Early Deism in France

I. Prehistory, from 1564 to about 1670.- 1. Introductory; Pierre Viret’s ‘déistes’ at Lyon, and two characters in Bodin.- 2. The 1620s: Mersenne and the ‘poème des déistes’.- 3. The absence of deistic ideas from 1630 to 1670.- II. The later seventeenth century: precursors and definitions, from Saint-Evremond to Bayle.- 4. Saint-Evremond and the decline of fideism.- 5. The Utopian religions of Foigny and Veiras.- 6. Definitions and accusations, 1670–1700; ‘deism’ as a term of opprobrium.- 7. The Turkish Spy.- III. The first French deists, 1700–1715.- 8. Gilbert’s Calejava: rational deism with Protestant overtones.- 9. Lahontan and Gueudeville: natural religion from Canada.- 10. The anti-Christian deism of the Militaire philosophe.- 11. The Examen de la religion and other clandestine works.- 12. Tyssot de Patot: types of deism and religious criticism.- IV. Deistic ideas in the early works of Montesquieu and Voltaire.- 13. Montesquieu: Lettres persanes.- 14. Voltaire: Lettres philosophiques.- 15. Conclusions.- Biography.- Literary allusions.- Religious attitudes.- Bibliography: 1. Manuscripts and published works discussed in the text as examples or precursors of deism.- 2. Editions, used for reference, of works by major authors.- 3. Secondary authorities, cited in the notes or of general interest for the subject; excluding works cited in the Appendix.