Some of them are obsolete to-day because they so perfectly accomplished their aim. Who wants to read now passionate arguments against torture, and scathing satires on a jurisdiction which openly accepted hearsay as evidence?
In his own day those writings produced many practical reforms, and paved the way to many more. Through them, he was himself enabled to be a philanthropist in an age when the prosperous elder brothers of the world looked up to God from stricken Abel with that scornful question, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Through them, he saved innocent lives and restored stolen honour.
But his Ferney, his Lally, Calas, Sirven, La Barre, were only types of his work for all the race.
He found the earth overspread with hideous under-growths of oppression and privilege, intolerance and cruelty; and he destroyed them.
He found the good land covered with abuses in Church and State and every social order; abuses political, personal; of the rights of the living, and the decent respect owed to the dead—and he uprooted them. With a laugh and blasphemy on his lips, but with eyes and soul afire and the nervous tireless hands trembling with eagerness, the most dauntless, passionate, dogged little worker in all human history hewed and hacked at the monstrous tyrannies of centuries, and flung them, dead, from the fair and beautiful soil they had usurped.
At last, after sixty years of superhuman effort, he had cleared the place and made it ready for the planting of the Tree of Liberty.
Whoso sits under that tree to-day in any country, free to worship his God as he will, to think, to learn, and to do all that does not intrench on the freedom of his fellow-men—free to progress to heights of light and knowledge as yet unseen and undreamt—should in gratitude remember Voltaire.
INDEX
[A], [B], [C], [D], [E], [F], [G], [H], [I], [J], [K], [L], [M], [N], [O], [P], [Q], [R], [S], [T], [U], [V], [W], [X], [Y], [Z]
Abingdon, Lord, [455]
Adam, Father, [435], [486], [521]
“Adélaïde du Guesclin,” [71];
produced, [72]
“Agathocle,” [525];
produced, [561]
“Akakia, Diatribe of Doctor,” [266-8], [270], [274];
published, [260], [265]
Alain, Maître, [13]
Alembert, d’, [141], [213], [251], [345-6], [424], [460], [538], [543], [546], [550], [555], [556], [559-562];
history, character, and visit to Délices, [323-6];
and the “Geneva” Article, [336], [337];
withdraws from “Encyclopædia,” [370];
visits Ferney, [500-502]
Algarotti, Comte, [84], [102], [118], [132], [229-231]
Alliot (commissioner to Stanislas), [201], [236]
“Alzire,” [82], [213], [551];
produced, [87]
“Amulius and Numitor,” [6]
Ancian (curé of Moens), [353], [404-405]
“Annals of the Empire,” [272];
published, [296-7]
Annecy, Biort, Bishop of, [351], [354], [404], [477], [483-5]
“Anti-Machiavelli” (Frederick the Great’s), [128], [133]
Aremberg, Duc d’, [125]
Argens, Marquis d’, [229], [230], [253], [335]
Argenson, the Comtes d’, [5], [123], [164], [294], [322], [329]
Argental, Comte d’, [5], [123], [168], [188], [209], [223], [246], [299], [375], [393], [529], [540], [542]
Arnaud, Baculard d,’ [216-17], [224], [227], [243];
his quarrel with Voltaire, [233-5]
Arnould, Sophie, [534]
Arouet, Armand, [2], [3], [4], [8], [25], [31];
his death and character, [156]
Arouet, Madame, [2];
her death, [3]
Arouet, Maître, [7-13], [23];
position, character, and marriage, [1];
at performance of “Œdipe,” [25-6];
his death, [31]
“Art of War, The” (Frederick the Great’s), [244-6]
Artois, Comte d’, [541], [542], [544]
“Assyrian War Chariots,” [333]
Audibert. See Calas, and [516]
Aumard, d’, lives with Voltaire, [376]
“Babouc,” [178], [215]
Barbara (“Bonne-Baba,” servant), [436], [523], [559]
Bazincourt, Mlle. de, [396-7]
Beaudrigue, David de (magistrate). See Calas;
see Sirvens
Beaumont, Elie de (barrister). See Calas;
see Sirvens
Beauregard (spy), [19], [32]
Beauteville, de (French envoy), [465], [470]
