,,the ,,three ,,impostors4 ,,translated 7,,with ,,notes ,,and ,,illustrations17 ,,from ,,the ,,french ,,edition ,,of ,,the ,,work1 ,,published ,,at ,,amsterdam1 #aggf4 ,,re-,,published ,,by ,g4 ,,vale1 ,,beacon ,,office1 #c ,,franklin-,,square1 ,,new-,,york3 #ahdf4 ,,note ,,by ,,the ,,american ,,publisher4 ,we publish this valuable work1 for the reasons contained in the following ,note1 of which we approve3-- ,,note ,,by ,,the ,,british ,,publisher4 ,the following little book ,i present to the reader without any remarks on the different opinions relative to its antiquity2 as the subject is amply discussed in the body of the work1 and constitutes one of its most interesting and attractive features4 ,the ,edition from which the present is translated was brought me from ,paris by a distinguished defender of ,civil and ,religious ,liberty3 and as my friend had an anxiety from a thorough conviction of its interest and value1 to see it published in the ,english ,language1 ,i have from like feelings brought it before the public2 and ,i am convinced that it is an excellent antidote to ,superstition and ,intolerance1 and eminently calculated to promote the cause of ,freedom1 ,justice1 and ,morality4 ,j4 ,,myles4 ,,preface ,,by ,,the ,,translator4 ,the ,translator of the following little treatise deems it necessary to say a few words as to the object of its publication4 ,it is given to the world1 neither with a view to advocate ,scepticism1 nor to spread infidelity1 but simply to vindicate the right of private judgment4 ,no human being is in a position to look into the heart1 or to decide correctly as to the creed or conduct of his fellow mortals2 and the attributes of the ,deity are so far beyond the grasp of limited reason1 that man must become a ,god himself before he can comprehend them4 ,such being the case1 surely all harsh censure of each other's opinions and actions ought to be abandoned2 and every one should so train himself as to be enabled to declare with the humane and manly philosopher ,homo sum1 nihil humania me alienum puto4 ,dundee1 ,september #ahdd4 ,,contents ,,of ,,the ,,preliminary ,,dissertation4 ,,disquisitions on the book entitled ,the ,three ,impostors4 ,,answer to the dissertation of ,m4 de la ,monnoye on the work entitled ,the ,three ,impostors4 ,,copy of ,part #b;d1 ,vol4 #a41 ,article ix4 of ,literary ,memoirs1 published at the ,hague by ,henry du ,sauzet1 #agaf4 ,,disquisitions ,,on ,,the ,,book ,,entitled ,,the ,,three ,,impostors4 ,it has long been a disputed point if there was at anytime a book printed and bearing the title of ,the ,three ,impostors4 ,m4 de la ,monnoye1 having been informed that a learned ,german #a intended to publish a dissertation the object of which was to prove that this work had really been printed1 wrote a letter1 in refutation1 to one of his friends2 this letter was given by ,m4 ,bayle to ,m4 ,basnage de ,bauval1 who in ,february #afid1 gave an extract from it in his ,history of the works of celebrated and learned men4 ,at a later period ,m4 de la ,monnoye entered more fully into the subject1 in a letter dated at ,paris #afth of ,june1 #agab1 and addressed to ,president ,bouhier1 in which letter1 he says1 will be found an abridged but complete account of this remarkable book4 ,he condemns at once the opinion of those who attribute the work to the ,emperor ,frederick4 ,the false charge1 he says1 took its rise from a passage in the appendix to a discourse concerning ,antichrist1 and published by ,grotius1 wherein he speaks as follows #b3 ,far be it from me to attribute the book called ',the ,three ,impostors1' either to the ,pope1 or to the opponents of the ,pope2 long ago the enemies of the ,emperor ,frederick ,barbarossa set abroad the report of such a book1 as having been written by his command2 but from that period nobody has seen it2 for which reason ,i consider it apocryphal4 ,colomiez quotes this1 page #bh of his ,historical ,miscellanies2 but he adds that there are some blunders--that it was not ,frederick ,i4 7,barbarossa17 on whom they intended to fix the authorship1 but ,frederick ,,ii4 his grandson4 ,this he says1 is apparent from the letters of ,pierre des ,vignes1 the secretary and chancellor of the second ,frederick1 and from ,matthew ,paris2 inasmuch as they record1 that this monarch was blamed for having said that the world had been led aside by ,three ,impostors2 but by no means that he had written a book having such a title4 ,the ,emperor denied in the strongest terms1 that he ever made use of any expression to that effect4 ,he detested the blasphemy with which they charged him1 and declared that it was an atrocious calumny2 more shame to ,lipsius and other writers who have condemned him without sufficiently looking into the evidences4 ,averroes1 nearly a century previous1 had jeered at the three religions1 saying #c2 that the ,jewish religion was a law for children2 the ,christian religion a law which it was impossible to follow2 and the ,mahometan religion a law in favor of swine4 #d ,since then1 many people have written with great freedom on this same subject4 ,we read in the works of ,thomas de ,catimpre1 that ,m4 ,simon de ,tournay had said that ,three ,seducers--,moses1 ,jesus ,christ1 and ,mahomet1 had mystified mankind with their doctrines4 ,this is evidently the ,m4 ,simon de ,churnay1 of whom ,matthew ,paris relates some other improprieties1 and the same individual whom ,polydore ,virgil styles de ,turwai1 the orthography in both instances having been mismanaged4 ,amongst the manuscripts of the ,abbe ,colbert's library1 obtained possession of by our sovereign in #agcb1 there is one numbered #bjga1 written by ,alvaro ,pelagius1 a ,spaniard of the ,cordelian order1 bishop of ,salves and ,algarve1 and well known on account of his work1 ,the ,lamentation of the ,church4 ,he states that an individual named ,scotus1 of the same order as himself and a ,jacobin1 was at that time a prisoner at ,lisbon on a charge of blasphemy4 ,scotus1 it would appear1 had said that he considered ,moses1 ,jesus ,christ and ,mahomet as ,three ,impostors2 for that1 the first had deceived the ,jews2 the second the ,christians2 and the third the ,saracens4 #e ,gabriel ,barlette1 in his sermon upon ,st4 ,andrew1 alludes to ,porphyry in this way2 and therefore the notion of ,porphyry is absurd1 when he says that there had existed three individuals who had turned over the world to their own opinions2 the first being ,moses amongst the ,jewish people--the second ,mahomet1 and the third ,christ4 #f ,a strange chronologist to stamp the era of ,christ and ,porphyry after that of ,mahomet6 ,the ,manuscripts of the ,vatican1 quoted by ,odomir ,rainoldo in the nineteenth volume of his ,ecclesiastical ,annals1 mention one ,jeannin de ,solcia1 a canon at ,bergame1 a doctor of civil and canon law1 known from a decree of ,pope ,pius ,,ii41 as ,javinus de ,solcia4 ,he was condemned on the #adth ,november #adei for having maintained this impiety--that ,moses1 ,jesus ,christ1 and ,mahomet had ruled the world at their pleasure4 ,mundum pro suarem libito voluntatum rexisse4 ,john ,louis ,vivaldo de ,mondovi1 who wrote in #aejf1 and amongst whose works there is a treatise on ,the ,twelve persecutions of the ,church of ,god1 says1 in his chapter upon the sixth persecution1 that there were people who dared to dispute1 which of the three law-givers had been most followed1 ,jesus ,christ1 ,moses1 or ,mahomet4 #g ,herman ,ristwyk1 a ,dutchman1 burned at the ,hague in #aeab1 sneered at the ,jewish and ,christian religions4 ,he does not speak of the ,mahometan creed2 but a man who could regard ,moses and ,jesus ,christ as impostors1 could entertain no better opinion of ,mahomet4 ,now we must turn to an author1 name unknown1 but accused of blasphemy against ,jesus ,christ4 ,the charge was founded upon some papers discovered at ,geneva in #aedg1 amongst the documents belonging to ,m4 ,gruet4 ,an ,italian1 named ,fausto da ,longiano1 had begun a work which he entitled ,the ,temple of ,truth1 in which he undertakes no less than to overturn all religions4 ,i have1 he says1 begun another work entitled ',the ,temple of ,truth4' ,it is probable that ,i may divide it into thirty books4 ,in this work will be found the extinction of all sects--,jews1 ,christian1 ,mahometan1 and other superstitions2 and matters will be brought back to their first principles4 ,now1 amongst the letters of ,aretino addressed to ,fausto1 there is not one to be met with which alludes in any way whatever to this work4 ,perhaps it had never been written1 and although it had been published1 it must have been a very different book from the one in question2 of which1 they pretend that there are some copies in the libraries in ,germany1 printed in folio1 and written in ,high ,dutch4 ,claude ,beauregard1 better known under his ,latin appellation ,berigardus1 a professor of philosophy1 first at ,paris1 next at ,pisa1 and latterly at ,padua1 quotes or forges a passage from the work1 ,the ,three ,impostors1 in which the miracles which ,moses performed in ,egypt are attributed to the superiority of his demon #h over that of the ,magicians of ,pharoah4 ,giordano ,bruno who was burned at ,rome1 #agth ,feb4 #afjj1 was accused of having advanced something much to the same effect4 ,but although ,beauregard and ,bruno have indulged in such reveries1 and have thought proper to assert that they quoted from the work in question1 is this a certain proof that they had read the book8 ,if so they would doubtless have stated whether it was in manuscript1 or in print1 and referred to the size and the place where they found it4 ,tentzelius1 trusting to one of his friends1 a pretended ocular witness1 gives a description of the book1 and specifies the number of leaves and sheets2 and attempting to prove in chap4 ,,iii4 of his work that the ambition of legislators is the only source of all religions1 he gives as examples ,moses1 ,jesus ,christ1 and ,mahomet4 ,struvius1 after ,tentzelius1 enters into the same subject1 but finding nothing but what a clever fabulist might invent1 he seems much inclined to disbelieve in the existence of the book4 ,a journalist at ,leipsic1 in his acta eruditarum1 dated ,jan4 #agji1 pp4 #cf and #cg1 gives the following extract from a letter addressed to him3 ,having occasion to be in ,saxony ,i saw1 in the ,library of ,m4441 a book entitled ,the ,three ,impostors4 ,it is an #hvo volume1 in ,latin1 without the name of the printer or the date of its publication2 but to judge from the letter it appears to have been published in ,germany4 ,it was to no purpose that ,i tried to obtain permission to read the whole work4 ,the proprietor of the book1 a man of sensitive piety1 would not consent to it4 ,i have since learned that a celebrated professor at ,stuttgard had offered a great sum of money for the volume4 ,shortly afterwards ,i went to ,nuremberg1 and in talking of this work to ,m4 ,andre ,mylhdorf1 a man respectable alike for his age1 and from his learning1 he assured me he had read it1 and that ,m4 ,wolfer a clergyman had lent it to him4 ,from the manner in which he spoke1 ,i thought it might be a copy of the one alluded to above1 and ,i concluded that it was unquestionably the book referred to2 but not that it was in octavo1 nor of so old a date1 nor perhaps so accurate4 ,the writer of the foregoing was able to throw more light upon the subject and ought to have done so2 for it is not enough to say that he had seen the book--he must produce evidence that he had seen it1 otherwise he ought to be classed with those who promulgate opinions founded on mere report2 in which category we must include all the authors to whom reference is made in this disquisition4 ,the first who makes mention of the book as it existed in #aedc1 is ,william ,postel1 in his treatise on the agreement of the ,alcoran with the doctrines of the ,lutherans or the ,evangelists4 ,he calls the work ,anevangelistes1 and attempts in it to bring the ,lutheran doctrines into utter disrepute by proving that they lead straightway to ,atheism4 ,to support his argument he instances three or four productions written1 as he says1 by ,atheists1 whom he declares to have been the first disciples of this new ,gospel4 ,he adds1 my opinion can be vindicated by reference to an infamous pamphlet written by ,villanovanus relative to three works respectively entitled ',the ,cymbal of the ,world1' ',pantagruel1' and the ',new ,islands2' the authors of which works were the standard-bearers of the ,atheistical party4 ,this ,villanovanus1 whom ,postel asserts to be the author of the book ,the ,three ,impostors1 was ,michel ,servetus the son of a notary1 born in #aeji1 at ,villanueva in ,aragon1 who assumed the name of ,villanovanus1 in a preface to a ,bible which was printed for him at ,lyons1 #aedb1 by ,hugues de la ,porte4 ,in ,france his designation was ,villeneuve1 under which title he was impeached1 after he had published at ,vienna1 in ,dauphiny1 #aeec1 7the year before his death7 the work entitled ,christianity restored2 a book extremely rare1 on account of the trouble which they took at ,geneva to find out the copies of the work and get them burned4 ,in the authentic list of the writings of ,servetus1 however1 we do not find mention made of ,the ,three ,impostors4 ,neither ,calvin nor ,beza1 nor ,alexander ,morus1 nor any other defender of the ,huguenot party who wrote against ,servetus1 and whose interest it was to justify his punishment1 and to convict him of having written this work1 has laid it to his charge4 ,postel1 an ex-,jesuit1 was the first to do so1 without grounds4 ,florimond de ,remond1 a councillor in the ,senate at ,bordeaux1 writes decidedly that he had seen this book in print4 ,his words are2 ,james ,curio1 in his ,chronology #aeef1 asserts that the ,palatinate was filled with scoffers at religion1 the ,lievanistes1 viz4 a sect who considered the ,sacred ,writings as fabulous1 and more especially those of ,moses1 the great ,lawgiver of ,god4 ,is there not a book1 ',the ,three ,impostors1' defaming the three religions which alone acknowledge the true ,god--the ,jewish1 the ,christian1 and the ,mahometan8--a book composed in ,germany1 but printed elsewhere at the exact moment when these heretics are employing this individual to spread abroad their doctrines8 ,the very title shows the character of the age which has dared to publish so impious a treatise4 ,i would have referred to it unless ,osius and ,genebrard had spoken to me on the subject4 ,i recollect that in my earlier days ,i saw a copy of this work at the ,college of ,presle4 ,it belonged to ,ramus1 a man distinguished for his extraordinary learning1 and who was then employed in deep researches into the mysteries connected with religious belief2 which subject he intended to treat in a philosophical manner4 ,at this time they were circulating this iniquitous work amongst the learned1 who were very desirous to see it4 ,a curious inquirer into secrets6 ,everybody knows ,florimond de ,remond as an insignificant scribbler4 ,there are three remarkable sayings in currency against him2 that he built without money1 that he was a judge without principle1 and an author without knowledge4 #i ,we know also that he always lent his name to ,p4 ,richeaume1 a ,jesuite much hated by the ,protestants1 who cloaked his own name by assuming that of the councillor of ,bordeaux4 ,now1 if ,osius and ,genebrard had spoken as decidedly as ,florimond de ,remond1 there might have been somewhat to rest upon2 but see what ,genebrard says in the thirty-ninth page of his answer to ,lambert ,danan1 printed 7octavo7 at ,paris #aeha4 #aj ,they 7his own party7 have not driven ,blandratus1 nor ,alciatus1 nor ,ochinus into ,mahometanism2 nor have they induced ,valleus to profess himself an ,atheist2 neither have they enticed any one whatever to circulate the work called ,the ,three ,impostors1 wherein ,christ the ,lord is alluded to as the second1 the other two being ,moses and ,mahomet4 ,is that the way to identify this impious book8 and ,genebrard1 forsooth had seen it6 ,and can it be1 that in the present day people will attempt to get up regular proof to show that such a work exists8 ,it is a well known fact that1 in all ages1 many lies have been palmed off in reference to books which could never be discovered1 although individuals declare that they had seen them and even went so far as to mention the places where they had been favoured with their perusal4 ,it has been said that this work was in the library of ,m4 ,salvius1 the ,swedish ambassador1 at ,munster1 and that ,queen ,christina1 unwilling to ask it of him while he lived1 immediately sent ,m4 ,bourdelet1 her chief physician1 to entreat his widow to satisfy her curiosity1 when he was informed that ,m4 ,salvius1 having been seized with remorse of conscience on the night of his death1 made them burn the work in his presence4 ,a short time afterwards ,christiana enquired eagerly after the ,colloquium ,heptaplomers by ,bodin1 a manuscript1 at that period extremely rare2 after a long search it was found1 but whatever desire the ,queen had to see the work in question1 and although it was sought after in all the libraries of ,europe1 she died without having discovered it4 ,ought we not therefore to conclude that it was never in existence8 ,without doubt the pains taken by ,christina would have led to the discovery of that book which ,postel declares was printed in #aedc1 and which ,florimond de ,remond says appeared in #aeef4 ,since then different individuals have assigned to it other dates4 ,in #afed1 ,jean ,baptiste ,morin1 a celebrated doctor and mathematician1 wrote a letter under the name of ,vincent ,panurge1 which he addressed to himself in this way1 ,an epistle to that most eminent physician1 ,john ,baptist ,morin1 concerning the ',three ,impostors'4 #aa ,the three impostors to whom he refers were ,gassendi1 ,neure1 and ,bernier1 whom he wished to satirize under this title4 ,christian ,kortholt in #afhj employed the same terms in his work against ,hebert1 ,hobbes1 and ,spinoza4 ,such has been the use which the learned have made of this work when they wrote against their opponents1 and in this way have they drawn upon the credulity of comparatively ignorant people1 who1 caring little to examine the evidences1 have been deceived at once4 ,is it possible1 that if such a work had really existed1 it would not have been refuted2 just as they refuted the work concerning the ,pre-,adamites1 #ab written by ,m4 de la ,peyrere1--the discourses of ,spinoza1 and the publications of ,bodin8 ,the ,colloquium ,heptaplomeres1 although in manuscript1 has been answered2 would ,the ,three ,impostors have met with more favour8 ,how comes it that it has not been condemned1 and placed in the ,index ,expurgatorius1 and how has it escaped cremation by the hands of the common hangman8 ,books against morality have been sometimes tolerated1 but those which strongly attack ,religion do not escape with impunity4 ,florimond de ,remond1 who says that he had seen the book1 asserts that he was at that time a youth1 old enough perhaps to write fairy tales2 he quotes ,ramus who had been dead for thirty years1 and could not convict him of falsehood2 he quotes ,osius and ,genebrard1 but in in vague terms1 and without pointing out the passage in their works4 ,he says that they were circulating this work--a work which if it existed1 would unquestionably have been put under lock and key4 ,our opponents may produce a passage from ,sir ,thomas ,browne1 who1 in the #aith sec4 part ,i4 of his work styled ,religio ,medici1 translated from ,english into ,latin by a distinguished scholar1 uses the following words2 this impious man1 the author of this blasphemous work1 ',the ,three ,impostors1' although a stranger to every religion1 inasmuch as he was neither a ,jew1 a ,mahometan1 nor a ,christian1 was nevertheless evidently not an ,atheist4 #ac ,from this they would infer that he must have seen the book1 when he speaks in such terms of its author4 ,now1 ,sir ,thomas only says that ,bernard ,ochinus1 who in his opinion was the author of the work1 7as he hints in a foot note17 was more of a ,deist than an ,atheist1 and that any ,deist of ordinary average intellect and information1 was capable of planning and executing such a design4 ,molikius1 in a note upon the passage1 denies and justly1 that this work was written by ,ochinus1 for they assert that it was written in ,latin1 and we know that ,ochinus never wrote but in ,italian2 moreover if he had been suspected of having any connection with this work1 his enemies1 who made so much clamour against his dialogues concerning the ,trinity and ,polygamy1 would not have spared him4 ,but how can we reconcile ,browne and ,genebrard who consider ,ochinus as a ,mahometan1 and at the same time declare that he was neither a disciple of ,moses1 nor of ,jesus ,christ1 nor of ,mahomet6 ,naude1 by a strange mistake attributes the work to ,villeneuve1 a comparatively ignorant writer1 and ,ernstius declares that at ,rome he had learned from ,campannelle1 that ,muret1 a polished and accomplished author1 had written the work more than two centuries after ,villaneuve4 ,ernstius is mistaken4 ,campannelle also refutes himself1 for in the preface to his work1 ,atheism overthrown1 and still more explicitly in his discourse1 ,paganism indefensible1 he affirms that this work came from ,germany1 but that it was the composition of ,muret2 a statement entirely opposite to that of ,florimond de ,remond alluded to before1 which holds that the work was written in ,germany but published elsewhere4 ,muret has therefore been falsely accused1 and stands in need of no apology4 ,they have judged of his religion from his life4 ,the ,huguenot party1 vexed that after embracing their doctrines he had abandoned them forever1 did not spare him on this occasion1 and ,beza1 in his ,ecclesiastical ,history1 reproaches him with two crimes1 the second being ,atheism4 ,julius ,scaliger1 nettled by a jeu d'esprit of ,muret's against him1 has been led to do him injustice #ad4 ,muret1 he says maliciously1 would have been a better ,christian if he had believed in ,god2 ,i am aware that he tried to persuade others to do so4 ,in this way have originated false impressions against ,muret4 ,instead of respecting his exemplary piety1 of which he gave striking evidence in the last years of his existence1 they set themselves half a century after his death1 to blacken his character by accusing him of crimes which were unknown to his most avowed enemies1 and with which1 in his life-time1 we are certain that he never was charged4 ,some ignorant writers who possess no critical acumen1 have impeached without any reason whatever the first individual who occurred to their memory4 ,stephen ,dolet of ,orleans1 ,frances ,pucci of ,florence1 ,john ,milton of ,london1 and ,merula1 a renegade ,mahometan1 have done so2 they have accused ,peter ,aretin1 merely because he was a fearless and licentious writer1 without reflecting that he was an uncultivated man1 of no learning and scarcely master of his native tongue4 ,for similar reasons they have blamed ,poggio and others1 and have even gone so far back as ,boccaccio1 most likely on account of the third tale in his ,decameron1 where he recounts the fable of three similar rings1 of which he makes a dangerous application to the ,jewish1 ,christian1 and ,mahometan religions1 as if insinuating that they might be embraced indifferently1 since it was impossible to decide which of them ought to have the preference4 ,neither have these writers forgot ,machiavel2 and ,decker impeaches ,rabelais4 ,the ,dutchman also who translates into ,french the ,religio ,medici of ,sir ,thomas ,browne1 in the notes to his #bjth chap4 accuses ,erasmus as well as ,machiavel4 ,with more apparent reason they attack both ,pompanacius and ,cardan4 ,the former1 in his treatise on the immortality of the soul1 where he reasons as a philosopher and speaks abstractly of the ,catholic faith--in which 7at the end of his work7 he solemnly professes himself a believer--is bold enough to add that the doctrine of the immortality of the soul had been propounded by the originators of every religious creed in order to keep their followers in thrall1 and that therefore the majority of the human race had been duped4 ,if the ,jewish1 ,christian1 and ,mahometan religions1 he continues1 are all three of them impostures1 it follows that the half of mankind are mistaken4 ,this absurd reasoning1 in spite of the precautions of ,pompanacius1 reached ,jacques ,carpentier1 and induced him to exclaim1 ,can any thing be conceived of more truly pernicious than this scepticism1 coming as it does from a ,christian school of theology4 #ae ,cardan goes still farther wrong in the eleventh of his discourses ,on ,sophistry1 where1 after minutely comparing ,paganism1 ,judaism1 ,christianity1 and ,mahometanism1 and setting the one to contradict the other1 without expressing belief in any of them1 he finishes rashly in this way2 his igitur arbitrio victori relictes1 that is1 he leaves it to chance to decide the victory2 an expression however which he himself corrected in the second edition of his work4--,this retraction did not save him from being most bitterly attacked three years afterward by ,joseph ,scaliger1 on account of the fearful import of the language he had made use of1 and of the indifference it showed on the part of ,cardan as to which of the four parties might gain the victory1 and as to whether that victory were gained by argument or arms4 ,in the last article of the work ,naudiana1 which is a rhapsodical compound of blunders and falsehood1 there are some confused references to ,the ,three ,impostors4 ,the author asserts that ,ramus had attributed it to ,postel2 nothing whatever can be found in the writings of ,ramus to establish this4 ,postel was a singular visionary4 ,henry ,stephanus relates that he had been heard to say1 that out of the three religions1 the ,jewish1 the ,christian1 and the ,mahometan1 a good one might be made4 ,however1 in no part of his work does he call in question the mission of ,moses1 or the divinity of ,christ2 neither does he venture to maintain in exact terms that the devout ,venetian ,hospitaller1 whom he calls his mother ,jeanne1 would be the ,redeemer of women1 as ,christ had been the ,redeemer of men4 ,after explaining that in men there is a masculine part1 the animus1 and a feminine part1 the anima1 he has the absurdity to add that both parts were corrupted by sin and that his mother ,jeanne might restore the feminine as ,christ had restored the masculine4 ,the book in which he utters this absurdity was printed at ,paris in #aeec1 and is by no means so rare but that copies may easily be found4 ,from it we can gather that he would have published the other works also1 if it had been true that he had reached this pitch of blasphemy4 ,so far from this being the case1 he writes 7#aedc7 that the book was written by ,michael ,servetus2 and long afterwards he does not scruple to avenge himself on his ,huguenot calumniators1 by accusing them1 in a letter addressed to ,masius1 7#aefc7 of having themselves printed the work at ,caen3 this infamous commentary or discourse against ,moses1 ,christ1 and ,mahomet1 was lately printed at ,cn1 by those who profess themselves the keenest supporters of the ,calvinistic doctrines4 #af ,in the same chapter of ,naudiana1 mention is made of one ,barnaud1 but in terms so perplexed that little can be drawn from them except that he had seen an octavo work of #ih pages1 printed in #afac1 entitled ,the ,geneva ,booby4 ,it did not bear where it had been printed1 neither was the author's name given4 ,perhaps it might have been written by ,henri de ,sponde1 afterwards ,bishop of ,pamier2 who says1 that at that period there lived a physician named ,barnaud an ,arian1 who had composed this treatise4 ,now this would make it of a comparatively recent date4 ,the only sensible article in ,naudiana is towards its conclusion1 where ,naude1 a man of vast experience as a bibliologist1 is made to declare that he had never seen the work alluded to1 that he did not believe such a work had ever been printed1 and that he considered every thing which had been said on this subject as mere invention and fable4 ,to this list may be added that notable atheist ,julius ,csar ,vanini1 burned at ,toulouse under the name of ,lucilius ,vaninus1 who was accused of having circulated this vile work in ,france some years before he was put to death4 ,if there are writers so credulous and devoid of common sense as to believe in these incoherencies1 asserting that the book was publicly sold in many quarters of ,europe1 they ought to set the matter at rest by producing a single copy2 for it cannot be in the case supposed1 that the work is so rarely to be met with4 ,but no person has seen a copy1 neither of the edition said to have been published by ,christian ,wechel at ,paris1 about the middle of the #afth century1 nor of that which they attribute to ,nachtegal1 as printed at the ,hague1 #afad or #afae4 ,father ,theophylus ,reynaud states that the former had sunk into extreme poverty from the visitations of heaven2 and ,muller relates of the latter that he was banished from the ,hague with infamy4 ,bayle in his dictionary 7article ,wechell7 clearly refutes the calumny against this printer2 and in regard to ,nachtegal1 ,spizelius informs us that he was a native of ,alkmaer1 and banished1 not for having published this suppositious work1 but for having given utterance to other blasphemies4 ,now1 when we look over with attention and patience what ,vincent ,placcius says in the folio edition of his immense work concerning ,anonymous writers1 and authors who write under false names1 and what ,christian ,kertholt says in his work revised by his son ,sebastian regarding ,the ,three ,impostors1 and finally what ,struvius advances in his treatise 7#agjf7 on ,learned ,impostors1 we can find nothing at all to prove that such a work ever existed2 and it is astonishing that ,struvius1 who in spite of the most specious evidence which ,tentzelius had offered him to prove its existence1 had always maintained the contrary1 was at last persuaded to believe that there really was such a work2 and that too1 for the most frivolous reason which it is possible to conceive4 ,in the preface of ,atheism ,overthrown1 he discovers that the author of this work1 in order to vindicate himself from the crime laid to his charge1 declares that ,the ,three ,impostors had been published thirty years before he was born4 ,this is a strange discovery1 but it appeared so satisfactory to ,struvius that he ceased to doubt in the existence of such a book1 because he knew the year in which ,campannelle was born 7#aefh47 and knew also that the book was printed thirty years before this1 viz4 in #aech4 ,afterwards in pushing their researches farther1 they resolved to consider ,boccaccio as the author of the work1 from a misinterpreted passage in ,chap4 #b1 ,no4 #f1 in the ,atheism ,overthrown where the following words occur2 ,hence ,boccaccio in his impious fables1 contends that there is no distinction between the law of ,moses1 of ,christ and of ,mahomet1 because they are as like each other as the three similar rings4 #ag ,but does ,campannelle1 in this passage intend to say that ,boccaccio was the author of ,the ,three ,impostors8 ,so far is this from being the case1 that he answers elsewhere the objections of the ,atheists against ,boccaccio and the book in question2 and ,struvius himself1 in the #ith paragraph of his dissertation on ,learned ,impostors quotes a passage from ,ernstius1 which states that ,campannelle had told him that the book was written by ,muret2 now ,muret having been born in #aebf1 and the book been printed in #aech1 he could only have been #ab years of age2 at which time of life we cannot suppose it possible that he was able to write a work of this description4 ,it follows therefore that this book1 said to have been written in ,latin and printed in ,germany1 never existed4 ,at no period has there been a printed work1 however rarely to be met with1 in reference to which very authentic and circumstantial information could not be found4 ,although the works of ,michael ,servetus may never be met with1 it has always been well known that they were printed1 and moreover where they were printed4 ,before the publication of the two modern editions of the ,cymbalum ,mundi1 composed by ,bonnaventure de ,perrieres1 writing under the assumed name of ,thomas du ,clevier1 who says that he had translated it from the ,latin1 and of which work only two ancient copies remain1 the one in the ,king's library and the other in that of ,m4 ,bigot at ,rouen2--before the publication of the the modern editions1 it was an ascertained fact that the work had been printed1 and the date and name of the bookseller were known4 ,the case is exactly the same as regards ,the ,blessings of ,christianity1 or the ,scourge of the ,faith1 the author of which1 ,geoffrey ,vallee a native of ,orleans1 was hanged and burned at ,greve1 on the #ith ,february #aegc1 after having adjured his errors4 ,it is a small octavo work of thirty pages1 without date1 or the name of the place where it was printed2 a trifle1 feebly reasoned1 and now become so rare that perhaps the copy belonging to ,monsieur the ,abbe d',estrees is the only one to be found4 ,but although all these works had absolutely perished1 no one could doubt their previous existence1 the facts on record concerning them being as true1 as those concerning ',the ,three ,impostors' are apocryphal4 ,,answer ,,to ,,the ,,dissertation ,,of ,,monsieur ,,de ,,la ,,monnoye ,,on ,,the ,,work ,,entitled ,,the ,,three ,,impostors4 ,an attempt at discussion1 which you will find at the end of the new edition of ,menagiana1 which has just been published in this country1 affords me the opportunity of giving some information to the public on a subject which appears to call into exercise the ingenuity of almost all the learned2 and at the same time of vindicating the character of many eminent men1 and men of distinguished merit1 who have been attacked as the authors of the work which forms the subject of a disquisition attributed to ,m4 de la ,monnoye4 ,without doubt this new book is already in your possession2 you will perceive that ,i allude to ,the ,three ,impostors4 ,the author of the dissertation upholds the non-existence of such a book1 and attempts to establish his point by bringing forward conjectures1 without advancing any evidence capable in the smallest degree of influencing the opinions of those who are accustomed to examine before they decide4 ,i will not undertake to refute seriatim the articles contained in a dissertation1 the substance of which is to be found in a ,latin discourse by ,m4 ,burkhard ,gotthelf ,struve1 on ,learned ,impostors1 printed for the second time at ,geneva1 by ,muller in #agjf1 and which ,m4 de la ,monnoye must have seen1 because he quotes from it4 ,he will acknowledge that ,i am quite prepared to overturn his arguments1 when ,i inform him that ,i have read this celebrated little work1 and that ,i have it in my library4 ,i will give you and the public an account of the way in which ,i discovered it1 and as it is in my possession1 ,i will subjoin a short but faithful description of it4 ,being at ,frankfort on the ,main in #agjf1 ,i called one day in company with a ,jew1 and a friend named ,frecht1 at that time a student in ,theology1 on an eminent bookseller in whose establishment almost every work was to be met with4 ,we were examining his catalogue when there entered a ,german officer1 who addressed himself to the proprietor in ,german1 and asked him if he was ready to agree to his proposals1 or if another merchant should be sought after4 ,frecht1 who formerly was acquainted with the officer1 saluted him and was recognised4 ,this gave an opportunity to my friend of asking the officer1 whose name was ,trawsendorff1 what transaction he had with the bookseller4 ,trawsendorff told him that he had two manuscripts and a very old book in his possession1 by the sale of which he expected to raise a sum of money against the approaching campaign1 and that the bookseller higgled on #ej ,rix-dollars1 being unwilling to advance more than #dej for the three works1 which he1 7the officer71 valued at #ejj4 ,this great sum of money demanded for two manuscripts and a little book excited the curiosity of ,frecht1 who asked of his friend if he might see the productions which he wished to sell at so dear a rate4 ,trawsendorff immediately drew from his pocket a parchment envelope1 tied with a silk thread1 which he opened1 and from which he took the three books4 ,we went into the parlour of the bookseller to examine them at our leisure1 and the first which ,frecht looked at had been printed1 but had a title written in ,italian instead of its real title1 which had been defaced4 ,it ran thus2 ,spaccio della ,bestia triumphante1 and did not appear to be of an ancient date4 ,it struck me as being the same work which ,toland translated into ,english1 and printed some years ago1 and the copies of which sell very high4 ,the second we looked at was an old ,latin manuscript written in a character very difficult to decypher1 without any title2 but at the top of the first page there were written these words1 ,fredric the ,emperor wishes health to ,otho1 his most illustrious and dearest friend4 #ah ,the work opens with a letter1 the first lines of which are as follows2 ,i will send you as soon as possible a copy of the work on the three most celebrated deceivers of mankind1 a work written at my request by a very learned man1 and transcribed by my order for my library2 and along with it another work written in the same pure and polished style1 for1 c4 #ai ,the third was also a ,latin manuscript without a title1 commencing with a quotation from ,cicero4 ,frecht having glanced over the books in a hurried way1 fixed his attention upon the second1 of which he had often heard1 and in respect to which he had read many conflicting histories2 and without looking into the other two1 he took ,trawsendorff aside and told him that he would easily find purchasers of the three works4 ,he spoke little of the ,italian work1 and by reading a few passages he showed him that the other was a demonstration of ,atheism4 ,as the bookseller still held to his terms1 and would not come up to the officer's demand1 we went all three to the lodgings of ,frecht1 who having an object in view called for wine1 and while begging ,trawsendorff to inform us how he came by the works1 he made him swallow so many bumpers that he soon became half intoxicated1 so that ,frecht had little difficulty in persuading him to leave with him the manuscript of ,the ,three most celebrated ,deceivers of ,mankind2 but he made him take a solemn oath that he would not copy it4 ,on this condition1 the work was to be left with us from ,wednesday till ,sunday night1 when ,trawsendorff was to call again and take his share of a few bottles of ,frecht's wine1 which seemed to be much to his taste4 ,as ,i had quite as much desire as ,frecht to be acquainted with the book1 we sat down immediately to read it over1 determining to sleep very little until ,sunday night4 ,it was not very large--an octavo work of ten sections1 exclusive of the prefatory letter1 but in so small a character1 and so full of contractions1 besides being without points1 that we had much difficulty in decyphering the first page in two hours4 ,after this however we read it more easily1 which made me suggest to my friend a plan 7rather ,jesuitical7 whereby he might obtain a copy of this celebrated work without breaking his oath which he had taken on compulsion2--that it was likely that ,trawsendorff1 when he insisted that it should not be copied1 only meant that he should not transcribe the words--in short that we were quite at liberty to translate it4 ,to which ,frecht consented after some scruples1 and we set to work immediately4 ,on ,sunday we were in possession of the work a little before midnight4 ,trawsendorff afterwards got his #ejj rix-dollars for the work from a bookseller who had been commissioned by a ,prince of the ,house of ,saxe to purchase it4 ,the ,prince knew that it had been stolen from the ,royal ,library at ,munich1 when the ,germans obtained possession of the city after the defeat of the ,french and ,bavarians at ,hochstet1 and ,trawsendorff acknowledged to us that1 being alone in the library of the ,elector1 the parchment envelope with its yellow silk thread attracted his attention1 and that he could not resist the temptation to steal it3 expecting that it contained some rare production1 in which he was not disappointed4 ,to complete the history of this treatise1 ,i will give you the conjectures which ,frecht and ,i made as to its origin4 ,we agreed at once that the ,illustrissimo ,otho to whom it was sent1 was ,otho the ,illustrious1 ,duke of ,bavaria1 son of ,louis ,i4 and grandson of ,otho the ,great1 ,count of ,schiven and ,witelspach1 to whom the ,emperor ,frederick ,barbarossa had given ,bavaria as a reward for his fidelity1 after he took it away from ,henry the ,lion1 as a punishment for his ingratitude4 ,otho the ,illustrious succeeded his father ,louis ,i41 in #abcj1 under the reign of ,fredrick ,,ii41 grandson of ,frederick ,barbarossa1 who had at that time quarrelled with the ,count of ,rome on his return from ,jerusalem4 ,this led us to think that the letters ,f4 ,i4 ,s4 ,d4 which followed the ,amico meo carissimo1 denoted ,fredericus ,imperator ,salutem ,dicit1 and that the treatise was written posterior to the year #abcj1 by the order of this ,emperor1 inflamed as he was against all ,religions in consequence of the bad treatment he had met with from the head of his own1 viz4 ,pope ,gregory ,,ix4 by whom he had been