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← ExitThe Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II

Reading language

UNDATED

61 (Reverse of the same leaf.)

I. The operations of the soul are expressed only by the same terms that express those of the body, and its various parts have no names other than those of our various members.

II. There is no form in the various instruments of mechanics that is not found in the human body. And we accomplish nothing by this means that our body does not accomplish, unknown to us, in our various movements by a method much swifter and much more perfect.

III. The only beautiful human movements are those that tend toward preservation.

IV. If the human species were suddenly to annihilate itself and only a single man remained to survive it, what would that man’s position be?.

62. (Green pocket notebook.)

Whoever lives in uncertain times may be firm, unchanging in his principles, but he cannot be so in all their applications; firm in his plans, in his course, he will not always be able to keep either the same resolutions or the same paths. He must abandon some parts of himself to the winds (that is, to circumstances), let his hair float, and keep his head out of reach. I compare him to those great trees, those walnut trees whose branches come and go during the storm, bending and yielding upward, downward, to the right, to the left, shaken in all their leaves though their trunk remains motionless. In this comparison there is an image of myself that pleases me because, by explaining them to me, it excuses variations I like neither in myself nor in others.

63. (Bundle 16.)

It is certain that the attention we give to the sufferings of others makes us forget our own. Indeed, it is a fact whose cause is physical.

64 (Bundle 8.)

I regard the lives of illustrious men as the most precious monument that survives. The greatest things that have appeared in the human species until now appear there before our eyes, and the best things men have done serve us there as examples. I do not have for the writer the esteem I have for his compilation. Praiseworthy for a thousand virtues, he who would allow neither his old slaves nor the animals maimed by accidents or work in his service to be sold is not praiseworthy for that faintheartedness which leaves him wavering among the opinions of philosophers without the courage to contradict or support them, and which gave him for all celebrated men the respect owed only to those who were virtuous or just. Hence he wrote the life of a wretch like Aratus with the same care as that of Aristides. And he wrote the history of a madman like Alcibiades with an indulgence bordering on approval. I say nothing of his credulity. I am far from reproaching those who record the facts from which the philosopher must compose history for it. But I do not have the same indulgence for that superstitious pettiness which makes a task of vindicating the authenticity of the ridiculous prodigies it was his duty to report faithfully. The principal traits of character and conduct, the maxims and remarkable events that may be read in his lives—that is, everything useful they contain—are gathered in the following discourses. I shall consider them infinitely precious if they make it unnecessary to read all that insipid jumble which disfigures one of the best books in the world.

T105.The Roman numeral, exclusive only, repeated express and various, and its/our distinction remain. Members preserves the anatomical sense without making it a claim about a social group.

T246.In the French source, printed item 61 has four separate Roman-numbered main paragraphs. The numeral labels and all body text are roman. Literal instrumens, méchanique, inscu and mouvemens remain; no missing words or inferred physiological explanation. The final sequence is question mark, raised call 2, then a separate baseline period, directly visible in color/native. Stored ?. preserves both baseline marks with the call anchored after homme? before the period. No punctuation intent is asserted.

T106.The two negative universals, instruments/body relation, repeated accomplish, unknown to us and repeated much remain. No modern physiological proof is claimed. French retains instrumens, méchanique, inscu and mouvemens. All four Roman-numbered paragraphs and their numerals are roman; the numbering is part of the main text.

T107.The exclusive only and purpose-directed tend toward remain. The source does not specify the object of preservation, so the translation does not add self.

S2.Source editor’s annotationThis too: “1. Man has memory... 2. Feeling is only prolonged sensation.” Is not all this (and what precedes) a summary of Condillac?

T108.The hypothetical, suddenly, single survivor and question remain. The printed question mark, raised source call 2 and separate baseline period occur in that order. English ?. retains both baseline marks, with the call between them; no punctuation intention is inferred. The Roman numeral and complete body are roman.

T111.The internal Arabic numbering remains within one source-note paragraph. The first fragment’s French n’a de la mémoire... leaves its ne construction unfinished; the English stops after memory without supplying either a completing negative or an only restriction. The source editor’s Condillac attribution remains a question. Both Arabic numbers are inline and roman, as is the whole annotation. The quoted terminal period already lies inside the French closing guillemet; the following question remains outside. No source quotation or missing negation is completed.

