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vable in them, depends on the various circumftances in 
which they are placed, and the different education which 
they receive. The fourth effay treats of the different 
faculties, or rather of the different qualifications, of the 
mind, and the effedts of thofe operative faculties, vari- 
oufly combined. The principles advanced in this work 
are maintained, and further extended, j,n A Treatife on 
Man, his intelledfual Faculties, and his Education, ( in 
two volumes odtavo, which did not make its appearance 
till after the author’s death ; for which he affigns this 
reafon, that, “ had he publiftied this book in his life¬ 
time, he (hould, in all probability, have expofed him- 
felf to perfecution, without the profpedt of any perfonal 
advantage.” In both thefe works, he has difplayed. 
great ingenuity and tafte, a very extenfive knowledge 
of human nature, an exquifite turn for expofing the 
foibles of mankind, and many juft and inftrudtive re¬ 
marks; but he has alfo advanced hypothefes which 
appear to be highly paradoxical, whimfical, and delu- 
five : whence they have been called “ the paradoxes of 
Helvetius.” In 1773 was publiftied his work intitled, 
Happinefs, a Poem, in fix Cantos, with Fragments of 
fome Epiftles, 12100. But, inftead of making happinefs 
to refult from virtue, this poem is intended to (how that 
it depends on the cultivation of literature and the arts. 
The early part of the life of Helvetius was chiefly 
devoted to frivolity and pleafure, and to the acquire¬ 
ment of thofe gay and effeminate accomplifhments, 
which are emphatically faid to create a nan 6/ the world. 
“ But while the author of l’Efprit (fays M. la Harpe) 
was thus feeding his vanity by endeavouring to become 
admired as the mod accomplifhed, the handfomeft, and 
beft-bred, beau in Paris, he accidentally beheld, in a 
public garden, a man who had none of thefe accom- 
pliftiments, yet to whom a circle of ladies were doing 
honour. It was Maupertuis, juft returned from his 
voyage towards the pole, and who had acquired a tem¬ 
porary reputation in the fciences. Helvetius was ftruck 
with the confideration which the reputation of a man of 
letters was thus able to enfure, even among the amiable 
fex. He had hitherto fucceeded with the utmoft eafe 
in all that he had attempted. He had danced to admi¬ 
ration at the opera, under the mafk of Juvillier.s, one of 
the fineft dancersvof the time. He had already made 
attempts in poetry ; he had fubmitted his verfes to Vol¬ 
taire; he had the chance of becoming a man of fcience. 
He now for the firft time diredted his attention to philo- 
fophy, and connedted himfelf with its chief votaries^ 
particularly with Diderot.” Hence la Harpe conceives 
that Helvetius borrowed his leading ideas from conver- 
fations with that friend. As his hypothefis, he obferves, 
every where terminates in materialifm, it is probable that 
the bafis of it was furniftied by a man of letters by 
profeflion, who loved nothing better than to rrtake 
difciples in modern philofophy. Yet ftill the JyJlem of 
Helvetius proves it to be the work of one individual. 
“ His ftyle, fays la Harpe, is in general corredt and pure, 
but boafts little of character. He fometimes difplays 
brilliancy, but never either warmth or force; and in 
that refpedt, his didtion coincides with his dodlrine, 
which reduces fenfibility to pure materiality. His ima¬ 
gination is heated only by fliowy or voluptuous pidhires, 
which indicates a fpir.it little adapted for philofophy. 
His paradoxes were the more readily adopted by num¬ 
bers, becaufe they were difeovered to flatter the paffions, 
to lower the ftandard of virtue, and to furnilh excufes 
for vice. An exammination of the lucubrations of 
philofophers, down from the date of the works' of 
Helvetius, warrants me in faying, that the principal and 
molt fuccefsful caufe of their gaining readers and fol¬ 
lowers, arofe from their enlifting the paffions on their 
fide. Such is the bafis of their fyftems, the general 
fpirit.of their fedl, and the principle of their liiccefs. 