excommunicated before he set out1 and who persecuted him even in ,syria by intriguing to such an extent1 that the ,emperor's army refused to obey his orders4 ,this ,prince on his return besieged the ,pope at ,rome1 after having ravaged the neighboring territory1 and thereafter made a peace with him which was of no long duration1 and which was followed by an animosity so bitter between him and the ,holy ,pontiff1 that it only ceased at the death of the latter1 who died heart-broken that ,frederick triumphed in spite of his empty fulminations1 and that he had unmasked the vices of the ,papal ,chair in satirical verses which he circulated in every quarter1--in ,germany1 ,italy1 and ,france4 ,but we could not discover who was the doctissimus vir1 with whom ,otho appears to have held converse on the subject in the library1 and apparently in the company of the ,emperor2 unless indeed it were the celebrated ,pierre des ,vignes1 the secretary1 or as others maintain1 the chancellor of ,frederick ,,ii4 ,his discourse ,on ,sovereign ,power1 and his ,letters1 give proof of his learning1 and the zeal which he had for the interests of his master1 and of his own hatred of ,pope ,gregory ,,ix1 and the ,ecclesiastics and established ,churches of his day4 ,it is true1 that in one letter he attempts to exculpate his master from the charges against him as the author of this book3 but this strengthens the supposition1 and inclines us to think he only pleaded for ,frederick1 to cloak his own share in so scandalous a work4 ,at all events we must believe that he would have confessed the truth when ,frederick1 on suspicion that he had conspired against his life1 condemned him to lose his eyes1 and handed him over to the inhabitants of ,pisa1 his cruel enemies2 and where despair hurried on his death in an infamous dungeon where he could hold intercourse with no one4 ,in this way we can repel the false charges brought against ,averroes1 ,boccaccio1 ,dolet1 ,aretino1 ,servetus1 ,ochinus1 ,postel1 ,pompanacius1 ,campannelle1 ,poggio1 ,pulci1 ,muret1 ,vanini1 ,milton1 and many others2 the book having been written by a learned man in high repute at the court of this ,emperor1 and by his order4 ,as to the printing of the book they can bring forward no proof whatever2 and it is impossible to conceive that ,frederick1 surrounded as he was by enemies1 would have circulated a work which gave fair opportunity of proclaiming his infidelity4 ,it is probable therefore that there are only two copies1 the original one and that sent to ,otho of ,bavaria4 ,this will suffice as to the discovery of the book1 and its date2 we come now to what it contains4 ,it is divided into six books or chapters1 every one of which contains several paragraphs4 ,the first ,chapter has for its title ,of ,god1 and contains six paragraphs in which the author1 wishing to appear free from party or educational prejudices1 shows that although mankind have a real interest in ascertaining the truth1 nevertheless they found upon opinions and imaginations alone2 and meeting with people whose interest it is to keep them in this state1 they are made to rest1 contented in it1 although they could easily shake off the yoke by making the slightest use of their reason4 ,he passes next to the ideas which men entertain of the ,divinity1 and prove that they are injurious1 inasmuch as they have led to the creation of the most fearful and imperfect being whom it is possible to conceive of2 and he then blames the ignorance of the people1 or rather their foolish credulity in putting faith in the visions of ,prophets and ,apostles1 of whom he draws a portrait suited to the ideas which he entertains of them4 ,the second ,chapter treats of the reasons which have led men to believe in a divinity4 ,it is divided into eleven paragraphs1 where he proves that the ignorance of physical causes has given birth to a fear natural enough at the sight of a thousand terrible accidents1 and has led them to believe in the existence of some invisible ,power2 a doubt1 and a fear1 of which subtle politicians have taken advantage1 for their own interest1 and which have given rise to a belief in this ,existence1 which has been confirmed by others who have found it for their own benefit to maintain it2 although it is merely grounded on the folly of the common people1 always admirers of the extraordinary1 the sublime1 and the marvellous4 ,he next inquires into the nature of the ,divinity1 and overturns the vulgar belief in final causes1 as contrary to sound philosophy4 ,in fine1 he makes it appear that such ideas of the ,divinity are only formed after having decided what is perfect1 good1 evil1 virtue1 vice1 according to imagination1 and often as false as possible4 ,in his tenth paragraph the author explains his own opinion as to the ,divinity1 which is conformable to the system of the ,pantheists1 saying that the word ,god represents an infinite ,being1 one of whose attributes is that he is of unlimited extension1 and consequently that he is infinite and eternal4 ,in the eleventh paragraph he treats with ridicule the popular opinion which is given to the ,deity1 a resemblance to the kings of the earth2 and passing to the sacred books1 he speaks of them in a very unfavourable manner4 ,the third ,chapter has for its title ,the signification of the word ,theology1 and how1 and for what purpose so many religions have been introduced into the world4--,this chapter contains twenty-three paragraphs4 ,in the ninth he examines the origin of religions2 and brings forward examples and reasonings which1 so far from being divine1 are altogether the work of politicians4 ,in the tenth paragraph he undertakes to expose the imposture of ,moses1 showing what he was1 and how he managed to establish the ,jewish religion4 ,in the eleventh paragraph he inquires into the impostures of several politicians such as ,numa1 and ,alexander the ,great4 ,in the twelfth he examines the birth of ,jesus ,christ2 in the thirteenth and following he considers his morality1 which he does not think more pure than that of a great number of ancient philosophers2 in the nineteenth he inquires whether his reputation after his death is sufficient to warrant his believing in his divinity4 ,lastly1 in the twenty-second and twenty-third paragraphs1 he considers the imposture of ,mahomet1 of whom he does not say so much1 because he has not to encounter so many advocates of his doctrine as that of the two others4 ,the fourth ,chapter treats of truth evident and obvious to the senses1 and consists only of six paragraphs1 where he demonstrates what really is the divinity1 and what are his attributes3 he rejects the belief in a life to come1 and the existence of spirits4 ,the fifth ,chapter treats ,of the ,soul4 ,it consists of seven paragraphs in which1 after having exposed the vulgar opinions1 he gives those of the ,philosophers of antiquity1 and concludes by showing the nature of the ,soul according to his own system4 ,in the sixth and last ,chapter of seven paragraphs1 he discourses on the ,spirits called ,demons1 and shows the origin and falsity of the opinions as to their existence4--,such is the anatomy of this celebrated work4 ,i might have given it in a manner more extended and more minute2 but besides that this letter is already too long1 ,i think that enough has been said to give insight into the nature of its contents4 ,a thousand other reasons which you will well enough understand1 have prevented me from entering upon it to so great a length as ,i could have done2 ,est modus in rebus4 #bj ,now although this book were ready to be printed with the preface in which ,i have given its history1 and its discovery1 with some conjectures as to its origin1 and a few remarks which may be placed at its conclusion1 yet ,i do not believe that it will live to see the day when men will be compelled all at once to quit their opinions and their imaginations1 as they have quited their syllogisms1 their canons1 and their other antiquated modes4 ,as for me ,i will not expose myself to the ,theological stylus #ba1 which ,i fear as much as ,fra-,poulo feared the ,roman stylus1 to afford to a few learned men the pleasure of reading this little treatise2 but neither will ,i be so superstitious1 on my death bed1 as to make it be thrown into the flames1 which we are informed was done by ,salvius1 the ,swedish ambassador at the peace of ,munster4 ,those who come after me may do what seems them good--they cannot disturb me in the tomb4 ,before ,i descend to that1 ,i remain with much respect1 your most obedient servant1 ,j4 ,l4 ,r4 ,l4 ,leyden1 #ast ,january #agaf4 ,this letter was written by ,m4 ,pierre ,frederick ,arpe1 of ,kiel in ,holstein2 the author of an apology for ,vanini1 printed in octavo at ,rotterdam1 #agab ,,copy ,,of ,,the ,,second ,,part1 ,,vol4 ,i1 ,,article ,,ix4 ,,of1 ,,literary ,,memoirs4 ,,published ,,at ,,the ,,hague ,,by ,,henry ,,du ,,sauzet1 #agaf4 ,it is impossible in the present day to doubt the existence of ,the ,three ,impostors1 since we find several manuscript copies of it4 ,if ,m4 de la ,monnoye had observed the agreement of it with an extract published at ,leyden1 #ast4 ,jan4 #agaf1--the same division into six chapters--the same titles1 and the same subjects of which they treat1 he would have exclaimed against the forgery of this work1 improperly attributed to ,pierre des ,vignes1 the ,secretary and ,chancellor of ,frederick ,,ii4 ,this judicious critic long ago observed the difference between the ,gothic style of ,pierre des ,vignes in his ,epistles1 and that of the letter pretended to be addressed to the ,duke of ,bavaria1 ,otho the illustrious1 when they sent him the work4 ,a more important point has not escaped the notice of the learned4 ,this treatise is written and argued in the method and upon the principles of the ,new ,philosophy1 which was not introduced until about the middle of the seventeenth century1 after ,descartes1 ,gassendi1 ,bernier1 and some others had explained its principles in a juster and clearer way than did the ancient philosophers1 who wished to preserve their secrets1 as they affected a mysterious obscurity in favor of the initiated4 ,the author himself1 in the fifteen chapter of his work1 names ,descartes1 and combats the arguments of this great man on the subject of the soul4 ,neither ,pierre des ,vignes1 nor any of those whom they have attempted to pass off as the author of this book1 could have reasoned according to the principles of the new ,philosophy1 which was not introduced till after they had written4 ,to whom then must the work be attributed8 ,we must conclude that it cannot be of the same date as the short letter printed at ,leyden1 #agag4 ,but another difficulty occurs4 ,tentzelius1 who wrote in #afhi1 also gives an extract from this book upon the credit of a pretended ocular witness4 ,but without attempting to fix the date of this book1 which is said to have been composed in ,latin and printed2 the small ,french manuscript treatise1 whether it had ever been written in that language or whether it is translated from the ,latin1 7which is difficult to believe17 cannot be of a very ancient date4 ,this is not the only book composed under this title and upon the same subject4 ,a man whose character and profession ought to have led him to engage in matters more decorous1 composed a great work 7in ,french7 under the same title4 ,in his preface he says that it is long since he had heard of ,the ,three ,impostors1 but that he had never found any part of it1 whether there had never existed such a work1 or whether it be lost2 therefore he attempts to restore it by writing on the same subject4 ,his work is very long1 very wearisome1 and very badly written2 with little principles and less argument4 ,it is a confused jumble of all the invectives and calumnies circulated against the ,three ,legislators4 ,the manuscript was in two volumes folio1 thick1 and legible enough1 although in small characters--the book is divided into a great many chapters4 ,another similar manuscript was found after the death of a nobleman4 ,this gave rise to an attempt to seize the author who having been informed of it took care that nothing should be found among his papers to convict him4 ,afterwards he lived in a monastery under penance4 ,in #agcc he recovered his liberty and enjoyed a revenue of #bej livres from the ,abbey of ,st4 ,liquarie1 in addition to a reserved one of #cej livres from his benefice4 ,his name was ,guillaume1 ,cure of ,fresne-sur-,berny1 and the brother of a labourer in the ,netherlands4 ,he was at one time ,regent of the ,college of ,montaigu2 in his youth he had been a dragoon1 and then he became a ,capuchin4 ,,contents ,,of ,,treatise4 ,,chap4 ,i4 ,of ,god4 ,the false ideas which men have formed of the ,divinity4 ,instead of consulting reason and common sense1 they have had the weakness to believe in the opinions1 reveries1 and visions of parties whose interest it was to deceive them1 and to keep them in ignorance and superstition4 ,,chap4 ,,ii4 ,on the reasons which have led men to believe in a ,divinity4 ,from the ignorance as to physical causes1 and the terror produced by accidents1 rational enough but extraordinary or fearful1 has arisen the belief in some invisible power2 a belief1 of which ,politicians and ,impostors have not failed to take advantage4 ,enquiry into the nature of ,god4 ,belief in final causes refuted as contrary to sound ,natural ,philosophy4 ,,chap4 ,,iii4 ,on the meaning of the word ,theology4 ,how1 and for what purpose1 so many ,religions have been introduced into the world4 ,all ,religions the work of ,politicians4 ,method which ,moses took to establish the ,jewish ,religion4 ,enquiry into the ,nativity of ,jesus ,christ4 ,his ,politics--his ,morality--and his ,reputation after his death4 ,artifices of ,mahomet to established his ,religion4 ,success of this impostor greater than that of ,christ4 ,,chap4 ,,iv4 ,truth evident and obvious to the senses4 ,idea of an universal ,being4 ,attributes ascribed to him in all religious systems1 generally incompatible with his essence1 and unsuited to the nature of man4 ,notion of a life to come and of the existence of ,spirits1 combated and rejected4 ,,chap4 ,v4 ,on the ,soul4 ,different opinions of the ,ancient ,philosophers on the nature of the ,soul4 ,arguments of ,descartes refuted4 ,author's exposition on the subject4 ,,chap4 ,,vi4 ,on the ,spirits named ,demons4 ,origin and falsity of the opinions as to their existence4 ,a ,,treatise ,,on ,,the ,,three ,,impostors4 ,,chap4 ,i4--,,of ,,god4 #a4 ,although it is important that all men should know the truth1 there are nevertheless few who enjoy this advantage2 some are incapable of finding it out unassisted1 and others will not put themselves to the trouble4 ,it is not to be wondered at therefore1 if the world is filled with vain and absurd opinions2 and nothing is more adapted to spread them than ignorance1 which is the sole originator of the false ideas which prevail as to the ,divinity1 the ,soul1 the existence of ,spirits1 and almost all the other subjects which go to make up ,theology4 ,custom is powerful--men rest contented in the prejudices of their birth1 and leave the care of the most essential matters to interested parties1 who make it a rule to uphold with bigotry the received opinions1 and who dare not overturn them lest in so doing they should destroy themselves4 #b4 ,what renders the evil without remedy is this1 that1 after having established these false ideas of the ,divinity1 they neglect no plan to compel the people to believe in them1 without permitting any one to examine for himself4 ,on the contrary1 they have excited a hatred against philosophers--the truly learned1 lest the doctrines which they would teach should lead to the exposure of those errors in which they have plunged mankind4 ,the advocates of these foolish notions have succeeded so well1 that it is dangerous to combat them4 ,it is too much the interest of those impostors that the people be ignorant1 to permit them to become enlightened4 ,thus the truth must either be kept in abeyance1 or its promoters be prepared to be sacrificed at the shrine of a false philosophy1 and to suffer from the rage of grovelling and interested minds4 #c4 ,if the people could understand into what an abyss they are sunk by ignorance1 they would speedily shake off the yoke of their unworthy leaders1 for it is impossible not to discover the truth when reason is left to its unrestrained exercise4 ,these deceivers are so well aware of this1 that to prevent the good effects which ,truth would infallibly produce1 they have painted it as a monster incapable of giving rise to any virtuous sentiment2 although1 in general terms1 they condemn unreasonable people1 they would nevertheless be much disconcerted if the truth were heard4 ,thus these sworn enemies to common sense are perpetually falling into contradictions1 and it is difficult to discover at what they are aiming4 ,if it be true that reason is the only light which men ought to follow1 and if the people are not so incapable of judging as they wish us to believe1 it ought to be the object of those who instruct them to endeavour to rectify the false reasonings1 and to uproot their prejudices2 then their eyes would be gradually opened and their minds convinced that the ,deity is by no means what is generally supposed4 #d4 ,to attain this1 there is no need for lofty speculations1 nor for penetrating far into the mysteries of nature4 ,it requires only a little common sense to perceive that the ,deity is neither choleric nor jealous2 that justice and mercy are alike falsely considered as his attributes2 and that1 all that the ,prophets and ,apostles have said give us no information either as to his nature1 or to his essence4 ,in short to speak plainly and to put the matter on its proper footing1 it will be allowed that these teachers were neither more able nor better instructed than the rest of mankind2 so far from that being the case1 what they advance regarding the ,deity is so gross that the people must be altogether ignorant to credit it4 ,although this is apparent enough we will attempt to explain it more at length1 by inquiring1 if there is any evidence that the ,prophets and ,apostles were differently constituted from other men4 #e4 ,it is agreed1 that as far as descent1 and the common duties of life are implicated1 they possessed no quality to mark them out from the rest of mankind4 ,they were begotten by men1 they were born of women1 and they sustained themselves as we do in the present day4 ,in reference to their minds1 people would have us believe that ,god dealt with these prophets in a way differing from that wherein he deals with ordinary mortals1 and that he disclosed himself to them in a manner quite exclusive4 ,many persons consider this matter as a proved and ascertained fact1 without reflecting that every man may meet his counterpart1 and that we have one common origin2 endeavouring at the same time to persuade us that these men were cast in no common mould and that they were selected by the ,deity to proclaim his oracles4 ,now1 apart from the consideration that these inspired people were gifted with only an average intellect1 and with an understanding not much above the common1 what do we find in their writings to justify us in forming so exalted an opinion of them8 ,the matter of which they treat is for the most part so obscure that no one can comprehend it1 and thrown together with so little order that it is easy to perceive they did not understand it themselves2 the whole showing that they were both knaves and fools4 ,their impudence in boasting that whatever they announced to the people came immediately from ,god1 gave rise to the respect which was paid to them4 ,this assertion on their part was equally absurd and ridiculous1 seeing that according to their own declaration ,god only spoke to them in dreams4 ,there is nothing more natural than that a man should dream2 but a man must be very impudent1 very vain1 and very stupid1 to say that ,god speaks to him in this manner1 and a poor and credulous fool must he be who should yield credence to such an assertion1 and receive the dreams of such visionaries for heavenly oracles4 ,suppose for a moment that the ,deity were to hold intercourse with a man by dreams1 or visions1 or in any other way we can think of2 nobody is obliged to believe this on the mere assertion of a fellow-creature equally subject to error with himself1 and moreover1 fallible in the way of lying and imposture4 ,accordingly we find that under the ancient law1 the prophets were held in far less repute than they are at the present day4 ,when people got wearied of their babble1 which often only tended to spread revolt and to turn aside subjects from obedience to their sovereigns1 they silenced them by punishment4 ,jesus ,christ himself did not escape chastisement1 for he had not1 like ,moses #bb1 an army at his back to defend