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← ExitThe Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II

Reading language

YEAR 1819

March 11.

One loves strongly and, so to speak, one loves seriously only those one fears, because fear makes them strongly present to us, fixes our mind upon them, and because one is grateful to them at once for all the good they do and all the evil they do not do. Besides, if they are not wicked, they subjugate the heart itself, and one does not dare hate them.

Some error always attaches itself to the great truths that travel the world, and some fable to the historical events that have strongly occupied the multitude’s attention. Since there is always some chimera in some mind, there is always some mind that attaches its chimera to what has passed through it as through other minds. Thus, no reality is without its marvelous element if it has circulated everywhere and passed from mouth to mouth.

March 12.

To give children only models of good nature or good taste.

... In the work, it is better to be capable of too much and guilty of too little, because the spectator’s or reader’s satiety is more to be feared than their regret.

March 15.

One can call law only what appears most just, wisest, most morally obligatory, most in accord with reason and with the very will of God, finally the best ruling to make on each question — only what appears so, I say, to universal reason, that is to say, to reason that conforms to that of all places and all times.

March 24.

Truth does not come from us and cannot come from us, but from God or from minds that are friends of God and to whom his own light (in all that is spiritual), and from the things where God has put it (in all that is material). One must therefore consult God, wise souls and one’s own mind for all that is spiritual, and dig into the depths of things for all that is material.

March 26.

Happy is the man fitted for only a single thing: in doing it, he fulfills his destination.

April.

So greatly do they fear sending the wicked into another world, and so greatly do they wish to keep them in this one! So much mercy and pity they have for bad actions and vices; so much hatred, anger and wrath against uprightness and wisdom, which oppose and condemn their softnesses and their furies.

May.

The insects (ingenious, industrious) that pierce the dikes; and among this species of insects, count Franklin. (See the articles by Mr. Hoffmann, October 1819.)

Insects that must be killed by contempt. The favor one grants them, or the fear one has of them, alone makes their imposture and their power.

May 20.

One must submit to these ancient opinions as one submits to laws, that is to say, judging them good, venerable, necessary.

May 27.

“Their patriotism and their homeland in a portfolio.” (From Mr. de Salis.)

T59.The repeated one loves, strongly, only, so-to-speak qualification and two causal links remain. Both all terms, the negative act, conditional not-wicked, heart itself and final does-not-dare retain their exact force. The difficult claim is not softened. French retains literal scait, présens and méchans, and haïr with its diaeresis. English supplies the final comma before and, where the source has no comma before et.

T165.The complete 11, repeated aime/fortement, restriction and causal links remain. Scait has a compact ordinary i dot, without a certified circumflex; haïr has two distinct upper i components. Présens and méchans retain their historical spellings. No comma is printed before the final et; all left starts remain identifiable.

T60.The repeated some, always, mind and attachment remain. Chimera preserves the imaginary-creature word rather than flattening it to error; the closing conditional, circulation and oral transmission remain. Marvelous element supplies an English noun for substantival merveilleux without claiming a miracle. Canonical French has plural grandes vérités. English supplies the first comma before and and makes the final nominal point de réalité construction an explicit no reality is without clause; this is ordinary grammatical adaptation, not a recovered source verb.

T61.The restrictive infinitive fragment and alternative remain. Good nature renders bonhommie’s kindly simplicity: the complete 1798 Académie Bonhomie entry combines goodness of heart with outward simplicity, rather than sociability alone. No main verb is inserted. The source spelling bonhommie has doubled m, unlike the cited dictionary lemma Bonhomie; enfans has no t. Neither source form is normalized in French.

T167.The complete 12 and restrictive infinitive fragment remain. Bonhommie retains double m and enfans has no inserted t; the isolated wrapped goût remains part of the same single paragraph.

T62.The opening printed ellipsis and capable/guilty wordplay remain. Too much/too little and spectator/reader alternatives remain, with satiety opposed to regret. Canonical French distinguishes the first capable from the later coupable. The English their is a gender-neutral reference to either singular spectator or reader, not a new plural audience.

T63.The repeated only, full sequence of superlatives, finally, parenthetic I say and universal/all scopes remain. Ruling to make supplies an English noun construction for the source infinitive à statuer without adding a particular legal institution. The second clause restricts the first rather than giving a separate definition. Both French paroît forms retain qualified circumflex readings, and c’est à dire is unhyphenated. The dash and repeated restriction remain.

