history of friedrich ii of prussia v 16-第22章

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　made　of　himself　in　the　Expensive…Mummery　department：　and　I　could　give　in　extreme　detail　the　phenomena　of　it；　but；　in　mercy　to　poor　readers；　will　not。　Fancy　the　assiduous　hammering　and　sawing　on　the　Schloss…Platz；　amid　crowds　of　gay　loungers；　giving　cheerful　note　of　preparation；　in　those　latter　days　of　August；　1750。　And；　on　WEDNESDAY　NIGHT；　25th　AUGUST；　look　and　see；for　the　due　moments　only；　and　vaguely　enough　（as　in　the　following　Excerpt）：

PALACE…ESPLANADE　OF　BERLIN；　25th　AUGUST；　1750　（dusk　sinking　into　dark）：　〃Under　a　windy　nocturnal　sky；　a　spacious　Parallelogram；　enclosed　for　jousting　as　at　Aspramont　or　Trebisond。　Wide　enough　arena　in　the　centre；　vast　amphitheatre　of　wooden　seats　and　passages；　firm　carpentry　and　fitted　for　its　business；　rising　all　round；　Audience；　select　though　multitudinous；　sitting　decorous　and　garrulous；　say　since　half…past　eight。　There　is　royal　box　on　the　ground…tier；　and　the　King　in　it；　King；　with　Princess　Amelia　for　the　prizes：　opposite　to　this　is　entrance　for　the　Chevaliers；four　separate　entrances；　I　think。　Who　come；lo；　at　last！with　breathings　and　big　swells　of　music；　as　Resuscitations　from　the　buried　Ages。

〃They　are　in　four　'Quadrilles；'　so　termed：　Romans；　Persians；　Carthaginians；　Greeks。　Four　Jousting　Parties；　headed　each　by　a　Prince　of　the　Blood：with　such　a　splendor　of　equipment　for　jewels；　silver　helmets；　sashings；　housings；　as　eye　never　saw。　Prancing　on　their　glorious　battle…steeds　（sham…battle；　steeds　not　sham；　but　champing　their　bits　as　real　quadrupeds　with　fire　in　their　interior）：how　many　in　all；　I　forgot　to　count。　Perhaps；　on　the　average；　sixty　in　each　Quadrille；　fifteen　of　them　practical　Ritters；　the　rest　mythologic　winged　standard…bearers；　blackamoors；　lictors；　trumpeters　and　shining　melodious　phantasms　as　escort；of　this　latter　kind　say　in　round　numbers　Two　Hundred　altogether；　and　of　actual　Ritters　threescore。　＇Blumenthal；　　Life　of　De　Ziethen　　（Ziethen　was　in　it；　and　gained　a　prize）；　i。　257…263　et　seq。；　Voltaire's　LETTERS　to　Niece　Denis　　（　OEuvres；　　lxxiv。　174；　179；　198）；and　two　contemporary　4tos　on　the　subject；　with　Drawings　&c。；　which　may　well　continue　unknown　to　every　reader。＇　Who　run　at　rings；　at　Turks'　heads；　and　at　other　objects　with　death…doing　lance；　and　prance　and　flash　and　career　along：　glorious　to　see　and　hear。　Under　proud　flourishings　of　drums　and　trumpets；　under　bursts　and　breathings　of　wind…music；　under　the　shine　of　Forty　Thousand　Lamps；　for　one　item。　All　Berlin　and　the　nocturnal　firmament　looking　on；night　rather　gusty；　'which　blew　out　many　of　the　lamps；'　insinuates　Hanway。

〃About　midnight；　Beauty　in　the　form　of　Princess　Amelia　distributes　the　prizes；　Music　filling　the　air；　and　human　'EUGE'S；'　and　the　surviving　lamps；　doing　their　best。　After　which　the　Principalities　and　Ritters　withdraw　to　their　Palace；　to　their　Balls　and　their　Supper　of　the　gods；　and　all　the　world　and　his　wife　goes　home　again；　amid　various　commentary　from　high　and　low。　'JAMAIS；　Never；'　murmured　one　high　Gentleman；　of　the　Impromptu　kind；　at　the　Palace　Supper…table：

　　　'Jamais　dans　Athene　et　dans　Rome　　　　　　　On　n'eut　de　plus　beaux　jours；　ni　de　plus　digne　prix。　　　　　　　J'ai　vu　le　fils　de　Mars　sous　les　traits　de　Paris；　　　　　　　　　　　　　Et　Venus　qui　donnait　la　pomme。'〃　　　＇Never　in　Athens　or　Rome　were　there　braver　sights　or　a　worthier　prize：　I　have　seen　the　son　of　Mars　＇King　Friedrich＇　with　Paris's　features；　and　Venus　＇Amelia＇　crowning　the　victorious。〃　（　OEuvres　de　Voltaire；　　xviii。　320。＇

And　Amphitheatre　and　Lamps　lapse　wholly　into　darkness；　and　the　thing　has　finished；　for　the　time　being。　August　27th；　it　was　repeated　by　daylight：　if　possible；　more　charming　than　ever；　but　not　to　be　spoken　of　farther；　under　penalties。　To　be　mildly　forgotten　again；　every　jot　and　tittle　of　it；except　one　small　insignificant　iota；　which；　by　accident；　still　makes　it　remarkable。　Namely；　that　Collini　and　the　Barberinas　were　there；　and　that　not　only　was　Voltaire　again　there；　among　the　Princes　and　Princesses；　but　that　Collini　saw　Voltaire；　and　gives　us　transient　sight　of　him；thanks　to　Collini。　Thursday；　27th　August；　1750；　was　the　Daylight　version　of　the　Carrouse1；　which　Collini；　if　it　were　of　any　moment；　takes　to　have　PRECEDED　that　of　the　40；000　Lamps。　Sure　enough　Collini　was　there；　with　eyes　open：

