the em-

balmer began by ta$ing out the brain and clearing

the entrails 6o5 5ere men to rise again 5ithout

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intestines' and 5ithout the medullary part by means

of 5hich they thin$? )here 5ere they to Jnd

again the blood' the lymph' and other humors?

 <ou 5ill tell me that it 5as still more dicult

to rise again among the 2ree$s' 5here there 5as

not left of you more than a pound of ashes at the

utmost mingled' too' 5ith the ashes of 5ood'

stuNs and spices

 <our objection is forcible' and I hold 5ith you'

that resurrection is a very etraordinary thing ! but

the son of :ercury did not the less die and rise

again several times (he gods restored elops to

life' although he had been served up as a ragout'

and 0eres had eaten one of his shoulders <ou

$no5 that ^&sculapius brought 6ippolytus to life

again! this 5as a veriJed fact' of 5hich even the

most incredulous had no doubt ! the name of 4%ir-

bius'4 given to 6ippolytus' 5as a convincing proof

6ercules had resuscitated ,lceste and irithous

6eres did' it is true according to lato come to

life again for Jfteen days only ! still it 5as a resur-

rection ! the time does not alter the fact

:any grave schoolmen clearly see purgatory and

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resurrection in %irgil ,s for purgatory' I am

obliged to ac$no5ledge that it is epressly in the

ictionary @A@

sith boo$ (his may displease the rotestants' but

I have no alternative 7

.on tamen omne malum miseris' nee funditus omnes

0orporea ecedunt pestes'

.ot death itself can 5holly 5ash their stains!

3ut long contracted Jlth even in the soul remains

 (he relics of inveterate vice they 5ear'

,nd spots of sin obscene in every face appear'

3ut 5e have already uoted this passage in the

article on 4urgatory'4 5hich doctrine is here e-

pressed clearly enough! nor could the $insfol$s of

that day obtain from the pagan priests an indulgence

to abridge their suNerings for ready money (he

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ancients 5ere much more severe and less simoniacal

than 5e are not5ithstanding that they imputed so

many foolish actions to their gods )hat 5ould

you have? (heir theology 5as made up of contra-

dictions' as the malignant say is the case 5ith our

o5n

)hen their purgation 5as Jnished' these souls

5ent and dran$ of the 5aters of Lethe' and instantly

as$ed that they might enter fresh bodies and again

see daylight 3ut is this a resurrection? .ot at

all ! it is ta$ing an entirely ne5 body' not resuming

the old one! it is a metempsychosis' 5ithout any

relation to the manner in 5hich 5e of the true faith

are to rise again

 (he souls of the ancients did' I must ac$no5l-

edge' ma$e a very bad bargain in coming bac$ to

this 5orld' for seventy years at most' to undergo

IOC hilosophical

once more all that 5e $no5 is undergone in a life

of seventy years' and then suNer another thousand

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yearsK discipline In my humble opinion there is no

soul that 5ould not be tired of this everlasting vicis-

situde of so short a life and so long a penance

#&0(IO. I%

esurrection of the :oderns

Our resurrection is uite diNerent &very man

5ill appear 5ith precisely the same body 5hich he

had before! and all these bodies 5ill be burned

for all eternity' ecepting only' at most' one in a

hundred thousand (his is much 5orse than a pur-

gatory of ten centuries' in order to live here again

a fe5 years

)hen 5ill the great day of this general resurrec-

tion arrive ? (his is not positively $no5n ! and the

learned are much divided .or do they any more

$no5 ho5 each one is to Jnd his o5n members

again 6ereupon they start many diculties

@ Our body' say they' is' during life' undergo-

ing a continual change ! at Jfty years of age 5e have

nothing of the body in 5hich our soul 5as lodged at

t5enty

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C , soldier from 3rittany goes into 0anada!

there' by a very common chance' he Jnds himself

short of food' and is forced to eat an Irouois 5hom

he $illed the day before (his Irouois had fed on

 8esuits for t5o or three months ! a great part of his

body had become 8esuit 6ere' then' the body of

ictionary @AF

a soldier is composed of Irouois' of 8esuits' and of

all that he had eaten before 6o5 is each to ta$e

again precisely 5hat belongs to him? and 5hich

part belongs to each ?

F , child dies in its motherKs 5omb' just at the

moment that it has received a soul )ill it rise

again foetus' or boy' or man?

G (o rise again to be the same person as you

5ere you must have your memory perfectly fresh

and present ! it is memory that ma$es your identity

If your memory be lost' ho5 5ill you be the same

man?

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E (here are only a certain number of earthly

particles that can constitute an animal #and' stone'

minerals' metals' contribute nothing ,ll earth is

not adapted thereto! it is only the soils favorable

to vegetation that are favorable to the animal spe-

cies )hen' after the lapse of many ages' every one

is to rise again' 5here shall be found the earth

adapted to the formation of all these bodies ?

B #uppose an island' the vegetative part of

5hich 5ill suce for a thousand men' and for Jve

or si thousand animals to feed and labor for that

thousand men! at the end of a hundred thousand

generations 5e shall have to raise again a thousand

millions of men It is clear that matter 5ill be 5ant-

ing7 4:ateries opus est' ut crescunt postera

saecla4

D ,nd lastly' 5hen it is proved' or thought to be

proved' that a miracle as great as the universal

IOG hilosophical

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deluge' or the ten plagues of &gypt' 5ill be neces-

sary to 5or$ the resurrection of all man$ind in the

valley of 8ehoshaphat' it is as$ed 7 )hat becomes of

the souls of all these bodies 5hile a5aiting the mo-

ment of returning into their cases?

1ifty rather $notty uestions might easily be

put! but the divines 5ould li$e5ise easily Jnd an-

s5ers to them all

I26(#

#&0(IO. I

.ational ights .atural ights ublic ights

I +.O) no better 5ay of commencing this sub-

 ject than 5ith the verses of ,riosto' in the second

stan;a of the GGth canto of the 4Orlando 1urioso'4

5hich observes that $ings' emperors' and popes'

sign Jne treaties one day 5hich they brea$ the net'

and that' 5hatever piety they may aNect' the only

god to 5hom they really appeal' is their interest 7

1an lega oggi re' papi et imperatori

oman saran nintici capitali 7

er c he' ual IKapparen;e esteriori'

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.on hanno i cor' non han gli animi tali'

0he non mirando al torto piu che al dritto

,ttendon solamente al lor proJt to

If there 5ere only t5o men on earth' ho5 5ould

they live together? (hey 5ould assist each other!

they 5ould annoy each other! they 5ould court

each other ! they 5ould spea$ ill of each other ! Jght

5ith each other! be reconciled to each other! and

be neither able to live 5ith nor 5ithout each other-

ictionary @AE

In short' they 5ould do as people at present do' 5ho

possess the gift of reason certainly' but the gift

of instinct also! and 5ill feel' reason' and act for-

ever as nature has destined

.o god has descended upon our globe' assembled

the human race' and said to them' 4I ordain that the

negroes and +ars go star$ na$ed and feed upon

insects

4I order the #amoyeds to clothe themselves 5ith

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the s$ins of reindeer' and to feed upon their Mesh'

insipid as it is' and eat dry and half putrescent Jsh

5ithout salt It is my 5ill that the (artars of

 (hibet all believe 5hat their dalai-lama shall say!

and that the 8apanese pay the same attention to their

dairo

4(he ,rabs are not to eat s5ine' and the )est-

phalians nothing else but s5ine

4I have dra5n a line from :ount 0aucasus to

&gypt' and from &gypt to :ount ,tlas ,ll 5ho

inhabit the east of that line may espouse as many

5omen as they please ! those to the 5est of it must

be satisJed 5ith one

4If' to5ards the ,driatic 2ulf' or the marshes

of the hine and the :euse' or in the neighborhood

of :ount 8ura' or the Isle of ,lbion' any one shall

5ish to ma$e another despotic' or aspire to be so

himself' let his head be cut oN' on a full conviction

that destiny and myself are opposed to his inten-

tions

4#hould any one be so insolent as to attempt to

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ioB hilosophical

establish an assembly of free men on the ban$s of

the :an;anares' or on the shores of the ropontis'

let him be empaled alive or dra5n asunder by four

horses

4)hoever shall ma$e up his accounts according

to a certain rule of arithmetic at 0onstantinople' at

2rand 0airo' at (aJlet' at elhi' or at ,drianople'

let him be empaled alive on the spot' 5ithout form of

la5 ! and 5hoever shall dare to account by any other

rule at Lisbon' :adrid' in 0hampagne' in icardy'

and to5ards the anube' from 9lm unto 3elgrade'

let him be devoutly burned amidst chantings of the

K:iserereK

4(hat 5hich is just along the shores of the Loire

is other5ise on the ban$s of the (hames! for my

la5s are universal'4 etc

It must be confessed that 5e have no very clear

proof' even in the 48ournal 0hretien'4 nor in 4(he

+ey to the 0abinet of rinces'4 that a god has de-

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scended in order to promulgate such a public la5

It eists' not5ithstanding' and is literally practised

according to the preceding announcement! and

there have been compiled' compiled' and compiled'

upon these national rights' very admirable com-

mentaries' 5hich have never produced a sou to the

great numbers 5ho have been ruined by 5ar' by

edicts' and by ta-gatherers

 (hese compilations closely resemble the case of

conscience of ontas It is forbidden to $ill ! there-

fore all murderers are punished 5ho $ill not in large

ictionary @AD

companies' and to the sound of trumpets! it is the

rule

,t the time 5hen ,nthropophagi still eisted in

the forest of ,rdennes' an old villager met 5ith a

man-eater' 5ho had carried a5ay an infant to de-

vour it :oved 5ith pity' the villager $illed the de-

vourer of children and released the little boy' 5ho

uic$ly Med a5ay (5o passengers' 5ho 5itnessed

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the transaction at a distance' accused the good man

5ith having committed a murder on the $ingKs high-

5ay (he person of the oNender being produced

before the judge' the t5o 5itnesses after they had

paid the latter a hundred cro5ns for the eercise of

his functions deposed to the particulars' and the

la5 being precise' the villager 5as hanged upon the

spot for doing that 5hich had so much ealted 6er-

cules' (heseus' Orlando' and ,madis the 2aul

Ought the judge to be hanged himself' 5ho ee-

cuted this la5 to the letter? 6o5 ought the point

to be decided upon a general principle? (o re-

solve a thousand uestions of this $ind' a thousand

volumes have been 5ritten

uNendorN Jrst established moral eistences7

4(here are'4 said he' 4certain modes 5hich intel-

ligent beings attach to things natural' or to physical

operations' 5ith the vie5 of directing or restraining

the voluntary actions of man$ind' in order to infuse

order' convenience' and felicity into human eist-

ence4

 (hus' to give correct ideas to the #5edes and the

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ioH hilosophical

2ermans of the just and the unjust' he remar$s that

4there are t5o $inds of place' in regard to one of

5hich' it is said' that things are for eample' here or

there! and in respect to the other' that they have

eisted' do' or 5ill eist at a certain time' as for e-

ample' yesterday' to-day' or to-morro5 In the same

manner 5e conceive t5o sorts of moral eistence'

the one of 5hich denotes a moral state' that has

some conformity 5ith place' simply considered ! the

other a certain time' 5hen a moral eNect 5ill be

produced'4 etc

 (his is not all ! uNendorN curiously distin-

guishes the simple moral from the modes of opinion'

and the formal from the operative ualities (he

formal ualities are simple attributes' but the opera-

tive are to be carefully divided into original and

derivated

In the meantime' 3arbeyrac has commented on

these Jne things' and they are taught in the uni-

versities' and opinion is divided bet5een 2rotius

and uNendorN in regard to uestions of similar

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importance (a$e my recommendation! read

 (ullyKs 4Oces4

#&0(IO. II

.othing possibly can tend more to render a mind

false' obscure' and uncertain than the perusal of

2rotius' uNendorN' and almost all the 5riters on

the 4jus gentium4 '

)e must not do evil that good may come of it'

says the 5riter to 5hom nobody hear$ens It is

ictionary @A"

permitted to ma$e 5ar on a po5er' lest it should be-

come too strong' says the 4#pirit of La5s4

)hen rights are to be established by prescrip-

tion' the publicists call to their aid divine right and

human right! and the theologians ta$e their part

in the dispute 4,braham and his seed'4 say they'

4had a right to the land of 0anaan' because he had

travelled there! and 2od had given it to him in a

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vision4 3ut according to the vulgate sage teachers'

Jve hundred and forty-seven years elapsed bet5een

the time 5hen ,braham purchased a sepulchre in

the country and 8oshua too$ possession of a small

part of it .o matter' his right 5as clear and cor-

rect ,nd then prescription? ,5ay 5ith prescrip-

tion T Ought that 5hich once too$ place in alestine

to serve as a rule for 2ermany and Italy ? <es' for

6e said so 3e it so' gentlemen ! 2od preserve me

from disputing 5ith youT

 (he descendants of ,ttila' it is said' established

themselves in 6ungary (ill 5hat time must the

ancient inhabitants hold themselves bound in con-

science to remain serfs to the descendants of ,ttila ?

Our doctors' 5ho have 5ritten on peace and 5ar'

are very profound ! if 5e attend to them' everything

belongs of right to the sovereign for 5hom they

5rite! he' in fact' has never been able to alienate

his domains (he emperor of right ought to possess

ome' Italy' and 1rance! such 5as the opinion of

3artholus! Jrst' because the emperor 5as entitled

$ing of the omans! and' secondly' because the

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no hilosophical

archbishop of 0ologne is chancellor of Italy' and the

archbishop of (rier chancellor of 2aul :ore-

over' the emperor of 2ermany carries a gilded ball

at his coronation' 5hich of course proves that he is

the rightful master of the 5hole globe

,t ome there is not a single priest 5ho has not

learned' in his course of theology' that the pope

ought to be master of this earth' seeing it is 5ritten

that it 5as said to #imon' the son of 8onas 7 4(hou

art eter' and upon this roc$ I 5ill build my

church4 It 5as 5ell said to 2regory %II that this

treated only of souls' and of the celestial $ingdom

amnable observation T he replied ! and 5ould have

hanged the observer had he been able

#pirits' still more profound' establish this reason-

ing by an argument to 5hich there is no reply 6e

to 5hom the bishop of ome calls himself vicar has

declared that his dominion is not of this 5orld ! can

this 5orld then belong to the vicar' 5hen his master

has renounced it? )hich ought to prevail' human

nature or the decretals? (he decretals' indisput-

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ably

If it be as$ed 5hether the massacre of ten or

t5elve millions of unarmed men in ,merica 5as de-

fensible' it is replied that nothing can be more just

and holy' since they 5ere not 0atholic' apostolic

and oman

 (here is not an age in 5hich the declarations of

5ar of 0hristian princes have not authori;ed the at-

tac$ and pillage of all the subjects of the prince' to

ictionary @ @ @

5hom 5ar has been announced by a herald' in a coat

of mail and hanging sleeves (hus' 5hen this sig-

niJcation has been made' should a native of ,u-

vergne meet a 2erman' he is bound to $ill' and en-

titled to rob him either before or after the murder

 (he follo5ing has been a very thorny uestion

for the schools 7 (he ban' and the arriere-ban' hav-

ing been ordered out in order to $ill and be $illed on

the frontiers' ought the #uabians' being satisJed

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that the 5ar is atrociously unjust' to march? #ome

doctors say yes! others' more just' pronounce no

)hat say the politicians?

)hen 5e have fully discussed these great pre-

liminary uestions' 5ith 5hich no sovereign embar-

rasses himself' or is embarrassed' 5e must proceed

to discuss the right of Jfty or sity families upon

the county of ,lost ! the to5n of Orchies ! the duchy

of 3erg and of 8uliers ! upon the countries of (our-

nay and .ice ! and' above all' on the frontiers of all

the provinces' 5here the 5ea$est al5ays loses his

cause

It 5as disputed for a hundred years 5hether the

du$es of Orleans' Louis II' and 1rancis I' had a

claim on the duchy of :ilan' by virtue of a contract

of marriage 5ith %alentina de :ilan' granddaughter

of the bastard of a brave peasant' named 8acob

:u;io 8udgment 5as given in this process at the

battle of avia

 (he du$es of #avoy' of Lorraine' and of (uscany

still pretend to the :ilanese ! but it is believed that

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6C hilosophical

a family of poor gentlemen eist in 1riuli' the pos-

terity in a right line from ,lbion' $ing of the Lom-

bards' 5ho possess an anterior claim

 (he publicists have 5ritten great boo$s upon the

rights of the $ingdom of 8erusalem (he (ur$s

have 5ritten none' and 8erusalem belongs to them !

at least at this present 5riting! nor is 8erusalem a

$ingdom

0,.O.I0,L I26(# O L,)

2eneral Idea of the ights of the 0hurch or 0anon

La5' by : 3ertrand' 6eretofore 1irst astor

of the 0hurch of 3erne

)e assume neither to adopt nor contradict the

principles of : 3ertrand! it is for the public to

 judge of them

0anon la5' or the canon' according to the vulgar

opinion' is ecclesiastical jurisprudence It is the col-

lection of canons' rules of the council' decrees of the

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popes' and maims of the fathers

,ccording to reason' and to the rights of $ings

and of the people' ecclesiastical jurisprudence is only

an eposition of the privileges accorded to ecclesias-

tics by sovereigns representing the nation

If t5o supreme authorities' t5o administrations'

having separate rights' eist' and the one 5ill ma$e

5ar 5ithout ceasing upon the other' the unavoidable

result 5ill be perpetual convulsions' civil 5ars' an-

archy' tyranny' and all the misfortunes of 5hich

history presents so miserable a picture

ictionary @ @F

If a priest is made sovereign! if the dairo of

 8apan remained emperor until the siteenth century !

if the dalai-lama is still sovereign at (hibet! if

.uma 5as at once $ing and pontiN! if the caliphs

5ere heads of the state as 5ell as of religion! and

if the popes reign at ome these are only so many

proofs of the truth of 5hat 5e advance! the au-

thority is not divided ! there is but one po5er (he

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sovereigns of ussia and of &ngland preside over

religion! the essential unity of po5er is there pre-

served

&very religion is 5ithin the #tate! every priest

forms a part of civil society' and all ecclesiastics are

among the number of the subjects of the sovereign

under 5hom they eercise their ministry If a re-

ligion eists 5hich establishes ecclesiastical inde-

pendence' and supports them in a sovereign and

legitimate authority' that religion cannot spring

from 2od' the author of society

It is even to be proved' from all evidence' that

in a religion of 5hich 2od is represented as the au-

thor' the functions of ministers' their persons' prop-

erty' pretensions' and manner of inculcating moral-

ity' teaching doctrines' celebrating ceremonies' the

adjustment of spiritual penalties ! in a 5ord' all that

relates to civil order' ought to be submitted to the

authority of the prince and the inspection of the

magistracy

If this jurisprudence constitutes a science' here

5ill be found the elements

%ol

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@ @G hilosophical

It is for the magistracy' solely' to authori;e the

boo$s admissible into the schools' according to the

nature and form of the government It is thus that

: aul 8oseph ieger' counsellor of the court'

 judiciously teaches canon la5 in the 9niversity of

%ienna! and' in the li$e manner' the republic of

%enice eamined and reformed all the rules in the

states 5hich have ceased to belong to it It is de-

sirable that eamples so 5ise should generally pre-

vail

#&0(IO. I

Of the &cclesiastical :inistry

eligion is instituted only to preserve order

among man$ind' and to render them 5orthy of the

bounty of the eity by virtue &verything in a re-

ligion 5hich does not tend to this object ought to be

regarded as foreign or dangerous

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Instruction' ehortation' the fear of punishment

to come' the promises of a blessed hereafter' prayer'

advice' and spiritual consolation are the only means

5hich churchmen can properly employ to render

men virtuous on earth and happy to all eternity

&very other means is repugnant to the freedom

of reason ! to the nature of the soul ! to the unalter-

able rights of conscience ! to the essence of religion !

to that of the clerical ministry ! and to the just rights

of the sovereign

%irtue infers liberty' as the transport of a burden

implies active force )ith constraint there is no

ictionary @@E

virtue' and 5ithout virtue no religion :a$e me a

slave and I shall be the 5orse for it

&ven the sovereign has no right to employ force

to lead men to religion' 5hich essentially presumes

choice and liberty :y opinions are no more de-

pendent on authority than my sic$ness or my health

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In a 5ord' to unravel all the contradictions in

5hich boo$s on the canon la5 abound' and to adjust

our ideas in respect to the ecclesiastical ministry'

let us endeavor' in the midst of a thousand ambigui-

ties' to determine 5hat is the 0hurch

 (he 0hurch' then' is all believers' collectively'

5ho are called together on certain days to pray in

common' and at all times to perform good actions

riests are persons appointed' under the au-

thority of the #tate' to direct these prayers' and su-

perintend public 5orship generally

, numerous 0hurch cannot eist 5ithout ec-

clesiastics! but these ecclesiastics are not the

0hurch

It is not less evident that if the ecclesiastics' 5ho

compose a part of civil society' have acuired rights

5hich tend to trouble or destroy such society' such

rights ought to be suppressed

It is still more obvious that if 2od has attached

prerogatives or rights to the 0hurch' these preroga-

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tives and these rights belong eclusively neither to

the head of the 0hurch nor to the ecclesiastics ! be-

cause these are not the 0hurch itself' any more than

@ @ B hilosophical

the magistrates are the sovereign' either in a repub-

lic or a monarchy

Lastly ! it is very evident that it is our souls only

5hich are submitted to the care of the clergy' and

that for spiritual objects alone

 (he soul acts in5ardly! its in5ard acts are

thought' 5ill' inclination' and an acuiescence in

certain truths' all 5hich are above restraint! and it

is for the ecclesiastical ministry to instruct' but not

to command them

 (he soul acts also out5ardly Its eterior acts

are submission to the civil la5 ! and here constraint

may ta$e place' and temporal or corporeal penalties

may punish the violations of the la5

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Obedience to the ecclesiastical order ought' con-

seuently' to be al5ays free and voluntary ! it ought

to eact no other On the contrary' submission to

the civil la5 may be enforced

1or the same reason ecclesiastical penalties' al-

5ays being spiritual' attach in this 5orld to those

only 5ho are in5ardly convinced of their error

0ivil penalties' on the contrary' accompanied by

physical evil produce physical eNects' 5hether the of-

fender ac$no5ledge the justice of them or not

6ence it manifestly results that the authority of

the clergy can only be spiritual that it is unac-

uainted 5ith temporal po5er' and that any co-op-

erative force belongs not to the administration of

the 0hurch' 5hich is essentially destroyed by it

It moreover follo5s that a prince' intent not to

ictionary @@D

suNer any division of his authority' ought not to per-

mit any enterprise 5hich places the members of the

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community in an out5ard or civil dependence on the

ecclesiastical corporation

#uch a4re the incontestable principles of genuine

canonical right or la5' the rules and the decisions of

5hich ought at all times to be submitted to the test

of eternal and immutable truths' founded upon

natural rights and the necessary order of society

#&0(IO. II

Of the ossessions of &cclesiastics

Let us constantly ascend to the principles of so-

ciety' 5hich' in civil as in religious order' are the

foundations of all right

#ociety in general is the proprietor of the terri-

tory of a country' and the source of national riches

, portion of this national revenue is devoted to the

sovereign to support the epenses of government

&very individual is possessor of that part of the ter-

ritory' and of the revenue' 5hich the la5s insure

him! and no possession or enjoyment can at any

time be sustained' ecept under the protection of

la5

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In society 5e hold not any good' or any posses-

sion as a simple natural right' as 5e give up our

natural rights and submit to the order -of civil so-

ciety' in return for assurance and protection It is'

therefore' by the la5 that 5e hold our possessions

.o one can hold anything on earth through re-

nH hilosophical

ligion' neither lands nor chattels ! since all its 5ealth

is spiritual (he possessions of the faithful' as

veritable members of the 0hurch' are in heaven!

it is there 5here their treasures are laid up (he

$ingdom of 8esus 0hrist' 5hich 6e al5ays an-

nounced as at hand' 5as not' nor could it be' of this

5orld .o property' therefore' can be held by divine

right

 (he Levites under the 6ebre5 la5 had' it is true'

their tithe by a positive la5 of 2od! but that 5as

under a theocracy 5hich eists no longer 2od

6imself acting as the sovereign ,ll those la5s

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have ceased' and cannot at present communicate any

title to possession

If any body at present' li$e that of the priesthood'

pretend to possess tithes or any other 5ealth by pos-

itive right divine' it must produce an epress and

incontestable proof enregistered by divine revela-

tion (his miraculous title 5ould be' I confess' an

eception to the civil la5' authori;ed by 2od' 5ho

says 7 4,ll persons ought to submit to the po5ers

that be' because they are ordained of 2od and estab-

lished in 6is name4

In defect of such a title' no ecclesiastical body

5hatever can enjoy aught on earth but by consent

of the sovereignty and the authority of the civil

la5s (hese form their sole title to possession If

the clergy imprudently renounce this title' they 5ill

possess none at all' and might be despoiled by any

one 5ho is strong enough to attempt it Its essential

ictionary @@"

interest is' therefore' to support civil society' to

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5hich it o5es everything

1or the same reason' as all the 5ealth of a nation

is liable 5ithout eception to public ependiture for

the defence of the sovereign and the nation' no prop-

erty can be eempt from it but by force of la5'

5hich la5 is al5ays revocable as circumstances

vary eter cannot be eempt 5ithout augmenting

the ta of 8ohn &uity' therefore' is eternally

claiming for euality against surcharges ! and the

#tate has a right' at all times' to eamine into e-

emptions' in order to replace things in a just' nat-

ural' proportionate order' by abolishing previously

granted immunities' 5hether permitted or etorted

&very la5 5hich ordains that the sovereign' at

the epense of the public' shall ta$e care of the

5ealth or possessions of any individual or a body'

5ithout this body or individual contributing to the

common epenses' amounts to a subversion of la5

I moreover assert that the uota' 5hether the con-

tribution of a body or an individual' ought to be pro-

portionately regulated' not by him or them' but by

the sovereign or magistracy' according to the gen-

eral form and la5 (hus the sovereign or state may

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demand an account of the 5ealth and of the posses-

sions of everybody as of every individual

It is' therefore' once more on these immutable

principles that the rules of the canon la5 should be

founded 5hich relate to the possessions and revenue

of the clergy

@ CA hilosophical

&cclesiastics' 5ithout doubt' ought to be allo5ed

sucient to live honorably' but not as members of

or as representing the 0hurch' for the 0hurch itself

claims neither sovereignty nor possession in this

5orld

3ut if it be necessary for ministers to preside at

the altar' it is proper that society should support them

in the same manner as the magistracy and soldiers

It is' therefore' for the civil la5 to ma$e a suitable

provision for the priesthood

&ven 5hen the possessions of the ecclesiastics

have been besto5ed on them by 5ills' or in any

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other manner' the donors have not been able to de-

nationali;e the property by abstracting it from pub-

lic charges and the authority of the la5s It is al-

5ays under the guarantee of the la5s' 5ithout

5hich they 5ould not possess the insured and legit-

imate possessions 5hich they enjoy

It is' therefore' still left to the sovereign' or the

magistracy in his name' to eamine at all times if

the ecclesiastical revenues be sucient ! and if they

are not' to augment the allotted provision ! if' on the

contrary' they are ecessive' it is for them to dispose

of the superMuity for the general good of society

3ut according to the right' commonly called

canonical' 5hich has sought to form a #tate 5ithin

the #tate' 4imperium in imperio'4 ecclesiastical

property is sacred and intangible' because it belongs

to religion and the 0hurch ! they have come of 2od'

and not of man

ictionary @C@

In the Jrst place' it is impossible to appropriate

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this terrestrial 5ealth to religion' 5hich has nothing

temporal (hey cannot belong to the 0hurch' 5hich

is the universal body of the believers' including the

$ing' the magistracy' the soldiery' and all subjects !

for 5e are never to forget that priests no more form

the 0hurch than magistrates the #tate

Lastly' these goods come only from 2od in the

same sense as all goods come from 6im' because all

is submitted to 6is providence

 (herefore' every ecclesiastical possessor of riches'

or revenue' enjoys it only as a subject and citi;en of

the #tate' under the single protection of the civil la5

roperty' 5hich is temporal and material' cannot

be rendered sacred or holy in any sense' neither

literally nor Jguratively If it be said that a person

or ediJce is sacred' it only signiJes that it has been

consecrated or set apart for spiritual purposes

 (he abuse of a metaphor' to authori;e rights and

pretensions destructive to all society' is an enterprise

of 5hich history and religion furnish more than one

eample' and even some very singular ones' 5hich

are not at present to my purpose

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#&0(IO. III

Of &cclesiastical or eligious ,ssemblies

It is certain that nobody can call any public or

regular assembly in a state but under the sanction

of civil authority

eligious assemblies for public 5orship must be

@CC hilosophical

authori;ed by the sovereign' or civil magistracy' be-

fore they can be legal

In 6olland' 5here the civil po5er grants the

greatest liberty' and very nearly the same in ussia'

in &ngland' and in russia' those 5ho 5ish to form

a church have to obtain permission' after 5hich the

ne5 church is in the states' although not of the re-

ligion of the states In general' as soon as there is

a sucient number of persons' or of families' 5ho

5ish to cultivate a particular mode of 5orship' and

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to assemble for that purpose' they can 5ithout hesi-

tation apply to the magistrate' 5ho ma$es himself

a judge of it! and once allo5ed' it cannot be dis-

turbed 5ithout a breach of public order (he facil-

ity 5ith 5hich the government of 6olland has

granted this permission has never produced any

disorder! and it 5ould be the same every5here if

the magistrate alone eamined' judged' and pro-

tected the parties concerned

 (he sovereign' or civil po5er' possesses the right

at all times of $no5ing 5hat passes 5ithin these as-

semblies' of regulating them in conformity 5ith pub-

lic order' and of preventing such as produce dis-

order (his perpetual inspection is an essential por-

tion of sovereignty' 5hich every religion ought to

ac$no5ledge

&verything in the 5orship' in respect to form of

prayer' canticles' and ceremonies' ought to be open

to the inspection of the magistrate (he clergy may

compose these prayers ! but it is for the #tate to ap-

ictionary @ CF

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prove or reform them in case of necessity 3loody

5ars have been underta$en for mere forms' 5hich

5ould never have been 5aged had sovereigns under-

stood their rights

6olidays ought to be no more established 5ithout

the consent and approbation of the #tate' 5ho may

at all times abridge and regulate them (he multi-

plication of such days al5ays produces a laity of

manners and national impoverishment

, superintendence over oral instruction and

boo$s of devotion' belongs of right to the #tate It

is not the eecutive 5hich teaches' but 5hich attends

to the manner in 5hich the people are taught :or-

ality above all should be attended to' 5hich is al5ays

necessary! 5hereas disputes concerning doctrines

are often dangerous

If disputes eist bet5een ecclesiastics in reference

to the manner of teaching' or on points of doctrine'

the #tate may impose silence on both parties' and

punish the disobedient

,s religious congregations are not permitted by

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the #tate in order to treat of political matters' mag-

istrates ought to repress seditious preachers' 5ho

heat the multitude by punishable declamation 7 these

are pests in every #tate

&very mode of 5orship presumes a discipline to

maintain order' uniformity' and decency It is for

the magistrate to protect this discipline' and to bring

about such changes as times and circumstances may

render necessary

@ CG hilosophical

1or nearly eight centuries the emperors of the

&ast assembled councils in order to appease religious

disputes' 5hich 5ere only augmented by the too

great attention paid to them 0ontempt 5ould have

more certainly terminated the vain disputation'

5hich interest and the passions had ecited #ince

the division of the empire of the )est into various

$ingdoms' princes have left to the pope the convoca-

tion of these assemblies (he rights of the oman

pontiN are in this respect purely conventional' and

the sovereigns may agree in the course of time' that

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they shall no longer eist! nor is any one of them

obliged to submit to any canon 5ithout having e-

amined and approved it 6o5ever' as the 0ouncil

of (rent 5ill most li$ely be the last' it is useless

to agitate all the uestions 5hich might relate to a

future general council

,s to assemblies' synods' or national councils'

they indisputably cannot be convo$ed ecept 5hen

the sovereign or #tate deems them necessary (he

commissioners of the latter ought therefore to pre-

side' direct all their deliberations' and give their

sanction to the decrees

 (here may eist periodical assemblies of the

clergy' to maintain order' under the authority of the

#tate' but the civil po5er ought uniformly to direct

their vie5s and guide their deliberations (he pe-

riodical assembly of the clergy of 1rance is only an

assembly of regulative commissioners for all the

clergy of the $ingdom

ictionary @CE

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 (he vo5s by 5hich certain ecclesiastics oblige

themselves to live in a body according to certain

rules' under the name of mon$s' or of religieu' so

prodigiously multiplied in &urope' should al5ays

be submitted to the inspection and approval of the

magistrate (hese convents' 5hich shut up so many

persons 5ho are useless to society' and so many

victims 5ho regret the liberty 5hich they have lost !

these orders' 5hich bear so many strange denomi-

nations' ought not to be valid or obligatory' unless

5hen eamined and sanctioned by the sovereign or

the #tate

,t all times' therefore' the prince or #tate has a

right to ta$e cogni;ance of the rules and conduct

of these religious houses' and to reform or abolish

them if held to be incompatible 5ith present circum-

stances' and the positive 5elfare of society

 (he revenue and property of these religious

bodies are' in li$e manner' open to the inspection of

the magistracy' in order to judge of their amount

and of the manner in 5hich they are employed If

the mass of the riches' 5hich is thus prevented from

circulation' be too great ! if the revenues greatly e-

ceed the reasonable support of the regulars ! if the

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employment of these revenues be opposed to the gen-

eral good ! if this accumulation impoverish the rest

of the community! in all these cases it becomes

the magistracy' as the common fathers of the coun-

try' to diminish and divide these riches' in order to

ma$e them parta$e of the circulation' 5hich is the

@CB hilosophical

life of the body politic! or even to employ them

in any other 5ay for the beneJt of the public

,greeably to the same principles' the sovereign

authority ought to forbid any religious order from

having a superior 5ho is a native or resident of an-

other country It approaches to the crime of lese-

majeste

 (he sovereign may prescribe rules for admission

into these orders! he may' according to ancient

usage' J an age' and hinder ta$ing vo5s' ecept

by the epress consent of the magistracy in each in-

stance &very citi;en is born a subject of the #tate'

and has no right to brea$ his natural engagements

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5ith society 5ithout the consent of those 5ho pre-

side over it

If the sovereign abolishes a religious order' the

vo5s cease to be binding (he Jrst vo5 is that to

the #tate ! it is a primary and tacit oath authori;ed

by 2od! a vo5 according to the decrees of rovi-

dence ! a vo5 unalterable and imprescriptible' 5hich

unites man in society to his country and his sover-

eign If 5e ta$e a posterior vo5' the primitive one

still eists! and 5hen they clash' nothing can

5ea$en or suspend the force of the primary engage-

ment If' therefore' the sovereign declares this last

vo5' 5hich is only conditional and dependent on the

Jrst' incompatible 5ith it' he does not dissolve a vo5'

but decrees it to be necessarily void' and replaces the

individual in his natural state'

 (he foregoing is uite sucient to dissipate all

ictionary @CD

ihe sophistry by 5hich the canonists have sought to

embarrass a uestion so simple in the estimation of

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all 5ho are disposed to listen to reason

#&0(IO. I%

On &cclesiastical enalties

#ince neither the 0hurch' 5hich is the body of

believers collectively' nor the ecclesiastics' 5ho are

ministers in the 0hurch in the name of the sovereign

and under his authority' possess any coactive

strength' eecutive po5er' or terrestrial authority'

it is evident that these ministers can inMict only spir-

itual punishments (o threaten sinners 5ith the

anger of heaven is the sole penalty that a pastor is

entitled to inMict If the name of punishment or

penalty is not to be given to those censures or dec-

lamations' ministers of religion have none at all to

inMict

:ay the 0hurch eject from its bosom those 5ho

disgrace or 5ho trouble it? (his is a grand ues-

tion' upon 5hich the canonists have not hesitated to

adopt the armative Let us repeat' in the Jrst

place' that ecclesiastics are not the 0hurch (he

assembled 0hurch' 5hich includes the #tate or sov-

ereign' doubtless possesses the right to eclude from

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the congregations a scandalous sinner' after repeated

charitable and sucient 5arnings (he eclusion'

even in this case' cannot inMict any civil penalty' any

bodily evil' or any merely earthly privation! but

5hatever right the 0hurch may in this 5ay possess'

@CH hilosophical

the ecclesiastics belonging to it can only eercise it

as far as the sovereign and #tate allo5

It is therefore still more incumbent on the sover-

eign' in this case' to 5atch over the manner in 5hich

this permitted right is eercised' vigilance being the

more necessary in conseuence of the abuse to 5hich

it is liable It is' conseuently' necessary for the

supreme civil po5er to consult the rules for the regu-

lation of assistance and charity' to prescribe suitable

restrictions' 5ithout 5hich every declaration of the

clergy' and all ecommunication' 5ill be null and

5ithout eNect' even 5hen only applicable to the spir-

itual order It is to confound diNerent eras and cir-

cumstances' to regulate the proceedings of present

times from the practice of the apostles (he sover-

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eign in those days 5as not of the religion of the

apostles' nor 5as the 0hurch included in the #tate'

so that the ministers of 5orship could not have re-

course to the magistrates :oreover' the apostles

5ere ministers etraordinary' of 5hich 5e no5 per-

ceive no resemblance If other eamples of ecom-

munication' 5ithout the authority of the sovereign'

be uoted' I can only say that I cannot hear' 5ithout

horror' of eamples of ecommunication insolently

fulminated against sovereigns and magistrates! I

boldly reply' that these denunciations amount to

manifest rebellion' and to an open violation of the

most sacred duties of religion' charity' and natural

right

Let us add' in order to aNord a complete idea of

ictionary @C"

ecommunication' and of the true rules of canonical

right or la5 in this respect' that ecommunication'

legitimately pronounced by those to 5hom the sov-

ereign' in the name of the 0hurch' epressly leaves

the po5er' includes privation only of spiritual ad-

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vantages on earth' and can etend to nothing else 7

all beyond this 5ill be abuse' and more or less tyran-

nical (he ministers of the 0hurch can do no more

than declare that such and such a man is no more a

member of the 0hurch 6e may still' ho5ever' enjoy

not5ithstanding the ecommunication' all his nat-

ural' civil' and temporal rights as a man and a citi-

;en If the magistrate steps in and deprives such a

man' in conseuence' of an oce or employment in

society' it then becomes a civil penalty for some

fault against civil order

Let us suppose that 5hich may very li$ely happen'

as ecclesiastics are only men' that the ecommunica-

tion 5hich they have been led to pronounce has been

prompted by some error or some passion ! he 5ho

is eposed to a censure so precipitate is clearly justi-

Jed in his conscience before 2od! the declaration

issued against him can produce no eNect upon the

life to come eprived of eterior communion 5ith

the true 0hurch' he may still enjoy the consolation

of the interior communion 8ustiJed by his con-

science' he has nothing to fear in a future eistence

from the judgment of 2od' his only true judge

It is then a great uestion' as to canonical rights'

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5hether the clergy' their head' or any ecclesiastical

%ol @F "

@FA hilosophical

body 5hatever' can ecommunicate the sovereign or

the magistracy' under any pretet' or for any abuse

of their po5er ? (his uestion is essentially scandal-

ous' and the simple doubt a direct rebellion In

fact' the Jrst duty of man in society is to respect the

magistrate' and to advance his respectability' and

you pretend to have a right to censure and set him

aside )ho has given you this absurd and per-

nicious right? Is it 2od' 5ho governs the political

5orld by delegated sovereignty' and 5ho ordains

that society shall subsist by subordination ?

