,the ,,works of ,,voltaire ,,edition ,,de ,,la ,,pacification ,limited to one thousand sets for ,america and ,great ,britain4 8,between two servants of ,humanity1 who appeared eighteen hundred years apart1 there is a mysterious relation4 99 99 99 99 99 ,let us say it with a sentiment of profound respect3 ,,jesus ,,wept3 ,,voltaire ,,smiled4 ,of that divine tear and of that human smile is composed the sweetness of the present civilization40 ,,victor ,,hugo4 ,illustration3 ,,at ,,this ,,interesting ,,moment1 ,,as ,,may ,,easily ,,be ,,imagined1 ,,who ,,should ,,come ,,in ,,but ,,the ,,uncle ,,edition ,,de ,,la ,,pacification ,,the ,,works ,,of ,,voltaire ,a ,,contemporary ,,version ,with ,notes by ,tobias ,smollett1 ,revised and ,modernized ,new ,translations by ,william ,f4 ,fleming1 and an ,introduction by ,oliver ,h4 ,g4 ,leigh ,a ,,critique ,,and ,,biography ,,by ,,the ,,rt4 ,,hon4 ,,john ,,morley ,,forty-,,three ,,volumes ,,one ,,hundred ,,and ,,sixty-,,eight ,,designs1 ,,comprising ,,reproductions ,,of ,,rare ,,old ,,engravings1 ,,steel ,,plates1 ,,photogravures1 ,,and ,,curious ,,fac-,,similes ,,volume ,,iv ,e4 ,r4 ,du,m,o,n,t ,,paris 3 ,,london 3 ,,new ,,york 3 ,,chicago ,,copyright #aija ,,by ,e4 ,r4 ,,dumont ,,owned by ,,the ,,werner ,,company ,,akron1 ,,ohio ,,made ,,by ,,the ,,werner ,,company ,,akron1 ,,ohio ,,voltaire ,,romances ,,in ,,three ,,volumes ,,vol4 ,,iii4 ,,contents ------------ ,i4 ,,andr ,,des ,,touches ,,in ,,siam ''' #e ,,ii4 ,,the ,,blind ,,as ,,judges ,,of ,,color ''' #ac ,,iii4 ,,the ,,clergyman ,,and ,,his ,,soul ''' #ae ,,iv4 ,a ,,conversation ,,with ,a ,,chinese ''' #bh ,v4 ,,memnon ,,the ,,philosopher ''' #cc ,,vi4 ,,plato',s ,,dream ''' #db ,,vii4 ,,an ,,adventure ,,in ,,india ''' #dg ,,viii4 ,,bababec ''' #ea ,,ix4 ,,ancient ,,faith ,,and ,,fable ''' #ef ,x4 ,,the ,,two ,,comforters ''' #fa ,,xi4 ,,dialogue ,,between ,,marcus ,,aurelius ,,and ,a ,,recollet ,,friar ''' #fd ,,xii4 ,,dialogue ,,between ,a ,,brahmin ,,and ,a ,,jesuit ''' #gj ,,xiii4 ,,dialogues ,,between ,,lucretius ,,and ,,posidonius ''' #gf ,,xiv4 ,,dialogue ,,between ,a ,,client ,,and ,,his ,,lawyer ''' #ie ,,xv4 ,,dialogue ,,between ,,madame ,,de ,,maintenon ,,and ,,mdlle4 ,,de ,l',,enclos ''' #aja ,,xvi4 ,,dialogue ,,between ,a ,,savage ,,and ,a ,,bachelor ,,of ,,arts ''' #ajh ------------ ,a ,,treatise ,,on ,,toleration4 ,in #agfb ,jean ,calas1 a ,protestant of ,toulouse1 was done to death by torture on the wheel on the false charge of having slain his son1 a suicide4 ,his widow and children were put to the torture to extort a confession1 in utter lack of evidence4 ,voltaire devoted years of unremitting labor to agitating the terrible crime and raising money compensation for the victims4 ,his pamphlets aroused substantial sympathy and protests in ,england and over the ,continent4 ,his efforts led to the writing of over one hundred plays1 poems1 and pamphlets on the case4 ,voltaire had the satisfaction of witnessing the triumph of his long struggle4 ,he narrates the facts in this ,treatise1 which expands into a sweeping exposure of the cruelties committed in the name of religion1 in all ages and countries4 ,,list ,,of ,,plates--,,vol4 ,,iv ------------ ,,memnon ,,and ,,the ,,lady',s ,,uncle ''' ,frontispiece ,,the ,,disconsolate ,,woman ''' #fb ,,the ,,maid ,,of ,,orleans ,,at ,,the ,,stake ''' #add ,,widow ,,calas ,,appeals ,,to ,,the ,,king ''' #bhf ,,andr ,,des ,,touches ,,in ,,siam4 ,andr ,des ,touches was a very agreeable musician in the brilliant reign of ,louis ,,xiv41 before the science of music was perfected by ,rameau1 and before it was corrupted by those who prefer the art of surmounting difficulties to nature and the real graces of composition4 ,before he had recourse to these talents he had been a musketeer1 and before that1 in #afhh1 he went into ,siam with the ,jesuit ,tachard1 who gave him many marks of his affection1 for the amusement he afforded on board the ship2 and ,des ,touches spoke with admiration of ,father ,tachard for the rest of his life4 ,in ,siam he became acquainted with the first commissary of ,barcalon1 whose name was ,croutef1 and he committed to writing most of those questions which he asked of ,croutef1 and the answers of that ,siamese4 ,they are as follows3 ,,des ,,touches4--,how many soldiers have you8 ,,croutef4--,fourscore thousand1 very indifferently paid4 ,,des ,,touches4--,and how many talapoins8 ,,croutef4--,a hundred and twenty thousand1 very idle and very rich4 ,it is true that in the last war we were beaten1 but our talapoins have lived sumptuously and built fine houses4 ,,des ,,touches4--,nothing could have discovered more judgment4 ,and your finances1 in what state are they8 ,,croutef4--,in a very bad state4 ,we have1 however1 about ninety thousand men employed to render them prosperous1 and if they have not succeeded1 it has not been their fault1 for there is not one of them who does not honorably seize all that he can get possession of1 and strip and plunder those who cultivate the ground for the good of the state4 ,,des ,,touches4--,bravo6 ,and is not your jurisprudence as perfect as the rest of your administration8 ,,croutef4--,it is much superior4 ,we have no laws1 but we have five or six thousand volumes on the laws4 ,we are governed in general by customs2 for it is known that a custom1 having been established by chance1 is the wisest principle that can be imagined4 ,besides1 all customs being necessarily different in different provinces1 the judges may choose at their pleasure a custom which prevailed four hundred years ago or one which prevailed last year4 ,it occasions a variety in our legislation which our neighbors are forever admiring4 ,this yields a certain fortune to practitioners4 ,it is a resource for all pleaders who are destitute of honor1 and a pastime of infinite amusement for the judges1 who can1 with safe consciences1 decide causes without understanding them4 ,,des ,,touches4--,but in criminal cases--you have laws which may be depended upon8 ,,croutef4--,god forbid6 ,we can condemn men to exile1 to the galleys1 to be hanged2 or we can discharge them1 according to our own fancy4 ,we sometimes complain of the arbitrary power of the ,barcalon1 but we choose that all our decisions should be arbitrary4 ,,des ,,touches4--,that is very just4 ,and the torture--do you put people to the torture8 ,,croutef4--,it is our greatest pleasure4 ,we have found it an infallible secret to save a guilty person1 who has vigorous muscles1 strong and supple hamstrings1 nervous arms1 and firm loins1 and we gayly break on the wheel all those innocent persons to whom nature has given feeble organs4 ,it is thus we conduct ourselves with wonderful wisdom and prudence4 ,as there are half proofs1 ,i mean half truths1 it is certain there are persons who are half innocent and half guilty4 ,we commence1 therefore1 by rendering them half dead2 we then go to breakfast2 afterwards ensues entire death1 which gives us great consideration in the world1 which is one of the most valuable advantages of our offices4 ,,des ,,touches4--,it must be allowed that nothing can be more prudent and humane4 ,pray tell me what becomes of the property of the condemned8 ,,croutef4--,the children are deprived of it4 ,for you know that nothing can be more equitable than to punish the single fault of a parent on all his descendants4 ,,des ,,touches4--,yes4 ,it is a great while since ,i have heard of this jurisprudence4 ,,croutef4--,the people of ,laos1 our neighbors1 admit neither the torture1 nor arbitrary punishments1 nor the different customs1 nor the horrible deaths which are in use among us2 but we regard them as barbarians who have no idea of good government4 ,all ,asia is agreed that we dance the best of all its inhabitants1 and that1 consequently1 it is impossible they should come near us in jurisprudence1 in commerce1 in finance1 and1 above all1 in the military art4 ,,des ,,touches4--,tell me1 ,i beseech you1 by what steps men arrive at the magistracy in ,siam4 ,,croutef4--,by ready money4 ,you perceive that it may be impossible to be a good judge if a man has not by him thirty or forty thousand pieces of silver4 ,it is in vain a man may be perfectly acquainted with all our customs2 it is to no purpose that he has pleaded five hundred causes with success--that he has a mind which is the seat of judgment1 and a heart replete with justice2 no man can become a magistrate without money4 ,this1 ,i say1 is the circumstance which distinguishes us from all ,asia1 and particularly from the barbarous inhabitants of ,laos1 who have the madness to recompense all kinds of talents1 and not to sell any employment4 ,andr ,des ,touches1 who was a little off his guard1 said to the ,siamese that most of the airs which he had just sung sounded discordant to him1 and wished to receive information concerning real ,siamese music4 ,but ,croutef1 full of his subject1 and enthusiastic for his country1 continued in these words3 8,what does it signify that our neighbors1 who live beyond our mountains1 have better music than we have1 or better pictures1 provided we have always wise and humane laws8 ,it is in that circumstance we excel4 ,for example3 8,if a man has adroitly stolen three or four hundred thousand pieces of gold we respect him1 and we go and dine with him4 ,but if a poor servant gets awkwardly into his possession three or four pieces of copper out of his mistress' box we never fail of putting that servant to a public death2 first1 lest he should not correct himself2 secondly1 that he may not have it in his power to produce a great number of children for the state1 one or two of whom might possibly steal a few little pieces of copper1 or become great men2 thirdly1 because it is just to proportion the punishment to the crime1 and that it would be ridiculous to give any useful employment in a prison to a person guilty of so enormous a crime4 8,but we are still more just1 more merciful1 more reasonable in the chastisements which we inflict on those who have the audacity to make use of their legs to go wherever they choose4 ,we treat those warriors so well who sell us their lives1 we give them so prodigious a salary1 they have so considerable a part in our conquests1 that they must be the most criminal of all men to wish to return to their parents on the recovery of their reason1 because they had been enlisted in a state of intoxication4 ,to oblige them to remain in one place1 we lodge about a dozen leaden balls in their heads1 after which they become infinitely useful to their country4 8,i will not speak of a great number of excellent institutions which do not go so far as to shed the blood of men1 but which render life so pleasant and agreeable that it is impossible the guilty should avoid becoming virtuous4 ,if a farmer has not been able to pay promptly a tax which exceeds his ability1 we sell the pot in which he dresses his food2 we sell his bed in order that1 being relieved of all his superfluities1 he may be in a better condition to cultivate the earth40 ,,des ,,touches4--,that is extremely harmonious6 ,,croutef4--,to comprehend our profound wisdom you must know that our fundamental principle is to acknowledge in many places as our sovereign a shaven-headed foreigner who lives at the distance of nine hundred miles from us4 ,when we assign some of our best territories to any of our talapoins1 which it is very prudent in us to do1 that ,siamese talapoin must pay the revenue of his first year to that shaven-headed ,tartar1 without which it is clear our lands would be unfruitful4 ,but the time1 the happy time1 is no more when that tonsured priest induced one-half of the nation to cut the throats of the other half in order to decide whether ,sammonocodom had played at leap-frog or at some other game2 whether he had been disguised in an elephant or in a cow2 if he had slept three hundred and ninety days on the right side or on the left4 ,those grand questions1 which so essentially affect morality1 agitated all minds2 they shook the world2 blood flowed plentifully for it2 women were massacred on the bodies of their husbands2 they dashed out the brains of their little infants on the stones with a devotion1 with a grace1 with a contrition truly angelic4 ,woe to us6 degenerate offspring of pious ancestors1 who never offer such holy sacrifices6 ,but1 heaven be praised1 there are yet among us at least a few good souls who would imitate them if they were permitted4 ,,des ,,touches4--,tell me1 ,i beseech you1 sir1 if in ,siam you divide the tone major into two commas1 or into two semi-commas1 and if the progress of the fundamental sounds are made by one1 three1 and nine8 ,,croutef4--,by ,sammonocodom1 you are laughing at me4 ,you observe no bounds4 ,you have interrogated me on the form of our government1 and you speak to me of music6 ,,des ,,touches4--,music is everything4 ,it was at the foundation of all the politics of the ,greeks4 ,but ,i beg your pardon2 you have not a good ear1 and we will return to our subject4 ,you said that in order to produce a perfect harmony-- ,,croutef4--,i was telling you that formerly the tonsured ,tartar pretended to dispose of all the kingdoms of ,asia1 which occasioned something very different from perfect harmony4 ,but a very considerable benefit resulted from it2 for people were then more devout toward ,sammonocodom and his elephant than they are now1 for1 at the present time1 all the world pretends to common sense1 with an indiscretion truly pitiable4 ,however1 all things go on2 people divert themselves1 they dance1 they play1 they dine1 they sup1 they make love2 this makes every man shudder who entertains good intentions4 ,,des ,,touches4--,and what would you have more8 ,you only want good music4 ,if you had good music you might call your nation the happiest in the world4 ,,the ,,blind ,,as ,,judges ,,of ,,color4 ,when the hospital of the ,quinze ,vingt was first founded the pensioners were all equal1 and their little affairs were concluded upon by a majority of votes4 ,they distinguished perfectly by the touch between copper and silver coin2 they never mistook the wine of ,brie for that of ,burgundy4 ,their sense of smell was finer than that of their neighbors who had the use of two eyes4 ,they reasoned very well on the four senses2 that is1 they knew everything they were permitted to know1 and they lived as peaceably and as happily as blind people could be supposed to do4 ,but1 unfortunately1 one of their professors pretended to have clear ideas in respect to the sense of seeing2 he drew attention2 he intrigued2 he formed enthusiasts1 and at last he was acknowledged chief of the community4 ,he pretended to be a judge of colors1 and everything was lost4 ,this dictator of the ,quinze ,vingt chose at first a little council by the assistance of which he got possession of all the alms4 ,on this account no person had the resolution to oppose him4 ,he decreed that all the inhabitants of the ,quinze ,vingt were clothed in white4 ,the blind pensioners believed him1 and nothing was to be heard but their talk of white garments1 though1 in fact1 they possessed not one of that color4 ,all their acquaintances laughed at them4 ,they made their complaints to the dictator1 who received them very ill2 he rebuked them as innovators1 freethinkers1 rebels1 who had suffered themselves to be seduced by the errors of those who had eyes1 and who presumed to doubt that their chief was infallible4 ,this contention gave rise to two parties4 ,to appease the tumult1 the dictator issued a decree declaring that all their vestments were red4 ,there was not one vestment of that color in the ,quinze ,vingt4 ,the poor men were laughed at more than ever4 ,complaints were again made by the community4 ,the dictator rushed furiously in1 and the other blind men were as much enraged4 ,they fought a long time1 and peace was not restored until the members of the ,quinze ,vingt were permitted to suspend their judgments in regard to the color of their dress4 ,a deaf man1 reading this little history1 allowed that these people1 being blind1 were to blame in pretending to judge of colors1 but he remained steady to his own opinion that those persons who were deaf were the only proper judges of music4 ,,the ,,clergyman ,,and ,,his ,,soul4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,there can be no doubt that everything in the world is governed by fatality4 ,my own life is a convincing proof of this doctrine4 ,the earl of ,chesterfield1 with whom ,i was a great favorite1 had promised me that ,i should have the first living that fell to his gift4 ,an old incumbent of eighty happened to die1 and ,i immediately travelled post to ,london to remind the earl of his promise4 ,i was honored with an immediate interview1 and was received with the greatest kindness4 ,i informed his lordship of the death of the rector1 and of the hope ,i cherished relative to the disposal of the vacant living4 ,he replied that ,i really looked very ill4 ,i answered that1 thanks to ,god1 my greatest affliction was poverty4 8,i am sorry for you10 said his lordship1 and he politely dismissed me with a letter of introduction to a ,mr4 ,sidrac1 who dwelt in the vicinity of ,guildhall4 ,i ran as fast as ,i could to this gentleman's house1 not doubting but that he would immediately install me in the wished-for living4 ,i delivered the earl's letter1 and ,mr4 ,sidrac1 who had the honor to be my lord's surgeon1 asked me to sit down1 and1 producing a case of surgical instruments1 began to assure me that he would perform an operation which he trusted would very soon relieve me4 ,you must know that his lordship had understood that ,i was suffering from some dreadful complaint1 and that he generously intended to have me cured at his own expense4 ,the earl had the misfortune to be as deaf as a post1 a fact with which ,i1 alas6 had not been previously acquainted4 ,during the time which ,i lost in defending myself against the attacks of ,mr4 ,sidrac1 who insisted positively upon curing me1 whether ,i would or no1 one out of the fifty candidates who were all on the lookout1 came to town1 flew to my lord1 begged the vacant living and obtained it4 ,i was deeply in love with an interesting girl1 a ,miss ,fidler1 who had promised to marry me upon condition of my being made rector4 ,my fortunate rival not only got the living1 but also my mistress into the bargain6 ,my patron1 upon being told of his mistake1 promised to make me ample amends1 but alas6 he died two days afterwards4 ,mr4 ,sidrac demonstrated to me that1 according to his organic structure1 my good patron could not have lived one hour longer4 ,he also clearly proved that the earl's deafness proceeded entirely from the extreme dryness of the drums of his ears1 and kindly offered1 by an application of spirits of wine1 to harden both of my ears to such a degree that ,i should1 in one month only1 become as deaf as any peer of the realm4 ,i discovered ,mr4 ,sidrac to be a man of profound knowledge4 ,he inspired me with a taste for the study of nature1 and ,i could not but be sensible of the valuable acquisition ,i had made in acquiring the friendship of a man who was capable of relieving me1 should ,i need his services4 ,following his advice1 ,i applied myself closely to the study of nature1 to console myself for the loss of the rectory and of my enchanting ,miss ,fidler4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,study ,,of ,,nature4 ,after making many profound observations upon nature 7having employed in the research my five senses1 my spectacles1 and a very large telescope71 ,i said one day to ,mr4 ,sidrac3 8,unless ,i am much deceived1 philosophy laughs at us4 ,i cannot discover any trace of what the world calls nature2 on the contrary1 everything seems to me to be the result of art4 ,by art the planets are made to revolve around the sun1 while the sun revolves on its own axis4 ,i am convinced that some genius has arranged things in such a manner that the square of the revolutions of the planets is always in proportion to the cubic root from their distance to their centre1 and one had need be a magician to find out how this is accomplished4 ,the tides of the sea are the result of art no less profound and no less difficult to explain4 8,all animals1 vegetables1 and minerals are arranged with due regard to weight and measure1 number and motion4 ,all is performed by springs1 levers1 pulleys1 hydraulic machines1 and chemical combinations1 from the insignificant flea to the being called man1 from the grass of the field to the far-spreading oak1 from a grain of sand to a cloud in the firmament of heaven4 ,assuredly1 everything is governed by art1 and the word nature is but a chimera40 8,what you say10 answered ,mr4 ,sidrac1 8has been said many years ago1 and so much the better1 for the probability is greater that your remark is true4 ,i am always astonished when ,i reflect that a grain of wheat cast into the earth will produce in a short time above a handful of the same corn40 8,stop10 said ,i1 foolishly1 8you forget that wheat must die before it can spring up again1 at least so they say at college40 ,my friend ,sidrac1 laughing heartily at this interruption1 replied3 8,that assertion went down very well a few years ago1 when it was first published by an apostle called ,paul1 but in our more enlightened age the meanest laborer knows that the thing is altogether too ridiculous even for argument40 8,my dear friend10 said ,i1 8excuse the absurdity of my remarks2 ,i have hitherto been a theologian1 and one cannot divest one's self in a moment of every silly opinion40 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,good ,,advice4 ,some time after this conversation between the disconsolate person1 whom we shall call ,goodman1 and the clever anatomist1 ,mr4 ,sidrac1 the latter1 one fine morning1 observed his friend in ,st4 ,james's ,park1 standing in an attitude of deep thought4 8,what is the matter80 said the surgeon4 8,is there anything amiss80 8,no10 replied ,goodman1 8but ,i am left without a patron in the world since the death of my friend1 who had the misfortune to be so deaf4 ,now1 supposing there be only ten thousand clergymen in ,england1 and granting these ten thousand have each two patrons1 the odds against my obtaining a bishopric are twenty thousand to one2 a reflection quite sufficient to give any man the blue-devils4 ,i remember1 it was once proposed to me to go out as cabin-boy to the ,east ,indies4 ,i was told that ,i should make my fortune4 ,but as ,i did not think ,i should make a good admiral1 whenever ,i should arrive at the distinction1 ,i declined2 and so1 after turning my attention to every profession under the sun1 ,i am fixed for life as a poor clergyman1 good for nothing40 8,then be a clergyman no longer60 cried ,sidrac1 8and turn philosopher4 ,what is your income80 8,only thirty guineas a year10 replied ,goodman1 8although at the death of my mother it will be increased to fifty40 8,well1 my dear ,goodman10 continued ,sidrac1 8that sum is quite sufficient to support you in comfort4 ,thirty guineas are six hundred and thirty shillings1 almost two shillings a day4 ,with this fixed income a man need do nothing to increase it1 but is at perfect liberty to say all he thinks of the ,east ,india ,company1 the ,house of ,commons1 the king1 and all the royal family1 of man generally and individually1 and lastly1 of ,god and ,his attributes2 and the liberty we enjoy of expressing our thoughts upon these most interesting topics is certainly very agreeable and amusing40 8,come and dine at my table every day4 ,that will save you some little money4 ,we will afterwards amuse ourselves with conversation1 and your thinking faculty will have the pleasure of communicating with mine by means of speech1 which is certainly a very wonderful thing1 though its advantages are not duly appreciated by the greater part of mankind40 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,dialogue ,,upon ,,the ,,soul ,,and ,,other ,,topics4 ,,goodman4--,but my dear ,sidrac1 why do you always say my thinking faculty and not my soul8 ,if you used the latter term ,i should understand you much better4 ,,sidrac4--,and for my part1 ,i freely confess ,i should not understand myself4 ,i feel1 ,i know1 that ,god has endowed me with the faculties of thinking and speaking1 but ,i can neither feel nor know that ,god has given me a thing called a soul4 ,,goodman4--,truly1 upon reflection1 ,i perceive that ,i know as little about the matter as you do1 though ,i own that ,i have all my life been bold enough to believe that ,i knew4 ,i have often remarked that the eastern nations apply to the soul the same word they use to express life4 ,after their example1 the ,latins understood the word anima to signify the life of the animal4 ,the ,greeks called the breath the soul4 ,the ,romans translated the word breath by spiritus1 and thence it is that the word spirit or soul is found in every modern nation4 ,as it happens that no one has ever seen this spirit or breath1 our imagination has converted it into a being which it is impossible to see or touch4 ,the learned tell us that the soul inhabits the body without having any place in it1 that it has the power of setting our different organs in motion without being able to reach and touch them2 indeed1 what has not been said upon the subject8 ,the great ,locke knew into what a chaos these absurdities had plunged the human understanding4 ,in writing the only reasonable book upon metaphysics that has yet appeared in the world1 he did not compose a single chapter on the soul1 and if by chance he now and then makes use of the word1 he only introduces it to stand for intellect or mind4 ,in fact1 every human being1 in spite of ,bishop ,berkeley1 is sensible that he has a mind1 and that this mind or intellect is capable of receiving ideas2 but no one can feel that there is another being--a soul--within him1 which gives him motion1 feeling1 and thought4 ,it is1 in fact1 ridiculous to use words we do not understand1 and to admit the existence of beings of whom we cannot have the slightest knowledge4 ,,sidrac4--,we are then agreed upon a subject which1 for so many centuries1 has been a matter of dispute4 ,,goodman4--,and ,i must observe that ,i am surprised we should have agreed upon it so soon4 ,,sidrac4--,oh6 that is not so astonishing4 ,we really wish to know what is truth4 ,if we were among the academies we should argue like the characters in ,rabelais4 ,if we had lived in those ages of darkness1 the clouds of which so long enveloped ,great ,britain1 one of us would very likely have burned the other4 ,we are so fortunate as to be born in an age comparatively reasonable2 we easily discover what appears to us to be truth1 and we are not afraid to proclaim it4 ,,goodman4--,you are right1 but ,i fear that1 after all1 the truth we have discovered is not worth much4 ,in mathematics1 indeed1 we have done wonders2 from the most simple causes we have produced effects that would have astonished ,apollonius or ,archimedes2 but what have we proved in metaphysics8 ,absolutely nothing but our own ignorance4 ,,sidrac4--,and do you call that nothing8 ,you grant the ,supreme ,being has given you the faculties of feeling and thinking2 ,he has in the same manner given your feet the faculty of walking1 your hands their wonderful dexterity1 your stomach the capability of digesting food1 and your heart the power of throwing arterial blood into all parts of your body4 ,everything we enjoy is derived from ,god1 and yet we are totally ignorant of the means by which ,he governs and conducts the universe4 ,for my own part1 as ,shakespeare says1 ,i thank ,him for having taught me that of the principles of things ,i know absolutely nothing4 ,it has always been a question in what manner the soul acted upon the body4 ,before attempting to answer this question1 ,i must be convinced that ,i have a soul4 ,either ,god has given us this wonderful spark of intellect1 or ,he has gifted us with some principle that answers equally well4 ,in either case1 we are still the creatures of ,his divine will and goodness1 and that is all ,i know about the matter4 ,,goodman4--,but if you do not know1 tell me at least what you are inclined to think upon the subject4 ,you have opened skulls1 and dissected the human ftus4 ,have you ever1 in these dissections1 discovered any appearance of a soul8 ,,sidrac4--,not the least1 and ,i have not been able to understand how an immortal and spiritual essence could dwell for months together in a membrane4 ,it appears to me difficult to conceive that this pretended soul existed before the foundation of the body2 for in what could it have been employed during the many ages previous to its mysterious union with flesh8 ,again6 how can we imagine a spiritual principle waiting patiently in idleness during a whole eternity1 in order to animate a mass of matter for a space of time which1 compared with eternity1 is less than a moment8 ,it is worse still when ,i am told that ,god forms immortal souls out of nothing1 and then cruelly dooms them to an eternity of flames and torments4 ,what8 burn a spirit1 in which there can be nothing capable of burning2 how can ,he burn the sound of a voice1 or the wind that blows8 though both the sound and wind were material during the short time of their existence2 but a pure spirit--a thought--a doubt--,i am lost in the labyrinth2 on whichever side ,i turn1 ,i find nothing but obscurity and absurdity1 impossibility and contradiction4 ,but ,i am quite at ease when ,i say to myself ,god is ,master of all4 ,he who can cause each star to hold its particular course through the broad expanse of the firmament can easily give to us sentiments and ideas without the aid of this atom called the soul4 ,it is certain that ,god has endowed all animals1 in a greater or lesser degree1 with thought1 memory1 and judgment2 ,he has given them life2 it is demonstrated that they have feeling1 since they possess all the organs of feeling2 if then they have all this without a soul1 why is it improbable that we have none8 and why do mankind flatter themselves that they alone are gifted with a spiritual and immortal principle8 ,,goodman4--,perhaps this idea arises from their inordinate vanity4 ,i am persuaded that if the peacock could speak he would boast of his soul1 and would affirm that it inhabited his magnificent tail4 ,i am very much inclined to believe with you that ,god has created us thinking creatures1 with the faculties of eating1 drinking1 feeling1 etc41 without telling us one word about the matter4 ,we are as ignorant as the peacock ,i just mentioned1 and he who said that we live and die without knowing how1 why1 or wherefore1 spoke nothing but the truth4 ,,sidrac4--,a celebrated author1 whose name ,i forget1 calls us nothing more than the puppets of ,providence1 and this seems to me to be a very good definition4 ,an infinity of movements are necessary to our existence1 but we did not ourselves invent and produce motion4 ,there is a ,being who has created light1 caused it to move from the sun to our eyes in about seven minutes4 ,it is only by means of motion that my five senses are put in action1 and it is only by means of my senses that ,i have ideas1 hence it follows that my ideas are derived from the great author of motion1 and when ,he informs me how ,he communicates these ideas to me1 ,i will most sincerely thank ,him4 ,,goodman4--,and so will ,i4 ,as it is ,i constantly thank ,him for having permitted me1 as ,epictetus says1 to contemplate for a period of some years this beautiful and glorious world4 ,it is true that ,he could have made me happier by putting me in possession of ,miss ,fidler and a good rectory1 but still1 such as ,i am1 ,i consider myself as under a great obligation to ,god's parental kindness and care4 ,sidrac4--,you say that it is in the power of ,god to give you a good living1 and to make you still happier than you are at present4 ,there are many persons who would not scruple flatly to contradict this proposition of yours4 ,do you forget that you yourself sometimes complain of fatality8 ,a man1 and particularly a priest1 ought never to contradict one day an assertion he has perhaps made the day before4 ,all is but a succession of links1 and ,god is wiser than to break the eternal chain of events1 even for the sake of my dear friend ,goodman4 ,,goodman4--,i did not foresee this argument when ,i was speaking of fatality1 but to come at once to the point1 if it be so1 ,god is as much a slave as myself4 ,,sidrac4--,he is the slave of ,his will1 of ,his wisdom1 and of the laws which ,he has ,himself instituted2 and it is impossible that ,he can infringe upon any of them1 because it is impossible that ,he can become either weak or inconsistent4 ,,goodman4--,but1 my friend1 what you say would tend to make us irreligious1 for1 if ,god cannot change any of the affairs of the world1 what is the use of teasing ,him with prayers1 or of singing hymns to ,his praise8 ,,sidrac4--,well6 who bids you worship or pray to ,god8 ,we praise a man because we think him vain2 we entreat of him when we think him weak and likely to change his purpose on account of our petitions4 ,let us do our duty to ,god1 by being just and true to each other4 ,in that consists our real prayers1 and our most heartfelt praises4 ,a ,,conversation ,,with ,a ,,chinese4 ,in the year #agbc there was a ,chinese in ,holland who was both a learned man and a merchant1 two things that ought by no means to be incompatible2 but which1 thanks to the profound respect that is shown to money1 and the little regard that the human species pay to merit1 have become so among us4 ,this ,chinese1 who spoke a little ,dutch1 happened to be in a bookseller's shop at the same time that some literati were assembled there4 ,he asked for a book2 they offered him ,bossuet's 8,universal ,history10 badly translated4 ,at the title 8,universal ,history0-- 8,how pleased am ,i10 cried the ,oriental1 8to have met with this book4 ,i shall now see what is said of our great empire1 of a nation that has subsisted for upwards of fifty thousand years2 of that long dynasty of emperors who have governed us for such a number of ages4 ,i shall see what these ,europeans think of the religion of our literati1 and of that pure and simple worship we pay to the ,supreme ,being4 ,what a pleasure will it be for me to find how they speak of our arts1 many of which are of a more ancient date with us than the eras of all the kingdoms of ,europe6 ,i fancy the author will be greatly mistaken in relation to the war we had about twenty-two thousand five hundred and fifty-two years ago with the martial people of ,tonquin and ,japan1 as well as the solemn embassy that the powerful emperor of ,mogul sent to request a body of laws from us in the year of the world #ejjjjjjjjjjjjgiabcdejjjj40 8,lord bless you10 said one of the literati1 8there is hardly any mention made of that nation in this world4 ,the only nation considered is that marvellous people1 the ,jews40 8,the ,jews60 said the ,chinese2 8those people then must certainly be masters of three parts of the globe at least40 8,they hope to be so some day10 answered the other2 8but all we have here are those peddlers you see going about with toys and nic-nacs1 and who sometimes do us the honor to clip our gold and silver40 8,surely you are not serious10 exclaimed the ,chinese4 8,could those people ever have been in possession of a vast empire80 ,here ,i joined in the conversation1 and told him that for a few years they were in possession of a small country to themselves2 but that we were not to judge of a people from the extent of their dominions1 any more than of a man by his riches4 8,but does not this book take notice of some other nations80 demanded the man of letters4 8,undoubtedly10 replied a learned gentleman who stood at my elbow2 8it treats largely of a small country about sixty leagues wide1 called ,egypt1 in which it is said that there is a lake of one hundred and fifty leagues in circumference1 made by the hands of man40 8,my ,god60 exclaimed the ,chinese1 8a lake of one hundred and fifty leagues in circumference within a spot of ground only sixty leagues wide4 ,this is very curious60 8,the inhabitants of that country10 continued the doctor1 8were all sages40 8,what happy times were those60 cried the ,chinese2 8but is that all80 8,no10 replied the other1 8there is mention made of those famous people the ,greeks40 8,greeks6 ,greeks60 said the ,asiatic1 8who are those ,greeks80 8,why10 replied the philosopher1 8they were masters of a little province1 about the two-hundredth part as large as ,china1 but whose fame spread over the whole world40 8,indeed60 said the ,chinese1 with an air of openness and ingenuousness2 8,i declare ,i never heard the least mention of these people1 either in the ,mogul's country1 in ,japan1 or in ,great ,tartary40 8,oh1 the barbarian6 the ignorant creature60 cried out our sage very politely4 8,why1 then1 ,i suppose you know nothing of ,epaminondas the ,theban1 nor of the ,pierian heaven1 nor the names of ,achilles' two horses1 nor of ,silenus' ass8 ,you have never heard speak of ,jupiter1 nor of ,diogenes1 nor of ,lais1 nor of ,cybele1 nor of--0 8,i am very much afraid10 said the learned ,oriental1 interrupting him1 8that you know nothing of that eternally memorable adventure of the famous ,xixofon ,concochigramki1 nor of the mysteries of the great ,fi-psi-hi-hi6 ,but pray tell me what other unknown things does this 8,universal ,history0 treat of80 ,upon this my learned neighbor harangued for a quarter of an hour together about the ,roman republic1 and when he came to ,julius ,csar the ,chinese stopped him1 and very gravely said3 8,i think ,i have heard of him2 was he not a ,turk80 8,how60 cried our sage in a fury1 8don't you so much as know the difference between pagans1 ,christians1 and ,mahometans8 ,did you never hear of ,constantine8 ,do you know nothing of the history of the popes80 8,we have heard something confusedly of one ,mahomet10 replied the ,asiatic4 8,it is surely impossible10 said the other1 8but you must have heard at least of ,luther1 ,zwinglius1 ,bellarmine1 and colampadius40 8,i shall never remember all those names10 said the ,chinese1 and so saying he quitted the shop1 and went to sell a large quantity of ,pekoe tea and fine calico1 and then1 after purchasing what merchandise he required1 set sail for his own country1 adoring ,tien1 and recommending himself to ,confucius4 ,as to myself1 the conversation ,i had been witness to plainly discovered to me the nature of vain glory2 and ,i could not forbear exclaiming3 8,since ,csar and ,jupiter are names unknown to the finest1 most ancient1 most extensive1 most populous1 and most civilized kingdom in the universe1 it becomes ye well1 ,o ye rulers of petty states6 ye pulpit orators of a narrow parish1 or a little town6 ye doctors of ,salamanca1 or of ,bourges6 ye trifling authors1 and ye heavy commentators6--it becomes you well1 indeed1 to aspire to fame and immortality40 ,,memnon ,,the ,,philosopher4 ,memnon one day took it into his head to become a great philosopher4 8,to be perfectly happy10 said he to himself1 8,i have nothing to do but to divest myself entirely of passions1 and nothing is more easy1 as everybody knows4 ,in the first place1 ,i will never be in love1 for when ,i see a beautiful woman ,i will say to myself1 ,these cheeks will one day grow sallow and wrinkled1 these eyes be encircled with vermilion1 that bosom become lean and emaciated1 that head bald and palsied4 ,now1 ,i have only to consider her at present in imagination as she will afterwards appear in reality1 and certainly a fair face will never turn my head4 8,in the second place1 ,i shall always be temperate4 ,it will be in vain to tempt me with good cheer1 with delicious wines1 or the charms of society4 ,i will have only to figure to myself the consequences of excess--an aching head1 a loathing stomach1 the loss of reason1 of health1 and of time2 ,i will then only eat to supply the waste of nature2 my health will be always equal1 my ideas pure and luminous4 ,all this is so easy that there is no merit in accomplishing it4 8,but10 says ,memnon1 8,i must think a little of how ,i am to regulate my fortune2 why1 my desires are moderate1 my wealth is securely placed with the receiver-general of the finances of ,nineveh4 ,i have wherewithal to live independent1 and that is the greatest of blessings4 ,i shall never be under the cruel necessity of dancing attendance at court4 ,i will never envy any one1 and nobody will envy me4 ,still all this is easy4 ,i have friends1 and ,i will preserve them1 for we shall never have any difference4 ,i will never take amiss anything they may say or do2 and they will behave in the same way to me4 ,there is no difficulty in all this40 ,having thus laid this little plan of philosophy in his closet1 ,memnon put his head out of the window4 ,he saw two women walking under the plane trees near his house4 ,the one was old and appeared quite at her ease4 ,the other was young1 handsome1 and seemingly much agitated4 ,she sighed1 she wept1 and seemed on that account still more beautiful4 ,our philosopher was touched1 not1 to be sure1 with the lady 7he was too much determined not to feel any uneasiness of that kind71 but with the distress which he saw her in4 ,he came downstairs and accosted the young ,ninevite1 designing to console her with philosophy4 ,that lovely person related to him1 with an air of the greatest simplicity and in the most affecting manner1 the injuries she sustained from an imaginary uncle--with what art he had deprived her of some imaginary property1 and of the violence which she pretended to dread from him4 8,you appear to me10 said she1 8a man of such wisdom that if you will come to my house and examine into my affairs1 ,i am persuaded you will be able to relieve me from the cruel embarrassment ,i am at present involved in40 ,memnon did not hesitate to follow her1 to examine her affairs philosophically1 and to give her sound counsel4 ,the afflicted lady led him into a perfumed chamber and politely made him sit down with her on a large sofa1 where they both placed themselves opposite to each other1 in the attitude of conversation1 the one eager in telling her story1 the other listening with devout attention4 ,the lady spoke with downcast eyes1 whence there sometimes fell a tear1 and which1 as she now and then ventured to raise them1 always met those of the sage ,memnon4 ,their discourse was full of tenderness1 which redoubled as often as their eyes met4 ,memnon took her affairs exceedingly to heart and felt himself every instant more and more inclined to oblige a person so virtuous and so unhappy4 ,by degrees1 in the warmth of conversation1 they drew nearer4 ,memnon counselled her with great wisdom1 and gave her most tender advice4 ,at this interesting moment1 as may easily be imagined1 who should come in but the uncle8 ,he was armed from head to foot1 and the first thing he said was that he would immediately sacrifice1 as was just1 both ,memnon and his niece4 ,the latter1 who made her escape1 knew that he was disposed to pardon1 provided a good round sum were offered to him4 ,memnon was obliged to purchase his safety with all he had about him4 ,in those days people were happy in getting so easily quit4 ,america was not then discovered1 and distressed ladies were not then so dangerous as they are now4 ,memnon1 covered with shame and confusion1 got home to his own house4 ,he there found a card inviting him to attend dinner with some of his intimate friends4 8,if ,i remain at home alone10 said he1 8,i shall have my mind so occupied with this vexatious adventure that ,i shall not be able to eat a bit and ,i shall bring upon myself some disease4 ,it will1 therefore be prudent in me to go to my intimate friends and partake with them of a frugal repast4 ,i shall forget in the sweets of their society the folly ,i have this morning been guilty of40 ,accordingly he attends the meeting2 he is discovered to be uneasy at something1 and he is urged to drink and banish care4 8,a little wine1 drunk in moderation1 comforts the heart of ,god and man0--so reasoned ,memnon the philosopher1 and he became intoxicated4 ,after the repast1 play is proposed4 8,a little play with one's intimate friends is a harmless pastime40 ,he plays and loses all in his purse and four times as much on his word4 ,a dispute arises on some circumstance in the game and the disputants grow warm4 ,one of his intimate friends throws a dice-box at his head and strikes out one of his eyes4 ,the philosopher ,memnon is carried home drunk and penniless1 with the loss of an eye4 ,he sleeps out his debauch and when his head becomes clear he sends his servant to the receiver-general of the finances of ,nineveh to draw a little money to pay his debt of honor to his intimate friends4 ,the servant returns and informs him that the receiver-general had that morning been declared a fraudulent bankrupt1 and that by this means a hundred families are reduced to poverty and despair4 ,memnon1 almost beside himself1 puts a plaster on his eye and a petition in his pocket1 and goes to court to solicit justice from the king against the bankrupt4 ,in the saloon he meets a number of ladies1 all in the highest spirits and sailing along with hoops four-and-twenty feet in circumference4 ,one of them1 slightly acquainted with him1 eyed him askance1 and cried aloud3 8,ah6 what a horrid monster60 ,another1 who was better acquainted with him1 thus accosts him3 8,good-morrow1 ,mr4 ,memnon2 ,i hope you are well1 ,mr4 ,memnon4 ,la6 ,mr4 ,memnon1 how did you lose your eye80 and1 turning upon her heel1 she tripped unconcernedly away4 ,memnon hid himself in a corner and waited for the moment when he could throw himself at the feet of the monarch4 ,that moment at last arrived4 ,three times he kissed the earth and presented his petition4 ,his gracious majesty received him very favorably and referred the paper to one of his satraps4 ,the satrap takes ,memnon aside and says to him1 with a haughty air and satirical grin3 8,hark ye1 you fellow with the one eye2 you must be a comical dog indeed to address yourself to the king rather than to me1 and still more so to dare to demand justice against an honest bankrupt1 whom ,i honor with my protection1 and who is also a nephew to the waiting-maid of my mistress4 ,proceed no further in this business1 my good friend1 if you wish to preserve the eye you have left40 ,memnon1 having thus in his closet resolved to renounce women1 the excess of the table1 play1 and quarrelling1 but especially having determined never to go to court1 had been1 in the short space of four-and-twenty hours1 duped and robbed by a gentle dame1 had got drunk1 had gamed1 had been engaged in a quarrel1 had got his eye knocked out1 and had been at court1 where he was sneered at and also insulted4 ,petrified with astonishment1 and his heart broken with grief1 ,memnon returns homeward in despair4 ,as he was about to enter his house1 he is repulsed by a number of officers who are carrying off his furniture for the benefit of his creditors4 ,he falls down almost lifeless under a plane tree4 ,there he finds the fair dame of the morning1 who was walking with her dear uncle1 and both set up a loud laugh on seeing ,memnon with his plaster4 ,the night approached1 and ,memnon made his bed on some straw near the walls of his house4 ,here the ague seized him and he fell asleep in one of the fits1 when a celestial spirit appeared to him in a dream4 ,it was all resplendent with light2 it had six beautiful wings1 but neither feet1 nor head1 and could be likened to nothing4 8,what art thou80 said ,memnon4 8,thy good genius10 replied the spirit4 8,restore me1 then1 my eye1 my health1 my fortune1 my reason10 said ,memnon1 and he related how he had lost them all in one day4 8,these are adventures which never happen to us in the world we inhabit10 said the spirit4 8,and what world do you inhabit80 said the man of affliction4 8,my native country10 replied the other1 8is five hundred millions of leagues distant from the sun1 in a little star near ,sirius40 8,charming country60 said ,memnon4 8,and are there indeed with you no jades to dupe a poor devil1 no intimate friends that win his money and knock out an eye for him1 no fraudulent bankrupts1 no satraps that make a jest of you while they refuse you justice80 8,no10 said the inhabitant of the star1 8we have nothing of the kind4 ,we are never duped by women because we have none among us2 we never commit excesses at table because we neither eat nor drink2 we have no bankrupts because with us there is neither silver nor gold2 our eyes cannot be knocked out because we have not bodies in the form of yours1 and satraps never do us injustice1 because in our world we are all equal40 8,pray1 my lord10 said ,memnon1 8without women and without eating1 how do you spend your time80 8,in watching over the other worlds that are entrusted to us1 and ,i am now come to give you consolation40 8,alas60 replied ,memnon1 8why did you not come yesterday to hinder me from committing so many indiscretions80 8,i was with your elder brother ,hassan10 said the celestial being4 8,he is still more to be pitied than you are4 ,his most gracious majesty1 the sultan of the ,indies1 in whose court he has the honor to serve1 has caused both his eyes to be put out for some small indiscretion1 and he is now in a dungeon1 his hands and feet loaded with chains40 8,tis a happy thing1 truly10 said ,memnon1 8to have a good genius in one's family1 when out of two brothers1 one is blind of an eye1 the other blind of both2 one stretched upon straw1 the other in a dungeon40 8,your fate will soon change10 said the spirit of the star4 8,it is true you will never recover your eye1 but1 except that1 you may be sufficiently happy if you never again take it into your head to be a perfect philosopher40 8,is it1 then1 impossible80 said ,memnon4 8,as impossible as to be perfectly wise1 perfectly strong1 perfectly powerful1 perfectly happy4 ,we ourselves are very far from it4 ,there is a world1 indeed1 where all this takes place2 but1 in the hundred thousand millions of worlds dispersed over the regions of space1 everything goes on by degrees4 ,there is less philosophy and less enjoyment in the second than in the first1 less in the third than in the second1 and so forth till the last in the scale1 where all are completely fools40 8,i am afraid10 said ,memnon1 8that our little terraqueous globe here is the madhouse of those hundred thousand millions of worlds of which your lordship does me the honor to speak40 8,not quite10 said the spirit1 8but very nearly2 everything must be in its proper place40 8,but are those poets and philosophers wrong1 then1 who tell us that everything is for the best80 8,no1 they are right1 when we consider things in relation to the gradation of the whole universe40 8,oh6 ,i shall never believe it till ,i recover my eye again10 said the unfortunate ,memnon4 ,,plato',s ,,dream4 ,plato was a great dreamer1 as many others have been since his time4 ,he dreamed that mankind were formerly double1 and that1 as a punishment for their crimes1 they were divided into male and female4 ,he undertook to prove that there can be no more than five perfect worlds1 because there are but five regular mathematical bodies4 ,his republic was one of his principal dreams4 ,he dreamed1 moreover1 that watching arises from sleep1 and sleep from watching1 and that a person who should attempt to look at an eclipse otherwise than in a pail of water would surely lose his sight4 ,dreams were at that time in great repute4 ,here follows one of his dreams1 which is not one of the least interesting4 ,he thought that the great ,demiurgos1 the eternal geometer1 having peopled the immensity of space with innumerable globes1 was willing to make a trial of the knowledge of the genii who had been witnesses of his works4 ,he gave to each of them a small portion of matter to arrange1 nearly in the same manner as ,phidias and ,zeuxis would have given their scholars a statue to carve or a picture to paint1 if we may be allowed to compare small things to great4 ,demogorgon had for his lot the lump of mould which we call the earth1 and1 having formed it such as it now appears1 he thought he had executed a masterpiece4 ,he imagined he had silenced ,envy herself1 and expected to receive the highest panegyrics1 even from his brethren2 but how great was his surprise1 when1 at his next appearing among them1 they received him with a general hiss4 ,one among them1 more satirical than the rest1 accosted him thus3 8,truly you have performed mighty feats6 you have divided your world into two parts2 and1 to prevent the one from communication with the other1 you have carefully placed a vast collection of waters between the two hemispheres4 ,the inhabitants must perish with cold under both your poles and be scorched to death under the equator4 ,you have1 in your great prudence1 formed immense deserts of sand1 so that all who travel over them may die with hunger and thirst4 ,i have no fault to find with your cows1 your sheep1 your cocks1 and your hens1 but can never be reconciled to your serpents and your spiders4 ,your onions and your artichokes are very good things1 but ,i cannot conceive what induced you to scatter such a heap of poisonous plants over the face of the earth1 unless it was to poison its inhabitants4 ,moreover1 if ,i am not mistaken1 you have created about thirty different kinds of monkeys1 a still greater number of dogs1 and only four or five species of the human race4 ,it is true1 indeed1 you have bestowed on the latter of these animals a faculty by you called reason1 but1 in truth1 this same reason is a very ridiculous thing1 and borders very near upon folly4 ,besides1 you do not seem to have shown any very great regard to this two-legged creature1 seeing you have left him with so few means of defence1 subjected him to so many disorders and provided him with so few remedies1 and formed him with such