,,toleration                            
,,and ,,other ,,essays                  
,,by                                    
,,voltaire                              
,,translated1 ,,with ,,an               
,,introduction1 ,,by                    
,joseph ,mc,cabe                        
,g4 ,p4 ,,putnam',s ,,sons              
,,new ,,york ,,and ,,london             
,the ,knickerbocker ,press              
#aiab                            ,the   
,knickerbocker ,press1 ,new ,york       
,,introduction      ,it seems useful1 in
 presenting to ,english readers this    
selection of  the works of ,voltaire1 to
 recall the position and personality of 
the  writer and the circumstances in    
which the works were written4 ,it is    
too lightly assumed1 even by many who   
enjoy the freedom which he1  more than  
any1 won for ,europe1 and who may       
surpass him in scepticism1  that        
,voltaire is a figure to be left in a   
discreetly remote niche  of memory4     
8,other times1 other manners0 is one of 

the phrases he  contributed to modern   
literature4 ,let us genially acknowledge
 that he  played a great part in        
dispelling the last mists of the ,middle
 ,ages1  and politely attribute to the  
papal perversity and the lingering      
vulgarity of his age the more effective 
features of his work4 ,thus  has        
,voltaire become a mere name to modern  
rationalists2 a name of  fading         
brilliance1 a monumental name1 but      
nothing more4    ,this sentiment is at  
once the effect and the cause of a very 
general  ignorance concerning ,voltaire2
 and it is a reproach to us4 ,we  have  
time1 amid increasing knowledge1 to     
recover the most obscure  personalities 
of the ,middle ,ages and of antiquity2  
we trace the  most elementary           
contributors to modern culture2 and we  
neglect  one of the mightiest forces    
that made the development of modern     
culture possible4 ,i do not speak of    
,voltaire the historian1 who1 a         
distinguished writer says1 introduced   

history for the first time into  the    
realm of letters2 ,voltaire the         
dramatist1 whose name is inscribed  for 
ever in the temple of the tragic muse2  
,voltaire the physicist1  who drove the 
old ,cartesianism out of ,france1 and   
imposed on it the  fertile principles of
 ,newton2 ,voltaire the social reformer1
 who  talked to eighteenth-century kings
 of the rights of man1 and scourged     
every judicial criminal of his          
aristocratic age2 ,voltaire the         
cosmopolitan1 who boldly set up         
,england's ensign of liberty in feudal  
,france4 ,all these things were done by 
the 8flippant ,voltaire0 of the         
flippant modern preacher4 ,but he can be
 considered here only as one  of the few
 who1 in an age of profound inequality1 
used the privilege  of his enlightenment
 to enlighten his fellows2 one of those 
who won  for us that liberty to think   
rationally1 and to speak freely1 on     
religious matters which we too airily   
attribute to our new goddess1           

,evolution4    ,the position of         
,voltaire in the development of         
religious thought in  ,europe is unique4
 ,even if his words had no application  
in our age1  it merits the most grateful
 consideration4 ,trace to its sources   
the  spirit that has led modern ,france 
and modern ,portugal to raise civic     
ideals above creeds1 and that will1     
within a few decades1 find the  same    
expression in ,spain1 ,italy1 ,belgium1 
and half of ,america4 ,you  find        
yourself in the first half of the       
nineteenth century1 when1 in  all those 
countries1 a few hundred men1 and some  
women1 maintained  a superb struggle    
with restored monarchs and restored     
,jesuits for  the liberty that had been 
wrested from them2 and you find that the
  vast majority of them were disciples  
of ,voltaire4 ,go back to the very      
beginning of the anti-clerical movement2
 seek the generators of that            
intellectual and emotional electricity  
which1 gathering insensibly  in the     

atmosphere of ,europe in the second half
 of the eighteenth  century1 burst at   
last in the lurid flashes and the       
rolling thunders  of the ,great         
,revolution4 ,on the religious side1    
with which alone ,i  am concerned here1 
that devastating storm was              
overwhelmingly due to  the writings of  
,voltaire4 ,rousseau1 it is true1 gave  
to the world his  simple ,deistic creed1
 and with sweet reasonableness lodged it
 in the  minds of many2 ,diderot and    
d',holbach and ,la ,mettrie impressed   
their  deeper scepticism with a weight  
of learning4 ,but ,voltaire was the     
oracle of ,europe4 8,i have no sceptre1 
but ,i have a pen10 he once said  to    
,frederick the ,great4 ,and when1 in his
 later years1 he poured out  from his   
remote chteau on the ,swiss frontier the
 flood of satires1  stories1 sermons1   
dialogues1 pamphlets1 and treatises     
which ate deep  into the fabric of old  
,europe1 his pen proved mightier than   
all the  sceptres of its kings4 ,to     

ignore ,voltaire is to ignore history4  
,my object1 however1 in introducing to  
,english readers these few              
characteristic specimens of his         
anti-clerical work is not solely to     
bespeak some gratefulness for the       
toleration and freedom which he         
enforced on a reluctant world1 or to    
gratify a simple curiosity as  to the   
character of his power4 ,these are not  
dead words1 not ashes  of an extinct    
fire1 which we disinter2 for the world  
is not dead at  which they were flung4  
,if they cause resentment in the minds  
of some1  the publication will be the   
more justified4 ,but before ,i explain  
this  paradox1 let me show how the works
 came to be written1 and written in     
such a way4    ,the life of ,voltaire1  
which some conceive as a prolonged      
adolescence1  has a very clear and      
instructive division into adolescence1  
manhood1  and ripe age4 ,all the works  
given in this volume belong to the  last
 part1 but we must glance at the others4

 ,franois ,marie ,arouet  was born1 in  
the very comfortable bourgeois family of
 a staid  ,parisian notary1 in #afid4   
,he became a precocious1 sharp-eared    
boy4  ,his godfather was an abb1 a kind 
of ecclesiastic--not usually  a         
priest--in the ,france of the time who  
drew his income from the  ,church1 and  
therefore felt more entitled than the   
ordinary layman  to scoff at its dogmas 
and ignore its morals4 ,he could plead  
the  example of his bishops4 ,several of
 these abbs visited the  home of the    
,arouets1 and gave little 8,zozo0 his   
first lessons in  ,biblical criticism4  
,in the great college of the ,jesuits he
 learned  to articulate his scepticism4 
,in his seventeenth year he set out on  
the career of letters4 ,the kindly abb1 
who1 having answered to  ,god for him at
 the baptismal font1 felt bound to guide
 his fortunes1  introduced him to one of
 the most brilliant and dissolute       
circles  in ,paris4 ,it was a kind of   
club of abbs1 nobles1 writers1 etc41    

and in it he would rapidly attain that  
large and peculiar knowledge  of the    
,old ,testament which appears in his    
writings4 ,he sparkled so  much at the  
suppers of the ,epicureans1 and earned  
such reputation1  that he was put in the
 ,bastille for certain naughty epigrams1
 which  he had not written2 and he was  
exiled for another epigram1 on a        
distinguished sinner1 which he had      
written4 ,in the pensive solitude  of   
the ,bastille he changed his name to    
,voltaire4#a ,he emerged bolder  than   
ever1 wrote tragedies and poems and     
epigrams1 was welcomed in  the smartest 
salons of ,paris1 and behaved as a young
 gentleman of the  time was expected to 
behave1 until his thirty-first year4    
,in #agbf he was1 through the despotic  
and most unjust action of a  powerful   
noble1 again put in the ,bastille1 and  
was then allowed to  exchange that      
fortress for the fogs of ,london4 ,up to
 this time he  had no idea of attacking 
,church or ,state4 ,he had1 in #agbb1   

written a  letter on religion--in the   
vein1 apparently1 of some of            
,swinburne's  unpublished               
juvenilia--which a distinguished writer 
of the time1  to whom he read it1       
described as 8making his hair stand on  
end02  it was1 however1 not intended for
 circulation4 ,but experience of        
,england1 for which he contracted a     
passionate admiration1 and which  7as   
,mr4 ,churton ,collins has shown7 he    
studied profoundly1 sobered him  with a 
high and serious purpose4 ,he met all   
the brilliant writers  of that age in   
,england1 and took a great interest in  
the religious  controversy which raged  
over ,anthony ,collins's ,discourse4 ,he
  returned to ,france in #agbi1 vowing  
to win for it the liberty and           
enlightenment he had enjoyed in         
,england4 ,the splendid ,english        
,letters which he wrote with that aim1  
and was afraid to publish1  leaked out  
in #agcd4 ,the book was burned by the   
hangman1 and he had to  retire once     

more1 for letting ,france know how      
enlightened ,england was  in the days of
 ,george ,i4    ,i pass over twenty     
years of his strenuous and brilliant    
career4 ,he  wrote his most famous      
tragedies and histories2 he made an     
ardent  study of1 and introduced to     
,france1 the new science of ,isaac      
,newton1  whose funeral he had witnessed
 in ,london2 he was banished from his   
country for smiling at ,adam and ,eve2  
he deserted ,france for ,germany1  and  
then quarrelled with ,frederick the     
,great2 he tried liberal  ,switzerland1 
and found that it gave you liberty only 
to attack other  people's dogmas2 and in
 #agfj he settled at ,ferney1 since the 
shrine  of ,continental ,rationalism1 on
 the frontier1 so that he could talk  to
 ,calvinists from the ,french side1 and 
cross the border1 if need  were1 to talk
 to ,france4 ,but ,france was at his    
feet4 ,for eighteen  years more he      
showered his rain of publications on it4
 ,even in those  illiterate days some of

 his publications sold #cjj1jjj copies4 
,and  when at last1 in #aggh1 he was    
tempted to revisit ,paris1 the roar of  
delight1 of esteem1 of abject worship1  
overwhelmed him1 and he died  in a flood
 of glory4    ,to those last twenty     
years of his life belong the            
anti-,christian  works reproduced in    
this volume4 ,he was now a man of mature
 judgment1  vast erudition1 and grave   
humanitarian purpose4 ,the common notion
 in  ,england of ,voltaire's works1 as  
superficial gibes thrown out by the  way
 in a brilliant career1 is sheer        
nonsense4 ,his command of history  was  
remarkable2 and he had1 for the time1 a 
thorough grasp of science  and          
philosophy4 ,his arguments for the      
existence of ,god will compare  with    
those of the ablest lay or clerical     
theologians of his time4  ,his knowledge
 was defective and inaccurate because   
all knowledge was  defective and        
inaccurate in the eighteenth century1   
when research  was only just beginning  

to recover from its long ecclesiastical 
paralysis4 ,no man in ,france had a     
larger command of such knowledge  as the
 time afforded1 and the use he made of  
it was serious and  high-purposed4 ,it  
is only the superficial who cannot see  
the depth  below that sparkling surface2
 only the insensible who cannot feel the
  strong1 steady beat of a human heart  
behind the rippling laughter4    crasez 
l'infame--8,crush the infamous          
thing0--the battle-cry  which he sent   
over ,europe from the ,swiss frontier1  
was but a fiery  expression of his love 
of men1 of liberty1 of enlightenment1   
and of  progress4 ,read the stories of  
brutality in the guise of religion that 
are told in these pages--stories which  
ran into ,voltaire's day--the  stories  
of 8religious0 processions and relics   
and superstitions1 the  story of how    
this ignorant credulity had been imposed
 on ,europe1 and  how it was maintained 
by sceptical priests1 and say1 if you   
dare1  that the phrase was not a cry of 

truth1 sincerity1 and humanity4  ,there 
was even a profoundly religious impulse 
in his work4 ,a clerical  friend once   
confided to me that he found a use in   
,voltaire4 ,it  seemed that1 when       
inspiration for the ,sunday sermon      
failed1 he fell  upon my 8atheistic     
friends10 ,voltaire and ,rousseau1 and  
the ,french  ,revolution they brought   
about4 ,he was amazed to hear that they 
believed in ,god as firmly as1 and much 
more reasonably than1 he and  his       
colleagues did4 ,voltaire's aim was a   
sincere effort to rid pure  religion of 
its morbid and abominable overgrowths4  
,very good1 you say2 but why not have   
set about it more politely8 ,for  two   
plain reasons4 ,first1 because the      
character of his opponents  fully       
justified him in directing his most     
scathing wit upon  them4 ,the ,jesuits1 
whom he chiefly lashed1 were in his own 
time  ignominiously expelled by nearly  
every ,catholic ,power in ,europe1 and  
were suppressed by the ,pope4 ,the other

 clergy were deeply tainted  with       
scepticism in the cities1 and befogged  
with dense ignorance in  the provinces4 
,one incident will suffice to justify   
his disdain4  ,his latest ,english      
biographer1 ,s4 ,g4 ,tallentyre1 who is 
not biassed  in his favour1 says that it
 is most probable1 if not certain1 that 
while the ,catholic authorities were    
burning his books in ,paris1 and        
shuddering at his infidelity1 they were 
secretly tempting him1 with  the        
prospect of a cardinal's hat1 to join   
the clergy4 ,it is certain  that they   
invited him to do religious work1 and   
that1 at the height  of his             
anti-clerical work1 he received direct  
from the ,pope certain  relics to put in
 a chapel he had built for his poor     
neighbours4 ,could  a prince of irony   
restrain himself in such circumstances8 
,the other  reason is the character of  
the dogmas and practices he assailed4   
,read  them in the following pages4     
,it is true that there are passages in  

,voltaire which none of us  would1 if we
 could1 write to-day4 ,the taste of the 
eighteenth  century1 still fouled by the
 ,middle ,ages1 is not the taste of the 
twentieth4 ,besides some longer passages
 which have been omitted from  the      
,treatise on ,toleration1 as will be    
explained1 a few lines  have been struck
 out or modified here and there in one  
or two of  the works in this selection4 
,let me not be misunderstood1 however4  
,they are mainly words of the ,old      
,testament1 and comments inspired  only 
by those words1 that have been omitted4 
,in the eighteenth  century one could   
quote and comment in public on these    
grossnesses4  ,indeed1 by some singular 
mental process1 which ,voltaire alone   
could  characterise1 the books          
containing these crudely sexual passages
 are  still thrust into the hands of    
children and of confined criminals by   
the joint authority of ,church and      
,state in ,england2 and grave bishops   
and gentle women say that they are the  

,word of ,god4    ,and this brings me to
 the last point that ,i desire to touch 
before  ,i introduce1 one by one1 the   
works contained in this volume4 ,why    
reproduce at all1 in the twentieth      
century1 these fitting scourges of  the 
superstitions of the eighteenth8 ,i have
 said that they deserve  to be          
reproduced for their historical interest
 and for the great  part they have      
played in the history of ,europe2 but   
there is another  reason4 ,i have an    
idea that1 if ,voltaire were alive in   
,england  to-day1 he would write with   
more scathing irony than ever4 ,i       
imagine  him gazing with profound       
admiration at that marvellous picture of
  the past which science and archology  
have given us1 and then asking  at what 
date in the nineteenth century we ceased
 to dispute about  consubstantiality and
 transubstantiation1 took the gilt off  
our ,old  ,testament1 and elevated our  
bishops to the rank of citizens4 ,i then
  fancy him peeping into the fine       

schools of ,london or ,manchester1 and  
learning that the first educational     
authorities in ,england still set       
children to learn about ,adam and ,eve1 
the ,deluge1 the ,plagues of  ,egypt1   
and the remarkable proceedings of       
,joshua and ,david and the  rest4 ,i try
 to conceive him studying the faces of  
learned judges and  professors1 as they 
listen gravely to the reading of the    
,bible and  the creeds in church on     
,sundays1 or reverently handle the book 
in  court4 ,i picture his amazement as  
he learns that this ,england1 which  he 
thought so enlightened1 still1 at the   
dictation of its bishops1  retains the  
most abominable divorce law in the      
civilised world2 or  hears preachers and
 social students seriously expressing   
concern  for the future of ,europe on   
account of the decay of docility to the 
clergy4 ,what would he have written on  
such a situation8    ,the satire of     
,voltaire is not out of place in modern 
,england4 ,as long  as the ,bible is1   

however insincerely1 pressed on us as   
the ,word of  ,god1 and retained in our 
schools1 we are compelled to point out  
in  it features which make such claims  
ludicrous4 ,as long as the clergy       
maintain that their rule in the past was
 a benefit to civilisation1  and        
therefore its decay may be a menace to  
civilisation1 we are  bound to tell the 
ugly truth in regard to the past4 ,as   
long as  educated men and women among us
 profess a belief in the magic of       
transubstantiation and auricular        
confession and miracles1 and the        
uneducated are encouraged to believe    
these things literally1 the  irony of   
,voltaire is legitimate4 ,christian     
bodies have1 of late  years1 made       
repeated attempts to induce our leaders 
of culture to  profess the ,christian   
faith4 ,the issue has been to make it   
clear that  the great majority of our   
professors1 distinguished writers1 and  
artists hold either the simple theism of
 ,voltaire or discard even  that4 ,the  

doctrines attacked here by ,voltaire are
 wholly discredited4  ,yet they are     
still the official teaching of the      
,churches 7except  of the               
,congregationalists72 they are largely  
enforced on innocent  children1 and they
 are literally accepted by some millions
 of our  people4 ,i see no reason to    
refrain from letting the irony of       
,voltaire  fall on them once more4      
,the reader must not1 however1 conclude 
at once that the following  pages are so
 many red-hot charges into the tottering
 ranks of  medival dogmas4 ,my aim has  
been to illustrate the versatility of   
,voltaire's genius1 and to exhibit his  
own sincere creed no less than  his most
 penetrating scourges of what most      
educated men in his time  and ours      
regard as utterly antiquated delusions4 
,there are pages here  that might       
receive a place of honour in the most   
orthodox religious  journals of         
,england2 other pages in which the irony
 is so subtle and  the temper so polite 

that1 without the terrible name1 they   
would  puzzle many a clergyman4 ,in the 
,questions of ,zapata1 however1 and  in 
parts of one or two other essays1 ,i    
have given specimens of the  ,voltaire  
who was likened to ,antichrist4    ,the 
selection opens with the ,treatise on   
,toleration1 which has  a mainly        
historical interest1 and illustrates the
 finest side  of ,voltaire's work and   
character4 ,it shows him as a profound  
humanitarian1 putting aside1 in his     
seventieth year1 his laughter and  his  
comfort to take up the cause of an      
obscure sufferer1 and shaking  ,france1 
as ,zola did in our time1 with his      
denunciation of a judicial  crime4 ,the 
story of the crime is told in the essay 
itself2 but it is  not told1 or in any  
way conveyed1 that1 but for the action  
of the  aged rationalist1 not a single  
effort would have been made to secure   
redress4 ,his splendid action on that   
and a few similar occasions has  been   
held by critical students of his career 

to atone for all his  errors4 ,many     
,protestants who scoff at 8,voltaire the
 scoffer0 may  learn with surprise that 
his noble and impassioned struggle      
earned  for them the right to live in   
,southern ,france4 ,the treatise was    
published in #agfc4 ,i have omitted a   
number of lengthy and learned  notes and
 one or two chapters which are          
incidental to the argument  and of      
little interest to-day4    ,the three   
,homilies--those ,on ,superstition1 ,on 
the ,interpretation  of the ,old        
,testament1 and ,on the ,interpretation 
of the ,new  ,testament--are selected   
from five which ,voltaire wrote in      
#agfg1  with the literary pretence that 
they had been delivered before some     
liberal congregation at ,london in      
#agfe4 ,the second of these ,homilies   
is one of the most effective indictments
 of the ,old ,testament1  considered as 
an inspired book4 ,nowhere in           
rationalistic literature  is there an   
exposure of the essential humanity of   

the ,old ,testament  so condensed yet so
 fluent1 so original in form1           
comprehensive  in range1 and            
unanswerable in argument4 ,it was       
published1 it is  believed1 in #agfg1   
though the first edition is marked      
#agff4 ,its  humour is malicious from   
the first line1 as the 8,dr4 ,tamponet0 
whose name is put to it was really an   
orthodox champion of the  ,sorbonne4 ,it
 is in this short diatribe that ,i have 
chiefly made the  modifications of which
 ,i have spoken4 ,it was ,voltaire's aim
 to show  that the coarseness of many   
passages of the ,old ,testament is quite
  as inconsistent with inspiration as   
its colossal inaccuracy and its         
childlike superstition4 ,an ,english    
translation1 similarly modified1  of the
 ,questions of ,zapata was made by an   
anonymous lady1 and  published by       
,hetherington1 in #ahdj4 ,in the present
 translation some  of the paragraphs are
 omitted1 and the numbering is therefore
 altered4    ,the ,epistle to the       

,romans1 another specimen of ,voltaire's
 most  deadly polemic1 is a just and    
masterly indictment of the papal        
system4 ,it was issued in #agfh1 and    
very promptly put on the ,index by  the 
outraged ,vatican4 ,but it penetrated   
educated ,italy1 and had no  small share
 in the enlightenment which has ended in
 the emancipation  of the country4 ,the 
exquisite imitations of sermons which   
follow  contain some of ,voltaire's most
 insidious and delicate irony4 ,the     
,sermon of the ,fifty was written and   
published in #agfb4    ,the volume      
closes with the famous poem which       
,voltaire wrote1 in the  year #agee1    
when he heard that an earthquake had    
destroyed between  #cj1jjj and #dj1jjj  
people in ,portugal4 ,it was one of the 
chief  festivals of the ,catholic year1 
the ,feast of ,all ,saints 7,november   
#a71  and the crowded churches were in  
the very act of worship1 when the       
ground shook4 ,in a few minutes #af1jjj 
men1 women1 and children were  slain1   

and as many more perished in the        
subsequent fires and horrors4  ,voltaire
 was at ,geneva1 and the horrible news  
threw him into the  deepest distress4   
,the poem into which he condensed his   
pain and his  doubts is not a leisurely 
and polished piece of art4 ,it has      
technical  defects1 and is unequal in   
inspiration4 ,should we admire it if it 
were otherwise8 ,but it is a fine       
monument to his sincerity and just      
human passion1 and it contains some     
phrases that became proverbial  and some
 passages of great beauty4 ,i have      
altered the structure of  the verse--the
 original is in rhymed hexameters--only 
in order that  ,i could more faithfully 
convey to those who read only ,english  
the  sentiments and1 as far as possible1
 the phrasing of ,voltaire4 ,one        
allusion that recurs throughout needs   
some explanation4 ,browning's  8,all's  
right with the world0 was a very        
familiar cry in the  eighteenth century4
 ,the ,english ,deists1 and ,j4 ,j4     

,rousseau in ,france1  held obstinately 
to this most singular optimism4         
,although ,rousseau  made a feeble and  
friendly reply to the poem1 it proved a 
deadly blow  to his somewhat fantastic  
teaching on that point4    ,immediately 
preceding this poem ,i have given a     
translation of  ,voltaire's             
philosophical essay1 ,il faut choisir4  
,this was written  by him in #aggb1 six 
years before his death1 and is the most 
succinct  expression of his mature      
religious views4 ,it is really directed 
against his atheistic friends at ,paris1
 such as d',holbach4 ,condorcet  said of
 it that it contained the most powerful 
argumentation for the  existence of ,god
 that had yet been advanced4 ,its       
remarkable lucidity  and terseness      
enable us to identify his views at once4
 ,he did not  believe in the            
spirituality or immortality of the soul1
 but he had an  unshakable conviction of
 the existence of ,god4 ,it is sometimes
 said  that the ,lisbon earthquake shook

 his theism4 ,this is inaccurate1 as  a 
careful comparison of the two works will
 show4 ,he never believed  that the     
supreme intelligence was infinite in    
power1 and the haunting  problem of evil
 always made him hesitate to ascribe    
more than  limited moral attributes to  
his deity4 ,his one unwavering dogma--it
  does not waver for an instant in the  
poem--is that the world was  designed by
 a supreme intelligence and is moved by 
a supreme power4  ,had he lived one     
hundred years later1 when evolution     
began to throw  its magical illumination
 upon the order of the universe and the 
wonderful adaptation of its parts1 his  
position would clearly have  been       
modified4 ,as it was1 he1 with constant 
sincerity1 avowed that he  could not    
understand the world without a great    
architect and a prime  mover of all     
moving things4 ,in all his works the    
uglier features of  the world1 which1   
unlike many theists1 he steadfastly     
confronted1  forbid him to add any other

 and warmer attributes to this bleak    
intelligence and mysterious power4      
,j4 ,m4      ,october1 #aiaa4           
,,contents                              
,,page      ,,introduction              
iii      ,,in ,,connection ,,with ,,the 
,,death ,,of ,,jean ,,calas             
#a      ,,on ,,superstition             
#hh      ,,on ,,the ,,interpretation    
,,of ,,the ,,old ,,testament            
#ajb      ,,on ,,the ,,interpretation   
,,of ,,the ,,new ,,testament            
#aah      ,,epistle ,,to ,,the ,,romans 
#abf      ,,the ,,sermon ,,of ,,the     
,,fifty                                 
#afj      ,,the ,,questions ,,of        
,,zapata                                
#ahc      ,,we ,,must ,,take ,,sides2   
,,or1 ,,the ,,principal ,,of ,,action   
#bjf      ,,poem ,,on ,,the ,,lisbon    
,,disaster                              
#bee                                    
,on ,toleration                         
,in ,connection with the ,death of      
,jean ,calas                    ,,short 

,,account ,,of ,,the ,,death ,,of ,,jean
 ,,calas    ,the murder of ,calas1 which
 was perpetrated with the sword of      
justice  at ,toulouse on ,march #i1     
#agfb1 is one of the most singular      
events that  deserve the attention of   
our own and of later ages4 ,we quickly  
forget  the long list of the dead who   
have perished in our battles4 ,it is the
  inevitable fate of war2 those who die 
by the sword might themselves  have     
inflicted death on their enemies1 and   
did not die without the  means of       
defending themselves4 ,when the risk and
 the advantage are  equal astonishment  
ceases1 and even pity is enfeebled4 ,but
 when  an innocent father is given into 
the hands of error1 of passion1  or of  
fanaticism2 when the accused has no     
defence but his virtue2  when those who 
dispose of his life run no risk but that
 of making a  mistake2 when they can    
slay with impunity by a legal           
decree--then the  voice of the general  
public is heard1 and each fears for     

himself4  ,they see that no man's life  
is safe before a court that has been set
  up to guard the welfare of citizens1  
and every voice is raised in a  demand  
of vengeance4    ,in this strange       
incident we have to deal with religion1 
suicide1  and parricide4 ,the question  
was1 ,whether a father and mother had   
strangled their son to please ,god1 a   
brother had strangled his  brother1 and 
a friend had strangled his friend2 or   
whether the judges  had incurred the    
reproach of breaking on the wheel an    
innocent  father1 or of sparing a guilty
 mother1 brother1 and friend4    ,jean  
,calas1 a man of sixty-eight years1 had 
been engaged in commerce  at ,toulouse  
for more than forty years1 and was      
recognised by all who  knew him as a    
good father4 ,he was a ,protestant1 as  
were also his wife  and family1 except  
one son1 who had abjured the heresy1 and
 was in  receipt of a small allowance   
from his father4 ,he seemed to be so far
  removed from the absurd fanaticism    

that breaks the bonds of society  that  
he had approved the conversion of his   
son ,louis ,calas1 and had  had in his  
service for thirty years a zealous      
,catholic woman1 who had  reared all his
 children4    ,one of the sons of ,jean 
,calas1 named ,marc ,antoine1 was a man 
of  letters4 ,he was regarded as of a   
restless1 sombre1 and violent           
character4 ,this young man1 failing to  
enter the commercial world1  for which  
he was unfitted1 or the legal world1    
because he could  not obtain the        
necessary certificate that he was a     
,catholic1  determined to end his life1 
and informed a friend of his intention4 
,he strengthened his resolution by      
reading all that has ever been  written 
on suicide4    ,having one day lost his 
money in gambling1 he determined to     
carry  out his plan on that very day4 ,a
 personal friend and friend of the      
family1 named ,lavaisse1 a young man of 
nineteen1 well known for  his candid and
 kindly ways1 the son of a distinguished

 lawyer at  ,toulouse1 had come from    
,bordeaux on the previous day1 ,october 
#ab1  #agfa4 ,he happened to sup with   
the ,calas family4 ,the father1 mother1 
,marc ,antoine1 the elder son1 and      
,pierre1 the second son1 were  present4 
,after supper they withdrew to a small  
room4 ,marc ,antoine  disappeared1 and  
when young ,lavaisse was ready to go1   
and he and  ,pierre ,calas had gone     
down-stairs1 they found1 near the shop  
below1  ,marc ,antoine in his shirt1    
hanging from a door1 his coat folded    
under  the counter4 ,his shirt was      
unruffled1 his hair was neatly combed1  
and  he had no wound or mark on the     
body4    ,we will omit the details which
 were given in court1 and the grief and 
despair of his parents2 their cries were
 heard by the neighbours4  ,lavaisse and
 ,pierre1 beside themselves1 ran for    
surgeons and the  police4    ,while they
 were doing this1 and the father and    
mother sobbed and  wept1 the people of  
,toulouse gathered round the house4     

,they are  superstitious and impulsive  
people2 they regard as monsters their   
brothers who do not share their         
religion4 ,it was at ,toulouse that     
solemn thanks were offered to ,god for  
the death of ,henry ,,iii41  and that an
 oath was taken to kill any man who     
should propose to  recognise the great  
and good ,henry ,,iv4 ,this city still  
celebrates  every year1 by a procession 
and fireworks1 the day on which it      
massacred four thousand heretical       
citizens two hundred years ago4 ,six    
decrees of the ,council have been passed
 in vain for the suppression  of this   
odious festival2 the people of ,toulouse
 celebrate it still  like a floral      
festival4#b    ,some fanatic in the     
crowd cried out that ,jean ,calas had   
hanged his  son ,marc ,antoine4 ,the cry
 was soon repeated on all sides2 some   
adding that the deceased was to have    
abjured ,protestantism on the  following
 day1 and that the family and young     
,lavaisse had strangled  him out of     

hatred of the ,catholic religion4 ,in a 
moment all doubt  had disappeared4 ,the 
whole town was persuaded that it is a   
point of  religion with the ,protestants
 for a father and mother to kill their  
children when they wish to change their 
faith4    ,the agitation could not end  
here4 ,it was imagined that the         
,protestants of ,languedoc had held a   
meeting the night before2 that  they    
had1 by a majority of votes1 chosen an  
executioner for the  sect2 that the     
choice had fallen on young ,lavaisse2   
and that1 in the  space of twenty-four  
hours1 the young man had received the   
news of  his appointment1 and had come  
from ,bordeaux to help ,jean ,calas1 his
  wife1 and their son ,pierre to        
strangle a friend1 son1 and brother4    
,the captain of ,toulouse1 ,david1      
excited by these rumours and wishing  to
 give effect to them by a prompt        
execution1 took a step which  is against
 the laws and regulations4 ,he put the  
,calas family1 the  ,catholic servant1  

and ,lavaisse in irons4    ,a report not
 less vicious than his procedure was    
published4 ,he even  went further4 ,marc
 ,antoine ,calas had died a ,calvinist2 
and1 if he had  taken his own life1 his 
body was supposed to be dragged on a    
hurdle4  ,instead of this1 he was buried
 with great pomp in the church of ,st4  
,stephen1 although the priest protested 
against this profanation4    ,there are 
in ,languedoc four confraternities of   
penitents--the  white1 the blue1 the    
grey1 and the black4 ,their members wear
 a long  hood1 with a cloth mask1       
pierced with two holes for the eyes4    
,they  endeavoured to induce the ,duke  
of ,fitz-,james1 the governor of the    
province1 to enter their ranks1 but he  
refused4 ,the white penitents  held a   
solemn service over ,marc ,antoine      
,calas1 as over a martyr4  ,no church   
ever celebrated the feast of a martyr   
with more pomp2  but it was a terrible  
pomp4 ,they had raised above a          
magnificent  bier a skeleton1 which was 

made to move its bones4 ,it represented 
,marc ,antoine ,calas holding a palm in 
one hand1 and in the other the  pen with
 which he was to sign his abjuration of 
heresy4 ,this pen1  in-point of fact1   
signed the death-sentence of his father4
    ,the only thing that remained for   
the poor devil who had taken his  life  
was canonisation4 ,everybody regarded   
him as a saint2 some  invoked him1      
others went to pray at his tomb1 others 
sought miracles  of him1 and others1    
again1 related the miracles he had      
wrought4 ,a  monk extracted some of his 
teeth1 to have permanent relics of him4 
,a pious woman1 who was rather deaf1    
told how she heard the sound of  bells4 
,an apoplectic priest was cured1 after  
taking an emetic4 ,legal  declarations  
of these prodigies were drawn up4 ,the  
writer of this  account has in his      
possession the attestation that a young 
man of  ,toulouse went mad because he   
had prayed for several nights at the    
tomb of the new saint1 and could not    

obtain the miracle he sought4    ,some  
of the magistrates belonged to the      
confraternity of white  penitents4 ,from
 that moment the death of ,jean ,calas  
seemed inevitable4    ,what contributed 
most to his fate was the approach of    
that singular  festival which the people
 of ,toulouse hold every year in memory 
of the massacre of four thousand        
,huguenots4 ,the year #agfb was the     
bicentenary of the event4 ,the city was 
decorated with all the  trappings of the
 ceremony1 and the heated imagination of
 the people  was still further excited4 
,it was stated publicly that the        
scaffold  on which the ,calas were to be
 executed would be the chief ornament   
of the festival2 it was said that       
,providence itself provided these       
victims for sacrifice in honour of our  
holy religion4 ,a score of  people heard
 these1 and even more violent things4   
,and this in our  days--in an age when  
philosophy has made so much progress1   
and a  hundred academies are writing for

 the improvement of our morals6 ,it     
would seem that fanaticism is angry at  
the success of reason1 and  combats it  
more furiously4    ,thirteen judges met 
daily to bring the trial to a close4    
,there was  not1 and could not be1 any  
evidence against the family2 but a      
deluded  religion took the place of     
proof4 ,six of the judges long persisted
  in condemning ,jean ,calas1 his son1  
and ,lavaisse to the wheel1 and  the    
wife of ,jean ,calas to the stake4 ,the 
other seven1 more moderate1  wished at  
least to make an inquiry4 ,the          
discussions were long and  frequent4    
,one of the judges1 convinced that the  
accused were innocent  and the crime was
 impossible1 spoke strongly on their    
behalf4 ,he  opposed a zeal for humanity
 to the zeal for severity1 and became   
the  public pleader for the ,calas in   
,toulouse1 where the incessant cries  of
 outraged religion demanded the blood of
 the accused4 ,another  judge1 known for
 his violent temper1 spoke against the  

,calas with the  same spirit4 ,at last1 
amid great excitement1 they both threw  
up the  case and retired to the country4
    ,but by a singular misfortune the   
judge who was favourable to the  ,calas 
had the delicacy to persist in his      
resignation1 and the other  returned to 
condemn those whom he could not judge4  
,his voice it was  that drew up the     
condemnation to the wheel4 ,there were  
now eight  votes to five1 as one of the 
six opposing judges had passed to the   
more severe party after considerable    
discussion4    ,it seems that in a case 
of parricide1 when a father is to be    
condemned to the most frightful death1  
the verdict ought to be  unanimous1 as  
the evidence for so rare a crime ought  
to be such as  to convince everybody4#c 
,the slightest doubt in such a case     
should  intimidate a judge who is to    
sign the death-sentence4 ,the weakness  
of  our reason and its inadequacy are   
shown daily2 and what greater proof  of 
it can we have than when we find a      

citizen condemned to the wheel  by a    
majority of one vote8 ,in ancient       
,athens there had to be fifty  votes    
above the half to secure a sentence of  
death4 ,it shows us1 most  unprofitably1
 that the ,greeks were wiser and more   
humane than we4    ,it seemed impossible
 that ,jean ,calas1 an old man of       
sixty-eight  years1 whose limbs had long
 been swollen and weak1 had been able   
to strangle and hang a young man in his 
twenty-eighth year1 above  the average  
in strength4 ,it seemed certain that he 
must have been  assisted in the murder  
by his wife1 his son ,pierre1 ,lavaisse1
 and  the servant4 ,they had not left   
each other's company for an instant  on 
the evening of the fatal event4 ,but    
this supposition was just  as absurd as 
the other4 ,how could a zealous         
,catholic servant allow  ,huguenots to  
kill a young man1 reared by herself1 to 
punish him for  embracing her own       
religion8 ,how could ,lavaisse have come
 expressly  from ,bordeaux to strangle  

his friend1 whose conversion was unknown
 to  him8 ,how could a tender mother lay
 hands on her son8 ,how could the  whole
 of them together strangle a young man  
who was stronger than all  of them      
without a long and violent struggle1    
without cries that would  have aroused  
the neighbours1 without repeated blows  
and torn garments8    ,it was evident   
that1 if there had been any crime1 all  
the accused  were equally guilty1 as    
they had never left each other for a    
moment2  it was evident that they were  
not all guilty2 and it was evident that 
the father alone could not have done it4
 ,nevertheless1 the father  alone was   
condemned to the wheel4    ,the reason  
of the sentence was as inconceivable as 
all the rest4 ,the  judges1 who were    
bent on executing ,jean ,calas1         
persuaded the others  that the weak old 
man could not endure the torture1 and   
would on the  scaffold confess his crime
 and accuse his accomplices4 ,they were 
confounded when the old man1 expiring on

 the wheel1 prayed ,god to  witness his 
innocence1 and begged him to pardon his 
judges4    ,they were compelled to pass 
a second sentence in contradiction of   
the first1 and to set free the mother1  
the son ,pierre1 the young  ,lavaisse1  
and the servant2 but one of the         
councillors pointing  out that this     
verdict gave the lie to the other1 that 
they were  condemning themselves1 and   
that1 as the accused were all together  
at the supposed hour of the crime1 the  
acquittal of the survivors  necessarily 
proved the innocence of the dead father1
 they decided to  banish ,pierre ,calas4
 ,this banishment seemed as illogical   
and absurd  as all the rest4 ,pierre    
,calas was either guilty or innocent4   
,if he  was guilty1 he should be broken 
on the wheel like his father2 if he  was
 innocent1 they had no right to banish  
him4 ,however1 the judges1  terrified by
 the execution of the father and the    
touching piety of  his end1 thought they
 were saving their honour by affecting  

to pardon  the son1 as if it were not a 
fresh prevarication to pardon him2 and  
they thought that the banishment of this
 poor and helpless young man  was not a 
great injustice after that they had     
already committed4    ,they began with  
threatening ,pierre ,calas1 in his      
dungeon1 that he  would suffer like his 
father if he did not renounce his       
religion4 ,the  young man attests this  
on oath3 8,a ,dominican monk came to my 
cell and  threatened me with the same   
kind of death if ,i did not give up my  
religion40    ,pierre ,calas1 on leaving
 the city1 met a priest1 who compelled  
him  to return to ,toulouse4 ,they      
confined him in a ,dominican convent1   
and  forced him to perform ,catholic    
functions4 ,it was part of what they    
wanted4 ,it was the price of his        
father's blood1 and religion seemed  to 
be avenged4    ,the daughters were taken
 from the mother and put in a convent4  
,the  mother1 almost sprinkled with the 
blood of her husband1 her eldest  son   

dead1 the younger banished1 deprived of 
her daughters and all her  property1 was
 alone in the world1 without bread1     
without hope1 dying  of the intolerable 
misery4 ,certain persons1 having        
carefully examined  the circumstances of
 this horrible adventure1 were so       
impressed  that they urged the widow1   
who had retired into solitude1 to go and
  demand justice at the feet of the     
throne4#d ,at the time she shrank  from 
publicity2 moreover1 being ,english by  
birth1 and having been  transplanted    
into a ,french province in early youth1 
the name of ,paris  terrified her4 ,she 
imagined that the capital of the kingdom
 would be  still more barbaric than the 
capital of ,languedoc4 ,at length the   
duty  of clearing the memory of her     
husband prevailed over her weakness4    
,she reached ,paris almost at the point 
of death4 ,she was astonished at  her   
reception1 at the help and the tears    
that were given to her4#e    ,at ,paris 
reason dominates fanaticism1 however    

powerful it be2 in the  provinces       
fanaticism almost always overcomes      
reason4    ,m4 de ,beaumont1 the famous 
advocate of the ,parlement de ,paris1   
undertook to defend her1 and drew up a  
memorial signed by fifteen  other       
advocates4 ,m4 ,loiseau1 not less       
eloquent1 drew up a memoir on  behalf of
 the family4 ,m4 ,mariette1 an advocate 
of the ,council1 drew  up a judicial    
inquiry which brought conviction to     
every mind4 ,these  three generous      
defenders of the laws of innocence gave 
to the widow  the profit on the sale of 
their memoirs4 ,paris and the whole of  
,europe were moved with pity1 and       
demanded justice for the unfortunate    
woman4 ,the verdict was given by the    
public long before it was signed  by the
 ,council4    ,the spirit of pity       
penetrated the ministry1 in spite of the
 torrent  of business that so often     
shuts out pity1 and in spite of that    
daily sight of misery that does even    
more to harden the heart4 ,the          

daughters were restored to their mother4
 ,as they sat1 clothed in  crape and    
bathed in tears1 their judges were seen 
to weep4    ,they had still enemies1    
however1 for it was a question of       
religion4  ,many of those people who are
 known in ,france as 8devout0#f said    
openly that it was much better to let an
 innocent old ,calvinist be  slain than 
to compel eight ,councillors of         
,languedoc to admit that  they were     
wrong4 ,one even heard such phrases as  
8,there are more  magistrates than      
,calas02 and it was inferred that the   
,calas family  ought to be sacrificed to
 the honour of the magistrates4 ,they   
did not  reflect that the honour of     
judges1 like that of other men1 consists
  in repairing their blunders4 ,it is   
not believed in ,france that the  ,pope 
is infallible1 even with the assistance 
of his cardinals#g2  we might just as   
well admit that eight judges of         
,toulouse are not4  ,all other people1  
more reasonable and disinterested1 said 

that the  ,toulouse verdict would be    
reversed all over ,europe1 even if      
special  considerations prevented it    
from being reversed by the ,council4    
,such was the position of this          
astonishing adventure when it moved     
certain impartial and reasonable persons
 to submit to the public a  few         
reflections on the subject of           
toleration1 indulgence1 and pity1  which
 the ,abb ,houteville calls 8a monstrous
 dogma10 in his garbled  version of the 
facts1 and which reason calls an        
8appanage of nature40    ,either the    
judges of ,toulouse1 swept away by the  
fanaticism of  the people1 have broken  
on the wheel an innocent man1 which is  
unprecedented2 or the father and his    
wife strangled their elder son1  with   
the assistance of another son and a     
friend1 which is unnatural4  ,in either 
case the abuse of religion has led to a 
great crime4 ,it is1  therefore1 of     
interest to the race to inquire whether 
religion ought  to be charitable or     

barbaric4                               
,,consequences ,,of ,,the ,,execution   
,,of ,,jean ,,calas    ,if the white    
penitents were the cause of the         
execution of an innocent  man1 the utter
 ruin of a family1 and the dispersal and
 humiliation  that attach to an         
execution1 though they should punish    
only  injustice2 if the haste of the    
white penitents to commemorate as a     
saint one who1 according to our barbaric
 customs1 should have been  dragged on a
 hurdle1 led to the execution of a      
virtuous parent2 they  ought indeed to  
be penitents for the rest of their      
lives4 ,they and  the judges should     
weep1 but not in a long white robe1 and 
with no  mask to hide their tears4      
,we respect all confraternities2 they   
are edifying4 ,but can whatever  good   
they may do the ,state outweigh this    
appalling evil that they  have done8 ,it
 seems that they have been established  
by the zeal  which in ,languedoc fires  
the ,catholics against those whom we    

call  ,huguenots4 ,one would say that   
they had taken vows to hate their       
brothers2 for we have religion enough   
left to hate and to persecute1  and we  
have enough to love and to help4 ,what  
would happen if these  confraternities  
were controlled by enthusiasts1 as were 
once certain  congregations of artisans 
and 8gentlemen10 among whom1 as one of  
our  most eloquent and learned          
magistrates said1 the seeing of visions 
was  reduced to a fine art8 ,what would 
happen if these confraternities set  up 
again those dark chambers1 called       
8meditation rooms10 on which  were      
painted devils armed with horns and     
claws1 gulfs of flame1  crosses and     
daggers1 with the holy name of ,jesus   
surmounting the  picture8#h ,what a     
spectacle for eyes that are already     
fascinated1  and imaginations that are  
as inflamed as they are submissive to   
their  confessors6    ,there have been  
times when1 as we know only too well1   
confraternities were dangerous4 ,the    

,fratelli and the ,flagellants gave     
trouble enough4 ,the ,league#i began    
with associations of that kind4  ,why   
should they distinguish themselves thus 
from other citizens8 ,did  they think   
themselves more perfect8 ,the very claim
 is an insult to  the rest of the       
nation4 ,did they wish all ,christians  
to enter their  confraternity8 ,what a  
sight it would be to have all ,europe in
 hoods  and masks1 with two little round
 holes in front of the eyes6 ,do they   
seriously think that ,god prefers this  
costume to that of ordinary  folk8      
,further1 this garment is the uniform of
 controversialists1  warning their      
opponents to get to arms4 ,it may excite
 a kind of civil  war of minds1 and     
would perhaps end in fatal excesses1    
unless the  king and his ministers were 
as wise as the fanatics were demented4  
,we know well what the price has been   
ever since ,christians began to  dispute
 about dogmas4 ,blood has flowed1 on    
scaffolds and in battles1  from the     

fourth century to our own days4#aj ,we  
will restrict  ourselves here to the    
wars and horrors which the ,reformation 
struggle  caused1 and see what was the  
source of them in ,france4 ,possibly a  
short and faithful account of those     
calamities will open the eyes of  the   
uninformed and touch the hearts of the  
humane4                           ,,the 
,,idea ,,of ,,the ,,reformation    ,when
 enlightenment spread1 with the         
renaissance of letters in the  fifteenth
 century1 there was a very general      
complaint of abuses1 and  everybody     
agrees that the complaint was just4     
,pope ,alexander ,,vi4 had openly bought
 the papal tiara1 and his five  bastards
 shared its advantages4 ,his son1 the   
cardinal-duke of ,borgia1  made an end1 
in concert with his father1 of ,vitelli1
 ,urbino1 ,gravina1  ,oliveretto1 and a 
hundred other nobles1 in order to seize 
their  lands4 ,julius ,,ii41 animated by
 the same spirit1 excommunicated ,louis 
,,xii4 and gave his kingdom to the first

 occupant2 while he himself1  helmet on 
head and cuirass on back1 spread blood  
and fire over part  of ,italy4 ,leo ,x41
 to pay for his pleasures1 sold         
indulgences1 as the  taxes are sold in  
the open market4 ,they who revolted     
against this  brigandage were1 at least1
 not wrong from the moral point of view4
  ,let us see if they were wrong in     
politics4    ,they said that1 since     
,jesus ,christ had never exacted fees1  
nor sold  dispensations for this world  
or indulgences for the next1 one might  
refuse to pay a foreign prince the price
 of these things4 ,supposing  that our  
fees to ,rome and the dispensations     
which we still buy#aa  did not cost us  
more than five hundred thousand francs a
 year1 it is  clear that1 since the time
 of ,francis ,i41 we should have paid1  
in  two hundred and fifty years1 a      
hundred and twenty million francs2      
allowing for the change of value in     
money1 we may say about two  hundred and
 fifty millions #aj1jjj1jjj4 ,one may1  

therefore1  without blasphemy1 admit    
that the heretics1 in proposing to      
abolish  these singular taxes1 which    
will astonish a later age1 did not do  a
 very grave wrong to the kingdom1 and   
that they were rather good  financiers  
than bad subjects4 ,let us add that they
 alone knew ,greek1  and were acquainted
 with antiquity4 ,let us grant that1 in 
spite of  their errors1 we owe to them  
the development of the human mind1 so   
long buried in the densest barbarism4   
,but1 as they denied the existence of   
,purgatory1 which it is not  permitted  
to doubt1 and which brought a           
considerable income to  the monks2 and  
as they did not venerate relics1 which  
ought to be  venerated1 and which are a 
source of even greater profit--in fine1 
as they assailed much-respected dogmas1 
the only answer to them  at first was to
 burn them4 ,the king1 who protected and
 subsidised  them in ,germany1 walked at
 the head of a procession in ,paris1 and
  at the close a number of the wretches 

were executed4 ,this was the  manner of 
execution4 ,they were hung at the end of
 a long beam1 which  was balanced1 like 
a see-saw1 across a tree4 ,a big fire   
was lit  underneath1 and they were      
alternately sunk into it and raised out4
  ,their torments were thus protracted1 
until death relieved them from a  more  
hideous punishment than any barbarian   
had ever invented4    ,shortly before   
the death of ,francis ,i4 certain       
members of the  ,parlement de ,provence1
 instigated by their clergy against the 
inhabitants of ,merindol and ,cabrires1 
asked the king for troops  to support   
the execution of nineteen persons of the
 district whom  they had condemned4     
,they had six thousand slain1 without   
regard to  sex or age or infancy1 and   
they reduced thirty towns to ashes4     
,these  people1 who had not hitherto    
been heard of1 were1 no doubt1 in the   
wrong to have been born ,waldensians2   
but that was their only crime4  ,they   
had been settled for three hundred years

 in the deserts and on  the mountains1  
which they had1 with incredible labour1 
made fertile4  ,their quiet1 pastoral   
life represented the supposed innocence 
of the  first ages of men4 ,they knew   
the neighbouring towns only by selling  
fruit to them4 ,they had no law-courts  
and never warred2 they did  not defend  
themselves4 ,they were slain as one     
slays animals in an  enclosure4         
,after the death of ,francis ,i4--a     
prince who is better known for his      
amours and misfortunes than his         
cruelty--the execution of a thousand    
heretics1 especially of the ,councillor 
of the ,parlement1 ,dubourg1 and  the   
massacre of ,vassy1 caused the          
persecuted sect to take to arms4  ,they 
had increased in the light of the flames
 and under the sword of  the            
executioner1 and substituted fury for   
patience4 ,they imitated  the cruelties 
of their enemies4 ,nine civil wars      
filled ,france with  carnage2 and a     
peace more fatal than war led to the    

massacre of ,st4  ,bartholomew1 which is
 without precedent in the annals of     
crime4    ,the ,catholic ,league        
assassinated ,henry ,,iii4 and ,henry   
,,iv4 by the  hands of a ,dominican     
monk1 and of a monster who had belonged 
to  the order of ,st4 ,bernard4 ,there  
are those who say that humanity1        
indulgence1 and liberty of conscience   
are horrible things4 ,candidly1  could  
they have brought about calamities such 
as these8                   ,,whether   
,,toleration ,,is ,,dangerous1 ,,and    
,,among                        ,,what   
,,peoples ,,it ,,is ,,found    ,there   
are some who say that1 if we treated    
with paternal indulgence  those erring  
brethren who pray to ,god in bad ,french
 instead of bad  ,latin1 we should be   
putting weapons in their hands1 and     
would once  more witness the battles of 
,jarnac1 ,moncontour1 ,coutras1 ,dreux1 
and  ,st4 ,denis4 ,i do not know        
anything about this1 as ,i am not a     
prophet2  but it seems to me an         

illogical piece of reasoning to say3    
8,these men  rebelled when ,i treated   
them ill1 therefore they will rebel when
 ,i  treat them well40    ,i would      
venture to take the liberty to invite   
those who are at  the head of the       
government1 and those who are destined  
for high  positions1 to reflect         
carefully whether one really has ground 
to fear  that kindness will lead to the 
same revolts as cruelty2 whether what   
happened in certain circumstances is    
sure to happen in different             
circumstances2 if the times1 public     
opinion1 and morals are unchanged4      
,the ,huguenots1 it is true1 have been  
as inebriated with fanaticism  and      
stained with blood as we4 ,but are this 
generation as barbaric as  their        
fathers8 ,have not time1 the progress of
 reason1 good books1 and  the humanising
 influence of society had an effect on  
the leaders of  these people8 ,and do we
 not perceive that the aspect of nearly 
the  whole of ,europe has been changed  

within the last fifty years8            
,government is stronger everywhere1 and 
morals have improved4 ,the  ordinary    
police1 supported by numerous standing  
armies1 gives us some  security against 
a return to that age of anarchy in which
 ,calvinistic  peasants fought ,catholic
 peasants1 hastily enrolled between the 
sowing and the harvest4    ,different   
times have different needs4 ,it would be
 absurd to  decimate the ,sorbonne      
to-day because it once presented a      
demand for  the burning of the ,maid of 
,orleans1 declared that ,henry ,,iii4   
had  forfeited his kingdom1             
excommunicated him1 and proscribed the  
great  ,henry ,,iv4 ,we will not think  
of inquiring into the other bodies in   
the  kingdom who committed the same     
excesses in those frenzied days4 ,it    
would not only be unjust1 but would be  
as stupid as to purge all the           
inhabitants of ,marseilles because they 
had the plague in #agbj4    ,shall we go
 and sack ,rome1 as the troops of       