 (he Jrst ecclesiastics at the rise of 0hristianity

did they conceive themselves authori;ed to ecom-

municate (iberius' .ero' 0laudius' or even 0onstan-

tine' 5ho 5as a heretic? 6o5 then have preten-

sions thus monstrous' ideas thus atrocious' 5ic$ed

attempts eually condemned by reason and by nat-

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ural and religious rights' been suNered to last so

long? If a religion eists 5hich teaches li$e hor-

rors' society ought to proscribe it' as directly sub-

versive of the repose of man$ind (he cry of 5hole

nations is already lifted up against these pretended

canonical la5s' dictated by ambition and by fanati-

cism It is to be hoped that sovereigns' better in-

structed in their rights' and supported by the Jdel-

ity of their people' 5ill terminate abuses so enor-

mous' and 5hich have caused so many misfortunes

 (he author of the 4&ssay on the :anners and

#pirit of .ations4 has been the Jrst to forcibly e-

pose the atrocity of enterprises of this nature

ictionary @F@

#&0(IO. %

Of the #uperintendence of octrine

 (he sovereign is not the judge of the truth of

doctrine ! he may judge for himself' li$e all other

men! but he ought to ta$e cogni;ance of it in re-

spect to everything 5hich relates to civil order'

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5hether in regard to purport or delivery

 (his is the general rule from 5hich magistrates

ought never to depart .othing in a doctrine merits

the attention of the police' ecept as it interests pub-

lic order7 it is the inMuence of doctrine upon man-

ners that decides its importance octrines 5hich

have a distant connection only 5ith good conduct

can never be fundamental (ruths 5hich conduce

to render man$ind gentle' humane' obedient to the

la5s and to the government' interest the #tate' and

proceed evidently from 2od

#&0(IO. %I

#uperintendence of the :agistracy Over the ,d-

ministration of the #acraments

 (he administration of the sacraments ought to be

submitted to the careful inspection of the magis-

trates in everything 5hich concerns public order

It has already been observed that the magistrate

ought to 5atch over the form of the public registry

of marriages' baptisms' and deaths' 5ithout any re-

gard to the creed of the diNerent inhabitants of the

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#tate

@FC hilosophical

#imilar reasons in relation to police and good

government do they not reuire an eact registry

in the hands of the magistracy of all those 5ho ma$e

vo5s' and enter convents in those countries in 5hich

convents are permitted?

In the sacrament of repentance' the minister 5ho

refuses or grants absolution is accountable for his

 judgment only to 2od ! and in the same manner' the

penitent is accountable to 2od alone' 5hether he

consummates it all' or does so 5ell or ill

.o pastor' himself a sinner' ought to have the

right of publicly refusing' on his o5n private author-

ity' the eucharist to another sinner (he sinless

 8esus 0hrist refused not the communion to 8udas

&treme unction and the viaticum' if demanded

or reuested by the sic$' should be governed by the

same rule (he simple right of the minister is to

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ehort the sic$ person' and it is the duty of the

magistrate to ta$e care that the pastor abuse not cir-

cumstances' in order to persecute the invalid

1ormerly' it 5as the 0hurch collectively 5hich

called the pastors' and conferred upon them the right

of governing and instructing the Moc$ ,t present'

ecclesiastics alone consecrate others' and the magis-

tracy ought to be 5atchful of this privilege

It is doubtless a great' though ancient abuse' that

of conferring orders 5ithout functions ! it is de-

priving the #tate of members' 5ithout adding to the

0hurch (he magistrate is called upon to reform

this abuse

ictionary @FF

:arriage' in a civil sense' is the legitimate union'

of a man 5ith a 5oman for the procreation of chil-

dren' to secure their due nurture and education' and

in order to assure unto them their rights and prop-

erties under the protection of the la5s In order to

conJrm and establish this union' it is accompanied

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by a religious ceremony' regarded by some as a

sacrament' and by others as a portion of public 5or-

ship! a genuine logomachy' 5hich changes nothing

in the thing (5o points are therefore to be distin-

guished in marriage the civil contract' or natural

engagement' and the sacrament' or sacred cere-

mony :arriage may therefore eist' 5ith all its

natural and civil eNects' independently of the relig-

ious ceremony (he ceremonies of the 0hurch are

only essential to civil order' because the #tate has

adopted them , long time elapsed before the min-

isters of religion had anything to do 5ith marriage

In the time of 8ustinian' the agreement of the parties'

in the presence of 5itnesses' 5ithout any ceremonies

of the 0hurch' legali;ed marriages among 0hris-

tians It 5as that emperor 5ho' to5ards the middle

of the sith century' made the Jrst la5s by 5hich

the presence of priests 5as reuired' as simple 5it-

nesses' 5ithout' ho5ever' prescribing any nuptial

benediction (he emperor Leo' 5ho died in HHB'

seems to have been the Jrst 5ho placed the religious

ceremony in the number of necessary conditions

 (he terms of the la5 itself indeed' 5hich ordains it'

prove it to have been a novelty

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@FG hilosophical

1rom the correct idea 5hich 5e no5 form of

marriage' it results in the Jrst place' that good order'

and even piety' render religious forms adopted in all

0hristian countries necessary 3ut the essence of

marriage cannot be denationali;ed' and this engage-

ment' 5hich is the principal one in society' ought

uniformly' as a branch of civil and political order'

to be placed under the authority of the magistracy

It follo5s' therefore' that a married couple' even

educated in the 5orship of inJdels and heretics' are

not obliged to marry again' if they have been united

agreeably to the established forms of their o5n

country ! and it is for the magistrate in all such in-

stances to investigate the state of the case

 (he priest is at present the magistrate freely nom-

inated by the la5' in certain countries' to receive the

pledged faith of persons 5ishing to marry It is

very evident' that the la5 can modify or change as

it pleases the etent of this ecclesiastical authority

)ills and funerals are incontestably under the

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authority of the civil magistracy and the police

 (he clergy have never been allo5ed to usurp the

authority of the la5 in respect to these In the age

of Louis I% ho5ever' and even in that of Louis

%' stri$ing eamples have been 5itnessed of the

endeavors of certain fanatical ecclesiastics to inter-

fere in the regulation of funerals 9nder the pre-

tet of heresy' they refused the sacraments' and in-

terment ! a barbarity 5hich agans 5ould have held

in horror

ictionary @FE

#&0(IO. %II

&cclesiastical 8urisdiction

 (he sovereign or #tate may' 5ithout doubt' give

up to an ecclesiastical body' or a single priest' a

 jurisdiction over certain objects and certain persons'

5ith a po5er suitable to the authority conJded I

eamine not into the prudence of remitting a cer-

tain portion of civil authority into the hands of any

body or person 5ho already enjoys an authority in

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things spiritual (o deliver to those 5ho ought to

be solely employed in conducting men to heaven'

an authority upon earth' is to produce a union of

t5o po5ers' the abuse of 5hich is only too easy!

but at least it is evident that any man' as 5ell as an

ecclesiastic' may be Kintrusted 5ith the same juris-

diction 3y 5homsoever possessed' it has either

been conceded by the sovereign po5er' or usurped !

there is no medium (he $ingdom of 8esus 0hrist

is not of this 5orld ! he refused to be a judge upon

earth' and ordered that men should give unto 0aesar

the things 5hich belonged unto 0aesar7 he forbade

all dominations to his apostles' and preached only

humility' gentleness' and dependence 1rom him

ecclesiastics can derive neither po5er' authority'

domination' nor jurisdiction in this 5orld (hey*

can therefore possess no legitimate authority' but

by a concession from the sovereign or #tate' from

5hich all authority in a society can properly emanate

 (here 5as a time in the unhappy epoch of the

feudal ages in 5hich ecclesiastics 5ere possessed in

ij B hilosophical

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various countries 5ith the principal functions of the

magistracy7 the authority of the lords of the lay

Jefs' so formidable to the sovereign and oppressive

to the people' has been since bounded ! but a portion

of the independence of the ecclesiastical jurisdictions

still eists )hen 5ill sovereigns be suciently in-

formed and courageous to ta$e bac$ from them the

usurped authority and numerous privileges 5hich

they have so often abused' to annoy the Moc$ 5hich

they ought to protect?

It is by this inadvertence of princes that the au-

dacious enterprises of ecclesiastics against sover-

eigns themselves have originated (he scandalous

history of these attempts has been consigned to rec-

ords 5hich cannot be contested (he bull 4In ccena

omini'4 in particular' still remains to prove the

continual enterprises of the clergy against royal and

civil authority

&tract from the (ariN of the ights &acted in

1rance by the 0ourt of ome for 3ulls' ispen-

sations' ,bsolutions' etc' 5hich (ariN 5as e-

creed in the +ingKs 0ouncil' #ept G' @B"@' and

)hich is eported &ntire in the 3rief of 8ames

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Lepelletier' rinted at Lyons in @B""' 5ith the

,pprobation and ermission of the +ing Lyons7

rinted for ,nthony 3oudet' &ighth &dition

@ 1or absolution for the crime of apostasy' pay-

able to the pope' t5enty-four livres

C , bastard 5ishing to ta$e orders must pay

ictionary @FD

t5enty-Jve livres for a dispensation ! if desirous to

possess a beneJce' he must pay in addition one hun-

dred and eighty livres! if anious that his dispen-

sation should not allude to his illegitimacy' he 5ill

have to pay a thousand and Jfty livres

F 1or dispensation and absolution of bigamy'

one thousand and Jfty livres

G 1or a dispensation for the error of a false

 judgment in the administration of justice or the e-

ercise of medicine' ninety livres

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E ,bsolution for heresy' t5enty-four livres

B 3rief of forty hours' for seven years' t5elve

livres

D ,bsolution for having committed homicide in

self-defence' or undesignedly' ninety-Jve livres ,ll

in company of the murderer also need absolution'

and are to pay for the same eighty-Jve livres each

H Indulgences for seven years' t5elve livres

" erpetual indulgences for a brotherhood'

forty livres

@A ispensation for irregularity and incapacity'

t5enty-Jve livres! if the irregularity is great' Jfty

livres

@@ 1or permission to read forbidden boo$s'

t5enty-Jve livres

@C ispensation for simony' forty livres! 5ith

an augmentation according to circumstances

@F 3rief to permit the eating of forbidden

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meats' sity-Jve livres

@G ispensation for simple vo5s of chastity or

ij H hilosophical

of religion' Jfteen livres 3rief declaratory of the

nullity of the profession of a mon$ or a nun' one

hundred livres If this brief be reuested ten years

after profession' double the amount

ispensations in elation to :arriage

ispensations for the fourth degree of relation-

ship' 5ith cause' sity-Jve livres! 5ithout cause'

ninety livres ! 5ith dispensation for familiarities that

have passed bet5een the future married persons' one

hundred and eighty livres

1or relations of the third or fourth degree' both

on the side of the father and mother' 5ithout cause'

eight hundred and eighty livres! 5ith cause' one

hundred and forty-Jve livres

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1or relations of the second degree on one side'

and the fourth on the other ! nobles to pay one thou-

sand four hundred and thirty livres ! roturiers' one

thousand one hundred and Jfty livres

6e 5ho 5ould marry the sister of the girl to

5hom he has been aanced' to pay for a dispensa-

tion' one thousand four hundred and thirty livres

 (hose 5ho are relations in the third degree' if

they are nobles' or live creditably' are to pay one

thousand four hundred and thirty livres ! if the re-

lationship is on the side of father as 5ell as mother'

t5o thousand four hundred and thirty livres

elations in the second degree to pay four thou-

sand Jve hundred and thirty livres ! and if the fe-

male has accorded favors to the male' in addition for

absolution' t5o thousand and thirty livres

ictionary @F"

1or those 5ho have stood sponsors at the baptism

of the children of each other' the dispensation 5ill

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cost t5o thousand seven hundred and thirty livres

If they 5ould be absolved from premature familiar-

ity' one thousand three hundred and thirty livres in

addition

6e 5ho has enjoyed the favors of a 5ido5 dur-

ing the life of her deceased husband' in order to

Wegitimately espouse her' 5ill have to pay one hun-

dred and ninety livres

In #pain and ortugal' the marriage dispensa-

tions are still dearer 0ousins-german cannot ob-

tain them for less than t5o thousand cro5ns

 (he poor not being able to pay these taes' abate-

ments may be made It is better to obtain half a

right' than lose all by refusing the dispensation

.o reference is had here to the sums paid to the

pope for the bulls of bishops' abbots' etc' 5hich are

to be found in the almanacs ! but 5e cannot perceive

by 5hat authority the pope of ome levies taes

upon laymen 5ho choose to marry their cousins

I%&#

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 (6& progress of rivers to the ocean is not so

rapid as that of man to error It is not long since it

5as discovered that all rivers originate in those eter-

nal masses of sno5 5hich cover the summits of lofty

mountains' those sno5s in rain' that rain in the

vapor ehaled from the land and sea ! and that thus

everything is a lin$ in the great chain of nature

@GA hilosophical

)hen a boy' I heard theses delivered 5hich

proved that all rivers and fountains came from the

sea (his 5as the opinion of all antiuity (hese

rivers Mo5ed into immense caverns' and thence dis-

tributed their 5aters to all parts of the 5orld

)hen ,risteus goes to lament the loss of his bees

to 0yrene his mother' goddess of the little river

&nipus in (hessaly' the river immediately divides

itself' forming as it 5ere t5o mountains of 5ater'

right and left' to receive him according to ancient

and immemorial usage ! after 5hich he has a vie5

of those vast and beautiful grottoes through 5hich

Mo5 all the rivers of the earth ! the o' 5hich de-

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scends from :ount %iso in iedmont' and traverses

Italy! the (everone' 5hich comes from the ,pen-

nines! the hasis' 5hich issues from :ount 0au-

casus' and falls into the 3lac$ #ea ! and numberless

others

%irgil' in this instance' adopted a strange system

of natural philosophy' in 5hich certainly none but

poets can be indulged

#uch' ho5ever' 5as the credit and prevalence of

this system that' Jfteen hundred years after5ards'

 (asso completely imitated %irgil in his fourteenth

canto' 5hile imitating at the same time 5ith far

greater felicity ,riosto ,n old 0hristian magician

conducts underground the t5o $nights 5ho are to

bring bac$ inaldo from the arms of ,rmida' as

:elissa had rescued ogero from the caresses of

,lcina (his venerable sage ma$es inaldo descend

ictionary @G@

into his grotto' from 5hich issue all the rivers 5hich

refresh and fertili;e our earth It is a pity that the

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rivers of ,merica arc not among the number 3ut

as the .ile' the anube' the #eine' the 8ordan' and

the %olga have their source in this cavern' that

ought to be deemed sucient )hat is still more in

conformity to the physics of antiuity is the cir-

cumstance of this grotto or cavern being in the very

centre of the earth Of course' it is here that :au-

pertuis 5anted to ta$e a tour

,fter admitting that rivers spring from moun-

tains' and that both of them are essential parts of

this great machine' let us be5are ho5 5e give in

to varying and vanishing systems

)hen :aillet imagined that the sea had formed

the mountains' he should have dedicated his boo$ to

0yrano de 3ergerac )hen it has been said' also'

that the great chains of mountains etend from east

to 5est' and that the greatest number of rivers also

Mo5 al5ays to the 5est' the spirit of system has been

more consulted than the truth of nature

)ith respect to mountains' disembar$ at the 0ape

of 2ood 6ope' you 5ill perceive a chain of moun-

tains from the south as far north as :onomotapa

Only a fe5 persons have visited that uarter of the

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5orld' and travelled under the line in ,frica 3ut

0alpe and ,bila are completely in the direction of

north and south 1rom 2ibraltar to the river 2ua-

diana' in a course directly north5ard' there is a con-

tinuous range of mountains .e5 and Old 0astile

@GC hilosophical

are covered 5ith them' and the direction of them all

is from south to north' li$e that of all the mountains

in ,merica )ith respect to the rivers' they Mo5

precisely according to the disposition or direction of

the land

 (he 2uadaluivir runs straight to the south

from %illanueva to #an Lucar! the 2uadiana the

same' as far as 3adajos ,ll the rivers in the 2ulf

of %enice' ecept the o' fall into the sea to5ards

the south #uch is the course of the hone from

Lyons to its mouth (hat of the #eine is from the

north-north5est (he hine' from 3asle' goes

straight to the north (he :euse does the same'

from its source to the territory overMo5ed by its

5aters (he #cheldt also does the same

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)hy' then' should men be so assiduous in deceiv-

ing themselves' just for the pleasure of forming sys-

tems' and leading astray persons of 5ea$ and ig-

norant minds? )hat good can possibly arise from

inducing a number of people 5ho must inevitably

be soon undeceived to believe that all rivers and all

mountains are in a direction from east to 5est' or

from 5est to east! that all mountains are covered

5ith oyster-shells 5hich is most certainly false

that anchors have been found on the summit of the

mountains of #5it;erland! that these mountains

have been formed by the currents of the ocean ! and

that limestone is composed entirely of seashells?

)hat T shall 5e' at the present day' treat philosophy

as the ancients formerly treated history?

ictionary @GF

 (o return to streams and rivers (he most im-

portant and valuable things that can be done in rela-

tion to them is preventing their inundations' and

ma$ing ne5 rivers that is' canals out of those al-

ready eisting' 5herever the underta$ing is prac-

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ticable and beneJcial (his is one of the most use-

ful services that can be conferred upon a nation

 (he canals of &gypt 5ere as serviceable as its pyra-

mids 5ere useless

)ith regard to the uantity of 5ater conveyed

along the beds of rivers' and everything relating to

calculation on the subject' read the article on

4iver'4 by : dK,lembert It is' li$e everything

else done by him' clear' eact' and true ! and 5ritten

in a style adapted to the subject ! he does not employ

the style of (elemachus to discuss subjects of nat-

ural philosophy

O,#

I( ),# not until lately that the modern nations of

&urope began to render roads practicable and con-

venient' and to besto5 on them some beauty (o

superintend and $eep in order the road is one of the

most important cares of both the :ogul and 0hinese

emperors 3ut these princes never attained such

eminence in this department as the omans (he

,ppian' the ,urelian' the 1laminian' the y&milian'

and the (rajan 5ays eist even at the present day

 (he omans alone 5ere capable of constructing such

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@GG hilosophical

roads' and they alone 5ere capable of repairing

them

3ergier' 5ho has 5ritten an other5ise valuable

boo$' insists much on #olomonKs employing thirty

thousand 8e5s in cutting 5ood on :ount Lebanon'

eighty thousand in building the temple' seventy

thousand on carriages' and three thousand si hun-

dred in superintending the labors of others )e

5ill for a moment admit it all to be true ! yet still

there is nothing said about his ma$ing or repairing

high5ays

liny informs us that three hundred thousand

men 5ere employed for t5enty years in building

one of the pyramids of &gypt ! I am not disposed to

doubt it! but surely three hundred thousand men

might have been much better employed (hose 5ho

5or$ed on the canals in &gypt ! or on the great 5all'

the canals' or high5ays of 0hina! or those 5ho

constructed the celebrated 5ays of the oman &m-

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pire 5ere much more usefully occupied than the

three hundred thousand miserable slaves in building

a pyramidal sepulchre for the corpse of a bigoted

&gyptian

)e are 5ell acuainted 5ith the prodigious 5or$s

accomplished by the omans' their immense eca-

vations for la$es of 5ater' or the beds of la$es

formed by nature' Jlled up' hills levelled' and a pas-

sage bored through a mountain by %espasian' in the

1laminian 5ay' for more than a thousand feet in

ictionary @GE

length' the inscription on 5hich remains at present

ausilippo is not to be compared 5ith it

 (he foundations of the greater part of our pres-

ent houses are far from being so solid as 5ere the

high5ays in the neighborhood of ome! and these

public 5ays 5ere etended throughout the empire'

although not upon the same scale of duration and

solidity (o eNect that 5ould have reuired more

men and money than could possibly have been ob-

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tained

,lmost all the high5ays of Italy 5ere erected on

a foundation four feet deep! 5hen a space of

marshy ground or bog 5as on the trac$ of the road'

it 5as Jlled up ! and 5hen any part of it 5as moun-

tainous' its precipitousness 5as reduced to a gentle

and triMing inclination from the general line of the

road In many parts' the roads 5ere supported by

solid 5alls

9pon the four feet of masonry' 5ere placed large

he5n stones of marble' nearly one foot in thic$ness'

and freuently ten feet 5ide! they 5ere indented

by the chisel to prevent the slipping of the horses

It 5as dicult to say 5hich most attracted admira-

tion the utility or the magniJcence of these aston-

ishing 5or$s

.early all of these 5onderful constructions 5ere

raised at the public epense 0aesar repaired and

etended the ,ppian 5ay out of his o5n private

funds! those funds' ho5ever' consisted of the

money of the republic

%ol @ @A

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@GB hilosophical

)ho 5ere the persons employed upon these

5or$s? #laves' captives ta$en in 5ar' and provin-

cials that 5ere not admitted to the distinction of o-

man citi;ens (hey 5or$ed by 4corvee4 as they do

in 1rance and else5here ! but some triMing remun-

eration 5as allo5ed them

,ugustus 5as the Jrst 5ho joined the legions

5ith the people in labors upon the high5ays of the

2auls' and in #pain and ,sia 6e penetrated the

,lps by the valley 5hich bore his name' and 5hich

the iedmontese and the 1rench corruptly called the

4%alley of ,oste4 It 5as previously necessary to

bring under subjection all the savage hordes by

5hich these cantons 5ere inhabited (here is still

visible' bet5een 2reat and Little #t 3ernard'

the triumphal arch erected by the senate in honor of

him after this epedition 6e again penetrated the

,lps on another side leading to Lyons' and thence

into the 5hole of 2aul (he conuered never ef-

fected for themselves so much as 5as eNected for

them by their conuerors

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 (he do5nfall of the oman &mpire 5as that of

all the public 5or$s' as also of all orderly police' art'

and industry (he great roads disappeared in the

2auls' ecept some cause5ays' 4chaussees'4 5hich

the unfortunate >ueen 3runehilde $ept for a little

time in repair , man could scarcely move on

horsebac$ 5ith safety on the ancient celebrated

5ays' 5hich 5ere no5 becoming dreadfully bro$en

up' and impeded by masses of stone and mud It

ictionary @GD

5as found necessary to pass over the cultivated

Jelds ! the ploughs scarcely eNected in a month 5hat

they no5 easily accomplish in a 5ee$ (he little

commerce that remained 5as limited to a fe5

5oollen and linen cloths' and some 5retchedly

5rought hard5ares' 5hich 5ere carried on the bac$s

of mules to the fortiJcations or prisons called 4cha-

teau4 situated in the midst of marshes' or on the

tops of mountains covered 5ith sno5

)hatever travelling 5as accomplished and it

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could be but little during the severe seasons of the

year' so long and so tedious in northern climates'

could be eNected only by 5ading through mud or

climbing over roc$s #uch 5as the state of the

5hole of 1rance and 2ermany do5n to the middle

of the seventeenth century &very individual 5ore

boots ! and in many of the cities of 2ermany the in-

habitants 5ent into the streets on stilts

,t length' under Louis I%' 5ere begun those

great roads 5hich other nations have imitated

 (heir 5idth 5as limited to sity feet in the year

@DCA (hey are bordered by trees in many places

to the etent of thirty leagues from the capital'

5hich has a most interesting and delightful eNect

 (he oman military 5ays 5ere only siteen feet

5ide' but 5ere inJnitely more solid It 5as neces-

sary to repair them every year' as is the practice

5ith us (hey 5ere embellished by monuments' by

military columns G and even by magniJcent tombs!

for it 5as not permitted' either in 2reece or Italy'

@GH hilosophical

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to bury the dead 5ithin the 5alls of cities' and still

less 5ithin those of temples! to do so 5ould have

been no less an oNence than sacrilege It 5as not

then as it is at present in our churches' in 5hich'

for a sum of money' ostentatious and barbarous

vanity is allo5ed to deposit the dead bodies of

5ealthy citi;ens' infecting the very place 5here men

assemble to adore their 2od in purity' and 5here

incense seems to be burned solely to counteract the

stench of carcasses ! 5hile the poorer classes are de-

posited in the adjoining cemetery! and both unite

their fatal inMuence to spread contagion among sur-

vivors

 (he emperors 5ere almost the only persons

5hose ashes 5ere permitted to repose in the monu-

ments erected at ome

6igh5ays' sity feet in 5idth' occupy too much

land! it is about forty feet more than necessary

1rance measures t5o hundred leagues' or there-

abouts' from the mouth of the hone to the etrem-

ity of 3rittany' and about the same from erpig-

nan to un$ir$ ! rec$oning the league at t5o thou-

sand Jve hundred toises (his calculation reuires'

merely for t5o great roads' a hundred and t5enty

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millions of suare feet of land' all 5hich must of

course be lost to agriculture (his loss is very

considerable in a country 5here the harvests are by

no means al5ays abundant

,n attempt 5as made to pave the high road

from Orleans' 5hich 5as not of the 5idth above

ictionary @G"

mentioned! but it 5as seen' in no long time' that

nothing could be 5orse contrived for a road con-

stantly covered 5ith heavy carriages Of these he5n

paving stones laid on the ground' some 5ill be con-

stantly sin$ing' and others rising above the correct

level' and the road becomes rugged' bro$en' and im-

practicable! it 5as therefore found necessary that

the plan should be abandoned

oads covered 5ith gravel and sand reuire a re-

ne5al of labor every year ! this labor interferes 5ith

the cultivation of land' and is ruinous to agriculture

: (urgot' son of the mayor of aris 5hose

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name is never mentioned in that city but 5ith bless-

ings' and 5ho 5as one of the most enlightened' pa-

triotic' and ;ealous of magistrates and the humane

and beneJcent : de 1ontette have done all in their

po5er' in the provinces of Limousin and .ormandy'

to correct this most serious inconvenience

It has been contended that 5e should follo5 the

eample of ,ugustus and (rajan' and employ our

troops in the construction of high5ays 3ut in that

case the soldier must necessarily have an increase

of pay! and a $ingdom' 5hich 5as nothing but a

province of the oman &mpire' and 5hich is often

involved in debt' can rarely engage in such under-

ta$ings as the oman &mpire accomplished 5ithout

diculty

It is a very commendable practice in the Lo5

0ountries' to reuire the payment of a moderate toll

from all carriages' in order to $eep the public roads

@ EA hilosophical

in proper repair (he burden is a very light one

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 (he peasant is relieved from the old system of ve-

ation and oppression' and the roads are in such Jne

preservation as to form even an agreeable continued

promenade

0anals are much more useful still (he 0hinese

surpass all other people in these 5or$s' 5hich re-

uire continual attention and repair Louis I%'

0olbert' and iuet' have immortali;ed themselves

by the canal 5hich joins the t5o seas (hey have

never been as yet imitated It is no dicult matter

to travel through a great part of 1rance by canals

.othing could be more easy in 2ermany than to

 join the hine to the anube! but men appear to

prefer ruining one anotherKs fortunes' and cutting

each otherKs throats about a fe5 paltry villages' to

etending the grand means of human happiness

O

 (6& (heurgists and ancient sages had al5ays a

rod 5ith 5hich they operated

:ercury passes for the Jrst 5hose rod 5or$ed

miracles It is asserted that =oroaster also bore a

great rod (he rod of the ancient 3acchus 5as his

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 (hyrsus' 5ith 5hich he separated the 5aters of the

Orontes' the 6ydaspus' and the ed #ea (he rod

of 6ercules 5as his club ythagoras 5as al5ays

represented 5ith his rod It is said it 5as of gold !

ictionary @E@

and it is not surprising that' having a thigh of gold'

he should possess a rod of the same metal

,baris' priest of the hyperborean ,pollo' 5ho it

is pretended 5as contemporary 5ith ythagoras'

5as still more famous for his rod It 5as indeed

only of 5ood' but he traversed the air astride of it

orphyry and lamblichus pretend that these t5o

grand (heurgists' ,baris and ythagoras' amicably

ehibited their rods to each other

 (he rod' 5ith sages' 5as at all times a sign of

their superiority (he sorcerers of the privy coun-

cil of haraoh at Jrst eNected as many feats 5ith

their rods as :oses 5ith his o5n (he judicious

0almet informs us' in his 4issertation on the 3oo$

of &odus'4 that 4 these operations of the :agi 5ere

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not miracles' properly spea$ing' but metamorphoses'

vi; 7 singular and dicult indeed' but nevertheless

neither contrary to nor above the la5s of nature4

 (he rod of :oses had the superiority' 5hich it ought

to have' over those of the 0hotins of &gypt

.ot only did the rod of ,aron share in the honor

of the prodigies of that of his brother :oses' but he

performed some admirable things 5ith his o5n .o

one can be ignorant that' out of thirteen rods'

,aronKs alone blossomed' and bore buds and Mo5ers

of almonds

 (he devil' 5ho' as is 5ell $no5n' is a 5ic$ed aper

of the deeds of saints' 5ould also have his rod or

5and' 5ith 5hich he gratiJed the sorcerers :edea

@EC hilosophical

and 0irce 5ere al5ays armed 5ith this mysterious

instrument 6ence' a magician never appears at the

opera 5ithout his rod' and on 5hich account they

call their parts' 4roles de baguette4 .o performer

5ith cups and balls can manage his hey presto T 5ith-

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out his rod or 5and

#prings of 5ater and hidden treasures are dis-

covered by means of a rod made of a ha;el t5ig'

5hich fails not to press the hand of a fool 5ho holds

it too fast' but 5hich turns about easily in that of a

$nave : 1ormey' secretary of the academy of

3erlin' eplains this phenomenon by that of the load-

stone ,ll the conjurers of past times' it 5as

thought' repaired to a sabbath or assembly on a

magic rod or on a broom-stic$! and judges' 5ho

5ere no conjurers' burned them

3irchen rods are formed of a handful of t5igs of

that tree 5ith 5hich malefactors are scourged on the

bac$ It is indecent and shameful to scourge in

this manner the posteriors of young boys and girls !

a punishment 5hich 5as formerly that of slaves

I have seen' in some colleges' barbarians 5ho have

stripped children almost na$ed! a $ind of eecu-

tioner' often intoicated' lacerate them 5ith long

rods' 5hich freuently covered them 5ith blood'

and produced etreme inMammation Others struc$

them more gently' 5hich from natural causes has

been $no5n to produce conseuences' especially in

females' scarcely less disgusting

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3y an incomprehensible species of police' the

ictionary @ EF

 8esuits of araguay 5hipped the fathers and

mothers of families on their posteriors 6ad there

been no other motive for driving out the 8esuits' that

5ould have suced

O:& U0O9( O1V

3&1O& the time of 0onstantine' the bishop of

ome 5as considered by the oman magistrates'

5ho 5ere unacuainted 5ith our holy religion' only

as the chief of a sect' freuently tolerated by the

government' but freuently eperiencing from it

capital punishment (he names of the Jrst disci-

ples' 5ho 5ere by birth 8e5s' and of their succes-

sors' 5ho governed the little Moc$ concealed in the

immense city of ome' 5ere absolutely un$no5n by

all the Latin 5riters )e 5ell $no5 that everything

5as changed' and in 5hat manner everything 5as

changed under 0onstantine

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 (he bishop of ome' protected and enriched as

he 5as' 5as al5ays in subjection to the emperors'

li$e the bishop of 0onstantinople' and of .icomedia'

and every other' not ma$ing even the slightest pre-

tension to the shado5 of sovereign authority 1a-

tality' 5hich guides the aNairs of the universe'

Jnally established the po5er of the ecclesiastical

oman court' by the hands of the barbarians 5ho

destroyed the empire

 (he ancient religion' under 5hich the omans

had been victorious for such a series of ages' eisted

still in the hearts of the population' not5ithstanding

@ EG hilosophical

all the eNorts of persecution' 5hen' in the four hun-

dred and eighth year of our era' ,laric invaded

Italy and beseiged ome ope Innocent I indeed

did not thin$ proper to forbid the inhabitants of that

city sacriJcing to the gods in the capitol' and in the

other temples' in order to obtain the assistance of

heaven against the 2oths 3ut this same ope

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Innocent' if 5e may credit =osimus and Orosius'

5as one of the deputation sent to treat 5ith ,laric'

a circumstance 5hich sho5s that the pope 5as at

that time regarded as a person of considerable

conseuence

)hen ,ttila came to ravage Italy in GEC' by

the same right 5hich the omans themselves had

eercised over so many and such po5erful nations !

by the right of 0lovis' of the 2oths' of the %andals'

and the 6eruli' the emperor sent ope Leo I' as-

sisted by t5o personages of consular dignity' to ne-

gotiate 5ith that conueror I have no doubt' that

agreeably to 5hat 5e are positively told' #t Leo

5as accompanied by an angel' armed 5ith a Maming

s5ord' 5hich made the $ing of the 6uns tremble'

although he had no faith in angels' and a single

s5ord 5as not eceedingly li$ely to inspire him 5ith

fear (his miracle is very Jnely painted in the

%atican' and nothing can be clearer than that it never

5ould have been painted unless it had actually been

true )hat particularly vees and perplees me

is this angelKs suNering ,uileia' and the 5hole of

Illyria' to be sac$ed and ravaged' and also his not

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ictionary @EE

preventing 2enseric' at a later period' from giving up

ome to his soldiers for fourteen days of plunder

It 5as evidently not the angel of etermination

9nder the earchs' the credit and inMuence of the

popes augmented' but even then they had not the

smallest degree of civil po5er (he oman bishop'

elected by the people' craved protection for the

bishop' of the earch of avenna' 5ho had the

po5er of conJrming or of cancelling the election

,fter the earchate 5as destroyed by the Lom-

bards' the Lombard $ings 5ere desirous of becom-

ing masters also of the city of ome ! nothing could

certainly be more natural

epin' the usurper of 1rance' 5ould not suNer

the Lombards to usurp that capital' and so become

too po5erful against himself ! nothing again can be

more natural than this

It is pretended that epin and his son 0harle-

magne gave to the oman bishops many lands of the

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earchate' 5hich 5as designated the 8ustices of #t

eter 4les 8ustices de #t ierre4 #uch is the

real origin of their temporal po5er 1rom this pe-

riod' these bishops appear to have assiduously e-

erted themselves to obtain something of rather

more consideration and of more conseuence than

these justices

)e are in possession of a letter from ope ,rian

I to 0harlemagne' in 5hich he says' 4(he pious

liberality of the emperor 0onstantine the 2reat' of

sacred memory' raised and ealted' in the time of the

@EB hilosophical

blessed oman ontiN' #ylvester' the holy oman

0hurch' and conferred upon it his o5n po5er in this

portion of Italy4

1rom this time' 5e perceive' it 5as attempted to

ma$e the 5orld believe in 5hat is called the ona-

tion of 0onstantine' 5hich 5as' in the seuel' for a

period of Jve hundred years' not merely regarded

as an article of faith' but an incontestable truth

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 (o entertain doubts on the subject of this donation

included at once the crime of treason and the guilt

of mortal sin

,fter the death of 0harlemagne' the bishop aug-

mented his authority in ome from day to day ! but

centuries passed a5ay before he came to be consid-

ered as a sovereign prince ome had for a long

period a patrician municipal government

ope 8ohn II' 5hom Otho L' emperor of 2er-

many' procured to be deposed in a sort of council'

in "BF' as simoniacal' incestuous' sodomitical' an

atheist' in league 5ith the devil' 5as the Jrst man

in Italy as patrician and consul' before he became

bishop of ome! and not5ithstanding all these

titles and claims' not5ithstanding the inMuence of

the celebrated :arosia' his mother' his authority

5as al5ays uestioned and contested

2regory %II' 5ho from the ran$ of a mon$

became pope' and pretended to depose $ings and

besto5 empires' far from being in fact complete mas-

ter of ome' died under the protection' or rather as

the prisoner of those .orman princes 5ho con-

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ictionary @ ED

uered the t5o #icilies' of 5hich he considered him-

self the paramount lord

In the grand schism of the )est' the popes 5ho

contended for the empire of the 5orld freuently

supported themselves on alms

It is a fact not a little etraordinary that the

popes did not become rich till after the period 5hen

they dared not to ehibit themselves at ome

,ccording to %illani' 3ertrand de 2oth' 0lement

% of 3ordeau' 5ho passed his life in 1rance' sold

beneJces publicly' and at his death left behind him

vast treasures

 (he same %illani asserts that he died 5orth t5en-

ty-Jve millions of gold Morins #t eterKs patri-

mony could not certainly have brought him such a

sum

In a 5ord' do5n to the time of Innocent %III'

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5ho made himself master of the castle of #t ,n-

gelo' the popes never possessed in ome actual sov-

ereignty

 (heir spiritual authority 5as undoubtedly the

foundation of their temporal ! but had they conJned

themselves to imitating the conduct of #t eter'

5hose place it 5as pretended they Jlled' they 5ould

never have obtained any other $ingdom than that of

heaven (heir policy al5ays contrived to prevent

the emperors from establishing themselves at ome'

not5ithstanding the Jne and Mattering title of 4$ing

of the omans4 (he 2uelph faction al5ays pre-

vailed in Italy over the 2hibelline (he omans

@EH hilosophical

5ere more disposed to obey an Italian priest than a

2erman $ing

In the civil 5ars' 5hich the uarrel bet5een the

empire and the priesthood ecited and $ept alive

for a period of Jve hundred years' many lords ob-

tained sovereignties' sometimes in uality of vicars

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of the empire' and sometimes in that of vicars of the

6oly #ee #uch 5ere the princes of &ste at 1er-

rara' the 3entivoglios at 3ologna' the :alatestas at

imini' the :anfredis at 1aen;a' the 3agliones at

erouse' the 9rsins in ,nguillara and in #erveti'

the 0ollonas in Ostia' the iarios at 1orli' the :on-

tefeltros in 9rbino' the %aranos in 0amerino' and

the 2ravinas in #enigaglia

,ll these lords had as much right to the terri-

tories they possessed as the popes had to the patri-

mony of #t eter! both 5ere founded upon do-

nations

It is $no5n in 5hat manner ope ,leander %I

made use of his bastard to invade and ta$e posses-

sion of all these principalities +ing Louis II

obtained from that pope the cancelling of his mar-

riage' after a cohabitation of eighteen years' on con-

dition of his assisting the usurper

 (he assassinations committed by 0lovis to gain

possession of the territories of the petty $ings 5ho

5ere his neighbors' bear no comparison to the hor-

rors ehibited on this occasion by ,leander and his

son

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 (he history of .ero himself is less abominable !

ictionary @E"

the atrocity of 5hose crimes 5as not increased by

the pretet of religion! and it is 5orth observing'

that at the very time these diabolical ecesses 5ere

performed' the $ings of #pain and ortugal 5ere

suing to that pope' one of them for ,merica' and the

other for ,sia' 5hich the monster accordingly

granted them in the name of that 2od he pretended

to represent It is also 5orth observing that not

fe5er than a hundred thousand pilgrims Moc$ed to

his jubilee and prostrated themselves in adoration of

his person

 8ulius II completed 5hat ,leander had begun

Louis II' born to become the dupe of all his neigh-

bors' assisted 8ulius in sei;ing upon 3ologna and

erouse (hat unfortunate monarch' in return for

his services' 5as driven out of Italy' and ecom-

municated by the very pope 5hom the archbishop of

,uch' the $ingKs ambassador at ome' addressed

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5ith the 5ords 4your 5ic$edness'4 instead of 4your

holiness4

 (o complete his mortiJcation' ,nne of 3rittany'

his 5ife' a 5oman as devout as she 5as imperious'

told him in plain terms' that he 5ould be damned

for going to 5ar 5ith the pope

If Leo and 0lement %II lost so many states

5hich 5ithdre5 from the papal communion' their

po5er continued no less absolute than before over

the provinces 5hich still adhered to the 0atholic

faith (he court of ome ecommunicated the em-

@BA hilosophical

peror 6enry III' and declared 6enry I% un5orthy

to reign

It still dra5s large sums from all the 0atholic

states of 2ermany' from 6ungary' oland' #pain'

and 1rance Its ambassadors ta$e precedence of all

others ! it is no longer suciently po5erful to carry

on 5ar! and its 5ea$ness is in fact its happiness

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 (he ecclesiastical state is the only one that has

regularly enjoyed the advantages of peace since the

sac$ing of ome by the troops of 0harles % It ap-

pears' that the popes have been often treated li$e

the gods of the 8apanese' 5ho are sometimes pre-

sented 5ith oNerings of gold' and sometimes thro5n

into the river

#,:O(6,0&

)6&(6& the celebrated isle of #amothrace be

at the mouth of the river 6ebrus' as it is said to be

in almost all the geographical dictionaries' or

5hether it be t5enty miles distant from it' 5hich is

in fact the case' is not 5hat I am no5 investigating

 (his isle 5as for a long time the most famous in

the 5hole archipelago' and even in the 5hole 5orld

Its deities called 0abiri' its hierophants' and its mys-

teries' conferred upon it as much reputation as 5as

obtained not long since by #t atric$Ks cave in Ire-

land

 (his #amothrace' the modern name of 5hich is

#amandrachi' is a roc$ covered 5ith a very thin and

barren soil' and inhabited by poor Jshermen (hey

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ictionary @B@

5ould be etremely surprised at being told of the

glory 5hich 5as formerly connected 5ith their isl-

and! and they 5ould probably as$' )hat is glory?

