Diderot and the Encyclopædists (vol. 2 of 2)

CHAPTER II.. Romance.

ROMANCE.

Digression inevitable in dealing with Diderot 24 Richardson's influence in Europe 26 Diderot's Eloge upon him 28 Rousseau and Richardson 29 Diderot writes The Nun (1796) 31 Circumstances of its composition 32 Its intention 33 And characteristics 35 Sterne 36 Diderot writes Jacques le Fataliste 37 Its history 38 Goethe's criticism on it 38 Nature of Diderot's imitation of Richardson and Sterne 40 No true creation in Jacques le Fataliste 41 Its unredeemed grossness 43 Its lack of poetry and of flavour 44

CHAPTER III.. Art.

ART.

The Salons 45 Qualities of their criticism 45 Deep foundation of Diderot's critical quality 46 French art-criticism 48 Dufresnoy, Dubos, Webb, Andre, Batteux 48, 49 Travellers in Italy 50 Diderot never in Italy 52 Spirit of French art in his day 52 Greuze, Diderot's favourite 56 Greuze's Accordee de Village 57 Hogarth would have displeased Diderot 59 Diderot's considerateness in criticism 60 Boucher 62 Fragonard 62 Diderot adds literary charm to scientific criticism 63 His readiness for moral asides 65 His suggestions of pictorial subjects 68 His improved versions 69 Illustration of his variety of approach 72 Diderot's Essay on Painting 73 Goethe's commentary 73 Difference of type between Goethe and Diderot 76 Diderot's Essay on Beauty 78 His anticipation of Lessing 82 Music 83

CHAPTER IV.. St. Petersburg and the Hague.

ST. PETERSBURG AND THE HAGUE.

Diderot's resolution to visit the Empress of Russia 84 The Princess Dashkow 84 Prince Galitzin 85 Diderot in Holland (1773) 86 St. Petersburg and Russian civilisation 89 The Empress 91 Accounts of her by men of affairs 92 Her pursuit of French culture 94 Her interest in the French philosophic party 96 Partly the result of political calculation 98 The philosophers and the Partition of Poland 101 Rulhiere's narrative of Catherine's accession 102 Falconet, the first Frenchman welcomed by her 104 Diderot arrives at St. Petersburg (1773) 106 His conversations with the Empress 107 Not successful as a politician 108 General impression of him 109 Grimm outstrips him in court favour 110 Diderot's return to the Hague 112 Bjoernstaehl's report of him 114 Contemporary literature in Holland 117 Hemsterhuys 118 The Princess Galitzin 119 Diderot's return to Paris 121

CHAPTER V.. Helvetius.

HELVETIUS.

Three works of which Diderot was regarded as the inspirer 123 Helvetius's L'Esprit 123 Contemporary protests against it 123 Turgot's weighty criticism 124 Real drift of the book 127 Account of Helvetius 127 The style of his book 134 The momentous principle contained in it 135 Adopted from Helvetius by Bentham 136 Helvetius's statement of doctrine of Utility 137 Miscarriage of the doctrine in his hands 139 His fallacy 140 True side of his objectionable position 140 Helvetius's reckless presentation of a true theory 141 Confusion of beneficence with self-love 142 Imitation from Mandeville 143 Mean anecdotes 144 Nature of Helvetius's errors 144 Explanation of them 146 Positive side of his speculation 147 Its true significance 149 Second great paradox of L'Esprit 149 Benjamin Constant's Adolphe 152

CHAPTER VI.. Holbach's System of Nature.

HOLBACH'S SYSTEM OF NATURE.

Publication of the System of Nature (1770) 155 Its startling effect 156 Voltaire's alarm 158 He never understood Holbach's position 159 Account of Holbach 160 Disregard of historic opinion in his book 163 Its remarkable violence against the government 165 The sting of this violence 166 The doctrine from which Holbach's book arose 167 Account of Holbach's Naturalism 168 His proposition concerning Man 173 He uses the orthodox language about the pride of man 177 His treatment of Morals 178 Onslaught upon the theory of Free Will 178 Connection of necessarianism with humanity in punishment 181 His answer to some objections against necessarianism 181 Chapter on the Immortality of the Soul 183 His enthusiasm for reforms 185 The literature of a political revolution 187 Misrepresentation of Holbach's ethical theory 188 The System of Nature, a protest against ascetic ideals 191 The subject of the second half of the book 193 Repudiation of the a priori method 194 Replies to the common charges against atheism 197 The chapter on the superiority of Naturalism 198 Political side of the indictment against religion 199 Holbach's propagandism 202

CHAPTER VII.. Raynal's History of the Indies.

RAYNAL'S HISTORY OF THE INDIES.

