18th Century: Age of Enlightenment

Palomar · 2002-07-05 13:40:54

I'm copying and pasting a "few" items <wink> from the Bookmarks section of my 18th-century mailing list. If this whets your appetite for the 1700s, by all means consider joining my mailing list:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ageofvoltaire [click this link to view the homepage of my mailing list]

Subscribe: ageofvoltaire-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

--Cindy

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*18th Century History
This web site features a veritable horde of articles pertaining to any and all aspects of the 18th century. It also includes a bulletin board, shopping features, newsletter, net links, and other resources.

http://www.history1700s.com/

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*Babel Fish
Can't read French? Visit this site; it provides automatic translation into English (and other languages as well). It has 2 distinct features: Either a) translate up to 150 words (good for sentences, phrases, short paragraphs) or b) a web site address may be entered for translation.

http://www.world.altavista.com/tr

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*Bookfinder.com
Are you on the hunt for an old or rare or out-of-print book? This web site may help you locate what you seek!

http://www.bookfinder.com

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*Candide
Voltaire's most famous work of philosophical fiction, published in 1759.

http://elf.chaoscafe.com/voltaire/candide/

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*Cirey: Residence of Voltaire & Emilie
The residence of Voltaire & Mme du Chatelet from 1734-1749. Do visit; there is plenty to see and read!

http://www.visitvoltaire.com

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*Denis Diderot
An amazing man who shouldered the burden of assembling and publishing "l'Encyclopedie," which was considered the crowning achievement of the Enlightenment.

http://www.visitvoltaire.com/v_diderot.htm

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*Find A Grave
Want to leave virtual flowers/token gift and words of praise for your Enlightenment (and other) heroes and heroines? Register, then pay your respects. Includes information on said personage such as (if known) dates of birth, death, cause of death, achievements, photos/portraits from life and of gravesite, etc. Interesting!

http://www.findagrave.com

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*Jean-Antoine Watteau
The paintings of one of the 18th century's greatest artists; a feast for the eyes. This is but one section of a large web site devoted to artists of many centuries. A special feature of this web site also includes the ability to listen to period music as a background to the artist's work you are viewing.

http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/html/w/watteau/antoine/

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*Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Voltaire and Rousseau were rivals, and at odds with one another. Includes links and biographical information.

http://www2.lucidcafe.com/lucidcafe/lib … sseau.html

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*Madame de Pompadour
In my opinion, one of the more truly interesting women of this era. She had it all!

http://www.visitvoltaire.com/v_pompadour.htm

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*Montesquieu
This great man is considered, along with John Locke, the ideological co-founder of the American Constitution. Includes portrait, a handful of quotes, introductory statements, and a link to a short biography of Montesquieu. However , there is one notable contradiction: Information on the 1st page indicates M was in favor of abolishing slavery; the short bio (via link) indicates he advocated slavery. This discrepancy will be checked into by me.

http://www.rjgeib.com/thoughts/montesqu … quieu.html

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*Olympe de Gouges
A Frenchwoman who wrote "Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen" in 1791, post-Revolution. De Gouges's devotion to the cause of women's rights led to her EXECUTION via guillotine.

http://womenshistory.about.com/gi....te=http

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*Rousseau Association
Though I'm not a fan of JJR, this is a very worthwhile web site. Snipets of his musical compositions are available for listening at this site, and are lovely. Do enjoy!

http://www.wabash.edu/Rousseau/

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*Rousseau: The First Romantic
Good material relative to JJR.

http://members.aol.com/Heraklit1/rousseau.htm

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*The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
The name is self-explanatory

http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/

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*Voltaire Society of America
Read accounts of visitors to Voltaire's home; see images of Voltaire and photos [interior and exterior] of chateau de Ferney -- and more! Excellent.

http://humanities.uchicago.edu/homes/VSA/

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*Voltaire & Frederick the Great
Details the turbulent relationship between them. Text is in English; however, quotes and some phrases are in French. Use Babel Fish [cited previously in list] for translation!

http://www.eserver.org/books/strachey/v … erick.html

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*Voltaire Foundation
Is a European web site. Its set-up is a bit different than what I'm accustomed to, and I don't prefer it; however, you may.

http://www.voltaire.ox.ac.uk/

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*Voltaire's Philosophical Dictionary
Read the thoughts of Voltaire on an array of subjects. This web site is not exhaustive to the original Philosophical Dictionary, however. Voltaire's Philosophical Dictionary was condemned by French government censors and publically burned by the hangman. However, he kept copies of it [of course], and history managed to preserve it.

http://history.hanover.edu/texts/voltaire/volindex.htm

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*Writings of Montesquieu
The following web link will take you to Montesquieu's "Spirit of Laws" and "Persian Letters." There is much reading to do here -- enjoy!

http://books.mirror.org/gb.montesquieu.html

Palomar · 2002-07-11 20:46:30

*Byron expressed interest in another post ["The Martian Dead" thread] of learning more about Denis Diderot [who proved to be the unintended reconciler between Voltaire and Rousseau]. I mentioned having discovered this quality to Diderot just a few days prior; here's what I posted to my 18th-century mailing list regarding same:

---

I'm continuing to read through _The Age of Voltaire_ by Will & Ariel Durant. I'll summarize, in my own words [with one minor exception in the text -- I don't want to do much direct quoting from the book, i.e. copyright issues], what I've read this evening about Diderot:

The Durants refer to him as "the laughing philosopher" of his age, a materialist bubbling with spirit.