I inuire' 5hat 5ere these hierophants' these

holy free masons' 5ho celebrated their ancient mys-

teries in #amothrace' and 5hence did they and their

gods 0abiri come ?

It is not probable that these poor people came

from hoenicia' as 3ochart infers by a long train of

6ebre5 etymologies' and as the ,bbe 3arrier' after

him' is of opinion also It is not in this manner that

gods gain establishments in the 5orld (hey are

li$e conuerors 5ho subjugate nations' not all at

once' but one after another (he distance from

hoenicia to this 5retched island is too great to ad-

mit of the supposition that the gods of the 5ealthy

#idon and the proud (yre should come to coop

themselves up in this hermitage 6ierophants are

not such fools

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 (he fact is' that there 5ere gods of the 0abiri'

priests of the 0abiri' and mysteries of the 0abiri' in

this contemptible and miserable island .ot only

does 6erodotus mention them' but the hoenician

historian #anchoniathon' 5ho lived long before

6erodotus' spea$s of them in those fragments 5hich

have been so fortunately preserved by &usebius

)hat is 5orse still' this #anchoniathon' 5ho cer-

tainly lived before the period in 5hich :oses Mour-

ished' cites the great (haut' the Jrst 6ermes' the

Jrst :ercury of &gypt ! and this same great (haut

%ol @F ii

@ BC hilosophical

lived eight hundred years before #anchoniathon' as

that hoenician ac$no5ledges himself

 (he 0abiri 5ere therefore in estimation and

honor t5o thousand and three or four hundred years

before the 0hristian era

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.o5' if you are desirous of $no5ing 5hence

those gods of the 0abiri' established in #amothrace'

came' does it not seem probable that they came from

 (hrace' the country nearest to that island' and that

that small island 5as granted them as a theatre on

5hich to act their farces' and pic$ up a little money ?

Orpheus might very possibly be the prime minstrel

of these gods

3ut 5ho 5ere these gods? (hey 5ere 5hat all

the gods of antiuity 5ere' phantoms invented by

coarse and vulgar $naves' sculptured by artisans

coarser still' and adored by brutes having the name

of men

 (here 5ere three sorts of 0abiri ! for' as 5e have

already observed' everything in antiuity 5as done

by threes Orpheus could not have made his ap-

pearance in the 5orld until long after the invention

of these three gods ! for he admits only one in his

mysteries I am much disposed to consider Or-

pheus as having been a strict #ocinian

I regard the ancient gods 0abiri as having been

the Jrst gods of (hrace' 5hatever 2ree$ names may

have been after5ards given to them

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 (here is something' ho5ever' still more curious'

respecting the history of #amothrace )e $no5

ictionary @ BF

that 2reece and (hrace 5ere formerly aSicted by

many inundations )e have read of the deluges of

eucaleon and Ogyges (he isle of #amothrace

boasted of a yet more ancient deluge ! and its deluge

corresponds' in point of time' 5ith the period in

5hich it is contended that the ancient $ing of

 (hrace' iuter' lived' 5hom 5e have spo$en of

under the article on 4,rarat4

 <ou may probably recollect that the gods of

iuter' or issuter' 5ho 5ere in all probability

the 0abiri' commanded him to build a vessel about

thirty thousand feet long' and a hundred and t5elve

5ide! that this vessel sailed for a long time over

the mountains of ,rmenia during the deluge ! that'

having ta$en on board 5ith him some pigeons and

many other domestic animals' he let loose his pigeons

to ascertain 5hether the 5aters had 5ithdra5n!

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and that they returned covered 5ith dirt and slime'

5hich induced iuter to resolve on disembar$ing

from his immense vessel

 <ou 5ill say that it is a most etraordinary cir-

cumstance that #anchoniathon does not ma$e any

mention of this curious adventure I reply' that it

is impossible for us to decide 5hether it 5as men-

tioned in his history or not' as &usebius' 5ho has

only transmitted to us some fragments of this very

ancient historian' had no particular inducement to

uote any passage that might have eisted in his

5or$ respecting the ship and pigeons 3erosus'

ho5ever' relates the case' and he connects it 5ith the

@ BG hilosophical

marvellous' according to the general practice of the

ancients (he inhabitants of #amothrace had erected

monuments of this deluge

)hat is more etraordinary and astonishing still

is' as indeed 5e have already partly remar$ed' that

neither 2reece nor (hrace' nor the people of any

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other country' ever $ne5 anything of the real and

great deluge' the deluge of .oah

6o5 could it be possible' 5e once more as$' that

an event so a5ful and appalling as that of the sub-

mersion of the 5hole earth should be un$no5n by

the survivors? 6o5 could the name of our com-

mon father' .oah' 5ho re-peopled the 5orld' be un-

$no5n to all those 5ho 5ere indebted to him for

life ? It is the most prodigious of all progidies' that'

of so many grandchildren' not one should have ever

spo$en of his grandfatherT

I have applied to all the learned men that I have

seen' and said' 6ave you ever met 5ith any old

5or$ in 2ree$' (uscan' ,rabian' &gyptian' 0hal-

dsean' Indian' ersian' or 0hinese' in 5hich the

name of .oah is to be found ? (hey have all replied

in the negative (his is a fact that perpetually per-

plees and confounds me

3ut that the history of this universal inundation

should be found in a single page of a boo$ 5ritten

in the 5ilderness by fugitives' and that this page

should have been un$no5n to all the rest of the

5orld till about nine hundred years after the foun-

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dation of ome this perfectly petriJes me I can-

ictionary @BE

not recover from its impression (he eNect is com-

pletely overpo5ering :y 5orthy reader' let us

both together eclaim7 4O altitude ignorantiarumT4

#,:#O.

I. >9,LI(< of poor alphabetical compilers' col-

lectors of anecdotes' gatherers of triMes' pic$ers of

rags at the corners of the streets' 5e glorify our-

selves 5ith all the pride attached to our sublime

science' on having discovered that 4#amson the

#trong'4 a tragedy' 5as played at the close of the

siteenth century' in the to5n of ouen' and that

it 5as printed by ,braham 0outurier 8ohn :ilton'

for a long time a schoolmaster of London' after-

5ards Latin secretary to the protector' 0rom5ell

:ilton' the author of 4aradise Lost4 and 4ara-

dise egained4 5rote the tragedy of 4#amson

,gonistes4 ! and it is very unfortunate that 5e can-

not tell in 5hat year

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)e $no5' ho5ever' that it has been printed 5ith

a preface' in 5hich much is boasted' by one of our

brethren' the commentator named araeus' 5ho Jrst

perceived by the force of his genius' that the ,poc-

alypse is a tragedy On the strength of this dis-

covery he divided the ,pocalypse into Jve acts'

and inserted choruses 5orthy of the elegance and

Jne nature of the piece (he author of this preface

spea$s to us of the Jne tragedies of #t 2regory of

.a;ian;en 6e asserts' that a tragedy should

never have more than Jve acts' and to prove it' he

@ BB hilosophical

gives us the 4#amson ,gonistes4 of :ilton' 5hich

has but one (hose 5ho li$e elaborate declamation

5ill be satisJed 5ith this piece

, comedy of #amson 5as played for a long time

in Italy , translation of it 5as made in aris in

@D@D' by one named omagnesi! it 5as represented

on the 1rench theatre of the pretended Italian com-

edy' formerly the palace of the du$es of 3urgundy

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It 5as published' and dedicated to the du$e of Or-

leans' regent of 1rance

In this sublime piece' ,rleuin' the servant of

#amson' Jghts 5ith a tur$ey-coc$' 5hilst his master

carries oN the gates of 2a;a on his shoulders

In @DFC' it 5as 5ished to represent' at the opera

of aris' a tragedy of #amson' set to music by the

celebrated ameau ! but it 5as not permitted (here

5as neither ,rleuin nor tur$ey-coc$ ! but the thing

appeared too serious ! besides' certain people 5ere

very glad to mortify ameau' 5ho possessed great

talents <et at that time they performed the opera

of 48ephthah'4 etracted from the Old (estament'

and the comedy of the 4rodigal #on'4 from the

.e5 (estament

 (here is an old edition of the 4#amson ,go-

nistes4 of :ilton' preceded by an abridgment of

the history of the hero (he follo5ing is this

abridgment 7

 (he 8e5s' to 5hom 2od promised by oath all the

country 5hich is bet5een the river of &gypt and

the &uphrates' and 5ho through their sins never

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ictionary @BD

had this country' 5ere on the contrary reduced to

servitude' 5hich slavery lasted for forty years .o5

there 5as a 8e5 of the tribe of an' named :anoah !

and the 5ife of this :anoah 5as barren! and an

angel appeared to this 5oman' and said to her' 43e-

hold' thou shalt conceive and bear a son ! and no5

drin$ no 5ine nor strong drin$' neither eat any un-

clean thing! for the child shall be a .a;arite to

2od' from the 5omb to the day of his death4

 (he angel after5ards appeared to the husband

and 5ife! they gave him a $id to eat! he 5ould

have none of it' and disappeared in the midst of the

smo$e! and the 5oman said' )e shall surely die'

because 5e have seen 2od ! but they died not

 (he slave #amson being born' 5as consecrated a

.a;arite ,s soon as he 5as gro5n up' the Jrst

thing he did 5as to go to the hoenician or hilistine

to5n of (imnath' to court a daughter of one of his

masters' 5hom he married

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In going to his mistress he met a lion' and tore

him in pieces 5ith his na$ed hand' as he 5ould

have done a $id #ome days after' he found a

s5arm of bees in the throat of the dead lion' 5ith

some honey' though bees never rest on carrion

 (hen he proposed this enigma to his companions 7

Out of the eater came forth meat' and out of the

strong came forth s5eetness7 if you guess' I 5ill

give you thirty tunics and thirty go5ns ! if not' you

shall give me thirty go5ns and thirty tunics (he

comrades' not being able to guess in 5hat the solu-

@ BH hilosophical

tion of the enigma consisted' gained over the young

5ife of #amson ! she dre5 the secret from her hus-

band' and he 5as obliged to give them thirty tunics

and thirty go5ns 4,h'4 said he to them' 4if ye

had not ploughed 5ith my heifer' ye 5ould not

have found out my riddle4

#oon after' the father-in-la5 of #amson gave an-

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other husband to his daughter

#amson' enraged at having lost his 5ife' imme-

diately caught three hundred foes' tied them t5o

together by the tails 5ith lighted Jrebrands' and

they Jred the corn of the hilistines

 (he 8e5ish slaves' not being 5illing to be pun-

ished by their masters for the eploits of #amson'

surprised him in the cavern in 5hich he d5elt' tied

him 5ith great ropes' and delivered him to the hil-

istines ,s soon as he 5as in the midst of them' he

bro$e his cords' and Jnding the ja5bone of an ass'

5ith one eNort he $illed a thousand hilistines

#uch an eNort ma$ing him very 5arm' he 5as dying

of thirst' on 5hich 2od made a fountain spout

from one of the teeth of the assKs ja5-bone #am-

son' having drun$' 5ent into 2a;a' a hilistine

to5n! he there immediately became smitten 5ith a

courtesan ,s he slept 5ith her' the hilistines shut

the gates of the to5n' and surrounded the house'

5hen he arose' too$ the gates' and carried them

a5ay (he hilistines' in despair at not being able

to overcome this hero' addressed themselves to an-

other courtesan named elilah' 5ith 5hom he after-

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ictionary @B"

5ards slept #he Jnally dre5 from him the secret

in 5hich his strength consisted 7 it 5as only neces-

sary to shave him' to render him eual to other men

6e 5as shaved' became 5ea$' and his eyes being put

out' he 5as made to turn a mill and to play on the

violin One day' 5hile playing in a hilistine

temple' bet5een t5o of its columns' he became in-

dignant that the hilistines should have columned

temples' 5hilst the 8e5s had only a tabernacle sup-

ported on four poles 6e also felt that his hair be-

gan to gro5! and being transported 5ith a holy

;eal' he pulled do5n the t5o pillars ! by 5hich con-

cussion the temple 5as overthro5n' the hilistines

5ere crushed to death' and he 5ith them

#uch is this preface' 5ord for 5ord

 (his is the history 5hich is the subject of the

piece of :ilton' and omagnesi7 it is adapted to

Italian farce

#,(9.K# I.2

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 (6I# astonishing phenomenon' but not more as-

tonishing than others' this solid and luminous body'

5hich surrounds the planet #aturn' 5hich it en-

lightens' and by 5hich it is enlightened' 5hether by

the feeble reMection of the sunKs rays' or by some

un$no5n cause' 5as' according to a dreamer 5ho

calls himself a philosopher' formerly a sea (his

sea' according to him' has hardened and become

earth or roc$! once it gravitated to5ards t5o

@DA hilosophical

centres' 5hereas at present it gravitates only to-

5ards one

6o5 pleasantly you proceed' my ingenious

dreamer T ho5 easily you transform 5ater into roc$ T

Ovid 5as nothing in the comparison )hat a mar-

vellous po5er you eercise over nature! imagina-

tion by no means confounds you Oh' greediness to

utter novelties T Oh' fury for systems T Oh' 5ea$-

ness of the human mind T If anyone has spo$en of

this reverie in the 4&ncyclopaedia'4 it is doubtless to

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ridicule it' 5ithout 5hich other nations 5ould have

a right to say 7 3ehold the use 5hich the 1rench

ma$e of the discovery of other people T 6uyghens

discovered the ring of #aturn' and calculated its ap-

pearances! 6oo$ and 1lamstead have done the

same thing , 1renchman has discovered that this

solid body 5as even a circular ocean' and this

1renchman is not 0yrano de 3ergerac T

#0,.,L

)I(6O9( inuiring 5hether scandal originally

meant a stone 5hich might occasion people to

stumble and fall' or a uarrel' or a seduction' 5e

consider it here merely in its present sense and ac-

ceptation , scandal is a serious indecorum 5hich

is used generally in reference to the clergy (he

tales of 1ontaine are libertine or licentious! many

passages of #anche;' of (ambourin' and of :olina

are scandalous

, man is scandalous by his 5ritings or by his

ictionary @D@

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conduct (he siege 5hich the ,ugustins main-

tained against the patrol' at the time of the 1ronde'

5as scandalous (he ban$ruptcy of the brother La

%alette' of the #ociety of 8esuits' 5as more than

scandalous (he la5suit carried on by the reverend

fathers of the order of the 0apuchins of aris' in

@DBG' 5as a most satisfactory and delightful scan-

dal to thousands 1or the ediJcation of the reader'

a 5ord or t5o upon that subject in this place 5ill

not be ill employed

 (hese reverend fathers had been Jghting in their

convent ! some of them had hidden their money' and

others had stolen the concealed treasure 9p to this

point the scandal 5as only particular' a stone

against 5hich only 0apuchins could trip and

tumble ! but 5hen the aNair 5as brought before the

parliament' the scandal became public

It is stated in the pleadings in the cause' that the

convent of the #t 6onore consumes t5elve hun-

dred pounds of bread a 5ee$' and meat and 5ood in

proportion ! and that there are four collecting friars'

4ueteurs4 5hose oce it is' conformably to the

term' to raise contributions in the city )hat a

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frightful' dreadful scandal T (5elve hundred pounds

of meat and bread per 5ee$ for a fe5 0apuchins'

5hile so many artisans over5helmed 5ith old age'

and so many respectable 5ido5s' are eposed to

languish in 5ant' and die in miseryT

 (hat the reverend father orotheus should have

accumulated an income of three thousand livres a

@DC hilosophical

year at the epense of the convent' and conseuently

of the public' is not only an enormous scandal' but

an absolute robbery' and a robbery committed upon

the most needy class of citi;ens in aris ! for the

poor are the persons 5ho pay the ta imposed by

the mendicant mon$s (he ignorance and 5ea$ness

of the people ma$e them imagine that they can never

obtain heaven 5ithout parting 5ith their absolute

necessaries' from 5hich these mon$s derive their

superMuities

 (his single brother' therefore' the chief of the

convent' orotheus' to ma$e up his income of a

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thousand cro5ns a year' must have etorted from

the poor of aris' no less a sum than t5enty thou-

sand cro5ns

0onsider' my good reader' that such cases are by

no means rare' even in this eighteenth century of

our era' 5hich has produced useful boo$s to epose

abuses and enlighten minds! but' as I have before

observed' the people never read , single 0apu-

chin' ecollet' or 0armelite is capable of doing more

harm than the best boo$s in the 5orld 5ill ever be

able to do good

I 5ould venture to propose to those 5ho are

really humane and 5ell-disposed' to employ through-

out the capital a certain number of anti-0apuchins

and anti-ecollets' to go about from house to house

ehorting fathers and mothers to virtue' and to $eep

their money for the maintenance of their families'

and the support of their old age ! to love 2od 5ith

ictionary @DF

all their hearts' but to give none of their money to

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mon$s Let us return' ho5ever' to the real mean-

ing of the 5ord 4scandal4

In the above-mentioned process on the subject of

the 0apuchin convent' 3rother 2regory is accused

of being the father of a child by :ademoiselle 3ras-

defer' and of having her after5ards married to

:outard' the shoe-ma$er It is not stated 5hether

3rother 2regory himself besto5ed the nuptial bene-

diction on his mistress and poor :outard' together

5ith the reuired dispensation If he did so' the

scandal is rendered as complete as possible! it in-

cludes fornication' robbery' adultery' and sacrilege

46orresco referens4

I say in the Jrst place 4fornication'4 as 3rother

2regory committed that oNence 5ith :agdalene

3ras-defer' 5ho 5as not at the time more than Jf-

teen years of age

I also say 4robbery'4 as he gave an apron and

ribbons to :agdalene ! and it is clear he must have

robbed the convent in order to purchase them' and

to pay for suppers' lodgings' and other epenses at-

tending their intercourse

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I say 4adultery'4 as this depraved man continued

his connection 5ith :agdalene after she became

:adame :outard

,nd I say 4sacrilege'4 as he 5as the confessor of

:agdalene ,nd' if he himself performed the mar-

riage ceremony for his mistress' judge 5hat sort of

man 3rother 2regory must really have been

@DG hilosophical

One of our colleagues in this little collection of

philosophic and encyclopaedic uestions is no5 en-

gaged on a moral 5or$' on the subject of scandal'

against the opinion of 3rother atouillet )e hope

it 5ill not be long before it sees the light

#06I#:

,LL that 5e had 5ritten on the subject of the

grand schism bet5een the 2ree$s and Latins' in the

essay on the manners and spirit of nations' has been

inserted in the great encyclopaedic dictionary )e

5ill not here repeat ourselves

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losophy alone can eNect a cure

 (he oles are no5 the only people among 5hom

this contagion at present rages )e may almost be-

lieve that the disorder is born 5ith them' li$e their

frightful plica (hey are both diseases of the head'

and of a most noious character 0leanliness 5ill

cure the plica! 5isdom alone can etirpate schism

)e are told that both these diseases 5ere un-

$no5n to the #amartians 5hile they 5ere agans

 (he plica aNects only the common people at present'

but all the evils originating in schism are corroding

and destroying the higher classes of the republic

 (he cause of the evil is the fertility of their land'

5hich produces too much corn It is a melancholy

and deplorable case that even the blessing of heaven

should in fact have involved them in such direful

calamity #ome of the provinces have contended

that it 5as absolutely necessary to put leaven in

their bread' but the greater part of the nation enter-

tain an obstinate and unalterable belief' that' on cer-

tain days of the year' fermented bread is absolutely

mortal

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#uch is one of the principal causes of the schism

or the rending asunder of oland ! the dispute has

infused acrimony into their blood Other causes

have added to the eNect

#ome have imagined' in the paroysms and con-

vulsions of the malady under 5hich they labor' that

ijB hilosophical

the 6oly #pirit proceeded both from the 1ather and

the #on 7 and the others have eclaimed' that it pro-

ceeded from the 1ather only (he t5o parties' one

of 5hich is called the oman party' and the other

the issident' loo$ upon each other as if they 5ere

absolutely infected by the plague ! but' by a singu-

lar symptom peculiar to this complaint' the infected

issidents have al5ays sho5n an inclination to ap-

proach the 0atholics' 5hile the 0atholics on the

other hand have never manifested any to approach

them

 (here is no disease 5hich does not vary in dif-

ferent circumstances and situations (he diet'

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5hich is generally esteemed salutary' has been so

pernicious to this unhappy nation' that after the ap-

plication of it in @DBH' the cities of 9man' =ablotin'

 (etiou' =ilian$i' and =afran 5ere destroyed and in-

undated 5ith blood! and more than t5o hundred

thousand patients miserably perished

On one side the empire of ussia' and on the

other that of (ur$ey' have sent a hundred thousand

surgeons provided 5ith lancets' bistouries' and all

sorts of instruments' adapted to cut oN the morbid

and gangrened parts! but the disease has only be-

come more virulent (he delirium has even been so

outrageous' that forty of the patients actually met

together for the purpose of dissecting their $ing'

5ho had never been attac$ed by the disease' and

5hose brain and all the vital and noble parts of his

body 5ere in a perfectly sound state' as 5e shall

ictionary @DD

have to remar$ under the article on 4#uperstition4

It is thought that if the contending parties 5ould

refer the case entirely to him' he might eNect a cure

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of the 5hole nation ! but it is one of the symptoms

of this cruel malady to be afraid of being cured' as

persons laboring under hydrophobia dread even the

sight of 5ater

 (here are some learned men among us 5ho con-

tend that the disease 5as brought' a long time ago'

from alestine' and that the inhabitants of 8erusa-

lem and #amaria 5ere long harassed by it Others

thin$ that the original seat of the disease 5as &gypt'

and that the dogs and cats' 5hich 5ere there held in

the highest consideration' having become mad' com-

municated the madness of schism' or tearing asun-

der' to the greater part of the &gyptians' 5hose

5ea$ heads 5ere but too susceptible to the disorder

It is remar$ed also' that the 2ree$s 5ho travelled

to &gypt' as' for eample' (imeus of Locris and

lato' some5hat injured their brains by the ecur-

sion 6o5ever' the injury by no means reached

madness' or plague' properly so called! it 5as a

sort of delirium 5hich 5as not at all times easily to

be perceived' and 5hich 5as often concealed under

a very plausible appearance of reason 3ut the

2ree$s having' in the course of time' carried the

complaint among the 5estern and northern nations'

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the malformation or unfortunate ecitability of the

brain in our unhappy countries occasioned the slight

fever of (imeus and lato to brea$ out among us

%ol @F @C

@DH hilosophical

into the most frightful and fatal contagion' 5hich

the physicians sometimes called intolerance' and

sometimes persecution! sometimes religious 5ar'

sometimes madness' and sometimes pestilence

)e have seen the fatal ravages committed by this

infernal plague over the face of the earth :any

physicians have oNered their services to destroy this

frightful evil at its very root 3ut 5hat 5ill appear

to many scarcely credible is' that there are entire

faculties of medicine' at #alamanca and 0oimbra' in

Italy and even in aris' 5hich maintain that schism'

division' or tearing asunder' is necessary for man-

$ind ! that corrupt humors are dra5n oN from them

through the 5ounds 5hich it occasions ! that enthu-

siasm' 5hich is one of the Jrst symptoms of the

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complaint' ealts the soul' and produces the most

beneJcial conseuences ! that toleration is attended

5ith innumerable inconveniences ! that if the 5hole

5orld 5ere tolerant' great geniuses 5ould 5ant that

po5erful and irresistible impulse 5hich has pro-

duced so many admirable 5or$s in theology! that

peace is a great calamity to a state' because it brings

bac$ the pleasures in its train ! and pleasures' after

a course of time' soften do5n that noble ferocity

5hich forms the hero! and that if the 2ree$s had

made a treaty of commerce 5ith the (rojans' in-

stead of ma$ing 5ar 5ith them' there 5ould never

have been an ,chilles' a 6ector' or a 6omer' and

that the race of man 5ould have stagnated in ignor-

ance

ictionary @D"

 (hese reasons' I ac$no5ledge' are not 5ithout

force ! and I reuest time for giving them due con-

sideration

#0O19L,

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I( 6,# been pretended that divine po5er is ap-

pealed to in regard to this malady' because it is

scarcely in human po5er to cure it

ossibly some mon$s began by supposing that

$ings' in their character of representatives of the

divinity' possessed the privilege of curing scrofula'

by touching the patients 5ith their anointed hands

3ut 5hy not besto5 a similar po5er on emperors'

5hose dignity surpasses that of $ings' or on popes'

5ho call themselves the masters of emperors' and

5ho are more than simple images of 2od' being 6is

vicars on earth? It is possible' that some imagin-

ary dreamer of .ormandy' in order to render the

usurpation of )illiam the 3astard the more re-

spectable' conceded to him' in uality of 2odKs rep-

resentative' the faculty of curing scrofula by the tip

of his ringer

It 5as some time after )illiam that this usage

became established )e must not gratify the $ings

of &ngland 5ith this gift' and refuse it to those of

1rance' their liege lords (his 5ould be in deJance

of the respect due to the feudal system In short'

this po5er is traced up to &d5ard the 0onfessor in

&ngland' and to 0lovis in 1rance

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 (he only testimony' in the least degree credible'

@ HA hilosophical

of the antiuity of this usage' is to be found in the

5ritings in favor of the house of Lancaster' com-

posed by the judge' #ir 8ohn 1ortescue' under

6enry %I' 5ho 5as recogni;ed $ing of 1rance at

aris in his cradle' and then $ing of &ngland' but

5ho lost both $ingdoms #ir 8ohn 1ortescue as-

serts' that from time immemorial' the $ings of &ng-

land 5ere in possession of the po5er of curing scrof-

ula by their touch )e cannot perceive' ho5ever'

that this pretension rendered their persons more

sacred in the 5ars bet5een the roses

>ueens consort could not cure scrofula' because

they 5ere not anointed in the hands' li$e the $ings 7

but &li;abeth' a ueen regnant and anointed' cured

it 5ithout diculty

, sad thing happened to :ortorillo the 0ala-

brian' 5hom 5e denominate #t 1rancis de aulo

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+ing Louis I brought him to lessis les (ours to

cure him of his tendency to apopley' and the saint

arrived aSicted by scrofula

4Ipse fuit detentus gravi' inMatura' uam in parte

inferiori' genes sua detrae circa guttur patiebatur

0hirugii dicebant' mortum esse scrofarum4

 (he saint cured not the $ing' and the $ing cured

not the saint

)hen the $ing of &ngland' 8ames II' 5as con-

ducted from ochester to )hitehall' somebody pro-

posed that he should ehibit a proof of genuine roy-

alty' as for instance' that of touching for the evil !

but no one 5as presented to him 6e departed to

ictionary @ H @

eercise his sovereignty in 1rance at #t 2ermain'

5here he touched some 6ibernians 6is daughter

:ary' +ing )illiam' >ueen ,nne' and the $ings of

the house of 3runs5ic$ have cured nobody (his

sacred gift departed 5hen people began to reason

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#&0(

#&0(IO. I

&%&< sect' of 5hatever opinion it may be' is a

rallying point for doubt and error #cotists' (hom-

ists' ealists' .ominalists' apists' 0alvinists' :ol-

inists' and 8ansenists' are only 5arli$e appellations

 (here is no sect in geometry ! 5e never say 7 ,

&uclidian' an ,rchimedian )hen truth is evident'

it is impossible to divide people into parties and fac-

tions .obody disputes that it is broad day at noon

 (hat part of astronomy 5hich determines the

course of the stars' and the return of eclipses' being

no5 $no5n' there is no longer any dispute among

astronomers

It is similar 5ith a small number of truths' 5hich

are similarly established! but if you are a :ahom-

etan' as there are many men 5ho are not :ahom-

etans' you may possibly be in error

)hat 5ould be the true religion' if 0hristianity

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did not eist? (hat in 5hich there 5ould be no

sects ! that in 5hich all minds necessarily agreed

.o5' in 5hat doctrine are all minds agreed? In

the adoration of one 2od' and in probity ,ll the

@ HC hilosophical

philosophers 5ho have professed a religion have

said at all times 7 4(here is a 2od' and 6e must be

 just4 3ehold then the universal religion' estab-

lished throughout all time and among all men T (he

point then in 5hich all agree is true ! the systems in

regard to 5hich all diNer are false

:y sect is the best' says a 3rahmin 3ut' my

good friend' if thy sect is the best' it is necessary !

for if not absolutely necessary' thou must confess

that it is useless If' on the contrary' it is necessary'

it must be so to all men ! ho5 then is it that all men

possess not 5hat is absolutely necessary to them?

6o5 is it that the rest of the 5orld laughs at thee

and thy 3rahma?

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)hen =oroaster' 6ermes' Orpheus' :inos' and

all the great men say 7 Let us 5orship 2od' and be

 just' no one laughs ! but all the 5orld sneers at him

5ho pretends' that to please 2od it is proper to die

holding a co5 by the tail ! at him 5ho cuts oN a

particle of fores$in for the same purpose! at him

5ho consecrates crocodiles and onions ! at him 5ho

attaches eternal salvation to the bones of dead men

carried underneath the shirt' or to a plenary indul-

gence purchased at ome for t5o sous and a half

)hence this universal assemblage of laughing

and hissing from one end of the universe to the

other? It must be that the things 5hich all the

5orld derides are not evident truths )hat shall

5e say to a secretary of #ejanus' 5ho dedicates to

etronius a boo$' in a confused and involved style'

ictionary @HF

entitled 4(he (ruth of the #ibylline Oracles' roved

from 1acts4

 (his secretary at Jrst proves to you' that 2od

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sent upon earth many #ibyls' one after the other'

having no other means of instructing men It is

demonstrated' that 2od communicated 5ith these

#ibyls' because the 5ord 4sibyl4 signiJes 40ouncil

of 2od4 (hey ought to live a long time' for this

privilege at least belongs to persons 5ith 5hom 2od

communicates (hey amounted to t5elve' because

this number is sacred (hey certainly predicted all

the events in the 5orld' because (aruin the roud

bought their boo$ from an old 5oman for a hundred

cro5ns )hat unbeliever' eclaims the secretary'

can deny all these evident facts' 5hich too$ place in

one corner of the earth' in the face of all the 5orld ?

)ho can deny the accomplishment of their prophe-

cies? 6as not %irgil himself cited the predictions

of the #ibyls? If 5e have not the Jrst copies of the

#ibylline boo$s' 5ritten at a time 5hen no one could

read and 5rite' 5e have authentic copies Impiety

must be silent before such proofs (hus spo$e

6outeville to #ejanus' and hoped to obtain by it the

place of chief augur' 5ith a revenue of Jfty thou-

sand livres ! but he obtained nothing

 (hat 5hich my sect teaches me is obscure' I con-

fess it' eclaims a fanatic ! and it is in conseuence

of that obscurity that I must believe it ! for it says

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itself that it abounds in obscurities :y sect is e-

travagant' therefore it is divine! for ho5' appear-

@ HG hilosophical

ing so insane' 5ould it other5ise have been em-

braced by so many people It is precisely li$e the

+oran' 5hich the #onnites say presents at once

the face of an angel and that of a beast 3e not

scandali;ed at the mu;;le of the beast' but revere

the face of the angel (hus spo$e this madman !

but a fanatic of another sect replied to the Jrst

fanatic 7 It is thou 5ho art the beast' and I 5ho am

the angel

.o5 5ho 5ill judge this process' and decide be-

t5een these t5o inspired personages? (he reason-

able and impartial man 5ho is learned in a science

5hich is not that of 5ords! the man divested of

prejudice' and a lover of truth and of justice! the

man' in Jne' 5ho is not a beast' and 5ho pretends

not to be an angel

#&0(IO. II

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#ect and error are synonymous terms (hou art

a peripatetic and I a latonist! 5e are therefore

both in the 5rong ! for thou opposest lato' because

his chimeras repel thee! and I My from ,ristotle'

because it appears to me that he $ne5 not 5hat he

said If the one or the other had demonstrated the

truth' there 5ould have been an end of sect (o de-

clare for the opinion of one in opposition to that of

another' is to ta$e part in a civil 5ar (here is no

sect in mathematics or eperimental philosophy7 a

man 5ho eamines the relation bet5een a cone and

a sphere is not of the sect of ,rchimedes! and he

ictionary @HE

5ho perceived that the suare of the hypotenuse of

a right-angled triangle is eual to the sum of the

suares of the other t5o sides' is not in conseuence

a ythagorean

)hen 5e say that the blood circulates' that the

air is 5eighty' that the rays of the sun are a bundle

of seven refrangible rays' it follo5s not that 5e are

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of the sect of 6arvey' of (orricelli' or of .e5ton !

5e simply acuiesce in the truths 5hich they demon-

strate' and the 5hole universe 5ill be of the same

opinion

#uch is the character of truth' 5hich belongs to

all time and to all men It is only to be produced to

be ac$no5ledged' and admits of no opposition ,

long dispute signiJes that both parties are in error

#&L1-LO%&

.I0OL&' in his 4:oral &ssays'4 5ritten after t5o

or three thousand volumes on morals U(reatise on

0harity' chap' iiV' says' that 4by means of the gib-

bets and tortures 5hich are established in common'

the tyrannical designs of the self-love of each in-

dividual are repressed4

I 5ill not eamine 5hether 5e have gibbets in

common' as 5e have Jelds and 5oods in common'

and a common purse' or if thoughts are repressed

by 5heels! but it seems to me very strange that

.icole has ta$en high5ay robbery and murder for

self-love (he distinctions must be a little more

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@ HB hilosophical

eamined 6e 5ho should say that .ero $illed his

mother from self-love' that 0artouche had much

self-love' 5ould not epress himself very correctly

#elf-love is not a 5ic$edness! it is a sentiment nat-

ural to all men! it is much more the neighbor of

vanity than of crime

, beggar of the suburbs of :adrid boldly as$ed

alms ! a passenger said to him 7 ,re you not

ashamed to carry on this infamous trade' 5hen you

can 5or$? #ir' replied the mendicant' I as$ you for

money' and not for advice ! and turned his bac$ on

him 5ith 0astilian dignity (his gentleman 5as a

haughty beggar! his vanity 5as 5ounded by very

little 7 he as$ed alms for love of himself' and 5ould

not suNer the reprimand from a still greater love of

himself

, missionary' travelling in India' met a fa$ir

loaded 5ith chains' na$ed as an ape' lying on his

stomach' and lashing himself for the sins of his

countrymen' the Indians' 5ho gave him some coins

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of the country )hat a renouncement of himselfT

said one of the spectators enouncement of my-

selfT said the fa$ir' learn that I only lash myself in

this 5orld to serve you the same in the net' 5hen

you 5ill be the horses and I the rider

 (hose 5ho said that love of ourselves is the basis

of all our sentiments and actions 5ere right! and

as it has not been 5ritten to prove to men that they

have a face' there is no occasion to prove to them

that they possess self-love (his self-love is the in-

ictionary @HD

strument of our preservation ! it resembles the pro-

vision for the perpetuity of man$ind ! it is necessary'

it is dear to us' it gives us pleasure' and 5e must

conceal it

#&.#,(IO.

O<#(&#' it is said' have t5o senses ! moles four !

all other animals' li$e man' Jve #ome people con-

tend for a sith^ but it is evident that the voluptuous

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sensation to 5hich they allude is reducible to that of

touch ! and that Jve senses are our lot It is impos-

sible for us to imagine anything beyond them' or to

desire out of their range

It may be' that in other globes the inhabitants

possess sensations of 5hich 5e can form no idea

It is possible that the number of our senses aug-

ments from globe to globe' and that an eistence

5ith innumerable and perfect senses 5ill be the Jnal

attainment of all being

3ut 5ith respect to ourselves and our Jve senses'

5hat is the etent of our capacity? )e constantly

feel in spite of ourselves' and never because 5e 5ill

do so 7 it is impossible for us to avoid having the

sensation 5hich our nature ordains 5hen any object

ecites it (he sensation is 5ithin us' but depends

not upon ourselves )e receive it' but ho5 do 5e

receive it ? It is evident that there is no connection

bet5een the stric$en air' the 5ords 5hich I sing'

and the impression 5hich these 5ords ma$e upon

my brain

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@ HH hilosophical

)e are astonished at thought' but sensation is

eually 5onderful , divine po5er is as manifest

in the sensation of the meanest of insects as in the

brain of .e5ton In the meantime' if a thousand

animals die before our eyes' 5e are not anious to

$no5 5hat becomes of their faculty of sensation'

although it is as much the 5or$ of the #upreme 3e-

ing as our o5n )e regard them as the machines

of nature' created to perish' and to give place to

others

1or 5hat purpose and in 5hat manner may their

sensations eist' 5hen they eist no longer? )hat

need has the author of all things to preserve uali-

ties' 5hen the substance is destroyed? It is as rea-

sonable to assert that the po5er of the plant called

4sensitive'4 to 5ithdra5 its leaves to5ards its

branches' eists 5hen the plant is no more <ou

5ill as$' 5ithout doubt' in 5hat manner the sensa-

tion of animals perishes 5ith them' 5hile the mind

of man perishes not ? I am too ignorant to solve this

uestion (he eternal author of mind and of sensa-

tion alone $no5s ho5 to give' and ho5 to preserve

them

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,ll antiuity maintains that our understanding

contains nothing 5hich has not been received by our

senses escartes' on the contrary' asserts in his

4omances'4 that 5e have metaphysical ideas be-

fore 5e are acuainted 5ith the nipple of our nurse

, faculty of theology proscribed this dogma' not

because it 5as erroneous' but because it 5as ne5

ictionary @H"

1inally' ho5ever' it 5as adopted' because it had

been destroyed by Loc$e' an &nglish philosopher'

and an &nglishman must necessarily be in the

5rong In Jne' after having so often changed opin-

ion' the ancient opinion 5hich declares that the

senses are the inlets to the understanding is Jnally

proscribed (his is acting li$e deeply indebted gov-

ernments' 5ho sometimes issue certain notes 5hich

are to pass current' and at other times cry them

do5n ! but for a long time no one 5ill accept the

notes of the said faculty of theology

,ll the faculties in the 5orld 5ill never prevent a

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philosopher from perceiving that 5e commence by

sensation' and that our memory is nothing but a con-

tinued sensation , man born 5ithout his Jve

senses 5ould be destitute of all idea' supposing it

possible for him to live :etaphysical notions are

obtained only through the senses ! for ho5 is a circle

or a triangle to be measured ; if a circle or a triangle

has neither been touched nor seen? 6o5 form an

imperfect notion of inJnity' 5ithout a notion of

limits? ,nd ho5 ta$e a5ay limits' 5ithout having

either beheld or felt them?

#ensation includes all our faculties' says a great

philosopher )hat ought to be concluded from all

this? <ou 5ho read and thin$' pray conclude

 (he 2ree$s invented the faculty 4syche4 for

sensation' and the faculty 4.ous4 for mind )e

are' unhappily' ignorant of the nature of these t5o

faculties 7 5e possess them' but their origin is no

@ "A hilosophical

more $no5n to us than to the oyster' the sea-nettle'

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the polypus' 5orms' or plants 3y some inconceiv-

able mechanism' sensitiveness is diNused throughout

my body' and thought in my head alone If the head

be cut oN' there 5ill remain a very small chance of

its solving a problem in geometry In the mean-

time' your pineal gland' your Meshly body' in 5hich

abides your soul' eists for a long time 5ithout al-

teration' 5hile your separated head is so full of ani-

mal spirits that it freuently ehibits motion after

its removal from the trun$ It seems as if at this

moment it possessed the most lively ideas' resem-

bling the head of Orpheus' 5hich still uttered melo-

dious song' and chanted &urydice' 5hen cast into

the 5aters of the 6ebrus

If 5e thin$ no longer' after losing our heads'

5hence does it happen that the heart beats' and ap-

pears to be sensitive after being torn out?

)e feel' you say' because all our nerves have

their origin in the brain! and in the meantime' if

you are trepanned' and a portion of your brain be

thro5n into the Jre' you feel nothing the less :en

5ho can state the reason of all this are very clever

#&.(&.0&# U&:,+,3L&V

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On .atural Liberty

I. #&%&,L countries' and particularly in 1rance'

collections have been made of the juridical murders

5hich tyranny' fanaticism' or even error and 5ea$-

ness' have committed 5ith the s5ord of justice

ictionary @"@

 (here are sentences of death 5hich 5hole years

of vengeance could scarcely epiate' and 5hich 5ill

mdce all future ages tremble #uch are the sen-

tences given against the natural $ing of .aples

and #icily' by the tribunal of 0harles of ,njou!

