The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1855-05-16

changed. " oltaire, too, was soon at
war with the other men of letters who
surrounded the king and this irritated
Frederick, who, however, had himself
chiefly to blame for, from that love of
tormentipg, which was in him ruling
passion, he was perpetually lavishing ex-
travagant praises on small men and bad
books He did 30 merely that he might
enjoy the rage ard modification which
on such occasionsssy oltaire took no pains
to conceal. His majesty, however, soon
had reasons to regret the pains he had
taken to kindle jealousy among the mem
bers of hi. household The whole palace
was in torment with literary intrigues
and cabals. It was to no purpose that
the imperial voice, which kept hun
dred and.,sixty thousand soldiers in Or
der, has raised to quiet the contentious
of the exasperated wits. 1t was far
easier to stir up such storm than to lull
it. Nor was Frederick, in his capacity
of wit, by any means without his own
share of vexations He had sent large
quantity ofverses to Voltaire, and re-
quested that they might be returned
with remarks and corrections
"See! exclaimed Voltaire, what, a
quantity of his dirty linen the king has
sent me to wash" Talebearers were
not wanting to carry the sareasm to the
royal ear, and Frederick was as much
incensed as Grub street writer who
had found his name in the Dunciad
This could not last A circumstance
which, when the mutual regard of the
friends was in its first glow, would mere
ly have been matter for laughter, pro
duced violent explosion. Maupertius
enjoyed as much of Frsdrick's good will
as any man of letters. He was Presi-
dent of the Academy of Berlin, and
stood second to Voltsire, thought at an
immen distance, in the literary society
which had assembled at the Prusian
court. Fredrick had, by playing for his
own amusement on the feelings of the
two jealous and vain glorious French
men, succeeded in producing bitter en-
nifty between them. Voltaire had re-
solved to set his mark, never to be sffac-
ed, on the forehead of Maupertius; and
wrote the exquisitiveiy ludicrous diatribe
of Doctor Akakia. He showed this lit.
tie piece to Frederick, who had too much
taste and too much malice not to relish
such delicious pleasantly In truth,
ever at this time of day, it is not easy
for any one who has the least PERCEPTION
of the ludicrous to read the jokes on the
Latin city, the Patagonians, and the
hole in the center of the earth, without
laughing till he cries. But though
Fredrick was diverted at this charming
pasquinade, he was unwilling that it
should get abroad. His self-loVe was
interested. He had selected Mauper-
thus to fill the chair of his, Academy
If all Europe were taught to laugh at
Maupertins, would not the reputation of
the Academy, would not even the dig
nifty of its royal patron be in some de-
gree compromised ? The King, there
fore, begged Veltaria to suppress his
performance. Voltaire promised to do
so, and broke his word. The diatribe
was published, and received with shouts
of merriment and applause by all who
could 1ead the French language. The
king stormsd ! Voltaire, with his usual
disregard for truth, protested his inno-
cence, and made up lie about printer
or an amanuensis. The king was not so
to be imposed upon. He ordered the
pamphlet to be burnt by the common
hangman, and insisted on having an apol
ogy from Voltaria' couched in the most
abject terms Voltaire, sent back to the
king his cross, his key, aud the patent of
his pension. After this burst of rage,
the strange pair began to be ashamed of
their violence, and went through the
form of reconciliation. But the breach
was irreparabls. Voltaire took his
leave of Frederick forever. They part
ed with cold civility, but their hearts
were big with resentment. Voltairs
had in his keeping volume of the
kings poetry, and forgot to return it
This was, we believe, merely one of the
oversights which men setting upon jour
ney often commit. That Voltaire could
have meditated plagiarism is quite in
credible. He would not. We are conf
dent, for the half of Frederick's kingdom
have consented to father Frederick's
verses. The king, however, who rated
his own writings much above their real
value, and who was inclined to see all
Voltaire's actions in their worst light,
compositions we're in the hands of an
enemy as thievish as daw and as mis-
ohievous as a monkey. In the anger ex-
cited by this thought, he lost sight of
reason and decency, and determined on
committing an outrage at once odious
and ridiculous.
| Voltaire had reached Frankfort. His
neice, Madame Denis,, came thither to
meet him. He conceived himself secure
from the power of his late master, when
he was arrested by order of the Prussian
resident. The precious volume was de-
livered up. But the Prusian agents had