that the Henriade smelt ftrongly of the Semipelagian berely.

This accufation of irreligion is often renewed, because it is the flanderer's last resource. What answer shall I make, what comfort can I have, except in the rememberance of the number of great men from Socrates down to Descartes, who have undergone the fame falfe imputations? I fhall only afk one queftion; Who has moft religion, the calumniator who perfecutes, or the accufed who forgives?

These libels treat me also as a person jealous of the reputation of other men; I know envy only by what I have fuffered from it. I have banished fatire from my pen, and it is impoffible for my heart to be envious.

I appeal to the author of Radamistus * and of Electra †, whose dramatic works first raised in me a defire of entering the fame career. His fucceffes have never coft me any other tears but thofe, that terror and pity drew from my eyes at the reprefentation of his plays. He knows he never infpired me but with emulation and friendship .

+ Monfieur Crebillon. It is the fon of this gentleman who at prefent is fo much admired for his romances; in which the vices and follies of the French nobility are fo ftrongly ridiculed.

The effects of this emulation are looked upon by feveral people in France, as marks of envy towards Crebillon. To prove the truth of this accufation, they obferve, that M. de Voltaire has often affected to treat the fame fubjects which had been before handled by Crebillon; fuch as Semiramis, Electra,

I can fay with confidence as with truth, that I am more zealous for the liberal arts, than for my own writings. Exceffively ftruck, from my very infancy, with every thing that bears the character of genius, I look upon a great poet, a good musician, an eminent painter, an able fculptor, (if he is an honest man) as a perfon I am bound to cherish, as a brother the arts have given me. Young men, whose minds are turned for literature, will find in me a friend; feve ral have found a father. These are my fentiments; and they who have lived with me, know I entertain no others.

I thought myself obliged to address the public, for once in my life, in my own behalf. As to my tragedy, I fhall fay nothing about it. Confuting criticisms is a vain self-love, which we fhould get the better of; but confounding calumny is a duty we are bound to perform. I

Catalina, in order to fhew the fuperiority he was conscious he had over him. And indeed in these attempts, monfieur de Voltaire has fucceeded to his wifhes.

7

1

A DEFENCE of the Tragedy of MaHOMET, against the Charge of encouraging Fanaticism.

In an AVERTISEMENT prefixed to the Tra gedy of MAHOMET, of the year 1743*.

I it would fome fervice to

the lovers of the belles-lettres, to publish the tragedy of Mahomet, which has been fo much -disfigured in France, in two fpurious editions. I am certain the author wrote it in the year 1736, and fent it at that time to the prince roy al, fince king of Pruffia, who was cultivating li terature with furprising fuccefs, and who ftill makes it his chief amusement.

I was in the city of Lille in the year 1741, when M. de Voltaire arrived there to spend a few days. There was then in that town the best company of players that ever appeared in the provinces. They reprefented this piece in a manner that fatisfied a very numerous assembly; the governor and the intendant of the province went to fee it several times. Every body thought

*This piece, in the original, is called The publifher's advertisement.

it wrote in so new a tafte, and the fubject, fo very delicate in itself, handled with fuch wif dom and prudence, that several prelates refolved to see it acted by the fame players in a private house. Their opinion agreed with that of the public. The author was also happy enough to get his manuscript conveyed into the hands of one of the first men of Europe, and of the church, who fupports with vigour the weight of public affairs, and who judges of literary works, with a true refined taste at an age to which few people arrive, and at which, fewer Still, preserve their wit and delicacy. He faid the piece was wrote with all requifite circumfpection, that the dangers of the fubject could not poffibly be more wifely avoided, but, as for the poetry, it was capable of fome corrections. In confequence, the author has fince made feveral amendments to his play. This was alfo the opinion of another perfon, equal in rank and learning to the first.

In fine, the tragedy approved of, besides, in the ordinary forms, was represented in Paris, the ninth of Auguft, 1742. There was an entire box full of the chief magiftrates of that town; fome public minifters were also prefent. They all thought of it as the perfons I have already mentioned.

Others, however, differed from the general determinations. Whether, in the rapidity of the reprefentation, they had not closely enough followed the thread of the piece, or, that they

Supposed to be cardinal Fleury.

were not accustomed to the theatre, they were offended at Mahomet's ordering a murder, and making use of his religion to encourage to affalfination, a young man whom he chose for the inftrument of his crime. Thefe perfons, ftruck ́with the heinoufnefs of fuch an act, did not reflect that it is confidered in the piece as the most horrible of all crimes, and that, even, it is morally impoffible to confider it in any other light. In a word, they only faw one fide of the queftion, which is the most general source of our mistakes. They are certainly in the right to be alarmed, in confidering only this fide with which they were offended. A little more attention would have easily changed their minds. But in the first heat of their zeal, they said the piece was of a very dangerous tendency, fit to produce Clements and Ravaillacs t.

This opinion is indeed very strange, and has probably been retracted by those persons who firft formed it. It is as much as to fay, that Hermione encourages people to murder kings; Electra, to kill a mother; or, Cleopatra and Me. dea, one's children. It is faying that Harpagon forms mifers; the Gamester, gamefters; Tartuffe, hypocrites. The injustice, even against Mahomet, would be greater than against any of thefe other plays, for the crime of the falle prophet is fet in a much more odious light than any of the vices or irregularities which these other

Two religious affaffins, the first, of Henry the third; and the fecond, of Henry the fourth; kings of France.