〃Madame　de　Cocceji　＇so　one　may　call　her；　though　the　known　alias　is　Barberina＇　had　engaged　places；　she　invited　me　to　come　and　see　this　Festivity。　We　went；〃　and　very　grand　it　was。　〃The　Palace…Esplanade　was　changed〃　by　carpentries　and　draperies　〃into　a　vast　Amphitheatre；　the　slopes　of　it　furnished　with　benches　for　the　spectators；　and　at　the　four　corners　of　it　and　at　the　bottom；　magnificently　decorated　boxes　for　the　Court。〃　Vast　oval　Amphitheatre；　the　interior　arena　rectangular；　with　its　Four　Entrances；　one　for　each　of　the　Four　Quadrilles。　〃The　assemblage　was　numerous　and　brilliant：　all　the　Court　had　come　from　Potsdam　to　Berlin。

〃A　little　while　before　the　King　himself　made　appearance；　there　rose　suddenly　a　murmur　of　admiration；　and　I　heard　all　round　me；　from　everybody；　the　name　'Voltaire！　Voltaire！'　Looking　down；　I　saw　Voltaire　accordingly；　among　a　group　of　great　lords；　who　were　walking　over　the　Arena；　towards　one　of　the　Court　Boxes。　He　wore　a　modest　countenance；　but　joy　painted　itself　in　his　eyes：　you　cannot　love　glory；　and　not　feel　gratefully　the　prize　attached　to　it；〃　attained　as　here。　〃I　lost　sight　of　him　in　few　instants；〃　as　he　approached　his　Box　〃the　place　where　I　was　not　permitting　farther　view。〃　＇Collini；　　Mon　Sejour；　　p。　21。＇

This　was　Collini's　first　sight　of　that　great　man　（DE　CE　GRAND　HOMME）。　With　whom；　thanks　to　Barberina；　he　had；　in　a　day　or　two；　the　honor　of　an　Interview　（judgment　favorable；　he　could　hope）；　and　before　many　months；　Accident　also　favoring；　the　inexpressible　honor　of　seeing　himself　the　great　man's　Secretary；how　far　beyond　hope　or　aspiration；　in　these　Carrousel　days！

Voltaire　had　now　been　here　some　Seven　Weeks；arrived　10th　July；　as　we　often　note；after　（on　his　own　part）　a　great　deal　of　haggling；　hesitating　and　negotiating；　which　we　spare　our　readers。　The　poor　man　having　now　become　a　Quasi…Widower；　painfully　rallying；　with　his　whole　strength；　towards　new　arrangements；now　was　the　time　for　Friedrich　to　urge　him：　〃Come　to　me！　Away　from　all　that　dismal　imbroglio；　hither；　I　say！〃　To　which　Voltaire　is　not　inattentive；　though　he　hesitates；　cannot；　in　any　case；　come　without　delay；　lingers　in　Paris；　readjusting　many　things；　the　poor　shipwrecked　being；　among　kind　D'Argentals　and　friends。　Poor　Ishmael；　getting　gray；　and　his　tent　in　the　desert　suddenly　carried　off　by　a　blast　of　wind！

To　the　legal　Widower；　M。　le　Marquis；　he　behaves　in　money　matters　like　a　Prince；　takes　that　Paris　Domicile；　in　the　Rue　Traversiere；　all　to　himself；　institutes　a　new　household　there；Niece　Denis　to　be　female　president。　Niece　Denis；　widow　without　encumbrances；　whom　in　her　married　state；　wife　to　some　kind　of　Commissariat…　Officer　at　Lille；　we　have　seen　transiently　in　that　City；　her　Uncle　lodging　with　her　as　he　passed。　A　gadding；　flaunting；　unreasonable；　would…be　fashionable　female（a　Du　Chatelet　without　the　grace　or　genius；　and　who　never　was　in　love　with　you！）with　whom　poor　Uncle　had　a　baddish　life　in　time　coming。　All　which　settled；　he　still　lingers。　Widowed；　grown　old　and　less　adventurous！　'That　House　in　the　Rue　Traversiere；　once　his　and　Another's；　now　his　alone；for　the　time　being；　it　is　probably　more　like　a　Mausoleum　than　a　House　to　him。　And　Versailles；　with　its　sulky　Trajans；　its　Crebillon　cabals；　what　charm　is　in　Versailles？　He　thinks　of　going　to　Italy　for　a　while；　has　never　seen　that　fine　Country：　of　going　to　Berlin　for　a　while：　of　going　to　　In　fact；　Berlin　is　clearly　the　place　where　he　will　land；　but　he　hesitates　greatly　about　lifting　anchor。　Friedrich　insists；　in　a　bright；　bantering；　kindly　way；　〃You　were　due　to　me　a　year　ago；　you　said　always；　'So　soon　as　the　lying…in　is　over；　I　am　yours：'and　now；　why　don't　you　come？〃

Friedrich；　since　they　met　last；　has　had　some　experiences　of　Voltaire；　which　he　does　not　like。　Their　roads；　trulyone　adulating　Trajan　in　Versailles；　and　growing　great　by　〃Farces　of　the　Fair；〃　the　other　battling　for　his　existence