cahn | Historical Characters, Including Frederick the Great, Discussion Post 40

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I'm trying to use my other account at least occasionally so I posted about my Yuletide gifts there, including the salon-relevant 12k fic that features Fritz, Heinrich, Voltaire, Fredersdorf, Saint Germain, Caroline Daum (Fredersdorf's wife), and Groundhog Day tropes! (Don't need to know canon.)

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From:

cahn

Louis XIV, when he heard the rigorous terms upon him, said to Rouillé: "Well then, since I must make war, I would rather it should be against my enemies than my children."

Voltaire can tell a story!

but Newton is studied for whole years together : no one is surprised to see in his epitaph that " he was the glory of mankind ; ” but it would be a matter of great wonder in that country to see the remains of any statesman honored with such a title.

Ha! Also, aw. Newton!

The secret history of Procopius is a satire dictated by revenge; and though revengfe may speak the truth, this satire, which contradicts his public history, has not always the appearance of it.

(Voltaire: I know whereof I speak.)

LOLOLOL

We now are not allowed to imitate even Plutarch, much less Procopius.

This is not a bad goal to have for someone writing a history.

Okay, so a) yes, good for him! Also b) with the proximity of I know whereof I speak I can't help thinking, oh, you aren't allowed to imitate Procopious in your own, er, secret letters, Voltaire? I'm just saying.

“ If the king eats a second time, " said the duke of Orleans , “ I shall not have a single person in my leveé . ” But the disease was mortal .

Heh. Voltaire does have a way with words.

As do you have a way with writeups! Thank you as always, this was awesome!

From:

selenak

Ha! Also, aw. Newton!

Voltaire might be past attempting to write scientific works himself, but he's still not missing out the opportunity to remind all his readers how awesome Newton is. Meanwhile, here's what he has to say about Leibniz:

The famous Leibniz was born at Leipzig; he ended his days in Hannover, like a true philosopher, believing in a God, like Newton, without consulting the various opinions of mankind. He was perhaps a man of the most universal learning in Europe; he was a historian indefatigable in his inquiries; a profound civilian, who enlightened the study of law by philosophy, foreign as it may appear to that kind of study; so thorough a metaphysician as to attempt reconciling divinity and the metaphysics; a tolerable Latin poet; and lastly, so good a mathematician as to dispute with the great Newton the invention of the Calculation of Infinities, and to make it for some time doubted which of them had the justest claim to the honor of that discovery.

Note "for some time" and "tolerable poet". It's a mostly approving description of Leibniz, with nothing of the partisanship of when he and Émilie were argueing about him, but Voltaire still manages to make Leibniz sound like the lesser man compared to Newton.

Okay, so a) yes, good for him! Also b) with the proximity of I know whereof I speak I can't help thinking, oh, you aren't allowed to imitate Procopious in your own, er, secret letters, Voltaire? I'm just saying.

Voltaire: I didn't include nearly as much porn as Procopius does. Also, his Secret History won't allow Justinian and Thedora a single good quality, whereas I dare anyone not to admit that my presentations of my Prussian Alcina, be they in my edited letters or in my memoirs or in my pamphlets, do always also include a degree of admiration. In conclusion, I am the superior satirist, and I bet Theodora never kissed Procopius' hand!

From:

cahn

Note "for some time" and "tolerable poet". It's a mostly approving description of Leibniz, with nothing of the partisanship of when he and Émilie were argueing about him, but Voltaire still manages to make Leibniz sound like the lesser man compared to Newton.

Heh, yes, that's rather amazing. "So good a mathematician as to dispute with the great Newton," lolololol forever.

Voltaire: I didn't include nearly as much porn as Procopius does.

Well, that's true. In fact there are fewer compromising situations than there were in real life! (Though I'm mostly thinking here of Voltaire/Mme Denis, not Voltaire/Fritz.)

whereas I dare anyone not to admit that my presentations of my Prussian Alcina, be they in my edited letters or in my memoirs or in my pamphlets, do always also include a degree of admiration.

Hee. Indeed this is true!