history of friedrich ii of prussia v 16-第48章
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oke for our LAW OF THRIFT; the 〃at last conclusive Proof〃 of an Intelligent Creator; as the Perpetual President had fancied it! 〃So…ho; what is this! My Discovery an Error? And Leibnitz discovered it; so far as true?〃
〃May 28th…8th OCTOBER; 1751。 Maupertuis; compressing himself what he can; writes to Konig: 'Very good; Monsieur。 But please inform me where is that Letter of Leibnitz's; I have never seen or heard of it before;and I want to make use of it myself。' To which Konig answers: 'Henzi gave it me; in Copy 'unfortunate Conspirator Henzi; who lost his head three years ago; by sentence of the Oligarch Government at Berne': 'Government by 〃The Two Hundred;〃 of Select… Vestry nature; very stiff; arbitrary and become rife in abuses; against whom had risen angry mutterings more than once; and in 1749 a Select Plot (not select ENOUGH; for they discovered it in time)。 Poor Ex…Captain Henzi; 〃Clerk *of the Salt…Office;〃 most frugal; studious and quiet of men; a very miracle; It would appear; of genius; solid learning; philosophy and piety;not the chief or first of the conspirators; but by far the most distinguished;was laid hold of; July 2d; 1749; and beheaded; with another of them; a day or two after。 Much bewailed in a private way; even by the better kinds of people。 (Copious account of him in Adelung; vii。 86…91。)'he; poor fellow; had no end of Papers and Excerpts; had; as we know; above a hundred volumes of the latter kind; this; and some other Letters of Leibnitz's; among them;I send you the whole Letter; copied faithfully from his Copy。' '〃The Hague; 26th June;〃 in Maupertuisiana; No。 iv。 130。' To that effect; still in perfect good…humor; was Konig's reply to his Maupertuis。
〃'Hm; Copy? By Henzi?' grumbles Maupertuis to himself:'Search in Berne; then; it must be there; if anywhere!' To Konig Maupertuis answers nothing: but sulkily resolves on having Search made;and; to give solemnity to the matter; requests his Excellency Marquis de Paulmy; the French Ambassador at Berne; to ask the Government there;Government having seized all Henzi's Papers; on beheading him。 Excellency Paulmy does; accordingly; make inquiry in the highest quarter; some inquiries up and down。 Not the least account of this; or of any Leibnitz Letter; to be had from among Henzi's Papers;the 'hundred volumes;' seemingly; exist no longer; Original of this Leibnitz Piece is nowhere。 For eight months the highest Authorities have been looking about (with one knows not what vivacity or skill in searching); and have found nothing whatever。〃 Stage second of the Business finishes in this manner。
How lucky for the Perpetual President; had he stopped here! To Konig and the common contradiction of sinners he could have opposed; as it was apparently his purpose to do; an Olympian silence; 〃Pshaw!〃 Whereby the small matter; interesting to few; would have dropped gently into dubiety; into oblivion; and been got well rid of。 But this of the great Leibnitz; touching on one's LAW OF THRIFT; and not only 〃discovering〃 it; half a century beforehand; but discovering that it was not true: to Leibnitz one must speak;and the abstruse question is; What is one to say? 〃Find me the original; let us be certain; first:〃 that you can say; that is one dear point; and pretty much the only one。 The rest; at this time; as I conjecture; may have been not a little abstruse to the Perpetual President!
And now; had the Perpetual President but stopped here; there might still have rested a saving shadow of suspicion on Konig's Excerpt; That it was not exact; that it might be wrong in some vital point: 〃You never showed me the Original; Monsieur!〃 Unluckily; the Perpetual President did not stop。 One cannot well fancy him believing; now or ever; that Konig had forged the Excerpt。 Most likely he had the fatal persuasion that these were Leibnitz's words; and the question; What was to be said or done; if the Original SHOULD turn up? might justly be alarming to a Son of the Pure Sciences。 But at this point a new door of escape disclosed itself: 〃Where is the Original; I say!〃and he rushed; full speed; into that; galloping triumphantly; feeling all safe。
〃OCTOBER 7th (1751); Maupertuis summons his Academy: 'Messieurs; permit me to submit a case perhaps requiring your attention。 One of our number dissents from your President's Discovery of the Law of Thrift; which surely he is free to do: but furthermore he gives an Excerpt purporting to be from Leibnitz; whereby it would appear that your President's Discovery; sanctioned in your Acts as new; is not new; but Leibnitz's (so far as it is good for anything); possibly stolen; therefore; and; at any rate; fifty…four years old。 In self…defence; I have demanded to see the Original of said Excerpt; and the Honorable Member in question does not produce it。 What say you?' 'Shame to him!' say they all 'there seem to be but few Scientific Members; and most of them; it is insinuated; have Pensions from the King through their Perpetual President';and determine to make a Star…chamber matter of it!
〃Accordingly; next day; OCTOBER 8th) Secretary Formey writes officially to Konig; 'Produce that Letter within one month;'and has got his Majesty to order; That our Prussian Minister at the Hague shall take charge of delivering such message; and shall mark on what day。 Thing serious; you see!Prussian Minister at the Hague delivers; and dockets accordingly。 To Konig's astonishment; who is in a scene of deep trouble at this time; Royal Highness the Stadtholder suddenly dead; or dying: 'died October 22d; leaving a very young Heir; and a very sorrowful Widow and Country。' Much to think of; that lies apart from the Maupertuis matter! Which latter; however; is so very serious too; his Prussian Majesty's Minister at Berne is now charged to make new perquisition for the Leibnitz Original there: In short; within one month that Document is peremptorily wanted at Berlin。〃
High proceedings these;and calculated to have one result; if no other。 Namely; that; at this point; as readers can fancy; the idler Public; seeing a street…quarrel in progress; began to take interest in the Question of MINIMUM; and quasi…scientific gentlemen to gather round; and express; with cheery capable look; their opinions;still legible in the vanished JUGEMENS LIBRES (of Hamburg); GAZETTE DE SAVANS (Leipzig); and other poor Shadows of JOURNALS; if you daringly evoke them from the other side of Styx。 Which; the whole matter being now so indisputably extinct; shadowy; Stygian; we will not here be guilty of doing; but hasten to the catastrophes; that have still a memorability。
〃Konig; having in fact nothing more to say about the Leibnitz Excerpt; was in no breathless haste to obey his summons; he sat almost two months before answering anything。 Did then write however; in a friendly strain to Maupertuis (December 10th; 1751)。 ' Maupertuisiana; No。 iv。 132。' Almost on which same day; as it chanced; the ACADEMIE; after two months' dignified waiting; had in brief terms repeated its order on Konig。 'December 11th; 1751 (Ib。 137)。 To which Konig makes no special answer (having as good as answered the day before);but does silently send off to Switzerland to make inquiries; and does write once or twice more; when there is occasion for explaining;always in a clear; sonorous; manfully firm and respectful tone: 'That he himself had; or has; no kind of reason to doubt the authenticity of the Leibnitz Letter; that to himself (and; so far as he can judge; to Maupertuis) the question of its authenticity is without special interest;he; Konig; having thrown it in as a mere marginal illustration; which decides nothing; either for or against the Law of Thrift。 That he has; in obedience to the Academy; caused search to be made in Switzerland; especially at Basel; where he judged the chance might lie; but that of this particular Letter nothing has come to light; that he has two other Leibnitz Letters; of indifferent tenor; in the late Henzi's hand; if these will serve in aught; ' Maupertuisiana; No。 iv。 155; and ib。 172…192; the two Letters themselves。'but what farther can he do?' In short; Konig speaks always in a clear business…like man