Diotimos Library · Journals, Notebooks & Fragments Collection · Bilingual Edition

Joseph Joubert

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II

Name: The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II
Author: Joseph Joubert

Complete Notebooks · French with an independent English translation.

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The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume IIYEAR 1815 · Entry 7223

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French Page · Branch 3442 of 4529

YEAR 1815 · Entry 7223

Translator notesBook Mode

French

p. 6883

Les jansénistes disent qu’il faut aimer Dieu et les jésuites le font aimer. La doctrine de ceux ci est remplie d’inexactitudes et d’erreurs peut-être; mais, chose singulière, surprenante et cependant incontestable, ils dirigent mieux. C’est probablement (ou peut-être) parce que leurs erreurs venoient du cœur et d’une trop tendre charité. Les jansénistes n’ont pas manqué de charité non plus; mais elle est âpre; rigoureuse et plus attachée, ce semble, à enseigner la vérité qu’à aimer ou Dieu ou les hommes. On diroit qu’ils aiment mieux la règle que le bien; et les autres aiment plus le bien que la règle. Les uns sont plus essentiellement scavans et les autres plus essentiellement pieux.

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II: YEAR 1815

p. 6884

The Jansenists say that we must love God, and the Jesuits make him loved. The latter’s doctrine is full of inaccuracies and perhaps errors; but, strange, surprising and yet incontestable, they guide better. It is probably (or perhaps) because their errors came from the heart and from an overly tender charity. The Jansenists have not lacked charity either; but it is harsh; rigorous and more attached, it seems, to teaching the truth than to loving either God or men. One would say they love the rule better than the good; and the others love the good more than the rule. The first are more essentially learned and the others more essentially pious.

T4.The first/latter opposition follows the named order: Jansenists and Jesuits. The two perhaps formulations and the probably/or-perhaps self-qualification remain. Charity keeps charité distinct from generic kindness. Guide retains the spiritual-direction possibility without adding an explicit object or office. Make him loved renders the causative le font aimer; it does not merely state that the Jesuits themselves love. The semicolon before rigorous preserves the source’s unusual continuation, and past came remains distinct from the surrounding present judgments.

T409.This entire long contrast remains one paragraph. The saying/causing-to-love distinction, peut-être/probablement qualifications and parenthetic alternative, past venoient, both charitable groups and repeated comparative rules/goodness pair are retained without doctrinal repair. Ceux ci is printed with a space, without a hyphen; scavans remains literal. The semicolon after âpre is retained before rigoureuse, as are the spaced ce semble and both ou terms. The ordinary incon-/testable and jan-/sénistes wraps are joined without creating losses. The folded left starts remain qualified identifiable in the clearer color witness. All text is roman.

About This Reading Edition

Joubert’s notebooks return to the work of thinking and writing, the demands of friendship, and questions of faith, beauty and conduct. This edition pairs the French with a new English translation, preserving the order of the chosen source and the unfinished character of its fragments. Dates and source references allow readers to follow a thought through time or return to its printed context.

Historical Text and Translation

The French text follows André Beaunier’s 1938 edition of Les Carnets de Joseph Joubert, published by Gallimard from Joubert’s autograph manuscripts. Volume II continues the notebooks and includes seventy undated pieces. French and English are aligned paragraph by paragraph, retaining the source order, printed dates and page references so readers can return to the facsimile.

About Diotimos Editions

Diotimos Editions prepared this new English translation directly from the French, preserving Joubert’s distinctions, recurring images, ambiguities and unfinished thoughts. Translator’s notes clarify wording, references and uncertain readings: Essential keeps notes that help explain a passage, while All includes technical detail. Annotations from the 1938 source edition remain distinct from the new translator’s notes.

Rights

The linked facsimile records identify the French source as public domain in the United States. The new English translation and editorial notes are © 2026 Diotimos, with source annotations and new editorial contributions credited separately. This edition pairs the complete French notebooks with an independent English translation, preserving the distinction between Joubert’s text and its accompanying notes.