Now to Diderot's [unintended] role as reconciler: In 1746 he
anonymously issued _Pensees philosphiques_. It was radical enough to be attributed to La Mettrie, yet eloquent enough to be attributed to Voltaire. Diderot began the article with a defense of "the passions." Here, he agreed with Rousseau, and argued that no harm could be done if philosophy were to "say a word in favor of reason's rivals, since it is only the passions [les grandes passions] that can raise the soul to great things. Without the passions there would be nothing sublime, either in morals or in works; the arts would return
to their infancy, and virtue would be limited to petty deeds."

The Durants go on to note that passion without order leads to destructiveness, and some harmony must be established between them -- a way must be found by which one can check the other; therefore, we need reason and must make this our supreme guide. Quoting the Durants: "Here was an early attempt of the Enlightenment [Diderot] to reconcile reason with feeling, Voltaire with Rousseau."

It's not often in history that a *complementary triad* of great thinkers forms. I wasn't aware of this aspect of Diderot's personality until this evening. Voltaire and Rousseau were in opposition...along comes Diderot who was a reconciler of the two. Amazing; so rare.

Indeed, the 18th century produced a cluster of phenomenally gifted minds. Synchronicity -- you've got to love it!

--Cindy

Phobos · 2002-07-12 01:48:26

I was reading some of Rosseau's works since there seemed to be a very active discussion on his philosophy in months past that unfortunately died a quick and violent death. Anyways, I still laugh when I think about that "Never have I seen so much intelligence applied into making us beasts..." quote by Voltaire to Rosseau. Bakunin, the Karl Marx of anarchists, didn't seem particularly fond of Rosseau's ideas either. But what else would you expect from an anarchist reading about the role of governments.

Palomar · 2002-07-12 10:22:01

*I posted this some time ago at my mailing list. I'd like to include it here:

The following is a partial quote of Victor Hugo's Oration on Voltaire, delivered at Paris on May 30, 1878, the 100th anniversary of Voltaire's death. This document is the Appendix [which was a delightful, and unexpected, find in the back of the book!] of an out-of-print book [published in 1928] I was very fortunate to find recently, entitled _Voltaire: Genius of Mockery_:

"A hundred years ago today a man died. He died immortal. He departed laden with years, laden with works, laden with the most illustrious and the most fearful of responsibilities, the responsibility of the human conscience informed and rectified. He was more than a man; he was an age.

The 84 years that this man lived occupy the interval that separates the monarchy at its apogee from the revolution in its dawn. When he was born, Louis XIV still reigned; when he died, Louis XVI reigned already; so that his cradle could see the last rays of the great throne, and his coffin the first gleams of the great abyss.

Before the [French] Revolution, gentlemen, the social structure was this: At the base, the people; above the people, religion represented by the clergy; by the side of religion, justice represented by the magistracy. And, at that period of human society, what was the people? It was ignorance. What was religion? It was intolerance. And what was justice? It was injustice.

[Hugo then cites the cases of Calas and de la Barre, two victims of gross injustice -- falsely accused, tortured and murdered in the name of religion -- which Voltaire fought to stop, and when those efforts proved futile he then fought to clear their names].

Then, O Voltaire! You did utter a cry of horror, and it will be to
your eternal glory! You did enter upon the appalling trial of the
past; you did plead against tyrants and monsters, and for the cause of the human race -- and you did gain it [he refers to Voltaire's success at finally getting the names of Calas and de la Barre cleared of all charges for which they'd been put to death]!

In the presence of this society, frivolous and dismal, Voltaire alone, having before his eyes those united forces of the court, the nobility, the capital; that unconscious power [l'fame], the blind multitude; that terrible magistracy, so severe to subjects, so docile to the master, crushing and flattering, kneeling on the people before the king; that clergy, vile mixture of hypocrisy and fantaticism; Voltaire alone, I repeat it, declared war [ecrasez l'infame!] against that
coalition of all the social iniquities, against that enormous and
terrible world, and he accepted battle with it.

And what was his weapon? That which has the lightness of the wind and the power of a thunderbolt: A pen.

With that weapon, he fought; with that weapon, he conquered. Gentlemen, let us salute that memory.

Voltaire conquered; Voltaire waged the splendid kind of warfare, the war of one alone against all; that is to say, the grand warfare. The war of thought against matter; the war of reason against prejudice; the war of the just against the unjust; the war for the oppressed against the oppressor; the war of goodness, the war of kindness. He possessed the tenderness of a woman, and also the wrath of a hero. He was a great mind, and an immense heart.

He conquered the old code and the old dogma. He conquered the feudal lord, the Gothic judge, the Roman priest. He raised the populace to the dignity of the people. He taught and civilized. He was indefatigable and immoveable. He conquered violence by a smile, despotism by sarcasm, infallibility by irony, obstinacy by perseverance, and ignorance by truth.

