belief, on all sides; and 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.