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LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC MEN.

were the least favours shown me. The suppers vreredelightful. Unless I deceive myself, the conversadonwas full of wit and genius. The king displayed both ;and what is strange, I never at any repast enjoyedmore freedom. I studied two hours a day with hismajesty; I corrected his works, taking care to praisegreatly all that was good, while I erased all that wasbad. I gave him a reason in writing for all my emend-ations, which composed a work on rhetoric and poetryfor his use. He profited by it, and his genius was ofmore service to him than my lessons. I had no courtto pay, no visits to make, no duties to fulfil. 1 esta-blished myself on an independent footing, and I canconceive nothing more agreeable than my situation.”

With these feelings, it is not strange that he listenedto his royal friend’s request, that he should resign hisplaces in the court of France , and accept that of cham-berlain in Prussia, as well as a pension for his life andthat of his niece, and that he should permanently fix him-self in his royal friend’s dominions; yet, while he acceptedthese offers, he had many qualms. Madame Denis , hisneice , to whom he communicated his new plans, arguedwarmly against them. Her letter has not come down tous; but she evidently took a keen and true view of theannoyances and mortifications to which he might beexposed. She was acquainted with her uncle’s irritabletemper, — his unguarded conversation when carriedaway by the spirit of wit,—his vehemence when strug-gling against control. She felt, and truly, that aking accustomed to command was the last person toshow indulgence for such foibles when they clashedwith himself. She prophesied that Frederic .would, inthe end, be the death of his friend. Voltaire showedthis letter to the king, and he, in answer, wrote one tothe poet, the expressions of which won him entirely.“ How,” wrote Frederic, “ could I cause the unhap-piness of a man whom I esteem, whom I love, andwho sacrifices for me his country, and all that is dearto man ? I respect you as my master in eloquence, —