Beauvau, Prince, de, [532], [544]
Belbâtre (musician), [533]
“Belle-et-Bonne” (Mlle. de Varicourt, after Marquise de Villette), [517], [524], [544], [553], [561], [564-6]
Bellecour (actor), [532]
Bernières, M. and Mme. de, [36], [38], [40], [41], [47], [49], [65], [117], [120]
Bernis, Abbé (“Babet”), [333], [344], [493]
Berri, Duchesse du, [17], [18], [19]
Berthe (playwright), [522]
Bettinelli (writer), [349-350]
Bigex (copyist), [476], [521]
Boccage, Mme. du (poetess), [342]
Boerhaave, Doctor, [94]
Boisy, M. de, [350], [352]
Bolingbroke, St. John, Lord, [30], [36], [48-51]
“Bolingbroke, Defence of Lord,” [261], [348]
Bombelles, Mme. de (affair of), [508]
Boswell, James, [52], [468-9]
Boufflers, de, [441]
Boufflers, Duchesse de, [145]
Boufflers, Mme. de, [184-7], [195], [201], [202], [203]
Bourbon, Duc de, [41], [45], [541]
“Boursouffle,” [110], [174]
Boyer, Bishop of Mirepoix, [146-7], [178], [219], [250], [333]
Brenles, M. de (lawyer), [301], [308], [319]
Breteuil, Abbé de, [109-111], [115]
Brettwitz, Lieutenant. See Frankfort
Brizard (actor), [544]
Brosses, Président de, [351], [352-3], [409]
Brunswick, Duke of, [153]
“Brutus,” [50], [54], [61], [63];
produced, [63]
Buffon, Comte de, [253], [506]
Burney, Doctor, [358], [497], [500]
Byng, Admiral, Voltaire’s advocacy of, [326-8]
“Cabals, The,” [518]
Calas (the affair of), [412-428], [437], [443-5], [491], [565]
Calmet, Dom, [300]
“Calumny, Epistle on,” [71], [76]
“Campaigns of the King,” [315];
and see “Louis XV., Century of”
“Candide,” [328], [345];
published, [371-373]
“Canning, Elizabeth, History of,” [425].
See Calas
Cartesian System, [101-104]
Casanova, [349]
Castres, Bishop of. See Sirvens
“Catechism of an Honest Man,” [439]
Catherine II. of Russia (Catherine the Great), [358], [453], [487], [493], [560], [562]
Caumartin, [14], [15], [74]
Cazeing. See Calas
Chabanon, [469], [471-2], [516]
Chabrillant, Colonel, [470]
Champbonin, Mme. de, [80], [98], [108], [112-114], [122], [123], [184], [208]
Charles VI., Emperor of Austria, death of, [134]
“Charles XII., History of,” [54-5], [60], [62-3];
published, [64-6]
Chasot, Major, [229], [239]
Châteauneuf, Abbé de, [2], [3], [5];
death of, [6]
Châteauneuf, Marquis de, [10-12]
Châtelet, Emilie de Breteuil, Marqise du, [39], [71], [73], [74], [83], [84], [85], [87], [90], [93] seq., [128], [150], [157], [164], [165], [171], [179], [188], [192], [235], [291-2], [341], [350], [359-60];
birth and education, [74];
marriage and character, [74-5];
visits Voltaire, [75];
at Richelieu’s wedding, [76];
in Paris, [76];
as Voltaire’s mistress, [77-8];
arrives at Cirey, [80];
her children, [81];
in the affair of “Le Mondain,” [93];
as a scientific student, [102];
writes “Essay on Fire,” [105];
during Mme. de Graffigny’s visit, [106-116];
quarrels with her, [112-13];
life with Voltaire, [114-15];
in Desfontaines’ affair, [119-23];
visits Brussels, Enghien, Paris, [124-6];
her attitude towards Frederick, [130-2];
work at Fontainebleau, [133];
quarrel and reconciliation with Voltaire, [138];
dissipation in Paris, [140];
marriage of her daughter, [149];
her discontent with Voltaire, [153];
adventure in Paris, [156];
illness of her son, [157];
at the Duchesse du Maine’s, [172-4];
passion for play and flight from court, [175-176];
acting at Sceaux, [179];
adventure on way to Cirey, [184];
life there, [184];
her love affair with Saint-Lambert, [185-8];
its discovery by Voltaire, [193-6];
its consequences, [197];
studies and life in Paris, [198-200];
life at Lunéville, [200-201];
her last illness and death, [202];
her possessions, [203];
her character and influence on Voltaire, [200-208]
Châtelet, Louis du, [81], [82], [157], [188]
Châtelet, Marquis du, [73], [75], [78], [81], [110], [114], [121], [123], [140], [197], [202], [207], [208]
Châtelet, Pauline du, [81], [111], [149]
Chaulieu, Abbé, [8], [18], [67], [335]
Chaumont, affair of, 439 seq.
