. "As good he as another," thought
Friedrich Wilhelm: "What is the use of these solemn fellows, in their
big perukes, with their crabbed X+Y's, and scientiflc Pedler's-French;
doing nothing that I can see, except annually the _Berlin Almanac,_
which they live upon? Let them live upon it, and be thankful; with
Gundling for their head man."

Academy of Sciences makes its ALMANAC, and some peculium of profit by
it; lectures perhaps a little "on Anatomy" (good for something, that,
in his Majesty's mind); but languishes--without encouragement during
the present reign. Has his Majesty no prize questions to propose, then?
None, or worse. He once officially put these learned Associates upon
ascertaining for him "Why Champagne foamed?" They, with a hidden vein
of pleasantry, required "material to experiment upon." Friedrich Wilhelm
sent them a dozen, or certain dozens; and the matter proved insoluble
to this day. No King, scarcely any man, had less of reverence for
the Sciences so called; for Academic culture, and the art of the
Talking-Schoolmaster in general! A King obtuse to the fine Arts,
especially to the vocal Arts, in a high degree. Literary fame itself he
regards as mountebank fame; the art of writing big admirable folios
is little better to him than that of vomiting long coils of wonderful
ribbon, for the idlers of the market-place; and he bear-baits his
Gundling, in this manner, as phosphorescent blockhead of the first
magnitude, worthy of nothing better.

Nay, it is but lately (1723 the exact year) that he did his
ever-memorable feat in regard to Wolf and his Philosophy, at Halle.
Illustrious Wolf was recognized, at that time, as the second greater
Leibnitz, and Head-Philosopher of Nature, who "by mathematical method"
had as it were taken Nature in the fact, and illuminated everything, so
that whosoever ran might read,--which all manner of people then tried
to do, but, have now quite ceased trying "by the Wolf-method:"--Immortal
Wolf, somewhat of a stiff, reserved humor, inwardly a little proud, and
not wanting in private contempt of the contemptible, had been accused of
heterodoxy by the Halle Theologians. Immortal Wolf, croakily satirical
withal, had of course defended himself; and of course got into a
shoreless sea of controversy with the Halle Theologians; pestering his
Majesty with mere wars, and rumors of war, for a length of time, from
that Halle University. [In Busching (_Beitrage,_ i. l-140) is rough
authen