ChapterVII。
M。DEVOLTAIREHASAPAINFULJEW—LAWSUIT。
Voltaire’sTerrestrialParadiseatBerlindidnotlongcontinueperfect。ScarcelyhadthatgrandCarrouselvanishedintheazurefirmaments，whenlittlecloudsbeganrisinginitsstead；
andbeforelong，blackthunder—stormsofaverystrangeandevendangerouscharacter。
ItmusthavebeenapainfulsurprisetoFriedrichtohearfromhisVoltaire，somefewweeksafterthosemunificences，Thathe，Voltaire，wasinveryconsiderabledistressofmind，fromthebad，nottocallitthefeloniousandtraitorous，conductofM。D’Arnaud，——onceFriedrich’sshoeing—hornand\"rising—sun\"forVoltaire’sbehoof；nowavagueflauntingcreature，withoutsignificancetoFriedrichoranybody！ThatD’Arnaudhaddonethisanddonethat，ofanAnti—Voltairian，treasonousnature；——andthat，inshort，lifewasimpossibleintheneighborhoodofsuchaD’Arnaud！\"D’ArnaudhascorruptedmyClerk（PrinceHenrihungeringinvainforLAPUCELLE，hasgotsightofit，inthisway）；
[Clerkwasdismissedaccordingly（oneTinois，aningeniouscreature），——andCOLLINIappointedinhisstead。]D’ArnaudhasbeengossipingtoFreronandtheParisNewspapers；D’Arnaudhas\"
[VoltairetoFriedrich（OEuvresdeFrederic，
xxii。257），undated，\"November，1750。\"]——Has，ineffect，beenaflauntingyoungfool；ofdissolute，esurient，slightlyprofligateturn；occasionallyhelpingintheTheatricals，andmuchstudioustomakehimselfnotable，andusefultothePrincelykind。AD’Arnaudofnearlynosignificance，toFriedrichortoanybody。AD’Arnaudwhosebitsoffooleriesandstruttingsabout，inthepeacockorjackdawway，mightsurelyhavebeenbelowthenoticeofaTrismegistus！
Friedrich，painfullymadesensiblewhataskinlessexplosiveTrismegistushehasgotonhand，answers，Isuppose，inwordslittleornothing，——inLetters，Iobserve，answersabsolutelynothing，toVoltairerepeatingandre—repeating；——doessimplydismissD’Arnaud（a\"BONDIABLE，\"asVoltaire，toimpartialpeople，callshim），oracceptD’Arnaud’sdemission，andcutthepoorfooladrift。Whosalliesoutintoinfinitespace，toParislatterly（\"alivetherein1805\"）；andclaimshenceforthperpetualoblivionfromusandmankind。Andnowtherewillbepeaceinourgardenofthegods，andperpetualazurewillreturn？
Alas，D’Arnaudisnotwellgone，whentherehasbegunbrewinginthreefoldsecrecyamassofgalvanicmatter，which，infewweeksmore，filledtheHeavenswithmiraculousfoulgasesandtheblacknessofdarkness；——which，inshort，explodedaboutNew—year’stime，astheworld—famousVOLTAIRE—HIRSCHLAWSUIT，stillremembered，thoughonlyasaportentandmystery，byobservanton—lookers。Ofwhichitisnowoursaddutytosaysomething；
thoughnowhere，intheAnnalsofJurisprudence，isthereamoredespicablething，oradeeperinvolvedinliesanddeliriumsbycurrentreportersofit，aboutwhichthesanemindcanbecalleduponaccidentallytospeakaword。Beaten，riddled，shovelled，washedinmanywaters，byapatientthoughdisgustedPredecessorinthisfield，thereliesbymeacopiousbutwearisomeNarrativeofthismatter；——themorevividportionsofwhich，ifrightlydisengaged，andshowninsequence，maysatisfythecurious。
Duvernet（who，Icanguess，hadtalkedwithD’Argetonthesubject）
has，aloneoftheFrenchBiographers，someglimmerofknowledgeaboutit；DuvernetadmitsthatitwasathingofIllegalStock—
jobbing；that——
1。\"ThatM。deVoltairehadagreedwithaJewnamedHirschtogotoDresdenand，illegally，PURCHASEagoodlotofSTEUER—SCHEINE
[SaxonExchequerBills，whicharepayableingoldtoaBONAFIDE
PRUSSIANholdingthem，butaremuchindiscountotherwise，asreadersmayremember]；andgivenHirschaDraftonParis，dueaftersomeweeks，forpaymentofthesame；HirschleavinghimastockofjewelsinpledgetilltheSTEUER—SCHEINEthemselvescometohand。
2。\"ThatHirsch，havingthingsofhisowninviewwiththemoney，sentnoSTEUER—SCHEINEfromDresden，nothingbutvaguelyingtalkinsteadofSTEUER:sothatVoltaire’ssuspicionsnaturallykindling，hestoppedpaymentoftheParisDraft，andorderedHirschtocomehomeatonce。
3。\"ThatHirschcoming，asettlementwastried:’GivemebackmyDraftonParis，youobjectionableblockheadofaHirsch；thereareyourDiamonds，thereissomethingevenforyourexpenses（somefairmoiety，Ithink）；andletmeneverseeyourunpleasantfaceagain！’
TowhichHirsch，examiningthediamonds，answered[saysDuvernet，notsubstantiallyincorrecthitherto，thoughsteppingalongintotaldarkness，andverypartialonVoltaire’sbehalf]，——Hirsch，examiningthediamonds，answered，’Butyouhavechangedsomeofthem！Icannottakethese！’——anddroveVoltairequitetodespair，andintotheLaw—Courts；whichimprisonedHirsch，andmadehimdojustice。\"[Duvernet（T。J。D。V。），170，173，175:——vagueutterly；
dateless（triesonedate，andismistakenevenintheYear）；