his opinions4 ,add to this1 that the prophets were so much accustomed to contradict each other1 that out of four hundred of them not one true or truth-speaking man could be found4 #bc ,moreover it is certain that the drift of their prophesies1 like that of the laws promulgated by the most celebrated legislators1 was to immortalize their memory by persuading people that they had conferences with the ,divinity4 ,the most subtle politicians have invariably played the same game1 although this ruse has not succeeded with every one as it did with ,moses4 #f4 ,this being settled1 let us examine for a little the idea which the ,prophets have formed of the ,deity4 ,according to their account1 ,god is a being purely corporeal4 ,michael saw him seated2 ,daniel beheld him clothed in white1 and under the form of an ,old ,man2 ,ezekiel perceived him as a ,fire3 so much for the ,old ,testament4 ,with respect to the ,new1 the disciples of ,jesus ,christ imagined that they saw him in the form of a ,dove2 the ,apostles1 like ,tongues of ,fire2 and finally1 ,st4 ,paul beheld him as a ,light1 which dazzled and blinded him4 ,then as to their contradictory statements2 in the ,book of ,genesis #bd we are informed that man is the master of his own actions1 and that it only depends upon himself to do what is right4 ,st4 ,paul on the other hand asserts that man has no control over his evil propensities without the particular grace of ,god4 ,samuel #be declares that the ,deity repented of the evil which he had brought on men3 and ,jeremiah #bf affirms that he repented1 or on certain conditions that he would repent1 of the good which he had done them4 ,such are the false and contradictory ideas which those pretenders to inspiration give us of the divinity2 and which they wish us to adopt without reflecting that they represent the ,deity as a sensitive ,being1 material1 and subject to like passions with ourselves4 ,next they inform us that ,god has nothing in common with matter1 and that his nature is altogether incomprehensible by us4 ,it would be important to learn how these manifest and irrational contradictions can be reconciled2 and whether we ought to put much faith in the evidence of a people who1 in spite of the sermons of ,moses1 were stupid enough to believe that a calf was their ,god6 ,without dwelling on the reveries of a people cradled in bondage and brought up in absurdity1 it is sufficient to remark1 that ignorance has produced a belief in all the impostures and errors which prevail amongst us at the present day4 ,,chap4 ,,ii4 ,,on ,,the ,,reasons ,,which ,,have ,,led ,,mankind ,,to ,,believe ,,in ,a ,,divinity4 #a4 ,those who are ignorant of physical causes have a natural fear #bg1 proceeding from a restlessness in their minds1 as to whether there exists a ,being or an ,agency invisible to them1 who has the power to injure them or to do them good4 ,hence the tendency which they have to feign unseen causes1 which are only the phantoms of their imagination--whom they deprecate in adversity and thank in prosperity4 ,they make ,gods of them for this purpose2 and this chimerical fear of invisible ,powers is the source of those ,religions which every one forms after his own fashion4 ,those whose interest it is that the people should rest contentedly fettered by such reveries1 have fostered their spread--have founded laws upon them--and finally reduced the people by the terrors of futurity to a blind obedience4 #b4 ,the origin of the ,gods being discovered1 men next imagined that they resembled themselves1 and that they invariably acted with a certain end in view4 ,thus they unanimously said and believed1 that ,god only works for man's behoof2 and reciprocally1 that man is only created for ,god4 ,this prejudice is general even in the present day1 and when we reflect on the influence which it must necessarily have on the manners and opinions of men we may clearly perceive that from it have arisen those false ideas which men have formed to themselves1 of good and evil1 of merit and demerit1 of praise and blame1 of order and confusion1 of beauty and deformity1 and a thousand other similar matters4 #c4 ,it must be agreed that all men are in a state of profound ignorance at their birth1 and that their only natural wish is to seek that which is pleasant and profitable to them4--,hence it follows1 #ast1 ,that they believe it sufficient for them that they are free1 and that they feel within themselves the power of volition and desire1 without troubling themselves as to the causes which effect this volition and this desire2 because they know them not4 #b;dly1 ,as men only aim at one object when they prefer it to all others1 they sought to ascertain the final causes of their actions1 imagining that after these were discovered there would be little room for doubt2 and as they found within themselves and without themselves abundant means of arriving at the end proposed--the eye constructed for vision1 the ear for hearing2 a sun above them to give them light and heat2 they concluded that there was nothing in nature which was not made for them and which they could not enjoy and dispose of2 but as they well knew that they were not the creators of these things1 they thought that they were justified in imagining a ,supreme ,being1 the author of all2 in one word they conceived that everything in existence was the work of one1 or of more ,divinities4 ,on the other hand1 the nature of the ,gods whom men acknowledged being unknown to them1 they believed that they were susceptible of like passions with themselves2 and as the natural dispositions of men are different1 every one rendered to his ,divinity a worship according to his fancy1 with the view of drawing down his blessings1 and making universal nature subservient to his own desires4 #d4 ,in this manner prejudice was changed into superstition4 ,it was rooted in such a way that the most ignorant people believed themselves capable of explaining the doctrine of final causes1 as if they had an entire knowledge of them4--,thus1 instead of proving that ,nature did nothing in vain1 they imagined that ,god and ,nature thought after the manner of men4 ,experience taught them that an infinite number of calamities disturbed the pleasures of life--storms1 earthquakes1 plagues1 hunger1 thirst1 c4 ,they attributed all these evils to divine wrath1 and believed that the ,deity was irritated against mankind for their offences2 nor could the daily occurring examples which prove that good and evil happen alike to the just and unjust1 disabuse them of their prejudices4 ,this error prevailed1 because they found it easier to remain in their natural ignorance1 than to divest themselves of notions established for so many ages2 and to adopt something in their stead1 having at least the appearance of truth4 #e4 ,this prejudice conducted them straightway to another1 which was1 that all the judgments of ,god were incomprehensible2 and that consequently they were beyond the cognizance of truth1 and above the strength of human reason2 a mistake which would have existed at the present day1 if mathematical knowledge1 natural philosophy1 and other sciences had not extinguished it4 #f4 ,there is no necessity for a long dissertation to prove that nature never aims at any definite end1 and that all these final causes are only human fictions4 ,it is sufficient to show that this doctrine deprives the ,deity of all the perfections which have been attributed to him2 and this we will endeavor to do4 ,if ,god acts for an end1 either for himself or for any other being1 he desires that which he does not possess2 and it must be granted from these premises that1 as there was a time when ,god had no object for which to act1 he wished to have one2 that is to say1 that he stood in need of something4 ,but not to overlook anything which may strengthen the arguments of those who maintain the opposite opinion1 suppose1 for a moment1 that a stone detached from a battlement fell upon an individual and killed him2 it proves1 say our opponents1 that this stone fell for the purpose of killing this person1 because it could not so have happened unless ,god had wished it4 ,if we reply that it was the wind which caused its fall at the time when the unfortunate individual was passing1 they demand at once1 how it happened that he was passing exactly at the time when the wind brought down the stone4 ,we answer1 that he was on his way to dine with a friend who had invited him2 they wish to know why his friend had invited him on that day rather than on any other4 ,they put in this manner an infinitude of absurd questions to force you to confess that the will of ,god alone 7which is the refuge of the ignorant7 was the real cause of the fall of this stone4 ,when they examine the structure of the human body1 they fall into ecstacies2 but because they are ignorant of the causes of those effects which appear to them so marvellous1 they conclude that it must be a supernatural effect1 when the causes which are known to us account for it4 ,this is the reason why the man who wishes deeply to examine the works of creation1 and like a true philosopher to penetrate into their natural causes1 irrespective of those prejudices which ignorance has created1 is branded as an infidel1 or speedily clamoured down by the malice of those whom the vulgar acknowledge as the interpreters of ,nature and of the ,gods4 ,these mercenary spirits are well aware that the ignorance which holds the people in wonderment1 is that which gives them bread1 and upholds their credit4 #g4 ,men being thus imbued with the ridiculous opinion that every thing which they behold is created for themselves1 have made it a point of religion to engross every thing1 and to judge of its value by the profit which it brings4 ,accordingly they have invented notions which do them service in explaining the nature of things1 and enable them to judge of good and evil1 order and disorder1 heat and cold1 beauty and ugliness1 c4 which are by no means what they imagine4 ,because they are able to frame their ideas in this way1 they think that they are in a position to judge of praise and blame2 of good and evil4 ,they call that good which respects their divine worship1 and turns to their own profit2 and that which does neither the one nor the other they denominate evil2 and because the ignorant are incapable of judging1 and have no conception of any thing save through the medium of their imagination1 which they mistake for judgment1 they tell us that nothing can be learned from nature1 and forthwith invent a particular arrangement of the world4 ,in short they think that matters are ill or well constituted according to the facility or the difficulty which they have in conceiving of them when presented to them through the medium of their senses4 ,people are best pleased with what gives least fatigue to the brain4 ,these individuals have wisely resolved to prefer order to confusion1 as if order were any thing else than a pure fiction of the imagination4 ,thus to say that the ,deity has made every thing with order1 is to pretend that it is in favour of the human imagination that he has created the world in a manner the most easy for it to form a conception of2--or1 which is the same thing1 that they know with certainty all the relations and all the designs of whatever exists2 an assertion too absurd to merit any serious refutation4 #h4 ,with respect to their other opinions1 they are purely the result of this same imagination1 having no basis in reality1 and being only different modifications of which that faculty is susceptible4 ,thus1 when the impressions made upon the nervous system through the medium of the eyes are agreeable1 they pronounce that the objects viewed are beautiful4 ,smells are good or bad2 tastes are sweet or bitter1 things touched are hard or soft1 according as the sensation produced is unpleasant or otherwise--as scents1 and tastes1 and contact1 and sounds affect the system4 ,following up these ideas1 men have believed that the ,deity is pleased with melody1 while others have believed that all the movements of the celestial bodies were one harmonious concert2 a proof1 that these men are persuaded that things are really such as they conceive them to be1 or that the world is entirely ideal4--,it is not to be wondered at therefore1 if we scarcely ever meet with two individuals of the same opinion3 indeed some make it their boast to doubt of every thing2 for1 although all men have a similar bodily conformation1 and resemble each other in many respects1 there are still as many respects in which they differ4 ,accordingly it must follow1 that what pleases this party displeases that2 and what appears good to one man appears evil to another4--,we must conclude therefore1 that their various opinions must be attributed to their different organizations and the diversity of their co-existences--that reason has little connection with them2 and in short1 that their conceptions of the material world are the decided results of imagination4 #i4 ,it is therefore evident1 that all the reasonings which the generality of mankind are accustomed to employ when they set themselves to explain what nature is1 are only their own modes of imagining that which is most uncalculated to make good their own position4 ,they give names to their ideas1 as if they existed in any other quarter than in their own prejudiced brain2 but instead of calling them mere chimeras1 they designate them ,beings4 ,there is extremely little difficulty in refuting the arguments grounded on such opinions4 ,if it is true1 as they advance1 that the universe is nothing more than an emanation from1 or simply a necessary consequence to1 the ,divine nature1 whence spring those imperfections and defaults which we perceive in it8 ,this objection is easily answered4 ,it is impossible for men to judge of the perfection or imperfection of any ,being1 without a thorough knowledge of his nature and essence #bh1 and it is a strange abuse of terms to assert that any thing is more or less perfect according as it pleases or displeases1 or as it is useful or noxious to human nature4 ,to terminate the argument with those who demand why ,god has not created all men good and happy1 it is sufficient to state that every thing is necessarily what it is2 and that1 in nature there is no imperfection1 since all flows from the necessity of things4 #aj4 ,this being established1 if it is asked1 ,what then is ,god8 ,i answer that the word imports that universal ,being in whom1 as ,st4 ,paul says1 we live1 and move1 and have our being4 #bi ,this opinion conveys no unworthy notions of the ,divinity1 for if all things are in ,god1 all things must necessarily flow from his essence1 and consequently be of such essence as he himself2 for it is impossible to conceive that beings entirely material should be maintained and comprehended in a ,being who is not so4 ,this opinion is not new4 ,tertullian1 one of the most learned of the ,christian fathers1 maintained in his discourse against ,appelles1 that whatever is not corporeal is nothing2 and in that against ,praxeas that every ,existence is a body4 ,he adds1 who will deny that ,god is a body1 although ,god is a ,spirit #cj8 ,it is of importance to observe that this doctrine was not condemned in any of the four first ,o,ecumenical or ,general ,councils of the ,christian ,church4 #ca #aa4 ,these ideas are clear and simple1 and the only ones which an unbiased mind can form of ,god4 ,however1 there are few contented with this simplicity4 ,a gross people accustomed to the gratification of their senses1 have conceived that ,god resembles the kings of the earth4 ,that pomp and splendor which surround the latter have dazzled them so much1 that to uproot the idea that ,god has no resemblance whatever to earthly sovereigns1 would be to deprive them of the hope of meeting celestial courtiers1 and of enjoying in their company1 the same pleasures which they had tasted at regal courts2 it would take from them the only consolation which keeps them from despair amidst the miseries of this life4 ,they assert that ,god must be a just and avenging ,being who punishes and recompenses--they represent him as susceptible of every human passion--they depict him with feet1 with hands1 with eyes and with ears1 and yet maintain that he is an immaterial ,being4 ,they quote ,scripture to prove that man is chief of ,god's works below1 and formed in his own image2 and deny that the copy has the slightest resemblance to the original4 ,in short1 the ,god of the people in the present day1 as represented by themselves1 is subject to more transformations than the ,pagan ,jupiter4 ,what is still more strange is this1 that the more these opinions contradict each other and outrage common sense1 the more are they revered by the vulgar1 who uphold with bigotry whatever their prophets have enounced1 although these visionaries only held the same place among the ,hebrews1 as did the augurs and soothsayers amongst the pagans4 ,they consult the ,bible as if ,god and ,nature had explained it to them exclusively1 although it is only a tissue of fragments gathered together at various periods1 and by different persons1 and published under the censorship of the ,rabbis4 #cb ,these1 at their pleasure1 decided as to what ought to be approved of1 and what1 rejected2 according as they found it agreeable or opposed to the law of ,moses4 ,such is the malice and the folly of mankind4 ,they spend their lives in quibbles1 and persist in reverencing a book which has scarcely more arrangement than the ,alcoran of ,mahomet--a book which from its obscurity nobody understands1 and which has only served to foment divisions4 ,the ,jew and ,christians love far better to consult this legerdemain book1 than to listen to that which ,god1 that is to say ,nature 7inasmuch as it is the origin of all things7 has written on their hearts4 ,all other laws are merely human figments--palpable illusions set abroad1 not by demons or evil spirits1 which are the creations of the fancy1 but by the policy of princes1 and the craft of priests4 ,the former have striven in this way to add weight to their authority2 and the latter have been contented to enrich themselves by the sale of an infinitude of chimerical notions1 which they vend at a dear rate to their ignorant followers4 ,no other code of laws which has followed that of ,moses1 except the ,christian1 has been based upon that ,bible the original of which could never be discovered1 which relates to things supernatural and impossible1 and which speaks of rewards and punishments for actions good or bad1 but wisely postpones them till an after life1 lest the imposture should be detected2 for no one has ever returned from the grave4 ,thus the people1 kept always fluctuating between hope and fear1 are held in bondage by the belief that ,god has created mankind for no other purpose than that of rendering them eternally happy or everlastingly miserable4 ,this is the origin of the vast number of religions which prevail in the world4 ,,chap4 ,,iii4 ,,on ,,the ,,meaning ,,of ,,the ,,word ,,religion2 ,,how1 ,,and ,,for ,,what ,,purpose1 ,,so ,,many ,,religions ,,have ,,been ,,introduced ,,into ,,the ,,world4 #a4 ,before the term ,religion was introduced into the world1 mankind followed the law of ,nature1 that is1 they lived conformably to ,reason4 ,instinct was the only bond by which men were united2 and this bond1 simple as it is1 was so strong that divisions were rare4 ,but after terror led them to suspect that there were ,gods and invisible ,powers1 they built altars to the imaginary beings1 and shaking off the yoke of reason and of ,nature1 they bended themselves by foolish ceremonies1 and by a superstitious worship of the idle phantoms which themselves had imagined4 ,such was the origin of the word ,religion1 which has made so much noise in the world4 ,after having admitted the existence of these invisible ,agencies1 men worshipped them to depreciate their anger1 and moreover they believed that nature was under the control of these ,powers4 ,afterwards they came to regard themselves as inert matter1 or as slaves who could only act under the commands of these imaginary beings4 ,this false idea having obtained possession of their minds1 they began to exhibit more contempt for nature1 and more respect for those whom they called their ,gods4 ,hence sprung that ignorance in which so many nations were immersed--an ignorance from which1 however profound1 the true philosophers might have freed them1 if they had not been always thwarted by those who led the blind1 and throve by their own impostures4 ,now1 although there were little appearance of success in our undertaking1 we must not forsake the cause of truth4 ,a generous mind will speak of things as they really are1 out of regard to those who exhibit symptoms of this malady4 ,the truth1 whatever its nature may be1 can never be injurious2 whereas error1 although at the time apparently