"lie comprehended, he explained that it was not in the head, but in the heart of man, that the belligerent parties could meet to treat of jieace; and he inaugurated, or, rather, he drew from the Gospel, and laid before ns, under the form which was ))roper to his genius and suitable to liis time, tljat beautiful doctrine of the knowledge and the coniprolieusioii of divine truths by the heart wliich is (he doniiuMiit tliouglit and the key of his apologetics. The heart! ilie intuition, tlie internal consciousness <if relig- ious truth hiid hold upon immediately as tlrst principles are! A bold and sublime proposition, which one much greater than Pascal hud professed before hitn — 'Believe my word, or else believe the works which I do.' Truth has its titles iu itself; it is its own proof to itself; it dem- onstrates itself by showiuir itself. And the heart is the mirror of the truth. But this mirror, badly placed, does not reflect the light mitil a divine hand has turned it to- wards the sun. The heart requires to be inclined ; that in us which receives the truth, that in us which knows, believes, loves, is not the heart snch as it is, it is the heart inclined, and iu the flrst ins^tance the heart humbled, the heart 'offering itself by humiliation to inspiration,' as Pascal himself expresses it. Pascal here announces the advent, proclaims the authority, measures the empire of the Holy Spirit ; Christianity considered as existing in mail is the tc^tiinouy, the reigu of the Holy Spirit. The divine and the human meet here in a glorious and iuefTa- ble uuity."
Of Pascal as a writer. Dr. Vinet savs :
"Pascal has not treated, has scarcely even touched any subject without having iu some sort rendered it a forbid- den subject to all men besides. The most accomnlished, after him, seem reduced to come vear him; so closely does his thought grasp the object, so closely dues his expres- sion grasp his thought."
" The notes of Voltaire" [to Pascal's " Thoughts"], Hal- lam tells us, "though always intended to detract, are sometimes unanswerable; but the splendor of Pascal's eloquence absolutely annihilates, in effect on the gen- eral reader, even this antagonist,"
11 u e m which Fiscal died
The weakly frame of Pascal was reduced to prema- ture old age l>y infirmities which wore aggravated by his ascetic habits. Hut he bore his trials with exem- plary patience, and died in Paris in 1662, while yet a young man. The gentle and holy spirit of Blaise Pas- cal then returned to him who gave it, leaving to the world a name which will ever live as the reprerjcntative of splendid talents united to self-denying benevolence and ardent piety. Pascal's life was written elaborately by his sister, Madame Perier, and afforded the materials for an able and interesting article in the Dictionary of Bayle. His Qiluvres were collected and published in 5 vols, 8vo, 1779, well edited by the abbe Bossut, Thej' were reprinted (Paris, 1819, 5 vols, 8vo), with an essay by M, Francois, " Sur les meilleurs ouvragcs eerits en prose dans la langue Franc^aise," As we are writing, a new edition of Pascal's works is preparing by M, Moli- nier for Messrs, Lemerre's collection. His Pensees sur la Religion, et sur qnclques attires Stijets, being unfin- ished, were published, irilh suppressioits and niodijica- lions, in 1669 ; but their full value was only learned from the complete edition which was published by P^augerc at the instance of M, Cousin (Paris. 1844, 2 vols. 8vo\ It has the fault of reproducing Pascal in his first drafts, many of which he would himself have cast aside. Since then have appeared the following editions worthy of mention here: Pensees de Pascal, piiblies dans leur texte authentiqtte, arec tin Commen- taire, sttivi d'une etude litle.raire, par E. Havet (Paris, 1852) ; Pensees de Pascal, stticant le plan de Vatitettr, d'apres les textes originaux avec les additions, et les ra- riantes de Port-Boyal, par J, M. Frantin (2d ed, ibid, 1853) ; Pensees de Pascal, disposees selon tm jilan nou- veau. Edition complete d\ipr'es les derniers iravaux critiques, avec des Notes, un Index, et une Preface, par J, F, Astie (Lausanne, 1856, 2 vols, 24mo), This is con- sidered the best of all the editions. It was inspired by St, Beuve, Another good edition is entitled Pen- sees de Pascal. Pdi/ioii rarioriim d'apres le texte du MS. autoqraphe, par Charles Lauandre (ibid. 1861, 18mo), Of all Pascal's works, the Lettres Pi-orengales have been the most fre()uently reprinted. They were translated into Latin in the lifetime of Pascal by Nicole, under the pseudonym of a German professor, " Wilhelm Wendroc;"' and an edition in four languages appeared
PASCAL
719
PASCHAL