Nicolai gives is that he grew up in Fritz' Prussia, all the ideas he has about enlightenment etc. were formed there, he would not be who he became without Fritz. Aw.
That is an awww! <3
The condoling letter is very Fritz (in a mild way way, I hasten to add): we must all die, alas, be a philosopher, accept it, even though I totally feel your pain as a tender mother, live for me, you are the happiness of my life.
Yep, that's him. I've been rereading the Fritz/Suhm correspondence, and spotting even more instances of this, from each of them to the other (i.e. Fritz learned it from somewhere, and as we've seen, Wilhelmine and Suhm were both really big on it).
Nicolai admits D'Argens was an excentric and a hypochondriac, but chides the people laughing at the Marquis for all the clothing he put on himself
Look, it's not the putting on the clothes, it's the not taking them off! Remember this Boswell anecdote:
He had worn a flannel under-waistcoat four years and durst not take it off for fear of catching cold. The King drove out one fear by another, and told him that if he persisted to wear that waistcoat, his perspiration would be entirely stopped, and he must inevitably die. The marquis agreed to quit his waistcoat. But it had so fixed itself upon him that pieces of his skin came away with it.
the Marquise was with D'Argens till his death and still lives in Provence as an honored part of his family. (Correct. Also, we've seen EC reply to her condolence letter upon Fritz' death, remember?)
Now that you remind me, yes, I do remember!
Only partially false stories, though, Nicolai?
Lol, that was my reaction too! That's kind of damning with faint praise...
He boasted about correcting the King's writings, which as D'Argens has assured me wasn't true, except for individual words or sayings very occasionally
But, but, didn't you turn up this evidence of a pretty thorough betaing job?!
Thus, the King hasn't been wrong to have taken these copies from him in Frankfurt, for otherwise even more of them would have become known.
Remind me why that would have been bad, Nicolai? Maybe because they were SATIRIZING ALL OF EUROPE?? :P
he's also sure that Fritz had resolved never to make jokes at D'Argens' expense again
I severely doubt this.
Nicolai argues that the fact Fritz kept corresponding with D'Argens throughout his greatest trial, the 7 Years War, on a nearly daily basis shows how close the two men were
This I'll give you.
and how Fritz trusted him more than any other
Uh. Well, I guess Fredersdorf and Wilhelmine are dead after 1758, but...Heinrich? Trusted with military and personal confidences! General and therapist rolled into one. :P
also that people peeping through keyholes (?!) saw repeatedly that D'Argens took off his two caps which he was otherwise wearing all the time before reading the letters.
That's...cute, but also I share your ?! at how this information reached us.
Lol, that was my reaction too! That's kind of damning with faint praise...
Condemming with faint denial?
But, but, didn't you turn up this evidence of a pretty thorough betaing job?!
I most definitely did. Also, it keeps coming up in their correspondence. Yes, when I read that, I thought, the Marquis does protest too much. (Or Nicolai does, at any rate.) Generally speaking, it's fairly obvious that Voltaire himself, Maupertuis and La Mettrie weren't the only ones who were jealeous of Fritz' time, attention and regard, with D'Argens being a big case in point as well. Still, denying that Voltaire used to be beta Fritz' writings while not denying he's bottoming for the occasional hot page is certainly a choice...
and how Fritz trusted him more than any other
Uh. Well, I guess Fredersdorf and Wilhelmine are dead after 1758, but...Heinrich? Trusted with military and personal confidences! General and therapist rolled into one. :P
Indeed. If D'Argens got letters every second day, Heinrich sometimes got them twice a day, as Ziebura pointed out. Granted, Heinrich couldn't offer gossip about Émilie's love life, but still.
Also, for all that Nicolai emphasizes that D'Argens, unlike SOME PEOPLE, never ever betrayed Fritz' trust by telling stories about him, linking Felis with Casanova has reminded me of this bit in the memoirs from when Casanova is visiting D'Argens in France:
When I had fully regained my strength, I went to see the Marquis d'Argens and President d'Eguilles to say my goodbyes. After lunch I spent three hours with the learned old gentleman, who told me a hundred stories from the private life of the Prussian king, all of which could be published as anecdotes as soon as I have the time and inclination. He was a ruler of great qualities and great flaws, like almost all great men; but the totality and gravity of his faults were less.
Okay, to be fair, "private life" could mean nothing more indiscreet than stories about how Fritz took his coffee, but it also happens to be the title of a certain pamphlet, wasn't it?
He had worn a flannel under-waistcoat four years and durst not take it off for fear of catching cold. The King drove out one fear by another, and told him that if he persisted to wear that waistcoat, his perspiration would be entirely stopped, and he must inevitably die. The marquis agreed to quit his waistcoat. But it had so fixed itself upon him that pieces of his skin came away with it.
Ha! Thank you for reminding me! (I did remember it once you brought it up.)
