he loseth the best part of all these Beauties And he who is an admirable Author whilst he is animated with the Spirit of the Greeks and Latins becomes but a moderate Writer when he is not supported but by himself 'T is that which happens with the greatest part of our Translators whereof they appear to me to be convinced to be first sensible of their own Barrenness And indeed he that places his Merit in improving the Thoughts of others is not very confident of being capable to recommend himself by his own But the Publick is infinitely obliged to him for the labour he undergoes to bring forth Forreign Riches where the natural ones don't suffice I am not of the Humour of a Person of Quality whom I know to be a declared Enemy to all Translations He is a Learned and Ingenious Spaniard who cannot suffer that things should be rendred apprehensive to Idle Persons which he has learned amongst the Ancients with pains As for me besides that I improve in a thousand places by the Laborious Enquiries of Translators I love that the knowledge of Antiquity should become more general and I am pleased in seeing his Authors admired by those very Persons that would have treated us as Pedants if so be we had named them when they did not understand them I mix then my knowledge with that of the Publick but I don't give my esteem and can be very liberal of my praises for Translation when I shall be very covetous of them for the Genius of its Author I can much esteem the Versions of Ablancour Vaugelas Durier and many others without having much value for their Spirits if they have not appeared by those Works that proceed from themselves We have the Versions of two Latin Poems in French Verse which deserve to be as much considered for their Beauty as for the difficulty of the Enterprize That of Brebaeuf has been generally esteemed and I am not so censorious or so severe as to oppose my self to so favourable an Approbation I will observe notwithstanding that he hath shot forth the heat of Lucan in our Language further than it goes in his own and that by the attempt which he hath made to equal the warmth of this Poem he hath fired himself if one may speak so much more Behold what happens to Brebaeuf often enough but he relaxeth sometimes and when Lucan happily meets with the true beauty of a Thought the Translator remains much below him as if he had a mind to appear easie and natural when he might be permitted to employ all his Force You will remark a hundred times the truth of my first Observation and the second will not appear to you less just in some places for example to render Victrix causa Diis placuit sed victa Catoni Brebuaef has only said the Gods serve Caesar and Cato follows Pompey 'T is a low Expression which doth not answer to the Nobleness of the Latine besides that it is not well using the Sense of the Author for Lucan who hath a Spirit full of the Vertue of Cato would raise him above the Gods in the opposition of Opinions upon the merit of the Cause and Brebâ—uf turns a noble Image of Cato raised above the Gods into that of Cato subjected to Pompey As for Segrais he remains throughout much below Virgil which he easily acknowledges himself for it would be very extraordinary to be able to render a Translation equal to so excellent an Original Moreover one of the greatest advantages of the Poet consists in the Beauty of the Expression which it is impossible to equal in our Language since it could never be done in his own Segrais ought to be contented with having found the Genius of Virgil better than any of our Authors and whatsoever Graces the Aeneids have lost in his hands I durst pronounce that he by far surpasses all those Poems that our French-men have published with more Confidence than Success The great Application of Segrais to know the Genius of the Poet appears in his Preface as well as in the Translation and it seems to me that he has succeeded well as to the whole except the Characters In that I cannot be of his Opinion and he will pardon me if for having been displeas'd a thousand times with his Heroe I do not lose the occasion of speaking here of the little merit of the good Aeneas Although Conquerors are usually more careful in making their Orders executed upon Earth than in observing Religiously those of Heaven as Italy was promised to this Trojan by the Gods 't is with Reason that Virgil has given him a great Compliance to their Wills but when he describes him to us so devout he ought to attribute to him a Devotion full of Confidence which agrees with the Constitution of Heroes not a scrupulous Sentiment of Religion which never subsists with a true Valour A General that has a good Faith in his Gods ought to augment the greatness of his Courage by the hopes of their Assistance His Condition were unhappy if he could not believe in them but with a Superstition which would take away the natural use of his Understanding and his Heart 'T is this that happened to poor Nicias who lost the Army of the Athenians and