wronginnearlyeverydetail；\"the’STAIREorSTEUERwasaBANK？\"
&c。&c。]
Inwhichlastclause，stillmoreintheconclusion，thatitwas\"tothetriumphofVoltaire，\"Duvernetdoessubstantiallymistake！
Andindeed，exceptasthebestParisianreflexofthismatter，hisAccountisworthnothing:——thoughitmayserveasIntroductiontothefollowingirrefragableDocumentsandmoreexplicitfeaturings。
Welearnfromhim，anditistheonethingwelearnofcredible，That\"Voltaire，whenitcametoLawProcedures，beggedMaupertuistospeakforhimtoM。Jarriges，\"aPrussianFrenchman，\"oneoftheJudges；andthatMaupertuisanswered，’Icannotinterfereinabadbusiness（MEMELERD’UNEMAUVAISEAFFAIRE）。’\"TheotherFrenchBiographies，definableas\"IGNOR—AMUSspeakinginaloudvoicetoIGNOR—ATIS，\"requiretobealtogethersweptasideinthismatter。
Even\"Clog。\"jumblingVoltaire’sundatedLETTERSintoconfusionthriceconfounded，anddroningoutvituperativelyinthedark，becomesaMINUSquantityintheseFriedrichaffairs。InregardtotheHirschProcess，ouroneirrefragablesetofevidencesis:
ThePrussianLAW—REPORTbyKLEIN，——especiallytheDocumentsproducedinCourt，andtheSentencegiven。[ErnstFerdinandKlein，AnnalenderGesetzgebungundRechtsgelehrsamkeitindenPreussischenStaaten（BerlinundStettin），1790，\"
v。215—260。]Otherlightsaretobegathered，withseverescrutinyandcaution，fromthecircumambientcontemporaryrumor，——especiallyfromthePREFACEtoa\"Comedy\"socalledof\"TANTALEENPROCES
（Tantalus，\"Voltaire，\"atLaw\"）；——whichPREFACEisevidentlyHirsch’sownStory，putintolanguageforhimbysomehumanefriend，andaddressedtoa\"clear—seeingPublic。\"[TANTALEEN
PROCES（ascribedtoFriedrichhimself，bysomewonderfulpersons！）
isinSupplementauxOEuvresPosthumesdeFredericII。
（Cologne，1789），i。319etseq。AmongtheweakestofComedies（mightbebyD’Arnaud，orsomesuchhand）；nothinginitworthreadingexceptthePreface。]\"Andinfine，\"saysmyManuscript，\"bysweepingoutthedistinctlyfalse，andwelldiscriminatingtheindubitablefromwhatisstillinpartdubitable，sufficienttwilight[abridgableinahighdegree，I
hope！]risesovertheAffair，torenderitvisibleinallitsmainfeatures。\"
THEVOLTAIRE—HIRSCHTRANSACTION:PARTI。ORIGINOFLAWSUIT
（10thNovember—25thDecember，1750）。
\"SaxonSTEUER—SCHEIN，somereadersknow，is，intherough，equivalenttoExchequerBill。PayableattheSaxonTreasury；
toPrussians，ingold；toallothermen，inpaperonly，——which（thankstoBruhlandhisunheard—ofexpendituresandfinancierings）
isnowatadiscountsayof25，oreven30percent。ByArticleEleventhoftheDresdenTREATYOFPEACE，KingFriedrich，ifourreadershavenotforgotten，gotstipulated，ThatallPrussianholdersoftheseSCHEINEshouldbepaidingold；interestattheduedays；andattheduedaysprincipalitself:——ingoldthey，whateverbecameofothers。Nofartherspecifications，astoproof，method，limitsorconditionsofanykind，occurinregardtothisEleventhArticle；whichisajustone，beyonddoubt，butmostcarelesslydrawnup。ApparentlyittrustsaltogethertothepersonalhonestyofallPrussiansubjects:’ProveyourselfaPrussiansubject，andwepayyourSteuer—Scheininrealmoney。’
ButnowifaSaxonorotherNon—Prussian，whocangetnopaymentsaveinpaper，weretohavehisNotesmuggledortraffickedoverintoPrussia，andpresentedasaPrussianone？Inourtime，suchtrafficwouldstartonthemorrowmorning；andinaweekortwo，allNoteswhatsoeverwouldbepresentedasPrussian，payableingold！Notsointhosedays；——thoughasmallcontrabandofthatkinddoesbydegreesthreatentoestablishitself，andFriedrichhadtopublishsevererescripts（onebeforethisHirsch—Voltairebusiness，[10thAugust，1748（Seyfarth，i。62）。]onestillsevererafter），andmenaceitdownagain。Themalpracticeseemstohaveprovedmenaceableinthatmanner；norwasanynewarrangementmadeuponit，——nochange，tilltheSteuer—Scheine，bytheirgradualterms，wereallpaideitherinrealmoneyorimaginary，andthus，inthecourseofyears，thethingburnttothesocket，andwentout。\"
Voltaire’srashAdventure，dangerousNavigationandgradualWreck，inthisForbiddenSeaofSteuer—Scheine，——willbecomeconceivabletoreaders，onstudydiligentenoughofthefollowingDocumentsandselectDetails:——
DOCUMENTFIRST（asmallMissive，inVoltaire’shand）。
\"Jeprieinstammentmonsieurherschdevenirdemainmardimatinapotsdampouraffairepressante，etd’aporter（SIC）avecluylesdiamantsquidoiventservirpourlarepresentationdelatragediequisejoueraacinqheuresdesoirchezS。A。R。MonseigneurlePrincehenri\"Celundyamidy。VOLTAIRE。\"
Whichbeinginterpreted，rightlyspelt，anddated（asbychancewecando）withdistinctness，willrunasfollowsinEnglish:——
\"POTSDAM，Monday，9thNovember，1750。
