"fff
To supreme Choiseul (a year later).
To supreme Choiseul (a year later).
Thomas Carlyle
Pitt, when applied to, on the
strength of Friedrich's hopes from this small Document
of Choiseul's, was of course ready, "How welcome,
every chance of a just Peace! " and agreed to the Joint
Declaration at the Hague; and took what farther trouble
I know not, -- probably less sanguine of success than
Friedrich. Friedrich was ardently industrious in the
affair; had a great deal of devising and directing on it,
a great deal of corresponding with Voltaire and the
Duchess, only small fractions of which are now left.
He searched out, or the Duchess of Sachsen-Gotha did
it for him, a proper Secret Messenger for Paris: Secret
Messenger, one Baron von Edelsheim, properly veiled,
was to consult a certain Bailli de Froulay, a friend of
Friedrich's in Paris; -- which loyal-hearted Bailli did
accordingly endeavour there; but made out nothing.
Only much vague talking; part of it, or most of it,
subdolous on Choiseul's side. Pitt would hear of no
Peace which did not include Prussia as well as Eng-
land: some said this was the cause of failure; -- the
real cause was that Choiseul never had any serious in-
tention of succeeding. Light Choiseul, a clever man,
but an unwise, of the sort called "dashing," had enter-
tained the matter merely in the optative form, -- and
when it came nearer, wished to use it for making mis-
chief between Pitt and Friedrich, and for worming out
Edelsheim's secrets, if he had any, -- for which reason he
finally threw Edelsheim into the Bastille for a few days. *
* In (Entires de Frederic, v. 38-41, detailed account of the Affair.
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? 316 FRIEDRICH LIKE TO BE OVERWHELMED. [bOOKXTI.
Nov. 1759 -- March 1760.
About the end of March I guess it to have been
that Choiseul, by way of worming out poor Edelsheim's
secrets, flung him into the Bastille for a day or two.
Already in December foregoing, we have seen Choi seul's Black-Artist busy upon the Stolen Edition of
Friedrich's Verses. A Choiseul full of intrigues; adroit
enough, ambitious enough; restlessly industrious in
making mischief, if there were nothing else to be
made; who greatly disgusted Friedrich, now and after-
wards.
And this was what the grand Voltaire Pacification
came to, though it filled the world with temporary
noise, and was so interesting to Voltaire and another.
What a heart-affecting generosity, humility, and dulcet
pathos in that of the poor Mouse gnawing asunder a
mesh of the Lion's net! There is a good deal of that,
throughout, on the Voltaire side, that is to say, while
writing to Friedrich. But while writing of him, to
third parties, sometimes almost simultaneously, the
contrast of styles is not a little startling; and the
beautiful affectionately chirping Mouse is seen suddenly
to be an injured Wild-cat with its fur up. All readers
of Voltaire are aware of this; and how Voltaire handles
his "Luc" (mysterious nickname for King Friedrich),
when Luc's back is turned. For, alas, there is no
man or thing but has its wrong-side too; least of all,
a Voltaire, -- doing treble voice withal, if you con-
sider it, in such a Duet of estranged Lovers! Suppose
we give these few Specimens, -- treble mostly, and a
few of bass as well, -- to illustrate the nature of this
Duet, and of the noises that went on round it, in a
war-convulsed world? And first of all, concerning the
enigma "What is Luc? "
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? CHAP. VIII. ] MISCELLANEA IN WINTER-QUARTERS. 317
Nov. 1759 -- March 1760.
What the Luc in Voltaire is? Shocking explanations have
been hit upon: but Wagniere (Wagner, an intelligent Swiss
man), Voltaire's old Secretary, gives this plain reading of the
riddle: "M. de Voltaire had, at the Delices" (near by Ferney,
till the Chateau got built), "a big Ape, of excessively mis-
"chievous turn; who used to throw stones at the passers-by,
"and sometimes would attack with its teeth friend or foe
"alike. One day it thrice over bit M. de Voltaire's own leg.
"He had called it Luc (Luke); and in conversation with select
"friends, as also in Letters to such, he sometimes designated
"the King of Prussia by that nickname: 'He is like my Luc
"'here; bites whoever caresses him! ' -- In 1756, M. de Vol-
"taire, having still on his heart the Frankfurt Outrage, wrote
"curiousMemoires" (ah, yes, Vie Privee); "and afterwards
"wished to burn them; but a Copy had been stolen from him
"in 1768," -- and they still afflict the poor world.
To the same effect speaks Johannes vonMuller: "Voltaire
"had an Ape called Luc; and spiteful man, in thus naming
"the King, meant to stigmatise him as the mere ape of greater
"men; as one without any greatness of his own. --No; Luc
was mischievous, flung stones after passengers; had, accord-
ing to Clogenson, "Ditten Voltaire himself, while being
"caressed by him;" that was the analogy in Voltaire's mind.
Preuss says, this Nickname first occurs, "12th December
"1757. " Suppose 11th December to have been the day of
getting one's leg bitten thrice over; and that, in bed next
morning, -- stiff, smarting, fretful against the sad ape-tricks
and offences of this life, -- before getting up to one s Works
and Correspondences, the angry similitude had shot, slightly
fulgurous and consolatory, athwart the gloom of one's mood? *
That will account for Luc.
Many of the Voltaire-Friedrich Letters are lost; and the
remainder lie in sad disorder in all the Editions, their sequence
unintelligible without lengthy explanation. So that the
following Snatches cannot well be arranged here in the way
of Choral Strophe and Antistrophe, as would have been desir-
able. We shall have to group them loosely under heads; with
* Longchamp et Wagniere, Memoires, i. 34; Johannes von Mtiller,
Werke (12mo, Stuttgart, 1821), xxxi. 140 (Letters to his Brother, No. 218,
"July 1796"); Clogenson's Note, in (Euvresde Voltaire, lxxvii. 103; Preuss,
II. 71.
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? 318 FRIEDRICH LIKE TO BE OVERWHELMED. [book XIX.
Nov. 1759 --March 1760.
less respect to date than to subject-matter, and to the reader's
convenience for understanding them.
Voltaire on Friedrich, to different Third-Parties, during
this War.
To D'Argental (Has not yet heard of Leuthen, which hap-
pened five days before). * * "I have tasted the vengeance
"of consoling the King of Prussia, and that is enough for me.
