1807; ] 
and eo fawning and treacherous, 
polite and plaufible, who, difgwifed in 
the cloak of religion, wrigele themfelves 
tito families, becdihe the confidants of 
the heads of them, enrich themfelves 
with the {pot of ut nfulpeétine credulity, 
and in return =w the feeds “of dilcord, 
hatred, and confulion: monfters engen- 
dered in hell, and vomited forth on earth 
_to be minifters of its vengeance— 
Vad, Denys—Mercy onus! my dear - 
you frighten me! 
you ee draw | 
Volt—Could T but ftop’ to finifh it— 
But I muft proceed with my confe fhons, 
and will not digrets from “them again. 
My enemies have declared that one half 
of my works are plagiaritins. My friends, 
| proteft here, m pretence of you all, 
that Lam entirely clear from this charge. 
T have ee at nothing from any aoe 
author; fuch, for example, as Corneille, 
Racine,  Molie ere, Boileau, and Quinault, 
‘hofe whom £ have imitated, may he 
confined to Lucan, Aretin, and Bayle. 
Inu my liter: ary purfuits I eve derived 
very little aflittance from friends. 
Friend.—Bat the E neyclopeditts 
Volt.—They are wo: ‘thy men; A) 
have always token well of me; they 
Write to ine, and [ write to them ; th ey 
—On my word, you haye put me ioa 
fiand. 
riend.—And that embarraffinent of 
yours requires’ a clear explanation, I 
fee well, that policy alone— 
inele, Vhac a picture 
Volt-—You have gueffed it. - I oe 
Lo neReTG for loving them: I ha 
however, my oblie: ations to them, i toh 
them, and Ieftecem them. 
a4 reend.—W hy do you not love them.? 
Volt—Becauie Lam fure they do not 
ba e me. 
Friend.—But 
vi ou to the a ? 
Volt—They have ityled meé, that great 
man; and they have ct hofen me preti- 
dent ef their fociety. They Hate cried 
very where aloud; Pfitpha is a God; 
they have allied me in combatting pe 
ju dices, in modelling our country, and 
# polifhing the age, which we have Wore 
hamed philvjaphical. 
Friend,—W | hy do you fear the Ency- 
elopedilts? 
Volt.—Beeaufe they rule the public 
mind defpotically ; and if Iwere to of 
fend them, they would unfay «all they 
had faid in my favour, They would 
raife up prop shets againit me, aid lower 
the eftimation my works are in, 
what obligations have 
. 
+ 
Literary Confessions of Voltaire. 
449 
F ne —But why do you efteem them 
fo hittle: 
Volt. Ohta their philofophy i is but. 
quackery; becaufe, like Socrates, they 
pretend to have thei demons; hecaile 
their works are mere trifles, and becaufe 
they are exceedingly proud. . 
Friend.—Do you full hate M, le- 
franc ? 
Volt. So friend, I forgive him. ie 
his poetry is erating to the ear, and his 
Memorial to the ‘King is an aukward 
piece of pleafantry, 
Hriend.—And what do you fay with 
refpeét to M. Freron. 
Volt,—1 forgive lim too; but upon 
this condition, that he fhall not write my 
epitaph. 
Friend.—And with regard to the Abbé 
Trublet 
Volt. by confefs that I was in the 
wrong to quarrel with him, He is a good 
fort of man; and | willingly retract what 
I have fad againtt fe in that bitter 
cauitic poem, w which I have intitled The 
Poor Devil. 
Friend —And what have you to con= 
fefs with refpect to M. Greflet ? 
Volt.—I forgive him lkewife: but I 
ihould with, in the new edition of his 
works which is in preparation, he would 
ftrike out from his Méchant a few lines, 
which my enemies have applied to me. 
Priend.—And as to Chaumeix? 
Volt.—Oh fie! 
Friend —-Why do you fay fo! Surely, 
you ¢ do not know that he is w riting a back 
in your praife. 
} ae —lfe write in my roti 
not know how to credit that. 
The jame Friend.—But nothing is more 
true. 
Folt.—Then I forgive him, 
tion he never finifhes it. , 
Friend.—And Father Hayer, and Fa- 
ther Gerthier: what fay you of Ge P 
Volt.—That I forgive both ef them. 
Iriend. ee will they- forgive you? 
Come, you mutt write to everyone that 
has been mentioned. Your letters mutt 
be fubmiflive, and in the ityle of a chrif 
tian ; and you mutt beg pardon for any 
offence youvhave given, TI fee nothing 
more proper to be done, nor any thing 
you ean do fo diverting. 
Volt.—What do you mean, my arene 
by diverting 2 Do you look upon my 
confeffions as a mere banter, 
Friend. an betwixt ourselves bare, 
it is a laughable matter, and you do not 
declare every thing. 
3N8 
I do 
on condi- 
aes 
~~ 
