liés de cordes = liés avec des cordes

1.27. les anneaux constellés. " Anneau fabriqué sous une constellation, ou qui en porte la marque." (Littré.)

1. 28. Les effets de la baguette de coîidrier ; the pretended possibility of finding out by means of a wand or stick the whereabouts of a stream, a treasure, &c. has given rise to the science of rhabdomancy (Gr. pâj38os = wand, /Aaj'Teta = divination).

1. 40. Le livre de dom Calmet. M. Ludovic Lalanne says of (Z?i\\VlÇ.x!s Dissertatio7îs sur les apparitions, 1746, i2mo., " Il est impossible de pousser la crédulité plus loin." {Dictionnaire historique de la France.)

Page 104.

1.23. un ''ivre fameux, iho. Pensées sicr la comète, écrites à un Dociettr de Soi^onne, published at Amsterdam in 1681, 2 vols. i2mo. "This

book, written apparently for the purpose of quieting the appréhensions of those who connectée! the cornet of 1680 with serions misfortunes and calamities speedily forthconiing, is nothing else but an apology of Atheism. Bayle reasons thus : some persons maintain that God by causing cornets to shine in the heavens as signs of his wrath and displeasure, wishes to proclaim the important truth of an overruling Providence ordering ail things in the Universe, and to prevent the spreading of Atheism, which is the bane of society ; but such a proposition is utterly false, and we can réfute it by merely asserting that God would never employ one evil to destroy another : Atheism is no doubt a serions calamity, but the Almighty can find against it a safer remedy than superstition. So far, so good ; but Bayle with his inveterate fondness for paradox, foUows up the argument by saying that, supposing so extraordinary a recipe was adopted as a dose of superstition to drive ofif Atheism, the remedy would be worse than the disease, because a community of Atheists is in every respect superior to a community of bigots !" (Masson, Introd. io French litcratiire, p. 78.)

1. 25. Ou ne croirait pas que les souverains eussent obligation ; notice the imperf subj. eussent used hère by attraction on account of the conditional croirait.

eussent obligation ^, had reason to be grateful to.

1. 28. excepté le bas peuple. Voltaire distinctly said that religion was good only for the canaille.

à faire valoir, to strengthen.