Ret ur n t o t he I nt r oduct ion t o Volt aire and t he det ailed Table of Cont ent s.
ED I TI ON USED
Toleration and Other Essays by Voltaire. Tr anslat ed, w it h an I nt r oduct ion, by Joseph
McCabe ( New Yor k: G.P. Put nam 's Sons, 1912) .
TABLE OF CON TEN TS
z I NTRODUCTI ON
{ ENDNOTES
z ON TOLERATI ON I N CONNECTI ON WI TH THE DEATH OF JEAN CALAS
{ SHORT ACCOUNT OF THE DEATH OF JEAN CALAS
{ CONSEQUENCES OF THE EXECUTI ON OF JEAN CALAS
{ THE I DEA OF THE REFORMATI ON
{ WHETHER TOLERATI ON I S DANGEROUS, AND AMONG WHAT PEOPLES I T I S FOUND
{ HOW TOLERATI ON MAY BE ADMI TTED
{ WHETHER I NTOLERANCE I S OF NATURAL AND HUMAN LAW
{ WHETHER I NTOLERANCE WAS KNOWN TO THE GREEKS
{ WHETHER THE ROMANS WERE TOLERANT
{ THE MARTYRS
{ OF THE DANGER OF FALSE LEGENDS, AND OF PERSECUTI ON
{ ABUSES OF I NTOLERANCE
{ WHETHER I NTOLERANCE WAS OF DI VI NE RI GHT I N JUDAI SM, AND WHETHER I T WAS ALWAYS PRACTI SED.
{ EXTREME TOLERANCE OF THE JEWS
{ WHETHER I NTOLERANCE WAS TAUGHT BY CHRI ST
{ THE ONLY CASES I N WHI CH I NTOLERANCE I S HUMANLY LAWFUL
{ ACCOUNT OF A CONTROVERSI AL DI SPUTE I N CHI NA
{ WHETHER I T I S USEFUL TO MAI NTAI N THE PEOPLE I N SUPERSTI TI ON
{ VI RTUE BETTER THAN SCI ENCE
{ OF UNI VERSAL TOLERATI ON
{ ENDNOTES
z ON SUPERSTI TI ON
TH E ON LI N E LI BRARY OF LI BERTY © 2 0 0 4 Libe r t y Fu n d, I n c.
CLASSI CS I N TH E H I STORY OF LI BERTY
VOLTAI RE,
TOLERATI ON AN D OTH ER ESSAYS
( 1 9 1 2 )
Livros Grátis
http://www.livrosgratis.com.br
{ ENDNOTES
z ON THE I NTERPRETATI ON OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
{ ENDNOTES
z ON THE I NTERPRETATI ON OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
z EPI STLE TO THE ROMANS ( TRANSLATED FROM THE ITALI AN OF COUNT DE CORBERA)
{ ARTI CLE I .
{ ARTI CLE I I .
{ ARTI CLE I I I .
{ ARTI CLE I V.
{ ARTI CLE V.
{ ARTI CLE VI .
{ ARTI CLE VI I .
{ ARTI CLE VI I I .
FI RST I MPOSTURE
SECOND CHI EF I MPOSTURE
THI RD CHI EF I MPOSTURE ( WHI CH CONTAI NS SEVERAL)
FOURTH I MPOSTURE
FI FTH I MPOSTURE
SI XTH CHI EF I MPOSTURE
SEVENTH CHI EF I MPOSTURE ON THE SUPPOSED PONTI FI CATE OF SI MON BARJONA, CALLED PETER
EI GHTH I MPOSTURE
NI NTH I MPOSTURE
{ ARTI CLE I X.
{ ENDNOTES
z THE SERMON OF THE FI FTY
{ PRAYER
{ SERMON
FI RST POI NT
SECOND POI NT
THI RD POI NT
{ ENDNOTES
z THE QUESTI ONS OF ZAPATA ( TRANSLATED BY DR. TAMPONET, OF THE SORBONNE)
{ ENDNOTES
z WE MUST TAKE SI DES; OR, THE PRI NCI PLE OF ACTI ON
{ I NTRODUCTI ON
{ I OF THE PRI NCI PLE OF ACTI ON
{ I I OF THE NECESSARY AND ETERNAL PRI NCI PLE OF ACTI ON
{ I I I WHAT I S THI S PRI NCI PLE?
{ I V WHERE I S THE FI RST PRI NCI PLE? I S I T I NFI NI TE?
{ V THAT ALL THE WORKS OF THE ETERNAL BEI NG ARE ETERNAL
{ VI I THAT ALL BEI NGS, WI THOUT EXCEPTI ON, ARE SUBJECT TO ETERNAL LAWS
{ VI I I THAT MAN I S ESSENTI ALLY SUBJECT I N EVERYTHI NG TO THE ETERNAL LAWS OF THE FI RST PRI NCI PLE
{ I X OF THE PRI NCI PLE OF ACTI ON I N SENTI ENT BEI NGS
{ X OF THE PRI NCI PLE OF ACTI ON CALLED THE SOUL
{ XI EXAMI NATI ON OF THE PRI NCI PLE OF ACTI ON CALLED THE SOUL
{ XI I WHETHER THE PRI NCI PLE OF ACTI ON I N ANI MALS I S FREE
{ XI I I OF THE LI BERTY OF MAN, AND OF DESTI NY
{ XI V ABSURDI TY OF WHAT I S CALLED LI BERTY OF I NDI FFERENCE
{ XV OF EVI L AND, I N THE FI RST PLACE, THE DESTRUCTI ON OF BEASTS
{ XVI OF EVI L I N THE ANI MAL CALLED MAN
{ XVI I ROMANCES I NVENTED TO EXPLAI N THE ORI GI N OF EVI L
{ XVI I I OF THE SAME ROMANCES, I MI TATED BY BARBARI C NATI ONS
{ XI X DI SCOURSE OF AN ATHEI ST ON ALL THI S
{ XX DI SCOURSE OF A MANI CHÆAN
{ XXI DI SCOURSE OF A PAGAN
{ XXI I DI SCOURSE OF A JEW
{ XXI I I DI SCOURSE OF A TURK
{ XXI V DI SCOURSE OF A THEI ST
{ XXV DI SCOURSE OF A CI TI ZEN
{ ENDNOTES
z POEM ON THE LI SBON DI SASTER; OR AN EXAMI NATI ON OF THE AXI OM, “ ALL I S WELL”
{ ENDNOTES
I N TROD UCTI ON
IT seem s useful, in present ing t o English reader s t his select ion of t he w or ks of Volt air e, t o recall t he posit ion and personalit y of t he w r it er and t he cir cum st ances in w hich t he w or ks w er e w r it t en. I t is t oo light ly assum ed, even by m any w ho enj oy t he fr eedom w hich he, m or e t han any, w on for Eur ope, and w ho m ay sur pass him in scept icism , t hat Volt air e is a figur e t o be left in a discreet ly rem ot e niche of m em ory . “ Ot her t im es, ot her m anners” is one of t he phrases he cont r ibut ed t o m oder n lit er at ur e. Let us genially acknow ledge t hat he played a gr eat par t in dispelling t he last m ist s of t he Middle Ages, and polit ely at t r ibut e t o t he papal per ver sit y and t he linger ing vulgar it y of his age t he m or e effect ive feat ur es of his w or k. Thus has Volt air e becom e a m er e nam e t o m oder n r at ionalist s; a nam e of fading br illiance, a m onum ent al nam e, but not hing m or e.
concerning Volt aire; and it is a reproach t o us. We have t im e, am id incr easing know ledge, t o r ecover t he m ost obscur e per sonalit ies of t he Middle Ages and of
ant iquit y; w e t r ace t he m ost elem ent ary cont r ibut or s t o m oder n cult ur e; and w e neglect one of t he m ight iest for ces t hat m ade t he developm ent of m oder n cult ur e possible. I do not speak of Volt aire t he hist orian, w ho, a dist inguished w r it er says, int r oduced hist or y for t he fir st t im e int o t he r ealm of let t ers; Volt air e t he dr am at ist , w hose nam e is
inscr ibed for ever in t he t em ple of t he t r agic m use; Volt air e t he physicist , w ho dr ove t he old Car t esianism out of Fr ance, and im posed on it t he fer t ile pr inciples of New t on; Volt air e t he social r efor m er , w ho t alked t o eight eent h- cent ury kings of t he right s of m an, and scour ged ever y j udicial cr im inal of his ar ist ocr at ic age; Volt air e t he
cosm opolit an, w ho boldly set up England’s ensign of liber t y in feudal Fr ance. All t hese t hings w er e done by t he “ flippant Volt air e” of t he flippant m oder n pr eacher . But he can be considered here only as one of t he few w ho, in an age of pr ofound inequalit y, used t he pr iv ilege of his enlight enm ent t o enlight en his fellow s; one of t hose w ho w on for us t hat liber t y t o t hink r at ionally, and t o speak freely, on religious m at t ers w hich w e t oo air ily at t r ibut e t o our new goddess, Evolut ion.
