Diderots̓ thoughts on art and style; with some of his shorter essays

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1896 Excerpt: ... A FATHER'S TALKS WITH HIS CHILDREN; OR THE DANGER OF SETTING ONE'S OWN JUDGMENT ABOVE THE LAW. My father was a man of great common-sense and judgment, but pious withal, and was much renowned in the district for his strict honesty. More than once he had been chosen to arbitrate between his fellow, citizens, and even strangers who did not know him personally confided in him to carry out their last wishes. When he died the poor wept his loss; and during his last illness both rich and poor showed their sympathy and grieved when he was heard to be dying. I shall always preserve his portrait in my memory; I fancy I see him sitting in his large arm-chair, with his serene countenance and quiet manner, and his voice still lingers in my ears. I will give an account of one of our evenings together; it is a sample of many similar hours spent thus in familiar converse. It was winter and we were sitting round him near the fire, the Abbe, my sister, and myself. After speaking of the inconveniences attending celebrity, he said, "My son, you and I have both made a noise in the world, but there was this difference, the noise you made with your tool deprived you of rest, but that which I made with mine deprived others of their rest." When the old cutler had made this little joke he fell into a reverie artd gazed at us with a strange fixity of attention, till the Abbe asked him -- "Father what are you thinking of?" "I was thinking," he answered, "that the reputation of being an honest man, though the most to be desired of all, has its dangers, even to a man who deserves it." Then, a ter a short pause, he added, "I shudder as I think of it. Would you believe it, my children, that once in my life I was nearly ruining you--yes, ruining you outright?" The Abbe--■" And how w...