Our shame of November 5th has given him glory; and with such glory, which is but transient and dearly bought, he must content himself.

He will lose his own Countries, with those he has seized, unless the French again discover [which they will] the secret of losing all their Armies, as they did in 1741." [Ib.

Lxxvii.

133, 134 ("Delices, 6th December, 1757," day after Leuthen).] TO CLAIRAUT, THE MATHEMATICIAN (Maupertuis lately dead).

An excellent Treatise, this you have sent me, Monsieur! "Your war with the Geometers on the subject of this Comet appears to me like a war of the gods in Olympus, while on Earth there is going on a fight of dogs and cats....
Would to Heaven our friend Moreau-Maupertuis had cultivated his art like you! That he had predicted comets, instead of exalting his soul to predict the future; of dissecting the brains of giants to know the nature of the soul; of japanning people with pitch to cure them of every malady; of persecuting Konig; and of dying between Two Capuchins" (dead three weeks ago, on those terms, poor soul)! [_OEuvres de Voltaire,_ lxxviii.