Excerpt from The Works of Voltaire, Vol. 34: A Contemporary Version

Such also are the histories of the emperor Charles VI of Prince Eugene, and many others.

In this manner has the noble art of printing been made to serve the purposes of the Vilest traffic. A Dutch book seller orders a book to be written, just as a manufacturer gives directions for weaving a piece of cloth; and unhap pily there are authors to be found, whose necessities oblige them to sell their labors to these dealers, like work men, for hire; hence arise these insipid panegyrics, and defamatory libels, with which the public is overrun, and is one of the most shameful Vices Of the age.

Never did history stand more in need of authentic vouchers, than at this time, when so infamous a traffic is made of falsehood. The author who now offers to the public' 'the History of the Russian Empire under Peter the Great is the same who thirty years ago wrote the History of Charles XII., from the papers of several eminent persons in public stations, who had lived with that monarch for a considerable time. The present his tory is a confirmation of, and supplement to, the former.

And here the author thinks himself obliged, out Of respect to the public, and a regard for truth, to bring to View an undeniable testimony of the degree of credit due to the History of Charles XII.

Not long since, the king of Poland and duke of Lorraine ordered that work to be read over a second time to him at Commercy, when he was struck with the truth of a multitude of facts, to which he himself had been eye -witness, and so incensed at the boldness with which certain libellers and journalists had controverted their authenticity, that he resolved to enforce, by the authority of his own testimony, the credit due to the historian; and as it was not proper for him to write himself, he ordered one of the great officers of his household, to draw up the following, in the form of a certificate.

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.