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the motions of our heart.'"* Provided a man have reduced his reason so far, as not to argue upon things which God would not subject to reasoning, it is all we can desire. I not only believe with Solomon, that a wise man's silence is better in this case than the discourse of a philosopher, but I have a greater esteem for the faith of the most stupid peasant, than for all the lessons of Socrates.

This, I think, is more than sufficient to remove the scruples which the pretended triumph of the sceptics had raised in the minds of some of my readers. EXPLANATION CONCERNING SCEPTICS, APPENDED TO THE SECOND EDITION OF THE DICTIONARY.

SERVICE OF THE PUBLIC.

DU HAILLAN, dedicating his book of the state and success of the state of the affairs of France, to Henry III in 1580, he expressed himself in this manner. "I am, sire, the first of all the French who have written the History of France, and in a polite language shown the grandeur and dignity of our kings; for before, there was nothing but the old rubbish of Chronicles which spoke of them. My works are seen and read by all Christendom, and translated into several languages; particularly my History of France is put into Latin by a very learned man of your kingdom, and is ready to appear and present itself to your majesty, clothed in a Latin dress. I am none of those venturous and ignorant writers, whose brains daily teem with books, who raise up whole forests of them, and who in their obscure studies, where they see not the light of the affairs of the world, speak and write confidently, right or wrong, of the present state-affairs, of your most secret and important counsels, judge of every thing, are partial for one, and prepos

* Oeuvres meslées, tom. ii, pag. m. 24.

sessed against another, extol those who give them money, make a mere pretender of a great general and commander of an army, and live only by the sale of their presumptuous writings. And therefore, such writers will see their works expire before themselves, and shamefully assist at their funeral. I have learnt, sire”—Let us see the beginning of the preface of the same book. "Many of you (readers) who shall see this present work, which I have newly revised and much enlarged and enriched, have seen it before printed in several sorts of volumes and characters, from its first edition, of the year 1570. For since that time, there has not a year passed, but it has been reprinted, and given satisfaction to all who have seen it, and who approve of what is good." When he dedicated the same book to Henry IV in 1574, he thus spoke of it to this prince. "It has travelled and seen the world, and has been well received within and without the kingdom, and strangers have made it speak their language."

His desire of rewards may be clearly enough seen in the passages I have already related, but it will more plainly still appear in this that follows: "I have composed this work in four winters, seasons proper for writing and studying, and have spent but few summer's days in it, which seem not so fit for such a fatigue as the short and cold days are which I have employed in it: so that I am apprehensive of being benumbed, unless the sun of your majesty, by the rays of your liberalities and bounties, affords some warmth. There is not a man of letters in your kingdom, who excels in any science, or has composed any elegant performance, whom you have not rewarded for it, and all your ancient servants are raised to honours and preferments, and are full and rich with your gifts and benefactions. I am the first who have written the history of the kings, your ancestors, and possibly the only person who hath done it in a good method and fine

language, and I am one of the first and eldest of your servants, and yet I am the only one and the last to be provided for; but not the last in merit: I have laboured, and labour ordinarily for the public more than for myself; nor have I only been engaged in writing books, but also sometimes employed in travels to foreign countries; and by the observation of affairs for these twenty-nine years past," in which I have been a courtier, I have learnt how histories ought to be written, and how to speak of kings, and treat and write on affairs of state."

Here you see the style of a discontented author, complaining that he is not enriched nor advanced to honours by the productions of his pen; and asking that this so much desired, so well deserved recompense of his labours may come at last. We find the same complaint at the end of a preface he published in 1580. "I have taken this pains," says he, "to serve the public, which I think I do service, and have done service by my labours: this gives me a singular satisfaction; for I have laboured with that design: and it is likewise almost all the recompense I have had: and I shall be very well satisfied with this last labour, when I find it has been acceptable to you." You may believe what you please of what I am going to recite. I will quote my author. "Henry the Great made one day a repartee to the Sieur Du Haillan; for as Du Haillan, a man vain and given to his belly, spake one day to the late king too freely, complaining of the small salary which he received from his liberality; and had the boldness to say to him: sire, you know that I have two pens as a public historian, a title with which it has pleased your majesty to honour me; one is of gold, and the other of iron; with my golden pen I render those immortal who honour me and do me good, and with my iron one I tarnish the reputa

* This Epistle Dedicatory is dated the first of August, 1584.

tion of those who do not take notice of the merits of my works.' The king, knowing by this harangue the character of the man, who was more valiant at a meal than he was in the field, said to him, with a wonderful and royal quickness, M. Du Haillan, I do not believe that you have a golden pen; for if you had one you would have swallowed it long ago.'

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One who should ask whether those in public posts are as mercenary as the servants of a private man, would seem at first sight to make an absurd question; but upon examination, we should find in it a just subject of a problem, and should even declare for the affirmative. Consider a little the printed or not printed relations of news-writers, and the conversations of those who have for a long time been in high life. Consult the historians who enter most into particulars; especially, read authors of memoirs; do this attentively, and I doubt not but you will own that a poor foot-boy is, in proportion, less mercenary and more disinterested than most of those who possess great employments, either in princes' households, or in the government. These are persons who are hardly ever contented, always ready to beg new honours and greater pensions, and to complain of the smallness of their recompences, to inagnify their services, to murmur if they are forgotten whilst others are thought on, to threaten to retire, and to manifest their discontent by rude and audacious proceedings, &c. These gentlemen imagine they have the greater right to demand magnificent rewards, because they persuade themselves that their master, a king or a sovereign, in a word the public, will never come to want, though they have famished leeches upon them, continually sucking. Tell me not of such or such a one who is ruined in his prince's service, and of such a great lord whose lands, and even house, are under an execution. These are not examples of their disinterestedness. It is not zeal for their country, but a mercenary temper

or their luxury and debauchery, which are the causes of their poverty. They imagine that by appearing at court, or in the army, with great equipages, though really useless to the public good, they should the more easily come to preferments: and at last, if they are ruined, it is not for the advantage of the state, but to gratify their pomp and pride, and other particular passions. The Aristides and Fabricii, who after having enjoyed the greatest posts, and spent all their lives in a wonderful frugality, had hardly any thing to leave their children, are good examples of an unmercenary spirit; but where are such to be found?

But what is more vexatious, is to see that the men of learning cannot cure themselves of this common distemper. The court and the army being the schools of ambition and luxury, and cousequently of hunger and thirst after riches, it is no wonder they teach men to do nothing gratis, but to desire large recompences for their services. And as this passion is not easy to be satisfied, without boasting of what they have done, and complaining of the want of a just reward, there is no occasion to take so much exception at this conduct. But there will still be sufficient ground to lament, that study and the profession of letters should not have taught du Haillan the prudence to avoid so much ostentation of his labours, and to forbear complaints of the meanness of his fortune. If he were the only author guilty this way, it would not be necessary to take notice of it; but the mischief of it is, that in this he copied a great number of writers, and that a hundred others have copied, and still copy him. This is a great injury to the muses, and deprives them of the glory they should enjoy, of inspiring their votaries with a true generosity, and a noble contempt of riches and public rewards. They are like other men, you will say, and no less subject to ambition and avarice, the two epidemical diseases of the soul of man. It is certain, that the desire of living at ease, by

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