a multitude of passions and so small a portion of wisdom or prudence to resist them4 ,you certainly were not willing that there should remain any great number of these animals on the earth at once1 for1 without reckoning the dangers to which you have exposed them1 you have so ordered matters that1 taking every day throughout the year1 smallpox will regularly carry off the tenth part of the species1 and sister maladies will taint the springs of life in the nine remaining parts2 and then1 as if this were not sufficient1 you have so disposed things that one-half of those who survive will be occupied in going to law with each other or cutting one another's throats4 8,now1 they must doubtless be under infinite obligations to you1 and it must be owned you have executed a masterpiece40 ,demogorgon blushed4 ,he was sensible there was much moral and physical evil in this affair1 but still he insisted there was more good than ill in it4 8,it is an easy matter to find fault1 good folks10 said the genius1 8but do you imagine it is so easy to form an animal1 who1 having the gift of reason and free-will1 shall not sometimes abuse his liberty8 ,do you think that1 in rearing between nine and ten thousand different plants1 it is so easy to prevent some few from having noxious qualities8 ,do you suppose that with a certain quantity of water1 sand1 and mud you could make a globe that should have neither seas nor deserts8 8,as for you1 my sneering friend1 ,i think you have just finished the planet ,jupiter4 ,let us see now what figure you make with your great belts and your long nights with four moons to enlighten them4 ,let us examine your worlds and see whether the inhabitants you have made are exempt from follies or diseases40 ,accordingly the genius fell to examining the planet ,jupiter1 when the laugh went strongly against the laugher4 ,the serious genius who had made the planet ,saturn did not escape without his share of the censure1 and his brother operators1 the makers of ,mars1 ,mercury1 and ,venus1 had each in his turn some reproaches to undergo4 ,several large volumes and a great number of pamphlets were written on this occasion2 smart sayings and witty repartees flew about on all sides2 they railed against and ridiculed each other1 and1 in short1 the disputes were carried on with all the warmth of party heat1 when the eternal ,demiurgos thus imposed silence on them all3 8,in your several performances there is both good and bad1 because you have a great share of understanding1 but at the same time fall short of perfection4 ,your works will not endure above a hundred millions of years1 after which you will acquire more knowledge and perform much better4 ,it belongs to me alone to create things perfect and immortal40 ,this was the doctrine ,plato taught his disciples4 ,one of them1 when he had finished his harangue1 cried out3 8,and so you then awoke80 ,,an ,,adventure ,,in ,,india4 ,all the world knows that ,pythagoras1 while he resided in ,india1 attended the school of the ,gymnosophists and learned the language of beasts and plants4 ,one day while he was walking in a meadow near the sea-shore he heard these words3 8,how unfortunate that ,i was born an herb6 ,i scarcely attain two inches in height1 when a voracious monster1 a horrid animal1 tramples me under his large feet2 his jaws are armed with rows of sharp scythes1 by which he cuts1 then grinds1 and then swallows me4 ,men call this monster a sheep4 ,i do not suppose there is in the whole creation a more detestable creature40 ,pythagoras proceeded a little way and found an oyster yawning on a small rock4 ,he had not yet adopted that admirable law by which we are enjoined not to eat those animals which have a resemblance to us4 ,he had scarcely taken up the oyster to swallow it1 when it spoke these affecting words3 8,o ,nature1 how happy is the herb1 which is1 as ,i am1 thy work6 ,though it be cut down1 it is regenerated and immortal1 and we1 poor oysters1 in vain are defended by a double cuirass2 villains eat us by dozens at their breakfast1 and all is over with us forever4 ,what a horrible fate is that of an oyster1 and how barbarous are men60 ,pythagoras shuddered2 he felt the enormity of the crime he had nearly committed2 he begged pardon of the oyster1 with tears in his eyes1 and replaced it very carefully on the rock4 ,as he was returning to the city1 profoundly meditating on this adventure1 he saw spiders devouring flies2 swallows eating spiders1 and sparrow-hawks eating swallows4 8,none of these10 said he1 8are philosophers40 ,on his entrance1 ,pythagoras was stunned1 bruised1 and thrown down by a lot of tatterdemalions1 who were running and crying3 8,well done1 he fully deserved it40 8,who8 ,what80 said ,pythagoras1 as he was getting up4 ,the people continued running and crying3 8,oh1 how delightful it will be to see them boiled60 ,pythagoras supposed they meant lentils or some other vegetables1 but he was in error2 they meant two poor ,indians4 8,oh60 said ,pythagoras1 8these ,indians1 without doubt1 are two great philosophers weary of their lives2 they are desirous of regenerating under other forms2 it affords pleasure to a man to change his place of residence1 though he may be but indifferently lodged2 there is no disputing on taste40 ,he proceeded with the mob to the public square1 where he perceived a lighted pile of wood and a bench opposite to it1 which was called a tribunal4 ,on this bench judges were seated1 each of whom had a cow's tail in his hand and a cap on his head1 with ears resembling those of the animal which bore ,silenus when he came into that country with ,bacchus1 after having crossed the ,erytrean sea without wetting a foot1 and stopping the sun and moon1 as it is recorded with great fidelity by the ,orphics4 ,among these judges there was an honest man with whom ,pythagoras was acquainted4 ,the ,indian sage explained to the sage of ,samos the nature of that festival to be given to the people of ,india4 8,these two ,indians10 said he1 8have not the least desire to be committed to the flames4 ,my grave brethren have adjudged them to be burnt2 one for saying that the substance of ,xaca is not that of ,brahma1 and the other for supposing that the approbation of the ,supreme ,being was to be obtained at the point of death without holding a cow by the tail4 #8,because1' said he1 #8we may be virtuous at all times1 and we cannot always have a cow to lay hold of just when we may have occasion4' ,the good women of the city were greatly terrified at two such heretical opinions2 they would not allow the judges a moment's peace until they had ordered the execution of those unfortunate men40 ,pythagoras was convinced that from the herb up to man there were many causes of chagrin4 ,however1 he obliged the judges and even the devotees to listen to reason1 which happened only at that time4 ,he went afterwards and preached toleration at ,crotona2 but a bigot set fire to his house1 and he was burned--the man who had delivered the two ,hindoos from the flames6 ,let those save themselves who can6 ,,bababec4 ,when ,i was in the city of ,benares1 on the borders of the ,ganges1 the country of the ancient ,brahmins1 ,i endeavored to instruct myself in their religion and manners4 ,i understood the ,indian language tolerably well4 ,i heard a great deal and remarked everything4 ,i lodged at the house of my correspondent1 ,omri1 who was the most worthy man ,i ever knew4 ,he was of the religion of the ,brahmins2 ,i have the honor to be a ,mussulman4 ,we never exchanged one word higher than another about ,mahomet or ,brahma4 ,we performed our ablutions each on his own side2 we drank of the same sherbet1 and we ate of the same rice1 as if we had been two brothers4 ,one day we went together to the pagoda of ,gavani4 ,there we saw several bands of fakirs1 some of whom were janguis1 that is to say1 contemplative fakirs1 and others were disciples of the ancient ,gymnosophists1 who led an active life4 ,they all have a learned language peculiar to themselves2 it is that of the most ancient ,brahmins2 and they have a book written in this language1 which they call the 8,shasta40 ,it is1 beyond all contradiction1 the most ancient book in all ,asia1 not excepting the 8,zend40 ,i happened by chance to cross in front of a fakir who was reading in this book4 8,ah6 wretched infidel60 cried he1 8thou hast made me lose a number of vowels that ,i was counting1 which will cause my soul to pass into the body of a hare instead of that of a parrot1 with which ,i had before the greatest reason to flatter myself40 ,i gave him a rupee to comfort him for the accident4 ,in going a few paces farther ,i had the misfortune to sneeze4 ,the noise ,i made roused a fakir1 who was in a trance4 8,heavens60 cried he1 8what a dreadful noise4 ,where am ,i8 ,i can no longer see the tip of my nose--the heavenly light has disappeared40 8,if ,i am the cause10 said ,i1 8of your not seeing farther than the length of your nose1 here is a rupee to repair the great injury ,i have done you4 ,squint again1 my friend1 and resume the heavenly light40 ,having thus brought myself off discreetly enough1 ,i passed over to the side of the ,gymnosophists1 several of whom brought me a parcel of mighty pretty nails to drive into my arms and thighs1 in honor of ,brahma4 ,i bought their nails and made use of them to fasten down my boxes4 ,others were dancing upon their hands1 others cut capers on the slack rope1 and others went always upon one foot4 ,there were some who dragged a heavy chain about with them1 and others carried a packsaddle2 some had their heads always in a bushel--the best people in the world to live with4 ,my friend ,omri took me to the cell of one of the most famous of these4 ,his name was ,bababec2 he was as naked as he was born1 and had a great chain about his neck that weighed upwards of sixty pounds4 ,he sat on a wooden chair1 very neatly decorated with little points of nails that penetrated into his flesh1 and you would have thought he had been sitting on a velvet cushion4 ,numbers of women flocked to him to consult him4 ,he was the oracle of all the families in the neighborhood1 and was1 truly speaking1 in great reputation4 ,i was witness to a long conversation that ,omri had with him4 8,do you think1 father10 said my friend1 8that after having gone through seven metempsychoses1 ,i may at length arrive at the habitation of ,brahma80 8,that is as it may happen10 said the fakir4 8,what sort of life do you lead80 8,i endeavor10 answered ,omri1 8to be a good subject1 a good husband1 a good father1 and a good friend4 ,i lend money without interest to the rich who want it1 and ,i give it to the poor2 ,i always strive to preserve peace among my neighbors40 8,but have you ever run nails into your flesh80 demanded the ,brahmin4 8,never1 reverend father40 8,i am sorry for it10 replied the father1 8very sorry for it1 indeed4 ,it is a thousand pities1 but you will certainly not reach above the nineteenth heaven40 8,no higher60 said ,omri4 8,in truth1 ,i am very well contented with my lot4 ,what is it to me whether ,i go into the nineteenth or the twentieth1 provided ,i do my duty in my pilgrimage1 and am well received at the end of my journey8 ,is it not as much as one can desire to live with a fair character in this world and be happy with ,brahma in the next8 ,and pray what heaven do you think of going to1 good master ,bababec1 with your chain80 8,into the thirty-fifth10 said ,bababec4 8,i admire your modesty10 replied ,omri1 8to pretend to be better lodged than me4 ,this is surely the result of an excessive ambition4 ,how can you1 who condemn others that covet honors in this world1 arrogate such distinguished ones to yourself in the next8 ,what right have you to be better treated than me8 ,know that ,i bestow more alms to the poor in ten days than the nails you run into your flesh cost for ten years4 ,what is it to ,brahma that you pass the whole day stark naked with a chain about your neck8 ,this is doing a notable service to your country1 doubtless6 ,i have a thousand times more esteem for the man who sows pulse or plants trees than for all your tribe1 who look at the tips of their noses or carry packsaddles to show their magnanimity40 ,having finished this speech1 ,omri softened his voice1 embraced the ,brahmin1 and1 with an endearing sweetness1 besought him to throw aside his nails and his chain1 to go home with him and live with decency and comfort4 ,the fakir was persuaded3 he was washed clean1 rubbed with essences and perfumes and clad in a decent habit2 he lived a fortnight in this manner1 behaved with prudence and wisdom and acknowledged that he was a thousand times happier than before2 but he lost his credit among the people2 the women no longer crowded to consult him2 he therefore quitted the house of the friendly ,omri and returned to his nails and his chain--to regain his reputation4 ,,ancient ,,faith ,,and ,,fable4 ,in order to be successful in their efforts to govern the multitude1 rulers have endeavored to instil all the visionary notions possible into the minds of their subjects4 ,the good people who read ,virgil1 or the 8,provincial ,letters10 do not know that there are twenty times more copies of the 8,almanac of ,lige0 and of the 8,courier ,boiteux0 printed than of all the ancient and modern books together4 ,no one can have a greater admiration than myself for the illustrious authors of these almanacs and their brethren4 ,i know that ever since the time of the ancient ,chaldans there have been fixed and stated days for taking physic1 paring our nails1 giving battle1 and cleaving wood4 ,i know that the best part of the revenue of an illustrious academy consists in the sale of these almanacs4 ,may ,i presume to ask1 with all possible submission and a becoming diffidence of my own judgment1 what harm it would do to the world if some powerful astrologer were to assure the peasants and the good inhabitants of little villages that they might safely pare their nails when they please1 provided it be done with a good intention8 ,the people1 ,i shall be told1 would not buy the almanacs of this new astrologer4 ,on the contrary1 ,i will venture to affirm that there would be found among your great geniuses many who would make a merit in following this novelty4 ,should it be alleged1 however1 that these geniuses1 in their new-born zeal1 would form factions and kindle a civil war1 ,i would have nothing further to say on the subject1 but readily give up for the sake of peace my too radical and dangerous opinion4 ,everybody knows the king of ,boutan4 ,he is one of the greatest princes in the universe4 ,he tramples under his feet the thrones of the earth1 and his shoes 7if he has any7 are provided with sceptres instead of buckles4 ,he adores the devil1 as is well known1 and his example is followed by all his courtiers4 ,he one day sent for a famous sculptor of my country and ordered him to make a beautiful statue of ,beelzebub4 ,the sculptor succeeded admirably4 ,never before was there seen such an interesting and handsome devil4 ,but1 unhappily1 our ,praxiteles had only given five clutches to his statue1 whereas the devout ,boutaniers always gave him six4 ,this serious blunder of the artist was attributed by the grand master of ceremonies to the devil with all the zeal of a man justly jealous of his master's acknowledged rights1 and also of the established and sacred customs of the kingdom of ,boutan4 ,he insisted that the sculptor should be punished for his thoughtless innovation1 by the loss of his head4 ,the anxious sculptor explained that his five clutches were exactly equal in weight to six ordinary clutches2 and the king of ,boutan1 who was a prince of great clemency1 granted him a pardon4 ,from that time the people of ,boutan no longer believed the dogma relating to the devil's six clutches4 ,the same day it was thought necessary that his majesty should be bled1 and a surgeon of ,gascony1 who had come to his court in a ship belonging to our ,east ,india company1 was appointed to take from him five ounces of his precious blood4 ,the astrologer of that quarter cried out that the king would be in danger of losing his life if the surgeon opened a vein while the heavens were in their present state4 ,the ,gascon might have told him that the only question was about the king's health2 but he prudently waited a few moments1 and then1 taking an almanac in his hand1 thus addressed the astrologer3 8,you were in the right1 great man6 ,the king would have died had he been bled at the instant you mentioned1 but the heavens have since changed their aspect1 and now is the favorable moment40 ,the astrologer assented to the surgeon's observation4 ,the king was cured2 and by degrees it became an established custom among the ,boutaniers to bleed their kings whenever it was considered necessary4 ,although the ,indian astrologers understood the method of calculating eclipses1 yet the common people obstinately held to the old belief that the sun1 when obscured1 had fallen into the throat of a great dragon1 and that the only way to free him from thence was by standing naked in the water and making a hideous noise to frighten away the monster1 and oblige him to release his hold4 ,this notion1 which is quite prevalent among the orientals1 is an evident proof how much the symbols of religion and natural philosophy have at all times been perverted by the common people4 ,the astronomers of all ages have been wont to distinguish the two points of intersection1 upon which every eclipse happens1 and which are called the lunar nodes1 by marking them with a dragon's head and tail4 ,now the vulgar1 who are equally ignorant in every part of the world1 took the symbol or sign for the thing itself4 ,thus1 when the astronomers said the sun is in the dragon's head1 the common people said the dragon is going to swallow up the sun2 and yet these people were remarkable for their fondness for astrology4 ,but while we laugh at the ignorance and credulity of the ,indians1 we do not reflect that there are no less than #cjj1jjj almanacs sold yearly in ,europe1 all of them filled with observations and predictions equally as false and absurd as any to be met with among the ,indians4 ,it is surely as reasonable to say that the sun is in the mouth or the claws of a dragon as to tell people every year in print that they must not sow1 nor plant1 nor take physic1 nor be bled1 but on certain days of the moon4 ,it is high time1 in an age like ours1 that some men of learning should think it worth their while to compose a calendar that might be of use to the industrious classes by instructing instead of deceiving them4 ,a blustering ,dominican at ,rome said to an ,english philosopher with whom he was disputing3 8,you are a dog2 you say that it is the earth that turns round1 never reflecting that ,joshua made the sun to stand still60 8,well6 my reverend father10 replied the philosopher1 8ever since that time has not the sun been immovable80 ,the dog and the ,dominican embraced each other1 and even the devout ,italians were at length convinced that the earth turns round4 ,an augur and a senator lamented1 in the time of ,csar1 the declining state of the republic4 8,the times1 indeed1 are very bad10 said the senator2 8we have reason to tremble for the liberty of ,rome40 8,ah60 said the augur1 8that is not the greatest evil2 the people now begin to lose the respect which they formerly had for our order4 ,we seem barely to be tolerated--we cease to be necessary4 ,some generals have the assurance to give battle without consulting us4 ,and1 to complete our misfortunes1 even those who sell us the sacred pullets begin to reason40 8,well1 and why don't you reason likewise80 replied the senator1 8and since the dealers in pullets in the time of ,csar are more knowing than they were in the time of ,numa1 ought not you modern augurs to be better philosophers than those who lived in former ages80 ,,the ,,two ,,comforters4 ,the great philosopher ,citosile once said to a woman who was disconsolate1 and who had good reason to be so3 8,madame1 the queen of ,england1 daughter to ,henry ,,iv41 was as wretched as you4 ,she was banished from her kingdom1 was in great danger of losing her life at sea1 and saw her royal spouse expire on a scaffold40 8,i am sorry for her10 said the lady1 and began again to lament her own misfortunes4 8,but10 said ,citosile1 8remember the fate of ,mary ,stuart4 ,she loved 7but with a most chaste and virtuous affection7 an excellent musician1 who played admirably on the bass-viol4 ,her husband killed her musician before her face2 and in the sequel her good friend and relative1 ,queen ,elizabeth1 who called herself a virgin1 caused her head to be cut off on a scaffold covered with black1 after having confined her in prison for the space of eighteen years40 8,that was very cruel10 replied the lady1 and presently relapsed into her former melancholy4 8,perhaps10 said the comforter1 8you have heard of the beautiful ,joan of ,naples1 who was taken prisoner and strangled40 8,i have a dim remembrance of her10 said the afflicted lady4 8,i must relate to you10 continued the other1 8the adventure of a sovereign princess who1 within my recollection1 was dethroned after supper and who died on a desert island40 8,i know her whole history10 replied the lady4 8,well1 then10 said ,citosile1 8,i will tell you what happened to another great princess whom ,i instructed in philosophy4 ,she had a lover1 as all great and beautiful princesses have4 ,her father surprised this lover in her company1 and was so displeased with the young man's confused manner and excited countenance that he gave him one of the most terrible blows that had ever been given in his province4 ,the lover seized a pair of tongs and broke the head of the angry parent1 who was cured with great difficulty1 and who still bears the marks of the wound4 ,the lady in a fright leaped out of the window and dislocated her foot1 in consequence of which she habitually halts1 though still possessed in other respects of a very handsome person4 ,the lover was condemned to death for having broken the head of a great prince4 ,you can imagine in what a deplorable condition the princess must have been when her lover was led to the gallows4 ,i have seen her long ago when she was in prison1 and she always spoke to me of her own misfortunes40 8,and why will you not allow me to think of mine80 said the lady4 ,illustration3 ,,so ,,many ,,great ,,ladies ,,have ,,been ,,so ,,unfortunate1 ,,it ,,ill ,,becomes ,,you ,,to ,,despair 8,because10 said the philosopher1 8you ought not to think of them2 and since so many great ladies have been so unfortunate1 it ill becomes you to despair4 ,think of ,hecuba--think of ,niobe40 8,ah60 said the lady1 8had ,i lived in their time1 or in that of so many beautiful princesses1 and had you endeavored to console them by a relation of my misfortunes1 would they have listened to you1 do you imagine80 ,next day the philosopher lost his only son1 and was entirely prostrated with grief4 ,the lady caused a catalogue to be drawn up of all the kings who had lost their children1 and carried it to the philosopher4 ,he read it--found it very exact--and wept nevertheless4 ,three months afterwards they chanced to renew their acquaintance1 and were mutually surprised to find each other in such a gay and sprightly humor4 ,to commemorate this event1 they caused to be erected a beautiful statue to ,time1 with this inscription3 8,,to ,,him ,,who ,,comforts40 ,a ,,dialogue ,,between ,,marcus ,,aurelius ,,and ,a ,,recollet ,,friar4 ,,marcus ,,aurelius4--,now ,i think ,i begin to know where ,i am4 ,that's certainly the capitol1 and that basilica1 the temple4 ,the person ,i behold there is undoubtedly the priest of ,jupiter4 ,hark ye1 friend2 one word with you1 if you please4 ,,friar4--,friend6 very familiar1 truly3 you must certainly be a stranger in ,rome1 to accost in this manner brother ,fulgentius the recollet1 an inhabitant of the capitol1 confessor to the duchess de ,popoli1 and who speaks sometimes to the pope1 with as much familiarity as if he were a mere mortal4 ,,marcus ,,aurelius4--,brother ,fulgentius in the capitol6 ,matters are somewhat changed indeed4 ,i don't understand one word you say4 ,is there no such place here as the temple of ,jupiter8 ,,friar4--,get you gone about your business1 honest friend2 you seem to be out of your senses4 ,who are you1 prithee1 with your antique dress and your ,jew's beard8 ,whence come you1 and what do you want here8 ,,marcus ,,aurelius4--,this is my ordinary apparel3 ,i am come back to see ,rome once more4 ,my name is ,marcus ,aurelius4 ,,friar4--,marcus ,aurelius6 ,i think ,i remember to have heard of such a name4 ,if ,i don't mistake1 there was a ,pagan emperor so called4 ,,marcus ,,aurelius4--,i am he4 ,i longed to have another view of that ,rome which ,i loved1 and which was so fond of me2 that capitol in which ,i triumphed by my contempt of triumph2 that land ,i formerly rendered so happy3 but now ,i can hardly think it to be the same place4 ,i have been to see the column that was erected to my honor1 and have not been able to find the statue of the sage ,antonine1 my father4 ,the face is quite altered from what it was4 ,,friar4--,so it ought1 ,m4 ,damned ,soul4 ,sixtus ,v4 erected that column2 but then he put on it a better man than you and your father to boot4 ,,marcus ,,aurelius4--,i was always of opinion it was no difficult matter to excel me2 but ,i thought it no such easy affair to surpass my father4 ,perhaps my piety towards him has imposed on my judgment4 ,all men are liable to error4 ,but why give me the epithet of ,damned ,soul8 ,,friar4--,because so you are4 ,was it not you--let me see1 ,i don't mistake--that so often persecuted a set of folks1 to whom you lay under very great obligations1 and who procured you a shower of rain which enabled you to thrash your enemies8 ,,marcus ,,aurelius4--,alas6 ,i was very far from persecuting any one4 ,i thank ,heaven1 by a very happy conjuncture1 a storm happened1 just in the nick of time1 to save my troops1 who were dying of thirst2 but ,i never heard before that ,i owed the favor of this tempest to the folks you mention1 though1 to tell you the truth1 they were very good soldiers4 ,i assure you1 in the most solemn manner1 ,i am not damned3 ,i have done too much good to mankind1 that the ,divine ,being should do me any evil4 ,but1 prithee tell me1 where is the palace of the emperor1 my successor8 ,is it still on the ,palatine hill8 ,for really ,i hardly know my own country again4 ,,friar4--,i believe it1 truly1 we have so improved everything4 ,if you please1 ,i will carry you to ,monte ,cavallo3 you shall have the honor to kiss the great toe of ,st4 ,peter2 and you will1 besides1 receive a handsome present of indulgences1 which1 in my humble opinion1 will be very seasonable2 for ,i don't doubt you stand in great need of them4 ,,marcus ,,aurelius4--,first of all1 ,i desire you would grant me your own2 and tell me ingenuously1 is there an end of the emperors and empire of ,rome8 ,,friar4--,no1 no1 by no means2 there is still an empire and an emperor2 but then he keeps his court at the distance of about four hundred leagues hence1 at a small city called ,vienna1 on the ,danube4 ,my advice is1 that you go there to pay a visit to your successors2 because here you stand a great chance to visit the inquisition4 ,i warn you that the reverend ,dominican fathers are not at all disposed to jest in such matters1 and that your ,marcus ,aureliuses1 your ,antonines1 your ,trajans1 and your ,tituses1 and such gentry as cannot say their catechism1 are treated by them after a very scurvy manner4 ,,marcus ,,aurelius4--,the catechism6 the inquisition6 ,dominicans6 ,recollets6 a pope and cardinals6 and the ,roman ,empire in a little city on the ,danube6 ,i could never have dreamt of such things2 though ,i will allow1 that in sixteen hundred years things will change strangely in this world of ours4 ,i could like1 methinks1 to see one of these ,roman emperors1 ,marcoman1 ,quadus1 ,cimber1 and ,teuto4 ,,friar4--,you shall not want that pleasure when you please1 and a greater than that still4 ,you would1 in all likelihood1 be surprised1 were ,i to tell you that the ,scythians hold one half of your empire1 and we the other3 that the sovereign of ,rome is a priest like me3 that brother ,fulgentius may be that sovereign in his turn3 that ,i shall disperse indulgences on the very spot where you were wont to be drawn in your car by vanquished sovereigns3 and1 lastly1 that your successor on the ,danube has not a city he can call his own2 but that there is a certain priest that lets him have the use of his capital1 when he has occasion for it4 ,,marcus ,,aurelius4--,you tell me strange news1 indeed4 ,all these great changes could never have happened without great misfortunes4 ,i own ,i still love the human race1 and am heartily sorry for them4 ,,friar4--,you are too good4 ,these revolutions have really cost a deluge of blood1 and a hundred provinces have been ravaged2 but had it not been so1 your servant1 brother ,fulgentius1 had never slept at his ease in the capitol4 ,,marcus ,,aurelius4--,rome1 that metropolis of the universe1 is then most miserably fallen4 ,,friar4--,fallen1 ,i grant you2 but as for miserably1 there ,i must say you nay3 on the contrary1 peace and the fine arts flourish here eternally4 ,the ancient masters of the world are now become music-masters4 ,instead of sending colonies into ,england1 we now send them eunuchs and fiddlers4 ,we have1 it is true1 none of your ,scipios now1 those destroyers of ,carthage2 but then we have none of your proscriptions neither4 ,we have bartered glory for tranquillity4 ,,marcus ,,aurelius4--,i tried what ,i could to become a philosopher in my life-time1 but now ,i am sure ,i have become one indeed4 ,i find tranquillity is at the least an equivalent for glory3 but1 by what you tell me1 ,i should be apt to suspect brother ,fulgentius is no adept in philosophy4 ,,friar4--,what do you mean8 ,not a philosopher6 ,i am one with a vengeance4 ,i once taught philosophy2 nay1 better still1 ,i read lectures in theology4 ,,marcus ,,aurelius4--,and1 pray1 what may this theology of yours be1 an't please you8 ,,friar4--,why1 it is--it is that which has made me be here1 and the emperor elsewhere4 ,you seem to grudge me the honor ,i enjoy1 and are out of humor at the trifling revolution that has happened to your empire4 ,,marcus ,,aurelius4--,i adore the eternal decrees of ,providence3 ,i know man ought not to repine at fate3 ,i admire the vicissitude of human affairs2 but since everything is so liable to change1 and since the ,roman ,empire has experienced this wonderful mutability1 let me hope the recollets may also experience it in their turn4 ,,friar4--,i declare you anathematized3 but hold1 now ,i think on't1 it is time to go to matins4 ,,marcus ,,aurelius4--,and ,i will go and be reunited to the ,being of ,beings4 ,,dialogue ,,between ,a ,,brahmin ,,and ,a ,,jesuit1 ,,on ,,necessity ,,and ,,free-,,will1 ,,and ,,the ,,general ,,concatenation ,,of ,,causes ,,and ,,effects4 ,,jesuit4--,in all probability1 you are indebted to the prayers of ,st4 ,francis ,xavier for that long and happy life you have enjoyed a hundred and fourscore years6 ,why1 'tis a life-time for a patriarch4 ,,brahmin4--,my master1 ,fonfouca1 lived till three hundred2 it is the ordinary course of life among us ,brahmins4 ,i have a very great regard for ,francis ,xavier2 but all his prayers would never have put nature out of her destined order3 had he really been able to prolong the life of a gnat but for one single instant beyond what the general concatenation of causes and events allows of1 this globe of ours had worn a quite different appearance from that in which you now behold it4 ,,jesuit4--,you have a strange opinion of future contingents3 why1 you must be entirely ignorant that man is free1 and that our free-will disposes of everything in this sublunary world at its mere fancy and pleasure4 ,i can assure you the ,jesuits alone have contributed not a little to some very considerable revolutions4 ,,brahmin4--,i have no manner of question in regard to the learning and power of the reverend fathers1 the ,jesuits3 they are a very valuable part of human society2 yet ,i cannot by any means believe them the sovereign arbiters of human transactions3 every single person1 every single being1 whether ,jesuit or ,brahmin1 is one of the springs which act in the general movement of the universe2 in which he is the slave1 and not the master of destiny4 ,pray1 to what do you think ,genghis ,khan owed the conquest of ,asia8 ,to the very moment in which his father one day happened to awake as he was in bed with his wife2 to a word which a ,tartar chanced to let fall some years before4 ,i1 for example1 the very person you behold1 am one of the chief causes of the deplorable death of ,henry ,,iv41 for which1 you may see1 ,i am still much afflicted4 ,,jesuit4--,your reverence is pleased to be very merry upon the matter8 ,you the cause of the death of ,henry ,,iv46 ,,brahmin4--,alas6 it is too true4 ,this happened in the nine hundred and eighty-three thousandth year of the revolution of ,saturn1 which makes the fifteen hundred and fiftieth of your era4 ,i was then young and giddy headed4 ,i thought proper1 upon a time1 to take a walk1 which ,i began with moving my left foot first1 on the coast of ,malabar1 whence most evidently followed the death of ,henry ,,iv4 ,,jesuit4--,how so1 prithee8 ,for1 as to our society1 who were accused with having had a large share in that affair1 we had not the least knowledge of it4 ,,brahmin4--,i'll tell ye how fate thought proper to order the matter4 ,by moving my left foot1 as ,i told you1 ,i unluckily tumbled my friend ,eriban1 the ,persian merchant1 into the water1 and he was drowned4 ,my friend1 it seems1 had a very handsome wife1 that ran away with an ,armenian merchant3 this lady had a daughter1 who married a ,greek2 the daughter of this ,greek settled in ,france1 and married the father of ,ravaillac4 ,now1 had not every tittle of this happened exactly as it did1 you are very sensible the affairs of the houses of ,france and ,austria would have turned out in a very different manner4 ,the system of ,europe would have been entirely changed4 ,the wars between ,turkey and the ,german ,empire would have had quite another issue2 which issue would have had an effect on ,persia1 as well as ,persia on the ,east ,indies2 so you see it is plain to a demonstration1 that the whole depended on my left foot1 which was connected with all the other events of the universe1 past1 present1 and to come4 ,,jesuit4--,i must have this affair laid before some of our fathers1 who are theologians4 ,,brahmin4--,in the meantime1 ,i will tell you1 father1 that the maid-servant of the grandfather of the founder of the ,feuillants--for you must know ,i have dipped into your histories--was likewise one principal cause of the death of ,henry ,,iv41 and of all the accidents which it produced4 ,,jesuit4--,this servant-maid must then have been a domineering quean6 ,,brahmin4--,oh fie6 no such thing4 ,she was a mere idiot1 by whom her master had a child4 ,madame de la ,barrire1 poor soul1 died of grief at it4 ,she who succeeded her was1 as your chronicles tell1 the grandmother of the blessed ,john de la ,barrire1 who founded the order of ,feuillants4 ,ravaillac was a monk of this order4 ,with them he sucked in a certain doctrine very fashionable in those days1 as you well enough know4 ,this doctrine taught him to believe that the most meritorious thing he could possibly do was to assassinate the best king in the whole world4 ,what followed is known to everybody4 ,,jesuit4--,in spite of your left foot1 and the wench of the grandfather of the founder of the ,feuillants1 ,i shall ever be of opinion that the horrible action committed by ,ravaillac was a future contingent1 which might very well not have happened3 for1 after all1 man is certainly a free agent4 ,,brahmin4--,i do not know what you mean by a free agent4 ,i can affix no certain idea to these words4 ,to be free1 is to do whatever we think proper1 and not to will whatever we please4 ,all ,i know of the matter is1 that ,ravaillac voluntarily committed the crime1 of which he was destined by fate to be the instrument4 ,this crime was no more than a link of the great chain of destiny4 ,,jesuit4--,you may say what you will1 but the affairs of this world are far from having any such dependence as you are pleased to think4 ,what signifies1 for example1 this useless conversation of ours1 here on the shores of the ,east ,indies8 ,,brahmin4--,what you and ,i say in conversation is doubtless sufficiently insignificant2 but1 for all that1 were you not here1 the machine of the universe would be extremely changed from what it is4 ,,jesuit4--,there your ,brahmin reverence is pleased to advance a huge paradox truly4 ,,brahmin4--,your ,ignatian fathership may believe me or no1 as you like it4 ,but assuredly1 we should never have had this conversation together1 had you not come into the ,east ,indies4 ,you had never made this voyage1 had not your ,st4 ,ignatius de ,loyola been wounded at the siege of ,pampeluna1 or had not the king of ,portugal persisted in discovering the passage round the ,cape of ,good ,hope4 ,now1 prithee1 did not the king of ,portugal1 with the help of the compass1 entirely change the face of this world of ours8 ,but it was first of all necessary that a certain ,neapolitan should make this discovery of the compass2 now tell me1 if you have the face1 that everything is not wholly subservient to one constant and uniform tenor of action2 which by indissoluble1 but invisible1 concatenation1 unites all that lives1 or acts1 or dies1 or suffers on the surface of our globe8 ,,jesuit4--,what then would become of our future contingents8 ,,brahmin4--,what care ,i what become of them8 but yet the order established by the hand of an eternal and almighty ,god must certainly exist forever4 ,,jesuit4--,were one to listen to you1 we ought not to pray to ,god at all4 ,,brahmin4--,it is our duty to adore ,him4 ,but pray what mean ye by praying to ,god8 ,,jesuit4--,what all the world means by it1 to be sure3 that ,he would grant our petitions1 and favor us in all our wants4 ,,brahmin4--,i understand you4 ,you mean1 that a gardener might obtain clear sunshine weather1 at a time which ,god had ordained from all eternity to produce rains2 and that a pilot should have an easterly wind1 when a westerly wind ought to refresh the earth1 as well as the seas8 ,my good father1 to pray as we ought is to submit one's self wholly to ,providence4 ,so good evening to you4 ,destiny requires ,i should now visit my ,brahminess4 ,,jesuit4--,and my free-will urges me to give a lesson to a young scholar4 ,,dialogues ,,between ,,lucretius ,,and ,,posidonius4 ,,first ,,colloquy4 ,,posidonius4--,your poetry is sometimes admirable2 but the philosophy of ,epicurus is1 in my opinion1 very bad4 ,,lucretius4--,what6 will you not allow that the atoms1 of their own accord1 disposed themselves in such a manner as to produce the universe8 ,,posidonius4--,we mathematicians can admit nothing but what is proved by incontestable principles4 ,,lucretius4--,my principles are so4 ,ex nihilo nihil1 in nihilum nil posse reverti4 ,tangere enim tangi nisi corpus nulla potest res4 ,from nothing nought can spring1 to nothing nought return4 ,nought but a body can a body touch4 ,,posidonius4--,should ,i grant you these principles1 and even your atoms and your vacuum1 you can no more persuade me that the universe put itself into the admirable order in which we now behold it1 than if you were to tell the ,romans that the armillary sphere composed by ,posidonius made itself4 ,,lucretius4--,but who then could make the world8 ,,posidonius4--,an intelligent ,being1 much more superior to the world and to me than ,i am to the brass of which ,i made my sphere4 ,,lucretius4--,how can you1 who admit nothing but what is evident1 acknowledge a principle of which you have not the least idea8 ,,posidonius4--,in the same manner as1 before ,i knew you1 ,i judged that your book was the work of a man of genius4 ,,lucretius4--,you allow that nature is eternal1 and exists because it does exist4 ,now if it exists by its own power1 why may it not1 by the same power1 have formed suns1 and worlds1 and plants1 and animals1 and men8 ,,posidonius4--,all the ancient philosophers have supposed matter to be eternal1 but have never proved it to be really so2 and even allowing it to be eternal1 it would by no means follow that it could form works in which there are so many striking proofs of wisdom and design4 ,suppose this stone to be eternal if you will1 you can never persuade me that it could have composed the 8,iliad0 of ,homer4 ,,lucretius4--,no3 a stone could never have composed the 8,iliad10 any more than it could have produced a horse3 but matter organized in process of time1 and become bones1 flesh1 and blood1 will produce a horse2 and organized more finely1 will produce the 8,iliad40 ,,posidonius4--,you suppose all this without any proof2 and ,i ought to admit nothing without proof4 ,i will give you bones1 flesh1 and blood1 ready made1 and will leave you and all the ,epicureans in the world to make your best of them4 ,will you only consent to this alternative3 to be put in possession of the whole ,roman ,empire1 if1 with all the ingredients ready prepared1 you produce a horse1 and to be hanged if you fail in the attempt8 ,,lucretius4--,no2 that surpasses my power1 but not the power of nature4 ,it requires millions of ages for nature1 after having passed through all the possible forms1 to arrive at last at the only one which can produce living beings4 ,,posidonius4--,you might1 if you pleased1 continue all your lifetime to shake in a cask all the materials of the earth mixed together1 you would never be able to form any regular figure2 you could produce nothing4 ,if the length of your life is not sufficient to produce even a mushroom1 will the length of another man's life be sufficient for that purpose8 ,why should several ages be able to effect what one age has not effected8 ,one ought to have seen men and animals spring from the bosom of the earth1 and corn produced without seed1 etc41 before he should venture to affirm that matter1 by its own energy1 could give itself such forms2 but no one that ,i know of has seen such an operation1 and therefore no one ought to believe it4 ,,lucretius4--,well6 men1 animals1 and trees must always have existed4 ,all the philosophers allow that matter is eternal2 and they must further allow1 that generations are so likewise4 ,it is the very nature of matter that there should be stars that revolve1 birds that fly1 horses that run1 and men that compose 8,iliads40 ,,posidonius4--,in this new supposition you change your opinion2 but you always suppose the point in question1 and admit a thing for which you have not the least proof4 ,,lucretius4--,i am at liberty to believe that what is to-day was yesterday1 was a century ago1 was a hundred centuries ago1 and so on backwards without end4 ,i make use of your argument3 no one has ever seen the sun and stars begin their course1 nor the first animals formed and endowed with life4 ,we may1 therefore1 safely believe that all things were from eternity as they are at present4 ,,posidonius4--,there is a very great difference4 ,i see an admirable design1 and ,i ought to believe that an intelligent being formed that design4 ,,lucretius4--,you ought not to admit a being of whom you have no knowledge4 ,,posidonius4--,you might as well tell me that ,i should not believe that an architect built the capitol because ,i never saw that architect4 ,,lucretius4--,your comparison is not just4 ,you have seen houses built1 and you have seen architects2 and therefore you ought to conclude that it was a man like our present architects that built the capitol4 ,but here the case is very different3 the capitol does not exist of itself1 but matter does4 ,it must necessarily have had some form2 and why will you not allow it to possess1 by its own energy1 the form in which it now is8 ,is it not much easier for you to admit that nature modifies itself1 than to acknowledge a being that modifies it8 ,in the former case you have only one difficulty to encounter1 namely1 to comprehend how nature acts4 ,in the latter you have two difficulties to surmount3 to comprehend this same nature1 and the visible being that acts on it4 ,,posidonius4--,it is quite the reverse4 ,i see not only a difficulty1 but even an impossibility in comprehending how matter can have infinite designs2 but ,i see no difficulty in admitting an intelligent being1 who governs this matter by his infinite wisdom1 and by his almighty will4 ,,lucretius4--,what8 is it because your mind cannot comprehend one thing that you are to suppose another8 ,is it because you do not understand the secret springs1 and admirable contrivances1 by which nature disposed itself into planets1 suns1 and animals1 that you have recourse to another being8 ,,posidonius4--,no2 ,i have not recourse to a god1 because ,i cannot comprehend nature2 but ,i plainly perceive that nature needs a supreme intelligence2 and this reason alone would to me be a sufficient proof of a deity had ,i no other4 ,,lucretius4--,and what if this matter possessed intelligence of itself8 ,,posidonius4--,it is plain to me that it does not possess it4 ,,lucretius4--,and to me it is plain that it does possess it1 since ,i see bodies like you and me reason4 ,,posidonius4--,if matter possesses1 of itself1 the faculty of thinking1 you must affirm that it possesses it necessarily and independently3 but if this property be essential to matter1 it must have it at all times and in all places2 for whatever is essential to a thing can never be separated from it4 ,a bit of clay1 and even the vilest excrement would think2 but sure you will not say that dung thinks4 ,thought1 therefore1 is not an essential attribute of matter4 ,,lucretius4--,your reasoning is a mere sophism4 ,i hold motion to be essential to matter2 and yet this dung1 or that piece of clay1 is not actually in motion2 but they will be so when they are impelled by some other body4 ,in like manner thought will not be an attribute of a body1 except when that body is organized for thinking4 ,,posidonius4--,your error proceeds from this1 that you always suppose the point in question4 ,you do not reflect that1 in order to organize a body1 to make it a man1 to render it a thinking being1 there must previously be thought1 there must be a fixed design4 ,but you cannot admit such a thing as design before the only beings in this world capable of design are formed2 you cannot admit thought before the only beings capable of thinking exist4 ,you likewise suppose the point in question1 when you say that motion is necessary to matter2 for what is absolutely necessary always exists1 as extension1 for instance1 exists always and in every part of matter2 but motion does not exist always4 ,the pyramids of ,egypt are not surely in motion4 ,a subtile matter perhaps1 may penetrate between the stones which compose the pyramids2 but the body of the pyramid is immovable4 ,motion1 therefore1 is not essential to matter1 but is communicated to it by a foreign cause1 in the same manner as thought is to men4 ,hence it follows that there must be a powerful and intelligent being1 who communicates motion1 life1 and thought to his creatures4 ,,lucretius4--,i can easily answer your objections by saying that there have always been motion and intelligence in the world4 ,this motion and this intelligence have been distributed at all times according to the laws of nature4 ,matter being eternal1 it must necessarily have been in some order2 but it could not be put into any order without thought and motion2 and therefore thought and motion must have always been inherent in it4 ,,posidonius4--,do what you will1 you can at best but make suppositions4 ,you suppose an order2 there must1 therefore1 have been some intelligent mind who formed this order4 ,you suppose motion and thought before matter was in motion1 and before there were men and thoughts4 ,you must allow1 that thought is not essential to matter1 since you dare not say that a flint thinks4 ,you can oppose nothing but a perhaps to the truth that presses hard upon you4 ,you are sensible of the weakness of matter1 and are forced to admit a supreme intelligent and almighty being1 who organized matter and thinking beings4 ,the designs of this superior intelligence shine forth in every part of nature1 and you must perceive them as distinctly in a blade of grass1 as in the course of the stars4 ,everything is evidently directed to a certain end4 ,,lucretius4--,but do you not take for a design what is only a necessary existence8 ,do you not take for an end what is no more than the use which we make of things that exist8 ,the ,argonauts built a ship to sail to ,colchis4 ,will you say that the trees were created in order that the ,argonauts might build a ship1 and that the sea was made to enable them to undertake their voyage8 ,men wear stockings3 will you say that legs were made by the ,supreme ,being in order to be covered with stockings8 ,no1 doubtless2 but the ,argonauts1 having seen wood1 built a ship with it1 and having learned that the water could carry a ship1 they undertook their voyage4 ,in the same manner1 after an infinite number of forms and combinations which matter had assumed1 it was found that the humors1 and the transparent horn which compose the eye1 and which were formerly separated in different parts of the body1 were united in the head1 and animals began to see4 ,the organs of generation1 dispersed before1 were likewise collected1 and took the form they now have2 and then all kinds of procreation were conducted with regularity4 ,the matter of the sun1 which had been long diffused and scattered through the universe1 was conglobated1 and formed the luminary that enlightens our world4 ,is there anything impossible in all this8 ,,posidonius4--,in fact1 you cannot surely be serious when you have recourse to such a system3 for1 in the first place1 if you adopt this hypothesis1 you must1 of course1 reject the eternal generations of which you have just now been talking3 and1 in the second place1 you are mistaken with regard to final causes4 ,there are voluntary uses to which we apply the gifts of nature2 and there are likewise necessary effects4 ,the ,argonauts need not1 unless they had pleased1 have employed the trees of the forest to build a ship2 but these trees were plainly destined to grow on the earth1 and to produce fruits and leaves4 ,we need not cover our legs with stockings2 but the leg was evidently made to support the body1 and to walk1 the eyes to see1 the ears to hear1 and the parts of generation to perpetuate the species4 ,if you consider that a star1 placed at the distance of four or five hundred millions of leagues from us1 sends forth rays of light1 which make precisely the same angle in the eyes of every animal1 and that1 at that instant1 all animals have the sensation of light1 you must acknowledge that this is an instance of the most admirable mechanism and design4 ,but is it not unreasonable to admit mechanism without a mechanic1 a design without intelligence1 and such designs without a ,supreme ,being8 ,,lucretius4--,if ,i admit the ,supreme ,being1 what form must ,i give ,him8 ,is ,he in one place8 ,is ,he out of all place8 ,is ,he in time or out of time8 ,does ,he fill the whole of space1 or does ,he not fill it8 ,why did ,he make the world8 ,what was ,his end in making it8 ,why form sensible and unhappy beings8 ,why moral and natural evil8 ,on whatever side ,i turn my mind1 everything appears dark and incomprehensible4 ,,posidonius4--',tis a necessary consequence of the existence of this ,supreme ,being that ,his nature should be incomprehensible2 for1 if ,he exists1 there must be an infinite distance between ,him and us4 ,we ought to believe that ,he is1 without endeavoring to know what ,he is1 or how ,he operates4 ,are you not obliged to admit asymptotes in geometry1 without comprehending how it is possible for the same lines to be always approaching1 and yet never to meet8 ,are there not many things as incomprehensible as demonstrable1 in the properties of the circle8 ,confess1 therefore1 that you ought to admit what is incomprehensible1 when the existence of that incomprehensible is proved4 ,,lucretius4--,what6 must ,i renounce the dogmas of ,epicurus8 ,,posidonius4--,it is better to renounce ,epicurus than to abandon the dictates of reason4 ,,second ,,colloquy4 ,,lucretius4--,i begin to recognize a ,supreme ,being1 inaccessible to our senses1 and proved by our reason1 who made the world1 and preserves it2 but with regard to what ,i have said of the soul1 in my third book1 which has been so much admired by all the learned men of ,rome1 ,i hardly think you can oblige me to alter my opinion4 ,,posidonius4--,you say3 8,idque situm media regione in pectoris hret40--8,the mind is in the middle of the breast40--,but1 when you composed your beautiful verses1 did you never make any effort of the head8 ,when you speak of the orators ,cicero and ,mark ,antony1 do you not say that they had good heads8 ,and were you to say that they had good breasts1 would not people imagine that you were talking of their voice and lungs8 ,,lucretius4--,are you not convinced1 from experience1 that the feelings of joy1 of sorrow1 and of fear1 are formed about the heart8 ,hic exultat enim pavor ac metus2 hc loca circum ,ltiti mulcent4 ,for there our passions live1 our joy1 our fear1 ,and hope4 ,do you not feel your heart dilate or contract itself on the hearing of good or bad news8 ,is it not possessed of some secret springs of a yielding and elastic quality8 ,this1 therefore1 must be the seat of the soul4 ,,posidonius4--,there are two nerves which proceed from the brain1 pass through the heart and stomach1 reach to the parts of