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• 1 media/vol-coll874-02-01-01~1.jpg term 2016-12-16T22:12:50-08:00 Frederick the Great to Voltaire - 1742 January 8 14 See a translation of this letter. plain 2017-11-18T23:05:14-08:00 52.5076682,13.2850565 1742 January 8

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  In Berlin[1] this 8 January 1742
  
  To Monsieur de Voltaire                                                                    
      E/
  1.                  My dear Voltaire; I owe you, to my great regret,
  2.                  two letters; I am so busy with
  3.                  important affairs that philosophers would call
  4.                  nonsense, that I cannot yet think of my pleasure,
  5.                  the only tangible good in this life. I imagine that God
  6.                  created donkeys, doric columns, and me to
  7.                  bear the burdens of this world where so many others are
  8.                  created to embellish it and to enjoy the goods that it
  9.                  produces.   Right now I am here arguing with about
  10.               twenty more or less dangerous Machiavellis,
  11.               and charming poetry waits at the door
  12.               without obtaining an audience. One individual talks to me of boundaries,
  13.               another of rights, another of compensations, a
  14.               third of auxiliaries, of marriage contracts, of debts
  15.               to pay, of intrigues to carry out, of recommendations,
  16.               of plans. People say that one has done a thing
  17.               about which I have never thought; someone presumes
  18.               that I shall be annoyed by an event that delights me,
  19.               someone writes from Mexico that one is about to attack
  20.               a person whom it is in my interest to handle with kid gloves; here one is
  21.               ridiculed, there one is criticized, a journalist
  22.               satirizes you, neighbors tear you to pieces, one and all
  23.               wish you gone to hell while overwhelming you with protestations
  24.               of friendship; this is the world, and these are the matters
  25.               that preoccupy me more or less. Would anyone wish to swap poetry for
  
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  26.               politics? The only similarity that can be found
  27.               between the two is that politicians and poets are
  28.               the playthings of the public and the object of satire not just by their colleagues
  29.               but very often by incompetent judges
  30.               incapable to decide on much less important subjects.
  31.                                 The day after tomorrow I shall depart for Remusberg[2], to take up once more
  32.               the crook and the lyre, and please Heaven may I never leave it again. 
  33.               I shall write to you from that pleasant solitude with more
  34.               peace of mind and perhaps Calliope
  35.               will inspire me again.  I'm all yours.
  36.                                                                                       Signed fédéric
  
   
       [Shelfmark: Rare fF840 V935 d]
   
   

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  [1] Berlin became the capital city of the Margraviate of Brandenburg (1417–1701) with the establishment there of the royal court. The start of the eighteenth century witnessed the elevation of Prussia to monarchic status. During the Kingdom of Prussia (1701–1918) the Kings made Berlin the centerpiece of culture and the arts, as well as of the Army.  For more information see: Berlin.
   

  [2] “Remusberg” refers to Rheinsberg Palace which is located on the eastern shore of Lake Grienericksee, in the municipality of Rheinsberg, about 100 kilometres (62 mi) northwest of Berlin in the German district of Ostprignitz-Ruppin.  For more information see Frederick’s Rheinsberg Palace.
• 1 media/vol-coll874-02-01-01~1.jpg 2017-06-10T10:08:12-07:00 Frederick the Great to Voltaire - 1742 January 8 - Transcription 3 See a transcription of this letter. plain 2017-06-10T10:11:52-07:00

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  a Berlin ce 8 janvier 1742[1]
  
  A Monsieur de Voltaire                                                                                           
    E/
  1.                  Mon cher Voltaire; je vous dois deux léttres a
  2.                  mon grand regret, et je me trouve si occupé par de
  3.                  grandes affaires que des philosophes appélleraient des
  4.                  Bïlvesées, que Je puis encore penser à mon plaisir
  5.                  le seul solide bien de la vie;  Je m'imagine que Dieu
  6.                  à Creé les Anes, les Colonnes Doriques, et moy, pour
  7.                  porter le faix dece [sic] monde, où tant d'autres êtres sont
  8.                  Creés pour l'Embellir et pour Jouir des biens qu'il
  9.                  produit; à présent me voila à argumenter avec une
  10.               vingtaines de Machiavels plus où moins Dangereux,
  11.               et l'aimable poësie attend devant la porte ne
  12.               trouvant pas d'audiance, l'un me parle de Limites,
  13.               l'autre de droits, un autre d'indemnisations, un
  14.               troisième d'auxiliaire, de contrats de mariages, de Déttes
  15.               à payer, d'intrigues à faire, de recommandations
  16.               de Dispositions; on dit que vous avés fait telle chose
  17.               à la quelle Je n'ay Jamais pensé, on suppose que
  18.               vous prendrés mal Tel événement dont je me réjouis
  19.               l'on écrit du Mexique que vous allés[2] attaquer un
  20.               tel; que mon intérêt est de mènager; l’on vous tourne
  21.               en ridicule, icy l'on vous Critique, un gazetier fait
  22.               votre satire, les voisins vous déchirent, un chacun vous
  23.               souhaite au Diable, en vous accablant de protestations
  24.               d'amitié; voilà le monde, et tels sont les matieres en gros
  25.               qui m'occupent; Avés vous envie de troquer la poësie pour
  
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  26.               la politique? la seule ressemblance qui se trouve
  27.               de l'un à l'autre est que les politiques et les poëtes sont
  28.               le Jouët du public et l'objet de la satire de leurs confrères,
  29.               et très souvent des Juges très Incompétents[3] et peu en
  30.               état de Décider sur de bien moindres sujets.
  31.                                 Je pars après demain pour Remusberg, reprendre
  32.               la houlétte et la Lire, veuille le ciel, pour \ne/  les quitter
  33.               Jamais. Je vous Écrirai de cette douce solitude avec plus
  34.               de tranquilité d'Esprit et et [sic][4] peut être caliope
  35.               m'inspirera t’elle encore, Je suis tout a vous,
  36.                                                   Signé fédéric
   
  
       [Shelfmark: Rare fF840 V935 d]
   

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  [1] This manuscript (Hoose) is the second of two manuscripts identified in both EE and OCV (Letter ID: D2578).  It is described as a “copy of original document: old transcription.”
  In EE’s “Manuscript Instances”, the first manuscript is described as a “copy made for Mme Denis” and located at the Voltaire Institute and Museum, Geneva, Collection Theodore D. N. Besterman, MS FD, Foliation: pp. 168-169.  
  For corresponding print instances available in our USC collection, see:  Kehl: vol. 65, pp. 90-91; OCV: vol. 92, pp. 155-156.
   

  [2] It looks like the scribe had initially written “alléa” and then corrected the word by writing “s” over the final “a”.
   

  [3] The capital letters “J” and “I” were interchangeable for the most part during this time period. In the case of this word, “Jncompétents”,  we have chosen to use the modern standard spelling, “Incompétents” for clarity.
   

  [4] The scribe has written the word “et” twice, perhaps because the first “et” was afflicted with an ink blob, making it difficult to read.