Berlin Wednesday ye ¹²⁄₂₃ Sept: 1750
My Dear Fox,
J returnd to this place about ten days ago And from the instant of my going to Warsaw to this moment I have hardly had time to take my natural rest.
And the Messenger that carrys this letter to Hanover carrys a dispatch that I have just finishd, (and as all our dispatches are now double, one for the King & one for the Regency) it consists of one hundred & forty pages in Folio. So that while I write this Harry is correcting & my secretary copying, & both of them coming every moment to me for instruction, which will make this a very disjoynted letter but perhaps not the worse for that:
I was much charmd with the residence that I made at Warsaw. And vexd to return hither. But Here I am trying to do all I can to merit the kings approbation & I suppose I shall do as well as anybody Else. But I assure you that any body Else can do as well here as I can. For what can one do in a Court where you never see the king & where no Minister ever speaks to me either about business or any other matters.
Since then I cant as yet inform you much about this Court I will try to divert you with it. The king of Prussia Keeps and pays them very well about as many Wits as the King of Poland does Buffoons But as some of His Polish Majesty Buffoons are Wits, so most of His Prussian Majestys Wits are Buffoons. Voltaire is here in high glory. He has resignd all His Employments in France and the King of Prussia has made him one of his Chamberlains, has given him the Order of Merit, Five thousand Dollars per ann: Pension for life & after his death two thousand of them revert to a Neice that He has for her life. He has just wrote a Tragedy call'd Rome Sauvé founded on the story of Catilines Conspiracy. He has given it me to read. I dont like the whole But there is one scene in it between Cæsar & Catiline that is delightfull. Both Characters unmask themselves and are well drawn. But the Catastrophe is intollerable & contradicts all History For Tully gives the command of the army against Catiline To Cæsar: Who goes off the stage to take the command & comes back in five minutes to tell the senate that He has overcome Catiline. Since my reading this Play I have seen it acted & the Part of Tully perform'd by Voltaire. He acts with great spirit. But the rest of the actors were designd by Nature to have nothing to do upon the stage but to snuff the Candles. The Wits residing at and ado[r]ning the Court of Berlin at Present are Voltaire, Maupertuis, Algarotti (in disgrace), D'Argens (author of the Lettres Juifs), D'Arget, La Metrye, D'Arnaud, & that great Traveller Pollinitz. These His Prussian Majesty calls Les Hussars de sa Table. Where He says they Quarrel, attack & call names but nothing more. The true Reason of Voltaires being in such great favour and so well paid at Present is, That the king of Prussia having Printed a Pompous Edition of his own Works in three Voll: in Quarto Is going to do by them as He did by his Antimachiavel and to submit them to Voltaires correction. Voltaire, who is vainer than any other Frenchman, cant help bragging of this & as I was sitting with him the other morning He shewd me the Books corrected and in some places totally alterd by his own hand. He added that tho He woud employ all his pains about them yet He wish'd with all His heart they were thrown into the Fire. I am trying every way to get at these books but as yet I have no great hopes of success.
An Accident that has happend here has given occasion to Voltaire to make the enclosd Verses. The accident was that one Monperni, a French gentleman, was ill here of a Fever & grew light Headed & in his Frenzy call'd for a Priest to administer the Sacrament to him. But before the Priest arrivd the sick man imagine[d] that He had sent for an Apothecary to give him a Clyster so when the Jesuit came to the bedside with the Hostie Monperni threw off the Bedcloaths and turnd his arse towards the Jesuit bidding do his office. You may be sure the oddness of the story has causd much mirth in this Place. But Voltaire is very angry that Copys of his Verses are gone abroad & says it will ruin him in France….
Adieu may Dearest Friend, J hope Lady Caroline, & he sometimes remember me. I beg my constant services to both. I shall talk of Her Ladyship's Polish Dress in my next. I am ever Entirely yours
CHW.