generation1 and communicate motion to them2 but would you therefore say1 that the human mind resides in the parts of generation8 ,,lucretius4--,no2 ,i dare not say so4 ,but though ,i should place the soul in the head1 instead of placing it in the breast1 my principles will still subsist3 the soul will still be an infinitely subtile matter1 resembling the elementary fire that animates the whole machine4 ,,posidonius4--,and why do you imagine that a subtile matter can have thoughts and sentiments of itself8 ,,lucretius4--,because ,i experience it2 because all the parts of my body1 when touched1 presently feel the impression2 because this feeling is diffused through my whole machine2 because it could not be diffused through it but by a matter of a very subtile nature1 and of a very rapid motion2 because ,i am a body1 and one body cannot be affected but by another2 because the interior part of my body could not be penetrated but by very small corpuscles2 and1 in consequence1 my soul must be an assemblage of these corpuscles4 ,,posidonius4--,we have already agreed1 in our first colloquy1 that it is extremely improbable that a rock could compose the 8,iliad40 ,will a ray of the sun be more capable of composing it8 ,suppose this ray a hundred thousand times more subtile and rapid than usual1 will this light1 or this tenuity of parts1 produce thoughts and sentiments8 ,,lucretius4--,perhaps it may1 when placed in organs properly prepared4 ,,posidonius4--,you are perpetually reduced to your perhaps4 ,fire1 of itself1 is no more capable of thinking than ice4 ,should ,i suppose that it is fire that thinks1 perceives1 and wills in you1 you would then be forced to acknowledge that it is not by its own virtue that it has either will1 thought1 or perception4 ,,lucretius4--,no2 these sensations will be produced not by its own virtue1 but by the assemblage of the fire1 and of my organs4 ,,posidonius4--,how can you imagine that two bodies1 neither of which can think apart1 should be able to produce thought1 when joined together8 ,,lucretius4--,in the same manner as a tree and earth1 when taken separately1 do not produce fruit1 but do so when the tree is planted in the earth4 ,,posidonius4--,the comparison is only specious4 ,this tree has in it the seeds of fruit3 we plainly perceive them in the buds1 and the moisture of the earth unfolds the substance of these fruits4 ,fire1 therefore1 must possess in itself the seeds of thought1 and the organs of the body serve only to develop these seeds4 ,,lucretius4--,and do you find anything impossible in this8 ,,posidonius4--,i find that this fire1 this highly refined matter1 is as devoid of the faculty of thinking as a stone4 ,the production of a being must have something similar to that which produced it2 but thought1 will1 and perception have nothing similar to fiery matter4 ,,lucretius4--,two bodies1 struck against each other1 produce motion1 and yet this motion has nothing similar to the two bodies2 it has none of their three dimensions1 nor has it any figure4 ,a being1 therefore1 may have nothing similar to that which produced it1 and1 in consequence1 thought may spring from an assemblage of two bodies which have no thought4 ,,posidonius4--,this comparison likewise is more specious than just4 ,i see nothing but matter in two bodies in motion3 ,i only see bodies passing from one place to another4 ,but when we reason together ,i see no matter in your ideas1 or in my own4 ,i shall only observe that ,i can no more conceive how one body has the power of moving another1 than ,i can comprehend the manner of my having ideas4 ,to me both are equally inexplicable1 and both equally prove the existence and the power of a ,supreme ,being1 the author of thought and motion4 ,,lucretius4--,if our soul is not a subtile fire1 an ethereal quintessence1 what is it8 ,,posidonius4--,neither you nor ,i know aught of the matter4 ,i will tell you plainly what it is not2 but ,i cannot tell you what it actually is4 ,i see that it is a power lodged in my body2 that ,i did not give myself this power2 and1 in consequence1 that it must have come from a ,being superior to myself4 ,,lucretius4--,you did not give yourself life2 you received it from your father2 from whom1 likewise1 together with life1 you received the faculty of thinking1 as he had received both from his father1 and so on backwards to infinity4 ,you no more know the true principle of life than you do that of thought4 ,this succession of living and thinking beings has always existed4 ,,posidonius4--,i plainly see that you are always obliged to abandon the system of ,epicurus1 and that you dare no longer maintain that the declination of atoms produced thought4 ,i have already1 in our last colloquy1 refuted the eternal succession of sensible and thinking beings4 ,i showed you that1 if there are material beings capable of thinking by their own power1 thought must necessarily be an attribute essential to all matter2 that1 if matter thought necessarily1 and by its own virtue1 all matter must of course think3 but this is not the case1 and therefore it is impossible to maintain a succession of material beings1 who1 of themselves1 possess the faculty of thinking4 ,,lucretius4--,notwithstanding this reasoning1 which you repeat1 it is certain that a father communicates a soul to his son at the same time that he forms his body4 ,this soul and this body grow together2 they gradually acquire strength2 they are subject to calamities1 and to the infirmities of old age4 ,the decay of our strength draws along with it that of our judgment2 the effect at last ceases with the cause1 and the soul vanishes like smoke into air4 ,prterea1 gigni pariter cum corpore1 una ,crescere sentimus1 pariterque senescere mentem4 ,nam velet infirmo pueri1 teneroque vagantur ,corpore1 sic animi sequitur sententia tenuis4 ,inde ubi robustis adolevit viribus tas1 ,consilium quoque majus1 auctior est animi vis4 ,post ubi jam validis quassatum est viribus vi ,corpus1 obtusis ceciderunt viribus artus3 ,claudicat ingenium delirat linguaque1 mensque2 ,omnia deficiunt1 atque uno tempore desunt1 ,ergo dissolvi quoque convenit omnem animai ,naturam1 ceu fumus in altas aeris auras3 ,quandoquidem gigni pariter1 pariterque videmus ,crescere1 7ut docui7 simul vo fessa fatiscit4 ,besides1 'tis plain that souls are born1 and grow2 ,and all by age decay1 as bodies do2 ,to prove this truth3 in infants1 minds appear ,infirm1 and tender as their bodies are3 ,in man1 the mind is strong2 when age prevails1 ,and the quick vigor of each member fails1 ,the mind's powers1 too1 decrease1 and waste apace2 ,and grave and reverend folly takes the place4 ',tis likely then the soul and mind must die2 ,like smoke in air1 its scattered atoms fly2 ,since all these proofs have shown1 these reasons told1 ',tis with the body born1 grows strong1 and old4 --,,creech4 ,,posidonius4--,these1 to be sure1 are very fine verses2 but do you thereby inform me of the nature of the soul8 ,,lucretius4--,no2 ,i only give you its history1 and ,i reason with probability4 ,,posidonius4--,where is the probability of a father's communicating to his son the faculty of thinking8 ,,lucretius4--,do you not daily see children resembling their fathers in their inclinations1 as well as in their features8 ,,posidonius4--,but does not a father1 in begetting his son1 act as a blind agent8 ,does he pretend1 when he enjoys his wife1 to make a soul1 or to make thoughts8 ,do either of them know the manner in which a child is formed in the mother's womb8 ,must we not1 in this case1 have recourse to a superior cause1 as well as in all the other operations of nature which we have examined8 ,must you not see1 if you are in earnest1 that men give themselves nothing1 but are under the hand of an absolute master8 ,,lucretius4--,if you know more of the matter than ,i do1 tell me what the soul is4 ,,posidonius4--,i do not pretend to know what it is more than you4 ,let us endeavor to enlighten each other4 ,tell me1 first1 what is vegetation4 ,,lucretius4--,it is an internal motion1 that carries the moisture of the earth into plants1 makes them grow1 unfolds their fruits1 expands their leaves1 etc4 ,,posidonius4--,surely you do not think that there is a being called ,vegetation that performs these wonders8 ,,lucretius4--,who ever thought so8 ,,posidonius4--,from our former colloquy you ought to conclude that the tree did not give vegetation to itself4 ,,lucretius4--,i am forced to allow it4 ,,posidonius4--,tell me next what life is4 ,,lucretius4--,it is vegetation joined with perception in an organized body4 ,,posidonius4--,and is there not a being called life1 that gives perception to an organized body8 ,,lucretius4--,doubtless vegetation and life are words which signify things that live and vegetate4 ,,posidonius4--,if a tree and an animal cannot give themselves life and vegetation1 can you give yourself thoughts8 ,,lucretius4--,i think ,i can1 for ,i think of whatever ,i please4 ,my intention was to converse with you about metaphysics1 and ,i have done so4 ,,posidonius4--,you think that you are master of your ideas2 do you know1 then1 what thoughts you will have in an hour1 or in a quarter of an hour8 ,,lucretius4--,i must own that ,i do not4 ,,posidonius4--,you frequently have ideas in your sleep2 you make verses in a dream3 ,csar takes cities3 ,i resolve problems2 and hounds pursue the stag in their dreams4 ,ideas1 therefore1 come to us independently of our own will2 they are given us by a ,superior ,being4 ,,lucretius4--,in what manner do you mean8 ,do you suppose that the ,supreme ,being is continually employed in communicating ideas2 or that he created incorporeal substances1 which were afterwards capable of forming ideas of themselves1 sometimes with the assistance of the senses1 and sometimes without it8 ,are these substances formed at the moment of the animal's conception8 ,or are they formed before its conception8 ,do they wait for bodies1 in order to insinuate themselves into them8 or are they not lodged there till the animal is capable of receiving them8 ,or1 in fine1 is it in the ,supreme ,being that every animated being sees the ideas of things8 ,what is your opinion8 ,,posidonius4--,when you tell me how our will produces an instantaneous motion in our bodies1 how your arm obeys your will1 how we receive life1 how food digests in the stomach1 and how corn is transformed into blood1 ,i will then tell you how we have ideas4 ,with regard to all these particulars ,i frankly confess my ignorance4 ,the world1 perhaps1 may one day obtain new lights2 but from the time of ,thales to the present age we have not had any4 ,all we can do is to be sensible of our own weakness1 to acknowledge an ,almighty ,being1 and to be upon our guard against these systems4 ,,dialogue ,,between ,a ,,client ,,and ,,his ,,lawyer4 ,,client4--,well1 sir6 with regard to the cause of those poor orphans8 ,,lawyer4--,what do you mean8 ,it is but eighteen years since their estate has been in litigation4 ,,client4--,i don't complain of that trifling matter2 ,i know the custom well enough2 ,i respect it1 but how in the name of heaven comes it to pass that you have been these three months soliciting a hearing and have not yet obtained it8 ,,lawyer4--,the reason is because you have not solicited an audience in person in behalf of your pupils2 you ought to have waited on the judge several different times1 to entreat him to try your cause4 ,,client4--,it is their duty to do justice of their own accord without waiting till it is asked them4 ,he is a very great man that has it in his power to sit in judgment on men's lives and fortunes1 but he is by no means so to desire that the miserable should wait in his antechamber4 ,i do not go to our parson's levee to pray and beseech him to have the goodness to sing high mass1 why ought ,i then to petition my judge to discharge the function of his office8 ,in short1 after so many and such tedious delays1 are we at length going to be so happy as to have our cause tried to-day8 ,,lawyer4--,why yes1 and there is great likelihood of your carrying a very material point in your process2 you have a very decisive article in 8,charondas0 on your side4 ,,client4--,this same ,charondas was1 in all probability1 some lord-chancellor in the time of one of the kings of the first race who has passed a law in favor of orphans8 ,,lawyer4--,by no means1 he is no more than a private person who has given his opinion in a great volume which nobody reads1 but then your advocate quotes him1 the judges take it upon his credit1 so there's your cause gained in a trice4 ,,client4--,what6 do you tell me the opinion of this ,judge ,charondas passes current for a law8 ,,lawyer4--,but there is one devilish bad circumstance attends us4 ,turnet and ,brodeau are both against us4 ,,client4--,these1 ,i suppose1 are two other legislators whose laws have much the same authority with those of that other hard-named gentleman4 ,,lawyer4--,yes1 certainly1 as it was impossible to explain the ,roman law sufficiently in the present case the world took different sides of the question4 ,,client4--,what the devil signifies it to bring in the ,roman law in this affair8 ,do we live in the present age under ,theodosius or ,justinian8 ,,lawyer4--,by no means1 but our forefathers1 you must know1 had a prodigious passion for tilting and fox hunting2 they ran all1 as if they were mad1 to the ,holy ,land with their doxies4 ,you will grant me that men in such a hurry of business of consequence could not be supposed to have time on their hands to frame a complete body of universal jurisprudence4 ,,client4--,aye1 aye1 ,i understand you4 ,for want of laws of your own you are forced to beg of ,charondas and ,justinian to be so good as tell you how you should proceed when an inheritance is to be divided4 ,,lawyer4--,there you are mistaken1 we have more laws than all ,europe besides2 almost every city has a body of laws of its own4 ,,client4--,your most obedient4 ,here's another miracle4 ,,lawyer4--,ah6 had your wards been born at ,guignes-la-,putain instead of being natives of ,melun near ,corbeil6 ,,client4--,very well2 what had happened then1 for ,god's sake8 ,,lawyer4--,you should have gained your cause as sure as two and two make four1 that's all1 for at this same ,guignes-la-,putain there is a custom which is wholly in your favor2 but were you to go but two leagues beyond this1 you would then be in a very different situation4 ,,client4--,but pray are not ,guignes and ,melun both in ,france8 ,and can anything be more absurd or horrible than to tell me that what's right in one village is wrong in another8 ,by what fatal barbarity does it happen that people born in the same country do yet live under different laws8 ,,lawyer4--,the reason is1 that formerly the inhabitants of ,guignes and those of ,melun were not inhabitants of the same country3 these two fine cities formed in the golden days of yore two distinct empires1 and the august sovereign of ,guignes1 though a vassal to the king of ,france1 gave laws to his own subjects4 ,those laws depended on the good will and pleasure of his major domo1 who1 it seems1 could not read1 so that they have been handed down by a most venerable tradition from father to son1 so that the whole race of the barons de ,guignes becoming extinct1 to the irrecoverable loss of all mankind1 the conceits of their first lackeys still exist and are held for the fundamental law of the land4 ,the case is exactly the same in every six leagues in the whole kingdom1 so that you change laws every time you change horses1 so you may judge what a taking we poor advocates are in when we are to plead1 for instance1 for an inhabitant of ,poictou against an inhabitant of ,auvergne4 ,,client4--,but these same men of ,poictou1 ,auvergne1 with your ,guignes gentry1 are they not all dressed in the same manner8 ,is it a harder matter to use the same laws than it is to wear the same clothes8 ,and since it is evident the tailors and cobblers understand one another from one end of the kingdom to the other1 why cannot the judges learn of them1 and follow so excellent an example8 ,,lawyer4--,you desire a thing altogether as impossible as it would be to bring the nation to make use of one sort of weights and measures4 ,why would you have the laws everywhere the same when you see the point is different in all places8 ,for my own part1 after thinking till my head was like to split1 all ,i have been able to conclude for the soul of me1 is this3 ,that as the measure of ,paris is different from that at ,st4 ,denis1 it follows that men's judgments must also be different in both4 ,the varieties of nature are infinite1 and it would be wrong in us to endeavor to render uniform what she intends shall not be so4 ,,client4--,yet1 now ,i think on it1 ,i have a strong notion the ,english have but one sort of weight and measures4 ,,lawyer4--,the ,english6 aye4 ,why the ,english are mere barbarians2 they have1 it is true1 but one kind of measure1 but1 to make amends1 they have a score of different religions4 ,,client4--,there you mention something strange indeed6 ,is it possible that a nation who live under the same laws1 should not likewise live under the same religion8 ,,lawyer4--,it is2 which makes it plain they are abandoned to their own reprobate understandings4 ,,client4--,but may not it also prove that they think laws made for regulating the external actions of men and religion the internal8 ,possibly the ,english1 and other nations1 were of opinion that laws related to the concernments of man with man and that religion regarded man's relation to ,god4 ,i am sure ,i should never quarrel with an ,anabaptist who should take it into his head to be christened at thirty years old1 but ,i should be horridly offended with him should he fail paying his bill of exchange4 ,they who sin against ,god ought to be punished in the other world2 they who sin against man ought to be chastised in this4 ,,lawyer4--,i understand nothing of all this4 ,i am just going to plead your cause4 ,,client4--,i wish to ,god you understood it better first4 ,,dialogue ,,between ,,madame ,,de ,,maintenon ,,and ,,mademoiselle ,,de ,l',,enclos4#a ,,madame ,,de ,,maintenon4--',tis true1 ,i did request you to come to see me privately1 perhaps you may think it was only to make a display of my grandeur2 by no means1 ,i really meant it that ,i might receive in you a real consolation-- ,,mademoiselle ,,de ,l',,enclos4--,consolation1 madam6 ,i must acknowledge that1 having never been favored with hearing of you since you were grown great1 ,i concluded you must be perfectly happy4 ,,madame ,,de ,,maintenon4--,i have the good fortune to be thought so4 ,there are people in the world who are satisfied with this1 though1 to be plain with you1 it is not at all my case1 ,i have always exceedingly regretted your company4 ,,mademoiselle ,,de ,l',,enclos4--,i understand you4 ,in the midst of your grandeur you were sensible of the want of friendship2 and ,i1 on the other hand1 who am entirely engrossed by friendship1 never had occasion to wish for grandeur2 but how then comes it to pass you forgot me so long8 ,,madame ,,de ,,maintenon4--,you know the necessity ,i was under to seem at least to forget you4 ,believe me1 amidst all the misfortunes attached to my elevation ,i always considered this restraint the chief4 ,,mademoiselle ,,de ,l',,enclos4--,as for my part1 ,i neither forget my former pleasures nor my old friends2 but if you are really unhappy1 as you say you are1 you impose prodigiously on the whole world who believe you otherwise4 ,,madame ,,de ,,maintenon4--,i was the first person deceived in this manner myself4 ,if1 while we were at supper together1 in company with ,villarfaux and ,nantouillet at our little house the ,tournelles1 when the mediocrity of our fortune was scarce worth thinking of1 somebody had said1 ,you will1 before 'tis long1 approach very near to the throne2 the most powerful monarch in the world will soon make you his sole confidante2 all favors will pass through your hands2 you will be regarded as a sovereign3 if1 said ,i1 any one had made me such predictions ,i should have answered1 ,the accomplishment of this strange prognostication must certainly kill one with mere astonishment4 ,the whole of it was actually accomplished4 ,i felt some surprise in the first moments but1 in hoping for joy1 ,i found myself entirely mistaken4 ,,mademoiselle ,,de ,l',,enclos4--,a philosopher might possibly believe this1 but the public will with great difficulty be brought to believe you were dissatisfied1 and should they really think so they would certainly blame you for it4 ,,madame ,,de ,,maintenon4--,the world must then be as much in the wrong as ,i was4 ,this world of ours is a vast amphitheatre where every one is placed on his bench by mere chance4 ,they imagine the supreme degree of felicity to be on the uppermost benches4 ,what an egregious mistake6 ,,mademoiselle ,,de ,l',,enclos4--,i take this mistake to be necessary to human nature3 they would never give themselves any trouble about getting higher were they not led by an opinion that happiness is placed above them4 ,both of us are acquainted with pleasures infinitely less deceiving or fanciful1 but1 for ,heaven's sake1 how did you contrive to be so exceedingly wretched on your exalted seat8 ,,madame ,,de ,,maintenon4--,alas6 my dear ,ninon6 from the time ,i left off calling you anything but ,mademoiselle de l',enclos1 ,i from that moment began to be less happy4 ,it was decreed ,i must be a prude4 ,this is telling all in one word4 ,my heart is empty1 my mind under restraint4 ,i make the first figure in ,france1 but it is really no more than a figure1 a shadow6 ,i live only a kind of borrowed life4 ,ah6 did you but know what a burden it must be to a drooping soul to animate another soul or to amuse a mind no longer capable of amusement6 ,,mademoiselle ,,de ,l',,enclos4--,i easily guess the uneasiness of your situation4 ,i fear insulting you should ,i mention the reflection that ,ninon is happier at ,paris in her little house with the ,abb de ,chteauneuf1 and some friends1 than you at ,versailles in the company of the most respectable personage in all ,europe1 who lays all his power at your feet4 ,i am afraid to show you the superiority of my situation2 ,i know it is wrong to discover too sensible a relish of our felicity in the presence of the unhappy4 ,endeavor1 madam1 to bear the load of your grandeur with patience1 try to forget that delightful obscurity in which we formerly lived together1 in the same manner you have been obliged to forget your ancient friends4 ,the sole remedy in your painful state is to avoid reflection as much as possible1 crying out with the poet1 ,flicit passe1 ,qui ne peut revenir1 ,tourment de ma pense1 ,que n'ai-je en te perdant1 perdu le souvenir6 ,tormenting thought of former happiness gone1 never to return6 ,why1 when ,i was bereft of the joy1 did ,i not lose the remembrance of it also6 ,drink of the river ,lethe1 and above all1 comfort yourself with having before your eyes so many royal dames whose time lies as heavy on their hands as yours can do4 ,,madame ,,de ,,maintenon4--,ah1 my dear6 what felicity can one find in being alone8 ,i would fain make a proposal to you but ,i am afraid to open myself4 ,,mademoiselle ,,de ,l',,enclos4--,indeed1 madam1 to be plain with you1 you have reason to be a little mistrustful1 but take courage4 ,,madame ,,de ,,maintenon4--,i mean that you will barter1 at least in appearance1 your philosophy for prudery1 and then you will become a truly respectable woman4 ,you shall live with me in ,versailles1 you shall be more my friend than ever1 and help me to support my present condition4 ,,mademoiselle ,,de ,l',,enclos4--,i still have a great affection for you1 madam1 but ,i must freely own to you ,i love myself still better1 and can never consent to turn hypocrite and render myself miserable forever because fortune has treated you cruelly4 ,,madame ,,de ,,maintenon4--,ah1 cruel ,ninon6 you have a heart more hard than even the very courtiers themselves4 ,can you then abandon me without the least remorse8 ,,mademoiselle ,,de ,l',,enclos4--,by no means2 ,i am still but too sensible4 ,you really melt me1 and1 to convince you ,i have the same regard for you as ever ,i now make you the last offer in my power2 quit ,versailles and come and live with me at the rues des ,tournelles4 ,,madame ,,de ,,maintenon4--,you pierce my very heart4 ,i cannot be happy near the throne1 nor can ,i enjoy pleasure in a retired life4 ,this is one of the fatal effects of living in a court4 ,,mademoiselle ,,de ,l',,enclos4--,there is no remedy for an incurable disorder4 ,i shall take the opinion of the philosophers who frequent my house concerning your malady1 but ,i cannot promise you they will effect impossibilities4 ,,madame ,,de ,,maintenon4--,good heavens6 what a cruel situation6 to behold myself on the very pinnacle of greatness1 to be worshipped as a deity1 and yet not to be able to taste of happiness6 ,,mademoiselle ,,de ,l',,enclos4--,hold1 my dear friend1 ,i fancy there is some mistake in this2 you believe yourself unhappy merely on account of your greatness1 but may not the misfortune proceed from another cause1 that your eyes have no longer the same lustre1 your appetite no longer so good1 nor your relish for pleasures so lively as heretofore8 ,you have lost your youth1 beauty1 and feelings2 this1 this is your real misfortune4 ,this is the reason why so many women turn devotees at fifty and so fly from one chagrin into the arms of another4 ,,madame ,,de ,,maintenon4--,but1 after all1 you have more years over your head than ,i have and you are neither unhappy nor a devotee4 ,,mademoiselle ,,de ,l',,enclos4--,let us understand each other4 ,we ought not to imagine that at your age and mine we can enjoy complete happiness4 ,it requires a soul glowing with the most exquisite sensations and the five senses in their highest perfection to taste this kind of felicity4 ,but with a few friends1 a little philosophy1 and liberty1 one may be as much at one's ease as this age will admit of4 ,the mind is never unhappy but when out of its sphere4 ,so e'en take my advice and come and live with me and my philosophical friends4 ,,madame ,,de ,,maintenon4--,i see two ministers of state coming this way4 ,they are very different company from philosophers1 so fare you well1 my dear ,ninon4 ,,mademoiselle ,,de ,l',,enclos4--,adieu1 illustrious unfortunate4 ,,footnote #a ,madame de ,maintenon and ,mademoiselle ,ninon de l',enclos had lived long together4 ,the author has often heard the late ,abb de ,chteauneuf say1 that ,madame de ,maintenon had used her utmost endeavors to engage ,ninon to turn nun1 and to come and comfort her at ,versailles4 ,,dialogue ,,between ,a ,,savage ,,and ,a ,,bachelor ,,of ,,arts4 ,a governor of ,cayenne1 having brought over with him a savage from ,guiana1 who had a great share of good natural understanding1 and spoke ,french tolerably well2 a bachelor of arts at ,paris had the honor of entering into the following conversation with him3 ,,bachelor4--,i suppose1 ,mr4 ,savage1 you have seen a number of your country people who pass their lives all alone1 for it is said that this is the true way of living natural to man1 and that society is only an artificial depravity8 ,,savage4--,indeed ,i never did see any of those people you speak of4 ,man appears to me to be born for society1 as well as several other species of animals4 ,each species follows the dictates of its nature2 as for us1 we live all together in a community4 ,,bachelor4--,how6 in community8 ,why1 then1 you have fine towns1 and cities with walls1 and kings who keep a court4 ,you have shows1 convents1 universities1 libraries1 and taverns1 have you8 ,,savage4--,no2 but have ,i not frequently heard it said that in your continent you have ,arabians and ,scythians who never knew anything of these matters1 and yet form considerable nations8 ,now we live like these people2 neighboring families assist each other4 ,we inhabit a warm climate1 and so have very few necessities2 we can easily procure ourselves food2 we marry2 we get children2 we bring them up1 and then we die4 ,you see this is just the same as among you2 some few ceremonies excepted4 ,,bachelor4--,why1 my good sir1 then you are not a savage8 ,,savage4--,i do not know what you mean by that word4 ,,bachelor4--,nor1 to tell you the truth1 do ,i myself--stay--let me consider a little--,oh6--a savage8--,why--a savage is--what we call a savage1 is a man of a morose1 unsociable disposition1 who flies all company4 ,,savage4--,i have told you already that we live together in families4 ,,bachelor4--,we also give the name of savage to those beasts who are not tamed1 but roam wild about the forests2 and from hence we have transferred that appellation to men who inhabit the woods4 ,,savage4--,i go into the woods sometimes1 as well as you do1 to hunt4 ,,bachelor4--,pray1 now1 do you think sometimes8 ,,savage4--,it is impossible to be without some sort of ideas4 ,,bachelor4--,i have a great curiosity to know what your ideas are4 ,what think you of man8 ,,savage4--,think of him6 ,why1 that he is a two-footed animal1 who has the faculty of reasoning1 speaking1 and who uses his hands much more dexterously than the monkey4 ,i have seen several kinds of men1 some white1 like you1 others copper-colored1 like me1 and others black1 like those that wait upon the governor of ,cayenne4 ,you have a beard1 we have none2 the negroes have wool1 you and ,i have hair4 ,they say1 that in your more northerly climates the inhabitants have white hair1 whereas that of the ,americans is black4 ,this is all ,i know about man4 ,,bachelor4--,but your soul1 my dear sir8 your soul8 what notion have you of that8 whence comes it8 what is it8 what does it do8 how does it act8 where does it go8 ,,savage4--,i know nothing about all this1 indeed2 for ,i never saw the soul4 ,,bachelor4--,apropos2 do you think that brutes are machines8 ,,savage4--,they appear to me to be organized machines1 that have sentiment and memory4 ,,bachelor4--,well2 and pray now1 ,mr4 ,savage1 what do you think that you1 you yourself1 ,i say1 possess above those brutes8 ,,savage4--,the gifts of an infinitely superior memory1 a much greater share of ideas1 and1 as ,i have already told you1 a tongue capable of forming many more sounds than those of brutes2 with hands more ready at executing2 and the faculty of laughing1 which a long-winded argumentator always makes me exercise4 ,,bachelor4--,but tell me1 if you please1 how came you by all this8 ,what is the nature of your mind8 ,how does your soul animate your body8 ,do you always think8 ,is your will free8 ,,savage4--,here are a great number of questions2 you ask me how ,i came to possess what ,god has given to man8 ,you might as well ask me how ,i was born8 ,for certainly1 since ,i am born a man1 ,i must possess the things that constitute a man in the same manner as a tree has its bark1 roots1 and leaves4 ,you would have me to know what is the nature of my mind4 ,i did not give it to myself1 and therefore ,i cannot know what it is2 and as to how my soul animates my body1 ,i am as much a stranger to that1 too2 and1 in my opinion1 you must first have seen the springs that put your watch in motion before you can tell how it shows the hour4 ,you ask me if ,i always think8 ,no1 for sometimes ,i have half-formed ideas1 in the same manner as ,i see objects at a distance1 confusedly2 sometimes my ideas are much stronger1 as ,i can distinguish an object better when it is nearer to me2 sometimes ,i have no ideas at all1 as when ,i shut my eyes ,i can see nothing4 ,lastly1 you ask me1 if my will is free8 ,here ,i do not understand you2 these are things with which you are perfectly well acquainted1 no doubt1 therefore ,i shall be glad you will explain them to me4 ,,bachelor4--,yes1 yes1 ,i have studied all these matters thoroughly2 ,i could talk to you about them for a month together without ceasing1 in such a manner as would surpass your understanding4 ,but tell me1 do you know good and evil1 right and wrong8 ,do you know which is the best form of government8 which the best worship8 what is the law of nations8 the common law8 the civil law8 the canon law8 ,do you know the names of the first man and woman who peopled ,america8 ,do you know the reason why rain falls into the sea2 and why you have no beard8 ,,savage4--,upon my word1 sir1 you take rather too great advantage of the confession ,i made just now1 that man has a superior memory to the brutes2 for ,i can hardly recollect the many questions you have asked me2 you talk of good and evil1 right and wrong2 now1 ,i think that whatever gives you pleasure1 and does injury to no one1 is very good and very right2 that what injures our fellow-creatures1 and gives us no pleasure1 is abominable2 and what gives us pleasure but1 at the same time1 hurts others1 may be good with respect to us for the time1 but it is in itself both dangerous to us1 and very wrong in regard to others4 ,,bachelor4--,and do you live in society with these maxims8 ,,savage4--,yes1 with our relatives and neighbors1 and1 without much pain or vexation1 we quietly attain our hundredth year2 some indeed reach to a hundred and twenty1 after which our bodies serve to fertilize the earth that has nourished us4 ,,bachelor4--,you seem to me to have a clear understanding1 ,i would very fain puzzle it4 ,let us dine together1 after which we will philosophize methodically4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,savage4--,i find that ,i have swallowed foods that are not made for me1 notwithstanding ,i have a good stomach2 you have made me eat after my stomach was satisfied1 and drink when ,i was no longer dry4 ,my legs are not so firm under me as they were before dinner2 my head feels heavy1 and my ideas are confused4 ,i never felt this diminution of my faculties in my own country4 ,for my part1 ,i think the more a man puts into his body here1 the more he takes away from his understanding4 ,pray1 tell me1 what is the reason of all this damage and disorder8 ,,bachelor4--,i will tell you4 ,in the first place1 as to what passes in your legs1 ,i know nothing about the matter1 you must consult the physicians about that2 they will satisfy you in a trice4 ,but ,i am perfectly well acquainted with how things go in your head4 ,you must know1 then1 that the soul being confined to no place1 has fixed her seat either in the pineal gland1 or callous body in the middle of the brain4 ,the animal spirits that rise from the stomach fly up to the soul1 which they cannot affect1 they being matter and it immaterial4 ,now1 as neither can act upon the other1 therefore the soul takes their impression1 and1 as it is a simple principle1 and consequently subject to no change1 therefore it suffers a change1 and becomes heavy and dull when we eat too much2 and this is the reason that so many great men sleep after dinner4 ,,savage4--,what you tell me appears very ingenious and profound1 but ,i should take it as a favor if you would explain it to me in such a manner as ,i might comprehend4 ,,bachelor4--,why1 ,i have told you everything that can be said upon this weighty affair2 but1 to satisfy you1 ,i will be a little more explicit4 ,let us go step by step4 ,first1 then1 do you know that this is the best of all possible worlds8 ,,savage4--,how6 is it impossible for the ,infinite ,being to create anything better than what we now see8 ,,bachelor4--,undoubtedly2 for nothing can be better than what we see4 ,it is true1 indeed1 that mankind rob and murder each other1 but they all the while extol equity and moderation4 ,several years ago they massacred about twelve millions of your ,americans1 but then it was to make the rest more reasonable4 ,a famous calculator has proved that from a certain war of ,troy1 which you know nothing of1 to the last war in ,north ,america1 which you do know something of1 there have been killed in pitched battles no less than five hundred and fifty-five million six hundred and fifty thousand men1 without reckoning young children and women buried under the ruins of cities and towns which have been set on fire2 but this was all for the good of community2 four or five thousand dreadful maladies1 to which mankind are subject1 teach us the true value of health2 and the crimes that cover the face of the earth greatly enhance the merit of religious men1 of which ,i am one2 you see that everything goes in the best manner possible1 at least as to me4 ,now things could never be in this state of perfection1 if the soul was not placed in the pineal gland4 ,for--but let me take you along with me in the argument4 ,let us go step by step4 ,what notion have you of laws1 and of the rule of right and wrong2 of the to ,kalon1 as ,plato calls it8 ,,savage4--,well1 but my good sir1 while you talk of going step by step1 you speak to me of a hundred different things at a time4 ,,bachelor4--,every one converses in this manner4 ,but tell me who made the laws in your country8 ,,savage4--,the public good4 ,,bachelor4--,that word public good means a great deal4 ,we have not any so expressive2 pray1 in what sense do you understand8 ,,savage4--,i understand by it that those who have a plantation of cocoa trees or maize1 have forbidden others to meddle with them1 and that those who had them not1 are obliged to work1 in order to have a right to eat part of them4 ,everything that ,i have seen1 either in your country or my own1 teaches me that there can be no other spirit of the laws4 ,,bachelor4--,but as to women1 ,mr4 ,savage1 women8 ,,savage4--,as to women1 they please me when they are handsome and sweet-tempered2 ,i prize them even before our cocoa trees2 they are a fruit which we are not willing to have plucked by any but ourselves4 ,a man has no more right to take my wife from me than to take my child4 ,however1 ,i have heard it said1 that there are people who will suffer this2 they have it certainly in their will2 every one may do what he pleases with his own property4 ,,bachelor4--,but as to successors1 legatees1 heirs1 and collateral kindred8 ,,savage4--,every one must have a successor4 ,i can no longer possess my field when ,i am buried in it1 ,i leave it to my son2 if ,i have two1 ,i divide it equally between them4 ,i hear that among you ,europeans1 there are several nations where the law gives the whole to the eldest child1 and nothing to the younger4 ,it must have been sordid interest that dictated such unequal and ridiculous laws4 ,i suppose either the elder children made it themselves1 or their fathers1 who were willing they should have the pre-eminence4 ,,bachelor4--,what body of laws appears to you the best8 ,,savage4--,those in which the interests of mankind1 my fellow creatures1 have been most consulted4 ,,bachelor4--,and where are such laws to be found8 ,,savage4--,in no place that ,i have ever heard of4 ,,bachelor4--,you must tell me from whence the inhabitants of your country first came8 ,who do you think first peopled ,america8 ,,savage4--,god--whom else should we think8 ,,bachelor4--,that is no answer4 ,i ask you from what country your people first came8 ,,savage4--,the same country from which our trees came2 really the ,europeans appear to me a very pleasant kind of people1 to pretend that we can have nothing without them2 we have just as much reason to suppose ourselves your ancestors as you have to imagine yourselves ours4 ,,bachelor4--,you are an obstinate little savage4 ,,savage4--,you a very babbling bachelor4 ,,bachelor4--,but1 hark ye1 ,mr4 ,savage1 one word more with you1 if you please4 ,do you think it right in ,guiana to put those to death who are not of the same opinion with yourselves8 ,,savage4--,undoubtedly1 provided you eat them afterwards4 ,,bachelor4--,now you are joking4 ,what do think of the constitution8 ,,savage4--,your servant4 ,a ,,treatise ,,on ,,toleration4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,a ,,brief ,,account ,,of ,,the ,,death ,,of ,,john ,,calas4 ,the murder of ,john ,calas1 committed in ,toulouse with the sword of justice1 the #ith of ,march1 #agfb1 is an event which1 on account of its singularity1 calls for the attention of the present age1 and that of posterity4 ,we soon forget the crowd of victims who have fallen in the course of innumerable battles1 not only because this is a destiny inevitably connected with a life of warfare1 but because those who thus fell might also have given death to their enemies1 and did not lose their lives till after having first stood in their own defence4 ,where the danger and the advantage are equal1 our wonder ceases1 and even pity itself is in some measure lessened2 but where the father of an innocent family is delivered up to the sword of error1 prejudice1 or enthusiasm1 where the accused person has no other defence but his conscious virtue2 where the arbiters of his destiny have nothing to hazard in putting him to death but the having been mistaken1 and where they may murder with impunity under the sanction of a judicial process1 then every one is ready to cry out1 every one brings the case home to himself1 and sees with fear and trembling that no person's life is in safety in a court erected to watch over the lives of the subject1 the public unite in demanding vengeance4 ,in this strange affair1 we find religion1 self-murder and parricide blended4 ,the object of inquiry was1 whether a father and a mother had murdered their own son with a view to please ,god1 and whether a brother had murdered his brother1 or a friend his friend2 or whether the judges had to reproach themselves with having publicly executed an innocent father1 or with having acquitted a guilty mother1 brother1 and friend4 ,john ,calas1 a person of sixty-eight years of age1 had followed the profession of a merchant in ,toulouse for upwards of forty years1 and had always borne the character of a tender parent in his family and neighborhood2 he was himself by religion a ,protestant1 as was also his wife1 and all his children1 one son only excepted1 who had abjured heresy1 and to whom the father allowed a small annuity2 indeed1 the good man appeared so far from being infected with that absurd zeal which destroys the bands of society1 that he even approved of the conversion of his son1 ,louis ,calas4 ,he had for above thirty years kept in his house a maid-servant1 who was a zealous ,catholic1 and who had brought up all his children4 ,another of his sons1 whose name was ,mark ,antony1 was a man of letters1 but1 at the same time1 of a restless1 gloomy1 and impetuous disposition4 ,this young man finding that he had no prospect of getting into business as a merchant1 for which indeed he was very unfit1 nor of being admitted to the bar as a lawyer1 as not being able to obtain the requisite certificates of his being a ,catholic1 resolved to lay violent hands upon himself1 and gave some intimation of his design to one of his friends4 ,in order to confirm himself in the resolution he had formed1 he carefully collected everything that had been written upon the subject of suicide1 all of which he read with great attention2 at length1 one day1 having lost all his money at play1 he chose that as a most proper opportunity for putting his design into execution4 ,one ,lavaisse1 a young man of nineteen years of age1 the son of a lawyer in great repute at ,toulouse1 and who was esteemed by every one who knew him1 happened to come from ,bordeaux the evening before1#b when he went by chance to sup with the ,calas family at their house1 being an acquaintance of that family's1 and of ,mark ,antony ,calas in particular4 ,old ,calas1 his wife1 ,mark ,antony1 their eldest son1 and ,peter their second son1 supped all together that evening2 after supper was over1 they retired into another room1 where ,mark ,antony suddenly disappeared4 ,after some time1 young ,lavaisse took his leave1 and ,peter ,calas accompanied him downstairs2 when they came to the warehouse they saw ,mark ,antony hanging in his shirt behind the door1 and his coat and waistcoat folded up and laid upon the counter2 his shirt was not in the least rumpled1 nor his hair1 which he had dressed that day1 in any wise disordered2 there was no wound upon his body1 nor any other mark of violence4#c ,we shall not here enter into all the minute circumstances with which the lawyers have filled their briefs2 nor shall we attempt to describe the grief and distraction of the unhappy parents2 their cries were heard by the whole neighborhood4 ,lavaisse and ,peter ,calas1 almost beside themselves1 ran1 the one to fetch a surgeon1 and the other an officer of justice4 ,while they were thus employed1 and old ,calas and his wife in all the agonies of grief1 the people of the town gathered in crowds about the house4 ,the ,toulousians are a superstitious and headstrong people1 and look upon all persons1 even their own relations1 who are not of the same religion as themselves1 as monsters and objects of detestation4 ,it was at ,toulouse that a solemn thanksgiving was ordered for the death of ,henry ,,iii4 and that the inhabitants took an oath to murder the first person who should propose to acknowledge that great and good prince ,henry ,,iv4 for their sovereign2 and this same city still continues to solemnize1 by an annual procession1 illuminations1 and bonfires1 the day on which1 about two hundred years ago1 it ordered the massacre of four thousand of its citizens for being heretics4 ,in vain has the council issued six decrees prohibiting the keeping of this detestable anniversary1 the ,toulousians still continuing to celebrate it as a high festival4 ,some one among the mob1 a greater enthusiast than the rest1 cried out that ,john ,calas himself had hanged his son2 this cry became in an instant unanimous1 some persons taking occasion to observe that the deceased was to have made his abjuration the next day1 and that his own family and young ,lavaisse had murdered him out of the hatred they bore to the ,catholic religion4 ,no sooner was this opinion broached1 than it was fully believed by every one2 and the whole town was persuaded that it is one of the articles of the ,protestant religion for a father or mother to murder their own son1 if he attempts to show any inclination to change his faith4 ,when the minds of the populace are once put into a ferment they are not easily appeased2 it was now imagined that all the ,protestants of ,languedoc had assembled together the preceding night1 and had chosen by a plurality of voices one of their sect for an executioner2 that the choice had fallen upon ,lavaisse2 that this young man had1 in less than four and twenty hours1 received the news of his election1 and had come from ,bordeaux to assist ,john ,calas1 his wife1 and their son ,peter1 to murder a son1 a brother1 and a friend4 ,the ,sieur ,david1 capitoul of ,toulouse1 instigated by these rumors1 and being desirous of bringing himself into notice1 by the ready execution of his office1 took a step contrary to all the established rules and ordinances1 by ordering the ,calas family1 together with their ,catholic maid-servant and ,lavaisse1 to be put in irons4 ,after this a monitory was published1 which was as erroneous as the former step4 ,nay1 matters were carried still farther2 ,mark ,antony ,calas had certainly died a ,calvinist1 and as such1 if he had laid violent hands on himself1 his body ought to have been dragged on a hurdle2 whereas it was interred with the greatest funeral pomp in the church of ,st4 ,stephen1 notwithstanding the curate entered his protest against this profanation of holy ground4 ,there are in ,languedoc four orders of penitents1 the white1 the blue1 the gray1 and the black1 who wear a long capuchin or hood1 having a mask of cloth falling down over the face1 in which are two holes for the sight4 ,these orders wanted the ,duke of ,fitz-,james to become one of their body1 but he refused them4 ,on the present occasion the white penitents performed a solemn service for ,mark ,antony ,calas as for a martyr2 nor was the festival of a real martyr ever celebrated with greater pomp by any church3 but then this pomp was truly terrible4 ,beneath a magnificent canopy was placed a skeleton1 which was made to move by springs2 this skeleton was to represent ,mark ,antony ,calas1 holding in one hand a branch of palm1 and1 in the other1 the pen with which he was to sign his abjuration of heresy2 or rather1 as the sequel proved1 the death-warrant of his father4 ,and now nothing more remained to be done for this wretch who had been his own murderer but the office of canonization2 the people1 already to a man1 looked on him as a saint2 some invoked him1 some went to pray at his tomb1 some besought him to work miracles1 while others gravely recounted those he had already performed2 a monk pulled out one or two of his teeth1 in order to have some lasting relics2 an old woman1 more pious than the rest1 but unhappily troubled with a deafness1 declared that she had heard the sound of bells very plainly at his interment2 and a priest was cured of an apoplectic fit1 after taking a stout emetic2 protocols were drawn up of these stupendous miracles1 and the author of this account has in his possession an affidavit to prove that a young man of ,toulouse had his brain turned1 on having prayed several nights successively at the tomb of the new saint1 without having been able to obtain the miracle he requested of him4 ,among the order of the white penitents there were some magistrates of justice2 the death of ,john ,calas seemed then inevitable4 ,but what more particularly hastened his fate was the approach of that singular festival1 which1 as ,i have already observed1 the ,toulousians celebrate every year1 in commemoration of the massacre of four thousand ,huguenots2 the year #agfb happened to be the annum seculare of this execrable deed4 ,the inhabitants were busied in making preparations for the solemnity2 this circumstance added fresh fuel to the heated imagination of the populace2 every one cried out that a scaffold for the execution of the ,calas family would be one of the greatest ornaments of the ceremony2 and that heaven itself seemed to have brought them thither as victims1 to be sacrificed to our holy religion4 ,twenty persons were ear-witnesses to these speeches1 and to others still more outrageous4 ,and this1 in the present age6 this at a time when philosophy has made so great a progress6 and while the pens of a hundred academies are employed in inculcating humanity and gentleness of manners4 ,it should seem that enthusiasm enraged at the late success of reason1 fought under her standard with redoubled fury4 ,thirteen judges met every day to try this cause2 they had not1 they could not1 have any proof against this unhappy family2 but mistaken zeal held the place of proofs4 ,six of the judges continued a long time obstinate1 being resolved to sentence ,john ,calas1 his son1 and ,lavaisse1 to be broken on the wheel1 and his wife to be burned at the stake2 the other seven judges1 rather more moderate1 were at least for having the accused examined2 the debates were frequent and long4 ,one of the judges1 convinced in his mind of the innocence of the parties1 and of the impossibility of the crime laid to their charge1 spoke warmly in their favor2 he opposed the zeal of humanity to that of cruelty1 and openly pleaded the cause of the ,calas family in all the houses of ,toulouse where misguided religion demanded with incessant cries the blood of these unfortunate wretches4 ,another judge1 well known for his violence and severity1 went about the town1 raving with as much fury against the accused as his brother had been earnest in defending them4 ,in short1 the contest became so warm that both were obliged to enter protests against each other's proceedings1 and retire into the country4 ,but by a strange fatality1 the judge who had been on the favorable side had the delicacy to persist in his exceptions1 and the other returned to give his vote against those on whom he could no longer sit as judge2 and it was his single vote which carried the sentence of being broken upon the wheel against them1 there being eight voices against five1 one of the six merciful judges being at last1 after much contestation1 brought over to the rigorous side4 ,in my opinion1 in cases of parricide1 and where the master of a family is to be devoted to the most dreadful punishment1 the sentence ought to be unanimous1 inasmuch as the proofs of so unparalleled#d a crime ought to be proved in such a manner as to satisfy all the world1 and the least shadow of a doubt in a case of this nature should be sufficient to make the judge tremble who is about to pass sentence of death4 ,the weakness of our reason1 and the insufficiency of our laws1 become every day more obvious2 but surely there cannot be a greater example of this deficiency than that one single casting vote should be sufficient to condemn a fellow-citizen to be broken alive on the wheel2 the ,athenians required at least fifty voices1 over and above the one-half of the judges1 before they would dare to pronounce sentence of death2 but to what does all this tend8 ,why1 to what we know1 but make very little use of1 that the ,greeks were wiser and more humane than ourselves4 ,it appeared altogether impossible that ,john ,calas1 who was an old man of sixty-eight1 and had a long while been troubled with a swelling and weakness in his legs1 should have been able by himself to have mastered his son and hanged him1 who was a stout young fellow of eight and twenty1 and more than commonly robust2 therefore he must absolutely have been assisted in this act by his wife1 his other son1 ,peter ,calas1 ,lavaisse1 and by the servant-maid1 and they had been together the whole night of this fatal adventure4 ,but this supposition is altogether as absurd as the other2 for can any one believe that a servant1 who was a zealous ,catholic1 would have permitted those whom she looked on as heretics to murder a young man whom she herself had brought up1 for his attachment to a religion to which she