of Moyland, six miles from Cleve; "moonlight," I find,--the Harvest
Moon. Visit lasted three days. [Rodenbeck, p. 21; Preuss, &c. &c.]

No. 2. VOLTAIRE'S DRIVE THITHER. Schloss Moyland: How far from Brussels,
and by what route? By Louvain, Tillemont, Tongres to Maestricht; then
from Maestricht up the Maas (left bank) to Venlo, where cross; through
Geldern and Goch to Cleve: between the Maas and Rhine this last portion.
Flat damp country; tolerably under tillage; original constituents bog
and sand. Distances I guess to be: To Tongres 60 miles and odd; to
Maestricht 12 or 15, from Maestricht 75; in all 150 miles English. Two
days' driving? There is equinoctial moon, and still above twelve hours
of sunlight for "M. le Comte."

No. 3. OF THE PLACE WHERE. Voltaire, who should have known, calls it
"PETIT CHATEAU DE MEUSE;" which is a Castle existing nowhere but in
Dreams. Other French Biographers are still more imaginary. The little
Schloss of Moyland--by no means "Meuse," nor even MORS, which Voltaire
probably means in saying CHATEAU DE MEUSE--was, as the least inquiry
settles beyond question, the place where Voltaire and Friedrich first
met. Friedrich Wilhelm used often to lodge there in his Cleve journeys:
he made thither for shelter, in the sickness that overtook him in friend
Ginkel's house, coming home from the Rhine Campaign in 1734; lay there
for several weeks after quitting Ginkel's. Any other light I can
get upon it, is darkness visible. Busching pointedly informs me,
[_Erdbeschreibung_, v. 659, 677.] "It is a Parish [or patch of country
under one priest], and Till AND it are a Jurisdiction" (pair of patches
under one court of justice):--which does not much illuminate the
inquiring mind. Small patch, this of Moyland, size not given; "was
bought," says he, "in 1695, by Friedrich afterwards First King, from
the Family of Spaen,"--we once knew a Lieutenant Spaen, of those Dutch
regions,--"and was named a Royal Mansion ever thereafter." Who lived in
it; what kind of thing was it, is it? ALTUM SILENTIUM, from Busching and
mankind. Belonged to the Spaens, fifty years ago;--some shadow of
our poor banished friend the Lieutenant resting on it? Dim enough old
Mansion, with "court" to it, with modicum of equipment; lying there in
the moonlight;--did not look sublime to Voltaire on stepping out. So
that all our knowledge reduces itself to this one point: of finding
Moyland in the Map, with DATE, with REMINISCENCE to us, hang