,,de ,,tribus ,,impostoribus1 ,a4 ,d4 #abcj4 ,,the ,,three ,,impostors ,,translated 7with ,notes and ,comments7 ,,from ,a ,,french ,,manuscript ,,of ,,the ,,work ,,written ,,in ,,the ,,year #agaf1 ,,with ,a ,,dissertation ,,on ,,the ,,original ,,treatise ,,and ,a ,,bibliography ,,of ,,the ,,various ,,editions ,,by ,,alcofribas ,,nasier1 ,,the ,,later4 ,,privately ,,printed ,,for ,,the ,,subscribers4 #aijd4 ,,an ,,index ,,expurgatorius4 ,the man who marks or leaves with pages bent ,the volume that some trusting friend has lent1 ,or keeps it over long1 or scruples not ,to let its due returning be forgot2 ,the man who guards his books with miser's care1 ,and does not joy to lend them1 and to share2 ,the man whose shelves are dust begrimed and few1 ,who reads when he has nothing else to do2 ,the man who raves of classic writers1 but ,is found to keep them with their leaves uncut2 ,the man who looks on literature as news1 ,and gets his culture from the book reviews2 ,who loves not fair1 clean type1 and margins wide-- ,or loves these better than the thought inside2 ,who buys his books to decorate the shelf1 ,or gives a book he has not read himself2 ,who reads from priggish motives1 or for looks1 ,or any reason save the love of books-- ,great ,lord1 who judgest sins of all degrees1 ,is there no little private hell for these8 ,edition #ceb copies4 #ab on large paper4 ,,introduction4 ,this pamphlet in its present form is the result of an inquiry into the characters represented in a historical grade of the ,ancient ,accepted ,scottish ,rite1 and the probability of their having existed at the date mentioned in the said grade4 ,few appeared to have any very clear notion of the relation of the characters to the period--,frederick ,,ii4 being confounded with his grand-father1 ,frederick ,barbarossa--and the date of the supposed foundation of the ,order of ,teutonic ,knights1 #aaij1 being placed as the date of the papacy of ,oronata1 otherwise ,honorius ,,iii4 ,inquiry being made of one in authority as to the facts in the case--he being supposed to know--elicited the reply that the matter had been called to his attention some months previous by an investigator--now deceased--but the matter had been dropped4 ,it was also surmised by the same authority that an error might have been made by one of the committee having ritualistic matter in charge--but he1 having also been gathered to his fathers1 was not available for evidence4 ,it is stated that the action took place when ,frederick ,,ii4 was ,emperor of ,germany1 and ,honorius ,,iii4 presided over spiritual conditions2 but this ,pope1 according to ,haydn's ,dictionary of ,dates1 reigned #abaf-abbg1 and the dissertation on the pamphlet names ,gregory ,,ix41 successor to ,honorius1 7#abbg-abda7 as the ,pope against whom the treatise was written4 ,the infamous book mentioned in the representation no one seemed to have any knowledge of4 ,inquiry made concerning the treatise at various libraries supposed to possess it1 and of various individuals who might know something of it1 elicited but the information that it was purely legendary1 that1 it had no existence except by title1 and that it was an item of literature entirely lost4 ,having been a book collector and a close reader of book catalogs for over twenty-five years1 ,i had never noted any copy offered for sale1 but a friend with the same mania for books1 had seen a copy mentioned in a ,german catalog1 and being interested in de tribus ,impostoribus for reasons herein mentioned1 had sent for and procured the same--an edition of a ,latin version compiled from a ,ms4 #aeih1 with a foreword in ,german4 ,the ,german was familiar to him1 but the ,latin was not available4 ,about the same time ,i found in a catalog of a correspondent of mine at ,london1 a book entitled ,les ,trois ,imposteurs4 ,de ,tribus ,impostoribus et dissertation sur le livre des ,trois ,imposteurs1 sm4 #dto4 ,saec4 ,,xviii41 and succeeded in purchasing it4 ,the manuscript is well written1 and apparently by two different hands1 which would be probable from the facts set forth in the ,dissertation4 ,a copy of the translation from the ,latin is probably deposited in the library of ,duke ,eugene de ,subaudio as set forth in the colophon at end of the manuscript4 ,the manuscript is written in the ,french of the period1 and is dated in the colophon as #agaf4 ,the discovery of the original ,latin document is mentioned in the ,dissertation as about #agjf4 ,it has been annotated by another hand1 as shown by foot notes1 and several inserted sheets containing notes in still another hand1 were written evidently about #agdf1 as one of the sheets is a portion of a letter postmarked #d;e ,aout in latter year4 ,i append a bibliography from ,weller's ,latin reprint of #aeih which will show that the pamphlet has been done before2 but it will be noted that ,english versions are not so plenty as those in other tongues1 and but one is known to have been printed in the ,united ,states4 ,i must acknowledge my indebtedness to ,doctissimus vir ,harpocrates1 ,col4 ,f4 ,montrose1 and ,maj4 ,otto ,kay for valued assistance in languages with which ,i am not thoroughly familiar1 and also to ,mr4 ,david ,hutcheson1 of the ,library of ,congress1 for favors granted4 ,ample apologies will be found for the treatise in the several introductions quoted from various editions1 and those fond of literary curiosities will certainly be gratified by its appearance in the twentieth century4 ,a4 ,n4 ,,bibliography4 ,in #ahdf1 ,emil ,weller published ,de ,tribus ,impostoribus1 and also a later edition in #ahgf1 at ,heilbronn1 from a ,latin copy of one of the only four known to be in existence and printed in #aeih4 ,the copy from which it was taken1 consisting of title and forty-six leaves1 quarto1 is at the ,royal ,library at ,dresden1 and was purchased for one hundred gulden4 ,the other three1 according to ,ebert in his ,bibliographical ,lexicon1 are as follows3 one in the ,royal ,library at ,paris1 one in the ,crevanna ,library and the other in the library of ,renouard4 ,an edition was published at ,rackau1 in ,germany1 in #aeih1 and ,thomas ,campanella 7#afcf71 in his ,atheismus ,triumphatus1 gives the year of its first publication as #aech4 ,florimond ,raimond 7otherwise ,louis ,richeome17 claims to have seen a copy owned by his teacher1 ,peter ,ramus1 who died in #aegb4 ,all the talk of theological critics that the booklet was first printed in the seventeenth century1 is made out of whole cloth4 ,there is nothing modern about the edition of #aeih4 ,it may be compared1 for example1 with ,martin ,wittel's print of the last decade of the sixteenth century1 by which it is claimed that it could not have been printed then1 as the paper and printing of that period closely resembles that of the eighteenth century4 ,with the exception of the religious myths1 few writings of the dark ages have had as many hypotheses advanced in regard to origin as there have been regarding this one4 ,according to ,john ,brand it had been printed at ,krakau1 according to others1 in ,italy or ,hungary as a translation of an ,arabic original existing somewhere in ,france4 ,william ,postel mentions a tract de ,tribus ,prophetis1 and gives ,michael ,servetus1 a ,spanish doctor1 as the author4 ,the ,capuchin ,monk ,joly1 in ,vol4 ,,iii of his ,conference of ,mysteries1 assures us that the ,huguenot1 ,nic4 ,barnaud1 in #afab1 on account of an issue of de ,tribus ,impostoribus1 was excommunicated as its author4 ,johann ,mueller1 in his ,besiegten ,atheismus1 7,conquered ,atheism71 mentions a certain ,nachtigal who published at ,hague1 in #afad1 ,de ,trib4 ,imp41 and was therefore exiled4 ,mosheim and ,rousset accuse ,frederick ,,ii as the author with the assistance of his ,chancellor1 ,petrus de ,vineis4 ,vineis1 however1 declares himself opposed even to the fundamental principles of the book1 and in his ,epist4 ,lib4 #a1 ch4 #ca1 p4 #baa1 says he never had any idea of it4 ,others place the authorship with ,averroes1 ,peter ,arretin and ,petrus ,pomponatius4 ,heinrich ,ernst accuses the above mentioned ,postel4 ,postel attributes it to ,servetus1 who1 in turn1 places it at the door of the ,huguenot ,barnaud4 ,the instigator of the treatise1 it is claimed1 should have been ,julius ,cesar ,vanini1 who was burned at ,toulouse in #afai1 or ,ryswick1 who suffered at the stake in ,rome in #afab4 ,other persons accused of the authorship are ,macchiavelli1 ,rabelais1 ,erasmus1 ,milton 7,john1 born #afjh17 a ,mahometan named ,merula1 ,dolet1 and ,giordano ,bruno4 ,according to ,campanella1 to whom the authorship was attributed occasionally1 ,muret1 or ,joh4 ,franz4 ,poggio1 were responsible4 ,browne says it was ,bernhard ,ochini1 and ,maresius lays it to ,johann ,boccaccio4 ,the three cheats are ,moses1 ,jesus and ,mahomet1 but the tracts of each of the latter alleged authors treat only of ,moses1 of whom they say that his assertions in ,genesis will not hold water1 and cannot be proved4 ,weller1 in his edition of #ahgf1 speaking of the copy of #aeih1 says that this issue should never be compared with any of the foregoing4 ,many authors have written de ,tribus ,impostoribus because they had some special object in view2 for instance1 ,john ,bapt4 ,morinus1 when he edited1 under the name of ,vincentius ,panurgius1 in ,paris1 #afed1 an argument against ,gassendi1 ,neure1 and ,bernier4 ,joh4 ,evelyn with a ,historia de tribus hujus seculi famosis ,impostoribus1 ,padre ,ottomano1 ,mahomed ,bei1 otherwise ,joh4 ,mich4 ,cigala1 and ,sabbatai ,sevi 7,english #afhj1 ,german #affi17 #a ,christian ,kortholt de ,tribus ,impostoribus ,magnus1 7,kiel #afhj and ,hamburg #agja17 against ,herbert1 ,hobbes and ,spinosa1 ,hadrian ,beverland1 ,perini del ,vago1 ,equitis de ,malta1 ,epistolium ad ,batavum in ,brittania hospitem de tribus ,impostoribus1 7,latin and ,english #agji47 ,finally1 ,michael ,alberti1 under the name of ,andronicus1 published a ,tractatus ,medico-historicus de tribus ,impostoribus1 which he named the three great ,tempters of ,humanity3 #a4 ,tea and ,coffee4 #b4 ,laziness4 #c4 ,home apothecaries4 ,cosmopoli ,bey 7,peter ,martin ,roman71 issued at ,russworn in ,rostock in #agca1 and a new edition of same treatise--,de ,trib4 ,imp4--#agch and #agef4 ,for a long time scholars confused the genuine ,latin treatise with a later one4 ,de la ,monnoye fabricated a long dissertation in which he denied the existence of the original ,latin edition1 but received a well merited refutation at the hands of ,p4 ,f4 ,arpe4 ,the false book is ,french--,la vie et l'esprit de ,mr4 ,benoit ,spinoza4 #b ,the author of the first part was ,hofrath ,vroes1 in ,hague1 and the second was written by ,dr4 ,lucas4 ,it made its first appearance at ,hague #agai1 and later in #agba1 under the title de ,tribus ,impostoribus1 des ,trois ,imposteurs4 ,frankfort-on-the-,main at the expense of the ,translator 7i4 e4 ,rotterdam47 ,richard la ,selve prepared a third edition under the original title of ,the ,life of ,spinoza1 by one of his ,disciples4 ,hamburgh 7really in ,holland17 #agce4 ,in #agfh there was printed by ,m4 ,m4 ,rey1 at ,amsterdam1 a new edition called a ,treatise of the ,three ,impostors2 immediately after another edition appeared at ,yverdoner #agfh1 another in ,holland #agge1 and a later one in ,germany #aggg4 ,the contents of ,l'esprit de ,spinoza 7,german7 by ,spinoza ,,ii1 or ,subiroth ,sopim--,rome1 by ,widow ,bona ,spes #eggj--7,vieweg in ,berlin #aghg17 are briefly ,chap4 ,i1 ,concerning ,god4 ,chap4 ,,ii1 ,reasons why men have created an invisible ,being which is commonly called ,god4 ,chap4 ,,iii1 ,what the word ,religion signifies1 and how and why so many of these ,religions have crept into the world4 ,chap4 ,,iv1 ,evident truths4 ,chap4 ,v1 ,of the ,soul4 ,chap4 ,,vi1 ,of ,ghosts1 ,demons1 etc4 ,then follows fifteen chapters which are not in the treatise 78 ,edition #aeih47 ,the following became known by reason of peculiarities of their diction3 #a4 ,ridiculum et imposturae in omni hominum religione1 scriptio paradoxa1 quam ex autographo gallico ,victoris ,amadei ,verimontii ob summam rei dignitatem in latinum sermonem transtulit #agdf4 ,which according to ,masch consists of from five to six sheets and follows the general contents1 but not in the order of the original edition4 #b4 ,a second4 ,quaedam deficiunt1 s4 fragmentum de libro de tribus impostoribus4 ,fifty-one pages is a fragment4 #c4 ,one mentioned by ,gottsched4 ,de impostoris religionum breve4 ,compendium descriptum ab exemplari ,m,sto4 quod in ,bibliotheca ,jo4 ,fried4 ,mayeri1 ,berolini ,ao4 #agaf1 publice distracta deprehensum et a ,principe ,eugenio de ,sabaudio #hj ,imperialibus redemptum fuit4 7forty-three pages47 ,the greater part of the real book in thirty-one paragraphs1 the ending of which is ,communes namque demonstrationes1 quae publicantur1 nec certae1 nec evidentes1 sunt1 et res dubias per alias saepe magias dubias probant1 adeo ut exemplo eorum1 qui circulum currunt1 ad terminum semper redeant1 a quo currere inceperunt4 ,finis4 #c ,a ,german translation of this is said to be in existence4 #d4 ,according to a newspaper report of #agaf1 there also should exist an edition which begins3 ,quamvis omnium hominem intersit nosse veritatem1 rari tamen boni illi qui eam norunt1 etc41 #d and ends1 ,qui veritatis amantes sunt1 multum solatii inde capient1 et hi sunt1 quibus placere gestimus1 nil curantes mancipia1 quae praejudicia oraculorum--infallibilium loco venerantur4 #e4 ,straube in ,vienna made a reprint of the edition of #aeih in #agec4 #f4 ,a new reprint is contained in a pamphlet edited by ,c4 ,c4 ,e4 ,schmid and almost entirely confiscated1 entitled3 ,zwei seltene antisupernaturalistische manuscripte4 ,two rare anti-supernaturalistic manuscripts4 7,berlin1 ,krieger in ,giessen1 #agib47 #g4 ,there recently appeared through ,w4 ,f4 ,genthe an edition1 ,de impostura religionum compendium s4 liber de tribus impostoribus1 ,leipsic1 #ahcc4 #h4 ,finally1 through ,gustav ,brunet of ,bordeaux an edition founded upon the text of the #aeih edition was produced with the title1 de ,tribus ,impostoribus1 ,,mdiic4 ,latin text collated from the copy of the ,duke de la ,valliere1 now in the ,imperial ,library2 #e enlarged with different readings from several manuscripts1 etc41 and philologic and bibliographical notes by ,philomneste ,junior1 ,paris1 #ahfa 78#ahfg74 ,only #bcg copies printed1 and is out of print and rare4 #i4 ,an ,italian translation of the same appeared in #ahfd by ,daelli in ,milan with title as above4 #aj4 ,a ,spanish edition also exists taken from the same source and under the same title4 ,london 7,burdeos7 #ahbc4 ,note4 ,all the preceding ,bibliography is from the edition of ,emil ,weller1 ,heilbronn #ahgf4--;,a4 ,n4 ,the only edition known to have been printed in the ,united ,states was entitled ,the ,three ,impostors4 ,translated 7with notes and illustrations7 from the ,french edition of the work1 published at ,amsterdam1 #aggf4 ,republished by ,g4 ,vale1 ,beacon ,office1 #c ,franklin ,square1 ,new ,york1 #ahdf1 #hdpp4 #abo4 ,a copy is in the ,congressional ,library at ,washington4 ,from this ,i transcribe the following notes3 ,,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 public1 and ,i am convinced that it is eminently calculated to promote the cause of ,freedom1 ,justice 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 humani me alienum puto4 ,dundee1 ,september #ahdd4 ,the ,vale production is evidently translated from an edition derived from the ,latin manuscript which is the basis of the translation given in this volume4 ,the variations in the text of each not being important1 but simply due to the different modes of expression of the translators--the ideas conveyed being the same4 ,the ,treatise in ,vale's edition concludes with the following3 ,happy the man 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 ,virgil4 ,georgics ,book ,,ii1 l4 #gjj4 ,there is also in the ,library of ,congress a volume entitled ,trait des ,trois ,imposteurs4 ,en ,suisse de l'imprimerie philosophique--#agic4 ,boards #c #a_/b #e #c_/d inches1 containing the ,treatise proper #aab pp4 ,sentimens sur le traite des trois imposteurs1 7,de la ,monnaye7 #cb pp4 ,response a la dissertation de ,m4 de la ,monnaye #ai pp4 signed ,j4 ,l4 ,r4 ,l4 and dated at ,leyden #a ,jan41 #agaf1 to which this note is appended3 ,this letter is from ,sieur ,pierre ,frederic ,arpe1 of ,kiel1 in ,holstein1 author of the apology of ,vanini1 printed at ,rotterdam in #ho1 #agab4 ,the letter contains the account of the discovery of the original ,latin manuscript at ,frankfort-on-the-,main1 in substance much the same as the translation given in this edition4 ,in the copy at the ,congressional ,library1 ,i find the following manuscript notes which may be rendered as follows3 ,voltaire doubted the existence of this work1 this was in #agfg4 ,see his letter to his ,highness ,monseigneur ,the ,prince of ----4 ,letter ,v1 ,vol4 #dh of his works1 p4 #cab4 ,see ,barbier ,dict4 des ouv4 anon4 ,nos4 #ahbej1 #aijfj1 #bafab4 ,de ,tribus ,impostoribus4 ,anon4 ,l'esprit de ,spinosa trad4 du latin par ,vroes4 ,in connection with this latter note1 and observing the name written at end of the colophon of the manuscript from which the present edition is translated1 it is probable that this same ,vroese was the author of another translation4 ,another remarkable copy is contained in the ,library of ,congress1 the title page of which is displayed as follows3 ,,trait ,,des ,,trois ,,imposteurs ,,des ,,religions ,,dominantes ,,et ,,du ,,culte d'apres l'analyse conforme l'histoire4 ,,contenant nombre d'observations morales1 analogues celles mises l'ordre du jour1 pour l'affermissement de la ,rpublique1 sa gloire1 et l'dification des peuples de tous les pays4 ,,orn ,,de ,,trois ,,gravures4 ,,philadelphie sous l'auspices du gnral ,,washingthon ,,et ,,se ,,trouve ,a ,,paris chez le citoyen ,,mercier1 homme de lettres1 rue du ,cocq ,honor1 ,no4 #abj1 ,,london1 at ,m4 ,miller1 libryre1 ,boon ,street1 ,,piccadelly4 ,m4,,dcc4,,xcvi4 ,note4--,this edition has undoubtedly been translated from the original ,latin manuscript4--,a4 ,n4 ,translation4 ,treatise of the ,three ,impostors of the governing ,religions and worship1 after an examination conformable to history1 containing a number of moral observations1 analogous to those placed in the order of the day for the support of the republic1 its glory1 and the edification of the people of all countries4 ,ornamented with three engravings4 ,at ,philadelphia under the auspices of ,general ,washington1 and may be found at ,paris at the house of ,citizen ,mercier 7,claude ,francois ,xavier #f71 man of letters1 #abj ,cocq ,honor street1 and at ,london at ,mr4 ,miller's1 bookseller1 ,boon street1 ,piccadelly1 #agif4 ,on the following page may be found the following3 ,,le ,,peuple ,,fran,,ais ,,reconnant ,l',,tre ,,supr,,me ,l',,immortalit ,,de ,l',,ame ,,et ,,la ,,libert ,,des ,,cultes ---- #g ,,trait ,,des ,religions ,dominantes #h ,chapter ,i4 ,concerning ,god1 #f paragraphs4 ,chapter ,,ii4 ,reasons1 etc41 #aa paragraphs4 ,chapter ,,iii4 ,religious1 #i paragraphs4 ,les prtres ne sont pas ce qu'un vain peuple pense ,notre crdulit fait toute leur science4 ,priests are not what vain people think1 ,our credulity makes all their science4 ,chapter ,,iv4 ,moses1 #b paragraphs4 ,chapter ,v4 ,jesus ,christ1 #aj paragraphs4 ,paragraph #b4 ,politics2 paragraph #f4 ,morals4 ,chapter ,,vi4 ,mahomet1 #b paragraphs4 ,chapter ,,vii4 ,evident ,truths1 #f paragraphs4 ,chapter ,,viii4 ,the ,soul1 #g paragraphs4 ,chapter ,,ix4 ,demons1 #g paragraphs4 ,facing page twenty-seven is a medallion copper plate of ,moses1 around which are these words 7translated73 ,moses saw ,god in the burning bush1 and beneath the following from ,voltaire's ,pucelle 7translated73 ,alone on the summit of the mysterious mount ,as he desired1 he closed his fortieth year4 ,then suddenly he appeared upon the plain ,with buck's horns #i shining on his forehead4 ,which brilliant miracle in the mind of the philosopher ,created a prompt effect4 ,in a note to par4 ,,ii4 occur the following lines which translated read3 ,how many changes a revolution makes3 ,heaven has brought us forth in happy time ,to see the world----,here the weak ,italian ,is frightened at the sight of a stole3 ,the proud ,frenchman astonished at nothing ,boldly goes to defy the ,pope at his capital ,and the grand ,turk in turban1 like a good ,christian1 ,recites the prayers of his faith ,and prays to ,god for the pagan ,arab1 ,having no thought of any kind of expedient ,nor means to destroy altars and idol worship4 ,the ,supreme ,being his only and sole support1 ,does not exact for offering a single coin ,from any sect1 from ,jew nor plebeian3 ,what need has ,he of ,temple or archbishop8 ,the heart of the just and the general good ,shines like a brilliant sun on the halo of glory4 ,then follows a ,bouquet for the ,pope3 ,thou whom flatterers have invested with a vain title1 ,shalt thou at this late day become the arbiter of ,europe8 ,charitable pontiff1 and friend of humanity1 ,having so many sovereigns as fathers of families1 ,the successors of ,christ1 in the midst of the sanctuary ,have they not placed unblushingly1 incest and adultery8 ,be this the last of imposture and thy last sigh4 ,do thyself more honor1 esteem and pleasure1 ,than all the monuments erected to the glory ,of thy predecessors in the temple of memory4 ,let them read on thy tomb 'he was worthy of love1 ,the father of the ,church and oracle of the day4' ,on the following page is a copper plate profile portrait of ,pius ,,vi4 surrounded by the words ,senatus ,populus ,que ,romanus4 ,at the side ,principis ,ecclesiae dotes vis ,cernere ,magni4 7,senate and ,people of ,rome--,prince of the ,church endowed with power and great wisdom47 ,beneath3 ,the talents of the learned and the virtues of the wise1 ,a noble and beneficent manner with which all are charmed1 ,depict much better than this image ,the true portrait of ,pius ,,vi4 ,facing page fifty-one is a copper plate portrait of ,mahomet1 and beneath this tribute3 ,know you not yet1 weak and superb man1 ,that the humble insect hidden beneath a leaf ,and the imperious eagle who flies to heaven's dome1 ,amount to nothing in the eyes of the ,eternal4 ,all men are equal3 not birth but virtue ,distinguishes them apart4 ,then there are inserted a number of verses1 some of the titles reading3 ,homage to the ,supreme ,being4 ,voltaire ,admitted to ,heaven4 ,homage to the ,eternal ,father4 ,bouquet to the ,archbishop of ,paris4 ,infinite ,mercy--,consolation for ,sinners4 ,lots of ,room in ,heaven4 ,the ,holy ,spirit ,absent from ,heaven1 etc4 ,concluding with ,a ,picture of ,france at the ,time of the ,revolution4 ,nobility without souls1 a fanatical clergy4 ,frightful tax gatherers gnawing a plucked people4 ,faith and customs a prey to designing persons4 ,a price set upon the head of the ,chancellor 7,maupeou74 ,the skeleton of a perfidious ,senate4 ,not daring to punish a parricidal conspiracy4 ,o1 my country6 ,o1 ,france6 ,thy miseries ,have even drawn tears from ,rome4 #aj ,if you have no ,republic1 and no pure legislators ,like exist in ,america1 to deliver you from the oppression ,of a tyrannous empire of knaves1 brigands and robbers2 ,like the ,british cabinet and the skillful ,pitt1 chief of flatterers1 ,who with his magic lantern fascinates even the wise ones4 ,this clique will soon be seen to fall1 if the ,french become the conquerors ,of this ancient slavery1 and show themselves the proud protectors ,of their musical ,carmagnole4 ,in the name of kings and emperors1 how much iniquity and horror ,which are recorded in history1 cause the reader to shudder with fright4 ,the entrance of friends in ,belgium1 to the eyes of those who know1 ,is it not an unique epoch8 ,and this most flattering tie1 sustained by a heroic compact1 ,will be the desire of all hearts4 ,,boston under the protection of ,congress4 ,bound in this volume is a pamphlet entitled ,la ,fable de ,christ devoile4 ,paris3 ,franklin ,press4 #ge ,rue de ,clery4 #bnd year of the ,republic4 ,also1 loge non-funbre de ,jesus et du ,christianisme4 ,printed on the dbris of the ,bastille1 and the funeral pile of the ,inquisition4 #bnd year of ,liberty1 and of ,christ #agia4 ,another closes the volume3 ,lettres ,philosophique sur ,st4 ,paul3 sur sa doctrine1 politique1 morale1 rligieuse1 sur plusieurs points de la rligion chrtienne consideres politiquement4 7,j4 ,p4 ,brissot de ,warville47 ,translated from the ,english by the philosopher de ,ferney and found in the portfolio of ,m4 ,v4 his ancient secretary4 ,neuchatel en ,suisse #aghc4 ,note translated from the edition ,en ,suisse1 de l'imprimerie philosophique1 #agic4 ,in a response to ,m4 de la ,monnoye1 who laboriously endeavored to refute the existence of the treatise entitled ,the ,three ,impostors1 and which reply in addition to ,m4 de la ,monnoye's arguments appear in connection with some of the translations of the treatise1 occurs the following introduction to the account of the discovery of the original manuscript3 ,i have by me a more certain means of overturning this dissertation of ,m4 de la ,monnoye1 when ,i inform him that ,i have read this celebrated little work and that ,i have it in my library4 ,i will give you and the public an account of the manner in which ,i discovered it1 and as it is in my possession ,i will subjoin a short but faithful description of it4 ,here follows a summary of the contents and the ,dissertation1 in substance the same as our manuscript2 the response concluding as follows3 ,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 length as ,i could have done2 ,est modus in rebus4 #aa ,now although this book were ready to be printed #ab 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 quitted their syllogisms1 their canons1 and their other antiquated modes4 ,as for me ,i will not expose myself to the ,theological stylus #ac--which ,i fear as much as ,fra-,poula feared the ,roman stylus--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 cause it to be thrown into the flames1 which we are informed was done by ,salvius1 the ,swedish ambassador1 at the peace of ,munster4 ,those who come after me may do what seems to them good--they can not 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 ,january1 #agaf4 ,this letter was written by ,mr4 ,pierre ,frederick ,arpe1 of ,kiel1 in ,holstein2 the author of an apology for ,vanini1 printed in octavo at ,rotterdam1 #agab4 ,,dissertation ,,on ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,the ,,three ,,impostors4 ,more than four hundred years have elapsed since this little treatise was first mentioned1 the title of which has always caused it to be qualified as impious1 profane and worthy of the fire4 ,i am convinced that none of those who have mentioned it have read it1 and after having examined it carefully1 it can only be said that it is written with as much discretion as the matter would allow to a man persuaded of the falsehood of the things which he attacked1 and protected by a powerful prince1 under whose direction he wrote4 ,there have been but few scholars whose religious beliefs were dubious1 who have not been credited with the authorship of this treatise4 ,averroes1 a famous ,arabian commentator on ,aristotle's works1 and celebrated for his learning1 was the first to whom this production was attributed4 ,he lived about the middle of the twelfth century when the three impostors were first spoken of4 ,he was not a ,christian1 as he treated their religion as the ,impossible1 nor a ,jew1 whose law he called a ,religion for ,children1 nor a ,mahometan1 for he denominated their belief a ,religion for ,hogs4 ,he finally died a ,philosopher1 that is to say1 without having subscribed to the opinions of the vulgar1 and that was sufficient to publish him as the enemy of the law makers of the three ,religions that he had scorned4 ,jean ,bocala1 an ,italian scholar of a happy disposition1 and consequently not much imbued with bigotry1 flourished in the middle of the fourteenth century4 ,a fable that he ventured in one of his works1 concerning ,three ,rings1 has been regarded as evidence of this execrable book whose author was looked for1 and this was considered sufficient to attribute the authorship to him long after his death4 ,michael ,servetus1 burned at ,geneva 7#aeec7 by the pitiless persecution of ,mr4 ,john ,calvin1 he not having subscribed to either the ,trinity or the ,redeemer1 it became proper to attribute to him the production of this impious volume4 ,etienne ,dolit1 a printer at ,paris1 and who ranked among the learned1 was led to the stake--to which he had been condemned as a ,calvinist in #aedc--with a courage comparable to that of the first martyrs4 ,he therefore merited to be treated as an atheist1 and was honored as the author of the pamphlet