"He goes beating on the one side, and getting beaten on the
"other: except for another miracle" (likeBossbach), "he will
"be ruined. Better have really been a philosopher, as he
"pretended to be. "f
To the Reverend ComtedeBernis (outwardly still our flourish-
ing Prime-Minister, by grace of Pompadour, but soon to be
extinguished under a Red Hat. Date is six days before Zorn-
dorf). * * "I cannot imagine how some people have gone
"into suspecting that my heart might have the weakness to
"lean a little towards whom you know, towards my Ingrate
"that was! One is bound to have politeness; but one has
"memory as well; -- and one is attached, as warmly as super-
"fluously, to the Good Cause, which it belongs only to you to
"defend. Certain it is, poor I am not like the three-fourths of
"the Germans in these days" (since Rossbach, above all)! " I
"have everywhere seen Ladies'-Fans with the Prussian Eagle
"painted on them, eating the Fleur-de-lis; the Hanover
"Horse giving a kick to M7 deRichelieu's bottom; a Courier
"carrying a bottle of Queen-of-Hungary Water to Madame
"de Pompadour. My Nieces shall certainly not have that
"fashion of Fans, at my poor little Delices, whither I am just
"returning. " ff
To Madame D'Argental (on occasion of Minden: Kunersdorf
three days ago, but not yet heard of). * * "Truly, Madame,
"when M. de Contades leads to the butchery all the de-
"scendants of our ancient chevaliers, and sets them to attack
"eighty pieces of cannon" (not in the least, if you knew it;
the reverse, if you knew it), -- "as Don Quixote did the wind-
"mills! This horrible day pierces my soul. I am French to
+ (Euvres dc Voltaire, lxxVii. 139 ("The Del ices, 10th December 1757 ").
tt Ibid, lxxvii. 35 ("Soleure, 19th August 1758").
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? CHAP. VIII. ] MISCELLLNBA IN WINTER-QUARTERS. 319
Nov. 1759--March 1760.
"excess, especially since those new favours" (not worth men-
tioning here) "which I owe to my divine Angels and to M. le
"Due de Choiseul.
"Luc, -- you know who Luc is" (as do we), -- "is pro-
bably giving Battle to Austrians and Russians" (Kuners-
dorf, 12th; three days ago, did it, and was beaten to your
mind), "at the moment while I have the honour of writing to
"you; at least, he told me such was his Royal intention. If
"they beathim, as may happen, what a shame for us to have
"been beaten by the Duke of Brunswick! I wish you knew
"this Duke" (as I have done; a Duke of no esprit, no gift of
tongue, in fact no talent at all that I could discern), "you
"would be much astonished; and would say, 'The people
"' whom he beats must be great blockheads. ' The truth of the
"fact is, that all these troops are better disciplined than
"ours:"f-- Yes indeed, my esteemed Voltaire; and also, gerhaps, that esprit, or gift of tongue, is not the sole gift for
lattles and Campaigns? --
To D'Argental (seventh day after Kunersdorf: "mouse
upon lion's net" nearly contemporaneous). "At last, then, I
"think my Russians must be near Great Glogau" (might have
been, one thinks, after such a Kunersdorf; did not start for
month yet; never could get very near at all). "Who would
"have thought that "Barbarina" (Mackenzie's Dancer once;
sentto Glogau, Coccejiand she, when their marriage became
public) "was going to be besieged by the Russians, and in
"Glogau: Oh Destiny! --
"Idon't love Luc, far from it: I never will pardon him his
"infamous procedure with my Niece" (at Frankfurt that
time); ''nor the face he has to write me flattering things twice
"a month; without having ever repaired his wrongs. I desire
"much his entire humiliation, the chastisement of the sinner;
"whether his eternal damnation, I don't quite know. "ff (Hear, hear! ) --
To the same (a month after Maxen: "Peace" Negotiation
very lively). * * "Meanwhile, if Luc could be punished
"before this happy Peace! If, by this last stroke of General
"Beck" (tussle with Dierecke at Meissen, 4th December, cap-
t (Emits do Voltaire, Mxvm. 186, 187 ("Delices, 15th August 1759").
tt Ibid, lxxvui. 195 ("19th August 1759").
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? 320 JFIUEDRICH LIKE TO BE OVERWHELMED. [book XIX.
Nov. 1759 --March 1760.
ture of Dierecke and 1,500; stroke not of an overwhelming
nature, but let us be thankful for our mercies), "which has "opened the road from the Lausitz to Berlin (alas, not in
the least), "some Haddick could pay Berlin a visit again!
"You see, in Tragedy I wish always to have crime punished.
"There is talk of a great Battle fought the 6th" (not a
word of truth in it) "between Luc and him of the Consecrated
"Hat: said to have been very murderous. I interest myself
"very much in this Piece" now playing under the Sun.
"Whenever the Austrians have any advantage, Kaunitz says
"to Madame deBentinck" (litigant wandering Lady, known
to me at Berlin and elsewhere), '"Write that to our Friend
"Voltaire. ' Whenever Luc has the least success, he tells me,
"'I have battered the oppressors of mankind. ' Dear Angel,
"in these horrors I am the only one that has room to laugh:
"--and yet 1 don't laugh either; owing to the Culs-noirs"
(Priests, I suppose), "to the Annuities, Lotteries, and to
"Pondichery,--for I am always afraid about that latter! "
(Going, that, for certain; going, gone, and your East Indies
along with it! )f
To Perpetual Secretary Formey (in forwarding a "Letter
left with me"). "Health and peace, Monsieur; and be
"Secretaire Eternel. Your King is always a man unique,
"astonishing, inimitable. He makes charming verses, in times
"when another could not write a line of prose; he deserves to
"be happy: but will he be so? And if not, what becomes of
"you? For my own part, I will not die between two Ca-
"puchins. Hardly worth while, exalting one's soul for such
"a future as that. What a stupid and detestable farce is this
"world ! "ft
To D'Argental ("Peace" Negotiations still at their
briskest). * * "But, my dear Angel, you will see on
"Tuesday the great man who has turned my head (dontje suis
"fou), M. le Due de Choiseul. The Letters he honours me with
"enchant me. God will bless him, don't doubt it,"--after
all! "We have at Pondichery a Lally, a devil of an Irish
t (Euvres de Voltaire, Lxxvin. 346 ("22d December 1759").
tt Ibid, lxxviii. 348 (from Souvenirs (fun Citoyon, I. 302), 11th January
17G0. "
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? CHAP. vm. ] MISCELLANEA IN WINTER-QUAKTERS. 321
Nov. 1759 --March 1760.
"spirit, -- who will cost me, sooner or later, above 20,000
"livres annually" (have rents in our India Company, say
1,000/. a-year, as my Angels know), "which used to be the
"readiest item of my Pittance. But M. leDuc deChoiseul
"will triumph over Luc in one way or other; then what joy!
