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was time for him to leave it. He feemed to chufe Death, only becaufe he had no longer a Relish for his Happiness.

The deplorable Case of Richard Smith (another Suicide) arose from a quite different Caufe. This Perfon was tempted to destroy himself, by the Reflection on his Misfortunes. He faw himself reduced from Wealth to Poverty, and the Calamity of this Reverse heighten'd by Sickness. He beheld a Wife whom he lov'd, involv'd in remedilefs Mifery with himself; all that Fortune had left them, was a helpless Infant in the Cradle. * In this Condition the unhappy Couple came to a joint Resolution of ending their Troubles at once. After a fad Embrace, they first killed the Child, and then hung themselves (kneeling by each other) to the Top of the Bed. I don't remember any Inftance of Suicide attended with fuch tranquility of Execution as this. Letter to Mr B--d--y, their Coufin, was as remarkable. Amongst other Paffages it contained this. "We believe (fay they) God "will pardon us, we have quitted Life because we were ruin'd, paft all Remedy; and we have killed our Child, leaft he should be as wretch"ed as ourselves."

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It is odd, that after taking away their Child's Life, thro' a pretended Pity, these People writ to a Friend to take Care of their Dog and Cat. It is probable they thought the Charge of the one of more Confequence than the Care of the others.

All these tragical Stories which fill the English News Papers, have given Strangers room to think, that Suicide is more common in England, than elsewhere. I queftion, however, whether Paris does not afford as many Instances of this Kind of Folly, as London ?at least if our Gazettes kept an exact Register. But by the Wifiom of our Govern ment the publick Papers are better regulated, and the Calamities of private People concealed from the View of Scandal. All that I will ven. ture to say, there is no great Danger this Infatuation should ever become epidemical: Nature has taken Care to keep it in due Bounds, Hope and Fear are two powerful Agents ready to flop the Hands of Suicide. It is to no purpo e to tell us of Countries, where a Council was eftablifhed, to grant the Citizens a Permiffion to kill themselves, on hearing their Reasons for it. I either doubt the Fact, or believe those Magiftrates had very little Bufinefs.

There is one Thing appears a little more extraordinary on this Subject, which in my Opinion, merits an attentive Enquiry The antient Heroes, both Greek and Roman, in their respective Civil Wars, frequently practifed Suicide; and yet in the modern Commotions of Europe, I mean thofe of the League in France, and the Guelph and Gibeline Jars in Italy, we don't find one Chief that kill'd himself. I own, that these laft were Chriftians, and that the Principles of a Catholic Warrior, and a Pagan Hero, are widely different; but I want to know why these Chriftian Generals, whom their Religion with-held from deftroying their own Lives, made no Scruple of poisoning, affaffinating, or be heading

See this Catastrophe with the Letters at large, in the Gentleman's Magazine fe April, 1732. p. 722.

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heading their Enemies. Are not fuch Actions as contrary to Chriftianity

as Suicide itself?

To refume the Argument. How comes it, that Brutus. Cato, Caffius, Anthony, Otho, and fo many other great Men of Antiquity, have dy'd fo refolutely by their own Hands, while our modern Heroes have patiently been led to Execution; or languifhed out Life in tedious Imprifonment? Some pretend to fay, that thefe Antients wanted true Courage, that Cato acted like a Coward, and that it would have been more heroick for him to have fubmitted to Cæfar: Thefe Thoughts may do in an Ode, or ferve to embellish an Oration. But it is certain, that a violent Death calmly determined upon, is fo far from being á. Mark of Pufillanimity, that it is a Victory over Nature. Such an Action is a Proof of Rage, not of Weakness. When fuch a Man falls into a Frenzy, we don't fay he is feeble, but that his Strength is fupernatural, and the Effect of his Disease.

The Pagan Religion forbade Suicide as exprefly as the Chriftian. By
their Mythology, there was a particular Place of Punishment in Hell
affign'd to thole who were criminal this Way, as appears from this
Paflage in Virgil.

