424 D'ALEMBERT. 



That the celebrated Discourse contains many bold 

 general views, often more bold indeed than considerate, 

 that it abounds with learning, that it is full of ingenious 

 suggestions, is perfectly true. That it is written in a 

 plain, perspicuous style, well suited to a didactic work, 

 is also certain. But that the impression which it pro- 

 duced was owing much more to its large scope, to the 

 amplitude of its range, than to the soundness of its 

 doctrines, or even to any felicity with which these were 

 illustrated, is, I believe, now the opinion of all who 

 impartially consider the subject. 



No sooner did the great work appear, to which this 

 Discourse formed the introduction, than the freedom 

 which marked some of the opinions delivered, perhaps 

 the omission of certain subjects altogether, but certainly 

 much more than either of these circumstances, the well- 

 known sentiments upon religious questions of many 

 contributors, though that subject was in general avoided 

 with care, raised a great opposition among the friends 

 of the Church, who were soon joined by those of the 

 temporal government; and this hostility was encouraged 

 by all who made a trade of literature, the professed 

 authors not belonging to the circle of the Encyclopae- 

 dists, a name soon applied not only to the authors of 

 the work but to the whole free-thinking part of the 

 community. The storm soon became general, but the 

 article ' Geneve' was the first cause of attack. The free 

 constitution of that little republic was praised, the con- 

 duct of its magistrates commended, the character of 

 its people extolled, but there were doubts thrown upon 

 the orthodoxy of its pastors, and a distinct condemna- 

 tion was pronounced of Calvin's prohibition of the 

 drama being still maintained in force. 



Rousseau, though himself the author of plays and 

 operas, attacked this article. His ' Letter' had extra- 

 ordinary success, and D'Alembert's reply is on all hands 

 allowed to have been a failure. Even his indiscrimi- 

 nate panegyrist, Condorcet, is fain to confess " Nous 



