RAYNAL. [FRANCE,
violent an attack, or so attractive to general readers;—*
never were the minds of men more open to its influence,
and consequently no work ever experienced equal suc-
cess. It appeared in 1780, in 10 vols. 8vo. with an atlas.
The Parliament and the Sorbonne directed against it, in
1781, their most terrible anathemas;—the Sorbonne de-
clared the book abominable, and described it as the
“ ravings of a wicked mind, which could not be suffi-
ciently condemned, detested, and execrated: Htcc scelesta
si nnquamfuerit, mentis deliria, nunquam sat damnanda de-
testanda, execranda. The thunders of the Parliament were
more formidable—they sentenced the book to be burnt
by the.common hangman, the author to be arrested, and
ordered a criminal prosecution against him. The second
edition was burnt, and Raynal effected his escape. He
was received with the greatest distinction in Prussia, Ger-
many, England, and Switzerland. Frederick IL treated
him with the utmost urbanity and kindness. The first
time that he assisted at a sitting of the British House of
Commons, the debate was in a manner suspended, and
the most distinguished members hastened to assign him a
situation in the' gallery, and to express the high consi-
deration in which dhey held him.
In 1787 Mr. Malonet, superintendant of the marine,
obtained permission for him to return to France. He
was only desired not to reside within the jurisdiction of
the Parliament of Paris. He lived for some time with
this generous friend, who afterwards, in the Constituent
Assembly, secured an honourable decree in his favour.
It was after this decree, which annulled the sentence of
his banishment, that Raynal went to Paris. The whole
kingdom was at that time in a ferment, and divided by
different sentiments, in the revolution which had jjist ex-
ploded. Its most ardent partizans congratulated them-