VOLTAIRE: (1694-1778)

VOLTAIRE: (1694-1778)

`…try to put big pins in your ass... and do not take large scales to weigh cobwebs… There are a thousand occasions when a vaudeville is better than a lament of Jeremiah’

 

VOLTAIRE: (1694-1778) French Enlightenment Writer and Philosopher. Voltaire is a pseudonym, his name being François-Marie Arouet. Voltaire is known for his attacks on Catholic Church, and his advocacy of freedom of religion and expression, and separation of church and state. A very rare Letter Signed by Voltaire with exceptional content. L.S., `V´, also adding `Potsdam, 4^th November´ in his hand, three pages, 4to, Potsdam, 4^th November, n.y. [1752], to Mr. Formey, in French. Voltaire initiates his letter freely defending his ideas in an ironical way and ridiculing his correspondent´s theories, stating in part `En verité, monsieur, je ne vous croyais pas Suisse. Un illustre théologien de Bâle écrit que milord Bolingbroke a eu la chaude pisse et de là il tire la conséquence evidente que Moïse est l´auteur du Pentateuque. On prétend que de bonnes lois et de bonnes troupes ne valent rien, si l´on n´a pas une foi vive pour les dogmes de Zwingleet d´Ecolampade. Or, comme Titus, Marc-Aurèle, Trajan, Nerva, Julien, etc… avaient le malheur horrible de ne croire pas plus à Zwingle qu´au pape, et que cependant tout allait assez bien de leur temps…´ (Translation: “To be fair, sir, I didn't believe you were Swiss. An illustrious theologian from Basle writes that Lord Bolingbroke had a hot piss and from this he draws the obvious conclusion that Moses is the author of the Pentateuch. It is said that good laws and good troops are worthless if one does not have a lively faith in the dogmas of Zwingle and Ecolampadius. Now, as Titus, Marcus Aurelius, Trajan, Nerva, Julian, etc. had the horrible misfortune of not believing more in Zwingle than in the Pope, and yet everything was going quite well in their time...”) Voltaire further pursues his ferocious attack wrapped in fine literary forms but with crude words and mocking symbols, saying `Le chapelain de milord Chesterfield a pris en bon chrétien la cause de milord Bolingbroke, il l´a défendue dans une lettre pieuse et modeste. La traduction est parvenue ici avec la permission des supérieurs. Le roi a beaucoup ri: faites-en de même. Il paye bien les docteurs et se moque des disputes théologiques, métaphysiques, phoronomiques et dynamiques. Soyez très tranquille, vivez gaiement de l´Evangile et de la philosophie, et laissez les profanes douter de la chronologie de Moïse… essayez de vous mettre de grandes épingles dans le cul… ou plutôt faites-vous embaumer tout vivant, afin de n´attraper que dans sept ou huit cents ans ce point de maturité qui est la mort…´ (“Translation: “The chaplain of milord Chesterfield took as a good Christian the cause of milord Bolingbroke, he defended it in a pious and modest letter. The translation arrived here with the permission of the superiors. The King laughed a lot: do the same. He pays doctors well and doesn't care about theological, metaphysical, phoronomic and dynamic disputes. Be very quiet, live cheerfully from the Gospel and philosophy, and let the profane people doubt on the chronology of Moses... try to put big pins in your ass... or rather have yourself embalmed while alive, in order to only catch up in seven or eight hundred years this point of maturity which is death...”) A lengthy an extremely good content letter by Voltaire who, before concluding, sends two fine and wise statements `Croyez-moi, ne mettez aux choses que leur prix, et ne prenez point de grosses balances pour peser des toiles d´araignées´ (Translation: “Believe me, put only the real price on things, and do not take large scales to weigh cobwebs”), and `Il y a mille occasions où un vaudeville vaut mieux qu´une lamentation de Jérémie´ (Translation: “There are a thousand occasions when a vaudeville is better than a lament of Jeremiah”) Small overall minor age wear, with a small tear to the bottom edge, otherwise G

 

Johann Heinrich Samuel Formey (1711-1797) German Churchman, Educator and Author. A founding member of the Berlin Academy who popularized scientific and philosophical ideas, in French, and contributed to Diderot´s Encyclopédie. Although Formey fought against the ideas of the philosophers, he held for a while an epistolary relationship with Voltaire, who published several articles in Formey´s journal L´Abeille du Parnasse.

Formey was best known for his work Anti-Emile, which refuted point by point the ideas of Rousseau on education. Voltaire and Formey were not long in falling out, which we can deduct from the reading of this letter.

 

The present letter discussion comes from the publication of Bolingbroke´s translation of Lettres sur l´Histoire which questioned the authenticity of the bible. In response to it, Formey published Dissertation sur l´Incrédulité an extract of Zimmerman´s Opuscules. King Frederick II of Prussia accorded the privilege of a printed publication response to Voltaire, who wrote Défense de Milord Bolingbroke under the pseudonym “Docteur Goodnatur´d Wellwisher”. Voltaire´s article caused a scandal because of its impiety.

The present letter shows several interesting small variations from the published text of Voltaire´s correspondences.