VOLTAIRE. 93 



he had fallen through his own folly and misconduct, 

 and discovering how little the alliance of a monarch 

 can avail the party to philosophical controversy, he 

 vented his spleen in a challenge, which he sent after 

 Voltaire, who received it at Leipzig, and returned it such 

 an answer as it deserved ; though no sarcasm could 

 now make the poor man more ridiculous than he had 

 made himself. There seems no ground for believing 

 the random charge thrown out by Collini, Voltaire's 

 secretary, in his ' Memoirs,' that Maupertuis had a hand 

 in the shameful transaction of Francfort. Indeed the 

 blame of that appears to fall much rather upon the low- 

 agents employed than even upon Frederick himself, 

 though he grossly neglected his duty in not bringing 

 them to condign punishment. 



Madame Denis left her uncle and returned to Paris 

 as soon as he was safe in Alsace, where he had a 

 mortgage or rent charge on the Duke of Wirtemberg's 

 estates ; and he remained at Colmar for several months, 

 which he chiefly passed in bed, suffering very much 

 under a complication of diseases. He had no difficulty 

 in going to Paris, had he been so disposed ; for there 

 was not any prohibition ; the king had overlooked his 

 going to Berlin, and had even continued his pension 

 and his situation in the household, though he had 

 taken away the place of historiographer. But it 

 seemed as if the cabals he so much dreaded were still 

 at work ; and feeling that he could not be sure of a 

 quiet as well as a distinguished reception in the capital 

 and at court, where he had put forth several feelers, 

 and been ready enough to worship Madame Pompa- 

 dour, he remained in Alsace for nearly two years, only 