Proxima deinde tenent mafti loca, qui fibi le hum
Infontes peperere manu, lucemque perofi
Projecere animas-quam vellent aihere in alto
Nunc & pauperiem, & duros perferre labores!
Fata obftant, triftique Palus înnabilis undâ,
Alligat&novies Styx interfufa coërcet.—

The fecond Place of thefe fad Realins of Night,
Is kept for those, who rafhly quit the Light;
Who ere they reach their Life's appointed Date,
Pour out their Souls- and cut the Thread of Fate!
And fick of Sorrows, Jent by Heaven's Decree,
Prefume with impious Courage to be free;
Now doubly loft; and doom'd to endless Päin,
They wish to bear the Load of Life again!·
Fain would they to rejected Day return,
The fure to fuffer, and tho' fix'd to mourn?
Fruitless Regret! remedilefs Despair!
Heaven diffipates the wid Requeft in Air!
Their dread Abode eternal Darkness bounds,

And Styx with ninefold circling Wave Jurrounds.

Virgil.

Such was the Fate of Suicide, according to the Pagan Religion, and yet in spite of these infernal Penalties it denounced, it was reckoned a Point of Honour to die this Way, to contradictory are the Manners of Men fometimes to their Principles. Thus Duelling is unhappily creditable amongst us, tho' equally repugnant to our Religion, and forbid by Reafon and by our Laws. If Cato and Cafar, Antony and Auguftus, did not decide their Quarrels this way, it was not because they had lefs

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Courage,

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Courage, than our French Heroes: If the D. of Montmerency, the Marefchals of Marillac de Thou, or St. Mars, chofe rather to be led to Execution, like Highwaymen, than to kill themselves, as Brutus and Caf fus; it does not follow they had lefs Fortitude, or Senfe of Honour than the Romans? The true Reason is, that Suicide was then the Fashion at Rome, and Beheading was the Mode at Paris. The Women on the Coafts of Malabar and Coromandel, burn themselves on their Husbands Funeral Pile. Have they more Refolution than Cornelia, or the Roman Matrons? No, --- but it is the Cuftom of that Country for the Women to expose themselves to the Flames that confume their Husbands.

Opinion, Cuftom, o'er Mankind prefide,

Thro' Life they rule us, and in Death they guide!

ODE fait le 30 Juin, 1742. Par M. de Voltaire : A la Louange de la REINE de HONGRIE, SC.

(See Gentleman's Magazine, Vol. XII. p. 383).

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ILLE de ces Héros que l'Empire eut pour Maîtres,

FDigne du Trône Augufte où l'on vit tes Ancêtres,

Toujours prè de leur chûte, & toujours affermis,
Princeffe Magnanime,

Qui jouit de l'eftime
Des tous tes Ennemis.

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LE Francçois généreux, fi fier & fi traitable,
Dont le goût pour la Gloire eft le feul point durable,
Et qui vole en aveugle où l'Honneur le conduit,
Inonde ton Empire,

Te combat & t'admire,
T'adore & te poursuit.

III.

PAR des Noeuds étonnans l'altière Germanie,
A fes puiffans Rivaux malgré foi réunie,
Fait de l'Europe entière un objet de pitié,
Et lear longue Querelle

Fut cent fois moins cruelle

Que leur trifte Amitié.

IV.

Quoi! des Rois bienfaisans ordonnent les Ravages ;
Ils annoncent le Calme, en formant les Orages;
Ils prétendent conduire à la Félicité

La Nation tremblante
Par la route fanglante
De la Calamité !

c.

V.

V.

O Vieillard vénérable, à qui les Deftinées
Ont de l'heureux Neftor accordé les années,
Sage, que rien n'allarme, & que rien n'éblouit,
Veux-tu priver le Monde
De cette Paix profonde
Dont ton Ame jouit ?

VI.

An! s'il pouvoit encore, au gré de fa Prudence,
Tenant également le Glaive & la Balance,
Fermer, par des refforts aux Mortels inconnus,
De fa Main respectée,

La Porte enfanglantée
Du Temple de Janus !