His smile is wisdom. That smile, I repeat, is Voltaire. Ah, let us
be moved by that smile! It had in it the rays of the dawn. It
illuminated what is worthy and useful. Behold, what has come from that great smile!"

***

--Cindy

Palomar · 2002-07-20 11:25:20

*I've mentioned Voltaire's science fiction story "Micromegas" before [Carl Sagan referred to it in glowing terms in a book of his, I think _Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors_, but I'm not exactly sure], perhaps making Voltaire the first modern science fiction writer! Anyway, I relocated the web site which features the story in full. Enjoy, and keep in mind that this was written in the mid-1700s; thus, the "comet hopping" of his characters.

http://wondersmith.com/scifi/micro.htm

--Cindy

Palomar · 2002-07-20 11:59:58

*I've mentioned Voltaire's science fiction story "Micromegas" before [Carl Sagan referred to it in glowing terms in a book of his, I think _Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors_, but I'm not exactly sure], perhaps making Voltaire the first modern science fiction writer! Anyway, I relocated the web site which features the story in full. Enjoy, and keep in mind that this was written in the mid-1700s; thus, the "comet hopping" of his characters.
http://wondersmith.com/scifi/micro.htm
--Cindy

*I just now opened up the web link to view the story again, in preparation for posting it to my 18th-century mailing list with a description, when I noticed at the bottom of the web page an unexpected bonus surprise link: A link to Voltaire's story "Plato's Dream".

I've not yet read "Plato's Dream," but that'll soon be taken care of.

--Cindy

Palomar · 2002-07-25 10:17:02

I posted this to my mailing list; will share it here:

Voltaire was a generous, compassionate, and humanitarian man. With
the exception of the modest inheritance received upon his father's
death, he was a self-made man, monetarily comfortable for his time. Sometimes
he sent monetary aid to total strangers who had suffered terrible
tragedies, if news of same happened to reach him. He was called "The
Innkeeper of Europe" during the last 20+ years of his life, at
Chateau de Fernex, due to his hospitality and generosity at receiving
guests from all "stations" in life in his home. These lucky guests
were provided meals, beds, and entertainment by their benefactor.
Voltaire was also practical and down-to-earth. He preferred the
person who planted trees and grew crops to chattering mystics and
gossips. He also once stated his belief that there was no creator of
a *system* of philosophy who didn't later come to feel it'd been a
waste of time [which is why Voltaire never bothered with trying to
establish a system of philosophy!], and that inventors in the
mechanical arts were greater. I'll post other instances of his noble
humaneness in the future; for now, please read on:

--Cindy

-----------------------------------------

A Plea for the Poor, To M. de Farges

[ Tallentyre's commentary: de Farges was a Councillor of State.
Voltaire gives here an admirable description of the condition of the
country poor before the Revolution, and emphasises the fact that it
was not the iniquitous extorsion of the taxes which so much oppressed
them but the cruel and rapacious character of the tax-gatherers.
Gabelle, or the tax on salt, to which Voltaire alludes here,
compelled each person to buy seven pounds of salt per year at a price
which varied in the different provinces and was everywhere
iniquitously high. The nobles, clergy, and government officials were
exempt from the tax altogether. No wonder in a very few years' time
the Gabelle was as a fuse to the fire of the Great Revolution. ]

FERNEY, February 25, 1776.
Sir, since thou wouldest enter into judgment with thy servant, permit
me to tell you that, if I could leave my bed (being now in my eighty-
third year and the victim of many maladies), I should hasten to throw
myself at the feet of the Controller General: and this is how I
should prose on the subject of our states:

Our little country is worse than Sologne and the miserable land of
Champagne, and worse than the worst parts of Bordeaux.

Notwithstanding our wretchedness, eight and twenty parishes sang
eight and twenty Te Deums and shouted eight and twenty "Long live the
Kings and Long live M. Turgots!" We shall cheerfully pay thirty
thousand francs to the sixty sub-kings--being delighted to die of
hunger, on condition of being delivered from seventy-eight rogues who
made us die of rage.

We agree with you that near Paris, Milan, and Naples the land can
support all the taxes, because the land is productive: but it is not
the same with us: in good years the yield is three to one, often two,
sometimes nothing, and needs six oxen to plough it. Seeds are
fruitful once only in ten years.

You will ask what we live on: I answer, On black bread and potatoes,
and principally on the sale of the wood which our peasants cut in the
forests and take to Geneva. Even this means of subsistance constantly
fails, for the forests are devastated here much more than in the rest
of the kingdom.

I may remark, in passing, that timber will soon be scarce in France,
and that lately wood for firing is being bought in Prussia.

As I want to be perfectly frank, I own that we make certain cheeses
on some of the Jura mountains in June, July, and August.

Our chief means of livelihood is at the end of our fingers. Our
peasants, having nothing to live on, have been diligently working at
watchmaking for the Genevese--the Genevese making thereat ten
millions of francs per annum, and paying the workmen of the province
of Gex exceedingly badly.

An old man, who took it into his head to settle between Switzerland
and Geneva, has established a watch manufactory in the province of
Gex which pays the workmen of the country exceedingly well, which
increases the population, and which, if protected by the Government,
will supersede the business of wealthy Geneva: but this old man is
not much longer for this world.