The posit ion of Volt air e in t he developm ent of r eligious t hought in Eur ope is unique. Even if his w or ds had no applicat ion in our age, it m er it s t he m ost gr at eful
consider at ion. Tr ace t o it s sour ces t he spirit t hat has led m oder n Fr ance and m oder n Port ugal t o raise civic ideals above cr eeds, and t hat w ill, w it hin a few decades, find t he sam e expr ession in Spain, I t aly, Belgium , and half of Am er ica. You find your self in t he fir st half of t he ninet eent h cent ur y, w hen, in all t hose count ries, a few hundr ed m en, and som e w om en, m aint ained a super b st r uggle w it h rest ored m onarchs and rest ored Jesuit s for t he liber t y t hat had been w r est ed from t hem ; and you find t hat t he vast m aj or it y of t hem w er e disciples of Volt air e. Go back t o t he ver y beginning of t he ant i-cler ical m ovem ent ; seek t he generat ors of t hat int ellect ual and em ot ional elect r icit y w hich, gat her ing insensibly in t he at m osphere of Europe in t he second half of t he eight eent h cent ury, bur st at last in t he lur id flashes and t he r olling t hunder s of t he Gr eat Revolut ion. On t he r eligious side, w it h w hich alone I am concerned here, t hat devast at ing st or m w as over w helm ingly due t o t he w r it ings of Volt air e. Rousseau, it is t rue, gave t o t he w or ld his sim ple Deist ic cr eed, and w it h sw eet r easonableness lodged it in t he m inds of m any; Dider ot and d’Holbach and La Met t r ie im pr essed t heir deeper scept icism w it h a w eight of lear ning. But Volt aire w as t he oracle of Europe. “ I have no scept r e, but I have a pen,” he once said t o Frederick t he Great . And w hen, in his lat er year s, he pour ed out fr om his r em ot e chât eau on t he Sw iss front ier t he flood of sat ires, st ories, serm ons, dialogues, pam phlet s, and t reat ises w hich at e deep int o t he fabr ic of old Eur ope, his pen pr oved m ight ier t han all t he scept r es of it s kings. To ignor e Volt air e is t o ignor e hist or y.
My obj ect , how ever , in int r oducing t o English r eader s t hese few char act er ist ic
cur iosit y as t o t he char act er of his pow er . These ar e not dead w or ds, not ashes of an ext inct fir e, w hich w e disint er ; for t he w or ld is not dead at w hich t hey w er e flung. I f t hey cause r esent m ent in t he m inds of som e, t he publicat ion w ill be t he m or e j ust ified. But befor e I explain t his par adox, let m e show how t he w or ks cam e t o be w r it t en, and w r it t en in such a w ay.
The life of Volt air e, w hich som e conceive as a prolonged adolescence, has a very clear and inst r uct iv e division int o adolescence, m anhood, and r ipe age. All t he w or ks given in t his volum e belong t o t he last par t , but w e m ust glance at t he ot her s. Fr ançois Mar ie Ar ouet w as bor n, in t he ver y com for t able bourgeois fam ily of a st aid Par isian not ar y, in 1694. He becam e a pr ecocious, shar p- ear ed boy. His godfat her w as an abbé, a kind of ecclesiast ic—not usually a pr iest —in t he Fr ance of t he t im e w ho dr ew his incom e from t he Church, and t herefore felt m ore ent it led t han t he or dinar y laym an t o scoff at it s dogm as and ignor e it s m or als. He could plead t he exam ple of his bishops. Sever al of t hese abbés visit ed t he hom e of t he Ar ouet s, and gave lit t le “ Zozo” his fir st lessons in Biblical cr it icism . I n t he gr eat college of t he Jesuit s he lear ned t o ar t iculat e his
scept icism . I n his sevent eent h year he set out on t he career of let t ers. The kindly abbé, w ho, having answ er ed t o God for him at t he bapt ism al font , felt bound t o guide his for t unes, int roduced him t o one of t he m ost brilliant and dissolut e cir cles in Par is. I t w as a kind of club of abbés, nobles, w r it er s, et c., and in it he w ould r apidly at t ain t hat lar ge and peculiar know ledge of t he Old Test am ent w hich appear s in his w r it ings. He spar kled so m uch at t he supper s of t he Epicur eans, and ear ned such r eput at ion, t hat he w as put in t he Bast ille for cer t ain naught y epigr am s, w hich he had not w r it t en; and he w as exiled for anot her epigr am , on a dist inguished sinner, w hich he had w rit t en. I n t he pensive solit ude of t he Bast ille he changed his nam e t o Volt air e.1 He em er ged bolder t han ever , w rot e t r agedies and poem s and epigram s, w as w elcom ed in t he sm art est salons of Par is, and behaved as a young gent lem an of t he t im e w as expect ed t o behave, unt il his t hir t y- fir st year .
days of George I .
I pass over t w ent y year s of his st r enuous and br illiant car eer . He w r ot e his m ost fam ous t r agedies and hist or ies; he m ade an ar dent st udy of, and int roduced t o France, t he new science of I saac New t on, w hose funeral he had w it nessed in London; he w as banished fr om his count r y for sm iling at Adam and Eve; he deser t ed Fr ance for Ger m any, and t hen quar relled w it h Frederick t he Great ; he t r ied liber al Sw it zer land, and found t hat it gave you liber t y only t o at t ack ot her people’s dogm as; and in 1760 he set t led at
Ferney, since t he shrine of Cont inent al Rat ionalism , on t he front ier , so t hat he could t alk t o Calvinist s fr om t he Fr ench side, and cr oss t he bor der , if need w er e, t o t alk t o Fr ance. But France w as at his feet . For eight een year s m or e he show er ed his r ain of publicat ions on it . Even in t hose illit er at e days som e of his publicat ions sold 300,000 copies. And w hen at last , in 1778, he w as t em pt ed t o r evisit Par is, t he r oar of delight , of est eem , of abj ect w orship, overw helm ed him , and he died in a flood of glor y.
To t hose last t w ent y year s of his life belong t he ant i- Chr ist ian w or ks r epr oduced in t his volum e. He w as now a m an of m at ur e j udgm ent , vast er udit ion, and gr ave
hum anit arian purpose. The com m on not ion in England of Volt air e’s w or ks, as super ficial gibes t hr ow n out by t he w ay in a br illiant car eer , is sheer nonsense. His com m and of hist or y w as r em ar kable; and he had, for t he t im e, a t hor ough gr asp of science and philosophy. His ar gum ent s for t he exist ence of God w ill com par e w it h t hose of t he ablest lay or cler ical t heologians of his t im e. His know ledge w as defect ive and inaccur at e because all know ledge w as defect iv e and inaccur at e in t he eight eent h cent ur y, w hen r esear ch w as only j ust beginning t o r ecover fr om it s long ecclesiast ical par aly sis. No m an in France had a lar ger com m and of such know ledge as t he t im e affor ded, and t he use he m ade of it w as ser ious and high- pur posed. I t is only t he super ficial w ho cannot see t he dept h below t hat spar kling sur face; only t he insensible w ho cannot feel t he st rong, st eady beat of a hum an hear t behind t he r ippling laught er .
Écrasez l’infame—“ Crush t he infam ous t hing” —t he bat t le- cr y w hich he sent over Eur ope
from t he Sw iss front ier, w as but a fiery ex pr ession of his love of m en, of libert y, of enlight enm ent , and of pr ogr ess. Read t he st or ies of br ut alit y in t he guise of r eligion t hat ar e t old in t hese pages—st or ies w hich r an int o Volt aire’s day—t he st ories of “ religious” processions and r elics and super st it ions, t he st or y of how t his ignor ant cr edulit y had been im posed on Eur ope, and how it w as m aint ained by scept ical pr iest s, and say, if you dar e, t hat t he phr ase w as not a cr y of t rut h, sincerit y, and hum anit y. There w as even a pr ofoundly r eligious im pulse in his w or k. A cler ical friend once confided t o m e t hat he found a use in Volt air e. I t seem ed t hat , w hen inspir at ion for t he Sunday ser m on failed, he fell upon m y “ at heist ic fr iends,” Volt aire and Rousseau, and t he Fr ench
Ver y good, you say; but w hy not have set about it m or e polit ely? For t w o plain r easons. Fir st , because t he char act er of his opponent s fully j ust ified him in dir ect ing his m ost scat hing w it upon t hem . The Jesuit s, w hom he chiefly lashed, w er e in his ow n t im e ignom iniously expelled by near ly ever y Cat holic Pow er in Eur ope, and w er e suppr essed by t he Pope. The ot her cler gy w er e deeply t aint ed w it h scept icism in t he cit ies, and befogged w it h dense ignor ance in t he pr ovinces. One incident w ill suffice t o j ust ify his disdain. His lat est English biogr apher , S. G. Tallent yr e, w ho is not biassed in his favour , says t hat it is m ost pr obable, if not cer t ain, t hat w hile t he Cat holic aut hor it ies w er e bur ning his books in Par is, and shudder ing at his infidelit y, t hey w er e secr et ly t em pt ing him , w it h t he pr ospect of a car dinal’s hat , t o j oin t he cler gy. I t is cer t ain t hat t hey invit ed him t o do r eligious w or k, and t hat , at t he height of his ant i- cler ical w or k, he received direct from t he Pope cert ain relics t o put in a chapel he had built for his poor neighbours. Could a prince of ir ony r est r ain him self in such cir cum st ances? The ot her r eason is t he char act er of t he dogm as and pr act ices he assailed. Read t hem in t he follow ing pages.
