238 
true philofopher. I have been more fortu- 
mate than Diogenes, having found the man 
whom he fo long fought for. But he is about 
to depart: he is going to leave me. Yet I 
fhall referve the place of Prefident of the 
Academy, which can only be filled by him. 
A certain pre-fentiment apprifes me that that 
event will arrive 5 but I muft wait his own 
time. Iam fometimes temptedto wifh that 
the perfecution of the elect may be redoubled 
in certain countries. 
is not. free from criminality ; for it is to with 
for the renewal of intolerance, tyranny, and 
all that cends to make brutes of the human 
ipecies. You fee how I ftand. You can put 
an end when you pleafe to thefe. culpable 
withes, which wound thie delicacy of my fen- 
timents. 
importune you ; but fhall filently wait for 
the moment, when ingratitude fhall oblige 
you to adopt as your native foil a country 
where you are already naturalized in the opi- 
nion of thofe who are capable of thought, 
and who poflefs fufficient knowledge to ap- 
preciate your merit. FREDERIC. 
ALETTER from the EMPRESS of RUSSIA, 
written with ber ownHAND, to M. DALEM- 
BERT. ae 
 € M. DALEMBERT, I have read your 
anfwer to M. Odar, in which you refufe to 
tranfplant yourfelf to this country, in order 
to afiift in the education of my fon.' Like a 
true philofopher, I fee it coits you nothing 
to defpife what are called the grandeur and 
honour of this world. In your eyes, thefe 
things are of little fignification, andl find no 
difficulty in joining you in opinion. Viewing 
things in this light, I cannot but fee fome- 
thing mean in the condud& of Queen Chrifti- 
na, who has been fo much extolled, and 
often fo juftly blamed; but to be born or 
called to contribute to the happinefs, and 
even to the inftruétion, of a whole nation, 
and to difregard fuch an opportunity, is, me- 
thinks, to refufe to do the good which you 
have at heart. Your philofophy is founded 
on humanity; and, allow meto fay, that you 
fail in the objeét you propofe, by declining 
to promote it when opportunity offers. I 
know you too well as an honeft man, to at- 
‘tribute your refufal to vanity; I know that 
your reafon is the love of leifure to cultivate 
learning and. friendship. But what does this 
fignify ? Come withall your friends: I pro- 
mife you and them every comfort and ac- 
commodation that can depend on me; and 
perhaps you may experience more liberty and 
Yeifure than you do at home. You have not 
liftened to the preffling invitations of the King 
of Pruffia, and to the gratitude which you owe 
him; but that prince has no fon. Iconfefs that 
T have the education of my fon fo much at 
heart, and you are fo necefiary to the attains 
ment of my object, that perhaps I prefs you 
toommuch, Pardon my indifcretion on account 
/ 
Memoirs of D’ Alembert. 
I know that this with’ 
I do not prefs you; I fhall not- 
[ O&ober 1, 
of its caufe, and be affured that efteem has 
rendered me thus Interefted. CATHERINEs 
P.S. In this letter I have employed no other 
fentiments than thofe which I find in your 
works. Surely you will not contradi& your- 
felf. ; : 
A PORTRAIT of D’ ALEMBERT, by Him/elf; 
addreffed, in 1760, to MME. * * *, 
M. D’ALEMBERT has nothing re- 
markable in his figure, either good or bad. 
He cannot form a judgment of his own phy= 
fiognomy; but it is faid to be commonly 
ironical and malicious. It is, indeed, 
ftrikingly marked with ridicule, for which, 
perhaps, he is not without fome talent, 
and it would not be furprifing, if corre- 
{ponding impreffions fhould fometimes be 
apparent in his countenance., 
His converlation is very unequal, fome- 
times ferious, fometimes gay; according 
to the ffate of his mind, very frequently 
ill connected (décou/ue) but never tirefome 
or pedantic. No one who fees him can 
doubt that he has devoted the greater 
part of his life to profound ftudy.. The 
dofe of wit which makes an ingredient in 
his converfation, is neither fo {trong nor 
fo abundant as to give uneafinefs, or to 
outrage the felf-love of any perfon; and, 
fortunately for him, he has no more wit 
than he fhows; for he would not fail to 
-fhow what he had, from no other impulfe 
than his abfolute inability to reprefs his 
inclination in that particular. Every one 
therefore is at eafe in his company, with- 
out any attempt on his part to interrupt ; 
and it is apparent that he makes no {uch 
attempts, which procures him every where 
a kind reception. His gaiety fometimes 
defcends even to puerility, and the con- 
traft of this boyifh mirth with the fcien- 
tific, reputation, whether well or ill 
founded, which he has acquired, is an- 
other reafon why he generally “pleafes, 
though he feldom makes this his obje&. 
He only wifhes to amufe and divert thofe 
whom he regards. 
M. D’Alembert rarely enters into ar- 
gument, and never with acrimony: not 
that he is not fometimes dilpofed to main- 
tain his own opinion ; but he feels fo lit- 
tle anxious to prevail over others, that he 
is not much concerned about bringing 
them over to his way of thinking. 
Befides, very few itubjeéts without the 
pale of the accurate {ciences appear to 
him to admit fuch evidence as to preclude 
freedom of opinion; ard his favourite 
maxim is, That a man may fay what he 
pleafes, almoft upon every fubject. 
Perfpicuity and jufincis form the lead- 
ing 
