CHAPTER III. THE SYSTEME DE LA NATURE.


Early in 1770 appeared the famous _Systeme de la Nature, ou Des Loix
du Monde Physique et du Monde Morale, Par M. Mirabaud, Secretaire
Perpetuel et l'un des Quarante de l'Academie Francaise_, Londres
(Amsterdam), 1770. This work has gone through over thirty editions
in France, Spain, Germany, England and the United States. No book
of a philosophic or scientific character has ever caused such a
sensation at the time of its publication, excepting perhaps Darwin's
_Origin of Species_, the thesis of which is more than hinted at by
Holbach. There were several editions in 1770. A very few copies
contain a _Discours preliminaire de l'Auteur_ of sixteen pages which
Naigeon had printed separately in London. The _Abrege du Code de
la Nature_, which ends the book was also published separately and
is sometimes attributed to Diderot, 8vo, 16 pp. [54:1]

There is also a book entitled _Le vrai sens du Systeme de la Nature_,
1774, attributed to Helvetius, a very clear, concise epitome largely
in Holbach's own short and telling sentences, and much more effective
than the original because of its brevity. Holbach himself reproduced
the _Systeme de la Nature_ in a shortened form in _Bon-sens_, 1772, and
Payrard plagiarized it freely in _De la Nature et de ses Lois_, Paris,
1773. The book has been attributed to Diderot, Helvetius, Robinet,
Damilaville and others. Naigeon is certain that it is entirely by
Holbach, although it is generally held that Diderot had a hand in it.
It was published under the name of Mirabaud to obviate persecution.
The manuscript, it was alleged, had been found among his papers as a