84 VOLTAIRE. 



of the great jealousy which his fame excited among 

 his learned brethren, it cam* to Voltaire's ears that 

 his informant, La Metherie, a clever, agreeable, half- 

 crazy physician about court, having mentioned to 

 Frederick how great this jealousy was, the philosophic 

 king replied, " 1 shall want him for a year longer at 

 most ; and then one throws away the rind after suck- 

 ing the orange " From that moment Voltaire began 

 to feel, as well he might, his footing insecure ; and he 

 soon found proofs of the extravagant phrases, which 

 he had believed were exclusively applied to himself, 

 being freely and habitually used by the king towards 

 persons of whom he was known to have a very mean 

 opinion. Nevertheless the enchantment continued, 

 and would, in all probability, have lasted until he was 

 actually dismissed, had not a quarrel, in which the 

 intriguing, jealous spirit of Maupertuis involved him, 

 led to a resolution that he would leave Berlin as soon 

 as he could withdraw the funds which he had placed 

 in the country. 



Maupertuis was a man of some mathematical ac- 

 quirements, but. little depth, and no genius. He had 

 originally been a captain of horse, and had, on leaving the 

 army, cultivated science. Having acquired some repu- 

 tation, he was sent, as has already been mentioned, at the 

 head of the commission to measure a degree of the meri- 

 dian in Lapland. Clairault was one of the party, and, 

 being a very young man, was, of course, placed under 

 Maupertuis, then much past the middle age. The suc- 

 cessful performance of this service, a matter requiring 

 care and patience, but nothing more, confirmed the 

 theory of the earth being an oblate spheroid, flattened 



