Page:Works of Voltaire Volume 02.djvu/215

Rh .—What! will God punish me for yielding to passions He has given me?

.—He has given you passions with which you can do both good and evil. I do not tell you He will punish eternally; nor how He will punish; for no one can know that. The Brahmins were the first to conceive a place of imprisonment for those who had revolted from God; they were shut up in a description of hell, called Onderah, but were gradually liberated at various periods. Hence we have our mixture of virtues, vices, pleasures, and calamities. This conceit is ingenious, and that of Pandora and Prometheus more so. Less polished nations have vulgarly imitated the same fable. These inventions are the fancies of Eastern philosophy. All I can say is, that if by abusing your liberty you have done evil, you cannot say God will not punish you.

.—I have tried to convince myself that He could not; but in vain. I confess I have abused my liberty, and that God may well punish me. But I cannot be punished when I have ceased to exist.

.—The best course is to be virtuous as long as you exist.

.—To be virtuous! Well, I confess I think you are right. It is the best course.

I wish, my dear friend, you had witnessed the effect of Freind's discourse on both the English