innocent and even useful1 must finally terminate in the most disastrous results4 #b4 ,terror having thus created the ,gods1 men wished to ascertain their nature1 and conceiving that they must be of the same substance as the ,soul1 which they thought was like the appearances in a mirror1 or the phantoms of sleep1 they believed that their ,gods were real substances1 but so thin and subtle that to distinguish them from ,bodies they named them ,spirits2 although ,bodies and ,spirits are in truth one and the same thing1 for it is impossible to imagine an incorporeal ,spirit4 ,every spirit has its proper shape1 which is inclosed in some body2 that is1 it has its limits1 and consequently it is a body1 however subtle its nature4 #cc #c4 ,the ignorant1 that is the majority of mankind1 having thus determined the nature and substance of their ,gods1 endeavoured next to discover the means by which these invisible agents acted2 and unable to arrive at this because of their ignorance1 they had recourse to their own conjectures1 judging blindly of the future from the past4 ,how is it possible to draw rational conclusions from any thing which has formerly happened in a certain way1 as to what will happen hereafter1 seeing that all the circumstances and all the causes which necessarily influence events and human actions1 are so exceedingly different4 ,they persisted however in contemplating the past1 and they augured well or ill as to the future1 according as any former similar undertaking had been successful or otherwise4 ,on this principle1 because ,phormis had defeated the ,lacedemonians at the battle of ,naupactus1 the ,athenians1 after his death appointed another commander of the same name4 ,hannibal having been conquered by ,scipio ,africanus1 the ,romans1 on account of his success1 sent to the same province1 ,scipio ,csar1 who was unsuccessful both against the ,greeks #cd and the native forces4 ,thus have many nations1 after two or three experiments1 only attributed their bad or good fortune to places1 to objects1 and to names4 ,others employed certain words which they denominated spells1 which they considered efficacious enough to make trees speak1 to create a man or a ,god from a morsel of bread1 and in short to metamorphose whatever appeared before their eyes4 #ce #d4 ,the empire of these invisible powers being now established1 men at first did homage to them as their sovereigns1 by marks of submission and respect2 by gifts1 prayers1 c4 ,i say1 at first1 for nature does not enjoin bloody sacrifices for this purpose2 these were only instituted for the subsistence of priests1 and others set apart for the services of these imaginary ,gods4 #e4 ,these originators of ,religion1 viz4 ,hope and ,fear1 aided by the different opinions and passions of men1 have given rise to a vast number of phantastical creeds1 which have been the cause of so much mischief and of so many revolutions among the nations4 ,the honor and the revenues attached to the priesthood1 or to the ministers of the ,gods1 have encouraged the ambition and avarice of cunning men who knew how to profit by the stupidity of the vulgar1 whom they have got so much entangled in their snares that they have led them insensibly into the habit of loving a lie and hating the truth4 #f4 ,a system of falsehood being established1 ambitious men1 intoxicated with the pleasure of being elevated above their fellow mortals1 attempted to add to their reputation by feigning that they were the friends of those invisible ,beings whom the common people so much feared4 ,the better to succeed in this every one represented them after his fashion1 and they all took the liberty of multiplying them to an extent almost incredible4 #g4 ,the rude unformed matter of the world was called the ,god ,chaos4 ,in the same way they deified the ,heavens1 the ,earth1 the ,sea1 ,fire1 the ,winds and ,planets4 ,the same honor was conferred on men and women2 birds1 reptiles1 the crocodile1 the calf1 the dog1 the lamb1 the serpent and the swine1 in fact1 all sorts of plants and animals were worshipped4 ,every river1 every fountain1 bore the name of some deity2 every house had its lares and penates1 and every man his genius--all was filled above and below the earth with ,gods1 ,spirits1 ,shadows1 and ,demons4 ,neither was it enough to feign divinities in every imaginable place4 ,they outrage in the same way1 ,time1 the ,day1 the ,night1 ,victory1 ,strife1 ,honor1 ,virtue1 ,health1 and ,sickness4 ,they invented these ,divinities that they might represent them as ready to take vengeance on those who would not be brought up in temples and at altars4 ,lastly1 they took to worshipping their own ,genii2 some invoked theirs under the name of the ,muses1 while others1 under that of ,fortune1 worshipped their own ignorance4 ,some sanctioned their licentiousness under the name of ,cupid1 their wrath under that of the ,furies1 their natural parts under the name of ,priapus2 in one word there was nothing to which they did not give the name of a ,god or a ,demon4 #h4 ,the founders of these ,religions1 knowing well that their impostures were based upon the ignorance of the people1 took care to keep them in it by the adoration of images in which they feigned that the ,divinities resided4 ,this rained gold into the coffers of the priesthood1 and their benefices were considered as sacred things because they belonged to holy ministers2 no one having the rashness or audacity to aspire to them4 ,the better to deceive mankind1 the priests pretended to be divinely inspired ,prophets1 capable of penetrating the mysteries of futurity1 boasting that they had intercourse with the ,gods2 and1 as the desire is natural to learn one's destiny1 they by no means failed to take advantage of it4 ,some were established at ,delos1 others at ,delphi1 and in various places1 where in ambiguous language they answered the questions put to them4 ,even women took a part in these impostures1 and the ,romans in their greatest difficulties consulted the ,sybilline books4 ,these knaves were really considered inspired4 ,those who feigned that they had familiar commerce with the dead were called ,necromancers2 others pretended to ascertain the future from the flight of birds or the entrails of beasts2 in short they could draw a good or bad augury from almost every thing1 the eyes1 the hands1 the countenance1 or any extraordinary object4 ,so true it is that ignorance will receive any impression1 when men know how to take advantage of it4 #cf #i4 ,the ambitious1 who have always been great masters in the art of deceiving1 have followed this method in promulgating their laws2 and to induce mankind to give a voluntary submission to them1 they have persuaded them that they received them from some ,god or ,goddess4 ,however great the multitude of ,divinities1 amongst those who worshipped them1 and who were denominated ,pagans1 there was never any generally established system of religion4 ,every republic1 every kingdom1 every city1 and every individual had their own proper rites1 and conceived of the ,divinity after their own phantasy4 ,but afterwards there arose legislatures more subtle than the former1 and who employed more skilful and sure plans in giving forth the laws1 the worship1 and the ceremonies calculated to nourish that fanaticism which it was their object to establish4 ,amongst a great number1 ,asia has produced ,,three1 distinguished as much by their laws and the worship which they established1 as by the ideas which they have given of the ,divinity1 and the methods which they employed to confirm these ideas1 and to render their laws sacred4--,moses was the most ancient4 ,after him ,jesus ,christ appeared1 who wrought upon his plan and kept the fundamental portion of his laws1 but abolished the remainder4 ,mahomet1 who appeared the last upon the scene1 borrowed from each of the ,religions in order to compose his own1 and thereafter declared himself the sworn enemy of both4--,we shall consider the character of the three legislators1 and examine their conduct1 that afterwards we may be enabled to decide whose opinions are best grounded--those who reverence them as inspired men1 or those who regard them as impostors4 #aj4 ,,moses4 ,the celebrated ,moses1 a grandson of a distinguished ,magician1 #cg 7according to ,justin ,martyr7 possessed every advantage calculated to render him that which he finally became4 ,it is well known that the ,hebrews1 of whom he became the chief1 were a nation of shepherds whom ,pharaoh ,osiris ,i4 admitted into his kingdom in gratitude for the services which one of them had rendered during a period of severe famine4 ,he assigned them a territory in the ,east of ,egypt1 rich in pasturage1 and admirably adapted for the rearing of cattle2 where1 during two centuries1 they very much increased in numbers1 either1 that being regarded as strangers they were not liable to military service1 or on account of the other privileges which ,osiris had conferred upon them4 ,many natives of the country joined themselves to them1 among others1 bands of ,arabs who regarded them as brethren and of the same origin4 ,however this may be1 they multiplied so exceedingly1 that the land of ,goshen being unable to contain them1 they spread over all the land of ,egypt2 giving just occasion to ,pharaoh to dread that they would undertake some dangerous enterprise if his kingdom were attacked by the ,ethiopians1 his inveterate enemies1 as had frequently happened4 ,reasons of state1 therefore1 compelled this monarch to take away their privileges1 and to devise some means of weakening them and keeping them in subjection4 ,pharaoh ,orus1 surnamed ,busirus on account of his cruelty1 succeeded ,memnon1 and followed up his plans with respect to the ,hebrews2 and wishing to eternalize his memory by building the ,pyramids1 and fortifying the walls of ,thebes1 condemned the ,hebrews to the task of making bricks1 for which purpose the earth of that country was well adapted4 ,during their bondage the celebrated ,moses was born1 the same year in which the king commanded that all the male ,hebrew children should be thrown into the ,nile1 as the surest method of ridding his country from this host of strangers4 ,moses was in this way exposed to perish in the waters1 his mother having placed him in a wicker basket among the willows on the banks of the stream4 ,it happened that ,thesmutis1 the daughter of the king1 was walking by the river1 when1 hearing the cries of the infant1 that compassion so natural to her sex1 inspired her with a wish to save it4 ,orus being dead she succeeded him1 and ,moses having been presented to her she commanded that he should receive the highest instruction which could be procured1 as a son of the ,queen of a people at that time the most learned and civilized in the world4 ,he was learned in all the learning of the ,egyptians4 ,this implies that he was the ablest ,politician1 the greatest philosopher1 and the most distinguished ,magician of his time2 and besides1 it is very evident that he had been initiated into the ,egyptian ,priesthood1 which resembled those of the ,druids among the ,gauls4 ,those who are ignorant of the nature of the ,egyptian government1 must learn that the whole territory was subject to one sole sovereign1 but that it was divided into many provinces of but limited extent4 ,the governors of these provinces were designated ,monarchs1 and were generally of the powerful order of the ,priesthood1 which in fact possessed almost the third part of ,egypt4 ,the king nominated these ,monarchs2 and if we compare what others have written concerning ,moses1 and what he has written himself1 we must conclude that he was ,monarch of the ,province of ,goshen1 and that he owed his appointment to ,thesmutis1 to whom also he owed his life4 ,such was the status of ,moses amongst the ,egyptians1 where he had full time and every opportunity of studying their manners and those of his own nation1 and of obtaining a knowledge of their dominant inclinations and passions2 a knowledge1 of which he failed not to avail himself in that revolution of which he was the originator4 ,after the death of ,thesmutis1 her successor renewed the persecution against the ,hebrews1 and ,moses having fallen from the honor in which he had been formerly held1 was afraid that he would find it difficult to justify a homicide of which he had been guilty4 ,he accordingly resolved on flight1 and retired into ,arabia ,petrea4 ,chance led him to the house of the chief of some native tribe1 to whom he rendered so many services1 and by whom his talents were so highly appreciated that he gave him one of his daughters in marriage4 ,it must here be remarked that ,moses was so little of a ,jew1 and had so limited a conception of the ,deity whom he afterwards imagined1 that he married an idolatress1 and did not even think of circumcising his children4 ,it was in the ,arabian deserts1 when watching the flocks of his father-in-law1 that he formed the design of taking vengeance upon the ,king of ,egypt for the injuries he had met with4 ,he flattered himself that he would easily succeed in this1 as well on account of his own talents1 as from the feeling which he knew was general amongst those of his own nation1 irritated against the government on account of the cruel treatment which they had experienced4 ,it appears from the history which he has left us of this revolution1 or at all events1 from the history which the author of the books attributed to ,moses1 has left us1 that ,jethro1 his father-in-law1 was in the plot1 as were ,aaron his brother1 and sister ,marion1 who remained in ,egypt1 and with whom1 no doubt1 he maintained a correspondence4 ,however that may be1 we perceive from the result1 that he had with the utmost policy schemed out a great design2 and that he knew how to bring to bear against the ,egyptians that learning which he had acquired amongst them4 ,i allude to magic1 in the exhibition of which he showed himself more subtle and expert than all those who attempted the same tricks at the court of ,pharaoh4 ,it was by these pretended prodigies that he gained over those of his nation whom he wished to carry off1 and to whom disaffected and revolutionary ,egyptians1 ,ethiopians and ,arabs joined themselves4 ,by boasting the power of his ,divinity1 and the frequent communions which he had with him2 and by declaring that he had his sanction for all the steps which he took with the leaders of the revolution1 he succeeded so well that there followed him #fjj1jjj fighting men1 besides women and children1 across the ,arabian deserts1 of which he well knew the localities4 ,after six days painful flight1 he ordained to his followers that they should consecrate the seventh day to his ,god by a general and public rest1 for the purpose of persuading them that the ,deity favored him and approved of his authority2 and to deter any one from having the audacity to dispute his statements4 ,there never existed a more ignorant people than the ,hebrews1 nor consequently more credulous4 ,to be assured of this we have only to look to their condition in ,egypt when ,moses caused them to revolt4 ,they were detested by the ,egyptians on account of their profession as shepherds1 they were persecuted by the sovereign1 and employed in the most degrading toil4 ,amongst a people thus situated it could not be very difficult for a man with the abilities of ,moses to exercise a vast influence4 ,he persuaded them that his ,god1 7whom he sometimes merely styles an angel71 the ,god of their fathers1 had appeared to him--that it was at his command that he had taken them under his guidance--and that they would be a people highly favored of the ,deity1 provided they believed in him4 ,the expert employment of deceit1 and his knowledge of science1 and of human nature1 fortified his injunctions2 and he strengthened his position by prodigies1 which are always sure to make a deep impression on the minds of an imbecile populace4 ,it must here be attended to with especial care1 that he thought he had discovered a sure method of keeping the ,hebrews in subjection to himself1 by persuading them that ,god himself was their conductor--that he preceded them by night as a pillar of fire1 and by day as a cloud4 ,it can be proved that this is perhaps a more gross deceit on the part of this leader than any he had ever practised4 ,during his sojourn in ,arabia1 he had learned that1 as the country was of vast extent and uninhabited1 it was the custom of those who travelled in caravans to take guides1 who conducted them under night by means of a brasier filled with burning wood1 the flame of which they followed2 and the smoke of which by day equally prevented the parties of the caravan from straggling4 ,moses took advantage of this and proclaimed it miraculous1 adducing it as an evidence of divine protection4 ,no person is called upon to regard this as cheat1 on my authority2 let them believe ,moses himself1 who in the book of ,numbers1 chap1 x1 v4 #ca1 is represented as beseeching his brother-in-law ,habab to journey with the ,israelites and show them the way1 because he knew the country4 #ch ,this is proof positive4 ,if it were really ,god who went before the people of ,israel by night and by day1 as a pillar of cloud and of fire1 could they have desired a better guide8 ,notwithstanding here is this leader entreating his brother-in-law in the most urgent manner to act as his guide2 the pillar of cloud and fire1 it would seem1 being only a ,god for the people and not for ,moses4 ,the unfortunate dupes being delighted to find themselves adopted by the chief of the ,gods on their escape from a cruel bondage1 cheerfully put faith in ,moses1 and swore to obey him blindly4 ,his authority being confirmed1 he wished to render it perpetual2 and under the specious pretext of establishing the worship of that ,god whose ,viceregent he said he was1 he appointed at once his brother and his sons to high authority in the ,royal ,palace1 that is the place whence he thought proper to give forth his oracles2 this place being altogether out of the view of the people4 ,lastly he practised that which is always done at the formation of new institutions2 that is1 he exhibited prodigies1 miracles1 whereby some were dazzled1 and others confounded1 but which only excited pity in those who could see through his impostures4 ,however crafty ,moses might have been1 he would have had considerable difficulty in securing obedience1 without the aid of his armed followers4 ,an impostor without physical force rarely succeeds4 ,but in spite of the great number of dupes who submitted themselves blindly to the will of this clever legislator1 there were found people bold enough to reproach him for bad faith2 declaring that1 under false appearances of justice and equality1 he had engrossed the whole--that the sovereign authority was confined to his own family1 who had no more right to it than any other individuals--and that he was less the father than the tyrant of his people4 ,but on these occasions ,moses1 with profound policy1 put to death those daring spirits and spared no one who disputed his authority4 ,it was by similar precautions1 and by always declaring that his punishments were instances of divine vengeance1 that he reigned an absolute despot2 and to end as he had begun--that is to say1 as a knave and an impostor--he was in the habit of retiring to a cave1 which he had caused to be dug in the centre of a waste1 under the pretext of having conferences with the ,divinity1 that he might secure in this way the respect and submission of his followers4 ,his end was like that of other similar impostors4 ,he cast himself from a precipice which he knew of in the remote wilderness1 to the end that his body might not be discovered1 and that it might be thought the ,deity had carried him off4 ,he was not ignorant that the memory of the patriarchs which had preceded him was held in great veneration1 although they knew their sepulchres2 but this was not enough for an ambition like his--it was necessary that he should be revered as a god1 over whom death had no control4 ,this is the explanation of what he said at the commencement of his reign1 when he said that ,god had declared that he was to be a ,god unto his brother4 #ci ,elijah in like manner1 and ,romulus1 #dj and ,zamolxis1 and all those who have had the foolish vanity to wish to eternalize their names1 have concealed the time and manner of their death1 in order that they might be thought immortal4 #aa4 ,but to return to the legislators4 ,there have never been any who did not assert that their laws did not emanate from some divinities #da1 and who have not attempted to persuade their followers that they themselves were more than mortal4 ,numa ,pompilius1 after having tasted the sweets of retirement1 was with difficulty persuaded to leave them1 although it was to fill the throne of ,romulus2 but compelled by the acclamations of the people1 he profited by the