The method is not very honourable : but with a little 
addrefs it is almoft fure to fucceed, at leaft for a time ; 
H E L 
for nothing is more eafy than to pafs off as a theory a 
corruption which already exifts as a fafhion.” See 
La Harpe’s Lyceum, 1804.. 
Of the amiabilities of this extraordinary man, we have 
the following very pleafing (ketch given by Marmontel. 
“ Helvetius, pre-occupied with his ambition of literary 
fame, came to our fpciety of literati, his head heated 
with his morning’s work. To write a book that (hould 
be diftinguilhed in his age.Jhis firft care had been to feek 
for fome new truth to publifli, or fome bold and new 
idea to produce and fupport. But, as new and fruitful 
truths have been infinitely rare for the laft two thoufand 
years, he had taken for his thefis the paradox which he 
has developed in his work de VEfprit. Whether it were 
that by force of contention he had perfuaded himfelf of 
what he wifiied to perfuade others, or whether he were 
(till ftruggling againft his own doubts, and fought to 
conquer them, we were amufed at feeing him bring 
fucceffively on the carpet the queftions that occupied 
or the difficulties that embarrafled him; and after having 
afforded him for fome time the pleafure of hearing them 
difeuffed, we engaged him to fuffer himfelf to be carried 
along with the current of our converfation. He then 
gave himfelf wholly to it, with infinite warmth, as 
(imple, as natural, as ingenuoufly fincere, in his familiar 
converfe, as you fee him fyftematic a«id fophiftical in 
his writings. Nothing lefs refembles the fimplicity of 
his character and of his habitual life, than the preme¬ 
ditated and fadfitious fingularity of his works; and this 
want of harmony will always be found between the 
manners and opinions of thofe who fatigue themfelves 
with imagining ftrange things. Helvetius had in his 
foul the complete contrary of what he has faid. There 
never was a better man: liberal, generous without 
oftentation, and beneficent becaufe he was wealthy and 
good, he conceived the idea of calumniating all honed 
men and himfelf, by giving to all moral adtions no mo¬ 
tive but felf-love. Abftradted from his writings, we 
loved him fuch as he really was, the friend of hofpitality, 
of literature, and of fcience; and hence his houfe was 
conftantly the refort of men of letters.” See Memoirs 
of Marmontel, 1805. 
HEL'VICUS (Chriftopher), a learned theologian, 
born at Hefle in 1581. He ftudied at Marpurg; and in 
1605 was appointed to teach Greek and Hebrew at the 
college founded by the landgrave at Gieffen,-which 
was the next year eredted into an univerfity. In 1610 
he was raifed to the profefibrftiip of theology in the 
fame feminary, which he refufed to quit, notwithftanding 
feveral offers from other parts- In the height of his 
reputation, and as he was meditating feveral confiderable 
works, he died, in 1617. He compofed various gram¬ 
mars and lexicons, and a book of rules for writing 
Greek verfe. As a theologian he compofed feveral 
tradts on the controverfies between the Jews and Chrif- 
tians. In hiftory he is known by his Chronological 
Tables, firft publilhed in 1609 under the title of Theatrum 
Hijloricum, Jive Chronologize Syflema novum, folio. He like- 
wife compofed a Synopfisof Univerlal Hiftory, deduced 
through, the four great monarchies, down to the year 
1616 ; alfo, a Chronological Differtation on the feventy 
Weeks of Daniel. 
HELVID'IANS, a fedl of ancient heretics, fo deno¬ 
minated from their leader Helvidius, a difciple of Aux- 
entius the Arian, whole diftinguilhing principle was, 
that Mary, the mother of Jefus, did not continue a vir¬ 
gin, but had other children by Jofeph. 
HEL'VI I, in ancient geography, a people of Gaul, 
along the Rhone. Pliny. 
HELVIL'LUM, a town of Umbria, fuppofed to be 
the fame as Suillum, now Sigillo. Pliny. 
HELVI'NA, a fountain of Aquinum where Ceres had 
a temple. Juvenal. 
HEL'VING, J. The adt of fitting with a helve. 
HE'LUM, a river of Scythia. 
HELV OETSLU'Y S, 