We exist, then, solely through our industry. But I ask if this
watchmaking, which will bring in ten thousand francs a year, which
profits by salt much more than do the agriculturists, cannot help
these agriculturists with the thirty thousand francs indemnity they
must pay for their salt?

I ask if these fat inn-keepers, who make even more than the
watchmakers, and consume more salt, ought not also to assist the
unfortunate proprietors of a wretched soil?

The big manufacturers, the hotel-keepers, the butchers, the bakers,
the tradesmen, know so well the miserable condition of the country
and the favours of the ministry that they have all offered to help us
with a small contribution.

Either permit this contribution, or slightly reduce the exorbitant
sum of thirty thousand livres which the sixty deputy-kings demand
from us.

One of these sub-kings named Basemont has just died, worth, it is
said, eighteen millions [of francs]. Was there any need for that
scamp to flay us alive in order that our skin might bring him five
hundred livres?

Here, sir, are a few of the grievances which I should lay at the feet
of the Controller General: but I say nothing, I leave all to you. If
you are moved by my reasonings you will deign to be so good as to
present them: if they strike you as bad, you will whistle them clown
the wind.

If I do wrong to plead thus feebly for my country, I am undoubtedly
right in saying that I have the greatest esteem for your
enlightenment, the greatest gratitude for your kindnesses, and that I
am, with the sincerest respects, yours, sir, etc., etc

----------------------

P.S.: Another demonstration of Voltaire's humanitarianism and generosity is demonstrated in his tender care of the Calas family during the legal process of attempting to get Mr. Calas [who'd been tortured and then killed because of religious differences in the region of France in which he'd lived] cleared of all charges post-humously. During this 3-year period of attempting to get the chief court of France to review the case and clear the Calas name of any and all wrong-doing, Voltaire [while living on the edge of the French-Swiss border, many miles from Paris] put Mrs. Calas and her sons up in his home in Paris. He provided for their necessities, and after the trial and the post-humous acquittal of Mr. Calas, gave Mrs. Calas and her children enough money and means to get back up on their own feet. He practiced what he "preached," when he said the philosopher's task is not to pity the poor, bereaved, and hopeless but rather to HELP them. He also was true to his sentiment "I love humankind."

Nirgal82 · 2002-07-25 14:11:58

Hey there folks,
I was wondering, has any of you heard of something known as Nibiru?
I know its ridiculous, but I heard that sometime in the near future, a rogue object known as Nibiru will come a rampagin throughout the solar system.
I've also heard that this "Nibiru" is supposed to be either a planet or a brown dwarf, and that when it goes by is supposed to cause "crustal displacement" on earth.
Supposedly some "maverick" astronomers have reported about its presence and course.
I don't believe a word of these claims, but there they are, I just wanterd to know if anyone else has heard anything about it?
Once again, don't think that I believe in a word of it.

Your friendly neighborhood Martian...
-Matt

Nirgal82 · 2002-07-25 14:16:40

Well while I'm talking about interplanetary bolides, then I might as well mention one that has basis in reality.
Anyone got some real details on the newly discovered asteroid that is supposed to impact here on Feb 1 2019?
I know as much as the news media and space.com, but can anyone provide anything else on the discovery?
At that, anyone know how much damage this thing would cause, would a continental or oceanic hit do more harm?

Your friendly neighborhood Martian
-Matt

Adrian · 2002-07-25 14:30:35

Hey Nirgal - while this forum is called Free Chat, that doesn't mean you can just post anything into existing threads. Your last two posts should have gone into the Science and Technology forum. Hope this helps.

Josh Cryer · 2002-07-25 14:40:07

Actually... I think discussion about Nibiru would be better off in ?Intelligent Alien Life? since that's what they call Planet X and since it's more related to other topics like ZetaTalk and The Face On Mars.

There is no conclusive evidence that Planet X (AKA Nibiru) exists.

Nirgal82 · 2002-07-25 15:42:54

Sorry bout that, I figured that I woulda got replies as such.
I shoulda read the other posts first.
Sorry
Your embarassed neighborhood Martian
-Matt

Palomar · 2002-08-01 12:33:38

A partial quote of Voltaire's essay on "Animals". Like usual, he was ahead of his time. The popular notion of his day was that animals, birds, etc., were mere machines devoid of feelings, intelligence, etc. He refuted this notion, thus making him an animal-rights activist long before that term was coined.

***

What a pitiful, what a sorry thing to have said that animals are machines bereft of understanding and feeling, which perform their operations always in the same way, which learn nothing, perfect nothing, etc. !

What! that bird which makes its nest in a semi-circle when it is attaching it to a wall, which builds it in a quarter circle when it is in an angle, and in a circle upon a tree; that bird acts always in the same way? That hunting-dog which you have disciplined for three months, does it not know more at the end of this time than it knew before your lessons? Does the canary to which you teach a tune repeat it at once? do you not spend a considerable time in teaching it? have you not seen that it has made a mistake and that it corrects itself?

Is it because I speak to you, that you judge that I have feeling, memory, ideas? Well, I do not speak to you; you see me going home looking disconsolate, seeking a paper anxiously, opening the desk where I remember having shut it, finding it, reading it joyfully. You judge that I have experienced the feeling of distress and that of pleasure, that I have memory and understanding.

