10th Sept.-12th Oct., 1743. with some Circular Hortatorium, or sublime Begging-Letter from the Kaiser in his hand, and, by witchery of tongue, urging Würtemberg, Brunswick, Baireuth, Anspach, Berlin, to compliance with the Imperial Majesty and France.11 Would not that be sublime! But that, like the rest, in spite of one's talent, came to nothing. Talent? Success? Madame de Châteauroux had, in the interim, taken a dislike to M. Amelot; "could not bear his stammerings," the fastidious Improper Female; flung Amelot overboard-Amelot, and his luggage after him, Voltaire's diplomatic hopes included, and there was an end. How ravishing the thing had been while it lasted, judge by these other stray symptoms, hastily picked up, partly at Berlin, partly at Brunswick, which show us the bright meridian, and also the blaze, almost still more radiant, which proved to be sunset. Readers have heard of Voltaire's Madrigals to certain Princesses, and must read these Three again, which are really incomparable in their kind; not equaled in graceful felicity even by Goethe, and by him alone of Poets approached in that respect. At Berlin, Autumn, 1743, Three consummate Madrigals: 1. To Princess Ulrique. “Souvent un peu de vérité Se mêle au plus grossier mensonge : Je vous aimais, Princesse, et j'osais vous le dire! 2. To Princesses Ulrique and Amelia. Pour juger entre vos beaux yeux, Il couperait la pomme en deux, Et ne produirait pas de guerre.” 3. To Princesses Ulrique, Amelia, and Wilhelmina. "Pardon, charmante Ulrique; pardon, belle Amélie ; J'ai cru n'aimer que vous la reste de ma vie, Et ne servir que sous vos lois; Mais enfin j'entends et je vois 11 Voltaire, lxxiii., 133. 10th Sept.-12th Oct., 1743. Cette adorable Sœur dont l'Amour suit les traces: Ah, ce n'est pas outrager les Trois Graces Que de les aimer toutes trois !''12 Brunswick, 16th October (blazing sunset, as it proved, but brighter almost than meridian), a letter from Voltaire to Maupertuis (still in France since that horrible Mollwitz-Pandour Business). "In my wanderings I received the Letter where my dear Flattener of this Globe deigns to remember me with so much friendship. Is it possible that- * * I made your compliments to all your friends at Berlin; that is, to all the Court.” "Saw Dr. Eller decomposing water into elastic air" (or thinking he did so, 1743); "Saw the Opera of Titus, which is a masterpiece of music" (by Friedrich himself, with the important aid of Graun): "it was, without vanity, a treat the King gave me, or rather gave himself; he wished I should see him in his glory. "His Opera-House is the finest in Europe. Charlottenburg is a delicious abode: Friedrich does the honors there, the King knowing nothing of it."**"One lives at Potsdam as in the Chateau of a French Seigneur who had culture and genius, in spite of that big Battalion of Guards, which seems to me the terriblest Battalion in this world. Jordan is still the same-bon garçon et discret; has his oddities, his 1600 crowns (£240) of pension. D'Argens is Chamberlain, with a gold key at his breast-pocket, and 100 louis inside, payable monthly. Chasot" (whom the readers made acquaintance with at Philipsburg long since)," instead of cursing his destiny, must have taken to bless it: he is Major of Horse, with income enough, And he has well earned it, having saved the King's Baggage at the last Battle of Chotusitz"what we did not notice, in the horse-charges and grand tumults of that scene. 'I passed some days" (a fortnight in all)" at Baireuth. Her Royal Highness, of course, spoke to me of you. Baireuth is a delightful re 12 1. "A grain of truth is often mingled with the stupidest delusion. Yesternight, in the error of a dream, I had risen to the rank of king; I loved you, Princess, and had the audacity to say so! The gods, at my awakening, did not strip me wholly; my kingdom was all they took from me. 2. "If Paris" (of Troy) "came back to decide on the charms of you Two, he would halve the Apple, and produce no War. 3. "Pardon, charming Ulrique; beautiful Amelia, pardon; I thought I should love only you for the rest of my life, and serve under your laws only; but at last I hear and see this adorable Sister, whom Love follows as Page. Ah! it is not offending the Three Graces to love them all three !" In Euvres de Voltaire, xviii.: No. 1 is p. 292 (in Euvres de Frédéric, xiv., 90-92, the Answers to it); No. 2 is p. 320; No. 3, p. 321. 10th Sept.-12th Oct., 1743. treat, where one enjoys whatever there is agreeable in a Court, without the bother of grandeur. Brunswick, where I am, has another species of charm. 'Tis a celestial Voyage this of mine, where I pass from Planet to Planet"-to tumultuous Paris; and, I do hope, to my unique Maupertuis awaiting me there at last.1 13 We have only to remark farther that Friedrich had again pressed Voltaire to come and live with him, and choose his own terms, and that Voltaire (as a second string to his bow, should this fine Diplomatic one fail) had provisionally accepted-provisionally, and with one most remarkable clause, that of leaving out Madame, "imagining it would be less agreeable to you if I came with others (avec d'autres); and I own that, belonging to your Majesty alone, I should have my mind more at ease”¡4, whew! And then to add a third thing: That Madame, driven half delirious by these delays, and gyratings from Planet to Planet, especially by that last Fortnight at Baireuth, had rushed off from Paris to seek her vagabond, and see into him with her own eyes: "Couldn't help it, my angels!" writes she to the D'Argentals (excellent guardian-angels, Monsieur and Madame; and, I am sure, patient both of them as only Monsieur Job was in the old case): "A whole fortnight" (perhaps with madrigals to Princesses), "and only four lines to me!" and is now in bed, or lately was, at Lille, ill of slow fever (petite fièvre), panting to be upon the road again.15 Fancy what a greeting for M. de Voltaire from those eyes hagardes et louches; and whether he mentioned that pretty little clause of going to Berlin "without others," or durst for the life of him whisper of going at all! After pause in the Brussels region, they came back to Paris "in December;" resigned, I hope, to inexorable Fate, though with such Diplomatic and other fine prospects flung to the fishes, and little but gredins and confusions waiting you, as formerly. 