His Portraits are in the Printshops ever since; one very singular Portrait, just coming out (at which there is some laughing): a coarse-featured, blusterous, rather triumphant-looking man, blusterous, though finely complacent for the nonce; in copious dressing-gown and fur cap; comfortably SQUEEZING the Earth and her meridians flat (as if HE had done it), with his left hand; and with the other, and its outstretched finger, asking mankind, "Are not you aware, then ?"--"Are not we!" answers Voltaire by and by, with endless waggeries upon him, though at present so reverent.
Friedrich, in these same days, writes this Autograph; which who of men or lions could resist?
TO MONSIEUR DE MAUPERTUIS, at Paris.
(No date;--datable, June, 1740.) "My heart and my inclination excited in me, from the moment I mounted the throne, the desire of having you here, that you might put our Berlin Academy into the shape you alone are capable of giving it.

Come, then, come and insert into this wild crab-tree the graft of the Sciences, that it may bear fruit.

You have shown the Figure of the Earth to mankind; show also to a King how sweet it is to possess such a man as you.
"Monsieur de Maupertuis,--votre tres-affectionne "FEDERIC" (SIC).

[_OEuvres,_ xvii.i.334.The fantastic "Federic," instead of "Frederic," is, by this time, the common signature to French Letters.] This Letter--how could Maupertuis prevent some accident in such a case ?--got into the Newspapers; glorious for Friedrich, glorious for Maupertuis; and raised matters to a still higher pitch.

Maupertuis is on the road, and we shall see him before long.
AND EVERY ONE SHALL GET TO HEAVEN IN HIS OWN WAY.
Here is another little fact which had immense renown at home and abroad, in those summer months and long afterwards.
June 22d, 1740, the GEISTLICHE DEPARTEMENT (Board of Religion, we may term it) reports that the Roman-Catholic Schools, which have been in use these eight years past, for children of soldiers belonging to that persuasion, "are, especially in Berlin, perverted, directly in the teeth of Royal Ordinance, 1732, to seducing Protestants into Catholicism;" annexed, or ready for annexing, "is the specific Report of Fiscal-General to this effect:"-- upon which, what would it please his Majesty to direct us to do?
His Majesty writes on the margin these words, rough and ready, which we give with all their grammatical blotches on them; indicating a mind made up on one subject, which was much more dubious then, to most other minds, than it now is:-- "Die Religionen Musen (MUSSEN) alle Tollerirt (TOLERIRT) werden, und Mus (MUSS) der Fiscal nuhr (NUR) das Auge darauf haben, das (DASS) keine der andern abrug Tuhe (ABBRUCH THUE), den (DENN) hier mus (MUSS) ein jeder nach seiner Fasson Selich (FACON SELIG) werden." [Preuss, _Thronbesteigung,_ p.