I t is t r ue t hat t her e ar e passages in Volt air e w hich none of us w ould, if w e could, w r it e t o- day. The t ast e of t he eight eent h cent ur y, st ill fouled by t he Middle Ages, is not t he t ast e of t he t w ent iet h. Besides som e longer passages w hich have been om it t ed from t he Treatise on Toleration, as w ill be explained, a few lines have been st r uck out or
m odified her e and t her e in one or t w o of t he w or ks in t his select ion. Let m e not be m isunder st ood, how ever . They ar e m ainly w or ds of t he Old Test am ent , and com m ent s inspir ed only by t hose w or ds, t hat have been om it t ed. I n t he eight eent h cent ury one could quot e and com m ent in public on t hese gr ossnesses. I ndeed, by som e singular m ent al pr ocess, w hich Volt air e alone could char act er ise, t he books cont aining t hese crudely sexual passages ar e st ill t hr ust int o t he hands of childr en and of confined crim inals by t he j oint aut hor it y of Chur ch and St at e in England; and gr ave bishops and gent le w om en say t hat t hey ar e t he Wor d of God.
professor s, as t hey list en gr avely t o t he r eading of t he Bible and t he creeds in church on Sundays, or rever ent ly handle t he book in cour t . I pict ur e his am azem ent as he lear ns t hat t his England, w hich he t hought so enlight ened, st ill, at t he dict at ion of it s bishops, r et ains t he m ost abom inable divor ce law in t he civilised w or ld; or hear s pr eacher s and social st udent s ser iously expr essing concer n for t he fut ure of Europe on account of t he decay of docilit y t o t he cler gy. What w ould he have w r it t en on such a sit uat ion?
The sat ir e of Volt air e is not out of place in m oder n England. As long as t he Bible is, how ever insincer ely, pr essed on us as t he Wor d of God, and r et ained in our schools, w e ar e com pelled t o point out in it feat ur es w hich m ake such claim s ludicr ous. As long as t he cler gy m aint ain t hat t heir r ule in t he past w as a benefit t o civilisat ion, and t her efor e it s decay m ay be a m enace t o civilisat ion, w e are bound t o t ell t he ugly t rut h in regard t o t he past . As long as educat ed m en and w om en am ong us pr ofess a belief in t he m agic of t r ansubst ant iat ion and aur icular confession and m ir acles, and t he uneducat ed are encouraged t o believe t hese t hings lit er ally, t he ir ony of Volt air e is legit im at e. Chr ist ian bodies have, of lat e year s, m ade r epeat ed at t em pt s t o induce our leader s of cult ure t o profess t he Christ ian fait h. The issue has been t o m ake it clear t hat t he great m aj or it y of our pr ofessor s, dist inguished w rit er s, and ar t ist s hold eit her t he sim ple t heism of Volt aire or discard even t hat . The doct r ines at t acked her e by Volt air e ar e w holly discredit ed. Yet t hey are st ill t he official t eaching of t he Churches ( ex cept of t he Congr egat ionalist s) ; t hey ar e lar gely enfor ced on innocent childr en, and t hey ar e lit er ally accept ed by som e m illions of our people. I see no reason t o r efr ain from let t ing t he irony of Volt air e fall on t hem once m or e.
The reader m ust not , how ever, conclude at once t hat t he follow ing pages ar e so m any r ed- hot char ges int o t he t ot t er ing r anks of m ediæval dogm as. My aim has been t o illust r at e t he ver sat ilit y of Volt air e’s genius, and t o exhibit his ow n sincer e cr eed no less t han his m ost penet r at ing scour ges of w hat m ost educat ed m en in his t im e and our s r egar d as ut t er ly ant iquat ed delusions. Ther e ar e pages her e t hat m ight r eceive a place of honour in t he m ost ort hodox r eligious j our nals of England; ot her pages in w hich t he irony is so subt le and t he t em per so polit e t hat , w it hout t he t er r ible nam e, t hey w ould puzzle m any a cler gy m an. I n t he Questions of Zapata, how ever , and in part s of one or t w o ot her essays, I have given specim ens of t he Volt aire w ho w as likened t o Ant ichr ist .
The select ion opens w it h t he Treatise on Toleration, w hich has a m ainly hist or ical int erest , and illust r at es t he finest side of Volt aire’s w ork and char act er . I t show s him as a pr ofound hum anit ar ian, put t ing aside, in his sevent iet h year, his laught er and his com for t t o t ake up t he cause of an obscur e suffer er , and shaking France, as Zola did in our t im e, w it h his denunciat ion of a j udicial cr im e. The st or y of t he cr im e is t old in t he essay it self; but it is not t old, or in any w ay conveyed, t hat , but for t he act ion of t he aged rat ionalist , not a single effort w ould have been m ade t o secur e r edr ess. His
m ay lear n w it h sur pr ise t hat his noble and im passioned st r uggle ear ned for t hem t he r ight t o live in Sout her n Fr ance. The t reat ise w as published in 1763. I have om it t ed a num ber of lengt hy and lear ned not es and one or t w o chapt er s w hich ar e incident al t o t he ar gum ent and of lit t le int er est t o- day.
The t hree Hom ilies—t hose On Superstition, On the Interpretation of the Old Testament, and On the Interpretation of the New Testament—ar e select ed fr om five w hich Volt air e w r ot e in 1767, w it h t he lit er ar y pr et ence t hat t hey had been deliver ed befor e som e liber al congr egat ion at London in 1765. The second of t hese Hom ilies is one of t he m ost effect ive indict m ent s of t he Old Test am ent , consider ed as an inspired book. Now here in r at ionalist ic lit er at ur e is t her e an exposure of t he essent ial hum anit y of t he Old
Test am ent so condensed yet so fluent , so or iginal in form , com prehensive in range, and unansw er able in ar gum ent . I t w as published, it is believed, in 1767, t hough t he fir st edit ion is m ar ked 1766. I t s hum our it m alicious fr om t he fir st line, as t he “ Dr .
Tam ponet ” w hose nam e is put t o it w as r eally an or t hodox cham pion of t he Sor bonne. I t is in t his shor t diat r ibe t hat I have chiefly m ade t he m odificat ions of w hich I have spoken. I t w as Volt aire’s aim t o show t hat t he coar seness of m any passages of t he Old Test am ent is quit e as inconsist ent w it h inspir at ion as it s colossal inaccur acy and it s childlike super st it ion. An English t r anslat ion, sim ilar ly m odified, of t he Questions of Zapata w as m ade by an anonym ous lady, and published by Het her ingt on, in 1840. I n
t he pr esent t r anslat ion som e of t he par agraphs ar e om it t ed, and t he num ber ing is t herefore alt ered.
The Epistle to the Romans, anot her specim en of Volt aire’s m ost deadly polem ic, is a j ust and m ast er ly indict m ent of t he papal syst em . I t w as issued in 1768, and ver y pr om pt ly put on t he I ndex by t he out r aged Vat ican. But it penet r at ed educat ed I t aly, and had no sm all shar e in t he enlight enm ent w hich has ended in t he em ancipat ion of t he count r y. The exquisit e im it at ions of ser m ons w hich follow cont ain som e of Volt air e’s m ost
insidious and delicat e ir ony. The Sermon of the Fifty w as w r it t en and published in 1762.
The volum e closes w it h t he fam ous poem w hich Volt air e w r ot e, in t he year 1755, w hen he hear d t hat an ear t hquake had dest r oyed bet w een 30,000 and 40,000 people in Por t ugal. I t w as one of t he chief fest ivals of t he Cat holic year , t he Feast of All Saint s ( Novem ber 1) , and t he cr ow ded chur ches w er e in t he ver y act of w or ship, w hen t he ground shook. I n a few m inut es 16,000 m en, w om en, and childr en w er e slain, and as m any m or e per ished in t he subsequent fir es and horrors. Volt aire w as at Geneva, and t he hor r ible new s t hr ew him int o t he deepest dist r ess. The poem int o w hich he
possible, t he phr asing of Volt air e. One allusion t hat recurs t hroughout needs som e explanat ion. Br ow ning’s “ All’s r ight w it h t he w or ld” w as a ver y fam iliar cr y in t he
eight eent h cent ury. The English Deist s, and J. J. Rousseau in France, held obst inat ely t o t his m ost singular opt im ism . Alt hough Rousseau m ade a feeble and fr iendly r eply t o t he poem , it proved a deadly blow t o his som ew hat fant ast ic t eaching on t hat point .
