APPENDIX

HOLBACH'S CORRESPONDENCE

The following letters of Holbach are extant:

Holbach to Hume, Aug. 23, 1763.

Holbach to Hume, Mar. 16, 1766.

Holbach to Hume, July 7, 1766.

Holbach to Hume, Aug. 18, 1766.

Holbach to Hume, Sept. 7, 1766.

These were printed in Hume's Private Correspondence, London, 1820,

pp. 252-263, and deal largely with Hume's quarrel with Rousseau.

Holbach to Garrick, June 16, 1765.

Holbach to Garrick, Feb. 9, 1766.

These two letters are in manuscript in Lansdowne House,

Coll. Forster, and were published by F. A. Hedgcock,

David Garrick et ses amis français. Paris, 1911, pp. 251-253.

Holbach to Wilkes, Aug., 1746, 9 (Brit. Mus. Mss., Vol. 30867, p. 14).

Holbach to Wilkes, Dec. 10, 1746 (Brit. Mus. Mss., Vol. 30867, p. 18).

Holbach to Wilkes, May 22, 1766 (Brit. Mus. Mss., Vol. 30869, p. 39)

Holbach to Wilkes, Nov. 9, 1766 (Brit. Mus. Mss., Vol. 30869, p. 81).

Holbach to Wilkes, Dec. 10, 1767 (Brit. Mus. Mss., Vol. 30869, p. 173).

Holbach to Wilkes, July 17, 1768 (Brit. Mus. Mss., Vol. 30870, p. 59).

Holbach to Wilkes, Mar. 19, 1770 (Brit. Mus. Mss., Vol. 30871, p. 16).

Holbach to Wilkes, April 27, 1775, 9 (Wilkes, Correspondence,

London, 1804, Vol. IV, p. 176).

The first seven of these letters are published for the first time

in the present volume, pp. 6-11 and pp. 75-80.

Holbach to Galiani, Aug. 11, 1769 (Critica, Vol. I, pp. 488 sq.).

Galiani to Holbach, April 7, 1770 (Galiani, Correspondence, Paris,

1890, Vol. I, p. 92).

Galiani to Holbach, July 21, 1770 (Galiani, Correspondence, Paris,

1890, Vol. I, p. 199).

Holbach to Galiani, Aug. 25, 1770 (Critica, Vol. I, p. 489).

There are references to other letters in Critica which I have not

been able to find.

Holbach to Beccaria, Mar. 15, 1767, published by M. Landry

Beccaria, Scritte e lettre inediti, 1910, p. 146.

Holbach to Malesherbes, April 6, 1761 (hitherto unpublished). See

present volume, p. 30.

HOLBACH TO HUME

(Hume, Private Correspondence, London, 1820, pp. 252-263)

PARIS, the 23rd. of August, 1763

Sir,—

I have received with the deepest sense of gratitude your very kind

and obliging letter of the 8th. inst: favors of great men ought to

give pride to those that have at least the merit of setting the value

that is due upon them.  This is my case with you, sir; the reading

of your valuable works has not only inspired me with the strongest

admiration for your genius and amiable parts, but gave me the highest

idea of your person and the strongest desire of getting acquainted

with one of the greatest philosophers of my age, and of the best friend

to mankind.  These sentiments have emboldened me to send formally,

though unknown to you, the work you are mentioning to me.  I thought

you were the best to judge of such a performance, and I took only

the liberty of giving a hint of my desires, in case it should meet

with your approbation, nor was I surprized, or presumed to be

displeased, at seeing my wishes disappointed.  The reasons appeared

very obvious to me; not withstanding the British liberty, I conceived

there were limits even to it.  However, my late friend's book has

appeared since and there is even an edition of it lately done in

England: I believe it will be relished by the friends of truth,

who like to see vulgar errors struck at the root.  This has been

your continued task, sir; and you deserve for it the praises of all

sincere wellwishers of humanity: give me leave to rank myself among

them, and express to you, by this opportunity you have been so kind

as to give me, the fervent desire we have to see you in this country.

Messrs. Stuart, Dempster, Fordyce, who are so good as to favor me

with their company, have given me some hopes of seeing you in this

metropolis, where you have so many admirers as readers, and as many

sincere friends as there are disciples of philosophy.  I don't doubt

but my good friend M. Helvétius will join in our wishes, and prevail

upon you to come over.  I assure you, sir, you won't perceive much

the change of the country, for all countries are alike for people that

have the same minds.

