Frederic,_ xvi. pp. 112-117: date,
March-June, 1736.] and had given him texts, or a text, to preach from.
Supreme Achard did not abolish the difficulties for his inquiring
Prince,--who complains respectfully that "his faith is weak," and leaves
us dark as to particulars. This Achard passage is almost the only
hint we have of what might have been an important chapter: Friedrich's
Religious History at Reinsberg. The expression "weak faith" I take to
be meant not in mockery, but in ingenuous regret and solicitude; much
painful fermentation, probably, on the religious question in those
Reinsberg years! But the old "GNADENWAHL" business, the Free-Grace
controversy, had taught him to be cautious as to what he uttered on
those points. The fermentation, therefore, had to go on under cover;
what the result of it was, is notorious enough; though the steps of the
process are not in any point known.

Enough now of such details. Outwardly or inwardly, there is no History,
or almost none, to be had of this Reinsberg Period; the extensive
records of it consisting, as usual, mainly of chaotic nugatory matter,
opaque to the mind of readers. There is copious correspondence of the
Crown-Prince, with at least dates to it for most part: but this,
which should be the main resource, proves likewise a poor one; the
Crown-Prince's Letters, now or afterwards, being almost never of a deep
or intimate quality; and seldom turning on events or facts at all, and
then not always on facts interesting, on facts clearly apprehensible to
us in that extinct element.

The Thing, we know always, IS there; but vision of the Thing is only to
be had faintly, intermittently. Dim inane twilight, with here and
there a transient SPARK falling somewhither in it;--you do at last, by
desperate persistence, get to discern outlines, features:--"The Thing
cannot always have been No-thing," you reflect! Outlines, features:--and
perhaps, after all, those are mostly what the reader wants on this
occasion.

Chapter II. -- OF VOLTAIRE AND THE LITERARY CORRESPONDENCES.

One of Friedrich's grand purposes at Reinsberg, to himself privately
the grandest there, which he follows with constant loyalty and ardor,
is that of scaling the heights of the Muses' Hill withal; of attaining
mastership, discipleship, in Art and Philosophy;--or in candor let us
call it, what it truly was, that of enlightening and fortifying himself
with clear knowledge, clear belief, on all sides; a