"I suppose he shows you my impertinent reveries. Do you
"know, Luc is so mad, that I don't despair of bringing him to
"reason" (persuading him to give up Cleve, andtnuckle as
he should, in this Peace Affair). "That were what I should
"call the true Comedy! I should like to have your advices on
"the conduct of that Dramatic Piece. " f
The late "mouse" gnawing its mesh of net, what a subtle
and mighty hunter has it grown! ThisofCleve, however, and
of knuckling, would not do. Hear the stiff Answer that comes:
"'Conditions of Peace,' do you call them? The people that
"propose such can have no wish to see Peace. What a logic
"theirs! 'I might yield the Country of Cleve, because the in-
"' habitants are stupid'! What would your Ministers sayif one
"required the Province of Champagne from them, because
"the Proverb says, Ninety-nine sheep and one Champagner
"make a Hundred head of cattle? " ft
Again to D'Argental (three or four months after; Luc
having proved obstinate, and still unsuccessful). * * "I
"conjure you make use of all your eloquence to tell him" (the
supreme Due deChoiseul), "that if Luc misgo, it will be no
"misfortune to France. That Brandenburg will always
"remain an Electorate; that it is good there be no Elector in
"it strong enough to do without the protection of our King;
"and that all the Princes of the Empire will always have re-
"course to that august protection" (Most Christian Majesty's)
"contra Vaquila grifagna, -- were the Prussian Kingship but
"abolished. Nota bene, if Luc were discomfited this Year, we
"should have Peace next Winter.
"fff
To supreme Choiseul (a year later). * * "He has been a
"bad man, this Luc; and now, if one were to bet, --by the
"law of probability it would be 3 to 1 that Luc will go to pot
t (Euvres dc Voltaire, lxxviii. 375 ("Diilices, 15th February 1760").
ft Friedrich to Voltaire, "Freyberg, 3d April 1760:" (Euvres de Fredthic,
xxm. 73, 74.
ttt (Euvres de Voltaire, lxxix. 110 ("July 1760").
Carlyle, Frederick the Great. XI. *1
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? 322 FRIEDRICH LIKE TO BE OVERWHELMED. [book XIX.
Nov. 1759 --March 1760.
"(sera perdu), with his rhymings and his banterings, andhis
"injustices and politics, all as bad as himself. "f
Voltaire on surrounding Objects, chiefly on Maupertuis, and
the Battles.
To D'Alembert (in the Rossbach-Leuthen interval: on the
Battle of Breslau, 22th November 1757; called by the
Austrians "aMalplaquet," and believed by Voltaire to be a
Malplaquet and more). * * "The Austrians do avenge us,
"and humble us" (us, and our miserable Rossbachs), "in a
"terrible manner. Thirteen attacks on thePrussian entrench- "men ts. lasted six hours; never was Victory bloodier, or more
"horribly beautiful" (in the brain of certain men). "We
"pretty French fellows, we are more expeditious, our job is
"done in five minutes. The King of Prussia is always writing
"me Verses, now like a desperado, now like a hero; and as
"for me, I try to live like a philosopher in my hermitage. He
"has obtained what he always wished: to beat the French, to
"be admired by them, to mock them; but the Austrians are
"mocking him in a very serious way. Our shame of Novem-
"ber 5th has given him glory; and with such glory, which is
"but transient and dearly bought, he must content himself.
"He will lose his own Countries, with those he has seized,
"unless the French again discover" (which they will) "the
"secret of losing all their Armies, as they did in 1741. " ff
To Clairaut, the Mathematician (Maupertuis lately dead).
'An excellent Treatise, this you have sent me, Monsieur! '
"Your war with the Geometers on the subject of this Comet
"appears to me like a war of the gods in Olympus, while on
"Earth there is going on a fight of dogs and cats. " * *
"Would to Heaven our friend Moreau-Maupertuis had
"cultivated his art like you! That he had predicted comets,
"instead of exalting his soul to predict the future; ofdissect-
"ing the brains of giants to know the nature of the soul; of
"japanning people with pitch to cure them of every malady;
"of persecuting Konig; and of dying between Two Capu-
"chins" (dead three weeks ago, on those terms, poor soul)! f ff
t (Euvret deVoltnire, ucxx. 813 ("Chateau de Ferney. 13th July 1761").
tt Ibid, lxxvii. 1S3, 4 (" Delices, 6th December 1757," day after Leutoen).
ttt Ibid. Lxxvm. 191 ("Devices, 19th Auguat 1759").
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? CHAP. VIIi. l MISCELLANEA IN WINTER-QUARTERS. 323
Nov. 1759 --March 1760.
To D'Alembert (a week later). * * "What say you of
"Maupertuis dying between two Capuchins! He was ill, this
"long while, of a repletion of pride; but I had not reckoned
"him either a hypocrite or an imbecile. I don't advise you
"ever to go and fill his place at Berlin; you would repent
"that. I am Astolpho warning Roger (Ruggiero) not to trust
"himself to the Enchantress Alcina; but Roger was un-
"advisable. "t
To the same (two years later: Luc, on certain grounds, may
as well be saved). "With regard to Luc, though I have my
"just causes of anger against him, I own to you, in my quality
"of Frenchman and thinking being, I am glad that a certain
"most Orthodox House has not swallowed Germany, and that
"the Jesuits are not confessing in Berlin. Over towards the
"Danube, superstition is very powerful. " * * 'The m-
fame' "You are well aware that I speak of superstition
"only; for as to the Christian religion, I respect and love it,
"like you. Courage, Brethren! Preach with force, and write
"with address: God will bless you. -- Protect, you, my
"Brother, the Widow Calas all you can! She is a poor weak-
"minded Huguenot, but her Husband was the victim of the
"White Penitents. It is the concern of Human Nature that the
"Fanatics of Toulouse be confounded. " (The case of Calas,
second act of it, getting on the scene: a case still memorable
to everybody. Stupendous bit of French judicature; and
Voltaire's noblest outburst, into mere transcendent blaze of
pity, virtuous wrath, and determination to bring rescue and
help against the whole world. ) ff
Friedrichto Voltaire, before and during these Peace Negotiations.
At Schmilttseifen, five days before Zullichau, ten days before
that Hunt of Loudon and Haddick (Voltaire, under rebuke for
indiscretion, has been whimpering a little. "My discreet
Niece burnt those last verses, Sire; no danger there, at least! "
Truculent Bishop Something-ac tried to attack your Majesty;
but was done for, by a certain person). "In truth, you are a
"singular creature. When I think of scolding you, you say
t (Euvre* dc Voltaire, Lxxvin. 197 ("DdHces, 25th August 1759").
tt-IWd. LxxvTii. 52, 53 ("Ferney, 28th November 1762 "1.
21*
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? 324 FKIEDIUCH LIKE TO BE OVERWHELMED. [book XIX.
Nov. 1759--March 1760.
"two words, and the reproach expires. Impossible to scold
"you, even when you deserve it. " * *
"As to your Niece, let her burn me or roast me, I care
"little. Nor are you to think me so sensitive to what your
"Bishops in ic or in ac may say of me. I have the lot of all
"actors who play in public; applauded by some, despised by
"others. One must prepare oneself for satires, for calumnies,
"for a multitude of lies, which will be sent abroad into cur-
rency against one: but need that trouble my tranquillity?
"I go my road; I do nothing against the interior voice of my
"conscience; and I concern myself very little in what way
"my actions paint themselves in the brain of beings, not
"always very thinking, with two legs and without feathers. "f
At Wilsdruf, just before Maxen (an exultant exuberant
curious Letter; too long for insertion, -- part of it given
above). * * "For your Tragedy of Socrate, thanks. At
"Paris, they are going to burn it, the wretched fools, -- not
"aware that absurd fanaticism is their dominant vice. Better
"burn the dose of medicine, however, than the useful Doctor.
"I, can I join myself to that set? If I bite you, asyoucom-
"plain, it is without my knowledge. But I am surrounded
"with enemies, one hitting me, another pricking me, another
"daubing me with mud; -- patience at last yields, and one
"flies abroad into a general rage, too indiscriminate per-
"haps.
"You talk of my Verses on Rossbach" (my Adieu to the
Hoopers on finding their Bridge burntff). "This Campaign
"I have had no beatific vision, in the style of Moses. The
"barbarous Cossacks and Tartars, infamous to look at on any
"side, have burnt and ravaged countries, and committed
"atrocious inhumanities. This is all I saw of them. Such
"melancholy spectacles don't tend to raise one's spirits. "
(Breaks off into metre:) "La Fortune inconstante et fiere,
"Fortune inconstant and proud Does not treat her suitors
"Always in an equal manner. Those fools called heroes, who
"run the country,
"Ces fous notnmes heros, et qui courent les champs,
"Converts He sang et depoussiere,
t "SchmOttseifen, 18th July 1759;" (Euvresde Fred6tic, nm. 55, 5fi.
i't Supra, p. 209.
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? CHAP. VIII. ] MISCELLANEA IN WINTER-QUARTERS. 325
Nov. 1759 --March 1760.
"Voltaire, n'ontpas tous les ans "La faveur de voir le derriere
"De leurs ennemis insolents.
Can't expect that pleasure every year! * *
"'Maupertuis, say you? ' Don't trouble the ashes of the
"dead; let the grave at least put an end to your unjust
"hatreds. Reflect that even Kings make peace after long
"battling; cannot you ever make it? I think you would be
"capable, like Orpheus, of descending to Hell, not to soften
"Pluto and bring back your beautifuIEmilie, but to pursue
"into that Abode of Woe an enemy whom your wrath has
"only too much persecuted in the world: for shame! " f--
and rebukes him, more than once elsewhere, in very serious
terms.
In Winter-quarters, on Peace and the Stolen Edition. (Starts
in verse, which we abridge:) 'With how many laurels you
'have covered yourself in all the fields of Literature! One
'laurel yet is wanting to the! brow of Voltaire. If, as the
'crown of so many perfect works, he could by a skilful
'manoeuvre bring back Peace, I, and Europe with me, would
'think that his masterpiece! ' (Takes to prose:)
"This is my thought and all Europe's. Virgil made as fine
"Verses as you; but he never made a Peace. It will be a
"distinction you will have over all your brethren of Parnassus,
"if you succeed.
"I know not who has betrayed me, and thought of print-
"ing" (the Edition; -- not you, surely! ) "a pack of rhapsodies
"which were good enough to amuse myself, but were never
"meant for publication. After all, I am so used to treacheries
"and bad manoeuvres," -- what matters this insignificant
one?
"I know not who the Bredow is; but he has told you true.
"The sword and death have made frightful ravages among us.
"And the worst is, we are not yet at the end of the tragedy.
"You may judge what effect these cruel shocks make on me.
"1 wrap myself in my stoicism, the best I can. Flesh and
"blood revolt against such tyrannous command; but it must
"be followed. If you saw me, you would scarcely know me
"again: I am old, broken, grayheaded, wrinkled; I am losing
t (Euvret tie FreiCric, xxra, 61-<<5 (" Wilsdruf, 17th November 1759").
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? 326 FRIEDRICH LIKE TO BE OVERWHELMED. [book XIX.
Nov. 1759 --March 17UO.
"my teeth and my gaiety: if this go on, there will be nothing
"of me left, but the mania of making verses, and an inviolable
"attachment to my duties and to the few virtuous men whom
"Iknow. "f
In Winter-quarters, a month later (comes still on "Peace"
again). * * "1 will have you paid that bit of debt" (perhaps
of postage or the like), "that Louis of the Mill (Louis du
"Moulin," at Fontenoy, who got upon a Windmill with his
Dauphin, and caught that nickname from the common men)
"may have wherewithal to make war on me. Add tenth-penny
"tax to your tax of twentieth-penny; impose new capitations,
"make titular offices to get money; do, in a word, whatever
"you like. In spite of all your efforts, you will not get a Peace
"signed by my hands, except on conditions honourable to my
"Nation. Your people, blown up with self-conceit and folly,
"may depend on these words. Adieu, live happy; and while
"you make all your efforts to destroy Prussia, think that
"nobody has less deserved it than I, either of you or of your
"French. " ff
Still in Winter-quarters (on "Peace" still; but begins with
"Maupertuis," which is all we will give). "What rage
"animates you against Maupertuis? You accuse Mm of having
"published thatFurtive Edition. Know that his Copy, well
"sealed by him, arrived here after his death, and that he was
"incapable of such an indiscretion. " (Breaks into verse:)
"Leave in peace the cold ashes of Maupertuis:
"Truth can defend him, and will.
"His soul was faithful and noble:
, "He pardoned you that scandalous Akakia (ce oil libelle
"Que votre fureur criminelle
"Prit soin chez moi degriffoner); he did: --
"And you? Shame on such delirium as Voltaire's I
"What, this beautiful, what, this grand genius,
"Whom I admired with transport,
"Soils himself with calumny, and is ferocious on the dead? "Flocking together, in the air uttering cries of joy, "Vile ravens pounce down upon sepulchres, "And make their prey of corpses: -- Blush, repent, alas!
+ (Euvres de Fiederic, xxm. 69 ("Freyberg, 24th Feb. 1760").
ft Ibid. xxm. 72 ("Freyberg, 20th March 1760").