T169.The complete 15, both restrictive que clauses, full superlative sequence, finally, dash and dis-je remain. Both paroît forms retain peaked upper i marks at the qualified reproduction level. C’est à dire is unhyphenated; no second independent definition or institution is supplied.

T64.The initial negative and impossibility remain separately, with both full parentheses and repeated spiritual/material distinction. The canonical et auxquels sa lumière à lui has no finite verb; the deliberately incomplete English and to whom his own light supplies none and does not imply a reproduction gap. Only his own light corresponds to the italic sa lumière à lui; the parenthesis is roman. English supplies the comma after the first parenthesis. The single paragraph continues onto 894 with propre esprit, and therefore, both final spiritual/material relations and the digging image remain. French retains fonds with its final s.

T170.The complete 24 and separate negative/impossibility remain. The printed et auxquels sa lumière à lui has no finite verb; no missing verb is supplied and no reproduction gap is inferred. In the French source, only sa lumière à lui is italic; the parenthesis and surrounding words are roman. The single paragraph continues with propre esprit at the top of 894. Both incoming lines are complete, including fonds with s; no new paragraph or punctuation is inserted at the page boundary. The two parentheses and repeated spiritual/material relations remain. The source specialist’s facsimile collation records the page 893 damaged first day, complete later dates, small-cap century/raised e, upper marks, printed brackets/ellipsis, external slash, capable/grandes and italic verbless construction with the 894 continuation, with all stated individual reading qualifications retained.

T65.Happy, only a single thing and the action/destination relation remain. Destination is kept rather than narrowing it to an occupation.

T171.The complete 26, restrictive qu’à une seule, colon and participial relation remain; no occupation is substituted for destination. The complete right ending faisant and next-line il are identifiable in color.

T66.All four intensifying tant phrases, paired mercy/pity, three hostile feelings and opposed moral pairs remain. The referents of they are not supplied; another world is not silently replaced with a named afterlife. The month-only April label is not completed. Literal méchans retains its historical spelling in French. English supplies a comma before the first and and before which; neither comma is printed at those positions in French.

T172.The month-only Avril. has no supplied day. All four tant phrases, unidentified plural subjects, exclamation and semicolon remain. Méchans retains its historical spelling; miséri-/corde and sa-/gesse are complete wraps despite soft right contours.

T67.The nominal opening, full adjective parenthesis, semicolon and direct command remain. Franklin and Hoffmann are not given new identities. The later October 1819 reference stays in the month-only May entry; no external article is authenticated. French prints M with a raised r, rendered by the conventional Mr.; Hoffmann retains its literal doubled f and n. The October reference remains within the second parenthesis and does not create another entry date.

T173.The month-only Mai. and embedded October 1819 bibliographical reference remain distinct. Hoffmann visibly has doubled f and n; the r after M is smaller and raised. The two full parentheses, semicolon and direct imperative remain. No name or external article is authenticated.

T68.The fragment and exact means by contempt remain within Joubert’s metaphor. Favor/fear are alternatives, and alone governs their role in producing both imposture and power; no physical instruction is added.

T174.The independent undated unit retains its relative fragment, alternative faveur/peur, singular fait and feminine seule. No date is inherited from the preceding May label.

T69.The obligation, repeated submits and participial judgment remain, with the three qualities in their order. No additional reason for obedience is supplied. French retains loix and unhyphenated c’est à dire. English supplies the comma after that is to say.

T70.The quoted nominal phrase and separate attribution remain. Portfolio retains portefeuille’s concrete container and possible figurative force without choosing an unverified financial explanation. The pronoun their remains unidentified. The complete 1798 Académie entry describes a holder for papers; later 1835 figurative financial and ministerial senses do not establish the intended meaning here. French prints the title with a raised r, rendered as Mr. The entire quotation and attribution are roman; their periods remain respectively inside the quotation and the attribution parenthesis.

T176.The complete 27 and repeated leur remain. The quotation period is inside its close; the attribution period is inside its parenthesis. The r after M is raised; the full phrase and attribution are roman. Portefeuille is not expanded to a particular financial or political interpretation.