Baron d'Holbach Part 6

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 pa.s.sage 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 abbe Galliani to that place, where he complains of having not heard of the sun since he set his foot on British sh.o.r.e, however he may comfort himself for we have had very little of it in this country.

The Abbe 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 _Theologie 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 t.i.tles 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 epreuves) 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 grat.i.tude 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 circ.u.mstances 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 pere temporal_, that is to say the benefactor of the _Capucins du pays de Gex_ where he lives, a t.i.tle 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 americains_, le _Systeme 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.

HOLBACH TO WILKES (Wilkes, Correspondence, London, 1805, Vol. 4, p. 176) PARIS, April 27; 1775

"_My Lord_,

"I received with the utmost grat.i.tude your lordship's friendly letter of the 28th of March. (1775?) I should have done myself the honor of answering sooner to your kind propositions, if I had not been prevented by some gouty infirmities that have a.s.sailed in the beginning of this spring. I esteem myself very happy to find that the hurry of business, and your exhaltation to the rank of chief-magistrate, could not make you forget your friendship to me; though my present circ.u.mstances do not permit me to make use of your friendly invitation, be persuaded my very dear lord that Madame D'Holbach and myself shall forever keep these signs of your kindness, in very grateful remembrance.

We both desire our best compliments to your very amiable lady-mayoress: who acted so well her part lately in the Egyptian hall, to the satisfaction of that prodigious crowd you have been entertaining there. All members of our society that have had the happiness of being acquainted with you, desire to be kindly remembered; and a continuation of your valuable friendship shall for ever be the utmost ambition my lord of your most sincerely devoted D'HOLBACH"

GALIANI To HOLBACH (Galiani, Corresp., Vol. I, p. 199) NAPLES, le 21 juillet, 1770

_Bonjour, mon cher Baron,_

J'ai vu le _Systeme de la Nature_. C'est la ligne ou finit la tristesse de la morne et seche verite, au-dela commence la gaiete du roman. Il n'y a rien de mieux que de se persuader que les des sont pipes: cette idee en enfante milles autres, et un nouveau monde se regenere. Le M. Mirabaud est un vrai abbe Terray de la metaphysique. Il fait des reductions, des suspensions, et cause la banqueroute du savoir, du plaisir et de l'esprit humain. Mais vous allez me dire qu'aussi il y avait trop de nonvaleurs: on etait trop endette, il courait trop de papiers non reels sur la place. C'est vrai aussi, et voila pourquoi la crise est arrivee.

Adieu, mon cher baron. Ecrivez-moi de longues lettres, pour que le plaisir en soit plus grand. Embra.s.sez moi longuement la baronne, et soyez longue dans tout que vous faites, dans tout ce que vous patientez, dans tout ce que vous esperer. La longanimite est une belle vertu; c'est elle qui me fait esperer de revoir Paris.

Adieu.

HOLBACH To GALIANI (Critica, Vol. I, 1903, p. 489)