e or their perversity, far from fearing their God, rather
like to bargain with this invisible Judge, who never refuses anything,
or with His priests, who are accommodating to the masters of the earth
rather than to their subjects. The people, when reduced to despair,
consider the divine rights of their chiefs as an abuse. When men become
exasperated, the divine rights of tyrants are compelled to yield to the
natural rights of their subjects; they have better market with the gods
than with men. Kings are responsible for their actions but to God, the
priests but to themselves; there is reason to believe that both of them
have more faith in the indulgence of Heaven than in that of earth. It is
much easier to escape the judgments of the gods, who can be appeased at
little expense, than the judgments of men whose patience is exhausted.
If you take away from the sovereigns the fear of an invisible power,
what restraint will you oppose to their misconduct? Let them learn how
to govern, how to be just, how to respect the rights of the people, to
recognize the benefactions of the nations from whom they obtain their
grandeur and power; let them learn to fear men, to submit to the laws of
equity, that no one can violate without danger; let these laws restrain
equally the powerful and the weak, the great and the small, the
sovereign and the subjects.

The fear of the Gods, religion, the terrors of another life--these are
the metaphysical and supernatural barriers which are opposed to the
furious passions of princes! Are these barriers sufficient? We leave it
to experience to solve the question! To oppose religion to the
wickedness of tyrants, is to wish that vague speculations should be more
powerful than inclinations which conspire to fortify them in it from day
to day.

CXLV.--RELIGION IS FATAL TO POLITICS; IT FORMS BUT LICENTIOUS AND
PERVERSE DESPOTS, AS WELL AS ABJECT AND UNHAPPY SUBJECTS.

We are told constantly of the immense advantages which religion secures
to politics; but if we reflect a moment, we will see without trouble
that religious opinions blind and lead astray equally the rulers and the
people, and never enlighten them either in regard to their true duties
or their real interests. Religion but too often forms licentious,
immoral tyrants, obeyed by slaves who are obliged to conform to their
views. From lack of the knowledge of the true principles of
administration, the aim and the rights of social life, the