VOLTAIRE. 91 



interview took place, and a reconciliation ; in the course 

 of which it is positively asserted that the king sealed 

 the treaty by joining, or rather originating, several 

 sallies against Maupertuis. During the week that 

 followed before his departure Voltaire supped every 

 night at the royal table, and on the 26th of March, 

 1753, he set out. After passing a month at the Court 

 of Saxe Gotha he arrived at Francfort on the Maine, 

 where his niece, Madame Denis, met him. Here they 

 were both unexpectedly and rudely arrested at the 

 instance of a Prussian agent, who demanded, by the 

 King's authority, the delivery of the key, the ribbon, 

 and a volume of his Majesty's poetry. This volume 

 was a privately printed collection ; only a few copies had 

 been struck off; and it contained a poem <Le Palla- 

 dium/ in the style of the 'Pucelle/ but attacking 

 living characters. As Voltaire's baggage had gone by 

 another route to Paris, both the uncle and niece 

 were detained for some time till the book was re- 

 covered ; and they were then, and apparently without 

 any pretence of authority, seized, upon leaving Francfort, 

 at the instance of another of the Prussian authorities. 

 They were now imprisoned, under a guard, for twelve 

 days, with every circumstance of insult, to the extent 

 of Madame Denis being forced to sleep the whole time 

 of their imprisonment in a room with four soldiers 

 standing sentinel round her bed, and without any 

 female attendant. It must be observed that the King 

 had written a letter desiring these effects to be returned 

 to him two months before Voltaire left Berlin ; 

 but the reconcilement which had afterwards taken 

 place naturally enough led to the belief that this 