,charles ,v4 did1 because  ,sixtus ,v4  
in #aehe granted an indulgence of nine  
years to all  ,frenchmen who would take 
up arms against their sovereign8 ,is it 
not  enough to prevent ,rome for ever   
from reverting to such excesses8    ,the
 rage that is inspired by the dogmatic  
spirit and the abuse of  the ,christian 
religion1 wrongly conceived1 has shed as
 much blood  and led to as many         
disasters in ,germany1 ,england1 and    
even ,holland1  as in ,france4 ,yet     
religious difference causes no trouble  
to-day in  those ,states4 ,the ,jew1 the
 ,catholic1 the ,greek1 the ,lutheran1  
the  ,calvinist1 the ,anabaptist1 the   
,socinian1 the ,memnonist1 the          
,moravian1  and so many others1 live    
like brothers in these countries1 and   
contribute alike to the good of the     
social body4    ,they fear no longer in 
,holland that disputes about            
predestination  will end in heads being 
cut off4 ,they fear no longer at ,london
 that  the quarrels of ,presbyterians   

and ,episcopalians about liturgies  and 
surplices will lead to the death of a   
king on the scaffold4  ,a populous and  
wealthier ,ireland will no longer see   
its ,catholic  citizens sacrifice its   
,protestant citizens to ,god during two 
months1  bury them alive1 hang their    
mothers to gibbets1 tie the girls to    
the necks of their mothers1 and see them
 expire together2 or put  swords in the 
hands of their prisoners and guide their
 hands to  the bosoms of their wives1   
their fathers1 their mothers1 and their 
daughters1 thinking to make parricides  
of them1 and damn them as  well as      
exterminate them4#ab ,such is the       
account given by ,rapin  ,thoyras1 an   
officer in ,ireland1 and almost a       
contemporary2 so we  find in all the    
annals and histories of ,england4 ,it   
will never be  repeated4 ,philosophy1   
the sister of religion1 has disarmed the
 hands  that superstition had so long   
stained with blood2 and the human mind1 
awakening from its intoxication1 is     

amazed at the excesses into which       
fanaticism had led it4    ,we have in   
,france a rich province in which the    
,lutherans outnumber  the ,catholics4   
,the ,university of ,alsace is in the   
hands of the  ,lutherans4 ,they occupy  
some of the municipal offices2 yet not  
the  least religious quarrel has        
disturbed this province since it came   
into the possession of our kings4 ,why8 
,because no one has ever been           
persecuted in it4 ,seek not to vex the  
hearts of men1 and they are  yours4     
,i do not say that all who are not of   
the same religion as the prince  should 
share the positions and honours of those
 who follow the  dominant religion4 ,in 
,england the ,catholics1 who are        
regarded as  attached to the party of   
the ,pretender1 are not admitted to     
office4  ,they even pay double taxes4   
,in other respects1 however1 they have  
all  the rights of citizens4    ,some of
 the ,french bishops have been suspected
 of holding that it  redounds neither to

 their honour nor their profit to have  
,calvinists  in their dioceses4 ,this is
 said to be one of the greatest         
obstacles  to toleration4 ,i cannot     
believe it4 ,the episcopal body in      
,france  is composed of gentlemen1 who  
think and act with the nobility that    
befits their birth4 ,they are charitable
 and generous2 so much justice  must be 
done them4 ,they must think that their  
fugitive subjects  will assuredly not be
 converted in foreign countries1 and    
that1  when they return to their        
pastors1 they may be enlightened by     
their  instructions and touched by their
 example4 ,there would be honour in     
converting them1 and their material     
interests would not suffer4 ,the  more  
citizens there were1 the larger would be
 the income from the  prelate's estates4
    ,a ,polish bishop had an ,anabaptist
 for farmer and a ,socinian for         
steward4 ,it was suggested that he ought
 to discharge and prosecute  the latter 
because he did not believe in           

consubstantiality1 and the  former      
because he did not baptise his child    
until it was fifteen  years old4 ,he    
replied that they would be damned for   
ever in the next  world1 but that they  
were very useful to him in this4    ,let
 us get out of our grooves and study the
 rest of the globe4 ,the  ,sultan       
governs in peace twenty million people  
of different religions2  two hundred    
thousand ,greeks live in security at    
,constantinople2  the muphti himself    
nominates and presents to the emperor   
the  ,greek patriarch1 and they also    
admit a ,latin patriarch4 ,the ,sultan  
nominates ,latin bishops for some of the
 ,greek islands1 using the  following   
formula3 8,i command him to go and      
reside as bishop in  the island of      
,chios1 according to their ancient usage
 and their  vain ceremonies40 ,the      
empire is full of ,jacobites1           
,nestorians1 and  ,monothelites2 it     
contains ,copts1 ,christians of ,st4    
,john1 ,jews1 and  ,hindoos4 ,the annals

 of ,turkey do not record any revolt    
instigated by  any of these religions4  
,go to ,india1 ,persia1 or ,tartary1 and
 you will find the same  toleration and 
tranquillity4 ,peter the ,great         
patronised all the cults  in his vast   
empire4 ,commerce and agriculture       
profited by it1 and the  body politic   
never suffered from it4    ,the         
government of ,china has not1 during the
 four thousand years of  its known      
history1 had any cult but the simple    
worship of one ,god4  ,nevertheless1 it 
tolerates the superstitions of ,fo1 and 
permits a  large number of bronzes1 who 
would be dangerous if the prudence of   
the courts did not restrain them4    ,it
 is true that the great ,emperor        
,yang-,chin1 perhaps the wisest and     
most magnanimous emperor that ,china    
ever had1 expelled the ,jesuits4  ,but  
it was not because he was intolerant2 it
 was because the ,jesuits  were4 ,they  
themselves give1 in their curious       
letters1 the words of  the good prince  

to them3 8,i know that your religion is 
intolerant2 ,i  know what you have done 
in ,manila and ,japan4 ,you deceived my 
father2  think not to deceive me40 ,if  
you read the whole of his speech to     
them1 you will see that he was one of   
the wisest and most clement of  men4    
,how could he retain ,european          
physicians who1 under pretence of       
showing thermometers and olipiles at    
court1 had carried off a prince  of the 
blood8 ,what would he have said if he   
had read our history and  was acquainted
 with the days of our ,league and of the
 ,gunpowder ,plot8    ,it was enough for
 him to be informed of the indecent     
quarrels of the  ,jesuits1 ,dominicans1 
,franciscans1 and secular priests sent  
into his  ,state from the ends of the   
earth4 ,they came to preach the truth1  
and fell to anathematising each other4  
,hence the emperor was bound  to expel  
the foreign disturbers4 ,but how kindly 
he dismissed them6  ,what paternal care 
did he not devote to their journey1 and 

in order  to protect them from insult on
 the way8 ,their very banishment was a  
lesson in toleration and humanity4      
,the ,japanese were the most tolerant of
 all men4 ,a dozen peaceful  religions  
throve in their empire1 when the        
,jesuits came with a  thirteenth4 ,as   
they soon showed that they would        
tolerate no other1  there arose a civil 
war1 even more frightful than that of   
the ,league1  and the land was          
desolated4 ,in the end the ,christian   
religion was  drowned in blood2 the     
,japanese closed their empire1 and      
regarded  us only as wild beasts1 like  
those which the ,english have cleared   
out of their island4 ,the minister      
,colbert1 knowing how we need the       
,japanese1 who have no need of us1 tried
 in vain to reopen commerce  with their 
empire4 ,he found them inflexible4      
,thus the whole of our continent shows  
us that we must neither preach  nor     
practise intolerance4    ,turn your eyes
 to the other hemisphere4 ,study        

,carolina1 of which the  wise ,locke was
 the legislator4 ,seven fathers of      
families sufficed to  set up a public   
cult approved by the law2 and this      
liberty gave rise  to no disorder4      
,heaven preserve us from quoting this as
 an example  for ,france to follow6 ,we 
quote it only to show that the greatest 
excess of toleration was not followed by
 the slightest dissension4  ,but what is
 good and useful in a young colony is   
not suitable for a  long-established    
kingdom4    ,what shall we say of the   
primitive people who have been          
derisively  called ,quakers1 but who1   
however ridiculous their customs may be1
  have been so virtuous and given so    
useful a lesson of peace to other  men8 
,there are a hundred thousand of them in
 ,pennsylvania4 ,discord  and           
controversy are unknown in the happy    
country they have made for  themselves2 
and the very name of their chief town1  
,philadelphia1  which unceasingly       
reminds them that all men are brothers1 

is an  example and a shame to nations   
that are yet ignorant of toleration4    
,toleration1 in fine1 never led to civil
 war2 intolerance has covered  the earth
 with carnage4 ,choose1 then1 between   
these rivals--between  the mother who   
would have her son slain and the mother 
who yields1  provided his life be       
spared4    ,i speak here only of the    
interest of nations4 ,while respecting  
theology1 as ,i do1 ,i regard in this   
article only the physical and  moral    
well-being of society4 ,i beg every     
impartial reader to weigh  these truths1
 verify them1 and add to them4          
,attentive readers1 who  restrain not   
their thoughts1 always go farther than  
the author4                             
,,how ,,toleration ,,may ,,be ,,admitted
    ,i venture to think that some       
enlightened and magnanimous minister1   
some humane and wise prelate1 some      
prince who puts his interest in  the    
number of his subjects and his glory in 
their welfare1 may deign  to glance at  

this inartistic and defective paper4 ,he
 will supply  its defects and say to    
himself3 ,what do ,i risk in seeing my  
land  cultivated and enriched by a      
larger number of industrious workers1   
the revenue increased1 the ,state more  
flourishing8    ,germany would be a     
desert strewn with the bones of         
,catholics1  ,protestants1 and          
,anabaptists1 slain by each other1 if   
the peace of  ,westphalia had not at    
length brought freedom of conscience4   
,we have ,jews at ,bordeaux and ,metz   
and in ,alsace2 we have ,lutherans1     
,molinists1 and ,jansenists2 can we not 
suffer and control ,calvinists  on much 
the same terms as those on which        
,catholics are tolerated  at ,london8   
,the more sects there are1 the less     
danger in each4  ,multiplicity enfeebles
 them4 ,they are all restrained by just 
laws  which forbid disorderly meetings1 
insults1 and sedition1 and are ever     
enforced by the community4    ,we know  
that many fathers of families1 who have 

made large fortunes  in foreign lands1  
are ready to return to their country4   
,they ask  only the protection of       
natural law1 the validity of their      
marriages1  security as to the condition
 of their children1 the right to inherit
  from their fathers1 and the           
enfranchisement of their persons4 ,they 
ask not for public chapels1 or the right
 to municipal offices and  dignities4   
,catholics have not these things in     
,england and other  countries4 ,it is   
not a question of giving immense        
privileges and  secure positions to a   
faction1 but of allowing a peaceful     
people to  live1 and of moderating the  
laws once1 but no longer1 necessary4 ,it
  is not our place to tell the ministry 
what is to be done2 we do but  ask      
consideration for the unfortunate4      
,how many ways there are of making them 
useful1 and preventing them  from ever  
being dangerous6 ,the prudence of the   
ministry and the  ,council1 supported as
 it is by force1 will easily discover   

these  means1 which are already happily 
employed by other nations4    ,there are
 still fanatics among the ,calvinistic  
populace2 but it is  certain that there 
are far more among the convulsionary    
bigoted  ,catholic populace4 ,the dregs 
of the fanatical worshippers of ,st4    
,mdard count as nothing in the nation2  
the dregs of the ,calvinistic  prophets 
are annihilated4 ,the great means to    
reduce the number of  fanatics1 if any  
remain1 is to submit that disease of the
 mind to  the treatment of reason1 which
 slowly1 but infallibly1 enlightens     
men4 ,reason is gentle and humane4 ,it  
inspires liberality1 suppresses         
discord1 and strengthens virtue2 it has 
more power to make obedience  to the    
laws attractive than force has to compel
 it4 ,and shall we take  no account of  
the ridicule that attaches to-day to the
 enthusiasm of  these good people8      
,ridicule is a strong barrier to the    
extravagance  of all sectarians4 ,the   
past is as if it had never been4 ,we    

must  always start from the             
present--from the point which nations   
have  already reached4    ,there was a  
time when it was thought necessary to   
issue decrees  against those who taught 
a doctrine at variance with the         
categories  of ,aristotle1 the          
abhorrence of a vacuum1 the quiddities1 
the  universal apart from the object4   
,we have in ,europe more than  a hundred
 volumes of jurisprudence on sorcery and
 the way to  distinguish between false  
and real sorcerers4 ,the excommunication
 of  grasshoppers and harmful insects   
has been much practised1 and still      
survives in certain rituals4 ,but the   
practice is over2 ,aristotle and  the   
sorcerers and grasshoppers are left in  
peace4 ,there are countless  instances  
of this folly1 once thought so          
important4 ,other follies  arise from   
time to time2 but they have their day   
and are abandoned4  ,what would happen  
to-day if a man were minded to call     
himself a  ,carpocratian1 a ,eutychian1 

a ,monothelite1 a ,monophysist1 a       
,nestorian1  or a ,manichan8 ,we should 
laugh at him1 as at a man dressed in the
  garb of former days4    ,the nation   
was beginning to open its eyes when the 
,jesuits ,le ,tellier  and ,doucin      
fabricated the bull ,unigenitus and sent
 it to ,rome4 ,they  thought that they  
still lived in those ignorant times when
 the most  absurd statements were       
accepted without inquiry4 ,they ventured
 even  to condemn the proposition1 a    
truth of all times and all places3 8,the
  fear of unjust excommunication should 
not prevent one from doing  one's duty40
 ,it was a proscription of reason1 of   
the liberties of  the ,gallican ,church1
 and of the fundamental principle of    
morals4 ,it  was to say to men3 ,god    
commands you never to do your duty if   
you  fear injustice4 ,never was         
common-sense more outrageously          
challenged6  ,the counsellors of ,rome  
were not on their guard4 ,the papal     
court was  persuaded that the bull was  

necessary1 and that the nation desired  
it2 it was signed1 sealed1 and          
dispatched4 ,you know the results2      
assuredly1 if they had been foreseen1   
the bull would have been  modified4     
,there were angry quarrels1 which the   
prudence and goodness  of the king have 
settled4    ,so it is in regard to a    
number of the points which divide the   
,protestants and ourselves4 ,some are of
 no consequence2 some are more  serious2
 but on these points the fury of the    
controversy has so far  abated that the 
,protestants themselves no longer enter 
into disputes  in their churches4    ,it
 is a time of disgust1 of satiety1 or1  
rather1 of reason1 that may  be used as 
an epoch and guarantee of public        
tranquillity4 ,controversy  is an       
epidemic disease that nears its end1 and
 what is now needed  is gentle          
treatment4 ,it is to the interest of the
 ,state that its  expatriated children  
should return modestly to the homes of  
their  fathers4 ,humanity demands it1   

reason counsels it1 and politics need   
not fear it4                            
,,whether ,,intolerance ,,is ,,of       
,,natural ,,and                         
,,human ,,law    ,natural law is that   
indicated to men by nature4 ,you have   
reared a  child2 he owes you respect as 
a father1 gratitude as a benefactor4    
,you have a right to the products of the
 soil that you have cultivated  with    
your own hands4 ,you have given or      
received a promise2 it must be  kept4   
,human law must in every case be based  
on natural law4 ,all over the  earth the
 great principle of both is3 ,do not    
unto others what you  would that they do
 not unto you4 ,now1 in virtue of this  
principle1  one man cannot say to       
another3 8,believe what ,i believe1 and 
what  thou canst not believe1 or thou   
shalt perish40 ,thus do men speak  in   
,portugal1 ,spain1 and ,goa4 ,in some   
other countries they are now  content to
 say3 8,believe1 or ,i detest thee2     
believe1 or ,i will do  thee all the    

harm ,i can4 ,monster1 thou sharest not 
my religion1 and  therefore hast no     
religion2 thou shalt be a thing of      
horror to thy  neighbours1 thy city1 and
 thy province40    ,if it were a point  
of human law to behave thus1 the        
,japanese should  detest the ,chinese1  
who should abhor the ,siamese2 the      
,siamese1 in  turn1 should persecute the
 ,thibetans1 who should fall upon the   
,hindoos4 ,a ,mogul should tear out the 
heart of the first ,malabarian he  met2 
the ,malabarian should slay the         
,persian1 who might massacre the  ,turk2
 and all of them should fling themselves
 against the ,christians1  who have so  
long devoured each other4    ,the       
supposed right of intolerance is absurd 
and barbaric4 ,it is the  right of the  
tiger2 nay1 it is far worse1 for tigers 
do but tear in  order to have food1     
while we rend each other for paragraphs4
                   ,,whether            
,,intolerance ,,was ,,known ,,to ,,the  
,,greeks    ,the peoples of whom history

 has given us some slight knowledge     
regarded their different religions as   
links that bound them together2  it was 
an association of the human race4 ,there
 was a kind of right  to hospitality    
among the gods1 just as there was among 
men4 ,when a  stranger reached a town1  
his first act was to worship the gods of
  the country2 even the gods of enemies 
were strictly venerated4 ,the  ,trojans 
offered prayers to the gods who fought  
for the ,greeks4    ,alexander1 in the  
deserts of ,libya1 went to consult the  
god ,ammon1  whom the ,greeks called    
,zeus and the ,latins ,jupiter1 though  
they both  had their own ,zeus or       
,jupiter at home4 ,when a town was      
besieged1  sacrifices and prayers were  
offered to the gods of the town to      
secure  their favour4 ,thus in the very 
midst of war religion united men and    
moderated their fury1 though at times it
 enjoined on them inhuman and  horrible 
deeds4    ,i may be wrong1 but it seems 
to me that not one of the ancient       

civilised nations restricted the freedom
 of thought4#ac ,each of them  had a    
religion1 but it seems to me that they  
used it in regard to men  as they did in
 regard to their gods4 ,all of them     
recognised a supreme  ,god1 but they    
associated with him a prodigious number 
of lesser  divinities4 ,they had only   
one cult1 but they permitted numbers of 
special systems4    ,the ,greeks1 for   
instance1 however religious they were1  
allowed the  ,epicureans to deny        
providence and the existence of the     
soul4 ,i need  not speak of the other   
sects which all offended against the    
sound  idea of the creative being1 yet  
were all tolerated4    ,socrates1 who   
approached nearest to a knowledge of the
 ,creator1 is  said to have paid for it1
 and died a martyr to the ,deity2 he is 
the  only man whom the ,greeks put to   
death for his opinions4 ,if that was    
really the cause of his condemnation1   
however1 it is not to the  credit of    
intolerance1 since they punished only   

the man who alone  gave glory to ,god1  
and honoured those who held unworthy    
views of the  ,deity4 ,the enemies of   
toleration would1 ,i think1 be ill      
advised to  quote the odious example of 
the judges of ,socrates4    ,it is      
evident1 moreover1 that he was the      
victim of a furious party1  angered     
against him4 ,he had made irreconcilable
 enemies of the  sophists1 orators1 and 
poets who taught in the schools1 and of 
all  the teachers in charge of the      
children of distinguished men4 ,he      
himself admits1 in his discourse given  
to us by ,plato1 that he went  from     
house to house proving to the teachers  
that they were ignorant4  ,such conduct 
was hardly worthy of one whom an oracle 
had declared  to be the wisest of men4  
,a priest and a councillor of the ,five 
,hundred were put forward to accuse him4
 ,i must confess that ,i do  not know   
what the precise accusation was2 ,i find
 only vagueness in  his apology4 ,he is 
made to say1 in general1 that he was    

accused of  instilling into young men   
sentiments in opposition to the religion
  and government4 ,it is the usual      
method of calumniators1 but a court     
would demand accredited facts and       
precise charges4 ,of these there is  no 
trace in the trial of ,socrates4 ,we    
know only that at first there  were two 
hundred and twenty votes in his favour4 
,from this we may  infer that the court 
of the ,five ,hundred included two      
hundred and  twenty philosophers2 ,i    
doubt if so many could be found         
elsewhere4  ,the majority at length     
condemned him to drink the hemlock2 but 
let  us remember that1 when the         
,athenians returned to their senses1    
they regarded both the accusers and the 
judges with horror2 that  ,melitus1 the 
chief author of the sentence1 was       
condemned to death  for his injustice2  
and that the others were banished1 and a
 temple  was erected to ,socrates4      
,never was philosophy so much avenged   
and  honoured4 ,the case of ,socrates is

 really the most terrible argument  that
 can be used against intolerance4 ,the  
,athenians had an altar  dedicated to   
foreign gods--the gods they knew not4   
,could there be a  stronger proof1 not  
merely of their indulgence to all       
nations1 but  even of respect for their 
cults8    ,a ,french writer1 in         
attempting to justify the massacre of   
,st4  ,bartholomew1 quotes the war of   
the ,phocans1 known as 8the sacred      
war10 as if this war had been inspired  
by cult1 or dogma1 or  theological      
argument4 ,nay1 it was a question only  
of determining to  whom a certain field 
belonged2 it is the subject of all wars4
 ,beards  of corn are not a symbol of   
faith2 no ,greek town ever went to war  
for opinions4 ,what1 indeed1 would this 
gentleman have8 ,would he have  us enter
 upon a 8sacred war08                   
,,whether ,,the ,,romans ,,were         
,,tolerant    ,among the ancient ,romans
 you will not find1 from ,romulus until 
the  days when the ,christians disputed 

with the priests of the empire1  a      
single man persecuted on account of his 
opinions4 ,cicero doubted  everything2  
,lucretius denied everything2 yet they  
incurred not  the least reproach4       
,indeed1 license went so far that       
,pliny1 the  naturalist1 began his book 
by saying that there is no god1 or that1
  if there is1 it is the sun4 ,cicero1  
speaking of the lower regions1  says3   
8,there is no old woman so stupid as to 
believe in them 7,non  est anus tam     
excors qu credat740 ,juvenal says3      
8,even the children  do not believe     
7,nec pueri credunt740 ,they sang in the
 theatre at  ,rome3 8,there is nothing  
after death1 and death is nothing 7,post
  mortem nihil est1 ipsaque mors        
nihil740 ,we may abhor these maxims1    
or1 at the most1 forgive a people whom  
the light of the gospel had  not        
reached2 but we must conclude that the  
,romans were very tolerant1  since they 
did not excite a single murmur4    ,the 
great principle of the ,senate and      

people of ,rome was1 8,offences  against
 the gods are the business of the gods  
7,deorum offensa diis  cur740 ,they     
dreamed only of conquering1 governing1  
and civilising  the world4 ,they were   
our legislators and our conquerors2 and 
,csar1  who gave us roads1 laws1 and    
games1 never attempted to compel us to  
abandon our druids for him1 great       
pontiff as he was of our sovereign      
nation4    ,the ,romans did not profess 
all cults1 or assign public functions to
  all1 but they permitted all4 ,they had
 no material object of worship  under   
,numa1 no pictures or statues2 though   
they presently erected  statues to 8the 
gods of the great nations10 whom they   
learned from  the ,greeks4 ,the law of  
the ,twelve ,tables1 ,deos peregrinos ne
  colunto 8,foreign gods shall not be   
worshipped01 means only that  public    
cult shall be given only to the superior
 divinities approved  by the ,senate4   
,isis had a temple at ,rome until       
,tiberius destroyed it4  ,the ,jews were

 engaged in commerce there since the    
time of the ,punic  war1 and had        
synagogues there in the days of         
,augustus4 ,they kept them  almost      
always1 as in modern ,rome4 ,can there  
be a clearer proof that  toleration was 
regarded by the ,romans as the most     
sacred line of the  law of nations8     
,we are told that1 as soon as the       
,christians appeared1 they were         
persecuted by the ,romans1 who          
persecuted nobody4 ,it seems to me that 
the statement is entirely false1 and ,i 
need only quote ,st4 ,paul  himself in  
disproof of it4 ,in the ,acts of the    
,apostles 7xxv4 #af7  we read that1 when
 ,paul was dragged before the ,roman    
,governor by the  ,jews in some         
religious quarrel1 ,festus said3 8,it is
 not the manner of  the ,romans to      
deliver any man to die before that he   
which is accused  have the accusers face
 to face1 and have license to answer for
  himself40 ,these words are the more   
remarkable for a ,roman magistrate1     

because he seems to have had nothing but
 contempt for ,paul4 ,deceived  by the  
false light of his reason1 he took ,paul
 for a fool1 and  said3 8,much learning 
doth make thee mad40 ,he was1 therefore1
 having  regard only to the equity of   
,roman law in giving his protection to a
  stranger for whom he had no esteem4   
,thus the ,holy ,spirit1 in inspiring   
,acts1 testifies that the ,romans  were 
just1 and did not persecute4 ,it was not
 the ,romans who fell upon  ,paul1 but  
the ,jews4 ,st4 ,james1 the brother of  
,jesus1 was stoned by  the order of a   
,jewish ,sadducee1 not of a ,roman4 ,the
 ,jews alone stoned  ,st4 ,stephen2 and 
,st4 ,paul1 in holding the cloaks of the
 executioners1  certainly did not act as
 a ,roman citizen4#ad    ,the first     
,christians had1 no doubt1 no cause of  
quarrel with the  ,romans2 their only   
enemies were the ,jews1 from whom they  
were  beginning to separate4 ,we know   
the fierce hatred that sectarians       
always have for those who leave the     

sect4 ,there were probably  disturbances
 in the synagogues at ,rome4 ,suetonius 
says1 in his life  of ,claudius3 8,judos
 impulsore ,christo assidue tumultuantes
 ,roma  expulit40#ae ,he was wrong in   
saying that they were instigated by     
,christ1 and was not likely to be well  
informed in detail about  a people so   
much despised at ,rome as the ,jews     
were2 but he was  not mistaken as to the
 subject of the quarrels4 ,suetonius    
wrote  under ,hadrian1 in the second    
century1 when the ,christians were  not 
distinct from the ,jews in ,roman eyes4 
,his words show that the  ,romans1      
instead of oppressing the first         
,christians1 rather coerced  the ,jews  
who persecuted them4 ,they wished the   
,roman synagogue to  deal as indulgently
 with their separated brethren as the   
,senate did4  ,the banished ,jews       
returned soon afterwards1 and even      
attained high  positions1 in spite of   
the laws which excluded them1 as ,dio   
,cassius  and ,ulpian tell us4 ,is it   

possible that1 after the ruin of        
,jerusalem1  the emperors should lavish 
honours on the ,jews1 and persecute1 and
  hand over to the executioner or the   
beasts1 ,christians1 who were  regarded 
as a ,jewish sect8    ,it is said that  
,nero persecuted them4 ,tacitus tells us
 that they were  accused of setting fire
 to ,rome1 and were abandoned to the    
fury of  the people4 ,was that on       
account of their religious belief8      
,certainly  not4 ,shall we say that the 
,chinese who were slain by the ,dutch a 
few years ago in the suburbs of ,batavia
 were sacrificed on account  of         
religion8 ,however much a man may wish  
to deceive himself1 it is  impossible to
 ascribe to intolerance the disaster    
that befell a few  half-,jewish1        
half-,christian men and women at ,rome  
under ,nero4#af                         
,,the ,,martyrs    ,there were          
,christian martyrs in later years4 ,it  
is very difficult  to discover the      
precise grounds on which they were      

condemned2 but ,i  venture to think that
 none of them were put to death on      
religious  grounds under the earlier    
emperors4 ,all religions were tolerated1
  and there is no reason to suppose that
 the ,romans would seek out and         
persecute certain obscure men1 with a   
peculiar cult1 at a time when  they     
permitted all other religions4          
,titus1 ,trajan1 the ,antonines1 and    
,decius were not barbarians4 ,how  can  
we suppose that they deprived the       
,christians alone of a liberty  which   
the whole empire enjoyed8 ,how could    
they venture to charge the  ,christians 
with their secret mysteries when the    
mysteries of ,isis1  ,mithra1 and the   
,syrian goddess1 all alien to the ,roman
 cult1 were  freely permitted8 ,there   
must have been other reasons for        
persecution4  ,possibly certain special 
animosities1 supported by reasons of    
,state1  led to the shedding of         
,christian blood4    ,for instance1 when
 ,st4 ,lawrence refused to give to the  

,roman prefect1  ,cornelius ,secularis1 
the money of the ,christians which he   
held1 the  prefect and emperor would    
naturally be irritated4 ,they did not   
know  that ,st4 ,lawrence had           
distributed the money to the poor1 and  
done a  charitable and holy act4 ,they  
regarded him as rebellious1 and had him 
put to death4#ag    ,consider the       
martyrdom of ,st4 ,polyeuctes4 ,was he  
condemned on the  ground of religion    
alone8 ,he enters the temple1 in which  
thanks are  being given to the gods for 
the victory of the ,emperor ,decius4 ,he
  insults the sacrificing priests1 and  
overturns and breaks the altars  and    
statues4 ,in what country in the world  
would such an outrage be  overlooked8   
,the ,christian who in public tore down 
the edict of the  ,emperor ,diocletian1 
and drew the great persecution upon his 
brethren  in the last two years of the  
reign of that emperor1 had more zeal    
than discretion1 and1 unhappily1 brought
 a great disaster on the body  to which 

he belonged4 ,this unthinking zeal1     
which often broke out1  and was         
condemned even by some of the fathers of
 the ,church1 was  probably the cause of
 all the persecutions4    ,i do not1 of 
course1 compare the early ,protestants  
with the early  ,christians2 one cannot 
put error by the side of truth4 ,but it 
is a  fact that ,forel1 the predecessor 
of ,calvin1 did at ,arles the same      
thing that ,st4 ,polyeuctes had done in 
,armenia4 ,the statue of ,st4  ,antony  
the ,hermit was being carried in        
procession1 and ,forel and  some of his 
companions fell on the monks who carried
 it1 beat and  scattered them1 and threw
 ,st4 ,antony in the river4 ,he deserved
  the death which he managed to evade by
 flight4#ah ,if he had been  content to 
call out to the monks that he did not   
believe that a crow  brought half a loaf
 to ,st4 ,antony the ,hermit1 or that   
,st4 ,antony  conversed with centaurs   
and satyrs1 he would merely have merited
 a  stern rebuke for disturbing public  

order2 and if1 the evening after  the   
procession1 he had calmly studied the   
story of the crow1 the  centaurs1 and   
the satyrs1 they would have had no      
reproach to make him4    ,you think that
 the ,romans would have suffered the    
infamous  ,antinous#ai to be raised to  
the rank of the secondary gods1 and     
would have rent and given to the beasts 
those whose only reproach  was to have  
quietly worshipped one just ,god6 ,you  
imagine that they  would have recognised
 a supreme and sovereign ,god1 master of
 all the  secondary gods1 as we see in  
their formula1 ,deus optimus maximus1   
yet persecuted those who worshipped one 
sole ,god6    ,it is incredible that    
there was any inquisition against the   
,christians--that men were sent among   
them to interrogate them on  their      
beliefs--under the emperors4 ,on that   
point they never troubled  either ,jew1 
,syrian1 ,egyptian1 ,druid1 or          
philosopher4 ,the martyrs  were men who 
made an outcry against what they called 

false gods4 ,it  was a very wise and    
pious thing to refuse to believe in     
them2 but1  after all1 if1 not content  
with worshipping ,god in spirit and in  
truth1 they broke out violently against 
the established cult1 however  absurd it
 was1 we are compelled to admit that    
they were themselves  intolerant4#bj    
,tertullian admits in his ,apology 7ch4 
xxxix47 that the ,christians  were      
regarded as seditious4 ,the charge was  
unjust1 but it shows that  it was not   
merely their religion which stimulated  
the zeal of the  magistrates4 ,he admits
 that the ,christians refused to        
decorate their  doors with laurel       
branches in the public rejoicings for   
the victories  of the emperors2 such an 
affectation might easily be turned into 
the  crime of treason4    ,the first    
period of juridical severity against the
 ,christians was  under ,domitian1 but  
it was generally restricted to a        
banishment that  did not last a year4   
8,facile coeptum repressit1 restitutis  

quos  ipse relegaverat10 says           
,tertullian 8,he quickly repressed the  
work1  restoring those whom he had      
banished04 ,lactantius1 whose style is  
so  vehement1 agrees that the ,church   
was peaceful and flourishing from       
,domitian to ,decius #if-bej ,a4,d44#ba 
,this long peace1 he says1 was  broken  
when 8that execrable animal ,decius     
began to vex the ,church40    ,we need  
not discuss here the opinion of the     
learned ,dodwell that  the martyrs were 
few in number2 but if the ,romans       
persecuted the  ,christian religion1 if 
the ,senate had put to death so many    
innocent  men with unusual              
tortures--plunging ,christians in       
boiling oil and  exposing girls naked to
 the beasts in the circus--how is it    
that they  left untouched all the       
earlier bishops of ,rome8 ,st4 ,irenus  
can count  among them only one martyr1  
,telesphorus1 in the year #aci ,a4,d42  
and we  have no proof that ,telesphorus 
was put to death4 ,zepherinus governed  

the flock at ,rome for twenty-eight     
years1 and died peacefully in  #bai4 ,it
 is true that nearly all the popes are  
inscribed in the early  martyrologies1  
but the word 8martyr0 was then taken in 
its literal  sense1 as 8witness10 not as
 one put to death4    ,it is difficult  
to reconcile this persecuting fury with 
the freedom  which the ,christians had  
to hold the fifty-six ,councils which   
ecclesiastical writers count in the     
first three centuries4    ,there were   
persecutions2 but if they were as       
violent as we are told1  it is probable 
that ,tertullian1 who wrote so          
vigorously against the  established     
cult1 would not have died in his bed4   
,we know1 of course1  that the emperors 
would not read his ,apology--an obscure 
work1  composed in ,africa1 would hardly
 reach those who were ruling the  world4
 ,but it must have been known to those  
who were in touch with  the proconsul of
 ,africa1 and ought to have brought a   
good deal of  ill-feeling on its author4

 ,he did not1 however1 suffer martyrdom4
    ,origen taught publicly at          
,alexandria1 and was not put to death4  
,this same ,origen1 who spoke so freely 
to both pagans and                      
,christians--announcing ,jesus to the   
former and denying a ,god in three      
persons to the latter--says expressly1  
in the third book of his  ,contra       
,celsum1 that 8there have been few      
martyrs1 and those at long  intervals02 
although1 he says1 8the ,christians do  
all in their power  to make everybody   
embrace their religion1 running about   
the towns and  villages40    ,it is     
clear that a seditious complexion might 
be put by the hostile  priests on all   
this running about1 yet the missions    
were tolerated1  in spite of the        
constant and cowardly disorders of the  
,egyptian  people1 who killed a ,roman  
for slaying a cat1 and were always      
contemptible4#bb    ,who did more to    
bring upon him the priests and the      
government than  ,st4 ,gregory          

,thaumaturgus1 a pupil of ,origen8      
,gregory saw1 during  the night1 an old 
man1 sent by ,god1 and a woman shining  
with light2  the woman was the ,virgin1 
and the man ,st4 ,john the ,evangelist4 
,john  dictated to him a creed1 which   
,gregory went out to preach4 ,in going  
to ,neocsarea he passed by a temple in  
which oracles were given1 and  the rain 
compelled him to spend the night in it1 
after making many  signs of the cross4  
,the following day the sacrificing      
priest was  astonished to find that the 
demons who were wont to answer him would
  do so no longer4 ,when he called1 they
 said that they would come no  more1 and
 could not live in the temple1 because  
,gregory had spent the  night in it and 
made the sign of the cross in it4       
,the priest had ,gregory seized1 and    
,gregory said3 8,i can expel the  demons
 from wherever ,i like1 and drive them  
into wherever ,i like40  8,send them    
back into my temple1 then10 said the    
priest4 ,so ,gregory  tore off a piece  

from a book he had in his hand and wrote
 on it3  8,gregory to ,satan3 ,i order  
thee to return to this temple40 ,the    
message was placed on the altar1 and the
 demons obeyed1 and gave the  oracles as
 before4    ,st4 ,gregory of ,nyssa     
tells us these facts in his ,life of    
,st4 ,gregory  ,thaumaturgus4 ,the      
priests in charge of the idols must have
 been  incensed against ,gregory1 and   
wished1 in their blindness1 to denounce 
him to the magistrates4 ,but their      
greatest enemy never suffered           
persecution4    ,it is said that ,st4   
,cyprian was the first bishop of        
,carthage to be  condemned to death1 in 
the year #beh4 ,during a very long      
period1  therefore1 no bishop of        
,carthage suffered for his religion4    
,history  does not tell us what charges 
were made against ,st4 ,cyprian1 what   
enemies he had1 and why the proconsul of
 ,africa was angry with him4  ,st4      
,cyprian writes to ,cornelius1 bishop of
 ,rome3 8,there was1 a short  time ago1 

some popular disturbance at ,carthage1  
and the cry was twice  raised that ,i   
ought to be cast to the lions40 ,it is  
very probable  that the excitement of   
the passionate populace of ,carthage was
 the  cause of the death of ,cyprian2 it
 is1 at all events1 certain that the    
,emperor ,gallus did not condemn him on 
the ground of religion from  distant    
,rome1 since he left untouched          
,cornelius1 who lived under his  eyes4  
,so many hidden causes are associated at
 times with the apparent  cause1 so many
 unknown springs may be at work in the  
persecution of  a man1 that it is       
impossible1 centuries afterwards1 to    
discover the  hidden source of the      
misfortunes even of distinguished men2  
it is  still more difficult to explain  
the persecution of an individual who    
must have been known only to those of   
his own party4    ,observe that ,st4    
,gregory ,thaumaturgus and ,st4 ,denis1 
bishop of  ,alexandria1 who were not put
 to death1 lived at the same time as    

,st4 ,cyprian4 ,how is it that they were
 left in peace1 since they  were1 at    
least1 as well known as the bishop of   
,carthage8 ,and why was  ,cyprian put to
 death8 ,does it not seem as if the     
latter fell a victim  to personal and   
powerful enemies1 under the pretext of  
calumny or  reasons of ,state1 which are
 so often associated with religion1 and 
that the former were fortunate enough to
 escape the malice of men8    ,it is    
impossible that the mere charge of being
 a ,christian led to  the death of ,st4 
,ignatius under the clement and just    
,trajan1 since  the ,christians were    
allowed to accompany and console him    
during his  voyage to ,rome4 ,seditions 
were common at ,antioch1 always a       
turbulent  city1 where ,ignatius was    
secret bishop of the ,christians4       
,possibly  these seditions were imputed 
to the ,christians1 and brought the     
authorities upon them4    ,st4 ,simeon1 
for instance1 was charged before ,sapor 
with being a ,roman  spy4 ,the story of 

his martyrdom tells that ,king ,sapor   
ordered him to  worship the sun1 but we 
know that the ,persians did not worship 
the  sun2 they regarded it as an emblem 
of the good principle ,ormuzd1 the  god 
whom they recognised4    ,however       
tolerant we may be1 we cannot help being
 indignant with the  rhetoricians who   
accuse ,diocletian of persecuting the   
,christians as  soon as he ascended the 
throne4 ,let us consult ,eusebius of    
,csarea1  the favourite and panegyrist  
of ,constantine1 the violent enemy of   
preceding emperors4 ,he says            
7,ecclesiastical ,history1 ,bk4         
,,viii473  8,the emperors for a long    
time gave the ,christians proof of their
  goodwill4 ,they entrusted provinces to
 them2 several ,christians lived  in the
 palace2 they even married ,christians4 
,diocletian married  ,prisca1 whose     
daughter was the wife of ,maximianus    
,galerius40    ,we may well suspect that
 the persecution set afoot by ,galerius1
 after  a clement and benevolent reign  

of twenty-nine years1 was due to some   
intrigue that is unknown to us4#bc      
,the story of the massacre of the       
,theban ,legion on religious grounds  is
 absurd4 ,it is ridiculous to say that  
the legion came from ,asia  by the great
 ,st4 ,bernard ,pass2 it is impossible  
that it should be  brought from ,asia at
 all to quell a sedition in ,gaul--a    
year after  the sedition broke out1     
moreover2 it is not less incredible that
  six thousand infantry and seven       
hundred cavalry could be slain in a     
pass in which two hundred men could hold
 at bay a whole army4 ,the  account of  
this supposed butchery begins with an   
evident imposture3  8,when the earth    
groaned under the tyranny of            
,diocletian1 heaven was  peopled with   
saints40 ,now1 this episode is supposed 
to have taken  place in #bhf1 a time    
when ,diocletian favoured the           
,christians1 and the  empire            
flourished4#bd ,finally--a point which  
might dispense us from  discussion      

altogether--there never was a ,theban   
,legion4 ,the ,romans  had too much     
pride and common-sense to make up a     
legion of ,egyptians1  who served only  
as slaves at ,rome2 one might as well   
talk of a ,jewish  ,legion4 ,we have the
 names of the thirty-two legions which  
represented  the chief strength of the  
,roman ,empire1 and there is no ,theban 
,legion among them4 ,we must relegate   
the fable to the same category  as the  
acrostic verses of the ,sibyls1 which   
foretold the miracles of  ,christ1 and  
so many other forgeries with which a    
false zeal duped the  credulous4        
,,of ,,the ,,danger ,,of ,,false        
,,legends1 ,,and ,,of ,,persecution     
,untruth has imposed on men too long2 it
 is time to pick out the few  truths    
that we can trace amid the clouds of    
legends which brood over  ,roman history
 after ,tacitus and ,suetonius1 and have
 almost always  enveloped the annals of 
other nations4    ,how can we believe1  
for instance1 that the ,romans1 whose   

laws  exhibit to us a people of grave   
and severe character1 exposed to        
prostitution ,christian virgins and     
young women of rank8 ,it is a gross     
misunderstanding of the austere dignity 
of the makers of our laws1  who punished
 so rigorously the frailties of their   
vestal virgins4 ,the  8,sincere ,acts0  
of ,ruinart describe these indignities2 
but are we to  put the 8,acts0 of       
,ruinart on a level with the ,acts of   
the ,apostles8  ,these 8,sincere ,acts0 
say1 according to the ,bollandists1 that
 there  were in the town of ,ancyra     
seven ,christian virgins1 each about    
seventy years old2 that the governor    
,theodectes condemned them to be  handed
 over to the young men of the town2 and 
that he changed the  sentence1 as was   
proper1 and compelled them to assist1   
naked1 in the  mysteries of ,diana--at  
which none ever assisted without a veil4
 ,st4  ,theodotus--who1 to tell the     
truth1 kept a public-house1 but was not 
less zealous on that account--prayed    

ardently to ,god to take these  holy    
maidens out of life1 lest they should   
succumb to temptation4 ,god  heard him4 
,the governor then had them thrown into 
a lake1 with stones  round their necks1 
and they at once appeared to ,theodotus 
and begged  him to see that their bodies
 were not eaten by fishes4    ,the holy 
publican and his companions went during 
the night to the  shore of the lake1    
which was guarded by soldiers4 ,a       
heavenly torch  went before them1 and   
when they came to the spot where the    
guards  were1 a heavenly cavalier1 armed
 from top to toe1 chased the guards1    
lance in hand4 ,st4 ,theodotus drew from
 the lake the bodies of the  virgins4   
,he was brought before the governor--and
 the celestial  cavalier did not prevent
 the soldiers from cutting off his head4
  ,we repeat that we venerate the real  
martyrs1 but it is not easy to  believe 
this story of the ,bollandists and      
,ruinart4    ,shall we tell the story of
 the young ,st4 ,romanus8 ,he was cast  

into  the flames1 says ,eusebius1 and   
certain ,jews who were present insulted 
,jesus ,christ for allowing his         
followers to be burned1 whereas ,god had
  withdrawn ,shadrach1 ,meshach1 and    
,abednego from the fiery furnace4       
,hardly had the ,jews spoken when       
,romanus emerged in triumph from the    
flames4 ,the emperor ordered that he    
should be pardoned1 saying to the  judge
 that he did not want to fall foul of   
,god4 ,curious words for  ,diocletian6  
,the judge1 in spite of the emperor's   
pardon1 ordered the  tongue of ,romanus 
to be cut out2 and1 although he had     
executioners1  he had this operation    
performed by a physician4 ,the young    
,romanus1  who had stuttered from birth1
 spoke volubly as soon as his tongue was
  cut out4 ,the physician1 to show that 
the operation had been properly         
performed1 took a man who was passing   
and cut off just as much of  his tongue 
as he had done in the case of ,romanus1 
and the man died4  8,anatomy teaches    

us10 says the author1 learnedly1 8that a
 man cannot  live without a tongue40 ,if
 ,eusebius really wrote this nonsense1  
and  the passage is not an              
interpolation1 it is difficult to take  
his  history seriously4    ,then there  
is the martyrdom of ,st4 ,felicitas and 
her seven children1  sent to death1 it  
is said1 by the wise and pius           
,antoninus4 ,in  this case it seems     
probable that some writer with more zeal
 than  truthfulness has imitated the    
story of the ,maccabees4 ,the narrative 
begins3 8,st4 ,felicitas was a ,roman1  
and lived in the reign of  ,antoninus40 
,from these words it is clear that the  
author was not a  contemporary of ,st4  
,felicitas4 ,he says that the prtor sat 
to judge  them in the ,campus ,martius4 
,the forgery is exposed by this         
statement4  ,the ,campus ,martius1 which
 had once been used for the elections1  
then  served for reviews of the troops  
and for military games4 ,again1 it is   
said that after the trial the emperor   

entrusted the execution of the  sentence
 to various judges2 which is quite      
opposed to all procedure  at that time  
or in our own4    ,then there is a ,st4 
,hippolytus1 who is supposed to have    
been dragged  by horses1 like           
,hippolytus the son of ,theseus4 ,this  
punishment was  quite unknown to the    
,romans1 and it is merely the similarity
 of name  that has led to the invention 
of the legend4    ,you will observe in  
these accounts of the martyrs1 which    
were  composed entirely by the          
,christians themselves1 that crowds of  
,christians always go freely to the     
prison of the condemned1 follow  him to 
the scaffold1 receive his blood1 bury   
his body1 and work  miracles with his   
relics4 ,if it were the religion alone  
that was  persecuted1 would not the     
authorities have arrested these declared
  ,christians who assisted their        
condemned brethren1 and who were        
accused of performing magic with the    
martyred bodies8 ,would they not  have  

been treated as we treated the          
,waldensians1 the ,albigenses1  the     
,hussites1 and the various sects of     
,protestants8 ,we slew them  and burned 
them in crowds1 without distinction of  
age or sex4 ,is  there1 in any reliable 
account of the ancient persecutions1 any
  single feature that approaches our    
massacre of ,st4 ,bartholomew or the    
,irish massacres8 ,is there a single one
 with any resemblance to the  annual    
festival that is still held at          
,toulouse--a cruel and damnable         
festival1 in which a whole people thanks
 ,god and congratulates itself  that it 
slew four thousand of its               
fellow-citizens two hundred years  ago8 
,i say it with a shudder1 but it is     
true2 it is we ,christians who have     
been the persecutors1 the executioners1 
the assassins4 ,and who were  our       
victims8 ,our brothers4 ,it is we who   
have destroyed a hundred  towns1 the    
crucifix or ,bible in our hands1 and    
have incessantly shed  blood and lit    

flames from the reign of ,constantine to
 the fury of the  cannibals of the      
,cvnes4    ,we still occasionally send  
to the gibbet a few poor folk of        
,poitou1  ,vivarais1 ,valence1 or       
,montauban4 ,since #agde a period of    
seven years  we have hanged eight of    
those men who are known as 8preachers0  
or  8ministers of the gospel10 whose    
only crime was to have prayed ,god  for 
the king in their native dialect and    
given a drop of wine and a  morsel of   
leavened bread to a few silly peasants4 
,these things are  not done at ,paris1  
where pleasure is the only thing of     
consequence1  and people are ignorant of
 what is done in the provinces and      
abroad4  ,these trials are over in an   
hour2 they are shorter than the trial of
  a deserter4 ,if the king were aware of
 them1 he would put an end to  them4    
,catholic priests are not treated thus  
in any ,protestant country4  ,there are 
more than a hundred ,catholic priests in
 ,england and  ,ireland2 they are known1

 and were untouched during the late war4
    ,shall we always be the last to     
embrace the wholesome ideas of other    
nations8 ,they have amended their ways2 
when shall we amend ours8 ,it  took us  
sixty years to admit what ,newton had   
demonstrated2 we are  hardly beginning  
to save the lives of our children by    
inoculation2  and it is only recently   
that we have begun to act on sound      
principles  of agriculture4 ,when shall 
we begin to act on sound principles of  
humanity8 ,how can we have the audacity 
to reproach the pagans with  making     
martyrs when we have been guilty of the 
same cruelty in the  same circumstances8
    ,suppose we grant that the ,romans  
put to death numbers of ,christians  on 
purely religious grounds4 ,in that case 
the ,romans were very  much to blame4   
,why should we be similarly unjust8     
,would we become  persecutors at the    
very time when we reproach them with    
persecuting8    ,if any man were so     
wanting in good faith1 or so fanatical1 

as to say  to me3 8,why do you come to  
expose our blunders and faults8 ,why do 
you destroy our false miracles and false
 legends8 ,they nourish the  piety of   
many people2 there are such things as   
necessary errors2  do not tear out of   
the body an incurable ulcer if it would 
entail  the destruction of the body02 ,i
 should reply to this man3 ,all these   
false miracles by which you shake the   
trust that should be given  to real     
ones1 all these absurd legends which you
 add to the truths  of the gospels1     
extinguish religion in the hearts of    
men4 ,too many  people who long for     
instruction1 and have not the time to   
instruct  themselves1 say3 8,the heads  
of my religion have deceived me1        
therefore there is no religion4 ,it is  
better to cast oneself into the  arms of
 nature than into those of error2 ,i    
would rather depend on the  law of      
nature than on the inventions of men40  
,some are so unfortunate  as to go even 
farther4 ,they see that imposture put a 

curb on them1  and they will not have   
even the curb of truth4 ,they lean to   
atheism4  ,they become depraved1 because
 others have been false and cruel4      
,these1 assuredly1 are the consequences 
of all the pious frauds and  all the    
superstitions4 ,the reasoning of men is1
 as a rule1 only  half-reasoning4 ,it is
 a very poor argument to say3 8,voragin1
 the  author of the ,golden ,legend1 and
 the ,jesuit ,ribadeneira1 compiler  of 
the ,flowers of the ,saints1 wrote sheer
 nonsense2 therefore there  is no ,god4 
,the ,catholics have murdered a certain 
number of ,huguenots1  and the          
,huguenots have murdered a certain      
number of ,catholics2  therefore there  
is no ,god4 ,men have made use of       
confession1  communion1 and all the     
other sacraments1 to commit the most    
horrible  crimes3 therefore there is no 
,god40 ,i should conclude1 on the       
contrary3 ,therefore there is a ,god    
who1 after this transitory life1  in    
which we have known him so little1 and  

committed so many crimes  in his name1  
will vouchsafe to console us for our    
misfortunes4 ,for1  considering the wars
 of religion1 the forty papal schisms   
7nearly  all of which were bloody71 the 
impostures which have nearly all been   
pernicious1 the irreconcilable hatreds  
lit by differences of opinion1  and all 
the evils that false zeal has brought   
upon them1 men have  long suffered hell 
in this world4                          
,,abuses ,,of ,,intolerance    ,do ,i   
propose1 then1 that every citizen shall 
be free to follow his  own reason1 and  
believe whatever this enlightened or    
deluded reason  shall dictate to him8   
,certainly1 provided he does not disturb
 the  public order4 ,it does not depend 
on man to believe or not to believe2    
but it depends on him to respect the    
usages of his country4 ,if you  insist  
that it is a crime to disbelieve in the 
dominant religion1 you  condemn the     
first ,christians1 your fathers1 and you
 justify those  whom you reproach with  

persecuting them4    ,you say that there
 is a great difference2 that all other  
religions  are the work of man1 and the 
,catholic1 ,apostolic1 and ,roman       
,church  alone is the work of ,god4     
,but1 surely1 the fact that our religion
  is divine does not imply that it      
should rule by hatred1 fury1  exile1 the
 confiscation of goods1 imprisonment1   
torture1 murder1  and thanksgiving to   
,god for murder8 ,the more divine the   
,christian  religion is1 the less it is 
the place of man to command it2 if ,god 
is  its author1 he will maintain it     
without your aid4 ,you know well that   
intolerance begets only hypocrites or   
rebels4 ,fearful alternative6  ,would   
you1 indeed1 sustain by executioners the
 religion of a ,god who  fell into the  
hands of executioners1 and who preached 
only gentleness  and patience8          
,reflect on the frightful consequences  
of the right of intolerance4  ,if it    
were allowed to despoil1 cast in prison1
 and put to death a  citizen who1 at a  

certain degree of latitude1 would not   
profess the  religion generally admitted
 at that degree1 how could we except the
  leaders of the ,state from those      
penalties8 ,religion equally binds  the 
monarch and the beggar2 hence more than 
fifty doctors or monks  have made the   
monstrous assertion that it was lawful  
to depose or  slay any sovereign who    
dissented from the dominant religion1   
and the  ,parliaments of our kingdom    
have repeatedly condemned these         
abominable  decisions of abominable     
theologians4#be    ,the blood of ,henry 
the ,great ,,iv4 was still warm when the
 ,parlement  de ,paris issued a decree  
making the independence of the ,crown a 
fundamental law4 ,cardinal ,duperron1   
who owed his position to ,henry  the    
,great1 arose in the ,states of #afad   
against the decree of the  ,parlement1  
and had it suppressed4 ,all the journals
 of the time record  the terms which    
,duperron used in his discourse3 8,if a 
prince became  an ,arian10 he said1 8we 

should be obliged to depose him40       
,let us be allowed to say that every    
citizen is entitled to inherit  his     
father's property1 and that we do not   
see why he should be  deprived of it1   
and dragged to the gibbet1 because he   
takes sides  with one theologian against
 another4    ,we know that our dogmas   
were not always clearly explained and   
universally received in the ,church4    
,christ not having said in what  manner 
the ,holy ,ghost proceeded1 the ,latin  
,church long believed  with the ,greek  
that he proceeded from the ,father only2
 after a time  it added1 in the ,creed1 
that he also proceeded from the ,son4 ,i
 ask  whether1 the day after this       
decision1 any citizen who preferred  to 
keep to the old formula deserved to be  
put to death8 ,but is it  less unjust   
and cruel to punish to-day the man who  
thinks as people  thought in former     
times8 ,were men guilty in the days of  
,honorius ,i4  because they did not     
believe that ,jesus had two wills8      

