Medieval and modern times : an introduction to the history of western Europe form the dissolution of the Roman empire to the present time . ared thatit interfered with human progress. The Church, as it fullyrealized, had never encountered a more deadly enemy. Were there space at command, a great many good things, aswell as plenty of bad ones, might be told of this extraordinaryman. He was often superficial in his judgments, and some-times jumped to unwarranted conclusions. He saw only evil inthe Church and seemed incapable of understanding all that ithad done for mankind during the bygone ages
Medieval and modern times : an introduction to the history of western Europe form the dissolution of the Roman empire to the present time . ared thatit interfered with human progress. The Church, as it fullyrealized, had never encountered a more deadly enemy. Were there space at command, a great many good things, aswell as plenty of bad ones, might be told of this extraordinaryman. He was often superficial in his judgments, and some-times jumped to unwarranted conclusions. He saw only evil inthe Church and seemed incapable of understanding all that ithad done for mankind during the bygone ages. He attributedto evil motives teachings which were accepted by honest and goodmen. He bitterly ridiculed cherished religious ideas, along withthe censorship of the press and the quarrels of the theologians. He could, and did, however, fight against wrong andoppression. The abuses which he attacked were in large partabolished by the French Revolution. It is unfair to notice onlyVoltaires mistakes and exaggerations, as many writers, both 1 For extracts from Voltaires writings, see Readings in Modem EuropeanHistory, Vol. I, pp. 179 Fig. 128. Leaders of the Revolution in Thought467 468 Medieval and Modem Times DiderotsEncyclopadia The Encyclo-pedia rousesthe hostilityof the theolo-gians Catholic and Protestant, have done; for he certainly did muchto prepare the way for great and permanent reforms whichevery one would now approve.^ Voltaire had many admirers and powerful allies. Amongthese none were more important than Denis Diderot andthe scholars whom Diderot induced to cooperate with himin preparing articles for a new Encydopadia, which was de-signed to spread among a wide range of intelligent readers aknowledge of scientific advance and rouse enthusiasm forreform and progress. An encyclopaedia was by no means a .new thing. Diderots plan had been suggested by a proposalto publish a French translation of Chamberss Cydopadia. Be-fore his first volume appeared, a vast Universa
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