\"IearnestlyrequestMr。Hirschtocometo—morrowTuesdaymorningtoPotsdam，onbusinessthatisurgent；andtobringwithhimtheDiamondsneededfortheTragedywhichistoberepresented，atfiveintheevening，inHisRoyalHighnessPrinceHenry’sApartment。\"
[Klein，v。260。]
\"OnTuesdaythe10th，\"saytheOldNewspapers，\"wasROMESAUVEE；\"——
withVoltaire，perceptiblethereas\"CICERON，\"[Rodenbeck，i。209。]
induesplendorofdiamonds；Hirschhavingnodoubtbeenpunctual。
AgloriousenoughCicero；——andsuchapieceof\"urgentbusiness\"
donewithyourHirsch，justbeforeemergingonthestage！
\"Hirsch，inthatNARRATIVE，describeshimselfasayounginnocentcreature。Notveryold，wewillbelieve:butastoinnocence！——Forcertain，heisnamedAbrahamHirsch，orHirschel:aBerlinJewofthePeriod；whomoneinclinestofigureasafloridoilyman，ofSemiticfeatures，intheprimeoflife；whodealsmuchinjewels，moneys，loans，exchanges，allkindsofJewbarter；whetherabsolutelyinoldclothes，wedonotknow——certainlynotunlessthereisapennytobeturned。ThemanisofoilySemitictype，notoldinyears，——thereisafraternalHirsch，andalsoapaternal，whoisheadofthefirm；——andthisyoungoneseemstobealreadyoldinJewart。SpeaksFrenchandotherdialects，inaHebrew，partiallyintelligiblemanner；suppliesVoltairewithdiamondsforhisstage—dresses，asweperceive。Toallappearance，nearlydestituteofhumanintellect，butwithabundanceofvulpineinstead。Verycunning；stupid，seemingly，asamuleotherwise；——
and，onthewhole，resemblinginvariouspointsofcharacteramuleputintobreeches，andmadeacquaintedwiththeusesofmoney。
Heiscome’onpressingbusiness，’——perhapsnotofstage—diamondsalone？HerenowisDOCUMENTSECOND；nearlyofthesamedate；maybeoftheverysame；——morelikelyisafewdayslater，andbetokensmysteriousdialogueandconsultationheldonTuesday10th。Itisintwohands:writtenonsomescraporTORNbitofpaper，tojudgebythelengthofthelines。
DOCUMENTSECOND。
\"InVoltaire’shand，thispart:——
’Savoirs’ilestencoretemsdedeclarerlesbilletsqu’onasurlasteure。sionenspecifielenumerodansladeclaration。’
’Ifitisstilltimetodeclare[toannounceinSaxonyanddemandpaymentfor]NotesoneholdsontheSteuer？IfoneistospecifytheNo。inthedeclaration？’
\"InHirsch’shand，thispart:——
’l’onpeutdeclarerdesbilletssurlasteure，qu’onaendepostenpaysetranger，etdontonnepourrasavoirlenumeroquedansquinzejoursoutroisSemaines。’[Klein，259。]
’OnecandeclareNotesontheSteuer，whichoneholdsindepositinForeignCountries；andofwhichonecannotstatetheNo。tillafterafortnightorthreeweeks。’
\"WhichoftheseTwowastheSerpent，whichtheEve，inthisSTEUER—
SCHEINTreeofKnowledge，thatgrewinthemiddleofParadise，remainsentirelyuncertain。Hirsch，ofcourse，saysitwasVoltaire；Voltaire（notawarethatDOCUMENTSECONDremainedinexistence）haddeniedthathisHirschbusinesswasinanywayconcernedwithSTEUER；——andmusthavebeenagooddealstruck，whenDOCUMENTSECONDcametolight；thoughwhatcouldhedobutstilldeny！Hirschassertshimselftohaveobjectedthe’illegality，theKing’sanger；’butthatVoltaireansweredinhintsabouthisfavorwiththeKing；’abouthispowertomakeoneaCourt—Jeweller，’ifheliked；andsoatlasttemptedthebabyinnocenceofHirsch；——fortherest，admitsthattheSteuer—NoteswereexpectedtoyieldaProfit——of35percent:——and，infact，adramaticreadercanimaginetohimselfdialogueenough，atdifferenttimes，goingon，partlybywords，partlybyhint，innuendoanddumb—show，betweenthisPairofStage—Beauties。But，fornearafortnightafterDOCUMENTFIRST，thereisnothingdated，orthatcanbeclearlybelieved，——till，\"MONDAY，23dNOVEMBER，1750。ItiscrediblycertaintheJewHirschcameagain，thisday，totheRoyalSchlossofPotsdam，toVoltaire’sapartmentthere[rightoverheadofKingFriedrich’s，itis！]——where，aftersuchdialogueascanbeguessedat，therewashandedtoHirschbyVoltaire，intheformofTwonegotiableBills，asumofabout2，250pounds；withwhichtheJewistomakeatonceforDresden，andbuySteuer—Scheine。[Hirsch’sNarrative，inPrefacetoTantaleenProces，p。340。]
Steuer—Scheinewithoutfail:’butintalkingorcorrespondingonthematter，wearealwaystocallthemFURSorDIAMONDS，’——mysteryofmysteriesbeingtheruleforus。Thisconsiderablesumof2，250
poundsmayitnototherwise，contrivesVoltaire，becalleda’Loan’
toJewellerHirsch，soobligingaJeweller，tobuy’Furs’or’Diamonds’with？Atagainof35per100Pieces，therewillbeabove800poundstome，afterallexpensescleared:averyprettystrokeofbusinessdo—ableinfewdays！\"——