,it is not long since the ,immaculate   
,conception began to be generally       
accepted2 the ,dominicans still refuse  
to believe it4#bf ,at what  particular  
date will these ,dominicans incur the   
penalties of heresy  in this world and  
the next8    ,if we need a lesson how to
 behave in these interminable disputes1 
we  should look to the apostles and     
evangelists4 ,there was ground for a    
violent schism between ,peter and ,paul1
 and ,paul withstood ,peter to  the     
face1 but the controversy was peacefully
 settled4 ,the evangelists  in turn had 
a great field of combat1 if they had    
resembled modern  writers4 ,they        
contradict each other frequently2 yet we
 find no  dissension among their        
followers over these contradictions1 and
 they  are neatly reconciled by the     
fathers of the ,church4 ,st4 ,paul1 in  
his  epistle to a few ,jews at ,rome who
 had been converted to ,christianity1   
says at the end of the third chapter    
that faith alone glorifies1 and  works  

justify no one4 ,st4 ,james1 on the     
contrary1 in his epistle 7ch4  ii47 says
 constantly that one cannot be saved    
without works4 ,here  is a point that   
has separated two great sects among us1 
yet made no  division among the         
apostles4    ,if the persecution of     
those with whom we dispute were a holy  
action1  the man who had killed most    
heretics would be the greatest saint in 
,paradise4 ,what a poor figure the man  
who had been content to despoil  and    
imprison his brothers would cut by the  
side of the zealot who had  slain       
hundreds of them on ,st4 ,bartholomew's 
day6 ,here is a proof of  it4 ,the      
successor of ,st4 ,peter and his        
consistory cannot err4 ,they  approved1 
acclaimed1 and consecrated the massacre 
of ,st4 ,bartholomew4  ,therefore this  
deed was holy2 and therefore of two     
assassins who were  equal in piety one  
who had killed twenty-four ,huguenot    
women would  have double the glory of   
the man who had killed only a dozen4 ,by

 the  same reasoning the fanatics of    
,cvnes would have ground to believe     
that they would be elevated in glory in 
proportion to the number of  priests1   
monks1 and ,catholic women they had     
slain4 ,it is a strange  title to glory 
in heaven4               ,,whether      
,,intolerance ,,was ,,of ,,divine       
,,right ,,in ,,judaism1                 
,,and ,,whether ,,it ,,was ,,always     
,,practised4#bg    ,divine right means1 
,i believe1 the precepts which ,god     
himself has  given4 ,he ordered that the
 ,jews should eat a lamb cooked with    
lettuces1 and that the eaters should    
stand1 with a stick in their  hands1 in 
commemoration of the ,passover2 he      
commanded that in the  consecration of  
the high-priest blood should be applied 
to his right  ear1 right hand1 and right
 foot4 ,they seem curious customs to us1
 but  they were not to antiquity4 ,he   
ordered them to put the iniquities of   
the people on the goat hazazel1 and     
forbade them to eat scaleless  fishes1  

hares1 hedgehogs1 owls1 griffins1 etc4  
,he instituted feasts  and ceremonies4  
,all these things1 which seem arbitrary 
to other nations1 and a matter  of      
positive law and usage1 being ordered by
 ,god himself1 became a  divine law to  
the ,jews1 just as whatever ,christ     
ordered is a divine  law for us4 ,let us
 not inquire why ,god substituted a new 
law for that  which he gave to ,moses1  
and why he laid more commandments on    
,moses  than on ,abraham1 and more on   
,abraham than on ,noah4 ,it seems that  
he  deigns to accommodate himself to the
 times and the state of the human  race4
 ,it is a kind of paternal gradation4   
,but these abysses are too  deep for our
 feeble sight4 ,let us keep to our      
subject1 and see first  what intolerance
 was among the ,jews4    ,it is true    
that in ,exodus1 ,numbers1 ,leviticus1  
and  ,deuteronomy there are very severe 
laws1 and even more severe  punishments1
 in connection with religion4 ,many     
commentators find  a difficulty in      

reconciling the words of ,moses with the
 words of  ,jeremiah and ,amos1 and     
those of the celebrated speech of ,st4  
,stephen  in ,acts4 ,amos says that in  
the deserts the ,jews worshipped        
,moloch1  ,rempham1 and ,kium4 ,jeremiah
 says explicitly 7vii41 #ab7 that ,god  
asked no sacrifice of their fathers when
 they came out of ,egypt4  ,st4 ,stephen
 says in his speech to the ,jews 7,acts 
vii41 #db73 8,then  ,god turned and gave
 them up to worship the host of heaven2 
as it is  written in the book of the    
prophets1 ,o ye house of ,israel1 have  
ye  offered to me slain beasts and      
sacrifices for the space of forty  years
 in the wilderness8 ,yea1 ye took up the
 tabernacle of ,moloch1  and the star of
 your god ,rempham40    ,other critics  
infer that these gods were tolerated by 
,moses1 and they  quote these words of  
,deuteronomy 7xii41 #h73 8,when ye are  
in the  land of ,canaan1 ye shall not do
 all the things that we do here this    
day1 where every man does what he       

pleases40 ,they find encouragement  in  
the fact that nothing is said of any    
religious act of the people  in the     
desert1 and there is no mention of      
,passover1 ,pentecost1  ,feast of       
,tabernacles1 or public prayer in any   
shape4 ,circumcision1  moreover1 the    
seal of the covenant1 was not practised4
    ,it is enough1 it seems to me1 that 
it is proved by ,holy ,scripture  that1 
in spite of the extraordinary punishment
 inflicted on the ,jews  on account of  
the cult of ,apis1 they had complete    
liberty for a long  time4 ,possibly the 
massacre of twenty-three thousand men by
 ,moses  for worshipping the golden calf
 set up by his brother led him to       
appreciate that nothing was gained by   
severity1 and induced him to  close his 
eyes to the people's passion for strange
 gods4    ,sometimes he seems to        
transgress his own law4 ,he forbade the 
making  of images1 yet set up a brazen  
serpent4 ,we find another deviation     
from the law in the temple of ,solomon4 

,he had twelve oxen carved to  sustain  
the great basin of the temple1 and in   
the ark were placed  cherubim with the  
heads of eagles and calves4 ,it seems to
 have  been this calf-head1 badly made1 
and found in the temple by ,roman       
soldiers1 which led to the belief that  
the ,jews worshipped an ass4    ,the    
worship of foreign gods was vainly      
prohibited4 ,solomon was quite  at his  
ease in idolatry4 ,jeroboam1 to whom    
,god had given ten parts  of the        
kingdom1 set up two golden calves1 and  
ruled for twenty-two  years1 uniting in 
his person the dignities of monarch and 
pontiff4  ,the little kingdom of ,judah 
under ,rehoboam raised altars and       
statues  to foreign gods4 ,the holy king
 ,asa did not destroy the high places4  
,the high-priest ,urijah erects in the  
temple1 in the place of the  altar of   
holocausts1 an altar to the king of     
,syria 7#b ,kings1  xvi474 ,in a word1  
there seems to be no real restraint in  
matters of  religion4 ,i know that the  

majority of the ,jewish kings murdered  
each  other1 but that was always to     
further a material interest1 not on     
account of belief4#bh    ,it is true    
that some of the prophets secured the   
interest of heaven  in their vengeance4 
,elias brought down fire from heaven to 
consume  the priests of ,baal4 ,elisha  
caused forty-two bears to devour the    
children who commented on his baldness4 
,but these are rare miracles1  and facts
 that it would be rather hard to wish to
 imitate4    ,it is also objected that  
the ,jewish people were very ignorant   
and  barbaric4 ,in the war with the     
,midianites ,moses ordered that all  the
 male children and their mothers should 
be slain and the booty  divided4 ,some  
commentators even argue that thirty-two 
girls were  sacrificed to the ,lord3    
8,the ,lord's tribute was thirty and two
  persons virgins0 7,numbers xxxii41    
#dj74 ,that the ,jews did offer  human  
sacrifices is seen in the story of      
,jephthah ,judges xi41 #ci1  and the    

cutting-up of ,king ,agag by the priest 
,samuel4 ,ezekiel even  promises that   
they will eat human flesh3 8,ye shall   
eat the horse and  the rider2 ye shall  
drink the blood of princes40 ,some      
commentators  apply two verses of this  
prophecy to the ,jews themselves1 and   
the  others to the carnivorous beasts4  
,we do not find in the whole history  of
 this people any mark of generosity1    
magnanimity1 or beneficence2  yet some  
ray of toleration escapes always from   
the cloud of their  long and frightful  
barbarism4    ,the story of ,micah and  
the ,levite1 told in chapters xvii4 and 
xviii4  of ,judges1 is another          
incontestable proof of the great liberty
  and toleration that prevailed among   
the ,jews4 ,micah's wife1 a rich        
,ephraimite woman1 had lost eleven      
hundred pieces of silver4 ,her  son     
restored them to her1 and she devoted   
them to the ,lord1 making  images of    
him1 and built a small chapel4 ,a       
,levite served the chapel1  receiving   

ten pieces of silver1 a tunic1 and a    
cloak every year1  besides his food2 and
 ,micah said3 8,now know ,i the ,lord   
will do me  good1 seeing ,i have a      
,levite to my priest0 7xvii41 #ac74     
,however1 six hundred men of the tribe  
of ,dan1 who wanted to seize  some      
village of the district to settle in1   
and had no priest-,levite  to secure the
 favour of ,god for their enterprise1   
went to ,micah's  house1 and took the   
ephod1 idols1 and ,levite1 in spite of  
the  remonstrances of the priest and the
 cries of ,micah and his mother4  ,they 
then proceeded with confidence to attack
 the village of ,lais1  and put         
everything in it to fire and sword1 as  
was their custom4  ,they gave the name  
of ,dan to ,lais in honour of their     
victory1 and  set ,micah's idol on an   
altar2 and1 what is still more          
remarkable1  ,jonathan1 grandson of     
,moses1 was the high priest of this     
temple1 in  which the ,god of ,israel   
and ,micah's idol were worshipped4      

,after the death of ,gideon the ,hebrews
 worshipped ,baal-berith for  nearly    
twenty years1 and gave up the cult of   
,adonai2 and no leader or  judge or     
priest cried for vengeance4 ,their crime
 was great1 ,i admit2  but if such      
idolatry was tolerated1 how much the    
more easily should  we tolerate         
differences within the proper cult4     
,some allege as a proof of intolerance  
that1 when the ,lord himself  had       
allowed his ark to be taken by the      
,philistines in a battle1 the  only     
punishment he inflicted on the          
,philistines was a secret disease1      
resembling hemorrhoids1 the overthrowing
 of the statue of ,dagon1 and  the      
sending of a number of rats into their  
country4 ,and when the  ,philistines1 to
 appease his anger1 had sent back the   
ark1 drawn by  two cows1 which had      
calves1 and offered to ,god five golden 
rats and  five golden anuses1 the ,lord 
slew seventy elders of ,israel and fifty
  thousand of the people for looking at 

the ark4 ,the answer is plain1          
therefore3 the ,lord's chastisement is  
not connected with belief1 or           
difference of cult1 or idolatry4    ,had
 the ,lord wished to punish idolatry1 he
 would have slain all the  ,philistines 
who dared to take his ark1 and who      
worshipped ,dagon2 but  he slew instead 
fifty thousand and seventy men of his   
own people  merely because they looked  
at an ark at which they ought not to    
have  looked4 ,so different are the     
laws1 the morals1 and the economy of the
  ,jews from anything that we know      
to-day2 so far are the inscrutable  ways
 of ,god above our own6 ,however1 ,god  
is not punishing a foreign  cult1 but a 
profanation of his own1 an indiscreet   
curiosity1 an act  of disobedience1     
possibly a spirit of revolt4 ,we realise
 that such  chastisements belong to ,god
 only in the ,jewish theocracy4 ,we     
cannot  repeat too often that these     
times and ways have no relation to our  
own4    ,again1 when in later years the 

idolatrous ,naaman asked ,elisha if  he 
were allowed to accompany his king to   
the temple of ,rimmon1 and  worship with
 him1 ,elisha--the man who caused       
children to be devoured  by             
bears--merely said1 8,go in peace40     
,more remarkable still is the  fact that
 the ,lord orders ,jeremiah to put cords
 and yokes round his  neck1 and send    
them to the kings of ,moab1 ,ammon1     
,edom1 ,tyre1 and  ,sidon1 saying1 on   
the part of the ,lord3 8,i have given   
all your lands  to ,nebuchadnezzar1 king
 of ,babylon1 my servant40 ,here we have
 an  idolatrous king declared to be the 
servant and favourite of ,god4    ,the  
same ,jeremiah1 whom the petty king of  
the ,jews1 ,zedekiah1 had put  in prison
 and then pardoned1 advises the king1 on
 the part of ,god1  to surrender to the 
king of ,babylon4 ,thus ,god takes the  
part of an  idolatrous king4 ,he gives  
him possession of the ark1 the mere     
sight  of which had cost fifty thousand 
and seventy ,jews their lives1 the  holy

 of holies1 and the rest of the temple1 
the building of which  had cost a       
hundred and eight thousand gold talents1
 a million and  seventeen thousand      
silver talents1 and ten thousand gold   
drachmas1  left by ,david and his       
officers for the construction of the    
house of  the ,lord2 which1 without     
counting the funds used by ,solomon1    
amounts  to nineteen thousand and       
sixty-two million francs1 or            
thereabouts1  of our money more than    
#gej1jjj1jjj4 ,never was idolatry so    
signally  rewarded6 ,i am aware that the
 figure is exaggerated1 and may be due  
to a copyist2 but if you reduce the sum 
by half1 or to a fourth or  an eighth1  
it is still astonishing4 ,one is hardly 
less surprised at  the wealth which     
,herodotus says he saw in the temple of 
,ephesus4 ,but  treasures are nothing in
 the eyes of ,god2 the title of his     
8servant10  which is given to           
,nebuchadnezzar1 is the only real       
treasure4    ,god is equally favourable 

to ,kir1 or ,koresh1 or ,kosroes1 whom  
we call  ,cyrus4 ,he calls him 8his     
,christ10 8his ,anointed10 although he  
was not  anointed in the ordinary       
meaning of the word1 and he followed the
  religion of ,zoroaster2 he calls him  
his 8shepherd10 though he was a  usurper
 in the eyes of men4 ,there is no       
greater mark of predilection  in the    
whole of ,scripture4    ,you read in    
,malachi that 8from the east to the west
 the name of ,god  is great among the   
nations1 and pure oblations are         
everywhere offered  to him40 ,god takes 
as much care of the idolatrous          
,ninevites as of the  ,jews2 he         
threatens and pardons them4             
,melchizedech1 who was not a ,jew1      
sacrificed to ,god4 ,the idolatrous     
,balaam was a prophet4 ,scripture       
shows1 therefore1 that ,god not only    
tolerated other peoples1 but took  a    
paternal care of them4 ,and we dare to  
be intolerant6                          
,,extreme ,,tolerance ,,of ,,the ,,jews 

,hence both under ,moses1 the judges1   
and the kings you find constant         
instances of toleration4 ,moses says    
several times 7,exodus xx47  that 8,god 
punishes the fathers in the children1   
down to the fourth  generation02 and it 
was necessary thus to threaten a people 
to whom  ,god had not revealed the      
immortality of the soul1 or the         
punishments  and rewards of another     
life4 ,these truths were not made known 
either  in the ,decalogue or any part of
 ,leviticus or ,deuteronomy4 ,they  were
 dogmas of the ,persians1 ,babylonians1 
,egyptians1 ,greeks1 and  ,cretans2 but 
they by no means formed part of the     
,jewish religion4  ,moses does not say3 
8,honour thy father and thy mother if   
thou  wouldst go to heaven02 but3       
8,honour thy father and thy mother1 that
  thou mayst live long on the earth40   
,he threatens the ,jews only with       
bodily maladies and other material      
evils4 ,nowhere does he tell  them that 
their immortal souls will be tortured   

after death or be  rewarded4 ,god1 who  
himself led his people1 punished or     
rewarded them  at once for their good or
 bad actions4 ,everything was temporal4 
,those who ignorantly maintain that     
,moses taught the immortality of  the   
soul strip the ,new ,testament of one of
 its greatest advantages  over the ,old 
,testament4 ,it is certain that the law 
of ,moses spoke  only of temporal       
chastisement1 down to the fourth        
generation4  ,however1 in spite of the  
precise formulation of this law and the 
express declaration of ,god that he     
would punish down to the fourth         
generation1 ,ezekiel announces the very 
opposite to the ,jews4 ,he says         
7xviii41 #bj7 that the son will not bear
 the iniquity of his father2  and he    
even goes so far as to make ,god say    
that he had given them  8statutes that  
were not good0 7xx41 #be74    ,the book 
of ,ezekiel was nevertheless inserted in
 the canon of  inspired writers4 ,it is 
true that the synagogue did not allow   

any one  to read it until he was thirty 
years old1 as ,st4 ,jerome tells us2    
but that was in order that young men    
might not make evil use of the  too     
candid pictures of vice in chapters xvi4
 and xxiii4 ,the book was  always       
received1 in spite of the fact that it  
expressly contradicted  ,moses4    ,when
 the immortality of the soul was at     
length admitted1 which  probably began  
about the time of the ,babylonian       
captivity1 the  ,sadducees continued to 
believe that there were no punishments  
and  rewards after death1 and that the  
power of feeling and thinking  perished 
with us1 like the power of walking and  
digesting4 ,they  denied the existence  
of angels4 ,they differed from the other
 ,jews  much more than ,protestants     
differ from ,catholics1 yet they        
remained  in the communion of their     
brethren4 ,some of their sect even      
became  high-priests4    ,the ,pharisees
 believed in fatalism and               
metempsychosis4 ,the ,essenians  thought

 that the souls of the just went to the 
,fortunate ,islands1  and those of the  
wicked into a kind of ,tartarus4 ,they  
offered no  sacrifices1 and met in a    
special synagogue4 ,thus1 when we look  
closely into ,judaism1 we are astonished
 to find the greatest  toleration in the
 midst of the most barbaric horrors4 ,it
 is a  contradiction1 we must admit2    
nearly all nations have been ruled by   
contradictions4 ,happy the contradiction
 that brings gentler ways into  a people
 with bloody laws4                      
,,whether ,,intolerance ,,was ,,taught  
,,by ,,christ    ,let us now see whether
 ,jesus ,christ set up sanguinary laws1 
enjoined  intolerance1 ordered the      
building of dungeons of the inquisition1
 or  instituted bodies of executioners4 
,there are1 if ,i am not mistaken1 few  
passages in the gospels from  which the 
persecuting spirit might deduce that    
intolerance and  constraint are lawful4 
,one is the parable in which the kingdom
  of heaven is compared to a king who   

invites his friends to the              
wedding-feast of his son 7,matthew      
xxii474 ,the king says to them1  by     
means of his servants3 8,my oxen and my 
fatlings are killed1 and  all things are
 ready4 ,come unto the marriage40 ,some 
go off to their  country houses1 without
 taking any notice of the invitation2   
others  go about their business2 others 
assault and slay the king's servants4   
,the king sends his army against the    
murderers1 and destroys their  town4 ,he
 then sends out on the high road to     
bring in to the feast all  who can be   
found4 ,one of these sits at table      
without a wedding dress1  and is put in 
irons and cast into outer darkness4     
,it is clear that1 as this allegory     
concerns only the kingdom of  heaven1 it
 certainly does not give a man the right
 to strangle or  put in jail a neighbour
 who comes to sup with him not wearing a
  festive garment4 ,i do not remember   
reading anywhere in history of  a prince
 who had a courtier arrested on that    

ground4 ,it is hardly  more probable    
that1 if an emperor sent his pages to   
tell the princes  of his empire that he 
had killed his fatlings and invited them
 to  supper1 the princes would kill the 
pages4 ,the invitation to the  feast    
means selection for salvation2 the      
murder of the king's envoys  represents 
the persecution of those who preach     
wisdom and virtue4    ,the other parable
 7,luke xiv47 tells of a man who invites
 his  friends to a grand supper4 ,when  
he is ready to sit at table1 he sends   
his servant to inform them4 ,one pleads 
that he has bought an estate1  and must 
go to visit it2 as one does not usually 
go to see an estate  during the night1  
the excuse does not hold4 ,another says 
that he has  bought five pairs of oxen1 
and must try them2 his excuse is as weak
  as the preceding--one does not try    
oxen during the night4 ,a third  replies
 that he has just married2 and that1    
assuredly1 is a good  excuse4 ,then the 
holder of the banquet angrily summons   

the blind and  the lame to the feast1   
and1 seeing that there are still empty  
places1  says to his valet3 8,go out    
into the highways and hedges1 and compel
  them to come in40    ,it is true that 
this parable is not expressly said to be
 a figure  of the kingdom of heaven4    
,there has1 unhappily1 been too much    
abuse  of these words1 8,compel them to 
come in02 but it is obvious that a      
single valet could not forcibly compel  
all the people he meets to  come and sup
 with his master4 ,moreover1 compulsory 
guests of this  sort would not make the 
dinner very agreeable4 ,according to the
  weightiest commentators1 8,compel them
 to come in0 merely means 8,beg1        
entreat1 and press them to come in40    
,what1 ,i ask you1 have this  entreaty  
and supper to do with persecution8      
,if you want to take things literally1  
will you say that a man must  be blind  
and lame1 and compelled by force1 to be 
in the bosom of the  ,church8 ,jesus    
says in the same parable3 8,when thou   

makest a dinner  or a supper1 call not  
thy friends1 nor thy brethren1 neither  
thy  kinsmen1 nor thy rich neighbours40 
,has any one ever inferred from  this   
that we must not dine with our kinsmen  
and friends when they  have acquired a  
little money8    ,after the parable of  
the feast ,christ says 7,luke xiv4 #bf73
 8,if any  man come to me1 and hate not 
his father1 and mother1 and wife1 and   
children1 and brethren1 and sisters1    
yea1 and his own life also1  he cannot  
be my disciple4444 ,for which of you1   
intending to build  a tower1 sitteth not
 down first and counteth the cost80 ,is 
there  anybody in the world so unnatural
 as to conclude that one must hate      
one's father and mother8 ,is it not     
clear that the meaning is3 ,do not      
hesitate between me and your dearest    
affections8    ,the passage in ,matthew 
7xviii41 #ag7 is quoted3 8,if he neglect
  to hear the ,church1 let him be unto  
thee as an heathen man and a  publican40
 ,that does not absolutely say that we  

must persecute pagans  and the farmers  
of the king's taxes2 they are cursed1 it
 is true1  but they are not handed over 
to the secular arm4 ,instead of the     
prerogatives of citizenship being taken 
from these farmers of taxes1  they have 
received the greatest privileges4 ,it is
 the only profession  that is condemned 
in ,scripture1 and the one most in      
favour with  governments4 ,why1 then1   
should we not be as indulgent to our    
erring  brethren as to the              
tax-gatherers8    ,the persecuting      
spirit further seeks a justification of 
itself in  the driving of the merchants 
from the temple and the sending of a    
legion of demons from the body of a     
possessed man into the bodies of  two   
thousand unclean animals4 ,but who can  
fail to see that these are  instances of
 the justice which ,god deigns to render
 to himself for  the contravention of   
his law8 ,it was a lack of respect for  
the house  of the ,lord to change its   
purview into a merchant's shop4 ,it is  

no  use saying that the ,sanhedrim and  
the priests permitted this only  for the
 sake of the sacrifices4 ,the ,god to   
whom the sacrifices were  made might    
assuredly destroy this profanation1     
though he was hidden  in a human form2  
he might also punish those who          
introduced into the  country such       
enormous herds of animals forbidden by a
 law which he  deigned to observe       
himself4 ,these cases have no relation  
whatever to  persecution on account of  
dogma4 ,the spirit of intolerance must  
be  very poor in argument to appeal to  
such foolish pretexts4    ,nearly all   
the rest of the words and actions of    
,christ breathe  gentleness1 patience1  
and indulgence4 ,he does not even break 
out  against ,judas1 who must betray    
him2 he commands ,peter never to use    
the sword2 he reproaches the children of
 ,zebedee1 who1 after the  example of   
,elias1 wanted to bring fire from heaven
 on a town that  refused them shelter4  
,in the end ,christ succumbed to the    

wicked4 ,if one may venture to  compare 
the sacred with the profane--,god with a
 man--his death1  humanly speaking1 had 
some resemblance to the death of        
,socrates4  ,the ,greek philosopher was 
a victim to the hatred of the sophists1 
priests1 and leaders of the people2 the 
legislator of the ,christians  was      
destroyed by the ,scribes1 ,pharisees1  
and priests4 ,socrates might  have      
escaped death1 and would not2 ,jesus    
,christ offered himself  voluntarily4   
,the ,greek philosopher not only        
pardoned his calumniators  and his      
wicked judges1 but begged them to treat 
his children in the  same way if they   
should ever be so fortunate as1 like    
himself1 to  incur their hatred2 the    
legislator of the ,christians1          
infinitely  superior1 begged his father 
to forgive his enemies4    ,if it be    
objected that1 while ,socrates was calm1
 ,jesus ,christ seemed  to fear death1  
and suffered such extreme anguish that  
he sweated  blood--the strongest and    

rarest symptom of fear--this was because
  he deigned to stoop to all the        
weakness of the human body that he  had 
put on4 ,his body trembled--his soul was
 invincible4 ,he taught us  that true   
strength and grandeur consist in        
supporting the evils under  which our   
nature succumbs4 ,it is a splendid act  
of courage to meet  death while you fear
 it4    ,socrates had treated the       
sophists as ignorant men1 and convinced 
them  of bad faith2 ,jesus1 using his   
divine rights1 treated the ,scribes and 
,pharisees as hypocrites1 fools1 blind  
and wicked men1 serpents1 and  vipers4  
,need ,i now ask whether it is tolerance
 or intolerance that is of  divine      
right8 ,if you wish to follow ,jesus    
,christ1 be martyrs1 not  executioners4 
,,the ,,only ,,cases ,,in ,,which       
,,intolerance ,,is ,,humanly ,,lawful   
,for a government to have the right to  
punish the errors of men it  is         
necessary that their errors must take   
the form of crime2 they  do not take the

 form of crime unless they disturbed    
society2 they  disturb society when they
 engender fanaticism2 hence men must    
avoid  fanaticism in order to deserve   
toleration4    ,if a few young ,jesuits1
 knowing that the ,church has condemned 
the  ,jansenists1 proceed to burn a     
house of the ,oratorian priests because 
the ,oratorian ,quesnel was a           
,jansenist1 it is clear that these      
,jesuits  ought to be punished4         
,again1 if the ,jesuits have acted upon 
improper maxims1 and their  institute is
 contrary to the laws of the kingdom1   
their society must  be dissolved1 and   
the ,jesuits must be abolished and      
turned into  citizens4 ,the evil done to
 them is imaginary--the good is real4   
,what  hardship is there in wearing a   
short coat instead of a long black      
robe1 and being free instead of being a 
slave8    ,if the ,franciscan monks1    
carried away by a holy zeal for the     
,virgin  ,mary1 go and destroy a        
,dominican convent1 because the         

,dominicans  believe that ,mary was born
 in original sin1 it will be necessary  
to  treat the ,franciscans in much the  
same way as the ,jesuits4    ,we may say
 the same of the ,lutherans and         
,calvinists4 ,it is useless  for them to
 say that they follow the promptings of 
their consciences1  that it is better to
 obey ,god than men1 or that they are   
the true  flock1 and must exterminate   
the wolves4 ,in such cases they are     
wolves  themselves4    ,one of the most 
remarkable examples of fanaticism is    
found in a  small ,danish sect1 whose   
principle was excellent4 ,they desired  
to  secure eternal salvation for their  
brethren2 but the consequences  of the  
principle were peculiar4 ,they knew that
 all infants which die  unbaptised are  
damned1 and that those which are so     
fortunate as to  die immediately after  
baptism enjoy eternal glory4 ,they      
therefore  proceeded to kill all the    
newly-baptised boys and girls that they 
could find4 ,no doubt this was a way of 

securing for them the highest           
conceivable happiness and preserving    
them from the sin and misery of  this   
life4 ,but these charitable folk forgot 
that it is not lawful  to do a little   
evil that a great good may follow2 that 
they had no  right to the lives of these
 children2 that the majority of parents 
are carnal enough to prefer to keep     
their children rather than see  them    
slain in order to enter paradise2 and   
that the magistrate has to  punish      
homicide1 even when it is done with a   
good intention4    ,the ,jews would seem
 to have a better right than any to rob 
and kill  us4 ,though there are a       
hundred instances of toleration in the  
,old  ,testament1 there are also some   
instances and laws of severity4 ,god    
has at times commanded them to kill     
idolaters1 and reserve only the         
marriageable girls4 ,now they regard us 
as idolaters1 and1 although we  tolerate
 them to-day1 it is possible that1 if   
they became masters1  they would suffer 

only our girls to live4    ,they would1 
at least1 be absolutely compelled to    
slay all the ,turks1  because the ,turks
 occupy the lands of the ,hittites1     
,jebusites1  ,amorrhans1 ,jersensans1   
,hevans1 ,aracans1 ,cinans1 ,hamatans1  
and  ,samaritans4 ,all these peoples    
were anathematised1 and their country1  
which was more than seventy-five miles  
long1 was given to the  ,jews in several
 consecutive covenants4 ,they ought to  
regain their  possessions1 which the    
,mohammedans have usurped for the last  
thousand  years4    ,if the ,jews were  
now to reason in this way1 it is clear  
that the only  reply we should make     
would be to put them in the galleys4    
,these are almost the only cases in     
which intolerance seems reasonable4     
,,account ,,of ,a ,,controversial       
,,dispute ,,in ,,china    ,in the early 
years of the reign of the great ,emperor
 ,kam-hi a  mandarin of the city of     
,canton heard from his house a great    
noise1  which proceeded from the next   

house4 ,he inquired if anybody was      
being killed1 and was told that the     
almoner of the ,danish missionary       
society1 a chaplain from ,batavia1 and a
 ,jesuit were disputing4 ,he had  them  
brought to his house1 put tea and sweets
 before them1 and asked  why they       
quarrelled4    ,the ,jesuit replied that
 it was very painful for him1 since he  
was  always right1 to have to do with   
men who were always wrong2 that he  had 
at first argued with the greatest       
restraint1 but had at length  lost      
patience4    ,the mandarin1 with the    
utmost discretion1 reminded them that   
politeness was needed in all discussion1
 told them that in ,china men  never    
became angry1 and asked the cause of the
 dispute4    ,the ,jesuit answered3 8,my
 lord1 ,i leave it to you to decide4    
,these two  gentlemen refuse to submit  
to the decrees of the ,council of       
,trent40    8,i am astonished10 said the
 mandarin4 ,then1 turning to the        
refractory pair1 he said3 8,gentlemen1  

you ought to respect the  opinions of a 
large gathering4 ,i do not know what the
 ,council of  ,trent is1 but a number of
 men are always better informed than a  
single one4 ,no one ought to imagine    
that he is better than others1  and has 
a monopoly of reason4 ,so our great     
,confucius teaches2 and1  believe me1   
you will do well to submit to the       
,council of ,trent40    ,the ,dane then 
spoke4 8,my lord speaks with the        
greatest wisdom10 he  said2 8we respect 
great councils1 as is proper1 and       
therefore we are  in entire agreement   
with several that were held before the  
,council of  ,trent40    8,oh1 if that  
is the case10 said the mandarin1 8,i beg
 your pardon4  ,you may be right4 ,so   
you and this ,dutchman are of the same  
opinion1  against this poor ,jesuit40   
8,not a bit10 said the ,dutchman4 8,this
 fellow's opinions are almost  as       
extravagant as those of the ,jesuit     
yonder1 who has been so very  amiable to
 you4 ,i can't bear them40    8,i don't 

understand10 said the mandarin4 8,are   
you not all three  ,christians8 ,have   
you not all three come to teach         
,christianity in our  empire8 ,ought you
 not1 therefore1 to hold the same       
dogmas80    8,it is this way1 my lord10 
said the ,jesuit2 8these two are mortal 
enemies1 and are both against me4 ,hence
 it is clear that they are  both wrong1 
and ,i am right40    8,that is not quite
 clear10 said the mandarin2 8strictly   
speaking1 all  three of you may be      
wrong4 ,i should like to hear you all1  
one after  the other40    ,the ,jesuit  
then made a rather long speech1 during  
which the ,dane  and the ,dutchman      
shrugged their shoulders4 ,the mandarin 
did not  understand a word of it4 ,then 
the ,dane spoke2 the two opponents      
regarded each other with pity1 and the  
mandarin again failed to  understand4   
,the ,dutchman had the same effect4 ,in 
the end they all  spoke together and    
abused each other roundly4 ,the good    
mandarin  secured silence with great    

difficulty1 and said3 8,if you want us  
to tolerate your teaching here1 begin by
 being yourselves neither  intolerant   
nor intolerable40    ,when they went out
 the ,jesuit met a ,dominican friar1 and
 told him  that he had won1 adding that 
truth always triumphed4 ,the ,dominican 
said3 8,had ,i been there1 you would not
 have won2 ,i should have  convicted you
 of lying and idolatry40 ,the quarrel   
became warm1 and  the ,jesuit and       
,dominican took to pulling each other's 
hair4 ,the  mandarin1 on hearing of the 
scandal1 sent them both to prison4 ,a   
sub-mandarin said to the judge3 8,how   
long does your excellency wish  them to 
be kept in prison80 8,until they agree10
 said the judge4  8,then10 said the     
sub-mandarin1 8they are in prison for   
life40 8,in  that case10 said the judge1
 8until they forgive each other40 8,they
  will never forgive each other10 said  
the other2 8,i know them40  8,then10    
said the mandarin1 8let them stop there 
until they pretend to  forgive each     

other40           ,,whether ,,it ,,is   
,,useful ,,to ,,maintain ,,the ,,people 
,,in ,,superstition    ,such is the     
weakness1 such the perversity1 of the   
human race that  it is better1 no doubt1
 for it to be subject to all conceivable
  superstitions1 provided they be not   
murderous1 than to live  without        
religion4 ,man has always needed a curb2
 and1 although it  was ridiculous to    
sacrifice to fauns or naiads1 it was    
much more  reasonable and useful to     
worship these fantastic images of the   
deity  than to sink into atheism4 ,a    
violent atheist would be as great a     
plague as a violent superstitious man4  
,when men have not sound ideas of the   
divinity1 false ideas will take  their  
place2 just as1 in ages of              
impoverishment1 when there is not  sound
 money1 people use bad coin4 ,the pagan 
feared to commit a crime  lest he should
 be punished by his false gods2 the     
,asiatic fears the  chastisement of his 
pagoda4 ,religion is necessary wherever 

there is a  settled society4 ,the laws  
take care of known crimes2 religion     
watches  secret crime4    ,but once men 
have come to embrace a pure and holy    
religion1  superstition becomes1 not    
merely useless1 but dangerous4 ,we must 
not  feed on acorns those to whom ,god  
offers bread4    ,superstition is to    
religion what astrology is to           
astronomy--the mad  daughter of a wise  
mother4 ,these daughters have too long  
dominated  the earth4    ,when1 in our  
ages of barbarism1 there were scarcely  
two feudal lords  who had a ,new        
,testament in their homes1 it might be  
pardonable to  press fables on the      
vulgar2 that is to say1 on these feudal 
lords1  their weak-minded wives1 and    
their brutal vassals4 ,they were led to 
believe that ,st4 ,christopher had      
carried the infant ,jesus across  a     
river2 they were fed with stories of    
sorcery and diabolical  possession2 they
 readily believed that ,st4 ,genou      
healed gout1 and  ,st4 ,claire sore     

eyes4 ,the children believed in the     
werewolf1 and  their parents in the     
girdle of ,st4 ,francis4 ,the number of 
relics was  incalculable4    ,the       
sediment of these superstitions remained
 among the people even  when religion   
had been purified4 ,we know that when   
,m4 de ,noailles1  ,bishop of ,chalons1 
removed and threw in the fire the       
pretended  relic of the sacred navel of 
,jesus ,christ the town of ,chalons took
  proceedings against him4 ,but his     
courage was equal to his piety1 and  he 
succeeded in convincing the people that 
they could worship ,jesus  ,christ in   
spirit and truth without having his     
navel in their church4    ,the          
,jansenists contributed not a little    
gradually to root out from  the mind of 
the nation the false ideas that         
dishonoured the ,christian  religion4   
,people ceased to believe that it       
sufficed to pray for  thirty days to the
 ,virgin to obtain all that they wished1
 and sin  with impunity4    ,in the end 

the citizens began to suspect that it   
was not really ,st4  ,genevieve who gave
 or withheld rain1 but ,god himself who 
disposed of  the elements4 ,the monks   
were astonished to see that their saints
 no  longer worked miracles4 ,if the    
writers of the life of ,st4 ,francis    
,xavier returned to this world1 they    
would not dare to say that the  saint   
raised nine people from the dead1 that  
he was in two places at  the same time1 
and that1 when his crucifix fell into   
the sea1 a crab  restored it to him4    
,it is the same with excommunication4   
,historians tell us that when  ,king    
,robert had been excommunicated by ,pope
 ,gregory ,v41 for marrying  his        
godmother1 the ,princess ,bertha1 his   
servants threw out of the  window the   
meat served up to the king1 and ,queen  
,bertha was delivered  of a goose in    
punishment of the incestuous marriage4  
,i doubt if  in our time the waiters of 
the king of ,france would1 if he were   
excommunicated1 throw his dinner out of 

the window1 and whether the  queen would
 give birth to a gosling4    ,there     
remain1 it is true1 a few bigoted       
fanatics in the suburbs2 but  the       
disease1 like vermin1 attacks only the  
lowest of the populace4  ,every day     
reason penetrates farther into ,france1 
into the shops of  merchants as well as 
the mansions of lords4 ,we must         
cultivate the  fruits of reason1 the    
more willingly since it is now          
impossible to  prevent them from        
developing4 ,france1 enlightened by     
,pascal1 ,nicole1  ,arnaud1 ,bossuet1   
,descartes1 ,gassendi1 ,bayle1          
,fontenelle1 etc41 cannot  be ruled as  
it was ruled in earlier times4    ,if   
the masters of error--the grand         
masters--so long paid and honoured  for 
brutalising the human species1 ordered  
us to-day to believe  that the seed must
 die in order to germinate2 that the    
earth stands  motionless on its         
foundations--that it does not travel    
round the sun2  that the tides are not a

 natural effect of gravitation2 that the
  rainbow is not due to the refraction  
and reflection of light1 etc41  and     
based their decrees on ill-understood   
passages of ,scripture1 we  know how    
they would be regarded by educated men4 
,would it be too  much to call them     
fools8 ,and if these masters employed   
force and  persecution to secure the    
ascendancy of their insolent ignorance1 
would it be improper to speak of them as
 wild beasts8    ,the more the          
superstitions of the monks are despised1
 the more  the bishops and priests are  
respected2 while they do good1 the      
monkish superstitions from ,rome do     
nothing but evil4 ,and of all  these    
superstitions1 is not the most dangerous
 that of hating one's  neighbour on     
account of his opinions8 ,and is it not 
evident that it  would be even more     
reasonable to worship the sacred navel1 
the sacred  prepuce1 and the milk and   
dress of the ,virgin ,mary1 than to     
detest  and persecute one's brother8    

,,virtue ,,better ,,than ,,science      
,the less we have of dogma1 the less    
dispute2 the less we have of  dispute1  
the less misery4 ,if that is not true1  
,i am wrong4    ,religion was instituted
 to make us happy in this world and the 
next4  ,what must we do to be happy in  
the next world8 ,be just4#bi ,what must 
we do to be happy in this world1 as far 
as the misery of our nature  allows8 ,be
 indulgent4    ,it would be the height  
of folly to pretend to bring all men to 
have  the same thoughts in metaphysics4 
,it would be easier to subdue the  whole
 universe by arms than to subdue all the
 minds in a single city4    ,euclid     
easily persuaded all men of the truths  
of geometry4 ,how8  ,because every      
single one of them is a corollary of the
 axiom1 8,two  and two make four40 ,it  
is not exactly the same in the mixture  
of  metaphysics and theology4    ,when  
,bishop ,alexander and the priest ,arius
 began in the fourth  century to dispute
 as to the way in which the ,logos      

emanated from  the ,father1 the ,emperor
 ,constantine at first wrote to them as 
follows  7as we find in ,eusebius and   
,socrates73 8,you are great fools to    
dispute about things you do not         
understand40    ,if the two parties had 
been wise enough to perceive that the   
emperor  was right1 the ,christian world
 would not have been stained with blood 
for three hundred years4    ,what1      
indeed1 can be more stupid and more     
horrible than to say to  men3 8,my      
friends1 it is not enough to be loyal   
subjects1 submissive  children1 tender  
fathers1 just neighbours1 and to        
practise every  virtue1 cultivate       
friendship1 avoid ingratitude1 and      
worship  ,christ in peace2 you must1 in 
addition1 know how one is engendered    
from all eternity1 and how to           
distinguish the homoousion in the       
hypostasis1 or we shall condemn you to  
be burned for ever1 and will  meantime  
put you to death08    ,had such a       
proposition been made to ,archimedes1 or

 ,poseidonius1 or  ,varro1 or ,cato1 or 
,cicero1 what would he have said8       
,constantine did not persevere in his   
resolution to impose silence  on the    
contending parties4 ,he might have      
invited the leaders of the  pious frenzy
 to his palace and asked them what      
authority they had to  disturb the      
world3 8,have you the title-deeds of the
 divine family8  ,what does it matter to
 you whether the ,logos was made or     
engendered1  provided men are loyal to  
him1 preach a sound morality1 and       
practise  it as far as they can8 ,i have
 done many wrong things in my time1  and
 so have you4 ,you are ambitious1 so am 
,i4 ,the empire has cost me  much       
knavery and cruelty2 ,i have murdered   
nearly all my relatives4 ,i  repent1 and
 would expiate my crimes by restoring   
peace to the ,roman  ,empire4 ,do not   
prevent me from doing the only good that
 can efface  my earlier barbarity4 ,help
 me to end my days in peace40 ,possibly 
he  would have had no influence on the  

disputants2 possibly he would have  been
 flattered to find himself1 in long red 
robe1 his head covered  with jewels1    
presiding at a council4    ,yet this it 
was that opened the gate to all the     
plagues that came  from ,asia upon the  
,west4 ,from every disputed verse of    
,scripture there  issued a fury1 armed  
with a sophism and a sword1 that goaded 
men to  madness and cruelty4 ,the       
marauding ,huns and ,goths and ,vandals 
did  infinitely less harm2 and the      
greatest harm they did was to join      
themselves in these fatal disputes4     
,,of ,,universal ,,toleration    ,one   
does not need great art and skilful     
eloquence to prove that  ,christians    
ought to tolerate each other--nay1 even 
to regard all  men as brothers4 ,why1   
you say1 is the ,turk1 the ,chinese1 or 
the ,jew  my brother8 ,assuredly2 are we
 not all children of the same father1   
creatures of the same ,god8    ,but     
these people despise us and treat us as 
idolaters4 ,very well2 ,i  will tell    

them that they are quite wrong4 ,it     
seems to me that ,i might  astonish1 at 
least1 the stubborn pride of a          
,mohammedan or a ,buddhist  priest if ,i
 spoke to them somewhat as follows3     
,this little globe1 which is but a      
point1 travels in space like many  other
 globes2 we are lost in the immensity4  
,man1 about five feet  high1 is         
certainly a small thing in the universe4
 ,one of these  imperceptible beings    
says to some of his neighbours1 in      
,arabia or  ,south ,africa3 8,listen to 
me1 for the ,god of all these worlds has
  enlightened me4 ,there are nine       
hundred million little ants like us on  
the earth1 but my ant-hole alone is dear
 to ,god4 ,all the others are  eternally
 reprobated by him4 ,mine alone will be 
happy40    ,they would then interrupt   
me1 and ask who was the fool that talked
  all this nonsense4 ,i should be       
obliged to tell them that it was        
themselves4 ,i would then try to appease
 them1 which would be  difficult4    ,i 

would next address myself to the        
,christians1 and would venture  to say  
to1 for instance1 a ,dominican friar--an
 inquisitor of the  faith3 8,brother1   
you are aware that each province in     
,italy has its  own dialect1 and that   
people do not speak at ,venice and      
,bergamo as  they do at ,florence4 ,the 
,academy of ,la ,crusca has fixed the   
language4  ,its dictionary is a rule    
that has to be followed1 and the grammar
 of  ,matei is an infallible guide4 ,but
 do you think that the consul of  the   
,academy1 or ,matei in his absence1     
could in conscience cut out  the tongues
 of all the ,venetians and the          
,bergamese who persisted in  speaking   
their own dialect80    ,the inquisitor  
replies3 8,the two cases are very       
different4 ,in our  case it is a        
question of your eternal salvation4 ,it 
is for your good  that the heads of the 
inquisition direct that you shall be    
seized  on the information of any one   
person1 however infamous or criminal2   

that you shall have no advocate to      
defend you2 that the name of your       
accuser shall not be made known to you2 
that the inquisitor shall  promise you  
pardon and then condemn you2 and that   
you shall then be  subjected to five    
kinds of torture1 and afterwards either 
flogged or  sent to the galleys or      
ceremoniously burned4 ,on this ,father  
,ivonet1  ,doctor ,chucalon1 ,zanchinus1
 ,campegius1 ,royas1 ,telinus1 ,gomarus1
  ,diabarus1 and ,gemelinus are         
explicit1 and this pious practice admits
  of no exception40#cj    ,i would take 
the liberty of replying3 8,brother1     
possibly you are  right4 ,i am convinced
 that you wish to do me good4 ,but could
 ,i not be  saved without all that80    
,it is true that these absurd horrors do
 not stain the face of the  earth every 
day2 but they have often done so1 and   
the record of them  would make up a     
volume much larger than the gospels     
which condemn  them4 ,not only is it    
cruel to persecute1 in this brief life1 

those  who differ from us1 but ,i am not
 sure if it is not too bold to  declare 
that they are damned eternally4 ,it     
seems to me that it is  not the place of
 the atoms of a moment1 such as we are1 
thus to  anticipate the decrees of the  
,creator4 ,far be it from me to question
  the principle1 8,out of the ,church   
there is no salvation40 ,i respect  it1 
and all that it teaches2 but do we      
really know all the ways of  ,god1 and  
the full range of his mercies8 ,may we  
not hope in him as  much as fear him8   
,it is not enough to be loyal to the    
,church8 ,must  each individual usurp   
the rights of the ,deity1 and decide1   
before he  does1 the eternal lot of all 
men8    ,when we wear mourning for a    
king of ,sweden1 ,denmark1 ,england1 or 
,prussia1 do we say that we wear        
mourning for one who burns eternally  in
 hell8 ,there are in ,europe forty      
million people who are not of the       
,church of ,rome4 ,shall we say to each 
of them3 8,sir1 seeing that you  are    

infallibly damned1 ,i will neither eat1 
nor deal1 nor speak with  you08    ,what
 ambassador of ,france1 presented in    
audience to the ,sultan1  would say in  
the depths of his heart3 8,his ,highness
 will undoubtedly  burn for all eternity
 because he has been circumcised08 ,if  
he really  believed that the ,sultan is 
the mortal enemy of ,god1 the object of 
his vengeance1 could he speak to him8   
,ought he to be sent to him8  ,with whom
 could we have intercourse8 ,what duty  
of civil life could  we ever fulfil if  
we were really convinced that we were   
dealing with  damned souls8             
,followers of a merciful ,god1 if you   
were cruel of heart2 if1 in  worshipping
 him whose whole law consisted in loving
 one's neighbour  as oneself1 you had   
burdened this pure and holy law with    
sophistry  and unintelligible disputes2 
if you had lit the fires of discord  for
 the sake of a new word or a single     
letter of the alphabet2 if  you had     
attached eternal torment to the omission

 of a few words or  ceremonies that     
other peoples could not know1 ,i should 
say to you3    8,transport yourselves   
with me to the day on which all men will
 be  judged1 when ,god will deal with   
each according to his works4 ,i see  all
 the dead of former ages and of our own 
stand in his presence4  ,are you sure   
that our ,creator and ,father will say  
to the wise  and virtuous ,confucius1 to
 the lawgiver ,solon1 to ,pythagoras1 to
  ,zaleucus1 to ,socrates1 to ,plato1 to
 the divine ,antonines1 to the  good    
,trajan1 to ,titus1 the delight of the  
human race1 to ,epictetus1  and to so   
many other model men3 8,go1 monsters1 go
 and submit to a  chastisement infinite 
in its intensity and duration2 your     
torment  shall be as eternal as ,i4 ,and
 you1 my beloved1 ,jean ,chatel1        
,ravaillac1 ,damiens1 ,cartouche1 etc4  
assassins in the cause of the  ,church1 
who have died with the prescribed       
formul1 come and share my  empire and   
felicity for ever40#ca    ,you shrink   

with horror from such sentiments2 and1  
now that they have  escaped me1 ,i have 
no more to say to you4                  
,,on ,,superstition      ,,my           
,,brethren3    ,you are aware that all  
prominent nations have set up a public  
cult4  ,men have at all times assembled 
to deal with their interests and        
communicate their needs1 and it was     
quite natural that they should  open    
these meetings with some expression of  
the respect and love  which they owe to 
the author of their lives4 ,this homage 
has been  compared to the respect which 
children pay to their father1 and       
subjects to their sovereign4 ,these are 
but feeble images of the  worship of    
,god4 ,the relations of man to man have 
no proportion to the  relation of the   
creature to the ,supreme ,being2 there  
is no affinity  between them4 ,it would 
even be blasphemy to render homage to   
,god in  the form of a monarch4 ,a ruler
 of the whole earth--if there could  be 
such a person1 and all men were so      

unhappy as to be subject to  one        
man--would be but a worm of the earth1  
commanding other worms  of the earth2 he
 would still be infinitely lower than   
the ,deity4  ,in republics1 moreover1   
which are unquestionably earlier than   
any  monarchy1 how could ,god be        
conceived in the shape of a king8 ,if it
  be necessary to represent ,god in any 
sensible form1 the idea of a  father1   
defective as it is1 would seem to be the
 best fitted to our  weakness4    ,but  
emblems of the ,deity were one of the   
first sources of  superstition4 ,as soon
 as we made ,god in our own image1 the  
divine  cult was perverted4 ,having     
dared to represent ,god in the form of a
  man1 our wretched imagination1 which  
never halts1 ascribed to him all  the   
vices of a man4 ,we regarded him only as
 a powerful master1 and we  charged him 
with abuse of power2 we described him as
 proud1 jealous1  angry1 vindictive1    
maleficent1 capricious1 pitilessly      
destructive1  a despoiler of some to    

enrich others1 with no other reason but 
his  will4 ,our ideas are confined to   
the things about us2 we conceive  hardly
 anything except by similitudes2 and so1
 when the earth was  covered with       
tyrants1 ,god was regarded as the first 
of tyrants4 ,it  was much worse when the
 ,deity was presented in emblems taken  
from  animals and plants4 ,god became an
 ox1 serpent1 crocodile1 ape1 cat1  or  
lamb2 bellowing1 hissing1 devouring1 and
 being devoured4    ,the superstition of
 almost all nations has been so horrible
 that1 did  not the monuments of it     
survive1 it would be impossible to      
believe  the accounts of it4 ,the       
history of the world is the history of  
fanaticism4    ,have there been innocent
 superstitions among the monstrous forms
 that  have covered the earth8 ,can we  
not distinguish between poisons which   
have been used as remedies and poisons  
which have retained their  murderous    
nature8 ,if ,i mistake not1 here is an  
inquiry worth the  close attention of   

reasonable men4    ,a man does good to  
his fellows and brothers4 ,one man      
destroys  carnivorous beasts2 another   
invents arts by the force of his genius4
  ,they are1 on that account1 regarded  
as higher in the favour of  ,god than   
other men1 as children of ,god2 they    
become demi-gods1 or  secondary gods1   
when they die4 ,they are proposed to    
other men1 not  merely as models1 but as
 objects of worship4 ,he who worships   
,hercules  and ,perseus is incited to   
imitate them4 ,altars are the reward of 
genius and courage4 ,i see in that only 
an error which leads to good4  ,in that 
case they are deceived to their own     
advantage4 ,how could  we reproach the  
ancient ,romans if they had raised to   
the rank of  secondary gods only such   
men as ,scipio1 ,titus1 ,trajan1 and    
,marcus  ,aurelius8    ,there is an     
infinite distance between ,god and man4 
,we agree2 but  if1 in the system of the
 ancients1 the human soul was regarded  
as a  finite portion of the infinite    

intelligence1 sinking back into the     
great whole without adding to it2 if it 
be supposed that ,god dwelt in  the soul
 of ,marcus ,aurelius1 since his soul   
was superior to others in  virtue during
 life2 why may we not suppose that it is
 still superior  when it is separated   
from its mortal body8    ,our brothers  
of the ,roman ,catholic ,church 7for all
 men are brothers7  have filled heaven  
with demi-gods1 which they call         
8saints40 ,had  they always chosen them 
wisely1 we may candidly allow that their
  error would have been of service to   
human nature4 ,we pour on them  our     
disdain only because they honour an     
,ignatius1 the knight of the  ,virgin1 a
 ,dominic1 the persecutor1 or a         
,francis1 fanatical to the  pitch of    
madness1 who goes naked1 speaks to      
animals1 catechises a  wolf1 and makes  
himself a wife of snow4 ,we cannot      
forgive ,jerome1  the learned but faulty
 translator of the ,jewish books1 for   
having1 in  his history of the fathers  

of the desert1 demanded our respect for 
a  ,st4 ,pacomius1 who paid his visits  
on the back of a crocodile4 ,we are     
especially angered when we see that     
,rome has canonised ,gregory ,,vii41    
the incendiary of ,europe4    ,it is    
otherwise with the cult that is paid in 
,france to ,king ,louis  ,,ix41 who was 
just and courageous4 ,if it is too much 
to invoke him1  it is not too much to   
revere him4 ,it is but to say to other  
princes3  ,imitate his virtues4    ,i go
 farther4 ,suppose there had been placed
 in some church the statue  of ,henry   
,,iv41 who won his kingdom with the     
valour of ,alexander and  the clemency  
of ,titus1 who was good and             
compassionate1 chose the best  ministers
 and was his own first minister2 suppose
 that1 in spite of  his weaknesses1 he  
received a homage beyond the respect    
which we owe  to great men4 ,what harm  
would be done8 ,it would assuredly be   
better  to bend the knee before him than
 before this crowd of unknown saints1   

whose very names have become a subject  
of opprobrium and ridicule4 ,i  agree   
that it would be a superstition1 but a  
superstition that could  do no harm2 a  
patriotic enthusiasm1 not a pernicious  
fanaticism4 ,if  man is born to error1  
let us wish him virtuous errors4    ,the
 superstition that we must drive from   
the earth is that which1  making a      
tyrant of ,god1 invites men to become   
tyrants4 ,he who was the  first to say  
that we must detest the wicked put a    
sword in the hands  of all who dared to 
think themselves faithful4 ,he who was  
the first  to forbid communication with 
those who were not of his opinion rang  
the tocsin of civil war throughout the  
earth4    ,i believe what seems to      
reason impossible--in other words1 ,i   
believe  what ,i do not believe--and    
therefore ,i must hate those who boast  
that  they believe an absurdity opposed 
to mine4 ,such is the logic--such1      
rather1 is the madness--of the          
superstitious4 ,to worship1 love1 and   

serve the ,supreme ,being1 and to be of 
use to men1 is nothing2 it is  indeed1  
according to some1 a false virtue1 a    
8splendid sin10 as they  call it4 ,ever 
since men made it a sacred duty to      
dispute about what  they cannot         
understand1 and made virtue consist in  
the pronunciation  of certain           
unintelligible words1 which every one   
attempted to  explain1 ,christian       
countries have been a theatre of discord
 and  carnage4    ,you will tell me that
 this universal pestilence should be    
imputed  to the fury of ambition rather 
than to that of fanaticism4 ,i answer   
that it is due to both4 ,the thirst for 
domination has been assuaged  with the  
blood of fools4 ,i do not aspire to heal
 men of power of this  furious passion  
to subject the minds of others2 it is an
 incurable  disease4 ,every man would   
like to see others hastening to serve   
him2  and1 that he may be the better    
served1 he will1 if he can1 make them   
believe that their duty and their       

happiness are to be slaves4 ,find me  a 
man with an income of a hundred thousand
 pounds a year1 and with  four or five  
hundred thousand subjects throughout    
,europe1 who cost  him nothing1 besides 
his soldiers1 and tell him that ,christ1
 of whom  he is the vicar and imitator1 
lived in poverty and humility4 ,he will 
reply that the times are changed1 and to
 prove it he will condemn  you to perish
 in the flames4 ,you will neither       
correct this man the  ,pope nor a       
,cardinal de ,lorraine1 the simultaneous
 possessor of  seven bishoprics4 ,what  
can one do1 then8 ,appeal to the people1
 and1  brutalised as they are1 they     
listen and half open their eyes4 ,they  
partly throw off the most humiliating   
yoke that has ever been borne4  ,they   
rid themselves of some of their errors1 
and win back a part of  their freedom1  
that appanage or essence of man of which
 they had been  robbed4 ,we cannot cure 
the powerful of ambition1 but we can    
cure the  people of superstition4 ,we   

can1 by speech and pen1 make men more   
enlightened and better4    ,it is easy  
to make them see what they have suffered
 during fifteen  hundred years4 ,few    
people read1 but all may listen4        
,listen1 then1  my brethren1 and hear   
the calamities which have fallen on     
earlier  generations4    ,hardly had the
 ,christians1 breathing freely under    
,constantine1 dipped  their hands in the
 blood of the virtuous ,valeria1#cb     
daughter1  wife1 and mother of the      
,csars1 and in the blood of her young   
son  ,candidian1 the hope of the        
,empire2 hardly had they put to death   
the  son of the ,emperor ,maximin1 in   
his eighth year1 and his daughter  in   
her seventh year2 hardly had these men1 
who are described as so  patient for two
 centuries1 betrayed their fury at the  
beginning of  the fourth century1 than  
controversy gave birth to those civil   
discords which1 succeeding each other   
without a moment of relaxation1  still  
agitate ,europe4 ,what are the subjects 

of these bloody quarrels8  ,subtilties1 
my brethren1 of which not a trace is to 
be found in the  ,gospel4 ,they would   
know whether the ,son was engendered or 
made2  whether he was engendered in time
 or before time2 whether he is          
consubstantial with1 or like1 the       
,father2 whether the divine 8monad10  as
 ,athanasius puts it1 is threefold in   
three hypostases2 whether the  ,holy    
,ghost was engendered1 or proceeded2    
whether he proceeds from the  ,father   
only1 or the ,father and the ,son2      
whether ,jesus had one will or  two1 or 
two natures1 or one or two persons4     
,in a word1 from 8consubstantiality0 to 
8transubstantiation0--terms  equally    
difficult to pronounce and to           
understand--everything has been  a      
matter of dispute1 and every dispute has
 caused torrents of blood  to flow4     
,you know how much was shed by our      
superstitious ,mary1 daughter of  the   
tyrant ,henry ,,viii41 and worthy spouse
 of the ,spanish tyrant  ,philip ,,ii4  