Kgainst 8ohn 6uss and 8erome of rague' by priests

and mon$s! and against the $ing of &ngland'

0harles I' by fanatical citi;ens

,fter these enormous crimes' formally com-

mitted' come the legal murders committed by indo-

lence' stupidity' and superstition' and these are in-

numerable )e shall relate some of them in other

articles

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In this class 5e must principally place the trials

for 5itchcraft' and never forget that even in our

days' in @DEA' the sacerdotal justice of the bishop of

)ur;burg has condemned as a 5itch a nun' a girl

of uality' to the punishment of Jre I here repeat

this circumstance' 5hich I have else5here men-

tioned' that it should not be forgotten )e forget

too much and too soon

&very day of the year I 5ould have a public

crier' instead of crying as in 2ermany and 6olland

5hat time it is 5hich is $no5n very 5ell 5ithout

their crying cry 7 It 5as on this day that' in the re-

ligious 5ars :agdeburg and all its inhabitants

5ere reduced to ashes It 5as on :ay IGth that

6enry I% 5as assassinated' only because he 5as

not submissive to the pope! it 5as on such a day

@"C hilosophical

that such an abominable cruelty 5as perpetrated in

your to5n' under the name of justice

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 (hese continual advertisements 5ould be very

useful! but the judgments given in favor of inno-

cence against persecutors should be cried 5ith a

much louder voice 1or eample' I propose' that

every year' the t5o strongest throats 5hich can be

found in aris and (oulouse shall cry these 5ords

in all the streets7 It 5as on such a day that Jfty

magistrates of the council re-established the mem-

ory of 8ohn 2alas' 5ith a unanimous voice' and ob-

tained for his family the favors of the $ing himself'

in 5hose name 8ohn 2alas had been condemned to

the most horrible eecution

It 5ould not be amiss to have another crier at the

door of all the ministers' to say to all 5ho came to

demand lettres de cachet' in order to possess them-

selves of the property of their relations' friends' or

dependents 7 2entlemen' fear to seduce the minis-

ter by false statements' and to abuse the name of

the $ing It is dangerous to ta$e it in vain (here

5as in the 5orld one 2erbier' 5ho defended the

cause of the 5ido5 and orphan oppressed under the

5eight of a sacred name It 5as he 5ho' at the bar

of the arliament of aris' obtained the abolishment

of the #ociety of 8esus Listen attentively to the

lesson 5hich he gave to the society of #t 3ernard'

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conjointly 5ith :aster Loiseau' another protector

of 5ido5s

 <ou must Jrst $no5' that the reverend 3ernar-

ictionary @"F

dine fathers of 0lairvau possess seventeen thou-

sand acres of 5ood' seven large forges' fourteen

large farms' a uantity of Jefs' beneJces' and even

rights in foreign countries (he yearly revenue of

the convent amounts to t5o hundred thousand

livres (he treasure is immense ! the abbotKs palace

is that of a prince .othing is more just! it is a

poor recompense for the services 5hich the 3er-

nardines continually render to the #tate

It happened' that a youth of seventeen years of

age' named 0astille' 5hose baptismal name 5as

3ernard' believed' for that reason' that he should

become a 3ernardine It is thus that 5e reason at

seventeen' and sometimes at thirty 6e 5ent to

pass his novitiate at Lorraine' in the abbey of Orval

)hen he 5as reuired to pronounce his vo5s' grace

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5as 5anting in him 7 he did not sign them ! he de-

parted and became a man again 6e established

himself at aris' and at the end of thirty years' hav-

ing made a little fortune' he married' and had chil-

dren

 (he reverend father' attorney of 0lairvau'

named :ayeur' a 5orthy solicitor' brother of the

abbot' having learned from a 5oman of pleasure at

aris' that this 0astille 5as formerly a 3ernardine'

plotted to challenge him as a deserter though he

5as not really engaged to ma$e his 5ife pass for

his concubine' and to place his children in the hos-

pital as bastards 6e associated himself 5ith an-

other rogue' to divide the spoils 3oth 5ent to the

 <ol @F@

@ "G hilosophical

court for lettres de cachet' eposed their grievances

in the name of #t 3ernard' obtained the letter'

sei;ed 3ernard 0astille' his 5ife' and their children'

possessed themselves of all the property' and are

no5 devouring it' you $no5 5here

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3ernard 0astille 5as shut up at Orval in a dun-

geon' 5here he 5as eecuted after si months' for

fear that he should demand justice 6is 5ife 5as

conducted to another dungeon' at #t elagic' a

house for prostitutes Of three children' one died

in the hospital

 (hings remained in this state for three years ,t

the end of this time' the 5ife of 0astille obtained

her enlargement 2od is just 7 6e gave a second

husband to the 5ido5 (he husband' named Lan-

nai' 5as a man of head' 5ho discovered all the

frauds' horrors' and crimes employed against his

5ife (hey both entered into a suit against the

mon$s It is true' that brother :ayeur' 5ho is

called om :ayeur' 5as not hanged' but the con-

vent of 0lairvau 5as condemned to pay forty

thousand livres (here is no convent 5hich 5ould

not rather see its attorney hanged than lose its

money

 (his history should teach you' gentlemen' to use

much moderation in the fact of lettres de cachet

+no5' that :aster &lias de 3eaumont' that cele-

brated defender of the memory of 0alas' and :aster

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 (arget that other protector of oppressed innocence'

caused the man to pay a Jne of t5enty thousand

ictionary @"E

francs' 5ho by his intrigues had gained a lettre de

cachet to sei;e upon the dying countess of Lanci;e'

to drag her from the bosom of her family and divest

her of all her titles

)hen tribunals give such sentences as these' 5e

hear clapping of hands from the etent of the grand

chamber to the gates of aris (a$e care of your-

selves' gentlemen ! do not lightly demand lettres de

cachet

,n &nglishman' on reading this article' e-

claimed' 4)hat is a lettre de cachet?4 )e could

never ma$e him comprehend it

#&.(&.0&# O1 &,(6

I. &,I.2 history' and seeing its course con-

tinually interrupted 5ith innumerable calamities

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heaped upon this globe' 5hich some call the best of

all possible 5orlds' I have been particularly struc$

5ith the great uantity of considerable men in the

#tate' in the 0hurch' and in society' 5ho have suf-

fered death li$e robbers on the high5ay #etting

aside assassinations and poisonings' I spea$ only of

massacres in a juridical form' performed 5ith loyalty

and ceremony ! I commence 5ith $ings and ueens !

&ngland alone furnishes an ample list! but for

chancellors' $nights' and esuires' volumes are re-

uired Of all 5ho have thus perished by justice' I

do not believe that there are four in all &urope 5ho

5ould have undergone their sentence if their suits

@"B hilosophical

had lasted some time longer' or if the adverse parties

had died of apopley during the preparation

If Jstula had gangrened the rectum of 0ardinal

ichelieu some months longer' the virtuous de

 (hou' 0in-:ars' and so many others 5ould have

been at liberty If 3arneveldt had had as many ,r-

minians for his judges as 2omerists' he 5ould have

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died in his bed ! if the constable de Luynes had not

demanded the conJscation of the property of the

lady of the :arshal dK,ncre' she 5ould not have

been burned as a 5itch If a really criminal man' an

assassin' a public thief' a poisoner' a parricide' be

arrested' and his crime be proved' it is certain that

in all times and 5hoever the judges' he 5ill be con-

demned 3ut it is not the same 5ith statesmen!

only give them other judges' or 5ait until time has

changed interests' cooled passions' and introduced

other sentiments' and their lives 5ill be in safety

#uppose >ueen &li;abeth had died of an indiges-

tion on the eve of the eecution of :ary #tuart' then

:ary #tuart 5ould have been seated on the throne

of &ngland' Ireland' and #cotland' instead of dying

by the hand of an eecutioner in a chamber hung

5ith blac$ If 0rom5ell had only fallen sic$' care

5ould have been ta$en ho5 0harles IKs head 5as

cut oN (hese t5o assassinations disguised' I

$no5 not ho5' in the garb of the la5s scarcely en-

tered into the list of ordinary injustice 1igure to

yourself some high5aymen 5ho' having bound and

robbed t5o passengers' amuse themselves 5ith nam-

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ictionary @"D

ing in the troop an attorney-general' a president' an

advocate and counsellors' and 5ho' having signed a

sentence' cause the t5o victims to be hanged in cere-

mony ! it 5as thus that the >ueen of #cotland and

her grandson 5ere judged

3ut of common judgments' pronounced by com-

petent judges against princes or men in place' is

there a single one 5hich 5ould have been either

eecuted' or even passed' if another time had been

chosen ? Is there a single one of the condemned' im-

molated under 0ardinal ichelieu' 5ho 5ould not

have been in favor if their suits had been prolonged

until the regency of ,nne of ,ustria? (he rince

of 0onde 5as arrested under 1rancis II' he 5as

condemned to death by commissaries! 1rancis II

died' and the rince of 0onde again became po5-

erful

 (hese instances are innumerable! 5e should

above all consider the spirit of the times %anini

5as burned on a vague suspicion of atheism ,t

present' if any one 5as foolish and pedantic enough

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to 5rite such boo$s as %anini' they 5ould not be

read' and that is all 5hich could happen to them

, #paniard passed through 2eneva in the middle of

the siteenth century! the icard' 8ohn 0alvin'

learned that this #paniard 5as lodged at an inn ! he

remembered that this #paniard had disputed 5ith

him on a subject 5hich neither of them understood

3eholdT my theologian' 8ohn 0alvin' arrested the

passenger' contrary to all la5s' human or divine'

@"H hilosophical

contrary to the right possessed by people among

all nations ! immured him in a dungeon' and burned

him at a slo5 Jre 5ith green faggots' that the pain

might last the longer 0ertainly this infernal

manoeuvre 5ould never enter the head of any one in

the present day ! and if the fool #ervetus had lived

in good times' he 5ould have had nothing to fear!

5hat is called justice is therefore as arbitrary as

fashion (here are times of horrors and follies

among men' as there are times of pestilence' and this

contagion has made the tour of the 5orld

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#&&.(#

4I 0&(I1< that I have many times $illed serpents

by moistening in a slight degree' 5ith my spittle' a

stic$ or a stone' and giving them a slight blo5 on

the middle of the body' scarcely sucient to produce

a small contusion 8anuary @"' @DED 1iguier'

#urgeon4

 (he above surgeon having given me this certiJ-

cate' t5o 5itnesses' 5ho had seen him $ill serpents

in this manner' attested 5hat they had beheld .ot-

5ithstanding' I 5ished to behold the thing myself!

for I confess that' in various parts of these ueries'

I have ta$en #t (homas of idymus for my patron

saint' 5ho al5ays insisted on an eamination 5ith

his o5n hands

1or eighteen hundred years this opinion has been

perpetuated among the people' and it might possibly

ictionary @ ""

be even eighteen thousand years old' if 2enesis

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had not supplied us 5ith the precise date of our en-

mity to this reptile It may be asserted that if &ve

had spit on the serpent 5hen he too$ his place at her

ear' a 5orld of evil 5ould have been spared human

nature

Lucretius' in his fourth boo$' alludes to this man-

ner of $illing serpents as very 5ell $no5n 7

&st utiue ut serpens hominis contacta salmis

isperit' ac sese mandendo conJcit ipsa

LI3' iv' v BGC-BGF

#pit on a serpent' and his vigor Mies'

6e straight devours himself' and uic$ly dies

 (here is some slight contradiction in painting

him at once deprived of vigor and self-devouring'

but my surgeon 1iguier asserts not that the serpents

5hich he $illed 5ere self-devouring 2enesis says

5isely that 5e $ill them 5ith our heels' and not

5ith spittle

)e are in the midst of 5inter on 8anuary @"'

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5hich is the time 5hen serpents visit us I cannot

Jnd any at :ount +rapa$ ! but I ehort all philoso-

phers to spit upon every serpent they meet 5ith in

the spring It is good to $no5 the etent of the

po5er of the saliva of man

It is certain that 8esus 0hrist employed his spittle

to cure a man 5ho 5as deaf and dumb 6e too$

him aside' placed 6is Jngers on his ears' and loo$-

ing up to heaven' sighed and said to him 7 4&phpha-

tha4 4be opened4 5hen the deaf and dumb person

immediately began to spea$

COO hilosophical

It may therefore be true that 2od has allo5ed the

saliva of man to $ill serpents ! but 6e may have also

permitted my surgeon to assail them 5ith heavy

blo5s from a stic$ or a stone' in such a 5ay that they

5ould die 5hether he spat upon them or not

I beg of all philosophers to eamine the thing

5ith attention 1or eample' should they meet

1reron in the street' let them spit in his face' and if

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he die' the fact 5ill be conJrmed' in spite of all the

reasoning of the incredulous

I ta$e this opportunity also to beg of philosophers

not to cut oN the heads of any more snails ! for I af-

Jrm that the head has returned to snails 5hich I have

decapitated very eNectively 3ut it is not enough

that I $no5 it by eperience' others must be eually

satisJed in order that the fact be rendered probable !

for although I have t5ice succeeded' I have failed

thirty times #uccess depends upon the age of the

snail' the time in 5hich the head is cut oN' the situa-

tion of the incision' and the manner in 5hich it is

$ept until the head gro5s again

If it is important to $no5 that death may be in-

Micted by spitting' it is still more important to $no5

that heads may be rene5ed :an is of more con-

seuence than a snail' and I doubt not that in due

time' 5hen the arts are brought to perfection' some

means 5ill be found to give a sound head to a man

5ho has none at all

ictionary COI

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#6&+&L

, )&I26( and denomination of money among the

 8e5s ! but as they never coined money' and al5ays

made use of the coinage of other people' all gold

coins 5eighing about a guinea' and all silver coins

of the 5eight of a small 1rench cro5n' 5ere called

a she$el ! and these she$els 5ere distinguished into

those of the 5eight of the sanctuary' and those of

the 5eight of the $ing

It is said in the 3oo$ of #amuel that ,bsalom

had very Jne hair' from 5hich he cut a part every

year :any profound commentators assert that he

cut it once a month' and that it 5as valued at t5o

hundred she$els If these she$els 5ere of gold' the

loc$s of ,bsalom 5ere 5orth t5o thousand four

hundred guineas per annum (here are fe5

seigniories 5hich produce at present the revenue

that ,bsalom derived from his head

It is said that 5hen ,braham bought a cave in

6ebron from the 0anaanite &phron' &phron sold

him the cave for four hundred she$els of silver' of

current money 5ith the merchant probates monetcs

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publicce

)e have already remar$ed that there 5as no

coined money in these days' and thus these four hun-

dred she$els of silver became four hundred she$els

in 5eight' 5hich' valued at present at three livres

four sous each' are eual to t5elve hundred and

eighty livres of 1rance

CAC hilosophical

It follo5s that the little Jeld' 5hich 5as sold

5ith this cavern' 5as ecellent land' to bring so high

a price

)hen &lea;ar' the servant of ,braham' met the

beautiful ebecca' the daughter of 3ethnel' carrying

a pitcher of 5ater upon her shoulder' from 5hich she

gave him and his camels leave to drin$' he presented

her 5ith earrings of gold' 5hich 5eighed t5o

she$els' and bracelets 5hich 5eighed ten' amounting

in the 5hole to a present of the value of t5enty-four

guineas

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In the la5s of &odus it is said that if an o

gored a male or female slave' the possessor of the o

should give thirty she$els of silver to the master of

the slave' and that the o should be stoned It is

apparently to be understood that the o in this case

has produced a very dangerous 5ound' other5ise

thirty-t5o cro5ns 5as a large sum for the neighbor-

hood of :ount #inai' 5here money 5as uncommon

It is for the same reason that many grave' but too

hasty' persons suspect that &odus as 5ell as

2enesis 5as not 5ritten until a comparatively late

period

)hat tends to conJrm them in this erroneous

opinion is a passage in the same &odus7 4(a$e

of pure myrrh Jve hundred she$els' and of s5eet

cinnamon half as much ! of s5eet calamus t5o hun-

dred and Jfty she$els ! of cassia Jve hundred she$els'

after the she$el of the sanctuary ! and of olive-oil a

ton' to form an ointment to annoint the tabernacle4 !

ictionary CAF

and 5hosoever anointed himself or any stranger

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5ith a similar composition' 5as to be put to death

It is added that 5ith all these aromatics 5ere to

be united stacte' ony' galbanum' and fran$incense !

and that a perfume 5as to be mied up according to

the art of the apothecary or perfumer

3ut I cannot perceive anything in this composi-

tion 5hich ought to ecite the doubt of the incredu-

lous It is natural to imagine that the 8e5s 5ho'

according to the tet' stole from the &gyptians all

5hich they could bring a5ay had also ta$en fran$-

incense' galbanum' ony' stacte' olive-oil' cassia'

s5eet calamus' cinnamon' and myrrh (hey also'

5ithout doubt' stole many she$els ! indeed' 5e have

seen' that one of the most ;ealous partisans of this

6ebre5 horde estimates 5hat they stole' in gold

alone' at nine millions I abide by his rec$oning

#I3<L

 (6& Jrst 5oman 5ho pronounced oracles at el-

phos 5as called #ibylla ,ccording to ausanias'

she 5as the daughter of 8upiter' and of Lamia' the

daughter of .eptune' and she lived a long time be-

fore the siege of (roy 1rom her all 5omen 5ere

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distinguished by the name of sibyls' 5ho' 5ithout

being priestesses' or even attached to a particular

oracle' announced the future' and called themselves

inspired iNerent ages and countries have had

their sibyls' or preserved predictions 5hich bear their

name' and collections 5ere formed of them

CAG hilosophical

 (he greatest embarrassment to the ancients 5as

to eplain by 5hat happy privilege these sibyls had

the gift of predicting the future latonists found

the cause of it in the intimate union 5hich the

creature' arrived at a certain degree of perfection'

might have 5ith the ivinity Others attribute this

divine property of the sibyls to the vapors and e-

halations of the caves 5hich they inhabited 1inally

others attributed the prophetic spirit of the sibyls

to their sombre and melancholy humor' or to some

singular malady

#t 8erome maintained that this gift 5as to them

a recompense for their chastity! but there 5as at

least one very celebrated one 5ho boasted of having

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had a thousand lovers 5ithout being married It

5ould have been much more sensible in #t 8erome

and other fathers of the 0hurch to have denied the

prophetic spirit of the sibyls' and to have said that by

means of ha;arding predictions at a venture' they

might sometimes have been fulJlled' particularly

5ith the help of a favorable commentary' by 5hich

5ords' spo$en by chance' have been turned into

facts 5hich it 5as impossible they could have pre-

dicted

It is singular that their predictions 5ere collected

after the event (he Jrst collection of sibylline

leaves' bought by (aruin' contained three boo$s!

the second 5as compiled after the Jre of the capitol'

but 5e are ignorant ho5 many boo$s it contained!

and the third is that 5hich 5e possess in eight boo$s'

ictionary CAE

and in 5hich it is doubtful 5hether the author has

not inserted several predictions of the second (his

collection is the fruit of the pious fraud of some

latonic 0hristians' more ;ealous than clever' 5ho

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in composing it thought to lend arms to the 0hristian

religion' and to put those 5ho defended it in a situa-

tion to combat paganism 5ith the greatest ad-

vantage

 (his confused compilation of diNerent prophecies

5as printed for the Jrst time in the year @EGE from

manuscripts' and published several times after' 5ith

ample commentaries' burdened 5ith an erudition

often trivial' and almost al5ays foreign to the tet'

5hich they seldom enlightened (he number of

5or$s composed for and against the authenticity of

these sibylline boo$s is very great' and some even very

learned ! but there prevails so little order and reason-

ing' and the authors are so devoid of all philosophic

spirit that those 5ho might have courage to read

them 5ould gain nothing but ennui and fatigue (he

date of the publication is found clearly indicated in

the Jfth and eighth boo$s (he sibyl is made to say

that the oman &mpire 5ill have only Jfteen em-

perors' fourteen of 5hich are designated by the nu-

meral value of the Jrst letter of their names in the

2ree$ alphabet #he adds that the Jfteenth' 5ho

5ould be a man 5ith a 5hite head' 5ould bear the

name of a sea near ome (he Jfteenth of the

oman emperors 5as ,drian' and the ,siatic gulf

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is the sea of 5hich he bears the name

CAB hilosophical

1rom this prince' continues the sibyl' three others

5ill proceed 5ho 5ill rule the empire at the same

time! but Jnally one of them 5ill remain the pos-

sessor (hese three shoots 5ere ,ntoninus' :arcus

,urelius' and Lucius %erus (he sibyl alludes to

the adoptions and associations 5hich united them

:arcus ,urelius found himself sole master of the

empire at the death of Lucius %erus' at the com-

mencement of the year @B" ! and he governed it 5ith-

out any colleague until the year @DD' 5hen he asso-

ciated 5ith his son 0ommodus ,s there is nothing

5hich can have any relation to this ne5 colleague of

:arcus ,urelius' it is evident that the collection

must have been made bet5een the years @B" and @DD

of the vulgar era

 8osephus' the historian' uotes a 5or$ of the sibyl'

in 5hich the (o5er of 3abel and the confusion of

tongues are spo$en of nearly as in 2enesis ! 5hich

proves that the 0hristians are not the Jrst authors of

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the supposition of the sibylline boo$s 8osephus not

relating the eact 5ords of the sibyl' 5e cannot as-

certain 5hether 5hat is said of the same event in

our collection 5as etracted from the 5or$ uoted

by 8osephus ! but it is certain that several lines' at-

tributed to the sibyl' in the ehortations found in the

5or$s of #t 8ustin' of (heophilus of ,ntioch' of

0lement of ,leandria' and in some other fathers'

are not in our collection ! and as most of these lines

bear no stamp of 0hristianity' they might be the

5or$ of some latonic 8e5

ictionary CAD

In the time of 0elsus' sibyls had already some

credit among the 0hristians' as it appears by t5o

passages of the ans5er of Origen 3ut in time sibyl-

line prophecies appearing favorable to 0hristianity'

they 5ere commonly made use of in 5or$s of contro-

versy 5ith much more conJdence than by the pagans

themselves' 5ho' ac$no5ledging sibyls to be inspired

5omen' conJned themselves to saying that the 0hris-

tians had falsiJed their 5ritings' a fact 5hich could

only be decided by a comparison of the t5o manu-

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scripts' 5hich fe5 people are in a situation to ma$e

1inally' it 5as from a poem of the sibyl of 0umea

that the principal dogmas of 0hristianity 5ere ta$en

0onstantine' in the Jne discourse 5hich he pro-

nounced before the assembly of the saints' sho5s that

the fourth eclogue of %irgil is only a prophetic de-

scription of the #aviour ! and if that 5as not the im-

mediate object of the poet' it 5as that of the sibyl

from 5hom he borro5ed his ideas' 5ho' being Jlled

5ith the spirit of 2od' announced the birth of the

edeemer

6e believed that he sa5 in this poem the miracle

of the birth of 8esus of a virgin' the abolition of sin

by the preaching of the gospel' and the abolition of

punishment by the grace of the edeemer 6e be-

lieved he sa5 the old serpent overthro5n' and the

mortal venom 5ith 5hich he poisoned human nature

entirely deadened 6e believed that he sa5 that the

grace of the Lord' ho5ever po5erful it might be'

5ould nevertheless suNer the dregs and traces of sin

CAH hilosophical

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to remain in the faithful ! in a 5ord' he believed that

he sa5 8esus 0hrist announced under the great char-

acter of the #on of 2od

In this eclogue there are many other passages

5hich might have been said to be copies of the 8e5-

ish prophets' 5ho apply it themselves to 8esus

0hrist! it is at least the general opinion of the

0hurch #t ,ugustine' li$e others' has been per-

suaded of it' and has pretended that the lines of %ir-

gil can only be applied to 8esus 0hrist 1inally' the

most clever moderns maintain the same opinion

#I.2I.2

>uestions on #inging' :usic' :odulation' 2esticu-

lation' etc

0O9L a (ur$ conceive that 5e have one $ind of

singing for the Jrst of our mysteries 5hen 5e cele-

brate it in music' another $ind 5hich 5e call

4motetts4 in the same temple' a third $ind at the

opera' and a fourth at the theatre ?

In li$e manner' can 5e imagine ho5 the ancients

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ble5 their Mutes' recited on their theatres 5ith their

heads covered by enormous mas$s' and ho5 their

declamation 5as 5ritten do5n

La5 5as promulgated in ,thens nearly as in

aris 5e sing an air on the ont-.euf (he public

crier sang an edict' accompanying himself on the

lyre

It is thus that in aris the rose in bud is cried in

ictionary CA"

one tone ! old silver lace to sell in another ! only in

the streets of aris the lyre is dispensed 5ith

,fter the victory of 0hseronea' hilip' the father

of ,leander' sang the decree by 5hich emosthenes

had made him declare 5ar' and beat time 5ith his

foot )e are very far from singing in our streets

our edicts' or Jnances' or upon the t5o sous in the

livre

It is very probable that the melopee' or modula-

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tion' regarded by ,ristotle in his poetic art as an es-

sential part of tragedy' 5as an even' simple chant'

li$e that 5hich 5e call the preface to mass' 5hich in

my opinion is the 2regorian chant' and not the ,m-

brosian' and 5hich is a true melopee

)hen the Italians revived tragedy in the si-

teenth century the recitative 5as a melopee 5hich

could not be 5ritten ! for 5ho could 5rite inMections

of the voice 5hich are octaves and siths of tone?

 (hey 5ere learned by heart (his custom 5as re-

ceived in 1rance 5hen the 1rench began to form a

theatre' more than a century after the Italians (he

4#ophonisba4 of :airet 5as sung li$e that of (ris-

sin' but more grossly ! for throats as 5ell as minds

5ere then rather coarser at aris ,ll the parts of the

actors' but particularly of the actresses' 5ere noted

from memory by tradition :ademoiselle 3auval'

an actress of the time of 0orneille' acine' and :o-

liere' recited to me' about sity years ago or more'

the commencement of the part of &milia' in 40inna'4

as it had been played in the Jrst representations by

%ol @F @G

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Cio hilosophical

La 3eauprB (his modulation resembled the decla-

mation of the present day much less than our modern

recitative resembles the manner of reading the ne5s-

paper

I cannot better compare this $ind of singing' this

modulation' than to the admirable recitative of Lulli'

criticised by adorers of double crochets' 5ho have

no $no5ledge of the genius of our language' and

5ho are ignorant 5hat help this melody furnishes to

an ingenious and sensible actor

 (heatrical modulation perished 5ith the comedian

uclos' 5hose only merit being a Jne voice 5ithout

spirit and soul' Jnally rendered that ridiculous 5hich

had been admired in es 0&uillets' and in 0hamp-

mesle

 (ragedy is no5 played dryly ! if 5e 5ere not

heated by the pathos of the spectacle and the action'

it 5ould be very insipid Our age' commendable in

other things' is the age of dryness

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It is true that among the omans one actor re-

cited and another made gestures It 5as not by

chance that the abbe ubos imagined this pleasant

method of declaiming (itus Livius' 5ho never fails

to instruct us in the manners and customs of the

omans' and 5ho' in that respect is more useful

than the ingenious and satirical (acitus' informs us'

I say' that ,ndronicus' being hoarse 5hile singing

in the interludes' got another to sing for him 5hile

he eecuted the dance ! and thence came the custom

of dividing interludes bet5een dancers and singers 7

ictionary in

4icitur cantum egisse magis vigente motu uum

nihil vocis usis impediebat4 (he song is epressed

by the dance 40antum egisse magis vigente motu4

)ith more vigorous movements

3ut they divided not the story of the piece be-

t5een an actor 5ho only gesticulates and another

5ho only sings (he thing 5ould have been as ridic-

ulous as impracticable

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 (he art of pantomimes' 5hich are played 5ithout

spea$ing' is uite diNerent' and 5e have seen very

stri$ing eamples of it ! but this art can please only

5hen a mar$ed action is represented' a theatrical

event 5hich is easily presented to the imagination

of the spectator It can represent Orosmanes $illing

=aire and $illing himself! #emiramis 5ounded'

dragging herself on the frontiers to the tomb of

.inus' and holding her son in her arms (here is

no occasion for verses to epress these situations by

gestures to the sound of a mournful and terrible

symphony 3ut ho5 5ould t5o pantomimes paint

the dessertation of :aimus and 0inna on monarch-

ical and popular governments ?

,propos of the theatrical eecution of the

omans' the abbe ubos says that the dancers in

the interludes 5ere al5ays in go5ns ancing re-

uires a closer dress In the ays de %aud' a suite of

baths built by the omans' is carefully preserved' the

pavement of 5hich is mosaic (his mosaic' 5hich is

not decayed' represents dancers dressed li$e opera

dancers )e ma$e not these observations to detect

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C@C hilosophical

errors in ubos! there is no merit in having seen

this antiue monument 5hich he had not seen ! and

besides' a very solid and just mind might be de-

ceived by a passage of (itus Livius

#L,%&#

)6< do 5e denominate slaves those 5hom the

omans called 4servi'4 and the 2ree$s 4duloi4?

&tymology is here eceedingly at fault ! and 3ochart

has not been able to derive this 5ord from the 6e-

bre5

 (he most ancient record that 5e possess in 5hich

the 5ord 4slave4 is found is the 5ill of one &rman-

gaut' archbishop of .arbonne' 5ho beueathed to

3ishop 1redelon his slave ,naph 4,naphinus

#lavonium4 (his ,naph 5as very fortunate in be-

longing to t5o bishops successively

It is not unli$ely that the #lavonians came from

the distant .orth 5ith other indigent and conuer-

ing hordes' to pillage from the oman &mpire 5hat

that empire had pilliged from other nations' and

especially in almatia and Illyria (he Italians

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called the misfortune of falling into their hands

4shiavitu'4 and 4schiavi4 the captives themselves

,ll that 5e can gather from the confused history

of the middle ages is that in the time of the omans

the $no5n 5orld 5as divided bet5een freemen and

slaves )hen the #lavonians' ,lans' 6uns' 6eruli'

Ostrogoths' %isigoths' %andals' 3urgundians'

1ran$s and .ormans came to despoil &urope' there

5as little probability that the multitude of slaves

ictionary C@F

5ould diminish ,ncient masters' in fact' sa5 them-

selves reduced to slavery' and the smaller number

enslaved the greater' as negroes are enslaved in the

colonies' and according to the practice in many other

cases

)e read nothing in ancient authors concerning

the slaves of the ,ssyrians and the 3abylonians

 (he boo$ 5hich spea$s most of slaves is the 4Iliad4

In the Jrst place' 3riseiis is slave to ,chilles! and

all the (rojan 5omen' and more especially the prin-

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cesses' fear becoming slaves to the 2ree$s' and spin-

ners for their 5ives

#lavery is also as ancient as 5ar' and 5ar as

human nature #ociety 5as so accustomed to this

degradation of the species that &pictetus' 5ho 5as

assuredly 5orth more than his master' never e-

presses any surprise at his being a slave

.o legislator of antiuity ever attempted to abro-

gate slavery! on the contrary' the people most en-

thusiastic for liberty the ,thenians' the Lacedae-

monians' the omans' and the 0arthaginians 5ere

those 5ho enacted the most severe la5s against their

serfs (he right of life and death over them 5as

one of the principles of society It must be confessed

that' of all 5ars' that of #partacus 5as the most just'

and possibly the only one that 5as ever absolutely so

)ho 5ould believe that the 8e5s' created as it

might appear to serve all nations in turn' should also

appear to possess slaves of their o5n ? It is observed

in their la5s' that they may purchase their brethren

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C@G hilosophical

for si years' and strangers forever It 5as said'

that the children of &sau 5ould become bondsmen

to the children of 8acob ! but since' under a diNerent

dispensation' the ,rabs' 5ho call themselves de-

scendants of &sau' have enslaved the posterity of

 8acob

 (he &vangelists put not a single 5ord into the

mouth of 8esus 0hrist 5hich recalls man$ind to the

primitive liberty to )hich they appear to be born

 (here is nothing said in the .e5 (estament on this

state of degradation and suNering' to 5hich one-

half of the human race 5as condemned .ot a 5ord

appears in the 5ritings of the apostles and the fathers

of the 0hurch' tending to change beasts of burden

into citi;ens' as began to be done among ourselves in

the thirteenth century If slavery be spo$en of' it

is the slavery of sin

It is dicult to comprehend ho5' in #t 8ohn' the

 8e5s can say to 8esus 7 4)e have never been slaves

to any one4 they 5ho 5ere at that time subjected

to the omans ! they 5ho had been sold in the mar-

$et after the ta$ing of 8erusalem ! they of 5hom ten

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tribes' led a5ay as slaves by #halmaneser' had disap-

peared from the face of the earth' and of 5hom t5o

other tribes 5ere held in chains by the 3abylonians

for seventy years ! they 5ho had been seven times

reduced to slavery in their promised land' according

to their o5n avo5al ! they 5ho in all their 5ritings

spea$ of their bondage in Xhat &gypt 5hich they

abhorred' but to 5hich they ran in cro5ds to gain

ictionary C@E

money' as soon as ,leander condescended to allo5

them to settle there (he reverend om 0almet

says' that 5e must understand in this passage' 4in-

trinsic servitude'4 an eplanation 5hich by no means

renders it more comprehensible

Italy' the 2auls' #pain' and a part of 2ermany'

5ere inhabited by strangers' by foreigners become

masters' and natives reduced to serfs )hen the

bishop of #eville' Opas' and 0ount 8ulian called over

the :ahometan :oors against the 0hristian $ings

of the %isigoths' 5ho reigned in the yrenees' the

:ahometans' according to their custom' proposed to

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the natives' either to receive circumcision' give bat-

tle' or pay tribute in money and girls +ing od-

eric$ 5as vanuished' and slaves 5ere made of those

5ho 5ere ta$en captive

 (he conuered preserved their 5ealth and their

religion by paying! and it is thus that the (ur$s

have since treated 2reece' ecept that they imposed

upon the latter a tribute of children of both sees'

the boys of 5hich they circumcise and transform into

pages and janissaries' 5hile the girls are devoted to

the harems (his tribute has since been compro-

mised for money (he (ur$s have only a fe5 slaves

for the interior service of their houses' and these

they purchase from the 0ircassians' :ingrelians' and

nations of Lesser (artary

3et5een the ,frican :ahometans and the &uro-

pean 0hristians' the custom of piracy' and of ma$ing

slaves of all 5ho could be sei;ed on the high seas'

C @ B hilosophical

has al5ays eisted (hey are birds of prey 5ho feed

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upon one another! the ,lgerines' natives of :o-

rocco' and (unisians' all live by piracy (he +nights

of :alta' successors to those of hodes' formally

s5ear to rob and enslave all the :ahometans 5hom

they meet! and the galleys of the pope cruise for

,lgerines on the northern coasts of ,frica (hose

5ho call themselves 5hites and 0hristians proceed

to purchase negroes at a good mar$et' in order to

sell them dear in ,merica (he ennsylvanians

alone have renounced this trac' 5hich they account

Magitious

#&0(IO. II

I read a short time ago at :ount +rapa$' 5here

it is $no5n that I reside' a boo$ 5ritten at aris'

abounding in 5it and paradoes' bold vie5s and

hardihood' resembling in some respects those of

:ontesuieu' against 5hom it is 5ritten In this

boo$' slavery is decidedly preferred to domesticity'

and above all to the free labor (his boo$ eceed-

ingly pities those unhappy free men 5ho earn a sub-

sistence 5here they please' by the labor for 5hich

man is born' and 5hich is the guardian of innocence'

as 5ell as the support of life It is incumbent on no

one' says the author' either to nourish or to succor

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them ! 5hereas' slaves are fed and protected by their

masters li$e their horses ,ll this is true ! but human

beings 5ould rather provide for themselves than de-

pend on others ! and horses bred in the forest pre-

fer them to stables

ictionary C@D

6e justly remar$s that artisans lose many days in

5hich they are forbidden to 5or$' 5hich is very true !

but this is not because they are free' but because

ridiculous la5s eist in regard to holidays

6e says most truly' that it is not 0hristian char-

ity 5hich has bro$en the fetters of servitude' since

the same charity has riveted them for more than

t5elve centuries! and that 0hristians' and even

mon$s' all charitable as they are' still possess slaves

reduced to a frightful state of bondage' under the

name of 4mortaillables' mainmor tables4 and serfs of

the soil

6e asserts that 5hich is very true' that 0hristian

princes only aNranchised their serfs through avarice

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It 5as' in fact' to obtain the money laboriously

amassed by these unhappy persons' that they signed

their letters of manumission (hey did not besto5

liberty' but sold it (he emperor 6enry % began 7

he freed the serfs of #pires and )orms in the

t5elfth century (he $ings of 1rance follo5ed his

eample ! and nothing tends more to prove the value

of liberty than the high price these gross men paid

for it

Lastly' it is for the men on 5hose condition the

dispute turns to decide upon 5hich state they pre-

fer Interrogate the lo5est laborer covered 5ith

rags' fed upon blac$ bread' and sleeping on stra5'

in a hut half open to the elements! as$ this man'

5hether he 5ill be a slave' better fed' clothed' and

bedded! not only 5ill he recoil 5ith horror at the

C @ H hilosophical

proposal' but regard you 5ith horror for ma$ing the

proposal ,s$ a slave if he is 5illing to be free'

and you 5ill hear his ans5er (his alone ought to

decide the uestion

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It is also to be considered that a laborer may be-

come a farmer' and a farmer a proprietor In

1rance' he may even become a counsellor of the $ing'

if he acuire riches In &ngland' he may become a

freeholder' or a member of parliament In #5eden'

he may become a member of the national states

 (hese possibilities are of more value than that

of dying neglected in the corner of his masterKs

stable

#&0(IO. III

uNendorN says' that slavery has been established

4by the free consent of the opposing parties4 I 5ill

believe uNendorN' 5hen he sho5s me the original

contract

2rotius inuires' 5hether a man 5ho is ta$en

captive in 5ar has a right to escape ! and it is to be

remar$ed' that he spea$s not of a prisoner on his

parole of honor 6e decides' that he has no such

right! 5hich is about as much as to say that a

5ounded man has no right to get cured .ature de-

cides against 2rotius

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,ttend to the follo5ing observations of the author

of the 4#pirit of La5s'4 after painting negro slavery

5ith the pencil of :oliere 7

4:r erry says that the :oscovites sell them-

ictionary C@"

selves readily ! I can guess the reason their liberty

is 5orth nothing4

0aptain 8ohn erry' an &nglishman' 5ho 5rote

an account of the state of ussia in @D@G' says noth-

ing of that 5hich the 4#pirit of La5s4 ma$es him

say erry contains a fe5 lines only on the subject

of ussian bondage' 5hich are as follo5s7 4(he

c;ar has ordered that' throughout his states' in fu-

ture' no one is to be called KgolupK or slave! but

only KraabK 5hich signiJes subject 6o5ever' the

people derive no real advantage from this order' be-

ing still in reality slaves4

 (he author of the 4#pirit of La5s4 adds' that

according to 0aptain ampier' 4everybody sells him-

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self in the $ingdom of ,chem4 (his 5ould be a

singular species of commerce' and I have seen noth-

ing in the 4%oyage4 of ampier 5hich conveys such

a notion It is a pity that a man so replete 5ith 5it

should ha;ard so many crudities' and so freuently

uote incorrectly

#&0(IO. I%

#erfs of the 3ody' #erfs of the 2lebe' :ainmort' etc

It is commonly asserted that there are no more

slaves in 1rance! that it is the $ingdom of the

1ran$s' and that slave and 1ran$ are contradictory

terms ! that people are so free there that many Jnan-

ciers die 5orth more than thirty millions of francs'

acuired at the epense of the descendants of the

ancient 1ran$s 6appy 1rench nation to be thus

CCA hilosophical

free T 3ut ho5' in the meantime' is so much freedom

compatible 5ith so many species of servitude' as for

instance' that of the mainmort?