against the ,three ,impostors4 ,lucilio ,vanini1 a ,neapolitan1 and the most noted atheist of his time1 if his enemies may be believed1 fairly proved before his judges--however he may have been convinced--the truth of a ,providence1 and consequently a ,god4 ,it sufficed however for the persecution of his enemies1 the ,parliament of ,toulouse1 who condemned him to be burned as an atheist1 and also to merit the distinction of having composed1 or at least having revived1 the book in question4 ,i am not sure but what ,ochini and ,postel1 ,pomponiac and ,poggio the ,florentine1 and ,campanella1 all celebrated for some particular opinion condemned by the ,church of their time1 were for that reason accused as atheists1 and also adjudged without trouble1 the authors of the little truth for whom a parent was sought4 ,all that famous critics have published from time to time of this book has excited the curiosity of the great and wise to determine the author1 but without avail4 ,i believe that several treatises printed with the title de ,tribus ,impostoribus1 such as that of ,kortholt against ,spinosa1 ,hobbes and the ,baron ,cherbourg2 that of the false ,panurge against ,messieurs ,gastardi1 de ,neure and ,bernier have furnished many opportunities for an infinity of half-scholars who only speak from hearsay1 and who often judge a book by the first line of the title4 ,i have1 like many others who have examined this work1 done so in a superficial manner4 ,though ,i am a delver in antiquities1 and a decipherer of manuscript1 chance having caused the pamphlet to fall into my hands at one time1 ,i avow that ,i gave neither thought to the production nor to its author4 ,some business affairs having taken me to ,frankfort-on-the-,main about the month of ,april1 7#agjf71 that is about fifteen days after the ,fair1 ,i called on a friend named ,frecht1 a ,lutheran theological student1 whom ,i had known in ,paris4 ,one day ,i went to his house to ask him to take me to a bookseller where he could serve me as interpreter4 ,we called on the way on a ,jew who furnished me with money and who accompanied us4 ,being engaged in looking over a catalog at the book store1 a ,german officer entered the shop1 and said to the bookseller without any form of compliment1 ,if among all the devils ,i could find one to agree with you1 ,i would still go and look for another dealer4 ,the bookseller replied that #ejj ,rix dollars was an excessive price1 and that he ought to be satisfied with the #dej that he offered4 ,the officer told him to go to the ,devil1 as he would do nothing of the sort1 and was about to leave4 ,frecht1 who recognized him as a friend1 stopped him and having renewed his acquaintance1 was curious to know what bargain he had concluded with the bookseller4 ,the officer carelessly drew from his pocket a packet of parchment tied by a cord of yellow silk4 ,i wanted1 said he1 #ejj ,rix dollars to satisfy me for three manuscripts which are in this package1 but ,mr4 ,bookseller does not wish to give but #dej4 ,frecht asked if he might see the curiosities4 ,the officer took them from his pocket1 and the ,jew and myself who had been merely spectators now became interested1 and approached ,frecht1 who held the three books4 ,the first which ,frecht opened was an ,italian imprint of which the title was missing1 and was supplied by another written by hand which read ,specchia della ,bestia ,triomphante4 ,the book did not appear of ancient date1 and had on the title neither year nor name of printer4 ,we passed to the second1 which was a manuscript without title1 the first page of which commenced ,,othoni illustrissimo amico meo charissimo4 ,f4 ,i4 s4 d4 ,this embraced but two lines1 after which followed a letter of which the commencement was ,quod de tribus famosissimis ,nationum ,deceptoribus in ordinem4 ,justu4 meo digesti ,doctissimus ille vir1 que cum ,sermonem de illa re in ,museo meo habuisti exscribi curavi atque codicem illum stilo aeque1 vero ac puro scriptum ad te ut primum mitto1 etenim ipsius per legendi te accipio cupidissimum4 ,the other manuscript was also ,latin1 and without title like the other4 ,it commenced with these words--from ,cicero if ,i am not mistaken3 ,an4 ,i4 liber de ,nat4 ,deor4 ,qui ,deos esse dixerunt tantu sunt in ,varietate et dissentione constituti ut eorum molestum sit dinumerare sententias4 ,altidum freri profecto potest ut eorum nulla1 alterum certi non potest ut plus unum vera fit4 ,summi quos in ,republica obtinnerat honores orator ille ,romanus1 ea que quam servare famam ,studiote curabat1 in causa fuere quod in ,concione ,deos non ansus sit negare quamquam in contesta ,philosophorum1 etc4 ,we paid but little attention to the ,italian production1 which only interested our ,jew1 who assured us that it was an invective against ,religion4 ,we examined several phrases of the latter by which we mutually agreed that it was a system of ,demonstrated ,atheism4 ,the second1 which we have mentioned1 attracted our entire attention1 and ,frecht having persuaded his friend1 whose name was ,tausendorff1 not to take less than #ejj ,rix dollars1 we left the bookseller's shop1 and ,frecht1 who had his own ideas1 took us to his inn1 where he proposed to his friend to empty a bottle of good wine together4 ,never did a ,german decline a like proposition1 so ,frecht immediately ordered the wine1 and asked ,tausendorff to tell us how these manuscripts fell into his possession4 ,after enjoying his portion of six bottles of old ,moselle1 he told us that after the victory at ,hochstadt #ad and the flight of the ,elector of ,bavaria1 he was one of those who entered ,munich1 and in the palace of ,his ,highness1 he went from room to room until he reached the library4 ,here his eyes fell by chance on the package of parchments with the silk cord1 and believing them to be important papers or curiosities1 he could not resist the temptation of putting them in his pocket4 ,he was not deceived when he opened the package and convinced himself4 ,this recital was accompanied by many soldier-like digressions1 as the wine had a little disarranged the judgment of ,tausendorff4 ,frecht1 who1 during the story1 perused the manuscript1 took the chance of a refusal by asking his friend to allow him to take the book until the next day4 ,tausendorff1 whom the wine had made generous1 consented to the request of ,frecht1 but he exacted a terrible oath that he would neither copy it or cause it to be done1 promising to come for it on ,sunday and empty some more bottles of wine1 which he found to his taste4 ,this obliging officer had no sooner left than we commenced to decipher it4 ,the writing was so small1 full of abbreviations1 and without punctuation1 that we were nearly two hours in reading the first page1 but as soon as we were accustomed to the method we commenced to read it more easily4 ,i found it so accurate and written with so much care1 that ,i proposed to ,frecht an equivocal method of making a copy without violating the oath which he had taken3 which method was to make a translation4 ,the conscience of a theologian did not but find difficulties in such proposal1 but ,i removed them as ,i could1 assuming the sin myself1 and in the end he consented to work on the translation which was finished before the time fixed by ,tausendorff4 ,this is the way in which this book came into our hands4 ,many would have desired to possess the original but we were not rich enough to buy it4 ,the bookseller had a commission from a ,prince of the ,house of ,saxony1 who knew that it had been taken from the library at ,munich1 and he was to spare no effort to secure it1 if he found it1 by paying the #ejj ,rix dollars to ,tausendorff who went away several days after1 having regaled us in his turn4 ,passing to the origin of the book1 and its author1 one can hardly give an account of either only by consulting the book itself in which but little is found except for the base of conjecture4 ,there is only a letter at the beginning1 and which is written in another character from the rest of the book1 which gives any light4 ,we find it addressed ,,othoni1 ,illustrissimo4 ,the place where the manuscript was found1 and the name ,,otho put together warrants the belief that it was addressed to the ,illustrious ,otho1 lord of ,bavaria4 ,this prince was grandson of ,otho1 the ,great2 ,count of ,schiren and ,witelspach from whom the ,house of ,bavaria and the ,palatine had their origin4 ,the ,emperor ,frederick ,barbarossa #ae had given him ,bavaria for his fidelity1 after having taken it from ,henry the ,lion to punish him for his inconsistency in taking the part of his enemies4 ,louis ,i4 succeeded his father1 ,otho the ,great1 and left ,bavaria--in the possession of which he had been disturbed by ,henry the ,lion--to his son ,otho1 surnamed the ,illustrious1 who assured his possession by wedding the daughter of ,henry4 ,this happened about the year #abcj1 when ,frederick ,,ii41 ,emperor of ,germany1 returned from ,jerusalem1 where1 at the solicitation of ,pope ,gregory ,,ix41 he had pursued the war against the ,saracens1 and from whence he returned irritated to excess against the ,holy ,father who had incensed his army against him1 as well as the ,templars and the ,patriarch of ,jerusalem1 until the ,emperor refused to obey the ,pope4 ,otho the ,illustrious recognizing the obligations that his family were under to the family of the ,emperor1 took his part and remained firmly attached to him1 notwithstanding all the vicissitudes of fortune of ,frederick4 ,why these historical reminiscences8 ,to sustain the conjecture that it was to this ,otho the ,illustrious that this copy of the pamphlet of the ,three ,impostors was addressed4 ,by whom8 ,this is why we are led to believe that the ,f4 ,i4 s4 d4 which follows ,l'amico meo carissimo1 and which we interpret ,,fredericus4 ,imperator salutem ,domino4 ,thus this would be by ,the ,emperor ,frederick ,,ii41 son of ,henry ,,iv4 and grandson of ,frederick ,barbarossa1 who1 succeeding to their ,empire1 had at the same time inherited the hatred of the ,roman ,pontiffs4 #af ,those who have read the history of the ,church and that of the ,empire1 will recall with what pride and arrogance the indolent ,alexander ,,iii4 placed his foot on the neck of ,frederick ,barbarossa1 who came to him to sue for peace4 ,who does not know the evil that the ,holy ,see did to his son ,henry ,,vi41 against whom his own wife took up arms at the persuasion of the ,pope8 ,at last ,frederick ,,ii4 uniting in himself all the resolution which was wanting in his father and grandfather1 saw the purpose of ,gregory ,,ix41 who seemed to have marshalled on his side all the hatred of ,alexander1 ,innocent and ,honorius against his ,imperial ,majesty4 ,one brought the steel of persecution1 and the other the lightning of excommunication1 and furiously they vied with each other in circulating infamous libels4 ,this1 it seems to me1 is warrant sufficient to apply these happenings to the belief that this book was by order of the ,emperor1 who was incensed against religion by the vices of its ,chief1 and written by the ,doctissimus vir1 who is mentioned in the letter as having composed this treatise1 and which consequently owes its existence not so much to a search for truth1 as to a spirit of hatred and implacable animosity4 ,this conjecture may be further confirmed by remarking that this book was never mentioned only since the rgime of that ,emperor1 and even during his reign it was attributed him1 since ,pierre des ,vignes1 his secretary1 endeavored to cast this false impression on the enemies of his master1 saying that they circulated it to render him odious4 ,now to determine the ,doctissimus vir who is the author of the book in question4 ,first1 it is certain that the epoch of the book was that which we have endeavored to prove4 ,second1 that it was encouraged by those accused of its authorship1 possibly excepting ,averroes1 who died before the birth of ,frederick ,,ii4 ,all the others lived a long time1 even entire centuries after the composition of this work4 ,i admit that it is difficult to determine the author only by marking the period when the book first made its appearance1 and in whatever direction ,i turn1 ,i find no one to whom it could more probably be attributed than ,pierre des ,vignes whom ,i have mentioned4 ,if we had not his tract ,de poteste ,imperiali1 his other epistles suffice to show with what zeal he entered into the resentment of ,frederick ,,ii4 7whose ,secretary he was7 against the ,holy ,see4 ,those who have spoken of him1 ,ligonius1 ,trithemus and ,rainaldi1 furnish such an accurate description of him1 his condition and his spirit1 that after considering this ,i cannot remark but that this evidence favors my conjecture4 ,again1 as ,i have remarked1 he himself spoke of this book in his epistles1 and he endeavored to accuse the enemies of his master to lessen the clamor made to encourage the belief that this ,prince was the author4 ,as he had taken the greater part1 he did not greatly exert himself to lessen the injurious noise1 so that if the accusation was strengthened by passing for a long time from mouth to mouth it would not fall from the ,master on his ,secretary1 who was probably more capable of the production than a great ,emperor1 always occupied with the clamors of war and always in fear of the thunders of the ,vatican4 ,in one word1 the ,emperor1 however valiant and resolute1 had no time to become a scholar like ,pierre des ,vignes1 who had given all the necessary attention to his studies1 and who owed his position and the affection of his ,master entirely to his learning4 ,i believe that we can conclude from all this1 that this little book ,tribus famosissimus ,nationum ,deceptoribus1 for that is its true title1 was composed after the year #abcj by command of the ,emperor ,frederick ,,ii4 in hatred of the ,court of ,rome3 and it is quite apparent that ,pierre des ,vignes1 ,secretary to the ,emperor1 was the author4 #ag ,this is all that ,i deem proper for a preface to this little treatise1 and as it contains many naughty allusions1 to prevent that in the future1 it may not be again attributed to those who perhaps never entertained such ideas4 ,frederick ,emperor to the very ,illustrious ,otho my very faithful ,friend1 ,greeting3 ,i have taken the trouble to have copied the ,treatise which was made concerning the ,three ,famous ,impostors1 by the learned man by whom you were entertained on this subject1 in my study1 and though you have not requested it1 ,i send you the manuscript entire1 in which the purity of style equals the truth of the matter1 for ,i know with what interest you desired to read it1 and also ,i am persuaded that nothing could please you more4 ,it is not the first time that ,i have overcome my cruel enemies1 and placed my foot on the neck of the ,roman ,hydra whose skin is not more red than the blood of the millions of men that its fury has sacrificed to its abominable arrogance4 ,be assured that ,i will neglect nothing to have you understand that ,i will either triumph or perish in the attempt2 for whatever reverses may happen to me1 ,i will not1 like my predecessors1 bend my knee before them4 ,i hope that my sword1 and the fidelity of the members of the ,empire2 your advice and your assistance will contribute not a little4 ,but nothing would add more if all ,germany could be inspired with the sentiments of the ,doctor--the author of this book4 ,this is much to be desired1 but where are those capable of accomplishing such a project8 ,i recommend to you our common interests1 live happy4 ,i shall always be your friend4 ,f4 ,i4 ,,treatise ,,of ,,the ,,three ,,impostors4 #ah ,,chapter ,i4 ,of ,god4 ,i4 ,however important it may be for all men to know the ,truth1 very few1 nevertheless1 are acquainted with it1 because the majority are incapable of searching it themselves1 or perhaps1 do not wish the trouble4 ,thus we must not be astonished if the world is filled with vain and ridiculous opinions1 and nothing is more capable of making them current than ignorance1 which is the sole source of the false ideas that exist regarding the ,divinity1 the soul1 and the spirit1 and all the errors depending thereon4 ,the custom of being satisfied with born prejudice has prevailed1 and by following this custom1 mankind agrees in all things with persons interested in supporting stubbornly the opinions thus received1 and who would speak otherwise did they not fear to destroy themselves4 ,,ii4 ,what renders the evil without remedy1 is1 that after having established these silly ideas of ,god1 they teach the people to receive them without examination4 ,they take great care to impress them with aversion for philosophers1 fearing that the ,truth which they teach will alienate them4 ,the errors in which the partisans of these absurdities have been plunged1 have thrived so well that it is dangerous to combat them4 ,it is too important for these impostors that the people remain in this gross and culpable ignorance than to allow them to be disabused4 ,thus they are constrained to disguise the truth1 or to be sacrificed to the rage of false prophets and selfish souls4 ,,iii4 ,if the people could comprehend the abyss in which this ignorance casts them1 they would doubtless throw off the yoke of these venal minds1 since it is impossible for ,reason to act without immediately discovering the ,truth4 ,it is to prevent the good effects that would certainly follow1 that they depict it as a monster incapable of inspiring any good sentiment1 and however we may censure in general those who are not reasonable1 we must nevertheless be persuaded that ,truth is quite perverted4 ,these enemies of ,truth fall also into such perpetual contradictions that it is difficult to perceive what their real pretensions are4 ,in the meanwhile it is true that ,common ,sense is the only rule that men should follow1 and the world should not be prevented from making use of it4 ,we may try to persuade1 but those who are appointed to instruct1 should endeavor to rectify false reasoning and efface prejudices1 then will the people open their eyes gradually until they become susceptible of ,truth1 and learn that ,god is not all that they imagine4 ,,iv4 ,to accomplish this1 wild speculation is not necessary1 neither is it required to deeply penetrate the secrets of ,nature4 ,only a little good sense is needed to see that ,god is neither passionate nor jealous1 that justice and mercy are false titles attributed to him1 and that nothing of what the ,prophets and ,apostles have said constitutes his nature nor his essence4 ,in effect1 to speak without disguise and to state the case properly1 it is certain that these doctors were neither more clever or better informed than the rest of mankind1 but far from that1 what they say is so gross that it must be the people only who would believe them4 ,the matter is self-evident1 but to make it more clear1 let us see if they are differently constituted than other men4 ,v4 ,as to their birth and the ordinary functions of life1 it is agreed that they possessed nothing above the human2 that they were born of man and woman and lived the same as ourselves4 ,but for mind1 it must be that ,god favored them more than other men1 for they claimed an understanding more brilliant than others4 ,we must admit that mankind has a leaning toward blindness1 because it is said that ,god loved the prophets more than the rest of mankind1 that he frequently communicated with them1 and he believed them also of good faith4 ,now if this condition was sensible1 and without considering that all men resembled each other1 and that they each had a principle equal in all1 it was pretended that these prophets were of extraordinary attainments and were created expressly to utter the oracles of ,god4 ,but further1 if they had more wit than common1 and more perfect understanding1 what do we find in their writings to oblige us to have this opinion of them8 ,the greater part of their writings is so obscure that it is not understood1 and put together in such a poor manner that we can hardly believe that they comprehended it themselves1 and that they must have been very ignorant impostors4 ,that which causes this belief of them is that they boasted of receiving directly from ,god all that they announced to the people--an absurd and ridiculous belief--and avowing that ,god only spoke to them in dreams4 ,dreams are quite natural1 and a person must be quite vain or senseless to boast that ,god speaks to him at such a time1 and when faith is added1 he must be quite credulous since there is no evidence that dreams are oracles4 ,suppose even that ,god manifested himself by dreams1 by visions1 or in any other way1 are we obliged to believe a man who may deceive himself1 and which is worse1 who is inclined to lie8 ,now we see that under the ancient law they had for prophets none more esteemed than at the present day4 ,then when the people were tired of their sophistry1 which often tended to turn them from obedience to their legitimate ,ruler1 they restrained them by various punishments1 just as ,jesus was overwhelmed because he had not1 like ,moses1 #ai an army at his back to sustain his opinions4 ,added to that1 the ,prophets were so in the habit of contradicting each other that among four hundred not one reliable one was to be found4 #bj ,it is even certain that the aim of their prophecies1 as well as the laws of the celebrated legislators were to perpetuate their memories by causing mankind to believe that they had private conference with ,god4 ,most political objects have been projected in such manner4 ,however1 such tricks have not always been successful for those1 who--with the exception of ,moses--had not the means of providing for their safety4 ,,vi4 ,this being determined1 let us examine the ideas which the ,prophets had of ,god1 and we will smile at their grossness and contradictions4 ,to believe them1 ,god is a purely corporeal being4 ,micah sees him seated4 ,daniel clothed in white and in the form of an old man1 and ,ezekiel like a fire4 ,so much for the ,old ,testament1 now for the ,new4 ,the disciples of ,j4 ,c4 imagined the ,holy ,spirit in the figure of a dove2 the apostles1 in the form of tongues of fire1 and ,st4 ,paul1 as a light which dazzled the sight unto blindness4 ,to show their contradictory opinions1 ,samuel1 7,i4 ch4 #ae1 v4 #bi71 believed that ,god never repented of his own resolution4 ,again1 ,jeremiah1 7ch4 #ah1 v4 #aj71 says that ,god repented of a resolve he had taken4 ,joel1 7ch4 #b1 v4 #ac71 says that he only repents of the evil he has done to mankind4 ,genesis1 7ch4 #d1 v4 #g71 informs us that man is prone to evil1 but that ,he has nothing for him but blessings4 ,on the contrary1 ,st4 ,paul1 7,romans1 ch4 #i1 v4 #aj71 says that men have no command of concupiscence except by the grace and particular calling of ,god4 ,these are the noble sentiments that these good people have of ,god1 and what they would have us believe4 ,sentiments1 however1 entirely sensible1 and quite material as we see1 and yet they say that ,god has nothing in common with matter1 is a sensible and material being1 and that he is something incomprehensible to our understanding4 ,i should like to be informed how these contradictions may be harmonized1 and how1 under such visible and palpable conditions it is proper to believe them4 ,again1 how can we accept the testimony of a people so clownish that they1 notwithstanding all the artifices of ,moses1 should imagine a calf to be their ,god6 ,but not considering the dreams of a race raised in servitude1 and among the superstitious1 we can agree that ignorance has produced credulity1 and credulity falsehood1 from whence arises all the errors which exist today4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,reasons which have caused mankind to ,create for themselves an ,invisible ,being which has been commonly ,called ,god4 ,i4 ,those who ignore physical causes have a natural fear born of doubt4 ,where there exists a power which to them is dark or unseen1 from thence comes a desire to pretend the existence of invisible ,beings1 that is to say their own phantoms which they invoke in adversity1 whom they praise in prosperity1 and of whom in the end they make ,gods4 ,and as the visions of men go to extremes1 must we be astonished if there are created an innumerable quantity of ,divinities8 ,it is the same perceptible fear of invisible powers which has been the origin of ,religions1 that each forms to his fashion4 ,many individuals to whom it was important that mankind should possess such fancies1 have not scrupled to encourage mankind in such beliefs1 and they have made it their law until they have prevailed upon the people to blindly obey them by the fear of the future4 ,,ii4 ,the ,gods having thus been invented1 it is easy to imagine that they resembled man1 and who1 like them1 created everything for some purpose1 for they unanimously agree that ,god has made nothing except for man1 and reciprocally that man is made only for ,god4 #ba ,this conclusion being general1 we can see why man has so thoroughly accepted it1 and know for that reason that they have taken occasion to create false ideas of good and evil1 merit and sin1 praise and blame1 order and confusion1 beauty and deformity--and similar qualities4 ,,iii4 ,it should be agreed that all men are born in profound ignorance1 and that the only thing natural to them is a desire to discover what may be useful and proper1 and evade what may be inexpedient to them4 ,thence it follows first1 that we believe that to be free it suffices to feel personally that one can wish and desire without being annoyed by the causes which dispose us to wish and desire1 because we do not know them4 ,second1 it consequently occurs that men are contented to do nothing but for one object1 that is to say1 for that object which is preferable above all1 and that is why they have a desire only to know the final result of their action1 imagining that after discovering this they have no reason to doubt anything4 ,now as they find in and about themselves many means of procuring what they desire3 having1 for example1 ears to hear1 eyes to see1 animals to nourish1 a sun to give light1 they have formed this reasoning1 that there is nothing in nature which was not made for them1 and of which they may dispose and enjoy4 ,then reflecting that they did not make this world1 they believe it to be a well-founded proposition to imagine a ,supreme ,being who has made it for them such as it is1 for after satisfying themselves that they could not have made it1 they conclude that it was the work of one or several ,gods who intended it for the use and pleasure of man alone4 ,on the other hand1 the nature of the ,gods whom man has admitted1 being unknown1 they have concluded in their own minds that these ,gods susceptible of the same passions as men1 have made the earth only for them1 and that man to them was extremely precious4 ,but as each one has different inclinations it became proper to adore ,god according to the humor of each1 to attract his blessings and to cause ,him to make all ,nature subject to his desires4 ,,iv4 ,by this method this precedent becomes ,superstition1 and it is implanted so that the grossest natures are believed capable of penetrating the doctrine of final causes as if they had perfect knowledge4 ,thus in place of showing that nature has made nothing in vain1 they show that ,god and ,nature dream as well as men1 and that they may not be accused of doubting things1 let us see how they have put forth their false reasoning on this subject4 ,experience causing them to see a myriad of inconveniences marring the pleasure of life1 such as storms1 earthquakes1 sickness1 famine and thirst1 they draw the conclusion that nature has not been made for them alone4 ,they attribute all these evils to the wrath of the ,gods1 who are vexed by the offences of man1 and they cannot be disabused of these ideas by the daily instances which should prove to them that blessings and evils have been always common to the wicked and the good1 and they will not agree to a proposition so plain and perceptible4 ,the reason for that is1 it is more easy to remain in ignorance than to abolish a belief established for many centuries and introduce something more probable4 ,v4 ,this precedent has caused another1 which is the belief that the judgments of ,god were incomprehensible1 and that for this reason1 the knowledge of truth is beyond the human mind2 and mankind would still dwell in error were it not that mathematics and several other sciences had destroyed these prejudices4 ,,vi4 ,by this it may be seen that ,nature or ,god does not propose any end1 and that all final causes are but human fictions4 ,a long lecture is not necessary since this doctrine takes away from ,god the perfection ascribed to him1 and this is how it may be proved4 ,if ,god