I m m ediat ely pr eceding t his poem I have given a t r anslat ion of Volt air e’s philosophical essay, Il faut choisir. This w as w r it t en by him in 1772, six year s befor e his deat h, and is t he m ost succinct expr ession of his m at ur e r eligious view s. I t is r eally dir ect ed against his at heist ic fr iends at Par is, such as d’Holbach. Condor cet said of it t hat it cont ained t he m ost pow erful ar gum ent at ion for t he exist ence of God t hat had yet been advanced. I t s r em ar kable lucidit y and t er seness enable us t o ident ify his view s at once. He did not believe in t he spir it ualit y or im m or t alit y of t he soul, but he had an unshakable
convict ion of t he exist ence of God. I t is som et im es said t hat t he Lisbon ear t hquake shook his t heism . This is inaccur at e, as a careful com parison of t he t w o w or ks w ill show . He never believed t hat t he suprem e int elligence w as infinit e in pow er , and t he haunt ing problem of evil alw ays m ade him hesit at e t o ascr ibe m or e t han lim it ed m or al at t ribut es t o his deit y. His one unw aver ing dogm a—it does not w aver for an inst ant in t he poem — is t hat t he w or ld w as designed by a suprem e int elligence and is m oved by a supr em e pow er . Had he lived one hundr ed year s lat er , w hen evolut ion began t o t hr ow it s m agical illum inat ion upon t he order of t he universe and t he w onder ful adapt at ion of it s par t s, his posit ion w ould clear ly have been m odified. As it w as, he, w it h const ant sincer it y, avow ed t hat he could not under st and t he w or ld w it hout a gr eat ar chit ect and a pr im e m over of all m oving t hings. I n all his w or ks t he uglier feat ures of t he w orld, w hich, unlike m any t heist s, he st eadfast ly confr ont ed, for bid him t o add any ot her and w ar m er at t r ibut es t o t his bleak int elligence and m yst er ious pow er .
J. M.
Oct ober , 1911.
EN D N OTES
[ 1 ] Probably adopt ing a nam e w hich is know n t o have exist ed am ong his m ot her ’s ancest or s. But it is cur ious t hat “ Volt air e” is an anagr am of his nam e—Ar ouet 1 ( e) j ( eune) — if u be read as v and j as i.
ON TOLERATI ON
I N CON N ECTI ON W I TH TH E D EATH OF JEAN CALAS
THE m ur der of Calas, w hich w as per pet r at ed w it h t he sw or d of j ust ice at Toulouse on Mar ch 9, 1762, is one of t he m ost singular event s t hat deser ve t he at t ent ion of our ow n and of lat er ages. We quickly for get t he long list of t he dead w ho have perished in our bat t les. I t is t he inevit able fat e of w ar ; t hose w ho die by t he sw or d m ight t hem selves have inflict ed deat h on t heir enem ies, and did not die w it hout t he m eans of defending t hem selves. When t he r isk and t he advant age ar e equal ast onishm ent ceases, and even pit y is enfeebled. But w hen an innocent fat her is given int o t he hands of err or, of
passion, or of fanat icism ; w hen t he accused has no defence but his vir t ue; w hen t hose w ho dispose of his life r un no r isk but t hat of m aking a m ist ake; w hen t hey can slay w it h im punit y by a legal decree—t hen t he voice of t he gener al public is hear d, and each fears for him self. They see t hat no m an’s life is safe befor e a cour t t hat has been set up t o guar d t he w elfare of cit izens, and every voice is raised in a dem and of vengeance.
I n t his st r ange incident w e have t o deal w it h r eligion, suicide, and par r icide. The quest ion w as, Whet her a fat her and m ot her had st r angled t heir son t o please God, a brot her had st r angled his brot her, and a friend had st rangled his friend; or w het her t he j udges had incur r ed t he r epr oach of br eaking on t he w heel an innocent fat her, or of spar ing a guilt y m ot her , br ot her , and fr iend.
Jean Calas, a m an of sixt y- eight year s, had been engaged in com m er ce at Toulouse for m or e t han for t y year s, and w as r ecognised by all w ho knew him as a good fat her . He w as a Pr ot est ant , as w er e also his w ife and fam ily, except one son, w ho had abj ured t he her esy, and w as in r eceipt of a sm all allow ance fr om his fat her . He seem ed t o be so far r em oved from t he absur d fanat icism t hat br eaks t he bonds of societ y t hat he had approved t he conversion of his son [ Louis Calas] , and had had in his ser vice for t hir t y years a zealous Cat holic w om an, w ho had rear ed all his children.
One of t he sons of Jean Calas, nam ed Marc Ant oine, w as a m an of let t er s. He w as regarded as of a rest less, som bre, and violent char act er . This young m an, failing t o ent er t he com m ercial w orld, for w hich he w as unfit t ed, or t he legal w or ld, because he could not obt ain t he necessar y cer t ificat e t hat he w as a Cat holic, det er m ined t o end his life, and infor m ed a fr iend of his int ent ion. He st r engt hened his r esolut ion by r eading all t hat has ever been w r it t en on suicide.
his hair w as neat ly com bed, and he had no w ound or m ark on t he body.
We w ill om it t he det ails w hich w er e given in cour t , and t he gr ief and despair of his par ent s; t heir cr ies w er e hear d by t he neighbours. Lavaisse and Pierre, beside t hem selves, r an for sur geons and t he police.
While t hey w er e doing t his, and t he fat her and m ot her sobbed and w ept , t he people of Toulouse gat her ed round t he house. They ar e super st it ious and im pulsive people; t hey regard as m onst ers t heir brot hers w ho do not share t heir religion. I t w as at Toulouse t hat solem n t hanks w er e offer ed t o God for t he deat h of Henr y I I I ., and t hat an oat h w as t aken t o kill any m an w ho should pr opose t o r ecognise t he gr eat and good Henr y I V. This cit y st ill celebr at es ever y year , by a pr ocession and fir ew or ks, t he day on w hich it m assacr ed four t housand her et ical cit izens t w o hundr ed year s ago. Six decr ees of t he Council have been passed in vain for t he suppr ession of t his odious fest ival; t he people of Toulouse celebr at e it st ill like a flor al fest ival.1
Som e fanat ic in t he cr ow d cr ied out t hat Jean Calas had hanged his son Mar c Ant oine. The cr y w as soon r epeat ed on all sides; som e adding t hat t he deceased w as t o have abj ur ed Pr ot est ant ism on t he follow ing day, and t hat t he fam ily and young Lavaisse had st r angled him out of hat r ed of t he Cat holic r eligion. I n a m om ent all doubt had
disappear ed. The w hole t ow n w as per suaded t hat it is a point of r eligion w it h t he
Pr ot est ant s for a fat her and m ot her t o kill t heir childr en w hen t hey w ish t o change t heir fait h.
The agit at ion could not end her e. I t w as im agined t hat t he Prot est ant s of Languedoc had held a m eet ing t he night befor e; t hat t hey had, by a m aj or it y of vot es, chosen an execut ioner for t he sect ; t hat t he choice had fallen on young Lavaisse; and t hat , in t he space of t w ent y- four hour s, t he young m an had r eceived t he new s of his appoint m ent , and had com e from Bor deaux t o help Jean Calas, his w ife, and t heir son Pier r e t o st r angle a fr iend, son, and br ot her .
The capt ain of Toulouse, David, excit ed by t hese r um our s and w ishing t o give effect t o t hem by a pr om pt execut ion, t ook a st ep w hich is against t he law s and r egulat ions. He put t he Calas fam ily , t he Cat holic ser vant , and Lavaisse in ir ons.
A repor t not less vicious t han his procedure w as published. He even w ent furt her. Marc Ant oine Calas had died a Calvinist ; and, if he had t aken his ow n life, his body w as supposed t o be dr agged on a hur dle. I nst ead of t his, he w as bur ied w it h gr eat pom p in t he chur ch of St . St ephen, alt hough t he priest pr ot est ed against t his pr ofanat ion.
service over Mar c Ant oine Calas, as over a m art yr. No chur ch ever celebrat ed t he feast of a m ar t yr w it h m or e pom p; but it w as a t er r ible pom p. They had r aised above a m agnificent bier a sk elet on, w hich w as m ade t o m ove it s bones. I t r epr esent ed Mar c Ant oine Calas holding a palm in one hand, and in t he ot her t he pen w it h w hich he w as t o sign his abj ur at ion of her esy. This pen, in point of fact , signed t he deat h- sent ence of his fat her .
The only t hing t hat r em ained for t he poor devil w ho had t aken his life w as canonisat ion. Everybody regarded him as a saint ; som e invoked him , ot hers w ent t o pray at his t om b, ot her s sought m ir acles of him , and ot her s, again, r elat ed t he m ir acles he had w r ought . A m onk ext r act ed som e of his t eet h, t o have per m anent r elics of him . A pious w om an, w ho w as r at her deaf, t old how she hear d t he sound of bells. An apoplect ic pr iest w as cur ed, aft er t aking an em et ic. Legal declar at ions of t hese pr odigies w er e dr aw n up. The w r it er of t his account has in his possession t he at t est at ion t hat a young m an of
Toulouse w ent m ad because he had prayed for sever al night s at t he t om b of t he new saint , and could not obt ain t he m ir acle he sought .
Som e of t he m agist r at es belonged t o t he confr at er nit y of w hit e penit ent s. From t hat m om ent t he deat h of Jean Calas seem ed inevit able.