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:any a Jne lady at aris' 5ho spar$les in her bo

at the opera' is ignorant that she descends from a

family of 3urgundy' the 3ourbonnais' 1ranche-

0omte' :arche' or ,uvergne' 5hich family is still

enslaved' mortaillable and mainmortable

Of these slaves' some are obliged to 5or$ three

days a 5ee$ for the lord' and others t5o If they

die 5ithout children' their 5ealth belongs to the lord !

if they leave children' the lord ta$es only the Jnest

cattle and' according to more than one custom' the

most valuable movables ,ccording to other cus-

toms' if the son of a mainmortable slave visits not

the house of his father 5ithin a year and a day from

his death' he loses all his fatherKs property' yet still

remains a slave ! that is to say' 5hatever 5ealth he

may acuire by his industry' becomes at his death

the property of the lord

)hat follo5s is still better 7 ,n honest arisian

pays a visit to his parents in 3urgundy and in

1ranche-0omte' resides a year and a day in a main-

mortable house' and returning to aris Jnds that his

property' 5herever situated' belongs to the lord' in

case he dies 5ithout issue

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It is very properly as$ed ho5 the province of

3urgundy obtained the nic$name of 4free'4 5hile

distinguished by such a species of servitude? It is

ictionary CC@

5ithout doubt upon the principle that the 2ree$s

called the furies &umenides' 4good hearts4

3ut the most curious and most consolatory cir-

cumstance attendant on this jurisprudence is that the

lords of half these mainmortable territories are

mon$s

If by chance a prince of the blood' a minister of

state' or a chancellor cast his eyes upon this article'

it 5ill be 5ell for him to recollect' that the $ing of

1rance' in his ordinance of :ay @H' @DF@' declares

to the nation' 4that the mon$s and endo5ments pos-

sess more than half of the property of 1ranche-

0omte4

 (he maruis dK,rgenson' in 4Le roit ublic &c-

clesiastiue4 says' that in ,rtois' out of eighteen

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ploughs' the mon$s possess thirteen (he mon$s

themselves are called mainmor tables' and yet possess

slaves Let us refer these mon$ish possessions to

the chapter of contradictions

)hen 5e have made some modest remonstrances

upon this strange tyranny on the part of people 5ho

have vo5ed to 2od to be poor and humble' they 5ill

then reply to us7 )e have enjoyed this right for

si hundred years! 5hy then despoil us of it? )e

may humbly rejoin' that for these thirty or forty

thousand years' the 5easels have been in the habit of

suc$ing the blood of our pullets ! yet 5e assume to

ourselves the right of destroying them 5hen 5e can

catch them

CCC hilosophical

. 3 It is a mortal sin for a 0hartreu to eat

half an ounce of mutton'' but he may 5ith a safe con-

science devour the entire substance of a family I

have seen the 0hartreu in my neighborhood inherit

a hundred thousand cro5ns from one of their main-

mortable slaves' 5ho had made a fortune by com-

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merce at 1ran$fort 3ut all the truth must be told !

it is no less true' that his family enjoys the right of

soliciting alms at the gate of the convent

Let us suppose that the mon$s have still Jfty or

sity thousand slaves in the $ingdom of 1rance

 (ime has not been found hitherto to reform this

0hristian jurisprudence! but something is begin-

ning to be thought about it It is only to 5ait a fe5

hundred years' until the debts of the state be paid

#L&&&# U(6& #&%&.V

1,3L& supposes that one &pimenides in a single

nap' slept t5enty-seven years' and that on his a5a$-

ing he 5as uite astonished at Jnding his grand-

children 5ho as$ed him his name married' his

friends dead' his to5n and the manners of its inhabi-

tants changed It 5as a Jne Jeld for criticism' and a

pleasant subject for a comedy (he legend has bor-

ro5ed all the features of the fable' and enlarged

upon them

 (he author of the 42olden KLegend4 5as not the

Jrst 5ho' in the thirteenth century' instead of one

sleeper' gave us seven' and bravely made them seven

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ictionary CCF

martyrs 6e too$ his edifying history from 2regory

de (ours' a veridical 5riter' 5ho too$ it from #ige-

bert' 5ho too$ it from :etaphrastes' 5ho had ta$en

it from .icephorus It is thus that truth is handed

do5n from man to man

 (he reverend father eter ibadeneira' of the

company of 8esus' goes still further in this celebrated

41lo5er of the #aints'4 of 5hich mention is made

in :oliereKs 4(artuNe4 It 5as translated' aug-

mented' and enriched 5ith engravings' by the rever-

end ,ntony 2irard' of the same society 7 nothing 5as

5anting to it

#ome of the curious 5ill doubtless li$e to see the

prose of the reverend father 2irard 7 behold a speci-

menT 4In the time of the emperor ecius' the

0hurch eperienced a violent and fearful persecu-

tion ,mong other 0hristians' seven brothers 5ere

accused' young' 5ell disposed' and graceful! they

5ere the children of a $night of &phesus' and called

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:aimilian' :arius' :artinian' ionysius' 8ohn'

#erapion' and 0onstantine (he emperor Jrst too$

from them their golden girdles ! then they hid them-

selves in a cavern' the entrance of 5hich ecius

caused to be 5alled up that they might die of

hunger4

1ather 2irard proceeds to say' that all seven

uic$ly fell asleep' and did not a5a$e again until K

they had slept one hundred and seventy-seven years

1ather 2irard' far from believing that this is

the dream of a man a5a$e' proves its authenticity by

CCG hilosophical

the most demonstrative arguments! and 5hen he

could Jnd no other proof' alleges the names of these

seven sleepers names never being given to people

5ho have not eisted (he seven sleepers doubtless

could neither be deceived nor deceivers' so that it

is not to dispute this history that 5e spea$ of it' but

merely to remar$ that there is not a single fabulous

event of antiuity 5hich has not been rectiJed by an-

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cient legendaries ,ll the history of 0&dipus' 6er-

cules' and (heseus is found among them' accommo-

dated to their -style (hey have invented little' but

they have perfected much

I ingenuously confess that I $no5 not 5hence

.icephorus too$ this Jne story I suppose it 5as

from the tradition of &phesus ! for the cave of the

seven sleepers' and the little church dedicated to

them' still eist (he least a5a$ened of the poor

2ree$s still go there to perform their devotions #ir

aul ycaut and several other &nglish travellers

have seen these t5o monuments ! but as to their de-

votions there' 5e hear nothing about them

Let us conclude this article 5ith the reasoning of

,bbadie7 KK(hese are memorials instituted to cele-

brate forever the adventure of the seven sleepers

.o 2ree$ in &phesus has ever doubted of it' and

these 2ree$s could not have been deceived' nor de-

ceive anybody else! therefore the history of the

seven sleepers is incontestable4

ictionary CCE

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#LO) 3&LLI&# U%&.(&# ,&##&9V

#( ,9L says' that the 0retans 5ere all 4liars'4

4evil beasts'4 and 4slo5 bellies4 (he physician

6euet understood by slo5 bellies' that the 0retans

5ere costive' 5hich vitiated their blood' and ren-

dered them ill-disposed and mischievous It is

doubtless very true that persons of this habit are

more prone to choler than others 7 their bile passes

not a5ay' but accumulates until their blood is over-

heated

)hen you have a favor to beg of a minister' or his

Jrst secretary' inform yourself adroitly of the state

of his stomach' and al5ays sei;e on 4mollia fandi

tempora4

.o one is ignorant that our character and turn of

mind are intimately connected 5ith the 5ater-closet

0ardinal ichelieu 5as sanguinary' because he had

the piles' 5hich aSicted his rectum and hardened

his disposition >ueen ,nne of ,ustria al5ays called

him 4cul pourri4 Usore bottomV' 5hich nic$name re-

doubled his bile' and possibly cost :arshal :arillac

his life' and :arshal 3assompierre his liberty ! but

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I cannot discover 5hy certain persons should be

greater liars than others (here is no $no5n con-

nection bet5een the anal sphincter and falsehood'

li$e that very sensible one bet5een our stomach and

our passions' our manner of thin$ing and our con-

duct

I am much disposed to believe' that by 4slo5

%ol @F@E

CCB hilosophical

bellies4 #t aul understood voluptuous men and

gross feeders a $ind of priors' canons' and abbots-

commendatory rich prelates' 5ho lay in bed all the

morning to recover from the ecesses of the even-

ing' as :arot observes in his eighty-sith epigram in

regard to a fat prior' 5ho lay in bed and fondled

his grandson 5hile his partridges 5ere preparing !

9n gros rieur son petit Jls baisait'

&t mignardait au matin dans sa couche'

 (andis rotir sa perdri enfaisait' etc

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3ut people may lie in bed all the morning 5ithout

being either liars' or badly disposed On the con-

trary' the voluptuously indolent are generally so-

cially gentle' and easy in their commerce 5ith the

5orld

6o5ever this may be' I regret that #t aul

should oNend an entire people In this passage' hu-

manly spea$ing' there is neither politeness' ability'

or even truth .othing is gained from men by call-

ing them evil beasts! and doubtless men of merit

5ere to be found in 0rete )hy thus outrage the

country of :inos' 5hich ,rchbishop 1enelon' in-

Jnitely more polished than #t aul' so much eulo-

gi;es in his 4(elemachus4 ?

)as not #t aul some5hat dicult to live 5ith'

of a proud spirit' and of a hard and imperious char-

acter ? If I had been one of the apostles' or even a

disciple only' I should infallibly have uarrelled 5ith

him It appears to me' that the fault 5as all on his

side' in his dispute 5ith #imon eter 3arjonas 6e

ictionary CCD

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had a furious passion for domination 6e often

boasts of being an apostle' and more an apostle than

his associates he 5ho had assisted to stone #t

#tephen' he 5ho had been assistant persecutor under

2amaliel' and 5ho 5as called upon to 5eep longer

for his crimes than #t eter for his 5ea$ness T al-

5ays' ho5ever' humanly spea$ing

6e boasts of being a oman citi;en born at (ar-

sus' 5hereas #t 8erome pretends that he 5as a poor

provincial 8e5' born at 2iscala in 2alilee In his

letters addressed to the small Moc$ of his brethren'

he al5ays spea$s magisterially 7 4I 5ill come'4 says

he to certain 0orinthians' 4and I 5ill judge of you

all on the testimony of t5o or three 5itnesses ! and

I 5ill neither pardon those 5ho have sinned' nor

others4 (his 4nor others4 is some5hat severe

:any men at present 5ould be disposed to ta$e

the part of #t eter against #t aul' but for the

episode of ,nanias and #apphira' 5hich has intimi-

dated persons inclined to besto5 alms

I return to my tet of the 0retan liars' evil beasts'

and slo5 bellies ! and I recommend to all mission-

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aries never to commence their labors among any peo-

ple 5ith insults

It is not that I regard the 0retans as the most

 just and respectable of men' as they 5ere called by

fabulous 2reece I pretend not to reconcile their

pretended virtue 5ith the pretended bull of 5hich

the beautiful asiphse 5as so much enamored ! nor

5ith the s$ill eerted by the artisan aedalus in the

CCH hilosophical

construction of a co5 of brass' by 5hich asiphse

5as enabled to produce a :inotaur' to 5hom the

pious and euitable :inos sacriJced every year and

not every nine years seven gro5n-up boys and

seven virgins of ,thens

It is not that I believe in the hundred large cities

in 0rete' meaning a hundred poor villages standing

upon a long and narro5 roc$' 5ith t5o or three

to5ns It is to be regretted that ollin' in his ele-

gant compilation of 4,ncient 6istory'4 has repeated

so many of the ancient fables of 0rete' and that of

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:inos among others

)ith respect to the poor 2ree$s and 8e5s 5ho

no5 inhabit the steep mountains of this island' under

the government of a pasha' they may possibly be liars

and evil disposed' but I cannot tell if they are slo5 of

digestion 7 I sincerely hope' ho5ever' that they have

sucient to eat

#O0I&(< UO<,LV O1 LO.O.' ,.

,0,&:I&#

2&,( men have all been formed either before

academies or independent of them 6omer and

hidias' #ophocles and ,pelles' %irgil and %itru-

vius' ,riosto and :ichelangelo' 5ere none of

them academicians (asso encountered only unjust

criticism from the ,cademy della 0rusca' and .e5-

ton 5as not indebted to the oyal #ociety of London

for his discoveries in optics' upon gravitation' upon

the integral calculus' and upon chronology Of 5hat

ictionary CC"

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use then are academies? (o cherish the Jre 5hich

great genius has $indled

 (he oyal #ociety of London 5as formed in @BBA'

si years before the 1rench ,cademy of #cience

It has no re5ards li$e ours' but neither has it any

of the disagreeable distinctions invented by the abbe

3ignon' 5ho divided the ,cademy of #ciences be-

t5een those 5ho paid' and honorary members 5ho

5ere not learned (he society of London being in-

dependent' and only self-encouraged' has been com-

posed of members 5ho have discovered the la5s of

light' of gravitation' of the aberration of the stars'

the reMecting telescope' the Jre engine' solar micro-

scope' and many other inventions' as useful as admi-

rable 0ould they have had greater men' had they

admitted pensionaries or honorary members?

 (he famous octor #5ift' in the last years of the

reign of >ueen ,nne' formed the idea of establishing

an academy for the &nglish language' after the

model of the ,cademic 1ranchise (his project 5as

countenanced by the earl of Oford' Jrst lord of the

treasury' and still more by Lord 3olingbro$e' secre-

tary of state^ 5ho possessed the gift of spea$ing e-

tempore in parliament 5ith as much purity as octor

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#5ift composed in his closet' and 5ho 5ould have

been the patron and ornament of this academy (he

members li$ely to compose it 5ere men 5hose 5or$s

5ill last as long as the &nglish language octor

#5ift 5ould have been one' and :r rior' 5hom 5e

had among us as public minister' and 5ho enjoyed a

CFA hilosophical

similar reputation in &ngland to that of La 1on-

taine among ourselves (here 5ere also :r ope'

the &nglish 3oileau' and :r 0ongreve' 5hom they

call their :oliere' and many more 5hose names es-

cape my recollection (he ueen' ho5ever' dying

suddenly' the )higs too$ it into their heads to oc-

cupy themselves in hanging the protectors of acad-

emies' a process 5hich is very injurious to the belles-

lettres (he members of this body 5ould have en-

 joyed much greater advantages than 5ere possessed

by the Jrst 5ho composed the 1rench ,cademy

#5ift' rior' 0ongreve' ryden' ope' ,ddison' and

others' had Jed the &nglish language by their 5rit-

ings' 5hereas 0hapelain' 0olletet' 0assaigne' 1aret'

and 0otin' our Jrst academicians' 5ere a scandal to

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the nation ! and their names have become so ridicu-

lous that if any author had the misfortune to be

called 0hapelain or 0otin at present' he 5ould be

obliged to change his name

,bove all' the labors of an &nglish academy 5ould

have materially diNered from our o5n One day' a

5it of that country as$ed me for the memoirs of the

1rench ,cademy It composes no memoirs' I re-

plied ! but it has caused sity or eighty volumes of

compliments to be printed 6e ran through one or

t5o' but 5as not able to comprehend the style' al-

though perfectly able to understand our best authors

4,ll that I can learn by these Jne compositions'4 said

he to me' 4is' that the ne5 member' having assured

the body that his predecessor 5as a great man' 0ar-

ictionary CF @

dinal ichelieu a very great man' and 0hancellor

#eguier a tolerably great man' the president replies

by a similar string of assurances' to 5hich he adds a

ne5 one' implying that the ne5 member is also a sort

of great man ! and as for himself' the president' he

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may also perchance possess a spice of pretension4 It

is easy to perceive by 5hat fatality all the academic

speeches are so little honorable to the body 4%itium

est temporis' potius uam hominis4 It insensibly be-

came a custom for every academician to repeat those

^eulogies at his reception ! and thus the body imposed

upon themselves a $ind of obligation to fatigue the

public If 5e 5ish to discover the reason 5hy the

most brilliant among the men of genius' 5ho have

been chosen by this body' have so freuently made

the 5orst speeches' the cause may be easily e-

plained It is' that they have been anious to shine'

and to treat 5orn-out matter in a ne5 5ay (he

necessity of saying something! the embarrassment

produced by the consciousness of having nothing to

say ! and the desire to ehibit ability' are three things

sucient to render even a great man ridiculous

9nable to discover ne5 thoughts' the ne5 members

fatigue themselves for novel terms of epression'

and often spea$ 5ithout thin$ing! li$e men 5ho'

aNecting to che5 5ith nothing in their mouths' seem

to eat 5hile perishing 5ith hunger Instead of a la5

in the 1rench ,cademy to have these speeches

printed' a la5 should be passed in prevention of that

absurdity

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CFC hilosophical

 (he ,cademy of 3elles-Lettres imposed upon it-

self a tas$ more judicious and useful that of pre-

senting to the public a collection of memoirs com-

prising the most critical and curious disuisitions

and researches (hese memoirs are already held in

great esteem by foreigners It is only desirable' that

some subjects 5ere treated more profoundly' and

others not treated of at all (hey might' for eample'

very 5ell dispense 5ith dissertations upon the pre-

rogative of the right hand over the left ! and of other

inuiries 5hich' under a less ridiculous title' are not

less frivolous (he ,cademy of #ciences' in its more

dicult and useful investigation' embraces a study

of nature' and the improvement of the arts ! and it

is to be epected that studies so profound and per-

severingly pursued' calculations so eact' and dis-

coveries so reJned' 5ill in the end produce a corre-

sponding beneJt to the 5orld at large

,s to the 1rench ,cademy' 5hat services might

it not render to letters' to the language' and the na-

tion' if' instead of printing volumes of compliments

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every year' it 5ould reprint the best 5or$s of the age

of Louis I%' puriJed from all the faults of lan-

guage 5hich have crept into themT 0orneille and

:oliere are full of them' and they s5arm in La 1on-

taine (hose 5hich could not be corrected might at

least be mar$ed' and &urope at large' 5hich reads

these authors' 5ould then learn our language 5ith

certainty' and its purity 5ould be forever 4Jed

2ood 1rench boo$s' printed 5ith care at the epense

ictionary CFF

of the $ing' 5ould be one of the most glorious mon-

uments of the nation I have heard say' that : es-

preau once made this proposal' 5hich has since

been rene5ed by a man 5hose 5it' 5isdom' and

sound criticism are generally ac$no5ledged! but

this idea has met 5ith the fate of several other useful

projects that of being approved and neglected

#O0,(&#

Is (6& mould bro$en of those 5ho loved virtue

for itself' of a 0onfucius' a ythagoras' a (hales' a

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#ocrates? In their time' there 5ere cro5ds of dev-

otees to their pagods and divinities ! minds struc$

5ith fear of 0erberus and of the 1uries' 5ho under-

5ent initiations' pilgrimages' and mysteries' 5ho

ruined themselves in oNerings of blac$ sheep ,ll

times have seen those unfortunates of 5hom Lucre-

tius spea$s 7

>ui iiocumue tamen miseri venere parentant'

&t nigras mactant pecudes' et manibu ivis

Inferias mittunt! multoue in rebus acerbis

,crius advertunt animus ad religionem

L90&(I9#' iii' E@-EG

)ho sacriJce blac$ sheep on every tomb

 (o please the manes! and of all the rout

)hen cares and dangers press' gro5 most devout

0&&06

:ortiJcations 5ere in use ! the priests of 0ybele

castrated themselves to preserve continence 6o5

comes it' that among all the martyrs of superstition'

antiuity rec$ons not a single great man a sage?

It is' that fear could never ma$e virtue' and that

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CFG hilosophical

great men have been enthusiasts in moral good

)isdom 5as their predominant passion ! they 5ere

sages as ,leander 5as a 5arrior' as 6omer 5as a

poet' and ,pelles a painter by a superior energy

and nature ! 5hich is all that is meant by the demon

of #ocrates

One day' t5o citi;ens of ,thens' returning from

the temple of :ercury' perceived #ocrates in the

public place One said to the other 7 4Is not that the

rascal 5ho says that one can be virtuous 5ithout

going every day to oNer up sheep and geese?4

4<es'4 said the other' 4that is the sage 5ho has no

religion ! that is the atheist 5ho says there is only

one 2od4 #ocrates approached them 5ith his sim-

ple air' his dsemon' and his irony' 5hich :adame

acier has so highly ealted 4:y friends'4 said he

to them' 4one 5ord' if you please 7 a man 5ho prays

to 2od' 5ho adores 6im' 5ho see$s to resemble

6im as much as human 5ea$ness can do' and 5ho

does all the good 5hich lies in his po5er' 5hat 5ould

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you call him?4 4, very religious soul'4 said they

4%ery 5ell! 5e may therefore adore the #upreme

3eing' and have a great deal of religion?4

42ranted'4 said the t5o ,thenians 43ut do you be-

lieve'4 pursued #ocrates' 4that 5hen the ivine

,rchitect of the 5orld arranged all the globes 5hich

roll over our heads' 5hen 6e gave motion and life

to so many diNerent beings' 6e made use of the arm

of 6ercules' the lyre of ,pollo' or the Mute of an ?4

4It is not probable'4 said they 43ut if it is not li$ely

ictionary CFE

that 6e called in the aid of others to construct that

5hich 5e see' it is not probable that 6e preserves

it through others rather than through 6imself If

.eptune 5as the absolute master of the sea' 8uno

of the air' 8&olus of the 5inds' 0eres of harvests

and one 5ould have a calm' 5hen the other 5ould

have rain you feel clearly' that the order of nature

could not eist as it is <ou 5ill confess' that all

depends upon 6im 5ho has made all <ou give

four 5hite horses to the sun' and four blac$ ones to

the moon ! but is it not more li$ely' that day and

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night are the eNect of the motion given to the stars

by their :aster' than that they 5ere produced by

eight horses ?4 (he t5o citi;ens loo$ed at him' but

ans5ered nothing In short' #ocrates concluded by

proving to them' that they might have harvests 5ith-

out giving money to the priests of 0eres ! go to the

chase 5ithout oNering little silver statues to the

temple of iana ! that omona gave not fruits ! that

.eptune gave not horses ! and that they should

than$ the #overeign 5ho had made all

6is discourse 5as most eactly logical eno-

phon' his disciple' a man 5ho $ne5 the 5orld' and

5ho after5ards sacriJced to the 5ind' in the re-

treat of the ten thousand' too$ #ocrates by the sleeve'

and said to him7 4<our discourse is admirable!

you have spo$en better than an oracle ! you are lost !

one of these honest people to 5hom you spea$ is a

butcher' 5ho sells sheep and geese for sacriJces ! and

the other a goldsmith' 5ho gains much by ma$ing

CFB hilosophical

little gods of silver and brass for 5omen (hey 5ill

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accuse you of being a blasphemer' 5ho 5ould di-

minish their trade ! they 5ill depose against you to

:elitus and ,nitus' your enemies' 5ho have resolved

upon your ruin 7 have a care of hemloc$ ! your fa-

miliar spirit should have 5arned you not to say to a

butcher and a goldsmith 5hat you should only say

to lato and enophon4

#ome time after' the enemies of #ocrates caused

him to be condemned by the council of Jve hundred

6e had t5o hundred and t5enty voices in his favor'

5hich may cause it to be presumed that there 5ere

t5o hundred and t5enty philosophers in this tri-

bunal ! but it sho5s that' in all companies' the number

of philosophers is al5ays the minority

#ocrates therefore dran$ hemloc$' for having

spo$en in favor of the unity of 2od ! and the ,the-

nians after5ards consecrated a temple to #ocrates

to him 5ho disputed against all temples dedicated to

inferior beings

#OLO:O.

#&%&,L $ings have been good scholars' and have

5ritten good boo$s (he $ing of russia' 1rederic$

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the 2reat' is the latest eample 5e have had of it 7

2erman monarchs 5ill be found 5ho compose

1rench verses' and 5ho 5rite the history of their

countries 8ames I in &ngland' and even 6enry

%III have 5ritten In #pain' 5e must go bac$ as

ictionary CFD

far as ,lphonso #till it is doubtful 5hether he

put his hand to the 4,lphonsine (ables4

1rance cannot boast of having had an author

$ing (he empire of 2ermany has no boo$ from the

pen of its emperors! but ome 5as gloriJed in

0aesar' :arcus ,urelius' and 8ulian In ,sia' sev-

eral 5riters are rec$oned among the $ings (he

present emperor of 0hina' +ien Long' particularly'

is considered a great poet! but #olomon' or #oly-

man' the 6ebre5' has still more reputation than

+ien Long' the 0hinese

 (he name of #olomon has al5ays been revered in

the &ast (he 5or$s believed to be his' the 4,nnals

of the 8e5s'4 and the fables of the ,rabs' have car-

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ried his reno5n as far as the Indies 6is reign is

the great epoch of the 6ebre5s

6e 5as the third $ing of alestine (he 1irst

3oo$ of +ings says that his mother' 3athsheba' ob-

tained from avid' the promise that he should cro5n

#olomon' her son' instead of ,donijah' his eldest

It is not surprising that a 5oman' an accomplice in

the death of her Jrst husband' should have had arti-

Jce enough to cause the inheritance to be given to the

fruit of her adultery' and to cause the legitimate son

to be disinherited' 5ho 5as also the eldest

It is a very remar$able fact that the prophet .a-

than' 5ho reproached avid 5ith his adultery' the

murder of 9riah' and the marriage 5hich follo5ed

this murder' 5as the same 5ho after5ards seconded

3athsheba in placing that #olomon on the throne'

CFH hilosophical

5ho 5as born of this sanguine and infamous mar-

riage (his conduct' reasoning according to the

Mesh' 5ould prove' that the prophet .athan had'

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according to circumstances' t5o 5eights and t5o

measures (he boo$ even says not that .athan re-

ceived a particular mission from 2od to disinherit

,donijah If he had one' 5e must respect it! but

5e cannot admit that 5e Jnd it 5ritten

It is a great uestion in theology' 5hether #olo-

mon is most reno5ned for his ready money' his

5ives' or his boo$s I am sorry that he commenced

his reign in the (ur$ish style by murdering his

brother

,donijah' ecluded from the throne by #olomon'

as$ed him' as an only favor' permission to espouse

,bishag' the young girl 5ho had been given to

avid to 5arm him in his old age #cripture says

not 5hether #olomon disputed 5ith ,donijah' the

concubine of his father! but it says' that #olomon'

simply on this demand of ,donijah' caused him to

be assassinated ,pparently 2od' 5ho gave him the

spirit of 5isdom' refused him that of justice and

humanity' as he after5ards refused him the gift of

continence

It is said in the same 3oo$ of +ings that he 5as

the master of a great $ingdom 5hich etended from

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the &uphrates to the ed #ea and the :editerra-

nean ! but unfortunately it is said at the same time'

that the $ing of &gypt conuered the country of

2e;er' in 0anaan' and that he gave the city of 2e;er

ictionary CF"

as a portion to his daughter' 5hom it is pretended

that #olomon espoused It is also said that there

5as a $ing at amascus ! and the $ingdoms of (yre

and #idon Mourished #urrounded thus 5ith po5er-

ful states' he doubtless manifested his 5isdom in liv-

ing in peace 5ith them all (he etreme abundance

5hich enriched his country could only be the fruit

of this profound 5isdom' since' as 5e have already

remar$ed' in the time of #aul there 5as not a 5or$er

in iron in the 5hole country (hose 5ho reason Jnd

it dicult to understand ho5 avid' the successor

of #aul' so vanuished by the hilistines' could have

established so vast an empire

 (he riches 5hich he left to #olomon are still more

5onderful ! he gave him in ready money one hun-

dred and three thousand talents of gold' and one

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million thirteen thousand talents of silver (he

6ebraic talent of gold' according to ,rbuthnot' is

5orth si thousand livres sterling' the talent of sil-

ver' about Jve hundred livres sterling (he sum

total of the legacy in ready money' 5ithout the

 je5els and other eNects' and 5ithout the ordinary

revenue proportioned no doubt to this treasure

amounted' according to this calculation' to one bil-

lion' one hundred and nineteen millions' Jve hundred

thousand pounds sterling' or to Jve billions' Jve hun-

dred and ninety-seven cro5ns of 2ermany' or to

t5enty-Jve billions' forty-eight millions of francs

 (here 5as not then so much money circulating

through the 5hole 5orld #ome scholars value this

CGA hilosophical

treasure at a little less' but the sum is al5ays very

large for alestine

)e see not' after that' 5hy #olomon should tor-

ment himself so much to send Meets to Ophir to bring

gold )e can still less divine ho5 this po5erful

monarch' in his vast states' had not a man 5ho $ne5

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ho5 to fashion 5ood from the forest of Libanus

6e 5as obliged to beg 6iram' $ing of (yre' to lend

him 5ood cutters and laborers to 5or$ it It must

be confessed that these contradictions eceedingly

eercise the genius of commentators

&very day' Jfty oen' and one hundred sheep

5ere served up for the dinner and supper of his

houses' and poultry and game in proportion' 5hich

might be about sity thousand pounds 5eight of

meat per day 6e $ept a good house It is added'

that he had forty thousand stables' and as many

houses for his chariots of 5ar' but only t5elve thou-

sand stables for his cavalry 6ere is a great number

of chariots for a mountainous country! and it 5as

a great euipage for a $ing 5hose predecessor had

only a mule at his coronation' and a territory 5hich

bred asses alone

It 5as not becoming a prince possessing so many

chariots to be limited in the article of 5omen! he

therefore possessed seven hundred 5ho bore the

name of ueen! and 5hat is strange' he had but

three hundred concubines! contrary to the custom

of $ings' 5ho have generally more mistresses than

5ives

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ictionary CG@

6e $ept four hundred and t5elve thousand

horses' doubtless to ta$e the air 5ith them along

the la$e of 2ennesaret' or that of #odom' in the

neighborhood of the 3roo$ of +edron' 5hich 5ould

be one of the most delightful places upon earth' if

the broo$ 5as not dry nine months of the year' and

if the earth 5as not horribly stony

,s to the temple 5hich he built' and 5hich the

 8e5s believed to be the Jnest 5or$ of the universe'

if the 3ramantes' the :ichelangelos' and the al-

ladios' had seen this building' they 5ould not have

admired it It 5as a $ind of small suare fortress'

5hich enclosed a court ! in this court 5as one edi-

Jce of forty cubits long' and another of t5enty ! and

it is said' that this second ediJce' 5hich 5as properly

the temple' the oracle' the holy of holies' 5as only

t5enty cubits in length and breadth' and t5enty

cubits high : #ouMot 5ould not have been uite

pleased 5ith those proportions

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 (he boo$s attributed to #olomon have lasted

longer than his temple

 (he name of the author alone has rendered these

boo$s respectable (hey should be good' since they

5ere 5ritten by a $ing' and this $ing passed for the

5isest of men

 (he Jrst 5or$ attributed to him is that of rov-

erbs It is a collection of maims' 5hich sometimes

appear to our reJned minds triMing' lo5' incoherent'

in bad taste' and 5ithout meaning eople cannot

be persuaded that an enlightened $ing has composed

%ol @F@B

CGC hilosophical

a collection of sentences' in 5hich there is not one

5hich regards the art of government' politics' man-

ners of courtiers' or customs of a court (hey are

astonished at seeing 5hole chapters in 5hich nothing

is spo$en of but prostitutes' 5ho invite passengers in

the streets to lie 5ith them (hey revolt against

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sentences in the follo5ing style 7 4(here are three

things that are never satisJed' a fourth 5hich never

says KenoughK! the grave! the barren 5omb! the

earth that is not Jlled 5ith 5ater' are the three ! and

the fourth is Jre' 5hich never sayeth KenoughK

4(here be three things 5hich are too 5onderful

for me! yea' four 5hich I $no5 not (he 5ay of

an eagle in the air' the 5ay of a serpent upon a roc$'

the 5ay of a ship in the midst of the sea' and the

5ay of a man 5ith a maid

4(here be four things 5hich are little upon the

earth' but they are eceeding 5ise (he ants are a

people not strong' yet they prepare their meat in the

summer! the conies are but a feeble race' yet they

ma$e their houses in roc$s! the locusts have no

$ing' yet go they forth all of them by bands! the

spider ta$eth hold 5ith her hands' and is in $ingsK

palaces4

0an 5e impute such follies as these to a great

$ing' to the 5isest of mortals? say the objectors

 (his criticism is strong ! it should deliver itself 5ith

more respect

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 (he roverbs have been attributed to Isaiah'

&lijah' #obna' &lia$im' 8oachim' and several others!

ictionary CGF

but 5hoever compiled this collection of &astern sen-

tences' it does not appear that it 5as a $ing 5ho gave

himself the trouble )ould he have said that the

terror of the $ing is li$e the roaring of a lion? It

is thus that a subject or a slave spea$s' 5ho trembles

at the anger of his master )ould #olomon have

spo$en so much of unchaste 5omen? )ould he

have said 7 4Loo$ thou not upon the 5ine 5hen it is

red' 5hen it giveth its color in the glass4 ?

I doubt very much 5hether there 5ere any drin$-

ing glasses in the time of #olomon ! it is a very re-

cent invention! all antiuity dran$ from cups of

5ood or metal ! and this single passage perhaps in-

dicates that this 8e5ish collection 5as composed in

,leandria' as 5ell as most of the other 8e5ish

boo$s

 (he 3oo$ of &cclesiastes' 5hich is attributed to

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#olomon' is in uite a diNerent order and taste 6e

5ho spea$s in this 5or$ seems not to be deceived

by visions of grandeur' to be tired of pleasures' and

disgusted 5ith science )e have ta$en him for

an &picurean 5ho repeats on each page' that the just

and unjust are subject to the same accidents! that

man is nothing more than the beast 5hich perishes !

that it is better not to be born than to eist! that

there is no other life ! and that there is nothing more

good and reasonable than to enjoy the fruit of our

labors 5ith a 5oman 5hom 5e love

It might happen that #olomon held such discourse

5ith some of his 5ives! and it is pretended that

CGG hilosophical

these are objections 5hich he made! but these

maims' 5hich have a libertine air' do not at all re-

semble objections! and it is a jo$e to profess to

understand in an author the eact contrary of that

5hich he says

)e believe that 5e read the sentiments of a mate-

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rialist ' at once sensual and digusted' 5ho appears to

have put an edifying 5ord or t5o on 2od in the

last verse' to diminish the scandal 5hich such a boo$

must necessarily create ,s to the rest' several

fathers say that #olomon did penance! so that 5e

can pardon him

0ritics have diculty in persuading themselves

that this boo$ can be by #olomon ! and 2rotius pre-

tends that it 5as 5ritten under =erubbabel It is not

natural for #olomon to say 7 4)oe to thee' O land'

5hen thy $ing is a child T4 (he 8e5s had not then

such $ings

It is not natural for him to say 7 4I observe the

face of the $ing4 It is much more li$ely' that the

author spo$e of #olomon' and that by this alienation

of mind' 5hich 5e discover in so many rabbins' he

has often forgotten' in the course of the boo$' that

it 5as a $ing 5hom he caused to spea$

)hat appears surprising to them is that this 5or$

has been consecrated among the canonical boo$s If

the canon of the 3ible 5ere to be established no5'

say they' perhaps the 3oo$ of &cclesiastes might not

be inserted ! but it 5as inserted at a time 5hen boo$s

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5ere very rare' and more admired than read ,ll

ictionary CGE

that can be done no5 is to palliate the &picureanism

5hich prevails in this 5or$ (he 3oo$ of &ccle-

siastes has been treated li$e many other things 5hich

disgust in a particular manner 3eing established in

times of ignorance' 5e are forced' to the scandal of

reason' to maintain them in 5iser times' and to dis-

guise the horror or absurdity of them by allegories

 (hese critics are too bold

 (he 4#ong of #ongs4 is further attributed to #ol-

omon' because the name of that $ing is found in t5o

or three places ! because it is said to the beloved'

that she is beautiful as the curtains of #olomon ! be-

cause she says that she is blac$' by 5hich epithet it

is believed that #olomon designated his &gyptian

5ife

 (hese three reasons have not proved convincing 7

I )hen the beloved' in spea$ing to her lover' says

4(he $ing hath brought me into his chamber'4 she

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evidently spea$s of another than her lover! there-

fore the $ing is not this lover ! it is the $ing of the

festival! it is the paranymph' the master of the

house' 5hom she means ! and this 8e5ess is so far

from being the mistress of a $ing' that throughout

the 5or$ she is a shepherdess' a country girl' 5ho

goes see$ing her lover through the Jelds' and in the

streets of the to5n' and 5ho is stopped at the gates

by a porter 5ho steals her garment

C 4I am beautiful as the curtains of #olomon'4

is the epression of a villager' 5ho 5ould say7 I

am as beautiful as the $ingKs tapestries! and it is

CGB hilosophical

precisely because the name of #olomon is found in

this 5or$' that it cannot be his )hat monarch could

ma$e so ridiculous a comparison? 43ehold'4 says

the beloved' 4behold +ing #olomon 5ith the cro5n

5here5ith his mother cro5ned him in the day of his

espousalsT4 )ho recogni;es not in these epres-

sions the common comparisons 5hich girls ma$e in

spea$ing of their lovers ? (hey say 7 46e is as beau-

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tiful as a prince ! he has the air of a $ing'4 etc

It is true that the shepherdess' 5ho is made to

spea$ in this amorous song' says that she is tanned

by the sun' that she is bro5n .o5 if this 5as the

daughter of the $ing of &gypt' she 5as not so

tanned 1emales of uality in &gypt 5ere fair

0leopatra 5as so ! and' in a 5ord' this person could

not be at once a peasant and a ueen

, monarch 5ho had a thousand 5ives might have

said to one of them 7 4Let her $iss me 5ith the lips

of her mouth ! for thy breasts are better than 5ine4

, $ing and a shepherd' 5hen the subject is of $iss-

ing' might epress themselves in the same manner

It is true' that it is strange enough it should be pre-

tended' that the girl spea$s in this place' and eulo-

gi;es the breasts of her lover

)e further avo5 that a gallant $ing might have

said to his mistress 7 4, bundle of myrrh is my 5ell

beloved unto me ! he shall lie all night bet5een my

breasts4

 (hat he might have said to her7 4(hy navel is

li$e a round goblet 5hich 5anteth not liuor! thy

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ictionary CGD

belly is li$e a heap of 5heat set about 5ith lilies!

thy t5o breasts are li$e t5o young roes that are

t5ins! thy nec$ is as a to5er of ivory! thine eyes

li$e the Jsh pools in 6eshbon ! and thy nose as the

to5er of Lebanon4

I confess that the 4&clogues4 of %irgil are in a

diNerent style! but each has his o5n' and a 8e5

is not obliged to 5rite li$e %irgil

)e have not noticed this Jne turn of &astern elo-

uence7 4)e have a little sister' and she hath no

breasts )hat shall 5e do for our sister in the

day 5hen she shall be spo$en for? If she be a 5all'

5e 5ill build upon her! and if she be a door' 5e

5ill close it4

#olomon' the 5isest of men' might have spo$en

thus in his merry moods ! but several rabbins Khave

maintained' not only that this voluptuous eclogue

5as not +ing #olomonKs' but that it is not authentic

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 (heodore of :opsuestes 5as of this opinion' and the

celebrated 2rotius calls the 4#ong of #ongs'4 a lib-

ertine Magitious 5or$ 6o5ever' it is consecrated'

and 5e regard it as a perpetual allegory of the mar-

riage of 8esus 0hrist 5ith the 0hurch )e must

confess' that the allegory is rather strong' and 5e

see not 5hat the 0hurch could understand' 5hen the

author says that his little sister has no breasts

,fter all' this song is a precious relic of antiuity !

it is the only boo$ of love of the 6ebre5s 5hich re-

mains to us &njoyment is often spo$en of in it

It is a 8e5ish eclogue (he style is li$e that of all

CGH hilosophical

the elouent 5or$s of the 6ebre5s' 5ithout con-

nection' 5ithout order' full of repetition' confused'

ridiculously metaphorical' but containing passages

5hich breathe simplicity and love

 (he 43oo$ of )isdom4 is in a more serious taste !

but it is no more #olomonKs than the 4#ong of

#ongs4 It is generally attributed to 8esus' the son

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of #irac' and by some to hilo of 3iblos ! but 5ho-

ever may be the author' it is believed' that in his

time the entateuch did not eist! for he says in

chapter ' that ,braham 5as going to sacriJce Isaac

at the time of the eluge ! and in another place he

spea$s of the patriarch 8oseph as of a $ing of &gypt

,t least' it is the most natural sense

 (he 5orst of it is' that the author in the same

chapter pretends' that in his time the statue of salt

into 5hich LotKs 5ife 5as changed 5as to be seen

)hat critics Jnd still 5orse is that the boo$ appears

to them a tiresome mass of commonplaces ! but they

should consider that such 5or$s are not made to fol-

lo5 the vain rules of elouence (hey are 5ritten

to edify' and not to please' and 5e should even com-

bat our disinclination to read them

It is very li$ely that #olomon 5as rich and

learned for his time and people &aggeration' the

inseparable companion of greatness' attributes riches

to him 5hich he could not have possessed' and boo$s

5hich he could not have 5ritten espect for an-

tiuity has since consecrated these errors

3ut 5hat signiJes it to us' that these boo$s 5ere

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ictionary CG"

5ritten by a 8e5 ? Our 0hristian religion is founded

on the 8e5ish' but not on all the boo$s 5hich the

 8e5s have 5ritten

1or instance' 5hy should the 4#ong of #ongs4

be more sacred to us than the fables of (almud?