acted for a result1 either for himself or another1 he desires what he has not1 and we must allow that there are times when ,god has not the wherewith to act2 he has merely desired it and that only creates an impotent ,god4 ,to omit nothing that may be applied to this reasoning1 let us oppose it with those of a contrary nature4 ,if1 for example1 a stone falls on a person and kills him1 it is well known they say1 that the stone fell with the design of killing the man1 and that could only happen by the will of ,god4 ,if you reply that the wind caused the stone to drop at the moment the man passed1 they will ask why the man should have passed precisely at the time when the wind moved the stone4 ,if you say that the wind was so severe that the sea was also troubled since the day before while there appeared to be no agitation in the air1 and the man having been invited to dine with a friend1 went to keep his appointment4 ,again they ask1 for the man never got there1 why he should be the guest of his friend at this time more than another1 adding questions after questions1 finally avowing that it was but the will of ,god1 7which is a true asses bridge7 and the cause of this misfortune4 ,again when they note the symmetry of the human body1 they stand in admiration and conclude how ignorant they are of the causes of a thing which to them appears so marvelous1 that it is a supernatural work1 in which the causes known to us could have no part4 ,thence it comes that those who desire to know the real cause of supposed miracles and penetrate like true scholars into their natural causes without amusing themselves with the prejudice of the ignorant1 it happens that the true scholar passes for impious and heretical by the malice of those whom the vulgar recognize as the expounders of ,nature and of ,god4 ,these mercenary individuals do not question the ignorance which holds the people in astonishment1 upon whom they subsist and who preserve their credit4 ,,vii4 ,mankind being thus of the ridiculous opinion that all they see is made for themselves1 have made it a religious duty to apply it to their interest1 and of judging the price of things by the profit they gain4 ,thence proceed the ideas they have formed of good1 and evil1 of order and confusion1 of heat and cold1 of beauty and ugliness1 which serve to explain to them the nature of things1 which in the end are not what they imagine4 ,because they pride themselves in having free will they judge themselves capable of deciding between praise and blame1 sin and merit1 calling everything good which redounds to their profit and which concerns divine worship1 and to the contrary denominate as evil that which agrees with neither4 ,because the ignorant are not capable of judging what may be a little abstruse1 and having no idea of things only by the aid of imagination which they consider understanding1 these folk who know not what represents ,order in the world believe all that they imagine4 ,man being inclined in such a manner that they think things well or ill ordered as they have the facility or trouble to conclude when good sense would teach differently4 ,some are more pleased to be weary of the means of investigation1 being satisfied to remain as they are1 preferring order to confusion1 as if order was another thing than a pure effect of the imagination of man1 so that when it is said that ,god has made everything in order1 it is recognizing that he has that faculty of imagination as well as man4 ,if it was not so1 perhaps to favor human imagination they pretend that ,god created this world in the easiest manner imaginable1 although there are an hundred things far above the force of imagination1 and an infinity which may be thrown into disorder by reason of weakness4 ,,viii4 ,for other ideas1 they are purely the effect of the same imagination1 which have nothing real1 and which are but the different modes of which this power is capable4 ,for example1 if the movement which objects impress upon the nerves by the means of the eyes is agreeable to the senses1 we say that these objects are beautiful1 that odors are good or bad1 that tastes are sweet or bitter1 that which we touch hard or soft1 sounds1 harsh or agreeable4 ,according as odors1 tastes or sounds strike and penetrate the senses1 just so we find a belief that ,god is capable of taking pleasure in melody1 that the celestial movements are a harmonious concert1 proof evident that each one believes that things are such as they are imagined1 or that the world is purely imaginary4 ,that is why we should not be surprised if we rarely found two men of the same opinion1 and some who glorify themselves in doubting everything4 ,for while men have bodies which resemble each other in many particulars1 they differ in some others1 and it should not astonish us that what seems good to one appears bad to another3 what pleases this one displeases the other1 from which we may infer that opinions only differ by fancy1 that understanding passes for little1 and to conclude1 things which happen every day are purely the effects of imagination4 ,if one should consult the lights of understanding of philosophers he would have faith that everybody would agree to the truth1 and that judgments would be more uniform and reasonable than they are4 ,,ix4 ,it is then evident that all the reasons of which men are accustomed to avail themselves when they endeavor to explain ,nature1 are only methods of imagination which prove nothing less than they pretend1 and because they have given to these reasons names so real that if they existed otherwise than in imagination ,i would not call them reasonable beings1 but purely chimerical1 seeing nothing more easy than to respond to arguments founded on these vulgar notions and which we oppose as follows4 ,if it was true that the universe was a chance happening1 and a necessary sequel of divine nature1 whence come the imperfections and faults which we remark8 ,for example1 corruption which fills the air with bad odor1 many disagreeable objects1 so many disorders1 so much evil1 so many crimes and other like occurrences4 ,nothing is more easy than to refute these objections1 for one cannot judge of the perfection of ancient existence only by knowing its essence and nature1 and we deceive ourselves in thinking that a thing is more or less perfect1 as it pleases or displeases1 is useful or useless to human nature2 and to close the mouths of those who ask why ,god has not created all men without exception that they might be guided by the light of reason1 it is enough to say that it was because the material was not sufficient to give each being the degree of perfection that was most suitable for him1 or to speak more proper1 because the laws of nature were so ample and extensive that they could suffice for the production of all things of which an infinite understanding is capable4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,what ,god ,is4 ,i4 ,until now we have fought the popular idea concerning the ,divinity1 but we have not yet said what ,god is1 and if we were asked1 we should say that the word represents to us an ,infinite ,being1 of whom one of his attributes is to be a substance of extent and consequently eternal and infinite4 ,the extent or the quantity not being finite or divisible1 it may be imagined that the matter was everywhere the same1 our understanding not distinguishing parts4 ,for example1 water1 as much as water is imagined1 is divisible1 and its parts separable from one another1 though as much as a corporeal substance it is neither separable nor divisible4 #bb ,thus neither matter or quantity have anything unworthy of ,god1 for if all is ,god1 and all comes surely from his essence1 it follows quite absolutely that ,he is all that he contains1 since it is incomprehensible that ,beings quite material should be contained in a ,being who is not4 ,that we may not think that this is a new opinion1 ,tertullian1 one of the foremost men among the ,christians1 has pronounced against ,apelles1 that1 that which is not matter is nothing1 and against ,praxias1 that all substance is matter1 without having this doctrine condemned in the four first ,councils of the ,christian ,church1 oecumenical and general4 #bc ,,ii4 ,these sentiments are plain and the only ones that good and sound judgment can form of ,god4 ,however1 there are but few who are satisfied with such simplicity4 ,boorish people1 who are accustomed to adulation of opinion1 demand a ,god who resembles earthly kings4 ,the pomp and circumstance surrounding them so fascinates1 that to take away all hope of going after death to increase the number of heavenly courtiers enjoying the same pleasure which attaches to the ,court of ,kings1 is to take away the consolation and the only things which prevent them from going to despair over the miseries of life4 ,they want a just and avenging ,god1 who rewards and punishes after the manner of kings1 a ,god susceptible of all human passions and weaknesses4 ,they give him feet1 hands1 and ears1 and yet they do not regard a ,god so constituted as material4 ,they say that man is his masterpiece1 and even his own image1 but do not allow that the copy is like the original4 ,in a word1 the ,god of the people of today is subject to as many forms as ,jupiter of the ,pagans1 and what is still more strange1 these follies contradict each other and shock good sense4 ,the vulgar reverence them because they firmly believe what the ,prophets have said1 although these visionaries among the ,hebrews1 were the same as the augurs and the diviners among the pagans4 #bd ,they consult the ,bible as if ,god or nature was therein expounded to them in a special manner1 however this book is only a rhapsody of fragments1 gathered at various times1 selected by several persons1 and given to the people according to the fancy of the ,rabbins1 who did not publish them until after approving some1 and rejecting others1 and seeing if they were conformable or opposed to the ,law of ,moses4 #be ,yes1 such is the malice and stupidity of men that they prefer to pass their lives disputing with one another1 and worshipping a book received from ignorant people2 a book with little order or method1 which everyone admits as confused and badly conceived1 only serving to foment divisions4 ,christians would rather adore this phantom than listen to the law of ,nature which ,god--that is to say1 ,nature1 which is the active principle--has written in the heart of man4 ,all other laws are but human fictions1 and pure illusions forged1 not by ,demons or evil spirits1 which are fanciful ideas1 but by the skill of ,princes and ,ecclesiastics to give the former more warrant for their authority1 and to enrich the latter by the traffic in an infinity of chimeras which sell to the ignorant at a good price4 ,all other laws are not supported save on the authority of the ,bible1 in the original of which appear a thousand instances of extraordinary and impossible things1 #bf and which speaks only of recompenses or punishments for good or bad actions1 but which are wisely deferred for a future life1 relying that the trick will not be discovered in this1 no one having returned from the other to tell the news4 ,thus1 men kept ever wavering between hope and fear1 are held to their duty by the belief they aver that ,god has created man only to render him eternally happy or unhappy1 and which has given rise to the infinity of religions which we are about to discuss4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,what the word ,religion signifies1 and how and why such a great number have been introduced in the world4 ,i4 ,before the word ,religion was introduced in the world mankind was only obliged to follow natural laws and to conform to common sense4 ,this instinct alone was the tie by which men were united1 and so very simple was this bond of unity1 that nothing among them was more rare than dissensions4 ,but when fear created a suspicion that there were ,gods1 and invisible powers1 they raised altars to these imaginary beings1 so that in putting off the yoke of ,nature and ,reason1 which are the sources of true life1 they subjected themselves by vain ceremonies and superstitious worship to frivolous phantoms of the imagination1 and that is whence arose this word ,religion which makes so much noise in the world4 ,men having admitted invisible forces which were all-powerful over them1 they worshipped them to appease them1 and further imagined that ,nature was a being subordinate to this power1 thence they had the idea that it was a great mace that threatened1 or a slave that acted only by the order that such power gave him4 ,since this false idea had broken their will they had only scorn for ,nature1 and respect only for those pretended beings that they called their ,gods4 ,thence came the ignorance in which mankind was plunged1 and from which the well-informed1 however deep the abyss1 could have rescued them1 if their zeal had not been extinguished by those who led them blindly1 and who lived by imposture4 ,but though there was but little appearance of success in the enterprise1 it was not necessary to abandon the party of truth1 and only in consideration of those who were afflicted with the symptoms of so great an evil1 were generous souls available to represent matters as they were4 ,,ii4 ,fear which created ,gods1 made also ,religion1 and when men imbibed the notion that there were invisible agencies which were the cause of their good and bad fortune1 they lost their good sense and reason substituting for their chimeras so many ,divinities who had care of their conduct4 ,after having forged these ,gods they were curious to know of what matter they consisted1 and finally imagined that they should be of the same substance as the soul4 ,then being persuaded that the latter resembled the shadows which appear in a mirror1 or during sleep1 they believed that some ,gods were real substances but so thin and subtile that to distinguish them from bodies they called them ,spirits4 ,so that bodies and spirits were in effect the same thing1 and differed neither more nor less1 and to be both corporeal and incorporeal is a most incomprehensible thing4 ,the reason given is that each spirit has a proper form1 and is included within some limit1 that is to say that it has some boundaries1 and consequently must be a body however thin and subtile it might be4 #bg ,,iii4 ,the ignorant1 that is1 the greater part of mankind having settled in this manner the substance of their ,gods1 tried also to determine by what methods these invisible powers produced their effects4 ,not being able to do this definitely by reason of their ignorance1 they put faith in their conjectures1 blindly judging the future by the past1 while seeing neither cohesion nor dependence4 ,in all that they undertook they saw but the past1 and foretold good or evil for the future according as the same enterprise had at another time turned out either good or bad4 ,phormion having defeated the ,lacedaemonians at the battle of ,naupacte1 the ,athenians1 after his death1 chose another general of the same name3 ,hannibal having succumbed to the arms of ,scipio ,africanus1 the ,romans1 remembering this great success1 sent another ,scipio to the same country against ,cesar1 which acts gained nothing for either the ,athenians or the ,romans4 ,so after two or three experiences1 good or bad fortune is made synonymous with certain names or places2 others make use of certain words called enchantments1 which they believe to be efficacious2 some cause trees to speak1 create man from a morsel of bread1 and transform anything that may appear before them4 7,hobbes' ,leviathan de homine4 ,cap4 #ab1 p4 #ef-eg47 ,,iv4 ,invisible powers being established in this way1 straightway men revere them only as they do their rulers1 that is to say1 by tokens of submission and respect1 as witness offerings1 prayers1 and similar things1 ,i say at first1 for nature has not yet learned to use on such occasions sacrifices of blood1 which have only been instituted for the benefit of the sacrificers and the ministers called to the service of these beautiful ,gods4 ,v4 ,these causes of ,religion1 that is1 ,hope and ,fear1 leaving out the passions1 judgments and various resolutions of mankind1 have produced the great number of extravagant beliefs which have caused so much evil1 and the many revolutions which have convulsed the nations4 ,the honor and revenue which attaches to the priesthood1 and which has since been accorded to the ministry of the ,gods1 and those having ecclesiastical charges1 inflame the ambition and the avarice of cunning individuals who profit by the stupidity of the people1 who readily submit in their weakness1 and we know how insensibly is caused the easy habit of encouraging falsehood and hating truth4 ,,vi4 ,the empire of falsehood being established1 and the ambitious ones encouraged by the advantage of being above their fellows1 the latter endeavor to gain repute by a pretense of being friendly with the invisible ,gods whom the vulgar fear4 ,for better success1 each schemes in his own way1 and multiplies deities so that they are met at every turn4 ,,vii4 ,the formless matter of the world they term the god ,chaos1 and the same honor is accorded to heaven1 earth1 the sea1 the wind1 and the planets1 and they are made both male and female4 ,further on we find birds1 reptiles1 the crocodile1 the calf1 the dog1 the lamb1 the serpent1 the hog1 and in fact all kinds of animals and plants constitute the better part4 ,each river and fountain bears the name of a ,god1 each house had its own1 each man his genius2 in fact all space above and beneath the earth was occupied by spirits1 shades and demons4 ,it was not sufficient to maintain a ,divinity in all imaginable places1 but they feared to offend time1 day1 night1 concord1 love1 peace1 victory1 contention1 mildew1 honor1 virtue1 fever1 and health1 or to insult these charming divinities whom they always imagined ready to discharge lightning on the heads of men1 provided temples and altars were not erected to them4 ,as a sequel1 man commenced to fear his own special genius1 whom some invoked under the name of ,muses1 and others under the name of ,fortune adored their own ignorance4 ,the latter sanctified their debauches in the name of ,cupid1 their rage in the name of ,furies1 and their natural parts under the name of ,priapus1 in a word1 there was nothing which did not bear the name of a ,god or a ,demon4 7,hobbes' de homine1 ,chap4 #ab1 p4 #eh47 ,,viii4 ,the founders of ,religion having based their impostures on the ignorance of the people1 took great care to maintain them by the adoration of images which they pretended were inhabited by the ,gods1 and this caused a flood of gold and benefactions called holy things1 to pour into the coffers of the priests4 ,these gifts were regarded as sacred1 and designed for the use of these holy ministers1 and none were so audacious as to pretend to their office1 or even to touch them4 ,to allure the people more successfully1 these priests made prophecies and pretended to penetrate the future by the commerce which they boasted of having with the ,gods4 ,there is nothing so natural as to know destiny4 ,these impostors were too well informed to omit any circumstance so advantageous for their designs4 ,some were established at ,delos1 others at ,delphos and elsewhere1 where by ambiguous oracles they replied to the demands made of them4 ,women even were engaged in these impostures1 and the ,romans in their great ,calamities had recourse to the ,sybilline books2 fools and lunatics passed for enthusiasts1 and those who pretended to converse with the dead were called necromancers4 ,others read the future by the flight of birds1 or by the entrails of beasts4 ,indeed the eyes1 the hands1 the face1 or an extraordinary object1 all seemed to them to possess a good or bad omen1 so it is true that the ignorant will receive any desired impression when the secret of their wish is found4 7,hobbes' de homine1 ,chap4 #ab1 pp4 #eh-ei47 ,,chapter ,v4 ,of ,moses4 ,i4 ,the ambitious1 who have always been grand masters of the art of trickery1 have always followed this method in expounding their laws1 and to oblige the people to submit to them they have persuaded them that they had received them either from a ,god or a ,goddess4 ,although there was a multitude of ,divinities1 those who worshipped them called ,pagans had no general system of ,religion4 ,each republic1 each state and city1 each particular place had its own rites and thought of the ,divinity as fancy dictated4 ,following this came legislators more cunning than these first tricksters1 and who employed methods more studied and more certain for the propagation and perpetuity of their laws1 as well as the culture of such ceremonies and fanaticism as they deemed proper to establish4 ,among the great number ,arabia and its frontiers has given birth to three who have been distinguished as much by the kind of laws and worship which they established1 as by the idea they have given of a ,divinity to their followers1 and the means they have taken to cause this idea to be received and their laws to be approved4 ,moses is the most ancient2 ,jesus coming after labored after his manner in preserving the foundation of his laws while abolishing the remainder2 and ,mahomet appearing later on the scene has taken from one and the other religion to compose his own1 and therefore he is declared the enemy of all the ,gods4 ,let us see the character of these three ,legislators1 examine their conduct1 and then judge afterwards who are the best founded3 those who revered them as ,holy men and ,gods1 or those who treated them as schemers and impostors4 ,,ii4 ,the celebrated ,moses1 grandson of a great magician1 #bh by the account of ,justin ,martyr1 had all the advantages proper for what he afterwards became4 ,it is well known that the ,hebrews1 of whom he became the ,chief1 were a nation of shepherds whom ,king ,pharaoh ,orus ,i4 received in his country in consideration of services that he had received from one of them in the time of a great famine4 ,he gave them some lands in the east of ,egypt in a country fertile in pasturage1 and consequently adapted for their flocks4 ,during #bjj years they rapidly increased1 because1 being considered foreigners they were not required to serve in the armies of ,pharaoh1 and because of the natural advantages of the lands which ,orus had granted them4 ,some bands of ,arabs came to join them as brothers1 for they were of a similar race1 and they increased so astonishingly that the land of ,goshen not being able to contain them they spread all over ,egypt1 giving ,pharaoh ,memnon ,,ii4 good reason to fear that they might be capable of some dangerous attempt in case ,egypt was attacked 7as happened soon after7 by their active enemies1 the ,ethiopians4 ,thus a policy of state compelled this ,prince to curtail their privileges1 and to seek means to weaken and enslave them4 ,pharaoh ,orus ,,ii4 surnamed ,busiris because of his cruelty1 and who succeeded ,memnon1 followed his plan regarding the ,jews4 ,wishing to perpetuate his memory by the erection of the ,pyramids and building the city of ,thebes1 he condemned the ,hebrews to labor at making bricks1 the material in the earth of their country being adapted for this purpose4 ,during this servitude the celebrated ,moses was born1 in the same year that the ,king issued an edict to cast all the male ,hebrew children into the ,nile1 seeing that he had no surer means of exterminating this rabble of foreigners4 ,moses was exposed to perish in the waters in a basket covered with pitch1 which his mother placed in the rushes on the banks of the river4 ,it chanced that ,thermitis1 daughter of ,orus1 was walking near the shore and hearing the cries of the child1 the natural compassion of her sex inspired her to save it4 ,orus having died1 ,thermitis succeeded him1 and ,moses having been presented to her1 she caused him to be educated in a manner befitting the son of a ,queen of the wisest and most polished nation of the universe4 ,in a word he was tutored in all the science of the ,egyptians1 and it is admitted1 and they have represented ,moses to us as the greatest politician1 the wisest philosopher and the most famous magician of his time4 ,it followed that he was admitted to the order of ,priesthood1 which was in ,egypt what the ,druids were in ,gaul1 that is to say--everything4 ,those who are not familiar with what the government of ,egypt was1 will be pleased to know that the famous dynasties having come to an end1 the entire country was dependent upon one ,sovereign who divided it into several provinces of no great extent4 ,the governors of these countries were called monarchs1 and they were ordinarily of the powerful order of ,priests1 who possessed nearly one-third of ,egypt4 ,the king named these monarchs1 and if we can believe the authors who have written of ,moses and compare what they have said with what ,moses himself has written1 we may conclude that he was monarch of the land of ,goshen1 and that he owed his elevation to ,thermitis1 who had also saved his life4 ,we see what ,moses was in ,egypt1 where he had both time and means to study the manners of the ,egyptians1 and those of his nation3 their governing passions1 their inclinations1 and all that would be of service to him in his effort to excite the revolution of which he was the promoter4 ,thermitis having died1 her successor renewed the persecution against the ,hebrews1 and ,moses having lost his previous favor1 and fearing that he could not justify several homicides that he had committed1 took the precaution to flee4 ,he retired to ,arabia ,petrea1 on the confines of ,egypt1 and chance brought him to the home of a tribal chief of the country4 ,his services1 and the talents that his master remarked in him1 merited his good graces and one of his daughters in marriage4 ,it is here to be noted that ,moses was such a bad ,jew1 and knew so little of the redoubtable ,god whom he invented later1 that he wedded an idolatress1 and did not even think of having his children circumcised4 ,it was in the ,arabian deserts1 while guarding the flocks of his father-in-law and brother-in-law1 he conceived the design of avenging the injustice which had been done him by the ,king of ,egypt1 by bringing trouble and sedition in the court of his states2 and he flattered himself that he could easily succeed in this by reason of his talents1 as by the disposition which he knew he would find in his nation already incensed against the government by reason of the bad treatment that they had been caused to suffer4 ,it appears by the history which he has told of this revolution1 or at least by the author of the books attributed to ,moses1 that ,jethro1 his brother-in-law1 was in the conspiracy1 as well as his brother ,aaron and his sister ,mary1 who had remained in ,egypt1 and with whom he could arrange to hold correspondence4 ,as may be seen by the sequel he had formed a vast plan in good politics1 and he could put in service against ,egypt all the science he had learned there1 and the pretended ,magic in which he was more subtle and skillful than all those at the ,court of ,pharaoh who possessed the same accomplishments4 ,it was by these pretended miracles that he gained the confidence of those of his nation that he caused to rebel4 ,he joined to them thousands of mutinous ,egyptians1 ,ethiopians and ,arabs4 ,boasting the power of his ,divinity and the frequent interviews he held with ,him1 and causing ,him to intervene in all the measures he took with the chiefs of the revolt1 he persuaded them so well that they followed him to the number of #fjj1jjj combatants--besides the women and children--across the deserts of ,arabia1 of which he knew all the windings4 ,after a six days march on a laborious retreat1 he commanded his followers to consecrate the seventh to his ,god by a public rest1 to make them believe that this ,god favored him1 that he approved his sway1 and that no one could have the audacity to contradict him4 ,there were never any people more ignorant than the ,hebrews1 and consequently none more credulous4 ,to be convinced of this profound ignorance1 it is only necessary to recall the condition of these people in ,egypt when ,moses made them revolt4 ,they were hated by the ,egyptians because of their pastoral life1 persecuted by the ,sovereign and employed in the vilest labor4 ,among such a populace it was not very difficult for ,moses to avail himself of his talents4 ,he made them believe that his ,god 7whom he sometimes simply called an angel7--the ,god of their ,fathers--appeared to him1 that it was by his order that he took care to lead them1 that he had chosen him for ,governor1 and that they would be the favored people of this ,god1 provided they believed what he said on his part4 ,he added to his exhortations on