Bring the same judgment to bear on this dog which has lost its master, which has sought him on every road with sorrowful cries, which enters the house agitated, uneasy, which goes down the stairs, up the stairs, from room to room, which at last finds in his study the master it loves, and which shows him its joy by its cries of delight, by its leaps, by its caresses.

Barbarians seize this dog, which in friendship surpasses man so prodigiously; they nail it on a table, and they dissect it alive in order to show the mesenteric veins. You discover in it all the same organs of feeling that are in yourself. Answer me, machinist, has nature arranged all the means of feeling in this animal, so that it may not feel? has it nerves in order to be impassible? Do not suppose this impertinent contradiction in nature.

***

--Cindy

Palomar · 2002-08-03 12:08:46

*Below is a link which will take you to Olympe de Gouge's
"Declaration of the Rights of Woman," published in 1791.
Ms. de Gouges was executed on the guillotine during the French Revolution because of her devotion to the cause of women's rights:

http://womenshistory.about.com/gi....te=http

--Cindy

Palomar · 2002-08-03 19:48:35

"Voltaire called him Pantophilus"

Voltaire called him "Pantophilus" because Denis Diderot was in love with every
branch of science, literature, philosophy, and art. In each of these
fields he had intimate knowledge; to each he made suggestive
contributions. Ideas were his meat and drink. He gathered them,
savored and sampled them, and poured them out in a profuse chaos
whenever he found a blank sheet or a willing ear. "I throw my ideas
upon paper, and they become what they may" -- perhaps even foes. He
was more original than Voltaire, perhaps because he never accepted
classic norms and could let himself go without well-bred restraints.

"As for me, I concern myself more with forming than with dissipating
clouds, with suspending judgment rather than with judging...I do not
decide, I ask questions...I let my mind rove wantonly, give it free
rein to follow any idea, wise or mad, that may come uppermost; I
chase it as do young libertines on the track of a courtesan whose
face is windblown and smiling, whose eyes sparkle, and whose nose
turns up...My ideas are my trollops."

Diderot had an intellectual imagination; he visioned ideas,
philosophies, and personalities. He experimented mentally with
ideas, entertained them for a time, imagined their consequences in
logic or action, then tossed them aside. He was not only and
literally a walking encyclopedia, he was also a moving laboratory,
and his ideas wandered with his feet.

Palomar · 2002-08-07 10:47:25

Quotes from Cesar Chesneau Dumarsais

This man was a French grammarian and philosopher. He provided the
following [a partial quote obtained from _The Portable Enlightenment
Reader_] entry for "philosopher" in the Encyclopedie:

"Other men are carried away by their passions, their actions not
being preceded by reflection: these are men who walk in darkness. On
the other hand, the philosopher, even in his passions, acts only
after reflection; he walks in the dark, but by a torch."

"Truth is not, for the philosopher, a mistress who corrupts his
imagination and whom he believes is to be found everywhere; he
contents himself with being able to unravel it where he can peceive
it. He does not confound it with probability; he takes for true what
is true, for false what is false, for doubtful what is doubtful, for
probable what is only probable. He does more, and here you have a
great perfection of the philosopher: when he has no reason by which
to judge, he knows how to live in suspension of judgment."

"Where fanaticism and superstition reign, there reign the passions
and anger. The temperament of the philosopher is to act according to
the spirit of order or reason."

Palomar · 2002-08-15 23:04:03

*Posted previously to my "Age of Voltaire" mailing list...

It was d'Alembert's opinion that history proves that great men are
not kings and conquerors, but scholars and philosophers. He admitted
the great influence of Sir Francis Bacon in his education and
thinking.

d'Alembert's list of who he considered history's "greatest of the
great" men are these: Bacon, Descartes [whose writings, by the way,
Voltaire dismissed "a tissue of error"], Newton, and Locke.

d'Alembert also offered a short list of scientists and philosophes
who he considered great, leading men: Galileo, Harvey, Huyghens,
Pascal, Fontenelle, Buffon [if I recall correctly, it was Buffon who
wrote that Old World plants and animals were "naturally superior" to
the "savage" plants and animals of the New World...proving that even
a good thinker can be doofus at times], Condillac, Voltaire,
Montesquieu, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

I'm not familiar with Harvey and Huyghens...does anyone here know
about these men?

--Cindy

Palomar · 2002-08-16 09:45:34

*A previous post of mine to my mailing list:

Philippe: The Duc d'Orleans

He may have drank himself into a stupor every evening after 5
p.m., and he may have never answered to the UNproven accusations of
having sexual relations with his daughter, but Philippe II -- Duc
d'Orleans and Regent of France until Louis XV was of proper age to
ascending the French Throne -- was a good man. Here, according to
Will & Ariel Durant (I am *NOT* quoting them, but am summarizing in
my own words their material about this man), are some examples of
what made the Duc d'Orleans a man worthy of admiration:

1. A mere two days after the death of Louis XIV, Philippe ordered
released from the Bastille all prisoners except those known to
have been guilty of serious crimes against society. Most of the
prisoners he ordered released had simply been cast into the Bastille
without trial or proof of guilt, and having initially been arrested
due to the notorious secret letters called "lettres de cachet". Most
never knew why they'd been thrown in prison, much less what they were
supposedly "guilty" of.

