18th-century French literature classic example is "Histoire de Gil Blas de Santillane" by Alain-René Lesage (1715). The novel of the imagination pictured life centuries in the future; "L'An 2440, rêve s'il en fut jamais" (The year 2440 - dream of all dreams) by Mercier (1771); or stories of fantasy "le Diable amoureux" (The Devil in Love) of Jacques Cazotte (1772). The libertine, or erotic novel, featured eroticism, seduction, manipulation, and social intrigue. Classic examples are "Les Liaisons dangereuses" ("Dangerous Liaisons") by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos (1782); ("Justine ou les Malheurs de la vertu" ("Justine or the misfortunes of virtue") by Donatien Alphonse François
The lion, the boar and the vultures often deceived and should only be placed in God. A century later, at the end of several civil conflicts, Roger L'Estrange’s reflection was ultimately sceptical: “There are several sorts of men in the world that live upon the sins and the misfortunes of other people…for the wrangling of some is the livelihood of others.” He lists those who gain as lawyers, religious divines and soldiers. In the 18th century William Somervile adapted the theme of the profits of combat going to others, giving it the contemporary context of bear-baiting in his fable of “The Dog and the Bear”. There Towser