herself was devoted2 that ,lavaisse would have come purposely from ,bordeaux to assist in hanging his friend1 of whose pretended conversion he knew nothing1 or that an affectionate mother would have joined in laying violent hands on her own son8 ,and lastly1 how could they all together have been able to strangle a young man stronger than them all1 without a long and violent struggle1 or without his making such a noise as must have been heard by the whole neighborhood1 without repeated blows passing between them1 without any marks of violence1 or without any of their clothes being in the least soiled or disordered6 ,it was evident that if this murder could in the nature of things have been committed1 the accused persons were all of them equally guilty1 because they did not quit each other's company an instant the whole night2 but then it was equally evident that they were not guilty1 and that the father alone could not be so1 and yet1 by the sentence of the judges1 the father alone was condemned to suffer4 ,the motive on which this sentence was passed was as unaccountable as all the rest of the proceeding4 ,those judges who had given their opinion for the execution of ,john ,calas persuaded the others that this poor old man1 unable to support the torments1 would1 when on the wheel1 make a full confession of his own guilt and that of his accomplices2 but how wretchedly were they confounded1 when yielding up his breath on that instrument of execution1 he called ,god as a witness of his innocence1 and besought ,him to forgive his judges6 ,they were afterwards obliged to pass a second decree1 which contradicted the first1 namely to set at liberty the mother1 her son ,peter1 young ,lavaisse1 and the maid-servant2 but one of the counsellors having made them sensible that this latter decree contradicted the other1 and that they condemned themselves1 inasmuch as1 it having been proved that all the accused parties had been constantly together during the whole time the murder was supposed to be committed1 the setting at liberty the survivors was an incontestable proof of the innocence of the master of the family whom they had ordered to be executed2 on this it was determined to banish ,peter ,calas1 the son1 which was an act as ill-grounded and absurd as any of the rest1 for ,peter ,calas was either guilty or not guilty of the murder2 if he was guilty1 he ought to have suffered in the same manner as his father2 if he was innocent1 there was no reason for banishing him4 ,but the judges1 frightened with the sufferings of the father1 and with that affecting piety with which he had resigned his life1 thought to preserve their characters by making people believe that they showed mercy to the son2 as if this was not a new degree of prevarication1 and that1 thinking no bad consequences could arise from banishing this young man1 who was poor and destitute of friends1 was not a very great additional act of injustice after that which they had been already so unfortunate as to commit4 ,they now began to go to work with ,peter ,calas in his confinement1 threatening to treat him as they had done his father1 if he would not abjure his religion4 ,this the young man has declared on oath1 as follows3 8,a ,dominican friar came to me to my cell1 and threatened me with the same kind of death if ,i did not abjure2 this ,i attest before ,god1 this #bc;d day of ,july1 #agfb4 ,,peter ,,calas40 ,as ,peter was going out of the town1 he was met by one of the abbs with a converting spirit1 who made him return back to ,toulouse1 where he was shut up in a convent of ,dominicans1 and there compelled to perform all the functions of a convert to the ,catholic religion2 this was in part what his persecutors aimed at1 it was the price of his father's blood1 and due atonement now seemed to be made to the religion of which they looked on themselves as the avengers4 ,the daughters were next taken from their mother1 and shut up in a convent4 ,this unhappy woman1 who had been1 as it were1 sprinkled with the blood of her husband1 who had held her eldest son lifeless within her arms1 had seen the other banished1 her daughters taken from her1 herself stripped of her effects1 and left alone in the wide world destitute of bread1 and bereft of hopes1 was almost weighed down to the grave with the excess of her misfortunes4 ,some certain persons1 who had maturely weighed all the circumstances of this horrible adventure1 were so struck with them that they pressed ,mrs4 ,calas1 who now led a life of retirement and solitude1 to exert herself1 and go and demand justice at the foot of the throne4 ,at this time she was scarcely able to drag about the remains of a miserable life2 besides1 having been born in ,england and brought over to a distant province in ,france when very young1 the very name of the city of ,paris frightened her4 ,she imagined that in the capital of the kingdom they must be still more cruel than in ,toulouse2 at length1 however1 the duty of revenging the death of her husband got the better of her weakness4 ,she set out for ,paris1 arrived there half dead1 and was surprised to find herself received with tenderness1 sympathy1 and offers of assistance4 ,in ,paris reason always triumphs over enthusiasm1 however great1 whereas in the more distant provinces of the kingdom1 enthusiasm almost always triumphs over reason4 ,m4 de ,beaumont1 a famous lawyer of the ,parliament of ,paris1 immediately took her cause in hand1 and drew up an opinion1 which was signed by fifteen other lawyers4 ,m4 ,loiseau1 equally famous for his eloquence1 likewise drew up a memorial in favor of this unhappy family2 and ,m4 ,mariette1 solicitor to the council1 drew up a formal statement of the case1 which struck every one who read it with conviction4 ,these three noble defenders of the laws and of innocence made the widow a present of all the profits arising from the publication of these pieces1#e which filled not only ,paris but all ,europe with pity for this unfortunate woman1 and every one cried aloud for justice to be done her4 ,in a word1 the public passed sentence on this affair long before it was determined by the council4 ,the soft infection made its way even to the ,cabinet1 notwithstanding the continual round of business1 which often excludes pity1 and the familiarity of beholding miserable objects1 which too frequently steels the heart of the statesman against the cries of distress4 ,the daughters were restored to their disconsolate mother1 and all three in deep mourning1 and bathed in tears1 drew a sympathetic flood from the eyes of their judges1 before whom they prostrated themselves in thankful acknowledgment4 ,nevertheless1 this family had still some enemies to encounter1 for it is to be considered that this was an affair of religion4 ,several persons1 whom in ,france we call dvots1#f declared publicly that it was much better to suffer an old ,calvinist1 though innocent1 to be broken alive upon the wheel1 than to expose eight counsellors of ,languedoc to the mortification of being obliged to own that they had been mistaken2 nay1 these people made use of this very expression3 8,that there were more magistrates than ,calases02 by which it would seem they inferred that the ,calas family ought to be sacrificed to the honor of the magistracy4 ,alas6 they never reflected that the honor of a judge1 like that of another man1 consists in making reparation for the faults he may have committed4 ,in ,france no one believes that the pope1 even when assisted by his cardinals1 is infallible2 ought they then to have believed that eight judges of ,toulouse were so8 ,every sensible and disinterested person did without scruple declare that the decree of the court of justice of ,toulouse would be looked upon as void by all ,europe1 even though particular considerations might prevent it from being declared so by the council4 ,such was the state of this surprising affair when it occasioned certain impartial1 but sensible1 persons to form the design of laying before the public a few reflections upon toleration1 indulgence1 and commiseration1 which the ,abb ,houteville in his bombastic and declamatory work1 which is false in all the facts1 calls a monstrous doctrine1 but which reason calls the portion of human nature4 ,either the judges of ,toulouse1 carried away by popular enthusiasm1 caused the innocent master of a family to be put to a painful and ignominious death1 a thing which is without example2 or this master of a family and his wife murdered their eldest son1 with the assistance of another son and a friend1 which is altogether contrary to nature4 ,in either case1 the most holy of all religions has been perverted to the production of an enormous crime4 ,it is therefore to the interest of mankind to examine how far charity or cruelty is consistent with true religion4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,consequences ,,of ,,the ,,execution ,,of ,,john ,,calas4 ,if the order of white penitents had been the cause of the punishment of an innocent person1 and of the utter ruin and dispersion of a whole family1 and of branding them with that ignominy which is annexed to those who suffer1 when it ought properly to fall only upon those who pass an unjust sentence2 if the frantic hurry of these penitents in celebrating as a saint one whom they ought to have treated as a self-murderer1 brought a virtuous1 an innocent fellow-citizen to the scaffold1 surely this fatal mistake ought to make them true penitents for the rest of their lives1 and they and the judges ought to have their eyes continually filled with tears1 without wearing a white cloak or a mask on their faces1 to hide those tears4 ,we have a proper respect for all religious orders--they are edifying2 but will all the good they have ever been able to do the state compensate for the shocking disaster of which they have been the cause8 ,their institution seems to have been the work of that zeal which animates the ,catholics of ,languedoc against those we call ,huguenots4 ,one would be tempted to imagine that they had made a vow to hate their brethren2 and that1 though men have religion enough to hate and persecute1 they have not sufficient to love and cherish one another4 ,but what would be the case if these orders were governed by enthusiastic superiors1 as were certain congregations1 among whom1 to use the words of one of our most eloquent and learned magistrates1 the custom of seeing visions was reduced to an art and system8 ,or that their convents had in them those dark rooms1 called meditation rooms1 which were filled with pictures of frightful devils1 armed with long horns and talons1 flaming gulfs1 crosses1 and daggers1 with the holy name of ,jesus in a scroll over them8 ,edifying spectacles1 doubtless1 for eyes already blinded with fanaticism1 and for imaginations no less filled with mistaken zeal than with abject submission to the will of their directors6 ,there have been times1 and we know it but too well1 in which religious orders have been dangerous to the state4 ,the ,frrots and the ,flagellants have excited troubles in the kingdom4 ,the ,league owed its origin to such associations4 ,but wherefore should any set of men thus distinguish themselves from the rest of their fellow-citizens8 ,is it that they think themselves more perfect8 ,if so1 it is offering an insult to the rest of the community2 or are they desirous that every ,christian should become a member of their society8 ,truly1 it would be a curious sight to see all the inhabitants of ,europe in long hoods and masks1 with two little round holes to peep through6 ,or1 lastly1 do they seriously think that this dress is more acceptable to ,god than the coats and waistcoats we usually wear8 ,no1 no1 there is something more at the bottom2 this habit is a kind of controversial uniform1 a signal for those of a contrary opinion to stand upon their guard1 and might in time kindle a kind of civil war in our minds that would terminate in the most terrible consequences1 were not the wisdom of the king and of his ministers as great as the folly of these fanatics4 ,every one is sufficiently sensible what fatal effects have arisen since ,christians have begun to dispute among themselves concerning modes of belief2 the blood of the subjects has flown in torrents either on the scaffold or in the field1 from the fourth century to the present time4 ,but let us confine ourselves only to the wars and disasters which the disputes concerning reformation have excited in ,france1 and examine into their source4 ,perhaps a short and faithful portrait of these numberless calamities may open the eyes of some who have not had the advantage of education1 and touch those hearts which are not by nature callous4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,a ,,sketch ,,of ,,the ,,reformation ,,in ,,the ,,sixteenth ,,century4 ,when learning began to revive1 and the understandings of mankind became more enlightened1 there was a general complaint of errors and abuses1 and every one acknowledged the complaint to be just4 ,pope ,alexander ,,vi4 made a public purchase of the pontifical crown1 and his five bastards shared with him the profits4 ,his son1 the ,cardinal ,duke of ,borgia1 in concert with the pope1 his father1 caused the noble families of ,vitelli1 ,urbino1 ,gravina1 and ,oliveretto1 together with a hundred other lords1 to be made away with1 in order to seize upon their estates4 ,julius ,,ii41 full of the same spirit1 excommunicated ,louis ,,xii4 of ,france1 while he himself1 armed cap-a-pie1 ravaged a part of ,italy with fire and sword4 ,leo ,x41 in order to raise money to pay the expenses of his pleasures1 made a sale of indulgences1 like goods in a common market4 ,those who opposed such shameful impositions were certainly right in a moral view2 let us see how far they were so with regard to us1 in a political one4 ,they asserted that as ,jesus ,christ had never exacted annats1 nor reversions1 nor sold dispensations for this world nor indulgences for the next1 they saw no reason why they should pay a foreign prince his price for these things4 ,supposing that the annats1 the law proceedings in the pope's court1 and the dispensations which still subsist were to cost us no more than five hundred thousand crowns a year2 it is clear that since the time of ,francis ,i41 that is1 in two hundred and fifty years1 we have paid a hundred and twenty millions2 and if we calculate the different value of the mark of silver1 we shall find that this sum amounts to about two hundred and fifty millions of the present money4 ,it may therefore1 ,i think1 without any blasphemy be allowed that the heretics in proposing the abolition of these extraordinary taxes1 which will be the admiration of posterity1 did1 in that respect1 no great injury to the kingdom1 and showed themselves good calculators rather than bad subjects4 ,add to this1 that they were the only persons who understood the ,greek language1 or had any knowledge of antiquity2 let us own likewise1 without dissimulation1 that with all their errors1 we are indebted to them for the opening of our understandings1 which had been long buried beneath the most barbarous obscurity4 ,but as they denied the doctrine of purgatory1 concerning which no one ought to have the least doubt1 and which1 moreover1 brought in a comfortable revenue to the monks2 as they paid no reverence to relics which every one ought to reverence1 and which brought in still greater profits2 and lastly1 as they attacked the most respectable tenets1#g their adversaries made them no other reply than by committing them to the stake4 ,the king1 who styled himself their protector1 and who kept a body of them in pay in ,germany1 marched at the head of a procession through ,paris1 which was concluded by the execution of a number of these unhappy wretches1 in the following manner3 ,they were suspended at the end of a long beam1 which played upon a pole erected for that purpose1 and underneath them was kindled a large fire1 into which they were alternately lowered and then raised up again1 by which they experienced the most excruciating torments1 till a lingering death at last put an end to the longest and most dreadful punishment that cruelty ever invented4 ,a short time before the death of ,francis ,i41 the members of the ,parliament of ,provence1 whom the clergy had incensed against the inhabitants of ,mirandol and ,cabrire1 applied to the king for a body of troops to attend the execution of nineteen persons of that country who had been condemned by them2 with the assistance of this armed force they massacred about six thousand souls1 without sparing sex or age1 and reduced thirty villages to ashes4 ,the people who were the objects of these executions1 and who had1 till then1 been in a manner unknown1 were doubtless to blame for having been born ,vaudois1 but this was their only crime4 ,they had been settled for upwards of three hundred years in deserts and on mountains1 which they had rendered fertile by incredible labor1 and led a pastoral and quiet life1 the perfect image of the innocence which we find attributed to the first ages of the world4 ,they had no acquaintance with the towns or villages round about them1 except that obtained by carrying the produce of their grounds thither to sell4 ,totally ignorant of all military operations1 they made no defence1 but were slaughtered like timorous animals1 whom we drive into a net and then knock them on the head4#h ,after the death of ,francis ,i41 a prince who1 it must be confessed1 was more remarkable for his gallantries and his misfortunes than for his cruelty1 the execution of a thousand heretics1 and in particular that of ,dubourg1 a counsellor of the parliament1 together with the massacre of ,vassy1 made the persecuted fly to arms4 ,their sect multiplied in proportion with the fires lighted for them1 and the swords of executioners drawn against them1 patience gave way to rage1 and they followed the example of their enemies in cruelty4 ,nine civil wars filled ,france with carnage1 and a peace1 more fatal than war itself1 produced the day of ,st4 ,bartholomew1 which stands without example in the annals of crime4 ,henry ,,iii4 and ,henry ,,iv4 fell victims to the league1 the one by the hand of a ,dominican friar1 and the other by that of a monster who had been a brother of the mendicant order4 ,there are those who pretend that humanity1 indulgence1 and liberty of conscience are horrible things2 ,i would ask such persons seriously1 if they could have produced calamities comparable to those ,i have just related8 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,whether ,,toleration ,,is ,,dangerous1 ,,and ,,among ,,what ,,nations ,,it ,,is ,,practised4 ,some people will have it1 that if we were to make use of humanity and indulgence towards our mistaken brethren who pray to ,god in bad ,french1 it would be putting arms into their hands1 and we should see revived the bloody days of ,jarnac1 ,moncontour1 ,coutras1 ,dreux1 ,st4 ,denis1 and others4 ,i know not how this may be1 as ,i have not the gift of prophecy1 but ,i really cannot discover the congruity of this reasoning1 8that because these men took up arms against me when ,i oppressed them1 they will do the same if ,i show them favor40 ,and here ,i would willingly take the liberty to entreat those who have the reins of government in hand1 or are destined to fill the highest stations1 for once to examine maturely whether there is any reason to apprehend that indulgence would occasion the same rebellions as cruelty and oppression1 and whether what has happened under certain circumstances would happen under others of a different nature1 or whether times1 opinions1 and manners are always the same8 ,the ,huguenots1 it cannot be denied1 have formerly given in to all the rage of enthusiasm1 and have been polluted with blood as well as ourselves1 but can it be said that the present generation is as barbarous as the former8 ,have not time and reason1 which have lately made so great progress1 together with good books1 and that natural softness introduced from society1 found their way among those who have the guidance of these people8 ,and do we not clearly perceive that almost all ,europe has undergone a change within the last century8 ,the hands of government have everywhere been strengthened1 while the minds of the people have been softened and civilized2 the general police1 supported by numerous standing armies1 leave us no longer any cause to fear the return of those times of anarchy1 when ,protestant boors and ,catholic peasants were hastily called together from the labors of agriculture to wield the sword against each others' lives4 ,alia tempora1 ali cur4 ,it would be highly absurd in the present days to decimate the body of the ,sorbonne because it formerly petitioned for burning the ,pucelle d',orlans because it declared ,henry ,,iii4 to have lost his right to the throne1 and because it excommunicated and proscribed the illustrious ,henry ,,iv4 ,we certainly should not think of prosecuting the other public bodies of the nation1 who committed the like excesses in those times of error and madness2 it would not only be very unjust1 but as ridiculous as if we were to oblige all the inhabitants of ,marseilles to undergo a course of physic because they had the plague in #agbj4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,maid ,,of ,,orleans ,,at ,,the ,,stake ,should we at present go and sack ,rome1 as the troops of ,charles the ,fifth did1 because ,pope ,sixtus the ,fifth1 in the year #aehe1 granted a nine years' indulgence to all ,frenchmen who would take up arms against their sovereign8 ,no1 surely it is enough if we prevent the court of ,rome from ever being guilty of such excesses in the future4 ,the rage inspired by a spirit of controversy1 and the abuse made of the ,christian religion from want of properly understanding it1 has occasioned as much bloodshed1 and produced as many calamities in ,germany1 ,england1 and even in ,holland1 as in ,france2 and yet1 at present1 the difference in religion occasions no disturbances in those countries2 but the ,jew1 the ,catholic1 the ,lutheran1 the ,calvinist1 the ,anabaptist1 the ,socinian1 the ,moravian1 and a multitude of other sects live in brotherly harmony together1 and contribute equally to the good of society4 ,in ,holland they no longer fear that the disputations of a ,gomar#i concerning predestination should bring the head of a grand pensionary to the block1 nor in ,london that the quarrels between the ,presbyterians and the ,episcopals about a form of prayer and a surplice should again spill the blood of their kings upon a scaffold4#aj ,ireland1 now populous and rich1 will not any more behold its ,catholic inhabitants sacrificing1 as an acceptable offering1 the lives of their ,protestant brethren1 by burying them alive1 hanging up mothers upon gibbets1 and tying their daughters round their necks to see them expire together2 ripping up women with child1 taking the half-formed infant from the womb1 and throwing it to swine or dogs to be devoured2 putting a dagger into the hands of their manacled prisoners1 and forcing them to plunge it into the breasts of their fathers1 their mothers1 their wives1 or children1 thereby hoping to make them guilty of parricide1 and damn their souls while they destroyed their bodies2 all which we find related by ,rapin1 who served as an officer in the ,english service in ,ireland1 and who lived very near the time of those transactions1 and confirmed by most of the ,english historians4 ,no6 such cruelties as these were never to be paralleled1 so they doubtless will never be imitated4 ,philosophy1 the sister of religion1 has herself snatched the poniard from the hands of superstition1 so long bathed in blood2 and the human understanding1 recovered from its delirium1 stands amazed at the shocking brutalities into which it has been hurried by enthusiasm4 ,we ourselves know that in ,france there is a rich and populous province where the ,protestant religion prevails much more than that of the ,church of ,rome4 ,the ,university of ,alsace consists almost entirely of ,lutherans1 and they are likewise in possession of most of the civil posts in that province2 and yet the public peace has never once been disturbed by any quarrels about religion since that province has belonged to our kings4 ,and what is the reason8 ,because no one is persecuted there on account of his religion4 ,seek not to lay a restraint upon the mind1 and you may always be sure that the mind will be yours4 ,i do not mean by this to insinuate that those who are of a different faith to the prince under whose government they live should have an equal share in the places of profits and honor with those who are of the established religion of the state4 ,in ,england the ,roman ,catholics1 who are in general looked upon to be friends to the ,pretender1 are excluded from all civil posts1 and are even double-taxed2 but then1 in every other respect1 they enjoy the prerogatives of citizens4 ,some of our bishops in ,france have been suspected of thinking that their honor and interest is concerned in not suffering any ,protestants within their diocese1 and that this is the principal obstacle to allowing of toleration amongst us2 but this ,i cannot believe4 ,the episcopal body in ,france is composed of persons of quality1 who think and act in a manner suitable to their high birth2 and as envy itself must confess that they are generous and charitable1 they therefore certainly cannot think that those whom they thus drive out of their diocese would become converts in any other country1 but great honor would redound from the conversion of them at home2 nor would the prelate be any loser by it in his temporals1 seeing that the greater the number of the inhabitants1 the greater is the value of the land4 ,a certain ,polish bishop had a farmer who was an ,anabaptist1 and a receiver of his rents who was a ,socinian4 ,some person proposed to the bishop to prosecute the latter in the spiritual court for not believing in transubstantiation1 and to turn the other out of his farm because he would not have his son christened till he was fifteen years of age2 the prelate very prudently replied that though he made no doubt of their being eternally damned in the next world1 yet he found them extremely necessary to him in this4 ,let us now for a while quit our own little sphere1 and take a survey of the rest of the globe4 ,the ,grand ,seignior peaceably rules over subjects of twenty different religions2 upwards of two hundred thousand ,greeks live unmolested within the walls of ,constantinople2 the mufti himself nominates the ,greek patriarch1 and presents him to the ,emperor1 and1 at the same time1 allows the residence of a ,latin patriarch4 ,the ,sultan appoints ,latin bishops for some of the ,greek isles4 ,the form used on this occasion is as follows3#aa 8,i command such a one to go and reside as bishop in the ,isle of ,chios1 according to the ancient custom and idle ceremonies of those people40 ,the ,ottoman ,empire swarms with ,jacobins1 ,nestorians1 ,monothelites1 ,cophti1 ,christians of ,st4 ,john1 ,guebres1 and ,banians2 and the ,turkish annals do not furnish us with one single instance of a rebellion occasioned by any of these different sects4 ,go into ,india1 ,persia1 and ,tartary1 and you will meet with the same toleration and the same tranquillity4 ,peter the ,great encouraged all kinds of religions throughout his vast empire2 trade and agriculture have been gainers by it1 and no injury ever happened therefrom to the body politic4 ,we do not find that the ,chinese government1 during the course of four thousand years that it has existed1 has ever adopted any other religion than that of the ,noachides1 which consists in the simple worship of one ,god2 and yet it tolerates the superstitions of ,fo1 and that of a multitude of bonzes2 which might be productive of dangerous consequences did not the wisdom of the tribunals keep them within proper bounds4 ,it is true that the great ,yong-,t-,chin1 the most wise and magnanimous of all the emperors of ,china1 drove the ,jesuits out of his kingdom2 but this was not because that prince himself was non-tolerant1 but1 on the contrary1 because the ,jesuits were so4 ,they themselves1 in their letters1 have given us the speech the emperor made to them on that occasion3 8,i know10 said he1 8that your religion admits not of toleration2 ,i know how you have behaved in the ,manilas and in ,japan2 you deceived my father1 but think not to deceive me in the same manner40 ,and if we read the whole of the conversation which he deigned to hold with them1 we must confess him to be the wisest and most clement of all princes4 ,how could he indeed1 with any consistency1 keep in his kingdom ,european philosophers1 who1 under the pretence of teaching the use of thermometers and eolipiles1 had found means to debauch a prince of the blood8 ,but what would this emperor have said had he read our histories1 and had he been acquainted with the times of the ,league and the ,gunpowder ,plot8 ,it was sufficient for him to be informed of the outrageous and indecent disputes between those ,jesuits1 ,dominicans1 ,capuchins1 and secular priests who were sent as missionaries into his dominions from one extremity of the globe to preach the truth2 instead of which they employed their time in mutually pronouncing damnation against one another4 ,the emperor1 then1 did no more than send away a set of foreigners who were disturbers of the public peace4 ,but with what infinite goodness did he dismiss them6 and with what paternal care did he provide for their accommodation in their journey1 and to prevent their meeting with any insult on their way6 ,this very act of banishment might serve as an example of toleration and humanity4 #ab ,the ,japanese were the most tolerant of all nations2 twelve different religions were peaceably established in their empire2 when the ,jesuits came1 they made the thirteenth2 and1 in a very little time after their arrival1 they would not suffer any other than their own4 ,everyone knows the consequence of these proceedings2 a civil war1 as calamitous as that of the ,league1 soon spread destruction and carnage through the empire2 till at length the ,christian religion was itself swallowed up in the torrents of blood it had set aflowing1 and the ,japanese forever shut the entrance of their country against all foreigners1 looking upon us as no better than savage beasts1 such as those from which the ,english have happily cleared their island4 ,colbert1 the minister1 who knew the necessity we were in of the commodities of ,japan1 which wants nothing from us1 labored in vain to settle a trade with that empire2 he found those people inflexible4 ,thus1 then1 everything on our continent shows us that we ought neither to preach nor to exercise non-toleration4 ,let us now cast our eyes on the other hemisphere4 ,behold ,carolina6 whose laws were framed by the wise ,locke2 there every master of a family1 who has only seven souls under his roof1 may establish what religion he pleases1 provided all those seven persons concur with him therein2 and yet this great indulgence has not1 hitherto1 been the occasion of any disorders4 ,god forbid that ,i should mention this as an example to every master of a family to set up a particular worship in his house2 ,i have only introduced it to show that the utmost lengths to which toleration can be carried have never yet given rise even to the slightest dissensions4 ,and what shall we say of those pacific primitive ,christians1 who have1 by way of derision1 been called ,quakers2 and who1 though some of their customs may perhaps be ridiculous1 are yet remarkable for the virtue and sobriety of their lives1 and for having in vain endeavored to preach peace and good-will to the rest of mankind8 ,there are at least a hundred thousand of them in ,pennsylvania2 discord and controversy are unknown in that happy spot where they have settled2 the very name of their principal city1 ,philadelphia1 is a continual memento to them that all men are brethren1 and is at once an example and reproach to those nations which have not yet adopted toleration4 ,to conclude1 toleration has never yet excited civil wars1 whereas its opposite has filled the earth with slaughter and desolation4 ,let any one then judge which of the two is more entitled to our esteem1 or which we should applaud2 the mother who would deliver her son into the hand of the executioner1 or she who would resign all right to him to save his life4 ,in all that ,i have said ,i have had only the interest of nations in view1 and1 as ,i pay all due respect to the doctrines of the ,church1 ,i have in this article only considered the physical and moral advantages of society4 ,i therefore hope that every impartial reader will properly weigh these truths1 that he will view them in their proper light1 and rectify what may be amiss4 ,those who read with attention1 and reciprocally communicate their thoughts1 will always have the start of the author4#ac ,,chapter ,v4 ,,in ,,what ,,cases ,,toleration ,,may ,,be ,,admitted4 ,let me for once suppose that a minister equally noble and discerning1 that a prelate equally wise and humane1 or a prince who is sensible that his interest consists in the increased number of his subjects1 and his glory in their happiness1 may deign to cast their eyes on this random and defective production4 ,in this case his own consummate knowledge will naturally lead him to ask himself1 8,what hazard shall ,i run by seeing the land beautiful and enriched by a greater number of industrious laborers1 the aids augmented1 and the state rendered more flourishing80 ,germany1 by this time1 would have been a desert1 covered with the unburied bodies of many different sects1 slaughtered by one another1 had not the ,peace of ,westphalia happily procured a liberty of conscience4 ,we have ,jews in ,bordeaux1 in ,mentz1 and in ,alsace2 we have ,lutherans1 ,molinists1 and ,jansenists amongst us2 can we not then admit ,protestants likewise under proper restrictions1 nearly like those under which the ,roman ,catholics are permitted in ,england8 ,the greater the number of different sects1 the less danger is to be apprehended from any one in particular2 they become weaker in proportion as they are more numerous1 and are easily kept in subjection by those just laws which prohibit riotous assemblies1 mutual insults1 and seditions1 and which the legislative power will always properly support in their full vigor4 ,we know that there are several heads of families1 who have acquired great fortunes in foreign countries1 who would be glad to return to their native country4 ,these require only the protection of the law of nature1 to have their marriages remain valid and their children secured in the enjoyment of their present property1 and the right of succeeding to the inheritance of their fathers1 together with protection for their persons4 ,they ask no public places of worship2 they aim not at the possession of civil employment1 nor do they aspire to dignities either in ,church or ,state2 for no ,roman ,catholics can enjoy any of these1 either in ,england or in any other ,protestant country4#ad ,in this case1 therefore1 there is no occasion for granting great privileges1 or delivering strongholds into the hands of a faction1 but only to suffer a quiet set of people to breathe their native air2 to soften the rigor of some edicts1 which in former times might perhaps have been necessary1 but at present are no longer so4 ,it is not for us to direct the ministry what it has to do2 it is sufficient if we presume to plead the cause of an unfortunate and distressed people4 ,many and easy are the methods to render these people useful to the state1 and to prevent them from ever becoming dangerous2 the wisdom of the legislature supported by the military force1 will certainly find out these methods1 which other nations have employed with so much success4 ,it is certain that there is still a number of enthusiasts among the lower kind of ,calvinists2 but1 on the other hand1 it is no less certain that there is still a greater number among the lower kind of bigoted ,roman ,catholics4 ,the dregs of the madmen of ,st4 ,mdard are passed over unnoticed in the nation1 while the greatest pains are taken to exterminate the ,calvinist prophets4 ,the most certain means to lessen the number of the mad of both sorts1 if any still remain1 is to leave them entirely to the care of reason1 which will infallibly enlighten the understanding in the long run1 though she may be slow in her operations4 ,reason goes mildly to work1 she persuades with humanity1 she inspires mutual indulgence and forbearance1 she stifles the voice of discord1 establishes the rule of virtue and sobriety1 and disposes those to pay a ready obedience to the laws who might start from the hand of power when exerted to enforce them4 ,besides1 are we to hold for nothing that contempt and ridicule which enthusiasm everywhere meets with in the present enlightened age from persons of rank and education8 ,this very contempt is the most powerful barrier that can be opposed to the extravagancies of all sectaries4 ,past times are as though they never had been4 ,we should always direct our views from the point where we ourselves at present are1 and from that to which other nations have attained4 ,there has been a time in which it was thought a duty to issue edicts against all such as taught a doctrine contrary to the categories of ,aristotle1 or who opposed the abhorrence of a vacuum1 quiddities1 or the whole or the part of a thing4 ,there are above a hundred volumes in ,europe containing the writings of civilians against magic1 and the manner of distinguishing real sorcerers from pretended ones4 ,the excommunication of grasshoppers and other insects hurtful to the fruits of the earth was formerly much in use1 and is still to be found in several rituals2 that custom is now laid aside1 and ,aristotle1 with his sorcerers1 and the grasshoppers are left to themselves4 ,innumerable are the examples of these grave follies1 which formerly were deemed of great importance2 others have succeeded from time to time1 but as soon as they have had their effect1 and people begin to grow weary of them1 they pass away and are no more heard of4 ,if any one were1 at present1 to take it into his head to turn ,eutychian1 ,nestorian1 or ,manichan1 what would be the consequence8 ,we should laugh at him in the same manner as at a person who should appear dressed after the ancient fashion1 with a great ruff and slashed sleeves4 ,the first thing that opened the eyes of our nation was when the ,jesuits ,letellier and ,doucin drew up the bull ,unigenitus1 and sent it to the ,court of ,rome1 imagining they lived still in those times of ignorance in which people adopted1 without examination1 the most absurd assertions4 ,they even dared to proscribe a proposition1 which is universally true in all cases and in all times1 8that the dread of an unjust excommunication ought not to hinder any one from doing his duty40 ,this was1 in fact1 proscribing reason1 the liberties of the ,gallican church1 and the very foundation of all morality2 it was saying to mankind3 8,god commands you never to do your duty when you are apprehensive of suffering any injustice40 ,never was so gross an insult offered to common sense1 and yet this never occurred to these correspondents of the ,church of ,rome4 ,nay1 they even persuaded that court that this bull was necessary1 that the nation desired it4 ,accordingly it was signed1 sealed1 and sent back to ,france2 and every one knows the consequences2 assuredly1 had they been foreseen1 this bull would have been mitigated4 ,very warm disputes ensued upon it2 but1 however1 by the great prudence and goodness of the king1 they were at length appeased4 ,it is much the same with regard to most of those points in which the ,protestants and we at present differ2 some of them are of little or no consequence2 others again are more serious2 but even in these latter1 the rage of disputation is so far subsided that the ,protestants nowadays no longer preach upon controversial points in any of their churches4 ,let us then seize this period of disgust or satiety for such matters1 or1 rather1 indeed1 of the prevalence of reason1 as an epoch for restoring the public tranquillity1 of which it seems to be a pleasing earnest4 ,controversy1 that epidemical malady1 is now in its decline1 and requires nothing more than a gentle regimen4 ,in a word1 it is the interest of the state that these wandering sects1 who have so long lived as aliens to their father's house1 on their returning in a submissive and peaceable manner1 should meet with a favorable reception2 humanity seems to demand this1 reason advises it1 and good policy can have nothing to apprehend from it4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,if ,,non-,,toleration ,,is ,,agreeable ,,to ,,the ,,law ,,of ,,nature ,,and ,,of ,,society4 ,the law of nature is that which nature points out to all mankind4 ,you have brought up a child1 that child owes you a respect as its parent1 and gratitude as its benefactor4 ,you have a right over the productions of the earth which you have raised by the labor of your own hands2 you have given and received a promise2 that promise ought to be kept4 ,the law of society can have no other foundation in any case than on the law of nature4 8,do not that to another which thou wouldst not he should do unto thee10 is the great and universal principle of both throughout the earth2 now1 agreeably to this principle1 can one man say to another3 8,believe that which ,i believe1 and which thou thyself canst not believe1 or thou shalt die80 ,and yet this is what is every day said in ,portugal1 in ,spain1 and in ,goa4 ,in some other countries1 indeed1 they now content themselves with saying1 8,believe as ,i do1 or ,i will hold thee in abhorrence2 believe like me1 or ,i will do thee all the evil ,i can2 wretch1 thou art not of my religion1 and therefore thou hast no religion at all1 and oughtest to be held in execration by thy neighbors1 thy city1 and thy province40 ,if the law of society directs such a conduct1 the ,japanese ought then to hold the ,chinese in detestation2 the latter the ,siamese1 who should persecute the inhabitants of the ,ganges2 and they fall upon those of ,india2 the ,mogul should put to death the first ,malabar he found in his kingdom2 the ,malabar should poniard the ,persian2 the ,persian massacre the ,turk2 and1 all together1 should fall upon us ,christians1 who have so many ages been cutting one another's throats4 ,the law of persecution then is equally absurd and barbarous2 it is the law of tigers2 nay1 it is even still more savage1 for tigers destroy only for the sake of food1 whereas we have butchered one another on account of a sentence or a paragraph4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,if ,,non-,,toleration ,,was ,,known ,,among ,,the ,,greeks4 ,the several nations with which history has made us in part acquainted1 all considered their different religions as ties by which they were united2 it was the association of human kind4 ,there was a kind of law of hospitality among the gods1 the same as among men4 ,if a stranger arrived in any town1 the first thing he did was to pay his adoration to the gods of the country1 even though they were the gods of his enemies4 ,the ,trojans offered up prayers even to those gods who fought for the ,greeks4 ,alexander made a journey into the deserts of ,libya1 purposely to consult the god ,ammon1 to whom the ,greeks gave the name of ,zeus and the ,latins that of ,jupiter1 though both countries had their ,jupiter and their ,zeus among themselves4 ,when they sat down before any town or city1 they offered up sacrifices and prayers to the gods of that city or town1 to render them propitious to their undertaking4 ,thus1 even in the midst of war1 religion united mankind2 and though it might sometimes prompt them to exercise the most inhuman cruelties1 at other times it frequently softened their fury4 ,i may be mistaken1 but it seems to me that not one of all the civilized nations of antiquity ever laid a restraint upon liberty of thinking4 ,they all had a particular religion2 but they seem to have acted in this respect toward men in the same manner as they did toward their gods2 they all acknowledged one ,supreme ,being1 though they associated him with an infinite number of inferior deities2 in like manner1 though they had but one faith1 yet they admitted a multitude of particular systems4 ,the ,greeks1 for example1 though a very religious people1 were not offended with the ,epicureans1 who denied ,providence and the existence of the soul1 not to mention divers other sects1 whose tenets were all of them repugnant to the pure ideas we ought to entertain of a ,creator1 and yet were all of them tolerated4 ,socrates1 who came the nearest to the knowledge of the true ,god1 is said to have suffered on that account1 and died a martyr to the ,deity2 he was the only one whom the ,greeks ever put to death on account of opinion4 ,if this was really the cause of his being condemned1 it does very little honor to persecution1 since he was put to death for being the only one who gave true glory to ,god1 whilst those who taught notions the most unworthy of the ,deity were held in high honor2 therefore1 ,i think1 the enemies of toleration should be cautious how they lay a stress upon the infamous example of his judges4 ,moreover1 it is evident from history that he fell a victim to the revenge of an enraged party4 ,he had made himself many inveterate enemies among the sophists1 orators1 and poets1 who taught in the public schools1 and even among the preceptors who had the care of the children of distinction4 ,he himself acknowledges in his discourse handed down to us by ,plato1 that he went from house to house to convince these preceptors that they were a set of ignorant fellows1 a conduct certainly unworthy of one who had been declared by an oracle the wisest of mankind4 ,a priest and one of the members of the ,areopagus were let loose upon him1 who accused him ,i cannot precisely say of what1 as his apology to me seems very vague2 from which1 however1 we learn in general that he was charged with inspiring the youth of the nation with notions contrary to the religion and government of the country1 an accusation which the slanderers of all times and places have constantly made use of2 but a court of justice requires positive facts1 and that the charge should be circumstantial and well supported1 none of which are to be found in the proceedings against ,socrates4 ,all we know is that he had at first two hundred and twenty voices for him2 therefore there must have been two hundred and twenty out of the five hundred judges who were philosophers1 a great many more1 ,i believe1 than are to be found anywhere else4 ,at length1 however1 the majority were for the hemlock potion4 ,but here let us not forget1 that when the ,athenians came to their reason1 they held both his accusers and judges in detestation2 made ,melitus1 who had been the principal author of the sentence pronounced against him1 pay for that act of injustice with his life2 banished all the others concerned in it1 and erected a temple to ,socrates4 ,never was philosophy so nobly avenged1 so highly honored4 ,this affair of ,socrates then is1 in fact1 the most powerful argument that can be alleged against persecution4 ,the ,athenians had an altar dedicated to the strange gods1 gods they could never know4 ,what stronger proof then can there be1 not only of their extreme indulgence towards all nations1 but even of their respect for the religion of those nations8 ,a very worthy person1 who is neither an enemy to reason1 learning1 or probity1 nor to his country1 in undertaking to justify the affair of the massacre of ,st4 ,bartholomew1 quotes the war of the ,phocians1 by them called the sacred war1 as if that war had been entered into on the score of religion1 or a particular point in divinity1 whereas it is well known that it was caused by a dispute about a particular spot of ground1 the constant cause of all wars4 ,a few corn-grounds can certainly never be a symbol of belief2 it is as certain that none of the ,greek cities ever made war on one another for the sake of opinion4 ,after all1 what would this modest and humane writer drive at8 ,would he have us undertake a sacred war6 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,whether ,,the ,,romans ,,encouraged ,,toleration4 ,among the ancient ,romans1 from the days of ,romulus to those in which the ,christians began to dispute with the priests of the empire1 we do not find a single instance of any person being persecuted on account of his sentiments4 ,cicero doubted everything1 ,lucretius denied everything1 and yet neither the one nor the other underwent the least reproach from their fellow-citizens2 nay1 so far did this licence go1 that ,pliny1 the naturalist1 begins his book by denying the existence of a ,god1 and saying1 that if there be one1 it must be the sun4 ,cicero1 in speaking of hell1 says3 ,non est una tam excors qu credat 78,there is not even an old woman so silly as to believe it074 ,juvenal says3 ,nec pueri credunt 78,nor do the children believe it074 ,and the following maxim was publicly repeated in the ,roman theatre3 ,post mortem nihil est1 ipsaque mors nihil 78,naught after death2 even death itself is naught074 ,while we abhor these maxims1 let us pardon them in a people who were never enlightened by the holy truths of the ,gospel2 and1 while we own them to be false and impious1 let us1 however1 confess that the ,romans were great friends to toleration1 seeing that such tenets never excited any commotions4 ,deorum offensa diis cur1 was the grand principle of the senate and people of ,rome1 that illustrious nation employing their attention wholly to conquer1 govern and civilize the universe4 ,they were our legislators as well as our conquerors2 and even ,csar1 who reduced us to his subjection1 and gave us laws and games1 never attempted to compel us to quit our ,druids for him1 though supreme pontiff of a nation whose subjects we were now become4 ,the ,romans themselves did not profess all kinds of religion1 therefore they did not give public sanction to all1 but they permitted them4 ,under ,numa nothing material was the object of their worship4 ,they had neither statues nor pictures2 in process of time1 however1 some were erected to the ,dii ,majorum ,gentium1 with which the ,greeks brought them into acquaintance4 ,that law in the twelve tables1 ,deos peregrinos ne colunto1 was confined to the allowing no public worship to be paid1 except to the superior and inferior deities1 approved by the senate4 ,the ,egyptian goddess ,isis had a temple in ,rome at the time of ,tiberius1 who demolished it because its priests1 having been bribed by ,mundus1 suffered him to lie with a lady called ,paulina in the temple itself1 under the name and form of the god ,anubis4 ,indeed this story is to be found only in ,josephus1 who did not live at that time1 and was moreover a credulous and exaggerating writer2 and there is very little probability that in so enlightened an age as that of ,tiberius1 a lady of the first distinction in ,rome could be so weak as to believe that a god cohabited with her4 ,but whether this anecdote be true or false1 this one thing is certain1 that the ,egyptian idolatry was in the possession of a temple in ,rome with the public consent4 ,the ,jews had also lived as traders in that city ever since the ,punic war2 they had their synagogues there in the time of ,augustus1 and almost always continued to have them in the same manner as they now have in modern ,rome4 ,can we desire a stronger instance that the ,romans looked upon toleration as the most sacred of all the laws of nations8 ,we are told that as soon as the ,christian religion began to make its appearance1 its followers were persecuted by these very ,romans who persecuted no one4 ,this fact1 however1 appears to me to be evidently false1 and ,i desire no better authority than that of ,st4 ,paul himself4 ,in the ,acts of the ,apostles#ae we are told that ,st4 ,paul1 being accused by the ,jews of attempting to overturn the ,mosaic law by that of ,jesus ,christ1 ,st4 ,james proposed to him to shave his head and go into the temple with four ,jews and purify himself with them1 8,that all men may know10 says he1 8that those things whereof they were informed concerning thee1 are nothing1 but that thou thyself dost keep the law of ,moses40 ,accordingly1 we find that ,st4 ,paul1 though a ,christian1 submitted to perform these ,jewish ceremonies for the space of seven days2 but before the expiration of this time1 the ,jews of ,asia1 who knew him again1 seeing him in the temple1 not only with ,jews but ,gentiles also1 cried out that he had polluted the holy place1 and laid hands upon him1 drew him out of the temple1 and carried him before the ,governor ,felix2 they afterwards accused him at the judgment-seat of ,festus1 whither the ,jews came in crowds demanding his death4 ,but ,festus answered them3 8,it is not the manner of the ,romans to deliver any man to die1 before that he which is accused have the accusers face to face1 and have licence to answer for himself40#af ,these words of the ,roman magistrate are the more remarkable as he appears to have been no favorer of ,st4 ,paul1 but rather to have held him in contempt1 for1 imposed upon by the false lights of his own reason1 he took him for a person beside himself2 nay1 he expressly says to him1 8,much learning hath made thee mad40#ag ,festus then was entirely guided by the equity of the ,roman law in taking under his protection a stranger for whom he could have no regard4 ,here then we have the word of ,god itself declaring that the ,romans were a just people1 and no persecutors4 ,besides1 it was not the ,romans who laid violent hands on ,st4 ,paul1 but the ,jews4 ,st4 ,james1 the