\"Monday，23dNovember:\"ThebeautifulWilhelmina，oneremarks，isjustmakingherpackages；rightsadtoendsuchaVisitasthishadbeen！Thursdaynight，fromherfirstsleeping—place，thereisatouchingFarewelltoherBrother；——tender，melodiouslysorrowful，astheSongoftheSwan。[WilhelminatoFriedrich，\"Brietzen，26thNovember，JOURFUNESTEPOURMOI\"（OEuvresdeFrederic，xxvii。i。197）。]ToVoltaireshewasalwaysgood；
alwayslikedVoltaire。VoltairewouldbesayinghisAdieus，instate，amongtheothers，tothathighBeing，——justinthehourswhilesuchascandalousHirsch—Concoctionwent，onunderground！
\"AstotheTwoBillsandVoltaire’ssecurityforthem，readersaretonoteasfollows。BillFIRSTisaDraft，onVoltaire’sParisBankerfor40，000livres（about1，600pounds），notpayableforsomeweeks:’ThisIlendyou，MonsieurHirsch；mind，LENDyou，——tobuyFurs！’’Yes，truly，whatwecallFurs；——andbeforetheBillfallspayable，therewillbeeffectsforitinMonseigneurdeVoltaire’shand；whichissecurityenoughforMonseigneur。’TheSECONDBill，again\"——Truthis，therewereinsuccessiontwoSecondBills，anINTENDED—Second（ofthissameMonday23d），whichdidnotquitesuit，andanACTUAL—Second（twodayslater），whichdid。INTENDED—
SecondBillwasonefor4，000thalers（about600pounds），drawnbyVoltaireontheSieurEphraim，——averyfamousJewofBerlinnowandhenceforth，withwhomasmoney—changer，ifnotyetotherwise（whichperhapsEphraimthinksunlucky），Voltaire，itwouldseem，isinfrequentcommunication。ThisBill，Ephraimwouldnotaccept；
toldHirschheowedM。deVoltairenothing；\"turnedmerudelyaway，\"saysHirsch（twoofatrade，andnofriends，heandI！）——sothatthereisnothingtobesaidofthisEphraimBill；andexceptasitelucidatessomedarkportionsofthewhirlpools，neednothavebeennoticedatall。\"Hirsch，\"continuesmyAuthority，\"gotonlyTwoavailableBills；thefirstonParisfor1，600pounds，payableinsomeweeks；and，afteradayortwo，thisother:TheACTUALBILLSECOND；whichisaDraftfor4，430thalers（about650
pounds），byoldFatherHirsch，headoftheFirm，onVoltairehimself:——’Furstoowiththat，MonsieurHirsch，attherateof35
perpiece，youunderstand？’’Yea，truly，Monseigneur！’——DraftacceptedbyVoltaire，andthecashforitnowhandedtoHirschSon:
theonlyabsolutelyreadymoneyhehasyetgottowardstheaffair。
\"FortheseTwoBills，especiallyforthisSecond，Iperceive，Voltaireholdsborrowedjewels（borrowedintheatricaltimes，orpartlybought，fromtheHirschFirm，andnotpaidfor），whichmakehimsuretillheseetheSTEUERPapersthemselves。——（Andnowoff，mygoodSieurHirsch；andknowthatifyoupleaseME，thereare——
thingsinmypowerwhichwouldsuitamanintheJewellerandHebrewline！’HirschpusheshometoBerlin；primedandloadedinthismanner；Voltairenaturallyauxiousenoughthattheshotmayhit。Alas，theshotwillnotevengooff，forsometime:
anillomen！
\"SUNDAY，29thNOVEMBER，Hirsch，wehear，isstillinBerlin。
FancythehumorofVoltaire，aftersuchaweekaslast！TUESDAY，December1st）Hirschstillisnotoff:’Go，yousonofAmalek！’
urgesVoltaire；andsendshisServantPicard，averysharpfellow，forperhapsthethirdtime，——whohasordersnow，asHirschdiscovers，tostaywithhim，notquitsightofhimtillhedogo。
[Hirsch’sNarrative；seeVoltaire’sLettertoD’Arget（
OEuvres，lxiv。11）。]Hirsch’shourofdepartureforDresdenisnotmentionedintheACTS；butIguesshecouldhardlygetoverWednesday，withPicarddogginghimontheseterms；
andmusthavetakenthediligenceonWednesdaynight:toarriveinDresdenaboutDecember4th。’Well；atleast，ourshotisoff；
hasnotburstout，andlodgedinourpersonhere，——thankedbeallthegods！’
\"Off，sureenough:——andwhatshouldwesayifthewholematterwerealreadyoozingout；if，onthissameSundayevening，November29th）
notquiteaweek’stimeyet，thematter（aswelearnlongafterwards）hadbeenprivatelywhisperedtohisMajesty:
’ThatVoltairehassentoffaJewtobuySteuer—Scheine，andhaspromisedtogethimmadeCourt—Jeweller！’[Voltaire，
OEuvres，lxxiv。314（\"LettertoFriedrich，February，1751，\"——AFTERCatastrophe）。]，So；withinaweek，andbeforeHirschisevengone！Formenareveryporous；weightysecretsoozingoutofthem，likequicksilverthroughclayjars。Icouldguess，Hirsch，bywayofgallinginsolentEphraim，hadblabbedsomething:andinthecourseoffivedays，ithasgottotheveryKing，——thisKammerherrVoltairebeingsuchafavoriteandfamousmanasneverwas；theverybull’s—eyeofallkindsofBerlingossipinthesedays。’Hm，Steuer—Scheine，andtheJewHirschtobeCourt—Jeweller，yousay？’thinkstheKing，thatSundaynight；butlockstherumorinhisRoyalmind，he，forhispart；ordismissesitasincredible:
’Thereoughttobeimperviousvesselstoo，amongtheporous！’
Voltairenoticesnothingparticular，ornothingthathespeaksofasparticular。Thismusthavebeenahorridweektohim，tillHirschgotaway。\"Hirschisaway（December2d）；inDresden，safeenough；but——
\"But，thefortnightthatfollowsisconceivableasstillworse。