What cont r ibut ed m ost t o his fat e w as t he appr oach of t hat singular fest iv al w hich t he people of Toulouse hold every year in m em or y of t he m assacr e of four t housand Huguenot s. The year 1762 w as t he bicent enary of t he event . The cit y w as decor at ed w it h all t he t r appings of t he cer em ony, and t he heat ed im aginat ion of t he people w as st ill fur t her excit ed. I t w as st at ed publicly t hat t he scaffold on w hich t he Calas w er e t o be execut ed w ould be t he chief or nam ent of t he fest ival; it w as said t hat Pr ovidence it self pr ovided t hese vict im s for sacr ifice in honour of our holy religion. A score of people hear d t hese, and even m ore violent t hings. And t his in our days—in an age w hen
philosophy has m ade so m uch pr ogr ess, and a hundr ed academ ies are w r it ing for t he im pr ovem ent of our m or als! I t w ould seem t hat fanat icism is angr y at t he success of reason, and com bat s it m ore furiously.
But by a singular m isfor t une t he j udge w ho w as favour able t o t he Calas had t he
delicacy t o per sist in his r esignat ion, and t he ot her r et ur ned t o condem n t hose w hom he could not j udge. His voice it w as t hat dr ew up t he condem nat ion t o t he w heel. There w er e now eight vot es t o five, as one of t he six opposing j udges had passed t o t he m or e sever e par t y aft er consider able discussion.
I t seem s t hat in a case of par r icide, w hen a fat her is t o be condem ned t o t he m ost fright ful deat h, t he ver dict ought t o be unanim ous, as t he evidence for so rare a cr im e ought t o be such as t o convince everybody .1 The slight est doubt in such a case should int im idat e a j udge w ho is t o sign t he deat h- sent ence. The w eak ness of our r eason and it s inadequacy ar e show n daily; and w hat gr eat er pr oof of it can w e have t han w hen w e find a cit izen condem ned t o t he w heel by a m aj or it y of one vot e? I n ancient At hens t her e had t o be fift y vot es above t he half t o secur e a sent ence of deat h. I t show s us, m ost unpr ofit ably, t hat t he Greeks w ere w iser and m ore hum ane t han w e.
I t seem ed im possible t hat Jean Calas, an old m an of sixt y- eight year s, w hose lim bs had long been sw ollen and w eak, had been able t o st rangle and hang a young m an in his t w ent y- eight h year, above t he average in st r engt h. I t seem ed cer t ain t hat he m ust have been assist ed in t he m ur der by his w ife, his son Pierr e, Lav aisse, and t he serv ant . They had not left each ot her ’s com pany for an inst ant on t he evening of t he fat al event . But t his supposit ion w as j ust as absur d as t he ot her . How could a zealous Cat holic ser vant allow Huguenot s t o kill a young m an, r ear ed by her self, t o punish him for
em bracing her ow n religion? How could Lavaisse have com e expressly from Bordeaux t o st r angle his fr iend, w hose conver sion w as unknow n t o him ? How could a t ender m ot her lay hands on her son? How could t he w hole of t hem t oget her st r angle a young m an w ho w as st r onger t han all of t hem w it hout a long and violent st r uggle, w it hout cr ies t hat w ould have ar oused t he neighbour s, w it hout r epeat ed blow s and t or n gar m ent s?
I t w as evident t hat , if t her e had been any crim e, all t he accused w ere equally guilt y, as t hey had never left each ot her for a m om ent ; it w as evident t hat t hey w er e not all guilt y; and it w as evident t hat t he fat her alone could not have done it . Nevert heless, t he fat her alone w as condem ned t o t he w heel.
The reason of t he sent ence w as as inconceivable as all t he r est . The j udges, w ho w er e bent on execut ing Jean Calas, per suaded t he ot her s t hat t he w eak old m an could not endur e t he t or t ur e, and w ould on t he scaffold confess his cr im e and accuse his
accom plices. They w er e confounded w hen t he old m an, expir ing on t he w heel, pr ayed God t o w it ness his innocence, and begged him t o par don his j udges.
hour of t he cr im e, t he acquit t al of t he sur vivor s necessar ily pr oved t he innocence of t he dead fat her , t hey decided t o banish Pier r e Calas. This banishm ent seem ed as illogical and absurd as all t he rest . Pierre Calas w as eit her guilt y or innocent . I f he w as guilt y, he should be br oken on t he w heel like his fat her ; if he w as innocent , t hey had no r ight t o banish him . How ever , t he j udges, t er r ified by t he execut ion of t he fat her and t he t ouching piet y of his end, t hought t hey were saving t heir honour by affect ing t o par don t he son, as if it w ere not a fresh pr evaricat ion t o par don him ; and t hey t hought t hat t he banishm ent of t his poor and helpless young m an w as not a gr eat inj ust ice aft er t hat t hey had alr eady com m it t ed.
They began w it h t hr eat ening Pier r e Calas, in his dungeon, t hat he w ould suffer like his fat her if he did not r enounce his r eligion. The young m an at t est s t his on oat h: “ A Dom inican m onk cam e t o m y cell and t hr eat ened m e w it h t he sam e kind of deat h if I did not give up m y r eligion.”
Pier r e Calas, on leaving t he cit y, m et a pr iest , w ho com pelled him t o r et ur n t o Toulouse. They confined him in a Dom inican conv ent , and for ced him t o per for m Cat holic
funct ions. I t w as par t of w hat t hey w ant ed. I t w as t he pr ice of his fat her ’s blood, and religion seem ed t o be avenged.
The daught ers w ere t aken from t he m ot her and put in a convent . The m ot her , alm ost spr inkled w it h t he blood of her husband, her eldest son dead, t he younger banished, depr iv ed of her daught er s and all her pr opert y, w as alone in t he w or ld, w it hout br ead, w it hout hope, dying of t he int oler able m iser y. Cer t ain persons, having car efully
exam ined t he cir cum st ances of t his hor r ible advent ur e, w er e so im pr essed t hat t hey ur ged t he w idow , w ho had r et ir ed int o solit ude, t o go and dem and j ust ice at t he feet of t he t hrone.1 At t he t im e she shr ank from publicit y; m or eover , being English by bir t h, and having been t r ansplant ed int o a Fr ench pr ovince in ear ly yout h, t he nam e of Par is t er r ified her . She im agine t hat t he capit al of t he kingdom w ould be st ill m or e bar baric t han t he capit al of Languedoc. At lengt h t he dut y of clear ing t he m em ory of her
husband pr evailed over her w eakness. She r eached Par is alm ost at t he point of deat h. She w as ast onished at her r ecept ion, at t he help and t he t ear s t hat w er e given t o her .2
At Par is r eason dom inat es fanat icism , how ever pow er ful it be; in t he pr ovinces fanat icism alm ost alw ays over com es r eason.
w as signed by t he Council.
The spir it of pit y penet r at ed t he m inist r y, in spit e of t he t or r ent of business t hat so oft en shut s out pit y, and in spit e of t hat daily sight of m iser y t hat does even m or e t o harden t he hear t . The daught ers w er e r est or ed t o t heir m ot her . As t hey sat , clot hed in crape and bat hed in t ear s, t heir j udges w er e seen t o w eep.
They had st ill enem ies, how ever , for it w as a quest ion of r eligion. Many of t hose people w ho are k now n in France as “ devout ”1 said openly t hat it w as m uch bet t er t o let an innocent old Calvinist be slain t han t o com pel eight Councillor s of Languedoc t o adm it t hat t hey w ere w rong. One even heard such phr ases as “ Ther e ar e m or e m agist r at es t han Calas” ; and it w as infer r ed t hat t he Calas fam ily ought t o be sacr ificed t o t he honour of t he m agist r at es. They did not r eflect t hat t he honour of j udges, like t hat of ot her m en, consist s in r epair ing t heir blunder s. I t is not believed in Fr ance t hat t he Pope is infallible, even w it h t he assist ance of his car dinals1; w e m ight j ust as w ell adm it t hat eight j udges of Toulouse ar e not . All ot her people, m or e r easonable and disint er est ed, said t hat t he Toulouse ver dict w ould be r ever sed all over Eur ope, even if special consider at ions pr event ed it fr om being r ever sed by t he Council.
Such w as t he posit ion of t his ast onishing advent ur e w hen it m oved cer t ain im par t ial and r easonable per sons t o subm it t o t he public a few r eflect ions on t he subj ect of t oler at ion, indulgence, and pit y , w hich t he Abbé Hout eville calls “ a m onst r ous dogm a,” in his gar bled v ersion of t he fact s, and which r eason calls an “ appanage of nat ur e.”
Eit her t he j udges of Toulouse, sw ept aw ay by t he fanat icism of t he people, have br oken on t he w heel an innocent m an, w hich is unpr ecedent ed; or t he fat her and his w ife st r angled t heir elder son, w it h t he assist ance of anot her son and a friend, w hich is unnat ur al. I n eit her case t he abuse of r eligion has led t o a gr eat cr im e. I t is, t her efor e, of int er est t o t he r ace t o inquir e w het her r eligion ought t o be char it able or bar bar ic.