brother of ,jesus1 was stoned to death by order of a ,sadducee ,jew1 and not by that of a ,roman judge4 ,it was the ,jews alone who put ,st4 ,stephen to death2#ah and though ,st4 ,paul held the clothes of those who stoned him1 he certainly did not act then as a ,roman citizen4 ,the primitive ,christians had certainly no cause of complaint against the ,romans2 the ,jews1 from whom they at that time began to separate themselves1 were their only enemies4 ,every one knows the implacable hatred all sectaries bore to those who quit their sect4 ,there doubtless were several tumults in the synagogues in ,rome4 ,suetonius1 in his life of ,claudius1 has these words1 ,judos impulsore ,christo assidue tumultuantes ,roma expulit4 ,he is wrong in saying that it was at the instigation of ,christ they raised commotions in ,rome2 but he could not be acquainted with all the circumstances relating to a people who were held in such contempt in ,rome as the ,jews were2 and1 however mistaken he may have been in this particular1 yet he is right as to the occasion of these commotions4 ,suetonius wrote in the reign of ,adrian in the second century1 when the ,christians were not distinguished from the ,jews by the ,romans2 therefore this passage of ,suetonius is a proof that the ,romans1 so far from oppressing the primitive ,christians1 chastised the ,jews who persecuted them1 being desirous that the ,jewish synagogue in ,rome should show the same indulgence to its dissenting brethren as it received itself from the ,roman ,senate2 and we find from ,dion ,cassius and ,ulpian1 that the ,jews who were thus banished from ,rome returned soon after1 and even attained to several honors and dignities1 notwithstanding the laws which excluded them therefrom4#ai ,can it be believed1 that after the destruction of ,jerusalem1 the emperors would have loaded the ,jews with their favors1 and have persecuted and put to death the ,christians1 whom they looked upon as a sect of the ,jews8 ,nero is said to have been a great persecutor of the ,christians4 ,but ,tacitus tells us that they were accused of having set fire to the city of ,rome1 and were thereupon given up to the resentment of the populace4 ,but had religion anything to do with this charge8 ,no1 certainly4 ,we might as well say that the ,chinese1 whom the ,dutch murdered a few years ago in ,batavia1 were slaughtered on account of their religion4 ,and nothing but a strong desire to deceive ourselves can possibly make us attribute to persecution the sufferings of a few half-,jews and half-,christians under ,nero4#bj ,several ,christians afterwards suffered martyrdom2 it is not easy to say on what particular account they were condemned1 but ,i can venture to assert that none suffered under the first ,csars merely on the account of religion1 for they tolerated all beliefs2 therefore1 why should they seek out and persecute an obscure people1 who had a worship peculiar to themselves1 at the time they licensed all others8 ,the ,emperors ,titus1 ,trajan1 ,antoninus1 and ,decius were not barbarians2 how then can we imagine that they would have deprived the ,christians alone of that liberty with which they indulged every other nation1 or that they would even have troubled them for having concealed mysteries1 while the worshippers of ,isis1 ,mithra1 and the ,goddess of ,assyria1 whose rites were all of them equally unknown to the ,romans1 were suffered to perform them without hindrance8 ,certainly1 the persecutions the ,christians suffered must have arisen from other causes1 and from some private pique1 enforced by reasons of state4 ,for instance1 when ,st4 ,laurence refused to deliver to ,cornelius ,secularius1 the ,roman prefect1 the money belonging to the ,christians which he had in his custody1 was it not very natural for the prefect and the emperor to be incensed at this refusal8 ,they did not know that ,st4 ,laurence had distributed this money among the poor1 in acts of charity and benevolence2 therefore they considered him only as a refractory person1 and punished him accordingly4#ba ,again1 let us consider the martyrdom of ,st4 ,polyeuctes4 ,can he be said to have suffered on account of religion only8 ,he enters a temple1 where the people are employed in offering thanksgivings to their gods on account of the victory gained by the ,emperor ,decius2 he insults the priests and overturns and breaks in pieces the altar and statues4 ,is there a country in the world where so gross an insult would have been passed over8 ,the ,christian who publicly tore the edict of the ,emperor ,diocletian1 and by that act brought on the great persecution against his brethren in the two last years of this prince's reign1 had not1 surely1 a zeal according to knowledge1 but was the unhappy cause of all the disasters that befell his party4 ,this inconsiderate zeal1 which was often breaking forth1 and was condemned even by several of the ,fathers of the ,church1 was probably the occasion of all those persecutions we read of4 ,certainly1 ,i would not make a comparison between the first sacramentarians and the primitive ,christians1 as error should never be ranked in the same class with truth1 but it is well known that ,farrel1 the predecessor of ,calvin1 did the very same thing at ,arles which ,st4 ,polyeuctes had done before him in ,armenia4 ,the townsmen were carrying the statue of ,st4 ,anthony1 the hermit1 in procession through the streets2 ,farrel and some of his followers in a fit of zeal fell upon the monks who were carrying the image1 beat them1 made them take to their heels1 and1 having seized upon ,st4 ,anthony1 threw him into the river4 ,assuredly ,farrel deserved death for this flagrant outrage upon the public peace1 but he had the good luck to escape by flight4 ,now1 had he only told those monks in the open streets that he did not believe that a raven had brought half a loaf to ,st4 ,anthony1 nor that this hermit had had conversation with centaurs and satyrs1 he would have deserved a severe reprimand for troubling the public peace2 but if the night after the procession he had quietly examined the story in his own room1 no one could have found any fault with him for it4 ,but1 indeed1 can we suppose that the ,romans1 after permitting the infamous ,antinous to be ranked among their demi-gods1 would have massacred and thrown to wild beasts those against whom they had no other cause of reproach than having peaceably worshipped a just ,deity8 ,or would those very ,romans1 who worshipped a supreme and all-powerful ,god1#bb master of all the subordinate deities1 and distinguished by the title of ,deus optimus maximus1 would they1 ,i say1 have persecuted such who professed to worship only one ,god8 ,there appears little reason to believe that there ever was an inquisition instituted against the ,christians under the ,roman emperors2 ,i mean1 that they were ever judicially examined on the subject of their faith2 neither do we find that ,jew1 ,syrian1 ,egyptian bards1 ,druids1 or philosophers were ever troubled on this account4 ,the primitive martyrs then were men who opposed the worship of false gods4 ,but1 however wise or pious they might be in rejecting the belief of such absurd fictions1 if1 not content with worshipping the true ,god in spirit and in truth1 they offered a violent and public outrage to the received religion of the government under which they lived1 however absurd that religion might be1 impartiality obliges us to confess that they themselves were the first persecutors4 ,tertullian1 in his ,apology1#bc says that the ,christians were looked upon as a turbulent and seditious sect4 ,this accusation is doubtless unjust2 but it serves to prove that the civil power did not set itself against the ,christians purely on account of their religion4 ,in another place1#bd he says that the ,christians refused to adorn the doors of their houses with laurel branches on the days of public rejoicing for the victories of the emperors4 ,now this blamable particularity might not1 without some reason1 be taken for disaffection to the government4 ,the first judicial act of severity we find exercised against the ,christians was that of ,domitian2 but this extended only to banishment1 which did not last above a year1 for1 says the author above quoted1 ,facile cptum repressit restitutis quos ipse relegaverat4 ,lactantius1 so remarkable for his passionate and pompous style1 acknowledges that from the time of ,domitian to that of ,decius the ,church continued in a peaceable and flourishing condition4 ,this long tranquillity1 says he1#be was interrupted by that execrable animal ,decius1 who began to oppress the ,church3 ,post multos annos extitit execrabile animal ,decius qui vexaret ecclesiam4 ,i shall not here enter into a discussion of the opinion of the learned ,mr4 ,dodwell concerning the small number of martyrs2 but if the ,romans had been such violent persecutors of the ,christian religion1 if their senate had condemned so many of its innocent votaries to perish by the most unheard-of tortures1 plunging them alive in boiling oil1 and exposing their wives and daughters naked to the wild beasts in the circus1 how happened it that they suffered all the first bishops of ,rome to live unmolested8 ,st4 ,ireneus reckons only one martyr among all these bishops1 namely1 ,telesphorus1 who suffered in the year #aci of our vulgar era2 nor have we any positive proof of this ,telesphorus being put to death4 ,zephirinus governed the flock in ,rome for eighteen years successively1 and died peaceably in the year #bai4 ,it is true that in the ancient martyrologies we find almost all the first popes ranked as martyrs1 but the word martyr is there taken only in its original and true signification1 which is a witness and not a sufferer4 ,moreover1 we can hardly reconcile this rage of persecution with the liberty granted the ,christians1 of assembling no less than fifty-six councils in the course of the first three centuries1 as is acknowledged by all ecclesiastical writers4 ,that there were persecutions1 is doubtless2 but if they had been as violent as represented1 it is hardly probable that ,tertullian1 who wrote with so much energy against the established religion1 would have been suffered to die peaceably in his bed4 ,it is certain that none of the emperors ever read his 8,apology10 as an obscure work composed in ,africa can hardly be supposed to have come into the hands of the governors of the world2 but then1 it might have been shown to their proconsuls in ,africa1 and have drawn down their resentment upon the author2 nevertheless1 we do not find that he suffered martyrdom4 ,origen taught the ,christian religion publicly in ,alexandria1 and yet was not put to death for it4 ,and this very ,origen himself1 who spoke with so much freedom both to the heathens and the ,christians1 and who1 while he taught ,jesus to the one1 denied the triple ,godhead to the other1 expressly acknowledges1 in his third book against ,celsus1 that 8,there were very few who suffered martyrdom1 and those at a great distance of time from one another2 notwithstanding10 says he1 8that the ,christians leave nothing undone to make their religion generally embraced1 running from city to city1 and from town to town1 to make converts40 ,it must be confessed that these continual peregrinations might readily give cause to the priests1 who were their enemies1 to accuse them of a design to raise disturbances2 and yet we find that these missions were tolerated even among the ,egyptians1 who have ever been a turbulent1 factious1 and mean people1 and who tore a ,roman to death for having killed a cat2 in a word1 a nation at all times contemptible1 whatever may have been said to the contrary by the admirers of pyramids4#bf ,what person could do more to call down upon him the resentment of both ecclesiastical and civil power than ,st4 ,gregory ,thaumaturgos1 the disciple of ,origen8 ,this same ,st4 ,gregory had a vision during the night-time1 in which an old man appeared to him sent from ,god1 accompanied by a woman shining with glory2 the first of these was ,st4 ,john the ,evangelist1 and the other the ,holy ,virgin4 ,st4 ,john dictated to him a creed1 which ,gregory afterwards went about to preach4 ,in his way he passed through ,neo-,csarea1 where the rain obliged him to stay all night1 and he took up his lodging near a temple famous for its oracles4 ,here he made several signs of the cross4 ,the high priest coming the next morning into the temple was surprised to find that the oracle did not give its answer as usual1 upon which he invoked the spirits of the place1 who appearing1 told him that they could no longer inhabit that mansion1 as ,st4 ,gregory had passed a night there and had made signs of the cross1 upon which the high priest caused ,gregory to be seized1 who gave him to understand that he could drive out or cause to enter the familiar spirits wherever he pleased4 8,if so10 said the high priest1 8pray send them back here again40 ,then ,st4 ,gregory1 tearing a leaf from a little book he held in his hand1 wrote these words upon it3 8,gregory to ,satan3 ,i command thee to enter again into this temple40 ,the paper being laid upon the altar1 the demons1 in obedience to the saint's mandate1 gave their oracles that day as usual1 after which they remained silent4 ,this story is related by ,st4 ,gregory of ,nyssa in his life of ,st4 ,gregory ,thaumaturgos4 ,certainly1 the idolatrous priests had great reason to be offended with ,st4 ,gregory1 and might have delivered him over to the secular power as one who was their greatest enemy1 and yet we do not find that they offered him any hurt4 ,the history of ,st4 ,cyprian informs us that he was the first bishop of ,carthage who suffered martyrdom2 this was ,a4 ,d4 #beh1 consequently no bishop of ,carthage had been put to death on account of religion for a great length of time4 ,the history of this saint does not inform us what charge was brought against him1 who were his enemies1 or how he incurred the displeasure of the proconsul of ,africa4 ,we find ,st4 ,cyprian thus writing to ,cornelius1 bishop of ,rome3 8,there has been a tumult of the people lately at ,carthage1 in which it was twice proposed to throw me to the lions40 ,it might possibly happen that the blind resentment of the people of ,carthage did at length cause ,cyprian to be put to death1 for1 certainly1 he was never condemned to suffer for his religion by the ,emperor ,gallus1 who lived at so great a distance1 and1 moreover1 permitted ,cornelius to exercise his episcopal function under his very eye4 ,so many and various are the hidden causes that are frequently blended with the apparent one1 in the persecution of an individual1 that it is hardly possible for posterity to discover the true source of the misfortunes that befell even the most considerable personages1 much less that of the sufferings of a private person1 hardly known to any but those of his own sect4 ,and here let it be observed that neither ,st4 ,gregory ,thaumaturgos nor ,st4 ,denis1 bishop of ,alexandria1 who were both contemporaries of ,st4 ,cyprian1 suffered the slightest persecution4 ,how then happened it that1 being certainly as well known as the bishop of ,carthage1 they were suffered to live unmolested1 while he was delivered over to punishment8 ,may we not fairly infer that the one fell a victim to personal and powerful enemies1 either in consequence of a malicious accusation1 or from reasons of state1 which frequently interfere in religious matters1 while the other had the good fortune to escape the designs of wicked men8 ,we cannot1 with any degree of probability1 suppose that the charge of being a ,christian was the only cause of ,st4 ,ignatius being put to death1 under the just and merciful ,trajan1 since we find that several of his own religion were suffered to accompany and minister comfort to him on his way to ,rome4#bg ,there had been frequent seditions in ,antioch1 a city remarkable for the turbulent disposition of its inhabitants2 here ,ignatius privately acted as bishop over the ,christians4 ,it might happen that some of these disturbances1 being maliciously imputed to the innocent ,christians1 had occasioned the government to take cognizance of them1 and that the judge might have been mistaken1 as it often happens4 ,st4 ,simeon1 for example1 was accused before ,king ,sapor of being a spy to the ,romans4 ,the history of his martyrdom tells us that ,sapor proposed to him to worship the sun1 whereas every one knows that the ,persians paid no divine honors to that planet1 but only considered it as an emblem of the good principle1 the ,orasmades1 or ,sovereign ,creator1 whom they all adored4 ,any one of the least tolerating spirit cannot help his indignation from rising against those writers who accused ,diocletian of persecuting the ,christians after his accession to the empire4 ,here we need only refer to ,eusebius of ,csarea1 whose testimony certainly cannot be rejected4 ,the favorite1 the panegyrist of ,constantine1 and the declared enemy of the emperors his predecessors1 is certainly entitled to our credit when he justifies those very emperors4 ,the following are his own words3#bh 8,the emperors had for a long time given the ,christians great marks of their favor and benevolence2 they had entrusted them with the care of whole provinces2 many of them lived within the imperial palace2 and some of the emperors even married ,christian women2 ,diocletian1 in particular1 espoused ,prisca1 whose daughter was wife to ,maximianus ,galerius10 etc4 ,let this authentic testimony make us cautious how we fall too readily into calumny2 and from this let any impartial person judge1 if the persecution raised by ,galerius1 after nineteen years of continued clemency and favor to the ,christians1 must not have been occasioned by some intrigues with which we are at present unacquainted4 ,from this also we may perceive the absurdity of that fabulous story of the ,theban legion1 said to have been all massacred for their religion4 ,can anything be more ridiculous than to make this legion be brought from ,asia by the great ,st4 ,bernard8 ,it is altogether impossible that this legion should have been sent for from ,asia to quiet a tumult in ,gaul1 a year after that tumult was suppressed1 and not less so that six thousand foot and seven hundred horse should have suffered themselves to be all murdered in a place where two hundred men only might have kept off a whole army4 ,the account of this pretended butchery is introduced with all the marks of imposture3 8,when the earth groaned under the tyranny of ,diocletian1 heaven was peopled with martyrs40 ,now1 this event1 such as it is related1 is supposed to have happened in #bhf1 the very time in which ,diocletian most favored the ,christians1 and that the ,roman ,empire was in a state of the greatest tranquillity4 ,but to cut short this matter at once1 no such legion as the ,theban ever existed2 the ,romans were too haughty and too wise to form a corps of those ,egyptians1 who served only as slaves in ,rome1 ,vern ,canopi2 we may as well suppose them to have had a ,jewish legion4 ,we have the names of two and thirty legions that formed the principal military force of the ,roman ,empire1 and it is very certain the ,theban legion is not to be found among them4 ,in a word1 we may rank this story with the acrostic verses of the ,sibyls1 which are said to have foretold the miracles wrought by ,jesus ,christ1 and with many other like spurious productions1 which false zeal has trumped up to impose upon credulity4 ,,chapter ,x4 ,,the ,,danger ,,of ,,false ,,legends ,,and ,,persecution4 ,mankind has been too long imposed upon by falsehood2 it is therefore time that we should come to the knowledge of the few truths that can be distinguished from amidst the clouds of fiction which cover ,roman history from the times of ,tacitus and ,suetonius1 and with which the annals of the other nations of antiquity have almost always been obscured4 ,can any one1 for example1 believe that the ,romans1 a grave and modest people1 could have condemned ,christian virgins1 the children of persons of the first quality1 to common prostitution8 ,this is assuredly very inconsistent with the noble austerity of that nation from whom we received our laws1 and who punished so rigorously the least transgression of chastity in their vestals4 ,these shameful stories may indeed be found in the ,actes ,sincres of ,ruinart4 ,but should we believe those acts before the 8,acts of the ,apostles08 ,the ,actes ,sincres tell us from ,bollandus that there were in the city of ,ancira seven ,christian virgins1 each of them upwards of seventy1 whom the governor1 ,theodectes1 ordered to be deflowered by the young men of the place2 but these poor maidens having escaped this disaster--as indeed there was great reason they should--he compelled them to assist stark naked at the mysteries of ,diana1 at which1 by the way1 no one ever assisted but in a veil4 ,st4 ,theodotus1 who1 though indeed nothing more than an innkeeper1 was not the less pious for that1 besought ,god devoutly that he would be pleased to take away the lives of these holy maidens lest they should yield to temptation4 ,god heard his prayer4 ,the governor ordered them all to be thrown into a lake with stones about their necks2 immediately after which they appeared to ,theodotus1 and begged of him1 8that he would not suffer their bodies to be devoured by the fishes40 ,these1 it seems1 were their own words4 ,hereupon the innkeeper saint and some of his companions went in the night-time to the side of the lake1 which was guarded by a party of soldiers1 a heavenly torch going all the way before1 to light them4 ,when they came to the place where the guards were posted1 they saw a heavenly horseman armed cap-a-pie1 with a lance in his hand1 who fell upon the soldiers and dispersed them1 while ,st4 ,theodotus drew the dead bodies of the virgins out of the water4 ,he was afterwards carried before the governor1 who ordered his head to be struck off1 without the heavenly horseman interfering to prevent it4 ,however disposed we may be to pay all due reverence to the true martyrs of our holy religion1 we must confess it is very hard to believe the story of ,bollandus and ,ruinart4 ,need ,i add to this the legend of young ,st4 ,romanus8 ,eusebius tells us1 that having been condemned to be burnt1 he was accordingly thrown into the fire1 when some ,jews1 who were present1 made a mock of ,jesus ,christ1 who suffered his followers to be burnt when ,god had delivered ,shadrac1 ,meshach1 and ,abednego out of the fiery furnace4 ,no sooner had the ,jews uttered this blasphemy than they beheld ,st4 ,romanus walking triumphant and unhurt forth from the flaming pile2 this being reported to the emperor1 he gave orders for his being pardoned1 telling the judge that he would not have an affair upon his hands with ,god--a strange expression for ,diocletian6 ,the judge1 however1 notwithstanding the emperor's clemency1 ordered ,st4 ,romanus to have his tongue cut out2 and1 though he had executioners at hand1 commanded the operation to be performed by a surgeon4 ,young ,romanus1 who had from his birth labored under an impediment of speech1 no sooner lost his tongue than he spoke distinctly1 and with great volubility4 ,upon this1 the surgeon received a severe reprimand2 when1 in order to show that he had performed his operation1 secundum artem1 he laid hold of a man who was going by1 from whom he cut just the same portion of tongue as he had done from ,st4 ,romanus1 on which the patient instantly died1 for1 adds our author very learnedly1 8,anatomy teaches us that a man cannot live without his tongue40 ,if ,eusebius did really write such stuff1 and it has not been added by some other hand1 what degree of credit can we give to his history8 ,we have the relation of the martyrdom of ,st4 ,felicitas and her seven children1 who are said to have been condemned to death by the wise and pious ,antoninus1 but without giving us the author's name1 who1 most probably1 possessed of more zeal than veracity1 had a mind to imitate the history of the ,maccabees4 ,he begins his relation in the following manner3 8,st4 ,felicitas was by birth a ,roman1 and lived in the reign of ,antoninus40 ,it is clear by these words that the author did not live at the same time with ,st4 ,felicitas4 ,he says that they were judged before the prtor in the ,campus ,martius1 whereas the ,roman prefect's tribunal was not in the ,campus ,martius1 but in the ,capitol1 for1 although the ,comitia had been held there formerly1 yet at this time it was used only as a place for reviewing the soldiers1 for chariot races1 and for military games4 ,this alone is sufficient to detect the fiction4 ,the author adds furthermore1 that after sentence was passed1 the emperor committed the care of seeing it executed to different judges1 a circumstance which is entirely repugnant to the usual forms in those times1 and in every other4 ,we also read of ,st4 ,hippolytus1 who is said to have been drawn in pieces by horses1 as was ,hippolytus1 the son of ,theseus4 ,but a punishment of this kind was not known among the ancient ,romans2 and this fabulous story took its rise wholly from the similitude of names4 ,and here we may make one observation1 that in the multitude of martyrologies1 composed wholly by the ,christians themselves1 we almost always read of a great number of them coming of their own accord into the prison of their condemned brother1 following him to execution1 saving the blood as it flows from him1 burying his dead body and performing miracles with his relics4 ,now1 if the persecution was levelled only at the religion1 would not the authors of it have destroyed those who thus openly declared themselves ,christians1 administered comfort and assistance to their brethren under sentence1 and were moreover1 charged with working enchantments with their inanimate remains8 ,would they not have treated them as we have treated several different sects of ,protestants1 whom we have butchered and burnt by hundreds1 without distinction of age or sex8 ,is there amongst all the authenticated accounts of the ancient persecutions a single instance like that of ,st4 ,bartholomew1 and the massacre in ,ireland8 ,is there one that comes near to the annual festival1 which is still celebrated at ,toulouse1 and which for its cruelty deserves to be forever abolished1 where the inhabitants of a whole city go in procession to return thanks to ,god1 and felicitate one another1 for having1 two hundred years ago1 massacred upwards of four thousand of their fellow subjects8 ,with horror ,i say it1 but it is an undoubted truth1 that we1 who call ourselves ,christians1 have been persecutors1 executioners1 and assassins6 ,and of whom8 ,of our own brethren4 ,it is we who have razed a hundred towns to their foundations with the crucifix or ,bible in our hands1 and who have continually persevered in shedding torrents of blood1 and lighting the fires of persecution1 from the reign of ,constantine to the time of the religious horrors of the cannibals who inhabited the ,cvennes2 horrors which1 praised be ,god1 no longer exist4 ,indeed1 we still see at times some miserable wretches of the more distant provinces sent to the gallows on account of religion4 ,since the year #agde eight persons have been hanged of those called predicants or ministers of the gospel1 whose only crime was that of having prayed to ,god for their king in bad ,french1 and giving a drop of wine1 and a morsel of leavened bread1 to a few ignorant peasants4 ,nothing of all this is known in ,paris1 where pleasure engrosses the whole attention1 and where they are ignorant of everything that passes1 not only in foreign kingdoms1 but even in the more distant parts of their own4 ,the trials in these cases frequently take up less time than is used to condemn a deserter4 ,the king wants only to be informed of this1 and he would certainly extend his mercy on such occasions4 ,we do not find that the ,roman ,catholic priests are treated in this manner in any ,protestant country3 there are above a hundred of them1#bi both in ,england and ,ireland1 publicly known to be such1 and who have yet been suffered to live peaceably and unmolested1 even during the last war4 ,shall we then always be the last to adopt the wholesome sentiments of other nations8 ,they have corrected their errors1 when shall we correct ours8 ,it has required sixty years to make us receive the demonstrations of the great ,newton3 we have but just begun to dare to save the lives of our children by inoculation1 and it is but of very late date that we have put in practice the true principles of agriculture2 when shall we begin to put in practice the true principles of humanity1 or with what face can we reproach the heathens with having made so many martyrs1 when we ourselves are guilty of the same cruelties in the like circumstances8 ,let it be allowed that the ,romans put to death a number of ,christians on account of their religion only3 if so1 the ,romans were highly blamable2 but shall we commit the same injustice1 and while we reproach them for their persecutions1 be persecutors ourselves8 ,if there should be any one so destitute of honesty1 or so blinded with enthusiasm1 as to ask me here1 why ,i thus undertake to lay open our errors and faults1 and to destroy the credit of all our false miracles and fictitious legends1 which serve to keep alive the zeal and piety of many persons2 and should such a person tell me that some errors are absolutely necessary2 that1 like ulcers1 they give a vent to the humors of the body1 and by being taken away would compass its destruction1 thus would ,i answer him3 8,all those false miracles by which you shake the credit due to real ones1 the numberless absurd legends with which you clog the truths of the ,gospel1 serve only to extinguish the pure flame of religion in our hearts40 ,there are too many persons1 who1 desirous of being instructed1 but not having the time for acquiring instruction1 say3 8,the teachers of my religion have deceived me1 therefore there is no religion3 it is better to throw myself into the arms of ,nature than those of ,error2 and ,i had rather place my dependence on her law than in the inventions of men40 ,others again unhappily go still greater lengths2 they perceive that imposture has put a bridle in their mouths1 and therefore will not submit even to the necessary curb of truth2 they incline towards atheism1 and run into depravity because others have been impostors and persecutors4 ,such are undeniably the consequences of pious frauds and superstitious fopperies4 ,mankind in general reason but by halves3 it is certainly a very vicious way of arguing to say1 that because the golden legend of ,voraginus1 and the 8,flower of ,saints0 of the ,jesuit ,ribadeneira1 abound in nothing but absurdities1 therefore there is no ,god3 that the ,catholics have massacred a great number of ,huguenots1 and the ,huguenots in their turn have murdered a great number of ,catholics1 therefore there is no ,god3 that certain bad men have made use of confession1 the holy communion1 and all the other sacraments1 as a means for perpetrating the most atrocious crimes1 and therefore there is no ,god4 ,for my part1 ,i1 on the contrary1 should conclude from thence that there is a ,god1 who after this transitory life1 in which we have wandered so far from the true knowledge of ,him1 and have seen so many crimes committed under the sanction of ,his holy name1 will at length deign to comfort us for the many dreadful calamities we have suffered in this life2 for if we consider the many religious wars1 and the forty papal schisms1 which have almost all of them been bloody2 if we reflect upon the multitude of impostures1 which have almost all proved fatal2 the irreconcilable animosities excited by differences in opinions1 and the numberless evils occasioned by false zeal1 ,i cannot but believe that men have for a long time had their hell in this world4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,ill ,,consequences ,,of ,,non-,,toleration4 ,what6 it may then be demanded1 shall every one be allowed to believe only his own reason1 and to think that his reason1 whether true or false1 should be the guide of his actions8 ,yes1 certainly1 provided he does not disturb the peace of the community2 for man has it not in his power to believe or disbelieve2#cj but he has it in his power to pay a proper respect to the established customs of his country2 and if we say that it is a crime not to believe in the established religion1 we ourselves condemn the primitive ,christians1 our forefathers1 and justify those whom we accuse of having put them to death4 ,it may be replied1 that the difference here is very great1 because all other religions are of men1 whereas the ,catholic1 ,apostolic1 and ,roman ,church is of ,god alone4 ,but let me seriously ask1 whether the divine origin of our religion is a reason for establishing it by hatred1 rage1 banishment1 confiscation of goods1 imprisonment1 tortures1 and murder1 and by solemn acts of thanksgiving to the ,deity for such outrages8 ,the more assured we are of the divine authority of the ,christian religion1 the less does it become weak man to enforce the observance of it3 if it is truly of ,god1 ,god will support it without man's assistance4 ,persecution never makes any but hypocrites or rebels2 a shocking alternative6 ,besides1 ought we to endeavor to establish1 by the bloody hand of the executioner1 the religion of that ,god who fell by such hands1 and who1 while on earth1 taught only mercy and forbearance8 ,and here let us consider a while1 the dreadful consequences of the right of non-toleration2 if it were permitted us to strip of his possessions1 to throw into prison1 or to take away the life of a fellow-creature1 who1 born under a certain degree of latitude1 did not profess the generally received religion of that latitude1 what is there which would exempt the principal persons of the state from falling under the like punishments8 ,religion equally binds the monarch and the beggar4 ,accordingly1 we know that upwards of fifty doctors or monks have maintained this execrable doctrine3 that it was lawful to depose1 or even to kill1 such princes as did not agree with the established church2 and we also know1 that the several parliaments of the kingdom have on every occasion condemned these abominable decisions of still more abominable divines4#ca ,the blood of ,henry the ,great was still reeking on the sword of his murderer1 when the ,parliament of ,paris issued an arret to establish the independence of the crown as a fundamental law2 whilst ,cardinal ,duperron1 who owed his elevation to that prince1 opposed this decree in an assembly of the states1 and got it suppressed4 ,the following expression1 made use of on this occasion by ,duperron1 is to be found in all the historical tracts of these times3 8,should a prince10 says he1 8turn ,arian1 it would be necessary to depose him40 ,but here ,i must beg the cardinal's pardon2 for let us for a while adopt his chimerical supposition1 and say1 that one of our kings having read the 8,history of the ,councils and of the ,fathers10 and being struck with these words1 8,my ,father is greater than ,i10 and taking them in too literal a sense1 should be divided between the ,council of ,nice and that of ,constantinople1 and adopt the opinion of ,eusebius of ,nicomedia3 yet ,i should not be the less obliged to obey my king1 nor think the oath of allegiance ,i had taken to him less binding2 and if you1 ,mr4 ,cardinal1 should dare to oppose him1 and ,i were one of your judges1 ,i should1 without scruple1 declare you guilty of high treason4 ,duperron carried this dispute much further2 but ,i shall cut it very short1 by saying with every good citizen1 that ,i should not look upon myself as bound to obey ,henry ,,iv4 because he was king2 but because he held the crown by the incontestable right of birth1 and as the just reward of his virtue and magnanimity4 ,permit me then to say1 that every individual is entitled by the same right to enjoy the inheritance of his father1 and that he in no wise deserves to be deprived of it1 or to be sent to the gallows1 because he may perhaps be of the opinion of ,ratram against ,paschasius ,ratberg1 or of ,berengarius against ,scotus4 ,we are very sensible that there are many of our tenets which have not been always clearly explained3 ,jesus ,christ not having expressly told us in what manner the ,holy ,ghost really proceeds1 both the ,latin church and the ,greek believed that it proceeded only from the ,father2 but afterwards an article was added to the ,creed in which it is said to proceed from the ,son also4 ,now1 ,i desire to know whether the day after this new article was added a person who might abide by the old ,creed would have been deserving of death8 ,and is there less cruelty or injustice in punishing at this day a person who may possibly think as they did two or three centuries ago8 ,or was there any crime in believing in the time of ,honorius ,i4 that ,christ had not two wills8 ,it is but very lately that the belief of the immaculate conception has been established3 the ,dominicans have not received it as yet4 ,now will any one tell me the precise point of time when the ,dominicans will begin to deserve punishment in this world1 and in that which is to come8 ,if any one can set us an example for our conduct1 it is certainly the ,apostles and the ,evangelists4 ,there was sufficient matter to excite a violent schism between ,st4 ,peter and ,st4 ,paul4 ,the latter1 in his ,epistle to the ,galatians1#cb says3 8,that he withstood ,peter to the face1 because he was to be blamed2 for before that certain men came from ,james1 he did eat with the ,gentiles3 but when they were come1 he withdrew and separated himself1 fearing them which were of the circumcision1 insomuch that ,barnabas also was carried away with his dissimulation40 8,but10 adds he1 8when ,i saw that they walked not uprightly1 according to the truth of the ,gospel1 ,i said unto ,peter before them all1 ,if thou1 being a ,jew1 livest after the manner of ,gentiles1 and not as do the ,jews1 why compellest thou the ,gentiles to live as do the ,jews80 ,here now was a subject for a violent dispute4 ,the question was1 whether the new ,christians followed the manners of the ,jews or not4 ,st4 ,paul at that very time sacrificed in the ,temple of ,jerusalem2 and we know that the first fifteen bishops of ,jerusalem were circumcised ,jews2 and that they observed the ,sabbath1 and abstained from the meats forbidden by the ,jewish law4 ,should a bishop of ,spain or ,portugal at this time be circumcised1 or observe the ,sabbath1 he would assuredly burn at an auto da f3 and yet this fundamental point did not occasion the least animosity between the ,apostles1 or between the primitive ,christians4 ,if the ,evangelists had resembled our modern writers1 what an immense field was there for disputation between them4 ,st4 ,matthew reckons only eight and twenty generations from ,david to ,jesus4 ,st4 ,luke reckons forty-one2 and these generations are absolutely different4 ,yet no dissension appears to have arisen between the disciples on account of these apparent contradictions1 which have been so admirably well reconciled by the ,fathers of the ,church2 but they still continued in brotherly love1 peace1 and charity with one another4 ,what more noble lesson can we have of indulgence in our disputes1 and of humility in regard to those things which we do not understand8 ,st4 ,paul1 in his ,epistle to certain ,jews of ,rome who had been converted to ,christianity1 employs all the latter part of his third chapter in telling them that by faith alone they will be glorified1 and that no man is justified by good works only4 ,st4 ,james1 on the contrary1 in the second chapter of his ,epistle to the twelve tribes dispersed over the earth1 is continually preaching up to them1 that without good works no man can be saved4 ,this has occasioned the separation of two great communions amongst us2 but it caused no division among the ,apostles4 ,if the persecuting of those who differ from us in opinion is a holy action1 it must be confessed that he who had murdered the greatest number of heretics would be the most glorious saint in heaven4 ,if so1 what a pitiful figure would a man who had only stripped his brethren of all they had1 and thrown them to rot in a dungeon1 make1 in comparison with the zealot who had butchered his hundreds on the famous day of ,st4 ,bartholomew8 ,this may be proved as follows3 ,the successor of ,st4 ,peter and his consistory cannot err2 they approved1 they celebrated1 they consecrated the action of ,st4 ,bartholomew2 consequently that action was holy and meritorious2 and1 by a like deduction1 he who of two murderers1 equal in piety1 had ripped up the bellies of eighty ,huguenot women big with child would be entitled to double the portion of glory of another who had butchered but twelve2 in this manner1 by the same argument also1 the enthusiasts of the ,cvennes have reason to believe that they will be exalted in glory in proportion to the number of ,catholic women1 priests and monks whom they may have knocked on the head3 but surely these are strange claims to eternal happiness4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,if ,,non-,,toleration ,,was ,,part ,,of ,,the ,,divine ,,law ,,among ,,the ,,jews1 ,,and ,,whether ,,it ,,was ,,always ,,put ,,in ,,practice4 ,by the divine law1 ,i take to be understood those rules and precepts which have been given to us by ,god ,himself4 ,for example1 he ordained that the ,jews should eat a lamb dressed with bitter herbs1 and standing with a staff in their hand1 in remembrance of the ,passover2 that the consecration of the high-priest should be performed by touching the tip of his right ear1 his right hand1 and his right foot with blood2 that the scapegoat should be charged with the sins of the people3 he also forbade the eating of all shellfish1 swine1 hares1 hedgehogs1 owls1 the heron1 and the lapwing4#cc ,he also instituted their several feasts and ceremonies2 and all those things which appeared arbitrary to other nations1 and subjected to positive law and custom1 when commanded by ,god ,himself1 became a divine law to the ,jews1 in like manner as whatever ,jesus ,christ the ,son of ,mary and the ,son of ,god has commanded us is to us a divine law4 ,but here let us not presume to inquire wherefore it has pleased ,god to substitute a new law in the room of that given to ,moses1 and wherefore ,he commanded ,moses more things than he did the patriarch ,abraham1 and ,abraham more than ,noah4#cd ,in this he seems1 with infinite condescension1 to have accommodated himself to times and the state of population amongst the inhabitants of the earth2 and in this gradation1 to have shown his paternal love3 but these are depths too profound for our weak faculties to measure2 ,i shall therefore confine myself to my subject1 and proceed to examine the state of non-toleration among the ,jews4 ,it is certain1 that in ,exodus1 ,numbers1 ,leviticus1 and ,deuteronomy we find several very rigorous laws and severe punishments in relation to religious worship4 ,several able commentators have been greatly puzzled to reconcile these books of ,moses with several passages in the prophets ,jeremiah and ,amos1 and with the famous discourse of ,st4 ,stephen1 as related in the ,acts of the ,apostles4 ,amos says that the ,jews constantly worshipped in the wilderness1 ,moloch and ,chiun1 gods whom they had made to themselves4#ce ,and ,jeremiah expressly says1 that ,god commanded not their fathers concerning burnt-offerings or sacrifices in the day that he brought them out of the land of ,egypt4#cf ,and ,st4 ,stephen1 in his discourse to the ,jews previously mentioned1 says3 8,they worshipped the host of heaven1 and that they neither offered sacrifices nor slew beasts1 for the space of forty years in the wilderness1 but took up the tabernacle of ,moloch and the star of their god ,remphan40#cg ,other critics again infer from the worship of so many strange gods here mentioned1 that the ,israelites were indulged with having these gods by ,moses2 and in support of their opinion they quote the following words in ,deuteronomy3 8,when ye shall enter into the land of ,canaan1 ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day1 every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes40#chci ,and as a further proof1 they say that there is no mention made of any religious act of the people of ,israel while in the wilderness2 neither the celebration of the ,passover1 nor of the ,feast of the ,tabernacles1 nor of any public form of worship being established1 nor even the practice of circumcision1 the seal of the covenant made by ,god with ,abraham4 ,they likewise refer to the history of ,joshua1 where this great conqueror thus addresses the ,jews3 8,if it seem evil unto you to serve the ,lord1 choose you this day whom you will serve2 whether the gods which your fathers served in ,mesopotamia or the gods of the ,amorites1 in whose land ye dwell30 and the people said1 8,nay1 but we will serve the ,lord our ,god 7,adonai740 ,and ,joshua said unto the people1 8,ye have chosen1 now therefore put away the strange gods which are among you40 ,hence1 say they1 it is evident that the ,israelites had other gods besides the ,lord 7,adonai7 under ,moses4 ,it is altogether needless to take up the reader's time with an attempt to refute the opinions of those critics who think that the ,pentateuch was not written by ,moses4 ,this subject has been sufficiently discussed long ago2 and1 even admitting that some few parts of it were written in the times of the ,judges1 the ,kings1 or the ,prophets1 it would not make the whole less inspired or divine4 ,it is sufficient1 in my opinion1 if the ,holy ,scripture proves to us1 that1 notwithstanding the extraordinary punishments which the ,jews called down upon themselves by their idolatrous worship of the golden calf1 they continued for a long time to enjoy perfect liberty of conscience2 and it is even probable1 that ,moses1 after having massacred the twenty-three thousand1 in the first transports of his rage against his brother and them for having erected this idol1 finding that nothing was to be gained by such severity in matters of religion1 was glad to wink at the fondness the people expressed for strange gods4 ,and indeed he himself appears soon after to have transgressed the very law which he had given3#dj for1 notwithstanding his having forbidden all molten or graven images1 we find him erecting the brazen serpent4 ,and this law was again dispensed with by ,solomon in the building of his temple2 where that prince caused twelve brazen bulls to be placed as supporters to the great ,laver2 as also cherubim in the ark1 which had two heads1 one of an eagle and the other of a calf2 and it was probable from this latter head1 badly made1 and found in the temple by the ,roman soldiers at the time of their plundering of it1 that the ,jews were so long reported to have worshipped an ass4 ,moreover1 notwithstanding the repeated prohibitions against the worship of false gods1 ,solomon1 though giving way to the grossest idolatry1 lived and died in peace4 ,jeroboam1 to whom ,god himself gave ten parts out of twelve of the kingdom1 set up two golden calves1 and yet reigned two and twenty years1 having united in his person the twofold dignity of monarch and of high-priest4 ,the petty people of ,juda erected altars and images to strange gods under ,rehoboam4 ,pious ,king ,aza suffered the high places to remain undemolished4 ,and lastly1 ,uriah1 the high-priest1 erected a brazen altar1 which had been sent to him by the king of ,syria1 in the temple1 in the place of the altar of burnt-offerings4 ,in a word1 we do not anywhere find the least constraint in point of religion among the ,jews2 it is true1 indeed1 that they frequently destroyed and murdered one another2 but that was from motives of political concern1 and not about the modes of belief4 ,it is true1 that among the prophets we find some making heaven a party in their vengeance4 ,elias1 for instance1 calls down fire from heaven to consume the priests of ,baal4 ,and ,elisha sent bears to devour two and forty little children for calling him baldhead4 ,but these miracles are very rare in their kind1 and it would moreover be somewhat inhuman to desire to imitate them4 ,we are also told that the ,jews were a most ignorant and cruel people2 and that in their war with the ,midianites#da they were commanded by ,moses to kill all the male children and all the child-bearing women1 and to divide the spoil4#db ,they found in the enemy's camp #fge1jjj sheep1 #gb1jjj oxen1 #fa1jjj asses1 and #cb1jjj young maidens1 and they took all the spoil and slew the captives4 ,several commentators will have it1 that thirty-two of the young women were sacrificed to the ,lord4 8,the ,lord's tribute was thirty and two persons40#dc ,it is evident that the ,jews offered human sacrifices to ,god2 witness that of ,jephthah's daughter1#dd and of ,king ,agag hewed in pieces by the prophet ,samuel4#de ,and we find the prophet ,ezekiel promising them1 by way of encouragement1 that they should feast upon human flesh3 8,ye shall eat of the flesh of the horse1 and of his rider1 and ye shall drink the blood of the princes of the earth40#df ,but although the history of this people does not furnish us with one single act of generosity1 magnanimity1 or humanity1 yet amidst so long and dismal a night of barbarism1 there is continually breaking forth a cheering ray of universal toleration4 ,jephthah1 who was inspired of ,god1 and who sacrificed to him his daughter1 says to the chief of the ,amorites1 8,wilt not thou possess that which ,chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess8 so whomsoever the ,lord our ,god shall drive from before us1 them will we possess40#dg ,this declaration is express1 and might be carried to a great length2 however1 it is at least an evident proof that ,god permitted the worship of ,chemosh4 ,for the words of the ,holy ,scripture are not 8,thou thinkest thou hast a right to possess that which thy god ,chemosh giveth thee to possess10 but expressly1 8,thou hast a right to possess10 etc41 for that is the true interpretation of the ,hebrew words ,otho thirasch4 ,the story of ,micah and the ,levite1 related in the seventeenth and eighteenth chapters of the ,book of ,judges1 is a still more incontestable proof of this extensive toleration and liberty of conscience allowed among the ,jews4 ,the mother of ,micah having lost eleven hundred shekels of silver1 and her son having restored them to her1 she dedicated or vowed them unto the ,lord1 and made images with them1 and she built a small chapel and hired a ,levite to officiate therein for ten shekels of silver by the year1 and a suit of apparel and his victuals4 ,then said ,micah3 8,now know ,i that the ,lord will do me good1 seeing that ,i have a ,levite to be my priest40#dh ,in a short time after1 six hundred men of the tribe of ,dan1 who were in search of some town which they might seize upon as an inheritance to dwell in1 came to the house of ,micah1 where they found the ,levite officiating2 and having no priest of their own with them1 and thinking that on that account ,god would not prosper their undertaking1 they seized upon the carved image1 the ephod1 and the teraphim belonging to ,micah1 and also the ,levite1 whom they took with them in spite of all the remonstrances of the latter1 and the outcries of ,micah and his mother4 ,after this1 full of assurance of success1 they went and fell upon the city of ,laish1 and smote all the inhabitants with the edge of the sword1 and burnt the city to the ground1 as was their usual custom2 they then built them another city1 and called its name ,dan1#di in remembrance of their victory2 and they set up ,micah's graven image2 and what is more remarkable1 ,jonathan1 the grandson of ,moses1 was a priest of the temple1 wherein the ,god of ,israel and the idol of ,micah were both worshipped at the same time4#ej ,after the death of ,gideon1 the ,israelites worshipped ,baal-,perith for upwards of twenty years1 and abandoned the worship of the true ,god1 without any punishment being inflicted upon them for it1 either by their chiefs1 their judges1 or their priests4 ,this1 ,i must confess1 was a very heinous crime2 but then1 if even this idolatry was tolerated1 how great must have been the differences of the true worship8 ,there are some persons1 who1 in support of non-toleration1 bring us the authority of ,god ,himself2 who1 having suffered ,his ark to fall into the hands of the ,philistines in the day of battle1 punished them only by afflicting them with an inward distemper1 resembling the hmorrhoids or piles1 by breaking in pieces the statue of their god ,dagon1 and by sending a number of rats to devour the fruits of their lands4 ,but when the ,philistines1 in order to appease his wrath1 sent back the ark drawn by two cows that gave milk to their calves1 and made an offering to the ,lord of five golden rats1 and the like number of golden hmorrhoids1 the ,lord smote seventy of the ,elders of ,israel1 and fifty thousand of the people1 for having looked upon the ark4 ,to this it may be answered1 that the judgment of ,god was not1 on this occasion1 directed against any particular belief1 any difference in worship1 or idolatry4 ,if ,god had meant to punish idolatry1 ,he would have destroyed all the ,philistines who had attempted to seize upon ,his ark1 and who were worshippers of the idol ,dagon2 whereas1 we find ,him smiting with death fifty thousand and seventy of ,his own people1 for having looked upon ,his ark1 which they ought not to have looked upon4 ,so much did the laws and manners of those times and the ,jewish dispensation differ from everything that we know1 and so inscrutable are the ways of ,god to us6 8,the rigorous punishment10 says the learned ,doctor ,calmet1 8inflicted on such