history of friedrich ii of prussia v 16-第49章
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themselves。'but what farther can he do?' In short; Konig speaks always in a clear business…like manful tone; the one person that makes a really respectful and respectable figure in this Controversy of the Infinitely Little。 A man whom; viewed from this quiet distance; it seems almost inconceivably absurd to have suspected of forging for so small an object。 Oh; my President; that DIRA REGNANDI CUPIDO!
〃Question is; however; What the Academy will do? One Member; 'the best Geometer among them' 'whose name is not given; but which the Berlin Academy should write in big letters across this sad Page of their Annals; by way of erasure to the same'; dissented from the high line of procedure; asserting Konig's innocence in this matter; nay; hinting agreement with Konig's opinion。 But was met by such a storm; that he withdrew from the deliberations; which henceforth went their own bad course; unanimous though slow。 And so the matter pendulates all through Winter; 1751…52; and was much the theme of idle men。〃
Voltaire heard of it vaguely all along; but not with distinctness till the end of July following。 As Spring advanced; Maupertuis had fallen ill of lungs;threatened with spitting of blood (〃owing to excess of brandy;〃 hints the malicious Voltaire; 〃which is fashionable at St。 Malo;〃 birthplace of Maupertuis);and could not farther direct the Academy in this affair。 The Academy needs no direction farther。 Here; very soon; for a sick President's consolation; is what the Academy decides on; by way of catastrophe:
THURSDAY EVENING; 13th APRIL; 1752; The Academy met; Curator Monsieur de Keith; presiding; about a score of acting Members present。 To whom Curator de Keith; as the first thing; reads a magnanimous brief Letter from our Perpetual President: 〃That; for two reasons; he cannot attend on this important occasion: First; because he is too ill; which would itself be conclusive; but secondly; and A FORTIORI; because he is in some sense a party to the cause; and ought not if he could。〃 Whereupon; Secretary Formey having done his Documentary flourishings; Curator Euler (great in Algebra; apparently not very great in common sense and the rules of good temper)reads considerable 〃Report;〃 'Is No。 1 of Maupertuisiana。 ' reciting; not in a dishonest; but in a dim wearisome way; the various steps of the Affair; as readers already know them; and concludes with this extraordinary practical result: 〃Things being so (LES CHOSES ETANT TELLES): the Fragment being of itself suspect 'what could Leibnitz know of Maxima and Minima? They were not developed till one Euler did it; quite in late years!'; ' Maupertuisians; No。 i。 22。' of itself suspect; and Monsieur Konig having failed to〃 &c。 &c。;〃it is assuredly manifest that his cause is one of the worst (DES PLUS MAUVAISES); and that this Fragment has been forged。〃 Singular to think! 〃And the Academy; all things duly considered; will not hesitate to declare it false (SUPPOSE); and thereby deprive it publicly of all authority which may have been ascribed to it〃 (HEAR; HEAR! from all parts)。
Curator de Keith then collects the votes;twenty…three in all; some sixteen are of working Members; two are from accidental Strangers (〃travelling students;〃 say the enemy); the rest from Curators of Quality:Vote is unanimous; 〃Adopt the Report。 Fragment evidently forged; and cannot have the least shadow of authority (AUCUNE OMBRE D'AUTHORITE)。 Forged by whom; we do not now ask; nor what the Academy could; on plain grounds; now do to Monsieur Konig 'NOT nail his ears to the pump; oh no!'; enough; it IS forged; and so remains。〃 Signed; 〃Curator de Keith;〃 and Six other Office…bearers; 〃Formey; Perpetual Secretary〃' closing the list。
At the name Keith; a slight shadow (very slight; for how could Keith help himself?) crosses the mind: 〃Is this; by ill luck; the Feldmarschall Keith?〃 No; reader; this is Lieutenant…Colonel Keith; he of Wesel; with 〃Effigy nailed to the Gallows〃 long since; whom none of us cares for。 Sulzer; I notice too; is of this long… eared Sanhedrim。 ACH; MEIN LIEBER SULZER; you don't know (do you; then?) DIESE VERDAMMTE RACE; to what heights and depths of stupid malice; and malignant length of ear; they are capable of going。 〃Thursday; 13th April;〃 this is Forger Konig's doom:and; what is observable; next morning; with a crash audible through Nature; the Powder…Magazine flew aloft; killing several persons! 'Supra; p。 203。' Had no hand; he; I hope; in that latter atrocity?
