ishment
of folly. But it has been well observed,(527) that it is dangerous to him
who employs it, as being directly opposed to humility. The satirist places
himself above that which he ridicules, and makes himself the judge: the
humility of the listener is laid aside; the selfish belief of his own
infallibility is fostered; forbearance and sympathy are laid aside. The
critic argues, the satirist only laughs. Pity may be compatible with
humour, but only contempt with satire. Voltaire was by nature a satirist;
and when his mockery was applied to a subject like Christianity or
religion, his utter want of reverence not only caused him to substitute a
caricature for a picture, but prevented him from exercising discrimination
in distinguishing Christianity from its counterfeit, religion from the
ministers of it. Hence his attacks on Christianity partake of the tone of
blasphemy; and he manifests in reference to religion, which to most
readers was the most sacred of subjects, a tone of indescribable
scurrility, which was not only inexcusable and disgraceful if viewed
merely in a literary point of view, but constituted politically a public
outrage against the dearest feelings of others which no citizen has a
right to perpetrate.(528) This tone too was mainly his own; and is not to
be found, except in rare instances, in the English deists from whom he
borrowed.

We have tried to comprehend the mind of Voltaire, to notice his
peculiarities and faults, before considering his opinions; because his
influence was due to his mental and personal character rather than to the
matter of his writings. It remains to state his views on religion, and the
grounds of his attack on revelation. The chief materials for ascertaining
them are the four volumes in the vast collection of his works, which
contain his philosophical and theological writings.(529) They partake of
every variety of form,--essays, letters, treatises, pamphlets,
translations, commentaries. They include, besides smaller works, a
commentary on the Old Testament; translations of parts of Bolingbroke and
of Toland; an investigation concerning the establishment of Christianity;
deist sermons which he pretends had been delivered; discourses written
under false names;(530) and doubts proposed and solved after the manner of
preceding philosophers. Yet in these numerous treatises there is no claim
to originality. His doubts and his beliefs are taken mainly from the
English deists; and