FOOTNOTES:

Philosophe indulgent, ministre citoyen,Qui ne cherchas le vrai que pour faire le bien,Qui d'un peuple léger et trop ingrat peut-êtrePréparais le bonheur et celui de son maître,Ce qu'on nomme disgrace a payé tes bienfaits.Le vrai prix de travail n'est que de vivre en paix.

Turgot at first showed some just and natural resentment at the levity with which he had been banished from power, and he put on no airs of theatrical philosophy. He would have been untrue to the sincerity of his character, if he had affected indifference or satisfaction at seeing his beneficent hopes for ever destroyed. But chagrin did not numb his industry or his wide interests. Condorcet went to visit him some months after his fall. He describes Turgot as reading Ariosto, as making experiments in physics, and as having forgotten all that had passed within the last two years, save when the sight of evils that he would have mitigated or removed, happened to remind him of it. He occupied himself busily with chemistry and optics, with astronomy and mechanics, and above all with meteorology, which was a new science in those days, and the value of which to the study of the conditions of human health, of the productions of the earth, of navigation, excited his most ardent anticipations. Turgot also was so moved by the necessity for a new synthesis of life and knowledge as to frame a plan for a great work 'on the human soul, the order of the universe, the Supreme Being, the principles of societies, the rights of men, political constitutions, legislation, administration, physical education, the means of perfecting the human race relatively to the progressive advance and employment of their forces, to the happiness of which they are susceptible, to the extent of the knowledge to which they may attain, to the certainty, clearness, and simplicity of the principles of conduct, to the purity of the feelings that spring up in men's souls.' While his mind was moving through these immense spaces of thought, he did not forget the things of the hour. He invented a machine for serving ship's cables. He wrote a plea for allowing Captain Cook's vessel to remain unmolested during the American war. With Adam Smith, with Dr. Price, with Franklin, with Hume, he kept up a grave and worthy correspondence. Of his own countrymen, Condorcet was his most faithful friend and disciple, and it is much to Condorcet's credit that this was so, for Turgot never gave way to the passionate impulses of the philosophic school against what Voltaire called the Infamous, that is to say, against the Church, her doctrines, her morality, her history.

We have already said that the keyword to Turgot's political aims and social theory was not Pity nor Benevolence, but Justice. It was Justice also, not temporary Prejudice nor Passion, that guided his judgment through the heated issues of the time. This justice and exact reasonableness it was impossible to surprise or throw off its guard. His sublime intellectual probity never suffered itself to be tempted. He protested against the doctrines of Helvétius's book,de l'Esprit, and of D'Holbach'sSystème de la Nature, at a moment when some of his best friends were enthusiastic in admiration, for no better reason than that the doctrines of the two books were hateful to the ecclesiastics and destructive of the teaching of the Church. In the course of a discussion, Condorcet had maintained that in general scrupulous persons are not fit for great things: a Christian, he said, will waste in subduing the darts of the flesh time that he might have employed upon things that would have been useful to humanity; he will never venture to rise against tyrants, for fear of having formed a hasty judgment, and so forth in other cases. 'No virtue,' replies Turgot, 'in whatever sense you take the word, can dispense with justice; and I think no better of the people who do yourgreat thingsat the cost of justice, than I do of poets who fancy that they can produce great wonders of imagination without order and regularity. I know that excessive precision tends to deaden the fire alike of action and of composition; but there is a medium in everything. There has never been any question in our controversy of a capuchin wasting his time in quenching the darts of the flesh, though, by the way, in the whole sum of time wasted, the term expressing the time lost in satisfying the appetites of the flesh would probably be found to be decidedly the greater of the two.' This parenthesis is one of a hundred illustrations of Turgot's habitual refusal to be carried out of the narrow path of exact rationality, or to take for granted a single word of the common form of the dialect even of his best friends and closest associates. And the readiness with which men fall into common form, the levity with which they settle the most complex and difficult issues, stirred in Turgot what Michelet callsférocité, and Mr. Matthew Arnold callssœva indignatio. 'Turgot was filled with an astonished, awful, oppressive sense of theimmoral thoughtlessnessof men; of the heedless, hazardous way in which they deal with things of the greatest moment to them; of the immense, incalculable misery which is due to this cause' (M. Arnold).

Turgot died on the 20th of March 1781, leaving to posterity the memory of a character which was more perfect and imposing than his performances. Condorcet saw in this harmonious union and fine balance of qualities the secret of his unpopularity. 'Envy,' he says, 'seems more closely to attend a character that approaches perfection, than one that, while astonishing men by its greatness, yet by exhibiting a mixture of defects and vices, offers a consolation that envy seeks.'

