Sophie Charlotte partook of her Mother's tendencies; and carried
them with her to Berlin, there to be expanded in many ways into
ampler fulfilment. She too had the sage Leibnitz often with her,
at Berlin; no end to her questionings of him; eagerly desirous to
draw water from that deep well,--a wet rope, with cobwebs sticking
to it, too often all she got; endless rope, and the bucket never
coming to view. Which, however, she took patiently, as a thing
according to Nature. She had her learned Beausobres and other
Reverend Edict-of-Nantes gentlemen, famed Berlin divines; whom,
if any Papist notability, Jesuit ambassador or the like, happened
to be there, she would set disputing with him, in the Soiree at
Charlottenburg. She could right well preside over such a battle of
the Cloud-Titans, and conduct the lightnings softly, without
explosions. There is a pretty and very characteristic Letter of
hers, still pleasant to read, though turning on theologies now
fallen dim enough; addressed to Father Vota, the famous Jesuit,
King's-confessor, and diplomatist, from Warsaw, who had been doing
his best in one such rencontre before her Majesty (date March,
1703),--seemingly on a series of evenings, in the intervals of his
diplomatic business; the Beausobre champions being introduced to
him successively, one each evening, by Queen Sophie Charlotte.
To all appearance the fencing had been keen; the lightnings in
need of some dexterous conductor. Vota, on his way homeward,
had written to apologize for the sputterings of fire struck out of
him in certain pinches of the combat; says, It was the rough
handling the Primitive Fathers got from these Beausobre gentlemen,
who indeed to me, Vota in person, under your Majesty's fine
presidency, were politeness itself, though they treated the
Fathers so ill. Her Majesty, with beautiful art, in this Letter,