Paris, January 23, 1656
SIR,
We were entirely mistaken. It was only yesterday that I was undeceived. Until that time I had laboured under the impression that the disputes in the Sorbonne were vastly important, and deeply affected the interests of religion. The frequent convocations of an assembly so illustrious as that of the Theological Faculty of Paris, attended by so many extraordinary and unprecedented circumstances, led one to form such high expectations that it was impossible to help coming to the conclusion that the subject was most extraordinary. You will be greatly surprised, however, when you learn from the following account the issue of this grand demonstration, which, having made myself perfectly master of the subject, I shall be able to tell you in very few words.
So begins Pascal's assault against the Jesuits in The Provincial Letters. The Letters are a smooth, sophisticated attack on Jesuit subtlety, particularly in moral philosophy. Even those not familiar with all the details of the Jansenist dispute of which this work is a part will be able to feel the bite of the satire; and it's quite an enjoyable read, even for those of us who lean to the Jesuit side.