the part of his ,god1 the adroit use of his prestige1 and the knowledge that he had of nature4 ,he confirmed what he said to them by what might be called miracles1 always easy to perform1 and which made a great impression on an imbecile populace4 ,it may be remarked above all1 that he believed he had found a sure method for holding this people submissive to his orders1 in making accessory of the statement that ,god himself was their leader3 by night a column of fire and a cloud by day4 ,but it can be proved that this was the grossest trick of this impostor1 and that it might serve him for a long time4 ,he had learned during his travels that he had made in ,arabia1 a country vast and uninhabited1 that it was the custom of those who traveled in companies to take guides who conducted them in the night by means of a brazier1 the flame of which they followed1 and in the day time by the smoke of the same brazier which all the members of the caravan could see1 and consequently not go astray4 ,this custom prevailed among the ,medes and ,assyrians1 and it is quite natural that ,moses used it1 and made it pass for a miracle1 and a mark of the protection of his ,god4 ,if ,i may not be believed when ,i say that this was a trick1 let ,moses himself be believed1 who in ,numbers1 ,chap4 x4 v4 #bi-cc1 asks his brother-in-law1 ,hobab1 to come with the ,israelites1 that he may show them the roads1 because he knew the country4 ,this is demonstrative1 for if it was ,god who marched before ,israel night and day in the cloud and the column of fire could they have a better guide8 ,meanwhile here is ,moses exhorting his brother-in-law by the most pressing motives of interest to serve him as ,guide4 ,then the cloud and the column of fire was ,god only for the people1 and not for ,moses1 who knew what it was4 ,these poor unfortunates thus seduced1 charmed at being adopted by the ,master of ,god1 as they were told1 emerging from a hard and cruel bondage1 applauded ,moses and swore to obey him4 ,his authority was thus confirmed4 ,he sought to perpetuate it1 and under pretext of establishing divine worship1 or of a supreme ,god of whom he said he was the lieutenant1 he made his brother and his children chiefs of the ,royal ,palace1 that is to say1 of the place where miracles were performed out of the sight and presence of the people4 ,so he continued these pretended miracles1 at which the simple were amazed and others stupefied1 but which caused those who were wise and who saw through these impostures to pity them4 ,however skillful ,moses was1 and how many clever tricks he knew how to do1 he would have had much trouble to secure obedience if he had not a strong army4 #bi ,deceit without force has rarely succeeded4 ,it was in order to have assured means to maintain obedience against the discerning that he continued to place in his own faction those of his tribe1 giving them all the important charges and exempting them from the greater part of the labors4 ,he knew how to create jealousies among the other tribes1 some of whom took his part against the others4 ,finally assuring adroitly to his interest those who appeared the most enlightened1 by placing them in his confidence1 he secured them by giving them employment of distinction4 ,after that he found some of these idiots had the courage to reproach his bad faith2 that under his false pretense of justice and equity he was seizing everything4 ,as the sovereign authority was vested in his blood in such manner that no one had a right to aspire to it1 they considered finally that he was less their father than their tyrant4 ,on such occasions ,moses by cunning policy confounded these free-thinkers and spared none who censured his government4 ,with such precautions1 and cloaking his punishments under the name of ,divine vengeance1 he continued absolute1 and to finish in the same way he began1 that is to say by deceit and imposture1 he chose an extraordinary death4 ,he cast himself in an abyss in a lonely place where he retired from time to time under pretext of conferring with ,god1 and which he had long designed for his tomb4 ,his body never having been found1 it was believed that his ,god had taken him1 and that he had become like ,him4 ,he knew that the memories of the patriarchs who preceded him were held in great veneration when their sepulchres were found1 but that was not sufficient for an ambition like his4 ,he must be revered as a ,god for whom death had no terrors1 and to this end all his efforts were directed since the beginning of his reign when he said that he was established of ,god--to be the ,god of ,pharaoh4 ,elijah #cj gave his example1 also ,romulus #ca1 ,empedocles #cb and all those who from a desire to immortalize their names1 have concealed the time and place of their death so that they would be deemed immortal4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,of ,numa ,pompilius4 ,to return to the law-givers1 there were none who1 having attributed their laws to ,divinity1 did not endeavor to encourage the belief that they themselves were more than human4 ,numa1 having tasted the delights of solitude1 did not wish to leave it for the throne of ,rome1 but being forced by public acclamation1 he profited by the devotion of the ,romans4 ,he informed them that he had talked with ,god1 and if they desired him for ,king they must observe the ,divine laws and institutions which had been dictated to him by the nymph ,egeria4 #cc ,alexander wished to be considered a son of ,jupiter4 ,perseus pretended to be a son of the same ,god and the virgin ,danae2 ,plato1 of ,apollo1 and a virgin1 which1 perhaps1 is the cause of the belief among the ,egyptians that the ,spirit of ,god ,lne #cd could get a woman with child as the wind did the ,iberian mares4 #ce ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,of ,jesus ,christ4 ,jesus ,christ1 who was not unacquainted with the maxims and science of the ,egyptians1 among whom he dwelt several years1 availed himself of this knowledge1 deeming it proper for the design which he meditated4 ,considering that ,moses was renowned because he commanded an ignorant people1 he undertook to build on a similar foundation1 and his followers were only some idiots whom he persuaded that the ,holy ,spirit was his ,father1 and his ,mother a ,virgin4 #cf ,these good people being accustomed to be satisfied with dreams and fancies1 adopted this fable1 believed all that he wished1 and even more willingly that a birth out of the natural order was not so marvelous a circumstance for them to believe4 ,to be born of a ,virgin by the operation of the ,holy ,spirit #cg was1 in their estimation1 as wonderful as what the ,romans said of their founder1 ,romulus1 who owed his birth to a ,vestal and a ,god4 ,this happened at a time when the ,jews were tired of their ,god1 as they had been of their ,judges1 #ch and wished to have a visible ,god like other nations4 ,as the number of fools is infinite1 he found followers everywhere1 but his extreme poverty was an invincible obstacle to his elevation4 ,the ,pharisees1 delighted with the boldness of a man of their sect1 #ci while startled at his audacity1 elevated or depressed him according to the fickle humor of the populace1 so that when it became noised about concerning his ,divinity1 it was impossible--he being possessed of no power--that his design could succeed4 ,no matter how many sick he cured1 nor how many dead he raised1 having no money and no army1 he could not fail to perish1 and with that outlook it appears that he had less chance of success than ,moses1 ,mahomet1 and all those who were ambitious to elevate themselves above others4 ,if he was more unfortunate1 he was no less adroit1 and several places in his history give evidence that the greatest fault in his policy was not to have sufficiently provided for his own safety4 ,so it may be seen that he did not manage his affairs any better than those two other legislators1 of whose memory exists but the remains of the belief that they established among the different nations4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,of the ,policy of ,jesus ,christ4 ,i4 ,is there anything1 for example1 more dextrous than the manner in which he treated the subject of the woman taken in adultery8 7,st4 ,john1 c4 viii47 ,the ,jews having asked if they should stone this unfortunate1 instead of replying definitely1 yes or no1 by which he would fall in the trap set by his enemies3 the negative being directly against the law1 and the affirmative proving him severe and cruel1 which would have alienated the saints4 ,instead of replying as any ordinary person but him would have done1 he said1 whoever is without sin1 let him cast the first stone1 a skillful response1 which shows us his presence of mind4 ,,ii4 ,another time being asked if it was lawful to #dj pay tribute to ,cesar1 and seeing the image of the ,prince on the coin that they showed him1 he evades the difficulty by replying that they should render unto ,cesar what belongs to ,cesar1 and unto ,god what belongs to ,god4 ,the difficulty consisted in that he would be guilty of lse majest if he had said it was not permitted1 and by saying that it was1 he would reverse the law of ,moses which he always protested he would not do1 because he felt that he was either too weak1 or that he would be worsted in the endeavor4 ,so he made himself more popular1 by acting with impunity after the manner of ,princes1 who allowed the privileges of their subjects to be confirmed while their power was not well established1 but who scorned their promises when they were well enthroned4 ,,iii4 ,he again skillfully avoided a trap that the ,pharisees had set for him4 ,they asked him--having in their minds thoughts which would only tend to convict him of lying--by what authority he pretended to instruct and catechise the people4 ,whether he replied that it was by human authority because he was not of the sacred body of ,levites1 or whether he boasted of preaching by the express command of ,god1 his doctrine was contrary to the ,mosaic law4 ,to relieve this embarrassment1 he availed himself of the questioners themselves by asking them in the name of whom they thought ,john baptized8 ,the ,pharisees1 who for policy opposed the baptism by ,john1 would be condemned themselves in avowing that it was of ,god4 ,if they had not admitted it they would have been exposed to the rage of the populace1 who believed the contrary4 ,to get out of this dilemma1 they replied that they knew nothing of it1 to which ,jesus answered that he was neither obliged to tell them why1 nor in the name of whom he preached4 ,,iv4 ,such were the skillful and witty evasions of the destroyer of the ancient law and the founder of the new4 ,such were the origins of the new religion which was built on the ruins of the old1 or to speak disinterestedly1 there was nothing more divine in this than in the other sects which preceded it4 ,its founder1 who was not quite ignorant1 seeing the extreme corruption of the ,jewish republic1 judged it as nearing its end1 and believed that another should be revived from its ashes4 ,the fear of being prevented by one more ambitious than himself1 made him haste to establish it by methods quite opposed to those of ,moses4 ,the latter commenced by making himself formidable to other nations4 ,jesus1 on the contrary1 attracted them to him by the hope of the advantages of another life1 which he said could be obtained by believing in him1 while ,moses only promised temporal benefits as a recompense for the observation of his law4 ,jesus ,christ held out a hope which never was realized4 ,the laws of one only regarded the exterior1 while those of the other aimed at the inner man1 influencing even the thoughts1 and entirely the reverse of the law of ,moses4 ,whence it follows that ,jesus believed with ,aristotle that it is with ,religion and ,states1 as with individuals who are begotten and die1 and as nothing is made except subject to dissolution1 there is no law which can follow which is entirely opposed to it4 ,now as it is difficult to decide to change from one law to another1 and as the great majority is difficult to move in matters of ,religion1 ,jesus1 in imitation of the other innovators had recourse to miracles1 which have always been the peril of the ignorant1 and the sanctuary of the ambitious4 ,v4 ,christianity was founded by this method1 and ,jesus profiting by the faults of the ,mosaic policy1 never succeeded so happily anywhere1 as in the measures which he took to render his law eternal4 ,the ,hebrew prophets thought to do honor to ,moses by predicting a successor who resembled him4 ,that is to say1 a ,messiah1 grand in virtue1 powerful in wealth1 and terrible to his enemies2 and while their prophecies have produced the contrary effect1 many ambitious ones have taken occasion to proclaim themselves the promised ,messiah1 which has caused revolts that have endured until the entire destruction of their republic4 ,jesus ,christ1 more adroit than the ,mosaic prophets1 to defeat the purpose of those who rose up against him predicted 7,matthew xxiv4 #d-e-bd-be-bf4 ,,ii4 ,thessalonians ii4 #c-aj4 ,john ii4 #aa-ah7 that such a man would be a great enemy of ,god1 the delight of the ,devil1 the sink of all iniquity and the desolation of the world4 ,after these fine declarations there was1 to my mind1 no person who would dare to call himself ,anti-,christ1 and ,i do not think he could have found a better way to perpetuate his law4 ,there was nothing more fabulous than the rumors that were spread concerning this pretended ,anti-,christ4 ,st4 ,paul said 7,,ii4 ,thessalonians xi4 #g7 of his existence1 that he was already born1 consequently was present on the eve of the coming of ,jesus ,christ while more than twelve hundred years have expired since the prediction of this prophet was uttered1 and he has not yet appeared4 ,i admit that these words have been credited to ,cherintus and ,ebion1 two great enemies of ,jesus ,christ1 because they denied his pretended divinity1 but it also may be said that if this interpretation conforms to the view of the apostle1 which is not credible2 these words for all time designate an infinity of ,anti-,christ1 there being no reputable scholar who would offend by saying that the #da;history of ,jesus ,christ is a fable1 and that his law is but a tissue of idle fancies that ignorance has put in vogue and that interest preserves4 ,,vi4 ,nevertheless it is pretended that a ,religion which rests on such frail foundations is quite divine and supernatural1 as if we did not know that there were never persons more convenient to give currency to the most absurd opinions than women and idiots4 ,it is not strange1 then1 that ,jesus did not choose ,philosophers and ,scholars for his ,apostles4 ,he knew that his law and good sense were diametrically opposed4 #db ,that is the reason why he declaims in so many places against the wise1 and excludes them from his kingdom1 where were to be admitted the poor in spirit1 the silly and the crazy4 ,again1 rational individuals did not think it unfortunate to have nothing in common with visionaries4 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,of the ,morals of ,jesus ,christ4 ,i4 ,as for his ,morals1 we see nothing more divine therein than in the writings of the ancients1 or rather we find only what are only extracts or imitations4 ,st4 ,augustin 7ch4 #i and v4 #bj of the ,confessions1 ,book #g17 even admits that he has found in some of their works nearly all of the beginning of the ,gospel according to ,st4 ,john4 ,as far as may be seen1 that ,apostle is believed1 in many places1 to have stolen from other authors1 and that it was not difficult to rob the ,prophets of their enigmas and visions to make his ,apocalypse4 ,whence comes the conformity which we find between the doctrine of the ,old ,testament and that of ,plato8 to say nothing of what the ,rabbins have done1 and those who have fabricated the ,holy ,writings from a mass of fragments stolen from this ,grand ,philosopher4 ,certainly the birth of the world has a thousand times more probability in his ,timaeus than in ,genesis1 and it cannot be said that that comes from what ,plato had read in the books of the ,jews during his travels in ,egypt1 for according to ,st4 ,augustin himself1 7,confessions1 ,book #g1 ch4 #i1 v4 #bj17 ,ptolemy had not yet translated them4 ,the description of the country of which ,socrates speaks to ,simias in the ,phaedon 787 has infinitely more grace than the ,terrestrial ,paradise 7of ,eden7 and the ,androgynus #dc is without comparison1 better conceived than what ,genesis says of the extraction of ,eve from one of the sides of ,adam4 ,is there anything that more resembles the two accidents of ,sodom and ,gomorrah than that which happened to ,phaeton8 ,is there anything more alike than the fall of ,lucifer and that of ,vulcan1 or that of the giants cast down by the lightnings of ,jupiter8 ,anything more similar than ,samson and ,hercules1 ,elijah and ,phaeton1 ,joseph and ,hippolitus1 ,nebuchadnezzar and ,lycaon1 ,tantalus and the tormented rich man 7,luke xvi1 #bd71 the manna of the ,israelites and the ambrosia of the ,gods8 ,st4 ,augustin--quoted from ,god1 ,book #f1 chap4 #ad1--,st4 ,cyrile and ,theophylactus compare ,jonah with ,hercules1 surnamed ,trinsitium 78,trinoctius71 because he had dwelt three days and three nights in the belly of a whale4 ,the river of ,daniel1 spoken of in the ,prophets1 ch4 vii1 is a visible imitation of ,periphlegeton1 which is mentioned by ,plato in the ,dialogue on the ,immortality of the ,soul4 ,original sin has been taken from ,pandora's box1 the sacrifice of ,isaac and ,jephthah from the story of ,iphigenia1 although in the latter a hind was substituted4 ,what is said of ,lot and his wife is quite like the tale which is told of ,baucis and ,philemon4 ,in short1 it is unquestionable that the authors of the ,scriptures have transcribed word for word the works of ,hesiod and ,homer4 ,,ii4 ,but it seems that ,i have made quite a digression which1 however1 may not be unprofitable4 ,let us return then to ,jesus1 or rather1 to his ,morals4 ,celsus proves1 by the account of ,origen 7,book ,,vi1 against ,celsus71 that he had taken from ,plato his finest sentiments1 such as that which says 7,luke1 c4 xviii1 v4 #be71 that a camel might sooner pass through the eye of a needle than a rich man should enter the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,it was the sect of ,pharisees of which he was1 and who believed in him1 which gave birth to this4 ,what is said of the ,immortality of the ,soul1 of the ,resurrection1 of ,hell1 and the greater part of his ,morals1 ,i see nothing more admirable than in the works of ,epictetus1 ,epicurus and many others4 ,in fact1 the latter was cited by ,st4 ,jerome 7,book ,,viii1 against ,jovian1 ch4 viii71 as a man whose virtue puts to the blush better ,christians1 observing that all his works were filled with but herbs1 fruits and abstinence1 and whose delights were so temperate that his finest repasts were but a little cheese1 bread and water4 ,with a life so frugal1 this ,philosopher1 pagan as he was1 said that it was better to be unlucky and rational1 than rich and opulent without having good sense1 adding1 that it is rare that fortune and wisdom are found in the same individual1 and that one could have no knowledge of happiness nor live with pleasure unless felicity was accompanied by prudence1 justice and honesty1 which are qualifications of a true and lasting delight4 ,as for ,epictetus ,i do not believe that any man1 not excepting ,jesus himself1 was more austere1 more firm1 more equitable1 or more moral4 ,i say nothing but what is easy to prove1 and not to pass my prescribed limit ,i will not mention all the exemplary acts of his life1 but give one single example of constancy which puts to shame the weakness and cowardice of ,jesus in the sight of death4 ,being a slave to a freeman named ,epaphroditus1 captain of the guards of ,nero1 it took the fancy of this brute to twist the leg of ,epictetus4 ,epictetus perceiving that it gave him pleasure said to him1 smiling1 that he was well convinced that the game would not end until he had broken his leg2 in fact1 this crisis happened4 ,well1 said ,epictetus with an even smiling face1 did ,i not say that you would break my leg8 ,was there ever courage equal to that8 and could it have been said of ,jesus ,christ had he been the victim8 ,he who wept and trembled with fear at the least alarm1 and who evinced at his death a lack of spirit that never was witnessed in the majority of his martyrs4 ,i doubt not but what it might be said of this action of ,epictetus what the ignorant remark of the virtues of the ,philosophers1 that vanity was their principle1 and that they were not what they seemed4 ,but ,i say also that those who use such language are people who1 in the pulpit1 say all that comes into their heads--either good or evil--and they want the privilege of telling it all4 ,i know also that when these babblers1 sellers of air1 wind and smoke1 have vented all their strength against the champions of common sense they think they have well earned the revenues of their livings3 that they have not merited a call to instruct the people unless they have declared against those who know what common sense and true virtue is4 ,so it is true that nothing in the world approaches so little to the manners of true scholars as the actions of the ignorant who decry them and who appear to have studied only to procure preferment which gives them bread2 and which preferment they worship and magnify when this height is attained1 as if they had reached a condition of perfection1 which1 to those who succeed1 is a condition of self-love1 ease1 pride and pleasure1 following nothing less than the maxims of the religion which they profess4 ,but let us leave these people who know not what virtue is1 and examine the divinity of their ,master4 ,,chapter ,x4 ,of the ,divinity of ,jesus ,christ4 ,i4 ,after having examined his policy and morals we have seen nothing more ,divine than in the writings and conduct of the ancients4 ,let us see if the reputation which followed him after his death is an evidence that he was ,god4 ,mankind is so accustomed to false reasoning that ,i am astonished that any one can reach a sane conclusion from their conduct4 ,experience shows that there is nothing they followed that is in any wise true1 and that nothing has been done or said by them which gives any evidence of stability4 ,in the meanwhile it is certain that common opinions are continually surrounded with chimeras notwithstanding the efforts of the learned1 which have always opposed them4 ,whatever care has been taken to extirpate follies the people have never abandoned them only after having been surfeited with them4 ,moses was proud to boast himself the ,lieutenant of the ,lord of ,lords1 and to prove his mission by extraordinary signs4 ,if ever so little he absented himself 7which he did from time to time to confer1 as he said1 with his ,god1 as ,numa and other lawgivers also did7 he only found on his return traces of the worship of the ,gods which the ,israelites had seen in ,egypt4 ,he successfully held them forty years in the wilderness that they might lose the idea of those they had abandoned1 and not being yet satisfied they obeyed him who led them1 and bore firmly whatever hardship they were caused to suffer in this regard4 ,only the hatred which they had conceived for other nations1 by an arrogance of which most idiots are susceptible1 made them insensibly forget the ,gods of ,egypt and attach themselves to those of ,moses whom they adored1 and sometimes with all the circumstance marked in the laws4 ,but when they quitted these conditions little by little to follow those of ,jesus ,christ1 ,i cannot see what inconstancy caused them to run after the novelty and change4 ,,ii4 ,the most ignorant ,hebrews having given the most vogue to the law of ,moses were the first to run after ,jesus1 and as their number was infinite and they encouraged each other1 it is not marvellous that these errors spread so easily4 ,it is not that novelty does not always beget suffering1 but it is the glory that is expected that one hopes will smooth the difficulties4 ,thus the ,disciples of ,jesus1 miserable as they were1 reduced at times to nourish themselves with grains of corn which they gathered from the fields 7,luke vi41 #a71 and seeing themselves shamefully excluded from places where they thought to enter to ease their fatigue 7,luke ix41 #eb-ec7 they began to be discouraged with living2 their ,master being without the pale of the law and unable to give them the benefits1 glory and grandeur which he had promised them4 ,after his death his disciples1 in despair at seeing their hopes frustrated1 and pursued by the ,jews who wished to treat them as they had treated their ,master1 made a virtue of necessity and scattered over the country1 where by the report of some women 7,john xx1 #ah7 they told of his resurrection1 his divine affiliation and the rest of the fables with which the ,gospels are filled4 #dd ,the trouble which they had to make progress among the ,jews made them resolve to pass among the ,gentiles1 and try to serve themselves better among them2 but as it was necessary to have more learning for that than they possessed--the ,gentiles being philosophers and too much in love with truth to resort to trifles--they gained over a young man 7,saul or ,st4 ,paul7 of an active and eager mind and a little better informed than the simple fishermen or than the greater babblers who associated with them4 ,a stroke from ,heaven made him blind1 as is said 7without this the trick would have been useless7 and this incident for a time attracted some weak souls4 #de ,by the fear of ,hell1 taken from some of the fables of the ancient poets1 and by the hope of a glorious ,resurrection and a ,paradise which is hardly more supportable than that of ,mahomet2 all these procured for their ,master the honor of passing for a ,god1 which he himself was unable to obtain while living4 ,in which this kind of ,jesus was no better than ,homer3 six cities which had driven the latter out with contempt and scorn during his life1 disputed with each other after his death to determine with whom remained the honor of having been his birth-place4 ,by this it may be seen that ,christianity depends1 like all other things1 on the caprice of men1 in whose opinion all passes either for good or bad1 according as the notion strikes them4 ,further1 if ,jesus was ,god1 nothing could resist him1 for ,st4 ,paul 7,romans1 v4 #ai71 is witness that nothing could overcome his will4 ,yet this passage is directly opposed to another in ,genesis 7iv1 #g71 where it is said that as the desires and appetites of man belong to him1 who is the ,master1 so it is agreed to accord free-will to the master of animals1 that is to say1 man1 for whom it is said ,god has created the universe4 ,but without wandering in a maze of errors and positive contradictions1 of which we have discoursed sufficiently1 let us say something of ,mahomet1 who founded a law upon maxims totally opposed to those of ,jesus ,christ4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,of ,mahomet4 ,i4 ,hardly had the ,disciples of ,jesus abandoned the ,mosaic law to introduce the ,christian1 than mankind1 with their usual caprice and ordinary inconstancy1 suddenly changed their sentiments1 and all the ,east was seen embracing the sentiments of the celebrated ,arius1 who had the boldness to oppose the fable of ,jesus1 and prove that he was no more a ,god than any other man4 ,thus ,christianity was almost abolished1 and there appeared a new law-giver1 who1 in less than ten years time1 formed a considerable sect4 ,this was ,mahomet4 #df ,to be well acquainted with him1 it must be known that the part of ,arabia where he was born1 was commonly called the ,happy1 by reason of its fertility1 and being inhabited by people who formed several ,republics1 each ,republic being a family called a tribe1 and having for its head the chief of the principal family1 among those which composed the tribe4 ,that in which ,mahomet was born was named the ,tribe of ,koreish1 of which the principal family was that of ,hashem1 of which the chief was then a certain ,abdul ,motallab1 #dg grandfather of ,mahomet1 whose father1 eldest son of ,abdul ,motallab1 was named ,abdallah4 #dg ,this tribe inhabited the shores of the ,red sea1 and ,abdul ,motallab was ,high ,priest of the ,temple of ,mecca where were worshipped the ,idols of the country4 ,as ,chief of his ,tribe he was ,prince of this country in which quality he had sustained the war against the ,king of ,persia and the ,emperor of ,ethiopia1 which shows that ,mahomet was not of the riff-raff of the people4 ,his father dying before his grandfather1 his tender years caused him to lose the rights he had to the ,sovereignty1 which one of his uncles usurped4 ,it was for this reason1 not being able to succeed to the title of ,prince1 that he was reduced to the humble condition of shop-boy in the employ of a wealthy widow for whom he became afterwards factor4 ,having found him to her liking she married him and made him one of the richest citizens of ,mecca4 ,he was then about #cj years of age1 and seeing at hand the means to enforce his rights1 his ambitions awakened1 and he meditated in what manner he could re-establish himself in the dignity of his grandfather4 ,the correspondence that he had had with ,christians in ,egypt and ,jews in ,judea1 where he had traded a long time for his wife while he was only her factor1 gave him an opportunity of knowing who ,moses was and also ,jesus ,christ4 ,he also had remarked into how many different sects their ,religion was divided1 and which produced such diversity of opinions1 and the zeal of each sect4 ,by this he profited1 and he believed he could better succeed in the interest of establishing a new ,religion4 ,the conditions of the time when he formed this design were very favorable to him1 for nearly all of the ,arabs1 disgusted with the worship of their ,idols1 were fallen into a species of ,atheism4 ,thus ,mahomet began by leading a retired life1 being exemplary1 seeking solitude1 and passing the greater part of the day in prayers and meditations4 ,he caused himself to be admired for his modest demeanor1 and commenced to speak of revelations and visions4 ,by such action is gained the credence of the populace1 and by such methods ,moses and ,jesus commenced4 ,he called himself a prophet and an envoy of ,god1 and having as much skill as his predecessors in working miracles1 he soon gained attention1 then admiration1 and soon after the confidence of the people4 ,a ,jew and a ,christian monk who were in his conspiracy aided him in his dextrous moves1 and he soon became powerful enough to resist a vigorous man named ,corais1 a learned ,arab1 who endeavored to expose his imposture4 ,during this time his uncle1 the governor of ,mecca1 died1 and not being yet strong enough to assume the authority of sovereign1 he was obliged to yield to one of his kinsmen who1 penetrating his designs1 obliged him to flee from ,mecca and take refuge at ,medina1 where one party in the city who were ,arian ,christians joined him4 ,then he ceased to support his authority by argument1 and persuaded his disciples to plant the ,mussulman faith at the point of the sword4 ,having strengthened his party by alliances1 marrying his daughters to four of the principal citizens of ,medina1 he was in condition to place armies in the field who subjugated the various tribes1 one after the other1 and with whom he finally seized ,mecca4 ,he did not die until after he had accomplished his purpose by his hypocrisy and imposture1 which elevated him to the dignity of sovereign1 which he transmitted to his successors1 and his faith so well established that there has been no evidence of its failure for six hundred years1 and yet it may be upon the eve of its destruction4 ,,ii4 ,thus ,mahomet was more fortunate than ,jesus ,christ4 ,after having labored during twenty-three years in the establishment of his ,law and ,religion1 he saw its progress before his death1 and having an assurance which ,jesus ,christ had not1 that it would exist a long time after his death1 since he prudently accommodated the genius and passions of his followers4 ,such was the last of these three impostors4 ,moses threw himself into an abyss by an excess of ambition to cause himself to be believed immortal4 ,jesus ,christ was ignominiously hung up between two thieves1 being covered with shame as a recompense for his imposture1 and lastly1 ,mahomet died in reality in his own bed1 and in the midst of grandeur1 but with his bowels consumed by poison given him by a young ,jewess1 to determine if he really was a prophet4 ,this is all that can be said of these four #dh celebrated impostors4 ,they were just as we have painted them after nature1 and without giving any false shading to their portraits1 that it may be judged if they merited any confidence1 and if it is excusable to be led by these guides1 whom ambition and trickery have elevated1 and whom ignorance has destroyed4 ,,sensible ,,and ,,obvious ,,truths4 ,i4 ,it is not sufficient to have discovered the disease if we do not apply a remedy4 ,it would be better to leave the sick man in ignorance4 ,error can only be cured by ,truth1 and since ,moses1 ,jesus and ,mahomet were what we have represented them1 we should not seek in their writings for the veritable idea of the ,divinity4 ,the apparitions and the divine conformation of the former and the latter1 and the divine filiation of the second1 are sufficient to convince us that all is but imposture4 ,,ii4 ,god is either a natural being or one of infinite extent who resembles what he contains1 that is to say1 that he is material without being1 nevertheless1 neither just nor merciful1 nor jealous1 nor a ,god in any way as may be imagined1 and as a consequence is neither a punisher nor a remunerator4 ,this idea of punishment and recompense only exists in the minds of the ignorant who only conceive that simple being called ,god1 under images which by no means represent him4 ,those who use their understanding without confounding its operations with those of the imagination1 and who are powerful enough to abandon the prejudice of a limited education1 are the only ones who have sound1 clear and distinct ideas4 ,they consider him as the source of all beings which are produced without distinction3 one being no more than another in ,his regard1 and man no more difficult to produce than a worm or a flower4 ,,iii4 ,that is why it is not to be believed that this natural and infinite being which is commonly called ,god1 esteems man more than an ant1 or a lion more than a stone1 or any other being more than a phantasy1 or who has any regard for beauty or ugliness1 for good or bad1 for the perfect or imperfect4 ,or that he desires to be praised1 prayed1 sought for or caressed1 or that he cares what men are1 or say1 whether susceptible of love or hate1 or in a word that he thinks more of man than of any other creatures of whatever nature they be4 ,all these distinctions are only the invention of a narrow mind1 that is to say1 ignorance has created them and interest keeps them alive4 ,,iv4 ,thus there is no good sensible man who can be convinced of hell1 a soul1 spirits or devils1 in the manner of which they are commonly spoken4 ,all these great senseless words have only been contrived to delude or intimidate the people4 ,let those then who wish to know the truth read what follows1 with a liberal spirit and an intention to only give their judgment with deliberation4 ,v4 ,the myriads of stars that we see above us are allowed to be so many solid bodies which move1 and among which there is not one designed as the ,court ,divine where ,god is like a ,king in the midst of his courtiers2 which is the abode of the blest1 and where all good souls fly after leaving this body and world4 ,but without burdening ourselves with such a rude and ill-conceived opinion1 and that it may not be entertained by any man of good sense1 it is certain that what is called ,heaven is nothing but the continuation of our atmosphere1 more subtile and more refined1 where the stars move without being sustained by any solid mass more than the ,earth on which we live1 and which like the stars is suspended in the midst of space4 ,,vi4 ,as may be imagined1 a ,heaven intended for the eternal abode of the happy and of ,god1 was the same among the ,pagans4 ,gods and goddesses were also represented in the same way1 also a ,hell or a subterranean place where it was pretended that the wicked souls descended to be tormented4 ,but this word hell taken in its proper and natural signification means nothing but a lower place1 which poets have invented to oppose the dwelling of the celestial inhabitants1 who are said to be very sublime and exalted4 ,that is what the ,latin word ,infernus or inferi signifies1 and also the ,greek word admc #di1 that is to say1 an obscure place like the sepulchre1 or any other low and hidden place4 ,all the rest of what has been said is only pure fiction and the invention of poets whose symbolical discourses are taken literally by feeble1 timid and melancholy minds1 as well as by those who are interested in sustaining this opinion4 ,,of ,,the ,,soul4 ,i4 ,the ,soul is something more delicate and more difficult to treat of than either ,heaven or ,hell4 ,that is why it is proper to satisfy ,your ,majesty's curiosity1 to speak of it a little more at length4 ,before saying what ,i desire on this subject1 ,i will recall in a few words what the most celebrated ,philosophers have thought of it4 ,,ii4 ,some have said that the ,soul is a spirit or an immaterial substance2 others1 a kind of divinity2 some1 a very subtile air1 and others a harmony of all parts of the body4 ,again1 others have remarked that it is the most subtile and fine part of the blood1 which is separated from it in the brain and is distributed by the nerves3 so that the source of the ,soul is the heart where it is produced1 and the place where it performs its noblest function is the ,brain1 because there it is well purified from the grosser parts of the blood4 ,these are the principal opinions which have been held concerning the ,soul1 but to render them more perceptible let us divide them into material and spiritual1 and name the supporters of each theory that we may not err4 ,,iii4 ,pythagoras and ,plato have said that the soul is spiritual1 that is to say1 a being capable of existence without the aid of the body1 and can move itself3 that all the particular souls of animals are portions of the universal soul of the world3 that these portions are spiritual and immortal1 and of the same nature1 as we may conceive that one hundred little fires are of the same nature as the great fire at which they have been kindled4 ,,iv4 ,these philosophers believed the animated universe a substance1 spiritual1 immortal and invisible1 pursuing always that which attracts1 which is the source of all movements1 and of all ,souls which are small particles of it4 ,now1 as ,souls are very pure1 and infinitely superior to the body1 they do not unite immediately1 but by means of a subtile body1 such as flame1 or that subtile and extensive air which the vulgar take for heaven4 ,afterwards they take a body less subtile1 then another a little more impure1 and always thus by degrees1 until they can unite with the sensible bodies of animals1 whence 7sic7 they descend like into dungeons or sepulchres4 ,the death of the body1 they say1 is the life of the soul wherein it was buried1 and where it exercises but weakly its most beautiful functions4 ,thus at the death of the body the soul comes out of its prison untrammelled by matter1 and reunites with the soul of the universe1 from whence it came4 ,thus1 following this thought1 all the ,souls of animals are of the same nature1 and the diversity of their functions comes only from the difference in the bodies that they enter4 ,aristotle admits further1 a universal understanding common to all beings1 and which acts in regard to particular intelligences as light does in regard to the eyes2 and as light makes objects visible1 the universal understanding makes objects intelligible4 ,this philosopher defines the ,soul as that which makes us live1 feel1 think and move1 but he does not say what the ,being is that is the source and principle of these noble functions1 and consequently we must not look to him to dispel the doubt which exists concerning the ,nature of the ,soul4 ,v4 ,dicearchus1 ,asclesiade 78 ,esculapius71 and in some ways ,galen1 have also believed the soul to be incorporeal1 but in another manner1 for they have said that it is nothing more than the harmony of all parts of the body1 that is to say1 that which results in an exact blending and disposition of the humors and spirits4 ,thus1 they say1 health is not a part of him who is well1 however it be his condition1 so that1 however1 the soul be in the animal1 it is not one of its parts1 but a mutual accord of all of which it is composed4 ,on which it is remarked that these authors believe the soul to be incorporeal1 on a principle quite opposed to their intent1 by saying that it is not a body1 but only something inseparably attached to a body1 that is to say1 in good reasoning1 that it is quite corporeal1 since corporeality is not only that which is a body1 but all which is form or accident that cannot be separated from matter4 ,these are the philosophers who have believed the soul incorporeal or immaterial1 who1 as you see1 are not in accord with themselves1 and consequently do not merit any belief4 ,let us now consider those who have avowed it to be a body4 ,,vi4 ,diogenes believed that it was formed of air1 from which he has inferred the necessity of breathing1 and defines it as an air which passes from the mouth through the lungs to the heart1 where it is warmed1 and from whence it is distributed through the entire body4 ,leucippus and ,democritus have claimed that it was ,fire1 as that element is composed of atoms which easily penetrate all parts of the body1 and makes it move4 ,hippocrates has said that it is a composition of water and fire4 ,empedocles says that it includes the four elements4 ,epicurus believed like ,democritus1 that the soul is composed of fire1 but he adds that in that composition there enters some air1 a vapor1 and another nameless substance of which is formed a very subtile spirit1 which spreads through the body and and which is called the soul4 ,,vii4 ,not to shuffle1 as all these philosophers have done1 and to have as perfect an idea as is possible of the souls of animals1 let us admit that in all1 without excepting man1 it is of the same nature1 and has no different functions1 but by reason of the diversity of organs and humors2 hence we must believe what follows4 ,it is certain that there is in the universe a very subtile spirit1 or a very delicate matter1 and always in motion1 the source of which is in the ,sun1 and the remainder is spread in all the other bodies1 more or less1 according to ,nature or their consistency4 ,that is the ,soul of the ,universe which governs and vivifies it1 and of which some portion is distributed among all the parts that compose it4 ,this ,soul1 and the most pure ,fire which is in the universe does not burn of itself1 but by the different movements that it gives to the particles of other bodies where it enters1 it burns and reflects its heat4 ,the visible fire has more of this spirit than air1 the latter more than water1 and the earth much less than the latter4 ,among the mixed bodies1 plants have more than minerals1 and animals more than either4 ,to conclude1 this fire being enclosed in the body1 it is rendered capable of thought1 and that is what is called the soul1 or what is called animal spirits1 which are spread in all parts of the body4 ,now1 it is certain that this soul being of the same nature in all animals1 disperses at the death of man in the same manner as in other animals1 from whence it follows that what ,poets and ,theologians sing or preach of the other world1 is a chimera which they have invented1 and which they narrate for reasons that are easy to guess4 ,,of ,,spirits ,,which ,,are ,,called ,,demons4 ,i4 ,we have fully commented on how the belief in ,spirits was introduced among men1 and how these ,spirits were but phantoms which existed in their imagination4 ,the ancient ,philosophers were not sufficiently clear to explain to the people what these phantoms were1 and did not allow themselves to say that they could raise them4 ,some seeing that these phantoms dissolved and had no consistency1 called them immaterial1 incorporeal1 forms without matter1 or colors and figures1 without being1 nevertheless1 bodies either colored or defined1 adding that they could cover themselves with air like a mantle when they wished to render themselves visible to the eyes of men4 ,others said that they were animated bodies1 but were composed of air1 or some other more subtile matter which condensed at their will when they wished to appear4 ,,ii4 ,these two kinds of ,philosophers being opposed in the opinion which they had of phantoms1 agreed in the name which they gave them1 for all called them ,demons1 in which they were but little more enlightened than those who believed they saw in their sleep the souls of the dead1 and that it is their soul which they see when they look in a mirror1 and who also believed that they saw 7reflected7 in the water the souls of the stars4 ,after this foolish fancy they fell into an error which is hardly less supportable1 that is1 the current idea that these phantoms had infinite power4 ,an absurd but ordinary belief with the ignorant who imagined that whatever they did not understand was an infinite power4 ,,iii4 ,this ridiculous opinion was no sooner published than the ,sovereigns began to use it to support their power4 ,they established a belief concerning spirits which they called ,religion1 so that the fear which the people possessed for invisible powers would hold them to their obedience4 ,to have it carry more influence they distinguished the demons as good and bad4 ,the latter to encourage men to obey their laws1 and the former to restrain and prevent them from infringing them4 ,now to learn what these demons were it is only necessary to read the ,greek poets and their histories1 and above all what ,hesiod says in his ,theogony where he fully treats of the origin and propagation of the ,gods4 ,,iv4 ,the ,greeks were the first who invented them1 and by them they were propagated through the medium of their colonies1 and their conquests in ,asia1 ,egypt and ,italy4 ,the ,jews who were dispersed in ,alexandria and elsewhere got their acquaintance with them from the ,greeks4 ,they used them as effectively as the other peoples but with this difference1 they did not call them ,demons like the ,greeks1 but good and bad spirits2 reserving for the good ,demons the name of ,spirit of ,god1 and calling those ,prophets who were said to possess this good spirit called the ,divine1 which they held as responsible for great blessings1 and cacodaemons or ,evil spirits on the contrary those which were provocative of great ,evil4 ,v4 ,this distinction of good and evil made them name as ,demoniacs those whom we call lunatics1 visionaries1 madmen and epileptics1 and those who spoke to them in an unknown tongue4 ,a man ill-shaped and of evil look was to their notion possessed of an unclean spirit1 and a mute of a dumb spirit4 ,now1 these words spirit and demon became so familiar to them that they spoke of them on all occasions1 so that it is evident that the ,jews believed like the ,greeks1 that these phantoms were not mere chimeras and visions1 but real beings that existed independent of imagination4 ,,vi4 ,so it happens that the ,bible is quite filled with these words ,spirits1 ,demons and ,fiends1 but nowhere is it said when they were first known1 nor the time of their creation1 which is hardly pardonable in ,moses1 who is earnest in depicting the ,creation of ,heaven1 ,earth and ,man4 ,no more then is ,jesus ,christ who had such close intimacy with them1 who commanded them so absolutely according to the ,gospel1 and who spoke so often of angels and good and bad spirits1 but without saying whether they were corporeal or spiritual2 which makes it plain that he knew no more than the ,greeks had taught other nations1 in which he is not less culpable than for denying to all men the virtue of faith and piety which he professed to be able to give them4 ,but to return to the ,spirits4 ,it is certain that the words ,demon1 ,satan and ,devil1 are not proper names which designated any individual1 and which never have any credence but among the ignorant2 as much among the ,greeks who invented them1 as among the ,jews where they were tolerated4 ,so the latter being overrun by them gave them names--which signified enemy1 accuser1 inquisitor1--as well to invisible powers as to their own adversaries1 the ,gentiles1 whom they said inhabited the ,kingdom of ,satan2 there being none but themselves1 in their own opinion1 who dwelt in that of ,god4 ,,vii4 ,as ,jesus ,christ was a ,jew1 and consequently imbued with these silly opinions1 we read everywhere in the ,gospels1 and in the writings of his ,disciples1 of the ,devil1 of ,satan and ,hell as if they were something real and effective4 ,while it is true1 as we have shown1 that there is nothing more imaginary1 and when what we have said is not sufficient to prove it1 but two words will suffice to convince the most obstinate4 ,all ,christians agree unanimously that ,god is the first principle and the foundation of all things1 that he has created and preserves them1 and without his support they would fall into nothingness4 ,following this principle it is certain that ,god must have created what is called the ,devil1 and ,satan1 as well as the rest1 and if he has created both good and evil1 why not all the balance1 and if by this principle all evil exists1 it can only be by the intervention of ,god4 ,now can one conceive that ,god would maintain a creature1 not only who curses him unceasingly1 and who mortally hates him1 but even who endeavors to corrupt his friends1 to have the pleasure of being cursed by a multitude of mouths4 ,how can we comprehend that ,god should preserve the ,devil to have him do his worst to dethrone him if he could1 and to alienate from his service his elect and his favorites8 ,what would be the object of ,god in such conduct8 ,now what can we say in speaking of the ,devil and ,hell4 ,if ,god does all1 and nothing can be done without him how does it happen that the ,devil hates him1 curses him1 and takes away his friends8 ,now he is either agreeable1 or he is not4 ,if he is agreeable1 it is certain that the ,devil in cursing him only does what he should1 since he can only do what ,god wills4 ,consequently1 it is not the ,devil1 but ,god in person who curses himself2 a situation to my idea more absurd than ever4 ,if it is not in accord with his will then it is not true that he is all powerful4 ,thus there are two principles1 one of ,good1 the other of ,evil1 one which causes one thing and the other that does quite the contrary4 ,to what does this reasoning lead us8 ,to avow without contradiction that there is no ,god such as is conceived1 nor ,devil1 nor ,soul1 nor ,paradise1 such as has been depicted1 and that the ,theologians1 that is to say1 those who relate fables for truth1 are persons of bad faith who maliciously abuse the credulity of the ignorant by telling them what they please1 as if the people were capable of nothing but chimera or who should be fed with insipid food in which is found only emptiness1 nothingness and folly1 and not a grain of the salt of truth and wisdom4 ,centuries have passed1 one after the other1 in which mankind has been infatuated by these absurd imaginations which have been combatted2 but during all the period there have also been found sincere minds who have written against the injustice of the ,doctors in ,tiaras1 ,mitres and ,gowns1 who have kept mankind in such deplorable blindness which seems to increase every day4 ,,finis4 ,by permission of the ,lord ,baron de ,hohendorf ,i have compiled this epitome out of the manuscript ,library of his ,most ,august ,highness1 ,duke ,eugene of ,sabaudio1 in the year #agaf4 ,,appendicitis4 ,a ,,disease ,,common ,,to ,,nearly ,,all ,,works ,,of ,,this ,,character1 ,,and ,,which ,,condition ,,is ,,past ,,all ,,surgery4 ,another sketch of ,mahomet translated from the ,edition en ,suisse1 #agic1 and which may interest worshippers of ,arabian mysteries evolved from imaginative brains1 tinctured with extracts from ,thory's ,ada ,latomorum1 and similar works1 and embellished with effects from ,michael ,strogoff4 ,,xxii4 ,of ,mahomet4 ,hardly had the disciples of ,christ abolished the ,mosaic law to introduce the ,christian dispensation1 than mankind1 carried away by force1 and by their ordinary inconstancy1 followed a new law-giver1 who advanced himself by the same methods as ,moses4 ,he assumed1 like him1 the title of prophet1 and envoy of ,god1 like him he performed miracles and knew how to profit by the passions of the people4 ,first he was accompanied by an ignorant rabble1 to whom he explained the new oracles of heaven4 ,these unfortunates1 seduced by the promises and fables of this new impostor1 spread his renown and exalted him to a height that eclipsed his predecessors4 ,mahomet was not a man who appeared capable of founding an empire1 as he excelled neither in politics #ej nor philosophy2 in fact1 could neither read nor write4 ,he had so little firmness that he would often have abandoned his enterprise had he not been forced to persist in his undertaking by the skill of one of his followers4 ,from that time he commenced to rise and become celebrated4 ,corais1 a powerful ,arab1 jealous that a man of his birth should have the audacity to deceive the people1 declared himself his enemy1 and attempted to cross his enterprise1 but the people persuaded that ,mahomet had continual conferences with ,god and his angels caused him to prevail over his enemy4 ,the tribe of ,corais were at a disadvantage and ,mahomet seeing himself followed by a crazy crowd who thought him a divine man1 thought he would have no need of a companion1 but fearing that the latter 7,corais7 might expose his impostures he tried to prevent it1 and to do it more certainly he overwhelmed him with promises1 and swore to him that he wished only to become great by sharing the power to which he had contributed4 ,we have reached1 said he1 the moment of our elevation1 we are sure of the great multitude we have gained1 and we must now assure ourselves by the artifice you have so happily conceived4 ,at the same time he induced him to hide himself in the cave of oracles4 ,there was a dried-up well from which he made the people believe that the voice of ,god declared himself for ,mahomet1 who was in the midst of his proselytes4 ,deceived by the caresses of this traitor1 his associate went into the well to counterfeit the oracle as usual2 ,mahomet then passing by at the head of an infatuated multitude a voice was heard saying3 ,i who am your ,god1 declare that ,i have established ,mahomet as the prophet of all nations3 from him you will learn my true law which has been changed by the ,jews and the ,christians4 ,for a long time this man played this game1 but in the end he was paid by the greatest and blackest ingratitude4 ,mahomet hearing the voice which proclaimed him a divine being1 turned towards the people and commanded them in the name of the ,god who recognized him as his prophet1 to fill with stones the ditch from whence had issued such authentic testimony in his favor1 in memory of the stone which ,jacob raised to mark the place where ,god appeared to him4 #ea ,thus perished the unfortunate person who had contributed to the elevation of ,mahomet2 it was on this heap of stones that the last of the celebrated prophets established his law4 ,this foundation is so stable and founded in such a way that after a thousand years of reign it has no appearance of being overthrown4 ,a ,,literal ,,translation ,,de ,,tribus ,,impostoribus4 ,,anno ,,mdiic4 ,,zweite ,,mit ,,einem ,,neuen ,,vorwort ,,versehene ,,auflage ,,von ,,emil ,,weller4 ,,heilbronn ,,verlag ,,von ,,gebr4 ,,henninger4 #ahgf ,many maintain that there is a ,god1 and that he should be worshipped1 before they understand either what a ,god is1 or what it is to be1 as far as being is common to bodies and spirits1 according to the distinction they make2 and what it is to worship ,god1 although they regard the worship of ,god according to the standard of the honor given to ruling men4 ,what ,god is1 they describe according to the confession of their own ignorance4 ,for it is inevitable that they declare how he differs from other things by the denial of former conceptions4 ,they cannot comprehend that there is an infinite being2 that is1 one of whose limits they are ignorant4 ,there is a creator of heaven and earth1 they say1 but who is his creator they do not say1 because they do not know2 because they do not understand4 ,some say that he is the origin of himself and maintain that he comes from nothing but himself4 ,we do not understand his origin they say1 therefore he has none 7why so8 if we do not understand ,god himself1 is there1 therefore1 no ,god87 ,and this is the first principle of their ignorance4 ,there is no progression into infinity2 why not8 because the human intellect must have some foundation8 because it is accustomed to this belief8 because it cannot imagine anything beyond its own limits8 ,as if1 indeed1 it followed1 