T — Tirannie
Original French
ON appelle tiran le souverain qui ne connaît de loix que son caprice, qui prend le bien de ses sujets, & qui ensuite les enrôle pour aller prendre celui de ses voisins. Il n’y a point de ces tirans-là en Europe.
On distingue la tyrannie d’un seul, & celle de plusieurs. Cette tirannie de plusieurs serait celle d’un corps qui envahirait les droits des autres corps, & qui exercerait le despotisme à la faveur des loix corrompues par lui. Il n’y a pas non plus de cette espèce de tirans en Europe.
Sous quelle tirannie aimeriez-vous mieux vivre? Sous aucune; mais s’il falait choisir, je détesterais moins la tirannie d’un seul que celle de plusieurs. Un despote a toujours quelques bons momens; une assemblée de despotes n'en a jamais. Si un tiran me fait une injustice, je peux le désarmer par sa maîtresse, par son confesseur, ou par son page; mais une compagnie de graves tirans est inaccessible à toutes les séductions. Quand elle n’est pas injuste, elle est au moins dure, & jamais elle ne répand de graces.
Si je n’ai qu’un despote, j’en suis quitte pour me ranger contre un mur lorsque je le vois passer, ou pour me prosterner, ou pour fraper la terre de mon front selon la coutume du païs; mais s’il y a une compagnie de cent despotes, je suis exposé à répéter cette cérémonie cent fois par jour, ce qui est très ennuieux à la longue quand on n’a pas les jarrets souples. Si j’ai une métairie dans le voisinage de l’un de nos seigneurs, je suis écrasé; si je plaide contre un parent des parents d’un de nos seigneurs, je suis ruiné. Comment faire? J’ai peur que dans ce monde on ne soit réduit à être enclume ou marteau; heureux qui échape à cette alternative!
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 sovereign is called a tyrant when he knows no laws but his whim, takes his subjects’ property, and then enlists them to go and take his neighbors’. There are no tyrants of this kind in Europe.
We distinguish the tyranny of one from that of several. This tyranny of several would be that of a body that encroached on the rights of other bodies and exercised despotism under cover of laws it had corrupted. Nor are there tyrants of this kind in Europe.
Under which tyranny would you prefer to live? Under none; but if I had to choose, I would detest the tyranny of one less than that of several. A despot always has a few good moments; an assembly of despots never has any. If a tyrant wrongs me, I can disarm him through his mistress, his confessor, or his page; but a company of solemn tyrants is impervious to every enticement. When it is not unjust, it is at least harsh, and it never bestows favors.
If I have only one despot, I need merely step against a wall when I see him pass, or prostrate myself, or strike the ground with my forehead according to the country’s custom. But if there is a company of a hundred despots, I may have to repeat this ceremony a hundred times a day, which becomes very tedious in the long run when one’s knees are not supple. If I have a farm near one of our lords, I am crushed; if I go to law against a relative of a relative of one of our lords, I am ruined. What is to be done? I fear that in this world we are reduced to being anvil or hammer. Happy the man who escapes that alternative!
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.
We call a ruler a tyrant if his only law is his own whim. He takes his subjects’ property, then recruits them to go and take his neighbors’ property. Europe has no tyrants like that.
We distinguish between tyranny by one person and tyranny by many. In the second kind, one institution takes over the rights of others. It uses laws it has corrupted to rule as a despot. Europe has no tyrants of that kind either.
Which sort of tyranny would you prefer to live under? Neither. But if I had to choose, I’d hate one tyrant less than many. A despot always has a few good moments; a gathering of despots never does. If a tyrant wrongs me, I can win him over through his mistress, his confessor, or his page. But a council of solemn tyrants won’t yield to any attempt to win it over. Even when it isn’t unjust, it’s harsh at the very least. It never hands out favors.
With just one despot, I can get off by standing against a wall when he passes. Or I can lie face down or hit the ground with my forehead, as local custom requires. But with a council of a hundred despots, I risk having to perform that ceremony a hundred times a day. That gets very tiresome over time if your legs don’t bend easily. If I have a small farm near one of our lords, I’m crushed. A lawsuit against a relative of one of our lords’ relatives ruins me. What am I to do? I’m afraid this world leaves us no choice but to be an anvil or a hammer. Anyone who escapes that choice is lucky!
About this section
T — Tirannie 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 71 of 73 in the work, which is kept in the European tradition.
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