Hirschwritingdarkly，nothingtothepurpose；VoltairedrivingoftenintoBerlin，hearingfromEphraimhintsabout，’NoconnectionwiththatHouse；’’IfMonseigneurhaveintrustedHirschwithmoney，——maytherebeagoodaccountofit！’andthelike。
BlackCaredevouringMonseigueur；butnothingdefinite；exceptthefacttooevident，ThatHirschdoesnotsendorbringthesmallestshadowofSteuer—Scheine，——’Peltries，’or’Diamonds，’wemean，——oranyvaluewhateverforthatParisBillofours，payableshortly，andwhichhehasalreadygotcashedinDresden。Nothingbutexcuses，prevarications；stupid，incoherentlydeceptivejargon，asofamuleintentonplayingfoxwithyou。VividCorrespondenceisconceivable；butnothingofitdefinitetous，exceptthissample\"
（whichwegivetranslated）:——
DOCUMENTTHIRD（tornfractioninVoltaire’shand:ToHirsch，doubtless；earlyinDecember）……\"Notproper（ILNEFALLAITPAS）
tonegotiateBillsofExchange，andneverproduceasinglediamond\"——bitofpeltry，orwareofanykind，yousonofAmalek！
\"Notpropertosay:Ihavegotmoneyforyourbillsofexchange，andIbringyounothingback；andIwillrepayyourmoneywhenyoushallnolongerbehere[inGermanyatall]。Notpropertopromiseat35louis，andthensay30。Tosay30，andthennextmorning25。
Youshouldatleasthaveproducedgoods（ILFALLAITENDONNER）atthepricecurrent；veryeasytodowhenonewasonthespot。
Allyourprocedureshavebeenfaultshitherto。[Klein，v。259。]
\"Thesearedreadfulsymptoms。Steuer—Notes，promisedat35
discount，arenottobehadexceptat30。Say30then，andgetdonewithit，muleofascoundrel！Nextdaythe30sinksto25；andnotaSteuer—Note，onanyterms，comestohand。Andthemuleofascoundrelhasdrawnmoney，inDresdenyonder，formyBillonParis，——excellenttohimfortradeofhisown！WhatistobedonewithsuchanAssofBalaam？Hehasgotthebitinhisteeth，itwouldseem。Heavens，hetooiscapableofstoppingshort，carelessofspurandcudgel；andmiraculouslyspeakingtoaNEWProphet[strangenew\"RevealeroftheLord’sWill，\"inmoderndialect]，inthisenlightenedEighteenthCenturyitself！——OnethingthenewProphet，cando:protesthisParisBill。
\"DECEMBER12th[ournextbitofcertainty]，Voltairewrites，haste，haste，toParis，’Don’tpay；’andintimatestoHirsch，’YouwillhavetoreturnyourDresdenBankerhismoneyforthatParisBill。
AtParisIhaveprotestedit，markme；andthereitneverwillbepaidtohimoryou。Andyoumustcomehomeagaininstantly，jobundone，liesnotuntold，you——！’Hirsch，withmoneyinhand，appearsnottohavewantedforabriskishtradeofhisownintheDresdenmarts。Butthisofcuttingoffhissuppliesbringshiminstantlyback:\"——andatBerlin，DECEMBER16th，newfactsemergeagainofadefinitenature。
\"WEDNESDAY，16thDECEMBER，1750。’To—daytheKingwithCourtandVoltairecometoBerlinfortheCarnival；’[Rodenbeck，i。209。]
to—dayalsoVoltaire，notinCarnivalhumor，hasappointedhisJewtomeethim。IntheRoyalPalaceitself，——wehope，wellremotefromFriedrich’sApartment！——thissordidconference，needingone’schoicestdiplomacywithal，andsuchexquisitehandlingofbitandspur，goeson。Andprobablyatgreatlength。Ofwhich，astheFINALE，andoneclearfeaturesignificanttothefancy，hereis，——
forrecordofwhattheycall’COMPLETESETTLEMENT，’whichitwasfarfromturningouttobe:——
DOCUMENTFOURTH（inHirsch’shand，FirstPieceofit）。
\"’PourquittancegeneralepromettantderendreaMr。deVoltairetousbillets，ordresetlettresdechangeamoydonnezjusqu’acejour，16Decembre，1750。
\"’Accountallsettled；IpromisingtoreturnM。deVoltaireallLetters，OrdersandBillsofExchangegivenmetothisday，16thDecember，1750。
[Hirschsigns。Butyouhaveforgottensomething，MonsieurHirsch！
Whereupon]
etprometsdedonneraMr。deVoltairedanslejourdedemainouapresauplustarddeuxcentguatre—vingtfredericsd’oraulieudedeuxcentquatre—vingtlouisd’or，quejeluiaipayez，letoutpourquittancegenerale，ce16Decembre，1750，aberlin
AndpromisetogiveM。deVoltaire，inthecourseofto—morrow，orthedayafterto—morrowatlatest，280FREDERICSD’OR，insteadof280LOUISD’OR[goldFREDERICSthepreferabecoin，sayexperts]
whichIhavenowpaidhim；wherebyAllwillbesettled。
[Hirschagainsigns；buthasagainforgottensomething，mostimportantthing。And]
jeluiremettraisurtoutles40，000livresdebilletsdechangesurparisqu’ilmavoitdonnezetfiez’
IwillespeciallyreturnhimtheBillonParisfor40，000livres（1，600pounds）whichhehadgivenandtrustedtome，’——buthassinceprotested，asistooevident。
[andHirschsignsforthelasttime]。\"[Klein，pp。258，260。]——
Symptomatic，surely，ofahagglysettlement，theseTHREEshotsinsteadofone！——\"Voltaire’sreturnis:——
\"’Pourquittancegeneraledetoutcomptesoldeentrenous，toutpayeausieurabrahamherschaberlin，16Decembre，1750。——Voltaire’
