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soft palliations to disfigure the truth.”* This lettershows that Frederic believed himself to he in the right,and had conceived a had opinion of his friend. We allknow the height to which misunderstandings can risewhen fostered hy malicious and interested persons.We cannot wonder that men of quick tempers likeFrederic and Voltaire should disagree; but it was tobe lamented that they made their pettish quarrels aspectacle for all Europe .
Voltaire had now a new life to fix upon. He waseager to secure his entire independence. The tran-quillity he had at first enjoyed in Prussia made himfeel the value of peace. This he could never find inhis own country, and he henceforth looked upon ex-patriation as the only means of securing his tranquillity.Chance assisted him in forming the choice of an abode,which, from the independence it afforded, placed himin a high and dignified position in the eyes of allEurope . He had at first entertained the plan of esta-blishing himself in Alsatia , in which province hespent two years, after leaving Prussia, occupied inwriting the annals of the empire ; hut he was disturbedhy the attacks of the Jesuits , who were angry becausethey had failed in an endeavour to convert him. Hefound that he could not visit Paris with safety; andhe hesitated where to establish himself. Meanwhile,his health being, as ever, bad, he was advised to trythe waters of Aix, in Savoy.
In his way thither he passed through Lyons. Car-dinal Tencin refused to receive him, on account of his
* When the correspondence was renewed between Frederic and Voltaire ,they could not help alluding to the past, and their expressions show thateach thought himself in the right. Voltaire says, “ I am unutterably sur-prised when you write that 1 have spoken harshly to you. For twenty yearsyou were my idol, *je Vai fit a la terre,au del, d Guzman mime; butyour trade of hero, and your situation of king, do not render the dispositiontender: It is i pity, for your heart was made for kindness; and were it notfor heroism and a throne, you would have been the most amiable man inthe world.” Frederic replied, with greater force, ” I well know that Iadored you a» long as I thought you neither mischievous nor malicious :but you have played me so many tricks, of all kinds. Let us say no more;I have pardor.ed you. After all, you have done me more good than ill. Iam more amused by your works, than hurt by your scratches.”
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