The Provincial Letters Of Blaise Pascal

The Lettres provinciales (Provincial letters) are a series of eighteen letters written by French philosopher and theologian Blaise Pascal under the pseudonym Louis de Montalte. Written in the midst of the formulary controversy between the Jansenists and the Jesuits, they are a defense of the Jansenist Antoine Arnauld from Port-Royal-des-Champs, a friend of Pascal who in 1656 was condemned by the Faculté de Théologie at the Sorbonne in Paris for views that were claimed to be heretical. The First letter is dated January 23, 1656 and the Eighteenth March 24, 1657. A fragmentary Nineteenth letter is frequently included with the other eighteen.

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Excerpt from The Provincial Letters of Blaise Pascal The "Historical Introduction," by the translator, Rev. Mr. M'Crie, is an able review of the times in which Pascal wrote his celebrated Provincial Letters. It contains an honest, judicious statement of the questions that arose during the controversy in which Pascal and the Port-Royalists were engaged. It exhibits adequate theological scholarship, becoming moderation, and an integrity that is proof against the zeal of party and sect. The Bibliographical Notice indicates the various sources of information in regard to Pascal and his works. We have adopted, without alteration, except in the correction of typographical errors, M'Crie's translation of the Provincial Letters. He has fully comprehended Pascal's meaning, has thoroughly understood the points discussed, and has rendered his author with remarkable fidelity into English. His notes are sufficiently copious, and give just the kind of information needed by any reader who has not made an especial study of Port-Royal and its famous controversy with the Jesuits. Mr. M'Crie's translation is not faultless, however; it does not adequately represent the inimitable style of Pascal. Inimitable! We use the word advisedly, and it conveys an ample apology for our translator. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.