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? CHAP. Vin.
strength of Friedrich's hopes from this small Document
of Choiseul's, was of course ready, "How welcome,
every chance of a just Peace! " and agreed to the Joint
Declaration at the Hague; and took what farther trouble
I know not, -- probably less sanguine of success than
Friedrich. Friedrich was ardently industrious in the
affair; had a great deal of devising and directing on it,
a great deal of corresponding with Voltaire and the
Duchess, only small fractions of which are now left.
He searched out, or the Duchess of Sachsen-Gotha did
it for him, a proper Secret Messenger for Paris: Secret
Messenger, one Baron von Edelsheim, properly veiled,
was to consult a certain Bailli de Froulay, a friend of
Friedrich's in Paris; -- which loyal-hearted Bailli did
accordingly endeavour there; but made out nothing.
Only much vague talking; part of it, or most of it,
subdolous on Choiseul's side. Pitt would hear of no
Peace which did not include Prussia as well as Eng-
land: some said this was the cause of failure; -- the
real cause was that Choiseul never had any serious in-
tention of succeeding. Light Choiseul, a clever man,
but an unwise, of the sort called "dashing," had enter-
tained the matter merely in the optative form, -- and
when it came nearer, wished to use it for making mis-
chief between Pitt and Friedrich, and for worming out
Edelsheim's secrets, if he had any, -- for which reason he
finally threw Edelsheim into the Bastille for a few days. *
* In (Entires de Frederic, v. 38-41, detailed account of the Affair.
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? 316 FRIEDRICH LIKE TO BE OVERWHELMED. [bOOKXTI.
Nov. 1759 -- March 1760.
About the end of March I guess it to have been
that Choiseul, by way of worming out poor Edelsheim's
secrets, flung him into the Bastille for a day or two.
Already in December foregoing, we have seen Choi seul's Black-Artist busy upon the Stolen Edition of
Friedrich's Verses. A Choiseul full of intrigues; adroit
enough, ambitious enough; restlessly industrious in
making mischief, if there were nothing else to be
made; who greatly disgusted Friedrich, now and after-
wards.
And this was what the grand Voltaire Pacification
came to, though it filled the world with temporary
noise, and was so interesting to Voltaire and another.
What a heart-affecting generosity, humility, and dulcet
pathos in that of the poor Mouse gnawing asunder a
mesh of the Lion's net! There is a good deal of that,
throughout, on the Voltaire side, that is to say, while
writing to Friedrich. But while writing of him, to
third parties, sometimes almost simultaneously, the
contrast of styles is not a little startling; and the
beautiful affectionately chirping Mouse is seen suddenly
to be an injured Wild-cat with its fur up. All readers
of Voltaire are aware of this; and how Voltaire handles
his "Luc" (mysterious nickname for King Friedrich),
when Luc's back is turned. For, alas, there is no
man or thing but has its wrong-side too; least of all,
a Voltaire, -- doing treble voice withal, if you con-
sider it, in such a Duet of estranged Lovers! Suppose
we give these few Specimens, -- treble mostly, and a
few of bass as well, -- to illustrate the nature of this
Duet, and of the noises that went on round it, in a
war-convulsed world? And first of all, concerning the
enigma "What is Luc? "
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? CHAP. VIII. ] MISCELLANEA IN WINTER-QUARTERS. 317
Nov. 1759 -- March 1760.
What the Luc in Voltaire is? Shocking explanations have
been hit upon: but Wagniere (Wagner, an intelligent Swiss
man), Voltaire's old Secretary, gives this plain reading of the
riddle: "M. de Voltaire had, at the Delices" (near by Ferney,
till the Chateau got built), "a big Ape, of excessively mis-
"chievous turn; who used to throw stones at the passers-by,
"and sometimes would attack with its teeth friend or foe
"alike. One day it thrice over bit M. de Voltaire's own leg.
"He had called it Luc (Luke); and in conversation with select
"friends, as also in Letters to such, he sometimes designated
"the King of Prussia by that nickname: 'He is like my Luc
"'here; bites whoever caresses him! ' -- In 1756, M. de Vol-
"taire, having still on his heart the Frankfurt Outrage, wrote
"curiousMemoires" (ah, yes, Vie Privee); "and afterwards
"wished to burn them; but a Copy had been stolen from him
"in 1768," -- and they still afflict the poor world.
To the same effect speaks Johannes vonMuller: "Voltaire
"had an Ape called Luc; and spiteful man, in thus naming
"the King, meant to stigmatise him as the mere ape of greater
"men; as one without any greatness of his own. --No; Luc
was mischievous, flung stones after passengers; had, accord-
ing to Clogenson, "Ditten Voltaire himself, while being
"caressed by him;" that was the analogy in Voltaire's mind.
Preuss says, this Nickname first occurs, "12th December
"1757. " Suppose 11th December to have been the day of
getting one's leg bitten thrice over; and that, in bed next
morning, -- stiff, smarting, fretful against the sad ape-tricks
and offences of this life, -- before getting up to one s Works
and Correspondences, the angry similitude had shot, slightly
fulgurous and consolatory, athwart the gloom of one's mood? *
That will account for Luc.
Many of the Voltaire-Friedrich Letters are lost; and the
remainder lie in sad disorder in all the Editions, their sequence
unintelligible without lengthy explanation. So that the
following Snatches cannot well be arranged here in the way
of Choral Strophe and Antistrophe, as would have been desir-
able. We shall have to group them loosely under heads; with
* Longchamp et Wagniere, Memoires, i. 34; Johannes von Mtiller,
Werke (12mo, Stuttgart, 1821), xxxi. 140 (Letters to his Brother, No. 218,
"July 1796"); Clogenson's Note, in (Euvresde Voltaire, lxxvii. 103; Preuss,
II. 71.
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? 318 FRIEDRICH LIKE TO BE OVERWHELMED. [book XIX.
Nov. 1759 --March 1760.
less respect to date than to subject-matter, and to the reader's
convenience for understanding them.
Voltaire on Friedrich, to different Third-Parties, during
this War.
To D'Argental (Has not yet heard of Leuthen, which hap-
pened five days before). * * "I have tasted the vengeance
"of consoling the King of Prussia, and that is enough for me.