a multitude of persons on this occasion1 will appear excessive only to those who do not comprehend how greatly ,god would have ,himself feared and respected among ,his chosen people1 and who judge of the ways and designs of ,providence only by the weak lights of their own reason40 ,here then ,god punished the ,israelites1 not for any strange worship1 but for a profanation of ,his own2 an indiscreet curiosity1 a disobedience of ,his precepts1 and perhaps an inward rebellious spirit4 ,it is true1 that such punishments appertain alone to the ,god of the ,hebrews1 and we cannot too often repeat1 that those times and manners were altogether different from ours4 ,again1 we find1 some ages after1 when the idolatrous ,naaman asked of ,elijah if he might be allowed to follow his king up to the temple of ,rimmon1 and bow down himself there with him2 this very ,elijah1#ea who had before caused the little children to be devoured by bears only for mocking him1 answered this idolater1 8,go in peace40 ,but this is not all2 we find the ,lord commanding ,jeremiah to make him bonds and yokes1 saying3 8,put them upon thy neck1#eb and send them to the king of ,edom1 and to the king of ,moab1 and to the king of the ,ammonites1 and to the king of ,tyrus1 and to the king of ,zidon10 and he did so1 bidding the messenger say to them in the name of the ,lord3 8,i have given all your lands into the hand of ,nebuchadnezzar1 king of ,babylon1 my servant40#ec ,here then we have ,god declaring an idolatrous prince his servant and favorite4 ,the same prophet having been cast into the dungeon by order of the ,jewish king ,zedekiah1 and afterwards released by him1 advises him in the name of ,god to submit himself to the king of ,babylon1 saying3 8,if thou wilt assuredly go forth unto the king of ,babylon's princes1 thy soul shall live40 ,god therefore takes part with an idolatrous king1 and delivers into his hands ,his holy ark1 the looking upon which only had cost the lives of fifty thousand and seventy ,jews2 and not only so1 but also delivers up to him the ,holy of ,holies1 together with the rest of the temple1 the building of which had cost a hundred and eight thousand talents of gold1 one million seventeen thousand talents of silver1 and ten thousand drachmas of gold1 that had been left by ,david and his great officers for building the house of the ,lord2 which1 exclusive of the sums expended for that purpose by ,king ,solomon1 amounts to the sum of nineteen milliards1 sixty-two millions1 or thereabouts1 of the present currency4 ,never1 surely1 was idolatry so nobly rewarded4 ,i am sensible that this account is exaggerated1 and that it seems to be an error of the copyist4 ,but if we reduce the sum to one half1 to a fourth1 or even to an eighth part1 it will still be amazing4 ,but ,herodotus's account of the treasures which he himself saw in the temple of ,ephesus is not less surprising4 ,in fine1 all the riches of the earth are as nothing in the sight of ,god2 and the title of my servant1 with which he dignified ,nebuchadnezzar1 is the true and invaluable treasure4 ,nor does ,god show less favor to ,kir1 or ,koresh whom we call ,cyrus1 and whom ,he calls ,his ,christ1 ,his anointed1 though he never was anointed according to the general acceptation of that word1 and was moreover a follower of the religion of ,zoroaster1 and a usurper in the opinion of the rest of mankind2 yet him ,he calls ,his shepherd2#ed and we have not in the whole sacred writings so great an instance of divine predilection4 ,we are told by the prophet ,malachi1 that1 8from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same1 the name of ,god shall be great among the ,gentiles2 and in every place a pure offering shall be offered unto his name40#ee ,god takes as much care of the idolatrous ,ninevites as of ,his chosen ,jews4 ,melchizedek1 though no ,jew1 was the high-priest of the living ,god4 ,balaam1 though an idolater1 was ,his prophet4 ,the ,holy ,scripture then teaches us1 that ,god not only tolerated every other religion1 but also extended ,his fatherly care to them all4 ,and shall we1 after this1 dare to be persecutors8 ,thus1 then1 under ,moses1 the ,judges1 and the ,kings1 we find numberless instances of toleration4 ,moreover1 we are told by ,moses1 that 8,god will visit the sins of the fathers upon the children1 unto the third and fourth generation40 ,this threat was necessary to a people to whom ,god had not revealed the immortality of the soul1 and the rewards and punishment of a future state4 ,these truths are not to be found in any part of the decalogue1 nor in the ,levitic or ,deuteronomic law4 ,they were the tenets of the ,persians1 ,babylonians1 ,egyptians1 ,greeks1 and ,cretans1 but made no part of the ,jewish religion4 ,moses does not say1 8,honor thy father and thy mother1 that thou mayest inherit eternal life10 but 8that thy days may be long in the land which the ,lord thy ,god giveth thee02 that is1 in this life2 and the punishments with which he threatens them regard only the present mortal state2 such as being smitten with the scab and with the itch1 with blasting and with mildew2 that they shall betroth a wife1 and another man shall lie with her2 that they shall build houses1 and others shall dwell therein2 that they shall plant vineyards1 and shall not gather the grapes thereof2 that they shall eat the fruit of their own bodies1 the flesh of their sons and of their daughters1 and be obliged to bow down before the stranger that is within their gates2#ef but he never tells them that their souls are immortal1 and shall taste of felicity or punishment after death4 ,god1 who conducted ,his people ,himself1 punished or rewarded them immediately according to their good or evil deeds4 ,everything relating to them was temporal1 and this the learned ,bishop ,warburton brings as a proof of the divine origin of the ,jewish law2#eg 8inasmuch10 says he1 8as ,god being their ,king1 and exercising justice immediately upon them1 according to their transgression or obedience1 found it not necessary to reveal to them a doctrine which ,he reserved for after-times1 when ,he should no longer so directly govern ,his people40 ,those who through ignorance pretend that ,moses taught the immortality of the soul1 deprive the ,new ,testament of one of its principal advantages over the ,old4 ,it is certain that the law of ,moses taught only temporal punishments1 extending to the fourth generation2 and yet1 notwithstanding the positive declaration of ,god delivered in this law1 ,ezekiel preached the very contrary to the ,jews1 telling them1 8,the son shall not bear the iniquities of the father20#ehei and in another place he goes so far as to make ,god say that 8,he had given them statutes that were not good1 and judgments whereby they should not live40#fj ,notwithstanding these contradictions1 the book of ,ezekiel was not the less admitted into the number of those inspired writers3 ,it is true1 that according to ,st4 ,jerome1 the synagogue did not permit the reading of it till after thirteen years of age2 but that was for fear their youth should make a bad use of the too lively description1 in the sixteenth and twenty-third chapters1 of the whoredoms of ,aholah and ,aholibah4 ,but when the immortality of the soul came to be a received doctrine1#fa which was probably about the beginning of the ,babylonish captivity1 the sect of ,sadducees still continued to believe that there were no rewards or punishments after death1 and that the faculties of the soul perished with us in like manner as those of the body4 ,they also denied the existence of angels4 ,in a word1 they differed much more from the other ,jews than the ,protestants do from the ,catholics2 nevertheless1 they lived in peaceable communion with their brethren2 and some of their sect were admitted to the high-priesthood4 ,the ,pharisees held fatality or predestination1#fb and believed in the ,metempsychosis2#fc the ,essenians thought that the souls of the just went into some happy islands1#fd and those of the wicked into a kind of ,tartarus1 or hell4 ,they offered no sacrifices1 and assembled together in particular synagogues of their own4 ,in a word1 if we examine closely into the ,jewish economy1 we shall be surprised to find the most extensive toleration prevailing amidst the most shocking barbarities4 ,this is indeed a contradiction1 but almost all people have been governed by contradictions4 ,happy are those whose manners are mild1 while their laws are bloody6 ,let us now see whether ,christ established sanguinary laws1 whether ,he enjoined non-toleration1 instituted the horrors of the inquisition1 or the butchery of an auto da f4 ,there are1 unless ,i am much mistaken1 very few passages in the ,new ,testament from which the spirit of persecution can have inferred that tyranny and constraint in religious matters are permitted3 one is the parable wherein the kingdom of heaven is likened unto a certain king who made a marriage for his son1 and sent forth his servants to invite guests to the wedding1 saying1 8,tell them which were bidden1 my oxen and my fatlings are killed1 and all things are ready2 come unto the marriage40#fe ,but those who were bidden made light of the invitation1 one going to his farm and another to his business1 and the rest of them took the king's servants and slew them4 ,upon which he sent forth his armies and destroyed those murderers and burnt up their city4 ,after this he sent out into the highways to invite all that could be found to come to the marriage2 but one of the guests happening to sit down to table without a wedding garment1 the king ordered him to be bound hand and foot and cast into outer darkness4 ,but it is clear that this allegory relates only to the kingdom of heaven2 therefore1 assuredly no man can assume a right from thence to fetter or imprison his neighbor who should come to dine with him without being properly dressed2 nor do ,i believe that history furnishes us with any instance of a prince causing one of his courtiers to be hanged upon such an occasion2 and there is little reason to apprehend that when the emperor sent his pages to any of the princes of the empire to invite them to an entertainment those princes would fall upon the pages and kill them4 ,the invitation to the marriage feast is a type of the preaching of the gospel1 and the murder of the king's servants is figurative of the persecution of those who preach wisdom and virtue4 ,the other parable is that of a private person who made a great supper1 to which he invited many of his friends1#ff and when he was ready to sit down to table sent his servants to tell them that all things were ready2 but one excused himself by saying that he had bought a piece of ground and must needs go and see it1 an excuse which was not admissible1 as no one goes to visit their lands in the night-time2 another said he had bought five yoke of oxen and was going to prove them2 he was as much to blame as the other1 since no one would go to prove oxen at supper-time2 the third said he had married a wife and could not come2 this last was certainly a very good excuse4 ,the master of the house being very angry at this disappointment1 told his servants to go into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in the poor1 and the maimed1 the halt and the blind2 this being done1 and finding that there was yet room1 he said unto his servant1 8,go out into the highways and hedges and compel them 7that you find7 to come in40 ,it is true that we are not expressly told that this parable is a type of the kingdom of heaven1 and the words 8compel them to come in0 have been perverted to very bad purposes2 but it is very evident that one single servant could not forcibly compel every person he met to come and sup with his master2 besides1 the company of people so compelled would not have made the supper very agreeable4 8,compel them to come in10 therefore1 means nothing more1 according to commentators of the best reputation1 than pray1 desire1 press them to come in2 therefore1 what connection1 for heaven's sake1 can prayers and invitations have with persecution8 ,but to take things in a literal sense1 is it necessary to be maimed1 halt1 and blind1 or to be compelled by force to enter into the bosom of the ,church8 ,christ says in the same parable3 8,when thou makest a dinner or a supper1 call not thy friends1 nor thy brethren1 nor thy rich kinsmen02 but did any one ever infer from this that we should never dine or sup with our friends or kinsmen if they happen to be worth money8 ,our ,saviour1 after this parable of the feast1 says3 8,if any man come to me1 and hate not his father and mother1 his wife and children1 his brethren and sisters1 yea1 and his own life also1 he cannot be my disciple10 etc4 ,but is there any person living so unnatural as to conclude from this that he ought to hate his father and mother and his nearest relations8 ,and is it not evident to one of the meanest capacity that the true interpretation of these words is3 hesitate not between me and your dearest affections8 ,the following passage in the eighth chapter of ,st4 ,matthew is also quoted3 8,whosoever heareth not the word of ,god shall be like to an heathen1 and like one who sitteth at the receipt of custom02 but certainly this is not saying that we ought to persecute all unbelievers and custom-house officers2 they are frequently cursed indeed1 but they are not delivered up to the arm of secular power4 ,and so far from depriving the latter of any part of the prerogatives of citizens1 they are indulged with the greatest privileges2 and though their profession is the only one condemned in ,scripture1 it is of all others the most protected and favored by every government4 ,why then should we not show some indulgence to our brethren who are unbelievers1 while we load with benefits our brethren the tax-gatherers8 ,another passage which has been grossly abused is that in ,st4 ,matthew and ,st4 ,mark1 where we are told that ,jesus being hungry in the morning1 and coming to a fig tree which had no leaves--for it was not the time of figs--,jesus cursed the tree and it immediately dried up4 ,this miracle has been explained in several different ways1 but not one of them appears to authorize persecution4 ,though a fig tree could not be expected to bear fruit in the beginning of ,march1 yet we find it blasted2 but is that a reason why we should blast our brethren with affliction in all seasons of the year8 ,when we meet with anything in holy writing that may occasion doubts in our vain and inquisitive minds1 we should pay it all due reverence1 but let us not make use of it to countenance cruelty and persecution4 ,the spirit of persecution which perverts everything has also strained in its own vindication the story of ,christ driving the buyers and sellers out of the temple1 and that of his sending a legion of devils out of the body of the man possessed with an evil spirit into two thousand unclean animals2 but cannot any one perceive that these two instances were no other than acts of justice1 which ,god ,himself deigned to execute for a contravention of ,his law8 ,it was a disrespect shown to the house of the ,lord to change ,his dwelling into a market for buyers and sellers4 ,and although the ,sanhedrim and its priests might permit this traffic for the greater convenience of their sacrifices1 yet the ,god to whom these sacrifices were offered might1 doubtless1 though under a human shape1 overturn this profane practice4 ,in the same manner might ,he punish those who brought into the country whole troops of those animals which were prohibited by the law of which ,he ,himself deigned to be an observer4 ,these two examples1 then1 have not the least connection with persecution for religion's sake2 and the spirit of non-toleration must certainly be founded upon very false principles when it everywhere seeks such idle pretexts4 ,christ1 in almost every other part of ,his gospel1 both by ,his words and actions1 preaches mildness1 forbearance and indulgence4 ,witness the father who receives his prodigal son1 and the workman who comes at the last hour and yet is paid as much as the others2 witness the charitable ,samaritan1 and ,christ ,himself1 who excuses ,his disciples for not fasting1 who pardons the woman who had sinned1 and only recommends fidelity for the future to the woman caught in adultery4 ,he even condescends to partake of the innocent mirth of those who have met at the marriage feast in ,cana1 and who being already warmed with wine and wanting still more1 ,christ is pleased to perform a miracle in their favor by changing their water into wine4 ,he is not even incensed against ,judas1 whom ,he knew to be about to betray ,him2 ,he commands ,peter never to make use of the sword1 and reprimands the sons of ,zebedee1 who1 after the example of ,elias1 wanted to call down fire from heaven to consume a town in which they had been refused a lodging4 ,in a word1 ,he ,himself died a victim to malice and persecution2 and1 if one might dare to compare ,god with a mortal and sacred things with profane1 ,his death1 humanly speaking1 had a great resemblance to that of ,socrates4 ,the ,greek philosopher suffered for the hatred of the sophists1 the priests and the heads of the people2 the ,christian ,law-giver1 by that of the ,scribes1 ,pharisees and priests4 ,socrates might have avoided death1 but would not2 ,christ offered ,himself a voluntary sacrifice4 ,the ,greek philosopher not only pardoned his false accusers and iniquitous judges1 he even desired them to treat his children as they had done himself1 should they1 like him1 one day be happy enough to deserve their hatred4 ,the ,christian ,law-giver1 infinitely superior to the heathen1 besought ,his ,father to forgive ,his enemies4 ,if ,christ seemed to fear death1 and if the agonies ,he was in at its approach drew from ,him sweat mixed with blood1 which is the most violent and rare of all symptoms1 it was because ,he condescended to submit to every weakness of the human frame1 which ,he had taken upon ,him2 ,his body trembled1 but ,his soul was unshaken4 ,by ,his example we may learn that true fortitude and greatness consist in supporting those evils at which our nature shrinks4 ,it is the height of courage to meet death at the same time that we fear it4 ,socrates accused the sophists of ignorance and convicted them of falsehood2 ,jesus1 in ,his godlike character1 accused the ,scribes and ,pharisees of being hypocrites1 blind guides and fools1 and a race of vipers and serpents4 ,socrates was not accused of attempting to found a new sect1 nor was ,christ charged with endeavoring to introduce a new one4 ,we are told in ,st4 ,matthew that the great men and the priests and all the council sought false witness against ,jesus to put ,him to death4 ,now1 if they were obliged to seek for false witnesses1 they could not charge ,him with having preached openly against the law2 besides1 it was evident that ,he complied in every respect with the ,mosaic law from ,his birth to ,his death4 ,he was circumcised the eighth day like other ,jewish children2 ,he was baptized in ,jordan1 agreeable to a ceremony held sacred among the ,jews and among all the other people of the east4 ,all impurities of the law were cleansed by baptism2 it was in this manner their priests were consecrated at the solemn feast of the expiation1 every one plunged himself in the water1 and all new-made proselytes underwent the same ceremony4 ,moreover1 ,jesus observed all the points of the law2 ,he feasted every ,sabbath day1 and ,he abstained from forbidden meats2 ,he kept all the festivals1 and even before ,his death ,he celebrated that of the ,passover2 ,he was not accused of embracing any new opinion1 nor of observing any strange rites4 ,born an ,israelite1 ,he always lived as an ,israelite4 ,he was accused1 indeed1 by two witnesses of having said that ,he could destroy the ,temple and build it up again in three days2 a speech altogether unintelligible to the carnal ,jews1 but which did not amount to an accusation of seeking to found a new sect4 ,when ,he was examined before the high priest1 this latter said to him3 8,i command you1 in the name of the living ,god1 to tell us if ,thou art ,christ1 the ,son of ,god40 ,we are not told what the high priest meant by the ,son of ,god4 ,this expression was sometimes made use of to signify a just or upright man1#fg in the same manner as the words son of ,belial1 to signify a wicked person4 ,the carnal ,jews had no idea of the sacred mystery of the ,son of ,god1 ,god ,himself coming upon earth4 ,jesus answered the high priest1 8thou hast said2 nevertheless1 ,i say unto you1 hereafter shall ye see the ,son of man sitting on the right hand of the power of ,god1 and coming in the clouds of heaven40#fh ,this answer was looked upon by the whole assembly as a blasphemy4 ,but the ,sanhedrim having no longer the power of life and death1 they falsely accused ,jesus before the ,roman governor of the province of being a disturber of the public peace1 and one who1 said they1 should not pay tribute to ,csar2 and1 moreover1 called ,himself ,king of the ,jews4 ,it is therefore incontestably evident that he was accused of a crime against the state4 ,pilate being informed that ,he was a ,galilean1 sent ,him immediately to ,herod1 the tetrarch of ,galilee4 ,this latter1 thinking it impossible that a person of ,jesus' appearance should pretend to be the head of a party1 or aspire to royalty1 treated ,him with great contempt1 and sent ,him back again to ,pilate1 who had the infamous weakness to condemn ,him to death as the only means to appease the tumult raised against himself2 more especially as he had lately experienced the revolt of the ,jews1 as we are told by ,josephus4 ,on this occasion ,pilate did not show the same generosity which the governor ,festus did afterwards4 ,i now desire to know whether toleration or non-toleration appears to be of divine prescription8 ,let those who would resemble ,christ be martyrs and not executioners4 ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,,testimonies ,,against ,,persecution4 ,it is an impious act to deprive men of liberty in matters of religion1 or prevent them from making choice of a ,god4 ,no ,god nor man would be pleased with a forced service4--,apologetic1 chap4 xxiv4 ,were violence to be used in defence of the faith1 the bishops would oppose it4--,st4 ,hilarius1 lib4 i4 ,religion when forced ceases to be religion2 we should persuade and not compel4 ,religion cannot be commanded4--,lactantius1 lib4 iii4 ,it is detestable heresy to endeavor to bring over by violence1 bodily punishments1 or imprisonments1 those we cannot convince by reasoning4--,st4 ,athanasius1 lib4 i4 ,nothing is more contradictory to true religion than constraint4--,st4 ,justin1 ,martyr1 lib4 v4 ,is it for us to persecute those whom ,god tolerates8 said ,st4 ,augustine1 before his dispute with the ,donatists had soured his disposition4 ,let no violence be done to the ,jews4--,the #efth ,canon of the #dth ,council of ,toledo4 ,advise but compel not4--,st4 ,bernard's ,letters4 ,we do not pretend to overcome error by violence4--,speech of the ,clergy of ,france to ,louis ,,xiv4 ,we have always disapproved of rigorous measures4--,assembly of the ,clergy1 ,august #aa1 #aefj4 ,we know that faith may yield to persuasion1 but it never will be controlled4--,flchier1 ,bishop of ,nmes1 ,letter1 #ai4 ,we ought to abstain even from reproachful speeches4--,bishop of ,belley's ,pastoral ,letters4 ,remember that the diseases of the soul are not to be cured by restraint and violence4--,cardinal ,camus' ,pastoral ,instructions for the ,year #afhh4 ,indulge every one with civil toleration--,archbishop ,fnelon to the ,duke of ,burgundy4 ,compulsion in religion proves the spirit which dictates it to be an enemy to truth4--,dirois1 a ,doctor of the ,sorbonne1 b4 vi4 chap4 iv4 ,compulsion may make hypocrites1 but never can persuade4--,tillemont's ,hist4 ,eccles4 tom4 vi4 ,we have thought it conformable to equity and right reason to walk in the paths of the ancient church which never used violence to establish or extend religion4--,remonstrance of the ,parliament of ,paris to ,henry ,,ii4 ,experience teaches us that violence is more likely to irritate than to cure a distemper which is seated in the mind4--,de ,thou's ,epistle ,dedicatory to ,henry ,,iv4 ,faith is not inspired by the edge of the sword4--,cerisier1 in the ,reigns of ,henry ,,iv4 and ,louis ,,xiii4 ,it is a barbarous zeal which pretends to force any religion upon the mind1 as if persuasion could be produced by constraint4-- ,boulainvillier's ,state of ,france4 ,it is with religion as with love2 command can do nothing1 constraint still less2 nothing is so independent as love and belief4--,amelot de la ,houssaye on ,cardinal ,ossat's ,letters4 ,if ,providence has been so kind to you as to give you a knowledge of the truth1 receive it as an instance of ,his great goodness2 but should those who enjoy the inheritance of their father hate those who do not8--,spirit of ,laws1 book xxv4 ,one might compose an immense volume of such passages4 ,all our histories1 discourses1 sermons1 moral treatises and catechisms of the present time abound with and inculcate this holy doctrine of indulgence4 ,what fatality1 what false reason1 then1 leads us to contradict by our practice the theory we are every day teaching8 ,when our actions give the lie to our morals it must certainly proceed from our thinking it to our interest to practise the contrary of what we teach2 but what advantage can arise from persecuting those who do not think in the same manner as we do1 and thereby making ourselves hated by them8 ,once more1 then1 let me repeat it2 there is the highest absurdity in persecution4 ,it may be replied that those who found it to their interest to lay a restraint upon the consciences of others are not absurd in so doing4 ,to such men ,i address the following chapter4 ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,a ,,conversation ,,between ,a ,,dying ,,man ,,and ,,one ,,in ,,good ,,health4 ,an inhabitant of a country village lying at the point of death was visited by a person in good health1 who came to insult him in his last moments1 with the following speech3 8,wretch that thou art1 think as ,i do this instant1 sign this writing immediately1 confess that five propositions are to be found in a book that neither thou nor ,i have ever read2 adopt immediately the opinion of ,lanfranc against ,berengarius1 and of ,st4 ,thomas against ,st4 ,bonaventura2 join with the ,council of ,nice against the ,council of ,frankfort1 and explain to me out of hand how the words #8,my ,father is greater than ,i' signify exactly #8,i am as great as ,he4' ,tell me also in what manner the ,father communicates all ,his attributes to the ,son1 excepting the fatherhood1 or ,i will have thy body thrown to the fowls of the air1 thy children deprived of their inheritance1 thy wife of her dowry and thy family turned out to beg their bread1 which shall be refused them by those who are like myself40 ,,dying ,,man4--,i scarcely understand what you say2 your threats strike my ears confusedly1 they trouble my mind and render my last moments terrifying4 ,in the name of ,god have pity on me6 ,,cruel ,,man4--,pity6 ,i can have none for thee1 unless thou art exactly of my opinion4 ,,dying ,,man4--,alas6 you must be sensible that in these1 my last moments1 my senses are all impaired1 the doors of my understanding are shut1 my ideas are lost in confusion and ,i have hardly any sentiments remaining4 ,am ,i then in a condition to dispute8 ,,cruel ,,man4--,well1 then1 if thou canst not believe as ,i would have thee1 only say that you do1 and that will content me4 ,,dying ,,man4--,how6 ,would you have me perjure myself to please you1 when ,i am going in an instant to appear before the judgment seat of that ,god who is the avenger of perjury8 ,,cruel ,,man4--,no matter2 thou wilt have the pleasure to be interred in holy ground1 and thy wife and children will have wherewithal to maintain them after thy death4 ,die a hypocrite2 hypocrisy is a very good thing2 ,i have heard say it is the homage which vice pays to virtue4 ,a little hypocrisy1 friend1 can't cost you much4 ,,dying ,,man4--,surely you must either not acknowledge a ,god1 or hold ,him very cheap1 since you require me to tell a lie with my last breath1 when you yourself must soon appear in judgment before ,him and answer for that lie4 ,,cruel ,,man4--,insolent wretch6 ,dost thou say that ,i do not acknowledge a ,god8 ,,dying ,,man4--,pardon me1 brother2 ,i rather fear you do not know ,him4 ,the ,god whom ,i adore lends me at this time an increase of strength to tell you with my dying words that if you believe in ,him you ought to behave toward me with charity4 ,he has given me my wife and children2 do not you make them perish with misery4 ,as for my body1 do with it as seems good to you2 ,i leave it at your disposal2 but let me conjure you to believe in ,god4 ,,cruel ,,man4--,come1 come2 truce with your reasoning1 and do as ,i bid you2 ,i will have it so4 ,i command you to do it4 ,,dying ,,man4--,but what advantage can you have in thus tormenting me8 ,,cruel ,,man4--,what advantage8 ,why1 if ,i can make you sign1 it will be worth a good canonship to me4 ,,dying ,,man4--,ah6 brother2 my last moment approaches2 ,i am expiring1 but ,i will pray to ,god to touch your heart that you may be converted4 ,,cruel ,,man4--,the devil take the impertinent puppy2 he has not signed after all6 ,well1 ,i'll e'en sign for him2 it is but a little forgery4 ,the following letter is a confirmation of the above doctrine3 ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,a ,,letter ,,from ,a ,,beneficed ,,priest ,,to ,,father ,,letellier1 ,,the ,,jesuit1 ,,dated ,,the #fth ,,of ,,may1 #agad4 ,reverend ,father3 ,the following is in obedience to the orders ,i received from your reverence to lay before you the most effectual means for delivering ,jesus and ,his company from their enemies4 ,i believe there may be remaining at this time in the kingdom not more than five hundred thousand ,huguenots2 some say a million1 others a million and a half2 but let the number be what it will1 the following is my advice1 which1 however1 as in duty bound1 ,i submit with all humility to your reverence's judgment4 ,in the first place1 then1 it will be very easy to seize in one day all the preachers1 and to hang them all at one time and in one place1 which will be not only a very edifying1 but also a very entertaining exhibition to the people4 ,secondly1 ,i would have all the fathers and mothers who are heretics murdered in their beds1 because the killing of them in the streets might occasion some little disturbance2 besides1 by that means1 several of them might escape1 which is above all to be prevented4 ,this execution is a necessary corollary of our principles2 for if we ought to kill a heretic1 as so many of our great divines have incontestably proved1 it is evident that we ought to kill them all without exception4 ,thirdly1 ,i would1 the very next day1 marry all the daughters to good ,catholics1 inasmuch as it would not be politic to depopulate the state so much after the late war2 but as for the boys of fourteen and fifteen years of age1 who have already imbibed bad principles1 which we cannot hope to root out1 'tis my opinion that they should be all castrated to prevent the race from ever being reproduced4 ,as for the other younger lads1 they may be brought up in our colleges1 where they may be whipped till they have learned by heart the works of ,sanchez and ,molinos4 ,fourthly1 ,i think under correction1 the same method ought to be taken with all the ,lutherans of ,alsace1 for ,i remember1 in the year #agjd1 to have seen two old women of that country laugh on the day of our defeat at ,blenheim4 ,fifthly1 ,what relates to the ,jansenists will perhaps appear a little more difficult4 ,i believe their numbers may amount to about six millions1 a little more or less2 but this ought not to give any alarm to a person of your reverence's disposition4 ,i reckon among the ,jansenists all the parliaments who have so unworthily maintained the liberties of the ,gallican church4 ,i leave it to your reverence to weigh with your usual prudence the most effectual methods for reducing these turbulent spirits4 ,the ,gunpowder ,plot failed of the desired success through the weakness of one of the conspirators1 who wanted to save the life of his friend2 but1 as your reverence has no friend1 the same inconvenience is not to be apprehended4 ,you may very easily blow up all the parliaments in the kingdom with the composition called ,pulvis ,pyrius1 invented by the monk ,schwarz4 ,by my calculation it will require upon an average thirty-six barrels of powder for each of the parliaments2 now1 if we multiply thirty-six1 the number of barrels1 by twelve1 the number of parliaments1 it will make four hundred and thirty-two barrels1 which1 at a hundred crowns per barrel1 will amount to not quite a hundred and thirty thousand livres--a mere trifle for the reverend father-general4 ,the parliaments thus disposed of1 you may bestow their places upon your congregationists1 who are perfectly well versed in the laws of the realm4 ,sixthly1 ,it will be a very easy matter to poison the ,cardinal de ,noailles1 who is a very simple1 unsuspecting man4 ,your reverence may take the same steps for conversion with several of the refractory prelates2 and their bishoprics1 by a brief from the pope1 may be put into the hands of the ,jesuits2 thus all the bishops that remain1 being staunch to the good cause1 and they making a proper choice of curates1 ,i1 with your reverence's permission1 would give the following advice3 ,seventhly and lastly1 ,as the ,jansenists are said to take the sacrament one time in the year at least1 which is at ,easter1 it would not be amiss to season the consecrated wafers with a little of that drug which was used to do justice upon the ,emperor ,henry ,,vii4 ,some nice caviller may perhaps tell me that in this operation we may run some risk of poisoning the ,molinists at the same time4 ,there is some weight in this objection2 but then it should be considered that there is no project without its inconveniences1 nor any system but what threatens destruction in some part4 ,and if we were to be stopped by these little difficulties we should never attain our end in anything2 besides1 as here we have in view the obtaining the greatest of all possible advantages1 we should not suffer ourselves to be shocked1 though it brings with it some bad consequences1 especially as those consequences are of little or no consideration4 ,and1 after all1 we shall have nothing to reproach ourselves with1 since it is proved that the ,reformed1 as they call themselves1 and the ,jansenists1 have all of them their portion in hell2 therefore1 we only put them in possession of their inheritance a little sooner4 ,it is as evident that heaven belongs of right to the ,molinists2 therefore by destroying them by mistake1 and without any evil intention1 we hasten their happiness2 and are in both cases the ministers of ,providence4 ,as to those who may be a little shocked at the number to be thus made away with1 your reverence may remark to them that from the first flourishing days of the church to the year #agjg--that is to say1 in about fourteen hundred years--religion has occasioned the massacre of upwards of fifty millions of persons2 whereas by my proposal not above six millions and a half will be put to death by the halter1 the dagger1 or poison4 ,but perhaps it may be objected that my calculation is not just1 and that ,i have committed an error against the ,rule of ,three2 inasmuch as1 that if in fourteen hundred years there perished fifty millions of souls on account of some trifling disputes in divinity1 that makes only thirty-five thousand seven hundred and fourteen and some little fraction in a year1 and consequently that by my method an overplus of six millions sixty-four thousand two hundred and eighty-five and some fractions are put to death in the current year4 ,but1 indeed1 this is a very childish quibble2 nay1 ,i'll even call it impious2 for is it not plain that by my method ,i save the lives of all the ,catholics1 so long as the world shall last8 ,but1 in short1 there would be no end of answering every frivolous objection4 ,i am1 with the most profound respect1 reverend father1 your reverence's most humble1 most devout1 and most humane ,r------1 ,native of ,angoulme1 ,prefect of the ,congregation4 ,this glorious scheme1 however1 could not be carried into execution1 because it required considerable time to make the necessary dispositions1 and that ,father ,letellier was banished the year following4 ,but as it is right to examine both sides of an argument1 it will be proper to inquire in what cases it may be lawful to follow in part the scheme of the reverend father's correspondent4 ,it would seem rather too severe to execute it in all its parts2 let us therefore examine in what cases we ought to break upon the wheel1 to hang1 or to make galley-slaves of those who differ from us in opinion4 ,this shall be the subject of the following chapter4 ,,chapter ,,xviii4 ,,the ,,only ,,cases ,,in ,,which ,,non-,,toleration ,,makes ,,part ,,of ,,the ,,human ,,law4 ,for a government not to have a right to punish men for their errors1 it is necessary that those errors should not be crimes2 and they are crimes only when they disturb the public tranquillity2 which they do whenever they inspire enthusiasm4 ,it is necessary therefore that men should begin by laying aside enthusiasm in order to deserve toleration4 ,if a number of young ,jesuits1 knowing that the church holds all reprobates and heretics in detestation1 and that the opinion of the ,jansenists having been condemned by a bull this sect is consequently reprobate1 thereupon go and set fire to the house of the fathers of the oratory1 because ,quesnel1 one of that body1 was a ,jansenist2 it is clear that the government would be obliged to punish those ,jesuits4 ,in like manner1 if these latter have been found to teach the most reprehensible doctrines1 and if their institution appears contrary to the laws of the kingdom1 it becomes necessary to abolish their society1 and of ,jesuits to make them useful citizens2 which1 in fact1 so far from being an oppression upon them1 as has been pretended1 is a real good done them2 for where is the great oppression of being obliged to wear a short coat instead of a long gown1 or to be free instead of being a slave8 ,in time of peace whole regiments are broken without complaining4 ,why1 then1 should the ,jesuits make such an outcry1 when they are broken for the sake of peace8 ,were the ,franciscans in a transport of holy zeal for the ,virgin ,mary1 to go and pull down the church of the ,dominicans1 who hold ,mary to have been born in original sin1 the government would then be obliged to treat the ,franciscans much in the same manner it has done the ,jesuits4 ,the same argument will hold good with regard to the ,lutherans and ,calvinists2 for let them say1 if they please1 we follow the dictates of our consciences2 it is more profitable to obey ,god than man2 we are the only true flock1 and therefore ought to cut off all the wolves4 ,it is evident that in this case they themselves are the wolves4 ,one of the most astonishing examples of enthusiasm was in a little sect in ,denmark1 founded on one of the best principles in the world2 for these people endeavored to procure the eternal happiness of all their brethren2 but the consequences of this principle were very singular4 ,as they believed that all the young children who died without baptism were damned1 and that those who had the happiness to die immediately after receiving that sacrament enter into eternal happiness1 they went forth and murdered all the young children of both sexes lately baptized1 whom they could meet with4 ,by this action they doubtless procured the little innocents the greatest of all felicity1 by preserving them at once from sin1 the miseries of this life1 and hell1 and sending them certainly to heaven4 ,but these people1 in the excess of their charitable zeal1 did not consider that it is forbidden to do evil that good may come thereof2 that they had no right over the lives of these infants2 that the greatest part of fathers and mothers are so carnal as to desire rather to keep their children about them than to see their throats cut1 though it was to send them to heaven2 and1 lastly1 that it is the duty of the magistrate to punish murder1 though committed with a good intent4 ,it would seem that the ,jews had the greatest right of any persons to rob and murder us2 for although the ,old ,testament abounds with examples of toleration and indulgence1 yet are there several instances of the contrary1 and some very severe laws4 ,god did at times command his people to kill all idolaters1 reserving only the young women fit for the nuptial state4 ,they look upon us as idolaters2 and notwithstanding that we at present tolerate them1 they might certainly1 had they the power in their hands1 cut us all off1 excepting our young women4 ,moreover1 they would be under an indispensable obligation to exterminate the whole ,turkish race4 ,this speaks for itself1 for the ,turks are at present in possession of the countries of the ,hittites1 the ,jebusites1 the ,amorites1 the ,girgashites1 etc41 all of whom were laid under a curse1 and their country1 which was about five and twenty leagues in extent1 was given to the ,jews by several successive covenants2 consequently they ought to resume possession of their own1 which the ,turks have usurped from them for upwards of a thousand years4 ,but if the ,jews were to reason in this manner nowadays1 it is pretty certain we should make them no other answer than by impaling them alive4 ,these are the only cases in which persecution appears reasonable4 ,,chapter ,,xix4 ,,account ,,of ,a ,,controversial ,,dispute ,,which ,,happened ,,in ,,china4 ,in the beginning of the reign of the great ,emperor ,cam-hi1 a mandarin of the city of ,canton1 hearing a great noise and outcry in the house adjoining that he dwelt in1 sent to know if they were murdering any one2 but was told that it was only a ,danish almoner1 a ,dutch chaplain1 and a ,jesuit disputing together2 upon which he ordered them to be brought before him1 and inquired of them the occasion of their quarrel8 ,the ,jesuit1 who was the first that spoke1 said that it was a very grievous thing to him1 who was always in the right1 to have to do with people who were always in the wrong2 that he at first began to reason with them with the greatest coolness2 but that1 at length1 he could not but own his patience had left him4 ,the mandarin then represented to all three1 with all imaginable candor1 how necessary it was to observe decorum and good manners even in disputation2 he told them that no one ever gave way to heat or passion in ,china1 and desired to be informed of the nature of their dispute4 8,my lord10 said the ,jesuit1 8,i take you for judge in this affair4 ,these two gentlemen refuse to submit to the decisions of the ,council of ,trent40 8,i am surprised at that10 replied the mandarin4 ,then turning towards the two refractory parties3 8,gentlemen10 said he1 8you ought to show a deference to the opinion of a great assembly4 ,i do not know what the ,council of ,trent is1 but a number of persons must always have opportunities of knowing better than one single man4 ,no one ought to imagine that he knows more than all others1 and that reason dwells only with him2 this is the doctrine of our great ,confucius2 therefore1 if you would take my advice1 abide by what the ,council of ,trent has decreed40 ,the ,dane then began to speak in his turn4 8,your excellence10 said he1 8has delivered yourself with great wisdom and prudence2 we have all that respect for great assemblies that we ought2 and accordingly we submit entirely to the opinions of several councils that were held at the same time with that of ,trent40 8,oh6 if that is the case10 said the mandarin1 8,i ask your pardon2 you may doubtless be in the right4 ,so1 then1 it seems you and the ,dutchman are of one opinion against the ,jesuit40 8,not in the least10 answered the ,dutchman2 8this man here10 pointing to the ,dane1 8entertains notions almost as extravagant as those of the ,jesuit1 who pretends to so much mildness before you4 #8,sblood6 there is no bearing this with patience40 8,i cannot conceive what you mean10 said the mandarin2 8are you not all three ,christians8 ,are you not all three come to teach the ,christian religion in our empire8 ,and ought you not consequently have all the same tenets80 8,you see how it is1 my lord10 said the ,jesuit2 8these two men here are mortal enemies of each other2 and yet both of them dispute against me2 this makes it clear that they are both in the wrong1 and that reason is on my side40 8,i do not think it is so very clear10 replied the mandarin2 8for it may very well happen that you are all three in the wrong4 ,but ,i should be glad to hear your arguments singly40 ,the ,jesuit then made a long discourse1 while the ,dutchman and the ,dane at every period shrugged up their shoulders1 and the mandarin could not make anything of what he heard4 ,the ,dane now took the lead in his turn1 while his two adversaries looked upon him with manifest signs of contempt2 and the mandarin1 when he had finished1 remained as wise as before4 ,the ,dutchman had the same success4 ,at length they began to talk all three together1 and broke out into the most scurrilous revilings4 ,the honest mandarin could hardly get in a word4 ,at length he dismissed them1 saying3 8,if you expect to have your doctrine tolerated here1 begin by showing an example of it to one another40 ,at leaving the house the ,jesuit met with a ,dominican missionary1 to whom he related what had passed2 and told him that he had gained his cause2 8for you may be assured10 added he1 8that truth will always prevail40 ,the ,dominican replied3 8,had ,i been there1 friend1 you would not so easily have gained your cause2 for ,i should have proved you to be an idolater and a liar40 ,upon this1 there arose a violent dispute between them2 and the ,jesuit and the friar went to fisticuffs4 ,the mandarin being informed of this scandalous behavior ordered them both to be sent to prison4 ,a sub-mandarin asked his excellence how long he would please to have them remain in confinement4 8,till they are both agreed10 said the judge4 8,then1 my lord10 answered the sub-mandarin1 8they will remain in prison all their days40 8,well1 then10 said the mandarin1 8let them stay till they forgive one another40 8,that they will never do10 rejoined the deputy2 8,i know them very well40 8,indeed60 said the mandarin2 8then let it be till they appear so to do40 ,,chapter ,,xx4 ,,whether ,,it ,,is ,,of ,,service ,,to ,,indulge ,,the ,,people ,,in ,,superstition4 ,such is the weakness and perversity of the human race that it is undoubtedly more eligible for them to be subject to every possible kind of superstition1 provided it is not of a bloody nature1 than to live without religion4 ,man has always stood in need of a curb2 and though it was certainly very ridiculous to sacrifice to fauns1 satyrs1 and naads1 yet it was more reasonable and advantageous to adore even those fantastic images of the deity than to be given up to atheism4 ,an atheist of any capacity1 and invested with power1 would be as dreadful a scourge to the rest of mankind as the most bloody enthusiast4 ,when men have not true notions of the ,deity1 false ideas must supply their place1 like as in troublesome and calamitous times we are obliged to trade with base money when good is not to be procured4 ,the heathens were afraid of committing crimes1 lest they should be punished by their false gods4 ,the ,malabar dreads the anger of his pagods4 ,wherever there is a fixed community1 religion is necessary2 the laws are a curb upon open crimes1 and religion upon private ones4 ,but when once men have embraced a pure and holy religion1 superstition then becomes not only needless1 but very hurtful4 ,those whom ,god has been pleased to nourish with bread ought not to be fed upon acorns4 ,superstition is to religion what astrology is to astronomy1 the foolish daughter of a wise mother4 ,these two daughters1 however1 have for a long time governed this world with uncontrollable sway4 ,in those dark and barbarous times amongst us1 when there were hardly two feudal lords who had a ,new ,testament in their houses1 it might be pardonable to present the common people with fables2 ,i mean those feudal lords1 their ignorant wives1 and brutish vassals4 ,they were then made to believe that ,st4 ,christopher carried the child ,jesus on his shoulders from one side of the river to the other2 they were entertained with stories of witches and witchcraft2 they readily believed that ,st4 ,genou cured the gout1 and ,st4 ,claire sore eyes4 ,the children believed in hobgoblins1 and their fathers in ,st4 ,francis' girdle2 and relics swarmed out of number4 ,the common people have continued to be infected with the rust of these superstitions1 even after religion became more enlightened4 ,it is well known that when ,m4 de ,noailles1 bishop of ,chlons1 ordered the pretended relic of the holy navel to be taken away and thrown into the fire1 the whole city of ,chlons joined in a prosecution against him2 but he1 who had resolution equal to his piety1 soon brought the people of his diocese to believe that one may adore ,jesus ,christ in spirit and in truth1 without having his navel in a church4 ,those whom we call ,jansenists were not a little instrumental in rooting out by degrees1 from the minds of the greatest part of the nation1 the many absurd notions which were the disgrace of our holy religion4 ,and it no longer continued to be thought sufficient to repeat the prayer of thirty days to the ,blessed ,virgin1 to obtain whatever one should ask1 and sin with impunity4 ,at length the lower kind of people began to imagine that it was not ,st4 ,genevive who gave rain or caused it to cease1 but ,god ,himself1 who disposed the elements according to ,his good will and pleasure4 ,the monks have been astonished to find their saints no longer perform miracles2 and if the writers of the life of ,st4 ,francis ,xavier were to come again into the world they would not venture to assert that their saint raised nine people from the dead2 that he was at one and the same time both on the sea and on shore2 or that a crab brought him his crucifix1 which he had dropped out of his hand into the water4 ,it has happened much the same with regard to excommunications4 ,our ,french historians tell us that when ,king ,robert was excommunicated by ,pope ,gregory ,v4 for having married the ,princess ,bertha1 who was his godmother1 his domestics threw all the victuals that came from his table out of the windows1 and that his queen ,bertha was delivered of a goose as a punishment for this incestuous alliance4 ,it is not likely that the pages of the presence to a king of ,france nowadays would throw his dinner into the streets if he should be excommunicated1 nor would it be very readily believed that the queen was brought to bed of a bird4 ,if there are some few convulsionists yet to be met with in an obscure corner of the town it is a kind of lousy disease that infects only the dregs of the people4 ,reason is every day making her way into the tradesman's counting house1 as well as into the palaces of our nobility4 ,it behooves us then to cultivate the fruits of this reason1 more especially as it is impossible to prevent them from sprouting forth4 ,france1 after having been enlightened by a ,pascal1 a ,nicole1 an ,arnaud1 a ,bossuet1 a ,descartes1 a ,gassendi1 a ,bayle1 a ,fontenelle1 and other bright geniuses like them1 is no longer to be governed as in the times of ,garasse and ,menot4 ,if the masters of error1 ,i mean the great masters who were so long a time prayed to and reverenced for brutalizing the human species1 were at present to enjoin us to believe that the seed must rot in the earth before it can sprout2 that this earth continues immovable on its basis without revolving about the sun2 that the tides are not the natural effect of gravitation2 that the rainbow is not formed by the refraction and reflection of the rays of light1 etc41 and were they to bring certain passages of ,scripture badly understood and worse interpreted to authenticate their ordinances1 how would they be looked upon by every person of common capacity8 ,would fools be thought too harsh a name to be imposed on them8 ,but if they should have recourse to compulsion and persecution to establish their insolent ignorance1 would not madmen and butchers be deemed a proper appellation8 ,the more that monkish superstition becomes contemptible1 the more bishops are respected and the clergy in general esteemed4 ,they do good in their professions1 whereas the monkish superstition of foreign climates occasioned a great deal of mischief4 ,but of all superstitions1 that of hating our neighbor on account of his opinion is surely the most dangerous6 ,and will it not be granted me that there would be more sense and reason in adoring the holy navel1 the holy prepuce1 and the milk and the robe of the ,blessed ,virgin1 than to detest and persecute our brother8 ,,chapter ,,xxi4 ,,virtue ,,is ,,better ,,than ,,learning4 ,the fewer dogmas1 the fewer disputes2 and the fewer disputes1 the fewer calamities3 if this is not true ,i am much mistaken4 ,religion is instituted to make us happy in this life and the next4 ,but what is required to make us happy in the life to come8 ,to be just4 ,and in this8 ,to be merciful and forbearing4 ,it would be the height of madness to pretend to bring all mankind to think exactly in the same manner in regard to metaphysics4 ,we might1 with much greater ease1 subject the whole universe by force of arms than subject the minds of all