A Philosophical Dictionary Author:Voltaire Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. Excerpt from book: Section 31'Alphabet); the articles of M. Voltaire inserted in the French Encyclopedia; a few designed for the Dictionary of the French Academy; and various minor pieces of a still more miscellaneou... more »s nature. Like all other Dictionaries of facts and opinions connected with the progress of knowledge, time has made some havoc with a portion of its contents. Several articles are superseded by the extension of physical and economical science since they were written, as well as by increased information in every direction, 'these necessary omissions are increased 'by leaving out a portion of disquisition .which never could interest out of France, nor even in France any longer; including remarks on very local and obsolete laws ; on minute peculiarities in the French language; and critical observations on the passing Drama, and on French Poetry, which have been repeated from other sources almost to satiety. Some repetition also, for which the French Editors claim indulgence in a work thus got together, is carefully removed. These, and a Few kindred reductions, respecting which there can be scarcely any difference of opinion, are likely to reduce the original work of eight vo- .lumes about a quarter ; by which reduction the Publishers will be enabled to complete the present translation in five, or at most six volumes of an equal size, one of which it is purposed to furnish every two months, until the version be completed. and if the author does not always mention the sources from which he has drawn his articles, as being well known to the learned, he will not be suspected of wishing to shine in borrowed plumes, since he keeps the secret of his own name, according to the sentence in the Gospel—' Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth.'" A PHILOSOPHICAL DICTIONARY. A. The letter A has been accounted ...« less