Voltaire: A Sketch of his Life and Works Part 7

"Be silent," answers the dervish.

"I flattered myself," replied Pangloss, "to have reasoned a little with you on causes and effects, the best of possible worlds, the origin of evil, the nature of the soul, and on pre-established harmony."

At these words the dervish shut the door in their faces.-_Candide_.

Motives for Conduct

_Countess_: Apropos, I have forgotten to ask your opinion upon a matter which I read yesterday in a story by these good Mohammedans, which much struck me. Ha.s.san, son of Ali, being bathing, one of his slaves threw over him by accident some boiling water. His servants wished to impale the culprit. Ha.s.san, instead, gave him twenty pieces of gold. "There is," said he, "a degree of glory in Paradise for those who repay services, a greater one for those who forgive evil, and a still greater one for those who recompense involuntary evil." What think you of his action and his speech?

_The Count_: I recognise there my good Moslems of the first ages.

_Abbe_: And I, my good Christians.

_M. Freret_: And I am sorry that the scalded Ha.s.san, son of Ali, should have given twenty pieces of gold in order to have glory in Paradise. I do not like interested fine actions. I should have wished that Ha.s.san had been sufficiently virtuous and humane to have consoled the despair of the slave without even dreaming of being placed in the third rank in Paradise.-_Le Diner du Comte de Boulainvilliers_.

Self-Love

Self-love and all its off-shoots are as necessary to man as the blood which flows in his veins. Those who would take away his pa.s.sions because they are dangerous resemble those who would deplete a man of all his blood lest he should fall into apoplexy.-_Traite de Metaphysique._

Go From Your Village

A stupid said: "I must think like my _bonze_ (priest), for all my village agrees with him." Go from your village, poor man, and you will find ten thousand others who have each their _bonze_, and who all think differently.

Religious Prejudices

If your nurse has told you that Ceres presides over corn, or that Vishnu or Sakyamuni became men several times, or that Odin awaits you in his hall towards Jutland, or that Mohammed or some other travelled to Heaven; if, moreover, your preceptor deepens in your brain what the nurse, has engraved, you will hold it all your life. Should your judgment rise against these prejudices, your neighbors, above all your female neighbors, will cry out at the impiety and frighten you. Your dervish, fearing the diminution of his revenue, may accuse you before the Cadi, and this Cadi impale you if he can, since he desires to rule over fools, believing fools obey better than others; and this will endure till your neighbors, and the dervish, and the Cadi begin to understand that folly is good for nothing and that persecution is abominable.-_Dictionnaire Philosophique_.

Sacred History

I abandon to the declaimer Bossuet the politics of the Kings of Judah and Samaria, who only understood a.s.sa.s.sination, beginning with their King David (who took to the trade of brigand to make himself king, and a.s.sa.s.sinated Uriah when he was his master); and to wise Solomon, who began by a.s.sa.s.sinating Adonijah, his own brother, at the foot of the altar. I am tired of the absurd pedantry which consecrates the history of such a people to the instruction of children.-_l'A.B.C._

Dupe And Rogue

Are there theologians of good faith? Yes, as there have been men who believed themselves sorcerers.-_Le Diner du Comte de Boulainvilliers._

Enthusiasm begins, roguery ends. It is with religion as with gambling.

One begins by being dupe, one ends by being rogue.-_Le Diner du Comte de Boulainvilliers._

Every country has its bonzes. But I recognise that there are as many of them deceived as deceivers. The majority are those blinded by enthusiasm in their youth, and who never recover sight; there are others who have preserved one eye, and see all squintingly. These are the stupid charlatans.-_Entre deux Chinois._

"Delenda Est Carthago"

Theology must absolutely be destroyed, just as judicial astrology, magic, the divining rod, and the Star Chamber have been destroyed.-_l'A.B.C._

Jesus and Mohammed

_L'Abbe_: How could Christianity have established itself so high if it had nothing but fanaticism and fraud at its base?

_Le Comte_: And how did Mohammedanism establish itself. Mohammed at least could write and fight, and Jesus knew neither writing nor self-defence. Mohammed had the courage of Alexander, with the mind of Numa; and your Jesus, sweat, blood, and water. Mohammedanism has never changed, while you have changed your religion twenty times. There is more difference between it, as it is to-day, from what it was in the first ages, than there is between your customs and those of King Dagobert.-_Le Diner du Comte de Boulainvilliers._

How Faiths Spread

But how do you think, then, that my religion became established? Like all the rest. A man of strong imagination made himself followed by some persons of weak imagination. The flock increased; fanaticism commences, fraud achieves. A powerful man comes; he sees a crowd, ready bridled and with a bit in its teeth; he mounts and leads it.-_Dial, et entr. ph., Dialogue 19._

Superst.i.tion

The superst.i.tious man is to the knave what the slave is to the tyrant; nay, further, the superst.i.tious man is governed by the fanatic, and becomes one.-_Dict. Phil. (Art. "Superst.i.tion")_.