CON SEQUEN CES OF TH E EXECUTI ON OF JEAN CALAS
I f t he w hit e penit ent s w er e t he cause of t he execut ion of an innocent m an, t he ut t er r uin of a fam ily , and t he disper sal and hum iliat ion t hat at t ach t o an execut ion, t hough t hey should punish only inj ust ice; if t he hast e of t he w hit e penit ent s t o com m em or at e as a saint one w ho, according t o our barbaric cust om s, should have been dr agged on a hur dle, led t o t he execut ion of a virt uous par ent ; t hey ought indeed t o be penit ent s for t he r est of t heir lives. They and t he j udges should w eep, but not in a long w hit e r obe, and w it h no m ask t o hide t heir t ear s.
w e call Huguenot s. One w ould say t hat t hey had t aken vow s t o hat e t heir br ot her s; for w e have r eligion enough left t o hat e and t o per secut e, and w e have enough t o love and t o help. What w ould happen if t hese confr at er nit ies w er e cont r olled by ent husiast s, as w er e once cer t ain congr egat ions of ar t isans and “ gent lem en,” am ong w hom , as one of our m ost eloquent and lear ned m agist r at es said, t he seeing of visions w as r educed t o a fine ar t ? What w ould happen if t hese confr at er nit ies set up again t hose dar k cham ber s, called “ m edit at ion r oom s,” on w hich w er e paint ed devils ar m ed w it h hor ns and claw s, gulfs of flam e, cr osses and dagger s, w it h t he holy nam e of Jesus sur m ount ing t he pict ure?1 What a spect acle for eyes t hat are alr eady fascinat ed, and im aginat ions t hat ar e as inflam ed as t hey ar e subm issive t o t heir confessor s!
There have been t im es w hen, as w e know only t oo w ell, confr at er nit ies w er e danger ous. The Frat elli and t he Flagellant s gave t r ouble enough. The League1 began w it h
associat ions of t hat kind. Why should t hey dist inguish t hem selves t hus fr om ot her cit izens? Did t hey t hink t hem selves m or e per fect ? The ver y claim is an insult t o t he r est of t he nat ion. Did t hey w ish all Chr ist ians t o ent er t heir confrat ernit y? What a sight it w ould be t o have all Eur ope in hoods and m ask s, w it h t w o lit t le r ound holes in fr ont of t he eyes! Do t hey ser iously t hink t hat God pr efer s t his cost um e t o t hat of or dinar y folk? Fur t her , t his gar m ent is t he unifor m of cont r over sialist s, w ar ning t heir opponent s t o get t o ar m s. I t m ay excit e a kind of civil w ar of m inds, and w ould per haps end in fat al excesses, unless t he king and his m inist ers w ere as w ise as t he fanat ics w ere dem ent ed.
We know w ell w hat t he price has been ever since Chr ist ians began t o disput e about dogm as. Blood has flow ed, on scaffolds and in bat t les, fr om t he four t h cent ur y t o our ow n days.2 We w ill r est r ict our selves her e t o t he w ar s and hor r or s w hich t he
Reform at ion st ruggle caused, and see w hat w as t he sour ce of t hem in Fr ance. Possibly a shor t and fait hful account of t hose calam it ies w ill open t he eyes of t he uninfor m ed and t ouch t he heart s of t he hum ane.
TH E I D EA OF TH E REFORM ATI ON
When enlight enm ent spr ead, w it h t he r enaissance of let t ers in t he fift eent h cent ury, t here w as a very general com plaint of abuses, and everybody agr ees t hat t he com plaint w as j ust .
r evolt ed against t his br igandage w er e, at least , not w r ong fr om t he m or al point of view . Let us see if t hey w er e w r ong in polit ics.
They said t hat , since Jesus Chr ist had never exact ed fees, nor sold dispensat ions for t his world or indulgences for t he next , one m ight r efuse t o pay a for eign pr ince t he pr ice of t hese t hings. Supposing t hat our fees t o Rom e and t he dispensat ions w hich w e st ill buy1 did not cost us m or e t han fiv e hundred t housand fr ancs a year , it is clear t hat , since t he t im e of Fr ancis I ., w e should have paid, in t w o hundr ed and fift y year s, a hundred and t w ent y m illion francs; allow ing for t he change of value in m oney, w e m ay say about t w o hundr ed and fift y m illions [ £10,000,000] . One m ay, t her efor e, w it hout blasphem y, adm it t hat t he her et ics, in pr oposing t o abolish t hese singular t axes, w hich w ill ast onish a lat er age, did not do a ver y gr ave w r ong t o t he kingdom , and t hat t hey w er e r at her good financier s t han bad subj ect s. Let us add t hat t hey alone knew Gr eek, and w er e acquaint ed w it h ant iquit y. Let us grant t hat , in spit e of t heir errors, w e ow e t o t hem t he developm ent of t he hum an m ind, so long bur ied in t he densest bar barism
But , as t hey denied t he exist ence of Pur gat or y, w hich it is not per m it t ed t o doubt , and w hich br ought a consider able incom e t o t he m onks; and as t hey did not vener at e r elics, w hich ought t o be vener at ed, and w hich ar e a sour ce of even gr eat er pr ofit —in fine, as t hey assailed m uch- r espect ed dogm as, t he only answ er t o t hem at first w as t o burn t hem . The king, w ho pr ot ect ed and subsidised t hem in Ger m any, w alk ed at t he head of a procession in Paris, and at t he close a num ber of t he w ret ches w ere execut ed. This w as t he m anner of execut ion. They w ere hung at t he end of a long beam , w hich w as balanced, like a see- saw , acr oss a t r ee. A big fir e w as lit under neat h, and t hey w er e alt er nat ely sunk int o it and r aised out . Their t or m ent s w er e t hus pr ot r act ed, unt il deat h relieved t hem from a m ore hideous punishm ent t han any bar bar ian had ever invent ed.
Shor t ly befor e t he deat h of Fr ancis I . cer t ain m em ber s of t he Par lem ent de Pr ovence, inst igat ed by t heir cler gy against t he inhabit ant s of Mer indol and Cabr ièr es, asked t he king for t roops t o support t he execut ion of ninet een persons of t he dist r ict w hom t hey had condem ned. They had six t housand slain, w it hout regard t o sex or age or infancy, and t hey reduced t hirt y t owns t o ashes. These people, w ho had not hit her t o been hear d of, w er e, no doubt , in t he w rong t o have been bor n Waldensians; but t hat w as t heir only cr im e. They had been set t led for t hree hundr ed year s in t he deser t s and on t he m ount ains, w hich t hey had, w it h incr edible labour , m ade fer t ile. Their quiet , past or al life r epr esent ed t he supposed innocence of t he fir st ages of m en. They knew t he
neighbouring t ow ns only by selling fruit t o t hem . They had no law cour t s and never w ar r ed; t hey did not defend t hem selves. They w er e slain as one slays anim als in an enclosur e.
persecut ed sect t o t ake t o arm s. They had incr eased in t he light of t he flam es and under t he sw or d of t he execut ioner , and subst it ut ed fur y for pat ience. They im it at ed t he cruelt ies of t heir enem ies. Nine civil w ar s filled Fr ance w it h car nage; and a peace m or e fat al t han w ar led t o t he m assacr e of St . Bar t holom ew , w hich is w it hout pr ecedent in t he annals of cr im e.
The [ Cat holic] League assassinat ed Henry I I I . and Henry I V. by t he hands of a Dom inican m onk , and of a m onst er w ho had belonged t o t he or der of St . Ber nar d. Ther e ar e t hose w ho say t hat hum anit y, indulgence, and liber t y of conscience ar e hor r ible t hings. Candidly , could t hey have brought about calam it ies such as t hese?
W H ETH ER TOLERATI ON I S D AN GEROUS, AN D AM ON G W H AT PEOPLES
I T I S FOUN D
Ther e ar e som e w ho say t hat , if w e t r eat ed w it h pat er nal indulgence t hose er r ing bret hr en w ho pr ay t o God in bad Fr ench [ inst ead of bad Lat in] , w e should be put t ing w eapons in t heir hands, and w ould once m or e w it ness t he bat t les of Jar nac,
Moncont our , Cout r as, Dreux, and St . Denis. I do not know anyt hing about t his, as I am not a pr ophet ; but it seem s t o m e an illogical piece of r easoning t o say: “ These m en r ebelled w hen I t r eat ed t hem ill, t her efor e t hey w ill r ebel w hen I t r eat t hem w ell.”
I w ould vent ur e t o t ake t he liber t y t o invit e t hose w ho ar e at t he head of t he
gover nm ent , and t hose w ho are dest ined for high posit ions, t o r eflect car efully w het her one r eally has gr ound t o fear t hat kindness w ill lead t o t he sam e r evolt s as cr uelt y; w het her w hat happened in cer t ain cir cum st ances is sur e t o happen in differ ent cir cum st ances; if t he t im es, public opinion, and m or als ar e unchanged.
