Imatges de pàgina
PDF
EPUB

who is fatisfied in doing good actions, by the hands of the enthusiastic madman. It does not always represent the empoisoned draught to Socrates; but it banishes Descartes from a town which should have been the afylum of liberty *. It gives to Jurieu, who affected the prophet, credit enough to reduce to want the learned and philofophic Bayle. It banishes from the univerfity of Leipfic, the fucceffor of the great Leibnitzt; before he could return it was neceffary that God fhould blefs us with a king, who is, at the fame time a philofopher; a true miracle, which he very seldom performs. In vain does human reafon grow perfect by philosophy, which now makes such a rapid force in Europe. In vain, do you above all, great prince, make repeated efforts to practise and inspire this human philofophy. We fee in this very age, while reason on one fide erects her throne, the most

* A fmall town in Holland, which this great deftroyer of the Ariftotelian philofophy chofe for his retreat and fafety, from religious disputes and cabals; for the fentiments of Ariftotle were then become articles of faith, and defended with equal warmth and zeal. Even Holland did not afford him a fufficient afylum: he then removed to Sweden, where he was invited by the famous queen Chriftina, who afterwards abdicated the throne, and devoted herself entirely to learning and the mufes.

+ Chriftianus Wolf, whose works are much admired in Germany. He defended the opinions of his predeceffor, and befides many learned tracts on metaphyfics and logics, as well as on natural philofophy, he has left a very complete course of the mathematics.

abfurd fanaticism fets up its altars on the other *.

Perhaps it will be faid, that giving too much way to my zeal, I make Mahomet commit a crime in this piece, which in fact he was not guilty of.

The count de Boulainvilliers wrote some years ago, the life of this prophet. He endeavours to represent him as a great man that Providence had chosen to punish the chriftians, and to change the face of a part of the world.

Mr. Sale, who has given an excellent translation of the koran into English, would fain make Mahomet pafs for a Numa and a Thefeus. I allow that if he was born to a throne, or called to the government by the voice of the people, and had given laws of peace, like Numa, or protected his countrymen, as it is faid of Thefeus, he would deferve refpect. But that a dealer in camels fhould raise a fedition in his native village; that joined by a few miferable Coracites +, he should perfuade them that he held frequent converfation with the angel Gabriel; that he fhould boaft of being tranfported to the heavens, and, there, received a part of this unintelligible book, which makes common fenfe fhudder in every page; that in order to have his koran refpected and believed, he should bring rapîne and deftruction into his country; that he should murder

* He probably means the Moravians in Germany and England, or the Janfenifts in France.

A tribe among the Arabians to which Mahomet belonged

the fathers; ravish the daughters; that he should leave the conquered, only the alternative of his religion or of death; all this is certainly what cannot be excufable, but in the eyes of a muffulman, in whom fuperftition has ftifled all natural light of reason, or sparkle of humanity.

I know that Mahomet did not contrive precifely fuch a plot, as makes the subject of this tragedy. History only says, that he took away the wife of Seide, one of his disciples, and that he perfecuted Abusofian, whom I call Zophire: but is not the man, that wages war with his own country, and dares affert that it is by God's direction, capable of any thing? I did not merely pretend to represent a real action on the ftage, but real manners; and to make men think, as in fact they do think, in the circumftances in which I place them, and in fine, to fhew what horrid crimes knavery can invent, and fanaticism put in execution. Mahomet here is no more than

Tartuffe armed with power.

I fhall think myself well rewarded for my labour, if any of these weak minds, that are ever ready to receive the impressions of a foreign fu ry, not to be found at the bottom of their own hearts, can ftrengthen itself against fuch dangerous illufions, by the reading of this work; if, being struck with horror at the unfortunate obedience of Seide, it fays to itself: "Why fhould I blindly obey the rage of those that cry out; hate, perfecute, destroy whoever dares to differ with us in opinion, on fubjects indifferent to us, and which we do not understand?"

I wish I could contribute to eradicate fuch

fentiments from among men! The spirit of indulgence might make brothers of us all; that of perfecution is capable of producing only monsters.

Thus thinks your majefty. It would be to

[ocr errors]

me the greatest comfort to live near fo philofophic a king. My attachment to you is equal to my regret; and if other duties call me away, they fhall never efface from my breast the fenti ments which I owe to a prince who thinks and fpeaks as a man, who despises that false gravity, which always hides lowness and ignorance; who communicates his thoughts with freedom, becaufe he can be under no fear of being found out; who is always defirous of being informed, and who can inftruct the moft learned.

I fhall always remain with the most profound refpect, and the most lively acknowlegements, etc.

Rotterdam, January

20, 1742.

A

LETTER

To Pope BENEDICT the Fourteenth,

On fending him the tragedy of Mahomet*.

Moft bleffed Father,

You

OUR holiness will pardon the liberty that one of the lowest of the faithful, but one of the greatest admirers of virtue, makes bold to take, in submitting to the chief of the true religion this performance against the founder of a falfe and barbarous fect.

To whom could I more properly dedicate the satire of the cruelty and errors of a false prophet, than to the vicar and follower of a God of lenity and truth?

Your holiness will therefore give me leave to lay at your feet this little book and its author, and humbly to request your protection for the one, and your benedictions for the other. With these most respectful fentiments I kneel and kifs your facred feet.

Paris, Auguft

37, 1745.

* Written originally in Italian.

« AnteriorContinua »