nto
dubiety, into oblivion, and been got well rid of. But this of the great
Leibnitz, touching on one's LAW OF THRIFT; and not only "discovering"
it, half a century beforehand, but discovering that it was not true: to
Leibnitz one must speak;--and the abstruse question is, What is one to
say? "Find me the original; let us be certain, first:" that you can say;
that is one dear point; and pretty much the only one. The rest, at
this time, as I conjecture, may have been not a little abstruse to the
Perpetual President!

And now, had the Perpetual President but stopped here, there might still
have rested a saving shadow of suspicion on Konig's Excerpt, That it
was not exact, that it might be wrong in some vital point:--"You never
showed me the Original, Monsieur!" Unluckily, the Perpetual President
did not stop. One cannot well fancy him believing, now or ever, that
Konig had forged the Excerpt. Most likely he had the fatal persuasion
that these were Leibnitz's words; and the question, What was to be said
or done, if the Original SHOULD turn up? might justly be alarming to
a Son of the Pure Sciences. But at this point a new door of escape
disclosed itself: "Where is the Original, I say!"--and he rushed, full
speed, into that; galloping triumphantly, feeling all safe.

"OCTOBER 7th (1751), Maupertuis summons his Academy: 'Messieurs, permit
me to submit a case perhaps requiring your attention. One of our number
dissents from your President's Discovery of the Law of Thrift; which
surely he is free to do: but furthermore he gives an Excerpt purporting
to be from Leibnitz; whereby it would appear that your President's
Discovery, sanctioned in your Acts as new, is not new, but Leibnitz's
(so far as it is good for anything),--possibly stolen, therefore; and,
at any rate, fifty-four years old. In self-defence, I have demanded to
see the Original of said Excerpt; and the Honorable Member in question
does not produce it. What say you?' 'Shame to him!' say they all
[there seem to be but few Scientific Members, and most of them, it
is insinuated, have Pensions from the King through their Perpetual
President];--and determine to make a Star-chamber matter of it!

"Accordingly, next day, OCTOBER 8th) Secretary Formey writes officially
to Konig, 'Produce that Letter within one month,'--and has got his
Majesty to order, That our Prussian Minister at the Hague shall take
charge of delivering such message, and shall mark on what day. Thing