\"’Accountallsettledbetweenus，paymentoftheSieurAbrahamHirschinfull:Berlin，16thDeember，1750。’
[whichSecondPiece，weperceive，istolieinHirsch’shand，tokeep，ifhefinditvaluable]。
\"This’COMPLETESETTLEMENT，’——littlelessthanmiraculoustoVoltaireandus，——onefinds，aftersifting，tohavebeenthefruitofVoltaire’sexquisiteskillintreatingandtuninghisHirsch（noharshnessofrebuke，rathersomegleamofhope，offuturebargains，helpatCourt）:（Yourexpenses；compensationforprotestingofthatBillonParis？Tush，cannotwemakeallthatgood！Inthefirstplace，IwillBUYofyoutheseJewels[thisonediscoverstohavebeentheessenceoftheoperation！]，allorthebestpartofthem，whichIhavehereinpawnforPapa’sBill:650poundswasitnot？
Well，supposeIontheinstanttake450poundsworth，orso，oftheseJewels（Iwantagreatmanyjewels）；andyoutopaymedowna200orsoofgoldLOUISasbalance，——goldLOUIS，no，wewillsayFREDERICSrather。Therenow，thatissettled。Nothingmorebetweenusbutsettlesitself，ifwecontinuefriends！’UponwhichHirschwalkedhome，thankfulforthegoodjobinJewels；wonderingonlywhattheAllowanceforExpensesandCompensationwillbe。
AndVoltairestepsout，new—burnished，intotheRoyalCarnivalsplendors，withaloadrolledfromhismind。
\"ThisCOMPLETESETTLEMENT，meanwhile，restsevidentlyontwolegs，bothofwhicharehollow。’WhatwillthehandsomeCompensationbe，Iwonder？’thinksHirsch；——andishorror—strucktofindshortly，thatVoltaireconsiders60thalers（about9pounds）willbethefairsum！’Morethantentimesthat！’isHirsch’sprivatelyfixedidea。Ontheotherhand，Voltairehasbeenaskinghimself，’My450
poundsworthofJewels，weretheyjustlyvalued，though？’
JewEphraim（exaggerativeandanenemytothisHirschHouse）
answers，’Justly？Iwouldgivefrom300poundsto250poundsforthem！’——Sothatthelegsbothcrumblingtopowder，CompleteSettlementcrashesdownintochaos:andthereensues，\"——Butwemustendeavortobebriefer！
Thereensues，foraboutaweekfollowing，suchaninextricablescramblebetweentheSieurHirschandM。deVoltaireas，——asnoreader，nothimselfintheJew—Billline，orpaidforunderstandingit，couldconsenttohaveexplainedtohim。Voltaire，bywayofmendingthebadjewel—bargain，willbuyofHirsch200poundsworthmorejewels；getsthenew200poundsworthinhand，cannotquitesettlewhatarticleswillsuit:\"This，thinkyou？That，thinkyou？\"
Andintricatelyshufflesthemabout，toHirschandback。
Hirsch，singulartonotice，holdsfastbythatProtestedParisBill；onfrivolouspretexts，alwaysforgetstobringthat:
\"Mayhaveitsuses，that，inaCourtofJusticeyet！\"
Meetingsthereare，almostdaily，intheVoltairePalace—Apartment；
DECEMBER19thandDECEMBER24th）thereareTwoDOCUMENTS（whichwemustsparethereader，thoughhewillhearofthemagain，ashighlynotable，especiallyofoneofthem，asnotableintheextreme！）——
indicatingtheabstrusestjewel—bargainings，scramblings，re—bargainings。
\"MyJewelsaretrulyvalued！\"asseveratesHirschalways:\"Ephraimismyenemy；askHerrReklam，chiefJewellerinBerlin，animpartialman！\"Themeetingsareoccasionallyofstormycharacter；
Voltaire’spatiencenearlyout:\"Butdidn’tIreturnyouthatTopazRing，value75pounds？AndyouhaveNOTdeductedit；you——！\"
\"Oneday，PicardandhepulledaRing[doubtlessthisTopaz]offmyfinger，\"saysthepatheticHirsch，\"andviolentlyshovedmeoutoftheroom，slammingtheirdoor，\"——andsentmehome，alongthecorridors，inaveryscurvyhumor！Thus，underaskinofsecondsettlement，therearetwogalvanicelements，gettingevermoregalvanic，whichnoskinofsettlementcanpreventexplodingbeforelong。
Explosionthereaccordinglywas；mostsadanddismal；whichrangthroughalltheCourtcirclesofBerlin；and，likeasoundofhootingandofweepingmixed，isaudibleoverseastothisday。
Butletnotthereaderinsistontracingthecourseofithenceforth。Klein，thoughfaithfulandexact，isnotaPitaval；
andwefindinhimerrorsofthepress。TheacutestActuarymightspendweeksoverthesedistractedMoney—accounts，andinconsistentListsofJewelsboughtandnotbought；andwouldbeunreadableifsuccessful。Letussay，Thebusinesscatchesfireatthispoint；
theVoltaire—Hirschtheatreisasifblownupintomerewhirlwindsofigneousrumandsmokydarkness。HenceforthallplungesintoLawsuit，intochaosofconflictinglies，——undecipherable，notworthdeciphering。Letusgivewhatfewglimpsesofthethingareclearlydiscernibleattheirsuccessivedates，andleavetheresttopictureitselfinthereader’sfancy。
Itappears，thatMeetingofDECEMBER24th，abovealludedto，wasfollowedbyanotheronChristmas—day，whichprovedthefinalone。
