In 1766, while Voltaire was heavily involved in the Sirven case, he was also busy defending his own reputation. His "Lettre pastorale a Monsieur l'archeveque d'Auch" and "Satire contre Monsieur Lefranc de Pompignan" perpetuated feuds against old enemies, while his "Petit Commentaire" called for greater tolerance for the philosophes in general. A biography of Henri IV that made no reference to Voltaire's work as a historian impelled him to write the scathing "Le President de Thou justifie". An unauthorised, maliciously edited collection of his letters, which was potentially damaging to the Sirven campaign, prompted the "Appel au public contre un recueil de pretendues lettres". But Voltaire reserved his harshest treatment for Rousseau and the Genevan pastor Jacob Vernet. The "Lettre au docteur Jean-Jacques Pansophe", a litany of apparent contradictions in Rousseau's works, appeared in England during Rousseau's stay there. It was followed by the "Lettre de Monsieur de Voltaire a Monsieur Hume", giving Voltaire's account of Rousseau's life, and by "Notes" on that letter. Vernet was ridiculed in the "Lettre curieuse de Monsieur Robert Covelle" and the "Eloge de l'hypocrisie". The shorter verse presents a more affable side to Voltaire as he flatters nobles, writers and younger women.

En 1760, le pieux Jean-Jacques Le Franc de Pompignan denonce a l'Academie francaise la litterature et la philosophie du moment. Se declenche alors un deluge de pamphlets, un grand nombre des fusees les mieux ciblees partant de Ferney, notamment des contes en vers parmi les plus celebres de Voltaire: "La Vanite", "Le Russe a Paris" et "Le Pauvre Diable". Apres quelques mois, celui-ci se decide de reunir ces ecrits dans un "Recueil des faceties parisiennes". A ses propres textes, il ajoute quelques contributions d'autres philosophes, mais egalement des morceaux du parti ennemi, agrementes d'ajouts assassins sous la forme de notes et de prefaces.

"Un chretien contre six Juifs" and the "Histoire de l'etablissement du christianisme", along with "La Bible enfin expliquee" (OCV, vol.79A), are Voltaire's last great works dealing with religion. In them he aims at the final destruction of l'Infame as represented in characters from the Old Testament, Christian superstition, and religious intolerance. Voltaire had fought regularly against all these in the years after 1761. What distinguishes this latest production is the comprehensive quality of his enterprise and the shared outlook in promoting the ideal of deism.

Jacob Vernet (1698-1789) was the most important and influential Genevan pastor of his day, successively holding the posts of Professor of Belles-Lettres (1739) and of Theology (1756) at the city's Academie. A 'liberal' theologian, he had personal contacts with several of the leading philosophes, all of which turned sour after a time. This book describes Vernet's contacts with Montesquieu, d'Alembert, Voltaire and Rousseau. It also investigates a charge made repeatedly by his enemies, namely that he was a hypocrite who disguised his real beliefs. Vernet's religious and philosophical opinions are thus reviewed as expressed in his major works, Traite de la verite de la religion chretienne, Instruction chretienne and Lettres critiques d'un voyageur anglais. The connection between Vernet's ideas and the social and political situation in his native Geneva is also studied in depth. The pastor's relations with Montesquieu have often been seen as a cause for congratulation, for he edited the first edition of De l'Esprit des lois, but a close reading of Montesquieu's correspondence shows that this episode was far from being an unqualified success. Similarly, Vernet's contacts with Rousseau give pause for thought: the relevant evidence that he was on occasion somewhat devious in his dealings with the great author is reviewed comprehensively. Particular attention is given to Vernet's relations with Voltaire. In 1760 the pastor was vilified in the second of the Dialogues chretiens, accused of greed and dishonesty. But did Voltaire actually write the second Dialogue? If not, who did? These intriguing questions are discussed in detail, special attention being given to Vernet's own essays of self-justification, the Lettre a Monsieur le Premier Sindic(1760) and Memoire a Mr. le Premier Sindic (1766, both of which are reproduced in appendices. Jacob Vernet's long life and many works give a fascinating insight into the problems and inconsistencies of liberal Protestantism during the various stages of the Enlightenment.

The Oxford University Studies in the Enlightenment series, previously known as SVEC (Studies on Voltaire and the Eighteenth Century), has published over 500 peer-reviewed scholarly volumes since 1955 as part of the Voltaire Foundation at the University of Oxford. International in focus, Oxford University Studies in the Enlightenment volumes cover wide-ranging aspects of the eighteenth century and the Enlightenment, from gender studies to political theory, and from economics to visual arts and music, and are published in English or French.

By what channels did the French Enlightenment reach the eighteenth-century Irish reader, and what was its impact? What were the images of Ireland current in France? What did philosophes like Montesquieu and Voltaire think of the country and its people? These are the questions which a team of scholars attempt to answer in this volume. Part I explains who could read French and evaluates the reception of French thought in areas like periodicals and scientific exchange as well as looking at reactions to Montesquieu, Voltaire and Rousseau. Part II examines the views of Ireland and the Irish prevailing in Enlightenment France. Part III explores the transmission of ideas through the importation of French books and translations from a number of cosmopolitan centres, and the thriving trade in Dublin reprints of the 'best-sellers' among these titles. Appendix I catalogues contemporary Irish literary periodicals and their French contents: Appendix II provides an extensive list of French books and translations connected with the Enlightenment and published in Ireland in the period 1700-1800. These appendixes will provide a useful tool for further research.