,the throne of ,charles ,i4 became a    
scaffold2 he perished  ignominiously1   
after more than two hundred thousand men
 had been  slaughtered for a liturgy4   
,you know the civil wars of ,france4 ,a 
troop of fanatical theologians1  called 
the ,sorbonne1 declare ,henry ,,iii4 to 
have forfeited the throne1  and at once 
a theological apprentice assassinates   
him4 ,the ,sorbonne  declares the great 
,henry ,,iv41 our ally1 incapable of    
ruling1 and  twenty murderers rise in   
succession2 until at last1 on the mere  
announcement that the hero is about to  
protect his former allies  against the  
,pope's followers1 a monk--a            
schoolmaster--plunges a knife  in the   
heart of the most valiant of kings and  
best of men in the  midst of his        
capital1 under the eyes of his people1  
and in the arms  of his friends4 ,and1  
by an inconceivable contradiction1 his  
memory  is revered for ever1 and the    
troop of the ,sorbonne which proscribed 
and excommunicated him and his faithful 

subjects1 and has no right to           
excommunicate anybody1 still survives1  
to the shame of ,france4    ,it is not  
the ordinary people1 my brethren1 not   
the agricultural  workers and the       
ignorant and peaceful artisans1 who have
 raised these  ridiculous and fatal     
quarrels1 the sources of so many horrors
 and  parricides4 ,there is1 unhappily1 
not one of them that is not due to  the 
theologians4 ,men fed by your labours in
 a comfortable idleness1  enriched by   
your sweat and your misery1 struggled   
for partisans and  slaves2 they inspired
 you with a destructive fanaticism1 that
 they  might be your masters2 they made 
you superstitious1 not that you  might  
fear ,god the more1 but that you might  
fear them4    ,the gospel did not say to
 ,james1 ,peter1 or ,bartholomew3 8,live
 in  opulence2 deck yourselves with     
honours2 walk amid a retinue of         
guards40 ,it did not say to them3       
8,disturb the world with your           
incomprehensible questions40 ,jesus1 my 

brethren1 touched none of  these        
questions4 ,would you be better         
theologians than he whom you  recognise 
as your one master8 ,what6 ,he said to  
you3 8,all consists in  loving ,god and 
your neighbour02 yet you would seek     
something else4    ,is there any one    
among you1 is there any one on the whole
 earth1 who  can think that ,god will   
examine him on points of theology1 not  
judge  him by his deeds8    ,what is a  
theological opinion8 ,it is an idea that
 may be true or  false2 but morality has
 no interest in it4 ,it is clear that   
you  should be virtuous1 whether the    
,holy ,ghost proceeds from the ,father  
by spiration1 or from the ,father and   
the ,son4 ,it is not less clear  that   
you will never understand any           
proposition of this nature4 ,you  will  
never have the least idea how ,jesus    
could have two natures and  two wills in
 one person4 ,if he had wished you to   
know it1 he would  have told you of it4 
,i choose these examples among a hundred

 others1  and ,i pass in silence over   
other controversies in order that ,i may
  not reopen wounds that still bleed4   
,god has given you understanding2 he    
cannot wish that you should  pervert it4
 ,how could a proposition of which you  
can never have an  idea be necessary to 
you8 ,it is a fact of daily experience  
that ,god1  who gives everything1 has   
given one man more light and more talent
  than another4 ,it does not offend our 
good sense that he has chosen to  link  
one man more closely to himself than    
others2 that he has made  him a model of
 reason or virtue4 ,no one can deny that
 it is possible  for ,god to shower his 
finest gifts on one of his works4 ,we   
may1  therefore1 believe in ,jesus as   
one who taught and practised virtue2    
but let us take care that in wishing to 
go too far beyond that1 we do  not      
overturn the whole structure4    ,the   
superstitious man puts poison in the    
most wholesome food2 he is  an enemy to 
himself and others4 ,he believes himself

 the object of  eternal vengeance if he 
eats meat on a certain day2 he believes 
that  a long1 grey robe1 with a pointed 
hood and a long beard1 is much more     
agreeable to ,god than a shaven face and
 a head that retains its hair2  he      
imagines that his salvation is bound up 
with certain ,latin formul  which he    
does not understand4 ,he has educated   
his daughter in these  principles4 ,she 
buries herself in a dungeon as soon as  
she reaches a  marriageable age2 she    
betrays posterity to please ,god--more  
guilty1  in regard to the human race1   
than the ,hindoo widow1 who casts       
herself  on her husband's pyre after    
bearing him children4    ,monks of the  
southern parts of ,europe1              
self-condemned to a life  that is as    
abject as it is frightful1 do not       
compare yourselves to  the penitents of 
the banks of the ,ganges2 your          
austerities do not  approach their      
voluntary sufferings4 ,and think not    
that ,god approves  in you what you say 

he condemns in them4    ,the            
superstitious man is his own            
executioner2 and he is the  executioner 
of all who do not agree with him4 ,the  
most infamous  informing he calls       
8fraternal correction40 ,he accuses the 
simple  innocence that is not on its    
guard1 and1 in the candour of its heart1
  has not set a seal upon its lips4 ,he 
denounces it to those tyrants of  souls 
who laugh alike at the accused and the  
accuser4    ,lastly1 the superstitious  
man becomes a fanatic1 and then his zeal
  becomes capable of all crimes in the  
name of the ,lord4    ,we live no       
longer1 it is true1 in those abominable 
days when  relatives and friends        
slaughtered each other1 when a hundred  
battles  covered the earth with corpses 
for the sake of some argument of the    
school2 but a few sparks spring every   
day from the ashes of these  vast       
conflagrations4 ,princes no longer march
 to the field at the  voice of priests  
and monks2 but citizens persecute each  

other still  in the heart of the towns1 
and private life is often poisoned with 
superstition4 ,what would you say of a  
family whose members were ever  ready to
 fight each other in order to settle in 
what way their father  must be saluted8 
,my friends1 the great thing is to love 
him2 you may  salute him as you will4   
,are you brothers only to be divided8   
,must  that which should unite you be   
always a thing to separate you8    ,i   
know not of a single civil war among the
 ,turks on the ground  of religion4 ,i  
say 8civil war02 but history tells of no
 sedition  or trouble among them that   
was due to controversy4 ,is it because  
they have fewer pretexts for disputes8  
,is it because they are by  birth less  
restless and wiser than we8 ,they ask   
not to what sect  you belong1 provided  
that you pay regularly the slight tax4  
,latin  ,christians and ,greek          
,christians1 ,jacobites1 ,monothelites1 
,copts1 or  ,protestants--all are       
welcome to them2 whereas there are not  

three  ,christian nations that practise 
this humanity4    ,jesus1 my brethren1  
was not superstitious or intolerant2 he 
said not  a single word against the cult
 of the ,romans1 who surrounded his     
country4 ,let us imitate his indulgence1
 and deserve to experience it  from     
others4    ,let us not be disturbed by  
the barbaric argument that is often     
used4  ,i will give it in its full      
strength3    8,you believe that a good  
man may find favour in the eyes of the  
being of beings1 the ,god of justice and
 mercy1 at any time1 in any  place1 in  
whatever religion he has spent his short
 life4 ,we1 on the  contrary1 say that a
 man cannot please ,god unless he be    
born among  us1 or taught by us4 ,it is 
proved to us that we are the only       
persons  in the world who are right4 ,we
 know that1 although ,god came upon the 
earth and died for all men1 he will     
nevertheless show pity only to  our     
little gathering1 and that even among us
 there are very few who  will escape    

eternal torment4 ,adopt the safer side1 
then4 ,enter our  little body1 and      
strive to be one of the elect among us40
    ,let us thank our brethren who use  
this language4 ,let us congratulate     
them on being so sure that all in the   
world are damned except a few  of       
themselves2 and let us conclude that our
 sect is better than  theirs by the very
 fact that it is more reasonable and    
humane4 ,the  man who says to me1       
8,believe as ,i do1 or ,god will damn   
thee10 will  presently say1 8,believe as
 ,i do1 or ,i shall assassinate thee40  
,let  us pray ,god to soften these      
atrocious hearts and inspire all his    
children with a feeling of brotherhood4 
,we live in an island in  which the     
episcopal sect dominates from ,dover to 
the ,tweed4#cc ,from  there to the last 
of the ,orkneys presbyterianism holds   
the field1  and beside these dominant   
religions are ten or a dozen others4 ,go
 to  ,italy1 and you will find papal    
despotism on the throne4 ,in ,france it 

is otherwise2 ,france is already        
regarded by ,rome as half-heretical4    
,pass to ,switzerland and ,germany4 ,you
 sleep to-night in a ,calvinistic  town1
 to-morrow night in a ,papist town1 and 
the following night in a  ,lutheran4    
,you go on to ,russia1 and find nothing 
of all this4 ,it is  a different sect4  
,the court is illumined by an           
empress-philosopher4  ,the august       
,catherine has put reason on the throne1
 with magnificence  and generosity3 but 
the people of her provinces detest alike
 the  ,lutherans1 ,calvinists1 and      
,papists4 ,they would not eat1 nor drink
  in the same glass1 with any of them4  
,i ask you1 my brethren1 what  would    
happen if1 in an assembly of all these  
sectaries1 each thought  himself        
authorised by the divine spirit to      
secure the triumph of his  opinions8    
,see you not the swords drawn1 the      
gibbets raised1 the fires  lit1 from one
 end of ,europe to the other8 ,who is   
right in this chaos  of disputes8       

,surely the tolerant and beneficent4 ,do
 not say that in  preaching tolerance we
 preach indifference4 ,no1 my brethren1 
he who  worships ,god and serves men is 
not indifferent4 ,the name is more      
fitting for the superstitious who thinks
 that ,god will be pleased  with him for
 uttering unintelligible formul1 while  
he is really  very indifferent to the   
lot of his brother1 whom he leaves to   
perish  without aid1 or abandons in     
disgrace1 or flatters in prosperity1 or 
persecutes if he is of another sect1    
unsupported and unprotected4  ,the more 
the superstitious man concentrates upon 
absurd beliefs  and practices1 the more 
indifferent he becomes to the real needs
  of humanity4 ,let us remember one of  
our charitable compatriots4  ,he founded
 a hospital for old men in his province4
 ,he was asked if  it was for ,papists1 
,lutherans1 ,presbyterians1 ,quakers1   
,socinians1  ,anabaptists1 ,methodists1 
or ,memnonists8 ,he answered3 ,for men4 
,o ,god1 keep from us the error of      

atheism which denies thy existence1  and
 deliver us from the superstition that  
outrages thy existence and  fills ours  
with horror4                       ,,on 
,,the ,,interpretation ,,of ,,the ,,old 
,,testament      ,,my ,,brethren3       
,books rule the world1 or1 at least1    
those nations in it which  have written 
language2 the others do not count4 ,the 
,zend ,avesta1  attributed to the first 
,zoroaster1 was the law of the          
,persians4 ,the  ,veda and the          
,shastabad are the law of the ,brahmans4
 ,the ,egyptians  were ruled by the     
books of ,thot1 who has been called 8the
 first  ,mercury40 ,the ,koran holds    
sway to-day over ,africa1 ,egypt1       
,arabia1  ,india1 part of ,tartary1 the 
whole of ,persia1 ,scythia1 ,asia       
,minor1  ,syria1 ,thrace1 ,thessaly1 and
 the whole of ,greece as far as the     
strait  which separates ,naples and the 
,empire4#cd ,the ,pentateuch controls   
the ,jews2 and1 by a singular           
dispensation of ,providence1 it rules us

  to-day4 ,it is1 therefore1 our duty to
 read this work together1 since  it is  
the foundation of our faith4    ,when we
 read the early chapters of the         
,pentateuch1 we must remember  that1 in 
speaking thus to the ,jews1 ,god deigned
 to accommodate  himself to their       
intelligence1 which was still very      
crude4 ,it is  well known to-day that   
our earth is but a point in comparison  
with  the space which we1 improperly1   
call the heavens1 in which shine a      
prodigious number of stars1 with planets
 far superior to ours4 ,we  know that   
light was not made before the day1 and  
that it comes to us  from the sun4 ,we  
know that the supposed solid expanse    
between the  upper and the lower waters1
 which is called the 8firmament10#ce is 
an error of ancient physics1 adopted by 
the ,greeks4 ,but as ,god was  speaking 
to the ,jews1 he deigned to stoop low   
enough to adopt their  language4        
,certainly no one would have understood 
him in the desert  of ,horeb if he had  

said3 8,i have put the sun in the centre
 of your  world2 the little globe of the
 earth revolves1 with other planets1    
round this great star1 which illumines  
the planets2 and the moon  turns round  
the earth in the course of a month4     
,those other stars  which you see are so
 many suns1 presiding over other        
worlds40    ,if the eternal geometrician
 had spoken thus1 he would indeed have  
spoken worthily1 as a master who knows  
his own work2 but no ,jew would  have   
understood a word of such sublime       
truths4 ,the ,jewish people were  stiff 
of neck and hard of understanding4 ,it  
was necessary to give  coarse food to a 
coarse people1 which could find         
sustenance only  in such food4 ,it seems
 that this first chapter of ,genesis was
 an  allegory presented to them by the  
,holy ,spirit1 to be interpreted some   
day by those whom ,god would deign to   
fill with his light4 ,that1 at  least1  
was the idea of the leading ,jews1 since
 it was forbidden to  read this book    

before reaching one's twenty-fifth year1
 in order that  the mind of young folk  
might be prepared by masters to read it 
with  more intelligence and respect4    
,these doctors taught that1 in the      
literal sense1 the ,nile1 ,euphrates1   
,tigris1 and ,araxes did not really rise
 in the terrestrial paradise2  but that 
the four rivers1 which watered it1      
evidently meant four  virtues necessary 
to man4 ,it was1 according to them1     
clear that the  formation of woman from 
the rib of man was a most striking      
allegory  of the unvarying harmony that 
ought to be found in marriage2 that  the
 souls of married people ought to be    
united like their bodies4 ,it  is a     
symbol of the peace and fidelity that   
ought to rule in conjugal  society4     
,the serpent that seduced ,eve1 and was 
the most cunning of all animals  on the 
earth1 is1 if we are to believe ,philo  
and other writers1 a  figurative        
expression of our corrupt desires4 ,the 
use of speech1  which ,scripture assigns

 to it1 is the voice of our passions    
speaking  to our hearts4 ,god used the  
allegory of the serpent because it was  
very common in the ,east4 ,the serpent  
was considered subtle because  it       
quickly escapes those who pursue it1 and
 skilfully falls on those  who attack   
it4 ,its change of skin was the symbol  
of immortality4  ,the ,egyptians carried
 a silver serpent in their processions4 
,the  ,phnicians1 who were neighbours of
 the ,hebrews1 had long had an          
allegorical fable of a serpent that had 
made war on ,god and man4 ,in  fine1 the
 serpent which tempted ,eve has been    
recognised as the devil1  who is ever   
seeking to tempt and undo us4    ,it is 
true that the idea of a devil falling   
from heaven and becoming  the enemy of  
the human race was known to the ,jews   
only in the course  of time2 but the    
divine author1 who knew that this idea  
would spread  some day1 deigned to plant
 the seed of it in the early chapters of
  ,genesis4    ,we really know nothing  

of the fall of the wicked angels except 
from  these few words in the ,epistle of
 ,st4 ,jude3 8,wandering stars1 to  whom
 is reserved the blackness of darkness  
for ever1 of whom ,enoch  also1 the     
seventh from ,adam1 prophesied40 ,it has
 been thought that  these wandering     
stars were the angels transformed into  
malevolent  demons1 and we supply the   
place of the prophecies of ,enoch1 the  
seventh man after ,adam1 which we no    
longer have4 ,but no matter into  what  
labyrinth learned men may wander1 in    
trying to explain these                 
incomprehensible things1 we must always 
understand in an edifying  sense        
whatever we cannot understand literally4
    ,the ancient ,brahmans1 as we said1 
had this theology many centuries  before
 the ,jewish nation came into existence4
 ,the ancient ,persians  had given names
 to the devils long before the ,jews did
 so4 ,you are  aware that in the        
,pentateuch we do not find the name of  
any angel1  good or bad4 ,there is no   

mention of ,gabriel1 or ,raphael1 or    
,satan1 or  ,asmodeus in the ,jewish    
books until long afterwards1 when the   
little  people had learned their names  
during the ,babylonian captivity or  the
 ,persian domination4 ,that shows1 at   
least1 that the doctrine  of celestial  
and infernal beings was common to all   
great nations4  ,you will find it in the
 book of ,job1 a precious monument of   
antiquity4 ,job is an ,arabic character2
 if the allegory was written  in        
,arabic4 ,there are still1 in the       
,hebrew translation1 purely ,arabic     
phrases4#cf ,here1 then1 we have the    
,hindoos1 ,persians1 ,arabs1 and  ,jews 
successively adopting much the same     
theology4 ,it is therefore  entitled to 
close attention4    ,but what is even   
more clearly entitled to our attention  
is the  morality that ought to result   
from all this ancient theology4 ,men1   
who are not born to be murderers1 since 
,god has not armed them like  lions and 
tigers2 who are not born to be imposed  

upon1 since they all  necessarily love  
truth2 who are not born to be marauding 
brigands1  since ,god has given equally 
to them all the fruits of the earth and 
the wool of the sheep2 but who have1    
nevertheless1 become marauders1         
perjurers1 and murderers1 are really    
angels transformed into demons4    ,let 
us1 my brethren1 always seek in ,holy   
,writ what morality1 not what  physics1 
teaches4    ,let the ingenious ,father  
,calmet employ his profound sagacity and
  penetrating logic in discovering the  
place of the earthly paradise2  we may  
be content to deserve1 if we can1 the   
heavenly paradise by the  practice of   
justice1 toleration1 and kindliness4    
8,but of the tree of the knowledge of   
good and evil1 thou shalt not  eat of   
it2 for in the day that thou eatest     
thereof thou shalt surely  die0 7,gen41 
ii41 #ag74    ,interpreters admit that  
we do not know of any tree that gives   
knowledge4 ,adam did not die on the day 
on which he ate of it2 he  lived for    

nine hundred and thirty years           
afterwards1 the ,scripture  says4 ,but1 
alas1 what are nine hundred years       
between two eternities6  ,they are not  
to be compared with a moment of time1   
and our days pass  like the shadow4     
,does not this allegory1 however1       
clearly teach us  that knowledge1       
wrongly understood1 is able to undo us8 
,the tree of  knowledge bears1 no doubt1
 very bitter fruit1 since so many       
learned  theologians have been          
persecutors or persecuted1 and many have
 died  a dreadful death4 ,ah1 my        
brethren1 the ,holy ,spirit wished to   
show us  how dangerous false science is1
 how it puffs up the heart1 and how     
absurd a learned doctor often is4    ,it
 is from this passage that ,st4         
,augustine gathered the guilt of all    
men on account of the disobedience of   
the first man4 ,he it is who  developed 
the doctrine of original sin4 ,whether  
the stain of this sin  corrupted our    
bodies1 or steeped the souls which enter

 them1 is an  entirely incomprehensible 
mystery2 it warns us at least not to    
live  in crime1 if we were born in      
crime4    8,and the ,lord set a mark    
upon ,cain1 lest any finding him should 
kill  him0 7,gen4 iv474    ,here1       
especially1 my brethren1 the fathers are
 opposed to each other4  ,the family of 
,adam was not yet numerous2 ,scripture  
gives him no other  children than ,abel 
and ,cain1 at the time when the former  
was murdered  by his brother4 ,why is   
,god forced to give ,cain a safeguard   
against  any who may find him8 ,let us  
be content to observe that ,god pardons 
,cain1 no doubt after filling him with  
remorse4 ,let us profit by the  lesson1 
and not condemn our brethren to         
frightful torments for small  causes4   
,when ,god is so merciful as to forgive 
an abominable murder1  we may imitate   
him4 ,the objection is raised that the  
same ,god who  pardons a cruel murderer 
damns all men for ever for the          
transgression  of ,adam1 whose only     

crime was to eat the forbidden fruit4   
,to our  feeble human reason it seems   
unjust for ,god to punish eternally all 
the children of the guilty1 not indeed  
to atone for a murder1 but  to expiate  
what seems an excusable act of          
disobedience4 ,this is  said to be an   
intolerable contradiction1 which we     
cannot admit in  an infinitely good     
being2 but it is only an apparent       
contradiction4  ,god hands us over1 with
 our parents and children1 to the flames
 for  the disobedience of ,adam2 but    
four thousand years afterwards he  sends
 ,jesus ,christ to deliver us1 and he   
preserves the life of ,cain  in order to
 people the earth3 thus he remains in   
all things the ,god  of justice and     
mercy4 ,st4 ,augustine calls ,adam's sin
 a 8fortunate  fault02 but that of ,cain
 was still more fortunate1 since ,god   
took  care himself to put a mark of his 
protection on him4    8,a window shalt  
thou make to the ark1 and in a cubit    
shalt thou  finish it above10 etc4      

7,gen4 vi4 #af74    ,here we reach the  
greatest of all miracles1 before which  
reason  must humble itself and the heart
 must break4 ,we know with what bold    
contempt the incredulous rise against   
the prodigy of a universal  deluge4     
,it is fruitless for them to object that
 in the wettest years we do  not get    
thirty inches of rain2 that even in such
 a year there are as  many regions      
without rain as there are flooded       
regions2 that the  law of gravity       
prevents the ocean from overflowing its 
bounds2 that  if it covered the earth it
 would leave its bed dry2 that1 even if 
it  covered the earth1 it could not rise
 fifteen cubits above the highest       
mountains2 that the animals could not   
reach the ark from ,america and         
southern lands2 that seven pairs of     
clean animals and two pairs of  unclean 
could not have been put in twenty arks2 
that these twenty  arks would not have  
sufficed to hold the fodder they needed1
 not  merely for ten months1 but for the

 following year1 in which the earth     
would be too sodden to produce2 that the
 carnivorous animals would  have died of
 starvation2 that the eight persons in  
the ark would not  have been able to    
give the animals their food every day4  
,there is  no end to their difficulties4
 ,but the whole of them are solved by   
pointing out that this great event was a
 miracle--that puts an end to  all      
dispute4    8,and they said1 ,go to1 let
 us build us a city and a tower1 whose  
top may reach unto heaven2 and let us   
make us a name1 lest we be  scattered   
abroad upon the face of the whole earth0
 7,gen4 xi4 #d74    ,unbelievers declare
 that it is possible to make a name1 yet
 be  scattered abroad4 ,they ask if men 
have ever been so stupid as to wish  to 
build a tower as high as the heavens4   
,they say that such a tower  would rise 
into the atmosphere1 and that1 if you   
call the atmosphere  the heavens1 the   
tower will necessarily be in the heavens
 if it were  no more than twenty feet   

high2 and that1 if all men then spoke   
the  same tongue1 the wisest thing they 
could do would be to gather in a  common
 city and prevent a corruption of their 
tongue4 ,apparently  they were all in   
their own country1 since they were all  
agreed to  build therein4 ,to drive them
 from their country is tyrannical2 to   
make them suddenly speak new tongues is 
absurd4 ,hence1 they say1  we can only  
regard the story of the tower of ,babel 
as an oriental  romance4    ,i reply to 
this blasphemy that1 since the miracle  
is described by  an author who has      
recorded so many other miracles1 it     
ought to be  believed1 like the others4 
,the works of ,god cannot be expected to
  resemble the works of man in any way4 
,the ages of the patriarchs  and        
prophets can have no relation to the    
ages of ordinary men4 ,god  now comes   
upon the earth no more2 but in those    
days he often came  down to carry out   
his work in person4 ,it is a tradition  
of all the  great nations of antiquity4 

,the ,greeks1 who had no knowledge of   
the  ,jewish books until long after they
 had been translated into ,greek  at    
,alexandria by ,hellenising ,jews1 had  
believed1 before ,homer and  ,hesiod1   
that the great ,zeus and all the other  
gods came down from  the upper air to   
visit the earth4 ,what lesson may we    
derive from the  general acceptance of  
this idea8 ,that we are always in the   
presence  of ,god1 and that we must     
engage in no deed or thought that is not
 in  accord with his justice4 ,in a     
word1 the tower of ,babel is no more    
extraordinary than all the rest4 ,the   
book is equally authentic in all  its   
parts2 we cannot deny one fact without  
denying all the others4 ,we  must bring 
our proud reason into subjection1       
whether we regard the  story as         
literally true or as a figure4    8,in  
the same day the ,lord made a covenant  
with ,abraham1 saying3 ,unto  thy seed  
have ,i given this land1 from the river 
of ,egypt unto the  great river1 the    

river ,euphrates0 7,gen4 xv41 #ah74     
,unbelievers exclaim triumphantly that  
the ,jews have never owned  more than a 
part of what ,god promised them4 ,they  
even think it  unjust that the ,lord    
gave them this part4 ,they say that the 
,jews had  not the least right to it2   
that the former journey of a ,chaldan   
into a barbaric country could not       
possibly be a legitimate pretext  for   
invading the country2 and that any man  
who declared himself a  descendant of   
,st4 ,patrick1 and came on that account 
to sack ,ireland1  saying that he had   
,god's order to do so1 would meet with a
 warm  reception4 ,but let us always    
remember that the times have changed4   
,let us respect the books of the ,jews1 
and take care not to imitate  the ,jews4
 ,god enjoins no longer what he once    
commanded4    ,they ask who this        
,abraham is1 and why the ,jewish people 
is traced  to the ,chaldan son of an    
idolatrous potter1 who had no relation  
to  the people of the land of ,canaan1  

and could not understand their          
language4 ,this ,chaldan1 accompanied by
 a wife who bends under the  weight of  
years1 but is still good1 reaches       
,memphis4 ,why do the  couple pass from 
,memphis to the desert of ,gerar8 ,how  
comes there to  be a king in this       
horrible desert8 ,how is it that the    
king of ,egypt  and the king of ,gerar  
both fall in love with the aged#cg      
spouse of  ,abraham8 ,these are but     
historical difficulties2 the great thing
 is  to obey ,god4 ,holy ,scripture     
always represents ,abraham as           
unreservedly  submissive to the will of 
the ,most ,high4 ,let us imitate him1   
and not  dispute so much4    8,and there
 came two angels to ,sodom at even10    
etc4 7,gen4 xix474    ,here is a        
stumbling-block for all readers who     
listen only to their  own reason4 ,two  
angels--that is to say1 two spiritual   
creatures1 two  heavenly ministers of   
,god--have earthly bodies1 and inspire a
 whole  town1 even its old men1 with    

infamous desires2 a father of a family  
prostitutes his two daughters to save   
the honour of the two angels2  a town is
 changed into a lake of fire2 a woman is
 transformed into  a salt statue2 two   
girls deceive and intoxicate their      
father in  order to commit incest with  
him1 lest1 they say1 their race should  
perish1 while they have all the         
inhabitants of the town of ,zoar to     
choose from6 ,all these events1 taken   
together1 make up a revolting  picture4 
,but if we are reasonable we shall agree
 with ,st4 ,clement of  ,alexandria and 
the fathers who have followed him that  
the whole is  allegorical4    ,let us   
remember that that was the way of       
writing in the ,east4  ,parables were so
 constantly used that even the author of
 all truth  spoke to the ,jews only in  
parables when he came on earth4         
,parables make up the whole of the      
profane theology of antiquity4  ,saturn 
devouring his children is evidently time
 destroying its own  works4 ,minerva is 

wisdom2 she is formed in the head of the
 master  of the gods4 ,the arrows and   
bandage of ,cupid are obvious figures4  
,the fall of ,phathon is an admirable   
symbol of ambition4 ,all is not         
allegory1 either in the pagan theology  
or in the sacred history of  the ,jewish
 people4 ,the fathers distinguish       
between what is purely  historical and  
purely parabolical1 and what partakes of
 the nature of  each4 ,it is1 ,i grant1 
difficult to walk on these slippery     
paths2 but  if we walk in the way of    
virtue1 why need we concern ourselves   
about  that of science8    ,the crime   
that ,god punishes here is horrible2 let
 that suffice us4  ,lot's wife was      
changed into a salt statue for looking  
behind her4 ,let  us curb the impulses  
of curiosity2 in a word1 let the stories
 of ,holy  ,writ serve to make us       
better1 if they do not make us more     
enlightened4    ,there are1 it seems to 
me1 my brethren1 two kinds of figurative
 and  mystic interpretation of the      

,scriptures4 ,the first1 and            
incomparably  the better1 is to gather  
from all facts counsels for the conduct 
of life4 ,if ,jacob cruelly wrongs his  
brother ,esau and deceives his          
father-in-law ,laban1 let us keep peace 
in our families and act  justly towards 
our relatives4 ,if the patriarch ,reuben
 dishonours his  father's bed1 let us   
regard the incest with horror4 ,if the  
patriarch  ,judah commits a still more  
odious incest with his daughter-in-law  
,thamar1 let us all the more detest     
these iniquities4 ,when ,david  ravishes
 the wife of ,uriah1 and has the husband
 slain2 when ,solomon  murders his      
brother2 when we find that nearly all   
the petty kings  of the ,jews are       
murderous barbarians1 let us mend our   
ways as we  read this awful list of     
crimes4 ,let us read the whole ,bible in
 this  spirit4 ,it discomposes the man  
who would be learned2 it consoles the   
man who is content to be good4    ,the  
other way to detect the hidden meaning  

of the ,scriptures is to  regard each   
event as an historical and physical     
emblem4 ,that was the  method followed  
by ,st4 ,clement1 the great ,origen1 the
 respectable ,st4  ,augustine1 and so   
many other fathers4 ,according to them1 
the piece of  red cloth which the harlot
 ,rahab hung from her window is the     
blood  of ,jesus ,christ4 ,moses        
spreading out his arms foreshadows the  
sign  of the cross4 ,judah tying his ass
 to a vine prefigures the entrance  of  
,christ into ,jerusalem4 ,st4 ,augustine
 compares the ark of ,noah to  ,jesus4  
,st4 ,ambrose1 in the seventh book of   
his ,de ,arca1 says that  the making of 
the little door in the side of the ark  
signifies1 or  may be regarded as       
signifying1 a part of the human body4   
,even if all  these interpretations were
 true1 what profit should we derive from
  them8 ,will men be juster from knowing
 what the little door of the ark  means8
 ,this way of interpreting the ,holy    
,scripture is but a subtlety  of the    

mind1 and it may injure the innocence of
 the heart4    ,let us set aside all the
 subjects of contention which divide    
nations1 and fill ourselves with the    
sentiments which unite them4            
,submission to ,god1 resignation1       
justice1 kindness1 compassion1 and      
tolerance--those are the great          
principles4 ,may all the theologians  of
 the earth live together as men of      
business do4 ,asking not of  what       
country a man is1 nor in what practices 
he was reared1 they  observe towards    
each other the inviolable rules of      
equity1 fidelity1  and mutual           
confidence2 and by these principles they
 bind nations  together4 ,but those who 
know only their own opinions1 and       
condemn  all others2 those who think    
that the light shines for them alone1   
and all other men walk in darkness2     
those who scruple to communicate  with  
foreign religions1 should surely be     
entitled enemies of the  human race4    
,i will not conceal from you that the   

most learned men affirm that  the       
,pentateuch was not written by ,moses4  
,the great ,newton1 who alone           
discovered the first principle of nature
 and the nature of light1  the          
astounding genius who penetrated so deep
 into ancient history1  attributes the  
,pentateuch to ,samuel4 ,other          
distinguished scholars  think that it   
was written in the time of ,osias by the
 scribe ,saphan2  others believe that   
,esdras wrote it1 on returning from the 
,captivity4  ,all are agreed1 together  
with certain modern ,jews1 that the work
 was  not written by ,moses4    ,this   
great objection is not as formidable as 
it seems4 ,we assuredly  respect the    
,decalogue1 from whatever hand it came4 
,we dispute about  the date of several  
laws which some attribute to ,edward    
,,iii41 others  to ,edward ,,ii42 but we
 do not hesitate to adopt the laws1     
because we  perceive that they are just 
and useful4 ,even if those statements in
  the preamble that are called in       

question are rejected1 we do not  reject
 the law4    ,let us always distinguish 
between dogma and history1 and between  
dogma and that eternal morality which   
all legislators have taught and  all    
peoples received4    ,o holy morality6  
,o ,god who has created it6 ,i will not 
confine you  within the bounds of a     
province4 ,you reign over all thinking  
and  sentient beings4 ,you are the ,god 
of ,jacob2 but you are the ,god of  the 
universe4    ,i cannot end this         
discourse1 my dear brethren1 without    
speaking to  you of the prophets4 ,this 
is one of the large subjects on which   
our  enemies think to confound us4 ,they
 say that in ancient times every  people
 had its prophets1 diviners1 or seers4  
,but does it follow that  because the   
,egyptians1 for instance1 formerly had  
false prophets  the ,jews may not have  
had true prophets8 ,it is said that they
 had  no mission1 no rank1 no legal     
authorisation4 ,that is true2 but may   
they not have been authorised by ,god8  

,they anathematised each other1  and    
treated each other as rogues and fools2 
the prophet ,zedekiah  even dared to    
strike the prophet ,michah in the       
presence of ,king  ,josaphat4 ,we do not
 deny it2 the ,paralipomena record the  
fact4 ,but is  a ministry less holy     
because the ministers disgrace it8 ,have
 not our  priests done things a hundred 
times worse than the giving of blows8   
,the commandments of ,god to the        
prophets ,ezekiel and ,hosea scandalise 
those who think themselves wise4 ,will  
they not be wiser if they see  that     
these are allegories1 types1 parables1  
in accordance with the  ways of the     
,israelites8 ,and that we have no more  
right to ask of ,god  an account of the 
orders he gives in accordance with these
 ways than  to ask the people why they  
have them8 ,no doubt ,god could not     
order a  prophet to commit debauch and  
adultery2 but he wished to let us see   
that he disapproved the crimes and      
adulteries of his chosen people4  ,if we

 did not read the ,bible in this spirit1
 we should1 alas1 be  filled with horror
 and indignation at every page4    ,let 
us find edification in what scandalises 
others2 let us find  wholesome food in  
their poison4 ,when the proper and      
literal meaning  of a passage seems to  
be in accord with reason1 let us keep to
 it4  ,when it seems to be contrary to  
the truth or to sound morals1 let us    
seek a hidden meaning that may reconcile
 truth and sound morals with  ,holy     
,scripture4 ,thus have all the fathers  
of the ,church proceeded2  thus do we   
proceed daily in the commerce of life4  
,we always interpret  favourably the    
discourses of our friends and partisans4
 ,would we  treat more harshly the      
sacred books of the ,jews1 which are the
 object  of our faith8 ,let us1 in fine1
 read the ,jews' books that we may be   
,christians2 and if they make us not    
more wise1 let them at least make  us   
better4                       ,,on ,,the
 ,,interpretation ,,of ,,the ,,new      

,,testament      ,,my ,,brethren3       
,there are in the ,new ,testament1 as   
there are in the ,old1 depths that  we  
cannot sound1 and sublimities that our  
poor reason can never  attain4 ,i do not
 propose here either to reconcile the   
gospels1  which seem to contradict each 
other at times1 or to explain  mysteries
 which1 by the very fact that they are  
mysteries1 must be  inexplicable4 ,let  
those who are more learned than ,i      
discuss whether  the ,holy ,family      
betook itself to ,egypt after the       
massacre of the  children at ,bethlehem1
 as ,matthew says1 or remained in ,juda1
 as ,luke  says2 let them seek if the   
father of ,joseph was named ,jacob1 his 
grandfather ,matthan1 and his           
great-grandfather ,eleazar1 or if his   
great-grandfather was ,levi1 his        
grandfather ,matthat1 and his father    
,heli4 ,let them settle this            
genealogical tree according to their    
light2 it is a study that ,i respect4 ,i
 know not if it would enlighten  my     

mind1 but ,i do know that it cannot     
speak to my heart4 ,paul the  ,apostle  
tells us himself1 in his first epistle  
to ,timothy1 that we  must not trouble  
ourselves about genealogies4 ,we will   
not be any  the better for knowing      
precisely who were the ancestors of     
,joseph1  in what year ,jesus was born1 
and whether ,james was his brother or   
his cousin4 ,what will it profit us to  
consult what remains of the  ,roman     
annals to see if ,augustus really did   
order a census of all the  peoples of   
the earth when ,mary was pregnant with  
,jesus1 ,quirinus  governor of ,syria1  
and ,herod king of ,juda8 ,quirinus1    
whom ,luke calls  ,cyrenius1 was 7the   
learned say7 not governor in the time of
 ,herod1  but of ,archelaus1 ten years  
later2 and ,augustus never ordered a    
census of the ,roman ,empire4    ,we are
 told that the ,epistle to the ,hebrews1
 attributed to ,paul1  was not written  
by ,paul2 that neither ,revelation nor  
the ,gospel  of ,john was written by    

,john2 that the first chapter of this   
gospel  was evidently written by a      
,greek ,platonist2 that the book could  
not  possibly come from a ,jew2 and that
 no ,jew could ever have made ,jesus    
say3 8,i give you a new commandment3    
that you love each other40 ,this        
commandment1 they say1 was certainly not
 new4 ,it is given expressly1  and in   
even stronger terms1 in the laws of     
,leviticus3 8,thou shalt  love thy ,god 
above all things1 and thy neighbour as  
thyself40 ,such  a man as ,jesus        
,christ--a man learned in the law1 who  
confounded the  doctors at the age of   
twelve1 and was ever speaking of the    
law--could  not be ignorant of the law2 
and his beloved disciple could not      
possibly have charged him with so       
palpable a mistake4    ,let us not be   
troubled1 my brethren4 ,let us remember 
that ,jesus  spoke a dialect1 half      
,syrian and half ,phnician1 that was    
hardly  intelligible to ,greeks2 that we
 have the ,gospel of ,john only in      

,greek2 that this gospel was written    
more than fifty years after  the death  
of ,jesus2 that the copyists may easily 
have altered the  text2 and that it is  
more probable that the text ran1 8,i    
give you a  commandment that is not     
new10 than that it said3 8,i give you a 
new  commandment40 ,let us return to our
 great principle4 ,the precept is  good2
 it is our duty to fulfil it as well as 
we may1 whether or no  ,zoroaster was   
the first to announce it1 and ,moses    
copied it1 and  ,jesus renewed it4      
,shall we penetrate into the thickest   
darkness of antiquity to learn  whether 
the darkness which covered the whole    
earth at the death  of ,jesus was due to
 an eclipse of the sun at a time of full
 moon1  whether an astronomer named     
,phlegon1 whom we have no longer1 spoke 
of this phenomenon1 or if any one ever  
saw the star of the three  wise men8    
,these are difficulties that may very   
well interest an  antiquarian2 but he   
will not have spent in good works the   

precious  time he devotes to the        
clearing-up of this chaos2 and he will  
end  with more doubt than piety4 ,my    
brethren1 the man who shares his bread  
with the poor is better than he who has 
compared the ,hebrew text with  the     
,greek1 and both of them with the       
,samaritan4    ,all that relates to     
history only gives rise to a thousand   
disputes2  what concerns our duties     
gives rise to none4 ,you will never     
understand how the devil took ,god into 
the desert2 how he tempted  him for     
forty days2 or how he carried him to the
 top of a hill from  which he could see 
all the kingdoms of the world4 ,the     
devil offering  all these things to ,god
 will greatly shock you4 ,you will seek 
the  mystery that is hidden in these    
things1 and so many others1 and your    
mind will be fatigued in vain4 ,every   
word will plunge you into  uncertainty1 
and the anguish of a restless curiosity 
which can never  be satisfied4 ,but if  
you confine your attention to morals the

 storm  will pass1 and you will rest in 
the bosom of virtue4    ,i venture to   
flatter myself1 my brethren1 that if the
 greatest  enemies of the ,christian    
religion were to listen to us in this   
secluded temple1 in which the love of   
virtue brings us together2 if  ,lord    
,herbert1 ,lord ,shaftesbury1 ,lord     
,bolingbroke1 ,tindal1 ,toland1         
,collins1 ,whiston1 ,trenchard1 ,gordon1
 and ,swift were to witness our  gentle 
and innocent simplicity1 they would have
 less disdain and  repugnance for us4   
,they cease not to reproach us with an  
absurd  fanaticism4 ,we are not         
fanatical in belonging to the religion  
of  ,jesus4 ,he worshipped one ,god1 as 
we do2 he despised empty ceremonies1  as
 we do4 ,no gospel has said that his    
mother was the mother of ,god1  or that 
he was consubstantial with ,god4 ,in no 
gospel will you find  that the disciples
 of ,jesus should arrogate the title of 
8,holy  ,father10 or 8,my ,lord10 or    
that a priest who lives at ,lambeth     

should  have an income of two thousand a
 year while so many useful tillers  of  
the soil have hardly the seed for the   
three or four acres they  water with    
their tears4 ,the gospel did not say to 
the bishops of  ,rome3 ,forge a donation
 of ,constantine in order to seize the  
city of  the ,scipios and ,csars and    
become sovereigns of ,naples4 ,it did   
not  urge the bishops of ,germany to    
profit by a time of anarchy to invade   
half of ,germany4 ,jesus was a poor man 
preaching to the poor4 ,what  should we 
say of the followers of ,penn and ,fox1 
those enemies of  pomp and friends of   
peace1 if they bore golden mitres on    
their heads  and were surrounded by     
soldiers2 if they grasped the substance 
of the  peoples2 if they would give     
orders to kings2 if their satellites1   
with executioners in their train1 were  
to cry out at the top of their  voices1 
8,foolish nations1 believe in ,fox and  
,penn1 or you will die in  torment08    
,you know better than ,i what a fatal   

contrast the ages have witnessed        
between the humility of ,jesus and the  
pride of those who have assumed  his    
name2 between their avarice and his     
poverty1 their debauches and  his       
chastity1 his submissiveness and their  
bloody tyranny4    ,i confess1 my       
brethren1 that no word of his has made  
such an  impression on me as that which 
he spoke to those who were so brutal  as
 to strike him before he was led to     
execution3 8,if ,i have spoken  well1   
why do you strike me80 ,that is what    
ought to be said to all  persecutors4   
,if my opinion differs from yours on    
things that it is  impossible to        
understand2 if ,i see the mercy of ,god 
where you would  see only his power2 if 
,i have said that all the disciples of  
,jesus  were equal1 while you have      
thought it your duty to trample on them2
  if ,i have worshipped ,god alone while
 you have given him associates2  if ,i  
have spoken ill in differing from you1  
bear witness of the evil2  and if ,i    

have spoken well1 why do you heap on me 
your insults and  epithets8 ,why do you 
persecute me1 cast me in irons1 deliver 
me to  torture and flames1 and insult me
 even after my death8 ,if1 indeed1 ,i   
had spoken ill1 it was yours only to    
pity and instruct me4 ,you are          
confident that you are infallible1 that 
your opinion is divine1 that  the gates 
of hell will never prevail against it1  
that the whole world  will one day      
embrace your opinion1 that the world    
will be subject to  you1 and that you   
will rule from ,mount ,atlas to the     
islands of ,japan4  ,how1 then1 can my  
opinion hurt you8 ,you do not fear me1  
and you  persecute me6 ,you despise me1 
and do away with me6    ,what reply can 
we make1 my brethren1 to these modest   
and forceful  reproaches8 ,only the     
reply of the wolf to the lamb1 8,you    
have  disturbed the water that ,i       
drink40 ,thus have men treated each     
other--the gospel in one hand and sword 
in the other2 preaching                 

disinterestedness and accumulating      
treasures1 praising humility and        
walking on the heads of prostrate       
princes1 recommending mercy and         
shedding human blood4    ,if these      
barbarians find in the gospel any       
parable that may be  distorted in their 
favour by fraudulent interpretation1    
they fasten  upon it as an anvil on     
which they may forge their murderous    
weapons4    ,is there a word about two  
swords hung above a wall8 ,they arm     
themselves at once with a hundred       
swords4 ,it is said that a king has     
killed his fatted beasts1 compelled the 
blind and the lame to come  to his      
feast1 and cast into outer darkness him 
who had no wedding  garment2 is that1 my
 brethren1 a reason that justifies them 
in  putting you in prison like this     
guest1 tearing your limbs asunder on    
the rack1 plucking out your eyes to make
 you blind like those who  were dragged 
to the feast1 or slaying you as the king
 slew his fatted  beasts8 ,yet it is to 

such equivocal passages that men have so
 often  appealed for the right to       
desolate a large part of the earth4     
,those terrible words1 8,not peace1 but 
a sword1 ,i bring unto you10  have      
caused more ,christians to perish than  
ambition has ever  sacrificed4    ,the  
scattered and unhappy ,jews are consoled
 in their wretchedness  when they see us
 always fighting each other from the    
earliest days  of ,christianity1 always 
at war in public or in secret1          
persecuted or  persecuting1 oppressed or
 oppressing4 ,they are united1 and they 
laugh  at our interminable quarrels4 ,it
 seems that we have been concerned  only
 in avenging them4    ,wretches that we 
are1 we insult the pagans1 yet they     
never knew our  theological quarrels2   
they have never shed a drop of blood for
 the  interpretation of a dogma1 and we 
have flooded the earth with it4  ,in the
 bitterness of my heart ,i say to you3  
,jesus was persecuted1  and whoever     
shares his thoughts will be persecuted4 

,what was ,jesus  in the eyes of men1   
who could assuredly have no suspicion of
 his  divinity8 ,a good man who1 having 
been born in poverty1 spoke to the  poor
 in opposition to the superstitions of  
the rich ,pharisees and the  insolent   
priests--the ,socrates of ,galilee4 ,you
 know how he said to  these ,pharisees1 
8,woe unto you1 ye blind guides1 which  
strain at a  gnat and swallow a camel6  
,woe unto you1 for ye make clean the    
outside  of the cup and of the platter1 
but within you are full of extortion    
and excess0 7,matthew xxiii474    ,he   
often calls them 8whitened sepulchres0  
and 8race of vipers40 ,they  were1      
nevertheless1 men of some dignity1 and  
they avenged themselves  by his death4  
,arnold of ,brescia1 ,john ,huss1 and   
,jerome of ,prague  said much less than 
this to the pontiffs of their time1 and 
they1  too1 were put to death4 ,never   
tilt against the ruling superstition1   
unless you be powerful enough to        
withstand it1 or clever enough  to      

escape its pursuit4 ,the fable of ,our  
,lady of ,loretto is more  extravagant  
than all ,ovid's metamorphoses1 it is   
true2 the miracle  of ,st4 ,januarius at
 ,naples is more ridiculous than the    
miracle of  ,egnatia1 mentioned by      
,horace1 ,i agree4 ,but say aloud at    
,naples or  ,loretto what you think of  
these absurdities1 and it will cost you 
your life4 ,it is not so among certain  
enlightened nations4 ,there the  people 
have their errors1 though they are less 
gross2 and the least  superstitious     
people are always the most tolerant4    
,cast off all superstition1 and be more 
humane4 ,but when you speak  against    
fanaticism1 anger not the fanatics2 they
 are delirious  invalids1 who would     
assault their physicians4 ,let us make  
their ways  more gentle1 not aggravate  
them4 ,and let us instil1 drop by drop1 
into their souls that divine balm of    
tolerance which they would  reject with 
horror if offered to them in full4      
,,epistle ,,to ,,the ,,romans           

7,,translated ,,from ,,the ,,italian    
,,of ,,count ,,de ,,corbera7            
,,article ,i4    ,illustrious ,romans1  
it is not the ,apostle ,paul who has the
 honour of  addressing you4 ,it is not  
that worthy ,jew who was born at        
,tarsus1  according to the ,acts of the 
,apostles1 and at ,giscala according  to
 ,jerome and other fathers2 a dispute   
that has led some to believe  that one  
may be born in two different places at  
the same time1 just  as there are among 
you certain bodies which are created by 
a few  ,latin words1 and are found in a 
hundred thousand places at the same     
time4#ch    ,it is not the bald1        
hot-headed man1 with long and broad     
nose1  black eyebrows1 thick and        
continuous1 and broad shoulders and     
crooked legs1#ci who1 having carried off
 the daughter of his  master ,gamaliel1 
and being subsequently dissatisfied with
 her1  divorced her#dj2 and1 in pique1  
if we may believe contemporary  ,jewish 
writers1 put himself at the head of the 

nascent body of the  ,christians4    ,it
 is not that ,st4 ,paul who1 when he was
 a servant of ,gamaliel1 had  the good  
,stephen1 the patron of deacons and of  
those who are stoned1  slain with       
stones1 and who1 while it was done1 took
 care of the  cloaks of the murderers--a
 fitting employment for a priest's      
valet4  ,it is not he who fell from his 
horse1 blinded in midday by a heavenly  
light1 and to whom ,god said in the air1
 as he says every day to so  many       
others3 8,why persecutest thou me80 ,it 
is not he who wrote to  the             
half-,jewish1 half-,christian           
shopkeepers of ,corinth3 8,have we not  
power to eat and to drink 444 and to    
lead about a sister or a wife8  ,who    
goeth to war any time at his own        
charge80#da ,by those fine words  the   
,reverend ,father ,menou1 ,jesuit and   
apostle of ,lorraine1 profited  so well 
that they brought him1 at ,nancy1 eighty
 thousand francs a  year1 a palace1 and 
more than one handsome woman4    ,it is 

not he who wrote to the little flock in 
,thessalonica that the  universe was    
about to be destroyed1 and on that      
account it was not  worth while keeping 
money about one4 ,as ,paul said3 8,for  
the ,lord  himself shall descend from   
heaven with a shout1 with the voice of  
the  archangel1 and with the trump of   
,god2 and the dead in ,christ shall     
rise first2 then we which are alive and 
remain shall be caught up  together with
 them40#db    ,observe1 generous        
,romans1 that ,st4 ,paul did but        
announce these  pleasant things to the  
tailors and grocers of ,thessalonica in 
virtue  of the express prophecy of ,luke
 7ch4 xxi471 who had publicly--that  is1
 to some fifteen or sixteen chosen souls
 among the people--averred  that this   
generation would not pass away before   
the son of man came  on the clouds with 
great power and glory4 ,it is true1 ,o  
,romans1  that ,jesus came not on the   
clouds with a great power2 but at least 
the popes have had this great power1 and

 thus are the prophecies  fulfilled4    
,he who writes this epistle to the      
,romans is1 again1 not that ,st4  ,paul1
 half ,jew1 half ,christian1 who1 having
 preached ,jesus and  announced the     
destruction of the ,mosaic law1 not only
 went to ,judaise  in the temple of     
,hershalaim1 which the vulgar call      
,jerusalem1 but1  on the advice of his  
friend ,james1 observed there certain   
rigorous  practices which the ,holy     
,inquisition now punishes with death4#dc
    ,he who writes to you has been      
neither priest's valet1 nor murderer1   
nor keeper of cloaks1 nor apostate1 nor 
maker of tents1 nor buried in  the      
depths of the sea1 like ,jonah1 for     
twenty-four hours1 nor caught  up to the
 third heaven1 like ,elias1 without     
learning what the third  heaven is4     
,he who writes to you is more a citizen 
than this ,saul ,paul1 who1 it  is said1
 boasted of being one1 and assuredly was
 not4 ,for ,tarsus1 if  he came from    
there1 was not made a ,roman colony     

until the time of  ,caracalla #baa-bag  
,a4,d42 and ,giscala in ,galilee1 from  
which it is  more probable that he came1
 since he was of the tribe of ,benjamin1
  was certainly not a ,roman town4      
,roman citizenship was not bestowed  on 
,jews at ,tarsus or anywhere else4 ,the 
author of the ,acts of the  ,apostles   
7xvi41 #cg7 asserts that this ,jew ,paul
 and another ,jew named  ,silas were    
arrested by the authorities in the town 
of ,philippi in  ,macedonia 7a town     
founded by the father of ,alexander1    
near which the  battle between ,cassius 
and ,brutus1 on the one side1 and       
,antony and  ,octavian1 on the other1   
decided the fate of your empire74 ,paul 
and  ,silas were scourged for stirring  
up the populace1 and ,paul said to  the 
officers3 8,they have beaten us1 being  
,romans0 7,acts xvi41 #cg74             
,commentators freely admit that ,silas  
was not a ,roman citizen4 ,they do  not 
say that the author of ,acts lied1 but  
they agree that what he  says is untrue2

 and ,i am sorry for the ,holy ,spirit1 
who1 no doubt1  dictated the ,acts of   
the ,apostles4    ,in fine1 he who now  
writes to the descendants of ,marcellus1
 the  ,scipios1 the ,catos1 ,cicero1    
,titus1 and the ,antonines1 is a ,roman 
gentleman of an ancient and transplanted
 family1 one who cherishes  his         
venerable country1 bemoans her          
condition1 and has left his heart  in   
her ,capitol4    ,romans1 listen to your
 fellow-citizen2 listen to ,rome and    
your  ancient valour4    ,l',italico    
valor non  ancor morto4                 
,,article ,,ii4    ,when ,i travelled   
among you1 ,i wept to see the ,zocolanti
 occupying  that very ,capitol to which 
,paulus ,emilus led ,king ,perseus1 the 
descendant of ,alexander1 chained to his
 triumphal car2 that temple  to which   
the ,scipios had brought the spoils of  
,carthage1 and in  which ,pompey        
triumphed over ,asia1 ,africa1 and      
,europe4 ,but even more  bitter were my 
tears when ,i recalled the feast that   