"He goes beating on the one side, and getting beaten on the
"other: except for another miracle" (likeBossbach), "he will
"be ruined. Better have really been a philosopher, as he
"pretended to be. "f
To the Reverend ComtedeBernis (outwardly still our flourish-
ing Prime-Minister, by grace of Pompadour, but soon to be
extinguished under a Red Hat. Date is six days before Zorn-
dorf). * * "I cannot imagine how some people have gone
"into suspecting that my heart might have the weakness to
"lean a little towards whom you know, towards my Ingrate
"that was! One is bound to have politeness; but one has
"memory as well; -- and one is attached, as warmly as super-
"fluously, to the Good Cause, which it belongs only to you to
"defend. Certain it is, poor I am not like the three-fourths of
"the Germans in these days" (since Rossbach, above all)! " I
"have everywhere seen Ladies'-Fans with the Prussian Eagle
"painted on them, eating the Fleur-de-lis; the Hanover
"Horse giving a kick to M7 deRichelieu's bottom; a Courier
"carrying a bottle of Queen-of-Hungary Water to Madame
"de Pompadour. My Nieces shall certainly not have that
"fashion of Fans, at my poor little Delices, whither I am just
"returning. " ff
To Madame D'Argental (on occasion of Minden: Kunersdorf
three days ago, but not yet heard of). * * "Truly, Madame,
"when M. de Contades leads to the butchery all the de-
"scendants of our ancient chevaliers, and sets them to attack
"eighty pieces of cannon" (not in the least, if you knew it;
the reverse, if you knew it), -- "as Don Quixote did the wind-
"mills! This horrible day pierces my soul. I am French to
+ (Euvres dc Voltaire, lxxVii. 139 ("The Del ices, 10th December 1757 ").
tt Ibid, lxxvii. 35 ("Soleure, 19th August 1758").
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? CHAP. VIII. ] MISCELLLNBA IN WINTER-QUARTERS. 319
Nov. 1759--March 1760.
"excess, especially since those new favours" (not worth men-
tioning here) "which I owe to my divine Angels and to M. le
"Due de Choiseul.
"Luc, -- you know who Luc is" (as do we), -- "is pro-
bably giving Battle to Austrians and Russians" (Kuners-
dorf, 12th; three days ago, did it, and was beaten to your
mind), "at the moment while I have the honour of writing to
"you; at least, he told me such was his Royal intention. If
"they beathim, as may happen, what a shame for us to have
"been beaten by the Duke of Brunswick! I wish you knew
"this Duke" (as I have done; a Duke of no esprit, no gift of
tongue, in fact no talent at all that I could discern), "you
"would be much astonished; and would say, 'The people
"' whom he beats must be great blockheads. ' The truth of the
"fact is, that all these troops are better disciplined than
"ours:"f-- Yes indeed, my esteemed Voltaire; and also, gerhaps, that esprit, or gift of tongue, is not the sole gift for
lattles and Campaigns? --
To D'Argental (seventh day after Kunersdorf: "mouse
upon lion's net" nearly contemporaneous). "At last, then, I
"think my Russians must be near Great Glogau" (might have
been, one thinks, after such a Kunersdorf; did not start for
month yet; never could get very near at all). "Who would
"have thought that "Barbarina" (Mackenzie's Dancer once;
sentto Glogau, Coccejiand she, when their marriage became
public) "was going to be besieged by the Russians, and in
"Glogau: Oh Destiny! --
"Idon't love Luc, far from it: I never will pardon him his
"infamous procedure with my Niece" (at Frankfurt that
time); ''nor the face he has to write me flattering things twice
"a month; without having ever repaired his wrongs. I desire
"much his entire humiliation, the chastisement of the sinner;
"whether his eternal damnation, I don't quite know. "ff (Hear, hear! ) --
To the same (a month after Maxen: "Peace" Negotiation
very lively). * * "Meanwhile, if Luc could be punished
"before this happy Peace! If, by this last stroke of General
"Beck" (tussle with Dierecke at Meissen, 4th December, cap-
t (Emits do Voltaire, Mxvm. 186, 187 ("Delices, 15th August 1759").
tt Ibid, lxxvui. 195 ("19th August 1759").
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? 320 JFIUEDRICH LIKE TO BE OVERWHELMED. [book XIX.
Nov. 1759 --March 1760.
ture of Dierecke and 1,500; stroke not of an overwhelming
nature, but let us be thankful for our mercies), "which has "opened the road from the Lausitz to Berlin (alas, not in
the least), "some Haddick could pay Berlin a visit again!
"You see, in Tragedy I wish always to have crime punished.
"There is talk of a great Battle fought the 6th" (not a
word of truth in it) "between Luc and him of the Consecrated
"Hat: said to have been very murderous. I interest myself
"very much in this Piece" now playing under the Sun.
"Whenever the Austrians have any advantage, Kaunitz says
"to Madame deBentinck" (litigant wandering Lady, known
to me at Berlin and elsewhere), '"Write that to our Friend
"Voltaire. ' Whenever Luc has the least success, he tells me,
"'I have battered the oppressors of mankind. ' Dear Angel,
"in these horrors I am the only one that has room to laugh:
"--and yet 1 don't laugh either; owing to the Culs-noirs"
(Priests, I suppose), "to the Annuities, Lotteries, and to
"Pondichery,--for I am always afraid about that latter! "
(Going, that, for certain; going, gone, and your East Indies
along with it! )f
To Perpetual Secretary Formey (in forwarding a "Letter
left with me"). "Health and peace, Monsieur; and be
"Secretaire Eternel. Your King is always a man unique,
"astonishing, inimitable. He makes charming verses, in times
"when another could not write a line of prose; he deserves to
"be happy: but will he be so? And if not, what becomes of
"you? For my own part, I will not die between two Ca-
"puchins. Hardly worth while, exalting one's soul for such
"a future as that. What a stupid and detestable farce is this
"world ! "ft
To D'Argental ("Peace" Negotiations still at their
briskest). * * "But, my dear Angel, you will see on
"Tuesday the great man who has turned my head (dontje suis
"fou), M. le Due de Choiseul. The Letters he honours me with
"enchant me. God will bless him, don't doubt it,"--after
all! "We have at Pondichery a Lally, a devil of an Irish
t (Euvres de Voltaire, Lxxvin. 346 ("22d December 1759").
tt Ibid, lxxviii. 348 (from Souvenirs (fun Citoyon, I. 302), 11th January
17G0. "
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? CHAP. vm. ] MISCELLANEA IN WINTER-QUAKTERS. 321
Nov. 1759 --March 1760.
"spirit, -- who will cost me, sooner or later, above 20,000
"livres annually" (have rents in our India Company, say
1,000/. a-year, as my Angels know), "which used to be the
"readiest item of my Pittance. But M. leDuc deChoiseul
"will triumph over Luc in one way or other; then what joy!
