so far as Friedrich is concerned with them, they may deserve some
transient mention, more or less: but World-History, eager to be at
the general Funeral-pile and ultimate Burning-up of Shams in this
poor World, will have less and less to say of small tragedies and
premonitory symptoms.

Curious how the busy and continually watchful and speculating
Friedrich, busied about his dangers from Austrian encroachments,
from Russian-Turk Wars, Bavarian Successions, and other troubles
and anarchies close by, saw nothing to dread in France; nothing to
remark there, except carelessly, from time to time, its beggarly
decaying condition, so strangely sunk in arts, in arms, in finance;
oftenest an object of pity to him, for he still has a love for
France;--and reads not the least sign of that immeasurable, all-
engulfing FRENCH REVOLUTION which was in the wind! Neither Voltaire
nor he have the least anticipation of such a thing. Voltaire and he
see, to their contentment, Superstition visibly declining:
Friedrich rather disapproves the heat of Voltaire's procedures on
the INFAME. "Why be in such heat? Other nonsense, quite equal to
it, will be almost sure to follow. Take care of your own skin!"
Voltaire and he are deeply alive, especially Voltaire is, to the
horrors and miseries which have issued on mankind from a Fanatic
Popish Superstition, or Creed of Incredibilities,--which (except
from the throat outwards, from the bewildered tongue outwards) the
orthodox themselves cannot believe, but only pretend and struggle
to believe. This Voltaire calls "THE INFAMOUS;" and this--what name
can any of us give it? The man who believes in falsities is very
miserable. The man who cannot believe them, but only struggles and
pretends to believe; and yet, being armed with the power of the
sword, industriously keeps menacing and slashing all round, to