FOOTNOTES:[1]Born in 1743, 1749, and 1759 respectively.[2]Among others, of a little volume still to be met with in libraries,Sur la manière de préparer les diverses curiosités d'histoire naturelle(1758).[3]Vie de Turgot, p. 8 (ed. 1847).[4]Mémoires de Morellet, i. 12 (ed. 1822).[5]Lettre à Madame de Graffigny.Œuv.ii. 793.[6]Letter to Turgot,Œuv. de Condorcet, i. 228. See also vi. 264, and 523-526.[7]Morellet, i. 133.[8]Whewell'sHist. Induct. Sciences, ii. 147-159.[9]Œuv. de Turgot, ii. 783. (Edition of Messrs. Eugène Daire and H. Dussard, published in theCollection des Principaux Economistes, published by Guillaumin, 1844.)[10]Mémoires, i. 16.[11]Ib.i. 20.[12]Ib.i. 19.[13]Morellet'sMémoires, i. 17-21; 262-270; and ii. 15.[14]Marmontel'sMémoires, bk. xiii.; Morellet, however, with persevering friendliness, denies the truth of Marmontel's picture (ii. 465).[15]Morellet, i. 21.[16]Dupont de Nemours. Condorcet'sVie de Turgot, pp. 8-10.[17]'La nécessité de mentir pour désavouer un ouvrage est une extrémité qui répugne également à la conscience et à la noblesse du caractère; mais le crime est pour les hommes injustes qui rendent ce désaveu nécessaire à la sûreté de celui qu'ils y forcent. Si vous avez érigé en crime ce qui n'en est pas un, si vous avez porté atteinte, par des lois absurdes ou par des lois arbitraires, au droit naturel qu'ont tous les hommes, non seulement d'avoir une opinion, mais de la rendre publique, alors vous méritez de perdre celui qu'a chaque homme d'entendre la vérité de la bouche d'un autre, droit qui fonde seule l'obligation rigoureuse de ne pas mentir.'—Condorcet,Vie de Voltaire(Œuv.iv. 33, 34).[18]Œuv.ii. 685. Morellet says that it was written by Loménie de Brienne, 19.[19]See the note of Dupont de Nemours,ad loc.[20]See Condorcet's éloge on Buffon (Œuv.iii. 335); and a passage from Bourdon, quoted in Whewell'sHist. Induct. Sci.iii. 348.[21]October, 1748.Œuv.ii. 782-784.[22]Condorcet'sVie de Turgot, 14.[23]Morellet, i. 140.[24]Written in 1751.Œuv.ii. 785-794.[25]'On sera surpris que je compte l'étude des langues au nombre des inutilités de l'éducation,' etc.—Emile, bk. ii.[26]See Locke,Of Education, §§ 81, 184, etc.[27]'La seule leçon de morale qui convienne à l'enfance, et la plus importante à tout âge, est de ne jamais faire de mal à personne,' etc.Emile, bk. ii. 'Never trouble yourself about these faults in them, which you know age will cure. And therefore want of well-fashioned civility in the carriage ... should be the parents' least care while they are young. If his tender mind be filled with a veneration for his parents and teachers, which consists in love and esteem and a fear to offend them; and with respect and good-will to all people; that respect will of itself teach these ways of expressing it, which he observes most acceptable,' etc.—Locke,Of Education, §§ 63, 67, etc.[28]'Vous donnez la science, à la bonne heure; moi je m'occupe de l'instrument propre à l'acquérir,' etc.—Emile.[29]ii. 790.[30]Œuv. de Condorcet, vi. 245.[31]Œuv.ii. 672.[32]Œuv.ii. 586,n.[33]See Martin'sHist. de la France, iii. 422. Or Morison'sLife of Saint Bernard, bk. iii. ch. vi.[34]Les hommes en tout ne s'éclairent que par le tâtonnement de l'expérience.P. 593.[35]Esprit des Lois, bk. xxiv. ch. ii.[36]See on this subject Finlay'sMediæval Greece and Trebizond, p. 197; and also, on the other hand, p. 56.[37]Lettres sur la Tolérance, II. vol. ii. 687.[38]Sur les progrés successifs de l'esprit humain.Œuv.ii. 597-611.[39]Discours sur l'Histoire Universelle, part iii. ch. ii.[40]Preface toEssai sur les Mœurs,Œuv.xx.[41]P. 601.[42]P. 603.[43]Study of History, Letter ii.[44]See vol. i. p. 290.[45]Foncin'sMinistère de Turgot, p. 574.[46]See Mauguin'sEtudes Historiques sur l'Administration de l'Agriculture, i. 353.[47]See vol. i. p. 31.

[1]Born in 1743, 1749, and 1759 respectively.

