Duchess, at sight of me), 'will the King of Prussia be a tyrant,
then? To pay me for intrusting my Boys to him, and giving him two
Regiments [for money down], will he force me to implore justice
against him from the whole world? I must have my Child! He shall
not go to Vienna; it is in his own Country that I will have him
brought up beside me. To put my Son in Austrian hands? [unless,
indeed, your Highness were driven into Financial or other straits?]
You know if I love France;--if my design is not to pass the rest of
my days there, so soon as my Son comes to majority!' Ohone, ohoo!

"In fine, the quarrel was appeased. The King of Prussia told me he
would be gentler with the Mother; would restore the Son if they
absolutely wished it; but that he hoped the young Prince would of
himself like better to stay where he was." ...--"I trust your
Lordship will allow me to draw for those 300 ducats, for a new
carriage. I have spent all I had, running about these four months.
I leave this for Brunswick and homewards, on the evening of the
12th." [Voltaire, lxxiii. 105-109.] ...

And so the curtain drops on the Baireuth Journey, on the Berlin
Visit; and indeed, if that were anything, on Voltaire's Diplomatic
career altogether. The insignificant Accidents, the dull Powers
that be, say No. Curious to reflect, had they happened to say Yes:
--"Go into the Diplomatic line, then, you sharp climbing creature,
and become great by that method; WRITE no more, you; write only
Despatches and Spy-Letters henceforth!"--how different a world for
us, and for all mortals that read and that do not read, there had
now been!

Voltaire fancies he has done his Diplomacy well, not without fruit;