The Huguenot s, it is t rue, have been as inebr iat ed w it h fanat icism and st ained w it h blood as w e. But ar e t his gener at ion as bar bar ic as t heir fat her s? Have not t im e, t he pr ogr ess of r eason, good books, and t he hum anising influence of societ y had an effect on t he leaders of t hese people? And do w e not per ceive t hat t he aspect of near ly t he w hole of Eur ope has been changed w it hin t he last fift y year s?
Governm ent is st ronger ever yw her e, and m or als have im pr oved. The or dinar y police, suppor t ed by num er ous st anding ar m ies, gives us som e secur it y against a r et ur n t o t hat age of anar chy in w hich Calv inist ic peasant s fought Cat holic peasant s, hast ily enr olled bet w een t he sow ing and t he har vest .
Differ ent t im es have differ ent needs. I t w ould be absur d t o decim at e t he Sor bonne t o-day because it once pr esent ed a dem and for t he burning of t he Maid of Orleans, declar ed t hat Henr y I I I . had for feit ed his kingdom , excom m unicat ed him , and
unj ust , but w ould be as st upid as t o pur ge all t he inhabit ant s of Mar seilles because t hey had t he plague in 1720.
Shall w e go and sack Rom e, as t he t r oops of Char les V. did, because Sixt us V. in 1585 grant ed an indulgence of nine year s t o all Fr enchm en w ho w ould t ake up ar m s against t heir sover eign? I s it not enough t o pr event Rom e for ever fr om r ever t ing t o such excesses?
The r age t hat is inspir ed by t he dogm at ic spir it and t he abuse of t he Chr ist ian r eligion, w r ongly conceived, has shed as m uch blood and led t o as m any disast er s in Ger m any, England, and even Holland, as in Fr ance. Yet r eligious differ ence causes no t r ouble t o-day in t hose St at es. The Jew , t he Cat holic, t he Gr eek, t he Lut heran, t he Calvinist , t he Anabapt ist , t he Socinian, t he Mem nonist , t he Mor avian, and so m any ot hers, live like brot her s in t hese count r ies, and cont r ibut e alik e t o t he good of t he social body.
They fear no longer in Holland t hat disput es about pr edest inat ion w ill end in heads being cut off. They fear no longer at London t hat t he quar r els of Pr esbyt er ians and Episcopalians about lit ur gies and sur plices w ill lead t o t he deat h of a king on t he scaffold. A populous and w ealt hier I r eland w ill no longer see it s Cat holic cit izens sacr ifice it s Pr ot est ant cit izens t o God dur ing t w o m ont hs, bur y t hem aliv e, hang t heir m ot her s t o gibbet s, t ie t he gir ls t o t he necks of t heir m ot her s, and see t hem expir e t oget her; or put sw or ds in t he hands of t heir pr isoner s and guide t heir hands t o t he bosom s of t heir w ives, t heir fat her s, t heir m ot her s, and t heir daught er s, t hinking t o m ake par r icides of t hem , and dam n t hem as w ell as ext er m inat e t hem .1 Such is t he account given by Rapin Thoyr as, an officer in I r eland, and alm ost a cont em por ar y; so w e find in all t he annals and hist or ies of England. I t w ill never be r epeat ed. Philosophy, t he sist er of religion, has disarm ed t he hands t hat super st it ion had so long st ained w it h blood; and t he hum an m ind, aw akening from it s int oxicat ion, is am azed at t he excesses int o w hich fanat icism had led it .
We have in Fr ance a r ich pr ovince in w hich t he Lut her ans out num ber t he Cat holics. The Universit y of Alsace is in t he hands of t he Lut her ans. They occupy som e of t he
m unicipal offices; yet not t he least r eligious quar r el has dist ur bed t his pr ovince since it cam e int o t he possession of our kings. Why? Because no one has ever been persecut ed in it . Seek not t o vex t he hear t s of m en, and t hey ar e your s.
I do not say t hat all w ho ar e not of t he sam e r eligion as t he pr ince should shar e t he posit ions and honour s of t hose w ho follow t he dom inant r eligion. I n England t he
Cat holics, w ho ar e r egar ded as at t ached t o t he part y of t he Pret ender , ar e not adm it t ed t o office. They even pay double t axes. I n ot her respect s, how ever, t hey hav e all t he r ight s of cit izens.
t heir honour nor t heir pr ofit t o have Calvinist s in t heir dioceses. This is said t o be one of t he gr eat est obst acles t o t oler at ion. I cannot believe it . The episcopal body in France is com posed of gent lem en, w ho t hink and act w it h t he nobilit y t hat befit s t heir bir t h. They ar e char it able and gener ous; so m uch j ust ice m ust be done t hem . They m ust t hink t hat t heir fugit ive subj ect s w ill assur edly not be conver t ed in for eign count r ies, and t hat , w hen t hey r et ur n t o t heir past or s, t hey m ay be enlight ened by t heir inst r uct ions and t ouched by t heir exam ple. Ther e w ould be honour in convert ing t hem , and t heir m at er ial int er est s w ould not suffer . The m or e cit izens t here w ere, t he larger w ould be t he incom e fr om t he pr elat e’s est at es.
A Polish bishop had an Anabapt ist for farm er and a Socinian for st ew ard. I t w as suggest ed t hat he ought t o dischar ge and pr osecut e t he lat t er because he did not believe in consubst ant ialit y, and t he for m er because he did not bapt ise his child unt il it w as fift een year s old. He r eplied t hat t hey w ould be dam ned for ever in t he next w or ld, but t hat t hey w er e ver y useful t o him in t his.
Let us get out of our gr ooves and st udy t he rest of t he globe. The Sult an gov erns in peace t w ent y m illion people of differ ent r eligions; t w o hundr ed t housand Gr eeks live in secur it y at Const ant inople; t he muphti him self nom inat es and pr esent s t o t he em per or t he Gr eek pat r iar ch, and t hey also adm it a Lat in pat r iar ch. The Sult an nom inat es Lat in bishops for som e of t he Gr eek islands, using t he follow ing for m ula: “ I com m and him t o go and r eside as bishop in t he island of Chios, accor ding t o t heir ancient usage and t heir vain cer em onies.” The em pir e is full of Jacobit es, Nest or ians, and Monot helit es; it
cont ains Copt s, Christ ians of St . John, Jew s, and Hindoos. The annals of Tur key do not record any revolt inst igat ed by any of t hese r eligions.
Go t o I ndia, Per sia, or Tar t ar y, and you will find t he sam e t oler at ion and t r anquillit y. Pet er t he Gr eat pat r onised all t he cult s in his vast em pir e. Com m er ce and agr icult ur e profit ed by it , and t he body polit ic never suffer ed fr om it .
The governm ent of China has not , dur ing t he four t housand years of it s know n hist ory, had any cult but t he sim ple w or ship of one God. Never t heless, it t oler at es t he
super st it ions of Fo, and per m it s a lar ge num ber of bronzes, w ho w ould be danger ous if t he pr udence of t he court s did not r est r ain t hem .
of t he blood? What w ould he have said if he had read our hist or y and w as acquaint ed w it h t he days of our League and of t he Gunpow der Plot ?
I t w as enough for him t o be infor m ed of t he indecent quar r els of t he Jesuit s,
Dom inicans, Fr anciscans, and secular pr iest s sent int o his St at e fr om t he ends of t he ear t h. They cam e t o pr each t he t r ut h, and fell t o anat hem at ising each ot her. Hence t he em per or w as bound t o expel t he for eign dist ur ber s. But how kindly he dism issed t hem ! What pat er nal car e did he not devot e t o t heir j our ney, and in or der t o pr ot ect t hem from insult on t he w ay? Their very banishm ent w as a lesson in t oler at ion and hum anit y.
The Japanese w er e t he m ost t oler ant of all m en. A dozen peaceful r eligions t hr ove in t heir em pire, w hen t he Jesuit s cam e w it h a t hirt eent h. As t hey soon show ed t hat t hey w ould t oler at e no ot her , t her e ar ose a civil w ar, even m ore fright ful t han t hat of t he League, and t he land w as desolat ed. I n t he end t he Chr ist ian r eligion w as dr ow ned in blood; t he Japanese closed t heir em pir e, and r egar ded us only as w ild beast s, like t hose w hich t he English have clear ed out of t heir island. The m inist er Colbert , know ing how w e need t he Japanese, w ho have no need of us, t r ied in vain t o r eopen com m er ce w it h t heir em pir e. He found t hem inflexible.
Thus t he w hole of our cont inent show s us t hat w e m ust neit her preach nor pract ise int olerance.
Turn your eyes t o t he ot her hem isphere. St udy Carolina, of w hich t he w ise Locke w as t he legislat or . Seven fat her s of fam ilies sufficed t o set up a public cult appr oved by t he law ; and t his liber t y gave r ise t o no disor der . Heaven pr eserve us fr om quot ing t his as an exam ple for Fr ance t o follow ! We quot e it only t o show t hat t he great est excess of t oler at ion w as not follow ed by t he slight est dissension. But w hat is good and useful in a young colony is not suit able for a long- est ablished kingdom .