I am, with the greatest veneration and esteem, sir, your most

obedient and most humble servant.

D'HOLBACH.

Rue Royale, butte St. Roch, à Paris.

HOLBACH To GARRICK

(Coll. Forster, Vol. XXI; pub., Hedgcock, p. 253)

PARIS, Feb ye 9th, 1766.

I received, my very Dear Sir, with a great deal of pleasure, your

agreeable letter of ye 24th of January, but was very sorry to hear

that you are inlisted in the numerous troup of gouty people.  Tho'

I have myself the honour of being of that tribe I dont desire my

friends should enter into the same corporation.  I am particularly

griev'd to see you among the invalids for you have, more than any

other, occasion for the free use of your limbs.  However, don't be

cross and peevish for that would be only increasing you distemper;

and I charge you especially of not scolding that admirable lady

Mrs Garrick, whose sweetness of temper and care must be a great

comfort in your circumstances.  I beg leave to present her with my

respects and ye compliments of my wife, that has enjoyed but an

indifferent state of health, owing to the severity of the winter.

Mr and Made Helvetius desire you both their best wishes and so do

all your friends, for whom I can answer that every one of them

keeps a kind remembrance of your valuable persons.  Dr. Gem thinks

you'll do very well to go to Bath, but his opinion is that a thin

diet would be more serviceable to you than anything else; believe

he is in the right.  Abbé Morellet pays many thanks for the answers

to his queries, but complains of their shortness and laconism;

however it is not your fault.  He is glad to hear you have receiv'd

his translation of Beccaria's book, Des délits et des peines and

the compliments of our friend Dr Gatti to whom I gave your direction

before he went to London.  Our friend Suard has entered his neck into

the matrimonial halter; we are all of us very sorry for it for we know

that nothing combin'd with love, will at last make nothing at all.

I was not much surpris'd at the particulars you are pleas'd to mention

about Rousseau.  According to the thorough knowledge I have had of

him I look on that man as a mere philosophical quack, full of

affectation, of pride, of oddities and even villainies; the work he

is going to publish justifies the last imputation.  Is his memory so

short as to forget that Mr Grimm, for those 9 years past, has taken

care of the mother of his wench or gouvernante whom he left to starve

here after having debauch'd her daughter and having got her 3 or 4

times with child.  That great philosopher should remember that

Mr. Grimm has in his hands letters under his own hand-writing that

prove him the most ungrateful dogg in the world.  During his last

stay in Paris he made some attempts to see Mr Diderot, and being

refused that favor, he pretended that Diderot endeavoured to see

him, but that himself had refused peremptorily to comply with his

request.  I hope these particulars will suffice to let you know what

you are to think of that illustrious man.  I send you here a copy of

a letter supposed to come from the King of Prussia, but done by

Mr Horace Walpole, whereby you'll see that gentleman has found out

his true character.  But enough of that rascal who deserves not to be

in Mr Hume's company but rather among the bears, if there are any in

the mountains of Wales.

I am surprized you have not receiv'd yet the Encyclopédie, for a

great number of copies have been sent over already to England unless

you have left your subscription here, where hitherto not one copy has

been delivered for prudent reasons.

We have had in the French Comedy a new play called Le Philosophie sans

le savoir done and acted in a new stile, quite natural and moving: it

has a prodigious success and deserves it extremely well.  Marmontel

will give us very soon upon the Italian stage his comical opera of

La Bergère des Alpes.  I hope it will prove very agreeable to the

Publick, having been very much delighted by the rehearsal of it; the

music was done by Mr Cohaut who teaches my wife to play on the luth.

We expect a tragedy of the Dutch Barnvelt.

Mr Wilkes is still in this town, where he intends to stay until you

give him leave to return to his native country.  We have had the

pleasure of seeing Mr Chanquion, your friend, who seems to be a very

discerning gentleman and to whom in favor of your friendship I have

shown all the politeness I could.  I hear that Sr James Macdonald has

been ill at Parma, but is now recovered and in Rome.  Abbé Galliani is

still at Naples and stands a fair chance of being employ'd in the

ministry there.

