S — Superstition
Original French
Chapitre tiré de Cicéron, de Senèque & de Plutarque.
PRESQUE tout ce qui va au-delà de l’adoration d’un être suprême, & de la soumission du cœur à ses ordres éternels, est superstition. C’en est une très-dangereuse que le pardon des crimes attaché à certaines cérémonies.
Et nigras mactant pecudes, & manibu’ divis,In ferias mittunt.
O faciles nimium qui tristia crimina cædis,Flumineâ tolli posse putatis aquâ!
Vous pensez que Dieu oubliera votre homicide, si vous vous baignez dans un fleuve, si vous immolez une brebis noire, & si on prononce sur vous des paroles. Un second homicide vous sera donc pardonné au même prix, & ainsi un troisiéme, & cent meurtres ne vous couteront que cent brebis noires & cent ablutions! Faites mieux, misérables humains, point de meurtre & point de brebis noires.
Quelle infâme idée d'imaginer qu’un prêtre d’Isis & de Cibèle en jouant des cimbales & des castagnettes vous réconciliera avec la Divinité! Et qu’est-il donc ce prêtre de Cibèle, cet eunuque errant qui vit de vos faiblesses, pour s'établir médiateur entre le ciel & vous? Quelles patentes a-t-il reçues de Dieu? Il reçoit de l’argent de vous pour marmoter des paroles, & vous pensez que l’Etre des êtres ratifie les paroles de ce charlatan?
Il y a des superstitions innocentes: vous dansez les jours de fêtes en l’honneur de Diane ou de Pomone, ou de quelqu’un de ces Dieux sécondaires dont votre calendrier est rempli: à la bonne heure. La danse est très-agréable, elle est utile au corps, elle réjouit l’ame; elle ne fait de mal à personne; mais n’allez pas croire que Pomone & Vertumne vous sachent beaucoup de gré d’avoir sauté en leur honneur, & qu’ils vous punissent d’y avoir manqué. Il n’y a d’autre Pomone ni d’autre Vertumne, que la bèche & le hoyau du jardinier. Ne soyez pas assez imbéciles pour croire que votre jardin sera grêlé si vous avez manqué de danser la pirrique ou la cordace.
Il y a peut-être une superstition pardonnable & même encourageante à la vertu; c’est celle de placer parmi les Dieux les grands hommes qui ont été les bienfaiteurs du genre humain. Il serait mieux sans doute, de s’en tenir à les regarder simplement comme des hommes vénérables; & surtout de tâcher de les imiter. Vénérez sans culte, un Solon, un Thales, un Pitagore, mais n’adorez pas un Hercule pour avoir nettoyé les écuries d’Augias, & pour avoir couché avec cinquante filles dans une nuit.
Gardez vous surtout d’établir un culte pour des gredins qui n’ont eu d’autre mérite que l’ignorance, l’entousiasme, & la crasse, qui se sont fait un devoir & une gloire de l’oisiveté & de la gueuserie; ceux qui au moins ont été inutiles pendant leur vie, méritent-ils l’apothéose après leur mort?
Remarquez que les tems les plus superstitieux ont toujours été ceux des plus horribles crimes.
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 chapter drawn from Cicero, Seneca, and Plutarch.
Almost everything that goes beyond worship of a supreme Being and the heart’s submission to his eternal commands is superstition. A very dangerous superstition is the forgiveness of crimes attached to certain ceremonies.
*And slaughter black sheep, and to the divine shadesSend offerings.*
*Too credulous, you who think the grim crimes of murderCan be washed away with river water!*
You think God will forget your homicide if you bathe in a river, sacrifice a black ewe, and have words pronounced over you. A second homicide will therefore be forgiven at the same price, and then a third; a hundred murders will cost you only a hundred black ewes and a hundred washings! Do better, miserable human beings: no murder, and no black ewes.
What a vile idea, to imagine that a priest of Isis and Cybele, playing cymbals and castanets, will reconcile you with the Divinity! And what is this priest of Cybele, this wandering eunuch who lives on your weaknesses, that he should set himself up as mediator between heaven and you? What credentials has he received from God? He receives money from you to mumble words, and you think the Being of beings ratifies this charlatan’s words?
There are innocent superstitions: you dance on feast days in honor of Diana or Pomona, or one of those secondary gods who fill your calendar. Very well. Dancing is very pleasant; it benefits the body and delights the soul; it harms no one. But do not imagine that Pomona and Vertumnus are very grateful for your leaping in their honor, or punish you for failing to do so. There is no Pomona or Vertumnus but the gardener’s spade and hoe. Do not be foolish enough to believe that hail will ravage your garden if you have failed to dance the pyrrhic dance or the cordax.
There may be one pardonable superstition, which even encourages virtue: placing among the gods the great men who have been humanity’s benefactors. It would undoubtedly be better to confine ourselves to regarding them simply as venerable men, and above all to try to imitate them. Venerate a Solon, a Thales, a Pythagoras without worship; but do not adore a Hercules for cleaning the stables of Augeas and sleeping with fifty girls in one night.
Above all, take care not to establish a cult for scoundrels whose only merit was ignorance, fanaticism, and filth; who made idleness and beggary a duty and a glory. Do those who were at least useless during their lives deserve apotheosis after death?
Observe that the most superstitious times have always been those of the most horrible crimes.
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 chapter taken from Cicero, Seneca, and Plutarch.
Almost anything beyond worshiping a supreme being and obeying his eternal commands in our hearts is superstition. One very dangerous example is believing that certain ceremonies bring forgiveness for crimes.
They slaughter black sheep, and to the divine spirits of the deadThey send funeral offerings.
How easily fooled you are, to think the grim crime of murderCan be washed off with water from a river!
You think God will forget your murder if you bathe in a river, sacrifice a black sheep, and have someone say some words over you. At that price, you’ll be forgiven for a second murder, and then a third. A hundred murders will cost you just a hundred black sheep and a hundred washings! Do better, wretched humans: no killing, and no black sheep.
What a disgraceful notion! You imagine a priest of Isis and Cybele can make your peace with God by playing cymbals and castanets. Who is this priest of Cybele, this wandering eunuch living off your weaknesses? How can he appoint himself your go-between with heaven? What license has God given him? You pay him to mutter a few words. And you think the Being of beings approves what this swindler says?
Some superstitions do no harm. You dance on festival days for Diana, Pomona, or one of the lesser gods filling your calendar. Fine. Dancing feels good, helps your body, lifts your spirits, and harms nobody. But don’t think your jumping about in their honor makes Pomona and Vertumnus very grateful. And don’t think they’ll punish you for not doing it. Your only Pomona and Vertumnus are the gardener’s spade and hoe. Don’t be stupid enough to think hail will hit your garden because you missed dancing the pyrrhic dance or the cordax.
Maybe one superstition can be excused, and can even encourage virtue. It makes gods of the great men who have helped the human race. Of course, it would be better simply to respect them as men, and above all try to follow their example. Respect a Solon, a Thales, or a Pythagoras, but don’t worship them. As for Hercules, don’t worship him for mucking out Augeas’s stables and sleeping with fifty girls in one night.
Above all, don’t set up worship for scoundrels whose only merits were ignorance, fanaticism, and filth. They treated doing nothing and begging as duties and things to boast about. These people were, at the very least, useless while alive. Do they deserve to become gods after death?
Notice that the most superstitious ages have always seen the most horrifying crimes.
About this section
S — Superstition 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 70 of 73 in the work, which is kept in the European tradition.
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