History of Friedrich II of Prussia V 11 [50]
auspices, as in effect finished; and that
his Majesty has left it on a satisfactory footing, and may safely
turn his back on it, to wait the sure issue at Berlin before long.
WHAT VOLTAIRE THOUGHT OF HERSTAL.
Voltaire told us he himself "did one Manifesto, good or bad," on
this Herstal business:--where is that Piece, then, what has become
of it? Dig well in the realms of Chaos, rectifying stupidities
more or less enormous, the Piece itself is still discoverable;
and, were pieces by Voltaire much a rarity instead of the reverse,
might be resuscitated by a good Editor, and printed in his WORKS.
Lies buried in the lonesome rubbish-mountains of that
Helden-Geschichte,--let a SISTE VIATOR, scratched on
the surface, mark where. [Ib. ii. 98-98.] Apparently that is the
Piece by Voltaire? Yes, on reading that, it has every internal
evidence; distinguishes itself from the surrounding pieces, like a
slab of compact polished stone, in a floor rammed together out of
ruinous old bricks, broken bottles and mortar-dust;--agrees, too,
if you examine by the microscope, with the external indications,
which are sure and at last clear, though infinitesimally small;
and is beyond doubt Voltaire's, if it were now good for much.
It is not properly a Manifesto, but an anonymous memoir published
in the Newspapers, explaining to impartial mankind, in a legible
brief manner, what the old and recent History of Herstal, and the
Troubles of Herstal, have been, and how chimerical and "null to
the extreme of nullity (NULLES DE TOUT NULLITE)" this poor
Bishop's pretensions upon it are. Voltaire expressly piques
himself on this Piece; [Letter to Priedrich: dateless, datable
"soon after 17th September;" which the rash dark Editors have by
guess misdated "August; "or, what was safer for them, omitted it
altogether. OEuvres de Voltaire (Paris,
1818, 40 vols.) gives the Letter, xxxix. 442 (see also ibid. 453,
463); later Editors, and even Preuss, take the safer course.]
brags also how he settled "M. de Fenelon [French Ambassador at the
Hague], who came to me the day before yesterday," much out of
square upon the Herstal Business, till I pulled him straight.
And it is evident (beautifully so, your Majesty) how Voltaire
busied himself in the Gazettes and Diplomatic circles, setting
Friedrich's case right; Voltaire very loyal to Friedrich and his
Liege Cause at that time;--and the contrast between what his
contemporary Letters say on the subject, and what his ulterior
Pasquil called VIE PRIVEE says, is again great.
The dull stagnant world, shaken awake by this Liege adventure,
gives voice variously; and in the Gazetteer and Diplomatic circles
it is much criticised, by no means everywhere in the favorable
tone at this first blush of the business. "He had written an ANTI-
Machiavel," says the Abbe St. Pierre, and even says Voltaire (in
the PASQUIL, not the contemporary LETTERS), "and he acts thus!"
Truly he does, Monsieur de Voltaire; and all men, with light upon
the subject, or even with the reverse upon it, must make their
criticisms. For the rest, Borck's "2,000 arguments" are there;
which Borck handles well, with polite calm rigor: by degrees the
dust will fall, and facts everywhere be seen for what they are.
As to the high-flying Bishop, finding that hysterics are but
wasted on Friedrich and Borck, and produce no effect with their
2,000 validities, he flies next to the Kaiser, to the Imperial
Diet, in shrill-sounding Latin obtestations, of which we already
gave a flying snatch: "Your HUMILISSIMUS and FIDELISSIMUS
VASSALLUS, and most obsequient Servant, Georgius Ludovicus;
meek, modest, and unspeakably in the right: Was ever Member of the
Holy Roman Empire so snubbed, and grasped by the windpipe, before?
Oh, help him, great Kaiser, bid the iron gripe loosen itself!"