,csar spread for  our ancestors on      
twenty-two thousand tables1 and when ,i 
compared  the congiaria1 that immense   
free distribution of corn1 with the     
scanty and poor bread that you eat      
to-day1 sold to you at so high a  price 
by the apostolic chamber4 ,alas6 you    
cannot even sow your soil  without the  
permission of these apostles2 and1      
indeed1 what have you  with which to sow
 it8 ,there is not a citizen among you1 
save a few  that live in the ,trastevere
 quarter1 who has a plough4 ,your ,god  
fed  five thousand men1 to say nothing  
of the women and children1 with  five   
loaves and two gudgeons1 according to   
,st4 ,john2 four thousand  men1         
according to ,matthew4#dd ,you1 ,romans1
 are made to swallow the  gudgeon#de    
without receiving any bread4 ,the       
successors of ,lucullus  are reduced to 
the holy practice of fasting4    ,your  
climate has never changed1 whatever be  
said to the contrary4  ,who1 then1 has  
so greatly changed your soil1 your      

fortunes1 and your  spirit8 ,whence     
comes it that the whole country from the
 gates of  ,rome to ,ostia is inhabited 
only by reptiles8 ,why do we find that1 
from ,montefiascone to ,viterbo1 and in 
the whole region through which  the     
,appian ,way still leads to ,naples1 a  
vast desert has replaced the  smiling   
land that was once covered with palaces1
 gardens1 harvests1  and countless      
numbers of citizens8 ,i sought the      
,forum ,romanum of  ,trajan1 that square
 once paved with reticulated marble1    
surrounded by  a colonnaded peristyle   
and adorned with a hundred statues2 and 
what ,i  found was the ,campo ,vacino1  
the cattle-market1 a market of lean and 
milkless cows4 ,and ,i asked myself3    
,where are those two million ,romans    
who once peopled this capital8 ,i found 
that on the average only #cejj  children
 are now born annually in ,rome4        
,setting aside ,jews1 priests1  and     
foreigners1 ,rome cannot have one       
hundred thousand inhabitants4  ,i asked 

of them3 ,whose is this splendid        
building that ,i see1 girt  about with  
ruins8 ,it belongs to the monks1 they   
said4 ,here once was  the house of      
,augustus2 there ,cicero dwelt1 and     
there ,pompey4 ,on their  ruins have    
arisen convents4    ,i wept1 ,romans2   
and ,i think highly enough of you to    
believe that you  weep with me4         
,,article ,,iii4    ,it was explained to
 me that an aged priest1 who has been   
appointed  pope by other priests1 cannot
 find either the time or the will to    
relieve your misery4 ,he can think only 
of living4 ,what interest  should he    
take in ,romans8 ,he is himself rarely a
 ,roman4 ,what care  should he take of  
an estate that will not pass to his     
children8  ,rome is not his patrimony1  
as it was that of the ,csars4 ,it is  an
 ecclesiastical benefice2 the papacy is 
a kind of commendatory  abbey1#df which 
each abbot ruins while he lives4 ,the   
,csars had  a real interest in seeing   
,rome flourish2 the patricians1 under   

the ,republic1 had an even greater      
interest4 ,no dignities could be        
obtained unless the people were won with
 benefits1 cajoled by the  appearance of
 virtue1 or fired by great victories4 ,a
 pope shuts  himself up with his money  
and his unleavened bread1 and gives only
  his blessing to the people that was   
once known as 8the ,people ,king40      
,your misfortunes began with the        
transfer of the ,empire of ,rome to  the
 bounds of ,thrace4 ,constantine1 chosen
 emperor by a few barbaric  cohorts in  
distant ,england1 triumphed over the    
,maxentius chosen  by you4 ,maxentius   
was drowned in the ,tiber in the rout1  
and left  the ,empire to his rival4 ,but
 the conqueror went to hide himself  on 
the shores of the ,black ,sea2 he could 
not have done more if he  had been      
beaten4 ,stained with debauch and crime1
 murderer of his  father-in-law1        
brother-in-law1 nephew1 son1 and wife1  
abhorred by  the ,romans1 he abandoned  
the ancient religion under which they   

had  conquered so many ,states1 and cast
 himself into the arms of the           
,christians who had found the money to  
which he owed his crown4#dg  ,he thus   
betrayed the ,empire as soon as he      
obtained it1 and1 in  transplanting to  
the ,bosphorus the great tree that had  
sheltered  ,europe1 ,africa1 and ,asia  
,minor1 he did fatal injury to its      
roots4    ,your next misfortune was this
 ecclesiastical maxim1 quoted in a      
celebrated ,french poem1 8,le ,lutrin10 
and very gravely true3 8,ruin  the      
world1 if need be2 it is the spirit of  
the ,church40 ,the ,church  fought the  
ancient religion of the ,empire1 and    
tore its own entrails  in the struggle1 
dividing1 with equal fury and           
imprudence1 on a  hundred               
incomprehensible questions of which none
 had ever heard  before4 ,the ,christian
 sects1 hounding each other with fire   
and sword  for metaphysical chimras and 
sophisms of the school1 united to seize 
the spoils of the priesthood founded by 

,numa4 ,they did not rest until  they   
had destroyed the altar of ,victory at  
,rome4    ,st4 ,ambrose1 passing from   
the bar to the bishopric of ,milan      
without  being a deacon1 and your       
,damasus1 whom a schism made bishop of  
,rome1 profited by this fatal success4  
,they secured the destruction  of the   
altar of ,victory1 which had been set up
 on the ,capitol#dh  nearly eight       
hundred years before--a monument of the 
courage of your  ancestors1 destined to 
maintain their valour in their          
descendants4  ,the emblematic figure of 
,victory was no object of idolatry1 like
  your statues of ,antony of ,padua 7who
 8hears those whom ,god will not        
hear071 of ,francis of ,assisi 7who is  
represented over the door of a  church  
at ,rheims with this inscription3 8,to  
,francis and ,jesus1 both  crucified071 
of ,st4 ,crepin1 ,st4 ,barbe1 and so    
many others2 or like  the blood of a    
score of saints 7headed by your patron  
,januarius1  whom the rest of the earth 

knows not7 that is liquefied at ,naples 
on  certain days1 or the prepuce and    
navel of ,jesus1 or the milk1 and  hair1
 and shift1 and petticoat of his mother4
 ,these are idolatries1  as disgusting  
as they are accredited4 ,but this       
,victory1 surmounting a  globe1 with    
outspread wings1 a sword in hand1 and   
head crowned with  laurels1 was merely  
the noble device of the ,roman ,empire1 
the symbol  of virtue4 ,fanaticism      
robbed you of the pledge of your glory4 
,with what effrontery did these new     
enthusiasts dare to substitute  their   
,rochs1 and ,fiacres1 and ,eustaces1 and
 ,ursulas1 and ,scholasticas  for       
,neptune1 the ruler of the seas2 ,mars1 
the god of war2 and ,juno1  the ruler of
 the air1 under the sovereignty of the  
great ,zeus1 the  eternal ,demiourgos1  
master of the elements1 the gods1 and   
men6 ,a  thousand times more idolatrous 
than your ancestors1 these maniacs  bade
 you worship the bones of the dead4     
,these plagiarists of  antiquity        

borrowed the lustral water of the       
,romans and ,greeks1 their  procession1 
the confession that was made in the     
mysteries of ,ceres  and ,isis1 their   
incense1 libations1 hymns1 and the very 
garments of  their priests4 ,they       
spoiled the old religion1 and clad      
themselves in  its vesture4 ,even to-day
 they bow down before the statues of    
unknown  men1 while they heap reproaches
 on a ,pericles1 a ,solon1 a ,miltiades1
  a ,cicero1 a ,scipio1 or a ,cato for  
bending the knee before these  emblems  
of divinity4    ,nay1 is there a single 
episode in the ,old or the ,new         
,testament that  has not been copied    
from the ancient mythologies of ,india1 
,chalda1  ,egypt1 and ,greece8 ,is not  
the sacrifice of ,idomene the plain     
source  of that of ,jephtha8 ,is not the
 roe of ,iphigenia the ram of ,isaac8   
,do  you not recognise ,eurydice in     
,edith1 the wife of ,lot8 ,minerva and  
the  winged horse ,pegasus drew         
fountains from the rocks when they      

struck  them2 the same prodigy is       
ascribed to ,moses4 ,bacchus had crossed
 the  ,red ,sea dry-shod before he did1 
and he had caused the sun and moon  to  
stand still before ,joshua4 ,we have the
 same legends1 the same  extravagances1 
on every side4    ,there is not a single
 miraculous action in the gospels that  
you will  not find in much earlier      
writers4 ,the goat ,amaltha had a horn  
of  plenty long before it was said that 
,jesus had fed five thousand men1  not  
to speak of the women1 with two fishes4 
,the daughters of ,anius  had changed   
water into wine and oil before there was
 any question  of the marriage-feast of 
,cana4 ,athalide1 ,hippolytus1          
,alcestis1  ,pelops1 and ,heres had     
returned to life long before men spoke  
of  the resurrection of ,jesus2 and     
,romulus was born of a vestal virgin    
more than seven hundred years before    
,jesus began to be regarded as          
virgin-born4 ,compare1 and judge for    
yourselves4                             

,,article ,,iv4    ,when your altar of  
,victory had been destroyed1 the        
barbarians came  and finished the work  
of the priests4 ,rome became the prey   
and the  sport of nations that it had so
 long ruled1 if not repressed4    ,it is
 true that you still had consuls1 a     
senate1 municipal laws2 but  the popes  
have robbed you of what the ,huns and   
,goths had left you4    ,it was in      
earlier times unheard of that a priest  
should set up royal  rights in any city 
of the ,empire4 ,it is well known all   
over ,europe1  except in your           
chancellery1 that1 until the time of    
,gregory ,,vii41  your pope was but a   
metropolitan bishop1 subject to the     
,greek1 then  the ,frankish1 emperors1  
and then to the house of ,saxony2       
receiving  investiture from them1       
compelled to send a profession of faith 
to  the bishops of ,ravenna and ,milan1 
as we read expressly in your  ,diarium  
,romanum4 ,his title of 8patriarch of   
the west0 gave him much  prestige1 but  

no sovereign rights4 ,a priest-king was 
a blasphemy  in a religion of which the 
founder expressly says in the gospels3  
8,there shall be no first and last among
 you40 ,weigh well1 ,romans1  these     
other words that are put in the mouth of
 ,jesus3 8,to sit on my  right hand and 
on my left it is not mine to give1 but  
for whom it is  prepared of my          
father40#di ,know1 moreover1 that the   
,jews meant1 and  still mean1 by 8son of
 ,god0 a just man4 ,inquire of the eight
 thousand  ,jews who sell old clothes1  
as they ever have done1 in your city1   
and  pay close attention to the         
following words3 8,whosoever will be    
great  among you1 let him be your       
minister4 ,the ,son of ,man came not to 
be  ministered unto1 but to             
minister40#ej    ,do these clear and    
precise words mean that ,boniface       
,,viii4 was bound  to crush the ,colonna
 family2 that ,alexander ,,vi4 was bound
 to poison  so many ,roman barons2 or   
that the bishop of ,rome received from  

,god1  in a time of anarchy1 the duchy  
of ,rome1 ,ferrara1 ,bologna1 the ,march
  of ,ancona1 ,castro1 and ,ronciglione1
 and all the country from ,viterbo  to  
,terracina1 which have been wrested from
 their lawful owners8 ,think  you1      
,romans1 that ,jesus was sent on earth  
by ,god solely for the  ,rezzonico8     
,,article ,v4    ,you will ask me by    
what means this strange revolution of   
all divine  and human laws was brought  
about4 ,i am about to tell you2 and ,i  
defy  the most zealous fanatic in whom  
there is still a spark of reason1  and  
the most determined rogue who has still 
a trace of decency in his  soul1 to     
resist the force of the truth1 if he    
reads this important  inquiry with the  
attention it deserves4    ,it is certain
 and undoubted that the earliest        
societies of the  ,galilans1 afterwards 
called ,christians1 remained in         
obscurity1 in  the mud of the cities2   
and it is certain that1 when these      
,christians  began to write1 they       

entrusted their books only to those who 
had  been initiated into their          
mysteries4 ,they were not even given to 
the  catechumens1 much less to partisans
 of the imperial religion4 ,no  ,roman  
before the time of ,trajan #ih-aag      
,a4,d4 knew that the gospels  existed2  
no ,greek or ,latin writer has ever     
quoted the word 8gospel02  ,plutarch1   
,lucian1 ,petronius1 and ,apuleius1 who 
speak of everything1  are entirely      
ignorant of the existence of gospels4   
,this proof1 with  a hundred others1    
shows the absurdity of those authors who
 now hold1  or pretend to hold1 that the
 disciples of ,jesus died for the truth 
of these gospels1 of which the ,romans  
did not hear a word during two  hundred 
years4 ,the half-,jew1 half-,christian  
,galilans1 separated from  the disciples
 of ,john1 and from the ,therapeuts1    
,essenians1 ,judaites1  ,herodians1     
,sadducees1 and ,pharisees1 recruited   
their little flock  among the lowest of 
the people1 not1 indeed1 by means of    

books1 but  of speech1 by catechising   
the women and girls 7,acts xvi41 #ac and
  #ad7 and children1 and passing from   
town to town2 in a word1 like all  other
 sects4    ,tell me frankly1 ,romans1   
what your ancestors would have said if  
,st4 ,paul1 or ,simon ,barjona1 or      
,matthias1 or ,matthew1 or ,luke1 had   
appeared in the ,senate and said3 8,our 
,god1 ,jesus1 who passed as  the son of 
a carpenter during life1 was born in the
 year #geb from  the foundation of      
,rome1 under the governorship of        
,cyrenius 7,luke  ii41 #b71 in a ,jewish
 village called ,bethlehem1 to which his
 father  ,joseph and his mother ,mariah 
had gone to be included in the census   
which ,augustus had ordered4 ,this ,god 
was born in a stable1 between  an ox and
 an ass4#ea ,the angels came down from  
heaven and informed  the peasants of his
 birth2 a new star appeared in the      
heavens1 and  led to him three kings or 
wise men from the east1 who brought him 
a  tribute of incense1 myrrh1 and gold2 

but in spite of this gold he was  poor  
throughout life4 ,herod1 who was then   
dying1 and whom you had  made king1     
having learned that the new-born child  
was king of the  ,jews1 had fourteen    
thousand new-born infants of the        
district put to  death1 to make sure    
that the king was included 7,matthew    
ii41 #af74  ,however1 one of our writers
 inspired by ,god says that the         
,god-king  child fled to ,egypt2 and    
another writer1 equally inspired by     
,god1  says that the child remained at  
,bethlehem 7,luke ii41 #ci74 ,one of    
these sacred and infallible writers     
draws up a royal genealogy for  him2    
another composes for him an entirely    
different royal genealogy4  ,jesus      
preaches to the peasants1 and turns     
water into wine for them at  a marriage 
feast4 ,jesus is taken by the devil up  
into a mountain4 ,he  drives out devils1
 and sends them into the body of two    
thousand pigs  in ,galilee1 where there 
never were any pigs4 ,he greatly        

insulted the  magistrates1 and the prtor
 ,pontius had him executed4 ,when he had
  been executed1 he manifested his      
divinity4 ,the earth trembled2 the  dead
 left their graves1 and walked about in 
the city before the eyes  of ,pontius4  
,there was an eclipse of the sun at     
midday1 at a time of  full moon1        
although that is impossible4 ,he rose   
again secretly1 went  up to heaven1 and 
sent down another god1 who fell on the  
heads of his  disciples in tongues of   
fire4 ,may these same tongues fall on   
your  heads1 conscript fathers2 become  
,christians40    ,if the lowest official
 in the ,senate had condescended to     
answer this  discourse1 he would have   
said3 8,you are weak-minded rogues1 and 
ought  to be put in the asylum for the  
insane4 ,you lie when you say that  your
 ,god was born in the year of ,rome     
#geb1 under the governorship of         
,cyrenius1 the proconsul of ,syria4     
,cyrenius did not govern ,syria until   
more than ten years afterwards1 as our  

registers prove4 ,quintilius  ,varus was
 at that time proconsul of ,syria4      
8,you lie when you say that ,augustus   
ordered a census of #8all the  world4'  
,you must be very ignorant not to know  
that ,augustus was  master only of one  
tenth of the world4 ,if by #8all the    
world' you  mean the ,roman ,empire1    
know that neither ,augustus nor anybody 
else  ever undertook such a census4     
,know that there was but one single     
enumeration of the citizens of ,rome and
 its territory under ,augustus1  and    
that the number amounted to four million
 citizens2 and unless  your carpenter   
,joseph and his wife ,mariah brought    
forth your ,god in  a suburb of ,rome1  
and this ,jewish carpenter was a ,roman 
citizen1 he  cannot possibly have been  
included4    8,you are telling a        
ridiculous untruth with your three kings
 and new  star1 and the little massacred
 children1 and the dead rising again    
and walking in the streets under the    
eyes of ,pontius ,pilate1 who  never    

wrote us a word about it1 etc41 etc4    
8,you are lying when you speak of an    
eclipse of the sun at a time of  full   
moon4 ,our prtor ,pontius ,pilate would 
have written to us about  it1 and we1   
together with all the nations of the    
earth1 would have  witnessed this       
eclipse4 ,return to your work1 you      
fanatical peasants1  and thank the      
,senate that it has too much disdain to 
punish you40                            
,,article ,,vi4    ,it is clear that the
 first half-,jewish ,christians took    
care not to  address themselves to the  
,roman ,senators1 nor to any man of     
position  or any one above the lowest   
level of the people4 ,it is well known  
that they appealed only to the lowest   
class4 ,to these they boasted  of       
healing nervous diseases1 epilepsy1 and 
uterine convulsions1  which ignorant    
folk1 among the ,romans as well as among
 the ,jews1  ,egyptians1 ,greeks1 and   
,syrians1 regarded as the work of charms
 or  diabolical possession4 ,there must 

assuredly have been some cases of       
healing4 ,some were cured in the name of
 ,esculapius1 and we have since         
discovered at ,rome a monument of a     
miracle of ,esculapius1 with the  names 
of the witnesses4 ,others were healed in
 the name of ,isis1 or  of the ,syrian  
goddess2 others in the name of ,jesus1  
etc4 ,the common  people healed in one  
of these names believed in those who    
propagated  it4                         
,,article ,,vii4    ,thus the           
,christians made progress among the     
people by a device that  invariably     
seduces ignorant folk4 ,but they had a  
still more powerful  means4 ,they       
declaimed against the rich4 ,they       
preached community of  goods2 in their  
secret meetings they enjoined their     
neophytes to give  them the little money
 they had earned2 and they quoted the   
alleged  instance of ,sapphira and      
,ananias 7,acts v41 #a-aa71 whom ,simon 
,barjona1 called ,cephas1 which means   
,peter1 caused to die suddenly  because 

they had kept a crown to themselves--the
 first and most  detestable example of  
priestly covetousness4    ,but they     
would not have succeeded in extorting   
the money of their  neophytes if they   
had not preached the doctrine of the    
cynic  philosophers--the idea of        
voluntary poverty4 ,even this1 however1 
was  not enough to form a new flock4    
,the end of the world had been long     
announced4 ,you will find it in         
,epicurus and ,lucretius1 his chief     
disciple4 ,ovid had said1 in the days of
 ,augustus3      ,esse quoque in fatis  
meminisceret adfore tempus1    ,quo     
mare1 quo tellus1 correptaque regio     
coeli    ,ardeat1 et mundi moles operosa
 laboret4#eb    ,according to others1   
the world had been made by a fortuitous 
concourse of atoms1 and would be        
destroyed by another fortuitous         
concourse1 as we find in the poems of   
,lucretius4    ,this idea came          
originally from the ,brahmans of ,india4
 ,many ,jews had  adopted it by the time

 of ,herod4 ,it is formally stated in   
the gospel  of ,luke1 as you have seen2 
it is in ,paul's epistles2 and it is in 
all  those who are known as fathers of  
the ,church4 ,the world was about  to be
 destroyed1 it was thought2 and the     
,christians announced a new  ,jerusalem1
 which was seen in the air by night4#ec 
,the ,jews talked of  nothing but a new 
kingdom of heaven2 it was the system of 
,john the  ,baptist1 who had introduced 
on the ,jordan the ancient ,hindoo      
practice  of baptism in the ,ganges4    
,baptism was practised by the           
,egyptians1 and  adopted by the ,jews4  
,this new kingdom of heaven1 to which   
the poor  alone would be admitted1 was  
preached by ,jesus and his followers4   
,they threatened with eternal torment   
those who would not believe in  the new 
heaven4 ,this hell1 invented by the     
first ,zoroaster1 became  one of the    
chief points of ,egyptian theology4#ed  
,from the latter  came the barque of    
,charon1 ,cerberus1 the river ,lethe1   

,tartarus1 and  the ,furies4 ,from      
,egypt the idea passed to ,greece1 and  
from there to  the ,romans2 the ,jews   
were unacquainted with it until the time
 when  the ,pharisees preached it1      
shortly before the reign of ,herod4 ,it 
was  one of their contradictions to     
admit both hell and metempsychosis      
7transmigration of souls72 but who would
 look for reasoning among the  ,jews8   
,their powers in that direction are     
confined to money matters4  ,the        
,sadducees and ,samaritans rejected the 
immortality of the soul1  because it is 
not found anywhere in the ,mosaic law4  
,this was the great spring which the    
early ,christians1 all  half-,jewish1   
relied upon to put the new machinery in 
action3  community of goods1 secret     
meals1 hidden mysteries1 gospels read to
  the initiated only1 paradise for the  
poor1 hell for the rich1 and  exorcisms 
by charlatans4 ,here1 in strict truth1  
we have the first  foundations of the   
,christian sect4 ,if ,i deceive you--or1

 rather1 if  ,i deliberately deceive    
you--,i pray the ,god of the universe1  
the ,god  of all men1 to wither the hand
 that writes this1 to shatter with his  
lightning a head that is convinced of   
the existence of a good and  just ,god1 
and to tear out from me a heart that    
worships him4                           
,,article ,,viii4    ,let us now1       
,romans1 consider the artifices1        
roguery1 and forgery  to which the      
,christians themselves have given the   
name of 8pious  frauds02 frauds that    
have cost you your liberty and your     
goods1 and  have brought down the       
conquerors of ,europe to a most         
lamentable  slavery4 ,i again take ,god 
to witness that ,i will say no word that
  is not amply proved4 ,if ,i wished to 
use all the arms of reason  against     
fanaticism1 all the piercing darts of   
truth against error1 ,i  should speak to
 you first of that prodigious number of 
contradictory  gospels which your popes 
themselves now recognise to be false4   

,they  show1 at least1 that there were  
forgers among the first ,christians4    
,this1 however1 is very well known4 ,i  
have to tell you of impostures  that are
 not generally known1 and are a thousand
 times more  pernicious4                
,first ,imposture    ,it is a very      
ancient superstition that the last words
 of the dying  are prophetic1 or are1 at
 least1 sacred maxims and venerable     
precepts4 ,it was believed that the     
soul1 about to dissolve the union  with 
the body and already half united to the 
,deity1 had a cloudless  vision of the  
future and of truth4 ,following this    
prejudice1 the  ,judo-,christians forge1
 in the first century of the ,church1   
the  ,testament of the ,twelve          
,patriarchs1 written in ,greek1 to serve
 as  a prediction or a preparation for  
the new kingdom of ,jesus4 ,in the      
testament of ,reuben we find these      
words3 8,adore his seed1 for he will    
die for you1 in wars visible and        
invisible1 and he will be your king  for

 ever40 ,this prophecy is applied to    
,jesus1 in the usual way of  those who  
wrote fifty-four gospels in various     
places1 and who nearly  all endeavoured 
to find in ,jewish writers1 especially  
those who were  called prophets1        
passages that could be twisted in favour
 of ,jesus4  ,they even added some that 
are clearly recognised as false4 ,the   
author  of the ,testament of the        
,patriarchs is one of the most impudent 
and  clumsy forgers that ever spoiled   
good parchment4 ,his book was written   
in ,alexandria1 in the school of a      
certain ,mark4                          
,second ,chief ,imposture    ,they      
forged letters from the king of ,edessa 
to ,jesus1 and from ,jesus  to this     
supposed prince4 ,there was no king at  
,edessa1 which was a  town under the    
,syrian governor2 the petty prince of   
,edessa never had  the title of king4   
,moreover1 it is not said in any of the 
gospels  that ,jesus could write2 and if
 he could1 he would have left some      

proof of it to his disciples4 ,hence    
these letters are now declared by  all  
scholars to be forgeries4               
,third ,chief ,imposture                
7which contains several7    ,they forged
 ,acts of ,pilate1 letters of ,pilate1  
and even a history  of ,pilate's wife4  
,the letters of ,pilate are especially  
interesting4  ,here is a fragment of    
one3    8,it happened a short time ago1 
and ,i have verified it1 that the ,jews 
in their envy drew on themselves a cruel
 condemnation4 ,their ,god  having      
promised that he would send his holy one
 to them from heaven  to be their       
legitimate king1 and that he should be  
born of a virgin1  did indeed send him  
when ,i was procurator in ,juda4 ,the   
leaders of  the ,jews denounced him to  
me as a magician4 ,i believed it1 and   
had  him scourged1 and handed him over  
to them2 and they crucified him4  ,they 
put guards about his tomb1 but he rose  
again the third day40    ,to this       
forgery ,i may add that of the rescript 

of ,tiberius to the  ,senate1 to raise  
,jesus to the rank of the imperial gods1
 and the  ridiculous letters of the     
philosopher ,seneca to ,paul1 and of    
,paul to  ,seneca1 written in barbaric  
,latin2 also the letters of the ,virgin 
,mary to ,st4 ,ignatius1 and many other 
clumsy fictions of the same  nature4 ,i 
will not draw out this list of          
impostures4 ,it would amaze  you if ,i  
enumerated them one by one4             
,fourth ,imposture    ,the boldest1     
perhaps1 and clumsiest of these         
forgeries is that of the  prophecies    
attributed to the ,sibyls1 foretelling  
the incarnation1  miracles1 and death of
 ,jesus1 in acrostic verse4 ,this piece 
of  folly1 unknown to the ,romans1 fed  
the belief of the catechumens4 ,it      
circulated among us for eight centuries1
 and we still sing in one of  our       
hymns#ee 8teste ,david cum ,sibylla0    
witness ,david and the ,sibyl4    ,you  
are astonished1 no doubt1 that this     
despicable comedy was  maintained so    

long1 and that men could be led with    
such a bridle as  that4 ,but as the     
,christians were plunged in the most    
stupid barbarism  for fifteen hundred   
years1 as books were very rare and      
theologians  very astute1 one could say 
anything at all to poor wretches who    
would  believe anything at all4         
,fifth ,imposture    ,illustrious and   
unfortunate ,romans1 before we come to  
the pernicious  untruths which have cost
 you your liberty1 your property1 and   
your  glory1 and put you under the yoke 
of a priest2 before ,i speak to you  of 
the alleged pontificate of ,simon       
,barjona1 who is said to have been      
bishop of ,rome for twenty-five years1  
you must be informed of the  8,apostolic
 ,constitutions10 the first foundation  
of the hierarchy that  crushes you      
to-day4    ,at the beginning of the     
second century there was no such thing  
as an  episcopos 78overseer07 or bishop1
 clothed with real dignity for  life1   
unalterably attached to a certain see1  

and distinguished from  other men by his
 clothes2 bishops1 in fact1 dressed like
 ordinary  laymen until the middle of   
the fifth century4 ,the meeting was held
  in a chamber of some retired house4   
,the minister was chosen by the         
initiated1 and continued his work as    
long as they were satisfied4  ,there    
were no altars1 candles1 or incense2 the
 earliest fathers of  the ,church speak 
of altars and temples with a shudder4#ef
 ,they were  content to make a          
collection and sup together4 ,when the  
,christian  society had grown1 however1 
ambition set up an hierarchy4 ,how did  
they go about it8 ,the rogues who led   
the enthusiasts made them  believe that 
they had discovered the apostolic       
constitutions written  by ,st4 ,john and
 ,st4 ,matthew3 8qu ego ,matthus et     
,joannes vobis  tradidimus which ,i1    
,matthew1 and ,john have given you40#eg 
,in these  ,matthew is supposed to say  
7,,ii41 xxxvi473 8,be ye careful not to 
judge your bishop1 for it is given to   

the priests alone to judge40  ,matthew  
and ,john say 7,,ii41 xxxiv473 8,as much
 as the soul is above  the body1 so much
 higher is the priesthood than royalty2 
consider  your bishop as a king1 an     
absolute master 7dominum72 give him your
  fruits1 your works1 your firstlings1  
your tithes1 your savings1 the  first   
and tenth part of your wine1 oil1 and   
corn1 etc40 ,again 7,,ii41  xxx473 8,let
 the bishop be a god to you1 and the    
deacon a prophet02  and 7,,ii41         
xxxviii473 8,in the festivals let the   
deacon have a double  portion1 and the  
priest double that of the deacon2 and if
 they be not  at table1 send the        
portions to them40    ,you see1 ,romans1
 the origin of your custom of spreading 
your tables  to give indigestion to your
 pontiffs4 ,would to ,god they had      
confined  themselves to the sin of      
gluttony4    ,you will further observe  
with care1 in regard to this imposture  
of the constitutions of the apostles1   
that it is an authentic  monument of the

 dogmas of the second century1 and that 
forgery at  least does homage to truth  
in maintaining a complete silence about 
innovations that could not be           
foreseen--innovations with which you    
have been deluged century after century4
 ,you will find1 in this  second-century
 document1 neither trinity1 nor         
consubstantiality1 nor                  
transubstantiation1 nor auricular       
confession4 ,you will not find in  it   
that the mother of ,jesus was the mother
 of ,god1 that ,jesus had  two natures  
and two wills1 or that the ,holy ,ghost 
proceeds from the  father and the son4  
,all these singular ornaments of        
imagination1  unknown to the religion of
 the gospels1 have been added since to  
the  crude structure which fanaticism   
and ignorance raised up in the first    
centuries4    ,you will assuredly find  
in it three persons1 but not three      
persons  in one ,god4 ,read with all the
 acuteness of your mind1 the only       
treasure that your tyrants have left    

you1 the common prayer which the        
,christians1 by the mouth of their      
bishop1 offered in their meetings  in   
the second century3    8,o all-powerful1
 unengendered1 inaccessible ,god1 the   
one true ,god1  father of ,christ thy   
only son1 ,god of the paraclete1 ,god of
 all1 thou  hast made the disciples of  
,christ doctors1 etc40#eh    ,here1     
clearly1 is one sole ,god who commands  
,christ and the paraclete  ,holy ,ghost4
 ,judge for yourselves if that has any  
resemblance to  the trinity and         
consubstantiality which were afterwards 
declared at  ,nica1 in spite of the     
strong protest of eighteen bishops and  
two  thousand priests4#ei    ,in another
 place 7,,iii41 xvi47 the author of the 
,apostolic  ,constitutions1 who is      
probably a bishop of the ,christians at 
,rome1  says expressly that the father  
is ,god above all4    ,that is the      
doctrine of ,paul1 finding expression so
 frequently in  his epistles4 8,we have 
peace in ,god through ,our ,lord ,jesus 

,christ0  7,romans v41 #a74 8,if through
 the offence of one many be dead1 much  
more the grace of ,god1 and the gift by 
grace1 which is by one man1  ,jesus     
,christ1 hath abounded unto many0       
7,romans v41 #ae74 8,we are  heirs of   
,god1 and joint-heirs with ,christ0     
7,romans viii41 #ag74  8,receive ye one 
another1 as ,christ also received us to 
the glory of  ,god0 7,romans xv41 #g74  
8,to ,god only wise1 be glory through   
,jesus  ,christ for ever0 7,romans xvi41
 #bg74 8,that the ,god of ,our ,lord    
,jesus  ,christ1 the father of glory1   
may give unto you the spirit of wisdom0 
7,ephesians i41 #ag74    ,thus does the 
,jew-,christian ,saul ,paul always      
express himself1 and  thus is ,jesus    
himself made to speak in the gospels4   
8,my ,father is  greater than ,i0 7,john
 xiv41 #bh72 that is to say1 ,god can do
 what  men cannot do4 ,all the ,jews    
said 8my father0 when they spoke of     
,god4    ,the ,lord's ,prayer begins    
with the words 8,our ,father40 ,jesus   

said3 8,of  that day and hour knoweth no
 man1 no1 not the angels of heaven1 but 
my ,father only0 7,matthew xxiv41 #cf72 
and 8,that is not mine to give1  but for
 whom it is prepared by my ,father0     
7,matthew xx41 #bc74 ,it  is also very  
remarkable that when ,jesus awaited     
arrest1 and sweated  blood and water1 he
 cried out3 8,father1 remove this cup   
from me0  7,luke xxii41 #db74 ,no gospel
 has put into his mouth the blasphemy   
that he was ,god1 or consubstantial with
 ,god4    ,you will ask me1 ,romans1 why
 and how he was made into a ,god in the 
course of time8 ,i will ask you in turn 
why and how ,bacchus1 ,perseus1         
,hercules1 and ,romulus were made gods8 
,in their case1 moreover1 the  sacrilege
 did not go so far as to give them the  
title of supreme god  and creator4 ,this
 blasphemy was reserved for the         
,christian outgrowth  of the ,jewish    
sect4                             ,sixth
 ,chief ,imposture    ,i pass over the  
countless impostures of 8,the ,travels  

of ,simon  ,barjona10 the 8,gospel of   
,simon ,barjona10 his 8,apocalypse10 the
  8,apocalypse0 of ,cerinthus           
7ridiculously attributed to ,john71 the 
epistles of ,barnaby1 the 8,gospel of   
the ,twelve ,apostles10 their           
liturgies1 the 8,canons of the ,council 
of the ,apostles10 the  8,apostles'     
,creed10 the 8,travels of ,matthew10 the
 8,travels of ,thomas10  and so many    
other vagaries that are now recognised  
to be the work of  forgers1 who passed  
them off under venerated ,christian     
names4    ,i will not insist much on the
 romance of the alleged ,pope ,st4      
,clement1 who calls himself the first   
successor of ,st4 ,peter4 ,i will  note 
only that ,simon ,barjona and he met an 
old man1 who complained  of the         
unfaithfulness of his wife1 who had lain
 with his servant4  ,clement asks how he
 learned it4 8,by my wife's horoscope10 
said the  good man1 8and from my        
brother1 with whom she wished to lie1   
but he  would not40 ,from these words   

,clement recognised his father in the   
old  man4#fj ,from ,peter ,clement      
learned that he was of the blood of the 
,csars4 ,on such romances1 ,romans1 was 
the papal power set up6                 
,seventh ,chief ,imposture        ,on   
the ,supposed ,pontificate of ,simon    
,barjona1 ,called ,peter    ,who was the
 first to say that ,simon1 the poor     
fisherman1 came from  ,galilee to ,rome1
 spoke ,latin there 7though he could not
 possibly know  more than his native    
dialect71 and in the end was pope of    
,rome for  twenty-five years8 ,it was a 
,syrian named ,abdias1 who lived about  
the  end of the first century1 and is   
said to have been bishop of ,babylon  7a
 good bishopric74 ,he wrote in ,syriac1 
and we have his work in a  ,latin       
translation by ,julius the ,african4    
,listen well to what this  intelligent  
writer says4 ,he was an eye-witness1 and
 his testimony is  irrefragable4        
,simon ,barjona ,peter1 having1 he says1
 raised to life ,tabitha1 or  ,dorcas1  

the sempstress of the apostles1 and     
having been put in prison  by the orders
 of ,king ,herod 7though there was no   
,king ,herod at the  time72 and an angel
 having opened the doors of the prison  
for him  7after the custom of angels71  
met1 in ,csarea1 the other ,simon1 of   
,samaria1 known as the ,magician        
7,magus71 who also performed miracles4  
,they began to defy each other4 ,simon  
the ,samaritan went off to the  ,emperor
 ,nero at ,rome4 ,simon ,barjona        
followed him1 and the emperor  received 
them excellently4 ,a cousin of the      
emperor had died1 and it  was a question
 which of them could restore him to     
life4 ,the ,samaritan  has the honour of
 opening the ceremony4 ,he calls upon   
,god1 and the  dead man gives signs of  
life and shakes his head4 ,simon ,peter 
calls  on ,jesus ,christ1 and tells the 
dead man to rise2 forthwith he does     
rise1 and embraces ,peter4 ,then follows
 the well-known story of the  two dogs4 
,then ,abdias tells how ,simon flew in  

the air1 and his rival  ,simon ,peter   
brought him down4 ,simon the ,magician  
broke his legs1 and  ,nero had ,simon   
,peter crucified1 head downwards1 for   
breaking the legs  of the other ,simon4 
,this harlequinade was described1 not   
only by ,abdias1 but by some one  named 
,marcellus1 and by a certain            
,hegesippus1 whom ,eusebius often       
quotes in his history4 ,pray notice1    
judicious ,romans1 how this ,simon      
,peter may have reigned spiritually in  
your city for twenty-five  years4 ,he   
came to it under ,nero1 according to the
 earliest writers of  the ,church2 he   
died under ,nero2 and ,nero reigned only
 thirteen years4    ,read the ,acts of  
the ,apostles4 ,is there any question   
therein of  ,peter going to ,rome8 ,not 
the least mention4 ,do you not see that1
  when the fiction began that ,peter was
 the first of the apostles1 it  was     
thought that the imperial city alone was
 worthy of him8 ,see how  clumsily you  
have been deluded in everything4 ,is it 

possible that the  son of ,god1 nay ,god
 himself1 should have made use of a play
 on words1  a ridiculous pun1 to make   
,simon ,barjona the head of his ,church3
 8,thou  art ,peter1 and upon this rock 
petra ,i will build my ,church40 ,had   
,barjona been called ,pumpkin1 ,jesus   
might have said to him3 8,thou art      
,pumpkin1 and ,pumpkin shall            
henceforward be the king of the fruits  
in  my garden40#fa    ,for more than    
three hundred years the alleged         
successor of a ,galilean  peasant was   
unknown to ,rome4 ,let us now see how   
the popes became your  masters4         
,eighth ,imposture    ,no one who is    
acquainted with the history of the      
,greek and ,latin  ,churches can be     
unaware that the metropolitan sees      
established their  chief rights at the  
,council of ,chalcedon1 convoked in the 
year #dea by  the order of the ,emperor 
,marcian and of ,pulcheria his wife1 and
  composed of six hundred and thirty    
bishops4 ,the senators who presided  in 

the emperor's name had on their right   
the patriarchs of ,alexandria  and      
,jerusalem1 on their left the patriarch 
of ,constantinople and the  deputies of 
the patriarch of ,rome4 ,it was in      
virtue of the canons  of this ,council  
that the episcopal sees shared the      
dignities of the  cities in which they  
were situated4 ,the bishops of the two  
imperial  cities1 ,rome and             
,constantinople1 were declared to be the
 first  bishops1 with equal             
prerogatives1 by the celebrated         
twenty-eighth  canon3    8,the fathers  
have justly granted prerogatives to the 
see of ancient  ,rome1 as to a reigning 
city1 and the #aej bishops of the first 
,council  of ,constantinople1 very dear 
to ,god1 have for the same reason given 
the same privileges to the new ,rome2   
they have rightly thought that  this    
city1 in which the ,emperor and ,senate 
reside1 should be equal to  it in all   
ecclesiastical matters40    ,the popes  
have always contested the authenticity  

of this canon2 they  have twisted and   
perverted its whole meaning4 ,what did  
they do at  length to evade this        
equality and gradually to destroy all   
the titles  of subjection which placed  
them under the emperors like all other  
men8 ,they forged the famous donation of
 ,constantine1 which has been  for many 
centuries so strictly regarded as       
genuine that it was a  mortal and       
unpardonable sin to doubt it1 and       
whoever did so incurred  the greater    
excommunication by the very fact of     
doubting4    ,a very pretty thing was   
this donation of ,constantine to ,bishop
  ,sylvester4    8,we10 says the        
,emperor1 8with all our satraps and the 
whole ,roman  people1 have thought it   
good to give to the successors of ,st4  
,peter  a greater power than that of our
 serene majesty40 ,do you not think1    
,romans1 that the word 8satrap0 comes in
 very well there8    ,with equal        
authenticity1 ,constantine goes on1 in  
this noble diploma1  to say that he has 

put the ,apostles ,peter and ,paul in   
large amber  caskets2 that he has built 
the churches of ,st4 ,peter and ,st4    
,paul2  that he has given them vast     
domains in ,juda1 ,greece1 ,thrace1     
,asia1  etc4 7to maintain the luminary72
 that he has given to the pope his      
,lateran palace1 with chamberlains and  
guards2 and that1 lastly1 he  gives him1
 as a pure donation for himself and his 
successors1 the  city of ,rome1 ,italy1 
and all the western provinces2 and all  
this is  given to thank the ,pope       
,sylvester for having cured him of      
leprosy1  and having baptised           
him--though1 in point of fact1 he was   
baptised  only on his death-bed1 by     
,eusebius1 bishop of ,nicomedia4        
,never was there a document more        
ridiculous from one end to the other1   
yet more accredited in the ignorant ages
 in which ,europe was so long  detained 
after the fall of your empire4          
,ninth ,imposture    ,i pass over the   
thousand and one little daily impostures

 to come at  once to the great fraud of 
the ,decretals4    ,these false         
,decretals were spread everywhere in the
 time of  ,charlemagne4 ,in these1      
,romans1 the better to rob you of your  
liberty1  the bishops are deprived of   
theirs2 it is decreed that the bishop of
  ,rome shall be their only judge4      
,certainly1 if he is the sovereign  of  
the bishops1 he should soon be yours2   
and that is what happened4  ,these false
 ,decretals abolished the ,councils1 and
 even abolished your  ,senate1 which    
became merely a court of justice1       
subject to the will  of a priest4 ,here 
is the real source of the humiliation   
you have  suffered4 ,your rights and    
privileges1 so long maintained by your  
wisdom1 could be wrested from you only  
by untruth4 ,only by lying to  ,god and 
men did they succeed in making slaves of
 you2 but they have  never extinguished 
the love of liberty in your hearts4 ,the
 greater  the tyranny1 the greater is   
that love4 ,the sacred name of liberty  

is  still heard in your conversations   
and gatherings1 and in the very         
antechamber of the pope4                
,,article ,,ix4    ,csar was but your   
dictator2 ,augustus was content to be   
your general1  consul1 and tribune2     
,tiberius1 ,caligula1 and ,nero left you
 your  elections1 your prerogatives1 and
 your dignities2 even the barbarians    
respected them4 ,you maintained your    
municipal government4 ,not by the       
authority of your bishop1 ,gregory      
,,iii41 but of your own decision1 you   
offered the dignity of patrician to the 
great ,charles ,martel1 master  of his  
king1 conqueror of the ,saracens in the 
year #gda of our faulty  vulgar era4    
,believe not that it was the ,bishop    
,leo ,,iii4 who made ,charlemagne       
emperor2 it is an absurd romance of the 
secretary ,eginhard1 a vile  flatterer  
of the popes1 who had won him4 ,by what 
right and in what  way could a subject  
bishop make an emperor8 ,emperors were  
created  only by the people1 or by the  

armies that took the place of the       
people4    ,it was you1 people of ,rome1
 who used your rights2 you who would  no
 longer depend on a ,greek emperor1 who 
gave you no aid2 you who  appointed     
,charlemagne1 or he would have been a   
usurper4 ,the annalists  of the time    
agree that all was arranged by ,carolo  
and your leading  officers1 as is1      
indeed1 most probable4 ,your bishop's   
only share in  it was to conduct an     
empty ceremony and receive rich         
presents4 ,the  only authority he had in
 your city was that of the prestige     
attaching  to his mitre1 his clergy1 and
 his ability4    ,but while you gave    
yourselves to ,charlemagne1 you retained
 the  election of your officers4 ,the   
police was in your hands2 you kept      
possession of the mole of ,adrian1 so   
absurdly called in later times  the     
,castello ,sant' ,angelo2 and you were  
not wholly enslaved until  your bishops 
seized that fortress4    ,they made     
their way step by step to that supreme  

greatness1 so  expressly forbidden them 
by him whom they call their ,god1 and of
  whom they dare to call themselves the 
vicars4 ,they had never any             
jurisdiction in ,rome under the ,othos4 
,excommunication and intrigue  were     
their sole arms2 and even when1 in an   
age of anarchy1 they  became the real   
sovereigns1 they never dared to assume  
the title4 ,i  defy the astutest of     
those fabricators of titles who abound  
in your  court to find a single one in  
which the pope is described as prince   
by the grace of ,god4 ,a strange        
princedom1 when one fears to avow it6   
,the imperial cities of ,germany1 which 
have bishops1 are free2 and  you1       
,romans1 are not4 ,the archbishop of    
,cologne has not even the  right to     
sleep in that city2 and your pope will  
hardly allow you to  sleep in your own4 
,the sultan of the ,turks is far less   
despotic at  ,constantinople than the   
pope has become at ,rome4    ,you perish
 miserably in the shade of superb       

colonnades4 ,your noble  and faded      
paintings1 and your dozen gems of       
ancient sculpture1 bring  you neither a 
good dinner nor a good bed4 ,the        
opulence is for your  masters3 the      
indigence is for you4 ,the lot of a     
slave among the  ancient ,romans was a  
hundred times better than yours4 ,he    
might  acquire a large fortune2 you are 
born serfs1 you die serfs1 and  the only
 oil you have is that of the ,last      
,anointing4 ,slaves in body  and in     
soul1 your tyrants do not even allow you
 to read1 in your own  tongue1 the book 
on which they say your religion is      
founded4    ,awake1 ,romans1 at the call
 of liberty1 truth1 and nature4 ,the cry
  rings over ,europe4 ,you must hear it4
 ,break the chains that bind your       
generous hands--the chains forged by    
tyranny in the den of imposture4        
,,the ,,sermon ,,of ,,the ,,fifty       
,fifty cultivated1 pious1 and reasonable
 persons have1 for a year  past1 met    
every ,sunday in a large commercial     

town4 ,they have prayers1  and then a   
member of the society gives a discourse4
 ,they afterwards  dine1 and a          
collection for the poor is made after   
dinner4 ,each  presides in turn1 and it 
is the duty of the president to offer   
the  prayer and give the sermon4 ,here  
are one of the prayers and one of  the  
sermons4    ,if the seed of these words 
fall on good soil1 it will assuredly    
bear  fruit4                            
,,prayer    ,god of all the globes and  
stars1 the one prayer that it is meet   
to offer to you is submission4 ,how can 
we ask anything of him who  arranged and
 enchained all things from the          
beginning8 ,yet if it is  permitted to  
expose our needs to a father1 preserve  
in our hearts  this feeling of          
submission and a pure religion4 ,keep   
from us all  superstition4 ,since there 
are those who insult you with unworthy  
sacrifices1 abolish those infamous      
mysteries4 ,since there are those  who  
dishonour the divinity with absurd      

fables1 may those fables  perish for    
ever4 ,if the days of the prince and the
 magistrate were  not numbered from all 
eternity1 give them length of days4     
,preserve  the purity of our ways1 the  
friendship of our brethren for each     
other1 their goodwill towards all men1  
their obedience to the laws1  and their 
wisdom in private life4 ,let them live  
and die in the  worship of one ,god1 the
 rewarder of good1 the punisher of evil2
 a ,god  that could not be born or die1 
nor have associates1 but who has too    
many rebellious children in this world4 
,,sermon    ,my brethren1 religion is   
the secret voice of ,god speaking to    
men4  ,it ought to unite men1 not divide
 them2 hence every religion that        
belongs to one people only is false4    
,ours is1 in principle1 that of  the    
whole universe2 for we worship a supreme
 being as all nations do1  we practise  
the justice which all nations teach1 and
 we reject all  the untruths with which 
the nations reproach each other4 ,at one

 with  them in the principle which      
unites them1 we differ from them in the 
things about which they are in conflict4
    ,the point on which all men of all  
times agree must be the centre of       
truth1 and the points on which they all 
differ must be standards  of falsehood4 
,religion must conform to morality1 and1
 like it1 be  universal2 hence every    
religion whose dogmas offend against    
morality  is certainly false4 ,it is    
under this twofold aspect of perversity 
and falseness that we will1 in this     
discourse1 examine the books of  the    
,hebrews and of those who have succeeded
 them4 ,let us first see  if these books
 conform to morality2 we shall then see 
if they have  any shade of probability4 
,the first two points will deal with the
 ,old  ,testament2 the third will       
discuss the ,new4                       
,first ,point    ,you know1 my brethren1
 what horror fell on us when we read    
together  the writings of the ,hebrews1 
confining our attention to those        

features which offend against purity1   
charity1 good faith1 justice1  and      
reason--features which one not only     
finds in every chapter1 but1  unhappily1
 one finds consecrated in them4         
,first1 to say nothing of the           
extravagant injustice which they        
venture to ascribe to the supreme being1
 in endowing a serpent with  speech in  
order to seduce a woman and her innocent
 posterity1 let  us run over in         
succession all the historical horrors   
which outrage  nature and good sense4   
,one of the patriarchs1 ,lot1 the nephew
 of  ,abraham1 receives in his house two
 angels disguised as pilgrims2 the      
inhabitants of ,sodom entertain impure  
desires of these angels2 ,lot1  who had 
two daughters promised in marriage1     
offers to abandon them  to the people   
instead of the two strangers4 ,these    
young women must  have been strangely   
familiar with evil ways1 since the first
 thing  they do after the destruction of
 their town by a rain of fire1 and      

after their mother has been changed into
 a pillar of salt1 is to  intoxicate    
their father on two consecutive nights1 
in order to sleep  with him in          
succession4 ,it is an imitation of the  
ancient ,arabic  legend of ,cyniras and 
,myrrha4 ,but in this more decent legend
 ,myrrha  is punished for her crime1    
while the daughters of ,lot are rewarded
  with what is1 in ,jewish eyes1 the    
greatest and dearest blessing3 they     
become the mothers of a numerous        
posterity4    ,we will not insist on the
 falsehood of ,isaac1 the father of the 
just1  who says that his wife is his    
sister2 whether he was merely repeating 
the falsehood of ,abraham1 or ,abraham  
was really guilty of taking his  sister 
to wife4 ,but let us dwell for a moment 
on the patriarch ,jacob1  who is offered
 to us as a model man4 ,he compels his  
brother1 who is  dying of hunger1 to    
give up his birthright for a dish of    
lentils4 ,he  afterwards deceives his   
aged father on his death-bed4 ,after    

deceiving  his father1 he deceives and  
robs his father-in-law ,laban4 ,not     
content  with wedding two sisters1 he   
lies with all his servants2 and ,god    
blesses this licentiousness and         
trickery4 ,who are the children of  such
 a father8 ,his daughter ,dinah pleases 
a prince of ,sichem1 and  it is probable
 that she loves the prince1 since she   
lies with him4  ,the prince asks her in 
marriage1 and she is promised on        
condition  that he and all his people   
are circumcised4 ,the prince accepts the
  condition2 but as soon as he and his  
people undergo this painful             
operation--which1 nevertheless1 leaves  
them strong enough to defend            
themselves--,jacob's family murder all  
the men of ,sichem and enslave  their   
women and children4    ,we have in our  
infancy heard the story of ,pelopus4    
,this incestuous  abomination is        
repeated in ,judah1 the patriarch and   
father of the  first tribe4 ,he lies    
with his daughter-in-law1 and then      

wishes to  have her killed4 ,the book   
declares that then ,joseph1 a child of  
this  vagabond family1 is sold into     
,egypt1 and that1 foreigner as he is1   
he is made first minister as a reward   
for explaining a dream4 ,what a  first  
minister he was1 compelling a whole     
nation to enslave itself1  during a time
 of famine1 to obtain food6 ,what       
magistrate among us  would1 in time of  
famine1 dare to propose so abominable a 
bargain1  and what nation would accept  
it8 ,let us not stay to examine how     
seventy members of the family of        
,joseph1 who settled in ,egypt1 could   
in two hundred and fifteen years        
increase to six hundred thousand        
fighting men1 without counting the      
women1 old men1 and children1  which    
would make a total of more than two     
millions4 ,let us not  discuss how it is
 that the text has four hundred and     
thirty years1  when the same text has   
given two hundred and fifteen4 ,the     
infinite  number of contradictions1     

which are the seal of imposture1 is not 
the point which we are considering4 ,let
 us likewise pass over the  ridiculous  
prodigies of ,moses and of ,pharaoh's   
magicians1 and all the  miracles wrought
 to give the ,jewish people a wretched  
bit of poor  country1 which they        
afterwards purchase by blood and crime1 
instead  of giving them the fertile soil
 of ,egypt1 where they were4 ,let us    
confine ourselves to the frightful      
iniquity of their ways4    ,their ,god  
had made a thief of ,jacob1 and he now  
makes thieves of the  entire people4 ,he
 orders his people to steal and take    
away with them  all the gold and silver 
vessels and utensils of the ,egyptians4 
,behold  these wretches1 to the number  
of six hundred thousand fighting men1   
instead of taking up arms like men of   
spirit1 flying like brigands  led by    
their ,god4 ,if their ,god had wished to
 give them a good  country1 he might    
have given them ,egypt4 ,he does not1   
however2 he  leads them into a desert4  