2. Philippe was liberal toward Protestants, and his "winking of an
eye" toward previously established policies against them gave them
greater degrees of freedom and toleration than they'd previously
known.

3. Philippe's liberal good-naturedness enabled Voltaire, Fontanelle,
and Montesquieu to publish books which only a few years prior (to his
tenure as the Regent of France) would have been banned as being
dangerous to Christian belief.

4. Philippe was described as possessing courage, goodness of heart,
openness, gaiety, and affability.

5. Philippe did his best to keep France out of war. He demobilized
thousands of troops, settling them on uncultivated land; he would not
burden the common people with having to take these former soldiers
into their private homes (as was the previous "custom").

6. Philippe opened the University of Paris and Bibliotheque Royale
to all qualified students free of charge.

7. Philippe supported the Academie Royale des Sciences, the Academie
Royale des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, the Academie Royale de
l'Architecture.

8. Philippe patronized arts, invention, and industrial arts.

9. Philippe gave pensions to artists, scholars, and savants,
providing rooms for them in the royal palaces. He enjoyed talking
with these men for hours.

10. And saving the best for last: Louis XV recorded that Philippe
II had been very good to him, as genuinely loving and attentive as a
father. Philippe spent time with the boy King, always respectful and
mindful of his position with regards to that of Louis XV's. So
greatly did Louis XV love and respect Philippe in return that he
requested Philippe continue his role as Regent, with all its power
and privileges, after Louis officially came to the Throne as a
teenager; the teenage King did not yet want to assume power and the
responsibilities inherent in it. Philippe agreed, but died less than a
year after this request by Louis XV, who greatly mourned him.

U.S. President Abraham Lincoln said (and I agree with him) that if
you want to test a person's character, give him/her power. Philippe
II had power, and despite his faults (which we all have), it should
go without saying that he was a much better ruler than most persons
with power and privilege have proven to be.

I find it sad that Voltaire should have taken the side of the Duc and
Duchess d'Maine in their squabble against Philippe (the Duc d'Maine
had vied for the position of Regent against Philippe, and lost). The
Durants claim that Philippe was "Voltairean before Voltaire." Why
Philippe was not the receiver of Voltaire's praise -- and was instead
on the receiving end of criticism and unflattering lampooning by
Voltaire -- is something I don't understand. Perhaps Voltaire
figured the d'Maines would or could further his then-young career
more than Philippe would have cared to, i.e. a political move on
Voltaire's part. Regardless, this matter is one of the few
criticisms I have of Voltaire's judgment.

--Cindy

Palomar · 2002-08-24 11:00:26

Tidbits of info from _Madame de Pompadour_ by Nancy Mitford:

I'll number [in no particular order] impressions and information I've
received from this **wonderful** book [buy and read it!!]:

1. Madame's birth name was Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson.

2. At age 9, Jeanne visits a fortune-teller, who tells Jeanne that
someday she will "reign over the heart of a King."

3. Jeanne marries a man named Normant d'Etoiles in her late teens.
She gives birth to a baby boy, who dies in infancy, and later gives
birth to Alexandrine.

4. After becoming Louis XV's Royal Mistress, Jeanne remained sweet,
kind, considerate, and true to herself; she did not put on airs, did
not speak maliciously of others nor allow others to be ill-spoken of
in her presence, kept her bourgeous ways and did not let the Court
ettiquette crush or squeeze her personality; she loved having family
and friends around, and treated them the same as before meeting Louis
XV. Her father was quite uncomfortable at Court, and seemed "crude"
to the snobs at Court; however, Jeanne did not allow them to make her
feel embarrassed of her father.

5. The courtiers expected Louis XV to tire of her very soon, as her
ways and mannerisms were so different. However, it was these
differences which charmed and delighted him. Having lost his parents
and siblings in childhood due to an outbreak of measles, and having
been torn away from his protectress at age 7, he very much valued and
adored his family -- and hers. True to form, Jeanne broke another
rule in the King's presence [in private] by addressing her young
brother with a humorous nickname; no one was to address another or be
addressed in the King's presence BUT formally. Was the King upset by
this deliberate breech of protocol? On the contrary, he "shrieked
with laughter" and soon began calling his own daughters by nicknames.

6. Queen Marie and her small clique came quickly to tolerate, and
even like, Mme de Pompadour. Jeanne tried hard to please the Queen,
and was always mindful and respectful toward her...unlike all of
Louis XV's former mistresses, 3 of whom were sisters, and each worse
than the last [they treated the Queen very badly]. One of Jeanne's
passions was flowers; soon the Royal Garden hot-houses were
overflowing with flowers under Jeanne's supervision. The Queen loved
flowers, and Jeanne made sure the Queen's rooms were flooded with
blossoms, as well as her own.

