Voltaire after 300 years

Abstract

The tercentenary of the birth of Voltaire (F.R.S., 1743) calls for more than a passing mention in Notes and Records because of his influence in shaping the modern world and his links with Newton. The connection with Newton began by chance in 1727 when Voltaire had avoided a second imprisonment in the Bastille by voluntary exile in England. While in London he witnessed Newton’s funeral, and he was impressed to find two dukes and three earls among the pall-bearers. Could it be that in England the ruling classes valued a man of humble origins because of his intellectual achievements? Also, imprisonment for writing irreverent pamphlets seemed less prevalent in England. When Voltaire returned to France and published Letters Concerning the English Nation (1733), he praised much in English life; and he espoused Newtonianism.