devotedness of the ,romans1 and insinuated to them that if they really wished him to be their king1 they must be prepared to obey him without enquiry1 and to observe religiously the laws and divine institutions which had been communicated to him by the goddess ,egeria4 #db ,alexander the ,great had8 no less vanity4 ,not content with seeing himself master of the world1 he wished to persuade mankind that he was the son of ,jupiter4 ,perseus pretended also to have derived his origin from the same god and the virgin ,danae4 ,plato also insisted on a virgin nativity1 regarding ,apollo as his father4 ,there have been many other personages who have been guilty of the same absurdity4 ,no doubt all these great men believed in the opinion of the ,egyptians1 who maintained that the ,spirit of ,god was capable of having intercourse with the female sex1 and rendering them pregnant4 #ab4 ,,jesus ,,christ4 ,jesus ,christ1 who was acquainted with the maxims and the science of the ,egyptians1 gave currency to the belief alluded to above1 because he thought it suitable to his purposes4 ,reflecting how ,moses had become renowned by his command of an ignorant people1 he undertook to build on this foundation1 and got some few imbecile people to follow him1 whom he persuaded that the ,holy ,ghost was his father1 and that his mother was a virgin4 ,these simple folks1 accustomed to give themselves over to dreams and reveries1 adopted his opinions1 and believed whatever he wished3 indeed1 something considerably beyond this miraculous birth would by no means have been too miraculous for them4 ,a beautiful dove overshadowed a virgin3 there is nothing surprising in that4 ,it happened frequently in ,lydia2 and the swan of ,leda is the counterpart of the dove of ,mary4 #dc ,that a man should be born of a virgin1 by the operation of the ,holy ,spirit1 is neither more extraordinary nor more miraculous that that ,genghis ,khan should be born of a virgin1 as the ,tartars assert2 or that ,foh1 according to the ,chinese belief1 derived his origin from a virgin rendered pregnant by the rays of the sun4 ,this prodigy appeared at a time when the ,jews1 wearied with their ,god as they had formerly been with their ,judges1 #dd were desirous to have some visible ruler among them1 as was the case with other nations4 ,as the number of fools is infinite1 ,jesus ,christ in a short time had many followers2 but as his extreme poverty was an invincible obstacle to his elevation1 the ,pharisees--at one time his admirers1 and at another time startled at his boldness--forwarded or thwarted his interests1 according to the inconstant humour of the populace4 ,the report of his divine origin was spread about2 but without forces1 as he was1 it was impossible that he could succeed1 although some cures which he performed1 and some resurrections from the dead to which he pretended1 brought him somewhat into repute4 ,without money or arms he could not fail to perish3 if he had been in possession of these1 he would have been no less successful than ,moses or ,mahomet1 and all those who1 with like advantages1 have elevated themselves above their fellow-men4 ,if he had been more unfortunate1 he would not have been less adroit2 and several traits in his history prove that the principal defect in his policy was his carelessness in not sufficiently providing for his own security4 ,otherwise1 ,i do not find that his plans were less skilfully devised than those of the other two3 at all events his law has become the rule of faith to people who flatter themselves that they are the wisest in the world4 #ac4 ,,on ,,the ,,politics ,,of ,,jesus ,,christ4 ,can anything be more subtle than the answer of ,jesus concerning the woman taken in adultery8 ,the ,jews having demanded of him if they should stone her1 instead of answering the question directly--a negative answer being directly contrary to the law1 and an affirmative convicting him of severity and cruelty1 which would have alienated their minds from him--instead1 therefore1 of replying as an ordinary individual would have done on the occasion--,let him1 said he1 who is without sin amongst you cast the first stone at her4 #de ,a shrewd reply1 and one evincing great presence of mind4 ,on another occasion1 being shown a piece of money with the emperor's image and superscription upon it1 and asked if it were lawful to pay tribute money unto ,csar1 he eluded the difficulty of answering3 ,render unto ,csar the things which are ,csar's4 #df ,the false position in which they wished to place him was this3 that if he denied that it was lawful1 he was guilty of high treason2 and if he said that it was1 he went directly against the law of ,moses1 which he always protested that he never intended to do--knowing no doubt that he was too helpless to do so with impunity at that time4 ,afterwards1 when he became more celebrated1 he endeavoured to abrogate it almost totally3 acting in this way not unlike those princes1 who1 until their power is thoroughly established1 always promise to confirm the privileges of their subjects1 but who1 after that has been secured1 care little for their promises4 ,when the ,pharisees asked him by what authority he taught the people and preached to them1 he penetrated their intention--which was to convict him of falsehood2 whether he answered that it was by human authority--he not being of the order of the priesthood1 who alone were charged with the instruction of the people2 or whether he preached by the express orders of ,god--his own doctrine being opposed to the law of ,moses2 he avoided their snare1 and embarrassed themselves1 by asking them in what name ,john baptised4 #dg ,the ,pharisees1 who from political motives1 rejected the baptism of ,john1 would have condemned themselves if they had said that it was in the name of ,god2 and if they had not said so1 they would have exposed themselves to the rage of the populace1 who maintained the opposite opinion4 ,to get out of this dilemma1 they answered that they could not tell3 on which ,jesus ,christ replied1 that neither was he obliged to tell them by what name or authority he taught the people4 #ad4 ,such was the character of the destroyer of the ancient law1 and the founder of the new religion that was built upon its ruins2 in which religion a disinterested mind can perceive nothing more divine than in any of those which preceded it4 ,its founder1 who was not altogether ignorant1 having witnessed extreme corruption in the ,jewish republic1 judged that its end was near1 and thought it a favorable opportunity for forwarding his own designs4 ,the fear of being anticipated by men more able than himself1 made him hasten to secure his ground by means entirely opposite to those adopted by ,moses4 ,the former began by rendering himself terrible to other nations4 ,jesus ,christ1 on the contrary1 attracted mankind to himself by the hope of blessings in a life beyond the grave1 which he said they would obtain by believing in him4 ,whilst ,moses only promised temporal benefits to the observers of his law1 ,jesus ,christ led his followers to hope for those which would never end4 ,the laws of the one only regarded exterior observances2 those of the other looked into the heart1 influenced the thoughts1 and stood on opposite grounds to the law of ,moses4 ,whence it follows1 that ,jesus ,christ believed with ,aristotle1 that it is the same with religion and nations as with individuals who are born and who die2 and as there is nothing which is not subject to dissolution1 there is no law which must not in turn give place to another4 #dh ,but as there is difficulty in passing from one law to another1 and as the greater part of men are stubborn in religious matters1 ,jesus ,christ1 in imitation of other innovators1 had recourse to miracles1 which have at all times confounded the ignorant1 and advanced the projects of ambitious and designing men4 #ae4 ,christianity having been founded in this way1 ,jesus ,christ wisely imagined that he could profit by the errors in the politics of ,moses1 and render his new law eternal--an undertaking in which he finally succeeded a little perhaps beyond his expectation4 ,the ,hebrew prophets intended to do honour to ,moses1 by predicting a successor who should resemble him--a ,messiah great in virtues1 powerful in wealth1 and terrible to his enemies4 ,these prophecies1 however1 produced altogether a different effect from what they expected2 a number of ambitious demagogues having embraced the opportunity of palming themselves off for the coming ,messiah1 which led to those insurrections and civil convulsions which lasted until the entire destruction of the ancient republic of the ,hebrews4 ,jesus ,christ1 more subtle than the prophets who succeeded ,moses1 predicted that a man of this description would appear--the great enemy of ,god--the favorite of the demons--the aggregation of all the vices and the cause of all the desolation in the world4 ,after such a splendid eulogy1 one would think that nobody could resist the temptation of calling himself ,antichrist2 and ,i do not believe that it is possible to discover a secret equal to it for eternalizing a law1 although there can be nothing more fabulous than what we read of concerning this pretended ,antichrist4 ,st4 ,paul says that he was a ready born2 whence it follows that he must have been on the watch for the coming of ,jesus ,christ3 nevertheless1 more than sixteen years rolled on after the prediction of the nativity of this formidable personage1 without any one having heard of his appearance4 ,i acknowledge that some have applied the terms to ,ebion and ,cerinthus1 two great adversaries of ,jesus ,christ1 whose pretended divinity they disputed4 ,but if this interpretation be the meaning of the ,apostle1 which is far from being credible1 the words referred to must point out a host of ,antichrists in all ages--it being impossible that truly learned men should think of injuring the cause of truth1 by declaring that the history of ,jesus ,christ was a contemptible fable1 #di and that his law was nothing but a series of dreams and reveries1 which ignorance had brought in repute1 which self-interest had encouraged1 and which tyranny had taken under its especial protection4 #af4 ,they pretend1 nevertheless1 that a religion built upon so weak foundations is divine and supernatural1 as if it were not an ascertained fact that there is no class of people more fitted to give currency to the most absurd opinions than women and lunatics4 ,it is not to be wondered at that ,jesus ,christ reckoned none of the learned amongst his followers4 ,he well knew that his law was inconsistent with common sense2 and therefore he always declaimed against the sages1 excluding them from that kingdom into which he admitted the poor in spirit1 the simple and the imbecile4 ,rational minds ought to be thankful that they have nothing to do with such insanities4 #ag4 ,,on ,,the ,,morality ,,of ,,jesus ,,christ4 ,we find nothing more divine in the morality of ,jesus ,christ than what can be drawn from the works of ancient authors2 for this reason1 perhaps every text in his code of morals is either borrowed from their's or is an imitation of it4 ,st4 ,augustine #ej acknowledges that in one of the so-called heathen writers1 he discovered the whole of the commencement of the gospel according to ,st4 ,john4 ,we must remark also1 that this apostle was so much accustomed to plunder others1 that he has not scrupled to pillage from the prophets their enigmas and visions1 for the purpose of composing his ,apocalypse4 ,again1 whence arises that agreement between the doctrines of the ,old and ,new ,testament and those of ,plato1 unless the ,rabbis and others who composed the ,jewish ,scriptures had stolen from that distinguished man4 ,the account of the creation of the world given in his ,timaeus1 is much more satisfactory than that recorded in the book of ,genesis2 and it will not do to say that ,plato1 in his tour through ,egypt1 had read the books of the ,jews1 since1 by the confession of ,st4 ,augustine1 king ,ptolemy had not ordered them to be translated till long after the philosopher had left the country4 ,the landscape which ,socrates describes to ,simias 7,phton17 possesses infinitely more beauty than the ,paradise of ,eden3 and the fable of the ,hermaphrodites #ea is beyond comparison a better invention than that which we read of in ,genesis1 where we are told that one of ,adam's ribs was taken from him for the purpose of creating a female out of it4 ,can any more plausible account of the overthrow of ,sodom and ,gomorrah be given1 than that it was caused by ,phaeton8 ,is there no resemblance between the fall of ,lucifer and that of ,vulcan1 or of the giants struck down by the thunderbolts of ,jove4 ,how close the resemblance between ,sampson and ,hercules2 ,elijah and ,phaeton2 ,joseph and ,hypolitus2 ,nebuchadnezzar and ,lycaon2 ,tantalus and the rich man in torment2 #eb the manna in the wilderness and the ambrosia of the gods6 ,st4 ,augustine1 #ec ,st4 ,cyril1 and ,theophilactus1 compare ,jonah with ,hercules1 called ,trinoctius1 because he had been three days and three nights in the belly of a whale4 ,the river which ,daniel speaks of in chap4 vii1 v4 #aj1 of his ,prophecies1 is palpably drawn from that ,pyriphlegethon to which ,plato alludes in his dialogue on the immortality of the soul4 ,the idea of ,original ,sin is taken from the account of ,pandora's box2 and the interrupted sacrifices of ,isaac and of ,jephtha's daughter are borrowed from that ,iphigenia1 in whose room a hind was offered up4 ,what we read of concerning ,lot and his wife1 is nearly the same as that which fabulous history informs us occurred to ,bancis and ,philemon4 ,the histories of ,perseus and of ,bellerophon are the foundation of ,michael and the demon whom he vanquished4 ,in short1 it is abundantly manifest that the authors of the ,scriptures have copied the works of ,hesiod1 ,homer1 and some other ancient writers1 almost word for word4 #ah4 ,with respect to ,jesus ,christ himself1 ,celsus1 by appealing to his opponent ,origen1 shows that he had taken some of his most approved apothegms from ,plato--,such as this3 ,it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle1 than a rich man to enter into the kingdom of ,god4 #ed ,it was owing to the sect of the ,pharisees1 to which he belonged1 that his followers believed in the immortality of the soul1 the resurrection1 and the torments of hell2 and also in the greater part of his morality1 #ee the whole of which ,i find in ,epictetus1 ,epicures1 and a few others4 ,this last mentioned philosopher was referred to by ,st4 ,jerome1 as a man whose virtues ought to put the best ,christians to the blush2 and whose mode of life was so temperate that a morsel of cheese1 with bread and water constituted his highest repast4 ,leading a life so frugal1 this philosopher1 heathen as he was1 declared that it was far better to be unfortunate and gifted with reason1 than to be rich and opulent without it2 adding1 that wealth and wisdom were rarely found united in the same individual1 and that it was impossible to enjoy happiness or contentment unless our conduct were guided by prudence1 justice and honesty1 which are the qualities whence flow all true and lasting enjoyments4 ,as to ,epictetus1 ,i do not believe that there ever existed a man1 not even excepting ,jesus ,christ1 more firm1 more self-denying1 more equable1 or who at any time gave forth to the world a more sublime system of morality4 ,were it not that ,i should exceed the limits which ,i have prescribed to myself in this treatise1 ,i could recount many beautiful traits in his character2 but the reader must be contented with one example4 ,when a slave to ,epaphroditus1 a captain of ,nero's guards1 his master took the brutal fancy to writhe his limbs1 ,epictetus1 perceiving that it gave the monster satisfaction1 said with a smile1 that he saw clearly that the joke would not end until he had broken one of them1 which happened accordingly4 ,the philosopher with the same equanimity and the same smile1 merely said1 ,did ,i not tell you that you would certainly break the limb8 ,where is there on record another instance of like firmness8 ,how would ,jesus ,christ have acted in the circumstances8--he who wept and trembled at the least alarm1 and who in his last moments exhibited a pusillanimity altogether contemptible1 and which was never shown by the martyrs for his faith4 ,if the work which ,arian wrote concerning the life and death of our philosopher had been preserved1 ,i have no doubt that we would have been in possession of many more examples of his equanimity than we have at present4 ,i know that the priests will speak of the example which ,i have instanced1 as they speak of the virtues of philosophic minds in general1 and assert that it is based on vanity1 and that it is by no means what it appears to be2 but ,i know also1 that those people are accustomed to speak ex cathedra whatever suits their purpose and to think they sufficiently earn the money which is given them for instructing the people1 by declaiming against every man who knows what sober reason and real virtue are4 ,nothing in the world can be less in congruity with the actions of these superstitious men who decry them1 than the manner of the truly learned4 ,the former1 having studied for no other end than to obtain a place to give them bread1 become vain1 and congratulate themselves when they have obtained it1 as if they had arrived at the state of perfection2 whereas it is nothing else to them than a state of idleness1 pride1 voluptuousness1 and licentiousness1--a condition in which the great majority of them hold in no respect whatever the maxims of that religion which they profess4 ,but we will leave these men1 who have not the remotest conception of real virtue1 and examine the evidences for the divinity of their master4 #ai4 ,having considered the politics and the morality of ,jesus ,christ1 wherein we find nothing so useful or so sublime as we find in the writings of the ancients1 let us now consider if the reputation which he acquired after his death be a proof of his divinity4 ,the generality of mankind are so much accustomed to what is irrational1 that it is astonishing to find people endeavouring to draw a rational inference from their conduct4 ,experience teaches us that they are always running after shadows1 and that they neither do nor say anything betokening common sense4 ,these fanatical notions on which they found their belief will always be in vogue1 in spite of the efforts of the learned who have invariably set themselves against them4 ,so rooted are their follies that they had rather be crammed with them to repletion than make any effort to be rid of them4 ,it was to no purpose that ,moses boasted that he was the interpreter of ,god1 and attempted to prove his mission and his authority by extraordinary signs4 ,if he absented himself for a short time 7as he did occasionally1 to hold conference with the ,divinity1 by his account1 and as in like manner did ,numa ,pompilius and many other legislators71 it was only to find on his return strong traces of the worship of the gods whom the ,hebrew people had seen in ,egypt4 ,it was in vain that he had led them for forty years through the desert1 that they might lose recollection of the divinities which they had left behind4 ,they had not forgot them1 and they always wished for some visible symbol to precede them1 which1 if they had got1 they would have worshipped obstinately1 at the risk of being exposed to extreme cruelty4 ,the pride-inspired contempt alone which led them to the hatred of other nations1 made them insensibly forget the gods of ,egypt1 and attach themselves to that of ,moses4 ,they worshipped him for some time with all the outward observance of the law2 but with that inconstancy which leads the vulgar to run after novelty1 they deserted him at last to follow the ,god of ,jesus ,christ4 #bj4 ,the most ignorant alone of the ,hebrews followed ,moses--such also were they who ran after ,jesus ,christ2 and their name being legion1 and as they mutually supported each other1 it is not to be wondered at if this new system of error was widely circulated4 ,the teaching of these novelties was not without danger to those who undertook the task1 but the enthusiasm which they excited extinguished every fear4 ,thus1 the disciples of ,christ1 miserable as they were in his train1 and even dying of hunger--7as we learn from the necessity under which they were1 together with their leader1 of plucking the ears of corn in the fields to sustain their lives7--these disciples never despaired till they saw their master in the hands of his executioners1 and totally incapable of gifting them with that wealth1 and power1 and grandeur1 which he had led them to expect4 ,after his death1 his disciples being frustrated in their fondest hopes1 made a virtue of necessity4 ,banished as they were