Finaltotalexplosiontookplaceatthisnewmeeting；——which，wefindfarther，wasatChasot’sLodging（theCHAPEAUofHanbury），whoisnowinTown，likealltheworld，forCarnival。HirschdoesnotdirectlyventureonnamingChasot:butbyimplication，byglimmersofevidenceelsewhere，onesufficientlydiscoversthatitishe:
Lieutenant—Colonel，King’sFriend，amanglorious，especiallyeversinceHohenfriedberg，andthathaulofthe\"sixty—sevenstandards\"
allatonce。InthewayofArbitration，VoltairethinksChasotmightdosomething。Inregardtothose450poundsworthofboughtJewels，thereisnotsuchajudgeintheworld！Hirschsays:
\"Nextmorning[December25th，morrowafterthatjumblyAccount，withprobableslammingofthedoor，andstillworse！]，VoltairewenttoaLieutenant—ColonelintheKing’sservice；andaskhimtosendforme。\"[Duvernet（Second），p。172；Hirsch’sNarrative（inTantale，p。344）。]ThisisChasot；whoknowsthesejewelswell。Duvernet，——whohadtalkedagooddealwithD’Arget，inlatteryears，andaloneofFrenchmensometimesyieldsatrueparticleoffeatureinthingsPrussian，——Duvernettellsus，theseJewelswereonceChasot’sown:givenhimbyafondDuchessofMecklenburg，——musicaloldDuchess，vergingtowardssixty；
HONISOIT，myfriend！WhatHirschgaveChasotfortheseJewelsisnotadoubtfulquantity；andmaythrowconvictionintoHirsch，hopesVoltaire。
DECEMBER25th，1750。TheinterviewatChasot’swasnotlengthy，butitwasdecisive。HirschneverbringsthatParisBill；privatelyfixed，onthatpoint。Hirsch’sclaims，aswegraduallyunraveltheintricatemule—mindofhim，riseveryhighindeed。\"AndastothevalueofthoseJewels，andwhatIallowedYOUforthem，MonsieurChasot；thatisnorule:trade—profits，youknow\"——Nay，themuleintimates，asalastshift，ThatperhapstheyarenotthesameJewels；thatperhapsM。deVoltairehaschangedsomeofthem！
Whereuponthemattercatchesfire，irretrievablyexplodes。
M。deVoltaire’spatiencefliesquitedone；and，fire—eyedfurynowguiding，hespringsuponthethroatofHirschlikeacat—o’—
mountain；clutchesHirschbythewindpipe；tumbleshimabouttheroom:\"Infamouscanaille，doyouknowwhomyouhavegottodowith？
Thatitisinmypowertostickyouintoaholeundergroundfortherestofyourlife？Sirrah，Iwillruinandannihilateyou！\"——and\"tossedmeabouttheroomwithhisfistonmythroat，\"saysHirsch；
\"offeringtohavepitynevertheless，ifIwouldtakebacktheJewels，andreturnallwritings。\"[Narrative（inTantale）。]Eyesglancinglikearattlesnake’s，asweperceive；
andsuchaphenomenonasHirschhadnotexpected，thisChristmas！
Inshort，thematterhasherefairlyexploded，andisblazingaloft，asamassofintricatefuliginousruin，nottobedecipheredhenceforth。SuchasceneforChasotontheChristmas—dayatBerlin！
AndwehavegottoPARTII。THELAWSUITITSELF（30thDecember，1750—18thand26thFebruary，1751）。
Hirschslunkhurriedlyhome，uncertainwhetherdeadoralive。
OldHirsch，hearingofsuchexplosion，consideredhishouseandfamilyruined；and，beingoldandfeeble，tooktobeduponit，threateningtobreakhisheart。VoltairewritestoNieceDenis，onthemorrow；nothintingattheHirschmatter，farfromthat；butinuncommonlydrearyhumor:\"Mysplendorhere，myglory，neverwasthelikeofit；MAIS，MAIS，\"BUT，andeveragainBUT，ateachnewitem，——infact，thehumorofagloriousPhoenix—Peacocksuddenlydouchedanddrenchedindirtywater，andfeelingfrostathand！
[\"ToMadameDenis\"（lxxiv。279，\"BerlinPalace，26thDecember，1750；\"——andib。249，257，&c。ofotherdates）。]Humorintelligibleenough，whendatesarecompared。
Betterthanthat，Voltaireisapplying，onallpointsofthecompass，toLegalandInfluentialPersons，forhelpinaCourtofLaw。ToChancellorCocceji；toJarriges（eminentPrussianFrenchman），PresidentofCourt；toMaupertuis，whoknowsJarriges，but\"willnotmeddleinabadbusiness；\"——atlast，eventodullreverendFormey，whomhehadnotcalledonhitherto。Coccejiseemstohaveanswered，totheeffect，\"Mostcertainly:theCourtsarewideopen；\"——butasto\"help\"！December30th，theSuit，VoltaireVERSUSHirsch，\"comestoProtocol，\"——thatis，Cocceji，Jarriges，Loper，threeeminentmen，havebeennamedtotryit；andHerrHofrathBell，AdvocateforVoltairePlaintiff，handsinhisFirstStatementthatday。Berlinresounds，wemayfancyhow！
Rumor，laughterandwonderareinallpolitequarters；
andcontinue，moreorlessvivid，forabovetwomonthscoming。
HereisonedirectglimpseofPlaintiff，inthisinterim；whichwewillgive，thoughtheeyesarenoneofthebest:\"ThefirstvisitI，\"Formey，\"hadfromVoltairewasintheafternoonofJanuary8th）
1751[Suitbeguntendaysago]。Ihad，atthetime，alargepartyoffriends。VoltairewalkedacrosstheApartment，withoutlookingatanybody；and，takingmebythehand，mademeleadhimtoacabinetadjoining。HisLawsuitwithaJewwasthematteronhand。
