Best known for his philosophical novel Candide, Voltaire ranked among the leading intellectuals of the Enlightenment period, and this collection of essays attests to the philosopher's irrepressible genius and individuality. Voltaire's two-and-a-half-year sojourn in England (the direct result of his banishment from Paris for having offended an aristocrat) left a profound impression on the rational observer and free-thinking moralist. Written as though to explain English society to a friend back in France, the letters focus on religion and politics, with commentaries on Quakers, the Church of England, Presbyterians, Anti-Trinitarians, Parliament, the government, and commerce, in addition to essays on Locke, Descartes, and Newton. Voltaire was deeply influenced by the degree of tolerance he saw practiced among Londoners: "If there were only one religion in England, there would be danger of tyranny; if there were two, they would cut each other's throats; but here are thirty, and they live happily together in peace." This concept of a cultural diversity as a cornerstone for a thriving and tranquil society sounded a revolutionary note among European readers that resonated for many years afterward. First published in English translation in 1733, Philosophical Letters appeared in France a year later; Voltaire's paean to tolerance was condemned by the French government as "likely to inspire a license of thought most dangerous to religion and civil order." It remains a watermark from the high tide of the Age of Reason.