Letters On The English

Letters On The English

Lettres philosophiques or Letters Concerning the English Nation) is a series of essays written by Voltaire based on his experiences living in England between 1726 and 1729 (though from 1707 the country was part of Great Britain). It was published first in English in 1733 and then in French the following year, where it was seen as an attack on the French system of government and was rapidly suppressed. Most modern English language versions are based on a translation of the French text rather than Voltaire's English one.

Although Voltaire's attitude toward English institutions was generally favorable, it was by no means as one-sided as generally supposed, and he found plenty of things in England to satirize, including the House of Commons and the moral stringency of the Presbyterians