Ahaha, I thought about answering with this, too. :D
Additionally, I wondered if Fritz' line might be a very veiled Voltaire reference, because in the "are the talents of the mind not preferable?" letter to Duhan from 1736, I left out that Fritz changed a couple of verses of the Henriade to express a similar sentiment (minus the self-complimentary exaggeration):
I owe you everything, master, I must admit it; And if for a little virtue Europe praises me, It's to you, dear Duhan, to you that I owe it, etc.
(Henriade: I owe him everything, madame, I must admit it: And if for a little virtue Europe praises me, If Rome has even often esteemed my exploits, It is to you, illustrious shadow, to you that I owe it.)
-- The way the opinionated (and intensely Fritz fannish) German translator keeps arguing with the French editor he's translating via footnote is indeed hilarious
Right? They are both quite opinionated really, which makes it fun.
Editor: Introduction* *Translator: Here I'm sparing you some comments on vanity and the transigence of glory which have nothing to do with anything.
Editor, second sentence of the introduction: In this book you'll see an example of the king's orginal character before his correspondence with Voltaire and d'Alembert changed him irrevocably!* *Translator: Totally disagree, d'Alembert only became a thing after the 7 Years War, can be disregarded, and Voltaire only changed the king's literary taste and character.
Also, the rumours: There seems to have been one going around that Seckendorff helped get Hanau (the secret library librarian) out of exile after only a few months? I don't know anything about this, but: Editor: This totally shows that Seckendorff did his utmost to help the Crown Prince's cause!* *Translator: I think this was only a rumour, Friedrich himself wrote that Seckendorff caused lots of trouble for him! Editor: It is therefore quite strange that the King wrote about Seckendorff as he did.* *Translator: It's even stranger that the editor feels the need to accuse the king of ungratefulness. Total bullshit.
Finally, I couldn't help but smile at this quote from the editor: The way the King called for Duhan right after he ascended the throne is incomparable. Algarotti in retrospect: Weeell....
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Re: Fritz-Duhan Follow-Up
Date: 2020-11-17 11:01 am (UTC)Additionally, I wondered if Fritz' line might be a very veiled Voltaire reference, because in the "are the talents of the mind not preferable?" letter to Duhan from 1736, I left out that Fritz changed a couple of verses of the Henriade to express a similar sentiment (minus the self-complimentary exaggeration):
I owe you everything, master, I must admit it;
And if for a little virtue Europe praises me,
It's to you, dear Duhan, to you that I owe it, etc.
(Henriade: I owe him everything, madame, I must admit it:
And if for a little virtue Europe praises me,
If Rome has even often esteemed my exploits,
It is to you, illustrious shadow, to you that I owe it.)
--
The way the opinionated (and intensely Fritz fannish) German translator keeps arguing with the French editor he's translating via footnote is indeed hilarious
Right? They are both quite opinionated really, which makes it fun.
Editor: Introduction*
*Translator: Here I'm sparing you some comments on vanity and the transigence of glory which have nothing to do with anything.
Editor, second sentence of the introduction: In this book you'll see an example of the king's orginal character before his correspondence with Voltaire and d'Alembert changed him irrevocably!*
*Translator: Totally disagree, d'Alembert only became a thing after the 7 Years War, can be disregarded, and Voltaire only changed the king's literary taste and character.
Also, the rumours: There seems to have been one going around that Seckendorff helped get Hanau (the secret library librarian) out of exile after only a few months? I don't know anything about this, but:
Editor: This totally shows that Seckendorff did his utmost to help the Crown Prince's cause!*
*Translator: I think this was only a rumour, Friedrich himself wrote that Seckendorff caused lots of trouble for him!
Editor: It is therefore quite strange that the King wrote about Seckendorff as he did.*
*Translator: It's even stranger that the editor feels the need to accuse the king of ungratefulness. Total bullshit.
Finally, I couldn't help but smile at this quote from the editor: The way the King called for Duhan right after he ascended the throne is incomparable.
Algarotti in retrospect: Weeell....