the inhabitants of one single village4 ,but ,euclid found no difficulty in persuading every one of the truths of geometry4 ,and why8 ,because there is not one of them which is not a self-evident corollary on this simple axiom3 8,two and two make four40 ,but is it not altogether the same with relation to the complicated maxims in metaphysics and divinity4 ,eusebius and ,socrates tell us that when ,bishop ,alexander and ,arius the priest began first to dispute in what manner the ,logos or word proceeded from the ,father1 the ,emperor ,constantine wrote to them in the following terms3 8,you are great fools to dispute about things you do not understand40 ,if the two contending parties had been wise enough to acknowledge that the emperor was in the right ,christendom would not have been drenched in blood for upwards of three centuries4 ,and1 indeed1 what can be more ridiculous1 or rather detestable1 than to address mankind in this manner3 8,my friends1 it is not sufficient that you are faithful subjects1 dutiful children1 tender parents1 and upright neighbors2 that you live in the continual practice of virtue2 that you are grateful1 benevolent1 and generous1 and worship the ,saviour of the world in peace2 it is furthermore required of you that you should know how a thing may be begotten from all eternity1 without being made from all eternity2 and if you cannot distinguish the homoousian in the hypostasis1 we declare to you that you are damned to all eternity2 and in the meantime we shall begin by cutting your throats08 ,if such a decision as this had been presented to ,archimedes1 ,posidonius1 ,varro1 ,cato1 or ,cicero1 what answer do you think they would have given to it8 ,constantine1 however1 did not persevere in silencing the two parties2 he might easily have summoned the chiefs of the disputes before him1 and have demanded of them by what authority they disturbed the peace of mankind4 8,are you10 he might have said1 8possessed of the genealogy of the heavenly family8 ,what is it to you whether the ,son was made or begotten1 provided that you are faithful to ,him2 that you preach a sound doctrine1 and practise that doctrine if you can8 ,i have committed many faults in my lifetime1 and so have you2 ,i have been ambitious1 so have you2 it has cost me many falsehoods and cruelties to attain to the empire2 ,i have murdered my nearest relative that stood in my way2 but ,i now repent1 and am willing to make atonement for my crime by restoring peace to the ,roman ,empire2 do not you prevent me from doing the only good action which can possibly make my former cruel ones forgotten2 but rather assist me to end my days in peace40 ,perhaps ,constantine might not1 by this speech1 have prevailed over the minds of the disputants1 and perhaps he might rather be pleased with presiding in a council in a long crimson robe1 and his forehead glittering with jewels4 ,this1 however1 opened a passage to all those dreadful calamities which overran the ,west from ,asia4 ,out of every contested verse there issued a fury armed with a quibble and a poniard1 who inspired mankind at once with folly and cruelty4 ,the ,huns1 the ,heruli1 the ,goths1 and ,vandals1 who came afterwards1 did infinitely less mischief2 and the greatest they did was that of afterwards engaging in the same fatal disputes4 ,,chapter ,,xxii4 ,,of ,,universal ,,toleration4 ,it does not require any great art or studied elocution to prove that ,christians ought to tolerate one another4 ,nay1 ,i shall go still farther and say that we ought to look upon all men as our brethren4 ,how6 call a ,turk1 a ,jew1 and a ,siamese1 my brother8 ,yes1 doubtless2 for are we not all children of the same parent1 and the creatures of the same ,creator8 ,but these people hold us in contempt1 and call us idolaters6 ,well1 then1 ,i should tell them that they were to blame4 ,and ,i fancy that ,i could stagger the headstrong pride of an imaum1 or a talapoin1 were ,i to address them in the following manner3 8,this little globe1 which is no more than a point1 rolls1 together with many other globes1 in that immensity of space in which we are all alike confounded4 ,man1 who is an animal1 about five feet high1 is certainly a very inconsiderable part of the creation2 but one of those hardly visible beings says to others of the same kind inhabiting another spot of the globe3 ,hearken to me1 for the ,god of all these worlds has enlightened me4 ,there are about nine hundred millions of us little insects who inhabit the earth1 but my ant-hill is alone cherished by ,god1 who holds all the rest in horror and detestation2 those who live with me upon my spot will alone be happy1 and all the rest eternally wretched40 ,they would here stop me short and ask1 8,what madman could have made so ridiculous a speech80 ,i should then be obliged to answer them1 8,it is yourselves40 ,after which ,i should endeavor to pacify them1 but perhaps that would not be very easy4 ,i might next address myself to the ,christians and venture to say1 for example1 to a ,dominican1 one of the judges of the inquisition3 8,brother1 you know that every province in ,italy has a jargon of its own and that they do not speak in ,venice and ,bergamo as they do in ,florence4 ,the ,academy della ,crusca has fixed the standard of the ,italian language2 its dictionary is an unerring rule1 and ,buon ,matei's grammar is an infallible guide1 from neither of which we ought to depart2 but do you think that the president of the academy1 or in his absence ,buon ,matei1 could in conscience order the tongues of all the ,venetians and ,bergamese1 who persisted in their own country dialect1 to be cut out80 ,the inquisitor would1 perhaps1 make me this reply3 8,there is a very wide difference2 here the salvation of your soul is concerned2 and it is entirely for your good that the directory of the inquisition ordains that you shall be seized1 upon the deposition of a single person1 though of the most infamous character2 that you shall have no person to plead for you1 nor even be acquainted with the name of your accuser2 that the inquisitor shall promise you favor1 and afterwards condemn you2 that he shall make you undergo five different kinds of torture1 and that at length you shall be either whipped1 sent to the galleys1 or burned at the stake2#fi ,father ,ivonet1 and the doctors1 ,chucalon1 ,zanchinus1 ,campegius1 ,royas1 ,telinus1 ,gomarus1 ,diabarus1 and ,gemelinus are exactly of this opinion1 consequently this pious practice will not admit of contradiction40 ,to all which ,i should take the liberty of making the following reply3 8,dear brother1 you may perhaps be in the right1 and ,i am perfectly well convinced of the great benefit you intend me2 but may ,i not be saved without all this80 ,it is true that these horrible absurdities do not every day deform the face of the earth2 but they have been very frequent1 and one might easily collect instances enough to make a volume much larger than that of the ,holy ,gospels1 which condemn such practices4 ,it is not only very cruel to persecute in this short life those who do not think in the same manner as we do1 but ,i very much doubt if there is not an impious boldness in pronouncing them eternally damned4 ,in my opinion1 it little befits such insects of a summer's day as we are thus to anticipate the decrees of ,providence4 ,i am very far from opposing that maxim of the ,church1 that 8out of her pale there is no salvation02 on the contrary1 ,i respect that and every other part of her doctrine2 but1 after all1 can we be supposed to be intimately acquainted with the ways of ,god1 or to fathom the whole depth of ,his mercy8 ,is it not permitted us to hope in ,him1 as well as to fear ,him8 ,is it not sufficient if we are faithful sons of the ,church1 without every individual presuming to wrest the power out of the hand of ,god1 and determine1 before ,him1 the future destiny of our fellow creatures8 ,when we wear mourning for a king of ,england1 ,denmark1 ,sweden1 or ,prussia1 do we say that we are in mourning for a damned soul that is burning in hell8 ,there are about forty millions of inhabitants in ,europe who are not members of the ,church of ,rome2 should we say to every one of them1 8,sir1 as ,i look upon you to be infallibly damned1 ,i shall neither eat1 drink1 converse1 nor have any connections with you80 ,is there an ambassador of ,france who1 when he is presented to the grand seignior for an audience1 will seriously say to himself1 his sublime highness will infallibly burn to all eternity for having submitted to be circumcised8 ,if he really thought that the grand seignior was a mortal enemy to ,god1 and the object of divine vengeance1 could he converse with such a person2 nay1 indeed1 ought he to be sent to him8 ,but how could we carry on any commerce1 or perform any of the civil duties of society1 if we were convinced that we were conversing with persons destined to eternal damnation8 ,o ye different worshippers of a ,god of mercy6 if ye have cruel hearts1 if1 while you adore that ,deity who has placed the whole of ,his law in these few words1 8,love ,god and your neighbor10 you have loaded that pure and holy law with sophistical and unintelligible disputes1 if you have lighted the flames of discord sometimes for a new word1 and at others for a single letter only2 if you have annexed eternal punishment to the omission of some few words1 or of certain ceremonies which other people cannot comprehend1 ,i must say to you with tears of compassion for mankind3 8,transport yourselves with me to that great instant in which all men are to receive judgment from the hand of ,god1 who will then do unto every one according to their works1 and with me behold all the dead of past ages appearing in ,his presence4 ,are you very sure that our heavenly ,father and ,creator will say to the wise and virtuous ,confucius1 to the great legislator ,solon1 to ,pythagoras1 ,zaleucus1 ,socrates1 ,plato1 the divine ,antoninus1 the good ,trajan1 to ,titus1 the delight of human kind1 and to many others who have been the models of human kind3 #8,depart from me1 wretches6 into torments that know neither alleviation nor end2 but are1 like ,himself1 everlasting4 ,but you1 my well-beloved servants1 ,john ,chtel1 ,ravaillac1 ,cartouche1 ,damiens1 etc41 who have died according to the rules prescribed by the ,church1 enter into the joy of your ,lord1 and sit forever at my right hand in majesty and glory4'0 ,methinks ,i see you start with horror at these words2 however1 as they have escaped me1 let them pass2 ,i shall say nothing more to you4 ,,chapter ,,xxiii4 ,,an ,,address ,,to ,,the ,,deity4 ,no longer then do ,i address myself to men1 but to ,thee1 ,god of all beings1 of all worlds1 and of all ages2 if it may be permitted weak creatures lost in immensity and imperceptible to the rest of the universe1 to presume to petition ,thee for aught1 who hast given plenty of all things1 and whose decrees are immutable as eternal4 ,deign to look with an eye of pity on the errors annexed to our natures6 let not these errors prove the sources of misery to us6 ,thou hast not given us hearts to hate1 nor hands to kill one another2 grant then that we may mutually aid and assist each other to support the burden of this painful and transitory life6 ,may the trifling differences in the garments that cover our frail bodies1 in the mode of expressing our insignificant thoughts1 in our ridiculous customs and our imperfect laws1 in our idle opinions1 and in our several conditions and situations1 that appear so disproportionate in our eyes1 and all are equal in ,thine2 in a word1 may the slight variations that are found amongst the atoms called men not be made use of by us as signals of mutual hatred and persecution6 ,may those who worship ,thee by the light of tapers at noonday bear charitably with those who content themselves with the light of that glorious planet ,thou hast placed in the midst of the heavens6 ,may those who dress themselves in a robe of white linen to teach their hearers that ,thou art to be loved and feared1 not detest or revile those who teach the same doctrine in long cloaks of black wool6 ,may it be accounted the same to adore ,thee in a dialect formed from an ancient or a modern language6 ,may those who1 clothed in vestments of crimson or violet color1 rule over a little parcel of that heap of dirt called the world1 and are possessed of a few round fragments of a certain metal1 enjoy without pride or insolence what they call grandeur and riches1 and may others look on them without envy2 for ,thou knowest1 ,o ,god1 that there is nothing in all these vanities proper to inspire envy or pride4 ,may all men remember that they are brethren6 ,may they alike abhor that tyranny which seeks to subject the freedom of the will1 as they do the rapine which tears from the arms of industry the fruits of its peaceful labors6 ,and if the scourge of war is not to be avoided1 let us not mutually hate and destroy each other in the midst of peace2 but rather make use of the few moments of our existence to join in praising1 in a thousand different languages1 from one extremity of the world to the other1 ,thy goodness1 ,o all-merciful ,creator1 to whom we are indebted for that existence6 ,,chapter ,,xxiv4 ,,postscript4 ,while ,i was employed in writing this treatise1 purely with a desire to make mankind more benevolent and charitable1 another author was using his pen to the very contrary purpose2 for every one has his particular way of thinking4 ,this writer has published a small code of persecution under the title of 8,the ,harmony of ,religion and ,humanity02 but this last word seems to be an error of the press1 and should be read 8,inhumanity40 ,the author of this holy libel takes ,st4 ,augustine for his example and authority1 who1 after having preached charity and forbearance1 afterwards taught the doctrine of persecution1 because he then had the upper hand and was naturally of a changeable disposition4 ,he also quotes ,m4 ,bossuet1 the bishop of ,meaux1 who persecuted the famous ,fnelon1 archbishop of ,cambray1 whom he accused of having said in print that ,god was well worthy to be loved for ,his own sake4 ,i will readily grant that ,bossuet was a very eloquent writer1 and it must also be confessed that the bishop of ,hippo#gj is frequently inconsistent1 and in general more dry and barren than the rest of the ,african writers2 and ,i must take the liberty of addressing them both in the words of ,armande1 in ,molire's 8,learned ,ladies03 8,if we should imitate any person1 it certainly should be in the most pleasing part of their character40 ,i should say to the bishop of ,hippo3 8,my lord1 as you have had two opinions1 your lordship will be kind enough to suffer me to abide by your first1 since ,i really think it the best40 ,to the bishop of ,meaux ,i shall say3 8,my lord1 you are certainly a very great man1 and1 in my opinion1 have to the full as much learning as ,st4 ,augustine1 and are far superior to him in eloquence2 but then1 my lord1 why did you so distress your brother prelate1 who had as much eloquence as yourself1 though in another kind1 and whose disposition was more amiable than yours40 ,the author of this 8,treatise on ,inhumanity0--for so ,i shall call it--is neither a ,bossuet nor an ,augustine1 but seems admirably well qualified for an inquisitor2 ,i wish he were at the head of that noble tribunal in ,goa4 ,besides1 he is a politician1 and parades it in his book with several great maxims of state4 8,if you have to deal with any considerable number of heretics10 says he1 8it will be necessary to use gentle methods1 and try to bring them over by persuasion2 but if they are only a few in number1 then make free use of the gibbet and the galleys2 you will find the advantage of it40 ,this is the good prelate's own advice in the #hith and #ijth pages of his work4 ,heaven be praised1 ,i am an orthodox ,catholic1 and therefore am in no danger of what the ,huguenots call martyrdom2 but if ever this bishop should come to be prime minister1 as he seems to flatter himself in his libels1 ,i give him my promise that ,i will set out for ,england the very day his commission is signed4 ,in the meantime1 we ought to be thankful to ,providence that those of his principles are always wretched reasoners4 ,this writer has not scrupled to quote ,bayle among the advocates for non-toleration1 which is being equally sensible and honest2 for1 because ,bayle agrees that it is necessary to punish incendiaries and rogues1 our bishop directly concludes that we ought to persecute with fire and sword every honest and peaceable person4 ,see page #ih4 ,almost the whole of his book is no other than a copy of the apology for ,st4 ,bartholomew's day4 ,it is the apologist himself or his echo4 ,but be this matter as it will1 it is devoutly to be wished that neither the master nor the pupil may ever be at the head of an administration4 ,but if ever such a thing should come to pass1 let me beg leave to present them beforehand with the following hint in regard to a passage in the ninety-third page of the bishop's holy libel3 8,is the welfare of the whole nation to be sacrificed to the ease of only the twentieth part80 ,let us suppose then for once that there are twenty ,roman ,catholics in ,france to one ,huguenot1 ,i am by no means for the ,huguenots eating these twenty ,catholics2 but1 at the same time1 is there any reason why the twenty ,catholics should eat the ,huguenot8 ,besides1 why should we hinder this latter from marrying8 ,are there not many bishops1 abbots and monks that have estates in ,dauphiny1 ,gevaudan1 ,agde and ,carcassonne8 ,and have not most of these farmers to manage those estates who do not believe in the doctrine of transubstantiation8 ,is it not the interest of these bishops and others that the farmers should have numerous families8 ,and should one be permitted to have children that takes the sacrament in both kinds8 ,surely there is neither justice nor common honesty in this6 8,the revocation of the ,edict of ,nantes10 says my author1 8has not been productive of so great inconveniences as has been generally alleged40 ,i must own if any have added to the number of bad effects that act produced1 they must have greatly exaggerated2 but then it is the common fault of all historians to exaggerate1 as it is of all controversial writers to disguise the greatest part of those evils with which they are reproachable4 ,but for once let us pin our faith neither upon the doctors of the ,sorbonne nor the preachers of ,amsterdam4 ,let us take for judges in this matter those who have had the best opportunities of being acquainted with what they wrote about2 and in the first place ,i shall cite the ,count d',avaux1 ambassador from ,france to the ,states-,general during the years #afhe1 #afhf1 #afhg1 and #afhh4 ,in the hundred and eighty-first page of the fifth volume of his works he says that one man only offered to discover upwards of twenty millions of livres that the persecuted ,huguenots had found means to send out of ,france4 ,louis ,,xiv41 in answer to this1 writes to ,m4 d',avaux3 8,the accounts which ,i daily receive of the prodigious numbers of those who are converted convince me that in a short time the most obstinate will follow the example of the others40 ,this letter of the king's plainly shows that he was firmly persuaded of the greatness of his power4 ,he was accustomed to hear said to him every morning3 8,sire1 you are the greatest monarch upon earth2 you have but to declare your opinion and the whole world will be proud to follow it40 ,pelisson1 who had accumulated a prodigious fortune in the place of head clerk of the treasury1 who had been three years confined in the ,bastille as an accomplice with ,fouquet1 who1 changing his religion1 was from a ,calvinist made a ,roman1 a deacon and a beneficed priest1 who composed hymns for the mass and verses to ,chloe1 and who had got the post of comptroller and converter in chief of the heretics2 this very ,pelisson1 ,i say1 used to produce every morning a long list of pretended abjurations purchased at the rate of seven or eight crowns apiece1 and made his prince believe that he could1 whenever he pleased1 convert the whole ,mahometan empire at the same price4 ,in short1 every one was in league to impose upon him2 how then was it possible for him to avoid being deceived8 ,this very ,m4 d',avaux also acquaints the court that one ,vincent kept upwards of five hundred workmen employed in the neighborhood of ,angoulme1 and that it would be of great prejudice to the nation should they quit the kingdom4 ,vol4 v41 page #aid4 ,the count likewise mentions two regiments at that time actually being raised by ,french refugee officers for the service of the prince of ,orange2 he observes that the entire crews of three ,french ships of war had deserted and entered into the same service1 and that besides the two regiments above mentioned1 the prince was forming a company of cadet refugees1 who were to be commanded by two refugee captains4 ,page #bdj4 ,the same ambassador in another letter to ,m4 de ,seignelay1 dated the #ith of ,may1 #afhf1 says that he can no longer conceal the uneasiness it gives him to see the manufactures of ,france transported into ,holland1 where they will be established1 never more to return4 ,add to these incontestable evidences the testimonies of the several intendants of the kingdom in #afih1 and then let any one judge whether the revocation of the ,edict of ,nantes has not done more harm than good1 notwithstanding the opinion of the worthy author of the 8,harmony of ,religion and ,inhumanity40 ,a ,marshal of ,france well known for his superior abilities some years ago made use of the following expression3 8,i know not whether the practice of dragooning may ever have been necessary1 but ,i am sure it is very necessary to lay it aside40 ,and here ,i must confess that ,i was apprehensive4 ,i had gone rather too far in publishing the letter from a priest to ,father ,letellier1 in which the use of gunpowder is so humanely proposed4 ,i said to myself1 people will not believe me2 they will certainly think this letter is a forged piece2 but luckily my scruples were entirely eased when in perusing the 8,harmony of ,religion and ,inhumanity10 ,i came to the following ,christian and charitable passage3 8,the entire extirpation of the ,protestants in ,france would not weaken that kingdom more than a plentiful bleeding would a patient of a sound constitution40 ,page #adi4 ,here this pious minister of ,christ1 who1 but a few pages before1 says that the ,protestants make about a twentieth part of the nation1 is for shedding the blood of that twentieth part1 and advises the operation with as much unconcern as he would the taking away two or three ounces from the arm of a plethoric person6 ,heaven preserve us and him from the other three-twentieths6 ,now1 if this worthy prelate is for destroying the twentieth part of the nation at one stroke1 might not ,father ,letellier's friend and correspondent as well have proposed the blowing up1 stabbing or poisoning the one-third8 ,hence then it appears very probable that such a letter was really written to ,letellier4 ,our pious author concludes upon the whole that persecution is an excellent thing2 8for10 says he1 8we do not find it absolutely condemned by our ,saviour40 ,neither has our ,saviour expressly condemned those who may set fire to the four corners of ,paris2 but is that a reason for canonizing all incendiaries8 ,in this manner1 while the gentle voice of ,nature is everywhere pleading the cause of charity and benevolence1 ,enthusiasm1 her avowed enemy1 is continually howling against it2 and while ,peace opens her calm bosom to all mankind1 ,persecution is busied in forging weapons for their destruction4 ,let it be your care1 then1 ,o ye princely arbiters1 who have restored peace to the world1 to pass sentence between the spirit of mutual love and harmony and that of discord and bloodshed4 ,,chapter ,,xxv4 ,,sequel ,,and ,,conclusion4 ,illustration3 ,,widow ,,calas ,,pleading ,,for ,a ,,revocation ,,of ,,the ,,decree ,,of ,,the ,,parliament ,,of ,,toulouse ,on the #gth of ,march1 #agfc1 a council of state being held at ,versailles1 at which all the great ministers assisted and the chancellor sat as president1 ,m4 de ,crosne1 one of the masters of requests1 made a report of the affair of the ,calas family with all the impartiality of a judge1 and the precision of one perfectly well acquainted with the case1 and with the plain truth and inspired eloquence of an orator and a statesman1 which is alone suitable to such an assembly4 ,the gallery was filled with a prodigious number of persons of all ranks1 who impatiently waited the decision of the council4 ,in a short time a deputation was sent to the king to acquaint him that the council had come to a unanimous resolution3 that the parliament of ,toulouse should transmit to them the whole account of its proceedings1 together with the reasons on which it had framed the sentence condemning ,john ,calas to be broken on the wheel2 when his majesty was pleased to concur in the decree of the council4 ,justice and humanity then still continue to reside amongst mankind6 and principally in the council of a king beloved1 and deserving so to be2 who1 with his ministers1 his chancellor and all the members of his council1 have not disdained to employ their time in weighing all the circumstances relating to the sufferings of a private family with as much attention as if it had been the most interesting affair of war or peace2 whilst the judges have shown themselves inspired by a love of equity and a tender regard to the interests of their fellow-subjects4 ,all praise be given therefore to that ,merciful ,being1 the only giver of integrity and every other virtue4 ,and here we take occasion to declare that we never had the least acquaintance with the unfortunate man who was condemned on the most frivolous evidence by the court of justice of ,toulouse1 in direct contradiction to the ordinances of our king and the laws of all nations1 nor with his son1 ,mark ,antony1 the extraordinary manner of whose death led the judges into the error they committed2 nor with the mother1 whose sufferings call aloud for compassion1 nor yet with her innocent daughter1 who1 together with her1 travelled upwards of six hundred miles to lay their virtue and distresses at the foot of the throne4 ,the ,god in whose presence we declare this knows that we have been actuated solely by the love of justice1 mercy1 and truth1 in delivering our thoughts in the manner we have done on toleration1 in regard to ,john ,calas1 who fell a victim to non-toleration and persecution4 ,we had not the least intent to offend the eight judges of ,toulouse in saying that they were mistaken1 as the council of state itself supposes them to have been2 on the contrary1 we have opened a way for them to vindicate themselves to all ,europe by acknowledging that equivocal circumstances1 and the clamor of a headstrong and enraged populace1 had biassed their judgment2 and by asking pardon of the widow and repairing as much as in them lies the ruin they have brought upon an innocent family1 by adding to the number of those who succor them in their affliction4 ,they have put the father to death unjustly2 let them then be as fathers to his children1 provided those children are willing to accept of this poor token of repentance from them4 ,it would be infinitely to the honor of the judges to make such an offer1 and to that of the injured family to refuse it4 ,but it principally behooves the ,sieur ,david1 capitol of ,toulouse1 to set the example of remorse and penitence1 who was the first to raise this persecution against innocence1 and who insulted the hapless father of a family when expiring on the scaffold4 ,this was indeed an unparalleled act of cruelty2 but as ,god is willing to show mercy and forgiveness it is the duty of mortals to pardon in like manner those who make atonement for their offences4 ,i have received a letter from a friend in ,languedoc1 dated the #bjth of ,february1 #agfc1 of which the following is an extract3 8,your treatise on toleration appears to be full of humanity and truth2 but ,i am afraid it will rather hurt than serve the ,calas family4 ,it may gall the eight judges who were for the sentence1 and they may apply to the parliament to have your book burnt2 besides1 the bigots1 of whom you are sensible there is always a considerable number1 will oppose the voice of reason with the clamors of prejudice10 etc4 ,my answer was as follows3 8,the eight judges of ,toulouse may1 if they please1 have my book burnt4 ,it will cost them very little trouble1 since the 8,provincial ,letters10 which had infinitely superior merit to anything of mine1 were condemned to the same fate4 ,every one1 you know1 is at liberty to burn in his own house such books as he does not like4 8,my treatise cannot possibly do either hurt or good to the ,calas family1 with whom ,i have not the least acquaintance4 ,the king's council is no less resolute than impartial2 it judges according to law and equity of those things which fall properly under its cognizance2 but it will not interfere with a common pamphlet1 written upon a subject altogether foreign from the affair under consideration4 8,if a hundred volumes in folio should be written in condemnation or vindication of the judges of ,toulouse1 or of toleration1 neither the council nor any other court of justice would look upon these as law matters4 8,i readily agree with you that there are numbers of enthusiasts who will set up the cry against me1 but at the same time ,i do insist that ,i shall have as many sensible readers who will make use of their reason4 8,i hear that the ,parliament of ,toulouse and some other courts of justice have a method of proceeding peculiar to themselves4 ,they admit fourths1 thirds1 and sixths of a proof2 so that with six hearsays on one side1 three on the other1 and four-fourths of a presumption1 they frame three complete proofs2 and in consequence of this curious demonstration will condemn you a man to be broken upon the wheel without mercy4 ,now1 the least acquaintance with the art of logic or reasoning would point out a different method of proceeding to them4 ,what we call a half proof can never amount to more than a suspicion2 but there is no such thing in reality as a half proof2 for a thing must either be proved or not proved2 there is no medium4 8,a million of suspicions put together can no more frame a regular proof than a million of ciphers can compose an arithmetical number4 8,there are fourths of tones or sounds in music1 and these are to be expressed2 but there are no fourths in truths1 nor in reasoning4 8,two witnesses agreeing in the same deposition1 are esteemed to make a proof2 but this is not enough2 these two witnesses should be clear of all passion and prejudice1 and1 above all1 their testimony should be in every part consonant with reason4 8,suppose four persons of the most respectable appearance were to come and swear in a court of justice that they saw an infirm old man take a vigorous young fellow by the collar and toss him out of a window1 to the distance of six or seven feet2 certainly such deponents ought to be sent to a madhouse4 8,but the eight judges of ,toulouse condemned ,john ,calas upon a much more improbable accusation2 for there was no one appeared to swear that he had actually seen this feeble old man of seventy seize a stout young fellow of twenty-eight1 and hang him up4 ,indeed1 certain enthusiastic wretches said that they had been told by other enthusiasts like themselves that they had been told by some of their own sect that they had heard that ,john ,calas had by a supernatural strength overcome his son and hanged him4 ,and thus was the most absurd of all sentences passed upon the most absurd of all evidence4 8,in fine1 there is no remedy against such kind of proceedings but that those who purchase their seats in a court of justice should1 for the future1 be obliged to study a little better40 ,this treatise on toleration is a petition which humanity with all submission presents to power and prudence4 ,i have sowed a grain that may perhaps produce a rich harvest4 ,we may hope everything from time1 from the goodness of the heart of our gracious monarch1 the wisdom of his ministers1 and the spirit of sound reason1 which begins to diffuse its salutary influence over all minds4 ,nature addresses herself thus to mankind3 8,i have formed you all weak and ignorant1 to vegetate a few moments on that earth which you are afterwards to fatten with your carcasses4 ,let your weakness then teach you to succor each other1 and as you are ignorant1 bear with and endeavor mutually to instruct each other4 ,even if ye were all of the same way of thinking1 which certainly will never come to pass1 and there should be one single person only found amongst you who differed from you in belief1 you ought to forgive him1 for it is ,i who make him think in the manner he does4 ,i have given you hands to cultivate the earth1 and a faint glimmering of reason to conduct yourselves by1 and ,i have planted in your hearts a spirit of compassion1 that you may assist each other under the burden of life4 ,do not smother that spark1 nor suffer it to be corrupted1 for know it is of divine origin2 neither substitute the wretched debates of the schools in the place of the voice of nature4 8,it is ,i alone who unite you all1 in despite of yourselves1 by your mutual wants1 even in the midst of those bloody wars that you undertake for the slightest causes1 and that afford a continual scene of error1 chances1 and misfortunes4 ,it is ,i alone who1 in a nation1 prevent the fatal effects of the inextinguishable differences that subsist between the sword and the law1 between those two professions and the clergy1 and between even the citizen and the husbandman4 ,though ignorant of the limits of their own prerogatives1 they are in spite of themselves obliged to listen to my voice1 which speaks to their hearts4 ,it is ,i alone who maintain equity in the courts of judicature1 where otherwise everything would be determined by error and caprice1 in the midst of a confused heap of laws1 framed too often at a venture and to supply an immediate call1 differing from each other in every province and town1 and almost always contradictory in the same place4 ,i alone can inspire the love and knowledge of justice1 while the laws inspire only chicanery and subterfuge4 ,he who listens to me seldom forms a wrong judgment1 while he who seeks only to reconcile contradictory opinions loses himself in the fruitless labor4 8,there is an immense edifice whose foundation ,i laid with my own hands4 ,it was at once solid and simple2 all mankind might have entered into it with safety1 but they1 in seeking to ornament1 overloaded it with useless and fantastic decorations4 ,the building is continually falling to decay1 and they gather up the stones to throw at one another2 while ,i am incessantly calling out to them1 #8,hold1 madmen6 clear away the ruins with which you are surrounded1 and which you yourselves have made2 come and live with me in uninterrupted tranquillity within my mansion1 that is not to be shaken4'0 ,,footnotes ,,to ,a ,,treatise ,,on ,,toleration #b #ab ,october1 #agfa4 #c ,after the body was carried to the town-house1 indeed1 there was found a little scratch upon the end of the nose1 and a small black and blue spot upon the breast2 but these were probably occasioned by some carelessness in removing the corpse4 #d ,i know of but two instances in history of fathers having murdered their children on the score of religion2 the first is the father of ,st4 ,barbara1 as she is called2 it seems he had ordered two windows to be made in his bathing-room4 ,st4 ,barbara in his absence took it into her head to make a third in honor of the ,holy ,trinity2 she also with the end of her finger made the sign of the cross upon the marble pillars1 which remained deeply impressed thereon2 her father1 in a violent fury to have his room thus marked1 runs after her with his sword in his hand with an intention to kill her2 she flies towards a mountain1 which very complaisantly opens upon her approach to give her a passage4 ,her father finds himself obliged to go round about1 and at length gets hold of his fugitive daughter1 whom he strips and prepares to scourge2 but ,god envelops her with a white cloud2 however1 after all1 her father caused her head to be struck off4 ,this is the story as we find it related in the book called 8,the ,flower of ,saints40 ,the second instance is of ,prince ,hermenegildus1 who raised a rebellion against the king1 his father1 and gave him battle in the year #ehd1 but was himself defeated and slain by one of his father's generals2 however1 he has been placed among the martyrs1 because his father was an ,arian4 #e ,it is necessary for the ,english reader to understand that in ,paris it is customary for the great lawyers or counsellors employed in any remarkable case to publish their pleadings on each side4 ,on this occasion1 however1 our author observes1 8that these publications were pirated in several towns1 by which ,mrs4 ,calas lost the advantage that was intended her by this act of generosity40 #f ,dvot1 or as we call it in ,english1 devotee1 comes from the ,latin word devotus4 ,the devoti of ancient ,rome were such persons who devoted themselves to death for the safety or good of the republic1 as the ,curtii and ,decii4 #g ,they revived the opinion of ,berengarius1 concerning the eucharist2 they denied that a body can exist in a thousand different places at one time1 even by all the exertion of divine omnipotence2 they also denied that attributes can subsist without a subject2 they held that it was absolutely impossible that what appears to be simple bread and wine to the sight1 the taste1 and the stomach1 can in the very instant of its existence be annihilated or changed into another substance2 in a word1 they maintained all those errors for which ,berengarius was formerly condemned4 ,they founded their belief on several passages of the ancient fathers of the church1 and particularly of ,st4 ,justin1 who says expressly in his ,dialogue against ,typhon1 8,that the offering of fine flour is the figure of the eucharist1 which ,christ has ordered us to make in commemoration of his passion2 1 c41 1 1 c4 40 ,they revived all that had been advanced in the first ages against the worship of relics1 and brought these words of ,vigilantius for their authority3 8,what necessity is there for your paying adoration or even respect to a mass of vile dust8 ,can it be supposed that the souls of deceased martyrs retain after their death an affection for their ashes8 ,the customs of the ancient idolaters are now introduced into the ,church2 we begun to light tapers at noonday2 we may1 indeed1 during our lifetime1 mutually pray for each other2 but of what service can such prayers be after death80 #h ,the candid and venerable ,president de ,thou expresses himself thus concerning these innocent and unfortunate persons3 8,homines esse qui trecentis circiter abhinc annis asperum incultum solum vectigale a dominis acceperint1 quod improbo labore assiduo cultu frugum ferax aptum pecori reddiderint2 patientissimos eos laboris inedi1 a litibus abhorrentes1 erga1 egenos munificos1 tributa principi sua jura dominis sedulo summa fide pendere2 ,dei cultum assiduis precibus morum innocentiam pr se ferre1 ceterum raro divorum templa adire1 nisi si quando ad vicina suis finibus oppida mercandi aut negotiorum causa divertant2 quo si quandoque pedem inferant1 non dei1 divorumque statuis advolvi1 nec cereos eis aut donaria ulla ponere2 non sacerdotes ab eis rogari ut pro se1 aut propinquorum manibus rem divinam faciant1 non cruce frontem insigniri uti aliorum moris est2 cum clum intonant non se lustrali aqua aspergere1 sed sublatis in clum oculis dei opem implorare2 non religionis ergo peregre proficisci1 non per vias ante crucium simulacra caput aperire2 sacra alio ritu1 populari lingua celebrare2 non denique ,pontifici aut ,episcopis honorem deferre1 sed quosdam e suo numero delectos pro antistibus doctoribus habere4 ,hc uti ad ,franciscum relata ,,vi40 ,id4 ,feb4 anni c4 ,madame de ,cental1 who was proprietor of part of the lands thus laid waste and drenched in the blood of their quondam inhabitants1 applied for redress to ,henry ,,ii41 who referred her to the ,parliament of ,paris4 ,the solicitor-general of ,provence1 whose name was ,guerin and who had been the principal author of these massacres1 was condemned to lose his head1 and was the only one who suffered on this occasion the punishment due to the other accomplices in his guilt1 because1 says de ,thou1 aulicorum favore destituertur1 he had not friends at court4 #i ,francis ,gomar was a ,protestant divine2 he maintained1 in contradiction to ,arminius1 his colleague1 that ,god has1 from all eternity1 predestined the greatest part of mankind to burn in everlasting flames3 this infernal doctrine was supported in the manner most suitable to it1 by persecution4 ,the grand pensionary ,barneveldt1 who was of the party which opposed ,gomar1 was beheaded on the #acth of ,may1 #afai1 at the age of seventy-two1 8for having0 7says his sentence7 8used his uttermost endeavors to vex the ,church of ,god40 #aj ,a pompous writer1 in his apology for the revocation of the ,edict of ,nantes1 speaking of ,england1 has these words3 8,these were the natural fruits of a false religion2 there remained only one to be brought to perfection1 which these islanders1 justly the contempt of all nations1 have cherished1 and adapted to themselves40 ,certainly this author has been a little unfortunate in choosing his time for representing the ,english as a people despicable and despised by all the world2 for surely1 when a nation gives the most signal proofs of its bravery and generosity1 and when its victorious ensigns wave in the four parts of the world1 no great credit is to be given to the writer who shall represent it as contemptible and contemned4 ,but we must observe that it is in a chapter in favor of persecution that we meet with this extraordinary passage2 and none but such as preach persecution can write thus4 ,this detestable book1 which seems the work of a madman1 was composed by a person who has no ecclesiastical cure2 for what real pastor would write in such a manner8 ,the author has even carried his enthusiastic fury to such a length as to justify the massacre of ,st4 ,bartholomew4 ,it might be supposed that a production full of such shocking paradoxes would be in the hands of almost every one1 were it only on account of its singularity1 and yet it seems to be hardly known4 #aa ,see ,ricaut4 #ab ,see ,kempfer1 and all the accounts of ,japan4 #ac ,m4 de la ,bourdonnaie1 intendant of ,rouen1 says that the manufacture of hats at ,caudebec and ,neufchtel has greatly fallen off since the refugees left that county4 ,m4 ,foucaut1 intendant of ,caen1 says that trade in general has declined through the whole district2 and ,m4 de ,maupeou1 intendant of ,poitiers1 that the manufacture of druggets is quite lost4 ,m4 de ,bezons complains that there is now hardly any trade stirring in ,clrac and ,nrac4 ,m4 ,miromnil1 intendant of ,touraine1 says that the trade of ,tours has diminished near ten millions per annum1 and all this through the persecution raised in that part of the kingdom4 7,see the ,memorials of the ,intendants in the year #afih47 ,to this1 if we add the number of land and sea officers and common sailors who have been forced to engage in foreign services1 frequently with fatal consequences to their own country1 we shall then see whether or no persecution has been fatal to the state4 ,we will not here presume to offer any hints to those ministers whose conduct and capacity are sufficiently known1 and whose greatness of soul and nobleness of sentiment do honor to their illustrious birth2 they will of themselves readily perceive that the restoration of our marine will require some indulgence at least to be shown to the inhabitants of our sea-coasts4 #ad ,these disabilities no longer exist in ,protestant countries4 #ae ,chap4 xxi41 xxii4 #af ,acts xxv4 #ag ,acts xxvi4 #ah ,though the power of life and death in criminal matters had been taken from the ,jews after the banishment of ,archelaus into the country of the ,allobroges and that ,juda had been governed as a province1 nevertheless the ,romans frequently winked at the exertion of a judicial power by these people on any particular occasion that related merely to those of their own sect1 such as1 for instance1 when in any sudden tumult they out of zeal stoned to death the person whom they thought guilty of blasphemy4 #ai ,ulpianus ,i4 tit4 ,,ii4 ,eis qui judaicam superstitionem sequuntur1 honores adipisci permiserunt1 c4 #bj ,tacitus' words are3 ,quos per flagitia invisos vulgus ,christianos appellabat4 ,it is hardly probable that the name of ,christian was already known in ,rome4 ,tacitus wrote in the reigns of the ,emperors ,vespasian and ,domitian1 and he speaks of the ,christians in the manner that was customary in his time4 ,and here ,i must venture to assert that the words ,odio humani generis convicti1 may equally well be rendered agreeably to the style of this writer1 ,convicted of being hated by mankind1 as ,convicted of hating all mankind4 ,and indeed1 what was the employment of these first missionaries in ,rome8 ,they labored to gain a few proselytes by preaching a pure and simple moral doctrine2 the humility of their hearts1 and the modesty of their manners were equal to the lowliness of their condition and circumstances4 ,having been so lately separated from the ,jews1 they were hardly known in the world as a different sect2 how then could they be hated by1 or convicted of hating all mankind1 to whom they were in a manner unknown8 ,the ,roman ,catholics have been accused as the incendiaries of the city of ,london in the year #afff1 but not till they had first occasioned civil wars on account of religion2 and after several of that faith1 though unworthy to be so1 had been legally convicted of the ,gunpowder ,plot4 ,but surely the case of the primitive ,christians in the time of ,nero was very different4 ,it is no easy matter to clear up the obscurities of history4 ,even ,tacitus himself says nothing that can afford a reason to suspect ,nero of having set fire to ,rome2 and we might1 with a greater appearance of probability1 charge ,charles ,,ii4 with having lighted up the flames that laid ,london in ashes1 to avenge the blood of his father1 that had been so lately shed upon the scaffold to satisfy a rebellious people who thirsted for that blood4 ,charles had at least some excuse for such an action1 whereas ,nero had neither excuse1 pretence1 nor interest for the deed attributed to him4 ,reports of this kind have been common in every country among the populace1 and even our own times have furnished us with some equally false and ridiculous4 ,tacitus1 who was so well acquainted with the disposition of princes1 could not have been a stranger to that of the common people1 who are ever vain1 inconstant1 and violent in the opinions they adopt1 incapable of discerning truth from falsehood1 and ready to believe1 assert1 and forget everything4 ,philo says that 8,sejanus persecuted the ,jews under ,tiberius1 but that after the death of ,sejanus1 the emperor reinstated them in all their privileges10 one of which was1 that of being denizens of ,rome1 notwithstanding the contempt they were held in by the ,romans4 ,as such1 they had a share in the distribution of corn1 and whenever such distribution happened to be made on the day that was their ,sabbath1 the portion allotted them was put by till the next day2 this indulgence might probably be granted them in favor of the great sums of money with which they furnished the state2 for they have purchased toleration in every country at a pretty high rate1 though1 it must be confessed1 that they have soon found means to reimburse themselves4 ,this passage of ,philo's clearly explains one in ,tacitus1 where he says that 8,four thousand ,jews or ,egyptians were banished to ,sardinia1 where1 if they had all perished1 through the badness of the climate1 it would have been no great loss40 ,vile damnum4 ,before ,i close this note1 ,i shall observe that ,philo speaks of ,tiberius as a wise and just prince4 ,i am very ready to believe that he was so1 only where the being such was agreeable to his interest2 but the good character given him here by ,philo makes me at the same time greatly suspect the truth of those terrible crimes with which ,tacitus and ,suetonius reproach him4 ,nor can ,i think it likely that an infirm old man of seventy would have retired into the island of ,caprera to indulge himself in the uninterrupted exercise of a refined debauchery1 which appears to be hardly natural1 and was1 even in those days of licentiousness1 unknown to the most abandoned of the ,roman youth4 ,neither ,tacitus nor ,suetonius was acquainted with that emperor2 but took these stories upon the credit of vulgar reports2 ,octavius and ,tiberius ,csar1 and their successors1 had been detested for reigning over a free people without their consent4 ,all historians have taken a delight in bespattering their characters1 and the world has taken them at their words for want of authentic memorials or chronicles in those times4 ,besides1 as these writers do not quote any authority for what they advance1 who could contradict them8 ,they blackened whom they pleased1 and wantonly directed the judgment of posterity4 ,the wise and impartial reader will1 however1 readily perceive how far the veracity of historians is to be depended on1 and what degree of credit is due to public facts attested by authors of reputation1 born in a learned and enlightened nation1 as well as what bounds to set to our belief of anecdotes1 when related by these same authors1 without any authority to support them4 #ba ,we most certainly have a proper deference for whatever the ,holy ,church has made the objects of our reverence2 accordingly1 we invoke the blessed martyrs2 but at the same time that we pay ,st4 ,laurence all due respect1 may we not be permitted to doubt that ,st4 ,sixtus said to him3 8,you will follow me in three days40 ,that1 during this short interval1 the prefect of ,rome made him demand a sum of money of the ,christians2 that ,laurence had time to assemble all the poor people in that city2 that he walked before the prefect1 to show him the place where they were assembled2 that he was afterwards tried and condemned to the torture2 that the prefect ordered the smith to make a gridiron large enough to broil a man upon2 that the principal magistrate of ,rome assisted in person at this strange execution2 and lastly that ,st4 ,laurence1 while upon the gridiron1 called out to him1 8,i am done enough on this side1 let them turn me on the other1 if you have a mind to eat me40 ,this same gridiron seems to have very little of the ,roman genius in it2 and besides1 how happens it that we do not find a word of this story in any of the heathen writers8 #bb ,we have only to open ,virgil to be convinced that the ,romans acknowledged one ,supreme ,being1 the lord and master of all other heavenly beings4 ,o6 quis res hominumque deumque ternis regis imperiis1 fulmine terres1 ,o pater1 o hominum divumque terna potestas1 c4 ,and ,horace expresses himself still more strongly3 ,unde nil majus generatur ipso1 ,nec viget quidquam simile1 aut secundum4 ,in those mysteries into which almost all the ,roman youths were initiated1 nothing else was sung but the unity of ,god4 ,see the noble hymn of ,orpheus1 and the letter of ,maximus of ,modarum to ,st4 ,augustine1 in which he says that 8,none but fools can possibly deny a ,supreme ,being40 ,longinus1 who was a heathen1 writes also to ,st4 ,augustine that 8,god is one1 incomprehensible1 ineffable40 ,even ,lactantius1 who certainly cannot be charged with being too indulgent1 acknowledges in his fifth book that 8,the ,romans subjected all the other deities to the one supreme ,god20 illos subjecit mancipat ,deo4 ,tertullian also in his ,apology confesses that 8,the whole empire acknowledged one ,god1 ruler of the world1 and infinite in power and majesty30 ,principem mundi perfect potenti majestatis4 ,again1 if we look into ,plato1 who taught ,cicero his philosophy1 we shall there find him thus express himself3 8,there is but one ,god1 whom we all ought to love and adore1 and labor to resemble ,him in integrity and holiness40 ,epictetus in a dungeon1 and ,mark ,antoninus on a throne1 tell us the same in a hundred different passages of their writings4 #bc ,chap4 #ci4 #bd ,chap4 #ce4 #be ,chap4 iii4 #bf ,this assertion requires to be proved4 ,it cannot be denied that from the time that history succeeded to fiction1 the ,egyptians have constantly appeared to be a people as dastardly as they were superstitious4 ,cambyses made the conquest of their country in a single battle2 ,alexander gave them laws without striking a stroke1 or without one of their cities daring to wait a siege4 ,the ,ptolemies subdued them with as little trouble1 nor did ,octavius and ,augustus ,csar find more difficulty in bringing them under their obedience4 ,omar overran all ,egypt in one single campaign2 the ,mamelukes1 who inhabited ,colchis and the regions of ,mount ,caucasus1 became their masters afterwards2 and it was these people1 and not the ,egyptians1 who defeated the army of ,st4 ,louis1 and took that king prisoner4 ,at length the ,mamelukes having1 in process of time1 become ,egyptians1 that is to say1 effeminate1 cowardly1 lazy1 and dissipated1 like the original natives of the climate1 they were in three months' time brought under the yoke of ,selim ,i41 who caused their ,soldan to be hanged1 and made their kingdom a province of the ,turkish ,empire1 and such it will remain till other barbarians may hereafter make themselves masters of it4 ,herodotus relates