Uh. Well, I guess Fredersdorf and Wilhelmine are dead after 1758, but...Heinrich? Trusted with military and personal confidences! General and therapist rolled into one. :P
Everyone forgets about Heinrich! Probably because there can't be two suns in a firmament :PPPP
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Re: The Sanssouci Table Round (aka Nicolai, Volume I, a)
Date: 2021-02-26 02:53 pm (UTC)That is an awww! <3
The condoling letter is very Fritz (in a mild way way, I hasten to add): we must all die, alas, be a philosopher, accept it, even though I totally feel your pain as a tender mother, live for me, you are the happiness of my life.
Yep, that's him. I've been rereading the Fritz/Suhm correspondence, and spotting even more instances of this, from each of them to the other (i.e. Fritz learned it from somewhere, and as we've seen, Wilhelmine and Suhm were both really big on it).
Nicolai admits D'Argens was an excentric and a hypochondriac, but chides the people laughing at the Marquis for all the clothing he put on himself
Look, it's not the putting on the clothes, it's the not taking them off! Remember this Boswell anecdote:
He had worn a flannel under-waistcoat four years and durst not take it off for fear of catching cold. The King drove out one fear by another, and told him that if he persisted to wear that waistcoat, his perspiration would be entirely stopped, and he must inevitably die. The marquis agreed to quit his waistcoat. But it had so fixed itself upon him that pieces of his skin came away with it.
the Marquise was with D'Argens till his death and still lives in Provence as an honored part of his family. (Correct. Also, we've seen EC reply to her condolence letter upon Fritz' death, remember?)
Now that you remind me, yes, I do remember!
Only partially false stories, though, Nicolai?
Lol, that was my reaction too! That's kind of damning with faint praise...
He boasted about correcting the King's writings, which as D'Argens has assured me wasn't true, except for individual words or sayings very occasionally
But, but, didn't you turn up this evidence of a pretty thorough betaing job?!
Thus, the King hasn't been wrong to have taken these copies from him in Frankfurt, for otherwise even more of them would have become known.
Remind me why that would have been bad, Nicolai? Maybe because they were SATIRIZING ALL OF EUROPE?? :P
he's also sure that Fritz had resolved never to make jokes at D'Argens' expense again
I severely doubt this.
Nicolai argues that the fact Fritz kept corresponding with D'Argens throughout his greatest trial, the 7 Years War, on a nearly daily basis shows how close the two men were
This I'll give you.
and how Fritz trusted him more than any other
Uh. Well, I guess Fredersdorf and Wilhelmine are dead after 1758, but...Heinrich? Trusted with military and personal confidences! General and therapist rolled into one. :P
also that people peeping through keyholes (?!) saw repeatedly that D'Argens took off his two caps which he was otherwise wearing all the time before reading the letters.
That's...cute, but also I share your ?! at how this information reached us.
Book selling tactics are also eternal.
Ahahahaaa. Yes, indeed.
Re: The Sanssouci Table Round (aka Nicolai, Volume I, a)
Date: 2021-02-26 06:36 pm (UTC)Condemming with faint denial?
But, but, didn't you turn up this evidence of a pretty thorough betaing job?!
I most definitely did. Also, it keeps coming up in their correspondence. Yes, when I read that, I thought, the Marquis does protest too much. (Or Nicolai does, at any rate.) Generally speaking, it's fairly obvious that Voltaire himself, Maupertuis and La Mettrie weren't the only ones who were jealeous of Fritz' time, attention and regard, with D'Argens being a big case in point as well. Still, denying that Voltaire used to be beta Fritz' writings while not denying he's bottoming for the occasional hot page is certainly a choice...
and how Fritz trusted him more than any other
Uh. Well, I guess Fredersdorf and Wilhelmine are dead after 1758, but...Heinrich? Trusted with military and personal confidences! General and therapist rolled into one. :P
Indeed. If D'Argens got letters every second day, Heinrich sometimes got them twice a day, as Ziebura pointed out. Granted, Heinrich couldn't offer gossip about Émilie's love life, but still.
Also, for all that Nicolai emphasizes that D'Argens, unlike SOME PEOPLE, never ever betrayed Fritz' trust by telling stories about him, linking Felis with Casanova has reminded me of this bit in the memoirs from when Casanova is visiting D'Argens in France:
When I had fully regained my strength, I went to see the Marquis d'Argens and President d'Eguilles to say my goodbyes. After lunch I spent three hours with the learned old gentleman, who told me a hundred stories from the private life of the Prussian king, all of which could be published as anecdotes as soon as I have the time and inclination. He was a ruler of great qualities and great flaws, like almost all great men; but the totality and gravity of his faults were less.
Okay, to be fair, "private life" could mean nothing more indiscreet than stories about how Fritz took his coffee, but it also happens to be the title of a certain pamphlet, wasn't it?
Re: The Sanssouci Table Round (aka Nicolai, Volume I, a)
Date: 2021-02-27 09:12 pm (UTC)Ha! Thank you for reminding me! (I did remember it once you brought it up.)
Uh. Well, I guess Fredersdorf and Wilhelmine are dead after 1758, but...Heinrich? Trusted with military and personal confidences! General and therapist rolled into one. :P
Everyone forgets about Heinrich! Probably because there can't be two suns in a firmament :PPPP