nd acquiring some
spiritual panoply in which to front the coming practicalities of life.
This, he feels well, will be a noble use of his seclusion in those still
places; and it must be owned, he struggles and endeavors towards this,
with great perseverance, by all the methods in his power, here, or
wherever afterwards he might be.

Here at Reinsberg, one of his readiest methods, his pleasantest if not
his usefulest, is that of getting into correspondence with the chief
spirits of his time. Which accordingly he forthwith sets about, after
getting into Reinsberg, and continues, as we shall see, with much
assiduity. Rollin, Fontenelle, and other French lights of the then
firmament,--his Letters to them exist; and could be given in some
quantity: but it is better not. They are intrinsically the common
Letters on such occasions: "O sublime demi-god of literature, how small
are princely distinctions to such a glory as thine; thou who enterest
within the veil of the temple, and issuest with thy face shining!"--To
which the response is: "Hm, think you so, most happy, gracious,
illustrious Prince, with every convenience round you, and such prospects
ahead? Well, thank you, at any rate,--and, as the Irish say, more power
to your Honor's Glory!" This really is nearly all that said Sets of
Letters contain; and except perhaps the Voltaire Set, none of them give
symptoms of much capacity to contain more.

Certainly there was no want of Literary Men discernible from Reinsberg
at that time; and the young Prince corresponds with a good many of them;
temporal potentate saluting spiritual, from the distance,--in a way
highly interesting to the then parties, but now without interest, except
of the reflex kind, to any creature. A very cold and empty portion,
this, of the Friedrich Correspondence; standing there to testify what
his admiration was for literary talent, or the great reputation of such;
but in itself uninstructive utterly, and of freezing influence on the
now living mind. Most of those French lights of the then firmament are
gone out. Forgotten altogether; or recognized, like Rollin and others,
for polished dullards, university big-wigs, and long-winded commonplace
persons, deserving nothing but oblivion. To Montesquieu,--not yet called
"Baron de Montesquieu" with ESPRIT DES LOIS, but "M. de Secondat" with
(Anonymous) LETTRES PERSANES, and already known to the world for a
person of sharp audacious eyesight,--it does not appear