A — Apis
Original French
Le bœuf Apis était-il adoré à Memphis comme Dieu, comme symbole, ou comme bœuf? Il est à croire que les fanatiques voyaient en lui un Dieu, les sages un simple symbole, & que le sot peuple adorait le bœuf. Cambise fit-il bien quand il eut conquis l’Egypte, de tuer ce bœuf de sa main? Pourquoi non? Il faisait voir aux imbécilles qu’on pouvait mettre leur Dieu à la broche, sans que la nature s’armât pour venger ce sacrilège. On a fort vanté les Egyptiens. Je ne connais guères de peuple plus méprisable; il faut qu’il y ait toujours eu dans leur caractère, & dans leur gouvernement un vice radical, qui en a toujours fait de vils esclaves. Je consens que dans les temps presqu’inconnus, ils ayent conquis la terre; mais dans les temps de l’histoire ils ont été subjugués par tous ceux qui s’en sont voulu donner la peine, par les Assyriens, par les Perses, par les Grecs, par les Romains, par les Arabes, par les Mammelus, par les Turcs, enfin par tout le monde, excepté par nos croisés, attendu que ceux-ci étaient plus mal avisés que les Egyptiens n’étaient lâches. Ce fut la milice des Mammelus qui battit les Français. Il n’y a peut-être que deux choses passables dans cette nation; la première, que ceux qui adoraient un bœuf ne voulurent jamais contraindre ceux qui adoraient un singe, à changer de religion; la seconde, qu’ils ont fait toujours éclore des poulets dans des fours.
On vante leurs piramides; mais ce sont des monuments d’un peuple esclave. Il faut bien qu’on y ait fait travailler toute la nation, sans quoi on n’aurait pu venir à bout d’élever ces vilaines masses. A quoi servaient-elles? A conserver dans une petite chambre la momie de quelque Prince ou de quelque Gouverneur, ou de quelque Intendant que son ame devait ranimer au bout de mille ans. Mais s’ils espéraient cette résurrection des corps, pourquoi leur ôter la cervelle avant de les embaumer? Les Egyptiens devaient-ils ressusciter sans cervelle?
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.
Was the ox Apis worshiped at Memphis as a god, as a symbol, or as an ox? We may believe the fanatics saw a god in him, the wise a mere symbol, and the foolish populace worshiped the ox. Was Cambyses right, after conquering Egypt, to kill this ox with his own hand? Why not? He showed the fools that their god could be put on the spit without nature taking up arms to avenge the sacrilege. The Egyptians have been much praised. I know scarcely any people more contemptible. There must always have been a fundamental vice in their character and government that made them vile slaves. I grant that in almost unknown times they conquered the earth. But in historical times they were subdued by everyone willing to take the trouble: the Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Mamluks, Turks—in short, by everyone except our crusaders, since those were even more ill-advised than the Egyptians were cowardly. It was the Mamluk corps that defeated the French. Perhaps there are only two tolerable things about this nation: first, that those who worshiped an ox never wished to force those who worshiped a monkey to change religion; second, that they have always hatched chickens in ovens.
People praise their pyramids, but these are monuments of an enslaved people. The entire nation must have been made to work on them; otherwise those ugly masses could never have been raised. What purpose did they serve? To preserve in a little chamber the mummy of some prince, governor, or administrator, whose soul was to restore him to life after a thousand years. But if they hoped for this resurrection of bodies, why remove their brains before embalming them? Were the Egyptians to rise again without brains?
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.
Did the people of Memphis worship the ox Apis as a god, a symbol, or simply an ox? Probably the fanatics thought he was a god, the wise saw only a symbol, and the foolish common people worshiped the animal itself. After conquering Egypt, was Cambyses right to kill the ox himself? Why not? He showed the fools that they could roast their god on a spit without nature rising up to punish the sacrilege. People have praised the Egyptians a great deal. I know hardly any nation more contemptible. Something deeply wrong in their character and government must always have made them into vile slaves. I will accept that they conquered the world in periods we know almost nothing about. But during recorded history, anyone willing to make the effort conquered them: Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Mamluks, and Turks. Everyone, in fact, except our crusaders, who were even more misguided than the Egyptians were cowardly. The Mamluk army was the force that beat the French. Perhaps only two things about the nation are even passable. First, people who worshiped an ox never tried to make people who worshiped a monkey change their religion. Second, they have always hatched chickens in ovens.
Their pyramids are admired, but they are monuments built by an enslaved people. The whole nation must have been forced to work on them. Otherwise those ugly heaps could never have been built. What were they for? To keep the mummy of a prince, a governor, or an administrator in a small room until his soul brought him back to life after a thousand years. If they expected bodies to come back to life, why did they take out the brains before embalming them? Were Egyptians supposed to rise again without brains?
About this section
A — Apis 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 9 of 73 in the work, which is kept in the European tradition.
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