and eloquent writer. If we remember, that, in the course of a very short life, and while suffering under almost constant attacks of disease, he invented the arithmetical machine, the principles of the calculation of chances, and the method of solving the problems respecting the cycloid; that he finally determined the great question, which was dividing the opinions of the scientific world, concerning the pressure of the atmosphere; that he was the first to establish by mathematical process the general laws of the equilibrium of fluids; that he wrote one of the most perfect works that ever appeared in the French language; that in his "Thoughts" there are passages of unrivalled eloquence and depth of reflection, -we shall be ready to believe, that a greater genius never existed in any age or country."

PREFACE TO THE THOUGHTS.

THE friends of Pascal, aware of his design to write a work upon the proofs of the Christian religion, were very careful, after his death, to collect everything he had written upon the subject. But all they found was a collection of detached Thoughts, written, as has been said, on separate pieces of paper, and tied up in several bundles, without any connection or arrangement. They were generally the first expression of thought as it entered his mind. Some of these were merely hints for future effort, so imperfectly expressed as to be very obscure, if not wholly unintelligible. They were also in many instances so illegible, that it was exceedingly difficult to decipher them.

From their confused and imperfect state, it seemed at first almost impossible to publish these Thoughts; but the demand for them, even as they were, was so great, that it became necessary to meet it. The labor of editing them was committed to his principal confidential friends, the Duke de Roannez, Arnauld, Nicole, De Treville, Dubois, De la Chaise, and the elder Perier. The first thing they did, was to have them copied, just as they were, in the same confusion in which they were found. These original manuscripts are still preserved in the Royal Library of Paris. But even after they were copied in a fair hand, so that it was no longer a difficult task to read them, his friends hesitated about publishing them, because they thought, that in giving these writings to the public, in the very imperfect state in which they were, they could not fulfil the expectations which were entertained of this already celebrated work. But they were at length obliged

to yield to the impatient desire universally expressed to see them printed.

They were some time in determining in what form these fragments should be given to the world. Their first idea was to print them precisely in the state in which they were found. But they soon saw, that, in this way, they would present to the public only a confused mass of thought, without order or connection. They then proposed to complete them as far as possible, by adding to the imperfect thoughts, and elucidating the obscure ones. But this would not have been the work of Pascal, even if they had been able to enter into his original design. They therefore rejected both these methods, and adopted a third plan. They selected from the great number of Thoughts, those which appeared most perfect and intelligible, and printed them as they found them, without addition or alteration, except that they placed under the same title, those that were upon the same subject, and arranged them in that order which they thought best conformed to Pascal's plan. But in the first edition, many of them were suppressed, and others were so ill arranged, that portions of the work appeared very obscure. Subsequently, many other valuable Thoughts were gleaned from the manuscripts, and improvements were made in the arrangement. Successive editions contained more or less new matter, in consequence of new investigations of the manuscripts; but some thoughts have never yet appeared, because of the very imperfect state in which they were left. The following is an example. "A tradesman who discourses of riches, an attorney who discourses of war, of royalty, etc. But the rich discourse well of riches, the king discourses with indifference of a large gift, which he is about to bestow, and God discourses well of God."

The Thoughts as they have come down to us, seem little else than "general aphorisms, which apparently have little immediate connection with each other, though the leading purpose of the writer is sufficiently obvious, and they all seem to converge towards the great questions re

Pascal had

specting human nature and human destiny."* been heard to say, that it would require ten years of health to complete the work he had in mind. Many of these Thoughts would seem to have no connection with the subject of which he intended to treat, but it must be rememered, that his design was much more extended than might at first be supposed. Some, however, have no relation to the subject, and evidently were not intended for it, for instance, the most of those in the chapter entitled Miscellaneous Thoughts. But as these were found among the papers of Pascal, it was thought best to give them a place with the rest. The friends of Pascal published the first edition of the Thoughts, in 1670. In 1776 Condorcet published an anonymous edition, to which he prefixed an eulogy upon Pascal, and some philosophical notes. He very much improved the arrangement, but suppressed a part of the thoughts, and was accused of numerous interpolations, and corruptions of the original text. In 1778, Voltaire published another anonymous edition, accompanied with notes, which, like those of Condorcet, were designed to neutralize the influence of Pascal, as an advocate of revealed religion. This edition gave so much offence, that a copy was burned at Paris, by order of government, and Voltaire himself narrowly escaped personal punishment. In 1779, Bossut superintended a complete edition of the Thoughts. He carefully examined the original manuscripts, and perfected the classification which was begun by Condorcet. He published many thoughts which had been suppressed through fear of the Jesuits, who continued their persecutions of the Port Royalists until they accomplished the final ruin of that society, but whose influence had now declined. Prefixed to this edition was an essay upon the "Life and Writings of Pascal. Another, and somewhat different edition, was published by M. Renouard in 1803, and republished in 1812. He gives Bossut's account of the Life and Writings of Pascal, and the notes of Condorcet and Voltaire. He has appended to this edition an ana

*North American Review.

lytical table of contents, by means of which a passage upon any particular subject may be readily found. In 1819, another very complete edition was published. The last edition of Pascal's Thoughts was published in Paris, 1842. It seems to be nearly a reprint of Renouard's edition, with the omission of the article by Bossut, the notes by Condorcet and Voltaire, and the analytical table. The Thoughts are preceded by the Life of Pascal, written by his sister, Madame Perier, and followed by a brief notice of Nicole, a selection from his Thoughts, and his treatise upon the means of preserving Peace among Men.

In 1825, the Rev. Edward Craig, of England, wrote a translation of the Thoughts from the most complete French copies. He says, he is "aware of only two English translations of the Thoughts being in existence. Neither of them is complete. They are both made from copies of the work, earlier than the edition of Bossut. One of them is a very antiquated version, and the other is little more than a reprint of it, a little modernized in the style of expression, together with a few additional Thoughts." He omitted the first three chapters of the original work, and some passages relating to the peculiar tenets of the church of Rome. In his preface, he says, "To translate thoughts so inaccurately and imperfectly expressed as many of these are, and to give a close and literal rendering that would, at the same time, convey the sense, which, in the original, is really enigmatical and questionable, was a task of serious difficulty. The translator does not profess to have accomplished this. If he has done something towards the ultimate attainment of such a faithful version of this valuable book, he will feel thankful. He has certainly not satisfied himself." To this translation Mr. Craig prefixed a "Memoir of Pascal."