,they might have fled by the shortest   
route1  yet they go far out of their way
 to cross the ,red ,sea dry-foot4 ,after
  this fine miracle ,moses' own brother 
makes them another god1 and this  god is
 a calf4 ,to punish his brother ,moses  
commands certain priests  to kill their 
sons1 brothers1 and fathers2 and they   
kill twenty-three  thousand ,jews1 who  
let themselves be slain like cattle4    
,after this butchery it is not          
surprising to hear that this abominable 
people sacrifices human victims to its  
god1 whom it calls ,adonai1  borrowing  
the name of ,adonis from the ,phnicians4
 ,the twenty-ninth  verse of chapter    
xxvii4 of ,leviticus expressly forbids  
the  redemption of those who are        
destined for sacrifice1 and it is in    
virtue of this cannibalistic law that   
,jephthah1 some time afterwards1  offers
 up his own daughter4    ,it was not    
enough to slay twenty-three thousand men
 for a calf2 we  have again twenty-four 
thousand sacrificed for having          

intercourse  with idolatrous women4 ,it 
is1 my brethren1 a worthy prelude and   
example of persecution on the ground of 
religion4    ,this people advances in   
the deserts and rocks of ,palestine4    
,here is  your splendid country1 ,god   
says to them4 ,slay all the inhabitants1
  kill all the male infants1 make an end
 of their married women1 keep  the young
 girls for yourselves4 ,all this is     
carried out to the  letter1 according to
 the ,hebrew books2 and we should       
shudder at the  account1 if the text did
 not add that the ,jews found in the    
camp  of the ,midianites #fge1jjj sheep1
 #fb1jjj cattle1 #fa1jjj asses1 and     
#cb1jjj girls4 ,happily1 the absurdity  
undoes the barbarism4 ,once  more1      
however1 ,i am not concerned here with  
what is ridiculous and  impossible2 ,i  
select only what is execrable4 ,having  
passed the ,jordan  dry-shod1 as they   
crossed the sea1 we find our people in  
the promised  land4    ,the first person
 to let in this holy people1 by an act  

of treachery1  is ,rahab1 a strange     
character for ,god to associate with    
himself4  ,he levels the walls of       
,jericho at the sound of the trumpet2   
the  holy people enters the town--to    
which it had no right1 on its own       
confession--and slays the men1 women1   
and children4 ,let us pass over  the    
other carnages1 the crucifixion of      
kings1 the supposed wars  against the   
giants of ,gaza and ,ascalon1 and the   
murder of those who  could not pronounce
 the word 8,shibboleth40    ,listen to  
this fine story4    ,a ,levite1 with his
 wife1 arrives on his ass at ,gibeah1 in
 the tribe  of ,benjamin4 ,some of the  
,benjamites1 who are bent on committing 
the sin of sodomy with the ,levite1 turn
 their brutality upon the  woman1 who   
dies of the violence4 ,were the culprits
 punished8 ,not  at all4 ,the eleven    
tribes slaughtered the whole tribe of   
,benjamin2  only six hundred men        
escaped4 ,but the eleven tribes are     
afterwards  sorry to see a tribe perish1

 and1 to restore it1 they exterminate   
the inhabitants of one of their own     
towns in order to take from it  six     
hundred girls1 whom they give to the six
 hundred ,benjamites who  survive to    
perpetuate this splendid race4    ,how  
many crimes committed in the name of the
 ,lord6 ,we will give  only that of the 
man of ,god 7,ehud74 ,the ,jews1 having 
come so far to  conquer1 are subject to 
the ,philistines4 ,in spite of the      
,lord1 they  have sworn obedience to    
,king ,eglon4 ,a holy ,jew1 named ,ehud1
 asks  permission to speak in private   
with the king on the part of ,god4 ,the 
king does not fail to grant the         
audience4 ,ehud assassinates him1  and  
his example has been used many times by 
,christians to betray1  destroy1 or     
massacre so many sovereigns4    ,at     
length this chosen nation1 which had    
thus been directed by ,god  himself1    
desires to have a king2 which greatly   
displeases the priest  ,samuel4 ,the    
first ,jewish king renews the custom of 

immolating men4  ,saul prudently        
enjoined that his soldiers should not   
eat on the day  they fought the         
,philistines1 to give them more vigour2 
he swore to  the ,lord that he would    
immolate to him any man who ate4        
,happily1 the  people were wiser than   
he2 they would not suffer the king's son
 to  be sacrificed for eating a little  
honey4 ,but listen1 my brethren1 to     
this most detestable1 yet most          
consecrated1 act4 ,it is said that ,saul
  takes prisoner a king of the country1 
named ,agag4 ,he did not kill his       
prisoner2 he acted as is usual in humane
 and civilised nations4 ,what  happened8
 ,the ,lord is angry1 and ,samuel1      
priest of the ,lord1 says to  ,saul3    
8,you are reprobate for having spared a 
king who surrendered to  you40 ,and the 
priestly butcher at once cuts ,agag into
 pieces4 ,what  would you say1 my       
brethren1 if1 when the ,emperor ,charles
 ,v4 had a  ,french king in his hands1  
his chaplain came and said to him3 8,you

  are damned for not killing ,francis   
,i410 and proceeded to cut the  ,french 
king to pieces before the eyes of the   
emperor8    ,what will you say of the   
holy ,king ,david1 the king who found   
favour  in the eyes of the ,god of the  
,jews1 and merited to be an ancestor  of
 the ,messiah8 ,this good king is at    
first a brigand1 capturing and          
pillaging all he finds4 ,among others1  
he despoils a rich man named  ,nabal1   
marries his wife1 and flies to ,king    
,achish4 ,during the night  he descends 
upon the villages of ,king ,achish1 his 
benefactor1 with  fire and sword4 ,he   
slaughters men1 women1 and children1    
says the  sacred text1 lest there be any
 one left to take the news4 ,when he is 
made king he ravishes the wife of       
,uriah1 and has the husband put to      
death2 and it is from this adulterous   
homicide that the ,messiah--,god        
himself--descends4 ,what blasphemy6     
,this ,david1 who thus becomes an       
ancestor of ,god as a reward of his     

horrible crime1 is punished for  the one
 good and wise action which he did4     
,there is no good and  prudent prince   
who ought not to know the number of his 
people1 as  the shepherd should know the
 number of his flock4 ,david has them   
enumerated--though we are not told what 
the number was--and for  making this    
wise and useful enumeration a prophet   
comes from ,god to  give him the choice 
of war1 pestilence1 or famine4    ,let  
us not linger1 my dear brethren1 over   
the numberless barbarities  of the kings
 of ,judah and ,israel--their murders   
and outrages1 mixed  up always with     
ridiculous stories2 though even the     
ridiculous in  them is always bloody1   
and not even the prophet ,elisha is free
 from  barbarism4 ,this worthy devotee  
has forty children devoured by bears    
because the innocent youngsters had     
called him 8bald40 ,let us leave  this  
atrocious nation in the ,babylonian     
captivity and in its bondage  to the    
,romans1 with all the fine promises of  

their god ,adonis or  ,adonai1 who had  
so often promised the ,jews the         
sovereignty of the  earth4 ,in fine1    
under the wise government of the        
,romans1 a king is  born to the         
,hebrews4 ,you know1 my brethren1 who   
this king1 shilo1  or ,messiah is2 it is
 he who1 after being at first numbered  
among  the prophets without a mission1  
who1 though not priests1 made a         
profession of inspiration1 was1 after   
some centuries1 regarded as a  god4 ,we 
need go no farther2 let us see on what  
pretexts1 what facts1  what miracles1   
what prophecies--in a word1 on what     
foundation1 this  disgusting and        
abominable history is based4            
,second ,point    ,o ,god1 if thou      
thyself didst descend upon the earth1   
and didst  command me to believe this   
tissue of murders1 thefts1              
assassinations1  and incests committed  
by thy order and in thy name1 ,i should 
say to  thee3 ,no2 thy sanctity cannot  
ask me to acquiesce in these horrible   

things that outrage thee4 ,thou seekest1
 no doubt1 to try me4    ,how1 then1 my 
virtuous and enlightened hearers1 could 
we accept this  frightful story on the  
wretched evidence which is offered in   
support  of it8    ,run briefly over the
 books that have been falsely attributed
 to  ,moses4 ,i say falsely1 since it is
 not possible for ,moses to have        
written about things that happened long 
after his time4 ,none of us  would      
believe that the memoirs of ,william1   
,prince of ,orange1 were  written with  
his own hand if there were allusions in 
these memoirs  to things that happened  
after his death4 ,let us see what is    
narrated  in the name of ,moses4 ,first1
 ,god created the light1 which he calls 
8day02 then the darkness1 which he calls
 8night10 and it was the  first day4    
,thus there were days before the sun was
 made4    ,on the sixth day ,god makes  
man and woman2 but the author1          
forgetting  that woman has been made    
already1 afterwards derives her from one

 of  ,adam's ribs4 ,adam and ,eve are   
put in a garden from which four rivers  
issue2 and of these rivers there are    
two1 the ,euphrates and the  ,nile1     
which have their sources a thousand     
miles from each other4 ,the  serpent    
then spoke like a man2 it was the most  
cunning of animals4  ,it persuades the  
woman to eat an apple1 and so has her   
driven from  paradise4 ,the human race  
increases1 and the children of ,god fall
 in  love with the daughters of men4    
,there were giants on the earth1 and    
,god was sorry that he had made man4 ,he
 determined to exterminate him  by a    
flood2 but wished to save ,noah1 and    
ordered him to make a vessel  of poplar 
wood1 three hundred cubits in length4   
,into this vessel were  to be brought   
seven pairs of all the clean animals1   
and two pairs of  the unclean4 ,it was  
necessary to feed them during the ten   
months that  the water covered the      
earth4 ,you can imagine what would be   
needed to  feed fourteen elephants1     

fourteen camels1 fourteen buffaloes1 and
  as many horses1 asses1 deer1 serpents1
 ostriches--in a word1 more  than two   
thousand species4#fb ,you will ask me   
whence came the water  to cover the     
whole earth and rise fifteen cubits     
above the highest  mountains8 ,the text 
replies that it came from the cataracts 
of  heaven4 ,heaven knows where these   
cataracts are4 ,after the deluge ,god   
enters into an alliance with ,noah and  
with all the animals2 and in            
confirmation of this alliance he        
institutes the rainbow4    ,those who   
wrote these things were not1 as you     
perceive1 great  physicists4 ,however1  
here is ,noah with a religion given to  
him by  ,god1 and this religion is      
neither ,jewish nor ,christian4 ,the    
posterity  of ,noah seeks to build a    
tower that shall reach to heaven4 ,a    
fine  enterprise6 ,but ,god fears it1   
and causes the workers suddenly to      
speak several different tongues1 and    
they disperse4 ,the whole is  written in

 this ancient oriental vein4    ,a rain 
of fire converts towns into a lake2     
,lot's wife is changed into  a salt     
statue2 ,jacob fights all night with an 
angel1 and is hurt in  the leg2 ,joseph1
 sold as a slave into ,egypt1 is made   
first minister  because he explains a   
dream4 ,seventy members of the family   
settle in  ,egypt1 and in two hundred   
and fifteen years1 as we saw1 multiply  
into  two millions4 ,it is these two    
million ,hebrews who fly from ,egypt1   
and  go the longest way in order to have
 the pleasure of crossing the sea       
dry-shod4    ,but there is nothing      
surprising about this miracle4          
,pharaoh's  magicians performed some    
very fine miracles4 ,like ,moses1 they  
changed  a rod into a serpent1 which is 
a very simple matter4 ,when ,moses      
changed water into blood1 they did the  
same4 ,when he brought frogs  into      
existence1 they imitated him4 ,but they 
were beaten when it came  to the plague 
of lice2 on that subject the ,jews knew 

more than other  nations4    ,in the end
 ,adonai causes the death of each       
first-born in ,egypt in  order to allow 
his people to leave in peace4 ,the sea  
divides to let  them pass2 it was the   
least that could be done on such an     
occasion4  ,the remainer is on the same 
level4 ,the people cry out in the       
desert4  ,some of the husbands complain 
of their wives2 at once a water is      
found which causes any woman who has    
forfeited her honour to swell  and      
burst4 ,they have neither bread nor     
paste2 quails and manna are  rained on  
them4 ,their garments last forty years1 
and grow with the  children4 ,apparently
 clothes descend from heaven for the    
new-born  children4    ,a prophet of the
 district seeks to curse the people1 but
 his ass  opposes the project1 together 
with an angel1 and the ass speaks very  
reasonably and at great length to the   
prophet4    ,when they attack a town1   
the walls fall at the sound of trumpets2
  just as ,amphion built walls to the   

sound of the flute4 ,but the  finest    
miracle is when five ,amorite           
kings--that is to say1 five  village    
sheiks--attempt to oppose the ravages of
 ,joshua4 ,they are  not merely         
vanquished and cut to pieces1 but the   
,lord sends a great  rain of stones upon
 the fugitives4 ,even that is not       
enough4 ,a few  escape1 and1 in order to
 give the ,israelites time to pursue    
them1  nature suspends its eternal laws4
 ,the sun halts at ,gibeon1 and the     
moon at ,aijalon4 ,we do not quite      
understand how the moon comes in1  but  
the books of ,joshua leave no room for  
doubt as to the fact4 ,now  let us pass 
to other miracles1 and go on to ,samson1
 who is depicted  as a famous plunderer1
 a friend of ,god4 ,samson routs a      
thousand  ,philistines with the jawbone 
of an ass1 because he is not shaved1 and
  ties by the tails three hundred foxes 
which he found in a certain  place4     
,there is hardly a page that does not   
contain similar stories4 ,in one  place 

it is the shade of ,samuel appearing in 
response to the voice  of a witch2 in   
another it is the shadow on a sun-dial  
7assuming that  these miserable folk had
 sun-dials7 receding ten degrees at the 
prayer of ,hezekiah1 who prudently asks 
for this sign4 ,god gives him  the      
alternatives of advancing or retarding  
the hour1 and ,dr4 ,hezekiah  thinks    
that it is not difficult to put the     
shadow on1 but very  difficult to put it
 back4    ,elias rises to heaven in a   
fiery chariot2 children sing in a fiery 
furnace4 ,i should never come to an end 
if ,i wished to enter into all  the     
details of the unheard-of extravagances 
that swarm in this book4  ,never was    
common-sense assailed with such         
indecency and fury4    ,such is1 from   
one end to the other1 the ,old          
,testament1 the father  of the ,new1 a  
father who disavows his child and       
regards it as a  rebellious bastard2 for
 the ,jews1 faithful to the law of      
,moses1  regard with detestation the    

,christianity that has been reared on   
the  ruins of their law4 ,the           
,christians1 however1 have with great   
subtlety  sought to justify the ,new    
,testament by the ,old4 ,the two        
religions  thus fight each other with   
the same weapons2 they invoke the same  
prophets and appeal to the same         
predictions4    ,will the ages to come1 
which will have seen the passing of     
these  follies1 yet may1 unhappily1     
witness the rise of others not less     
unworthy of ,god and men1 believe that  
,judaism and ,christianity  based their 
claims on such foundations and such     
prophecies8 ,what  prophecies6 ,listen4 
,the prophet ,isaiah is summoned by     
,ahaz1 king  of ,judah1 to make certain 
predictions to him1 in the vain and     
superstitious manner of the ,east4      
,these prophets were1 as you know1  men 
who earned more or less of a living by  
divination2 there were  many like them  
in ,europe in the last century1         
especially among the  common people4    

,king ,ahaz1 besieged in ,jerusalem by  
,shalmaneser1 who  had taken ,samaria1  
demanded of the soothsayer a prophecy   
and a sign4  ,isaiah said to him3 ,this 
is the sign3    8,a girl will conceive1 
and will bear a child who shall be      
called  ,emmanuel4 ,he shall eat butter 
and honey until the day when he shall   
reject evil and choose good2 and before 
this child is of age1 the  land which   
thou detestest shall be forsaken by its 
two kings2 and the  ,lord shall hiss for
 the flies that are on the banks of the 
streams of  ,egypt and ,assyria2 and the
 ,lord will take a razor1 and shave the 
,king  of ,assyria2 he will shave his   
head and the hair of his feet40         
,after this splendid prophecy1 recorded 
in ,isaiah1 but of which  there is not a
 word in ,kings1 the prophet orders him 
first to  write on a large roll1 which  
they hasten to seal4 ,he urges the king 
to press to the plunder of his enemies1 
and then ensures the birth  of the      
predicted child4 ,instead of calling it 

,emmanuel1 however1 he  gives it the    
name of ,maher ,salabas4 ,this1 my      
brethren1 is the passage  which         
,christians have distorted in favour of 
their ,christ2 this is  the prophecy    
that set up ,christianity4 ,the girl to 
whom the prophet  ascribes a child is   
incontestably the ,virgin ,mary4#fc     
,maher ,salabas  is ,jesus ,christ4 ,as 
to the butter and honey1 ,i am unaware  
what it  means4 ,each soothsayer        
promises the ,jews deliverance when they
 are  captive2 and this deliverance is1 
according to the ,christians1  the      
heavenly ,jerusalem1 and the ,church of 
our time4 ,prophecy is  everything with 
the ,jews2 with the ,christians miracle 
is everything1  and all the prophecies  
are figures of ,jesus ,christ4    ,here1
 my brethren1 is one of these fine and  
striking prophecies4 ,the  great prophet
 ,ezekiel sees a wind from the north1   
and four animals1  and wheels of        
chrysolite full of eyes2 and the ,lord  
says to him3  8,rise1 eat a book1 and   

then depart40    ,the ,lord orders him  
to sleep three hundred and ninety days  
on the  left side1 and then forty on the
 right side4 ,the ,lord binds him with  
cords2 he was certainly a man that      
needed binding4 ,what follows in        
,ezekiel is very distasteful4    ,but we
 need not waste our time in assailing   
all the disgusting and  abominable      
dreams which are the subject of         
controversy between the  ,jews and      
,christians4 ,we will be content to     
deplore the most pitiful  blindness that
 has ever darkened the mind of man4 ,let
 us hope that  this blindness will pass 
like so many others1 and let us proceed 
to  the ,new ,testament1 a worthy sequel
 to what has gone before4               
,third ,point    ,vain was it that the  
,jews were a little more enlightened in 
the time  of ,augustus than in the      
barbaric ages of which we have spoken4  
,vainly  did the ,jews begin to         
recognise the immortality of the soul1 a
 dogma  unknown to ,moses1 and the idea 

of ,god rewarding the just after death  
and punishing the wicked1 a dogma       
equally unknown to ,moses4 ,reason  none
 the less penetrated this miserable     
people1 from whom issued the  ,christian
 religion1 which has proved the source  
of so many divisions1  civil wars1 and  
crimes2 which has caused so much blood  
to flow2 and  which is broken into so   
many sects in the corner of the earth   
where  it rules4    ,there were at all  
times among the ,jews people of the     
lowest order1  who made prophecies in   
order to distinguish themselves from the
  populace4 ,we deal here with the one  
who has become best known1 and  has been
 turned into a god2 we give a brief     
account of his career1 as  it is        
described in the books called the       
gospels4 ,we need not seek to  determine
 when these books were written2 it is   
evident that they were  written after   
the fall of ,jerusalem4 ,you know how   
absurdly the four  authors contradict   
each other4 ,it is a demonstrative proof

 that they  are wrong4 ,we do not1      
however1 need many proofs to demolish   
this  miserable structure4 ,we will be  
content with a short and faithful       
account4    ,in the first place1 ,jesus 
is described as a descendant of ,abraham
 and  ,david1 and the writer ,matthew   
counts forty-two generations in two     
thousand years4 ,in his list1 however1  
we find only forty-one1 and  in the     
genealogical tree which he borrows from 
,kings he blunders  clumsily in making  
,josiah the father of ,jechoniah4       
,luke also gives a genealogy1 but he    
assigns forty-nine generations  after   
,abraham1 and they are entirely         
different generations4 ,to  complete the
 absurdity1 these generations belong to 
,joseph1 and the  evangelists assure us 
that ,jesus was not the son of ,joseph4 
,would one  be received in a ,german    
chapter on such proofs of nobility8 ,yet
 there  is question here of the son of  
,god1 and ,god himself is the author of 
the book6    ,matthew says that when    

,jesus1 ,king of the ,jews1 was born in 
a stable  in the town of ,bethlehem1    
three magi or kings saw his star in the 
east1 and followed it1 until it halted  
over ,bethlehem2 and that ,king  ,herod1
 hearing these things1 caused all the   
children under two years  of age to be  
put to death4 ,could any horror be more 
ridiculous8  ,matthew adds that the     
father and mother took the child into   
,egypt1  and remained there until the   
death of ,herod4 ,luke says precisely   
the  contrary2 he observes that ,joseph 
and ,mary remained peacefully at        
,bethlehem for six weeks1 then went to  
,jerusalem1 and from there to           
,nazareth2 and that they went every year
 to ,jerusalem4    ,the evangelists     
contradict each other in regard to the  
time of  the life of ,jesus1 his        
miracles1 the night of the supper1 and  
the  day of his death--in a word1 in    
regard to nearly all the facts4  ,there 
were forty-nine gospels composed by the 
,christians of the  first few centuries1

 and these were still more flagrant in  
their  contradictions4 ,in the end1 the 
four which we have were selected4  ,even
 if they were in harmony1 what folly1   
what misery1 what puerile  and odious   
things they contain6    ,the first      
adventure of ,jesus1 son of ,god1 is to 
be taken up by the  devil2 the devil1   
who makes no appearance in the books of 
,moses1  plays a great part in the      
gospels4 ,the devil1 then1 takes ,god up
 a  mountain in the desert4 ,from there 
he shows him all the kingdoms of  the   
earth4 ,where is this mountain from     
which one can see so many  lands8 ,we do
 not know4    ,john records that ,jesus 
goes to a marriage-feast1 and changes   
water  into wine2 and that he drives    
from the precincts of the temple those  
who were selling the animals of the     
sacrifices ordered in the ,jewish  law4 
,all diseases were at that time regarded
 as possession by the devil1  and ,jesus
 makes it the mission of his apostles to
 expel devils4 ,as  he goes along1 he   

delivers one who was possessed by a     
legion of  devils1 and he makes these   
devils enter a herd of swine1 which cast
  themselves into the sea of ,tiberias4 
,we may suppose that the owners  of the 
swine1 who were not ,jews apparently1   
were not pleased with  this comedy4 ,he 
heals a blind man1 and the blind man    
sees men as if  they were trees4 ,he    
wishes to eat figs in winter1 and1 not  
finding  any on a tree1 he curses the   
tree and causes it to wither2 the text  
prudently adds3 8,for it was not the    
season of figs40    ,he is transformed  
during the night1 and causes ,moses and 
,elias to  appear4 ,do the stories of   
romancers even approach these           
absurdities8  ,at length1 after         
constantly insulting the ,pharisees1    
calling them  8races of vipers10        
8whitened sepulchres10 etc41 he is      
handed over by  them to justice1 and    
executed with two thieves2 and the      
historians  are bold enough to tell us  
that at his death the earth was darkened

  at midday1 and at a time of full moon4
 ,as if every writer of the time  would 
not have mentioned so strange a miracle4
    ,after that it is a small matter to 
make him rise from the dead and  predict
 the end of the world2 which1 however1  
has not happened4    ,the sect of ,jesus
 lingers in concealment2 fanaticism     
increases4  ,at first they dare not make
 a god of this man1 but they soon take  
courage4 ,some ,platonic metaphysic     
amalgamates with the ,nazaran sect1  and
 ,jesus becomes the logos1 the word of  
,god1 then consubstantial  with ,god his
 father4 ,the ,trinity is invented2 and1
 in order to have  it accepted1 the     
first gospels are falsified4    ,a      
passage is added in regard to this      
truth1 and the historian  ,josephus is  
falsified and made to speak of ,jesus1  
though ,josephus is  too serious an     
historian to mention such a man4 ,they  
go so far as  to forge sibylline books4 
,in a word1 there is no kind of         
trickery1  fraud1 and imposture that the

 ,nazarans do not adopt4 ,at the end of 
three years they succeeded in having    
,jesus recognised as a god4 ,not        
content with this extravagance1 they go 
so far as to locate their god  in a bit 
of paste4 ,while their god is eaten by  
mice and digested1  they hold that there
 is no such thing as bread in the host2 
that ,god  has1 at the word of a man1   
put himself in the place of the bread4  
,all  kinds of superstitions flood the  
,church2 plunder is predominant in  it2 
indulgences1 benefices1 and all kinds of
 spiritual things are put  up for sale4 
,the sect splits into a multitude of    
sects2 age after age they fight  and    
slaughter each other4 ,at every dispute 
kings and princes are  massacred4       
,such1 my dear brethren1 is the fruit of
 the tree of the ,cross1 the  power that
 has been declared divine4    ,for this 
they have dared to bring ,god upon the  
earth2 to commit  ,europe for ages to   
murder and brigandage4 ,it is true that 
our fathers  have in part shaken off    

this frightful yoke1 and rid themselves 
of  some errors and superstitions4 ,but 
how imperfect they have left  the work6 
,everything tells us that it is time to 
complete it2 to  destroy utterly the    
idol of which we have as yet broken only
 a finger  or two4 ,numbers of          
theologians have already embraced       
,socinianism  7,unitarianism71 which    
comes near to the worship of one ,god1  
freed  from superstition4 ,england1     
,germany1 and the provinces of ,france  
are  full of wise doctors1 who ask only 
the opportunity to break away4  ,there  
are great numbers in other countries4   
,why persist in teaching  what we do not
 believe1 and make ourselves guilty     
before ,god of this  great sin8    ,we  
are told that the people need mysteries1
 and must be deceived4  ,my brethren1   
dare any one commit this outrage on     
humanity8 ,have not  our fathers already
 taken from the people their            
transubstantiation1  auricular          
confession1 indulgences1 exorcisms1     

false miracles1 and  ridiculous statues8
 ,are not the people accustomed to the  
deprivation  of this food of            
superstition8 ,we must have the courage 
to go a few  steps farther4 ,the people 
are not so weak of mind as is thought2  
they will easily admit a wise and simple
 cult of one ,god1 such as  was         
professed1 it is said1 by ,abraham and  
,noah1 and by all the sages  of         
antiquity1 and as is found among the    
educated people of ,china4  ,we seek not
 to despoil the clergy of what the      
liberality of their  followers has given
 them2 we wish them1 since most of them 
secretly  laugh at the untruths they    
teach1 to join us in preaching the      
truth4  ,let them observe that1 while   
they now offend and dishonour the       
,deity1 they would1 if they follow us1  
glorify him4 ,what incalculable  good   
would be done by that happy change8     
,princes and magistrates  would be      
better obeyed1 the people would be      
tranquil1 the spirit  of division and   

hatred would be expelled4 ,they would   
offer to ,god1  in peace1 the first     
fruits of their work4 ,there would      
assuredly be  more righteousness on the 
earth1 for many weak-minded folk who    
hear  contempt expressed daily for the  
,christian superstition1 and know  that 
it is ridiculed by the priests          
themselves1 thoughtlessly imagine  that 
there is no such thing as religion1 and 
abandon themselves to  excesses4 ,but   
when they learn that the ,christian sect
 is really only  a perversion of natural
 religion2 when reason1 freed from its  
chains1  teaches the people that there  
is but one ,god2 that this ,god is the  
common parent of all men1 who are       
brothers2 that1 as brothers1 they  must 
be good and just to each other1 and     
practise every virtue2 that  ,god1 being
 good and just1 must reward virtue and  
punish crime2 then  assuredly1 my       
brethren1 men will gain in righteousness
 as they lose  in superstition4    ,we  
begin by giving this example in secret1 

and we trust that it will  be followed  
in public4    ,may the great ,god who   
hears me--a ,god who certainly could not
 be born  of a girl1 nor die on a       
gibbet1 nor be eaten in a morsel of     
paste1  nor have inspired this book with
 its contradictions1 follies1 and       
horrors--may this ,god1 creator of all  
worlds1 have pity on the sect  of the   
,christians who blaspheme him4 ,may he  
bring them to the holy  and natural     
religion1 and shower his blessing on the
 efforts we make  to have him           
worshipped4 ,amen4                      
,,the ,,questions ,,of ,,zapata         
7,,translated ,,by ,,dr4 ,,tamponet1    
,,of ,,the ,,sorbonne7      ,the        
licentiate ,zapata1 being appointed     
,professor of ,theology    at the       
,university of ,salamanca1 presented    
these questions to a    committee of    
doctors in #afbi4 ,they were suppressed4
 ,the ,spanish    copy is in the        
,brunswick ,library4      ,,wise        
,,masters3    #a4 ,how ought ,i to      

proceed with the object of showing that 
the ,jews1  whom we burn by the hundred1
 were for four thousand years ,god's    
chosen people8    #b4 ,how could ,god1  
whom one cannot without blasphemy regard
 as  unjust1 forsake the whole earth for
 the little ,jewish tribe1 and then     
abandon this little group for another1  
which1 during two hundred  years1 was   
even smaller and more despised8    #c4  
,why did he perform a number of         
incomprehensible miracles in  favour of 
this miserable nation before the period 
which is called  historical8 ,why did   
he1 some centuries ago1 cease to perform
 them8  ,and why do we1 who are ,god's  
people1 never witness any8    #d4 ,if   
,god is the ,god of ,abraham1 why do you
 burn the children of  ,abraham8 ,and1  
when you burn them1 why do you recite   
their prayers8  ,how is it that1 since  
you worship the book of their law1 you  
put them  to death for observing that   
law8    #e4 ,how shall ,i reconcile the 
chronology of the ,chinese1 ,chaldans1  

,phnicians1 and ,egyptians with that of 
the ,jews8 ,and how shall ,i  reconcile 
the forty different methods of          
calculation which ,i find in  the       
commentators8 ,if ,i say that ,god      
dictated the book1 ,i may be told  that 
,god evidently is not an expert in      
chronology4    #f4 ,by what argument can
 ,i prove that the books attributed to  
,moses  were written by him in the      
desert8 ,how could he say that he wrote 
beyond the ,jordan when he never crossed
 the ,jordan8 ,i may be told  that ,god 
is evidently not good at geography4     
#g4 ,the book entitled ,joshua says that
 ,joshua had ,deuteronomy  engraved on  
stones coated with mortar2 this passage 
in ,joshua1  and others in ancient      
writers1 clearly prove that in the days 
of  ,moses and ,joshua the peoples of   
the ,east engraved their laws and       
observations on stone and brick4 ,the   
,pentateuch tells us that the  ,jewish  
people were without food and clothing in
 the desert2 it seems  hardly probable  

that1 if they had no tailors or         
shoemakers1 they had  men who were able 
to engrave a large book4 ,in any case1  
how did they  preserve this large work  
inscribed in mortar8    #h4 ,what is the
 best way to refute the objections of   
the learned men  who find in the        
,pentateuch the names of towns which    
were not yet in  existence2 precepts for
 kings whom the ,jews detested1 and who 
did not  reign until seven hundred years
 after ,moses2 and passages in which    
the author betrays that he was much     
later than ,moses1 as3 8,the bed of     
,og1 which is still seen in ,ramath10   
8,the ,canaanite was then in the  land10
 etc41 etc41 etc41 etc48    ,these      
learned men might1 with the difficulties
 and contradictions  which they impute  
to the ,jewish chronicles1 give some    
trouble to a  licentiate4    #i4 ,is the
 book of ,genesis to be taken literally 
or allegorically8  ,did ,god really take
 a rib from ,adam and make woman        
therewith8 and1 if  so1 why is it       

previously stated that he made man male 
and female8 ,how  did ,god create light 
before the sun8 ,how did he separate    
light from  darkness1 since darkness is 
merely the absence of light8 ,how could 
there be a day before the sun was made8 
,how was the firmament made  amid the   
waters1 since there is no such thing as 
a firmament8--it  is an illusion of the 
ancient ,greeks4 ,there are those who   
suggest  that ,genesis was not written  
until the ,jews had some knowledge of   
the erroneous philosophy of other       
peoples1 and it would pain me to  hear  
it said that ,god knows no more about   
physics than he does about  chronology  
and geography4    #aj4 ,what shall ,i   
say of the garden of ,eden1 from which  
issued a  river which divided into four 
rivers--the ,tigris1 ,euphrates1 ,phison
  7which is believed to be the ,phasis71
 and ,gihon1 which flows in  ,ethiopia1 
and must therefore be the ,nile1 the    
source of which is a  thousand miles    
from the source of the ,euphrates8 ,i   

shall be told once  more that ,god is a 
very poor geographer4    #aa4 ,i should1
 with all my heart1 like to eat the     
fruit which hung  from the tree of      
knowledge2 and it seems to me that the  
prohibition  to eat it is strange4      
,since ,god endowed man with reason1 he 
ought  to encourage him to advance in   
knowledge4 ,did he wish to be served    
only by fools8 ,i should also like to   
have speech with the serpent1  since it 
was so intelligent2 but ,i should like  
to know what language  it spoke4 ,the   
,emperor ,julian1 a great philosopher1  
asked this of the  great ,st4 ,cyril1   
who could not meet the question1 and    
said to the  learned emperor3 8,you are 
the serpent40 ,st4 ,cyril was not       
polite2  but you will observe that he   
did not perpetrate this theological     
impertinence until ,julian was dead4    
,genesis says that the serpent eats     
earth2 you know that ,genesis  is wrong1
 and that earth alone contains no       
nourishment4 ,in regard  to ,god walking

 familiarly every day in the garden1 and
 talking to  ,adam and ,eve and the     
serpent1 ,i may say that it would have  
been very  pleasant to have been there4 
,but as ,i think you are much more      
fitted  for the kind of society which   
,joseph and ,mary had in the stable  at 
,bethlehem1 ,i will not advise you to   
visit the garden of ,eden1  especially  
as the gate is now guarded by a cherub  
armed to the teeth4  ,it is true that1  
according to the rabbis1 cherub means   
8ox40#fd ,a  curious kind of porter6    
,please let me know at least what a     
cherub is4    #ab4 ,how shall ,i explain
 the story of the angels who fell in    
love  with the daughters of men1 and    
begot giants8 ,may ,i not be told  that 
this episode is borrowed from pagan     
legends8 ,but as the ,jews  invented    
everything in the desert1 and were very 
ingenious1 it is  clear that all the    
other nations took their science from   
the ,jews4  ,homer1 ,plato1 ,cicero1 and
 ,vergil learned all they knew from the 

,jews4  ,is not that proved8    #ac4    
,how shall ,i get out of the deluge1 the
 cataracts of heaven  7which has no     
cataracts71 and the animals coming from 
,japan1 ,africa1  ,america1 and the     
south1 and being enclosed in a large ark
 with food  and drink for one year1     
without counting the time when the earth
 was  still too damp to produce food for
 them8 ,how did ,noah's little family   
manage to give all these animals their  
proper food8 ,it consisted only  of     
eight persons4    #ad4 ,how can ,i make 
the story of the tower of ,babel        
plausible8 ,this  tower must have been  
higher than the pyramids of ,egypt1     
since ,god  allowed the building of the 
pyramids4 ,did it reach as high as      
,venus1  or at least to the moon8       
#ae4 ,by what device shall ,i justify   
the two lies of ,abraham1 the  father of
 believers1 who1 at the age of one      
hundred and thirty-five  7counting      
carefully71 represented the pretty      
,sarah as his sister in  ,egypt and at  

,gerar1 in order that the kings of those
 countries might  fall in love with her 
and make presents to him8 ,what a       
naughty thing  to do1 to sell one's     
wife6    #af4 ,give me some explanation 
why1 although ,god told ,abraham that   
all  his posterity should be            
circumcised1 this was not done under    
,moses4    #ag4 ,can ,i know by my      
natural powers whether the three angels1
 to  whom ,sarah offered a whole calf to
 eat1 had bodies1 or borrowed  bodies8  
#ah4 ,will my hearers believe me when ,i
 tell them that ,lot's wife  was changed
 into a salt statue8 ,what shall ,i say 
to those who tell  me that it is        
probably a coarse imitation of the      
ancient fable of  ,eurydice1 and that a 
salt statue would not last in the rain8 
#ai4 ,what shall ,i say in justification
 of the blessings which fell  on ,jacob1
 the just man1 who deceived his father  
,isaac and robbed his  father-in-law    
,laban8 ,how shall ,i explain ,god      
appearing to him at the  top of a       

ladder8 ,and how could ,jacob fight an  
angel all night81 etc41  etc4    #bj4   
,how must ,i treat the sojourn of the   
,jews in ,egypt and their  escape8      
,exodus says that they remained four    
hundred years in ,egypt2  but1 counting 
carefully1 we find only two hundred and 
five years4 ,why  did ,pharaoh's        
daughter bathe in the ,nile1 in which no
 one ever bathes  on account of the     
crocodiles81 etc41 etc4    #ba4 ,moses  
having wedded the daughter of an        
idolater1 how could  ,god choose him as 
his prophet without reproaching him8    
,how could  ,pharaoh's magicians work   
the same miracles as ,moses1 except that
 of  covering the land with lice and    
vermin8 ,how could they change into     
blood all the waters1 since these had   
already been changed into  blood by     
,moses8 ,how was it that ,moses1 led by 
,god himself1 and at  the head of six   
hundred and thirty thousand fighting    
men1 fled with  his people1 instead of  
taking ,egypt1 in which ,god had slain  

all the  first-born8 ,egypt never had an
 army of a hundred thousand men1  from  
the first mention of it in historical   
times4 ,how was it that  ,moses1 flying 
with his troops from the land of        
,goshen1 crossed half  of ,egypt1       
instead of going straight to ,canaan1   
and advanced as far  as ,memphis1       
between ,baal-,sephon and the ,red ,sea8
 ,finally1 how could  ,pharaoh pursue   
him with all his cavalry when1 in the   
fifth plague  of ,egypt1 ,god had just  
destroyed all the horses and beasts in  
the  country1 and1 moreover1 ,egypt1    
which is much broken by canals1 always  
had very little cavalry8    #bb4 ,how   
shall ,i reconcile what is said in      
,exodus with the speech  of ,st4        
,stephen in ,acts and the passages of   
,jeremiah and ,amos8  ,exodus says that 
they sacrificed to ,jehovah for forty   
years in the  desert2 ,jeremiah1 ,amos1 
and ,st4 ,stephen say that neither      
sacrifice  nor victim was offered during
 all that time4 ,exodus says that they  

made the tabernacle1 which contained the
 ark of the covenant2 ,st4  ,stephen1 in
 ,acts1 says that they took the         
tabernacle from ,moloch  and ,remphan4  
#bc4 ,i am not sufficiently versed in   
chemistry to deal happily with  the     
golden calf which1 ,exodus says1 was    
made in a day1 and which  ,moses reduced
 to ashes4 ,are they two miracles1 or   
two possibilities  of human art8    #bd4
 ,was it a further miracle for the      
leader of a nation1 in a  desert1 to    
have twenty-three thousand men of that  
nation slain by a  single one of the    
twelve tribes1 and for twenty-three     
thousand men to  let themselves be      
massacred without making any defence8   
#be4 ,must ,i again regard it as a      
miracle1 or as an act of ordinary       
justice1 that twenty-four thousand      
,hebrews were put to death because  one 
of them had lain with a ,midianite      
woman1 while ,moses himself had  married
 a ,midianite8 ,and were not these      
,hebrews1 who are described  to us as so

 ferocious1 really very good fellows to 
let themselves be  slain for girls8     
#bf4 ,what explanation shall ,i give of 
the law which forbids the  eating of the
 hare 8because it ruminates1 and has not
 a cloven  foot10 whereas hares have    
cloven feet and do not ruminate8 ,we    
have  already seen that this remarkable 
book suggests that ,god is a poor       
geographer1 a poor chronologist1 and a  
poor physicist2 he seems  to have been  
no less weak in natural history4 ,how   
can ,i explain  other equally wise laws1
 such as that of the waters of jealousy 
and  the sentence of death on a man who 
lies with his wife during the  menstrual
 period8 etc41 etc41 etc4 ,can ,i       
justify these barbaric and  ridiculous  
laws1 which are said to have been given 
by ,god himself8    #bg4 ,what answer   
shall ,i make to those who are surprised
 that a  miracle was needed to effect   
the crossing of the ,jordan1 since it is
  only forty-five feet across at its    
widest1 could easily be crossed  with a 

small raft1 and was fordable at many    
points1 as we learn from  the slaying of
 forty-two thousand ,ephraimites by     
their brothers at a  ford of the same   
river8    #bh4 ,what reply shall ,i make
 to those who ask how the walls of      
,jericho fell at the sound of a trumpet1
 and why other towns did not  fall in   
the same way8    #bi4 ,how shall ,i     
excuse the conduct of the harlot ,rahab 
in betraying  her country1 ,jericho8    
,how was this treachery necessary1 since
 they  had only to blow their trumpet to
 take a town8 ,and how shall ,i fathom  
the depth of the divine decrees which   
enacted that our divine ,saviour  ,jesus
 ,christ should descend from this harlot
 ,rahab1 from the incest  of ,thamar    
with her father-in-law ,judah1 and from 
the adultery of  ,david and ,bathsheba8 
,how incomprehensible are the ways of   
,god6    #cj4 ,how can ,i approve of    
,joshua hanging thirty-one kinglets and 
usurping their little ,states--that is  
to say1 their villages8    #ca4 ,how    

shall ,i speak of the battle of ,joshua 
with the ,amorites at  ,beth-horon on   
the way to ,gibeon8 ,the ,lord sends a  
rain of stones1  from ,beth-horon to    
,azekah3 it is fifteen miles from       
,beth-horon to  ,azekah2 therefore the  
,amorites were exterminated by rocks    
which fell  from heaven over a space of 
fifteen miles4 ,the ,scripture says that
  it was midday4 ,why1 then1 did ,joshua
 command the sun and the moon to  stand 
still in the middle of the sky in order 
to give him time to  complete the defeat
 of a small troop which was already     
exterminated8  ,why did he tell the moon
 to stand still at midday8 ,how could   
the sun  and moon remain in the same    
place for a day8 ,which commentator     
shall  ,i consult for an explanation of 
this extraordinary truth8    #cb4 ,what 
shall ,i say of ,jephthah immolating his
 daughter1 and having  forty-two        
thousand ,jews of the tribe of ,ephraim1
 who could not say  ,shibboleth1 put to 
death8    #cc4 ,ought ,i to admit or    

deny that the ,jewish law nowhere speaks
 of  punishment or reward after death8  
,how is it that neither ,moses nor      
,joshua ever spoke of the immortality of
 the soul1 a dogma well known  to the   
ancient ,egyptians1 ,chaldans1          
,persians1 and ,greeks1 but hardly      
known to the ,jews until after the time 
of ,alexander1 and always  rejected by  
the ,sadducees because it is not in the 
,pentateuch8    #cd4 ,what gloss must ,i
 put on the story of the ,levite who1   
coming on  his ass to the ,benjamite    
town ,gibeah1 excited the passion of all
 the  ,gibeonites8 ,he abandoned his    
wife to them1 and she died the next day4
    #ce4 ,i need your advice to enable  
me to understand the nineteenth  verse  
of the first chapter of ,judges3 8,and  
the ,lord was with ,judah3  and he drave
 out the inhabitants of the mountain3   
but could not  drive out the inhabitants
 of the valley1 because they had        
chariots  of iron40 ,i cannot1 of my own
 feeble lights1 understand how the ,god 

of heaven and earth1 who had so often   
superseded the order of nature  and     
suspended the eternal laws in favour of 
the ,jewish people1 was  unable to      
vanquish the inhabitants of a valley    
because they had iron  chariots4 ,can it
 be true that1 as some learned men say1 
the ,jews  at that time regarded their  
,god as a local and protecting deity1   
sometimes more powerful1 at other times 
less powerful1 than the gods  of the    
enemy8 ,and is this not proved by the   
reply of ,jephthah3 8,ye  possess by    
right what your god ,camos has given    
you3 suffer then that  we take what our 
god ,adonai has promised us08    #cf4 ,i
 may add that it is difficult to believe
 that there were so  many chariots armed
 with scythes in a mountainous district1
 in which1  as the ,scriptures often    
show1 the height of magnificence was to 
be  mounted on an ass4#fe    #cg4 ,the  
story of ,ehud gives me even greater    
trouble4 ,i see that the  ,jews were    
always in bondage1 in spite of the help 

of their ,god1 who  had sworn to give   
them all the country between the ,nile1 
the sea1  and the ,euphrates4 ,for      
eighteen years they were subject to a   
petty  king named ,eglon1 when ,god     
raised up for them ,ehud1 son of ,gera1 
who  used his left hand as well as the  
right4 ,ehud1 son of ,gera1 made a      
two-edged sword1 and hid it under his   
cloak--as ,jacques ,clment and          
,ravaillac did afterwards4 ,he asks a   
private audience of the king1  saying   
that he has a secret of the utmost      
importance to communicate  to him from  
,god4 ,eglon respectfully rises1 and    
,ehud drives his  sword into his belly  
with his left hand4 ,god entirely       
approved this  deed2 but1 judged by the 
moral code of all nations1 it seems     
rather  questionable4 ,please tell me   
which was the most divine assassination1
  that of ,st4 ,ehud1 or that of ,st4   
,david 7who had ,uriah1 the husband  of 
his mistress1 slain71 or that of the    
blessed ,solomon1 who1 having  seven    

hundred wives and three hundred         
concubines1 assassinated his  brother   
,adonias because he asked for one of    
them8 etc41 etc41 etc41  etc4    #ch4 ,i
 pray you tell me by what trick ,samson 
caught three hundred  foxes1 tied them  
together by their tails1 and fastened   
lighted  torches to their hind quarters1
 in order to set fire to the harvests   
of the ,philistines4 ,foxes are found   
only in wooded country4 ,there was  no  
forest in this district1 and it seems   
rather difficult to catch  three hundred
 foxes alive and tie them together by   
their tails4 ,it is  then said that he  
killed a thousand ,philistines with the 
jaw of an  ass1 and that a spring issued
 from one of the teeth of this jaw4     
,when  it comes to the jaws of asses1   
you certainly owe me explanations4      
#ci4 ,i also ask you for information    
about that good man ,tobias1 who  slept 
with his eyes open1 and was blinded by  
the droppings of a  swallow2 about the  
angel who came down expressly from what 

is called  the empyrean to seek1 with   
,tobias junior1 the money which the ,jew
  ,gabel owed to ,tobias senior2 about  
the wife of ,tobias junior1 who had  had
 seven husbands whose necks had been    
wrung by the devil2 and about  the way  
to restore sight to the blind with the  
gall of a fish4 ,these  stories are     
curious1 and nothing is more worthy of  
attention--after  ,spanish novels2 the  
only things to which they may be        
compared are the  stories of ,judith and
 ,esther4 ,but how am ,i to interpret   
the sacred  text which says that the    
beautiful ,judith descended from        
,simeon1 son  of ,reuben1 whereas       
,simeon was the brother of ,reuben1     
according to the  same sacred text1     
which cannot lie8    ,i am very fond of 
,esther1 and think the alleged ,king    
,assuerus acted  very sensibly in       
marrying a ,jewess and living with her  
for six  months without knowing who she 
was4 ,as all the rest of the story  is  
of much the same character1 ,i must ask 

you kindly to come to my  assistance1 my
 wise masters4    #dj4 ,i need your help
 in regard to the history of the kings1 
at  least as much as in regard to the   
history of the judges1 of ,tobias  and  
his dog1 of ,esther1 of ,judith1 of     
,ruth1 etc41 etc4 ,when ,saul was       
appointed king1 the ,jews were in       
bondage to the ,philistines4 ,their     
conquerors did not allow them to have   
swords or lances2 they were  even       
compelled to go to the ,philistines to  
have their ploughshares  and axes       
sharpened4 ,nevertheless1 ,saul gives   
battle to the  ,philistines and defeats 
them2 and in this battle he is at the   
head of  three hundred and thirty       
thousand soldiers1 in a little country  
that  cannot sustain thirty thousand    
souls4 ,the ,jews had not at that time  
more than a third of ,palestine1 at the 
most1 and so sterile a country  does not
 sustain twenty thousand inhabitants    
to-day4 ,the surplus  population was    
compelled to go and earn its living by  

prostitution at  ,damascus1 ,tyre1 and  
,babylon4    #da4 ,i know not how ,i can
 justify the conduct of ,samuel in      
cutting  into pieces ,agag1 whom ,saul  
had taken prisoner and put to ransom4 ,i
  wonder whether our king ,philip1 if he
 captured a ,moorish king1 and  made an 
agreement with him1 would be approved if
 he cut the captured  king in pieces4   
#db4 ,we owe great respect to ,david1   
who was a man after ,god's heart2  but  
,i fear ,i am not learned enough to     
justify1 by ordinary laws1  the conduct 
of ,david in associating with four      
hundred men of evil  ways1 and burdened 
with debt1 as the ,scripture says2 in   
going to  sack the house of the king's  
servant ,nabal1 and marrying his widow  
a week later2 in offering his services  
to ,achish1 the king's enemy1  and      
spreading fire and blood over the land  
of the allies of ,achish1  without      
sparing either age or sex2 in taking new
 concubines as soon  as he is on the    
throne2 and1 not content with these     

concubines1 in  stealing ,bathsheba from
 her husband1 whom he not only          
dishonours1  but slays4 ,i find it      
difficult to imagine how ,god could     
afterwards  descend1 in ,juda1 from this
 adulterous and homicidal woman1 who is 
counted among the ancestresses of the   
,eternal4 ,i have already warned  you   
that this article causes much trouble to
 pious souls4    #dc4 ,the wealth of    
,david and ,solomon1 which amounted to  
more than  five hundred thousand million
 gold ducats1 seems to be not easily    
reconciled with the poverty of the      
country and with the condition to  which
 the ,jews were reduced under ,saul1    
when they had not the means  of         
sharpening their ploughshares and axes4 
,our cavalry officers will  shrug their 
shoulders when ,i tell them that        
,solomon had four hundred  thousand     
horses in a little country where there  
never were1 and are  not to-day1        
anything but asses1 as ,i have already  
had the honour to  represent to you4    

#dd4 ,if ,i were to run over the history
 of the frightful cruelties of  nearly  
all the kings of ,judah and ,israel1 ,i 
fear ,i should scandalise1  rather than 
edify1 the weak4 ,these kings           
assassinate each other a  little too    
frequently4 ,it is bad politics1 if ,i  
am not mistaken4    #de4 ,i see this    
small people almost always in bondage to
 the  ,phnicians1 ,babylonians1         
,persians1 ,syrians1 or ,romans2 and ,i 
may  have some trouble in reconciling so
 much misery with the magnificent       
promises of their prophets4    #df4 ,i  
know that all the eastern nations had   
prophets1 but ,i do not  quite          
understand those of the ,jews4 ,what is 
the meaning of the vision  of ,ezekiel1 
son of ,buzi1 near the river ,chebar2 of
 the four animals  which had four faces 
and four wings each1 with the feet of   
calves2 of  the wheel that had four     
faces2 and of the firmament above the   
heads  of the animals8 ,how can we      
explain the order given by ,god to      

,ezekiel  to eat a parchment book1 to   
have himself bound1 and to lie on his   
left side for three hundred and ninety  
days1 and on his right side  for forty  
days8    #dg4 ,it will be my duty to    
explain the great prophecy of ,isaiah in
  regard to our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4   
,it is1 as you know1 in the seventh     
chapter4 ,rezin1 king of ,syria1 and    
,pekah1 kinglet of ,israel1 were        
besieging ,jerusalem4 ,ahaz1 kinglet of 
,jerusalem1 consults the prophet        
,isaiah as to the issue of the siege4   
,isaiah replies3 8,god shall give  you a
 sign3 a girl 7or woman7 shall conceive 
and bear a son1 and  shall call his name
 ,immanuel4 ,butter and honey shall he  
eat1 that he  may know to refuse the    
evil and choose the good4 ,for before   
the child  shall be able to refuse the  
evil and choose the good the land shall 
be delivered of both the kings1 444 and 
the ,lord shall hiss for the  fly that  
is in the uttermost part of the rivers  
of ,egypt1 and for the  bee that is in  

the land of ,assyria40    ,then1 in the 
eighth chapter1 the prophet1 to ensure  
the fulfilment  of the prophecy1 lies   
with the prophetess4 ,she bore a son1   
and  the ,lord said to ,isaiah3 8,call  
his name ,maher-shalal-hash-baz         
,hasten-to-seize-the-spoil1 or          
,run-quickly-to-the-booty4 ,for before  
the child shall have knowledge to cry1  
,my father and my mother1 the  power of 
,damascus shall be overthrown40 ,i      
cannot plainly interpret  this prophecy 
without your assistance4    #dh4 ,how   
must ,i understand the story of ,jonah1 
who was sent to  ,nineveh to preach     
penance8 ,nineveh was not ,israelitic1  
and it seems  that ,jonah was to        
instruct it in the ,jewish law before   
bringing it  to repent4 ,instead of     
obeying the ,lord1 ,jonah flies to      
,tarshish4 ,a  storm arises1 and the    
sailors throw ,jonah into the sea to    
appease  the tempest4 ,god sends a great
 fish to swallow ,jonah1 and he remains 
three days and three nights in the belly

 of the fish4 ,god orders the  fish to  
give up ,jonah1 and it obeys4 ,jonah    
disembarks on the coast  of ,joppa4 ,god
 commands him to go and tell ,nineveh   
that in forty days  it will be          
overturned1 unless it does penance4 ,it 
is more than four  hundred miles from   
,joppa to ,nineveh4 ,do not all the     
stories demand  a superior knowledge    
which ,i lack8 ,i greatly wish to       
confound the  learned men who assert    
that this legend is taken from the      
legend of  the ancient ,hercules4       
#di4 ,show me how to interpret the first
 verses of the prophet ,hosea4  ,god    
explicitly enjoins him to take a harlot 
and have children by  her4 ,the prophet 
obeys punctually4 ,he pays his respects 
to ,dona  ,gomer1 daughter of ,dom      
,diblaim1 keeps her three years1 and has
 three  children--which is a model4     
,then ,god desires another model4 ,he   
orders  him to lie with another gay     
lady1 a married woman1 who has already  
deceived her husband4 ,the good ,hosea1 

always obedient1 has no trouble  in     
finding a handsome lady of this         
character1 and it costs him only        
fifteen pieces of silver and a measure  
of barley4 ,i beg you to tell  me how   
much the piece of silver was worth among
 the ,jews4    #ej4 ,i have still       
greater need of your wise guidance in   
regard to the  ,new ,testament4 ,i      
hardly know what to say when ,i have to 
reconcile  the two genealogies of       
,jesus4 ,i shall be reminded that       
,matthew makes  ,jacob the father of    
,joseph1 while ,luke makes him the son  
of ,heli1  and that this is impossible  
unless we change ,he into ,ja and li    
into cob4 ,i shall be asked why the one 
counts fifty-six generations  and the   
other only forty-two1 and why the       
generations are quite  different2 and   
then why only forty-one are given       
instead of the  promised forty-two2 and 
lastly why the genealogical tree of     
,joseph  was given at all1 seeing that  
he was not the father of ,jesus4 ,i fear

  to make a fool of myself1 as so many  
of my predecessors have done4 ,i  trust 
that you will extricate me from this    
labyrinth4    #ea4 ,if ,i declare that1 
as ,luke says1 ,augustus had ordered a  
census  to be taken of the whole earth  
when ,mary was pregnant1 and that       
,cyrenius or ,quirinus1 the governor of 
,syria1 published the decree1  and that 
,joseph and ,mary went to ,bethlehem to 
be enumerated2 and if  people laugh at  
me1 and antiquarians teach me that there
 never was a  census of the ,roman      
,empire1 that ,quintilius ,varus1 not   
,cyrenius1 was  at that time governor of
 ,syria1 and that ,cyrenius only        
governed ,syria  ten years after the    
birth of ,jesus1 ,i shall be very much  
embarrassed1  and no doubt you will     
extricate me from this little           
difficulty4 ,for  how could a book be   
inspired if there were one single       
untruth in it8    #eb4 ,when ,i teach   
that1 as ,matthew says1 the family went 
into ,egypt1  ,i shall be told that that

 is not true1 but that1 as the other    
evangelists say1 the family remained in 
,juda2 and if ,i then grant  that they  
remained in ,juda1 ,i shall be told that
 they were in ,egypt4  ,is it not       
simpler to say that one can be in two   
places at once1 as  happened to ,st4    
,francis ,xavier and several other      
saints8    #ec4 ,astronomers may laugh  
at the star which led the three kings   
to a stable4 ,but you are great         
astrologers1 and will be able to        
explain the phenomenon4 ,tell me1       
especially1 how much gold the kings     
presented4 ,for you are wont to extort a
 good deal of it from kings  and        
peoples4 ,and in regard to the fourth   
king1 ,herod1 why did he  fear that     
,jesus1 born in a stable1 might become  
king of the ,jews8  ,herod was king only
 by permission of the ,romans2 it was   
the business  of ,augustus4 ,the        
massacre of the innocents is rather     
curious4 ,i am  disappointed that no    
,roman writer mentions it4 ,an ancient  

and most  truthful 7as they all are7    
martyrology gives the number of these   
martyred infants as fourteen thousand4  
,if you would like me to add a  few     
thousand more1 you have only to say so4 
#ed4 ,you will tell me how the devil    
carried off ,god and perched him  on a  
hill in ,galilee1 from which one could  
see all the kingdoms of  the earth4 ,the
 devil promising these kingdoms to ,god1
 provided ,god  worships the devil1 may 
scandalise many good people1 whom ,i    
recommend  to your notice4    #ee4 ,i   
beg you1 when you go to a wedding feast1
 to tell me how ,god1  who also went to 
a wedding feast1 succeeded in changing  
water into  wine for the sake of people 
who were already drunk4    #ef4 ,when   
you eat figs at breakfast towards the   
end of ,july1 ,i  beg you to tell me why
 ,god1 being hungry1 looked for figs at 
the  beginning of the month of ,march1  
when it was not the season of figs4     
#eg4 ,having received your instructions 
on all the prodigies of this  nature1 ,i

 shall have to say that ,god was        
condemned to be executed  for original  
sin4 ,and if ,i am told that there was  
never any question  of original sin1    
either in the ,old or the ,new          
,testament2 that it is  merely stated   
that ,adam was condemned to die on the  
day on which he  should eat the fruit of
 the tree of knowledge1 and he did not  
die2  and that ,augustine1 bishop of    
,hippo1 formerly a ,manichean1 was the  
first to set up the doctrine of original
 sin1 ,i submit to you that1  as my     
hearers are not the simple folk of      
,hippo1 ,i run some risk of  exciting   
derision by speaking much without saying
 anything4 ,when  certain cavillers came
 to show me that ,god could not possibly
 be  executed because an apple was eaten
 four thousand years before his  death1 
and could not possibly have redeemed the
 human race1 yet1  apart from a chosen  
few1 left the whole of it in the devil's
 claws1 ,i  had only verbiage to give in
 reply1 and went away to hide my shame4 

