A — Amour-propre
Original French
Un gueux des environs de Madrid demandait noblement l’aumône. Un passant lui dit, N’êtes-vous pas honteux de faire ce métier infame quand vous pouvez travailler? Monsieur, répondit le mendiant, je vous demande de l’argent & non pas des conseils; puis il lui tourna le dos en conservant toute la dignité Castillane. C’était un fier gueux que ce seigneur, sa vanité était blessée pour peu de chose. Il demandait l’aumône par amour de soi-même, & ne souffrait pas la reprimande par un autre amour de soi-même.
Un Missionaire voyageant dans l’Inde, rencontra un Faquir chargé de chaînes, nud comme un singe, couché sur le ventre, & se faisant fouetter pour les péchés de ses compatriotes les Indiens, qui lui donnaient quelques liards du pays. Quel renoncement à soi-même! disait un des spectateurs. Renoncement à moi-même? reprit le Faquir, Apprenez que je ne me fais fesser dans ce monde que pour vous le rendre dans l’autre, quand vous serez chevaux & moi cavalier.
Ceux qui ont dit que l’amour de nous-mêmes est la base de tous nos sentiments & de toutes nos actions, ont donc eu grande raison dans l’Inde, en Espagne, & dans toute la terre habitable; & comme on n’écrit point pour prouver aux hommes qu’ils ont un visage, il n’est pas besoin de leur prouver qu’ils ont de l’amour-propre. Cet amour propre est l’instrument de notre conservation, il ressemble à l’instrument de la perpétuité de l’espèce; il est nécessaire, il nous est cher, il nous fait plaisir, & il faut le cacher.
Musean translation
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation of the 73 articles in the 1764 first edition, made directly from the French and reviewed against the scan-collated French text. The author’s notes, quotations and verse are retained. Historical ethnic labels, including offensive terms, are retained from the 1764 text.
A beggar from the neighborhood of Madrid asked nobly for alms. A passerby said to him: “Are you not ashamed to ply this infamous trade when you can work?” “Sir,” the beggar replied, “I ask you for money, not advice.” Then he turned his back, preserving all his Castilian dignity. This lord was a proud beggar indeed: his vanity took offense at very little. He begged out of love for himself, and another form of that same self-love made him refuse a reprimand.
A missionary traveling in India met a fakir loaded with chains, naked as a monkey, lying on his belly and having himself whipped for the sins of his fellow Indians, who gave him a few local liards. “What renunciation of self!” said one of the spectators. “Renunciation of myself?” the fakir retorted. “Learn that I have myself flogged in this world only to pay you back in the next, when you will be horses and I the rider.”
Those who have said that love of ourselves is the foundation of all our feelings and actions were therefore very right—in India, Spain, and throughout the inhabited earth. Just as no one writes to prove to people that they have faces, there is no need to prove that they have self-love. This self-love is the instrument of our preservation. It resembles the instrument that perpetuates the species: it is necessary, it is dear to us, it gives us pleasure, and it must be concealed.
Plain English translation
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Plain English translation of the same 73 articles, made directly from the French and reviewed against the scan-collated French text. The author’s notes, quotations and verse are retained. Historical ethnic labels, including offensive terms, are retained from the 1764 text.
A beggar near Madrid asked for charity with an air of nobility. Someone passing by asked, “Aren’t you ashamed of this disgraceful way of making a living when you are able to work?” The beggar answered, “Sir, I’m asking you for money, not advice.” He turned away, keeping all his Castilian dignity. This grand gentleman was certainly a proud beggar: very little was needed to hurt his vanity. Self-love made him ask for money. Another kind of self-love made him reject criticism.
While traveling in India, a missionary came across a fakir covered in chains, as naked as a monkey. He lay on his stomach and had people whip him for the sins of his fellow Indians. They gave him a few liards in local money. One onlooker said, “What self-denial!” The fakir answered, “Denying myself? You should know I only let myself be beaten in this world so I can repay you in the next one, when you are horses and I am the rider.”
So the people who say self-love underlies all our feelings and everything we do are quite right, whether in India, Spain, or anywhere else people live. Nobody needs to write to prove that human beings have faces. There is no more need to prove that they love themselves. Self-love is the means by which we keep ourselves alive. It is like the means of keeping the species going: we need it, value it, enjoy it, and must hide it.
About this section
A — Amour-propre is part of Pocket Philosophical Dictionary by Voltaire. This page sets the French original beside 2 direct-source translations, so any line can be checked against the source. It is article 6 of 73 in the work, which is kept in the European tradition.
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