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• 1 media/Frederick William II, letter, 1770 Nov. 12, to Voltaire - 1.jpg term 2017-09-21T17:26:54-07:00 Frederick William II to Voltaire - 1770 November 12 8 See a translation of this letter. plain 2017-10-03T22:01:08-07:00                                                             Potsdam, this 12
                                                              November 1770
  
  1             I admire you, sir, since I began reading you, but I did not 
  2             think to tell you so, since you are too accustomed to this
  3             point of view on the part of your readers. I cannot nevertheless
  4             resist the desire that I have to thank you for your last
  5             brochure. I have seen with an extreme pleasure that the same
  6             pen that has been working for so long to strike super-
  7             stition and to reduce tolerance, is also taking charge
  8             of overthrowing the fatal principle of the System of Nature.
  9             No one is more capable than you to re-
  10           fute with success this unfortunate book; to discern falsehood
  11           and the monstrous among the excellent things that it includes,
  12           and to show how much the idea of ​​an intelligent and
  13           benevolent God is necessary for the general welfare of society, and for the particular
  14           happiness of man. You have already said it in
  15           many of your writings, but you will never say it too much.
  16                           Since I have allowed myself the pleasure to talk
  17           with you,  allow me sir, to ask you,
  18           solely to increase my knowledge, if, as you advance in age, you do not
  19           in any way change your ideas about the nature of
  20           the soul? Your latest books still have all the fire, the
  21           strength and the beauty of the Henriade; has your body
  22           also retained the vigor that it had at the time of the poem
  23           La Ligue[1]? I do not like to lose myself in metaphysical reasoning
  
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  24        but I foresee that you will not die entirely,
  25        and that a talent such as yours will not be annihilated.
  26                           I often regret Monsieur, when I read you,
  27           of not having been of age to enjoy the charms of
  28           your conversation during the time that you were here.
  29           I am not unaware of the fact that the late Prince of Prussia, my
  30           father, esteemed you personally; please
  31           believe that I inherited such feelings.
  32           I would embrace with pleasure any opportunity to provide you
  33           with evidence of this, and to convince you how very sincerely I am
  
                                                Sir
  
                                                               Your most affectionate
                                                               friend
  
                                                                              Frederick Willia[m]
                                                                                              Prince of Pru[ssia]
   

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  [1] La Ligue, ou Henry le Grand , poème épique par M. de Voltaire