TOLERANCE TOLERANCE _By_ HENDRIK WILLEM VAN LOON _The final end of the State consists not in dominating over men, restraining them by fear, subjecting them to the will of others. Rather it has for its end so to act that its citizens shall in security develop soul and body and make free use of their reason. For the true end of the State is Liberty._ SPINOZA. _Farewell, good Sirs, I am leaving for the future. I will wait for Humanity at the crossroads, three hundred years hence._ LUIGI LUCATELLI. [Illustration] _NEW YORK_ BONI & LIVERIGHT 1925 COPYRIGHT 1925 [Illustration] BY BONI & LIVERIGHT, INC. PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES [Illustration] TO THE MEMORY OF JOHN W. T. NICHOLS CONTENTS PAGE PROLOGUE 11 CHAPTER I. THE TYRANNY OF IGNORANCE 17 II. THE GREEKS 28 III. THE BEGINNING OF RESTRAINT 68 IV. THE TWILIGHT OF THE GODS 80 V. IMPRISONMENT 104 VI. THE PURE OF LIFE 114 VII. THE INQUISITION 126 VIII. THE CURIOUS ONES 146 IX. THE WAR UPON THE PRINTED WORD 160 X. CONCERNING THE WRITING OF HISTORY IN GENERAL AND THIS BOOK IN PARTICULAR 168 XI. RENAISSANCE 172 XII. THE REFORMATION 181 XIII. ERASMUS 195 XIV. RABELAIS 212 XV. NEW SIGNBOARDS FOR OLD 223 XVI. THE ANABAPTISTS 246 XVII. THE SOZZINI FAMILY 257 XVIII. MONTAIGNE 269 XIX. ARMINIUS 275 XX. BRUNO 286 XXI. SPINOZA 292 XXII. THE NEW ZION 307 XXIII. THE SUN KING 321 XXIV. FREDERICK THE GREAT 326 XXV. VOLTAIRE 330 XXVI. THE ENCYCLOPEDIA 352