#eh4 ,throw some light for me on the    
prophecy which ,our ,lord makes  in     
,luke 7ch4 xxi474 ,jesus says explicitly
 that he will come in  a cloud with     
great power and great glory before the  
generation to  which he speaks shall    
pass away4 ,he did not do this2 he did  
not come  in the clouds4 ,if he came in 
some fog or other1 we know nothing      
about it2 tell me what you think4 ,the  
,apostle ,paul also says to his         
,thessalonian disciples that they will  
go with him in the clouds to  ,jesus4   
,why did they not go8 ,does it cost more
 to go to the clouds  than to the third 
heaven8 ,i beg your forgiveness1 but ,i 
prefer the  clouds of ,aristophanes to  
those of ,paul4    #ei4 ,shall ,i say   
with ,luke that ,jesus went up to heaven
 from the  little village of ,bethany8  
,shall ,i state with ,matthew that it   
was  from ,galilee1 where the disciples 
saw him for the last time8 ,or shall  ,i
 take the word of a learned doctor who  
says that ,jesus had one foot  in       

,bethany and another in ,galilee8 ,the  
latter opinion seems to me the  more    
probable1 but ,i will await your        
decision4    #fj4 ,i shall then be asked
 whether ,peter was ever at ,rome4 ,i   
shall  reply1 of course1 that he was    
pope there for twenty-five years2 and   
the chief reason ,i shall give is that  
we have an epistle from the  good man   
7who could neither read nor write71 and 
that it is dated  from ,babylon4 ,there 
is no answer to that argument1 but ,i   
should like  something stronger4    #fa4
 ,please tell me why the 8,apostles'    
,creed0 was not written until  the time 
of ,jerome and ,rufinus1 four hundred   
years after the  apostles4 ,tell me why 
the earliest fathers of the ,church     
never quote  any but the gospels which  
we call apocryphal4 ,is it not a clear  
proof  that the four canonical gospels  
had not yet been written8    #fb4 ,are  
you not sorry1 as ,i am1 that the early 
,christians forged  so much bad poetry1 
and attributed it to the ,sibyls8 ,and  

that they  forged letters of ,paul and  
,seneca1 of ,jesus1 of ,mary1 and of    
,pilate8  ,and that they thus set up    
their sect on a hundred forgeries which 
would be punished to-day by any court in
 the world8 ,these frauds  are now      
recognised by all scholars4 ,we are     
reduced to calling them  8pious40 ,but  
is it not sad that your truth should be 
based on lies8    #fc4 ,tell me why1    
since ,jesus did not institute seven    
sacraments1  we have seven              
sacraments#ff2 why1 whereas ,jesus never
 said that he  was threefold and had two
 natures and two wills and one person1  
we  make him threefold1 with one person 
and two natures2 and why1 having  two   
wills1 he had not the will to instruct  
us in the dogmas of the  ,christian     
religion4    #fd4 ,is the pope          
infallible when he consorts with his    
mistress1 and  when he brings to supper 
a bottle of poisoned wine for ,cardinal 
,cornetto8#fg ,when two councils        
anathematise each other1 as has often   

happened1 which of them is infallible8  
#fe4 ,would it not really be better to  
avoid these labyrinths1 and  simply     
preach virtue8 ,when ,god comes to judge
 us1 ,i doubt very  much if he will ask 
us whether grace is versatile or        
concomitant1  whether marriage is the   
visible sign of an invisible thing1     
whether  we believe that there are ten  
choirs of angels or nine1 whether the   
pope is above the council or the council
 above the pope4 ,will it be a  crime in
 his eyes to have prayed to him in      
,spanish when one does not  know ,latin8
 ,shall we be visited with his cruel    
wrath for having eaten  a penny-worth of
 bad meat on a certain day8 ,and shall  
we be eternally  rewarded if1 like you1 
my learned masters1 we ate a hundred    
piastres'  worth of turbot1 sole1 and   
sturgeon8 ,you do not believe it in the 
depth of your hearts2 you believe that  
,god will judge you by your  works1 not 
by the opinions of ,thomas and          
,bonaventure4    ,shall ,i not render a 

service to men in speaking to them only 
of  morality8 ,this morality is so pure1
 so holy1 so universal1 so clear1  so   
ancient1 that it seems to come from ,god
 himself1 like the light  which we      
regard as the first of his works4 ,has  
he not given men  self-love to secure   
their preservation2 benevolence1        
beneficence1  and virtue to control     
their self-love2 the natural need to    
form a  society2 pleasure to enjoy1 pain
 to warn us to enjoy in moderation1     
passions to spur us to great deeds1 and 
wisdom to curb our passions8  ,will you 
allow me to announce these truths to the
 noble people of  ,spain8    #ff4 ,if   
you bid me conceal these truths1 and    
strictly enjoin me  to announce the     
miracles of ,st4 ,james of ,galicia1 or 
of ,our ,lady  of ,atocha1 or of ,maria 
d',agreda 7who in her ecstasies behaved 
in  a most improper manner71 tell me    
what ,i must do with those who  dare to 
doubt8 ,must ,i1 for their edification1 
have the ordinary and  extraordinary    

question put to them8#fh    ,i await the
 honour of your reply1                  
,,dominico ,,zapata1                    
y verdadero1 y honrado1                 
y caricativo4      ,zapata1 receiving no
 answer1 took to preaching ,god in all  
simplicity4 ,he announced to men the    
common father1 the rewarder1            
punisher1 and pardoner4 ,he extricated  
the truth from the lies1 and            
separated religion from fanaticism2 he  
taught and practised virtue4    ,he was 
gentle1 kindly1 and modest2 and he was  
burned at ,valladolid    in the year of 
grace #afca4 ,pray ,god for the soul of 
,brother ,zapata4                       
,,we ,,must ,,take ,,sides2             
,,or1 ,,the ,,principle ,,of ,,action   
,,introduction    ,it is not a question 
of taking sides between ,russia and     
,turkey2 for  these ,states will1 sooner
 or later1 come to an understanding     
without  my intervention4    ,it is not 
a question of declaring oneself in      
favour of one ,english  faction and     

against another2 for they will soon have
 disappeared1 to  make room for others4 
,i am not endeavouring to choose between
 ,greek and ,armenian  ,christians1     
,eutychians and ,jacobites1 ,christians 
who are called  ,papists and ,lutherans1
 ,calvinists1 ,anglicans1 the primitive 
folk  called ,quakers1 ,anabaptists1    
,jansenists1 ,molinists1 ,socinians1    
,pietists1 and so many other 'ists4 ,i  
wish to live in peace with all  these   
gentlemen1 whenever ,i may meet them1   
and never dispute with  them2 because   
there is not a single one of them who1  
when he has a  crown to share with me1  
will not know his business perfectly1 or
 who  would spend a single penny for the
 salvation of my soul or his own4    ,i 
am not going to take sides between the  
old and the new ,french  ,parliaments2  
because in a few years there will be no 
question of  either of them4    ,nor    
between the ancients and the moderns2   
because the trial would be  endless4    
,nor between the ,jansenists and the    

,molinists2 because they exist no       
longer1 and1 thank ,god1 five or six    
thousand volumes have become as  useless
 as the works of ,st4 ,ephraim4    ,nor 
between the partisans of the ,french and
 the ,italian opera2  because it is a   
mere matter of fancy4    ,the subject ,i
 have in mind is but a trifle--namely1  
the question  whether there is or is not
 a ,god2 and ,i am going to examine it  
in all  seriousness and good faith1     
because it interests me1 and you also4  
,i                         ,,of ,,the   
,,principle ,,of ,,action    ,everything
 is in motion1 everything acts and      
reacts1 in nature4    ,our sun turns on 
its axis with a rapidity that astonishes
 us2 other  suns turn with the same     
speed1 while countless swarms of planets
  revolve round them in their orbits1   
and the blood circulates more  than     
twenty times an hour in the lowliest of 
our animals4    ,a straw that is borne  
on the wind tends naturally towards the 
centre  of the earth1 just as the earth 

gravitates towards the sun1 and the  sun
 towards the earth4 ,the sea owes to the
 same laws its eternal  ebb and flow4   
,in virtue of the same laws the vapours 
which form our  atmosphere rise         
continually from the earth1 and fall    
again in dew1  rain1 hail1 snow1 and    
thunder4 ,everything1 even death1 is    
active4  ,corpses are decomposed1       
transformed into plants1 and nourish the
  living1 which in their turn are the   
food of others4 ,what is the  principle 
of this universal activity8    ,this    
principle must be unique4 ,the unvarying
 uniformity of the laws  which control  
the march of the heavenly bodies1 the   
movements of  our globe1 every species  
and genus of animal1 plant1 and mineral1
  indicates that there is one mover4 ,if
 there were two1 they would  either     
differ1 or be opposed to each other1 or 
like each other4 ,if  they were         
different1 there would be no harmony2 if
 opposed1 things  would destroy each    
other2 if like1 it would be as if there 

were only  one--a twofold employment4   
,i am encouraged in this belief that    
there can be but one principle1  one    
single mover1 when ,i observe the       
constant and uniform laws of the  whole 
of nature4    ,the same gravitation     
reaches every globe1 and causes them to 
tend  towards each other in direct      
proportion1 not to their surfaces1 which
  might be the effect of an impelling   
fluid1 but to their masses4    ,the     
square of the revolution of every planet
 is as the cube of  its distance from   
the sun 7which proves1 one may note1    
what ,plato  had somehow divined1 that  
the world is the work of the eternal    
geometrician74    ,the rays of light are
 reflected and refracted from end to end
 of the  universe4 ,all the truths of   
mathematics must be the same on the star
  ,sirius as in our little home4    ,if 
,i glance at the animal world1 ,i find  
that all quadrupeds1 and  all wingless  
bipeds1 reproduce their kind by the same
 process of  copulation1 and all the    

females are viviparous4    ,all female  
birds lay eggs4    ,in each species     
there is the same manner of reproduction
 and feeding4    ,each species of plants
 has the same basic qualities4          
,assuredly the oak and the nut have come
 to no agreement to be born  and to grow
 in the same way1 any more than ,mars   
and ,saturn have come  to an            
understanding to observe the same laws4 
,there is1 therefore1  a single1        
universal1 and powerful intelligence1   
acting always by  invariable laws4      
,no one doubts that an armillary sphere1
 landscapes1 drawings of  animals1 or   
models in coloured wax1 are the work of 
clever artists4  ,is it possible for the
 copyists to be intelligent and the     
originals  not8 ,this seems to me the   
strongest demonstration2 ,i do not see  
how  it can be assailed4                
,,ii              ,,of ,,the ,,necessary
 ,,and ,,eternal ,,principle ,,of       
,,action    ,this single mover is very  
powerful1 since it directs so vast and  

complex a machine4 ,it is very          
intelligent1 since the smallest spring  
of this machine cannot be equalled by   
us1 who are intelligent beings4    ,it  
is a necessary being1 since without it  
the machine would not  exist4    ,it is 
eternal1 for it cannot be produced from 
nothing1 which1 being  nothing1 can     
produce nothing2 given the existence of 
something1 it  is demonstrated that     
something has existed for all eternity4 
,this  sublime truth has become trivial4
 ,so great has been the advance of  the 
human mind in our time1 in spite of the 
efforts to brutalise us  which the      
masters of ignorance have made for so   
many centuries4                         
,,iii                           ,,what  
,,is ,,this ,,principle8    ,i cannot   
prove synthetically the existence of the
 principle of  action1 the prime mover1 
the ,supreme ,being1 as ,dr4 ,clarke    
does4 ,if  this method were in the power
 of man1 ,clarke was1 perhaps1 worthy to
  employ it2 but analysis seems to me   

more suitable for our poor ideas4  ,it  
is only by ascending the stream of      
eternity that ,i can attempt to  reach  
its source4    ,having therefore        
recognised from movement that there is a
 mover2  having proved from action that 
there is a principle of action2 ,i  seek
 the nature of this universal principle4
 ,and the first thing ,i  perceive1 with
 secret distress but entire resignation1
 is that1 being  an imperceptible part  
of the great whole2 being1 as ,plato    
says in the  ,timus1 a point between two
 eternities2 it will be impossible for  
me to understand this great whole1 which
 hems me in on every side1  and its     
master4    ,yet ,i am a little reassured
 on seeing that ,i am able to measure   
the distance of the stars1 and to       
recognise the course and the laws  which
 keep them in their orbits4 ,i say to   
myself3 ,perhaps1 if ,i use  my reason  
in good faith1 ,i may succeed in        
discovering some ray of  probability to 
lighten me in the dark night of nature4 

,and if this  faint dawn which ,i seek  
does not come to me1 ,i shall be        
consoled  to think that my ignorance is 
invincible2 that knowledge which is     
forbidden me is assuredly useless to me2
 and that the great ,being  will not    
punish me for having sought a knowledge 
of him and failed to  obtain it4        
,,iv                ,,where ,,is ,,the  
,,first ,,principle8 ,,is ,,it          
,,infinite8    ,i do not see the first  
motive and intelligent principle of the 
animal  called man1 when he demonstrates
 a geometrical proposition or lifts  a  
burden4 ,yet ,i feel irresistibly that  
there is one in him1 however            
subordinate4 ,i cannot discover whether 
this first principle is in his  heart1  
or in his head1 or in his blood1 or in  
his whole body4 ,in the  same way ,i    
have detected a first principle in      
nature1 and have seen  that it must     
necessarily be eternal4 ,but where is   
it8    ,if it animates all existence1 it
 is in all existence3 that seems to  be 

beyond doubt4 ,it is in all that exists1
 just as movement is in the  whole body 
of an animal1 if one may use so poor a  
comparison4    ,but while it is in what 
exists1 can it be in what does not      
exist8  ,is the universe infinite8 ,i am
 told that it is2 but who will prove    
it8 ,i regard it as eternal1 because it 
cannot have been made from  nothing2    
because the great principle1 8nothing   
comes from nothing10  is as true as that
 two and two make four2 because1 as we  
saw  elsewhere1 it is an absurd         
contradiction to say that the active    
being  has spent an eternity without    
acting1 the formative being has been    
eternal without forming anything1 and   
the necessary being has been1  during an
 eternity1 a useless being4    ,but ,i  
see no reason why this necessary being  
should be infinite4 ,its  nature seems  
to me to be wherever there is existence2
 but why1 and  how1 an infinite         
existence8 ,newton has demonstrated the 
void1 which  had until his time been a  

matter of conjecture4 ,if there is a    
void in  nature1 there may be a void    
outside nature4 ,what need is there that
  beings should extend to infinity8     
,what would an infinite extension  be8  
,nor can we have infinity in number4    
,there is no number and no  extension to
 which ,i cannot add4 ,it seems to me   
that in this matter  the conclusion of  
,cudworth is preferable to that of      
,clarke4    ,god is present everywhere1 
says ,clarke4 ,yes1 doubtless2 but      
everywhere where there is something1 not
 where there is not4 ,to  be present in 
nothing seems to me a contradiction in  
terms1 an  absurdity4 ,i am compelled to
 admit eternity1 but ,i am not compelled
  to admit an actual infinity4    ,in   
fine1 what does it matter to me whether 
space is a reality or  merely an idea in
 my mind8 ,what does it matter whether  
or no the  necessary1 intelligent1      
powerful1 eternal being1 the former of  
all  being1 is in this imaginary space8 
,am ,i less his work8 ,am ,i less       

dependent on him8 ,is he the less my    
master8 ,i see this master of the  world
 with the eyes of my mind1 but ,i see   
him not beyond the world4    ,it is     
still disputed whether or no infinite   
space is a reality4 ,i  will not base my
 judgment on so equivocal a point1 a    
quarrel worthy  of the scholastics4 ,i  
will not set up the throne of ,god in   
imaginary  spaces4    ,if it is         
allowable to compare once more the      
little things which seem  large to us to
 what is great in reality1 let us       
imagine a gentleman  of ,madrid trying  
to persuade a ,castilian neighbour that 
the king  of ,spain is master of the sea
 to the north of ,california1 and that  
whoever doubts it is guilty of high     
treason4 ,the ,castilian replies3  ,i do
 not even know whether there is a sea   
beyond ,california4 ,it  matters little 
to me whether there is or not1 provided 
that ,i have  the means of subsistence  
in ,madrid4 ,i do not need this sea to  
be  discovered to make me faithful to   

the king my master on the banks of  the 
,manzanares4 ,whether or no there are   
vessels beyond ,hudson ,bay1 he  has    
none the less power to command me here2 
,i feel my dependence on  him in        
,madrid1 because ,i know that he is     
master of ,madrid4    ,in the same way1 
our dependence on the great being is not
 due to the  fact that he is present    
outside the world1 but to the fact that 
he  is present in the world4 ,i do but  
ask pardon of the master of nature  for 
comparing him to a frail human being in 
order to make my meaning  clearer4      
,v             ,,that ,,all ,,the       
,,works ,,of ,,the ,,eternal ,,being    
,,are ,,eternal    ,the principle of    
nature being necessary and eternal1 and 
its very  essence being to act1 it must 
have been always active4 ,if it had not 
been an ever-active ,god1 it would have 
been an eternally indolent  ,god1 the   
,god of ,epicurus1 the ,god who is good 
for nothing4 ,this truth  seems to me to
 be fully demonstrated4    ,hence the   

world1 his work1 whatever form it       
assume1 is1 like him1  eternal2 just as 
the light is as old as the sun1 movement
 as old as  matter1 and food as old as  
the animals2 otherwise the sun1 matter1 
and the animals would be1 not merely    
useless1 but self-contradictory  things1
 chimras4    ,what1 indeed1 could be    
more contradictory than an essentially  
active  being that has been inactive    
during an eternity2 a formative being   
that has fashioned nothing1 or merely   
formed a few globes some years  ago1    
without there being the least apparent  
reason for making them  at one time     
rather than another8 ,the intelligent   
principle can do  nothing without       
reason2 nothing can exist without an    
antecedent and  necessary reason4 ,this 
antecedent and necessary reason has     
existed  eternally2 therefore the       
universe is eternal4    ,we speak here a
 strictly philosophical language2 it is 
not our part  even to glance at those   
who use the language of revelation4     

,,vi              ,,that ,,the ,,eternal
 ,,being1 ,,and ,,first ,,principle1    
,,has                     ,,arranged    
,,all ,,things ,,voluntarily    ,it is  
clear that this supreme1 necessary1     
active intelligence is  possessed of    
will1 and has arranged all things       
because it#fi willed  them4 ,how can one
 act1 and fashion all things1 without   
willing to  fashion them8 ,that would be
 the action of a mere machine1 and this 
machine would presuppose another first  
principle1 another mover4 ,we  should   
always have to end in a first           
intelligent being of some kind  or      
other4 ,we wish1 we act1 we make        
machines1 when we will2 hence  the great
 very powerful ,demiourgos has done all 
things because he  willed4    ,spinoza  
himself recognises in nature an         
intelligent1 necessary power4  ,but an  
intelligence without will would be an   
absurdity1 since such an  intelligence  
would be useless2 it would do nothing1  
because it would  not will to do        

anything4 ,hence the great necessary    
being has willed  everything that it has
 done4    ,i said above that it has done
 all things necessarily because1 if  its
 works were not necessary1 they would be
 useless4 ,but does this  necessity     
deprive it of will8 ,certainly not4 ,i  
necessarily will to be  happy1 but ,i   
will it none the less on that account2  
on the contrary1  ,i will it all the    
more strongly because ,i will it        
irresistibly4    ,does this necessity   
deprive it of liberty8 ,not at all4     
,liberty can  only be the power to act4 
,since the supreme being is very        
powerful1  it is the freest of beings4  
,we thus recognise that the great       
artisan of things is necessary1         
eternal1 intelligent1 powerful1         
possessed of will1 and free4            
,,vii       ,,that ,,all ,,beings1      
,,without ,,exception1 ,,are ,,subject  
,,to ,,eternal ,,laws    ,what are the  
effects of this eternal power that      
dwells essentially  in nature8 ,i see   

only two classes of them1 the           
insensitive and the  sensitive4    ,the 
earth1 the seas1 the planets1 the suns1 
seem admirable but  lifeless things1    
devoid of sensibility4 ,a snail that    
wills1 has some  degree of perception1  
and makes love1 seems1 to that extent1  
to have  an advantage greater than all  
the glory of the suns that illumine     
space4    ,but all these beings are     
alike subject to eternal and unvarying  
laws4    ,neither the sun1 nor the      
snail1 nor the oyster1 nor the dog1 nor 
the  ape1 nor man1 has given himself any
 one of the things which he has2  it is 
evident that they have received         
everything4    ,man and the dog are     
born1 unwittingly1 of a mother who has  
brought  them into the world in spite of
 herself4 ,both of them suck the        
mother's breast without knowing what    
they do1 and they do this in  virtue of 
a very delicate and complex mechanism1  
the nature of which  is known to few    
men4    ,both of them have1 after a     

time1 ideas1 memory1 and will2 the dog  
much earlier than the man4    ,if the   
animals were mere machines1 it would be 
another argument for  the position of   
those who believe that man also is a    
mere machine2  but there are now none   
who do not admit that the animals have  
ideas1  memory1 and a measure of        
intelligence1 and that they improve     
their  knowledge2 that a hunting-dog    
learns its work1 an old fox is more     
astute than a young one1 and so on4     
,whence have they these faculties1 if   
not from the primordial eternal  cause1 
the principle of action1 the great being
 that animates the  whole of nature8    
,man obtains the faculties of the       
animals much later than they1 but in  a 
higher degree2 can he obtain them from  
any other source8    ,he has nothing but
 what the great being has given him4 ,it
 would  be a strange contradiction1 a   
singular absurdity1 if all the  stars   
and elements1 the animals and plants1   
obeyed1 unceasingly  and irresistibly1  

the laws of the great being1 and man    
alone were  independent of them4        
,,viii                ,,that ,,man ,,is 
,,essentially ,,subject ,,in            
,,everything               ,,to ,,the   
,,eternal ,,laws ,,of ,,the ,,first     
,,principle    ,let us regard1 with the 
eyes of reason1 this animal man which   
the  great being has produced4    ,what 
is his first sensation8 ,a sensation of 
pain2 then the pleasure  of feeding4    
,that is the whole of our life3 pain and
 pleasure4 ,whence  have we these two   
springs which keep us in action until   
our last  moment1 if not from this first
 principle of action1 this ,demiourgos8 
,assuredly we do not give pain to       
ourselves2 and how could we be  the     
cause of our few pleasures8 ,we have    
said elsewhere that it is  impossible   
for us to invent a new kind of          
pleasure--that is to say1  a new sense4 
,let us now say that it is equally      
impossible for us to  invent a new kind 
of pain4 ,the most execrable of tyrants 

cannot do  it4 ,the ,jews1 whose        
tortures have been described by the     
,benedictine  monk ,calmet in his       
dictionary1 could only cut1 tear1       
mutilate1 draw1  burn1 strangle1 and    
crush2 all torments may thus be         
summarised4 ,we  can therefore do       
nothing of ourselves1 either for good or
 evil2 we  are but the blind instruments
 of nature4    ,but ,i wish to think and
 ,i think1 most men will recklessly     
assert4 ,let  us consider it4 ,what was 
our first idea after the feeling of     
pain8  ,the idea of the breast that we  
sucked2 then the face of the nurse2     
then a few other objects and needs made 
their faint impressions4  ,would any one
 up to this point venture to say that he
 was more than  a sentient automaton1 a 
wretched abandoned animal destitute of  
knowledge or power1 an outcast of       
nature8 ,will he venture to say  that in
 this condition he is a thinking being1 
the author of his own  ideas1 the       
possessor of a soul8 ,what is the son of

 a king when he  leaves the womb8 ,he   
would excite the disgust of his father1 
if he  were not his father4 ,a flower of
 the field that one treads underfoot  is
 an infinitely superior thing4          
,,ix                ,,of ,,the          
,,principle ,,of ,,action ,,in          
,,sentient ,,beings    ,there comes at  
length a time when a greater or smaller 
number of  perceptions1 received in our 
mechanism1 seem to present themselves to
  our will4 ,we think that we are       
forming ideas4 ,it is as if1 when we    
turn the tap of a fountain1 we were to  
think that we cause the water  which    
streams out4 ,we create ideas1 poor     
creatures that we are6 ,it  is evident  
that we had no share in the former1 yet 
we would regard  ourselves as the       
authors of the latter4 ,if we reflect   
well on this  vain boast of forming     
ideas1 we shall see that it is insolent 
and  absurd4    ,let us remember that   
there is nothing in external objects    
with the  least analogy1 the least      

relation1 to a feeling1 an idea1 a      
thought4  ,let an eye or an ear be made 
by the best artisan in the world2 the   
eye will see nothing1 the ear will hear 
nothing4 ,it is the same with  our      
living body4 ,the universal principle of
 action does everything in  us4 ,he has 
not made us an exception to the rest of 
nature4    ,two experiences which are   
constantly repeated during the course of
  our life1 and of which ,i have spoken 
elsewhere1 will convince every          
thoughtful man that our ideas1 our      
wills1 and our actions do not  belong to
 us4    ,the first is that no one knows1
 or can know1 what idea he will have  at
 any minute1 what desire he will have1  
what word he will speak1  what movement 
his body will perform4    ,the second is
 that during sleep it is clear that we  
have not the  least share in what takes 
place in our dreams4 ,we grant that we  
are  then mere automata1 on which an    
invisible power acts with a force  that 
is as real and powerful as it is        

incomprehensible4 ,this power  fills the
 mind with ideas1 inspires desires1     
passions1 reflections4  ,it sets in     
motion all the organs of the body4 ,it  
has happened at  times that a mother has
 smothered1 in a restless dream1 the    
new-born  child that lay by her side2   
that a man has killed his friend4 ,how  
many musicians have composed music      
during sleep8 ,how many young  preachers
 have composed sermons during their     
sleep8    ,if our life were equally     
divided between waking and sleeping1    
instead  of our usually spending a third
 of our short career in sleep1 and if   
we always dreamed during sleep1 it would
 then be evident that half of  our life 
did not depend on us4 ,in any case1     
assuming that we spend  eight out of the
 twenty-four hours in sleep1 it is plain
 that a third  of our existence is      
beyond our control4 ,add to this        
infancy1 add all  the time that is      
occupied in purely animal functions1 and
 see how  much is left4 ,you will admit 

with surprise that at least half our    
life does not belong to us at all4 ,then
 reflect how inconsistent it  would be  
if one half depended on us and the other
 half did not4    ,conclude1 therefore1 
that the universal principle of action  
does  everything in us4    ,here the    
,jansenist interrupts me and says3 8,you
 are a plagiarist2 you  have taken your 
doctrine from the famous book1 ,the     
,action of ,god  on ,created ,things1 or
 ,physical ,premotion1 by our great     
patriarch  ,boursier40 ,i have said     
somewhere of ,boursier that he had      
dipped  his pen in the inkpot of the    
,deity4 ,no1 my friend2 ,i have never   
received anything from the ,jansenists  
or the ,molinists except a  strong      
aversion for sects1 and some            
indifference to their opinions4         
,boursier1 taking ,god as his model1    
knows precisely what was the  nature of 
,adam's dream when ,god took a rib from 
his side wherewith  to make woman2 he   
knows the nature of his concupiscence1  

habitual  grace1 and actual grace4 ,he  
knows1 with ,st4 ,augustine1 that men   
and  women would have engendered        
children dispassionately in the earthly 
paradise1 just as one sows a field1     
without any feeling of carnal  pleasure4
 ,he is convinced that ,adam sinned only
 by distraction in the  earthly         
paradise4 ,i know nothing about these   
things1 and am content  to admire those 
who have so splendid and profound a     
knowledge4                              
,x                 ,,of ,,the           
,,principle ,,of ,,action ,,called ,,the
 ,,soul    ,but1 some centuries later in
 the history of man1 it came to be      
imagined that we have a soul which acts 
of itself2 and the idea has  become so  
familiar that we take it for a reality4 
,we talk incessantly of 8the soul10     
though we have not the least idea  of   
the meaning of it4    ,to some the soul 
means the life2 to others it is a small1
 frail  image of ourselves1 which goes1 
when we die1 to drink the waters of     

,acheron2 to others it is a harmony1 a  
memory1 an entelechy4 ,in the  end it   
has been converted into a little being  
that is not body1 a  breath that is not 
air2 and of this word 8breath10 which   
corresponds  to 8spirit0 in many        
tongues1 a kind of thing has been made  
which is  nothing at all4    ,who can   
fail to see that men uttered1 and still 
utter1 the word  8soul0 vaguely and     
without understanding1 as we utter the  
words  8movement10 8understanding10     
8imagination10 8memory10 8desire10 and  
8will08 ,there is no real being which we
 call will1 desire1 memory1             
imagination1 understanding1 or movement2
 but the real being called  man         
understands1 imagines1 remembers1       
desires1 wills1 and moves4  ,they are   
abstract terms1 invented for convenience
 of speech4 ,i run1  ,i sleep1 ,i awake2
 but there is no such physical reality  
as running1  sleep1 or awakening4       
,neither sight1 nor hearing1 nor touch1 
nor  smell1 nor taste1 is a real being2 

,i hear1 ,i see1 ,i smell1 ,i taste1 ,i 
touch4 ,and how could ,i do this if the 
great being had not so disposed  all    
things2 if the principle of action1 the 
universal cause--in one  word1 ,god--had
 not given us these faculties8    ,we   
may be quite sure that there would be   
just as much reason to grant  the snail 
a hidden being called a 8free soul0 as  
to grant it to man4  ,the snail has a   
will1 desires1 tastes1 sensations1      
ideas1 and memory4  ,it wishes to move  
towards the material of its food or the 
object of  its love4 ,it remembers it1  
has an idea of it1 advances towards it  
as quickly as it can2 it knows pleasure 
and pain4 ,yet you are not  terrified   
when you are told that the animal has   
not a spiritual soul2  that ,god has    
bestowed on it these gifts for a little 
time2 that he  who moves the stars moves
 also the insect4 ,but when it comes to 
man  you change your mind4 ,this poor   
animal seems to you so worthy of  your  
respect--that is to say1 you are so     

proud--that you venture to  place in its
 frail body something that seems to     
share the nature of  ,god himself1 yet  
something that seems to you at times    
diabolical  in the perversity of its    
thoughts2 something wise and foolish1   
good and execrable1 heavenly and        
infernal1 invisible1 immortal1          
incomprehensible4 ,and you have         
familiarised yourself with this idea1   
as you have grown accustomed to speak of
 movement1 though there is no  such     
being as movement2 as you use abstract  
words1 though there are  no abstract    
beings4                                 
,,xi           ,,examination ,,of ,,the 
,,principle ,,of ,,action ,,called ,,the
 ,,soul    ,there is1 nevertheless1 a   
principle of action in man4 ,yes1 there 
is one everywhere4 ,but can this        
principle be anything else than a       
spring1 a secret first mover which is   
developed by the ever-active  first     
principle--a principle that is as       
powerful as it is secret1  as           

demonstrable as it is invisible1 which  
we have recognised as the  essential    
cause in the whole of nature8    ,if you
 create movement or ideas because you   
will it1 you are ,god for  the time     
being2 for you have all the attributes  
of ,god--will1 power1  and creation4    
,consider the absurdity into which you  
fall in making  yourself ,god4    ,you  
have to choose between these two        
alternatives3 either to be ,god         
whenever you will1 or to depend         
continually on ,god4 ,the first is      
extravagant2 the second alone is        
reasonable4    ,if there were in our    
body a little god called 8the free      
soul10 which  becomes so frequently a   
little devil1 this little god would have
 to  be regarded either as having been  
created from all eternity1 or as        
created at the moment of your           
conception1 or during your embryonic    
life1 or at birth1 or when you begin to 
feel4 ,all these positions are  equally 
ridiculous4    ,a little subordinate    

god1 existing uselessly during a past   
eternity  and descending into a body    
that often dies at birth1 is the height 
of  absurdity4    ,if this little       
god-soul is supposed to be created at   
the moment of  conception1 we must      
consider the master of nature1 the being
 of  beings1 continually occupied in    
watching assignations1 attentive to     
every intercourse of man and woman1 ever
 ready to despatch a sentient  and      
thinking soul into a recess between the 
entrails4 ,a fine lodging  for a little 
god6 ,when the mother brings forth a    
still-born child1  what becomes of the  
god-soul that had been lodged in the    
abdomen8  ,whither has it returned8     
,the same difficulties and absurdities1 
equally ridiculous and  revolting1 and  
found in connection with each of the    
other  suppositions4 ,the idea of a     
soul1 as it is usually and thoughtlessly
  conceived by people1 is one of the    
most foolish things that has ever  been 
devised4    ,how much more reasonable1  

more decent1 more respectful to the     
supreme  being1 more in harmony with our
 nature1 and therefore truer1 is it  not
 to say3    8,we are machines made      
successively by the eternal             
geometrician2  machines made like all   
the other animals1 having the same      
organs1 the  same needs1 the same       
pleasures1 the same pains2 far superior 
to all  of them in many things1 inferior
 to them in others2 having received     
from the great being a principle of     
action which we cannot penetrate2       
receiving everything1 giving ourselves  
nothing2 and a million times  more      
subject to him than the clay is to the  
potter who moulds it08    ,once more1   
either man is a god or he is precisely  
as ,i have described  him4              
,,xii             ,,whether ,,the       
,,principle ,,of ,,action ,,in ,,animals
 ,,is ,,free    ,there is a principle of
 action in man and in every animal1 just
  as there is in every machine2 and this
 first mover1 this ultimate  spring1 is 

necessarily eternally arranged by the   
master1 otherwise  all would be chaos1  
and there would be no world4    ,every  
animal1 like every machine1 necessarily 
and irresistibly  obeys the power that  
directs it4 ,that is evident1 and       
sufficiently  familiar4 ,every animal is
 possessed of will1 and one must be a   
fool to think that a dog following its  
master has not the will to  follow him4 
,no doubt1 it follows him irresistibly2 
but it follows  voluntarily4 ,does it   
follow freely8 ,yes1 if nothing prevents
 it2 that  is to say1 it can follow1 it 
wills to follow1 and it follows4 ,the   
freedom to follow is not in its will1   
but in the power to walk that  is given 
to it4 ,a nightingale wills to make its 
nest1 and makes it  when it has found   
some moss4 ,it had the freedom to       
construct this  cradle1 just as it had  
freedom to sing when it desires1 and has
 not  a chill4 ,but was it free to have 
the desire8 ,did it will to will to     
make its nest8 ,had it that absurd      

8liberty of indifference0 which         
theologians would describe as follows3  
8,i neither will to make my  nest nor   
the contrary2 it is a matter of complete
 indifference to  me2 but ,i am going to
 will to make my nest solely for the    
sake of  willing1 and without being     
determined to do it in any way1 merely  
to prove that ,i am free08 ,such is the 
absurdity we find taught in  the        
schools4 ,if the nightingale could      
speak1 it would say to these  doctors3  
8,i am irresistibly determined to nest1 
,i will to nest1 and ,i  nest2 you are  
irresistibly determined to reason badly1
 and you fulfil  your destiny as ,i do  
mine40    ,we will now see if man is    
free in any other sense4                
,,xiii                    ,,of ,,the    
,,liberty ,,of ,,man1 ,,and ,,of        
,,destiny    ,a ball that drives        
another1 a hunting-dog that necessarily 
and  voluntarily follows a stag1 a stag 
that leaps a great ditch not less       
necessarily and voluntarily1 a roe that 

gives birth to another roe1  which will 
bring a third into the world--these     
things are not more  irresistibly       
determined than we are to do all that we
 do4 ,let us  remember always how       
inconsistent and absurd it would be for 
one set  of things to be arranged and   
the other not4    ,every present event  
is born of the past1 and is father of   
the future2  otherwise the universe     
would be quite other than it is1 as     
,leibnitz  has well said1 more correct  
in this than in his pre-established     
harmony4#gj ,the eternal chain can be   
neither broken nor entangled4  ,the     
great being who necessarily sustains it 
cannot let it hang  uncertainly1 nor    
change it2 for he would then no longer  
be the  necessary and immutable being1  
the being of beings2 he would be  frail1
 inconstant1 capricious2 he would belie 
his nature1 and exist  no longer4       
,hence1 an inevitable destiny is the law
 of nature1 as the whole of  antiquity  
felt4 ,the dread of depriving man of    

some false liberty1  robbing virtue of  
its merit1 and relieving crime of its   
horror1 has  at times alarmed tender    
souls2 but as soon as they were         
enlightened  they returned to this great
 truth1 that all things are enchained   
and  necessary4    ,man is free1 we     
repeat1 when he can do what he wills to 
do2 but he is  not free to will2 it is  
impossible that he should will without  
cause4  ,if this cause is not infallibly
 followed by its effect1 it is no       
cause4 ,it would not be more absurd for 
a cloud to say to the wind3  8,i do not 
wish to be driven by you40 ,this truth  
can never injure  morality4 ,vice is    
always vice1 as disease is always       
disease4 ,it will  always be necessary  
to repress the wicked2 if they are      
determined to  evil1 we must reply that 
they are equally predestined to         
chastisement4    ,let us make these     
truths clearer4                         
,,xiv             ,,absurdity ,,of      
,,what ,,is ,,called ,,liberty ,,of     

,,indifference    ,what an admirable    
spectacle is that of the eternal        
destinies of all  beings chained to the 
throne of the maker of all worlds6 ,i   
imagine a  time when it is not so1 but a
 chimerical liberty makes every event   
uncertain4 ,i imagine that one of the   
substances intermediate between  us and 
the great being 7there may be millions  
of such beings7 comes  to consult the   
eternal being on the destiny of some of 
the enormous  globes that stand at such 
vast distances from us4 ,the sovereign  
of  nature would be forced to reply3 8,i
 am not sovereign1 ,i am not the  great 
necessary being2 every little embryo is 
a master of destiny4  ,the whole world  
is free to will without any other cause 
than the  will4 ,the future is          
uncertain2 everything depends on        
caprice4 ,i can  foresee nothing4 ,this 
great whole1 which you regarded as so   
regular1  is but a vast anarchy in which
 all is done without cause or reason4 ,i
  shall be very careful not to say to   

you that such and such a thing  will    
happen2 for then the wicked folk who    
people the globes would do  the contrary
 to what ,i had foretold1 if it were    
only from malice4 ,men  always dare to  
be jealous of their master1 when he has 
not a power  so absolute as to take away
 the very faculty of jealousy2 they are 
pleased to see him fall into a trap4 ,i 
am but weak and ignorant4  ,appeal to   
one more powerful and more gifted than  
,i40    ,possibly this allegory will    
avail more than any other argument to   
arrest the partisans of this empty      
liberty of indifference1 if there  still
 be any1 and those who labour to        
reconcile foreknowledge with  this      
liberty1 and those who1 in the          
university of ,salamanca or in  ,bedlam1
 still speak of medicinal and           
concomitant grace4                      
,,xv         ,,of ,,evil ,,and1 ,,in    
,,the ,,first ,,place1 ,,the            
,,destruction ,,of ,,beasts    ,we have 
never had any idea of good and evil1    

save in relation to  ourselves4 ,the    
sufferings of an animal seem to us      
evils1 because1  being animals          
ourselves1 we feel that we should excite
 compassion if  the same were done to   
us4 ,we should have the same feeling for
 a tree  if we were told that it        
suffered torment when it was cut2 and   
for a  stone if we learned that it      
suffers when it is dressed4 ,but we     
should  pity the tree and the stone much
 less than the animal1 because they  are
 less like us4 ,indeed1 we soon cease to
 be touched by the awful  destiny of the
 beasts that are intended for our table4
 ,children who  weep at the death of the
 first chicken they see killed laugh at 
the  death of the second4    ,it is only
 too sure that the disgusting carnage of
 our butcheries and  kitchens does not  
seem to us an evil4 ,on the contrary1 we
 regard this  horror1 pestilential as it
 often is1 as a blessing of the ,lord2  
and  we still have prayers in which we  
thank him for these murders4 ,yet  what 

can be more abominable than to feed     
constantly on corpses8    ,not only do  
we spend our lives in killing1 and      
devouring what we have  killed1 but all 
the animals slaughter each other2 they  
are impelled  to do so by an invincible 
instinct4 ,from the smallest insects to 
the  rhinoceros and the elephant1 the   
earth is but a vast battle-field1 a     
world of carnage and destruction4 ,there
 is no animal that has not its  prey1   
and that1 to capture it1 does not employ
 some means equivalent  to the ruse and 
rage with which the detestable spider   
entraps and  devours the innocent fly4  
,a flock of sheep devours in an hour1 as
 it  crops the grass1 more insects than 
there are men on the earth4    ,what is 
still more cruel is that in this        
horrible scene of  reiterated murder we 
perceive an evident design to perpetuate
 all  species by means of the bloody    
corpses of their mutual enemies4  ,the  
victims do not expire until nature has  
carefully provided for  new             

representatives of the species4         
,everything is born again to be         
murdered4    ,yet ,i observe no moralist
 among us1 nor any of our fluent        
preachers  or boasters1 who has ever    
reflected in the least on this frightful
  habit1 which has become part of our   
nature4 ,we have to go back to the      
pious ,porphyry and the sympathetic     
,pythagoreans to find those who  would  
shame us for our bloody gluttony2 or we 
must travel to the land  of the         
,brahmans4 ,our monks1 the caprice of   
whose founders has bade  them renounce  
the flesh1 are murderers of soles and   
turbots1 if not  of partridges and      
quails4 ,neither among the monks1 nor in
 the ,council  of ,trent1 nor in the    
assemblies of the clergy1 nor in our    
academies1  has this universal butchery 
ever been pronounced an evil4 ,there has
  been no more thought given to it in   
the councils of the clergy than  in our 
public-houses4    ,hence the great being
 is justified of these butcheries in our

 eyes2  or1 indeed1 we are his          
accomplices4                            
,,xvi                      ,,of ,,evil  
,,in ,,the ,,animal ,,called ,,man      
,so much for the beasts2 let us come to 
man4 ,if it be not an evil that  the    
only being on earth that knows ,god by  
his thoughts should be  unhappy in his  
thoughts2 if it be not an evil that this
 worshipper of  the ,deity should be    
almost always unjust and suffering1     
should know  virtue and commit crime1   
should so often deceive and be deceived1
 and  be the victim or the executioner  
of his fellows1 etc42 if all that be    
not a frightful evil1 ,i know not where 
evil is to be found4    ,beasts and men 
suffer almost without ceasing2 men      
suffer the more  because1 not only is   
the gift of thought often a source of   
torture1  but this faculty of thinking  
always makes them fear death1 which the 
beast cannot foresee4 ,man is a very    
miserable being1 having but a few  hours
 of rest1 a few moments of satisfaction1

 and a long series of  days of sorrow in
 his short life4 ,everybody admits and  
says this2 and  it is true4    ,they who
 have protested that all is well are    
charlatans4 ,shaftesbury1  who set the  
fashion in this1 was a most unhappy man4
 ,i have seen  ,bolingbroke torn with   
grief and rage2 and ,pope1 whom he      
induced to  put this miserable joke into
 verse1 was one of the most pitiable men
  ,i have ever known1 misshapen in body1
 unbalanced in temperament1  always ill 
and a burden to himself1 harassed by a  
hundred enemies  until his last moment4 
,at least let us have happy beings      
saying that  all is well4    ,if by all 
is well it is merely meant that a man's 
head is happily  placed above his       
shoulders1 so that his eyes are better  
situated  beside the root of his nose   
than behind his ears1 we may assent4    
,all is well in that sense4 ,the laws of
 physics and mathematics are  very well 
observed in his structure4 ,a man who   
saw the beautiful  ,anne ,boleyn1 or the

 still more beautiful ,mary ,stuart1 in 
her youth1  would have said that it was 
well2 would he have said it on seeing   
them die by the hand of the executioner8
 ,would he have said it on  seeing the  
grandson of the beautiful ,mary ,stuart 
perish in the same  way in the heart of 
his capital8 ,would he have said it on  
seeing the  great-grandson even more    
miserable1 because he lived longer8     
,glance over the human race1 if it be   
but from the prescriptions of  ,sylla to
 the ,irish massacres4    ,behold these 
battlefields1 strewn by imbeciles with  
the corpses of  other imbeciles1 whom   
they have slain with a substance born of
 the  experiments of a monk4 ,see these 
arms1 these legs1 these bloody  brains1 
and all these scattered limbs2 it is the
 fruit of a quarrel  between two        
ignorant ministers1 neither of whom     
would dare to open  his mouth in the    
presence of ,newton1 ,locke1 or ,halley2
 or of some  ridiculous quarrel between 
two forward women4 ,enter the           

neighbouring  hospital1 where are       
gathered those who are not yet dead4    
,their life  is taken from them by fresh
 torments1 and men make a fortune out of
  them1 keeping a register of the       
victims who are dissected alive1 at  so 
much a day1 under the pretext of healing
 them4    ,see these other men1 dressed 
as comedians1 earning a little money  by
 singing1 in a foreign language1 a very 
obscure and insipid song1  to thank the 
author of nature for this horrible      
outrage done to  nature2 and then tell  
me calmly that all is well4#ga ,say the 
word1  if you dare1 in connection with  
,alexander ,,vi4 and ,julius ,,ii42 say 
it over the ruins of a hundred towns    
that have been swallowed up by          
earthquakes1 and amid the twelve        
millions of ,americans who are being    
assassinated1 in twelve million ways1 to
 punish them for not being  able to     
understand in ,latin a papal bull that  
the monks have read  to them4 ,say it   
to-day1 the #bdth of ,august1 #aggb2 a  

day on which  the pen trembles in my    
fingers1 the two-hundredth anniversary  
of the  massacre of ,st4 ,bartholomew4  
,pass from these innumerable theatres   
of carnage to the equally unnumbered    
retreats of sorrow that cover  the      
earth1 to that swarm of diseases which  
slowly devour so many  poor wretches    
while they yet live2 think of that      
frightful ravage of  nature which       
poisons the human race in its source1   
and associates  the most abominable of  
plagues with the most necessary of      
pleasures4  ,see that despised king     
,henry ,,iii41 and that mediocre leader 
the ,duke  of ,mayenne1 struck down with
 the small-pox while they are waging    
civil war2 and that insolent descendant 
of a ,florentine merchant1  ,gondi1 and 
,retz1 the priest1 archbishop of ,paris1
 preaching with  sword in hand and body 
diseased4 ,to complete this true and    
horrible  picture1 fancy yourself amid  
the floods and volcanoes that have so   
often devastated so many parts of the   

world2 amid the leprosy and the  plague 
that have swept it4 ,and do you who read
 this recall all that  you have         
suffered1 admit that evil exists1 and do
 not add to so many  miseries and       
horrors the wild absurdity of denying   
them4                                   
,,xvii               ,,romances         
,,invented ,,to ,,explain ,,the ,,origin
 ,,of ,,evil    ,of a hundred peoples   
who have sought the cause of physical   
and moral  evil1 the ,hindoos are the   
first whose romantic imaginations are   
known  to us4 ,they are sublime1 if the 
word 8sublime0 be taken to mean  8high40
 ,evil1 according to the ancient        
,brahmans1 comes of a quarrel  that once
 took place in the highest heavens1     
between the faithful and  the jealous   
angels4 ,the rebels were cast out of    
heaven into ,ondera  for millions of    
ages4 ,but the great being pardoned them
 at the end  of a few thousand years2   
they were turned into men1 and they     
brought  upon the earth the evil that   

they had engendered in the empyran4 ,we 
have elsewhere described at length this 
ancient fable1 the source of  all       
fables4    ,it was finely imitated by   
gifted nations1 and grossly reproduced  
by  barbarians4 ,nothing1 indeed1 is    
more spiritual and agreeable than  the  
story of ,pandora and her box4 ,if      
,hesiod has had the merit of  inventing 
this allegory1 ,i think it as superior  
to ,homer as ,homer is  to ,lycophron4  
,this box of ,pandora1 containing all   
the evils that have issued from  it1    
seems to have all the charm of the most 
striking and delicate  allusions4       
,nothing is more enchanting than this   
origin of our  sufferings4 ,but there is
 something still more admirable in the  
story  of ,pandora4 ,it has a very high 
merit1 which seems to have escaped      
notice3 it is that no one was ever      
commanded to believe it4                
,,xviii             ,,of ,,the ,,same   
,,romances1 ,,imitated ,,by ,,barbaric  
,,nations    ,in the regions of ,chalda 

and ,syria the barbarians also had their
  legends of the origin of evil4 ,among 
one of these nations in the             
neighbourhood of the ,euphrates it was  
said that a serpent1 meeting  a burdened
 and thirsty ass1 asked what the ass    
carried4 8,the recipe  of immortality10 
said the ass2 8,god has bestowed it upon
 man1 who  has laid it on my back4 ,he  
follows me1 but is far off1 because he  
has only two legs4 ,i die of thirst2    
prithee tell me where there is a        
stream40 ,the serpent led the ass to    
water1 and1 while it drank1 stole  the  
recipe4 ,hence it is that the serpent is
 immortal1 while man is  subject to     
death and all the pains that precede it4
    ,you will observe that the serpent  
was thought by all peoples to  be       
immortal because it cast its skin4 ,if  
it changed its skin1  this must have    
been in order to become young again4 ,i 
have spoken  elsewhere of this nave     
theology2 but it is well to bring it    
once  more to the notice of the reader1 

in order to show him the nature of  this
 venerable antiquity1 in which serpents 
and asses played such  important parts4 
,the ,syrians rose higher4 ,they told   
that man and woman1 having been  created
 in heaven1 desired one day to eat a    
certain cake2 and that  they then asked 
an angel to show them the place of      
retirement4 ,the  angel pointed to the  
earth4 ,they went thither2 and ,god1 to 
punish  them for their gluttony1 left   
them there4 ,let us also leave them     
there1 and their dinner and their ass   
and their serpent4 ,these  inconceivable
 puerilities of ancient ,syria are not  
worth a moment's  notice4 ,the          
detestable fables of an obscure people  
should be excluded  from a serious      
discussion4    ,let us return from these
 miserable legends to the great saying  
of  ,epicurus1 which has so long alarmed
 the whole earth1 and to which  there is
 no answer but a sigh3 8,either ,god    
wished to prevent evil  and could not do
 so2 or he was able to do so1 and did   

not wish40    ,a thousand bachelors and 
doctors of divinity have fired the      
arrows of  the school at this           
unshakeable rock2 in this terrible      
shelter have  the ,atheists taken       
refuge4 ,yet the ,atheist must admit    
that there is  in nature an active1     
intelligent1 necessary1 eternal         
principle1 and  that from this principle
 comes all that we call good and evil4  
,let us  discuss the point with the     
,atheist4                               
,,xix                     ,,discourse   
,,of ,,an ,,atheist ,,on ,,all ,,this   
,an ,atheist says to me3 ,it has been   
proved1 ,i admit1 that there is  an     
eternal and necessary principle4 ,but   
from the fact that it is  necessary ,i  
infer that all that is derived from it  
is necessary2  you have been compelled  
to admit this yourself4 ,since          
everything is  necessary1 evil is as    
inevitable as good4 ,the great wheel of 
the  ever-turning machine crushes all   
that comes in its way4 ,i have no  need 

of an intelligent being who can do      
nothing of himself1 and who  is as much 
a slave to his destiny as ,i am to mine4
 ,if he existed1  ,i should have too    
much with which to reproach him4 ,i     
should be  obliged to call him either   
feeble or wicked4 ,i would rather deny  
his existence than be discourteous to   
him4 ,let us get through this  miserable
 life as well as we can1 without        
reference to a fantastic  being whom no 
one has ever seen1 and to whom it would 
matter little1  if he existed1 whether  
we believed in him or not4 ,what ,i     
think of  him can no more affect him1   
supposing that he exists1 than what  he 
thinks of me1 of which ,i am ignorant1  
affects me4 ,there is no  relation1 no  
connection1 no interest between him and 
me4 ,either there  is no such being or  
he is an utter stranger to me4 ,let us  
do as nine  hundred and ninety-nine     
mortals out of a thousand do2 they work1
  generate1 eat1 drink1 sleep1 suffer1  
and die1 without speaking of            

metaphysics1 or knowing that there is   
such a thing4                           
,,xx                                    
,,discourse ,,of ,a ,,manich,,an    ,a  
,manichan1 hearing the ,atheist1 says to
 him3 ,you are mistaken4  ,not only is  
there a ,god1 but there are necessarily 
two4 ,it has been  fully proved that the
 universe is arranged intelligently1 and
 there  is an intelligent principle in  
nature2 but it is impossible that this  
intelligent principle1 which is the     
author of good1 should also be  the     
author of evil4 ,evil must have its own 
,god4 ,zoroaster was the  first to      
proclaim this great truth1 about two    
thousand years ago2  and two other      
,zoroasters came afterwards to confirm  
it4 ,the ,parsees  have always followed1
 and still follow1 this excellent       
doctrine4 ,some  wretched people or     
other1 called the ,jews1 at that time in
 bondage to  us1 learned a little of our
 science1 together with the names of    
,satan  and ,knatbul4 ,they recognised  

