4 6 VOLTAIRE. 



His ridicule of saints is confined to the fanatical 

 devotees or hypocritical pretenders who degrade and 

 desecrate the name. If he mentions any miracles with 

 disrespect, it is their false ones, as in that fine passage, 

 which yet gave offence, in the seventh Discourse 



" Les miracles sont bons ; mais soulager son frere, 

 Mais tifer son ami du sein de la misere, 

 Mais a ses ennemis pardonner leur vertus, 

 C'est un plus grand miracle, et qui ne se fait plus." 



To judge of the admirable tendency of this noble 

 poem, we need only cite such lines as give the subject 

 of the first discourse omitted strangely with some of 

 the very finest of the whole, as those on Timante, 

 Cyrus, and De Thou, in the seventh : 



" Mortel, en quelque etat que le ciel t'ait fait naitre, 

 Sois soumis, sois content, et rend grace a ton maitre :" 



and those on tolerance in the second 



" Ferme en tes sentimens et simple dans ton cceur, 

 Aime la verite, mais pardonnez a 1'erreur ; 

 Fuis les importuner d'un zele atrabilaire. 

 Ce mortel qui s'egare est un homme, et ton frere ; 

 Sois sage pour toi seule, compatissant pour lui, 

 Fais ton bonheur ehfin par le bonheur d'autrui." 



The panegyric on friendship in the fourth is perhaps 

 unequalled on that trite subject. That point and 

 satire should be found in this poem was to be expected, 

 but they are by no means overdone ; nay, they are kept 

 in subjection to the great and good design of the 

 work; and if we have a dark picture strongly but 

 admirably drawn, it is that of the despicable Des 

 Fontaines : 



