ing
to see one of his Daughters married in the next Town. You shall drive:
we take the shortest road for the Saxon Border; safe there, we sell
chariot, horses, hay; then straight to Leipzig, by post.' At which
point, or soon after, he burst into laughing." [Collini, p. 53.]

VOLTAIRE TO FRIEDRICH ("Berlin, Belvedere," rural lodging, ["In the
STRALAUER VORSTADT (HODIE, Woodmarket Street):" Preuss's Note to this
Letter,--OEuvres de Frederic,--xxii. 306 n.] "12th March," 1753). "Sire,
I have had a Letter from Konig, quite open, as my heart is. I think it
my duty to send your Majesty a duplicate of my Answer.... Will submit to
you every step of my conduct; of my whole life, in whatever place I end
it. I am Konig's friend; but assuredly I am much more attached to your
Majesty; and if he were capable the least in the world of failing in
respect [as is rumored], I would"--Enough!

FRIEDRICH RELENTS (To Voltaire; De Prades writing, Friedrich covertly
dictating: no date). "The King has held his Consistory; and it has
there been discussed, Whether your case was a mortal sin or a venial?
In truth, all the Doctors owned that it was mortal, and even exceedingly
confirmed as such by repeated lapses and relapses. Nevertheless, by the
plenitude of the grace of Beelzebub, which rests in the said King, he
thinks he can absolve you, if not in whole, yet in part. This would be,
of course, in virtue of some act of contrition and penitence imposed
on you: but as, in the Empire of Satan, there is a great respect had of
genius, I think, on the whole, that, for the sake of your talents, one
might pardon a good many things which do discredit to your heart. These
are the Sovereign Pontiff's words; which I have carefully taken down.
They are a Prophecy rather." [--OEuvres de Frederic,--xxii. 307.]

VOLTAIRE TO DE PRADES ("Belvedere, 15th March," 1753). "Dear Abbe,--Your
style has not appeared to me soft. You are a frank Secretary of
State:--nevertheless I give you warning, it is to be a settled point
that I embrace you before going. I shall not be able to kiss you; my
lips are too choppy from my devil of a disorder [SCURVY, I hear]. You
will easily dispense with my kisses; but don't dispense, I pray you,
with my warm and true friendship.

"I own I am in despair at quitting you, and quitting the King; but it is
a thing indispensable. Consider with our dear Marquis [D'Argens], with
Fredersdorf,--PARBLEU, with the King himself, How you can manage