himself too by a credulous and superstitious Opinion of the Anger of the Gods It is not so with the Great Alexander he believes himself to be the Son of Iupiter to undertake things very extraordinary Scipio who feigns or thinks to have a commerce with the Gods draws an advantage from thence to recover his Common-wealth and to pull down that of the Carthaginians Ought then the Son of Venus assured by Iupiter of his Prosperity and future Glory to have Piety only to fear Danger and to distrust the Success of every Undertaking Segrais hereupon defends a Cause which is troublesome to him and has so much affection for his Heroe that he prefers rather not to express the Sense of Virgil in all its extent than to discover purely the shameful Fears of poor Aeneas Extemplo Aeneae solvuntur frigore membra Ingemit duplices tendeâ—s ad syder a palmas Talia voce refert ô terque quaterque beati Queis ante or a patrum Trojae submaenibus altis Contigit oppetere I acknowledge that these sorts of Seizures happen to us in spite of our selves by a defect of Constitution but since Virgil had the liberty of framing that of Aeneas according to his Fancy I admire that he should give him one susceptible of these Frights Philosophers take a Pride in the defects of Tempers when they know how to correct them by Wisdom And Socrates easily confesses those evil Inclinations which Philosophy had made him overcome But Nature ought to be all noble in Heroes and if by a necessity of Humane Condition it must offend in something their Reason is employed in moderating Transports not in surmounting Infirmities even many times their impulses have
believe what one says with Authority we ought to believe But without a particular Mercy we are more disturbed than perswaded of a thing that doth not fall under the Evidence of the Senses and which affords no manner of Demonstration to our Minds Behold what is the effect of Religion in respect of ordinary Men now see the advantages of it for the true and perfect Religious Man The true Devout Person breaks with Nature if one may so speak to take pleasure in the abstinence of pleasures and in the Subjection of the Body to the Mind he renders to himself in some measure delightful the use of Mortifications and Pains Philosophy goes no further than to teach us to endure Misfortunes The Christian Religion makes us triumph over them and one may say seriously of it what has been gallantly express'd of Love All other Pleasures are not worth its Pains The true Christian knows how to make his advantages of all things the evils which he suffers are the good Things which God sends to him The good Things which he wants are evils which Providence has secured him from Every thing 's a benefit to him every thing in this World is a Mercy and when he must depart by the necessity of his Mortal Condition he looks upon the end of his Life as a Passage to one more happy which is never to conclude Such is the Felicity of a true Christian whilst uncertainty and trouble make an unhappy Condition to all others Indeed we are almost all unresolved little determined to good and evil There is a continual turn and return from Nature to Religion and from Religion to Nature If so be we abandon the care of happiness to satisfie our Inclinations these very Inclinations rise immediately against their Pleasures and the distaste of Objects which have flattered them the most sends us back to the cares of our happiness If so be we renounce our Pleasures by a Principle of Conscience the same thing happens to us in the Application to happiness where habit and tediousness sends us back to the Objects of our first Inclinations Behold how we are upon Religion in our selves now see the Judgment which the Publick makes of it Should we forsake God for the World we are treated as Impious Persons Should we forsake the World for God we are look'd upon as weak and decayed in our Understanding and we are as little pardoned for Sacrificing Fortune to Religion as Religion to Fortune The Example of Cardinal Retz will suffice singly to justifie what I say When he was made Cardinal by Intrigues Factions and Tumults they cryed out against an Ambitious Man that sacrificed said they the Publick his Conscience and Religion to his Fortune When he left the cares of Earth for those of Heaven when the Perswasion of another Life made him regard the Grandeurs of this as Chimaera's they said that his Head was turned and that he made a scandalous weakness of what is proposed to us in Christianity as the greatest Vertue An ordinary Mind is but little favourable to great Vertues a lofty Wisdom offends a common Reason Mine as common as it is admires a Person truly perswaded and would admire still more that this Person absolutely perswaded could be insensible to any advantage of Fortune I question a little the Perswasion of those Preachers who offering us the Kingdom of Heaven in Publick sollicit in particular a small Benefice with the utmost importunity The sole Idea of eternal profits