HetalkedtomeatlargeabouthisLawsuit，andwiththegreatestvehemence；hewoundupbyaskingmetospeaktoLaw—PresidentM。deJarriges（sinceChancellor）:Iansweredwhatwassuitable；\"——
probablydidspeaktoJarriges，butmightaswellhaveheldmytongue。\"Voltairethentookhisleave:steppingathwarttheformerApartmentwithsomeprecipitation，henoticedmyeldestlittlegirl，theninherfourthyear，whowasgazingatthediamondsonhisCrossoftheOrderofMerit。’Bagatelles，bagatelles，MON
ENFANT！’saidhe，anddisappeared。\"[Formey，i。232。]
OnNew—Year’sday，Friday，1stJanuary，1751，VoltairehadlegallyappliedtoHerrMinistervonBismark，forWarranttoarrestHirsch，asapersonthatwillnotgiveupPapersnotbelongingtohim。
Warrantwasgranted，andHirschlodgedinLimbo。WhichworsensthestateofpooroldFatherHirsch；threateningnowreallytodie，ofheart—breakandothercauses。HirschSon，fromtheinteriorofLimbo，appealstoBismark，\"LordChancellorCoccejiisseizedofmyPlea，yourgraciousLordship！\"——\"Allthesame，\"answersBismark；
\"produceCAUTION，oryoucan’tgetout。\"Hirschproducescaution；
andgetsout，afteradayortwo；——andhasbeen\"broughttoProtocolJanuary4th。\"NodelayinthisCourt:bothparties，throughtheirAdvocates，arenowbroughttobook；thepointstheyagreeinwillbesiftedout，andlaidonthissideastruth；whattheydifferin，leftlyingonthatside，asamixtureofliestobeoperatedonbyfartherprocessesandprotocols。
WewillnotdetailtheLawsuit；——whatIchieflyadmireinitisitsbrevity。Coccejihasnotreformedinvain。GoodAdvocates，noneotherallowed；andnoAdvocatetalks；hemerelyendeavorstothink，seeanddiscover；holdshistongueifhecandiscovernothing:
thatdoubtlessisonesourceofthebrevity！——ManyliesarestatedbyHirsch，manybyVoltaire:buttheJudges，withoutdifficulty，shoveltheseaside；andcomestepbystepuponthetruth。
Hirschsaysplainly，HewassenttobuySTEUER—SCHEINEat35percentdiscount；VoltaireentirelydeniestheSteuer—Notes；says，ItwasanaffairofPeltriesandJewelries，originatinginloansofmoneytothisungratefulJew。WhichnecessitatesmuchwrigglingonthepartofM。deVoltaire；——buthehashimselfwritteninaLawyer’sOffice，inhisyoungdays，andknowshowtotwistaturnofexpression。TheJudgesarenottheretojudgeaboutSteuer—
Notes；buttheygiveyoutounderstandthatVoltaire’sPeltry—and—
Jewelrystoryismoonshine。HirschproducestheVoltaireScrapsofWriting，alreadyknowntoourreaders；Voltairesays，\"Mereextinctjottings；whichHirschhasfurtivelypickedoutofthegrate，\"——ormaybesaidtohavepicked；PapersannihilatedbyourBargainofDecember16th，andwhichshouldhavebeeninthegrate，iftheywerenot；thisfelonneverhavingkepthiswordinthatrespect。
PeltriesandJewelries，Isay:hewillnotgivemebackthatParisBillwhichwasprotested；paysmetheother3，000crowns（Draftof650pounds）inJewelsovervaluedbyhalf。——\"JewelsfurtivelychangedsincePlaintiffhadthemofme！\"answersHirsch；——andthesteadyJudgeskeeptheirsievesgoing。
TheonlyDocumentsproducedbyVoltaireareTwo；of19thDECEMBER
andof24thDECEMBER；——whichthereaderhasnotyetseen，butoughtnowtogainsomenotionof，ifpossible。Theyaffectoncemore，asthatofDecember16thhaddone，tobe\"FinalSettlements\"（orFinalSettlementof19th，withCODICILof24th）；andturnonconfusedListsofJewels，bought，returned，re—bought（that\"Topazring\"
tornfromone’shand，aconspicuousitem），whichnoreaderwouldhavepatiencetounderstand，exceptinthesuccinctform。Letallreadersnotethem，however，——atleastthefirstofthem，thatofDecember19th；especiallythewordswemarkinItalics，whichhavemeritedasadplaceforITinthehistoryofhumansinandmisery。
KleinhasgivenbothDocumentsinengravedfac—simile；wemusthelpourselvesbysimplermethods。Berlin，December19th，1750；
Voltairewrites，Hirschsigns；——andtheItalicsarebelievedtobewordsfoistedinbyM。deVoltaire，weeksafter，whiletheHirschpleadingsweregettingstringent！Read，——averysadmemorialofM。deVoltaire，——
DOCUMENTFIFTH（inVoltaire’shand，writtenattwotimes；andtheoldwritingMENDEDinparts，tosuitthenew！）。——\"FORPAYMENTOF
3，000THALERSBYMEDUE，IhavesoldtoM。deVoltaire，atthepricecostingbyestimationandtax，with2percentformycommission[\"ORGRATIFICATION，\"writtenabove]，thefollowingDiamonds，taxed[blottedinto\"TAXABLE\"]，ashereadjoined；viz。\"——
sevenpiecesofjewelry，pendeloques，&c。，withpriceaffixed，amongwhichistheviolatedTopaz，——\"thewholeestimatedbyhim[\"him\"crossedout，and\"ME\"writtenoverit]，being3，640thalers。
Whereupon，receivedfromMonsieurdeVoltaire[whatisverystrange；notintelligiblewithoutstudy！]thesumof2，940thalers，andhehasgivenmebacktheTopaz，with60crownsformytrouble。
——Berlin，19thDecember，1750。\"（HithertoinVoltaire’shand；