“I can never believe that every man is obliged to know what is contained in books, and that he who is out of reach of these books, and of those who understand them, will be punished for an ignorance which is no fault of his.  Books upon books!  What madness!  As all Europe is full of books, Europeans regard them as necessary, forgetting that they are unknown throughout three-quarters of the globe.  Were not all these books written by men?  Why then should a man need them to teach him his duty, and how did he learn his duty before these books were in existence?  Either he must have learnt his duties for himself, or his ignorance must have been excused.

“Our Catholics talk loudly of the authority of the Church; but what is the use of it all, if they also need just as great an array of proofs to establish that authority as the other seeks to establish their doctrine?  The Church decides that the Church has a right to decide.  What a well-founded authority!  Go beyond it, and you are back again in our discussions.

“Do you know many Christians who have taken the trouble to inquire what the Jews allege against them?  If any one knows anything at all about it, it is from the writings of Christians.  What a way of ascertaining the arguments of our adversaries!  But what is to be done?  If any one dared to publish in our day books which were openly in favour of the Jewish religion, we should punish the author, publisher, and bookseller.  This regulation is a sure and certain plan for always being in the right.  It is easy to refute those who dare not venture to speak.

“Those among us who have the opportunity of talking with Jews are little better off.  These unhappy people feel that they are in our power; the tyranny they have suffered makes them timid; they know that Christian charity thinks nothing of injustice and cruelty; will they dare to run the risk of an outcry against blasphemy?  Our greed inspires us with zeal, and they are so rich that they must be in the wrong.  The more learned, the more enlightened they are, the more cautious.  You may convert some poor wretch whom you have paid to slander his religion; you get some wretched old-clothes-man to speak, and he says what you want; you may triumph over their ignorance and cowardice, while all the time their men of learning are laughing at your stupidity.  But do you think you would get off so easily in any place where they knew they were safe!  At the Sorbonne it is plain that the Messianic prophecies refer to Jesus Christ.  Among the rabbis of Amsterdam it is just as clear that they have nothing to do with him.  I do not think I have ever heard the arguments of the Jews as to why they should not have a free state, schools and universities, where they can speak and argue without danger.  Then alone can we know what they have to say.

“At Constantinople the Turks state their arguments, but we dare not give ours; then it is our turn to cringe.  Can we blame the Turks if they require us to show the same respect for Mahomet, in whom we do not believe, as we demand from the Jews with regard to Jesus Christ in whom they do not believe?  Are we right?  On what grounds of justice can we answer this question?