On authentic sight of this Sentence (for which Konig had at once; on hearing of it; applied to Formey; and which comes to him; without help of Formey; through the Public Newspapers) Konig; in a brief; proud enough; but perfectly quiet; mild and manful manner; resigns his Membership。 〃Ceases; from this day (June 18th; 1752); to have the honor of belonging to your Academy; 'an honor I had been the prouder of; as it came to me unasked;'and will wish; you; from the outside henceforth; successful campaigns in the field of Science。〃 ' Maupertuisiana; No。 iv。 129。' And sets about preparing his Pamphlet to instruct mankind on the subject。 Maupertuis; it appears; did write; and made others write to Konig's Sovereign Lady; the Dowager Princess of Orange; 〃How extremely handsome it would be; could her Most Serene Highness; a friend to Pure Science; be pleased to induce Monsieur Konig not to continue this painful Controversy; but to sit quiet with what he had got。〃 'Voltaire (infra)。' Which her Most Serene Highness by no mean thought the suitable course。 Still less did Konig himself; whose APPEAL TO THE PUBLIC; with DEFENCE OF APPEAL;reasonably well done; as usual; and followed and accompanied by the multitude of Commentators;appeared in due course。 '〃September; 1752; Konig's APPEL〃 (Preuss; in OEuvres de Frederic; xv。 60 n。)。' Till; before long; the Public was thoroughly instructed; and nobody; hardly the signing Curators; or thin Euler himself; not to speak of Perpetual Formey; who had never been strong in the matter; could well believe in 〃forgery〃 or care to speak farther on such a subject。 Subject gone wholly to the Stygian Fens; long since; 〃forgery〃 not now imaginable by anybody!
The rumor of these things rose high and wide; and the quantity of publishing upon them; quasi…scientifically and otherwise; in the serious vein and the jocose; was greater than we should fancy。 '〃Letter from a Marquis;〃 〃Letter from Mr。 T… to M。 S…〃 (Mr。 T。 lives in London;〃JE TRAVERSE LE Queen's Square; ET JE RENCONTRE NOTRE AMI D…: 'AVEZ…VOUS LA l'Appel au Public?' DIT…IL〃); 〃Letter by Euler in the Berlin Gazette;〃 &c。 &c。 (in Maupertuisiana )。' Voltaire; for above a month past; had been fully aware of the case (24th July; 1752; writing to Niece; 〃heard yesterday〃); not without commentary to oneself and others。 Voltaire; with a kind of love to Konig; and a very real hatred to Maupertuis and to oppression generally; took pen himself; among the others (Konig's APPEAL just out);could not help doing it; though he had better not! The following small Piece is perhaps the one; if there be one; still worth resuscitating from the Inane Kingdoms。 Appeared in the BIBLIOTHEQUE RAISONNEE (mild…shining Quarterly Review of those days); JULY…SEPTEMBER Number。
〃ANSWER FROM 'VERY PRIVATELY VOLTAIRE; CALLING HIMSELF' A BERLIN ACADEMICIAN TO A PARIS ONE。
〃BERLIN; 18th SEPTEMBER; 1752。 This is the exact truth; in reply to your inquiry。 M。 Moreau de Maupertuis in a Pamphlet entitled ESSAI DE COSMOLOGIE; pretended that the only proof of the Existence of God is the circumstance that AR+nRB is a Minimum。 'ONLY proof: ^??????^ (p。212 Book XVI)
VOILA!' He asserts that in all possible cases; 'Action is a Minimum;' what has been demonstrated false; and he says; 'He discovered this Law of Minimum;' what is not less false。
〃M。 Konig; as well as other Mathematicians; wrote against this strange assertion; and; among other things; M。 Konig cited some sentences of a Letter by Leibnitz; in which that great man says; He has observed 'that; in the modifications of motion; the Action usually becomes either a Maximum or else