It is' say they' because 5e have comprised it in the

canon of the 6ebre5s ,nd 5hat is this canon?

It is a collection of authentic 5or$s )ell' must a

5or$ be divine to be authentic? , history of the

little $ingdoms of 8udah and #ichem' for instance

is it anything but a history? (his is a strange prej-

udice )e hold the 8e5s in horror' and 5e insist

that all 5hich has been 5ritten by them' and collected

by us' bears the stamp of ivinity (here never 5as

so palpable a contradiction

#O:.,:39LI#(# ,. &,:&#

#&0(IO. I

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I 6,%& seen a somnambulist' but he contented

himself 5ith rising' dressing himself' ma$ing a bo5'

and dancing a minuet' all 5hich he did very prop-

erly ! and having again undressed himself' returned

to bed and continued to sleep

 (his conies not near the somnambulist of the

4&ncyclopaedia4 (he last 5as a young seminarist'

5ho set himself to compose a sermon in his sleep

6e 5rote it correctly' read it from one end to the

other' or at least appeared to read it' made correc-

tions' erased some lines' substituted others' and in-

serted an omitted 5ord 6e even composed music'

CEA hilosophical

noted it 5ith precision' and after preparing his paper

5ith his ruler' placed the 5ords under the notes

5ithout the least mista$e

It is said' that an archbishop of 3ordeau has

5itnessed all these operations' and many others

eually astonishing It is to be 5ished that this prel-

ate had aed his attestation to the account' signed

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by his grand vicars' or at least by his secretary

3ut supposing that this somnambulist has done all

5hich is imputed to him' I 5ould persist in putting

the same ueries to him as to a simple dreamer I

5ould say to him 7 <ou have dreamed more forci-

bly than another! but it is upon the same principle!

one has had a fever only' the other a degree of mad-

ness! but both the one and the other have received

ideas and sensations to 5hich they have not attended

 <ou have both done 5hat you did not intend to do

Of t5o dreamers' the one has not a single idea'

the other a cro5d ! the one is as insensible as mar-

ble' 5hile the other eperiences desires and enjoy-

ments , lover composes a song on his mistress in

a dream' and in his delirium imagines himself to be

reading a tender letter from her' 5hich he repeats

aloud 7

#cribit amatori meretri ! dat adultera munus

In noctis spatio miserorum vulnera durant

&(O.I9#' chap civ

oes anything pass 5ithin you during this po5er-

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ful dream more than 5hat passes every day 5hen

you are a5a$e?

ictionary CE@

 <ou' :r #eminarist' born 5ith the gift of imi-

tation' you have listened to some hundred sermons'

and your brain is prepared to ma$e them 7 moved by

the talent of imitation' you have 5ritten them 5a$-

ing ! and you are led by the same talent and impulse

5hen you are asleep 3ut ho5 have you been able

to become a preacher in a dream? <ou 5ent to

sleep' 5ithout any desire to preach emember 5ell

the Jrst time that you 5ere led to compose the s$etch

of a sermon 5hile a5a$e <ou thought not of it a

uarter of an hour before ! but seated in your cham-

ber' occupied in a reverie' 5ithout any determinate

ideas' your memory recalls' 5ithout your 5ill inter-

fering' the remembrance of a certain holiday! this

holiday reminds you that sermons are delivered on

that day ! you remember a tet ! this tet suggests

an eordium! pens' in$' and paper' are lying near

you ! and you begin to 5rite things you had not

the least previous intention of 5riting #uch is pre-

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cisely 5hat came to pass in your noctambulism

 <ou believe yourself' both in the one and the other

occupation' to have done only 5hat you intended to

do! and you have been directed 5ithout conscious-

ness by all 5hich preceded the 5riting of the sermon

In the same manner 5hen' on coming from ves-

pers' you are shut up in your cell to meditate' you

have no design to occupy yourself 5ith the image of

your fair neighbor! but it someho5 or another in-

trudes! your imagination is inMamed! and I need

CEC hilosophical

not refer to the conseuences <ou may have epe-

rienced the same adventure in your sleep

)hat share has your 5ill had in all these modi-

Jcations of sensation? (he same that it has had in

the coursing of your blood through your arteries and

veins' in the action of your lymphatic vessels' or in

the pulsation of your heart' or of your brain

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I have read the article on 4reams4 in the 4&ncy-

clopaedia'4 and have understood nothing! and 5hen

I search after the cause of my ideas and actions'

either in sleeping or 5a$ing' I am eually con-

founded

I $no5 5ell' that a reasoner 5ho 5ould prove to

me 5hen I 5a$e' and 5hen I am neither mad nor

intoicated' that I am then an active agent' 5ould

but slightly embarrass me ! but I should be still more

embarrassed if I undertoo$ to prove to him that

5hen he slept he 5as passive and a pure automaton

&plain to me an animal 5ho is a mere machine

one-half of his life' and 5ho changes his nature t5ice

every t5enty-four hours

#&0(IO. II

Letter on reams to the &ditor of the Literary 2a-

;ette' ,ugust' @DBG

2entlemen 7 ,ll the objects of science are 5ithin

your jurisdiction ! allo5 chimeras to be so also 4.il

sub sole novum4 4nothing ne5 under the sun

 (hus it is not of anything 5hich passes in noonday

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that I am going to treat' but of that 5hich ta$es

ictionary CEF

place during the night 3e not alarmed ! it is only

5ith dreams that I concern myself

I confess' gentlemen' that I am constantly of the

opinion of the physician of : ourceaugnac ! he

inuires of his patient the nature of his dreams' and

: ourceaugnac' 5ho is not a philosopher' replies

that they are of the nature of dreams It is most

certain ho5ever' 5ith no oNence to your Limousin'

that uneasy and horrible dreams denote pain either

of body or mind ! a body overcharged 5ith aliment'

or a mind occupied 5ith melancholy ideas 5hen

a5a$e

 (he laborer 5ho has 5a$ed 5ithout chagrin' and

fed 5ithout ecess' sleeps sound and tranuil' and

dreams disturb him not ! so long as he is in this state'

he seldom remembers having a dream a truth 5hich

I have fully ascertained on my estate in 6ereford-

shire &very dream of a forcible nature is produced

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by some ecess' either in the passions of the soul'

or the nourishment of the body ! it seems as if nature

intended to punish us for them' by suggesting ideas'

and ma$ing us thin$ in spite of ourselves It may be

inferred from this' that those 5ho thin$ the least are

the most happy ! but it is not that conclusion 5hich

I see$ to establish

)e must ac$no5ledge' 5ith etronius' 4>uid-

uid luce fuit' tenebris agit4 I have $no5n advo-

cates 5ho have pleaded in dreams ! mathematicians

5ho have sought to solve problems ! and poets 5ho

have composed verses I have made some myself'

CEG hilosophical

5hich are very passable It is therefore incontesta-

ble' that consecutive ideas occur in sleep' as 5ell as

5hen 5e are a5a$e' 5hich ideas as certainly come in

spite of us )e thin$ 5hile sleeping' as 5e move

in our beds' 5ithout our 5ill having anything to

do either in the motive or the thought <our 1ather

:alebranche is right in asserting that 5e are not able

to give ourselves ideas 1or 5hy are 5e to be mas-

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ters of them' 5hen 5a$ing' more than during sleep ?

If your :alebranche had stopped there' he 5ould

have been a great philosopher ! he deceived himself

only by going too far 7 of him 5e may say 7

rocessit longe Mammantia mcenia mundi

L90&(I9#' i' DG

6is vigorous and active mind 5as hurled

3eyond the Maming limits of this 5orld

0&&06

1or my part' I am persuaded that the reMection

that our thoughts proceed not from ourselves' may

induce the visit of some very good thoughts I 5ill

not' ho5ever' underta$e to develop mine' for fear of

tiring some readers' and astonishing others

I simply beg to say t5o or three 5ords in rela-

tion to dreams 6ave you not found' li$e me' that

they are the origin of the opinion so generally dif-

fused throughout antiuity' touching spectres and

manes? , man profoundly aSicted at the death of

his 5ife or his son' sees them in his sleep ! he spea$s

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to them! they reply to him! and to him they have

certainly appeared Other men have had similar

ictionary CEE

dreams! it is therefore impossible to deny that the

dead may return ! but it is certain' at the same time'

that these deceased' 5hether inhumed' reduced to

ashes' or buried in the abyss of the sea' have not been

able to reserve their bodies ! it is' therefore' the soul

5hich 5e have seen (his soul must necessarily be

etended' light' and impalpable' because in spea$ing

to it 5e have not been able to embrace it 7 4&Nugit

imago par levibus ventis4 It is moulded and de-

signed from the body that it inhabits' since it per-

fectly resembles it (he name of shade or manes is

given it ! from all 5hich a confused idea remains in

the head' 5hich diNers itself so much more because

no one can understand it

reams also appear to me to have been the sen-

sible origin of primitive prophecy or prediction

)hat more natural or common than to dream that a

person dear to us is in danger of dying' or that 5e

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see him epiring? )hat more natural' again' than

that such a person may really die soon after this omi-

nous dream of his friend ? reams 5hich have come

to pass are al5ays predictions 5hich no one can

doubt' no account being ta$en of the dreams 5hich

are never fulJlled ! a single dream accomplished has

more eNect than a hundred 5hich fail ,ntiuity

abounds 5ith these eamples 6o5 constructed are

5e for the reception of error T ay and night unite

to deceive us T

 <ou see' gentlemen' that by attending to these

CEB hilosophical

ideas' 5e may gather some fruit from the boo$ of my

compatriot' the dreamer ! but I Jnish' lest you should

ta$e me myself for a mere visionary

 <ours'

 8O6. &,:&

#&0(IO. III

Of reams

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,ccording to etronius' dreams are not of divine

origin' but self-formed7

#omnia guce mentes ludunt volitantibus umbrts'

.on delumbra deum nee ab cethere numina mittunt'

#ed sibi uisuefacit

3ut ho5' all the senses being defunct in sleep'

does there remain an internal one 5hich retains con-

sciousness ? 6o5 is it' that 5hile the eyes see not'

the ears hear not' 5e not5ithstanding understand in

our dreams? (he hound rene5s the chase in a

dream7 he bar$s' follo5s his prey' and is in at the

death (he poet composes verses in his sleep! the

mathematician eamines his diagram ! and the meta-

physician reasons 5ell or ill ! of all 5hich there are

stri$ing eamples

,re they only the organs of the machine 5hich

act ? Is it the pure soul' submitted to the empire of

the senses' enjoying its faculties at liberty?

If the organs alone produce dreams by night' 5hy

not alone produce ideas by day? If the soul' pure

and tranuil' acting for itself during the repose of

the senses' is the sole cause of our ideas 5hile 5e

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are sleeping' 5hy are all these ideas usually irregu-

ictionary CED

lar' unreasonable' and incoherent ? )hat T at a time

5hen the soul is least disturbed' it is so much dis-

uieted in its imagination ? Is it frantic 5hen at lib-

erty? If it 5as produced 5ith metaphysical ideas'

as so many sages assert 5ho dream 5ith their eyes

open' its correct and luminous ideas of being' of in-

Jnity' and of all the primary principles' ought to be

revealed in the soul 5ith the greatest energy 5hen

the body sleeps )e should never be good philoso-

phers ecept 5hen dreaming

)hatever system 5e embrace' 5hatever our vain

endeavors to prove that the memory impels the brain'

and that the brain acts upon the soul' 5e must allo5

that our ideas come' in sleep' independently of our

5ill It is therefore certain that 5e can thin$ seven

or eight hours running 5ithout the least intention of

doing so' and even 5ithout being certain that 5e

thin$ ause upon that' and endeavor to divine 5hat

there is in this 5hich is animal

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reams have al5ays formed a great object of

superstition' and nothing is more natural , man

deeply aNected by the sic$ness of his mistress

dreams that he sees her dying ! she dies the net day !

and of course the gods have predicted her death

 (he general of an army dreams that he shall gain

a battle ! he subseuently gains one ! the gods had

decreed that he should be a conueror reams

5hich are accomplished are alone attended to

reams form a great part of ancient history' as also

of oracles

%ol @F @D

CEH hilosophical

 (he 4%ulgate4 thus translates the end of Leviti-

cus' i' CB 7 4<ou shall not observe dreams4 3ut

the 5ord 4dream4 eists not in the 6ebre5 ! and it

5ould be eceedingly strange' if attention to dreams

5as reproved in the same boo$ in 5hich it is said

that 8oseph became the benefactor of &gypt and his

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family' in conseuence of his interpretation of three

dreams

 (he interpretation of dreams 5as a thing so com-

mon' that the supposed art had no limits' and the in-

terpreter 5as sometimes called upon to say 5hat an-

other person had dreamed .ebuchadne;;ar' having

forgotten his dream' orders his :agi to say 5hat it

5as he had dreamed' and threatened them 5ith death

if they failed ! but the 8e5 aniel' 5ho 5as in the

school of the :agi' saved their lives by divining at

once 5hat the $ing had dreamed' and interpreting it

 (his history' and many others' may serve to prove

that the la5s of the 8e5s did not forbid oneiromancy'

that is to say' the science of dreams

#&0(IO. I%

Lausanne' Oct CE' @DED

In one of my dreams' I supped 5ith : (ouron'

5ho appeared to compose verses and music' 5hich he

sang to us I addressed these four lines to him in

my dream7

:an cher (ouron' ue tu nfenchantes

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ar la douceur de tes accens T

>ue tes vers sont dou et coulansT

 (u lesfais coinme tu les chantes

ictionary CE"

 (hy gentle accents' (ouron dear'

#ound most delightful to my earT

)ith ho5 much ease the verses roll'

)hich Mo5' 5hile singing' from thy soulT

In another dream' I recited the Jrst canto of the

46enriade4 uite diNerent from 5hat it is <ester-

day' I dreamed that verses 5ere recited at supper'

and that some one pretended they 5ere too 5itty I

replied that verses 5ere entertainments given to the

soul' and that ornaments are necessary in entertain-

ments

I have therefore said things in my sleep 5hich I

should have some diculty to say 5hen a5a$e! I

have had thoughts and reMections' in spite of myself'

and 5ithout the least voluntary operation on my o5n

part' and nevertheless combined my ideas 5ith sa-

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gacity' and even 5ith genius )hat am I' therefore'

if not a machine?

#O6I#(

, 2&O:&(I0I,.' a little severe' thus addressed

us one day 7 (here is nothing in literature more

dangerous than rhetorical sophists! and among

these sophists none are more unintelligible and un-

5orthy of being understood than the divine lato

 (he only useful idea to be found in him' is that

of the immortality of the soul' 5hich 5as already

admitted among cultivated nations! but' then' ho5

does he prove this immortality?

)e cannot too forcibly appeal to this proof' in

@BA hilosophical

order to correctly appreciate this famous 2ree$ 6e

asserts' in his 4hcedon'4 that death is the opposite of

life' that death springs from life' and the living from

the dead' conseuently that our souls 5ill descend

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beneath the earth 5hen 5e die

If it is true that the sophist lato' 5ho gives him-

self out for the enemy of all sophists' reasons al5ays

thus' 5hat have been all these pretended great men'

and in 5hat has consisted their utility?

 (he grand defect of the latonic philosophy is the

transformation of abstract ideas into realities ,

man can only perform a Jne action' because a beauty

really eists' 5hich is its archetype

)e cannot perform any action' 5ithout forming

an idea of the action therefore these ideas eist I

$no5 not 5here' and it is necessary to study them

2od formed an idea of the 5orld before 6e cre-

ated it (his 5as 6is logos7 the 5orld' therefore'

is the production of the logosT

)hat disputes' ho5 many vain and even sanguin-

ary contests' has this manner of argument produced

upon earth T lato never dreamed that his doctrine

5ould be able' at some future period' to divide a

church 5hich in his time 5as not in eistence

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 (o conceive a just contempt for all these foolish

subtilties' read emosthenes' and see if in any one

of his harangues he employs one of these ridiculous

sophisms It is a clear proof that' in serious business'

no more attention is paid to these chimeras than in a

council of state to theses of theology

ictionary CB@4

.either 5ill you Jnd any of this sophistry in the

speeches of 0icero It 5as a jargon of the schools'

invented to amuse idleness the uac$ery of mind

#O9L

#&0(IO. I

 (6I# is a vague and indeterminate term' epress-

ing an un$no5n principle of $no5n eNects' 5hich

5e feel in ourselves (his 5ord 4soul4 ans5ers to

the 4anima4 of the Latins to the 4pneuma4 of the

2ree$s to the term 5hich each and every nation

has used to epress 5hat they understood no better

than 5e do

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In the proper and literal sense of the Latin and

the languages derived from it' it signiJes that 5hich

animates (hus pecrple say' the soul of men' of ani-

mals' and sometimes of plants' to denote their prin-

ciple of vegetation and life (his 5ord has never

been uttered 5ith any but a confused idea' as 5hen

it is said in 2enesis7 42od breathed into his nos-

trils the breath of life' and he became a living soul4 !

and7 4(he soul of animals is in the blood4! and7

4#tay not my soul4

 (hus the soul 5as ta$en for the origin and the

cause of life' and for life itself 6ence all $no5n

nations long imagined that everything died 5ith the

body If anything can be discerned 5ith clearness

in the chaos of ancient histories' it seems that the

&gyptians 5ere at least the Jrst 5ho made a distinc-

CBC hilosophical

tion bet5een the intelligence and the soul ! and the

2ree$s learned from them to distinguish their

4nous4 and their 4pneuma4 (he Latins' after the

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eample of the 2ree$s' distinguished 4animus4 and

4anima4 ! and 5e have' too' our soul and our under-

standing 3ut are that 5hich is the principle of our

life' and that 5hich is the principle of our thoughts'

t5o diNerent things ? oes that 5hich causes us to

digest' and 5hich gives us sensation and memory'

resemble that 5hich is the cause of digestion in ani-

mals' and of their sensations and memory?

6ere is an eternal object for disputation 7 I say

an eternal object' for having no primitive notion

from 5hich to deduce in this investigation' 5e must

ever continue in a labyrinth of doubts and feeble

conjectures

)e have not the smallest step on 5hich to set our

foot' to reach the slightest $no5ledge of 5hat ma$es

us live and 5hat ma$es us thin$ 6o5 should 5e?

1or 5e must then have seen life and thought enter a

body oes a father $no5 ho5 he produced his

son ? oes a mother $no5 ho5 she conceived him ?

6as anyone ever been able to divine ho5 he acts'

ho5 he 5a$es' or ho5 he sleeps? oes anyone

$no5 ho5 his limbs obey his 5ill ? 6as anyone dis-

covered by 5hat art his ideas are traced in his brain'

and issue from it at his command ? 1eeble automata'

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moved by the invisible hand 5hich directs us on the

stage of this 5orld' 5hich of us has ever perceived

the thread 5hich guides us?

ictionary CBF

)e dare to put in uestion' 5hether the intelli-

gent soul is spirit or matter! 5hether it is created

before us' or proceeds from nothing at our birth!

5hether' after animating us for a day on this earth'

it lives after us in eternity (hese uestions appear

sublime! 5hat are they? >uestions of blind men

as$ing one another 7 )hat is light ?

)hen 5e 5ish to have a rude $no5ledge of a

piece of metal' 5e put it on the Jre in a crucible!

but have 5e any crucible 5herein to put the soul?

It is spirit' says one ! but 5hat is spirit ? ,ssuredly'

no one $no5s (his is a 5ord so void of meaning'

that to tell 5hat spirit is' you are obliged to say 5hat

it is not (he soul is matter' says another ! but 5hat

is matter ? )e $no5 nothing of it but a fe5 appear-

ances and properties ! and not one of these proper-

ties' not one of these appearances' can bear the least

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anity to thought

It is something distinct from matter' you say!

but 5hat proof have you of this ? Is it because mat-

ter is divisible and Jgurable' and thought is not?

3ut ho5 do you $no5 that the Jrst principles of mat-

ter are divisible and Jgurable ? It is very li$ely that

they are not ! 5hole sects of philosophers assert that

the elements of matter have neither Jgure nor e-

tent <ou triumphantly eclaim 7 (hought is neither

5ood' nor stone' nor sand' nor metal! therefore'

thought belongs not to matter )ea$ and presump-

tuous reasonersT 2ravitation is neither 5ood' nor

sand' nor metal' nor stone ! nor is motion' or vege-

CBG hilosophical

tation' or life' any of all these ! yet life' vegetation'

motion' gravitation' are given to matter (o say that

2od cannot give thought to matter' is to say the

most insolently absurd thing that has ever been ad-

vanced in the privileged schools of madness and

folly )e are not assured that 2od has done this !

5e are only assured that 6e can do it 3ut of 5hat

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avail is all that has been said' or all that 5ill be said'

about the soul? )hat avails it that it has been

called 4entelechia4 uintessence' Mame' ether that

it has been believed to be universal' uncreated' trans-

migrant ?

Of 5hat avail' in these uestions inaccessible to

reason' are the romances of our uncertain imagina-

tions? )hat avails it' that the fathers in the four

primitive ages believed the soul to be corporeal?

)hat avails it that (ertullian' 5ith a contradictori-

ness that 5as familiar to him' decided that it is at

once corporeal' Jgured' and simple? )e have a

thousand testimonies of ignorance' but not one 5hich

aNords us a ray of probability

6o5' then' shall 5e be bold enough to arm

5hat the soul is ? )e $no5 certainly that 5e eist'

that 5e feel' that 5e thin$ #ee$ 5e to advance one

step further 5e fall into an abyss of dar$ness ! and

in this abyss' 5e have still the foolish temerity to dis-

pute 5hether this soul' of 5hich 5e have not the

least idea' is made before us or 5ith us' and 5hether

it is perishable or immortal ?

 (he article on 4#oul'4 and all articles belonging

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ictionary CBE

to metaphysics' should begin 5ith a sincere submis-

sion to the indubitable tenets of the 0hurch evela-

tion is doubtless much better than philosophy #ys-

tems eercise the mind' but faith enlightens and

guides it

,re there not 5ords often pronounced of 5hich

5e have but a very confused idea' or perhaps no

idea at all? Is not the 5ord 4soul4 one of these?

)hen the tongue of a pair of bello5s is out of order'

and the air' escaping through the valve' is not driven

5ith violence to5ards the Jre' the maid-servant

says 7 4(he soul of the bello5s is burst4 #he $no5s

no better' and the uestion does not at all disturb

her uiet

 (he gardener uses the epression' 4#oul of the

plants4! and cultivates them very 5ell 5ithout

$no5ing 5hat the term means

 (he musical-instrument ma$er places' and shifts

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for5ard or bac$5ard' the soul of a violin' under the

bridge' in the interior of the instrument 7 a sorry bit

of 5ood more or less gives it or ta$es from it a har-

monious soul

)e have several manufactures in 5hich the 5or$-

men give the appellation of 4soul4 to their machines !

but they are never heard to dispute about the 5ord 7

it is other5ise 5ith philosophers

 (he 5ord 4soul'4 5ith us' signiJes in general that

5hich animates Our predecessors' the 0elts' gave

their soul the name of 4seel'4 of 5hich the &nglish

have made soul' 5hile the 2ermans retain 4seel4 !

CBB hilosophical

and it is probable that the ancient (eutons and the

ancient 3ritons had no university uarrels about this

epression

 (he 2ree$s distinguished three sorts of souls7

4syche'4 signifying the sensitive soul the soul of

the senses! and hence it 5as that Love' the son of

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,phrodite' had so much passion for syche' and that

she loved him so tenderly! 4neuma'4 the breath

5hich gave life and motion to the 5hole machine'

and 5hich 5e have rendered by 4spiritus4 spirit

a vague term' 5hich has received a thousand diNer-

ent acceptations 7 and lastly' 4nous'4 intelligence

 (hus 5e possess three souls' 5ithout having the

slightest notion of any one of them #t (homas

,uinas admits these three souls in his uality of

peripatetic' and distinguishes each of the three into

three parts

4syche4 5as in the breast! 4neuma4 5as

spread throughout the body ! and 4.ous4 5as in the

head (here 5as no other philosophy in our schools

until the present day ! and 5oe to the man 5ho too$

one of these souls for another T

In this chaos of ideas' there 5as ho5ever a foun-

dation :en had clearly perceived that in their pas-

sions of love' anger' fear' etc' motions 5ere ecited

5ithin them! the heart and the liver 5ere the seat

of the passions )hen thin$ing deeply' one feels a

laboring in the organs of the head! therefore' the

intellectual soul is in the brain )ithout respiration

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there is no vegetation' no life ! therefore' the vegeta-

ictionary CBD

tive soul is in the breast' 5hich receives the breath

of the air

)hen men had seen in their sleep their dead rela-

tives or friends' they necessarily sought to discover

5hat had appeared to them It 5as not the body'

5hich had been consumed on a pile or s5allo5ed up

in the sea and eaten by the Jshes 6o5ever' they

5ould declare it 5as something' for they had seen it !

the dead man had spo$en! the dreamer had ues-

tioned him )as it 4syche4 ! 5as it 4neuma4 !

5as it 4.ous4 5ith 5hom he had conversed in his

sleep? (hen a phantom 5as imagined a slight

Jgure! it 5as 4s$ia4 it 5as 4daimonos4 a shade

of the manes ! a small soul of air and Jre' etremely

slender' 5andering none $ne5 5here

In after times' 5hen it 5as determined to sound

the matter' the undisputed result 5as' that this soul

5as corporeal' and all antiuity had no other idea of

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it ,t length came lato' 5ho so subtili;ed this soul'

that it 5as doubted 5hether he did not entirely sep-

arate it from matter ! but the problem 5as never re-

solved until faith came to enlighten us

In vain do the materialists adduce the testimony

of some fathers of the 0hurch 5ho do not epress

themselves 5ith eactness #t Irenaeus says that the

soul is but the breath of life' that it is incorporeal

only in comparison 5ith the mortal body' and that it

retains the human Jgure in order that it may be rec-

ogni;ed

In vain does (ertullian epress himself thus 7

CBH hilosophical

4(he corporality of the soul shines forth in the 2os-

pel K0orporalitas anima in ipso evangelic reluces-

seitK KKK 1or if the soul had not a body' the image of

the soul 5ould not have the image of the body

In vain does he even relate the vision of a holy

5oman 5ho had seen a very brilliant soul of the

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color of the air

In vain does (atian epressly say 7

ev oov t ()% avOdP(75v no^uJear^ iartv

4(he soul of man is composed of several parts4

In vain do they adduce #t 6ilary' 5ho said in

later times 7 4(here is nothing created 5hich is not

corporeal' neither in heaven nor on earth! neither

visible nor invisible ! all is formed of elements ! and

souls' 5hether they inhabit a body or are 5ithout a

body' have al5ays a corporeal substance4

In vain does #t ,mbros0j in the fourth century'

say7 4)e $no5 nothing but 5hat is material' e-

cepting only the ever-venerable (rinity4

 (he 5hole body of the 0hurch has decided that

the soul is immaterial (hese holy men had fallen

into an error then universal! they 5ere men7 but

they 5ere not mista$en concerning immortality' be-

cause it is evidently announced in the 2ospels

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#o evident is our need of the decision of the in-

fallible 0hurch on these points of philosophy' that

indeed 5e have not of ourselves any sucient notion

of 5hat is called pure spirit' nor of 5hat is called

matter ure spirit is an epression 5hich gives us

ictionary CB"

no idea ! and 5e are acuainted 5ith matter only by

a fe5 phenomena #o little do 5e $no5 of it' that

5e call it substance' 5hich 5ord 4substance4 means

that 5hich is beneath ! but this beneath 5ill eternally

be concealed from us ! this beneath is the 0reatorKs

secret' and this secret of the 0reator is every5here

)e do not $no5 ho5 5e receive life' ho5 5e give it'

ho5 5e gro5' ho5 5e digest' ho5 5e sleep' ho5 5e

thin$' nor ho5 5e feel (he great diculty is' to

comprehend ho5 a being' 5hatsoever it be' has

thoughts

#&0(IO. II

Loc$eKs oubts concerning the #oul

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 (he author of the article on 4#oul'4 in the 4&n-

cyclopaedia'4 5ho has scrupulously follo5ed 8acue-

lot' teaches us nothing 6e also rises up against

Loc$e' because the modest Loc$e has said 7

4erhaps 5e shall never be capable of $no5ing

5hether a material being thin$s or not ! for this rea-

son y-that it is impossible for us to discover' by the

contemplation of our o5n ideas' K5ithout revelation/

5hether 2od has not given to some portion of mat-

ter' disposed as 6e thin$s Jt' the po5er of perceiv-

ing and thin$ing! or 5hether 6e has joined and

united to matter so disposed' an immaterial and

thin$ing substance 1or 5ith regard to our notions'

it is no less easy for us to conceive that 2od can' if

6e pleases' add to an idea of matter the faculty of

thin$ing' than to comprehend that 6e joins to it

CDA hilosophical

another substance 5ith the faculty of thin$ing ! since

5e $no5 not in 5hat thought consists' nor to 5hat

$ind of substance this all-po5erful 3eing has

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thought Jt to grant this po5er' 5hich could be cre-

ated only by virtue of the good-5ill and pleasure of

the 0reator I do not see that there is any contra-

diction in 2od that thin$ing' eternal' and all-po5-

erful 3eing giving' if 6e 5ills it' certain degrees

of feeling' perception' and thought' to certain por-

tions of matter' created and insensible' 5hich 6e

 joins together as he thin$s Jt4

 (his 5as spea$ing li$e a profound' religious' and

modest man It is $no5n 5hat contests he had to

maintain concerning this opinion' 5hich he ap-

peared to have ha;arded' but 5hich 5as really no

other than a conseuence of the conviction he felt of

the omnipotence of 2od' and the 5ea$ness of man

6e did not say that matter thought ! but he said that

5e do not $no5 enough to demonstrate that it is im-

possible for 2od to add the gift of thought to the

un$no5n being called 4matter'4 after granting to it

those of gravitation and of motion' 5hich are eually

incomprehensible

,ssuredly' Loc$e 5as not the only one 5ho ad-

vanced this opinion ! it 5as that of all the ancients

regarding the soul only as very subtile matter' they

conseuently armed that matter could feel and

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thin$

#uch 5as the opinion of 2assendi' as 5e Jnd in

his objections to escartes 4It is true'4 says 2as-

ictionary CD@

sendi' 4that you $no5 that you thin$ ! but you' 5ho

thin$' $no5 not of 5hat $ind of substance you are

 (hus' though the operation of thought is $no5n to

you' the principle of your essence is hidden from

you' and you do not $no5 5hat is the nature of that

substance' one of the operations of 5hich is to thin$

 <ou resemble a blind man 5ho' feeling the heat of

the sun' and being informed that it is caused by the

sun' should believe himself to have a clear and dis-

tinct idea of that luminary' because' if he 5ere as$ed

5hat the sun is' he could ans5er' that it is a thing

5hich 5arms 4

 (he same 2assendi' in his 4hilosophy of &pic-

urus'4 repeats several times that there is no mathe-

matical evidence of the pure spirituality of the soul

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escartes' in one of his letters to &li;abeth' prin-

cess palatine' says to her7 4I confess' that by nat-

ural reason alone' 5e can form many conjectures

about the soul' and conceive Mattering hopes ! but 5e

can have no assurance4 ,nd here escartes com-

bats in his letters 5hat he advances in his boo$s a

too ordinary contradiction

)e have seen' too' that all the fathers in the Jrst

ages of the 0hurch' 5hile they believed the soul im-

mortal' believed it to be material (hey thought it

as easy for 2od to preserve as to create (hey said'

2od made it thin$ing' 6e 5ill preserve it thin$ing

:alebranche has clearly proved' that by ourselves

5e have no idea' and that objects are incapable of

giving us any ! 5hence he concludes that 5e see all

ay C hilosophical

things in 2od (his' in substance' is the same as

ma$ing 2od the author of all our ideas ! for 5here-

5ith should 5e see ourselves in 6im' if 5e had not

instruments for seeing? and these instruments are

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held and directed by him alone (his system is a

labyrinth' of 5hich one path 5ould lead you to #pin-

o;ism' another to #toicism' another to chaos

)hen men have disputed 5ell and long on matter

and spirit' they al5ays end in understanding neither

one another nor themselves .o philosopher has ever

been able to lift by his o5n strength the veil 5hich

nature has spread over the Jrst principle of things

 (hey dispute' 5hile nature is acting

#&0(IO. III

On the #ouls of 3easts' and on #ome &mpty Ideas

3efore the strange system 5hich supposes ani-

mals to be pure machines 5ithout any sensation' men

had never imagined an immaterial soul in beasts!

and no one had carried temerity so far as to say that

an oyster has a spiritual soul ,ll the 5orld peace-

ably agreed that beasts had received from 2od feel-

ing' memory' ideas' but not a pure spirit .o one

had abused the gift of reason so far as to say that

nature has given to beasts the organs of feeling' in

order that they may have no feeling .o one had

said that they cry out 5hen 5ounded' and My 5hen

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pursued' 5ithout eperiencing either pain or fear

2odKs omnipotence 5as not then denied 7 it 5as in

6is po5er to communicate to the organi;ed matter

ictionary CDF

of animals pleasure' pain' remembrance' the combi-

nation of some ideas ! it 5as in 6is po5er to give to

several of them' as the ape' the elephant' the hound'

the talent of perfecting themselves in the arts 5hich

are taught them 7 not only 5as it in 6is po5er to en-

do5 almost all carnivorous animals 5ith the talent

of ma$ing 5ar better in their eperienced old age

than in their conJding youth ! not only 5as it in 6is

po5er to do this' but 6e had done it' as the 5hole

5orld could 5itness

ereira and escartes maintained against the

5hole 5orld that it 5as mista$en! that 2od had

played the conjurer! that 6e had given to animals

all the instruments of life and sensation' that they

might have neither sensation or life properly so

called 3ut some pretended philosophers' I $no5

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not 5hom' in order to ans5er escartesK chimera'

thre5 themselves into the opposite chimera very lib-

erally' giving 4pure spirit4 to toads and insects 4In

vitium ducit culpa fuga4

3et5it these t5o follies' the one depriving of

feeling the organs of feeling' the other lodging pure

spirit in a bug a mean 5as imagined' vi;' instinct

,nd 5hat is 4instinct4? OhT it is a substantial

form ! it is a plastic form ! it is a I $no5 not 5hat

it is instinct I 5ill be of your opinion' so long as

you apply to most things 4I $no5 not 5hat4 ! so long

as your philosophy shall begin and end 5ith 4I $no5

not4 ! but 5hen you 4arm'4 I shall say to you 5ith

rior' in his poem on the vanity of the 5orld 7

%ol @F@H

CDG hilosophical

 (hen vainly the philosopher avers

 (hat reason guides our deeds' and instinct theirs

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6o5 can 5e justly diNerent causes frame'

)hen the eNects entirely are the same?

Instinct and reason ho5 can 5e divide?

K(is the foolKs ignorance' and the pedantKs pride

 (he author of the article on 4#oul'4 in the 4&n-

cyclopaedia'4 eplains himself thus 7 4I represent to

myself the soul of beasts as a substance immaterial

and intelligent4 3ut of 5hat $ind? It seems to

me' that it must be an active principle having sensa-

tions' and only sensations If 5e reMect on

the nature of the souls of beasts' it does not of itself

give us any grounds for believing that their spiritu-

ality 5ill save them from annihilation

I do not understand ho5 you represent to your-

self an immaterial substance (o represent a thing

to yourself is to ma$e to yourself an image of it ! and

hitherto no one has been able to paint the mind I

am 5illing to suppose that by the 5ord 4represent'4

the author means I 4conceive4 ! for my part' I o5n

that I do not conceive it #till less do I conceive ho5

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a spiritual soul is annihilated' because I have no con-

ception of creation or of nothing! because I never

attended 2odKs council ! because I $no5 nothing at

all of the principle of things

If I see$ to prove that the soul is a real being' I

am stopped' and told that it is a faculty If I arm

that it is a faculty' and that I have that of thin$ing'

I am ans5ered' that I mista$e ! that 2od' the eternal

master of all nature' does everything in me' directing

all my actions' and all my thoughts! that if I pro-

ictionary CDE

duced my thoughts' I should $no5 those 5hich I

should have the net minute! that I never $no5

this! that I am but an automaton 5ith sensations

and ideas' necessarily dependent' and in the hands

of the #upreme 3eing' inJnitely more subject to

6im than clay is to the potter

I ac$no5ledge then my ignorance! I ac$no5l-

edge that four thousand volumes of metaphysics 5ill

not teach us 5hat our soul is

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,n orthodo philosopher said to a heterodo

philosopher' 46o5 can you have brought yourself

to imagine that the soul is of its nature mortal' and

that it is eternal only by the pure 5ill of 2od?4 43y

my eperience'4 says the other 46o5 T have you

been dead then ?4 4<es' very often 7 in my youth I

had a Jt of epilepsy! and I assure you' that I 5as

perfectly dead for several hours 7 I had no sensation'

nor even any recollection from the moment that I

5as sei;ed (he same thing happens to me no5 al-

most every night I never feel precisely the mo-

ment 5hen I fall asleep' and my sleep is absolutely

5ithout dreams I cannot imagine' but by con-

 jectures' ho5 long I have slept I am dead regu-

larly si hours in t5enty-four' 5hich is one-fourth

of my life4

 (he orthodo then maintained against him that

he al5ays thought 5hile he 5as asleep' 5ithout his

$no5ing of it (he heterodo replied 7 4I believe'

by revelation' that I shall thin$ forever in the net

5orld ! but I assure you' that I seldom thin$ in this4

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CjB hilosophical

 (he orthodo 5as not mista$en in arming the

immortality of the soul' since faith demonstrates that

truth ! but he might be mista$en in arming that a

sleeping man constantly thin$s

Loc$e fran$ly o5ned that he did not al5ays thin$

5hile he 5as asleep ,nother philosopher has said 7

4(hought is peculiar to man' but it is not his es-

sence4

Let us leave every man at liberty to see$ into

himself and to lose himself in his ideas 6o5ever'

it is 5ell to $no5 that in @DEA' a philosopher under-

5ent a very severe persecution' for having ac$no5l-

edged' 5ith Loc$e' that his understanding 5as not

eercised every moment of the day and of the night'

no more than his arms or his legs .ot only 5as he

persecuted by the ignorance of the court' but the ma-

licious ignorance of some pretended men of letters

assailed the object of persecution (hat 5hich in

&ngland had produced only some philosophical dis-

putes' produced in 1rance the most disgraceful

atrocities7 a 1renchman 5as made the victim of

Loc$e

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 (here have al5ays been among the refuse of our

literature' some of those 5retches 5ho have sold

their pens and caballed against their very benefac-

tors (his remar$ is to be sure foreign to the article

on 4#oul4 7 but ought one to lose a single opportu-

nity of stri$ing terror into those 5ho render them-

selves un5orthy of the name of literary men' 5ho

prostitute the little 5it and conscience they have to a

ictionary CDD

vile interest' to a chimerical policy' 5ho betray their

friends to Matter fools' 5ho prepare in secret the

hemloc$-draught 5ith 5hich po5erful and 5ic$ed

ignorance 5ould destroy useful citi;ens

id it ever occur in true ome' that a Lucretius

5as denounced to the consuls for having put the

system of &picurus into verse ! a 0icero' for having

repeatedly 5ritten' that there is no pain after death !

or that a liny or a %arro 5as accused of having

peculiar notions of the divinity? (he liberty of

thin$ing 5as unlimited among the omans (hose

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of harsh' jealous' and narro5 minds' 5ho among us

have endeavored to crush this liberty the parent of

our $no5ledge' the mainspring of the understanding

have made chimerical dangers their pretet ! they

have forgotten that the omans' 5ho carried this

liberty much further than 5e do' 5ere nevertheless

our conuerors' our la5givers ! and that the disputes

of schools have no more to do 5ith government than

the tub of iogenes had 5ith the victories of ,le-

ander

 (his lesson is 5orth uite as much as a lesson on

the soul )e shall perhaps have occasion more than

once to recur to it

In Jne' 5hile adoring 2od 5ith all our soul' let

us ever confess our profound ignorance concerning

that soul that faculty of feeling and thin$ing 5hich

5e o5e to 6is inJnite goodness Let us ac$no5l-

edge that our 5ea$ reasonings can neither ta$e from

nor add to revelation and faith Let us' in short'

CD H hilosophical

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conclude that 5e ought to employ this intelligence'

5hose nature is un$no5n' in perfecting the sciences

5hich are the object of the 4&ncyclopaedia'4 as

5atchma$ers ma$e use of springs in their 5atches'

5ithout $no5ing 5hat spring is

#&0(IO. I%

On the #oul' and on our Ignorance

elying on our acuired $no5ledge' 5e have ven-

tured to discuss the uestion7 )hether the soul is

created before us ? )hether it arrives from nothing

in our bodies? ,t 5hat age it came and placed it-

self bet5een the bladder and the intestines' 4caecum4

and 4rectum4 ? )hether it received or brought there

any ideas' and 5hat those ideas are ? )hether' after

animating us for a fe5 moments' its essence is to live

after us in eternity' 5ithout the intervention of 2od

6imself? )hether' it being a spirit' and 2od being

spirit' they are of li$e nature ? (hese uestions have

an appearance of sublimity )hat are they but ues-

tions of men born blind discussing the nature of

light?