that if ,i do not comprehend infinity1 therefore there is no infinity4 ,and nevertheless as is known from experience1 some among the members of the sects of ,christ1 think there is an infinite progression of divine properties or persons1 concerning the limitations of which1 however1 there has hitherto been dispute1 and so indeed they think that there is a progression into infinity4 ,for the son is begotten from infinity1 and the holy spirit is breathed from infinity4 ,this begetting and this procession goes on to infinity4 ,for if that begetting or that breathing of the spirit had begun or should once have ceased1 the conception of eternity would be destroyed4 ,but if you should agree with them on this point also1 that the creation of man can not be prolonged to infinity1 which they infer1 however1 on account of their finite minds1 it will not yet be evident whether other beings have not been begotten among the higher powers1 in a peculiar manner and in great number1 as well as among men on earth2 and who of this great number should especially be accepted as ,god4 ,for every religion admits that there are ,gods who are mediators1 although they are not all under equal limitations1 whence that principle1 that there must be one being only1 raised above men by his own nature1 is evidently demolished4 ,and so it will be possible to say that from a diversity of ,gods as creators1 a diversity of religions1 and a variety of kinds of worship afterwards arose3 which the religious feeling of the heathen especially employed4 ,but as to the objection which is raised about the murders and the concubinage of the ,pagan ,gods1 aside from the fact that the ,pagans have long since shown that these things must be understood as mysteries1 similar things will be found in other religions4 ,the slaughter of many tribes was perpetrated by ,moses and ,joshua at the command of ,god4 ,even human sacrifice the ,god of ,israel demanded of ,abraham1 but it was not carried into effect in this remarkable case4 ,but he could either not have given a command1 or ,abraham could not have believed that it had been given in earnest1 which would have been in itself utterly at variance with the nature of ,god4 ,mahomet promises the whole world as the reward offered by his religion1 and ,christians talk about the universal slaughter of their enemies and the subjugation of the foes of the church1 which indeed has not been insignificant1 from the fact that the church had the entire control of public affairs4 ,was not polygamy also permitted by 7,mohammed7 ,moses1 and as some maintain1 even in the ,new ,testament1 by ,christ8 ,did not the ,holy ,spirit beget the son of ,god by a peculiar union with a betrothed virgin8 ,as for other objections which are made to the pagans about their ridiculous idols1 and their misuse of worship1 they are not so weighty that similar ones can not be made to the members of other sects2 nevertheless it can easily be proved that these abuses have proceeded from the subordinates rather than from the leaders1 from the disciples1 rather than from the masters of religions4 ,but to return to the former argument4 ,this being1--since the intellect limits its extent1--is what some call ,nature and others ,god4 ,on these points some agree1 others disagree4 ,some fancy that the worlds have existed from eternity1 and call the connection of things ,god2 certain ones call ,god an individual being1 which can be neither seen or known1 although among these disputes are not infrequent4 ,religion1 as far as it concerns worship1 some attribute to the fear1 some to the love1 of invisible powers4 ,but if the invisible powers are false1 idolatry is just as the principles of each worshipper demand4 ,they will have it that love springs from kindness and refer it to gratitude2 although nevertheless it chiefly arises from the sympathy of humors4 ,the kind deeds of enemies inspire especially violent hatred although no one of the hypocrites has dared to confess it4 ,but who would suppose that love arises from the kindness of him who gave to man the characteristics of a lion1 a bear and other wild beasts that he might assume a nature contrary to the will of the creator8 ,who1 well knowing the weakness of human nature1 placed before our progenitors a tree1 by which he was sure they would bring a fatal sentence upon themselves and their descendants 7as some will have it78 ,and yet the latter are bound to worship and to perform deeds of gratitude1 as if for a great favor1 ,forsooth6 ,so the ,ithacan may have it1 etc4 ,take deadly arms1 a sword for instance1 and if you had the most certain foreknowledge 7which some claim for ,god also in this very case1 inasmuch as there can be no chance with ,god7 of the very purpose that he1 before whose eyes you place it1 will seize it and inflict on himself and all his descendants the most dreadful death4 7,he who has still one drop of the milk of human kindness will shudder to do such a deed74 ,take1 ,i say1 a sword1 you who are a father1 for instance1 or you who are a friend2 and if you are a father1 if you are a real friend1 present it to your friend1 or your children1 with the command that they should not run upon it1 you foreseeing beyond all doubt1 nevertheless1 that he will run upon it1 and inflict on his children and those hitherto innocent1 the most dreadful death4 ,consider1 you who are a father1 would you do such a thing8 ,what is it to make a command a mockery1 if this is not8 ,and nevertheless ,god must have given such a command4 ,but they maintain that ,god should be worshipped for his kindness1 saying3 ,if ,god is1 he must be worshipped2 just as they make this inference1 the ,great ,mogul is1 therefore he must be worshipped4 ,his own people do indeed worship him1 but why8 assuredly that his unbridled pride and that of all great men may be gratified1 and for no other reason4 ,for he is worshipped chiefly on account of the fear of his visible power 7hence at his death the worship ceases71 and then too on account of the hope of rewards4 ,this same reason exists for the reverence shown parents and other people in power2 and since invisible powers are considered more important and greater than visible ones1 therefore1 they will have it that still more should they be worshipped4 ,and this ,god should be worshipped on account of his love1 they say4 ,and what kind of love is it to expose innocent posterity to infinite suffering on account of the fall of one man1 certainly foreseen and therefore foreordained 7foreordained as far at least as being permitted74 ,but1 you say1 they are to be redeemed4 ,but how8 ,the father exposes his only son to extreme suffering1 that he may deliver the other man from tortures no greater1 because of the redemption offered by the former4 ,the ,barbarians had no such silly idea4 ,but why should ,god be loved1 why worshipped8 because he created us8 ,but to what end8 that we should fall6 because assuredly he had foreknowledge that our progenitors would fall1 and set before them the medium of the forbidden fruit1 without which they could not have fallen4 ,granted1 however1 that he should be worshipped because on him all things depend for their creation2 some1 nevertheless1 add1 for their continued existence also1 and their preservation4 ,why should ,god be worshipped8 ,does he himself delight in worship8 ,certainly4 ,parents and benefactors are honored among us4 ,but why is this honor given8 ,human nature has regard for mutual wants and1 the bestowal of honor is due to the idea that we can be aided by a greater and more enduring power4 ,no one wishes to aid another unless his own wants are satisfied in turn4 ,that is called a person's recognition of kindness and gratitude1 which demands a greater recognition of his own kindness2 and in order that his reputation may be spread abroad1 it demands that the other be ready1 as a handmaid1 so to speak1 to inspire in others an idea of his fame and nobility4 ,doubtless the idea others may entertain of our ability to be of service to general or individual needs1 tickles us1 and raises plumes for us like those of a peacock1 wherefore generosity is found among the virtues4 ,but who does not see the imperfection of our nature8 ,who1 however1 would say that ,god1 the most perfect of all beings1 wants anything8 ,or that he wishes for any such thing if he is perfect and already self-sufficient and honored without any external honors4 ,who would say that he wants honor except those who persist in honoring him8 ,the desire for honor is a sign of imperfection and lack of power4 ,the consensus of opinion among all races on this subject1 is urged by those who have talked with scarcely all even of their own friends1 or have examined three or four books treating of the testimony of the world1 not even carefully considering how far the authors had knowledge of the customs of the world2 but those excellent authors were not familiar with all customs4 ,notice1 however1 that when one is considering the matter1 the objection here arises1 that the fundamental reasons for worship are connected with ,god himself and his works1 and not with the elementary constitution of any society4 ,for there is no one who is not aware that worship is due to the custom1 prevalent among the ruling and rich classes especially1 of maintaining some external form of religion in order to calm the passions of the people4 ,but if you are concerned about the former reason1 who would believe that in the principal seat of the ,christian religion1--,italy1--there are so many free-thinkers1 or to speak more meaningly1 ,atheists1 and if he should believe it1 would say that there is a consensus of opinion among all races4 ,god is1 therefore should he be worshipped8 ,because1 forsooth1 the wiser men at least say so8 ,who1 pray1 are the wiser8 ,the high priest1 the augurs1 the soothsayers of the ancients1 ,cicero1 ,caesar1 the leading men and their priestly adherents1 etc4 ,would they let it be known that such practices were to their interests8 ,doubtless those in control of public affairs1 deriving their profits from the credulity of the people1 told fear-inspiring stories of the power and vengeance of the invisible gods1 and lied about their own occasional meetings and association with them2 and demanded in proportion to their own luxury beings suitable for or even surpassing themselves4 ,for it is not to be wondered at that priests promulgate such teachings1 since this is their method of maintaining their own lives4 ,and such are the teachings of the wiser men4 ,this world may depend on the control of a prime mover2 this is certainly the fact--that the dependence will be only at the start4 ,for why might there not have been a first command of ,god1 such that everything would go in a foreordained course to a fixed end1 if he wished to fix one4 ,there would no longer be need of new care1 dependence or support1 but he might at first have endowed every one with sufficient powers4 ,and why should it not be said that he did this8 ,for it is not to be supposed that he visits all the elements and parts of the universe as a physician does a sick man4 ,what then is to be said of the testimony of conscience8 and whence would come those fears of the mind because of wrong-doing1 were it not evident that there is near us a higher power who sees and punishes us1 whom wrong-doing displeases just as it is altogether at variance with worship of him8 ,it is not now my purpose to inquire more deeply into the nature of good and evil nor the dangers of prejudice and the folly of great fear which springs from preconceived ideas4 ,this merely ,i say4 ,whence did they arise8 especially since all evil-doing depends on the corruption and destruction of the harmony resulting from the interchange of services in the wants to which the human race is subject1 and since the idea about one who wishes to increase rather than to be of aid in those wants1 renders him an object of hatred4 ,whence it happens that he himself may fear lest he may incur the hatred and contempt of others1 or a like refusal to satisfy his wants2 or may lose his power of being of service not only to others but to himself1 in so far indeed as he needs to fear any harm from being wronged by others4 ,and so1 they say1 those who do not have the light of ,holy ,scriptures1 follow the natural light in accordance with the dictates of their consciences1 which proves to be sure1 that ,god has endowed the intellect of all men with some sparks of his own knowledge and will1 and if they act according to these it must be said that they have done right4 ,for what reason of theirs can be a command to worship ,god if this is not8 ,but it is maintained on many grounds that beasts act according to the guide of reason1 and this matter has not yet been decided2 nevertheless ,i do not urge this4 ,who has said anything to you to prove that this does not occur1 or that a trained animal does not at times surpass an ignorant and uneducated man in intellect and powers of judgment8 ,but to speak to the point1 the majority of men of leisure who have had time to consider subtile ideas and those beyond the comprehension of the ordinary intellect1 in order to gratify their own pride and promote their own advantage1 have devised many subtile principles for which ,alexis and ,thyrsis1 prevented by their pastoral and rustic duties1 could have had no leisure4 ,wherefore1 the latter have placed confidence in the philosophers of leisure1 as if they were wiser1 while they are more fitted to impose on the foolish4 ,hence1 good ,alexis1 go to1 worship the sylvan ,pans1 ,satyrs and ,dianas1 etc4 ,for the great philosophers will tell you about the dream of ,numa ,pompilius1 and narrate to you the story of his concubinage with the nymph ,aegeria1 and they will wish by this very account to bind you to his worship1 and as a reward for this pious work1 because of the reconciliation and favor of those invisible powers1 they will demand for their own support1 the flower of your flock and your labor as a sacrifice4 ,and hence1 since ,titius worshipped ,pan1 ,alexis1 the ,fauns1 ,rome1 the ,gods of ,war1 ,athens1 the unknown ,gods1 is it to be supposed that those good men learned from the light of reason certain tales which were the idle inventions and ideas of philosophers8 not to attack too harshly the religion of others4 ,and why did not this reason also tell that they were mistaken in their worship1 in foolishly worshipping statues and stones1 as if they were the dwelling places of their ,gods8 ,but is it indeed to be supposed that since good women bestowed such worship on ,francis1 ,ignatius and ,dominicus and such men1 reason teaches that at least some one among holy men should be worshipped8 ,that they learn from the light of nature the worship of some superior power no longer visible1 although1 nevertheless1 such are the fabrications of our priests of leisure for the more splendid increase of their own means of support4 ,therefore1 there is no ,god8 ,suppose there is 7a ,god47 ,therefore1 should he be worshipped8 ,but this does not follow1 because he desires worship as far as he has inscribed it in the heart4 ,what more then8 ,we should then follow the guide of our nature4 ,but this is known to be imperfect4 ,in what respects8 ,for is it sufficient enough to maintain the society of men peacefully8 ,because other religious people1 following revelation1 do not pass more tranquil lives8 ,but is it rather because ,god demands of us especially a more precise idea of ,god8 ,but nevertheless you who promise this of any religion whatsoever1 do not supply it4 ,for any revelation of what ,god is1 is far more unintelligible than before4 ,and how will you make this clearer by the conception of the intellect1 since he limits every intellect8 ,what do you think of these things8 ,no one1 ,i say1 has a knowledge of ,god1 moreover eye has not seen him1 and he dwells in unapproachable light1 and from the time of revelation till now1 in allegory4 ,but ,i suppose every one knows how clear an allegory is4 ,wherefore do you indeed believe that ,god makes such demands8 or is it from the desire of the intellect to surmount the limitations of its own capacity in order to comprehend everything more perfectly than it does1 or from something else8 ,who of you is there who speaks from special revelation8 ,good ,god6 what a hodge-podge of revelations4 ,do you point to the oracles of the heathen8 ,antiquity has already held them up to ridicule4 ,to the testimony of your priests8 ,i can show you priests who will contradict them4 ,you may protest in your turn1 but who will be the judge8 ,who will put an end to these disputes8 ,do you call attention to the writings of ,moses1 the ,prophets and ,apostles8 ,i bring to your notice the ,koran1 which says that1 according to a new revelation1 these are corrupt and its author boasts of having settled by the sword the corruptions and altercations of ,christians as did ,moses those of the heathen4 ,for by the sword ,mahomet and ,moses subjugated ,palestine1 each instructed by great miracles4 ,and the writings of the ,sectarians as well as of the ,vedas and the ,brahmins #acjj years back1 are in opposition1 to say nothing of the ,sinenses4 #eb ,you1 who in some remote spot in ,europe are disputing about such things disregard or deny these writings4 ,you yourself should see very clearly that with equal ease they deny your writings4 ,and what proofs not miraculous1 would be sufficient to convince the inhabitants of the world1 if it were evident from the first three books of ,veda1 that the world was contained in and came from an egg of a scorpion1 and that the earth and first elements of things was placed on the head of a bull1 if some envious son of the ,gods had not stolen these first three volumes4 ,in our times this would be laughed at2 and among those people there would not be this strange argument to establish their religion if it did not have its origin in the brains of these priests4 ,and whence else came those many immense volumes concerning the gods of the pagans and those wagon loads of lies8 ,moses acted very wisely in first becoming skilled in the arts of the ,egyptians1 that is in the mastery of astrology and magic1 and then by cruel war driving from their homes the petty kings of ,palestine1 and pretending a conference like that of ,numa ,pompilius4 ,leading his army1 confident of their fortunes1 into the possessions of peaceful men2 in order that he1 forsooth1 might be a great general and his brother high priest1 and that he himself might be a leader and dictator4 ,but of what a people6 ,others by milder means and by pulling the wool over the eyes of the people under cover of profound sanctity 7,i am afraid to mention other things17 and by the pious deceits of members of their sect in secret assemblies1 first got control of the ignorant country people and then1 because of the growing strength of the new religion1 they got control of those who feared for themselves1 and hated a leader of the people4 ,at length another eager for war1 by feigning miracles attached to himself the more ferocious people of ,asia1 who had suffered ill treatment at the hands of commanders of the ,christians1 and who1 like ,moses1 with the promise of many victories and favors1 he subjugated the warring and peaceful leaders of ,asia1 and established his religion by the sword4 ,the first is considered the reformer of the heathen1 the second of ,judaism and the third the reformer of both4 ,it remains to be seen who will be the reformer of ,mahomet and ,mahometanism4 ,doubtless then1 the credulity of men is likely to be imposed on1 and to take advantage of this under the pretense of some gain to be derived1 is rightly called imposture4 ,it would be too long and tedious to show more at length in this place1 the nature and forms of what goes under the name of imposture1 but we must observe1 that1 even if natural religion is granted and the worship of ,god is right as far as it is said to be commanded by nature2 that up to this time the leader of every new religion has been suspected of imposture1 especially since it is evident to all and is obvious from what has been said or can be said1 how many deceptions have been used in propagating any religion4 ,it remains then unanswerable according to the previous argument1 that religion and the worship of ,god according to the promptings of natural light1 is consistent with truth and justice2 but if any one wishes to establish any new principles in religion1 either new or displeasing1 and that by the authority of invisible powers1 it will evidently be necessary for him to show his power of reforming1 unless he wishes to be considered by all an impostor4 ,since1 not under the conclusions of natural religion1 nor under the authority of special revelation1 he offers opposition to the ideas of all4 ,moreover he should be so upright in life and character that the people may believe him worthy of being associated with so high and holy a power1 who does not approve of anything impure4 ,nor can merely his own confession1 nor the holiness of a past life1 nor any miracles--that is extraordinary deeds--prove this2 for this is common rather among the skillful and the deceivers of men1 lying hypocrites who pursue their own advantage and glory in this way4 ,for it is not worth considering that some reached such a degree of madness that they voluntarily sought death1 in order that it might be supposed that they despised and conquered everything1 like different ones among the ancient philosophers4 ,nor is it to be supposed that they were upheld by special divine powers in that which they did because of foolish fancies and fond hopes of mountains of gold1 rising from a defective judgment4 ,for they did not give the matter the proper consideration1 nor did the real teachers1 for in order that you may come to a fair decision about them1 ,i have said not only is their own testimony not sufficient1 but in order to reach the truth of the matter1 they must be compared with one another2 and other witnesses with them1 and then their acquaintances and friends1 and then strangers1 then friends and enemies2 and then after the testimony is all gathered in1 that of each teacher concerning himself1 and then that of others must be compared4 ,and if we do not know the witnesses1 we must consult the witnesses of the witnesses1 and so on2 besides instituting an investigation as to your powers of distinguishing from the true and the false involved in such or other circumstances4 ,especially in similar ones1 inquiring1 moreover1 whence you desired data to learn the truth1 for this purpose comparing the judgment of others1 as to what they infer from such an investigation or from the testimony of witnesses4 ,and from these data it will be permissible to infer whether he who makes this claim1 is a true messenger of the revelation of divine will and whether his teachings should be gradually adopted4 ,but at this point we must be very careful not to get into a circle4 ,whenever the nature of important religions may be such that one supplants another1 as that of ,moses1 ,paganism1 that of ,mahomet1 ,christianity1--the later one may not always nor in every particular cast aside the earlier1 but only in certain parts1 to such an extent that the latter is founded on the former1 it will be necessary to investigate carefully not only either the last1 or the middle1 or the first1 but all1 especially since the charge of imposture is brought by every sect4 ,so the ancients were charged with it by ,christ1 because they corrupted the law2 the ,christians by ,mahomet1 because they corrupted the gospels1 a fact not to be wondered at1 inasmuch as one sect of ,christians charges the other with corrupting texts of the ,new ,testament1 so that it can not be ascertained whether he who is offered as an example is a teacher of a true religion or how far those who claim to have been given authority1 should be listened to4 ,for in an investigation no sect must be overlooked1 but each must be compared with the rest without any prejudice4 ,for if one is overlooked1 that perhaps1 is the very one which is nearer the truth4 ,thus1 those who followed ,moses1 have followed the truth according to the ,christians also1 but they ought not to have paused at that point1 but should examine the truth of the ,christian religion also4 ,each sect maintains that its own teachers are the best and that it has had and is daily having proof of this1 and that there are no better ones1 so that either every one must believe it1 which would be absurd1 or no one1 which is the safer plan1 until the true way is known1 though no sect should be disregarded in a comparison4 ,there is no need of presenting the objection that it is known that all mathematicians agree that twice two is four4 ,for it is not a similar case1 since no one has been known to doubt whether twice two is four1 while on the contrary religions agree neither in end1 beginning nor middle4 ,suppose that ,i do not know the true way of salvation2 ,i follow1 however1 the ,brahmins or the ,koran4 ,will not ,moses and the rest say3 ,what wrong have we done you that you thus reject us1 though we are better and nearer the truth8 ,what reply shall we make8 ,i believed in ,mahomet or the ,gymnosophistes #ec1 in whose teachings ,i was born and brought up1 and from them ,i learned that your religion and that of the ,christians which followed1 have long since decayed and grown corrupt1 and are still misleading4 ,will they not reply that they do not know anything about the others and that these do not know anything about the true guide to salvation1 since they know that those who are corruptors of the people are impostors1 feigning miracles1 or by lies pulling the wool over the eyes of the people4 ,nor should faith be thus simply given to one man or one sect1 rejecting all others without a complete and proper investigation4 ,for with equal right the ,ethiopian1 who has not left his own land1 says that there are no men under the sun except those of a black color4 ,moreover1 this precaution also should be taken in the investigation of other sects1 that equal care should be used in an investigation of all1 and while one is explained with great pains1 the other should not be slighted1 because one claim or another at first sight seems to be wrong1 or because of the evil reports of gossip concerning the leader of that sect1 while other reports are cast aside4 ,for that should not be set down as doctrine or indubitable testimony1 which the first vagabond that comes along asserts about a hostile religion4 ,indeed1 with equal right on account of common gossip and the mere mention of a name1 the ,christian religion was to some an object of horror1 and to others an object of scorn4 ,with the latter because the ,christians worshipped the head of an ass1 and with the former because they ate and drank their ,god1 so that at length the report became current that to be a ,christian was to be a deadly enemy of ,god and men2 when1 nevertheless1 such tales were either things which had been misunderstood or skillfully told lies1 which were then confirmed1 and having some foundation1 spread abroad because an enemy of that religion had absolutely no intercourse1 or no proper intercourse1 with the ,christians themselves1 or the more learned among them1 but believed the first ignorant person or deserter or enemy of that religion4 ,such a method of investigation being decided upon1 it would always be a matter of great difficulty4 ,what shall we say about women1 what about children1 what about the majority of the masses of the people8 ,all children will be excluded from a feeling of security in regard to their religion1 and the majority of women to whom even those matters which have been most clearly explained by the leaders of any religion1 as far as can be done1 are obscure3 also from their manner of life you rightly perceive that with the exception of a very few superior ones1 they have no accurate powers of comprehending mysteries of such a character1 to say nothing of the countless numbers of insignificant persons and country people for whom the question of their own support is the most important subject for the exercise of their powers of reason1 while other matters they accept or reject in good faith4 ,doubtless there is only a very small part of the world1 who weigh all religions1 compare their own carefully with others and correctly distinguish true reasons from false1 in details in which deception may creep in2 but the majority rather adopt the faith of others1 of teachers of sacred matters especially1 whose knowledge and powers of judgment in sacred matters are considered noteworthy4 ,and so in any religion this is done1 especially by those who can not read and write or do not have anything to read4 ,but it should have been observed that in this matter it is not sufficient that the teachers of any religion should have