history of friedrich ii of prussia v 16-第25章
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Librarian at the Hague; more leisure and more money; he has made a run to Berlin;chiefly or entirely to see his Maupertuis again; whom he still remembers gratefully as his first Patron in older times; and a man of sound parts; though rather blusterous now and then; A little bit of scientific business also he has with him。 Konig is Member of the Berlin Academy; for some years back; and there is a thing he would speak with the Perpetual President upon。 〃Wants nothing else in Berlin;〃 says Formey: a hearing by the road that Maupertuis was not there; he had actually turned homewards again: but got truer tidings; and came on。〃 The more was the pity; as perhaps will appear! 〃He arrived September 20th 'if you will be particular on cheese…parings'; called on me that day; being lodged in my neighborhood; and next day; found Maupertuis at home;〃 'Formey; i。 176…179。'and flew into his arms again; like a good boy long absent。
Maupertuis; not many months ago; had; in Two successive Papers; I think Two; communicated to the Academy a Discovery of Metaphysico… Mathematical or altogether Metaphysical nature; on the Laws of Motion;Discovery which he has; since that; brought to complete perfection; and sent forth to the Universe at large; in his sublime little Book of COSMOLOGY; 'In La Beaumelle; Vie de Maupertuis (Paris; 1856); pp。 105…130; confused account of this 〃Discovery;〃 and of the gradual Publication of it to mankind;very gradual; first of all in the old Paris times; in the Berlin ACADEMY latterly; and in fine; to all the world; in this ESSAI DE COSMOLOGIE (Berlin; Summer of 1750)。'grateful Academy striving to admire; and believe; with its Perpetual President; that the Discovery was sublime to a degree; second only to the flattening of the Earth; and would probably stand thenceforth as a milestone in the Progress of Human Thought。 〃Which Discovery; then?〃 Be not too curious; reader; take only of it what shall concern you!
It is well known there have been; to the metaphysical head; difficulties almost insuperable as to How; in the System of Nature; Motion is? How; in the name of wonder; it can be; and even; Whether it is at all? Difficulties to the metaphysical head; sticking its nose into the gutter there;not difficult to my readers and me; who can at all times walk across the room; and triumphantly get over them。 But stick your nose into any gutter; entity; or object; this of Motion or another; with obstinacy;you will easily drown; if that be your determination!Suffice it for us to know in this matter; that Maupertuis; intensely watching Nature; has discovered; That the key of her enigma (or at least the ultimate central DOOR; which hides all her Motional enigmas; the key to WHICH cannot even be imagined as discoverable!) is; that 〃Nature is superlatively THRIFTY in this affair of motion;〃 that she employs; for every Motion done or do…able; 〃a MINIMUM OF ACTION;〃 and that; if you well understand this; you will; at least; announce all her procedures in one proposition; and have found the DOOR which leads to everything。 Which will be a comfort to you; still looking vainly for the key; if there is still no key conceivable。
Perpetual President Maupertuis; having surprised Nature in this manner; read Papers upon it to an Academy listening with upturned eyes; new Papers; perfected out of old;for he has long been hatching these Phoenix…eggs; and has sent them out complete; quite lately; in a little Book called COSMOLOGIE; where alone I have had the questionable benefit of reading them。 Grandly brief; as if coming from Delphi; the utterance is; loftily solemn; elaborately modest; abstruse to the now human mind; but intelligible; had it only been worth understanding:a painful little Book; that COSMOLOGIE; as the Perpetual President's generally are。 〃Minimum of Action; LOI D'EPARGNE; Law of Thrift;〃 he calls this sublime Discovery;thinks it will be Sovereign in Natural Theology as well: 〃For how could Nature be a Save…all; without Designer present?〃and speaks; of course; among other technical points; about 〃VIS VIVA; or Velocity multiplied by the Square of the Time:〃 which two points; 〃LOI D'EPARGNE;〃 and that 〃the VIS VIVA is always a Minimum;〃 the reader can take along with him; I will permit him to shake the others into Limbo again; as forgettable by human nature at this epoch and henceforth。
In La Beaumelle's Vie de Maupertuis (printed at last; Paris; 1856; after lying nearly a century in manuscript; an obtuse worthless leaden little Book); there is much loud droning and detailing; about this COSMOLOGIE; this sublime 〃Discovery;〃 and the other sublime Discoveries; Insights and Apocalyptic Utterances of Maupertuis; though in so confused a fashion; it is seldom you can have the poor pleasure of learning exactly when; or except by your own severe scrutiny; exactly what。 For reasons that will appear; certain of those Apocalyptic Utterances by Perpetual President Maupertuis have since got a new interest; and one has actually a kind of wish to read the IPSISSIMA VERBA of them; at this date! But in La Beaumelle (his modern Editor lying fast asleep throughout) there is no vestige of help。 Nay Maupertuis's own Book; ' OEuvres de Maupertuis; Lyon; 1756; 4 vols。 4to。' luxurious cream…paper Quartos; or Octaves made four…square by margin;which you buy for these and the cognate objects;proves altogether worthless to you。 The Maupertuis Quartos are not readable for their own sake (solemnly emphatic statement of what you already know; concentrated struggle to get on wing; and failure by so narrow a miss; struggle which gets only on tiptoe; and won't cease wriggling and flapping); and then (to your horror) they prove to be carefully cleaned of all the Maupertuis…VOLTAIRE matter; edition being SUBSEQUENT to that world…famous explosion。 CAVEAT EMPTOR。Our Excerpt proceeds:
〃Industrious Konig; like other mathematical people; has been listening to these Oracles on the 'Law of Minimum;' by the Perpetual President; and grieves to find; after study; That said Law does not quite hold; that in fact it is; like Descartes's old key or general door; worth little or nothing; as Leibnitz long ago seems to have transiently recognized。 Konig has put his strictures on paper: but will not dream of publishing; till the Perpetual President have examined them and satisfied himself; and that is Konig's business at present; as he knocks on Maupertuis; while Sol is crossing the Line。 Maupertuis has a House of the due style: Wife a daughter of Minister Borck's (high Borcks; 'old as the DIUVEL'); no children;his back courts always a good deal dirty with pelicans; bustards; perhaps snakes and other zoological wretches; which sometimes intrude into the drawing…rooms; otherwise very fine。 A man of some whims; some habits; arbitrary by nature; but really honest; though rather sublimish in his interior; with red Wig and yellow bottom。
〃Konig; all filial gladness; is received gladly;though; by degrees; with some surprise; on the paternal part; to find Konig ripened out of son; client and pupil; into independent posture of a grown man。 Frankly certain enough about himself; and about the axioms of mathematics。 Standing; evidently; on his own legs; kindly as ever; but on these new terms;in fact rather an outspoken free…and…easy fellow (I should guess); not thinking that offence can be taken among friends。 Formey confesses; this was uncomfortable to Maupertuis; in fact; a shock which he could not recover from。 They had various meetings; over dinner aud otherwise; at the Perpetual President's; for perhaps two weeks at this time (dates all to be had in Formey's Note…book; if anybody would consult); in the whole course of which the shock to the Perpetual President increased; instead of diminishing。 Republican freedom and equality is evidently Konig's method; Konig heeds not a whit the oracular talent or majestic position of Maupertuis; argues with the frankest logic; when he feels dissent;drives a majestic Perpetual President; especially in the presence of third parties; much out of patience。 Thus; one evening; replying to some argument of the Perpetual President's; he begins: 'My poor friend; MON PAUVRE AMI; don't you pe