very taciturn in society; 'preferred pretty women to any man of science;' would sententiously say a strong thing now and then, 'bitter but not without BONHOMIE,' shaking slightly his yellow wig.
Disdainful, to how high a degree, of AKAKIA brabbles, and Voltaire gossip for or against! In winter went to St. Malo; found his good Father gone; but a loving Sister still there.
"June, 1754, the King wrote to him, 'VENEZ VITE, Come quickly:'
July, 1754, he came accordingly, [ OEuvres de Frederic, xx. 49.] saw Berlin again; did nothing noticeable there, except get worse in health; and after eleven months, June, 1756, withdrew again on leave,--never to return this time, though he well intended otherwise. But at St. Malo, when, after a month or two of Paris, he got thither (Autumn, 1756), and still more, next summer, 1757, when he thought of leaving St. Malo,--what wars, and rumors of war, all over the world!
"June, 1757, he went to Bordeaux, intending to take ship for Hamburg, and return; but the sea was full of English cruisers [Pitt's Descents lying in store for St. Malo itself]. No getting to Berlin by the Hamburg or sea route! 'Never mind, then,' wrote the King: 'Improve your health; go to Italy, if you can.'
"Summer, 1757, Maupertuis made for Italy; got as far as Toulouse;--stayed there till May following; sad, tragically stoical;saying, sparingly, and rather to women than men, strong things, admired by the worthier sort. Renounced thoughts of Italy:
'Europe bleeding, and especially France and Prussia, how go idly touring?'
"May, 1758, Maupertuis left Toulouse: turned towards Berlin;slow, sad, circuitous;--never to arrive. Saw Narbonne, Montpellier, Nimes; with what meditations! At Lyons, under honors sky-high, health getting worse, stays two months; vomits clots of blood there. Thence, July 24th, to Neufchatel and the Lord Marischal;happy there for three months. Hears there of Professor Konig's death (AKAKIA Konig): 'One scoundrel less in the world,' ejaculated he; 'but what is one!'--October 16th, to the road again, to Basel;stays perforce, in Bernouilli's house there, all Winter;health falling lower and lower.
"April, 1759, one day he has his carriage at the door ('Homeward, at all rates!'): but takes violent spasms in the carriage; can't;can no farther in this world. Lingers here, under kind care, for above three months more: dying slowly, most painfully. With much real stoicism; not without a stiff-jointed algebraic kind of piety, almost pathetic in its sort. 'Two Capuchins from a neighboring Convent daily gave him consolations,' not entirely satisfactory;for daily withal, 'unknown to the Capuchins, he made his Valet, who was a Protestant, read to him from the Geneva Bible;'--and finds many things hard to the human mind. July 27th, 1759, he died."[La Beaumelle, Vie de Maupertuis,
pp. 196-216.]
Poor Maupertuis; a man of rugged stalwart type; honest; of an ardor, an intelligence, not to be forgotten for La Beaumelle's pulings over them. A man of good and even of high talent;unlucky in mistaking it for the highest! His poor Wife, a born Borck,--hastening from Berlin, but again and again delayed by industry of kind friends, and at last driving on in spite of everything,--met, in the last miles, his Hearse and Funeral Company. Adieu, a pitying adieu to him forever,--and even to his adoring La Beaumelle, who is rather less a blockhead than he generally seems.
This of the Two Capuchins, the last consummation of collapse in man, is what Voltaire cannot forget, but crows over with his shrillest mockery; and seldom mentions Maupertuis without that last touch to his life-drama.
GRAND FRENCH INVASION-SCHEME COMES ENTIRELY TO WRECK(Quiberon Bay, 20th November, 1759): OF CONTROLLER-GENERALSILHOUETTE, AND THE OUTLOOKS OF FRANCE, FINANCIAL AND OTHER.
On the very day of Maxen, Tuesday, November 20th, the grand French Invasion found its terminus,--not on the shores of Britain, but of Brittany, to its surprise. We saw Rodney burn the Flat-bottom manufactory at Havre; Boscawen chase the Toulon Squadron, till it ended on the rocks of Lagos. From January onwards, as was then mentioned, Hawke had been keeping watch, off Brest Harbor, on Admiral Conflans, who presides there over multifarious preparations, with the last Fleet France now has. At Vannes, where Hawke likewise has ships watching, are multifarious preparations;new Flat-bottoms, 18,000 troops,--could Conflans and they only get to sea. At the long last, they did get;--in manner following:--"November 9th, a wild gale of wind had blown Hawke out of sight;away home to Torbay, for the moment. 'Now is the time!' thought Conflans, and put to sea (November 14th); met by Hawke, who had weighed from Torbay to his duty; and who, of course, crowded every sail, after hearing that Conflans was out. At break of day, November 20th [in the very hours when poor Finck was embattling himself round Maxen, and Daun sprawling up upon him through the Passes], Hawke had had signal, 'A Fleet in sight;' and soon after, 'Conflans in sight,'--and the day of trial come.
"Conflans is about the strength of Hawke, and France expects much of him; but he is not expecting Hawke. Conflans is busy, at this moment, in the mouth of Quiberon Bay, opening the road for Vannes and the 18,000;--in hot chase, at the moment, of a Commodore Duff and his small Squadron, who have been keeping watch there, and are now running all they can. On a sudden, to the astonishment of Conflans, this little Squadron whirls round, every ship of it (with a sky-rending cheer, could he hear it), and commences chasing!