great mind, but a small heart, and that is, after all, less his fault
than his Creator's. Why should we wish to punish him, when he is
innocent? Why should we demand of a great poet that he shall be a good
man? We will allow him to have a bad heart, he can account to Madame
Denis for that; and if we cannot love him, we can at least admire him
as a poet. We can forgive much wickedness in men, if it is redeemed by
great virtues."

"Ah, sire, that is very sad," sad D'Argens, "and could only be uttered
by one who had the most profound love or the greatest contempt for
mankind."

"Perhaps the two are combined in me," said the king. "As Christ said of
the Magdalen, 'She has loved much, much will be forgiven her,' so let us
say of Voltaire. He has written much, much will be forgiven him. He has
lately rendered an immortal service, for which I could almost love him,
were it possible to love him at all. He undertook with bold courage the
defence of the unhappy Jean Calas, who was murdered by fanatical French
priests. The priests, perhaps, will condemn him; we, however, honor
him."

"Did not your majesty do the same thing?" asked D'Argens. "Did you not
also take pity on the unhappy family of Jean Calas? Did you not send
them a considerable amount of money and offer them an asylum in your
dominions?"

"That I did, certainly; but what is that in comparison with what
Voltaire has done? He gave them the strength of his mind and his work,
his best possession, while I could only give them gold. Voltaire's gift
was better, more beautiful, and I will now take a vow for his sake, that
the persecuted and oppressed shall always find aid and protection in my
land, and that I will consider liberty of spirit a sacred thing as long
as I live. Freedom of thought shall be a right of my subjects. I will
call all free and liberal minded persons to come to me, for liberty of
thought brings liberty of will, and I prefer to rule a thinking people,
to a mass of thoughtless slaves, who follow me through stupid obedience.
Prussia shall be the land of liberty and enlightenment. The believers
and the unbelievers, the pietists and the atheists may speak alike
freely; the spirit of persecution shall be forever banished from
Prussia."

"Amen," cried D'Argens solemnly, as he glanced at the excited, beaming
countenance of the king. "The spirit of love and of freedom hears your
words, my king, and they will be written with a diamond-point in the
history