renders the Possession of all the rest contemptible to a believing Man but because there is but a few that have Faith few Persons defend this Idea against Objects the hope of what is promised to us naturally yielding to the enjoyment of what 's given us In the greatest part of Christians the desire of believing holds the place of belief the will gives them a sort of Faith by desires which the Understanding refuses them by its Lights I have known some Devout Men that in a certain contrariety between the Heart and the Mind loved God perfectly without a strong Faith in him When they abandoned themselves to the Motions of their Heart there was nothing but zeal for Religion all was fervency all love When they turned to the Intelligence of the Mind they were amazed at their incomprehension of what they loved and at their Ignorance how to answer themselves upon the Subject of their love Then they wanted Consolations to speak in Spiritual Terms and they fell into that sad State of Religious Life which is called Aridity and Dryness in Monasteries God alone is able to give us a certain firm and real Faith That which we can do of our selves is to captivate the Understanding in spite of the resistance of the Lights of Nature and to dispose our selves with submission to execute what is ordained for us Humanity easily mingles its errors in what relates to Faith it mistakes a little in the practice of Vertues for it is less in our power to think exactly upon the things of Heaven than to do well One can never be disappointed in the Actions of Justice and Charity Sometimes Heaven ordains and Nature makes an Opposition Sometimes Nature demands what Reason won't consent to Upon Justice and Charity all Rights are concerted and there is as it were a general agreement between Heaven Nature and Reason A Fragment of Friendship without Friendship THE Love of Women had softned the Courage of Men the Vertue of good Men was altered by it The Grandeur of a Magnanimous Soul might be weakned but true Wisdom incurr'd little danger with the Female Sex The Wise Man above their weakness their inequalities and their fancies can govern them at his pleasure or gets rid of them as he thinks convenient As long as he sees others in slavery tormented by some unfortunate Passion he tastes a sweetness that charms the senses and frees him from the sense of Misfortunes which are not to be made insensible by Reason alone Not but that he may fall into an error Humane Nature leaves no certain state to our Souls but it is not long before he finds again his dispersed Lights and re-establishes the Repose he had lost Scarce do we begin to grow Old but we begin to be displeased by some distast which we secretly frame in our selves Then our Soul free from Self-love is easily filled with that which is suggested to us and what would have pleased us heretofore but indifferently charms us at present and enslaves us to our own weakness By this Mistresses dispose of their Old Lovers to their Fancy and Wives of their Old Husbands by this Syphax abandoned himself to the will of Sophonisba and Augustus was managed by Livia And not to draw all my Examples from Antiquity 't was thus Monsieur de la Ferte-Senectere worthy to be named with Kings and Emperours by the single merit of Gentleman 't was thus this Courtier as wise as he was polite let himself go to the
for false advantages and to perswade upon his word that he prepares real ones for us I repeat it the last time Sir study as much as you please to know your self consult all your Books consume your finest days in reflecting upon the Immortality of the Soul you will find that it belongs only to Religion to decide it As for me I confess to you That without that the thoughts of Eternity would never take up the most useless Moments of my Life OF STUDY AND CONVERSATION COnversation is an advantage peculiar to Man as well as Reason It is the Bond of Society by it is entertained the Commerce of a Civil Life the Minds communicate their Thoughts the Hearts express their Motions and Friendships are contracted and kept up by the same The Conversation of two Friends renders their Happiness and their Misfortunes common it augments their Pleasures and decreases their Afflictions Nothing alleviates Grief so much as the liberty of Complaining nothing makes one more sensible of Joy than the Delight of expressing it In a word Man is so far born to be sociable that this Quality is no less essential to him than Reason To fly from Company is to act against the Intention of Nature to live always in Solitude one must be something more than Man or less than Brute There is a sort of Communication amongst them Many Philosophers have affirmed that Beasts have a particular Language and several Experiments have given occasion to believe it However it is very true that there are no Beasts upon Earth so wild as some certain Men that make a Profession of Contempt and Aversion for all Mankind like that extravagant Citizen of Athens who spoke to no