which was a Protestant and progressive State,
and fought against Austria, an empire clinging to obsolete ideas of
feudal military government. He brought upon himself much condemnation
for his unjust partition of Poland with Russia. He argued, however,
that Poland had hitherto been a barbaric feudal State, and must benefit
by association with countries of commercial and intellectual activity.
Galicia fell to Maria Theresa at the end of the war, and was likely to
remain in religious bondage.

Frederick II dealt many hard blows at the Holy Catholic Church, but he
did not intend to wage a religious war in Europe. He insisted on
toleration in Prussia though he was not himself a religious man, and
invited to his court that enemy of the old faith of France--Francois
Marie Arouet, better known as Voltaire, a title he derived from the
name of an estate in the possession of his family.

The French scholar came to Frederick after he had suffered every
persecution that inevitably assailed a fearless writer in an age of
narrow bigotry. Very soon after his appearance in Paris, Voltaire was
accused {157} of writing verses which recounted the evils of a country
where magistrates used their power to levy unjust taxes, and loyal
subjects were too often put in prison. As a consequence, he was thrown
into the Bastille. It was quite useless to protest that he was not the
author of _Je l'ai vu_ ("I have seen it"). His opinions were suspected
although he was but twenty-one and was under the protection of his
godfather, the Abbe Chateauneuf. Voltaire was philosopher enough to
use his year in the Bastille very profitably--he finished his first
great tragedy, _Oedipe_, and produced it in 1716, winning the
admiration of French critics.

Although Voltaire was now embarked on a brilliant career as a
dramatist, he was unjustly treated by his superiors in social rank. He
was the son of a notary of some repute, and was too rich to sue for
patronage, but nobles were offended by the freedom of the young wit,
who declared that a poet might claim equality with princes. "Who is
the young man who talks so loud?" the Chevalier Rohan inquired at an
intellectual gathering. "My lord," was Voltaire's quick reply, "he is
one who does not bear a great name but wins respect for the name he
has."

This apt retort did not please the Chevalier, who instructed his lackey
to give the poet a beating. Voltaire would have answered the insult
with his sword