7. Louis XV disliked war, and was a pacifist at heart. During one
of the battles of the Seven Years' War, he took the Dauphin to near
the battlefield. The night before an actual battle, the King slept
on straw and sang ditties with his men "in his unusual, cracked
voice" -- and out of tune, as well. After the battle the next
day, the King soberly went onto the field of broken and bloodied
bodies. He made the Dauphin to look on this, and gravely informed
his son of the terrible consquences of war, and that it is never to
be entered into lightly. This sensitive man was heard, that night,
by his troops [there was no singing or merriment this night], to
frequently sigh very heavily before falling asleep -- the carnage and
death affected him that deeply.

8. Richelieu did not like Mme de Pompadour, although the King's
other two "bosom buddies" adored her. Richelieu would go out of his
way to be cold and indifferent to Jeanne, deliberately avoiding
laughing at her jokes, complimenting her on her dress, etc. He was
very ornery to her, vowing he would "trouble the little Pompadour
until I wear her down." One evening, as she was trying desperately
to sleep, Richelieu, in an apartment above her, stamped and danced and
jumped on the floor all night long -- deliberately keeping her
awake.

9. Nancy Mitford, the author of this book, mentions that Mme de
Pompadour forgave "Voltaire for writing cruel verses about her in _La
Pucelle_." Does anyone have knowledge of what Mitford is referring
to?? Mitford alternately praises and sharply criticizes Voltaire to
the point of insult at various times; she treats no other personage
in this manner, and this is the 2nd book authored by her that I've
read. I can't quite figure out what her problem is, and I'm very
curious as to this accusation that Voltaire wrote "cruel" verses
about Mme de Pompadour in a poem of his. Maybe he did, but that
seems entirely out of character for him, particularly considering his
affection for Jeanne, their long friendship, her having invited him
to stay at royal homes for holidays, etc., etc. Unfortunately, I
cannot read French and cannot locate an English version of _La
Pucelle_ to find this out for myself.

10. The daughters of Louis XV, like their mother, warmed up to
Jeanne; they went on the hunt with her, etc. However, Louis's eldest
son, the Dauphin, always disliked Jeanne; he would be polite but cold
to her.

--Cindy

P.S.: King Louis XV, never a romantically *demonstrative* man, once kissed Mme de Pompadour in front of a group of friends and declared, "You are the most delicious woman in all Europe!"

Palomar · 2002-08-24 14:54:46

Posted earlier today to my mailing list by yours truly:

A wonderful web site devoted to Madame de Pompadour:

What else could it be called but http://www.madamedepompadour.com -- ?

The web site is trilingual, i.e. it can be viewed in Italian, French,
or English. I discovered this web site a few hours ago, and have
been browsing it since; it is marvellous!

Features include Biography, Geneaology, Chronology, Bibliography, The
Entourage, The Books of Madame, The Theater [at Versailles, where
Madame gave performances of acting and opera -- along with
a "company" of other performers from the palace], Gallery of
Portraits, etc., etc.

In the Gallery of Portraits will [obviously, as the name implies!] be
seen many portraits of Madame painted or engraved by various
artists. Rarely does Madame look quite the same in any of these, as
compared to the others. Her brother, Abel, remarked that Madame
never quite looked like her portraits. Also at the Gallery of
Portraits, under the artist name of Francois Guerin, you can see 3
pieces of art work of Madame and her daughter, Alexandrine; they are
particularly charming. Also, when applicable, each piece of art
comes with a note by the web-site owner; for instance, one note
pertaining to a certain painting informs us that Madame's bottom lip
often appears red and swollen, because she was always biting her
lower lip [nervous habit, apparently].

Do visit, and do enjoy! Also, if you like this web site as much as I
do, please drop the owner a note and give him a token of your
appreciation.

--Cindy

Palomar · 2002-08-29 11:12:34

*Previously posted by me to my mailing list [Age of Voltaire at Yahoo! Groups]:

::Francis Hutcheson::

This gentleman merits a Special Mention. He was born in Ireland to a
Presbyterian minister. He wrote "Inquiry concerning Moral Good &
Evil" in 1725, wherein he defined a good citizen as someone who
promoted the general good. He described the general good as "the
greatest happiness of the greatest number." He was promoted to the
Chair of Moral Philosophy at the University of Glasgow. So
progressive a man was he that he upset the Presbytery when he
defended private judgment, the legitimacy of pleasure, the importance
of the arts of music, sculpture, painting, and even sports. He
admitted mankind's faults, but had a benevolent outlook on humanity,
believing "the greatest part of their lives is employed in offices of
natural affection, friendship, innocent self-love, or love of
country."

He then wrote this note of caution to historians: "Men are apt to
let their imagination run out upon all the robberies, priacies,
murders, prejuries, frauds, massacres, and assassinations they have
ever either heard of, or read in history; thence concluding all
mankind to be very wicked; as if a court of justice were the proper
place for making an estimate of the morals of mankind, or an hospital
of the healthfulness of a climate. Ought they not to consider that
the number of honest citizens and farmers far surpass that of all
sorts of criminals in any state;...that it is the rarity of crimes,
in comparison of innocent or good actions, which engages our
attention to them, and makes them to be recorded in history; while
incomparably more honest, generous domestic actions are overlooked,
only because they are so common; as one great danger, or one month's
sickness, shall become a frequently repeated story, during a long
life of health and safety."