the power1 because of very exact powers of judgment and avowed experience1 of distinguishing the true from the false4 ,indeed it ought to be very certain to others1 with powers of judgment no less exact1 that those teachers have not only the ability to distinguish the true from the false1 but the desire as well1 and indeed we ought to be especially certain that he who professes such a knowledge and desire is neither deceived nor wishes to be4 ,and what choice shall we make here among so many teachers so much at variance in even one eminent sect8 ,for when we look at our comrades and associates1 who disagree on many subjects1 although they are most friendly in other respects1 one of the two disputants will maintain his opinion on account of some defect1 either because he has not a correct understanding of the matter1 and lacks the power of judgment1 or because he does not wish to give up1 and so does not desire to confess the truth4 ,but although it might be matters of secondary importance in which this happened1 nevertheless the result will be that they will be mistrusted in other matters also4 ,each doubtless is in possession of one truth1 and he who gives this up in one place1 either from a defect of judgment or a wrong desire is deservedly mistrusted of doing the same thing in other cases4 ,therefore1 that you may judge of the ability and honesty of any teacher in religion1 first1 it is necessary for you to be just as able as he2 for otherwise he will be able to impose on you very easily1 and1 moreover1 if he is unknown to you1 he will need the testimony of others1 and these again of others1 and so on indefinitely2 not only in regard to his truthfulness1 that he really taught such doctrines1 but in regard to his honesty1 that he did this without deceit4 ,and the same method must at once be employed in regard to the witnesses of his honesty and his teachings4 ,but where will you place an end to this8 ,it is not enough that such discussions have already taken place among others2 you must consider how well this has been done4 ,for the ordinary proofs which are set forth are neither conclusive nor manifest1 and prove doubtful matters by others more doubtful1 so that1 like those who run in a circle1 you return to the starting point4 ,in order that it may be manifest whether any one is a teacher of a true religion or an impostor1 there is need either of personal knowledge1 which we can not have in the case of the three great founders of the religions of ,judaism1 ,christianity and ,mahometanism1 inasmuch as they lived in far distant places and died long before our time2 or of the knowledge of others1 which1 if any one imparts it to you1 we call testimony4 ,between these1 there is still another way of knowing any one1 namely through his own writings1 which may be called one's own testimony concerning himself4 ,and concerning ,christ1 there is no such testimony2 concerning ,moses1 it is doubtful whether there is2 concerning ,mahomet1 there is the ,koran4 ,the testimony of others is of two classes--that of friends and that of enemies4 ,between these extremes there is no third class1 according to the saying1 who is not with me is against me4 ,mahomet in his writings assumes and attributes to himself the same divine qualities as did ,moses and another4 ,moreover the friends of ,mahomet and members of his sect wrote the same things concerning him as did the members of the sects of the others concerning their masters1 and the enemies of the others wrote just as disparagingly of them as their friends did of ,mahomet4 ,as for the rest1 the testimony of any one concerning himself is too unreliable to inspire implicit confidence1 and is of no consequence except1 perchance1 to perplex a thoughtless hearer4 ,the assertions of friends1 who doubtless unanimously repeat the sayings of their masters1 are of the same nature4 ,nor should the enemies of any one be heeded on account of their prejudices4 ,but as it is1 in spite of these facts1 it is for such trivial reasons1 which are confirmed only by the master's own boasts1 the assertions of friends1 or the calumnies of enemies1 that every follower of any one of the three assumes that the claims of his enemy are based wholly on imposture1 while the teachings of his master are founded wholly on truth4 ,nevertheless ,mahomet is undoubtedly considered an impostor among us2 but why8 ,not from his own testimony or that of his friends but from that of his enemies4 ,then1 on the contrary1 among the ,mahometans he is considered a most holy prophet2 but why8 ,from his own testimony1 but especially from that of his friends4 ,whoever considers ,moses an impostor or a holy teacher employs the same method of reasoning4 ,and there is equal reason in the case of ,mahomet as in the case of the others1 either for charging him with imposture or for answering that charge1 although1 nevertheless1 the former are considered holy1 while he is considered a scoundrel1 contrary to all the demands of justice4 ,to put it in the scholastic manner1 then1 the following conclusions are most firmly established3 ,whenever there is the same reason as in the case of ,mahomet for charging any person with imposture or for answering that charge1 they should be placed in the same category4 ,and for example1 in the case of ,moses1 there is the same reason1 therefore justice should be demanded just as in the case of ,mahomet1 nor should he be considered an impostor4 ,,proof ,,of ,,minor ,,premise4 7a47 ,in regard to the rebuttal of the charge of imposture3 this is based on the above-mentioned testimony not only of ,mahomet concerning himself in his well-known writings1 but on that of every one of his friends concerning their master1 and hence1 it logically follows3 7,i47 ,whatever value the testimony of ,moses' friends has in defending him on the charge of imposture1 the testimony of ,mahomet's friends ought to have the same value4 ,and whatever the value of the acquittal1 though their favorable testimony1 etc41 etc4 ,therefore1 etc4 7,,ii47 ,and whatever value the books of ,moses have for this purpose1 the same value the ,koran has also4 ,and so1 etc4 ,therefore1 etc4 ,moreover1 the ,mussulmen1 from the very books of the ,new ,testament 7although according to these very persons1 these books have been much corrupted in other respects17 draw various arguments even in support of their ,mahomet1 and especially that prediction of ,christ concerning the future ,paraclete4 #ed ,they maintain that he came and exposed the corruption of the ,christians1 and established a new covenant4 ,and although at other times the ,koran is charged with many silly1 nay impious tales1 all these nevertheless1 can be explained in a spiritual sense or smoothed over in other ways1 since the rest of the teachings insist on nothing but extreme sanctity and a stringent mode of morals1 but especially on temperance and abstinence from wine4 ,and to the objection frequently raised that wine is the gift of ,god1 the reply can be made that so also are poisons1 and yet we are not supposed to drink them4 ,the further objection often made that the spirit of the ,koran is too carnal1 and fills eternal life with pleasures of the world and the flesh1 polygamy moreover being so indiscriminately permitted1 it is not of such weight that it can not be confuted1 since ,moses also permitted polygamy and in the ,new ,testament life eternal admits of banquets1 e4 g41 you will sit down with ,abraham and ,isaac1 etc41 etc4 ,again1 ,i shall not taste wine except in the ,kingdom of my ,father4 ,it is said that all those pleasures mentioned in the ,song of ,solomon1 which is1 of course1 also instanced1 are not wrong1 and when explained in a spiritual sense imply no wrong1 although the same thing is not said of the ,koran4 ,and if we are too severely critical of the words of the ,koran1 we ought to employ the same severity of criticism against the writings of ,moses and others4 ,moreover the arguments which are offered from ,moses himself in answer to the charge of imposture1 do not seem reasonable nor of sufficient weight4 7,i47 ,our knowledge of the intercourse ,moses had with ,god depends on his own testimony and that of his friends1 and hence such evidence can have no more weight than similar arguments of the ,mussulmen concerning the conference that ,mahomet had with ,gabriel2 and what is more1 this intercourse of ,moses1 according to ,moses himself 7if all those sayings are ,moses'1 which are commonly attributed to him7 is open to the suspicion of imposture1 as is to be shown below4 7,,ii47 ,no one indeed who is acquainted with the many very grave crimes of ,moses1 will be able to say easily or at least justly1 that his holiness of life can not easily be matched4 ,his crimes then are the following3 7a47 ,fraud1 which none but his friends have palliated1 but they are not impartial judges of the matter2 nor does that commendatory passage of ,luke in the ,acts of the ,apostles form any apology1 for there is dispute as to the honesty and veracity of that witness4 7b47 ,the stirring up of rebellion2 for it can not be proved that this was due to a command of ,god1 nay1 the contrary is clear1 since elsewhere ,moses is urged to forbid resistance to tyrants4 7c47 ,wars1 although murder is contrary to the ,v4 and ,,vii4 78,,vi47 #ee commandments of ,moses himself1 unrestrained plunder1 etc41 etc42 just as the high priest in ,india1 or ,mahomet in his land1 offering the command of ,god as a pretext1 drove from their territory the former possessors4 ,moses slew thousands and gave them over to slaughter in order to insure salvation to himself and his people4 7d47 ,the teaching concerning the taking of the property of others under the pretense of a loan4 7e47 ,the prayer to ,god in which ,moses desired to die eternally for his people1 although this petition asked of ,god such things as would destroy his essence4 ,see ,exodus xxxii1 #ca1 #cb4 #ef 7f47 ,neglect of the commands of ,god in regard to circumcision 7,exodus iv1 #bd1 #be1 #bf17 #eg and finally1 7g47 ,the chief of ,moses' crimes1 the extreme and stupid incredulity of one who was chosen to perform so many miracles by the power of ,god1 and who nevertheless on account of his wavering faith was censured by ,god himself severely and with the threat of punishment4 7,numbers xx1 #ab74 #eh ,as to 7b47 ,the proof of the other argument1 namely1 the charge of imposture1 it can be said3 ,we believe that ,mahomet was an impostor1 not from our personal knowledge1 as was pointed out above1 but from the testimony1 not of his friends1 but of his enemies4 ,but all such are anti-,mahometans1 according to the saying ,who is not with me is against me1 etc41 etc43 hence follows the conclusion3 ,whatever weight the testimony of enemies has in the case of one1 that it ought to have in the case of the other also4 ,otherwise we shall be unjust in condemning one from the testimony of enemies and not the other2 if this were done1 all justice would be at an end4 ,and in the case of ,mahomet1 the testimony of enemies has such weight1 that he is considered an ,impostor1 therefore1 etc41 etc4 ,furthermore1 ,i say that reasons for suspecting ,moses of imposture can be elicited not only from external1 but from internal evidence1 whereby imposture can be proved by his own testimony as well as by that of others1 albeit1 his followers1 although there is still dispute4 7,i47 ,whether the books1 which are said to be those of ,moses1 are his or 7,,ii47 those of compilers1 7,,iii47 or those of ,esdras1 especially1 and 7,,iv47 whether they were written in the ,samaritan1 or 7,v47 the real ,hebrew language2 and 7,,vi47 if the latter1 whether we can understand that language4 ,all these matters are doubtful for many reasons1 and especially it can be shown from the first chapters of ,genesis that we can not correctly interpret that language4 ,i confess ,i am unwilling to concern myself with these points1 but ,i wish to discuss the man4 ,i4 ,from ,moses' own testimony and indeed 7a47 concerning his life and character which we have considered above1 and which1 if any blame is attached to ,mahomet on account of the fierce wars he waged1 especially against the innocent1 is equally blamable1 and in other respects does not seem at all different from ,mahomet's4 7b47 ,concerning the authority of his own teaching4 ,and here applies what was said above about ,moses' intercourse with ,god1 which ,moses indeed boasted of but evidently with too great exaggeration4 ,for if any one boasts of intercourse with ,god of an impossible nature1 his intercourse is properly doubted and ,moses1 etc4 ,therefore1 etc4 ,it is proved because he boasts of having seen that of which in the ,old and in the ,new ,testament afterward1 it is very often said that no eye has seen 7namely7 ,god face to face4 ,exodus xxxii4 #aa4 ,numbers xii4 #h4 #ei ,thus he saw ,god 7#a7 in his own form1 not in a vision nor in a dream 7#b71 but face to face as friend to friend when he spoke directly to him4 ,but any vision1 which 7#a7 is like that of friends speaking face to face1 directly to one another1 7#b7 like that of the blessed in the other life1 is properly called and considered a vision of ,god4 ,and ,moses1 etc4 ,therefore1 etc4 ,the ,minor premise is proved from the passages previously cited and from the words of the ,apostle3 then indeed face to face1 etc41 and there is the same argument in the passages of ,moses and in that of the ,apostle4 ,and yet among ,christians the belief is most firmly established that no unjust person can see ,god in this life4 ,and in the above passage of ,exodus xxxiii4 #bj1 #fj it is expressly added3 you will not be able to see my face4 ,these words ,god addressed to ,moses and they are in direct contradiction to the passages previously cited1 so that these claims can be explained in no other way than by saying that they were added by a thoughtless compiler1 but by so doing the whole is rendered doubtful4 7c47 ,concerning the teachings of ,moses1 which relate either to the laws or the gospel4 ,among the laws1 all of which for the sake of brevity ,i can not now consider1 the decalogue is most important1 being called the special work of ,god and said to have been written on ,mount ,horeb4 ,but it is evident it was devised by ,moses before it was written by ,god1 because these commands are not in themselves characterized by the perfection of ,god1 since 7#a7 they are either superfluous1 namely the last three1 arguing from the words of ,christ in ,math4 v1 #fa undoubtedly relating to the former1 while the ,,ix should not be separated from the ,x1 and they will likewise be superfluous 7#b7 or they are defective4 ,for where are these commandments3 thou shalt not desire to have other ,gods1 nor desire to curse ,god1 nor desire to desecrate the ,sabbath1 nor to injure thy parents1 and similar ones8 ,and is it to be presumed that ,god would forbid the lesser sins of coveting a neighbor's house1 land and property especially1 and in an order so extraordinary1 and not the greater8 ,as to the teaching of ,moses concerning the gospel1 he establishes a very foolish and untrustworthy sign of the future great prophet1 or ,christ4 ,deut4 xviii1 #ba1 #bb1 #fb since this sign makes faith impossible for a long time4 ,from this dictum it follows that ,christ1 having predicted the fall of ,jerusalem1 ought not to have been considered a true prophet while that prophecy was as yet unfulfilled 7nor should ,daniel1 until his prophecy had been fulfilled71 and so those who lived in the interval between the time of ,christ and the overthrow of ,judea1 can not be blamed for not believing in him1 although ,paul hurled anathemas at those who did not attach themselves to ,christ before the fall4 ,whatever sign1 then1 permits people for a long time to believe what they please with impunity1 can not proceed from ,god1 but is justly subject to suspicion4 ,and this sign was given1 etc41 therefore1 etc4 ,what is said concerning the fulfillment of other prophecies is no objection4 ,for it is the special and genuine sign of that great prophet1 that his predictions are fulfilled4 ,wherefore1 naturally1 previous to this fulfillment he could not have been considered such a prophet4 ,the other absurd conclusion which evidently follows from this passage1 is this3 that although this sign ought to have been the proof of the divine inspiration of all prophets1 in the case of certain prophets who made predictions1 indefinite indeed1 but in words not admitting a moral interpretation 7such as soon1 swiftly1 near1 etc417 that sign can by no means be found1 e4 g4 ,many predict the last day of the world and ,peter said that that day was at hand2 therefore1 so far1 until it comes it will be impossible to consider him a true prophet4 ,for such is the express requirement ,moses makes in the passage cited4 7d47 ,concerning the histories of ,moses4 ,but if the ,koran is charged with containing many fables1 doubtless in ,genesis there are many stories to arouse the suspicions of the thoughtful reader3 as the creation of man from the dust of the earth1 the inspiration of the breath of life1 the creation of ,eve from the rib of the man1 serpents speaking and seducing human beings1 who were very wise and well aware that the serpent was possessed by the father of lies1 the eating of an apple which was to bring punishment upon the whole world1 which would make finite one of the attributes of ,god1 namely his clemency 7the attributes of ,god being identical with his essence71 as the redemption of the fallen would make finite the wrath of ,god1 and so ,god himself3 for the wrath of ,god is ,god himself2 men eight or nine hundred years old2 the passage of the animals into the ark of ,noah1 the tower of ,babel1 the confusion of tongues1 etc41 etc4 ,these and a thousand other stories can not fail to impress the investigating freethinker as being similar to the fables1 especially of the ,rabbins since the ,jewish race is very much addicted to the use of fables2 nor at all inconsistent with other works1 to mention those of ,ovid1 the ,vedas1 those of the ,sinenses and the ,brahmins of ,india1 who tell that a beautiful daughter born from an egg bore the world1 and similar absurdities4 ,but ,moses especially seems to arrest our attention because he represents ,god as contradicting himself1 namely1 saying that all things were good and yet that it was not good for ,adam to be alone4 ,whence it follows that there was something apart from ,adam that was not good and so could injure the good condition of ,adam1 while1 nevertheless1 the solitude of ,adam itself was the work of ,god1 since he had created goodness not only of the essences but also of the qualities4 ,for all things were good in that quality in which ,god had created them4 ,i adduce as proof3 ,it is impossible for any work created by ,god not to be good4 ,and the solitude of ,adam1 etc41 etc4 ,therefore1 etc4 ,whoever enters upon the study of the genealogies of the ,old ,testament finds many difficulties in ,moses4 ,i shall not now cite all1 contenting myself with merely this one example1 since ,paul1 ,i4 ,tim4 i41 #d1 #fc has taught that genealogies are useless1 and the study of them unprofitable1 nay1 to be avoided4 ,of what use were so many separate1 nay1 so oft times repeated1 genealogies8 ,and there is a remarkable example to arouse suspicion at least of the corruption of the text or of the carelessness of compilers1 in the case of the wives of ,esau and the different things said of them4 ,,wives ,,of ,,esau4 #fd;,genesis xxvi1 #cd3 ,judith1 daughter of ,berit1 the ,hittite4 ,basnath1 daughter of ,elon1 the ,hittite4 ,genesis xxviii1 #i3 ,mahalaad1 daughter of ,ishmael1 sister of ,nabajoth1 who is mentioned after the two former4 ,genesis xxxvi1 #b3 ,ada1 daughter of ,elon1 the ,hittite4 ,akalibama1 ,c4 ,i4 ,basnath1 daughter of ,ishmael1 sister of ,nabajoth4 ,the one who is called ,ada in ,genesis xxxvi1 is called ,basnath in ,gen4 xxvi1 namely1 the daughter of ,elon1 the ,hittite1 and the one who is called ,basnath in ,gen4 xxxvi1 is called ,mahalaad in ,gen4 xxviii1 namely1 the sister of ,nabajoth1 although1 nevertheless1 ,mahalaad1 in the passage cited in ,gen4 xxviii1 is said to have been married after ,judith and ,basnath1 previously mentioned in ,gen4 xxvi4 ,i do not yet see how these names are to be reconciled4 ,and these and similar passages increase the suspicion that the writings of ,moses which we have1 have been put together by compilers and that errors in writing have crept in at some time4 ,finally the most conclusive argument against the authenticity of ,moses is the excessive tautology and useless repetition1 with always the same amount of difference1 as if different passages had been collected from different authors4 7,,ii47 ,to prove that ,moses is subject to suspicion from the testimony1 not of his enemies only1 but from that of those who openly professed to be his followers and disciples4 ,and this testimony is 7g47 ,of ,peter1 ,acts xv4 #aj1 #fe calling the yoke of ,moses insupportable3 and hence either ,god must be a tyrant1 which would be inconsistent with his nature1 or ,peter speaks falsely1 or the laws of ,moses are not divine4 7h47 ,of ,paul always speaking slightingly of the laws of ,moses1 which he would not do if he considered them divine4 ,thus ,gal4 iv4 #ff he calls them 7a47 ,bondage v4 #c1 #d1 but who would have so called the laws of ,god4 7b47 ,beggarly commands v4 #i4 #fg 7c47 ,v4 #cj1 #fg he writes3 ,cast out the bondwoman and her son4 ,hagar1 the bondwoman1 is the covenant of ,mount ,sinai1 which is the law of ,moses according to v4 #bd4 #fg ,but who would tolerate the saying1 cast out the law of ,god and its children1 and followers1 although ,paul himself1 as he asserts here and in the following chapter ,gal4 iv4 #b1 #c1 #fg does not permit ,timothy to be circumcised4 ,act xvi4 #fh 7d47 ,he calls the law a dead letter1 and what else does he not call it8 ,,ii4 ,cor4 iii41 #f-aj #fg and following4 ,likewise he did not consider its glory worth considering4 c4 v41 #aj4 ,who would say such things of the most holy law of ,god8 ,if it is just as divine as the gospel it ought to have equal glory1 etc41 etc4 ,the testimony of those who are outside of the ,jewish or ,christian church1 is etc41 etc4 ,,tantum4 ,,cornell ,,university ,,library4 ,in the library of ,cornell ,university1 at ,ithaca1 ,n4 ,y41 is a large collection of ,spinoza manuscripts and printed books by the same author4 ,the collection was left to the library1 and is known as the ,strauss ,collection4 ,in the collection is a manuscript copy of ,la vie et l'esprit de ,m4 ,benoit de ,spinosa1 which includes ,le trait des trois ,imposteurs4 ,this particular manuscript is much longer than any of the printed editions of ,trait des ,trois ,imposteurs1 and includes several more chapters than another manuscript which is in same library4 ,the printed editions usually contain six chapters1 although the edition ,philadelphie1 #agif1 alluded to on pages #ah-ai1 contains nine chapters4 ,none of the printed editions that ,i have seen contains a chapter entitled ,numa ,pompilius4 ,the manuscript in ,cornell library has six additional chapters more than our manuscript1 #agaf1 which chapters are entitled3 #a4 ,religions4 #b4 ,of the ,diversity of ,religions4 #c4 ,divisions of ,christians4 #d4 ,the ,superstitious1--of the superstition and credulity of the people4 #e4 ,of the ,origin of ,monarchies4 #f4 ,of ,legislators and ,politicians1 and how they serve themselves with ,religion4 ,these chapters being but an elaboration of the matters and ideas contained in our ,english translation4--,a4 ,n4 ,,translations ,,of ,,latin ,,found ,,in ,,the ,,text4 ,p4 #h1 paragraph #c1 ,atheismus ,triumphatus4 ,atheism destroyed4 ,p4 #aj1 paragraph #a1 ,perini del ,vago1 ,equitis de ,malta1 ,epistolium ad ,batavum in ,brittania hospitem de tribus ,impostoribus1 7#c ,greek words omitted74 ,epistle to ,batavus1 a friend in ,britain1 about the ,three ,impostors 7the ,pamphleteers1 ,sycophants and so-called ,doctors74 ,p4 #ab1 line #b1 ,ridiculum et imposturae in omni hominum religione1 scriptio paradoxa1 quam ex autographo gallico ,victoris ,amadeo ,verimontii ob summam rei dignitatem in latinum sermonem transtulit4 ,what is ridiculous1 and the impostures in every religion of mankind1 a strange writing1 which he translated into ,latin from the original ,french of ,victor ,amadeus ,verimontius1 on account of the great worth of the subject matter4 ,p4 #ab1 line #i1 ,quaedam deficiunt s4 fragmentum de libro de tribus impostoribus4 ,certain things are missing4 ,his fragment of the book about the three impostors4 ,p4 #ab1 line #ab1 ,de imposturis religionum breve4 ,compendium descriptum ab exemplari manuscripto quod in bibliotheca ,j4 ,fred4 ,mayeri1 ,berolini1 publice distracta deprehensum et a ,principe ,eugenio de ,sabaudio1 #hj ,imperialibus redemtum fuit4 ,an abstract about the impostures of religions4 ,an abridgment copied from the original manuscript which1 at the dispersal of the library of ,j4 ,fred4 ,mayer of ,berlin1 was discovered and repurchased by ,prince ,eugene de ,sabaudio for #hj imperials4 ,p4 #ab1 line #ah1 ,communes namque demonstrationes1 quae publicantur1 nec certae1 nec evidentes1 sunt1 et res dubias per alias saepe magias dubias probant1 adeo ut exemplo eorum1 qui circulum currunt1 ad terminum semper redeant1 a quo currere inceperant4 ,finis4 ,for the ordinary arguments which are set forth1 are not established1 nor are they evident1 and prove doubtful matters by others often much more doubtful1 just like those who run in a circle1 and always return to the starting point4 ,end4 ,p4 #ab1 last #g lines1 ,quamvis omnium hominem intersit nosse veritatem1 rari tamen boni illi qui eam norunt1 etc4 ,although it is to the interest of all men to know the truth1 nevertheless those few good men who know it1 etc4 ,qui veritates amantes sunt1 multum solatii inde capient1 et hi sunt1 quibus placere gestimus1 nil curantes mancipia1 quae prejudicia oraculorum--infallibilium loco venerantur4 ,those who are lovers of the truth will derive much comfort from this1 and those are the ones whom we are anxious to please1 not caring for those servile persons who reverence prejudices as infallible oracles4 ,p4 #ac1 paragraph #g1 ,de impostura religionum compendium s4 liber de tribus impostoribus4 ,treatise about the imposture of religions4 ,his book about the three impostors4 ,p4 #ae1 paragraph #b1 ,homo sum1 nihil humania me alienum puto4 ,i am a man1 ,i consider nothing human alien to me4 ,page #bi1 #dth paragraph4 ,latin orthography corrected3 ,quod de tribus famosissimis ,nationum ,deceptoribus in ordinem4 ,jussu4 meo digessit ,doctissimus ille vir1 quocum ,sermonem de illa re in ,museo meo habuisti exscribi curavi atque codicem illum stilo aeque1 vero ac puro scriptum ad te ut primum mitto1 etenim ipsius perlegendi te accipio cupidissimum4 ,this treatise about the three most famous impostors of the world1 in accordance with my instructions was put in order by that scholar with whom you had the conversation concerning that matter in my library1 ,i had it copied1 and that ,,ms4 written in a style equally genuine and simple4 ,i send you as soon as possible1 for ,i am sure you are very eager to read it4 ,p4 #bi-cj1 last paragraph1 7,latin orthography corrected71 ,i4 liber de ,nat4 ,deor4 ,qui ,deos esse dixerunt tanta sunt in ,varietate et dissentione constituti ut eorum molestum sit dinumerare sententias4 ,alterum fieri profecto potest ut eorum nulla1 alterum certe non potest ut plus unum vera fit4 ,summi quos in ,republica obtinuerat honores orator ille ,romanus1 eaque quam servare famam ,studiote curabat1 in causa fuere quod in ,condone ,deos non ausus sit negare quamquam in contesta ,philosophorum1 etc4 ,i4 ,book about the nature of the ,gods4 ,those who have said that there are ,gods1 are characterized by such a variety of ideas and difference of belief1 that it would be difficult to enumerate their opinions4 ,on the one hand it might indeed happen that not one of their opinions was true1 but on the other hand1 certainly not more than one can be true4 ,the great honors which that famous ,roman orator had gained in the state1 and that reputation1 which he took the most zealous care to maintain1 were the reason why in a public speech he dared not deny the ,gods1 although in a discussion of philosophers1 etc4 ,p4 #ce1 last paragraph1 ,de poteste ,imperiali1--,of the ,imperial power4 ,p4 #add1 ,,tantum--,so ,far4 ,,quixotism4 ,did you ever attend a meeting of the society for the--perhaps ,i had better not mention the name of the society1 lest ,i tread on your favorite ,quixotism4 ,suffice it to say that it has a noble purpose4 ,it aims at nothing less than the complete transformation of human society1 by the use of means which1 to say the least1 seem quite inadequate4 ,after the minutes of the last meeting have been read1 and the objects of