)hat have all the philosophers' ancient and mod-

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ern' taught us ? , child is 5iser than they 7 he does

not thin$ about 5hat he cannot conceive

6o5 unfortunate' you 5ill say' for an insatiable

curiosity' for an unuenchable thirst after 5ell-be-

ing' that 5e are thus ignorant of ourselves T 2ranted 7

and there are things yet more unfortunate than this !

but I 5ill ans5er you 7 4#ors tua mortalis' non est

ictionary CD"

mortale uod optas4 4:ortal thy fate' thy 5ishes

those of gods4

Once more let it be repeated' the nature of every

principle of things appears to be the secret of the

0reator 6o5 does the air convey sound? 6o5

are animals formed ? 6o5 do some of our members

constantly obey our 5ill ? )hat hand places ideas in

our memory' $eeps them there as in a register' and

dra5s them thence sometimes at our command' and

sometimes in spite of us? Our o5n nature' that of

the universe' that of the smallest plant all' to us'

involved in utter dar$ness

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:an is an acting' feeling' and thin$ing being!

this is all 5e $no5 of the matter 7 it is not given to

us to $no5 either 5hat renders us feeling or thin$-

ing' or 5hat ma$es us act' or 5hat causes us to be

 (he acting faculty is to us as incomprehensible as the

thin$ing faculty (he diculty is not so much to

conceive ho5 this body of clay has feelings and ideas

as to conceive ho5 a being' 5hatever it be' has ideas

and feelings

3ehold on one hand the soul of ,rchimedes' and

on the other that of a simpleton! are they of the

same nature ? If their essence is to thin$' then they

thin$ al5ays and independently of the body' 5hich

cannot act 5ithout them If they thin$ by their o5n

nature' can a soul' 5hich is incapable of performing

a single arithmetical operation' be of the same species

as that 5hich has measured the heavens? If it is

the organs of the body that have made ,rchimedes

CHA hilosophical

thin$' 5hy does not my idiot thin$' seeing that he is

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better constituted than ,rchimedes' more vigorous'

digesting better' performing all his functions bet-

ter? 3ecause' say you' his brain is not so good ! but

you suppose this ! you have no $no5ledge of it .o

diNerence has ever been found among sound brains

that have been dissected! indeed' it is very li$ely

that the brain-pan of a bloc$head 5ould be found

in a better state than that of ,rchimedes' 5hich has

been prodigiously fatigued' and may be 5orn and

contracted

Let us then conclude 5hat 5e have concluded al-

ready' that 5e are ignorant of all Jrst principles ,s

for those 5ho are ignorant and self-sucient' they

are far belo5 the ape

.o5 then dispute' ye choleric arguers ! present

memorials against one another! abuse one another!

pronounce your sentences you 5ho $no5 not a syl-

lable of the matter T

#&0(IO. v

)arburtoris arado on the Immortality of the

#oul

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)arburton' the editor and commentator of

#ha$espeare' and 3ishop of 2loucester' using &ng-

lish liberty' and abusing the custom of vituperating

against adversaries' has composed four volumes to

prove that the immortality of the soul 5as never an-

nounced in the entateuch! and to conclude from

this very proof' that the mission of :oses' 5hich he

calls 4legation'4 5as divine (he follo5ing is an

ictionary CH@

abstract of his boo$' 5hich he himself gives at the

commencement of the Jrst volume 7

4i (hat to inculcate the doctrine of a future

state of re5ards and punishments is necessary to the

5ell-being of civil society

4C (hat all man$ind Y5herein he is mista$enZ'

especially the most 5ise and learned nations of an-

tiuity' have concurred in believing and teaching'

that this doctrine 5as of such use to civil society

4F (hat the doctrine of a future state of re-

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5ards and punishments is not to be found in' nor did

it ma$e part of' the :osaic dispensation

4(hat therefore the la5 of :oses is of divine

origin !

4)hich one or both of the t5o follo5ing syllo-

gisms 5ill evince 7

4I )hatever religion and society have no future

state for their support must be supported by an e-

traordinary rovidence

4(he 8e5ish religion and society had no future

state for their support !

4(herefore the 8e5ish religion and society 5ere

supported by an etraordinary rovidence

4,nd again'

4II (he ancient la5givers universally believed

that such a religion could be supported only by an

etraordinary rovidence

4:oses' an ancient la5giver' versed in all the

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5isdom of &gypt' purposely instituted such a reli-

gion!

CHC hilosophical

4(herefore :oses believed his religion 5as sup-

ported by an etraordinary rovidence4

)hat is most etraordinary' is this assertion of

)arburton' 5hich he has put in large characters at

the head of his 5or$ 6e has often been reproached

5ith his etreme temerity and dishonesty in daring

to say that all ancient la5givers believed that a reli-

gion 5hich is not founded on re5ards and punish-

ments after death cannot be upheld but by an etra-

ordinary rovidence 7 not one of them ever said so

6e does not even underta$e to adduce a single in-

stance of this in his enormous boo$' stuNed 5ith an

immense number of uotations' all foreign to the

subject 6e has buried himself under a heap of

2ree$ and Latin authors' ancient and modern' that

no one may reach him through this horrible accumu-

lation of coverings )hen at length the critic has

rummaged to the bottom' the author is raised to life

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from among all those dead' to load his adversaries

5ith abuse

It is true' that near the close of the fourth volume'

after ranging through a hundred labyrinths' and

Jghting all he met 5ith on the 5ay' he does at last

come bac$ to his great uestion from 5hich he has

so long 5andered 6e ta$es up the 3oo$ of 8ob'

5hich the learned consider as the 5or$ of an ,rab !

and he see$s to prove' that 8ob did not believe in the

immortality of the soul 6e then eplains' in his

o5n 5ay' all the tets of #cripture that have been

brought to combat his opinion

ictionary CHF

,ll that should be said of him is' that if he 5as

in the right' it 5as not for a bishop to be so in the

right 6e should have felt that t5o dangerous con-

seuences might be dra5n 7 but all goes by chance

in this 5orld (his man' 5ho became an informer

and a persecutor' 5as not made a bishop through the

patronage of a minister of state' until immediately

after he 5rote his boo$

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,t #alamanca' at 0oimbra' or at ome' he 5ould

have been obliged to retract and to as$ pardon In

&ngland he became a peer of the realm' 5ith an in-

come of a hundred thousand livres 6ere 5as some-

thing to soften his manners

#&0(IO. %I

On the .eed of evelation

 (he greatest beneJt for 5hich 5e are indebted

to the .e5 (estament is its having revealed to us

the immortality of the soul It is therefore uite in

vain that this )arburton has sought to cloud this

important truth' by continually representing' in his

4Legation of :oses'4 that 4the ancient 8e5s had no

$no5ledge of this necessary dogma'4 and that 4the

#adducees did not admit it in the time of our Lord

 8esus4

6e interprets in his o5n 5ay' the very 5ords

5hich 8esus 0hrist is made to utter 7 46ave ye not

read that 5hich is spo$en unto you by 2od saying'

I am the 2od of ,braham' and the 2od of Isaac' and

the 2od of 8acob 7 2od is not the 2od of the dead'

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CHG hilosophical

but of the living4 6e gives to the parable of the

rich bad man a sense contrary to that of all the

churches #herloc$' bishop of London' and t5enty

other learned men' have refuted him &ven the &ng-

lish philosophers have reminded him ho5 scandalous

it is in an &nglish bishop to manifest an opinion so

contrary to the 0hurch of &ngland! and after all'

this man has thought proper to call others impious 7

li$e 6arleuin' in the farce of 4(he 6ousebrea$er4

ULe evaliseur des :aisonsV 5ho' after thro5ing

the furniture out at the 5indo5' seeing a man carry-

ing some articles a5ay' cries 5ith all his might

4#top' thief @4

 (he revelation of the immortality of the soul' and

of pains and re5ards after death' is the more to be

blessed' as the vain philosophy of men al5ays

doubted of it (he great 0aesar had no faith in it

6e eplained himself clearly to the 5hole senate'

5hen' to prevent 0atiline from being put to death'

he represented to them that death left man 5ithout

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feeling that all died 5ith him 7 and no one refuted

this opinion

 (he oman &mpire 5as divided bet5een t5o

great principal sects 7 that of &picurus' 5ho af-

Jrmed that the divinity 5as useless to the 5orld' and

the soul perished 5ith the body! and that of the

#toics' 5ho regarded the soul as a portion of the

divinity' 5hich after death 5as reunited to its origi-

nal to the great ,ll from 5hich it had emanated

#o that' 5hether the soul 5as believed to be mortal'

ictionary CHE

or to be immortal' all sects united in contemning the

idea of re5ards and punishments after death

 (here are still remaining numerous monuments

of this belief of the omans It 5as from the force

of this opinion profoundly engraved on all hearts'

that so many oman heroes and so many private citi-

;ens put themselves to death 5ithout the smallest

scruple! they did not 5ait for a tyrant to delivei

them into the hands of the eecutioner

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&ven the most virtuous men' and the most thor-

oughly persuaded of the eistence of a 2od' did not

then hope any re5ard' nor did they fear any punish-

ment It has been seen in the article on 4,pocry-

pha'4 that 0lement himself' 5ho 5as after5ards

pope and saint' began 5ith doubting 5hat the Jrst

0hristians said of another life' and that he consulted

#t eter at 0sesarea )e are very far from believ-

ing that #t 0lement 5rote the history 5hich is at-

tributed to him! but it sho5s 5hat need man$ind

had of a precise revelation ,ll that can surprise us

is that a tenet so repressing and so salutary should

have left men a prey to so many horrible crimes'

5ho have so short a time to live' and Jnd themselves

pressed bet5een the eternities

#&0(IO. %II

#ouls of 1ools and :onsters

, child' ill-formed' is born absolutely imbecile'

has no ideas' lives 5ithout ideas! instances of this

have been $no5n 6o5 shall this animal be deJned?

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CHB hilosophical

octors have said that it is something bet5een man

and beast ! others have said that it is a sensitive soul'

but not an intellectual soul 7 it eats' it drin$s' it sleeps'

it 5a$es' it has sensations' but it does not thin$

Is there for it another life' or is there none ? (he

case has been put' and has not yet been entirely re-

solved

#ome have said that this creature must have a

soul' because its father and its mother had souls

3ut by this reasoning it 5ould be proved that if it

had come into the 5orld 5ithout a nose' it should

have the eputation of having one' because its father

and its mother had one

, 5oman is brought to bed7 her infant has no

chin! its forehead is Mat and some5hat blac$' its

eyes round' its nose thin and sharp ! its countenance

is not much unli$e that of a s5allo5 7 yet the rest of

his body is made li$e ours It is decided by a ma-

 jority of voices that it is a man' and possesses an im-

material soul! 5hereupon the parents have it bap-

ti;ed 3ut if this little ridiculous Jgure has pointed

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cla5s' and a mouth in the form of a bea$' it is de-

clared to be a monster ! it has no soul ! it is not bap-

ti;ed

It is $no5n' that in @DCB' there 5as in London a

5oman 5ho 5as brought to bed every eight days of

a young rabbit .o diculty 5as made of refusing

baptism to this child' not5ithstanding the epidemic

folly 5hich prevailed in London for three 5ee$s' of

believing that this poor jade actually brought forth

ictionary CHD

5ild rabbits (he surgeon 5ho delivered her' named

#t ,ndre' s5ore that nothing 5as more true ! and

he 5as believed 3ut 5hat reason had the credu-

lous for refusing a soul to this 5omanKs oNspring?

#he had a soul! her children must li$e5ise have

been furnished 5ith souls' 5hether they had hands

or pa5s' 5hether they 5ere born 5ith a snout or

5ith a face7 cannot the #upreme 3eing vouchsafe

the gift of thought and sensation to a little nonde-

script' born of a 5oman' 5ith the Jgure of a rab-

bit' as 5ell as a little nondescript born 5ith the Jgure

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of a man ? )ill the soul 5hich 5as ready to ta$e up

its abode in this 5omanKs foetus return unhoused ?

It is very 5ell observed by Loc$e' 5ith regard to

monsters' that immortality must not be attributed to

the eterior of a body that it has nothing to do 5ith

the Jgure 4(his immortality'4 says he' 4is no more

attached to the form of oneKs face or breast than it is

to the 5ay in 5hich oneKs beard is clipped or oneKs

coat is cut4

6e as$s 7 )hat is the eact measure of deformity

by 5hich you can recogni;e 5hether an infant has a

soul or not ? )hat is the precise degree at 5hich it

is to be declared a monster and 5ithout a soul ?

,gain' it is as$ed7 )hat 5ould a soul be that

should have none but chimerical ideas? (here are

some 5hich never go beyond such ,re they 5orthy

or un5orthy? )hat is to be made of their pure

spirit ?

)hat are 5e to thin$ of a child 5ith t5o heads'

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CHH hilosophical

5hich is other5ise 5ell formed?4 #ome say that it

has t5o souls' because it is furnished 5ith t5o pineal

glands' 5ith t5o callous substances' 5ith t5o 4sen-

soria communia4 Others ans5er that there cannot

be t5o souls' 5ith but one breast and one navel

In short' so many uestions have been as$ed about

this poor human soul' that if it 5ere necessary to put

an end to them all' such an eamination of its o5n

person 5ould cause it the most insupportable annoy-

ance (he same 5ould happen to it as happened to

0ardinal olignac at a conclave 7 his ste5ard' tired

of having never been able to ma$e him pass his ac-

counts' too$ a journey to ome' and 5ent to the

small 5indo5 of his cell' laden 5ith an immense

bundle of papers ! he read for nearly t5o hours ! at

last' Jnding that no ans5er 5as made' he thrust for-

5ard his head7 the cardinal had been gone almost

t5o hours Our souls 5ill be gone before their

ste5ards have Jnished their statements ! but let us

be just before 2od ignorant as both 5e and our

ste5ards are

#ee 5hat is said on the soul in the 4Letters of

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:emmius4

#&0(IO. %III

iNerent Opinions 0riticised ,pology for Loc$e

I must ac$no5ledge' that 5hen I eamined the

infallible ,ristotle' the evangelical doctor' and the

divine lato' I too$ all these epithets for nic$names

In all the philosophers 5ho have spo$en of the hu-

ictionary CH"

man soul' I have found only blind men' full of babble

and temerity' striving to persuade themselves that

they have an eagle eye! and others' curious and

foolish' believing them on their 5ord' and imagining

that they see something too

I shall not feign to ran$ escartes and :ale-

branche 5ith these teachers of error (he former

assures us that the soul of man is a substance' 5hose

essence is to thin$' 5hich is al5ays thin$ing' and

5hich' in the motherKs 5omb' is occupied 5ith Jne

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metaphysical ideas and general aioms' 5hich it

after5ards forgets

,s for 1ather :alebranche' he is uite persuaded

that 5e see all in 2od and he has found partisans 7

for the most etravagant fables are those 5hich are

the best received by the 5ea$ imaginations of men

%arious philosophers then had 5ritten the romance

of the soul 7 at length' a 5ise man modestly 5rote

its history Of this history I am about to give an

abridgment' according to the conception I have

formed of it I very 5ell $no5 that all the 5orld

5ill not agree 5ith Loc$eKs ideas ! it is not unli$ely'

that against escartes and :alebranche' Loc$e 5as

right' but that against the #orbonne he 5as 5rong 7

I spea$ according to the lights of philosophy' not

according to the relations of the faith

It is not for me to thin$ other5ise than humanly !

theologians decide divinely' 5hich is uite another

thing 7 reason and faith are of contrary natures In

a 5ord' here follo5s a short abstract of Loc$e' 5hich

%ol @F @"

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C"A hilosophical

I 5ould censure' if I 5ere a theologian' but 5hich I

adopt for a moment' simply as a hypothesis a con-

 jecture of philosophy 6umanly spea$ing' the ues-

tion is 7 )hat is the soul ?

@ (he 5ord 4soul4 is one of those 5hich every-

one pronounces 5ithout understanding it ! 5e under-

stand only those things of 5hich 5e have an idea!

5e have no idea of soul spirit ! therefore 5e do not

understand it

C )e have then been pleased to give the name

of soul to the faculty of feeling and thin$ing' as 5e

have given that of life to the faculty of living' and

that of 5ill to the faculty of 5illing

easoners have come and said 7 :an is composed

of matter and spirit7 matter is etended and divis-

ible ! spirit is neither etended nor divisible ! there-

fore' say they' it is of another nature (his is a

 joining together of beings 5hich are not made for

each other' and 5hich 2od unites in spite of their

nature )e see little of the body' 5e see nothing of

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s the soul ! it has no parts' therefore it is eternal ! it

has ideas pure and spiritual' therefore it does not

receive them from matter ! nor does it receive them

from itself' therefore 2od gives them to it' and it

brings 5ith it at its birth the ideas of 2od' inJnity'

and all general ideas

#till humanly spea$ing' I ans5er these gentlemen

that they are very $no5ing (hey tell us' Jrst' that

there is a soul' and then 5hat that soul must be

 (hey pronounce the 5ord 4matter'4 and then plainly

ictionary C"@

decide 5hat it is ,nd I say to them 7 <ou have no

$no5ledge either of spirit or of matter 3y spirit

you can imagine only the faculty of thin$ing! by

matter you can understand only a certain assemblage

of ualities' colors' etents' and solidities' 5hich

it has pleased you to call matter ! and you have as-

signed limits to matter and to the soul' even before

you are sure of the eistence of either the one or the

other

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,s for matter' you gravely teach that it has only

etent and solidity ! and I tell you modestly' that it

is capable of a thousand properties about 5hich

neither you nor I $no5 anything <ou say that the

soul is indivisible' eternal ! and here you assume that

5hich is in uestion <ou are much li$e the regent

of a college' 5ho' having never in his life seen a

cloc$' should all at once have an &nglish repeater

put into his hands (his man' a good peripatetic' is

struc$ by the eactness 5ith 5hich the hands mar$

the time' and still more astonished that a button'

pressed by the Jnger' should sound precisely the

hour mar$ed by the hand :y philosopher 5ill not

fail to prove that there is in this machine a soul

5hich governs it and directs its springs 6e

learnedly demonstrates his opinion by the simile of

the angels 5ho $eep the celestial spheres in motion !

and in the class he forms Jne theses' maintained on

the souls of 5atches One of his scholars opens the

5atch' and nothing is found but springs! yet the

system of the soul of 5atches is still maintained' and

C"C hilosophical

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is considered as demonstrated I am that scholar'

opening the 5atch called man ! but instead of boldly

deJning 5hat 5e do not understand' I endeavor to

eamine by degrees 5hat 5e 5ish to $no5

Let us ta$e an infant at the moment of its birth'

and follo5' step by step' the progress of its under-

standing <ou do me the honor of informing me

that 2od too$ the trouble of creating a soul' to go

and ta$e up its abode in this body 5hen about si

5ee$s old ! that this soul' on its arrival' is provided

5ith metaphysical ideas having conseuently a very

clear $no5ledge of spirit' of abstract ideas' of inJn-

ity being' in short' a very $no5ing person 3ut

unfortunately it uits the uterus in the uttermost ig-

norance 7 for eighteen months it $no5s nothing but

its nurseKs teat! and 5hen at the age of t5enty

years an attempt is made to bring bac$ to this soulKs

recollection all the scientiJc ideas 5hich it had 5hen

it entered its body' it is often too dull of apprehen-

sion to conceive any one of them (here are 5hole

nations 5hich have never had so much as one of

these ideas )hat' in truth' 5ere the souls of es-

cartes and :alebranche thin$ing of' 5hen they im-

agined such reveries ? Let us then follo5 the idea of

the child' 5ithout stopping at the imaginings of the

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philosophers

 (he day that his mother 5as brought to bed of

him and his soul' there 5ere born in the house a dog'

a cat' and a canary bird ,t the end of eighteen

months I ma$e the dog an ecellent hunter! in a

ictionary C"F

the canary bird 5histles an air! in si 5ee$s

the cat is master of its profession ! and the child' at

the end of four years' does nothing I' a gross per-

son' 5itnessing this prodigious diNerence' and never

having seen a child' thin$ at Jrst that the cat' the

dog' and the canary are very intelligent creatures'

and that the infant is an automaton 6o5ever' by

little and little' I perceive that this child has ideas

and memory' that he has the same passions as these

animals! and then I ac$no5ledge that he is' li$e

them' a rational creature 6e communicates to me

diNerent ideas by some 5ords 5hich he has learned'

in li$e manner as my dog' by diversiJed cries' ma$es

$no5n to me eactly his diNerent 5ants I perceive

at the age of si or seven years the child combines

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in his little brain almost as many ideas as my hound

in his ! and at length' as he gro5s older' he acuires

an inJnite variety of $no5ledge (hen 5hat am I

to thin$ of him? #hall I believe that he is of a

nature altogether diNerent ? 9ndoubtedly not ! for

you see on one hand an idiot' and on the other a

.e5ton ! yet you assert that they are of one and the

same nature that there is no diNerence but that of

greater and less (he better to assure myself of the

rerisimilitude of my probable opinion' I eamine

the dog and the child both 5a$ing and sleeping I

have them each bled immediately! then their ideas

seem to escape 5ith their blood In this state I call

them they do not ans5er! and if I dra5 from them

a fe5 more ounces' my t5o machines' 5hich before

C"G hilosophical

had ideas in great plenty and passions of every $ind'

have no longer any feeling I net eamine my t5o

animals 5hile they sleep! I perceive that the dog'

after eating too much' has dreams! he hunts and

cries after the game! my youngster' in the same

state' tal$s to his mistress and ma$es love in his

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dreams If both have eaten moderately' I observe

that neither of them dream ! in short' I see that the

faculties of feeling' perceiving' and epressing their

ideas unfold themselves gradually' and also become

5ea$er by degrees I discover many more anities

bet5een them than bet5een any man of strong mind

and one absolutely imbecile )hat opinion then shall

I entertain of their nature ? (hat 5hich every people

at Jrst imagined' before &gyptian policy asserted the

spirituality' the immortality' of the soul I shall

even suspect that ,rchimedes and a mole are but dif-

ferent varieties of the same species as an oa$ and a

grain of mustard are formed by the same principles'

though the one is a large tree and the other the seed

of a small plant I shall believe that 2od has given

portions of intelligence to portions of matter organ-

i;ed for thin$ing! I shall believe that matter has

sensations in proportion to the Jneness of its senses'

that it is they 5hich proportion them to the measure

of our ideas! I shall believe that the oyster in its

shell has fe5er sensations and senses' because its soul

being attached to its shell' Jve senses 5ould not at

all be useful to it (here are many animals 5ith

only t5o senses ! 5e have Jve 5hich are very fe5

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ictionary C"E

It is to be believed that in other 5orlds there are

other animals enjoying t5enty or thirty senses' and

that other species' yet more perfect' have senses to

inJnity

#uch' it appears to me' is the most natural 5ay of

reasoning on the matter that is' of guessing and in-

specting 5ith certainty , long time elapsed before

men 5ere ingenious enough to imagine an un$no5n

being' 5hich is ourselves' 5hich does all in us' 5hich

is not altogether ourselves' and 5hich lives after us

.or 5as so bold an idea adopted all at once ,t

Jrst this 5ord 4soul4 signiJes life' and 5as common

to us and the other animals ! then our pride made us

a soul apart' and caused us to imagine a substantial

form for other creatures (his human pride as$s 7

)hat then is that po5er of perceiving and feeling'

5hich in man is called soul' and in the brute instinct ?

I 5ill satisfy this demand 5hen the natural philoso-

phers shall have informed me 5hat is sound' light'

space' body' time I 5ill say' in the spirit of the

5ise Loc$e7 hilosophy consists in stopping 5hen

the torch of physical science fails us I observe the

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eNects of nature ! but I freely o5n that of Jrst prin-

ciples I have no more conception than you have ,ll

I do $no5 is that I ought not to attribute to several

causes especially to un$no5n causes that 5hich

I can attribute to a $no5n cause ! no5 I can attribute

to my body the faculty of thin$ing and feeling!

therefore I ought not to see$ this faculty of thin$-

ing and feeling in another substance' called soul or

C"B hilosophical

spirit' of 5hich I cannot have the smallest idea <ou

eclaim against this proposition o you then thin$

it irreligious to dare to say that the body can thin$?

3ut 5hat 5ould you say' Loc$e 5ould ans5er' if

you yourselves 5ere found guilty of irreligion in thus

daring to set bounds to the po5er of 2od? )hat

man upon earth can arm' 5ithout absurd impiety'

that it is impossible for 2od to give to matter sen-

sation and thought? )ea$ and presumptuous that

you are T you boldly advance that matter does not

thin$' because you do not conceive ho5 matter of

any $ind should thin$

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 <e great philosophers' 5ho decide on the po5er

of 2od' and say that 2od can of a stone ma$e an

angel do you not see that' according to yourselves'

2od 5ould in that case only give to a stone the

po5er of thin$ing? for if the matter of the stone did

not remain' there 5ould no longer be a stone! there

5ould be a stone annihilated and an angel created

)hichever 5ay you turn you are forced to ac$no5l-

edge t5o things your ignorance and the boundless

po5er of the 0reator ! your ignorance' to 5hich thin$-

ing matter is repugnant! and the 0reatorKs po5er' to

5hich certes it is not impossible

 <ou' 5ho $no5 that matter does not perish' 5ill

dispute 5hether 2od has the po5er to preserve in

that matter the noblest uality 5ith 5hich 6e has

endo5ed it &tent subsists perfectly 5ithout body'

through 6im' since there are philosophers 5ho be-

lieve in a void! accidents subsist very 5ell 5ithout

ictionary C"D

substance 5ith 0hristians 5ho believe in transub-

stantiation 2od' you say' cannot do that 5hich

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implies contradiction (o be sure of this' it is neces-

sary to $no5 more of the matter than you do $no5 !

it is all in vain ! you 5ill never $no5 more than this

that you are a body' and that you thin$ :any

persons 5ho have learned at school to doubt of

nothing' 5ho ta$e their syllogisms for oracles and

their superstitions for religion' consider Loc$e as im-

pious and dangerous (hese superstitious people are

in society 5hat co5ards are in an army! they are

possessed by and communicate panic terror )e

must have the compassion to dissipate their fears!

they must be made sensible that the opinions of phi-

losophers 5ill never do harm to religion )e $no5

for certain that light comes from the sun' and that

the planets revolve round that luminary! yet 5e

do not read 5ith any the less ediJcation in the 3ible

that light 5as made before the sun' and that the sun

stood still over the village of 2ibeon It is demon-

strated that the rainbo5 is necessarily formed by the

rain! yet 5e do not the least reverence the sacred

tet 5hich says that 2od set 6is bo5 in the clouds'

after the eluge' as a sign that there should never

be another inundation

)hat though the mystery of the (rinity and that

of the eucharist are contradictory to $no5n demon-

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strations ? (hey are not the less venerated by 0ath-

olic philosophers' 5ho $no5 that the things of reason

and those of faith are diNerent in their nature (he

C"H hilosophical

notion of the antipodes 5as condemned by the popes

and the councils ! yet the popes discovered the antip-

odes and carried thither that very 0hristian re-

ligion' the destruction of 5hich had been thought to

be sure' in case there could be found a man 5ho' as

it 5as then epressed' should have' as relative to our

o5n position' his head do5n5ards and his feet up-

5ards' and 5ho' as the very unphilosophical #t ,u-

gustine says' should have fallen from heaven

,nd no5' let me once repeat that' 5hile I 5rite

5ith freedom' I 5arrant no opinion I am respon-

sible for nothing erhaps there are' among these

dreams' some reasonings' and even some rrveries' to

5hich I should give the preference ! but there is not

one that I 5ould not unhesitatingly sacriJce to re-

ligion and to my country

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#&0(IO. I

I shall suppose a do;en of good philosophers in an

island 5here they have never seen anything but

vegetables #uch an island' and especially t5elve

such philosophers' 5ould be very hard to Jnd ! ho5-

ever' the Jction is allo5able (hey admire the life

5hich circulates in the Jbres of the plants' appearing

to be alternately lost and rene5ed ! and as they $no5

not ho5 a plant springs up' ho5 it derives its nour-

ishment and gro5th' they call this a vegetative soul

)hat' they are as$ed' do you understand by a veg-

etative soul ? (hey ans5er 7 It is a 5ord that serves

to epress the un$no5n spring by 5hich all this is

operated 3ut do you not see' a mechanic 5ill as$

ictionary C""

them' that all this is naturally done by 5eights'

levers' 5heels' and pulleys? .o' the philosophers

5ill say ! there is in this vegetation something other

than ordinary motion ! there is a secret po5er 5hich

all plants have of dra5ing to themselves the juices

5hich nourish them ! and this po5er cannot be e-

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plained by any system of mechanics! it is a gift

5hich 2od has made to matter' and the nature of

5hich neither you nor 5e comprehend

,fter disputing thus' our reasoners at length dis-

cover animals Oh' oh T say they' after a long e-

amination' here are beings organi;ed li$e ourselves

It is indisputable that they have memory' and often

more than 5e have (hey have our passions ! they

have $no5ledge ! they ma$e us understand all their

5ants! they perpetuate their species li$e us Our

philosophers dissect some of these beings' and Jnd in

them hearts and brains )hatT say they' can the

author of these machines' 5ho does nothing in vain'

have given them all the organs of feeling' in order

that they may have no feeling? It 5ere absurd to

thin$ so there is certainly something in them

5hich' for 5ant of $no5ing a better term' 5e li$e-

5ise call soul something that eperiences sensa-

tions' and has a certain number of ideas 3ut 5hat

is this principle? Is it something absolutely dif-

ferent from matter ? Is it a pure spirit ? Is it a mid-

dle being' bet5een matter' of 5hich 5e $no5 little'

and pure spirit' of 5hich 5e $no5 nothing ? Is it a

property given by 2od to organi;ed matter?

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FAA hilosophical

 (hey then ma$e eperiments upon insects ! upon

earth 5orms they cut them into several parts' and

are astonished to Jnd that' after a short time' there

come heads to all these divided parts ! the same ani-

mal is reproduced' and its very destruction becomes

the means of its multiplication 6as it several souls'

5hich 5ait until the head is cut oN the original

trun$' to animate the reproduced parts? (hey are

li$e trees' 5hich put forth fresh branches' and are

reproduced from slips 6ave these trees several

souls? It is not li$ely (hen it is very probable

that the soul of these reptiles is of a diNerent $ind

from that 5hich 5e call vegetative soul in plants!

that it is a faculty of a superior order' 5hich 2od

has vouchsafed to give to certain portions of matter

6ere is a fresh proof of 6is po5er a fresh subject

of adoration

, man of violent temper' and a bad reasoner'

hears this discourse and says to them 7 <ou are

5ic$ed 5retches' 5hose bodies should be burned for

the good of your souls' for you deny the immortality

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of the soul of man Our philosophers then loo$ at

one another in perfect astonishment' and one of them

mildly ans5ers him7 )hy burn us so hastily?

)hence have you concluded that 5e have an idea

that your cruel soul is mortal ? 1rom your believ-

ing' returns the other' that 2od has given to the

brutes 5hich are organi;ed li$e us' the faculty of

having feelings and ideas .o5 this soul of the

ictionary FA@

beasts perishes 5ith them! therefore you believe

that the soul of man perishes also

 (he philosopher replies 7 )e are not at all sure

that 5hat 5e call 4soul4 in animal perishes 5ith

them ! 5e $no5 very 5ell that matter does not per-

ish' and 5e believe that 2od may have put in ani-

mals something 5hich' if 2od 5ill it' shall forever

retain the faculty of having ideas )e are very far

from arming that such is the case' for it is hardly

for men to be so conJdent! but 5e dare not set

bounds to the po5er of 2od )e say that it is very

probable that the beasts' 5hich are matter' have re-

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ceived from 6im a little intelligence )e are every

day discovering properties of matter that is' pres-

ents from 2od of 5hich 5e had before no idea

)e at Jrst deJned matter to be an etended sub-

stance ! net 5e found it necessary to add solidity !

some time after5ards 5e 5ere obliged to admit that

this matter has a force 5hich is called 4vis inertia4!

and after this' to our great astonishment' 5e had to

ac$no5ledge that matter gravitates

)hen 5e sought to carry our researches further'

5e 5ere forced to recogni;e beings resembling mat-

ter in some things' but 5ithout the other attributes

5ith 5hich matter is gifted (he elementary Jre'

for instance' acts upon our senses li$e other bodies !

but it does not' li$e them' tend to a centre ! on the

contrary' it escapes from the centre in straight lines

on every side It does not seem to obey the la5s of

 8OC hilosophical

attraction' of gravitation' li$e other bodies (here

are mysteries in optics' for 5hich it 5ould be hard

to account' 5ithout venturing to suppose that the rays

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of light penetrate one another (here is certainly

something in light 5hich distinguishes it from $no5n

matter Light seems to be a middle being bet5een

bodies and other $inds of beings of 5hich 5e are

ignorant T It is very li$ely that these other $inds are

themselves a medium leading to other creatures' and

that there is a chain of substances etending to in-

Jnity 49sue adeo uod tangit id;m est' tamen

ultima distantT4

 (his idea seems to us to be 5orthy of the great-

ness of 2od' if anything is 5orthy of it ,mong

these substances 6e has doubtless had po5er to

choose one 5hich 6e has lodged in our bodies' and

5hich 5e call the human soul ! and the sacred boo$s

5hich 5e have read inform us that this soul is im-

mortal eason is in accordance 5ith revelation ! for

ho5 should any substance perish? &very mode is

destroyed ! the substance remains )e cannot con-

ceive the creation of a substance ! 5e cannot conceive

its annihilation ! but 5e dare not arm that the ab-

solute master of all beings cannot also give feelings

and perceptions to the being 5hich 5e call matter

 <ou are uite sure that the essence of your soul is

to thin$ ! but 5e are not so sure of this ! for 5hen

5e eamine a foetus' 5e can hardly believe that its

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soul had many ideas in its head ! and 5e very much

doubt 5hether' in a sound and deep sleep' or in a

ictionary FAF

complete lethargy' any one ever meditated (hus

it appears to us that thought may very 5ell be' not

the essence of the thin$ing being' but a present made

by the 0reator to beings 5hich 5e call thin$ing!

from all 5hich 5e suspect that' if 6e 5ould' 6e

could ma$e this present to an atom ! and could pre-

serve this atom and 6is present forever' or destroy it

at 6is pleasure (he diculty consists not so much

in divining ho5 matter could thin$' as in divin-

ing ho5 any substance 5hatever does thin$

 <ou have ideas only because 2od has been pleased

to give them to you ! 5hy 5ould you prevent 6im

from giving them to other species ? 0an you really

be so fearless as to dare to believe that your soul

is precisely of the same $ind as the substances 5hich

approach nearest to the ivinity? (here is great

probability that they are of an order very superior'

and that conseuently 2od has vouchsafed to give

them a 5ay of thin$ing inJnitely Jner' just as 6e

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has given a very limited measure of ideas to the ani-

mals 5hich are of an order inferior to you I $no5

not ho5 I live' nor ho5 I give life ! yet you 5ould

have me $no5 ho5 I have ideas (he soul is a

timepiece 5hich 2od has given us to manage! but

6e has not told us of 5hat the spring of this time-

piece is composed

Is there anything in all this from 5hich it can be

inferred that our souls are mortal? Once more let

us repeat it 5e thin$ as you do of the immortality

announced to us by faith ! but 5e believe that 5e are

FAG hilosophical

too ignorant to arm that 2od has not the po5er

of granting thought to 5hatever being 6e pleases

 <ou bound the po5er of the 0reator' 5hich is

boundless ! and 5e etend it as far as 6is eistence

etends 1orgive us for believing 6im to be omnip-

otent' as 5e forgive you for restraining 6is po5er

 <ou doubtless $no5 all that 6e can do' and 5e $no5

nothing of it Let us live as brethren ! let us adore

our common 1ather in peace you 5ith your $no5-

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ing and daring souls' 5e 5ith our ignorant and timid

souls )e have a day to live ! let us pass it calmly'

5ithout uarrelling about diculties that 5ill be

cleared up in the immortal life 5hich 5ill begin to-

morro5

 (he brutal man' having nothing good to say in

reply' tal$ed a long 5hile' and 5as very angry Our

poor philosophers employed themselves for some

5ee$s in reading history! and after reading 5ell'

they spo$e as follo5s to this barbarian' 5ho 5as so

un5orthy to have an immortal soul 7

:y friend' 5e have read that in all antiuity

things 5ent on as 5ell as they do in our o5n times

that there 5ere even greater virtues' and that phi-

losophers 5ere not persecuted for the opinions 5hich

they held ! 5hy' then' should you see$ to injure us

for opinions 5hich 5e do not hold ? )e read that all

the ancients believed matter to be eternal (hey 5ho

sa5 that it 5as created left the others at rest y-

thagoras had been a coc$' his relations had been

s5ine! but no one found fault 5ith this! his sect

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ictionary FAE

5as cherished and revered by all' ecept the coo$s

and those 5ho had beans to sell

 (he #toics ac$no5ledged a god' nearly the same

as the god after5ards so rashly admitted by the

#pino;ists ! yet #toicism 5as a sect the most fruitful

in heroic virtues' and the most accredited

 (he &picureans made their god li$e our canons'

5hose indolent corpulence upholds their divinity'

and 5ho ta$e their nectar and ambrosia in uiet'

5ithout meddling 5ith anything (hese &picureans

boldly taught the materiality and the mortality of

the soul ! but they 5ere not the less respected ! they

5ere admitted into all oces! and their croo$ed

atoms never did the 5orld any harm

 (he latonists' li$e the 2ymnosophists' did not

do us the honor to thin$ that 2od had condescended

to form us 6imself ,ccording to them' 6e left this

tas$ to 6is ocers to genii' 5ho in the course of

their 5or$ made many blunders (he god of the

latonists 5as an ecellent 5or$man' 5ho employed

here belo5 very indiNerent assistants ! but men did

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not the less reverence the school of lato

In short' among the 2ree$s and the omans' so

many sects as there 5ere' so many 5ays of thin$ing

about 2od and the soul' the past and the future'

none of these sects 5ere persecutors (hey 5ere

all mista$en and 5e are very sorry for it ! but they

5ere all peaceful and this confounds us' this con-

demns us' this sho5s us that most of the reasoners

of the present day are monsters' and that those of

%ol @F CA

FAB hilosophical

antiuity 5ere men (hey sang publicly on the

oman stage 7 4ost mortem nihil est' ipsaue mors

nihil4 4.aught after death' and death is noth-

ing4

 (hese opinions made men neither better nor

5orse ! all 5as governed' all 5ent on as usual ! and

 (itus' (rajan' and ,urelius governed the earth li$e

beneJcent deities

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assing from the 2ree$s and the omans to bar-

barous nations' let us only contemplate the 8e5s

#uperstitious' cruel' and ignorant as this 5retched

people 5ere' still they honored the harisees' 5ho

admitted the fatality of destiny and the metemp-

sychosis! they also paid respect to the #adducees'

5ho absolutely denied the immortality of the soul

and the eistence of spirits' ta$ing for their founda-

tion the la5 of :oses' 5hich had made no mention

of pain or re5ard after death (he &ssenes' 5ho

also believed in fatality' and 5ho never oNered up

victims in the temple' 5ere reverenced still more

than the harisees and the #adducees .one of their

opinions ever disturbed the government <et here

5ere abundant subjects for slaughtering' burning'

and eterminating one another' had they been so in-

clined Oh' miserable men T proJt by these eam-

ples (hin$' and let others thin$ It is the solace

of our feeble minds in this short life )hat T 5ill

you receive 5ith politeness a (ur$' 5ho believes

that :ahomet travelled to the moon! 5ill you be

careful not to displease the pasha 3onneval ! and yet

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ictionary FAD

5ill you have your brother hanged' dra5n' and uar-

tered' because he believes that 2od created intelli-

gence in every creature?