--Cindy

Palomar · 2002-08-29 11:35:54

*Posted by me, to my Age of Voltaire mailing list:

::Jean-Antoine Watteau::

This artist has a chapter devoted to him in Will & Ariel Durant's
_The Age of Voltaire_. Watteau was a sickly man, with tuberculosis.
He craved fame and fortune, and moved to Paris for that reason. His
art caught the eye of an established artist who introduced Watteau to
the theater; Watteau's first commissioned work was painting theater
scenery, and also painting scenes from days in the lives of the
actors. He won favor with the Regent (Philippe d'Orleans) -- who was
an avid theater goer -- and some of his work is displayed in the
Louvre to this day. Watteau died at the age of 37. The Durants
claim that paintings made in France up to 100 years after Watteau's
death were "a memory of Watteau", meaning that his style so
captivated and influenced other artists that their works were echoes
of his.

I found the following web site, which has many of his paintings for
viewing:

http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/html/w/watteau/antoine/

--Cindy

Palomar · 2002-09-10 11:12:21

*Posted by me to my mailing list; will share it here:

**Soapmaking**

"Marseille was the center of the French soap industry because its
position as Mediterranean 'entrepot' gave ready access to supplies of
olive oil. In northern Europe soap was made of tallow. In Latin
countries olive oil was the source of the fats, which were boiled
with lye to make--in the best qualities--a purse, white soluable soap
smelling slightly of violets.

The 2nd story of a particular soap factory was taken up with
furnaces, one to a soap-boiler. The cauldrons were about 8 feet
deep. Along the side wall were ranged tanks of lye, in 3 different
degrees of strength.

The method of control in the maufacture of the lye may interest
industrial chemists. Two hundred pounds of soda of Alicante (the
Spanish source of the best 'mineral soda,' made by burning the
barilla plant which flourished there) were mixed with an equal volume
of freshly slaked lime and leached in a filtering vat. The resulting
lye was tested with an egg. As long as the egg floated end-up, the
lye was 'strong'; when the egg turned on its side, the concentration
was 'medium'; when the egg barely floated, like an iceberg, the lye
was weak; and when the egg sank, the remaining lye was worthless."

I've wondered just who thought of using an egg to test the strength
of lye, and how long this method had been in use.

I obtained this material from _A Diderot Pictorial Encyclopedia of
TRADES & INDUSTRY, Volume Two_. Unfortunately, I cannot share the
illustrations accompanying the written material, and do not have a
scanner. The material quoted in the 2nd paragraph (above) was
descriptive of the illustrations; however, I re-worded the paragraph
to simple word-descriptive.

--Cindy

Palomar · 2002-09-10 11:32:46

*Posted by me to my mailing list; will share here:

From _The Age of Voltaire_ by Will & Ariel Durant:

"Cosmetics doctored hands, arms, face, and hair...every ladylike face
was painted and powdered, and strategically patched with beauty-spot
mouches made of black silk and cut in the shape of heart, teardrops,
moons, comets, or stars. A great lady would wear seven or eight of
these pasted on the forehead, on the temples, near the eyes, and at
the corners of the mouth. She carried a patch-box with additional
mouches in case any should fall off."

I've never heard of these "mouches" before. Interesting.

The Durants also state that the towering hairstyles didn't come into
fashion until 1763.

--Cindy

Palomar · 2002-09-10 11:39:17

*Previously posted to my mailing list by me.

**Benjamin Franklin's 13 Precepts**

"It was about this time I conceived the bold and arduous project of
arriving at moral perfection. I wished to live without committing
any fault at any time; I would conquer all that either natural
inclination, custom, or company might lead me into. [Interject: I
wonder if Franklin ever read Voltaire's short story, _Memnon, the
Philosopher_; Franklin and Voltaire did meet in person, in Paris
1778, shortly before Voltaire's death...sorry for the digression].
As I knew, or thought I knew, what was right and wrong, I did not see
why I might always do the one and avoid the other. But I soon found
I had undertaken a task of more difficulty than I imagined. While my
care was employed in guarding against one fault, I was often
surprised by another; habit took the advantage of inattention;
inclination was sometimes too strong for reason. I concluded, at
length, that the mere speculative conviction that it was our interest
to be completely virtuous wasnot sufficient to prevent our slipping;
and that the contrary habits must be broken, and good ones acquired
and established, before we can have any dependence on a steady,
uniform rectitude of conduct. For this purpose I therefore contrived
the following method:

1. TEMPERANCE. Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.

2. SILENCE. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself;
avoid trifling conversation.

3. ORDER. Let all your things have their places; let each part of
your business have its time.

4. RESOLUTION. Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without
fail what you resolve.

5. FRUGALITY. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself,
i.e. waste nothing.

6. INDUSTRY. Lose no time; be always employed in something useful;
cut off all unnecessary actions.

7. SINCERITY. Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly
and, if you speak, speak accordingly.

8. JUSTICE. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits
that are your duty.

9. MODERATION. Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much
as you think they deserve.

10. CLEANLINESS. Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or
habitation.

11. TRANQUILITY. Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents
common or unavoidable.

12. CHASTITY. Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never
to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another's peace
or reputation.

13. HUMILITY. Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

[Material taken from _The Portable Enlightenment Reader_, Benjamin
Franklin, "Industry & the Way to Wealth."]

--Cindy

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