,god and the devil2 and the devil was so
  powerful1 in the opinion of this poor 
little people1 that one day1  when ,god 
had descended into their country1 the   
devil took him up  into a mountain4     
,admit two gods1 therefore2 the world is
 large enough  to hold them and find    
sufficient work for them4               
,,xxi                                   
,,discourse ,,of ,a ,,pagan    ,then a  
,pagan arose1 and said3 ,if we are to   
admit two gods1 ,i do  not see what     
prevents us from worshipping a thousand4
 ,the ,greeks  and ,romans1 who were    
superior to you1 were polytheists4 ,it  
will be  necessary some day to return to
 the admirable doctrine that peoples    
the universe with genii and deities2 it 
is assuredly the only  system which     
explains everything--the only one in    
which there is no  contradiction4 ,if   
your wife betrays you1 ,venus is the    
cause of it4  ,if you are robbed1 put   
the blame on ,mercury4 ,if you lose an  
arm or  a leg in battle1 it was arranged

 by ,mars4 ,so much for the evil4 ,in   
regard to the good1 not only do ,apollo1
 ,ceres1 ,pomona1 ,bacchus1 and  ,flora 
load you with presents1 but occasionally
 the same ,mars will rid  you of your   
enemies1 the same ,venus will find you  
mistresses1 the  same ,mercury may pour 
all your neighbours' gold into your     
coffers1  provided your hand comes to   
the assistance of his wand4    ,it was  
much easier for these gods to agree in  
governing the universe  than it seems to
 be to this ,manichan to reconcile his  
,ormuzd1 the  benevolent1 and ,ahriman1 
the malevolent1 two mortal enemies1 so  
as  to maintain both light and darkness4
 ,many eyes see better than one4  ,hence
 all the poets of antiquity are         
continually calling councils  of the    
gods4 ,how can you suppose that one god 
is enough to see to  all the details of 
life on ,saturn and all the business of 
the star  ,capella8 ,what6 ,you imagine 
that everything on our globe1 except  in
 the houses of the ,king of ,prussia and

 the ,pope ,ganganelli1 is  regulated by
 councils1 and there is no council in   
heaven6 ,there is no  better way of     
deciding things than by a majority of   
votes4 ,the deity  always acts in the   
wisest way4 ,the ,theist seems to me1 in
 comparison  with a ,pagan1 to be like a
 ,prussian soldier entering the         
territory  of ,venice2 he is charmed    
with the excellence of the government4  
8,the  king of this country10 he says1  
8must work from morning to night4 ,i    
greatly pity him40 8,there is no king10 
people reply2 8we are governed  by a    
council40    ,here are the true         
principles of our ancient religion4     
,the great being known as ,jehovah or   
,yaa among the ,phnicians1 the  ,jove of
 other ,asiatic nations1 the ,jupiter of
 the ,romans1 the ,zeus of  the ,greeks1
 is the sovereign of gods and men4      
,deum sator atque hominum rex4    ,the  
master of the whole of nature1 to whom  
nothing in the whole range  of being    
approaches4                      ,cui   

nihil simile1 nec secundum4    ,the     
animating spirit of the universe4       
,jovis omnia plena4    ,all the ideas   
that one may have of ,god are enfolded  
in this fine  verse of the ancient      
,orpheus1 quoted throughout antiquity1  
and  repeated in all the mysteries4     
'1 1  k  4              8,he is ,one1   
self-born1 and all was born of ,one40   
,but he confides to the subordinate gods
 the care of the stars1 the  elements1  
the seas1 and the bowels of the earth4  
,his wife1 who  represents the expanse  
of space that he fills1 is ,juno4 ,his  
daughter1  who is eternal wisdom1 his   
word1 is ,minerva4 ,his other daughter1 
,venus1 is the lover of the poetical    
generation4 ,she is the mother of  love1
 inflaming all sensitive beings1 uniting
 them1 reproducing by  the attraction of
 pleasure all that necessity devotes to 
death4 ,all  the gods have made presents
 to mortals4 ,ceres has given them corn1
  ,bacchus the vine1 ,pomona fruit2     
,apollo and ,mercury have taught them   

the arts4    ,the great ,zeus1 the great
 ,demiourgos1 had made the planets and  
the  earth4 ,he had brought men and     
animals into existence on our planet4   
,the first man was1 according to the    
account of ,berosus1 ,alora1 father  of 
,sares1 grandfather of ,alaspara1 who   
begot ,amenon1 of whom was born         
,metalare1 who was the father of ,daon1 
father of ,everodao1 father of  ,amphis1
 father of ,osiarte1 father of the      
famous ,sixutros or ,xixutrus1  ,king of
 ,chalda1 under whom occurred the       
well-known deluge1 which the  ,greeks   
called 8the deluge of ,ogyges02 a flood 
of which the precise  date is still     
uncertain1 as is that of the other great
 inundation1  which swallowed up the    
isle of ,atlantis and part of ,greece   
about six  thousand years ago4    ,we   
have another theogony in ,sanchoniathon1
 without a deluge4 ,those of  the       
,hindoos1 ,chinese1 and ,egyptians are  
very different again4    ,all events of 
antiquity are lost in a dark night2 but 

the existence  and blessings of ,jupiter
 are clearer than the light of the sun4 
,the  hero who1 stirred by his example1 
did good to men was known by the  holy  
name of ,dionysos1 son of ,god4         
,bacchus1 ,hercules1 ,perseus1 and      
,romulus also received this divine name4
 ,some went so far even as to  say that 
the divine virtue was communicated to   
their mothers4 ,the  ,greeks and        
,romans1 although they were somewhat    
debauched1 as are  to-day all           
,christians of a sociable nature1 rather
 drunken1 like the  canons of ,germany1 
and given to unnatural vices1 like the  
,french  king ,henry ,,iii4 and his     
,nogaret1 were very religious4 ,they    
offered  sacrifice and incense1 walked  
in processions1 and fasted4    ,but     
everything becomes corrupt in time4     
,religion changed4 ,the  splendid name  
of ,son of ,god--that is to say1 just   
and benevolent--was  afterwards given to
 the most unjust and cruel of men1      
because they  were powerful4 ,the       

ancient piety1 which was humane1 was    
displaced by  superstition1 which is    
always cruel4 ,virtue had dwelt on the  
earth as  long as the fathers of        
families were the only priests1 and     
offered to  ,jupiter and the immortal   
gods the first of their fruits and      
flowers2  but all this was changed when 
the priests began to shed blood and     
wanted to share with the gods4 ,they did
 share in truth2 they took the          
offerings1 and left the smoke to the    
gods4 ,you know how our enemies         
succeeded in crushing us1 adopting our  
earlier morals1 rejecting our  bloody   
sacrifices1 calling men to the ,church1 
making a party for  themselves among the
 poor until such time as they should    
capture the  rich4 ,they took our place4
 ,we are annihilated1 they triumph2 but1
  corrupted at length like ourselves1   
they need a great reform1 which ,i  wish
 them with all my heart4                
,,xxii                                  
,,discourse ,,of ,a ,,jew    ,take no   

notice of this idolatrous ,pagan who    
would turn ,god into  a ,dutch          
president1 and offer us subordinate gods
 like members of  parliament4    ,my    
religion1 being above nature1 can have  
no resemblance to others4    ,the first 
difference between them and us is that  
the source of our  religion was hidden  
for a very long time from the rest of   
the earth4  ,the dogmas of our fathers  
were buried1 like ourselves1 in a little
  country about a hundred and fifty     
miles long and sixty in width4 ,in  this
 well dwelt the truth that was unknown  
to the whole world1 until  certain      
rebels1 going forth from among us1 took 
from it the name of  8truth0 in the     
reigns of ,tiberius1 ,caligula1         
,claudius1 and ,nero2 and  presently    
boasted that they were establishing a   
new truth4    ,the ,chaldans recognised 
,alora as their father1 as you know4    
,the ,phnicians descended from a man    
named ,origen1 according to             
,sanchoniathon4 ,the ,greeks had their  

,prometheus2 the ,atlantids had  their  
,ouran1 called in ,greek ,ouranos4 ,i   
say nothing of the ,chinese1  ,hindoos1 
or ,scythians4 ,we had our ,adam1 of    
whom nobody ever heard  except our      
nation1 and we only very late4 ,it was  
not the ,ephaistos  of the ,greeks1     
known to the ,latins as ,vulcan1 who    
invented the  art of using metals2 it   
was ,tubalcain4 ,the whole of the ,west 
was  astonished to hear1 under          
,constantine1 that it was not ,bacchus  
to  whom the nations owed the use of    
wine1 but ,noah1 whose name none  knew  
in the whole ,roman ,empire1 any more   
than they knew the names of  his        
ancestors1 which were unknown throughout
 the earth4 ,the anecdote  was learned  
only from our ,bible1 when it was       
translated into ,greek2  it began to    
spread about that time4 ,the sun was    
then seen to be no  longer the source of
 light2 the light was created before the
 sun1  and separated from the darkness1 
as the waters were separated from  the  

waters4 ,woman was made from a rib1     
which ,god himself took out  of a       
sleeping man1 without awakening him1 and
 without causing his  descendants to be 
short of a rib4    ,the ,tigris1        
,araxis1 ,euphrates1 and ,nile all had  
their source in the  same garden4 ,we do
 not know where the garden was1 but its 
existence  is proved1 because the gate  
was guarded by a cherub4    ,animals    
speak4 ,the eloquence of a serpent was  
fatal to the whole  human race4 ,a      
,chaldan prophet conversed with his ass4
    ,god1 the creator of all men1 is not
 the father of all men1 but of  one     
family alone4 ,this family1 always      
wandering1 left the fertile  land of    
,chalda to wander for some time in the  
neighbourhood of  ,sodom2 from this     
journey it acquired an incontestable    
right to the  city of ,jerusalem1 which 
was not yet in existence4    ,our family
 increases at such a rate that seventy  
men produce1 at the  end of two hundred 
and fifty years1 six hundred and thirty 

thousand  men bearing arms2 counting the
 women1 children1 and old men1 that     
amounts to about three millions4 ,these 
three millions live in a small  canton  
of ,egypt which cannot maintain twenty  
thousand people4 ,for  their advantage  
,god puts to death in one night all the 
first-born of  the ,egyptians2 and1     
after this massacre1 instead of giving  
,egypt to  his people1 ,god puts himself
 at their head to fly with them dry-foot
  across the sea1 and cause a whole     
generation of ,jews to die in the       
desert4    ,we have seven times been in 
slavery in spite of the appalling       
miracles that ,god works for us every   
day1 causing the moon to stand  still in
 midday1 and also the sun4 ,ten out of  
twelve of our tribes  perished for ever4
 ,the other two are scattered and in    
misery4 ,we  have always prophets1      
nevertheless4 ,god descends continually 
among  our people alone1 and mingles    
only with us4 ,he appears constantly to 
these prophets1 his sole confidants and 

favourites4    ,he goes to visit ,addo  
or ,iddo or ,jeddo1 and commands him to 
travel  without eating4 ,the prophet    
thinks that ,god has ordered him to eat 
that he may walk better2 he eats1 and   
forthwith he is eaten by a lion  7#a    
,kings xiii474    ,god commands ,isaiah 
to go forth among his fellow-citizens in
 a most  unbecoming state of attire1    
discoopertis natibus 7,isaiah xx474     
,god orders ,jeremiah to put a yoke on  
his neck and a saddle on his  back 7ch4 
xxvii4 according to the ,hebrews74      
,he orders ,ezekiel to have himself     
bound1 to eat a parchment book1 to  lie 
for two hundred and ninety days on the  
right side and forty days  on the left  
side1 and then to eat filth with his    
bread4    ,he commands ,hosea to take a 
prostitute and have three children  by  
her2 then he commands him to pay an     
adulterous woman and have  children by  
her4    ,add to all these prodigies an  
uninterrupted series of massacres1 and  
you will see that among us all things   

are divine1 because nothing is  in      
accordance with what men call decent    
laws4    ,unhappily1 we were not well   
known to other nations until we were    
nearly annihilated4 ,it was our enemies1
 the ,christians1 who made  us known    
when they despoiled us4 ,they built up  
their system with  material taken from a
 bad ,greek translation of our ,bible4  
,they insult  and oppress us to this    
day2 but our turn will come4 ,it is well
 known  how we will triumph at the end  
of the world1 when there will be no  one
 left on the earth4                     
,,xxiii                                 
,,discourse ,,of ,a ,,turk    ,when the 
,jew had finished1 a ,turk1 who had     
smoked throughout the  meeting1 washed  
his mouth1 recited the formula 8,allah  
,illah10 and  said to me3    ,i have    
listened to all these dreamers4 ,i have 
gathered that thou  art a dog of a      
,christian1 but thou pleasest me because
 thou seemest  liberal1 and art in      
favour of gratuitous predestination4 ,i 

believe  thou art a sensible man1       
assuming that thou dost agree with me4  
,most of thy dogs of ,christians have   
spoken only folly about our  ,mohammed4 
,a certain ,baron de ,tott1 a man of    
much ability and  geniality1 who did us 
great service in the last war1 induced  
me  some time ago to read a book of one 
of your most learned men1 named         
,grotius1 entitled ,the ,truth of the   
,christian ,religion4 ,this ,grotius    
accuses our great ,mohammed of forcing  
men to believe that a pigeon  spoke in  
his ear1 that a camel conversed with him
 during the night1  and that he had put 
half the moon in his sleeve4 ,if the    
most learned  of your                   
,christ-worshippers can write such      
asinine stuff1 what must ,i  think of   
the others8    ,no1 ,mohammed did none  
of these village-miracles1 of which     
people  speak only a hundred years after
 the supposed event4 ,he wrought none   
of those miracles which ,baron de ,tott 
read to me in the ,golden  ,legend1     

written at ,geneva4 ,he wrought none of 
your miracles in the  manner of ,st4    
,mdard1 which have been so much derided 
in ,europe1 and  at which a ,french     
ambassador has laughed so much in our   
presence4  ,the miracles of ,mohammed   
were victories4 ,god has shown that he  
was  a favourite by subjecting half our 
hemisphere to him4 ,he was not  unknown 
for two whole centuries4 ,he triumphed  
as soon as he was  persecuted4    ,his  
religion is wise1 severe1 chaste1 and   
humane4 ,wise1 because  it knows not the
 folly of giving ,god associates1 and it
 has no  mysteries2 severe1 because it  
prohibits games of chance1 and wine1    
and strong drinks1 and orders prayer    
five times a day2 chaste1  because it   
reduces to four the prodigious number of
 spouses who  shared the bed of all     
oriental princes2 humane1 because it    
imposes on  us almsgiving more          
rigorously than the journey to ,mecca4  
,add tolerance to all these marks of    
truth4 ,reflect that we have in  the    

city of ,stamboul alone more than a     
hundred thousand ,christians of  all    
sects1 who carry out all the ceremonies 
of their cults in peace1  and live so   
happily under the shelter of our laws   
that they never  deign to visit you1    
while you crowd to our imperial gate4   
,,xxiv                                  
,,discourse ,,of ,a ,,theist    ,a      
,theist then asked permission to speak1 
and said3    ,everyone has his own      
opinion1 good or bad4 ,i should be sorry
 to  distress any good man4 ,first1 ,i  
ask pardon of the ,atheist2 but it      
seems to me that1 compelled as he is to 
admit an excellent design in  the order 
of the universe1 he is bound to admit an
 intelligence that  has conceived and   
carried out this design4 ,it is enough1 
it seems to  me1 that1 when the ,atheist
 lights a candle1 he admits that it is  
for  the purpose of giving light4 ,it   
seems to me that he should also grant   
that the sun was made to illumine our   
part of the universe4 ,we must  not     

dispute about such probable matters4    
,the ,atheist should yield the more     
graciously since1 being a good man1  he 
has nothing to fear from a master who   
has no interest in injuring  him4 ,he   
may quite safely admit a ,god2 he will  
not pay a penny the  more in taxes1 and 
will not live less comfortably4    ,as  
to you1 my pagan friend1 ,i submit that 
you are rather late with  your project  
of restoring polytheism4 ,for that      
,maxentius ought to  have defeated      
,constantine1 or else ,julian ought to  
have lived thirty  years longer4    ,i  
confess that ,i see no impossibility in 
the existence of several  beings far    
superior to us1 each of whom would      
superintend some  heavenly body4        
,indeed1 it would give me some pleasure 
to prefer  your ,naiads1 ,dryads1       
,sylvans1 ,graces1 and ,loves to ,st4   
,fiacre1 ,st4  ,pancratius1 ,sts4       
,crepin and ,crepinien1 ,st4 ,vitus1    
,st4 ,cunegonde1 or  ,st4 ,marjolaine4  
,but1 really1 one must not multiply     

things without  need2 and as a single   
intelligence suffices for the regulation
 of the  world1 ,i will stop at that    
until other powers show me that they    
share  its rule4    ,as to you1 my      
,manichan friend1 you seem to me a      
duellist1 very fond  of fighting4 ,i am 
a peaceful man1 and do not like to find 
myself  between two rivals who are ever 
at war4 ,your ,ormuzd is enough for me2 
you can keep your ,ahriman4    ,i shall 
always be somewhat embarrassed in regard
 to the origin of  evil2 but ,i suppose 
that the good ,ormuzd1 who made         
everything1 could  not do better4 ,i    
cannot offend him if ,i say to him3 ,you
 have done all  that a powerful1 wise1  
and good being could do4 ,it is not your
 fault  if your works cannot be as good 
and perfect as yourself4 ,imperfection  
is one of the essential differences     
between you and your creatures4  ,you   
could not make gods2 it was necessary   
that1 since men possessed  reason1 they 
should display folly1 just as there must

 be friction in  every machine4 ,each   
man has his dose of imperfection and    
folly1 from  the very fact that you are 
perfect and wise4 ,he must not be always
  happy1 because you are always happy4  
,it seems to me that a collection  of   
muscles1 nerves1 and veins cannot last  
more than eighty or a  hundred years at 
the most1 and that you must be for ever4
 ,it seems to  me impossible that an    
animal1 necessarily compacted of desires
 and  wills1 should not at times wish to
 serve his own purpose by doing  evil to
 his neighbour4 ,you only never do evil4
 ,lastly1 there is  necessarily so great
 a distance between you and your works  
that the  good is in you1 and the evil  
must be in them4#gb    ,as for me1      
imperfect as ,i am1 ,i thank you for    
giving me a short span  of existence1   
and especially for not having made me a 
professor of  theology4    ,that is not 
at all a bad compliment4 ,god could not 
be angry with me1  seeing that ,i do not
 wish to displease him4 ,in fine1 ,i    

feel that1  if ,i do no evil to my      
brethren and respect my master1 ,i shall
 have  nothing to fear1 either from     
,ahriman1 or ,cerberus and the ,furies1 
or  ,satan1 or ,knatbull1 or ,st4       
,fiacre and ,st4 ,crepin2 and ,i shall  
end my  days in peace and the pursuit of
 philosophy4    ,i come now to you1 ,mr4
 ,abrabanel and ,mr4 ,benjamin4#gc ,you 
seem  to me to be the maddest of the    
lot4 ,the ,kaffirs1 ,hottentots1 and    
blacks of ,new ,guinea are more         
reasonable and decent beings than your  
,jewish ancestors were4 ,you have       
surpassed all nations in exorbitant     
legends1 bad conduct1 and barbarism4    
,you are paying for it2 it is  your     
destiny4 ,the ,roman ,empire has fallen2
 the ,parsees1 your former  masters1 are
 scattered4 ,the ,armenians sell rags1  
and occupy a low  position in the whole 
of ,asia4 ,there is no trace left of the
 ancient  ,egyptians4 ,why should you be
 a power8    ,as to you1 my ,turkish    
friend1 ,i advise you to come to terms  

as soon  as possible with the ,empress  
of ,russia1 if you wish to keep what you
  have usurped in ,europe4 ,i am willing
 to believe that the victories of       
,mohammed1 son of ,abdala1 were         
miracles2 but ,catherine ,,ii4 also     
works  miracles4 ,take care that she do 
not some day perform the miracle of     
sending you back to the deserts from    
which you came4 ,in particular1         
continue to be tolerant2 it is the true 
way to please the being of  beings1 who 
is alike the father of ,turks and       
,russians1 ,chinese and  ,japanese1     
black and yellow man1 and of the whole  
of nature4                              
,,xxv                                   
,,discourse ,,of ,a ,,citizen    ,when  
the ,theist had spoken1 a man arose and 
said3 ,i am a citizen1  and therefore   
the friend of all these gentlemen4 ,i   
will not dispute  with any of them4 ,i  
wish only to see them all united in the 
design of  aiding and loving each other1
 in making each other happy1 in so far  

as men of such different opinions can   
love each other1 and contribute  to each
 other's happiness1 which is as         
difficult as it is necessary4    ,to    
attain this end1 ,i advise them first to
 cast in the fire all the  controversial
 books which come their way1 especially 
those of the  ,jesuits2 and also the    
ecclesiastical gazette1 and all other   
pamphlets  which are but the fuel of the
 civil war of fools4    ,next1 each of  
our brethren1 whether ,theist1 ,turk1   
,pagan1 ,greek  ,christian1 ,latin      
,christian1 ,anglican1 ,scandinavian1   
,jew1 or ,atheist1  will read           
attentively several pages of ,cicero's  
,de ,officiis1 or of  ,montaigne1 and   
some of ,la ,fontaine's ,fables4    ,the
 reading of these works insensibly      
disposes men to that concord  which     
theologians have hitherto held in       
horror4 ,their minds being  thus        
prepared1 every time that a ,christian  
and a ,mussulman meet an  ,atheist they 
will say to him3 8,dear brother1 may    

heaven enlighten  you02 and the ,atheist
 will reply3 8,when ,i am converted ,i  
shall come  and thank you40    ,the     
,theist will give two kisses to the     
,manichan woman in honour of  the two   
principles4 ,the ,greek and ,roman woman
 will give three to  each member of the 
other sects1 even the ,quakers and      
,jansenists4 ,the  ,socinians need only 
embrace once1 seeing that those         
gentlemen believe  there is only one    
person in ,god2 but this embrace will be
 equal to  three when it is performed in
 good faith4    ,we know that an        
,atheist can live very cordially with a 
,jew1  especially if the ,jew does not  
charge more than eight per cent4  in    
lending him money2 but we have no hope  
of ever seeing a lively  friendship     
between a ,calvinist and a ,lutheran4   
,all that we require  of the ,calvinist 
is that he return the salute of the     
,lutheran with  some affection1 and do  
not follow the example of the ,quakers1 
who do  reverence to nobody2 but the    

,calvinists have not their candour4     
,we urge the primitive folk called      
,quakers to marry their sons to the     
daughters of the ,theists who are known 
as ,socinians1 as these young  ladies1  
being nearly all the daughters of       
priests1 are very poor4  ,not only will 
it be a very good deed before ,god and  
men1 but these  marriages will produce a
 new race1 which1 representing the first
  years of the ,christian ,church1 will 
be very useful to the human race4       
,these preliminaries being settled1 if  
any quarrel occur between  members of   
two different sects1 they must never    
choose a theologian  as arbitrator1 for 
he would infallibly eat the oyster and  
leave them  the shells4    ,to maintain 
the established peace nothing shall be  
offered for sale1  either by a ,greek to
 a ,turk1 a ,turk to a ,jew1 or a ,roman
 to a ,roman1  except what pertains to  
food1 clothing1 lodging1 or pleasure4   
,they  shall not sell circumcision1 or  
baptism1 or burial1 or permission to    

turn round the black stone in the caaba1
 or to harden one's knees  before ,our  
,lady of ,loretto1 who is still blacker4
    ,in all the disputes that shall     
arise it is expressly forbidden to      
treat any person as a dog1 however angry
 one may be--unless indeed we  treat    
dogs as men when they steal our dinner  
or bite us4                             
,,poem ,,on ,,the ,,lisbon ,,disaster2  
,,or ,,an ,,examination ,,of ,,the      
,,axiom1 8,,all ,,is ,,well0            
,unhappy mortals6 ,dark and mourning    
earth6        ,affrighted gathering of  
human kind6        ,eternal lingering of
 useless pain6        ,come1 ye         
philosophers1 who cry1 8,all's well10   
,and contemplate this ruin of a world4  
,behold these shreds and cinders of your
 race1        ,this child and mother    
heaped in common wreck1        ,these   
scattered limbs beneath the marble      
shafts--        ,a hundred thousand whom
 the earth devours1        ,who1 torn   
and bloody1 palpitating yet1            

,entombed beneath their hospitable      
roofs1        ,in racking torment end   
their stricken lives4        ,to those  
expiring murmurs of distress1        ,to
 that appalling spectacle of woe1       
,will ye reply3 8,you do but illustrate 
,the iron laws that chain the will of   
,god08        ,say ye1 o'er that yet    
quivering mass of flesh3        8,god is
 avenged3 the wage of sin is death08    
,what crime1 what sin1 had those young  
hearts conceived        ,that lie1      
bleeding and torn1 on mother's breast8  
,did fallen ,lisbon deeper drink of vice
        ,than ,london1 ,paris1 or sunlit
 ,madrid8        ,in these men dance2 at
 ,lisbon yawns the abyss4               
,tranquil spectators of your brothers'  
wreck1        ,unmoved by this repellent
 dance of death1        ,who calmly seek
 the reason of such storms1        ,let 
them but lash your own security2        
,your tears will mingle freely with the 
flood4        ,when earth its horrid    
jaws half open shows1        ,my plaint 

is innocent1 my cries are just4         
,surrounded by such cruelties of fate1  
,by rage of evil and by snares of death1
        ,fronting the fierceness of the 
elements1        ,sharing our ills1     
indulge me my lament4        8',tis     
pride10 ye say--8the pride of rebel     
heart1        ,to think we might fare   
better than we do40        ,go1 tell it 
to the ,tagus' stricken banks2          
,search in the ruins of that bloody     
shock2        ,ask of the dying in that 
house of grief1        ,whether 'tis    
pride that calls on heaven for help     
,and pity for the sufferings of men4    
8,all's well10 ye say1 8and all is      
necessary40        ,think ye this       
universe had been the worse             
,without this hellish gulf in ,portugal8
        ,are ye so sure the great       
eternal cause1        ,that knows all   
things1 and for itself creates1         
,could not have placed us in this dreary
 clime        ,without volcanoes        
seething 'neath our feet8        ,set   

you this limit to the power supreme8    
,would you forbid it use its clemency8  
,are not the means of the great artisan 
,unlimited for shaping his designs8     
,the master ,i would not offend1 yet    
wish        ,this gulf of fire and      
sulphur had outpoured        ,its       
baleful flood amid the desert wastes4   
,god ,i respect1 yet love the universe4 
,not pride1 alas1 it is1 but love of    
man1        ,to mourn so terrible a     
stroke as this4          ,would it      
console the sad inhabitants        ,of  
these aflame and desolated shores       
,to say to them3 8,lay down your lives  
in peace2        ,for the world's good  
your homes are sacrificed2        ,your 
ruined palaces shall others build1      
,for other peoples shall your walls     
arise2        ,the ,north grows rich on 
your unhappy loss2        ,your ills are
 but a link in general law2        ,to  
,god you are as those low creeping worms
        ,that wait for you in your      
predestined tombs08        ,what speech 

to hold to victims of such ruth6        
,add not such cruel outrage to their    
pain4          ,nay1 press not on my    
agitated heart        ,these iron and   
irrevocable laws1        ,this rigid    
chain of bodies1 minds1 and worlds4     
,dreams of the bloodless thinker are    
such thoughts4        ,god holds the    
chain3 is not himself enchained2        
,by his indulgent choice is all         
arranged2        ,implacable he's not1  
but free and just4        ,why suffer   
we1 then1 under one so just8#gd         
,there is the knot your thinkers should 
undo4        ,think ye to cure our ills 
denying them8        ,all peoples1      
trembling at the hand of ,god1          
,have sought the source of evil in the  
world4        ,when the eternal law that
 all things moves        ,doth hurl the 
rock by impact of the winds1            
,with lightning rends and fires the     
sturdy oak1        ,they have no feeling
 of the crashing blows2        ,but ,i1 
,i live and feel1 my wounded heart      

,appeals for aid to him who fashioned   
it4          ,children of that ,almighty
 ,power1 we stretch        ,our hands in
 grief towards our common sire4         
,the vessel1 truly1 is not heard to say3
        8,why should ,i be so vile1 so  
coarse1 so frail80        ,nor speech   
nor thought is given unto it4           
,the urn that1 from the potter's forming
 hand1        ,slips and is shattered   
has no living heart        ,that yearns 
for bliss and shrinks from misery4      
8,this misery10 ye say1 8is others'     
good40        ,yes2 from my mouldering  
body shall be born        ,a thousand   
worms1 when death has closed my pain4   
,fine consolation this in my distress6  
,grim speculators on the woes of men1   
,ye double1 not assuage1 my misery4     
,in you ,i mark the nerveless boast of  
pride        ,that hides its ill with   
pretext of content4          ,i am a    
puny part of the great whole4           
,yes2 but all animals condemned to live1
        ,all sentient things1 born by   

the same stern law1        ,suffer like 
me1 and like me also die4          ,the 
vulture fastens on his timid prey1      
,and stabs with bloody beak the         
quivering limbs3        ,all's well1 it 
seems1 for it4 ,but in a while          
,an eagle tears the vulture into shreds2
        ,the eagle is transfixed by     
shaft of man2        ,the man1 prone in 
the dust of battlefield1                
,mingling his blood with dying          
fellow-men1        ,becomes in turn the 
food of ravenous birds4        ,thus the
 whole world in every member groans3    
,all born for torment and for mutual    
death4        ,and o'er this ghastly    
chaos you would say        ,the ills of 
each make up the good of all6           
,what blessedness6 ,and as1 with quaking
 voice1        ,mortal and pitiful1 ye  
cry1 8,all's well10        ,the universe
 belies you1 and your heart             
,refutes a hundred times your mind's    
conceit4          ,all dead and living  
things are locked in strife4            

,confess it freely--evil stalks the     
land1        ,its secret principle      
unknown to us4        ,can it be from   
the author of all good8        ,are we  
condemned to weep by tyrant law         
,of black ,typhon or barbarous          
,ahriman8#ge        ,these odious       
monsters1 whom a trembling world        
,made gods1 my spirit utterly rejects4  
,but how conceive a ,god supremely good1
        ,who heaps his favours on the   
sons he loves1        ,yet scatters evil
 with as large a hand8        ,what eye 
can pierce the depth of his designs8    
,from that all-perfect ,being came not  
ill3        ,and came it from no other1 
for he's lord3        ,yet it exists4 ,o
 stern and numbing truth6        ,o     
wondrous mingling of diversities6       
,a ,god came down to lift our stricken  
race3        ,he visited the earth1 and 
changed it not6        ,one sophist says
 he had not power to change2        8,he
 had10 another cries1 8but willed it    
not3        ,in time he will1 no doubt40

 ,and1 while they prate1        ,the    
hidden thunders1 belched from           
underground1        ,fling wide the     
ruins of a hundred towns        ,across 
the smiling face of ,portugal4          
,god either smites the inborn guilt of  
man1        ,or1 arbitrary lord of space
 and time1        ,devoid alike of pity 
and of wrath1        ,pursues the cold  
designs he has conceived4        ,or    
else this formless stuff1 recalcitrant1 
,bears in itself inalienable faults2    
,or else ,god tries us1 and this mortal 
life        ,is but the passage to      
eternal spheres4        ',tis transitory
 pain we suffer here1        ,and death 
its merciful deliverance4        ,yet1  
when this dreadful passage has been     
made1        ,who will contend he has   
deserved the crown8        ,whatever    
side we take we needs must groan2       
,we nothing know1 and everything must   
fear4        ,nature is dumb1 in vain   
appeal to it2        ,the human race    
demands a word of ,god4        ',tis his

 alone to illustrate his work1          
,console the weary1 and illume the wise4
        ,without him man1 to doubt and  
error doomed1        ,finds not a reed  
that he may lean upon4        ,from     
,leibnitz learn we not by what unseen   
,bonds1 in this best of all imagined    
worlds1        ,endless disorder1 chaos 
of distress1        ,must mix our little
 pleasures thus with pain2        ,nor  
why the guiltless suffer all this woe   
,in common with the most abhorrent      
guilt4        ',tis mockery to tell me  
all is well4        ,like learned       
doctors1 nothing do ,i know4            
,plato has said that men did once have  
wings        ,and bodies proof against  
all mortal ill2        ,that pain and   
death were strangers to their world4    
,how have we fallen from that high      
estate6        ,man crawls and dies3 all
 is but born to die3        ,the world's
 the empire of destructiveness4         
,this frail construction of quick nerves
 and bones        ,cannot sustain the   

shock of elements2        ,this         
temporary blend of blood and dust       
,was put together only to dissolve2     
,this prompt and vivid sentiment of     
nerve        ,was made for pain1 the    
minister of death3        ,thus in my   
ear does nature's message run4          
,plato and ,epicurus ,i reject1         
,and turn more hopefully to learned     
,bayle4        ,with even poised scale  
,bayle bids me doubt4        ,he1 wise  
and great enough to need no creed1      
,has slain all systems--combats even    
himself3        ,like that blind        
conqueror of ,philistines1        ,he   
sinks beneath the ruin he has           
wrought4#gf        ,what is the verdict 
of the vastest mind8        ,silence3   
the book of fate is closed to us4       
,man is a stranger to his own research2 
,he knows not whence he comes1 nor      
whither goes4        ,tormented atoms in
 a bed of mud1        ,devoured by      
death1 a mockery of fate4        ,but   
thinking atoms1 whose far-seeing eyes1  

,guided by thought1 have measured the   
faint stars1        ,our being mingles  
with the infinite2        ,ourselves we 
never see1 or come to know4        ,this
 world1 this theatre of pride and wrong1
        ,swarms with sick fools who talk
 of happiness4        ,with plaints and 
groans they follow up the quest1        
,to die reluctant1 or be born again4    
,at fitful moments in our pain-racked   
life        ,the hand of pleasure wipes 
away our tears2        ,but pleasure    
passes like a fleeting shade1           
,and leaves a legacy of pain and loss4  
,the past for us is but a fond regret1  
,the present grim1 unless the future's  
clear4        ,if thought must end in   
darkness of the tomb1        ,all will  
be well one day--so runs our hope4      
,all now is well1 is but an idle dream4 
,the wise deceive me3 ,god alone is     
right4        ,with lowly sighing1      
subject in my pain1        ,i do not    
fling myself 'gainst ,providence4       
,once did ,i sing1 in less lugubrious   

tone1        ,the sunny ways of         
pleasure's genial rule2        ,the     
times have changed1 and1 taught by      
growing age1        ,and sharing of the 
frailty of mankind1        ,seeking a   
light amid the deepening gloom1         
,i can but suffer1 and will not repine4 
,a caliph once1 when his last hour had  
come1        ,this prayer addressed to  
him he reverenced3        8,to thee1    
sole and all-powerful king1 ,i bear     
,what thou dost lack in thy immensity-- 
,evil and ignorance1 distress and sin40 
,he might have added one thing          
further--hope4                          
,,footnotes3    #a ,probably adopting a 
name which is known to have existed     
among his  mother's ancestors4 ,but it  
is curious that 8,voltaire0 is an       
anagram  of his name--,arouet l 7e7 j   
7eune7--if u be read as v and j as i4   
#b ,the condition of ,toulouse will be  
best understood from a  description of  
these processions which ,voltaire gives 
elsewhere4  ,in front walked the        

shoemakers1 bearing the authentic head  
of a  prince of ,peloponnesus1 who had  
been ,bishop of ,toulouse during the    
lifetime of ,christ4 ,after them came   
the slaters1 carrying the bones  of the 
fourteen thousand children slain by     
,herod2 the old-clothes  dealers1 with a
 piece of the dress of the ,virgin      
,mary2 and the  tailors1 with the relics
 of ,st4 ,peter and ,st4 ,paul4--,j4 ,m4
    #c ,i know only two instances in    
history of fathers being charged  with  
killing their children on account of    
religion4 ,the first is the  case of the
 father of ,st4 ,barbara1 or ,ste4      
,barbe4 ,he had had two  windows made in
 his bath-room4 ,barbara1 in his        
absence1 had a third  made1 to honour   
the ,holy ,trinity4 ,she made the sign  
of the cross on  the marble columns with
 the tip of her finger1 and it was      
deeply  engraved on the stone4 ,her son 
came angrily upon her1 sword in hand2   
but she escaped through a mountain1     
which opened to receive her4 ,the       

father went round the mountain and      
caught her4 ,she was stripped and       
flogged1 but ,god clothed her in a white
 cloud4 ,in the end her father  cut off 
her head4 ,so says the ,flower of the   
,saints4    ,the second case is that of 
,prince ,hermenegild4 ,he rebelled      
against  his father1 the king1 gave him 
battle 7in #ehd71 and was beaten and    
killed by an officer4 ,as his father was
 an ,arian1 he was regarded as  a       
martyr4    #d ,voltaire nobly conceals  
his work4 ,it was he who1 from his exile
  near ,geneva1 sent for young ,calas1  
made searching inquiries in  ,toulouse1 
and instructed the ,parisian lawyers to 
appeal4 ,he enlisted  the interest of   
,english and ,french visitors at        
,geneva1 and there  was 8a rivalry in   
generosity between the two nations40    
,after a long  struggle with the        
,toulouse authorities the sentence was  
reversed at  ,paris amid general        
enthusiasm4 ,the ,king very generously  
pensioned the  widow and the other      

victims4--,j4 ,m4    #e ,thanks to      
,voltaire and to the progress of        
,rationalism at ,paris1  she was        
received with the greatest enthusiasm   
and generosity4--,j4 ,m4    #f ,in      
ancient ,rome the devoti were those who 
devoted themselves to  the good of the  
,republic4    #g ,the ,catholic ,church 
did not discover the infallibility of   
the  ,pope until #ahgj1 since which date
 his lips have remained1 officially1    
closed4--,j4 ,m4    #h ,a thrust at the 
,jesuits4--,j4 ,m4    #i ,the ,catholic 
,league for the suppression of          
,protestantism in  ,france1 in the      
second half of the sixteenth century1   
led to much war  and bloodshed4--,j4 ,m4
    #aj ,in his treatise ,dieu et les   
,hommes ,voltaire1 after a very         
incomplete survey of history1 puts the  
number of victims of religious  wars and
 quarrels at #i1dfh1hjj4--;,j4 ,m4      
#aa ,to marry within certain degrees of 
kindred1 etc4--,j4 ,m4    #ab ,an       
exaggerated account of the ,ulster      

rebellion4--,j4 ,m4    #ac ,this        
position could be held in a modified    
form in regard  to ancient ,greece4 ,see
 ,e4 ,s4 ,p4 ,haynes's work1 ,religious 
,persecution4--,j4 ,m4    #ad ,the ,jews
 had no right to inflict death after    
,juda had become  a ,roman province1 but
 the authorities at times overlooked    
these  punishments of blasphemy4    #ae 
,ch4 #be4 ,voltaire has in this followed
 ecclesiastical custom4  ,the word in   
,suetonius is not 8,christo10 but       
8,chresto10 and therefore  the passage  
reads1 in ,english3 8,claudius expelled 
the ,jews from ,rome  for their constant
 disturbances at the instigation of     
,chrestus40 ,as  ,chrestus was not an   
uncommon name at ,rome1 there is no need
 to apply  the passage to ,christ in any
 way4--,j4 ,m4    #af ,the passage of   
,tacitus 7,annals1 xv41 #dd7 is very    
generally  rejected as an               
interpolation4--,j4 ,m4    #ag ,i omit  
many of the lengthy notes1 in which     
,voltaire1 with  veiled irony and a     

bland pretence of orthodoxy--for the    
reason of  which see the                
,introduction1--throws doubt on the     
persecutions4 ,the  freer scholarship of
 the nineteenth century has so far      
justified his  scepticism that few are  
now interested in the fairy tales of the
  early 8persecutions40 ,there was only 
one general repression of the           
,christians1 under ,diocletian4 ,see the
 latest editions of ,gibbon1 and        
,robertson's ,short ,history of         
,christianity 7pp4 #acj-adj74--;,j4 ,m4 
#ah ,voltaire's irony and pretence of   
orthodoxy must again1 as in  so many    
places1 be taken into account4 ,you do  
not1 as a ,french  commentator says1    
incur death in ,french law for throwing 
a piece of  wood into the ,rhone4--,j4  
,m4    #ai ,a beautiful youth loved by  
the ,emperor ,hadrian4--,j4 ,m4    #bj  
,if they had been content to preach and 
write1 they would  probably have been   
left in peace2 but the refusal to take  
the oaths1  in a constitution in which  

much use was made of oaths1 exposed them
  to suspicion4 ,the refusal to take    
part publicly in the feasts in  honour  
of the emperors was a sort of crime at a
 time when the empire  was constantly   
stirred by revolutions4 ,the insults    
they offered to  the established cult   
were punished with severity and         
barbarism1 and  it was an age of rough  
and violent ways4    #ba ,the ,deaths of
 the ,persecutors1 ch4 iii4--a very     
untrustworthy  work4 ,it is doubtful if 
,lactantius wrote it4 ,there was no     
general  persecution under ,domitian1   
but certain high officials suffered1    
like  the rest of ,rome1 from his       
excessive suspicion4--,j4 ,m4    #bb    
,voltaire1 who knew only the late       
history of ,egypt1 gives a  lengthy note
 to explain his disdain4 ,archological  
research has  altered all that4--,j4 ,m4
    #bc ,not wholly unknown4 ,we know   
that the mother of ,galerius1 an        
ignorant peasant1 was stung by the      
insults of ,christian officers in  the  

palace1 and inflamed her son1 who       
persuaded ,diocletian to take  action4  
,the action was mild at first2 but      
,christians tore down the  imperial     
edict1 and the palace was twice set on  
fire4 ,then ,diocletian  yielded4--,j4  
,m4    #bd ,the persecution under       
,diocletian began in #cjc4--;,j4 ,m4    
#be ,the ,jesuit ,busenbaum1 edited by  
the ,jesuit ,la ,croix1 says  that 8it  
is lawful to kill a prince              
excommunicated by the ,pope1  in        
whatever country he may be found1       
because the universe belongs  to the    
,pope1 and he who accepts this          
commission does a charitable  deed40    
,this proposition1 drawn up in the      
antechambers of hell1 has  done more    
than anything to raise ,france against  
the ,jesuits4 ,they  were expelled from 
,france in #agfg4--;,j4 ,m44 ,they      
endeavoured to  justify themselves by   
pointing out that the same conclusions  
are  found in ,st4 ,thomas and other    
,dominicans4 ,as a matter of fact1 ,st4 

,thomas of ,aquin1 the 8angelic doctor0 
and 8interpreter of the divine          
will0--such are his titles1--says that  
an apostate prince loses his  right to  
the crown1 and should no longer be      
obeyed 7,bk4 ,,ii41 ,part  ,,ii41 quest4
 xii472 that the ,church may punish him 
with death2 that  the ,emperor ,julian  
was tolerated only because the          
,christians were  weak 7same passage72  
that it is right to kill any heretic    
7same  place1 questions xi4 and xii472  
that those are laudable who free a      
people from a tyrannical prince1 etc4   
,we must admit that ,gerson1            
,chancellor of the ,university1 went    
farther than ,st4 ,thomas1 and the      
,franciscan ,jean ,petit much farther   
than ,gerson4    #bf ,it was not defined
 by the ,church until #ahed4--;,j4 ,m4  
#bg ,this section is somewhat abridged1 
as much of it is better  developed in   
preceding works4--,j4 ,m4    #bh        
,voltaire's eagerness to show the       
tolerance of the ,jews is  purely       

paradoxical and ironical4 ,his sole     
object in this section is  to expose the
 crudities of the ,old ,testament1 under
 the cloak of  orthodox theological     
reasoning4 ,hence he omits the savage   
laws of  ,deuteronomy against foreign   
cults4--,j4 ,m4    #bi ,it may be useful
 to recall that1 as earlier pages show1 
,voltaire did not believe in the 8next  
world40 ,much of the phrasing  of this  
part is1 when it is not ironical1 merely
 an argumentum ad  hominem4--,j4 ,m4    
#cj ,see that excellent work1 ,the      
,manual of the ,inquisition4    #ca     
,this horrible doctrine must not wholly 
be relegated to the  eighteenth century 
and the ,middle ,ages4 ,it is still     
solemn ,catholic  doctrine1 defined by  
the ,vatican ,council in #ahgj1 that no 
atheist or  agnostic1 whether in good or
 bad faith1 can be saved4--,j4 ,m4      
#cb ,daughter of the ,emperor           
,diocletian4 ,not executed by           
,christians4--,j4 ,m4    #cc ,the homily
 is supposed to have been delivered in  

,london4--,j4 ,m4    #cd ,greece threw  
off the ,turkish yoke in #ahbg4--;,j4   
,m4    #ce ,in the ,greek1 ,latin1 and  
modern ,bibles it is 8firmament40 ,in   
the ,hebrew text it is 8expanse10 though
 other passages show that it  refers to 
the solid vault or firmament of the     
,babylonians4--,j4 ,m4    #cf ,the ,rev4
 ,professor ,sayce regards ,job as a    
piece of north  ,arabian or ,edomite    
literature1 borrowed by the ,jews4--,j4 
,m4    #cg ,ninety years old 7,genesis  
xvii41 #ag74--;,j4 ,m4    #ch ,a shaft  
at the ,catholic doctrine of            
transubstantiation4--,j4 ,m4    #ci ,see
 the ,acts of ,st4 ,thecla1 written in  
the first century by a  disciple of ,st4
 ,paul1 and recognised as authentic by  
,tertullian1 ,st4  ,cyprian1 ,st4       
,gregory of ,nazianzum1 ,st4 ,ambrose1  
etc4    #dj ,spurious ,acts of the      
,apostle xxi4    #da #a ,corinthians    
ix41 #d1 #e1 and #g4    #db             
,thessalonians iv41 #af and #ag4    #dc 
,acts xxi4    #dd ,matthew gives five   

thousand men and five loaves in chapter 
xiv41  and four thousand men and five   
loaves in chapter xv4 ,apparently1 they 
are two different miracles1 which makes 
in all nine thousand men and  at least  
nine thousand women4 ,if you add nine   
thousand children1 the  total number of 
diners amounts to twenty-seven          
thousand--which is  considerable4    #de
 ,a pun of which the point is lost in   
,english4 ,the ,french phrase1  to make 
a man 8swallow the gudgeon10 means to   
8gull0 a man4 ,voltaire  turns the 8two 
little fishes0 of the gospel into       
gudgeons to  accommodate his joke4--,j4 
,m4    #df ,in ,france1 an abbey of     
which the 8abbot0 was a kind of absentee
  landlord4 ,he lived at ,paris1 with   
the title and revenue1 and left the     
work to a sub-abbot4--,j4 ,m4    #dg    
,the indictment is too severe4 ,the     
later years of ,constantine  were marked
 by silly extravagance1 but not debauch4
 ,the execution  of his father-in-law   
was justified4 ,his 7partial7 acceptance

 of  ,christianity was earlier than     
,voltaire supposes1 and there is no     
serious ground for suggesting large     
payments of money4 ,but it is now       
beyond question that he put his         
brother-in-law 7,licinius7 to death     
treacherously1 had his wife1 son1 and   
nephew murdered1 and greatly            
degenerated in later life4--,j4 ,m4     
#dh ,no2 in the ,senate4--,j4 ,m4    #di
 ,matthew xx41 #bc4    #ej ,matthew xx41
 #bf and #bg4    #ea ,all ,christians   
believe that ,jesus was born in a       
stable1 between  an ox and an ass4      
,there is1 however1 no mention of this  
in the  gospels4 ,it was imagined by    
,justin1 and is mentioned by            
,lactantius1  or at least the author of 
a bad ,latin poem on the passions1 which
 is  attributed to ,lactantius4    #eb  
,a time by fate appointed was to come1  
,when sea1 and earth1 and all the realm 
of heaven    ,should flame1 and ruin    
seize the world's great mass4      ,j4  
,m4      #ec ,see ,revelation1 ,justin1 

and ,tertullian4    #ed ,in ,voltaire's 
time1 naturally1 the relative priority  
of ,indian1  ,egyptian1 ,babylonian1 and
 ,persian civilisations was quite       
unknown1  and his idea of their         
relations to each other cannot hold     
to-day4--,j4  ,m4    #ee ,the famous    
8,dies ir10 sung in ,catholic funeral   
services to-day  in ,england4--,j4 ,m4  
#ef ,justin and ,tertullian4    #eg     
,apostolic ,constitutions1 ,bk4 ,,ii41  
ch4 lvii4    #eh ,apostolic             
,constitutions1 ,,viii41 vi4    #ei ,see
 the ,history of the ,church of         
,constantinople and  ,alexandria1 in the
 ,bodleian ,library4    #fj             
,recognitions of ,st4 ,clement1 ,bk4    
,,ix41 ,nos4 #cb-ce4    #fa ,the pun is 
lost to readers of the ,english ,bible4 
,in ,french1 as  in ,syro-,chaldaic and 
,greek and 7approximately7 ,latin1      
8,peter0 and  8rock0 are the same word4 
,we have it in 8salt-petre40--,j4 ,m4   
#fb ,more than a million species1 on    
modern estimates4--,j4 ,m4    #fc ,as is

 well known1 the word 8virgin0 is a     
wilful mistranslation  of the text of   
,isaiah4 8,girl0 is the correct         
translation4--,j4 ,m4    #fd ,the       
kerubim 7or 8cherubim07 of the ,old     
,testament are the  winged bulls of the 
ancient ,babylonians1 of which there are
 two fine  specimens in the ,british    
,museum4--,j4 ,m4    #fe ,had ,voltaire 
known what the modern archologist has   
discovered1  he would have added that   
the age of iron did not even dawn until 
some  centuries after this supposed     
episode2 and iron was not used in the   
,east until about six centuries         
afterwards4--,j4 ,m4    #ff ,the number 
recognised in the ,church of ,rome4--,j4
 ,m4    #fg ,the author was thinking1   
apparently1 of ,pope ,alexander ,,vi4   
,note  by ,voltaire4    #fh ,the        
tortures of the ,inquisition4--,j4 ,m4  
#fi ,since the words 8it0 and 8he0 are  
both expressed by the ,french  word     
8il10 it is not clear whether ,voltaire 
would have spoken of his  supreme being 

as 8it0 or 8he40 ,i interpret his       
feeling as carefully  as the context    
permits4--,j4 ,m4    #gj ,leibnitz      
taught that material things never acted 
on each other2  the only cause was ,god4
 ,the leaf fell from the tree1 when the 
wind  blew1 because ,god had            
pre-established that coincidence1 or    
harmony1  of movements4--,j4 ,m4    #ga 
,the allusion is to priests1 in their   
coloured vestments1 singing  masses for 
a successful war4--,j4 ,m4    #gb       
,voltaire always candidly faces the     
problem of evil1 and admits  that it is 
inconsistent with infinite power and    
goodness4 ,in another  treatise he makes
 the bold observation that1 since       
morality is merely  a social law        
regulating the relations of men1 it has 
no application  to his isolated 8great  
being40--,j4 ,m4    #gc ,well-known     
,jews in medival history4--,j4 ,m4      
#gd 8,sub ,deo justo nemo miser nisi    
mereatur ,under a just ,god no one  is  
miserable who has not deserved          

misery40--,st4 ,augustine4    #ge ,the  
,egyptian and ,persian principles of    
evil4 ,the problem is  discussed in the 
preceding essay4--,j4 ,m4    #gf ,in a  
lengthy note ,voltaire explains that    
,bayle never questioned  ,providence1   
and that the scepticism in which he     
follows ,bayle is in  regard to the     
source of evil4 ,it will be seen from   
earlier pages1  however1 that ,voltaire 
does not ascribe infinite power to his  
,god4  ,the words 8all-perfect0 and     
8almighty10 which occur in this poem1   
are  poetic phrases4--,j4 ,m4           
,transcriber's ,notes      ,minor       
punctuation and spelling errors have    
been silently corrected    and1 except  
for those changes noted below1 all      
misspellings in the    text1 especially 
in dialogue1 and inconsistent or archaic
 usage1    have been retained4          
,page #ajg3 8,ah1 my brethren1 the ,holy
 ,sprit0 changed to 8,ah1 my            
brethren1 the ,holy ,spirit04      ,page
 #aae3 8those who scruple to commnicate 

with foreign religions0    changed to   
8those who scruple to communicate with  
foreign religions04      ,page #acf3    
8patriach of the west0 changed to       
8patriarch of the west04