Henri Alexandre de Catt, a Swiss scholar, was from 1758 the private secretary and close confidant of Frederick the Great of Prussia. He is often described as the king's "reader" (Vorleser), but in fact did not read anything out loud as such, but was engaged principally in correcting Frederick's pronunciation and written expression in French, his preferred language for general purposes. During this time de Catt kept a diary, which since its publication in 1885 has been the source of many episodes of Frederick's life and of things he said.
