资源描述：
《The Provincial Letters of Blaise Pascal.pdf》由会员上传分享，免费在线阅读，更多相关内容在学术论文-天天文库。
1、1657THEPROVINCIALLETTERSbyBlaisePascaltranslatedbyThomasM'CrieLETTERIParis,January23,1656SIR,Wewereentirelymistaken.ItwasonlyyesterdaythatIwasundeceived.UntilthattimeIhadlabouredundertheimpressionthatthedisputesintheSorbonnewerevastlyimportant,anddeeplyaffectedtheinterest
2、sofreligion.ThefrequentconvocationsofanassemblysoillustriousasthatoftheTheologicalFacultyofParis,attendedbysomanyextraordinaryandunprecedentedcircumstances,ledonetoformsuchhighexpectationsthatitwasimpossibletohelpcomingtotheconclusionthatthesubjectwasmostextraordinary.You
3、willbegreatlysurprised,however,whenyoulearnfromthefollowingaccounttheissueofthisgranddemonstration,which,havingmademyselfperfectlymasterofthesubject,Ishallbeabletotellyouinveryfewwords.Twoquestions,then,werebroughtunderexamination;theoneaquestionoffact,theotheraquestionof
4、right.ThequestionoffactconsistedinascertainingwhetherM.Arnauldwasguiltyofpresumption,forhavingassertedinhissecondletterthathehadcarefullyperusedthebookofJansenius,andthathehadnotdiscoveredthepropositionscondemnedbythelatepope;butthat,nevertheless,ashecondemnedtheseproposi
5、tionswherevertheymightoccur,hecondemnedtheminJansenius,iftheywerereallycontainedinthatwork.Thequestionherewas,ifhecould,withoutpresumption,entertainadoubtthatthesepropositionswereinJansenius,afterthebishopshaddeclaredthattheywere.ThematterhavingbeenbroughtbeforetheSorbonn
6、e,seventy-onedoctorsundertookhisdefence,maintainingthattheonlyreplyhecouldpossiblygivetothedemandsmadeuponhiminsomanypublications,callingonhimtosayifheheldthatthesepropositionswereinthatbook,wasthathehadnotbeenabletofindthem,butthatiftheywereinthebook,hecondemnedtheminthe
7、book.Someevenwentastepfartherandprotestedthat,afterallthesearchtheyhadmadeintothebook,theyhadneverstumbleduponthesepropositions,andthattheyhad,onthecontrary,foundsentimentsentirelyatvariancewiththem.Theythenearnestlybeggedthat,ifanydoctorpresenthaddiscoveredthem,hewouldha
8、vethegoodnesstopointthemout;addingthatwhatwassoeasycouldnotreasonablyberefused,asthiswouldbethes