from every place1 and persecuted by the ,jews1 who were eager to treat them as they had treated their master1 they wandered into the neighboring countries2 in which1 on the evidence of some women1 they set forth the resurrection of ,christ1 his divinity1 and the other fables wherewith the gospels are filled4 ,it was their want of success among the ,jewish people which led to the resolution of seeking their fortune among the ,gentiles2 but as a little more knowledge than they possessed was necessary for the accomplishment of their design--the ,gentiles being philosophically trained1 and consequently too much the friends of truth and reason to be duped by trifles--the sectaries of ,jesus gained over to their cause a young man #ef of ardent temperament and active habits1 somewhat better instructed than the illiterate fishermen of ,galilee1 and more capable of drawing audiences to listen to his talk4 ,he being warned from heaven 7miraculously of course71 leagued himself with them1 and drew over some partizans by the threat of fabled hell1 7a plagiarism from the ancient poets71 and by the hope of the joys of paradise1 into which blessed abode he was impudent enough to assert that he had at one time been introduced4 ,these disciples then1 by strength of delusion and lying1 procured for their master the honor of passing for a god--an honor at which1 in his life-time1 ,jesus could never have arrived4 ,his destiny was no better than that of ,homer1 nor even so good2 inasmuch as seven cities which had despised and starved the latter in his lifetime1 struggled and fought with each other1 in order to ascertain to which was due the merit of having given him birth4 #ba4 ,it may be judged now1 from what has been advanced1 that ,christianity1 like every other religion1 is only a complicated imposture--the success and progress of which would astonish the inventors themselves1 could they revisit this world4 ,without bewildering ourselves1 however1 in a labyrinth of error and contradiction1 such as we have alluded to1 we go to ,mahomet1 who founded his law on maxims entirely opposite to those of ,jesus ,christ4 #bb4 ,,mahomet4 ,scarcely had the disciples of ,jesus ,christ torn down the ,mosaic fabric for the purpose of establishing ,christianity1 when men1 led by force of circumstances1 and influenced by their usual inconstancy1 followed the new legislator1 who had elevated himself by means similar1 as far as possible1 to those which ,moses employed4 ,like the ,jewish lawgiver1 ,christ usurped the title of prophet1 and ambassador of ,god2 like him he pretended to perform miracles1 and took advantage of the passions of the multitude4 ,he soon found himself escorted by an ignorant populace1 to whom he explained the new oracles of heaven4 ,these miserably misled people1 from the promises and fables of this new impostor1 spread his renown far and wide1 as having eclipsed all his predecessors4 ,mahomet1 on the contrary1 was a man who did not appear at all competent to lay the foundation of an empire4 ,he was distinguished neither as a politician nor a philosopher3 he could neither read nor write4 #eg ,at first he exhibited so little firmness1 that he was frequently upon the point of abandoning his enterprise2 and he would have done so1 had it not been for the address of one his followers4 ,when he was rising into celebrity1 ,corais1 a powerful ,arab chief1 being irritated that a man of yesterday should have the boldness to mislead the people1 declared himself his enemy1 and attempted to thwart his designs2 but the people1 believing that ,mahomet had continued intercourse with ,god and his angels1 supported him till he had an opportunity of being avenged upon his adversary4 ,the tribe of ,corais was worsted2 and ,mahomet seeing himself surrounded by a host of fanatics1 thought that he stood in no need of a coadjutor4 ,however1 lest ,corais should expose his impostures1 he took the initiative2 and to make sure1 he loaded him with promises1 and swore that he only wished to become great in order to share with him that power1 to the establishment of which he might so much contribute4 ,we can agree1 said he1 when we reach our proper elevation2 we can depend1 in the meantime1 on that great multitude whom we have gained over1 and it only remains that we make sure of them by the employment of that artifice which you have so happily invented4 ,at the same time he persuaded him to descend into the ,cave of ,oracles4 ,this was a dried-up sunk well1 from the bottom of which ,corais spoke1 in order that the people might believe that it was the voice of ,god declaring himself in favour of ,mahomet who was in the midst of his proselytes4 ,deceived by the blandishments of the leader1 his associate regularly descended into the well1 to counterfeit the oracle4 ,whilst ,mahomet was passing one day at the head of an infatuated multitude1 they heard a voice1 which said--,i am your ,god1 and ,i declare that ,mahomet is the prophet whom ,i have appointed for all nations2 he will instruct you in my law of truth1 which the ,jews and ,christians have altered4 ,for a long time the accomplice played this game2 but at last he met with the blackest ingratitude4 ,the voice being heard1 as usual1 proclaiming him an inspired personage1 ,mahomet turned to the people1 and commanded them1 in the name of that ,god who had recognised him as his prophet1 to fill up the well with stones1 that it might be an enduring witness in his favour1 like that pillar which ,jacob set up to mark the place where ,god had appeared to him4 #eh ,thus perished1 miserably1 the chief who had most contributed to the elevation of ,mahomet4 ,it was upon this heap of stones that the last of the three most celebrated impostors established his religion1 and so solid and stable is its foundation1 that after the lapse of twelve hundred years there is little appearance at present of its being overthrown4 #bc4 ,in this way was the power of ,mahomet established2 and he was more fortunate than ,jesus1 inasmuch as he lived to see the wide diffusion of his doctrines1 which ,christ on account of his want of resources1 was unable to do4 ,he was even more fortunate in this respect than ,moses1 who from excess of ambition brought himself to a premature end4--,mahomet died in peace1 and loaded with blessings4 ,he had1 moreover1 a well-grounded hope that his religion would last1 because it was accommodated to the nature of a people born and brought up in ignorance2 an adaptation in which men more learned than himself1 but less accustomed to associate with the lower orders1 might have entirely failed4 ,the reader is now in possession of the most remarkable facts concerning the three most celebrated legislators1 whose religions have brought into subjection a great part of the human race4 ,they were such as we have represented them2 and it is for you to consider if they are worthy of your respect1 and if you are justified in allowing yourselves to be led by those whom ambition alone conducted to power1 and whose dreams have been perpetuated by ignorance4 ,the following observations1 if read with a free and unprejudiced mind1 may lead to the discovery of truth1 by clearing away those mists wherewith you have been blinded and beguiled4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,truths ,,evident ,,and ,,obvious ,,to ,,the ,,senses4 #a4 ,moses1 ,jesus ,christ1 and ,mahomet1 being such as we have represented them1 it is evident that it would be useless to search in their writings for a new idea of the ,divinity4 ,the conferences of ,moses and ,mahomet with the ,deity1 and the miraculous conception of ,jesus ,christ1 are the greatest impostures that have ever met the face of day1 and you must shun their contemplation as you love the truth4 #b4 ,god1 as we have seen1 being only ,nature1 or in other words the combination of all beings1 all properties1 and all energies1 is necessarily the cause from which emanates every thing1 and of course not distinct or different from its effects4 ,he cannot be termed good1 nor evil1 nor just1 nor merciful nor jealous3 these attributes belong only to mankind4 ,the ,deity therefore can neither punish nor reward4 ,the opposite idea may lead aside the ignorant1 who1 conceiving the ,divinity to be an uncompounded essence1 represent him to themselves under images altogether unsuited to his nature4 ,those alone who exercise their judgment without confounding its operations with those of their imaginative faculty1 and who have sufficient strength of mind to cast away the prejudices of infancy1 can form a clear and distinct conception of the subject4 ,they regard him as the author of every being1 producing them without distinction1 and giving no preference to one over another1 and whose power is such that he created man with as much ease as he did the meanest worm1 or the humblest plant4 #c4 ,we must therefore believe that this universal ,being whom we generally name ,god1 takes no greater care of a man than of an ant1 nor pays more attention to a lion than to a stone2 neither regards the beauty or deformity1 good or evil1 perfection or imperfection4 ,he cares not to be praised1 beseeched1 sought alter1 or flattered2 he is not affected by what men say or do2 he is not susceptible of love or hatred3 #ei in one word he is not more occupied with man than he is with the rest of the other creatures1 whatever may be their nature4 ,all these distinctions are merely the inventions of a limited understanding3 they originate in ignorance1 and self-interest keeps them up4 #d4 ,thus1 therefore1 no rational man can believe in ,god1 nor in hell1 nor in spirits1 nor in devils1 in the sense in which the terms are generally understood4 ,these big words have only been coined to intimidate and blind the vulgar4 ,those who wish to convince themselves of this truth would do well to devote particular attention to what follows1 and accustom themselves to suspend their judgment until after mature reflection4 #e4 ,the infinity of stars which we see above us has not escaped the fictions of presumptive credulity4 ,amongst the glittering hosts1 there is one said to have been set apart for the celestial court1 where ,god holds regal state in the midst of his courtiers4 ,this place is the residence of the blessed1 wither the souls of the virtuous are conveyed after leaving the body4 ,we need not dwell upon an opinion so frivolous and so contradictory to common sense4 ,it is well enough ascertained that what we denominate the heavens is merely a continuation of the air which surrounds us--a fluid through which the other planets move1 like the earth which we inhabit1 unsustained and unconnected with any solid mass whatever4 #f4 ,the priests having1 like the pagans with their ,gods and goddesses1 invented a heaven1 where ,god and the blessed might dwell2 after the same example next they contrived a hell1 or subterranean place1 to which1 they assure us1 the spirits of wicked men go down for the purpose of being everlastingly tormented4 ,now1 the word hell1 in its original sense1 imports no more than a place dark and deep2 and the poets invented it as the opposite to the residence of the blessed1 which they represented as high and bright4 ,this is the exact signification of the ,latin terms inferus and inferi1 and the ,greek hades2 any dark place such as a sepulchre1 or whatever was fearful from its depth and obscurity4 ,the whole sprung from the imagination of the poet and the knavery of the priests--the former knowing how to make an impression in this way1 on weak1 timid1 and melancholy minds2 and the latter having rather more substantial reasons for continuing the delusion4 ,,chap4 ,v4--,,on ,,the ,,soul4 #a4 ,this is rather a more delicate subject to handle than the last which we had occasion to treat of1 viz3 ,heaven and ,hell4 ,for the reader's sake1 therefore1 it must be treated at greater length2 but before defining it1 an exposition of the opinions of the most celebrated philosophers is necessary1 which will be given in a few words1 in order that the reader may be the better enabled to carry it along with him4 #b4 ,their opinions are exceedingly varied4 ,some have pretended that the soul is a spirit or immaterial essence2 others have maintained that it is a part of the ,divinity2 others assert that it is the concord of all parts of the body2 and some uphold that it is the most subtle part of the blood1 separated into the brain1 and thence distributed through the nervous system4 ,if this is established1 the soul must take its origin from the heart which creates it2 and the place where it exercises its noblest functions must be the brain1 as that organ is the most purified from the grosser parts of the blood4 ,such are a few of the different opinions which have been given to the world in regard to the soul4 ,the better to develop them1 we shall divide them into two classes4 ,in the one will be found the statements of those philosophers who considered the soul as material2 and in the other those of the opposite party1 who maintained the doctrine of its immateriality4 #c4 ,pythagoras and ,plato have both maintained the doctrine that the soul was immaterial in its nature2 that is1 a being existing without aid from the body1 and capable of action uncontrolled by any thing corporeal4 ,they hold that all the individual spirits of animals were emanations from the universal ,soul of the ,world1 and that these off-givings were incorporeal1 immortal1 and of the same nature as the pervading ,essence itself4 ,they illustrated their doctrine well1 by the analogy of a thousand little lights which are all of the same nature as the great flame at which they were kindled4 #d4 ,these philosophers believed that the universe was animated by an immaterial ,essence1 immortal and invisible1 knowing everything1 and acting always2 and which is the cause of every movement1 and the origin of all spirits1 these being merely emanations from it4 ,then1 as spirits are very subtle1 they cannot unite 7they observe7 unless they can find a body subtle as the light1 or as that expanded air which the vulgar take for heaven4 ,they therefore assume a body less subtle1 then another somewhat gross2 and thus by degrees they come to be enabled to unite themselves to the bodies of animals1 into which they descend as into dungeons or sepulchres4 ,the death of the body1 according to them1 is the life of the soul1 which was in a manner buried1 and could only in a feeble way exercise its noblest functions4 ,at the death of the body1 the soul shakes off materiality1 comes forth of its prison-house1 and unites itself to the ,soul of the ,world from which it emanated4 ,according to this opinion then1 all the spirits of animals are of the same nature2 and the diversity of their functions and faculties arises solely from the difference of the bodies into which they descend4 ,aristotle supposes an universal intelligence1 acting on particular intelligences1 as light acts upon the eye2 and that as light renders objects visible1 so does this universal intelligence render the others intelligent4 ,this philosopher defines the soul as that whereby we live1 feel1 think1 and move2 but he is unsatisfactory as to the nature of that ,being which is the source of its noblest functions4 ,it is needless1 therefore1 to search in his writings for a solution of the difficulties which exist upon this subject4 ,dicearchus1 ,asclepiades1 and ,galienus1 have also1 to a certain extent1 believed that the soul was immaterial1 but in a different way from that already alluded to4 ,they suppose that the soul is nothing else than the harmony of all the parts of the body3 that is1 the result of an exact blending of its elements and disposition of its parts1 its humours1 and its essences4 ,thus1 they say1 as health is not a part of that which is healthy1 although it is connected with it1 so neither is the soul a part of the animal1 although it be within it1 but simply the harmony of all those parts which go to form the containing body4 ,on these opinions we must1 remark1 that their defenders believe in the immateriality of the soul on self-contradictory principles2 for to maintain that1 the soul is not a body1 but merely something inseparably attached to a body1 is to say that it is corporeal4 ,we not only term that corporeal which is a body1 but everything which has form and accident1 and which cannot be separated from matter4 ,such are the opinions of those philosophers who maintain that the soul is incorporeal or immaterial4 ,we see that they are discordant and contradictory to each other1 and consequently little to be heeded as points of faith4 ,we now come to the opposite party1 who have upheld the doctrine of its materiality4 #e4 ,diogenes believed that the soul was composed of air1 whence he deduces the necessity of respiration4 ,he defines it as an air which passes through the mouth into the pulmonary vessels1 whence it becomes warm1 and whence it is distributed to every part of the system4 ,leucippus and ,democritus assert that it is fire1 and that1 like fire1 it is composed of atoms which readily penetrate all parts of the body1 and communicate motion to it4 ,hippocrates said that it was composed of water and of fire4 ,empedocles thought that it was compounded of the four elements4 ,epicurus believed with ,democritus that the soul is composed of fire1 but he adds that there enter into its composition1 air1 a vapour1 and an indescribable substance1 which is the principle of thought4 ,out of these four different substances he makes to himself a very subtle spirit1 pervading all the body1 and which1 he says1 we ought to term the soul4 ,descartes reasons also1 but in a very wretched manner1 that the soul is not material4 ,i say in a very wretched manner1 for never did philosopher reason so badly on this subject as did this great man4 ,here is his argument4 ,he sets outs by saying that he must doubt in the existence of his own body1 believing that there exists no such thing as a body at all1 and then he reasons in this fashion3 ,there exists no body2 ,i exist nevertheless3 ,i am therefore not a body1 and consequently ,i can only be a substance which thinks4 ,although this fine reasoning destroys itself sufficiently1 ,i will yet take the liberty of giving my opinion of it in two words4 #a4 ,the doubt which ,m4 ,descartes assumes is indefensible2 for although one may sometimes think that he does not think that he has a body1 it is true nevertheless that he has a body1 since he thinks of it4 #b4 ,whoever believes that there exists no body1 ought to be well assured that he is not one himself2 for no one can doubt in his own existence4 ,if he is assured in this matter1 his doubt is useless4 #c4 ,when he says that the soul is a substance which thinks1 he tells us nothing new4 ,every person agrees in this2 but the difficulty is to ascertain the nature of that substance which thinks1 and in this respect ,m4 ,descartes is no wiser than his predecessors4 #f4 ,that we may not go crooked as he has done1 and that we may form the soundest conception possible of the soul of all animals1 without excepting man1 who is of the same nature1 and who only exercises different functions from the difference in his organization1 it is important to attend to the following remarks4 ,it is certain that there exists in the universe a very subtle fluid1 a substance extremely attenuated1 whose source is the sun1 and which pervades all other bodies1 less or more1 according to their nature and their consistence4 ,such is the soul of the world1 which governs and vivifies it1 and of which some portion is distributed to all the creatures in the universe4 #fj ,this soul is the purest fire4 ,it burns not of itself1 but by different movements1 which it communicates to the particles of other bodies into which it enters1 it burns and makest its warmth be felt4 ,our visible fire contains more of this matter than air2 air1 more than water2 and earth1 considerably less than any of them4 ,plants have more of it than minerals1 and animals more than either4 ,in fine1 this fire pervading the body renders it capable of thought1 and is that properly termed the soul1 although it sometimes receives the appellation of animal spirits1 which permeate the whole body4 ,it is certain therefore that this soul being of the same nature as that of animals1 is annihilated at the death of man1 as it is at that of the other creatures4 ,it follows that whatever poets and divines have told us of a future state1 is only the chimerical offspring of their own brain1 begotten and nourished by them for purposes which is by no means difficult to fathom4 ,,chapter ,,vi ,,on ,,the ,,spirits ,,called ,,demons #a4 ,we have explained in another place how the notion of spirits came to be introduced among men1 and proved that they were merely phantoms which existed only in their disordered imagination4 ,the first instructors of mankind were not very explicit in their lessons to the million as to the nature of