_Pascal's Lettres Provinciales._--I take the liberty of forwarding to
you the following "Note," suggested by two curious blunders which fell
under my notice some time ago.
In Mr. Stamp's reprint of the Rev. C. Elliott's _Delineation of
Romanism_ (London, 8vo. 1844), I find (p. 471., in note) a long
paragraph on Pascal's _Lettres Provinciales_:--
"This exquisite production," says the English editor, "_is
accompanied, in some editions of it, with the learned and
judicious observations of Nicole_, who, under the fictitious
name of Guillaume Wendrock, has fully demonstrated the truths of
those facts which Pascal had advanced without quoting his
authorities; and has placed, in a full and striking light,
several interesting circumstances which that great man had
treated with perhaps too much brevity. _These letters ... were
translated into Latin by Ruchelius_."
From Mr. Stamp's remarks the reader is led to conclude that the _text_
of the _Lettres Provinciales_ {278} is accompanied in some editions by
observations of Wendrock (Nicole), likewise in the French language. Now
such an assertion merely proves how carelessly some annotators will
study the subjects they attempt to elucidate. Nicole _translated_ into
Latin the _Provincial Letters_; and the masterly disquisitions which he
added to the volume were, in their turn, "made French" by Mademoiselle
de Joncoux, and annexed to the editions of 1700, 1712, 1735.
As for Rachelius, if Mr. Stamp had taken the trouble to refer to
Placcius' _Theatr. Anonym. et Pseud._, he night have seen (Art. 2,883.)
that this worthy was merely a German _editor_, not a translator of
Pascal cum Wendrock.
The second blunder I have to notice has been perpetrated by the writer
of an otherwise excellent article on Pascal in the last number of the
_British Quarterly Review_ (No. 20. August). He mentions Bossuet's
edition of the _Pensées_, speaks of "_the prelate_," and evidently
ascribes to the famous Bishop of Meaux, _who died in_ 1704, the edition
of Pascal's _Thoughts, published in_ 1779 _by Bossuet_. (See pp. 140.
142.)