HISTORY OF FRIEDRICH II. OF PRUSSIA
Page: 40

points, in her Majesty's hand. [Letter undated (datable
"Lutzelburg, March, 1708,") is to be found entire, with all its
adjuncts, in Erman, pp. 246-255. It was
subsequently translated by Toland, and published here, as an
excellent Polemical Piece,--entirely forgotten in our time
( A Letter against Popery by Sophia Charlotte, the late
Queen of Prussia: Being, &c. &c. London, 1712).
But the finest Duel of all was probably that between Beausobre and
Toland himself (reported by Beausobre, in something of a crowing
manner, in Erman, pp. 203-241, "October,
1701"), of which Toland makes no mention anywhere.] What is Father
Vota to say?--The modern reader looks through these chinks into a
strange old scene, the stuff of it fallen obsolete, the spirit of
it not, nor worthy to fall.

These were Sophie Charlotte's reunions; very charming in their
time. At which how joyful for Irish Toland to be present, as was
several times his luck. Toland, a mere broken heretic in his own
country, who went thither once as Secretary to some Embassy
(Embassy of Macclesfield's, 1701, announcing that the English
Crown had fallen Hanover-wards), and was no doubt glad, poor
headlong soul, to find himself a gentleman and Christian again,
for the time being,--admires Hanover and Berlin very much;
and looks upon Sophie Charlotte in particular as the pink of
women. Something between an earthly Queen and a divine Egeria;
"Serena" he calls her; and, in his high-flown fashion, is very
laudatory. "The most beautiful Princess of her time," says he,--
meaning one of the most beautiful: her features are extremely
regular, and full of vivacity; copious dark hair, blue eyes,
complexion excellently fair;--"not very tall, and somewhat too
plump," he admits elsewhere. And then her mind,--for gifts, for
graces, culture, where will you find such a mind? "Her reading is
infinite, and she is conversant in all manner of subjects;"
"knows the abstrusest problems of Philosophy;" says admiring
Toland: much knowledge everywhere exact, and handled as by an
artist and queen; for "her wit is inimitable," "her justness of