that in the fabulous ages a king of ,egypt called ,sesostris left his country in order to go and make the conquest of the world2 it is evident that such a design could only be worthy of a ,don ,quixote2 and not to mention that the name ,sesostris is not ,egyptian1 we may rank this event1 like many others of the same date1 among the romances and fairy tales4 ,nothing is more common among a conquered people than to tell strange stories of their former grandeur1 just as1 in some countries1 certain wretched families1 in want of the common necessaries of life1 pride themselves upon being descended from ancient sovereigns4 ,the ,egyptian priests told ,herodotus that this king1 whom he called ,sesostris1 went on an expedition to conquer ,colchis1 which is much the same as if we were to say that a king of ,france set out from ,touraine to conquer ,norway4 ,it avails not that these stories are found repeated in a thousand different writers2 it makes them not a whit more probable2 it is much more natural to suppose that the fierce and athletic inhabitants of ,mount ,caucasus1 of ,colchis1 and the other parts of ,scythia1 who so often made incursions upon and ravaged ,asia1 might have penetrated as far as ,egypt2 and although the priests of ,colchis might afterwards have carried back with them the form of circumcision1 yet that is no kind of proof that they were ever conquered by the ,egyptians4 ,diodorus ,siculus tells us that all the kings who were conquered by ,sesostris came every year from their own kingdoms to bring him their respective tributes1 when ,sesostris made them draw the chariot in which he went in triumph to the temples of his gods4 ,these old women's stories we see every day gravely copied by other writers2 it must be confessed that these kings were very complaisant1 to come every year so far to be made hackney horses of4 ,as to their pyramids1 and other monuments of antiquity1 they prove nothing but the pride and bad taste of the ,egyptian princes1 and the wretched slavery of a weak people1 who employed their strength1 which was their only support1 in pleasing the barbarous ostentation of their masters4 ,the polity of these people1 even in those times which are so much cried up1 appears to have been both absurd and tyrannical2 they pretended that the whole universe belonged to their monarchy4 ,it well became such an abject race to set up for conquerors of the world6 ,the profound learning which we find attributed to the ,egyptian priests is also one of the most ridiculous absurdities in ancient history1 that is to say1 in fable4 ,people who pretended that in a revolution of eleven thousand years the sun had risen twice in the west and set twice in the east in beginning his course anew were doubtless curious astronomers4 ,the religion of these priests1 who governed the state1 was inferior even to that of the most savage people of ,america2 every one knows that crocodiles1 monkeys1 cats1 and onions were the objects of their adoration2 and there is not perhaps in the world so absurd a worship1 excepting that of the ,great ,lama4 ,their arts were as mean as their religion2 there is not one ancient ,egyptian statue fit to be seen2 and whatever they had amongst them of any merit came from ,alexandria in the times of the ,ptolemies and ,csars and was the work of ,grecian artists2 nay1 they were even obliged to send to ,greece for masters to teach them geometry4 ,the illustrious ,bossuet1 in his discourse upon universal history1 dedicated to the son of ,louis the ,fourteenth1 runs wild in his encomiums upon the merits of the ,egyptians2 this may dazzle the understanding of a young prince1 but will never satisfy men of learning4 ,this production is a very fine piece of eloquence1 but a historian should be more of the philosopher than the orator4 ,the reflections here offered concerning the ,egyptians are merely conjectural2 for by what other name can we call anything that is said concerning antiquity8 #bg ,though we do not presume to doubt the suffering of ,st4 ,ignatius1 yet1 can any man of common understanding1 who reads the account of his martyrdom1 prevent some doubts from rising in his mind8 ,the unknown author of this narrative says3 8,trajan thought his glory would not be complete unless he subjected the ,god of the ,christians to his obedience40 ,what a thought6 ,was ,trajan the kind of man who could desire to triumph over the gods8 ,the emperor is said to have thus accosted ,ignatius when he was brought before him3 8,who art thou1 unclean spirit80 ,it is very unlikely that an emperor would have discoursed with a prisoner1 or have passed sentence upon him himself2 it is not customary for sovereign princes to do so4 ,trajan might possibly cause ,ignatius to be brought before him1 but he would not say to him1 8,who art thou80 since he knew very well who he was4 ,and as to the term 8unclean spirit10 could it possibly have been used by such a man as ,trajan8 ,is it not evident that this is an expression used in exorcising1 and put by a ,christian into the emperor's mouth8 ,good heavens6 what a style for ,trajan4 ,can we imagine that ,ignatius answered him that he was called ,theophorus1 because he carried ,jesus in his heart1 and that ,trajan entered into a long conversation with him concerning ,christ8 ,they make ,trajan say at the end of this conference3 8,we command that ,ignatius1 who glories in carrying within him the crucified man1 be thrown into prison loaded with chains10 etc4 ,a sophist1 a foe to ,christianity1 might call ,jesus ,christ the crucified man2 but it is hardly probable that such a term would have been used in a decree4 ,the punishment of the cross was so common among the ,romans that they could not in their law style think of distinguishing by the words 8crucified man0 the object of the ,christians' worship2 nor is it in this manner that the laws or the emperors pronounced sentence4 ,they afterwards make ,ignatius write a long letter to the ,christians of ,rome4 8,i write to you10 says he1 8though loaded with chains40 ,certainly1 if he was allowed to write to the ,christians of ,rome1 those ,christians were not considered as the objects of persecution2 consequently1 ,trajan could have no design to subject their ,god to his obedience2 or1 on the other hand1 if these ,christians were actually liable to persecution1 ,ignatius was guilty of very great imprudence in regard to them1 since this was betraying them to their enemies and making himself an informer against them4 ,surely those who had the compiling of these facts should have had greater regard to probability and the circumstances of the times4 ,the martyrdom of ,st4 ,polycarp also occasions some doubts4 ,it is said that a voice called to him from heaven1 saying3 8,courage1 ,polycarp60 that this voice was distinctly heard by the ,christians1 but by no other of the attendants3 we are told also1 that when ,polycarp was tied to the stake1 and the fire lighted round him1 the flames parted asunder1 and a dove flew out from the midst of them2 and that this saint1 to whom the fire showed so much respect1 exhaled an aromatic odor that perfumed the whole assembly2 nevertheless1 he whom the fire dared not to approach1 could not resist the edge of the sword4 ,surely we may hope for pardon if we discover more piety than truth in these relations4 #bh ,hist4 ,ecclesiast4 lib4 viii4 #bi ,the ,catholic priests are now numbered by thousands in ,great ,britain and ,ireland4 #cj ,see ,mr4 ,locke's excellent letter upon toleration4 #ca ,the ,jesuit ,busembaum1 and his commentator1 the ,jesuit ,la ,croix1 tell us1 that it 8is lawful to kill any prince excommunicated by the ,pope1 of whatsoever country1 because the whole world belongs to the ,pope2 and that whoever accepts of or executes such commission does a meritorious and charitable act40 ,it is this maxim which seems to have been invented in the madhouses of hell1 that has almost stirred up all ,france against the ,jesuits1 who are now more than ever reproached for this doctrine1 which they have so often preached1 and as often disavowed4 ,they have endeavored to justify themselves by producing nearly the same maxims in the writings of ,st4 ,thomas ,aquinas and several ,dominicans499 ,it is true1 indeed1 that this ,st4 ,thomas1 the angelic ,doctor and ,interpreter of the ,divine ,will1 advances that an apostate prince loses his right to the crown1 and forfeits the obedience due to him from his subjects2 that the ,church may condemn him to death2 that the ,emperor ,julian was permitted to reign only because he was too powerful to be resisted3 that we ought to kill every heretic3 that those who deliver a people from the government of a tyrannical prince1 etc41 etc4 ,we have1 doubtless1 a great respect for the angel of the schools2 but if he had preached up such maxims in ,france at the time of his brother ,james ,clement1 and the mendicant ,ravaillac1 his angelical doctorship would have met with but a scurvy reception4 99 ,peruse1 if you can get it1 the letter of a layman to a divine on the subject of ,st4 ,thomas1 a ,jesuitical pamphlet published in #agfb4 ,lib4 ii4 part ii4 question #ab4 ,ibid4 ,questions #aa and #ab4 ,it must be confessed that ,john ,gerson1 chancellor of the ,university1 carried the matter yet further than ,st4 ,thomas2 and ,john ,petit1 the ,franciscan1 still further than ,gerson4 ,several of the order openly maintained the detestable maxims of their brother ,petit4 ,it must be acknowledged that this hellish doctrine of king-killing proceeds wholly from the ridiculous notion which has so long prevailed amongst all orders of monks1 that the ,pope is a ,god upon earth1 and can dispose of the crowns and lives of sovereigns at his pleasure4 ,in this respect1 we are inferior even to those ,tartarian idolaters who held the ,grand ,lama to be immortal2 greedily gather the contents of his close-stool1 dry these precious relics with great care1 enclose them in rich cases1 and kiss them with the warmest devotion4 ,for my part1 ,i confess that ,i had rather1 for the good of my country1 and the sake of public tranquillity1 carry those relics constantly about my neck1 than to give my assent to the ,pope's having in any case whatsoever an authority over the temporals of kings1 or even those of a private person4 #cb ,chap4 ii4 #aa-ad4 #cc ,deut4 xiv4 #cd ,agreeable to my intention of making some useful notes upon this treatise1 ,i shall here observe that although ,god is said to have made a covenant with ,noah1 and with all the beasts of the field1 yet he permits him to eat of every thing that has the breath of life1 excepting only the eating of blood1 which he positively prohibits2 and moreover adds that 8the ,lord will take vengeance of every beast by whom man's blood shall be shed40 ,from these passages and several others of the like tenor1 we may infer1 with all the sages of ancient and present times1 and with every person of enlightened conceptions1 that beasts are endowed with some knowledge4 ,we do not find ,god making a covenant with trees or with stones that have no sense2 but ,he does with the beasts1 whom it has pleased ,him to endow with senses1 frequently more exquisite than our own1 and consequently with those ideas that are necessarily connected with sense4 ,it is for this reason that ,he prohibits the barbarous custom of feeding upon their blood1 the blood being the source of life1 and consequently of sense4 ,take away all the blood from an animal and all his organs will immediately cease from action4 ,it is therefore with the greatest justice that we find it said in so many different parts of the ,holy ,scripture1 that the soul1 that is to say1 what was called the sensitive soul1 is in the blood2 an opinion perfectly agreeable to nature1 and as such received by all nations4 ,it is upon this opinion that we found that pity which we ought to show to all animals4 ,it is one of the seven precepts of the ,noachides that were adopted by the ,jews1 that no one shall eat the limb of a living animal4 ,this precept is a proof that mankind had formerly the cruelty to mutilate animals in order to feast upon the limbs so cut off1 and to leave the creatures living1 in order to feed successively upon the other parts of their bodies2 a custom which we find to have actually subsisted among some barbarous nations--witness the sacrifices offered in the island of ,chios to ,bacchus ,omadios1 or the eater of raw flesh4 ,god1 by permitting the flesh of animals to serve us for food1 seems to recommend them to our humanity4 ,it must be confessed that there is great cruelty in putting them to torture1 and that nothing but custom could have lessened in us the natural abhorrence of slaughtering an animal that we have fed with our own hands4 ,there have in all times been sects who have made a religious scruple of such practices1 as do to this day all the inhabitants of the ,peninsula of the ,ganges4 ,the whole sect of ,pythagoreans1 both in ,greece and ,italy1 constantly abstained from the eating of flesh4 ,and ,porphyry1 in his book upon 8,abstinence10 reproaches his disciples with having quitted their sect only for the sake of indulging an inhuman appetite4 ,it is in my opinion a giving up of the light of reason1 to pretend to assert that beasts are no more than mere machines2 for is it not a manifest contradiction to acknowledge that ,god has given them the organs of sense1 and then to affirm that they have no sense8 ,besides1 ,i think one must never have made any observation upon animals1 not to distinguish in them the different cries of want1 suffering1 joy1 fear1 love1 anger1 and indeed all other affections of the mind or body2 surely1 it would be very strange that they should so well express what they have no sense of6 ,this remark may furnish abundant matter of reflection to inquisitive minds1 in relation to the power and goodness of the ,creator1 who has been pleased to bestow life1 sense1 ideas1 and memory on those beings whose organs he has formed with ,his own all-powerful hand4 ,as to us1 we neither know how these organs are formed1 how they are unfolded1 in what manner we receive life1 nor by what laws sense1 ideas1 memory1 and will are annexed to that life2 and yet in this dark and ternal state of ignorance inherent to our natures1 we are perpetually disputing with1 and persecuting one another1 like the bulls of the field1 who fight with their horns1 without knowing for what use1 or in what manner those horns were given them4 #ce ,amos v4 #bf4 #cf ,jer4 vii4 #bb4 #cg ,acts vii4 #db4 #ch ,deut4 xii4 #h4 #ci ,several writers have too rashly concluded from this passage that the chapter concerning the golden calf--which is no other than the ,egyptian god ,apis--has1 as well as many other chapters1 been added to the books of ,moses4 ,eben-,ezra was the first who undertook to prove that the ,pentateuch--or the five books of ,moses--was written in the times of the ,kings4 ,wollaston1 ,collins1 ,tindal1 ,shaftesbury1 ,bolingbroke1 and many others have asserted that in those ages men had no other way of committing their thoughts to writing but by engraving them upon polished stone1 brick1 lead1 or wood2 and tell us that in the time of ,moses the ,chaldans and ,egyptians had no other way of writing1 and that then they could engrave but in a very abridged manner1 and by hieroglyphics1 the substance only of such things as they thought worthy of being transmitted to posterity1 and could never form any regular histories2 then it was next to an impossibility to engrave books of any considerable bulk in the wilderness1 where they were continually changing their habitation2 where they had no person to furnish them with clothing1 to make that clothing for them1 or even to mend their sandals1 and where ,god was obliged to perform a miracle to preserve the garments of ,his people entire4 ,they say that it is hardly probable that there should have been so many engravers among them1 at the time that they were so deficient in the more necessary arts of life1 and did not know even how to make bread2 and if we answer to this1 that the pillars of the tabernacle were of brass1 and their chapiters of massy silver they reply1 that though the order for this might have been given in the wilderness1 it was not executed till after they were settled in perfect tranquillity4 ,they cannot conceive1 they say1 how the ,israelites1 who were a poor and vagabond people1 could have asked for a calf of massy gold to be erected for the object of their adoration1 at the foot of the very mountain where ,god was then talking with ,moses1 and in the very midst of the thunder and lightning1 and the sound of the heavenly trumpet1 which were heard and seen by all present4 ,they profess their astonishment that it should have been only the day before ,moses descended from the mountain1 that all the people should have addressed themselves to his brother ,aaron to raise this golden calf2 or how it was possible for ,aaron to have cast such an image in one single day2 and still more1 how ,moses could have reduced it into an impalpable powder4 ,they say that it is impossible for any artist to make a statue of gold in less than three months1 and that not all the possible efforts of the chemical art are sufficient to reduce such a mass into a powder that may be swallowed1 and consequently1 that the prevarication of ,aaron and this operation of ,moses must have been two miracles4 ,deceived by the humanity and goodness of their hearts1 they cannot believe that ,moses slaughtered three and twenty thousand souls to expiate this crime2 nor1 that so many men would have tamely suffered themselves to be murdered without a third miracle4 ,lastly1 they think it very extraordinary that ,aaron1 who was the most guilty of all1 should have been rewarded for that very crime for which the rest underwent so dreadful a punishment1 by being created high-priest1 and go to offer sacrifice at the high altar1 while the bodies of three and twenty thousand of his slaughtered brethren lay bleeding round him4 ,they start the same difficulties concerning the eighty thousand ,israelites who were slain by order of ,moses1 to atone for the crime of a single one of them1 for being surprised with a ,moabite woman2 and seeing that ,solomon1 and so many other of the ,jewish kings did1 without being punished for it1 take to themselves strange wives1 they cannot conceive what great crime there could be in an individual making an alliance with one ,moabite woman4 ,ruth was a ,moabitess1 though her family was originally of ,bethlehem2 the ,scripture always distinguishes her by the name of ,ruth the ,moabitess2 and yet she went and laid herself by the side of ,boaz1 received six measures of barley from him1 was afterwards married to him1 and was the grandmother of ,david4 ,rahab was not only a stranger1 but also a common prostitute1 or a harlot1 as she is called in ,scripture2 yet she was taken to wife by ,solomon1 a prince of ,juda2 from whom also ,david was descended4 ,this ,rahab is taken to be a type of the ,christian church by several of the ancient fathers2 and especially by ,origen1 in his seventh homily on ,joshua4 ,bathsheba1 the wife of ,uriah1 by whom ,david begat ,solomon1 was a ,hittite4 ,and if we go farther back1 we shall find that the patriarch ,judah married a ,canaanitess2 and his sons lay with ,thamar1 who was of the race of ,aaron2 and the woman with whom ,judah1 without knowing it1 committed incest1 was not of the ,israelitish race4 ,thus then was our ,lord ,jesus ,christ pleased to take upon him flesh in a family descended from five aliens1 to show that all nations should partake of his inheritance4 ,the rabbi ,eben-,ezra was1 as we have already observed1 the first who undertook to prove that the ,pentateuch was compiled long after the time of ,moses2 and for his authority quotes several passages in those books2 and amongst others the following3 8,the ,canaanite then dwelt in that land4 ,the mountain of ,moriah1 called the ,mountain of ,god4 ,the bed of ,og1 king of ,bashan1 is still to be seen in ,rabah4 ,and the country of ,bashan is called the villages of ,jaiar unto this day4 ,never was there a prophet seen in ,israel like unto ,moses4 ,these are the kings who reigned in ,edom1 before any king reigned over ,israel40 ,he pretends that these passages1 in which mention is made of events that happened long after the time of ,moses1 could never have been written by ,moses himself4 ,to this it is replied1 that these passages were added long after by way of notes by the transcribers4 ,newton1 whose name ought on every other occasion to be mentioned with respect1 but who1 as a man1 may have been liable to error1 in the introduction to his commentaries upon ,daniel and ,st4 ,john1 ascribes the five books of ,moses1 ,joshua1 and ,judges to holy writers of much later date2 and founds his opinion on the thirty-sixth chapter of ,genesis1 the seventeenth1 eighteenth1 nineteenth1 and twenty-first chapters of ,judges1 the eighth chapter of ,samuel1 the second chapter of ,chronicles1 and the fourth chapter of the book of ,ruth2 and indeed1 considering that in the thirty-sixth chapter of ,genesis we find mention made of ,kings1 and that ,david is spoken of in the books of ,judges and that of ,ruth1 it should seem that those books were compiled in the times of the ,kings4 ,this is also the opinion of several divines1 at the head of whom is the famous ,le ,clerc4 ,but there are very few of those who are followers of this opinion1 that have had the curiosity to fathom these mysteries2 a curiosity which certainly makes no part of the duty of man4 ,for when the learned and the ignorant1 the prince and the peasant1 shall1 after this short life1 appear together before the throne of ,eternal ,majesty1 every one of us then will wish to have been just and humane1 generous and compassionate2 and no one will pride himself in having known exactly the year in which the ,pentateuch was written1 or in having been able to distinguish the true text from the additional notes in use among the ,scribes4 ,god will not ask us whether we were of the opinion of the ,masorites against the ,talmud1 or whether we may not have mistaken a ,caph for a ,beth1 a ,yod for a ,vau1 or a ,daleth for a ,resh4 ,no1 certainly2 but he will judge us according to our deeds1 and not according to our knowledge of the ,hebrew language4 ,let us therefore abide firmly by the decision of the ,church1 so far as is agreeable to the reasonable duty of a believer4 ,we will conclude this note with an important passage from ,leviticus1 a book composed after the time of the golden calf4 ,the ,jews are there commanded no more to offer their sacrifices to goats with whom they have gone a-whoring499 ,we cannot say whether this strange worship came from ,egypt1 the country of sorcery and superstition2 but there is reason to believe1 that the custom of our pretended magicians of keeping a ,sabbath apart1 for adoring a goat1 and committing such detestable uncleanliness with it as is shocking to conception1 came from the ancient ,jews1 as it is certain that they first taught a part of ,europe the practice of magic4 ,what a detestable people6 ,surely such infamous and unnatural practices deserve the punishment at least equal to that which befell them for worshipping the golden calf2 and yet1 we find the lawgiver contents himself with simply prohibiting those practices4 ,we have quoted this subject only to show what the ,jewish nation was2 the sin of bestiality must certainly have been very common amongst them1 since they are the only people we know among whom there was a necessity for any law to prohibit that crime1 the commission of which was not even suspected by any other legislators4 99 ,leviticus vii4 and xviii4 #bb4 ,there is reason to believe that on account of the fatigues and distresses which the ,jews suffered in the deserts of ,paran1 ,horeb1 and ,kadash-,barnea1 the female species1 which is always the weakest1 might have failed amongst them2 and it is certain that the ,jews were greatly in want of women1 since we find them almost always commanded1 when they conquered any town or village1 to the right or left of the lake ,asphaltes1 to put all the inhabitants to the sword1 excepting only the young women who were of an age to know man4 ,the ,arabs1 who still inhabit a part of these deserts1 stipulate to this day in the treaties which they make with the caravans1 that they shall furnish them with marriageable women2 so that it is not improbable but that the young men of those barren countries might have carried the depravation of human nature so far as to have had carnal commerce with goats1 as is related of the shepherds of ,calabria4 ,it is still1 however1 uncertain whether any monsters were produced by this unnatural copulation1 and whether there is any foundation for the ancient stories of satyrs1 fauns1 centaurs1 and minotaurs2 history says there is2 but natural philosophy has not yet cleared up to us this monstrous circumstance4 #dj ,num4 xxi #i4 #da ,midian was not included in the ,land of ,promise2 it is a little canton of ,iduma1 in ,arabia ,petra1 beginning to the northward of the torrent of ,arron1 and ending at the torrent of ,zared1 in the midst of rocks on the eastern border of the lake ,asphaltes4 ,this country is inhabited by a small ,arabian horde or tribe1 and may be about eight leagues long and about seven in breadth4 #db ,num4 xxxi4 #dc ,num4 xxxi4 #dj4 #dd ,it is plain by the text that ,jephthah did actually sacrifice his daughter4 ,doctor ,calmet2 in his dissertation upon ,jephthah's vow1 says1 that 8,god did not approve these vows2 but when once any one had made them1 he insisted upon their being fulfilled1 was it only to punish those who made them1 and to put a check upon them in the doing it by fear of being obliged to perform them40 ,this action of ,jephthah is condemned by ,st4 ,augustine and almost all the fathers1 although the ,scripture says that he was filled with the spirit of ,god2 and ,st4 ,paul in the eleventh chapter of his ,epistle to the ,hebrews1 greatly praises ,jephthah1 exalting him even above ,samuel and ,david4 ,st4 ,jerome1 in his ,epistle to ,julian1 expresses himself thus2 8,jephthah sacrificed his daughter to the ,lord1 and therefore the ,apostle has placed him among the saints40 ,here now is a diversity in opinions1 concerning which it is not permitted us to pronounce a decision2 nay1 it is even dangerous to have any opinion of our own4 #de ,the death of ,agag1 king of the ,amalekites1 may be looked upon as a real sacrifice4 ,saul had made this prince a prisoner of war1 and had admitted him to a capitulation notwithstanding that the priest and the prophet ,samuel had charged him to spare no one2 saying to him expressly3 8,go and smite ,amalek1 and utterly destroy all that they have1 and spare them not1 but slay both man and woman1 infant and suckling1 ox and sheep1 camel and ass40--8,and ,samuel hewed ,agag in pieces before the ,lord at ,gilgal40 8,the zeal with which this prophet was animated10 says ,calmet1 8put a sword into his hand on this occasion1 to revenge the honor of ,god1 and to confound ,saul40 ,in this melancholy adventure1 we have a vow1 a priest1 and a victim2 consequently1 it is a real sacrifice4 ,we find from history that most nations1 the ,chinese excepted1 were wont to sacrifice human victims to the ,deity2 ,plutarch says1 that this custom prevailed even among the ,romans at some certain times4 ,csar in his 8,commentaries0 tells us that the ,germans were going to sacrifice two of his officers1 whom he had sent to confer with their king1 ,ariovistus1 had not ,csar delivered them by beating the ,german army4 ,i have in another place observed199 that this violation of the laws of nations1 and the offering of human victims1 which was rendered more horrible by its being done by the hands of their women1 seems a little to contradict ,tacitus's panegyric on them in his treatise 8,de ,moribus ,germanorum10 which seems rather to have been designed as a satire upon the ,roman people1 than to praise the ,germans1 to whom he was an utter stranger4 ,and here we may observe by the way1 that ,tacitus was fonder of satire than of truth2 he labors to throw everything1 even the most indifferent actions1 into an odious point of light2 and his malice pleases us as much as his style1 because we are naturally fond of wit and slander4 99 ,additions to ,general ,history1 part i41 of ,voltaire4 ,but to return to the subject of human sacrifices4 ,this custom prevailed as much among our forefathers as with the ,germans2 it is the lowest degree of debasement to which human nature can fall when left to herself1 and is one of the effects of the weakness of mortal understanding1 which reasons thus3 ,we ought to offer to ,god whatever we have of most pleasing or valuable2 there is nothing more valuable than our children2 therefore we ought to select the youngest and most beautiful to sacrifice them to the ,deity4 ,philo says that the ,canaanites used to offer their children in sacrifice1 before ,god had commanded ,abraham1 as a trial of his faith1 to offer up his only son1 ,isaac4 ,sanchoniathon1 as quoted by ,eusebius1 says that the ,phnicians1 when threatened with any great danger or distress1 offered up the most favorite of their children1 and that ,ilus sacrificed his son1 ,jehud1 much about the same time that ,god made the trial of ,abraham's faith4 ,it is very difficult to penetrate into the dark recesses of early antiquity2 but it is too melancholy a truth that these horrible sacrifices were almost everywhere in use2 and men have laid them aside1 only in proportion as they have become civilized4 ,so true is it that civilization is the nurse of humanity4 #df ,ezek4 xxxix4 #di4 #dg ,judges ix4 #bd4 #dh ,judges xvii4 last verse4 #di ,judges xviii4 #aa-bi4 #ej ,judges xviii4 #aa-ci4 #ea ,the author evidently confounds ,elisha and ,elijah4 #eb ,those who are unacquainted with the customs of antiquity1 and who judge only from what they see about them1 may possibly be astonished at this odd command2 but they should reflect1 that at those times it was the custom in ,egypt1 and most part of ,assyria1 to express things by hieroglyphical figures1 signs1 and types4 ,the prophets1 who were called seers by the ,egyptians and ,jews1 not only expressed themselves in allegories1 but also represented by signs those events which they foretold4 ,thus we find ,isaiah1 the chief of the four greater prophets1 taking a roll and writing therein1 8,maher-,shalal-,hashbaz10 that is1 8,make haste to the spoil02 and going in unto the prophetess1 she conceived and bare a son1 whom the ,lord called ,maher-,shalal-,hashbaz4 ,this is a type of the evils which were to be brought upon the ,jews by the people of ,egypt and ,assyria4 ,the prophet also says3 8,before that the child shall be of an age to eat butter and honey1 to refuse the evil and choose the good1 the land that they abhorred shall be delivered of both her kings2 and the ,lord will hiss to the flies of ,egypt1 and for the bees of ,assyr1 and the ,lord will shave with a razor that is hired1 the beard and the hair of the feet of the king of ,assyria4099 99 ,isaiah vii4 #ae-ah4 ,this prophecy of the bees1 and of the shaving of the beard1 and of the hair of the feet1 can be understood only by those who know that it was a custom to call the swarms of bees together by the sound of a flageolet or pipe1 or some other rustic instrument2 that the greatest affront that could be done to any man was to cut off his beard2 and that the hair on the private parts was called the hair of the feet1 which was never shaven but in cases of leprosy1 or other unclean disorders4 ,all these figures1 which would appear so strange in our style1 signify nothing more than that the ,lord will1 in the course of a few years1 deliver ,his people from captivity4 ,we find the same prophet walking naked and barefoot to show that the king of ,assyria shall lead away the ,egyptians and ,ethiopians captives1 without their having wherewithal to cover their nakedness4 ,isaiah xx4 ,the prophet ,ezekiel eats the roll of parchment which ,god had given him2 afterwards he eats his bread covered with excrement1 and continues to lie on his left side three hundred and ninety days1 and forty days on his right side1 to show that the ,jews should want bread1 and as a type of the number of years they were to remain in captivity4 ,he loads himself with chains1 as a figure of those that they are to wear2 and he cuts off the hair of his head and of his beard1 and divides them into three parts2 the first of these portions is a type of those who are to perish in the city of ,jerusalem2 the second1 of such as are to be slain without the walls2 and the third1 of those who are to be carried away to ,babylon4 ,ezek4 iv4 seq4 ,the prophet ,hosea takes to himself a woman who is an adulteress1 and whom he purchases for fifteen pieces of silver1 and for an homer and a half of barley1 and says unto her3 8,thou shalt abide for me many days1 thou shalt not play the harlot1 and thou shalt not be for another man1 for so shall the children of ,israel abide many days without a king1 and without a prince1 and without an image1 and without an ephod1 and without teraphim02 in a word1 the seers or prophets scarcely ever foretell anything without using a type or sign of the thing foretold4 ,hosea iii4 ,jeremiah therefore only conformed to the usual custom when he bound himself with cords1 and put bonds and yokes upon his neck1 as figures of the approaching slavery of those to whom he sent them1 and if we attend properly to these things1 we shall find the times here spoken of to be like those of an old world1 differing in everything from the new society4 ,the laws1 the manner of making war1 were all absolutely different2 and if we only open ,homer and the first book of ,herodotus1 we need nothing more to convince us that there is not the least resemblance between the people of early antiquity and ourselves2 hence we ought to distrust our own judgment1 when we attempt to compare their manners with ours4 ,even nature herself is not now the same she was then2 magicians and sorcerers had at that time a power over her which they no longer possess2 they enchanted serpents1 they raised the dead out of their tombs1 etc4 ,god sent dreams1 and men interpreted them4 ,the gift of prophecy was common4 ,and we read of several metamorphoses1 such as of ,nebuchadnezzar into an ox1 of ,lot's wife into a pillar of salt1 and of five whole cities changed in an instant into a burning lake4 ,there were likewise several species of men that no longer exist4 ,the race of giants1 ,rephaim1 ,emim1 ,nephilim1 and ,enacim1 have totally disappeared4 ,st4 ,augustine1 in his fifth book 8,de ,civitate ,dei10 says that he saw a tooth of one of those ancient giants that was at least a hundred times as large as one of our grinders4 ,ezekiel speaks of pygmies 7,gamadim71 not above a cubit high1 who fought at the siege of ,tyre2 and almost all writers1 sacred and profane1 have agreed in the truth of these relations4 ,in fine1 the ancient world was so different from ours that there is no drawing any rule for our conduct from it2 and if in the earliest ages of antiquity we find mankind mutually persecuting and destroying one another on account of their different faiths1 far be it from us1 who live under the enlightened law of grace1 to copy after such originals4 #ec ,jer4 xxvii4 xxviii4 #ed ,isaiah xliv4 and xlv4 #ee ,malachi i4 #a4 #ef ,deut4 xxviii4 #bh and seq4 #eg ,there is but one passage in the whole ,mosaic law from which one might conclude that ,moses was acquainted with the reigning opinion among the ,egyptians1 that the soul did not die with the body4 ,this passage is very particular1 and is in the eighteenth chapter of ,deuteronomy3 8,there shall not be found among you any one that useth divination1 or an observer of times1 or an enchanter1 or a witch1 or a charmer1 or a consulter with familiar spirits 7,python71 or a wizard1 or a necromancer40 ,from this passage it appears that by invoking the souls of the dead this pretended necromancy supposed a permanency of the soul4 ,it might also happen that the necromancers of whom ,moses speaks1 being but ignorant deceivers1 might not have a distinct idea of the magic they operated4 ,they made people believe that they forced the dead to speak1 and by the power of their art restored the body to the same state as when living2 without once examining whether their ridiculous operations might authorize the doctrine of the immortality of the soul4 ,the ancient magicians were never philosophers2 they were at best but a set of stupid jugglers1 who played their tricks before as illiterate spectators4 ,but what is very strange and worthy of observation is that the word 8python0 should be found in ,deuteronomy so long before that ,greek term was known to the ,hebrews2 and indeed this word is not to be found in the ,hebrew1 of which we have never had a good translation4 ,there are many insurmountable difficulties in this language2 it is a mixture of ,phnician1 ,egyptian1 ,syriac1 and ,arabic1 and has undergone many alterations to the present time4 ,the ,hebrew verbs had only two moods1 the present and the future2 the rest were to be guessed at by the sense4 ,the different vowels were frequently expressed by the same characters1 or rather1 indeed1 they were not expressed at all2 and the inventors of points have only increased the difficulties they meant to remove4 ,every adverb had twenty different significations1 and the same word had frequently several contrary senses4 ,add to this that the language was in itself very dry and barren2 for the ,jews1 not being acquainted with the arts1 could not express what they knew nothing of4 ,in a word1 the ,hebrew is to the ,greek what the language of a pedant is to that of an academic4 #eh ,ezek4 xviii4 #bj4 #ei ,the opinion of ,ezekiel was at length the prevailing one of the synagogue2 not but that there were always some ,jews who1 though they believed in a state of eternal punishment1 yet believed at the same time that ,god punished the sins of the fathers upon the children4 ,at present1 indeed1 they are punished even beyond the fiftieth generation1 and yet are in danger of eternal punishment4 ,it may be asked how the offsprings of those ,jews who were not concerned in putting ,christ to death can be temporarily punished in the persons of their children1 who were as innocent as themselves4 ,this temporal punishment1 or rather this manner of living1 so different from all other people1 and of trading over the whole earth without having any country of their own1 cannot be considered as a punishment1 compared with what they are to expect hereafter on account of their unbelief1 and which they might avoid by a sincere repentance4 #fj ,ezek4 xx4 #be4 #fa ,those who have thought to discover the doctrine of hell and heaven1 such as it is now believed by us1 in the ,mosaic books1 have been strangely mistaken2 their error is owing entirely to an idle dispute about words3 the ,vulgate having translated the ,hebrew word ,sheol1 the pit1 by the ,latin word infernum1 and this latter having been rendered in ,french by enfer1 hell1 they have taken occasion from this equivocal translation to establish a belief that the ancient ,hebrews had a notion of the ,hades and ,tartarus of the ,greeks1 known to other nations before them by different appellations4 ,we are told in the sixteenth chapter of ,numbers1 that the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up ,korah1 ,dathan1 and ,abiron1 and they and all that appertained to them went down alive into the pit1 or grave2 now certainly there is nothing said in this passage concerning the souls of these three persons1 nor yet of the torments of hell1 nor of eternal punishments4 ,it is very extraordinary that the authors of the 8,dictionnaire ,encyclopdique0 under the word hell 7enfer7 should say that the ancient ,hebrews believed in its existence4 ,if this be true1 there would be an insurmountable contradiction in the ,pentateuch2 for why should ,moses have spoken of the punishment after death in one single passage only1 of all his works4 ,on this occasion they quote the thirty-second chapter of ,deuteronomy2 but after a mutilated manner4 ,the whole passage is as follows3 8,they have moved me to jealousy with that which is not ,god1 they have provoked me to anger with their vanities1 and ,i will move them to jealousy with those that are not a people1 ,i will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation4 ,for a fire is kindled in my anger1 and shall burn unto the lowest hell2 and shall consume the earth with her increase1 and set on fire the foundations of the mountains4 ,i will heap mischiefs upon them2 ,i will spend mine arrows upon them4 ,they shall be burnt with hunger1 and devoured with burning heat and with bitter destruction2 ,i will also send the teeth of beasts upon them1 with the poison of serpents of the dust40 ,but have any or all of these expressions the least relation to the idea of hell-torments8 ,on the contrary1 it seems as if these words were purposely inserted to prove that our hell was unknown to the ancient ,jews4 ,the author of this article quotes also the following passage from the twenty-fourth chapter of ,job3 8,the eye of the adulterer waiteth for the twilight1 saying1 no eye shall see me1 and disguiseth his face4 ,in the dark they dig through houses which they had marked for themselves in the daytime4 ,they know not the light1 for the morning is to them as the shadow of death2 if one know them1 they are in the terrors of the shadow of death4 ,he is swift as the waters1 their portion is cursed in the earth1 he beholdeth not the way of the vineyards4 ,drought and heat consume the snow-waters1 so doth the grave those who have sinned40 ,i quote these passages entire1 otherwise it will be impossible to form a true idea of them4 ,but let me ask if there is the least expression here from which one may conclude that ,moses ever taught the ,jews the clear and simple doctrine of eternal rewards and punishments8 ,not to mention that the ,book of ,job has nothing to do with the ,mosaic law1 there is great reason to believe that ,job himself was not a ,jew2 this is the opinion of ,st4 ,jerome in his 8,hebrew ,questions upon ,genesis40 ,the word ,satan1 which occurs in ,job1 was not known to the ,jews1 nor is it anywhere to be found in the five books of ,moses4 ,this name1 as well as those of ,gabriel and ,raphael1 were entirely unknown to the ,jews before their captivity in ,babylon4 ,it would appear1 then1 that ,job is very improperly quoted in this place4 ,but the last chapter of ,isaiah is likewise brought in1 where it is said3 8,and it shall come to pass that from one new moon to another1 and from one ,sabbath to another1 shall all flesh come to worship before me1 saith the ,lord4 ,and they shall go forth and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me2 for their worm shall not die1 neither shall their fire be quenched1 and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh40 ,certainly1 the casting out of these bodies to the view of all passengers1 even to abhorring1 and their being eaten by worms1 can never mean that ,moses taught the ,jews the doctrine of the immortality of the soul2 and the words 8the fire shall not be quenched0 can as little signify that the bodies so exposed to public view were to suffer eternal torments in hell4 ,how can any one quote a passage in ,isaiah to prove that the ,jews in the time of ,moses had adopted the doctrine of the immortality of the soul8 ,according to the ,hebrew computation1 ,isaiah prophesied about the year of the world #cchj4 ,moses lived about the year #bejj2 therefore there was a distance of eight centuries between the one and the other4 ,now it is an insult to common sense1 a downright mockery1 thus to abuse the licence of quoting1 by pretending to prove that a writer was of this or that opinion from a passage in another writer who lived eight hundred years after him1 and who has not even made any mention of such opinion4 ,it is beyond contradiction that the immortality of the soul1 and rewards and punishments after death1 are clearly and positively expressed and declared in the ,new ,testament1 and it is equally certain1 that nothing concerning them is to be found in any one part of the five books of ,moses4 ,notwithstanding that the ,jews did afterwards embrace this doctrine1 they were far from having a proper idea of the spirituality of the soul2 they thought1 in common with most other nations1 that the soul was an uncompounded aerial light substance that retained the appearance of the body it had formerly animated2 and hence came the term apparition1 manes of the dead4 ,several fathers of the ,church were of the same opinion4 ,tertullian1 in his twenty-second chapter 8,de ,anima10 expresses himself thus3 8,definimus animam ,dei flatu natam1 immortalem1 corporalem1 effigiatam1 substantia simplicem02 that is1 8,we define the soul a substance1 formed by the breath of ,god2 of an immortal1 corporeal1 figurative1 and simple nature40 ,st4 ,irenus1 in the thirty-fourth chapter of his second book1 says3 8,incorporales sunt anim quantum ad comparationem mortalium corporum40 8,souls are incorporeal in comparison of mortal bodies40 ,adding1 8,christ has taught us that the soul retains the image of the body02 8,caracterem corporum in quo adoptantur10 etc4 ,christ does not appear ever to have taught such a doctrine1 and it is difficult to understand what ,st4 ,irenus means in this passage4 ,st4 ,hilarius1 in his commentary on ,st4 ,matthew1 is still more express and positive2 he roundly asserts the soul to have a corporeal substance1 8,corpoream natur su substantiam sortiuntur40 ,st4 ,ambrose on ,abraham1 book ii4 chap4 viii41 will have it that there is nothing free from matter1 unless it be the substance of the ,blessed ,trinity4 ,these reverend fathers seem to have been very indifferent philosophers2 but there is the greatest reason to believe that their divinity was in the main very sound1 inasmuch as1 notwithstanding their ignorance of the incomprehensible nature of the soul1 they asserted it to be immortal1 and endeavored to make it ,christian4 ,we know that the soul is of a spiritual nature1 but we do not at all know what spirit is4 ,we are very imperfectly acquainted with matter2 nor is it possible for us to have a distinct idea of what is not matter4 ,hardly capable of understanding what effects our senses have1 we cannot of ourselves know anything of what surpasses the bound of those senses4 ,we carry some few words of our common language into the inexplorable depths of metaphysics and divinity1 in order to acquire some slight idea of those things1 which we could never conceive or express2 and we use those words as props to support the steps of our feeble understandings in travelling through those unknown regions4 ,thus we make use of the word spirit1 which is the same as breath or air1 to express something which is not matter2 and this word breath1 air1 spirit1 inspiring us insensibly with an idea of an uncompounded and light substance1 we still refine upon this as much as possible1 in order to obtain a proper conception of pure and simple spirituality2 but we shall never be able to obtain a distinct notion of this1 we do not even know what we say1 when we pronounce the word substance2 in its literal signification1 it signifies something beneath1 and thereby shows us that it is incomprehensible2 for what is meant by that which is beneath8 ,the knowledge of the secrets of ,god is not to be acquired in this life4 ,plunged as we are in mortal obscurity1 we fight against one another1 and strike at random in the darkness with which we are surrounded1 without precisely knowing for what we are fighting4 ,if mankind would consider all this with attention1 every reasonable person will be ready to conclude that we ought to have the greatest indulgence for the opinions of others1 and by our conduct endeavor to merit the same from them4 ,the above remarks are not at all foreign to the principal point in question1 which is to know whether men are bound to tolerate one another2 inasmuch as by proving that in all times those of different opinions have been alike mistaken1 it appears to have been the duty of all mankind in every age to treat each other with kindness and forbearance4 #fb ,the doctrine of predestination is of long standing and universal2 we find it in ,homer4 ,jupiter was desirous to save the life of his son ,sarpedon2 but destiny had marked him for death1 and ,jupiter was obliged to submit4 ,destiny was1 with the philosophers1 either the necessary concatenation of causes and effects necessarily produced by nature1 or that same concatenation ordained by ,providence2 the latter of which is most reasonable4 ,we find the whole system of fatality or predestination1 comprised in this line of ,annus ,seneca3 8,ducunt volentem fata1 nolentem trahunt40 ,it has always been acknowledged that ,god governs the universe by eternal1 universal and immutable laws2 this truth gave rise to the many unintelligible disputes concerning free-will1 which had never been defined before the great philosopher ,locke arose1 who has proved it to be the power of acting4 ,god bestows this power1 and man1 acting freely according to the eternal decrees of ,providence1 is one of the wheels of the great machine of the universe4 ,free-will has been a subject of disputation from all antiquity2 but no one until of late times was ever persecuted on this subject4 ,how horrible1 how absurd is it to have imprisoned and banished on account of this dispute a ,pompone d',andilly1 an ,arnauld1 a ,nicole1 a ,sacy1 and so many others who were the shining lights of ,france6 #fc ,the theological romance of the ,metempsychosis came from ,india1 a part of the world to which we are indebted for many more fables than is generally believed4 ,we find this doctrine explained by that beautiful poet ,ovid1 in the twelfth book of his 8,metamorphoses40 ,it has been received in almost every part of the world1 and has everywhere met with its opposers2 nevertheless1 we do not find that any priest among the ancients ever caused a disciple of ,pythagoras to be sent to prison4 #fd ,neither the ancient ,jews1 the ,egyptians1 nor the ,greeks1 their contemporaries1 believed that the soul of man went to heaven after death4 ,the ,jews thought that the sun and moon were placed some leagues above us in the same circle1 and that the firmament was a thick and solid vault1 that supported the weight of the waters1 which1 however1 sometimes ran out through the crevices in this vault4 ,the ancient ,greeks placed the palace of their gods upon ,mount ,olympus4 ,and the abode of heroes after death was1 in ,homer's time1 thought to be in an island beyond the ocean4 ,this likewise was the opinion of the ,essenians4 ,after ,homer1 planets were assigned to the gods2 but there was no more reason for men to place a god in the moon than for the inhabitants of the moon to place a god in our planet of the earth4 ,juno and ,iris had no other palaces assigned them but the clouds1 where there was no place to rest the soles of their feet4 ,among the ,sabans every deity had its star4 ,but as the stars are little suns1 it would be impossible to live there without partaking of the nature of fire4 ,upon the whole1 then1 it is needless to inquire what the ancients thought of heaven2 since the best answer that can be given is1 they thought nothing about it4 #fe ,matthew xxii4 #a-ac4 #ff ,st4 ,luke xiv4 #fg ,it was indeed very difficult1 not to say impossible1 for the ,jews to comprehend1 without an immediate revelation1 the ineyable mystery of the incarnation of ,god1 the ,son of ,god4 ,in the sixth chapter of ,genesis we find the sons of great men called 8the sons of ,god40 ,in like manner the royal ,psalmist calls the tall cedars 8the cedars of ,god40 ,samuel says1 8,the fear of ,god fell upon the people02 that is1 a violent fear seized them4 ,a great tempest is called the wind of the ,lord1 and ,saul's distemper1 the melancholy of the ,lord4 ,nevertheless1 the ,jews seemed to have clearly understood that our ,saviour called ,himself the ,son of ,god in the proper sense of that word2 and if they looked upon this as a blasphemous expression1 it is an additional proof of their ignorance of the incarnation1 and of ,god1 the ,son of ,god1 being sent upon earth for the redemption of mankind4 #fh ,matthew xxvi4 #fa-fd4 #fi ,see that excellent book1 entitled1 8,the ,manual of the ,inquisition40 #gj ,now ,bona1 a town of ,constantine in ,africa4 ,st4 ,augustine was bishop of this see above forty years4 ,it now belongs to ,algiers4 ,,transcriber',s ,,notes ,original printed spelling and grammar are retained1 with a few exceptions noted below4 ,small caps are changed to all capital letters4 ,italics look like this4 ,the original page numbers have been removed4 ,the four illustrations were originally printed full page1 with their captions printed alone on an adjacent page4 ,in this edition1 the captions are combined appropriately with the illustrations1 which are moved to locations near their original locations1 but between paragraphs of text4 ,scans of the original book may be found at archive4org--search for 8worksofvoltaire#jdvoltiala04 ,there were seventy level-one footnotes1 some extending over several pages1 and nine level-two footnotes anchored within level-one footnotes4 ,the level-one footnotes were renumbered1 and are moved to the ends of their two sections--,dialogue ,between ,madame de ,maintenon and ,mdlle4 de l',enclos and ,a ,treatise on ,toleration4 ,the nested footnotes remain near their anchors4 ,page #bbi3 ,a matching right double quotation mark was added to the phrase 8as ,god being their ,king1 and exercising justice immediately upon them1 according to their transgression or obedience1 found it not necessary to reveal to them a doctrine which ,he reserved for after-times1 when ,he should no longer so directly govern ,his people4