and that all the
Princes of the Empire will always have recourse to that august
protection Most Christian Majesty's] CONTRA L'AQUILA GRIFAGNA,--were
the Prussian Kingship but abolished. Nota bene, if Luc were discomfited
this Year, we should have Peace next Winter." [_OEuvres de Voltaire,_
lxxix. 110 ("July, 1760").]

TO SUPREME CHOISEUL (a year later).... "He has been a bad man, this Luc;
and now, if one were to bet,--by the law of probability it would be 3
to 1 that Luc will go to pot (SERA PERDU), with his rhymings and his
banterings, and his injustices and politics, all as bad as himself."
[Ib. lxxx. 313 ("Chateau de Ferney, 13th July, 1761").]

VOLTAIRE ON SURROUNDING OBJECTS, CHIEFLY ON MAUPERTUIS, AND THE BATTLES.

TO D'ALEMBERT (in the Rossbach-Leuthen interval: on the Battle of
BRESLAU, 22d November, 1757; called by the Austrians "a Malplaquet," and
believed by Voltaire to be a Malplaquet and more). ... "The Austrians
do avenge us, and humble us [us, and our miserable Rossbachs], in a
terrible manner. Thirteen attacks on the Prussian intrenchments, lasted
six hours; never was Victory bloodier, or more horribly beautiful
[in the brain of certain men]. We pretty French fellows, we are more
expeditious, our job is done in five minutes. The King of Prussia is
always writing me Verses, now like a desperado, now like a hero; and
as for me, I try to live like a philosopher in my hermitage. He has
obtained what he always wished: to beat the French, to be admired by
them, to mock them; but the Austrians are mocking him in a very serious
way. Our shame of November 5th has given him glory; and with such glory,
which is but transient and dearly bought, he must content himself. He
will lose his own Countries, with those he has seized, unless the French
again discover [which they will] the secret of losing all their Armies,
as they did in 1741." [Ib. Lxxvii. 133, 134 ("Delices, 6th December,
1757," day after Leuthen).]

TO CLAIRAUT, THE MATHEMATICIAN (Maupertuis lately dead). An excellent
Treatise, this you have sent me, Monsieur! "Your war with the Geometers
on the subject of this Comet appears to me like a war of the gods in
Olympus, while on Earth there is going on a fight of dogs and cats....
Would to Heaven our friend Moreau-Maupertuis had cultivated his art
like you! That he had predicted comets, instead of exalting his soul
to predict the future; of dissecting the brains of giants to know the
nature of the sou