Contemporary estimate of The History of the Indies 204 Account of Raynal 205 Composition of the book 207 Its varied popularity 209 Frederick the Great dislikes it 210 Signal merit of the History 213 Its shortcomings 214 Its idyllic inventions 215 Its animation and variety 218 Superficial causes of its popularity 220 Its deeper source 221 Catholicism in contact with the lower races 222 The other side of this 223 Raynal's book a plea for justice and humanity 224 Morality towards subject races 226 Slavery 227 Raynal's conduct in the Revolution 229 His end 231

CHAPTER VIII.. Diderot's Closing Years.

DIDEROT'S CLOSING YEARS.

Diderot's meditation on life and death 232 Age overtakes him on his return from Russia 233 Writes his life of Seneca 235 Its quality 236 Interest to Diderot of Seneca's career 237 Strange digression in the Essay 239 Reason for Diderot's anger against Rousseau 240 His usual magnanimity 241 Diderot's relations with Voltaire 244 Naigeon 246 Romilly's account of Diderot 247 Palissot and the conservative writers 249 The ecclesiastical champions of the old system 251 The precursors gradually disappearing 253 Galiani 254 Beaumarchais's Mariage de Figaro 255 Diderot's famous couplet 256 His fellow-townsmen at Langres 257 Last days 258

CHAPTER IX.. Conclusion.

CONCLUSION.

The variety of Diderot's topics 261

(1) Thoughts on the Interpretation of Nature 262 Maupertuis's Loi d'Epargne 262 General scope of Diderot's aphorisms 263 Prophecy about geometry 264 Utility made to prescribe limits to speculation 267 The other side of this principle 267 On Final Causes 268 Adaptation of the Leibnitzian law of economy 269

(2) D'Alembert's Dream 271 Diderot not the originator of French materialism 272 Materialism of the three dialogues 273 Mdlle. Lespinasse's moral objections 274

(3) Plan of a University for Russia 275 Religious instruction 276 Latin and Greek 277 Letter to the Countess of Forbach 278

(4) Conversation with the Marechale de ---- 278 Parable of the young Mexican 279

(5) Letters to Falconet 281 Diderot defends the feeling for posterity 283

APPENDIX.

Rameau's Nephew: a Translation 285

DIDEROT.

CHAPTER I.. Other Dialogues.

OTHER DIALOGUES.

We may now pass to performances that are nearer to the accepted surface of things. A short but charming example of Diderot's taste for putting questions of morals in an interesting way, is found in the Conversation of a Father with his Children (published in 1773). This little dialogue is perfect in the simple realism of its form. Its subject is the peril of setting one's own judgment of some special set of circumstances above the law of the land. Diderot's venerable and well-loved father is sitting in his arm-chair before the fire. He begins the discussion by telling his two sons and his daughter, who are tending him with pious care, how very near he had once been to destroying their inheritance. An old priest had died leaving a considerable fortune. There was believed to be no will, and the next of kin were a number of poor people whom the inheritance would have rescued from indigence for the rest of their days. They appointed the elder Diderot to guard their interests and divide the property. He finds at the bottom of a disused box of ancient letters, receipts, and other waste-paper, a will made long years ago, and bequeathing all the fortune to a very rich bookseller in Paris. There was every reason to suppose that the old priest had forgotten the existence of the will, and it involved a revolting injustice. Would not Diderot be fulfilling the dead man's real wishes by throwing the unwelcome document into the flames?

At this point in the dialogue the doctor enters the room and interrupts the tale. It appears that he is fresh from the bedside of a criminal who is destined to the gallows. Diderot the younger reproaches him for labouring to keep in the world an offender whom it were best to send out of it with all despatch. The duty of the physician is to say to so execrable a patient--"I will not busy myself in restoring to life a creature whom it is enjoined upon me by natural equity, the good of society, the well-being of my fellow-creatures, to give up. Die, and let it never be said that through my skill there exists a monster the more on earth!" The doctor parries these energetic declamations with sufficient skill. "My business is to cure, not to judge; I shall cure him, because that is my trade; then the judge will have him hung, because that is his trade." This episodic discussion ended, the story of the will is resumed. The father, when on the point of destroying it, was seized with a scruple of conscience, and hastened to a cure well versed in casuistry. As in England the agents of the law itself not seldom play the part of arbitrary benevolence, which the old Diderot would fain have played against the law, the scene may perhaps be worth transcribing:

"'Nothing is more praiseworthy, sir, than the sentiment of compassion that touches you for these unfortunate people. Suppress the testament and succour them--good; but on condition of restoring to the rightful legatee the exact sum of which you deprive him, neither more nor less. Who authorised you to give a sanction to documents, or to take it away? Who authorised you to interpret the intentions of the dead?'

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