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ami. Les arts en honneur dans fa petite province, produisaient une circulation nouvelle, qui fait la richeffe des états. *** Il a établi dans Lunéville une espèce d'univerfité fans pédantifme, où la jeune nobleffe d'Allemagne venait fe former. On y apprenait de veritables fciences, dans des écoles où la phyfique était demontrée aux yeux par de machines admirables. Il a cherché les talens jufques dans les boutiques & dans les forêts, pour les mettre au jour & les encourager. Enfin, pendant tout fon régne, il ne s'eft occupé, que du foin de procurir à sa nation de la tranquillité, des richeffes, des connaiffances & des plaifirs. Je quitterais demain ma fouveraineté, difait il, fi je ne pouvais faire du bien. Auffi a-t-il goûté le bonheur d'être aimé ; & j'ai vu, adds Mr. Voltaire, long tems après fa mort, fes fujets verfer des larmes en prononçant fon nom. i. e. It is to be wished that the latest pofterity may know, that one of the leaft fovereign princes in Europe has done the most good to his people. He found Lorraine ruined and deferted: he re-peopled and enriched it. He preferved it always in peace, whilft the rest of Europe was laid wafte by war. He had the prudence to keep always well with France, and to be beloved in the Empire. He procured fuch plenty for his people as they have not fince known. His nobility, reduced to the last degree of mifery,

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mifery, he placed in opulence by his own bounty. If he faw a gentleman's house in ruins, he caused it to be rebuilt at his own expence: he paid their debts; he gave their daughters in marriage; he generoufly bestowed prefents with that art of giving which greatly inhances the value of the favour: in his gifts there appeared the magnificence of a prince, joined to the politenefs of a friend. Arts being much honoured in this small country, caused a new circulation, which produces the riches of states. He established in Luneville a kind of univerfity without pedantry, to which the young nobility of Germany came to accomplish themselves. They were taught folid learning in fchools where natural philofophy was demonftrated to the fight by admirable machines. He fought for men of ability even in fhops and forefts, to bring to light and encourage them. In a word, during his whole reign, he employed him felf only to procure peace, riches, knowledge, and pleasure to his people. I would quit my fovereignty to-morrow, faid he, if I could do no good. Thus did he taste the happinefs of being beloved; and I faw, long after his death, his subjects shed tears in mentioning his name '. So far Monf. Voltaire.

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LET the conduct of these two princes, who thus fought peace and pursued it, be compared with the bloody exploits of Alexander and Cæfar, who delighted in war, and were undoubtedly the greatest conquerors that history" gives us any account of; or with the actions of Lewis XIV above-mentioned, who was immortalized and almoft deified by his subjects, tho' he brought desolation and ruin both on them and his neighbours. Which of there he of thefe have deferved beft of their countries, and of mankind in general? And, confequently, which have obtained the trueft

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the palaces of all the princes in Europe, might they not be both useful and ornamental pieces of furniture? How many of these princes would find their own likeneffes in them; is not very easy to say.

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HATEVER opinions in religion proceed from cruelty, or are productive of it; or whatever acts of barbarity are performed as religious duties, or for the pretended service, or under the fanction of religion, may, it is prefumed, by implication at least, come under the denomination of religious cruelties, and will therefore be confidered as fuch in the following Effay.

As the belief of a Deity is the foundation of religion, fo, conformable to the sentiments men entertain of the object of their worship, will their religion generally be. If men fuppofe God to be tyrannical, capricious, or malevolent,

malevolent, then their religion will be slavish, fantastical, or cruel. But if they fincerely think the Deity is infinitely wife and good, then it is reasonable to conclude their religion should be rational, benevolent, and be neficent.

THOSE Who Worship one God only, pre tend at least to believe, that he is a being of infinite wisdom and goodness: but if any of these ascribe cruelty to him, or imagine he may be acceptably worshipped by infignificant, trifling performances, or by acts of barbarity, and more especially if they think he hath commanded fuch things, then their real sentiments of the Deity are directly opposite to their pretended: when this is the cafe, the former, and not the latter, constitute these mens religion..

MULTITUDES of people believe God to be cruel, and are fo in their religion, who hardly feem fenfible of it: they impose both on others and themselves alfo. But let fuch ask their own hearts, how they think the fupreme Being will deal with almoft the whole race of mankind, (his own creatures) and especially all unbelievers, tho' inevitably fuch, in the other world? and how they themselves, if they had power, would, in this world, treat all who diffent from them in matters of faith and worship? And these

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queftions,

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