29th Aug., 1740.

Its wit is very copious, but slashy, bantery, and proceeds mainly by exaggeration and turning topsyturvy; a rather barren species of wit. Of humor, in the fine poetic sense, no, vestige. But there is surprising veracity-truthfulness unimpeachable, if you will read well. What promptitude, too-what funds for conversation, when needed! This scraggy Piece, which is better than the things people often talk to one another, was evidently written as fast as the pen could go. "It is done, if such a Hand could have done it, in the manner of Bachaumont and La Chapelle," says Voltaire scornfully, in that scandalous Vie Privée, of which phrase this is the commentary, if readers need one:

"Some seventy or eighty years before that date, a M. Bachaumont and a M. la Chapelle, his intimate, published in Prose, skipping off into dancings of Verse every now and then, 'a charming Relation of a certain Voyage or Home Tour' (whence or whither, or correctly when, this Editor forgets),18 which they had made in partnership. 'Relation' capable still of being read, if one were tolerably idle; it was found then to be charming by all the world, and gave rise to a new fashion in writing, which Voltaire often adopts, and is supremely good at, and in which Friedrich, who is also fond of it, by no means succeeds so well."

Enough, Friedrich got to Wesel, back to his business, in a day or two, and had done, as we forever have, with the Strasburg Escapade and its Doggerel.

Friedrich finds M. de Maupertuis; not yet M. de Voltaire.

Friedrich got to Wesel on the 29th; found Maupertuis waiting there, according to appointment; an elaborately polite, somewhat sublime scientific gentleman; ready to "ingraft on the Berlin crab-tree," and produce real apples and Academics there, so soon as the King, the proprietor, may have leisure for such a thing. Algarotti has already the honor of some acquaintance with Maupertuis. Maupertuis has been at Brussels, on the road hither; saw Voltaire and even Madame, which latter was rather

18 "First printed in 1665," say the Bibliographies, "but known to La Fontaine some time before." Good! Bachaumont, practically an important and distinguished person, not literary by trade, or indeed otherwise than by ennui, was he that had given (some fifteen years before) the Nickname Fronde (Bickering of Schoolboys) to the wretched Historical Object which is still so designated in French annals,

June-Sept., 1740.

a ticklish operation, owing to grudges and tiffs of quarrel that had risen, but it proved successful under the delicate guidance of Voltaire. Voltaire is up to oiling the wheels: "There you are, Monsieur, like the"--(don't name What, though profane Voltaire does, writing to Maupertuis a month ago)-"Three Kings running after you !" A new Pension to you from France; Russia outbidding France to have you; and then that Letter of Friedrich's, which is in all the Newspapers: "Three Kings"you plainly great man, Trismegistus of the Sciences called Pure! Madame honors you, has always done: one word of apology to the high female mind; it will work wonders; come now!19

No reader guesses in our time what a shining celestial body the Maupertuis, who is now fallen so dim again, then was to mankind. In cultivated French society there is no such lion as M. Maupertuis since he returned from flattening the Earth in the Arctic regions. "The Exact Sciences, what else is there to depend on?" thinks French cultivated society: "and has not Monsieur done a feat in that line?" Monsieur, with fine exmilitary manners, has a certain austere gravity, reticent loftiness, and polite dogmatism, which confirms that opinion. A studious ex-military man--was Captain of Dragoons once, but too fond of study-who is conscious to himself, or who would fain be conscious, that he is, in all points, mathematical, moral, and other, the man. A difficult man to live with in society. Comes really near the limit of what we call genius, of originality, poetic greatness in thinking, but never once can get fairly over said limThink of it! it, though always struggling dreadfully to do so.

A fatal kind of man, especially if you have made a lion of him at any time. Of his envies, deep-hidden splenetic discontents and rages, with Voltaire's return for them, there will be enough at least ten years to say in the ulterior stages. He wears

hence he openly wears, though I hope it is not yet so flagrant"a red wig with yellow bottom (crinière jaune);" and as Flattener of the Earth, is, with his own flattish red countenance and impregnable stony eyes, a man formidable to look upon, though intent to be amiable if you do the proper homage. As to the

19 Voltaire, Euvres, lxxii., 217, 216, 230 (Hague, 21st July, 1740, and Brussels, 9th Aug., &c.).

June-Sept., 1740.

quarrel with Madame take this Note, which may prove tive of some things by-and-by:

illustra

Maupertuis is well known at Cirey; such a lion could not fail there. All manner of Bernouillis, Clairauts, high mathematical people, are frequent guests at Cirey; reverenced by Madame, who, indeed, has had her own private Professor of Mathematics-one König, from Switzerland (recommended by those Bernouillis)-diligently teaching her the Pure Sciences this good while back, not without effect, and has only just parted with him, when she left on this Brussels expedition. A bon garçon, Voltaire says; though otherwise, I think, a little noisy on occasion. There has been no end of Madame's kindness to him, nay, to his Brother and him, sons of a Theological Professorial Syriac-Hebrew kind of man at Berne who has too many sons; and I grieve to report that this heedless König has produced an explosion in Madame's feelings such as little beseemed him. On the road to Paris, namely, as we drove hitherward to the Honsbruck Lawsuit by way of Paris in Autumn last, there had fallen out some dispute about the monads, the vis viva, the infinitely little, between Madame and König; dispute which rose crescendo in disharmonious duet, and " ended," testifies M. de Voltaire, "in a scene très désagréable." Madame, with an effort, forgave the thoughtless fellow, who is still rather young, and is without malice. But thoughtless König, strong in his opinion about the infinitely little, appealed to Maupertuis : "Am not I right, Monsieur ?" "He is right, beyond question!" wrote Maupertuis to Madame; "somewhat dryly," thinks Voltaire; and the result is, there is considerable rage in one celestial mind ever since against another male one in red wig and yellow bottom, and they are not on speaking terms for a good many months past. Voltaire has his heart sore ("j'en ai le cœur perçé") about it; needs to double-dose Maupertuis with flattery; and, in fact, has used the utmost diplomacy to effect some varnish of a reconcilement as Maupertuis passed on this occasion. As for König, who had studied in some Dutch University, he went by-and-by to be Librarian to the Prince of Orange; and we shall not fail to hear of him again—once more upon the infinitely little.20

Voltaire too, in his way, is fond of these mathematical people; eager enough to fish for knowledge, here as in all elements, when he has the chance offered: this is much an interest of his at present. And he does attain sound ideas, outlines of ideas, in this province, though privately defective in the due transcendency of admiration for it; was wont to discuss cheerily with König about vis viva, monads, gravitation, and the infinitely little; above all, bows to the ground before the red-wigged

20 From Euvres de Voltaire, ii., 126; lxxii. (20, 216, 230); lxiii. (229– 239), &c., &c.

June-Sept., 1740. Bashaw, Flattener of the Earth, whom, for Madame's sake and his own, he is anxious to be well with. 'Fall on your face nine times, ye esoteris of only Impure Science !" intimates Maupertuis to mankind. "By all means!" answers M. de Voltaire, doing it with alacrity; with a kind of loyalty, one can perceive, and also with a hypocrisy grounded on love of peace. If that is the nature of the Bashaw, and one's sole mode of fishing knowledge from him, why not? thinks M. de Voltaire. His patience with M. de Maupertuis, first and last, was very great. shall find it explode at length, a dozen years hence, in a conspicuous manner!

But we

"Maupertuis had come to us to Cirey, with Jean Bernouilli,” says Voltaire; "and thenceforth Maupertuis, who was born the most jealous of men, took me for the object of this passion, which has always been very dear to him."21 Husht, Monsieur! Here is a poor rheumatic kind of Letter, which illustrates the interim condition, after that varnish of reconcilement at Brussels:

Voltaire to M. de Maupertuis (at Wesel, waiting for the King, or with him rather).

"Brussels, 29th August (1740), 3d year since the world flattened. "How the Devil, great Philosopher, would you have had me write to you at Wesel? I fancied you gone from Wesel, to seek the King of Sages on his Journey somewhere. I had understood, too, they were so delighted to have you in that fortified lodge (bouge fortifié) that you must be taking pleasure there, for he that gives pleasure gets it.

"You have already seen the jolly Embassador of the amiablest Monarch in the world"-Camas, a fattish man, on his road to Versailles (who called at Brussels here, with fine compliments, and a keg of Hungary Wine, as you may have heard whispered). "No doubt M. de Camas is with you. For my own share, I think it is after you that he is running at present. But in truth, at the hour while I say this, you are with the King;" a lucky guess; King did return to Wesel this very day. "The Philosopher and the Prince perceive already that they are made for each other. You and M. Algarotti will say, Faciamus hic tria tabernacula; as to me, I can only make duo tabernacula"-profane Voltaire!

"Without doubt I would be with you if I were not at Brussels; but my heart is with you all the same, and is the subject, all the same, of a King who is formed to reign over every thinking and feeling being. I do not despair that Madame du Châtelet will find herself somewhere on your route: it will be a scene in a fairy tale; she will arrive with a

21 Tie Privée.

2d-11th Sept., 1740. sufficient reason" (as your Leibnitz says) "and with monads. She does not love you the less though she now believes the universe a plenum, and has renounced the notion of void. Over her you have an ascendant which you will never lose. In fine, my dear Monsieur, I wish as ardently as she to embrace you the soonest possible. I recommend myself to -Tout your friendship in the Court, worthy of you, where you now are.à vous, somewhat rheumatic !22

Always an anxious, almost tremulous desire to conciliate this big, glaring geometrical bully in red wig. Through the sensitive transparent being of M. de Voltaire, you may see that feeling almost painfully busy in every Letter he writes to the Flattener of the Earth.

CHAPTER IV.

VOLTAIRE'S FIRST INTERVIEW WITH FRIEDRICH.

AT Wesel, in the rear of all this traveling and excitement, Friedrich falls unwell; breaks down there into an aguish, feverish distemper, which for several months after impeded his movements, would he have yielded to it. He has much business on hand, too—some of it of prickly nature just now-but is intent as ever on seeing Voltaire, among the first things. Diligently reading in the Voltaire-Friedrich Correspondence (which is a sad jumble of misdates and opacities in the common editions),1 this of the aguish condition frequently turns up: "Quartan ague," it seems, occasionally very bad; but Friedrich struggles with it -will not be cheated of any of his purposes by it.

He had a busy fortnight here-busier than we yet imagine. Much employment there naturally is of the usual Inspection sort, which fails in no quarter of his Dominions, but which may be particularly important here, in these disputed Berg-Jülich Countries, when the time of decision falls. How he does his Inspections we know; and there are still weightier matters afoot here,

22 Voltaire, lxxii., p. 243.

1 Preuss (the recent latest Editor, and the only well-informed one, as we said) prints with accuracy, but can not be read at all (in the sense of understood) without other light.