"I suppose he shows you my impertinent reveries. Do you
"know, Luc is so mad, that I don't despair of bringing him to
"reason" (persuading him to give up Cleve, andtnuckle as
he should, in this Peace Affair). "That were what I should
"call the true Comedy! I should like to have your advices on
"the conduct of that Dramatic Piece. " f
The late "mouse" gnawing its mesh of net, what a subtle
and mighty hunter has it grown! ThisofCleve, however, and
of knuckling, would not do. Hear the stiff Answer that comes:
"'Conditions of Peace,' do you call them? The people that
"propose such can have no wish to see Peace. What a logic
"theirs! 'I might yield the Country of Cleve, because the in-
"' habitants are stupid'! What would your Ministers sayif one
"required the Province of Champagne from them, because
"the Proverb says, Ninety-nine sheep and one Champagner
"make a Hundred head of cattle? " ft
Again to D'Argental (three or four months after; Luc
having proved obstinate, and still unsuccessful). * * "I
"conjure you make use of all your eloquence to tell him" (the
supreme Due deChoiseul), "that if Luc misgo, it will be no
"misfortune to France. That Brandenburg will always
"remain an Electorate; that it is good there be no Elector in
"it strong enough to do without the protection of our King;
"and that all the Princes of the Empire will always have re-
"course to that august protection" (Most Christian Majesty's)
"contra Vaquila grifagna, -- were the Prussian Kingship but
"abolished. Nota bene, if Luc were discomfited this Year, we
"should have Peace next Winter.
"fff
To supreme Choiseul (a year later). * * "He has been a
"bad man, this Luc; and now, if one were to bet, --by the
"law of probability it would be 3 to 1 that Luc will go to pot
t (Euvres dc Voltaire, lxxviii. 375 ("Diilices, 15th February 1760").
ft Friedrich to Voltaire, "Freyberg, 3d April 1760:" (Euvres de Fredthic,
xxm. 73, 74.
ttt (Euvres de Voltaire, lxxix. 110 ("July 1760").
Carlyle, Frederick the Great. XI. *1
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? 322 FRIEDRICH LIKE TO BE OVERWHELMED. [book XIX.
Nov. 1759 --March 1760.
"(sera perdu), with his rhymings and his banterings, andhis
"injustices and politics, all as bad as himself. "f
Voltaire on surrounding Objects, chiefly on Maupertuis, and
the Battles.
To D'Alembert (in the Rossbach-Leuthen interval: on the
Battle of Breslau, 22th November 1757; called by the
Austrians "aMalplaquet," and believed by Voltaire to be a
Malplaquet and more). * * "The Austrians do avenge us,
"and humble us" (us, and our miserable Rossbachs), "in a
"terrible manner. Thirteen attacks on thePrussian entrench- "men ts. lasted six hours; never was Victory bloodier, or more
"horribly beautiful" (in the brain of certain men). "We
"pretty French fellows, we are more expeditious, our job is
"done in five minutes. The King of Prussia is always writing
"me Verses, now like a desperado, now like a hero; and as
"for me, I try to live like a philosopher in my hermitage. He
"has obtained what he always wished: to beat the French, to
"be admired by them, to mock them; but the Austrians are
"mocking him in a very serious way. Our shame of Novem-
"ber 5th has given him glory; and with such glory, which is
"but transient and dearly bought, he must content himself.
"He will lose his own Countries, with those he has seized,
"unless the French again discover" (which they will) "the
"secret of losing all their Armies, as they did in 1741. " ff
To Clairaut, the Mathematician (Maupertuis lately dead).
'An excellent Treatise, this you have sent me, Monsieur! '
"Your war with the Geometers on the subject of this Comet
"appears to me like a war of the gods in Olympus, while on
"Earth there is going on a fight of dogs and cats. " * *
"Would to Heaven our friend Moreau-Maupertuis had
"cultivated his art like you! That he had predicted comets,
"instead of exalting his soul to predict the future; ofdissect-
"ing the brains of giants to know the nature of the soul; of
"japanning people with pitch to cure them of every malady;
"of persecuting Konig; and of dying between Two Capu-
"chins" (dead three weeks ago, on those terms, poor soul)! f ff
t (Euvret deVoltnire, ucxx. 813 ("Chateau de Ferney. 13th July 1761").
tt Ibid, lxxvii. 1S3, 4 (" Delices, 6th December 1757," day after Leutoen).
ttt Ibid. Lxxvm. 191 ("Devices, 19th Auguat 1759").
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? CHAP. VIIi. l MISCELLANEA IN WINTER-QUARTERS. 323
Nov. 1759 --March 1760.
To D'Alembert (a week later). * * "What say you of
"Maupertuis dying between two Capuchins! He was ill, this
"long while, of a repletion of pride; but I had not reckoned
"him either a hypocrite or an imbecile. I don't advise you
"ever to go and fill his place at Berlin; you would repent
"that. I am Astolpho warning Roger (Ruggiero) not to trust
"himself to the Enchantress Alcina; but Roger was un-
"advisable. "t
To the same (two years later: Luc, on certain grounds, may
as well be saved). "With regard to Luc, though I have my
"just causes of anger against him, I own to you, in my quality
"of Frenchman and thinking being, I am glad that a certain
"most Orthodox House has not swallowed Germany, and that
"the Jesuits are not confessing in Berlin. Over towards the
"Danube, superstition is very powerful. " * * 'The m-
fame' "You are well aware that I speak of superstition
"only; for as to the Christian religion, I respect and love it,
"like you. Courage, Brethren! Preach with force, and write
"with address: God will bless you. -- Protect, you, my
"Brother, the Widow Calas all you can! She is a poor weak-
"minded Huguenot, but her Husband was the victim of the
"White Penitents. It is the concern of Human Nature that the
"Fanatics of Toulouse be confounded. " (The case of Calas,
second act of it, getting on the scene: a case still memorable
to everybody. Stupendous bit of French judicature; and
Voltaire's noblest outburst, into mere transcendent blaze of
pity, virtuous wrath, and determination to bring rescue and
help against the whole world. ) ff
Friedrichto Voltaire, before and during these Peace Negotiations.
At Schmilttseifen, five days before Zullichau, ten days before
that Hunt of Loudon and Haddick (Voltaire, under rebuke for
indiscretion, has been whimpering a little. "My discreet
Niece burnt those last verses, Sire; no danger there, at least! "
Truculent Bishop Something-ac tried to attack your Majesty;
but was done for, by a certain person). "In truth, you are a
"singular creature. When I think of scolding you, you say
t (Euvre* dc Voltaire, Lxxvin. 197 ("DdHces, 25th August 1759").
tt-IWd. LxxvTii. 52, 53 ("Ferney, 28th November 1762 "1.
21*
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? 324 FKIEDIUCH LIKE TO BE OVERWHELMED. [book XIX.
