The lieutenant of police (Berryer) treated the miserable author with additional severity, for stubbornly refusing to give up the name of the printer.  Diderot was well aware that the printer would be sent to the galleys for life, if the lieutenant of police could once lay hands upon him.  This personage, we may mention, was afterwards raised to the dignified office of keeper of the seals, as a reward for his industry and skill in providing victims for the royal seraglio at Versailles.[82] The man who had ventured to use his mind, was thrown into the dungeon at Vincennes by the man who played spy and pander for the Pompadour.  The official record of a dialogue between Berryer and Denis Diderot, “of the Catholic, Apostolic, and Roman religion,” is a singular piece of reading, if we remember that the prisoner’s answers were made, “after oath taken by the respondent to speak and answer the truth.”

“Interrogated if he has not composed a work entitled Letters on the Blind.

“Answered no.

“Interrogated by whom he had caused said work to be printed.

“Answered that he had not caused the said work to be printed.

“Interrogated if he knows the name of the author of the said work.

“Answered that he knows nothing about it.

“Interrogated whether he has not had said work in manuscript in his possession before it was printed.

“Answered that he had not had the said manuscript in his possession before or after it was printed.

“Interrogated whether he has not composed a work which appeared some years ago, entitled Philosophic Thoughts.

“Answered no.”

And so, after a dozen more replies of equal veracity, on reading being made to the respondent of the present interrogatory, Diderot “said that the answers contain the truth, persisted in them, and signed,” as witness his hand.  A sorrowful picture, indeed, of the plight of an apostle of a new doctrine.  On the other hand, the apostle of the new doctrine was perhaps good enough for the preachers of the old.  Two years before this, the priest of the church of Saint Medard had thought it worth while to turn spy and informer.  This is the report which the base creature sent to the lieutenant of police (1747):—­

“Diderot, a man of no profession, living, etc., is a young man who plays the free-thinker, and glories in impiety.  He is the author of several works of philosophy, in which he attacks religion.  His talk is like his books.  He is busy at the composition of one now, which is very dangerous.”

The priest’s delation was confirmed presently by a still lower agent of authority, who, in bad grammar and bad spelling, describes “this wretch Diderot as a very dangerous man, who speaks of the holy mysteries of our religion with contempt; who corrupts manners, and who says that when he comes to the last moment of his life, he will have to do like others, will confess, and will receive what we call our God, but it will only be for the sake of his family."[83]