his pupils to judge for themselves, be pabliabed the works of Plato, the inedited works of Prodiia, and m edition of Descartes, though the whole did not appear till after his dismission. His translation of Plato ia 18 vols, would preserve his name bad he done noth- ing else** {Engluk Cgdopcidia). The govemnMel dismissed him ftt>m the Faculty of Letters in 1821. and in 1824 he went to Germany as tutor to tlie young Duke of Montebello. ** During bis progrns the fhuik opinions he expressed excited the sospicioB of the Prussian authorities, who caused him to be ar- rested and conveyed to Berlin, where he was throws into prison as an agitator. He remained in doae eon- finement for six months. After his return he pub- lished, in 1826, his celebrated Fragmem PkUom/pkifiit^ with a remarkable prefkce, which is still considered the best summary of his particular doctrine." In 1828 he recommenced lectures on Philoeopby at tbe Faculty des Lettres. His foraier lectures bad consist- ed principally of the history of ideal tmth, as it had been explained by the great thinkers who had p(»> ceded him. But this time his own theory was exhib- ited. The first series was published in 18^, under the title of Cour$ d'ffittoire de la PkUoKpkie ; the sec- ond in 1829, as C(mr$ de PhUoeopkie. Soon after, tbe accession of Louis Philippe introduced his fHends Gai- zot and De Broglie to power. He now became a coob- cillor of state, a member of the Board of Public Edn- cation, an officer of the Legion of Honor, and a peer of France, in quick succession. In 1881 be was com- missioned by the ministry to proceed to Germany to examine the state of education in that country. Tbe results frere given to the world in 1882, Rappori wm r^tat definstruciUmpublique dcm* quelquet pagfs de tAU kmagne (translated by Mrs. Austin, and published in London in 1834). He succeeded Fourier in tbe Acad- emy, and delivered Ms ^ioge^ or reception address, Mav 5, 1881. He seldom spoke in the Chamber of Peers, and when he did it was almost invariably on the sub- ject of National Instraction. On March 1, 1840, Con- sin entered the liberal cabinet of Thiers as minister of Public Instmction. lie introduced a number of reforms during his administration, which lasted eight months, and of which he published himself a review in the Jievue de$ deux Mondei \n 1841. In 1848 M. Cousin seemed cordially to accept the introduction of the republic, and when General Cavaignac appealed to the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences to aid the government in the enlightenment of the peo[Je, Cousin published, with a republican prefece, a popular edition of the Pro/ession defoi du vuxare Ktoogard, He subsequently wrote, under the title of Justice et Char- Hi, a pampUet against the socialistic tendencies. Bat after 1849 Cousin altogether withdrew fr^m public llfis. He published, besides the works already mentioned, among others, Procli Opera, 6 vols. 8vo, 1820-27; Des- cartes, (Euvres CompleCu, 11 vols. 8vo ; Ab61ard, SSc d non, 1836 ; several series of FragmeiM PkiUmopkiqmei, 1838^0; Hist, de la Philosophie (1st seri^, 5 vols. 8vo; 2d, 8 vols. 8vo ; 8d, 4 vols. 8vo) ; Du Fra», du BeaUy du Bun (1853, 8vo, a republication of his lectures dehr- ered between 1815 and 1821); Cotirs de PkOotopkiB Morale, 5 vols. 1840-41. A collected edition of his principal works (up to 1846) in 22 vols. 18mo, was publbhed in 1846-47. From 1858 to 1864 be published a series of works on celebrated literary woipen of tbe 17th century, which are an important contribution to the history of that time, and found a large circulation. The series comprises JacqueSne Pascal and Mad, de Longuevilie (1853), Mad. de SabU (1854), Mad. de de- vreuse H Mad, de Hautfort (1856) ; La SockU Franfaim au XVir Sikde (1858, 2 vols.) ; La Jeunetse de Mad, de LongueviUe (1864, 4th edit); la Jeunesse de Maaarm (1865). In 1863 he published Histoire GMrate de la Philosophie depuis lis temps Us pbts readm juegu'au XVirr siicle (18^)* Ixn^ <^ revised edition of his CoursdeF histoire de la pkiioeopkie. Cousin was also a
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fte^uent contzibator to some of the leading periodicals of SVance, such as the Revw des Deux Mondes, the Jour- nai des SammU, and others. A kind of Galilean cate- obisxn, published anonymously in 1838, under the title lAmre iriuttrucium morale et reUffieute, has also been as- cribed to Cousin. He died in January, 1867.
Cousin undoubtedly rendered great service to mod- ern thought by his advocacy of ** spiritualism" (spir- itcudlst philosophy) as opposed to materialistic doc- trines. In the preface to Dm Vrai^ du Beam^ du Bim^ lie thus expresses himself (1853) : *' Our true doctrine, our true standard, is spiritualism ; tbe philosophy, gen- erous and solid at the same time, Chat commences with Socrates and Plato, that ther Gospel spreads over the inrorld, that Descartes forced into the sererer forms of the genius of modem times. The name of spiritualism is properly given to this philosophy, for its character is tbat it subordinates the senses to the spirit, and that, by all meaaa which reason can avow, it perpetually tends to elevate num and make him greater. Spirit- ualism teaches the immortality of the soul, the free- dom and responsibility of human action, the obligation o/ morality, the virtue of disinterestedness, the dignity of justice, the beauty of charity ; and, beyond the lim- its of this earth, spiritualism points to God, the Crea- tor and the Type of humanity, who, having created man evidently for an excellent end, will not abandon him during the mysterious development of his des- tiny."