#o spa$e one of the philosophers ! and another of

them added 7 3elieve me' it need never be feared that

any philosophical opinion 5ill hurt the religion of a

country )hat though our mysteries are contrary to

our demonstrations' they are not the less reverenced

by our 0hristian philosophers' 5ho $no5 that the

objects of reason and faith are of diNerent natures

hilosophers 5ill never form a religious sect! and

5hy ? 3ecause they are 5ithout enthusiasm ivide

man$ind into t5enty parts ! and of these' nineteen

consist of those 5ho labor 5ith their hands' and 5ill

never $no5 that there has been such a person as

Loc$e in the 5orld In the remaining t5entieth'

ho5 fe5 men 5ill be found 5ho read T and among

those 5ho read' there are t5enty that read novels

for one that studies philosophy (hose 5ho thin$

are ecessively fe5 ! and those fe5 do not set them-

selves to disturb the 5orld

)ho are they 5ho have 5aved the torch pf dis-

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cord in their native country ? ,re they omponatius'

:ontaigne' La %ayer' escartes' 2assendi' 3ayle'

#pino;a' 6obbes' #haftesbury' 3oulainvilliers' the

0onsul :aillet' (oland' 0ollins' 1lood' )oolston'

3e$$er' the author disguised under the name of

 8acues :asse' he of the 4(ur$ish #py'4 he of the

4Lettres ersanes4 of the 4Lettres 8uives'4 of the

4ensees hilosophiues4 ? .o! they are for the

FAH hilosophical

most part theologians' 5ho' having at Jrst been am-

bitious of becoming leaders of a sect' have soon be-

come ambitious to be leaders of a party .ay' not

all the boo$s of modern philosophy put together 5ill

ever ma$e so much noise in the 5orld as 5as once

made by the dispute of the 0ordeliers about the form

of their hoods and sleeves

#&0(IO.

On the ,ntiuity of the ogma of the Immortality

of the #oul , 1ragment

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 (he dogma of the immortality of the soul is at

once the most consoling and the most repressing idea

that the mind of man can receive (his Jne phi-

losophy 5as as ancient among the &gyptians as their

pyramids ! and before them it 5as $no5n to the er-

sians I have already else5here related the allegory

of the Jrst =oroaster' cited in the 4#adder'4 in

5hich 2od sho5s to =oroaster a place of chastise-

ment' such as the ardaroth or +eron of the &gyp-

tians' the 6ades and the (artarus of the 2ree$s'

5hich 5e have but imperfectly rendered in our mod-

ern tongues by the 5ords 4inferno4 4enfer'4 4in-

fernal regions'4 4hell'4 4bottomless pit4 In this

place of punishment 2od sho5ed to =oroaster all

the bad $ings ! one of them had but one foot ! =oro-

aster as$ed the reason ! and 2od ans5ered that this

$ing had done only one good action in his life' 5hich

5as by approaching to $ic$ for5ard a trough 5hich

5as not near enough to a poor ass dying of hunger

ictionary FA"

2od had placed this 5ic$ed manKs foot in heaven!

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the rest of his body 5as in hell

 (his fable' 5hich cannot be too often repeated'

sho5s ho5 ancient 5as the opinion of another life

 (he Indians 5ere persuaded of it' as their metemp-

sychosis proves (he 0hinese venerated the souls of

their ancestors &ach of these nations had founded

po5erful empires long before the &gyptians (his

is a very important truth' 5hich I thin$ I have al-

ready proved by the very nature of the soil of &gypt

 (he most favorable grounds must have been culti-

vated the Jrst! the ground of &gypt is the least

favorable of all' being under 5ater four months of

the year ! it 5as not until after immense labor' and

conseuently after a prodigious lapse of time' that

to5ns 5ere at length raised 5hich the .ile could

not inundate

 (his empire' then' ancient as it 5as' 5as much less

ancient than the empires of ,sia ! and in both one and

the other it 5as believed that the soul eisted after

death It is true that all these nations' 5ithout e-

ception' considered the soul as a light ethereal form'

an image of the body! the 2ree$ 5ord signifying

4breath4 5as invented long after by the 2ree$s 3ut

it is beyond a doubt that a part of ourselves 5as con-

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sidered as immortal e5ards and punishments in

another life 5ere the grand foundation of ancient

theology

herecides 5as the Jrst among the 2ree$s 5ho

believed that souls eisted from all eternity' and not

F@A hilosophical

the Jrst' as has been supposed' 5ho said that the soul

survived the body 9lysses' long before herecides'

had seen the souls of heroes in the infernal regions !

but that souls 5ere as old as the 5orld 5as a system

5hich had sprung up in the &ast' and 5as brought

into the )est by herecides I do not believe that

there is among us a single system 5hich is not to be

found among the ancients (he materials of all our

modern ediJces are ta$en from the 5rec$ of an-

tiuity

#&0(IO. I

It 5ould be a Jne thing to see oneKs soul 4+no5

thyself4 is an ecellent precept ! but it belongs only

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to 2od to put it in practice )ho but 6e can $no5

6is o5n essence ?

)e call 4soul4 that 5hich animates O5ing to

our limited intelligence 5e $no5 scarcely anything

more of the matter (hree-fourths of man$ind go

no further' and give themselves no concern about

the thin$ing being ! the other fourth see$ it ! no one

has found it' or ever 5ill Jnd it

oor pedant T thou seest a plant 5hich vegetates'

and thou sayest' 4vegetation'4 or perhaps 4vegeta-

tive soul4 (hou remar$est that bodies have and

communicate motion' and thou sayest' 4force4 ! thou

seest thy dog learn his craft under thee' and thou e-

claimest' 4instinct'4 4sensitive soul4T (hou hast

combined ideas' and thou eclaimest' 4spirit4 T

3ut pray' 5hat dost thou understand by these

5ords ? (his Mo5er vegetates ! but is there any real

ictionary F@@

being called vegetation? (his body pushes along

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another' but does it possess 5ithin itself a distinct

being called force ? (hy dog brings thee a partridge'

but is there any being called instinct? )ouldst

thou not laugh' if a reasoner though he had been

preceptor to ,leander 5ere to say to thee7 ,ll

animals live ! therefore there is in them a being' a

substantial form' 5hich is life?

If a tulip could spea$ and 5ere to tell thee7 I

and my vegetation are t5o beings evidently joined

together ! 5ouldst thou not laugh at the tulip ?

Let us at Jrst see 5hat thou $no5est' of 5hat

thou art certain! that thou 5al$est 5ith thy feet!

that thou digestest 5ith thy stomach! that thou

feelest 5ith thy 5hole body ! and that thou thin$est

5ith thy head Let us see if thy reason alone can

have given thee light enough by 5hich to conclude'

5ithout supernatural aid' that thou hast a soul

 (he Jrst philosophers' 5hether 0haldseans or

&gyptians' said 7 (here must be something 5ithin

us 5hich produces our thoughts! that something

must be very subtile ! it is a breath ! it is Jre ! it is

ether ! it is a uintessence ! it is a slender li$eness !

it is an antelechia ! it is a number ! it is a harmony

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Lastly' according to the divine lato' it is a com-

pound of the same and the other 4It is atoms 5hich

thin$ in us'4 said &picurus' after emocrites 3ut'

my friend' ho5 does an atom thin$? ,c$no5ledge

that thou $no5est nothing of the matter

 (he opinion 5hich one ought to adopt is' doubt-

F@C hilosophical

less' that the soul is an immaterial being! but cer-

tainly 5e cannot conceive 5hat an immaterial being

is .o' ans5er the learned ! but 5e $no5 that its

nature is to thin$ ,nd 5hence do you $no5 this?

)e $no5' because it does thin$ Oh' ye learned T I

am much afraid that you are as ignorant as &pi-

curus T (he nature of a stone is to fall' because it

does fall ! but I as$ you' 5hat ma$es it fall ?

)e $no5' continue they' that a stone has no soul

2ranted ! I believe it as 5ell as you )e $no5 that

an armative and a negative are not divisible' are

not parts of matter I am of your opinion 3ut

matter' other5ise un$no5n to us' possesses ualities

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5hich are not material' 5hich are not divisible! it

has gravitation to5ards a centre' 5hich 2od has

given it ! and this gravitation has no parts ! it is not

divisible (he moving force of bodies is not a being

composed of parts In li$e manner the vegetation of

organi;ed bodies' their life' their instinct' are not

beings apart' divisible beings ! you can no more cut

in t5o the vegetation of a rose' the life of a horse'

the instinct of a dog' than you can cut in t5o a sen-

sation' an armation' a negation (herefore your

Jne argument' dra5n from the indivisibility of

thought' proves nothing at all

)hat' then' do you call your soul? )hat idea

have you of it? <ou cannot of yourselves' 5ithout

revelation' admit the eistence 5ithin you of any-

thing but a po5er un$no5n to you of feeling and

thin$ing

ictionary

.o5 tell me honestly' is this po5er of feeling and

thin$ing the same as that 5hich causes you to digest

and to 5al$? <ou o5n that it is not! for in vain

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might your understanding say to your stomach

igest ! it 5ill not' if it be sic$ In vain might your

immaterial being order your feet to 5al$ ! they 5ill

not stir' if they have the gout

 (he 2ree$s clearly perceived that thought has

freuently nothing to do 5ith the play of our organs !

they admitted the eistence of an animal soul for

these organs' and for the thoughts a soul Jner' more

subtile a nous

3ut 5e Jnd that this soul of thought has' on a

thousand occasions' the ascendency over the animal

soul (he thin$ing soul commands the hands to

ta$e' and they obey It does not tell the heart to

beat' the blood to Mo5' the chyle to form ! all this is

done 5ithout it 6ere then are t5o souls much in-

volved' and neither of them having the mastery

.o5' this Jrst animal soul certainly does not

eist ! it is nothing more than the movement of our

organs (a$e heed' O man T lest thou have no more

proofs but thy 5ea$ reason that the other soul eists

 (hou canst not $no5 it but by faith ! thou art born'

thou eatest' thou thin$est' thou 5a$est' thou sleepest'

5ithout $no5ing ho5 2od has given thee the fac-

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ulty of thin$ing' as 6e has given thee all the rest!

and if 6e had not come at the time appointed by 6is

providence' to teach thee that thou hast an imma-

F@G hilosophical

terial and an immortal soul' thou 5ouldst have no

proof 5hatever of it

Let us eamine the Jne systems on the soul' 5hich

thy philosophy has fabricated

One says that the soul of man is part of the sub-

stance of 2od 6imself ! another that it is part of the

great 5hole! a third that it is created from all

eternity! a fourth that it is made' and not created

Others assure us that 2od ma$es souls according as

they are 5anted' and that they arrive at the moment

of copulation (hey are lodged in the seminal ani-

malcules' cries one .o' says another' they ta$e up

their abode in the 1allopian tubes , third conies

and says 7 <ou are all 5rong ! the soul 5aits for si

5ee$s' until the fcetus is formed' and then it ta$es

possession of the pineal gland ! but if it Jnds a false

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conception' it returns and 5aits for a better oppor-

tunity (he last opinion is that its d5elling is in the

callous body ! this is the post assigned to it by La

eyronie , man should be Jrst surgeon to the $ing

of 1rance to dispose in this 5ay of the lodging of

the soul <et the callous body 5as not so successful

in the 5orld as the surgeon 5as

#t (homas in his uestion DE and follo5ing'

says that the soul is a form subsisting per se' that it

is all in all' that its essence diNers from its po5er!

that there are three vegetative souls' vi;' the nutri-

tive' the argumentative' and the generative! that

the memory of spiritual things is spiritual' and the

memory of corporeal things is corporeal! that thp

ictionary F@E

rational soul is a form 4immaterial as to its opera-

tions' and material as to its being4 #t (homas

5rote t5o thousand pages' of li$e force and clear-

ness! and he is the angel of the schools

.or have there been fe5er systems contrived on

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the 5ay in 5hich this soul 5ill feel' 5hen it shall

have laid aside the body 5ith 5hich it felt! ho5 it

5ill hear 5ithout ears' smell 5ithout a nose' and

touch 5ithout hands ! 5hat body it 5ill after5ards

resume' 5hether that 5hich it had at t5o years old'

or at eighty ! ho5 the D the identity of the same per-

son 5ill subsist! ho5 the soul of a man become

imbecile at the age of Jfteen' and dying imbecile at

the age of seventy' 5ill resume the thread of the

ideas 5hich he had at the age of puberty! by 5hat

contrivance a soul' the leg of 5hose body shall be cut

oN in &urope' and one of its arms lost in ,merica'

5ill recover this leg and arm' 5hich' having been

transformed into vegetables' 5ill have passed into

the blood of some other animal )e should never

Jnish' if 5e 5ere to see$ to give an account of all

the etravagances 5hich this poor human soul has

imagined about itself

It is very singular that' in the la5s of 2odKs peo-

ple' not a 5ord is said of the spirituality and im-

mortality of the soul! nothing in the ecalogue'

nothing in Leviticus' or in euteronomy

It is uite certain' it is indubitable' that :oses

no5here proposes to the 8e5s pains and re5ards in

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another life ! that he never mentions to them the im-

F@B hilosophical

mortality of their souls! that he never gives them

hopes of heaven' nor threatens them 5ith hell ! all is

temporal

:any illustrious commentators have thought that

:oses 5as perfectly acuainted 5ith these t5o great

dogmas! and they prove it by the 5ords of 8acob'

5ho' believing that his son had been devoured by

5ild beasts' said in his grief 7 4I 5ill go do5n into

the grave in infernum unto my son4! that is' I

5ill die' since my son is dead

 (hey further prove it by the passages in Isaiah

and &;e$iel! but the 6ebre5s' to 5hom :oses

spo$e' could not have read either &;e$iel or Isaiah'

5ho did not come until several centuries after

It is uite useless to dispute about the private

opinions of :oses (he fact is that in his public

la5s he never spo$e of a life to come ! that he lim-

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ited all re5ards and punishments to the time present

If he $ne5 of a future life' 5hy did he not epressly

set forth that dogma? ,nd if he did not $no5 of

it' 5hat 5ere the object and etent of his mission?

 (his uestion is as$ed by many great persons (he

ans5er is' that the :aster of :oses' and of all men'

reserved to 6imself the right of epounding to the

 8e5s' at 6is o5n time' a doctrine 5hich they 5ere

not in a condition to understand 5hen they 5ere in

the desert

If :oses had announced the immortality of the

soul' a great school among the 8e5s 5ould not have

ictionary F@D

constantly combated it (his great retreat of the

#adducees 5ould not have been authori;ed in the

#tate ! the #adducees 5ould not have Jlled the high-

est oces' nor 5ould pontiNs have been chosen from

their body

It appears that it 5as not until after the founding

of ,leandria that the 8e5s 5ere divided into three

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sects the harisees' the #adducees' and the &s-

senes (he historian 8osephus' 5ho 5as a harisee'

informs us in the thirteenth boo$ of his 4,ntiui-

ties4 that the harisees believed in the metemp-

sychosis ! the #adducees believed that the soul per-

ished 5ith the body! the &ssenes' says 8osephus'

held that souls 5ere immortal! according to them

souls descended in an aerial form into the body' from

the highest region of the air' 5hither they 5ere

carried bac$ again by a violent attraction ! and after

death' those 5hich had belonged to the good d5elt

beyond the ocean in a country 5here there 5as

neither heat nor cold' nor 5ind' nor rain (he souls

of the 5ic$ed 5ent into a climate of an opposite de-

scription #uch 5as the theology of the 8e5s

6e 5ho alone 5as to instruct all men came and

condemned these three sects ! but 5ithout 6im 5e

could never have $no5n anything of our soul! for

the philosophers never had any determinate idea of

it ! and :oses the only true la5giver in the 5orld

before our o5n :oses' 5ho tal$ed 5ith 2od face

to face' left men in the most profound ignorance on

this great point It is' then' only for seventeen hun-

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F @ H hilosophical

dred years that there has been any certainty of the

soulKs eistence and its immortality

0icero had only doubts ! his grandson and grand-

daughter might learn the truth from the Jrst 2ali-

leans 5ho came to ome

3ut before that time' and since then' in all the rest

of the earth 5here the apostles did not penetrate'

each one must have said to his soul7 )hat art

thou ? 5hence comest thou ? 5hat dost thou ? 5hither

goest thou? (hou art I $no5 not 5hat' thin$ing

and feeling7 and 5ert thou to feel and thin$ for a

hundred thousand millions of years' thou 5ouldst

never $no5 any more by thine o5n light 5ithout

the assistance of 2od

O manT 2od has given thee understanding for

thy o5n good conduct' and not to penetrate into the

essence of the things 5hich 6e has created

#o thought Loc$e ! and before Loc$e' 2assendi !

and before 2assendi' a multitude of sages! but 5e

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have bachelors 5ho $no5 all of 5hich those great

men 5ere ignorant

#ome cruel enemies of reason have dared to rise

up against these truths' ac$no5ledged by all the 5ise

 (hey have carried their dishonesty and impudence

so far as to charge the authors of this 5or$ 5ith

having armed that the soul is matter <ou 5ell

$no5' persecutors of innocence' that 5e have said

uite the contrary <ou must have read these very

5ords against &picurus' emocritus' and Lucre-

tius 7 4:y friend' ho5 does an atom thin$ ? ,c-

ictionary F@"

$no5ledge that thou $no5est nothing of the mat-

ter4 It is then evident' ye are calumniators

.o one $no5s 5hat that material being is' 5hich

is called 4spirit'4 to 5hich be it observed you

give this material name' signifying 45ind4 ,ll the

Jrst fathers of the 0hurch believed the soul to be

corporeal It is impossible for us limited beings to

$no5 5hether our intelligence is substance or fac-

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ulty 7 5e cannot thoroughly $no5 either the etended

being' or the thin$ing beings' or the mechanism of

thought

)e eclaim to you' 5ith the ever to be revered

2assendi and Loc$e' that 5e $no5 nothing by our-

selves of the secrets of the 0reator ,nd are you

gods' 5ho $no5 everything? )e repeat to you'

that you cannot $no5 the nature and distinction of

the soul but by revelation ,nd is not this revelation

sucient for you ? <ou must surely be enemies of

this revelation 5hich 5e claim' since you persecute

those 5ho epect everything from it' and believe

only in it

 <es' 5e tell you' 5e defer 5holly to the 5ord of

2od! and you' enemies of reason and of 2od' treat

the humble doubt and humble submission of the phi-

losopher as the 5olf in the fable treated the lamb !

you say to him7 <ou said ill of me last year! I

must suc$ your blood hilosophy ta$es no revenge !

she smiles in peace at your vain endeavors! she

mildly enlightens man$ind' 5hom you 5ould brutal-

i;e' to ma$e them li$e yourselves

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FCA hilosophical

#,0&

)6,( is space? 4(here is no space in void'4

eclaimed Leibnit;' after having admitted a void!

but 5hen he admitted a void' he had not embroiled

himself 5ith .e5ton' nor disputed 5ith him on the

calculus of Muions' of 5hich .e5ton 5as the in-

ventor (his dispute brea$ing out' there 5as no

longer space or a void for Leibnit;

1ortunately' 5hatever may be said by philos-

ophers on these insolvable uestions' 5hether it be

for &picurus' for 2assendi' for .e5ton' for es-

cartes' or ohaut' the la5s of motion 5ill be al5ays

the same

>ue ohaut vainement sh he pour concevoir

0omment tout eKtantplein t tout apu se mouvoir

3OIL&,9' &p v' F@-FC

 (hat ohaut ehausts himself by vainly endeav-

oring to understand ho5 motion can eist in a ple-

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num 5ill not prevent our vessels from sailing to the

Indies' and all motion proceeding 5ith regularity

ure space' you say' can neither be matter' nor spirit !

and as there is nothing in this 5orld but matter and

spirit' there can therefore be no space

#o' gentlemen' you assert that there is only matter

and spirit' to us 5ho $no5 so little either of the one

or the other a pleasant decision' trulyT 4(here

are only t5o things in nature' and these 5e $no5

not4 :onte;uma reasons more justly in the &ng-

lish tragedy of ryden 7 4)hy come you here to tell

ictionary FC@

me of the emperor 0harles the 1ifth? (here are

but t5o emperors in the 5orld! he of eru and

myself4 :onte;uma spo$e of t5o things 5ith

5hich he 5as acuainted' but 5e spea$ of t5o things

of 5hich 5e have no precise idea

)e are very pleasant atoms )e ma$e 2od a

spirit in a mode of our o5n ! and because 5e denom-

inate that faculty spirit' 5hich the supreme' univer-

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sal' eternal' and all-po5erful 3eing has given us' of

combining a fe5 ideas in our little brain' of the e-

tent of si inches more or less' 5e suppose 2od to

be a spirit in the same sense 2od al5ays in our

image honest soulsT

3ut ho5' if there be millions of beings of another

nature from our matter' of 5hich 5e $no5 only a

fe5 ualities' and from our spirit' our ideal breath

of 5hich 5e accurately $no5 nothing at all? and

5ho can assert that these millions of beings eist

not ! or suspects not that 2od' demonstrated to eist

by 6is 5or$s' is eminently diNerent from all these

beings' and that space may not be one of them?

)e are far from asserting 5ith Lucretius

&rgo' prceter inane et corpora' tertiaper se

.ulla potest rerum in numero natura referri

Li3'i' v GGB' GGD

 (hat all consists of body and of space 0&&06

3ut may 5e venture to believe 5ith him' that

space is inJnite?

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6as any one been ever able to ans5er his ues-

tion 7 #peed an arro5 from the limits of the 5orld

5ill it fall into nothing' into nihility?

%ol @F C@

FCC hilosophical

0lar$e' 5ho spo$e in the name of .e5ton' pre-

tends that 4space has properties' for since it is e-

tended' it is measurable' and therefore eists4 3ut

if 5e ans5er' that something may be put 5here there

is nothing' 5hat ans5er 5ill be made by .e5ton and

0lar$e?

.e5ton regards space as the sensorium of 2od

I thought that I understood this grand saying form-

erly' because I 5as young ! at present' I understand

it no more than his eplanation of the ,pocalypse

#pace' the sensorium' the internal organ of 2odT

I lose both .e5ton and myself there

.e5ton thought' according to Loc$e' that the

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creation might be eplained by supposing that 2od'

by an act of 6is 5ill and 6is po5er' had rendered

space impenetrable It is melancholy that a genius

so profound as that possessed by .e5ton should

suggest such unintelligible things

#(,2& UOLI0& O1 (6&V

+I.2# of 1rance 5ere formerly ecommunicated !

all from hilip I to Louis %III 5ere solemnly so !

as also the emperors from 6enry I% to Louis of

3avaria inclusively (he $ings of &ngland had

li$e5ise a very decent part of these favors from the

court of ome It 5as the rage of the times' and

this rage cost si or seven hundred thousand men

their lives (hey actually ecommunicated the rep-

resentatives of monarchs ! I do not mean ambassa-

dors' but players' 5ho are $ings and emperors three

ictionary FCF

or four times a 5ee$' and 5ho govern the universe

to procure a livelihood

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I scarcely $no5 of any but this profession' and

that of magicians' to 5hich this honor could no5 be

paid! but as sorcerers have ceased for the eighty

years that sound philosophy has been $no5n to men'

there are no longer any victims but ,leander'

0aesar' ,thalie' olyeucte' ,ndromache' 3rutus'

=aire' and 6arleuin

 (he principal reason given is' that these gentle-

men and ladies represent the passions! but if de-

picting the human heart merits so horrible a disgrace'

a greater rigor should be used 5ith painters and

sculptors (here are many licentious pictures 5hich

are publicly sold' 5hile 5e do not represent a single

dramatic poem 5hich maintains not the strictest de-

corum (he %enus of (itian and that of 0orreggio

are uite na$ed' and are at all times dangerous for

our modest youth ! but comedians only recite the

admirable lines of 40inna4 for about t5o hours' and

5ith the approbation of the magistracy under the

royal authority )hy' therefore' are these living

personages on the stage more condemned than these

mute comedians on canvas? 49t pictura poesis

erit4 )hat 5ould #ophocles and &uripides have

said' if they could have foreseen that a people' 5ho

only ceased to be barbarous by imitating them' 5ould

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one day inMict this disgrace upon the stage' 5hich

in their time received such high glory?

&sopus and oscius 5ere not oman senators'

FCG hilosophical

it is true! but the 1lamen did not declare them in-

famous! and the art of (erence 5as not doubted

 (he great pope and prince' Leo ' to 5hom 5e o5e

the rene5al of good tragedy and comedy in &urope'

and 5ho caused dramatic pieces to be represented in

his palace 5ith so much magniJcence' foresa5 not

that one day' in a part of 2aul' the descendants of

the 0elts and the 2oths 5ould believe they had a

right to disgrace that 5hich he honored If 0ardi-

nal ichelieu had lived he 5ho caused the alais

oyal to be built' and to 5hom 1rance o5es the

stage he 5ould no longer have suNered them to

have dared to cover 5ith ignominy those 5hom he

employed to recite his o5n 5or$s

It must be confessed that they 5ere heretics 5ho

began to outrage the Jnest of all the arts Leo '

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having revived the tragic scene' the pretended re-

formers reuired nothing more to convince them

that it 5as the 5or$ of #atan (hus the to5n of

2eneva' and several illustrious places of #5it;erland'

have been a hundred and Jfty years 5ithout suNer-

ing a violin amongst them (he 8ansenists' 5ho no5

dance on the tomb of #t aris' to the great ediJca-

tion of the neighborhood' in the last century forbade

a princess of 0onti' 5hom they governed' to allo5

her son to learn dancing' saying that dancing 5as

too profane 6o5ever' as it 5as necessary he should

be graceful' he 5as taught the minuet' but they

5ould not allo5 a violin' and the director 5as a long

time before he 5ould suNer the prince of 0onti to

ictionary FCE

be taught 5ith castanets , fe5 0atholic %isigoths

on this side the ,lps' therefore' fearing the re-

proaches of the reformers' cried as loudly as they

did (hus' by degrees' the fashion of defaming

0aesar and ompey' and of refusing certain cere-

monies to certain persons paid by the $ing' and la-

boring under the eyes of the magistracy' 5as estab-

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lished in 1rance )e do not declaim against this

abuse! for 5ho 5ould embroil himself 5ith po5-

erful men of the present time' for hedra and heroes

of past ages?

)e are content 5ith Jnding this rigor absurd'

and 5ith al5ays paying our full tribute of admira-

tion to the masterpieces of our stage

ome' from 5hom 5e have learned our catechism'

does not use it as 5e do ! she has al5ays $no5n ho5

to temper her la5s according to times and occasions !

she has $no5n ho5 to distinguish impudent mounte-

ban$s' 5ho 5ere formerly rightly censured' from the

dramatic pieces of (rissin' and of several bishops

and cardinals 5ho have assisted to revive tragedy

&ven at present' comedies are publicly represented

at ome in religious houses Ladies go to them

5ithout scandal! they thin$ not that dialogues' re-

cited on boards' are a diabolical infamy )e have

even seen the piece of 42eorge andin4 eecuted

at ome by nuns' in the presence of a cro5d of ec-

clesiastics and ladies (he 5ise omans are above

all careful ho5 they ecommunicate the gentlemen

5ho sing the trebles in the Italian operas! for' in

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FCB hilosophical

truth' it is enough to be castrated in this 5orld' 5ith-

out being damned in the other

In the good time of Louis I%' there 5as al-

5ays a bench at the spectacles' 5hich 5as called the

bench of bishops I have been a 5itness' that in the

minority of Louis %' 0ardinal 1leury' then bishop

of 1rejus' 5as very anious to revive this custom

)ith other times and other manners' 5e are ap-

parently much 5iser than in the times in 5hich the

5hole of &urope came to admire our sho5s' 5hen

ichelieu revived the stage in 1rance' 5hen Leo

rene5ed the age of ,ugustus in Italy 7 but a time 5ill

come in 5hich our children' seeing the impertinent

5or$ of 1ather Le 3run against the art of #opho-

cles' and the 5or$s of our great men printed at

the same time' 5ill eclaim 7 Is it possible that the

1rench could thus contradict themselves' and that the

most absurd barbarity has so proudly raised its head

against some of the Jnest productions of the human

mind?

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#t (homas of ,uinas' 5hose morals 5ere eual

to those of 0alvin and 1ather >uesnel #t (homas'

5ho had never seen good comedy' and 5ho $ne5

only miserable players' thin$s ho5ever that the

theatre might be useful 6e had sucient good

sense and justice to feel the merit of this art' un-

Jnished as it 5as' and permitted and approved of it

#t 0harles 3orromeo personally eamined the pieces

5hich 5ere played at :ilan' and gave them his ap-

probation and signature )ho after that 5ill be

ictionary FCD

%isigoths enough to treat oderigo and 0himene as

soul-corrupters ? )ould to 2od that these barbar-

ians' the enemies of the Jnest of arts' had the piety

of olyeucte' the clemency of ,ugustus' the virtue

of 3urrhus' and 5ould die li$e the husband of ,l-

;iraT

#(,(&# 2O%&.:&.(#

)6I06 is the best? I have not hitherto $no5n

any person 5ho has not governed some state I

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spea$ not of messieurs the ministers' 5ho really

govern ! some t5o or three years' others si months'

and others si 5ee$s ! I spea$ of all other men' 5ho'

at supper or in their closet' unfold their systems of

government' and reform armies' the 0hurch' the

go5n' and Jnances

 (he ,bbe de 3our;eis began to govern 1rance

to5ards the year @BGE' under the name of 0ardinal

ichelieu' and made the 4olitical (estament'4 in

5hich he 5ould enlist the nobility into the cavalry

for three years' ma$e chambers of accounts and par-

liaments pay the poll-ta' and deprive the $ing of

the produce of the ecise 6e asserts' above all'

that to enter a country 5ith Jfty thousand men' it

is essential to economy that a hundred thousand

should be raised 6e arms that 4rovence alone

has more Jne seaports than #pain and Italy to-

gether4

 (he ,bbe de 3our;eis had not travelled ,s to

the rest' his 5or$ abounds 5ith anachronisms and

FCH hilosophical

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errors ! and as he ma$es 0ardinal ichelieu sign in

a manner in 5hich he never signed' so he ma$es

him spea$ as he had never spo$en :oreover' he

Jlls a 5hole chapter 5ith saying that reason should

guide a state' and in endeavoring to prove this dis-

covery (his 5or$ of obscurities' this bastard of

the ,bbe de 3our;eis' has long passed for the legit-

imate oNspring of the 0ardinal ichelieu! and all

academicians' in their speeches of reception' fail not

to praise etravagantly this political masterpiece

 (he #ieur 2atien de 0ourtil;' seeing the success

of the 4(estament olitiue4 of ichelieu' published

at (he 6ague the 4(estament de 0olbert'4 5ith a

Jne letter of : 0olbert to the $ing It is clear that

if this minister made such a testament' it must have

been suppressed ! yet this boo$ has been uoted by

several authors

,nother ignoramus' of 5hose name 5e are igno-

rant' failed not to produce the 4(estament de

Louis'4 still 5orse' if possible' than that of 0olbert

,n abbe of 0hevremont also made 0harles' du$e

of Lorraine' form a testament )e have had the

political testaments of 0ardinal ,lberoni' :arshal

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3elle-Isle' and Jnally that of :andrin

: de 3oisguillebert' author of the 4etail de la

1rance'4 published in @B"E' produced the impracti-

cable project of the royal tithe' under the name of

the marshal de %auban

, madman' named La 8onchere' 5anting bread'

5rote' in @DCA' a 4roject of 1inance'4 in four vol-

ictionary FC"

umes ! and some fools have uoted this production

as a 5or$ of La 8onchere' the treasurer-general'

imagining that a treasurer could not 5rite a bad

boo$ on Jnance

3ut it must be confessed that very 5ise men' per-

haps very 5orthy to govern' have 5ritten on the

administration of states in 1rance' #pain' and &ng-

land (heir boo$s have done much good ! not that

they have corrected ministers 5ho 5ere in place

5hen these boo$s appeared' for a minister does not

and cannot correct himself 6e has attained his

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gro5th' and more instruction' more counsel' he has

not time to listen to (he current of aNairs carries

him a5ay ! but good boo$s form young people' des-

tined for their places! and princes and statesmen

of a succeeding generation are instructed

 (he strength and 5ea$ness of all governments

has been narro5ly eamined in latter times (ell

me' then' you 5ho have travelled' 5ho have read and

have seen' in 5hat state' under 5hat sort of govern-

ment' 5ould you be born? I conceive that a great

landed lord in 1rance 5ould have no objection to be

born in 2ermany 7 he 5ould be a sovereign instead

of a subject , peer of 1rance 5ould be very glad

to have the privileges of the &nglish peerage 7 he

5ould be a legislator (he go5nsman and Jnancier

5ould Jnd himself better oN in 1rance than else-

5here 3ut 5hat country 5ould a 5ise freeman

choose a man of small fortune' 5ithout prejudices ?

, rather learned member of the council of ond-

FFA hilosophical

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icherry came into &urope' by land' 5ith a brahmin'

more learned than the generality of them 46o5 do

you Jnd the government of the 2reat :ogul ?4 said

the counsellor 4,bominable'4 ans5ered the brah-

min ! 4ho5 can you epect a state to be happily gov-

erned by (artars? Our rajahs' our omras' and our

nabobs are very contented' but the citi;ens are by no

means so! and millions of citi;ens are something4

 (he counsellor and the brahmin traversed all 9p-

per ,sia' reasoning on their 5ay 4I reMect'4 said

the brahmin' 4that there is not a republic in all this

vast part of the 5orld4 4(here 5as formerly that

of (yre'4 said the counsellor' 4but it lasted not

long! there 5as another to5ards ,rabia etraea'

in a little noo$ called alestine if 5e can honor

5ith the name of republic a horde of thieves and

usurers' sometimes governed by judges' sometimes

by a sort of $ings' sometimes by high priests ! 5ho

became slaves seven or eight times' and 5ere Jnally

driven from the country 5hich they had usurped4

4I fancy'4 said the brahmin' 4that 5e should Jnd

very fe5 republics on earth :en are seldom 5or-

thy to govern themselves (his happiness should

only belong to little people' 5ho conceal themselves

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in islands' or bet5een mountains' li$e rabbits 5ho

steal a5ay from carnivorous animals' but at length

are discovered and devoured4

)hen' the travellers arrived in ,sia :inor' the

counsellor said to the brahmin' 4)ould you believe

that there 5as a republic formed in a corner of Italy'

ictionary FF@

5hich lasted more than Jve hundred years' and

5hich possessed this ,sia :inor' ,sia' ,frica'

2reece' the 2auls' #pain' and the 5hole of Italy?4

4It 5as therefore soon turned into a monarchy?4

said the brahmin 4<ou have guessed it'4 said the

other! 4but this monarchy has fallen' and every

day 5e ma$e Jne dissertations to discover the causes

of its decay and fall4 4<ou ta$e much useless

pains'4 said the Indian 7 4this empire has fallen be-

cause it eisted ,ll must fall I hope that the same

5ill happen to the empire of the 2reat :ogul4

4,propos'4 said the &uropean' 4do you believe that

more honor is reuired in a despotic state' and more

virtue in a republic ?4 (he term 4honor4 being Jrst

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eplained to the Indian' he replied' that honor 5as

more necessary in a republic' and that there is more

need of virtue in a monarchical state 41or'4 said

he' 4a man 5ho pretends to be elected by the people'

5ill not be so' if he is dishonored! 5hile at court

he can easily obtain a place' according to the maim

of a great prince' that to succeed' a courtier should

have neither honor nor a 5ill of his o5n )ith re-

spect to virtue' it is prodigiously reuired in a court'

in order to dare to tell the truth (he virtuous

man is much more at his ease in a republic' having

nobody to Matter4

4o you believe'4 said the &uropean' 4that la5s

and religions can be formed for climates' the same

as furs are reuired at :osco5' and gau;e stuNs at

elhi?4 4<es' doubtless'4 said the brahmin! 4all

FFC hilosophical

la5s 5hich concern physics are calculated for the

meridian 5hich 5e inhabit ! a 2erman reuires only

one 5ife' and a ersian must have t5o or three

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4ites of religion are of the same nature If I

5ere a 0hristian' ho5 5ould you have me say mass

in my province' 5here there is neither bread nor

5ine ? )ith regard to dogmas' it is another thing !

climate has nothing to do 5ith them id not your

religion commence in ,sia' from 5hence it 5as

driven? does it not eist to5ards the 3altic #ea'

5here it 5as un$no5n?4

4In 5hat state' under 5hat dominion' 5ould you

li$e to live?4 said the counsellor 49nder any but

my o5n'4 said his companion' 4and I have found

many #iamese' (onuinese' ersians' and (ur$s

5ho have said the same4 43ut' once more'4 said

the &uropean' 45hat state 5ould you choose?4

 (he brahmin ans5ered' 4(hat in 5hich the la5s

alone are obeyed4 4(hat is an odd ans5er'4 said

the counsellor 4It is not the 5orse for that'4 said

the brahmin 4)here is this country?4 said the

counsellor (he brahmin 7 4)e must see$ it4

#(,(&#-2&.&,L

 (6&& have been al5ays such in &urope' and

probably in all the earth' so natural is it to assemble

the family' to $no5 its interests' and to provide for

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its 5antsT (he (artars had their cour-ilte (he

2ermans' according to (acitus' assembled to con-

sult (he #aons and people of the .orth had their

ictionary FFF

5itenagemot (he people at large formed states-

general in the 2ree$ and oman republics

)e see none among the &gyptians' ersians' or

0hinese' because 5e have but very imperfect frag-

ments of their histories 7 5e scarcely $no5 anything

of them until since the time in 5hich their $ings

5ere absolute' or at least since the time in 5hich

they had only priests to balance their authority

)hen the comitia 5ere abolished at ome' the

raetorian guards too$ their place 7 insolent' greedy'

barbarous' and idle soldiers 5ere the republic #ep-

timius #everus conuered and disbanded them

 (he states-general of the Ottoman &mpire are

the janissaries and cavalry! in ,lgiers and (unis'

it is the militia (he greatest and most singular e-

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ample of these states-general is the iet of atisbon'

5hich has lasted a hundred years' 5here the rep-

resentatives of the empire' the ministers of electors'

princes' counts' prelates and imperial cities' to the

number of thirty-seven' continually sit

 (he second states-general of &urope are those of

2reat 3ritain (hey are not al5ays assembled' li$e

the iet of atisbon ! but they are become so neces-

sary that the $ing convo$es them every year

 (he 6ouse of 0ommons ans5ers precisely to the

deputies of cities received in the diet of the empire !

but it is much larger in number' and enjoys a su-

perior po5er It is properly the nation eers and

bishops are in parliament only for themselves' and

the 6ouse of 0ommons for all the country

FFG hilosophical

 (his parliament of &ngland is only a perfected

imitation of certain states-general of 1rance In

@FEE' under +ing 8ohn' the three states 5ere as-

sembled at aris' to aid him against the &nglish

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 (hey granted him a considerable sum' at Jve livres

Jve sous the mar$' for fear the $ing should change

the numerary value (hey regulated the ta neces-

sary to gather in this money' and they established

nine commissioners to preside at the receipt (he

$ing promised for himself and his successors' not

to ma$e any change in the coin in future

)hat is promising for himself and his heirs?

&ither it is promising nothing' or it is saying 7 .ei-

ther myself nor my heirs have the right of altering

the money ! 5e have not the po5er of doing ill