FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105  
106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   >>   >|  
tonnes du noeud qui les rassemble. Apparently Voltaire was aware of these deficiencies, for in the English edition of the book he caused the following curious excuses to be inserted in the preface: Some of his _English_ Readers may perhaps be dissatisfied at his not expatiating farther on their Constitution and their Laws, which most of them revere almost to Idolatry; but, this Reservedness is an effect of _M. de Voltaire's_ Judgment. He contented himself with giving his opinion of them in general Reflexions, the Cast of which is entirely new, and which prove that he had made this Part of the _British_ Polity his particular Study. Besides, how was it possible for a Foreigner to pierce thro' their Politicks, that gloomy Labyrinth, in which such of the _English_ themselves as are best acquainted with it, confess daily that they are bewilder'd and lost? Nothing could be more characteristic of the attitude, not only of Voltaire himself, but of the whole host of his followers in the later eighteenth century, towards the actual problems of politics. They turned away in disgust from the 'gloomy labyrinth' of practical fact to take refuge in those charming 'general Reflexions' so dear to their hearts, 'the Cast of which was entirely new'--and the conclusion of which was also entirely new, for it was the French Revolution. It was, indeed, typical of Voltaire and of his age that the _Lettres Philosophiques_ should have been condemned by the authorities, not for any political heterodoxy, but for a few remarks which seemed to call in question the immortality of the soul. His attack upon the _ancien regime_ was, in the main, a theoretical attack; doubtless its immediate effectiveness was thereby diminished, but its ultimate force was increased. And the _ancien regime_ itself was not slow to realise the danger: to touch the ark of metaphysical orthodoxy was in its eyes the unforgiveable sin. Voltaire knew well enough that he must be careful. Il n'y a qu'une lettre touchant M. Loke [he wrote to a friend]. La seule matiere philosophique que j'y traite est la petite bagatelle de l'immortalite de l'ame; mais la chose a trop de consequence pour la traiter serieusement. Il a fallu l'egorger pour ne pas heurter de front nos seigneurs les theologiens, gens qui voient si clairement la spiritualite de l'ame qu'ils feraient bruler, s'ils pouvaien
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105  
106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Voltaire

 

English

 
gloomy
 

regime

 
attack
 

ancien

 

general

 

Reflexions

 

diminished

 

effectiveness


theoretical

 
feraient
 

ultimate

 

doubtless

 
danger
 
metaphysical
 
realise
 

increased

 

bruler

 
pouvaien

condemned
 

authorities

 

typical

 

Lettres

 
Philosophiques
 
political
 

immortality

 

orthodoxy

 

question

 

heterodoxy


remarks
 

matiere

 

philosophique

 

egorger

 

heurter

 

serieusement

 

petite

 

bagatelle

 

consequence

 
traite

traiter

 
spiritualite
 
careful
 

clairement

 

unforgiveable

 
immortalite
 

voient

 
theologiens
 

friend

 
seigneurs