13 Voltaire, lxxiii., 122–125. 14 Euvres de Voltaire, lxxiii., 112, 116 (Proposal and Response, both of them "7th October," five days before leaving Berlin). 15 Lettres inédites de Madame du Chastelet à M. le Comte d'Argentał (Paris, 1806), p. 253. A curiously elucidative Letter this ("Brussels, 15th October, 1743"); a curious little Book altogether. Sept.-Oct., 1743. CHAPTER VII. FRIEDRICH MAKES TREATY WITH FRANCE; AND SILENTLY GETS READY. THOUGH Friedrich went upon the bantering tone with Voltaire, his private thoughts in regard to the surrounding scene of things were extremely serious, and already it had begun to be apparent, from those Britannic-Austrian procedures, that some new alliance with France might well lie ahead for him. During Voltaire's visit, that extraordinary Paper from Vienna that the Kaiser was no Kaiser, and that there must be "compensation" and satisfactory "assurance," had come into full glare of firstreading, and the Dictatur-Sache and denunciation of an evidently partial Kur-Mainz was awakening every where. Voltaire had not gone when-through Podewils Junior (probably with help of the improper Dutch female of rank)-Friedrich got to wit of another thing not less momentous to him, and throwing fearful light on that of "compensation" and "assurance." This was the Treaty of Worms, done by Carteret and George, September 13th, during those languid Rhine operations; Treaty itself not languid, but a very lively thing to Friedrich and to all the world, concerning which a few words now. We have said, according to promise, and will say, next to nothing of Maria Theresa's Italian War, but hope always the reader keeps it in mind. Big war-clouds waltzing hither and thither, occasionally clashing into bloody conflict; Sardinian Majesty and Infant Philip both personally in the field, fierce men both; Traun, Browne, Lobkowitz, Lichtenstein, Austrians of mark, successively distinguishing themselves; Spain, too, and France very diligent; Conti off thither; then, in their turns, Maillebois, Noailles-high military figures, but remote, shadowy, thundering inaudibly on this side and that, whom we must not mention farther. "The notable figure to us," says one of my Notes, "is Charles Emanuel, second King of Sardinia, who is at the old trade of his Family, and Sept.-Oct., 1743. shifts from side to side, making the war-balance vibrate at a great rate, now this scale, now that kicking the beam; for he holds the door of the Alps, Bully Bourbon on one side of it, Bully Hapsburg on the other; and inquires sharply, 'You, what will you give me? And you?' To Maria Theresa's affairs he has been superlatively useful for these Two Years past, and truly she is not too punctual in the returns covenanted for. It appears to Charles Emanuel that the Queen of Hungary, elated in her high thought, underrates his services of late; that she practically means to give him very little of those promised slices from the Lombard parts; and that, in the mean while, much too big a share of the War has fallen upon his poor hands who should be door-holder only. "Accordingly he grumbles, threatens: he has been listening to France, 'Bourbon, how much will you give me, then?' and the answer is such that he informs the Queen of Hungary and the Britannic Majesty of his intention to close with Bourbon, since they, on their side, will do nothing considerable. George and his Carteret, not to mention the Hungarian Majesty at all, are thunderstruck at such a prospect; bend all their energies toward this essential point of retaining Charles Emanuel, which is more urgent even than getting Elsass. 'Madame,' they say to her Majesty,' we can not save Italy for you on other terms: Vigevanesco, Finale' (which is Genoa's), 'part of Piacenza' (when once got): 'there must be some slice of the Lombard parts to this Charles Emanuel justly angry!' Whereat the high Queen storms, and in her high manner scolds little George as if he were the blamable party, pretending friendship, and yet abetting mere highway robbery or little better. And his cash paid Madame, and his Dettingen mouse-trap fought? Well, he has plenty of cash is it my Cause, then, or his Majesty's and Liberty's?' Posterity, in modern England, vainly endeavors to conceal this phenomenon, yet sees it to be undeniable. "And so there is a Treaty of Worms got concocted, after infinite effort on the part of Carteret, Robinson too laboring and steaming in Vienna with boilers like to burst; and George gets it signed 13th September" (already signed while Friedrich was looking into Seckendorf and Wembdingen, if Friedrich had known it)—" to this effect, That Charles Emanuel shall have annually, down on the nail, a handsome increase of Subsidy (£200,000 instead of £150,000) from England, and ultimately, beyond doubt, some thinnish specified slices from the Lombard parts; and shall proceed fighting for, not against; English Fleet co-operating, English Purse ditto, regardless of expense; with other fit particulars, as formerly.' Maria Theresa, very angry, looks upon herself as a martyr, nobly complying to suffer for the whim of En 1 Schöll, ii., 330–335; Adelung, iii., b, 222–226; Coxe, iii., 296, |