Nov. 1759--March 1760.
"two words, and the reproach expires. Impossible to scold
"you, even when you deserve it. " * *
"As to your Niece, let her burn me or roast me, I care
"little. Nor are you to think me so sensitive to what your
"Bishops in ic or in ac may say of me. I have the lot of all
"actors who play in public; applauded by some, despised by
"others. One must prepare oneself for satires, for calumnies,
"for a multitude of lies, which will be sent abroad into cur-
rency against one: but need that trouble my tranquillity?
"I go my road; I do nothing against the interior voice of my
"conscience; and I concern myself very little in what way
"my actions paint themselves in the brain of beings, not
"always very thinking, with two legs and without feathers. "f
At Wilsdruf, just before Maxen (an exultant exuberant
curious Letter; too long for insertion, -- part of it given
above). * * "For your Tragedy of Socrate, thanks. At
"Paris, they are going to burn it, the wretched fools, -- not
"aware that absurd fanaticism is their dominant vice. Better
"burn the dose of medicine, however, than the useful Doctor.
"I, can I join myself to that set? If I bite you, asyoucom-
"plain, it is without my knowledge. But I am surrounded
"with enemies, one hitting me, another pricking me, another
"daubing me with mud; -- patience at last yields, and one
"flies abroad into a general rage, too indiscriminate per-
"haps.
"You talk of my Verses on Rossbach" (my Adieu to the
Hoopers on finding their Bridge burntff). "This Campaign
"I have had no beatific vision, in the style of Moses. The
"barbarous Cossacks and Tartars, infamous to look at on any
"side, have burnt and ravaged countries, and committed
"atrocious inhumanities. This is all I saw of them. Such
"melancholy spectacles don't tend to raise one's spirits. "
(Breaks off into metre:) "La Fortune inconstante et fiere,
"Fortune inconstant and proud Does not treat her suitors
"Always in an equal manner. Those fools called heroes, who
"run the country,
"Ces fous notnmes heros, et qui courent les champs,
"Converts He sang et depoussiere,
t "SchmOttseifen, 18th July 1759;" (Euvresde Fred6tic, nm. 55, 5fi.
i't Supra, p. 209.
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? CHAP. VIII. ] MISCELLANEA IN WINTER-QUARTERS. 325
Nov. 1759 --March 1760.
"Voltaire, n'ontpas tous les ans "La faveur de voir le derriere
"De leurs ennemis insolents.
Can't expect that pleasure every year! * *
"'Maupertuis, say you? ' Don't trouble the ashes of the
"dead; let the grave at least put an end to your unjust
"hatreds. Reflect that even Kings make peace after long
"battling; cannot you ever make it? I think you would be
"capable, like Orpheus, of descending to Hell, not to soften
"Pluto and bring back your beautifuIEmilie, but to pursue
"into that Abode of Woe an enemy whom your wrath has
"only too much persecuted in the world: for shame! " f--
and rebukes him, more than once elsewhere, in very serious
terms.
In Winter-quarters, on Peace and the Stolen Edition. (Starts
in verse, which we abridge:) 'With how many laurels you
'have covered yourself in all the fields of Literature! One
'laurel yet is wanting to the! brow of Voltaire. If, as the
'crown of so many perfect works, he could by a skilful
'manoeuvre bring back Peace, I, and Europe with me, would
'think that his masterpiece! ' (Takes to prose:)
"This is my thought and all Europe's. Virgil made as fine
"Verses as you; but he never made a Peace. It will be a
"distinction you will have over all your brethren of Parnassus,
"if you succeed.
"I know not who has betrayed me, and thought of print-
"ing" (the Edition; -- not you, surely! ) "a pack of rhapsodies
"which were good enough to amuse myself, but were never
"meant for publication. After all, I am so used to treacheries
"and bad manoeuvres," -- what matters this insignificant
one?
"I know not who the Bredow is; but he has told you true.
"The sword and death have made frightful ravages among us.
"And the worst is, we are not yet at the end of the tragedy.
"You may judge what effect these cruel shocks make on me.
"1 wrap myself in my stoicism, the best I can. Flesh and
"blood revolt against such tyrannous command; but it must
"be followed. If you saw me, you would scarcely know me
"again: I am old, broken, grayheaded, wrinkled; I am losing
t (Euvret tie FreiCric, xxra, 61-<<5 (" Wilsdruf, 17th November 1759").
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? 326 FRIEDRICH LIKE TO BE OVERWHELMED. [book XIX.
Nov. 1759 --March 17UO.
"my teeth and my gaiety: if this go on, there will be nothing
"of me left, but the mania of making verses, and an inviolable
"attachment to my duties and to the few virtuous men whom
"Iknow. "f
In Winter-quarters, a month later (comes still on "Peace"
again). * * "1 will have you paid that bit of debt" (perhaps
of postage or the like), "that Louis of the Mill (Louis du
"Moulin," at Fontenoy, who got upon a Windmill with his
Dauphin, and caught that nickname from the common men)
"may have wherewithal to make war on me. Add tenth-penny
"tax to your tax of twentieth-penny; impose new capitations,
"make titular offices to get money; do, in a word, whatever
"you like. In spite of all your efforts, you will not get a Peace
"signed by my hands, except on conditions honourable to my
"Nation. Your people, blown up with self-conceit and folly,
"may depend on these words. Adieu, live happy; and while
"you make all your efforts to destroy Prussia, think that
"nobody has less deserved it than I, either of you or of your
"French. " ff
Still in Winter-quarters (on "Peace" still; but begins with
"Maupertuis," which is all we will give). "What rage
"animates you against Maupertuis? You accuse Mm of having
"published thatFurtive Edition. Know that his Copy, well
"sealed by him, arrived here after his death, and that he was
"incapable of such an indiscretion. " (Breaks into verse:)
"Leave in peace the cold ashes of Maupertuis:
"Truth can defend him, and will.
"His soul was faithful and noble:
, "He pardoned you that scandalous Akakia (ce oil libelle
"Que votre fureur criminelle
"Prit soin chez moi degriffoner); he did: --
"And you? Shame on such delirium as Voltaire's I
"What, this beautiful, what, this grand genius,
"Whom I admired with transport,
"Soils himself with calumny, and is ferocious on the dead? "Flocking together, in the air uttering cries of joy, "Vile ravens pounce down upon sepulchres, "And make their prey of corpses: -- Blush, repent, alas!
+ (Euvres de Fiederic, xxm. 69 ("Freyberg, 24th Feb. 1760").
ft Ibid. xxm. 72 ("Freyberg, 20th March 1760").
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? CHAP. Vin.
