The Online Library of Liberty

A project of Liberty Fund, Inc.

• The Works of Voltaire
• The Dramatic Works of Voltaire Vol. X— Part I
• ZaÏre
• Dramatis PersonÆ.
• An Epistle Dedicatory to Mr. Falkener, an English Merchant, Since Ambassador At Constantinople, With the Tragedy of Zaïre.
• A Second Letter to Mr. Falkener, Then Ambassador to Constantinople.
• Act I.
• Act II.
• Act III.
• Act IV.
• Act V.
• CÆsar.
• Dramatis PersonÆ.
• Act I.
• Act II.
• Act III.
• The Prodigal
• Dramatis PersonÆ.
• Act I.
• Act II.
• Act III.
• Act IV.
• Act V.
• Preface to Mariamne.
• Preface to Orestes.
• Preface to Catiline.
• Preface to MÉrope.
• Preface to the Prodigal.
• Preface to Nanine.
• 1 Preface to Socrates.
• Note On Mahomet.
• Preface to Julius CÆsar.
• Voltaire the Lisbon Earthquake and Other Poems Vol. X— Part Ii
• Author’s Preface to the Lisbon Earthquake.
• The Lisbon Earthquake. *
• Preface to the Poem On the Law of Nature.
• The Law of Nature.
• The Temple of Taste. *
• The Temple of Friendship.
• Thoughts On the Newtonian Philosophy, Addressed to the Marchioness Du ChÂtelet.
• On the Death of Adrienne Lecouvreur, a Celebrated Actress.
• To the King of Prussia On His Accession to the Throne.
• From Love to Friendship.
• The Worldling. *
• On Calumny.
• The King of Prussia to M. Voltaire.
• The Answer.
• On the English Genius.
• What Pleases the Ladies.
• The Education of a Prince.
• The Education of a Daughter.
• The Three Manners.
• Thelema and Macareus.
• Azolan.
• The Origin of Trades.
• The Battle of Fontenoy.
• The Man of the World. *
• The Padlock. *
• In Camp Before Philippsburg, July 3, 1734.
• Answer to a Lady, Or a Person Who Wrote to Voltaire As Such. *
• Envy.
• The Nature of Virtue.
• To the King of Prussia.
• To M. De Fontenelle.
• To Count Algarotti At the Court of Saxony.
• To Cardinal Quirini.
• To Her Royal Highness, the Princess of ***.
• To M. De Cideville.
• To ****.
• Epistle XIII. *
• To the Duke of Richelieu, Marshal of France, In Whose Honor the Senate of Genoa Had Just Before Caused a Statue to Be Erected. *
• To Madam De ***, On the Manner of Living At Paris and Versailles.
• To the Prince of Vendôme.
• To Madam De Gondoin, Afterward Countess of Toulouse, On the Danger She Had Been Exposed to In Passing the Loire In 1719.
• To the Duke Delafeuillade.
• To Marshal Villars. *
• To Monsieur Genonville.
• To the Countess of Fontaine-martel. *
• Written From PlombiÉres to M. Pallu, Intendant of Lyons.
• The Nature of Pleasure.
• The Utility of Sciences to Princes. to the Prince Royal of Prussia, Since King of Prussia.
• Epistle In Answer to a Letter, With Which, Upon His Accession to the Throne, the King of Prussia Honored the Author.
• Epistle to the King, Presented to His Majesty At the Camp Before Freiburg.
• On the Death of the Emperor Charles.
• To the Queen of Hungary.
• Inscribed to the Gentlemen of the Academy of Sciences, Who Sailed to the Polar Circle and the Equator, In Order to Ascertain the Figure of the Earth.
• To M. De Gervasi, the Physician. *
• The Requisites to Happiness.
• To a Lady, Very Well Known to the Whole Town.
• Fanaticism. *
• On Peace Concluded In 1736.
• To AbbÉ Chaulieu. *
• Answer to the Foregoing.
• To President HÉnault, Author of an Excellent Work Upon the History of France.
• Canto of an Epic Poem. *
• Epistle On the Newtonian Philosophy. * to the Marchioness of ChÂtelet.

EPISTLE IN ANSWER TO A LETTER, WITH WHICH, UPON HIS ACCESSION TO THE THRONE, THE KING OF PRUSSIA HONORED THE AUTHOR.

• Become a monarch, dost thou condescend
• Still to regard a poet as a friend?
• Just when that happy morn’s auspicious ray
• To the world promises so bright a day,
• A day that proves thee good as well as great,
• Dost thou resolve to make my bliss complete?
• Oh, truly royal soul above all pride!
• By thine my want of greatness is supplied:
• Superior to all prepossession weak,
• The language of the heart you nobly speak.
• The generous sentiments your lines express,
• Show you were born the human race to bless.
• Illustrious prince, whose virtues we admire,
• Triumphant reign, as you have penned with fire,
• Continue by thy reign the world to bless.
• Prevailing vice each king swears to repress;
• But you by oaths your sacred promise bind,
• Arts to protect, and love the human kind.
• And thou, whose worth did persecuted shine;
• Deemed atheist, blessed with wisdom’s lore divine;
• Martyr to reason, against whom combined
• Fell envy’s furious rage with error blind;
• Return, who speak the truth, fear nothing now;
• The crown adorns a philosophic brow.
• That gold amassed, the life-blood of each state,
• Which unemployed precipitates their fate;
• Poured out discreetly by his prudent hand,
• Revives and spreads abundance through the land.
• He aims not idly to amuse the sight
• With useless soldiers of gigantic height;
• Through every clime with care preposterous sought,
• Colossuses of war too dearly bought;
• Courage and ardor used alone to prize,
• He judges not of soldiers by their size.
• Thus thinks the just, the wise thus rules a state;
• But more’s required to make man truly great:
• Who does what right and equity ordain,
• Makes but a step immortal praise to gain;
• The just is oft austere, oft sad the wise,
• In other sentiments true greatness lies;
• The conqueror’s dreaded, and esteemed the sage,
• But benefactors every heart engage;
• ’Tis not in time their glory to deface,
• Their names renowned reach every future race.
• What fame to him can great exploits impart,
• Who reigns triumphant in each subject’s heart?
• Trajan, not far from Ganges’ stream renowned,
• In chains the hands of thirty monarchs bound;
• And yet from conquest he derives no fame,
• His goodness has immortalized his name.
• Ne’er for Jerusalem in ashes laid
• Was homage to the name of Titus paid.
• Beloved by all men he was truly great.
• Oh, you, who such bright virtue emulate,
• A virtue more heroic still display,
• And ne’er like Titus, weep to lose a day.