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source of merriment at his supper table, where he hadno objection to turn his president into ridicule; but thepublication was quite another affair; by this he con-sidered his academy, and consequently himself, attacked;and he retaliated by a still more flagrant outrage. Hecaused the diatribe to be burnt by the hands of thehangman in the public square of Berlin. Voltaire hada right to be deeply incensed by this act. He did notattack the honour or morality of Maupertuis in hisdiatribe, but simply ridiculed his opinions; and though“ Akakia ” has only that slight merit, dependent on asso-ciations of the day, now lost, which rendered it amusingto a circle, and was not adapted for general readingnor posterity, still, as it was not libellous, the act of theking of Prussia was an insolent exertion of intolerabledespotism. He meant, perhaps, to break Voltaire ’s spiritby such an insult. Knowing that he could not return toParis, he fancied him at his mercy. Voltaire had,however, but one wish — to escape, and to feel himselfonce more free. On this outrage he instantly returned“the king’s baubles," as he called them, — the key ofchamberlain, his cross, and the brevet of his pension,—with these verses: —
** Je les re(?us avec tendresse,
Je les renvoie avec douleur,
Comme un amant, dans sa jalouse ardeur,
Rend le portrait de sa maitresse.”
Thus trying to soften the acquisition of his freedom toFrederic himself. He at the same time said that he wasill, and asked permission to drink the waters of Plom-bieres. The king, desirous of keeping him on his ownterms, replied by sending some bark, and, observing thatthere were as medicinal waters in Silesia as at Plom-bieres, refused permission for his journey.
Voltaire had but one other resource: he asked per-mission to see the king. They met, and the pleasurethey took in each other's society seemed at once to ob-literate the recollection of offence and w’rong. It is saidthat Voltaire appeared before the king with “Akakia"f 2