he hole bored through the Earth,' for instance: really, one sometimes
reflects on such a thing; How you would see daylight, and the antipodal
gentleman (if he bent a little over) foot to foot; how a little stone
flung into it would exactly (but for air and friction) reach the other
side of the world; would then, in a computable few moments, come back
quiescent to your hand, and so continue forevermore;--with other the
like uncriminal fancies.

"'The Latin Town,' again: truly, if learning the Ancient Languages
be human Education, it might, with a Greek Ditto, supersede the
Universities, and prove excellently serviceable in our struggle
Heavenward by that particular route. I can assure M. de Voltaire, it was
once practically proposed to this King's Great-grandfather, the Grosse
Kurfurst;--who looked into it, with face puckered to the intensest, in
his great care for furtherance of the Terrestrial Sciences and Wisdoms;
but forbore for that time. [Minute details about it in Stenzel, ii.
234-238; who quotes "Erman" (a poor old friend of ours) "SUR LE PROJET
D'UNE VILLE SAVANTE DANS LE BRANDEBOURG (Berlin, 1792):" date of the
Project was 1667.] Then as to 'Dissecting the Brains of Patagonians;'
what harm, if you can get them gross enough? And as to that of (exalting
your mind to predict the future,' does not, in fact, man look BEFORE and
AFTER; are not Memory and (in a small degree) Prophecy the Two Faculties
he has?

"These things--which are mostly to be found in the 'LETTRES DE
MAUPERTUIS' (Dresden, 1752, then a brand-new Book), but are now
clipt out from the Maupertuis Treatises--we can fancy to be almost
sublimities.--Almost, unfortunately not altogether. And then there is
such a Sisyphus-effort visible in dragging them aloft so far: and the
nimble wicked Voltaire so seizes his moment, trips poor Sisyphus; and
sends him down, heels-over-head, in a torrent of roaring debris! 'From
gradual transpiration of our vital force comes Death; which perhaps,
by precautions, might be indefinitely retarded,' says Maupertuis. 'Yes,
truly,' answers the other: 'if we got ourselves japanned, coated with
resinous varnish (INDUITS DE POIX RESINEUX); who knows!' Not a sublime
owlery can you drop, but it is manipulated, ground down, put in rifled
cannon, comes back on you as tempests of burning dust." Enough to send
Maupertuis pirouetting through the world, with red wig unquenchably on
fire!

Peals of laughter (once you are allowed to be n