206 MIRABEAU HIS CHARACTER AND CORRESPONDENCE. 



preserving good faith if it imposed upon them a law to hate those who are not 

 of their creed if it promoted fraud and immorality. 



" But the religion of the Jews, established upon the law of Moses, venerated 

 amongst Christians, who ascribe it to the immediate inspiration of the Divinity, 

 certainly does not embrace the anti-social principles to which we have alluded. 

 Its commandments are not in opposition to those of justice and humanity; they 

 do not clash with good faith ; they do not inculcate fraud. Far from exciting 

 dishonesty, the Mosaic law, founded particularly upon agriculture, is even spe- 

 cially opposed to traffic, a profession which, of all others, most naturally leads 

 to imposition." 



" We cannot doubt, that better treatment would extirpate those religious pre- 

 judices which prevent the children of Moses from adopting habits of a more 

 social character. The Jew is more a man than he is a Jew ; and why should he 

 not love a country in which he might be allowed to become a proprietor ? 

 where his contributions would not be more onerous than the contributions of 

 other citizens? where nothing would prevent him from gaining esteem and 

 consideration ? Why should he hate men from whom he would no longer be 

 separated by humiliating prerogatives men in whose rights and duties he would 

 participate? The novelty of this happiness, and the unfortunate probability, 

 that, for a long period, his nation cannot flatter itself that it will attain it else- 

 where, would augment its vafue in his estimation. His place of dwelling would 

 become his country. He would regard it with the tenderness of a son, long 

 forsaken, but re-established in his rights. These sentiments, inseparable from 

 the human heart, would have a stronger effect than all the sophisms of the rab- 

 bins, so much exaggerated, if not calumniated." 



" Do you wish the Jews to become better, more useful citizens ? 



" Banish from society every degrading distinction with regard to them ; open 

 to them every means of existence, acquirement, and possession. Far from inter- 

 dicting them agriculture, trades, mechanical arts encourage them in cultivating 

 them. Take care, without neglecting the sacred doctrine of their forefathers, 

 that the Jews are taught nature and its author, morality and reason, the inte- 

 rests of mankind, of the great society of which they form a part ; place the 

 Jewish schools upon the same footing as the Christian schools, in every thing 

 except what appertains to religion ; let this people, like every other, enjoy full 

 liberty of worship; let them establish, at their own expence, as many syna- 

 gogues and rabbins as they please ; let the right of exclusion be granted to the 

 Jewish Church, as to every other, only as to religious society; but, in the limits 

 of the society, let the decrees of the Rabbins be strengthened by the secular 

 power. Let the Jews live and be judged according to their own laws/' 



Mirabeau is equally at home, though in a different vein, respecting 

 the patronage of literature and the arts, by the great. Upon this subject 

 we select one of the notes, by the editor a writer who seems to have 

 wonderfully little respect for parties. 



" From the first administration of William Pitt, to that of Earl Grey, inclusive, 

 the general system has been to silence enemies, not to encourage or reward 

 friends. When in power, both Whigs and Tories hate honest literary men in 

 their hearts : they hate them, because they fear them. Some, who might be 

 named, have more than tacitly admitted this ; and in private, few have hesitated 

 to allow, that they would rather bribe a literary opponent purchase, or reward 

 his silence, than generously patronize an honest supporter. Where is the 

 encouragement where is the patronage where are the rewards that have been 

 conferred upon the literary men of talent, who have conscientiously devoted their 

 lives, as it were, in advocating principles principles and measures, rather than 

 men ? The 'lories or, as they are now pleased to designate themselves, the 

 Conservatives have neither the spirit nor the integrity, the honour nor the 

 patriotism, effectually to uphold, or honestly to reward, the principles which they 

 profess to inherit. 



" And what have the Whigs done, since their accession to power ? The 

 gratification and enrichment of familv connexions is not, of course, alluded to in 



