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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 1818 · Entry 7905

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French Page · Branch 4124 of 4529

YEAR 1818 · Entry 7905

Translator notesBook Mode

French

p. 8247

I. Le fanatisme est une ivresse religieuse (ou irreligieuse), mais une ivresse sombre, malfaisante, furieuse.

II. Les religions sont comme les vins vigoureux dont les plus nouveaux sont les plus ennyvrans.

III. Toutes les religions fortes sont furieuses jusqu’à ce qu’elles aient régné dans une grande étenduë de pays ou sur un grand nombre de sectateurs. L’âge, l’étenduë et l’empire leur ôtent leurs fermentations.

IV. Comme les vins, ce qu’elles ont de doux se développe le premier. Elles ont leur moût, leur alkool.

V. Heureux les pays où dominent des religions anciennes et qui ont été en [tout] temps universellement répanduës.

VI. Toutes les religions ont eu des mouvemens qui tiennent à la nature de l’homme. La catholique est celle qui en a [eu] le moins : lisez l’histoire. Les protestants ont été les plus fanatiques : lisez l’histoire d’Angleterre.

VII. Les vieilles religions enflamment le cœur, et les nouvelles le cerveau. On peut trouver des enthousiastes dans les premières; les fanatiques sont dans les autres.

VIII. Le plus furieux des fanatismes est inspiré surtout par les religions qui ont pour principe le sens propre, l’interprétation personnelle. Les religions qui ont pour principe une authorité reconnuë de tous ont une règle et par conséquent un puissant obstacle au fanatisme.

Les religions qui ont cuvé — le petit nombre, etc.

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II: YEAR 1818

p. 8248

I. Fanaticism is a religious (or irreligious) intoxication, but a dark, harmful, furious intoxication.

II. Religions are like vigorous wines, of which the newest are the most intoxicating.

III. All strong religions are furious until they have reigned over a great expanse of country or a great number of followers. Age, extent and dominion take away their fermentations.

IV. As with wines, what is sweet in them develops first. They have their must, their alcohol.

V. Happy the countries where religions prevail that are old and have been universally spread at [all] times.

VI. All religions have had movements belonging to man’s nature. The Catholic is the one that has [had] the fewest: read history. The Protestants have been the most fanatical: read the history of England.

VII. Old religions inflame the heart, and new ones the brain. Enthusiasts may be found in the former; fanatics are in the others.

VIII. The most furious of fanaticisms is inspired above all by religions whose principle is private judgment, personal interpretation. Religions whose principle is an authority acknowledged by all have a rule, and consequently a powerful obstacle to fanaticism.

Religions that have fermented — small numbers, etc.

T146.The Roman numeral, newly parenthesized alternative and repeated intoxication remain; this numbered reformulation is separate from the preceding entry. The eight Roman-numbered paragraphs and following unnumbered fragment form one undated unit; the preceding October 25 does not govern it. All its text is roman.

T380.The centered separator starts a new undated unit, not a continuation of the 25 octobre date. Eight separately indented paragraphs carry Roman I–VIII; the following unnumbered fragment is a ninth paragraph in the same unit. All text is roman. The literal ennyvrans, alkool, mouvemens and authorité forms remain. Moût has a compressed circumflex; both étenduë, répanduës and reconnuë retain paired upper e components supported by color/native 412, with contours qualified to the reproduction. Here régné has an acute first e, distinct from preceding 879 règné. The complete nou-/veaux, fermenta-/tions, pre-/mier, per-/sonnelle and fana-/tisme wraps supply no new gaps. Both [tout] and [eu] are printed roman editorial supplements. The call 1 follows fanatisme in paragraph 8 and precedes its baseline period, not the closing unnumbered fragment. Modal, comparative and restrictive claims are retained without historical harmonization.

T147.The new vigorous qualifier, newest/most comparison and one-paragraph numbered form remain. The French literally retains ennyvrans with nn and y; ordinary English spelling does not reproduce those letters.

T148.The strong qualifier, all, completed until condition, two great terms and territorial/numerical alternatives remain. The plural fermentations keeps the concrete wine process within the religious metaphor. Here the first e in régné has an acute mark, unlike preceding règné on page 879. Both occurrences of étenduë retain the qualified e-diaeresis recorded in the source.

T149.The first-development claim and two possessives remain. Must is the wine-making noun for grape juice before or during fermentation, not the English modal verb; no correction of the source’s sequence is made. The literal source retains alkool, while the upper mark in moût is read as a compressed circumflex with the reproduction’s contour limits.

T150.The exclamation-like nominal opening, prevailing religions, explicit coordination of old and universally spread, and universal/temporal extent remain. [All] corresponds to the printed source-editor supply [tout], not a newly inferred loss. The source retains répanduës with its qualified e-diaeresis.

T151.The universal opening, comparative fewest/most and both read imperatives remain as Joubert’s assertions. [Had] corresponds to the source editor’s [eu]. No independent historical verification or qualification is inserted into the author’s claim. The French retains the literal plural mouvemens; ordinary English movements does not reproduce that spelling.

T152.The two body parts, old/new opposition and potential may versus definite are remain. The second clause’s verb is implicit as in French.

S1.Source editor’s annotationAnother wording: “I. Fanaticism is a religious or irreligious fury (an intoxication) whose principle is novelty, small numbers and private judgment. II. All strong religions are furious until they have reigned. III. Old religions, whatever they may be, resemble old wines that warm the heart but no longer inflame the head.”

T153.The superlative, above all, appositional personal interpretation, repeated principle and all remain. Private judgment renders sens propre in this expressly interpretive context, not lexical literalness. The rule/obstacle causal sequence and final repetition of fanaticism remain. English supplies a comma before and consequently; the French has no comma there. The source retains authorité with h and reconnuë with its qualified e-diaeresis. The source annotation call follows the final fanaticism before the period; it does not belong to the following unnumbered fragment.

T161.The three Roman numbers remain inline within this one source annotation. Fury followed by the parenthetic intoxication, the three principles, strong/all, whatever and no longer remain. The variant’s warm/head differs from the main inflame/brain; these are not silently harmonized. The complete variant is roman, with its closing quotation and period retained; its call belongs to the eighth main paragraph, not the ninth fragment.

T154.This ninth paragraph remains unnumbered and fragmentary. Fermented retains the wine metaphor; neither the dash nor etc. is expanded into a completed relation.

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.