these phantoms1 but they could not help saying what they thought of them4 ,one class1 reflecting that these shadows melted into thin air and had no consistence1 described them as immaterial or incorporeal1 having shapes without matter1 but coloured and defined4 ,at the same time however1 they denied that they were corporeal existences1 or that they were coloured or figured2 adding that they could clothe themselves with air as with a garment1 when they wished to become visible to the eye of men4 ,a second class assert that they were animated bodies1 but that they were composed of air1 or some still more subtle matter1 which they could thicken at their pleasure1 when they chose to make their appearance4 #b4 ,if the two sorts of philosophers were opposed to each other in their opinion as to those shadows1 they agreed as to their name1 viz41 ,demons2 in which respect they were as those who1 when dreaming1 believe that they see the souls of people departed1 and that it is their own soul which they behold when they look into a mirror--or1 in short1 those who can believe that the reflections of the stars which they see in the water are the souls of the stars themselves4 ,out of this truly ridiculous belief they wandered into an era no less absurd2 believing that these phantoms possessed unlimited power--an idea sufficiently devoid of reason1 but current among the ignorant1 who suppose that these beings1 whom they know not1 can exert a fearful influence4 #c4 ,this most absurd creed was invented and promulgated by legislators1 in order to support their own authority4 ,they established this belief in spirits under the name of religion1 hoping that the dread of these invisible powers which the people would entertain1 might keep them to their duty4 ,to give the more weight to their dogma1 they classified those spirits or demons as good and bad2 the one species being intended to stimulate men to the observance of their laws1 and the other to act as a check and prevent their breaking them4 ,to ascertain what these demons really were1 it is only necessary to read the works of the ,greek poets and historians1 and above all1 the ,theogany of ,hesiod1 where he dwells at great length on the origin of the gods4 #d4 ,the ,greeks invented them4 ,from that people they passed by means of their colonies into ,asia1 ,egypt1 and ,italy4 ,in this way the ,jews1 who were dispersed in ,alexandria and elsewhere became acquainted with them4 ,they made the same happy use of them as other nations did--with this difference1 that1 unlike the ,greeks1 they did not call them demons1 or regard them as good and bad spirits indifferently4 ,they considered them all as bad with one single exception1 to whom they gave the name of the ,spirit1 or ,god2 and they termed those men prophets who said that they were inspired by the good ,spirit4 ,farther1 they viewed as the operations of this divine ,spirit whatever they considered as a great blessing2 and on the other hand1 they looked upon whatever they thought to be a great evil1 as proceeding from some cacodemon or evil spirit4 #e4 ,this distinction between good and evil led them to the use of the appellation demoniacs1 which they applied to lunatics1 madmen1 furious persons1 and epileptics1 as also to those who made use of the unknown tongues4 ,a man deformed and somewhat deranged1 was said to be possessed of an unclean spirit2 and a dumb man by a dumb spirit4 ,these words1 spirit and demon1 became so familiar to them that they used them on every occasion4 ,it follows that the ,jews believed with the ,greeks1 that these phantoms were neither chimerical nor visionary1 but real and substantial agents4 #f4 ,hence it is that the ,bible is filled with tales of spirits1 and demons1 and demoniacs2 but in no place of that book is it said how and when they were created--an omission scarcely pardonable on the part of ,moses1 who undertakes to give an account of the creation both of the heavens and of the earth4 ,christ who speaks very frequently of angels and spirits1 good and bad1 does not inform us whether they are material or immaterial4 ,this makes it evident that both of them were ignorant of the fact that the ,greeks had instructed their ancestors in this strange belief4 ,were the case otherwise1 ,jesus ,christ would be no less culpable for his silence on the subject1 than he is for his refusal to grant to the majority of the human race1 that grace1 that faith1 and that piety1 which he assures them it is in his power to bestow4 ,but to return to the subject of ,spirits4 ,it is certain these words ,demons1 ,satan1 ,devil1 are only proper names intended to apply to any obnoxious individual of our own species2 and that1 at no period did any but the most ignorant believe in their existence1 either amongst the ,greeks who invented1 or the ,jews who adopted the terms4 ,after the latter became infected with such notions1 they applied these words which signify enemy1 accuser1 and destroyer1 at one time to invisible ,powers1 and at another1 to those which are visible4 ,thus1 they declared of the ,gentiles1 that their dwelling was in the kingdom of ,satan2 there being none other than themselves 7by their own account of the matter7 who dwelt in the kingdom of ,god4 #g4 ,jesus ,christ being a ,jew1 and consequently imbued with these opinions1 we need not be surprised when we meet in the gospels and the writing of his disciples the words ,devil1 ,satan1 and ,hell1 as if they were anything real or substantive4 ,we have showed before that there can be nothing more chimerical2 but although what was said might suffice to satisfy rational men1 we are not the less necessitated to add a few words1 in an attempt to convince the bigotted4 ,all ,christians agree that ,god is the source of everything2 that he created all things--that he sustains them1 and that without his support they would drop into annihilation4--,from these principles1 it is certain that he created that being whom they call the ,devil1 or ,satan4 ,whether he were created good or evil is nothing to the argument2 he is incontestibly the work of the great ,head1 and if he continue to exist1 all wicked as they represent him to be1 it must only be at the good pleasure of ,god4 ,now1 how is it possible to conceive that ,god would preserve one of his creatures1 who not only hates him mortally1 and blasphemes him without end1 but who sets himself to seduce the friends of the ,almighty for the sole purpose of mortifying him4 ,how is it possible1 ,i repeat1 that ,god can permit this ,devil to exist1 who turns aside from his worship the favored and the elect1 and who would dethrone him were it in his power8 ,this is what we wish to say in speaking of ,god1 or rather in speaking of the ,devil and ,hell4 ,if ,god is almighty1 and if nothing can happen without his permission1 how comes it that the devil hates him1 blasphemes him1 and seduces his worshippers8 ,the ,deity either consents to this or he does not4 ,if he consents to it1 the ,devil in blaspheming him is only doing his duty1 since he can do nothing but what ,god wishes1 and consequently it is not the ,devil1 but ,god himself who blasphemes himself1--a fearfully absurd supposition4 ,if he does not consent to it he cannot be omnipotent1 and there must be two principles1 the one of good1 and the other of evil--the one aiming at one thing1 and the other at its direct opposite4 ,to what then leads our reasoning8 ,to this2 that neither ,god1 nor the ,devil1 nor ,paradise1 nor ,hell1 nor the ,soul1 are such as religion has represented them to be1 and as most reverend divines have maintained4 ,these latter sell their fables for truths1 being people of bad faith who abuse the credulity of the ignorant by making them believe whatever they please2 as if the vulgar were absolutely unfitted to hear the truth and could be nourished by nothing but those absurdities1 in which a rational mind can only discover a vast of nothing1 and a waste of folly4 ,the world has been long infected with these most absurd opinions1 yet in every age men have been found--truth-loving men--who have striven against the absurdities of their day4 ,this little treatise has been written from like motives1 and in it the lovers of truth will doubtless meet with some things satisfactory4 ,it is to them that ,i appeal1 caring little for the opinion of those who substitute their own prejudices in place of infallible oracles4 ,happy the man1 who1 studying ,nature's laws1 ,through known effects can trace the secret cause2 ,his mind possessing in a quiet state1 ,fearless of ,fortune1 and resigned to ,fate4 ,dryden's ,translation of ,virgil1 ,georgics1 ,book ,,ii4 l4 #gjj4 ,,notes #a ,daniel ,george ,morof1 who died suddenly on the #cjth of ,june #afia4 #b ,librum de tribus impostoribus absit ut ,pap tribuam1 aut ,pap oppugnatoribus2 jam olim inimici ,frederici ,barbaross ,imperatoris famam sparserant libri talis1 quasi jussu ipsius scripti1 sed ab eo tempore1 nemo est qui viderit2 quare fabulam esse arbitror4 #c ,apud ,nevizanum #a4 ,sylvae nupt4 #b4 n4 #aba4 #d ,doubtless ,averroes here alludes to that law of ,mahomet which wisely prohibits the use of pork in a hot and pestilential climate4--,translator's ,note4 #e ,disseminavit iste impius haereticus in ,hispania1 such is the language made use of by ,alvaro ,pelagius1 quod tres deceptores fuerunt in mundo1 scilicet1 ,moises1 qui decepterat ,judaeos1 et ,christus1 qui decepterat ,christianos1 et ,mahometus1 qui decepit ,sarrazenos4 #f ,et sic falsa est ,porphirii sententia1 qui dixit tres fuisse garrulatores qui totum mundum ad se converterunt2 primus fuit ,moises in populo ,judaico1 secundus ,mahometus1 tertius ,christus4 #g ,qui in qustionem vertere presumunt1 dicentes2 quis in hec mundo majorem gentium aut populorum sequelam habuit1 an ,christus1 an ,moises1 an ,mahometus8 #h ,every classical scholar must have heard of the demon of ,socrates4 ,the belief in the existence of such agencies was sufficiently prevalent in the ,east #bjjj years ago1 and the ,jews were in this respect1 as credulous as their neighbors4 ,we read in ,acts1 c4 iv4 v4 #g1 that the leaders of the ,sanhedrim enquired of the ,apostle ,peter1 ,by what power or by what name1 have ye done this2 evidently acknowledging their belief that it was possible to work miracles by the invocation of some mysterious power4 ,the ,apostle1 himself a ,jew1 seems to understand their creed2 but he answers them in a way for which they were not altogether prepared4--,translator's ,note4 #i deficabat sine pecunia1 judicabat sine conscientia1 scribebat sine scientia4 #aj ,non ,blandratum1 non ,alciatum1 non ,ochinum ad ,mahotnetismum impulerunt2 non ,valleum ad atheismi professionem induxerunt2 non alium quemdam ad spargendum libellum de tribus impostoribus1 quorum secundus esset ,christus ,dominus1 duo alii ,moises et ,mahometes1 pellexerunt4 #aa ,vincentii ,panurgii epistola tribus impostoribus1 ad clarissimum virum ,joannem--,baptistam ,morinum ,medicum4 #ab ,isaac de ,peyrere published his ,pre-,adamite doctrine in #afee4 ,this set of fanatics1 who were persuaded by their lenders that the general race of mankind had lost nothing of their innocence by the fall of ,adam1 made their appearance1 7both men and women7 in the streets of ,munster1 and elsewhere1 in the same robeless condition as our first parents were1 when they wandered in the bowers of ,paradise before the eating of that forbidden fruit1 which ,brought death into the world and all our woe4 ,the magistrates of the city attempted to put them down but failed2 and the military had some difficulty in extinguishing this absurdity4--,translator's ,note4 #ac ,monstrum illud hominis1 diis inferis a secretis scelus1 nefarii illius tractatus de tribus impostoribus author quantumvis ab omni ,religione alienus1 adeo ut nec ,judaeus1 nec ,turca1 nec ,christianus fuerit1 plane tamen athoeus non erat4 #ad ,consult ,bayle's ,dictionary on this subject1 article1 ,trabea4 #ae ,quid vel hac sola dubitatione in ,christiana schola cogitara potest perniciosius8 #af ,nefarium tillud rium impostorum commentum sen liber contra ,christum1 ,moisem et ,mahometan ,capomi nuper ab illis qui ,evangelo ,calvini so adductissimos profitentur typis excussus est4 #ag ,hinc ,boccaccius in fabellis probare contendit non posse discerni inter legem ,christi1 ,moisis et ,mahometis1 quia eadem signa habent uti tres annuli consimiles4 #ah ,f4 ,i4 ,s4 ,d4 namely1 ,fredericus ,imperator ,salutem ,dicit ,othoni illustrissimo amico meo carrissimo4 #ai ,quod de tribus famosissimis nationum deceptoribus in ordinem jussu meo digessit doctissimus ille vir quorum sermonem de illa re in museo meo habusti exscribi curavi2 atque ,codicem illum stylo aeque vero ac puro scriptum ad te quam primum mitto2 etenum1 c4 #bj ,there is a measure in every thing4 #ba ,this phrase is frequently employed to express ecclesiastical criticism4 ,its first application however had a more pungent meaning4--,the individual here alluded to having boldly assailed the errors of the ,church was attacked one evening by an assassin4 ,fortunately the blow did not prove fatal2 but the weapon 7a stylus1 or dagger1 which is also the ,latin name for a pen7 having been left in the wound--on his recovery he wore it in his girdle labelled1 ,the ,theological ,stylus1 or ,pen of the ,church4 ,the trenchant powers of this instrument have more frequently been employed to repress truth1 than to refute argument4 #bb ,moses put to death in one day #bd1jjj men1 because they resisted his laws4 #bc ,we read in the ,book of ,kings1 chap4 xxii1 v4 #f1 that ,ahab1 the ,king of ,israel consulted #djj prophets who were all false1 as the result of their vaticinations showed4 #bd ,genesis1 chap4 iv1 v4 #g4 #be ,i4 ,samuel chap4 xv1 v4 #aa4 #bf ,jeremiah1 chap4 xviii1 v4 #aj4 #bg ,ctera1 qu fieri in terris1 ,coeloque tuentur ,mortales pavidis cum pendent mentibus spe ,efficiunt animos humiles formidine ,divum1 ,depressosque premunt ad terram1 propterea quod ,ignorantia causarum conferre ,deorum ,cogit ad imperium res1 et concedere regnum3 et ,quorum operum causas nulla ratione videre ,possunt hc fieri ,divino numine rentur4 ,lucret4 de ,rer4 ,nat4 ,lib4 ,,vi4 v4 #di et seq4 #bh ,what appears to our limited conceptions to be evil or apparently unjust1 is entirely owing to our having no commensurate ideas either of the goodness or the justice of the ,deity4--,bolingbroke's ,works1 ,vol4 iv1 p4 #aag4--,translator's ,note4 #bi ,acts1 chap4 xvii1 v4 #bh4 #cj ,qui autem negabit ,deum esse corpus1 etsi ,deus ,spiritus8 ,tertul adv4 ,prax4 cap4 vii4 #ca ,these four ,councils were1 ,first1 that of ,nice1 7#cbe7 under ,constantine and ,pope ,sylvester3 ,second1 that of ,constantinople1 #cha1 under ,gratian1 ,valentinian1 ,theodosius1 and ,pope ,damasus3 ,third1 that of ,ephesus1 #dca1 under ,theodosius ,,ii1 ,valentinian1 and ,pope ,celestin3 and ,fourth1 that of ,chalcedon1 #dea1 under ,valentinian1 ,marcianus1 and ,pope ,leo ,i4 #cb ,the ,talmud informs us that the ,rabbis deliberated whether they ought not to strike from the list of ,canonical writings the books of ,proverbs and ,ecclesiastes1 and that they only spared them because they made favourable mention of ,moses and his law4 ,the prophecies of ,ezekiel 7which the ,jews were not permitted to read until they were thirty years of age7 would to a certainty have been expunged from the sacred ,catalogue1 if a learned ,rabbi had not undertaken to reconcile them with the same ,law4 #cc ,consult ,hobbes' ,leviathan ,de ,homine1 chap4 xli1 pages #ef1 #eg and #eh4 #cd ,philip of ,macedon had sent auxiliaries and money to ,hannibal in ,africa4 ,infensos ,philippo1 ob auxilia cum pecunia nuper in ,africam missu ,annibale4 ,levy1 ,book xxxi4 chap4 #a4--,translator's ,note4 #ce ,hobbe's ,leviathan1 ,de ,homine1 chap4 xii1 pp4 #ef and #eg4 #cf ,hobbes1 ubi supra ,de ,homine1 chap4 xii4 pages #eh and #ei4 #cg ,this word must not be taken in its usual acceptation4 ,what rational men understand by the term is a dexterous man1 an able cheat1 and a master of jugglery1 which requires great readiness and address2 and not by any means a person in compact with the ,devil as the vulgar suppose4 #ch ,and he said1 ,leave us not1 ,i pray thee2 for as much as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilderness1 and thou mayest be to us instead of eyes4--,num4 chap4 x1 v4 #ca4 #ci ,exodus iv4 #af4 #dj ,when ,romulus was reviewing his forces in the plain of ,caprae1 here suddenly arose a thunder-storm1 during which he was enveloped in so thick a cloud that he was lost to the view of his army2 nor thereafter on this earth was ,romulus seen4--,liv4 #a4 ,i4 c4 #af4--,translator's note4 #da ,hobbes' ,leviathan2 de homine1 chap4 xii4 pp4 #ei and #fj4 #db ,it is recorded by ,livy1 that there is a grove1 through which flowed a perennial stream1 taking its origin in a dark cave1 in which ,numa was accustomed to meet the goddess1 and receive instructions as to his political and religions institutions4--,liv4 #a4 ,i4 c4 #ba4 #dc ,qu'un beau ,pigeon a tire d'aile ,vienne obom brer une ,purcelle1 ,rien n'est sur prenant en cela2 ,l'on en vit autant en ,lydie4 ,et le beau ,cygne de ,leda ,vaut bien le ,pigeon de ,marie4 #dd ,i4 ,samuel1 chap4 viii4 vs4 #e and #f4 #de ,the ,gospel according to ,john1 chap4 viii4 v4 #g4 #df ,matthew's ,gospel1 chap4 xxii4 v4 #ba4 #dg ,matthew's ,gospel1 chap4 xxi4 v4 #bg4 #dh ,saint ,paul1 ,hebrews1 chap4 viii4 v4 #ac speaks in these terms3 ,in that he saith a new covenant1 he hath made the first old4 ,now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away4--,translator's note4 #di ,this was the opinion of ,pope ,leo ,x4 as appears from an expression of his1 which1 considering that it was made use of at a time when the philosophical spirit of inquiry had made little progress1 was remarkably bold4 ,it has been well known in all ages1 he observed to ,cardinal ,beinbo1 how much this fable of ,jesus ,christ has been profitable to us and ours4 ,quantum nobis nostrisque sa de ,christo fabula profuerit1 satis est omnibus saeculis notum4 #ej ,confessions1 #a4 ,,vii4 c4 ix4 v4 #bh4 #ea ,see the discourse of ,aristophanes1 in the ,banquet of ,plato4 #eb ,luke's ,gospel1 chap4 xvi4 v4 #bd4 #ec ,the ,city of ,god1 book ,i4 chap4 xiv4 #ed ,orig4 adv4 ,cels4 #a4 ,,viii4 chap4 iv4 ,compare with1 ,matthew1 chap4 xix4 v4 #bd4 #ee ,op4 adv4 ,jorin4 #a4 ,,ii4 chap4 viii4--,in indication of their refusal to take an oath1 the ,society of ,friends quote the words of ,christ1 ,swear not at all2 unaware1 or overlooking1 that this expression is descriptive of a state of social perfection1 when the word of a man will be as good as his oath4 ,many others of ,christ's precepts besides this are unobserved by ,christians1 such as ',lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth1' ',give to every one that asketh1 and from him that would borrow of you turn not thou away4' ,the morality of ,christ is a beau ideal so far from being realized1 that there is not even a similitude of it in the ,christian world4 ,the ,quakers who vauntingly obey this precept regarding oaths1 has no hesitation in breaking the other precepts respecting the hoarding of money1 and refusing to give it away4--,translator's ,note4 #ef ,st4 ,paul4 #eg ,i can believe1 observes the ,count de ,boulainvilliers1 that ,mahomet was ignorant of the common elements of education4 ,but assuredly he was not ignorant in respect to that vast knowledge which a far travelled man of great natural powers may acquire4 ,he was not ignorant of his native tongue1 although he could not read it1 being master of all its subtleness and all its beauties4 ,he was thoroughly qualified to render hateful whatever was truly blameworthy1 and to paint truth in colours so simple and vivid1 that it was impossible to misunderstand it4 ,all that he has said is true1 as regards the essential dogmas of ,religion2 but he has not said all that is true1 and in this respect alone does our religion differ from his4 ,farther on he adds1 that ,mahomet was neither ignorant nor a barbarian2 he conducted his enterprise with all the skill1 delicacy1 perseverance1 and intrepidity1 which was necessary to ensure its success4 ,his views were as lofty as any which ,alexander the ,great1 or ,julius ,csar1 were capable of entertaining1 had they been in his position4--,life of ,mahomet by ,count de ,boulainvilliers1 book ,,ii4 pp4 #bff-h4 ,amsterdam edit4 #agca4 #eh ,genesis chap4 xxviii4 v4 #ah4 #ei ,omnis enim per se divum natura necesse est ,immortali aevo summa cum pace fruatur1 ,semota ab nostris rebus1 sejunctaque longe2 ,nam privata dolore omni1 privata periclis ,ipsa suis pollens opibus3 nihil indiga nostri1 ,nec bene promeritis capitur1 nec tangitur ira4 ,lucretius de ,rerum ,nat4 ,book ,i4 v4 #eg1 and following4 #fj ,if a work be translated1 it always receives a colouring1 which is more or less faint or vivid according to the opinions and ability of the ,translator4--,volney's ,lectures on ,history4