Adieu, very dear Sir and remember your affectionate friend

D'HOLBACH

HOLBACH TO WILKES

(Brit. Mus. Mss., Vol. 30869, p. 39)

PARIS the 22d Of May (1766)

My dear Sir

I am extremely glad to know your lucky passage and happy arrival

in your native country.  I hope you know too well the sincere

dispositions of my heart as to doubt of the friendship I have

vowed to you for life; it has been of too long a duration to be

shaken by any circumstances, and especially by those that do honor

to you.  I shall be very happy if your affairs (that seem to be in

a fair way) permit you to drop over very soon to spend some time

in this place along with Miss Wilkes to whom Made D'Holbach and I

pay our best compliments.  I can easily paint to my imagination

the pleasure you both felt at your first meeting; everybody that

has any sensibility must be acquainted with the grateful pangs in

those moving circumstances.

Your case with the hawker at your entry in London is very odd and

whimsical you did extremely well to humour the man in his opinion

about Mr. Wilkes.  I dare say if you had done otherwise his fist

would have convinc'd you of the goodness of your cause, and then it

would have been impossible for you to pass for a dead man any longer;

which however, I think was very necessary for you in the beginning.

I expect with great eagerness the settlement of your affairs with

the ministry to your own satisfaction; be persuaded, Dear Sir, that

nobody interests himself in your happiness than myself, and nothing

will conduce more to it than your steady attachment to the principles

of honor and patriotism.

If you don't find a way of disposing of the little packet, you need

not take much trouble about it, and you may bring it back along with

you, when you come to this place, as to the kind offers you are so

good as to make me about commissions, experience has taught me that

it is unsafe to trust you with them, so I beg leave with gratitude

to decline your proposals as that point.

All our common friends and acquaintances desire their best

compliments to you, and believe me, my dear Sir.

Your affectionate oblig'd humble servant

D'HOLBACH

HOLBACH TO WILKES

(Brit. Mus. Mss., VOL 30869, p. 81)

PARIS 9ber 10th 1766

My very Dear Sir

I receiv'd with the greatest pleasure the news of your lucky arrival

in Engelland.  You know the sentiments of my heart, and are undoubtedly

convinc'd how much I wish for the good success of all your enterprises

tho I am to be a great looser by it.  I rejoice very heartily at the

fine prospect you have now in view and don't doubt but the persons you

mention will succeed if they are in good earnest: which is allways a

little doubtful in people of that Kidney.

We have had the pleasure of seeing Miss Wilkes three or four times since

your departure, she is extreamly well and longs for the return of her

friend Mlle Helvetius the 20th of this month.

Rousseau will very likely hate the English very cordially for making

him pay so dear for his books, it is however a sign that he told us a

lye when he pretended in his writings to have no books at all, as to

his guitar he should buy a new one to tune his heart a little better

than he did before.

We have no news here, except the Election of Mr Thomas as a member of

the french academy.  Marquis Beccaria is going to leave us very soon

being obliged to return to Milan: Count Veri will at the same time set

out for England.

I'll be oblig'd to you for a copy or two of the book printed in holland

you mentioned in your letter you may send it by some private opportunity

to Miss Wilkes, with, proper directions.  A gentleman of our Society

should be glad to get 2 copies of Baskervilles' virgil in octavo.

Tho Mr Davenport and Rousseau seem to be pleased very much with one

another, I suppose they may very soon be tired of their squabbling,

and the latter like the apostles will shake of against the barbarous

Britons the dust of his feet.

Receive the hearty compliments of my wife and all our friends.  You

know the true sentiments of my heart for you,

Dear Sir.  I am with great sincerity

your most obedient humble Servant

D'HOLBACH

HOLBACH TO WILKES

(Brit. Mus. Mss., Vol. 30869, p. 173)

Dear Sir

I receiv'd with a great deal of pleasure your friendly letter from

Ostende of the 26th. nov. I was extreamly glad to hear your happy

arrival at that place, and do not doubt but you met with a lucky

passage to Dover the following day, we are now enjoying the conversation

of your British friends about elections; that will not be tedious for

you if, according to your hopes, you should succeed in your projects.

I see by your letter that instead of coming back directly by Calais

you intend to travel with Miss Wilkes through Antwerp and the Low

countries, which I should think not very advisable in this rigorous

season of the year, for generally at that time the waters are lock'd

up by the frost and travelling is bad et tedious and may be would

prove hurtful to your tender fellow traveler to whom my wife and I

desire our best compliments.  Such a scheme will be more advantagious

for you both and more conformable to the wishes of your friends in

this place.

I hope your arrival in London will contribute to reconcile abbé

Galliani to that place, where he complains of having not heard of

the sun since he set his foot on British shore, however he may

comfort himself for we have had very little of it in this country.

