d Icilius, however, to present to him some of the Leipsic
scholars and authors.

"I will present to your majesty the most renowned scholar and
philologist of Leipsic, Professor Gottsched, and the celebrated author,
Gellert," said Icilius, with great animation. "Which of the two will
your majesty receive first?"

"Bring me first the scholar and philologist," said the king, laughing.
"Perhaps the man has already discovered in this barbarous Dutch tongue
a few soft notes and turns, and if so, I am curious to hear them. Go,
then, and bring me Professor Gottsched. I have often heard of him, and I
know that Voltaire dedicated an ode to him. In the mean time I will read
a little in my Lucretius and prepare my soul for the interview with this
great Dutchman."

Icilius hastened off to summon the renowned professor to the king.

Gottsched, to whom, at that time, all Germany rendered homage, and who
possessed all the pride and arrogance of a German scholar, thought it
most natural that the king should wish to know him, and accepted the
invitation with a gracious smile. In the complete, heart-felt conviction
of his own glory, in the rigid, pedantic array of a magnificent,
long-tailed wig, the German professor appeared before the king. His
majesty received him in his short, simple, unostentatious manner, and
smiled significantly at the pompous manner of the renowned man. They
spoke at first of the progress of German philosophy, and the king
listened with grave attention to the learned deductions of the
professor, but he thought to himself that Gottsched understood but
little how to make his knowledge palatable; he was probably a learned,
but most certainly a very uninteresting man.

The conversation was carried on with more vivacity when they spoke
of poetry and history, and the king entered upon this theme with warm
interest.

"In the history of Germany, I believe there is still much concealed,"
said Frederick; "I am convinced that many important documents are yet
hidden away in the cloisters."

Gottsched looked up at him proudly. "Pardon, sire," said he, in
his formal, pedantic way. "I believe those can be only unimportant
documents. To my view, at least, there is no moment of German history
concealed--all is clear, and I can give information on every point!"

The king bowed his head with a mocking smile. "You are a great scholar,
sir; I dare not boast of any preeminence. I only know the history of the
German States writ