T247.In the French source, one complete roman source note contains inline Arabic 1/2, not separate paragraphs. Literal n’a de la mémoire... leaves the ne construction incomplete in the quoted material; no pas or que is supplied. The terminal attribution remains a source-editor question.

S3.Source editor’s annotationAn undated loose leaf found in the green pocket notebook. Very labored handwriting, in ink; crossings-out.

T109.The distinction between principles and applications, repeated firm and same, self-explaining parenthesis, hair/head image, four directions, motionless trunk and first-person self-criticism remain. The comparison explains and excuses variations without approving them. The source note’s undated loose-leaf description stays separate. Whoever contextually interprets the anomalous literal Quiquonque; French is not normalized and no reproduction-loss bracket is introduced. The may...but construction gives the concessive a beau. French retains vens and plaît with its circumflex; plural branches and leaves remain distinct from the singular trunk. The main body is roman, and source call 3 belongs to the item heading after 62 before its period.

T112.The source editor identifies an undated loose leaf and its physical writing features. No date is inferred from the notebook or handwriting. French retains plain initial Ecriture. English renders qui se trouve with participial found and retains the first terminal period and later comma and semicolon; the complete annotation is roman. Its source call belongs to the item heading rather than the end of the walnut-tree paragraph.

T248.In the French source, printed item 62 is one long roman paragraph. Original-size color and native read anomalous Quiquonque, with q descender after Qui followed by u; no normalization to navigation Quiconque. Literal vens and final plaît with circumflex remain. The concessive a beau, repeated firm/same terms, necessity coordination, four directions and singular trunk remain. The parenthetic explanation is inline main text. Heading call 3 follows 62 before its baseline period; the Calepin vert label and undated annotation supply no date.

T249.In the French source, complete roman source-editor description with plain capital Ecriture. The leaf is explicitly undated; notebook color and handwriting do not establish a date.

S1.Source editor’s annotationAmong excerpts from Athenaeus the Deipnosophist.

T113.The certainty, causal makes, own/others distinction and physical explanation remain. The separate source note identifies the surrounding excerpts without assigning this entry a date. Main and annotation are roman. Source call 1 belongs to printed item 63, before the heading’s period; it does not follow the main paragraph. The italic Bundle 16 label supplies no date.

T125.The source editor gives the setting among excerpts, not a date or proof that the entire main thought comes from Athenaeus. English Deipnosophist normalizes the spelling of the literal French Dypnosophiste while retaining its singular construction after Athenaeus. Digital Athenaeus’s Kaibel-edition metadata supports the conventional title spelling; no exact excerpt or source edition has been located, and no full Greek passage is authenticated here. The complete annotation is roman and ends with a period. Its source call 1 belongs to item 63’s heading, before the baseline period.

T250.In the French source, printed item 63 is one complete roman paragraph. The raised call 1 belongs to its printed item heading after 63 before the baseline period; it does not follow the paragraph. Both sentences, certainty and physical-cause relation remain. No date is printed.

T251.In the French source, one complete roman source-editor annotation, including literal Dypnosophiste and its terminal period. It supplies an excerpt context, without independently assigning a date or proving attribution of the whole main thought. The first color annotation crop clipped the line; a corrective original-size crop includes it.

T114.The writer remains unnamed in the body; no identification or biographical validation is inserted. The praise and criticism, repeated same care/indulgence, virtuous or just, prodigies/reporting distinction, future estimate and pointer to following discourses remain. The source’s judgments of named ancient figures are translated as judgments, not adopted as historical findings. French retains paroit, accidens, one-p raporter, événemens and suivans. English uses conventional Aristides and Alcibiades for printed Aristide and Alcibiade; Aratus is unchanged. The two English dashes around that is replace the source commas around c’est à dire. The whole main paragraph is roman.

T252.In the French source, printed item 64 is one long complete roman paragraph, not separate biographies. Literal paroit with plain i, accidens, raporter with one p, événemens and suivans remain. Original-size color and native crops distinguish the single p of raporter; no modern spelling is substituted. The superlatives, virtuous-or-just restriction, reporting/authenticating distinction, repeated estimation terms and future conditional estimate remain. The source has commas enclosing c’est à dire rather than dashes. Names remain the printed Aratus/Aristide/Alcibiade; the author criticized is not supplied. No source loss or date is inferred.