The Abbé must be overjoy'd at the news of the Jesuits being expell'd

from his Native country for now he may say Gens inimica mihi

Tyrrhenum navigat aquor.  We have no material news in this country,

except that the queen continues to be in a very bad state of health.

If there is some good new romance I'll be oblig'd to bring it over

along with you as, well as a couple of french books call'd

Militaire philosophe and Théologie portative in case you may

easily find them in London, for we cannot get them here.  I am told

the works of one Morgan have been esteem'd in your country but I don't

know the titles of them, if you should know them and meet with them

with facility, I should be very much oblig'd to you provided you make

me pay a little more than you have done hitherto for your commissions.

All our common friends beg their compliments and I wish for your

speedy return, and I am Sincerely

Dear Sir

Your faithful affectionate humble servant

D'HOLBACH

PARIS the 10th of decemb. 1767

HOLBACH TO WILKES

(Brit. Mus. Mss., Vol. 30870, p. 59)

GRANDVAL, 17th of July 1768

Dear Sir

I receiv'd with a great deal of pleasure your very agreeable letter

of the 28th of last month.  I am extreamly glad that your generous

soul is very far from sinking under the weight of these Misfortunes,

and to see that you don't give up the hopes of carrying triumphantly

your point notwithstanding the discouragements you have met with lately.

I need not tell you how much your friends in Paris and I in particular

interest ourselves in all the events that may befall you.  Our old

friendship ought to be a sure pledge of my sincere sentiments for you,

and of my best wishes for your good success in all your undertakings.

I believe you can do no better but to keep strictly to the rules you

have laid down for your conduct, and I don't doubt but you'll find it

will answer the best to your purpose.

I am very much oblig'd to you, Dear Sir, for the kind offers you make

in your friendly letter.  I have desir'd already Mr Suard to bring over

a few books lately published in your metropolis.  I am very glad to hear

that Gentleman is pleas'd with his journey.

There's no possibility of getting for you a compleat sett of Callots

engravings.  Such a collection must be the business of many years; it

is to be found only after the decease of some curious men who have taken

a great deal of trouble to collect them.  I found indeed in two shops 8

or 10 of them, but the proofs (les épreuves) were very indifferent and

they wanted to sell them excessively dear; in general 200 guineas would

procure a collection very far from being compleat.

My wife and all our common acquaintence desire their best compliments

to you and to Miss Wilkes and you know the sentiments wherewith I am

for ever

Dear Sir

your affectionate friend and

very humble servant

D'HOLBACH

HOLBACH TO WILKES

(Brit. Mus. Mss., Vol. 30871, p. 16)

PARIS the 19th of March 1770

Dear Sir

I receiv'd with a due sense of gratitude the favour of your last

letter, and was overjoy'd to hear from yourself that your long

confinement has not been able hitherto to obstruct the lively flow

of your spirits.  A little more patience and you'll reach the end

of all your misfortunes, that have been faithfully partaken by your

friends in England and abroad, for my own part I wish most sincerely

that everything for the future may turn to your profit and welfare,

without hurting that of your country, to whom, as a lover of mankind,

I am a well wisher.

My wife desires her best compliments to you and your beloved Daughter,

whom we both expect to see again with a great deal of pleasure in

this country next month.  Notwithstanding our bad circumstances we

are making very great preparations for the Wedding of the Dauphin,

and our metropolis begins already to be filled with foreigners that

flock hither from all parts of the world.  Our friend Mr D'Alainville

is to set out at the end of April to fetch the Archdutchess at

Strasbourg and bring mask (ed) (?) her different stages on the road

to Versailles.

We have no news in the literary world except that Voltaire

is become lately le père temporal, that is to say the benefactor

of the Capucins du pays de Gex where he lives, a title of which

all his pranks seemd to exclude him, but grace you know, is omnipotent,

and monks are not over nice when there is something to be got by

their condescension.

If the hurry of affairs whould leave you any moments to read

curious books I would advise you to peruse two very strange

works lately publish'd viz Recherches philosophiques sur les

américains, le Système de la Nature par Mirabaud.  I suppose

you'll find them cheaper and more easily in London that at

Paris.

All your late acquaintances in this Town desire me to present

you with their sincere compliments and best wishes; as to mine

you know that they have no other object but your Welfare.

I am, Dear Sir, for ever

your most affectionate friend

and humble servant

D'HOLBACH

P. S. I'll be very much oblig'd to you for sending over to me in

2 vol. small octavo.