| Authorship Notes |
Second of the three apodemic texts in Baudelot de Dairval's handbook for antiquarian travel. It is based on a variety of references, predominantly from Antiquity. In opposition to the predominantly practical advice in the 'Mémoire de quelques observations', this text contains mostly theoretical considerations on travel.
The variety of lands and countries, and the fact that none of them contains everything man needs, is a sign of God's greatness. The difference of climates is the source of local differences in character and art, which should be documented by travelling. Man is pushed to travelling by curiosity: as Plinius said, even trees gain by being re-planted under a different climate (an image also used by the 1780 'Discours sur les voyages' written possibly by abbé Desacharts). Just like in the 'Mémoire sur quelques observations générales' in the same work, Baudelot de Dairval refers to David Froelich's 'Cynosura peregrinantium': here, it is quoted for its opinion that travelling can amend moral shortcomings. Numerous examples from Antiquity are quoted to highlight that travelling is necessary to become a scholar and a wise man.
It concludes that travel provides not only an opportunity to study antiquities, but - as the numerous examples from Antiquity show - it is the path towards true wisdom. The author highlights the importance of travelling in his own days, to collect everything from recently discovered populations as well as other destinations: this will benefit Science, the Prince, and Religion. |
