A small figure from the 18th century can teach today’s rulers the deep and profound nature of almost all countries. René-Louis de Voyer, Marquis d’Argenson (1694-1757) was the first person of the Enlightenment, friend of Voltaire, and, for a time, minister of Louis XV.
In his memoirs, he wrote (Vol. 5, p. 372, of the 1858 edition)—my translation follows the original French:
Il est temps de prendre ce parti. Toutes les autres Nations nous haïssent et nous envient. Et nous, ne les envions point si elles s’enrichisent : tant mieux pour elles et aussi pour nous ; elles nous prendront davantage de nos denrées, elles nous apporteront davantage des leurs et de leur argent. Disgusting laws que celui de ne vouloir notre grandeur que par l’abaissement de nos voisins ! Il n’y a que la méchanceté et la malignité du coeur de satisfaites dans ce principe, et l’intérêt y est opposé.
Laissez faire, morbleu! laissez faire!
It’s time to make that choice. All other nations hate us and die for us. But let’s not envy them if they are rich. Good for them, and good for us. They will take some of our products and bring some of their own and their own money. It is a disgusting system to seek our greatness only by demeaning our neighbors! Only wickedness and wickedness of heart are satisfied by this system, and interest is the opposite of it.
Laissez faire, for God’s sake! Laissez faire!
We have to forgive the rhetoric of d’Argenson’s collection (the “hating” nations, for example). In this respect, he is doing no worse than most of today’s rulers and “their” people.
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DALL-E got my idea of thinking about d’Argenson the first time but with many mistakes including candles dangerously close to bookshelves and an anachronistic desk lamp. No doubt French historians of the 18th century will find some measure of anachronism. D’Argenson, who was about 45 years old when he wrote this excerpt, also looks young (although I admit I don’t remember exactly how one looks at that age). He also doesn’t look like the real d’Argenson, but that’s typical DALL-E practice. Also, the robot made a typo in “morbleu” and I couldn’t get “him” to fix it. Still not bad for a virtual machine! It’s definitely better than a pocket calculator. Maybe he should run for office?
DALL-E’s take on d’Argenson, with one major anachronism and typo in “morbleu”
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