[ Helden-Geschichte, ii, 86-116.] The Kaiser
does so, in heavy Latin rescripts, in German DEHORTATORIUMS more
than one, of a sulky, imperative, and indeed very
his Majesty has left it on a satisfactory footing, and may safely
turn his back on it, to wait the sure issue at Berlin before long.
WHAT VOLTAIRE THOUGHT OF HERSTAL.
Voltaire told us he himself "did one Manifesto, good or bad," on
this Herstal business:--where is that Piece, then, what has become
of it? Dig well in the realms of Chaos, rectifying stupidities
more or less enormous, the Piece itself is still discoverable;
and, were pieces by Voltaire much a rarity instead of the reverse,
might be resuscitated by a good Editor, and printed in his WORKS.
Lies buried in the lonesome rubbish-mountains of that
Helden-Geschichte,
the surface, mark where. [Ib. ii. 98-98.] Apparently that is the
Piece by Voltaire? Yes, on reading that, it has every internal
evidence; distinguishes itself from the surrounding pieces, like a
slab of compact polished stone, in a floor rammed together out of
ruinous old bricks, broken bottles and mortar-dust;--agrees, too,
if you examine by the microscope, with the external indications,
which are sure and at last clear, though infinitesimally small;
and is beyond doubt Voltaire's, if it were now good for much.
It is not properly a Manifesto, but an anonymous memoir published
in the Newspapers, explaining to impartial mankind, in a legible
brief manner, what the old and recent History of Herstal, and the
Troubles of Herstal, have been, and how chimerical and "null to
the extreme of nullity (NULLES DE TOUT NULLITE)" this poor
Bishop's pretensions upon it are. Voltaire expressly piques
himself on this Piece; [Letter to Priedrich: dateless, datable
"soon after 17th September;" which the rash dark Editors have by
guess misdated "August; "or, what was safer for them, omitted it
altogether.
1818, 40 vols.) gives the Letter, xxxix. 442 (see also ibid. 453,
463); later Editors, and even Preuss, take the safer course.]
brags also how he settled "M. de Fenelon [French Ambassador at the
Hague], who came to me the day before yesterday," much out of
square upon the Herstal Business, till I pulled him straight.
And it is evident (beautifully so, your Majesty) how Voltaire
busied himself in the Gazettes and Diplomatic circles, setting
Friedrich's case right; Voltaire very loyal to Friedrich and his
Liege Cause at that time;--and the contrast between what his
contemporary Letters say on the subject, and what his ulterior
Pasquil called VIE PRIVEE says, is again great.
The dull stagnant world, shaken awake by this Liege adventure,
gives voice variously; and in the Gazetteer and Diplomatic circles
it is much criticised, by no means everywhere in the favorable
tone at this first blush of the business. "He had written an ANTI-
Machiavel," says the Abbe St. Pierre, and even says Voltaire (in
the PASQUIL, not the contemporary LETTERS), "and he acts thus!"
Truly he does, Monsieur de Voltaire; and all men, with light upon
the subject, or even with the reverse upon it, must make their
criticisms. For the rest, Borck's "2,000 arguments" are there;
which Borck handles well, with polite calm rigor: by degrees the
dust will fall, and facts everywhere be seen for what they are.
As to the high-flying Bishop, finding that hysterics are but
wasted on Friedrich and Borck, and produce no effect with their
2,000 validities, he flies next to the Kaiser, to the Imperial
Diet, in shrill-sounding Latin obtestations, of which we already
gave a flying snatch: "Your HUMILISSIMUS and FIDELISSIMUS
VASSALLUS, and most obsequient Servant, Georgius Ludovicus;
meek, modest, and unspeakably in the right: Was ever Member of the
Holy Roman Empire so snubbed, and grasped by the windpipe, before?
Oh, help him, great Kaiser, bid the iron gripe loosen itself!"
[
does so, in heavy Latin rescripts, in German DEHORTATORIUMS more
than one, of a sulky, imperative, and indeed very