Chazel. See Calas
Chesterfield, Lord, [53], [139], [141], [227], [251], [252]
Choiseul, Duc de, [339], [349], [374], [375], [468], [492], [502-3]
Choiseul, Duchesse de, [491], [504-505]
“Christian against Six Jews, A,” [499], [522]
“Christian Dialogues,” [373]
Cideville, [5], [36], [63-4], [76]
“Civil Wars of France, An Essay upon the,” [54]
“Civil War of Geneva, The,” [467]
Clairaut (mathematician), [101], [198]
Clairon, Mlle. (actress), [211], [313], [394], [500], [540];
to stay at Ferney, [454]
Clarke, Samuel, [53]
Clausade. See Calas
Clement (writer), [518]
Collini (servant-secretary), [225], [301], [304], [310];
becomes Voltaire’s secretary, [264];
his part in the flight from Prussia, [265-285];
his dismissal, [320-2]
Condorcet, Marquis de, [500-501], [550], [559]
Conduit, Mrs., [53]
Congreve, [53], [56]
“Consolation, Letter of,” [49]
Cormont, Vaugrenant de, [430]
Corneille, Claude Étienne, [435]
“Corneille Commentary, The,” [408-409]
Corneille, Marie, [430], [442], [527];
adopted by Voltaire, [397-400];
her marriage, [435]
Coste, Doctor, [267]
Covelle (case of), [466-7]
Coyer, Abbé, [365], [409]
Cramer, the brothers (publishers), [305], [340], [396]
Cramer, Mme., [340], [432]
“Crébillon, Éloge de,” [411]
Crébillon, Prosper-Jolyot de (playwright), [61], [189], [198], [210], [213], [305];
his death, [411]
“Critical Letter to a Fine Gentleman of Paris,” [160]
“Cry of Innocent Blood, The,” [460]
Damiens, [329]
Damilaville (Parisian correspondent), [410], [443], [455];
his death, [479]
Darget (Frederick’s secretary), his character, [229];
Frederick’s epigram on his wife, [233];
intercedes for Voltaire, [241-2];
as friend of La Beaumelle, [254];
leaves Frederick, [255]
“Death of Cæsar, The,” [64], [84], [149], [189], [242]
Decroze, [404-405]
Deffand, Mme. du, [70], [77], [164], [184], [531], [548], [556];
visits Voltaire in Bastille, [47];
as his correspondent, [297], [341];
visits him in Paris, [536]
Delaunay (Governor of Bastille), [46-7]
Délille, Abbé, [549]
Denis, Mme. Louise Mignot, [79], [98-99], [192], [209], [223], [300] seq., [331-332], [340], [344], [352-4], [358], [361], [367-8], [374-6], [470], [507], [515], [517], [524], [535], [536], [542-3], [546], [554], [559];
her marriage, [99];
Voltaire stays with her, [139];
death of her husband, [153];
comes to live with Voltaire, [211];
left in charge of his house, [218];
invited to Potsdam, [222-3], [226];
in love with Ximenès, [246];
writes “Punished Coquette” and exposes Longchamps, [255];
in affair of Frankfort, [277-85];
extravagance in Paris, [295];
joins Voltaire at Plombières, [299];
settling into Délices, [309];
steals MSS., [315];
described by Mme. d’Épinay, [339];
as an actress, [342];
complicity with La Harpe, [474-6];
returns to Ferney, [487];
in Voltaire’s last illness, [553-7];
sells his library and Ferney, [561];
marries Duvivier, [561]
Denis, M., [99], [139];
his death, [153]
Denon (artist), [516]
Desfontaines, Abbé, his quarrel with Voltaire, [117-23]
Desforts (controller-general), [60]
Desmares, Mlle. (actress), [211]
Desmarets, M., [112-14]
“Dialogue between a Priest and a Protestant Minister,” [466]
Diderot, [213], [324], [445]
“Disaster of Lisbon, The,” [346], [370];
published, [317-19]
“Discourses on Man,” [80], [84], [87]
Dodington, Bubb, [51]
Dorn. See Frankfort
Dubarry, Mme., [494], [507-8], [534]
Dubois, Cardinal, [32], [34], [36], [40]
Ducis (playwright), [561]
Dumesnil, Mlle. (actress), [145]
Dumolard (librarian), [134]
Dunoyer, Olympe (“Pimpette”), her love affair with Voltaire, [10-14]
Dupuits, Mme. See Corneille, Marie
Dupuits, Mlle., [435], [442]
Dupuits, M., [434], [476], [541], [546]
Duval. See La Barre
Duvivier, [542], [546], [561]