VII.

Si de l'Or des François les Sources égarées
Ne fertilifoient plus le lointaines Contrées,
Rapportoient l'abondance au fein de nos Remparts,
Embellifoient nos Villes,
Arrofoient leurs Azyles,

Où languiffent les Arts.

VIII.

BEAUX Arts, Enfans du Ciel, de la Paix & des Graces,
Que Louis en Triomphe amena fur fes Traces,
Ranimez vos Travaux fi brillans autrefois,

Nos Mains découragées,

Nos Lires négligées

Et nos tremblantes Voix.

IX.

De l'Immortalité vos Travaux font le Gage:
Tous ces Traitez rompus & fuivis du Carnage,
Les Triomphes d'un jour, des Momens célébrez,
Tout paffe, tout retombe

Dans la Nuit de la Tombe;

Et vous feuls demeurez.

X.

Le Ciel entend mes Vœux, un nouveau Jour m'éclaire ;
L'Ame du Grand Armand qui vous fervit de Pere,

Pour animer vos Chants reparoît aujourdhui;

Rois, suivez fon exemple ;

Vous, Prêtres de fon Temple,
Soyez dignes de lai.

EXTRAC

EXTRACT of M. Maupertuis's Letter, in Relation to the Comet, of March 1742.

-Tu ne quafieris-fcire nefas.

HOR.

N the 2d, of March M. Grante difcover'd at the Obfervatory Royal

ON

a Comet, which for fome time engroffed the whole Converfation of Paris. It appear'd indeed, an Age too late to give any Confternation; and yet perhaps, no Epocha could be more feasonable for its being refpected this Way, if we confider the important Revolutions which have preceded, or those which may follow it. Thanks to good Defcartes, our Times are more enlightened, than to imagine that the Afpect of a Comet has any Influence on the Destiny of Monarchs, or the Affairs of Europe. Those who were most troubled about it,were only uneasy, it took up fo great a Share in the publick Converfation. In return it has produced this Letter, which is more than fufficient to balance their Complaints. It is addreffed to a Lady, who had afk'd it of Mr Maupertuis, and whofe Commands he thought it his Duty to obey.

Our Author begins with mentioning the high Esteem Comets have been regarded with in all Ages. Not a Century ago, fays he, Astrology was the prevailing Taste at Court and City. The Aftronomers, Naturalifts and Divines of all Ages, agreed in looking on Comets as the Signals of the most important Events. The celebrated Tycho (Brabe) treats all who disbelieve this Article as guilty of Impiety.

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Strange! that Comets, after being fo long the Terrors of Mankind, ⚫ are fallen into fuch Difreputation, that we don't suppose them fit for any thing but giving People Colds.

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To prove that Comets have really a fecret Influence over terrestrial Affairs (our Author who does not enter into a metaphyfical Difquifition of the Point) thinks it neceffary, that this Influence fhould be authorifed by either Revelation, Reason, or Experience, which is by no means the Cafe.

Nor have the Opinions, relating to the Nature and Origin of Comets, been lefs ftrange than the Effects afcribed to them.

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Kepler conceiv'd them to be a Kind of igneous Monfters that sported in the Air, as Whales do in the Ocean; others fupposed them celestial ⚫ Meffengers to foretel fome approaching Calamity. Others believe them ⚫ only tranfient Appearances, or Phenomena caused by the Reflection for Refraction of Light.

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Ariftotle afferts, they are Meteors form'd by the Exhalations of the • Earth and Water, and this Sentiment prevailed as long as the Peripatetick School had its Reign.

The Chaldeans (according to M. Maupertuis) had jufter Notions of Comets, which they regarded as perpetual Stars, or rather a Kind of of planetary Bodies, of whofe Courses they had formed fome Calculations. Seneca (as quoted by him) is of the fame Sentiments, and • speaks of these celeftial Luminaries in a Manner fo agreeable to the

prefent

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