[2]Among others, of a little volume still to be met with in libraries,Sur la manière de préparer les diverses curiosités d'histoire naturelle(1758).

[3]Vie de Turgot, p. 8 (ed. 1847).

[4]Mémoires de Morellet, i. 12 (ed. 1822).

[5]Lettre à Madame de Graffigny.Œuv.ii. 793.

[6]Letter to Turgot,Œuv. de Condorcet, i. 228. See also vi. 264, and 523-526.

[7]Morellet, i. 133.

[8]Whewell'sHist. Induct. Sciences, ii. 147-159.

[9]Œuv. de Turgot, ii. 783. (Edition of Messrs. Eugène Daire and H. Dussard, published in theCollection des Principaux Economistes, published by Guillaumin, 1844.)

[10]Mémoires, i. 16.

[11]Ib.i. 20.

[12]Ib.i. 19.

[13]Morellet'sMémoires, i. 17-21; 262-270; and ii. 15.

[14]Marmontel'sMémoires, bk. xiii.; Morellet, however, with persevering friendliness, denies the truth of Marmontel's picture (ii. 465).

[15]Morellet, i. 21.

[16]Dupont de Nemours. Condorcet'sVie de Turgot, pp. 8-10.

[17]'La nécessité de mentir pour désavouer un ouvrage est une extrémité qui répugne également à la conscience et à la noblesse du caractère; mais le crime est pour les hommes injustes qui rendent ce désaveu nécessaire à la sûreté de celui qu'ils y forcent. Si vous avez érigé en crime ce qui n'en est pas un, si vous avez porté atteinte, par des lois absurdes ou par des lois arbitraires, au droit naturel qu'ont tous les hommes, non seulement d'avoir une opinion, mais de la rendre publique, alors vous méritez de perdre celui qu'a chaque homme d'entendre la vérité de la bouche d'un autre, droit qui fonde seule l'obligation rigoureuse de ne pas mentir.'—Condorcet,Vie de Voltaire(Œuv.iv. 33, 34).

[18]Œuv.ii. 685. Morellet says that it was written by Loménie de Brienne, 19.

[19]See the note of Dupont de Nemours,ad loc.

[20]See Condorcet's éloge on Buffon (Œuv.iii. 335); and a passage from Bourdon, quoted in Whewell'sHist. Induct. Sci.iii. 348.

[21]October, 1748.Œuv.ii. 782-784.

[22]Condorcet'sVie de Turgot, 14.

[23]Morellet, i. 140.

[24]Written in 1751.Œuv.ii. 785-794.

[25]'On sera surpris que je compte l'étude des langues au nombre des inutilités de l'éducation,' etc.—Emile, bk. ii.

[26]See Locke,Of Education, §§ 81, 184, etc.

[27]'La seule leçon de morale qui convienne à l'enfance, et la plus importante à tout âge, est de ne jamais faire de mal à personne,' etc.Emile, bk. ii. 'Never trouble yourself about these faults in them, which you know age will cure. And therefore want of well-fashioned civility in the carriage ... should be the parents' least care while they are young. If his tender mind be filled with a veneration for his parents and teachers, which consists in love and esteem and a fear to offend them; and with respect and good-will to all people; that respect will of itself teach these ways of expressing it, which he observes most acceptable,' etc.—Locke,Of Education, §§ 63, 67, etc.

[28]'Vous donnez la science, à la bonne heure; moi je m'occupe de l'instrument propre à l'acquérir,' etc.—Emile.

[29]ii. 790.

[30]Œuv. de Condorcet, vi. 245.

[31]Œuv.ii. 672.

[32]Œuv.ii. 586,n.

[33]See Martin'sHist. de la France, iii. 422. Or Morison'sLife of Saint Bernard, bk. iii. ch. vi.

[34]Les hommes en tout ne s'éclairent que par le tâtonnement de l'expérience.P. 593.

[35]Esprit des Lois, bk. xxiv. ch. ii.

[36]See on this subject Finlay'sMediæval Greece and Trebizond, p. 197; and also, on the other hand, p. 56.

[37]Lettres sur la Tolérance, II. vol. ii. 687.

[38]Sur les progrés successifs de l'esprit humain.Œuv.ii. 597-611.

[39]Discours sur l'Histoire Universelle, part iii. ch. ii.

[40]Preface toEssai sur les Mœurs,Œuv.xx.

[41]P. 601.

[42]P. 603.

[43]Study of History, Letter ii.

[44]See vol. i. p. 290.

[45]Foncin'sMinistère de Turgot, p. 574.

[46]See Mauguin'sEtudes Historiques sur l'Administration de l'Agriculture, i. 353.

[47]See vol. i. p. 31.

Transcribers' Notes:

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