Sacrebleu! These academicians hold our lives hostage in their footnotes! First, I demonstrate to this Professeur Catalan my method by which a square can be decomposed into seven pieces that form three equal squares. He labels it “empirique” in a footnote in his book. Next I extend my method, decomposing a square into a hexagone régulier in five pieces, and into a pentagone régulier in seven pieces. What does he do but suppress the constructions from my manuscript, giving as his excuse (where else but in a footnote!) “a lack of space.” Finally he attaches footnote after footnote to the paper on my problem by that “Génie” M. deCoatpont. No doubt this docteur, this professeur, this membre des sociétés and associé des académies, will be the cause of my death, which he will announce, naturellement, in a footnote.