one to any other intent than to advise him to hang himself and took care to make his Epitaph so as to curse Men after his Death One must have a Mind blemish'd with Melancholy to lead a Savage Life and always in obscurity I don't pretend to blame those whose Silence and Retirement our Religion has Consecrated on the contrary I admire them The Principle which has disposed them to chuse a Life so repugnant to Nature obliges us to have them in Veneration As there is nothing more extraordinary than the Vertue of a true Solitary Person so there is nothing more inimitable and which better deserves our Commendations But it is certain that amongst those whom a real Vocation or a Fancy that one sometimes takes to it have cast into a dislike of the World there is found but very few that persevere in their Condition to the end with the same zeal The State of a Solitary Person is a violent State for Man Natural Instinct which makes him love Society makes it self at length the Master and causes to him from time to time some concern for having for saken it After all to be concealed all ones Life is that living What distinction is there between Death and Retirement between Solitude and the Grave To live then as Man 't is necessary to converse with Men 't is fit Conversation should be the most agreeable Pleasure of Life but 't is also fit that it should be confined One ought to enjoy it with Choice and moderate the use of it with Discretion There is nothing more advantageous and nothing more dangerous as a too long Retirement weakens the Mind so too frequent Company consumes it It is good sometimes to recollect himself it is even necessary to render an exact account of his Words of his Thoughts to himself and of the progress he hath made in Wisdom To reap the fruits of his reading and the entertainments he hath had to improve by what he has seen he must have Silence Repose and Meditation There must be a time for Study and also for Affairs that are tied to our Profession Conversation cannot take up our whole Life these two other Duties deserve to be preferred before it Ignorance is always disgraceful to a Gentleman his Condition doth not excuse him and the World doth not instruct him enough When one knows how to make an equal mixture of all these things he must distinguish himself extreamly from those that apply themselves to but one of them Study is the most solid Nourishment of the Mind 't is the Spring of its most Noble Qualities 't is Study that augments the Faculties of Nature but 't is Conversation that sets them on Work and refines them It is the great Book of the World that teaches the Good Use of other Books and can make of a Learned Man a compleat Gentleman In a word Study makes a greater difference between a Scholar and an ignorant Man than there is between an ignorant Man and a Brute but the Air of the World yet makes a greater distinction between a Polite and a learned Person Knowledge begins the Gentleman and the Correspondence of the World compleats him It has been observed notwithstanding That extraordinary Genius's have passed of a sudden from the Meditation of the Closet to the most difficult Charges but these Men can't be brought for Examples When a Man intoxicated with reading makes his first step in the World 't is usually a false one If he advises himself by his Books alone he runs the hazard of being always but an ungenteel Man Immoderate Study engenders a grossness in the Mind and injures his Sentiments the Conversation of our Friends must assist and refine him To meet with a faithful understanding discreet Friend is to be happy faithful to conceal nothing from us understanding to remark our faults and discreet to reprehend us for them But to be enabled to believe his Counsels is the Perfection of Happiness it happens oftentimes that we take a pride in following our own Conceits like those Travellers that lose their way for want of taking a Guide or enquiring for the Road. It is true that a Man who is sensible of his force and knows the advantages of his Mind that a Man I say who aspires to Glory and will raise his Reputation ought to dread as a Rock to be suspected of being governed Dependance is insupportable to a Man of Courage especially that of the Mind When one would exercise a sort of Tyranny upon the freest part of the Soul it is difficult not to revolt against Reason through Malice against him that argues There is need of as much Discretion to give advice as Compliance to follow it nothing is so dreadful as a Friend that takes the advantage of his own Experience that proposes all his Counsels as Laws and with the Air of a Master that takes from us the Privilege of examining what he says and would force the Mind by Authority rather than win it by Discourse He never fails to give himself for an Example He applys to all purposes the Observations of the old Court He brings his own adventures for Proofs he has seen all that he advances every thing that he says is extravagant and the fear of not saying