What shall w e say of t he pr im it ive people w ho have been der isively called Quaker s, but w ho, how ever ridiculous t heir cust om s m ay be, have been so vir t uous and given so useful a lesson of peace t o ot her m en? Ther e are a hundr ed t housand of t hem in Pennsylvania. Discor d and cont r over sy ar e unknow n in t he happy count ry t hey hav e m ade for t hem selves; and t he ver y nam e of t heir chief t ow n, Philadelphia, w hich unceasingly r em inds t hem t hat all m en ar e br ot her s, is an exam ple and a sham e t o nat ions t hat ar e yet ignor ant of t oler at ion.
Toler at ion, in fine, never led t o civil w ar ; int oler ance has cover ed t he ear t h w it h
car nage. Choose, t hen, bet w een t hese rivals—bet w een t he m ot her w ho w ould have her son slain and t he m ot her w ho yields, pr ovided his life be spar ed.
r est r ain not t heir t hought s, alw ays go far t her t han t he aut hor .
H OW TOLERATI ON M AY BE AD M I TTED
I vent ure t o t hink t hat som e enlight ened and m agnanim ous m inist er , som e hum ane and w ise prelat e, som e pr ince w ho put s his int erest in t he num ber of his subj ect s and his glor y in t heir w elfar e, m ay deign t o glance at t his inar t ist ic and defect ive paper . He w ill supply it s defect s and say t o him self: What do I r isk in seeing m y land cult ivat ed and enr iched by a lar ger num ber of indust r ious w or ker s, t he r evenue increased, t he St at e m or e flour ishing?
Ger m any w ould be a deser t st r ew n w it h t he bones of Cat holics, Pr ot est ant s, and Anabapt ist s, slain by each ot her , if t he peace of West phalia had not at lengt h br ought freedom of conscience.
We have Jew s at Bor deaux and Met z and in Alsace; w e have Lut herans, Molinist s, and Jansenist s; can w e not suffer and cont r ol Calvinist s on m uch t he sam e t er m s as t hose on w hich Cat holics ar e t oler at ed at London? The m ore sect s t here are, t he less danger in each. Mult iplicit y enfeebles t hem . They ar e all r est r ained by j ust law s w hich for bid disor der ly m eet ings, insult s, and sedit ion, and are ever enfor ced by t he com m unit y.
We know t hat m any fat hers of fam ilies, w ho have m ade lar ge for t unes in for eign lands, ar e r eady t o r et ur n t o t heir count r y. They ask only t he prot ect ion of nat ural law , t he validit y of t heir m arriages, secur it y as t o t he condit ion of t heir childr en, t he r ight t o inher it from t heir fat her s, and t he enfranchisem ent of t heir per sons. They ask not for public chapels, or t he r ight t o m unicipal offices and dignit ies. Cat holics have not t hese t hings in England and ot her count r ies. I t is not a quest ion of giving im m ense pr ivileges and secur e posit ions t o a fact ion, but of allow ing a peaceful people t o live, and of m oder at ing t he law s once, but no longer , necessar y. I t is not our place t o t ell t he m inist r y w hat is t o be done; w e do but ask consider at ion for t he unfor t unat e.
How m any w ays t here are of m ak ing t hem useful, and prevent ing t hem from ever being danger ous! The pr udence of t he m inist r y and t he Council, suppor t ed as it is by for ce, w ill easily discover t hese m eans, w hich ar e already happily em ployed by ot her nat ions.
r idicule t hat at t aches t o- day t o t he ent husiasm of t hese good people? Ridicule is a st rong barrier t o t he ext r avagance of all sect ar ians. The past is as if it had never been. We m ust alw ays st ar t from t he pr esent —from t he point w hich nat ions have alr eady reached.
There was a t im e w hen it was t hought necessar y t o issue decr ees against t hose w ho t aught a doct r ine at var iance w it h t he cat egor ies of Ar ist ot le, t he abhor r ence of a vacuum , t he quiddit ies, t he univer sal apar t from t he obj ect . We have in Eur ope m or e t han a hundred volum es of j urispr udence on sor cer y and t he w ay t o dist inguish bet w een false and real sorcerer s. The excom m unicat ion of gr asshopper s and har m ful insect s has been m uch pr act ised, and st ill sur vives in cer t ain r it uals. But t he pr act ice is over ; Ar ist ot le and t he sor cer er s and gr asshopper s ar e left in peace. Ther e ar e count less inst ances of t his folly, once t hought so im por t ant . Ot her follies ar ise fr om t im e t o t im e; but t hey have t heir day and ar e abandoned. What w ould happen t o- day if a m an w er e m inded t o call him self a Car pocr at ian, a Eut ychian, a Monot helit e, a Monophysist , a Nest or ian, or a Manichæan? We should laugh at him , as at a m an dr essed in t he gar b of form er days.
The nat ion w as beginning t o open it s eyes w hen t he Jesuit s Le Tellier and Doucin fabr icat ed t he bull Unigenitus and sent it t o Rom e. They t hought t hat t hey st ill lived in t hose ignor ant t im es w hen t he m ost absur d st at em ent s w er e accept ed w it hout inquir y. They vent ur ed even t o condem n t he pr oposit ion, a t r ut h of all t im es and all places: “ The fear of unj ust excom m unicat ion should not prevent one fr om doing one’s dut y.” I t w as a proscript ion of reason, of t he libert ies of t he Gallican Chur ch, and of t he fundam ent al principle of m or als. I t w as t o say t o m en: God com m ands you never t o do your dut y if you fear inj ust ice. Never w as com m onsense m or e out r ageously challenged! The counsellor s of Rom e w er e not on t heir guard. The papal cour t w as per suaded t hat t he bull w as necessar y, and t hat t he nat ion desir ed it ; it w as signed, sealed, and
dispat ched. You know t he r esult s; assur edly, if t hey had been for eseen, t he bull w ould have been m odified. Ther e w ere angry quar r els, w hich t he pr udence and goodness of t he king have set t led.
So it is in r egar d t o a num ber of t he point s w hich divide t he Pr ot est ant s and our selves. Som e are of no consequence; som e are m ore ser ious; but on t hese point s t he fur y of t he cont roversy has so far abat ed t hat t he Prot est ant s t hem selves no longer ent er int o disput es in t heir chur ches.
W H ETH ER I N TOLERAN CE I S OF N ATURAL AN D H UM AN LAW
Nat ur al law is t hat indicat ed t o m en by nat ur e. You have r ear ed a child; he ow es you r espect as a fat her , gr at it ude as a benefact or. You have a r ight t o t he pr oduct s of t he soil t hat you have cult ivat ed w it h your ow n hands. You hav e given or r eceived a prom ise; it m ust be kept .
Hum an law m ust in ever y case be based on nat ur al law . All over t he ear t h t he gr eat principle of bot h is: Do not unt o ot her s w hat you w ould t hat t hey do not unt o you. Now , in virt ue of t his principle, one m an cannot say t o anot her : “ Believe w hat I believe, and w hat t hou canst not believe, or t hou shalt per ish.” Thus do m en speak in Por t ugal, Spain, and Goa. I n som e ot her count r ies t hey are now cont ent t o say: “ Believe, or I det est t hee; believe, or I w ill do t hee all t he har m I can. Monst er , t hou shar est not m y r eligion, and t her efor e hast no r eligion; t hou shalt be a t hing of hor r or t o t hy
neighbour s, t hy cit y, and t hy pr ovince.”
I f it w er e a point of hum an law t o behave t hus, t he Japanese should det est t he Chinese, w ho should abhor t he Siam ese; t he Siam ese, in t ur n, should per secut e t he Thibet ans, w ho should fall upon t he Hindoos. A Mogul should t ear out t he hear t of t he fir st
Malabar ian he m et ; t he Malabar ian should slay t he Per sian, w ho m ight m assacr e t he Tur k; and all of t hem should fling t hem selv es against t he Christ ians, w ho have so long devoured each ot her.
The supposed r ight of int oler ance is absur d and bar bar ic. I t is t he r ight of t he t iger ; nay, it is far w orse, for t igers do but t ear in or der t o have food, w hile w e r end each ot her for paragraphs.
W H ETH ER I N TOLERAN CE W AS KN OW N TO TH E GREEKS
The peoples of w hom hist or y has given us som e slight know ledge r egar ded t heir differ ent r eligions as links t hat bound t hem t oget her ; it w as an associat ion of t he hum an race. There w as a kind of right t o hospit alit y am ong t he gods, j ust as t her e w as am ong m en. When a st r anger r eached a t ow n, his fir st act w as t o w or ship t he gods of t he count ry ; even t he gods of enem ies w ere st rict ly v enerat ed. The Troj ans offered prayer s t o t he gods w ho fought for t he Gr eeks.
Alexander , in t he deser t s of Libya, w ent t o consult t he god Am m on, w hom t he Gr eeks called Zeus and t he Lat ins Jupit er , t hough t hey bot h had t heir ow n Zeus or Jupit er at hom e. When a t ow n w as besieged, sacr ifices and pr ayer s w er e offer ed t o t he gods of t he t ow n t o secur e t heir favour . Thus in t he very m idst of w ar religion unit ed m en and m oder at ed t heir fur y, t hough at t im es it enj oined on t hem inhum an and hor r ible deeds.
