Religious Scepticism: Contemporary Responses to Gibbon

On the publication of the first volume of *The Decline and Fall* in 1776 there arose a controversy which rapidly became broader than a dispute about an individual writer. Gibbon replied to his critics in the rhetorically brilliant *Vindication* of 1779, and then withdrew from the fray. But the debate continued long after that. Moreover, Gibbon's adversaries were more substantial figures than he was willing to concede; and it is Gibbon's account of the dispute which has for the most part conditioned the work of later commentators. This comprehensive selection from the writings of Gibbon's adversaries allows the reader to judge the critics for themselves, and so enter into one of the most important literary disputes of the eighteenth century. -One of the most important literary disputes of the eighteenth century -First publication bringing together the controversy that met *The Decline and Fall* in one text -Edited by David Womersley - the world expert on Gibbon and editor of the new Penguin edition of *Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire*