Whichhehadtodo，——towardsKingFriedrich，usualrefugeofthepersecuted；seldominexorable，wheretherewasworth，evenunderbadforms，recognizable；andnotafriendtoburningpoormenortheirbooks，ifitcouldbehelped。LaMettriegotsomepost，likeD’Arget’s，orstillmorenominal；"readership；"somesmallpensiontoliveupon；andsheltertoshootforthhiswildfire，whenhecouldholditnolonger:fire，notofamalignantincendiarykind，butpleasantlylambent，thoughmaddish，asFriedrichperceived。
ThushadLaMettriefoundaGoshen；——andstoodinconsiderablefavor，atCourtandinBerlinSocietyintheyearsnowcurrent。
AccordingtoNicolai，FriedrichneveresteemedLaMettrie，whichiseasytobelieve，butfoundhimajesterandingeniousmadcap，outofwhomagreatdealofmerrimentcouldbehad，overwineorthelike。TojudgebyNicolai’sauthenticspecimen，theirColloquiesransometimesprettydeepintothecynical，undershowersofwildfireplayingabout；andthehigh—jinksmusthavebeenhighish。
[Anekdoten，vi。197—227。]Whentherehadbeenenoughofthis，FriedrichwouldlendhisLaMettrietotheFrenchExcellency，MilordTyrconnel，toobligehisExcellency，andgetLaMettrieoutofthewayforawhile。MilordisatBerlin；aJacobiteIrishman，ofblusterousIrishqualities，thoughwithplentyofsagacityandroughsense；likesLaMettrie；andisnotmuchafavoritewithFriedrich。
Tyrconnelhadsaid，atfirst，——whenRothenburg，privatelyfromFriedrich，cametoconsulthim，"Whatare，inpracticalform，those’assistancesfromtheMostChristianMajesty，’shouldweMAKE
Alliancewithhim，asyourExcellencyproposes，andchancetobeattacked？"——"MORBLEU，assistanceenough[enumeratingseveral]:
MAISMORBLEU，SIVOUSNOUSTROMPEX，VOUSSEREZECRASES（ifyoudeceiveus，youwillbesquelched）！"[Valori，ii。130，&c。]"Hehadbeenchosenforhisroughtongue，"saysValori；ourFrenchCourtbeingpiquedatFriedrichandhissarcasms。Tyrconnelgivessplendiddinners:Voltaireoftenofthem；doesnotlovePotsdam，norislovedbyit。Nay，IsometimesthinkacertainDEMON
NEWSWRITER（ofwhombyandby），butdonotknow，maybesomehungryAttacheofTyrconnel’s。HungryAttache，shutoutfromthedivineSuppersandupperplanetarymovements，andreducedtolookonthemfromhiscoldhutch，inadog—likeangryandhungrymanner？
HisflyingallusionstoVoltaire，"SON（Friedrich’s）SQUELETTE
D’APOLLON，skeletonofanApollo，"andthelike，arebarkingsalmostrabid。
Ofthemilitarysort，aboutthistime，KeithandRothenburgappearmostfrequentlyasguestsorcompanions。RothenburghadagreatdealofFriedrich’sregard:WinterfeldismoreapracticalCounseller，anddoesnotshineinlearnedcircles，asRothenburgmay。Afierysoldiertoo，thisRothenburg，withal；——amanprobablyofmanytalentsandqualities，thoughofdistinctlydecipherablethereisnexttonorecordofhimorthem。HehadaParisianWife；
whoissometimesonthepointofcomingwithNieceDenistoBerlin，andofsettinguptheirtwoFrenchhouseholdsthere；butneverdidit，eitherofthem，tomakeanUncleoraHusbandhappy。
RothenburgwasbredaCatholic:"heheadedthesubscriptionforthefamous’KATHOLISCHEKIRCHE，’"sodelightfultothePopeandliberalChristiansinthoseyears；"butnevergaveasixpenceofmoney，"
saysVoltaireonce:CatholicKIRKwasgotcompletedwithdifficulty；standsthereyet，likealargewashbowlset，bottomuppermost，onthetopofanarrowishtub；butnoneofRothenburg’smoneyisinit。InVoltaire’sCorrespondencethereisfrequentmentionofhim；notwithanylove，butwithacertainsecretrespect，ratherinclinedtobedisrespectful，ifitdurstorcould:
theeloquentvocalindividualnotquiteateasebesidethemoresilentthinkingandactingone。Whatweknowis，Friedrichgreatlylovedtheman。ThereissomestraggleofCORRESPONDENCEbetweenFriedrichandhimleft；butitisworthnothing；givesnotestimonyofthat，orofanythingelsenoticeable:——andthatistheonefactnowalmostalonesignificantofRothenburg。MuchlovedandesteemedbytheKing；employeddiplomatically，nowandthen；perhapstalkedwithonsuchsubjects，whichwasthehighestdistinction。Poorman，heisinverybadhealthinthesemonths；hasneverrightlyrecoveredofhiswounds；anddiesinthelastdaysof1751，——tothebittersorrowoftheKing，asisstillonrecord。Ahighlyrespectabledimfigure，farmoreimportantinFriedrich’sHistorythanhelooks。AsKing’sguest，hecaninthesemonthsplaynopart。
Highlyrespectabletoo，andwellworthtalkingto，thoughleftverydimtousintheBooks，isMarshalKeith；whohasbeengrowinggraduallywiththeKing，andwitheverybody，eversincehecametothesepartsin1747。AmanofScotchtype；thebroadaccent，withitssagacities，veracities，withitssteadfastlyfixedmoderation，anditsslytwinklesofdefensivehumor，isstillaudibletousthroughtheforeignwrappages。Notgiventotalk，unlessthereissomethingtobesaid；butwellcapableofitthen。Friedrich，themoreheknowshim，likeshimthebetter。Onallmannerofsubjectshecantalkknowingly，andwithinsightofhisown。OnRussianmattersFriedrichlikesespeciallytohearhim，——thoughtheydifferinregardtotheworthofRussiantroops。"VeryconsiderablemilitaryqualitiesinthoseRussians，"thinksKeith:"imperturbablyobedient，patient；ofatoughfibre，andarebeautifullystricttoyourorder，ontheparade—groundoroff。""Pooh，mererubbish，MON
CHER，"thinksFriedrichalways。TowhichKeith，unwillingtoarguetoolong，willanswer:"Well，itispossibleenoughyourMajestymaytrythem，someday；ifIamwrong，itwillbeallthebetterforus！"WhichFriedrichhadoccasiontorememberbyandby。
Friedrichgreatlyrespectsthissagaciousgentlemanwiththebroadaccent:hisBrother，theLordMarischal，isnowinFrance:
AmbassadoratParis，sinceSeptember，1751:["LeftPotsdam28thAugust"（Rodenbeck，i。220）。]"LordMarischal，aJacobite，forPrussianAmbassadorinParis；Tyrconnel，aJacobite，forFrenchAmbassadorinBerlin！"grumbletheEnglish。
FRACTIONSOFEVENTSANDINDICATIONS，FROMVOLTAIREHIMSELF，INTHISTIME；MOREORLESSILLUMINATIVEWHENREDUCED
TOORDER。
Here，selectedfrommore，areafew"fire—flies，"——notdancingordistracted，butauthenticall，andstuckeachonitsspit；
sheddingafeebleglimmeroverthephysiognomyofthoseFifteencaliginousMonths，toanimaginationthatisdiligent。
FractionalutterancesofVoltairetoFriedrichandothers（inabridgedform，abridgmentindicated）:theexactdatesareoftenestirretrievablygone；buttheglimmeroflightisindisputable，allthemoreas，onVoltaire’spart，itismostlyinvoluntary。
GroupingandsequencemustbeotherthanthatofTime。
POTSDAM，5thJUNE，1751。——KingisoffonthatOst—Frieslandjaunt；
VoltaireatPotsdam，"atwhattheycalltheMarquisat，"incompletesolitude，——preparingtodiebeforelong，——sendshisMajestysomepoortriflesofScribbling，proofsofmylove，Sire:"sinceIlivesolitary，whenyouarenotatPotsdam，itwouldseemIcameforyouonly"（notethat，yourMajesty）！……"Butinreturnfortheragsheresent，IexpecttheSixthCantoofyourART[ARTDELAGUERRE，oneoftheTwopupil—and—schoolmaster"Specimens"mentionedabove]；
IexpecttheROOFtotheTempleofMars。Itisforyou，aloneofmen，tobuildthatTemple；asitwasforOvidtosingofLove，andforHoracetogiveanARTOFPOETRY。"（Layingitonprettythick！）……
Thenagain，later（afterseverestudy，ferulainhand）:"Sire，I
returnyourMajestyyourSixCantos；Isurrenderatdiscretion（LUI
LAISSECARTE—BLANCHE）onthatqu。estionof’VICTOIRE。’ThewholePoemisworthyofyou:ifIhadmadethisJourneyonlytoseeathingsounique，IoughtnottoregretmyCountry。"……Andagain（stillnodate）:"GRANDDIEU！isnotallthat[HISTORYOFTHEGREAT
ELECTOR，byyourMajesty，whichIamdevouringwithsuchappetite]
neat，elegant，precise，and，aboveall，philosophical！"——"Sire，youareadorable；Iwillpassmydaysatyourfeet。Oh，nevermakegameofme（DESNICHES）！"Hashebeenatthat，sayyou！"IftheKingsofDenmark，Portugal，Spain，&c。didit，Ishouldnotcareapin；
theyareonlyKings。Butyouarethegreatestmanthatperhapseverreigned。"[[InOEuvresdeFrederic，xxii。
271，273。]
ISONLEAVEOFABSENCE，NEARBY；WISHESTOBECALLEDAGAIN（Nodate）。——"Sire，ifyoulikefreecriticism，ifyoutoleratesincerepraises，ifyouwishtoperfectaWork[ARTDELAGUERRE，orsomeotherassublime]，whichyoualoneinEuropearecapableofdoing，youhaveonlytobidaHermitcomeupstairs。Atyourordersforallhislife。"[Ib。261。]
INBERLINPALACE:PLEASEDON’TTURNMEOUT！（Nodate）——……
"Nexttoyou，Iloveworkandretirement。Nobodywhatevercomplainsofme。IaskofyourMajesty，inordertokeepunalteredthehappinessIowetoyou，thisfavor，NottoturnmeoutoftheApartmentyoudeignedtogivemeatBerlin，tillIgoforParis[alwaystalkingofthat]。IfIweretoleaveit，theywouldputintheGazettesthatI"——Oh，whatwouldn’ttheyputin，ofonethat，belongingtoKingFriedrich，livesasitwereintheDiscoftheSun，conspicuoustoeverybody！——"Iwillgoout[oftheApartment]
whensomePrince，withaSuiteneedingittolodgein，comes；andthenthethingwillbehonorable。Chasot[gonetoParis]hasbeentalking"——unguardedthingsofme！"IhavenotutteredtheleastcomplaintofChasot:IneverwillofChasot，norofthosewhohavesethimon[Maupertuisbelike]:Iforgiveeverything，I！"
[Ib。270。]
ROTHENBURGISILL；VOLTAIREHASBEENTOSEEHIM（"Berlin，14th，"nomonth；year，toosurely，1751，asweshallfind！LetterisIN
VERSE）。——"LieberkuhnwasgoingtokillpoorRothenburg；tosendhimofftoPluto，——forlikinghisdishalittle；——monsterLieberkuhn！
ButDoctorJoyous，"yourreader，LaMettrie，——ledby，needIsaywhom？——"hasbroughthimbacktous:——thinkofLieberkuhn’ssolemnstare！Prettycontrasts，those，ofsublimeQuacksalverism，withSenseunderthemaskofFolly。Maythehaemorrhoidalvein"——followsHERE，noteit，exquisitereader，thatof"CULDEMONHEROS，"
citedabove！）——……
Andthen（adayortwoafter；Kingtoohaemorrhoidaltocometwentymiles，butanxioustoknow）:"Sire，nodoubtDoctorJoyous（LE
MEDECINJOYEUX）hasinformedyourMajestythatwhenwearrived，thePatientwassleepingtranquil；andCotheniusassuredus，inLatin，thattherewasnodanger。Iknownotwhathaspassedsince，butI
ampersuadedyourMajestyapprovesmyjourney"（ofastreetortwo），——MUSTyouspeakofit，then！
GOESTOANEVENING—PARTYNOWANDTHEN（ToNieceDenis）。——……
"MadameTyrconnel[FrenchExcellency’sWife]hasplentyoffinepeopleatherhouseonanevening；perhapstoomany"（oneofthefirsthousesinBerlin，thisofmyLordTyrcannel’s，whichwefrequentagooddeal）……"MadamegotverywellthroughherpartofANDROMAQUE[inthoseoldplay—actingtimesofours]:neversawactresseswithfinereyes，"——howshouldyou！
"AstoMilordTyrconnel，heisanAnglaisofdignity，"——Irishinreality，andathoughtblusterous。"Hehasacondensed（SERRE）
causticwayoftalk；andIknownotwhatoffrankwhichonefindsintheEnglish，anddoesnotusuallyfindinpersonsofhistrade。
FrenchTragediesplayedatBerlin，Imyselftakingpart；
anEnglishmanEnvoyofFrancethere:strangecircumstancesthese，aren’tthey？"[ToD’Argentalthis（OEuvresdeVoltaire，lxxiv。289）。]Yes，thatlatterespecially；andMilordMarischalourPrussianEnvoywithyou！WhichtheEnglishnote，sulkily，asaweather—symptom。
ATPOTSDAM，BIGDEVILSOFGRENADIERS（Nodate）。——……"But，Sire，oneisn’talwaysperchedonthesummitofParnassus；oneisaman。
Therearesicknessesabout；Ididnotbringanathlete’shealthtotheseparts；andthescorbutichumorwhichiseatingmyliferendersmetruly，ofallthataresick，thesickest。Iamabsolutelyalonefrommorningtillnight。Myonesolaceisthenecessarypleasureoftakingtheair，Ibethinkmeofwalking，andclearingmyheadalittle，inyourGardensatPotsdam。Ifancyitisapermittedthing；Ipresentmyself，musing；——IfindhugedevilsofGrenadiers，whoclapbayonetsinmybelly，whocryFURT，SACRAMENT，andDERKONIG[OFF，SACKERMENT，THEKING，quitetolerablyspelt]！AndItaketomyheels，asAustriansandSaxonswoulddobeforethem。Haveyoueverread，thatinTitus’sorMarcus—Aurelius’sGardens，apoordevilofaGaulishPoet"——
Inshort，itshallbemended。[OEuvresdeFrederic，xxii。273。]
HAVEBEENLAYINGITONTOOTHICK（Nodate；INVERSE）。——
"MarcusAureliuswaswontto"——（Well，weknowwhothatis:WhatofMarcus，then？）——"Acertainloverofhisglory[STILLINVERSE]
spokeonce，atSupper，ofamagnanimityofMarcus’s；——atwhichMarcus[flatterytoothick]rathergloomed，andsatquitesilent，——
whichwasanotherfinesayingofhis[ENDSVERSE，STARTSPROSE]:——
"Pardon，Sire，someheartsthatarefullofyou！Tojustifymyself，IdaresupplicateyourMajestytogiveoneglanceatthisLetter（linespencil—marked），whichhasjustcomefromM。deChauvelin，NephewofthefamousGARDE—DES—SCEAUX。YourMajestycannotgloomathim，writingthesefromthefulnessofhisheart；noratme，who"——
Pooh；no，then！PerhapsdoyouaNICHEagain，——poorrestlessfellow！[Ib。280。]
POTSDAMPALACE（Nodate）:SIRE，NZAYICHANGEMYROOM？……
"Iascendtoyourantechambers，tofindsomeonebywhomImayaskpermissiontospeakwithyou。Ifindnobody:Ihavetoreturn:"
andwhatIwantedwasthis，"yourprotectionformySIECLEDELOUIS
QUATORZE，whichIamabouttoprintinBerlin。"Surely，——butalsothis:——
"Iamunwell，Iamasickmanborn。AndwithalIamobligedtowork，almostasmuchasyourMajesty。Ipassthewholedayalone。
IfyouwouldpermitthatImightshifttotheApartmentnexttheoneIhave，——tothatwhereGeneralBredowsleptlastwinter，——
Ishouldworkmorecommodiously。MySecretary（Collini）andIcouldworktogetherthere。Ishouldhavealittlemoresun，whichisagreatpointforme。——Onlythewhimofasickman，perhaps！
Well，evenso，yourMajestywillhavepityonit。Youpromisedtomakemehappy。"[OEuvresdeFrederic，
xxii。277。]
ISUSPECTTHATIAMSUSPECTED（Nodate）。——"Sire，ifIamnotbrief，forgiveme。YesterdaythefaithfulD’ArgettoldmewithsorrowthatinParispeopleweretalkingofyourPoem。"Horrible；but，OSire，——me？——"IshowedhimtheeighteenLettersthatIreceivedyesterday。TheyarefromCadiz，"allaboutFinance，noblabbingthere！"PermitmetosendyounowthelastsixfrommyNiece，numberedbyherownhand[noforgery，nosuppression]；deigntocastyoureyesontheplacesIhaveunderlined，whereshespeaksofyourMajesty，ofD’Argens，ofPotsdam，ofD’Ammon"（towhomshecan’tbePhyllis，innocentbeing）！—MONCHERVOLTAIRE，mustIagaindosomeNICHEuponyou，then？Tiesometin—canistertoyourtoo—
sensitivetail？Whatanelementyouinhabitwithinthatpoorskinofyours！[Ib。269。]
MAJESTYINVITESUSTOALITERARYCHRISTENING，POTSDAM（Nodate。
These"SixTwins"arethe"ARTDELAGUERRE，"inSixChants；
partofthatrevisedEditionwhichisgettingprinted"AUDONJON
DUCHATEAU；"timemustbe，wellonin1751）。FriedrichwritestoVoltaire:——
"IhavejustbeenbroughttobedofSixTwins；whichrequiretobebaptized，inthenameofApollo，inthewatersofHippocrene。
LAHENRIADEisrequestedtobecomegodmother:youwillhavethegoodnesstobringher，thiseveningatfive，totheFather’sApartment。D’ArgetLUCINAwillbethere；andtheImaginationofMAN—A—MACHINEwillholdthepoorinfantsovertheFont。"
[Ib。266。]
DEIGNTOSAYIFIHAVEOFFENDED。——……"AstheywritetomefromParisthatIamindisgracewithyou，IdaretobegveryearnestlythatyouwilldeigntosayifIhavedispleasedinanything！Maygowrongbyignoranceorfromover—zeal；butwithmyheartnever！
Iliveintheprofoundestretreat；givingtostudymywhole"——
"Yourassurancesoncevouchsafed[famousDocumentofAugust23d]。
IwriteonlytomyNiece。I"（apagemoreofthis）——havemysorrowsandmerits，andabsolutelynosilenceatall！[OEuvresdeFrederic，xxii。289。]"InthegiftofSpeechheisthemostbrilliantofmankind，"saidSmelfungus；butinthegiftofSilencewhatadeficiency！FriedrichwillhavetodothatforTwo，itwouldseem。
BERLIN，28thDECEMBER，1751:LOUISQUATORZE；ANDDEATHOF
ROTHENBURG。——"OurLOUISQUATORZEisout。But，Heavens，see，yourMajesty:aPiratePrinter，atFrankfurt—on—Oder，hasbeengoingonparallelwithus，allthewhile；andhereishisfoulblotchofanEditiononsale，too！Bielfeld，"fantasticfellow，"hadproof—
sheets；BielfeldsentthemtoaProfessorthere，thoughIdon’tblameBielfeld:resulttooevident。Protectme，yourMajesty；
Orderallwagons，especiallywagonsforLeipzig，tobestopped，tobesearched，andtheBooksthrownout，——itcostsyoubutaword！"
Quiteasimplething:"AllPrussiatotherescue！"thinksanardentProprietoroftheseProof—sheets。Butthen，nextday，hearsthatRothenburgisdead。ThatthesilentRothenburglaydying，whilethevocalVoltairewaswritingthesefooleries，toaKingsunkingrief。"Repent，besorry，beashamed！"hesaystohimself；anddoesinstantlytry；——butwithlittlesuccess；Frankfurt—on—Oder，withitsBielfeldproof—sheets，stilljanglingalong，contemptiblyaudible，forsometime。[Ib。285—287。]Andafterwards，fromFrankfurt—on—MaynnewsorrowrisesonLOUISQUATORZE，aswillbeseen。——Friedrich’sgriefforRothenburgwasdeepandsevere；
"hehadvisitedhimthatlastnight，"saytheBooks；"andquittedhisbedside，silent，andallintears。"ItismainlywhatofBiographythesilentRothenburgnowhas。
FromthecurrentNarratives，astheyarecalled，readerswillrecollect，outofthisVoltairePeriod，twosmallparticlesofEventamidsuchanoceanofnoisyfroth，——twoandhardlymore:
thatofthe"Orange—Skin，"andthatofthe"DirtyLinen。"Letusputthesetwoontheirbasis；andpasson:——
THEORANGE—SKIN（Potsdam，2dSeptember，1751，toNieceDenis）——GoodHeavens，MONENFANT，whatisthisIhear（throughthegreatDionysius’—EarImaintain，atsuchexpensetomyself）！……
"LaMettrie，amanofnoconsequence，whotalksfamiliarlywiththeKingaftertheirreading；andwithmetoo，nowandthen:LaMettriesworetome，that，speakingtotheKing，oneofthosedays，ofmysupposedfavor，andthebitofjealousyitexcites，theKingansweredhim:"Ishallwanthimstillaboutayear:——yousqueezetheorange，youthrowawaytheskin（ONENJETTELECORCE）！’"
Hereisaprettybitofbabble（lie，mostlikely，andbitofmischievousfun）fromDr。Joyous。"Itcannotbetrue，No！Andyet——
andyet——？"Wordscannotexpresstheagonizingdoubts，thequestionings，occasionallythehorrorofVoltaire:poorsicksoul，keepingaDionysius’—Eartoboot！ThisblurtofLaMettrie’sgoesthroughhimlikeashotofelectricitythroughanelderlysickHousehold—Cat；andhespeaksofitagainandeveragain，——thoughwewillnotfarther。
DIRTYLINEN（Potsdam，24thJuly，1752，ToNieceDenis）。——……
"Maupertuishasdiscreetlysettherumorgoing，thatIfoundtheKing’sWorksverybad；thatIsaidtosomeone，onVersesfromtheKingcomingin，’Willhenevertire，then，ofsendingmehisdirtylinentowash？’YouobligingMaupertuis！"
Rumorsays，itwasGeneralMannstein，onceAide—de—CampinRussia，whohadcometohavehisWORKONRUSSIArevised（excellentWork，oftenquotedbyus[Didgetoutatlast，——inEngland，throughLordMarischalandDavidHume:seePREFACEtoit（London，1760）。]），whentheunfortunateRoyalVersescame。PerhapsM。deVoltairedidsayit:——whynot，haditonlybeenprudent？HereallylikesthoseVersesmuchmorethanI；butknowswellenough，SUBROSA，whatkindofVersestheyare。Thisalsoisahorriblesuspicion；thattheKingshouldhearofthis，——asdoubtlesstheKingdid，thoughwithoutgoingdeliriousuponitatall。["ToNieceDenis，"datesasabove（OEuvresdeVoltaire，lxxiv。408，lxxv。17）。]ThankYOU，myPerpetualPresident，nottheless！——
OFMAUPERTUIS，INSUCCESSIVEPHASES。——……"Maupertuisisnotofveryengagingways；hetakesmydimensionsharshlywithhisquadrant:itissaidthereenterssomethingofenvyintohisDATA……Asomewhatsurlygentleman；nottoosociable；and，truthtosay，considerablysunkhere[ASSEZBAISSE，myD’Argental]……"IendureMaupertuis，nothavingbeenabletosoftenhim。
Inallcountriesthereareinsociablefellows，withwhomyouareobligedtolive，thoughitisdifficult。Hehasneverforgivenmefor"——omittingtocitehim，&c。——AtParishehadgottheAcademyofSciencesintotrouble，andhimselfintogeneraldislike（DETESTER）；
thencamethisBerlinoffer。"OldFleuri，whenMaupertuiscalledtotakeleave，repeatedthatverseofVirgil，NECTIBIREGNANDIVENIAT
TAMDIRACUPIDO。Fleurimighthavewhisperedasmuchtohimself:
buthewasamildsovereignlord，andreignedinagentlepolitemanner。Isweartoyou，Maupertuisdoesnot，inhisshop[theAcademyhere]——where，Godbethanked，Inevergo。
"HehasprintedalittlePamphletonHappiness（SURLEBONHEUR）；
itisverydryandmiserable。RemindsyouofAdvertisementsforthingslost，——sopoorachanceoffindingthemagain。Happinessisnotwhathegivestothosewhoreadhim，tothosewholivewithhim；heisnothimselfhappy，andwouldbesorrythatotherswere[toNieceDenisthis]……"Averysweetlifehere，Madame[Madamed’Argental，anoutsideparty]:itwouldhavebeenmoreso，ifMaupertuishadliked。
Thewishtoplease，isnopartofhisgeometricalstudies；
theproblemofbeingagreeabletolivewith，isnotonehehassolved。"[OEuvresdeVoltaire，lxxiv。330，504（4thMay，1751，and14thMarch，1752），totheD’Argentals；
toNieceDenis（6thNovember，1750，and24thAugust，1751），lxxiv。
250，385。]——AddthisAnecdote，whichisprobablyD’Arget’s，andworthcredit:——
"Voltairehaddinner—party，Maupertuisoneofthem；partystillinthedrawing—room，dinnerjustcomingup。’President，yourBook，SUR
LEBONHEUR，hasgivenmepleasure，’saidVoltaire，politely[verypolitely，consideringwhatwehavejustread]；givenmepleasure，——
afewobscuritiesexcepted，ofwhichwewilltalktogethersomeevening。’’Obscurities？’saidMaupertuis，inagloomyarbitrarytone:’Theremaybesuchforyou，Monsieur！’VoltairelaidhishandonthePresident’sshoulder[yellowwignearby]，lookedathiminsilence，withmany—twinklingglance，gayetythetopmostexpression，butbynomeansthesoleone:’President，Iesteemyou，JEVOUS
ESTIME，MONPRESIDENT:youarebrave；youwantwar:wewillhaveit。But，inthemeanwhile，letuseattheKing’sroastmeat。’"
[Duvernet（2dFORMofhim，always，p。176。]
Friedrich’sAnswerstotheseVoltaireLetters，ifhewroteany，areallgone。Probablyheansweredalmostnothing；whatwehaveofhisrelatesalwaystospecificbusiness，receiptofLOUISQUATORZE，andthelike；andisalwaysinfriendlytone。HandsomelykeepingSilenceforTwo！Hereisasnatchfromhim，onneutralfiguresandmovementsofthetime:——
FRIEDRICHTOWIILHELMINA（November17th，1751）。——"IthinktheMargrafofAnspachwillnothavestayedlongwithyou。Heisnotmadetotastethesweetsofsociety:hispassionforhunting，andthetipplinglifeheleadsthislongtime，throwhimoutwhenhecomesamongreasonablepersons……"IexpectmySisterofBrunswick，withtheDukeandtheireldestGirl，the4thofnextmonth，"——toCarnivalhere。"ItissevenyearssincetheQueen（ourMamma）hasseenher。SheholdsasmallBoardofWitatBrunswick；
ofwhichyourDoctor[DoctorSuperville，Dutch—French，whoseperennialmeritnowis，ThathedidnotburnWilhelmina’sMEMOIRS，butleftthemsafetoposterity，forlongcenturies]，——ofwhichyourDoctoristhedirectorandoracle。Youwouldburstoutrightintolaughingwhenshespeaksofthosematters。Hernaturalvivacityandhastehasnotlefthertimetogettothebottomofanything；sheskipscontinuallyfromonesubjecttotheother，andgivestwentydecisionsinaminute。"[OEuvresdeFrederic，xxvii。i。202:——OnSuperville，seePreuss’sNote，ib。56。]
AboutamonthbeforeRothenburg’sdeath，whichwassotragicaltoFriedrich，therehadfallenout，withahideousdashoffarceinit，thedeathofLaMettrie。HereareTwoAccounts，bydifferenthands，——whichrepresenttousanimmensityofbabbleinthethenVoltairecircle。
LAMETTRIEDIES。——TwoAccounts:1。KingFriedrich’s:toWilhelmina。
"21stNovember，1751……WehavelostpoorLaMettrie。Hediedforapieceoffun:ate，outofbanter，awholepheasant—pie；hadahorribleindigestion；tookitintohisheadtohavebloodlet，andconvincetheGermanDoctorsthatbleedingwasgoodinindigestion。
Butitsucceededillwithhim:hetookaviolentfever，whichpassedintoputrid；andcarriedhimoff。Heisregrettedbyallthatknewhim。Hewasgay；BONDIABLE，goodDoctor，andverybadAuthor:byavoidingtoreadhisBooks，onecouldmanagetobewellcontentwithhimself。"[Ib。xxvii。i。203。]
2。Voltaire’s:toNieceDenis（NOThisfirsttoher）:Potsdam，24thDecember，1751……"Noendtomyastonishment。MilordTyrconnel，"
alwaysailing（diedherehimself），"sendstoaskLaMettrietocomeandseehim，tocurehimoramusehim。TheKinggrudgestopartwithhisReader，whomakeshimlaugh。LaMettriesetsout；
arrivesathisPatient’sjustwhenMadameTyrconnelissittingdowntotable:heeatsanddrinks，talksandlaughsmorethanalltheguests；whenhehasgotcrammed（ENAJUSQU’AUMENTON），theybringhimapie，ofeagledisguisedaspheasant，whichhadarrivedfromtheNorth，plentyofbadlard，pork—hashandgingerinit；
mygentlemaneatsthewholepie，anddiesnextdayatLordTyrconnel’s，assistedbytwoDoctors，"CotheniusandLieberkuhn，"whomheusedtomockat……HowIshouldhavelikedtoaskhim，atthearticleofdeath，aboutthatOrange—skin！"[OEuvresdeVoltaire，lxxiv。439，450。]
Addthistraittoo，fromauthenticNicolai，tocompletethematter:
"AnIrishPriest，FatherMacmahon，Tyrconnel’sChaplain[morepowertohim]，wantedtoconvertLaMettrie:hepushedintothesick—
room；——encouragedbysomewhowishedtomakeLaMettriecontemptibletoFriedrich[thecharitablesouls]。LaMettriewouldhavenothingtodowiththisPriestandhistalk；who，however，stillsatandwaited。LaMettrie，inatwingeofagony，criedout，’JESUSMARIE！’’AH，VOUSVOILAENFINRETOURNEACESNOMS
CONSOLATEURS！’exclaimedtheIrishman。TowhichLaMettrieanswered（inpolitelanguage，totheeffect），’Botheryou！’andexpiredafewminutesafter。"[Nicolai，Anekdoten，
i。20n。]
Enoughofthispoormadcap。Friedrich’sELOGEofhim，readtotheAcademysometimeafter，itwasgenerallythought（andwithgreatjustice），mightaswellhavebeenspared。ThePiecehasnothingnoisy，nothinguntrue；butwhathasitofimportance？Andsurelythesubjectwasquestionable，ormore。LaMettriemighthavedonewithoutEulogyfromaKingofmen……"HehadbeenusedtoputhimselfatonceonthemostfamiliarfootingwiththeKing[saysThiebault，UNbelievable]。EnteredtheKing’sapartmentashewouldthatofafriend；plungeddownwheneverheliked，whichwasoften，andlayuponthesofas；ifitwaswarm，tookoffhisstock，unbuttonedhiswaistcoat，flunghisperiwigonthefloor；"[Thiebault，v。405（callshim"LaMetherie；"
knows，asusual，nothing）。]——highlyprobable，thinksstupidThiebault！
"Thetruthis，"saysNicolai，"theKingputnorealvalueonLaMettrie。Heconsideredhimasamerry—andrewfellow，whomightamuseyou，whenhalfseas—over（ENTREDEUXVINS）。DelaMettrieshowedhimselfunworthyofanyfavorhehad。Notonlydidhebabble，andrepeataboutTownwhatheheardattheKing’stable；
buthetoldeverythinginafalseway，andwithmalicioustwistsandadditions。ThisheespeciallydidatLordTyrconnel，thethenFrenchAmbassador’stable，whereatlasthedied。"[Nicolai，Anekdoten，i。20。]ButcouldnottaketheORANGE—SKINalongwithhim；alas，no！——
Onthewhole，benottoosevereonpoorVoltaire！Heisveryfidgety，noisy；somethingofapickthank，ofawheedler；but，aboveall，heisscorbutic，dyspeptic；hag—ridden，assoulseldomwas；
and（inhisobliqueway）APPEALStoFriedrichandus，——notinvain。
And，inshort，weperceive，aftertheFirstActofthePiece，beginninginpreternaturalradiances，endinginwhirlwindsofflamingsoot，hehasbeengettingonwithhisSecondActbetterthancouldbeexpected。Gyratingagainamongthebrightplanets，circum—jovialmoons，intheCourtFirmament；isagaininfavor，andmight——Alas，hehadhisFELLOW—moons，hisMaupertuisaboveall！
IncurablethatMaupertuismisery；getsworseandworse，steadilyfromthefirstday。Nosmallestentitythatintervenes，notevenawanderingLaBeaumellewithhisBookofPENSEES，butiscapableofworseningit。TakethisofSmelfungus；thisPairofCabinetSketches，——"hastyoutlines；extantchiefly，"hedeclares，"byVoltaire’sblame:"——
LABEAUMELLE。——"VoltairehasafataltalentofgettingintoI
quarrelswithinsignificantaccidentalpeople；andinsteadofsilently，withcautiousfinger，disengaginganybramblethatcatchestohim，andthankfullypassingon，attacksitindignantlywithpotentsteelimplements，wood—axes，war—axes；brandishingandhewing；——tillhehasstirredupawholewildernessofbramble—bush，andishimselfbramble—chipsallover。M。AnglivieldelaBeaumelle，forexample，wasnothingbutabramble:someconceitedLicentiateofTheology，who，findingthePresbyteryofGenevatoonarrowafield，hadgonetoCopenhagen，asProfessorofRhetoricorsomesuchthing；and，findingthatfieldalsotoonarrow，andnottobewidenedbyattemptsatLiterature，MESPENSEESandthelike，insuchbarbarousCountry"，——hadnow[endof1751]cometoBerlin；
andhasPresentationcopiesofMESPENSEES，OULEQU’ENDIRA—T—ON，flyingrightandleft，inhopesofdoingbetterthere。OfthesePENSEES（Thoughtssocalled）Iwillgivebutonespecimen"
（another，thatof"KingFriedrichacommonman，"beingcarefullysuppressedintheBerlinCopies，ofLaBeaumelle’sdistributing）:——
"TherehavebeengreaterPoetsthanVoltaire；therewasneveranysowellrecompensed:andwhy？BecauseTaste（GOUT，inclination）
setsnolimitstoitsrecompenses。TheKingofPrussiaoverloadsmenoftalentwithhisbenefitsforpreciselythereasonswhichinducealittleGermanPrincetooverloadwithbenefitsabuffoonoradwarf。"[OEuvresdeVoltaire，xxvii。
220n。]Couldtherebeaphenomenonmoreindisputablyofbramblenature？
"HehadnosuccessatBerlin，inspiteofhismerits；couldnotcomeneartheKingatall；butassiduouslyfrequentedMaupertuis，theflowerofhumanthinkersinthatera，——whowasveryhumanetohiminconsequence。’Howisit，Oflowerofhumanthinkers，thatI
cannotgetonwithhisMajesty，ormaketheleastway？’（HELAS，MONSIEUR，youhaveenemies！’answeredheoftheredwig；andtoldLaBeaumelle（hearit，yeHeavens），ThatM。deVoltairehadcalledhisMajesty’sattentiontothePENSEEgivenabove，oneeveningatSupperRoyal；’hearditmyself，Monsieur——husht！’Uponwhich——
"’Uponwhich，see，paltryLaBeaumellehasbecomemyenemyforlife！’shrieksVoltairemanytimesafterwards:’Anditwasfalse，I
declaretoHeaven，andagaindeclare；itwasnotI，itwasD’Argensquizzingmeaboutit，thatcalledhisMajesty’sattentiontothatPENSEEofBlockheadLaBeaumelle，——youtreacherousPerpetualPresident，stirringupenemiesagainstme，andbetrayingsecretsoftheKing’stable。’Sorrowonyourredwig，andyou！——ItiscertainLaBeaumelle，soonafterthis，leftBerlin:notinlovewithVoltaire。Andtheresoonappeared，atFranfurt—on—Mayn，aPirateEditionofourbrand—newSIECLEDELOUISQUATORZE（withAnnotationsscurrilousandflimsy）；——LaBeaumelletheprofessedPerpetrator；
’whoreceivedforthejob7pounds10s。net！’[Ib。xx。]asseveratesthewell—informedVoltaire。Oh，M。deVoltaire，andwhynotleaveittohim，then？Poordevil，hegotputintotheBastilletoo，byandby；RoyalPersonsbeingtouchedbysomeofhisstupidfoot—notes。
"LaBeaumellehadalongcourseofit，upanddowntheworld，inandoutoftheBastille；writingmuch，withinconsiderablerecompense，andalwaysinawoodenmanureworthyofhisFirstvocationintheGenevatime。’Amanofpleasingphysiognomy，’saysFormey，’andexpressedhimselfwell。Ireceivedhisvisit14thJanuary，1752，’——towhichlattersmallcircumstance（welcomeasafixeddatetoushere）LaBeaumelle’sBiographyisnowprettymuchreducedformankind。[Formey，ii。221。]HecontinuedMaupertuis’sadorer:andwasnotabadcreature，onlyadullwoodenone，withobstinatetemper。ALIFEOFMAUPERTUISofhiswritingwassentforthlately，[ViedeMaupertuis（citedabove），Paris，1866。]afterlyinghiddenahundredyears:butitisdull，dead，painfullyligneous，likealltherest；andofneworofpleasanttellsusnothing。
"HisenmitytoM。deVoltairedidproveperpetual:——abramblethatmighthavebeendealtwithbyfingers，orbyfingersandscissors，butcouldnotbyaxes，andtheirhewingandbrandishing。’Thisistheninety—fifthanonymousCalumnyofLaBeaumelle’s，thisthatyouhavesentme！’saysVoltaireonce。Thefirststrokeortwohadtornthebramblequiteonend:’HesayshewillpursueyoutoHelleven，’writesoneoftheVoltairekindfriendsfromFrankfurt，onthat7pounds10s。business。’AL’ENFER？’answersM。deVoltaire，withatoss:’Well，Ishouldthinkso，he，andatagoodrateofspeed。Butwhetherhewillfindmethere，mustbeaquestion！’
Ifyouwanttohaveaninsignificantaccidentalfellowtroubleyouallyourdays，thisisthewayofhandlinghimwhenhefirstcatcheshold。"
ABBEDEPRADES。——"DePrades，’AbbedePrades，ReadertotheKing，’
thoughhappilynotanenemyofVoltaire’s，isinsomesortLaBeaumelle’scounterpart，orbrotherwithadifference；concerningwhomalso，onewantsonlytoknowtheexactdateofhisarrival。
AsLaBeaumellefelttoostrait—tiedintheGenevavestures（whereithadbeengoodforhimtoadjusthimself，andstay）；sodidDePradesintheSorbonneditto，——andburstout，ontakingOrders，notintoeloquentPreachingsoredifyingDevotionalExercises；butintoloudblurtsofmereheresyandheterodoxy。Blurtswhichwereveryloud，andIbelieveverystupid；whichfailedofbeingsublimeeventothePhilosophicworld；andkindledtheSorbonneintoburninghisBook，andalmostburninghimself，hadnotheatoncerunforit。
"RantoHolland，andtherecontinuedblurtingmoreatlarge，——
decidedlystupidformostpart，thinksVoltaire，’butwithgloriousPassages，worthyourMajesty’sattention；’——uponwhich，D’Alemberttoohelping，poorDePradeswasinvitedtotheReadership，vacantbyLaMettrie’seagle—pie；andcamegladly，andstayed。Atwhatdate？oneoccasionallyasks:forthereareRoyalLetters，dateless，butwritteninhishand，thatraisesuchquestionintheutterdimnessotherwise。Dateis’September，1752。’[Preuss，i。368；ii。
115。]FartherquestiononedoesnotaskaboutDePrades。Ratheranemphaticintrusivekindoffellow，Ishouldguess；——wrote，he，notFriedrich，thatABRIDGMENTOFPLEURY’SECCLESIASTICALHISTORY，andotherthelikedrearyPieces，whichusedtobeinflictedonmankindasFriedrich’s。
"Fortherest，havingplaceandsmallpension，——not，likeLaBeaumelle，obligedtopirateandannotatefor7pounds10s。——hewentonsteadily，agoodwhile；gotaCanonryofGlogau[smallCatholicbenefice，badifitwasnotbetterthanitsnowoccupant]；
——andunluckily，intheSeven—Years—Wartime，fellintotreasonousCorrespondencewithhiscountrymen；whichitwasfearedmightbefatal，whenfoundout。Butno，notfatal。FriedrichdidlockhiminMagdeburgforsomemonths；thenlethimout:’HometoGlogau，sirrah；sticktoyourCanonryhenceforth，andletushearnomoreofyouatall！’Whichshallbehisfateinthesepagesalso。"
Good，myfriend；nomoreofhim，then！Onlyrecollect"September，1752，"ifdatelessRoyalLettersinDePrades’shandturnup。
ChapterX。
DEMONNEWSWRITER，OF1752。
Itmustbeowned，theKing’sFrenchColonyofWitswereasorrysetofpeople。Theytemptonetoask，Whatisthegoodofwit，then，ifthisbeit？Herearepeoplesparklingwithwit，andhavenotunderstandingenoughtodiscernwhatliesundertheirnose。
Cannotlivewiselywithanybody，leastofallwithoneanother。
Infact，itistragictothinkhowillthisKingsucceededinthematterofgatheringfriends。Withthewholeworldtochoosefrom，onefanciesalwayshemighthavedonebetter！Butno，hecouldnot；
——andchieflyforthisreason:HisloveofWisdomwasnothinglikedeepenough，reverentenough；andhisloveofESPRIT（themereGarmentorPhantasmofWisdom）wastoodeep。Friendsdonotdropintoone’smouth。Onemustknowhowtochoosefriends；andthatofESPRIT，thoughaprettything，isbynomeanstheonerequisite，ifindeeditbearequisiteatall。ThispresentWitColonywasthebestthatFriedricheverhad；andwemayallseehowgooditwas。
Hetook，atlastmoreandmore，intobanteringhisTable—Companions（whichIdonotwonderat），asthechiefgoodhecouldgetofthem。
Andhad，aswesaid，especiallyinhislatertime，inthemannerofDublinHackney—Coachmen，establisheduponeachanimalitsRAW；andmakesitskipamazinglyattouchofthewhip。"Cruelmortal！"
thoughthiscattle:——but，afterall，howcouldhewellhelpit，withsuchaset？
NativeLiteraryMen，GermanorSwiss，therealsowereaboutFriedrich’sCourt:ofthemhappilyhedidnotrequireESPRIT；butputthemintohisAcademy；oremployedtheminpracticalfunctions，wherehonestyandgoodsensewerethequalitiesneeded。Worthymen，severalofthese；butunmemorablenearlyall。WewillmentionSulzeralone，——andnotforTHEORIESandPHILOSOPHIESOFTHEFINE
ARTS[AllgemeineTheoriederSchonenKunste，
3vols。；&c。&c。]（whichthenhadtheirmultitudesofreaders）；
butforaSpeechofFriedrich’stohimonce，whichhasoftenbeenrepeated。SulzerhasafineruggedwholesomeSwiss—Germanphysiognomy，bothoffaceandmind；andgothisadmirations，astheBerlinHUGHBLAIRthatthenwas:aSulzerwhomFriedrichalwaysratherliked。
FriedrichhadmadehimSchoolInspector；lovedtotalkalittlewithhim，aboutbusiness，wereitnothingelse。"Well，MonsieurSulzer，howareyourSchoolsgettingon？"askedtheKingoneday，——longafterthis，butnobodywilltellmeexactlywhen，thoughthefactiscertainenough:"HowgoesourEducationbusiness？"
"Surelynotill，yourMajesty；andmuchbetterinlateyears，"
answeredSulzer。——"Inlateyears:why？""Well，yourMajesty，informertime，thenotionbeingthatmankindwerenaturallyinclinedtoevil，asystemofseverityprevailedinschools:butnow，whenwerecognizethattheinborninclinationofmenisrathertogoodthantoevil，schoolmastershaveadoptedamoregenerousprocedure。"——"Inclinationrathertogood？"saidFriedrich，shakinghisoldhead，withasadsmile:"Alas，dearSulzer，ACHMEINLIEBER
SULZER，Iseeyoudon’tknowthatdamnedraceofcreatures（ER
KENNTNICHTDIESEVERDAMMTERACE）asIdo！"[Nicolai，iii。
274；——thethingappearstohavebeensaidinFrench（"JEVOISBIEN，MONCHERSULZER，QUEVOUSNECONNAISSEZPAS，COMMEMOI，CETTERACE
MAUDITEALAQUELLENOUSAPPARTENONS"）；buttheGermanformisirresistiblyattractive，andisnowheardproverbiallyfromtimetotimeincertainmouths。]Hereisaspeechforyou！"PardontheKing，whowashimselfsobeneficentandexcellentaKing！"cryseveralEditorsoftherose—pinktype。ThispresentEditor，forhisshare，willatonceforgive；buthowcanheeverforget！——
"PerhapsImistake，"ownsVoltaire，inhisPasquinadeofaVIE
PRIVEE，"butitseemstome，attheseSupperstherewasagreatdealofESPRIT（realwitandbrilliancy）going。TheKinghadit，andmadeothershave；and，whatisextraordinary，Ineverfeltmyselfsofreeatanytable。""Conversationmostpleasant，"
testifiesanother，"mostinstructive，animated；nottobematched，Ishouldguess，elsewhereintheworld。"[Bielfeld，LETTERS；
Voltaire，ViePrivee。]Verysprightlyindeed:andafundofgoodsense，abasisofpracticalityandfact，necessarytobeinitwithal；thoughotherwiseitcanfoamover（ifsomeLaMettriebethere，andagooddealofwineinhim）toverygreatheights。
ADEMONNEWSWRITERGIVESAN"IDEA"OFFRIEDRICH；
INTELLIGIBLETOTHEKNOWINGCLASSESINENGLAND
ANDELSEWHERE。
Practically，Icanaddonly，ThattheseSuppersofthegodsbegincommonlyathalf—pasteight（"Concertjustover"）；andlasttilltowardsmidnight，——notlaterconveniently，astheKingmustbeupatfive（inSummer—timeatfour），and"needsbetweenfiveandsixhoursofsleep。"OrwouldthereadercaretoconsultaPieceexpresslytreatingonallthesepoints；kindofMANUSCRIPT
NEWSPAPER，fallenintomyhands，whichseemstohavehadawidishcirculationinitsday。["IDEEDELAPERSONNE，DELAMANIEREDE
VIVRE，ETDELACOURDUROIDEPRUSSE:juin，1752。"Inthe
RobinsonPapers（oneCopy）nowintheBritishMuseum。]
IhavemetwithTwoCopiesofit，inthisCountry:oneofthem，toappearance，oncethepropertyofGeorgeSelwyn。TheotherisamongtheRobinsonPapers:doubtlessveryluculenttoRobinson，whoisnowhomeinEngland，butremembersmanyathing。Judgingfromvarioussymptoms，IcouldguessthisMS。tohavebeenmuchabout，intheEnglishAristocraticCirclesofthattime；andtohave，insomemeasure，givensaidCirclestheir"Idea"（astheywerepleasedtoreckonit）ofthatwonderfulandquestionableKing:——highlydistracted"Idea；"which，indilutedform，isstillthestapleEnglishone。
Bythelabel，DEMONNEWSWRITER，itisnotmeantthattheAuthorofthispoorPaperwasanactualDevil，orinfernalSpiritualEssenceofmiraculousspectralnature。Bynomeans！Beyonddoubt，heissomepoorFrenchman，moreorlessdefinableasflesh—and—blood；
gesturingabout，visibly，atBerlinin1752；incocked—hatandbrightshoe—buckles；grinningelaboratesalutationstocertainofhisfellow—creaturesthere。PossiblysomehungryATTACHEofMilordTyrconnel’sLegation；fatallyshutoutfromthebeatitudesofthisbarbarousCourt，andwillingtoseeksolacement，andturnadishonestpenny，inthePER—CONTRAcourse？Whoheis，weneednotknoworcare:tooevident，hehasthesadqualityoftransmuting，inhisdirtyorgans，heavenlyBrilliancy，moreorless，intoinfernalDarknessandHatefulness；whichIreckontohavebeen，atalltimes，theprincipalfunctionofaDevil；——functionstillcarriedonextensively，underFirmsofanothertitle，inthisworld。
Somesnatcheswewillgive。For，thoughitdoesnotmuchconcernaManorKing，seriouslybusy，whattheidleouterworldmayseegoodtotalkofhim，hisBiographers，intimesubsequent，arecalledtonoticethematter，aspartofhisLife—element，andcharacteristicoftheworldhehadroundhim。Friedrich’saffairsweremuchawondertohiscontemporaries。EspeciallyhisDomesticities，anitemnaturallyobscuretotheouterworld，werewonderful；suretobecommentedupon，toalllengths；andbytheunintelligent，firstofall。Ofcontemporarymankind，aswehavesometimessaid，nobodywasmoreliedof:——ofwhich，letthisoftheDemonNewswriterbeexample，oneinsteadofmany。TheDemonNewswriter，derivingonlyfromoutsidegossipandeavesdropping，iswrongveryoften，——infact，heisseldomright，exceptonpointswhichhavebeenOfficiallyfixed，andarewithinreachofaninquisitiveClerkofLegation。Wrongoftenenough，eveninregardtoexternalparticulars，howmuchmoreastointernal；——andwillneedchecking，aswegoalong。
DemonspeaksfirstofFriedrich’sstature，5ft。6in。（asweknowbetterthanthisDemon）；"prettywellproportioned，nothandsome，andevensomethingofawkward（GAUCHE），acquiredbyaconstrainedbearing[headslightlyofftheperpendicular，acquiredbyhisflute，saythebetter—informed]。Isofthegreatestpoliteness。
Finetoneofvoice，——fineeveninswearing，whichisascommonwithhimaswithagrenadier，"addsthisDemon；notworthattendingto，onsuchpoints。
"Hasneverhadanightcap[sleepsbareheaded；inhislatertimes，wouldsleepinhishat，whichwasalwayssoftasduffel，kneadedtosoftnessasitsfirstduty，anddidverywell]:Neveranightcap，dressing—gown，orpairofslippers[TRUE]；onlyakindofclothcloak[NOTQUITE]，muchwornandverydirty，forbeingpowderedin。
ThewholeyearroundhegoesintheuniformofhisFirstBattalionofGuards:——bluewithredfacings，button—holetrimmingsinsilver，frogsattheinnerend；hiscoatbuttonsclosetotheshape；
waistcoatisplainyellow[straw—color]；hat[three—cornered]hasedgingofSpanishlace，whiteplume[horizontal，restingonthelaceallround]:bootsonhislegsallhislife。Hecannotwalkwithshoes[pooh，you——！]。
"Herisesdailyatfive:"——No，hedoesn’tatall！Infact，wehadbetterclapthelidonthisDemon，ill—informedastoallthesepoints；and，onsuchsuggestion，givetherealaccountofthem，distilledfromPreuss，andtheabundantauthenticsources。
Preusssays（ifreaderscouldbutrememberhim）:"AnAlmanacliesontheKing’sTable，markingforeachdaywhatspecificdutiesthedaywillbring。Fromfivetosixhoursofsleep:insummerherisesaboutthree，seldomafterfour；inwinterperhapsanhourlater。
Inhisoldertime，sevenhours’sleepcametobethestipulatedquantity；andhewouldsleepoccasionallyeighthoursorevennine，incertainmedicalpredicaments。Notsoinhisyoungeryears:
fourA。M。andfive，thesethoursthen。Summerandwinter，fireislightedforhimaquarterofanhourbefore。Kingrises；getsintohisclothes:’stockings，breeches，boots，hedidsittingonthebed’（foronelovestobeparticular）；therestinfrontofthefire，instandingposture。Washingfollowed；morecompendiousthanhisFather’susedtobe。
"Lettersspecificallytohisaddress，acourier（leavingBerlin，9P。M。）hadbroughthiminthedeadofnight:these，ontheinstantoftheKing’scalling’Here！’avaletintheantechamberbroughtintohim，tobereadwhilehishairwasbeingdone。HisuniformtheKingdidnotatonceputon；butgotintoaCASAQUIN[loosearticleofthedressing—gownkind，onlyshorterthanours]ofrichstuff，sometimesofvelvetwithprecioussilverembroideries。
TheseCasaquinswerecommonlysky—blue（whichcolorheliked），presentsfromhisSistersandNieces。Lettersbeingglancedover，andhair—clubdone，theLife—guardGeneral—AdjutanthandsinthePotsdamReport（allstrangersthathaveenteredPotsdamorleftit，theprincipalitem）:this，withaBerlinReport，whichhadcomewiththeLetters；andwhatofArmy—Reportshadarrived（Adjutant—
Generaldeliveringthese），——werenowglancedover。Andso，byfiveo’clockinthesummermorning，bysixinthewinter，onesees，inthegross，whatone’sday’s—workistobe；themiscellaneousSTONES
ofitarenowmostlyhere，onlymortarandwallingofthemtobethoughtof。General—Adjutantandhisaffairsarefirstsettled:
oneachthingawordortwo，whichtheGeneral—Adjutant（alwaysahighlyconfidentialOfficer，aHacke，aWinterfeld，orthelike）
pointedlytakesdown。
"General—Adjutantgone，theKing，insky—bluecasaquin[ofteninveryfadedcondition]stepsintohiswriting—room；walksabout，readinghisLettersmorecompletely；drinking，first，severalglassesofwater；thencoffee，perhapsthreecupswithorwithoutmilk[likescoffee，andverystrong]。Aftercoffeehetakeshisflute；stepsaboutpractising，fantasying:hehasbeenheardtosay，speakingofmusicanditseffectsonthesoul，Thatduringthisfantasyinghewouldgettoconsideringallmannerofthings，withnothoughtofwhathewasplaying；andthatsometimeseventheluckiestideasaboutbusiness—mattershaveoccurredtohimwhiledandlingwiththeflute。Saunteringso，heisgraduallybreakfastingwithal:willeat，intermittently，smallchocolatecakes；andafterhiscoffee，cherries，figs，grapes，fruitsintheirseason[veryfondoffruit，andhaselaboratehot—houses]。
Sopassestheearlymorning。
"Betweennineandten，mostofone’splan—workbeinggotthrough，thequestionsofthedayaresettled，orlaidholdofforsettling。
Betweennineandten，Kingtakestoreadingthe’Excerpts’
（Isuppose，ofthemoreintricateorlengthierthings）ofYesterday，whichhisthreeCabinetRaths[ClerkEichelandtheotherTwo]havepreparedforhim。KingsummonstheseThree，oneaftertheother，accordingtotheirDepartment；handsthemtheLettersjustread，theExcerptsnowdecidedon，andsignifies，inaminimumofwords，whattheanswersaretobe，——Clerk，alwaysinfulldress，listeningwithbothhisears，andpencilinhand。
Mayhave，ofAnswers，CABINET—ORDERSsocalled，perhapsadozen，tobereadywithbeforeevening。["InacertainCopyorFinal—RegisterBook[HerrPreuss’sWindfall，ofwhichINFRA]entitledKABINETSORDENKOPIALBUCH，ofOneofthethreeClerks，years1746—1752，thereare，ontheaverage，tenCABINET—ORDERSdaily，Sundaysincluded"（Preuss，i。352n。）。]
"EichelandCompanydismissed，Kingflingsoffhiscasaquin，takeshisregimentalcoat；hashishairtouchedoffwithpomade，withpowder；andisbuttonedandreadyinaboutfiveminutes；——readyforParade，whichisatthestrokeofeleven，insteadoflater，asitusedtobeinPapa’stime。Ifelevenisnotyetcome，hewillgetonhorseback；gosweepingabout，oftenestwitherrandsstill，atalleventsinthefreesolitudeofair，tillParade—timedocome。
TheParole[Sentry’s—WORDoftheDay]hehasalreadygivenhisAdjutant—General。Parole，whichonlytheAdjutantandCommandanthadknowntillnow，isformallygivenout；andthetroopsgothroughtheirexercises，manoeuvres，underastrictnessofcriticismwhichneverabates。""Paradehebynochanceevermisses，"saysourDemonfriend。
"Atthestrokeoftwelve，"continuesPreuss，"dinnerisserved。
Dinnerthreefold；thatis，asecondtableandathird。Onlytwocourses，dishesonlyeight，evenattheKing’sTable，（eightalsoattheMarshal’sorsecondTable）；guestsfromseventoten。
Dinnerplentifulandsavory（fortheKinghadhisfavoritesamongedibles），bynomeanscaringtobesplendid，——yearlyexpenseofthreefoldDinner（doneaccuratelybycontract）was1，800pounds。"
LinsenbarthwesawattheThirdTable，andhowhefared。
"Thedinner—servicewasofbeautifulporcelain；notsilver，stilllessgold，exceptonthegrandestoccasions。Everyguesteatsatdiscretion，——ofcourse！——anddrinksatdiscretion，MoselleorPontac[kindofclaret]；ChampagneandHungaryarehandedroundontheKing’ssignal。KinghimselfdrinksBergerac，orotherclarets，withwater。Dinnerlaststilltwo；——iftheconversationbeseductive，ithasbeenknowntostretchtofour。TheKing’sgreatpassionisfortalkoftherightkind；hehimselftalksagreatdeal，tipplingwine—and—watertotheend，andkeepsonalevelwiththerisingtide。
"WithabowfromMajesty，dinnerends；guestsgently，withalittlesaunteroftalktosomeofthem，allvanish；andtheKingisinhisownApartmentagain。Generallyflute—playingforabouthalfanhour；tillEichelandtheotherscomewiththeirday’swork:
tray—loadsofCabinet—Orders，Icanfancy；whicharetobe’executed，’thatis，tobeglancedthrough，andsigned。
Signatureformostpartisall；butthereareMarginaliaandPostscripts，too，ingreatnumber，oftenofaspicybitingcharacter；which，inourtime，areinrequestamongthecurious。"
HerrPreuss，whohasrighttospeak，declaresthatthespiceofmockeryhasbeenexaggerated；andthatserioussenseisalwaystheaimbothofDocumentandofSigner。Preusshadawindfall；
12，000ofthesePieces，ormore，inalump，inthewayofgift；
whichfellonhimlikemanna，——andled，itissaid，tothoseFriedrichstudies，extensivefaithfulquarryingsinthatvastwildernessofslidingshingleandchaoticboulders。
"CoffeefollowsthisdespatchofEichelandConsorts；thedaynowone’sown。"Scandalousrumors，proseandverse，connectthemselveswiththisparticularepochoftheday；whichappeartobewhollyLIES。Ofwhichpresently。"Inthisafter—dinnerperiodfalltheliterarylabors，"saysPreuss:——afacilepen，thisKing’s；onlytwohoursofanafternoonallowedit，insteadofalldayandthetopofthemorning。"Aboutsix，orearliereven，cametheReader[LaMettrieoranother]，cameartists，camelearnedtalk。AtsevenisConcert，whichlastsforanhour；half—pasteightisSupper。"
[Preuss，i。344—347（and，withintermittencies，pp。356，361，363
&c。to376），abridged。]
DemonNewswritersays，oftheConcert:"Itismostlyofwind—
instruments，"Kinghimselfoftentakingpartwithhisflute；
"performersthebestinEurope。Hehasthree"——whatshallwecallthem？ofmalegender，——"acounter—alt，andMamsellAstrua，anItalian；theyareuniquevoices。Hecannotbearmediocrity。Itisbutseldomhehasanysinginghere。Tobeadmitted，needsthemostintimatefavor；nowandthensomeyoungLord，ofdistinction，ifhemeetwithsuch。"Concert，verywell；——butletusnow，suppressinganylittleabhorrences，hearhimonanothersubject:——
"Dinnerlastsonehour[saysourDemon，nobetterinformed]:
uponwhichtheKingreturnstohisApartmentwithbows。Itprettyoftenhappensthathetakeswithhimoneofhisyoungfellows。
Theseareallhandsome，likeapicture（FAITSAPEINDRE），andofthebeautifulestface，"——addshe，stillworseinformed；
poisonousmalicemixingitself，thistime，withthehumandarkness，andreducingittodiabolic。ThisDemon’sPaperaboundswithsimilarallusions；asdothemoredesperatesortofVoltaireutterances，——VIEPRIVEEtreatingitasknownfact；LetterstoDenisinoccasionalparoxysms，asrumorofdetestablenature，probablytrueofonewhoissodetestable，atleastsoformidable，toaguiltysinnerhisGuest。Others，nottobecalleddiabolical，asHerrDr。Busching，forexample，speakofitasathingcredible；
asgoodasknowntothewell—informed。And，beyondtheleastquestion，theredidathrice—abominablerumorofthatkindrun，whisperingaudibly，overalltheworld；andgainbelieffromthosewhohadappetite。Amostmelancholybusiness。Solacingtohumanenvy；——explainingalso，tothedarkhumanintellect，whythisKinghadcommonlynoWomenathisCourt。Amostmelancholyportionofmyraw—material，this；concerningwhich，sinceonemustspeakofit，hereiswhatlittleIhavetosay:——
1。ThatproofoftheNEGATIVE，inthisorinanysuchcase，isbythenatureofitimpossible。ThatitisindisputableFriedrichdidnotnowlivewithhisWife，norseemtoconcernhimselfwiththeempireofwomenatall；having，exceptnowandthenhisSistersandsomeForeignPrincessonshortvisit，nowomeninhisCourt；
andthoughagreatjudgeofFemalemerits，gracesandaccomplishments，seemstoworshipwomeninthatremotewayalone，andnotinanynearer。Whichoccasionedgreatastonishmentinaworldusedsomuchtothecontrary。Andgaverisetomanyconjecturesamongtheidleofmankind，"What，onEarth，orunderEarth，canbethemeaningofit？"——andamongothers，totheabovescandalousrumor，assomesolacementtohumanmaliceandimpertinentcuriosity。
2。Thatanoppositerumor——whichwouldindeedhavebeenprettyfataltothisone，butperhapsstillmoredisgracefulintheeyesofaDemonNewswriter——wasequallycurrent；andwasmuchelaboratedbythecuriousimpertinent。TillNicolaigotholdofit，inHerrDr。Zimmermann’sresponsiblehands；andconclusivelyknockeditonthehead。[SeeZimmermann’sFragmente，andNicolaipatientlypoundingittopowder（whoeveriscuriousonthisdisgustingsubject）。]
3"。That，forme，proofintheaffirmative，orprobableindicationthatway，hasnotanywhereturnedup。Nowhereforme，intheseextensiveminingsandsiftings。Nottheleastofprobableindication；butcontrariwise，hereandthere，ratherdefiniteindicationspointingdirectlytheoppositeway。[Forexample（"CORRESPONDENCEWITHFREDERSDORF"），OEuvres，
xxvii。iii。145。]Friedrich，inhisownutterancesandoccasionalrhymes，isabundantlycynical；nowandthenrisestoakindofepiccynicism，onthisverymatter。ButatnotimecanthepainfulcriticcallitcynicismasofOTHERthananobserver；alwaysakindofvinegarcleannessinit，EXCEPTintheory。Cynicismofanimpartialobserverinadirtyelement；observerepicallysensible（whenprovokedtoit）ofthebrutalcontemptibilitieswhichlieinHumanLife，alongsideofitsbigstruttingsandpretensions。
InFriedrich’sutterancesthereisthatkindofcynicismundeniable；——andyethehadamodestyalmostfemaleinregardtohisownperson；"noservanthavingeverseenhiminanexposedstate。"[Preuss，i。376。]WhichhadconsiderablystrengthenedrumorNo。2。OyepoorimpiousLong—eared，——Long—earedIwillcallyou，insteadofTwo—hornedandwithonlyOnehoofcloven！AmongthetragicalplatitudesofHumanNature，nothingsofillsaconsideringbrothermortalwithsorrowanddespair，asthisinnatetendencyofthecommoncrowdinregardtoitsGreatMen，whensoever，oralmostwhensoever，theHeavensdo，atlongintervals，vouchsafeus，astheirall—includingblessing，anythingofsuch！Practical"BLASPHEMY，"isitnot，ifyoureflect？Strangelypossiblethatsin，evennow。Andoughttobereligiouslyabhorredbyeverysoulthathastheleastpietyornobleness。Actnotthemutinousflunky，myfriend；thoughtherebegreatwagesgoinginthatline。
4。Thatinthesecircumstances，andtakingintoviewtheotherwiseknownqualitiesofthishighFellow—Creature，thepresentEditordoesnot，forhisownshare，valuetherumoratapin’sfee。
Andleavesit，andrecommendshisreaderstoleaveit，hangingbyitsownhead，inthesadsubterraneanregions，——till（probablynotforalongwhileyet）itdroptoafarDeeperanddolefulerRegion，outofourwayaltogether。
"Lamentable，yes，"commentsDiogenes；"andespeciallyso，thattheidlepublichasahankeringforsuchthings！Butaretherenoobscenedetailsatall，then？grumblesthedisappointedidlepublictoitself，somethingofreproachinitstone。Apublicidle—minded；
muchdepravedineveryway。Thus，too，youwillobserveofdogs:
twodogs，atmeeting，run，firstofall，totheshamefulpartsoftheconstitution；instituteastrictexamination，moreorlesssatisfactory，inthatdepartment。Thatoncesettled，theirinterestinulteriormattersseemsprettymuchtodieaway，andtheyarereadytopartagain，asfromaproblemdone。"——Enough，oh，enough！
PracticallywearegettingnogoodofourDemon；——andwilldismisshim，afteratasteortwomore。
ThisDemonNewswriterhas，evidently，neverbeentoPotsdam；
whichhefiguresastheabodeofhorridcruelty，akindofTartarusonEarth；——wherethereisadreadfulscarcityofwomen，foroneitem；lamentabletoone’smoralfeelings。Scarcitynothinglikesogreat，evenamongthesoldier—classes，astheDemonNewswriterimaginestohimself；norproductiveoftheresultslamented。
Prussiansoldiersarenotencouragedtomarry，ifitwillhurttheservice；nordotheirwivesmarchwiththeRegimentexceptinsuchproportionsastheremaybesewing，washingandthelikewomen’sworkfairlywantedintheirrespectiveCompanies:thePotsdamFirstBattalion，Iunderstand，ishardlypermittedtomarryatall。
Andinregardtolamentableresults，thatof"LIEBSTEN—SCHEINE，Sweetheart—TICKETS，"——oractualmilitarylegalizingofTemporaryMarriages，withregularprivilegesattached，andfixedrulestobeobserved，——mightperhapsbethenotablestpoint，andtheSEMI—
lamentablest，toamanordemoninthehabitoflamenting。
[Preuss，i。426。]Fortherest，aconsiderablydreadfulplacethisPotsdam，totheflaccid，esurientanddisorderlyofmankind；——"andstrictasFate[Demoncorrectforonce]ininexorablypunishingmilitarysins。
"ThisKing，"hesays，"hasagreatdealofESPRIT；muchlessofreal，knowledge（CONNAISSANCES）thanispretended。Heexcelsonlyinthemilitarypart；reallyexcellentthere。Hasafacileexpeditiouspenandhead；understandswhatyousaytohim，atthefirstword。Nottakingnorwishingadvice；neversufferingrepliesorremonstrances，notevenfromhisMother。PrettywellacquaintedwithWorksofESPRIT，whetherinProseorinVerse:burning[veryhotindeed]todistinguishhimselfbyperformanceofthatkind；