the society have been once more stated with much detail1 there is an opportunity for discussion from the floor4 ,perhaps there is some one who may give some new suggestions1 or who may desire to ask a question4 ,you have observed what happens to the unfortunate questioner4 ,what a sorry exhibition he makes of himself6 ,no sooner does he open his mouth than every one recognizes his intellectual feebleness4 ,he seems unable to grasp the simplest ideas4 ,he stumbles at the first premise1 and lies sprawling at the very threshold of the argument4 ,if what ,i have taken for granted be true1 says the chairman1 do not all the fine things ,i have been telling you about follow necessarily8 ,but1 murmurs the questioner1 the things you take for granted are just what trouble me4 ,they don't correspond to my experience4 ,poor1 feeble minded questioner6 cry the members of the society1 to think that he is not able to take things for granted6 ,and then to set up his experience against our constitution and by-laws6 ,the ,gentle ,reader--,quixotism--,samuel ,m4 ,crothers4 ,,contents4 ,,page4 ,introduction #c ,bibliography #g ,dissertation #bf ,letter of ,frederic the ,emperor1 to ,otho1 the ,illustrious #cg ,,treatise4 ,god1 of #ch 7,originally ,secs4 #a-f1 later1 ,chap4 ,i47 ,reasons which have caused mankind to create for themselves an ,invisible ,being which has been commonly called ,god #dd 7,originally ,secs4 #a-i and x-xi1 later ,chap4 ,,ii47 ,god1 what is #eb 7,originally ,secs4 x-xi1 later1 ,secs4 #a-b1 ,chap4 ,,iii47 ,religions1 what the word signifies1 and how and why such a great number have been introduced in the world #ef 7,originally ,secs4 i-xxiii1 later1 ,secs4 #a-h1 ,chap4 ,,iv47 ,moses1 of #fb 7,originally ,secs4 ix-x1 later1 ,secs4 #a-b1 ,chap4 ,v47 ,numa ,pompilius1 of #ga 7,originally ,secs4 xi1 later1 ,chap4 ,,vi47 ,jesus ,christ1 of #gb 7,originally ,secs4 xii1 later1 ,chap4 ,,vii47 ,jesus ,christ1 of the ,policy of #ge 7,originally ,secs4 xiii-xvi1 later1 ,secs4 #a-f1 ,chap4 ,,viii47 ,jesus ,christ1 of the ,morals of #hj 7,originally ,secs4 xvii-xviii1 later1 ,secs4 #a-c1 ,chap4 ,,ix47 ,jesus ,christ1 of the ,divinity of #hd 7,originally ,secs1 xix-xxi1 later1 ,secs4 #a-c1 ,chap4 ,x47 ,mahomet #hh 7,originally ,secs4 xxii-xxiii1 later1 ,secs4 #a-c1 ,chap4 ,,xi47 ,truths1 sensible and obvious #ic 7,original ,secs4 i-vi47 ,soul1 of the #if 7,original ,secs4 i-vii47 ,demons1 of ,spirits called #aja 7,original ,secs4 i-vii47 ,appendicitis #ajg ,mahomet1 ,edition ,en ,suisse1 #agic #ajg ,de ,tribus ,impostoribus1 ,edition ,,mdiic #aaa 7,a literal translation of ,latin reprint by ,e4 ,weller1 #ahgf47 ,cornell ,university #ade ,translations of ,latin in the ,text #adf ,the ,gentle ,reader--,quixotism #adi ,,errata4 ,p4 #e1 #b;d paragraph1 #ast line1 ,werner should read ,weller4 ,p4 #ab1 line #e1 sermonen should read sermonem4 ,original ,mss41 ,a4 ,d4 #agaf1 ,contains-- ,dissertation1 pp4 #bf-cf1 #ccjj words ,french4 ,treatise1 pp4 #cg-aja1 #aihjj words ,french4 ----- ,total1 #bcajj words4 ,weller's reprint1 #ahgf1 ,edition1 #aeih contains #ehjj words ,latin4 ,,notes #a ,the ,history of the ,three ,infamous ,impostors of this ,age4 #a4 ,padre ,ottomano1 a pretended son of the ,sultan of ,turkey who flourished about #afej1 and who latterly1 under the above title1 became a ,dominican ,friar4 #b4 ,mahomed ,bei1 alias ,joannes ,michael ,cigala1 who masqueraded as a ,prince of the ,ottoman family1 a descendant of the ,emperor ,solyman the ,magnificent1 and in other characters about #affj4 #c4 ,sabbatai ,sevi1 the pretended ,messiah of the ,jews1 the ,only and ,first-borne ,son of ,god1 who amused the ,jews and ,turks about #afff4 #b ,la vie et l'esprit de ,m4 ,benoit de ,spinosa was published without the author's name1 in ,amsterdam #agai4 ,in the ,preface du ,copiste it is stated that the author of it is not known1 but that if a conjecture might be permitted it might be said1 perhaps with certitude1 that the book is the work of the late ,mr4 ,lucas1 so famous for his ,quintessences and for his manners and way of living4 ,kuno ,fischer1 in his ,descartes und seine ,schule4 ,zweiter ,theil1 ,heidelberg1 #ahhi1 p4 #aja1 says3 ,the real author of the work is not known with entire certainty2 probably the author was ,lucas1 a physician at the ,hague1 notorious in his own day2 others name as author a certain ,vroese4 ,freudenthal1 in his ,die ,lebensgeschichte ,spinoza's4 ,leipzig1 #ahii1 writing of the various conjectures as to the authorship of the book1 states that ,w4 ,meyer has lately sought to prove that ,johan ,louckers1 a ,hague attorney1 was the author1 but that the authorship had not been settled4 ,oettinger in his ,bibliographie ,biographie ,universelle1 ,bruxelles #ahed1 p4 #agjg1 gives ,lucas ,vroese as the author4 ,it has also been suggested that ,lucas and ,vroese were two men and together wrote the book4 ,the authority for ascribing the book to ,vroese1 of whose life no particulars seem to have been recorded1 appears to be the following passage in the ,dictionnaire ,historique1 par ,prosper ,marchand1 la ,haye1 #ageh1 v4 #a41 p4 #ceb3 ,a la fin d'une copie manuscrit de ce ,trait que j'ai ve et le1 on lui donne pour vritable ,auteur a ,mr4 ,vroese1 conseiller de la cour de ,brabant la ,haie1 dont ,aymon et ,rousset retouchrent le langage2 et que ce dernier y ajouta la ,dissertation ou ,rponse depuis imprime chez ,scheurleer4 ,the name ,vroese appears at the side of the colophon at end of our translation1 but probably as a reference only4 #c ,this is probably a ,latin edition of the original manuscript from which our translation was made4--,ed4 #d ,see translation ,chap4 #a ,of ,god1 first two lines4 #e ,,disraeli',s ,,curiosities ,,of ,,literature4 ,title1 ,literary ,forgeries4 ,the ,duc de la ,valliere and the ,abbe de ,st4 ,leger1 once concerted together to supply the eager purchaser of literary rarities with a copy of ,de ,tribus ,impostoribus1 a book1 by the date1 pretended to have been printed in #aeih1 though probably a modern forgery of #afih4 ,the title of such a book had long existed by rumor1 but never was a copy seen by man4 ,works printed with this title have all been proved to be modern fabrications--a copy however of the 'introuvable' original was sold at the ,duc de la ,valliere's sale4 ,the history of this volume is curious4 ,the ,duc and the ,abbe having manufactured a text had it printed in the old ,gothic character1 under the title ',de ,tribus ,impostoribus4' ,they proposed to put the great bibliopobet1 ,de ,bure1 in good humor1 whose agency would sanction the imposition4 ,they were afterwards to dole out copies at #be louis each1 which would have been a reasonable price for a book which no one ever saw6 ,they invited ,de ,bure to dinner1 flattered and cajoled him1 and1 as they imagined at the moment they had wound him up to their pitch1 they exhibited their manufacture--the keen-eyed glance of the renowned cataloguer of the ',bibliographie ,instructive' instantly shot like lightning over it1 and like lightning1 destroyed the whole edition4 ,he not only discovered the forgery but reprobated it6 ,he refused his sanction2 and the forging ,duc and ,abbe1 in confusion suppressed the 'livre introuvable'2 but they owed a grudge to the honest bibliographer and attempted to write down the work whence the ,de ,bures derive their fame4 #f ,the names are noted on title page in pencil4 #g ,the ,french nation recognize the ,supreme ,being1 the ,immortality of the ,soul1 and the ,freedom of ,worship4 #h ,treatise of the ,dominant ,religions4 #i ,in old prints ,moses is always depicted with horns on his forehead4 #aj ,when they weep at ,rome1 they do not laugh in ,paris4 #aa ,there is a measure in everything4 #ab ,as to the printing of the book they can bring forward no proof whatever of its having being done prior to this date 7#agaf7 and it is impossible to conceive that ,frederick1 surrounded as he was by enemies1 would have circulated a work which gave a fair opportunity of proclaiming his infidelity4 ,it is probable therefore that there were only two copies1 the original one and that sent to ,otho of ,bavaria4 ,j4 ,l4 ,r4 ,l4 #ac ,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 wound1 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 #ad ,sep4 #bj1 #agjc4 #ae ,frederick ,barbarossa was ,emperor of ,germany in #aaeb and was drowned during ,crusade in ,syria ,june #aj1 #aaij4 ,he created ,henry the ,lion 78 ,henry ,,vi47 ,duke of ,bavaria in #aaed1 expelled him in #aahj1 and ,henry died #aaie4 ,otho the ,great1 ,count of ,witelspach1 was made ,duke of ,bavaria #aahj1 and died #aahc4 ,he was the grandfather of ,otho the ,illustrious1 who gained the ,palatinate and was assassinated in #abca4 ,he married the daughter of ,henry the ,lion about #abcj4 ,henry ,,vi succeeded to the ,empire on death of his father1 ,frederick ,barbarossa1 #aaij1 and died #aaie--that is if ,henry the ,lion and ,henry ,,vi are identical4 ,frederick ,,ii1 son of ,henry ,,vi1 began to reign 787 #aaie1 and was living #abdc4 ,the succession of ,popes during the period #aaeb-abed 7,haydn's ,dict4 of ,dates71 was as follows3 ,anastasius ,,iv1 #aaec1 ,adrian ,,iv1 #aaed1 7,nicholas ,brakespeare1 the only ,englishman elected ,pope4 ,frederick ,i4 prostrated himself before him1 kissed his foot1 held his stirrup1 and led the white palfrey on which he rode47 ,alexander ,,iii4 #aaei1 7,canonized ,thomas ,becket and resisted ,frederick ,i47 ,victor ,v4 #aaei1 ,pascal ,,iii4 #aafd1 ,calixtus ,,iii4 #aafh1 ,lucius ,,iii4 #aaha4 ,urban ,,iii4 #aahe1 7opposed ,frederick ,i47 ,gregory ,,viii4 7#b months7 #aahg4 ,clement ,,iii4 #aahg1 proclaimed third ,crusade4 ,celestin ,,iii4 #aaia4 ,innocent ,,iii4 #aaih1 excommunicated ,john1 ,king of ,england4 ,honorius ,,iii4 #abaf1 learned and pious4 ,gregory ,,ix4 #abbg1 preached new ,crusade4 ,celestine ,,iv4 #abda4 ,innocent ,,iv4 #abdc-abed 7opposed ,frederick ,,ii474 ,if ,frederick ,,ii4 caused pamphlet to be written about #abcj1 it could not have been burned by ,honorius ,,iii41 who reigned as ,pope #abaf-abbg1 but by ,gregory ,,ix41 who reigned #abbg-abda1 who sent ,frederick ,,ii4 to the ,crusades1 upset his affairs while he was gone1 and against whom the ,dissertation says the pamphlet was written4 #af ,carlyle1 in his ,history of ,frederick ,,ii4 of ,prussia1 called ,frederick the ,great1 mentions ,hermann von der ,saltza1 a new sagacious ,teutschmeister or ,hochmeister 7so they call the head of the ,order7 of the ,teutonic ,knights1 a far-seeing1 negotiating man1 who during his long ,mastership 7,a4 ,d4 #abaj-abci17 is mostly to be found at ,venice and not at ,acre or ,jerusalem4 ,he is very great with the busy ,kaiser1 ,frederick ,,ii41 ,barbarossa's grandson1 who has the usual quarrels with the ,pope1 and is glad of such a negotiator1 statesman as well as armed monk4 ,a ,kaiser not gone on the ,crusade1 as he had vowed3 ,kaiser at last suspected of free thinking even3--in which matters ,hermann much serves the ,kaiser4--,people's ,edition1 ,boston1 #ahhe1 ,vol4 #a1 p4 #ib4 #ag ,pierre des ,vignes1 suspected of having conspired against the life of the ,emperor1 was condemned to lose his eyes1 and was handed over to the inhabitants of ,pisa1 his cruel enemies3 and where despair hastened his death in an infamous dungeon where he could hold intercourse with no one4 #ah ,in ,volney's ,lectures on ,history1 it is said3 ,if a work be translated it always receives a colouring which is more or less faint or is vivid according to the opinions and ability of the ,translator4 ,from an examination of other translations of this ,treatise1 ,i am assured that ,volney's statement above has actuated and governed all who have been previously engaged with this work4 ,i can assure the readers hereof1 that the ,treatise contained herein is a literal translation of the manuscript and the notes found therein1 and no liberties have been taken with the text4 ,any additional notes from other sources are so marked4 ,a4 ,n4 #ai ,moses killed at one time #bd1jjj men for opposing his law4 #bj ,it is written in the ,first ,book of ,kings1 ch4 #bb1 v4 #f1 that ,ahab1 ,king of ,israel1 consulted #djj prophets1 and found them entirely false in the success of their predictions4 #ba ,man is the noblest work of ,god--but nobody ever said so but man4--,fra ,elbertus4 #bb ,so of water1 however1 it may be subject to generation and corruption1 as long as it is substance it is not subject to separation and division4 #bc ,the four first ,councils were #a4 ,that of ,nice in the year #cde1 under the ,emperor ,constantine the ,great1 and under ,pope ,sylvester ,i42 #b4 ,that of ,constantinople in the year #cha1 under the ,emperors ,gratian1 ,valentinian and ,theodore and the ,pope ,damase ,i42 #c4 ,that of ,ephesus in the year #dca1 under the ,emperor ,theodore1 the younger1 and ,valentinian and under the ,pope ,celestin2 #d4 ,that of ,chalcedon in the year #dea1 under ,valentinian and ,martian1 and under ,pope ,leo ,i4 #bd ,these1 among us1 are the ,astrologers and ,fanatics4 #be ,the ,talmud remarks that the ,rabbins deliberated whether they should omit the ,book of ,proverbs and that of ,ecclesiastes from the number of canonicals1 and would have done so had they not found in several places that they eulogized the ,mosaic law4 ,they would have done the same with the prophecies of ,ezekiel had not a certain ,chananias undertook to harmonize them with the same law4 #bf ,the versions that we have differ greatly in a thousand places1 one with another1 until the end of the book4 #bg ,see ,tertullian ante1 also ,hobbes' ,leviathan1 ,c4 #ab1 p4 #ef4 #bh ,this word must not be taken in the ordinary sense1 for what is called a magician among learned people means an adroit man1 a skillful charlatan1 and a subtle juggler whose entire art consists in dexterity and skill1 and not in any compact with the devil as the common people believe4 #bi ,he remained from time to time in a solitary place under pretext of privately conferring with ,god1 and by this pretended intercourse with the ,divinity he taught them a respect and obedience which was1 in the meanwhile1 unlimited4 #cj ,see ,book of ,kings1 ,chapter ,,ii4 #ca ,romulus drowned himself in the morass of ,cherres1 and his body not being found1 it was believed that he was raised to heaven and deified4 ,when ,romulus was reviewing his forces in the plain of ,caprae there suddenly arose a thunderstorm during which he was enveloped in so thick a cloud that he was lost to the view of his army3 nor thereafter on this earth was ,romulus seen4 ,livy ,i4 #a1 c4 #af4 #cb ,empedocles1 a celebrated philosopher1 threw himself into the crater of ,mount ,etna1 to cause the belief that1 like ,romulus1 he was raised to heaven4 #cc ,it is recorded by ,livy 7liber ,,ii41 c4 #ba17 that there is a grove through which flowed a perennial stream1 taking its origin in a dark cave1 in which ,numa was accustomed to meet the goddess1 and to receive instructions as to his political and religious institutions4 #cd ,breath or inspiration of the ,gods4 #ce ,the ,tartars assert that ,genghis ,khan was born of a virgin1 and that ,foh1 according to the ,chinese belief1 derived his origin from a virgin rendered pregnant by the rays of the sun4 ,since the introduction of the umbrella or sun-shade into the ,central ,flowery ,kingdom occurrences like the latter have been infrequent4 #cf ,celsus says1 in ,origen1 that ,jesus ,christ was a native of a little hamlet in ,judea1 and that his mother was a poor villager who only existed by her labor4 ,having been convicted of adultery with a soldier named ,pandira1 she was induced to flee by her betrothed1 who was a carpenter by trade1 who condoned their offence1 and they wandered miserably from place to place4 ,she was secretly delivered of ,jesus1 and finding themselves in want1 they were constrained to flee to ,egypt4 ,after several years1 his services being of no value to the ,egyptians1 he returned to his own country1 where1 quite proud of the miracles he knew how to perform1 he proclaimed himself ,god4 ,human nature was at those times not fundamentally different from what it is now1 and we need1 therefore1 not be surprised to hear that one of the stalwart ,roman warriors1 whose name was ,pandira1 fell in love with one of the dark-eyed daughters of ,nazareth1 and that the fruit of their illegitimate union was a son whom they called ,jehoshua1 and who inherited from his father the manly pride of the ,roman1 and from his ,jewish mother his almost feminine beauty and modesty4 ,of ,jehoshua's mother1 little is to be said4 99 99 99 99 99 ,ignorant1 innocent1 and of modest manners1 uneducated but kind1 sympathetic and beautiful1 ,stada1 like many others of her sex1 was guided more by the decision of her heart than by the calculations of her intellect4 ,her heart yearned for love and she hoped to find in ,pandira the realization of her ideal4--,life of ,jehoshua1 ,the ,prophet of ,nazareth1 an ,occult ,study and a ,key to the ,bible4 ,franz ,hartmann1 ,m4 ,d41 ,boston1 #ahhi4 #cg ,a beautiful dove overshadowed a virgin2 there is nothing surprising in that4 ,it happened frequently in ,lydia1 and the swan of ,leda is the counterpart of the dove of ,mary4 ,qu'un beau ,pigeon a tire d'aile ,when a pretty dove under her wing ,vienne abombrer une ,pucelle1 ,happens to conceal a ,virgin1 ,rien n'est suprenant en cela2 ,there is nothing surprising in that4 ,l'on en vit autant en ,lydie4 ,the same thing is known in ,lydia1 ,et le beau ,cygne de ,leda ,for the beautiful swan of ,leda ,vaut bien le ,pigeon de ,marie4 ,is just as good as ,mary's pigeon4 #ch ,in the book of ,samuel1 chap4 vii1 it is related that the ,israelites being discontented with the sons of ,samuel who judged them1 demanded a ,king1 the same as other nations1 with whom they wished to conform4 #ci ,jesus ,christ was of the sect of the ,pharisees1 or the poor1 who were opposed to the ,sadducees1 who formed the sect of the rich4 #dj ,by this ,norman reply he eluded the question4 ,a ,norman never says yes1 or no4 ,blason populaire de la ,normandie4 #da ,vide ,boniface ,,viii4 7#abid7 and ,leo ,x4 7#aeac7 ,boniface said that men had the same souls as beasts1 and that these human and bestial souls lived no longer than each other4 ,the ,gospel also says that all other laws teach several virtues and several lies2 for example1 a ,trinity which is false1 the child-birth of a ,virgin which is impossible1 and the incarnation and transubstantiation which are ridiculous4 ,i do not believe1 continued he1 other than that the ,virgin was a she-ass1 and her son the issue of a she-ass4 ,leo ,x4 went one day to a room where his treasures were kept1 and exclaimed we must admit that this fable of ,jesus ,christ has been quite profitable to us4 #db ,the belief in the ,christian doctrine is strange and wild to reason and human judgment4 ,it is contrary to all ,philosophy and discourse of ,truth1 as may be seen in all the articles of faith which can neither be comprehended nor understood by human intellect1 for they appear impossible and quite strange4 ,mankind1 in order to believe and receive them1 must control and subject his reason1 submitting his understanding to the obedience of the faith4 ,st4 ,paul says that if man considers and hears philosophy and measures things by the compass of ,truth1 he will forsake all1 and ridicule it as folly4 ,that is the avowal made by ,charron in a book entitled ,the ,three ,truths1 page #ahj4 ,edition of ,bordeaux1 #aeic4 7,this inserted note is written on the back of a portion of a letter addressed to ,prince graaft by de ,spiegelstraat4 ,a ,amsterdam1 postmarked ,ce #d;e4 ,aout4 #agdf47 #dc ,hermaphrodites4 #dd ,which determined the ,emperor ,julian to abandon the sect of ,nazarenes whose faith he regarded as a vulgar fiction of the human mind1 which he found based solely on a simple tale of ,perdiccas4 #de ,also his belief in visions and the legend of his translation to ,heaven4 #df ,a friend of the celebrated ,golius having asked what the ,mahometans said of their prophet1 this wise professor sent him the following extract which contains an abridgement of the life of that ,impostor taken from a manuscript in the ,turkish language3 ,the ,lord ,mahomet ,mustapha1 of glorious memory1 the greatest of the ,prophets1 was born in the fortieth year of the ,empire of ,anal ,schirwan1 the ,just4 ,his holy nativity happened the twelfth day in the second third of the month ,rabia4 ,now1 after the fortieth year of his age had passed1 he was divinely inspired1 received the crown of prophecy and the robe of ,legation1 which were brought him from ,god by the faithful messenger ,gabriel1 with instructions to call mankind to ,islamism4 ,after this inspiration from ,god was received1 he dwelt at ,mecca for thirteen years4 ,he left there aged fifty-three years the eighth day of the month ,rabia1 which was a ,friday1 and took refuge at ,medina4 ,now1 it was there1 after his retreat the twentieth day of the eleventh month1 and the sixty-third year of his blessed life1 he succeeded to the enjoyment of the divine presence4 ,some say that he was born while ,abelaka1 #dg his father1 was yet living1 others say after his death4 ,lady ,amina1 a daughter of the ,wahabees1 gave him for nurse lady ,halima1 of the tribe of ,beni-,saad4 ,abdo ,imutalib1 #dg his grandfather1 gave him the blessed name of ,mahomet4 ,he had four sons and four daughters4 ,the sons were ,kasim1 ,ibrahim1 ,thajib and ,thahir1 and the daughters1 ,fatima1 ,omokeltum1 ,rakia and ,zeineb4 ,the companions of this august envoy of ,god were ,abulekir1 ,omar1 ,osman and ,ali1 all of sacred memory4 #dg ,these names1 ,abdul-,motallab and ,abdallah1 in ,arabic1 seem to be rendered ,abdo-,imutalib and ,abelaka in the ,turkish language4--,a4 ,n4 #dh ,this includes ,numa ,pompilius4--,a4 ,n4 #di ,hades4 #ej ,mahomet1 says the ,count de ,boulainvilliers1 was ignorant of common knowledge1 as ,i believe1 but he assuredly knew much of what a great traveler might acquire with much native wit1 when he employed it usefully4 ,he was not ignorant of his own language1 the use of which1 and not by reading1 taught him its nicety and beauty4 ,he was not ignorant of the art of knowing how to render odious what was truly culpable1 and to portray the truth with simple and lively colors in a manner which could not be forgotten4 ,in fact1 all that he has said is true in comparison with the essential dogmas of religion1 but he has not said all that is true4 ,it is in that particular alone that our ,religion differs from his4 ,he adds further on1 that ,mahomet was neither rude nor barbarous1 that he conducted his enterprise with all the art1 delicacy1 constancy1 intrepidity1 and all the other great qualities which would have actuated ,alexander or ,cesar were they in his place4 ,life of ,mahomet1 by ,count de ,boulainvilliers4 ,book ,,ii41 pp4 #bff-g-h4 ,amsterdam ,edition1 #agca4 #ea ,genesis ch4 xxviii41 v4 #ah4 #eb 787,those holding sinecures4 #ec ,a sect of ,east ,indian philosophers who went about almost naked1 ate no flesh1 renounced all bodily pleasures1 and simply contemplated nature4 ,the ,pre-,adamite doctrine1 similar to the above1 was published by ,isaac de ,peyrere about #afee4 ,these fanatics believed that mankind lost none of their innocence by the fall of ,adam4 ,both men and women made their appearance in the streets of ,munster1 ,france1 in puris naturalibus1 as did our first parents in the ,garden of ,eden1 before the fruit incident1 which brought so much trouble into the world4 ,the magistrates failed to put them down1 and the military had some difficulty in abolishing this absurdity4--,a4 ,n4 #ed ,an ,intercessor1 applied to the ,holy ,spirit4 #ee ,average seems to indicate the ,,vi4 ,commandment4--,a4 ,n4 #ef ,exodus xxxii1 #ca1 #cb4 ,and ,moses returned unto the ,lord1 and said1 ,oh1 this people have sinned a great sin1 and have made them gods of gold4 ,yet now1 if thou wilt forgive their sin1 and if not1 blot me1 ,i pray thee1 out of thy book which thou hast written4 #eg ,exodus iv1 #bd1 #be1 #bf4 ,then ,zipporah took a sharp stone1 and cut off the foreskin of her son1 and cast it at his 78the ,lord's7 feet1 and said1 ,surely a bloody husband art thou to me4 ,so he 7the ,lord7 let him 7,moses7 go3 then she said1 a bloody husband thou art1 because of the circumcision4 #eh ,numbers xx1 #ab4 ,and the ,lord spake unto ,moses and ,aaron1 because ye believed me not1 to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of ,israel1 therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which ,i have given them4 #ei ,exodus xxxii4 #aa4 ,and ,moses besought the ,lord his ,god1 and said1 ,lord why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people1 which thou hast brought forth out of the land of ,egypt1 with great power1 and with a mighty hand8 ,numbers xii4 #h4 ,with him 7,moses7 will ,i speak mouth to mouth1 even apparent and not in dark speeches2 and the similitude of the ,lord shall he behold3 wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant ,moses8 #fj ,exodus xxxiii4 #bj4 ,behold1 ,i send an ,angel before thee1 to keep thee in the way1 and to bring thee in the place which ,i have prepared4 #fa ,matthew ,v4 ,sermon on the ,mount1 #ag4 ,think not that ,i am come to destroy the law1 etc4 ,matt4 x1 #b8 names ,apostles4 #fb ,deuteronomy xviii1 #ba1 #bb4 ,and if thou say in thine heart1 ,how shall we know the word which the ,lord hath not spoken8 ,when a prophet speaketh in the name of the ,lord1 if the thing follow not1 nor come to pass1 that is the thing which the ,lord hath not spoken1 but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously3 thou shalt not be afraid of him4 #fc ,paul to ,timothy 7,i47 ,i4 #d4 ,neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies1 etc4 #fd ,genesis xxvi1 #cd1 #ce4 ,and ,esau was forty years old when he took to wife ,judith the daughter of ,beeri1 the ,hittite1 and ,bashemath the daughter of ,elon1 the ,hittite1 which were a grief of mind unto ,isaac and ,rebekah4 ,genesis xxviii1 #i4 ,then went ,esau unto ,ishmael1 and took unto the wives which he had1 ,mahalath1 the daughter of ,ishmael1 ,abraham's son1 the sister of ,nabajoth1 to be his wife4 ,genesis xxxvi1 #b1 #c4 ,esau took his wives of the daughters of ,canaan1 ,adah1 the daughter of ,elon1 the ,hittite1 and ,aholibamah1 the daughter of ,anah1 the daughter of ,zibeon1 the ,hivite1 and ,bashemath1 ,ishmael's daughter1 sister of ,nabajoth4 #fe ,acts xv4 #aj4 ,now therefore why tempt ye ,god1 to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples1 which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear8 #ff ,galatians #c1 #d4 ,even so we when we were children1 were in bondage under the elements of the world3 but when the fulness of the time was come1 ,god sent forth his ,son1 made of a woman1 made under the law4 v4 #i4 ,but now after that ye have known ,god1 or rather are known of ,god1 how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements1 whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage4 v4 #cj4 ,nevertheless what saith the ,scripture8 cast out the bond-woman and her son3 for the son of the bond-woman shall not be heir with the son of the free-woman4 v4 #bd4 ,which things are an allegory3 for these are the two covenants2 the one from the mount of ,sinai1 which gendereth to bondage1 which is ,agar4 ,galatians v4 #b1 #c4 ,behold1 ,i ,paul say unto you1 that if ye be circumcised1 ,christ shall profit you nothing4 ,for ,i testify again to every man that is circumcised1 that is a debtor to do the whole law4 #fg ,,ii4 ,cor4 iii41 #f-aj4 ,who also hath made us able ministers of the ,new ,testament1 not of the letter1 but of the spirit2 for the letter killeth1 but the spirit giveth life4 ,but if the ministration of death1 written and engraven in stones1 was glorious1 so that the children of ,israel could not steadfastly behold the face of ,moses for the glory of his countenance2 which glory was to be done away3 ,how shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious8 ,for if the ministration of condemnation be glory1 much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory4 ,for even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect1 by reason of the glory that excelleth4 ,,ii4 ,cor4 v4 #aj4 ,for we must all appear before the judgment seat of ,christ2 that everyone may receive the things done in his body1 according to that he hath done1 whether it be good or bad4 #fh ,acts xvi1 #a1 #b1 #c4 ,then came he to ,derbe and ,lystra1 and behold1 a certain disciple was there1 named ,timotheus1 the son of a certain woman which was a ,jewess1 and believed1 but his father was a ,greek2 which was well reported of by the brethren that were at ,lystra and ,iconium4 ,him would ,paul have to go forth with him1 and took and circumcised him1 because of the ,jews which were in those quarters1 for they knew all that his father was a ,greek4