[De la richesse commerciale, Sismondi, 1803, Original, 4]
Un seul homme a mesuré dans l’étendue de son esprit toutes les profondeurs de l’économie politique, il s’est avancé à pas de géant dans la carrière, tandis que tous ses rivaux se combattoient [combattaient] et se combattent encore autour du point de départ; il a étonné par la force de ses conceptions, il a recueilli des applaudissemen[t]s universels, mais au moment même où l’on lui a décerné le prix de la course, on a perdu de vue la route qu’il avoit [avait] parcourue, et ses succès n’ont encouragé presque personne à suivre ses traces: le nom d’Adam Smith n’est jamais prononcé sans un juste tribut d’éloges, mais son autorité est méconnue, et ses leçons restent sans fruit.
[Translation]
There once came a man alone exploring the deepest fields of political economy with all his energies. He made rapid progress with the subject, while all his rivals were fighting (and still are fighting) against one another around the fundamental point. He surprised the world by the robustness of his conceptions, and got a round of applause. However, while he won the prize of the competition, all sight was lost of the route of his own taking, and his victory hardly encouraged anyone to follow in his footsteps. Although the name of Adam Smith never fails to remind us of due respect for him, his authority is neglected and his lessons remain to be learned.
